Pumpkin Picking

Today Dawson, Brady and I went to the farm where we get our weekly veggies and went pumpkin "picking". Dawson's middle brother also joined us in our adventure. Although the owners/workers on the farm had to already pick the pumpkins for us (they ripened faster than they expected), we got to "pick" them off of the lawn area.

Brady LOVED picking up the pumpkins and placing them in our box! We were able to take 6 pumpkins home with us. Brady must have placed about 15 in our box - so, I just had to take them out while he was going to get another one. He was such a great helper - he definitely has that as a gifting.

We were able to take some other veggies home with us including: butternut squash, acorn squash, zucchini, tomatoes - large and plus, peppers - red, little orange ones, jalapenos - eggplants, onions and garlic. So, I have lots of produce to keep me busy for a while! The main thing that I need to get to today are the peppers - I can chop them up and freeze them for later use. I think that I will make salsa and tomato sauce with all of the plum tomatoes that we were able to take! We were also able to take some fresh herbs with us. Today, we chose to take rosemary, parsley and oregano. Below is Brady choosing some plum tomatoes for us to take home, while Daddy is helping Brady reach the tomatoes.

It was a beautiful day to be outside and we really enjoyed getting away to the "country" while having a fun family day.

Start Your Engines!

So, did you guess where we were for our date on Sunday? Is it Friday already???!!!

Let's see - during our date, we were able to see my favorite person there #24 (well, maybe he is not exactly #24, but it is identified with him), we did not get sunburned (thanks to spf 50), my ankles got swollen because of the heat (but my hunny let me put my feet up on him during part of the ride home), and we had to climb about 13 stories to get to our seats (that is what someone said, and I truly believe him!) - and those are the better seats. Well, here is a photo that I took during an interview that I saw of Jeff Gordon!

My Husband was given tickets to the NASCAR race at Dover Downs, DE for last Sunday's race! Besides having to get up at 3am so that we could definitely be leaving our driveway at 4am, so that we could catch the coach bus at 6am - it was a great day! Brady slept over at my sister's house and then spent the next day with Grammie and Poppy and my aunt and uncle (who were visiting from Long Island.

Let me tell you...we were not just given tickets...what was also included in our day was: continental breakfast, snacks and lunch (pre-race), scanners - so that we could hear the race and guard our ears (which was really cool), programs, a hat (with the company logo on it), soft-sided coolers, ticket holders, a track side tour before the race - we were actually standing on the track - and really nice people to spend the day with!

My two favorite drivers are Jeff Gordon (#24) and Jimmy Johnson (#48). Unfortunately, neither of them won...but Carl Edwards did win, who seems like a nice guy too. He stands on the door area of his car and does a back flip when he wins a race - that is pretty cool. We had great seats - we were on turn 4 and were able to see some of the pits really well - below is a photo of Jeff Gordon's.

So, you did not know that I was a NASCAR fan? Well, I am not a crazy one, but I enjoy many sports, and this is one that was introduced to me a few years ago by my BIL, Simms. It is fun to watch now and then - it is even more fun to be there in person!

We had a great time, but it took me until Thursday of this week to get caught up on my sleep! Would I go again - you bet! Hopefully, I would not be as pregnant, and so the stair climbing would not have been so intense and tiring - but I made it! Our next door neighbors have gone to races before and they gave us a lot of good tips for our trip. She said that I would probably not have to go to the bathroom during the race because of all of the sweating that we would be doing...I guess she did not know the power of the pregnant woman's bladder (although she has had 2 kids!). During the race, I had to excuse myself at least 3 times - thankfully, I did not have to go all the way down to the bottom of the stands - I don't know if I could have handled that! I probably would have been spending all of my time going up and down the stairs instead of watching the race! :)

A New Blog - The Literary Gourmet

There is a new blog out there - my very dear friend, referred to as Jane, has begun a blog called The Literary Gourmet! I find it hard to describe my friend in few words - there is so much to her that I love! I think that the title of her blog sums things up a little bit.

I have known my gourmet friend for almost 8 years now, and she has been a wonderful friend through each part of my changing life - new jobs, marriage, babies! She is someone that really cares about what is going on in your life and listens to you. She does not judge you or make condescending remarks - she love me even though we have our differences too. She loves the Lord with all of her heart and she is someone that really cherishes a friendship - just like I do (so, we also have similarities too!). She is like a sister to me.

I have enjoyed learning so much from her - she loves the arts, she loves to cook, and she loves to read and watch Jane Austin movies (just to name a few things). Although she is more than capable of cooking "normal" foods, when she has you over, she enjoys making something special - gourmet! She always knows how to make you feel special - whether it is with delicious cookies, my favorite birthday cake (an amazing fudge cake - this is the only chocolate type of cake that I ever really enjoyed - oh, and a chocolate peanut butter one from an amazing bakery that she had one time too), panini sandwiches, delicious soups, entrees - or just a cup of coffee! She has brought so much joy into my life as I also enjoy the arts and cooking - she has helped to bring this enjoyment into my life.

Welcome to blogworld, The Literary Gourmet! And to all that read this - check it out! :)

Another Great Giveaway...

Head over to 5 minutes for Mom to enter to win a portable hard drive for your computer - it is great to back your computer up in case of a crash! So, if you are interested, click here, and good luck!

Strolling in Style

Here is another great giveaway - a Chicco Stroller. You can enter to win one here and here. So, you will actually have 2 chances to win - and if you win both, I would be happy to "take" one off of your hands! :)

I Could Live With Pink - Could You?

I am talking about a FREE DYSON vacuum cleaner! Check it out over here at 5 Minutes for Mom. Someone will win this vacuum - I hope my husband will still vacuum if I win! :)

Random Thoughts

There are a few things that I have been meaning to write about, but time just seems to get away these days! So, not in any particular order (except what come to my brain) - I will share some thoughts with you!

1. Apple Picking: About 2 weeks ago, our family went apple picking with Nanny and Grandpa - we had a great time! The trees were low enough so Brady could pick the apples and place them in the bag. We picked Gala and Cortland apples. We plan to go again in the next week or so - we will see how our schedule is!


2. Apple Recipes made so far:


Apple Goodie - I made one large apple goodie with some of the apples - it is basically apple crisp, but SO good...I guess that is how it got its name! I will have to share the recipe with you soon...I will have to make another one soon too!


I have also made applesauce and apple butter with the rest of the gala apples. We froze about 12 cups of apple sauce. I made the apple butter for the first time ever and used my crock pot...I am hoping that it is delicious! I would LOVE to get an apple butter recipe from someone that I know - so, if you fit into this category, I would love you to give it to me! :)


I am planning on making more applesauce soon.


I don't have other plans for the apples yet - I am not a big cake lover - I will eat it (as long as it is not chocolate! Although, once in a while, I will taste a chocolate cake to see if I suddenly like it, and I will have to tell you that the only person that has made a type of chocolate cake that I have liked is my friend, Jane - I will have to tell you more about her in another post! I love her to pieces! You can read a little about her here). I am thinking about caramel dipped apples, maybe something else in the crockpot - we will see


3. We went to Wegman's today for the first time. We got to see the crack open a huge 90 pound wheel of Parmesan cheese - we were thinking of buying some, but at $18.99/pound, we decided...maybe another time! :) We enjoyed the few samples that were offered - the cheese, an apple, and a cup of coffee. We also purchased a few items and got a few free items with our coupons that they sent in the mail. One of the things that we noticed was that they had a huge selection of Asian ingredients that we usually have to go to an Asian store to purchase. We were happy about that, but will probably try to support the little store (which is on Dawson's way home from work) - the prices are a little lower than Wegman's too, but Wegman's is not that bad. We had fun, but most of our shopping will be done at Giant - it is closer to us.


Oh, and we bought some deli meat there - and I cannot stand that they have it presliced!!! It gets all clumped up and that really annoys me when I am trying to flatten it out to place in my Tupperware container! I really prefer it freshly sliced!


4. Dawson and I are going on a date tomorrow! Want to guess where we are going? Here are a few hints: my favorite is #24, my sister's favorite is #48, and it is definitely fast paced. OK - those are all of the hints for now, otherwise I might just give it away!!! :)


5. I was reminded the other day that I am so blessed to have Dawson as my husband and I should never take it for granted.


6. I have been doing really well at planning dinner in advance, so that I am not stressed out on the day of the dinner. I have been writing it in my planner, and it has been great. It has been showing me how many different dinners need to be planned per week, and still have a day for leftovers. I have definitely felt success in this area - I just need to get planning for next week! Today and tomorrow are covered! So, I will start with Monday.

7. Scrapbooking - I really need to get back into doing this again!!! It is SO hard for me to do this when Brady is awake - I tried about one week ago at my sister's house. The cute little guy wanted to sit on my lap - how could I deny him! :) Seriously, he wants to see what mommy is doing, I can't blame him - I am still like that when someone is doing something "cool".

8. Baby Announcements - I am thinking about making them myself! I think that I mentioned this in another post, but it is still on the brain. I am having a stamping party at my house (and you are all invited!) soon and I am excited to get some more of the materials that I will need to make them!

9. I will be involved with Walk For Life - to support the pregnancy center that I am volunteering in. If you would like more info on this - let me know!

OK, that is a lot, and I have to go and get some other things done now! Have a great day!

Not Really a Surprise

Just in case you were wondering...

My Brain is 73% Female, 27% Male

Your brain leans female You think with your heart, not your head Sweet and considerate, you are a giver But you're tough enough not to let anyone take advantage of you!

What Gender Is Your Brain?

He is SO MY son!

Today, when Brady and I were returning from running errands, I looked back at him and he reminded me of something that I did when I was a little girl.

When I was a little girl, I remember wearing a pair of tights (he had socks on!), and I was wondering what would happen if I pulled on the little "snag" that had formed on my tights. So, I proceeded to pull on that little snag - I was conducting an experiment, you see...I wonder what my hypothesis was? "If I pull on the little snag, then..." Anyway, as I pulled on that little snag, all of a sudden a HUGE hole appeared in my tights! So, I had to go and show my mommy what had suddenly happened! I guess I needed a new pair of tights! (and that was not the only time that I did that - I guess that I wanted to make my hypothesis into a theory, so I needed to test it quite a few times!).

Well, you know how there is some elastic at the top of a sock? Well, Brady must have found that it was a little loose (or something, not really sure how it started), and when I looked back at him, he was tugging on it and it was stretched at least a few inches from the rest of his sock! It made me chuckle when I saw him doing this and I said out loud, "You are SO MY son!"

It is funny how your kids end up doing things that you once did too. The socks are not ruined (yet), and I am hoping that he does not do that to all of his socks (these were socks from Painting Red Rhinos - I love their socks, and I would like for #2 to be able to wear them too)! However, I do enjoy his curiosity!

Free To Be Me

My sister wrote a post today titled "Who's Painting Your Canvas." She is leading the MIA group at our church and God has downloaded some awesome stuff to her that we will be discussing this year.

I know for myself, I have definitely gone through various phases in my life where I have felt rejected by others. The first time that I really felt this was when I changed schools for my high school years. In the Christian school that I was attending (from 3rd-8th grade), I had some girls that I was friends with...but I guess they were not true friends. You see, when I changed schools, they decided that they were no longer going to be friends with me. Some of the teachers were actually giving me some "attitude" about changing schools as well! It was really hard at that time in my life to lose all of the friends that I had and to enter into a new place, knowing no one. I did make a lot of great friends at the high school that I was attending, but there was rejection that took hold of me - and it was really hard to get over (I just sort of shoved it to the "back" of my mind). I believe that when I was in college, I was finally able to release this to the Lord and gain healing from it.

There have been a number of other times that I have felt rejection from others, but the Lord has been teaching me that what matters most is what He thinks of me, not what others think of me. I am precious in His sight. I need to only answer to Him for my actions (and that is huge in itself!). He is still teaching me to really hold on to this truth and to be who He has created me to be.

Becoming a wife and now a Mommy has been a huge transition from the single life, but I would not trade it! I love being a wife and Mommy. In this new phase of my life, I am still discovering who I am - who He created me to be. I am not only a wife and Mommy - I have other giftings and talents in me that makes me who I am, and I am still learning to tap into all of those things.

Am I free to be me? I believe that I am still discovering who "me" is...and I am learning to be free in who I am. I am not held captive by what I think I should be, but I am enjoying the discovery of who God created me to be. I am a work in progress...His masterpiece!

My "Little" Boy

My little boy is growing up! Today we had fun going to Jeter's game. Jeter played really well, and you can read more about his first and second games, here. Brady had so much fun playing with Barber and also cheering for Jeter and the team - he would clap and say "Yea! Yea! Yea!". We all had a great time!

Later today, we decided to have a little picnic, but it was kind of chilly, so we decided to picnic at my parents in their family room - they have a lot of floor space there and some toys too. So, while Dawson and I were eating, Brady was playing with toys for the most part. He brought over a toy sorter that Tupperware makes - with the basic shapes: circle, triangle, square and star, but it also had "harder" shapes like: trapezoid, oval, pentagon, hexagon and others. Usually, I have helped him find the place where to put the shape, tell him what the shape is and then guide him with placing the shape in the correct spot. Today, he blew my mind - he was turning the sorter and finding the correct spot to place the shape in and then doing it! He is only 20 months! He amazes me! Dawson and I were in awe of our son today. He was also doing that his his puzzles that we gave him a few months ago. Truly amazing!

Another thing that he did today was to climb up onto the piano bench (at Grammie and Poppy's)all by himself - and he got into the correct sitting position too! I have never seen him do that before. At first, I was a little concerned and stood there to make sure that he would not fall off and hurt himself, but he was able to do it with no problem. Then he proceeded to "play" the piano. He LOVES the piano, guitar and drums - it will be fun to see what musical talents that God has placed in him. He loves to dance and "sing" too!

God is so good. It is so much fun to watch Brady grow up and develop. It is amazing how much they change in each year of their lives, and we are having fun watching his life unfold!

My Car Color

You Should Drive a Blue Car

You're the type of driver who isn't hung up on the what car you drive. You don't need a flashy car to show off your wealth or style. Instead, you go for value and reliability. You're quite practical. You're a great driver, but you don't show off. Part of your skill is not standing out on the road.

What Color Car Should You Drive?

I figured that I would take this little quiz - got the idea from my sis, TCC. I like the color blue, but growing up (from the time that I was around 6), my parents had all blue cars. The first car that I had was a 1989 Hyundai Excel GLS. So, when it was time for me to get a new car, I did not want to buy a blue car, I wanted silver, but then realized that EVERYONE and their mother had a silver car, in 2000. So, I decided on a black KIA Spectra, and husband bought a 2000 Dodge Intrepid, cinnamon color. When we got married, we switched cars because he had a longer commute and the KIA got better gas mileage.

We would really like to buy a new/used car within the next year - as the Lord provides! I would be fine with a dark navy blue color, but I don't know about other blue colors...however, when you buy a used car, you can't always decide on the color! So, we will see what the next color will be!

ALL things are POSSIBLE!

What has been really hard for me is seeing someone (a particular situation) the way God sees them…immediately. What I am talking about is when someone says something hurtful, judgmental, or something that is just not nice. My flesh rises up and I get so annoyed with it and vent with my husband…as I am doing this, I know that venting is not going to make anything “better”, but I do it anyway!

Something like this happened the other day (and for anyone that is reading this, it is none of you – just so you know!). I was so frustrated, vented, and then I went to do the dishes.

As I was doing the dishes, I was praying – something that I should have done FIRST!!! I was asking the Lord to help me to see them the way that He does, and that I come to this knowledge immediately in the future, not 15 minutes later! So, I started to sing a song – not something that I intentionally chose – I actually did not realize that I was singing initially. I know that sounds weird, but that is what happened. As I was singing, I suddenly tuned into the words that God had placed into my heart. The words were:

Change my heart oh God,
Make it ever new.
Change my heart oh God,
May I be like You.

You are the potter, I am the clay
Melt me and mold me
This is what I pray.

This is the desire of my heart. That He would change my heart completely, so that when I get poked or prodded by something that does not sit well with me, that He would ooze out of me and not the frustration and anger that is sometimes produced.

I need to come to this place in this particular situation, and I feel that I will continue to be tested in this area until I can pass this test. So, I need to decrease so that He can increase in my life. He is a good God and I know that He will help me through this.

My verse for today:
I can do ALL things through Christ Who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

It Made Me Jump!

A funny thing happened the other day...Brady and I had returned from our walk, and we were spending time in the front yard - which has a lot of shade - which I love! I have been so hot during this pregnancy - much more than my first one!

Well, the recycling truck was coming up our street. Brady LOVES watching the garbage collecting trucks go by and when we are inside, he will run to the window and watch them drive up and throw our trash into their truck. Well, this was a special "treat" - we were already outside while these men were working! So, we sat and then stood watching the truck approaching. Then Brady wanted me to pick him up while we watched - I think that he felt a little more secure in my arms as this really loud truck approached. The two workers smiled at us and we waved, and THEN when they were RIGHT IN FRONT OF US...they HONKED their HORN REALLY LOUDLY!!!! Brady jumped and so did I!!! It was so loud, it scared us, but then we laughed - well, I did...and I think that those two men did also!

Do you want to know what the really "funny" thing was...they drove right past our recycling can! They did not empty it, and they were too far down the road and the truck was making too much noise for me to try and get their attention!

Maybe they felt that they did enough for us by honking the horn!

I honestly just had to laugh about the situation, and was thankful that it was only the recycling can and that it was not even half full. So, maybe next time, I will stand by the can so that they will not miss it!

Finishing Up Our Vacation

Update! I was informed that I actually took this photo out the back window (However, Dawson did take some photos while driving - it is not too hard to do that with a digital and not a lot of traffic at that point in our journey!).

Some other funny things that I forgot...Brady called the beach a "pool" because his Daddy had told him earlier that day that we were going to the beach which was like a pool...he was calling seaweed beans - not sure why on that! Probably other things that I left out - but we had a great time, and Brady did enjoy his very own ice cream cup when we went out to ice cream!

Where was I in my telling of our vacation...oh, yes - so after leaving my Aunt and Uncle's house in Vermont (the photo above was taken by Dawson as he was driving - I was in the back seat with Brady at that moment), we headed back to G.Nanny's house to pick up our luggage that we had to leave there. We do not have a minivan yet, and there was no way that we would have been able to keep all of our luggage in the trunk in addition to her luggage and adding another body in the car. We thought of this in advance, so Dawson and I shared two suitcases - one for the first leg of the journey and one for the second part of the journey. We also did this with Brady's things too - he had two little suitcases. We also left his umbrella stroller and the baby gate at G.Nanny's house.

Once we were loaded up, we headed towards Cape Cod, where Dawson's other Gramma lives - I will refer to her as G.Gramma. We arrived on Tuesday evening and we were staying there until Friday morning! That was definitely a nice break from all of the driving that we were doing - well, Dawson did all of the driving.

It is always fun to visit G.Gramma on the Cape. One year, before Brady, Dawson and I traveled around the Cape and visited all of the lighthouses (there is the answer to the other clue). This year we did not visit the lighthouses, but we did go to the beach, which was a lot of fun. Brady LOVED the beach. As soon as we got there, he headed straight for the water - no fear! He was not changed into his swimmy diaper or swimming trunks, so I had to bring him back to the towel to do that! This was his first time to a beach - he has been in pools, but not the beach yet. Things that Brady enjoyed about the beach (photo above is of the beach that we were at):
1. The water (he called it "pool") - splashing and walking in it.
2. Seaweed - he enjoyed picking it up and flinging it.
3. Sand - digging with his shovel and putting it in his bucket, hiding his hand in it, and building a little castle
4. Everything about the experience - he cried when we were leaving, but after an hour and a half, it was time to go - enough sun for one day and close to nap time

While on the Cape, we also saw Dawson's Aunt, ate some delicious homemade ice cream, and just had a nice time relaxing.

On Friday, we headed to Dawson's friend's house (roommate from college). His friend, Ulysses, married his wife the year before we were married and they had their first little baby boy in May of this year. It was fun to visit with them and meet their little baby boy - we always have a great time together and wish that we lived closer (they live in CT). They have two cats, and Brady was enjoying chasing them around the house. We stayed at their house until Sunday. We had fun talking, playing games, the guys played frisbee and we girls made some cards - stamping. Ulysses' wife made the birth announcements for their child - stamping and such. I loved them, and have decided that I am going to attempt to make mine too - she is so awesome and let me borrow her stamp set! Now I am deciding what material I need to make the announcements (we made two while we were together - they are so cute!).

So, on Sunday we headed to our home, and on the way home my parents called us and invited us to eat dinner at their house - that was SOOOOOOO awesome of them to do that! As soon as we got home, we unpacked all of our bags, brought the suitcases downstairs to the basement, and headed over to my parents for a delicious dinner.

On Monday, we were exhausted and glad to go to my sister's house to hang out and relax with family. It is always nice to return home one day early so that Dawson has a day to recoup a little before going back to work. So, here we are. Back at home. Getting into some routines again! I love vacation, but it is great to be home!

A Little Diversion

I figured that I would also take the same test that Like I Was Saying, oH mY wORD, and Thrills took. It was a fun little diversion. I bet that my sis would score higher in the logical area! Anyway, it is time to go and tackle some things in my house that include: bringing the last few travel bags to the basement, unload and reload the dishwasher, and maybe I will give myself a little "treat" and scrapbook a 2 page spread that I have been wanting to do for a long time (that could really include all of my photos!). More of our vacation will be posted later this week! :)

Your IQ Is 105

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

The First Leg of Our Trip

When Dawson and I got married, I gained two sets of grandparents. All of mine had passed away, so I was really excited to have this generation directly in my life again. Since we have been married, we have traveled yearly to New England to visit Dawson's grandparents. I am so glad that we have been able to do this because in the past two years, the grandfathers have passed away. I am so glad that I was able to get to know them before they left this earth to be with our heavenly Father.

This year, we were doing things a little differently. We made plans to first drive to Dawson's Nanny's house - his paternal gramma (Brady's great Nanny - I will call her G.Nanny because Dawson's mom is Nanny to Brady). She lives south of Boston - Red Socks territory. Dawson is a Red Socks fan. Instead of only visiting with her, we drove her up to Vermont so that she could visit with her only living sister. Her sister lives very close to a lot of aunts, uncles and cousins that I have up there, so we were able to see many people while we were up there. She is not able to see her sister often because neither of them want to drive that distance - I cannot blame them! So, we were very happy to bless her and take with us. She is such a sweet lady and I am so thankful that she is my Nanny too!

So, we left on Friday the 24th of August - drove about 8 hours and finally arrived at G. Nanny's. We slept overnight, and then left the next morning and drove about 6 hours to Vermont. We stayed overnight with G. Nanny's sister, and visited with Dawson's cousins. Something that is interesting that they are going to do is to raise alpacas. We missed their arrival by one week, but G. Nanny is going to stay up there for a few weeks, so she will be able to tell us all about it!

On Sunday, we left after lunch to visit my aunt and uncle - they only lived about 40 minutes away...so, we did not have a long drive on Sunday. It was so nice to see my Aunt Nonnie and Uncle Deeda (those are the names that their grandkids call them). We had such a great time with them. She is one of my mom's older sisters - my mom comes from a family of 5 girls and 2 boys. They made us feel at home and we had wonderful talks with them - and they made us the best tasting food too! Uncle Deeda is a great cook - he cooks probably as much as my aunt, who is also a great cook.

Brady warmed up to them somewhat quickly and loved playing with the toys that they had there. He also loved to play with their broom - he LOVES brooms - so, whenever he sees one, he wants to sweep with it! At one of the meals, we were eating corn on the cob, and Brady wanted to eat some off of the cob! So, I held it for a little while and he chomped away at the corn, and then he wanted to hold it, so I gave him half an ear of corn, and he had a great time eating it! I was pretty impressed with how well he did!

On Monday, we decided to go and do something active and fun, so we went to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and took a tour. It was a lot of fun. We did not buy any teddy bears this year - they are very expensive! Maybe another year when Brady would appreciate it more!

So, we left Vermont on Tuesday and headed toward our next destination...so far, Sandy at Jesus and Dark Chocolate has been correct in her guesses as to where we were. I will enlighten all of you about the lighthouses part in my next post!...to be continued...

We're Back!

Where were we?

I will give you a few hints:
1. Teddy Bear Factory
2. Socks - of the red color
3. Patriot territory
4. Lighthouses

OK - those are the hints for now. I am too tired to blog about our 10 day vacation, but will be blogging about it soon.