I'm Back.....

I got back from visiting my family today. The kids had a great time and I'll post pictures sometime soon, but for now I need to get some rest.

What a day.......

So far to has been a lot of running around and cleaning up, which I guess is most days in general. Anyway today it has been about Noah's messes. I found him up in the bathroom with his bath tub cups taking water out of the toilet and pouring it on the floor. I then took all his clothes and diaper off, so I could put him in the tub for a bath. Unfortunately, I hadn't notice that he had poops in his diaper, which had fallen on the floor and then I stepped in it. It was a smelly mess to clean up.

Then later on Anna came to tell me that Noah was in trouble. I came down to the kitchen to find Noah had pulled the egg carton out of the refrigerator and there were broken eggs all over the floor. Lets just say I now have really clean floors. I wished I had taken photos, but I didn't.

Heading for a Visit.....
I'm planning on visiting my parents over the weekend. My aunt from California will be visiting my dad and so I decided to load the kids up on Saturday and spend a few days. Brandon will be staying home, since he has two big test on Monday to study for. I sure will miss my hubby's help with the kids, but at least he will have a nice quiet weekend, so he can study in the comfort of his own home.

The garden is winding down. There are a few more tomatoes to ripen, green peppers growing, broccoli that never ends and a few zucchini here and there. It's been a good year with plenty of broccoli, string beans, corn & zucchini in the freezer. I also canned about 50 quarts of tomatoes, which is a record for me. I actually had a neighbor give me some canning jars and we also bought a few because I thought I might run out. It is a blessing to have a freezer full and to not have to buy very much at the grocery store.

Well it's quiet in our house early tonight. Noah was in bed at 6:30 p.m. and the other two have tired themselves out and are sleeping. I hope to take some good pictures over the weekend or maybe I will just let my daughter take control of the camera. Have a great weekend!

Anna Portraits.....
She has such fun taking pictures with the came and here are a few she took of herself.

5 Star Brownies......

To read more and find the recipe go here.

Monday: Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

Tuesday: Tacos with Guacamole

Wednesday: Hamburgers, French Fries & String Beans

Thursday: Potato, Asparagus & Leek Soup

Friday: Baked Chicken, Vegetables & Rice

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Breakfast of Choice

To find more menu ideas visit here.

German Apple Pie Recipe

Today ended up being an apple day. The kids had there class time at the library and the letter of the day was "A". The kids got to make apple baskets, watch a video about Spot the dog and listen to a few stories about apples. They had a great time and so we decided to make an apple pie when we got home. What a fun project, since the end product is delicious.
To find out more about the makings of this and recipe go here.

Photo Shoot of Noah by Anna

One nice afternoon Anna asked me if she could take some pictures. It's amazing what kids learn from just watching us. Anna knows how to turn the camera on, take the pictures and flip the switch to look at the pictures she took. I have to say she took some really great pictures. Also the new flower picture on the top of my blog is also one that she took. I'll be sharing more picture that she took in some other posts.

Weekend Activities.....

This past week & weekend was busy. I'm sure you could tell from my lack of posting. We headed to the farmer's market on Saturday to buy some corn to freeze. We purchased about 10 dozen and got about 2 dozen free. Then that afternoon we worked on corn and we still have half of it to do. I also have been working on canning tomatoes and so far have canned 33 quarts and still have a lot of tomatoes to work on. I think I many even run out of jars this year. I've also frozen many packages of broccoli & string beans.

The kids enjoyed helping mom & dad. This is a picture of just half of the corn we purchased.

Laundry Soap Recipes.....

For those of you who don't know I have been making my own laundry soap for well over 6 months. It has been working very well and saves us a lot of money. I came across I link a week or so ago that has several different laundry soap recipes. The recipe that I use can be found at The Simple Dollar. This other site called the Tip Nut has 10 different laundry soap recipes. It is so easy to make up. I also use Oxi Clean with my whites and let them soak a while because with 3 kids I do get some pretty dirty clothes. I would encourage you to give it a try.

End of the Summer Fun.....

Last week I went in to get my hair cut and the lady asked me if I wanted some tickets to Waterworld and I said sure. They were awesome tickets with FREE admission. The kids had a blast.

Here is a picture of them after all the fun. I think they are ready to go again next summer.

The dog cage is so much fun.....