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Now that Allison's birthday is behind us, MOPS is done, school is out, and summer is here, it is time for us to start packing and get ready for our move! The last thing I've wanted to do is plan meals... so we've been winging it! Tonight at 4:30pm, I had no idea what I was going to make. By 5:20pm, we were eating dinner! The June gloom that's hung around all day inspired some individual chicken pot pies for dinner. When it was done, I thought, "This is yummy, and easy -- I need to add this one to my favorites!" So, I thought I would share it with you, too. Just look up any chicken pot pie recipe, (I didn't use one, or I'd share), and top with Pilsbury Grand Biscuits. Happy cooking!
Today is Allison's actual 6th birthday! She woke-up to the traditional present-under-the-bed. She then chose chocolate chip pancakes for her breakfast. We were blessed that Daniel happens to have the day off, so once he drove home from work, he headed right back to Orange County to take us all to the beach; (Allison's choice, of course!)
We arrived a little after 11:00am, and decided to do lunch first so that we could spend more time at the beach without getting too hungry. We ate at "The Crab Cooker;" a favorite of Daniel and mine.
It was such a beautiful day... once at the beach we played for a couple hours. Here is the narrowed-down version of pictures for you: (I promise, I really tried to narrow it down!)
We stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home... it was a great treat before all 3 girls crashed in the car! We came home and showered, watched Allison's new Veggie Tale movie, had mac and cheese and salad, per the birthday girl's request, and now...... aaaaahhhh... the house is quiet and bed is calling! Happy birthday, sweet Allison. I love you!!
I absolutely LOVE the theme Allison chose for her 6th birthday... Strawberry Shortcake! So many possibilities, and perfect for the beginning of June. (Not-to-mention MY 6th birthday was a Strawberry Shortcake one!)
The day before, the girls enjoyed a beautiful day outside squeezing lemons for the strawberry lemonade. (above) And, the night before I roped Daniel in to helping me make chocolate-covered strawberries. (below)
One thing I didn't have to worry about was making the cake. I asked my uber-talented friend Tricia to make it for her, and just look what she came up with...
Ok, you can close your mouth now! Seriously: we were all blown-away! I heard Natalie exclaim at Sunday School that night, "My sister had a birthday party today with the most BEAUTIFUL cake ever!"
For our activities, we made strawberry thumb-print pictures, colored in coloring books I found at the Dollar Tree, and wove ribbon baskets. Once each girl was finished with her basket, she was given a pair of strawberry sunglasses and sent outside to find 3 (paper) strawberries. Upon returning, she was rewarded with a chocolate-covered strawberry. Only Natalie as disappointed in the prize! (Poor girl... who doesn't like chocolate strawberries?)
For our last activity, we headed outside to plant our own strawberries. I bought strawberry grow kits from the Dollar section at Target, but made them "cute" with the help of the girls by putting them in old cans. This turned out to be super fun. I can't wait to see the strawberries grow!
Poor Sierra was exhausted!
I used recycled Thai tea bottles for our drink holders. I stuck a strawberry cookie in each one as a "straw." (I love the look of all the cute paper straws, but not the price tag!) We also made some strawberry sugar cookies; my favorite! And a toasted almond strawberry avocado salad. Brianna's poppy seed dressing is a must!
My mom brought all of my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls from when I was a kid to use to decorate. It was so fun to see them again! Too bad they don't smell, anymore.
Lunch: pizza, of course!
So many cute presents... and the new Strawberry Shortcake dolls smell just like I remember, even though she looks totally different.
It was very sweet how she told Natalie her present was most special because it was from her sister. Natalie felt so special, and I was overjoyed! Happy sixth birthday, beautiful Allison! I can't wait to celebrate with you on your actual birthday, Tuesday, at the beach!
Ok, here is my 5th and final excuse. (Most likely I still won't blog much in the upcoming weeks because of excuse number 4, but I will try!)
I have been getting ready for Allison's Strawberry Shortcake party...
And, letting the munchkins help; (a little... I still want to keep some things a surprise!)
That's all you get for now; just a sneak peak! Can't wait to show you more. This has been a super fun party to plan. Lots more work to do, though. I'm hoping to be back soon to show you more!
We bought a new house! I am SO, so excited and feel completely blessed. This will be the house we are in for a long time, and the house our kids will remember as home! In fact, it will be the only house Yehbie will know; (probably Sierra, too!)! Ok, here is a sneak peak of the backyard: (I'll wait to show you the inside once we've painted and moved in; the backyard shouldn't change much!)
The girls picking cherries...
A pool... couldn't be more excited!
And, a swing set/ pirate ship that is staying.
Like I said... we feel completely blessed! Escrow is set to close in 3 weeks, and we have already had the inspection! In many ways, we are still in shock that this is happening! Day and night, visions of color and decorating are going through my head. A new blank canvas; wow!
The girls are ecstatic. I am ecstatic... Please ask me sometime, and I would love to share with you all the details of how God brought this about. Too much to type, but truly a miracle!
What a mess, huh? But, a fun one! To finish up the MOPS year, I used the leftover pieces of fleece from our outreach blanket project to sew coffee cozies for our steering team. (Thanks for your help, Mom!)
I took four circles, and kept sewing them together until they resembled a flower... then sewed it onto the felt cozy.
This is the only picture I have of the final product. Unfortunately, my battery went dead before I could take any more pictures. Anyway, I was thinking it would make a great teacher appreciation gift, too.
I love MOPS... but, I am also looking forward to the break! From now on, MOPS can no longer be an excuse as to why I am not blogging!
I'm starting to realize that before we can pack, there is a lot of organizing to do! Oh, the pile of junk I have already gotten rid of... it feels SO good! Last night we got rid of coloring books we didn't want. With the remaining books, the girls put their names in the covers then went to bed.
When they woke-up this morning, I had stickers galore for them to decorate their very own coloring box organizer. (They're just cheap Ikea white magazine holders!)
This was a fun project, and another great way to have the girls feel like they're helping!
