Kitchen Love

November 6:

Today I am thankful for my kitchen. I decided to make baked potato soup, homemade butter rolls and cinnamon rolls for dinner tonight. It's so chilly out (real feel of 38 tonight!!!! ) that a warm soup was in order. And what's a warm soup without a good bread? And what's a nice warm dinner without a yummy warm dessert? So, while I was measuring ingredients, preheating the oven and pouring milk into little cups for the kids...I realized how very thankful I am for my kitchen. A kitchen full of food waiting to be turned into deliciousness. A kitchen stocked with the basics, along with appliances, tools and equipment needed to keep this family of four well fed and nourished. I often take for granted that I have all this available to me (how often we've gotten take out or eaten at a restaurant, oy!). Today I am very,very thankful for cooking skills, a kitchen and plenty of food to feed my family.

Jammies

Today I am thankful for cool, Autumn weather in Central Florida. But even more than that, I'm thankful for being blessed to have warm, comfy pajamas for my babies. It hit me like a ton of bricks, as I was changing my toddler into his footy jammies tonight. I wonder how many mothers out there don't have warm clothes for their babies? How many mothers will cry themselves to sleep tonight because they know their babies are cold, and there is nothing they can do about it? How many babies will shiver and freeze tonight on the streets or even in their own homes? It makes me so sad, I can barely breathe.

Please excuse the cheese crackers in his hair and on his face. :)

Thankful

I'm sure you've seen the "What I'm thankful for.." status updates around the interwebs lately..and I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and post here daily. I'll try to include recent photos and such as well!

I'm going to backtrack a little since it's November 4:

Nov 1: I'm thankful for a very fun Halloween with the kids and my family.
Nov 2: I'm thankful we live so close to WDW and can go in a moment's notice.
Nov 3: I'm thankful for a loving, thoughtful husband.

Nov 4: I'm thankful for hot cocoa, snugly blankets and candles on this rainy, chilly(er) night.

This Moment

This Moment. A Friday ritual. A single photo-no words-capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. This Moment inspired by Soulemama.

Weekending

Our weekends aren't like everyone else's weekends. They are always mid-week, which makes it so much more fun (IMHO). Everything is less crowded this way, and it makes things so much more enjoyable.

Lately, we've been going going going on our weekends. We've visited as many beaches as we could, had fun at theme parks and swam to our hearts content. Our summer has been fabulous and full of life! For a change of pace though, and because it is much too hot to do much, we decided to take it easy this past weekend. We hung around the house, discovering and enjoying quiet moments at home. I had forgotten how much I enjoy just relaxing with the boys, playing until our hearts content, watching movies and eating yummy home cooked meals.

Of course, we did venture out a little! The weekend started off with a quick trip to Ikea. Ok, not so quick trip...but how can you not spend hours here? I can't visit Ikea without a sampling of Swedish meatballs and lingonberry juice! The boys pretty much made themselves at home. They tested each and every bedroom and living room setup. Need proof?

We spent the rest of the day watching action-packed movies and doing little projects around the house.  Aidan played with the fake food we bought at Ikea, pretending to run a grocery store; and then made pretend dinner for everyone. Big brother "helped" him out, and I caught him smiling and laughing with his little brother. So sweet.I can't wait to get Aidan a little toddler-friendly, wooden kitchen set! I know he'll love it!

Opportunities arose for long bubble baths and relaxing in the tub. Is anyone else addicted to these sweet smelling baby products like I am?

Is there anything more scrumptious than a baby after a bath? (I know he's not a baby anymore, but he is MY baby!) The little wrinkled toes after bath time is so darn cute!

We were treated by an extra special dinner, made by the 9 year old completely by himself (ok, I did help him drain the grease, drain the pasta and provided him with a recipe). He was so proud, and so were we!! It was probably the best tasting pasta with meat sauce I've ever had! And he even delivered it to the table, restaurant style. :)

For dessert, I whipped up some cupcakes;  and then we decorated them as spaghetti and meatballs. It was fun, and they turned out really cute! Check 'em out!

I can't believe the weekend flew by so quickly! Soon it will be time for school to start again. Speaking of which, we received a big package of books, games and DVDs I ordered for homeschooling this year. There is still more to be bought, but it was nice to get a large amount purchased and shipped already! I can't wait to dig through it all and get started on projects!

And so, another glorious weekend ends. Can't wait to see what next weekend brings!!!! There is still a few more weeks of summer left, so we have to take advantage and live it up!!! Stay tuned!

Around The World in 5 Hours

Our adventures started in the future!!!!

Where water flew through the air!

And toddlers caught sight of their favorite mouse!

But then, we travelled through many countries, taking in the culture and food! Oh, the food!

And finally, then the sun set and it was time to drive home.

Life's A Beach

I live for moments when I can look around me, and all I see and hear is pure bliss. Children laughing, waves lapping at the shore, grandparents enjoying the little ones, feet in the sand and sun on our backs. Moments when I can look around and think "this is what life is all about."

Siesta Key was full of these moments.

And when the sun finally set, setting the shoreline on fire, I could only think one thing:

Life is bliss.