THANKSGIVING JOY

We are most Thankful for our wonderful family. (I am especially thankful for the husband who spent the last week helping me slave over the house to get it ready for our visitors.....this included painting our little bathroom (his idea)- what a guy!)

I was very thankful that Grandma and Grandpa (Anna calls them both Bapa) came a day early to watch Anna while I had a tooth capped. Although I am not glad to need tooth repair, I was very happy that Anna was safe with Grandma and Grandpa, that I have good dental insurance and a very good dentist and dental assistant. We LOVE when the Bapas come for a visit! Wish they could stay longer, but my older brother is coming to their town on Saturday to help my Dad celebrate his birthday on Monday.

My brother and sister-in-law and their 3 children joined us for Thankgiving dinner. My sis-in-law, my mom and I had a great time fixing food in the kitchen, just chatting the day away while we prepped!
Here is the kid's table. I know my children are happy to have cousins close in age! They were excited to get to go swimming at the hotel tonight. (Anna and I stayed home, since she skipped her nap and she was barely able to walk by the end of the evening, half asleep.)

Anna was happy to go outside and play with her big-girl cousin! Sure wish she lived in town - I would help finance another pair of her Ugg boots.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Ken (on Tuesday)...What did you do to celebrate?....well, I spent an exciting vacation day, cleaning and prepping the house for our Thanksgiving guests, thanks for asking....but I did get these swell cakes decorated by Joel! (no quotes, so just pretend that is what he would say)

Success - 20 boxes in 20 days

Remember this post?(specifically see the bottom picture after you say hi to my mom - ha ha).

http://balancingmyway.blogspot.com/2009/04/couldnt-have-done-it-without-ya.html

Well that picture was take before my old house was delivered to my new house (meaning these were just boxes brought from the apt. and the inside of the boxes were thrown together as we rushed to get out of the apt).

Well here is the same space, with sorted and organized boxes.
Here is the other storage shelf.

Here is my new work-space - IN THE STORAGE ROOM. This way, I can wrap gifts, sort photos, work on quilts and just close the door if we have company (or just to keep the clutter away from our living space). see the cookies in a jar? (they still need fabric tops)

What you can't see is that there is floor space - lots of it and organized totes (mostly)......AND A SMILE ON MY FACE.

Now I better go wake my kids for school and clean the rest of the house....mom and dad arrive tomorrow - hurrah.

New Tradition

Today Carolyn, Anna and I made "cookies - in - a - jar" to give to her choir teachers, scout leaders and RE teachers. (we made a few extra for the boys to give - Joel would have helped, but had a friend over and Matthew was doing homework). You can see the finished product in my next post (because they are stored in my new work space in the basement).
Of course Carolyn loved it and was a great help.

And, of course, Anna loved it, and the floor was collateral damage.

More information from family - quick dinner

My sister-in-law just chimed in with this dinner. I can especially see this on a Tuesday night when we have to rush from Religious Ed. to Scouts!

Pita Pizza

1 pita per person depending on appetite
jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
little bit of olive oil
garlic if you like it
shredded mozzarella cheese
any other veggies or toppings you like

cover a cookie sheet with sides with tin foil (NO WASHING) I do this as often as I can to save on clean up!)
rub olive oil on each pita ( I spread it around with a paper towel)
if you like garlic (I use the jarred stuff here) add some on top of pita
bake on cookie sheet for 5 min or so to make crust crispy
remove from oven and top with 2 Tbs. of spaghetti sauce
add any other toppings you like
top with as much cheese as you like
bake for about 15 min. Keep eye out
Cut for the kids and serve
YUM!

Information from friends - Menu planning and food ideas

December: 2009
SUNDAY	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16		18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Three very smart friends recommended making and sticking to a menu. This seems like a good financial idea as well as an organizational brainstorm. That way we can try to clear out our freezer and cook smarter! (ex. brown hamburger for several meals at one time, or make chicken noodle soup after cooking a chicken for a previous meal - providing broth and meat). I take credit for nothing below. If a reader would like to take credit (you know who you are) - just add it to the comment section.

One main idea these two friends shared is SHOP LESS!
Here are some details (copied from their email)

When I cook, I try to make 4 meals at a time. Current favorite cook ahead meals are: Shepherd's Pie, Mexican Tamale Pancakes, Crock Pot meals. Stand by quick meals: Beans and Rice, quick "Parmesan". Take prepare eggplant, chicken patties or turkey patties a, add sauce and cheese and put in toaster oven or regular oven, turkey meatballs from Costco (use in spaghetti, add to BBQ sauce, or plain with mashed potatoes, etc.). For lunches at home, I've tried to simplify. I have salad (prewashed mixed greens from Costco, shredded cabbage and some form of protein on top) and kids have hummus or lunchmeat, bread/crackers, fruit and veggies. On weekend we open soup or chili (no great sodium content, but they make some better soups these days and if I cook chicken in crock pot I save broth and dumped in noodles or rice and frozen veggies). It also works well to "doctor" canned soup by adding frozen veggies or canned beans.

M* has in the computer many of the meals we typically eat and what is needed to make those. Every 2 weeks he prints that list off, crosses out what we have, and circles what we need. It seems to work well for us. It took a little time to get all that info in the computer, but now it's very easy to just print it out.

I've attached my monthly menus….I was printing out blank calendars and then filling them in w/pen or pencil. I still do that but realized I could easily go back in to the file and "update" it with the entrees we served. If it says "open" we were either out of town, had other meal plans or the entrée just wasn't a huge hit. J If you really want to be "budget" conscious, I put my grocery list on an Excel spreadsheet and then scan the ads – putting in the lowest price I find and changing it when I find a better deal. Then you can take the ads to Wal-Mart (that's the only place that price matches around here) and do your shopping. I was experimenting with doing this bi-weekly and trying to determine if the bottom line changed enough, but found that we would run out of time to do the shopping if it wasn't all done at the beginning of the month, and then we would end up drive-thru dining, which is MUCH more expensive.

Crock Pot recipes are also a huge factor in my life.
Crock Pot Recipes

All soups can be made in the crock pot – just put your normal ingredients in and put them on low for the day.

Pork Chops & Mushroom Gravy

Brown your pork chops and put them in the crock pot. Cover with a large can of cr. of mushroom soup on low for the day. Serve with mashed potatoes. (Potatoes can be boiled, mashed & frozen ahead of time (I often make a double batch) and then defrosted in the microwave. Add milk if they seem too dry.

French Dip Sandwiches

Put a roast (cheap is fine – it's going to cook all day) w/one can of Beef Consume, one can of French onion, & one can of beef broth. Shred beef and serve on hard rolls w/juice to dip in.

Beef Stroganoff

Dice the roast (I do mine bite size to eliminate cutting it again at the table for the little one). Put it in the crock pot and cover w/large can cr. of mushroom, 2 cans mushroom pieces, pkg dry onion soup mix, salt, pepper and one cup of wine.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Break up 8 uncooked lasagna noodles. Place half in the bottom of the crock pot. Brown hamburger (can mix w/half ground turkey (economical) or use ground Italian sausage (sometimes cheaper, tastier) w/1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Spread half over noodles. Layer spaghetti sauce, canned mushrooms, ricotta cheese & mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cook on low about 5 hrs. (I usually use a whole jar/can of spaghetti sauce, sm. Can mushrooms – not a fave of some of the kids, the whole container of ricotta and a whole 2 c. bag of moz.)

Pizza Rigatoni

1 ½ lb. Italian sausage, browned; 3 c uncooked rigatoni noodles; 4 c. shredded moz. Cheese; sm can cr. of mushroom soup; 2 cans (15 oz. & 8 oz.) pizza sauce; 3 ½ oz. pepperoni; 1 can pitted ripe olives drained & halved.

Layer ½ of all ingredients in the above order. Repeat layers. Cover & cook on low for 4 hrs.

Chicken & Stuffing (Found out my kids don't like stuffing, but Bri & I liked it)

Put 6 boneless chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Add a sm. Can cr. of chicken soup. In another bowl mix 1 ¼ c water, ¼ c melted butter & a 6 oz. pkg. of stuffing mix. Cover the chicken and cook on low for 4 hrs.

Golden Chicken & Noodles

Put 6 boneless chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Mix 2 cans condensed broccoli cheese soup with 2 c. milk, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. dried basil & 1/8 tsp. pepper. Put over chicken and cook on high for 1 hr, turn to low and cook 5 to 6 hrs. Serve over noodles. (I've almost always skipped the 1 hr. on high….just do it all on low for 6 – 8 hrs.)

Chipotle Rib Sandwiches

Slice a sm. onion into bottom of Crock pot. Put 3 ½ lbs. beef short ribs in crock pot, meaty side up. Sprinkle w/pkg. of beef onion soup mix, add 16 oz. jar of chipotle salsa (Pace) & ½ c. ale-style beer. Cook for 10-12 hrs on low. Shred meat to serve on hard rolls. *I didn't care for this one – thought it was too bitter, but then I added the whole beer – not just ½ c. Brian & the boys liked it, I don't remember coryn & Levi's vote.

Ziti w/Spicy Ragout

Cook 1 lb. dried ziti and add to crock pot. Brown 1 ¼ lb. hot Italian sausage, drain & add to crock pot. Add 1 jar spicy red pepper pasta sauce, 2 c. shredded Italian cheese blend & 1 c. red wine (merlot). Stir together and cook on low for 2 – 4 hrs. Serve w/shredded Parmesan cheese.

Zinfandel-Braised Pork Loin

Sprinkle 3 ½ lb. double pork loin roast w/1 pkg. Italian herb marinade mix and set aside. Combine 1 cored & thickly sliced apple 1 onion thickly sliced in bottom of crock pot. Add 1 ½ c. Zinfandel and put roast on top. Cook on low for 6 – 8 hrs. (you are supposed to serve the apples & onions w/the juices reduced to half….knowing my kids I didn't even waste the time – chalked it up a loss, but the roast was really good)

Carrot Spoon Cake

Spray crock pot w/cooking spray. In a lg. mixing bowl combine 1 pkg spice cake mix, 2 c. shredded carrots, sm box instant butterscotch pudding,4 lg eggs, 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, 1 c. sour cream, 1 c. water & ¾ c. canola oil. Beat on high for 2 min. Cook on low for 4 ½ - 6 hrs. Serve w/whipped cream.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

Spray crock pot w/cooking spray. Mix 1 pkg choc. Cake mix, 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix, 2 c. sour cream, 4 eggs, 1 c. water & ¾ c.veg. oil for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 c. choc. Chips. Spray crock pot w/cooking spray and add mixture. Cook on low for 6 – 7 hrs.

Hot Cocoa Cake

Spray crock pot w/cooking spray. On the stove, heat 2 c. milk to almost boiling and set aside (I have no idea why you do this!) In lg. mixing bowl combine 1 pkg choc. Cake mix, 1 ¼ c. water, 3 lg. eggs, and 1/3 c. canola oil. Mix on med. for 2 min. Transfer to crock pot. Sprinkle 1 box cook & serve choc. Pudding mix over batter & slowly pour in hot milk. Cover & cook on low for 4 hrs. Turn off crock pot & sprinkle cake / 1 c. marshmallows. Let stand for 5 min. Serve warm by scooping out cake & serving w/additional marshmallows & choc. Syrup. Can also let cool completely and sliced to serve

Here are a few other good recipes I received:
Easy supper: Zippy Chick. 1/2 c apricot preserves, 1/2 c catalina dressing, 1/2 package onion soup mix. Mix these together and pour over 4 chicken breasts. Bake 350 for 50 minutes. Serve with broccoli and rice.

Best recipe idea: boneless pork chops, favorite bbq sauce. Put pork chops in crockpot for at least 3 hrs high...put to low later and then to warm. Serve over rice...a no brainer and my kids love this. Little mess.....

Taco Soup: boil a chicken (save the broth) de-bone and chop chicken (a little time consuming) add 1pkg. taco seasoning 1pkg. ranch seasoning 1 onion, 1 can corn 2 cans chili beans, 1 jar salsa, 1 can chopped green chillies. Top w/ fritos, sour cream, and cheese

One thing we do is get turkey kabob (?) and saute that with chopped onion. Then mix that with mac and cheese and frozen peas. Total comfort food.

Another thing I have recently started doing is cooking and freezing meals with two friends of mine. It's sort of like Once-a-Month cooking (they have a website) but another good book is "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer". You can start out slow, just making double batches of dinners here and there, and gradually building a back-up stock of dinners. Right now, we have frozen spaghetti sauce in the freezer stacked up in flat ziploc bags. The best part about this is that I sneak in frozen spinach and fresh carrots chopped up very finely into the sauce. It makes the sauce heartier and sneaks veggies into my daughter, who LOVES my spaghetti and always asks for it. :) I actually use my favorite Ragu sauce, but add sweet Italian sausage that I cook in the oven in a baking pan to cut down on the mess (rather than use a skillet and do it stove top), and then the secret veggies. Heat up the sauce to cook the veggies a bit, and then let cool and spoon into quart (or you might use gallon size) ziploc bags.

Serious series

Although I am sure there are 18 other things I should be doing, I need to tell you about my latest favorite book. That of course reminded me that we, McClearys, love our book series. SOOO, I thought since I was telling you about one of them, I would tell you about my favorites. I am sure Matthew would argue that I should include The 39 Clues Series and Percy and the Olympiad, but since I haven't read those personally, I can only give you Matthew's recommendation - 2 thumbs up - WAY up, 2nd and 3rd greatest series after Harry Potter (so says Matthew).

Please feel free to tell me your favorite book or series in the comments section or in an email. Keeping 4 kids in books is a full time job!
This is the 3rd in the series about Mrs. Dowdel. (First and second....A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago.) We actually started reading this series when I got confused and was looking for other books by the author of Soup.....for the record that is Robert Newton Peck (Matthew would also recommend that series, but again, I haven't read it). I LOVE this series of books, but the last one does talk about a little girl not believing in you know who....so I can't recommend it to Carolyn yet....but she would love it too. Matthew commented, "I can't wait for the next in the series". Unfortunately for us Mrs. Dowdel is older that dirt, so although there may be another book, there probably won't be a bunch. Great book for the season, but read the others first - they are quick reads, won't take long.

Henry and Mudge.....our first favorite! Love H and M and practically cried when I realized that we had read every last one that had been written. Plus the author started writing about Henry's cousin, so she may not be doing too many more about Henry. (Although books about cousin Annie are good too.) There are Puppy Mudge books for the newer reader, we love them all.

I loved this series as much as Matthew. Even with the magic stuff....Harry is just good. The stories are well written. Sad to finish book 7. Love the movies too, and I don't say that very much.

Not my favorite, but I have read some, so I can include this series on the list. Plus, if you are trying to get a little girl to read - here is your answer. Carolyn was crazy-go-gahgah about this series this summer. Of course since I don't have to try to get Carolyn to read, I would have preferred other choices. But they made her happy, so who could ask for more.

Piggy and Gerald. this one is for Joel. We actually never knew of P & G before Joel was learning to read. They are cute and funny and are great for a new reader. Since they are so funny, Joel wanted to read them again and again, and finally he could read the whole book, just from having seen/heard the words so much. That has to be a good thing. Plus it makes you smile - another good thing.

My kids are huge fans of this series of science books. They always want me to read to them from these books. I think they really teach the kids great information and do it in a very interesting way. We have a set of these books that are Aunt Debbie's. We will return them when she has Grandchildren. They are THAT good. (We are trying to take excellent care of them.)

That's all for now....I am glad when I am old and gray, I can remember our happy moments reading our favorite series! Now I am going to bed, because none of those 18 things I should be doing sound better than going to bed. (Plus I was up at 5 when Ken left for KC and never did get back to sleep. Wish I hadn't finished A Season of Gifts....it was so much fun.)

My recipe in Thanks

I have received a tremendous amount of great ideas and recipes in my plea for help. I will be posting them in a few days, but don't have time to get it together today. (I am too busy getting organized around the house.) But I would like to repay my lovely friends with a great recipe - especially for this time of year. My sister gave me this recipe years ago and I LOVE it. It is great on a brick of cream cheese, served with crackers or served with pork roast. To be honest, I could eat it with just about everything and it is pretty healthy.

Cranberry Relish

1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (washed and picked through)

1 bunch of cilantro (don't go crazy if you have the bunch that I bought today - it is enough for a few batches)

1 bunch of green onions

1 pepper (whatever you have - I used red, but you could use jalapeno, but that wouldn't work for my kiddos)

lime or lemon juice

sugar (maybe 3/4 a cup, but don't put it in all at once) if you don't use sugar, you won't like this recipe - too bitter

I used my little food grinder, but just get it chopped up and mixed together anyway you like!

I ate my relish for a late morning snack immediately upon return from the grocery store with the ingredients. You might want to make it and let it sit for awhile to let the flavors blend, but I couldn't wait. (I was hungry and haven't had this relish in 10 months!)

Enjoy!

Beautiful Blankets to Bundle Babies

I hope to someday have a picture of the sweet recipients with their quilts. Neither baby has been born, so say a prayer for safe pregnancy and healthy delivery and wonderful life.

After being away - Love Hope and Trust Sunday returns

I love that tomorrow will be the day I post pictures of the two baby quilts I made! One still needs about 1/3 of the binding hand-sewn onto the back. I should be able to do that tonight after bedtime. I would have finished it last night but I had a special request from our niece, the bride to be, for a couple of pictures of her with Anna (the flower-girl-to-be) and Carolyn (the Jr.-bridemaid-to-be). Here is one I found.

I think this picture looks just like Anna, but it is from 2003, when Nicci came to help us with our 2 small children while we moved into our home in Newburgh. I laugh when I remember myself, thinking that I couldn't get moved in without help and 2 whole children to care for! Of course during our latest move we had 2 sets of grandparents come to help us......so maybe I was right back then, I can't do it alone!
I hope to finish my storage room this week. I did take a few days off, but I had already surpased my original goal of 20 boxes. A few boxes (ok - maybe 10) remain, but there is huge floor space available in the storage room. I am especially excited by all the things that are no longer in my house! I have plans for more to vacate the premises shortly.
I trust that God will help me and my kiddos as we are alone more frequently with Ken's new territory including all his old territory AND KC, St. Louis and a small part of southern Indiana. (Say a prayer for peace for me! I am a big believer in prayer getting us through!) Pray for Ken too as he faces his new work challenges.

Good news and progress

The best news of the day is that our basement (which had a bit of dampness a couple weeks ago after days and days or rain) probably needs only a minor repair. The guy who came out recommended we get long extensions to our drain spouts and to fill a small crack in the side of the foundation where 2 pieces come together. This guy could have made a lot of money selling us a big repair and instead just gave us good recommendations for a self fix. I love honest businessmen!

Other good news is that there is a lot more floor to be had in the storage room. I have taken out large garbage bags of trash and many boxes of "stuff" to be given away. I am working on 3 boxes that were never unpacked from the move!!!! eichs It is hard to realize that we have way too much CRUD in our world. Glad I am not terminally ill, trying to finish this as my last project - because this would kill me!

Bad news - I have been joined by Anna, who rested just enough on our walk to not need a nap today - RATS. I guess we will make a run to Home Depot.

Justice was served

Yesterday I tried to come up with the right metaphor for the weather and our absolute NEED to go to the park to enjoy it. At first I thought: "It would be criminal not to go to the park"....nope "It would be a sin not to enjoy the day at the park"..... nope ...... finally I decided "It would be a travesty of justice, not to enjoy our 70 degree weather with a trip to the park."

We went to what we call "Big Kid park". It is wonderful because it is close enough to walk (even Anna most of the way) and it has fun things that other parks lack that allow it to attract both young and old children. This park demontrates, "not all parks are created equal"!

This thing is the best, it is like a huge mushroom - like an inverted merry-go-round. (see the huge rock wall behind it - that even attracts adults (me).

Anna wanted to wear her helmet, although she didn't ride a bike. Probably a good thing, now that she wants to climb everything and go everywhere. (the helmet's services were not required on this trip - whew)

Note "the purse".

Keep on keeping on

Today's fun find....I am not much of a knick-knack gal, but I love these little booties, that Ken's Aunt Arlys K. had made after each child's birth.I got quite discouraged by Saturday evening. The storage room didn't look any better and the basement (staging area) looked like a tornado. The main reason the storage room looked the same is because I was working through the totes that already looked nice in the shelves, but were a mess within!

I continued to work through boxes on Sunday and today. I am starting to see more floor space in the storage room. It is funny how things depend on your perspective. When I mentioned to Carolyn that I was going to work in the basement for a bit, she asked if she could help. When I said she could, she replied, "that's fantastic, I can't wait" (or something of that nature). Of course she really isn't much help with this kind of thing because my kids don't like to ever part with something once it is in their life. That said, progress has been made.

I contacted my congressmen

I recently received something from my church. It was indicating that the Bishops of this country are urging Catholics to contact their Congressmen to ensure the dignity of human life is considered in health care legislation and that Catholic Hospitals are not forced to provide abortion services in response to decisions that are currently being made.

Anyway, if you click on the link below, sending a letter is easy. (there is a "send email" button that leads you through the process)

http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/resources.shtml#bulletins

Bargin of the season

In case you don't know - I like to have Christmas shopping done early. Not crazy early, but I starting thinking about it now in hopes to not have to shop in December. Anyway Matthew wants MindFlex, which is a game that somehow uses your mind to move a ball to a target. I checked online to compare prices and found the best deal of the season.

Mattel.com has a friends and family deal right now (Promo code MATTEL30, case sensitive). This gives you 30% off anything at Mattel.com and shipping was just $5, no sales tax. This made Matthew's game very reasonable and it was the best price in town, esp. since it is mostly out of stock everywhere else anyway!

Happy Christmas Shopping Dance for me. (BTW - he is chipping in some of his Christmas money from last year (from his Grandparents), since his game is still a bit pricey!) Yes - I know he won't be surprised about this gift, but I have another idea that will surprise him and when you have an eleven-year-old boy, you know that the "sure-thing" gift beats a surprise!

Do the math 2+2+1+6 = happy me

2 I happily looked into 2 boxes today and could quickly close their lids because they were fine just the way they were (Duplos and a game box)!!

2 I went through and cleaned up 2 miscellaneous boxes, and as a bonus grabbed "stuff" out of several other boxes that I knew I could quickly put in the right place.

1 I found a missing library book (that has been gone so long I bought it about a month ago - but can return).

6 I now have 6 empty 18 gallon totes (and 2 are 1/2 empty, but will remain "toy totes").

Gotta run...today is my work day, but I didn't want to give up on the momentum that has been created!

Why it is good to have a goal

Ok - today I have other things to do than clean boxes in my storage room. I am not talking about fun social engagements. I am talking about the neglected clean laundry on my dining room table and another cleaning project that needs to get started! Anyway, this morning, I remembered that I had cleaned out a laundry basket with Carolyn's name on it in the basement earlier in the week. I ran down to get it, to do the great laundry sort and fold. While I was there, though, I quickly went through ONE box. I can proudly report it wasn't a mess of junk, but several things that were thoughtfully packed before leaving the Newburgh! I did get rid of a few things, that I could now part with!

Here was the big keeper from the box. Gear-works. We have had this around since Matthew was three. Each and every kid loves it - I love it. You put a gear on the center and then can add pieces and they work together. I think the Evansville Children's Museum has a giant one of these. I will keep this toy after my kids have grown, for the day I start to provide aural rehab. therapy again. (if and when that day comes)
Now I am back to work!

4 yesterday, 6 today

I finished 2 more boxes yesterday afternoon. Today I worked through the better part of 6 boxes. The good news is that many of these boxes are now empty. The best news is that I am on my 2nd "give away" box and I am almost in need of a new trash bag.

I am, of course, in the "it gets worse before it gets better" stage - so my work table is covered with "stuff". Today's boxes were almost all "misc." toys. So I have been sorting like a crazy-woman. I was so happy to realize that I have many toys that are perfect for kindergarten enrichment and toddler fun. Anna was in toy heaven today as I went through box after box. Of course she was a big contributor to the "it gets worse before it gets better" situation. I also was happy to realize that I have many toys that have a limited life-time in this house. Anna will outgrown many of them in just a few years and then out they go (except my absolute favorites).

It was very lucky that yesterday's boxes were "crafty" or else Joel's camouflaged turkey (see above) would not have had google eyes, brads or foam flowers!

20 boxes 20 days

OK - I have come to the realization that I will never have several uninterrupted days to work on my storage room. So I am going to have to chip away at it. Without a goal - I have not done much chipping. So today I am starting "20 boxes in 20 days". Between now and the 24th of November (coincidentally my hubby's B-day), I will go through and sort 20 boxes in the storage room. Many of these are miscellaneous boxes from our house or the apt., which were put together in haste "to get 'er done". There are several other boxes that were created on a day when we were having guests and we needed to clean some other room with lightning speed. Anyway these boxes are just not sorting themselves and they are worthless as is. (The reason I will need to stop in 20 days is because my parents and my brother's family will be coming for Thanksgiving, so I will need to take a break to tidy up for them! I will have to have the 12 Days of Boxes during December or something fun like that!)

Yes I already have gone through my box for today (and 1 extra) before I sat down to post. I am posting to make this daunting project a bit more fun and so you can all keep me at my best!

Here are 3 good finds for the day.
1. don't you just love a 3D ruler....it is just cool and triangular shaper.....I am always looking for a good ruler, so it may as well be fun - it is going in my office desk!
2. A little book of sports puzzles. Joel has just developed a love of puzzles - especially mazes and word finds - this is the perfect size and difficulty for my new puzzler.
3. My audiologist's equivalent of a stethescope. It allows me to listen to hearing aids and FM units. Ok, I don't need it today or tomorrow, but I had it made to fit my ear perfectly in grad school and I love it!
My 2 boxes today had many "craftish" items. I have sorted them by what they are - thrown away a bunch of crapola and started a new "good will" box.

I love the progress!

Pray for Aidan

There is a little guy who goes to my church. He has been very medically fragile his entire life. (I believe he is 18mo. and already has had several surgeries.) Last week he was diagnosed with RSV (right after he had surgery) and this week he was diagnosed with H1N1. Poor baby! He also is a twin, so his parents have 2 kiddos to worry about. Mom carried the insurance when the boys were born, so she has had to keep her job, despite the fact that her little one is in the hospital as much as he is out. Please pray for this family.

Virtual quilting bee - November

If you must have symmetry - this won't be your favorite block. If you look closely though, the center box is in fact in the center. I was trying to be a bit more creative this month. Carolyn said she loved it, so I think it will be fun to make a quilt for/with her. (We picked out the fabric the other day and of course Joel decided that he wanted a quilt too.) I will show you those fabrics once we get started. I want to have the baby quilts wrapped up first.....you will have to wait a few more days to see those, but I am getting very close!