Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 22

Epic Mushroom Hunt

Found a pheasant back mushroom!Since Peter showed up, Jack has been home from work the past couple of days. It's nice to be able to sleep in (to make up for being up in the middle of the night, haha), and have some extra help with the rest of the kids, but it's only a matter of time before Jack starts getting antsy and wanting to go in search of an adventure while he has the time for it. This time of the year is great for mushroom hunting, particularly the coveted morel mushroom. I'm not a hu...

Enjoy the Pond

So happy about the first swim of the year!One of the main features of our property is the pond, conspicuously situated right by the house. Most people around us are content having their water features be merely decorative but with kids, there's zero chance we'd be able to keep them out of it. There's too much mystery and adventure to be had just dipping their toes into the water. So peaceful.All winter, the kids were waiting for the pond to freeze so they could play hockey, ice skate, speed sk...

Four Generations, Done!

Four generations done!One of the goals I've had for the past several years was to expand my family history chart out to at least four generations. For the most part, it was easy since I could ask my grandmothers for information and records but sometimes, there's a person who trips up the whole process. It's not that they didn't exist but for some reason, they're difficult to track down.
I had no idea my great grandma was so much fun.Four generations seemed like a good place to start. I wasn't...

That's A Lot of Cake

Zoey turned two and Stoney turned twenty-three, shortly after, Jack turned thirty-four, and thirty-seven minutes after his special day was over, our newest arrival made his debut in the middle of the night. From now on, the end of April and beginning of May is going to be a birthday fest, crammed into a four-day window. That's a lot of cake we'll be eating.
Meet Peter Grant--8lbs 11.7oz and 22 3/4 inches long!It wasn't really a surprise that I went overdue with this baby--it's a trac...

A Special Birthday

One of my favorite photos with Jack. He can always make me laugh!Another year has passed, which means Jack has had another birthday and has caught up closer to me in age, making his claims that I robbed the cradle hardly valid (we're less than a year and four months apart, a difference he likes to exploit). In that time, we've made hundreds of happy memories, shared a few tears, had a number of triumphs, and have loved getting to know each other better.
It goes without saying that Jack is the...

Happy Day

Smiling for the camera!And just like that, our spunky, sassy, blue-eyed beauty with an independent streak the size of the Milky Way is TWO!
Isn't he a gorgeous horse? I'm not saying it only out of bias, either.Which means our handsome, geriatric-but-young-at-heart, half-blue eyed gelding is TWENTY-THREE! It's a special thing that a pair of my favorite beings in the whole world share their special day.  It's incredible to see how time has flown and how kindly the past few years has treated...

Homemade Croissants

I made these delicious, buttery rolls waaaay back when we had our annual Valentine's Day Chocolate party and they were perfect as far as I was concerned. After my first failed attempt several years back (hint: don't try to make croissants for the first time when you have a massive headache. They won't turn out very well), I had to modify my goal to make croissants correctly and I think I managed to accomplished it for real this time. This particular recipe isn't exceptionally d...

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

It's amazing how much rock weighs. Phew!Spring cleaning and nesting is a deadly combination and something I've experienced a couple of times as I've been pregnant with children. Part of me feels like once I have a new baby, nothing will ever get done again. The other part of me is working hard and looking forward to that "break" the arrival of a newborn causes, if it can truly be dubbed a break. Over the past month, waiting for our new little guy to arrive, we have been working like c-r-a-z-y...

A Bright, Sunny Easter

A bright, sunny Easter!Easter is one of those holidays that really hits everything on the head--spiritually meaningful, fun, full of candy, family, and good food, during an exciting change of seasons...what's not to love? After enduring a few chilly, gloomy, rainy days, we woke up to a warm, foggy morning that gave way to a beautifully sunny Easter day that seems so fitting for the holiday.
Um...no. We didn't eat some of the candy while we were putting baskets together...Every other morning, t...

Typical Dates

Changing wheel bearings for a date, anyone?As anyone can probably guess, it is sometimes tricky for Jack and me to fit in many date nights at this point in our lives. It's a challenge finding a babysitter who can handle our brood, then I tend to pay them really well, which significantly adds to the cost of a date night (they are keeping my children alive while I'm gone, so it's worth it), sometimes I have to pick up the babysitter, which is no small feat when our closest sitter is half a...