tidbits

The boys really like blackberries. But lately i haven't been able to find them fresh, so i bought them at Weis in the plastic containers, who knows where they came from. Rod thinks there is something wrong with them. They shouldn't be the size of your son's hands. Now Brad has small hands, but still!! Kitty got a chipmunk the other week. Go kitty! (all our cats are named kitty, but one)Speaking of kitties, we have a new litter again. Ug.. but only 2 this time. That makes 5 litters this year! The boys all love kitties, but Ben is the sweetest with them..They are kinda funny looking. Their eyes are really far apart..

Adam is enjoying his AWANA clubs on Wed. nights. This was his second night, and got his vest and handbook. They have a reward system for memorizing verses and will add stickers to the handbook when they recite their weekly verses. He's so grown up now!I too am loving my Tues Bible Study, Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself. It's been over 3 years since I've done a Bible study and I didn't realize how much i needed to do something like this again! I love watching her video, discussing with the group, and yes even the homework. It's all been so good.

Poor Bradley John has a double ear infection this week. He started the morning saying his ear hurt, and ended the day having barfed, spiking a fever, and being diagnosed with a double ear infection. He was so productive. Hoping he gets better real soon. Adam will be having a sleepover with the Smoker cousins tomorrow into Friday which will help me out a ton. I'm praying he behaves his high-energy little self!

We're gearing up for 2 big events at our place in October. One is a reunion on Rod's mother's side, and the following week is our Annual church picnic/campfire. We enjoy doing this and are claiming good weather! After these are over I want to focus on painting the twins bedroom and get them in their twin beds. We finally got a second twin bed Saturday at a yard sale. I'm looking forward to having their room done!

I'll end with an interesting tidbit from our garden. In July, after my peas were over I mowed them off. Well here I just noticed they grew back, flowered, and are starting new pods! Did anyone know that happens?!?! Did i just discover something new? I was pretty amazed by this, Rod told me just to calm down. So i guess we'll have a fall crop of peas!

Some "cheesy" recipes

I made this soup Saturday, maybe i was just really hungry, but i thought it was very good. Had the recipe for awhile and never made it. Pretty easy, and it made the perfect amount for our lunch.

Cheddar Potato Soup

2 Large potatoes (4 Cups)

2 T finely minced celery

1 T finely minced onion

1 T grated carrot

2 C. chicken broth

1 tsp salt

2 tsp. vinegar

2 T flour

1 1/2 c. Milk

1 C. Cheddar cheese

1 T Mont. Jack cheese

2 Slices bacon

1 T. chopped green onion

Chop potatoes into bite-sized pieces..Combine the veggies with the stock, salt, and vinegar. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes. Whisk together the flour and milk in a bowl.

Remove the veggie mixture from heat and add flour mixture. Put pan back on and simmer 5-8 minutes.

Add Cheddar cheese to soup and simmer until melted.

Add remaining cheese and sprinkle bacon and green onion on top.

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Another one i've had for awhile and just now got around to making it. Cheddar Stuffing Puff. Very easy, and a nice change from the usual side dishes.

Cheddar Stuffing Puff

1 Package (8 oz) crushed stuffing mix --(all i could find was 6 oz)

3 T flour

4 Eggs, lightly beaten

3 Cups milk

2 T butter, melted

2 Cups Cheddar cheese-shredded

In a bowl, combine stuffing mix and flour. Add eggs, milk, butter, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into a greased 2 qt baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

ENJOY!

Prayer

The kids insist on singing, not saying, the "God is Great" prayer before meals. It's a little embarrasing at restaurants, but other then that I like it! We usually follow up with a talking prayer.

Conestoga Gardens

This morning i took my mom to the Conestoga Gardens for her birthday. It's on Marietta Ave, not far from our house. They are open from June-Sept, Wed only and it's free! Lovely gardens, buildings, ponds, etc.

For the history behind this property, visit www.conestogahouse.org

Beach Trip

We took one last family trip for the year, this time to Ocean City, NJ. I have to admit i was not looking forward to it. It's hard to get excited about the beach when they are calling for a hurricane. But thankfully Fred came and went pretty quickly and we had 2 good days on the beach and the boardwalk. We spent a lot of Friday inside, it was still very windy. So the boys did the usual to pass the time.. We were glad for the lovely condo we stayed in..verses a small motel. They had room to run around. I've always stayed in Motels when i go to the beach, so it was a luxury to be able to do laundry and have a dishwasher!

Saturday and Sunday were spent on the beach and boardwalk. They sure did love the sand. I told the boys next year we will get them a sandbox. And Adam said "is that so we don't have to play in the chicken food anymore?" I didn't know they did play in the chicken food! Adam had a good stradegy going where he would find friends to play with on the beach....just so he could play with their toys! (at least that's how it appeared)

Found some fun shells the day after the hurricane. And lots of jelly fish. Or partial jelly fish..

Saturday the boardwalk was packed with a Hot Rod show.

Sunday we ran into some old friends on the beach. That was fun, the one girl said "i knew it was you guys because I saw Rod's hat" I didn't know he was known for his hat!

Thanks for taking our beach tour. I'm ready to stay home now for awhile. We've had a busy summer! But we're glad we are able to get away, and still consider it a vacation even with 3 busy little boys.

Notes & Quotes

Not a whole lot new going on with us, but a couple things I'm looking forward to....Adam is starting the AWANA program next Wednesday night, at a nearby church. I'm excited to see what he learns and hoping he likes it. I'm also starting a Bible study, with some church ladies, a Beth Moore study which are always good. This one is studying the fruits of the spirit. This study starts next Tuesday eve and will last 10 weeks.

I've been picking out a Bible verse each week for Adam to memorize and the twins to "take in". This has been going on for a couple months, and he'd been doing pretty well. Well, the other week he decides he's picking the verse that he'll memorize. So he'd come up with things off the top of his head. They were cute and relevant, so i let him go. they were easy, like "I love God" or "I love Jesus" or "I love God and Jesus". Well this weeks is a doosy. He said this weeks verse is "God loves you everywhere you go, even if you live in a jungle!" That one is halarious. The idea is right on, but those words aren't in the Bible. Not sure where to go with that one!

The other day Ben woke up before his brothers from his nap, so i played with him for a bit then i told him " I have to go work now" and he says, so innocently "Where's your shop at?" So cute! You're living in my "shop" sweetheart.

Dutch Wonderland

My mom and I took the boys to D. Wonderland yesterday. I wanted to do an outdoor day trip w/ them before it gets too chilly outside. Most of the rides were geared toward toddlers, so we had a fun time trying out different rides. I was surprised that they even enjoyed the faster rides, and ones that take you up pretty high. They were braver then mom and I !! The twins were free, which was nice too.
Their favorites were rides on tractors, trucks, anything w/ wheels... You could "operate" the bulldozer, by pulling the handles..

This one cracks me up. Can hardly see the twins!

Adam grabbed my cone when i wasn't looking!