Halloween 2010

We had our Trunk-O-Treat the Friday before Halloween and decided to celebrate our Halloween that night.  Our ward did an amazing carnival with a bouncy house, cotton candy, ring toss, fishing, spin the wheel, popcorn, and a parade.  The parking lot was packed with cars and the Trunk-O-Treat was a great success.  It was a really fun night.

Karter would not wear the hood of his pumpkin costume on his head.  Little Stinker!

 

  

We carved pumpkins on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun, I mean the kind of fun where the kids have fun AND I have fun!! 

Notice her tongue.  She is really concentrating.  I wonder
who she gets that from.

I told her we needed something a little less detailed to actually be
able to carve.

Karter actually helped pull out some pumpkin seeds and slime. 
I was surprised, I didn't think he would want to get messy.

Happy Halloween!!  Hope you have been able to enjoy this festive time of year!

Old Fashioned Scale

Look what I found at this fun thrift shop!!  I love it!

The First 2000 Years

Did you think that I forgot about my 2010 Booklist??  Well, I took the summer off and read a few books that I had been wanting to read.  (I'll post more on that later.)  I've started The First 2000 Years by Cleon Skousen and am enjoying it.  So, if you want to join me and can find a copy ( I had to enlist my dad's help, and he actually ordered me a copy, thanks Dad!!) it would be fun to read together.

Savannah Kaye

I just realized I hadn't posted these pictures of my newest neice.  She was born back in July.  She is Colin and Jaycine's fourth!!  She is beautiful!  She looks a lot like Zenna but with what looks like darker hair.  She is just beautiful!  She is the Moon Family's 19th grandbaby, can you believe it?? We are so happy for them and their family!

Menu Planning

So, I did our major grocery shopping this last week while Isabelle was in school.  My goal for this fall is to get our menu planning in check.  We have been making some changes with what we are eating and trying lots of new things.  I'm trying to get more real, whole, raw foods into our diet.  In this adventure there is a tendency to spend, spend, spend.  It takes a lot of time and work to know where to get the best deals on new things you incorporate into your meal planning.   



I've finally come up with a two week menu plan that I will repeat.  I'm leaving Wednesday night open to try a new recipe.  I've also come up with a grocery list, listing what we need by the store where I can get the best deal.  I've chosen lots of healthy dishes that use the same types of food I'm used to buying.  Some of the new items I'm incorporating slowly, giving myself time to research where I can get them at a good price.  There are so many places around town and on the internet where you can get healthy foods at a decent price.  

This is really exciting to me.  I hate when its 4:00pm and I dont' know what we are doing for dinner.  I was unfortunately stuck in that rut the last couple months.  I love having it planned, knowing what we are doing so I don't have to figure it out, knowing we have all the ingredients in our house.  These last couple of weeks as I have followed this we have changed it up so many times, but having a plan gives me the flexibility to change.  It keeps me one step ahead of "What's for dinner Babe?" and "Mom, I'm hungry."  I love being able to know what to do when mealtime comes! 

Homework and Suc h...

So, these cute kids have been doing a good job of working on their homework.  Jakob has a lot of it this year.  Math every night, spelling and writing alternating every other week, reading each night, on top of little projects every now and then.  Isabelle wants to work on her writing when Jakob is working on his homework.  She wants to write everything and will ask how to spell different words.  I've been letting Jakob play when he gets home from school.  My philosophy is that he has been in school all day and needs some downtime.  They usually work on their homework while I'm in the kitchen getting dinner ready.  It works out well for us right now.

 I love seeing them enjoy what they do.  Jakob LOVES math, he tells me that he wishes I would give him more math homework each night to work on.  Isabelle wishes I would read to her more!!  I need to figure out a way to find more time to do this.  I've been trying to devote my late afternoon and evenings to the kids and family, letting go of all other things until they are in bed.  This has been helping me to be in the moment, enjoying and being available to them, knowing that I will have my time during the morning, afternoon, and late evening to clean, work on projects, pay bills, etc. 

Right now I'm just enjoying this phase of evening homework time, knowing that it may change as we change, but that it is working well for us now.

This Guy.....

I say, "Smile for the camera." 

Karter covers his eyes with his hands.

This guy is refusing to wear a bib when he sits down to eat.  If I can manage to get it on him, he will take if off as soon as I'm not looking.

This guy is loving trains.

This guy is wanting to watch the movie Cars ALL THE TIME.

This guy does not want to go to bed, ever.  "No night-night" is what I hear as I'm taking him to his bed.

This guy is loving to say prayers.  He usually just folds his arms and bows his head into his hands.  He will try to repeat what I say, but every now and then he will add a very dramatic few sentences of gibberish.

This guy has been spending  a lot of time in time out lately.

This guy loves to give his Mama kisses.  (And I love getting them.)

This guy gets to spend 2 1/2 with just his Mama three days a week.  We love it!! 

This guy is still getting very frustrated with not being able to communicate what he wants to communicate with us.

This guy loves to eat green smoothies.

This guy loves to make messes.

This guy has the biggest smile and still has his beautiful blue eyes that surprise me each time I look at them!!

This guy is a joy to spend my days with. 

Birthday Girl

So, I feel like the most spoiled girl in the world!!  Yes, I must say that I do.  My husband did such a great job for my birthday and for a guy that has needed a little of help in this area, I'm truly impressed.  I actually couldn't sleep well because I was so excited for my day!   I woke up to a dozen roses, a sweet card, and a new cookbook. 

Steve took the kids for the whole day and told me to get back at 3:00pm, I had the whole day to myself.  First on the schedule was an aveda facial, next was off to Macys to check out their Clinique special, then lunch at Pastinis with my current book, The Secret Life of Bees, then a stop at Anthropologie, Bed, Bath and Beyond, to pick up my birthday gift, William and Sonoma, Forever 21, and a stroll through Pottery Barn. 

I was home a little after 3:00pm and was "suprised" by my little family.  There were sweet gifts from all my kids and a piece of Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory from my hubby.  He even decorated with a banner and balloons.  Then he took me out for the night on the town.  He made reservations and surprised me with dinner at the Melting Pot, a place I've been wanting to go for awhile now, and it was yummy!  After dinner we went to see the movie Red.  Grandma Moon watched the kids while we went out.  She was so wonderful to do this and to loan me her car for the day.   

Not bad for the day that you celebrate turning 33.  Feeling very, very loved!

Are you like me??  Do you have a place in your home where stuff piles up??  This is bad anytime of year, but especially now that school has started.  With two in school the paperwork is endless.  This little corner of my home is set up nicely.  The laptop is always available and charged.  There are pencils, the phone, a drawer for misc. (aka the junk drawer thank), a drawer for Jakob's homework, and a drawer for all my binders.  I also have the accordian files on the top of the desk for easy access to financial informations. (coupons, receipts, bills to pay, stamps and address labels, etc.)  But see that pile??  Yes, the one by the laptop, in front of the phone.  

 Yes, that one.  That pile is never ending.  I try to go through it every few days, but it always comes back to haunt me.  I've wondered why it always comes back.  Do I need to force myself to put things away AS SOON as they are given to me, do I need to find a drawer or container to house these misc. items, do I just need to accept that this is the way it is??  Maybe, a little bit of everything would create some sort of solution.  All I know is that this area corrals the stuff when things get to crazy too put it away right away.  I like it out where I can see it so I won't forget about it.  Out of sight, out of mind is a true statement in my life these days.  I think acceptance is the key to a lot of it.

As I've thought of this I have thought of another something that has entertained my thoughts.  I've often thought that every home needs a place to stash stuff.  I can tell when life gets crazy busy by the amount of stuff I start to stash.  I collect boxes full of stuff, laundry basket full of things to organize, containers full of supplies that need to get put away.  These usually end up in my garage somewhere.  When I get time I go through these items.  But this system does keep my home mostly clean on most days, even when life gets crazy.  In a perfect world I would have a place for everything and the determination to put things away as soon as I should.  But, I'm not there yet.  One day, I hope, but not yet.  Is it worth it to sacrifice a space or a room so the rest of your home stays mostly clean and manageable??  I say yes. 

Love Strappy Shoes!

Another successful trip to our local Goodwill.  I'm excited to pair these with some long jeans and a cute blouse!  I've found the cutest heels at some local thrift shops, but with this cooler fall weather, all I'm wanting to wear to church are my boots.  I love the look of a knee length skirt with warm leather boots.

Fall At Our House Part 1

Falling Asleep

I can't think of anything that is much more beautiful then a sleeping baby.  So peaceful, so content.  Right now, this little guy is having a hard time with the ups and downs of life.  Lots of crying going on around our parts.  Soooooo not wanting to do what he doesn't want to do.   We are trying to work with him, lots of patience and love required in this parenting gig.  (Not to mention lack of sleep.....)  But, there are those sweet moments through the day that make it all worth it.  Hearing this little boy say I love you.  Sweet kisses throughout the day.  Remembering to say thank you without a reminder.  And, of course, watching him peacefully sleep.  He does so well when he gets a good nights rest and a good nap during the day.  Rest, patience, love, kind words, just some of the simple joys of this life.         

 

The Apple Farm

This is becoming an annual event at our place!  We love going to the apple farm.  Its close to our home and is pretty cheap for our whole family to go.  We jumped in the big apple, had our faces painted, went on a wagon ride through the orchard, and bought a bunch of Honeycrisp apples!!  We went a couple weeks ago between General Conference Sessions.