What is on your menu this week?

Hi guys.  I'm feeling a little sentimental today.  It's the last day of school for my kiddos.  This day marks the end of another chapter of our move to Washington. Today my baby girl finishes elementary school and is off to sixth grade in middle school.  Can't believe this is already happening.  She's so excited and I know she'll do great. For my "big" boys, today is the last day at the elementary school they've been going to since we moved to Washington in January.  In August they'll go to another school (the one that we live within the boundaries of, but was too full to have the kids go there in January). They're leaving behind lots of great friends and fabulous teachers.  This last half of the school year has been great for them and they've transitioned really well.  They already know a lot of people that they'll go to their new school with.  My kindergartener told me yesterday that he wants to stay at his old school.  (Heart...

Hi guys!  Well, we finally made it to the end of our moving adventure.  We've been in transition since the week of Thanksgiving. It's been a great couple of months, but a little crazy and far from normal and routine.  My favorite part was being able to spend time with so many of our favorite people. View from my deck We closed on our new home last week and I thought I'd take a quick break from the boxes this morning to post.  I'm loving our new home.  It's has lots of extra space, a huge yard, a big hill behind the house, beautiful view especially at night, and seems to be in a great neighborhood. basement that the kids occasionally use to make box forts It's been fun to explore our new town.  I don't have to use Google Maps everywhere I go anymore.  We have beautiful rivers, farmland, close shopping and not too much traffic.  Someone asked me if I felt like I'd moved to Mayberry...little did she know where I just moved from or where I...

Hi guys!  Are you waiting for an inspiring menu post?  Ha! Looks like it might not happen this week.  My menu is turning out to be whatever we find from Costco.  :)  (I'd love ideas if you have favorite quick dinners from there.) Anyway...I have school on my mind the last three days.  My kids just started at a new school here and it's very much different than our school in New Mexico.  I thought I'd do a "Old School.  New School."  post so my kids can remember both. Disclaimer:  I LOVED our school in New Mexico.  The kids had a great experience and wonderful teachers and staff. Old School:  All day kindergarten. New School:  Half day, I pick him up at 11:47. Old School:  Snacks twice a day. New School:  No snack (at least not in kindergarten, so my kindergartener is ravenous when I pick him.) Old School:  School lunch looked less than desirable, so we packed lunches every day. New School: ...

1.  We've been in Washington for four days now. 2.  Thank goodness for Google Maps on my phone. 3. I should have enjoyed the snow we got this weekend, because it's a rarity. (I'm assuming this used to be a snowman.) 4.  It snowed on Sunday and Sunday evening it WARMED up to 50 and the Chinook winds made the snow disappear.  Different weather for sure! 5.  Most people I meet assume that we think the weather here is really cold because we're from New Mexico.  Not true. 6.  I need to apologize to the people that live in the apartment below us for the jumping and thumping from my kids.  Apartment living is new to them.  Luckily it will only last for a couple of weeks. 7.  The glass dining table in our apartment has to be cleaned on the top and underneath after every meal with my boys. 8.  The ice cream I bought has the same name as a bank. 9.  My kids will learn that Tillamook = good!  They're loving the...

Hi guys!  Well, we did it.  We are officially moved out of New Mexico.  We have said goodbyes, shed lots of tears, given lots of hugs and packed up our van. Friday was the kids last day of school.  I posted a little about it Friday morning .  I wasn't quite prepared for all the tears that would be shed, especially by my kids and their friends.  I knew I would probably cry, but I wasn't ready for the unabashed tears flowing from my son's tough, basketball-at-recess-playing friends.  Holy cow.  And sobbing kindergarteners.  Not to mention sweet ten year old tears. I just keep reminding myself all the little answers to prayers we've gotten the past six months and how things have been working out (or worked out eventually) for our move.  I know Heavenly Father has His hand in the choices we've made.  And I know he'll help us in our transition. One of my friends reminded me that tears show that you care.  Tears are part of h...

So, today might likely be the hardest day of my kids lives so far...their last day with their friends at school.   My two oldest kids have been making friends here for the last 8 years and now we're making them leave them behind. It's pretty much heart wrenching and I'm so sad for them. I'm trying to make it fun and memorable, but I'm afraid for when the tears will come. As I prep some cookies to take to their classes and t-shirts for their classmates to sign I'm trying to remember this little quote...(Thanks LORENE!) Hopefully this experience will help the kids grow and become stronger and braver.  They are amazing kids!

Oh gosh, guys, my heart is so full these days.  Never mind my short departure from menu-planning, etc. while I share a little. I already posted yesterday and l ast week about how things are going with our move, but my family is so blessed.  Even if it weren't Christmas time and we were moving my heart would still be so full.  Let's see if I can word what I'm thinking.  I think it boils down to two things. 1.  FRIENDS!  I have such amazing friends, not only here in New Mexico but all over.  (And yes, I'm including my family as friends, because they are my friends!).  We have been so overwhelmed with so many sweet offers, big and small to help in any way.   I can't even name all the ways people have helped, whether it be huge like letting us live with them for two weeks,  or offering dinner, arranging playdates or even a little email or text to check on me, etc.  (Or letting your kids come play at the drop of the hat so my kids ...

Hi guys!  Boy, are we getting spoiled this week, especially me because I don't really have to cook at all.  This is our last week in our little town with our friends, so it's pretty much a party week. Our friends that we're staying with are so sweet.  It's like living with some super cool, really nice inlaws.  They are totally spoiling us, keeping us well fed and very well entertained too. I don't know about you, but usually I don't walk into the kitchen in the morning and find bread already in the bread machine with softened butter and jam.   Like I said, I'm getting spoiled. I might blog about more fun stuff we've been doing and some fun traditions that our host-friends have for Christmas. This is what my menu is looking like: Monday:  we're having yummy turkey noodle soup that our host-friend made.  I'm making one hour rolls to go with it. Tuesday:  dinner with friends Wednseday:  crockpot stew that is already planned an...

Hi guys!  WEll, its's been a bit of a crazy last week or so for our family.  Are you ready to hear our big news? We're moving!  We're leaving New Mexico and moving to Washington in January.  We were lucky enough to sell our house (that we worked our tails off to remodel the last three years) right away.  We closed on it yesterday, so now we are officially homeless for a month or so. We have some super sweet friends that are letting us stay with them for the next two weeks while we're still in New Mexico.  Then we'll pull the kids out of school and say goodbye to all of our friends and vacation for a few weeks until we head to Washington in time to start school in January. Definetly bitter sweet emotions going on here. My husband and I have moved 11 times in the 13 years that we've been married, but we've lived here for almost 8 years now (just in different houses).  This will be our first move with making the kids switch schools and leave their...