Raffia Pumpkins

I saw this idea on Kiwi Crate's website and I knew I wanted to give it a try.   Sydney helped me cut the raffia into manageable pieces.  (Griffin watched and ate chocolate pudding) 

raffia in paste

raffia wrapped around balloon- left in a bowl to dry (sorry sideways)

Our mantle

Finished pumpkins!  I love them, very fun and easy.  I like the orange color but a natural color would be cool too.

Sky Top Orchard- here we come

These pictures are from last year when we went to Sky Top Orchard.  We are headed there this weekend and we are so excited. 

Looking back at these pictures makes me realize how much the kids have grown physically and in maturity in the last year. 

 

We will share pics from this years adventure when we get back. 

Have you been to the orchard yet?

Busy busy

Life is so busy lately and I am prioritizing which means blogging is low on the list.  Family first and then work and entertainment is last.  I miss keeping up with everyone but I will be back soon.  I have a few cool fall crafts to share and hopefully I will have pictures soon since I did buy a new camera.  In the meantime here are a few pics from vacation that I am not sure I shared.  Oh wait I have yet to share any from vacation on here. 

 Griffin with friend Vinny

 

 dragon fly that kept landing on fishing pole

 shakes at Steak N Shake

 Proof that Bill and I were on the trip- all the pictures are of the kids

 snuggling in condo

a few thoughts

Lately I am trying to regroup and get myself in a better place.  Life is so precious yet I feel like I am being swept away at times and I really want to slow down.  Here are some thoughts and goals:

• quality over quantity
• capture the little moments
• savor
• listen
• breathe

Toolbox fascination

Griffin discovered Bill's toolbox a few weekends ago, and he literally spent hours playing with the tools. He was so funny, he had to be sitting on his scooter while he played with the tools. He took the adapters for a socket wrench (I think) and kept arranging them by size. He practiced using pliers to pick up smaller tools. He was so cute (and sweaty) sitting in the driveway for hours while Bill worked in the yard.

Good article- 10 ways to be a Happier Mom

Have you ever been on the (In) courage website?  Well I browse it from time to time and this is advice worth sharing.  10 ways to be a happier mom!  I love number 6, 8, 9, well actually all of them!  Which number speaks to you most? 

Fishing

Griffin and friend Vinny matched!

Sydney caught the first fish

sibling fishing side by side, waiting for the bite

I love black and white pictures

Griffin's first fish (he wanted Sydney to hold it)

Vinny's first fish

my friend dragon fly that kept landing on the pole

my first catch

Sydney caught this turtle

Once again we had a great time fishing while at the beach, it is a nice change of pace from the actual beach.

First Grade

Introducing our first grader....Sydney Hall!  Wow when did our baby girl grow up? I truly feel like not that long ago she was just a little baby.  She is so grown up and mature.  She is the best big sister (95% of the time).  She is getting a big girl, mature, beautiful face and losing that baby face.  Today was a great day.  She helped me pack her lunch and we took a few pictures at home.  (pictures are a but blurry due to me dropping my camera on vacation, yes I need a new one FAST)  We took Griffin to daycare and met Bill at the school. 

Little brother wanting to be part of the excitement.

We met her teacher, Mrs Knapp and looked around her classroom.  We took a few more pictures.  (I did have Bill take a few on his IPhone just in case my camera was as messed up as I thought). 

We gave our baby girl hugs and kisses and told her to have a great day. 

When I picked her up this afternoon she said it was a good day.  She was on red, which is the best color in first grade.  She is excited about being allowed to buy ice cream on Fridays and also being able to go to computer lab.  We are excited for another year of learning and growing.

words of advice

"Be who you are and say what you feel

because those who mind don't matter

and those who matter don't mind." 

Dr Seuss

healthy lemon poppy seed muffins

I found this recipe on food.com and it was a hit!  I will be making these to pack in Sydney's lunch.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 lemons (juice and rind)
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp poppy seeds

Directions:
Mix eggs and wet ingredients, beat until smooth and add dry ingredients.  I also added some ground flax seed.  Bake at 350 for 10 min, just golden on top. 

School Lunch Ideas

We are gearing up for back to school and I am going to make an effort to provide Sydney with healthy and yummy lunches.  Sydney is not what I would call a picky eater but she is my pickier eater (does that make sense).  Last year I packed her lunch some of the time and then she ate school lunch when groceries were low or when I did not have things she wanted.  I know the school offers fruits and veggies but she can be picky about these and often would tell me she did not eat any of the fruits or veggies offered.  We have been trying to eat less processed food which is more work for me and some weeks it is just challenging.  I have been trying more recipes to put in my go to menu options that are not processed and healthy. 
So these are some of my ideas for Syd's lunches:

Muffin:  poppy seed (I will share recipe in next few days), pumpkin chocolate, banana oatmeal and zuchini with chocolate chips

Bean dip and chips
egg salad with mini triscuits
pimento cheese with triscuits
trail mix

meat and cheese roll ups
whole wheat bread with PB and nutella
yogurt
fruit- maybe kabobs
carrots with ranch or spinach dip

You can actually subscribe to this blog for a menu.   My goal is to pack my children a nutritous and yummy lunch that will give them the energy they need for their day.  Do you have any suggestions?

5 years ago- Sydney and Sam

Five years ago a picture very similar to this one made the Montgomery Herald newspaper.  We were attending the Candor Peach Festival and a photographer noticed Sydney and her friend Sam (weren't they just adorable).

Hard to believe it has been five years and these two kids are 7 this year!

Griffin

Tissue Paper Night Lights

My kids love to craft (and so do I) so I am always looking for new craft ideas. I actually have a file of craft ideas and I have lots of craft supplies. I saw this idea on Kiwi Crate's website and I knew it would be fun. I had the jars, tissue paper and glue, I just had to buy the battery operated tea lights.

I let the kids cut their own squares of paper and then go to town on covering the jars. 

the finished product

we had so much fun and it was very simple and not too messy

 

I may actually make some myself to decorate our mantle at Christmas.  We could have added glitter or ribbon or sequins to dress them up a bit but we kept it simple today.  If you try this craft let me know and share how yours turned out. 

Closet organization

Our house is challenged in the way of closets- both the kids rooms have walk in closets but our room has two small wall closets. I store numerous things in both of the closets, seasonal items, games, craft supplies, wrapping paper, gifts, baby items and more. Every so many months things just seem to get out of hand and it is hard to even walk in the closet and then hard to find what I am looking for. So the kids and I decided to completely empty, and organize the closet.

 

Can you see Griffin trying to hide? Once the closet was empty I vacuumed and dusted the shelves.

 

all the stuff spread out

we threw away a few things and organized some things better, for example all the rubber stamps were mixed up and Sydney helped me categorize them

 

Everything back in the closet- ah I feel so much better when things are organized.

Do you enjoy organizing?

good morning

 

This is what our crew looks like in the morning.  Bed head, sleepy eyes and hungry bellies.  They wake up talking about what they want for breakfast!

 

These days will pass so quickly we are trying to capture all the moments.

VBS

Once again VBS is another summer highlight.  This is the first year Griffin has been old enough to actually participate in the main event and I wanted to be his crew leader.  He has always enjoyed being in the nursery and he actually requested that I let him go there a few times during the week.  Being Griffin's crew leader meant that I was not with Sydney and I did miss seeing her but she was in capable hands.

 

Griffin making a cross with his hand prints on a shield 

Game using Vaseline to help cotton balls stick to the kids noses- the cotton balls were sheep and they were trying to get them all in the pen.  We talked about David watching over his sheep.

It was so funny to watch them

Griffin decorating his crown with jewels

getting ready to fill cross necklaces with colored sand

Praise time back with all the groups, so sweet that my kids wanted to be together

Sydney ready to climb the rock wall (family night fun on the last night)

She was amazing and fearless!