Lessons in the Kitchen

As I sit here blogging, all i hear from the kitchen is groans, slamming of cupboards and mumbling under brad's breath. Another recipe that didn't turn out!!! Brad tried to make a pulled pork dinner. It didn't work out. Was it the meat? Was it the type of cooking proceedure or ingredients? Who knows? This is not the first time thought. Brad has tryed twice to cook a whole chicken on the BBQ and it didn't turn out they way we wanted it too and tryed to make ribs which ended up being so spicy that we had to scrape off the seasoning to get to the meat..
But Brad's cooking adventures aren' the only failures. Since we have moved in I have burnt muffins, messed up the 2nd half of making Jam, Beef stew didn't cook properly and had a pot roast not fit in the crock pot. Now for me I think this cooking thing should come naturally. As it seem it is what a stay at home mom should be good at.
But then I look at it this way... I haven't cooked in 5 years. I have new appliances that I have to get use to, and I have two young kids that take up alot of my attention when I am in the kitchen.
I have this idea in my head though of a wife in the kitchen, kids playing in the other room, husband coming home from work to this wonderful cooked meal. But in my life right now it is me throwing some meat in the oven, can of veggies on the stove and some minute rice for the side dish with Julia and Jade yelling at each other, brad coming home to the pot of rice boiling over, tripping over toys and me yelling at the girls yelling...Yup that is reality.

SO what can i take from this little adventure in the kitchen? Well I think it is going to take some time to find my style of cooking. The 5 cource meal is a few years away, and as long as my family is feed my something half decent, then, all it good!

Bon Appite!

Making Jam

I was so excited to go strawberry picking with Julia and some friends. Could I make my own jam??? Well sure, we have our own kitchen, we can do what we want...YAHHHHH

Early Friday morning we dropped Jade off at Oma's and headed up to Visser Farms. Julia was so happy to be out with just Mommy and with Cadence(her friend). We took a large, medium and small basket and were sure that we would fill them all. Mommy filled most of them but Julia did a very good job for her first time.

We headed home and thought maybe we will spend the day on Saturday and make jam then, but then my mother in law needed my camera so we had to make it Friday night so we could take pictures.

We were so happy to be able to make this memory together as mother & daughter. We bought Julia her own apron so we could be twins in the kitchen. I washed all the strawberries and called Julia when it was time to mash the berries. I though, WOW this is easy and then I noticed...we didn't have lemon juice, I am almost out of sugar and wow...i need more jars...it makes more than I thought. So I sent Brad out to pick up supplies.

Once we made the 1st batch, we felt like pros. We had such a system when we made the jam. I filled them and wiped the jars down and Julia put the lids on and stacked them neatly on the counter. She was so proud of her accomplishment and so was I. We couldn't wait to taste it!

The next day we headed out again for some more supplies to make the rest of the jam. Grabbed the pectin, jars, and more sugar and back into the kitchen I went.

Thinking I was a pro at this i glanced at the instructions and the way i went. I made 16 more jars and tidied up the kitchen.

As I glanced at the newly batch of jam i noticed they didn't look the same but thinking...maybe they were riper berries I sat down to Facebook. As I looked at my friends status, she commented on my jam making and she stated that she messed hers up b/c she didn't boil the water & pectin, I sighed and then it hit me...

I too did not boil the water with the pectin. That is why it looked separated. All the pectin was at the bottom and the berries and sugar was at the top.

I was so upset...here I thought i was such a pro already...then my supportive husband that he is had an idea to separate the jam and pectin in two bowls and add the missing water and boil it with pectin and then mix it with the berries and jar them again.

Well at least this was the way we fixed it...we will see how it turns out in a day or two but any way it will sure taste good on toast or ice cream.

What will be next in our adventures in the kitchen...WHO KNOWS?

Our Move

Alright, it has been over a month since I last posted but I have had a good reason. We finally moved to a home that is ours. Thing went very smoothly.

A few days before we moved i was talking to my sister in law and we were looking at all of our boxes downstairs...boy did we have alot of stuff...maybe we should rent a truck or something? We were planning on doing it with two trailers, two minivans and maybe another truck or something...we don't need a truck? Well, it would make me feel better if we had a truck, just in case...so I called Brad at work and he booked a 24' u-haul truck and we were ready to pick it up on Moving Day.

Thursday, May 28th, we headed off to the lawyers to sign all the papers. Boy, I have never signed my name so much. Everyone was so friendly and very interested in our little story on how we were finally moving to our own home after living with 7 other people for 5 yrs. Now to wait til the next day to get the key. He said that it could be 10am or 4pm that he would have the key...her really didn't know. Oh we will be so busy with moving that the wait will be fine.

Friday, May 29th, The day had come...moving to our home. We left at 7am and grabbed breakfast at mcdonalds with the girls and then headed to pick up the moving truck at 8am.

We headed home to start the loading.
Dad was at the house already tearing down the walls for us to get our bed, couch, lazyboy, and other items out...plus wendy needed the walls down for her stuff too so leave it to Dad to just take down the walls.

We began packing at 9am with the help of our great friend Chris who just came form an overnight shift but he was so willing to help. The guys just made an assembly line and loaded that truck. I really didn't think we would fill that truck up so full. I knew we had a lot of stuff but not to fill a moving truck, our mini van, dad's mini van, and his trailer...plus all the stuff from Gramma's which was all my kitchen items. But who cared...we were moving. We were done packing by 12pm. NO call yet about the key so we sat down to have lunch and just do some last minute clean up...around 1pm still no call and I was starting to go nuts so I left and did some shopping for the house...when I am done, we will get the call right...NOPE. Not til 4:00pm did we get the call!.

FINALLY MOVING IN!

We loaded up the girls in wendy's van, Dad and Chris headed up to the house and I called Gramma and Gramps & Mom and Dad to head up to the house as well... we will all meet there at 5pm.

Brad and I headed to the office to pick up the key...here I thought this was going to be this big thing but all they did was hand us this envelope with the key in it...oh well it is the key to our house so I won;t get picky.

Finally. We had the key to our house...now to unpack...I was so tired so I was hoping my second wind would kick in...it was going to be a long night.

We drove up to our house and there was the whole family waiting to get in. The one thing I wanted though was to walk into the house as a family...There we were at our door ready to walk into the house...

Turing the key and seeing the empty house ready to be filled with our stuff ready to make it ours! Brad actually carried me over the threshold of the house which was really sweet.

The House got very busy. The guys were loading every thing into the garage and the only items to come into the house were the beds and suitcases with clothes, couches and kitchen stuff.

Mom and I got the girls bedrooms set up so the girls could sleep comfortablly tonight.

Gramma set up my kitchen very well I might add...I didn't even have to move things the way I liked b/c she did a great job...well while the kitchen and bed rooms were being set up we hear..OH NO...

That is right...our queen size boxspring didnt fit up the stair well. No matter who tryed, it still wouldn't fit. So we had to buy a new split queen size boxspring later that week so we could sleep off the ground.

By 9:30pm the trucks we unloaded, couches were in and the girls were asleep in there rooms.

The smiths and hilborns left around 8pm so my family ordered pizza and just kind of relaxed and enjoyed the new house.

Brad and I stayed up til 11pm to set up the t.v and satalite for the kids in the morning.

Over all, the move went so well. We were finally in our own home...who knows what the next day will go. Or how the unpacking will go. Only time will tell.

BED TIME for us.

My Mother's Day

I remember when I was growing up, I would try to do everything in my power to give my mom a great mother's day. I would get up early and start making her breakfast in bed. Make coffee for her and bring it up to her and sit with her and talk. When the rest of the kids would wake up I would find something for them to do so they would feel part of the breakfast in bed thing. The week before I would find the perfect gift and the perfect card to make her cry...and it would usually work! I would help my mom with the other kids and getting dinner ready and anything else she needed. I loved celebrating mother's day with my mom.

When I became a mom 4 1/2 years ago, I was so excited to be a mom. Even though Julia couldn't do anything, Brad would have a card for me signed in a silly way from Julia and a little gift. As we had Jade and the girls got older they would make pictures and help daddy make breakfast. It is the whole inocents of thier gifts and excitement from them that makes it so special. And as they get older I know they will try to make my day as special as they can.
But what I don't get is how to spend the day...Do we go to my moms and then to Brad's mom b/c they are our mothers day and have mine a little bit in the morning and then the rest of the day running around to mom to moms house. Our do we stay home and celebrate my mother's day and just do a phone call to our moms which isn't nice either. Or what if Daddy and the kids make a nice dinner for you...well daddy doing most of the work and me running after the kids and try to keep them out of the way while daddy prepares dinner for me

I love my mom to pieces and would still do anything in my power to give her a great day. I love seeing her and being with her. And for me, well I would never change a thing about being a mother. I love my girls. I love that they want me to put them to be and always need thier good night kiss from me. They love when I come home. They never want me to go. They love to go places with me, They love the cuddling on the couch just before bed. Even though they drive me up the walls most of the day and I lose my tempter with them, they still say I love you and they still call me mommy. Those priceless moments that are only for me, THEIR MOMMY.

I am so thankful to God that he blessed me we these two beautiful girls and it was just what I always wanted for my life when I was growing up so I guess, All my dreams have come true.

The Things that make me fall deeper in love with You!

In the last 24 hours I have been sick...the girls were sick the week before so we really had not gotten a good night sleep in a while, but when I woke up sick with a upset stomach you stepped up to the plate.
You have always been a great father to our girls and I have never doubted you for a moment but watching you be that main caregiver for the girls just melted my heart.
Telling me that on Friday Night that both girls were crying because they were tired and didn't get their way and you just not knowing what to do at first was kind of what I go through a lot with the kids but you just changed your way of thinking . You got down on the floor and starting chasing Jade which made her laugh...Julia saw you playing and Jade laughing well she saw that it was fun, she joined in and there were no tears. What a great dad.
When Saturday morning rolled around...with no complaining about wanting to sleep, you let me go back to bed and sleep while you feed the kids and cleaned up and let me sleep til 10am. Even though you were tired from having Jade in bed with you all night, it wasn't a thought about going back to bed
During the day, I layed on the couch...it hurt just walking and sitting up. You fed the kids, played with them, changed them, and was so selfless it was amazing to witness.
When we met I didn't know what kind of father you would be. But it is so clear now...You are a big giant kid your self. Loves to have fun, so patient, gentle and calm. The girls know just how comforting you are and they know then minute you walk in the door from work, the gentle, calm, patient, selfless father is there to play with them.
I love you Brad and I am so blessed to have a husband that takes care of me but also our girls. I can't thank you enough.
I love you!

Things I am Looking forward to in our Home

1. Above Ground
2. More than 3 rooms
3. COUNTER SPACE
4. Bathrooms that will only be used as bathrooms not kitchen space
5. Girls will have thier own room
6. Our own kitchen
7. Actual Living room
8.Kitchen Table that our whole family can sit at
9. Being able to walk into our place with out going through a whole house and down stairs
10. A backyard that Julia and Jade are safe to play in
11. Closet space for all of us
12. Our own Bathroom
13. My own bathtub
14. Laundry room
15. Not worrying that we are a burden to our family
16. Feeling like a family of our own
17.Toys being in the basement and bedrooms and not in the living room
18. Landing for shoes and coats]

If I really had time, i could list so much more. I am feeling so blessed and happy that our time has finally come. It is still so surreal. I still can't beleive it!

20 Days in Counting

Being home in the basement with the girls when they are sick makes it so much harded to be in the basement. You feel so trapped and confinded. By 4pm it feels like it has been forever. All i want to do is see the sun shine.
I wish I could pack everything up and just live around the boxes. I could do it and I think Brad could too but I can just see the girls going through each box and mixing everything up. There really isn't too much more to back except the stuff we need for living. So I know the last week of being in the apartment will be so crazy and boxes everywhere but it is so worth it.