Please Be Seated

So two winters ago our church got new-used pews. Ours were somewhere less than 100 years old, and many were splitting and cracking. Well, we took one of those pews home... My plan was to put it at the kitchen table. These pews are nearly 12 feet long and it turns out it wouldn't fit in any room. It sat outside for a while and ended up in the basement as our recycling/sorting station. Last weekend we brought it outside again, and here is the transformation:

Deciding where to make the cut.

Jeff's Dad did all the hard work.

Jacob says "It's like a pew."

3 coats of Royal Indigo

I left the original wood on the back.

One is The Loneliest Number (or maybe seven)

One ripe Roma tomato. Yum. My plant's growth got stunted so I think I might just get seven tomatoes total... Because that is how many grew before the plant got sick. The leaves are all black and the whole plant is barely bigger than when I actually bought it. But three of my Celebrity Tomato plants are looking good. Can't wait for those!

What's For Lunch?

Every day I ask Jacob what he wants for lunch and he usually answers "macaroki" (which means Mac 'n Cheese). Sometimes he throws me and asks for peanut butter and jam. Well, today I got the usually request but we had pasta for supper last night. It is cold and rainy so I suggested waffles. Yum. I must say homemade cinnamon waffles are the best lunch for this kind of day. Dreary and bleary. Anyways, once the waffles were ready Jacob proceeded to "fill the holes" with syrup. He used it all up and remarked "it's empty." Really? So we started a grocery list.

Toothpaste
Cocolate chips
Syrup

"What else do we need at the grocery store Jacob?"

Milk.
Watermelon... Little ones.

"Anything else?"

Trampoline!

"They don't sell trampolines at the grocery store."

... (thinking) guitar!

"They don't sell those either. And you have a guitar in the basement."

It's brown!

And then Jacob lost interest in the grocery list. So is he just being fanciful or is this the first time my kid is asking me to buy him something that I have no intention of buying for him?

Rainy Day Fun

We have had some crazy weather swings, probably just like everyone else. One day we spend hours outiside at a time, eating lunch and supper on the deck, going to the park, blowing bubbles, and licking Popsicles. Then the next day we are stuck indoors all day because it is rainy and cold. So what do we do? Colour, craft, and bake!


Classic Cheddar Muffins

Recipe By: kraftcanada.com

Ingredients:

- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2  cups cheddar cheese, grated 
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup margarine, melted
- 2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. COMBINE flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. Stir in cheese. Blend together yogurt, butter and eggs.

2. ADD liquid to dry ingredients. Stir only until moistened. Spoon into 12 large greased muffin cups.

3. BAKE at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.