Hail Storms, Ambulance Rides and Tadpole News

 Good evening, friends!

I hope this blog post finds you well and happy! 

Our week has been crazy as usual. I will start by backing up to Tuesday of last week.

On Tuesday the girls and I worked hard on school and got school done as quickly as we could. In the afternoon we went to Warrensburg to visit with my mother-in-law, Lisa (A.K.A. Mimi). We spent some time visiting at her apartment. Kayla enjoyed playing out her balcony, as that was the first time Kayla had been to her new apartment.

Kayla Stares In the Balcony Window Behind Me

After we visited most of the afternoon away, we took Mimi and went to have supper at Country Kitchen.

Mimi and Alysia

After dinner we headed to Knob Noster State Park to visit with my mom, who was there for Spring Interetation Training for Missouri State Parks. It was good to see her, as well as many other friends that I don't get to see very often. We had a good evening, and didn't head home until close to 10:00 p.m. We got home around 11:00 p.m. 

While we were visiting with my mom I also found out that my brother and sister-in-law found out their baby is a girl! Yahoo!

Baby Girl K. Due August 27th

On Wednesday morning I had to be up for a doctor's appointment in the morning, and then afterwards I worked with the girls on school and Aaron started working on installing the new front screen door.

Kayla finished school and went outside to play. As soon as Aaron finished the door, it started sprinkling. Kayla was thrilled because she recently told me she had never played in the rain and she wanted to. 

Kayla's First Frolic in the Rain

Kayla's rain playing came to an abrupt end when it started hailing. At first the hail was small, and I got her in. But a few second later it turned to golf-ball size. Aaron got our car under cover quickly, and there was no damage except to our porch roof. The porch roof is corrugated plastic sheets, and it knocked a bunch of large holes in it. Now I'm going to have to replace the porch roof since it is now impossible to stay dry under it. It seems every time one thing is finished another item gets added to our list. 

Hail Damage Holes in Porch Roofing

On Friday in our "Our Mississippi" study the girls were studying the great flood of 1927. The girls had to create a news broadcast about the flood. They did a good job, and it was super cute. 

Alysia Gives Her News Broadcast

On Friday our new porch furniture arrived. We have had a pink chair and an old green plastic table on our porch. We have wanted some good porch furniture for awhile. We didn't have enough money to order everything we wanted, but we did order two chairs and a small glass-topped table. Once we get some more we will remove the old stuff, but for right now, at least we have more seating.

Before

After

On Saturday mid-morning we found Buddy (our tadpole) wasn't doing too well. Unfortunately, he passed away in the late afternoon. Tadpoles have a habit of gulping air at the top of the water for some reason. Sometimes when this happens their abdomen fills with air, and they rarely recover from it. I felt bad for the girls, and Kayla cried for a couple of hours. He was given a water burial.

Sunday we got up and came downstairs. Everyone was hungry. I was at the stove cooking some bacon up. Kayla was unloading the dishwasher, which is one of her chores. Kayla said her legs felt weird, and a second later she passed out on us. We grabbed her before she hit the floor, and I cradled her in my arms. I gently patted her face and tried to wake her up while Aaron called 911. She came around but was kind of out of it. When EMS arrived they checked her blood sugar to see if maybe it had dropped since she hadn't eaten yet, but it was normal. We loaded her up in the ambulance and I rode with her while Aaron and Alysia followed. 

Kayla in the Ambulance

When we got to the hospital they ran several tests, and couldn't find anything wrong other than being a bit dehydrated. I am always on her to drink, but now I have to be on her even more. We got home, and she bounced back pretty quickly.

Kayla Was a Trooper

After we got home we found out that my niece had her gender reveal party. They found out they will be having a boy...my first great-nephew.

Baby Boy H. Due October 20th

Monday was Memorial Day. We ended up relaxing and grilling out. I was also able to finish my paint by number that I had started for one of the girls for Christmas. I have a second one to do. I haven't decided which one I am going to give which girl, but I thought this one turned out pretty well!

Christmas Painting for the Girls

I went to the store the other day. Not only did I need to pick up my own groceries, but I needed to pick up groceries for my catering job this weekend. I have started going to both Aldi and Wal-Mart in order to compare prices while I shop. Sometimes I can save a few pennies on an item...sometimes a couple dollars. Regardless...I'm saving on average around $10 per trip. It might not be much...but $40 a month extra will pay another bill. Is it more work? Yes. Is it worth it? Definitely.

This week we found out Aaron's promotion at work was approved and he is now a maintenance tech 2! It is something he has been hoping for for awhile now, so we were super excited. They also have kept changing his schedule around recently, which has been pretty annoying. His boss gave him a gift card as a thank you for being willing to help extra where needed, so at least that was nice.

We were supposed to go to the cosmosphere in Kansas tomorrow, but due to several things we have decided to push that trip back to the fall. As we already had the day scheduled off school, we are going to go ahead and take it off since now we will be going to Springfield. As such, we are done with school for the week other than an essay that Alysia is currently writing. Woo-hoo!

Alysia's essay is on Robert Edwin Peary and Roald Amundsen...the gentlemen primarily credited with first exploring the north and south poles. These explorers were active in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She has to write 200 words and is mostly down to spell checking and correcting errors.

Tomorrow we are taking Kayla down to southern Missouri to spend a couple days with her mom. On the way down we are going to go through Springfield to eat at Lamberts. Kayla has been asking to go there to eat for months, so we are going to take the girls there before we head further south. Tomorrow is Aaron's only day off work in a stretch of 7, so hopefully we'll be back in a reasonable amount of time. 

On Saturday I have to start preparing for my catering job on Sunday, and then Sunday evening Kayla will be home. Her mom is bringing her all they way back here, so that will be good.

All in all it's gearing up to be a very busy weekend. I hope you all have great plans for the weekend, and I look forward to visiting with you again soon!

Amanda

Cooking and School and Hikes, OH MY!

Good Monday evening, my friends!

First off, I'm sorry I didn't get an update posted over the weekend, as I normally try to do. It wasn't the best weekend, and every spare moment was spent just treading water. However, it is a new week and we are on the up and up...I hope.

As always, we have worked hard on school. The girls were both in the last week of their current units (10 units to a year, 3 weeks to a unit). 

Alysia learned about:

• Language Arts: Story details, noun/verb/adjective/adverbs practice, main ideas, kinds of stories, comparative adjectives, suffixes, written directions, reading, written invitations, verb tenses, study notes, spelling, and subject-verb agreement
• Math: Plane and solid shapes, multiplication, lines and line segments, polygons, angles, rays, angle labeling, measurement, equivalent fractions, sequencing, and missing number problems
• History and Geography: Grasslands of the world including the geography and history of Ukraine and their steppes, Kenya and their savannahs and Argentina and their pampas, as well as touching briefly on the prairies of the Great Plains of the United States
• Science: Simple machines and the difference between them and complex machines
• Bible: Studying the Bible and different methods of doing so, Bible memorization, and living the Bible way including sections regarding obeying parents, being friends, gaining wisdom, working hard, living happily with others and telling the truth, as well as reading in Exodus, Leviticus, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians
• PE: Exercising and outdoor play, and a nature hike at Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
• Art: Quilling and maze making
• Lifeskills: Home Economics - Introduction to kitchen safety

Kayla learned about:

• Language Arts: Reading, spelling, introduction to nouns, vowel and consonant review, penmanship, word patterns, vowel digraphs, singular vs. plural nouns, beginning and ending sounds, common/proper nouns
• Math: Number words to 100, addition facts to 18, subtraction facts to 18, place value, adding/subtracting 2 digit numbers number order, operation symbols, number sentences, fact families, story problems, patterns, and flat shapes
• History and Geography: Communities, the world in the beginning, Adam and Eve, creation, the flood, early exploration, Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Native Americans, the Norse, Alibates Flint Quarries and Mesa Verde
• Science: Living/nonliving objects, creation, growing a bean seed, and God-made/man-made objects
• Bible: Who am I?, God loves us, the plan of salvation, the Bible, Daniel, as well as reading in Exodus, Leviticus, 2 Corinthians and Galations
• PE: Exercising and outdoor play, and a nature hike at Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site
• Art: Quilling and maze making
• Lifeskills: Home Economics - Introduction to kitchen safety

They both worked hard on their finals. Kayla is doing super well for just getting started with us. She was super proud of her final grades.

Kayla's Finals

The other night while Alysia was finishing up her schoolwork Kayla helped me make dinner. I was making sweet and sour pork, so while I trimmed, cut and browned the meat, Kayla made the sauce all by herself. She was so excited and was happy that it was so good.

Kayla's Kitchen Alchemy

Sweet and Sour Pork

On Thursday afternoon we made our way down to Butler, Missouri where we spent a couple hours at a park doing school. Then we met my mom, niece Audrey and friend Melissa for dinner at Tu Casa Mexican Restaurant before we went to the Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site where my Mom was leading a wildflower hike. There weren't many wildflowers blooming there yet, but it was a beautiful evening and a delightful walk.

My Mom Leads the Nature Walk

While we were finishing our walk we ran across a small snake. We weren't sure what it was so I contacted my friend, John. John is the author of the book Show-Me Herps. He identified it as a juvenile banded water snake. Cool find!

Our Reptilian Friend

In other news, what's going on currently? We'll let's see...

Our garden is growing super quick. Our beans are not only up, but they are probably about 5-6" tall already. Our cucumbers are up about 3" or so. I'm thinking I may need to reseed my herb pots. They haven't shown anything yet, which is really strange. I'm wondering if my seeds got washed away by overzealous waterers with too strong a stream of water.

Last winter I pruned my rose bush. I cut it back to about 4 inches. This spring it has gone crazy with new growth and foliage...and now...beautiful roses! I am so glad I trimmed it back.

Beautiful Roses

The girls cleaned and washed the car today. I think they like doing it mostly as an excuse to get wet when it's hot outside. By the time they were done they were both soaked...which was their intention to begin with as they had asked if they could put on their swimsuits with shorts over them. LOL.

I am working on a couple painting pictures that will be gifted to the girls for Christmas. They are fun, but are taking forever. They are the adult versions of paint-by-number on canvas, but some of the spaces and numbers are so small that I have to use a magnifying glass to ensure accuracy. So far I am making slow progress.

Project In Progress

Dinner is cooking and smelling so good. I have a pot of venison stew simmering. Once the veggies are a bit softer I am going to thicken it and we will be ready to eat. 

Aaron is at work tonight. He gets off in the morning and then has a couple days off.

Tomorrow we are going to Warrensburg and Knob Noster. We will have a chance to see both mothers on the same day. We will make a visit to my mother-in-law, and then we are going to Knob Noster State Park where my mother is attending Spring Interpretive Training for interpreters within Missouri State Parks. I taught at this training program for many, many years. But since I left state park employment I am just going for a visit in the evening. I will get a chance to see my mom as well as many good friends that I miss so much.

Let's see...what else is on the calendar coming up that I am looking forward to?

• June - catering job, a trip to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, a trip to Hannibal with my mom, Father's Day, two nieces' graduation parties, and Aaron and I's wedding anniversary
• July - Independence Day, and Civil War Day Camp at Prairie State Park
• October - Quintrill's Raiders Reunion Reenactment at the Battle of Lone Jack

Well, my friends. That's it for now. I have to go finish dinner and help a child with math. A work of a mom is never done.

Have a good evening!

Amanda

P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had it prepared hours earlier other than spell check and post. But...I got busy dishing up supper and now it is nearing midnight. Have a good sleep!

Mother's Day and Weekly Update

Hello, Friends!

This has been a great week, and I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope all my mom readers had a great day as well! 

Backing up...

Last Sunday (the week before Mother's Day) we picked Kayla up on Sunday evening, and had the pleasure of having dinner with my mom, sister and two nieces. It was a good little family reunion before picking up my beautiful daughter after her visit to her bio mom's house. 

On Monday we returned to school. The girls worked hard this week, and Kayla is doing really well with her reading!

Alysia Works Hard on Bible

Kayla Matches Spelling Words With Pictures

A couple at church gave us a school desk for Kayla. It needed painted, and I let Kayla pick the color. Apparently, her "secret favorite color" is light teal, and that's what she wanted. We got it painted this week, and it turned out well. It's super cute and she loves it!

Kayla's Desk

Kayla Loves Her Desk

On Thursday Alysia and I had dentist appointments. Aaron was supposed to have one as well, but they changed his work schedule and he had to work, so his appointment was cancelled and rescheduled for September. Alysia and I have squeaky clean teach, until next time.

On Friday night I made the girls ranch macaroni and cheese, and Kayla fell in love with it. She must be going through a growth spurt because she ate two plates of it, which is unusual for her as she is a small portion grazer most of the time.

Kayla Asks For a Second Plate of Ranch Mac and Cheese

After dinner I did the girl's fingernails. They have been begging me to do them with my dip powder kit, and was super excited that I finally gave in and sat down for the 45 minutes to an hour it takes to do two sets of them. Kayla chose a pretty blue and Alysia chose a light purple with holographic sparkles.

The Girl's Loved Their Nails

On Saturday night Aaron was off and the whole family jumped into a game of hide and seek in the dark. We had a blast, and the girls are begging for another game of it soon. We hoped to play tonight, but it rained all day so it will have to wait for a bit.

Kayla Hid In the Shadow of the Bushes

Alysia Seeks Her Dad

Sunday was Mother's Day, and the girls woke me up with breakfast in bed. This was my first Mother's Day that I didn't have to work, and they were excited. They had SO MANY PLANS!!! Aaron had to rein them in a bit. They could have easily spent hundreds of dollars to do everything they wanted to do.

Breakfast In Bed

The girls also brought me flowers and a Mr. Goodbar candy bar. They made me lunch and cleaned the house. After lunch we played a game of Monopoly. I won. The girls were ok with that though, because they said they would be disappointed if I didn't since it was Mother's Day. LOL.

Mother's Day Flowers

After the Monopoly game they took me to dinner at Texas Roadhouse since they know that is one of my favorite places to go.

Mother's Day Dinner 

Yesterday was indeed a wonderful day. Today life returned to normal with a full day of school and 5 loads of laundry.

That's it for now! Have a good week! 

Amanda

Buried in Laundry

Hello, Friends!

I hope this finds you all well! I have been patiently working to climb out from under multiple piles of laundry today to find time to sit down and visit with you. 

I don't know how my family creates so much dirty laundry. I did five loads earlier in the week, and today I woke up to another six to do. I am on load five of six now (three of which are bedding). 

This has been another week full of projects and schoolwork. 

We started last Sunday with church. Kayla was wearing one of her "princess dresses", so she wanted a hair-do to match. I put her hair up and used my shiny flower pins to create a tiara type look. 

Kayla's Sunday Hair-Do

My girls love all things girly. There are no such things as too much glitter, shine, pink, poof... They keep life full of energy and happiness!

Early in the week I started working on a cross-stitch unicorn that I originally started for Alysia almost 2 years ago. I started on it during the time that my dad was sick and passing. After that I had a hard time working on it because it brought back emotional memories.

Unicorn Cross-Stitch In Progress

After working hard on it for a few days I finished it. I still need to frame it, but it is finally done.

Finished Unicorn Cross-Stitch

Kayla and Alysia have been working hard on school. While both girls started new books this week, Kayla also started a new grade. She is working hard to try to catch up where she should be, as is Alysia.

Kayla - Super Proud of Her Work!

One of the projects we worked on this week was a Mother's Day art project, and involved quilling. Quilling is an old art form that involves using curled paper to create pictures. We did some quilling when I was a child, and I was super excited to be able to teach my girls about it.

Quilling Pieces

Girls Enjoy Quilling

On Thursday night we took a break from working and we had dinner out. It had been a long tiring week, and we were just done. We made a snap decision to enjoy the rest of the evening and not worry about anything else.

Last night we had to drop Kayla off to go visit her mom for the weekend. The house seems so quiet tonight. Alysia and I cleaned earlier, and in between loads of laundry, we are spending some time together. We had dinner, we've played a game of Skipbo and we're hanging out and watching movies.

Tomorrow morning we have church, and then in the evening I'll drop Aaron off for work and go pick Kayla back up.

Here in a few minutes I am going to get started on school planning for the new few weeks. We have lots of exciting stuff coming up!

It got super hot today, and it made me realize exactly how much I hate summer all over again. I am not looking forward to this, folks. 

Well...that's it for now. See you soon!

Amanda

Recipe: Sweetheart Cookies

 Hello, Friends!

The other day we made Sweetheart Cookies...one of my favorite cookies. When I worked at Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site we used to make thousands of cookies every year throughout the summer and for the annual Christmas on the Farm events. These were always extremely popular. You can use any kind of jam really, but apricot is my favorite for these. The dough will be firm. 

This recipe is taken from the Watkins Cookbook, which can be purchased at the historic site visitor center. I hope you make them, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Sweetheart Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups flour
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons almond extract
Grape jelly, elderberry, apricot jam

Mix all ingredients except jelly. Roll into balls the size of a hazel nut [about 3/4"]. Place on [cookie] sheet pan. Cover [the bottom of] a small juice class with cheese cloth. Dip in water and press gently on top of cookie. Make a small hollow in middle of cookie with finger and fill with a very small amount of jelly or preserves. Bake in moderate oven [325°] until slightly brown at edges [about 8-10 minutes]. Cool one minute before lifting off sheet. Store in layers with waxed paper between layers.

1876

To-Do List Update

 Hello, Friends!

Here is my accountability post update for my to-do list. Lots done...lots to still do! Every time I mark something off it seems like I have to add another item or two. We are now working with 4 pages. The yellow items are items that are now completed.

• Make to-do list
• Plan garden plot
• Order garden seeds
• Balance checkbook
• Create Hannibal vacation plan
• Create budget
• Update spring cleaning list
• Make Easter plans
• Plan Easter menu
• Order key rings for project
• Adjust bobbin winder on sewing machine
• Complete mending
• Finish unicorn cross-stitch project for Alysia
• School planning
• Purchase house project supplies
• Fix rain barrel
• Set up lunch/dinner plans with a few friends
• Take care of business paperwork
• Re-paint kitchen table top
• Order 4th grade art supplies
• Organize scrapbook totes
• Practice piano
• Complete Master Class chef lessons
• Check into Ebaying some items
• Deep-clean master bedroom
• Deep-clean hallway/stairs
• Touch up paint
• Scrape handrail
• Deep-clean upstairs bathroom
• Re-caulk bathtub
• Deep-clean girl's room
• Deep-clean livingroom
• Deep-clean kitchen
• Deep-clean hallway
• Deep-clean downstairs bathroom
• Paint bathroom accent wall
• Replace faucet
• Deep-clean office/laundry room
• Sweep outside - porches, steps, carport, gazebo, picnic table pad
• Power-wash porches
• Clear bushes/trees across driveway
• Clean yard
• Till garden and add compost
• Plant garden
• Plant herbs
• Plant flowers
• Straighten grape arbor
• Cover window wells
• Clean garage
• Clean basement
• Clean up woodpile
• Burn trash wood by garage (Yay! Wienie roasts!)
• Replace rotten landscaping timbers by steps
• Crochet hat for Aaron
• Complete Christmas projects in process for next Christmas
• Refloor livingroom
• Refloor hallway
• Refloor office/laundryroom
• Paint porches
• Paint garage doors
• Paint sewing machine cabinet
• Paint eaves
• Clean/repair gutters
• Fix chimney
• Fix Fences
• Fix office door
• Plan catering job
• Shampoo car seats
• Remove excess wires and dish on south side of house
• Fix siding bottom on south side of the house
• Redo daily schedules
• Redo daily chore lists
• Make monthly chore lists
• Secure front porch railing nails
• Secure back porch nails
• Install front screen door
• Make cross-stitch sampler for cousin
• Work on paperwork 
• Clean yard
• Remove dead wood from chain-link fence
• Power-wash the gazebo
• Remove lattice on gazebo and replace with posts
• Repair cabinet trim in bathroom
• Mow yard

Instant Pot Spaghetti

 Hello, Friends!

Here is the recipe I used for my instant pot spaghetti, with one little tweak. Mine was a bit runny, so I reduced the amount of water here. Hopefully it is the appropriate amount now. Enjoy!

Amanda

Instant Pot Spaghetti

Instant Pot Spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 Tbs. basil
2 Tbs. parsley
2 tsp salt
1 lb. spaghetti

Put Instant Pot on sauté mode and brown ground beef along with onion and garlic. Drain grease, and add crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt. Stir well, and push some of the sauce to the side. Break spaghetti in half and put half of it in the pot. Push sauce over, but DO NOT STIR. Just push that first half 3/4 of the way down into the sauce. Put the next half of the uncooked spaghetti in and barely push into surface. Pour water on top, and once again...DO NOT STIR. Stirring will make the spaghetti noodles stick together later. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, turn on to pressure cook on high and set for 7 minutes. Let it cook. Once done, immediately perform a manual pressure release by sliding the pressure release switch up. Open and stir. Dish up and top with parmesan cheese.

Work and Play - House Repairs and Zoo Day!

Hello, Friends!

Another busy week is in the books, with lots of projects completed...and we even had a bit of time for some fun!

First off...my favorite picture of the week! I love my beautiful girls, and we had a great time with friend Ruth!

Alysia, Ruth and Kayla at the Kansas City Zoo

More to follow on our zoo trip in a bit.

First let's back up to last week. 

Last week Aaron was mowing and the mower threw a rock. Unfortunately, the rock hit our back screen door and shattered the glass. And since the glass was an integrated part of the frame, I couldn't just pull out a pane and replace it. We ended up having to buy a whole new screen door...and since the front door has needed a screen door replacement since 2020, we just went ahead and bought two. Aaron spent a couple hours working on it, but we have a new screen door on the back of the house. We will put the new one on this upcoming week on Aaron's next set of days off.

On my to-do list I wanted to make a couple of window screen frames and get screens in a couple of windows that haven't had screens in them since I bought the house. I also had two screens that needed replaced. On Sunday after church and a potluck lunch I went to Home Depot and bought supplies, and settled in to work on those few windows. However, once they were done, the rest of the screens in the house looked a bit shabby next to the bright pretty new ones. 

So of course...my OCD wasn't going to let me rest as long as it looked that way. I ended up purchasing more supplies and replaced every window screen in my house with the exception of two in the kitchen that still looked practically brand new. It's amazing how such a small thing can make a house look so much better!

Replacing Window Screens

Since we had planned to take this week off school we had a chance to try to get a lot done. After the screen project was finished I wanted to try to finish the downstairs projects that needed finished. I wanted to paint one of the bathroom walls as an accent wall. Three walls are gray, and now we have a pink accent wall. I think it turned out well!

Rose-themed Bathroom with Pink Accent Wall

After I got the wall painted Aaron replaced the sink faucet, and short of replacing a piece of trim (after a trip to Home Depot), the bathroom is finished.

We spent one day planting the garden (and getting a sunburn). We planted green beans, cucumbers, wasabi radishes, tomatoes, jalapeno and bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, spaghetti squash, basil, parsley and flowers. 

Garden Planting

Once that was done the girls and I deep-cleaned the kitchen. That involved going through every cabinet, organizing, washing, scrubbing, sweeping, mopping, washing curtains, etc. With the exception of the basement and garage (both of which aren't bad and shouldn't take more than a few minutes each), our house has been completely deep-cleaned! Yahoo!

I stayed up late Wednesday night, and I finished my Mom's Christmas present. I am going to try to do a lot of homemade stuff this year. I am super excited to be making some progress on it so early on.

On Thursday evening we picked up our friend, Ruth. She was going to stay Thursday night with us and go with us to the zoo on Friday. After we picked her up we decided we were going to try a new restaurant that I had heard about in the Martin City (Kansas City) area. We ended up going to RC's Restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner, and it was fantastic. They have great fried chicken and tenderloins. And the best part...kids 10 and under eat for $2.50 with adult entree purchase!

The girls at RC's Restaurant - Martin City, MO

That evening we didn't make dinner since we were all still full, but we did make a batch of Sweetheart Cookies from the Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site cookbook. When I worked there I made thousands of them (literally), and they are one of my favorite cookies. I will share the recipe for them soon. 

On Friday I had a dermatologist appointment in the morning and then we loaded up and headed to the Kansas City Zoo. They were calling for rain in the afternoon, so we decided we were going to do the Australia loop and take our time. We rode the train for two complete loops, and the carousel once. We went through the big cat loop, and then spent time in the snake house and discovery barn. After that we ended our day by spending quite a bit of time petting the stingrays and watching the penguins.

The Girls Looking At An Orangatang

Thanks to our friend (Rebekah...thank you for the Christmas present!) we have a Friends of the Zoo Membership pass, which gets us into the zoo as well as rides, discounts, etc. With zoo cups with cheap refills and snacks we brought with us, we spent the whole day at the zoo and spent less than $20. I am excited about being able to go more often in the future. We are going to plan another trip back soon so we can cover Africa.

Riding the Train

In the past, we have always tried to cover the whole zoo in a day, and you have to run the whole time. Since we can now go anytime we want we can go at a leisurely place and really enjoy ourselves, and not feel like we have to see everything every time.

After we left the zoo, everyone was hungry. We stopped at a place on 40 Hwy in Independence. There was a place with an interesting fusion of cuisines, and Aaron wanted to try it. It is called Fuegos BBQ Mexican Cocina. It was interesting, and they had either Mexican dishes, BBQ dishes, or dishes that contained a mixture of both. Their brisket sandwich is what I got it, and it was phenomenal. It's not a big place, or fancy by any stretch of the imagination. But we will definitely go back!

When we got home we got the mail, and in is was a book that my friend John sent the girls. We met John for lunch a couple of weeks ago and listening to the girls talk about their adventures reminded him of one of his favorite books when he was a child. He searched out a copy of it, and sent it to them, and they were so excited. It is called Cubby in Wonderland and it is a story of a mama bear and her cub that explore Yellowstone National Park, and it is so cute. They had to start it immediately, and we are already seven chapters in. We (as a whole family listening to it) are enjoying it immensely! Thank you, John! What a special present. They girls (and I) will cherish it. 

The Girls and Their Book "Cubby in Wonderland"

Last night I finished my menu plan which was almost complete and made a grocery list. We decided at 9:30 p.m. that we were going to go do our grocery shopping and get it out of the way. I like going to the store when it is late and mostly quiet.

Today we are mostly chilling while I visit with you all. I still have projects to complete and things to do, but I am super tired after such a busy week. I'm trying to decide if I will tackle anything else this weekend or not.

This week's menu plan is as follows:

Tonight: Dinner - Tomahawk chicken legs, potatoes, corn

Sunday: Lunch - Ranch macaroni and cheese

            Dinner - Leftovers

Monday: Lunch - Cereal

            Dinner - Spaghetti red, bread and butter

Tuesday: Lunch - Salad

            Dinner - Honey glazed salmon, veggies and rice

Wednesday: Lunch - Tuna salad, chips

                Dinner - Grill out (burgers/brats, pasta salad, chips

Thursday: Lunch - Grilled cheese and tomato soup

               Dinner - Sausage and kraut

Friday: Lunch - Nachos

           Dinner - In Nevada (drop Kayla off)

Saturday: Lunch - Eat out

              Dinner - Egg sandwiches

Sunday: Lunch - Leftovers

            Dinner - In Nevada (pick Kayla up)

Well friends...that's it for now. I hope you have a great weekend. We will be returning to school and normal life on Monday, while preparing for Kayla to go and visit her mom for the weekend.

I'm going to post an update on my to-do list here in a couple of days. I am planning to post it to keep myself accountable for actually getting things accomplished.

Talk to you all soon!

Amanda