Grandparent's Day at Pease

Today we celebrated Grandparent's Day at Gabe's school today.  It was a lot of fun.  Nanny, Poppie, Lily & I all went up to Gabe's school to have lunch with him.  I picked up some Chick-Fil-A so we could have something special to eat.

Gabe & Nanny

Gabe & Lily

Gabe & Poppie

After we finished eating Gabe got to have his picture taken at school with each grandparent.  How fun!  Now, I am home Lily is napping & I am working on some apple butter!  Hope y'all have a great afternoon!

Apple Picking

We spent our labor day together with friends.  We decided to take off, leave Midland and head 2 hours to Lubbock.  Normally we just go to Lubbock to go shopping, eat some place different & head home.  This time we decided to go apple picking at Apple Country Orchards.  It sounded like a fun thing to do!  We used to go apple picking every fall in NY.  It is something we have always missed doing here in TX.  We tried this place out one time before but in October I think it was and it was dead.  There were no apples left it was barely even open.  So, we thought it was just a flop of a place.  I decided to give them a call and see if they still had apples left.  Come to find out there peak season in at the end of July the beginning of August.  Seriously?  Who wants to go pick apples in the blazing hot sun?  I want it to be cool, crisp air, sipping hot cocoa or hot apple cider just like it used to be in NY.

Well, we went and it wasn't quite like NY apple picking.  It was still 85, quite warm, slightly breezy and we had to fight stickers and dragonflies.  But we all had fun, laughing, pulling our kids in the wagon, tasting & picking apples.  Great times with great friends.

We finished up our day with the chinese buffet and headed home.  It was a great time spent together as family.

Kindergarten Update

Gabe had a fabulous second week at school.  It was such a relief.  Granted several mornings he didn't want to get out of bed or want to go but once he got there he did better.  His teacher even went above and beyond and sent a picture of Gabe's tall block tower he made with some friends at school.    

We finished up his week strong and successful!  He has impressed me with all the sight words he recognizes as we practice them at home.  We have filled up his book list and he got to pick a prize out of the prize bag.  So far so good.  We are loving having today, Labor Day off!  We are going to pick apples up in Lubbock today with some friends!  We are all really excited about doing that!

Slow Cooker Recipes

I am searching for some slow cooker recipes because with Gabe getting out of school at 5 some nights, a.s.k cbs one night, Bill's practice...we need dinner done quick.  The slow cooker is perfect for that!  I came across this website Slow and Simple and it has a bunch of GREAT slow cooker recipes on it.  They cover everything!  I think I am going to add this one on our menu for next week to try out!


Autumn Chicken


INGREDIENTS 

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts
2 parsnips - 2 carrots
1 acorn squash
1 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth
garlic
salt
pepper
nutmeg
honey

DIRECTIONS

Peel and chop carrots and parsnips and place them in the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle with garlic (I used a teaspoon of pre-chopped garlic. I'm not sure how many cloves of fresh garlic that would be. ) Place chicken on top. Pour in broth. Cut squash into chunks and slice off the skin. Place on top of chicken. Sprinkle desired amounts of salt, pepper and nutmeg on top of squash and drizzle enough honey on top to lightly cover the squash. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Do you have any good slow cooker recipes?  If so please share them!!!  

Just Ducky

We recently took the kids to the duck pond and it was a HUGE hit!  We used to take Gabe all the time when we were broke & couldn't afford to do anything else.  We realized we had never taken Lily...well since she was big enough to actually understand what we were doing.  So, after going last week we decided to have a picnic at the duck pond Sunday night before Elements.  Here is what we did...

Picked up some Mcalister's Deli (Gabe brought a bologna sandwich from home, yuck!) and put out our blanket and had a picnic.

Playing around after we finished eating...

Then we fed all of our stale hot dog buns to the ducks...and the fish!

This will definitely be one of our regular spots to visit.  We can get exercise...the first time we brought Gabe's bike and pulled Lily in the wagon...and we can feed the ducks which both kids seemed to really enjoy!

Soaking Him Up

As many of you know this week has been an emotional roller coaster for me & my family.  I feel like it has bothered me SO much more than I ever have expected it to.  Not only is Gabe going to kindergarten but my whole world, my routine is GONE!  My early morning workouts followed by my time in the word well....partially happens.  The workout that is!  I arrive home (no laer than 6:30 am) to start waking Gabe, fixing breakfast, packing lunch, getting kids ready and out the door by 7:20 am.  I miss my quiet mornings of sipping my coffee, savoring God's word until my sleepy eyed kids wander down the hall!  It has been replaced by getting kids up & out!  It is so HARD to read once Lily's little feet hit the floor.  I feel by the time she naps in the afternoon I am on a mission to get what once looked like a home back in order!  She is one busy little girl.  See for yourself.

This is one of her many gifts & talents, haha!  Instead of our tissues being stashed in a cute little box I dug for at the grocery store they are all squished inside a metal bucket (a cute one of course) with the rest in the box next to them because seriously who wants to waste all those tissues?  It has been allergy season & they get to be expensive!  (especially the cute ones)

With all that said, I finally got time today to sit down and soak up God's word and it was exactly what I needed to hear.  It just filled my soul.  I stand amazed at our God sometimes when he intervines at such divine moments.  He knows what our hearts need when we stand broken and empty before him.  I continue to stand amazed by Him!

I had picked up my Beth Moore bible study (that is now over) this morning to do one of the lessons that I had missed doing.  It was such a good study that I don't want to miss them at all!  I just randomly picked one and it was perfect.  Here is a little from it and maybe it will be a little boost to your soul too!

First verse I read was this: God's way is perfect.  All the Lord's promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.  Ps. 18:30

Hello, where was that verse on Wednesday when I needed it?  It just goes to show you that you need to soak up God's word, DAILY!  Take up your cross, DAILY!  Honestly, this was the first week in a long time that I have not been in His word consistently and it shows!  I am EMPTY!  In the midst of our new routines, busy schedules and the journey of life I NEED to find that time to get into the word.  I miss it!

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in Him.  Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.  Then you will be made complete with all the fullness if life and power that comes from God.  Eph. 3:16-19

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  Ps. 40:2

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  Is. 55:9

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.  Romans 8:28

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Phil 3:14  

Hope you are encouraged my friends as I was today!

A glimpse of hope

Today was like all the others very sad when I dropped him off.  His teacher asked him if he wanted something to eat, he said no, and she told him where to sit.   So, he as usual sat at the very end away from everyone else with his hood up on his jacket because it was cold out this morning.  So, I walked down and ushered him to the seat where his teacher referred to and pulled his hood off.  Well, he put it back up so I leaned in and told him to put it down and I pulled it back down.  Well, he pulled it back up...frustrated I kissed him, said bye and left.

When I picked him up today he still didn't do anything all day except color, eat, recess, and go to the gym.  I was like wow Gabe y'all colored for a long time!  No writing, music, games...etc.  I do wonder what they do all day.  I obviously know they do more than color, haha!  Gabe's a boy of few words unless it has to do with Mario.  Overall he said he had a good day.  He likes his teacher.  They didn't get into trouble.

When I got home I opened his backpack to find a note from his teacher, a picture he colored, and some other information.  Finally, something!  I am very glad tomorrow is Friday & we will have a couple days to relax before we do it all over again.  I am one emotionally drained momma!