Sunday, January 6, 2008

Christmas Eve 2007 - Smores & More

I finally got all my Christmas Eve pictures uploaded. We had a Stump Country Smores Christmas. All the family...both sides......came out to have Christmas Eve Dinner and Smores by the bonfire. It was a magical night. Forrest got lights up on the whole house and we put up 100 luminaries on the driveway. It looked amazing.

Pantry.......Before and After

As I promised.......Pantry before and after pictures!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Jan 4th - LOTS accomplished

So I didn't get as much done on my MM plan as I wanted but I had a great day with the kids......and that's what it is all about....right!

Brittany and I started a new adventure researching all the theories of how the world came to be. Today we researched heavily the "Big Bang Theory" and who coined the term. Brittany wrote 2 papers....one on the idea of the "Big Bang Theory" and the other on "Georges LemaƮtre". She can't wait to get started on more tomorrow. We even went on AIG and ordered several books to help us futher our research.

David, Madalynn, Ellie and I read LOTS of books. Madalynn and I also worked on her handwriting book and some copy work....one of her FAVORITE things to do.

Forrest got off early enough to be home for dinner and requested Spaghetti and Meatballs.....very unusual for him. I did lots of "sneaky mom" things with veggies....pureed 2 zucchini and about 1/2 lb of carrots into the sauce. I added more veggie puree to the meatballs also adding in LOTS of fresh garlic and fresh basil. I served it with a side of sautee zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms. Everyone commented on how much they LOVED the sauce. Brittany said she can't wait for lunch tomorrow so that she can eat the rest. LOL......Murrrahhhaaahhhhhhaaaaaa!

I bottled up my "Master Tonic" this evening. I didn't end up with nearly as much as I thought I was going to have so I will need to get a second batch started tomorrow. I want to also buy enough to start a 3rd bath and let that one brew for a full 28 days to see if I can tell a difference.

I created labels for the tonic. It was really fun to see my creation all bottled up with labels and all. Such a feeling of accomplishment.

I set some St. John's Wort in EVOO today to make a nice Red Oil. It needs to sit and bake in the hot sun for 3-4 weeks. I am excited to go out to shake it each day and see what it evolves into.

I did a little cleaning....ya know the typical....laundry, dishes, etc. Nothing exciting like my pantry. I need to post those photos soon. For now I am off to snuggle with Forrest and watch a movie.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Finishing Day 2

I finished up the kitchen.....got the main counters done, fish tank is gone, and I moved off several small appliances. I decanted my Master Tonic and got the kitchen totally CLEANED and scrubbed down.

I am having a friend over tomorrow and I hate being embarassed by mess so it feels great to be close to company ready.......don't get me wrong....I still have a loft full of boxes, a few boxes in the bedroom & toy room. BUT this is the best my house has ever been.

Forrest cleaned off the entertainment center. I wanted to get the bookshelves decluttered more....little trinkets, toys, and such have ended up in front of the books. I wanted to get more done in the loft. BUT I need to pat myself on the back for what did get done.

Our laundry is caught up and put away. The loft got cleaned and vacuumed. Our master got dusted and vacuumed. Ahhhhh....it felt so good.

Forrest and Brittany did a quick pick up of the toy room while I scrubbed the bathroom and got it ready for company. We had leftovers for dinner instead of a big dinner....I was too busy. But it was still yummy leftovers....Jerk Portobello Steaks, Salmon Patties & Orange Squash Risotto.

Ok....off to do some quiet time for myself, soak some oats for breakfast, quinoa for dinner and get to bed. My friend is coming at 9am....very early for our house.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Day 2 MM & Declutter

Day 1 went really well I got a lot done despite having a horrible headache in the afternoon. Only a few things got pushed on to today.

Today so far we have cleaned the kitchen, bathroom upstairs (including hair brushes), put several baskets of laundry away, cleaned the loft, straightened the master bedroom, vacuumed the loft, hallway & master.

It is nap/quiet time now and then we are tackling the playroom and kitchen again later. The fish tank needs to get removed and the counter reorganized. Downstairs bathrooms & Entertainment center up stairs need to get decluttered, dusted and freshened up. It was nice having everything done yesterday. A real feeling of accomplishment.

I didn't get my quiet time...Genesis 1-3 done yesterday or my CTBHHM journal. So I am going to work on those right now....while 2 are asleep and 2 more are laying down. We start a new school unit when they get up!