What a difference a year makes ...

In preschool Kara refused to perform.  She wouldn't get up on a stage without coaxing, wouldn't sing in front of other parents/families at their gatherings, and hated to be looked at.

In the fall, Kara disliked kindergarten.  She cried every morning before the bus came, every day on the bus, and every night at bedtime.  She didn't want to go, didn't want anyone to talk to her, didn't want anyone to look at her.

I'm not going to lie, I was frustrated and a bit concerned.

As the months wore on and fall turned to winter and winter to spring, I saw a big difference in her.  She was smiling more, crying less, and not complaining about school at all.

Tonight was the Kindergarten Spring Music Show.  Kara was to stand in the front row on stage, facing the gym filled with a couple of hundred audience members.  I was scared for her and her reaction, but up until the concert she has made no negative comments or gave any indication that she was worried.

As the 90+ kindergartners marched into the gym and took their places on the stage, I held my breath.  I avoided eye contact with her, and actually kind of hid behind the person in front of me so that she couldn't see me.  That usually makes the situation worse for her.

The music started and the concert had begun.  I slowly peeked my head around the person in front of me to get a look at Kara and this is what I saw ...

She stood in that front row, looking all darling in her Easter dress, and sang every word to every song.  And I mean sang.  You could tell just by looking at her that she was giving it her all, singing loud and clear. In between songs and sometimes during them, her eye would catch mine and she'd give me a brief little smile before she averted her gaze and got back to her serious duty.

I couldn't have been more proud of my baby girl, or more relieved.  She finally felt comfortable enough to do something like this, and I finally didn't have to feel badly about her missing out on an opportunity.

What a difference a year makes.

This takes the cake ...

Wait.  That's not it!  I can't finish my Easter posts without a single word about the cake!

My greatest accomplishment of Easter was the carrot cake. The one I stayed up until midnight the night before baking. The one I got up at 6 in the morning to ice. The one that didn't seem to have enough icing, so I made a 2nd batch to make it just perfect.  The one I painstakingly drew icing carrots on top of, and hand placed chopped walnuts on for decoration.

I kept it in the kitchen with me all day as I cooked, admiring my work as I went along.

In the kitchen, on the counter, right next to the stove that was on all day, cooking the ham and scalloped potatoes and asparagus and rolls mentioned above.

At which point, Mark walks into the kitchen, points and laughs.  I look at my beautiful carrot cake only to see that the large amounts of icing I had used to disguise the crooked-ness of the cake had all melted down into big globs that now surrounded the base of the cake.  Big walnut covered globs. 

I wanted to kick him in the shins and yell, but then I remembered the post that I wrote about him and the Easter eggs the night before and decided to let it go.  For now.

But doesn't that just take the cake?!!

I guess I deserve it though for getting all cocky about the zucchini bread and thinking that meant I was now able to bake.

the best Easter ever

For the first time ever, our small family of 5 decided to not travel for a holiday.  We decided to spend Easter at home together instead of making a trip up to visit our extended family. 

We started out the day hunting for the Easter eggs that the bunny had hidden ...

Next they located and tore into the Easter baskets that the bunny had filled ...

They also had baskets to open from Grandma and Pa ...

As soon as we thought the kids had a high enough blood sugar level to make it impossible to sit still, we decided to head out to church.  They all looked delightful in their Sunday best.

After mass it was back home for a nice long day of hanging out, relaxing and cooking for mommy.  I worked all day on making a ham dinner with scalloped potatoes, asparagus and rolls, knowing full well that the only thing that the kids would eat would be the rolls, which by the way are the kind that make a "pop" sound as they exit the can.

But I enjoyed the day anyway, and the kids declared it to be the "best Easter ever".  So, for the small price of a little guilt, we got to spend a holiday at home, unrushed, not in the car driving to and fro, and you know what?  I think it might have been the "best  Easter ever".

True Colors

Another Easter tradition in our house is the same as most people's houses across the U.S.  We color and decorate Easter eggs the night before Easter for the bunny to hide. 

But that's hardly anything to document because everyone does that! 

What makes our Easter egg coloring unique is Mark.  Daddy has a control issue when it comes to messy activities.  One might call him a micro-manager.  He can hardly stand to just sit back and watch and let the kids create.  He has to get involved and ultimately take over.

I can say this because he knows darned well that he has issues, yet he can't stop  himself.  Besides, by the time he reads this it will already be posted and he'll have no way of making an argument.

He likes to blame the Easter egg coloring incident of 2007 for his issues, but the truth is I think he was like this WAY before that.

Besides, I think that HE may have been the one who actually spilled the dye on the floor and table that year because he was right in the kids' faces helping the kids out with their decorating when it happened.

Anyway, regardless of how or why it started, the fact is that our annual Easter egg coloring tradition includes daddy taking control, mommy taking pictures, the kids taking it all in, and all of us in tears laughing about it. 

He's awful good at cookie decorating too.

Basically, the eggs aren't the only things showing their true colors on the night before Easter.  But that's okay because I needed a good laugh like the one I got that night.

Easter Tradition (Oh, it's a tradition allright!)

Today we went to visit the Easter Bunny at the mall.  And by "we" I mean myself, Mark, Jenna, Kara and Jack.  I just wanted to make that clear in case you were wondering, based on the photographic proof ...

No, you're not mistaken.  We're missing a child.  Does that surprise you?!!

Doesn't surprise me in the least.  She's never been a big fan of the EB.

2006

2007



2008

2009

I can't seem to find an EB picture from 2010.  Perhaps that was the year I decided to wise up, stop the insanity, and give up hopes of capturing Kara in a $25 picture with the Easter Bunny.

I just wish I had remember that this year!

Zucchini Bread in 24.5* Simple Steps

Some of my favorite bloggers post recipes, either on occasion or as a regular feature of their blog.  They all take beautiful photos of their creations, and post step-by-step instructions so fool-proof that even a novice like me can follow them. 

By the way, my favorite is The Pioneer Woman.  If you've never been to her blog, you must.  Rhee Drummond is an amazing cook, author, gardener, home-schooler, photographer, rancher, interior decorator ... the list goes on and on.  And she's funny.  I just love the way she writes, the phrasing that she uses, and her down-to-earthness (if that's a word).  Just amazing. 

For me, cooking is nothing short of a disaster.  The only thing worse is baking.  I hate it.  I'm not good at it.  And for some reason, every so often I feel compelled to do it.  Take today, for example.

As I type, I have 2 loaves of zucchini bread baking in the oven.  It smells heavenly, they look like they're coming along just fine, but still I wait to see the end result with a bit of trepidation. 

While I'm waiting, I thought I'd share my recipe for zucchini bread from my friend, Terrill (a.k.a. the lady who used to bring loaves of zucchini bread to our house which the kids would DEVOUR instantly).  But since I'm not a baker and not much of a blogger, my recipe post will be done my way.  No pictures, just a description of how it all went down ...

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STEP 1:  Get the bright idea at 7am that today is a good day to bake some zucchini bread.

STEP 2:  After dropping Jack at preschool, stop at the store and buy a big ol' bag full of zucchini.

STEP 3:  Get home and realize that the recipe will make enough for 2 loaves, and I only have 1 loaf pan.  Proceed to spend the next 20 minutes texting my friends to see who has a loaf pan I can borrow.

STEP 4:  Start looking for food processor to shred the 3 cups of zucchini I'll need.  Not in the pantry cabinet.  Not in the basement.  There it is!  In the back of the bottom cabinets.

STEP 5:  Spend 20 minutes trying to remember how to put food processor together so that it works.

STEP 5.5*:  E-mail Terrill to ask specific questions about the recipe.  Do I need to peel the zucchini? (no) Do I need to remove seeds? (no)  Do I need to remove any of the excess liquid? (no)

STEP 6:  Begin shredding zucchini.

STEP 7:  Stop to take a phone call from Molly who is responding to my text.  "What's a loaf pan?" she says.  I'm in good company.

STEP 8:  Back to shredding zucchini.

STEP 9:  Stop to make lunch for Jack and his friend that is over for a play date.

STEP 10:  Back to shredding zucchini.

STEP 11:  Stop to see if everyone is okay after the boys fall on the hardwood floors while chasing each other around in socks.

STEP 12:  Back to shredding zucchini.

STEP 13:  Stop to answer door for Trisha who has brought over a loaf pan for me to use.

STEP 14:  Zucchini is ready, time to add next ingredients.

STEP 15:  Beat 3 eggs.  Drop one on floor, spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how to wipe a raw egg off of the floor.  Mop floor.

STEP 16:  Add 3 tsp. vanilla, but realize that you only have 2-1/2 tsp.  Figure that's fine, but little voice in back of head reminds me that baking is an exact science, which I often neglect to pay attention to.  Thus, my poor results.

STEP 17:  Add the sugar, oil, flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Wonder how long I've had that baking soda, if it's still good, and what bad baking soda would do to a recipe.  The whole "exact science" thing enters my head again.

STEP 18:  Add the 3 cups of shredded zucchini and mix well.

STEP 19:  Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.  Thanks Trish!

STEP 20:  Bake in 350-degree oven for 1 hr.

STEP 21:  Put Jack down for nap, do a load of laundry, unload and load dishwasher, and type blog post about making zucchini bread while waiting for bread to finish baking.

STEP 22:  Remove pans from oven and place on rack to cool.  Try to check doneness with a toothpick, but remember we're out of toothpicks.  And my trip to the grocery store this morning was about the 10th consecutive trip where I've forgotten to buy toothpicks.  Use a wooden BBQ skewer instead.

STEP 23:  Remove from pan to finish cooling, and wait for girls to get home from school.


no, it's not your imagination ... one loaf is WAY bigger than the other one


STEP 24:  Cut up bread and serve a piece to each of the kids, waiting for their reaction.  In case they hate it, I try to decide on whether to blame the missing 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or the baking soda that had probably gone bad.  It may sound defensive, but I'm still a bit raw from the whole "Lemon Cake incident" when Jack and Kara yelled to Mark, "Don't eat it!  It tastes like undies!"  True story.

Drum roll ....

They like it!

So there you have it ... zucchini bread in 24.5* simple steps.  And for the record, it only took 9 hours from start to finish.  Not bad!

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Terrill's (famous in my house) Zucchini Bread

3 eggs                                          3 cups shredded zucchini

2 cups sugar                                3 cups flour

1 cup vegetable oil                        1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. vanilla                                 1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt                                     3 tsp. cinnamon

Beat eggs.  Add sugar, oil and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into (2) greased and floured bread pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350.  (check for doneness with toothpick.  If toothpick comes out clean it is done).

p.s. for those of you thinking, "wow, that's a lot of sugar" or "wow, that's a lot of oil", I know.  But I also know I'm nowhere near competent enough to make replacements on ingredients to try for a more low-sugar, low-fat version.  Besides, I really don't care.  Have you seen how tiny my kids are?!

*Why is there a step 5.5 you say?  Because after I got to the end I realized I forgot one, and was too lazy to go back and re-number the other steps that followed.

Kara's Gymnastics Party!

Today it was Kara's turn to have a birthday party with her friends.  Like her sister, she chose to have a gymnastics party at a local gym.

My friend Sarah made her some darling jellybean hair bows to tie off her treat bags filled with jellybeans, in honor of Easter next week.

Kara chose to have a "rock and roll" birthday theme, and wanted the colors pink and black.  Sigh.  Gone are the days of Barbie and Princess parties I guess : (

I made the cupcakes that Kara had requested, chocolate cake with pink frosting and chocolate chips on top.

The girls had a blast playing on the gymnastics equipment like the trampoline.

They had relay races and played some games with hula-hoops.

They even had a chance to jump into the foam pit and make their way across to the other side.

Next the little rock stars gathered around the table and put on their rock star sunglasses to sing happy birthday to the birthday girl.

Kara made her wish, the cupcakes were eaten, and then it was time to open presents.

Another successful birthday party comes to a close.  And this party planner is relieved that she can take the next 11 months off before having to plan another one : )

Kara is 6 today!

 Happy Birthday to you,

 Happy Birthday to you,

 Happy Birthday, dear Kara

 Happy Birthday to you!

 How old are you?

 How old are you?

 How old are you Kara?

 How old are you?

p.s. thank you to EVERYONE who came down to celebrate Kara's special day ... unfortunately I missed out on taking pictures with Grandma and Pa and Uncle Dan and Aunt Ann, but Kara was very glad that you came!

Thanks for coming, Grandma and Buck!