Thursday, September 18, 2008

Happy Blogaversary!

To me!! Today marks two years since I started blogging! It doesn't seem like that long - sheesh! Maybe if I were a good blogger who blogged more often, it would seem like longer.

Hmmm...I wonder if I'll manage to blog more in the next two years than I did in these two? I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Anyway, that is all for now!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

My Preschooler

I realize it's been almost a week since I blogged. I had good intentions of posting more pictures last week.

But it didn't happen.

Obviously.

Life has a way of getting in the way of blogging. Such is my life.

I started preschool with Ruthi on the 2nd. Yes, I realize this is the 16th and I'm just now posting pictures. But you are used to that by now, no?

This child has been so excited to do her "coolwork". And she absolutely loves it.
We are only "doing school" 2-3 days a week at the moment. I will probably shift into doing more in the near future...if I can get my act together and keep up with everything else!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of our little girl on her first day of school.


She looks so big!



Had to get a shot of her "big girl" pony tail!

Working hard on her circle collage:




We were working on the letter A. As in recognizing it, and knowing what sound it makes. I had no intention in teaching her how to actually write an A or any letters at this point. I had to get up to get something, and as I was walking away, she says, "Mommy! I made an A!"
I casually say, "You did? Wow!"
Then I walked over to see what she had actually done, fully expecting to see a scribble. Instead, I saw this:

That's an actual A!!
I was surprised, to say the least. Good grief, she's not supposed to be growing up this fast!



My camera finally bit the dust. So I will be scarce with pictures until I can get a new one. I still have a few pictures to share. And I've taken a few with my phone, but they never turn out as good. Hopefully I'll have a new camera soon and can go picture crazy again!

Fall is upon us and there are too many wonderful opportunities for photos not to have a camera! Oh HONEY...are you reading this? *GRIN*

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Cousins

Labor Day...10 whole days ago...and now I'm sharing pictures.

The motto of this blog? Better late than never!

I'm accepting it. It could be worse I suppose!

Anyway...on Labor Day, we got together at my Parents' new house. My Granddady, Aunt, Uncle and their two grandsons came as well. We grilled (by we, I mean my Dad) hamburgers and hotdogs, ate plenty, and had a grand ol' time.

Ruthi was so excited that Austin was coming, and those two played non-stop. They had an absolute blast.

Chip had a lot going on, so he and I rode seperately so he could leave early, and I could talk until I had my fill. Well, not my fill really, as that never really happens! But he didn't want me to feel rushed to leave, since I don't get to see my Aunt, Uncle and Granddad that often.

So, when I got out my camera to take some pictures of the kids, CJ had already gone, because he went on home with Chip. He had lawns to mow, and he wanted to get as much done as he could.

Therefore, these are missing my 'little' boy. Somehow, I think he's a lot happier about that than I am! LOL!

On to the cutie pie pictures...

Austin & Ruthi



Austin, Ruthi & Jordan


With my Granddady (Their Great-Granddady!)

And those two cutie pies with my Dad.


I wish we lived closer together, because Ruthi really does love to play with Austin. She loves Jordan too, but he's just not her size!

And all too soon, our visit came to an end.

Just as this post has come to an end, though I wouldn't say it's too soon!




Monday, September 08, 2008

Menu Plan Monday



I can NOT believe how quickly the weeks are flying by! Sheesh!
I'm baffled as to where last week went!

Alright, about last week...one night we had a change of plans and I totally forgot that we had a cookout/pool party to go to on Saturday, so we had dinner there. Therefore, a couple of meals got bumped to this week, but we pretty much stuck with everything else.

The Sour Cream Chicken Quiche and the Spinach & Chickpeas (which I can't find the link to) were a hit. Ruthi had fun helping me prepare this meal, and it was cute when CJ told her during dinner that it was good and she had done a good job!

I thought the Tomato Soup was very good. The only thing I didn't like it was, no matter how well I blended it, I still got bits of tomato peel in my mouth, which I could have done without. But the flavor was wonderful. Ruthi liked it. CJ tolerated it once he doused it with hot sauce. Chip didn't eat any. (I prepared it on a day he wasn't home, and he hasn't jumped at the leftovers.)

The Pizza Boats will become a regular lunch in our house. They were a huge hit! (Not to mention super quick and easy!) We actually used hoagie rolls for them, which reminded me of a french bread pizza. I think you could use just about any bread with these and they'd be great!

Also, the corn & black bean salsa was a new one for me and I loved it! CJ liked it too. Chip hasn't had any since he wasn't here yesterday.

Now, on to this week:

Monday:
Breakfast - Yogurt with granola (I tried another recipe and it's really good - I'll try to get it and the other one I tried posted on here soon!)
Lunch - Leftovers/Sandwiches
Dinner - Ooey Gooey Mexican Chicken ~ Refried Beans ~ Chips & Salsa

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Muffins
Lunch - Pizza Wraps
Dinner
- Out to dinner with friends

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwiches, Ramen Noodles
Dinner - Pizza Pasta Salad (I actually plan to serve this warm.) Garlic Muffins

Thursday:
Breakfast - Grits, Eggs, Toast
Lunch - Bean & Cheese Burritos
Dinner - Rigatoni Chicken Roundup, Salad, Rolls

Friday:
Breakfast - Breakfast Leftovers
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Saturday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Not sure yet
Dinner - Hot Dogs, Mac & Cheese

Sunday:
Breakfast - Cereal Bars
Lunch - TBD
Dinner - TBD

Be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more great menus!

Sunday, September 07, 2008

You Guessed it...More Catching Up!

I feel like the last three weeks have been like a whirlwind, and I'm pretty sure I haven't slowed down much. After a fairly lazy summer, being busy all of a sudden wears a girl out!

So obviously, blogging has taken a back seat. I'm beginning to accept the fact that there are simply going to be blogging lulls. I'm just not cut out to be an every day blogger.

However, for those family members who check this blog daily to see the faces of my smiling kids, I'm sure they are less than thrilled! Yes, you all know who you are. And I am TRYING. I promise!

So, since I have been a slacker, yet again, I have quite a few pictures backing up. So those of you who are looking for those pictures, this week should make you very happy!!!

The Friday before Labor Day, the kids and I went to see Aunt Edna and Uncle Marshall. I can't believe that they live as close as they do, and yet this is the first time we've gone to visit. We had such a wonderful afternoon, and Ruthi had such a great time, that we will definitely be going for more visits!

Marshall has a fabulous hobby...trains. I had no idea how big of a deal this was to him. Until I walked into the basement, that is. I was absolutely amazed, as were the kids. He has the most awesome set up I've ever seen. It's a world of trains which is incredibly detailed and just, well, fabulous!

I forgot to take my camera, and was so disappointed I wasn't going to be able to take pictures. But it was Edna to the rescue. She let me use her camera, and then emailed the pictures to me. (Thank you so much Edna!)

I have to say though, these pictures in NO WAY do this set up justice. Really, it is amazing, and you have to see it in person to be able to appreciate it. Also, as hard as I tried, I couldn't capture the entire thing. It is even bigger than you can tell in these pictures!









We really enjoyed watching the trains and checking out all the details.

Once the train show was over, we girls headed upstairs. CJ and Marshall went to hang out outside. Edna had some toys and things in the closet, and Ruthi became her buddy very quickly.

They had a tea party and played with pretty much everything that was in that closet. I really believe Ruthi would have sat in that floor the rest of the day playing with Edna if she could have. She found a stamp set and loved it so much, Edna was nice enough to send it home with her. (Thanks for that too, Edna - Ruthi is really enjoying it!)




We finally had to say goodbye and head home. Ruthi wasn't thrilled about having to leave, but I promised her we would come back. They have a great place for her to ride her bike, so we will be bringing it along next time!

CJ really enjoyed himself too. He would be in paradise living there - there are lots of woods to explore - one of his favorite things to do. I told Edna and Marshall that if we had a place like that, I'd probably never see CJ - he'd be enjoying the outdoors far too much to be inside!

Oh, and we also picked Ruthi's preschool curriculum up, which was the 'excuse' for going to visit! Thank you Edna, for letting us visit and have such a wonderful time, and for compltetly entertaining Ruthi!

Ruthi actually said on the way home, "Mommy, Aunt Edna is my buddy!"

And that brings this post to a close. But I'm jumping right on getting another post full of pictures ready!


Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Menu Plan Monday



Yes, I realize it is Tuesday, not Monday, but I just didn't finish planning my menu completely until last night! So here it is, a day late.

Last week I tried a new recipe,Crockpot Hash Brown Casserole. It was ok, but not fabulous. I think IF I were ever going to do it again, I would mix everything together instead of putting the hash browns in the bottom. It was just a little dry. I think I would add some sour cream or something to it as well to make it a little creamier. But it wasn't awful. We did eat it. And CJ took leftovers and cooked them on the stove to crisp it up a little. He seemed to like it better that way.

On to this week, I'll be trying a couple of new recipes, so I'll report on them next Monday.

Monday:
Breakfast - Muffins
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner - Leftovers

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Pop Tarts or Cereal Bars
Lunch - Out
Dinner - Sour Cream Chicken Quiche ~ Spinach & Chickpeas ~ Rolls

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Baked Oatmeal
Lunch - Chicken Dip
Dinner - BLT's

Thursday:
Breakfast - Leftover Oatmeal, or Cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches ~ Tomato Soup
Dinner - Leftovers

Friday:
Breakfast - Cheese Grits ~ Toast ~ Fruit
Lunch - Pizza Boats
Dinner - Ooey Gooey Mexican Chicken ~ Refried Beans ~ Chips & Salsa

Saturday:
Breakfast - Not Sure
Lunch - Cheese Quesadillas ~ Chips & Corn Black Bean Salsa
Dinner - Homemade Pizza

Sunday:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - TBD





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