There's 80 days of summer vacation....

There's 104 days of summer vacation
And school comes along just to end it
So the annual problem for our generation
Is finding a good way to spend it

Phineas and Ferb is one of our favorite shows to watch. If you've never seen it, it's about two brothers who spend all summer building different contraptions and discovering things and their older sister tries to "bust them" aka get them in trouble with mom. Well we only have 80 days before school begins but we plan to do a lot of fun summer activities, at least one special thing per weekday. Ours will not be as grandiose as Phineas and Ferb but promises to be just as fun!
Thursday was a half day of school so at 11:40 the summer officially started for us.

So are we have done....
1. sidewalk chalk
2. pretend restaurant
3. planted cactus

some things in the works are
-making jewelry
-star wars movie party
-Christmas in July complete with hot cocoa and Christmas cookies
-making edible play dough
-the obligatory lemonade stand
-water color painting

it will be a rockin' summer!

New recipes

Cailin and I have been continuing our cooking adventure. Since I last posted, she has helped me make Black Forest Ham and Gruyere crepes which she ate TWO of and if you know Cailin she is not a big eater so her eating two means they were yummy! Cailin has also been working on her new specialty.... Rich Chip Vanilla Cake. Those of you who know Thom know how much he LOVES vanilla. So this is a fast favorite in our home. She has made it no less than 3 times lately and each time is better than the last. This whole cooking experience has been great for the both of us. It's time for us to bond doing something we both enjoy and it gives me a chance to teach her some cooking lessons. It also gives her a chance to learn cooking, math, all kinds of wonderful things that the teacher in me just loves! I am so blessed to have this opportunity to be with my baby doing what I love. Being a mommy and a teacher.

Kids In The Kitchen Recipe List
1. Donut surprise
2. Salad
3. Deviled Eggs
4. Ham and Cheese Crepes
5. Chocolate chip cookies
6. Rich Chip Vanilla Cake

Kids in the Kitchen

I know it's been a long time since I've blogged but now that I have some time on my hands, I thought I would give it another go.

Cailin has decided she wants to start learning how to cook. She does not want to go to any kids cooking classes or anything but wants ME to teacher her. As if I have any knowledge to impart to her but that's not going to stop us. So far she has made....

1. Donut Surprise (she thought of this on her own) she took a powdered sugar donut hole stuck a chocolate chip in the middle, put whipped cream on top and drizzled Hershey's syrup on top. They were not bad!

2. Salad-lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, salad dressing and the piece de resistance----nutmeg. She said she saw it on Rachel Ray. You should use nutmeg to finish off greens.

3. Deviled Eggs....since her daddy won't eat Mayo we improvised and used sour cream. They were yummy.

I look forward to sharing more of our kitchen adventures in the days to come!

sister friends

Our family knows that Annabel rarely calls her sister by her proper name. Instead she calls her "sister friend". I do not know why she has started this, she knows Cailin's name but chooses not to used it. The girls have a special bond. I think they realize early in their lives that they are not only sisters, but also friends. I pray this love for each other and closeness remains throughout their lives. As someone who did not have a sister, I am so amazed by their closeness and relationship even at such an early age! They will always be SISTER FRIENDS!

Nostalgia

Being as today is New Years Day, I decided to cook a traditional southern New Years Day meal. The same that I was introduced to while living in MS for almost 6 years. I made pork tenderloin, cheese grits, and black-eyed peas. Each year as I eat this meal, I reflect on the year past and the new year to come. I don't know if this meal, or variations of it, are prepared in other parts of the country, I know I did not grow up eating it in Missouri. I do know that it is necessary and fun to have traditions and I know this New Years Day meal will be one we keep for years to come. I hope everyone has a blessed new year!

Philippians 3:13-14

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.(NLT)

Just getting started

It seems that everyone I know has a blog so I though it was time the Guthrie's joined the craze! I have no clue how this all works but I'm going to give it a shot anyways!