Zoo.....
A couple of weeks ago we decided to go to the zoo. The kids were there earlier this summer with friends, but this was the first time we have gone as a family. Madison has a wonderful zoo and the best part is it is free. The kids had a great time and the weather was awesome.

John Deere Pajama Pants.......

I had some tractor fabric laying around and decide to try and make up a pair of pj pants for Gabriel. I had heard of people just using a pair of pj's that fit them already to trace a patttern from. It probably took a total of 30 minutes to get the project done, but as a mom of 3 kids I don't usually have that much time without interuptions.

Now I have some more pj pants to make for little Noah, Anna and maybe even daddy will get a pair if I can find the right fabric.

Homemade Caramel Apples.....

We went to Lapacek's Orchard this past Sunday and got a couple of bags of yummy apples. The kids then wanted to make caramel apples, so there friend came over to help. They took all the wrappers off of the caramels, ate a few, and then.....

got the bowl in the microwave, pushed the numbers and watched impatently as the caramel melted.

Here's Noah working real hard at getting the wrapper off. You can also see on the counter his gum that he is saving to eat later:) What a cutie!

Here is the finished result and they were delicious.

Friday Already......

Wow I can't believe how the week has gone by. We have been working on school stuff all week and the kids have been doing very well. I am still adjusting a bit and trying to see what works and what doesn't. I'm not really happy with the Sonlight K science curriculum that I have because I think it goes through things to fast with not enough activies to go along. I am planning on slowing down and finding extra activities and books to go a long with the lessons. The library is a great resource, which I am planning on using a lot.

Today I had a bunch of tomatoes that have been needing to be canned and so I got started on thoses and got 7 quart of jars to go along with my 8 quart jars that I caned a couple of weeks ago. I also decided to make a batch of applesauce with some apples that I bought. I ended up with 5 pints and am hoping to make more in the next few weeks.

Also as I sit to write this Anna is in the kitchen peeling carrots that we will cook, puree and freeze in the size of ice cubes to use in smoothes or whatever else mom can find to use them in. I use them mainly in smoothies and also put spiniach leaves in for extra vitamines. Since I have been making them that way I have Anna begging me for lettice smoothes. It's makes me laugh! Mommy also has been enjoying her vegitables this way.

Lets see later in the day we have some more school stuff we need to do and then mow the lawn later this evening. It's been a full week of activities, but over all a nice week. Hope you all had a great week.

Menu Plan Monday:

Monday: Labor Day Picnic with Friends

Tuesday: Hard Shell Tacos

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Corn

Thurday: Pirates Stew

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: House Church Fellowship

Sunday: Hearty Hashbrown Cassarole

To find more menu plans you can visit Organzing Junkie.

Toy Story 3

We took the kids this past weekend to see a movie in the theater. The older kids did well, but Noah got a bit craby. We did make it till the end of the move with the help of some cotton candy. It's amazing how something sweet can help. I enjoyed the movie, but I don't really like movies with a bit of a sad ending.

Bike Riding......

The kids have especially been enjoying their bikes the last few weeks due to Anna & Gabe having learned to ride without training wheels. I figured Anna would be able to learn, but Gabriel surprised me. It took them only a couple of hours of practice and they were going all by themselves. It's been awesome to watch them and they are so proud of themselves. Noah loves riding his Radio Flyer tricycle and before we know it he will be riding a big boy bike.

Noah Ray.......

Sometimes Noah gets to enjoy a bath all by himself. He was enjoying all the bubbles and having the tub filled up to the brim. If I had not caught him the tub may of overflowed.

Here Noah decided to snuggle up to Ruby. I just had to get a picture of this. Ruby was enjoying all the love and attention.

Taking Time......

It has been a while since I have posted just because I have not taken the time to do it. It was a busy weekend of spending time with friends and I spent some good time listing stuff to sell on ebay and craiglist. I am waiting for my auctions to end in a few days and hopfully everything sells and I can list more stuff. I really want to get my garage cleared out and back to normal here soon. I may even have another garage sale when it cools off.

We have had our house listed for a couple of weeks now and still have not had a single call. I would have throught we would of at least one person look at it. Brandon & I have done so much work around here and it feels good to have it done, but it would be nice to show it here sometime. I guess we will just have to wait on the Lord's timing.

The kids have been having fun with friends and both Anna & Gabriel learned to ride there bikes without training wheels this past week. They are just zooming everywhere and it's just awsome to watch. We also have been having some water fun while the weather is still warm. Fall is almost here and the kids will be starting homeschool here in the next week or so. I have everything I need and I'm looking forward to trying the Sonlight Curriculum. The kids have also been listening to Key's For Kids in the morning and then doing there Kinderbach lessons, which they enjoy. Anna has also been asking about Awana's and wondering when it is going to start. She is super excited and has been encouraging her brother Gabriel in going.

Well that's all for now. I know I have some pictures of the kids to share, but it will have to wait till another day.

Tree Gone....

This was a big project that we wanted to get done before we put our house on the market. We had a guy come and cut the big pine tree down and then it took Brandon & I good week to get everything cleaned up. There were so many roots and rocks around the base that we had to get cleaned up before we could have the guy come and cut the stump out.

After the stump was gone we had to pick up a bunch of bark and take out the plastic edging. In the end we eneded up putting about 10 bags of dirt on top to get it evened out and then planted grass seed. Hopfully in a few weeks it will be covered by some good grass.

It was a big project, but it looks so nice now. The front yard looks bigger and we can see out our front windows.

Friends......
Yesterday we had a chance to visit with our friends Josh & Amy who were passing through on there way home to Minnesoda. It's so nice to catch up on life and to remeber memories. The kids had a blast playing and Ruby even had a good time.

House Listed.....

Well we finally had the time to write up the listing and up load pictures. To see the listing and the blog that I created you can go here & here... Now we just have to wait and see if anyone is interested in our house. If it sells we will be heading to Sioux Falls SD. Brandon is taking his test to get his nursing lisence on Aug 27th, which is not to far away. So much happening in the next few weeks. I will have to try and keep the house extra clean if that is even possible with 3 kids.

Discovering God's Best for You

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalm 68:19 KJV

Today is your best day because you can grow a little more in your faith, a little more in your maturity, and a little more in your intimacy with Jesus. Today you can take another step higher as He takes you from glory to glory.

Corrie Ten Boom once said, "God doesn't have problems; He only has plans." God doesn't make bad days for you and good days for you. God makes each day fit perfectly into His plans for you.

There are two ways that we can walk through a day. One is to walk by sight, and the other it walk by faith. To walk by faith means to walk in the truth of God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives in you.

Excerpt from Today is Your Best Day by Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

Fun in the Country......
The kids had a blast at Grandpa & Grandma Kostman's house. The boys could not get enough 4 wheeling and enjoyed many other fun things as you can see in the pictures below. Enjoy:)

House Hunting.......

While we were out in Sioux Falls, South Dakota we looked at around 20 houses. We came away from our search with a few favorites.

One of the houses that is at the top of our list is this ranch house. We really like it because it has a really big kitchen & living room. The bedrooms are also good size, which was good. The other bonus of the place is there is another 1,000 sqft that could be finished on top of the 1,956 sqft already finished. The only downfall with this place is it does not have a great backyard.

The second house that we like this multi level house. The stone work & wood floors are awesome. The kitchen & dining room are good size. The other part I love about this house is it has a wonderful backyard.

Here's a few other homes we like...here, here & I have also found a few more, but we would have to look at them. I guess now we just have to get our house listed by the beginning of next week and go from there.

Home......

We just made it home yesterday from being gone for two weeks. It was a nice to get away from everyday life and visit with family. We also got to check out Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For those who may not know we are looking to move there. Brandon would really like to get a job out there. While we were in South Dakota we looked at houses and found a few that we like.

Now that we are home we need to finish up all the projects that need to be completed in and around the house, which seems to be endless. We will then list the house to be sold and go from there depending on if there is interest. We are going to first list it for sale by owner just to see how it goes. Brandon then will be looking for jobs and applying. There are so many endless what ifs..... We just don't know what will happen, but I am glad to know the Lord knows His plans for us and I don't have to worry. I am just praying for His leading in all that we do. I would just ask all that read my blog to keep us in your prayers.

I will post some pictures of our trip, when I have a chance. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer as school is just around the corner!

Busy with Family.........

We have been in Nebraska since last Friday night. We stayed the first night in Lincoln Nebraska with Brandon's sister & husband. Then on Saturday we drove the rest of the way to North Platte Nebraska were Brandon's parents live. They live out in the country on a nice acreage and the kids have had lots of fun riding on the 4-wheeler & John Deere tractor. They also have been enjoying the swing set, slip & slide, hot tub and just watching grandpa work on projects.

In North Platte we took the kids swimming at the Rec Center and then out to Cody Park were they have carnival rides & very inexpensive ice cream cones & cotton candy. We have had lots of fun and have only a few more days until we will be heading up to Sioux Falls, SD. I'll be back when I can to share more about our trip and pictures.

Swimming Lessons.......

Last week the kids had swimming lessons everyday at 11:00 a.m. for a half hour. They have both been loving it and have another full week of lesson again. The best part about the lessons was it only cost me a total of $30 for the full two weeks for both Anna and Gabriel. I wish I had known about it a couple of years ago. The other bonus is they are just down the street at the high school.

Happy 4th of July.......

The kids had a blast at the parade today and came home with a bunch of candy. In the afternoon the kids took a good nap, which mommy also did. We then had some friends come over for supper and to watch the fireworks. It was a great day of fun for all!

Before & After......

We have been doing some landscaping this past week. Brandon tore out a large bush that was in the wrong area and then we moved some dirt/rocks around. The rocks in this area are so deep there is no way to get rid of them all. Last year I pick up buckets of rocks & thought I would never see the end.

We planted some new plants and then put down some shredded bark. It looks so nice I don't know why we didn't do it sooner. We also put some fresh bark on some other areas, which I will take pictures of and post sometime next week. The yard is looking really nice and we only have a couple of things to finish up.

A Fathers Love

A father is respected because
he gives his children leadership...
appreciated because
he gives his children care...
valued because
he gives his children time...
loved because
he gives his children the one thing
they treasure most - himself.

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him. Proverbs 20:7 KJV

Lovely Morning......
We have had a lot of rainy days in the last few weeks, but yesterday was a nice cool morning. I made the kids monkey bread and Noah decided he wanted to enjoy his outside at the picnic table. Noah sure has a mind of his own and really loves the outdoors. He is always wanting to go outside to ride his bike or scooter. He is such a sweet little boy, or as he tells me, "I'm a big boy."

Psalm 34: 8
"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

Yummy....
A couple of years ago I decided to plant some strawberry plants in my backyard. This is the first year that we have had enough berries in one picking for the whole family to enjoy. So far I have picked them about 3 times and we may of had more if it wasn't for all the rain that we have had in the last couple of weeks. I hope to get a few more pickings off of them before the end of the season.

Beautiful Roses......
I decided to bring them in from the backyard, so we could all enjoy them. The Lord has such wonderful creation for us to enjoy.

Psalm 34:17 & 18
"The rightous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Assurance in Jesus

May Jesus assure you that as you follow Him
you will never meet a fear He cannot conquer,
you will never face an enemy He cannot defeat,
you will never enter a battle He cannot win,
you will never have a need He cannot meet,
you will never face a temptation He cannot overcome,
you will never have a burden He cannot lift,
you will never face a problem He cannot solve,
you will never have a bondage He cannot break,
you will never have a moment when He does not care,
you will never have a time when He is not there.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV

(The picture of the flowers are from my wonderful husband. They were delivered to me and were a nice surprise.)

New Swimming Pool......
The weather forecast for today is 90 degrees and sunny. So, early this morning we went to Target to see what kind of swimming pool we could find. We were just planning on getting a simple inflatable pool, but ended up bringing home this big thing. It holds a lot of water. The kids have had a blast in it today. It's even big enough for me to sit in. We had to keep some water out otherwise Noah would of have a hard time getting in & out, but next year we should be able to fill it all the way up.

Noah ended up falling asleep on the couch with Ruby after swimming. The sun and water sure can wear a child out.

New Leather Couch....

I have been wanting to get a new couch for a while because the old rust couches we had look bad and the cushions fell off all the time. This past week I happen to come across this tan leather couch for $150 on Craigslist, which is an awesome deal. The other great part about the couch was it was only 15 mins from our house and fit in the back of my hubbies truck. The other great part is we listed our old love seat & couch on Craigslist and someone picked them up by five O'clock. It's nice not having them sitting in the garage.

Before Pictures.......
Brandon's mom & dad were here to visit this past week and took on a tiling project and a few others as well. As you can see we had some lovely floors in our kitchen and bathroom area. We had to move out all the appliances, take off all the trim, take down a couple doors and then screw down cement board. It took a couple of days to get the floor ready for it's new tile.

Finished Result.....
Here are the lovely new floors that we have now in our kitchen and bathroom area. It makes everything look so much bigger and cleaner. Thanks Ray & Kara for all your hard work:)

Happy Birthday......

On May 16th Gabriel turned 4 years old. Wow how the times has gone by. I made him a double layered chocolate cake with butter-cream frosting, which was really yummy. We had a good time celebrating with his grandma & grandpa from Nebraska, which have been here for the last week. They got him this cool Radio Flyer Big Wheel.

Update on School.....

Brandon has been studying the last couple of days for his big Algebra final, which is tomorrow. After that he is all done and will be waiting for his final grades. After that he will be studying for his BIG test (the NCLEX) to get his nursing license and then he's off to look for a job. I can't believe the 3 years have gone by already and it is time to start paying back the money we owe. This is probably the part that I am really not looking forward to. At least we have 6 months after graduation before we have to start paying back student loans.

Monday: Tatar Tot Casserole, Rolls

Tuesday: Pirate Stew (Crock-pot Recipe)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Zippy Turkey Tortilla Bake

Friday: Meat Loaf with Cream of Mushroom Sauce, Mash Potatoes, String Beans

Saturday: Grilled Brats, French Fries, Corn

Sunday: Waffles & Sausage

Happy Mother's Day.....

The hubby went out early this morning and brought me home some tulips and yummy donuts the for the kids and I. I'm not sure what else we will be up to today, but I hope it's relaxing. I know the kids want to get out for a walk. Thanks hubby for all your love & help.

House Burning.....
This past weekend they had all the firetrucks down by the park and were running drills as they burned this house down. They are getting rid of the house because they have plans in the works for a new park area. The kids had fun seeing all the firetrucks, fire fighters and the house burning. It will be fun to see what they plan on doing next. I know the boys will have a good time seeing all the construction equipment.

Always something new.......
Life has been pretty crazy this past week and weekend. Noah's has been enjoying the open space in the living room for the last couple of days by riding his tractor. We had to clear out the couch's, rugs and blankets. Brandon had a patient a couple of weeks ago, which they found out had scabies. It's kind of like lice, but they are mites, which can get all over your body. We soon found out last Thursday evening that the kids had it and Brandon had a few spots as well.

The last several days have kept me busy with more laundry then I wish to do. We all have been treated, but we have to have another treatment in a week. I hope this is gone by the end of this week. I am ready to get my house back together. I guess on the plus side I have gotten some spring cleaning done, unfortunately with kids things don't stay clean for very long.