Proud Mama

I have not been doing well at updating the blog or taking pictures. I don't think I will even try to update you all on the happenings in the month of November. We are all well and are looking forward to Christmas. Emma and I had the perfect opportunity to put the spirit of the season to work today. Emma and I participated with the rest of her Girl Scout troop in packaging 10,000 meals in 2 hours to help feed the starving in Haiti. I was very proud of all the hard work Emma put forth today. We learned that every 5 seconds a child dies from starvation. Our little church and community raised $18,000 to package 120,000 meals. Amazing.



Isaiah 58:10 "Feed the hungry, help those in need. Then your light shall shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around will be as bright as day."


Emma and I after we got home. She had such a good time, she wants to go back and work with me later this afternoon. I am one proud mama!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Thought for the day:
I was watching CBS Sunday Morning.
They were talking about Halloween and did a story about obituaries.
They were talking to authors who write obituaries.
The lady commented that in all the obituaries that she has written...
she does not write about people's careers.
It is about life, love, relationships...
Her parting question.
What will mine say?

In full swing...

Fall is in full swing around here. We have had so many days of nice weather, I am scared the cold and, dare I say, the s-word is right around the corner. So Friday night we started a fire in the fire pit and enjoyed some beautiful October weather. A perfect night for sitting close to the fire to warm your toes!

We also spent Saturday afternoon watching history. That is the ISU Cyclones beating the Texas Longhorns in Austin no less. Beautiful. I would have been better if the Hawks had pulled off a win but I guess we can't be that lucky!

Today we made Halloween cupcakes with chocolate frosting and orange sprinkles. Heavenly!

Mmmmmm good!

For the Birds....

I like birds.
The kids like birds.
We listen to them sing.
We watch them build nests and catch worms.

Birds are not so much fun when...
they climb through the exhaust pipe of your furnace...
stop the furnace from working...
and cost $500 in repairs.
But wait...
not one...
not two...
but 3 birds decided to climb through the exhaust of our furnace.
*sigh*

The joys of home ownership.

Special Guests...

For the first time...
In 7.5 years...
Aunt Shel and Uncle Brian were able to attend one of the kids soccer games.
They were able to come and go in one day.
No overnight stay required.
No suitcases.
No airline tickets.
They were able to drive up for the day.
Hallelujah!
We are all so excited to have them close.

Madie and Aunt Shel before game time. Shel and Brian surprised the girls and showed up for dinner. The girls thought is was Grandma and Grandpa, with their car washed. Gotta love gravel roads!

Aunt Shel, Emma, Uncle Brian, Madie
We Love You!
Thanks for coming!

We took a trip up north a couple weeks ago. The kids had fun exploring Grandpa G.'s tractors.

A big step for a little boy!

Miss Em

Matthew reading on the trip up.

All the kids in the tractor...Ryan is in the gray sweatshirt...you can only see the back of his head!

September Madness

Here we are for another pictureless post. I forgot my camera at Mom and Dad's house over a week ago. We were home briefly for my Uncle Gary and Aunt Laurie's wedding reception. It was nice to see everyone and catch up. They threw a great party! Congratulation Gary and Laurie...here's to many years of happiness!

In other news...September has been a crazy busy.

• School is in full swing and so we have busy getting back in the habits of reading every night, spelling lists and getting to bed early. That is slowly getting easier with the day getting shorter but 8 seems to come too early for the girls.
  
• I am slowly getting accustomed to my routine of school/motherhood/wife/housekeeper. The transition from summer to work seems to take me a month or two. Whenever I get testy, Brandon politely reminds me that it is like this every year. Thank goodness he is so patient!!! :) No shocker here but I can be a little high strung every once and a while!
  
• Matthew is busy playing trucks, tractors, football and watching the combines in the field. A new favorite pastime. He is talking non-stop and repeats everything. When I call the dog stupid...here come Matthew "stupid dog". Oops.
• The girls are busy with soccer and having a great time. 3 weeks left.
  They have also started Girl Scouts this year. If any one is in need of cookies in the Spring, I know where they may be able to get some!
• Brandon has been busy working and helping me get kids where they need to go.
• I went to the craft show at the fairgrounds last weekend...fabulous. I found some great trinkets for me and a couple other very cool finds I can't talk about...Christmas is coming you know! The girls went with me and had a great time. Madie loved to touch EVERYTHING. I think my phrase of the day was, "look, don't touch!" Future shoppers they are!

Goodnight all!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

We tried a new recipe last weekend. It was spicy, hearty, filling and cheap! It even passed the refined palate of Mark and Betsy! Enjoy on a cool afternoon while watching the big game.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

1 large red onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans (15oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
3-1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken)
1 can (14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
1/3 cup sherry or additional broth
2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

In dutch oven, saute onion and peppers in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.
Stir in the beans, broth, tomatoes and chopped green chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Add sherry and cilantro, cook 5 minutes longer.
Remove from heat, cool slightly. Place half of the soup in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Return to the pan and heat through. Top each serving with sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Goal!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

It was another exciting, fun-filled weekend. I just wish they didn't have to end so quickly.

Yesterday we enjoyed the big intra-state rivalry with Uncle Mark and the boys.

The kids had a ball, I got a little shopping done and our favorite team lost miserably.

Overall it was a great day. Thanks Uncle Mark and Aunt Betsy!

This morning we got ready for church. It was casual day as it was the kick-off for fall this morning.

Here are the munchkins all ready to go...

Madie had on her cheesy smile. When I asked her to get rid of it...it got worse so this will have to do!

Soccer officially started this weekend also. It was a gorgeous day to watch a game!

Madie had a great time today. This is her first year playing. She was a little timid...

Emma back in action as well. She had a very good game and scored two goals!

I admit it...

I bribe my children...sometimes. Take this morning, it was time for Matthew's haircut. He HATES having his hair cut. We now have daddy use the clippers to make it less traumatic. Worked the first time, every time since...not so much. Today I tried a new tactic. Bribery. Good old fashioned jelly beans. Worked like magic. He sat quiet as a church mouse munching on Jelly Belly's. Note to self: next hair cut, must have Jelly Belly's on hand!

We even managed a couple smiles!!

Love this boy! He is growing up so fast!

Yesterday we all traveled north for a birthday party. Grandpa R. turned 65. We decided that only comes around once so a party was in order. Brett, Heather and Dylan + us traveled to Great Grandma R.'s house where we found our unsuspecting target! We brought lunch, cake, and balloons and voila! A party!

Grandpa was little surprised and interrogated the girls. They both knew and kept the secret! Way to go girls!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

1st Day Jitters

Where to begin. I have been a complete slacker in the blog department. Life gets a little crazy for me about the time August rolls around. Between back to work and back to school, I tend to go a little crazy every year. Let's begin with the most important happening...drumroll please...

Miss Madelyn is now a kindergartener!
That's right, the long awaited moment has come and she has NOT been disappointed! She loves school and can't wait for tomorrow. In fact, after the first day, her comment went something like "I can't wait for ALL my days of school!" I hope that enthusiasm lasts her entire school career!

Miss Madie on her very first day of kindergarten!

Emma began her year in second grade as well. She has a new teacher who she is enjoying. She thinks she is funny. I am excited to see her enjoying the start of the new year in the new school. I was a little nervous but a smooth beginning made the rough transition last March very worthwhile!

Miss Emma on her first day. I can't believe how big and grown-up she is becoming!

You have heard the saying about raising kids that begins with "it takes a village", well in our case it takes Grandparents! I don't know what we would do without 2 fantastic Grandmothers who drop their daily routine to come help us out for a few days at a time. Both Grandma G. and Grandma R. came to stay with the kids while I got back into the work routine! It was a fantastic help and a great joy for the kids. I hope that they will always treasure their memories of the times when Grandma came to visit and stayed with them! I know they look forward to it for days before they get here! And then there are 2 fantastic Grandpa's who live on cold cereal and ice cream while Grandma is away! We can never repay you and appreciate your help more than words can say!
*hugs*

We have been busy with other things as well. Birthday parties, work, household stuff, back to school open houses, playing with kitties and horses, and enjoying the great weather.
Hopefully it won't take me two (maybe 3) weeks to get back on here! Here's hoping!

Winding down...

Summer is winding down for us. I head back to work next week. So...this week we decided to make the last few days count.

We went to the park.
The girls rode bikes while Matthew and I walked.
We played outside.
We went to the zoo.
We visited my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Larry.
We went school shopping.
We played miniature golf.
We ate ice cream at DQ.
We sat outside until the mosquito's became unbearable.
We played with kittens.
Tomorrow we will play some more.
And I haven't taken a singe picture...

Party Like You're 2!

We had Matthew's birthday party yesterday. Fun times were had by all...

We ate cake.

We threw water balloons (or launched them)...

We had presents... the tractors and nerf guns are a hit!
Thank you everyone for a great day!
Matthew knew the day was for him and when I asked him this morning if he had fun at his party, a giant grin spread across his little face. Perfect.

Matthew's tractor cake. I am very proud of this creation. Wonder what I should try next???

Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday Matthew!

We had a good day. We played, ate birthday cookies and met Betsy and the boys at the mall to mingle and play at the play-place for awhile. On tap for tonight was an evening full of outside activities. Can't believe how fast he is growing up! Love you little man!

Insane

Hello everyone~it has been an InSaNe weekend. Yesterday was spent getting groceries, laundry and a quick trip to town. I decided I was ready for an adult bedroom. Penney's was having a great sale on bedding so I picked a comforter up. Today was painting day. I had a gallon and a half leftover from painting the house right after we moved in and it just so happened it matches perfectly! I started after lunch and finished up about 7. I am very excited about the way it turned out. The old colors were 2 shades of poopy brown. Poof~poopy brown gone!

Last night was a long night, a storm rolled through between 3 and 4 that got Brandon and I out of bed. We finally called it and woke the kids up and all moved to the basement. Slumber party! Matthew used my stomach as a punching bag the second half of the night! When we went outside this morning, we found a new baby colt. Lotsa Colors FINALLY had her baby. The storm must have scared her into labor! HA! We were expecting him in April...4 months later, here he is! Brandon has decided his front leg is a little wonky but hopefully it won't slow him down any. He is teeny-tiny. He is up and eating so that is the main thing.

The other little brown horse in this picture is another colt which was born earlier in the spring. It was fun to watch how curious he was about the new little guy in the pasture. Oh, and our other babies are getting big too. They all have their eyes open, are starting to play and wanting to explore the big world. It is not uncommon to find one trying to climb out of the box.

Mel, momma cat, didn't like it so well when I "borrowed" 2 babies for this picture. She promptly snatched one up and put it back. Mel's given name from her previous owner is Melon. Madie has lovingly changed it to Melon-oma. Little does she know it is a serious form of skin cancer. I have shortened it to Mel. Any one have any good names for a colt (a boy) and 5 cats?

Have a great week!

Sin City

Brandon and I decided that a trip to Sin City was in order. So...Monday we took off for sunny (and HOT) Las Vegas. We had a ball! Lost a little gambling but not too much! Both of use were able to take advantage of a little lucky streak to gain a little back. I think we have decided the slots eat your money...we are headed for the Blackjack tables! It was a quick five days but we were ready to come home yesterday. Grandma and Grandpa R. were waiting for us at the airport with the kids. A big thank you to them for taking wonderful care of the kids while we were gone! Here is a sampling of some of the things we did....

We took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel. The views were fantastic! Here you can see the fountains at the Bellagio in the background.

Wednesday night we stopped at the Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum. Brandon got to feel J. Lo's assett's. Don't blame him, the sign told him to! We had a lot of fun here. They even had a short haunted house which was great.

My favorite activity of the week was seeing the Blue Man Group. I would highly recommend it! The lights, music and ambiance were top notch. I was able to get my picture taken with one of the Blue Men after the show.

We ate at Wolfgang Puck's restuarant called the Postrio. Fantastic! The chocolate beinget's for desert were to die for! This was the view from our table...

Inside or outside???

Inside! The shops are all housed indoors with the ceiling painted as the sky. This was at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian.

We toured most of the large hotels. My favorite was the Bellagio. This is the ceiling in the lobby. It was created with brightly colored glass sculptures.

The atrium at the Bellagio..notice the snail behind us with his shell created out of roses.

The entire place smelled of tropical flowers.

The fountains at the Bellagio. We stopped to watch them twice.

We stayed at the Monte Carlo. Perfect for us. I would have to say tied for second place with the Venetian as far as favorite hotels.

The food and sights in Las Vegas are fantastic. We ate well, walked lots and saw many SHORT skirts! People watching in Vegas is truly entertaining!

We also had to visit the 4 story M&M store. Gotta love green!

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Fantastic trip, fantastic company, great food, and great to be home!

A new addition...

We have exciting news at our house! We have 5 new baby kittens that joined the clan last night. We had a busy day. We had gone swimming in the afternoon so the kids were very tired. At 8 we decided it was bedtime. I came out from putting the kids to bed and the cat was making weird faces at me through the window so I decided to investigate. Upon going outside, it was obvious what was happening! I grabbed Melon and put her in the basket I had ready for her next to the house. She is a young cat and the first litter of kittens. Brandon says I was a good labor coach. Over the next 2 hours we proceeded to have 5 babies. The girls happened to get out of bed so they were able to witness the first 3 babies! They were so excited, they were up at 5:30 this morning to check on them!

The arrival of baby #3!

This was taken this morning. Mama cat must have done her job overnight, all 5 babies were huddled up sleeping. Perfectly content.

I also have a short video of the babies last night. Now the girls have the job of coming up with 5 names!

"No Mama"

We had some pictures done for Matthew's 2nd birthday coming up in July. He isn't very comfortable around the camera and I new going in it may not be pretty. We walked into the store, Matthew says. "no mama!". I ask Matthew to take a picture or play or smile and each time I get the response, "no mama!" I tried everything except standing on my head but I don't know that it would have mattered. This is one example of the "no mama" pose. I am beginning to HATE picture time!!! I wasn't going to have the girls' pictures taken but I put them in coordinating outfits~just in case. That didn't even work!

We harvested our first crop of peas out of the garden today. According to my girls, the peas out of Grandma G.'s garden reign supreme and will not be topped. I guess I will cook up my measly pickings and see how they rate! The peas are ready but could have definitely used more sun! There are a couple huge peas in each pod and then 2-3 more that never grew. Hopefully the rain will stop soon!

The Reward

Emma didn't mind at all helping with this chore. I usually am met with some resistance, I think she knew if she wanted to eat them, she would clean them!

Fresh!

Garden Tour

One thing about the move we made this winter...I now have lots of flowers! They look really good, until a hard rain and some wind knocks them down. I am still proud. Colors are emerging all around. Madie is famous for picking me a bouquet, usually the first flower that has bloomed on that particular plant. Oh well, they grow more!

Perfectly Purple Dahlias

Amber waves of ornamental grass...

I am not sure what these are...

Dazzling day lilies

Not sure what this one is either. It has these iridescent green and purple maple-tree leaves.

Pretty in pink geraniums and some funky spiral plant I found...I rather like them!

Climatis

Vibrant lilies...I love the freckles.

This has been a busy week.

Monday: We took the girls to the local theme park. Madie rode all three roller coasters and loved the first 2, hated the last! Emma did the Silly Silo all by herself. Crazy girl! We stood at the top and watched! The weather turned out to be perfect and we had a great day! I felt guilty for leaving Matthew at the babysitter's but I am quite sure he had more fun playing with John Deere's than sitting in a stroller all day!

Tuesday: The girls had friends over the stay the night. The got along well and had a great time. Emma's friend got homesick and decided she wanted to bail at 9:30 which caused some commotion. After that all went well!

Wednesday: We spent the day recovering from out sleepover. I also tried to mow the lawn. It needed it VERY badly with all the recent rain. I don't have a good working relationship with our new lawn tractor. I am used to something a little smaller and not with jet-propelled blades that suck up everything within a ten-foot radius. I have been mowing since I was 10 and have not destroyed as many things as I have this spring. Lets see...1. I ran over a ground wire for the electric fence 2. I hit the center bar which holds the doors to the morton building shut...jarred it just a little 3. Somehow I must have caught a wire to the chain link fence. Split the thing right in two. I heard a "chink" and the fence split in two and rolled up. Not one of my finer moments. And then, drumroll please, Wednesday I decided to try it one more time. I was mowing along, being extra careful, when I hear a loud clanging noise followed by the machine completely turning off. Come to find out, the arm that holds the deck to the mower decided to snap off. Not my fault but still...really! Did it have to happen when I was driving the silly thing???

Anyway, I had cake class #2 with Betsy and her sister-in-law, Erica. We practiced making stencils with piping gel. This is how it turned out. So much fun! I am rather proud. Brandon and I sampled a taste but we had to leave the cupcake for the girls to see when they woke up!

Thursday: I took the kids to the swimming pool yesterday afternoon. They had a blast! I love that they are finally getting older where they can have a little freedom. I feel comfortable enough to let them go more than 5 feet away from me! Emma loved the water slides and was able to go by herself. Madie practiced putting her head in and jumping. Matthew, it took him a while to get the idea of what we were doing there, but once he did there was no stopping him. He was bailing off the side in no time. He didn't even care if I was holding on to him. My arms are tired today from hoisting him onto the side of the pool...nothing like 50 reps with a 30 pound weight! After a couple hours we were tuckered out and headed home for a nap.

A perfect 1st week of summer! Except for the rain!