All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth

Well, not really.

I still have mine. Thankfully.

BUT, I would LOVE for my house to be paid off , or for there to be peace in the world...but who doesn't want that?

So what else did I want? Something a lot more materialistic.

What could that be, you may be wondering? Well, let me tell you...

A vacation--somewhere FUN and far from the city we live in AND new leather furniture.

I have been bugging begging Mike for new furniture since, well, forever. Our other furniture had some tears in it, and holes.

But Mike did not care. To him they were "comfy". It was big and fluffy, and blue. His words were, "I could live with this furniture until I die", and he could have. Mike is good like that--he's content just to have furniture.

Funny thing is the girls were the same way. They could have lived with it too.

However, I haven't quite reached that level of contentment. So I kept asking for it.

Well, Mike finally got tired of my nagging decided to let me get the furniture under the precepts that it will be my birthday, Christmas, Valentine, Anniversary and any other holiday in between gift for the next 5 years, after all, he cashed in some of his vacation time to get it.

After searching and searching, I finally found 100% leather that was not all BIG & FLUFFY. I'm a clean line person--- no offense if you like the big and fluffy furniture, it's just not for me.

So here is my Birthday, Christmas, Valentine, Anniversary and whatever holiday falls in between gift for the next 5 years.

I really do love it (the pictures don't do it justice). However, I did make it known to my family that this is MY furniture.

MINE. All MINE.

Remember, they never wanted it to begin with (until after it arrived--and then they too LOVED it too, well, not Mike--he is a creature of old.)

So, I told them that IF they want the pleasure of sitting on MY sofa, chair or love seat, they must first ask my permission because, after all, it's mine.

I really did say that to them---trying to be my funny self---but no one took me serious, nor did they laugh. Oh well, I'm use to it.

As for the vacation--not happening, and probably won't happen for a long time, but hey, at least I can snuggle up on my new furniture and dream about one.

Oh, and the best part of all of this is that we were able to help someone. We tried to give the sofa away and could not find anyone that wanted it, so we set it out on the curb for trash day. Well, our neighbor put a note on our door asking me to call her, so I did. She said she saw the furniture on the curb and wanted to know if she could take it to a family who did not have any furniture at all. I said, "sure", and explained that it did have a few tears in it. She said that the family said they did not care, they were just happy to have something.

That humbled me. I was able to reflect on the fact of how blessed I truly am. The Lord has really blessed our family not only this past year, but every day. It was a great Christmas reminder in itself. I really do have a lot to be grateful for. In the year ahead, I hope to share those blessings with others because that is the greatest gift of all.

Okay, so maybe I am a "Wii" Bit Out of Shape

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

Or maybe both.

Who knows???

I do. Trust me, I do.

Oh, and my arms, butt, back and legs do too!

I'm in pain. Real pain.

What has brought about this Revelation?

Thanks to dear old Santa, against my better judgment, the girls got one of these for Christmas.

I'm one of those mean moms who are anti-video game systems. It was dear ole Santa who brought the DS's too--but that is where I drew the line. No more, no way.

However, Santa had other plans. It was the only thing they both wanted, and you know how that 'ole guy is on making wishes come true.

I've just never been one who really gets into video games.

Well, I guess until now. I'm moving over to the dark side, and I think it may be literally killing me.

The girls begged me to play the Wii with them, and it did look a little interesting, so I gave in and played a game of tennis with both of them and got hooked.

Okay, let me just tell you how dangerous I am with this game.

When I'm playing, something happens to my usually stable mind---I begin to start thinking that I am on a tennis court. Not kidding.

I run around. I swing the remote hard, and I even grunt sometimes when I hit the ball. Heck, I even break a sweat playing. Again, not kidding. I had to put the fan on the other day.

Should I admit that? Oh well, too late.

Mike and the girls laugh at me, and keep reminding me that I really only need to move my hand, but somehow, when that game begins I feel like Maria Sharapova. So far (thankfully), I have not hurt anyone but myself though.

Oh, my poor aching muscles.

I really am out of shape, if playing a video game is becoming my biggest work out.

Can anyone say: Wii-Fit, Please?

How To Cook A Thanksgiving Turkey

Cecily would be humiliated if she knew I was posting this, but I just think it is too cute not to.

Last week when I went to volunteer in Cecily's class, I stopped to look at the new work hanging on the wall outside her classroom, and I discovered the cutest things ever!

In case you can not read it, this is what it says:

How To Cook A Thanksgiving Turkey

1. Get a needle and get the blud out.
2. Put the turkey in the micrav for 3 menits
3. Cook the turkey in the oven for 30 minits.
4. Cut the turkey up in pieces.
5. Tast the turkey

This cracked me up (don't mind the spelling, she is only in the 2nd grade and SPELLING is not her thing. Thank goodness for spell check).

When I later asked Cecily about her directions especially number one, she said "Well, you always get out a needle"!

I do??? Then it hit me. I usually inject the Cajun seasoning in the turkey. Bless her heart all these years she thinks that I have been draining the blood from the turkey. Well, that's not a cute thought. That could actually give a kid nightmares.

Oh, I wonder what her teacher thinks! LOL...

I guess I need to let her in the kitchen a little more.

Our Fabulous Gorgeous Gobblers

Yes, I'm talking turkey here, but not in the way some of you may think.

Every year, the girl's school has a Gorgeous Gobbler contest in which students are asked to make a turkey out of whatever they like--literally anything!

Then each turkey is judged by 3 outside judges. Each grade level has a 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winner and one honorable mention. Then out of those who one 1st prize---a GORGEOUS Gobbler is selected.

Our school library sponsors the contest and after working in the library, I have come to realize it is a lot of additional work on top of our already busy librarian.. However, she loves keeping this tradition alive and the kids LOVE it too.

This year they had 125 entries! And all of them were different, as they are every year.

Neither of the the girl's turkeys placed this year. Ariel has come in 3rd one year, and received honorable mention another year. Cecily has never won and thinks the contest is some how rigged because her fabulous turkey's never win! LOL.

The girls have entered turkeys every year except for last year--things were just too hectic after the move and Ariel had some BIG 4th grade projects due around the same time.

Anyway, Cecily thinks her turkey's have been so fabulous that she just wants to re-enter the same turkeys EVERY year---maybe she should, it would be a lot easier.

Cecily made this Adorable turkey in class this year. Isn't it CUTE! I tried to get her to just submit this one instead of making another, but that was not ACCEPTABLE. OH NO!

So, here are MY fabulous turkeys with their turkeys:

Ariel's "I've Been Framed" Turkey.

He looks pretty innocent to me.

I just noticed that Ariel's wearing her "Blame My Sister" t-shirt.

How fitting.

Cecily's "My Times Running Out" Turkey.

The thing I LOVED about both of these turkeys is that they were SIMPLE and both girls were able to do them with limited help (I helped with the hot glue gun)!

Fabulous indeed!

Twilight, Not So Bright for Me!

***I have been trying to catch up on my blog, by writing about things that have happened over the past month. Although, I've managed to add quite a few post yesterday, I still have a few more to write, but I just can not contain myself any longer. I have to write about the Twilight movie.

WARNING: If you have not seen the movie, there are spoilers. Consider yourself WARNED!

Okay, I know I am probably going to be in a minority here, but let me preface what I am about to write with this:
I LOVED THE TWILIGHT BOOKS. So much that I read them all in a week and a half.

That being said, the movie was so disappointing to me, which probably puts me into the minority. Truly not worth the 9 bucks I slapped down or staying up after midnight to view. However, I DID have a great time being with all the GIRLS for a GNO, so I guess that made it worth it.

Thanks to Annie for the laughs.

I have thought hard about this post and how I would do it. I thought that I would just put the Words Twilight in the title with just one word in the body of the post: DISAPPOINTED.

But I had to write more. I had to explain why.

Also, I knew going into it, that the book would be WAY better than the movie. I did. Trust me.

BUT I did have some hope for the movie too. There have been some books turned into movies that have been successful--IMHO, The Lord of the Rings Directors Cut was great.

Had I of not read the Twilight series, I would have still felt this way about the movie. This movie would not have made me want to rush out and read the books as the movie Narnia did for me.

Okay, I know the budget for the two movies mentioned above was A LOT more, but couldn't SM had held out for something better?? I mean this is the most anticipated movie made from a book since Harry Potter!

I have to agree with a review that I read which suggested that SM should have held out for a cable network to do an 8 part mini-series of the first book. Now, that could have told a story and perhaps made it much better for me.

Here are some problems that I had, and then I promise I will state a few good points:

I found the acting BAD, for the most part--okay, IMHO, Edward acted so weird---his expressions were awkward for me, and often down right comical. The biology class scene where he first meets Bella--come on, I've seen better acting in high school plays. I thought the guy that played Edward seriously over acted many of the scenes. I get that he was trying to show that he was trying to have self control to not attack Bella---but ONLY because I had read the book. He was trying WAY to hard to convey that. NO subtlety there. He looked absolutely silly and I'm not so much of a die hard fan to admit that. In the book remember Bella thought he hated her after class, not that he was CRAZY--which is what I thought after watching him act out that scene. Why not have Edward grasp the side of the chair or the desk, like was mentioned in the book to show he was trying to have self control? The way they (Edward and Bella) spoke to each other seemed short and awkward too. I'm like, "Did the director even watch them as they were filming?"

And what was up with the scene in the office where he was trying to change classes, it was so rushed had I of sneezed, I would have missed it. Again, awkward for me and VERY much over acting. I felt like I was watching Ariel and Cecily putting on a play.

I really felt like they could have developed the characters just a little bit more. I did not feel like Edward and Bella REALLY loved each other until about 1/2 way through. Yes, I know she said it early on, but for me, the chemistry just was not there.

The meadow scene--Come on RIDICULOUS. This was such a sweet part in the book. Again, I found it awkward and as though I was watching Fabio in an "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Commercial." Okay, Okay, I know it was a low budget film, but again there have been many low budget films done with success. Couldn't they have done prisms of light, some sort of tricks with the camera. Perhaps they could have cut out the ENTIRE field trip scene which was not in the book and saved money for that day and put the money and effort toward this scene.

Speaking of the field trip scene. What was the point? Showing that Eric was a dork chasing people around with a worm on the end of a stick?? I totally feel like they should have instead done a scene with them taking blood in biology class.

Come on Somebody has got to be with me on some of this???

It's truly making me want to go back and re-read the books to make sure that I wasn't in some sort of crazy trance while reading the first time. Because although the books were written for YA, I did not feel the story was written cheesy as it was portrayed in film. But now the film is making me doubt that.

Also, Jacob...I LOVE Jacob in the book. He was okay in the movie, I just felt they could have done the scene at the LaPush Beach better, as well as the warning that Jake gave her from his dad, again it just seemed a little forced and awkward. Not like true friends.

The scenes with Edward jumping through the woods with Bella on his back-- A little too cheesy for me. For me, I would have been completely happy seeing this ONLY once (or maybe not even at all) and then seeing her on his back and cutting to the scene. If you don't have money to do the special effects in a special effects world, BE CREATIVE and make it work some other way. But again, that's probably just me.

One more thing, I hated that they ended the movie at the prom showing Victoria. Come on. I would have loved it ending with her b-day party like they did in the book. My first problem is: Hello???? Alice can see the future, you don't think she saw Victoria at the prom???? And secondly now for the second movie, everyone will know that it is Victoria from the beginning. At least in New Moon, I was left guessing a little. Oh well, I guess I'll chop it up to it being low budget and only having 2 hours like everyone else.

But you have to admit, it has to be a bit bad when half of the theatre is laughing at scenes that aren't even suppose to be funny. Come on you know I'm right!

Now for the good.
I do have to admit, for the most part, they stuck to the story as much as they could for a 2 hour show, but again, perhaps that's why a mini-series would have been a better route. We could have seen the depth of the other characters like Carlilse and Esme, which by the way I LOVED both of them ,and thought they were cast well. Speaking of casting well--Alice---SUPER!

Also, the second 1/2 of the movie was MUCH better than the first for me. I would say this being from the baseball scene and on. I actually got a little glimpse of the love Edward had for Bella. I saw a little bit of the Edward I know in my mind come out.

The scenery was beautiful.

The truck and Bella's house were pretty much how I imagined it.

I thought the scene where Edward saved Bella from the scary men was good for the most part. Okay, but after he saved her and they went to the restaurant, in the book the waitress was MUCH more attractive and I think they could have shown this better. In the movie that waitress was far from a BEAUTY. Remember Bella is very insecure and she doesn't believe Edward could really LOVE HER. (oops sorry, this part of the post was only suppose to mention the good parts).

Phew, I'm glad I got that all out.

To all of you who LOVED the movie. Good for you. I'm glad you did, it would be a shame to spend $37 million on a movie and ABSOLUTELY no one like it.

I'm Trying to Get Back in the Groove Again...The Blog Writing Groove

In the past month or so, I have lost my desire to write. I know weird?!?

But I have. I have tons of things to say, but I have not had the desire to sit down and begin typing. Everyday, I find myself saying, "Okay, tonight I'll blog."

Then tonight comes and I just want to snuggle up with the girls and do something else. Then, I fall asleep and a new day begins.

I just want you to know that I have not been writing for a lack of material. On the contrary. I have a lot of material and even a few pictures.

So, today I have decided to just do it. Sit down and type. So here I am. I am going to put each thing under it's own post instead of one. Also, each one will be under this post. I'm going to try to arrange my thoughts according to dates they happened and post it as such. Cheating? Yeah, but who cares, right.

Actually, I don't even know if anyone is reading or visiting anymore. I has been a while...

So this is me starting my groove...if there is anyone left reading--hi. And oh yeah, don't forget to scroll down.

THE BEST WORST HALLOWEEN EVER!

The title says it all. End of blog post.

THE END!

Just kidding. Well, not about the worst part. It really was the worst, at least for us!

You see, Mike LOVES Halloween. It is one of his most favorite holidays. He loves the spooky part of it. He loves the kids dressing up. He loves taking them trick or treating (well, for the most part). He loves greeting other kids at the door.

And so do I.

This year, we kicked off the holiday celebration by attending our wards annual Trunk or Treat & Chili Cook-off. If you missed it, too bad for you because it was A LOT of FUN! Even though Mike's chili with squirrel meat didn't win. Just kidding. He kept telling everyone that he put squirrel in it, but TRUST ME--there was no harming of squirrels in the chili.

Here are a few pics:

Ariel, the gypsy, and Dorothy a.k.a Cecily

This is Cecily and Grant. Grant was a scarecrow and I just had to snap this picture, although neither one of them really wanted too. They were having way too much fun making s'mores. When Ariel wore this costume a LONG time ago, Cecily was the scarecrow. They were so cute this year. and I think Cecily and Grant are way too cute too!

Lucky we took pictures that night because that is all we have of the Odom Halloween 2008. And for those of you that know me, it was not because we forgot the camera.

Here is were the BEST WORST part comes in.

The night before Halloween, I was busy getting Cecily's class special treat together: The Ghoulish Trail Mix. When I realized I could not find the bags that I was going to put them in anywhere. It was about 9pm, and I did NOT want to go to Wal-Mart! Oh, no, Oh, no--please don't make me go.

So, I asked Mike. He did not want to go either, so I threw a little tantrum fit, but decided the bags were needed, so I would go. Off, I went around the corner to Wal-mart to buy some clear cellophane party bags because they were sold out of the Halloween ones.

When I got back, Mike was in the bathroom screaming in pain.

My little selfish self did not take pity and thought it was an act so that I would not be mad about him not going to the store for me. I said, "Come on, get off it. It's not going to work. I don't feel sorry for you and you are making me more mad acting all sick."

And I walked out. Well, all of a sudden I hear this crash and Mike is yelling in pain. Then I got a bit scared and was like, "Oh MY, he's not faking." I know, I know...I'm a BAD wife!

By this time, it is almost 10pm and Mike is in severe pain. He decides to self diagnose himself with having a kidney stone (which he had never had before, but had heard about them). However, I thought he was dying. Mike is not one to let pain show, and he was SHOWING it!

So, I called the Jordan's, who live around the corner, and asked if we could bring the girls to them. They were so nice and offered to come to our house since the girls were sleeping in their beds. When Jason arrived, Mike was out the door.

When we got the emergency room, Mike told me to drop him off and he would walk himself in while I parked the car.

While I was parking the car for some reason this video that was sent to me by Dewayne Newburn came into my mind (For those of you who want to see the clip, and I hope you do because maybe then you might see why I found the situation so comical, please go to the bottom of my blog and shut off the music from my playlist):



I know, I'm bad, but I started to laugh. After finding a parking spot and running up the hill, I had managed to compose myself.
I found Mike at the front desk in a wheel chair moaning in pain every other word. We finally got him checked in. I guess it helps to be in an employee at the hospital because Mike was taken right back--- or maybe they just want to get the man yelling away from the people who were managing their pain. Either way, it was the shortest time I ever remember spending in an ER waiting room.

When we went back to the examining room, the nurse started taking Mike's blood pressure and asking him all sorts of questions. From how does he feel? When did the pain begin? What symptoms has he been experiencing? When was the last time he had a bowel or "pee" (their words).

I don't know what it is, but I just don't take things like this well. I guess I'm the worst person to have around in a crisis emergency. I know I'm not the one in pain, but it makes me nervous and something just happens to me--I either freak out or laugh.

Then the inevitable happened. The nurse asked Mike to rate his pain 1 to 10 with 1 being the least pain and 10 being the worst. I had to literally turn my head and hold my breath to keep from laughing out loud because this came to my mind:

All I could think of was DON'T SAY 2 MIKE, DON'T SAY 2! Luckily, Mike SHRIEKED OUT "10"! Followed by, "Just Shoot ME, Please just shoot Me!"

I know I'm A HORRIBLY, BAD wife, but Brian Regan's comedy act was a little bit of a blessing. It took my mind off of what was happening. It really did help me to not TOTALLY FREAK out.
I don't know why I sometimes laugh when people are in pain. I don't always do it, but sometimes I do. I know, I know it's a bit weird, strange, odd okay, maybe psychotic! It is is HORRIBLE, and if the tables were turned and I were the one in pain--I would be CRAZY mad if Mike were to laugh or find even the slightest bit of humor in the situation. But thankfully, Mike GETS me. He just does. He has known that I have had this oddity since one of our first dates, and HE STILL MARRIED ME. So who is the CRAZY one?

Anyway, after all the questioning, the nurse quickly moved him to a room and hooked him up to an IV to give him fluids and pain medicine. The medicine made him a bit loopy, which was kind of funny too.

I think the nurse and doctor found me a bit odd--the wife who seemed to be laughing at the situation, but maybe that helped Mike's situation. They really took good care of him.

After the CT scan and some blood work, it was confirmed that Mike INDEED had a KIDNEY STONE 2mm 2.4 mm BIG (Mike made me add the .4 because apparently that makes a HUGE difference)!

It's funny how something so small could cause so much pain. However, I know that it was painful because like I said Mike is not one to complain or react to pain--maybe it's because he's afraid I will laugh. I don't know.

So when the fluid emptied out of the IV, they discharged Mike and sent us home on our merry tired way with a prescription for a pain killer and orders to call our primary physician for a follow-up, and a strainer to "catch" the stone. Can you say, "YUCK!" We filled the prescription on the way home (which Mike refused to take).

We arrived home at about 12:30am Halloween morning. Again, which was not bad for going to the ER. I've stood in line at Wal-Mart longer than that (just kidding).

Anyway, let's just say it was a long, sleepless night and by morning, Mike still had not passed the stone, but was feeling a bit better. I took the girls to school and stayed for their Honors Day and then came back home to take Mike to his appointment with the doctor.

By that night, Halloween night, Mike had still not passed the stone, the pain had come back, and he was in no shape to go Trick-or-Treating, which made him feel more sick. I did not want to leave him alone either (hey, I may be slightly psychotic, but I'm not heartless).

Luckily for us, the Jordan's offered to take the girls Trick-or-Treating with them (we originally had plans to have dinner with them and go trick or treating after). The girls had a BLAST!

NOT SO MUCH FUN FOR US, however! By the next morning, Mike had passed the stone, and we felt relieved like LOSER parents. This was the first Halloween night that we did not spend with the girls.

Although we did feel bad not to be together as a family on what is usually a FUN-filled night, we also realize that it was a night full of blessings. Mike could have been more seriously ill, the doctors took care of him quickly and we have great friends.

The great thing, or at least we hope, is that there is always next year.

It is our hope that Halloween 2009 and all those to follow will truly be the BEST one's EVER!

This is Me TRYING to DECORATE for Fall

And failing. Miserably.
But it's as good as it got.

I saw so many other cute blogs with everyone's CUTE and CREATIVE & festive decorations and I just never got quite to that level. Maybe next year, or maybe not.

At least the girls were happy, and that's what's most important.

Here is a picture of the front of the house . I know I took one of the entire house with a better view, but I guess it got erased, lost because I can't find it now. The Frankenstein was $1 at a yard sale (seriously the only good thing I have ever found. I stink at yard salin')

I just love the "Come in my little One...Don't Be Afraid" sign (thanks Lisanka) sitting above my happy jack-o-lanterns. The girls really wish that I would go more scary, but I'm not one for scary. I'm much more for cutesy.

My cheap little yard sign from Old Time Pottery.

Here is my door mat that I got on clearance at Target. I can't remember the price, but I know it had to be cheap because I'm frugal like that. Gotta love Target.

Mike Vs. The Squirrels

And the squirrels are winning.


We have Pecan Trees in our backyard! I love them!


However, the squirrels do too.


Mike has waged a war against them. It is funny because I think they have waged one against him too. It as if they look for him, and then begin their taunting. Funny, but true.


A couple of weeks ago, Mike was out getting me some pecans and there was a squirrel out doing the same for his wife too. LOL. The squirrel in the tree dropped one right by Mike's foot, and looked at Mike while Mike looked at him. Well I guess the squirrel decided Mike wasn't much of a threat. So, he went down the tree went over to Mike's foot picked up the pecan, looked up at Mike and then ran back up the tree.


Now, it is though the squirrels come out just to stare at Mike everyday. Sounds crazy, but they do. They will sit like a statue on the fence holding a pecan and stare Mike down.


That just makes Mike mad. Then he got even more mad that he found many pecans with one bite out of it and the rest thrown out. What a waste.


I try to tell Mike it is just a squirrel and there are enough pecans for us all, but there must be some testosterone thing running through him because it has made him a little crazy.


So now, everyday Mike likes to watch the squirrels, and the squirrels watch Mike. He wants to get a BB gun or a sling shot and kill them; however, I protect them. I won't let him harm them. After all, it is their home. Now if they came into my house--that would be a different story.


Last week the war reached its pinnacle. Mike was watching the squirrel bury a nut. Believing it was the squirrels food storage for the winter, Mike went outside and unburied the nut. He came in with a smile as wide as the Mississippi on his face holding the nut. As though he had won something. He couldn't wait to tell us what he did. Like he won the war.


Can't quite figure it out.


Poor squirrel. Poor Mike. We are a strange family. Very strange indeed, especially when a man is happy taking nuts from squirrels, and his wife just lets him.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Every year, we have a family tradition to carve a pumpkin.

Yes, it is just singular--pumpkin, not pumpkins. I guess I am too cheap too buy one for each of us, just to throw away in a weeks time.

Luckily, the girls have not seemed to notice or care. We always work on it together. Each one of us draws part of the face.

This year, Cecily did the eyes and nose, while Ariel drew the mouth and eyebrows and I got to carve with Mike's help (there is no way we are putting knives in the hands of Ariel and Cecily. LOL).

There are no rules.

IF the eyes are scary and the mouth is happy--that's OKAY! That's what usually makes it FUN and cute.

Don't you agree?

(please ignore the wall in the back--remember my wallpaper post--well, we decided to take down ALL 3 LAYERS, and it's taken us this LONG. But the good news is we are done and getting the walls prepped and ready to paint).

This year we added something a little different. The girls LOVE pumpkin seeds, as do I. Usually, we throw them away, but this year, we decided to roast them!

AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS YUMMY TREAT!

AND what would be carving a pumpkin without watching that favorite Charlie Brown classic?

The night ends HaPPy because We too know the there is a Great Pumpkin Linus--He is sitting outside OUR door!

If you don't believe us take a look:

Isn't this such a fun time of year?!

Blueberry Delight With a Capital "Y"

As in YUMMY!!!

Delight can't express how I feel about this enough.

SCRUMPTIOUS, ENCHANTED, BLISS, EXUBERANCE...

I think you might kinda get my point.

What has brought about all of this excitement?

Mike's favorite dessert ever (well, outside of $20 and higher priced truffles. LOL) is Blueberry Delight. It is something that I learned how to make quick when we got married, and luckily for me it is very easy.

Basically, it consist of a graham cracker bottom with a cream cheese filling, with blueberry pie filling and cool whip to top it off. It is pretty good, if you've never had it.

Back in September, Mike had been going on service project on several weekends, and one day when he was returning home, I wanted to treat him to his Favorite dessert--

Blueberry Delight!

I had all of the ingredients. Or so I thought.

I was getting everything together and realized, NO blueberry pie filling!

UGHH. NO!! Don't you hate it when that happens. Going to make something and missing one item.

Oh well, so I tried to gather the girls all up so we could go to Wal-mart and get that one missing ingredient (and probably end up bringing a little more home too). Luckily, Wal-Mart is literally right around the corner (we could walk there, but not today).

Just as we are about to head out he door. The inevitable happens.

The phone rings.

I have to let everyone in on a secret. When the phone rings, I have to check it to see who is calling, then I decide if it is important enough to answer or just walk out the door.

It was Mike's mom, and YES, I did answer.

Man that lady is inspired. I told her that I was on my way out the door to get the blueberries and she asked the greatest question, "Do you have any of your blueberries left?" (When we went to Mike's mom's for a visit, we visited a blueberry farm and picked fresh blueberries--the girls absolutely LOVE doing this. We EAT ALOT and Freeze the rest to enjoy later.

Anyway, she said, that I did NOT need to go to Wal-Mart, but that I could make my own filling.

Okay, let me stop here. At this point, I must confess. I was doubting my abilities here. In my mind, I was like, "okay, I'll listen to her, and then go and get the blueberries from Wal-mart."

I was just afraid it would taste funky and Mike would not LOVE his dessert.

Plus, Mike's mom is TOTALLY a real life Martha Stewart. Remember this post. So I had no doubt that she could do it amazingly well, but ME...I just wasn't sure.

But again, she believed in me. She walked me through it on the phone. Told me step by step what to do. And this is what happened:

100 % PURE DELIGHT--YUMMY DELIGHT, YUMMY BLUEBERRY DELIGHT!

Let me just say, as long as I have fresh blueberries, I will NEVER buy another can of OVERLY price blueberry pie filling AGAIN.
Here is the recipe Kara:
Blueberry Topping

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4-6 tblsp cornstarch
• 1 1/3 cup of water
• blueberries (sorry, but I did not measure this I just added the blueberries until I thought it was enough).

1. Whisk sugar, cornstarch and water together in a pan. Mash a few blueberries and add in (this will give you the color--it really doesn't take a lot to do this). If it is a little stiff add a little more water.
2. While whisking, bring to a boil until smooth on top of stove.
3. Remove from stove
4. Let sugar cornstarch mixture sit 1-2 minutes.
5. Add blueberries (if frozen, make sure they have been defrosted). Stir gently as to not mush blueberries and then let cool.

She said you can do this with other fruits too.

A Chip off the 'Ole Block...Err, I Mean--Tooth!

Last Wednesday night, our family was all at the church. I had my meetings and Mike was doing whatever he does as a member of the Bishopric on Wednesday nights.

Of course we had the girls with us. However, they did not have any activities that night, so they were playing in the gym.

Then the dreadful thing happened. The girls were playing ball, and both were trying to get the ball from each other. Somehow (don't ask), Cecily tripped up Ariel.

Ariel fell.

and then....

Cecily fell......on top of Ariel...hitting her mouth on the back of Ariel's head and chipping her bottom front tooth.

When I came out of my meeting, I saw Ariel, Cecily, Lisanka and Mike on their hands and knees in the gym looking for something.

Ariel and Cecily were both crying.

Mike got all serious and called me into the Bishop's office and told me to have a seat. I thought I was in trouble. No kidding. He was being that serious.

I was like serious back and said, "WHAT?"

Then he told me what had happened, and that both girls had been crying for the past 20 minutes nto because of the TOOTH, but because they did not want ME to find out that Cecily chipped her tooth on Ariel's head. They were afraid that I would freak out!

Okay, if that doesn't prove that I'm a crazy mom, then I don't know what does.

O.K. maybe they did have a point. When Ariel knocked out her two front teeth at the tender age of 3 the day before Mother's Day, I did freak out! More than I'd like to remember.

I still have bad memories of that day even 7 years later! Not kidding.

However, I'm a little more mature now.

Yes, I still freak out about accidents, but I'm a little better at handling them.

I guess my frequent calls to Poison Control have helped with that. One year, I called Poison control so much, I really thought they knew me by name when they heard my voice. Hey, I've even had to call them from Wal-Mart. I'll have to share some of those stories on another post.

Anyway, I was a little frantic at the thought that she may have damaged a nerve or killed the tooth because unlike Ariel who knocked out baby teeth, this tooth is her permanent.

However, I remained calm. I even laughed that Ariel must really have a hard head and also that they were actually looking on the floor for the part of the tooth that was chipped off. I also said, "I wonder if the tooth is stuck in Ariel's head."

That made them laugh too.

Well, the next day, I took Cecily to the dentist. They were able to work her in. Let me just say, with the amount of money we spend on teeth in our home, at least the money goes to great dentist and orthodontist. You may have remembered me bragging about Dr. Oliver our orthodontist. If not, he's AWESOME!

But equally as awesome is our pediatric dentist, Dr. Greenleaf. My girls adore him! They actually love to go to the dentist and frequently ask if they can visit him. And this is he man that has pulled 15 teeth on Ariel, and so far 4 for Cecily. That alone says a lot that they like to go back!

We love Dr. Greenleaf.

He took an x-ray of Cecily's tooth and.....

Good News...

The tooth was fine!

Dr. Greenleaf was able to build the tooth back up (not sure of the appropriate term) and you would never know it happened (well, except for the money it cost--lol).

He did such an awesome job even in the matching of the tooth color. We really can't tell that it was ever damaged. The tooth looks amazing. I'll try to see if Cecily will let me take a picture so that you can see the amazing job.

So THANKS Dr. Greenleaf--you are the best at what you do!

"Come What May and Love It!"

This quote came from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk during the Saturday session of conference. I am trying to make this one of my new themes in life along with that a quote given by our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson to "Find Joy in the Journey."

General Conference was so uplifting and inspiring. This was the first time that I ever watched the entire conference in real time. I usually watch both the morning and afternoon session on Sunday, but have never done that with the Saturday session. Usually on Saturday, I will catch the morning session or the afternoon, but never both. I usually will get on the internet at another time and watch the one I missed, or just wait for the Ensign.

However, this past weekend, the girls went to visit Mike's mom with Mike, and I stayed home. I really needed to hear this conference, every word of it. Also, there is really something to say about watching the entire thing in real time, and by myself. It was exactly what I needed. It was nice to "sit at the feet" of prophets and apostles and listen to their inspiring words.

Although I used the quote above for my post title, I can not pick a favorite talk this conference. They were all so good. I have to agree with President Monson, the spirit was very strong at this conference. For me, it was one of the best.

Every single talk spoke to my spirit and changed my heart.

Perhaps it's because it is what I needed at this time. I felt like those talks answered so many prayers and that each of them were talking to me personally.

Perhaps it's because conference led me to remember a First Presidency message that was written by the late President James E. Faust in Feb. 2006 entitled "Refined by Our Trials" Here is the little piece that kept coming to my mind, which led me to a greater source of peace and comfort.

"Into every life there come the painful, despairing days of adversity and buffeting. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. The Apostle Paul referred to his own challenge: “And lest I should be exalted above measure … , there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me.”
The thorns that prick, that stick in the flesh, that hurt, often change lives which seem robbed of significance and hope. This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master in building lives of faith, usefulness, beauty, and strength. For some, the refiner’s fire causes a
loss of belief and faith in God, but those with eternal perspective understand that such refining is part of the perfection process."

The last sentence made such an impact on me. Something that I needed to remember. The eternal perspective.

The Lord truly is good. I love Him. I love Jesus Christ and again I am so grateful to my friends who loved me so much that they were willing to share the gospel with me. There has been no greater gift ever given to me by a friend, or in this case friends.

I'm grateful to have the knowledge that the Lord still speaks through prophets today, in what often seems like troubled times, just as He did in the days of the Old and New Testament. The gospel gives me hope and joy.

This conference left me with a new sense of hope and joy. To be kinder, more forgiving, more understanding, to be grateful, love my family more, to be a friend (especially to those who are in need of a friend), to have a greater desire to share my joy and knowledge with others, to be of worth in the life of others and so many more things. I'm sure many of you left with the same feelings.

Another great experience was having the opportunity to talk about conference when my family returned home and hearing what their favorite talks were and why. My heart is full of joy that I just can not properly express.

I can't wait to get the November Ensign and get out my highlighter and re-read those addresses. I hope you will too. Or better yet, click here to listen to those inspiring words now. You won't be sorry.

To reiterate the words of President Thomas S. Monson, I hope we will all take time to "Find joy in the Journey". Even if you are not a member of our church, I encourage you to take the time to listen to it here.

P.S. If you missed "On the Lords Errand: The Life of Thomas S. Monson" which was shown in between conference session, you really missed out on a great thing. We watched it as a family during Family Home Evening and all I can say is , "WOW, what an amazing man who truly is on the Lord's Errand!"

You're Just Holding the Bag!

I've been meaning to post about this experience for a while now and just now have found the time (having been awake since 2 am--for some reason, I can't sleep).

Anyway, about a month and a half ago we were all outside as a family, doing yard work. Mike was trimming the bushes, I was raking up the mess, and the girls were holding the bag open so I could dump the leaves, limbs into it.

Well, Ariel began complaining about how she hated holding the bag, how it was so hot, that the bugs were getting on her. Basically just complaining. She would rather have been doing anything but be outside helping to clean up our yard.

In her defense, she did want to rake, but I just wanted to get the work done so we could move onto something more fun with our Saturday.

Okay, so we are back to Ariel complaining. Finally, I looked at her and said matter of factly, "Ariel, you are just holding the bag! That's it! Nothing more. What's so hard about holding the bag? It's not like I'm asking you to mow, weed the yard, trim the bushes, edge the sidewalk etc.. Just hold the bag."

Finally, she stopped complaining. Why would I want to blog about this? Well, it all has relevance at least for me.

About a week later, I was feeling a little overwhelmed with my calling and I was praying to Heavenly Father. Well, in all honesty complaining to Him. I was whining-- wishing I could have a break from everything (which now I feel ashamed to admit because soo many more people in our ward do sooo much more).

As I was in prayer with Heavenly Father this thought clearly came to my mind, "You're just holding the bag!" My head rushed back to my conversation with Ariel, and then another thought came to my mind, "I'm not asking you to take upon the sins of the world, all the sorrows, pains. It's been done. I'm just asking you to serve--just hold the bag."

A small job in comparison, but still one of importance. Something that needs to be done. So, whenever, I start to pity myself, I think about the fact that I'm "just being asked to hold the bag" in a sense. When I do my part, I am working to build up His kingdom. We all need to do our part.

When I look from that perspective, like Ariel I stop complaining and do the work. After all, I'm really just holding a bag! :)

There is Always Sunshine After the Rain...Always.

This post is really for me. Just a reminder for me to look back on and remember to never give up. Maybe it will help someone else. Maybe not... But it's something I want to remember and look back on. So here it goes.

Lately, I've noticed I've changed. I haven't quite been the same person I usually am. Unfortunately, the change has not been in a good way.

I used to be calm and rationale, well for the most part.

Not so much lately. I've been YELLING a lot.

I lose my temper easily.

I often just tell people how I feel instead of just holding it in, not caring if they get their feelings hurt (which really is UNLIKE me).

I've just had a bad attitude.

I have not really liked the new me. I wanted to blame it on hormones, and perhaps it is to blame a little.

I know when PMS time used to hit my house, I would cry about EVERYTHING--a commercial, a remark someone made, you name it-- I cried.

I wish I still cried...Now, I just get ANGRY. It's weird. I can feel it building up and I just feel like exploding.

Almost like I have no control over it......But deep down, I know I do. It's just hard.

Sometimes, I even question myself in the gospel, "What's the purpose? I'm never going to make it? I'm just too bad. Why even try? Maybe I should give up?"

Anyway, last Saturday, our Stake held it's annual Relief Society Temple Bus Trip.

I signed up to attend months ago. The week of the trip, I began questioning if I should even go on the temple trip. After all, I have not been very Christlike.

However, my dear husband told me that was all the more reason to go. I needed to be reminded.

I could not have agreed more.

It truly was a wonderful day. I love Heavenly Father so much for the love that He has for me, even when I'm so undeserving of it. It was nice to be reminded that Heavenly Father is ALWAYS there for us with his hands reaching out. I just needed to remember to reach out too!

I really enjoyed sitting in the Celestial Room by myself. I've never been able to do that before, so it was really nice. It is a great place to be when you feel like you need a lift and some answers. It's so peaceful. It was great to be able to have a one on one talk with Heavenly Father in His house.

I was able to leave the temple with a renewed sense of myself, and an OVERWHELMING sense of LOVE from our Father in heaven. I was reminded of what my eternal goal is, and of the scripture found in the R.S. Visiting Teaching Message for this month. It is D&C 78:18 "Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours."

Even in our trials or hard spots, we should be of good cheer for the Lord is there to lead us. We are never alone. What a wonderful blessing to know that HE loves us ALL.

Satan wants me to think different. He wants me to believe there is no hope, but there is. There is ALWAYS HOPE. Jesus Christ is our hope. His atonement GIVES us hope.

And I remembered it is worth it. Every single bit of it. I just need to try harder and remember to lean on Him.

So, this week, I have been trying harder to control myself---yell less, be kinder, give more--to be of good cheer--To be more like Him.

Life has been a lot nicer for me. I like the person I've seen in the mirror this week. It's been much better. Has it been easy? NO, but definitely better. And I can testify that sunshine is so much better than the rain, but we need the rain in our lives to help us to grow and to appreciate the sunshine that much more. For that I am grateful.

You've Got a Friend in Me!

This post is for my friend, Lisanka. She told me today that I always post about everything else in my life, but NEVER anything that I do with her. So Lisanka--here is my post dedicated to you! Enjoy--LOL (I know you are).

Yesterday was such a FABULOUS day! One of my VERY best friend's, Lisanka, called me around 10am and asked me if I wanted to come over to walk with her and another friend.

I laughed and said, "No, not really, but I probably need too." The thought of exercising has not been very appealing lately. However, I managed to change into some more comfortable clothes and go.

OH, am I so GLAD that I did. I had a great time!

The weather this week in Southern Alabama has been absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It has been a fabulous week to welcome Fall--My ABSOLUTE most FAVORITE time of the year.

The air was much cooler. The sky was bright blue, but you could still hear the birds singing. The trees are all still green (I have to admit some color in the leaves would have been nice). It was a beautiful day.

When we were done walking, we went inside and chatted, printed out some vinyl letters for Halloween (as well as some letters for our primary bulletin board).

Then, Lisanka was so sweet. She asked me to stay for lunch.

I just want to say ONE WORD: YUMMY.

Anyone who knows Lisanka knows that girl can cook, not only can she cook, but she can whip something delicious up in no time flat. When I ask my girls who is the best cook in the world--they don't say, "Mom". They always say, "Mrs. Lisanka". I'm not lying.

Anyway, she made the BEST salad ever. I'm still drooling thinking about it.

Because it was such a beautiful day, we ate lunch outside on her back deck and just talked and laughed, and laughed some more.

We had such a great time, but you can't have a bad time when you are hanging out with Lisanka. She is so much fun.

Lisanka, thanks for a great afternoon. We must really do it again, sometime soon. And you know you always have a friend in me.

Going Back To The Good 'Ole Days

I don't know why we did it, but when I was little, my sister and I always used to refer to the time of my mom and grandparents youth (and those even older) as "Olden Days".

Lately, I'm thinking that the true proper term really is "Golden Days". Those were the days when neighbors were truly neighbors. When people worked hard and helped make this country the great place it is today.

Sometimes I wish I could go back and live in those times even just to experience it for a day (and then I remember that I'm so lazy that I would have never made it--the heat alone would have killed me). I'm referring to the time of the early 1900's and before.

My favorite show as a child was "Little House on the Prairie", and now that I have children, I find myself loving all the "American Girl" movies--that have so far taken place in those "Golden Years". They were not necessarily easier times, but still I think they were better.

Yesterday, Cecily's class went on a field trip to the Little School House in Semmes, AL. It is a one room school house with no electricity, old fashion desks, slates, blackboards (these really were boards painted black) with a wood stove in the center. It is a historical landmark as the oldest existing school in AL.

I went on this field trip with Ariel when she was in the 2nd grade and loved it then, but Cecily's was even better. The schoolhouse is run by volunteers so some days, you may get the traveling music teacher, other days you may get something else. Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to get a little bit of everything.

The premise of the field trip is to let the children experience what life was like for a child in 1902. The year this school was established. They let the children go through all of the motions of being a child going to school that year.

Let me share some pictures to help tell this story.

The children are getting ready to start the day. The first order of business was to separate the boys and the girls into two lines--boys and girls-- in which they would stay in for the rest of the day. They first gathered in a replica of the original church building that is right next door to the school.

Notice the bell that is hanging in the belfry. Although this church is a replica, the bell is the original bell that hung in the church. While the children were inside here they learned what everyday life was like for children in Semmes, AL in 1902.

They learned about early morning chores when they first woke up like feeding the chickens and other animals, gathering eggs, milking the cows, chopping the wood (even in the summer time so Ma could have a fire to cook).

They learned about the kinds of foods that children ate. There was no electricity so they had no refrigerators, but ice boxes. No cars, radios or TVs and no video games *gasp*! Children had to use their imaginations and they worked very hard. We learned that EVERYONE had a job.

We also learned about the kinds of clothes people wore. That they only had two sets of clothes (one for play and one for best). The girls had to wear dresses and bonnets. They also wore aprons to help keep their dresses clean because they did not wash the clothes EVERYDAY because washing was an ALL DAY job! OH, and in the warmer weather you did not have to wear shoes to school (something my kids would love).

They also learned that baths were only taken once a week in a big wash tub in the front yard (in the summer) and inside by the wood stove in the winter. Everyone in the family shared the bath water (no clean water every time, remember you had to pump that water or go and get it from the creek). They did wash their hands and face in using a little water in a basin everyday just to spot clean.

She told us a lot more about the life and times and showed us how the women had to iron with the old irons placed on the wood stoves and many other neat things like before schools--it was mom's teaching their children from home using the BIBLE. The early days of home schooling. Also, children sometimes did not go to school if they were needed to do work at home. Boys often missed when it was time to bring in the crops.

The object that recieved the biggest reaction was this:

Yes, the outhouse. One side was for girls the other for boys. But this is what got the biggest comments:

Notice the Sears & Roebuck catalog on the left and the corn cobs on the right. I wish I had a picture of the children's faces when the school teacher explained what those were for! It was hilarious!

Once we learned a little about that time period, it was time to start our school day. The children were told that they either walked to school, rode a horse or came in a wagon. Today, they were told they had to hitch up their horses to the hitching post. Here they are:

Then everyone had a turn pumping water from the well. You had to do your share at school too. A child would have to pump water that would be placed in a bucket with ONE SIPPER for everyone to drink out of. If you got thirsty, you would grab the sipper and leave a little water in the bottom, swish it around and throw the remaining water out the window. Afterwards, you would put the sipper back for someone else to use. EWWW! For some reason, that bothers me even more than the corncobs. LOL! The children quickly found out that pumping water was a lot harder than it looked. I think they also realized that it was A LOT of work to live back before all the luxuries we have today. This was not just a once and a while thing. They had to pump whenever they needed water which could have been several times a day! Such as for when they had to do this:

Does Cecily look like she is having fun?

FINALLY-SCHOOL TIME!
The school teacher rang the little bell and the children quickly got back into their boy/girl line. They did not want to be late. Their school day was about to begin.

A side view of the school house. That is the backdoor. This is the original school house, not a replica. Isn't it charming?!

Inside the school house. The children began their day by reciting The Pledge of Allegiance and The Lords Prayer. They explained that back then, people said prayers at school, but now since people have so many different religions, we don't do that anymore. However, they were told that since we were back in 1902 we would have a prayer. It was neat!


I don't know if you can tell or not by the pictures, but in the picture directly above there is a blackboard with plexi-glass over it. When they were refurbishing the boards, they uncovered some original writing still on the boards; therefore, they covered them to preserve the writing.

DISCIPLINE in 1902

As the day started, the teacher went over some rules and the consequences that the children faced when those rules were broken. Here are some:

If you were caught not paying attention or being acting up, you might have to wear this:
A DUNCE HAT

If you were a girl who wore braids, you may have had to put the braid through the hook and stand on your tip toes stuck to the wall as shown below:

Or... if you were caught breaking some rules you might get this:

The SWITCH

And if you were really, really bad--

The LEATHER STRAP

She said that children who got in trouble at school, got the same kind of punishment when they returned home. Parents expected better of their children. I know this was true when my parents were young. My dad use to tell us that if you got whipped at school, you got an even worse whippin' when you got home.

Cecily looks a little frightened, doesn't she?

Hmm.... I wonder.... if we would have so many misbahavin' children if we still had the same kind of punishments...No way...parents would not allow for it!

After going over the children's rules, Ms. Harris explained that even the teachers had rules. Here are some that I can remember:

• No drinking, smoking, hanging out at dance halls or other mischievous behavior and if you are a man you better not get a shave at the barber shop!


• A teacher had to whittle each writing utensil to the students specifications.


• Clean the lanterns and make sure they had sufficient oil.


• Set aside a good portion of the paycheck for their elderly years so they would not be a burden on society.


• They could not be married or engaged or engage in any behavior that is unbecoming of a teacher.
  

Also, she told the students that it would not be uncommon for the teacher to live with them. Some of the children in our class did not like the idea of their teacher living with them. LOL.

Then it was time for work. They each had slates and chalk (but were told that ink wells were used back then too). Ms. Harris, the teacher, gave the children an assignment of writing their ABC's, writing their numbers by two and then their names on their slates. The children were to work on this while she worked with individual reading groups. Here is Cecily working away:

Here is Cecily with her reading group. The school house had a set of McDuffy Readers from that time period, but they did not want the children handling them, so they made copies for the children to read from.

Here are a couple of pictures of the children learning. Notice the boys on one side and the girls on the other.

And then came LUNCH & RECESS---HOORAY!
Below, Ms. Harris is explaining to the children that there were no cafeterias where you purchased your food. Everyone brought their lunch from home, usually in a pail like this:

And inside that pail usually was one biscuit with jelly and sometimes if you were lucky a piece of bacon or ham. NO WONDER WE HAVE CHILDHOOD OBESITY PROBLEMS. We over feed our children. HA!

At lunchtime, there were some picnic tables, but the children preferred sitting on blankets on the ground. I guess they were getting into character. But what they really wanted was to PLAY! Ms. Harris told them that in 1902 children liked to play outdoor games and jump rope. Nothing fancy.

THE CHILDREN HAD A BLAST WITH THIS SIMPLE PLAYGROUND AND JUST PLAYING CHASE! And to think PTA spent thousands of dollars on the state of the art playground we have. Who knew all you really needed was a few tire swings (yes, I realize tire swings are not from the time, but hey it was still fun), tree swings and a see saw!

RECESS had to come to an end too! Ms. Harris rang the bell for the children to know it was time to return to class. They all ran and lined up!

When they got inside, they were in for a treat. Mr. Byrd the travelling music teacher was in town. Ready to teach the children how to sing, "Oh, Susanna" and "Polly Wolly Doodle Day". I took a picture of him with the class and then realized I could video tape. By the time I realized it though, music time was just about done, oh well.The real treat was what happened next. Ms. Harris took us all outside. Some of the volunteers showed up with a box of apples and an apple juice press! We were going to make our own apple juice! They also talked to the kids about Johnny Appleseed.

Okay, I loved this for several reasons. It made me remember when I was in the 3rd grade living in NH and we made apple juice. It was so fun and something I never forgot--even with my bad memory! I was thrilled that Cecily got the chance to experience this. Here they are explaining what this machine does.

Tossing in the apples to make the juice.

Pressing the apple to make the juice come out !

Cecily with her fresh glass of apple juice. Don't let the darkness of the juice fool ya! That stuff was DELISH! SERIOUSLY!

Next, we went back into the church for some story time. We heard a story about a girl named Lucy and her sweet potato doll named, "Sweet Petutie" and a racoon, a hound dog, fox, and a bear. The kids seemed to like it.

After the story time, the girls made a cornhusk doll and the boys made a toy with a button and some strings. Man did they love it. Who needs Hasbro and all those other expensive toys. Trust me, these kids were loving it! Here is Cecily with her little doll that she made:

We ended the day with a class picture to remember what a fun time it was to go back in time to 1902!

Can you tell that I LOVED this field trip? When Cecily said she wanted Dad to go on this with her, I was like, "NO WAY, he can go on the Bellingrath Garden field trip". There was no way I was going to miss out on returning to the Good 'Ole Days! It really was a great day and I'm glad that I was able to share it with Cecily.