Lovin' the Swings!

It's been quite a while since we've been to the park, but the kids were begging, so off we went at quarter 'til dinner. It was good, though. Fairly deserted - which is always a plus for me since I now have four to keep my eyes on - and decently warm.

The boys loved the chance to climb around, and the girls loved the swings. Caroline hadn't been on them but once a few months ago (before winter set in), but she was a happy girl.

I was a happy girl, too, just to see her sweet face all aglow. Too bad my "good" camera had a dead battery and all I had left was my "dumb" phone. I did manage to get these pictures emailed to my laptop, though, so I can share them. They're just too sweet to keep to myself. I can't even believe the "dumb" phone caught the sunbeams, but now I'm wondering if I could've done much better with the nice camera. 

In any case, here's my sweet baby... 

'Tis Donut Day!

I thought that next week was Fat Tuesday...until last evening. I didn't expect we would get to our donut making today since some neighbors were to be coming over after lunch for a little while. But they cancelled, and the kids pleaded for donuts. So donuts we made!

Note: They actually helped this year!

Again we used my great-grandmother's donut recipe. And I feel a little like a traitor for saying this, but I think next year we're going to have to try another recipe. Maybe I'm making them wrong, or maybe it's just the way these donuts are meant to be. But we're finding them too dense and flat.

I made some apple-cake donuts a few years ago that were less dense, and they were cake donuts! So we're either going to have to revise the recipe or get a new one.

But here's the fun from today...in pictures, of course!

She was dying to help roll the dough.

Everybody had a turn.

Dipping them in the glaze (which was not hot
despite being on the stovetop).

More dipping

Miss Sticky Fingers

They all gave the donuts a thumbs up!

Cade's thumbs up

Pennsylvania Dutch Fasnachts

NO, she wasn't eating a donut. And she didn't help
make them either. But I couldn't put up a post
without including a picture of her. *wink*

My Thousand Gifts

I was given Ann Voskamp's book recently and am slowly making my way through it. My usual excuse would be that I'm too tired to stay up late reading or that I just don't have time and there are too many other things to do. But the truth is that the book is difficult for me to read. Her writing style is so different that I have to re-read everything in order for it to sink in. That is not to say that I dislike either the book's contents or Ms. Voskamp's writing style. Her writing is beautiful! But it takes me a little extra time to read it all again for better understanding.

In the meantime, I have begun my list of one thousand gifts. It's barely begun, but I intend to make it all the way to one thousand...someday. It's easier for me to see my gifts when I look through a lens and when I put words to it. That's not always possible, of course. But it's helping me to have a more thankful heart...which is the end, after all.

So here are some of my gifts:

Big one working atop the desk; little one playing underneath...

My foodie...

A tongue pushing out between teeth...

A budding reader...

 Little bitty piggies...

 Caroline's first tea party...

She obviously didn't know how to behave.

The other guests sat up straight and hardly
made a peep.

Our hostess

She soon became distraught over her sister's
lack of manners.

Can you see why?

Goodness! Did she grow up in
a barn?

 And last, but not least...

Much-prayed-for, long baby naps...