Weekend Plans

Happy Halloween, my friends! I hope your day is full of not-so-scary spooks and lots of yummy treats. And when the day is done and the costumes are discarded in favor of warm, fuzzy jammies... when your kitchen table is covered in piles of candy and wrappers...take a picture in your mind and store it in your heart. When we wake tomorrow...November will be here. The darkness comes sooner, and we spend more time snuggled inside our cozy home. This weekend is just perfect for that...for staying in and doing home-y things. Friday is free. I am planning a simple dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese followed by a movie night with some popcorn.

Saturday we are changing things up a bit. After some discussion, we decided to move our Saturday jobs to Friday afternoon. We are almost always done with schoolwork by Friday morning, and thought we could finish up everything and leave Saturday morning free. This Saturday we will pack up Halloween for another year. As sad as that makes me...I am comforted by the fact that we will pull out the small Thanksgiving tub and add a few touches to our autumn home. Saturday afternoon the girls are babysitting for some friends of ours, so Steve, Rhett, Flynn and I are attending Mass followed by dinner out. Then Rhett is working at the theatre, so Steve, Flynn and I will have a quiet night at home.

Sunday is another free day. I am planning on putting a big pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove and letting it simmer all day long. Steve will make up some meatballs and we will have one of our favorite Sunday dinners together. After that, it is baths, showers, jammies and Peyton's favorite... The Walking Dead.

And that is our quiet autumn weekend. I hope yours is cozy and warm and happy, whatever your plans may be. Thanks for stopping by!

We had our first taste of snow last week...

and someone was amazed. : )

My little pumpkin all ready for Mass last weekend...

and all smiles with her Peyton.

 This young man was all smiles as well. He got his first deer ever!!! What a wonderful father and son moment. (Apologies to anyone offended by this...hunting in Pa is very common and actually an important part of many lives.)

Sunday morning breakfast for our all girls sleepover...

Madison gave me a much needed Halloween manicure...

and we had some yummy spider web munch for Halloween week snacking. : )

Happy Weekend, my friends!

This Makes Me Happy...Making Others Happy

My girls made me happy last week when they hosted a Halloween party for the members of my mother's Senior Center. This was the third party they have organized, and boy was it fun. Fun for the guests. Fun for the girls. Fun all around. Madison, Peyton, and their friend Nicole all worked together to create a memorable time for the seniors. They baked cupcakes, sliced apples, made games, and bought prizes. Madison's friend Justin, aka The Easter Bunny and Uncle Sam, made an appearance as Frankenstein. : ) It was a wonderful afternoon. Next up...Christmas!

My girls...all dressed and ready to go!

Cinderella was ready too. : )

My mom was a gypsy and Aunt Margie a pirate...

Frankenstein posed for pictures with everyone...

and he was more cute than scary!

So proud of these girls.

It is a blessing to a mother's heart. The desire of my girls to make others happy...this makes me happy. : )

My Cinderella

Flynn was so excited to dress up in her Cinderella costume for the Halloween party at my mother's senior center on Friday! I was so excited for her to get to wear her costume without a big winter coat on top. Halloween here in PA usually requires several layers for trick- or -treating. : ) Here she is sporting the exact same costume she wore last year. So glad her Cinderella obsession is still in full swing. ; )

Happy Halloween, my friends!

Pumpkin Patch 2013

We took our annual trip to the nearby pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago, and it was a picture perfect day autumn day. I snapped way too many pictures in an effort to capture the beauty of the day. : )

Flynn Grace...3 years old : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old enough this year to pull the wagon...

 

 

and choose her own. : )

 

 

 

 

 

Best friends. Most of the time. : )

 

 

My beautiful Peyton and her dad.

 

 

My whole world...together on a perfect October day.

 

 

Big brother showing her how to pick a good one.

 

 

Pumpkin Patch 2013 : )

 

 

All put together and ready for Halloween...

 

 

The front porch gets an autumn make over...

 

 

 with this pretty autumn wreath...

 

 

and some colorful new pillows...

 

 

but is still the perfect spot for my afternoon coffee. : )

 

 

Happy Fall, my friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekend Plans

Here we are...enjoying the last weekend of my beloved October. How can this be? The previous weekends have been full of wonderful autumn activities...festivals, pumpkin patches and parties. This weekend is not. This weekend is full of family and quiet and lots of good food. : )

Friday Steve and Rhett are heading to camp for the first fall weekend in preparation for hunting camp. My sister Margie is coming to stay with us girls, and that means take out and movies. Our favorite.

Saturday during the day is quiet. We are skipping our weekly jobs and relaxing with cocoa and more movies with Aunt Margie. After Steve and Rhett return we are going to Mass and then out to dinner. That's two for two on no cooking and clean up for me! ; )

Sunday is happily free. Of anything. I am planning on doing a whole lot of nothing. Steve is going to cook some steaks on the grill...the last of our meat supply from last year. Steaks are always the last thing left. We are sooo much a hamburger and fries kind of family. Anyway, I am trying to use up the meat so I can defrost the freezer before our new meat comes next week. Peyton is planning on making one of our favorite fall desserts, this Fall Harvest Cake to go along with dinner. Then as darkness falls on yet another autumn Sunday...we settle in and wait for...The Walking Dead!
And that is what we will be up to this late October weekend. I hope yours is spooky and cozy and yummy, whatever your plans may be!

All ready last week for our visit to see Grandpa Bill...

picking out a pumpkin to take to him...

and watching for Daddy to get home from work so we could go! : )

Still some beauty to be seen this fall...

even as we prepare for winter to arrive.

Late October here in Pa means its time to pull out the cozy flannel sheets. : )

Waiting for Mass last weekend...my baby is growing before my eyes.

As is my oldest...painting faces at the Relay For Life Festival last Sunday.

We enjoyed some of that beautiful fall weather this week on our daily after lunch walks...

and we enjoyed some yummy Halloween brownies too. : )

Time Goes Too Fast Tuesday

This is my Peyton. She was but seventeen months old, and I was soooo very sick during my pregnancy with little Rhett. My younger sister Angel, who inherited all the crafty genes in my family, made these cute sweatshirts for the girls that Halloween. We added a kitty cat headband and I drew some whiskers with my eyeliner pencil, and had the cutest Halloween cats ever. Still one of my favorite pics of my Peyton. : )

Slow down time...pleeease. : )

Meeting Them Where They Are...Again

Awhile back I wrote this post about meeting my children where they are. About embracing their individuality and accepting their differences. I am finding this to be even more evident as we journey through our newest adventure...homeschooling. I am spending more one on one time with each of my children in a different setting...the classroom...and in doing so, I am realizing how very important it is once again to remind myself that I have been gifted four unique and very different children. This is entirely different from thinking of them simply as four students.

I preface this by saying that I don't feel one is "right" and the other "wrong". It is merely an observation and a tool to enable me to nurture and educate each child in the way that is best for him or her. For example...Madison is laid back. She is so easy going and relaxed about everything in life, including schoolwork. She is also a very independent worker. She can have her music playing, be texting, and be writing a paper on The Raven all at the same time. And she does it all quite well. My job is to reign her in and encourage her to stay focused and interested. In schoolwork. : )

Peyton, on the other hand, is driven. Driven to complete. Driven to succeed. Driven to accomplish. She rarely needs my help. But when she doesn't understand something, she has no patience for anything but immediate explanation. : ) I have found that with her, my best bet is to listen patiently, guide her to the information, and wait for the inevitable, " Never mind...I got it." Ahhhh... music to my ears.

Rhett is the one who requires the most of my assistance. And that is to be expected... he is only in the sixth grade. He is a complete mix. He has the desire to complete and do well, yet it is tempered by the easily distracted, multitasking, need- to -check- one- more- thing -in- the- kitchen gene that Madison possesses. He is also very sensitive, and therefore I need to remind him gently to focus and get things done. He is also so funny. Before he submits an assignment to be graded on the computer, he crosses his fingers and says, "Come on, Baby!" And then when he gets the results, it is a resounding, "Yes!!!"

My Flynn is typical of most preschoolers. She is excited, and eager, and willing, and adorable. She calls me, "Teacher" and is so precious it makes my heart happy. I enjoy every moment of our time at the little table.

I am so thankful for these amazing gifts from God. I am also aware of the fact that in giving me four children, God did not give me these four gifts in matching wrapping paper. Nor did He give me these four packages simply in different wrapping. God blessed me with four entirely different gifts, all beautifully wrapped in uniquely different paper with various, intricate designs. My job is to unwrap and examine each gift carefully, and with thanksgiving, learn how to treat each precious gift with the greatest of care.

Weekend Plans

I am loving these autumn weekends, aren't you? Busy...but in a more relaxed way than during my next favorite time...Christmas. : ) This weekend we have some more fall family fun and some quiet time too, I hope. Friday afternoon we are hoping for a do over at the park for our Family Fun Day. Last Friday we got rained out and it looks iffy for this Friday too, but you never know, right?

Saturday Madison is traveling to a fall festival with a few of her friends from work. The rest of us will work on our Saturday morning jobs, and then settle in for some relaxing family time. I am thinking about a Halloweentown marathon. Have you ever seen those movies? They are cute...not scary. : ) Saturday late afternoon we usually attend Mass, but this weekend Madison has a special Mass to attend for Confirmation Sunday morning, so we will be going then. I am thinking of taking a ride to see my dad and Steve's mom at the nursing home on Saturday afternoon and perhaps go out to dinner. : )

Sunday we will attend Mass and then spend the day at our local park. They are having a fall festival and Madison is working at a Relay for Life booth with friends from work. They are selling soup and hot chocolate. Yummm. Steve and Rhett are planning on playing an exhibition soccer game as well. I am hoping for a beautiful autumn day to enjoy all the fun!

And that, my friends, is what we have planned for this mid October weekend. I hope yours is happy, and warm, and cozy, whatever your plans may be. Thanks for stopping by! : )

Peyton and Flynn made some yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to take to the park last weekend. Since it rained, we were forced to enjoy them with cocoa and a movie instead. ; )

My little Flynn on our way to my dad's Family Picnic last weekend...

where my dad had a good day and was so happy...

with four of his five daughters...that's Angel, the baby, on the left...then Scarlett, number two, then me, number four, and Margie, number three. My oldest sister Mary was unable to attend as she was traveling.

This is my favorite...fifty-seven years together. : )

 One of my very favorite trees in the backyard...the rain brought out the color even more...

but the leaves are starting to fall. Too soon.

Our super little hometown bakery made these awesome Walking Dead cupcakes last weekend...just in time for the Season Four Premiere. : )

And a Sunday morning selfie to finish up here. : )

Happy Weekend my friends!