Project 365: Week 12

Meal Plan Monday: The COLD is back!

Here in North Carolina, we've been enjoying beautiful spring weather for weeks - daytime highs anywhere from the mid 60s- mid 80s. The trees are blooming, our flip-flops have come out of hiding, many hours have been spent outside playing, and the pollen is making everything yellow. With the exception of the pollen, I've been loving it! Unfortunately, our spring-like weather has come to an abrupt end. Check out our 5-day forecast...makes me want to cry! Update: I removed the forecast picture b/c it kept updating and the forecast is now a bit more bearable :)

With the return of cold weather, the heat is back on, the grill is temporarily closed, and I'm looking for some good, warm food. Here's what's going on our dinner plates this week:

Monday: Chili

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Potatoes, Broccoli

Wednesday: BBQ Pork, Mac-n-Cheese, Green Beans

Thursday: Stuffed Shells & Salad

Weekend: Wedding Festivities for a college friend...no cooking for me!

Check out many other meal plans at OrgJunkie.

Project 365: Week 11

The History of 'APRONS'

My grandparents love to send forwards. It sort of drives me nuts, however I always skim through because once in a while there will be a really good one. Today was one of the good ones. I'm an apron lover and wear them frequently, so is my grandmother. We're kindred spirits in so many ways....

photo source unknown

I don't think our kids know what an apron is...

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.  But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. 

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.   

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. 

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. 

And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms. 

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.  

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.  

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. 

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.  

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. 

  

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.  

  

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love... 

Take-a-Long Trains

I've already made a car version for Lightning McQueen and his friends from Radiator Springs, but I see this train version in our future!

How adorable is that?!?! Check out the tutorial at Hippos & Dinosaurs (photo belongs her).

"This is the Stuff"

This is such a FUN song, but also has a great point. Love it!

"In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed!" 

Hope you get some REST today. Happy Sunday!

Evolution of a Kitchen

Our kitchen is one of the main features that sold me on this house. Thankfully I could see past the current aesthetics and just knew it had potential! It has certainly come a long way since we moved in several years ago...

October 2006 - We moved into a sea of blue floral wallpaper!

July 2007 - Had the wallpaper removed and painted a warm orange to balance out all the white. I love color!

March 2011 - New stainless appliances, granite counters, and wood floors. I'm in LOVE!!

Project 365: Week 10

Sometimes, it's the simple things

Sometimes it's the simple things that make life wonderful. I ran across these pictures from this past fall and had to smile. A beautiful fall day, we'd been playing outside and decided to have a picnic. Little Man preferred to take his lunch in his wagon. 

Hilarious. Adorable. Quite practical.

It was messy and took a bit longer than our usual lunch, but it was so worth it.

Your Great Name

Loving this song lately...

Really love that Little Man sings parts of it with me at just 2.5 years old. So sweet to my heart!!

Project 365: Week 9