take that Holland

With a little help from my dad in Florida (our dumb phones, GPS-free CRV, and bad directions combined forces and we found ourselves lost) we made our way to the Woodburn Tulip Festival.

I wish I had checked out some photos of such places before we went so I would have known how to capture the beauty...but here's what I took.

It was stunning...

I'm terrible at editing as you may have noticed over the years. I can cut the egregious ones but if most of my loved ones are smiling I just can't delete...just cannot. :)

 (Maya had a gnarly goose egg on her forehead...you can kind of see the remnants)

I'm getting old and old-fashioned but I liked these places (pumpkin patches, berry farms, dahlia/tulip/name the flower festival) when there were no rides and minimal amusement for the kids other than the thing itself. Maybe a hay ride and kettle corn but it's gotten ridiculous and spendy with the zip lines, bounce houses, pony rides and endless name your fried food.

(enjoying an elephant ear...in their Christmas tees:)

Catch ya next year Tulip Festival...

don't forget the love...

Anything I know about anything pop-culturish these days comes from NPR.

And that is where I found the link to the Bon Iver session.

This is my favorite form of music these days. 

Pared down.

It's beautiful, if you have the time, give it a listen.

Anyway, when he covers Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me tune, naturally, I was reminded of her original version of the song:

Which reminded me of this movie (Maria Bello covers it in the film).

Which I watched at her house (♥).

Which made me think of these.

And these.

And, really, just food in general.

Yes, I got from Bon Iver to food in like four thoughts.

I think about food a lot. 

I'm reading this (fantastic) book realizing how much there is to make and enjoy and how little time there is (it doesn't help that I make bean and cheese quesadillas very regularly when I could be whipping up a ratatouille sandwich and shaved celery salad w/ bleu cheese toast. Both are pared down but one definitely has an interest factor the other is lacking). 

But here are a few sweets that we've created recently:

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons from Smitten Kitchen.

If you decide to give them a go (and you should) follow Deb's advice and don't mix the coconut and raspberries completely together.

I accidentally pushed "on" instead of "pulse" and the mixing got away from me. I liked the ones that were more half coconut, half raspberry.

I also think they need about a minute or two more cooking time than suggested (though that could be my oven).

This was a cake I made for the teachers @ Maya's school.

Awhile back I saw one of these mini buntings on some blog I like and tucked the idea into the back of my mind.

I whipped it together in the midst of making breakfast, lunch and corralling two kids out the door on a school/work morning (the bunting, not the cake...the cake I made the night before).

Ham it up sister!

Anyway, as I've mentioned before, OM don't eat a lot of what I cook (unless it has sugar and chocolate in it and then they're 100% onboard).

I hope what they're learning and some day come to appreciate is the inherent worth in making food (mostly) from scratch.

And that love is the most important ingredient.

stomp rocket

 (my little homies)

Easter afternoon we went over to the Rhoads' to play and break bread together.

It was a lovely sunny day.

Owen got a stomp rocket from the Easter bunny.

(If you don't have one in your life, get one.

They rule.)

So we brought it over to share the fun...

(Soph and Maya about to duel)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

We love you lots and lots and lots...

then and now

My bestie from high school sent me the treasure on the left last week. That was our freshman year of high school in 1988 and I have to say that we were righteous babes, right? :)

Photo on the right was from last March when we went to San Diego and I got to see my high school peeps. 

These pictures crack me up, just had to share. 

spring break

our little honey bunny...

Atwood and I ran the Shamrock run...him the 8k; me the 15k. I get slower every year but it did snow on me this year:)

On our staycation this week we went out to dinner and Woody and O decided to dress fancy...

So I kinda did too...

Owen's homework experiment...

Our hideous egg tree is in desperate need of eggs...

woody did cool things like clean the outside of the upstairs windows on our staycation...

I did stuff like this...

Last year's spring break was a bit more scenic but we had a fabulous time together here in rainy OR.