It's That Time of Year Once Again

Well, it's here.  That time I tread.  My family has too much fun during the summer making it very hard to get back into school routine.  I told my girls maybe next summer we wouldn't do anything so that they were really bored and ready to go back to school.  We do have fun school shopping for cute clothes, which takes a little of the pain away.  I can't believe I have one starting high school and my youngest starting her last year of elementary school.  Our first week was crazy but good. I was offered a long-term substitute teaching assignment as a librarian at an elementary and so I am working full time until December, which is something I haven't done since before McKenzie was born. Even though getting back into a routine is tough, I am really excited for the things that Fall will bring like baking yummy warm meals and desserts, comfy sweaters, Fall decorating and cooler weather.  Here is a yummy Pinterest recipe I tried and we absoultely loved it.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Syruphttp://tastesbetterfromscratch.blogspot.com/2010/11/pumpkin-pancakes-with-cinnamon-syrup.html

 

 

 

Futsal Frenzy

This year, instead of indoor soccer, Kenzie's coach set up a Futsal tournament with our team and the high school girls. I was thrilled since her games would be held at Copper Canyon Elementary school (10 minutes from our home) rather than Woods Cross (40 minutes away). The first time I saw them play I thought if they had something like this for women my age I would sign up right away. It was so much fun to watch, really fast paced and without some of the rules of regular soccer. It was also fun to see Kenzie get to know some of the high school girls since she will be trying out this July.

Flippin Fun

Abbie is really progressing in gymnastics. She is learning her back handspring. It takes me back to my gymnastic days. I remember going to Oaklawn Park and seeing how many back handsprings I could do in a row. In my mind I still picture myself being able to do one, but reality tells me not to.

I have an obsession lately with dark wood finishes. Our bathroom cabinet was in desperate need of new paint so I decided to try out this new color fetish. I love the result! I love it for the rich color and also for the fact that it will hide dirt well. We added drawer and cabinet pulls for an extra luxurious touch.

Baking my troubles away

I have never had success baking bread. I have tried several different recipes and it never turns out. I recently saw this recipe on Pinterest, so I recently tried making it. WOW! It was so easy. Mix everything in one bowl, let rise, divide into four bread pans, rise again and pure deliciousness. Today I was having an extremely stressful day. My husband has been in San Francisco on business all week and I have felt like a single mother. Between high school registration, soccer practice, soccer game, gymnastics, doctors appointment, and church activities I have really been running. To top it off, our 20-year-old had car trouble and his car was towed so I was STRESSED. I decided I needed to bake some more bread. I had an amazing neighbor who helped me alot this week and wanted to thank her, so I got baking again. My stress just started melting away and I felt relaxed and calm.

English Muffin Bread

5 1/2 cups warm water

3 packets of rapid rise yeast

2 tablespoons salt

3 tablespoons sugar

11 cups flour

Mix altogether in a large bowl and let rise until double in size then spoon into four well greased bread pans. Let rise again until it is even with the top of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes watching until it is golden brown. Brush immediately with melted butter. Bread will be moist at first. Let it cool before cutting it.

Recipe source: onegoodthingbyjillee.com

My Biggest Passion

So I have always had a dream of being "just a stay-at-home mom." Early in our marriage it was necessary for me to help our family financially so my husband could finish his Bachelors degree. I was lucky enough to have a job that allowed me to come as close to this dream as possible. I was a medical transcriptionist for 10 years and when my kids were all in school I began substitute teaching, which I love, but my true passion is taking care of my family. I absolutely LOVE taking care of my family and our home. Over the last few weeks I have just been in heaven with things that most people would consider dreadful. I cleaned all the blinds upstairs, washed curtains, wiped cupboards and drawers and cleaned out my closet. I love vacuuming, dusting, folding laundry, mowing the lawn in the summer, cooking, and making things to make our home comfortable and beautiful. There is absolute joy in this for me. I think I would have fit in really well in the 50's wearing an apron and greeting my husband at the door each day when he gets home from work! I have my mom to thank because she set such a great example for me. She also had a job that allowed her to work at home. She had a hair salon in our basement. She taught me how to iron, mend, cook and clean and always did it well and with love. Thanks Mom!

Pinterest Is Taking Over My World

So, like many of you, I spend time each day on pinterest. What an amazing idea that site was. I found myself "trapped" at home today and went a little crazy (not from being at home...I loved that part). We have been a one car family since October when our Altima was t-boned by a street sweeper in our neighborhood. Since then Bruce has been lucky to find people to carpool with to work, but today he needed to take the car. I went crazy by trying three recipes from pinterest today. First were the Glazed Donut Muffins (see previous post). They were a big hit. Then, later in the day I decided it would be nice to have an afterschool snack for my two girls. They always seem to be hungry when they get home. I made homemade pretzels (all-things-delicious.blogspot.com) and they were amazing. They were so similar to the pretzels you can get at the mall. The girls gobbled them up. Kenzie starts indoor soccer tonight, so all the carbs she ate today between the muffins and the pretzels will have her all carb loaded and ready to go. As for me, I made sure to do Wii Fit and Just Dance for Wii to burn mine off. For dinner I tried Mini Chicken Pot Pies (between3sisters.com). They are made in a muffin tin and turned out bubbly and golden brown. This worked much better than the way I have done pot pie in the past (where the biscuits are placed on top and are still a little doughy). It was a hit as well. Rather than reposting the recipe, I just made sure to include the site they are located at.