Happy Spring

I love spring. I love how everything is so green and how the sky is so blue. (Once the infamous humidity of East Tennessee summer hits we don't see so much of that!) I love how birds are chirping and flowers are blooming. I LOVE that the kids can play outside! It just seems like everything is fresh and new and it makes me feel refreshed and renewed.

Yesterday some crazy storms rocked much of the Southeast, Knoxville included. The wind was mean, the rain was torrential, and I can't remember ever seeing lightning that intense. When I woke this morning I could not believe the contrast in the weather! There was not any evidence in the sky but all I had to do was turn on the news to see that the storms took their toll on so many people. It destroyed homes, devastated towns, and took lives. So today as I say a prayer for those affected, I am especially grateful for the sunshine and for the fresh feelings that come with spring!

Life is Messy...(and sometimes sticky!)

About a month ago I was on the phone with my sister when Savannah came dashing into the kitchen, threw open my cabinet door, grabbed the maple syrup, and ran back toward her bedroom. I stood there in shock for a second (what makes her THINK of these things??) before saying "Meg, I gotta go!" Fortunately that day I prevented a near-disaster. My mistake was that after that day I did not relocate the maple syrup... Today I was not as fortunate and this is how I found it.

It was a MESS to clean up. Also, not a good day to realize I am out of paper towels... Savannah was pretty excited about "helping me" clean it up. Here she is enjoying the fruits of her labor.

I don't have to tell you this, but life is messy. Life with KIDS is especially messy. And this particular event threw my schedule off by an entire hour today! I am learning every day how to process these disasters. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I have to laugh. My kids aren't perfect, but neither am I. So we learn together. The maple syrup is now cleaned up (yes and it has also found its home in a new cabinet), Savannah is forgiven, and this mom has recovered from her panic. Still, I can't deny that nap time was quite welcome today. 

Cookie Dough

Can someone please tell me why raw cookie tastes better than the actual chocolate chip cookies that it could make? I have always been a batter-lover. Mom would let my sister and I help make cookies and my Dad would help us sneak pinches of the cookie dough. (She does not like it herself so she couldn't understand.) I had this little tub in my fridge and was contemplating making some cookies...but as you can see there just wasn't much left. It probably would have made two cookies if that... So I succumbed to my love for it and just finished it off this way. How it tastes so much more yummy I don't know...I guess its just one of life's sweet mysteries.

Easter Fun

I decided today to have make some Easter traditions with Landon and Savannah. We started with coloring eggs. What did I learn? Well, I learned that Savannah wasn't quite ready for egg coloring. She thought the cups of dye were juice and she just wanted to drink them. She also wanted to eat the eggs... Landon on the other hand did a pretty good job and seemed to enjoy it.

In the end the eggs still turned out nicely and look beautiful on my kitchen table.

After the eggs we moved on to cupcakes. It was our second time making these and I love how cute they look. They're also so simple. I just used a boxed cake mix and icing. To create the Easter look use coconut flakes (dyed green with a few drops of green food coloring,) pastel colored sprinkles, and a chocolate egg for the top. 

Easter has always been a favorite day of mine. I have to be honest, I love the egg hunts, candy, and fun traditions. Maybe my favorite tradition is getting an Easter dress. I can't wait to dress the kids up tomorrow. However, the real reason for the celebration does not escape me. The other day Landon and I were working on memorizing his Bible verse for Cubbies. The verse was "He is risen!" Landon said "Mom...what's risen?" I started to explain and found myself stumbling a little...how strange it all must sound to a 4-year old! But when I was done giving my imperfect explanation Landon simply said "Oh! Okay." He accepted what I said without any doubt. Oh to have that childlike faith, right? To just believe without trying to reason it all out. I pray I will have more of that. He is risen!

Something worth remembering...

I have always enjoyed journaling and writing. I have thought so many times about beginning a blog, but I have to admit that as a stay-at-home mom of two who also works two part-time jobs...I'm a bit pressed for time. Still, as my children grow up they say and do things that I want to remember. After all, memories are priceless because they are one of the few things we can treasure our whole life long! Life it too short not to stop and take notice. Moments fly by like dandelion dust...This is the primary reason for this blog. To share my joys and yes, trials, on this journey called motherhood (Trust me, there will be plenty of trials because my kids are crazy! But there will be plenty of joys because they FILL my life with it.) and to help me remember them always. I am sure that I will share whatever else comes to my mind and I hope that you will enjoy reading and sharing my journey.