A favourite of mine

Cleaning out and organizing and a walk down memory lane

It seems that although we have the next month off it is going to be a busy one for us. Next week we have our churches VBS, the week following we have Family Camp, then Michael is going to PEI for a golf weekend with the boys from work, then we have overnight company from Quebec. We are looking forward to all of it. I also have many tasks that are too big to do during the school year that need to get done, so on the days when nothing else is going on these tasks will be put on the list of things to do.

Last week I managed to get all of John's clothes gone through, put all the too small stuff in a bag, it actually end up being a garbage bag and a half, for our pastor's son. He is just a year behind him in size and the season match pretty well and since he is the only boys with 3 sister he is in general need of clothing. Most of it to be honest are just play clothes by the time they get to him but he loves them especially any of the ones with Spiderman, Batman or other super heroes. Then I pulled out the next season of clothes, which come from Wallace and his friend 'new Jacob'. It is always a fun time to see what treasures are hidden in those bins, John always finds one or two things that are his new favourites. You know the things that barely make it back into the dresser before they are worn again. I am so grateful for hand me downs it save money, the environment and my sanity. (If you have ever tried shopping with a 5 year old, you'll know what I mean.)

Yesterday, Micheal cleaned out the cubby under the stairs, it was a job that has been needing to be done for....years (if I am honest) and it finally got done yesterday. The thing that made it such a chore was that is was the storage place for all of our photos. I have no idea how many but there is a lot. We separated them into years for the past 13 years that we have been together and then another section for what Michael called 'pre-me'. Now that they are divided into sections I can take a year out at a time and further organize them. It sure was a walk down memory lane. We looked at ones of the boys when they were babies and sat and thought "Where has the time gone?". We looked at ones of friends and relative who are no longer with us and thought "Am I ever glad I have these.", as the memories came flooding back.

Last night I was talking to my mom and I was telling about what we had done, which brought us to reminiscing about the stories we've heard and we discussed the need to write them down so that they can be passed on to the next generation. Maybe we can write them down and pass them around the family so that others can add details that they remember from the stories. It looks like I may have just created a project for myself. I think it would be wonderful to pass on their family Legacy to my boys.

I'll leave you with a photograph that we came across yesterday. We know when and where this photo was taken, we aren't sure by who or what the joke was but it sure looks like Micheal (in the chair), my sister, my brother-in-law and myself think it is really funny.

School

We are done school!!!!!!!
Who's more excited me or the boys, it is really heard to tell.

Days of the Weeks Book

I read an idea somewhere that kids like to create books, that they enjoy the process and it helps in recollection of the information that they put in the book. John and I were studying the days of the week at the time so we made a days of the week book, here it is. The original is going to his baby sitter, whom he adores. Enjoy!

Hair cuts

Today after school Michael, Wallace and John went and got their haircut. They really needed it, especially John as you can see the hair was hanging in their eyes.

Now they look nice and neat and ready for summer. In either picture I think you can tell that John just loves his big brother.

At the dinner table

Tonight while we were eating dinner it hit me how much of our meals are homemade. We tend to eat homemade of the regular things like bread, cookies, muffins, tomato sauce etc. but what hit me tonight was how many of the condiments were also homemade. I don't really know if making them myself saves any money but let me tell you the taste sure is an improvement over store bought, plus I know exactly what goes into each of them. I was also surprised at just how long they last, I haven't had any problems with them going bad. They haven't been left for months in the fridge but they have been in there for several weeks. Pictured above is ketchup, sour cream, salad dressing and "Miracle Whip". These all easy to make with the exception of the "Miracle Whip" and I wouldn't recommend it to a novice at preparing home cooked meals, it takes forever to make and if you don't do exactly right it will separate quicker than you can wink. However, Michael really likes it, so much so that he was willing to stand in front of the mixer and add the oil drop by drop last time. It does taste as good if not better than the name brand stuff, but I don't think I am saving any money on this one, at least not if time is money and you take into account the electricity, but there are no stabilizers or preservative in that jar.

What do you like to make from scratch?

Not so good

Wallace and I have caught whatever it is that John had over the weekend. Today has been unproductive, a total write off. John was feeling better with in 2 days so hopefully that will hold true for Wallace and I too. Oh, well, the TV, Wii and the computer have been well used today and I got a nap in too. Praying for a better tomorrow.