Happy Halloween!

It was a perfect Halloween! The air was crisp and cool, there was little wind, and my munchkins were pretty cooperative. We did have two crabby people in the house for awhile, but I admit that I was one of those crabs. It is very stressful trying to get three kids fed, dressed, and ready to head out the door all by yourself. Mommy went into stress mode, but thankfully that didn't last long at all. Of course I had to apologize to my kids. Ali was super helpful when she realized mommy was going to have a nervous breakdown. :-) Meghan was our other crab, but I can blame her fussiness on her darn teeth. She was a cute crab though!

The kids went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood first. Then they went over to my mom's house. She took them around her neighborhood while Jeff passed out candy at her house. The house with the lights that dance to music actually had a little haunted house set up in their garage, which my mom says was quite cool. I haven't gotten my kids thoughts on all of this, because after my mom's house they went over to Jeff's parent's house, and they have yet to arrive back home. I am sure they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. Meg and I stayed home to pass out candy, but that was a really small job this year. I think we had less then 30 trick-or-treaters, and I have way too much candy left over. I should open up a candy store! :-)

I hope everyone had a nice Halloween, and I hope you enjoy the pictures that I posted above. :-)

Wordless Wednesday

This is my first time participating in Wordless Wednesday, but the idea is that each week on Wednesday bloggers post a picture. Then you can look at everyones pictures, which should be lots of fun. I don't know how wordless I can be though, because that is just not the way I operate. :-)

Here is a picture of Josh coming home from trick-or-treating two Halloween's ago. He was only 22 months. Oh how my little guy has grown!

By the way, if you want to participate in Wordless Wednesday, just go to www.wordlesswednesday.com.

Trick or Treat?

Well, here is a treat for all of you. This home is near where my mom lives, and I absolutely love the way they decorate for Halloween and Christmas. I hope you will enjoy too. Have a very happy Halloween! :-)

Ali is doing great in school.

I took this picture of Ali today. Isn't she just too cute? While I had her outside I told her what her teacher said about her at the parent/teacher conference I attended this morning. Mrs. Formhals says she is doing a great job. She is right on target with everything she needs to know, and she is even ahead in math. Her teacher said that she has a really good work ethic, which I was happy to hear. She also said that Ali is becoming less shy as the year progresses. I am proud of my LuLu Bear. :-)

Our Menu for 10/29/07-11/04/07

Okay, the organized person in me decided to join in on The Organized Junkie's Menu Plan Monday challenge. It forces me to be organized, if every I feel like slacking, and I can get ideas from other ladies too. Plus, I will now have a record on my Blog of what we are eating, which hopefully means we won't have repeat items too often.

Monday~Pasta and Garlic Bread
Tuesday~Chicken Enchiladas (meal swap meal)
Wednesday~Sloppy Joes & Fries or Chips
Thursday~Mustgoes
Friday~Chicken Pot Pie (meal swap meal)
Saturday~Mustgoes or Fish Sticks
Sunday~Grilled Cheese & Soup

We Carved our Pumpkins Tonight...

and I must say we had a pretty good time. Sure the kids kept asking what they could do, grabbing the little saw, and all in all just driving me bonkers, but I wouldn't want it any other way. They are kids and that is what they are supposed to do. Josh and I carved a pumpkin together this year. He just kept saying that he wanted a happy one, but when it is lit it really doesn't look all that happy. I tried! Jeff and Ali carved the other one together, and Ali's demands were star eyes, crescent nose, and heart lips. Jeff even let her draw on her pumpkin, but she realized she can't draw a star too well and her crescent nose had hair. She laughed about that one. Crazy girl!

Here is a picture of the kids with their pumpkins. Josh looks bored out of his gourd because I had taken about 10 pictures already. I was having technical difficulties with my camera.

Here is a picture of their pumpkins all lit up. It's not the best picture, but I think they look pretty cool.

I also carved my moms pumpkin today and the three pumpkins that I am going to use as luminaries. I am all pumpkined out! :-)

Sleep Tests Stink!

I didn't get to bed until 10:30 which is pretty normal for me, but they woke me up at 5 AM. That is cruel and unusual punishment! I was so excited that my kids weren't going to be able to wake me before 7. Boy was I a fool!

On a bright note, I only had to put Meghan to bed last night. Daddy played Hungry, Hungry Hippos with Ali and Josh, and after that he let them have a sleepover in Ali's room. He is an awesome dad!

Oh, I did ask the lady this morning if I snored, and she said "Oh yeah, and you are loud!" She couldn't tell me any other info, because she isn't the Dr. I just pray that they can help me with my snoring so Jeff and I can sleep in the same room again. Poor guy!

Tonight is the Night...

For my big sleep study that is. I am not exactly ready for strangers to hear my snore, but if they can help me out with this problem then I am willing. Maybe then my husband will be able to sleep in the same room as me again. Jeff has to hold down the fort while I am gone tonight, but that shouldn't be a problem because I don't even have to leave until 8. That means all the kids will be in bed. How does he get so lucky? :-)

I Just Have to Share!

I think I have seen it all now. I have been window shopping online trying to get Christmas ideas. Well, I ran across a product that I think is the silliest thing I have ever heard of....a Pee-Pee Teepee. What is that you ask? Well, when you are changing a baby boy's diaper you just throw the Pee-Pee Teepee over the pee-pee and you will have no mess. Then you wash the Teepee and reuse. Hello? Has nobody thought to cover the area with a diaper or wipe? Here is a picture of the very silly product.

Of course, some boys might prefer the camouflage Teepee.

And for the holidays a boy must have the Santa hat Teepee!

My friend Ang is expecting a baby boy in February, and she can rest assured that I will not be getting her a present quite this....silly! Actually, that might disappoint her. Sorry Ang! ;-)

No, seriously, when I saw these the first thing I thought was some people have way too much money on their hands. If this is the case for anyone reading this, please feel free to send some of that extra cash my way. :-)

Just Goofin' Around!

Josh was so excited when Meghan woke up from her nap. He actually beat me to her room. So, I threw him in the crib with her, and then Ali wanted in there too. They were all having a good time...even Meghan.

Eventually Meghan wanted out of the crib. She was still laughing, but here you can see she wants away from the two monkeys that have taken up residence in her crib.

Those two monkeys got even wilder after she got out. They actually wanted me to leave the room, but that was most definitely NOT going to happen. Do they really think I trust them??? :-)

It was fun letting them have some silly time! It is red ribbon week at Ali's school, which is all about saying no to drugs. They keep talking about other ways to have fun. I pray my kids always realize that they don't need drugs to be silly and have fun. All they need is an imagination, sense of humor, and a good sense of who they are. Hugs not drugs!!

Got Milk??

Here is our version of the "Got Milk?" ads. :-) Meghan was weened about a week ago, and she is now drinking whole milk. She really likes it, but sometimes she lets more dribble down her chin than down her throat. Silly Girl! Why is it her messes are cute, but Josh's and Ali's are not so cute?

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You!

Today was the blood drive at Ali's school, and she got 4 people to sign up and give blood. I want to thank each of them for being brave and generous. I hate to admit that I was not one of the 4, but I am just a big ol' chicken! So, thanks to my mom, Abby, Ruth, and Jeffrey!! You all are great!

National Nut Day

Well, today is National Nut Day, and I realized that we are not celebrating. Now, we don't celebrate every crazy holiday, but I do try to celebrate a lot of them. We like nuts, so I am surprised that I didn't work in a way to celebrate this holiday. Then it hit me! We are nuts, so in a way we are celebrating. Of course, I guess that holiday would techinically be called "Be a Nut Day." :-)

Here's to a Good Weekend!

Well, another weekend is almost over, but I have to say we had some good times this weekend. The two oldest kids got to stay at Mamook's (my mom) house Friday night. They enjoyed riding their Big Wheels in her neighborhood, ordering pizza, eating smartees right after breakfast, and going on an evening walk in her neighborhood to see the lights.

When they got home Saturday morning, they were excited to find out they had been Boo-ed. Aunt Abby put these bags together, and the kids loved them. Here are some pics of them digging in their bags and finding all the goodies.

The kids were excited to drink from their gruesomely cook cups! Here they are saying "Cheers!" to Aunt Abby, so this picture is just for you Abs. :-)

Another fun time this weekend was my friend Carrie's baby shower, which was held at my house. It was actually more of a "Welcome to the World, Baby Ella" party, since she is about 4 weeks old. She is adorable! I want to post a picture of her, but since I haven't asked her parents for permission I won't do that. I will, however, post a couple pictures of the cake I made for the party. As I look at it I see areas I could have done better, but it was made with love and that is what matters. ;-)

Jeff and I also had a good time hanging out with friends on Saturday night, which we don't get to do very often. I'm telling you it has been a good weekend so far. My husband even called me a few minutes ago from work and offered to grill out tonight, which means I do not have to cook. Yahoo!! Church was great today too, but maybe I will save that for another post. Hope all who read this had a great weekend too!

It's Caramel Apple Day.....yum!

Okay, in honor of Caramel Apple Day I thought I would post my Caramel Apple Bar recipe. It is really very delicious. It is sweet and buttery, as well as crunchy. Thankfully I have one in my freezer that I can just pull out for today. :-)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and chopped

1 cup caramel candies, each cut in quarters

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan. In medium-size bowl, combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer mixture to pan and press in an even layer in bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.
2) In same mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup flour; stir in apples, caramels, and nuts. Pour over bottom crust. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; cut into quarters lengthwise and crosswise to make 16 bars. Cool completely.

Here are the nutrition facts in case you are a healthy nut, which I most definitely am not!

Nutrition Information: Protein: 3g; Fat: 9g; Carbohydrate: 32g; Fiber: .8g; Sodium: 113mg; Cholesterol: 41mg; Calories: 215.

Okay God, I Think I am Getting the Message!

My church is doing a series on finances right now, and it is so obvious to me that God is trying to speak to me. I have been feeling so guilty lately, because let me just say this quickly, "I am a selfish, spoiled brat." Ugh, that hurts me! I really am though, and it is not something that I like about myself at all. I feel entitled to have things. I have this picture in my head of how life should be, and I expect it to be that way. Mind you I am married to an extremely frugal and needs minded man, and I am very grateful for that. Jeff keeps me in check quite often! I have been praying lately, and have several friends praying for me, that I will really get a grasp on my finances especially in the area of needs vs. wants. My husband does not think we need to eat out often, and I am sure many people would agree with him. However, if it is quick and convenient I am all for eating out. I know it isn't healthy, I know I could make it better at home, and I even know that you never truly know what you are eating when it is served somewhere other than your house. None of this stops me. Yesterday I was at McDonald's. I ordered a large coke and a cinnamon melts. While I am sure this was a delicious, I would not know. I forgot to bring my money with me. I never forget my money! Heck, I didn't even have a debit or credit card on me. This is so not like me, but I know God was trying to tell me I didn't need those 770 calories and 19 grams of fat, and I also didn't need to waste my money on anything that unhealthy. So today I conned my lovely husband into bringing home some Chinese food. I ordered vegetable egg foo young, which I absolutely LOVE! I took a few bites and realized they gave me shrimp egg foo young. YUCK!! Now, I do like shrimp, but I am very particular what shrimp meals I will eat. Shrimp egg foo young is not one of those meals. But I still had a fortune cookie right? Sure! So I tear into it, and what do I read? "It is not the person who has too little, but the person who always craves more, that is poor." Amen to that! It may have taken me a long time to get to this point, but I am realizing that I don't have to have everything I want, "keep up with the Joneses," or spend every penny that we earn. I do, however, need to remember that everything I have is God's, and I can not take it with me. Here are a few verses that I have found especially helpful lately.


But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. ~1 Timothy 6:6-10

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~Matthew 6:19-21

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. ~1 Chronicles 29:11

Picture Day

Yesterday was picture day at Josh's preschool, and parents were invited to be there during their child's time slot. I probably shouldn't have been there, because Josh did not cooperate at all. He is such a goofball! The photographer asked him where his smile was, and he told her that it was in his pocket. LOL! Where does this kid come up with these things? Here's hoping she at least got one good photo. I should probably say a prayer for her sanity since she has to work with a lot of kids. :-)

Annual Weenie Roast

My mom, my kids and I went to the Chicago area this past weekend for our family's annual weenie roast. A good time was had by all! The only complaint was that we didn't get to swim in the hotel pool, and I doubt that I will ever hear the end of that. How do you get kids to understand that there are only so many hours in a weekend??? Here are some pictures from our time up north.


We had to help decorate the barn, and I think we did a good job if I may say so myself. Here are my Aunt Gin, Ali and Josh amidst their work of art.

Of course, a weenie roast wouldn't be complete without a hayride sans hay. Josh enjoyed driving the tractor, and I don't think Ali, Anna, and Isabelle were too worried that a 3-year-old was driving.

Ali and Josh enjoyed tackling me to the ground.

I got to enjoy some snuggle time with Meghan.
















My Aunt Gin puts the baked beans and sloppy Joe's in scraped out pumpkins, which I think is very clever. Cute too!
















Meghan got to catch up with her cousin Hailey. Aren't they just stinkin' cute together!?!?





















Josh got to play catch, which he thought was great. Aunt Julie and Aunt Judy might not have been as enthused, but they didn't let on.
















At the end of the night, we all went into the house and talked. Here are Aunt Julie and cousin Jake talking with Donna.

So, all in all it was a great trip. I am always sad when we have to leave, and it makes me desperately wish we lived closer to that side of our family. We are just going to have to find reasons to visit more often! :-)

My First Post

How exciting!! I have decided to join the Blogger World. :-) This is just going to be an area for me to share things that are happening in our lives, recipes I have found, and other daily mommy/housewife type stuff. I guess this has all started because I have been wanting to journal, and I just see this as being the best way to do that. I hope you enjoy reading about my daily life. :-)