remember November

Wasn't it just November 1st?

what happened?

oh yeah, life

and birthdays

and turkey

so let's catch up shall we?

someone turned 5 last month!

and apparently it means you can do all things, just short of getting your license

or so, the 5 year old tells me

there was only one thing that she really wanted to do that day

it was decided the day we first visited the mall and she spotted the long stretch of ice

"Mom, I've never been ice skating in Oregon before"

she talked about it for weeks, leading up to her birthday

so that's exactly what we did

happy as a clam the second we stepped on the ice

once Haley fell and discovered the small pieces of shaved ice

there was no getting her back up

Aidan's been skating before

and this time her goal was to skate without holding on to the side

still happy 2 minutes in

girl set her goal a little too high

and about 5 minutes in, the mood took a drastic change

for everyone

sobs of "this is the worst birthday ever"

were heard around the mall

We wanted to be tough parents

"You were the one who said you wanted to ice skate" played in our mind

but we just couldn't get the words out of our mouths

this was the first big family thing we've done since we moved here

and it broke our hearts that she wasn't enjoying it

We decided to get some lunch, and try to salvage the day with a movie

Thank you Wreck it Ralph and popcorn

the day ended a happy one

and got even better when some friends came over in the evening to celebrate with dessert

the rest of the month has been filled with friends

more birthdays

and all things warm and festive!

Turkey for Thanksgiving

(well done Mr. Jason)

decorating

and cookie making

with a little Nutcracker performance on the side

Merry Christmas everyone

May you be filled with the joy of the Lord

during this entire Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our blessed Savior

Luke 2:10-11

"Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

PinterTest Kitchen: Fall Edition

Hey Peeps

Its already 10:45 and I still have yet to take a shower

catch up on my bible study for tonight

and pay the bills

so this is going to be short and sweet

LITERALLY

you see, Pumpkin treats are only allowed in our house between the months of Sept thru Nov

I've already made Pumpkin bread and

Pumpkin cream cheese bread multiple times

and made my very first Pumpkin cookies

Thank you Pinterest! Recipe found here

Make 'em. And enjoy 'em!

I've also been dying to make an apple crisp

MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE

Find the recipe here

I ended up over-cooking mine, so the apples were more like applesauce

but if my over-cooked apple crisp tasted that good, I can't even imagine how amazing it normally tastes

i like it hot, Jason ate it cold

Its. That. Good.

Happy Fall. Happy November. Happy Pinning!

Linking up with Jessica

Halls-O-Ween

I stink at time management

lets just get that out of the way right now

this whole work thing has completely messed up my skills at keeping a home

and a blog

and a shower

and cleaning the bathroom

the list just goes on and on

but I'm determined to make that change

which pretty much means I'm begging the Lord help fix this conundrum and turn me into

one of the fairies from Sleeping Beauty

so let me just give you a quick recap of the last couple weeks

First of all, it rains here

like every day

this shot taken just before the downpour

we'll get dry moments, but goodbye sun, see you next May!

Rain boots are worn daily

and Pumpkin patches are not as fun in the rain and mud

for little girls who don't like getting their pants dirty

however they're a blast

for little girls who love the dirt

and puddles

and mud

I didn't have to work Monday evening, so Pumpkin carving was a must

shirts became optional for one individual

Aidan decided on a costume change the day before Halloween

so a Target run was necessary

our mission was a cowgirl hat

we came home with this pink giant

and it remains glued to her head

its also created an infinite amount of fights between the girls

I'm terrified I may have to go get another one to keep the peace

I made these to get in the Holiday spirit

and cope with the idea of having to buy another sombrero 

No Pinterest recipe followed, but Pinterest worthy in my opinion

2 Tbsp of butter

1 bag of mini marshmallows

4 cups of honeynut cherrios

1 1/2 cups of honey bunches of oats

chocolate sprinkles

and orange sugar sprinkles

melt the butter in a ban on low

add the mini marshmallows and melt down

take of the heat

add your cereal

set in a 9x13 dish

top with sprinkles

and cool

then don't share, like me

or share, either way

The school we live at had a special Halloween event for the kids

Its called Halls-O-Ween, starting with some fun activities, and ending with trick-or-treating at the dorms

The Cowgirl and the Baker made their appearance

and met up with some friends

Halls-O-Ween officially opened

and the girls were off

Aidan took the initiative to show the little ones how it worked

Haley quickly caught on, but became confused between saying

Trick or Treat or Happy Halloween

she eventually decided on just opening her bag and saying

"Halllloooooweeeeeennnn"

which scored her some pretty big candy

Well done, my child.

Granny invited Aidan into her room to show off her lasso

Aidan was way more interested in showing Granny her candy loot

Many thanks to all the staff and students who helped make my kids first

 Halloween in Oregon super fun, and our candy bowl the fullest its every been!

when life feels like a lemon, just add some sugar

I was really trying to be optimistic about going back to work

but inside, I was weeping

the anticipation of saying goodbye to these faces each day, made my heart sink

Wednesday came with a meltdown

some sweet new friends knew it was Jason's birthday week

and graciously offered to babysit so we could get a date

one that was desperately needed

thank you Happy Hour at Red Robin

and thank you to my incredibly sweet and encouraging husband

I felt like after that night, I had made a turn in my anxiety

and the Lord gave me some sweet scripture the next morning from Matthew 6

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. " Matt 6:33-34

And just overnight, instead of dreading leaving the family all day, I was able to just enjoy 

being with them until it was time for me to leave. 

so Thursday Aidan and I hung out upstairs for a while

Friday we went to the park, racing the rain to get there

And today, spent some time at the mall as a family

and I'm feeling much better about leaving to go on my shift in a couple hours

On a separate note

Our new neighbors know how much our family loves Christmas

so they decided to surprise us with some early decorating on our door

a good reminder that Christmas is just around the corner, 

so if you're looking for some super cute gifts

head on over to the Happy Days handmade Holiday Market

i know you'll find something you love

Have a great weekend!