Fun Fact Friday....it's all about Pumpkins!

Happy Halloween everyone!

We aren't a big Halloween family, but the kiddos are going trick-or-treating tonight and they are so excited!

Here are some interesting tid-bits about pumpkins that I wanted to share with ya'll....

• Pumpkin (pepon) is a Greek word for “large melon”.
• Pumpkins are actually a fruit - I had no idea!
  
• Pumpkins are a type of squash. They are members of Cucurbita family (cucumbers, zucchini, etc.).
• Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A. They are really good for you. I LOVE pumpkin!!
  
• Pumpkins are grown on 6 of the 7 continents (not on Antarctica).
• Pumpkin flowers are edible. Again, this is really interesting. Ever tried to eat one?
  
• Pumpkins are 90% water.
• Pumpkin sees can be roasted as a snack.
• Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

source

Hope this video gives you a little smile today - lots of pranks going on!

I'm not feeling well right now (pray for me if you get a chance, would you?), but will get by to visit all of you soon! Ya'll have a safe weekend - have fun with your families and take lots of pictures!

Totally Excited!!!

Guess what hubby and I are doing in November?

We are headed to this....

I am ecstatic!  I love Christmas concerts.  I had the pleasure of seeing the Amy Grant Christmas tour a couple of years ago - it was excellent. She brought along the Nashville Orchestra and I cannot tell you how beautiful it all sounded.  There is nothing like some pretty Christmas music.  I love Natalie Grant - she is one of my favorite artists.  And look who else is going to be there....Michael English - what a fabulous voice! Did I mention Avalon, too? They are also bringing in Denver and the Mile High Orchestra... love me some good music, ya'll - it is one of my passions.

Can you tell I'm excited?

Menu Monday...and a few favorite finds

Hello friends - it's Monday! How did your weekend go? It seems the older I get, the faster the weekend flies by! We had lots of fall festivities this weekend - the kiddos had a blast! I didn't get too many pictures this time, but will post the few that I have soon!

This week I am trying something a little different. I am going to use a lot of what I already have here at the house, rather than go and buy groceries for the week's meals. Easy - peesy!

MONDAY: crock pot chili and homemade cornbread (didn't get to fix it last week)
TUESDAY: tacos
WEDNESDAY: grilled salmon, snap peas and red potaoes
THURSDAY: chicken burgers and beans
FRIDAY: hot dogs - our kid's favorite!

Catalog season is here...boy, is it ever! I probably receive at least 2 a day or so.




I have to admit, I shop out of catalogs, but only from my favorite ones like Lands End. If I see something I like for the kiddos, such as a certain wooden toy, I try to search the internet for the best price. Just recently, Chasing Fireflies landed in my mailbox. Have ya'll seen this catalog? It is the cutest thing - seriously! I had never seen it....a little pricey, but here are some of the things that caught my eye...

Isn't this little baking doll darling? I'm always on the look-out for dolls with red hair!

Love these t's...wouldn't it be fun if you had four children? Would make such a great picture!

"On The Tooth Fairy's Payroll"......

I think I'm in love.....(it's embroidered silk)

This is the cutest advent elf - he stands about 5 ft. tall

Yes, they even have birthday cakes!

source

Tagalicious! (and a few awards)

Happy, Happy Friday!

Can ya'll tell I'm happy it's Friday? Yes, ma'am I am!!

I've been tagged.... by Miss Sandy Toes herself.

Honestly, I don't live an incredibly fascinating life, ya'll. However, I am NEVER bored, that's for sure!

I am usually out of bed by 7 am - sometimes earlier, as hubby is up and out the door by 6:30 am. I so wish that I would just get my big-self out of bed by 6:30 - I could accomplish so much more in the quiet part of the day! (not to mention, eat breakfast with my man) I throw some resemblance of clothing on and off I go. Anyone that knows me, knows that I don't fuss too much with make-up. The best I do usually is getting my teeth brushed and hair combed for the day. I am always in awe of women that get dressed and have their faces on by 8 am - especially with little kiddos at their feet.

I make my bed EVERY DAY! I used to never really care about doing it, but I do now. It is a necessity. Then, I usually have my quiet time with the Lord. It is also a necessity for me - makes my day go so much better!

Around 7:45 am, it's wake-up time for the boys. Here in OK, school doesn't start for the elementary kiddos until 8:50 - LOVE it!! I think it's wonderful for them to have a little extra time in the mornings. I make sure they are getting their beds made, and clothes on and then I head to the kitchen to start breakfast. Once that is under way, I finish lunches. I usually make the boys' lunch the night before, all but their sandwiches. My 4 yr old has MDO on Tu and Th, so he doesn't go everyday.

B is on the bus by 8:30, then I usually get my eggs made (I have eggs nearly every single morning) and finally eat. My daughter is usually up by now, eating and dressed.

I check my list of things to accomplish for the day and away we go! Errands, laundry, play dates, cleaning, whatever. I love mornings - such a fresh start. Sometimes I go ahead and start dinner - especially, if it's a crock pot meal. Meal planning is wonderful! I used to wait till 5:30 to finally figure out what we were going to have for dinner and it never really worked well for my family.

K is usually napping by 11:30. This gives me a little chance to jump on the phone or whatever I need to do with a little bit of quiet.

Lunch time is fun - L requests the same exact thing for lunch everyday. You guessed it - PB&J. He loves them....with a few chips and grapes. K usually eats the same thing. No complaints here - it's super easy!

I used to go to the gym every morning, but have gotten into the practice of going around 1:30 or 2 - early afternoon. I love this time - not many people there and it is pretty quiet. It definitely helps to break up my day.

B (my first-grader) is home by 3:50. We have a snack and talk about his day. Sometimes, we go ahead and get homework out of the way, if he comes home with some. K usually naps again - about 4 pm. If I have an easy recipe for dinner, this is the time I like to fix it.

Dinner time is usually around 6 pm. I have lots of hungry birdies looking my way for food around 5:30, so we try to eat pretty early.

After a little kitchen clean-up, it's off to read, do homework and then baths.

Bedtime is around 8 - 8:30 and then it's quiet again! Whew!

I can then do a few more chores - finish laundry, possibly work on a few crafty things (I'm not all that crafty, really) that you bloggers have inspired me to do, fix lunches, read emails and my facebook page. I might catch some tv, but it is so hard for me to sit down to watch it. Every night, I make my list of things to do the next day. It keeps me on track!

Bedtime is by 11:30 - I have to have my sleep. I have always been a girl that needed at least 8 hours, or I can be a booger-bear to live with!

Let's see....I tag:

The Daily Adventures of Four Ed's

Memoirs of A Southern Domestic Goddess
Southern Hospitality

I have been incredibly behind on posting the sweet awards that have been handed my way - thanks to each and everyone of you for these!

I received this from Sandra at Canyon Wren Cottage a few weeks ago. Thank you Sandra!

Here are the rules:

1. You may choose five people/blogs to give the award to.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be a new follower of your blog or live in another part of the world.

I am going to cheat a little bit and pass this on to real-life friends. You ladies rock!

Glitter and Bliss

The Sweet Life

Memoirs of A Southern Domestic Goddess

Enjoy the Journey

Vintage Lily

I also got this one from my sweet friend Duchess. Thank you!

This goes to a few ladies that inspire me in so many ways....whether spiritually, crafty, homemaking, or just plain fun - I love to read them all!

Pearls and Grace

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Bless Our Nest

Life in Our Three-Ring Circus

Shell in Your Pocket

Bienvenue

Have a wonderful weekend!

Too funny!

I went to visit my friend's blog today over at The Daily Adventures of Four Ed's and this is what I found. Not meaning to offend - just think it's funny! Thanks for the laugh girl - it made my day!

Tradin' Post Fun!

Happy Wednesday!  I am playing the catch-up game this week and am way behind on everything - including blogging! I will get around to visiting each of you soon, promise!

Took a little trip a couple weeks back to one of my favorite little spots - The Trading Post.  I have always wanted to show you this fun store and highlight a few of my favorite booths.  I felt that I had to grab these pictures really quick - on the fly - because I'm not sure if I was supposed to be taking them. They didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but I was I was trying to do it all "incognito" like so as not to draw too much attention my way. Meanwhile, my daughter is growing increasingly impatient with me and trying to lay her head down on the cart handle, and my 4 yr old keeps asking me (and loudly I might add) "mommy why are you taking pictures of all of this stuff in the store"?  I'm sure it was quite the scene! 

This booth always has some cute stuff in it - I love how it is displayed.  Want to take the silver globe home with me!

Thought these were neat little wooden bowls - really cute stacked together.

Another fun display.  Isn't that a fun game board? And what a sweet vintage apron.

 Again - this dealer has things displayed really well.  I love the little green child's desk and the blue dresser.

I wanted to tell you about a great give-away my sweet friend Leslie is having. She is one of those crafty gals that makes some of the cutest things I have seen, so if you haven't stopped by Glitter and Bliss to enter, do it quick - it ends today!  This cute booth belongs to Leslie and her twin sister.  I happened to stop in one day while they were there adding items and arranging several things - it is chock full of magnets, frames, and home and seasonal decor.  I hope she doesn't mind me posting a picture of it - it's darling!

Leslie's cute magnets!

Menu Plan Monday!

It's Monday, ya'll! Hope your day is going well!

This week's menu:

MONDAY: chicken burgers on the grill

TUESDAY: tacos/burritos

WEDNESDAY: Shepherd's Pie

THURSDAY: Crockpot chili and homemade cornbread

FRIDAY: homemade pizza

We had a wonderful time this weekend - it was a quick trip to Dallas, but so nice for just the two of us! Everywhere we ate, we asked to sit away from children. Doesn't that sound terrible? We love our children and know exactly how it feels when kids are acting like monkeys at restaurants. We sometimes don't bother going out with the kids, because we feel like our 18 month old can really cause a scene. It is so not like us to really care where we sit. But, this weekend was the exception - we really wanted our quiet, couple time - and on several occasions, we asked to move to a different table. It actually was really nice!

The wedding was beautiful - very simple, yet incredibly touching. Hubby had to take this picture from his seat as we didn't want to disturb the wedding photographer. Aren't they a gorgeous couple? I am so happy for them!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Stansky!

This is SO my life........

source

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends!

Pumpkins, pumpkins... Everywhere!

We ventured out to the Pumpkin Patch Tuesday. We met L's preschool class there and had a great time with his friends. It was such a nice day - slightly breezy and a bit overcast. Great weather!

Feeding the goats....

These guys would eat anything....even the paper sacks with the feed in it!

Sweet friends...L announced to us recently that he was going to marry the girl in the middle..

Picking a favorite

Got it!

Sweet little man

Lovin every minute of it...he begged to get on the ponies!

Just her size

She kept picking up the pumpkins and spreading them out on the ground - cute!

Love this picture - I had to literally tear her away from this area...she was having fun!

Also, today over at Shell In Your Pocket, Sandy Toes is having a 100th post giveaway! I have enjoyed stopping by her blog for a while now - she is such a sweet gal! It is chock full of fun stuff....especially if you like roosters. Be sure to stop by and leave a comment to win.  You don't want to miss it!

Have a great Thursday!

Tablescape Tuesday!

 Thought we'd have some fun today looking at beautiful fall tablescapes!

This one would be perfect for a casual brunch. I really like the centerpiece and the way they incorporated the iron kettle.

 

The little pumpkins at each plate are so pretty and aren't the green-rimmed glasses a nice touch? I love how they used the teeny wicker basket to hold packets of sweetener  - really cute!

Can you imagine sitting down to eat at this table?  Everything is absolutely luscious looking!

What an imaginative setting - hydrangeas, roses, artichoke, and pomegranate - beautiful! Did you notice the baked bread?

 

Wouldn't this be pretty for a special fall wedding? The lime green hydrangeas really pop against the brown chair cover. Gorgeous!

 

source

This is my favorite - it just speaks to me.  If I could hand-pick a favorite spot for dinner, this would be it.  This oozes style, comfort, and warmth  - absolute perfection in such a simple setting!

source