September Acres

Today is the last day of the first week of school.  It looks like it's going to be a good year:  wonderful teacher, nice group of kids in LM's class, new principal (hooray!) & uniforms (the kids are quickly getting used to this).  LM's teacher doesn't believe in a ton of homework just for the sake of giving homework which, after last year, is a good thing.  If they don't finish work in class, have an upcoming test or have a project to work on they'll have homework.  She wants them to read for 30 minutes each night, otherwise it will be pretty limited. The weekend ahead will have us doing very little.  Maybe a trip to Hobby Lobby for nothing in particular but other than that we have nothing planned and nothing pressing to accomplish.  It's the first weekend like this since the spring.  Crazy to think, isn't it?  We have movies to watch that we bought and never had a chance to watch.  Games to play that haven't been to...

LM starts school tomorrow.   Fifth grade .  She is excited to start a new year but also a little sad that summer is over.  I, however, am a lot sad that summer is over.  As The Mrs. said 'it gives me a stomach ache'.  I couldn't have said it better. We are ready for school.   Shopping is complete - and on a written budget for the first time.  School supplies dropped off.  Orientation night is over.  All that's left to do is get there on time in the morning.  That we can manage. What I am finding a little more difficult to manage is the whole summer ending thing.  Weather wise we still have LOTS of summer left.  But the easy, breezy lazy days of summer are behind us.  What makes it hard is that I never felt easy and breezy this summer. There was just too much going on.  Some of it lots of fun: Disneyland , a road trip to Northern California to see family and friends, hockey camp and golf camp.  Some of ...

One of the things we wanted to do this summer was to paint rocks.  Just for fun really.  And living in the desert we have lots of rocks right outside our door.  So today was the day.  LM headed out after lunch to pick out a few rocks and I gathered up the paint and brushes. Paint supplies & rocks.  And the rabbit from "Hop".  Wonder how he got there? I painted one rock for us to keep.  I used rubber stamps and ink to make a little design.  I kind of like it! LM painted a rock for her Grandma who just had open heart surgery in June.  Luckily she picked a small one so it won't cost an arm and leg to mail it. I packaged it up in a cellophane bag with some shredded paper.   I think Grandma will love it! This activity is really fun, creative and very frugal.  Here's what we used: Rocks from the yard Craft paint Paint brushes Rubber stamps  Stamp pad I keep old yogurt containers and the like to p...

We have two weeks left of summer vacation here.  This summer has flown by faster than any I have remembered.  I guess it's because we've been so busy and have hardly been home.  I really long for the lazy days of summer that I remember as a child. My mom found this free printable called 101 days of summer fun @ Laura Winslow Photography.  We had big plans for these ideas at the beginning of the summer and then life happened: a quickie trip to St Louis , babysitting class, golf camp, a planned trip to Disneyland with LM's girl scout trip for four days, dentist & hairdresser appointments, a planned road tour of California and the usual household things-like laundry & grocery shopping.  We have also found time to do some of the things on this list.  Like: Family Movie Night (when the McKenna 'American Girl' movie was on NBC) Visit a Museum Staying up late (too many nights) Dance in the rain Make a fort Take a class  Eat Breakf...

We spent a day at the City Museum while we were in St. Louis.  If you are ever in the area it is well worth a trip to the museum.  Just make sure you give yourself plenty of time.  We were there for over 5 hours and really could have stayed longer.  The museum is downtown, not too far from the arch, in an old shoe factory. As you walk in you see this neat clock.  To the right is the stairwell that takes you to the roof.  There was a line at the elevator and one of us said 'Let's take the stairs. How high could it be ?' Famous last words, right?  About 12 flights later we made it to the roof.  My thighs felt like they each weighed 200 pounds!  The roof top area had lots of tunnels and slides & a bus hanging over the edge of the roof.  Just like in the movies.  I didn't get on but LM did and loved it.  She's quite the daredevil. 'St. Louis Title' is to the left of the clock and where we bought our tickets. Wh...

We found out we had to make a quickie trip to St Louis a couple of weeks ago. My mother-in-law had to go into the hospital for open heart surgery and my husband was on a plane a week later while LM and I followed the day after him.  The timing couldn't have been better since LM was out of school the Thursday before we left (we left on Sunday). The surgery was on May 31 so we had some time to see my mother-in-law at home before she went into the hospital.  She was tired when we saw her but I think it was good for everyone to see her at home and not just after the surgery.  The surgery went well and the doctors were pleased with her recovery.  She is now out of ICU, no IV, walking a bit each day and eating solid food.  We felt comfortable coming home yesterday since she was doing so well.  That and the fact that there are 12 other siblings there to keep an eye on her! We were able to squeeze in a few fun things while we were there since, as you might...

Last night my husband and I went to see David Cook in concert. I would highly recommend going to one of his concerts if you remotely like him. He puts on a great show. He and his band were probably on stage for an hour and 15 minutes or so. They had an opening act, The Crash Kings, who were also really good. Below are a few photos. Not the greatest. I clearly didn't miss my calling as a photographer. This one was a bit dark but fairly clear. We were in the 13th row, center. Really great seats and as an added bonus we were on the end which meant I could get up and dance around in the aisle. Closer up but a little more blurry but all in all, not bad. We didn't get to meet David even with my little plan to have my husband wear his Southeast Missouri State t-shirt. David and my husband are both from Missouri so I thought he might notice him and start talking about 'home'. As it turns out, row 13 is good for watching a show just not good for reading t-shirts in the dark. M...

As summer vacation winds down here (only 2 weeks left until school starts!) and vacation budgets have been spent, I am always looking for some fun, frugal ideas to keep Little Miss busy and entertained. After racking my brain (well, it wasn't that bad) I have come up with some ideas to keep the peace for the next 2 weeks. I have printed out a few of our summer pictures, brought out the colored paper (scraps) and will help LM work on her very own Summer of 2009 scrapbook. Most of us have tons of construction paper, scrapbook paper scraps, markers, stickers, crayons, etc that are just dying to be used so this is the perfect way to 'use what you have' while keeping your kids busy as well as doing something productive. Even the littlest of kids can get in on this one with help from mom or an older sibling. Another 'crafty' idea is to take your summer magazines and let the kids tear them up & make a collage about their summer vacation. Take pictures of them with the...

Go visit Tahoe Girl and enter her beach bucket giveaway. Aren't these too cute? I have to run and see if I order one for Little Misses friend and have it arrive in time for her birthday party next Sat...

My daughter's Daisy scout troop took a trip to the zoo. We left bright and early (7 am) on Saturday morning for the3+ hour trip. After a couple of stops (8 six year olds need potty breaks!) we made it there. It was a beautiful day for the zoo - in the mid 80's and sunny. They each got a 'buddy' - Little Miss is in the pink top. All of the parents went so there was plenty of adult supervision. The absolute highlight of the zoo was this little area. We made 2 stops there for the girls and they had to be pulled out both times. They would have been happy just playing here all day. But there were lots of other sights to see so we plugged on. Sting Ray Bay was really fun. They got to pet & feed the sting rays. I have to say I was caught off guard by the feeling of these guys. I didn't expect such a 'slimy' feeling. Look at this guy! I don't remember how old he is but he's been around a while. We stopped at McDonalds on the way home for dinn...

Thanks to Europafox for this nice award! It was such a wonderful surprise. It is nice to know that there are people out there who enjoy reading my blog. :) And now to pass it on: “These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”! I would like to pass this on to: Laurie @ Tinker's Piggies Sarah @ Fortner Family Kellie @ Acorn Cottage Carie @ Planet Maxwell Lisa @ Coastal Nest Carrie @ With all that I've been given Wendie @ My Heart is always home Ashley @ The Draper House I have links to all of these wonderful blogs on the right hand side of my blog so please go visit these wonderful ladies when you get a chance.

This was uttered by a little girl at 4:45 am on Saturday morning as she pulled open the curtains of our hotel room on the 12th floor, filling our previously dark and quiet room with all the lights on the strip. Now I was up, too. 'What do you mean'? I ask, as dad contined to sleep. 'Look at all the cars out there.' Sure enough, Flamingo Road was hopping. Should these folks be driving, I wondered? We met my husband on Friday night in Las Vegas for the evening. He was there for a trade show and then off to CA for a race so we wanted to spend a bit of time with him. Saturday he left and we headed to Target and the mall. It was a productive shopping trip - too productive some might say. But I did get more Christmas shopping done and I am 'this close' to being finished. That is mainly because I am doing alot of baking this year - especially for the grandparents. As I am walking through the Christmas section in target I just kept thinking, do we really ne...

I was tagged by The Rockin' Wife so I figured I would post my answers now since tomorrow we leave to go for an overnight 'trip' (AKA: shopping). Were you named after anyone? No When was the last time you cried? Does Tuesday night count (NOT tears of joy)? Other than that it would be when I watched 'We are Marshall' a couple weeks ago. Do you like your handwriting? It's okay. What is your favorite lunch meat? Oscar Meyer turkey Do you have kids? Yes If you were another person would you be friends with you? I think so. Do you use sarcasm alot? Umm, yeah!! Do you still have your tonsils? Yes Would you bungee jump? Not likely What is your favorite cereal? Raisin Bran Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Not usually Do you think you are strong? Yes What is your favorite ice cream? I am not picky but coffee is my fave What is the first think you notice about people? Their eyes Red or Pink? Pink What is the least favorite thing about yoursel...

Literally. My husband's birthday party was on Saturnday night. It was a fun, casual time. I was a little worried we wouldn't have a good turn out since a few people who said they were coming couldn't make it due to illness. But it ended up being a great time with fun friends. My husband had fun and that's what matters. I didn't go too crazy with the cruel 'over the hill' related decorations. I did have black and silver balloons which looked nice. Having a birthday so close to Halloween means the real 'bargains' in paper goods are either black or orange. So I usually switch it out. Plus, I am the queen of re-using things so black is pretty versatile. My husband's actual birthday is the 29th but he claims he already feels older. ha. I never really felt that way at 40. But he says he can notice a difference. It may be that he has started playing hockey 3 nights a week now and his muscles and bones aren't quite used to it yet. :) I have mentioned...

It's just about Halloween. Above is the cute page I made yesterday at my stamp club. It's hard to see the top that says 'spooky'. I just love this page. Love the colors and patterned paper. I wish that my daughter had a more spooky costume this year. She will be Sharpay the golfer (photo to the left) - not too spooky. The school is having a pumpkin carving contest which Little Miss would like to enter. I will look for a pumpkin for her tomorrow. We will carve it tomorrow night and I pray that it will still be presentable by Friday when we take it to school. Each class picks one pumpkin to enter into the contest at the Fall Festival on Friday night. My husband & I generally don't dress up for Halloween. I do have a Halloween t-shirt I will wear to show a bit of spirit. The last time my husband dressed up he was Bill Clinton (complete w/ mask) and I just don't want to go there again. That was before kids. I was a hockey player last time I d...

We have spent the past two days at a state park on the Colorado River about 20 minutes from our house. Our friends were camping here but we went down for the day. My husband thought he was going to have to work all week but was able to take this afternoon off so he joined us today. The weather is great. The kids were able to play in the water all day. Our friends have jet-ski's so we spent some time on those. We decided that this is definitely a great place to camp. The campground is really clean, with hookups, a fun play ground for the kids and all the sites are within walking distance to the beach. We ate dinner out there this evening and Little Miss was pooped. I think she was asleep before we hit the highway. Sometimes I forget that we live in such a great place. Twenty minutes from home feels like a world away. People come from miles away to vacation here. I know my husband enjoyed being outside today. Although he may have the jet-ski bug now. Yikes....

it shouldn't be made out of polyester. Love that. It was the page on my calendar today for Sept. 22. (Life's Little Instruction Calendar Volume XIII). My husband and I went to Vegas over the weekend. We went to see Donny & Marie for my birthday. He was a little less than thrilled but ended up having a great time (of course). We had great seats and at one point Donny and Marie came out into the audience, each taking a side of the showroom. Marie took our side (my luck!) and came over to our table. She looked at my husband and his bald head, smiled and started rubbing it - THEN gave him a big kiss on it. After the show he said 'I wonder if there is lipstick on my head?" And sure enough, there it was - Marie Osmond's lipstick on my husband's head. Of course I took a picture and there it is - a little hard to see but if you look closely you can make it out. The show was really good. They are quite the entertainers. They did a little of their old st...

Stop by and see Colleen at Baby Makes Five and check out her Fall giveaway! Don't you just love that witch?? Kind of puts me in the fall mood (even though it will be 106 today! ) Have a good one!

Donny and Marie are in Vegas & we are going to see them! I got the tickets yesterday. As you might imagine, my husband is beyond thrilled. Well, not really but he is a good sport. It is my birthday gift from my mom and dad and my husband is being a good husband and going along with me. We have pretty good seats - the 'golden circle' so it should be a fun night. We decided against the VIP tickets, which include a photo shoot with D&M, for several reasons. First, they were double the cost (yikes). Second, what would it really accomplish - I mean Donny and I are both happily married now. :) When I was about 10 I had plans to marry Donny. I bet a million other girls did too. We don't go to the show until the end of September but you can bet I'll be back with a full report...

Isn't this a cool picture? We went up to the mountains this morning for the day to meet our friends who have a cabin up there (lucky ducks- maybe one day...) It is only an hour drive and it's like a different world. We went to brunch at the 'lodge' up there. It was yummy and the cinnamon rolls were fab!! While we were eating, 2 elk came right up to the dining room window. All the kids went over to get a closer look. I was so happy I remembered my camera so I could get this picture of my daughter looking at the elk. It is such a fun experience for the kids (not bad for the adults either). With so much tv, video, computers, etc it's nice to get out in nature. I love that even with the buildings and humans that the animals just roam around. Besides the elk we saw deer, lizards, rabbits, blue birds, woodpeckers. The kids had fun playing outside - just running around and looking at things. So simple. What a great day. I got this picture as we were walking into the rest...