The joys of toddlerhood and an Easter recap

This Easter, Maddox was old enough to take part in more of the activities and really enjoyed a week of holiday events. It's fun watching him grow and discover.

Early in the week, we met up with friends and dyed eggs at the park. Most of the dye ended up on the kids and on the floor, but they loved dunking them and eating the frosted Easter cookies one mom brought. Here's Maddox with the twins.

Next, we had a weekend Egg hunt at church. Maddox didn't know what to do first-- there was a "sand box" of bird seed to dig in, giant bubbles to blow, a park to play in, a bouncey house, and even a petting zoo complete with lambs, ducks and chicks, dogs, and rabbits.

We hunted eggs together and even stopped long enough to pose for a few photos. After picking up each egg, Maddox would dump out the candy contents to see what he'd gotten. We didn't keep most of the candy (It was taffy and hard candy) but here's a shot of him devouring a bag of fruit chews they also left out for the kids to find.

On Sunday, we hid eggs in the grass and let Maddox run around in search of a half dozen hard boiled ones. (Good thing he's so good at finding them or we'd have no eggs for Easter brunch ; ) After finding each egg, he'd hold it high and show us ANOTHER EGG!

At church on Sunday, they had all the kids go up front with "Jesus" for the final song. And of course, guess whose child was the only one climbing up and down stairs and zooming around the front of the church? Yup, you guessed it.

Of course by the end of the song, he was finally sitting nicely and cried when he had to get off the stairs...

The final verdict? Easter is pretty fun when you're 2. 

Happy Earth Day

How will you celebrate?

• Pick one day and walk, don't drive
• Turn off the water while you soap up and shampoo
• Find your local recycling bins and use them!
• Buy locally
• Try washable diapers-- Really! They aren't difficult to use.
• Plant a garden
• Pick up some recycle bags, skip the plastic

The sweetness of Spring: Sweet bread and lemon filling

At our house, muffins are a favorite for breakfast. Maddox loves any and every kind of sweet bread and when I can sneak a few veggies into his diet, I won't pass up the chance.

I'm always looking for a great sweet bread recipe. Most I pull up on my iphone from applications I've downloaded but the results have been mixed. I prefer using tried-and-true favorites from friends, so when  I came across Jenet's Zuchinni Walnut Bread I was eager to give it a try. Besides, our garden will soon be brimming with zuchinni and you can never have enough great recipes on hand to handle abundant produce. 

The result was a tasty, moist bread with a nice texture and flavor. Maddox was so eager to try it that I allowed him a large slice with his lunch... then another. He ended up devouring almost half the pan!

Ah well, at least he got a good dose of zuchinni.

The next recipe I pulled out was a lemon meringue pie recipe from a Mennonite cookbook. It's a collection I use for inspiration. The Mennonites are experts when it comes to desserts and baked goods; none of the recipes have left me disappointed.

After our lemon curd didn't quite go as planned, I decided to make just the filling for a tart and tangy treat. The result was delicious!

Pie fillings are perfect for a time-saving treat with fewer calories. Plus whipping together just the filling takes only minutes.

And as much as Maddox loves a homemade treat, this is one I think I'll save for myself-- it's going to be Mommy's little indulgence.

A visit to the Iris Farm

Tuesday night a storm blew in. Wednesday we awoke to a wet, drizzly day not-so-perfect for a toddler who likes to play outside all day. And being cooped up in the house is not an option when that leads to his tiny, inquisitive hands finding scissors, glue, my crafting supplies, and (most recently) bottles of anti-air sickness medicine his father forgot to store in a safe place.

I remembered an ad I recently read for an iris farm nearby that stated the flowers were blooming. I LOVE irisis. They're hands-down my favorite flowers and one can never have enough in the garden. So we called ahead, hopped in the car, and went to find the iris garden.

After a long drive through the country, we pulled up into the driveway. Along the green hillsides we could see horses and a few sheep eating fresh spring grass. An older woman named Kate greeted us at the door and welcomed us to her flower haven with sprawling raised beds all over the property. The only clue to her exact age was a reference she made about a great granddaughter who has since grown.

Maddox was delighted when Kate walked us to a golf cart and chauffered us around the property to look at flowers and give us detailed descriptions of each variety. They were beautiful. Some were deep yellows, purples, and burgundy with large blooms that sparkled in the dampness. Others were multi-colored with purple or yellow blooms and white beards. A few were exotic like an orchid with speckled insides and fancy ripples.

As we made our way to the last row, the weather turned colder and the rain fell is a heavy mist. We decided to just take one variety and come back on a better day.

Kate dug in the muddy earth as I tried to shelter my little one from the rain. We raced back to the car, promising to return soon and Kate waved us goodbye.

Here's a picture of my new prize happily transplated back at home. Flowers have a way of making any rainy day a little brighter.

Exploding eggs for lunch

Since picking up our two dozen fresh eggs this week, we've been quickly making our way through the first dozen.

We've used them in so many ways. But I hate cleaning up the pan after scrambling eggs. No matter what I use to coat the pan, they always seem to stick firmly to the bottom. And while certain non-stick pans would do a better job I believe the pieces of tephlon coating that seeps and flakes off into the food is not worth consuming.

That's why when I heard you could quickly cook hard boiled eggs in the microwave, I was eager to give it a try. The first egg went in on high for two minutes. But somewhere around the one-minute mark the egg made a "pop" "pop" and then exploded with a grand burst. It was a mess.

I wiped up the first egg, saving what I could to feed to the dogs, and put in egg number 2. This time I was much more careful and set the timer for 22 seconds. When that went well, I turned the egg over and cooked for 10 more seconds. I kept turning and slowly cooking the egg until it tested "done."

The egg peeled easily and looked perfect! I thought I had figured it out until I began mashing the egg into egg salad and it promptly... EXPLODED! Hot egg went everywhere, covering me, covering the counter, and leaving tiny bits of white goop on the floor.

Egg number 3 didn't fare any better. I'd slowly microwave each egg, turning it over for even heat penetration and then as soon as it was pricked each one would pop into hot pieces.

I'm sure there's a trick to the microwavable egg (I've obviously not figured it out); So if you know the trick, feel free to share!

Easter bunny or not to bunny this Easter...?

A rescue rabbit, waiting to be adopted.



Today we stopped at our local feed store to look at pet food. We were greeted by the resident duck and overwhealmed by the number of chicks, ducklings, and baby rabbits being sold.

The feed store visit got me wondering... are baby animals really a good Easter addition?

Millions of rabbits (and ducks and chicks) are sold every year during the month of April. Right now, pet stores and feed stores all over the country are preparing by stocking up on baby bunnies for expectant children yet again.

But do bunnies make a good gift?

Cute as a bunny
Baby animals are  adorable, especially furry bunnies with their long ears and twitching noses. And while rabbits can make wonderful pets when spayed and neutered, there are a number of cautions and drawbacks to rabbit ownership.

Rabbit rescues often receive a wave of unwanted rabbits following the Easter holiday. According to The Bunny Rescue of Nashville, "Contrary to Eastertime hype, rabbits and small children aren't a good match. The exuberance of even the gentlest toddler is stressful for the sensitive rabbit. Children like a companion they can hold, and cuddle. That's why stuffed animals are so popular."

Children quickly lose interest in their pet rabbit when the bunny is reluctant to be held and cuddled like a toy. But being picked up is frightening and often uncomfortable to the bunny. Some rabbits end up neglected and forgotten.

Many new owners also don't realize what happens when rabbits mature. Rescuers warn that "If left un-neutered they will chew, spray or dig." Some even become territorial of their cage and will lunge and bite.
Rabbits are certainly not for everyone, so before buying a bunny ask yourself the following questions:

Rabbits are not "low-maintenance" pets. Are you ready to be the main caretaker? (cage cleaning, providing fresh water/hay/pellets/veggies daily, vet visits, exercise out of the cage, etc?)

Are you prepared for a pet that will live 10-15 years?

Rabbits must be neutered or they will mark your house with feces and urine. Are you prepared for this cost? Do you know a rabbit-savvy vet?

Rabbits should live indoors (for many safety reasons), as members of the family. Do you have room for a large cage and space for them to roam?

If after carful consideration you still believe rabbit ownership is the right decision for your family, please think adoption first. Some rescues will make families wait until after Easter to adopt, but there are too many unwanted rabbits waiting to find a new family.

New neighbors and fresh eggs

After our refrigerator went out with the storm we had a few weeks ago, I'd been meaning to stop and pick up farm fresh eggs from a house down the street. They always had a sign outside advertising what was available: lambs, eggs, or hay-- and right now they had fresh eggs to sell.

The sign listed a phone number but I decided to stop and knock on the door to see if anyone was at home. We pulled up in the long driveway as cows greeted us, lazily munching spring grass and sleeping with their calves curled up close by. An old border collie ran out to greet us and we parked next to the garage where we could gaze down at a flock of chickens roaming in a field outside a large red barn.

I opened a broken screen door slightly and knocked gently on the old red door before taking a step back. Almost immediately footsteps could be heard hastily coming near in a loud, determined stride. A middle-aged farmer appeared and gave me a hard once-over look. "Can I help you?" he nearly growled. I explained that I didn't have the phone number but wondered if I might be able to pick up some eggs, gesturing towards his sign. His expression didn't change. "I'm not usually home but I have a funeral to go to," he paused for a moment... "Go around to the garage." With that he shut the door.

I went back to where I'd parked and entered through an open door where he was already waiting. "It's a self-serve operation," he explained. "Eggs are in here in the fridge, prices are listed on the door, egg cartons go over there when you come back-- put the money in this bucket." He looked at me hard again. "We've had a lot of stealing going on around here so we don't leave a lot of change.... Oh, and DON'T come after dark 'cause I don't know what you're up to." I promised not to, wondering why anyone would come calling after dark at such a house anyway. Anyone who dared would likely meet the barrel of a shotgun.

I thanked the farmer, paying him for 2 dozen eggs-- a steal at only $1.75 per carton for a medium size order.

As we drove away, I shook my head at the unusual characters you meet in the South. I'm excited to find fresh eggs for sale that are close to home, but have to admit I'm also a little glad that next time I'll be serving myself.