Hunting, Baking, Playing Ball

The first days of December were busy for us.

Several evenings, before rifle season, Riley drove the golf cart down the end of the lane to the intersection where his hunting spot is set up in the trees. He is still waiting for the buck.

Riley & Annie's basketball teams held a jewelry/ bake sale fundraiser. Annie made 2 plates of cinnamon rolls for that.

Later in the week we attended a benefit supper for friends whose son has lymphoma. I made a chocolate chess pie & 2 cream pies for that. 

Then we wanted to try a new recipe: focaccia bread. So one evening for supper we devoured almost these 3 focaccias with toppings...Italian cheese, tomato garlic, and apple cinnamon.

South Central Kansas Thunder played their first home game vs. Reno County Sabers. Annie's team lost by 1 basket as it swished through when the final buzzer sounded. Riley's team won by a decent lead. (Maybe 15-20 points? I forget the final score!)

We had new friends over for Friday night supper and games. 

We tied a festive ribbon on our door wreath and got out the little nativity set that used to be my parents'. The girls played for hours with the small figures.

Saturday Annie mixed up cultured salsa with a bucketful of green tomatoes from our garden that had ripened in the garage. We harvested a total of 218 pounds of tomatoes this year!

That evening we ate delicious chili and cookies at our neighbors'. 

December started with bang of busyness! We like activities, but we like quiet times too.

Thank You God for life's variety of blessings!

November in a Nutshell: More School Pics, Homeschool Co-op Finale, Family visits

Riley and Annie had a basketball program ad deadline to motivate their pictures getting taken. Caroline and Cora were a little behind, though excited, nonetheless!

Caroline Mae. Grade 4

Cora Ellen. Grade K

The beginning of November our local homeschool group hosted a family night where the students were showcased for their 12 weeks of Friday school classes and whatever else they had learned in the year. Cora's music class sang a couple songs with hand motions.

Annie and Caroline split the recitation of James 1. Cora knew the first several verses quite well, but stage fright became reality as the microphone was given to her to start, so she gracefully eased off stage.

I taught art during one class period for the Jr. High students. This picture shows an easy last day watercolor project.

Mamaw and Papaw came to Kansas for 2 weeks! We enjoyed making more family memories:
Listening to a Russian Jew speak on Israel & prophesy,
Attending a Ladies Luncheon Tea to hear a missionary to Ireland,
Going out to eat & making homemade ice cream for Mamaw's birthday!

Plus we enjoyed what they brought:
Gifts for birthdays present & past,
My grandma's corner cupboard,
Painting skills, window cleaning, & sink scouring that were generously applied!

the "new" hutch (minus the doors) becoming my closet

Saturday morning tradition: Shannon's pancakes

3 generations of femininity

watercolor picture of the gourds from Mamaw

Other things we did in November:
We weighed garden veggies (from October too) = 163 pounds.
We had yummy stir fry with cousins/family.
Riley & Annie had many basketball practices.
Annie spent an afternoon making cards with some other gals.
Caroline practiced her violin at lessons.
I went to the last ladies' Bible study (Family of Jesus) until the new year.
The family went to a homeschool energize conference.
We roller skated at the rink.
We had Sunday dinner company & went away for another Sunday dinner.
The older children & I attended a 4-H meeting.
It snowed!!!
Caroline had her first eye exam and we ordered glasses.
Riley & Annie played in their first games of the season.
We packed shoeboxes & decorated cute notes for the recipients.
Our family served, escorted, & ate at the community Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Birthday Celebrations

Happy 9th Birthday to sweet Caroline!

She picked her whole day of menus, rather than just a supper meal. Her siblings weren't impressed with that..uh..favoritism, but they liked eating her food choices!

Dutch babies and fruit kabobs for breakfast.

Biscuits & gravy for lunch, and grilled chicken, butter beans, potato chips, and pumpkin griddle muffins for supper.

Caroline also picked this lamb cake I had cut from a magazine years ago.

When it was completed she named it Cuddles and didn't want to eat her!

Since her grandparents were here visiting from Ohio, she had an extra large gift pile to open, Plus a package came in the mail from the other grandma that very day to add to the heightened excitement! Let me tell you, there was extreme hyperness going on.

Arts & fashion -ooh la la- here comes fancy Nancy Caroline!

Then just a short week later, Grandma Rose celebrated her birthday in Kansas!

Mamaw & her western girls

Papaw treated her (and us) out to dinner.
Check out his fried chicken and Mom's delish salad!

And I just had to include a shot of Annie's Ultimate Sub Sandwich, wowie!

We treated her to some pictures, artwork, and homemade mocha almond ice cream.

Happy Birthday special ones!

Autumn Days (Week in Review # 8)

Starting on the first Saturday in October...

Annie sat & sold at Farmers Market in Pratt for the last time this year. She profited close to $200 for her efforts over the whole summer. Plus, to her delight, she had many sweet snacks of leftover cookies, brownies, etc. to munch on.

That evening we attended a potluck parents' meeting after Riley & Annie's first official basketball practice for the season.

Caroline -with Cora's help- created some tepees from the small patch of bambooish type ornamental grass in our side yard. 

Shannon finished the walls and cut out a window hole for Annie's someday bedroom.

We enjoyed some of the lovely weather out-of-doors on an evening walk. The girls picked up pretty rocks and junk metal along the railroad track.

the view as we walked back down the lane

Caroline brought in a marigold bouquet and wanted to have a tea party supper.

She started violin lessons.

We attended a viewing in Hutchinson for a homeschooling friend's father.

The ladies' secret sisters were revealed in our homeschool co-op on a rainy day while the children played ball inside the municipal building.

Shannon and I shared a coffee shop date with cousins on our shared anniversary. 16 years for them, 15 for us!

anniversary gift and secret sister gift

Our family spent the weekend at Fair Haven district camp-out down Turkey Lane. We arrived in time for the cook-off, concocting main dishes from apple-cinnamon brats, Gouda cheese, couscous, and limes. The dessert bag contained gluten free pizza crust mix, gluten free raisin cookies, organic soy milk, and coffee packets.

The judges sampling the first team's meal

the winning plates

Annie's team's dishes

my team: Mediterranean meatballs and caramelized onions & peppers with Gouda lime couscous
(I forget the name of the dessert)... a cherry tart with coffee cream sauce

The big & little kids had great fun bouncing, jumping, falling, and bouncing again.

There were volleyball games, Frisbee golf games, and

photo scavenger hunt games. I was the photographer for this team. We had a list of 10 places to take a picture trying to be creative and keep with the camp-out theme: the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Fun times with friends, new & old!

Also, of course, an abundance of yummy food!