A Day Out With Dad

Winter Break is here so today Craig took the kids sledding at Murdock Park. It was cold, so for once I didn't mind being at work while they were out playing.

They got in several good runs; lasting for about an hour and a half. Then they came home and had hot chocolate (made as only Craig can make it)!

 

 

Don't mind the look on Bergen's face. She doesn't like having her picture taken lately. If you were to ask, she and Logan had a great time and can't wait to go again!

Christmas Card Pictures

I sure had a hard time getting a decent picture for our Christmas card this year. I tried several times to get the kids to cooperate, but they really didn't want to. Then when I thought I finally I had a few to choose from, Craig wasn't thrilled with them. Here are the results:

We certainly weren't going to have an indecent picture of our kids in the bathtub sent out to our loved ones! Although I thought it was cute.

The kids looked nice when they were all dressed up in their new Christmas outfits, but they wouldn't stop making silly faces, and the lighting didn't cut it. Neither did the lamp cord in the background, by the way.

And of course the only shot of them with Santa was blurry.

So I finally settled on a (not too staged looking) shot I got of them playing in the snow. We used it to wish everyone a "Warm Holiday Season."

Next year I think we may have to have a family picture taken in the fall...

CAT Christmas Party

CAT had Binky the Clown entertain at their 'Kids Christmas Party' this year. Craig and I (and a lot of other adults) could have done without him, but Logan and Bergen thought he was pretty tricky.

They liked the balloons they got after the show too.

Both chose to have Rudolph painted on their hands, and received a goodie bag.

Then they were off to see Santa himself! (Okay they knew it was one of his helpers, but still.) Too bad the picture didn't turn out very well. I was hoping to use it on our Christmas card...

I'm not exactly sire why they wrote letters to him after having talked to him, but they sure thought it was fun. Here's what they asked for. Which is not necessarily what they got.

It was a fun, albeit early, morning.

Christmas Lights

Craig put the Christmas lights up a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving when the weather was still nice, but we didn't turn them on until November 26th. It's Logan's job to plug them in at night, but sometimes he forgets so Bergen or I end up doing it. I'm just glad we're one of those families who decorates their house with Christmas lights. I love looking at them!

 

Christmas Lights Tradition

Every Christmas season (which we all know begins the weekend after Thanksgiving) we spend some time on Sunday evenings going out to see various Christmas lights. One of the places we always go is Rossville. There's a farmer out there who does up his whole yard and you can see the glow from far, far away!

The kids were already ready for bed when Craig suggested we go the other night. So we had them put their coats on and we headed out the door. I wouldn't normally let them leave the house in such great looking outfits, but hey, it was dark - who was going to see them? And by the way, they thought it was great!

They are such funny kids! Bergen was stylin' in her crocks over footies. And I know Logan's pajamas are too small (he has lots that fit), but we can't seem to get him to let go of these...

 

Here are the beautiful lights. Which I'm sure we'll be seeing again this year. Santa doesn't come out with the candy canes until next week!

 

Thanksgiving Fun

I neglected to mention that the kids wanted to do "a project" on Thanksgiving. My kids are always asking to do a project! I was glad I had something prepared for them.

They made Indian headdresses and bows with arrows! Then things got crazy. We had four wild Indians running around and never got to making any pilgrim hats...

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Giving Thanks

We've had a serious bug at our house. So serious that we had to postpone Thanksgiving...

Someone has been ill at our house for at least the last two weeks. We keep passing around whatever it is and can't seem to get a break. Logan even missed school for the first time since starting kindergarten!

So on Thursday we had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, caramel pull-apart rolls, and orange juice. Then we settled in for a day of watching movies and football, and napping in comfort. (No dressing up here.)

I was a little bummed at first, but remembering back to last Thanksgiving when we all got sick afterward because someone was sick on Thanksgiving, I decided it wasn't a big deal. And really, it was kind of nice to stay home and not have to go anywhere.

We did have Craig's side of the family over for dinner on Saturday and we were happy to be able to do that. Craig told me later that it felt more like a Sunday dinner than Thanksgiving, but we're both glad that everyone felt up to coming. It was good to spend time with family.

Here we are about ready to start in on our feast. And boy, was it yummy!

 

I was glad to have had some time to myself this Thanksgiving. It gave me a chance to think back and reflect on things without all the hub-bub for a change. I am grateful for the blessings we have received and for the miracles that I have seen so clearly in the lives of my immediate family members over the past year.

I am thankful that we are together. I am thankful that we love each other. And I am thankful that we are stronger than I thought we were. For me, it is definitely a time for giving thanks.

Say Hello to Mario and Luigi

Logan and Bergen are so funny. They're always up to something. Logan has always liked to dress up, but now he has Bergen doing it too. Today they were Mario and Luigi!

 

 

Pretty clever if you ask me. And very cute!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Do you ever have a craving that won't be satisfied until you do something about it? And do yo do it?

I have been craving Chicken Noodle Soup. I don't know why. I just have. So I made some. Another first attempt. (I recently posted about making a chicken pot pie for the first time.)

Oh my, it was yummy stuff. I'm happy to have some recipes to call my own and will be making this again.

 

A Random, but Common Occurrence

Logan and Bergen were at the computer when I got home from a baptism today. This is how I found them so I quickly took a picture. Obviously I didn't wait for the camera to focus all the way. The reason: I didn't want to disturb them and I didn't want to miss the shot. (They didn't know I was home yet.)

 

My children are so sweet. They truly are nice to each other most of the time. Seeing them like this melts my heart and makes me proud to be their mom.

I love them.

Thought for the Day

I just came across a thought and want to remember it, so am posting it for myself. I sure wish I knew where it came from...

Following the path of least resistance makes rivers and men crooked.

What a Sight

This is the image Craig comes home to a couple of nights a week. It's me... working.

 

I really enjoy it. Thanks to Zebra - and Andy and Tracy.

A Recipe of My Very Own

I have been really hungry for Chicken Pot Pie, so I bought a rotisserie chicken and made one.

Here's the recipe:

Heat in a sauce pan: 2 - 3 cans Campbell's Chicken Gravy with sage and black pepper, 2 - 3 C rotisserie chicken (diced), 2 - 3 C frozen mixed vegetables (thawed and drained) plus two boiled potatoes (peeled and cubed), 2 TBS flour, and about 1 C milk. Put in pie crust lined pie plate (crust can be homemade or not - I admit it, I used Pillsbury and I'll use it again.) and top with a second crust. Cut slits in top and bake at 425* for 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes and cut into wedges to serve.

 

I made quite a few changes to a recipe I found online so this one is all mine! And boy oh boy is it good! So good that I didn't share a single piece with my family. Not that they cared; not one of them wanted any. And I must tell you, even if I have to say so myself, they missed out.

Sewing and Halloween Costumes

Why do I continually think I can sew without a pattern? And when will I learn how to use one?

Bergen has been acting like a "puppy" since her birthday last January. So to be a puppy for Halloween was an obvious choice for her. She settled on what she wanted to be months ago; and I should have gone to work.

I decided to make her costume with material I already had. It was perfect - brown corduroy! Only I procrastinated doing it and she didn't have it to wear to a birthday party last weekend. (Oh well, she made a super cute chef in her apron and hat! Too bad I didn't get a picture of her that day.)

I did finally make her costume. I measured, I cut, and I sewed. It ended up too long in the body, too narrow in the legs, and too wide in the shoulders, but I worked it out with a little unpicking, cutting, and resewing. It's the first time I've ever done sleeves (remember I'm doing this without a pattern) and although the shoulders are still a little wide, I think they'll be fine with a couple of tucks in them. *Yes, I know Halloween is over, but the girl is going to want to wear this thing for as long as she can, so it might as well fit!

Here's Bergen in the final product (without the make-up, gloves, and shoes). I think the collar and tag make the outfit - even if you can't see the tag here. That and the fact that she's happy with it!

Logan's costume was easier. He wanted to be a mad scientist. I wanted to find a lab coat so I didn't have to attempt to sew one. Lucky for me, the Factory Card and Party Outlet had one in his size! We had the glasses so only needed to add test tubes and a clamp, rubber gloves, and white spray paint for his hair to the mix. Imagine that!

I loved his look! Several people commented on his hair (wondering if it was real), and many didn't recognize him. A neighbor even mentioned that she thought he would be a handsome man when he was older. (Way older!)

So (or should that be "sew"), in my opinion we have accomplished another year of Halloween costume success. I love coming up with ideas and seeing them through in my sewing. I'll be sad when I can't do it for Halloween anymore.

And just so I have a record for myself, here are the other costumes I've made:

2004: Logan's first Halloween - Scarecrow.

2005: His second - Mummy.

2006: His third - Cowboy.

2007: Bergen's first - An Ear of Indiana Corn...

and Logan's fourth - Farmer.

Then I went on a bit of a costume sewing hiatus, but not necessarily because I wanted to. ( I had knee surgery in October of 2008 and the kids wanted to dress up in costumes we already had in 2009.) Here are a few that I didn't make:

2008: Bergen's second - Bumble Bee,
and Logan's fifth - Bumblebee.

 

2009: Bergen's third - Tiger,
and Logan's sixth - Indiana Jones.

I love this part of Halloween! And I love these two kids!

Trunk-or-Treat

We went to the church Trunk-or-Treat again this year. There are times I'd rather take the kids trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, but it doesn't have many kids in it and they love seeing their friends and all the fun costumes, so it's just become something that we do.

Logan and Bergen were excited to dress up (as usual) and stop to see a few neighbors and friends before heading out. He was a mad scientist this year, and she was a puppy, and both of them portrayed their characters well.

I obviously wasn't taking pictures while they were filling their bags with candy, but I did get a few afterward.

Here is an unhappy Logan after dropping and breaking one of his precious test tubes. Poor guy. He wanted to go to the store right then and get a new one!

And here's Bergen being playful in the leaves.

Of course the night wouldn't have been complete if we hadn't run into our cousins! It was their first time at Trunk-or-Treat.

I let the kids run around some before heading home. One of the reasons was so I could take some pictures. Isn't that something all moms do? These two sure are loving toward each other. I love taking pictures of them together.

We topped the evening off by stopping at McDonald's for french fries on the way home. Then after baths and pajamas we counted up all the loot.

What a fun night!

Pumpkins

Craig is our resident pumpkin carver.

We usually go to a pumpkin farm in Benton County and take a hayride out to a patch where we get to pick our pumpkins, carry them back to the trailer, bring them home, set them outside the front door, and think about what we want to do with them.

When the kids decide what they want carved, Craig takes the lead. One year he carved a face that Logan drew, another time he carved Yoda. We've had vampires, werewolves, jack-o-lanterns, and all kinds of things... This year we went with a ghostly theme.

I had to laugh as Craig cut open and got the pumpkins ready to clean. Logan wouldn't have anything to do with pulling stuff out of them, but Bergen put her hands right inside! She was there every step of the way. (Very impressive.)

Logan and Bergen have been into "Ghostbusters" for a while now, so it really shouldn't have been a surprise that the Ghostbusters logo is what ended up on one of the pumpkins. What was surprising was that it took Logan so long to come up with it! He changed his mind I don't know how many times! (Bergen had even chosen her design before it dawned on him to use it.)

I think they turned out pretty cool!

Happy Halloweeeeeen!