Big Changes

Yesterday was Hannah’s 5th birthday!  Where does the time go?  In the past two weeks, I have watched her grow up before my eyes.  Last week she started Kindergarten (she spent her first 1 1/2 weeks of Kindergarten as a four-year-old), and this week she turned five!  Last week we walked her across the street to get on the school bus, and this week she wants to do it all by herself.  Last week she was a little girl and I knew everyone in her life, this week she is a young lady and talking about friends she has made at school, and I know nothing about them!  It has been hard to let go, but a wonderful experience to watch her blossom into her own person.

Part of Hannah’s birthday present was a closet remodel.   She isn’t a little girl anymore!  Young ladies need all their accessories within easy reach, so this is the solution we came up with. . . .

   

I think it turned out so cute!  Every night we pick out her clothes for the next day and lay them on her dresser . . . now she can hang them with these cute little clothes pins and have everything right where she needs it.

The great thing . . . it is done with removable hooks, so as she grows taller, we can move everything up.  I included some little bulletin boards with push pins so she can keep track of notes and reminders.  On the bottom is a small removable hamper for her to put her dirty clothes in.  As I collect the dirty laundry from everyone, every morning, it doesn’t need to be too large.

Since we are always scrambling for hair brushes and pony tail holders, I included a small “bath caddy” to hold her hair brush and detangler spray.  This one even had two small hooks for hanging pony tail holders and other accessories.  I added other hooks around the door for ribbons, necklaces, belts, or anything else she could need.  Add a clock on the top so she can keep track of her time and she is ready to go!

From The Mouth Of Moose

William doesn’t get a lot of these posts because lets face it, he is two, and doesn’t say that many funny things.  But he pulled one off this morning.

Me:  “William, why did you go poopie in your pants?”

William:  “Because I was playing, and I didn’t want to stop.”

Oh.  I guess there is something to be said for honesty.  Other than that, William had a great week and I think I’m going to say that he is trained.  He did it himself!  I am so proud of him!!!

From The Mouth Of Squirrel

Hannah:  “Do you know why I keep huggin’ Daddy?”

Me:  “Why?”

Hannah:  “Because he is so soft!”

Memorial Day

We have a tradition here in the Jones house . . . we take 30 minutes out of our Memorial Day and attend a Memorial Day Service.  We started it last year when the kids and I were visiting family in Iowa, and we continued it this year here in Prattville.  I believe that to many people just see Memorial Day as a free day off and have forgotten what it is really about.  I was discouraged this year as we sat downtown getting ready for the service to start, we were in the minority by a long shot.  The vast majority of  people were far older than our little family.

I was terribly humbled by the gentleman sitting next to J.K.  At one point in the service, they listed all the wars and asked if anyone had served in that war, to please stand or raise their hand.  Several people had served in more than one war, but the gentleman next to J.K. served in 3!  He served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.  What an amazing sacrifice!  J.K. and I both have several military members sprinkled through our families and we are so grateful for their sacrifice, and we are so grateful to live in such an amazing, free country.

By the way, while we were at the service, J.K. and Hannah had their picture snapped for the paper!  See picture above. . .

Welcome to the 21st Century

Will wonders never cease . . . J.K. has started a blog!!!  Check him out at DieFledermoose.

Launching The City Gate

Wonder where I have been for so long?  I have been tied to my sewing machine and computer getting ready for the launch of my home business.  I’m proud to say that we are up and running!  Woo-hoo!!

I have started a second blog in order to not bore all my non-sewing readers with sewing entries and hopefully keep this one going for family related posts.  You can find my new blog at The City Gate, and you can find my new on-line store at Etsy.  I will be adding more and more items in the weeks to come to keep checking if you are looking for a gift or something for yourself.  Also, shoot me a comment if you are looking for something specific and I will see what I can do.

People always ask me, “Where did you get the name The City Gate?”  It comes from one of my favorite passages of scripture, Proverbs 31, The Wife of Noble Character.  I strive everyday, and fail miserably, to be a little more like her.  Specifically, the passage of scripture is Proverbs 31:31, “Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Thanks for stopping by.

Kristan.

Menu Plan Monday

Wow!  Two weeks in a row for me.  There is something to be said for getting back into a routine and promising to be better about updating my blog.  Now we just have to see how long I can keep it up.  I have been working this week with a very exciting new (to me) software to organize my cookbook and plan my menu and shopping lists.  I am still in the trial stages, but I think it is going to be wonderful and simplify this part of my Mommy job a great deal.  I’ll be sure to keep you posted.  I’m sure if it works out, I will be shouting about it from the roof tops, or from my blog at least!

This week was a big week in our little zoo.  William, the Moose in Moose and Squirrel, and my baby, turned two yesterday.  Sigh.  It’s bizarre to watch my children grow up sometimes.  I hunger for them to be independent, yet yearn for the days when they were babies.  You may laugh when you look at my menu for Sunday, birthdays in our house are very special things.  You are King/Queen for the day and you get to pick what we eat and do that day.  Since William barely talks, I tried to pick a menu that would include all of his favorites, which at this point pretty much means bread.  He has what my family likes to call a “bread problem”.  That means that he will eat homemade bread, fresh out of the oven, until he gets sick.  Literally.

Friday: (Family Fun Night)  Velveeta Tex-Mex Beef and Potatoes (new recipe for me)

Saturday: (Football Saturday)  Cheddarwurst on the grill and mac & cheese

Sunday: (William’s Birthday )  Bread (I might throw in some homemade pizza too)

Monday: Rosemary-Maple Pork Tenderloin & Lemon Butter Potatoes (new recipe for me)

Tuesday:  Sour Cream Halibut (new recipe for me)

Wednesday:  Red Beans & Rice (new recipe for me)

Thursday:  something totally unglamerous from the freezer.

On to this week’s baking.  Clearly there will be bread as that is William’s favorite food.  I am also going to take one loaf of the bread and try a new bread pudding recipe.  I want to try a new Pumpkin Cream Cupcake this week I found in my latest Kraft magazine.  Since we are finally getting down to the bottom of the Halloween candy, I am going to try to do a batch of cookies this week too.

I hope everyone has a great week and for more great recipes and menu ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com.

From The Mouth of Squirrel . . .

Hannah:  “Momma, you’re a silly old goose!”

Me:  “Hannah, you’re a silly old goose!”

Hannah:  “No Momma, you’re a silly old goose.  Because you’re old.”

Me:

Thanks.

Menu Plan Monday

Now that school is back in (who am I kidding, school has been back in for almost 3 months) I am trying to get back into a good habit of blogging and menu planning.  Some weeks work out better than others, but I am trying.  Truth be told, I always do a menu, I just don’t always get around to posting.  Here’s to trying harder!

Monday – Wild Rice and Ham Soup, aka Rocket Soup (Today is my anniversary and this is my husband’s favorite meal!)

Tuesday – Cheesy Chicken Casserole (this is a new one for us that I picked up at Publix)

Wednesday – Something from the freezer . . .

Thursday – Homemade Pizza

Friday – Dinner Out!

Saturday – Baked spaghetti (another new recipe)

Sunday – Grilled Sausage and Mac & Cheese

Now that fall/winter is upon us, I am ramping up the baking again.  Baking is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen.  This week we have the ever standard homemade bread.  (William eats so much of it, I could bake it every week and still run out!)  Since we are making pizza, I will also have to put together a batch of dough for that too.  I am also getting brave and am trying a holiday favorite from my childhood.  My mother makes the best peanut brittle I have ever had so I have purchased my first candy thermometer and am going to give it a try.  Hannah learned that Grandpa got a pumpkin pie for his b’day and has been bugging me to make one so I will throw that in the mix too.  That’s all for this week, for more great menu ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com!

The Rest of the Story . . .

For those of you hanging on the edges of your seats to hear the latest from our overly-dramatic-slightly-sarcastic family, here is the latest in our war on terrorism.  In a day that will forever be known as G-Day (Gauntlet Day) we re-took the area known as our stove.  Bob seems determined to claim this area as his own, but we are putting up a good fight.  I am of the opinion that if one sticky trap is good, then seven must be better.  Apparently, I had the same frame of mind during our last skirmish with Bob as we set-up a permanent gauntlet under the stove and left it there.  My insanely smart husband, also put a land mine under the Hole of Horrors that Bob chewed in our wall.  Like I said, if one trap is good, than seven must be better!  As best as I can tell, here is how the battle went down.  At some point, Bob1 enlarged the Hole of Horrors to make room for another attempt to claim the stove area.  As he came through the hole, he set off my husband’s land mine.  Being a good soldier and a team player, Bob1 then proceeded to drag the land mine out of the way, making a clean landing spot for Bob2.  At some later point, Bob2 entered the kitchen through the Hole of Horrors located in the wall behind the stove.  Thanks to the sacrifice made by Bob1, Bob2 had a clear path.  That is untill he ran into the seven sticky traps laid out horizontally that comprised our second line of defense, also known as the gauntlet. 

The Battleground

At 2:00 yesterday afternoon, my far-braver-than-me husband arrived at our house to survey the damage.  Luckily, I had left to get the children from school so I was not forced to witness the carnage.  By the time J.K. removed the stove drawer, Bob1 had passed from his injuries and Bob2 was in rough shape.  Not that I care.  My far-braver-than-me husband disposed of the corpses, reset his landmine and the gauntlet and returned the stove drawer to its original position.  The battle rages on, tomorrow the bug guys are coming out to lay down more poison, try in vain to find the hole where they are entering the house, and stick some more steel wool into the Hole of Horrors.  I’m sure this is not the end of the story.