Origami Week 4

On week 4 of Origami we made a really cool project using a basic Origami fold.  I found it over at Mrs. Byrd's Elementary Art Studio

It included just a basic triangle fold but made a beautiful finished project.

Aren't those awesome?   I totally forgot to take photos of the student creations (this was mine!) but they are all so cool!  This is my favorite project this semester!

Darryl's Birthday Fun

Friday the 22nd was Darryl's birthday but we had some fun planned for the entire weekend. 

Our Friday plans got changed which was ok.  The boys had a plan for something to do with Darryl Friday after work but they also got invited to a friends sleepover birthday party and they started to do some thinking.  Then we were down to one car for part of the week which included Friday.  The boys and I had the privilege to take Darryl to work on his birthday (so yes, we sang happy birthday at 4:00 AM in the car driving to Grand Rapids).  Which meant we also had to pick him up!  The boys got to thinking that their original plan might not work well on that day . .. and they REALLY wanted to go to their friends birthday on time.  So in the end, we made it for the birthday party drop-off about 10 minutes late and then Darryl and I went out to dinner.  I took him to his favorite Chinese Buffet where he ate his fill of Shrimp and Mushrooms.  We then came home and both fought to stay awake until 9;30 HA!

Saturday Darryl and I planned for a day out. 

After picking the kids up from their friends and dropping them off at home with the babysitter, we headed out for a fun day.

We started with lunch at :

Darryl and I both love Long John Silver's but the boys do not!  So, we enjoyed a nice lunch with just the two of us!

Darryl has been waiting to get an amp so from lunch we headed to the music store where he finally got to get his amp!  It's fun seeing him get a new "toy".  Especially one that show cases his fabulous guitar talents

After that we headed to see a movie.  It's another one of those things we love to do without kids because we can see non-animated movies :-) It's a movie that has been talked about a lot and we both wanted to see it.  Ultimately it was a pretty good movie, but I can't really recommend it in good conscience :-)

Finally, we headed downtown to a place called:

Mojo's is a dueling piano "bar".  It was so much fun!  We got some great burgers and fries and sang along with some songs.  It was really a fun thing. 

We really had a great day being out together.  We would do it more but, boy oh boy, paying a babysitter for that many hours is expensive (It will be nice to have my mom closer next year HA!)

The party was still going on Sunday!  We enjoyed a quiet Sunday at home.  Thanks to some nasty weather, we didn't even head out to church, which really,  both of our kids needed to sleep - they were lacking sleep from Friday and Saturday.  We had a wonderful brunch.

 I made some of Darryl's favorites - Sausage Gravy and Biscuits and Fried Eggs.  

 Darryl spent a good part of his day playing with his new toy - his amp.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and then watching a movie together as a family (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and laughed a lot. 

Dinner was some of Darryl's favorite snacks - Shrimp Cocktail, Crescent wrapped Sausages, Bacon Bites, and Chili Cheese dip!  Yum!   

 Finally we celebrated with Darryl's favorite cake - Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting.  

 And we gave him his presents.  

 Josh got him a coffee cup and a gift card to Starbucks. 

Nate got him this Spongebob t-shirt and a gift card to Starbucks. 

It was a really wonderful weekend celebrating Darryl!  (And we are so thankful that the power never went out in the wind storm!) 

Sunday Worship - Worth It All

I found this song while searching on Youtube.  I love Meredith Andrews - especially when I'm scheduled for special music because her songs tend to fit my voice.  This is a great song - who knows, maybe I'll sing it some day :-)

Our Week in Photos #8 -

Some weeks are super busy and some are not.  This was a "not" busy week which = no photos!

That's the week we had!

1) On Saturday I had book club - it was a great time with friends.  We spent more time catching up then talking about a book but I think we all needed the break after weeks of bad weather!

2) On Sunday we went to church and just hung out at home.

3) On Monday we did a full day of school.

4) On Tuesday we took our "President's Day".  I had actually planned to run errands today (which is why we did school on Monday since technically we did not have school) but Darryl's truck broke down so I was without a vehicle!  We just enjoyed a day at home - I did some organizing and cleaning!

5) On Wednesday we did a little school and then went out to lunch with friends.

6) On Thursday we did a full day of school!

7) Friday was Darryl's birthday.  He worked, we had Friday School.  The boys went to a birthday party/sleep over and Darryl and I went out to dinner. (Oh wait - a couple of photos!!)

 Nate  - 4th one from the right - loves to help lead the verse and song in our morning opening. 

Josh and Nate in their "Grateful Hearts" class.  (I was a helper)  They made a meal for a missionary family. 

At least I have a couple of photos :-)

Happy Birthday Darryl!

Today is Darryl's birthday

Our schedules are busy today with work, Friday School, and a birthday party the boys are attending but we still want to honor this great guy!  

He brings laughter and humor into our home.  He has the ability to make the boys laugh uncontrollably at times.  He is super talented (we love hearing him play guitar!).  He works hard so that I can stay home with the boys - long hours, two jobs and is always tired! 

I'm so thankful that he is ours! 

Happy Birthday to my hubby today! 

Weekly Menu - 1 day early

I'm slipping this post in a day early as there is something else I'll be sharing tomorrow :-)  This past week went close to the plan.  Darryl and I ended up with an unplanned kid-free afternoon this past Saturday as the boys went to a friends house so we went out to an early dinner together at our favorite Mexican place (that the boys actually don't like so we only go when they are gone!) It was a nice, unexpected treat for sure!

So, here's the plan for the coming week!

Friday - Today is my husband's birthday so we will be celebrating with him.  The boys have something that want to do with him so we will probably eat out just before that based on timing :-)

Saturday - This is up in the air.  We are hoping to go out for the day for Darryl's birthday which would mean we would eat out (Probably Olive Garden since we have wonderful gift cards!) So, we will see.

Sunday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies, and Crescent Rolls

Monday -  Tacos.

Tuesday - Chili Mac 5 way (in order words - served with cheese, onion, spaghetti . . .ect) and rolls

Wednesday - The boys and I will most likely eat out . . if there is AWANA

Thursday - It's Piano night so I think my plan will be leftovers (Meatloaf, tacos, and Chili) I'll make sure and have corn dogs and chicken nuggets as backups!

And just like that it's March!

Food Favorites - Roasted Chicken Legs

Periodically I come across a "recipe" that is a total home run and yet it is so simple it's almost not a recipe.  A few weeks back, chicken legs were on sale so I picked up a few packages, divided them up and froze them.  I shared one recipe a while back for Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Legs) that is a long time favorite recipe.  Well, when it was time to cook up some more chicken legs I wanted a super easy recipe. So, I just looked up a recipe for roasted chicken legs and came across an amazing concept.

This is so simple!

Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil (I wasn't thinking when I made this most recently and used parchment paper, which isn't the best to use in a high temp oven).  Lay the chicken legs on the foil and drizzle/rub with olive oil.  Sprinkle with your favorite seasoning (I use Nature's Seasoning).  Cook for about 40-45 minutes at 425 degrees. 

Your house will smell amazing!  The skin gets crispy and the meat is so very juicy and flavorful!