TGIF

Ever had one of those weeks when you were glad it was over? This week fits that category. I'm glad it's Friday and we get to start Monday with a fresh slate!! I had such big plans for this week, too. Rachel had fallen a little behind on some of her schoolwork. Not bad. Just enough that I had hoped to get her back up where she needed to be in those few subjects. Last Friday, she started showing signs of not feeling well. By Sunday afternoon, she was on the couch and sleeping a lot. She is finally feeling somewhat better today. It's been a long week. School has happened every day except Tuesday, which was her worst day. But, no catching up as hoped. So, we started out with a sick child. Then, we had to have our dog put to sleep Monday afternoon. She'd been a part of our family for almost 10 years. Lots of sadness, yet relief that she was no longer suffering. Yesterday was a crazy day with lots of running around town and lots of time waiting around during some tests I was having. The good part was - I checked out a book at the FBC library and got lots of reading done during my waiting time. In fact, by bedtime last night, I had finished my book!! Now, I can't wait to return the book and get another by the same author (Terri Blackstock). I am glad that next week is a new week, and I hope and pray that we will accomplish much to make up for this week. Robert will be on vacation and it will be nice to have him around during the day. We have some projects that need to be tackled too - hope we get them done!!

Road Trip

We came from Arkansas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Some by car, others by plane, didn't matter; the destination was the same: Texas! Rachel and I had a wonderful trip to Dallas to visit my brother and his family. We set out early Friday morning, stopped in Sherman, TX for lunch and then headed on to Rob's. We made it there just in time to go with Sharon, Sophie, Wendy, Emily, and Sophie's GiGi (Sharon's mom, Jean) to have Sophie and Emily's pictures taken at the Pumpkin Patch. Oh, what fun to watch those girls at the Pumpkin Patch. They were adorable for the photographer and oh, so patient while she took photos of the girls together as well as separately. When the pictures were finished, the girls were off to the bounce houses, and inflatable slides. After the inflatables, they rode a barrel train, ferris wheel and a live pony! What fun for two little city girls. When the girls were worn out, we headed back to Rob and Sharon's to wait for the rest of the family to arrive from Louisiana. I took on the task of providing dinner for Friday night - making ahead and freezing lasagna and manicotti to bake there. We had a nice dinner of lasagna, manicotti, salad, and some wonderful bread from the bakery at Tom Thumb. We spent Friday night catching up and watching the little girls play.

Saturday morning we all headed out for Sharon's baby shower. Her friends gave her a very nice shower/brunch. Lots of good food, fun games, and lots and lots of gifts for baby boy!! After the shower I wanted to take Rachel to one of her favorite stores that we don't have at home, Delia's, so we headed to Southlake for a quick shopping trip. She found some jeans and a couple of other items on sale which was great. Wendy took on the task of Saturday night dinner and made one of our old family favorites from growing up, Chicken Enchilada casserole, with salad and bread. We finished the night with lots of visiting.

Sunday we enjoyed spending some time outside playing with the girls before it was time to leave. It had been such a wonderful weekend, great family time, beautiful weather, lots of love; it was hard to say goodbye. It is pretty rare for all of my siblings and my mom to all be together in one place so we try to savor the moments when we can. Rob and Sharon were real troopers to have us all stay at their house!! We offered to stay in a hotel but Sharon wanted one big sleepover, so one big sleepover she got! There were eleven of us for the weekend. I'm pretty sure we'll all be making our way back to their house when baby boy arrives but we'll be kind and not all show up at once!!!

Here are a few pictures from our weekend together:



Nancy, Wendy, Jody, Rob, Mom

Pumpkin Patch fun!

The baby shower

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...
October 27, 2008

Outside my window...
it's dark and cold.

I am thinking...
about what meal to take to a friend having surgery next week.

From the learning room...
just regular school this week. Co-op classes ended last week.

I am thankful for...
time spent with family last weekend; hearing my sister's voices last night and tonight.

From the kitchen...
today's menu was
breakfast - pancakes
lunch - leftover Frito pie
dinner - dirty rice, black-eyed peas, War Eagle Mill Biscuits

I am wearing...
jeans and a turtleneck (yeah for cooler weather and a change of wardrobe!)

I am reading...
the book of James; A Singer sewing instruction book

I am hoping...
for a quiet week; my girlie to feel better soon; my post to not disappear into cyberspace this week ; )

I am creating...
some baby gifts again

I am hearing...
my kids watching tv; the dryer - lots of laundry has been done today

Around the house...
bathrooms were scrubbed today; lots of laundry was washed and dried; bills were paid

One of my favorite things...
playing the Hungry Caterpillar Game with Soph

A few plans for the rest of the week...
get lots of school work done!! work Saturday's Nutcracker rehearsal; hopefully a little fly rod casting practice

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
Rachel, Sophie & Emily at the Pumpkin Patch

To read more of The Simple Woman's Daybook, visit Peggy

Pray for Travis

Asking my friends to please pray for our friend Travis. You can read his story here.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For today...
October 13, 2008

Outside my window...
early morning clouds have broken and left us with a mostly sunny, cool morning. A breeze is blowing through my open windows.

I am thinking...
about phone calls that need to be made today, errands that need to be run this week, and school planning that I need to work on

From the learning room...
we need to choose a new book for literature study; press pattern pieces and cut fabric for a pair of sleep pants; hopefully get those pants completed this week

I am thankful for...
the chance to participate in Paint the Park Pink on Saturday with my friends from the young women's cancer support group I am a part of. There were eight of us from the group who attended the survivor breakfast and did the one mile walk. I am also thankful that my girlie decided to walk with us this year! It was a fun morning.

From the kitchen...
hmmm...that area needs some help this week ; ) Let's see, when I looked at the menu yesterday to see what's ahead for the week, I noticed some empty spots. That's not a good thing! (well, it might be for me - I could stand to miss a few meals) My family might really like having meals this week though. I'm not sure what happened when I menu planned, maybe I just left some blank because we have a busy week and I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I think this will be my plan:
Monday - baked fish, salad, baked potatoes
Tuesday - still not sure here (it might have to be eat out because of our schedule)
Wednesday - leftover jambalaya
Thursday - from the freezer - Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and a veggie
Friday - Sunday - those days are up to the guys - the girls will be gone!!!!

I am wearing...
denim shorts, sunflower tee, tennis shoes

I am reading...
nothing particular at the moment. I have forgotten to order the book I need for this month's book day so maybe I can get that and get started reading.

I am hoping...
to stay on task this week. Lots to do before a weekend trip.

I am creating...
working on Rachel's sewing project with her this week. Baby gifts are DONE!

I am hearing...
the washer and dryer, barking dogs, the breeze blowing my blinds

Around the house...
The kids and I worked on cleaning over the weekend so not much to do except keep it clean! I did some closet cleaning this morning.

One of my favorite things...
visits with family

A few plans for the rest of the week...
homeschool support group officer's meeting, quarterly oncologist appointment, homeschool co-op classes, Rachel and I are driving to Dallas to visit my brother and s-i-l. We'll be there for her baby shower as well as my Mom, two sisters, and three nieces - fun times.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
These beautiful girls are cousins. They are two of the nieces I can't wait to see this weekend!

For more of the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit Peggy at The Simple Woman.

Grab a Glass of Sweet Tea and Sit a Spell

Yes, you really do need to get that glass of sweet tea to enjoy while you read this post because I just know you are going to go visit Christy at Southern Plate and your mouth will be watering as you read. I was recently introduced to Southern Plate while reading Kim's blog. Kim raved about some recipes she had tried so I just had to take a peek and see for myself. Now, I love to read cookbooks and have a nice collection of them with a few favorites that are pulled from the shelf time and time again. As much as I love to read cookbooks, I have never been very good about actually trying new recipes. All that changed when I found Southern Plate. I was so inspired (maybe it was the picture tutorials!) that I immediately printed out six recipes and we tried four, yes FOUR, new recipes in one week. The first recipe we tried was Country Casserole. I doubled the recipe - it was too easy not to make one to freeze. My family loved this casserole and I loved how easy it was. Next, we tried Pizza Rolls and they are great for busy weeks or weekends when everyone is eating at different times. The other two recipes we tried were Salisbury Steak and Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing. The Salisbury Steak was great and pretty easy so I doubled that recipe and froze half so that all I have to do is thaw and throw it in the crock pot to heat on a busy day. The Crock Pot Chicken and Dressing was good and will feed a crowd. I love crock pot recipes because we have one or two days a week that our schedules make it hard to get a good meal on the table without the help of the crock pot. I have two more recipes that I printed that I want to try soon. Robert's favorite salad dressing is Thousand Island and Christy has a recipe for homemade Thousand Island that I can't wait to surprise him with. The other recipe I can't wait to try is Chocolate Cobbler!! This looks divine and according to Jen, it is! I think we have to have some ice cream to go with this one though and I forgot to buy ice cream this week. The great thing about Chocolate Cobbler is that the ingredients are readily available in my pantry. I hope you took the time to visit Christy as you read this post! If you are like me, you might just decide you'll have to add her cookbook to your collection.

EDITED to add: We tried the Chocolate Cobbler over the weekend and it was a wonderful dessert - warm, gooey, plenty of chocolate served with vanilla ice cream on top.

A Beautiful Day!

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Robert had to drive over to Camp Orr yesterday to complete some training for climbing and rappelling for Boy Scouts. The original training weekend was last month but they were unable to complete the training because of bad weather with hurricane Ike. They left early so as to not get flooded in by a low water bridge at the camp. We saw damage yesterday that Ike left in his wake - they had to cut 7 trees that fell on the road leading out of camp - if you have never been to Camp Orr, let's just say, it's an adventure getting there!! If you haven't been to Camp Orr but have been to Kyle's Landing on the Buffalo River, you would understand - Camp Orr turns off of the road to Kyle's Landing. To say the rocky road is steep and winding as it makes it's way to the valley floor would almost be an understatement.

I decided to ride along yesterday so Robert wouldn't have to make the trip by himself. I knew it would be a long day for him as it's about a 3+ hours drive from home. This is also one of our busiest times of year and our time together is at a premium. Now, for those of you who don't know me well, I am NOT an early morning person. To ride along, meant a 4:45 a.m. alarm, being on the road by 5:30. But I was determined to go! I had never been to Camp Orr and was looking forward to seeing where "my guys" have spent some summers and weekends Boy Scout camping. I love the Buffalo River area and knew the camp was on the river and would be beautiful. It was tempting to stay home and go to church, spend the afternoon working on laundry, sewing some baby gifts, and cleaning (I know Sunday should be a day of rest but it isn't always around here!!). I am so glad I didn't stay home.

Here are some reasons why:

A beautiful sunrise (my picture doesn't do it justice)


I got to spend some quiet time alone at this outdoor chapel with an awesome view of God's wonderful creation. There's nothing like quiet time in a place like this, no distractions other than pure beauty.


This is another view from the chapel area. It was so quiet and peaceful here. The trees are just beginning to show some color. The birds were soaring in the thermals.


Twin Falls. A short hike near the entrance to Camp Orr. I heard this is one of the most photographed places in Arkansas.
An elk in Boxley Valley. Robert saw a herd of about 50 when he drove through the area last month. We didn't see that many but there were probably about a dozen or so in this field. They were a little hard to see but Robert stood on top of the truck to get a good picture. This was on our way home. There were a few people stopped watching for them. Early in the morning there were LOTS of people watching for them but it was quite foggy so they probably had to wait a bit for the fog to lift.
The entrance to Camp Orr with the fog lifting.

Robert training for "Weekend on Ropes". Yesterday they practiced rescues at the tower, then they hiked to Copperhead Cave (what a name - and NO - I didn't go along - just the name will keep me away from there - lol!) to practice rappelling down into the cave. I watched them at the tower then went exploring while they went to the cave. I don't particularly like caves - something about being surrounded by darkness and not knowing what's in there just gives me the willies.
I went exploring at the "swimming hole" at Camp Orr. This is the Buffalo National River - absolutely beautiful river. We love to canoe there although I haven't gotten to go for a few years. Maybe next year!
Just playing with the camera shooting some leaves that had fallen in the river.
We made it home about 8:30 last night. We had dinner at the Pizza Hut in Clarksville which reminded me of our dating and early married days when we had Pizza Hut pizza a lot because there weren't many choices in the town where we lived. As if my day hadn't been blessed enough, I walked in the door and immediately noticed that my kiddos had done some cleaning and laundry when they got home from church yesterday! This blessed me beyond measure because they had no idea how much I had struggled with the decision to be gone for the day, knowing that there were many things at home that really needed my attention. I believe the Lord knew I needed the day away and took care of the rest for me! It was a day that was good for the soul.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...
October 6, 2008

Outside my window...
We woke up to much needed rain this morning! The rain has stopped but it's still cloudy with more rain expected later. I looked out my window a few minutes ago and found this little chipmunk at my flower bed. They are so cute but I don't like it when they burrow in the flower bed!!

I am thinking...
about what needs to be accomplished today, like catching up on laundry and paying bills

From the learning rooms...
writing lessons, a pretty regular day

I am thankful for...
the time I got to spend with my husband yesterday!! (I think I will give yesterday it's own blog post later today)

From the kitchen...
breakfast was French toast.
The menu for the rest of the week:
Monday - Chicken & Dumplings
Tuesday - Beef tips & Noodles
Wednesday - Spaghetti & meatballs
Thursday - Blackened flounder
Friday - Spicy Chicken Spaghetti
Saturday - Homemade Pizza
Sunday - Rob's Jambalaya

I am wearing...
jeans, Cinderella ballet t-shirt, tennis shoes

I am reading...
Hope to get back to "The Excellent Wife" and complete it

I am hoping...
to complete the baby gifts I have been working on

I am creating...
Those baby gifts referred to above. Finished the "minky" blankey Saturday!!

I am hearing...
the dryer just stopped meaning I need to finish my post and reboot the laundry

Around the house...
I finally got the fall decorations out Saturday!!

One of my favorite things...
being gone, then returning home to a nice clean house, thanks to my kiddos who did it without being asked. It made yesterday and even better day than it had already been.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
home school co-op classes, Mom's Renew, Paint the Park Pink

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

This is the chapel at the Boy Scout Camp ORR. I spent some quiet time alone here yesterday. What a beautiful site for a chapel, overlooking God's beautiful creation.

To read more Daybook entries, visit Peggy at "The Simple Woman"