Wordless Wednesday

Monday Musings

Are you a Martha or Maxine?

Martha advises: Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.
Maxine says: Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

Martha advises: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine says: Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha advises: When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the pan.
Maxine says: Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you!

Martha advises: If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'
Maxine says: 'I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!'

Martha advises: Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine says: Celery? Never heard of it!

Martha advises: Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine says: Egg whites on the pie crust? The instructions on my frozen pies never say to do that, so I don't!

Ok, I got a real kick out of these, hope they make everyone else smile too! :)

Way to go guys!

I just thought I'd brag on my kids for a moment here. Kindergarten is going really well, I'm very pleased with Brianna's progress. She really seems to enjoy it too, that makes it go so much better also. Above is one of her recent worksheets, I can't believe that she is writing her blends already, but she does a good job! Below are a couple videos of the kids and their recent discoveries. Brianna is singing her Vowel Song, and not to be out-done, Tyler is showing off all of his animal sounds. And, of course, his train sounds! :)

Our camping weekend

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We had a lot of fun, we're hoping to be able to sqeeze in another trip before it get too cold!

Autumn Times

I feel like I have a love-hate relationship with the season we're entering into,- Fall. I think this is my absolute favorite season, I always have the urge to bake and pull out the hot chocolate. But on the other hand, Fall always signifies that there is another season looming out there, dreaded Winter. I used to love winter, but lately I've not been so crazy about it. I hate having to take 30 minutes just to get the kids ready to go play outside. You all know the drill, they're out there 5 minutes and then decide that a potty-break is needed, here we go again! Not my idea of a good time. I hate the mess that the snow and slush makes in my house, lets face it, I'm just not much of a winter person. I am trying, though, to not let Winter ruin my favorite season right now. I'm looking forward to all the fun that Fall brings; leaf-raking and making piles to jump into, apple cider, pumpkin patches and petting zoos, and lets not forget all the gorgeous photo ops that nature provides! I 've certainly enjoyed pulling out my fall decorations for the house and thought I'd give a little tour of some areas in our house!

Our front door

The mantle - it's something I've always wanted to have to decorate!

On my sofa table

An extra swag I had that I just tacked above this photo

On my kitchen counter

Even the bathroom got a little touch of the season
Out the back door that Brianna decorated . . .
and to the garden where the pumpkins are almost ready!

That's my girl!

After polishing off a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch the other day, Brianna claimed that she still had some room left in her tummy for some candy. Then she said, "I'm not going to have gum because sugar is not healthy, so I'll just have a piece of chocolate instead!" I couldn't help but laugh, she comes by that opinion quite honestly!

Eager Beaver Days 2008

First, an update on Tyler. Well, there's not really much to update on. He's certainly not any better but not really any worse either. He continues to run a fever and the occasionally really messy diaper, if you know what I mean. He doesn't have an appetite at all either, which is a big difference for him, he is a big eater and snacker. Yesterday all that he ate was one of those squeezable yogurts and a few chips. Very unlike him. I think we're going to ride it out one more day and see if he improves any today, if not, I'll take him in the morning to see his Doctor. Thanks for praying!

On to our little town's celebration - the Eager Beaver Days. There is always a nice parade and the kids always gather lots of candy. This was the day that Tyler got sick so he just stayed close to Tim, he wasn't really interested in gathering candy.

Our church's little 'Awana' float. Awana is like a kids Bible club that we have every week for the church and community children. This was the first float Brianna has rode on and she loved it.

Brianna's turtle that she entered in the Big Turtle Race. Tim just picked it up off the road on night out in the country and she tried to paint it's shell pink with some nail polish. Didn't get a whole lot on their, she had a hard time getting it to hold still, it loved to get up and go.

Get ready, set, Go!

My crew with the their prizes. Brianna's turtle came in 3rd, and her prize was a candy bar and a powerade. Tyler's turtle didn't place but he got a candy bar anyway! :)