cousins cousins cousins

My kids so LOVE their cousins! That is their favorite thing to do ever! Today we went down to Macon to celebrate Hailey's 5th birthday. In the above picture you can see Steve and Teresa/Nana helping Madi after she just put her skates on. The skating rink party was a hit!

Here are the girls....Deedee, Hailey and Madi.

The little girls skated non-stop! I bet roller skates will be on Madi's Christmas list tomorrow.

Here are Ben and 'Heartthrob' Hunter. Ben played some game and won 400 tickets. Hunter is 14 (the oldest cousin) and always takes Ben under his wing and shows him a good time. Madi...she wants to marry Hunter :)

After the party Steve's mom insisted on watching ALL the kids, so Steve and I could go out and about by ourselves....Thank you Teresa! Chad had to go to work, Alicia had a work party, so Steve and I went to dinner at our favorite place Applebee's. Then we thought we might do a little Christmas shopping for the kids, but first we ended up at the mall....Steve's favorite Georgia store is there. To walk into the mall we had to go through Dillard's...they were closing and everything in the store was 50% to 75% off or more! Look at what I got...the most soft VERA WANG pj's....awww.

CMA's = gingerbread

Last night was so fun! Every year I look forward to the CMA's. One of these years I am hosting a huge CMA party at my house. There were so many great songs sung last night. I love the video with Andy Griffith and Brad Paisley...Waiting On A Woman...it's the truth ain't it.

Our radio stations play this guy's latest hit ALL the time and I LOVE LOVE it. It's my new favorite song...gets me in the mood to dance around the house and get my cleaning done or it can pump me up for a good workout at the gym. It was so fun when he came out on the CMA's to sing it...I was stitching to the beat :) Every now and then he can bust out a good song.

Here is the song....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOSC376d0L8

Here are the cute guys I got done last night while watching TV.

A few days off

Steve has had the last 2 days off work. We planned on having the kids skip school one of the days(they have perfect attendance with 0 tardies right now) so as a family we could drive a bit north to the base of the Smoky mountains to take in some beautiful fall sites...but my school lovin' kids refused. So, Monday Steve just took me to north Atlanta to my favorite paper crafts store and then we had lunch together. Today we hung out at home this morning and then went to the gym together...nice and relaxing.
It is so beautiful here right now! Now we have lived in Washington State and in Germany but neither compare to Georgia. Now Germany was pretty in the fall but the colors only lasted 2 weeks and then the leaves were gone before Halloween. Here it's more than a month of colors and all the leaves don't all fall until the end of November. Here are a few pictures I took yesterday.

I just finished this cute little stitchery...found the idea in a magazine. I have never filled in letters like this before.

100%

Today was report card day...Ben of course got all A's but even got a 100% in Math. Our principle always signs Ben's report card, which I think is so nice that she takes the time to look at his report card. The school has just made a big deal over Ben's 100% and it makes us all so happy!

I love what Ben's teacher wrote for the commments...Best student in math....ever!!! They have never had a student get a 100% average for the whole grading period. I am so proud!

Not only is Ben a smart kid but he is very artsy fartsy too. After taking down our Halloween decorations, he knew I had not yet made Thanksgiving flash cards to put out and asked if he could make them. We needed 10, he came up with 8 on his own and asked me for a suggestion so I said blessing and then he finished up with cornucopia. I think he did a good job...he is just an all around sweetie :)

Thanksgiving cards

Okay, I started making my Halloween and Christmas cards last summer, but for some reason I can't get in gear to make some Thanksgiving ones. While digging out my Thanksgiving decorations I found this Thanksgiving card the kids and I made 2 years ago. It too has become a decoration now.

Here are some pictures of some of my Thanksgiving decorations.

These white candles and pumpkins are one of my favorite. I left the black trees out...I would love to find some pretty brown ones.

I set my Jim Shore pilgrim couple out and this cute Indian couple.

Last year after Halloween, my friend leslie called one day telling me to go check out Michael's...she knew I was looking for Thanksgiving decor and all the fall stuff was either 75% or maybe even 90% off. That's when I got the cornucopia and flowers for it. Leslie always has the best decorating ideas!

25 Days of Christmas book...

I am so excited about this! It's a suggestion from The ali edwards. It's a December daily album...there is a page for the 25 Days of Christmas. Ali said to use what you have...don't go buy anything new for this...that's exactly what I did and love the way things fit together. You can either write a note, add a picture or recipe, anything. I made this on Saturday November 1st and am so proud of myself. I am really good about making stuff for other people, always making Holiday cards to send to everyone but very seldom make something for myself. Even my kids like this idea. As you can see in the picture above, on the 23rd, the page with the rolling pins the kids want to make and get the cookies ready for Santa. What I like though is nothing is planned...I can just write a note or anything simple on each day.

Try this link for Ali Edwards: http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2008/10/december-daily.html

Last night my Election Day dinner was a hit. The soup was delish. As far as the recipe, I followed it except for the potatoes...I did not add them. Of course the pie was yummy, I made a homemade crust, they come out so perfectly good every time.

Tip Junkie!!!

Holy smokes...I went to look at Tip Junkie this morning and low and behold I am one of the tips today...remember my fun idea for dinner tonight. Have fun on this Election Day and go check out tipjunkie.

#13

Ben was fired up when we found a flag football league for him to play in. Of course he LOVES it! They are the Tulane Green Wave...all the teams have a college name. Last week was his first game...guess who made the teams first touchdown! They are now 2-0 and no team has scored against them.

It's a bird, it'a a plane....

It's Super Girl and Indiana Jones...

Madi's 1st grade class had their own class party earlier this week, because yesterday all the 1st grade classes did pumpkin math. We weighed them, measured the circumference, the height, how many seeds and then how much it weighed after carving it. It was so fun.

Madi didn't like the pumpkin slime.

Thursday evening Steve got the van ready for the weekend. On football weekends he likes to put these on. Here is something funny.... We were living in Germany when they hosted the 2006 World Cup. Well there were lots of these type flags all over town. There were tons of country flags showing their spirit during that whole month. When we went to see one of the games we donned our Georgia Bulldog flags. You should have seen the looks, I mean people starring trying to figure out what kind of flags these were. We of course had the European plates that said USA on them, so they could tell we were American. It was the funniest sight ever to see our Georgia flags amongst all those German, Italian, Spanish, ones from Ghana..... We were the Beverly Hillbillies that day!

The kids G'd up the fireplace this morning...it's a big day for the Bulldogs.

Busy with pictures!

A few weeks ago I gave Walmart all my negatives to have them put onto CD's. I didn't know what else to do. With all my paper craft things I want to make I need to be able to edit and print the baby pics. We did not get a digital camera until Madi was was one year old so everything before that was on negatives. Today is like Christmas for me getting my pictures back and right at my fingertips to use. Plus I learned to do the mosaic thing.

The pictures are Madi on her first birthday....look at Ben right there and Madi was the most beautiful baby girl.

Madi at just a few days old.

Ben was a pumpkin for his first Halloween.

The one with Ben in the green shirt....well it's one of my favorites. That was the first time I got to see him after giving birth to Madi. My mom came to stay with him so Steve could be with me at the hospital. I was in there for 4 days and didn't see Ben for 2. That's a long time for a Mom who had never spent a day or night away from her baby.

So what or how do you store your before digital photos?

My house

Before moving here to Georgia we were stationed in Germany. When you are moving, the Air Force gives you 8 house hunting days, to do exactly that....go find a place to live at your next assignment. It's actually hard/scary to do. So, Steve flew from Germany to Georgia to go buy us a house in 8 days. The only request I had was a backyard, a flat driveway and sidewalks. Steve's only request in the house was a bonus room over the garage. Well this is what he bought and I LOVE it! In some of the pictures you can see how much fun I have had decorating for Halloween.

One of my favorite things of my home here is the white fireplace. Whenever I am outside with the neighbors and we talk about decorating, I always go on and on about my grand fireplace. They just laugh at me and remind me that everyone in the neighborhood has the same one. I have to remind them this my first 'real' house and I am still not use to this.

I LOVE having an open floor plan with big tall ceilings. I will be so claustrophobic if and when I have to move back into base housing with their 8 ft. ceilings.

My kids have always been ones that wanted to be right next to me. If I am in sight they are so content playing, coloring or reading. I love this window that allows you to see in and out of the kitchen. I can watch them play in the living room and even look up from my cleaning or cooking to see those funny parts of the movie they are watching.

What am I going to do when the day comes to move? :( I am just going to enjoy this while I can that's for sure!

BOO!

Shannon over at blessournest BOO-ed me today! :) Thank you for the fun surprise Shannon.


Here are the rules: Pick some people to BOO and let them know that they have been BOO-ed. Have them link back to your blog to pick up their treat (picture) so they can BOO their friends. Put the picture on your sidebar so everyone knows that you have been BOO-ed. BOO

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Election Day menu...

Earlier tonight I was sitting down trying to come up with a menu for this week. Senate Bean Soup has been on my list of new things to try. Instead of this week though, I am saving it for Tuesday November the 4th, Election Day! So on that night we are having Capital Hill Senate Bean Soup for dinner and All-American Apple Pie for desert. I have never made the soup before, but found this recipe online. This soup is served everyday in the U.S. Capital.


Capital Hill Senate Bean Soup

1 pound dried navy beans or great northern beans, washed and drained
2 medium smoked ham hocks
3 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 large cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
Preparation:Cover beans with water and bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. Drain bean liquid into a bowl; measure and add enough water or broth to make 5 quarts; pour back into beans. Bring beans to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or until beans are very tender. Add ham hocks, potatoes, onions, celery and garlic, and continue to simmer for another hour. Remove ham hocks and cut up meat; return to soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Makes about 2 gallons or 8 quarts.


Chocolate Covered Halloween:

This is what my kids named it. I found this over on ramblinggal1960. Hers looks so beautiful compared to mine. But mine was delish!!!!



White Almond Bark
Halloween oreos
candy corn
Halloween M&M's
pretzels
Halloween sprinkles

Getting paid to shop at Garden Ridge.

How good can life get. Yesterday I substituted in Special Ed again. Thursdays are the days they go on their CBI....Community Based Instruction.
Garden Ridge was our destination for the day. Each of the four kids had a vocabulary word to look for. They were words like blanket and pumpkin. Yes, I got a comfy ride on one of those short school buses.
Our group was made up of the four kids and four teachers. You really do need that one on one ratio with them. The biggest and I mean biggest kid is an 8 year old with down syndrome. I thought he would love seeing all the Holiday stuff...nope, he was scared to death of Santa. As soon as we walked in the doors, there were HUGE blow-up Santa's. He started screaming so we turned down and an isle to find more giant Santa's riding on rocking horses and on merry-go-rounds. The poor kid fell to the ground screaming, so it took all of us to pick him up and get him into a cart. He is such a sweet kid I was shocked and felt so bad for him. Me just being a mom/substitute thought we needed to hit the road out of Christmas....no, one of the teachers grabbed a small Santa and kept telling him to say no, no Santa. It seemed mean to me at first but by the end of the day and the whole experience I see the whole picture now.
The day was fun. The kids really enjoyed seeing all the different colored flowers, all the pumpkins, feeling some of the feather ornaments we found. They tried on lots of funny holiday hats. We found soft blankets and really poky plants. And last but not least the CANDY isle!!!! Boy do they love candy! We bought some candy but had to go eat lunch first. To Wendy's we went. Those kids enjoyed some nuggets and french fries. But our big 8 year old ate a grilled chicken salad and a diet coke. He tells you "I want Coke."
I am so impressed with my kids school and our county for the love and care they put into these special needs kids. My day was so enjoyable I can't wait until they need me again.

My MOST prized recipe

Grandma Kiehl's Caramels:

1/2 lb. butter

2(15oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup sifted flour

2 cups light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

In heavy saucepan, melt butter, add corn syrup and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add 1 1/2 cans of sweetened condensed milk. Mix flour thoroughly with remaining milk, add to syrup-sugar mixture. Boil until mixture darkens and forms a medium-hand ball (240 degrees). Stir constantly or mixture will stick!!! Add vanilla and pour into buttered 9x13 pan. Allow to cool.

Cut into 1" pieces with a sharp knife. Wrap pieces in small squares of waxed paper. Makes about 5 dozen pieces.

This is what the look like all rolled up.

I have the caramels all bagged and tagged, ready to give out for Halloween treats to our teachers and friends next week.

When I was little my Grandma would make these and mail us a batch to where ever we were living. Anytime she would send a box we would open it hoping to find these MOST delicious caramels inside.

I have made these every fall for the past 11 years. My kids get so excited when they see me making these. It makes me happy to see them enjoying these fall traditions we are making.

garland and pj's

Last night I finished this flash card garland. I love personalized stuff!

My kids enjoy the simple things. Both my kids needed some new warmer pj's with our nights getting colder. Today I got these and have them spread out on their beds, to surprise them with when they get home from school. Bet we snuggle together and watch a Halloween movie tonight.

flash cards

I found this idea over at gagaforgarlands.

I LOVE the flash card look. These were so easy to make. Just print, cut and round the edges. Think of the possibilities.....

Yes...it's me!

Today I had a whole new look. I am stepping up in the world of fashion. Clothes were NEVER my thing. It was only four years ago I bought my first pair of women's jeans. Then I slowly moved up from wearing a lot of men's t-shirts to all girls. About two or three years ago I got into the necklace stage. And now today I added a sweater! Yesterday I saw this sweater on sale and thought what the heck...it's at least long enough to cover my backside so why not try it? Now my hair is the same. Ever since I was in the Air Force when I was younger I have always worn it up. Of course Steve is gone the day I turn into a fashionista, so one day next week I will have to dress all fancy again so I can impress him.

funny stuff and jokes

After my friend leslie suggested using cookie cutters for seasonal decorating, I got right to it in my kitchen. My friend amber had sent me this yummy recipe for pumpkin cobbler, and since making it, I left it out on the counter...I think it looks cute. Well along comes Ben..."Mom you need to fix this recipe. There is no cooking time written on it. You need to write Fall right there."

Amber you sent me an incomplete cute recipe...the bake time is written on the back, Ben doesn't know. :)

( You will have to click on the recipe to see the blank line for the cooking time:)
I need and want a new camera SOOOO bad...then I won't have these problems.

I LOVE this idea I found over on tipjunkie. How fun to write a new joke each day for your kids lunch. I will have just as much fun doing this for the kids as they will with them. Bet their friends at lunch will all be in on the action.

Arachnophobia

Ben helped me make these cute little creatures. All it took was 5 sheets of paper and my stampin' up punches. They are meant to fit on the little mint patties, but these are for Madi to hand out to her classmates on Halloween, so we used the bigger size. Then we added the string at the top to make it look like the spiders were hanging from a web.

Okay yesterday on Columbus Day I taught in Kindergarten. There are always two teachers in there. Well the teacher I was teaching with had been teaching them about Christopher Columbus. Later on during the day we were walking in from recess and one of the classrooms had a few pictures of Columbus on their bulletin board. The teacher pointed them out so the kids could look at them. All of a sudden one of the kids blurted out "I thought Christopher Columbus was a boy." There were three of us teachers right there and we just busted out laughing....Boys these days don't wear puffy Capri's and shirts with puffy sleeves let alone that silly hat.