New Kitchen for Christmas!

Click here for images: Shutterfly Images

We've finally finished our kitchen this Christmas! We have a couple of small things to finish, but its essentially completed. Thanks to the generous help of my Dad - Joseph Hilton, we have a beautiful kitchen. Here's a list of things we did:

Demolished wallpaper, drywall, and soffit.
We took out the cabinets, floors, and appliances.
Layed new oak floors, sanded, stained, and refinished.
Rewired the entire kitchen including outlets, lights, appliances, and phone line.
Installed a new gas line for the oven.
Installed new cabinets, can lights, and pendant lights.
Rebuilt walls, drywalled, and painted.
Just to name a few of the fun items that we are glad to have finished.

New Images of Pratt

See new images of Pratt:
Shutterfly Images

Free Time

While we've been working on the house, Pratt has been a little neglected.
He has:
Gotten into the paint
Helped daddy
Had a box fort
Played with the IKEA bag....and much more.

So, we've moved into a house! (that we own)

Here are some pics of the packing, etc...

Ingredient Challenge

Family and friends,

"What should I make for dinner?"

Faced with that daily looming question, I've created a brand new website that I'd like to share with you:

http://www.ingredientchallenge.com

This site has been inspired by so many things: my passion for food, that daily looming question, "What should I make for dinner?" and specific memories that I have of food. It's also been inspired by a good friend of mine, named Neil. During my 2 year stint as a teacher in NYC, I rode the train to work most every day with a coworker/teacher friend of mine, Neil. Neil belonged and still does, to a CSA (community supported agriculture) group. He told me that sometimes he would get a new vegetable/fruit that he didn't quite know what to do with. And that he enjoyed the challenge of cooking with something new.

I want to challenge people to step outside of their standard cuisine, and try something new. Every week there will be a new ingredient. Make a dish using the ingredient. Then take a picture, and post both the picture and the recipe. Just by contributing, you could win one of the weekly giveaways. Taste the Challenge!

best,

Monica Gibson

We're buying a house!

We're set to close on the 8th of July.
(We fly to UT on the 9th of July - a little hectic)

It's 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, full unfinished basement, hardwood floors hiding under green carpet, sitting on 1/2 an acre.
The school district is stellar! (http://www.greatschools.net/schools.page?district=206&state=OH)

Caribbean Dreams

I'm dying to go to the Caribbean - ahhhh

Pratt's Birthday Cake

This day is such a special day.

Pratt's Snow Day

Click here for more Pics

Pratt's first birthday cake

Check out slideshow here

Pratt crawls

Pratt's valentine's gift from Grandma Gibson.

Change of Heart

Thanks to Jon we have some funny videos of Pratt.
Jon is the one who makes them for my blog.
So, just in time for Valentine's Day - Jon, I've had a change of heart - it's now Our Blog.

December & January

We've had a big couple of months.
We took a trip to Arizona/Mexico for Christmas.


We took a trip to Chicago - the WINDY city, with my sister & brother-in-law (Brittney & Dan).

Christmas Delivery

We had fun making IceCream for friends this Christmas.
We made 3 kinds: Peppermint, Dulce de Leche & Rocky Road.
Jon did the design, of course.
The best was delivering all of the stuff. :)
Merry Christmas Amigos!

Pratt gets a new swing and some sweet skills.

Pratt's haircut