Overdue: Updates

Wow! I didn't realize that it has been almost two years since my last post! Things get busy, children get more involved in school activities (especially when they are in High School!)

Family updates.
Virginia is a sophomore in high school, I still can't believe that she is 16, and learning to drive, has a boy friend, and is talking about college! She had chosen a career path even! She is working towards Graphic Design, she had applied to the CTE program at school that gets her a head start on getting there. In the fall she played golf and made it to sectional competition,  and earned her Letter! Along with that she performed with the Marching Band.  So, she had a busy start to the school year!

Rebekah is freshman in high school. She has had a pretty good year.  She helped out with the Marching Band on the sidelines flipping cards. She also played Varsity Soccer! This girl will play any position that you ask, she even played goalie this year! She also earned her Letter! She has chosen a plan for her future also, she is working towards being a mechanic. Next Fall she is taking an intro to mechanics class!

Ellyn had been keeping us busy too as a 4th grader. She has been a part of a couple of after school activities including Robotics Club, Ukulele Club and piano lessons. Out side of school she takes Taekwando classes, she is currently a Purple Belt and will be testing next weekend for her Blue Recommended Belt, she is also part of the Leadership program that does special classes and have a special form that they learn between testing. She has used Nun Chucks and a Bow Staff. She has participated in 2 tournaments and placed in each one. Her first tournament she earned 3 second places in each event ( Forms, Sparing and Combat Sparing). Last weekend she had her second tournament she earned 3rd places in Forms and Combat Sparing.   She is learning a lot!

As for Tate and I, you can see that we are busy running everyone around and being very proud of the young women we are raising.  But, I guess we do have it own things going on too. Tate has a second job as a dog trainer with PetsMart four days a week.

As for me, I am the main driver....and am also learning about Essential Oils. I decided at the beginning of the year to start and not adventure in oils. I hope to share what I am learning.

Until we meet again....be blessed and relaxed!

Happy New Year! It's 2015!

Happy New Year! It is the start to a new year once again. Time for new beginnings, changes, and just over all a fresh start.

The last year held a lot for us between reconnecting with a high school friend, taking care of health issues, and making job changes. All of these were actually good things. The health issues reconnected us with the friend, so that is a bonus in my book.

As for the job changes they were good for us too. Tate did not coach football this last Fall, giving him the opportunity to watch his girls play sports, Virginia playing volleyball and Rebekah playing soccer! And it was a great season for both. Virginia was awarded the MVP for the season and Rebekah was awarded the Coaches Award!

I decided it was time to leave the YMCA. It was not an easy decision to make as I loved the kids that I was caring for and the parents too! I started the summer with a vacation (very well deserved). We went camping and checked out some new places. Tate and I went on a camping getaway without the kids to St. Claire, MI. It is beautiful! We will do that trip again. It was nice to just reconnect with eachother. We also camped at Bear Cave in Buchanan, MI; Twin Mills in Howe, IN; and Beaver Ridge in Lakeville, IN (this is where we start and end our camping season).

So, where am I working now? I am working for the school corporation. I started with the Food and Nutrition Department working with the schools and families to complete meal and textbook applications for free and reduced meals and textbook assistance. I loved getting to know the staff in the schools I was working with. In the middle of all that, I was asked to be the Building Substitute Teacher at Ellyn's school! I accepted and I love it! I have gone on field trips that I missed out on with the older girls, but I still kind of missed out because I wasn't with my own children, but I am happy that I got to go with the students I see everyday.

As you can see we have been busy with activities and enjoying family time together. I hope that this continues into the next year as there is a lot more to see and do!

Happy New Year and I hope to write again soon!

Camping

So, we have become a camping family! At first I was not really on board for this sleeping outside,  being eaten by mosquitoes, smelling like bug spray and smoke, no air conditioning and I could go on. But, it is growing on me. We have already gone twice since Memorial Day.

Our first outing of the season we start on Memorial Day weekend at Beaver Ridge in Lakeville, IN. It is a great family campground. We camp with a group of friends from church, and it is a great time! The kids can go pretty much anywhere on the camp grounds and we feel safe about it. They have all kinds of activities during the weekend- bingo, scavenger hunts, and kids fun.

Our second trip this year was to Bear Cave Resort in Buchanan, MI. Our friends Kat and Wally joined us for their first camping trip. It was a lot of fun having them with us. Our camp site was along the St Joseph River. And not too far away was a playground for the kiddos. Believe it or not there is actually a cave! They give tours and it was really cool. There is a lot of history that goes with the cave. I just wish that I could remember it, I was trying to get good pictures with my phone...they didn't turn out too great. But I did get some good ones of the actual camp.

The next time we go to Bear Cave we plan on taking a site near the waterfall!

So the camping adventures will continue. We even have an adult only weekend planned! And of course many more family adventures!

See you out in God's beautiful creation!

Struggling

**** I found this as a draft and thought i would post it. I wrote this originally in May 2013. Some of these thoughts still plague me from time to time. It ends quite abruptly, so I cannot finish it as I do not know how I was going to end it at that time. ****

This seems to be the theme this week. There are so many things that I struggle with. My weight, my house, my kids, my husband, and the list can go on. But, it is that time of year where the kids are getting ready to finish school and I start struggling with who I am and what I want to do with my life. I know, I am 37 years old and I have no clue where I am going and what I am doing. I know I want to be with my kids. I know I want to relax. I know that I want to be happy and stress free (haha, I know, I have 3 kids).

I think I know what I want, and then I don't. I think I know what I am good at, but am I good at what I think I am?

This week I feel like I have failed a little at raising my kids, we had our first ISS this week for insubordination. Thank you oldest child. This is so unlike her, and she didn't fess up either. Tate got an email form another teacher that we know telling us, and we thank you! I know that there are a lot of changes going on, changing teachers is a new thing for her.

Changes

Well, I know it has been quite a while since I have actually written anything and of course I could give you a bunch of excuses and all that but we will leave it as I am just busy with life.

I am taking a leap and making changes that I hope will make me a happier person. I am leaping into a new job in July and I am very excited to get started. I will be working for our school system. I will fill you in on the details at a later date once I get started.

It is late so I am going to turn in for the night. In the days and weeks to come I will have a bit more time to get caught up on a lot of things and my blog is going to be one of those things!

**written June 21, 2014**

Fear

Fear is never something that many people like to deal with in any way. But, sometimes you have to face that fear. I know that a lot of parents kept their children home today. I sent mine to school. There was a threat that was made that was spanning 2 counties, saying that there would be a school shooting today.

I am not saying that it was easy to send any of my children to school, and even my husband for that matter, but, if I am going to let someone other than God to control my fears, then I have let that person win the day.

I can say that I went to Ellyn's school today to change some contact information and they did exactly what I knew they would do, they asked who I was and what I was there for. I also spoke to our resource staff and they have even been asking Staff when they buzz in who they are. They are being as diligent as ever on keeping my child safe. 

I am not telling any of you that you were wrong to keep you children home, but just know that they are safe. I can say that I did see a lot of things that did frustrate me today such as seeing kids that were kept home from school wandering the streets with out an adult. Who had the better chance of staying safe today, the children at school or those that were out wandering with out the protection of an adult?

**I am posting this as these are my feelings on the matter. We all feel differently and I am not out for a debate. So, I am going to ask that if you read this please do not turn this into one. Thank you.**

Whoa!

Oh wow! I can't believe I haven't been on blogging since August! That must only mean one thing, I am a busy woman, mom and wife!

I guess that this is true. I am no longer a stay at home mom, which I miss very much. When the baby goes off to Kindergarten it is time for mommy to go back to work. I got very lucky with my job search, and it is good to know people! I am working at our local Y in their child care area. It is pretty fun, I get to play with kids and get crafty from time to time. Things change pretty fast there. When I started in September there were mostly pre-school aged kids, now we have a lot of 2 year olds and quite a few babies (I get a baby fix every day!). So, sometimes we don't always get to a craft, but we are always ready!

Virginia has been one busy student! She is really enjoying the whole band thing! She is in the Concert Band, the Jazz Band, and she was also invited to be part of the South Bend Community Schools Honor Band this year! I am so proud of her. She is playing my trumpet, which has seen better days. Some of the braces are coming unsoddered. This summer it will be taking a visit to the local music shop to get fixed up.

Rebekah is busy being Rebekah. She is in the orchestra this year which got off to a rough start. We have a wonderful director that started about 5 weeks ago, and I hope that next year will get off to a better start. They didn't play for almost 3 months. I am excited to hear them play sometime this spring in a concert. Rebekah likes to spend time working on her drawing. She told me today that she wants to be a cartoon artist. I think that she will be great with some practice!

Ellyn is one busy bee! She is really enjoying Kindergarten. She is very smart, as long as she slows down to practice her sight words. She loves math, she counts all the time! And she jsut lsot her first tooth! I can't believe that she is growing up so fast.

All of the girls are growing fast, where is the pause button?

Tate has been busy too. In the Fall he coached football at the High School level! He loved it! He will be coaching again next year. He is already busy with weight lifting. This winter he coached wrestling at the middle school level, he seemed to enjoy it. We are hoping for some more changes for him in the fall with his teaching. I will keep you posted as things happen.

That is what is up with us in a nut shell. I hope that you all have been well, and I promise to do better keeping up!

Random Catch Up!

Well, school has begun! I now have 2 in middle school (this starts in 5th grade for South Bend Community Schools) and a Kindergartener! Time has flown this Summer! And here is the recap!

For 8 weeks I was part of a wonderfully fabulous camp called RECESS! It is a summer day camp that our church, Living Stones Church, puts on for the apartment complex that is up the street and them Elemantary school. It was a blast! I worked with children that are going into Kindergarten and First Grade- they were a great bunch of kids! I grew to love every single one of them! We did all kinds of crafts, science projects, played games (favorite of mine was Silent Ball), and played in the water. We even took field trips! Swimming at a local pool, bowling, WNDU Weather Center, and Coveleski Stadium! These were a lot of fun. At the weather station we got to play in front of the Green Screen! Those were a great 8 weeks, even though it was HOT!

Tate is still coaching football, but at a different school. He is movin' on up! He is coaching at Clay High School and working mostly with the Freshman team. However, the head coach also has him calling Special Teams for the Varsity! He is so excited and happy! I am still adjusting to the schedule as he is gone from 6:30 in the morning until 9 at night.

With all the kids in school I have gotten my self a part-time gig. I am still doing child care but out side the home. This should help me with getting the house cleaned up (yeah, right). I have also committed myself to helping out at Ellyn's school one day a week. I am hoping to find a day to help at the middle school too, but need to take it slow.

I am also keeping my self busy with yarn! I completed 2 vests in the last 5 months or so and am now working on a sweater for myself. The vests were the first things that I have ever been paid to make! I was honored and excited to finish them- they turned out really good! Here is a picture of one of the vests.

I am going to try to keep up with this more since every one is at school and I will have just a little time to my self!

Is it a Cookie or a Brownie?

I think that these might be the death of any diet if you are on one! One of the girls at our 4th grade youth group was talking about these and I figured, why not make them to celebrate Rebekah's birthday! All I can say is that they are AWESOME!


You start with chocolate chip cookie dough (I made mine from scratch, you can use refrigerator dough if you like) 

On top of the cookie you place either a peanut butter cup or an Oreo.

Top that with brownie batter and bake at 350 for about 18 minutes!

 

And this is what you get! 

I like them both, so I can't tell you which one I prefer! They are both creamy and rich. The Oreo even gets soft, so don't expect any crunch to it. 

I hope that you enjoy!

Asparagus!

Asparagus is one of those veggies that I only ever really steam. But, I found this really good recipe that I wanted to try so, I did! And every one loved it! It is called Baked Asparagus Fries.  You can find the recipe here Baked Asparagus Fries. 

I did have to tweak things just a bit as I did not have panko bread crumbs or almonds. Instead I used Sea Salt and Black Pepper croutons that I crushed in the blender. I did not make any of the sauces that are on the web site- we will save that for another day!

For the main dish I made pork loin chops with sage and apples. This is one that I jut threw together thanks to an idea from my friend Jessica! I sprinkled ground sage on the chops and then sliced apples to put on top, Tate thought that I was making a pie...they were good too!

 Enjoy the pics of the girls enjoying!

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

"Oh, oh, oh- this is good!" - Tate
"Awesome." - Virginia
"Yummy." - Rebekah
Ellyn just agreed with everyone. 

So, I have found another good one! Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole. You can find the recipe here.

Thanks Pinterest! 

 I used a Basil & Garlic spaghetti sauce for mine, I like the way it makes it a little sweeter. I also used a full 16 ounces of spaghetti. Next time I would add a couple more ounces of cream cheese (I would also cube it, so that it melts a bit better) and a tad more sauce. I also used Parmesan cheese out of the jar- because that is what I had on hand, I am sure that it is even better with some fresh grated on top.

If you are a pasta lover like this family I suggest that you give this a try!

Challenge to Myself

I am going to give myself a little challenge. A Food Challenge to be exact. You see, there is this site called www.pinterest.com. It is filled with so many things ranging from recipes to home improvement! I love it! So, what I want to do is try at least one new recipe that I find on there at least once a week if not more.

Today I want to tell you about a dish that we have already enjoyed twice! We love Monkey Bread! With that said there is this really good variation out there called Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring. You can find the recipe here.

I have been bad about taking pictures of my food, and I promise to get better at it!

For Easter I decorated cupcakes- they were inspired by Pinterest too, and I DID take pictures of those!

 Yes, this is a bunny with no eyes, I forgot to make a color for them, so I only made one.

My Bunny Buns cupcakes!

Here We Go!

I have been gone awhile once again. Last night at a meeting we were talking about blogs, and I realized that I needed to get back in the game- so, here I am! I didn't want my first blog back to be about random thoughts, so we are going to talk about food! One of my favorite things!
Last summer I was on a burger kick and blogged about all the different ones we were making- some were really good and we will have them again this summer. But, for now we are still on comfort foods, seeing as the weather cannot make up its mind as to if it is Winter, Spring or Summer. I am hoping that we are heading the right direction now, 59 degrees ans sunny today.
I joined Pinterest.com a couple of months ago and have found some things that have been pretty good. One dish I made last night, Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken. You can get the Recipe here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-honey-sesame-chicken-recipe.html

It was pretty good, and very easy to make. The kids and Tate really enjoyed it. I on the other hand thought it could have been better. I think there was too much soy sauce, I will make it again and cut back on the soy sauce. Unfortunately I did not think about taking pictures. I am glad that everyone enjoyed it!

Growing up

My sweet girl Ellyn is growing up. She has been asking for the past couple of weeks to get her ears pierced. Well, today was the day, we did it. I told her that it was going to hurt. She said okay. I asked her if she really still wanted to get them done. The answer, yes. She cried. It took us a couple of minutes to get her to let us do the other ear, but she did it.

Just a Minute

I am taking just a minute to write a little. We have had a busy few weeks. Nothing much, just Girl Scouts, Youth Groups and Adult Group training. And that is just the beginning, as February starts back up all of our after school activities!

Well, if you look back at my last post I was talking about Virginia and how she has grown and how she was asked to dance by a boy at school. Well, he has been wooing her. And this week asked her to be his girl friend. Oh My! Well, she said yes. I guess that we will be having a talk about what it appropriate behavior....

I am going to try to post a bit more often. I was asked this week if I blog about my yarn projects. Well, really I don't. But, I think that I may start. It would be a great practice for me to start. So, we will see.

Well, tomorrow is a big day as I have a new baby that I will be watching! God continues to show me where I am needed, and it makes me happy!

4 Months

That is how long it has been since I have blogged. I think that it is a bit sad. That means that I must have been busy with something.

Well, it has been busy, I have 3 girls all growing up so fast, and a little boy that I watch that keeps me on my toes.

Virginia has done a lot of growing up in the last 4 months. She attended her first dance at school at the beginning of December. She talked non stop about the evening until we got home and saw Dad. She clammed up fast! There were no slow dances, but she did get asked by a boy to dance. She said "yes". I can believe that she is becoming such a young lady. She also is playing the trumpet in the school band and had her first concert, I teared up a little. They sounded really good for the first time performing. Listening to her practice at home, I was a bit worried. But, as the concert got closer she sounded so much better. She even told me one night that she had the music memorized!

Virginia is also my reader. Since the summer she has finished the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, the Kane Chronicle series and several other books too! I am so glad that she enjoys reading after her rough start.

Rebekah is also growing fast. She is in the 4th Grade Choir at school, and they also performed at the beginning of December. I love their programs- short and sweet. They are kept under 45 minutes.

Ellyn is loving school. She has just been busy being 4.

As for Tate and I we have been busy with our own things. I have been busy making Christmas gifts and trying to keep up on all the house work, this is not easy for some reason. Just life in general.

Well, that is a quick update on the life in this home.

Memories

I hope that one day some of the pictures I take will take me back to remember the sounds of that day.

For instance, Ellyn squealing with laughter as the waves chase her out of the water.

The crashing of waves on the beach as we walk along and find foot prints

and shells in the sand.

Pictures can take us back to places that we have cherished and bring back memories of long ago, while memories of today are made.

What's for Dinner?

This is the never ending question in almost every family. It is almost always asked by Tate as soon as he walks in the door. Although, lately I have had dinner ready and waiting for him by the time he gets home- it is football season.

Tonight's answer to the question is....Feta and Bacon Stuffed Chicken.

Yummy! This was great! Very rich flavors. I could only eat half, because it was filling. Feta, sour cream, bacon, pepper and oregano were the stuffing. You then coat the stuffed chicken with flour, dredge in egg, coat in bread crumbs and then brown it in the bacon grease. To finish cooking through you bake it for about 20-25 minutes. OH MY! I recommend that you try this at least once. I am sure that I will make it again, but not just for us. Bekah was one of the only kids that did not like the filling, but that is okay, I told them that if they didn't like the filling they still had to eat the chicken. Here are the delicious pictures!

The inside

Yumm!!

 

 

 

There you go! I served rice as the side, and it was perfect. The recipe also in cludes directions for Onion Mashed Potatoes. I opted for the rice since we already had mashed potatoes for dinner the other night.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/feta-and-bacon-stuffed-chicken-with-onion-mashed-potatoes/detail.aspx

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

"Where were you when....?"

This is a question that is all over the news as September 11th approaches. Here are the answers to the big question for my lifetime.

1. Where were you when the Challenger exploded? I was at Cleveland Elementary walking by the Library when I saw it.

2. Where were you when the Twin Towers were hit? I was working at Quality Dining and was 2  months pregnant with Rebekah.

Time seems to stop. Those are the questions for my generation.

The questions for our parents ad grand parents? Where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed? Where were you when Kennedy was shot? And then of course the two above.

What are your answers to the above questions? Did I miss one for my generation or any other?

What prompted this blog this morning? A story on CBS Early show comparing Pearl Harbor and the Twin Towers. Below is the link if you would like to see it.

http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_early_show/video/?pid=_YQ0SGqROsNfsT_k5zqQntDQG5uWnKz6&vs=Default&play=true

Tequila

Yup, tequila. I made the Tequila Lime Burgers last night for dinner. OH were they good! Moist. Very moist. They barely stayed together. I added some extra ingredients because I just had the feeling they were not going to stay together. But, they were good! Virginia ate 2 of them! Here is the link.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tequila-lime-burgers/detail.aspx

As our side we had chips and salsa.

I guess that if I am going to tell you about these burgers I should take pictures of them. I am sure that we will be making these again, so pictures will come!

Enjoy!