Petals and Pine

Crazy winter!

2012-01-31T16:48:00.003-06:00

I know that I have gotten very far behind in my blog. This picture was taken January 11th! I wanted to share because (A) Jman knows how to ride his bike now, and (B) he was riding his bike in our backyard on January 11 with no snow and temperatures in the low 50's. Crazy!

Back to couponing!

2012-01-29T15:17:00.004-06:00

I got back into my couponing routine this week after taking the last two months off!

4 Purina dog food, 3.5 pound bags @$6.48 = $25.92

4 Celestial Seasonings Green Tea @ $2.08 = $8.32

4 Smuckers Sugar-Free Toppings (2 Hot Fudge, 2 Caramel - YUM!) @ $2.08 = $8.32

4 Frank's Red Hot @ $0.98 = $3.92

4 U by Kotex @ $1.24 = $4.96

Total Before Coupons = $51.44

Used:

4 $5/1 coupons for Purina dog food

4 $1/1 coupons for Celestial Seasonings

4 $1/1 coupons for Smuckers

4 $0.75/1 coupons for Frank's Red Hot

4 $1/1 coupons for U by Kotex

Total After Coupons = $16.44

The dog food was by far the best deal. I'm always on the lookout for good deals on dog food because between our Mastiff and our Lab we go through a lot of food every week. This worked out to be $0.42/lb and that is a fair price! If I buy the Dad's brand from Dollar General, it is $7.50 for a 10 pound bag, making it $0.75/lb, so that is a much better deal. Too bad I only had four coupons!

War Horse

2012-01-22T14:27:00.003-06:00

The day after New Year's, Devan took me to the theater to see this movie. I'm not going to write a review - that's not my forte. I will just say that I cried through pretty much the entire film. I thought it was fantastic. And I was impressed that Devan took me and sat through the whole thing without complaint.

(I am so far behind in my blog! It's ridiculous. I don't know when I'll ever be caught up!)

Catching up on Christmas

2012-01-16T15:47:00.009-06:00

Christmas was tough this year without Papa. Before he passed away, I was having a tough time just getting through each day as this pregnancy was very unpleasant. I had no energy to decorate or bake this year, which is very unlike me. I did a few decorations, but that's it.

Before we headed up north for Christmas, we hosted a Youtzy family Christmas. I did not have the energy to cook a big meal, so we had appetizers. And I bought them all! I don't know why I'm so hard on myself about this. Everybody enjoyed it and it was simple to clean up, and I wasn't exhausted.

Lots of family fun.

Derrick and Erin gave Jeremiah this fun gun, which he has been enjoying immensely!

Derrick eating.

Brooke in full combat gear.

We celebrated "our" Christmas the morning that we left for Michigan. Jeremiah was very excited about the bike that Santa left for him!

One of the things Jeremiah was most looking forward to was building a Frosty. This year has been very short on the snowfall. Fortunately, it snowed a little while we were up, so he was able to build one with the help of Daddy and Uncle J.P.

He rolled the snowballs himself! (Mostly)

We didn't have the traditional trappings for Frosty. He had to make do with one of Papa's hats and pinecone eyes and fangs. We did manage to find a carrot for his nose!

Snuggled in for bed with the Rudolph that my mom gave him for Christmas and a book from his stocking. Santa is always very, very good to Jeremiah. It makes me happy that we are able to give him a good Christmas, even if we can't afford the fancy toys. There are so many children who are forced to go without. Now that our financial life is stabilizing, I'm hoping to help make Christmas nice for some children next year.

My Christmas present from my sweetie. I'm finally catching up with technology! I love it.

Modeling his Christmas pajamas....

I love this picture! The three men in my life: My husband, my "baby" brother (towering at over 6 feet tall now!) and my baby!

A big announcement!

2012-01-12T12:46:00.002-06:00

Here is another major part of the chaos that I have been living in the past several weeks! We are expecting! We have discussed having another baby for awhile, but we wanted to make sure that Devan was in a secure job and making better money. We wanted to have two children, but wanted to be secure as well. I will be graduating in May, and the baby is due July 14. Jeremiah will be (hopefully) starting preschool in the fall. Things are falling into place.

This little guy (or gal) has been making me sicker than I have ever been. There were entire days where it was impossible for me to get out of bed. I never experienced sickness and weakness like I did during my first trimester. My energy is slowly returning and I have actually been able to eat again. I'm thankful for that!

Jeremiah has taken to the notion of being a big brother very nicely! He is already blaming things on the little one. For example, the other day, he could not find his bear. I asked him where Bear Bear was, and he replied, "Baby brother stole Bear Bear." The other night, Devan asked him to bring a cookie to me in the other room. The cookie never showed up. When Devan asked him about it, he said that baby brother ate the cookie. Poor little sibling, already getting into trouble! Jeremiah is going to be a fantastic big brother.

In Memory of Papa

2012-01-09T16:07:00.012-06:00

My Papa passed away on December 18. I have been (and am still) completely devastated. I knew that I was going to lose him, but that doesn't make it easier. I was closer to Papa than I have ever been to anyone in my life and have spent so much time with him that it almost feels impossible to say goodbye. I've been struggling with my grief because I've never lost someone that I was so very close to before and I'm not sure how to let him go. I am not sure when the day will come when I can look at these pictures and not feel so very lonely, but hopefully that day will come. Until then, I can smile at the memories and remember how much he taught me and how much he meant to me.

Almost Christmas!

2011-12-12T16:00:00.002-06:00

Going hunting with Grandpa

2011-12-09T16:47:00.003-06:00

Can't go hunting without a baggie of leftover Halloween candy.

He was so excited and proud to be going hunting!

Jeremiah's Thanksgiving Shirt

2011-12-02T18:42:00.001-06:00

Please don't mind the blue socks. :)

Jeremiah's $20.00 Purchase

2011-12-02T18:36:00.004-06:00

On Jeremiah's "real" birthday, Devan surprised him with a twenty dollar bill. I took him to Wal-Mart and told him he could choose whatever he wanted. We deliberated and debated and walked down aisle upon aisle, but eventually, he settled on this!

Jeremiah's Third Birthday Party

2011-11-17T20:30:00.010-06:00

Saturday afternoon we held Jeremiah's third birthday party. This is the cake that I made. It turned out better than I expected!

Food table - I made several sandwiches, and we had a variety of fruits and veggies with Ranch dip, Mrs. Mike's potato chips, bottled water & Hi-C, and decorate-your-own cupcakes.

A dinosaur tucked in the drink bucket.

The excavating tools.

The excavation site.

All the kids at the party wore poor little Chudleigh out.

Pavel & Jada were a team for the scavenger hunt. I just sent the kids around the yard searching for random items to keep them occupied and having fun. They teamed up to find a red leaf, yellow leaf, green leaf, piece of bark, rock, and a small plastic dinosaur.

Breanna was the winner of the scavenger hunt.

Time to dig!

Even the littlest party-goer found a bone! (I think Chudleigh looks awfully cute in the background, too!)

Putting together the T-Rex they found.

Nicely done!

Time for cake.

It was a full house. Tony put up those streamers for me. I think he did a great job!

Nick, Jada and Ashley, who sewed the banners for me.

Opening presents with Grandpa.

Cool Taylor.

Nick helped him put together his favorite gift.

Ron and Bonnie.

Dustin and Chudleigh.

Amanda and Kate with baby Matt.

Playing with his favorite gift - the tractor and trailer from Nonny & Erpo.

I still have some more pictures of the favors and miscellaneous decorations to share. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed spending time with friends and family. This is a little boy who is loved!

Chudleigh

2011-11-16T21:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Devan brought home my early gift on Friday night. This is Chudleigh. He's a yellow Labrador Retriever.

If you are familiar with Jacquie Lawson animated greeting cards, you would get the name reference. Her dog is named Chudleigh. Chudleigh is a town in Labrador (Canada). And an absolutely adorable name for an absolutely adorable pup, I think.

I am hoping to get into doing field trials with him in the future. That's something I've always been interested in. I love hunting dogs. I think the relationship between man/dog hunting together is fascinating.

Ares is extremely, extremely, extremely jealous, but adapting. He's getting used to the little pest, and his behavior has improved vastly since the pup has arrived. I think it has to do with him having been lonely. He always had people and dogs around, and when we moved out of Mom & Dad's house, he no longer had those companions, so he started acting out. Now he seems to be happier, even if he acts like this puppy is the worst thing that ever happened to him!

The Burpee Museum of Natural History

2011-11-14T12:03:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday we took a family trip to Rockford to visit the Burpee Museum of Natural History. They have a special exhibit going on right now called Ice Age Mammals, and I was really interested in checking it out. I also wanted to take Jeremiah to see Jane, the only complete juvenile Tyrannosaurs Rex skeleton in the world.

Scimitar Cat.

American Lion. I had no idea such a creature had existed.

Short-faced Bear - picture of skulls below. This was really interesting to me because Dad & I watched a film about these critters.

The Ice Age Mammals exhibit was broken up between three floors, so our next visit was to see Jane.

Apparently there was some debate when this skull was found because researchers thought it was some new sort of dinosaur, a pygmy tyrannosaurus. But when they found Jane's skeleton they realized it belonged to a juvenile t-rex.

Views from the second floor.

I did not know that the region I live in was covered by a shallow sea at one time. It was really neat to read about that and to see the fossils that had been found from the sea floor.

Mammoth ankle bone.

Jeremiah in a mining cart.

My boys in a canoe! It was made as an Eagle Scout project by a local group.

Wigwam.

Lakota tipi.

This is a map of where the Ice Age Mammals expedition went to recover some of the findings. Pretty far up north, I'd say.

This may have been one of my favorite things in the whole museum. This is mammoth hair!

They provided muskox fur because it had a similar texture/feel, because there was no way they were letting you touch the mammoth hair!

But you could touch the mammoth tusk. Apparently, there is such an abundance of mammoth tusks in the northern regions that they make jewelry and sell it.

Yukon horse skull. I did not know there was a Yukon horse!

Steppe Bison.

The skull of Cro-Magnon man.

An artist's rendering of what the region would have looked like in the Arctic four million years ago.

Another Short-faced Bear skull.

Helmeted Muskox.

Downstairs, there is an exhibit of animals. Polar Bears are my favorite animal.

Next to wolves.

The Triceratops was my favorite. I loved that they showed you which bones were real and which were added to fill in the skeleton.

Juvenile Triceratops left orbital horn.

(Jeremiah took this one.)

Left orbital horn of an adult Triceratops.

Ankylosaurus.

We had a great time and felt that it was a nice way to add a little something special to Jeremiah's birthday celebration, especially since he was having a dinosaur party!

Trick Or Treat Fun

2011-11-07T22:47:00.008-06:00

All the cousins together, ready to trick-or-treat. This is an annual tradition, taking them all to Oak Street together. Shana was a ninja, Brooke was a vampire, Maya was a witch, Taylor was a candy corn, and Jeremiah was a dinosaur.

Dustin wearing the dinosaur hat.

Lots of shots of Taylor and Jeremiah. The bigger cousins ran very far ahead of us, so we straggled behind.

These two would not pose for a decent picture together.

Still wearing the dinosaur hat.

Terrified to take the candy out of the mouth of the bear.

A little out of order.

This is not a good picture, but for some reason, it is one of my favorites!!

We caught back up to the older nieces, and Shana helped Jeremiah.

All in all, it was a good night with the family, and Jeremiah got a lot of candy! We finished up the night with a visit to Aunt Kim for some candy, and a trip to see Aunt Lois so she could see Jeremiah in his costume.

The Great Pumpkin 2011

2011-11-07T22:40:00.003-06:00

We carved pumpkins very late this year. I usually like to have it done the week before Halloween but with so many crazy things happening, we carved them ON Halloween. To make matters worse, our local farm that usually grows our giant pumpkins did not have any this year. And we never made it to the pumpkin patch, so these just came from the grocery store.

But, judging from the look on his face, he was just happy to have pumpkins at all!

I love this picture.

Devan always has to do something different with his.

I put a bucket of candy out just in case we got any trick-or-treaters, but we didn't, so I ended up divvying most of it up between Brooke, Shana, Maya, and Taylor. We saved some for Jeremiah and Daddy though!

My pumpkin - traditional. I never do a fancy one! LOL

Halloween potluck & costume show at Country View

2011-11-07T17:43:00.003-06:00

CoCo and Joe had no idea what they were in for when we showed up Sunday morning for the Halloween potluck, costume show, and party.

She may have run away had she known.

We turned CoCo into a pinata!

Bless her heart!

Parading.

I love this picture. He took his job so seriously!

Poor Joe. He is a boy, by the way.

How humiliating for him.

Devin with Munchkin as a racecar!

Too cute!

Dedra and Cheyenne - Angry Birds.

Little Red Riding Hood & The Big Bad Wolf.

Jester Josse and his assistant, Hannah.

Haley carried Princess Chloe and her royal steed.

Tristin as Little Bo Peep with Piper as her sheep.

Poor mule. He wanted to be involved, but nobody made him a costume.

Saying goodbye to CoCo.

He pulls his weight when it comes to CoCo. He will carry the leadrope & halter all day long if I'd let him. See that saddle soap in his sombrero? That's his prize. FIRST prize. :)

I love that horse. She is so patient, so gentle, so kind. I am thankful for her!

Halloween costumes

2011-11-06T17:21:00.006-06:00

Here's our gangsters, dressed in their Wal-Mart costumes. We put too much effort into our own costumes, so we didn't have enough time to make them costumes too. And their hats did not fit.

(And, with a designated driver and an overnight babysitter, we did enjoy a drink.)

Here is my hat. Ashley made the hats (and the dresses) but I helped with SOME stuff. And we chose separate accents for our hats. Don't mind my red eyes, or my tattoos.

Seeing pictures of myself like this make me want to get serious about exercising again. I hate it. But I also don't want to lose the memory of the awesome time we had making our dresses and going out as a group, so I'm sharing them, regardless of how embarrassing they are!

Our night out was a lot of fun! We definitely don't get to do it often, so we enjoyed the opportunity.

Almost-3-Year-Old Photoshoot and Fun at Krape Park

2011-11-04T20:12:00.009-05:00

Jeremiah and I spent several hours at Krape Park exploring, playing, and taking pictures. Some of the pictures turned out really nicely and I am going to edit them a bit and use them as his three-year-old pictures.

This is the waterfall at the park. He was fascinated with it.

He did not want his sock monkey to miss out on the fun, so he posed his stuffed friend for several pictures. This is my favorite.

Of course, we could not exclude the monkey from playtime. I promise you, Jeremiah put the monkey on there himself, with no prompting from me. It was sweet to see him sharing, even if the sharing was with a stuffed critter.

(See the need for editing? It was a bit chilly, and I couldn't keep up with the runny nose!)

The carousel is getting ready to shut down for the winter.

We went up to the top of the waterfall and he was interested in seeing where that water came from.

He is getting so used to me taking his picture that he poses for me naturally now!

I LOVE this picture. This is my favorite of the "3-year" pics.

Mommy's little model. See, I have a new theory...if I just take a BUNCH of pictures, one is bound to turn out nicely. I proved my hypothesis with this photo.

I can't believe my baby is going to be three years old in a matter of weeks. His birthday party is next Saturday! Time is flying by. My heart bursts with pride when I see him growing. He is a blessing from God, no doubt about it.

I love you, Jeremiah!

Love,

Mommy

Our first art project

2011-11-03T16:34:00.003-05:00

This is our first real art project! I stole the idea from my Sugar Pie Sista, Jana. I did the cutting and helped him slather on the glue, and then he placed the small squares. He did a really good job, I'd say! I'm proud of his project.

We are slowly transitioning into a "home preschool" type of thing. He probably won't have the chance to go to preschool (long story, small school district, needs-based, etc). And aside from that, I feel that his education is my responsibility, even with a teacher. So I'm stepping up to the plate. Right now, we aren't doing a formal school setting. We are doing art projects, working on one or two worksheets each day for pre-writing skills, playing Sesame Street games on the computer (Thank you so much for the recommendation, Elizabeth!), and going for walks and small field trips.

I am putting together a curriculum, but it still won't be formal. It will be focused on helping him learn while he is having fun. Giving him the best start in life is my responsibility.

Jeremiah's First Train Ride

2011-11-02T17:21:00.004-05:00

After our All Hallow's Eve visit to Midway Village, we decided to go on the "Train of Terror". We were more interested in the "train" part, as Jeremiah is obsessed with trains and we thought he would really enjoy it. It wasn't a very scary ride, and there were a lot of kids his age there.

Well, I'm not always the most organized person. It was warm that day, and I forgot to take into consideration that he had been wearing his costume. I forgot to bring him a coat. He got to wear Daddy's hoodie!

There were lots of little scenes set up along the train route. Some were silly, like the little cemetery with the girls dancing to "Thriller", and some were spookier, but all in all, it was fun.

I didn't get very many pictures - it got dark quickly and my camera is not good with low light!

The best part of the night for Jeremiah was getting a glow bracelet, I think!

All Hallow's Eve at Midway Village

2011-10-31T21:42:00.008-05:00

Jeremiah got to dress up a week early for our annual outing to Midway Village for their All Hallow's Eve celebration.

Jeremiah was so excited to be a dinosaur!

Trick-or-Treating!

I love how the local businesses sponsor the buildings, dressing them up with Halloween decor and passing out treats.

This is the 1905 barn, where they do the arts and crafts for this particular event.

Posing by Mickey.

(He is getting used to posing!)

He wanted me to take his picture next to this car with the "shark".

Jeremiah was so excited to see "CoCo"! LOL

Devan colored a picture for me! :)

Heading home.

I splurged on this balloon for Jeremiah. He loves the Great Pumpkin. I spent $6.00 on it, which is usually unheard of for me, but I had to have it. LOL

This was the first in a series of Halloween adventures!

Cloche Hats

2011-10-14T19:32:00.002-05:00

This is the material for the cloche hats that we are making to go with out flapper costumes.

I found this really cool flower at Hobby Lobby and knew it was perfect for my hat. It matches the floral pattern for my skirt!

Caramel Apple Pies

2011-10-13T18:03:00.003-05:00

These were so yummy! Definitely going into the fall recipe binder!

Great video!

2011-10-11T07:30:00.001-05:00

This is our friend Shawn's little brother, Brad, and his class project. Very, very funny stuff!

Autumn Nesting

2011-10-04T10:01:00.002-05:00

I have been in a baking frenzy since the days began to cool down! I made a pumpkin pie and some oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies to start with. This was the first day that truly felt like fall for me! I have been doing a LOT of baking and cooking recently, but for supper, we enjoyed turkey sub sandwiches and Bear Creek's Broccoli Cheese soup. It was delicious, simple, and warm! Some days are just meant for soup and a sandwich.]

I haven't been posting much recently because I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off! I'm working at Otto's Place five days a week, going to school on Tuesday and Thursday as well as Wednesday evenings, taking Devan to his new job every morning (which I am not complaining about - this job is the biggest blessing we could have ever hoped to receive!), as well as keeping up with the house, chasing Jeremiah around, laundry, and all the domestic duties! I am also in the midst of planning Jeremiah's third birthday party, Thanksgiving dinner which I will be hosting, the Youtzy family Christmas and our Christmas trip home, and many other smaller projects. Not to mention the making of the Halloween costume (more on that soon!) and couponing like crazy!

Life is good! :)

Autumn Nature Walk at Lake Le-Aqua-Na

2011-09-23T19:20:00.009-05:00

(spot the deer!)

Goggle-Goggles

That blurry blob is a deer!

And my dream horse, who just happened to be hanging out by the road.

Celebrating three years of marriage!

2011-09-21T10:08:00.003-05:00

Friday night Devan's parents kept Jeremiah for us so we could have a "date". We were too cheap to go out to eat, but we did go to the grocery store and "splurge". I got a frozen Orange Chicken meal and Devan had a fried fish meal from the deli. We chose this Oreo cake for dessert.

Yesterday was our actual anniversary, and we celebrated three years of marriage. We are getting better as we go, learning a lot from and about each other, and building a life together.

Devan & Jeremiah got me this beautiful mum. I can't wait to see it in all its glory in a few weeks!

We grilled a roast for our supper along with some oven-baked potatoes. Devan made it all and it was fantastic.

And we followed up with a bowl of anniversary ice cream!

I love you, Devan, and I can't wait to celebrate many, many more anniversaries with you!!!

Autumn Housewarming

2011-09-15T14:48:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my harvest home! Come in!

The secretary.

My Turkey Creek Township characters reside on my hope chest. I love these guys!

The side table next to my chair in the little living room. I am sure I will be re-arranging this at some point.

My favorite piece of furniture to decorate, my armoire.

These pumpkins all came from Dollar Tree a few years ago.

One of my all-time favorite candle scents - Paula Deen Pecan Pie.

My Amish-made wooden leaf basket. I purchased it at the Mercantile when I waitressed there several years ago. I am so glad to finally be displaying it!

The kitchen table. I need small taper candles for the cornucopia centerpiece.

An old enamel dish pan filled with autumn potpourri.

This plate came from Cracker Barrel. I love plates and using them in seasonal decor.

I moved the sofa table from behind the sofa to this wall. It really gave more space to the living room and I was able to put out some more fall things! :)

I got this little owl lamp at Cracker Barrel on my trip with my cousin Renee. It is one of my favorite pieces right now.

One of my favorite lamps on an old milk can.

I am still slowly adding more to my autumn decor.

I am loving these first few days that truly feel like fall. We may even need to turn on the heat tonight! This is my season...I'm so glad it's here! :)

Late Summer Fun

2011-09-15T07:20:00.003-05:00

This little pedal go-kart has been the best thing to come out of summer for Jeremiah. He has really been enjoying it! Devan's co-worker Jim gave it to us and it's been a source of non-stop fun.

Bumper cars.

Sidewalk chalk. That's a turtle, a spider, and a fish.

Jeremiah's new pet. Devan found a praying mantis and we gave her a home for a few days while we observe her. (We don't know for sure that it's a female!)

Jeremiah named her "Erpo" after Grandpa.

September 11 Tribute

2011-09-13T18:36:00.001-05:00

I meant to post this on September 11 but the weekend went by so fast! This video makes me cry. It's my favorite horses paying tribute to the memory of those that lost their lives September 11.

Lena Lions Fall Festival with Devan and Jeremiah

2011-09-13T08:14:00.004-05:00

Friday evening Devan, Jeremiah & I came up to the Fall Festival. It's tradition! I always get Italian sausage. It's my favorite and I wait all year for it.

We each got a turn to spin the wheel for the cinema (well, Jeremiah spun it for each of us). We won a free pop, free popcorn, and a free movie!

Looks like a family date night is in order!

Prizes!

We tried for a goldfish, but we weren't very successful. (On Saturday night, Todd won a fish for him!)

Elephant ride.

Bumble Bee ride.

Pick a duck.

Fishing! How could he not win something here? LOL

Bingo.

And the ultimate Fall Festival reward - a funnel cake!

Lena Lions Fall Festival Horse Show

2011-09-13T07:59:00.008-05:00

Saturday morning Kyle met me in Monroe at 7:15a.m. and we picked up CoCo and brought her back to the house for the Fall Festival horse show & the parade.

Here she is in my yard.

Then I sent Kyle on a mission to pick up some candy for me for the show.

Getting ready for the show. Brooke was showing in the Jr. Halter and the Jr. Pleasure classes.

The judge.

Junior Halter.

First Place! I am so proud of her!

Then it was time for my class, Senior Halter. We took third.

Time for Brooke's second class, Junior Pleasure.

Third place!

I took second place in Sr. Pleasure.

And then it was time for leadline. Jeremiah didn't place, but he did a great job and I was very proud of him!

Taylor got a quick ride before it was time for everyone to get back to the house to watch the parade and for me to line up.

Fall Festival Parade

2011-09-13T07:31:00.017-05:00

Not many pictures of the parade itself, but a lot of Jeremiah and his candy bag!

Since we live on the parade route, and within a block of the festival itself, our house becomes the natural gathering place for family and friends.

The Shriners.

Kyle and his new girlfriend.

Our friend, Matt, (also Kyle's cousin) and the tractor he drove in the parade. Like I said, our home is a gathering place for friends, family, and tractors alike.

Tony and his balloon hat.

Sumo wrestling!

Lena-Winslow marching band. We had nine bands in our parade. It was huge!

Matt and his tractor.

Jeremiah loves tractors!

I don't know why we had a picture of this. I hate these things.

The hearse from the Haunted Barn.

This was my quitting point. I'd been riding for three hours! I was ready to be done. It was a frustrating ride it took forever. So I pulled off at my house rather than finishing the parade (although there was only another block to go!)

Some of the other horses in the parade.

Dedra was there too! :)

Taylor enjoyed riding Jeremiah's tricked-out trike.

Jeremiah made a racetrack for his car in the dirt. (I pick my battles.)

Taylor LOVES riding horses!

Tony went for a ride too.

Dustin and Taylor posed for pictures.

Brittany hopped on...

So did Mom.

And I even got Erin up there.

And then Derrick went for a ride too.

And that was the end of the day for Coco. She was exhausted. She is such a good horse!

Jeremiah was filthy.

Coco receiving a last bit of loving adoration from her entourage.

Sumo Wrestling at Fall Festival

2011-09-13T07:25:00.001-05:00

Devan and Todd couldn't resist a sumo match on Saturday night.

The victor.

Jeremiah's fort

2011-09-11T17:48:00.005-05:00

Jeremiah found a new hiding place!

A small Labor Day weekend get-together

2011-09-08T17:47:00.002-05:00

Dustin's battle wounds from his go-round with the moped.

Sunday when I got home from work we grilled steaks and potatoes with Mom & Dad, Nick & Ashley, Jim, Dustin, and Taylor. I was feeling very worn out from working both at the farm and at the restaurant, and we had the busiest day in the history of Otto's Place, but I still wanted to spend some family time for the holiday.

I dumped out a big bucket of play dough and tools for Jeremiah and Taylor, and they had a great time!

Jeremiah and Grandpa.

Taylor riding Jeremiah's new favorite toy - a pedal go-kart we got from a friend.

Life is good when you've got family to spend it with!

I won't get into the saga of Wendy's dogs running away and how desperately I searched for them. To make a long story short, we found them and they are home safe and sound now.

Saturday Morning Farmers Market Goodies!

2011-09-06T22:53:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning, after doing chores at Plum Creek, I stopped at the Farmers Market here in town. I bought the first pumpkin of the season! I had to get one for Jeremiah (and for me!). I also got a loaf of pumpkin cranberry bread and a pumpkin coffee cake. I was so excited to get these yummy pumpkin goodies...it's a true fall kickoff for me!

I love that Amish wooden leaf basket...I got it at the Mercantile when I first moved to Lena. I've had it stashed away, but it's finally time to use it. I like the way it looks on my stove with the fall potholders!

Happy start of fall, ya'll! :)

A few deals from Wal-Mart and K-Mart

2011-08-31T13:47:00.003-05:00

On Tuesdays I have Personal Finance from 1-2:15 and then I head to the Office Technology lab to work on my Electronic Calculator, Intro to World Wide Web, Intro to Windows, and PowerPoint courses. (I don't know why I'm taking the Intro courses my second-to-last semester, since I've been taking computer courses since I started at the college, but it's required for graduation, so I do it). Devan's dad picks up Jeremiah at Wendy's house so that I have time to work on my schooling. After, I have time to deal shop by myself.

My first stop was K-Mart. I am not big on K-Mart, because my deals NEVER work out the way they should, but it did this time. The Nabisco Go-packs were $1.00 and so was the mac & cheese. The deal was if you spent $10.00, you received $3.00 off automatically at the register. I had coupons for $0.75/2 of the Go packs, so it worked out to be just $4 for two weeks worth of snacks and the "good" mac & cheese, which I rarely buy. I paid $4.07 for all. You can see Jeremiah is ready for his treat.

Wal-Mart worked out very well for me.

I bought:

2 Tampax tampons @ $3.96

3 Noxzema bikini razors @ $1.97

2 SoftScrub @ $2.78

2 Dawn @ $0.97

I used a BOGO coupon for the Tampax, making it $3.96 for two.

I used 3 $2/1 coupons for the razors, making them free, plus $0.03 in overage each.

I used 2 $1.50/1 coupons for the Soft Scrub, making them $1.28 each.

Finally, I used a $0.50 and a $0.20 on the Dawn, making one $0.47 and one $0.77.

I love stocking up!

I was also able to get a head start on my Christmas shopping because all of their children's Chicago Bears apparel was marked down to $3.00! I got a pair of pajamas and a t-shirt for Jeremiah, a set of onesies for our friend Sean (his baby is due any day now and he is a huge Bears fan), a set of pink onesies for my niece Taylor for Christmas, and a pajama set for my niece Maya for Christmas as well.

2 pajamas @ $18.00

1 T-shirt @ $9.00

2 sets of onesies @ $12.00

= $69.00

But with everything clearanced to $3.00, I paid $15.00. That's a savings of $54.00!

I'm pretty darn excited, in case you didn't notice! I love getting a head start on my shopping and I love finding deals. AND I love the Bears. LOL!

An Ares Photoshoot

2011-08-31T13:36:00.003-05:00

Random Cell Phone Photographs

2011-08-30T22:11:00.010-05:00

Pictures from Devan's fishing trip last fall in Michigan with my stepdad, Bill.

Bill and his fish.

Devan and his fish.

I love that smile!

The man and his haul.

I think he enjoyed his fishing trip. DeeDee had this picture framed for him for Christmas last year and it's hanging on our wall. He was proud! :)

All the kids at Uncle Dustin's.

Ares dressed in holiday cheer.

Devan thought it was amusing to see the sign for 8 Mile Rd. while we were in Detroit visiting my grandparents.

Big mouth.

Jeremiah playing.

Getting our new house ready.

Looking cute.

Exploring Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes.

Springtime morel hunting.

Toni in a wig.

Jeremiah passed out on the floor with his leg up. It was hilarious! Poor kid was plum tuckered out!

Jeremiah in his Sheriff Woody costume Aunt Dawn gave him for Christmas.

Our new four-wheeler, to replace our deceased four-wheeler.

This is why they block off the roads during floods! This was near Stockton after the great flood that I struggled through to get to the farm.

Dirty, sweaty, adorable boy.

I think I'm all caught up with the cell phone pictures. Ok, probably not, but at least I tried. The little moments that we send each other each day are important to me but since we only have one phone with a memory card, and it happens to be in Devan's phone, I never remember to put them on the computer. That is why the first pictures of this post date back to the first post of this blog!

Play dead, Harry!

2011-08-26T20:33:00.000-05:00

Another cell phone gem, here is Ares just a few days ago showing off his newest trick.

Brodhead Covered Bridge Days Horse Show - From the cell phone camera!

2011-08-26T20:02:00.005-05:00

I decided I need to "dump" the pictures from Devan's cell phone because we had so many, and I didn't realize we had all these pictures still on there!! These are from the Brodhead horse show. Jeremiah participated in the leadline class.

This was his first number. I was so excited and proud!

Leanne rides at the stable - her horse is Trip. She led Jeremiah in his class and did a very good job! She was great with him and it was so sweet of her to do it!

He won a silver platter for fourth place out of 15 kids!

He proceeded to dump his McDonald's French fries on his silver platter to eat them.

Saying goodbye to summer!

2011-08-24T18:19:00.004-05:00

I'm saying goodbye to my summer decor, because on September 1, it's going away, and my pumpkins and leaves are coming out! I am a little sad to say goodbye to my summer, but at the same time, fall is my favorite season and I'm ready for cool, crisp air, warm quilts, caramel apple steamed cider, movies and popcorn with my family, and every possible recipe I can find that uses pumpkin!

I am taking advantage of the last few days that I'll be burning my Lime & Coconut candle, before it is replaced with a Pumpkin Pie scented candle....

These little glasses were given to my grandmother by my father many years ago, and I had them just sitting in my china cabinet. I decided to use them! I love having fresh flowers in the house.

I moved this chair into the "little" living room to open up the big living room a bit more and to give myself a quiet corner. It's not a very good picture, but you get the idea. That's a beach sand-scented candle. I love it, but I'm ready to retire it for the season!

This is my armoire...I love it. I use it solely for decorating. I guess my summer display really would be more appropriate for fall but I liked it this way!

I love my horse lamp! Some of my favorite things are in the armoire right now. My little Amish-made bench, my old barn mirror, my cabin lamp, and my horse lamp, as well as several books that belonged to my great-great grandmother!

I love the way Jeremiah's little cowboy boots look with my brown & cream-colored roses.

All the old bottles on the top shelf came from DeeDee. I'm not sure where she collected them all, but I love them!

My hope chest was just a very simple display this summer.

The secretary was more crowded than I would have preferred. I'm going to simplify for fall.

My kitchen table - my favorite piece of furniture! I simply put some silk hydrangeas in a flower bucket that I found at the Mercantile and there's a farmhouse-inspired summer centerpiece.

So that's it for summer! This decor will last until September 1, and that's all she wrote!

Good deals to be had!

2011-08-24T18:11:00.003-05:00

My pile of mess.

Each season, the thrift shop in town (run by my church) has a special sale. All clothing is $0.25. I was able to get 19 shirts for Devan & I, a pair of dress pants for myself, a brand-new-with-tags bathing suit and a brand-new-with-tags nightshirt (both of which I washed anyway, and would not normally buy if they were not brand new), as well as 10 books for Jeremiah and 5 books for myself, and a brand-new still-in-the-wrapper DVD copy of the Disney movie "Cars".

And I paid $9.35!

I added up the thrift-shop retail of the clothing items and that alone was $46.

I love using every opportunity to be thrifty! I have an entire (well, almost entire) summer wardrobe for just mere dollars.

The best part? I made $10.00 at my cousin Wendy's yard sale! So I actually came out ahead! :)

I also did a Wal-Mart deal shopping trip, taking my total from $72.91 to $48. This was only a 39% savings, and definitely not a top trip for me. I need to work on this so that I can see those high savings again!

Dinner at my favorite restaurant!

2011-08-22T09:57:00.003-05:00

Cracker Barrel is my favorite restaurant. Jeremiah loves it too!

Their apple butter is one of my favorite foods...so I always ask for it with my biscuits. I say "always" loosely because I've been to Cracker Barrel 3 times in the past 5 years, but when I worked there several years ago, I ate biscuits with apple butter about five days a week.

Jeremiah's staple: Grilled cheese and French fries. And the first thing he ate were the pickles!

This is a lot of starch, but I don't care. I don't get to eat it very often! Chicken and dumplins' (my favorite), with hashbrown casserole, macaroni and cheese, and fried apples. I tried to cover all my bases here.

And Coca-Cola Cake for dessert. This is the dessert I imagine they serve in heaven. So rich and chocolate-y. I could not go to Cracker Barrel without getting a piece.

And sweet tea, but my glass was empty.

Swimming at the hotel pool!

2011-08-22T09:54:00.003-05:00

Jeremiah is starting to learn to swim. I got him to paddle with his arms & kick his feet at the same time!

Sometimes, it's really nice to enjoy a swim in an indoor pool! :)

Tori showing off one of the fish!