Summer’s Close

Summer is wrapping up for us and with the end of summer came the end of our summer reading challenge.  I wasn’t as organized as I usually am about this year’s reading challenge.  I think I was being a little lazy actually and the library changed their program into something ridiculous so that sort of took the wind out my sails too. Thankfully I managed to think of something and it worked to get my kids reading this summer.  I bought them Sonlight’s summer readers.   Strawberry and Chocolate shared a pack, Bubble Gum and Blue-Raspberry got their own.  It worked out really well.  Sonlight packaged them up so nice, it was like they each got a present!

Anyway, the challenge was to get the books read before the end of July and in return I would take them to Nelson’s and buy them an ice-cream cone!  They all finished the challenge earlier then the date I set, so off we went! 

        

It was a magnificent day!  Warm, bright, not muggy!

         

I was a good girl, I didn’t have any ice-cream.  I was too busy wiping up spills and dolling out the wet wipes! 

Afterward, we decided to surprise the little people by taking them to the most adorable park ever created:  Teddy Bear Park.

I love it that my teens will still be in family photos, and go to the park with us.  lol

   

Isn’t that cool?  The whole park is like a squishy Astroturf, it’s really fun to walk on.

We ended our adventure at the Stillwater Farmer’s Market, which was quaint and delightful.  My husband spoke my love language and paid the big bucks for a gallon of pure maple syrup!  I am one blessed woman!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Celebrating like an American Girl

This is such an amazing time of the year for us.  I call it birthday season.  Because every time I turn around somebody is getting another year older and I find myself making cakes and lighting candles.  This was our particularly busy birthday week with two children changing up their ages.  Saturday it was Bubble Gum’s Turn.

For Bubble Gum’s birthday she wanted to go to the American Girl Place at the Mall of America, for dessert and shopping.  She’s been saving her money since Christmas and she had enough, all except for six little dollars to buy her very own, brand new American Girl Doll.  She picked Marie-Grace.

Mr. Taffy and I also let her pick out a couple things since we hadn’t wrapped and bought any other presents for her, knowing this was what she’d been wanting to do.  Wow, AG is EXPENSIVE!  So ridiculous and my frugal side was choking and gagging the whole time.  But we made it out, on budget and our daughter was on cloud 9.

After shopping we went to the café’ for some dessert.

They definitely know how to make little girls feel special!


There was singing and candles and a little “garbage disposal” who ate everybody’s left overs.

We came home later, did a bunch of kitchen tasks and then put dinner on. Bubble Gum wanted Costco Lasagna (easy) for dinner, I added sprouted wheat garlic sour dough bread and steamed broccoli to that and we were good.  I also talked her into getting cupcakes at Costco so I wouldn’t have to bake…I already had a HUGE kitchen project going on.  (I’ll share that soon.)



Just look at those eyes…what a day she had!! 

4 down…4 to go!

The Battle is the Lord’s,
Mrs. Taffy

What Christmas Looks like at our house.

Do you enjoy decorating at Christmastime?  I go through different moods, sometimes it makes me really happy to decorate, other times I just do it because it makes everybody else happy.  This year kind of fell into the second category.  Still, once it’s all done, I do enjoy the results and white lights are so cheerful!

Here’s a little tour of what our home looks like at Christmastime.

Sweet little girls dressed in sweet little Christmas dresses!

The stockings.

The Nativity on top of the kitchen cabinets. There’s white lights interlaced in that garland.

Christmas Quilts from Great Grandma.  Such a treasure!

Our pretty Costco Christmas Tree.  So glad our local Costco had them this year, such a great value!  Look!  I’ve even wrapped a few presents already! 

Some special ornaments.

Our Advent Chain.  I’ll share more about this soon!

There you have it…a little tour of how we make things Christmassy around here. 

Merry Christmas Friends!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

Preparing to be Thankful

I feel like I am on some kind of speed train or something.  Life is going by so fast. I never have a moment to long for the next moment to come because each moment goes whizzing by so fast I almost miss it.  I’m afraid if turn my back or close my eyes for a minute, I’m going to miss something, anything.  I remember a time when I would be so anxious for the next event to come, the next day, the next celebration.  I just don’t ever feel like that anymore.  My children still feel that way, like time isn’t moving fast enough.  I hear them all the time, “I just can’t wait…” “I’m so excited!”  “Only 35 more days until…”  35 days might as well be tomorrow as far as my train ride is concerned.

I’m trying to slow this train down, trying to enjoy moments and make them last longer.  Truly our life is but a vapor.  But I want to enjoy and experience each little droplet in that vapor.

Thanksgiving is next week.  Next week?  I still feel like 2012 just started, wasn’t it just January?  Do you see  the struggle I’m having?

I’ve made myself many a list.  A menu.  A shopping list.  A task list.  But I almost don’t want to start checking things off because as soon as I do it’s all going to be over with.  Oh what to do?!  I guess I’ll just hold on tight, treat each fleeting moment with joy.  Allow my heart to swell with thankfulness.  Ignore the annoyances.  Demand peace.

All my rambling thoughts aside, here is my menu for Thanksgiving Day, in case you are curious.

Appetizers:

Deviled Eggs (Mr. Taffy’s favorite)

Cranberry and Pumpkin Bread

Cheese and crackers with Summer Sausage (Laffy Taffy’s favorite)

Apple Orchard Punch

Thanksgiving Dinner:

Turkey (I make ours in a roasting pan)

Pumpkin Rolls (Recipe here)

Twice Baked Smashed Potatoes

Butternut Squash with Thyme

Gravy

Stuffing (From Trader Joe’s)

Green Beans ( I just steam frozen organic green beans)

Cranberry Sauce (From Trader Joe’s)

Dessert:

I’ve got so many things I could make...

Blueberry Pie (in freezer already)

Apple Pie

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Frog Legs (Chocolate Taffy’s Specialty)

I’m sure I’ll make something else too, just because I can.

I have a couple special things planned for Thanksgiving Day.  Mr. Taffy’s sister and daughters will be here to have dinner and dessert with us.  I found a Thanksgiving Day Scavenger Hunt on the Family Fun website and I’m going to send the kids on that at some point during the day.  We’ll do family photos, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I have a gift for all my children collectively and a “it’s the beginning of the Christmas Season”  gift for the girls, my nieces included.  Our dearest friends are joining us for dessert with their 4 children.  I’m making up baskets of food to share with our guests.  I know the day will be wonderful!  I’m really looking forward to it, but not too anxiously because I know how quickly it will be over with.  I want to savor the moments, like I’m going to savor that Cranberry Upside Down Cake!

My life is overflowing with joy and thankfulness and blessing.  To spend a day to remember all of ways that the Lord has provided is such a delight.  We look forward to this day all year long.  If we are thankful, we are content.  Praying that the hearts of my children will find a way to be thankful in every situation.  Praying that I can be a good example of doing that.  There’s just so much to be thankful for!

Thankfully content,

Mrs. Taffy

Alive and kicking!

I just wanted to say HI!  and let you know that I’m alive and well.  I’ve been trying to figure out why I haven’t had time to blog, Lord knows it’s my desire to do so, I still don’t have the answer completely figured out.  But I do know that I’ve been focusing on school and doing it with excellence, keeping myself moving around so as to be both a good example and to burn extra calories.  I’m longing for fall and predict I’ll have more energy to blog once the crisp air of fall starts blowing through my windows. 

Here’s a few pictures of what’s been going on around here!  I pray you are all well.  Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers continually!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy

I turned…gasp…40!

Birthday Lunch!

This is what happens when Daddy goes to Costco with us.  lol

Cleaning up mess and mess after mess…

MN State Fair

       

Beach Day

We have had a tradition for a few years now where on Tuesday’s we meet our friends at the beach.  It’s not really a beach, it’s a man-made lake in a Park Reserve.  It’s a pretty long drive for me, but it’s worth it.  The children have so much fun and I get to spend time with my friends, visiting.  Here’s how I get ready for a day away.

Pack a LOT of food!

Being outside and swimming makes for hungry children.  I actually dread this part of getting ready, but I’m always happy when I’m done!  For this trip I made about 12 sandwiches of the turkey, cheese and pea shoot variety.  We had peanut butter balls that Blue-Raspberry made especially for our trip.  Carrots, sugar snap peas, cherries, and potato chips.  I brought a slice of cheese, graham crackers and a peach for marshmallow.  She’ll also eat the cherries.

All the food goes into the cooler, I have the kind with wheels and a handle.  I also pack paper plates, napkins, plastic wear, cups, a target bag for trash and our picnic table cloth.  And I’m always thankful when I remember to add a knife and a little cutting board.

I try to pack light, because it’s hard to keep track of everything once we get there.  In the white and pink bag are the kid’s beach towels.  The teenagers have their own stuff that they are responsible for, so I just have stuff for 4 of the children in here.  There is also goggles and sun hats in that bag.  The Trader Joe’s bag has a change of clothes for all my little people.  I actually have them change before we leave the beach.  I just do right there in the grass, I keep them covered up with their big beach towel.  It’s so much nicer than waiting until we get home, then all the sand falls out at the beach, not in the truck or at home.  The bag then becomes the wet bag and holds everybodies wet suits for the drive home.  The little bag there is my beach diaper bag.  I normally use cloth diaper, except on beach day.  So this bag has a couple diapers, some wet wipes, the sunscreen, and some Bee Spray (for owies).

When the kids get up in the morning they put on their swimsuits right away. And we try to put on a layer of sunscreen then too, but we don’t always remember to do that.

One of my older sons loads the truck up for us.  See our big water cooler?  That butterfly bag holds the sand toys.  I have two chairs that I bring, one for in the water and one for out.  The stroller is a life saver when Marshmallow is eating lunch or needs a break from the water, plus it’s a good place to stash my purse and her diaper bag and the sunscreen.

The Park Reserve has lots of nice grass to play in, the kids love to play baseball and ultimate frisbee and other things…

But their favorite place is definitely the water!

When we get home, the whole process is reversed.  Everybody helps unload.  Everybody has a job whether it’s starting the laundry, unloading the cooler or putting away the beach stuff.  We have a pretty good system which makes it so we can keep going back.  Being organized keeps all the effort it takes to get there a joy instead of a burden.

I hope you are enjoying your summer too!

Joyfully,

Mrs. Taffy