Busy, busy, busy

Wow, has it really been so long since I've posted? Gotta say that it doesn't seem that long ago! So much has happened. The kids have been sick, then well, and now sick again. First time was some sort of flu (a lot of laundry came of that!) and now there are stuffy noses, coughs, sore throats, and in two out of three cases a fever. Thankfully the first illness only stopped long enough to say hello to me, and this one has ignored me entirely. So far. I think. My poor children and husband, on the other hand, have taken the brunt of it.

Next on my busyness list is keeping a clean house. I know there are some of you out there that this comes quite natural to, but for me it's a struggle against my innate procrastination and laziness. Wow, was that L word ever hard to write! It's been two weeks and I think that I wouldn't have been too embarrassed if anyone had dropped in, which is a major step in the right direction for me.

I am also one of the music team leaders at church, and that tends to take up a lot of room in my brain on the weeks we lead worship. Too much, in fact, and much of it unnecessary. A lot of it is panic because too often I have forgotten to contact someone or do something that should have already been done.

Thank goodness for the boys. They are so precious, even though my mountain of laundry gains new height daily (can someone PLEASE tell me why little boys and mud are so attracted to each other! Three, yes, three pairs of pants a day for each child!). Caleb so cheerful, Ethan so cuddly, and Titus so funny. Really, what more could I ask for?

Paska overload

Easter just isn't as fun without the traditional paska. It's a sweet bread served on Sunday topped with butter icing and sprinkles. My past paskas have been dry, but this years was quite good, so I thought I'd share the recipe in case anyone has a hankering!

3 tbsp. yeast

1 c. warm water

8 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 c. whipping cream

1 c. milk

1 c. warm margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

Rind & juice of 1 lemon

9-11 c. flour

Dissolve yeast in one cup warm water. Whip eggs and sugar. Add warm margarine, milk and cream. Add yeast, vanilla and lemon (I didn't use the whole rind, try 1-2 tsps). Add flour to make a soft dough. Let rise until double in size(1 1/2 to 2 hours). Form into small loaves and let rise again. Bake at 300 F for 30 minutes or when the top is a nice golden color. Ice with vanilla icing and decorate.

Hope you enjoy!

Let's Get Real Monday

Well, I decided to take part in a little something called "Let's Get Real Monday". Randi from the I have to say... blog has been hosting this for quite a while and I decided to play along. The topic this week is about my favorite things. So here goes...

My favorite movie is and always has been The Princess Bride. However, I am quite partial to British movies like Waking Ned Devine, The Full Monty, Calendar Girls, and Ladies in Lavendar. I don't know why, since I'm not a Britophile, but that type of humor is my cup of tea!

My favorite food is ... OK, I can't think of just one. Mennonite food as a collective, maybe. And Italian. And Mexican. Anything that is guaranteed to add a little jelly to the belly. ( I know. It's sad. Why, oh why, don't I crave salad?)

My favorite saying is "I love you mommy" followed closely by the exasperated way Caleb says "Mom" when I am acting silly.

My favorite song (lately) is "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" by the Scissor Sisters.

My favorite household chore is laundry, which is good since with the three boys that seems to be all I do.

My favorite verses are Romans 8:38 and 39 - "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall by able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Little Dancing Mennonites

Yes, those are my two eldest. Dancing, if you can believe it. To Ukrainian music, of all things. At their school on Friday, it was the culmination of their Ukrainian days. Every year their school honors a different culture - last year it was the French Canadians. This year the kids learned to dance Ukrainian, created poppy paintings, cross stitched poppy pillows, and made enough food to feed the many children and their families. Ethan's grade 1 class made perogies (not just cooked, but did the filling and stuffed the dough and folded it into pockets) and Caleb's grade 2 class made meatballs. There were cabbage rolls and beet borscht. It was impressive to say the least! And felt very familiar. It's easy to see what Mennonites picked up while they lived in the Ukraine (besides the dancing). So, here's to the Ukraine! I thank them for teaching my great great grandparents the delights of borscht, paska, perogies, and many other delicious foods that have been so incorporated into my own heritage. I just wish I didn't like it so much!