Halloween Fun

The past several years I've wanted to add some more fall/Halloween Decoration to the yard.  I've done a few things and wanted to show them off.

 I found these skelton's at the dollar store and loved them.  The boys helped my hang them (thus the odd spacing HA) and I have three more to hang.  The funniest part is that the boys say that they think the "Scarecrows" are their favorite thing"

 Another Dollar Store find - the boys also got to put out and they wanted to put them side by side.

 The biggest excitment in our house every day is to go outside and see if the pumpkin is more orange than it was the day before!  The pumpkin is huge and I really hope it turns completely orange!  We also have another one that is about half this size and is still very, very green.

The last two little decorations - again, from the dollar store :-)

Things my kids Say (and Do)

* The boys and I were talking about the importance of telling the truth recently.  Nate then told me that, "Papa lied once."  So I asked him to tell me what happened.  Nate (and Josh too) said, "Well, Papa sneaked off with his friend."  I then asked if he got in trouble to which Josh said, "Yes, he got a Lickin'!"  Nate added, "He got TWO, one for lying and one for disobeying!"  So, Papa Stories are still livin' on and will be remembered by another generation!

* We've had a lot of this lately - Nate loves to get all of the trucks with trailers and make the longest car carrier he can possibly make.  I love seeing him drive it through the entire house, unload it, and then try to load it differently to get more cars on it.  This is called a "Traffic-a- jam". 

Family Fun - Fall Festivities

Last Saturday we did something we haven't done in, well over a year.  What was it?  We planned a really fun day as the family that did not involve a doctor's appointment or x-ray appointment.  Instead, it was just some fun together. 

 Our first stop was a local fall festival that I just happened to read about on Facebook.  One of the key draws was that there would be LOTS of bounce houses and that is something the boys love.  We were not disappointed.  We decided toe at lunch there too and, quite honestly, we had the best street tacos we've ever eaten.  I WISH I could have eaten more of them but, well, I couldn't HA!  I also got a Cider Slushy - talk about near perfection!  So, it just so happened that Saturday was 80 degrees so we also had to deal with . . .BEES!  Uuugg!  They were literally swarming the food trucks and then followed us with our food.  Nothing like fighting a bunch of bees for your tacos! 

 We had to take a break in the shade - those houses are HOT and the boys were bouncing like crazy! 

 I love my boys and love seeing them all hiking down the sidewalk! 

 Josh saw a dunk tank and really wanted to try it out.  He looked so cute standing there.  No, he didn't get a dunk but give him a year and I think he will (He's very excited about T-Ball in the spring!)

 Despite the bees, it really was a beautiful day.  Once we left the fair, we stopped at McDonald's (Josh's suggestion) to use the rest room and get something to drink.  The one we stopped at did not have the A/C on so it was HOT and we had to wait 20 minutes for Nate's lunch (Chicken and Fries of Course) since he didn't eat anything at the fair.  Holy cow!  It was just crazy but we all enjoyed a nice cold drink after being outside for a few hours.

 We took the back roads from the fair to the local farmstand where we have enjoyed fun fall activities in the past.  The colors are just changing around here so we got to see some beautiful trees.  The first place the boys played was the big "Corn Box".  It's actually a great idea and lot easier to clean up than sand! 

 I loved all of the rows of flowers - this is just one shot I got.  I think I want to print and frame some of these for my kitchen!!! (Or some room in my house!)

 There is also a big slide made out of huge tubing.  It's fun to listen to the boys as they slide down the bumps.

 We then went through the corn maze.  This was a first for the boys to really enjoy.  They LOVED looking for corn on the ground until I told them that three ears was enough HA!  Then they got the idea of trying to find our way out.  Nate loved being the leader; he and I would go one way and Darryl and Josh another but it wouldn't take Josh long to "need to find mom and Nate".  We did finally find our way out (obviously) but only because Darryl was tall enough to see the Flag!!

As we were walking back from the maze the boys saw a Hayride and wanted to go.  Darryl decided he should sit this one out and, let me tell you, it was a good thing!  It was by far the best Hayride ever thanks to one awesome driver who had fun going down the big hills.  We were all screaming just a little bit!  We had fun looking for the scarecrows that were hidden along the ride and got to see fields and fields of pumpkins.  No, we did not buy pumpkins yet - we have two growing in our garden.  We told the boys we were wait a few more weeks and, if they don't get orange(r) then we would come back and pick out a few (Who are we kidding - we will probably still go back and pick out a few!)

We ended our fun time with Cider and Donuts.  Yummy!  We sat at a picnic table and enjoyed it right there and then let the boys play in the corn box a little longer. 

Weekly Menu

** I've completed the updates of my recipe links shown in the tabs at the top of the page.  I will try to link to the recipes that are listed in the weekly menu.  (And I will also find some that should be listed but aren't and can do posts for those as well!)

Time for another week of a menu!  I don't have too much to add this week since we stayed right on track for the week.

Saturday - Today I am taking a day out.  I was given a gift to go to some shopping and this is the day.  I'll leave dinner for the boys - probably mac and cheese.

Sunday - Today is a potluck at church and, well, my boys LOVE to eat at church.  I will be taking Chicken Fruit Salad and Turtle Cake.

Monday - Country Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans and Rolls

Tuesday - Hamburgers and Fries.  We need to get a little more grilling in before the "season" is done.

Wednesday - Amish baked chicken (a new recipe), buttered noodles, green beans, and rolls

Thursday - Soccer!  This will be the last week; We will eat out once the game is done.

Friday - Tacos!

My Brother Ken

My brother Ken celebrates his birthday tomorrow so I've been thinking about him a lot lately.

Ken is my youngest brother but he is almost 4 years older than me.  We were the two that lived at home together the longest so our relationship is different than that of my oldest two brothers.  Ken was my best friend, my protector and my encourager through so many years.  There was a point when we were riding the bus that some kids were picking on me . .. Ken slammed the kid against the window and told him to leave me alone.  I wasn't picked on again.  Summer camp was not my favorite thing but Ken was on staff at a little place called Northland and convinced me to spend a week at camp.  It was amazing.  Sure, I loved camp but more than that, I loved being "Ken's little sister" because everyone loved him.  Over the next several summers I spent WEEKS at camp thanks to Ken.  I then followed him to Northland for college and the best part?  He was on staff at the college.  I loved having him there and knowing that he was there for me.

We seemed to end up in the same places for awhile - my first teaching job put me not far from his home which gave me a place to go.  When I was let go from my first teaching job, he was the one that was there to help me pack my room and stand beside me through some tough days.  He was also the one that helped me get into a new teaching position.  There was a time I was so unbelievably sick with the stomach flu I couldn't move off the couch so my sister-in-law sent him to my house with Sprite and Soda Crackers to check on me.  I could keep going about that relationship and how protective he has always been of me but, I'll move on.

Instead I want to tell you about him.  Ken is a preacher.  Some people are teachers . . but Ken, he is a preacher.  I've told him so many times that I TRY to make my mind wander while he is preaching but I can't, he always drags me back into his message and always seems to reach right into my heart and make me desire change.  He is funny and caring and kind.  He has a passion for "his" church; for "his" people and for "his" programs.  He desires to see God glorified in all he does and in his life.  I value him and respect him and yes, I am so beyond proud of who he is and who he has become.  I am blessed beyond measure to be able to call him not only my brother, but also my friend.

Recently I apologized to him.  Why?  Because I wasn't praying for him.  It was kind of a kick in the gut because I realized that what he needed more than anything was me, his sister, praying for him daily.  I committed to pray for him and his family every day.  Isn't that what we should all be doing?  Taking time to pray for those we love and care about most.

So, Happy Birthday (tomorrow) Ken!  Thanks for being that example to so many people including me, your FAVORITE sister!!!

Updating the Recipe Tabs on this Blog

I'm working this week on updating the recipe tabs on the top of the blog so that you, if you feel like it, can actually find the recipes I post.  It will also allow me to link recipes to the weekly menu for easy access.

So for now, "What we are eating" is under construction :-)

As I go through all of my recipe posts, I'm only linking the ones we actually still eat.  I've found some that I made a second time and we didn't love so those will quietly go away.  I try to keep the links up for the things we love!  I'm made it through April 2012 (working backwards) so I have most of the recipes linked and plan to finish it up by next Wednesday!

Teaching Tuesdays - Week 5

This past week was officially week five of homeschooling but it went just a little differently.

Yep, those are my two crazy boys but they weren't at home!  They went to Papa and Nana's for an unplanned few days.  My parents were at my house a week ago Saturday to help do a few things and, more importantly, bring me a piano and a chair and ottoman.  As the day went on, Josh kept asking if they could go home with Papa and Nana.  I finally told him to talk to Nana and, of course she agreed ;-)

There were some great things . .. learning experiences . . .that happened:

1) It was raining all the way home so the boys helped Papa drive.  They told him when to turn on his windshield wipers, when to turn them off and even told him he should pull off the road (which he didn't).  I think my dad LOVED it HA!

2) They got to travel to their Uncle Kel's house to pick up their cousin.  I think unexpected extra family time is fabulous.  The boys love their Uncle Kel so seeing him is always a big bonus!

3) The boys planted some Crocus bulbs in our "crop circle".  I took down the pool while they were gone so now we have a perfectly round circle of dirt in the yard.  They wanted to plant seeds (and they did . . sunflower and . . well, peanut . .seeds.  What?  all I had was peanuts in the house HA!) so I bought them some blubs that will come up early in the spring before we put the pool up again.

My original plan was to do some school on Thursday and Friday but, honestly, on Thursday the boys played and played and PLAYED so I let them, play.  Then we normally don't have school on Friday anyway.  I looked at where we were in my year plan and we are more than on schedule plus I had planned for this next week to be a "free week" and now we'll have class!