HelloFresh

I have found a new company that is pretty amazing. Hello Fresh provides all the ingredients you need – already measured out – to cook a meal; it says all you need in your pantry is salt, pepper, olive oil, butter and white sugar. You can choose to buy the ingredients for 2 people or 4 people and you get three days of meals, the classic box or the veggie box.

 

Cooking healthy has been a big goal of mine, but some nights it is just totally difficult to figure out what I am going to make. I look in the fridge, stare in the freezer and pace the pantry looking for a good meal to cook many nights. I should plan better, and many nights it all works out but there are some days I am running to the store last minute or asking hubby to pick something up on his way home.

Hello Fresh delivers to you everything you need to cook 3 full dinners for the family. Really yummy meals, with several choices and options to pick from on their site. All very fresh ingredients! The meats, herbs and veggies were probably fresher than I could get in my own grocery store. Recipe cards were included in the box, full color and very easy to follow.

We ordered the Flaming Pork Fajitas, which included cherry tomatoes, tortillas, red onion, cumin, fresh cilantro, with an perfectly ripe avocado, bell pepper and even a lemon. A great cut of pork chop. I rarely cook pork chops so this was a yummy change for us. I cooked this meal first and everyone loved it! We also got the Mustard crusted trout and Sizzling steak stir-fry dinners. They were so yummy too!

A few things I learned about this way of cooking meals. You don't have to cook 3 nights in a row. I put some of the meat in the freezer and refrigerated the other items too. I cooked the first night it arrived (wed) then Friday then on Monday. All food stayed fresh in the fridge and all food was organized by each meal it went in.

Because I ordered for 4 people everything came as doubles, 2 red chili, 2 bell peppers, 2 lemons, 4 cloves of garlic. A lot of this stuff we don't "normally" use that much of, so I used probably a bit less than called for in the recipe. So we had a bit of extras after the recipe to use for other nights of inspired cooking. Also, there was leftovers from the meal for lunch the next day too.

 

 

the pricing is as follows:

Classic Box (meats and veggies)

3 meals for 2 people:  $69.00

3 meals for 4 people: $129.00

 

Veggie Box (veggies only)

3 meals for 2 people: $59.00

3 meals for 4 people: $109.00

 

I would recommend trying this service out. It was fun just to try it. The food tasted so fresh, I never knew using fresh herbs could make such a difference. I will do it again in the next few weeks. Maybe consistently every 6 weeks. I have a coupon code for you to use to get $20 off your next order. The hello fresh coupon code is: TFC3W3+free shipping

http://www.hellofresh.com/

ikea mud room update

Last year just as we moved into our new house, we decided to put together a bench and coat rack made from Ikea tv stand and tv cabinet rack. We put it up kind of in a hurry last year, because of on top of just moving in and unpacking an entire house we tried to get everything done over the Christmas break.

About 8 months later, we revisited the mudroom and came up with a few upgrade and changes. We had originally matched the Ikea color white and painted both units and the back wall with this semi gloss color. Over several months of looking at it, I wasn't really happy with this color. It seemed a little dull or dirty or not quite white, and maybe if it wasn't flanked by two door frames painted in bright glossy white it might have looked better. The semi-gloss paint also didn't seem to do well on the bench seat, it remained dirty and had scratch like marks in it.

Secondly, the height of the bench was a little too high for our kids to actually sit on it. The kids were getting the front of the bench dirty each time they were climbing to get up and sit. To remedy this we cut the feet down about 1 1/2 inch. Next, I wanted to change the opening at the bottom of the bench. The opening at the bottom allowed too much dirt and dust to get underneath. Weekly I was sweeping out lost shoes, dirt, pencils and other little objects that got kicked under there. I wanted to close that off and finish the molding to make it look more of a built in. While we did this we secured it up and locked it to the wall so the molding would always match up to the wall. Finally I painted the entire thing white to match the doors, I painted the top of the bench with high gloss and the pull out drawer fronts with high gloss too along with the molding to match the rest.

Here is a little recap of the process, I took a few photos of the beginning process that I missed last time:

This is how the mud room started when we moved in. they had a key drop counter in this space.

 

 

 

 

this is the corner wall without the bench in place. we needed to cut the molding away on the left for the bench to fit snug against the wall. We removed the entire molding on the back wall to put up the bead board.

 

 

 

This is how far we got after moving in. We were very happy with how things turned out. Each person in the family gets a hook and each kid gets a drawer for shoes.

 

We have cut down the feet on the bench and getting ready to put up the molding. We placed a middle block to help support the molding and allow us to nail it into something too.

not sure if you can see it, but there's a paint difference. I have painted the top left section of the back board, there is a square that is bright white compared to the rest.

 

 

 

 

molding along the floor going up.

 

finished with the molding and caulking. I also caulked other areas I didn't finish before, like along the wall and where the bead board met the door frame.

 

This is the best side by side comparison I could find. Before and after. Also in the finished version you can see our mail drop box. All stuff ends up in this room before entering the house.

 

 

 

 

these are the pieces that we purchased from Ikea. Every once in a while they go on sale if you have the Ikea family card.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I will try my best to answer them.

their first...

Believe it or not we are still experiencing some "firsts" with the girls. This one usually comes when they are pretty young. But they have been home 3 years and they just got their first hair cuts. They weren't in a hurry to get their hair cut and so a while back we all talked and agreed that they would donate their hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for little girls that have cancer or long term medical hair loss. They require at least 8 inches of hair to be donated so it took a while for the girls to have their hair long enough to be cut and have some left to look decent.

P. and I took them to the hair dresser and they each had their own separate hair dresser to cut their hair. it seemed to be a whirlwind, I had one on my lap and P. had one on his and within a few moments they were rubber banding and cutting. I only got a few pictures of them getting their hair cut. Within a few minutes they were mostly done and they were standing in front of each other looking at the other. The hair dressers followed them to the floor and were still cutting and trimming while their stood and watched each other. They both did so well, not at all scared or worried. I think they actually really liked all the attention and looking so beautiful. Paige had 9 inches cut and Phoebe had 8 inches cut. Phoebe said that we should do it again tomorrow. :)

I took a few before pictures and I will upload some older ones that we had too. Just so you can see how different they look and how much was cut. They seem to really love their new hair cuts. they also look about 3 years older than when they walked in to get their hair cut. The cut makes them look so much older, my little babies are growing up so fast!

 

 These are some before pictures that you can see the length of their hair, this was around Christmas time so it might have been a bit longer. Below is Paige waiting to get her hair cut.

the first cut

the first cut

 

I know a little weird, but that's a lot of hair, right?

 

These pictures were taken just after we got home from getting their hair cut. They were both very happy! No more rubber bands, barrettes or pony tails. Mommy is happy too.

Merry Christmas

We have had a wonderful Christmas this year. I hope you and your family had a special day too. I think the kids are at an amazing age right now to really love this holiday and all that it brings. They believe!, and were very excited for Santa's visit and waking up to a pile of presents under the tree. They also know the real reason for the season, and we talk all the time about who's birthday it really is and why we celebrate. Nate asked how old Jesus was, 2,013 years old, what!?

We are trying to make the most of this time with the kids, we are doing some really fun things this week and enjoy our family time.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. Here are a few of my favorite pictures so far from this summer. We have so much to be thankful for!

Ditto on this, why i won't buy Unicef holiday cards

I came across this article a few months ago and completely agree with the idea of staying away from Unicef holiday cards. As an adoptive parent I feel it is my right and responsibility to educate others about Unicef's unacceptable treatment of orphans. The writer says it better than I ever could so I am reposting her article!

NEW YORK, December 5, 2011 — UNICEF holiday greeting cards have been an iconic symbol of the spirit of the holidays since 1949.
Ubiquitous during the holiday season, you can buy them on UNICEF’s own website, or at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and many other major retailers.
And who can resist images like cute multicultural cadre of kids, smiling and holding hands as they circle the globe? Who can’t get behind the idea of children from all nations coming together across borders, showing the one-ness of the human race?
Well, actually UNICEF can’t.  It has declared national borders sacred; country of origin rigidly defining.  Sadly, all that’s left of UNICEF’s “we are one people, one world” message is what’s found in a twelve-buck box of paper cards.
To sell their charming assortment of holiday cards, UNICEF writes “When you send UNICEF Christmas greeting cards and holiday cards, you help bring hope, health and happiness to children around the world.”
They should have disclaimer at the end, specifying “just not to orphans.”
UNICEF has been very successful in marketing its cards to unsuspecting Americans, who do not know about its stance against the world’s orphans finding permanent families in the U.S.  In fact, UNICEF rakes in about $16.8 million from sales of cards and related products, according to a United Nations report for 2010.
In recent years, UNICEF has taken a radical position against orphans, insisting that life in the country of birth is always preferable than life with an adoptive family in another country even when that means children are condemned to orphanages.  So much for those handholding holiday cards.  Good-bye, one-ness.  Hello, border patrol.
Their tagline is “Shop for a cause and help children in need.”  While no one can argue with the fact that UNICEF does work to improve living conditions for some children in need, their assistance goes to those who already have families.  Those without, not so much.
Until UNICEF’s campaign against inter-country adoption is stopped, I won’t be buying their greeting cards, and I urge everyone who is concerned about the world’s orphans not to buy them either.  And, as delightful as the cards may look on my mantle, when I receive a UNICEF card I will not keep it in my house.  In fact, I’ll take it as an opportunity to educate the sender about how UNICEF has chosen to turn its back on parentless children again this holiday season.
This year, if the spirit moves you to send holiday cards that will make a difference, there are many other alternatives to supporting UNICEF, which has lost its moral compass and has turned orphans into collateral damage in service of a political agenda.
Instead, choose an organization that champions a cause you believe in, that has a positive impact on the world.  For one of the best places to find a huge selection of beautiful holiday cards that support worthy organizations, go to http://www.cardsthatgive.org.


Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/red-thread-adoptive-family-forum/2011/dec/5/why-i-wont-buy-unicef-holiday-cards/#ixzz2k0Jsc88F
Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Halloween

It was an amazing Halloween this year. All three kids were totally into the holiday and wanted to get dressed up and go trick or treating. We went to many different events this year; a fall pumpkin festival at a local farm, a community Halloween event with vendors and trick or treating and a truck or treat event at a local church. They dressed up for school and each had a school parade in the morning. Then we finally went out trick or treating on Halloween evening. The kids got full use of their costumes this year.

Each was very specific in what they wanted to dress up as for the holiday. Nate, as usual, changed his mind several times, fireman, armadillo, transformer fireman, and policeman. We decided on policeman because he really wanted to have the handcuffs (and put us in jail). Paige and Phoebe were very sure of their decisions, Paige wanted to be Doc McStuffins and Phoebe wanted to be a Princess in PINK of course. Thankfully, I was able to find each of their requests!

Halloween night they came home with so much candy, we overflowith. the kids don't eat candy, so this year we bought lots of small items and set up a chuck E- che*se like store and the kids used their candy as currency to purchase what they wanted. It was so much fun to come home and do this after a long night of working for their candy.

Also, happy birthday to my sister! Born on Halloween day!

 

 

Autumn Moon Festival

The kids had a wonderful Chinese moon festival celebration this year. We went to a community festival and watched dancers, singers and artist from many Asian countries preform on stage. We got to enjoy some amazing food and had a great time celebrating. Then we went to dinner with other families with adopted children and had a great meal at a Chinese restaurant. We enjoyed moon cakes, the kids got dressed up in their festival clothes and celebrated with friends.

Back to school

The kids had a great first day back to school. Nate started Kindergarten and the girls go 2 days a week to preschool. They were all very excited to wear their new clothes and bring their back packs and lunch bags to school. Things are going so well and they are all learning so much.

Paige is very much into purple, as you can see, and Phoebe likes pink and black. Nate just wanted to be cool and wear a fun shirt.

Also, happy 11-12-13 day!