Update on life...

It has been a very busy fall.  This time of year seems to be a whirlwind when you have a child in school.  I thought I better do a little update on what everyone is up to.
D-She is enjoying 1st grade and is the new challenges that 1st grade brings.  She is participating in a gymnastics class once a week and starts a walking club on Monday.  We are trying hard to fit an hour in of physical activity for her, as well continuing to adjust her diet.  We are meeting with a nutritionist in a few weeks.  She had to have an x-ray which found enlarged adenoids (her tonsils are fine), she is going to have a sleep study in November to see if they are affecting the quality of sleep she is getting.  We are so very lucky that she has been a very healthy child, so we will take this bump in the road as it comes.
E-is a very busy toddler.  She is beginning to string words together which is fun to hear.  She is finally getting some more teeth, we are up to 8 now!  We still don't know how long she will be with us, so we just take it one day at a time.
N-is busy with work and some house projects.  He has also adjusted some things in his diet and is seeing results.  He has started the couch to 5K program again and hopes to run a 5K this winter.
Me-I am keeping busy with the girls, MOPS, Moms Club, and volunteering at school.  I am still running and going to start a new program this coming week to help me add distance.  (right BFF?)  I am looking forward to a freezer cooking party I am having Wednesday....and will try to blog about that next week!

Brrrr...time for some soup!

We had a bowl full of tomatoes from our garden to use up and N already made some sauce, he thought of making salsa, but after a few chilly days I convinced him to make his Tomato Basil Soup.  He created the recipe after we fell in love with a similar soup at a restaurant in NY. 
Here is the recipe, enjoy!

2 – 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes, or substitute one can of crushed tomatoes for one can of diced for a chunkier texture

1 – Can Tomato Paste

1 – Can Tomato Paste with Italian Herbs

5 – 28ozs Cans Water

3 – Tablespoons Dried Basil Leaves

1 – Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

¼ - Cup Sugar  (add more to your own liking, I usually need more in mine)

1 – Teaspoon Salt

½-¾ – Lbs Grated Swiss Cheeses (Thick Strands)

 

Place all of the ingredients (not including the cheese) in a large pot and bring to a boil. 

• Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer uncovered and hold for 3 hours
• Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes
• Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir
• Prior to serving heat the soup to a near boiling
• Remove the pot from heat and serve
• Top with remaining cheese to ones bowl as needed/wanted
• Top with Oyster Crackers or Saltines to taste

Yields: ~ 1gallon of soup

We have had great success freezing and reheating as well.
 

Finding my own workspace...

Since the girls have the office, I needed to reclaim some workspace upstairs. This meant uncovering the desk which was buried among stacks of papers that need filing. I need to bins and such, but for now I can at least get my Cricut off the card table!

Bigger only means messier!

One word to describe out closet-unorganized! I have spent two days trying to get my side in order, two days! N's side isn't too bad so I skipped doing his side.
I so wish this was our forever house as the closet is a great size and it would be wonderful to have built ins and better lighting, mirrors, etc. Someday I will have my dream closet!

My DREAM!

The REALITY!

Before:  My side is on left, I was too embarrassed to take a more close up one!

After: I moved a dresser and added the tall table for my jewelry

looking from other end of room

another shot

what a mess!

much better!



thanks pinterest!

Trying out some new recipes

Because I am avoiding cleaning my bedroom I decided to try out some new recipes.
The first one was a new egg salad:
http://www.theyummylife.com/Egg_Salad
After reading through the recipe I didn't end up usingit  other than for the idea to use yogurt.  I can always use the extra protein!  I put mostly yogurt and only a little mayo....I then added my normal ingredients; mustard, salt, pepper, and sweet relish.  I did a taste test and decided it needed some celery salt as well.  The new taste is something I will have to get use to, but I will make it this way again.
The second one was a Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie:
http://watching-what-i-eat.blogspot.com/2012/04/banana-oat-breakfast-cookies.html
I have seen several of these types of recipes pinned on pinterest so I thought I would give it a try.  I did not have raisins, so I left those out. D is in need of some snacks that are packed with some fiber but  not full of sugar.  They certainly made my house smell yummy while baking! I think they taste ok--hoping D thinks they are great.

Back to School-1st grade edition

D headed back to school this morning; a big 1st grader!  She was so excited to get going she was up extra early and ready to go.  It was so nice to see all the kids so excited at the bus stop, it was as if they had never had a break from school.  They all barely gave us a second glance as they raced towards the bus.  I held it together this year, probably because she was so excited.  I did get that weird feeling in my belly this afternoon, I miss her and hate that I don't know what is going on at school.
Unlike last September I am not coming home to an empty quiet house, baby E is still with us so she will keep me busy while D is at school.  I am trying to transition her to one nap so we can go to story time, MOMs Club and MOPS without her losing it.  I have started waking her up after about 45 minutes in the morning, I will decrease the time the rest of this week and see how it goes.

D's lunch cart

Fruit to choose from (also fresh fruit in fridge)

Drinks

Fun item!  Now that I am down to one child at home I will make some homemade stuff for this drawer as well.

Clothes picked out for the week:  this worked well last year.

Cleaning!

I am always on the lookout for homemade cleaner and new ways to get my house spotless, even if it only stays that way for an hour! Today I need to get the majority of my house cleaned as my parents will be here tomorrow. While E slept I was able to get the rest of D's clothes organized and put away (they were all over our guest bed) and the girls bathroom cleaned. I use vinegar to clean most everything, so the bathroom got a good vinegar bath. I started on the wood floors next, I usually steam them but every few cleanings I scrub them on my hands and knees. When I do this I use either just vinegar and water or a mixture I found and pinned on Pinterest. Today I decided to try to use coffee filters instead of a rag, they worked great! They picked up the hair instead of making it stick to the floor more like the rag does. I have used the filters to clean my countertops and as dust rags, not sure why it took me this long to try on the floor. So there you go my tip of the day. Oh and color wonder markers for a certain babe that likes to draw! Now back to cleaning....sigh....