Everythings coming up roses...

Our terrace is in full bloom...with LOTS of roses! Aren't they pretty:)

Frustrated...

For three days now, Levi has been carrying a box of Kleenex around with him and I in turn am finding a trail of tissues throughout the house. Tonight, after feeling very frustrated about not being able to breath he says, "I hate my nose, there is sooo much snot in it!"

I love it when the kiddos tell it just like it is!

Hungarian style...

Our retreat in Hungary was really a great time of encouragement for us. We love getting to hang out with others who are in WHM and hear about how God is working throughout the world.

Part of "retreating" includes just finding fun things to do with the family. Our hotel offered riding lessons, so Abby could hardly wait. Now, of course my version of a riding lesson would be talking a slow walk on a trail or being lead in a circle inside the stable.

Fortunately, there was a language barrier (this is one time it was a good thing) and I had no idea what these lessons would include...because I probably would not have let her go if I had know she was going to do this...


and this...
and this...
and THIS...

Thankfully, all ended well.

Here to Help...

Here are Jodie and Liesl getting things done!

And here is Brad doing his best to scrape the crud off the windows...

So we leave tomorrow for Hungary and will return this weekend.  Please pray for a good retreat time!  Auf Wiedersehen!

Translate this...

This is a sentence that Levi was saying when he came home from school today...

"Der Bub isst Naseboren!"

Can you figure it out?

Oh the joys of learning a second language from a fellow kindergartner :)

Saturday Morning Tradition...

A lot of our Saturdays begin with crepes...

these are just a few of the choices you can add to them...

the Master crepe maker...

crepes are always better when shared with friends...

Can you tell that Levi is excited...

Luke adds whipped cream first...

Abby likes powdered sugar and strawberries...

Levi likes to eat his burrito style...

So unbelievably yummy...

the only part of the tradition that I don't particularly care for...the MESS!

Hope your Saturday is starting off as good as ours!

Remind Me...

It is pretty rare that I get out for an evening without a kiddo attached to me, but tonight Leslie and I had some girl time. We checked out this eclectic store and then we ate dinner at Vapiano's. So fun!

Remind me if you come to visit, to take you there!

Another Strawberry recipe...

You really should try THIS

My Most Precious Gifts...

Happy Mother's Day!

Strawberry Season...

Strawberry season is finally here and it is time to bring on the strawberry recipes!

Our family is a huge fan of the Fruit Pizza.  I needed to make a pizza for a friend, but wanted some for our family, so I halved the dough and made a small pizza and then with the rest of the dough I baked them in these little tart pans.  Aren't they cute? 

 
Then I topped them with some fresh whipped cream and cut strawberries.  

Now one could stop there, but I drizzled some of the glaze leftover from the pizza too.  

I am sure you can just use pre-maid sugar cookie dough, but this is the recipe I use for Fruit Pizza crust... taken from the "Pride of the Princes Kitchen" cookbook. 

It is absolutely delicious! 

Crust:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 1/4 cups of flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Bake at 325 until golden brown...about 10 minutes.

Glaze:

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

Combine ingredients on stovetop and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Let the glaze cool before drizzling on your creation.

Enjoy strawberry season!

Create a caption...

*WE HAVE A WINNER*

For most of you who made comments- you understand that this photo was taken at a pretty stressful time in our lives. 

 I was stuck in bed, pregnant with Levi and in a state of constant nausea, unable to care for my family. I was fully dependent on Brad, our extended family and friends!  They cared for my kiddos, made meals and provided encouragement when I was really struggling.

And while this picture is really cute of my Abby girl, it is also a sweet reminder of how God provided for me in a real time of need.  

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Ok- back to the contest...

I loved  ALL of the comments,

but I think that Tangie best captures what our spicy, little Abby was thinking, 

"I will keep him and he will love me!"

So congrats Tangie!  A Milka bar is on it's way to California!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This photo of Abby brings back a lot of memories.

Before I share those however, how bout we have a little contest. MckMama does this kind of thing all of the time...

Create a caption, name the photo, whatever you want to call it...just put your two cents in.

And because my love languages are gifts and food, I will send the winner a Milka chocolate bar!

Happy Naming!

P.S. I know the quality of the photo isn't that great...I had to take a picture of a photo copy:(

Gettin Creative...

As much as I would love to be as creative and crafty as Soulemama... I am not.

Every once in awhile though, we get inspired in our house and we get a little creative.

Levi and Abby were both home from school on Monday, and they decided they would write a story. It was so sweet how they worked together to figure out a plot and how to draw the pictures.


The story was titled "One day there was a worm" and it went like this:

One day there was a worm.

He lived in a big, old tree.

His friends came over for a visit, and they had a slumber party.

They ate popcorn, strawberries, gummy bears and gum.

The worm and his friends went to visit the ducks at the lake and enjoyed the sunshine.

THE END


Gotta love a good slumber party with popcorn and gummy bears :)

Spinach/Blueberry Salad...

This is one of my favorite salads! A friend of ours used to bring it to our "Wednesday Night Suppers" at church and it would always be gone in the blink of an eye. It is even delicious when you have to improvise with plain lettuce and Brie cheese like I had to do tonight...Enjoy!

Spinach/Blueberry Salad
created by Robin Puentes

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine ingredients and shake well.

Salad:
1 package fresh torn spinach (10 oz)
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Combine ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve immediately!

Sick eyes...

Every mom out there knows what I am talking about when I say the "sick eyes".  At least with our kiddos, you can usually tell how they are feeling just by looking at their little eyes.  

These photos were taken over the weekend...and he is on the mend now.  I just thought the Glam Grams would appreciate these shots :)

NEW...

New green grass that is growing on our terrace

New blooms on our rose bush

New bottle of Motrin I had to open this weekend, as a result of fevers

New set of keys to the Storefront that will eventually hold our worship services

New Recipe that I tried today

Prater Fun for some of us...

Today is a holiday in Vienna. This means no school and lots of fun things to do at the Prater.

We often hang out at this park and enjoy the very large areas of green space.

Unfortunately, Levi and I are still in our pj's struggling with some virus, while the rest of our family and a few of our friends are probably enjoying a stroll near the famous ferris wheel,

or are taking a bike ride on one of the many paths throughout the park,

or are daring to slide on the zip slide, located above a percariously perched wire

or are getting dizzy on a tire swing...

I can only imagine they are having more fun than Levi and I...as we wipe our noses, take our Motrin and snuggle on the couch

p.s. these photos were taken last year at one of our many trips to the Prater and HERE is our time at "May Day" one year ago