Archive for April, 2009

Posted on April 11, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Egg Free For All

The neighborhood hosted the annual Easter Egg Hunt and everyone at Hearthstone House went. Some of us went for the spectacle while others were on the prowl for Easter’s bounty, eggs. The family quickly sized up the competition and huddled with a plan. The area used for the 1-3 year olds was an open field, so there was no hunting involved or investigative skill needed. Slade and I quickly decided that The Bird should run as fast as she could towards the back of the field and work her way toward the start to quickly dominate and crush her competitors. And when I say competitors I mean 1 and 2 year olds. We were afraid that she would tackle a toddler for an egg and we would have some sort of playground scuffle and a law suit on our hands. Thankfully our plan worked and The Bird heeded our advice and filled her basket with a quickness. She was so excited and pleased with herself. She ended up with 20 or so eggs and 2 golden tickets which she redeemed for a purse and some Jelly Belly Lip Gloss. Too cute.

Posted on April 11, 2009 - by Estate Manager

A Food Week In Review

Nothing like a holiday to inspire a mother to cook. I have great intentions when it comes to cooking but sometimes life gets in the way of whipping up something special. So in honor of Easter I am sharing some meals and images of The Bird and I getting ready for Sunday and some meals in between.

Friday 10:00 AM The Bird and I are up and ready to start baking while little Meebs sleeps. Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Friday 8:30 PM The girls are in bed and Slade and I can finally talk and enjoy some quiet. Menu: Ham and Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Home Fries and Organic Chicken Sausage.

Saturday 6:30 PM Family Dinner, Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops, Sweet Potato Home Fries (Leftover) and Sweet Corn.

Saturday 7:30 PM The Bird and I dye our eggs. We used food coloring, vinegar, and boiling water. The bird also wanted to decorate the outside of the egg carton.

Sunday 5:00 PM I am planning on Maple and Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans Rolls, and Our Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

I hope your Easter is spent with those you love, eating tasty treats and remembering why this day is so special.

Posted on April 8, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Hearthstone Hosts Bird Colony

About a week ago I bought some new bird seed that I had not tried before called a deck and patio mix. I have definitely gotten some new activity due to the change. The first thing I noticed was that the squirrels love the new mix. And second the mix has attracted other species of birds. This was so great yesterday while The Bird and I were in the kitchen we saw these little beauties in our yard and at the feeder. Their color is so intense. I am pretty sure they are American Goldfinches. The males have bright yellow feathers to attract the females. I love the image with the four males sitting on the branch. Maybe a cute little female was sitting close by. The other cool thing I noticed is that they are a similar color to the leaves budding on all the trees. At one point I counted about 20 Goldfinches on the deck, on the feeder and waiting in the tree.

Posted on April 8, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Water Play

After all the cake settled Meebs was given a water table for her birthday. (To check out Meebs having her cake and eating too, click on the right to Slade’s Flickr site) Both girls were very excited and could not wait for the weather to warm up to enjoy it. Finally today, after cooler temperatures and snow, the girls got the green light from The Estate Manager to splash, drip, dump and pour to their hearts content. Meebs practically dove in and immediately dumped water all over herself, she laughed and giggled and fell over with excitement. Meanwhile Big Sis had a well thought out plan for how she would attack the water- one large funnel and one Little Sis. This went on for about 45 minutes until Meebs was completely soaked. Funny, The Bird was completely dry.

Posted on April 3, 2009 - by Estate Manager

Meebs is One!

Hearthstone House is celebrating Meebs’ First Birthday today and this weekend. She is growing up to be a sweet little toddler. She has six teeth, can pull herself up to stand, and is crawling everywhere! She loves her sister, cats and bubbles. Her hair is really coming in and has curls in the back. She can say DA-DA, MA-MA, Sis, Cat, More and Stop. She uses sign language to say Book, Dog, Cat, Milk, Cheese, More and All Done. We are absolutely in love with her and are looking forward to her personality developing in the months to come. How fast the time goes.