Sunday Worship - Raise a Hallelujah

This is a great praise and worship song. 

Our Week in Photos #29

Here's a look back at our week!

On Saturday Nate participated in an all day Theater class. I hoping the video would be posted by now so I could share it but it hasn't been posted.   The rest of our weekend was spent without power!

 On Monday, Nate got his hair cute :-)  I love his cut!  He got daring and let her use the clippers on one side and it just is so awesome!  

I know this is hard to believe after the death heat of a week ago but on Monday it was actually too cool to go to the pool.  I know, crazy!  We enjoyed our day at home after living with no power for the weekend (well actually, we stayed at my mom's who had power so it could have been much less enjoyable HA!) 

 Tuesday was a beautifully cool, breezy morning and I just couldn't see hanging out inside on such a perfect day.  We headed to our favorite park and met up with some friends for a few hours.  Then, later in the day, the boys and I met my mom at the pool for a very relaxing, enjoyable time at the pool. 

 Nate has been helping the princess learn how to ride a bike.  Every single day she says, "Nate, will you please help me ride my bike" and every day he heads outside to help her.  

 Thursday was the Park Party with the Library.  We didn't do so well with the reading program this year - it seemed like the activities were on days we were already busy OR were geared towards younger kids BUT we enjoyed the party.  Ice cream, fire trucks, crafts, free books and pizza!  

Afterward, we headed to the pool and got a special great - Darryl had the day off and went to the pool too!  He doesn't make it to the pool very often so the boys love when he gets to go! 

On Friday, we celebrated our friends being gone on vacation (What?  There's always a reason to celebrate!).  We got pizza and pop and had a picnic at the pool before swimming for the afternoon.  A great end to a fun week! 

Weekly Menu

My menu took a little bit of nose dive last week because we ended up without power for a couple of days.  We ended the week a little stronger though!  Here's the plan for the coming week.

Friday:  Chicken, Noodles, Green Beans and Rolls

Saturday: Quiche, Crash potatoes, and Fruit

Sunday:  The Community VBS begins tonight and includes dinner!

Monday:  VBS

Tuesday VBS

Wednesday: I'm not sure yet

Thursday: I'm not sure yet!

Summer Week 8!

Oops I forgot to get this posted! 

Thursday - We enjoyed the pool and stayed out of the heat!

Friday - The same!

Saturday - Nate went to a theater class, Josh stayed at my mom's and then . . we lost power in a storm.  We ended up staying the night at my mom's!

Sunday - still no power - until mid afternoon!

Monday - Nate got his hair cut.  Then we went to my mom's for dinner. 

Tuesday - I had an eye doctor appointment and had my eye's dilated so my mom actually took the kids that wanted to swim to the pool!  I stayed home with the one who didn't.

Wednesday - The weather was "park perfect" so the kids and I met friends at a park.  Then, after dinner, the boys and I went swimming with my mom.

Thursday - Today was the park party for the reading program followed by the pool and the final Theater club!

A busy week!

Our Week in Photos #28

It was a super busy week with both expected and unexpected plans!

 We started our week with the Free Fair.  We always go for one evening of rides, food, and entertainment.  We picked Saturday evening because it was one of the coolest nights of the 10 days.  It was still hot until the sun went down but at least there was a breeze!  I had to get the annual photo of the boys and Darryl in line for the Ferris wheel.

 On Sunday, Darryl and I went out on a date day.  We had lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, did some shopping, enjoyed some smoothies at Panera Bread and went swimming.  

 On Monday my niece and her husband stopped on the way home to Ohio to have lunch with us at my mom's house.  Yes, my boys are almost as tall as Marisa. 

 In the evening, Nate and I went to his Tae Kwon Do workout and picnic at the park.  It was hot.  At least there was an amazing breeze and they were in the shade. 

 Tuesday was not the best day.  HA!  I had to drive to Grand Rapids.  On the way home, the vehicle in front of me threw a metal bar and it damaged my truck.  We are thankful that it is superficial and that I didn't get hurt but I really hate seeing damage on my truck! 

 Our Kuerig also died on Tuesday so I picked up a small coffee pot for Darryl.  We will replace our Kuerig but I don't drink much coffee in the summer so this works for now. 

My contacts are also messed up which is the whole reason I had to go to Grand Rapids on Tuesday to begin with .. .and then I had to go back on Wednesday!!  

The good thing on Tuesday is that the boys had a good friend over for the afternoon and they had a blast.  I forgot to sneak a picture! 

On Wednesday we had a field trip to our state park for swimming.  It was HOT again so swimming was good.  

On Thursday and Friday we enjoy quiet mornings followed by swimming.  We even swam in the rain on Thursday and it was so fun!  

I think we are all ready for the weekend!  

Weekly Menu

My menu took a nose dive last week partly due to the heat.  Tuesday we were running the boys friend home and Josh remembered I forgot to buy him a promised sausage and egg mcmuffin on Saturday so he got that; I didn't feel like cooking for Darryl and I so I just picked up two Chili's from Wendy's.  Wednesday my mom cooked and on Thursday -it was too hot to heat up the kitchen so we grabbed Taco bell!  It makes Menu Planning this next week easier :-)

Friday - Since it's supposed to be pretty close to death, I am not heating up the kitchen.  I'm not sure what we will heat but something I don't have to cook.

Saturday - I have stuff for veggie pizza that I ran out of time to make on Monday for Nate's picnic.  So, I'm leaning toward some fun foods.  Veggie Pizza, taco Dip, and something in the crock pot like meatballs. 

Sunday - Pork Loin in the crock pot, Mac and Cheese, Applesauce and Biscuits

Monday - Chicken, Noodles, and green beans

Tuesday - tacos.  Tonight we have a movie night with our Orthodontist. So tacos will be easy to eat early

Wednesday - Darryl is gone today so I'm sure we will eat with my mom (hint, hint HA!)

Thursday - I've found that I like keeping Thursday open.  Leftovers, something I haven't cooked yet this week, or, by Wednesday, I'll pick something up if needed (Like and Aldi pizza!)

Summer Week #7

Here's the plan followed by what really happened :-)

Thursday - I had a Leadership meeting and the boys have Theater class. This went as planned.  The leadership meeting was longer than normal so we didn't have much time and ended up meeting Darryl for Taco Bell dinner at about 7:00 after Theater.  

Friday - Swimming.   Swimming was great :-)  What was also great was having nothing to do Friday evening and just getting to hang out at home! 

Saturday - The Free Fair!  We made our annual trek to the Free Fair that is literally across the street from our house (ok, it's technically a 1/2 mile away but it is still across the street!) It was amazing, fun, fantastic, just all of those things! 

Sunday - Darryl and I are going out for the day.  The boys went with my mom and Darryl and I got to have a date day.  

Monday - My Niece is coming to visit, Nate has a hair appointment scheduled, and then Nate has a Tae Kwon Do picnic. I ended up moving Nate's appointment so we had more time with my niece and her husband and I'm so glad I did!  Once we got home, we had just a little bit before Nate and I had to leave for his summer practice and picnic in the park. 

Tuesday - They boys have a friend coming over. I ended up having to make a quick trip to town for my contacts so my mom came over.  The boys friend still came over and they had a great time. 

Wednesday - We have a field trip with our co-op. I had to make a second trip back to the eye doctor (trying to resolve a contact/vision issue!).  Then, we headed to our local state park/beach for swimming with our Homeschool Friends. 

Sunday Worship - Is he Worthy

I heard this twice this week - once while driving and once while washing dishes!  Both times, I was singing with it the whole time so I knew I wanted to share it! 

Our week in photos #27

It's been a quiet week, yet its been busy???  It's one of those weird weeks HA!

Our big event this week was an art class with our co-op.  It was fun; it stretched me because I'm not an artist.  Josh loves art . ..Nate tolerates it (he is more mathematical!) 

Weekly Menu

After a great week last week of hardly cooking when my brother and his family was here thanks to lots of meals at my mom , this week meant cooking at home HA!  Even though I had a plan in place, I kinda shifted things around based on our plans for the day and the weather - we managed to grill out a little since it wasn't quite so hot!  Here's the plan for the coming week.

Friday - We are going to have Shrimp Cocktail, Crescent Wrapped Sausages and Asparagus.  I just wanted some fun food.

Saturday - We are going to the Fair! 

Sunday - Darryl and I are hoping to go on a "date" after church so we will get to eat out while the boys hang with my mom. (She doesn't know that yet HA!)

Monday - Tonight Nate and I have a picnic with his TKD crew.  Obviously Darryl and Josh can come too but I'm not sure what they are doing yet!

Tuesday - Chicken, potatoes, and a veggie :-) (So specific HA!)

Wednesday - Teriyaki Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, Applesauce, and Crescent Rolls

Thursday - I'm not sure yet - I might just see what meat is on sale at Meijer and pick that up and make something to go with it. 

Summer Week # 6

Last week was such a great week with family!  This week will be a little slower which is totally fine!  I feel like we aren't doing a whole lot but my kids are real home bodies so I try to find a nice mix of things to do while allowing them to hang out at home too. So, as with the other weeks, I write the post with the plan for the week and then add in bold what we actually do.

Friday - Hanging with family, swimming, dinner and games with everyone.  We had so much fun on the last day with my brother and sister-in-law!  We did all of these things and . . .laughed! 

Saturday - After a busy week, today the plan is to hang low, do some grocery shopping, catch up on a few things and relaxing! I stuck to the plan.  We enjoyed another dinner at my mom's with leftovers ! 

Sunday - Today is church.  The boys want to visit our splash pad which is new to our town this year so we might head over there after lunch. We had lunch with my mom and then . . just went home.  We all just relaxed at home and never made it to the splash pad! 

Monday - My original plan was either to head to Micheals for a craft or it is baby animal week at our local zoo.  In reality, neither of those are happening!  It's too hot for the zoo :-)  Monday's plan is to swim after having a few days off from the pool.  We really enjoyed the pool - it was quiet compared to the previous week! 

Tuesday - Today is busy :-)  The boys have an Orthodontist appointment in the morning and then in the afternoon we are going to an art class being put on by our Friday School art teacher. The boys ortho appointment went great and we had fun at the art class!! 

Wednesday - I think Darryl is taking the day off work - if he does I'm hoping we can clear out a cluttered area in our yard that just needs us to take and hour and do.  Get rid of some trash stuff, cut down some over grown and mow.  Nate also wants to play the game of life and we might convince Darryl to go to the pool with us too! Darryl did not take today off so plans changed.  We actually started our day at the clinic because Josh has swimmer's ear and then we went swimming followed by dinner at pizza hut with my mom. 

That's our week!

What I'm Reading

Honestly, I haven't been reading a whole lot.  I did finish a book for book club last month but, even though it was a good read, I would not recommend it to anyone else due to the language.  I skipped a lot of it; I wouldn't have finished reading it if it wasn't for book club!

I did read book three in this series by Terri Blockstock.  This book did not disappoint and was the perfect ending to a three book series.  I would highly recommend these books if you like a little suspense and mystery in what you read! 

This month I've challenged myself to read more.  I do have a book club book to read and I'd like to read a book or two on my shelf. 

Sunday Worship - The Lord's My Shepherd

We sang this song in church back in May and I knew the moment we sang it that it would be the song I'd sing at the Family Reunion.  It's such a beautifully simple song!

Our Week in Photos #26

Here's a snapshot of our week!

We started last weekend with the family reunion and it was awesome.  We got to spend time with lots of family we seldom see PLUS we got to spend so much time with my niece Alicia and her family.  We spent some time at the beach and got to eat with them - it was just amazing.

 Josh and Hayden had fun decorating cookies

 Nate and my cousin Carrie discovered a common interest - the family tree.  They worked together to make a current family tree.  It was so fun to watch this little friendship work. 

Six of the 9 siblings - one couldn't make it and then 2 are gone (My dad being one of them)  It was a bittersweet moment taking this photo for sure. 

My brother and his family arrived at my mom's on Sunday night and stayed for the week.  On Monday, we swam and then had dinner at our house.  My niece, Kate stayed the night and hung out with the boys which they just plain loved. 

 On Tuesday after swimming again (they loved having Kate at the pool!) we went to my mom's where Kate and the boys played board games for hours.  The boys stayed the night to get more time with Kate. 

 Good Golly Miss Molly.  

On both July 4th and 5th, we swam and then hung out at my mom's house with my brother and sister-in-law.  The boys took 15 games over to play with my sister-in-law who loves games.  Somehow Twister seemed to reappear every day HA!  

It was really a great week with so many fun things going on.  Family is so very important and I'm so thankful for so much of that time over the past week!

Weekly Menu

Last week was great - I didn't have to cook much :-)  My mom cooked several meals since we had family visiting which was a nice treat!  Now, it's back to a little bit of a quieter week coming up on us which means more cooking HA!

Friday - Tonight is a total leftover night.  I have pulled pork, beans, salad, and chips.  I'll fill in with anything else needed (like Mac and Cheese or something)

Saturday - I have a crock pot/pasta dish I've been meaning to make and have all the stuff to make so that's the plan for tonight.

Sunday - Roasted Pork Loin, Crash Potatoes, and a veggie of some sort.

Monday - Spaghetti and garlic bread

Tuesday - Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Fries

Wednesday - Tonight is a leftover/pizza night

Thursday - Tonight the boys have Theater class and my mom and I want to go to a book signing in Grand Rapids so we night have to squeeze a quick dinner in between the two for all four of us if Darryl can't make it home in time :-)  (the boys have gone on book signings before - they tolerate it for me HA!)

Summer Week 5

First of all - Happy 4th of July! 

I feel like this summer is slipping away faster than I want it too!  Maybe it's because it was so unseasonably cool through much of June that has made it feel like we missed part of summer.  Granted, now that it is hotter than all get out, I'd kind of like those cooler temps back again!

Here's a breakdown of our summer fun this past week!

Thursday - It's Library day, Theater Class, the last night of VBS and I'm meeting a friend for coffee before she leaves for Florida.  Every single thing happened :-)  We were running like crazy in the evening to get it all done but we did it! 

Friday - We are leaving for a family reunion. We hit the road, turned in school books, stopped for lunch, checked into our hotel, had dinner, went to my nieces campsite, and walked around seeing family at the campground. It was a great day. 

Saturday - It's Reunion Time! Another amazing day.  It was all about the family reunion! 

Sunday - More Reunion Time! Another great day! The reunion wrapped up today and we headed home. 

Monday - My brother Ken and his family are in town so we are going swimming and having dinner at our house. Swimming was perfect, dinner was good, and we laughed alot.  Plus my niece stayed the night with the boys and they were thrilled. 

Tuesday - Spending more time with my brother's family. We unexpectedly got to swim in between storms.  Then dinner at my mom's house where the boys stayed to have another sleep over with their (current) favorite cousin! 

Wednesday - If the weather holds, we will swim.  Then Fireworks in the evening.