But mom, I want to ride the trebuchet!!!

After seeing Husband off this morning (he's helping his mom today, ahhh what a guy), me and the chicks went out to one of the local high school's pumpkin patch/carnival.  Of course, we had to do this for several reasons,

1. To take up time during the day while Husband is gone since I am spoiled beyond belief with a very hands on dad who entertains the boys on the weekends 
2. I needed to get some pictures (that did not happen!) of them near a pumpkin for the day very long from now when I get into scrapbooking
3. I thought they would have fun!

 Of course, they would not sit still for pictures so I finally gave up and paid the lady three bucks to get a decent photo of us.  Then I released them out into the pumpkin patch to roll around for awhile with the most orange of sqaushes.  Then we did the moonwalk and played a little pint size basketball and then headed over to the bake sale table to get them all good and sugared up.  I get such enjoyment out of them cramming cookies and cupcakes in their mouths! 
Anyway, then came the trebuchet. I like to call them catapults but the fancy french word seems to have caught on (mental note: look up difference between catapult v. trebuchet).

So they load the perfectly good pumpkin up and launch it and the instant the pumpkin explodes, String Bean says "I want to ride it!" I am in serious trouble, this child just watched a pumpkin get smashed to bits and he wants to go next! I think I will start making him wear a helmet from now on just in case.

Belly Art

In my attempt to distract my boys from all things that "go," I took the easel outside and told them to paint.  I suggested they paint the sky, the birds, or even the grass, whatever their little minds came up with.

 

So what did my two little stinkers paint?  Their bellies.  I mean they literally painted their bellies.  I then begin to see the wheels turning in String Bean's head, I can hear him thinking... I have just made myself into one big stamp!  So, they spent the rest of art time making belly impressions on the patio.

When they go tired of that they started painting my legs.  Note - red paint (even washable paint) stains your skin! 

Ahh well, at least they they did something else besides crashing cars!

Long live belly art!

One fine meal

Tonight I made something that made my whole famliy happy and I just had to share about it.  It may not look pretty (cassoroles rarely do) but it tastes great.  What is this ugly mess you see above that had my whole family asking for seconds?  Shepard's pie.  Meat, vegatbles, gravy and mashed potatoes all in one dish creating a wonderful homey dish that leaves everyone feeling full and sastified. 

This is dish I did not grow up eating.  I actually have my dear friend Alison to thank for introducing this great dish from across the pond (I love that phrase).  She was preggo with her first child and all she could stomach was mashed potatoes.  First I was shocked she was cooking in the first place but if Ali could make this surely I could too (I know that sounds a bit wicked of me but trust me Al and I's friendship is based on a healty competitve nature).  So five years later I have finally perfected this masterpiece of home cookery.  In fact Cooper told me that it was as good as snack and treats!  Now that is a compliment any mama would be proud to hear.

Who Cares if the Water is Brown?

So Aunt Jessica called and wanted to know if the boys and I would like to go to Galveston with her and her girls. Of course, I jumped at the chance to get some beach fun in with six extra hands to help watch the boys. Throw Aunt Becky in and we had us some fabulous brown water fun!
This was the boy's first trip to the beach and from the moment we got there they loved it. I thought Butter Bean might not like the water and String Bean would freak out over water in his face but it seems I was underestimating my boys. String Bean got braver and braver and kept asking us to take him further out. Butter Bean was determined to catch a bird and spent most of his time running after them.
We had a picnic lunch and swam some more and had to leave due to sheer exhaustion from holding String Bean  up in the waves. On the way home I realized that I did not get all of my back and felt the sunburn starting to set in. Fast forward two hours later and I make lobsters look pale in comparison! Luckily the boys did not get burned at all. Poor husband had to work but wanted us to go anyway. Hopefully we can make it back down there before the summer is over!

Its a bird, its a plane, no its super String Bean!

We had the best playdate today and I just want to share some photos! The kids decorated their own mask and got their own cape and super here badge to wear. They had fun running around even though I don't know if they were quite sure what they celebrating! I had lots of fun cutting all this stuff last night and playing with puff paint! Enjoy the photos, our new friends Karys, Luke, Jillian and Eli made the day super special!

Summer

I just noticed that it has been over two months since I last posted something! I guess you could say we have just been busy doing lots of little things this summer. We swim and ride bikes and go to play dates with our friends. Preschool will be starting up the first of September and String Bean is very excited. I know I should be excited too but part of me would rather just keep him home and teach him things myself! Isn't that crazy? I should be happy for the break during the day but I guess I don't see it that way. I recently went to the teachers' supply store and got several activity books and "learning toys" and was all set to start teaching him to read. I know I can still do those things but I can't help but feel I have outsourced part of my responsibility!

Enough of that, lets move on to Butter Bean.  Little Butter Bean is quickly becoming a little stinker of first rate. He likes to take away anything String Bean  is holding and smash all block tower within a 5 mile radius. The last of his teeth are coming in and so the biting episodes are back and poor String Bean is the recipient of most of them.

String Bean told me the other day that he wants Butter Bean to live in his room! I was so excited since this is our master plan. Of course, String Bean might regret saying that once it happens!

We have a super hero themed play date this Friday. I promise to post pictures!

More Curtains

Here are the new kitchen curtains I finished today. These were made a lot faster due to very cooperative little boys and the fact that this is the second time making this particular pattern. I had to find some cheaper fabric since I spent way to much on the living room Sis Boom fabric. I tried out Joann's and Hobby Lobby this time since they have weekly coupons. Hobby Lobby was the winner when I saw this super cute fabric. I usually am not a big fan of the novelty prints but what domestic goddess could turn down aprons? I also love the colors simply for the fact they match my mixer! Also the price was right at $6.50 a yard (it took five yards).

He is walking!

Butter Bean finally let go and went for it yesterday. He is on the road to being a biped!

Enjoy the movies!

VBS

VBS just finished up at our church and it was a great success! I found myself laughing out loud at the skits and I think the kids learned a lot. The theme this year was Historical stories of the Bible. Creation, the plagues, Jonah and fish, Queen Ester, Jericho, and Daniel and the lion's den. Queen Ester was by far my favorite because the adults really threw themselves out there and were not afraid to look silly which made the skit work. It was based around the idea of a beauty pageant (which is not all that different from the real story). The wall of Jericho were pretty neat too. They built a 20 foot tall four sided wall and had the kids march around 7 times. When they yelled at the end, the whole thing came crashing down. This kids loved it!

String Bean had a great time and he loved learning some new stories. I am so excited that our church has so many young people and adults that are willing to put on such a good program.I can't wait to help out next year, since because if you know me I have no problem making a complete fool of myself!

Curtains!

Yep I finally finished them and got the curtain rods hung so now, I have curtains in my living room! I know that sounds kinda silly to be excited about but this is the first project I have done start to finish that I am not embarrassed to let people see! Having beautiful fabric helps hide a lot of course but I think they turned out great! The one thing that I messed up on actually turned out to be prettier than the original plan. The tabs at the tops are all supposed to be made from the fabric but I did not think that I had enough so I went and got ribbon instead. So I alternated the fabric and ribbon tabs and I love the way it turned out!

Now I am on the hunt for some pretty (but not so pricey) fabric for the kitchen and study. Luckily, I happened upon a great sale at JC Penny's and got six curtain rods for 100 bucks so I have a bunch of curtains to sew this summer!

The Center of Attention

String Bean had his end of the year program Tuesday night. They sang four songs and from the looks of it String Bean had a blast. He loved singing on the the stage at church and was not scared of the crowd of people oohing and awing at the cuteness that is 15 three and four year olds singing the books of the New Testament and their ABC's. He seems to really like the attention and was practicing at home standing on top of his table saying "This is my stage" while singing his songs. Husband and I were so proud of him and just beaming with pride as he sang. Of course, he also decided to incorporate some impromptu interpretive dance moves into the act. You can see that on the video. The pictures did not turn out that great because our camera just could not compete with the dim lighting and all the other amateur photographer parents with their fancy cameras in the church but the little video came out clear enough.



Looks like it is time to start looking into community theater for the boy!
Ms Carleeta, String Bean's pre-scool teacher -

I finally picked something

Here is the fabric that I will use to make curtains for my living room. I am so in love with this Jennifer Paganelli's whole collection!

See more here - http://sisboom.com/category_22/Fabric-Designs.htm

The Best Thing

The best thing about losing weight is now my sports bra tank does not ride up when I run! Amazing that the thing will stay on now that my belly is not so big! Just at funny thought I had, sorry if that grosses anyone out!

Butter Bean's Party

We had such a good time this last weekend throwing Butter Bean's first birthday party. I had to make everything from scratch to insure it was food sensitivity friendly but all the work paid off. The menu was beef and chicken fajitas, corn and bean warm salad, rice and of course homemade guacamole. We ran a little late getting the food ready but I think that was due to the huge rain storm soaking husband while he tried to grill 10 pounds of fajitas meat. Poor thing was soaked but he stuck it out and got the job done.

I purchased a cake from Costco to feed everyone and then I made Butter Bean and I a cake that was dairy/egg free. It was more like a brownie but I ended up making icing to slather on it and it turned out pretty yummy. I was able to make it the entire weekend without slipping up on my diet and conquered a major demon by passing on the queso!

In fact Sunday night I ran on the treadmill for the first time in a very long time. I have kept it up too, running the last couple nights as well. Who is this girl?

My baby is 1

My little Marshmallow turned one yesterday. I thought about his birth a great deal yesterday and how much it hurt and then finally he was here and all of that hurt went away so fast! He is such a special little person already and I am just loving watching his personality emerge. He is very sweet, a terrible flirt with the ladies, and has a bit of short temper. He is very lovey and likes to rest his head when you hold him. He also loves to give kisses. He just learned to clap both hands together and his first real words were - "My Baby!" I guess that is how I refer to him so he just picked it up. He usually says it when he want attention which is the cutest thing of all. Happy Birthday to my fair haired spring chicken!

Easter 2009

We had a great Easter weekend! Saturday we headed out to Bedias to see Meemaw and Pawpaw and Erika, Connor and the girls. Thanks to the Bedias Baptist Church, the kids got to have a great egg hunt and lots of candy was had by all! We went back Meemaw's and spent the day catching up with everyone. String Bean had a great time playing with his cousins and I think Butter Bean did too. We love being only an 1.5 hours away instead of the 3 hours it used to take from Austin. It makes day trips possible and that is good thing for mommy since I don't have to pack up the house for only one night!

Sunday we went to our Church. It starting raining cats and dogs while service was going on so we decided to skip the indoor egg hunt and head out to lunch. We had made plans to go to Jason's deli since that is the only place I can eat and not worry about soybean oil slipping into my meal but they were closed for the holiday. So we went to a local place and I ordered yet another salad. I asked for oil and vinegar on the side and the poor waitress brought me Italian dressing! Good thing I have turned into a quack who carries her own dressing in her purse for just in cases. After lunch we went home for naps but somehow Daddy was the only one who ended up with anything resembling a nap. Here are a couple of pictures of our weekend.

Our day

We went out the Arbor Gate and got some vegetables to grow in containers today. I had grand designs of building raised beds to grow lots of veggies this year but alas, time and money got in the way. So, I had almost given up on growing anything this year until last night when I decided I wanted to give it a last ditch effort. So, we headed out this morning and had the plants in the pot all before nap time. I would love to say String Bean was really into planting but he mostly just wanted to water them to death. He also wanted to tickle the plants and as far as I know that is not good for transplants trying to figure out where in the world they are! Anyway, I hope to post the progress of our little container garden as the plants grow.

Maybe String Bean will be more excited about the harvesting end of things.

15 Pounds!

Yep, that's right, I have lost 15 pounds. My husband even told me I have my pre-pregnancy shape back! Whoo Hoo I have a shape and it is just not round!

So the new food sensitivity diet looks like it is working. I also do have more energy and less of what I call brain fog. I am just so delighted to actually be feeling better and the weight loss is just the greatest thing ever. I mean at most I have ever lost is 20 pounds at once and that was with Atkins. Of course, it came right back and then some.

I am also learning lots of new things to cook and I am doing things I never thought I would. For instance, since I can't have eggs I basically eat oatmeal every morning but after two weeks that is boring so I had brown rice with coconut milk and cherries. So yummy! Never in a million years would I believe I was the person grinding up flax seeds to put into her brown rice breakfast!

I guess I will also mention my boys since my new diet has hijacked their blog! String Bean is doing so great here of late. He can sing all the books of the testament and as of last week, can dress himself. He is just getting so big and learning things so fast now.
Butter Bean is trying to walk but just will not let go and take that first step. He will get there and I am in no rush to rush him into it yet. He is starting to play with String Bean more and more and wants to be in anything that String Bean is doing. Poor String Bean can't lay on the floor without Butter Bean tackling him.

The results are in!

I had my follow-up appt. with Dr. Meyer this week and received my test results regarding food sensitivities. Turns out that I am reacting to the following:
Dairy
Eggs
Cashews
Garlic
Pinto beans
Mustard
Peanut
Soybean
Strawberry
Almond

So for the next 12 weeks I (and Butter Bean) cannot have any of the above items. This basically means I have to prepare all my own food including making my own bread and tortillas. All commercially available breads have either soy or dairy in them in form or the other. It also means that eating out will be next to impossible unless it is a salad bar and I can verify that they did not use soybean oil in any of the dressings!

It sounds a little scary at first but I am glad to finally know what is going on with me and I know it will be helping Butter Bean too. His cough and runny nose are finally gone (I have been dairy free for a month now). I am so excited about the possibility of losing some real weight too!

I think the thing I will miss most will be garlic. I use garlic nearly every time I cook and it is so healthy for you. I hope that in 12 weeks I can add it back into my cooking but maybe just not as much. Not having eggs will be hard too. I eat eggs every morning for breakfast, guess that is why I have become sensitive to it!

Even more exciting is that Husband is going to get tested too. It might help avoid a surgery!

Heaven help us get through Butter Bean's birthday party because anyone that knows me, knows that I love me some cake!

Birthday Party Fun

We celebrated String Bean's third birthday today. I still can't believe he is three. I really do feel like it was yesterday that I had him. Moments after I gave birth to him he laid on my chest and looked at me with the most knowing eyes. Now he is a ball of energy that that could charm the spots off of cheetah. I love him so much and I am so proud to call him my son. Two was a really hard year for him and I. Shortyly after his second birthday, his brother came into the world and reshaped our family. We moved twice and he got potty trained. I am looking forward to year three with all his curiosity and excitement we should have a great year.

His party was fun and I know he had a good time. He was so excited about his birthday I am a little worried about how he will wake up tomorrow! So now I have to start planning Butter Bean's first birthday because it is in three short weeks!

Yeah for me!

So I have lost like ten pounds and my pants are getting loose. I am so excited I am giddy. I guess this has to do with the no dairy diet I am trying to help Butter Bean but man it is working for me like gangbusters!

Butter Bean has another ear infection and just got over the worst flu. I was so lucky that String Bean was never sick when he was a baby so I am having to figure out how to treat a baby when they are sick. He is doing great today so hopefully he will be even better tomorrow.

My blood tests are back and I see the my naturopathic doctor next Tuesday to figure out what foods are causing problems for Butter bean and myself. I still can't believe I have survived this long with no cheese or butter but the weight loss is proving to be a new motivation!

No More Spilt Milk

Butter Bean and I had a very medical week last week. In four days, we saw three different doctors about his seemingly everlasting cough and ear infection. First up was the chiropractor because there are numerous studies that have shown that if the head/neck are out of alignment then that can cause the fluid to build up which creates the safe haven for the evil bacteria to grow. So I went in to see this chiro and all I came out with were supplements and some advice on diet. While I do believe in supplements aiding in overall health I did not feel that this was the answer to fluid building up in my little ones ears.

So on Thursday I moved on to traditional medicine. I have to admit I was dreading this appointment and I was not disappointed when I got there. After describing the problems Butter Bean has had and confirming the ear infection in his ear I got my prescription for amoxicillin and a very rude, false and insulting lecture on vaccines. I could go on and on about it but I have put it behind me and don't want to pick that scab. I will just say that I have VALID reason for delaying my children's vaccinations and she was not interested in hearing them. At one point she told me my baby could die from menengitis, which is a valid claim but the warning about side effects on the box the vaccine comes in says the same thing.

Finally on Friday, I found Dr. Meyer. She is a doctor of Naturorpathy and a clinical nutritionist. She spent two hours going over Butter Bean and I's medical, physical and emotional history. She made an immediate recommendation that I give up all forms of dairy and I am being tested for other food sensitivities that could be causing Butter Bean's fluid build up or post nasal drip.

I am very excited to see if by changing our diet alone that we can avoid anymore antibiotics and surgery (ear tubes). I am ready to go that route if this does not work but I guess it makes more sense to me to find the root of the problem and try and work on that first. Husband and I both have a horrible track record with our ears and we just don't want that for our child. I know our parents did not want it for us either but there is so much more information available today, I just feel that I have to try this first.

Also, I am really curious to find out what food sensitvites I have. If you now me, I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I have hated myself for never being able to lose the weight and it constant reminder of a failure in my life. Also I am starting to have some other issues that I hope clear up once I know what is not good for me to eat!

Just cause

Valentines and fuit trees

Not a classic combination but nevertheless that is what I got on Valentines Day from my parents. It was a housewarming present for our new home. Of course, my dad joked that he was just making an investment and wanted fresh oranges next year. We got a Rebublic of Texas Orange tree (I would have picked it alone for its name), which is an heirloom breed dating back to 1842. We also got a Mexicola Avacodo and a blue berry bush. It truly is a gift that will keep on giving. Oh that is if I can keep them alive. If you read anything about fruit trees it makes them sound very fragile and a pain to try and grow. Oh well, we will give it our all to keep them alive.

I also got a lovely arrangement of flowers from my darling husband. He had them delivered on Friday. We then went out to dinner with the kids.

We had a great time on Saturday visiting with my folks and sister out in the country. Rebecca made gyros (from scratch!) and I made a chocolate cake (also from scratch). String and Butter Bean got to play with Granny and Pawpaw and String Bean even got to ride on the riding lawnmower with Granny. There was no fish feeding this time around and no one fell in the pond!

I am busy planning birthday parties for the boys. Also, I am trying to get my new playgroup to meet up more.

Heart shaped love

I love making things with cookie cutters. I remember I used to make String Bean toast and cut it out into various shapes and would wait patiently to see if he would acknowledge the new breakfast fun. This morning I made heart shaped french toast for him and Butter Bean. String Bean thought it was neat but I think that was because of the strawberry jelly.

I made cupcakes and homemade Valentines last night while watching Lost and Top Chef. String Bean wanted to eat cupcakes for breakfast but he gave pretty quickly when I told him he gets to eat them at school today.

I really do hate the commercial side of most holidays but I enjoy the marking of an occasion with tokens of love or appreciation. Although, seeing these tents go up in the grocery store parking lots so that people can drive through and "take care" of there obligatory offering of flowers leaves me cold. I mean don't get me wrong, I LOVE getting flowers, but I am also at a point in my life where I would rather be given an heirloom rose bush to plant than a dozen roses that are one day away from rotting in the vase. So, this year I made stuff from scratch and put a little more effort into my tokens of affection. I know I sound like I am on my soapbox but I am just preaching to myself and no one else. Plus in this economy the poor florists are probably sweating to see if they make enough money. So go out and buy those "tent" flowers and support a florist so they can make it to Mother's Day. Meanwhile, I will keep Hobby Lobby in business for a while longer.

Haircuts

I cut my boys hair for the first time this weekend. Robert even let me do his too. We were so tired of paying 10 bucks to get C hair cut and M is starting to get the baby mullet so something had to be done. The last time we got C hair cut, I sat and watched the girl do it and thought, hey I can do that!

So the results were varied, C would not sit still so he has some spots that are not even but all in all I can't tell the difference in what I did and what they charge ten bucks for.

It took me nearly an hour to cut Husband's hair. I actually had to use scissors on his hair and it is very clear to me that I need better (sharper) scissors to get a good cut. He says he is happy with it but I am assuming that was because I was still holding a sharp object. I messed up around one of ears and hopefully the hair will grow back!

M no longer has his baby mullet and it really hurt to cut his fine little baby hair off. C did not have to have a haircut until after his second birthday so having to cut M hair at 10 months is something new. I saved a little of his hair just like I did C's. I don't what to do with it but I thought it important to keep.

All Better!

M is finally kicking this awful cold he has had. I almost forgot how happy and playful he is until he woke up this morning all bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had to make a special trip out to herb store in Conroe just to get the homeopathic and herbs I needed to finally get the gunk out of his system. Oh and a lot of praying too!

I went and kidnapped Aunt Becky so she could wrangle C while I spoke with the lady at the store and then we went to Chick-Fila so C could play. I must say that I really love Chick-Fila. They have these attendants that come over and refill your dirnk and bring things you forgot and put place mats down for the kids. It was so nice to have a little customer service at a fast food place. Plus, as far as food, they are the least likely to make me feel guilty for eating out. The food resembles real food and they have a great fruit cup that is not just soggy melon balls!

We then took Aunt Becky back home so she could enjoy the rest of her day off and went to see great Granny. She was very happy to see us but told me to call next time so she can "clean her house." C wanted to feed the catfish so we got some fish food and headed out to the pond. Aunt Becky was helping C throw the food in the pond and we kept telling him to not throw so hard or he throw himself in. And then he did. He went about waist deep in cold murky pond water with catfish swimming all around. Of course, mommy plucked him out of the water, Becky wrapped him up in her sweater and we headed to house. C was having the time of his little life and he now has a new story to tell. M was excited to see Great Granny and spent most of the time trying to eat her glasses as usual.

We then packed the car up and picked a fresh cabbage that I will make into cole slaw tomorrow.

So we ended up with some natural remedies, a war (or should I say pond) story, and a fresh head of cabbage. Not bad for Monday, not bad at all.

Carrot Soup saves the day

I am so excited about the carrot soup I made last night. In an effort to get more vegetables in our diet and stop wasting expensive organic produce, I made carrot soup. It was actually curry carrot soup and it was easy to make and so yummy. It had an velvety texture and a spicy but not hot finish to it. I also made brown rice and some frozen pot stickers (or pot lickers as my mom calls them).

This leads me to what else happened yesterday. C had one of the worst meltdowns in Clements history last night. I am talking about full scale crying so much he almost hyperventilated, flopping on the floor, level ten freak out. So I knew that he needed to eat and that his lack of sustenance was probably the reason for the meltdown. So I told him that I made orange soup and had white sprinkles to put on top. Well, little Mr. Freak out decided that was worth trying out and ate a full bowl of it. Ten minutes later he was back to Dr. Hyde side of life and we played with our new trains (Thanks Patrick and Aunt Jenny!).

It just amazes the effect that food had on my oldest and his mood. Although I should not be that shocked since my Husband will tell you the same thing about me. He keeps granola bars in his pockets anytime we go out.

Gotta run, it is time for Ladies Bible Class and I am so excited to be going!

Sick

Well we have been stricken with another cold. It all started Wednesday when M had a low-grade fever all day long. Then he got better Thursday and C and I started coughing and snotting. C threw up the cough suppressant last and we moved his mattress down to our room so he could sleep on the floor. He seemed a little freaked out by the throwing up so we thought he would feel better being closer to us. Okay maybe it just made me feel better but anyway, he proceeding to either stay up the whole night or he woke up every hour to try and get us to talk. Of course now the little bugger is a sleep (7:30 a.m.) and M and I are awake. I bet he wakes up right as I am putting the baby down for his nap.

I really hope we are all well by Monday since we are hosting a playdate for our new playgroup. I started a playgroup here in Katy to try and get to know some other mama's and kiddos. I am really excited, I have 7 new moms coming to my house. Of course, i have to spend the weekend cloroxing everything but that is small price to pay for new friends.

Let's hear it for this guy

Chesley B. Sullenburger is the pilot who landed that plane yesterday in the Hudson River. What a miracle that everyone walked (or floated) off that plane alive yesterday. Evidently he chose to land in the river instead of trying for another airport and performed a perfect water landing. Oh and come to find out he has a glider flying licence. Praise be to God that he was the pilot yesterday!

Plus I just love to see the best of us when things like this happen. I mean New Yorkers get a bad wrap but the news report said within minutes ferry and dock workers were there plucking people out of the frigid waters. The pilot even gave his shirt to a frozen water soaked passenger. Also the gratefulness of the passengers to the pilots and flight attendants was great to see. No complaining just gratefulness.

So here's to being nice and warm on dry land today.

All moved in

Well, we are finally all moved in and settled. We even painted the gameroom! We wanted to make the upstairs fun and whimsical. I did the wall with the larger dots while husband did the wall with the big and little dots.

We have almost no boxes left in the house and this weekend we will tackle the task of putting pictures up on the walls. I am finding my way around much better now that we FINALLY got Internet service.

C is loving preschool and M and I are getting some alone time during the day. C goes on Tuesday and Thursdays from 9-2. Mostly M and I shop, make that window shop, since our first mortgage payment is coming due! hehe.

We had a lovely Christmas morning in our new home and we just so thankful for this great house. My parents and Granny came over for lunch and spent the day with us. It was great to guests and I even broke out my china since we only had five adults and I have five place settings.

We spent the following Saturday with Husband's family and had a great meal and caught up with that branch of the family tree.

Since then, we have been trying to find a place for everything and trying to get to know some new people.

Glad to be back blogging, hope everyone had a joyous Christmas and Happy New Year.