It's a great day for a Picnik

Fall is definately in the air. It is really chilly today. We had a great football game this morning and guess what? Nothing else to do today. So I spent a good part of the day on (a) Picnik. My kids think I'm nuts, I dread the day that Kennedy won't be my guinea pig any more. This afternoon when I took her outside to take this picture I asked her if she would "come and be my guinea pig". I should have known when she was so excited to come outside that she didn't realize what it meant to "be a guinea pig". She really thought I had one in the back yard . . . God love Kennedy!!!

Just me

I know we all say it, but I truly mean it. I take horrible pictures! But this past weekend we went to Indianapolis for the Colts/Jaguar's game and I was bound and determined to get a good family picture. Well I didn't get a good one of all 4 of us, but Hubs did take one of me and the kids. I am so pleased with the picture! Oh I still did all those neurotic, self-conscious things. My hair needs some help, I need to lose 50 pounds, etc, etc, etc. But what I saw the minute that picture was uploaded was this. I look happy. I am happy. I love this picture!

My Labor of Love for Labor Day Weekend

It's the Labor Day weekend! Yea! Aren't you excited for a long weekend? I sure am. Every year we go down to Lake Barclay and stay with Mom and Dad. We have not had good luck this summer, every time we have gone down it has rained. Correction, not just rained, it has poured. Of course, this weekend the forecast is calling for rain. This time I'm taking an arsonel of activities. The kids get so bored when they can't swim, I mean how many episodes of The Suite Life of Zac and Cody can you watch in one weekend, seriously? I got this idea from over at "Just A Girl". Just like her, I had most of the items already, I grabbed a few extra things in the school supplies section at Wal-Mart and then a few more things at the Dollar Store. I already had the little pails and used one large soup can. There is absolutely nothing in this basket that my kids haven't seen/used before, but because it's new and organized differently, I think they're going to be so excited!

Sometimes you just HAVE to have it

A week or so ago I stopped by our local antique mall looking for anything I could paint, strip, decoupage, or otherwise destroy. I ran across this old door and instantly,pasionately, 100% fell in love with it. So I called my mom and said "I just HAVE to have it!" Since she agreed that "yes, you just HAVE to have it" well that just added more fuel to my fire. When Hubs got home that night I told him all about it, promising to do all the work, lifting, etc. if only he'd help me get it home in his truck. He then asked the big stinker of a question, "how much?" Well, I hadn't actually found that part out (honestly, I didn't really care) I just knew I had to get measurements and go back and get it. On Saturday I ran over and took the measurements and it, of course, fit perfectly. So then came the time for me to ask, "how much?". Brace yourself, $12.00! Can you believe it? For that price I would have strapped it on my back and carried it home. So Hubs went back and got it for me that afternoon. Once I convinced him that , yes, I was sure that I didn't want to scrape, sand, or paint anything on it, he conceded to help me. We basically built a cleat and then hung it on the wall. It is perfect! My only mistake in this whole process is that while hanging it up, Hubs asked me to run and get a tape measure. I quickly said "Oh, I have one in my purse!" Ooops, that was his favorite one he's been looking for!

Also, the bedding was a project I did last year before I started blogging. I bought the coverlet at TJ Maxx and then made my shams and throw pillows, except the leather one of course. This was one of my first big projects and Mom taught me a lot about becoming one with my sewing machine!

Back to school

I've not been very good at keeping up my blog this summer. It seems that this summer has flown by. I'm pretty ready for the kids to be back in school. I'm sure at this point that people with more than 2 kid are rolling their eyes right now. I am craving some sort of routine. We seem to run crazy all summer long, stay up too late, sleep in too long. Is it wrong of me to be ready for school to begin? Just for a few moments of quiet, sweet, sweet quiet. Just for one day of a clean (enough)house. Just for one moment to have an uninterupted thought.

Of course, I got all that on Wednesday when the kids went back to school. I spent the morning doing laundry, mopping floors, went to Wal-Mart and worked on pendants.

I spent the afternoon (with my uninterupted thoughts) staring at the clock, counting the minutes until they came back home. I emailed the Hubs once to see if he had seen them and how were they. I couldn't wait for them to get here to tell me everything about their day. I really missed them.

But it was nice, for a short time.

What do I do with this?

Look what I found on my porch this morning. . . .

A couple of months ago my wonderful neighbor, Ray, stopped me and told me he was growing cucumbers in his garden and I was to help myself when they were ready. Well then a few weeks ago he sheepishly told me those weren't cucumbers he was growing, but I told him "never fear, I love zucchini too!" So this morning I awoke to a rather large pile of zucchini. I am determined not to let it go to waste, so I started stalking other bloggers looking for ideas. I found a recipe for I Hate Zucchini Bread, Bread, I'm definately going to try that one. I also found a recipe for Zucchini Fritters. So that is what I did today. Oh and guess what Ray has on his front porch this evening? You guessed it, Zucchini Fritters!



They remind me very much of Fried Green Tomatoes.

Here is the recipe:

5 T Bisquick
1/2C Parmasean Cheese
1/4t Salt
1/8t Pepper
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
2C Grated Zucchini

Mix it all together, drop by spoonfulls (I used the large Pampered Chef scoop) into a hot skillet/griddle. I used butter for the first round (in the picture) but after that I used non-stick spray. Both worked fine. Let me know if you try them.

Oh and I have since figured out that I can freeze some of that zucchini. We'll have fritters in February! Enjoy!

Picture perfect

A couple of weeks ago Kennedy performed at the Somerfest parade talent show. She did a ballet dance to "I Love Being A Girl". There were 7 girls in her group and they were so lovely. I knew she would only wear the dress a couple of times and since they were quite expensive, I was bound and determined to get a good picture of her. I ended up taking her to the backyard, putting her on a towel and standing on a chair over the top of her, then taking several pictures. Next I went to Picnik.com and played around with the picture. I'm really proud of the finished project, of course having a stunningly beautiful model makes it so easy.

Oh yeah, they got FIRST PLACE in the Gibson County Fair talent show!

The summer heat is upon us

Today was one of the first days that I really felt the heat. I wanted to do something fun with the kids, but since I worked today there wasn't much time. So we made snow cones.Even Daddy took some time off from working and came downstairs for a treat. Saylor got a treat too, but hers was plain ice, no cherry syrup for her. Can you imagine what she would have looked like? A pink Bichon!

It's the most wonderful time, of the year . . .

We pulled the boat out last week! Yeah! I took this picture of Wes as he was handing all the stuff over the side. We always take the first week to clean and wax and polish the boat. After all, it is a part of the family. We took it to Lake Barclay over Memorial Day weekend, but it was almost a complete wash out. It rained the whole weekend. So we are starting this weekend on the Ohio River. We are so excited! Sand, sun and water: here we come!

From Wes

Sometimes I wonder, what did I ever do to deserve this beautiful life God gave me. From a ten-year-old boy this is as mushy as it gets, and I absolutely LOVE it. Thanks Wesley, I think you rock, rule and are "aswem" too!

Kennedy's First Communion

This past weekend was a huge milestone for my littlest monkey. We celebrated Kennedy's First Holy Communion. We are so proud of her. She takes the sacrament so seriously. We spent a few weeks getting ready for the big day. We shopped, we planned the menu, and we made invitations. I took my wedding dress to a wonderful seamstress, here in town, and had her dress made. The veil was also made by the same person. My friend Michelle did the beading on top. I think Kennedy was a little disappointed that we didn't get to go shopping for the dress. But those days will come. Once we picked up the dress, she was very excited. I stressed all week, because it rained, and rained, and rained. As the weekend approached the chances of rain hovered around the 80% mark. I was a mess. Our house is just so small to have 25-30 people here. But, as you can see in the pictures, it was a blessed day. The weather held, my daughter received the sacrament of Holy Communion, and my tender heart survived another step in this journey of watching her grow up.

Save me some smashed potatoes. . . .

Such a sick little boy. Wes woke up Thursday with a raging fever. I qualify for "Mom of the Year" because he woke me up in the middle of the night and said he wasn't feeling well. I felt around on him and told him to get a drink and go back to sleep. John woke me up about 6:30am and told me to come and feel Wes. He had a temp of 103.4. Poor kid fought it through Saturday before it finally broke. When the kids are sick I make them a "sick bed" on the couch. He slept in his sick bed all day on Thursday and Friday and woke up Saturday feeling better. His biggest worry through all of this was that he wouldn't get any mashed potatoes and corn (mixed together, he is my kid after all) at his sister's First Communion Party on Sunday. He was a trooper and kept telling me he was sorry, as if he could help being so sick. I realized it was all over on Saturday afternoon when he got in trouble for, once again, throwing a football in the hallway.

In honor of Earth Day: My Recycling Project

This week was Earth Day and we were blessed with beautiful weather! I was desperate for a project that would get me outside and kept thinking, "what can I paint?" I had a spot in my dining room that was driving me crazy. I just couldn't figure out what to put there. Look at it, it will drive you crazy too:

I was nosing around on Blue Castle's blog (you can click on it to the right, sorry, I haven't figured out how to embed links to my postings), and she is re-doing her front porch. I stole this idea from her like a thief in the night . . . Several years ago, the hubs replaced an old rotting, wooden garage door with a sparkling new one (he's good to me). I managed to wrestle him to the ground and save the panel that had the windows. Amid much grumbling and eye rolling he broke out the saw and separated them for me. Next I did the 'ol 1995 crackle job, hung picture wire and just hung them on the wall. Here is how they turned out:

They were just ok. So this week I sanded them down, and painted them glossy black. Next I got online and ordered 8x10's of the kids from Sam's online. I then called the best friend on earth, who I might add was having the most "terrible, horrible, no good, worstest day of her life" and asked her to stop by Sam's and grab my pictures for me. (Thank you Lovey!) I then mounted them evenly on the glass. Next came the worst part, measuring and leveling. I hate that part. Entire project cost less then $8.00, I had everything but the pictures. Now look at that spot in my dining room. . . .

Happy Earth Day! Recycle, look how beautiful it can be.

Things that caught my eye today . . . .

Back in black. .

A couple of weeks ago I bought a black O, our initial, to use somewhere in the house. It was a little small and weak to hang alone, plus when your initial is an O it just looks like a circle on the wall. I had some stuff stashed away that I knew I would eventually use. So this is what I did this week. Painted an old white shelf. Sanded and painted another $.50 find from Hobby Lobby and then applied a decal over the top. I then painted an old 11x14 picture frame (I stashed the backing and glass, (you never know). I had already made the pictures of the kids, but didn't have a place for them. Next I ventured over to Etsy.com and ordered two prints from an artist named Laryssa Hubert that I have been admiring for a while. You can visit her blog "Heaven In The Home" by clicking on it to the right. The hardest part of this whole job was the measuring, leveling, etc. Sometimes I need three hands. Enjoy!

It really has nothing to do with a rabbit . . .

This year was one of the best Easters yet. I have to start out by bragging a little about my family. I am so proud of how they respect the Lent season. Everyone stayed true to their Lenten promises, with no nagging or pushing from me. John and I decided a long time ago that our kids would carve their own way in this world with gentle guidance from us. I have never forced my children to make a sacrifice during Lent, but every year they humble me with their eagerness to participate. Although temptation is always there, they stay true every year. I promised John that I would really cut back on my spending this year and I'm proud to say I did. I really focused on the purpose of the season. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us and I have to be honest, it is so hard for me to wrap my brain around. He made those sacrifices for me. Me! Why me?

I was so proud of my son on Good Friday when he said to me "Hey Mom, you know what happened at 3:00 today, don't you?" I have to be honest I didn't know it was at 3:00. "Jesus died for us, can you believe it?" I was so taken aback that a 10 year old had that running through his mind on that morning. After all, he got out of school early, we were going to the movies that night, the Easter Bunny was coming the next night. There were so many other things I expected him to say. You know what, that's my kid, and I'm so proud of him!

As you have already read and as you can see in the pictures, it really has nothing to do with a rabbit. It is about sacrifice and love and joy. It is about family.