Project Complete

I got this idea in my head that it'd be fun to make the kids costumes.


It is fun!

It was fun!

But it was a lot of work. Just remind me next August that I want to get started on the costumes, versus waiting until the second week of October to start!

Every late night was worth it, I am so thrilled with the result!

We picked the patterns...


... cut out the patterns (which is my least favorite part of sewing projects, so I was just delighted to have Noah offer to help, and he did a great job!)...


...cut the material...

...preparing the fabric...


...fitting...

...finishing...






Now, I have to make a disclaimer for my friends who will look at this project and say "I don't sew". I look at sewing much like a recipe. You collect the ingredients and follow the directions. Much like when I cook, when I sew, I tend to stray from the recipe. Sometimes that works out and other times it looks a little like I put too much salt in the soup. And as I spend more time in the kitchen or at the sewing machine, the more confident I become. And they say that you'll learn more from mistakes than you ever could from perfection. I learned alot through these projects.

And aren't my kid's CUTE!!!??!!!

525,600 minutes

This year has moved by so quickly....


Our darling Magdalyn turns 1 today.


She has been such a precious gift to us, and she has taught us each so much.
She makes us all smile


God has truly blessed our family.

I wonder, just a little, what she'll become. I pray for her every day to know the Lord, know Him well, walk in his will every day of her life.

Part of the inspiration for her name came from the Kutless song "Strong tower" (on the video). Magdala means great tower. We pray that God will always be here fortress and source of strength.

Pain not wasted

Ever since the creation of the earth, we, the created, have been turning away from God.
We choose to do it on our own.
We assume our limited wisdom and understanding qualifies us for independence.
We desperately seek to be satisfied with things and other people, that will ultimately disappoint.

Yet, God still desires to extend his love to us, despite our miserable state, completely undeserving.

Watkins Glen, NY taken by Granny Franny

I found a note this morning in my journal from the women of faith conference. Steven Arterburn said:

"God doesn't want to waste even an ounce of pain. There is always grace."

We often get ourselves into these places of pain, but God still desires that through that pain, we could draw closer to his infinite and heavenly wisdom, which, I think, is knowing him.

Good word to hear... listen (stuck part 2)

Last weekend in Dallas

No silly! Not Texas.... Oregon!



We always have a fantastic time.

Grandpa Sings

*video - press play*

Kids bounce

*video - press play*


Love on Louie... best dog ever. I think he's more protective of the kids than I am!



... and this time.... we went even FURTHER into the country to Arlie's Harvest Festival.




The results:

Thank God for creative Grandparents!

Card-carrying member!

Do you remember that time, way back when you were just a little kid?

my cousins Laura and Arlene 1970

Can you tell the story about that one time, you did that one thing? It was so exciting!

My Dad 1957

Do you remember that house? The trees?Our back yard 1980 (I remember peeling the birch bark off the trees)

Do remember being small? Did you have a funny Uncle that always let you climb on him like a jungle gym?

My dad and his neices 1969

How did you remember that? There must have been a picture somewhere that helped....

I love pictures. Love the way an image can usher in memories that have been stored away in the depths of my personal history books. I love the wonder and awe in how quickly things change....

Me and Noah 2002

Not a big secret, I make efforts to devote a certain amount of time to compiling photo albums for my kids, under the guise of "scrapbooking." But, you need to know, scrapbooking isn't all about the love of photos, or for that matter, pretty paper, stickers, punches, stamps or the like.

After the experience of loosing my mom while still in my teens, I realized that life is all too short. Memories are treasures. No one, even with the most photographic of memories, will be able to remember every moment, every look, every feeling, or for that matter, every place, person's name or things that were said. I hope that some day, my children will look at the albums I have created as a gift of memories, that have been strengthened by the documentation of their lives.

At the WOF conference, comedienne, Anita Renfroe poked fun at how we as women pick up our pictures at the drug store, flip through to find the perfect picture of ourselves, give up and toss them in "the drawer"... that is,unless you are a "part of that cult, called Creative Memories!" Well, I proudly admit to be a card-carrying member! ;-)

Me, Lisa and Jennifer working on our albums at "Croptoberfest" (today)

I really do appreciate that CM has helped me to move forward in documenting the life and activities of our family in a tangible format. And I just want to say thanks to my dear friend Jennifer M for being my trusty consultant all these years.

Jennifer working on her daughter's baby book

So next time you are at the house of homer, ask to see an album or two. We would be delighted to share them with you.

Baggage

Soup's on Saturday - Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli

We don't eat out often. It has to be either a very special occasion or, usually, fast food :-(. But it is still generally less than once or twice a month. If I do eat out, one of my favorite places is the Olive Garden. And when we go, all I usually want is the soup, salad and bread sticks. Although all the soup options are yummy, Pasta Fagioli is my favorite.


So this week I found myself with some left over, cooked, plain macaroni noodles. It was time for something other than chicken.... so I start ponder.... and it comes to me that Pasta Fagioli would be the answer. A quick google search sends me to CDKitchen's recipe for the Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli! I really liked this site, not only for the recipe, but that it also converts the measurements to suit your family or an army. It started out with a yield of 9 quarts, which is a little more than my family is likely to eat, but 3 quarts was just right.

Here is what we threw together (as I adapted it to what I had in my kitchen. If you want to go to the link above for the precise ingredients and amounts):

1 lb ground beef
1/2 diced white onion
1 large carrot slivered
2 stalks celery diced
6 diced fresh tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups beef broth from granuals
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp ground pepeer
1/4 c fresh parsley chopped
1/2 tsp tobasco sauce
3 cups prepared spagetti sauce
3 cups of cooked macaroni noodles

Cook beef. Add onion, carrots, celery and cook till tender. Add tomatoes, sautee for 2-3 min more. Add beans, broth, seasonings and spagetti sauce. Simmer for 45 minutes. Add noodles, cook for 5 minutes more. Serve with parmesean / romano cheese ontop and crusty bread on the side.

Notes: I used garbanzo beans, since it was on hand, but were not as tender as I would have liked. I would use white beans next time. I keep the beef broth granules on hand and didn't have any "real" broth, which I would have prefered. Loved the tabasco sauce, inportant ingredient, but becareful not to use too much unless you really want a kick! Obviously, your flavor will also change if the prepared spagetti sauce has strong seasoning.