"The Swing"

We've been living in the same house ever since Mike and I got back from our honeymoon.  There are a few things that are "memories" by now and this swing is one of them.

It's a swing that is hanging from an old tree along the field line right behind our house.  We don't visit this tree real often.  It's one of those that sets in the field all alone.  The kind with lots of groundhog holes around it.  The kind of tree that you may never notice.

But, hanging from this tree is an old swing.  Wish I knew the story of 'the swing'.  Maybe it was once someones play ground?  Maybe it was a place for someone to think and dream?  For us, it's a place of photography and fun!

I have in the past taken fall photo's of Hadassah and Matthew on 'the swing'.  Now, I decided to get some Ashlyn.

Here's how we got there ... Matthew just pushed past the corn cobs laying in the field and then he drove Ashlyn up to the swing.

 Here's a few with different color affects!

'The swing' was a bit on the toppsey (not sure that passes for a word???) side and for Ashlyn to sit alone on it would have sent her flying backwards.  So, I had Matthew sit beside her and I tried to get most of the pictures with just her on.

But, then I had to get a few with the whole picture!!!

She adores her brother so much!!!

Enjoying 'the swing'.

 XOXO!

The weekend is approaching and I still have a few house chores to wrap up before we relax and hang out!!!  Put your camera in your pocket for this weekend and capture the Kodak moments when you can!!!

I am so blessed!!!!!

"FALL" has fallen!

Happy Fall!!!

Fall is officially here.  The kids reminded me of this.  This past Saturday marked the 'first day of fall'.  Are we ready?  There's no choice really, but if I have it to say ... kinda?.?

I love all the seasons!  The 'fall flavors' are my all time favorite!  I will give it that!  However, Fall and Spring are both the teasing seasons.  Some days are really warm, almost like summer.  Then other days are chilly and you need a sweater or jacket. 

Repositioning my closet is a fun thing to do though.  It's this time of year when I pull all my sweaters and vests and boots and scarfs from the shelves and put them on top of all the short sleeve clothing.  Bundling up with layers is something I enjoy when the weather is cool.

Fall is also the time for our annual school auction.  We spent the entire day there on Saturday.  Breakfast, an all day country auction, kids activities and yummy foods!  I sent Ashlyn with my mother-in-law after breakfast so I could actually SIT and enjoy the auction!  :)

Hadassah and Matthew both got face painting done.  They both spent some money at the candy stand.  They both played with their wonderful school friends.  It never fails though that when the auction is about over, they both come and tell me they are hungry!  I grabbed some soft pretzels that I bought over auction! 

Face Painting ...

Fall is "the best campfire weather" too!  We gathered around Wayne and Linda's campfire Saturday night while we enjoyed her famous "tomato basil pizza"!  The evening was fun, warming and always a good time when we spend time with friends!  Thanks Wayne and Linda for having us over!!!

"Ladies Fall Bible Study" is something I look forwards to so much each year!  This year we are doing another Beth Moore DVD Series called "James, Mercy Triumphs"!  It's a study on the book of James.  I was especially excited about this study because "James" is one of my favorite books in the Bible! 

Food.  Fall.  Fabulous Fall Foods ... Every year I plant bell peppers in my small raised beds.  They always produced just enough for fresh eating and a few pints of sweet pepper strips.  I have no idea if it's just my dirt and plants ... but I have tons of peppers this year!!!  I just picked a huge bowl full of green and red bell peppers.  I also picked tons of hot jalapeno peppers!  We also picked from the vine this morning our first ripe watermelon!  Matthew wanted to plant a watermelon plant this summer and we were a tad late getting it started.  So, now in Fall we can enjoy this fruit!  Our first one weighs ... 40.2 lbs!!!!!!  It's huge!  Matthew couldn't ever carry it!  He is so delighted and proud of his fruit!  Come around!  :)))

Fresh peppers ...

 Jalapeno Peppers ... Hot!!!

 Matthew with his BIG watermelon ...

 40 LBS!!!  Red and delicious!!!

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I started this post yesterday, but because I was busy today with all my peppers, I may as well post this too!  Today, I was at my mom-in-laws and we canned sweet pepper strips, hot pepper strips and mixed our pepper jam ingredients!  Peppers ... lots of them! 

We washed all the peppers and then cut them into strips.  I cooked 6 Cups of water, 4 cups of sugar and 2 cups of vinegar to a boil.  Poured the juice into my stuffed pint jars and cold packed them for 10 minutes.

This is the first year I did some like this!  Hot Peppers with Bell Peppers.  We sliced jalapeno peppers and discarded the seeds.  Put hot peppers on the bottom of a pint jar, then put on top some sweet peppers, then more hot on top of that.  Add 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. parsley flakes, 1 tsp. oregano and 2 garlic cloves on top of EACH jar.  Mix 1/2 white vinegar with 1/2 water (we did 4 cups of each and mixed it together because that's the amount of jars we needed to fill.  Just do as much as you need.).  Fill your jars with the water mixture and top each with 1/8 cup olive oil.  (These amounts are enough for just one pint jar!)  Lid your jars and cold pack them for 10 minutes. 

This are packed with lots of spices and they seem to be full of flavor.  Have not yet tried them but I hope they are good!!!  :)

We mixed a batch of pepper jam, but the recipe called for it to set for a few hours.  Mom is going to finish that project later.  Thanks mom!!!

With all the canning going on ... to top my busy schedule, I got a call last night saying that my concord grapes are ready to be picked up.  I am so blessed to be able to get some this year.  Mom and I were a bit late with ordering them and we are scrambling to find some.  Because I can't do peppers and grape juice at the same time at two different places, my mom is tackling the juice alone.  Sorry mom!!!  Love you!

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Now for this long post ... Our baby is growing up!!!  18 Months ...

HER demands!

Ashlyn is 18 months old and I love this stage!!!  It's my ALL TIME FAVORITE age ( I think )?.!  One moment I love the adorableness of our youngest and the next moment I am pulling out my hair in frustration!  She's so cute yet so demanding.  She's so lovable but so hard to 'stop her from throwing tantrums'.

You would think that after being through this stage twice already with our other kids, we would know what and how to handle some of these demands.  (Like at this very moment ... she is determined to put the lid on her sippy filled with water ALL BY HERSELF.  Thankfully it is just water!)

Her naps are trying too recently!  I am used to just laying her in her crib and she sleeps.  Lately, she thinks she doesn't need naps.  She gets so tired and miserable but yet still just cries and cries when she's laid in her crib.  What do I do???

It's keeping me humble (and stressed).  I keep praying that we will discipline the right way.  Mike and I are trying TOGETHER and inside I know that is a huge step for success.  What people call the 'terrible two's' ... I think we are dealing with them a tad early with this girl.

We love her to death, spite all the challenges!  Toddlers are sometimes tough ... on their parents and those all around, but they are also HUGE blessings!  Please don't take this post the wrong way ... I am not complaining.  I am willing to go through the tough and the good.  It is called 'parenting'!  With God guiding us, we will never give up!

Here is ONE of Ashlyn's demands right now!  Popsicles!  She wants to eat them for her breakfast!  Her wants one for lunch and her snacks.  She stands at the freezer door and whines and whines.  She says, "Popsicle!"  I texted Mike this morning and stated that there will be no more Popsicles bought until next summer!  Done deal!

Yet, when I see her enjoying the fruit pops (I wonder how much 'fruit' is actually in one of these?) I still get a warm feeling inside.  Kids are just known to love Popsicles!  Brings a sweet childhood memory for me.  It's kinda a mess to clean up after she has it eaten.  She's got juice drips and slush on her shirt and hands but worth her enjoyment.  Take a look ...

 She is saying "cheese"!

 

Another "demand" for her recently is - my iPhone.  My phone has never been a toy for the kids and there were never any games played on my phone.  It's a phone and not a toy!  Well, the other week I saw some cute Fisher Price free games and downloaded them on my phone thinking that it will be a good past time for when we are on doing errands on the road.  It's become a lot more than that!!! 

 

Every time she sees my phone now, she thinks she NEEDS to play on it!  So sorry for all those who called me the past few days and you hear her screaming in the background!  I can hardly talk on the phone with her around because when she sees my phone she wants it!  Sigh!

 

Oh, well.  Toddlers are still fun.  They are only in this stage of life for a short time and so I must enjoy every moment and every day to it's fullest!

 

Enjoy your toddlers today!!!  :)

Warm pears!

Again, the wonderful fall foods have me excited!  I bought a tray of pears at Costco last week and now they are all suddenly ripening at once! 

A few years ago, at a bed and breakfast anniversary sleepover, Mike and I were served warm pears at breakfast!  They were so yummy and delicious!  I have made them a few times since.  I didn't have all the ingredients on hand for that particular recipe the other evening, so I searched online for another easy warm pear recipe!  I found one!!!  Actually, I found a lot, but just tried one so far!  :)

It's easy ... take a pear and wash it.  Cut it in half.  Discard the stem and seeds.  Sprinkle a small dish with sugar and place the cut side half pear down into the dish.  Sprinkle with a bit more sugar.  I sprinkled some cinnamon on top too because I love cinnamon with warm fruit!  Bake the pear (s) at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour 2 Tb. heavy cream on top of the pears and bake for another 10 minutes! 

See???  Easy right?  It's so easy that if you are the only one that likes warm pears in your family, you can now enjoy it without having tons of leftovers!  Just bake one pear!  (But beware ... the rest of family will be able to smell the wonderful aroma and may beg to try it!)  Enjoy your pears with a scoop of ice cream or just do what did and eat them just as they were baked!  Delicious hot and right out of the oven!!!  Yum!

(You may have noticed by now if you are a frequent reader that I love posting foods!  I have a few food blogs that I follow and it's become a passion, a delight and a big inspiration to try different foods!  Maybe some day I will have to change my blog title to "Real life with some added 'sweetness'".  Or something like that???)

I am FALLing in love with FALL flavors ... all over again!!!

It exploded ... almost like he thought!

Now that school has begun, so have the many papers!!!  We get so many papers sent home each week.  Some include info about the school, upcoming events, completed school work papers and book order papers.

Matthew really wanted to buy a book (like any normal kid would I suppose!).  My response was, "If it's something YOU can read or YOU can learn from!"  Too many books just get put on the shelf!

He picked the book called "Awesome Experiments"!  It showed a picture of a homemade volcano and he was going to be sure to do that one!!!

He waited for his book for almost two weeks!  He brought it home with pride and excitement!  He was ready!  Was I?

We began making the volcano and molded it just right.  Then we left it set to dry for a day.  After supper the other night, Matthew could NOT wait to see it EXPLODE!!!

The fizzle began and I do think he really thought it was going "to blow", however, it fizzled!   He loved the experience and played around with it ALL evening!  He kept mixing more soap, more vinegar, more baking soda and then pour it in his volcano!  (If any moms want the recipe or instructions ... I will be glad to share!) 

It was starting to get dark, so he cleaned up the whole mess (thankfully, we did all the 'exploding' on the back porch!).  He set the volcano and mixture in the barn, hoping to use it again today and many more days after school!

I love it when Matthew (and Hadassah) makes or creates something that really intrigues him!!!  Check it out!

 
This little experiment will and has kept him so occupied!  All I can say is ... "Boy's will boys!"

:)

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Here's another bit of an odd creation done by Hadassah.  Lately, she's been asking for a pair of these sandals.  The kind that the strap goes across the toes.  We searched for some on sale the other day, but found none.  So, she created her own!

She kept asking me for a pair of 'old' flip flops.  She managed to find a pair and ripped off the straps.  Then she made another strap for across the toes!  Then ... duck tapped away!

She's thrilled!  She needs to 'decorate' them yet!!!

:)))

Fish and Pizza

I know, fish and pizza don't normally go together very well.  They just don't seem to be a match.  So I won't even try to do that.  I am just combining two food posts I wanted to document.

FISHING ~
Matthew loves, loves to fish.  He sits for hours with that pole sticking in the water whenever he gets the chance.  He waits patiently for that small tugging feeling!  He reels in the line and smiles at his catch!!!

Mike took the employees out to the bay last Friday and we decided to pull Matthew out of school and let him go along!  They were up early, 2 AM, and on the boat by 6 AM.  Mike had subs, drinks, and cookies for all the fishermen to enjoy for lunch!

The catch was not the best ever, but Matthew was the one that caught the most on the boat!  Not surprised really!  He always does well!  He was in his glory all morning and loved the time spent with Mike and fishing!  He said it was better than school!  :)

On the boat even before sunrise!

 Mike kept texting me pictures all morning.  I loved that!  Here's the mate posing with Matthew.  Mike said the captain and the mate were always making sure Matthew was cared for at ALL TIMES!  His first catch!

 Waiting, waiting ...

 Another catch!  A big one!

 On the way back ... watching the waves and bay water.

 

That night we got to enjoy some fried fish.  Fried ... just the way Matthew loves to eat fish!

 

 

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PIZZA ...

 

We had the youth this past Sunday night for supper.  We chose to bake pizza and have taco salads.  At 5:30 PM, I started to panic and think why in the world did I pick this for my menu?  I only have room to bake four pizzas at once.  I had eight to bake and I wanted them all out at the same time because of my variety.  Mike quickly took two pizza's out to his sister Lena and she baked them for us!  Thanks lady!!!

 

I have a recipe book that has a bunch of different kinds of pizzas.  I took the challenge that the next time we have a big crowd, I would try these varieties!

 

I bought all the pizza's at Costco and then added the fun toppings!

 

Each pizza had the crust, sauce and cheese already put on.  I added for this one:  mayonnaise mixed with fresh garlic and Italian seasoning, tomato slices, fresh basil and more mozzarella cheese on top ~ MOZZARELLA TOMATO PIZZA!

 

Added:  fried bacon.  After it was baked I added shredded lettuce and tomatoes on top ~ BLT PIZZA!

Added:  Baby Ray BBQ Sauce, Buffalo Chicken Bites, Munster Cheese on top ~ BUFFALO PIZZA!

Added:  Fried hamburger, dill pickles and munster cheese ~ CHEESEBURGER PIZZA!

We also had regular pepperoni and cheese pizza!

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I took small tortilla wraps and placed them inside a small baking dish.  Bake 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until browned.  Cool.

This gives you a fast and easy shell!

I mixed lettuce, nacho chips, hamburger and cheese.  I put a small amount in each shell and added taco dressing and a tomato!  Done.  Easy!  Appealing!



Maybe, just maybe, I gave you an idea for your supper tonight!  The kids left this morning for school with left over pizza in their lunches!  Yum!

Enjoy the gorgeous day outside!  I have more clean up to do around the house from our event this past weekend and then maybe get some housecleaning done!?!

Blessings ~