for the record…i do know project isn’t a verb but that’s my point. i was made to dream and create and explore on a daily basis. i think my mini adults were created similarly. 😁 so when life gets busy and we go from one “have to” to another “have to” we all get a little crabby. bleh. 😉 here are two mini projects. i made paper frames, added contact paper to one side and let them create with tissue papers before i added contact paper to the other side. simple. 😋 then we made the world’s easiest coffee cake. i learned last year that coffee cake doesn’t actually have coffee in it. it should be a simple, less sweet, usually with fruit or cinnamon or brown sugar, without frosting cake…that is eaten WITH your coffee. this is the easiest way to make a coffee cake when you are really overwhelmed. i don’t cook with mixes…ever. this is my once a year splurge. cooking gluten/corn/soy free is a lot of work but i discovered this cake mix. i order 6 mixes for $24 on amazon (ouch!) once a year. two are for birthdays and four are for very tired moments. 😂 today was one of those moments. 😇 when making this coffee cake, you make it “marie version.” you dump the cake mix, 1 c. frozen or fresh berries (ours are usually whatever is cheapest like cranberries/currents/forest blueberries), 1 c. greek yogurt or cottage cheese or a mix of the two and two eggs. mix well, dump into any kind of pan that you greased a little with coconut oil and then bake. what temp? i dunno my oven doesn’t have temperatures or even numbers. 😂 how long? use a toothpick! it will be moist because of the blueberries. i also make this cake with the dry ingredients of a 9×9 cake recipe. success!
the first of march is when we “welcome spring” here in romania. and it was beautiful.
but now it’s gray and wet. so as we try to stay patient for the beautiful sun we know is coming, we are doing beautiful flower crafts instead.
this one is simple (although i think working with contact paper is tricky!). all you need is contact paper and collected pieces of flowers. i used all my flowers that i received for (romanian) mother’s day! we have more flowers and we are going to try again this time using paper plates to make “frames.”
Sometimes when a lot has been going on, I feel that in order to blog I need to recap my silence, explain where I’ve been. Then I realize that I’m not blogging because I don’t have time to back track. So for now…just me, running errands with this kid. We hit up the piata (uh, think bazaar), chatting with the men and women that bring their produce to sell from outside the city of Bucharest. Strange to think four and a half years ago I found this so daunting, so stressful. And now I find it enjoyable and relaxing. After that we went across the street to the mall (where the grocery store is) and ate lunch at our favorite, McDonalds…which you will never really understand until you visit an actual European McDonalds. And we talked. Chatted actually. Wow. The conversations I have with this kid. She is funny. She is creative. She is intense. And she can talk about so many different things at once. We covered space and Mars and the moon. We covered DNA. We discussed life and gymnastics. We discussed magic and the tooth fairy. We discussed boys please pinch me now. Conversations with this kid are never ever boring. I can’t wait to see what she becomes.
it’s been real. it’s been good. it’s been real good. (my husband taught me all my cheesy jokes.)
but it’s time to get back to do romania. cause kids need Jesus. and babies need love. and we have a calling to do. so while we will miss all you amazing peoples of california…we want to let you know that you blessed our socks off. we will always remember this furlough with warmth and affection.
thank you guys!
wrapping her very own presents!
christmas eve service at auburn grace
they are pretty sure santa came…
santa even remembered mama and daddy?!
ana and elsa beanies from dohdoh
learning to shoot a bow and arrow with daddy (she got the arrows after practicing with sticks!)
sissy is not so sure about addy’s skill…