Oven Fajitas

 

Using the same homemade tortilla recipe I used before, I made these Oven Fajitas to fill them up with...and both are absolutely delicious.   

1, 2, 3...Class Playdate

Katelyn loves waking up, or coming home to a neat play station. Today we work on our numbers. I've made cards that have the numbers spelled out in both English and Spanish, and then the number. They use these charts at school, so I thought it would be nice to have so she would already be familiar with some of the station. She used the Halloween stamps to complete the chart.

After she completed the chart, we worked together to put the correct number of stamps on each card hanging on the wall.

She thought this activity was super cool.

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You've already read about Rory's Park...Now, we've even had a class play date there! Rory's mom set it up, and it was really nice to meet the other Montessori parents...and the children that K talks about all the time.

 

5 Lessons...

...About How to Treat Others


Five Lessons About How To Treat People
-- Author Unknown

1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve"

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

**3 and 5 are real tear jerkers for me.**

Sissy Vicky came to visit....

It may not look like it in this picture...because we took it after we told K it was time for bed...but she was really happy to see her big sis Victoria. When she got here, K ran to give her a real big hug! She remembered her, and clearly missed her. Victoria had to play everything (including play dough) with us. I think it's our turn to visit our large family in Brasil next!

I love Freezer Cooking

I love freezer cooking, because I love that when Chris calls to tell me he has a business dinner to attend, I don't have to prep dinner during K's nap...because I can just reach in the deep freeze and grab something with no work...it's like a day off.

 

This is one of 4 pizzas I made earlier this month.  cooked one fresh, and froze the other three. I use a simple dough recipe (always, always, always add honey though)...and then bake it plain. I cook my sausage on the stove, mix a batch of spaghetti sauce, and top them all our favorite toppings. Freeze them, and then wrap them nice and tight in some plastic wrap.

CW's Arrow ? ----> Yes, please.

First:  I'm a total Arrow junkie. I'm having withdraws waiting for it every week. (Curse you, Netflix for giving me an entire season with no wait!)

Second: I never had an interest in this show until last week...(and I'm not proud to admit that I watched all 23 episodes from season 1, and the first 3 of season 2 already.) I only watched it in the first place is because I was watching "Revenge," when the new guy kept bothering me...I couldn't figure out what I watched him in before...and then it dawned on me...'waaaaa' moment....He's the Green Arrow...no he's not, that show is still on...So, I really didn't care all that much, but just so happens that while I'm trying to find a new episode of Pingu on Netflix for K I see Arrow on there....ok, I'll check it out. I watch the first few minutes, and I'll be darn I was right when I thought I was wrong. (Actually, I was sort-of right, because he was in fact Oliver Queen/Green Arrow on Smallville....booo-yeah!) - But, those few minutes I watched got me hooked.

So, If you're looking for a new favorite show...(Revenge has lost a lot of steam, darn.) - This could very well be it. Just saying....you should check it out. =P But, you've been warned, so no blaming me if you become an Arrow junkie, too.

K in the Kitchen: Apple Turnovers

We cheated - we used some crescent rolls to make us some quick apple turnovers for our calling sweet tooth. (K also enjoyed a whole apple, and using the peeler.)

 

Materials ready...Crescent Rolls, Diced Apples, Cinnamon Sugar, Butter.

She put some apples at the end of the crescent roll, and added some cinnamon sugar. Butter chunks go on top. (She's getting pretty awesome at measuring things out.)

Ready to go in the oven.....(I didn't take a photo of the finished product, but they looked great, and tasted a-maz-ing!)

A Monsterous Day

Here we made Monster Marker Prints, and had a great time. It was a simple enough activity that Katelyn was able to do almost every step with little assistance. Daddy cut out all the eyes and mouths. =)

 

Ice Painting and Foam Pumpkins

I froze some paint in a pumpkin tray, and the next day K enjoyed coloring with it. (I couldn't post the pictures of her and I painting, because she ended up stripped down.) At first, the tempura paints were disappointing and the acrylic paints were awesome...then they melted super fast, and the tempura paints were still going (and getting stronger). :[)

I bought all this from the dollar store, and she loves it. She even spent several days asking to decorate the pumpkins.

Sensory Bin Overload

K's play tray! We made colored rice for a future sensory bin. It is jus 2 cups of rice in a baggie with a capful of alcohol, and a lot of food coloring drops.

Later, we worked on our numbers and measuring skills. We measured the snake dry, and then put it in water for a week to see how much it will grow.

The Halloween sensory I made her had these sticky bats and eyes in it (two things I almost didn't buy). She had a blast with them.

The sensory bin had crinkle basket paper, Ping-Pong eyeballs, plastic spiders, skeletons, snakes, other bugs, glow in the dark insects, and some scrap plastic I found in the bag from the dollar store.

Some leafs were just starting to fall, so we bagged up a pile for the front yard... and K thought the pumpkin was her best friend. She even took him for a walk around the block.

"Rory's Park"

A.K.A Sandcastle Park

 

K's little buddy Rory from school lives close to this park. We have never heard of it before, and it is awesome. We ended up going back to the park 3 times that week, and K was chanting "Rory's Park" everyday. It looks like a Mini-American Ninja Warrior training course.

Billie Creek/Covered Bridge

An annual trip. A visit to Billie Creek Village (no matter how sad of state it's in) and the covered bridge festival.

Unfortunately, the village is closed. And we made Miss K a criminal. It was once such an amazing place. It is still on the market, and I hope someone with the means and the know-how can find a way to bring the magic back.

After we leave Rockville town square, Kris and the girls want to get food at Mansfield. So we head that way...and for more shopping. (K found two toy cars she had to have.)

Climbing and Creating

Katelyn loves her swimming and tumbling classes at the Y.

 

 

Yes, the streamer fun I mentioned earlier. Katelyn loved trying to maneuver her way down the hallway.

And...she said it was mommy's turn...

The girl will play with play dough any and every chance that she gets.