Friday, August 19, 2005

Seems Like Yesterday...



Was this really 5 years ago? Where did that helpless little being go? I just am having a hard time believing how quickly the time has passed. Now I know exactly what my parents meant when they'd tell us "it seems like yesterday you were _____________ . " We went to parent orientation last night for Noah's kindergarten and several times I just wanted to burst into tears. He'll only be there two full days a week, ha...but just the thought that he's actually old enough for kindergarten makes me teary. All of the children were in the classroom with the teacher for about an hour last night while the parents went to a meeting with the administration. As we were leaving we told Noah where we were going and he said, "ok." Then he said, "Mommy, I'm going to miss you" and got that droopy bottom lip. My heart just BREAKS when he says/does this. But our response was and will continue to be, "We'll miss you, too, but we know you can do this, Noah. God made you strong and He has prepared you to go to Kindergarten. We believe in you and know you'll be fine!" I do not want to baby him but I want to be comforting and help him to feel strong. He's been saying "I'm going to miss you, Mommy" quite often lately. For anything. Heck, when I go to the grocery store he says it. :) Yes, I'm a little emotional that he's starting school but I will also embrace each year of his life and the new challenges and fun things he can do each year. I don't want him to always hear "oh, I wish you were little again!" from me. I want him to enjoy growing up and to know that he's loved more each year. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." I can't wait to see what this year holds for him. :)


I love Fridays. I think I like Fridays even more than Saturdays. I'm all about the anticipation of the weekend. I think it's even more fun than the actual weekend. Strange, I know. I enjoy looking forward to things!

I'm so excited that the new Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame book is out. It's fun *knowing* many of the Hall of Famers this year, if even just knowing who they are from their work and posts on the Publications board at 2Peas. I had nice thoughts of sitting in Barnes and Noble with a latte and soaking in every word and layout of this book for about 3 hours. Yeah, ok. Not gonna happen. But it still sounds nice! Too much to do this weekend, so I'll probably buy it and sneak peeks at it all weekend.

Oh...be sure to check out my post below. Wendi Speciale Designs is looking for another MUSE! I absolutely love being a part of her design team.

One of my favorite online sites for recipes is Bed and Breakfast Inns Online. It's full of yummy recipes from Bed and Breakfasts all over the United States. David and I love B&Bs and have had some of the best breakfasts in these formal dining rooms over antique china and white linens. So anytime I make a recipe from this site it reminds me of these lazy, relaxed mornings. Here is one of my favorite recipes from this site:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter - melted
1/2 cup sliced almonds
6 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Put almonds on a baking sheet or pie pan and bake about 5 min., just until lightly browned. Grease 12 cup muffin pan or line with muffin papers. Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Break eggs into another bowl. Add pumpkin and butter to eggs and whisk until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds. Pour over dry ingredients and fold in just until moistened. Do not over mix. Scoop into tins and bake 20-25 minutes. Do not over-bake. Test with toothpick. They should still seem a little underdone when removed from the oven.
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Have a wonderful weekend enjoying the blessings God has given to you! :)
- Jennifer

"As we grow older in life, years somehow seem to shorten and New Year's Day approaches with an ever increasing tempo. The more mature we get, the more we realize that time is only relative; how we live means more than how long we live. Happily also we do not live by years, but by days. In His wisdom God does not show us all that lies ahead. So we enter a new year to live it day by day. What is past is past. Today we start anew, and what we do today will make our life for tomorrow. Chin up, shoulders straight, eyes agleam, let us salute the New Year, and each day let us follow more faithfully, more courageously, more daringly the lead of our great Captain who bids us follow Him." - William Thomson Hanzsche

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

They do grow up fast don't they! Wow, Noah is in K! It will be fun Noah!

And thanks for sharing the bb receipe site. And here I thought you just got all these wonderful receipes off the top of your head! LOL! I come to your site for dinner ideas :)

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, Thank you so much for sharing your website and your thoughts. Besides scrapbooking, we have so much in common; our love for Alison Krauss, Tony Bennett, B&B's and our appreciation at how fast time speeds by. Enjoy these precious moments with your little boy. Before you know it, you'll be standing in the middle of his room the day after he leaves for college and wonder where the time went. Or, as we experienced this summer, glimpses of our daughter in a ponytail, t-shirt and shorts, flip flops and all the big business that a six year old has to take care of...only to realize that those glimpses are from our precious memories, because this is the day that she is a bride. And, in fact, is in Texas right now. She and her husband left their home state of Oregon as he is at Fort Hood until his deployment to Iraq this fall. If you see a pretty brunette at the grocery store, I'm sure it's my daughter; give her a hug for me. Thank you again for sharing.

Heather said...

WAAAAAHHHHH Jennifer.. .I was fine with Ian and Allie going back to school until I read your blog! They're not even K'ers. tehehe Now I wanna go pick them up and bring them home for the day and sit around and play games. ::sigh::

Guess I should clean now so we can do this in 3 hours, huh?

Love the pic of you and Noah.

and Pumpkin choco. chip muffins? Sounds yummy!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely picture! It's okay to get teary eyed right now. This is a milestone. I still get teary eyed when my children move on to the next step in the growing up process. These children are our heart and soul. It is the loving mother who can give them wings and teach them to fly.

Anonymous said...

*sniff*
it goes so fast.

i absolutely, thoroughly enjoyed your blog jennifer!

Anonymous said...

Awww, you're making me all teary-eyed with your Kindergarten talk. DD will be in 1st grade this year, so it won't be as sad (hopefully). Yes, they grow up fast. Love the photo you posted.
Robin

Anonymous said...

I sat at B&N yesterday too and looked through the HOF book...awesome stuff for sure! :)