The Good Stuff

I was looking back over my blog posts for this year and thought I would try to change things up a bit.  It seems I have been writing a lot of serious and even sad posts this year!  So, in spite of the fact that we are not well in the house (we are getting better!), I thought I should write about some of the fun things that we have been doing around here.

Since the last of 2013 and into this new year, I have taken on a project that I have wanted to do for some time...I am creating cookbooks!  It is an idea I had many years ago and created in one LARGE book for my family back in 1995 for Christmas.  The concept was to have meals that went with the seasons and holidays using recipes that were family favorites.  The idea was good but toward the end we were in a hurry to get it done in time and it was also just printed on my home printer and then photocopies at a local print shop.

Brendan choosing the meal for the day from our new cookbook!

I wanted to redo this idea and add some new favorites.  I also wanted to create a book for each month so it would be easier to use.  I have the recipes set up in a monthly menu at the front of the book (including leftover nights!) and then take the recipes along with bonus recipes for each day of the month.  The recipes for  each month are based on seasonal foods and family traditions.  I add pictures to each page that are related to the recipe or to the family traditions.  It has been fun to complete these books because I love to plan menus and create the recipes my family loves, but also because I am going back to old family photos and taking new ones to add to the books.  I have already been asked if I would print a book for others.  My thought is that this book is unique to my family and it would better serve a person create their own family cookbooks with this concept in mind.  Maybe it is a business idea once I complete my own.  What do you think?

In the middle of writing the fourth cookbook, I stopped this project to make a book about chores!  The book is called "Toddling Through the Chores" and is a step by step look at the chores for our family.  I decided to have a little fun and show how the little ones in our house can do the chores to show that if they can do it anyone else in the house can too!  Brendan and Zaira had a lot of fun!  And you know what?  I found out that they CAN do a lot of the chores!
 

I had a birthday, which was celebrated with family.  I was given the gift of side steps for my van.  That might not seem like a big deal or not birthday quality gift...HOWEVER...this is what I wanted as I want to be able to get in and out of my tall van without killing myself!  SO...Michael ordered the kit and put them on himself!  I really appreciate this gift and it will be remembered every time I use the van...so it is the kind of gift that keeps on giving!  I love it!  Add to that a new dryer and I had a blessed day!  (Technically the dryer was not a birthday gift but it does seem like the old one bit the dust at the most opportune time to let me go pick out a new one at that time!  YAY...for me as the old one was a real pain!)

SIDE STORY:  When I went to pick out a new dryer, I thought it would a good idea to get a matching pair...so we were going to buy a new washer also.  We really did not need a new washer as we had just bought one about two years ago.  But, we have not had a matching set for a long time!  When I went to the store, I picked the set I liked and then found out the store only had the dryer.  We would need to go to a different store for the matching washer because the set I chose was going out of style.  So, we drove all the way across town to set up the washer purchase.  We took the dryer home immediately because it was needed but the washer was going to be delivered later in the week.  We got home and started setting up the dryer...I looked at the dryer and the washer in place and LAUGHED!  I bought the matching dryer for the old washer!  I could not believe it!  Thankfully, we were able to call and cancel the washer purchase.  Am I the only one who could be so silly?

Brendan eating meal worms!

Later in the month, we had fun with insects on two occasions...the boys went to a 4H entomology meeting and then we volunteered at an entomology convention.  I will let Sean tell about this experience on his blog.  I will link to it when he had this completed.

The other big project we have going is making this house a home...one of the first things we do in a new home is take out carpet.  I HATE carpet!  So, we have pulled the carpet out of the boys room, play room, and the hallway.  We have had a few set backs (not related to flooring) but hope to have these areas done by the end of the week.  Then we will continue this process in the other two bedrooms down stairs.  The upstairs will be wood floors so it will take a little more effort or possibly a professional...We will also add bookcases to the schoolroom upstairs for this part of the project.  We are hoping to have it done by the time children are running around in swimsuits!

One thing we have really missed is our favorite museums.  So, we found a new one to love here!  The Witte museum is so amazing!  I think I posted about our fun for Brendan's birthday last month.  This month they opened a new exhibit about aliens!  The boys enjoyed this adventure...I really considered this an exhibit about science fiction characters rather than aliens, as most of the pictures and talk amongst the boys was about robots.  However, they had fun and that is the important thing.  Maybe we will find a way to volunteer at this museum soon!

We are still looking for activities for the boys.  4H has lost some of its appeal for us in the urban setting.  Sean will continue with the entomology project and all of the boys like to be in photography.  However, the hardest part is finding a club that meets our needs that is not too far away.  So, the search is on for a photography club for youth and a nature club.  Also, we would love to find a LEGO club.  So it looks like the next few weeks will be spent on this search!  Wish us well as we find our place in this city life!