Life handed me a lemon tree: I make lots of Lemonade

This is my Lemon Tree (and my cute kids playing nicely together, sometimes it happens)
I like it. We are on the end of Lemon Season. My second one here in FL. I know this tree needs pruning but I don't know when to do it, since I am still picking lemons when the blossoms come on for new ones... I will learn, until then...

I like tart lemonade, my family can't be expected to. Since we will be drinking a lot of lemonade (lemons are free after all and milk is SO not) I needed to find a reliable, consistent, easy method for storage, preservation and usage.

Juice lemons using citrus juicer. We have four ice cube trays so that's usually about 1 full basket of lemons. Ours are really big and juicy so a number may not be appropriate. Sometimes I strain out the pulp and seeds and sometimes I don't. It depends if I have time or not.

Pour juice into ice cube trays and freeze.

When frozen store 24 cubes to a ziplock freezer bag, write date, fruit (because I have juiced light grapefruit that looks like the lemons too) and whether or not it was strained.

Back into the freezer or deep freeze. When we need lemonade, it's easy.

2quart pitcher
1cup of sugar
6-7 lemon juice cubes (about 6-7 TBS)
Stir up

I can add a spritz of key lime juice or another lemon cube to mine. But this is the perfect ratio where my kids and husband like it and it is easy and consistent. And if I am putting on a meal and the pitcher is half full it's a no brainier to add a few cubes, sugar and water.

Eventually I will branch out and use my lemons for more, but this is where I am at. I have a recipe to try so that's a start. :)

When we first moved here, this sweet tree with it's tart fruit gave me something to love about being here. It was a hard transition, but as I look back on it I am grateful for the little things like the lemon tree and the big things like life's Lemons that teach me to be better, to look for the positive and acknowledge the Lord's hand in my life, to appreciate the blessings I have.

Easter Pretties

Decorating Eggs with Gary's help is SOOOO much easier and it's fun to have him around.


Here is my sweet 14 month old Giddy miracle. We are so thrilled how well he is doing. He has been spitting up though again. I assume it is a weak stomach sphincter. We'll see.

Gary got the boys matching little 3 piece suits for Easter. This is not normally a thing a guy does is it? Well, it was the first time here as far as I can remember. I mean it wasn't like I saw them, Gary pointed them out and had their sizes and everything. I was so impressed. :)

Anyway the girls saw them and Olea said, I want an Easter dress Mom. I had just bought a few yard ends in the bargain bin of this smocked fabric in different prints thinking of making Nev some light summer dresses since she hates clothes so much. When I saw the Blue Ariel Fabric, I saw potential for double use. There wasn't any in the ends bin so I had them cut me a few yards. I made a few dresses from the other prints and to test out sleeves. The girls liked them so I started on the blue Ariel fabric and had Gary pick up a few extra yards so I could make a shirt for myself. :) Girls were happy and we all were matching, seriously who doesn't love a matching family? If you don't, I don't care. :) I do.

While Gary hid the Easter eggs I took pics of the kids. I even planned ahead to Mother's and Father's Day. So I kept those under wraps but here are some pics of them.
And then the Easter hunt.
Oh so cute. I love my babies! We got a very sweet compliment today about them, one of those kinds of indirect compliments that says nice things about you and your parenting. A parent needs those every once it a while.

Teaching the kids about the resurrection of Jesus Christ again is always interesting. Olea is starting to get it more, that Easter isn't about freakish bunnies and candy and such, but about Christ and His love for us, His power and our reliance on Him.
Obviously we participate in some of the fun traditions, childhood is good that way.
I want my children to have a good childhood but the balance of true teachings and a foundation of faith.
Happy Easter!

Just a few plants to plant...

Today I finally got around to some planting after raking up the leaf "ground cover" I planted some forget-me-not seeds, and a raspberry and two strawberries. I have never planted strawberries before although I did think the wad of roots was pretty big for a strawberry I just went with it and the pace of my helpers (Olea Zurich and Nev). So after the two wads were planted I was cleaning up the packaging thinking, "sheesh, why did that take me so long?" when I looked at the packaging and noticed something, "Wait, TEN plants? TEN?!" I only got two in each bag.

....

Blonde

....

So I dug them up and unraveled the ten separate plants in each of the two wads, and planted them all. Twenty plants. :)

I grew up gardening by legal slave labor (you know, the family garden:) and so this is embarrassing to admit, but funny and I'm so over myself so I'm sharing.

I hope they fruit. That would be sweet.

Also today I ventured to the local farmer's market for the first time. However, with the three youngest I was so glad to have friends with me. They were awesome help. Nev was in an "I'm mad!" mood for a while and kept running off. Thankfully it didn't last too long.

It was a good time and I came home with some delicious fruits and veggies and a plumeria and another flowering plant, I forgot the name of. It was pretty small so it will be a while probably before it flowers. The plumeria is a sentimental replacement from the cutting I destroyed when we moved. As long as I leave it in a draining pot I can't loose right? I hope! I can't wait for it to flower, my other one never did, it grew big and lots of leaves, but that's Utah, this is the sunshine state. They are meant to grow here!

Our Very Own Azalea Festival

We discovered the first blooms on the bushes on the front of the house and knew it would only be a matter of a few days before the whole front yard sparked in pinks and white.

I told the girls that when the azaleas were in bloom they could pick as many as they wanted. I have enjoyed seeing them live out every little girls' greatest wish: to pick the pretty flowers. :)

This made my day coming home one evening. I love to see evidence of their play. One day picking up Olea from the bus (that is why Nev is so high, she's sitting on the top of the stroller) Nev had to have some flowers to take with her (running back down the lane to grab some). Olea took a few to her bus driver one morning as well.

And now photos from the real camera. :)





When you walk down the street you can smell them two houses or more down. I love it. They are so beautiful and so much color. I wish it was like this year round. However, that would probably kill me with my allergies so I am happy to enjoy them in March.








I love the way as they fall their sad faces bury themselves in the earth making a little tent like shape.

Azalea
their buds promise me
like they promised me then
"we will be beautiful
we will welcome you
our bright faces open
our scent lifting you away
adding magic to childhood
and conveyance to memory"

when their job is done
this moment's rarity to protect
they'll fall softly
whispering as their scent declines
"our bright remembrance
will carry thee
adding magic to childhood
and conveyance to memory"

Looking forward to next March. :)

1, 2, 3, 4

In the elevator in our hotel in Mississippi a woman said, "Only four?"
Wow, that's refreshing.
They have been crazy and their ears haven't worked for a few days but I am so happy to have each one of them. They are beautiful, smart, and unique human beings who bring light to my life each and every day.
Even when they are being stinkers.
Honestly.


Yesterday, I saw this site while we were driving around town and wanted to get pics of the kids. So this morning we stopped on the way to the park.

It was a warm day with a cool breeze so I unloaded one at a time, and took a picture. Putting one back before getting another out so I could keep them safe. Olea had a sad experience about watching where she stepped and accidentally stepped on a bird nest. She shed some tears for the little eggs that she stepped on. She said, "I didn't know a nest would be in the rocks!" Neither did I. One egg was intact. It was well camouflaged.

Oh and I found this gem in the rubble too. thinking I will make a necklace pendant out of it.