9/11

September 11, 2001

10 years ago, I was a Freshman at OSU with an early morning English class. As I was getting out of the elevator in a classroom building, another student walked in muttering about planes crashing and the world ending. I figured the guy was still drunk from the night before. (What else would you expect in a college town?) It's about a 15 minute walk from the classroom building to the sorority house where I lived. I remember walking into the house and seeing my sisters crowded around the TV. There I saw what my drunk friend was muttering about: planes crashing and the world ending.

May we never forget...

Easter Tree

Having young children in your house requires decorating for ALL holidays. Nate's grandmother had an Easter tree for as long as he can remember, so I wanted to start the tradition too once we had kids. Jackson starts bugging me to pull out "the fun eggs" the minute he sees Peeps in the grocery store. Even if that means starting in February when the Valentine's Day candy is still out. But I can't blame him - aren't these eggs A-DOR-ABLE?!



I picked these up from World Market years ago, and they still put a smile on my face every year when I pull them out.

And yes, I know that my table runner doesn't match my Easter decor. It's been on my to-do list for weeks now.

They work hard for the $$$....

The military life is the only one that I know. My dad was in the Army and then I married into the Air Force. I can honestly say that I have never questioned my military lifestyle. I never had to worry about job security for my family because I always saw the military as a safe haven. As long as my dad or my husband did their job and stayed out of trouble, we would always have a paycheck. That is, until now. I think that it is just awful that our troops will have to pay for our government's mistakes.

I am very blessed that my husband and I are savers and that our family will be ok if we don't get a full pay check next week, but I know there are many others who aren't as fortunate. A lot of military members live paycheck to paycheck and rely on a single income. My husband has some VERY young people (still teenagers!!!) that he's in charge of, and I don't know what to tell their spouses when they have called me asking for advice. It's too late to tell them to "save at least 2 months pay" or "to get a job". I can suggest that, but it won't solve the problem when/if it occurs next week...

I pray that our government can come to some sort of agreement soon, so that our men and women in uniform can safely protect our country instead of having to worry about their families back home not being provided for.

Special Mommy Christmas Sandwich

I L-O-V-E Monte Cristo sandwiches. There is something about a grilled ham and cheese sandwich that makes my heart go pitter-patter. And then to add my favorite breakfast food to the mix!? I have just died and gone to heaven!!! With this in mind, I can't believe it took almost 6 years for me to introduce this sandwich to my son. (Perhaps because I didn't want to share my indulgences??)

For Christmas Dinner we had a FABULOUS ham (cooked by moi!) and 2 days later, this is what we had left:


Oh, what to do with all this gloriousness??? Since the kiddos were home for Winter Break, I told my son that I was going to make him a "special sandwich" for lunch. I told him it was my favorite which was called a Monte Cristo. His big brown eyes light up, and then he goes: "I want a special mommy christmas sandwich too!!" How cute is that?!?!

RECIPE (or lack of...)
bread (my kids like honey wheat)
mayo
mustard
ham
cheese (I used my son's favorite, Havarti)
milk
egg

1) Spread bread with mayo and mustard.
2) Place ham and cheese on bread.
3) Beat and egg and milk in a small bowl.
4) Coat the sandwich in the egg/milk mixture.
5) Cook in a greased skillet over medium heat.

Don't cook it on too high of a heat because the sandwich will become soggy (just like when you cook french toast).

Add a sprinkling of powdered sugar and serve along with raspberry jam (my kid prefers strawberry).

And there you have a "special mommy christmas sandwich" YUM-YUM!

Frosty Returns!

During the school year, my kids eat breakfast and lunch at school (or daycare in my daughter's case). Because of this, I try to make these meals extra special on "home days". Well, I had plenty of home days during the 2 weeks they were both home during Christmas Break (or winter holiday if you prefer....) I'll be posting a few of the fun things we had during the break. I know it's late, but remember my goal for 2011 was to blog more so I'm also posting the things I had planned to!
I saw this snowman on A Pocket Full of Buttons and immediately bookmarked it! Isn't he the cutest snowman ever?! The kids loved him so much he came back to visit 3 mornings in a row!

I used an M&M for a nose, mini chocolate chips for his eyes, smile, and buttons, a bacon scarf and a little bit of homemade strawberry jam for hair.

Homework Box

My oldest child started Kindergarten last August (oh, how they grow up so fast!) and has been bringing home homework since the 2nd week of September. Since when did they start giving Kindergarteners homework?! What happened to enjoying the afternoon playing after being at school ALL day (yes, ALL DAY kindergarten!) :::SIGH::: but I digress...

Since I have been a student myself for a while now, my son would constantly want to do "homework" with me even before he was old enough to understand what homework was. Now that he has his own, he has been proudly asking every day when he comes home "can we do our homework now?" :::PICKS HERSELF UP OFF THE FLOOR::: Now only if this could last forever...

I needed a way to organize the things he was constantly using after school: crayons, pencils, glue, etc. I hated how everything was in a different spot and in a different container. Then I saw the perfect solution on Just a Girl. I couldn't find any like the ones she used, but when I saw these at IKEA, I fell in love!

Here's my finished product!

My son was doing homework at the time I took the pictures, so what you don't see is the glue stick and scissors that go in the box as well. We keep markers, pencils (his teacher gives them away as prizes, in case you're wondering why we have so many different kinds!), erasers (more prizes), crayons, and of course a pencil sharpener because he must always have a sharp pencil (I HATE dull pencils...) I love how those little dividers are adjustable so as he gets bigger and his needs change, he can do it himself. And nothing says "MINE!" more than a little personalization.

So how do you all organize your kids' school supplies and make homework fun?

Linking to:

Happy New Year!

My resolution this year is to blog more, and stalk less. Yes, I said stalk less. I am addicted to reading others' blogs, but am horrible at posting on my own. It has been 6 months since my last post, which is just plain awful. I would plan on writing a post, but never get around to posting it. I would even take the time to take a decent picture... then my kids would distract me or I would just plain forget. I just don't know how all you blogging mamas do it!

So as I say good-bye to 2010, I say hello to 2011 and the blogging world!