We have this alcove in our family room that houses our TV, along with movies, components, wires, Wii stuff, remotes, etc. It is a nice space, and we’ve always wanted to do something more with it. So a few weeks ago we talked to Zac’s cousin Ryan, who can build just about anything, about doing a built-in entertainment center. He said he could do it, and with a little bit of Zac’s help, one week later he was at our door ready to install it! We were not quite prepared for how fast he got it done, so I didn’t get to take a “before” picture, but if you can look past the child in the foreground, here is a picture I found of what our alcove looked like before:
Before
Just a TV and and IKEA entertainment center (which I sort of broke). And now:
After
We love it! I have some storage space for movies, toys, DVD player, plus some! And I don’t know what to do in those pretty shelves above, but I’m sure they’ll get filled up. Thanks Ryan!
BONUS! There was an estate sale on our street last week, which means TONS of cars were coming up our street for 3 days straight. So we put the old entertainment center out on the sidewalk with a sign that said “FREE” on it, and it was gone within 10 minutes. Saved me a trip to CCA!
Addie is in the process of trying to drop her nap. Some days she will sleep, some days she will not. It has moved steadily back from starting at 12:30 and going until about 2 or 2:15, to starting at 1:30 and going until 3:30ish. When she actually falls asleep. On the days she does not sleep, I ask her to read or play quietly, or rest in her bed, and she has “rest time” for about an hour. She still comes out of her room a couple of times during the hour, but I just remind her that it is resting time, and she will continue to lay down and rest, or play quietly. Quietly is a loose term, since most of the time she is singing while she is playing, which I am fine with.
Today while she was “napping”, she made a royal mess of her room. She pulled out toys I didn’t even remember we had. And to top it off, she found a pack of stickers and tore them all off and put them on the floor!
I was about to be seriously ticked when I looked a little closer, and saw this:
She had split up the stickers and placed them into groups! What an organizer! Maybe I should enlist her help organizing the rest of my house.
Someone I know or knew chose one word each year to focus on all year long. She made it sort of a mantra that was meant to inspire and motivate her to be better. I can’t remember who you are, but if you are reading this, feel free to take the credit for this idea. I want to do that this year. I have been reflecting on how things are going (which is pretty smoothly) and I want to remember these years as a time I cherished, instead of just endured. Because I think many of us can agree that sometimes it seems like there is no end in sight of nighttime feelings, teething troubles, eating battles, toddler tantrums, potty training, etc. I know I sometimes get bogged down in this kind of stuff. But why not focus on the precious hugs and slobbery kisses, bedtime snuggles, joyful smiles, ticklish tummies, first milestones, and kid-like excitement that comes with every holiday where candy is involved? Almost every time I am in public and someone whose kids are grown sees me struggling with my kids, they always smile knowingly and just say, “Cherish these days. They go by way too fast.”
That is why this year I have chosen to focus on the word Cherish. I will cherish my sweet baby and my fiery yet totally fun preschooler. I will cherish my thoughtful husband. I will cherish my caring parents, siblings and in-laws. I will cherish my friends. I will cherish memories we make, and hopefully I will write more of them down so they don’t slip away. That is my goal this year.
I am so far from perfect and am working on being a better sister, daughter, mother, wife and friend. But I am hoping that as I find joy in this little life of mine, that I will be able to improve on my flaws and just be a better, happier person.
We made donuts! Addie found some video of a kid making donuts on youtube, and asked if we could make our own donuts. I had never done it before, but Zac had, so while he was home we decided to give it a shot. I was surprised they turned out so tasty! They don’t look great, but we learned a few things for next time. Like, don’t make them so huge! If they were smaller we could have browned them slightly on the outside and they would be done on the inside. Addie is a great helper and helped me cut out the shapes of donuts she wanted (heart, pumpkin, circle). It took about 3 hours, and Nolan was a dear and slept almost the entire time!
Step 1. Mix the dough and let it rise for about an hour. Then roll out the dough and cut into shapes!
Cutting them out
Cookie cutters work
Step 2. Let the dough rise another 30 minutes to an hour.
Getting a little messy!
Step 3. Heat up the oil, but use a thermometer to check if it is hot, NOT your fingers. Addie missed the memo on that one, and burned her finger. She spent the next 10 minutes soaking her fingers in cold water. It was sad, but funny because Zac had told her 3 seconds before she did it “Don’t put your fingers in the oil, it is HOT.” Then she promptly put her fingers in the oil. Ouch!
Soaking her finger
Step 4. Toss the donuts in the oil, and flip them with chopsticks when they are brown.
Guess I should have dressed up for this photo shoot
Almost done...
Step 5. Take them out when both sides are browned, and glaze them!
Before the glaze
Step 6. Eat! Addie loved eating her donuts!
All glazed and ready to be eaten
She liked the donut holes...just her size!
These last two weeks we have had lots of fun being home together as a family. We have been going places like the mall playground, the museum, Grandma and Grandpa’s, the bowling ally, and the park. However, the best part was just spending time together as a family.
Trampoline Family
P.S. Doesn’t my new fence in the background look great…
