packing lunches

I am thinking about kindergarten... My oldest registers for school next week. AAH! I am still not ready for her to go... but I have the summer to prepare. I am thinking lunches.... So here is a brainstorm of lunch bits and bobs to have for her. (FYI- She is lactose-intolerant)
Main:
Samwiches (no, that is not a typo-- my mom says it the same way)
Leftovers from dinner
--chili w/ cornbread
-- taco Salad
--homemade cod fish sticks
--roasted veg
--tomato soup
--pasta marinara
Home canned soups (once I learn how to home can soups :))
Tuna Salad (tuna & Mayo mixed in w/ lettuce --my grandma always had
a bowl of this in her fridge)
Beans and Rice with a tortilla
Pancakes or French Toast Sticks with syrup or jam or fruit sauce

Sides
Fresh Fruit
Home canned fruit -- pears or peaches
Carrot Sticks with homemade fry sauce
Cucumbers in rice wine vinegar
Coleslaw
Salad
Fruit Salad
homemade fruit rollups

Dessert
Fortune Cookies (Get big bag and replace fortunes)
Almond milk pudding/tapioca/rice
muffins
rice krispy treat

that's it for now

Whip Cream Dreams

So.... I have successfully made a washcloth and am starting another-- i never thought I would want to sit still long enough to knit-- in my days of boundless energy. And now, as a mom, I am thoroughly grateful for any opportunity to sit long enough to knit.... which is rare because there is something around the house that always needs to be done. I limit the need to clean to the upstairs, since we only ever go downstairs to do laundry (it is the band room/ storage... with a laundry room tucked in between microphones)... but even that is rarely clean. Howeever, I'm making progress, and thusly so is my knitting.
Another dream of mine, besides sitting and knitting... is sewing. I love designing clothes and wish my dear husband had enough time to sew all my dreams come true (he is an amazing tailior). I am not as sewing inclined, but I'd like to be. The following link is to the site "Grosgrain" and her refashion frocks completely inspire me. She takes thrift store finds that have great fabric but not so great styles and she transforms them into amazing outfits.... And on top of that GIVES THEM AWAY!!! What a wonderful, inspiring lady.
http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/

Big gaps

The holidays were fantastic. The annual niece/nephew sleepover with 17 kids at my house was a blast as always. I love the vibrancy of kids. I love that my girls love rainbows and ponies and hot pink and tiny treasures of paper and crayon bits stuffed into tiny purses. I love their simplicity-- if I'm upset Piper will say "Calm down mom and breathe" To her it's simple -- she gets upset and then when she's done she leaves the upset behind. Somewhere between where she's at and where I'm at leaving the upset behind got harder. But I'm getting better at it. Slowly.
There is only one more week in January. The snow has been melty, slushy this week and I have never loved slush more. I'll take spring anytime I can get it.
I'm starting to knit, again. My amazing knitter of a mother who comes from an amzing knitter of a mother has taught me patiently to knit I'd say about twenty times. And this year it is finally starting to click... not my abilities mind you, but my desires. I nearly have a whole washcloth done. I figure by the time my girls are in high school I'll be able to knit them lovely sweater dresses. But for now, I'm sticking with washcloths.,,, At least until I can make it so they have straight edges without any big gaps in the middle.

phooey-- it's funny that as adults we actually say this word

Phooey on any statement like "there's no good in the world"

My garbage man, of his own volition, pulled nearly into my driveway and opened up the claws and let me park my garbage can between them. He didn't have to do this. It was my fault that I, yet again, forgot that today was garbage day. It was my fault that I was running my garbage bags out in hopes that I could park the can next to a neighbors who the garbage man hadn't gotten to yet. But, as I ran out to the can, I saw that i was too late and there was no hope for me, my mistake, my lack of planning, had made it so i would have stinky garbage flowing out of my can by next week. But the garbage man decided to be merciful.. decided to be nice.. with no reward but a smile and enthusiastic thank you from me.

There is good in this world.... Thank You Mr. Trash Man

So, we started advent calendars today -- ones with fuzzy bears climbing up Christmas trees hanging ornaments, where each number hides a secret compartment that holds delightful chocolate. Delightful the chocolate definitely was, maybe a little TOO delightful. I explained to "P" that we open one flap each day til Christmas, knowing that her tendency would be as mine was, to want to open them all today. After she had tried her first morsel of goodness, she said she "just wanted to look at the bears" and then ran off to her bedroom with Tia in tow and slammed the door shut. Profuse giggling ensued. I let it go for a little while before i went to check on them (I'm getting better at the "free agency" thing) and lo and behold more then one little flap on her calendar was open. I asked her if she had eaten some of her chocolate and she responded, "there's a few left." LOL LOL... what to do-- i tried to scold, but then I realized "hey, it's her chocolate, if she wants to devour it all in one lump, that's her choice." So, Merry Christmas Peet..I hope you enjoyed your lump A LOT, enough to be happy each day as "T" opens up each of her doors and gets a chocolate. Of course, T has already had a lump... of "P's chocolate... Piper is such a sweet sister... who is also filled with LOTS of sweets

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.'
-- President Thomas S. Monson

"I love you"

"I yuv you too"

I love the love of a two year old.

"Mom"....."yes"..."MO-o-o-m"...."Yes"..."Mom"... (with increasing frustration) "I'm listening"....

'I love you mom"... frustration melts instantly.

I love the love of a five year old.