"Pumpkin Patch"

Since our attempt at growing pumpkins failed, I thought a visit to a pumpkin patch would be fun as a family outing during Fall Break.  I found a great deal through Living Social to a "pumpkin patch" that we had not been to before.  It was made clear on the website that they had not grown their pumpkins, but brought them in.  I was okay with that.  I envisioned a tractor hay ride to a field of pumpkins strewn about.  I thought we could run through the fields each picking out the perfect pumpkin.  The website also talked about all kinds of other activities that were available for kids of all ages.  I was so excited about this little family outing.  Well, in case you haven't noticed, each time I talk about this place, I use quotation marks.  It was not anything like I had pictured in my mind.  We pulled up to an open field.  with a few stations scattered about.  The big kids began complaining right away.  I will say this, we made memories that we won't forget.  We laughed a lot and left there without even a pumpkin to our name.  Oh, yeah, the hayride went in a really small circle and the pumpkins were in a big box that they had shipped in.  They even had the UPC stickers on them.  It looked like something you would see outside of the grocery store.  Here is our "Pumpkin Patch" adventure in pics:

Roping some "hay steers"

 Rick got one!

 This sounds so dangerous, doesn't it?

 Well, here it is.  Lauren and Abby living dangerously.

 Sam found  a place of peace

 The hay slide was the most fun.  Everyone took a turn.

Abby

 Cody and Laila

 Lauren

 Sam

 Isaiah

 Gourd Launching

 This is what they were launching the gourds at.

 I forgot to take a picture of the "pumpkin patch", I mean box.  There was also a pony to ride, but we opted not to spend MORE money than we already had.  They also had some sheep, goats, ducks to feed if you wanted to buy feed.  They had a small hay bale maze with some tunnels that the littles enjoyed.  The "big kid" maze was a roped area.  I couldn't  convince my "big kids" that they could have fun racing through it.  Cody kept saying, "Mom, what's the point, you can just go under the rope."

Sunflowers

 Ha, Ha, Cody!

 My beautiful Laila flower

 Candy corn Lauren

 We ended the time with some planking

 To regain order amongst the natives and redeem the day, we headed to Chick-fil-a for some lunch.

 Everyone's happy now.

Truly, the "pumpkin patch" was just fine for preschoolers.  I do think Isaiah and Laila, and maybe even Sam had some fun.  The big kids asked if we could just skip the "pumpkin patch" next year and go straight to Chick-fil-a.  Next year, I will spend a little more money and go to one of the real pumpkin patches.  Now, I need to go to the grocery store and buy some pumpkins!

The Table With a Story

We have had our kitchen table for almost 17 years.  There is a story of God's provision for us in this table.  When Rick and I were first married, we lived in Glasgow, KY where our families lived.  We had a cute little apartment and were given a table to borrow.  A year later, we moved to Dallas and returned the table to its owner.  For 6 months, we were without a table.  We would sit on our couch to eat, even when we had guests.  We had to sit on the floor to type papers on our word processor(yes, we are that old).  It wasn't impossible, but it definitely wasn't optimal, especially the paper writing part.  I remember how sore our backs would be crouching over those papers typing while sitting on the floor.  We absolutely did not have it in our budget to buy a new table.  So, we waited and prayed. 

In January, we received a check in the mail out of the blue from a family whose son I had taught in school the year before.  The note with the check said that they appreciated the investment I had made in their son and that they felt that God had impressed upon them to give us a check for $1,000 for a need that we might have.  You read that right, ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.  The really cool part is that we had not had any communication with this family in over 8 months.  They had no idea of this need or our financial situation.  God provided.  We not only got a table, but we got to go out and shop for a brand new table.  This table has now been in our family all these years.  So, you see, this table is really more than just a table.  

Over the last couple of years, I have been frustrated with the stickiness of the surface of the table.  No amount of cleaning that I have done to it has made a difference.  It had gotten to the point that we could not put any paper(paper plates, napkins, homework papers) on it without it sticking to it and leaving half of the paper product behind.  It was very frustrating.  I was ready to get rid of it and just get a new table. 

Then, my amazing friend, Laura Fowler(that is what Isaiah calls her), swooped in and saved the day.  She is very handy.  She grew up working alongside her daddy on various projects and offered to come over and refinish this table with me.  What a gift.  She also brought her trusty assistant, Micah, along to help.  She worked on the table with us and helped watch the little kids for us.  

We started by cleaning it really well with steel wool and a strong cleaner  

 Then, we scraped off 17 years of gunk and coating on the table.  

 I didn't think to get a before pic.  There was paint on it, marker, scratches, etc.
This is the best I have.

 Then, the sanding began

 Here is the table fully sanded

 For six days the kids ate on the floor in the kitchen.

 After staining and sealing, I present to you:

Our beautiful table, restored to life!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to have this table back in a condition that is actually practical for our family.  I really do love it, and having it look so good reminds me of that.  I have had a love/hate relationship with it for a while now.  So, the story continues and this table remains a symbol of God's provision for our family.

Thank you, Laura Fowler.  I would never have attempted this without you.  I wouldn't have even known where to begin.  I had fun doing it with you, too!!  Can you come over next week and help me clean out my basement?  Just kidding!

Cowboys' Cafe' and a Spiritual Birthday

A week ago, the Cowboys played Monday Night Football.  It also happened to be Cody's Spiritual Bday.  We decided to combine the two.  Cody got to pick the menu for the night and I ran the concession stand.  At halftime, we had our celebration of Cody and his spiritual bday.  

The menu

 Isaiah set up the "special drinks" for me!

 My two little Cowboy Cuties

 This is not a great pic, but it is them standing in line to order.  I wanted to capture it on film and remember how they do that.

 2 of the menu items:  Pigs in a Blanket and Sausage Balls

 My view from the cafe'

 The fans enjoying their game/bday snacks

 Laila watched the game like this.  

She picked out this outfit herself, Cowboys' shirt and silver glittery pants.  Fancy!

 The grand finale' of concessions was funnel cakes!(I even made gluten free for Abby)

 The finished product

 The Bday boy enjoying his dessert

 I love the story of when Cody asked Jesus in his heart.  He had disobeyed in some way.  Rick went up to his room to talk to him about his behavior.  He was 5 years old.  His response to Rick was, "I just can't handle all the sin in my life."  I chuckle every time I think about the weight of sin that little 5 year old boy felt.  Rick talked to him about our sin and how Jesus died to cleanse us from it.  He wanted to follow Jesus right away.  Now, here he is 9 years later.  I am so proud of him.  We spent some time sharing with him the ways that we see God working in his life and challenged him with areas of growth for the next year of his spiritual walk.  We gathered around him as a family and prayed over him.  Then, we gave him his gift, the new Toby Mac CD.

Cody, God has made you into a leader.  I am so proud of you.  You are deciding what YOU believe and how YOU are going to live that out.  You have faced some trials that God has used to develop your character in a way that has brought a maturity that I admire.  I love you.  I will always love you.  I know God wants to use you in amazing ways for His Kingdom.

Stuff

Abby had her fall piano recital.  

She played the theme song to "Star Wars" and "This Land Is Your Land."

 I loved seeing how she has advanced.  She did some two hand playing and a cool crossover playing thing.  You can see I am very technical in my music terms!

My two cuties after their bath

I had a Spalding training at school last week.  They basically go over the method they use to teach phonograms, writing, and reading in Kindergarten so that the parents can help their children knowledgeably at home.  This was my 5th time to go through this training.  I pulled our phonogram cards out of the ziploc back and found this inside:

 Who knows how that got in there!?!  I guess it could have been worse.  It did bring a smile to my face.

Remember me mentioning Super Sam?  Well, here he is with is shirt under his football gear.

How does this kid continue to be so cute??/

Abby's Garden

We had our first freeze this week(BOO!).  That ends our garden for this year.  We had a pretty good year for our first try.  At least we had some success.  My biggest disappointment was the pumpkins.  Our pumpkin plants were growing beautifully.  This picture was much earlier in the summer. 

 By summer's end the vines had grown at least 5 feet.  We also had tons of beautiful blooms.  I just knew were going to have a great crop of pumpkins.  Everyone says how easy they are to grow here.

 Well, not so much for us.  We did not have one pumpkin form.  I have no clue what happened.  The only thing I can think of is that it was an unusually hot summer here.  We must not have watered them enough.  Any ideas on what we did wrong?

Our cucumber plants that we grew from seed only grew this one tiny cucumber

I definitely think they needed more water.

 We had 3 big zucchini that we made zucchini bread out of

 We only had one red pepper that actually survived to maturity.  The plant produced at least 4, but they spoiled before they turned red.

 Abby picked all the carrots that were left before the freeze

 Our biggest success was tomatoes.  

 These things were delicious!!

Abby picked at least 10 tomatoes to avoid freezing.  

Those are in a brown paper bag on the counter right now.  

 We also had cilantro, lavendar, and chives that grew well.  The strawberries were a flop, not even one berry!!  All in all, I think we did well for our first try.  I would do it again, especially the tomatoes!

This was our favorite discovery, the embracing carrots.

Penguin Project

Lauren had an ocean project to complete.  She chose to do a penguin.  Now, I didn't enjoy these kind of projects when I was in school.  You can ask my mom.  I would whine, complain and even shed some tears each time I had a project like this.   She helped me A LOT.  The thought of doing more, just nauseates me.  Thankfully, Rick handles this area.  When it was all said and done, though, Lauren did most of this by herself.  I was very proud of her.  

Chickenwire penguin with the beginning of the paper mache' stage

 She did this in 3 stages to let it dry properly

 Next she and Rick spray painted it black

 Then, she used white, orange and yellow paint to add the details

 The completed project.  

She did a great job!!

Now, we only have to do this 4 more times!

Sassafras

Laila has really started breaking out of her shell.  She loves Preschool and is truly blossoming in that environment.  Each day when I go to pick her up, the class is having Circle Time.  She dances and sings her little heart out.  Let me tell you, sister has some moves!!  6 months ago, she would not even look a stranger in the eye.  

Last week, her school had Spirit Week.  I only got pictures of 2 days.  I missed getting pics of "silly socks day"and her "tie dyed shirt day."

Hat Day

 Backwards Day

Lately I have been calling her "Sassafras" because she has a sassy attitude.  Sometimes it is cute, other times not so much.  She is figuring out who she is and where she fits in.
 A glimpse at her personality

 Oh, how I love this girl!

She says to me, "I will always be your baby, Mama."  Yes, sweetie.  You will.  Don't ever forget that!