Cozy Spots

Do you remember when you were a kid and would find some cozy hiding spot ~ then play there all day.

It warms my heart to find my kiddos cozied up somewhere, especially if they are playing with a sibling.  

I want a hiding place again...I've tried the pantry and emerge 5 pounds heavier...besides it's not that cozy and it's the first place the kids look.


Maybe the mechanical room would work.

Trouble

Boys of a certain age...ok, never mind, of any age, are synonymous with trouble.
They're not necessarily bad, just busy.
We are fortunate to have my little sis, Margaret, in town this winter with her son who is the same age as Nicholas.
I kinda get a charge out of watching them together.
To know what is going through their mind would be even better!

A Lot Like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house...and I LOVE it!  Typically, extra knick knacks around our home means more dusting and inspires a purging trip to the local thrift store to simplify.

But not at Christmas.

Bringing the boxes from storage is like greeting old friends.

Each item holds with it a special memory of Christmas Past and I cannot bear to part with any of it....maybe someday....or maybe not.  

Maybe Shannon will continue, year after year, schlepping it down from the attic so I can visit it again.  

Or possibly, and more likely, he'll encourage parting with a few things.  

Every Advent we depart from the "normal."  As our home fills with extra clutter, we each strive to clear away the clutter in our souls.  I love watching the kiddos fill the manger for Baby Jesus, each kind deed earning a straw.  Why we cannot be as successful at being extra kind to one another the rest of the year, I am not entirely sure. Maybe it's the fear of St. Nick actually not arriving Christmas Eve, but I prefer to believe it's the extra grace that fills each of our souls during this Season.  

Have a peace filled third week of Advent.

Cookie dough for breakfast, a kind deed by a generous sibling

It's not always peaceful while Daddy strings lights on the tree.

The kiddos just stay back and wait!

 This is an accident waiting to happen ~ thankfully it didn't.

Good night....off to bed before finishing up the last three school days...yeah!!!

Friends & Family

tlI haven't felt like posting this past week and so I haven't.  I have been buried in thoughts, contemplating  the difficulties of homeschooling and discerning if this truly is a vocation we are called to.  Most days I know with a certain clarity that we are called to homeschool, to swim against the tide.  But other times, frankly, I feel swept away.  Whenever I see my children abandoned by their friends it just does not seem worthwhile.  It whisks me back to my highschool days and a certain utter feeling of loneliness and I want to pack up their backpacks and put them on the big yellow bus lumbering down the highway.
Then, reality hits and I realize that will just bring an entirely new set of problems.  And besides, friends do not have to be our same age....actually our best friends rarely turn out to be our age!

Our cherubs and Dewer Bell, like Tinker Bell a Christmas present from our new friends, the Maixners.  

In reality, a lot of our friends are also our family.  As crazy as they can all be, it's a good crazy and that was revealed to me this weekend by a completely unexpected source.  Without going into details ~ she is part of our extended family in a way and she began pointing out all the good things about our family, how she longed for that for her own family.
It made me cry. All our imperfections, real or perceived, melted away.  What a perfect gift in this Advent season.
So, family is good, friends may come and go, and homeschooling is what we'll continue to do.  It was a long week, but ended absolutely brilliantly!  Friday afternoon we celebrated Dad's birthday with siblings and cousins.  Dad planned his own party at the swimming pool, made complete with pizza.  He will be awarded the Grandpa-of-the-Year prize here in the next week or so.

Saturday, we had a special day cutting Christmas trees, then went to the Nutcracker Ballet.  Upon our return, Shannon and Eric had put up all the lights.

Can anyone explain to me why the first thing my husband did was light a forest fire?

What is it about guys and fires?

Sweet baby cousin, Halle

There is just something about baby girls that warms the heart!

My girls couldn't get enough of this little one.

Mmmm, hotdogs....nothin' better over a bonfire.

Unless, of course, your name is Annika.  

Then, you're counting the minutes before we head home...we didn't bring hot chocolate 

so she quickly lost interest.  

Our last week of school prior to Christmas vacation is looking mighty fine.  We began it with brunch with the Maixners, whom, it was pointed out, are among the few people brave enough to invite us all over.

They had gifts for the kiddos, then led them to the barn to meet the latest project, a baby pony that will need to be broken.  The girls received a horse training guide so they are educated enough to assist in the "breaking."

How exciting, a new little creature to love!  

Blessed Gaudete Sunday!

Child Rearing Ideals

Before our first child we I had all sorts of ideas how our children were going to be raised.  It can be summed up in one word, "PERFECT."  After all, we were going to be perfect parents to perfect children.  It makes me laugh, and occasionally cry, looking back on our idealism.
I had thought of everything...right down to our children not having bottles.
Then, real life happened and we found ourselves with an almost-two-year-old that needed a bottle morning and night, warmed please, and make-it-snappy. Lately, I have been lamenting the fact that we could not break Nicholas of his bottle.  He can be such a pickle that we found it easier to appease him and the bottle habit continued.  Nicholas ended up solving the problem for us.
Now, I really should not laugh about this because we could have had a serious injury on our hands, but as the saying goes, "All's well that ends well."
Shannon was reading to the kids, I had went to bed early.  Nickles was playing in the kitchen, when he began to cry.
Upon entering the kitchen we found this ~

He had discovered a knife on the counter (another ideal out the window) and proceeded to massacre his bottle, cutting his hand in the process.  

So that's that.  I am not buying a new one and ironically, he hasn't asked for his bottle since then.  The bottle stage is over.  I must admit it does make me a little sad ~ just last week I could still pretend he was a little baby while rocking him to sleep.  Now, that ship has sailed...boohoo!

Cowpokes

Not a cowboy....

....Cowboy 

except for the mud boots

Biweekly Menu

I know....this isn't exactly biweekly, but we are striving to return to that, just a little lapse.

Monday ~ Venison Steaks w/Olive Relish, Green Salad w/ Apple Pears, Feta, Toasted Walnuts & Red                        
                  Wine Vinaigrette, Stacy's Sweet Potatoes
Tuesday ~ Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup, Corn Muffins, Salad
Wednesday ~ Taco Casserole, Spanish Rice, Fruit
Thursday ~ Salisbury Steaks, Green Beans, Mashed Potatoes
Friday ~ Pizza & Salad
Saturday ~ Shepherd's Pie, Broccoli
Sunday ~ Chicken Breasts, Spinach Salad, Wheat Bread
Monday ~ Roast Loins, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday ~ Fajitas w/leftover Roast
Wednesday ~ Sloppy Joes, Cabbage Salad
Thursday ~ Meatballs, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Salad
Friday ~ Pizza & Salad
Saturday ~ Baked Spaghetti, Salad
Sunday ~Broccoli & Cheddar Stuffed Potatoes

I swore when I began this blog there would be no recipes...for whatever reason I can no longer recall.
I have also sworn in the past that there wasn't a sweet potato recipe that could make me really like them.  Joey's friend brought these to Thanksgiving dinner and I had seconds, possibly thirds, if one counts licking out the pan.
Discreetly of course.

I made a batch for tomorrow night and cut out a significant amount of sugar, much to Shannon's dismay.  He contends that's a sin that calls for immediate Confession.
We'll see how they turn out; after all, a recipe is simply a starting point.
The recipe that follows is the original without alterations ~:o)

Stacy's Sweet Potatoes
Preheat oven to 350, grease 9x13 pan

Topping:  1 C. brown sugar
               1 C. chopped pecans
               1/2 C. flour
               1/4 C. melted butter

Sweet Potatoes:  3 C. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
                          1/4 C. melted butter
                          1 C. white sugar
                          1 C. coconut
                          1/2 C. raisins
                          2 eggs
                          1 t. vanilla
                          1/4 C. cream

Whip up in mixer and place in pan and top with topping.
Bake 20-30 minutes.

My beautiful family with Grandpa, Uncle Gabe and cousin, Caleb, 

dragging out Grandpa's bull.

Babysitting the neighbor's cow ~ this is a serious job,

one that the kids beg to do first thing every morning.

Oh, how I love thee, 

sweet little Herdie.

Mutton bustin'....the neighbors are going to wonder why the sheep are so jumpy upon their return.

The girls won't let the boys ride the horses; the cow is the next best thing.