Foto Friday ~ Overlooking the flood...

Dad took the kids on an adventure to get a bird's eye view from a top an old railroad bridge of the recent flooding in the river close to us
(Mom stayed home because mom does not do bridges!)

Very exciting to watch!

It was a great way to discuss all kinds of "science" things! (Us homeschooling families grab every opportunity we can! :)

And then to run off some energy!

Enjoy your weekend!

Thankful for food Thursday!

Got a sample of this at a grocery store.  My kids LOVED it!  I made a few accomodations to fit to my style of cooking!

EASY Cheesy Chicken

1 T olive oil

3 cans of chicken  (I used 2 lbs of fresh shredded chicken)

2 boxes mac and cheese ( I made my own with 15 oz of pasta and 1 cup of american cheese)

3/4 C italian salad dressing

fresh parsley (optional)

fresh thyme (optional)

1. 
   
   Prepare mac and cheese
2. 
   
   Heat oil in large skillet and chicken until light brown or fully cooked if using fresh chicken
3. 
   
   Add dressing and 3 Tbs water stir and cook for 2 minutes
4. 
   
   Add chicken, stir together and cook for an additional 5 minutes on low
5. 
   
   sprinkle with parsley and thyme, serve!  (Makes 6-8 servings)

You can add some peas or broccoli  to get those veggies in!  Make some homemade bread or biscuits and you have yourself an easy, delicious meal!

What little boys do!

Big brother worked at a tire shop

so...

Little brothers made their own "car"shop!

Fixin' tires...

Changin' oil...

And just other things little boys like to do!

Spaghetti-Smeared Generation...

This is one of my favorite ananlogies I have ever heard on why we allow God to choose our family size!  This is the beginning Please click HERE to read the writing in its entirety!

Raising Children: My Spaghetti-Smeared Generation

Farmer holds a few ordinary seeds in his hand.

he doesn’t see seeds. He also doesn’t see, or rather, doesn’t dwell on the work he’s about to give himself to.


OK he does see the seeds, and dirt, and sweat and weeds. But it’s what lies beyond the seeing….it’s the VISION.


He really sees a swelling harvest from that handful of humble seeds–a miracle he really can’t fully understand.


He sees results of his labor and the fruit of his hands and the many who will be blessed by it for years to come...


This is the websight this is from...

Foto Friday on Saturday and Random thoughts for the week

Just thinking this looks really nice right now!  SNOW! 
NOT heat advisories!
Soon enough!




Random thoughts on the past week...



~ it was tiring



~HOT!



~LOTS of water and flooding



~full of activities



~expensive! (had to have a new transmission put into hubby's car!) AND



~electric bill tripled (we are looking into that!)



~I realized you can get cabin fever in the summer too!



~the baby got a high fever



~I HATE it when my kids are sick!



~I still have no coffee pot



~It's ok, I only drink decaf anyway so I am awake, not problem!



~I want to go to our state fair this week, but WILL NOT if temps don't cool down!



~I have never missed our state fair!



~I love the busyness boys bring but they can be REALLY loud!



~I love how I can relate to my girls



~I realize how much I need God!



~I wish I would remember that hourly instead of trying to do things on my own!



~I am wondering what I am going to do when my 14 month old's lovey bunny loses it's ears! (It's what he falls asleep with and it is getting ragedy already!)


~Hoping next week we can get outside more together and actually ENJOY summer! :)

A Birthday Tribute to my Mother

Why I love my mother...

:: she is one of the most selfless people I have EVER known!

:: she is so caring

:: she always helps me see the good in things

:: she is my cheerleader

:: when I worry, she reminds me I am God's hands

:: she never judges me

:: from the time I was young, she let go and allowed me to become who God created me to be

:: when my dad left her when I was 6 months old, she gave up everything for me!

:: she NEVER once let me think anything but good about my dad!

:: she has shown me how to forgive others!

:: she has always supported my dreams

:: I love the way she loves MY kids!

:: she is so rational, me? Not so much!

:: she has shown me how to love my husband unconditionally.  To take the good with the bad and still choose to love!

:: the older I get, the wiser it seems SHE is!

AND most importantly...

:: she taught me to put God first and everything else would be okay!

Thank you mother!

  You are my best friend and I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

xoxoxoxox

Thankful for food Thursday!

We try not to use our oven during these hot summer days, so here is a recipe for INCREDIBLE sandwiches.  The possibilities are endless!  We love bacon on them and add some other veggies too!  Or try them on soft shell tortilla's!

Caesar Sub-Club Sandwiches

4 submarine sandwich rolls (about 6 inch) or 1 baguette (8 oz)
1/3 cup Caesar dressing
1/2 package (3.5-oz size) sandwich sliced pepperoni
3/4 lb  rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken), cut into about 1/4-inch slices (can used grilled chicken or sliced deli chicken)
4 slices (1 oz each) Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 slices tomato, cut in half
4 lettuce leaves
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced


1. Cut rolls horizontally in half (if using baguette, first cut into fourths). Spread dressing over cut sides of rolls.

2. Layer bottom halves of rolls with pepperoni, chicken, cheese, tomato, lettuce and onion. Top with roll tops; press gently. Secure with toothpicks. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half.

This is fun!

I found this idea here.  It is a fun and unusual way to get to know others!  It is the websites that you visit. Just open a new browser window or tab and hit your "a" key to see what site your browser pulls up first. Then continue doing that for all the letters of the alphabet.

a~ avent, GREAT bottles and fav breast pump EVER!
b~ babies'r'us, wonderful online shopping
c~ cutest blog on the block, use it for my blog background
d~  Johnny Diaz, favorite christian singer (daughter's fav anyway!)
e~  ebay, I sell all kinds of things
f~  Francesca Battesteli, another one of daughters fav christian singer (Hey, this is supposed to be MOM's computer!)
g~ google, need I say more!
h~ headaches, maybe needed that one because  have 11 children?  Hmmm...
i~ pop it, it's a game my kids play
j~ Johnny Diaz, AGAIN
k~ King James Bible online
l~ back labor, had that with my last baby for the first time!
m~ my charming kids, LOVE this blog! 
n~ newborns, wish I needed that again! :)
o~ ovulation, okay, not sure why I would need to look that up!  lol
p~ pop it, AGAIN!
q~ quiverful, that speaks for itself too!
r~ real payer, use that to load my mp3 player
s~ summer plants, wanted to plant a small garden this year, planning on herbs instead
t~ Target, I spend lots of time there!
u~ maternity underwear, don't need that right now!
v~ vision benefits, 2 year old broke my glasses this year, explains that one!
w~ wal-mart, do you see a pattern here?
x~ nothing!  Nobody plays the xylophone in our house!
y~ youtube, lots of downloads for Christian music
z~ zoocity, another kids website!

Wow, it is fun seeing where I have been, (or my daughter has been I guess :)  )
Let me know if you try this on my comment page and leave your blog addres!  I would love to see your answers!