Nathan is still enjoying his preschool work.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Teaching Tuesdays - Week 15
Christmas is in the air around here and I've implemented my Christmas themed ideas into our school day.
Nathan is still enjoying his preschool work.
He loves doing the Sight Word Searches as we learn sight words. This was an all time favorite because it is the word "But". The boys laughed and laughed because we got to say "but". I tried to explain the difference between "but" and "butt" but they really didn't care; they just thought it was funny.
I did incorporate several Christmas themed worksheets based on things the boys have either already learned or are currently learning. All of the worksheets I used last were I found over at Kindergarten Hoppenings. She posted some really great worksheets and I really loved that they were free!
Nate takes his shirt off frequently. He tends to be hot or just busy and feels the need to remove it. On this day they were painting some ornaments that they got in our Christmas Countdown.
Josh loved the finger painting (which is funny because as a toddler, he wouldn't touch paint or play dough because he didn't like it on his hands) and, once his ornaments were painted, he then painted me several fabulous pictures. This is pretty awesome because it wasn't long ago that both boys would only color or draw in one color; but now they are finally drawing me some awesome things!
We also worked on a couple of fun Christmas Crafts one day. I try to keep our crafts fairly easy and both of these were just perfect.
The pattern for the Christmas Tree Puppets can be found over at Scholastic. They really are adorable, aren't they? The boys are new to paper bag puppets so trying to get them to actually make the puppets "talk" wasn't completely successful but they still liked them.
I found the Christmas light pattern at About Home. My original idea was to make ornaments but when I saw this pattern, I just printed it on cardstock and let the boys decorate it with Glitter Glue and Scrapbooking cut outs. I really love how they turned out!
Nathan is still enjoying his preschool work.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Make it Monday - What would you do with $100.00?
So, what would I do with an extra $100.00 that I could save by using the Dollar Shave Club to purchase razors?
1. Four of my favorite scented large candles from Yankee Candle!
2. A shopping spree at William Sonoma - A favorite kitchen store where I can always find things but seldom buy anything.
3. New charms for my Pandora Bracelet.
4. Paint and decor items for my living room.
5. A Fit bit!
What would you do with a $100.00 if you could save it by using The Dollar Shave Club?
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Things my Kids Say
* When the boys saw Darryl's new car for the first time they were beyond excited. Nate's first comment? "Mom, how could you get it without us?" and his second comment? "Dad, show me the engine!" LOL
* Nate got out the tape measure recently so he could measure all of our stuff. Why? Because he is bound and determined that we will take everything we own camping with us. He has figured out what kind of truck we need to haul it all and even wants to fit the pop-up inside the huge truck too HA!
* Nate got out the tape measure recently so he could measure all of our stuff. Why? Because he is bound and determined that we will take everything we own camping with us. He has figured out what kind of truck we need to haul it all and even wants to fit the pop-up inside the huge truck too HA!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Family Fun - New Stuff
We've had an exciting week! Darryl and I got our "Christmas Gifts" a little early and I thought I would share!
First up is my "gift". About 6 weeks ago our dryer completely died. Now, for about 2 years it has been slowly dying but it just kept ticking. Sometime this summer I realized that it wasn't shutting off on its own when it ran for over three hours before I went to get the clothes out of the dryer. Not a big deal since I could just sent a timer to remind me to go get clothes out. Than it developed a squeal . . which became a screech . . .and then a dying cat sound ;-) Eventually, it stopped and that was the end. Since that point in October when it died, this has been my dryer . . .
It made me very thankful for a great washer that spun the clothes out very well. Hanging them to dry wasn't a huge issue except that our clothes have been crunchy, crinkly and wrinkly! You might wonder why I didn't send out a plea for a dryer when mine died. Well, here's why. 1) We've had two dryers since we moved into this house 11 years ago and, between the two, they equaled about 30 years of age. 2) I didn't want someone's hand me down because they got a new dryer - I wanted a new dryer. Nothing fancy, just new. The Lord worked it all out and on "Black Friday" we went into Menards and found a great deal - an even better deal than we planned to buy when we had looked at them the week before. My dryer is not fancy by any means but it's bigger and better than what I had AND it makes our clothes fluffy and soft once again :-)
Second up is Darryl's "gift". Over a year ago, our second car died. Like the dryer, it had died a slow death over a period of about 4 months. We knew it was going and then, well, it died. Buying a second car was not an option until we paid our truck off and then we wanted to wait until Darryl went back to work after surgery before we even considered the option. About 3 weeks ago, he did some leg work on the front end so we knew what we could purchase and then, he started looking. He knew what he wanted and we both agreed that he couldn't "settle" because his last two cars were just that - "settling" for something because we needed a second vehicle "now." Well, here's his new "baby"
It's a 2005 Buick Lasabre with about 111,000 miles on it. It's "loaded" (well, for 2005!) with Leather seats, heated seats, climate control, and more. He's exactly what he was looking for and will comfortable fit the whole family so we can easily use it to help save on gas mileage as well as just to keep the miles down on the truck. I love the fact that I have a vehicle in the driveway again all day - I may not go anywhere but I could if I wanted to :-)
First up is my "gift". About 6 weeks ago our dryer completely died. Now, for about 2 years it has been slowly dying but it just kept ticking. Sometime this summer I realized that it wasn't shutting off on its own when it ran for over three hours before I went to get the clothes out of the dryer. Not a big deal since I could just sent a timer to remind me to go get clothes out. Than it developed a squeal . . which became a screech . . .and then a dying cat sound ;-) Eventually, it stopped and that was the end. Since that point in October when it died, this has been my dryer . . .
My sad dryer :-(
It made me very thankful for a great washer that spun the clothes out very well. Hanging them to dry wasn't a huge issue except that our clothes have been crunchy, crinkly and wrinkly! You might wonder why I didn't send out a plea for a dryer when mine died. Well, here's why. 1) We've had two dryers since we moved into this house 11 years ago and, between the two, they equaled about 30 years of age. 2) I didn't want someone's hand me down because they got a new dryer - I wanted a new dryer. Nothing fancy, just new. The Lord worked it all out and on "Black Friday" we went into Menards and found a great deal - an even better deal than we planned to buy when we had looked at them the week before. My dryer is not fancy by any means but it's bigger and better than what I had AND it makes our clothes fluffy and soft once again :-)
My nice, new, shiny dryer!
Second up is Darryl's "gift". Over a year ago, our second car died. Like the dryer, it had died a slow death over a period of about 4 months. We knew it was going and then, well, it died. Buying a second car was not an option until we paid our truck off and then we wanted to wait until Darryl went back to work after surgery before we even considered the option. About 3 weeks ago, he did some leg work on the front end so we knew what we could purchase and then, he started looking. He knew what he wanted and we both agreed that he couldn't "settle" because his last two cars were just that - "settling" for something because we needed a second vehicle "now." Well, here's his new "baby"
The car is a nice dark blue :-)
It's a 2005 Buick Lasabre with about 111,000 miles on it. It's "loaded" (well, for 2005!) with Leather seats, heated seats, climate control, and more. He's exactly what he was looking for and will comfortable fit the whole family so we can easily use it to help save on gas mileage as well as just to keep the miles down on the truck. I love the fact that I have a vehicle in the driveway again all day - I may not go anywhere but I could if I wanted to :-)
Friday, December 5, 2014
Weekly Menu - Crazy Weeks
So, last weeks menu didn't happen because we had work start in our kitchen that we didn't think would happen yet which left me without water or counters. I didn't feel like needing to wash pots and pans and everything else in the bathroom sink so Darryl picked up dinner for us every night. Thanks to some coupons and a gift card, we kept the cost of dinner down to about $10.00 a night which isn't two bad for four people!
I had a menu written for this coming week since I thought that the kitchen would be all put together by Friday and was looking forward to cooking once again but . .. the countertop guy got stuck on another job which has put us behind and I'm not looking at not having a working kitchen until sometime next week. So, once again, we'll be eating "in" for dinner. It's actually nice, I must admit, to not have to plan and cook dinner or do any cleanup other than toss the trash so I'm not really complaining. Lunch has been a little bit of a challenge. The boys are tired of PB and J and I'm tired of cheese and crackers. :-)
So here is our simple plan for this coming week:
Friday - We will be putting up and decorating our tree tonight. Before we start though, we have to go buy lights (since we have none!) so we'll get something for dinner. Maybe we'll use the boys Book-It certificates for November and go to Pizza Hut.
Saturday - McDonald's, most likely :-)
Sunday - We might do a "smorgesborg" of choices - Darryl and I - Subway; Josh - Taco Bell and Nate- McDonalds.
Monday - It's Taco Bell's Turn! I may actually have Darryl get our food from the Adobe (our favorite Mexican fast food place) and then grab Taco Bell for the kids.
Tuesday - Little Ceaser's. Now, I'm hopeful that we will have a working kitchen by the end of Tuesday. If we do - I'll do a little shopping Tuesday evening to finish out the week. If not, well, I think you can see the pattern in our choices.
Wednesday - Friday - Hopefully I can cook again :-) We'll probably have some simple things - Breakfast for dinner (Waffles and Sausage), Pork (Roasted) and Beans w/Green beans and Rolls, and Tacos.
I had a menu written for this coming week since I thought that the kitchen would be all put together by Friday and was looking forward to cooking once again but . .. the countertop guy got stuck on another job which has put us behind and I'm not looking at not having a working kitchen until sometime next week. So, once again, we'll be eating "in" for dinner. It's actually nice, I must admit, to not have to plan and cook dinner or do any cleanup other than toss the trash so I'm not really complaining. Lunch has been a little bit of a challenge. The boys are tired of PB and J and I'm tired of cheese and crackers. :-)
So here is our simple plan for this coming week:
Friday - We will be putting up and decorating our tree tonight. Before we start though, we have to go buy lights (since we have none!) so we'll get something for dinner. Maybe we'll use the boys Book-It certificates for November and go to Pizza Hut.
Saturday - McDonald's, most likely :-)
Sunday - We might do a "smorgesborg" of choices - Darryl and I - Subway; Josh - Taco Bell and Nate- McDonalds.
Monday - It's Taco Bell's Turn! I may actually have Darryl get our food from the Adobe (our favorite Mexican fast food place) and then grab Taco Bell for the kids.
Tuesday - Little Ceaser's. Now, I'm hopeful that we will have a working kitchen by the end of Tuesday. If we do - I'll do a little shopping Tuesday evening to finish out the week. If not, well, I think you can see the pattern in our choices.
Wednesday - Friday - Hopefully I can cook again :-) We'll probably have some simple things - Breakfast for dinner (Waffles and Sausage), Pork (Roasted) and Beans w/Green beans and Rolls, and Tacos.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
December Goals
December! It's here! I kinda feel like our year is just beginning but . . well, it's ending. 2014 is winding down and so are my goals for the year! I don't usually make a huge goal list for this last month because I really like to focus on family - hanging out, having fun and doing fun activities. But, I do actually have some things I'd really like to wrap up before starting the new year so goals I will write! If you would like to see what I accomplished in November, just click HERE.
The Home
1. The Kitchen - The projects continue. I'm not sure if it will all get done prior to the end of the year but I plan to make sure that as much of it is done as possible. Just not sure if all of the painting/cupboards will get done. I do want to pick out the new wall decor from some photos I took this fall and have them ready to order/frame in January.
2. The Basement - I'm getting a little bit of a head start on my theme word for 2015 (which I won't share until later!) but I would like to spend about 1 1/2 hours a week (15 minutes a day) in the basement working on a whole list of projects I have - everything from cleaning to organizing to cleaning out.
3. The Play Room and the Boys Room - This is that carry over project from November - toys clean out and organization. I want to break it down into bite size "pieces" so if I can take just 30 minutes a day and clean it should get done fairly quickly. This is a key time to wipe down baseboards, wash windows, clean under things and just make sure the rooms are neat and tiday.
Scrapbooking
1. Find a Blog Company and work on getting a blog book 2011, 2012, 2013. - This is one of those projects that I just need to work on in the evenings while watching TV. I just never remember!
2. Finish 2013 (Dec). - this is almost done - just a few pages left :-)
3. Put together the Christmas Ornament book - I just need to get albums and make sure that the pages are printed.
4. Update the family album - I try to do this once a year to make sure that any professional photos are in the correct album.
5. Scrapbook Jan-March 2014 - I plan to attend a scrapbooking crop in a few weeks and hope to get this done at that crop. I didn't take a whole lot of photos those three months since we were kinda snowed in the whole time HA!
School
1. Plan activities/themes to work on in January. Specifically, I want to have supplemental worksheets to use with what they are learning but are more winter themed and also have at 4-8 crafts/special activities to do with them as well.
2. A carry over item - go through all of the books and clean out the ones they don't like or don't read.
3. Find some recipes to make with the boys - they really want to cook but well, I tend to like to cook by myself. Therefore, I need to find a balance and allow them to help with some things.
Christmas
1. "Friends" Gifts - I have a few people that I want to give gifts to from our family such as our pastors and the boys Sunday School Teacher. I need to get the few items made that I want to make and put their gifts together.
2. Family Gifts - Finish purchasing any gifts AND get them wrapped. I need to figure out what "Santa" is getting the boys (because the boys are sure he brings them gifts) and wrap those in special paper that they don't see!
Misc.
1. Nate's birthday things are almost all set - just need to pick up his last two gifts. I ordered his t-shirt early to make sure I didn't have to "worry" if it would be here in time!
2. Continue to grow my Bible Study ideas. I've recently "pinned" some ideas that I want to take time to look at and incorporate.
That's about it I think! More than enough to keep me busy.
The Home
1. The Kitchen - The projects continue. I'm not sure if it will all get done prior to the end of the year but I plan to make sure that as much of it is done as possible. Just not sure if all of the painting/cupboards will get done. I do want to pick out the new wall decor from some photos I took this fall and have them ready to order/frame in January.
2. The Basement - I'm getting a little bit of a head start on my theme word for 2015 (which I won't share until later!) but I would like to spend about 1 1/2 hours a week (15 minutes a day) in the basement working on a whole list of projects I have - everything from cleaning to organizing to cleaning out.
3. The Play Room and the Boys Room - This is that carry over project from November - toys clean out and organization. I want to break it down into bite size "pieces" so if I can take just 30 minutes a day and clean it should get done fairly quickly. This is a key time to wipe down baseboards, wash windows, clean under things and just make sure the rooms are neat and tiday.
Scrapbooking
1. Find a Blog Company and work on getting a blog book 2011, 2012, 2013. - This is one of those projects that I just need to work on in the evenings while watching TV. I just never remember!
2. Finish 2013 (Dec). - this is almost done - just a few pages left :-)
3. Put together the Christmas Ornament book - I just need to get albums and make sure that the pages are printed.
4. Update the family album - I try to do this once a year to make sure that any professional photos are in the correct album.
5. Scrapbook Jan-March 2014 - I plan to attend a scrapbooking crop in a few weeks and hope to get this done at that crop. I didn't take a whole lot of photos those three months since we were kinda snowed in the whole time HA!
School
1. Plan activities/themes to work on in January. Specifically, I want to have supplemental worksheets to use with what they are learning but are more winter themed and also have at 4-8 crafts/special activities to do with them as well.
2. A carry over item - go through all of the books and clean out the ones they don't like or don't read.
3. Find some recipes to make with the boys - they really want to cook but well, I tend to like to cook by myself. Therefore, I need to find a balance and allow them to help with some things.
Christmas
1. "Friends" Gifts - I have a few people that I want to give gifts to from our family such as our pastors and the boys Sunday School Teacher. I need to get the few items made that I want to make and put their gifts together.
2. Family Gifts - Finish purchasing any gifts AND get them wrapped. I need to figure out what "Santa" is getting the boys (because the boys are sure he brings them gifts) and wrap those in special paper that they don't see!
Misc.
1. Nate's birthday things are almost all set - just need to pick up his last two gifts. I ordered his t-shirt early to make sure I didn't have to "worry" if it would be here in time!
2. Continue to grow my Bible Study ideas. I've recently "pinned" some ideas that I want to take time to look at and incorporate.
That's about it I think! More than enough to keep me busy.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
What we are Eating - Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pumpkin Cookies
adapted from Cooking Classy
adapted from Cooking Classy
Another great holiday cookie that was new to me this year! Darryl said that these are his favorite cookies ever so I guess that says more than enough about this cookie!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
- 1 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger for 30 seconds, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy (occasionally stop and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl throughout entire mixing process). Blend in egg then blend in vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans (if you want some chocolate to show through set some aside to press into tops before baking). Let batter rest 5 - 10 minutes (this just gives the oats some time to absorb the liquids so batter isn't so sticky and cookies don't spread so much).
- Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time (I used a 1 1/2-inch cookie scoop, which I recommend using for evenly shaped cookies and fill it heaping), and drop onto Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2-inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 12 - 14 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
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