The Yellow River...

This is the river that borders my parents acreage. I have so many memories of swimming, walking up and down the river, getting leaches between my toes, going down to cool off during the summer months, and fishing.

Also here are the boys in their gun attire. Brandon bought Gabe a pair of shooting glasses & ear muffs to protect his little ears. Gabe was pretty excited and I was surprised he was not scared when Brandon was shooting.

Here’s what’s on our menu for this week. We are having the Pork Chops this week, since we didn't get around to having this past weekend. Also this menu planning has really helped me out. It does not take long and saves me the hassle everyday of asking, "So what should we have for supper. What I should do sometime and let my husband plan the meals out for a week.

Monday: Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Beans, Baked Red Potato & Salad

Tuesday: Hamburgers, Fries, Corn

Wednesday: Ravioli, broccoli, garlic bread

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Tacos with the fixings

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Waffles & Sausage

Kids say the funniest things....
Anna put on a new pair of Princess jammies that I had gotten for her. She was all excited so she headed off to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. I went in to check her out and she was standing on the counter talking on & on about how she loved the new jammies. She then said to me, "look at my big belly." I then asked her back, "where did you get that belly?" She looked at me and said, "Culvers." I busted a gut laughing. If you don't know our kids love to eat at Culvers. They have the best burgers and custard ice cream. Yummy Yummy!!! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Visiting Great Grandma.......
One of the highlights of going home to visit is seeing Great Grandma who will be turning 84 years old next month. She made us a lovely lunch of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, candied carrots, homemade rolls, coleslaw & homemade pecan pie. It was delicious! She is a wonderful cook, baker & gardener. The kids love to visit with her and the day we visited the weather was very pleasant. We look forward to the next visit with Grandma Beulah.

Here's our growing little Ruby girl.....
She is now 4 1/2 months old and such a sweety...

Play Dough...

I had a friend request the homemade Play Dough recipe that I used and so I thought I would just post it here for anyone who would like it. My kids love play dough and play with it most days. As I am typing this now they are at the table playing. Anna's making a blueberry pie and Gabe's just cutting play dough up and trying to make some blueberries too.

Traditional Play Dough

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring

Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time.

Here's what is on the menu this week. To find more menus you can click on the picture to the left.


Monday: Tatar Tot Casserole & Green Beans

Tuesday: Baked Chicken, Mash Potatoes & Gravy, Corn

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas, Guacamole & Salad

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Fried Fish, Black Beans & Rice

Saturday: Marinated Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Potato Bites & Salad

Sunday: Pizza

Time is flying.....

This week has been going by so fast. The first half of the week I was sick and now we are visiting my parents. The kids are having a good time and are always excited to see Grandma & Grandpa Marting.

Gabe talks about wanting to go for a ride on the tractor, but when we finally get here he's says he is too scared. Oh he will ride with me or Brandon, but not Grandpa. I don't really know why because he hangs out with Grandpa a lot and talks and ask him why about everything. Yes Gabe is using the "Why" word a lot. More then I ever remember Anna ever doing.

Noah has taken off walking in the last day or so. It's like he is trying to show off to Grandma & Grandpa. I talked to my sister in law and she said it might be because they have carpet all over the house and so he's not afraid of falling and has better traction. At our house we have wood floors and they are a bit slippery. It's so cute to see him walking.

Anna has been showing off her dresses & twirling around like a little princess. She especially enjoyed decorating cookies today with some sparkle glitter frosting. Unfortunately Grandma does not have any puppies big enough for her to play with and carry around, but she does not seen to disappointed. She has had a good time looking at the river and throwing rocks in.

Well that's all for now. I hope to take some good pictures in the next few days, so until then have a wonderful evening:)

No Plan....

There will be no menu plan this week, since we are planning on leaving to visit my family in a couple of day. I just hope we all can get better soon. We all have colds except Brandon and some of the kids have been running low grade fevers. In spite of not feeling the best the kids still have been enjoying the nice weather. Today is the best with a high excepted to hit 65 degrees. I have my clothes outside drying to save money on the gas bill, which our dryer runs on. I am so looking forward to the warmer weather and getting started on my gardening. This kind of weather definitely gives me spring fever. Hope everyone else is having a wonderful day in the Lord:)

Cream Cheese Bars
These are super easy to make and are so yummy. This recipe is from my Grandma Beulah, which I have to say many of my favorite recipes are from her. Grandma's are so wonderful for getting awesome recipes from & mother in laws:) If you want to check out the recipe head on over to my recipe blog.

Sewing Project...

I had this Old Navy bib overall dress that I thought could use a little length on it plus Anna likes pretty twirly dresses and this dress is not pretty in her book.....

So I added a pretty flower printed ruffle to the bottom....

And now she looks so pretty and it even flares out when she does a twirl...

Also check out her ballerina slippers. She loves to wear them around the house.
I also have another bib dress that I think I will add a pretty ruffle to as well...So off to the sewing machine I go.....

Change Fun....
Gabe like to play with change. He has a little soup spoon that he used to fill up different containers. Also his Grandma Kara got the kids some little pink piggies that counts the change as they put the money in. Lots of fun for the little guy....

Just another picture of Gabe. Under his blanket is his little buddy Ruby. Ruby loves to snuggle under or on top Gabe's doggie blanket. Ruby has also started to sleep with Gabe all night long.

Gabriel's Doggie Apron....

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week. Also you can clip of the Menu Plan Monday Picture to find many more menu plans for the week.

Monday: Chicken & Noodle Soup & Biscuits

Tuesday: Chicken Tenders, French Fries, Salad

Wednesday: Fish Tacos & Black Beans & Rice

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Mushroom Cream Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Saturday: Salmon Patties, Hash Browns, Peas

Sunday: Pizza

New Recipe Blog

You will notice to the right that I have added a link to my new recipe blog. It's a work in progress, but I decided I wanted to have a place to put all my favorite recipes. So when I post something new I will let you know, so you can check it out.

This month is a No-Theme Month meaning that anything goes. It was a hard decision to figure out what to post, but I decided to post our famous Haystack recipe from Brandon's family. This is a super easy meal to make for a small or large family. We usually make this when we have company and they all like it. I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don't. So here it is.

Haystacks

Ingredients:

Fritos
Chili
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour cream
Shredded Lettuce
Black Olives (optional)
Catalina dressing
hot sauce (optional)
salsa

Making up a plate:
Put a generous lay of Fritos on your plate.
Pour some chili over the fritos.
Dollop some sour cream over the chili.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese & lettuce on top.
Then you can choose the kind of sauces you want on top.
Sprinkle with black olives if you desire.

Then dig in and eat. These are so good and everyone go back for seconds.

4-wheeling Fun
Gabriel's been having lots of fun with this little 4 wheeler. It has also gotten many car washes from both him and Anna.

Simple, but yummy is the name of the game at our house. If you want to find more menu ideas just click on the picture above.

Monday: Cheeseburgers & French Fries & Onion Rings

Tuesday: Spaghetti, Asparagus, garlic bread

Wednesday: Tacos & fried rice

Thursday: Leftover Buffet

Friday: Fried Fish, Broccoli Rice Mix

Saturday: Shrimp & Fried rice with Vegetables

Sunday: Pizza

Bubble Fun.....
I think the kids are getting a bit antsy for summer because they have been wanting to play with water a lot lately. Gabriel loves to take his baths and Anna not so much because she doesn't like to get her hair washed. Playing in the kitchen sink is fun for them even though it happens a bit more often then I would like. One nice thing is Anna helped me wash up some dishes the other afternoon and did a wonderful job.

So does that look like a mischievous look or what???

Anna's New Apron....

She really like her new apron. The princess fabric I got from Brandon's sister and on the other side of the apron is a Dora print. Its turned out well, which I am happy about. I made it a bit big, but I wanted it to fit her for a while.

Cupcakes.....

I love homemade butter cream frosting. I got a recipe the other day from my mother-in-law and so I had to make up a batch. The kids then wanted cupcakes, so I decided to frost them up pretty. Boy were they good:)

Silly, Silly.......
Noah don't like to keep his bib on anymore, which is not a big deal. It's nice to try and keep him clean during the day and try to save on making more laundry for me to do.

Noah is following after his brother and sister in liking fruit smoothies. Now when he sees a cup he is ready for one himself and if he doesn't get one he gets pretty upset till he gets his own cup. It's pretty cute:)

Monday 2-23
Cannelloni, Peas, & French Bread

Tuesday 2-24
Beef Vegetable soup & Crescents

Wednesday 2-25
Pork Chops, Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges, String Beans

Thursday 2-26
Leftovers

Friday 2-27
Pizza

Saturday 2-28
Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & gravy & Corn

Sunday 3-1
Lunch at a Friends house

Sick.....

The last few days Noah has had a fever, been tired and just not feeling well. I thought he had just pick up a bug from church. Then after a couple of days I noticed that he has a couple of molders coming in on the top. Poor little guy! That sure must hurt. I sure am looking forward to having my happy little Noah back soon.

Ruby is such a sweety.....
She will snuggle on any blanket that she can find.

Here's one more picture...

Little Noah.....

Here are just a few pictures of Noah to let you see how much he is growing. He still is not walking, but he will stand by himself. I think he may just be waiting till he can start running:)

Gabe was having a really good time pushing Noah on the little Cinderella bus. Noah also thought it was great as you can see by the grin on his face.

Here's Noah sitting in the bathroom sink after he had exploded his pants. He enjoyed sitting the in sink and chewing on a toothbrush.

Mon 2-16
Fried Fish & Broccoli Rice Mix

Tue 2-17
Chicken Fettuccine & Sauteed Carrots & Onions

Wed 2-18
Tatar Tot Casserole and Green Beans

Thur 2-19
Hard Shell Tacos

Fri 2-20
Potato Soup & Bread

Sat 2-21
Leftovers

Sun 2-22
Haystacks which is Frito's with Chili over them shredded cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, black olives & Catalina dressing

Butterfly Skirt........
Well here it is....I think it turned out pretty good, but it's a bit big on Anna now. She can wear it, but it's to full, but by this summer it should fit her. I am planning on making some more of these because they are very easy. I am also almost done making the aprons for the kids. As soon as they are finished I will post some pictures.

Anyone want to join us for a Picnic????

Skirt Pattern

I got this pattern a while back and I am finally getten a round to cutting out the pattern. I have this really pretty butterfly flower printed fabric, which I think Anna will really like. So now it's time for me to put it together. I'm not real good at following directions, but I'm going to try my best. I'll post pictures when I get it done. Hopefully it's sooner then later.

Here are just a few pictures of us with our pups...

This is the first recipe swap of 2009, which is hosted by I Have to Say. This month's theme is "Fun Foods". Fun foods are usually sticky, salty, sugary or fattening, and we all love them! To find more recipes a long this line click on the recipe box swap picture.

As I was thinking about what recipe to post it was clear to me that one of my favorite sticky, sugary, & fattening recipes is "Christmas Morning Rolls". Maybe most of you have made these before and if you haven't you need to try them. This recipe is great because you put it all together the night before you serve them. When you Wake up, simply pop them in a pre-heated 350 oven for 30 minutes and you have warm - delicious - home made cinnamon rolls. This is not a recipe that you only make at Christmas time, but can be made any time of the year so here it is.


Christmas Morning Rolls

1 bag (24) frozen dinner rolls
1 pkg. butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)
1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Arrange rolls in a greased Bundt pan. Sprinkle dry pudding over rolls. Cook butter and remaining ingredients over low heat until bubbles & pour over rolls. Cover tightly with foil and let stand on counter overnight. Next morning, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Let stand 5 minutes , then place large serving plate on top and invert carefully.
Serve & Enjoy:)