Halloween 2011

We were ghosts and ghostbusters for trunk or treat on Sunday night, but abandoned that for actual halloween. The kids went back to their stand-by costumes...dress up for the girls, Jacob's soccer (original I know!), and a fighter pilot for Nathan. Shane took the four older out for a long candy haul in hopes to wear them out good and proper. Snow White hit a few houses then helped me pass out candy. She was a hoot as she talked to kids and passed out candy herself. It was a nice year...

Bowl of comfort

I made chili the other night in another desperate attempt to make it feel more like Fall. I keep 'doing' all these things to convince my brain that the calendar is about to actually turn to November tomorrow and that it is not really going to be 90 today. As I am forcing these things into my brain I am reminded that God is the one in control. He can make it cooler...make it feel like the summer is about to lose it's grip, and if I am completely honest He has already, sort of anyway. I walked to the mailbox this morning and it was lovely. I sat at a soccer game this weekend with the gentle warmth of the sun, not the blistering baking. We walked to our church's trunk or treat...WALKED! It was a great evening...it was a reminder that Fall has indeed come and that we are about to embark into a month of teaching out children to be more thankful...it is here. I do not need to force myself into anything. I relish these days of cool evenings and soft afternoon warmth. We are blessed to be able to enjoy so much of God's gorgeous creation this time of year.

Bible Alive

At Nathan and Hannah's preschool they have a Bible Alive day in place of a Halloween celebration. The kids get to choose a character from the bible and come to school dress up. We had a couple different discussions. I explained that they both have names of an actual character and I told the story of each of them. Those did not win however. Nathan wanted to be a King...so King David it is. He like the sword and shield the most so I am not sure what to make of that. Hannah chose Mary, Jesus's mother. She said she likes her because she is a mom. I thought that was sweet.

It's Official...Nathaniel George Franklin Self

 It is sometimes so hard to believe that this day has come...that we actually just finalized the adoption of our son Nathan. This path with him in particular has been CRAZY!! Talk about one heck of a ride...up, down, twist, turn, etc. March 17th is a day that is forever ingrained in my heart and mind...a day that I acted in complete obedience and took one giant leap of faith. It is a day that has come full circle from "temporary" to "forever". WOW...forever!!! He is one amazing little dude and we are more than excited to have completed this process with him. He will always be our first foster child...and now he is ours always. It is an awesome day!

One of the best things about having a mom who takes amazing photos is when these momentousness days come along we always have someone to document. We went into downtown Mesa to take a few family photos before we headed to the court house. 7 people equals 7 personalities...and a wild time! But we are one good lookin group for sure!

Excellent

There is something in the air...FINALLY! I think it is trying to tell me Fall may actually be coming. It is so weird to see pictures from my Mom's trip to Michigan, and all the Fall leaves and know it has still be hovering around 100 degrees here. It is even weirder to see that Colorado is in the middle of a 'winter' storm with 10 inches of snow and it will be in the upper 80's here today. But, (there is always a but) I am seeing some relief and have been pleasantly surprised. While my car still feels warm during the day, and my A/C is still being used in the afternoons my kids are loving just about everything outside right now. They get home from school, finish up the last bit of their homework and are literally outside from 4:30pm until I call them in after 6pm. It is a special treat for them and me...I can make dinner without kids under toe and actually enjoy some moments of peace from inside the house. I say 'moments' because being outside actually means way more boo boo's that normal but we stock a good supply of band-aides around here and usually that plus a hug does the trick. Best of all, when I call them in I let them watch some TV to unwind, help them get ready for bed and when it's time to head upstairs I get very little argument. They have worn themselves out good and proper. Even the dog is enjoying being able to hang out in the grass without baking. So, as usual, it seems in the few days that follow Halloween we drop in temp and really begin to feel ok about wear pants, with flip flops of course because AZ never really gets cold enough to pack those away for a season.

So, get out there...enjoy the reasons we love this state and make some awesome memories in the process.

Sweet Memories

Tonight was BLT night, (- the 'T'). This meal holds a special affection in my heart. We went on a 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise for our honeymoon nearly 15yrs ago. It was a great time although we certainly didn't party the way most of the passengers did. We would eat the gourmet meal for dinner, enjoy the evening entertainment and then head back to our cabin. Every night, and I mean EVERY night was would order late night room service. And why not, it doesn't cost anything more...it's included in your ticket on the cruise. We would giggle about ordering because we were young, very poor and for us this was the meaning of luxury at the time. What did we order? BTL sandwiches and chocolate milks...every single night! And it was the most delicious BTL's I have eaten even to date. I am not sure if it was because we knew it was luxury to us, or if it was truly that good but it didn't matter. As I bit into my sandwich tonight I couldn't help but be drawn right back to those nights. They were fun, tasty and just plain old sweet. It is hard to believe we will be celebrating 15yrs of wedded bliss next summer...maybe we should celebrate with BTL's and chocolate milk.

DIY = saving some $$$

We bought this awesome table from some friends from church and I love it because it has 2 leaves to expand it to seat 10 people and with a family of 7 I want to sit around the table all together. This table has a bench option but it is like $89 smackers and we figured we could build it stronger for cheap and make it a contrasting color if we want...so that is what we did this weekend. For about $40 in wood and paint we have a bench where three of our younglings can sit so we can enjoy dinner together. I was very satisfied until about an hour ago and I got this wild idea to make it even more meaningful.

So a little paint, an hour and a steady hand and BAM...it is done!!

 (Actually I need to paint a clear coat but I have kiddos napping so that will have to wait until tonight!)

 I don't just love it, I LOVE it!!!! 

Next...making new curtains over Christmas break I hope!!!! Slowly but surely the original playroom is growing up as is our awesome family.

Want a better understanding of my heart...read this...

http://flowerpatchfarmgirl.blogspot.com/2011/10/31-days-of-letting-go-katie-davis-book.html


Wow, wow, and more wow!! I wish I had the words to put my feelings down the way she does...so since she speaks what is in my heart so clearly I will just let her words do it for me. Adoption is a calling...here or abroad, but it is something God loves and SO DO I!!!

Less than a week

This is one of the first pictures I took of Nathan and now, in less than a week our adoption with be complete!!

Sometimes I wish I had a fireplace mantel, but my side table does just fine as a substitute.

Have a wonderful FALL day!

My first Apple Butter

I made my apple butter directly from a recipe in the my new canning book. I only made two jars...I wanted to make sure it tasted good before I make a bunch and hand them out to people for the holidays. And yes...it is delicious. My kids are eating toast and apple butter like it is going out of style.

First, I peeled and cut the apple into chunks, added the juice and brought it to a boil for 30min.

After the cooking time, the apples become mushy and it is then time to puree them into a sauce. Unfortunately for me, I broke my blender during this time, so I have apple chunks but I actually like the chunks in my apple butter...it was a tasty mistake! Then you add all the other ingredients. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg...you can smell the deliciousness already?

After this boils for a while, until it can be on a spoon upside down without sliding off you add it to your jars and into the canning pot for a 10min rolling boil to seal the jars.

That is all there is to it. I do think it is a bit time consuming, but all in all I am very happy at my first "real" attempt to can. I have some very eager pickle eaters here waiting for me to make my own pickles...we will have to see about that one!

Ugh...that was a bit annoying

I went to the post office yesterday, a place I go to only when I absolutely cannot avoid going. I hate this errand. I hate this errand even more since the 'people' at our post office are, well just plain old crabby. They seem completely bothered by the fact that any one has any postal needs at all. Maybe I haven't given them a fair shake since I go about twice a year...but this is the way it happens every time. Our mailbox lock won't open most days. We have sprayed it with WD-40, beat it senselessly and finally gently coax the key in hope that it will open. Some days it opens...many, many others it does not and we walk away it utter frustration. I caught up one day with our postman and he said I have to go into the post office to create a work order...hence the dreaded trip to the post office, and why not add to my misery and take all the kids!

I was pleasantly surprised once we arrived that there were only about 4 people in line ahead of us. Of course my kiddos mistook the place as the park and were acting like wild monkeys so I quickly snatched them all together and we waited. As kids often do they began asking a lot of questions and I was happy to answer what I knew. It was about this time in the trip that I noticed the two middle aged ladies in front of me staring with questioning looks. (A little background: I have a weird habit of feeling self conscience with I am out with the kids without my wedding ring, and since this was my only errand out of the house I didn't wear mine to the post office.) I smiled at them like I always do and they began talking loudly about a lady they know having all these kids with different daddies and some of them she didn't even know who the daddy was. I was taken a back for a moment. Was my crew the reason this particular conversation came up at this moment? Was my own insecurities playing tricks on my mind with their sense of timing? Either way, I was shot a couple more looks when one of the kids would use an outside voice, or ran screaming away from me. (Yes, I am that crazy lady in just about any store...trust me I am totally aware!!!) I don't think I will ever get used to the looks or ill placed conversations around us when we are places, and truly my hope would be that I can learn to not rush to any judgement off the bat.

What I do know is that God placed a command in the hearts of both my husband and myself to reach out to children without a home. To reach out to children who's parents are not able to care for them in the way they need. To be His hands and His feet...

I have been thinking alot about this whole scene at my 'favorite' post office, (wink wink) and I realize maybe most of the feelings I have are based out of those insecurities I have. I hope to a certain extent they are normal and keep me humble in the path we are on, but I also do not want to be run by those either. I love my children and I love how our family looks even if I get strange conversations around me, or asked how I enjoy doing a daycare in my home. I love my straight haired blondes and my ultra curly black haired babes. I love doing cornrows and making bows. I love buying all kinds of lotions and creams to keep everyone's skin type smooth and healthy. But I especially love being mom to 5 little souls that God has given us charge to. I pray God brings more people with all kinds of questions so I can shout His praise in our life with these kiddos, and I pray that those people I do or do not see staring have the courage to ask questions with an open mind.

Apple Annie's Orchard and Produce Farm

**Disclaimer: Click on the title of this (and all other post) to open the full post.

I took the kids all by myself to Willcox, AZ to visit Apple Annie's Apple Orchard and Produce Farm on the first official day of October break. We left before 7am because google maps said it would take just under 4hrs to get there. The drive in the morning was great. I was a little worried about all the truckers I expected on I-10 but actually there only a handful the whole drive. We had the road almost to ourselves. We arrived at about 10:15am, just over 3hrs and I didn't speed so I am not sure why google had it so much longer. It was a goregous 65 degrees when we arrived and headed to the apple orchard. This farm has two sites...the orchard and then the produce farm with the pumpkin patch.

These beauties are just a few of our treasures. We cut our own pumpkin right out of the field, the sunflowers directly from the stems in the ground and picked the apples off the trees.

I also took an opportunity to get some good, (or at least attempted too) pictures of the kids for the walls and maybe Christmas cards this year. I have a few good ones and well many, many others because it is dang hard to get five nice smiles all at the same time.

This was about as good as I could get...not too bad...and I love them even if some have cheesy smiles.

 And I have to balance the 'nice' shots with a crazy, funny face one too.

Off to the orchard...

 I LOVE this one...I love how she is holding the basket in anticipation of catching the falling apples Jacob is grabbing. They would squeal with delight every time he 'got one'.

 This is me trying to get some of the higher ones...

Three in one grab!!!

These were our pickins. I think it came out to almost 4lbs. I planned to make some applesauce, canned cinnamon apples and apple butter but I will have to supplement with some grocery store buys to make that much!

Are these two darlings not the most gorgeous 5yr olds around???

Then is was time to eat lunch and load up to the go to the produce farm about 6 miles away. We could see the orange from the pumpkin fields from the road...the squealing started all over again!!! We have been to a pumpkin farm before but never had the opportunity to actually cut our own pumpkin...that was very cool.

We boarded the hay ride to make our way out to the field of pumpkins!

 LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

 Double LOVE!!!!

Seek and ye shall find...a pumpkin that is!!!

We cut two pumpkins...with a few weeks left until Halloween I just hope they make it to be able to carve. If not the memories with worth it regardless!

Then on to the produce stand...smelled so fresh!

At the very end we walked out to the sunflower field to cut our own bunch of flowers. The bees freaked the kids out a bit and I assured them they were more interested in the sunflowers than stinging them but they didn't buy it. We did have a nice conversation about the job of bees and seeing it in action was neat to the kids. I appreciated their indulgence of cutting the flowers because that was all for me. I LOVE sunflowers!

And this was then end of our time in Willcox. They all thanked me over and over again for taking them, asked to go next year!! Next time, I think we will camp near by and take Daddy. It was a great day and they did great considering they spent just over 6hrs total in the car and about 5hrs between the two farms. Now, on to making some yummy, yummy Fall treats!!!