Tasty Tuesdays!

I don't have much time to post today, but I'll leave you with a holiday recipe that is crazy easy, crazy delicious, and perfect as a last minute holiday gift. I just made these for the first time this year, and they are to die for. Just make a batch of these Cookie Dough Truffles, and just "let the magic happen" as my brother-in-law Rich would say.

Cookie Dough Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
splash of milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 (12 oz) bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

Mix butter, sugars, and the splash of milk until combined. Add in flour and salt, and mix to combine. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Roll into 1 inch balls, and place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for about an hour. Melt about 3/4 of the bag of chocolate chips (you can always add more later if you need more) over a low heat until completely melted. Stir in oil, and mix well. Dip balls of cookie dough into chocolate to coat completely, and shake off any excess. I have found the best method is to use two forks to dip and shake. Return balls to foil, and refrigerate until hardened. Package up as is, or adhere some sprinkles or dots to the very top with a little melted chocolate to dress them up a bit. Get fat jeans out of closet. Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesdays!

TASTY TUESDAY!

Today's recipes are my favorite holiday cookie and gift-worthy recipes. I often make little gift boxes with several of my cookie and candy recipes to give to neighbors, Sunday School and Awana leaders, and some of my friends. They are recipes my kids ask me to make every Christmas that they look forward to having only this time of year. I don't think I've ever made these outside of the month of December. It would be strange. Almost sacreligious.

My boys have grown old enough to be in the kitchen with me making these. I think they could almost run the show for me these days, they're so helpful. Far are the days when we used to make and decorate sugar cookies and it would take me hours to clean up the mess, albeit worth it. Sprinkles and colored candy decorating dots and balls would appear seemingly out of nowhere days after. My sister can verify this, just ask her about the mess they would leave. Of course, that was just last year. Just kidding.

Anyways, we were all in the kitchen yesterday making some of these recipes, buzzing around, our hearts aglow and listening to Christmas music. It's the makings for some great memories. So here are some recipes. If this just isn't enough for you, visit my sister's blog for some more great holiday recipes.

Peppermint Patties

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese

1 tsp peppermint extract

9 cups powdered sugar (2 lb bag plus 1/2 cup more)

1 (12 oz) bag semisweet chocolate chips

3 1/2 tbsp canola oil

Beat the cream cheese with the extract until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar in several additions, mixing well after each. Dough will be very stiff. Cover two cookie sheets with foil. Take pieces of dough, and shape into 1 inch balls. Place onto cookie sheet. When you are finished rolling the balls, flatten each ball into a patty with the heel of your hand. You can tidy up the edges a bit with your fingers, if needed. Refrigerate the patties for about an hour, or until firm. When ready, prepare your chocolate. Add oil to the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave on high at 30 second increments, until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir well. Take a few patties out of the fridge at a time, and dip each one in the chocolate mix. The best way to do this is to grip the patty around the edges with your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. Dip both sides, then shake off the excess. You can also drag the patty along the side of the bowl to remove excess if desired. Return to the foil lined cookies sheet. When you are finished dipping all the patties, return to the refrigerator to harden for at least an hour. When hardened, remove each patty from foil and store in ziplocs or airtight container in the freezer.

Grandma Lorrie's Cheesecake Cookies

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine brown sugar, walnuts, flour, and butter. Mix well. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture for topping. Press the remainder into a greased 8 X 8 pan, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well until creamy (mixture will be runny). Pour over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake for 25 minutes, or until set. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in the freezer.

Toffee

1 lb butter

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

semisweet chocolate chips (1/2-3/4 of a 12 oz bag, depending on how thick you spread it)

chopped almonds

In a large pot cook butter, sugar, and water, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a hard boil (about 7 minutes). Check with candy thermometer. The temperature must be 300-310. Color will go from fluffy white, to a very light tan, to a medium tan, to a deep rich golden brown and thinned mixture. Make sure to constantly stir to ensure you do not burn the mixture. When done, pour into a jelly roll pan, tilting pan to spread mixture to all the corners. Cool in refrigerator. When hardened, melt chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Working in small batches, spread the chocolate over the toffee, then sprinkle with almonds, pressing the nuts gently into the chocolate. Repeat the process until the entire sheet is covered in chocolate and nuts. Return to the refrigerator to harden. When done, use the sharp point of a sturdy knife and break the toffee into random sized pieces. Store the toffee in ziplocs in the freezer.

Tasty Tuesdays!

TASTY TUESDAYS!

This week's recipe is one of my absolute favorites. I may have even posted it before. My sister got this recipe from the Food Network chef Giada Di Laurentiis. She made it one night, and told me, "You have GOT to try this right away!" It is so delicious, homey and comforting, and actually very inexpensive. My kids love it so much, they have asked me to make it for Christmas Eve dinner with Dave's family this year. So, here it is. It's pot roast. It's simply amazing. It will make you squeal with delight. But only if you serve it with mashed potatoes. Really, I mean it. Oh, and you can eliminate the mushrooms if you want. I always do. But don't eliminate the wine. I repeat, do not eliminate the wine. It imparts a flavor that you just can't get without using it. Just buy yourself some two-buck-chuck over at Trader Joe's, and let the remainder of the bottle just sit in the back of your fridge until you make a big pot of spaghetti sauce or a beef stew. It goes great in either of those!

Giada's Straccoto

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 3/4 cups canned beef broth
1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish (I have substituted dried)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 6-quart roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes total cooking time. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Add remaining tablespoon oil to the pan, add the onions and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the wine and boil 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms. Return the beef to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, turning the beef over halfway through cooking, about 3 hours.

Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Combine the sauce and rosemary sprig in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter and garnish with rosemary. Spoon the sauce over and serve, passing the remaining sauce in a sauce boat.

Thanksgiving Camping Trip 2009

What we did for Thanksgiving.........


Deep fried turkeys for our HUGE Thanksgiving Feast (thanks Rich)!!!

Hung around with friends.

Enjoyed the beautiful weather amongst great friends.

Relaxed in the sun with the dogs.

Rode dirt bikes, of course. That's my guy.

Made sure I got one picture with me in it. To prove I was there.

Cousins hanging out.

Man ride.

Rode and ate. Ate and rode.

Slept. On a dog bed that didn't belong to her.

Dad and son ride.

Dune buggy adventures.

Made homemade donuts in the deep fryer. Yum.

Slept in this home for three days. Made memories for a lifetime.

Tasty Tuesdays

TASTY TUESDAYS!!!

This week's recipe is one I often go to in the wintertime. I just love the winter! Stews, soups, and chilis are so easy, heart warming, and often economical. This soup recipe came from a dear friend of mine, Kelly. It was one of her regular recipes, and once I tried it, I was hooked. I am almost always asked for this recipe when I serve it. It is so ridiculously easy, and you can't mess it up. Even if you don't have all the ingredients, it still comes out amazing every time, even if you leave something out or substitute. Best of all, it can be made with ingredients you probably always keep on hand. Whip up a pot of this soon, and serve it with a nice salad on the side. I like a salad with romaine lettuce, red cabbage, some crumbled cotija cheese, and some pepitas with a cilantro dressing. Mmm......I'll add my salad dressing recipe at the bottom as a bonus!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
15 oz beef broth
15 oz chicken broth (sometimes I use just all beef or all chicken)
2 (29 oz) cans crushed tomatoes (use diced if you like chunks)
4 large chicken breasts, frozen or fresh
1 can corn (opt)
1 can black beans (opt-add in just before serving)
2 tsp worcestershire
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp each chili powder, cumin, and sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup minced jalapenos

Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add remaining ingredients (add chicken frozen). Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and return to pot. Simmer 10 minutes more, or until ready to serve. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, cilantro, and avocado.

Cilantro Dressing

1 cup mayo
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp each pepper, cayenne, cumin

Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Tasty Tuesdays Premier Recipe!

TASTY TUESDAYS ARE HERE!!!

My sister has been telling me for some time that I really should feature some of my favorite recipes for you all each week. I really don't think that many people read my blog, so I never really felt the need to post beyond our family chronicles. However, my sister has told me countless stories of how vast the blogging community can be, and how her recipes and tips have been used by friends of friends of friends. People she had no idea were reading her blog. So in the interest of all you people that I may not even know (but would love to!), and for those of you who are stalking me (I know, it's in a good way!), here are some things you may enjoy!

I have been saying this for years, so just make a mental footnote: I do not claim to be a good cook. I absolutely love cooking, baking, trying new recipes, etc. And I strive to always improve as a worker at home in all aspects of my homemaking, especially in the kitchen. In my many years of being a wife and mommy, I have learned how to really follow recipes well. But I do not create, so if you're looking for some Alton Brown type and the science behind the techniques, look elsewhere. We will not be learning about reductions, or how to temper eggs, or the like. Wow, I surprise myself that I even know those words. I actually even know those techniques. But I won't be using such culinary skills here. The recipes I will be featuring on my blog are just my beloved, tried and true, often requested by my children, and enjoyed on a regular basis recipes. Most are not complicated, and can be guaranteed success by any home cook, wife, or mother. So enjoy! Just for fun, I may throw in something new I've learned and mastered, so stay tuned. I just may surprise you (or myself for that matter). But be patient with me, I still have yet to master a double layer cake that is not lopsided. But I make some mean cookies. And beef jerky, too. By the way, don't you just love the old-fashioned picture above. It is my goal to have a smiling and happy husband, and children that look at my brownies with love and delight! Except, who's that little girl? And what happened to my other two boys looking at my brownies with delight? And am I serving them soda with their brownies??? And Dave doesn't usually come home from work in a suit and a hat. Maybe it's not such a good picture after all.

I thought I'd start off with a holiday relevant recipe, and one of my go-to recipes whenever I need to make a pie. I am not really good at pies (ask my niece Emma about my peach pie disaster), but I always hit a home run, especially with my hubby, with this easy apple pie.
You only need a bottom crust, so even if your crust isn't perfect, the apples and the crumb topping will shine in this recipe.

Dutch Apple Pie

You can cheat and use a frozen crust, or you can use this simple recipe:

Butter Pie Crust:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in butter with pastry blender until pea-sized pieces form. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Makes two crusts, but you will only need one for this recipe. Freeze the other for future use. When ready, roll out your crust and place into pie pan. Do this before preparing the filling.

Filling:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup soft butter
6 cups peeled and sliced apples (I use a combo of Fuji and Gala)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Before peeling and slicing apples, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter. Blend until crumbly, and set aside. Now peel and slice the apples, and combine apples with sugar and cinnamon. Pour into pie crust. Sprinkle all of the topping over the apples. Bake for 50 minutes or until apples are tender. Keep an eye on the pie towards the end. You may need to cover with foil to prevent overbrowning the topping.

Happy Thanksgiving! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

Thanksgiving is Coming!!

While the holidays are usually very hectic, I do love them indeed. I so much enjoy our family traditions, old and new. It has always been my desire to create memories for my boys that they will take into adulthood. Not only memories built around holidays, but year round. And not just frivolous memories, but memories of eternal and spiritual value, as well.


With that said, if you read my sister's blog, you will know what kind of Thanksgiving I grew up having. I was laughing as I read her post, because all of it was true. It made me laugh, but it also made me miss Mom. She always put love into our meal, even if that love did come from a can! And I have truly warm feeling when I recall our many Thanksgivings together as a family of four- Mom, Dad, Karen, and I.


When I got married, my sister and I began taking over the task of making the Thanksgiving meal, and letting my parents enjoy just being the recipients! I remember the first time I cooked my very own turkey. I was very nervous about messing that bird up. I felt like all the expectation for a perfectly moist turkey like my Dad used to make was on me. Wow, what a burden. I remember calling my Mom more than once for directions. OK, pull out bags of stuff from cavity (yucky). OK, temperature, Got it. OK, so-and-so minutes per pound. OK, got it. And actually, it came out perfect. I was surprised. I still get that nervous feeling every time I have to cook a turkey. I am always afraid of undercooking or overcooking!



Anyways, my story of the Thanksgiving meal I grew up having versus the meal Dave grew up with is not unlike my sister's story of her first Thanksgiving with Rich's family. Our table had turkey, homemade stuffing (made by my Dad usually), sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows perfectly melted and browned on top, canned gravy, no vegetables whatsoever, canned cranberry sauce, brown and serve rolls served with "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter", and pumpkin pie for dessert, with a huge dollop of Cool Whip. Dave's Mom made the entire meal, all by herself. It consisted of ham or turkey, mashed potatoes (what?), gravy, sometimes sweet potatoes, "green stuff" (explanation later), no cranberries, and honestly I don't remember the rest. Because it wasn't too many years until I began making my own meal. And when I did, Dave advised me that it was necessary to make mashed potatoes and gravy. Actually the word "necessary" is kind of an understatement. It was more like a "how-can-you-have-Thanksgiving-dinner-without-mashed-potatoes?" kind of statement. I didn't dare to leave them out, out of fear for being questioned by one of his family members. I envisioned someone saying "Where are the mashed potatoes?" I honestly think I made one Thanksgiving meal without them and having one member of his family ask me where they were. Dave insists he would not have let me make the meal without them. Who knows?


Today, Thanksgiving is usually a joint effort between my sister and I, alternating houses each year. Whoever hosts does the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, and the remaining sides are split up. We usually include my family and Dave's as well. Dave's Mom always brings the "Green Stuff." I promised to elaborate, so here it is. It is actually called "Watergate Salad," and it is made with Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, pistachio pudding, mini marshmallows, and sometimes pecans and mandarin oranges. It is fluffy and green, hence the name "Green Stuff."
For some reason, I have loved that stuff since the first day I tried it. And it's a tradition in Dave's family that I wanted to continue. One year, we spooned a dollop of it onto Austin's plate, and he lamented almost in tears that he "didn't want the Grinch on his plate." Ha! I guess to him green had a negative connotation. This is the same child who now enjoys eating green stuff every year. So I always ask Lorrie to make it. This year I am hosting at our house, so I am doing turkey, Rich's Mom's stuffing (which I have been doing for years...mmm....), of COURSE mashed potatoes & gravy, and rolls. In years past, the rolls have always been homemade. But I am cheating this year and purchased them. Bad, bad, Mommy. I'm also adding in the token canned cranberries just for my sister's sake. When Vance saw the cans I bought at the market yesterday, he said "OH! I love those." So there you go. Karen is doing her amazing sweet potatoes that taste like candy, a kugel (first time for this one, a little Jewish tradition added on this year), and a cold and crisp green bean salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and black olives (yum). Desert will be homemade pumpkin and apple pies, and Karen's amazing banana bread pudding, as requested by my Dad, lover of all things banana.


After the huge Thanksgiving feast, we will head up to the desert with our trailer for our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Camping Trip! We go with about 8 families, and do an amazing feast out in the middle of nowhere, complete with deep fried turkeys!!! We can't wait to ride dirt bikes and just spend the weekend with our most wonderful friends. So here we are building these memories I spoke of, all because of God's gracious provision and great mercy towards us. To Him be the glory for all of it!

November is here already!!!!!

A broken hand.....

A guy who got electrocuted.....

An M & M and a pirate.....

A Wedding (and me with a guy whom I love wearing a suit-Love it).....

A trip to Keyesville to ride......

I can't believe it is already November and that holiday festivities are upon us. October was jam packed full. Trip to the pumpkin patch, fall dress up parties, a camping trip to Keyesville, the wedding of my best childhood friend, Sandy, a broken hand, some new and yummy recipes, and a whole lot of fun. I thank God for the opportunities and His provision to do all these things.

Vance's hand is fine. I am happy to report he HAS learned to use his hand to break his fall. And he sure did a good job at following instructions. The hand's not too happy about that, but the mouth and face are thankful they were spared this time, for once. He has a pretty red fiberglass cast for a couple of weeks. We will X-ray next week and see where we are at. He's a great sport!

I made a couple of new recipes last week. My sister has suggested I share more of my recipes. I laugh because I don't really consider myself a good cook, just a good follower of recipes! She creates in the kitchen, I only copy! Hehe. Anyways, I do love to cook and bake, I do love to find new recipes, and I do love providing meals my family and other enjoy. With that said, here are two recipes I thought you may enjoy trying. Super easy and fast. Super yummy. I was hesitate to make the Microwave Pumpkin butter, but BOY was I sure glad I tried it. Yummy to spread on toast, waffles, pancakes, etc.

Bacon and Crab Chowder

6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 potatoes, peeled and cut to 1/2 inch dice
1 onion, chopped
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
6 cups whole milk (I used 3 cups lowfat milk, 3 cups half & half)
12 oz crabmeat
3 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 tbsp seafood seasoning
2 tbsp sherry
4 tbsp chopped green onions

Saute potatoes, onions, celery, and red bell pepper over medium high heat. Add bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 7-8 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add milk, stir well, and bring to a low boil. Simmer on low, covered. Mix the crab with the thyme and seafood seasoning, and add to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 6-7 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the soup has thickened. Add the bacon and sherry just before serving, and sprinkle the green onions over each bowlful.


Microwave Pumpkin Butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp each ginger, cloves, nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

Combine all ingredients except pumpkin in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Add pumpkin, mix well, and microwave on high for another 5 minutes. Mixture will be bubbly. Serve warm, and refrigerate leftovers.

Fall Fun Meets Not So Fun Fall

This cute little M & M.......

Plus this.....

Equals this. Story to follow!

Pumpkin Fun

So if you are a blog hopper like me, you will notice everyone and their mother currently have a blogpost about pumpkin something. Don't you get tired of the countless pumpkin recipes???? Well I don't. "I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it." Anyone know the movie that line came out of? Comment on this post if you do!

It must run in my blood, this love of pumpkin. If you've been reading my sister's blog , you'll see we share a common love of the squishy orange stuff. And we share pumpkin concoctions with one another each year. I just love her new pumpkin bread recipe. I threw out the old recipe after I tried that one.

One of my favorite fall recipes is for a pumpkin cake. It is very versatile. You can dress it up for dessert, or serve it as a humble cold-morning breakfast, embellished with whipped cream or powdered sugar. My kids really love it. And I consider it moderately healthy. Trust me on the inclusion of applesauce. I have praised its virtues in the past, and trust me. It makes your baked goods lower in fat and calories, and very moist.

The simple. The humble. The delicious. The pumpkin cake.
Oh so good for breakfast with a good cup of coffee. I love that Starbucks mug my sister brought me from, you guessed where. Recipe for this cake at the bottom of the post.

And speaking of pumpkin, this year we decided to get the boys their own little pumpkins to carve. This was the way to go! It kept them busy and occupied for quite a while taking out the seeds and carving up their cute little faces. We roasted the seeds, as I remember doing each year as a kid, and each boy got a little container to snack on during school the next morning. So fun!

Oooohh........lit up pumpkin faces!

The boys happily displaying their handiwork!

Take note that each boy is making a face to match their pumpkin's face. Haha...love it!

Pumpkin Cake

4 eggs

1 cup applesauce

1/3 cup honey

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased 9 X 13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or powdered sugar!

The Work of My Husband's Hands

Before.....

Poor crushed tailpipe.
Smashed up front fairing.

Side profile of the way the bike used to look before Dave changed it around a bit. Focus your attention on the whole stock front fairing/headlight setup, if you will.
Front windshield and gauge setup, before.
Voila! New and improved cafe style, custom made front section! Dave has long wanted the round headlight in lieu of the whole fairing with the built in headlight and windshield. So he custom mounted the headlight, figuring out a way to contain all of the wires that run from the gauge package, etc.

As you can see, he made a special mount for the gauges. He fabricated the metal piece which goes just below the gauges, adding in adorable little colored indicator lights. Aren't they so cute? Can't say that's the way he'd describe them, but that's just the way I feel about them. Cute little blinky lights in different colors!
As you can see, the front section has a whole new look now! Now more side fairings, front fairing with headlight, or windshield. I guess that means more bugs in his teeth. Really, I jest.

Isn't he just so cute on his bike? He had so much fun working on it and making it his own bike that doesn't look like everyone else's on the road. And I'm happy he's done in the garage and back on the road (:

More Cuteness and a Lot of Fall Fun

Our little girl is so cute! Just look at that face, will ya? We are just loving having a dog around. It has been an adjustment, but such a joy! All of us are becoming more active, walking Summer to Central Bark practically every day. Yes, Central Bark- the dog park at Central Park across the street from our house. I'd like to meet the witty person who named the place.

The school year has been going very well so far. We are really enjoying our extra classes we are involved in this year, plus the various Lighthouse activities. We recently went to California Pizza Kitchen on a field trip, where the kids got to tour the kitchen, make and eat their own individual pizzas, and the Moms all got pizzas, too! It was so much fun. Our Friday P.E. classes have started, as well as AWANA and Junior High activities. Austin is loving the Junior High department at church, and all the various activities associated with that, including his once a month boys Bible Study. What a tremendous blessing for Austin and for our family. We are so thankful for our amazing church.

My Dad took my sis, Emma, and all of us to the L.A. County Fair last week. We all had such a wonderful day together. The boys and Emma rode the carnival rides, Karen, Dad and I perused the shopping plazas, and we watched various shows and ate all the amazing fair food. Funnel cake, giant sausage sandwiches, pickles, ice cream....you got it baby. The weather was delightful, and it was not too crowded. It was just a wonderful day. And to cap off our day, we made the traditional stop at Spaghetti Factory for dinner, as we always like to do when we are out as a family. If you've never been to a Spaghetti Factory, well, I'm so sorry. I really think you need to go! Delicious and cheap eats in a very eclectic and Renaissance setting. Think red velvet.

Fall is finally in the air here in the SCV. In a matter of a week, the weather dropped 30 degrees. Woohoo!! Time to break out the sweatsuits, jeans and sweatshirts, the cans of pumpkin, all of my soup and stew recipes, and the evening coffee! I think it must be my favorite season. Happy Fall everyone!

Oh, and I promised before and after pics of Dave's motorcycle. Coming soon. I know you all are so excited!

Carpinteria and Canines. That describes the last two weeks of our lives. The end.

OK, I guess I will elaborate. After all, this our family scrapbook of sorts, so someday I may want to go back and read all the nonsense I have posted!

Over Labor Day week, we went camping at Carpinteria State Beach with my sister's family and some great friends. Although my sister and friends have camped there for years and we have visited them in the past, this was our first time actually camping there. It was just so wonderful! The campground is right on the beach, the little town is so charming and delightful, and the weather was divine. We ate our dinners every night on picnic tables in the sand, graced by the beauty of the setting sun and marvelous company. The kids had a blast playing with their friends, digging holes in the sand, riding their bikes and such, and just being kids. Sunburned and rashed kids, but they didn't mind. Our vacation was cut just a tad bit short, as Dave ended up having the work on the day we were supposed to check out, so we left one night early. Our first day home was an obvious ode to God's sovereign hand, as Dave had a motorcycle accident on the way home from work. Now before anyone starts mumbling about how unsafe motorcycles are and "I can't believe Dave rides one of those things every day," let me just say Dave is fine. It was the best possible outcome if you are going to hit an oil slick in the road. Dave went sliding one way, and the bike the other. No other cars were involved. And my dear sweet hubby was as protected as protected can be. Helmet, gloves, jeans, jacket with pads, boots...all of which took the damage for him, leaving him with just some minor road rash. Praise God. And in all the years Dave has had a motorcycle and not crashed, most of you have probably been in an accident. Dave is a very defensive and proactive motorcycle rider. Unfortunately, this could not have been avoided. These things just happen. We're all thankful he is alright! Needless to say, being the avid fixer/designer/creator/fabricator that he is, he's been out in the garage fixing things up and creating his very own gauge package and headlight setup. He has long wanted his bike to look less like a production bike like everyone else owns, and more of a unique and vintage cafe racer. But he never wanted to spend the money nor did he ever feel it was a priority. But since the front fairings and headlight were all busted, he was given the unique opportunity to change things a bit. Since he is eliminating parts instead of replacing, and making parts instead of buying, it is costing us very little to get the thing back on the road. The quicker, the better, as it saves us a ton of gas money for him to commute on it. Before and after pictures in a later post. I know you all will be on the edge of your seat waiting.

And for the grand finale, this house full of boys now has another girl!!! It's a little (well, not so little) puppy girl!!! The boys have always wanted a dog. I mean, every boy really does need a dog, right? I think this was just the perfect time for one. The boys are old enough to take care of her, train her, and really enjoy her. So while the kids were gone for the day at the museums last weekend, Dave and I visited the animal shelter in Van Nuys just to look. By the way, the shelter has recently been redone, and it is a beautiful facility. I would highly recommend adopting an animal this way. For $102, we got a dog, all her shots, and she was spayed and microchipped. What a deal! We just fell in love with this 6 month old Boxer mix. Dave has always loved Boxers. Our good friends had a couple in the past, and they were excellent dogs. Dave was instantly drawn to this pup, and she to him. We took her out and interacted with her, and just loved her personality. After some decision making, we decided to adopt her and surprise the kids. We couldn't take her home that day, because she needed to be spayed before we could take her home. When we picked up the kids, we nonchalantly brought them to the shelter for a surprise visit with their new dog. They were ecstatic, to say the very least! It was a long two days waiting to go pick her up from the vet. In the meantime, we acquired everything we needed for her, and decided on the name Summer (simply because it was the first name they all agreed on). She was a little out of it when we picked her up, and over the next couple days, she slowly started getting her energy back. We just finished our first full week with her. She has been such a good puppy. She learns fast, already sleeps through the night, never whimpers or whines in her crate, is pretty much fully housebroken, and is generally just a really good puppy. A bit stubborn at times, but a good girl nonetheless. I'm so thankful! The transition from cat owner to zoo owner has been a bit difficult. The cats are starting to adjust and are learning when to come out. She just wants to be friends with them. And they don't. It will take some time. We have all enjoyed becoming dog owners. We have enjoyed walks at the park, throwing a ball in the backyard, and visiting the dog park. I know she will be a wonderful addition to this family, hopefully for many years to come. As for me, I am learning to enjoy having doggie slobber on my legs. OK, enjoy was way too generous of a word. Tolerate. :)

Oh those funny things my kids say.....

Yesterday, I was chopping up some cooked chicken, and Vance, my professional food sampler (and snitch) stood there staring at the chicken. "Mmm....chicken," he says. Teasingly, I say "go away." With serious face, he says to me, "Mom, I am not a go-away kind of kid." For a minute I wasn't even sure he really said that!

When I recalled the incident to Dave later in the day, he commented on how funny Vance is. "Yeah, the other day I told him to put up his dukes. When I put my dukes up, Vance said 'Dad, OK, please put your dukes down.'"

I have to blog these things so someday I'll remember his wit. All my boys have said the funniest things over the years. I wish I could remember them all!

First Day of Homeschool, 2009-2010

Today is the first day of our 8th homeschool year! This year, I have a 7th grader, 5th grader, and 3rd grader! Time flies fast, as it seems like yesterday that Austin was starting Kindergarten. I pray I would be a diligent hard worker this year, teaching and training my boys not just in academics, but the things that truly matter in life- to walk with and fear the Lord. I am so thankful for this privilege and responsibility, and I truly enjoy each day I get to spend with my boys, even when things are difficult. I'm excited for what the coming year holds!



My third grader, Vance sitting at his desk.

Luke, my 5th grader!

Austin, my big 7th grade Junior High student, accomplishing much with his lollipop.

My three crazy monkeys. We truly get all spiffied up for each school day. Ahh. The beauty of homeschooling. I do require them to get dressed and comb their hair!!!!

Three boys, ready for another busy school year!