We share everything, unfortunately

This is what I found today when I went to get Lucy from her nap. The crib tent, which I got to keep a certain curious 2 year old out works pretty well, but we discovered today that it is no match for a mischievous 7 year old. I heard Lucy wake up making happy little noises, Hannah and Johnny wanted to "talk" to her, and I assumed Maddie was still sleeping so I wasn't in any hurry to retrieve them. I should have known after five minutes of peace that something was up. Sure enough, Lucy was hosting a party in her crib.

Notice the runny noses and watery eyes? They were all sick today, usually this doesn't keep us from taking the older, less sick, kids to church while either John or I stay home with the others. This works unless John is on a business trip. So we all stayed home and tried Sunday Stations, something I have been wanting to try for a few weeks. We read about it in the Friend (March issue, I think). We made four stations, 10 minutes each; one for writing a letter, one for reading the friend, one for coloring flannel board stories, and one for doing origami just for fun. It worked really well other than feeling like I needed to be four places at once; reading to Johnny, deciphering instructions for Hannah, keeping Maddie from using the letter decorating stamps on her legs and Lucy from eating them.

This is our usual Sunday Dinner:

Mark and Julie Perry's light Whole Wheat Waffles
(they gave this to us quite a while ago, I hope they don't mind us sharing)

Sift Together
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt

in a separate bowl, Mix:
1 cup Buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. Honey
2 egg yolks

Combine with dry ingredients

In another bowl beat the left over
2 egg whites until stiff and fold in
the other ingredients and cook in a
waffle iron.


Marilyn Zimmerman's Homemade Buttermilk Syrup

This has a caramel taste

(I have to use a big, 2 gallon I think, stock pot for this--if I don't it has pretty exciting and disastrous consequences)

4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups real butter
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbs. vanilla

Mix milk and vinegar and let curdle (I like to make sure the milk is at least room temp.) Add all ingredients to a very deep pan, except for the vanilla. Boil 5 minutes over low heat stirring frequently. Watch out, this is where it gets exciting. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve hot. Store remaining syrup in the refrigerator.