paddleboating

I said last week that I was going to show you the girls' organized closets for Talk About Tuesday but I changed my mind. Instead I'm talking about what my kids have been having fun with this spring.

A few weeks ago I picked up a paddleboat at a garage sale. It was a bargain for only $60! I thought the kids would love to take it around our little lake and I knew Thomas would claim it as a fishing boat. He was disappointed that it's pink on the bottom instead of blue or red but I told him that for that price he couldn't be picky!

He's had a lot of fun taking it out, loading his tackle box in the back and trying to catch a really big fish.

This morning the weather was beautiful here so the kids and I took it out through the channel to the big lake. They thought that was pretty fun. I packed a sleeve of Ritz crackers and a container of water for a snack and we enjoyed all of the sites on the lake. There is a mama loon that made a nest on the shore and is laying on her eggs. We are looking forward to seeing the baby loons! We also saw 'Billy' the blue heron that always comes back here every year, lots of fish, turtles and ducks.


I think many fun memories will be made with this little boat!

talking about closet organization

I always look forward to Talk about Tuesday at The Lazy Organizer blog. She's always got cool stuff to talk about like her sweet new baby girl, her amazing pantry and today she's talking about the baby chicks that are hatching at their house right now. I thought I'd participate today and talk about my organized closet. With Thomas and Elle at grandparents houses for two weeks I was able to tackle several projects around here that were in desparate need of attention.

I really should've took a picture last week. Just imagine an ironing board in the middle of the room with piles of clothes that needed hung up. I've said before on this blog that putting away clothes isn't something I'm good at!

The first thing I did was go through all of our clothes and decided what to keep and what to get rid of. Then I switched all of the winter clothes for the summer clothes. Even though we've only had a handful of days that have even made it into the 70s! I store our off season clothes in two zippered fabric containers under the bed.

This is Scott's side of the closet. Yes, I like to organize clothes by color. It's the OCD in me! As are the wood hangers. What can I say? I'm a firstborn.

This is my side....mostly anyway. Scott's stuff takes over a little of my side. Does anyone else's husband have more clothes than them?! I've got more shoes though! :)

Next week I'll show you the girl's closets. They are more fun than mine!

knitted newsboy hat

This hat was such a fun knit. I worked on it during the drive to Nebraska last week. It was a challenge for me and I had to make a phonecall while on the road to the lady that owns the yarn shop in town but after she explained a few things it went well. I already have the yarn purchased for another one for myself. I think I'm brave enough to wear it! I better hurry up though, it's feeling very spring-like here this week. The snow is melting and the sun is shining. The kids even asked if they could do their schoolwork outside at the table on the porch. :) It's not quite that warm yet!

To read more Talk About Tuesday posts visit Lara's blog. While you're there check out some of the adorable hats she has knit for her girls lately!

coat closet organization

I finally found a way to keep the winter outdoor clothing mess to a minimum this year and thought I'd show you how....since it's Talk About Tuesday!

This is the doorway that leads to our garage and is the entrance that gets used by us all of the time. Until this winter this hallway was always a disaster.....coats, mittens, boots, and hats all over.

A couple of years ago Scott built me this nifty tower to help contain everything but I couldn't find any baskets that would fit just right on the shelves. Without the baskets this tower didn't help me to be organized. Everything still got mixed up. This year though Target just happed to have the perfect size milk crate basket to fit inside. It was a happy day when I found them! :) Now each of us has our own basket to hold our hats, scarves, mittens. The kids have been so good about putting everything in the right baskets and I can't remember the last time one of them has said "Mom, I can't find a pair of mittens!"

The other thing I did to do to help organize this closet was put an old cookie sheet on the floor for the kids to put their wet boots on. I also made sure they had special hangers that the suspenders of their snowpants could hang on without falling off.

The hook on the wall holds Ava's diaper bag, packed and ready to go along with any returns that need to be made in town.

This is a picture of mine and Scott's side of the closet. I'm hoping he'll build a shoe shelf for the kids side someday soon. (Hint, hint Honey!) :) The top shelf holds camera bags, my purse, a basket with our snowpants and ski goggles and other winter items that don't get used on a regular basis. There is also a basket that holds all of the summer stuff - caps, sunscreen, golf items, etc....I can't wait till we can take this basket down again!

This system has worked really well for us. It sure is great having a handy hubby to make things like this for me!

Note to self: Stain the top piece of the shelf!

painting like michelangelo

This week we started studying Italy in geography. One of the famous people we are reading about is Michelangelo and today the kids got a taste of what it might have been like for him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I set up the card table with some papers taped underneath and had them paint a couple of pictures while laying on their backs. They thought it was fun!

We are guessing that Michelangelo got pretty messy while working on that ceiling! :)

The styrofoam trays that meat and sometimes veggies come on from the grocery store make great painting trays! Wash them in hot, soapy water when you get them and then toss them when you are done painting.

Visit Laura's blog to see what everyone is talking about this Tuesday!

talk about tuesday

Last week I posted that we were putting up our Christmas tree but never showed a picture after it was decorated. So, here it is. It really does make it especially cozy in here with the glow of the white lights. It is in the living room, tucked in a corner behind the chair and by the walkway to the front door. Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all one big open area so we can enjoy it from all of the rooms we are in most often.

Tomorrow we are going to put up the kids tree in the play area between their rooms. They've collected many ornaments as gifts over the years so last year I bought them a tree to decorate just the way they want. Laura happened to blog about this idea for her Talk About Tuesday post only her kids each have a small tree.

talk about tuesday

We are putting up our Christmas decorations today. I have never put them up before Thanksgiving but I'm breaking tradition this year. Since my mom is coming tomorrow and she has never saw my house decorated for Christmas in the 9 years that Scott and I have been married I thought that I would go ahead and decorate before she gets here.

I was so happy to pass the job of pulling apart the branches of the fake tree to Thomas and Elle this year. They were excited too...until they started on it! They quickly realized that it really isn't as much fun as they thought it would be. :) We used to get a real tree but after the year it fell over 3 times and soaked my carpet each time I bought this artificial one. I'm sure Ava is going to love the tree this year. I think I'm going to have to leave off the ornaments I made last year with a gingerbread type crust that is inedible. They look too much like cookies and she loves 'coo-coos'.

For more Talk about Tuesday posts, visit The Lazy Organizer!

runza making tutorial

For Talk About Tuesday this week I thought that I would share one of my family's favorite recipes - Runzas. This is my hubby's favorite meal that doesn't get cooked on a grill. I took several pictures yesterday while I made them. They are a little more work compared to other meals but are definitely worth the extra effort!

For the dough -
5 - 6 cups of flour (I use bread flour and sneek in a cup or so of whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp quick-rising active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt & yeast. Heat milk, water & butter until warm (115º to 120ºF). Pour into flour mixture. Add eggs and beat on low, with a paddle attachment, for about 30 seconds.

Continue to beat on high for another 3 minutes.

Switch from a paddle attachment to a dough hook and gradually add the remainder of the flour until the dough holds it shape but is still a little sticky. I often take it out of the machine when it's getting close and kneed for a few minutes by hand because I go by how it feels. Keep adding small amounts of flour until you can kneed the dough easily with it not sticking to the counter but yet it still feels a little sticky to the touch. Makes sense right?! :) Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rest for 20 minutes or so while you make the meat filling.

Now is also a good time to pick up the baby that has been hanging on your legs and give her some kisses and cuddles. :)

For the filling -
1 pound of ground beef
half of a small head of cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
garlic salt
lawry's seasoning salt

Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Add shredded cabbage and seasonings to taste. You don't want the filling to be too wet so only add a few tablespoons of worcestershire sauce. Just keep taste testing the meat filling until you get the seasonings just right. The meat filling is done cooking when the cabbage is cooked. Allow the filling to cool for awhile before shaping the runzas.

To shape, cut off a dough ball about this size and flatten it with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape.

Place a slice of American cheese on the dough and then cover with a couple of large spoonfuls of the meat and cabbage.

Fold up the two ends and then the sides. Pinch all three seams closed then place on a greased baking sheet.

Cover & let rest 40 - 60 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Rub the top of each runza with a small amount of butter while still hot.

I was able to make 14 runzas and there was enough leftover dough for 2 buns. I thought I was going to be able to get 2 meals out of this batch but everyone was hungry last night and there were only 4 left. I still have that other half of the cabbage so I might mix up another batch since everyone wants more.

talk about tuesday

Last week I found this little rocking chair at the secondhand store I drive past every time I go into town. I occasionally stop in hoping to find some little chairs to go around the table I picked up there this spring. So far I haven't found any but I did spot this rocker for the girls that I couldn't pass up. I sanded it and gave it a good cleaning then painted it a very pale pink to match their also thrifted doll cradle. I am planning to make a cushion for the seat but that requires a stop at Joann's to get some foam, so that project has to wait for a few more days.

The girls are supposed to be sharing it but Ava hogs it most of the time. She sits in it with Elle's Bitty Baby and says 'Rock Bye, Rock Bye' over and over.

Then she gets up and walks over to the cradle to tuck the baby in for her nap just like a little mommy.

Good night flexible Baby, sweet dreams!

For more Talk About Tuesday posts visit The Lazy Organizer!