Rachael Eliker's Blog, page 58

Grandma's Surprise Party

At Grandma's Surprise Party!A few months ago, I was looking through the calendar and getting a few of the major events planned out for the year. Surprise, surprise, my mother's 60th birthday (don't anyone tell her I told you how old she is) fell on a Friday, on a three day weekend AND she was already going to be off work from a previous shoulder surgery. It was a rare, magical combination for sure! So, I thought really, really hard about what incredible gift we could send and after mulling it...

Welcome, Nova!

We had a quick trip back to Nebraska (more on that later) and when we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa Eliker, the girls discovered a cache of kittens hiding out on the deck. They rounded them up and snuggled and pet and loved on them until the kittens gave in and decided the girls weren't so bad.
Then came the inevitable question: Can we have one? Pllllleeeeeeaaassssse??? It's really not a surprise that they'd make such a request. Hercules and Snickers were adorable kittens long before any of...

Happy Seventh!

Evelyn is now seven. It seems like only yesterday that she decided the timing was right. We'd been trying for two years to have a baby with no luck...imagine our surprise when I found out my uneasy stomach was not from vertigo while roofing the house, but in fact, morning sickness. We were so in love with her and still are. Her appearance was the start of a quick succession of children from which we've never looked back. Evelyn's opinion of herself (except she's not six anymore!) Evelyn i...

Somebody's Sorry

It's okay, Raven.A few days ago, my morning reverie was the sound of Kate shrieking in a pre-dawn hour that Evelyn had thrown up over the side of the bed and managed to get it on her (not a great way to start the day, I've found). So, everyone was up early, showering and pulling sheets off the bed and mopping, then falling asleep on the couch when all was said and done. I figured I'd get a jump start on the chores and went out to take care of the horses when first, I shocked myself on the fen...

Crawdad

Hello, crawdaddy-o.I was walking the pasture fenceline a month ago to cut back the brush and to make sure the fence was still in working order when I kept coming across funny little holes in the ground. Initially, they looked like mice or vole tunnels, but by the mud piled around the entrance, it was obvious that whoever was living in them was digging deep enough that they were getting access to water and bringing it to the surface. With a little pondering and some research, we figured out wha...

Henry's Happy Place

Spatulas make great teething tools!Henry is generally a happy boy, but put him in his high chair and he's immediately ecstatic. He knows what's coming...
It doesn't have to be his high chair either. Any seat near the table where he's involved in the conversation (and food) and he's pleased. He likes to eat his watermelon from both ends.If Peter Pan were to fly by and drop some pixie dust while in his high chair, Henry would just float away to Neverland.
The high chair: Henry's happy place.

Babies

Licorice with a couple of her adorable chicks.It's spring. And around here, spring means babies.  Baby mulberries.  Baby raspberries.  Baby strawberries.  Baby apples. Baby grapes. Baby praying mantises. And of course, cute baby boys.

Holiday World

My favorite section!A few Saturdays ago, we took an impromptu trip to Holiday World, a family-friendly amusement park a couple of hours away from our house. We'd heard good things about it and the weather was supposed to be perfect (unlike the rainy weekend before), so we packed everyone up and drove south. "Driving" the cars with the incredibly annoying horns.We'd left a little late and didn't make up much time on the drive because of all the windy back roads we took to get there (Evelyn was...

Crunchy Apple Salad

So quick, so delicious!I made the mistake of looking on Pinterest for a Fogo de Chao recipe and now, I think I might just make the buffet at home, starting with this sweet, crunchy, satisfying salad!
Ingredients:1 granny smith apple, coarsely chopped2 cups diced pineapple1/2 cup diced celery1/3 cup raisins1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut1/4 cup mayo1 Tablespoon sour creamSalt and pepper, to taste, optional
Toss the fruits and veggies together (you can soak the apples in some water and lemon j...

Bananas and Bee Stings

Can you see what she sees?What do driveway puddles, frog hunting, bananas and bees have to do with each other? Caught Kermit!Bee stings.
One evening, after the rains left, leaving us with a leechy puddle in the driveway, Jack called the girls out to frog hunt. I brought everyone out and we captured the amphibian, but it was apparent that we were bothering the bees, who wanted the water for themselves. To top it off, Henry had just eaten a banana, which apparently smells like a bee's warning ala...