Reporting

My goal was to finish spring cleaning by the end of April. Since it's 10:30 on the last day of April, I thought I'd better report.

I did it!

Every wall has been washed. Every window has been cleaned. Every ceiling has been dusted. Every blind has been scrubbed. Every cupboard has been wiped out, organized, and polished. Every curtain has been vacuumed. All the wood has been shined. Every door and picture has been cleaned. I made it!

I will admit that there is still one small corner I want to organize better, and we still need to hang some pictures in our bedroom. Plus, of course, regular life has caught up with each room after it was deep cleaned. So don't hate me because you think my house is perfect! But I thought it was worth celebrating!

And now I need a nap! :)

Ideas, Please?

Lately I feel like I've been in a cooking rut. Nothing sounds all that great to make or to eat... maybe because the weather is stuck between winter and summer, so I can't even be sure from day to day if we will want a warm meal or a cooler one. Plus, I somehow have quite a bit of evening activities scheduled this week, which means I have a little less time than normal for meal prep. That doesn't help the situation!

Anyway, I need your help. What are some dinner meal ideas? (And remember that my husband loathes casseroles, so that won't really be a valid suggestion for my house.)
Thanks!

Because I'm Curious

I saw a friend mention this on Facebook, and I was shocked enough to go look it up.

It's the Breastfeeding Baby Doll.
Yeah, go ahead and follow the link. I promise, it's not pornography.
Although I DID find it highly disturbing.


So what's your take? Is it educational or just plain freaky?

Thoughts

I had one of those nights last night where I couldn't fall asleep until about 1 am because my mind was going so fast I couldn't calm it down. I haven't really had this experience since I quit teaching, although it was very common when I was a full time teacher. I think I've discovered my trigger: projects.

Since we've been here in Rochester, I haven't attempted too many projects. I've just let us get settled here, figure out our routine, etc. And I think we're in a really good spot right now - happy with life, getting most things done when they need to be done, and enjoying each other's company.

But all of the sudden, I feel this burning need to do spring cleaning. I want to wipe walls. I want to organize EVERYTHING! I want to throw out anything we haven't touched since moving here (which is a bit extreme since there is an awful lot of baby stuff that I sure hope we need again at some point!). I just want my house to be super clean! Well, folks, I guess that's my project for April. I made lists of all the things I want to do. I guess I'll have to report back how much I actually get through!

Are any of you spring cleaning? Or do you have other projects that keep you up at night?

Fakin' and Eggs

We don't really get into April Fool's Day much around here, but I DID make a fun dessert that Aidan really enjoyed. It's called (of course) Fakin' and Eggs!

The best part? It's super easy!

For the eggs, I just took vanilla candy melts (large white chocolate drop, typically used in candy molds - can be found at Hobby Lobby or in the Wilton cake section at Wal Mart), spread them out on a piece of waxed paper, and microwaved them for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in 30 second increments. Then, I stuck a yellow M&M in each "egg white" with the "m" facing down. They need about 20 minutes to harden, and then they pop right off the waxed paper.

The "bacon" took a little more time but was still very easy. Microwave one Tootsie Roll midgee and one caramel square for about 8 seconds. They will be soft enough to smash down, then stack on top of each other. From there, cut the wad in half and stack it again so you have 4 layers of alternating candy. Cut this whole stack into thirds, and stretch each piece of candy. The colors will blend to look bacon-y. This will make 3 long pieces of "bacon," and you cut each piece in half to be a proportionate size to the eggs. You can add ripples to make the bacon look more realistic.

They are very tiny - the ones in the picture are shown on a plate from Aidan's toy dishes set. But he knew right away what they were supposed to be, and he loved that they were really candy!

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! Did you play any good tricks?