The piano

Lets remember where we started from.

Paint smeared, scuffed, uneven stain, drippy finish.

Old, chipped, yellowed keys. Faded blacks.

Veneer chipping off in places.

And now......

Ісус воскрес!

In Ukraine there is a lovely traditions that on Easter, instead of greeting people with, "hello", you exclaim, "Jesus Resurrected!" And the people answer back, "He Truly Resurrected!" It was hands down my favorite day in Ukraine. It's bigger than Christmas. People celebrate for days.

I feel to exclaim today that Christ is alive. I feel the joy of it in my heart.

We ate a delicious and way too big dinner with my Russian friend today. We had all my favorite Ukrainian foods: borscht, sourdough rye bread, cheese blintzes, mashed potato crepes, cabbage rolls, potato salad, deviled eggs, torte, and hibiscus tea. I was too busy eating to take pictures but it was delicious. I did take a picture of the Paska - the traditional Easter bread. It's the first time I made it and my husband and kids love it, so I think it turned out.

I am also including this funny and nothing-to-do-with-Easter video of Maggie. She wanted me to take a movie of her dancing, but actually ended up just spinning. I laugh till I cry every time.

Just relaxing

Maggie and I ate fresh-out-of-the-oven bread with blackberry jam out in the cheerful sunlight.

I love jam faces.

My little seedlings are doing nicely. Hopefully they'll make beautiful flowers and vegetables.

I have to guard them from Lucy. This is one of the lucky sunflowers I saved from her leaf plucking tirade.

I finished the yellow table. And it did pick me up.

June Cleaver, may I borrow your pearls?

A friend of mine is turning 30 and really wants a 50's style apron. This is my latest project.

These pockets were sooo fun to make.

Ruffle at the neck.

The best part is, it was free. I'm finally using up some of the fabric my mom bought about the time I was born! I have nightmares that in 20 years I'll still have the fabric I have now. Patiently waiting to be sewn into something, while new little bits of fabric continuously grow around it. Always growing, never diminishing. Yet another way I'm like my mother.

Family pics

Abbie Rufener took this. Look at my husband. Yeow!

Oh, the horror

I starting putting the piano back together and discovered that I completely missed part of the piano. You see it when the keys are closed. I obviously didn't know that side showed. Ahhhhh!

So, pause all the plans. Not moving in piano this Saturday probably. I haven't actually cried, but I should have. But you can see that it will look really cool when done... in a while, the weather forecast is cold for quite some time, and I'll need to put on at least three coats of pain. I mean paint.

Poop.

Lost tooth

Pulled it out during nap time at school.