Sandra

It Snowed.

December 2, 2010 by Sandra Leave a Comment

And that can only mean two things.

I put on my first pair of socks since last Spring.

And the kids were outside in freezing weather by 9:00am. I love the freedom homeschooling offers this way.

They love it, too.

Please excuse the giant gloves and sock mittens in this picture. The kids were in such a rush to get outside they couldn’t wait for last year’s mittens, hats, and gloves to be washed. We grabbed what we could find and headed out the door. Where they….

made snowballs and…

a snow angel. They also…

made up a game to play. And finally, they…

looked cute as ever.

I do not love snow. I do not love cold weather. I do not like having to wear socks and shoes outside. I’m a flip-flops girl. Just ask anyone who knows me. But, in Illinois, it snows. That’s why we’re thinking about moving to Texas where they had summer weather on Thanksgiving.

Just kidding.

We are thinking about moving there someday, but not because of the weather. For now, though, we are here and we’ll enjoy the snow while it lasts. We have kids, after all! We have no choice. 🙂

It’s Me and My girl today

November 24, 2010 by Sandra Leave a Comment

We have a full day planned today. It’s going to start off with me heading to Meijer in a little while to pick up the fresh turkey I put on hold. 22 pounder. After Meijer, I’m bringing the turkey back home and putting him into the bath brine I’ve prepared for him. Breanna, Isaac, and I were busy yesterday making pumpkin puree for pumpkin shakes and pumpkin cream pie and the brine for our Turkey. I’m using the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for brining in case you’d like to give it a try. Brining works best with a fresh turkey. This is our second time using The Pioneer Woman’s recipe since I made a “practice” turkey on Sunday. Why a “practice” turkey? Because for one, I have never brined a turkey before and two, this is my first time hosting Thanksgiving! 🙂 I want to impress our guests. 😉

I really liked her recipe, though, so we are using it for turkey number two. Yay brining!

After I get turkey situated in his bath and bucket and placed in a very cold location, Ruben is going to take the three boys out for a few hours while I stay home with my favorite girl and do some pre-Thanksgiving cooking for the big day tomorrow. Here’s what we’ve got planned:

Pumpkin Cream Pie (Using Pioneer Woman’s recipe. I love that woman. She has a great sense of humor, recipes, and writing skills.)

Chocolate Mousse (Breanna’s request. We’re using a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. My favorite.)

Cornbread for stuffing (Pioneer Woman)

Cornbread in cast iron skillet (Using a recipe from allrecipes.com. I’ve made this numerous times, and it’s the best!)

Honey butter (Allrecipes.com. Nothing to it. Honey and butter. Love it.)

Mashed Potatoes (Similar to Pioneer Woman’s recipe.)

Potato Salad (Using my mom’s recipe. It’s the best.)

Stuffing? Maybe. (Pioneer Woman)

If we can get all of this accomplished, I’ll be sooo happy! Then on Thanksgiving, I can focus on everything thing else still to be made:

Turkey

Ham

Pot Roast w/carrots (for our non-turkey/ham lovers)

Sweet Potato Dish (Pioneer Woman)

Deviled eggs (What is Thanksgiving without these babies? Using a recipe from the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.)

Pumpkin Shakes (Using a recipe I found in a magazine. Cross your fingers! These may become “vanilla” shakes knowing my kids.)

Stuffing (if I don’t get this made on Wednesday)

Corn

Dinner Rolls

Fruit Salad

Pistachio Salad

And anything else I decide to add.

Ruben’s mom is bring pies from Baker’s Square so that’s why I’m not making a bunch of those. I can’t wait to try the pumpkin cream pie I’m making, though. It’s going to be deliciously different from traditional pumpkin pie. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Tackle It Tuesday: This and That

November 23, 2010 by Sandra 4 Comments

My plan for this week was to have a cleaning day on Tuesday to get our home ready for our Thanksgiving guests, but two things happened last week that kind of sped up our cleaning day and left our home in relatively good shape. First, we all got sick last week, which resulted in vomit everywhere and us subsequently doing 20 loads of laundry and using a rug cleaner to shampoo the carpet. And second, my dad came to stay with us for a few days. I found out late Friday evening that he was on his way and that quickly kicked me into high gear. Guests seem to do that, don’t they?

So, at the moment, our home is looking good except for some areas that constantly need attention in order to stay in shape. I decided to tackle those areas. Take a look:

First is the DESK. A clutter magnet because so many people use it. It usually gets cleaned at least once a day, but unfortunately can go from clean to messy in about 2 seconds. Our mail is sprawled over it in the picture. Here’s the before:

And the After:

I can breathe again.

Next is our shoe area. Before:

After:

This will not last one day 🙁

I also decluttered a small area in our home that tends to be a place to put things you don’t feel like finding a “home” for. Before:

After:

This makes me happy.

In addition to these three areas, I also folded a load of laundry, but I’ll spare you pictures of that since I know we all know what an empty basket looks like. 🙂

Did you tackle anything this week? I’d love to hear about it!

To see what everyone else is tackling this week, please visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

Make It Happen Monday!

November 22, 2010 by Sandra 1 Comment

Another fun week has gone by, and I’m ready for this upcoming week! Last week was a week I’d rather not repeat because starting last Monday we all got sick one by one. It was with whatever this stomach bug is that’s been going around. Nasty, nasty thing. We had vomit everywhere! So gross. Thankfully, we were able to borrow my mom’s rug cleaner so the carpet is looking clean again and everyone with the exception of David, our youngest, seems to be completely over it.

Ruben and I both missed a few classes last week as a result, but since the semester is winding down and we pretty much know what all of our assignments/projects are that are left to be completed, we’ll be just fine.

This week I’m looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving at our place for the very first time! My list of things to do this week is a reflection of that:

Monday: Go over everything I’m going to make for Thanksgiving (again) and see what ingredients I’m still missing. Go to the grocery store and purchase whatever is still needed. Make pumpkin puree! I’ve seriously been procrastinating in doing this.

Tuesday: Order fresh Turkeys from Meijer. Buy new license plate sticker for the car. Clean home for Thanksgiving.

Wednesday: Ruben takes the boys to Legoland while Breanna and I stay home and cook for Thanksgiving the things that can be made beforehand.

Thursday: Thanksgiving! Give Thanks. Cook. Enjoy time with family.

Friday:Possibly put up Christmas tree…don’t tell the kids!

Be sure to visit Domestically Obsessed to link up your list of to-do’s this week!

Sandra

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