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The last line of Ryan's sign says that he wants to
be a baseball player when he grows up. |
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What do you mean there is homework in
First Grade?? |
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| He's growing up TOO fast! |
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
First Day of First Grade
Ryan started first grade this year. He has had nothing but good things to report, so far, and claims to love it!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Sigh
This about sums up my feelings right now.
Today was the last day of summer vacation. Ryan starts first grade tomorrow, and though Ella doesn't start back to preschool until Sept. 10th, our days of lazy mornings and 'do whatever we want in the afternoons' are behind us for another year.
I am not going to lie and say that every day was perfect, nor am I going to say that there were never days that I wanted to pull out my hair for the sibling rivalry that presented itself quite regularly. I will, however, say that I truly enjoy my family, and I am so thankful for any and all days that we get to spend together.
While we look ahead to apple picking, and pumpkin carving, I will be excited about those things, too. However, tonight...tonight, I will just sigh.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast
I first found this recipe here when I was browsing on Pinterest one day. Do you like Pinterest? It's addicting at first, SO many good ideas, but I have made a rule for myself that I MUST try one thing that I pin for every 10 pins. It is working, so far! Well, sort of. ;)
It is rainy this morning, and a little cooler than it has been all summer. I had some peaches to use up before they got too mushy, so I decided to substitute them into this recipe, and it was DELISH! You can see the original recipe in the link above, but here is how I made it.
Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast
Yield: approx 4 cups1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 cups Vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup raisins
2 medium peaches, diced (save some for garnish)
Honey for drizzling on top
Method
Combine quinoa, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and raisins in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then place lid on pan and reduce to low heat. After 5 mins stir in chopped peaches and simmer for approx 5-7 mins longer. Stir and check for remaining liquid and if most is absorbed then remove from heat, leaving lid on pan and let rest for 5 mins to absorb rest of the milk. If when you peek, there is still lots of liquid, simmer for 3-5 mins longer but keeping a close eye over the pot as this mixture can easily burn if left to boil dry, then let it rest for 5 mins. Taste for sweetness and adjust to your liking. I drizzled the dish with a small amount of honey (a little goes a long way) to sweeten it just a bit more. You may not need any additional sweetener as the raisins and peaches do add a nice sweetness that may be just perfect for you. Be cautious as even these natural sugars will spike your blood sugar levels and you want to minimize this.
**Some additional fillers/toppings I would like to try: sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, blueberries, raspberries, apples, or strawberries. Whatever kind of fruit is in season!!
The kids were not patient enough this morning to wait for a cooked breakfast, so they chose something else. I do think that they would like this dish, though. Perhaps I will warm the leftovers for them tomorrow!
Enjoy!
It is rainy this morning, and a little cooler than it has been all summer. I had some peaches to use up before they got too mushy, so I decided to substitute them into this recipe, and it was DELISH! You can see the original recipe in the link above, but here is how I made it.
Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast
Yield: approx 4 cups1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 cups Vanilla almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup raisins
2 medium peaches, diced (save some for garnish)
Honey for drizzling on top
Method
Combine quinoa, almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and raisins in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then place lid on pan and reduce to low heat. After 5 mins stir in chopped peaches and simmer for approx 5-7 mins longer. Stir and check for remaining liquid and if most is absorbed then remove from heat, leaving lid on pan and let rest for 5 mins to absorb rest of the milk. If when you peek, there is still lots of liquid, simmer for 3-5 mins longer but keeping a close eye over the pot as this mixture can easily burn if left to boil dry, then let it rest for 5 mins. Taste for sweetness and adjust to your liking. I drizzled the dish with a small amount of honey (a little goes a long way) to sweeten it just a bit more. You may not need any additional sweetener as the raisins and peaches do add a nice sweetness that may be just perfect for you. Be cautious as even these natural sugars will spike your blood sugar levels and you want to minimize this.
**Some additional fillers/toppings I would like to try: sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, blueberries, raspberries, apples, or strawberries. Whatever kind of fruit is in season!!
The kids were not patient enough this morning to wait for a cooked breakfast, so they chose something else. I do think that they would like this dish, though. Perhaps I will warm the leftovers for them tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Friday, August 10, 2012
What do YOU do on a rainy day?
Do you stay inside on a rainy day? Build a fort? Read a book? Watch a movie? Yeah, we do, too. But, in BETWEEN rain showers, we dig out the fishing poles (and by we, I mean the kids), and do a little (ahem, pretend) fishing in our back yard!
We haven't had a whole lot of rain this summer, but the amount that we got in the last day or so was enough to create a few puddles in our back yard. The kids slipped on their rain boots, grabbed their poles, and spent quite a bit of time 'fishing'.
We haven't had a whole lot of rain this summer, but the amount that we got in the last day or so was enough to create a few puddles in our back yard. The kids slipped on their rain boots, grabbed their poles, and spent quite a bit of time 'fishing'.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
In Ella's Words...Age 4
We celebrated Ella's 4th birthday this month. I thought it would be fun to play 20 questions with her to see what her answers would be:
1. What is your favorite color? Purple
2. What is your favorite toy? The water slide (our slip-n-slide)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite tv show? JoJo's Circus
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut Butter and Jelly or Grilled Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? Flower Power shirt (a shirt with a flower on it ;))
7. What is your favorite game? Tic Tac Toe
8. What is your favorite snack? Cookie
9. What is your favorite animal? Pandas
10. What is your favorite song? Mama Tooted (ugh)
11. What is your favorite book? Strawberry Shortcake
12. Who is your best friend? Molly and Delaney
13. What is your favorite cereal? Marshmallow Cereal (Mom's Best Naturals Mallow Oats)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my Bike
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Kitties and Blankie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hot Dogs
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Ballerina
Too cute.
We celebrated with grandparents on Ella's *actual* birthday, but she wanted a Princess and Pirate party to celebrate with her friends (she actually wanted a princess party, but since most of her friends are boys right now, we decided that they may not appreciate all the pink ;))
Ella wearing the "4" shirt I made for her
Waiting for her friends to arrive at the party
Just being goofy...
Ella got a bike for her birthday...a princess bike, of course!
Ella, you are such a sweet girl. I adore how generous you are with your hugs and kisses, and how you are always concerned about others. You like to be Mommy's helper, but you light up whenever Daddy is around. You recently asked me at bedtime, "Mommy, is God in my heart?", and we talked a little about what that means and we prayed (you repeating after me) that Jesus would live in your heart. <3
We love you so much, Ella!! Happy 4th Birthday!
1. What is your favorite color? Purple
2. What is your favorite toy? The water slide (our slip-n-slide)
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite tv show? JoJo's Circus
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Peanut Butter and Jelly or Grilled Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit? Flower Power shirt (a shirt with a flower on it ;))
7. What is your favorite game? Tic Tac Toe
8. What is your favorite snack? Cookie
9. What is your favorite animal? Pandas
10. What is your favorite song? Mama Tooted (ugh)
11. What is your favorite book? Strawberry Shortcake
12. Who is your best friend? Molly and Delaney
13. What is your favorite cereal? Marshmallow Cereal (Mom's Best Naturals Mallow Oats)
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my Bike
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Kitties and Blankie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hot Dogs
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Ballerina
Too cute.
We celebrated with grandparents on Ella's *actual* birthday, but she wanted a Princess and Pirate party to celebrate with her friends (she actually wanted a princess party, but since most of her friends are boys right now, we decided that they may not appreciate all the pink ;))
Ella wearing the "4" shirt I made for her
Waiting for her friends to arrive at the party
Just being goofy...
Ella got a bike for her birthday...a princess bike, of course!
Ella, you are such a sweet girl. I adore how generous you are with your hugs and kisses, and how you are always concerned about others. You like to be Mommy's helper, but you light up whenever Daddy is around. You recently asked me at bedtime, "Mommy, is God in my heart?", and we talked a little about what that means and we prayed (you repeating after me) that Jesus would live in your heart. <3
We love you so much, Ella!! Happy 4th Birthday!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Favorite Waffle Recipe
I am not a breakfast maker. I'm just not. Well, at least that USED to be my excuse. I should say that I don't enjoy making breakfast. Perhaps it is because I am not really a morning person? Perhaps it is just because my husband DOES enjoy it, and so I let him do the breakfast making. Either way, it's just not my favorite meal to make.
My husband is the BEST pancake maker, and he makes them from scratch. He uses a Betty Crocker recipe from a cookbook that used to belong to his Grandma. It's delicious. On the page before is a waffle recipe. I have adapted it to make it a little healthier, and we LOVE it. I mean, c'mon, I can handle a waffle iron first thing in the morning...I'm not *that* bad! ;)
Favorite Waffle Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour batter from cup or pitcher (these are Betty's words, I use an ice cream scoop or a small ladel) onto center of hot waffle iron. Bake until steaming stops (um, or until the light on your waffle iron tells you that the waffle is done). Remove carefully. ;)
Enjoy!!
My husband is the BEST pancake maker, and he makes them from scratch. He uses a Betty Crocker recipe from a cookbook that used to belong to his Grandma. It's delicious. On the page before is a waffle recipe. I have adapted it to make it a little healthier, and we LOVE it. I mean, c'mon, I can handle a waffle iron first thing in the morning...I'm not *that* bad! ;)
Favorite Waffle Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Pour batter from cup or pitcher (these are Betty's words, I use an ice cream scoop or a small ladel) onto center of hot waffle iron. Bake until steaming stops (um, or until the light on your waffle iron tells you that the waffle is done). Remove carefully. ;)
Enjoy!!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Summer!! What we've been up to...
We are enjoying summer, so far! The last two summers have led us to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a family vacation. This year, we weren't able to make things come together to get there, so we have been trying to stay busy locally. So far, so good!
We've been riding bikes...
...picking flowers
...running through sprinklers
...bowling with some out of town guests
...hugging an Uncle
...celebrating the 4th of July
...and anxiously awaiting fireworks with friends!
In addition, we have been swimming both in a friend's pool (a weekly occurrance), as well as in a local lake. We attended my nephew's high school graduation, and enjoyed a weekend visit with my sister-in-law and her kids. We have picked strawberries and raspberries, and have been using our fire bowl to roast marshmallows.
We've been riding bikes...
...picking flowers
...running through sprinklers
...bowling with some out of town guests
...hugging an Uncle
...celebrating the 4th of July
...and anxiously awaiting fireworks with friends!
In addition, we have been swimming both in a friend's pool (a weekly occurrance), as well as in a local lake. We attended my nephew's high school graduation, and enjoyed a weekend visit with my sister-in-law and her kids. We have picked strawberries and raspberries, and have been using our fire bowl to roast marshmallows.
We are enjoying our time together this summer and I can't believe it is already July! The time goes TOO quickly!!
We hope you are enjoying your summer as well!
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