7 Quick Takes Friday, #59

1. My house is yellow: my window sills are yellow, my porch is yellow, my kitchen floor is yellow. My roof is yellow. My car is yellow. My cat is yellow. My swingset and garden and fence are all yellow.

Spring is SO in the air, that it's landed with a yellow dusting over everything my eyes can see. Along with rejoicing in the general lack of allergies in my household, I'm enjoying the overpowering perfume of flowering everything and the evidence of abundant new life.

The girls keep presenting me with their own indoor-pollinators to beautify my kitchen sink window, and I love it.

How are you guys holding up through all the pollen?

2. Mia's dinnertime prayer last night went like this: 'Dear God, Thank you for this joyful food and for it to give us energy and we'll have no fears and it'll help us sleep really good without any cries. Amen.'

I love the idea of joyful, nightmare-combating food, don't you?

3. Lucy the Valiant's post this week was WONDERFUL! So wonderful that you should go read it, right now. Writing about how to see silver linings in all the craziness of life, she reminded me to open my happy eyes, and stop being so irritable. Life is good. Good is life. Rock on.

4. My garden is officially underway! I've planted broccoli, romaine, and spinach (Did I already say this once? I don't remember. But I'm so excited, I don't mind saying it again.) so far, but peppers, strawberries, green beans, and 3 kinds of tomatoes are ready to be planted next. Yay for natural, whole, fresh produce!

Now all I need to do is hope that last year's magical green thumb wasn't a fluke, and that I'll have some measure of success this year as well.

5. A few weeks ago, before the yellow haze descended and all the trees began blushing green, we took a walk in the woods by our house, and I took a few pictures that I really liked. I'd forgotten all about them, but since I love them -- the rocky woods, the slanting sunlight, the mystery of traipsing around the forest -- I had to post them, late or not. Hope you don't mind?

Mia calls these the 'Cinnamon Woods'. The reason escapes me now, but it makes perfect sense, whatever it is. When she asks to go for a walk in the Cinnamon Woods, we can't possibly refuse when we're smiling big, goofy grins from her sweet, creative vocabulary usage. Anything named cinnamon has to be an exotic experience.

A handful of huge, moss-encrusted boulders are scattered on a steep hillside, and they're usually one of our main destinations.

They beg to be climbed upon -- and jumped from into a waiting parent's arms.

Every family should have a Cinnamon Wood in which to explore, don't you think?

6. I made this Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole last week, and WOW. I moaned throughout the first 5 bites, shook my head in awe at the second five bites, dashed to the stovetop to sneak the third 5 bites, then loaded up my plate with the fourth 5 bites. I halved the recipe because I wasn't sure how it would go over with the family, and then shed big, gluttonous tears that I hadn't made the whole recipe. It was so good. Sooooo goooood.

7. Now, I have some wonderful news. My good friend, Jill (her name is dropped all over this here blog), has FINALLY started her own blog! I KNOW!! It's about time, Jill!

She'll be writing about important, educated things (In much the same way I write! Right? Guys? Okay. Never mind.) Her blog is called Clearest Glimpse of God, and you should go read her inaugural post to get an idea of what she'll be sharing. She's really brilliant and wonderful and you MUST bookmark her blog, immediately. I'm dying to read her posts, because she's the kind of mom I most want to be like. I expect to hang on her every word and implement her faithful, patient ways in my own parenting style.

(But no pressure, Jill.)

Have a gorgeous (if a bit yellow-hazed) weekend, and stop by Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!