THE BIG MOVE...(a post for Tara)

So, moving day has come and gone... we are officially living in our new home. WOW... it feels so big.

The flight over was interesting. Luke, has officially gone from the 'In Flight sleeper', to 'Speed Baby'... he was busy busy busy, non stop! He would lunge over the arm of my seat (I had an isle seat) and hang into the isle so that he could look back at all the passengers. Then he would shout at them... a happy, conversation style shouting, but very loud shouting none the less. Then he would try to climb up me, to look over my seat at the people behind me, or when he got done with that, he would try to get a hold of the magazines in the seat back pocket... my gosh it was exhausting holding him. Thank goodness the flight wasn't very long. He also made friends with the steward, who ADORED him and would stop to chat to my shouting boy every time he went up or down the isle. He also brought Luke some cookies to suck on (like he needed any more sugar) LOL

Our stuff arrived on Friday night, and then our totally awesome new fridge, washer and dryer were delivered on Saturday... I promptly got started on the laundry. LOL... I love my new appliances...a definite step up from the ancient appliances in our old apartment. WHOO HOO. Now, we are slowly starting the process of unpacking. We have pretty much just unpacked the basics for now, cos we want to paint... turns out that the colour we thought was just a neutral beige actually looks like diarrhea on our walls, so tonight we went to Lowes and got a few paint samples, so we can start painting maybe this weekend...it will all be a work in progress. The bathrooms need some work too, and then of course there are the finishing touches of decor, hanging (after buying) some curtains etc etc... all in due time... right now, if I unload the dishwasher and get a load of laundry done in a day, it's a lot with my very busy, little boy who needs constant attention.

We are excited for the spring to arrive. Jake and I had already decided we want to grow a vegetable garden.. then when we arrived here, we realised that they already have one. It's in need of some TLC... lots of weeds, and it's kinda messy looking right now, but it's a great starting point for us. They have some acorn squash, yellow squash, tomatoes etc growing there... they will all die over the winter, but Jake and I will replant the garden in the spring and I will try to learn my hand at gardening. I plan to have an adorable and very successful vegetable garden, as well as learn how to do a few flower beds... I can't wait. When Luke is a bit older.. walking at least, we can get our hands dirty together in the spring and summer months. It'll definitely be a change from constantly being indoors. I am so glad that we will have space when Luke is walking... with his activity level, I think the apartment would have been a disaster for an active toddler.

OUR FRONT YARD (from the front door)

OUR BACKYARD (Taken from the back porch)

OUR VEGETABLE GARDEN (That needs some TLC next Spring)
The grass-less square markings are where the previous owners took down their chicken coop. We will have to get that area growing grass again.

Jake started work again on Monday... Which also happened to be his 30th birthday... I am not sure if starting a new job on your birthday is a good or bad thing really. Fortunately, either way, it went well, and so far he seems to be enjoying the new job. The company really seems good, and so far they have taken care of us, just as they said they would. Their motto is "hire for life" so we are hoping that everything really does stay on this good path. My only 'quirk' with the company, which really is just that...a quirk, is that they need to fire the dude who designed the work uniforms... LOL... Jake has a very unstylish white 2 piece coverall style work uniform with the company logo on it... Really, all he needs is a pair of thick black glasses, and we have your class A Dork right there. Apparently they don't have a woman working in the design department. LOL

LUKE CAMPING OUT IN OUR CLOSET ON THE LAST NIGHT IN THE APARTMENT...
(It was box and clutter free, and his crib had already been dismantled. LOL)

OUR LITTLE MISTER

"Mommy's Little Stinker"

One of Luke's favourite toys is the fruit bowl. He is able to sit for quite a while, holding himself up by holding onto it, while 'eating' the fruit.

The first time riding in the shopping cart...

Our 5 and a half month old 'Couch Potato' TV Junkie... Ann & Dave BeBeau gave us this little toddler sleeper couch tonight when we went over for dinner. Just before bed, we decided to try Luke out on it. We put his Baby Einstein DVD on, and plopped him on the couch... He LOVED it... sat there, happy as pie watching the TV... we had a good laugh. Like father like son I suppose.

IN THE VILLAGE

Today Jake and I had our last Michigan outing. We went to Greenfield Village. My friend Tara and her two cuties came with us. The fall colours are beautiful in Michigan right now, so we tried to get a few pictures of Luke and his buddies in the fallen leaves.

I don't think the boys were as interested in cute pictures and historic buildings as the rest of us were.

This is a picture of my 'special' friend doing her 'special' thing... Just can't get a normal picture with some people, can you. LOL. :D

Last week, we visited the Henry Ford museum. Jake was absolutely in his element there. It was fun. Here is a picture of Luke and his daddy playing in a VERY BIG Combine.

SAD GOODBYES AND NEW BEGINNINGS

Today was our last day in the Livonia ward. We are sad to be leaving, but very excited to be moving into our new home. You'd never say that we are moving in just 4 short days. Not a box is in sight, not a single picture frame has been taken off the walls, and every thingamabob is still in it's regular place. At least up until now, this move has not been very stressful.

Tonight, we got together for dinner with some good friends of ours, Tara & Nick, to enjoy a last get together before we leave.
I had wanted to title this post, "The Last Supper", but Jake thought it was a little inappropriate. LOL... it did sound rather catchy though.
We have made some great friends here, and we are really going to miss them. I was looking so forward to Luke and Joshua growing up together and being little play buddies in just a couple years.

We got some pics of the little guys together... it was late, and past their bedtime, so they weren't in their most co-operative moods, but they are cute anyway.

On the way home, Luke decided to play with his beanie... this is the result. We had a good laugh.

STILL WORKING ON IT

Just a quick note, to let you all know that my blog currently looks the way it does, because it is "under construction"... I am giving my blog a face lift, and trying to learn a few web design/coding basics while at it, so it's taking some time, and is a work in progress.

See you soon!

MEALS FOR MEN 101

I know, I know... ANOTHER blog post this week... just stop whining and keep reading :D

Ok, so I have gotten a lot of flack from certain family members (I won't mention names, DAD and MANDY) in recent months about how starved my husband is, due to my negligent ways in the kitchen... chicken nuggets and ravioli apparently isn't a suitable meal for a man. LOL... Although, in my defense, it is actually one of mine AND Jakes favourite quick meals, and we have it about once a week. Of course you can tell by Jakes skinny, sunken belly and disappearing thighs, that he is just fading away before our eyes from his constant state of starvation.

Anyway, I was reading a friends blog recently (the same blog I saw the post about Taylie on - Yes Valerie, I am talking about you, and your very handy blogging) and came across a link to a website that has a 30 recipe meal plan... in a nutshell, you try a bunch of recipes over a few months etc, in a search for 30 recipes that your family really likes, and that you can then compile into a file or book and use as rotational recipes for every month - this is suppose to make shopping easier and eliminate the 6:00pm "What should we have for dinner?" question that goes through most moms minds every evening when their families are already starving. Well, I liked this meal planning idea, and I loved the idea of using 30 tried and tested family favourites, so I have started my hunt for my 30 recipes. Below, are pictures of 2 of my attempts...

First on the menu is butternut soup (served with rosemary foccacia bread)

My rating: 6/10
Jakes rating: 7/10

With ratings less than a 9 or 10, this one doesn't make the 30 recipes list, so I am still on the hunt for a YUMMY butternut soup, cos we both love soup, and I love a good butternut soup... so if you have one, please send it my way...

Second on the menu is wild caught Salmon, with hollandaise sauce (sauce courtesy of my co-chef Jake, who made the sauce while I fed Luke), Spicy apple filled Acorn squash and my yummy green bean & potato mushy stuff - This meal was YUMMY... the salmon was great, however this meal won't go onto our 30 recipes list in it's entirety because we were gifted the Salmon, and are too poor to pay $6 per lb in order to have it regularly...so this meal will need a substitution. The apple filled acorn squash however, is pretty darn yummy and will definitely be made again.

My rating: 9/10
Jakes rating: 9/10

With a less expensive substitute for the salmon, this is a definite for our 30 recipes.

So there you have it... my 'meals for men 101' - Hopefully in the coming months, and with the help of the more functional and spacious kitchen in our new house, I will be able to compile a file of 30 tasty family favourites to feed my malnourished husband and 'tiny' son.