Mar. 26, 2006
I am moving......
Mar. 25, 2006
a big bowl of YUMMMMMMM
Posted in Recipes
Here is a picture of our dinner from tonight....it was so delicious! If my girlfriend gives me permission to post the recipe here I will, but it was basically a chicken and vegetable stirfry. I used 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts that I tossed in whole wheat flour that was seasoned with Chinese Five Spice Powder, and stirfried that in 1 T. Olive oil. Once that was browned and kind of crispy on the outside I added the veggies (about 5 1/2 cups total) and once those were beginning to soften a bit, I added the "sauce" (the recipe for that is what I'm waiting for permission for) and let it all simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce was thickened. I served it over a pound of spaghetti noodles that I cooked with some curry powder and salt (I was inspired by some Japanese Curry Udon Noodles that I got recently at Trader Joes). It was SOOOO good, so healthy, and the whole family loved it! The vegetables I used were, carrots, celery, baby bok choy, and shredded cabbage (leftover from last night's dinner).  Yes, that is steam rising from the bowl :) |
Mar. 24, 2006
Tonight's dinner.....
Posted in Recipes
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I just had to post about tonight's dinner. I LOVE LOVE LOVE fish, of all kinds (well, I'm not fond of catfish, but I really adore all other fish and seafood), my husband and oldest daughter are not big fish lovers. I have to really doctor it up for them to eat it. This afternoon I was really having a fish craving, so I decided to have D grill some mahi mahi for dinner. While I was thawing it out, and trying to figure out what I was going to do with it (I had half of a wonderful fresh pineapple in the fridge, and thought about doing a pineapple salsa.....hence came my inspiration). I went through the fridge to find out that I had all the fixings for fish tacos. YUMMMY :) My family LOVES mexican food! So, I thawed the mahi mahi, and made a marinade with a little liquid from a can of jalapenos that I had, added some fresh lime juice, a little evoo (extra virgin olive oil), some garlic and cumin, salt and pepper. I poured that over my fish filets, and let it rest for 20 minutes until D was ready to grill. I cut the pineapple into chunks so that they could be grilled. I shredded some cabbage....had A LOT of cabbage, so made a slaw with half of it (I used a little vinegar, a little light mayo, some cumin, salt, pepper, and some salsa). Diced a tomato, and chopped some cilantro. I heated up some organic canned black beans, added some chopped jalapeno and a little cilantro and cumin and garlic. I heated/softened the corn tortillas in a teeny tiny bit of oil. Oh my goodness was this a YUMMY dinner! I served it with lime wedges.... So the dinner consisted of: softened corn tortillas with grilled mahi mahi cabbage, tomato, salsa, cilantro, lime wedges grilled pineapple black beans My husband said "well, if I have to eat fish, this is the way to eat it" so I see fish tacos in our future probably twice a month. Going to have to find some other great fish "hiding" recipes to try on them as well :) |
Mar. 24, 2006
Black Bean Hummus
Posted in Recipes
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Black Bean Hummus Recipe By : my friend Denise 16 ounces black beans, canned 2 tablespoons tahini 1/4 cup lime juice -- (juice of 1 lime) 2 cloves garlic -- peeled and minced 1 teaspoon cumin salt -- to taste In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature before serving. Source: "Denise" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 149 Calories; 5g Fat (30.2% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 359mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat. NOTES : 2.5 points per 1/4 cup serving This recipe originally called for 3 Tbsp. olive oil, but Denise omitted to cut the points a bit. |
Mar. 24, 2006
Beef Broccoli Lo Mein Salad
Posted in Recipes
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Beef Broccoli Lo Mein Salad Recipe By :Lori Scott 1 pound sirloin steak -- thinly sliced 1 clove garlic -- minced 3/4 inch ginger root -- minced 2 cups broccoli -- cut up 1 cup carrot -- sliced 1 1/2 cups cabbage -- diced 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti -- cooked al dente For dressing combine: 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce -- (or Bragg's Liquid aminos) 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup water honey to taste -- (I use 1 1/2 tablespoons) I do all the cooking for this in the morning so that it has time for the flavors to meld. In hot skillet or wok, stir fry carrots and broccoli in a small amount of olive oil (1-2 teaspoons), if needed add a bit of water (a tablespoon or two), until broccoli is bright green, but still crisp. Add cabbage for last minute. Remove all veggies from pan, and place pan back on heat. Add another teaspoon of olive oil and stir fry beef, garlic, and ginger until meat is cooked all the way through. Toss pasta, veggies and meat together with dressing , refrigerate for several hours. Serve with crusty bread or egg rolls. Variations: You could substitute chicken or tofu for the beef. |
Mar. 24, 2006
Kids are so cute!
Yesterday morning r got up as D was leaving for work and curled up on the recliner....I went back and looked at her a few minutes later, and this is how I found her.....sound asleep   Well, as I was posting the last picture, she changed positions Here's the new one.... I think she is just too adorable  She is so proud that I posted these pictures of her here for all of my friends to see She thought that was so cool! And she laughed hysterically at her sleeping positions Here's a picture of her sister, H (my 8 year old) helping with lunch....  |
Mar. 24, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
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Oh I SO love mornings! I love getting up and spending time alone with God, exercising, serving my husband by preparing his breakfast and lunch, our quiet (most of the time) breakfast time with one another, and then sitting here at the computer chatting with all of you as my darling children emerge one by one from their bedrooms and sit on my lap (yes, all 4 of them, but not all at once :)) and give me hugs and morning snuggles. This is my FAVORITE time of day!!!!! I also discovered this morning that the little pot that I have in my kitchen window sill that is going to be a little "herb garden" is sprouting with life! The basil, oregano and chives are all sprouting! I can't wait to have that giving me yummy herbs in my kitchen......I am longing to get another herb garden going here at this house. So far everything I've planted here has died.....I WILL get this figured out :) Today in our house, we will be: doing our schoolwork (need to catch up on unfinished assignments from the week with the two older kids...) making bread making brownies homeblessing laundry I think that is about it, I pray that you all have a blessed day! :) |
Mar. 22, 2006
Another cooking lesson for tomorrow.....
One of my favorite guilt free pleasures..... No Pudge Brownie Clone #116219 from recipezaar.com recipe by Anka |
| 1 | cup sugar |
| 3/4 | cup flour |
| 1/2 | cup cocoa |
| 2 | egg whites (this is for cake like brownies and is optional) |
| 2 | teaspoons cornstarch |
| 1/4 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 1/4 | teaspoon salt |
| 2/3 | cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (a 6 oz. container, Dannon works best) |
| | nonstick cooking spray |
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix all dry ingredients.
- Add yogur and mix well.
- Batter will be very thick.
- Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread batter evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove and cool.
- Dip a knife in warm water and cut into 16 squares.
I will be making this with Rachel tomorrow afternoon....again there will be pictures.
Mar. 22, 2006
Today's cooking lesson.....
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This afternoon, R and H and I will be making our dinner together. On today's menu will be arabic meatballs in tomato sauce over linguine. We will also have some steamed carrots, green salad, and roasted beets. Here is the recipe for the Arabic Meatballs, I got it from my friend Wardeh. Arabic Meatballs ~ Kifta ~ Makes 2 dozen meatballs 2 pounds ground beef or lamb (grass-fed is preferable) 1 onion, diced very fine 2 tablespoons dried parsley 1/2 tablespoon dried mint 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Mix all ingredients together well. Form into 2 dozen 1-1/2 inch balls. Brown all sides and cook thoroughly in a frying pan or under the broiler. Eat as is or incorporate into sauce. A sauce idea: Put all meatballs in a 4 to 6 quart stockpot. Add: 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes 1/2 tablespoon dried mint 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Let simmer for 10 to 20 minutes. Serve over warm brown rice. edited to add: checkback tomorrow afternoon for pictures....I will make sure to take pictures :) |
Mar. 22, 2006
From my kitchen window......
I spend a goodly amount of time each day at my kitchen sink, and my window is above my sink. Before we moved into this house, my view from my kitchen window was out over the hundreds of acres of pastureland that were to the North and to the East of our home. It was a GORGEOUS view, and one that I miss very much! But that is one of the few things that I miss about our old house. I miss the view, I miss the birds and the wide open spaces, and I miss our neighbor, but I really don't miss anything else. Yesterday I was standing at my current kitchen window looking out and I was really missing the views from our old house. Then I noticed, that even though the view from my kitchen window isn't the same as it was, it is still very pretty, and I am thankful for the flowers that the Lord provided on my violets and rose plants that are in the kitchen to remind me of His provision! And His loveliness! Even in the bleakest of times, He is there for me, and He will provide just what I need to get through my current situation, whether it be a day of depression, or a financial blow, or an emotionally exhausting day, whatever, He is there with me, beside me, with me in His hand....EVERY step of the way. Those are the things that I think about as I look through my kitchen window...... What happens at YOUR kitchen window? |
Mar. 22, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
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Well, I got up a bit ago with the full intention of exercising, got a load of laundry started, got my glass of water and came out to the living room to find my 8 year old curled up on the couch sleeping. It isn't quite 5 am, and I don't want to wake her with the tv/dvd player, so this morning we will have family PE time so that I can exercise after breakfast :) I WILL exercise today! :) The rest of my day is pretty typical My days all seem to be "typical", is that what happens when you commit your life to the service of your family? Everything becomes typical? ......... That's ok, I'll take typical EVERY day of the week if it means I am able to complete the job that the Lord set aside for me! :) Today I must: *school *exercise *make soymilk *get ready for Tune Time choir this evening *make a short grocery list *help children with their AWANA sections (r has finished her book, twice :), and now is beginning the special review sections at the back :)....yes, I'm a proud momma!) *look for a library book that is missing in our house somewhere :( *more laundry I would like to: do some sewing relax so that I don't have a relapse of yesterday's illness And today I will be working on my attitude....it is that TOM and yesterday I was rather snippy with the children (didn't help that we were all not feeling well). I pray you all have a blessed day!!!!! |
Mar. 14, 2006
Spending time with friends.....
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This past Sunday, our small group Bible study met here at our house for lunch, and a time of sharing testimonies. We are sharing our testimonies as couples in an effort for everyone to get to know one another better, and on a more intimate level. After our Bible study, one of the families stayed to play Mexican Train (a VERY fun dominoes game), and we had the leftover from lunch for dinner that night. The kids didn't want to play Mexican Train, so they decided to play cards instead....  These are the girls playing spoons.....oh, no, they were playing Speed this time :).....the boys were outside playing with M's army men, and r was hanging out with the adults (so she could be close to Mommy :)). I just love spending time with friends! |
Mar. 14, 2006
Baking day yesterday......
I just had to share the recipes that I used yesterday for baking muffins. I made both varieties, and they are both SO delicious!  Here are the recipes :) The original recipe was for Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins. |
Feb. 28, 2006
Baking Bread.....
I have been baking all of our family's bread for about 9 years now. I started out using a bread machine, then got a manual bread kneading bucket (which works great, and I can make 6 loaves at a time!), and 5 1/2 years ago was blessed with a Bosch Universal Kitchen Center.....I LOVE that thing! Our bread is made from about as scratch as you can. I start with whole grain wheat.... I have a Whisper Mill micronizing grain mill that I absolutely LOVE! Next I add the water, yeast, etc to my Bosch bowl.....  I use a sponging method for my bread baking so it goes from this (above) to  in 15-20 minutes....then I add my honey, gluten, salt, more flour and any other add-ins that I'm using and knead. Here is how I form my loaves.... First I divide my dough into 5 portions  Then I pat each section out flat into a "rectangle"  And fold in each side, making sure to pat it down tightly...   and then fold up each of the ends just a little.....   Then I flip it over and fold each long side under a little and roll into a "log"  And then I place it in my lightly oiled bread pans (I use 4 x 8 pans)  Here are the finished loaves before and after rising....   And the finished loaves, post baking.....   |
Feb. 27, 2006
Saying Goodbye to good friends.....
I'm typing this in blue because it was such a sad day in our house on Saturday. We have been preparing for several weeks now for a dear friend of ours to move 5 1/2 hours away. This past weekend, on Saturday, we had to say goodbye. I had determined, and prayed that God would help me, that I wasn't going to cry, we will see these friends again, but it hurt so much to have to say goodbye! We had the kids here in the morning so that they could play together before leaving town, and so that Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa could clean the house up before they left. Here are some of the pictures that I took that morning..... R and C.....this is the first family that R ever babysat for. Mrs. W trained R in babysitting before and after R went through the Red Cross Super Sitters program through our local recreation department.  M and C doing their favorite thing.....playing with Legos! :) Boys are so incredible. There is an 7 1/2 year age difference between these two, and they play so well together.  Best Friends! My girls r and H are in pink on the outsides.....Miss R is the toothless beauty in the middle. Even though none of the girls cried when they had to say goodbye, I know that it was a sad time for them. I know that they are looking forward to May when we will travel to their new city to spend a weekend :) Speaking of crying....not only did I cry when having to say goodbye to my dear friend, about an hour and half later or so, I went out to get the mail, and their caravan of vehicles and moving truck and trailers drove by. I was so sad! I started crying all over again :( This all reminds me of the song "Friends" by Michael W. and Debbie Smith. Friends Words:deborah d. smith Music: michael w. smith Packing up the dreams God planted In the fertile soil of you Can’t believe the hopes he’s granted Means a chapter in your life is through But we’ll keep you close as always It won’t even seem you’ve gone ’cause our hearts in big and small ways Will keep the love that keeps us strong Chorus: And friends are friends forever If the Lord’s the Lord of them And a friend will not say never ’cause the welcome will not end Though it’s hard to let you go In the Father’s hands we know That a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends. With the faith and love God’s given Springing from the hope we know We will pray the joy you’ll live in Is the strength that now you show But we’ll keep you close as always It won’t even seem you’ve gone ’cause our hearts in big and small ways Will keep the love that keeps us strong Friends are friends forever, if the Lord's the Lord of them......we are more than just friends! We are sisters and brothers in the family of Christ! Love you W family! And we will miss you!!!! |
Feb. 27, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
It is almost 4 pm, and this is the view out my back windows.....  It is cold, rainy, and windy outside right now. I LOVE IT! I also baked bread today......going to put together a pictorial breadmaking session post for a friend :) I got most of my homeblessing done today, and the kids got most of their work done today! YAY! Yesterday at church, the message was on "church discipline". I went in thinking "Oh boy, this is really not going to be applicable"....but I quickly realized that it was totally applicable. So often when I am wronged by a friend, or made to feel uncomfortable by a friend, I just swallow it. I don't verbalize my hurt feelings or confront the friend for fear of hurting them. But I realized yesterday that it is TOTALLY biblical to confront a brother or sister in Christ when I have been wronged. They did talk about the difference between having hurt feelings and having been sinned against. The hurt feelings are something that apparently you have to deal with, unless it causes you to sin? I didn't really understand that part of it......our Pastor of Students was the one giving the message and I can tell he wasn't very comfortable with it....he normally is an awesome speaker, but he was kind of fragmented while speaking yesterday. Anyhow, I was blessed to find out that confrontation, under the right circumstances, really is Biblical. I don't have to be a doormat for Jesus! Thank you God for that revelation! |
Feb. 24, 2006
Friday, February 24, 2006
Posted in Daily
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Good morning! I've been up for over 2 1/2 hours and haven't gotten much done :( Actually, that's not true, I did get dh off to work with his breakfast and lunch, and got some quality snuggling time with my 2 youngest dd's and our doggie and one of our cats. I did that while watching Walton's ...... it was good to spend that time with the girls (and Miss Rachel fell asleep in my arms....I LOVE that feeling :) I love having a baby (even one that's 5 1/2 :)) fall asleep in my arms :) SO, now I need to get moving! We were going to be having company today.....our friends that are moving to Reno.....but the mom called at 7:30 and told me that she really needs me tomorrow while they clean up the house, and that she doesn't see a way clear to get them here today. That was fine.... except that another mom and her kids were planning on coming over to say goodbye.....hopefully they will be able to do that tomorrow :) Oh how my heart is aching over this friend moving....she was my first friend here in Visalia. I'm SO going to miss her! Thankfully we have family in Reno, so we have another reason to go and visit now Oh! I'm not sure if I've told you all or not.....we are getting new furniture tonight. Well, it's new to us.....some friends bought another friends' furniture and are giving us their current furniture. I can't wait to get it! I'm going to list one of our chairs on freecycle today, and the couch will be moved to our bedroom (oh, how I hope that it really does fit!). I am really excited. We are getting a new couch as well as 2 recliners. I will take pictures before and after today and put them on my blog for you all to see. SO today I need to get my room ready to move the couch in, and I need to work on decluttering the drawers that I had planned on doing yesterday. I also have: laundry school order library books find a bible study lesson for R to start on.....she is VERY interested in doing Beth Moore, so I may check into that for her. look at curriculum catalogs to start finding next year's curriculum work on organizing recipes for 10 minutes That's about it for today, but it is a full day! Oh, we are also having company for dinner tonight :) Really simple dinner, but it will be fun. They are helping us move furniture tonight and wanted to "hang out" so they'll come for dinner, the dad's will go pick up furniture, and I would imagine we will be playing a game of Mexican Train dominoes.....one of our favorite things to do ;) Here's what is happening in my kitchen today: help R make some Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies Breakfast: ww bagels and creamcheese/peanut butter/butter (their choice) scrambled eggs fruit Lunch: homemade lunchables......sliced turkey/swiss cheese/crackers fruit Dinner: hamburgers/cheeseburgers with all the fixings chips (our friends are bringing, so I don't know exactly what types) potato salad orange slices dessert will be Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies |
Feb. 21, 2006
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Posted in Daily
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Good morning everyone, We had a busy weekend, and I was fighting a migraine all weekend. Taught my son's Sunday school class on Sunday, and then went to our small group family bible study......when I got there I told one of my girlfriends that I'd been fighting a migraine since the afternoon before. She gave me some Excedrin Migraine, and I was painfree within 30 minutes. By the end of the day on Sunday I felt better than I had felt since THURSDAY! So I realized I had actually been fighting this migraine since Thursday! Then yesterday, the source of the migraine was revealed to me.....it was hormonal. Because I wasn't feeling well from Thursday through Sunday, I haven't gotten any of my bible study homework done, and I am leading the group discussion at our table tonight, so I need to get my whole week's worth of homework lessons done today. Here's what's on tap for us for today: *family devotions *school *fold the laundry that dh washed and dried yesterday.....a whole couch full *get ready for bible study tonight *2 more loads of laundry w/d/f/put away *blog *work on family home management notebook *write 1 recipe into dd's recipe notebook (I'm hand writing each of her favorite recipes for her to give to her when she gets married and establishes a home of her own) *healthy meals for family Today in my kitchen, I am hoping to get some sourdough starter started......there is a lady in Serbia who's blog I read on Friday, and she had made some beautiful rye bread using sourdough, so I emailed her and asked her if she would share her sourdough starter recipe with me. If I get it today, then I'll make it. Breakfast: oatmeal fruit Lunch: soup and leftovers Dinner: spaghetti bread salad Dessert: cookies that were leftover from our homeschool Mom's group yesterday |
Feb. 15, 2006
Children in Church
Posted in Articles-General Homestuff
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There has been an ongoing discussion on our local homeschool email loop about children in church, and some church's not allowing children to be in the worship center with their parents. I am finding myself growing more and more frustrated about this whole issue, so I thought what better way to air my own opinions than to write them here on my blog :) So, here goes! (This is strictly MY opinion based on my observations) There seems to be a growing trend in churches in our area to restrict the age of the people that are allowed to worship God in sanctuaries and "worship centers". I'm hearing about more and more local churches that don't allow children under the age of 11 or 12 into the main worship service, they are required to either attend children's classes or to be sent to a "cry room" or some other such place. To me this sounds an awful lot like discrimination.....age discrimination. My children do attend sunday school classes with their peers MOST weeks, but I do like to have the option to have them in church with me, or if they want to stay in church with D and I, I think that they should be allowed that opportunity. Yes, my children are well behaved and have been trained to sit quietly in church (or anywhere else that it is appropriate), and if they were to become disruptive, or a distraction to those around us, I would remove them from the service. I do believe that most parents would. So, why is it that church's are discriminating against families that choose to worship together? D and I have discussed this with two of our pastors and they agree that this is an anti-family policy and they do not believe that it is Godly or Biblical. So why is it that some of the big Bible teaching churches are setting this policy? I believe that it is another attack against the family. It seems that the attacks on family are coming from all areas now, even our local church (let me clarify, not OUR family's local church....the "local church" generically). If our "local church" won't stand by our family's then who will? What really saddens me is that two of the churches that have this policy locally are churches that I have attended in the past and absolutely love the pastors and the teaching that is happening. When I attended these two churches as a new believer from1987-1989 both churches not only included children in the worship, but they discouraged parents from utilizing the nursery. Both pastors (and they are the same pastors as are in those churches still today) had children that varied in ages between about 7 and 14/15 and all of those pastors' children were active parts of our congregations. When I found out that these churches had this policy when we moved back to our "hometown", I wrote a letter to both pastors. Didn't hear back from either of them. I did call the pastor at the church in the same town as we are living in now, and his statement to me was "children are a great distraction to me, and they need to be taught at their own level". WHAT?????????? First of all, this is SO different than what he taught when his OWN children were young. Secondly, if I believed this for my own children, their own spiritual growth would be SO stunted! Kids are like sponges! They soak up and remember so much in these young years. For instance, my children (ages 13, 10, 8 and 5) have been memorizing entire chapters of scripture, and entire Psalms this year. They are all memorizing at different paces, but they are hiding large chunks of God's word in their hearts. My children are not extraordinary, they are normal kids! If I believed as this pastor does, and as he's teaching from his pulpit, my kids would still be stuck at "Jesus Loves Me" and that would be the extent of their bible teaching! So so so sad! These children deserve to be taught just the same as adults. I will step down off of my soapbox now, but there may be more about this is the coming days :) |
Feb. 15, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Posted in Daily
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Last night's Valentine's/R's Birthday dinner was wonderful! When D got home the table was set with a pretty pink tablecloth, candles, gold heart doilies (and Valentine M&Ms scattered down the center of the table). I also had one of my african violets as the center piece. I had placed glasses of water with lemon on the table for everyone, as well as our champagne flutes and china plates. Dh helped me to serve the dinner, and we ate, talked, giggled, and the kids thought it was so cool that they got champagne glasses with sparkling cider (I also dropped a frozen blackberry into each glass.....it was SO pretty, and provided lots of entertainment as one of the kiddo's berry was "dancing" in the sparkling cider all throughout our dinner). After dinner, dh helped me clean up, and we went to the living room to open birthday presents. This is the first year that we have let the kids get things for each other for Christmas and birthdays, and they all had so much fun wrapping their presents for "Sissy" and then watching her face as she unwrapped each one. Then R opened ours, and it was a lot of fun watching her ooooh and aahhh over all the bath things that we got her After presents we had cake, then the kiddos went off to bed and D and I watched a little bit of Olympics that we had recorded yesterday. Here's my list for today: *school *R is babysitting for a couple of hours for a family at church *reset the table (with our daily linens, take the pretty Valentine's "cloth" off....it's plastic, so it will be thrown out) *laundry *get ready for AWANA/choir tonight *keep house tidy *bake some bread Here's what's happening in our kitchen today: I still need to bake bread! Breakfast: pancakes with pb and real maple syrup apples Lunch: leftovers and soup Dinner: crockpot lasagna homemade bread salad |