and the results

I'd say it worked well enough.  ☺

experiement . . .

Does string cheese melt well?  

I have no idea.  

When food in the fridge isn't getting eaten as is it's time to get creative.  Waste not want not.  

I kind of like the striped pizza look.  We'll see what happens as it cooks.  :) 

What creativity have you exercised in the kitchen lately?

Kelly

Snow and Sheep

Almost a year ago Adrian and I began planning and dreaming about a trip to Europe this spring.  My father-in-law is on sabbatical over here and they invited us to visit as well as having some other invitations from friends and family so here we are!  

We flew out of Denver on Friday afternoon, March 16th after my sweet dad drove us to the airport.  Packing for this trip has been an exercise in getting closer to our ideal.  

Last time we were in Florence we had to pay a good amount of money to put bags into the "bag hold" at the train station and because the cost was so high we were still hauling quite a bit on our backs, trying to "tuck" bags that were too big for "tucking" under the table at the restaurant, etc.  We knew that we would eventually like to travel with only one backpack per person to allow for more comfort/flexibility in travel in a lot of ways.  

Our first time to really do this was a trip to San Francisco mid-February.  One backpack per person . . . but that trip was only about 36 hours.  This trip is 32 days!  I am pretty pleased about making it into only five backpacks this time!  

We flew to London's Heathrow and I asked Adrian if we couldn't take a steamer next time.  The flight really was fine but it is just so hard to try to sleep on a plane and you know you are supposed to be sleeping and getting hit with jet lag.  

When we arrived we ate lunch and hired a car.  We drove to Hampton Court Palace which once belonged to Henry VIII among other notable people where we met Adrian's Aunt Helen and cousin Leo.  It was so wonderful to see them again and it was very interesting to tour the palace.  

of course you sit on the floor of a centuries old palace to check your maps - I was impressed with the displays and how well done everything was.  I would recommend it if you're in the area.  

We enjoyed tea before heading to Swindon, England for the night.  

We ended the day at a restaurant that we really like called Nando's.  Chicken, veggies, French fries . . . excuse me, chips . . . etc.  It is our second time to have gone there on a first day in England.  It is a nice little tradition and it feels comfortable to know what you are getting there.  

We stayed the night at a Double Tree in Swindon that was really clean and nice.  Unfortunately Cora, Adrian and I were all up for nearly three hours in the middle of the night but surely jet lag will get better!  

We got up this morning and had a very nice breakfast complete with baked beans, sausages, fried tomatoes and white grapefruit.  Then we drove from Swindon to Wales in the snow and crossed over this magnificent bridge!  

During the afternoon we trudged through the snow a mile and a half or so to the grocery store.  It was a really fun walk.  I enjoyed seeing the signs in both Welsh and English for each aisle at the grocery.  

As we walked along we passed a field of grazing sheep.  

I can tell I didn't sleep all that well last night.  Jet lag is hard.  

Not an awesome photo but I wanted to document and remember that Cora and David really enjoyed working in their travel journals on the drive.  Thank you for the stickers Aunt Helen!  

to be continued . . . 

Kelly

ten on ten - August 2017

So funny that I didn't blog all "summer" (it's still summer but my last blogpost was about finishing our math book - hence homeschool year for 2016-2017 and today we began our 2017-2018 homeschooling year!)  

I wasn't planning to start school today.  I have been planning most of the summer and have quite a few things ready but yesterday due to a sewer back up at our house - bleh - we had to be out of the house for a while so I spontaneously took the kids school supply shopping.  

They each chose a spiral notebook, something fun to write with and some kind of adhesive (both ended up choosing glitter glue!) :) 

They were so excited about their new supplies that David asked if we could start homeschool right away so we did!  

This morning there was a scavenger hunt with clues to find their spirals.  I had written a note to each of them and David wrote me back today!  Yay!  I think this is going to be a neat avenue of communication for us in addition to a way of handling assignments, practicing writing as well as a place to cut and paste in things we are learning, etc.  

We have had a TON of rain lately!!!  It is mostly nice but I could also feel my mood lighten when the sun came out for a while this evening and was shining through the window as I was working on dinner.  

I woke up at 5:50 this morning and texted my neighbor who I have been walking with weekly to say that maybe we'd better reschedule since I heard rain and thunder from my cozy bed but after deciding that we would reschedule, both of us ended up texting back and saying "let's do it!"  The thunder had stopped and so had the rain mostly.  

When I got home we ate breakfast and did our Bible story about the 12 spies over breakfast and did a small feast of books, cleared the table, free time, scavenger hunt to find spirals, reading what I wrote and then writing me back with ideas of field trips he wants to take this year.  

Next we did math and it went great today!  One page together, Cora wanted right in there too so we did math together on the abacus.  

Then I sat outside on the swing and prayed and read my Bible while they played an improvised game of soccer inside. 

We ate lunch.  Cora made a fruit salad for us to enjoy! We read more/watched some YouTube and then Mama was done!  We have just finished a big road trip, plus three sets of company and the aforementioned sewer back up + starting school so I finished a novel I started yesterday and took a nap while they had quiet alone time. 

drying out the carpet after our incredible carpet cleaner enzyme treated it for us!  

We did laundry after that and they watched Wild Kratts and then we did some math aloud on the white board all together during dinner and Adrian did one page with him as we were finishing up.  I'm really thankful for how this first day went and am looking forward to the different things that we are going to be adding in this year!  

I was so wiped out and not planning to start today but I realized that this is such a sweet reminder from our God that I don’t do this in my strength!  *I* feel like I have absolutely nothing to give right now but I feel quite confident that all of this is in His Hands!!  I feel excited that He is leading the charge on this journey and that He took our day and will take our entire year and make it what HE wants. 

Happy beginning of school to all of the rest of you reading who are teachers, students and administrators!  

Kelly

lemon picking this morning

We woke up this morning in Southern California.  My grandma has a lemon tree in her backyard that was one of my granddaddy's prides and joys.  

This morning we got to pick lemons to bring home and enjoy for summer!  

I am thankful for a very fun vacation and visit with family!  Now we are off to sleep in our own beds.  Home is nice too!  

ten on ten - March 2017

eating

pottying

bed making

strewing

playing

lunching outside

homemade granola making

sharing reading

listening

strengthening

hanging

swinging

We love frozen fruit from Costco!

Taking the time to read a book in the bathroom after most meals is what is working for us right now. So thankful for a pretty bathroom to be spending the time in AND we are getting in more reading aloud time so win/win right?!

Making beds and tidying rooms is NOT a strong point at our house!  We do laundry together nearly daily like champs but I'm just not sure what time of day to make this a priority.  Our days feel full already between meals, schoolwork, reading aloud and just having lots of time for PLAY!  It is so important.  I'm interested in hearing any tips + tricks you have!!

And while we are not great at picking up, we are pretty expert in making  messes.  :) 

Cora playing downstairs in our family room.  Our preschool is TRULY the best!  Her preschool teacher sent home with each kid a paper "Mt. Sinai" that they painted and folded and stapled and a fluffy tissue paper cloud like the one that God used to lead the children of Israel.  There were also folded paper tents for the Israelites to live in, etc.  We added our vintage Fisher Price Little People and she was busy for quite a while acting the story out that she learned from her amazing teacher!

The kids really love to eat outside.  It is good for their immune systems and allergies also to mix a little dirt, twigs and leaves in with their food.  ;)

In a continual effort to keep from eating sugary foods at least three times a day and to keep our grocery budget down so we can spend money on travel and other fun things, I tried my hand at making my own granola after reading about my friend Rachel doing it on instagram.  It wasn't nearly as time consuming/tricky as I thought and dates cut up into it were plenty sweet enough for me without adding other sweeteners.  And making it look cute only adds to the fun.  :) 

Can I just say that I love her in those overalls and that stickers on furniture has long (like pre-kids) been a big pet peeve of mine?  But him reading to her out of his really cool habitat book that he made at our one day a week classical homeschool academy was super sweet indeed!

This spring has wrought a new habit of me taking late afternoon walks while Adrian is finishing up work, Cora is napping and David is reading/playing legos in his room.  I have really been drawn into listening to podcasts.  Happy Hour with Jaime Ivey is one of my regulars as is That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs. I am really thankful to be regularly exercising again.  This is the most consistent I've been since my Jazzercise days pre-marriage.

Tricep work in front of the washi tape collection.  :) 

Adrian and I have also been doing some strength training together - different things but at the same time.  It is just a short snippet - less than 15 minutes a day but good time spent together and taking care of ourselves.  

Piles of folded laundry ready to be put away after my little monkey finishes hanging on our trapeze!  A Christmas gift from Nana and Ducca, this has proven to be an amazing asset in our home this winter/spring.  The kids have taught themselves so many different ways of using it and strengthened their bodies.  They have gained confidence and just have so much fun on it.  

I am really thankful for our life and our ordinary days at home.

Kelly

Year in Review - Our big trip - First stop - London!

Quality wise this is a terrible photo but I just love it so much I had to include it.

So the scoop is that Adrian had a conference for work in Amsterdam.  He also has a lot of family in Great Britain and his boss is in Italy SO we decided to all go and make a gigantic work/family visit/vacation trip.  

Twenty seven days of togetherness!  :) 

We left out of Colorado Springs and had a bunch of crazy stuff happen with checking in and then the we boarded and then they had us get off and then we rebounded.  It didn't seem like the best way to start 27 straight days of travel but what can you do?

And just for the record, we normally LOVE flying out of Colorado Springs.  Small, easy airport!!!

We arrived in DFW for a short layover before boarding our overnight plane to London!  

Overnight travel is not my favorite but the kids really did amazingly well and we all made it through!  

We found our hotel and headed out to get some lunch.  The super nice staff at our hotel recommended  Nando's.  It was just down the street from our hotel and it was a GREAT place for us to eat lunch.  They had an allergy menu you guys!  That was huge for an easy first meal.  The food was delicious and it was a very easy atmosphere.  I did notice some other moms with kids there and that day as well as others I noticed that London moms seem to iron their kids' clothes way more than American (or at least Coloradan) moms!  

I couldn't help but snap a photo of the changing table in the restroom either.  "Tidy Bottoms" is a new expression for me and a fun one.  

David and I also LOVED the cute little vacuum we would see in the hallway at our hotel as we came and went.  If we had had room in our suitcase I would have bought one and brought it home!  How happy is that vacuum??!!!

David is wearing his collapsible water bottle on his belt loop.  He was super responsible on this trip with keeping up with his things.  

It was so wonderful to get to meet up with family while we were there.  They met us at the hotel and we went for a walk to a playground.  Cora obviously LOVED the swings!  Everyone had a good time and we had a lovely stroll around the rest of the park right near Buckingham Palace.  

We went to Wagamama for dinner and Cora was obviously a fan!  

Hooray for family!  

I love seeing all of our shoes lined up by the door of the hotel.  I had wanted to take a similar picture at each place we stayed but I gave up on that idea when it felt like too much work.  These shoes covered a LOT of ground!!!

The next morning we were among the last into the hotel's breakfast room to enjoy this feast!  Ahh European breakfasts! 

We were very blessed to enjoy GORGEOUS weather!  We expected rain and cold in England in September but it was beautiful!!!

Cora was walking quite a bit holding hands at this stage of the trip.  She wasn't yet an independent walker.  

England had SUCH cool playgrounds!!!

And blackcurrant capri sun!   Don't see that everyday.  :) 

waiting outside Buckingham Palace

The Museum of Natural History

This was one of my absolute favorite days!!!  The four of us went to the Museum of Natural History and it was spectacular!  I loved that all four of us were engaged.  David was super into it and the museum was great about having knobs and dials and levers and things on various exhibits to make it interactive.  Cora LOVES animals and was excited to see everything and it was a big playground to her to practice her walking cruising along the exhibits.  Adrian and I were learning tons of cool facts we didn't know.  It felt to me as if the vision we have for our family as we embark on homeschooling of learning all together was a reality that day and it was absolutely wonderful!

His favorite Bible story is Jonah and the Whale.

Riding the double decker busses was a REAL thrill for David.  He was completely enthralled!!!

And on top of that we also got to ride Metros!  He was given a couple of gifts with underground symbols and maps on them and he decided then and there that his "4 1/2 year old birthday party" (oh, news to us!) should be "Underground" themed and have a chocolate cake!  

On our last day in London while looking for lunch we passed through this crazy tunnel with paint everywhere including a painting in progress!  

Next stop small town England!

photos in this post taken by both Adrian and I

Kelly