Where did the week go?

As I actually have a minute to sit before my eyelids give in completely, I'm left wondering WHERE did the week go? Nothing out of the ordinary has been going on, but seems like I just haven't had any excess computer time. So here are the updates:

First- let's take care of some business~

Chuck: I DID see a squirrel- he WAS on a pogo stick and he held a sign that said "YOU STUPID HUMANS- SQUIRRELS DON'T EAT HANGING FROM A BUNGEE CORD" :) Moving on.....

The week has been filled with extra singing practices as Elisha and Lydia have the opportunity to sign with a children's choir for a Christmas Symphony on Ice. It should be interesting- the sick cow la, la, la, la sounds are getting old-- ha ha! No- it's not that bad, they are actually doing pretty well, and I hope it's an experience they will enjoy. We'll find out as they perform next week.

Elisha has a new talent- he's discovered how to blow bubbles and that's been the highlight of his week.

Almost ready~

He has the hang of it pretty well- much better than my timing with the camera.

That pretty much sums up our week- bubbles, singing practice, and lots of school to get a little ahead as we'll be REALLY busy next week!

Tomorrow is a karate tournament for Elisha and Dad- Mom's sitting this one out- I'm just working on getting through class itself for now :)

Have a great weekend!

Serene Monday

What a sleepy day- perfect for relaxing and getting back into a school routine after the Holiday weekend~ It's looked like this outside all day today~ calm and peaceful.

Now if the rain would just let up even one little notch so I could walk..... but I won't complain :) At least we aren't in Texas with a few inches of snow (snicker snicker-- not that we know anyone who has/had that in their yard recently :) I'm SURE we'll pay later!)

Is all this REALLY necessary?

Mark took 3 of the children to the dentist last week for check-ups for them and himself. (Our family's too big now to go together, so they split us up- my turn comes next week- joy joy.) He came home with a packet of papers to fill out for each 'patient'- gee thanks! :) While waiting for pictures to load on my last post, I worked on filling out this dental paper-work. Signing all the signatures and filling out all the required data took longer than it did to close on our house. I know everything has a 'purpose' but it this really necessary??? ...sorry-- had to write a quick complaint--- it's out of my system now :) SURE hope I don't have to do it again on our next visit- it'll probably be worse by then. :O

The Season Is Here!

The Christmas Season if officially here! Not sure that I'm quite ready, but might as well enjoy it anyway. We got into the spirit of the season by attending our local parade and then enjoyed the first of 3 concerts we'll be going to by the children's favorite Christmas group-BE Taylor.

Little Elizabeth taking in the parade~

Our little ham~ Anxiously awaiting the start of the concert~ Smile! -Jacob was a little out of it as he slept through the ENTIRE show- HOW, I have NO idea!What a great way to enjoy the day with your family and take time to just enjoy the season- the show was great as usual- and many thanks to the ones that made it happen!

Happy post-Turkey Day!

Let's take care of business first: at least I'm honest- I caught the squirrel eating today- the picture is blurry because I had to take it through the window. But the squirrel WAS STILL NOT on the bungee cord!!!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

The children had a great day and LOVED holding the newest great-grandchild of the family.

Hope you aren't too stuffed from all that food and too tired from all of that shopping!

Mark's Blog- narrated by ME of course :)

Mark and Elisha were outside today when Mark came running in to get the camera. Thinking there was a HUGE snake or something in the yard, he tells me- " it's MY turn for a blog because the squirrel food is gone and I have proof!" Since he doesn't have my blog passwords ( hee hee ) he is at the mercy of me to tell his story. Here goes.......

OK OK, the squirrel pellets are gone, and there IS visible proof the corn has been eaten. Here ends Mark's blog-- my turn......

Yes, I will agree the food is gone, and the ears nibbled on. BUT... the little bell has not rung, the cord not stretched, except by a 3-year old boy, and why??? Because the squirrels are still SMART ENOUGH TO NOT EAT THEIR FOOD FLYING FROM A BUNGEE CORD while providing human entertainment!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you all!!!! Stay safe, and not over-stuffed- and be ever so thankful you can enjoy your meal sitting down, instead of hanging from a rope :)

Mom won

Snake update: Mom won and the snake left before bed last night. Sure glad I didn't have to leave. Mark did tell me he was going to leave the top of the cage open to let me think the snake had escaped and was somewhere in the house- I didn't find the humor, but Elisha thought it was terribly funny! He's into snakes now, and thinks he and Daddy are going to Walmart to buy a glass cage as big as our dining room to fit a snake into it. What ever happened to puppies?... or goldfish?... tried a bird once- that didn't work out.... nothing normal about this family!

And Carrie- that's a GREAT idea- you're censored! LOL- just kidding! Mark just LOVES that everyone is siding with him!

Have to get back to work- the 'Taj' is looking a bit run-down ;)

Welcome to our zoo!

Remember Monty, the Praying Mantis that never was? Remember his nice little cage? Hey look- there it is- resurrected- with.... hmmmm... maybe a new Praying Mantis egg to watch hatch..... NOOOO! That would be too logical-- instead, let's put a ......PET SNAKE in his cage! (notice the nicely decorated table) Mom was NOT happy over this one! The children found another baby snake in the yard, and Daddy decided to make a school science project out of it. "....let's watch him, see what we need to feed it, read up on him--- it'll be a great way to experience first-hand learning!" Guess what they LOVE to eat the most-- squirrels--- squirrels that eat corn hanging from bungee cords! Just kidding- they can't eat them, because THERE ARE NO SQUIRRELS HANGING FROM BUNGEE CORDS HERE! :) I told him if it stays the night- I'm out of here. I really hope I don't have to find somewhere to sleep tonight, but it's the snake or me! Always something going on...

Weekend updates

Been another lively week with 4 little ones ;)

The girls were ecstatic to receive their Little Dragon red and green belts. Yay girls!

Elisha had a bow staff class on Saturday and loved it. He was showing me some things when he came home and it looked pretty neat- I was intrigued enough to maybe take a class- PapPap tells me I'd just hurt myself~

It was a more relaxing week than normal- Mark was off for the week so we were actually able to watch Survivor together-- Jacob didn't make it. His long day in the woods with Daddy caught up to him.

After a week-long back injury of some sort and feeling like a HUGE slug because I wasn't able to do any exercise, I finally had enough... I was feeling well enough to move around a bit yesterday and I did it.... gasp..... even after vowing never to do it before Thanksgiving.... don't yell Mom.... I put up the Christmas decorations.... figured it was totally justifiable because if I didn't do it now, I wouldn't have time in the next few weeks. Works for me ;) The children are a little upset that I won't turn the lights on yet- that can wait until after Turkey Day... just like I said Christmas music should wait until after Thanksgiving Dinner- I caved in the car when all 4 started crying because I wouldn't let them listen to Frosty the Snowman...... ahhhhh, it's started already.... wake me up on Jan. 3rd--- in the Bahamas ;)

Oh- and by the way- the squirrel feeder looks the SAME as it has for a week now... hmmm...

PS. Hey Carrie- the 'palace' is looking good all decorated up- LOL! Quick funny story for you- Mark and I actually used to call this house the Taj Mahal because Mark's Dad and Mom were ALWAYS working on it and were never just satisfied with finishing one thing- that one thing always led to something else and another project.... used to drive us crazy- and now we're living in it- funny how life works out!

Here's the video- but it's not OUR video ;)

Found the link of what this squngee squirrel feeder is SUPPOSED to do:

http://www.squngee.bigstep.com/Images/Video/SQvideo.wmv

Our squngee is just hanging there- still -with NO movement and with no poor little SMART squirrels attached :)

Squirrel Comments Appreciated- kind of ;)

Hey all you squirrel lovers- thanks for the comments on my different blog sites-- Mark is gloating in the support he's received- I, on the other hand am still holding to my cruelty-to-squirrels position. For the record: yes, there are kernels of corn missing, but NO one has seen a squirrel eat from the thing. And did I mention there is a little bell that rings when the squirrel is bungee jumping away? Well, the only time it's gone off was when Jacob said 'Hey Daddy- watch this" and pulled the bungee cord back as far as he could so it would fling across the tree. What does this mean? It means there can't be any squirrel videos BECAUSE THE SQUIRRELS ARE STILL OUT-SMARTING THE HUMANS!!!!!

Mom's New Favorite Treat

OK-Mom's-- Sometimes you just NEED that little something along the lines of a rich, chocolaty, indulgence- Here's my favorite new find: Hot Bellagio Sipping Chocolate- YUM YUM and not for the faint chocoholic - also not to be shared! :) Don't think I could go back to regular hot chocolate- and I didn't even mix mine with whole milk- I used water and it turned out fine. Got mine from a local gift shop, and did find some online -Amazon carries many varieties.

Mom stands corrected!!

Upon awaking this morning and looking out at the misty/foggy gorgeous fall leaves in the backyard- I saw it.... the ears of corn half-eaten!! Oh NOOOOOOOOO! That means I'm wrong- the squirrels do like the feeder and are eating the corn-- Shhhhh-- don't tell Mark I admitted I was wrong. Now- to see if they're smart enough to NOT let Mark see them eat from it- ha ha hee hee~ :)

Updates- craft show, karate, & squirrels- Mark speaks

Craft show is done- Yay! Could have done better, could have done worse. Overall, an enjoyable day and glad I can sell the extra pretzels at the downtown craft store!

My helpers: (if that's what you can call them-LOL)

Moving on to karate updates-- someone just asked me if we are still attending class... uh, that would be yes as my leg told me when we sparred last week. Still loving it- OK- not loving sparring, but still keeping a good attitude :) Someday I will learn to block whatever hit me on my leg- ha ha!!

And onto squirrels-- Mark would like to thank everyone who has given their input on my various blog sites- he appreciates your support and wanted to comment directly leaving his own 2 cents but didn't know my passwords-- hee hee!

My turn: hmmm.... wonder why not one little kernel of corn has been removed from the cob???? BECAUSE THE SQUIRRELS ARE SMARTER THAN HUMANS AND THEIR CRUEL CONTRAPTIONS!!! To be continued...

Have a great weekend!!

Latest family debate- over squirrels!!!!

I need your help again! Mark got the 'nature bug' and is now into watching the 54 squirrels scurrying around the backyard preparing for winter. He decided that we NEEDED a squirrel feeder to help them. The children need to enjoy the nature around them, he says. DON'T let him fool you.....

GREAT idea-- as I'm thinking of one of those little wooden squirrel feeders with the corn attached to the top- but NOOOOO!!! This brilliant contraption arrives in the mail today- TOTAL torture for squirrels! The poor little squirrel has to jump up and hang onto the corn if he wants to eat any- and the corn is attached to a BUNGEE ROPE-- I told Mark that was just plain cruel and torturous for the little varmints!! You should see the video clip that goes with this thing- when I get the link from him I'll post it- And who's the feeder for? The squirrels or Mark enjoying watching them suffer?? Hmmmm...

Now- let's hang his food a few feet up in the air and make HIM jump up and eat it as he's bouncing from a bungee cord! Any help out there on this issue???

Fudge-FREE biscotti and meringue day

Daddy had the little ones at the Science Center for a homeschool class- that meant Mom had a quiet afternoon to do some more candy-making/baking for the craft show. How about some chocolate raspberry meringues?

or peppermint biscotti, Kahlua (was out of amaretto- and the substitution was YUMMY!) or anise biscotti?

Thankfully all none of these recipes had ANY fudge-like qualities! And the holiday baking bug is OUT of my system! YAY! Back to find yummy, healthy treats!

Definition of Stupidity

OK-- WHAT is the definition of stupidity? That would be doing the SAME thing over and expecting DIFFERENT results-- PERFECT example:

Does THAT look like an edible CREAMY fudge-'LIKE' filling for peanut butter chocolate bars??? Don't answer that... NEED I say more...

NO, I don't, but since it's my blog I will :)

This was supposed to be a recipe that WON AN AWARD for melt-in-your mouth peanut butter chocolate bars. Does it look anything like melt-in-your-mouth? I figured since this recipe technically wasn't 'fudge', I'd be OK- HA HA HA HA!

Not sure what was worse- the bad turn-out, or spending 1/2 an hour trying to get the sticky syrup gunk off my bowls >:O !!

Project Day

It was a great fall day to get some little projects done. First, using leaves we pressed, the children made 'stained-leaf' pictures. Just put your leaves in between 2 sheets of wax paper, iron on low-medium with newspaper over the wax paper, and voila- a touch of autumn for your windows.

Next, I moved on to making some items for the craft show.

You know how there are just some things that aren't for you- and NEVER work? Well, the thing that just doesn't go with me and my baking abilities is fudge. I've tried 591 times- OK, slight exaggeration- and have NEVER had it turn out. Failed attempt after attempt, a few years ago I vowed I would NEVER try again....

So, like I was saying, I tried it again today- this time it was butter pecan fudge- did it work NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

It tasted pretty good, but came out like powdery something or other?!?! Oh well- I will NEVER try again- NO matter HOW easy the recipe says it is, or how good it tastes- I'll save it for the experts... hey Mom- how about some peanut butter fudge for Christmas??? :)

Thankfully my attempt at English Toffee was totally different- and DELICIOUS! Good thing it's already bagged up and ready to sell! We'll see what kind of goodies I can get into tomorrow...

Birthday week, chocolate, and snakes

What a birthday week Miss Elizabeth and Jacob have had! They finally celebrated at home with our tradition of the 'birthday breakfast'- she chose french toast, and Jacob of course chimed right in for the same vote.

Just a tip for french toast breakfasts: candles WILL melt in the hot french toast almost instantly! :)

Again, she had enough of the picture thing and wouldn't look at me :)

Check out the men eating on TINKERBELL plates - ha ha ha ha!!!! Come on guys- it's a princess party- how can you have that without tinkerbell plates??? And every princess party needs some princes and kings - snicker snicker! Hey Mark- told you I'd get you back for putting the DIRTY clothes directly in the dryer! (OK- in his defense they were damp from the children playing outside, he thought they just needed to be dried and was only trying to be a help!)

We did realize that next year Jacob was going to have a much bigger part in the decorating- the girly princess thing will have to be shared with some big-boy Jacob 'stuff'!

And yet another princess dress. Not pictured is a beautiful gold dress that for some reason I keep seeing Lydia in- the sisters must have worked out some kind of deal-

Jacob's turn~

Extreme concentration!

And another birthday season is complete- they go by so quickly!

Onto Mom's next project- I decided to make yummy stuff to sell at a craft show next week. Not like I needed something else to do- but have enjoyed them in the past and figured this year the children are old enough to come sit with me- with plenty of coloring books on hand! Lauri- can you believe the kitchen looks like this??

Yum Yum chocolate!The children also had fun with Daddy carving their first pumpkin- brought back some fun memories of my childhood! LOVE the roasted pumpkin seeds!

And onto the snake.... the children found 2 of these today while they were playing- just what a Mom wants to know! We did some research and they are not harmful- we think they are a 'northern pine' snake.

That's comforting- at least they're just little!

Have a great weekend!

We're back

WOW! Seems like an eternity since I've been able to sit down and update my faithful readers with the latest events. We spent the last week at Grandma and Grandpa Tony's celebrating birthdays, playing out-doors, shopping (YAY!) and enjoying the fresh country air. Mark was having so much fun he didn't want to leave- thus the extended stay, and now looking at country house plans once again. They sure make some neat log cabin plans! If we could just forget about the money issue- Really--- Who needs that???? Relax mom- he won't clear out the entire front yard or woods- JUST KIDDING! :)

It's great to be able to take time and slow down- if you can call a 5-yr old and 3-yr old with birthdays slow. I guess I should say as 'slow' as you can get.

Had lots of fun checking some things off of the Christmas list. Every year I say I'm going to be done with what 'has' to be done by October, then TOTALLY relax and enjoy all the festivities with no 'to do' list in December- maybe some day in a perfect world, although I'm much more prepared this year. Finding that keeping it simple helps SO much! The children just don't need 50 gifts from everyone, and cutting it down to 1 or 2 special ones helps a ton.

We also sat down and just relaxed in the evenings- a rare treat with many activities filling the week days-- watched Dancing with the Stars for the first time- whoa!! I can't believe people can really dance like that- think that's my new ambition-- AHA HA HA HA HA!!!!! Like that would ever happen --maybe after that karate black belt is around my waist-- and a figure to go with it might help- probably should forget that candy bar lying in the cupboard-- nah.... think I'll leave the dancing for those stars. :)

On to the picts!

What girl's birthday is complete without the princess dress? This year- Rapunzel was in order. Isn't is great to have a sister that shares her new toys with you? Jacob's hit of the day- a new train set-- can't wait to watch Elisha try to con that one from him this week. Princess Elizabeth didn't WANT a cake this year. She has decided she doesn't like icing and wanted pie. Thanks Mom for the YUMMY cherry 'birthday' pie! Just takin' a break! COOL tractors! And that's the week in review- Elizabeth (and Jacob) finally get to celebrate birthdays at home- it's now OK with Miss Elizabeth :)