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This yearly post has become such a treasure to me.  Every year I make a One Year later post with that years Easter pic, in front of our favorite tree (this one which is our shady maple in the front yard and our favorite oak tree at our Florida homestead) and years past.  It seems that I missed last year and possibly the year before or those pics were part of the great blog fiasco of 2015 where I lost many posts never to be found again.

Just to make sure I have them all in one spot, please amuse me as I post them here for posterity and safe keeping.  The quality of the older pictures is terrible but treasures they are none the less.  Boy have we purchased a lot of boys suits over the years and its safe to say most are still here somewhere.

This year, we threw out all traditions food wise and ate roasted turkey with my Thanksgiving gravy recipe and mashed potatoes, green beans (a decision made by Charlei at the 40th hour) and the usual lemon pie, ambroisia and snacks.

We went to mass very early in the morning and floated all the way home on the memory of the angelic choir singing.  I did not snap a single picture of my little ones running around looking for eggs or anything else we did but we all had a wonderfully relaxing day (even the turkey seemed to roast itself) and so much food.  I now have half a turkey left to reinvent and enough leftovers to take the night off from making dinner today.

I didn’t post about our Good Friday dinner but for those of you who follow our Lenten Jar or have been doing one along with us,  we did actually finish filling our bean jar just in time to have a hearty white bean vegetarian Tuscan soup but also discovered the reason that the jar filled so very slowly.  It seems that Mateo took it upon himself to do many nice things for his siblings however was putting the beans into the wrong jar, so the jar was emptying instead of filling.  We all had a good laugh as we always do when Mateo is involved.

I hope to get lots of foraging this week as long as the rain will stay away.  I have all of the natural dyes I made leftover from dying the eggs which I also need to use.  I just can’t decide if I should dye some yarn or some linen.  Or perhaps a bit of both.    Slowly spring is arriving and it will be so nice to once again wear sandals and warm weather skirts.  What are you looking forward to this week?

We are snowed in…or at least I am.  My van is currently stuck in our very long driveway about 1,000 feet away from our door.   Too much ice to make it move even one inch forward or backward.  I have no plans of going anywhere so I am letting it stay there until the ice melts on its own.  I don’t really mind the snow and ice much as long as I can watch from inside.  These days find us all under warm cozy blankets, doing most everything inside which includes all the boys running here and there,  wooden arrows with wool ball tips flying everywhere, wool and tennis balls going all over, skates, skooters and ride ons in our foot traffic areas.   I try to look the other way and not let it bother me too much, they have so much energy and have to use it up somehow.

This week also saw many of us feeling under the weather and so I pretty much missed the snow fun.  I only have a tiny cough left myself but Poppa must have known that I planned on spending time out in the snow and in no uncertain terms forbade me from going out to play as I had planned.  I was mostly disappointed about not getting to go out to the little creek so Ronnie went for a walk and brought me lots of pictures to look at.  It is starting to warm up slightly and the ice covered tree branches will stop looking like they are made of glass and jewels in a few days.  I think that is my favorite part of snow and cold weather, they really do look magical.

Me getting more sick is not a good idea on any day,  but this week is definitely not the time.  I have been playing Florence Nightingale around the clock to each new child that called to me, with a weird feeling in their throat, wanting a warm blanket and some tea.  I think we have mostly all gotten our turn except for the littlest ones and Veronica.  Some have lasted a day and then they were better and some have taken a few days longer.  Raw honey, salt water gargles, lots of essential oils, bone broth, and rest.  Everyone knows what to do and the biggest ingredient is love and care.

Amidst all of this I turned yet another year older.  Luckily only Poppa was feeling unwell on my birthday so I was able to stay in bed all day (as I love to do on my birthday) and dream a little,  knit a few rows on my shawl, get a glorious nap (could there be a better gift for a mama?), watch movies with the kids and eat some very wonderful meals all cooked and delivered to my bed.  Poppa brought me roses that actually smell like roses, so beautiful and pink which matched the hand painted watercolor birthday card that Veronica made for me.  It’s so beautiful and I love to see her talent grow as an artist.  Charlei gave me a very nice bottle of Moscato and it was a perfect evening.  I am so thankful for another year, for all the grays on my head (I have earned each and every one) for the lines in my face that show my age for I hold so many in my heart who didn’t get to live this long (boy am I sounding old huh?  but I have always felt this way about birthdays) and for all the people in my life whom I get to love and spend time with.  So very thankful.

Today I am working on setting up a new office area in my bedroom.  I am quite excited about it.   My bedroom is so large and I haven’t ever been able to find a way to set it up so that I really like it.   I think this will be a great way to use up some of the space.  My old office will now become Nick’s new bedroom and his bedroom will once again become the guest room (code word for where we keep everything we don’t know what to do with until guests arrive).

So much to do.  How is your weekend shaping up?