Food Reintroduction Win: Black-Bottom Birthday Cake!

Huge Win! I enjoyed my first Black-Bottom Cake [my long-time standard] in about a dozen years!

While I am getting back to gluten by way of whole grain rye and einkorn sourdough and the occasional pasta away from home, we chose to use a gluten-free cake mix when adding back cream cheese for now.

But lake time comes before cake on my birthday... despite cold water!

Garden: Before & After

We got a little late start on the raised gardens this year, but they are coming along nicely!

First Step: Weeding. Before (above) and After (below):

Before... and After

Next Step: Digging and Amending Soil

Finally: Planting

Now: Watering and Growing!

Meanwhile: The asparagus patch has been feeding us and our friends well. We will stop picking any day now to let the plants store up strength for another year.

Hot & Cold Greenhouse Days

Greenhouse season is slowing down up north. But when helping out with plants, customers, and kids this year, we had a wide range of hot and cold days.

Hauling carts of vibrant colors was a treat after winter!

Little helpers...

Elsa's woolen bonnet design getting well used!

"Thunder Cake" Book Review

A little thunder, a little hail...

...and a good dose or two of rain suddenly turned our world green in early May!

• Lily of the Valley moving into the brick path •

• Wild Ginger •

But not everyone enjoys thunder as much as I do. Especially not little ones, which is why books like "Thunder Cake" by Patricia Palacco were written. (And why my sister got it for her kids!)

In a delightful way, the author teaches children that they can choose to do things even when they are scared... and that they don't actually need to be afraid of a sound.

We love this book's vivid artwork highlighting the author/artist's cultural background - especially her Babushka (Grandmother).

And when asked what was her favorite part of the book last week, my 3 year old neice said "the cat." Plus she likes the part where they are gathering the ingredient "milk" for baking a Thunder Cake.

▪︎ My little shadow and her big shadow ▪︎

April "Showers," Flowers, Birds, and Clouds

Our April Showers have been mostly white so far. See April 3rd for example:

But they did bring some April flowers! Can you spot our very first blooms in this April 13th picture? 

No? I'll zoom in.

We recently learned the name of this hand-me-down bulb from Mom's mother, who got it from her mother in law, who got it from a community friend. (My great-grandma's journals are full of these neat facts that tie our life and things in our home back to her days.)

The plant is called Scilla or Squills. It is tiny and easy to miss completely. So glad I looked at the right time this year!

I also cut in some little lilac leaf-buds that day. Here is what they looked like at first.

And more green two days later...

Also last Sunday, I had some restful birdwatching and cloud-watching from deck and porch. The back-lit layers of rain clouds rolling in before sunset finally got me to pull out my watercolors again to add to my nature journal. 

And yes, we identified 14 kinds of birds by sight and another by sound, plus there were more we couldn't name.

What a gift of an afternoon!

Orchid Rebloom Season

These shining faces caught my eye in the dining room this morning! 

Exercising Muscles & Spirit through WholyFit

 I just attended the last of 8 live WholyFit classes with the late winter group of ladies gathering for weekly encouragement and instruction. It is amazing how many of my muscles went "dormant" through a decade of chronic illness and the years of chronic pain before that. But I can feel them waking up bit by bit and helping me better move through all of life!

This would be a sad "last"... except that another class is scheduled to start next week! Do you want to be a part of it?! For those who cannot make it online at the time of the live calls, no fear. Video replays are promptly sent out to every class member and are available for use on-demand through the duration of the class. That way we can all exercise with them several times a week, if wanted!

The best part is that WholyFit is a Christ-centered stretching based system with scientific methods that equips us with holistic practices for wholeness and healing! It even strengthens 5 times faster than other exercise modalities!

Does this moderately paced, half-hour workout for all fitness levels sound interesting to you? Read on for class details. I'd love to see you next week!

NOTE: WholyFit has nothing to do with Yoga beliefs or practices. God created movement and the ways our bodies can strengthen and stretch. Even though some stretches may look like those of other programs, WholyFit routines are carefully developed based on safety (unlike some traditional poses) and effectiveness. They are also built to help us memorize and meditate on the word of God as we do our best to take care of this "temple" of our bodies He has given us.

Questions? Contact WholyFit certified instructor, Elsa at elsa.wholyfit@gmail.com

Upcoming Class Details

• March 11 - April 29, 2025 (8 weeks)

• 30 minute sessions

• Live on Zoom every Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. CDT

• Replay videos available from date of workout through May 6, 2025

• Pregnancy and diastasis recti friendly

Want to sign up? Click HERE, and fill out the simple registration form.
Can't make this class work, but want to know of future class offerings?  Click HERE to get Instructor Elsa's occasional newsletters.