Caramel Apples

This afternoon we finally made our caramel apples. We usually make them before Halloween, but it didn't happen this year. It's amazing to me how pictures can make an activity look so fun and perfect even though in actuality it was a little stressful! I guess that is just another reminder that the messes and unorderliness is okay........ we are tying strings and making memories. :)

So, with Christmas music blaring (the boys and daddy like it loud) we made three caramel apples and one caramel pear. :)

P.S. The scrapbook party tonight was cancelled because of sickness. I felt bad for my friend because she had already cleaned her house and made the brownies, but also relieved. I was starting to miss being home with my family in the evenings. Absence makes the heart grow fonder - and rested!

So spoiled!

This week I feel so spoiled......

1. Last night I was invited to attend a women's Christmas event -"Taste of the Holidays" at another church. My friend Janis (who goes to my church) had attended it for the past few years and decided to host a table. She invited six of us from our church. We had a great time visiting and stuffing our faces! They prepared a whole menu of items and everyone was served a small portion along with a booklet of the recipes. Throughout the night visiting was interrupted with door prizes and a three part drama. We all had a great time.

2. This morning my wonderful husband bought me the Gooseberry Patch 10th anniversary book that I really wanted and hid it for me to find. I can't wait to find a little time to look through it.

3. Tommorrow night I get to go to a Mexican Restarant with a few girlfriends. It will be our last chance to spend time together before Michelle and her family move to West Virginia.

4. Friday evening I am attending a scrapbook party for a friend at church.

It is rare for me to be away from my family this much. I am very thankful for a husband who is glad I am getting a few breaks. It is kind of weird though that they all fall in the same week! I am thinking that by Friday, BJ will never let me do this again! :)

Today.....

Today was a fun mostly-at-home day. Here's a little glimpse into our activities.....

The boys raked leaves for daddy.

(They are actually starting to be a big help.)

Then, jumped in their pile of leaves.
(Then raked again! :) )


This is a picture of my three oldest boys' Thanksgiving Feast they prepared with food from the garden (that we still need to clean out). They were very excited to share it with me!
And here is Jesse playing football in the house.
Thankfully, nothing got broken this time. :)

I hope you have a great Sunday! Blessings to you all.

Yummy Cookies!

Here's a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I tried this recipe today for the first time... and everyone liked them!

2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour (up to half whole wheat)
2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. peanuts ( I used chopped walnuts instead)
3/4 c. choc. chunks or chips

Combine butters. Add sugars, b. powder, b. soda. Beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.
Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased sheets. ( I slightly flattened each cookie before baking.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. (I checked them after 7 minutes.)

The LITTLE boys playing

This is what practice time sounds like around here! Usually they practice individually, but this time daddy was helping. :) They are doing a great job. It will be fun to hear their improvements and growth over the year.

The BIG boy playing

There is something very attractive about a grown, 6'4" man playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on a 1/4 size fiddle! His couple years of playing in elementary school are proving to be handy!

My Mountain Men

Halloween night turned out to be very hectic. BJ was in charge of the church carnival so that meant I was in charge of the kitchen for the night. We both had so much to do and did not get any pictures of all four boys. Yesterday, I dressed the boys up to get a few pics. My mother-in-law, Sally, made their costumes. They turned out so cute! The boys had so much fun running around our property pretending to shoot everything! I got a kick out of Jesse because he started posing. He'd say things like, "hey mom, take my picture by this tree pretending to shoot the Indians." Anyone who knows Jesse can imagine him saying that! It was a lot of fun capturing the boys playing.

We are sad

Today our goat, Snoofy, died. BJ and I were really sad to lose him. Tonight I cleaned out the fridge and BJ and I just sighed- the outdated leftovers always went to Snoofs. Snoofy was given to us two years ago from a friend of John's that had to move. He was pretty old when we got him, but had a nice personality. I remember driving home from Portland being so embarrassed because we had a bale of hay, a tarp made into a makeshift corner shelter, and a goat who kept hanging his head out the side of the trailer baaaa-ing. We got a lot of looks on that drive! (There is never a dull moment with my husband.) :) Anyway, I grew to love and appreciate Snoofy, except for the many times he got loose and BJ, of course, was never home, and then I would have to catch him and get him back in the field. And then there was the time he got loose and ate all three of my flowering kale I had just potted! Our boys are sad, but don't totally understand. Earlier in the week we told them we thought Snoofy might be dying and I said "what will we do with him when he dies." Jesse replied, "we could eat him." :) Hopefully someday we will own another goat as sweet as Snoofy.