Making the most of a short season!

We love Autumn - the cooler weather, the gorgeous trees, fewer bugs, football games... too bad the season doesn't last longer! We've been trying to make the most of Fall this year. Here's some pictures of the family having fun picking pumpkins at a beautiful farm nearby and going on an annual church hayride.

In a wedding together!

More wedding pictures are to come, but here's one of Steve and I. Unfortunately they're blurry, but you can see the pretty dress and cool tux that Shaun and Tammy picked out. We had a lot of fun being in our first wedding together as "bridesmaid and groomsman". :) It was a beautiful wedding. We're very happy for Shaun and Tammy! (stay tuned for more pics!)

All Dressed Up With No Place to Go! : )

Sunday evening Steve and I were excited to sneak away for a few hours while the kids were with his parents. We had a romantic date comprised of Walmart shopping and the Taco John's drive through! ; ) Anyway, we found a dress for Haddie and a cute little shirt and tie for Seth for the upcoming wedding. The next morning as we were putting away the things we purchased, Seth spotted the shirt and tie. He was so eager to put them on that we obliged. Of course Haddie was not to be left out! So, Monday afternoon, our little ones were found lounging on the floor, "all dressed up with no place to go!"

Yum!

What three things make me love a certain food? Color, texture, and fresh ingredients! Poppy Seed Pasta Salad has all three! I got away for a day at the lake with a friend of mine this summer, and she made this dish while we were there. I loved it right away because it is easy, and it has all three of the things that make a great meal or dish, in my humble opinion!

Here's how to make it if you'd like to try...

You need

*1 can of chicken breast in water

*1 box of Gemelli pasta (actually half a box is enough for our family)
*1 bottle of Poppy seed dressing (once again, you won't need the whole bottle - it can be a tricky to find too. Try to look for it near the Ranch dressings.)

*A bunch of green onions

*Dry cranberries, as many as you prefer. I used about one cup full.

*Slivered almonds (and a tablespoon or two of butter) I used about a cup of almonds.

1) Cook Pasta according to box, drain.

2) Drain water from canned chicken, then add the chicken to the pasta. Flake it up a bit with a fork.

3)Cut up green onions, as much as you prefer, add them to pasta.

4)Melt a little butter in a separate pan and add almonds. Cook carefully on Med-Low until toasted. Then add them to pasta.

5) Add dried cranberries to pasta.

6) Pour poppy seed dressing on the pasta and mix well.

*You can serve immediately while it is still warm, or you can refrigerate and serve later. Both ways are tasty! Make sure to add more dressing later if you aren't serving it right away, as the pasta will soak up some of the dressing.*

Enjoy!

(Thanks Jen!!)

Scalawag!

First, I have to ask, is "Scalawag" a big p.c. no-no? "Granny" used to call us that when my siblings and I were being little rascals, but she used it in a quite endearing way. When I used the word a couple years ago to describe Seth, someone gasped and was shocked that I would call my son by that term. Oh well. Do note that it is used in an endearing sense here also! It was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the above scene! ; )

Last night I was working down stairs in our office area, which is directly below Seth's room. At about 10:00 I started to hear some noise, and by 10:15 I decided I had better go check out what was happening.

It was hard to keep from laughing, even though it was long past Seth's bed time. Seth had turned on the light, striped his clothes, changed into boxers much too large for himself (they also happened to be inside out), placed a "band-aid" on his head (that's what he thinks "head bands" are called), and he was amusing himself by pretending to "skate board" around the room.

We are never at a loss for entertainment here, even if it does happen to be past bed time!

(He peacefully got back into bed and was content to stay there for the rest of the night, in case you were wondering!) ;)

Regret

Sunday, as I was pulling out the zip-lock full of Cheerios for our kiddos to munch on, I was stunned by what the pastor announced from the pulpit. Betty had passed away. Sweet Betty. It shouldn't have come as a surprise for me. She hadn't been doing well for over a year. She was elderly, and sick. But it still paralyzed me for a couple moments. Doesn't it always seem unreal for a little while when it's someone you know? Betty had made numerous blankets for Seth and Haddie. She was always sweet, smiling, positive, generous. Now she was gone. The feeling of surprise was quickly washed over by sadness. We would miss her.

Then the regret hit. It had been about a year since we had last visited Betty. We made sure to go over to her assisted living apartment so she could meet Haddie last summer. After that, Betty's health had declined and she was moved to a nursing home. Steve had been to see her there, but the kids and I never got around to it. It was just so much work, I had thought to myself a couple times over the past year. The idea of bringing a three year old and a baby into a cramped room full of breakable things had hindered me.

I am very sad that I hadn't made it a priority to see Betty while she was still living. I realize that she would have still passed away "too soon" for our liking, but it would have been so nice to tell her at least once more that we cared....

Monday morning we received word that our neighbor has been in the hospital, and that he only has a little time left. This time the decision to pack up and head to the hospital, rowdy kids and all, was simple. On our way home we even stopped by to visit another elderly woman we know. Not because we are great...not by a long shot. But because we are more determined than ever to not have those kinds of regrets in our life, if we can help it. It even reminds me to be more thoughtful about the time I spend with Seth and Haddie, and Steve.

I think I'm going to wrap this up.... I have some special people to spend time with.

Painting Pumpkins

Staying home with our little animals, er, um, I mean children ; ) sometimes leaves me wondering, "What in the world will we fill our time with today?" This week we tried something new. A friend had given Seth and Haddie two little white pumpkins. The decorative type, not for carving...but just right for little hands to paint! It went over well. Haddie even painted her pumpkin all by herself! (Thanks Andrea!)