Baking Day

Mondays are baking day. I've always wanted to have a day to bake cookies, breads, pies, the works. We've been reading the Little House Series and Ma inspired me to get started. ! The highlight for the boys so far were Ma's Best Butter Cookies. Oh my...they were delish! They came from My Little House Cookbook (found on my fancy new Ferris wheel!) that Hunter got for Christmas. He's very proud of it! Oh, and everything that we bake now is "Ma's best (insert food title here)....!" The book is full of kid friendly recipes like Laura's Little Maple Cakes, Buttermilk Cornbread (YUM!), Homemade Butter, and lots more. The boys are excited about baking day now too..."Mom, when is it going to be Monday so we can make more of Ma's Best Cookies?!" Love.






What's baking in your kitchen on these chilly (or not so chilly if you are in Texas) winter days?

The Mother-In-Law Files #2

For about a year after John and I were married, Camille asked what else we needed for our home. For wedding gifts we received beautiful china, crystal bowls and crosses, decanters and champagne glasses but not so much everyday practical stuff. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all the fancy stuff we were given but a crystal cross doesn't stir a pot of soup...ya know?!) So Camille did a great job of filling in things we still needed. I really appreciated it. For instance, she gave us a blender for Valentine's Day. Now that's sweet! =)
So remember: Ask my newly married son if they have enough dish towels, laundry baskets, kitchen utensils and of course a blender!

Kisses from Hunter

Hunter: I love you so much! I want to fill you with kisses! *kiss* *kiss* *kiss*

LOVE!

Bob Dylan Conversation

Jay: (wearing his cool Bob Dylan t-shirt) Mom, is Bob Dylan real?
Mom: Yep. He's a real musician.
Jay: *thoughtful look* Hmm...I didn't know him...

{this moment}

{{inspired by Soulemama}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle

This week for school we read A House for Hermit Crab and studied the ocean. We use Memoria Press Kindergarten curriculum as our home school guide. The boys were fascinated! Today we used watercolors and markers to draw our own ocean pictures. I love Eric Carle's illustrations. The colors are amazing! Hunter and Tyler were experimental with their color choices but Jay decided to stick with one color. I just love them!

Better than curtains, I think!

Organizing my home ::First Stop - Toy Bins

Confession: I love to organize! Don't you?! I love taking something messy and unorganized and make it lovely to look at, easy to use, and simplified. I'm constantly moving things around in the house. John is used it after 10 years of marriage. "honey, where are the napkins kept now?" He's easy going about it. I love that man!

I thought I'd take you on an organizing journey through my home.
First stop: Kids toy bins. I love them but they have become quite unruly. And with Christmas presents to now find homes for it was time to reorganize!

Here's what I started with:


Tools needed:
Trash Bag
Donation Box
Ipod blaring your favorite tunes

Method:
Dump all the toys on the floor.
Start Sorting.

Jay walked in after I emptied all the bins on the floor and asked who made the big mess! I told him that I was cleaning. He gave me a funny look and walked away. You have to make a mess to get things clean. That's how it works! =)

Here's what I ended with:
(can you see the difference? Oh, let me tell you...there is one!)
I still need to make tags for each bin but they look so much better and the boys can actually find what they are looking for. I'm a happy mommy!



Maybe this will inspire you to clean out a drawer, closet, box, bin...

My next stop is the kid's craft cabinet. *sigh*

Corners of our home :: the heart - our kitchen

{inspired by Soulemama}

I am finally getting around to posting of pictures of our "newly-remodeled-but-not-ever-close-to-being-finished" home! Here's a reminder of the original state of the house. The kitchen is where I spend ALL of my time. Cooking, baking, school work, planning, cleaning...you know the drill. I love my new kitchen! I mean, I really love it.

Here is a before picture...


And after:




at breakfast this morning!



what do you think?