Thanksgiving

Luke and Jackson had the day off from school today, but instead of sleeping in we got up and spent the morning boxing up donated food items and delivering them to the Food Bank at the Salvation Army. We delivered 346 pounds of food contributed by the students at Luke's school. I am profoundly grateful for the food in my pantry, and our ability to buy more as we need it. We saw some truly needy people this morning; needy in more ways than one. We are praying that each person blessed by this small thing the kids have done will in some way open their heart to the gospel message that is handed out along with the food.

The food pantry worker told me that the food supply is dangerously low; a sign of our economic times, I suppose. She said they are in need of everything except canned green beans - evidently that's the one item they have plenty of! Aubrey would say that's because NO ONE should ever have to eat canned green beans :)

It's Fall, and the leaves are falling!

Jackson spent some quality time building leaf forts today:

and then dying in them! (Poor photographer, apparently)
For fun I thought I'd throw in a picture of Luke practicing his trumpet. He was playing a song he memorized for me:

I came home to...

Do you think Barney needs more fiber? There was absolutely nothing edible in this trash can. Not even a used kleenex (eeew!)

a jillion pictures

I entitled this post "A Jillion Pictures" because I don't think I've ever put this many pictures on at once. Hopefully you'll be entertained and not get tired of scrolling down!

So, first of all, I had to include this picture of our beautiful maple tree. The fall colors are just gorgeous!

The real reason for this post was our afternoon of pumpkin-carving. Jackson has been DYING to carve his pumpkin ever since I bought it a month ago, but I made them wait until now so it wouldn't shrivel up before Halloween. I really like having the pumpkins out on the front porch, so in my selfish heart I wanted to keep them there as long as possible. I'm telling myself I'm teaching the kids delayed gratification. Right? Also, I didn't think we needed a jacko'lantern on the front porch when we have our very own live jacko'lantern:Do you see the resemblence? Jackson's smile is not exactly filled in with teeth at the moment!

Aubrey spent the longest on her design. She ended up carving a two-faced pumpkin with hair and a goatee. Here she is deliberating what to carve (with Grandma's help):

And here's one side of the finished product:
Luke's biggest challenge was fitting the lid back on the pumpkin.
How DOES he sit like that? He has the most flexible knee and hip joints of anyone I know. Does he get it from you, Uncle Larry? I remember you being able to reach your arm around your head and grab your chin. Funny the things that impress children!

The boys took off with the camera when they were done carving. I had around a hundred shots of their pumpkins outside,

in the closet with the lights off and a candle inside,

and most importantly, pumpkin brains.

The men ignored the carving, for the most part, and took in a game or two.

Well, maybe that wasn't quite a jillion pictures! Happy Halloween from our house to yours!

What would you do...

...with $150,000 to spend on your appearance? No wonder she's a babe (Rush Limbaugh's term, not mine)

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Another soup recipe worth trying (and it IS soup weather out there!)

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

2 cups cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from Dillon's - yum

diced carrots

diced celery

2 cans chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 sm package Velveeta Mexican cheese

3 cups cooked rice

salt and pepper to taste

In large stockpot add first five ingredients and bring to boil. Boil for ten - fifteen minutes or until veggies are tender. Add cubed cheese and stir to melt. Stir in rice and season to taste.

How easy is that? The kids loved it - if I was making it for adults only I would have added some green chilis I think. The Mexican Velveeta gives it a touch of pepper, just enough to spice it up for the kids. I used instant rice, but the lady I got the recipe from uses long grain. She did say that the long grain rice really absorbs the moisture in the soup, so add it just before serving. The Minute Rice didn't seem to do that.

No Comment

I just had to steal this picture from Lindsey's Facebook page (she told me I could! promise!) Her dad took the picture while walking through the parking lot. Do you suppose he took her out for some parking lessons after she got home?

I'm guilty of the same thing sometimes, Lindsey. Nobody follows me around with a camera though!

I'm painting again. It's like a compulsion or possibly an addiction. I'm not even going to post photos. I'll just leave it to your imagination. I will say that it involves a dark red color which means a coat of primer and at least three coats of paint.

I was painting in the clinic last week, and one of the patients asked me if I had a license to do that. I think he was serious. I just showed him the permanent callous on my index finger from holding a paintbrush. He backed off.

The sad thing is that I have at least three more major painting projects lined up as soon as I finish this one.

Living Above the Line

I love the phrase that the Middle School had printed on Aubrey's shirt: "Living Above the Line." She was Student of the Week this week; nominated by her band teacher. She says he rocks. So does she!

Overheard

J: "Quit copying me!"

A: "I'm not copying you, you're copying me!"

J: "Am not"

A: "Am not"

J: "Quit copying me!"

A: "I'm not copying you, you're copying me!"

J: (with emphasis and maybe some tears) "I AM NOT COPYING YOU!!"

A: "I AM NOT COPYING YOU!!"

Ring any bells, mom? dad? any and all parents? Now, who is volunteering to stay with the kids when we're in Hawaii again?

Picture day

Tomorrow is picture day at Luke's school. This is how he came home from school today:

It didn't photograph very well, but he was playing trench football in p.e. and dove into a fan. He's got a three-inch-long bump right in the middle of his forehead. It'll be nice and colorful tomorrow. Retakes, here we come!

Aubrey sooooo wants her friend Haley to go to youth group with her. We have invited her and invited her and invited her. She always says she WANTS to come, and that she can come next time. So we keep calling. I think we've probably crossed the line to pest-dom as far as her mom is concerned. Please pray that it will work out, soon!

And, because I don't think I've mentioned it on the blog before, we're going to be here in one month!

Oh, yes we are!

Jackson, not wearing purple

Another reader in our family, imagine that. Jackson made the leap to chapter books last week and is loving being able to read in his own bed just like Aubrey and Luke. He's devoured five of the "Magic Tree House" books and is ready for more.

The Weekend in Review

The team float. They were one of the few floats that threw out candy. I don't know what kind of parade this was! Luke's coach is sitting to the right.
The middle school marching band! They did a terrific job, especially considering it was their first time marching. Aubrey's trying not to smile at us as she walks by. It's hard to smile and play at the same time!
Here's the best shot of Jackson's game that I've got. The boys spend their whole time talking around their mouthpieces. You can't understand a word they say.
Luke got to run the down marker. He was happy!
And the result of all this football.... Jackson is spending his free time drawing out plays.

In all of the pictures from this weekend, I failed to get a single one of Mom & Dad. Come back!

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

Jerry and I bought a new mattress for our bed last Friday. The saleslady at the store absolutely would not let me leave without taking this recipe. Apparently they won a chili cook-off using this recipe and now they give it to all their customers. So anyway, I felt obligated to try it out. We had it for supper last night, and it got a universal thumbs-up!!

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

1 1/2 c water

2 c cubed, peeled potatoes

2 small carrots, grated

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 c chopped green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped (I left this out; my kiddos don't do spicy)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbsp beef bouillon granules

1/2 tsp salt (I left out)

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained

2 1/2 c milk, divided

3 Tbsp flour

8 oz processed American cheese, cubed

1/4 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

1/4 lb sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in beef and 2 cups of milk; heat through. Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat and stir in cheese until melted. Add cayenne if desired. Top with bacon just before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings (about 2 quarts.)

Varmint

*updated at the bottom*

The girls at the Clinic just called me in hysterics. Apparently the air conditioner in the back part of the building has not been cooling correctly. Joanie went back and opened the door to the a/c closet, and saw... a tail! She slammed the door and grabbed Linda to look at it. They opened the door again, and it moved! The general consensus is that it's probably a baby raccoon. It's a fuzzy tail, not a skinny one like a possum or a rat. I have a call in to the pest control company... their receptionist was giggling the whole time we were on the phone!

Joanie just called - it was a squirrel! The pest guy thought he might have to trap him to get him out. Then I guess we'd better call the air conditioner repairman and see what the damage is....

Goodbye, wagon wheels

I've heard there was a bidding war among the local contractors for our wagon wheel decorations.

Fred, but not Ted

Unfortunately Fred has made an appearance at our house. His brother, Ted, has not shown up yet, however. If this completely confuses you, you need to read Gwen's post about Lane.

Jackson is Fred's host. He got out of bed this morning and stumbled downstairs holding his head so it wouldn't move. His brain hurts, he said. He complained of a sore throat yesterday, so I wondered. I think I'll have some company here at home today! That's okay, it will force me to stay home and I can finish up some tax returns I've got sitting on my desk. I also need to clean house - Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow to spend the weekend and take in the kids' activities. We have a lot going on; Aubrey is marching in the Buhler Frolic parade on Saturday. It will be her first marching experience. She is really glad her band teacher is letting her march with her clarinet instead of her tenor sax - much lighter! Luke and his teammates have a float in the parade as well. I'm hoping they'll let Jackson ride along as waterboy, that is if Fred leaves. Luke has a football game in the afternoon, and we hope to visit the Corn Maze at Buhler later in the day. It should be a fun weekend!