In My Home This Week: Two Big

In my home this week:

...on Sunday, Josh turns two.  He's learned so many things this past year: how to walk, how to talk, how to climb, how to fall...Ouch!  Life lessons can be hard, can't they?  And the life lessons we watch our children learn hurt us as badly as it hurts them.  It all starts with that first fall.  I've told my children these days are just training them to deal with the hurts their children will face when they are older.  Sad but true.

I've made cupcakes for Josh's celebration.  His real family party will occur in July when the family is settled in their new home.  This is just an acknowledgement of his actual day.  Next year perhaps it will be more important to him than to us.  Do you remember how anticipated birthdays were when you were young?  I do.  It wasn't a big deal in my childhood home, but it was still anticipated.

Saturday morning his Grampa got him out of bed.  Where he'd fuss and complain to me, "No! No!  Mama!",  not a peep came out of his mouth when his beloved Gah picked him up.  He rode out of the room on Grampa's arm like a proud prince on his finest steed, smiling from ear to ear.  I'm telling you that Gah is something special in this boy's eyes.  Gramma Gah is okay but Grampa is the thing.

I think I'm liking this new season, this sweet season of life.

...we plan meals:

Bess surprised me last Sunday by sitting down across the table from me, saying 'Let's plan meals!'  She was prepared with recipes and called out ingredients so we'd know which we should purchase on grocery day.  It was one of the quickest meal planning sessions I've ever had.  I wish there were always two to plan the menus!  Two of the meals we'd planned didn't get made due to schedule changes.  I made one for Saturday and will add the other to this week's menu as well.  We're keeping it simple for Josh's birthday party.  We're having sandwiches, just because it will be most convenient following church.  The rest of the meals I'll share when Bess and I figure them out.

Stuffed Peppers, Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread, Cake with Chocolate Frosting (Grampa's Father's Day treat)

Turkey Sandwiches, Cheetos, Cupcakes

Mongolian Beef, Rice, Steamed Broccoli

?????

One more meal will be planned using what is on hand.  We've been discussing schedules and John nor Sam will be here for three days and Bess and I will be gone one day.  We've decided to just make two meals and serve leftovers rest of the week.  Sounds like a plan to us!

...I work in my home:

I didn't clean the bottoms of my pots a couple of weeks ago as planned.  Again I left a dark ring on my white counter top.  Gas stoves sometimes make a sooty deposit that builds up on the pan bottom, even when it's not visible to the eye.  I bought Comet this past week, my preferred cleaner for bottoms of pans.  Yes, baking soda will work but not half as well and it does take a bit longer. 

Remember those digital photos of my home I meant to take?  Didn't do that either.  I will do that this week to give me a better idea of areas I mean to concentrate on in improving and decluttering for next month.

Organize my food cupboard.  I can't find a single thing and it's getting ridiculous.  I dug about Saturday trying to find tomato soup Saturday morning and had to half empty the cupboard.  There's good reason why I stopped using that space for mass food storage. 

Do household laundry: sheets, towels, napkins, place mats, etc.

Plant the hydrangea in front of the front porch.

Clean up some glass loaf pans I've promised Katie, if I can get to them. 

Order Katie's birthday present.

Start the next book for review.

Visit the kids new home one day.  Not exactly work but a long drive front and back of the day and will take all day long.

Keep Josh for the kids while they go out to celebrate Samuel's birthday.

Other than that it's still a matter of a bit of work, a bit of leisure and a whole lot of just keeping up.

...I plan my leisure:

A manicure and pedicure might well be in order this week.  I haven't had time to really tend to myself so I'll just plan a beauty day.  Surely I can do a bit here and there if I don't have a full block of time in one day.