Taking a Minute.....

It has been a busy week. Anna has been sick with Hand, Foot & Mouth disease. Unfortunately her mouth is just covered in sores, which has made eating a challenge for her. She has also been running a low grade fever, which has also been making her tired. Poor Girl! Luckily the boys have not gotten it, which I hope they don't.

Then on Wednesday Morning my hubby hurt his lower back so he has been off of work all week. It is slowly getting better, but he still has a hard time getting around. It has been a week of doctor's appointments for him between his back and getting ready to go back for his last year of Nursing school.

For me I have been staying busy with stripping, priming, and painting some furniture that needed a little help in between taking care of the family. I will post some pictures of the projects as I get them done. Now that I'm on a roll I'm not sure anyone can stop me.

Weekend Fun.....

We just got back yesterday around lunch time. We had a nice time visiting family & friends. The kids got to go on lots of tractor rides, which they all enjoyed.

We went out to my brothers acreage and the kids had a blast playing with there cousins.

They jumped on a huge trampoline,

roasted marshmallow over a fire and ate some smores,

played with sand and Gabe's favorite part was probably the caterpillar digger & wagon.

What great times we all had.

Other things we did.....

We ate lots of red raspberries, which Gabe could not get enough of...

made chocolate chip cookies, which Noah finished up a bit of the dough.....

the kids got to go fishing with mommy and grandpa.....

and on the ride home they slept a bit because they were so tired from all the activity.

Gone for the weekend......

We are going to visit my family for the weekend. It's been a few months and the kids are super excited. I am also looking forward to the quiet country and peaceful mornings. There is nothing like waking up and looking outside to beauty. I know the kids will keep me plenty busy. We are hoping to do a little fishing, hang out with some friends and see family. Have a great weekend!

Garage Sale Find......
I have the kids kitchen and tool bench set up in the garage. It is perfect for summer time because the kids love to play outside. For a while I have been wanting to find the kid some play food to go with the kitchen. Actually just last night I was on eBay looking to see what I could find.Well.....

today went to some garage sales and came across a kids kitchen with a bag of play food. I asked right away to see if they would just sell me the bag of food and right a way she said sure. She also said they had a whole bunch more in the house and went inside and bagged more up. I got a big bag full for $3. What a deal:)

As you can see the kids got busy cooking & creating right away.

Super simple meal plan this week and everything the kids love to eat and mom and dad too. We didn't make it to visit my family this past weekend, so we are heading there this coming weekend. I am looking forward to getting a way for a few days and having fun with friends & family.

Monday: Haystacks

Tuesday: Tacos, Homemade Guacamole

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Hamburgers, French Fries, Corn

Friday: Gone for the weekend to visit Mom & Dad, we ended up not going last weekend.

To find more meal ideas visit Organizing Junkie.

Ouch......
I had myself a little accident on Wednesday. I was trimming the bushes out back and cut off the tip of my left pointer finger. It hurt and bleed like crazy. I called my hubby right away and he tried to calm me down. I then called a friend who came over for a while to help me out. When Brandon got home around supper time he decided that I should go in to Urgent Care to have it looked at. They cleaned it, wrapped it and then gave me a tetanus shot. I am still in shock that I did this , but am just thankful that it looks like it will heal up well. I guess I just won't be playing piano or guitar for a while, which is a bummer.

Green Bean Fun....
This is the first summer that I have planted green beans and I don't know why that is. I love to eat them and the plants produce so much. My mom gave me the seeds last fall. Thanks Mom!

The kids helped me pick the steams off, so I could blanch and freeze them. They were a big help and enjoyed helping mommy.

I got 5 - 12 oz bags and there will be a lot more of those bags before the plants are done. I love eating my own home grown vegetables all winter long.

Look at Me.......

It's been a few weeks since I have done a menu and to be honest I have missed it. I even had a friend comment that she missed my menus. I hate to ask the question every night what should we have. It's much easier to have it planned out for the week. Plus with the kids it's easier to work a head. So here's what will be cooking at our house this week. To find more menu plan ideas visit Organizing Junkie.

Monday: Salmon, Fried shredded potatoes & Broccoli

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

Wednesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Fried Zucchini

Thursday: Pizza

Friday: Gone for the weekend to visit Mom & Dad

Garden Bounty.......

Yesterday I was out looking at my garden and noticed a string bean hanging on my string bean plants. I then took a closer look at my cucumber plants and found the perfect size cucumber to eat. I also picked a nice size bowl of broccoli, which is my third picking so far. It's so nice to eat fresh veggies from my garden. Probably only a week or so and I will have zucchini coming out my ears. I made a yummy stir fry last night for supper.

I'm looking forward to a nice weekend. The weather looks like it's going to be perfect. I'm not really sure what we will be up to, but I'm sure we will find something to do for fun. I know one thing I will not be doing is baking. We have been finishing up all the deserts from the 4th of July weekend and I told my hubby no more deserts for a few weeks.

Dentist Appointment.....
Today I had to take Anna in for the second time. She had a tooth that was bothering her, so they had to fix the problem area.

What a trooper!

Happy Birthday Hubby......

4th of July Weekend....

We had a nice weekend with friends. Our home town always has a nice parade each year and then a wonderful fireworks display, which is right across the street from our house. The kids look forward to the 4th each year and for me it brings back wonderful memories from when I was little. My family would host each year a huge celebration, which was so much fun.

The kids had such a hard time waiting for the fireworks to start, but when they did they were all excited. Unfortunately, the dogs had a different story to tell. They didn't like the loud noise of the fireworks.

The kids have been enjoying a lot of popsicles. This is the picture that I found one afternoon. Anna had gotten both herself and Gabriel a popsicle and were sitting outside in there little chairs.

How was your 4th of July weekend?

Summer Activities......
During the summer here in Wisconsin they have a nice farmer's market on Tuesday evenings and then a concert in the park in the evening. The kids have really been enjoying both activities and so has mommy.

The most exciting activity for the kids is this coming weekend. The 4th of July parade and the fireworks. They have asked about it several time since last year and the weekend is finally here. Now I just have to keep reminding them that the parade is not till tomorrow. If only kids understood time! I think tomorrow they are going to be super excited and the weather is looking really nice.

So what are your 4th of July plans??

It was 9 years ago that I married my wonderful hubby. Wow how the time flies.