happy birthday, kit!

19 years ago we welcomed our first child into the world...a beautiful little girl.  who would have thought that 19 years later we'd have 3 beautiful girls?! 

happy birthday, my precious daughter! 

i pray God gives you many wonderful years ahead

 and may all your dreams coming true. 

i love you!

Philippians 1:9-11: And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God. (NIV)

tomatoes in the oven-?!

this...

because of this...

hi.  my name is lori.  and we have fruit flies. 

we have no idea where they're coming from...we have no fruit, nothing 'wet', no sitting garbage, no food, we've bleached EVERYTHING, yet they won't leave.  i know, our kids think it's a country club here but i didn't think they'd tell.  they do like red wine vinegar (the flies, not the kids), well, they like to sit on the edge and LOOK at it~definitely playing games with my mind.  actually, i'm loosing my mind~probably their main purpose.  i've googled and binged how to eliminate these little flying nuisances...has enyone actually TRIED these things?  THEY DON'T WORK!!

well, since i started writing this (yes, my blog posts have known to take days...) their numbers are becoming less...probably bored w/the kids at school all day and nothing to do. 

ok-we're going out for dinner now. 

i'll leave the door open in case they want to leave.

forever.

we'll miss you guys.

maybe NOT!

kayt...NRCS-style

The kids just got their yearbook from last year...kayt's senior year.  There's a page called, "Go Ahead...Define Us".  I have to share this because, well, because kayt is kayt.
About kayt~
       The teachers say:  "Why's everyone looking at me?", organizer, effervescent, a breath of fresh air, *TRY TO FIND A TIME WHEN SHE'S NOT TALKING*

       The kids say: Kayt-n. a dramatic interpreter of mundane experiences, a job lover, a Jeep Wrangler chaser; v. to make noise; adj. applying drama to make situations extremely interesting; having qualities that attract affection.

they nailed it!

apple picking 9-18-10

pics from our annual apple picking day with the same families we've been doing this with for, we figured out, 14 years.  it's different now, though.  greendyk's couldn't be there and some of the older kids had to work so they couldn't come picking with us...just met us at deBels afterwards. 

and-it took us about 15 min. to pick...the kids are getting older so it doesn't hold the wonder of running through the orchards the way it used to.  and maybe, just maybe, it could be that when we're done picking, we do out for ice cream ;) 

our first pool fatality...a cute little chipmunk :(

this poor little chipmunk was found by jake laying at the bottom of the pool.  i have another pic that is much more graphic but it's so sad!  even jake, when pulling it out, said, "awww, he's so cute".  a teenager with a tender heart...(happy mamma!).   in the spring mady rescued one and it lived, but she was at school when this tragedy happened~see? i need my kids home with me!  always and forever. (but that's my issue,  not hers!) 

anyway~we're very sad here at the homestead.   sad, sad, sad!

pray for gram

please pray for this sweet lady.  she's in the hospital in michigan with congestive heart failure and apparently is in a lot of pain.  but i've heard she's still as funny as ever. 

that's my gramma~always content and happy. 

i love you, gram!!

always remember...

i'll never forget september 11, 2001.  where i was.  and then hearing about the people in my town who would never come back~a fiancee', daddys, husbands and uncles.  now, 9 years later, people have gotten on with their lives~they had to.  doesn't mean it's been easy, i'm sure it hasn't. 

thanks to all those who gave their lives for others on this day.

today will always be a solemn day.  i promise to always remember.

Vacuuming

I love vacuuming. Especially at my house where there's always something being noisily sucked up. Most of all I love vacuuming after my girls create jewelry with seed beads.
The end.

1st day at NERKS

The annual 1st-day-of-school pic.  Please notice how Jake is MIA.  He 'had' to go to the gym.  I told him that he would be missing pictures.  He was really disappointed.  KIDDING!  He always gives me such a hard time about having his pics taken...especially the 1st day of school.  It's really stupid, you know, how I like to capture this day.  So here they are...the 3 'little' ones~growing up WAY too fast!!!!!

showing their outfits so they can one day be completely mortified at how they used to dress and ask me how i could ever let them out of the house looking like that...

"C'mon~one more".  After i took it i wanted to take another one~i showed liv and ben how they looked and said we can get a better one.  Livie, the smart-aleck teenager, said, "i like it when i make that face".  Whatever!

 kayt's leaving for school and just popped her head out to say good-bye to them...and to laugh at the girls because she's wearing jeans and they still have to wear skirts.  typical kayt ;)

"Bye, guys, have a good day!  Mommy loves you!"

"Mom~we know!" (not looking back!)

why i scrapbook...

this is exactly why i scrapbook:

mady showing off how cute she was as a baby~and how much emma looked like her when she was young!

Kayt loading up her car for her first day of college.  Notice the very happy face.  She's finally studying what she was made for~nursing.

the NASA cake

Isn't this awesome?!  Ben & Mady made it.  From a website.  By themselves.  YUM!

liv's slushy maker

i wasn't sure if she'd ever use this but she's wanted this for a long time.  i'm happy to report that she does!   ;)

august 28, 2009 and 2010

This was my post to blog last year on liv's bday but for some reason i didn't.  so here it is...last year's and this year's:
Questions from A Simple Woman's Day Book

Outside my window...2009:  the guys working on the pool patio that I’m sure they’ll still be working on next May (in their defense, though, they’re working very hard, it’s just all the preliminary work where you think nothing’s being done) and I’m putting a plug in here for my amazing brother-in-law, marc, who has been overseeing this project and making sure it’s PERFECT. He is awesome!!!!  2010:  There are about 6 residents and 4 employees from ECCR celebrating the kids' birthdays.  Kayt took them here, ordered a pizza and had a cake.  They're so adorable!

I am thinking... 2009: that my youngest daughter has gotten really good at the piano…when? Did I miss something?  2010: that i have really great kids.  they're all completely comfortable around these kids with disabilities and treat them just like anyone else.

I am thankful for... 2009: my husband who is more than understanding and compassionate. 2010: a finished pool!!

From the kitchen...2009: cooking? we’re going out!  2010: ditto

I am wearing…2009:  pants I haven’t been able to wear in a year-and feeling pretty good about it!  2010: capri's and short sleeved shirt~boring!

I am creating...2009: a digital scrapbook of france-never done one before. 2010:  an ipad with apps to make my life easier. (france book still not done~BIG surprise!!)

I am going... 2009: out for dinner-seafood special 7-course at rosemary & sage-yummy!!!  2010:  to charlie brown's for liv's 14th birthday.

I am reading...2009: j.c.ryle, and band of brothers  2010: a book by elisabeth elliott (can't remember the name cuz it's on my kindle) and laura ingraham's new book, the obama diaries~a birthday gift from my oldest daughter)

I am hoping... 2009: for a nice day tomorrow…liv’s birthday!! 13!! I’ll have 3 teenagers-aarrgghh! No, seriously, I love it  2010: for this year to go slower than last year!

I am hearing...2009: mady playing the piano.  2010: the yankees game

Around the house... 2009: pretty picked up~all done before ed gets home ;).  2010: in the midst of painting the inside of the garage so i can put up the new elfa garage organizing system.

One of my favorite things...2009: being at home with nowhere to go….2010: still my favorite

Mady the painter

painting the garage...finally.  when it's done i'll show you the disastrous before pics and the organized after pics.  stay tuned.

future culinary students BEWARE!

"Can Me &Ash  make something?"  (NOT that I haven't corrected her...and her 4 siblings...each and every time they have mis-used this way of speaking since they could talk, but anyway...i digress...)

"Sure, for dinner?"  (hoping like crazy this wasn't a dream!!)

"No, for lunch". (yep, it was)

"OK" (seriously, someone's offering to cook for me~I don't care if it's for high tea, it's fine with me!)

and this...

was the complete awakening of the culinary senses (yes, fyi, i did just make myself the expert on this) 

Here is the recipe (which I choked out of them because they were going to keep it a deep, dark, for-Oprah-to-award-them-big-cash-prizes secret...):

Ingredients:

1 box ziti

1/2 bag shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 bag mozzarella cheese

10 slices of bacon

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs

6 tablespoons salted butter

1/4 cup milk

Directions:

1.  Boil water for ziti (hey, I can do that!!!)

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Fry bacon (not crispy) and cut into approx. 1/4" to 1/2" pieces.  Set aside.

4.  Fill bottom of double boiler 1/4 of the way full with water, heat on medium until rolling boil.

5. Combine the cheeses.

6.  Melt 3/4 of the cheese (reserving 1/4)  and all of the milk in top of double boiler.

7.  In an 8x8 baking dish melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the oven.

8.  Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente.

9.  Combine pasta, melted cheese and bacon.

10.  Melt remaining butter.  (you can use a microwave, that's what I'd do!)

11.  In freezer Ziploc, toss bread crumbs and melted butter.

12.  Sprinkle tossed mixture on top of pasta mix.

13.  Add remaining shredded cheese.

14.  Heat in oven until cheese melts.

Serve with tossed salad and fresh italian or french bread.

ENJOY  (I sure did!!)

did I mention that they came up with this completely on their own?  if not, consider yourself warned!

ben was here...

do you have a kid like this?  if there's anything that CAN be cut, WILL be cut.  the discretion is getting better as he gets older~haven't found any chairs or clothes with cuts in them lately.  my baby's growing up ;)