Oscar Stew

Spring Break. Break into Spring! That’s what we did. Springtime is always unpredictable in Colorado. We used the van’s heater and a/c on the same day! We adapted as the weather went through hot and cold flashes, and enjoyed activities both indoors and out. This post is all about the in!

The birds are singing, the grass is turning green (well, kinda), and the kids have been busy organizing and planting the seeds for this year’s crop…

Maybe I should rephrase; Drew has been organizing, planting, watering…

Brinley got to do the hardest part: sorting & labeling!

It’s Monday night, do you know where your scriptures are?

For Family Home Evening Drew taught us a great lesson about the history of Joseph Smith. He prepared the lesson all by himself (with the help of his awesome scout leaders). Way to go Scoobie!

As if that wasn’t enough, he also directed & produced a theatrical hit: The First Vision. 

The next day it was still chilly so we continued with indoor activities. What’s for dinner? Homemade Whole Wheat Macaroni à la Roastie! Yum!

Hey Ellie, are you gonna finish that? If not, the cook wants it back.

Let us proclaim our love for Chick-Fil-A. Free Breakfast Wednesdays! Woooot!

Is it the spicy chicken biscuit that’s making those smiles? The warm indoor playground? The free refills?

That’s right, it’s the refills! Looks like Brinley needs one! Brinley, go get us another…after you’re done chewing, of course.

So, we’re done then? ‘Cause I’m not full yet. What else ya got?

We made our way towards downtown and noticed something. Maybe it wasn’t the weather that was having hot flashes; maybe it was Farmer Gray and his ditch-burning machine of mayhem! I bet he doesn’t have to deal with tailgaters…

We made a successful landing at the museum’s Space Odyssey. Drew and Brinley received thorough instruction on the orbit & phases of the Moon… 

…But we were a little concerned about the valet assigned to park our spaceship. Take it easy will ya?!

All those canyons and craters on Mars were apparently created by Astro-Tots. It could be true!

What a surprise…Rowan likes big shiny rocks. Someday some young man is going to be faced with this problem and all I’ll say is “I told you so!”

Looks like Rowan isn’t the only girl admiring the shiny rocks…

Even the boys were interested in these rocks. They look like normal stones until you turn on a UV light, and then wowowowow…get closer kids, and smile big! Free teeth whitening! oh yeah!

It ain’t Carlsbad, but this fake cave looks pretty real to me.

We made our way out of the mine shaft to the surface, only to discover we were 3.5 billion years late to see any real dinosaurs, except for that one behind Eleanor. Ha!

Besides the vicious, mean, and scary animals…there are some plush toys in the Puppet Pit. Beware!

Eleanor got to work on her magnificent mansion of maple…

And then shopped for a top-of-the-line security system to keep out any trespassers. Rock that ghetto booty!

It’s always fun to art with friends. Especially when you meet them at the museum by chance!

Looks like all the arm curls I’ve been doing have paid off…look at that muscle! yeah…no!

At the end of the day this happy explorer let her hair out and showed what she was really made of…cottage cheese!

 

On this day it was frosty outside, so we made oatmeal cookies. Thanks for the raisins Rowan, but where is your shirt? 

How do you stir molten hot brown sugar? You do it like this.

Ok Brinley, very cute. That’s not your own personal bowl, ok? Brinley? BRINLEY!!! Give it back!

Attaboy Daddy! Clean that carpet! Why do blondes have all the fun?

This isn’t fun, this is serious business. We’re in the serious business…of having fun! It’s not the same thing, silly Daddy.

On Thursday the kids lit some candles, held a vigil, and observed a moment of silence…

…for a young lady no longer in her 20’s. Oh the pain! Special thanks go out to a special friend for bringing me a carrot cake…mmm…mmm…GOOD!

We’ll be back later with the outside version Spring Break…see you soon!

When the weather gets crafty (read: crappy) and our outdoor plans are turned to squash, we get pretty bored staring at our colorful walls. When it’s cold outside, there’s nothing better than cooking up a great meal! All it takes is for someone to pull out a cutting board and the kitchen converts to a Keebler elf tree house.

This mischievous little nymph wanted to get her hands dirty and help make eggplant parmesan. Take it away Rowan; I’ve never been a fan of the egg wash! Slimy!

This little fairy’s wings must be clipped. Don’t look at me with that face! Yeah, yeah…you are so neglected!

Eggplant parm phase 2. Lookin’ good! Show that vegetable who’s boss…

Ah-ha! Your true identity has been revealed, little troll! Your hypnotic wailing won’t work on me this time! Can’t you find a cupboard or something to get into? I’m working here…

Make sure that eggplant gets evenly coated in bread crumbs Rowan, nobody likes a soggy eggplant! It’s got to be as crunchy as your tree huggin’ mama!

Brinley tried to remember what it was like to have the warm summer air blow through her hair while her side dish went round & round. That’s not a tumor; it’s a double-chin!

Chef Drew, would you care to enlighten us? “This is how I dice olives. I don’t make the horizontal cuts in toward the pit after making the downward cuts.  So I make the vertical slices, and then just start the dicing. It naturally falls apart. Then I run the knife through the pile of dice just for good measure.” What did he say? 

No touchy touchy Rowan, we’ve got to save those olives for dinner. And that spatula is lookin’ pretty weird…

Rowan, caught red-handed! Check out the blur of intense focus on Drew’s face, I told you he takes his food seriously! Doesn’t look like our beloved spatula will live to see another taco Tuesday…

Good thing we have a backup spatula, otherwise Brinley would be a hand-flipping little tortilla girl, and that just sounds dangerous…

How’s that taco taste Nellie? Hey, if you don’t like it take it up with the captain, but don’t shoot the cooks!

…There lived a beautiful princess. She had four babies first, and then finally got to move into her very own castle. The place needed a little sprucing up, but this was an opportunity that she and her dragon had been dreaming of for 9 years. So off they went, enjoying their time with the little ones as they made plans for transforming this quaint quarters into a resplendent roost!

A year rolled by…was the princess pleased with the progress of her pad? Let’s ask the magic mirror! Lookin’ good!

Isn’t it a good thing that dragons aren’t afraid of heights? The previous inhabitants painted the walls to suit their fancy, but they weren’t all that cautious when it came to avoiding the ceiling. So, all has been made new!

What a precarious perch! Careful dragon, don’t forget you left your wings at work!

Descending to the dungeon…Alright enough with that princess mushy goo! The earth tones are out and the jewel tones are in! Out here in the man-cave we’re making space out of thin air! Oh yeah! Hey Mommy! Daddy says this is my new bunk bed! Haha!

Ok, back to work. Drew you hold up the shelf with your head while I put the screws in. Let me know if any poke through. Ai!

It’s been great to look back over the last year and see all the fun we’ve had making this place our own. We’ve definitely caught the home improvement bug, as we have big plans for this summer. Most of all it’s been great to have the help that we’ve received from the kids and all of you who have stopped by to lend a hand. Thanks for your help!