Sunday, August 28, 2011

Home from Camp Good Grief

 Top and bottom picture are Sunday....Alex and Gabe waiting outside the cabin for Peter and me to arrive for the picture presentation of the weekend!
With lots of good memories and experiences, the kids came home today from Camp!  They both ate a bug.....and received badges for it! 
Alex walking through a field to go to the memorial tree planting ceremony which closes out the weekend.  I LOVE seeing the leaves on the ground....fall is already in the air! Below is a distant view of the lake at Camp Potawatami.  Such a beautiful day....cool enough and warm enough to be perfect!

 Above is the main hall/dining area where they ate their meals....called to meals with, of course, the traditional bell on a pole.  Below are the various stuffed animal heads in the Dining Hall which Gabe was so excited to show to Peter and me.



And here's a picture of Gabe....in the dining hall!


Chillaxin' on the porch of the Dining Hall....beautiful Adirondack chairs!

 Peter admiring the view of the lake from the porch of the Dining Hall.
The picture directly above is the firepit where the kids held their candle ceremony to commemorate their deceased loved one.
Saying good bye to Camp until next year....actually, for Alex, until next month when she'll return with her fellow 5th graders for another weekend camp.


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Off to Camp Good Grief!

Well, Peter and I took the kids to Camp Potawatami this evening.  They'll spend the next day and a half there where the theme is "Fear Factor".....complete with the opportunity to face fears and eat a bug! 
They are so excited, too.  When we were loading up the car to leave, Gabe asked me if Peter was coming, too.  When I told him he was, he got excited and said, "good, I like it when we do family things together"!  I love that little guy....and I love my family.


Top picture is Gabe and Alex entering their camp building.  And the second pic. is Allie on her top bunk!

Gabe also got a top bunk and the bottom pic. is both kids on Gabe's bunk.  They each received backbacks with "survival" candy and a disposable camera for picture taking!  Pizza for supper and then some fun activities before movies/popcorn and then bed.  Tomorrow will be a full day of fun!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

My new job!


Here are two pictures of the YMCA where I'm working with the Before/After School Program.  It's only 1 1/2 miles from home!  (and great hours, too!)  P.S.  Kind of hard to see it in these pics, but if you double click on each photo, it will come up big enough to see it well.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Learning something new every day!

I just learned how to customize the header on my blog using FotoFlexer!  I wanted to change the look to something a bit more fallish!  (yep, by the end of August, I'm soooo ready for Fall). 
Also, I'm learning a new job.  I started this week at the local YMCA as a before and after school caregiver.  Gabe and Alex will come this evening (after school) to spend some time with me.  Besides getting to come to the program for free, some of the benefits are a free Y membership for me, and only paying 1.96/week for the kids to be members!!!!  I think I'm going to like this job....a few hours each moring, home by 9am and two days a week I work from 3:30 til 6:00.   Not too bad!!!!  I'll get a pic. of the building on here soon!

Jordie went to the groomer last week!




When she gets back from the groomer, we call her our little cheerleader because the bows make  her ears look like pony tails!!!!  She hates to have her picture taken so she's usually trying to get away or the picture is taken from above her so she doesn't see it coming!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

First Day of School


Gabe and Allie decided to be 'twins' for the first day of school....both wearing their Smurf tee shirts.
Jordie - true to form- saw the kids off to school, gave us all lots of laughs and then barked and barked as the kids climbed onto the bus!







Saturday, August 13, 2011

Fall is on its way!


Pumpkin Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
1 c. pumpkin
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350. Mix wet ingredients together until well blended. In a separate bowl combine the salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour and then add to the wet ingredients. With a small ice cream scoop, drop onto cookie sheet and bake for 13-14 minutes.
For the Cinnamon Glaze, I use about 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar, 1 Tbs. softened butter, and milk until it has a nice smooth consistency. After it is thoroughly combined I stir in a pinch or two of cinnamon. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies and Enjoy!
Of course, I'm crazy about fall and towards the middle of August, I start to get that itch.....the weather is cooling a little and some types of trees are losing their leaves already.  I found this recipe on another blog and think I'll try them soon!

Monday, August 8, 2011

Some photos of things that make me smile.....I owe my sense of taste to my mom and aunt Lynn

I love a beautiful fall day....spent in the backyard with a large stone firplace and surrounding woods.

I love ancient, forgotten buildings...this picture of the Earth reclaiming the land from this once magnificent stone building..


I love how this looks like a magical entrance to somewhere...the lights give it a warm glow and a sense of safety from a cold and harsh outside.


A beautiful room in a Seaside or Lakeside home...with large windows and spectacular views.  I love the neutral walls, transomes above the windows to allow for the most possible light and the light wooden floors. 
And here's another view of the room....also love the arched doorway and niche as well as the fireplace!

Books, books and more books!  Need I say more?

Another gorgeous room...with large,arched, multi paned windows and the warmth of stone walls!  Just lovely!

Another old building...possibly a church.  The gothic arched doorway and well worn stone steps are brought to life with the purple leaves surrounding it...just magical!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The best speech ever.

 This is the most moving movie scene ever...I wish everyone would be exposed to this little clip.


Monday, August 1, 2011

Lughnasadh

It's Lughnasadh.....the first of August....the first harvest festival....don't know if I'll mark it in anyway other than a bonfire this evening.....and a post on FaceBook and my blog!