Give Thanks Day 5 :)

I know that yesterday and now today are both kind of materialistic posts, but I know that I am blessed, Today I am very thankful for my camera... My camera has captured so many moments not only for myself but also for many people that I love.  It has broughten people whom I'd lost touch with, back into my life, It has brought new friends, and I'm sure it will continue it's task as my life goes on.  God has given me this incredible gift of being able to freeze moments in time with this tool, and for that I am so Thankful!

Give Thanks Day 4 :)

Tonight I am Thankful for my vehicle, as we drive up north to our cabin, it keeps the kids seperated so they don't fight, warm when they are cold, and gives them music when they are bored and driving mommy nuts!!  We are so blessed to be able to drive a nice vehicle, I know that not everyone is so fortunate, and we have been there in the past, but for today, my truck keeps me content, happy and most importantly safe on the road!

Give Thanks Day 4 :)

Today, I had to really battle in my head what I wanted to be thankful for, my heart is torn two ways, today, My husband and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary (it only took us 6 previous years and two more kids to decide to tie the knot)  I am Thankful, for that beautiful snow covered day 4 years ago, one of my favorite memories of my life, I couldnt imagine a more perfect wedding.  I Love you baby, and I am so Thankful that this crazy life of ups and downs has held us together!

But as much as I love my husband... a bigger Thanks needs to be shouted from every roof, window, and door of America today, to all of the Veteran's out there serving our Country, to the Men and Women who have paid the ultimate price, and to those who are out there battling for OUR FREEDOM!!

So THANK YOU, to all of our soldiers out there who have at one point in life, written a blank check made payable to The United States of America for an amount of 'up to and including your life.' An Honor that rises above all other, Your sacrafices are not un noticed!



Give Thanks Day 3 :)

Tonight, as I sit on the couch with my kids watching the Country Music Awards, I am so thankful for the many talented people of the world that bless us with their talents, I am a total song girl, I can relate nearly every moment of my life to a song, Somedays, a certain song on replay is what holds me to my sanity, or brings a loved one far away close to me. 

Be joyful and let your heart sing!!



Give Thanks Day 2 :)

Today I am thankful for family, not just any family, but someone who is always there for my family when ever needed.  My husband and I often joke around calling him our 4th child because we almost always include him in our family doings.  Our kids love him to pieces.  I hope he knows how much he is loved by his extra family!!  Thank you Uncle Marky for always being there for us!



It's about time!

All summer, I kept looking at my blog, thinking ugghhh I need to update, I'm sure I will have time next week to catch up, and next week would come and go and well, you get the idea.  So somehow that turned into... 5 months, don't worry, I wasn't just sitting around all summer, we were busy.. VERY busy, we accomplished nearly everything on that list in my last post :) 

Sooo lets see, I think I will play quick catch up with a top ten list :) in no particular order, just my top ten favorite things about the past 5 months!

1) HOUSE...

Yep we bought a house, our very first house as a family, and it's been awesome, we intended to get a ton done right away, but then that whole busy life thing kind of got in our way.  So far we have accomplished painting Eliana's room,

it's beautiful and needs to be photographed so I can make a post about just it (quite possibly my favorite room in the whole house so far) My mom and I also pained our kitchen.. I jumped on the red bandwagon... dont worry it's not just any boring red, it is Dr Pepper Red,
(sorry for the bad picture, this was taken at 3 or 4 am at the end of a two day non stop paint a-thon with my mom, she REALLY needs to come back so we can do it again!)

and I love it :)  We want to build an island and a little pantry cabinet and then the kitchen will be finished :)
We also painted the main wall that runs from the kitchen to the living room and my favorite part of the house, my bump out :)

We have since moved the fridge, and that is where the island will be :) CAN'T Wait!!

2) My second favorite thing about the past 5 months was only a few hours after we became home owners, The kids and I took a road trip to take Nana back to Tennessee (which explains that whole painting marathon ;)

While in TN my brother and his family came for a few days to visit too, and we got to spend some great family time together....

And even better our kids got to hang out, 

And BEST of all, we discovered the worlds BEST ice cream...

It kind of became an obsession while I was there.... YUM!!

Other highlights of our trip was getting to go to my first ever concert, it was awesome, Trey Adkins, and seeing the most awesome firework display EVER, it was a GREAT Trip!

3) Fishing... we did alot of fishing, and I caught my first fish in probably.. oh 15 years, not that I have tried to catch a fish in those 15 years, but it was pretty cool to be the only one catching any fish that particular day!

4) Halloween.... It was awesome, our house was decorated all cute, and we pulled together some pretty great costumes again this year :) 

5) PUMPKINS!!! Seriously LOVED all of our pumpkins, my two youngest cuties helped their uncle plant 5 hills with 3 seeds each in the middle of a corn field... and BOY did we have pumpkins, something like 60-70 or somewhere in that range!  We had tons of pumpkin fun, we even hosted a fun pumpkin party, it was a blast! Our guests enjoyed Jack-o-lantern sloppy joes

Pumpkin Shakes, Pumpkin Treats, and of course Pumpkin Carving

6) Sever's Corn Maze

7) Pictures, If you know me, I'm rarely with out my "memory saver" and in the past few months I have gotten quite a few awesome pictures, most recently my own family, which was about 2 1/2 years over due for a nice family picture... LOVE is all I can say about almost every picture taken durring that shoot ;)

8) Projects, I've been doing a TON of projects, I have recently developed an addiction to oil rubbed bronze spray paint, I gathered numerous picture frames and went to town on them making them all match :) I almost have my little photo wall of my nieces and nephews complete :)  but my favorite project so far has been my Family Rules Subway Art, it was about 2 weeks of laborous love put into that baby, and the results were WELL worth all the hard work!   Now if I could just get my hands on a ladder, so I can paint my entryway and get it hung on the wall...

9) CUB SCOUTS, GIRL SCOUTS, FOOTBALL, DANCE... my babies are growing up!!

10) Red Rock Bible Camp!! ITs almost always the highlight of my summer, meeting new friends, catching up with old ones.... Connecting with God...

I am so Blessed!

Give Thanks Day 1:)

I really wanted to get my blog updated because I wanted to blog about thankfulness this month.. I'm starting 8 days late... but I will try to be on the ball for the rest :)

Today I am thankful for my fmaily, I came home from work to find that the kids had done their chores with out me hounding them, and my sweet husband had dinner ready for me in the crock pot ;)

Here we come sUmMeR fUn!

I saw Chris' super fun Summer to-do list over on Just A Girl last night and tonight I decided.... I am absolutely jumping on the creative cycle in blog world that she mentions and doing one for my crew :) The kids and I sat on my bed tonight, making a list, checking it twice, and well you get the idea :) 20 minutes of pure bliss, no fighting, just giggles and excitement, where was the photographer dang it...

After those little rascals FINALLY went to bed, I busted out my secret stash of markers and went to town :)

Final product... leaves me itching for the morning and one little box of fun to check off!!

Just to explain a few of those boxes ;)

*Mail out Monday... remember back in the day where you had to hand write a letter, and buy a stamp and MAIL it.... No not Email, not fax, and surely NOT text, mail. One of my absolute fAvOrItE things from my child hood was getting mail, I still have a collection of letters from my friends and family :) I don't want my kids to miss out on that, so this winter we started writing to penpals, and friends, and family, its kind of hit or miss but the kids really love it, and it's a great reason to practice writting over summer, so grab a pen, pencil, crayon, marker, whatevers handy and get writting people!

*Weekly picnic in the park... Fun... I KNOW, Eliana and I started the week she graduated preschool, we've done good so far going atleast once a week, maybe even more than once a week? anyhow, we want to keep that fun-ness going ALL SUMMER LONG!! Did I mention the awesome parks we have around us?

*Crazy Craft Day, the only thing that makes my children more happy than sneaking pure sugar when they think I don't know is being creative... they LOVE to make stuff, I have a house full of... Stuff ;) to prove it, perhaps a little "organized" crazy craft day each week!!

You can probably figure out the rest, but if not, just ask, don't be shy I'll tell ya ALL about it!

So tell me... what's on YOUR sUmMeR fUn To-Do LiSt?

Simple Woman's Daybook

Yep... I knew when I started this venture I'd fall behind, but little did I know life would become so busy that I wouldn't find ANY time in 2 1/2 months to blog.. ughhhh well my friends today is the day I attempt to back track and make up for it all :) Starting with a New
Simple Woman's Daybook June 8, 2010

Outside my window...the left over rain drips down from the roof.

I am thinking....today was filled with unexpected life altaring moments.

I am thankful ... That I have been blessed with friends around the world.

I am wearing... comfy pj's

I am remembering... the words to a song...

I am creating... pictures :)

I am going... to bed eventually

I am reading... blogs I have neglected

I am hoping/praying... that the ones I love stay safe...

On my mind... what I wasn't expecting..

From the learning rooms...School is out, End of the year report cards made me happy :)

Pondering these words ... "I'll see you soon then"


From the kitchen...silence

Around the house... boxes with pink duct tape :)

One of my favorite things... songs that heal my heart


From my picture journal... My new (to me) Explorer

Simple Woman's Daybook

I'm trying something new I found a few weeks ago and really liked today :)

Simple Woman's Daybook

Micki's Daybook
March 23, 2010


Outside my window...It was a gorgeous day, I love days like today.

I am thinking....I need to work hard for myself.

I am thankful ...that my children are all healthy and happy for the moment :)

I am wearing...my favorite jeans, and a hot pink tank top

I am remembering...The people who make me feel loved.

I am creating... a dress for my almost 5 year old niece.

I am going...to start over tomorrow

I am reading...Everyone Can Be Your Friend, by Sue Schott, actually I am being read TO by PD :)

I am hoping/praying...that things will not be as hard as I'm anticipating them to be.

On my mind...What life has in store.

From the learning rooms...Z finished all of his homework staying after school today, that extra hour does him WONDERS!!! L is working hard on her writting skills and finishing up her Thank You's for her birthday. PD is doing fantastic reading!

Pondering these words ..."Let Go Let Go Let Go"

From the kitchen...the smell of grilled cheese and tomato soup still lingers from dinner

Around the house...laundry is almost caughtup!

One of my favorite things...feeling the fresh air blowing in through my window.


From my picture journal...

I did not take any pictures today, I was too busy out enjoying the day :) So here is a favorite from this past weekend :)

Hope you enjoyed my very first Simple Woman's Daybook entry!

Spring is In the Air!

We've had some pretty wild weather this week, St Patrick's Day was beautiful, Thursday was absolutely GORGEOUS, Friday there was a chill in the air, and Saturday the sun made its way back out and fooled me into thinking it was warm... until I stepped outside..brrrrrr...

After school on Thursday we hopped in the car and headed down to Sibley park, We met up with friends for pictures,

After pictures we played at the park for a while, mostly on the swings :)

On Saturday, I was excited that we could sleep in... no alarms were set, yet the kids thought 8am was time to be up and going... PD was all excited to hit up the thrift stores for craft supplies, I noticed the gorgeous sunshining through my window, threw on spring clothes got out the door and thought BRRRRRR it sure does look alot warmer than it is, I'm sure it will warm up. Before we headed out of town I wanted to go check out the bridge that is closed because of the extreemly high water in the Minnesota River.


We also stopped by one of our favorite places, 7 mile creek to check out the flooding their, it is all under water :(

if you look closesly you can see the tops of the swingset and the roof of the pavillion peaking out above the water.
We got a few things to put together this week for Crafts ;) I can hardly wait, and then we went to the park for a short while, the boys rode their bikes and us girls drove, good thing because Miss L was not in the best of moods, and it was cold... too cold to be playing at the park, and DEFINETLLY too cold to be out in t-shirts and capri's like the two little girls that were there playing... bright red :( So we played fast and headed home for some hot cocoa, Miss L's mood did not improve so we decided to cuddle up for a nap, and the boys went outside to play with their friends :)
It was a fantastic day, despite the cold!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I was a bit worried that Mr Sunshine had not received my facebook status requesting his friendship so we could get to know eachother better, when I woke up and went outside to find my car covered in this,

Although, very pretty, cold and icy were not what I was hoping for!

LUCKILY, Mr Sunshine was not about to miss out on all the fun St Patrick's Day events in these parts ;) It turned out to be a super GREEN day at our house, I started the day packing the boys lunch, all green for my guys!

Green Tuna wraps for the main course. PD's favorite recipe (created by Chef PD himself)

One can of Tuna, drained

a "glob" of Tostitos Creamy Spinach Dip

mix it up, spread it on a Spinach tortilla shell sprinkle with shredded cheddar roll it up and chow.
Also packed inside their GREEN lunches they found a smallish GREEN hat filled with GREEN grapes, a tiny package of GREEN (gold)fish, GREEN strawberry/kiwi Go-gurt, a few GREEN pickles, a GREEN bottle filled of course with GREEN strawberry kiwi juice, and for desert a little GREEN leprechaun hat.

Which I made from one large strawberry marshmallow (cuz it's all I had in the house) and a ritz cracker, I SHOULD have used GREEN candy melts but since I didn't have any I used white almond bark and added GREEN food coloring, which made it get thick :( LUCKILY, I was able to smooth it over and they still turned out adorable, I aslo melted about 10 chocolate chips and put them in the corner of a ziplock with the corner clipped for piping, to make his hat band, and about that many butterscotch chips to make the gold buckle as well (using the other corner of the ziplock) I think they turned out super adorable! And the kids sure loved them! All food/snacks were individually wrapped in GREEN saran wrap!!
At Rise and Shine time, I woke up my little munchkins for a quick bowl of Lucky Charms, and when they went to the fridge they discovered a sneaky little Leprechaun had turned our milk GREEN. (I sure love the sound of laughter in the morning) I quickly dressed them and myself (in GREEN, of course) and we headed off for our morning school circus.. I mean drop off! After getting L to school I headed over for my most FAVORITE part of every Wednesday, the two hours I spend with PD in his classroom, he was the special snack helper, so of course we HAD to do something fun (and GREEN), I walked in to find a room filled with Leprechauns, dressed in GREEN, disguised as children...

I mean children, dressed in GREEN disguised as Leprechauns, what a fun bunch of little GREEN people! I heard many tales of Leprechauns visiting homes last night, and the tricks they played. From GREEN toilet water, to GREEN Mac and Cheese, there is no doubt there were some very busy Leprechauns in our town today! I helped the talkative children dressed in Green create these adorable Leprechauns,

They each had to finish the sentence, "If I was a leprechaun I would....." The above image is the one made by PD, If he was a leprechaun he would DANCE FREAKISHLEE. That's my boy!!

At Snack time, I wish I had taken more pictures :( We made delicous GREEN, smoothies. PD and I worked up the recipe last night, and it involves (apx amounts)
4 oz GREEN keyLime yogurt
12 oz GREEN Milk
1/2 package of Lemon instant pudding mix
6-8 cubes of GREEN frozen lime jello
Throw it in the blender until its all combined and the Jello cubes are well combined
if your feeling especially GREEN you can always add a few drops of GREEN food coloring too!
It was quite the hit with the little and big people of room 19, even a few visitors stopped in to try it :)

My little Leprechaun was pretty happy to finally sit down and snack after we made enough for everyone!

Those two hours sure flew by! And out the door I went back to L's school to snatch her up,

we came home and had a quick GREEN treat before we had our GREEN lunch :) And got Miss Rebecca dressed for the day!



Tonight we met up with friends at the St Patrick's Day parade in town, it was lots of fun, and we could not have asked for better weather.


I hope that your day was filled with as many blessings as ours!