My Head is Spinning

Egg Decorating

 

Special Snack for Emma's Class

 

Preparations for Sunday

 

These are among the many things I have on my plate for this week. We are having both sides of our family over for lunch this Sunday. Yes, it is a bit overwhelming, but important to have everyone together whenever I can manage it. I do it mainly for our girls. They LOVE having both sides of the family together and I can see it is very special to them.
We will also be giving Emma and Lilly each a brand new Bible before we head off to church. They have outgrown their current Bibles and I think they will be very excited to receive their new gifts.
Have a WONDERFUL Easter!

Around our Home

It's January and it's cold...but, I don't mind one bit. Winter is actually my favorite season - it's so cozy and romantic and it reminds me of our wedding day. Our wedding was held on a cold, December evening with the glow of candles surrounding us - I'll never forget it. Now that the holidays are behind us, it can be difficult to keep that warm, fuzzy feeling for the remainder of the season. Here are some things around our home that keeps us cozy and cheery.


Hot Chocolate with Heart-Shaped Marshmallows
When I first saw these marshmallows in the seasonal aisle of Wal-Mart, I literally squealed out loud. Ask John...he was there...and I'm sure he was a bit embarrassed by all my commotion.




Board Games
Sometimes, we play as a family. Sometimes, just the girls play. And sometimes, just the stuffed animals play. ;)




Lamps
To me, the soft glow of a lamp gives such a "homey" feel. I love, love, LOVE lamps.




Dancing
Both girls are taking dance lessons and they frequently "practice" around the house. It really is a joy to watch them. Now, having to pick up dance shoes everywhere, all the time does NOT give me as much joy.



So good to be back. Lots of love to all my blogging buddies!

This Weekend...

I became inspired, and made this...



I really like the way it turned out! I found three of the photos in Google Images, but I photographed the "V".

She's Ready!

First grade begins tomorrow morning for Emma and she is ready! After she was fed, bathed and tucked into bed with clean pajamas, I read "The Kissing Hand" to her. It's our tradition. I read this book the night before her first day of junior kindergarten and the night before her first day of kindergarten. It is such a sweet and beautiful story and I hope she lets me read this to her every year, up until the night before she leaves for college.

As soon as she drifted off to sleep, I got everything set up for tomorrow morning.

Her new outfit is now laid out. Her backpack contains her folder that holds thousands of completed forms and other paperwork we received from "Meet the Teacher" night.

Her lunch is made and put away in her lunchbox along with a special note written on a napkin.

Like I said, this girl is ready to go and is very excited.

Am I ready? Hmmm, I'll get back to you on that one.

Magazine Search

When John and the girls run errands, they frequently bring home little surprises for me. Last night, they ran to the drugstore to get a few things and decided to also pick out a magazine they thought I would enjoy.



At first, Lilly chose this...



Then, Emma suggested this...



After some guidance from John, they all finally agreed on this because, "Mommy loves food so much!"

They know me well! ;)

Summer Chore Charts

Before the summer began, I was worried that it would be difficult to have both girls home all day, every day. These little munchkins can really wreck a house in a matter of minutes, if you know what I mean. So, I really did a lot of planning and tried to figure out ways to keep my kids busy. There's a ton of stuff scheduled for children in our community, so I gathered all the information/flyers and kept them in a folder. Then, with that information, I started making our schedule for the summer. I also made each child her own chore chart. Now, I must admit I have tried charts in the past and I could never quite make them work. But, this time has been very successful. Oh, and my house has been much tidier. Huge bonus! Ruthie at Sugar Pie Farmhouse really inspired the look of these particular charts.

This is Emma's chart. It's fairly simple and she really enjoys checking off her accomplishments. If she completes her chart by the end of the week, we award her one dollar.

Here is Lilly's chart. I put pictures on her chart to make it easier for her. She is still a little young for the whole chart concept, but I didn't want her to feel left out. She really likes the routine of completing her chores.

Lilly's Sense of Style

Need I say more?