Longwood Gardens

Fantastic!!!  even if you are not a huge gardener or lover of digging in the dirt...this is an amazing place to visit!  The older kids had art classes & tours while Len, Jazmine & I got to tool around the gardens together.  Can't wait to go back in the summer to see all the roses in bloom & hundreds of other flowers & trees!

National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg PA

We finally made the trip with the kids to the Ntl Civil War Museum in Harrisburg this week.  It was a fantastic place, filled top to bottom with amazing artifacts, captivating videos & scavenger hunts for each age level so they could really dig deep & absorb way more information then they would by just touring the museum.  Highly recommend it to anyone, its just a two hour type museum even with the scavenger hunts, and close enough that you could enjoy Gettysburg & this in the same weekend easily.

Snow Geese

Every Feb/March the snow geese come in droves to hang out at the lake near where we live.  It is an annual hike to go see them up close...this year we were treated to having my little sister & her family, as well as my sister in law & neice, dad & brothers hike out with us! 

A Few of My Favorite Things....

Our lovely December has left us...the delicious holidays are over and we are left to wallow through January. That being said, I have decided January should be celebrated just a tad bit more so its an easier "let down".

That being said...we have tried several new recipes that I thought I would give you a glimpse of for your enjoyment as well.

We started off with a tin full of homemade caramel popcorn...mmmmmmm...

Next we added in some delicious Moroccan Style Turkey Stew served with couscous....this turned out a lot better then any of us thought it would & is now on our 5 star meals list!

Being a time of trying new things that have not been cooked in any of my kitchens...we also decided to try a new dessert. For the first time, I put my hand to trying Upside Down Pineapple Cake. Can we say WOW! We ate ours hot right out of the oven & it was super yummy...go Betty Crocker!!

We also gave homemade pizza dough a shot tonight & I am thrilled to say, it turned out fantastic! I never would have guessed honey in a pizza dough, but it worked & was really yummy.

Next up on the docket are homemade Auntie Anne's cinnamon sugar pretzels! Oh double Yum! And scented playdough! Not to eat, but to enjoy entertaining those lovely little minds who eat all my food!

Hope you find fun & exciting ways to make your January less blue & a much more fun transition into the new year!

Pumpkin Challah Bread

I am a lover of pumpkin...I like it in my coffee, goodies, soups, stews, and now bread. It's addictive I tell you! I got this recipe for Pumpkin Challah off the JewishLearning.com site. They have an abundance of quite yummy dishes I have found, and this lovely bread lived up to par!

Shooting the Kids

I will admit, I love to shoot the kids on occassion, especially when they are least expecting it...rubber bands work great, water guns, hoses, the sprayer from the sink...they are all good tools of the trade. While I enjoy these fabulous ways of making my kids scream in shock because they didn't see it coming...I love to shoot them w/the camera too.

Several weeks ago, we watched as the trees went from the long lasting green to the sudden & short fall colors. We had been waiting, anxiously watching...because once they went, we knew we had to be ready to run. Fall pictures haven't happened for several years and it was apparent that I was slacking in my duties as "school photographer". Monday we woke to sunshine & a bounty of fall colors. There was a scurry in all the rooms & yells of "where is my ....." "MOoooooooooooOOOOOOOMMMM" We got it sorted, hair brushed & collars straightened...then one by one they came out of the house to the prepared areas & slowly we made our way around the outdoors snapping individual shots, correcting hair that was blowing, smoothing skirts, fixing the mum plants & trying to keep Jack out of the actual shot, all while being creative & getting good backgrounds. Finally we wore out our options at the house & piled into the truck for a trip to "the projects". This is a piece of state gamelands not far from our house that happens to be quite beautiful & rustic. Exactly what our family craves on a daily basis and hates to be so far removed from living in town. We drove from one spot I had spied over the last several months of driving through to get to grandma's house (yes, we drive over the river & through the woods to grandmothers house...no lie!). The kids did great, very patient with mom's nagging to put their chin down, now turn just a hair to the left, no right, no wait...
Once we finished, we had over 100 shots to peruse...I was shocked that for the first time, they were ALL good, the kids were honestly patient & willing to work with me, no fighting, no sobbing, no arguing, no tantrums. Could it possibly be that my babies are not "little impatient kids" anymore & have turned the corner into that "we like to have pictures taken of us being fashionista's"??? hmmmm...one could have fun with it if they have!!!
For now this will do...I have a sudden yearning to attempt "Christmas" photos...we'll see...it's a real possibility if they can handle the cold!!

Seasons End

When I played soccer, I was always sure I was ready for the season to end. Yet, when it came, I would sit & wonder what I was missing, sure I had forgotten something major & yet couldn't figure out what it was. Today we handed in Hunter's football uniform, had his pictures taken, banquet was last night...and so the "seasons end" begins. This week has been spent washing the multiple pants, cleaning pads, and preparing for the banquet, so despite not having practice each evening, there was still "stuff" to do, at least for me. I have watched Hunter start to wander aimlessly around the house like he is looking for something he feels he has misplaced.

As we waited for Hunter, the last one, to get his "individual" shots done at the field, we got to chat with his coach as we all stood in the rain. We thanked him for a great season, for saving my sanity by turning our otherwise "driving his mother out of her mind w/excessive energy" boy into a worn out, exhausted, football player. He laughed that laugh that says "I've heard this so many times, and been there myself". But he finished his good hearted chuckle by telling us that we have quite a football player. He served as the teams "utility" player this year, but coach, who has coached football for just shy of 50 years, told us w/a shake of his head, that its easy for him to see already that Hunter will be one of those amazing players & he is excited to watch him grow & play each year to see just how far he will take it.

What a proud mom & dad walked off that field...