April Showers

The other day we had a little April shower. It didn't last long and when the sun came out, Alayna wanted to go outside and play. She enjoyed splashing in the puddles.

Melanie had to write a "sound poem" for English class. A sound poem uses alliteration and onomatopoeias (words that sound like their meaning). I thought it was perfect to go along with Alayna's pictures enjoying the spring weather. Here's the result of her efforts:

Warm Wet Weather
by Melanie Hilling

Warm wet weather
A breeze whistles through trees.
A busy bee buzzes by.
I sniff a flower. Achoo! I sneeze.
The birds twitter as they fly.
Twitter, whistle, buzz, achoo,
I love warm wet weather.
How about you?

Ladies' Tea Party

Last week I hosted the bimonthly Ladies Day Out for our church. I decided to do an afternoon tea. I served chicken and egg salad sandwiches, dipped shortbread cookies, and orange scones with orange butter (pictured above), and of course, tea. Because I was so occupied with hosting the party, I forgot to take a single picture. Since we loved the scones so much, I made them again yesterday morning. If you'd like to try them, here's the recipe:

Orange Scones

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped mandarin oranges, well drained
Additional sugar

ORANGE BUTTER:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1) In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, orange peel and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, whisk milk and egg. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Stir in oranges.
2) Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Pat into a 6-in. circle. Sprinkle with additional sugar. Cut into eight wedges.
3) Separate wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat butter and marmalade until fluffy. Serve with warm scones.