Tomorrow is Larkspur’s birthday, so today was meant to be spent cleaning the house and doing a little baking for the small party we will have for her. Only, the dishwasher broke, which in our family spells major disaster. The broken dishwasher led to a busted valve and Jonny walking into the kitchen to find Larkspur holding a hose spraying water everywhere. He opened a window, so she could direct the spray there. I had yet to shower, and he noted that the only way I was going to get one, was to shower in the yard in the spray of that hose (It was hot water.) I don’t understand any of this plumbing business, but the consequences were that we spent most of the day with our water turned off, we made two trips to the home repair store for parts, and one to a major appliance store where we begrudgingly bought a new dishwasher. I have a friend with a family almost as large as ours, and they wash all their dishes by hand. I am not ashamed to say that we just can’t do it. We have no system for handwashing. We are terrible at it. You should see the state of my kitchen. It’s awful. As I type, Jonny is installing the new dishwasher and we will stay up late trying to get cleaned up. I’m really thankful that we will hopefully have everything put back together in time for the party.
Larkspur has her birthday pretty well planned out. I like being told what to do in situations like this, so I am glad she knows what she wants. The day will begin with Jonny taking her to the store to buy bagels and cream cheese while I decorate the kitchen and place her gifts on the table to be opened upon her return. Then I suppose I will begin the baking that I had planned for today, before everything went downhill. I ought to have Lark help as she’s been doing some baking herself this week, following recipes for the first time. She made gluten free blueberry muffins, and was quite proud of herself. I’m so glad she likes to bake, because I kind of…don’t. Maybe sometimes, but not always.
We moved Ivanhoe outdoors a few days ago, which was a little hard on some of the kids, especially Keats, who enjoyed spending his evenings with a baby goat in his lap. Ivan and Robin have become great friends and I am so pleased that this worked out so well, and so quickly!
The weather has been pretty warm most days, and it’s clear that spring is coming, if not already here. The bees are flying and the maples are blooming. I’m ready.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Hi Ginny! My mom is going to teach me to cross stitch soon. Id love to know where your God Bless This Home sampler is from. Thanks!! –Sarah O
My mother always said she had 2 dishwashers, myself and my brother. Me? I’m like you, no system for hand washing means we need a new dishwasher! I hope Lark enjoyed her birthday! Happy belated birthday!
I appreciate how you find the gifts amongst the mishaps. 🙂
I have 3 kids and we bought the first dishwasher with the firstborn and now i cannot cope without one, i see it as right up there with the washing machine and the shower! The last one broke and i couldn’t even manage till the end of the day before i sent DH off to the store 5 mins before it closed.
Have a great party time, it feels so great to make birthdays special as the kids grow up, but i find its always such a blessing when the party or meal bit is done too!
we don’t have a dishwasher…………
the only ways it works it have someone responsible for putting away dry dishes all day long
that way, anytime you walk in and the rack is empty you can just fill it up again
I use the same things over and over all day long, so I think I would probably do as many dishes by hand anyway
I love love love all your posts Ginny
well, except when you start posting daffodils and crocuses and all that Spring stuff while we are still living in the Arctic Tundra up here in Maine. If we get bulbs flowering in time for Easter this year, it will be a miracle.
hope Larkspur has a great Birthday
Happy Birthday, Larkspur! 🙂
I hope the dishwasher will be fixed and ready to use today. If not, I hope all of you still have a really nice day!
PS. That picture of Job is priceless, I love it.
Our refrigerator broke last Friday. As you can imagine, it was chaos in our house of five. Scrambling to move food to a freezer downstairs and stuffing food in an old college fridge.
My husband went down to an appliance store once he realized he couldn’t fix it by looking at youtube videos. So expensive, but so necessary.
Happy Birthday to Larkspur. Hope she has a wonderful day. I have to say I dislike using my dishwasher. It always seems that I end up washing the dishes again anyway because it never removes all of the food. There are 6 of us in my family and I usually wash by hand – I actually don’t mind – gives me a bit of “zone out” time.
We have been through so many of those house troubles lately – it sounds like yours happened at a terrible time. Last week the sewer backed up and our basement was flooding and I still insisted like a crazy person that I was going to shower. 🙂 And I did. Glad everything worked out for you guys and happy birthday to your girl.
happy early birthday, larkspur!
Ugh! Not much worse than being without a dishwasher although after renovating our kitchen over the last 7 weeks I can surely say that I never want to be totally without a kitchen again. What is with the high price of appliances these days? I don’t mind baking except fussy things like cookies that are gobbled up as fast as they get out of the oven. Happy Birthday to your sweet girl!
Wishing you a day of happiness and love. Have a year of blessings. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARKSPUR
Marion and Family
Neither of my older girls have had any interest in baking, cooking – anything food-related. Monica seems like she might be more interested, so I keep her sitting on the counter when I bake – just in case I get lucky.
Ginny,
Happy birthday to Larkspur!!! I saw the beautiful hats. What is the name of the beautiful pattern?
Happy Birthday Larkspur,the blueberry muffins look so delicious and your picture made me smile. Glad you got the dishwasher sorted Ginny,don’t worry,what’s a little mess there is so much love in your home who cares,we all have mess from time to time.Don’t forget to rest up.Ann x
Life is to hectic for you Ginny, enjoy your new dishwasher! Happy Birthday Lark! Post pictures of her party for us!
Happy Birthday Larkspur from the other side of the border!
Can’t say I’m jealous of your dishwasher mishap, Ginny, but I sure am Jealous ( notice, with a capital J!) of those crocuses and daffodils sprouting in the garden, and all your bees at work again. We have snow and more falling today. Just when I was bragging on the blog about spring….hopefully not too much longer till we reach where you’re at.
Have a great birthday celebration!
Happy birthday, Larkspur! Those muffins sound great to me!
I like to bake, but only when it’s not multiple layer cakes and insanely difficult procedures. I don’t want to have to use five mixing bowls to make one thing.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LARK!
Happy Birthday, Larkspur! My dishwasher is not completely broken but not working right…ugh. And during the last cold weather we had, a pipe under the sink leaked and ruined my kitchen floor. Plumbing is definitely no fun!
Happy Birthday to Larkspur!
It does not matter what your home looks like – all I see in any of your pics is love being expressed in numerous ways! The kitchen will (eventually) get cleaned. The family is what matters most – enjoy all of it!
Happy weekend to you all!
So good to see all those bees! No die off this winter?
No! We are so excited!
great news there! yay for the bees!!! * have a wonderful birthday Lakespur!!! and I am family of just my husband and I … and we love our dishwasher!!! I am so glad you were able to get a new one so quickly!
Amazing images of the bees! My OH would like to have some honey bees when we finally have our own place! Happy Birthday to Larkspur, I’m sure it will be a lovely one, and at least the dishwasher broke prior to the party aftermess. I hope all your baking goes to plan, and that you have a wonderful day. I hope to be joining you here for Yarn along’s soon too! 🙂
I didn’t have a dishwasher for the longest time. When my first child was diagnosed with cancer (and I was pregnant with my fifth) my family all got together and had one custom installed in my kitchen. Best gift ever!
I had four little ones and no dishwasher, and getting one was a gift from heaven. I don’t even mind the actual washing of dishes (except pots), it’s looking at the never-ending pile that is so discouraging and I think, “It’s going to take FOOOORREEEVER.” And so I put it off. And then the pile gets bigger. Ugh.
Happy spring! We had a lame winter but it keeps going on forever. There is such a cold bite to the wind, even though the temperature is above freezing it feels below freezing.
Such a cute picture of bottle feeding the goat, I have fond memories of feeding lamb.
I couldn’t live without a dishwasher either. Unlike you, I love baking and cooking but I hate washing so I wouldn’t bake as much as I do if I didn’t have a dishwasher 🙂
Happy birthday to Larkspur tomorrow!
Sarah x
ROFLMAO! No, I’m not laughing at your broken dishwasher. God knows what a travesty that is for those who actually have one. I, on the other hand, do not have a dishwasher but I live alone and do my best to keep my dishes at bay ( sometimes ). You just have such a wonderful sense of humor! Such precious pictures of your child (not sure which one) with the blueberry muffins all over his mouth and hands; not to mention all the rest. Glad your new kid ( the goat this time) is getting along with Robin. And yes, I believe Spring is here to stay for now. I haven’t seen any bees flying around here yet although the Maple trees have just now busted out with their reddish buds and flowers. Happy Birthday wishes to Larkspur and I hope all is well with the new dishwasher. Do try to get yourself some rest after the party this weekend.
Dear Ginny, I just love your writing ramblings…oh so entertaining and good. Would you believe I’m actually allergic to hand washing? For real. Once upon a time I loved it…that was before kids. Actually, before a husband. My hands break out in a very sore rash if I hand wash too often. The doctor told me it was a real condition called….are you ready?….handmaid’s syndrome. I kid you not! It affects moms of young children the most and it is really a type of eczema. The type of dish soap may be the culprit, but I’ve tried everything under the sun and if they stay too wet, they get so very uncomfortably itchy and sore. Anyhow, I thought you might appreciate this tidbit.
Have a great weekend…I’m so glad your bucks are content together…sighs of relief!
xo Jules
We are looking at a new house and it does not have a dishwasher. I have had to do some praying about whether or not it is a deal breaker!
That’s funny, because I was looking at a house I liked with a dishwasher but I was disappointed there was no counter space to put hand washed dishes on next to the sink. Even my sister, who has a very efficient dishwasher, washes many things by hand. There’s the old joke: Why does a bride where white? So the dishwasher matches the stove and refrigerator (before stainless steel obviously).
I have no idea what I would do without my dishwasher!! So i felt your desperation there too for a moment. I am glad though that its on the mend and you will be good to go again soon.
All the best with Larkspur’s birthday party – I’m sure it will be perfect.
I feel the same way about dishes that you do. I joke that I try so hard to be good because I am sure that God’s punishment for my earthly sins will be washing dishes for all eternity… that would be my own personal hell! I’m sure Lark’s birthday will be perfect… children are so resilient and much more forgiving than we are. Happy birthday, Larkspur!