Top Ten Books

10. Mary Higgins Clark stories
9. Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and  Jerry B. Jenkins
8. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
5. The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter by Susan Wittig Albert
4. The Pioneer Woman Black Heels and Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
3. Anything Nicholas Sparks
2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
1. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

E

Today we started the letter "E."  The Boy was very excited to get back into school.  We had a little break when my mother arrived.  To start the day, we did a review of all the letters.  I usually ask for him to point out a letter on his Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree, but he took them all off and I cannot find them. :(  So, we reviewed with the work he has already done (I keep it all in a folder and book).  Once we finished our review, I introduced the letter E and e to him.  He traced the letters, tried to write them himself and then colored.  The stickers he added to his letter page today were Eggs.   I was very impressed with his writing.  When we finished his E page, he traced letters A-E in his book and did a great job on all of them.  His D's look fantastic!!!  I am glad he is so eager to learn.  I hope this continues as he gets older and actually starts school.

Mother and Basement

I have been very happy the last few days...my mother has been here!!  I LOVE having my mother here.  She is such a help during the day with the boys and we have so much fun together.  The Boy just loves having her around as well.  He thinks she is here just for him.  He keeps her busy playing and going out to kick the ball, weather permitting.  She was so excited to get here and get to know The Baby better.  When The Boy was little, our house sold earlier than expected so we ended up living with my parents for the summer.  They saw The Boy everyday for his first 8 months and then at least once a month once we moved.  Now we only get to see them every few months, so she is missing the growth of The Baby. 

She has only been here almost  week, but we have been busy!  If you saw earlier...our basement flooded, the day mother was arriving.  That was not resolved, somewhat resolved, until Friday afternoon.  Friday and Saturday night we had parties at the house and Sunday was church.  We are ALL very exhausted, but what a fun weekend we had. 

I am so glad the basement is getting back together.  It was such a mess.  Stanley Steamer came Wednesday to suck up as much water as they could and ended up taking the padding out and tossing it.  They left MANY fans and a few dehumidifiers.  One wall sucked up about 22 inches of water and the others had about 11.  When they came back on Thursday, the walls had about 5 inches left, so they ended up poking holes in the walls to help dry them out.  Saturday, The Hubby went to Lowe's to get new padding and went to work in the basement on Sunday.  I think he is somewhat excited to have a project to do again, even though it is not what he had in mind.  The carpet is all pulled back and he sprayed the floor and baseboards for mold.  The bedroom now has new padding laid, not in tack, so Mother has something soft to walk on.  He is going to be busy the next few weeks putting it all back together.  What a mess that turned out to be.  Note to all...when it rains or snow starts melting...make sure sump pump is plugged in!!!!

Grammy and Her Boys

What A Way To Start The Day

The Hubby gets up to go to work and before he leaves he goes downstairs to open the vents...my mother is coming today to visit so he wanted the guest room to be warm.  What he found was....water.  Water everywhere!!!  The sump pump was unplugged and with all the snow melting and rain we had, we now have lots of water.  Stanley Steamer is here and they said the padding, which we got the nice one, is ruined, some insulation will need to go, and one wall may need to be replaced.  The carpet is salvageable, so that is good.  It is pretty bad down there.  What a mess and what a way to start the day.  I am surprisingly calm about it at the moment.  I think because my mother is coming in a few hours so nothing can take away that excitement.  Oh my...

Top Ten Crafts This Year

10. Mobile

9. Bible Verse Cards

8. Picture Board

7. Frame

6. Diaper Cake

5. Quilt

4. Outfit

3. Nursing Cover 

2. Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom Tree 

1. Tutu

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

Tonight I made a delicious stir-fry.  I have never had much luck when it comes to making stir-fries and this one was easy.  You can't mess it up.  It had so much flavor and and meat came out perfect.  It is easy to overcook the meat, but I took it out just a little under what I like and it ended up perfect!!  The Hubby was digging in before I set his plate on the table.  Right from the start, the kitchen smelt wonderful.  This is a must try!

Ingredients:

3 T cornstarch

1/2 c water, plus
2 T water
1/2 t garlic powder (I didn't have any so I chopped up 1 garlic)

1 lb boneless round steak cut into 3 inch strips

2 T vegetable oil

4 c broccoli florets (I used frozen)

1 small onion, diced

1/3 c soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 t ground ginger

hot cooked rice

Directions:

In a bowl, comvne2 T cornstarch, 2 T water and garlic powder until smooth.  Toss in the sliced steak to coat. 

In a large skillet or wok over med high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 T oil until beef is at desired doneness.  Remove from heat.

Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.  Return beef to skillet.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth.  Add to pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 

Serve with rice.