Memorial day Weekend

We went daycamping again this weekend and we had a wonderful time! We went to a beautiful location down near Lehi. We spent all day playing in the dirt, cooking around the campfire, shooting our slingshots at empty cans and just relaxing in the gorgeous weather!

Son#1 practiced using his pocket knife. He does really well with it. I was the one who cut her finger when I was trying to whittle. Sad state of affairs, I am afraid to say!

Son#2 and I had a great time sitting by the fire and talking about one of his inventions. Right now he is inventing a comic strip in his head. I tell you, he never ceases to surprise me with his creative mind!

Son#3 spent the majority of his day being a rebel soldier in the trees and bushes. He blended in really well!

All the boys and Daddy spent a lot of time trying to hit soda cans with their slingshots. They are getting really good at this!

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that Son#4 had his first Oreo cookie and ♥ it! He had a grand time throwing rocks, chasing his brothers and playing with his "Vroom-Vrooms"!

We love to daycamp . . . .Do you?

Salad dressing

Today I want to share with you a salad dressing that I am absolutely in love with. It is simple and slightly sweet, but the ingredient that I adore in it is cinnamon. Yes, cinnamon! I have been dressing plain lettuce with this dressing all week.

Simple Salad Dressing

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1/3 cup Raspberry Vinaigrette

3 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine and shake well before serving.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to my very best friend! I am so thankful for the man that my husband is, and who he is striving to be.

The boys and I made a cake for his birthday dinner. It really turned out neat! It is so easy and has a huge appeal.

An important milestone

I love milestones. I love other people's milestone moments. I really enjoy celebrating anything good. Birthdays, weddings, births, graduations . . . any reason to celebrate the goodness in life.

This past weekend, my nephew graduated from highschool. I can remember when he was a little mischievous boy. Now he is on the brink of his future.

I really enjoyed the ceremony and watching all the families smile with pride, watch moms (and dads too) wipe away a tear or two, friends giving high fives and hugs. It was really very cool. My nephew was lucky enough to graduate at Red Rocks Amphitheater. It was a stunning backdrop. We saw the sun set and the twinkling lights of Denver. The moon was sitting on the beautiful red rocks like it was watching the festivities.

This is my nephew with my brother and his wonderful wife. Good job Mom and Dad!

Congrats to the Class of 2010!

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:

May you see your children's children.

May you be poor in misfortune,

Rich in blessings.

May you know nothing but happiness

From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,

May blue be the skies above you,

May pure be the joys that surround you,

May true be the hearts that love you.

A Hobo bag . . . I made it myself!

I found myself at Hancock Fabrics this afternoon. The boys let me have a few minutes this afternoon to browse without complaining. It was awesome! I found the coolest little kit to make a purse. So instead of folding the laundry, I whipped out this little number. It is reversible. I love the black and white floral print. I am going to make more once I figure out how to do different handles. I just love sewing. It makes my heart happy!
I am linking up with Creative Itch who hosts Sew Cute Tuesdays:

Menu for week of May 17

This is going to be a different kind of week, I will only need to plan two meals due to several events that we have coming up. It is Graduation season! So here is our very abbreviated menu plan for this week.

Sunday: We took sandwiches to a new park that we discovered and really enjoyed the warm sunshine.

Monday: Meatball-Sub Casserole. I will post this recipe after we make it. It is new to us. Meatball Subs are my hubby's favorite sandwich, so hopefully it will be as big of a hit in a casserole!

Tuesday: Baked Potato Night. We use the crock pot to cook our taters all day long, and then have many options for toppings. This is so easy!

I hope that you all have a great week and I will be back after all the festivities have wound down!

Stawberry Freezer Jam

One of my New Year Resolutions this year was to try my hand at canning and preserving fruits and veggies. I thought that I would give it a try with something simple. I searched the Internet and found many people making this very easy freezer jam.

Ball Freezer Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar or Splenda

1 pkg. Instant Fruit Pectin

Combine Pectin and sugar in a small bowl. Add crushed strawberries. Stir for 3 minutes. Ladle jam into clean 8 oz plastic freezer jelly jars. Let it stand for 30 minutes. Freeze for up to one year or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

This is my littlest guy who was my helper for this project. Here you can see him helping himself to one of the big fat juicy berries! Grab yourself a helper and give this jam a try!

Homeschool

I don't think that I have ever blogged about homeschooling before, but it is something that I believe in deeply and truly am thankful for everyday. We are very blessed to be able to homeschool, but let me assure you that it is never easy, but God has always provided a way for us to continue each year.

Here are my top ten reasons why we LOVE to homeschool:

1. Flexibility- When we recently moved we stopped school and then restarted it when we were settled.
2. Doing school in our jammies!
3. The ability to focus on different levels. Being able to let my son excel at math and then slow down on spelling is a huge help!
4. Reading out loud and hearing one of the boys say "I love this book, please don't stop there!"
5. The closeness that we have .
6. Being done with school before public school is out.
7. Having the library to myself during midweek.
8. I am learning new things every week.
9. Really getting to know each boy.
10. Being able to have Jesus at the center of all that we do, whether in science, Bible time, creative writing or even in math!

Menu Plan Monday Week of 5-10-10

Happy Belated Mothers day to everyone. We had a wonderful week. I did not cook a thing. I loved not having to be in charge, but I woke up the morning and knew that I had to get back to work, so to speak! So without further fuss, here is what we will be noshing on this week!

Monday: Oven Fried Chimichangas

Tuesday: Crockpot Tortilla Soup and Quesadillas

Wednesday: Pioneer Woman Pizza. This recipe is SO yummy. She shares her recipe for the crust here, and then I make individual pizzas for the boys because they are picky, and Hubby and I get one fully loaded with veggies!

Thursday: Chicken Fried Steak and Potatoes. This recipe is in Pioneer Woman cooks cookbook. Even the boys liked this!

Friday: Movie night! We are going to snack on BBQ Chip Chicken Bites , cut up veggies and ranch and strawberries with whipped cream.

Saturday: Hamburgers on the grill. Hopefully when I go to the store they will have a good (and cheap) watermelon.

For more menu ideas and plan go HERE.

Hide it in your hearts . . . I am so proud of my boys!

We completed another year of Awana. However, this wasn't any ordinary year. My oldest finished T&T and earned his Timothy trophy! Son #2 finished Book #2 and earned his Excellence trophy, and Son#3 finished his last year of Sparks and received his Sparks plaque! I am so proud of all the hard work that they have completed this year despite all the chaos and turmoil.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12