"Explorer Spirit…Servant Heart…"
Dec 18th, 2007 by leigharev2
My kids only come around once in my lifetime, and they (hopefully) won’t be with me forever. I chose to have them, and I choose, freely, to make them and my family a priority in my life. This stage of life won’t last forever. While it does, I’ve climbed on for the ride.
Dec 17th, 2007 by leigharev2
Since our group decided not to meet in December, we have had a couple of chances to get together. One was a field trip to the Burke Museum, and the other was a service project at a local nursing home.
We hosted a craft and brought treats for the residents. We made glass bead magnets. The kids had a great time, as did some of the residents. A few of the residents were not fond of having the kids there, but it turned out well for the most part.
The kids loved the table with the dancing Santas!
Dec 17th, 2007 by leigharev2
Mon: Ant-ee Sara and James over for dinner. Take meal to Potoshnik family…
(bold items include recipes below)
Chips and salsa/Taco Bar/Cilantro Corn Salad
Tue: Family holiday retreat at the Westin Bellevue
Wed: Family holiday retreat at the Westin Bellevue
Thur: Family holiday retreat at the Westin Bellevue/’A’s birthday. Special dinner out
Fri: Skillet Yellow Rice and Chicken/ Tomato Soup
Sat: Christmas at Dad’s house/ Bring Broccoli Salad
Sun: Crockpot Vegetables with Pasta, fruit salad
Cilantro Corn Salad (we eyeball the amount for the ingredients)
Frozen corn
Onion
Tomato
Cilantro
Vegetable oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt
Skillet Yellow Rice and Chicken
1T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2c. chop bell pepper
1lb. blsl chicken thighs, cut one inch
1c. white rice
1t. ground tumeric
1t. ground cumin
2c. chicken broth
1T. capers, drained
10 pimento stuffed olives, halved crosswise
1/2t. salt
1/2t. pepper
1/4c. chop fresh parsley
Heat oil in non stick skillet over med high heat. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cool 2 minutes longer. Stir in rice, tumeric, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add broth, olives, capers, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until broth has disappeared, about 17 minutes. Remove form hear and stir in parsley.
Broccoli Salad
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sunflower seeds
10 slices bacon
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
In a salad bowl, toss together broccoli, raisins and red onions. In a separate bowl, whisk together the white sugar, vinegar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and crumbled bacon. Toss and serve.
Crockpot Vegetables with Pasta
2c. chop zucchini
1/2c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
half green pepper, sliced
half med. onion, sliced
1/2c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1T. olive oil
1T. Italian seasoning
8oz. can tomato sauce
All ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low 6 hours.
Serve over favorite pasta with grated parmesan.
Dec 17th, 2007 by leigharev2
My cousins held a holiday party. Our whole family from my Dad’s side enjoyed each other’s company and marveedl at the gorgeous new kitchen and bathrooms my cousins just completed.
Re-defining "Ebony and Ivory". This is me and DH (just back from Maui).
My Aunt Dee, my Grandpa Jerry, and my Dad
The youngest cousins
My cousin, Anne, and her son, ‘H’
My cousin, Terry, (Anne’s DH), and his mom, Dee, (my aunt)
My stepmom, Julee, and cousin, Robyn
Robyn and boyfriend, Dan
Me, with my Auntie DeeDee
My Uncle Bob and my Dad
Dec 14th, 2007 by leigharev2
We have been studying ‘matter’, defined as "anything that has weight and takes up room".
There are three kinds of matter: SOLID, LIQUID, and GAS
To demonstrate the different properties, we took ICE ( a solid that holds a shape), and placed it in a container:
We let the ice melt into WATER (a liquid that has no shape and flows and pours)…
Then, we heated up the water and turned it into STEAM (a gas that has no shape at all. It can be contained in a container or spread through the air.)…
Dec 14th, 2007 by leigharev2
We received a package from Grandma Margaret. Inside, we found a homemade beanbag nativity set that she made!
The boys are having a great time playing with it, and ‘A’ had me tie baby Jesus’s blanket around the shepherd’s neck to make him a super-hero.
She also made us this beautiful tablecloth…
She aslo sent these beeswax candles..
What a special treat!!
The boys jumping their Superman and Batman off the Nativity Set. Faith and fantasy at its finest!!!
Dec 14th, 2007 by leigharev2
While DH was gone, I hosted two dinners with my friends (both named Jennifer) and their kids. I did not get pictures of Jen C. and her boys, but we did have a nice time talking with each others while the boys played together.
When Jen G. came over, the kids decided to put on a concert for us. I have some awesome video of it, but do not know how to post it here. So, here are some stills instead.
(I gotta do something with the redeye)
Dec 14th, 2007 by leigharev2
Did my jaw just drop when I saw my blog nominated under "Best Homeschool Mom Blog". I had no idea I had been nominated! Thank you to whoever did this.
Dec 13th, 2007 by leigharev2
Dec 12th, 2007 by leigharev2
ETA: He loved it!!
DH was away for a week, so I decided to get crazy and re-do the bathroom! I hired a friend to help, but it still took MUCH longer than I anticipated. I wich I had thought to take a picture of ‘before’. Imagine a very light pink wall, and oak cabinets.
WE:
painted the walls a light green
sanded, primed, sanded, painted two coats the oak cabinets and all wood trim and the door. It took 12-24 hours between coats.
New light fixture. The old was was an ugly oak strip with round bulbs.
New faucet
New shower rod, rings, and curtain
New artwork and embellishments
Hardware for the cabinets
It looks so much better! DH does not know about it. I hope he will be happy.
I thought I just wanted to get rid of the cabinets alltogether, but I am pretty happy with them now. So, the only things left I want to do is to get new flooring, new tiles around the sink, and the tub re-porcelained.
