Tis the Season - December 1

WHAT'S HAPPENING: I am happy to say my son and his family will be flying in from Dallas the day after Christmas, and we will have family Christmas with ALL the grandchildren on the 27th! I am so excited, and, of course, I want to make this an extra special Christmas, because we aren't always together.

I'm a little reluctant to admit that I'm done with my Christmas shopping, with the exception of my husband's stocking - which I like shopping for just a week or so before Christmas simply to take in the Christmas shopping ambience. I do a lot of my shopping online, but also hit some local artisan stores for gifts.

So while the shopping is done, that still leaves so much to do!! For some strange reason, I have decided now is a good time to completely re-arrange our downstairs. I don't just mean move Chair A to the left of the sofa, I mean we are switching entire rooms around! What is now our dining room -  previously the formal living room - and the adjoining room that we now call "The Den" -  will all become one big living room. What was our family room - adjacent to the kitchen - will become the new dining room, complete with cozy fireplace and built in cupboards and shelves for dish storage. Switching these rooms will give us so much more room when all the family is here, plus it just makes sense to have the dining room closer to the kitchen.  I'll take some before and after photos to post once we're done.

And yes, I want to paint all the rooms while we're at it. I'm not sure that's going to happen, but it needs to be done desperately!

And then there's the wrapping and baking and cooking and decorating inside and out to be done.

So... it's time for a plan! (betcha didn't see that one coming)

WHAT'S THE PLAN: Here it is - My Plan for the month of December.

Mondays - Big Cleaning Day (as always)
Tuesdays - Sewing days (I have some small gifts and decorations to sew)
Wednesdays - Baking and cooking for the week and for the freezer
Thursdays - Shopping - grocery and gifts, as needed. Also Errand Day (post office, bank, etc.)
Fridays - Minor cleaning, wrapping gifts
Saturdays - Put up tree, decorating inside and out (a little at a time is fine!)
Sundays - OFF - That's right. A day off. No cooking, cleaning, baking, wrapping or stressing. Everyone needs a day off each week.

The exception to the above is THIS weekend, when we will be moving all the furniture around. Hopefully, we can do it in one day, but we do have a lot to move.

And of course, it being the busiest season of the year, my husband will be going back to work for the next two weeks. (He's retired, but works for the same company in the same job when they need him.)

The Wednesday baking will include Christmas cookies and bars that I can freeze, extra bread for the freezer, and some freezer meals for easy dinners on the busiest of days. I will also be making a few quiches and lasagnas for the freezer, to feed us during the actual holiday when we have family here.

If I stick to the plan, everything will get done and there will be no reason to get stressed. I probably will stress out anyway, but there's no reason for it!

THINGS I LOVE:

This little frame sits in my kitchen near my phone. It reminds me of every one of my grandchildren.

Thanksgiving Preparation

Our Thanksgiving table will be small this year, but full of love, nonetheless. It will be my husband, my daughter, my two grandsons, and myself. It doesn't matter to me if we have 30 people at the table or three - Thanksgiving needs to feel like a holiday!

Which means, of course, we eat in the dining room with the good china. LOL

I made up my To Do List today to get everything done for Thursday's big day. Here's how I've planned it:

Saturday (today)
Clean out refrigerator

Sunday
Wash tablecloth and napkins
Iron if needed Make grocery list

Monday
Grocery shopping
Run good china and silverware through dishwasher

Tuesday
Clean house, including
Vac dust downstairs
Clean downstairs bathroom
Put tablecloth on, napkins out Get out serving bowls, platter, serving utensils

Wednesday
Baking day
2 pies - apple and pumpkin
Dinner Rolls
2 loaves bread
Jeff goes to store to pick up fresh turkey
Thursday Thanksgiving Day! Menu: Roast turkey Stuffing Mashed potatoes Gravy Carrots (home canned) Boiled onions in cream sauce Cranberry sauce (home canned) Green Bean Casserole (daughter) Macaroni & Cheese (for B) Rolls Apple and Pumpkin Pie
(home canned apple pie filling)

 

 

Things that Keep on Giving

I admit to not paying a lot of attention to my vegetable garden lately -- a few weeks, in fact. My husband went out twice and picked green beans, but when I look out the kitchen window and see the garden getting dry and brown, I kind of assumed it was on it's last legs, and needed to be prepared for winter.

Not so.

Today I went out to start winterizing -- pull up all the plants, remove and clean up stakes, etc. - and to my delight, discovered that my garden is still going strong!

Here's today's harvest:

I found three red tomatoes (and at least six more on their way), a green pepper, four white eggplant, and lots and lots of green beans! Some of the green beans are too large to just steam and eat (shame on me for not picking them these past few weeks), but they will do fine in soups throughout the winter.

The dried beans in the front will be a project this week for Mr. B and I. We will open up the bean pods and pull out the dried seeds/beans inside, and put them away to plant for next year's garden. It's a huge cost savings if you don't have to buy seeds every Spring. You can't do this with all vegetables because many are crossbred and you won't know what will be produced, but beans are beans in my book, so I will plant these next year.

Bean, green pepper and eggplant plants are still flowering -- a huge surprise since we've had two heavy frosts already. I guess the fence and shed that back up to the garden are protecting the plants from the frost. Isn't it nice when you're the recipient of a happy accident?!

It started to rain as I was picking beans, but tomorrow is forecast to be a nice day, so I think I'm going to plant some spinach and lettuce seeds and see if I can extend our growing season a bit longer. Here in southwestern Ohio you just never know -- we could still get six to eight weeks of 50 to 70 degree weather, with just an occasional frost. That's perfect weather for lettuce and spinach.

Recipes also keep on giving, if you think about it. 

I did some baking yesterday, and need to share this recipe with the world - Donut Muffins! Oh my oh my. It's a muffin - and tastes just like a fresh donut rolled in cinnamon sugar. You can find the recipe here. I made a dozen in standard size muffin tins, but then made another dozen in the tiny muffin tins - donut holes!

I also made Cranberry Bread. When I was a little girl, my very favorite food was the Cranberry Nut Bread my grandmother baked. I visited her several times a year, and she'd almost always bake a loaf of Cranberry Nut Bread for me. (Braised short ribs was my favorite meal she cooked. I'd love to find her recipe for that. She made them in the pressure cooker, and before she'd open the pressure cooker, she'd clear the entire family out of the kitchen, "just in case".) Since we were having a family gathering for breakfast today (my son is visiting from Texas), I thought Gramma's Cranberry Bread would be appropriate. It went over very very well.

I also made Breakfast Burritos yesterday for breakfast today. I made a small batch of home fries (using this recipe from the Southern Plate web site, which has some of my all time favorite recipes, especially the Chicken and Dumplings!), then cooked up two big links of mild Italian Sausage (took off the casings and broken the sausage up into small pieces as it cooked), with diced onions and peppers. Made up a batch of scrambled eggs (6 eggs for 10 burritos), and mixed it all together, and put a big serving spoon full of the mixture on a burrito, sprinkled with grated Cheddar Cheese and a little Taco Sauce (I didn't have any Salsa on hand), rolled them up, put them in a 9 x 12 baking pan, covered it with aluminum foil, and stuck them in the freezer. Last night before I went to bed I moved them up into the refrigerator, and then popped them in a 350 degree oven this morning for 30 minutes. It might seem silly to freeze them for just a few hours (about 8 hours), but that prevented the scrambled eggs from getting watery, which they would have done if they'd just sat in the refrigerator. These burritos were a huge success!

Today is a lazy day. Windy, rainy, cool and just right for curling up and watching a movie. I've once again gotten my Cathedral quilt blocks out to work on while watching TV. Another winter preparation, I suppose.

Life is good - and even better with your family around you.
 

Mr. B is sick

I received a phone call very early this morning. Mr. B was up on and off during the night with an earache. Could I take care of him for the day? Of course.

He arrived - with his stuff.

And since he's sick, he gets to play unlimited video games. And keep warm under the monkey blanket.

And have his favorite breakfast - blueberry oatmeal and orange juice.

Of course, my day has now changed. I planned on going grocery shopping. Instead, I'll be going to the pediatrician's office.

And then, I'll be giving medicine - and hugs - and smOOches - and enforcing the rule that if you don't go to school, you must take a nap.

After all, that's what Umma is for.

Happy Holidays

Well my goodness, I certainly did get sidetracked with all the holiday rigamarole. My To Do List was long and my gift list short (an effort to go for "quality" not "quantity" ), and my desire to have my house decorated "just right" was forefront. Mission accomplished. We had a wonderful and truly memorable Christmas.

Both of my children and their families were here, which was a first. I have to tell you, since my children were small I had visions of someday having them, their significant others, and grandchildren around the Christmas Eve dinner table. I can check that off my Bucket List now (though I'd certainly like a repeat performance as often as possible!).

What a lovely, lovely thing to hold both my grandchildren at the same time. Mr. B. was quite charmed by his new little cousin, and Miss Aimee couldn't take her eyes off of him. Sweetness to the Nth degree.

When Jeff and I finally got to bed on Christmas Eve, we discussed the day, and both agreed it was absolutely perfect and so meaningful. We've done our job. Our kids are grown and independent; both have good careers with very promising futures; are thoughtful, caring human beings; and have given us grandchildren that we hold so very dear. Life is good.

Now it's time for life to return to "normal" and start thinking about UN-decorating the house, probably later this week. It's going to look so plain without all it's "bling"!!

A few photos from the holiday.

My son, Jeff; his daughter, Aimee; my daughter, Mary; and her son, Mr. B.

Love my daughter-in-law, Lisa!

My husband and Miss Aimee

A dream come true - me with my two grandbabies in one place!

Our dining room was the Christmas focal point this year.

A stocking-gift bag for each family member.

My button-decorated little tree on top of my treadle machine.

 
Life is good -- and some days, it's even better than good!

Friday's child is loving and giving...

I'm not sure why my titles to posts have slipped into the "...day's child is..." but that's what is so great about blogging. I did it because it feels right :)

Friday's To Do List is different from all others, simply because it is my one day with Mr. B.  He arrives around 7:30 am, I take him to school (afternoon Kindergarten) at 1pm, pick him up at 4pm, and he's here with me until 5-5:30pm. And we all know I think Mr. B. is far more important than doing housework.

That said, I also think it's good for him to be required to stick to and see MY daily routine. Five year olds thrive on routine - knowing what is going to come next is important to them and provides a sense of security. So Mr. B. is well aware that before we play, we work. He sees (and frequently helps) me make my bed, put dishes away, wipe down the counters, sweep the kitchen floor, etc. I often throw in a load or two of laundry while he's here, and he has learned how to fold clothes with me. His weekly job, by the way, is to bring the (rolling) trash cans in from the curb and put them away in the garage. Nine times out of ten he does so willingly. The other times he tries to convince me he's too little to have a "job", but then we have a discussion on what it means to be part of a family, and how it's important we help each other. It's a grandmother's job to use every opportunity to teach life skills!

So today, other than my daily chores, my To Do List is small and is totally dependent on how much time Mr. B. occupies himself (playing Legos, drawing, watching TV). I will do as much laundry as I can shuffle in and out of the washer and dryer, and, if time allows, I will clean out my purse and get any trash out of my car. That's pretty much it (except for keeping up with the natural messes a 5 yr old makes!).

I don't always get to blog on Friday, but here is what Mr. B. is doing as I type:

Now I'm off to switch loads of laundry, try to convince Mr. B. he needs to put on a sweatshirt (I'm freezing), and then we'll do something exciting - Playdoh or paint, I think. It's a rainy day outside, so it's all indoor activities for us today.

Life is good!

Let me introduce you to ...

Miss Aimee Pamela Johnson

Born 08/22/2011

Grandbaby #2 - And my first granddaughter

Born three weeks early, mother and baby are doing just fine. And doesn't she look like her Mom!! Still no word on height or weight, but she's healthy, and that's what counts.

Welcome, sweet Aimee. I look forward to being your "Umma".

Huge hugs to my son, Jeff, and my wonderful daughter-in-law, Lisa.

And just like that, Mr. B. has a cousin.

Life is good!!

Look at all that hair!

Menus and To Do List for Week of 08/07/11

I have a full week of babysitting this week, so I need to do some pre-planning of meals and activities. I did no grocery shopping last week, but did spend $150 this week to make up for not shopping and to have extra foods that fussy-eater Mr. B. will eat for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Kroger had their Rotisserie chickens on sale this week for $3.99 - which is less than I can buy a good roaster for. I will get 3 meals, plus a carcass in the freezer for soup when cooler weather arrives.

SUNDAY

Rotisserie Chicken

Waffle Fries

Mixed green salad w/cranberries and toasted walnuts

MONDAY

Chicken salad on

Bed of lettuce

Hummus with unsalted pretzels

Mixed fruit salad

TUESDAY

Red Beans and Rice

Smoked sausage

Corn bread

WEDNESDAY

Homemade Pizza with

Chicken, brocolli, black olives, sliced tomatoes

Alfredo Sauce

THURSDAY

Beef Fajitas (Steak'ums, onions, peppers)

Corn on the Cob

Leftover Beans and Rice

FRIDAY

Veggie Burgers

Homemade S/F ColeSlaw

Unsalted Tortilla Chips

SATURDAY

Baby back ribs (great sale - $2.99 lbs)

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Steamed green beans

Leftover corn bread

ACTIVITIES
This is just a list of activity ideas to do with Mr. B. this week. It doesn't mean we'll do them all, just that I have a list to refer to as we need it. You really need to keep a 5 yr old busy!

• Swimming (pool at his condo)
• Picnic and hike in the woods at the local park, plus playground
• A giant local playground/park in nearby town
• Take him and a friend to Bananas (blow up climbing stuff)
• Movies - The Smurfs
• Library
• School Shopping - I'll take him shopping for his supplies
• Sun Print making - we've done this before. Fun!
• Slip n' Slide car wash (for his Tonka trucks and bike)
• Yard sales on Thursday (he's a pro)
• Make Orange juice (he's been asking how it's made)
• Make bread - time for some new strawberry oatmeal bread!
• Math and spelling tests - he loves loves loves these. Might as well get his brain ready for school in two weeks!
• I think maybe Umpa (Jeff) can take him to the Air Force Museum one day, or we'll all go together to the Zoo.

I guess that should keep us busy. If we have a rainy day I'll probably have him help me sew something for his soon-to-be-baby-cousin. He would do well making a burp cloth or an easy baby play mat. He works well with me on the sewing machine as long as it's nice long straight stitching. And it would be nice to have him make a present for his new cousin. Yes, I think we'll add that in as a "must do" activity this week. We don't have much longer before Mr. B. starts school, and before the new grandbaby arrives!

Looks like it will be a full week. I'm really happy to have this time with Mr. B. He starts school on August 25 and we all know that means he will be growing up quickly after that. I admit, it tugs at my heart a little to realize that my one-on-one time with him is almost over. Soon there will be school and friends and activities and sports... Honestly, I don't want to think about it. I'm so happy I've had the time with him that I have, and hope he's learned some things that will hold him in good stead for his entire life. That's the job of grandmothers, right?!

 

My main man

You can find links to great recipes and menu plans every Monday at Orgjunkie.com

Do you know about the "Dirty Dozen"?

An article in the August edition of Woman's Day magazine caught my eye this morning. It provided a list of the "Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen" - the top 12 fruits and vegetables that contain the most pesticides. The article suggests that if you can't afford to buy all organic meat, fruits and vegetables, you should at least buy the organic version of these 12 found to be highest in pesticides.

If you'd like the complete list of fruits and vegetables tested, you can find it here.

Buy these organic!

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

These non-organic produce are LOWEST IN PESTICIDES

1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avacado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantelope (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

Please note that the last group of 15 does not mean these items are pesticide free -- only that they are the lowest in pesticides of those tested.

I plan on printing out the list and tucking it in with my grocery shopping list. I've mentioned before that Mr. B is an extremely fussy eater, so the few fruits and vegetables I can get into him I want to make sure are the healthiest!

A quick sewing project - I Spy Bag with Eraseable List

Over the weekend, I made this quick I Spy Bag for Mr. B. This is a great quick project (made with uncooked rice in place of the hard-to-find white pellets) and it comes with  pocket on the back to hold a laminated photo of the items hidden in the bag, along with a Dry Erase marker - so he can "X" them off as he finds them. I found a great tutorial on the GlueSticks blog. With the exception of the time it took me to find the paper for my laminator (argh... in the box, exactly where it should have been and the last place I looked!), the project really took under 30 minutes.

There was a debate at my house whether Mr. B. would find such a simple toy interesting. After all, he plays video games and owns a Nintendo DS, plus knows his way around the computer. But, I am happy to say I gave the bag to Mr. B. this morning and he had a great time finding all the objects!

 

Front view

Back view - shows pocket with photo, and pocket for marker

I've been pleased lately to find out Mr. B. has a love of drawing - particularly drawing out stories! Today I showed him what a Flip Book looked like and we watched a few YouTube videos so he could see them. He was fascinated! This is a good simple starter book so he could see how they work.




Ssshhhh... the artist is at work. Mr. B. loves loves loves to draw. Today he is drawing an entire story (about AT-AT's, sharks, men with wings, and explosions). He is the most focused I've seen him. That's a good thing. And a quiet thing.

4th of July at Strickers Grove

We thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon on the 4th of July at Stricker's Grove. This is a small local amusement park that is open only 4 or 5 days of the year -- and we always find out too late! But this year we made it and it was F.U.N.

Mr. B. had his first Roller Coaster ride. The park has two - a Teddy Bear coaster and the big Tornado. After five or six "test rides" on the Teddy Bear, Mr. B. was ready for his debut ride on a "big people" roller coaster. (The biggest surprise was that he met the park's height requirement! When did he get so tall??)

We had a wonderful day and I was so happy my daughter came with us. On the drive home, we decided this should be an annual event.

Not a favorite ride - apparently he doesn't like to spin!

Too slowwwww (and why doesn't that steering wheel really work?)

A favorite - he could be in control of the up and down motion.

Yeah! Train ride! Good!

The "training" coaster - with Umpa, of course.

1st Roller Coaster ride - 2nd car, back car.

Hope you all had an equally fun, family-oriented 4th of July!

Blogging? What's that?!

Easter Table Decorations: The vintage floral candles and pottery rabbit are yard sale finds - and the flowers from our yard.

Twenty days without blogging! That's a lot for me. But how do you blog when you 1) don't feel like it and 2) really don't have anything to write about!

Our normally tiny creek

Spring has sprung here in Ohio - or it will drown us trying. We've had a record (as in - history breaking record) amount of rainfall -- 11 inches this month so far, with another 6 inches anticipated. The tiny creek behind our house sounds like Niagara Falls at times, but a constant flowing water sound at all times. It's a beautiful sound. Our basement has seen some dribs and drabs of water, but we haven't yet had to bail it out, so that's a good thing.

Now that our den is finished, I'm ready to move on to our Family Room for a major overhaul. Jeff and I are still in the discussion stage on this one. I'd like to do old game boards on the long wall, add some crown molding and high baseboards, and cover at least some of the brick of the fireplace (it is just too large for the 14 x 18 room). I also want the recliner o.u.t. Gone. No more. Whoever invented big huge ugly recliners with rolled arms? Ugly ugly ugly and it needs to go. I'm scanning the local auctions for a coffee table that will double for storage, but no luck so far. We have good friends coming for a visit in November, so the family room WILL be done by then (and possibly the kitchen as well!).

We had a lovely Easter dinner yesterday, with my daughter and grandson present. I'd have loved to have my son and daughter-in-law (who, by the way, is pregnant with my second grandbaby - due in September), but that wasn't to be. I baked a ham which I just happened to find at Aldi's (where I actually never shop, but a $5 coupon lured me in, and I'm glad it did!). I made the macaroni and cheese I've mentioned in a previous post, and seriously, it is still the best macaroni I've ever eaten. This time I cut back on the Pepper Jack cheese and used some Fontina, along with the cheddar. Yum, yum and more yum. I wish every one of my blog readers would try this recipe. You will never use another mac & cheese recipe! Anyhoo - along with the ham and mac and cheese we had green beans, corn, rolls and butter, and sweet little pink cupcakes for dessert. For the ham I made a raisin sauce. It was just the right amount of sweet, and so easy to make! Here's the recipe:

RAISIN SAUCE (for ham / pork)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp corn starch
a pinch of cloves

Put pineapple with juice and brown sugar in saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Add a pinch of ground cloves. Add raisins and cook for a minute or two until raisins are "plump". Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, then add to hot raisin mixture. Stir constantly until thickened.

How easy is that?!

Right before dinner, Mr. B., the fussiest eater in the entire world, asked me if we were going to have "that red circle stuff"? Hmmm... turns out my daughter was able to translate that one -- cranberry sauce! I was lucky to have a can in the pantry, so cranberry sauce was added to the menu. He actually ate the mac & cheese, corn and cranberry sauce, and tried one bite of a roll. No yogurt or oatmeal in site (his food of preference).

The only other thing that's new for me is sewing... sewing.. and more sewing. I was approached by a local shop about making some crafty items to sell. I'm in! I'm making some wallets, cute pot holder/dish towel sets, and baby blankets so far. I have four or five baby quilts that are made but need bindings, so I may finish those up as well. I'm also thinking placemat sets and a few summer handbags. Not sure what else. I'd like to have 24 to 30 pieces done and ready to sell by the end of this week! So I doubt I'll be doing much blogging this week!

I feel badly that I haven't been out to read other people's blogs in awhile. Forgive me. Hopefully I'll get back to my reading very soon. I was reading blogs on my cell phone, but had to remove Google Reader because it was eating up the little memory my cell phone has. So it's reading on the computer or not at all these days.

The last big decision that's going on around here is about the vegetable garden. I go through this every year. Do I want a garden this year? If I spend all the money to put it in (Ohio has horrible clay soil - I always have to add in peat moss, top soil and compost or my plants will be sitting in soil as hard as cement once the heat of the summer rolls around), will I keep it up? Is my back going to let me keep up with it all? Decisions, decisions....

I never knew this is what I wanted to be when I grew up...

I was not one of those kids that had an idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up. Even in high school, I had no inkling of what I might want for a "career". I fell into careers jobs - Ph.D. research assistant, newspaper editor, business manager - and although I enjoyed the jobs, I never felt that any were my "calling".

It's only been in the past few years that I've realized I finally know what I want to be when I grow up...

A grandmother.

Being a grandmother is like nothing I've experienced before. It brings me joy, it sparks my creativity, it makes me examine, appreciate and improve my self and life in general, and I find it both fascinating and stimulating. It is the ulltimate in unconditional love.  And even better, I'm darn good at being a grandmother! Mr. B's laughs and giggles and excitement about learning are my paycheck every week. I can take him ANYwhere - out to a nice restaurant, to the movies, and, as of yesterday, furniture shopping - and he is always very well behaved. He says please and thank you now without being prompted. He knows how to help make bread, bake cakes, create smoothies, make a bed, and chop onions and celery. He loves books and the library. He's doing basic addition and subtraction, and can now write sentences. I don't take credit for all of it, but I know my being a hands-on grandmother has helped him in many ways.

My son and his wife recently announced that they are expecting their first baby in mid-September. They live in Colorado, so this will be a long-distance grandbaby. I have had Mr. B with me pretty steadily from the time he was 3 weeks old (he turns a big FIVE on March 1st), so long-distance grandmothering is going to be a completely different experience. I'm already thinking the baby's first words  might be "Skype Umma!"

If anyone has ideas on long-distance grandmothering, please share with me! Telephone calls and Skype just won't work until the baby is two years or so, so I am trying to think of ways to connect while the baby is an infant. Jeff and I have decided we will make two trips a year to visit but that still leaves a lot of kisses and hugs I'm going to miss out on!

My daughter-in-law sent me a photo of her first ultra-sound. There's just a tiny little peapod visible, but I am in love love love already. I can almost feel this baby in my arms for the first time, all ready for me to smooch and hug and love up on. It literally feels like just yesterday that I held Mr. B. for the first time, and we've been so close since that moment. I can't wait to experience that same wonderful Umma-love with the new baby.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd baby. My son was just a year old. I wondered how on earth I would ever be able to love a new baby as much as I loved him. But of course, the instant my daughter came along, it all worked out. But with grandbabies, it's different. I don't wonder for even one second if I can love a new grandbaby as much as I love Mr. B. I will. I do already!

Please hold my son, my daughter-in-law, and my new grandbaby to be in your hearts and prayers, and let this be a happy, healthy pregnancy for them all.

Snow day

Snowy southwestern Ohio means f.u.n. for Mr. B. and his "Umpa". Hot Chocolate at the ready!

It's going to be a long week...

I have a feeling I'm not going to do much blogging this week - fair warning. I volunteered to babysit Mr. B an extra day this week, so he'll be here with me on Monday and Tuesday. His mom is taking Wednesday and Friday off, but he will be here on Thursday for Thanksgiving, of course!

Today (Monday) the weatherman says it's going to be 70 degrees! Oh my! Mr. B and I will be outside as much as possible. This is probably the last warm day of the year. I still have not hung the Christmas lights outside, so today may be the day! I hope we also have time to do a Thanksgiving craft - name tags for our Thanksgiving table.

On Tuesday, we are taking Mr. B's friend, Mr. M, to an incredible place called "Go Play Cafe". It's one of those indoor climbing playground, but it's four stories tall! That is some serious fun time for a four year old, believe me. Unfortunately, there's not always kids there for Mr. B to make friends with, so it will be nice to take his new best friend from school with us. I guarantee I will bring back two very tired little boys after two hours at this place.

On Wednesday, I have no Mr. B., but do have Thanksgiving prep and house prep. Some dusting and vac'ing are in order, probably picking up Lego's from under furniture and in strange places. Need to make a pie and some rolls, and probably Mr. B's macaroni and cheese (from scratch) for Thursday. Jeff will go pick up the fresh turkey I ordered.

Our Thanksgiving menu is very traditional - Roast turkey with sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, brocolli with cheese sauce, peas, corn, homemade rolls and butter, green bean casserole, and apple pie.

After dinner is our second tradition. Jeff and I take all the leftovers and make "TV Dinners". We put together complete dinners in aluminum pie plates and freeze them. We normally get 10 to 12 dinners this way (yes, I cook lots of extra T-Day dinner on purpose). When I need a fast meal, I just pop two of these out of the freezer and cook them in the oven at 375 for about 30 to 45 mins.

The day after Thanksgiving this year Jeff has to work (and will work most of the weekend), so Friday will be my first "day off". I'll make Turkey soup that day, which we'll have with homemade bread. I'll make enough to put four or five more meals' worth in the freezer.

Thinking about it now, it would be a good idea to take everything out of my freezer before Thursday, and inventory it and re-organize it. By Friday night, my freezer will be pretty full and I need to know what's in there for future meal planning.

I have several new favorite blogs, but one in particular is filled with such great organization and budget ideas that I want to share it with you. It's called "Anita's Hints, Tips, Tutorial, and Frugal Living Blog". She has an excellent system for organizing her freezer. This is a lady that has a LOT of wisdom to share. Do check her out.

I won't do menu planning this week, as dinners will be out of the freezer and easy while Mr. B is here, take out on Wednesday, Thanksgiving on Thursday, turkey soup on Friday, leftovers all weekend.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and don't forget - give Thanks!

Keeping a 4 year old busy

I have Mr. B with me two and a half days a week. I try to keep my life on an even keel, even when he's here, but you have to keep a 4 year old busy or it goes downhill fast. How do you keep a four year old busy? Here's what we did today, all before lunch.

He cut out all my Internet printed coupons for me. There were LOTS. His scissor skills have improved dramatically. We only lost one coupon.

We played three games of Candy Land on the computer. Dora the Explorer won all three and Mr. B was NOT happy. No "it doesn't matter if you win or lose..." for this guy. Dora is O.U.T. Buh-bye Dora.

We played "Umma and B's Game of Death". It involved a turned off laptop, the mouse, a set of car keys, an empty video case, my Mp3 player and the earphones, five fabric yoyo's, some rocks, a Bingo game, my camera, a small cardboard box, a Lego guy, a Transformer, and a Lego zip line. I lost. I may or may not be given an opportunity to try again.

He filled the dehumidifier for me (even though it was already full). Then we mopped the floor.

He told me a story (it may have been a book they read at school) about a boy named "Sloppy Joe". He was sloppy because he was dirty from playing outside. He was muddy because he played in the mud. He had a bath and then his name was Just Joe. Sounds simple, but it took him a good 20 minutes to explain all the details. I loved it.

We read two books. Neither was Sloppy Joe and I'm not so sure they measured up to Mr. B's standards.

And we watched this video - four times. We belly-laughed every time.



He asked if he could hold Joey the Killer cat under the faucet and see if he'd drink like that. Ummm... no.

Now he's at preschool for three hours. I'm cleaning my house, but not quite sure what to do with "Umma and B's Game of Death". I might be given a second chance to prove myself after I pick him up at preschool, but I've also promised him we could put on our raincoats and get out umbrellas and go outside in the rain, and he's also asked to go down in the basement "just to see, not touch" all of Umpa's trains.

So much to do, so little time.

Teaching a child to be grateful

I noticed lately that 4 year old Mr. B is a bit of a complainer. Not a whiner, mind you, but he develops a very pessimistic attitude at times. It's not a quality I want to see develop (or be ignored), so I thought it might help him if we started his very own "Things I Like" book (the child version of a Gratitude Journal). Every day he's here with me, I will ask him to tell me three things he likes (person, place or thing), and I'll write them down in his book for him.

We started this on Tuesday, and here is Mr. B's first entry:

1. Going to the car wash.
2. Building things with Lego's.
3. Building Lego towers.

Obviously 2 and 3 are similar, but it took him longer than I expected to come up with three things, so I didn't want to be picky about it. His having to think long and hard to come up with three things just validated the need for this activity.

I also have visions of him looking at this book years down the line. I think it will be a record of great memories for him. For example, Tuesday morning (before starting this book), we did go to the car wash, he struck up a conversation with a very nice older gentleman, and we had a nice time! When he's a bit older and sees that written in his book, he may just remember that very experience with me.

Today's kids often seem ungrateful for what they have, and they often have more than they need. But who is stopping to teach them the art of gratitude?  I'm hoping this book will simply get Mr. B. into the mental habit of realizing he has a lot to be grateful for.

Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity:

it must be produced and discharged and used up
in order to exist at all.

 ~William Faulkner

Who does not thank for little
will not thank for much.

~Estonian Proverb

A day at the zoo - and surprising quilt inspiration

My husband's work provided free tickets to the Cincinnati Zoo today (with unlimited rides, free parking, AND some really great food!), so off we went with Mr.  B. for the day. Apparently four years old is the PERFECT age to go to the zoo, as he was enthralled with all the animals (and educated US on meercats and pirhanna!), and behaved himself the entire five hours we were there. Jeff took more pics than I, but here's what I have.

Whose hand is bigger - my hand or the gorillas?

As we were walking, I saw some beautiful tile and decorative painting - what gorgeous quilts these would make!