In The Refiner's Fire

Four loaves of homemade bread - on my agenda to make this week! We're expecting company for a month starting this week!  I'm super excited but it always means spending more on groceries and doing a bit more in the kitchen than I typically have time for this time of year.  Thankfully our company is more than willing to help out and it makes things so much easier.  We have a dance competition this coming Saturday and will eat both breakfast and dinner at home but will have to buy lunch there.  They do not allow people to bring food into the venue so we will purchase something little and filling and then will make soft pretzels when we get home.  Friday evening we're meeting some extended family for dinner at a restaurant mid-way between our homes - I'm pretty excited since it has been quite a long time since we have seen them. My Dad, who is now officially the oldest living member of the family, will be treating - his request. We're still eating some...

Some of the flowers that are starting to grow in my garden right now!  YAY for Spring! Goodness, this spring has just flown by!  We only have a few more days of University left for me and then we jump into our abbreviated "summer session".  Final projects and exams and piles of grading at the normal routine here.  End-of-year projects, spring concerts and recitals are all coming up for the children.  John is thankfully heading toward a quiet season in the church year (Ordinary Time - also known as the Season After Pentecost - starts May 20th and programming for the year decreases at that time).  We're all looking forward to longer days with sunshine and green grass, flowers and fresh vegetables.  Two weeks ago we received 18 inches (just under 46cm) of snow.  Today, we have green grass and the iris are up about 3-4 inches (7.5-10cm) above the ground!  I'm hoping the daffodils and tulips bloom soon - they are just starting to bud!  T...

I found this photo of taco salad from who knows how long ago - yum!  I may have to put it on the menu next week because it just looks SO good! We received more snow this week.  Snow.  In April.  Not a "dusting", mind, but a full 3 inches or so.  I really am done with winter.  But, I guess winter is not done with us, so I will keep planning my garden and push through until spring actually arrives!  Where we live, snow is always a possibility all the way up through Mother's Day in May (this year, May 13).  This winter has just seemed long.  John and I ran to the grocery store on Friday evening last week, since we had other events all day on Saturday and were also planning on being busy Sunday afternoon.  Whole chickens were on sale for 79-cents/pound so I bought two - which is what our grocery budget could afford. I would have loved to buy more but the budget is tight and the freezer is nearly full still, so two it wa...