Stations of the Cross

It's hard to post cuteness when it's trapped inside the camera

Adaya and Hannah at Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Bethune's house, Easter Sunday.

Grandma Bethune and Adaya on Eater Sunday

Coloring Eggs on the Saturday before Easter

Counting chocolate eggs from the the Alpenrose Easter Egg Hunt - "One, two, three, six, seven!"

Showers are fun. Mommy lets you drink the water. Spring break at the beach, washing the sand off.

St Patrick's Day cup cake, thanks Juli.

Post second hair cut photo. She'll leave the hair pretty in for anyone but mom.

They crawled into bed together during our spring break beach trip.

Coloring together, isn't that sweet...

they're supposed to be safe...

Every morning I stand at the corner with my son. The bus stops. I watch him climb the stairs and sit down in the front seat.

My heart breaks for the family of a local 2nd grader. He was at school this morning, but didn't come home. Where is he? Where'd did he go after the science fair? Why did he never show up in class? They're supposed to be safe.

I watch my son climb those steps and I walk back to the house. He's on the bus, the yellow limo. He'll get off the bus at the school and walk to his classroom. He will be safe, won't he?

Lord, protect this little boy. Wrap him in your arms. Bring someone to find him, soon. Protect him. Place him back in the arms of his family. May his family know that our prayers are with him and them, that our hearts weep with them.

And after seven year...

She shall have curtains on her bedroom window.

Yes, we have been in our current home almost seven years. No, my bedroom window has not had curtains, only a cheap blind. Today I spent my birthday money and bought some beautiful fabric. Soon I will have my very own bedroom window treatments. Thank you Mom and Linda for the birthday cash.

Kenya

Did you know that I recently designed some buildings for a friend of mine? She's in Africa now. She's trying to get building permits. She really wants to use my designs to build real life buildings. A part of that seems so unbelievable. Yet somehow, it's all a part of God's plan. It's truely amazing that God would use me, in a small part of his plan to change the lives of children on the other side of the world.

Oh, and if you want to see my buildings built, Ashby is going to need more money.

www.visiblegrace.org

www.ashbyinkenya.blogspot.com

cousins' closet

Today I went to the Cousins' Closet consignment sale for all things infant and child. I got over 25 articles of clothing, a couple pair of shoes (including a pair of grey and pink keens), and a few misc items for $87.50. Some of the items even still had store tags attatched. Some of the proceeds will go to help with continued earthquake relief in Haiti. Clothes for Adaya (clothes for Autumn), clothes for Josiah, money to a good cause... Not a bad deal.

Seriously?

Yesterday, I sent Ashby off to Kenya with three sets of building plans. A couple weeks ago I looked all over for a stack of architectural books to help my design and drawing process. I couldn't find them. This evening, I accidently found them. Sigh...

I think I shall write a book!

Really. A children's book.

I've thought about it before. I have a couple of ideas in mind. But I'm really excited about the possibilities of the one I just thought of (while in the shower). It shall be titled:

Three Little Girls and the School that Love Built, A True Story

birthday cards...

Yesterday, I got two birthday cards, one from each of my children. On the front of one it says, "happy birthday, mom" and has flowers on the front. Inside, Josiah signed it (rather neatly) and drew. He also wrote, "Happy 34." The other card says, on the front, "for a special girl" and has a picture of Dora on it. Inside is a pop up of Dora and Boots. After she gave it to me she wanted it back. I think she picked out the card for herself.

Strep

Yes, Josiah has strep.

He didn't go to school Wednesday. He slept almost 5 hours during the day. A highly unusual day, it was. He still had a fever last night so I wasn't going to send him to school today. He seemed to be better this morning but he still wasn't eating much. So mom checked his throat. Nasty. Took him to the dr to confirm just a few hours ago. So no school tomorrow either. I'm sure he'll be running all over the house, feeling great, but school policy...

The good news is, I don't seem to get strep. Wes has had strep and I didn't get it. Adaya is also not supposed to get it. Most kids, 3 and under, don't contract strep. So really the only other person at risk in our house is Wes. Sorry hun.

The kids are eating fruit bars, Dr's order.

39 Clues

So I'm reading these books, it's a scholastic series called the 39 Clues. I just finished book 8. Book 9 comes out late May. The premise of the story goes something like this...

Several hundred years ago there was a family. The four siblings got in some huff and all parted ways, each with their own unique ability that would be passed down through the generations. Such that each branch of the family is known for something different; the arts, athletics, inventiveness, and cunning. Many generations later, the Cahill family is spread throughout the world and is responsible for most of the major events and wonders and finds of the world. If someone famous comes to mind, they were most likely a Cahill. There are these two kids in the family, Dan and Amy, their parents died in a fire and they live with their great aunt. Now their rich grandmother dies. About 100 Cahills from all different branches of the family are invited to the reading of her will. Each is given a choice, 1 million dollars or a hint to the first of 39 clues, the lost Cahill secret, that would make you the most powerful person in the world. It's a contest of sorts. Each person is trying to get the clues for themselves and their branch of the family. Everyone except Dan and Amy who are doing it because it's what their grandmother would have wanted them to do it. They don't even know what branch of the family they belong to.

What I like about these books is they get kids all excited about the history and people and geography of the world. So far the hunt has led them to Philadelphia and Ben Franklin, Paris and the catacombs, Austria and Mozart, Tokyo and Hideyoshi, Egypt and Nefertiti, Russia and the Catherine Palace, Australia and Amelia Earhart, Indonesia, South Africa and Shaka Zulu, and most recently China which included visits to the Great Wall, The Bird's Nest, and Mount Song, culminating with a stop at the summit of Mount Everest. I'm sure that list is incomplete. Dan and Amy are off to the Caribbean next.

Another thing I like is they have several different authors writing the series. So far the first 8 have been written by five different Authors and books 9 & 10 are being written by two new authors.

So in these books everyone is scheming to get the clues. It's family against family. But there is this young generation which includes Dan and Amy and several multi times removed cousins. So as I'm finishing up the latest book this morning this thought occurs to me. What if all of these young people were to say' so what, who cares about the power'? What if this hunt for the clues that seems to be pulling the family further apart is really a means of bringing the family together. Maybe the 39 clues is just a bunch of gibberish. Maybe what real power is the family working together, many different parts, forming a whole. Maybe that's the real power. That would make a nice ending to the series, don't you think. Maybe the lost secret is the lost family.

Reminds me of this other family idea, many parts, one family, one goal...

new holiday

Josiah created a new holiday last night. Today is "Do Everything for Mommy and Daddy Day." I'm reading the newspaper. Josiah is doing the dishes. Life is good. :O) I'll let you now how it goes.

Things Josiah has done today:
Gotten Adaya cereal
Changed the batteries in Adaya's symphony
Unloaded the dishwasher (except that which he couldn't reach)
Loaded dishwasher

The Mess - a story by Josiah

The Mess

The mess. The big mess. Yes, a mess, a big, big mess.

The big, big, big mess. Ooh no, CRASH, CRASH.

Call 911. WE DID NOT CALL FOR FIRE TRUCKS. (If you click on this picture, you can almost see the fire truck he drew.)

1 carrot

5 peas

7 corns

2 apples

1 cheese

(the above is a partial list of items in the mess.)

a real recipe for Angie's homemade crackers

1/4 cup hard red wheat
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup oats
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1/8 + 1/16 tsp salt
1 TBS + 1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup water

Soak hard red wheat in water till chewable. Blend and grind wheat, oats, and bran in the food processor or bullet. Mix in salt and herbs. Mix in oil. Then mix in water. Place small drops on a cookie sheet. Spread really thin. Bake at 350, till crispy (I have yet to time it). When they are done, you probably won't even need a spatula to remove them from the cookie sheet.

We'll say it yields 4 servings; each containing approximately 150 calories, 4.4 grams of protein, 4.5 grams of dietary fiber, and only 95mg of sodium.

They go well with roasted garlic. I'd try them with a tasty spreadable cheese. I haven't, but you should. Now that I've got the crackers to taste good again. I think I will make a batch for book club tomorrow. I will also have to redeem my good name a make a batch for Bible study next week (I threw out the ones I took this morning).

home made crackers (it's a lent thing)

Ingrediants:
Hard red wheat
rolled oats
wheat bran
olive oil
freshly ground sea salt
olive oil
water
favorite dried herbs

Soak red wheat in warm water to soften (maybe about an hour). Dry on towel. Place equal parts of red wheat, oats, and wheat bran in small bullet attachment or food processor. Grind finely, but not powdery. Add herbs. I like basil, oregano, and rosemary. Add in a few twists of salt from your costco sea salt grinder, (maybe 8?). Add a pour of olive oil (a table spoon or two). Add water in small amounts till it all sticks together and you have a corse cookie dough consistancy. Be careful not to get it too watered. Place teaspoons of mix on a cookie sheet. Spread thinly with a fork to the size of a cookie. Bake at 350 until crispy.

It turns out that having an actual recipe is a good thing. I don't know why they were way better last night than this morning...