This and That

After a week of glorious fall weather it has turned cold and wet here in Michigan, it is probably all down hill from here!  Thankfully we were able to get some fall activities in before it got too cold and wet.

A photo my mom took while having our professional pictures done

My parents were in town last weekend; we had fun shopping and decorating the house for Halloween.  Mom finished D's Halloween costume and made her a dress.  We also had family pictures done; we had a nice day for them, maybe a little too hot (I know, I know, bite my tongue) but the landscape was gorgeous.  A sneak peek of our photos can be found here:  http://littlevoicephoto.blogspot.com/  We can't wait to see the rest!

D had her Fun Run last week at school.  It is her school's only fundraiser, so we want to thank all of you that donated!  She raised $130!  She is looking forward to the pizza and bowling party for those who raised over $80.

Earlier this week I was able to be a test kitchen for a website I love.  I cooked a whole vegetarian freezer menu.  It was very challenging to do alone, there was so much to cut up and roast.  It took me a lot longer than I was allowing for.  My freezer is now full of lots of great meals.  We have already tried a few of them and they were both hits.  Even D ate the Roasted Corn, Poblano Pizza!  Once the website releases the menu I will share more information on what I made!

Coming up in the next days and weeks we have lot of Halloween activities and D was invited to go see Disney on Ice with a friend.  I am sure I will have lots of pictures to share!

2011 Fall Craft

N is off to Traverse City today for a work conference.  Poor guy had to drive up there on his birthday!  Hopefully he will be able to have a nice meal with some of his co-workers this evening.
D and I decided to do some crafting.  Last year for fall we made thankful leaves to hang on the fireplace, this year we made a tree using her hand and arm and she used her thumb to make the leaves.  (we got this great idea from http://funhandprintart.blogspot.com/)  D decided to add some clouds using a sponge and painted a sun using a brush.  She also drew a birds nest with eggs in the tree and an interesting looking mommy bird. I love that she adds so much detail to her drawings, things I don't even think about.
We also took a nice stroll through the neighborhood collecting leaves we thought were pretty, she is trying to decide what to do with them.

Wordless Wednesday:art, yoga, and apple dumplings!

Keeping my sanity!

I am not feeling very successful at being a stay at home mom with my only child at school, I think I miss the schedule that comes with having a child at home.  After a couple weeks of feeling like I have accomplished very little I think it is time to create myself a schedule (Thanks Kelli K for the idea and inspiration!).  This will hopefully keep me motivated and help me feel like I am using my time wisely while Delaney is at school.  And if I get a job, it will hopefully help me balance it all (the job market is not looking so good though, surprise, surprise!).
My plan for today is to get all the laundry done and put away!  I would also like to put together a menu for the week, and thanks to a day of freezer cooking this should be fairly easy!
Tuesdays I am hoping to devote to volunteering in the media center at D's school.  This may change as they just hired a new librarian and she may have a different schedule that she wants to go with.  I am also planning on going to the gym in the morning after taking D to the bus stop.
And that is as far as I have gotten on my planning....obviously I need days for cleaning, shopping, and errands!

Nothing new, just plugging along.....

D is having a great time at school!  I have been to her class a few times to do a few things for her teacher, it has been nice to put faces to names and see how the kids are interacting.  Her teacher said it is a great group of kids and they have really picked up the routine fast. 
D is still doing karate, she now has a friend in her class with her and really likes that.  She is itching to swim again, so we will sign her up for lessons in November.  We also need to take her to family swim times at the gym, hopefully this Friday we can go.
Fall is in the air around these parts!  The morning air is crisp.  I am hoping we can have a rain free weekend soon so we can go pick apples and find a pumpkin.  I also need to get some mums planted!  I have some bare areas in the flower beds and it would be nice to have some flowers that bloom in the fall.
I am slowly getting used to being home alone all day.  It is such a strange feeling.  I have tried to stay busy with some volunteering at the school and some MOMs club events.  I need to create a routine for myself, as I am horrible without one!

Weekend Recap

I headed to Boston this past weekend to spend some time with one of my good friends and her family.  It was a wonderful birthday gift from my husband!  J and I had a great time shopping, decorating, and visiting the beautiful library she works in.  We are looking forward to going back as a family to visit next year.
D and Big Daddy had a fun weekend together.  Daddy took D shopping, to a local park event, and they also did a little pizza baking.  I am glad they had some time to spend together.
Now begins the first full week of being a SAHM without having a child at home.  It doesn't sound very fun, but hopefully I can fill the week with some cleaning and organizing.  I have also signed up to volunteer in the library at D's school.
First up today was cleaning D's room and organizing her hair things!  I made a simple bow holder with an old curtain ring, ribbon, and a glue gun!  Big Daddy will be happy to read I didn't have to go buy anything!

September 8th

Why we love September 8th:

A special person was born on this date in 1977 (is it okay to call myself special?), that same special person started kindergarten on said date five years after being born!
Fast forward 29 years and this date became a special date for our D (as well as the rest of our family) when her adoption became official.  The judge was kind enough to hold the hearing on my birthday, what a great present.

And now five years since that court date our baby is headed to Kindergarten!  She also lost her first tooth!  So many things to be thankful for on this special day!



Adoption Day 9-8-2006







Me!