Cadavers Have Arrived!!

Woohoo! Zach is happier than a pig in mud!!

The CADAVERS have arrived!! He has been

waiting all semester for the cadavers to work on

in his anatomy class!!

We are so thrilled that Zach is so happy at Biola!!

He has found his niche . . . Human Biology.

Congratulations to you Zach!

Have fun?!?

Chick Just In!

My muse for our new shabby chic farmhouse has arrived!!!

You have got to admit, this chick has tons of character. I am

thinking of using this similar color scheme in our new

farmhouse that we will be building in Hidden Springs, Idaho.

For now, she will sit atop one of the shelves in my kitchen to

provide me with inspiration and excitement as we

anticipate our move to Idaho!!!

What a gal!

Halloween Is A Comin'.

Always in the holiday spirit, my Luke helped me get all of the

Halloween decorations out! We could not wait one more

minute . . . October is just too close!

As true to ceremony, my fifteen-year-old jack-o-lantern

is the first to arrive on the scene.

She just happens to be the cutest harvest witch ever!

Yep, my boys have a ton of fun with this one during

the entire Halloween season.

Simply the cutest . . . hairiest . . . spider ready to be filled

with candy.

We are well on our way for the fall festivities.

I can hardly wait for the time to change . . .

I love it when it gets dark early and we are

all in our house cozy in front of the fire!!!

Only 34 shopping days until Halloween.

Chance of Meatballs???

Great fun Sunday afternoon . . .

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".

We had so much fun watching this flick!

Tonight is the season premiere of two of

my favorite shows . . .

I am definitely ready for cozy fall with some

fun Sunday night shows.

Great fun day!!!

Pumpkins.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love pumpkins!

I love everything about them . . .

their color, size, shape . . .

Pumpkins remind me of tons of fall and Halloween memories.

Pumpkin season is fast approaching! I cannot wait!!!

Pumpkin Cake

1 29 ounce pumpkin

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspooon ginger

1/4 teasponn cloves

Yummy topping:

1/2 t. allspice

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter

1 cup slivered almonds

Flour a 9x13 pan. Mix together pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and spices.

Pour into the 9x13 pan.

Mix yellow cake mis and butter together until crumbly.

Add one teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the batter.

Sprinkle slivered almonds on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Ooooh, so pumpkiny!!!

Lost Generation . . . Not!

Excited!

10 Things I Am Excited About:

1. Girl's weekend with my mom.

2. Bobby's recovering from his knee surgery.

3. Going to see Zach for Parent's Weekend and his birthday.

(20? That is pretty crazy!)

4. Popcorn.

5. Movie date with Mike.

6. Fun schooling with the boys.

7. Tim finding out about the ship.

8. Designing our new home.

9. New white shirt.

10. Bright pink toenail polish.

Rolling Pins.

I love rolling pins.

Why?

My rolling pins are all from special people in my

life.

I know that it sounds funny, but when two very

special people passed away, I wanted their

rolling pin.

Two of my rolling pins are from Mike's mom, Pat.

One of my rolling pins is from my Gram.

My rolling pins are out on my counter top.

I look at them often.

Those rolling pins help to make the best

cookies, cakes, and pies.

I hope that I will have someone special to

pass the rolling pins to one day.

Knees.

According to Webster, a knee is a joint in the middle part of the human leg that

is the articulation between the femur, tibia, and patella; also the part of the leg that

holds the joint.

Our Bobby had BOTH of his knees replaced this morning. We have

been at the hospital since the wee hours of the morning.

He is doing great! He looks amazing! We are certainly praying for

him every step of the way on his road to recovery.

We love you Bobby!! Get well soon!!! XO

My Favorite Drawer.

It is a fact . . . boys LOVE cookies!!

To help celebrate holidays there is simply nothing better

than homemade sugar cookies!

Ta-da!! We baked them ourselves!!

As a little boy, Sam was always so excited to help

mix, cut out, bake, and decorate sugar cookies!

Three of my favorite people reporting to help

bake Easter bunny sugar cookies!!!

I am certain that everyone has a favorite drawer in their home.

Mine just happens to be the drawer that holds all

of my cookie cutters!!!

Baking a bazillion sugar cookies over the years has provided

our family with lots of memories.

Bake a Memory.

Gram's YUMMY Oatmeal Cake

1 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs 1 2/2 cups flour

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts - optional

Pour oats in small bowl and cover with boiling water. Cool. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla. Add egg and beat. Stir in dry ingredients thoroughly. Stir in cooled oatmeal and nuts. Place in 9x13 inch pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Great served without icing or with whipped cream. YUMMY!!!!

I baked this yummy cake today for a bake sale at church!!

Everyone loved it! Scrumptious.

Crazy About Quilts!

I lOvE quilts . . . everything about them . . .

choosing the fabric . . . cutting the fabric . . . sewing the fabric!!!

The boys and I have made some awesome quilts over the

years through our homeschooling experiences.

I could not decide how to keep all of the boys' memories and

STUFF that they made iin school . . .

We turned to the idea of keeping our memories in quilts!

We have made quilts about the two states that we have

lived in and things we like to do . . .

We love our United States of America!

We have enjoyed making many quilts about our beautiful country.

Nana.

Isn't it crazy how some people without even trying have a dramatic effect

on your life?

That was Nana.

Nana was my Gram's mom.

As hard as that is to imagine, I can remember Nana, who passed

away when I was 12 years old, just like yesterday.

What is so amazing about Nana is that everyone

who knew her still speaks about her in such a positive light.

Everyone remembers her for being funny, kind, caring,

jovial, Christian, and loving.

Gram always said that Nana was OVER affectionate.

I want to be remembered like that.

Brothers and Sisters.

Jeff is my younger brother and only sibling.

According to him, he has been paying for being my brother FOREVER.

Being the brother of an older bossy sister just cannot be easy.

Sorry.

Jeff has grown up to be a great dad and a hard worker.

Jeff and I are TOTAL opposites.

Jeff and I have the same values, however, when it comes to

raising children and teaching them the correct principles.

Here's to Jeff, my only brother.

Happy Birthday Sam!

How is it possible . . .

Sam is 14 years old today!!!!

Sam is a wonderful, important member of our family!!

He is so talented in many ways!

He is our resident computer wizard and problem solver.

Sam does his best at any task that he is given.

Sam is amazing! He is passionate about many things.

Sam loves the Lord and serves Him with his whole heart.

We are so grateful that Sam is a part of our family.

Some of Sam's favorite things:

1. Taking LONG road trips, trapped in the back of the car.

2. Photography.

3. Scouting.

4. Brothers.

5. School. He is a math wizard.

6. Idaho.

7. Friends.

8. Golf.

9. Laguna Beach.

10. Pizza and Taco Bell.

Happy, Happy Birthday Sam!!

We. love. you.

Just What the Doctor Ordered . . .

My Mike certainly knows how to brighten up my day . . .

A COOKIE BOUQUET!!!

We couldn't even wait to dig into the yummy cookies . . .

These are pictures of the two that are left.

Mike is so thoughtful and kind.

He is such a hard worker, wonderful dad, and husband.

Thank you for making today another special day.

You are wonderful!!!

Happy Birthday Bob!

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people . . . Bobby!!!

Bobby just happens to be one of my very favorite people!!

Bobby is:

1. Smart.

2. Kind.

3. Generous.

4. A thinker.

5. Resourceful.

6. Practical.

7. Thrifty.

8. Truthful.

9. Slow to anger.

10. Funny.

Bobby is a wonderful person and we are so happy that he is

part of our family. Truthfully, I was a wee bit nervous when

he was going to take my best friend away and marry her.

I, as it happens on occasion, was terribly wrong.

Bobby has proven to be one of the most loyal people that I know.

I would trust him with my life.

My family and are so grateful that we have gotten to know

and love him over the past ten years.

Bobby would, after thinking about it and appraising the situation . . . carefully,

do just about anything for anyone.

We are so grateful that we have the chance to wish him a

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We. love. you.

200 . . .

In celebration of my 200th post, a little advice from a

very wise author, anonymous.

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like beggar.

3. Live with the 2 E's . . . Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

4. Make time to pray and connect with GOD.

5. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day, totally disconnect with noise.

6. Dont' compare your life to others.

7. Don't over do.

8. Dream more while you are awake!

9. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind people of his/her mistakes of the past.

10. Life is to short to waste time plotting against anyone.

11. HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE!

12. When you find yourself in deep water - learn to seal your lips and be

silent. Otherwise, you may drown.

13. FORGIVE EVERYONE FOR EVERYTHING!

14. Spend time with people over 70 and under 6.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

16. No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed, show up, and breathe.

17. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

18. Dont' preach to people. BE A LIVING EXAMPLE!

19. Envy is a waste of time.

20. BE HAPPY!!

Priceless.

While Luke was golfing yesterday, he found this leaf that

was shaped like a heart. He carried it around with him for

eight holes of golf. He was so excited and proud to

give me this precious leaf the second that I picked up!

Am. I. blessed. or. what!

Go-Kart Fun!

Watch Sam and Luke have tons of fun on their go-kart!!!

What better fun than to be brothers on the go-kart!!

Farms and Barns and Cows . . . Oh, My!

I have always LOVED barns!! I would LOVE to live on

a dairy farm. I am a country girl at heart. I would love

to wake up with the chickens, milk the cows, and feed

the barn animals.

I am thinking that our new home will be BARN RED!!!

We are going to live on Andy's Gulch Road in which

the homes are required to be FARM STYLE!!!

Farm Style . . . Barn Style!!!

I am excited!!!!