This past Christmas we gave each of the kids a daily tear off calendar for their rooms. Sam's has Bible versus and Alina's has pictures of kitties.

Why does this matter you may ask? So the rest of this story makes sense. :)

A week and a half ago, our neighbors had to move out of their house. They didn't have a house yet to move into, so they couldn't take their two cats with them. I was asked if I would feed them until they found a house. This wasn't a problem as I'm more than able to pour food into bowls set out on the back porch. No cleaning out litter boxes as they are out door cats (and we're not allowed to have pets here).

Now, I think the word spread around the hood that there was free food at our back deck for all to have as I have now seen 5 different cats.

Enter Alina. She loves cats. Absolutely LOVES cats. Hello Kitty? You better believe it! Cat pajamas, cat stuffed animals, cat calendar, cat Polly Pockets. So, when these cats started coming to our back deck, she's been loving "having" cats.

So half an hour ago, she came up with the idea that the kitties need something to look at while they eat. She has cut out some of her calendar kitty pictures of kitties eating and taped them to the bottom of the glass door (right at kitty eye level mind you). She said she cut the words off as she didn't think they knew how to read.

And just as she put up her last picture, a kitty came up and actually did look at the pictures before eating. I don't think Alina could have smiled any bigger.

edventure saturdays

With living in a state with so much to offer, we decided to make each Saturday a family day. Find a different place to visit that is inexpensive, fun and even educational. We call these Saturday's Edventure Days as he's the one to find these gems, researches different options and has a list of places to chose from. I'm in charge of packed lunches and beverages. Then off we go.

So far we have been to:
a park nearby for a chilly hike.
















a waterfall at Snoqualmie Falls.



















Snowshoeing at Snoqualmie Pass/Gold Creek.

















A medieval festival (we were a bit under-dressed).






























Eagle watching at Skagit River and a visit to the fish hatchery.





We all look forward to our Saturdays. We're not letting the cold/clouds/rain (when there is rain) stop us. We knew we needed to take advantage of all there is to offer while we're here as who knows how long our stay will be. I'm so thankful for all the memories we've made so far. It's been an amazing adventure!

*for more pics of our edventure saturdays, visit my facebook page*

Super Bowl XLIII Menu

This year we're going the healthy route:

Fruit skewers
Hummus
Fresh veggies
Home made pita chips
Home made pizza
Tasty chocolate pudding cake

I'm finding what a huge difference it makes in my eating habits when I don't write my food intake down. This week the spreadsheet will be active again.

In other news:
We're heading back to MI in April for 10 days.
We had an amazing time in God's creation yesterday seeing Bald Eagles and the growth cycle of the Salmon they eat.
I hope to be working on and off for the next six or so months.
The workouts and weight loss continue.
Church has been amazing.
I'm still learning of how and where to set my boundaries.
Life has been challenging spiritually, and I am thankful for the growth it is producing.