Confirmed Admissions and other exciting happenings

So it's official. I got my acceptance letter (or in this case letters) in the mail yesterday from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. For those confused, I have been planning on applying for seminary for more than a year now. But I knew I wanted to wait to start classes till Cai was about a year. Well yesterday I got a letter from the Director of Enrollment stating that the admissions committee had unanimously voted to grant my admission! I also got a letter from he president confirming this admissions and congratulating me. It's exciting news. But unfortunately it doesn't mean I will actually get to start classes on campus in the fall. Mark still has not found a job. Although he has now applied at Notre Dame in the IT department, and been told about a few other opening by family and friends in the Elkart area. I'll hear back about the full tuition scholarship I applied for in May. Depending on the financial package I receive from the school and government we may be able to head up this summer. It's exciting and scary all at the same time. I'm excited at the idea of attending seminary, while be saddened by the idea of leaving my friends, family, and community here. I'll update you more as we know more.

Other exciting things around here: I got a bike! I'm so excited about this. Last summer I picked up a kids bike trailer at my mother's church garage sale. We have it hooked up to my bike and this morning the boys and I rode around town to do our weekly shopping. It worked so very nicely. Well once I put a blanket under Cai to make him taller so the shoulder straps would hit in the right spot. :) The only thing is now I'm still exhausted and my legs are sore. But if I keep this up I'll be in shape before long. Plus the boys really seemed to enjoy themselves. Ian gets very excited about riding in the trailer. He and I took a short ride on Sunday after we hooked everything up. And Cai seemed to like it as well, just not as much as Ian.

Well I guess my list is actually short. The weather is gorgous around here. We have been spending lots of time outside, both in the morning and afternoon. Cai is pulling up onto any furniture he can and getting into everything. Ian is pretending more and more every day. Just last week he got upset because the lego person wouldn't fit into the digger and he was certain the digger needed a driver. Life is full around here. For those interested I posted Easter weekend pictures yesterday on Picasa web. Feel free to go check them out. The boys look very nice in their Easter outfits. Well guess that's it for now. Got to go help a crying baby.

Menu Plan Monday

So last week's menu didn't get followed very well. Well actually I guess it did. The curry was really well. Mark and I both agreed alittle sweet. I'll need to cut back on the cinnamon and maybe add more turmeric next time. Tuesday, instead of pasta we had the egg breakfast dinner planned for Friday. Thursday it turned out nice that I had planned leftovers b/c I was sick and not up for cooking anyway. Then Friday we did popcorn, apples and cheese. Which again worked nicely as I was still drained by my cold. Here is this weeks meal plan. I'm feeling better, but the boys are dragging a bit. In fact Cai is more cranky than normal so I think he is fighting what I have been fighting. :( I'm hoping no major sicks day.


Monday: Cheezy Broccoli and Rice with turkey .
I saw this link on Little Home and thought it looked really good. The recipe calls for chicken, but I still have just alittle turkey left that should go nicely in it.

Tuesday: grilled hamburgers, maybe homemade baked fries (we'll see how my potatoes look)
Mark has been wanting to grill, and it is supposed to be so nice.

Wednesday: Church meal

Thursday:leftovers (so we can head downtown for the Art and Music Festival earlier rather than later)

Friday: Black bean, zucchini and tomato quesadillas

Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: youth meal at church

Dessert: I have strawberries in my fridge that hopefully I can turn into a cobbler or something. Last week I saw a great recipe for fruit cobbler that I'm excited to try out.

For more menu plans visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday

Well last weeks dinners went really well. I ended up making bread with the chowder rather than muffins. Which turned out great. I made two loaves and froze one to bring to Easter dinner. Which everyone seemed to enjoy there too. The asparagus pasta was really good. I made a strawberry spinach salad to go with it. This week I'll be trying to include the ham and turkey Easter dinner leftovers my mom sent home with me.

Monday: Turkey curry
Tuesday: pasta and tomato sauce (leftovers send home from the weekend)
Wednesday: Church meal
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: ham eggs breakfast dinner
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: leftovers

For more great menu ideas check out Organizing Junkie

Dying Easter Eggs

Dying Easter eggs was a big hit with Ian. I decided to set up our card table outside b/c it such a beautiful day. I wanted to be outside. Using food coloring worked great once I added a little vinegar to each cup. Don't know why I didn't think to just do that from the beginning. :) When we got done coloring the one dozen I had boiled, Ian wanted to do more. He even put a few back into the dye just because he wanted to do more. I wish now I had boiled more. But I don't have any more eggs. And I just don't see when we would do it now. Tomorrow is completely full. And Friday the plan is to head into Wichita and spend the weekend there. So here a few of the pics. The rest you can see on our Picasa site.

A beutiful Holy Wednesday

I have to admit, I like Holy Week. Especially when it is filled with spring beauty. For me the beauty of spring is the perfect symbol of Holy Week. It's the reminder that rebirth and resurrection are possible. That life can and does come out of death. Death will never win. God's strength and power always bring about new life. Now I also have to admit, like many progressive Christians I find myself questioning the facts of the resurrection. But what I love about Holy Week is that the facts don't matter. It's the truth that at the heart of the resurrection story. And facts and truth, believe it or not, don't have to go hand in hand. Stories can be true even if all the facts are not. The truth of Holy Week is the power of God, the power of light, the power of LIFE! The boys and I were outside this morning hanging up laundry. Well Ian was running around the back yard and Cai was happily swinging in his swing. The songs of the birds was crisp and sweet. The smell of fresh grass strong. And the warmth of the sun made me smile. Even the yappy neighbor dog was a pleasant sound. I just had a wonderful feeling that Spring is here. And the darkness of winter finally gone. Rebirth is happening before my eyes. Easter is happening before my eyes. It was a wonderful feeling.

Speaking of Easter happiness. Ian and I boiled eggs this morning. This afternoon when he wakes up from his nap we will dye them for this weekend. I boiled 16 eggs. Unfortunately only about 12 will be dyed b/c the rest cracked. So we ate them for lunch! Yum! I love hard boiled eggs. I currently read several blogs written by moms who are crafty, thrifty and working on being environmentally friendly. Several of these blogs have been talking about alternative methods for dying eggs using fruit, spices, and vegetables. I would love to do this, but I just don't have the energy this year. I'm hoping in the future though. Instead I'm going to use food coloring rather than go buy a dying kit. One I have food coloring on hand thus I don't have to buy anything new. And two, the more I think about it, the more I realize I have no idea what is in those dying tablets you buy at the store :). So we'll see how it goes. I'll update you, hopefully with pics, when I get a chance. Have a great Holy Week everyone.

For those interested in using produce and spices for egg dying here is the link to the article as well as a link to the blog I found it on. Enjoy!
Natural dyes for eggs
Big Green Purse

Dishwasher turned whiteboard

Sometime early last month I figured out that I could use the front of my dishwasher as a whiteboard. I was trying to figure out how to indicate whether the dishes where dirty or clean. I was hoping to limit the amount of work I had to do. Mark has a tendency to leave them on the top of the washer even if it is empty. :) So my thought was if I could clearly indicate whether it was dirty or clean, maybe we would both load it more. So it tried my dry erase marker and It Worked!! Not only can we not write dirty or clean on the dishwasher, it has provided a space for Ian to draw. He loves drawing on the washer. And after lots of reminders, he understands that he can only draw with the black marker on the blue sticky tack and only of the front of the washer. It doesn't wipe off as well with only a dry towel. I tend to have to get a wet wash cloth. But hey I think it is worth it. And apparently people who stop by and see it are amazed at the idea. It makes me feel very resourceful. Or something :)

Menu Plan Monday

For those unaware, I have been participating in Menu Plan Monday since February. I just always posted on Earthmama's Adventures in Green Living. The longer I create a menu plan for the week, the more I love doing it. I find I am more energize to cook when I know what I'm cooking and that I have everything I need. Cooking no longer feel like a big chore. Of course planning the menu for the week sometimes does. But it's worth it in the end. Here is the dinner menu for this week. I've stopped writing out my breakfast and lunch plans. Lunch is always leftovers or FFY. Breakfast is usually cold cereal or oatmeal, unless I feel energetic and very hungry for something more. :)

Monday- Garden Chowder and muffins (blackberry maybe?)
Tuesday- Asparagus Lemon Pasta
Wednesday- leftovers
Thursday- Maundy Thursday soup supper and foot washing service at church
Friday- pizza night
Saturday-Leftovers if at home
Sunday- Easter meal at Mom's


For more menu ideas visit Organizing Junkie.