WHAT IS YOUR DECORATING STYLE?I was perusing The Inspired Room's archives and found this fun quiz. You answer the questions by choosing the picture that best describes you. Even when I retook the quiz several times with some of my second and third choices, my answer always came back the same. Tell me in the comments what your style is, I am curious to know!

I am: Earth Mother

"There is a rustic simplicity and honesty about the way you furnish your home. If interior design corresponded with styles of cooking, your recipe would be a wholesome, hearty pot-roast, perhaps, or something inspired by the Italian Slow Food Movement. Your approach to interior design is almost elemental, certainly in terms of colour, texture, and (above all) materials."

A SHAKY START
The day started out a little rough.
Lots of whining (kids) and lack of patience (me).
The day progressively improved,
and the afternoon ended on a high note.
Nothing to make the day a little brighter like fresh tomato soup.
Yeast rolls rising in the oven.
A little yoga...
Including sun salutations.
And a green smoothie, for a late afternoon energy boost.
All's well that ends well.

PANCAKES
I tried a new, healthier pancake recipe this morning and was really happy with it, so I thought I would share it. I slightly modified this recipe. The kids all loved them, and apparently they are much more filling than the pancakes I normally make, b/c they were stuffed all morning and there were plenty left for the freezer.

Wheat Germ Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup applesauce
2 cups buttermilk (I used 2 cups milk and 2 T. lemon juice)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

In a medium bowl, mix eggs with applesauce and buttermilk. Stir in baking powder, wheat germ, salt and flour; mix until blended.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides, turning once.

TEN THINGS I AM LOVING RIGHT NOW1. Springtime in South GA. Goodness, it is gorgeous here this time of year. There is no where like south Ga March-May. After that, it is pretty much just hot, but right now, it is pure bliss. The boys had their first swim in the kiddie pool this afternoon, surrounded by blooming azaleas.

2. Cleaning the house to classical music. Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Rachmaninoff, I don't care, I love them all. It makes housework twice as nice.

3. Hot bubble baths. This is a perpetual favorite. I went to a good deal of trouble to find an old claw foot tub when we renovated the bathroom. Baths in a claw foot tub are in a league of their own.

4. Decluttering and spring cleaning. Ah, it feels so good to have room to move and breathe. Lots of space. Empty places to rest your eyes. Living with less is best!

5. This cool poster. I am planning to print it out, blow it up, frame it, and hang it in the boys room. So cool. Love it!

6. Cooking. It is so nice to be back in the kitchen after several months of staying far, far away. I made meal plans this morning and bought groceries. I am wanting fresh, simple foods with minimal preparation such as homemade tomato soup with foccaccia bread, texas caviar, green smoothies, and hummus and pitas. I always get lots of inspiration from Susan's food blog.(gRAWnola with fresh berries and local honey).

7. Mellow Mushroom. Man, I love that restaurant. The one in our town closed several years ago, and we are so happy that a new and improved one opened here last week. We have been four times so far. I love their hummus, spinach salad, and both their soups were yummy (tortilla with avocado and tomato bisque). Yay for good restaurants!!

8. Anticipation. There are lots of exciting things on our horizon and it is so fun to have big, happy plans looming in the future. A trip to Miami sans kids. My brother's wedding. Lots of friends having babies. We are having a baby! Time at the beach. Lazy summer days at the water park. Fresh foods coming into season!! There is no shortage of things to be excited and happy about!

9. Babywearing. I truly don't know how I lived without it with my first two children but it has been a wonderful experience with Bauer. Even now, halfway through my pregnancy, I pull out the Ergo 4-5 times a week. He loves it, I love it, and it makes my life infinitely easier. I can't wait to carry the new baby around, nestled in the pouch or wrap, all snuggled up next to me. Babywearing makes me feel nurturing and happy and just RIGHT. It is a good, good thing. (Bauer in my homemade wrap last year)

10. March Madness. I am not a televised sports fan. The announcers/broadcasters really drive me batty. However, I do enjoy March Madness. We all fill out our brackets (even Caedmon and Landing) and it is a really fun thing for us as a family to keep up with it, watch it together, tally our bracket points, etc. Plus, I feel like this is a way that I can really participate in something that Matt enjoys.

What are you loving right now?

BOOK GROUPI am the weakest link in a wonderful book group of insightful, vibrant women.
I don't always finish the book.
Sometimes I don't even start it.
They let me come anyway.
I am the youngest, and therefore, lacking the most in wisdom and insights and life experiences to draw parallels from and to really glean the best tidbits from our reading.
I love being included in the group.

We meet once a month, usually around my mother's dining room table. We sip hot tea and eat scones or tea cakes with fresh whipped cream and jam or what have you. And we have delightful conversation about the book (a little) and family and what we have been reading and watching and doing. Yesterday, we composed a list of our top book picks of all time. Seeing the books that have moved a person the most deeply says a lot about the reader, I think. It is really a window into who they are. Kind of like houses. Seeing a person's house says a lot about who that person is and what she is like. A line from one of my favorite books (Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun) says it well:

"What is her house like?" my sister asks, and we both know she means what is she like.

Our "Top Book List of All Time" listed books as varied in style and depth and interest as the women around the table. All wonderful and engaging for completely different reasons and worth the time to get to know them.

In case you are interested, these are my top 5 favorite books of all time (so far). What are yours?

-Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (don't judge this book based on the (awful) movie)
-The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
-Gifts from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
-Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
-Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve

A CHANGE OF VENUE **Update at bottom of post**This is my ironing pile. 25 dress shirts and pants of my dear Saulsy that needed to be pressed. It takes me 10-15 minutes to iron one garment (is this a normal length of time, or am I really slow?), so I was looking at about 4 straight years of ironing.
But the sun was shining and the breeze was blowing and the kids were playing happily outside. So, I hauled my ironing board and teetering pile of laundry out to the screened in porch. The boys were thrilled to have an audience and the fresh air was just the mood-lifter I needed.Ironing has never been so fun.

**Yes, I do have a good iron, I do use it at the highest setting, full of water, steam, etc. And yes, I am a lefty!! Is that why I am so slow?! LOL Thanks for the tips, everyone!***