Twenty Two

Twenty two exciting years of adventure together!  Happy Anniversary!!
 

Flashback Friday

 
~FLASHBACK FRIDAY~

Betheelou in 1998 or 1999

~~It's Thursday!~~

Outside my window...  Humid and drizzly.  (Is drizzly a word?)


(Oct. 2008)

I am thinking...  I'm thinking of projects to complete.  I'm thinking of projects to start.  Thinking of moving.  Thinking of home decorations.

I broke my camera and thoroughly on Tuesday.  We were walking through Petco looking at pets after we went swimming.  I bent over and the camera fell out of my open purse.  I can't get it to take pictures.  I'll have to see if I can find a fix on an internet search.  I've asked for new camera for Christmas, but I may have to ask for one for my anniversary!  So this post will be short some pictures. 

I am thankful... I am thankful for friends, family, and faith.

#2 son and I had a short date on Monday after piano lessons.  We went shopping for produce then stopped for burgers at MC Donald's.  I tried a Double Quarter Pounder.  I didn't like it.  He had a Happy meal.  They've started using these cute, mini fry boxes instead of the paper bags they had previously used.  They were so cute, I had to get my model to pose with a cute fry box!

 

From the learning rooms... We've been working on skill building the last two weeks.  I'm not sure it's helping much.  We've been drilling spelling of numbers to twenty and other words.  Working addition and subtraction problems.  Reviewing time and temperature.  I'll resume week two in our home school curriculum next week and see if it turns out better.


(This is his new piano teacher Lindsay.  ((How does he manage to get such CUTE piano teachers?))


I have yet to pick up my books and study my New Testament Survey.  I've been itching to get started, I just need to do it.  I'll be glad to finish that class.
 
In the kitchen... Tonight, potato and Parmesan crusted Tilapia with baked sweet potato and wilted spinach, maybe a dinner salad.  

I am wearing...  I am wearing denim shorts and a 3/4 sleeve navy button front tee.  I took a tub bath this morning and soaked.  It was nice.  We resumed swimming at the gym Tuesday after taking almost a month off.   We'll be going swimming again today.  I guess we've been busy.  I need to re-do my pedicure.  Do you continue to paint your toe nails in the winter?
 
I am creating... Got some projects that need started or finished.
*  camper curtains
* photo processing
*  photo albums
*  photo wall
*  Bible covers
*set out some fall decor
*re-arrange a book shelf in the office/school room
*dust the house
*vacuum
* family pictures/family picture outfits

(the last picture taken before my camera broke.  We were admiring the Christmas merchandise at Michael's Craft store.  I loved these colors!!)


I am going...   Tomorrow is my 22nd wedding anniversary.  If my manly man has no other plans, I'll invite him to go for a steak dinner and out to see a movie with me. (This is the movie I want to see!)

 

I am reading/Watching...  Pie in the Sky  Still watching my Pie in the Sky.  I'm reading John Grisham as well.

I am praying...  I am praying for the desires of my heart, praying for my husband, my children, for wisdom, for far away family.

Around the house...  Around the house I am trying to get motivated to start and finish projects.  I am enjoying old country music through a cable station on the television or through this websight~ www.kixcountryclassics.com

 

One of my favorite things... I'm having a craving. . .







A few plans for the rest of the week:  Nothing exciting going on here.  My manly man has duty on Saturday.  Maybe I'll get the sewing machine out and sew up a storm.  I think I'll invite Bachelor David over for supper after church on Sunday.  I'd love to take a day and window shop for outfits for our family pictures.

Something to Share...  We'll be going apple picking in the month of October.  I won't be picking too many as I don't want to store them.  Just harvest a few for a pie and we want to try a baked apple.  I've never had a baked apple.

Baked Apples

• 4 large good baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold
  
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

2 In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbps).

3 Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

Serve warm with vanilla icecream on the side.

Terrific Tuesday's Recipes

Forgive me if I am a bit un-inspired to post one of my own recipes today.  This recipe fell out of my Taste of Home Magazine yesterday and it sounds wonderful!!  (Click on the picture to make it larger!)

September Adventure in Pictures

Four WHOLE days camping in the Wharton State Forest, New Jersey's Pine Barrens.  We had  blast.  We didn't do much fishing.  We brought the canoe but didn't use it at all this trip.  We took the TOY out on several adventures.  My manly man brought his chainsaw to cut us up some firewood.  He, Mr. Chris and #2 son had a good adventure Saturday night getting high centered on a fallen tree then rescuing some stranded boy scouts!  Now we are home.  I've got laundry going.  School is in session.  Piano lesson this afternoon.  Manly man goes to work soon.



This is our camp spot.  The log and little table were already at the sight.  We choose this sight because the little table made a great spot for the camp stove.



This little pond was behind the camp.  It was full of frogs and mosquitoes



I took this picture of the mushroom with our camp in the background.



Camp was full of little ants that would push sand out of their dens and run back and forth so much that they were leaving trails in the sand.



It is also 'squash bug' or 'stink bug' season.  All the squash bugs in southern New Jersey were trying to get into our camper.



Fall colors are so beautiful. 



One of the navigation hazards out on the trails.






I've graduated!  He finally let someone else drive his baby TOY!!





We always seem to find all of the creepy nature creatures on our adventures.  This is a female spider carrying her babies around with her.  She was a big girl anyway.  Those are my manly mans fingers and hand so you get an idea how long her legs were!  She was a HUGE spider!!





I spotted this large owl in a tree.  He stayed long enough for a picture.  He was large too!



My manly was chopping up dead trees for firewood for camp and spotted this snake.  We are still not sure what kind of snake it is.  We think either a Northern pine snake or a juvenile Black rat snake









What the passengers see.






I've decided, after this trip, I am sending Jeff Foxworthy new material for his "You might be a redneck if . . ."

"You might be a redneck if. . . your man wears his boxers to test the depth of the mud puddles while 4 wheeling!"

"You might be a redneck if. . .your man wears his boxers WHILE 4 wheeling!"




 



I love seeing nature.  I love being in God's creation and seeing how his mighty hand created EVERYTHING!  The following is a wintergreen plant with berries.  We crushed some in our hand and it smelled just like toothpaste and BEN GAY!





My manly man took this picture and said I should label it I-Spy for you. . .can you spy the mushroom's in this picture?



Manly man also took the following picture of this mushroom. . .I think it looks like a big brown cabbage rose.



Guess who else got to drive the TOY-ota?  We turned him into a driving addict.  He kept saying how fun it was.  He even started to say he thought he drove better than Dad!





 Helping his Dad split wood.  They were getting all hot and sweaty so the shirts came off.  He thinks this is showing off 'his sexy' . . . also he says there are BIG muscles there.



And in the middle of no-where out comes this child to play with #2 son.  His name is D'Andrew and he knew NO strangers.  He ate dinner with us on Saturday. . .TWO hot dogs and then breakfasted with us on Sunday morning. D'Andrew ate two pancakes but wanted to make sure we had his kind of pancake syrup.  "The tall bottle with the picture of lady on it!"



Thanks for looking at my camping pictures!!

Have a great week!