We had a great break! It was a nice mix of rest, play and getting some long overdue projects done. We also had a wonderful time making some new foods. I've been exploring The Pioneer Woman recipes and cooking up some of her recipes.
Cooking Up a Storm ~
I have made a variety of soups and muffins as staples for back to school. We also explored making homemade tater tots and cinnamon rolls. I better eat a lot of salad with all of this feasting.
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Homemade tater tots
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Homemade cinnamon rolls
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| Ham and pineapple for Christmas |
Christmas Fun ~
We had a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas. It was a really nice day. The kids jumped up and down about some of the board games and books. They were really happy to get the next two books in the
Life of Fred series. The most popular new board game is Gobblet. They have played about 50 rounds in the last few weeks. My husband was most excited about the steam cleaner that my parents gave us and I got a nice stack of books and clothes.
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| Little Red Riding Hood got lots and lots of Rainbow Loom rubber bands. |
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| Tim and Tom Sawyer love Basher books. |
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| The kids got a vintage Pachinko machine (Japanese arcade game) dating from the 1970s. Their aunt and uncle gave it to them and they love it. |
We also had fun sneaking a secret Santa gift to a family in our neighborhood. We made them a box of treats and mixes they could bake up for a little Christmas or New Year's party.
Goldilocks Turns 14! ~
Goldilocks turned 14 Christmas week. We (the parents only
no siblings) took her out to an Asian buffet and then to a local park to feed the geese. We had a calm time and it went fairly well on the surface. We learned later that she was actually pretty upset about a few things we had talked about and had started having looping thoughts. As usual, she covered those feelings while with us because she doesn't trust us. During the visit, she told us two conflicting things -- (1) she would
like to come home but can't yet because
we are too hard to live with and (2) she wishes her mental health foster mother would keep her forever (she is an only child in that home).
Projects and Building ~
We moved around the furniture to make the family room work better and put all of the Lego blocks in one corner. The kids have spent lots of time building with K'nex and Lego during the break. I also got through a few other projects listed below.
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| Now that's a lot of Lego blocks! |
- Touched up the kitchen cabinets
- Put fresh caulk around the bath tubs
- Put in new light bulbs
- Cleaned out the closet under the stairs and put in moisture barrier
One More Picture ~
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Boomer looking so cute with his bow on!
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Blessings, Dawn
I think I would be excited about the steam cleaner too - a very useful gift! All the books, games, cooking, and quiet family times sound very nice, indeed.
ReplyDeleteYes, me too re steam cleaner. My best friend just got one and she says it is the best thing since sliced bread!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had a restful Christmas. I'll not be showing my daughter all the loom bands - she would be utterly jealous!
Such a nice and restful Christmas. It always feels so good to accomplish items on my lists, no matter how small or large they are. The food all looked wonderful. I can almost smell the cinnamon rolls. I hope this week is going well for you all.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn! Grant would love to come and play in your LEGO/K'NEX corner!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you all had a good Christmas - with lots of learning and fun. I'm continuing to pray for you and for Goldilocks, as I know this is all so hard on you. I admire your strength - it comes through in your writing.
Have a great weekend!
I will have to find the picture of the Pachinko palace when we lived in Japan. Huge building with a giant monkey out front. As Americans, we used the monkey as a landmark. "Go down the road to the monkey and turn left (or right)". I never did find out why the monkey was out there.
ReplyDelete