Hair cut

So first I must confess that I haven't cut my hair in two years. Not even a trim. It was getting very, very long. With the weather warming up and summer here I decided it was time to cut off some of the length.

before 

 And being so long I knew I could donate it. I had the boys take before and after pictures. When looking at the comparison you really get an idea of how long it was. I sorta took it for granted that it was so long. I washed, combed it and either left it to dry or braided it. Didn't give much thought to length other than the fact that getting it off my neck was difficult.

before

 Now it feels so light. And while it still has length (I can put it in a pony tail) it feels so much shorter. And cooler.

after

 Oh may is it cooler. And did I mention light? :) I have to admit I'm happy.

after

 And the portion that was cut off will be mailed out to a local (Michigan) organization called Children with Hair Loss that provides hair replacement to kids. Smiles all around!

Menu Plan for week 5/21/2012

It's Thursday, and the week is half over. But I thought I would share our menu for this week, even though it's so late. Life has been crazy. Tuesday was Cai's last day of preschool and yesterday was Ian's very, very last day of preschool. Kindergarten here we come. He gets to celebrate turning 6 and starting Kindergarten on the same day. Not sure whether to happy or sad about that. Or about the whole thing to be honest. And today marks the first day of summer vacation. :) Wish us luck. It is going to be a crazy. Here is our menu. 

Monday: Green spaghetti with frozen corn and salad (some of the greens were from my garden)

Tuesday: Crepes with fresh strawberries from the farmers market

Wednesday: Asparagus Sausage Skillet (from Simply in Season), cut carrots and yellow pepper

Thursday: eating out to celebrate 1st day of summer vacation

Friday: Corn and cheese Quiche  (More with Less)

Saturday: ????

Sunday:?????

So I'm not sure what I'll do this weekend but we'll play it by ear. I'll see if I can get back on track with menu posts next week. Till then. 

Menu Plan Monday: May 14th, 2012

So I only cooked two meals last week. Wednesday morning I woke up with a sore throat on top of the headache/migraines I had been fighting since Monday evening. Turns out I had strep throat. I had forgotten how much strep throat hurts and just plain knocks you out. Truth be told I could have gone a long while with out that reminder. I hate being sick. I especially hate being so sick that all you can do is sleep. Luckily Mark did let me sleep and took care of kids while working from home. :) I'm now in that part of feeling better where you are well enough to be up and around but still exhausted by everything. I did go out this morning and thin lettuce and spinach, so we will have young, tender greens tonight in our salad. Ok enough of my belly aching. Here is the menu for the week.

Monday: Vegetable soup, salad and maybe a bread if I feel up to it
Tuesday: Asparagus (and any other veggie I have) stir-fry over rice noodles
Wednesday: Church meal?? (I can't remember if we have meal this week. If not I'll do quiche or something)
Thursday: Tacos or Taco salad
Friday: Enchilada casserole
Saturday: ???
Sunday:???

I'm having trouble planning that far. I use to be so good about planning ahead and not needing to change. But I'm just not sure what to cook that will suffice for this weekend. So I'll play it by ear. Weekends are easier to for that anyway. Having a plan during the week ensure we get dinner at somewhat of a reasonable hour and I don't have to have that I have no idea what to cook and too tired to think dilemma. It already planned just have to make it :)

If you want to see what other menus are out there this week. Go visit Organizing Junkie. Have a great week! Stay healthy!

Menu Plan Monday- 4/30/12

Hello all. I had several thoughts last week of creating a post on why I didn't have a menu. Mostly it surround the fact that my mom and stepdad were in town and planning a menu seemed pointless when I knew my wonderful mother would end up cooking at least some of the time. :) And she did too. We had steak with a mushroom sauce, roasted potatoes, salad and  broccoli. It was wonderful (if you ignored Ian's fit). My folks were here from Thursday afternoon till yesterday late morning. We were all sad to see them go, as we loved having them here. Of course now we have to get back to routines and deal with tired and cranky boys who were functioning outside their normal daily routines. Yesterday was a disaster. Today only slightly better, but an improvement. Maybe by tomorrow we will be back to normal. Which really is pretty good recovery time. So on to my menu to the week.

Monday: Spaghetti and tomato sauce, frozen peas
Tuesday: Pizza Rice Casserole (More with Less Cookbook), side veggie of some kind
Wednesday: dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's (Mark and I both having meeting that overlap so they have agreed to watch kids and feed us!!!)
Thursday: Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday: First Fridays- Dinner downtown
Saturday: Quiche?
Sunday: Leftovers? Popcorn, cheese and apples?

I'm not completely certain about this weekend's meals. What I cook so often depend on how I feel or how our day goes on the weekend. It's easier to deviate from the menu or harder to stick to what I planned, take your pick. If you are wanting more menu ideas, as well as recipe links check out Organizing Junkie. Till next time ;)

Two Years

April marks the month that we moved to Indiana. Two years ago, the weekend after Easter, we packed up a large moving truck with the help of friends and family, attended church to say our goodbyes and started driving the 14 hours to Goshen.

Easter 2010
 Aiden 5 mo, Cai 20 mo, Ian 3 yrs

 Now it's hard to believe that two years have past. I kinda figured after our move we would settle in and life would settle down. So not true. One year and one month later we moved into Mark's folks house and started the emotionally taxing task of house hunting (again). This time with the hope of buying rather than renting.

Easter 2011
Aiden 17 mo, Cai 2 yrs, Ian 4 yrs

 Four almost five months later we closed on our house. And another month later moved in. Can I just say here that I'm still excited and happy about our house. Sure home ownership has brought with it challenges we were not exactly expecting, but we, or at least I, am enjoying it all.

Easter 2012
Aiden 2 yrs, Cai 3 yrs, Ian 5yrs

 Now just three months ago Mark changed jobs and we are enjoying the benefits his new employment is bringing. One of which translates to less stress for him, which usually means less stress for all. And most recently we have once again become a two car family. We are now the proud owners of a '92 Chevy S-10. And I do mean proud. Mark and I both love the truck. Not to mention it feels so nice to have a second vehicle  that  is not company owned, and thus only Mark can drive, or borrowed from family. It's nice to not feel stranded or feel as if I'm stranding Mark when one of us leave. So when looking back alot has changed in two years.

April 2010
Cai in the van on our way to Goshen

And it's not that I thought life would be stagnant here. Everything changes. We all grow. I just have to look at the pictures from last year or the year before to see that. But I did think life would settle down. The last six years have been a whirlwind of change for Mark and I

April 2010
Aiden and Ian playing on the floor in our first Goshen house 

 And there was a part of me that thought after this move, life would settle into a little more predictability. No such luck as of yet. And something tells me that luck is not going to change anytime soon. Come August Ian will start kindergarten. And with that will bring changes that will be no less disorienting that any of the past.

April 2011

But I'm coming to find that just maybe that is were life is. We grow within these changes. I grow within these changes. And while I'll still look forward to a time when life is a little more predictable, I can live right now these spaces. Or I can at least try to/

April 2011- Easter

Live in the joy of home ownership, even when all the house and yard projects threaten to overwhelm me. Live in the newness of no diapers (that's right other than at night Aiden is out of diapers).

April 2012

 Live in the joy of preschool while looking forward to the new challenges and excitement that elementary school will bring. Live  in this routine, this reality, just as much as I look forward, worry and question what routines will look like tomorrow, this summer and next year, a year or years from now.

April 2012- self photo

 Recognizing that two years have passed and much as changed does not have to be as scary as I make it out to be. Maybe I can take some reassurance in these life changes. After all, I have three little boys, change comes with the territory. Doesn't it?

April 2012- Easter egg hunt

Purple, Purple Everywhere

A week ago our yard was covered with shades of purple. Now the color is fading giving way to spring green and waiting for the next batch of color to burst open.

the Wisteria in full bloom

I love the look of these blooms and the smell. 

But a week ago: Purple. It was so pretty. And really made me smile.

more blue than purple 

 It's been fun to see what will bloom. I'm not good at recognizing plants. Some flowers I know, but many I don't. But watching and waiting to see what pops up in our flower beds has been a wonderful joy.

 And it certainly brightens my days. Especially when often the skies are still gray and covered in clouds. Though on that note we have had some sunny afternoons, which I've enjoyed.

 Gardening will be this summers exciting adventure as I learn how to tend to what we have, remove what I don't want and try to add or adapt to fit my own tastes and talents.

 As overwhelming as it all feels, I look forward to learning. And really watching the beauty of my yard come to life brings joy and smiles.

Ok these are not purple, but they are gorgeous . 

Menu Plan Monday- April 16th

It's Wednesday! But I have a menu so I thought you might want to read it. I'm sure what else to say. Life is life. Daily routine and all that. Nothing all that exciting. Although we did plant veggies on Sunday! I can't wait till my lettuce and spinach is ready to eat. Plus watching them grow with the boys will be fun. They helped me plant. Ian was especially helpful while planting snow peas. :) In other news I'm trying to find the energy to clean house. My folks are coming to visit at the end of next week and the current state of my house is too embarrassing to leave as is. Hopefully it will be at least presentable by next week. Anyway here is the menu.

Monday: Pizza Rice Casserole (More with Less cookbook)
Tuesday: Biscuit pot pie (with chickpeas instead of chicken)
Wednesday: Midweek meal at church
Thursday: Chili and cornbread
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: Broccoli and cauliflower soup (Simply in Season cookbook)
Sunday: leftovers or popcorn, cheese and apples

For more menus  check out Organizing Junkie's website. 

Happy Meal planning !