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Three boys plus one craft loving Momma... let's see what we get into!

PUMPKINS!!! Yay for pumpkin decorating!!
This year we used this punch in face decorations for the boys' pumpkins. They were pretty easy! I sort of miss the whole mess of pumpkin gut digging out though.

*If you try these note to self... Use something to start the hole like a screwdriver.

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out uber excited about.

1. That's right I finished the Rugged Maniac! It was a blast!!! Yes, a little cold but so much fun! Our team, The Unfortunates, included family and friends. Now that we have taken a mud bath together I'd say we are a little closer too.

2. Josh and I took the family for a short hunting trip this past weekend. We had such a good time as always. The boys are super duper excited to start practicing with a bow.

{this moment}

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton
By: Kate Morton
Four out of Five stars

my thoughts:
This book was recommended by a few friends and a book club. With all that backing how can you not read a book, am I right?!? Great, Great, Great read! I want you to read this just so you can understand how awesome it is! There are some twists and turns.

The House at Riverton tells the story of a Manor House in Essex during WW1 at the beginning of the 1920s. A film is being made of a tragic even that occurred at the house, the suicide of a young poet. Grace is sought out to tell her side of the story. At 99 years old she begins to tell her story and her connection to the Hartford sisters. As the story unfolds though, it's not as clean cut secrets have been made and kept for over 100 years.

the run down:
On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999

Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

Together

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo baker's 'Five Minute Friday'.
The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

My boys are going to take part in FMF today. We are home together because it's a no school day.
Sam (7): It means everybody is here, like your family.
Louis(6): Um... just one second Mom {goes and gets paper and pencil}. This is together. So if there's one ball here {draws a ball} and two balls here {draws two more balls} that's together. And it's going to make a full group of it, that's together. Like a puzzle pieces. 

Insert Momma grin here!

This all makes me think of Legos. You know when you put two Legos together and they just click. That's together. Sometimes when you try pulling them apart they just don't want to separate, they work better when they are clicked together.

You can find Legos all over our house, one laying in a bedroom the other in a bathroom (you try not to think why that one was in the bathroom) They could have been seperated for months, kicked around, taken to the bath (at least that's what your telling yourself) and click, they are together. It's just meant to work that way.

We are like that. We are meant to be together. Far away, different cities, states, countries, we are meant to be together. We were found where we were and that one special day, click. We were put together and together we shall be. You and me we are together, Lego style.

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Three boys plus one craft loving Momma... let's see what we get into!

Everyone needs animal glasses. Period. It shouldn't matter how old you are if you see a kiddo with animal glasses and they offer you to put them on... you put them on! It's just... it's human law. The boys and I made animal glasses this past week and we had a blast.

What ya need-
-animal glasses (we picked ours up from Hobby Lobby for I want to say under $1)
-markers (we started with crayons and it didn't work so well)

Before

The boys really really got into making their glasses look snazzy.

After

Now tell me the truth.
You would totally rock these glasses if they were offered to you.
Wouldn't you?!?!?!?!

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out uber excited about.

1.So SUPER proud of my brother in law that just ran his first marathon!!! Way to go Jared! We are all so very proud of you!!! He had a crazy fast time of 3 hours and 27 minutes. He called the time from the get go.

2. Yesterday, I posted a picture of some pepperoni sticks. Wondering why were you? Well this isn't just any kind of pepperoni sticks, these were from Tillamook Factory! It's one of my favorite brands of cheese, ice cream and meat. It's an awesome factory in Oregon! If you get a chance to visit you should totally do it. Growing up we went there at least once a year. Love love love their products. So when my hubby brought the treat home I was more than giddy to get a such a great thoughtful treat!

{this moment}

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Outlander #8.5)

A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows (Outlander #8.5)
By: Diana Gabaldon
FIVE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Okay, so by now we get that I am a Diana Gabaldon fan, yes?! That being said don't read this book! Such a tease!!! No, no to be serious. It was a great novella. Exactly how they should be. A little story to keep you on your toes. Just waiting and waiting for that next book to be released!

Mind you I've been a Outlander reader since... 2009.

the run down:
Available for the first time as an exclusive eBook in this original Outlander novella, Diana Gabaldon reveals what really happened to Roger MacKenzie Wakefield’s parents. Orphaned during World War II, Roger believed that his mother died during the London Blitz, and that his father, an RAF pilot, was killed in combat. But in An Echo in the Bone, Roger discovers that this may not be the whole story. Now, in “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows,” readers finally learn the truth.

Laundry

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo baker's 'Five Minute Friday'.
The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

It's that one thing that is a constant. There is always laundry going. With three boys, one hubby, a brother and myself in one house there is ALWAYS laundry going. There's that magical feeling when you do the "last load". You feel like you've really accomplished something. Then here comes your brave little six year old after cleaning his room and dumping another load and a half of clothes to be done. He sort of runs after he leaves it there just for that fact that he knows the "last load" was done. How does he know... cause I was probably doing a "last load" dance and singing... probably.

It's a constant battle. Folding the laundry in our house is the chore that no one wants to get. I can raise my hand and say that it's usually my chore. Not that I mind... I do sometimes... but man it is a chore. I'll be honest though. Sometimes when I let the stewing of me folding the laundry again pass me by... there is a peace to it as well. Side note to my wonderful husband... if you are reading this, do not take that as your pass to think I get peace always from this chore. The peace that I get I use it to be thankful for the little or big body that fits into the shirt, the pants, the PJs that I'm folding. I pray for that person. It's something that I should do more of but don't because I am so caught up in the annoyance of folding... again. 

I guess what I am getting at is... even in our most constant chore prayers can be folded in.

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Three boys plus one craft loving Momma... let's see what we get into!

Magic Bracelets

These are magic bracelets. I bought them at Hobby Lobby. You could probably make them if you are super awesome and know how to work with leather. This Momma does not.

Basically you fold it in on itself and braid. The pack of bracelets comes with instructions on how to do it. I will admit now that it did take me a bracelet or two to really get what I was supposed to do. The craft was better suited for our 7 year old and 6 year old. Our youngest need a little more help. Once he started though he wanted to do all of them.

Tip*
-The tighter you can make the braid the smaller the bracelet will be for those smaller wrists.
-For our youngest I had him flip the bottom in and I braided. That seemed to work best for him.

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out uber excited about.

1. The weather is changing! A few days of wind and rain and the boys are already waiting for summer days again. Well that is until they think of snow days and then they want that too. Lucky for them in this Show Me State you never quite know what you are going to get. The leaves are changing here and there. The sun comes up a little later and sets a little early.

2. We had the great privilege of attending a baby shower to welcome Sir Ivan into a beautiful family. Cannot wait to meet this little man!

{this moment}

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)

An Echo in the Bone (Outlander #7)
By: Diana Gabaldon
FIVE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Are you starting to get addicted to this series or just annoyed with all the updates? This is actually the last book in the series... for now. There are novellas but as far as the series go this is it for now.

the run down:
Jamie Fraser, erstwhile Jacobite and reluctant rebel, knows three things about the American rebellion: the Americans will win, unlikely as that seems in 1778; being on the winning side is no guarantee of survival; and he’d rather die than face his illegitimate son — a young lieutenant in the British Army — across the barrel of a gun. Fraser’s time-travelling wife, Claire, also knows a couple of things: that the Americans will win, but that the ultimate price of victory is a mystery. What she does believe is that the price won’t include Jamie’s life or happiness — not if she has anything to say.

Claire’s grown daughter Brianna, and her husband, Roger, watch the unfolding of Brianna’s parents’ history — a past that may be sneaking up behind their own family.

Ordinary

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo baker's 'Five Minute Friday'.
The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

Ordinary, this day is not. I am full to the brim of emotion today. I wanted to write about something quirky and fun, light hearted and deep meaning. Then I didn't want to write because what can I say that would really need to be said? The thing is, I'm just full of... off-ness. My "good" ankle is swollen so that means no running. My heart, in the words of my 6 year old, is sad. It's not ordinary for me. My son, who is tormented by bullies every day at school, went to school with no smile today. He can only be so strong for so long. My eyes are brimming with tears. It's just not ordinary.

We need days like this though.

“I know that pain is the most important thing in the universes. Greater than survival, greater than love, greater even than the beauty it brings about. For without pain, there can be no pleasure. Without sadness, there can be no happiness. Without misery there can be no beauty. And without these, life is endless, hopeless, doomed and damned. Adult. You have become adult.”- Harlan Ellison

When you see it in your child though, it's a deeper pain. You want to take it away, hide it from them so they never have to feel that. Without it though the sweet isn't nearly as sweet, is it?

Maybe just maybe that's why we do have these non-ordinary days, to be able to see the beauty in the "ordinary".

I read this the other day and it keeps coming back to me in highlighted, bold text.

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]

(John 16:33 AMP) Emphasis by Carey Scott.

So, I meet this day full on.
I will remind myself to be thankful for this non-ordinary day.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.

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Three boys plus one craft loving Momma... let's see what we get into!

Pumpkin bread!

The boys and I made pumpkin bread for our afternoon snack. They loved helping bake but they also loved chowing down better. Love my growing boys.

Okay so I'm sure there is a fantastic way to do this from scratch... I don't know that way. I used Pillsbury pumpkin bread mix, this keeps me sane and the baking experience very happy. I'm pretty sure the only things that we needed is eggs, water, oil. It was a very simple but hey sometimes the simpler they are the more room for fun there is.

Two for Twosday

Two for Twosday: two thoughts/ updates/ photos/ something that I don't want to forget or am flat out uber excited about.

I'm gonna share just one big event for this one, Pumpkin Patch visit!!! It's finally fall-ish weather! So we took the family for a our family pumpkin patch visit. The boys have a blast! Josh fills up on way too much apple cider slushy and I take a copious amount of pictures. All in the name of fall!

2009 (Rian is in the sling)

2010

2011

2012

2013

{this moment}

{this moment} -  A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander #6)
By: Diana Gabaldon
FIVE out of FIVE stars

my thoughts:
Here we go again! This one started off a little slow for me but as always was sucked right on into the story.

Fraser's Ridge is full of romance and drama! The family is getting ready for the upcoming Revolutionary War.

I'm not very sure how... but I'm starting to like Brianna after all this.

Also the reviews for these books I know are very vague. I'm not a fan of giving away too much and Gabaldon does such an amazing job pulling everything together that each piece is used for one big picture in this series.

the run down:
Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.

Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.

The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.

With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.

Write

I'm joining in on Lisa-Jo baker's 'Five Minute Friday'.
The rules are pretty simple. One word. Five minutes of writing. No editing.

Louis age 6

I've never considered myself a writer. I've considered myself more of a, how shall we put it? I have tons of thousands of thoughts and words floating around in my head and if I don't get them put down in readable format they are going to spill over. That's more what I would call myself, a spill over controller.

I hated writing for a long long time because that would mean that I would have to know how to spell all the words that I want to use. Spelling is not my cup of tea. I got into the habit of writing what I could and then tweaking it if I couldn't figure out how to spell one of the words. Thank you auto correct. It's given more confidence and awkward situations than one can imagine.

These letters that we use, that form words, that form sentences, that form paragraphs, that form chapters, that form stories.

Have you ever noticed how horrible the English language really is? Teaching children how to read and write will show you quickly. The quite letters, the words with double, triple meanings, or the words that are spelled different but sound the same. Oy-vay!

I'm thankful for all the writing that has been done. The ability to read what others can so beautiful put together.  The pure beauty behind the art of writing holding you captivated between book covers.

Writing. Your letters, that form words, that form sentences, that form paragraphs, that form chapters, that form stories... you hold so many of our memories. You hold made up stories from a six year old. You hold dreams of what children want to become. You hold the pleas of a mother in her prayer journal for the present and the future. You hold the whispers of what is dared not said allowed. You catch the spilling over.

Samual age 7

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Three boys plus one craft loving Momma... let's see what we get into!

***So last week I mentioned that we do journals at home with the boys. Got to get those creative writing juices flowing! I found some really fun Halloween prompts at the Multi Taskin' Mom. Head over there and grab the free printable. They are adorable printouts.

Halloween is just around the corner and it happens to one of my favorite holidays. Okay let me rephrase that because I know my husband is shaking his head and thinking, "All the holidays are your favorite Anna." True, holidays are amazing with children. Their excitement pretty much has me wrapped around their pinky to do anything for that holiday to make it as spectacular as possible. Tradition also has me wrapped around it's pinky. Holidays were and have always been big with my family. I want to pass that to my boys in hopes that when they are raising their kiddos that they share in the magic that holidays and children bring. I know I'm on a soap box but while I'm here... Children only have that magical holiday spirit for so long. Then they grow and get bigger and holidays just become holidays. Enjoy it to the fullest. Make your kids really have to guess what one is your favorite because you are that excited to celebrate with them. That's the key, with them. Okay, okay, I'm stepping off now.

Any who, Halloween is approaching and it is one of my favorites! Who doesn't like to dress up. Come on!
As of right now we will have a Minion (from Despicable Me), Luke Skywalker and Indian Jones. I really really wanted to do a family theme this year because who knows how many years we have that the boys will willingly dress up. When did you stop dressing up and trick or treating?

Last year we went on a lets make our own costumes... we really enjoyed it. SO hopefully this year will be a little similar.

I've been cooking up some ideas for the costumes. But here is one tip, DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. Making your own costume does take some time.

This is how I start making a costume. I make a list of what the basics are of that costume.

Minion ideas: yellow hoodie, blue overalls, goggles
Luke Skywalker: LIGHTSABER
Indiana Jones: fedora, satchel 

It sort of just goes from there. ALSO your local thrift-shop is a gold mine for this stuff, if you plan on going there this time of year though you really really need to get in there.

Keep on Crafting!

September N Review

What I'm eating/drinking: 
Salted caramel macchiato  

What I'm wearing: 
Jeans and a t-shirt... just ya know, waiting for fall weather to arrive.

My last Nook/iTunes/Audible purchase: 
Audible: Where the River Ends
iTunes: The Piano Guys album
Nook: Run Like a Mother

What I need to do today:
I have nothing on the calendar! That sounds fantastic!!!

What the kids are doing: 
Celebrating the first day of October with 85 degree weather.

How I'm feeling:
The weather here has been going up and down, so a few of us are having some sinus headaches.

What I'm listening to: 
Lindsey Stirling

Words to describe this month: 
Accomplishing
Bravery

Noteworthy: 


What reading/learning did I do this month? 
Here in the states we have been trying to really understand what this ACA really means for everyone.
Check out these videos that really have helped along the way if you are still trying to understand too.

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? 
Iron Man 3

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends? 
Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary!!!

What gifts did I give and/or receive? 
Hubby and I spoiled ourselves a little and went to The Elms, wait for it, with no kids!

What special or unusual purchases did I make? 
Our most unusual purchase was when my hubby purchased a bourbon on the rocks. When we received our bill we were charged for the drink and the ice that was put in the drink. Very strange.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have? 
Our dear sweet nephew who is two just had his tonsils and adenoids taken out. Please keep his recovery in your prayers, gypsy dance, thoughts, what ever it is you do.

What were my accomplishments this month? 
I competed in the Olathe Women's Triathlon and had the pleasure of riding in the AIDS Biking Cruise.

What were my downers this month? 
Bullies at the boys school. If I start this rant now I may never finish.

What new things did I try? 
My hubby makes grilled BBQ chicken wings. They are delicious but for all of you that don't know I have a phobia of BBQ meat on bone anything. I tried it! It was delicious as always but the next piece was most definitely eaten bone out.

How did I do on my goals for the month?
Crafts have slowed down. I need motivation y'all. 

September Photo A Day

No rules. Just a prompt and a camera. Check out Chantelle's photo a day challenge.

together

my name starts with

 

lines

alone

here forever

getting ready

white

made by me

on the wall

sweet

what I did today {looked at art}

shadow

unexpected

liquid

season

frame

in front of me

vintage

what is this

in the morning

rule of thirds

made me smile

from childhood

space

h is for {helper}

curve

wtf?

10 o'clock

gold {golden moment}

found