Another Christmas is over

Oh goodness, another one down. And I'm kinda glad to tell the truth. I felt like I was running in a hundred different directions for the last several weeks with too much to do and never enough energy to get it done. But it all did get done, though I always am left feeling like I just got sucked into the materialism of Christmas and never really take enough time to appreciate the holiday. I always feel a little relief when the tree is taken down, the house is cleaned up again, and it's back to work as usual. Is that super strange???? I barely took any pictures this year. I just wasn't in the mood, and that is so out of the ordinary for me. My emotions have been all over lately, and I'm hoping to bounce back soon. One of the ways I'm hoping to do this is participating in a Scripture challenge during this upcoming year!

As you know I'm a blog hopper. One of the blogs that I have enjoyed is Patter Cross's (love the name!). She's a Christian mom of identical triplets. She has hosted a Scripture challenge during past years. I have followed and enjoyed what others have come up with, but have never actually participated myself. Here's the jist of it:

1)She posts a word a week (like peace, love, or something Biblical in nature). This year she's posting a word every other week so people can keep up easier.

2)Then she encourages you to search the Scriptures during those couple of weeks finding passages with the given word. Then you are to create a small page or card with the Scripture that speaks to your heart.

3) Finally she has a forum to post results so we all can draw encouragement from one another.

I am looking forward to this challenge. I am fearful that I won't be able to keep up as life gets so busy and hectic. But I am planning to create a small page of some sort- either to keep in an album or perhaps a rolodex form. I'm still deciding on that part, so hopefully the small size will keep this manageable. Anyone else want to join in? Let me know if you plan to participate! Here's the link to Patter's blog.

http://triplethescraps.blogspot.com/2009/12/announcing-scripture-challenge-2-for.html

my favorite holiday recipe right now

I would have to say that my favorite thing to bake is probably breads and muffins. I found this recipe in Quick Cooking several years ago, and it is SO moist. It has a very mild fruity flavor. I have baked about 14 mini loaves of this bread so far this Christmas season and am giving them to neighbors and tutoring families. Enjoy!



Plum Quick Bread

3 eggs
2 jars (6 oz. each) plum or plum with apples baby food
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, baby food, oil, and buttermilk. Combine dry ingredients; add to the egg mixture and beat just until moistened. Transfer to two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool before removing from pans.

how we spent our snow day

(I just noticed that part of this collage got cut off due to the layout I have on my site- you can see the entire collage if you click on it- just as long as you'll excuse my no-makeup- no- haircurling- dressed -like- a -bag lady look)

Living in Iowa all of our lives, we are used to snow. But this storm was the worst one we've had in decades. They had begun forecasting it last week already, and the weathermen got it right! Monday night it began snowing lightly with a couple of inches on the ground by Tuesday morning. The boys went to school, but school dismissed at 1 PM as the snow was intensifying. By the evening commute, it was snowing pretty heavily and continued to do so throughout the night. School was called off for today by suppertime on Tuesday. The boys and I stayed up late watching TV. Gary went out to snowblow a couple of times in the evening so it wouldn't get so piled up. At first, we were forecast to get 6-10 inches, then it was up to 10-12 inches, and finally they were up to above 12. I didn't want to hear anymore! Wednesday morning we woke up to several inches, but the worst part was the winds that had begun to blow overnight. Gusts up to 50 mph made it impossible to clean off roads. Travel conditions were horrible. I knew that was the case when Gary didn't even try to get in to work today. That has never happened in the 17 years we've been together!! He has always set out to work, no matter what the conditions were! So we were in for a day at home- all four of us! I took some pictures throughout the day documenting our activities. I did a lot of baking, Bradley did a lot of texting and laptop playing, Brennan did a lot of computer and video games, Gary did a lot of snowblowing and resting (he had a headache for a good part of the day), and the kitties looked for warm laps and spots to sleep in! This evening the boys both beat me in Scrabble and we're staying up late as they don't have school again tomorrow! We found that out by 4 PM today, which has never happened before! The news said tonight we ended up with somewhere around 15 inches of snow! Now the winds have finally died down, but the temps have plummeted and the wind chills will be dangerous for the next day or so. So the boys and I get one more goof off day at home!

love....

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good list...a good day of organizing...making a big checkmark when something gets accomplished...getting goosebumps when I see the new calendars and organizers for the upcoming year on the store shelves. Ahhh.... Anyway as I was blog surfing I came across this website and it gave me chills! I have already printed out some of the planning pages to make my own Christmas planner (I do one every year but this is so easy! Just print and go!). This site has some other fabulous ideas as well. If you'd like to print out the Christmas planner pages go to the tab that says "printable forms" and print what you'll use. As I was printing, I got my ipod going with the 100 Christmas songs Bradley put on it yesterday for me. And to top it off, it's going to be 50 degrees and sunny today and tomorrow. Now THAT's how I like to plan for Christmas!

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

basketball season has arrived

I have a love/hate relationship with basketball. I LOVE watching my boys play! I hate trying to get a good picture in those darn gyms! The lighting is always horrible and even though I have an SLR camera, I do not have good enough lenses to capture decent shots. And my action mode wasn't working well AT all the other day so most of them are blurry. Grrr.... All of these were taken on automatic with no flash. I was able to lighten them up in Picassa and then found I really liked the focal point color effect with the rest of the shot being in black and white. It's a great way to draw attention to my ball player! : )

Bren man starts his first basketball practice tomorrow night. We bought his baketball shoes today so he's ready to go. We are so excited with his coach this year- we know he's going to be good for Brennan.
Thanksgiving was great. We enjoyed Gary's family last weekend, his parents came here for Thanksgiving Day, and then we went to my dad's on Saturday. All but Dave and Tracy were able to make it back.
Now it's back to business tomorrow. This will be a busy few weeks until Christmas. Lots to do!

this is what we see when...

they're trying to make a point.

HELLLLLOOOOOO!!!!! WE'RE STARVING HERE! THERE'S NOT EVEN A CRUMB IN OUR BOWL!!!!

We all need to make a statement.

to all scrapbookers...you'll appreciate this

I just came across this blog and found it hilarious! Read the first post and the 11/11 post especially- this is written by a boyfriend of a serious crafter/scrapbooker- I'll have to share with my husband- maybe some of your men can relate too.

http://thescrapbookguy.typepad.com/the-scrapbook-guys-blog/

Race for the Cure

She is the reason we got involved in Race for the Cure several years ago. She is a survivor- 10 years- and we are so thankful. Gary took this next picture as we began, and it always amazes me how many people turn out for this walk each year, and the numbers continue to go up. I am so encouraged as I walk just seeing the support of teams walking for certain individuals, fighters who are sometimes wheeled through the course, obviously in the middle of their own personal battle, reading the tags of the numerous loved ones who have lost their fight to this horrid disease, while at the same time seeing those in pink shirts (the survivors) who walk in victory. No matter how cold it might be or how cruddy of a week I may have had, this couple of hours uniting with thousands of others with the same goal is so rewarding. It makes my own troubles seem minimal.

Our family began walking about 5 years ago, I think??? (I have a horrible memory)

Gary's parents now join us each year

It's something we look forward to each year. And as I look through these pictures, I am reminded of yet another person I love. My sister, Lori, just got results back from a lump that was found in her breast. There was a minimal area that was cancerous, and now they are checking lymph nodes. The Dr. is encouraged because the margins were clear, and they got it all out when they took the lump. She will probably have to have radiation, but thankfully not chemotherapy or a mastectomy. We are definitely thankful for the encouraging prognosis! I am always amazed at the advancement of technology and know that the money we give to be a part of this race is going in the right direction- hopefully a cure is around the corner.

Love you Carolyn!

Love you Lori!

pumpkin shake

So here's one more pumpkin recipe if anyone's in the mood still. My dear friend Dawn sent this one to me a few weeks ago, and I have been loving one of these babies every day. They are pretty low cal so that's even better!

Pumpkin Shake

3 T or so of canned pumpkin
cinnamon sugar to taste
milk
lots of ice cubes
about a 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream

I don't have exact amounts on the cinnamon sugar, milk, or ice cubes. I use my Magic bullet and just add until it's close to full. Then blend and top with a scoop of whipped topping.

I use 1% milk, low cal whipped cream, and low fat ice cream, and that keeps this treat between 100-150 calories. It's really yummy and pretty filling! Being the night owl that I am, I usually find myself hungry around 9 PM. If I would go to bed shortly after that, I'd try not to eat, but since I'm usually up for another 3 hours or so, I need something to eat. This has been a great late night snack. No one else in my family (except Oreo, who I discovered loves canned pumpkin) will have anything to do with my latest obsession. So I enjoy it all to my lonesome!

Lots of other stuff going on lately, but too busy to blog about it. I've got a few pictures I want to share, but haven't downloaded them on my laptop yet. I'm pathetic.

Let's see...

Football is officially over for both the boys. I signed Brennan up for basketball last Saturday and Bradley starts his first basketball practice on Friday morning at 6:30 AM! I am so thankful my husband will be the one doing the morning practice run since he usually leaves for work at 6:30. Bradley will have several of those.

Tomorrow I am going to Clear Lake to retrieve a portion of a beef that we bought. My sister gets 1/2 of a cow every year, and we are sharing some of that. I'm looking forward to some steak dinners!!

We had an open house last Sunday afternoon and had a couple of people looking. We haven't received any offers, but we are patient and know the Lord's timing is perfect. We seem to be leaning towards building now (I still think Gary and I will end up divorced if we try this!) but we are definitely realizing what we want in our next house and aren't finding it in Carlisle already built. Sunday we went to a few open houses and got some ideas.

I did a traning last week for some student helpers for the children's ministry, and this Sunday we are having an appreciation/training time for our teachers. I am putting together the food and training agenda so that is keeping me extra busy this week. I still have a lot to put together for that in the next few days.

I got a book from the library by Deanna Farve about her breast cancer journey and I've been anxious to read it, but still haven't even started it. I've already renewed it once, and I've only got one renewal to go. I love autobiographies/biographies, and it seems like it's been awhile since I've read something for pleasure.

I'm already thinking about Christmas and find myself ready to start shopping and planning. The Black Friday ads are showing up in my inbox daily now! (yes, I am one of those crazy shoppers, and my husband even joins me in the fun!!!). I need to put some Christmas music on my ipod, and am looking for crafty ideas to make for some gifts.

I've been faithfully watching the World Series each night hoping and praying the stupid Yankees don't win it all. I am not particularly a Phillies fan, but I hate the Yankees, so I'll cheer for anyone who plays them.

I'm doing a Tuesday morning ladies' bible study at my church that I am absolutely enjoying. We're studying the book Crazy Love. It is a phenomenal book about being totally in love with our Savior. The author has a vey captivating way of delivering a poignant message. I also just love the fellowship. These Bible studies have been a way to interact with and get to know some of the older ladies in our church, and I thoroughly love listening to their insights and learning from their wisdom and experience.

Well enough blabbering for now. I was wide awake when I began writing, but I think I'm definitely tired enough to go to bed now.

If you try a pumpkin shake, let me know what you think of it.

Halloween party

Brennan's classroom party was today, and he wanted me to make cookie cake for the treat. First of all, I'm finding out that several schools won't even allow homemade goodies, so I'm glad we can still do that! For some reason, he is obsessed with cookie cake, and that's what he wants for every treat now! That's fine because it's easy. I found these cute pans last week and decided to do the pumpkin thing. One cake wouldn't have been enough so I did two (please excuse the leaf in the bottom of the picture. The boys insisted I take a picture of it before we headed out the door so I have the pan sitting on the floor of the entry way. You can also see the toothpicks in the cookie (6 in each one). They keep the saran from smearing the frosting. Brennan was so excited about bringing these today, and that made me feel good. That's exactly why I do it. I remember back about 10 years ago when I was teaching. We were getting ready for a class holiday party, and one student made a remark that made me literally get tears in my eyes. I have never forgotten it since. When we were deciding who wanted to bring food for the party, he said very sullenly, "My mom won't want to bake any treats. She's too busy." Now I am not judging anyone, and I know baking isn't for everyone, but his sad little face still haunts me. That experience reminded me that I never want my kids to feel like I am too busy for them. So, even when it is a chaotic day, I will be up decorating the treats til 2 AM if I have to be (because I'm not a morning person and won't get up at 5 AM to do it!)

happy birthday to my big brother Dave...

* who has an amazing ear for the piano and can pick songs up by just hearing them
* who makes me laugh at his jokes
* who has many clever sound effects (my favorite is the dinosaur roar)
* who is a night owl just like myself
* who is extremely intellectual and very mathematically inclined
* who has a tendency to be a bit of a pessimist : (
* who often calls me Katie Sue
* who I don't get to see often enough

Hope your day is special! I know Tracy will be making her famous chocolate cake as she does for everyone's birthdays in their family!

Monday

Back from a great weekend
* 48 hours with my best friend who I only see a couple of times a year
*great food- Steak and Shake (tried the carmel apple malt- it was AWESOME!) and Dynasty China buffet (our husbands aren't fond of Chinese so it's a must during our weekends
* a superb nap after said Steak and Shake meal
*scrapbooking
*numerous episodes of King of Queens watched on the laptop and much laughing/line quoting (it's our favorite show)
*2 great nights of sleep
*awesome memories

I came home to an empty dirty laundry bin, clean bathrooms, and vacuumed carpets. My husband took care of everything, and I so appreciate the time away. I think my guys missed me, however Bradley did say he liked Dad's meals better (hot dogs, pizza) because mine usually involve something healthy : )

Busy week ahead- Bradley had a football game tonight almost an hour away, and then I had to race back to tutor. Although we got killed, Bradley scored a touchdown and the extra point. He had a good game, and I got some pictures that hopefully will get posted soon. Tomorrow he goes to the ear/nose/throat dr. He still has a tube in his ear (placed when he was 4 years old) and now it has scar tissue growing over it so it needs to be removed. Bradley has another game on Thursday (his last one), Race for the Cure on Saturday, and an open house Sunday afternoon. In between all of that, lots of tutoring is going on. I started coming down with a cold on Saturday, and raced out quickly to get some zinc. I've been pumping that for the last two days and hoping it will ward it off. Feeling a little droopy today, but I'm going to try to get to bed at a good time each night. I am pumping vitamins down all of us to try to avoid this nasty flu bug that's going around. So many people are sick right now. Brennan told me that about 7 kids were out in his class today.

I have one more pumpkin recipe I'd like to share, but I want to make it first! If it's good, I'll post.

pumpkin pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk, pumpkin, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
Pour batter by 1/4 cupsful onto a hot greased griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Cook until second side is golden brown.


This recipe came from Quick Cooking magazine a couple of years ago. The first time I tried it, I wondered how the boys would respond (they're not exactly willing guinea pigs for new recipes), but both boys loved them! We had them several times that first winter I discovered the recipe. I've yet to make them this fall yet, but it's coming soon. This recipe comes with a hot cider syrup. I have not tried that as we are not cider fans (maple syrup works great for us!), but I'll post that as well in case anyone wants to give that a try.


Hot Cider Syrup

3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Dessert

Today's recipe is one I enjoyed all throughout my childhood. I'm not sure where it came from, but my mom made it every fall as I was growing up, and I loved it. I think it's definitely best with lots of whipped creme- but I think a lot of desserts taste best with lots of whipped creme!



Pumpkin Dessert

Take one yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup). Add one egg and one stick of melted margarine. Pat into 9x13 pan.

Mix together:
one large can of pumpkin pie mix
2/3 cup of evaporated milk
2 eggs

Pour over first layer.

Sprinkle on top:
1 cup dry mix, 1/2 stick margarine, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve with whipped creme. Enjoy!

pumpkin week

Although I do not enjoy the coming of fall (because I hate winter with a passion) I do like a few of the elements of fall. One of those is pumpkins! I love to decorate with them, and I love to make pumpkin recipes. So I have decided that this week is going to be pumpkin week on my blog. Each day (hopefully!!) I will feature a favorite pumpkin recipe. Today's is our family's top pick. I believe I got this pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe from my sister. These are easy to make, very moist, and everywhere I take them, someone wants the recipe. They make a big batch, but when I make them at home, they are gone within a couple of days. If you try them, let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Muffins

4 eggs

2 C sugar

1 1/2 C oil

15 oz. can pumpkin

3 C flour

2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

2 C chocolate chips

Mix ingredients in the order given. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees for 16-20 minutes.

As I was googling my pumpkin picture I found some others that I thought I'd share. Love this one!
Big Mac Pumpkin

USA Pumpkin

and Puking Pumpkin

experimenting

I have Picassa on my new laptop and I love that I can upload straight from it to Blogger. I decided to try out the collage option to see how it'd work. I think I'm gonna love it! I've wondered how people get these neat collages on their blogs. I probably should have done a little more editing with the pictures, but this is my first attempt. I'm sure you'll see more of these to come.

my fur babies

I'm procrastinating right now. I should be working on church stuff, but my eyes are tired, and I don't feel like it. I don't have any tutoring students on Friday, so after I finish with my last one on Thursday night, I feel like the weekend has arrived. Most of the time I sub on Friday, but tomorrow my sister is coming down from St. Ansgar and I get to spend the day with her. I can't wait! I don't get to see her nearly enough!
Love, love, love my kitties! I would easily have several more if my husband would allow it. I talk to them as much as I talk to my children. I call them my kids, and I pick them up and pet them whenever I pass by them. They don't always appreciate it, especially Oreo. Last weekend, Brennan and I went to a cat show at the Fairgrounds, and we loved seeing all of the different breeds and getting to pet several of them. I discovered that I need a Somali cat. I read a brochure about them, and they are loving, affectionate, and want to be in their human's business. They adore attention, and don't like to be left alone. That is exactly the kind of cat for me! Although Maizy does follow me around quite a bit, she's moody and has her moments. Oreo's motto is "how can you help me today?" He's pretty much about himself. But I love em anyway!
Boxes- we love boxes! None are too small- in fact, the tighter the quarters, the better!

I don't think Oreo was enjoying this bonding time with Brennan in the laundry basket!

Although Oreo pretty much tolerates the rest of us, he does love his Bradley- and a nice soft white fuzzy blanket!

We often call Maizy "the supervisor" as she must inspect things and know what's going on with the family at all times!

Nothing like a hard-as-a-rock-uncomfortable stereo to lull one to sleep! Nighty night!

the Hydorn family

Two posts in 24 hours!! This has to be some sort of miracle! I'd really like to say it will continue, but I don't want to lie. However having a laptop is so awesome! I'm not used to being able to sit on the couch reclining with my favorite fuzzy white blanket while watching TV and catching up on my blogs and websites. Who knows? Maybe my posts will become more frequent.
This is a Hydorn family picture taken back in August. We were in Corydon for the annual Old Settlers celebration. I believe we had just gotten home from church. As I look at this picture, I'm realizing how much Brennan is growing! GAnd here is Gary with his mom and brother

Well I best be heading to bed. It's been a busy week so far. I've had lots of tutoring, subbed one day, and had two homeschool visits this week. Tomorrow I am taking Bradley to the Dr. in the AM. He's been coughing all week, and I'm wanting to get that checked out. Several in his class have been sick. Last year he battled sinus infections all winter, and I don't want a repeat of that! Then I'm running errands all day and going to the Christian bookstore to look at curriculum. I'm looking forward to a fairly free weekend! Brennan does have an 8:00 game on Saturday, but other than that, no plans!!! I love it! I want to get some pumpkins and hay bales for the front porch, and I saw in the paper that there is a cat show at the fairgrounds this weekend. My parents took me to one when I was little and it fascinated me. I thought Brennan might enjoy it since he's my fellow cat lover. I'd love to get a little bit of scrapbooking done too. Haven't done anything in forever. I lose my ambition in the evenings when I say I'm going to go down and do a page. I want to scrap our Ft. Lauterdale and Pittsburgh pics.

Alrighty, I'm off like a dirty shirt!

Toodles!

birthday goodies

Last Monday was my birthday. Since Monday I was busy with church work all day and then four hours of tutoring until 8 PM we celebrated on Sunday. After church, I chose to eat lunch at Okoboji Grill. We then headed to Best Buy where I picked out my very first laptop! I have been wanting one for awhile. Often times I use the computer with my tutoring students when I'm helping them research something. I have found several websites that would be good for practicing skills, but with my computer in the other room, it's not convenient. With four of us on one desktop, it was getting difficult to wait in line to get on it sometimes. With my church work now (and most of it being done from my own computer) I was needing access to it more often. I want to be able to take it when I sub, so if I have extra time (like I did on Monday!!) I can get church stuff done at the same time! Also, one of the students that I have worked with for 7 years now travels a lot and this way, I can connect with her. Anyway, before she left for her latest trip, her family surprised me with a $500 gift card to Best Buy to go towards a laptop! I was overwhelmed!!! I am thoroughly enjoying the laptop so far, but have lots to learn. Anyway, after I was done tutoring on Monday, the boys gave me their cards. Brennan's was very creative of course. He had gotten these big $100 bills from somewhere and my card came with $1000 to spend. I am planning to spend my 'money' eating lunch at school with him and perhaps some backrubs! But my favorite part of this card was the last line where I can spend "$1000 for dad to do all the work!" Of course, he hadn't informed dad that he would be part of the scenario! Depending on what "work" that entails, I may have to spend my money on that one!

This note was from Bradley. Bradley prefers to do his cards on the computer- he's put together neat text effects, power points, and incorporated pictures. He's usually a boy of few words so I was surprised at the depth of this note!! A couple of things made me giggle. First of all, his signed "Bradley Hydorn" as though I wouldn't know which Bradley it was from. This is totally like my brother Dan- he used to sign every card, even to our mom, from 'Dan Fox.' I also got a kick out of the fact that I "care so much about his sports even though I don't understand them half the time." Bradley, it only seems that way because we are presently in football season, the sport that I am definitely the most ignorant about. I ask many questions and have just as many that I choose not to ask as not to sound like a complete idiot. In my defense, he plays football, basketball, baseball, golf, and runs track, and only football and golf trip me up. I'm pretty knowledgeable about the others, so 3 out of 5 is better than half!

And this one if from my hubby. His nickname is Pudge- I began calling him that when we were dating (not exactly sure why) and he calls me Pookie. Anyway, he made up the poem himself. I was impressed! Since he knew I wanted to get some accessories to go with my laptop, he just gave me cash. Never a bad choice for this chick!

Gary made my birthday cake i.e- took us down to the local ice cream place for malts and cookies to round out the evening. I am thankful for my boys and so blessed for each year that I get to be a part of their lives!

FINALLY SOME PICTURES!

Don't know if I mentioned it, but our computer was out of commission for a few weeks. It had been giving us all sorts of trouble, so our good friend took it home with him, cleaned everything off of it, and restored it to its original state. We had backed everything up on an external hard drive, but it takes awhile to load the stuff back on. We had a loaner computer from him for a few weeks so I didn't have any of my things loaded onto that. Anyway, this last week I have been slowly getting things back to normal. So finally I will get some of my photos on here!
First up, first day of school pictures. I always take them outside in our front yard in front of this tree (at least I have been for the last few years anyway), which is fine until someone walks or drives by and Bradley gets embarrassed. I remind them that I could follow them TO THEIR buildings with my camera like the paparazzi (which I am not above doing, mind you), but if they'd rather me not do that, they best cooperate for two minutes in the front yard and give me a charming smile. Of course, that's usually too good to be true. Brennan was in a snit this particular morning. It happens quite frequently in the mornings, so I honestly can't remember what triggered this mood. In this first picture you can tell he's really having to work at looking pleasant.

Bradley- 8th grade

Brennan- 3rd grade

I'm feeling very lazy today. It rained this morning and was dreary, and that is never good for my ambition level. It is a pretty busy week this week, so I really can't afford to waste any time. I also turn 38 today. That number seems a bit frightening and is drawing dangerouly close to 40. But I have so much to be thankful for, and I will choose to focus on the many blessings I have in my life right now!!! God is good!

another post with no pictures : (

I feel incomplete when I don't include a picture with my posts, however if I wait for that to get done, I won't be posting in awhile!!! So (cross my fingers) next post will have some pictures!

As I mentioned last time, it's been more than busy around here.

The boys started school (first day pictures would be inserted here). Both seem to be adjusting well which I'm always grateful for. We've been trying to do more reading with Brennan. He really doesn't desire to do that on his own, and he is very picky about his books. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has been read so many times by him, it's memorized. I have been trying to find books that will pique his interest, however that has been a challenge. I did find a couple of books by Dan Gutman that seem to be working. Coach Hyatt is a Riot is the one we're reading now. He seems to like the books with farting, burping, and typical boy behavior. I keep trying to steer him towards classics, but that seems to be a no-go. Go figure.

The house has been on the market for about a week and a half. We have a showing scheduled for Friday. I've enjoyed the clutter-free atmosphere, and keeping it clean has been a good thing. The laundry has been kept up with which is a miracle for me! Amazingly, I have not been stressed at all about it selling. Gary and I have beeen praying all along for wisdom and God's timing, and I can feel His perfect peace. It will all happen in His timing and plan.

Brennan played in his first tackle football game on Saturday (game pictures would be inserted here). I think he was a little nervous, but he didn't admit to it. He did well! We were very proud of him! He did not play flag football, so this is his first experience. He played guard and stuck with his man pretty well. He is not aggressive, so this is something he has to work on concerning his sports. Dad has been going to practice with him and helping out. I think he really enjoys doing that with Daddy. His team, the Panthers, lost, but they did well for the first game of the season.

We got back from Pittsburgh last Wed. (insert Pennsylvania pictures here). Dan and Beth showed us a FANTASTIC time. We took in 3 ballgames, got to sit in the GM's suite to watch two of those games, and just had a great time with their family. The boys loved being at the ballfield (I did too!!!), and we will look forward to going back to see more sights and stay longer next time!

I am tired and need to get to bed. I haven't gone to bed before midnight any night this week and it's catching up with me. But I'll leave you with some parting words from the argument I was having with my 13 year old tonight while trying to convince him to bring home his football gear (that he's been sweating, running, and practicing in for the last week) to be washed.

"Mom" (while rolling his eyes and shaking his head in disgust at my suggestion of laundering his practice uniform)
"It's practice. No one cares how you smell--"

So there you have it. Toodles!

lots going on

I'm a bad blogger.
It's been very busy around here.
Getting back into the routine of school.
Football has started for both kids.
I'm back to the fall tutoring schedule.
I've been doing several first-of-the-year home school visits.
I started a new part-time job at my church as a Children's ministry assistant. (I love it! More on that in a later post).
We're leaving tomorrow for a 6 day trip to Pittsburgh to visit my brother's family.
House projects being done at break-neck speed.
I have cleaned every nook and cranny of this house because...

WE PUT OUR HOUSE UP FOR SALE LAST NIGHT.

It's time to find bigger quarters for this family.
We aren't moving out of Carlisle.
We like it here.
We just need more room.
Praying for God's direction and timing during this whole process.

That's why I've been a bad blogger...

Twas the night before school...

Twas the night before school
When all through the town
The parents were cheering.
It was a riotous sound.
By eight, the kids were washed
And tucked into bed
When memories of homework
Filled them with dread.
New pencils, new folders,
New notebooks, too.
New teachers, new friends-
Their anxiety grew.
The parents just giggled
When they learned of this fright
And shouted, "Be quiet!"
"Go to Bed!!! IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT!"



Tomorrow I will be sending my little cherubs back to school. And this mom thinks it's time.

Florida part 2

Well only a week later, and I'm finally getting to part 2. Ugh. Every week I think things are going to get less hectic, but every week I'm wrong!

When we were in Hawaii, I got a smoothie every chance I could. I think that's where I "discovered" them. Since then, I've had many smoothies. I believe I definitely prefer the banana/pineapple versions. Those are my favorite flavors! The beachside grill offered smoothies, so of course, I sampled several flavors! This one is banana/blueberry/orange, I think. It was good, but my favorite was the mango pineapple. Yum....

I'm learning to make a pretty decent low calorie smoothie here at home too! I had a great blender for about 2 weeks until it broke, so now I'm back to my Magic Bullet until I can get a new one. The Magic Bullet just doesn't crush ice like a good blender, but it'll do in a pinch. I've got Bradley onto smoothies now too. His favorite is chocolate banana.

These pictures are definitely not great of me. I almost didn't post them out of embarrassment, but I guess it's as good as it gets.

I so enjoy reading. I just don't get to do it enough. I love a good auto/biography. I bought Valerie Bertinelli's book and Melissa Gilbert's book for the trip and here I am reading Valerie Bertinelli's. I was interested in her weight loss as her weight journey seems to resemble mine (except she seemed to obsess about it since she was young- I've only begun to obsess about mine over the last few years!). Reading on my beach chair was one of my favorite parts of the day.

I captured this picture at about 6:30 in the morning. Quite strange for me to be up at that time, especially on a relaxing vacation. But I really wanted a sunrise/sunset picture. And a sunrise over the ocean was the only option!! I didn't set my alarm, but I think I mentally prepared myself to try to wake up early. The shades were so dark in the room there was no way of any light waking me up. I think God woke me up on this morning and I enjoyed a beautiful 1/2 hour out on our balcony capturing some shots with my camera. Then at 7 AM I went back to bed for a few hours!

I just love the palm trees in this one.

Once again, not thrilled with how I look in the photo, but we wanted to capture a balcony shot with the two of us just like we had in Hawaii.

It was a great trip- I still think about it every day.

Florida part 1

Once again, it's almost midnight as I begin writing this. Maybe one of these days, I'll update during daylight hours!

Just a few pics to share tonight. This is our hotel "Sun Tower on the Beach." It's an older hotel, but very clean. Our room was nice sized, and you can't beat the beach location! We were on the 3rd floor (4th row down from the top) second room from the left- there's a salmon colored towel hanging on the balcony.


This was taken from our balcony.

Ahh... relaxation!

Of course, Gary had to test it out as well.

The hotel pool- we enjoyed this on our last day. Since we had to check out of our room by noon, but didn't head to the airport until 2:30 or so, we didn't want to be all sandy. So I just laid on the floaty in the pool catching my last Florida rays until I had to say goodbye : (

More pics coming later.