4/25/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that all four kids are playing outside this morning and that I'm going to have some quiet time of productivity.

What's something that you're thankful for?

THINGS THAT HAVE MADE ME SMILE RECENTLY

* seeing Devon at the top of trees and playground equipment
* the variety of birds that come into our yard every day
* watching Naomi's eyes light up when she walked into Sally's Beauty Supply for the first time
* flowers and trees blooming in our yard
* Silas checking his bean seeds and Devon checking his basil seeds every morning
* the enthusiasm with which Tyler knocks over his stacking boxes
* kitchen counters made from bowling alley lanes at Becky's house
* the bigs taking care of and playing with Tyler
* having church, blogs or Facebook posts from other people, Bible study homework, and church all tie together
* finding out that Tim got an A and a B during his first term of school
* Devon teaching Naomi how to draw, do math, and sound out tricky words
* friends who are thoughtful
* hearing Naomi call peanuts "elephant nuts" and realizing she didn't recognize them in the shell
* Silas surprising me by nailing the slats back on the repaired section of fence
* a Yankee lemon cupcake candle on the dining table
* belly laughs from each of the little Ws about various things
* Devon's excitement when his Boy's Life magazine comes in the mail
* being able to use the table saw that we were given to help someone who needed a board cut
* Silas doing school in the branches of a tree at 8:00 in the morning
* mowing the lawn
* Tyler jabbering in bed when he wakes up from a nap
* talking to Granny on the phone
* time with the kids at a park
* Naomi contentedly playing in the bath long after the water's gone cold
* board or card games being played by various combinations of Ws

MENU - SECOND HALF OF APRIL 2013

I have not been good about trying new recipes lately, but I'm getting back in the habit with two new recipes on this menu.  I'm also making dump cake, per the request of one of the little Ws, who realized we hadn't made that family favorite in a very. long. time.  Maybe years.  

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 8
* sausage balls/banana crumb muffins/fruit salad
* cottage cheese with blueberries and honey
* Rebecca's granola
* baked oatmeal

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* beef eldorado (base from the freezer)/roasted broccoli
* Hawaiian chicken (bbq)/tropical salad
* rice cooker mac & cheese/carrots & celery sticks
* pork apple burgers (bbq)/potato wedges/corn on the cob (bbq)
* Thai quinoa salad with ginger peanut dressing, with the option of being served over spinach
* cheesy green beans/rice
* orange lentil soup/cheesy muffins
* crockpot sesame honey chicken/rice/asparagus with lemon cheese sauce (bbq)
* artichoke & spinach lasagna/garlic roasted cauliflower
* broccoli & cheddar quiche with brown rice crust/carrots & celery sticks

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* zucchini cookies (some for us, some to take to an event)
* dump cake 
* black bean dip & carrots (taking to an event)

4/18/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that we were able to get rid of a bunch of stuff we didn't need yesterday and that we made a whole bunch of people happy by spreading it all around the corner of our yard with a "free" sign in plain view.

What's something that you're thankful for?

4/11/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that my dad and his wife make it a priority to spend time with and attention on their grandkids.

What's something that you're thankful for?

4/8/13 MEMORIES ON MONDAY

This picture was taken during the fall of my third grade year.  Do I look like Devon (who is currently in third grade) or what?!  It was my first year of public school (I happily shuffled between home, private, and public), the year I won a local coloring contest (my only claim to artistic fame), and the year we started attending the church I grew up in (ten years, lots of memories).

FUN WITH FRIENDS ON FRIDAY

A friend of mine mentioned early last week that she was going to IKEA later in the week and wondered if some of our group of friends would like to join her.  I didn't want to take the kids, Tim's at his practicum full-time, and it wasn't going to be worth paying for a sitter to go.  So, I declined.

Then I got a message mid-week from another friend.  She wanted to know if she and her husband could take our bigs to the drive-in for a movie on Friday night.  We agreed to let them go, then she said to drop them off at 1:00 in the afternoon.  She was going to have the kids help with some work on their property, hang out the rest of the afternoon, and then head to the movies.  We agreed to the plan.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I would only have one kid on Friday.   IKEA day.   Splendid!

I ended up spending Friday afternoon and evening with three friends that were able to make it out that day.  We browsed IKEA for people who needed things there, went on clothing hunt so that they could help me pull together a non-tomboy outfit, ate at Red Robin, and spent a bunch of time talking. 

Of course, I had to take Teebs with me, which is not how things usually go.  He wasn't bad ... but he's busy (no one's fault) ... and he missed his nap (my fault).  By the end of the visit I was a little tired of parenting a toddler and remembering why I like hanging out with friends sans kids from time to time.  But, that's ok.  It was still fun to have some girl time!

Here's Teebs with Charlotte, a friend's daughter who also had to be brought along this time.  The two of them met last year, so it was fun to see them together as toddlers.

Meanwhile, the bigs pulled on their rainboots and got to work at Dave and Sheri's.  Then they just hung out, watched a movie, ate "the best hot dogs ever" as part of their dinner, and headed out to the drive-in to watch The Croods from the back of a truck and eat goodies from Taco Bell.  They didn't home until after 10:30 and had so much fun!!



Tim didn't get to do anything fun that day, but he was able to be home alone for a couple hours between his practicum and me getting home.  Quiet time at home is just as nice, and sometimes even nicer, than galavanting around with friends in this season of our lives, so it's all good.