Cake on a Stick

I did a book party for my friend, Jenny, and as I was leaving, she gave me some leftover treats for the kids from her daughter's birthday party. The party was Veggie Tales-themed and the treats could not have been cuter. They were almost too cute to eat, but the kids took care of that pretty quickly!

At the party, I met her friend, LuAnne, who makes these amazing creations. You should really check out Lulee's Lollies and see what she has to offer. She does weddings, birthdays, baby showers, corporate parties, and can design pretty much anything you want.

Jacob with Larry the Cucumber

Emmaline enjoys a Pea

Ellie and Bob the Tomato

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for...today, it is family and food! I'm thankful that we live close enough to celebrate with our families (both sets of parents live within a couple of miles of our home). I'm thankful for the food God provides for us to enjoy on this day (and for a husband that works hard to earn the money to purchase said food). I'm thankful for a warm home to celebrate this day. I'm also thankful for a mom who loves to cook for her family!

Sai and Katie

The Dinner Table

The Kids' Table

Emmaline snuggled in for a post-meal nap with Mimi

Sai turns 30!

Today, Katie's boyfriend, Sai, turned 30! He lives in North Carolina, but flew up to spend Thanksgiving with her. After she picked him up at the airport, she brought him back to Mom and Dad's house for a surprise party. He went to college in Massachusetts, so he is a big Boston Celtics fan. Katie ran with that theme which was evidenced in the mints, cake, posters, and balloons. We had a fun time celebrating a really great guy!

Emmaline gives Sai a birthday hug

He had never played "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" before (apparently, it's not popular in India...who knew?!), so guess what we did for a party game?!

I'm back!

It has been forever since I've updated the blog. The break was nice, but I'm glad to be back because I've missed sharing what our family has been up to. So, hang on to your hats as I write about happenings this fall and then try to catch up from the rest of the year. If you're on my e-mail list, you'll be receiving posts in a crazy order, but hopefully, it will be worth your while. It's good to be back!

Literacy for a Lifetime

I completed my first Literacy for a Lifetime program this month! Basically, LFL is a 50% grant-matching program offered by Usborne Books & More. A company or group of people donates any amount of money (minimum of $200) and then Usborne will give that amount plus 50% more in books to the organization of their choice. The organization can also choose up to 50% more in books from our Spanish-match list to make the most of the donation.

I really fell in love with what the program can provide when I went to Usborne's national convention in Tulsa, OK in July. I mentioned a little about it on Facebook and was contacted almost immediately by someone from church. Her company supports a charter school here in Dayton, and she wanted to have a fundraising luncheon to earn money to get books for the school. At the fundraiser, they raised $600! Because the school opted to take advantage of the Spanish-match titles in addition to the regular donation, they received $1200 worth of brand-new books for their school. The boxes pictured above hold those precious books and the principal was absolutely thrilled when I dropped them off this week.

If your company likes to support your local community, or if you and a group of friends would like to make a donation to a preschool, daycare, or other organization, please contact me via my website.

Another Tournament

Jacob and Nathan competed in another martial arts tournament. Jacob did sport karate and Nathan did a weapon and non-weapon form. They both did really well and I was so proud of them!

Jacob didn't win anything, but we can see lots of improvement in his skill. His biggest battle is with boredom. He is so excited and pumped up when we first get there, but after all the waiting, he is so bored and tired. I'm guessing this will change as he gets older and matures, but I know he would do so much better if he could compete as soon as he got in there.

Nathan doing his weapons form

2nd and 3rd place medals

They had extra medals, so the tournament director gave Jacob one. We told him it was for having a good attitude. He always has a smile on his face and doesn't get discouraged if he loses.

Potato Soup Recipe

My mom came up with this yummy recipe for potato soup. Several people have asked the it, so I'm sharing it now. If you want to make this a vegetarian dish (which I often do), leave out the bacon pieces and saute the veggies in a little olive oil and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. This is great on a cold, snowy day with apple slices and bread. Enjoy!

6 slices of bacon, cut in 1/2" pieces

1 med. onion, finely chopped

3/4 c. celery, finely chopped

1/2 c. grated carrot

2-10 1/2 oz. cans chicken broth

2 c. water

5 large potatoes, diced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1/2 tsp. dill weed

1/2 c. flour

3 c. milk

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Fry bacon pieces until crisp. Remove, drain on paper towel.

Add onion, celery, and carrot, saute in bacon drippings until tender.

Add broth, water, potatoes, salt, pepper, and dill weed.

Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Whisk flour into milk and add to soup while stirring.

Cover and continue cooking on simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Before serving, add 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese.

Stir well until cheese melts.

Garnish with reserved bacon pieces.

A Very Important Phone Call

Operation Christmas Child

Today we took our shoe boxes to church for Operation Christmas Child. We've been doing this for several years now, but this is the first year that the kids took an active roll in the buying and filling of said boxes. It's hard for our kids to imagine life without Christmas or presents, so this was a good opportunity to explain life in different parts of the world. God has been a part of their life since they were born, but some kids have never heard about Jesus or the importance of his birth. I'm so thankful for little projects like this that help our family focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Another Andy, Another Birthday

This time it is my nephew, Andy, and he turned 17 today. He is quite the soccer star, so of course the party was soccer-themed. We ate the best grilled pork chops and cheesy potatoes before the cake and presents. Andy has to be one of the most appreciative kids that I know. He was so polite, thanking each person after he opened their gift to him and then giving them a big hug. As an added bonus, my sister from California, Angel, was in town, so we got to visit with her during the party.

2 Thumbs-up for his soccer cupcakes

As you can tell by this sweet face, they were good!

Andy turns 25!

November is a busy month for birthdays in our family. Tonight we celebrated my little brother, Andy, who turned 25. We dined on Joe's Pizza and then ate his traditional birthday cheesecake made by Mom.

My sister, Dee, brought a fun game that we tried out tonight called "Find It". It is supposed to be for my nephew, Colton, but the adults monopolized the game trying to find all the hidden objects. Whoever invented this is a genius because it is fun, self-contained, and will occupy kids for a long time as they try to finish the list. I will definitely be looking for these for Jacob and Ellie for Christmas this year.

Ah, the long-awaited season 4 of Psych, the funniest show on tv

The Birthday Boy and his cheesecake

The kids didn't want cheesecake (crazy, I know!), so they opted for ice cream sundaes instead.

Emmaline loved hers!

Magic Castle - Jacob's 8th Birthday

This was supposed to be a family outing, but I ended up getting sick with an awful sore throat after Jacob's party last night. Emmaline stayed home with me, but Nathan took Jacob and Ellie to Magic Castle this afternoon to enjoy his official birthday day. They had a good time together and brought home Fazoli's for dinner...Momma always feels better when she doesn't have to cook!

Ellie shows off her age

Enjoying a birthday icee

Jacob's 8th Birthday Party...

My Jakey-boy turns 8 tomorrow! Not sure where the time went, because it seems like just yesterday (or at least a couple of weeks ago!) that we brought him home from the hospital. He is all boy and chose "camouflage" as his party theme. He had a party with friends this afternoon and then a family party at dinner time.

Playing "Pin the Tank"

Gabriel, Chuckie, and Jacob

Noah and Collin

Mackenzie, Ellie, and Mikayla

Jacob planned the menu: Subway sandwiches, veggies, egg rolls, deviled eggs, meatballs, hummus w/ pita chips, and grapes. He did a good job covering all the food groups.

Jacob loves his new books.

These are both books that I sell with Usborne. Have I mentioned how great our books are?!

Aunt Katie and Mr. Sai

Me and the Birthday Boy

Jenny's Baby Shower

Tonight we celebrated my friend, Jenny, and the upcoming arrival of her third baby (and first boy!), Connor Abraham. I reserved the meeting room at a local Panera and lots of friends from church came. We enjoyed yummy soup, salad, and sandwiches, and then ate Mom's apple cider cake while Jenny opened presents. I can't wait to meet the little guy in a few short weeks!Apple Cider Cake with real whipped cream

I love little boy clothes!

Almost makes me want to have another one...not quite, but almost!