Grover, Play Dough, Breakfast, Happiness

~1~

This week I challenged myself to break out of the breakfast rut I had been stuck in.

Clockwise from top left: sausage and spinach egg "muffins",  pumpkin custard with maple cinnamon butter, oven-poached eggs with sauteed spinach, onions, and tomatoes, apple slice pancakes; Center: slow cooker oatmeal with apples, cranberries and cinnamon. 

Thanks to my incredible Facebook friends and their super scrumptious suggestions, mission accomplished.

Do you have a favorite breakfast?  Please leave ideas in the comments box.  Only requirements are that they should be easy to prepare and relatively healthy.

~2~

There are some benefits to being the only teacher at this school.  Today I cancelled school.  So far, today has included tickling, hugging, cousins, homemade play dough, and now (blessedly) naps and blogging.

I highly recommend it.

~3~

HAHA!  Guess what I just found out?  Today is a holiday in South Korea!  

Samiljeong is Korean Independence Day!  Here kids, color a flag.  I'm going to swig daintily sip some soju.  

See, we totally aren't playing hooky.  We are "experiencing the South Korean culture."  Ahem.  

For more on the symbolism of the Korean Flag,
go here.

~4~

I am cheating on my Photoshop Elements this week.  Don't tell him: I fear he'll be devastated.  

I couldn't help myself.  Those lovely photo collages above were made in about 3 minutes flat using the online photo editor over at iPiccy.  Appropriate for Quick Takes, eh?

~5~

Speaking of photography, if you haven't seen Cari's Theme Thursday photography link-ups yet, then please please please get thee over there and join the fun.  It's a small enough group that I get to see everyone's posts every week, but big enough to be wowed by all the amazing photos.  

In case you missed them, these are my photography posts thus far:  Happiness and Joy, Architecture: Korean style, Trees and Leaves, Hat and Scarf.  I'm no professional (not by a long shot) but I am having so much fun learning about my camera and my own style this way.

Do you find it ironic that both Take ~4~ and Take ~5~ were about photography, and yet neither contains photographs?

~6~

Speaking of cute things kids do... Wait, who was speaking about that?  Weren't you?  Wasn't I?  Oh, well, it's always a good topic, right?  RIGHT?!

~6.1~

Do you remember this book?

It was a favorite of mine when I was a kid.  My godfather/uncle used to call me Farmer Grover because I made him read the book by the same name over and over and over again.  So Grover and I, we're tight.

~6.2~

Someone gave us this book this week.  Apparently I am very talented at expressing emotions when reading, because today Zeke burst into very real tears, crying "'Cared, 'cared!" and pointing at Grover.  Poor baby!  P.S. This is about the 20th time I've read it this week.  He just figured out what all the fuss was about and he was terrified for Grover.

~6.3~

Gabriel, on the other hand, finds Grover hilarious.  Specifically, he loves when he "eats all the stars" and "eats all the clouds."

~7~

Bye-bye, Papa Ben.  We will continue to pray for you.  Pray for us, too!

Head on over to Jen for more Quick Takes!  You won't regret it!