Only From Blake

While having dinner tonight, Blake mentioned that when he gets older he wants to open his own restaurant. Sounds interesting. "What will you call it Blake?" "Jalapenos" he said. "Why that name?" " 'Cause there's already a place called Chili's, sooo..." Oh he cracks us up!

Just Some Dust

On Saturday, a storm pulled together in the late afternoon. Our hopes were quickly dashed when all we got was lots of wind, a small rainbow and only dust:( It will rain again soon - in December. (photo from our backyard)

Fantastic Family Friday

Have you ever had one of those days when you are so thankful for the blessings that you have been given? Friday was just that for all of us. Craig II received his quarterly progress report; he got straight A's in all classes! We are so proud of him. Blake won a contest in his class, and got to go out to lunch with the principal from his school. The principal then took him to Barnes and Noble to get 2 books of his choice (thanks Mr. Oliver!). The day ended for all of us by going to a baseball game; AZ Diamondbacks vs Colorado Rockies! The boys received tickets to this game for their birthdays in the spring - we have waited all summer for this game! We were all decked out in purple and black. The Rockies lost, but we all had so much fun anyways. The boys were able to get baseballs signed by some of the players, and even caught a game ball tossed up to them by Todd Helton (1st baseman). The game ended with an awesome fireworks show. I think we will all remember today for a long time! (Sorry if the photo is a little hazy - fireworks had just ended)

Fall Amoungst Us

Seasonal change is the biggest thing I miss living here in Arizona. It is the third official day of fall and it was 104' today; no leaves changing, no sweaters to wear, no crisp cool nights. It will be here but not until December and January. But the bonus is, we don't have to shovel driveways or scrape windows:) Fall is my favorite season to decorate. I hope to start soon; 2 tubs to bring in from the garage to make this happen. I also got in the fall mood by baking a yummy treat yesterday. The boys loved it; extra whip cream made it even better (recipe to follow). Hope that your fall is exactly what you want it to be.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

1 - 29oz can pumpkin puree
1 - 12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs

1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 - (18.25oz) package yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Whip Cream

Preheat oven to 350'

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the dry mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Melt the butter, and drizzle it over the cake mix. Sprinkle pecans over the top.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until done.

Let cool slightly before serving; serve with whip cream on top!

The Best of Both Worlds

As mayonnaise is to Americans, Olive Oil is to Italians. Best Foods Mayo now comes with Bertoli Extra Virgin Olive Oil! It tastes really good and now I have a way to enjoy both delights:)

Kitchen Creativity

In light of the ever changing economy and our family's budget, I have decided to help us out a bit more by using up all canned goods in the pantry before buying anything new. I am excited about the prospect of being creative with each meal; Craig is nervous about what he gets to eat, but is glad that I am helping us out. I will keep you posted on my creations. I might have to include some Tums as an after dinner mint. :)

Classroom Help

I had the privilege of helping in Blake's class this afternoon. I love that my job gives me the opportunity to be a Mom for school events when I need to be there. I had two concerns going in; one that I would be in the corner of the classroom with the "pet" snake that they have (seriously uncomfortable with that), or that Mr. Ritter would have me work on math with the kids. For those that know my educational history, math was quite possibly the most frustrating thing for me (BandAid can anyone - ha ha Dad!). But today I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I would be working with the kids on spelling. I love spelling! It was fun creating sentences for the words, watching the kids think over the spelling of that word before writing it on their paper, and then seeing the smile on their face when they got it right. Even if they didn't know the word, they sure did try their best. Thanks Mr.Ritter and Rm. 17 for the fun afternoon. Looking forward to next weeks adventures.

Ever Changing

When our family moved into our home here in Mesa almost four years ago, we were amazed at the beauty of the mountains and the desert behind us. It was so peaceful and beautiful in such a unique way. Well, that has forever changed. The land was sold, and in just the last 10 days it has been cleared of everything that once was; trees and cacti removed to be relocated thoughout the new home area; rocks moved, the animals are gone, and all that is left is red dirt. There will soon be about 500 homes "in our backyard". I am glad that we were able to have the view while we did, and that the boys were able to explore the desert for at least a little while. Just another change to get used to I guess.

The BIG 50! Fifty years of marriage! Congratulations Uncle Dan and Aunt Phyllis! Thank you for such a great time. It was great to catch up with family and see their little ones. The mass was good, Dans song to you two was outstanding! The reception afterward was, as Blake likes to say, 'good times, good times.' So, everyone let me fill you in on this reception.....We had name cards we had to pick up on our way in that also had our table we were to be at. My table had my cousins Matt and Aaron and their families, no room for me. So, after bouncing around from table to table for awhile, and some help from Matt's wife Jeanette, I was able to sit with my Aunt Jean and Uncle Larry, as well as my cousin Mary and her husband Brian. What a hoot that was! As Mary and I actually truly met for the first time that I can remember. As she was already out of the house by the time I would have been old enough to even remember her. I remember more of her younger siblings, my cousin Walt and Susan from my visits to Kenosha. Well, I was able to give our blog info out to some, as I remembered to hand them the business card size info sheet Sarah made for me before I left. So, I look forward to seeing and hearing from my family and as we do we may post some of those comments.

My time with brudda Brett

I want to start by introducing my friend/brother Brett. Brett and I met in youth group.....some......HOLY SMOKE....25 years ago! We have been there through thick and thin with each other. We have been able to keep a great friendship by encouraging each other, giving and getting help from each other. So, I received this invitation from my aunt and uncle some time ago. I called Brett to find out what he was doing the weekend of Sept. 12th. He said uh, I am going to St. Louis on the 13th. Well, how 'bout coming up a day early to hang out? Long story short we were able to hook up and have a great time. The next day I took off for Wisconsin, hurricane Ike was soon to follow and was in Chicago Sunday morning.

Attached is a picture of the hotel lobby we stayed at. It is a converted train station (once called Union Station). It was awesome! They had their own little mall inside and the hotel rooms were built in the portion where the trains would come into the station.

Craig's Home

Craig had a great time this past weekend in St. Louis, Missouri and Kenosha Wisconsin. He had a great time with his friend and was able to catch up with so many family members. We will post photos soon; I forgot how green it was there, and they have trees too:) It did rain quite a bit the last day, as the left overs from Hurricane Ike came to town. He was about an hour late getting home, as the Chicago airport was backed up. We are all glad though that he is back!

Interesting Bus Ride Part II

Well, we made it through the weekend, with no incidents. The bite is still there, not as red, but starting to itch; so we wait and see. Thanks to all of you who have asked about Blake; who knew a bus ride could be such an adventure. :)

Interesting Bus Ride

Blake got home from school today and told me that while he was on the bus ride home, he thinks he got bit by something on his back. "OK, let me see". He then lifted his shirt for me to see. There was a very large welt was on his back, raised with a large red dot in the middle. I thought maybe it was a bee sting, but I didn't see a stinger. He said it hurt a lot. So I asked him to tell me what happened. He says he was sitting in the back "like I usually do Mom", when he felt something crawling up his back; he grab his shirt, and that is when he felt a sting. OK, now my skin is crawling...ooohhhh. Needless to say we have had it looked at, and I now need to measure it by circling the site with a pen every hour to watch its growth. It is a spider bite, and so we will watch for any open wounds on the site. Yes, Craig is out of town; thank you Lord for peace and friends that make things like this a little easier. Maybe Blake will think it will be cool to tell his friends he got bit by a spider; he loosened his fear knot ( check that out Brian!)

Family Get Together

Well, Craig left this morning for a very quick, less than 72 hour trip to Wisconsin. His aunt and uncle are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! Congratulations Dan and Phyllis! He will be able to spend some time with his friend Brett -[hey there Uncle Brettly:) ] and with his extended family who he has not seen in a very long time. Unfortunately our whole family couldn't go on this trip, but the boys have made plans for us while he is gone. One of those plans is for me to cook some of their favorite foods; like some pasta dishes that their Dad doesn't really like. How creative they are! I love them for that. Craig said he will post some photos and such while he is gone - get ready for a great story! A Polish/Italian anniversary celebration - gotta love them! I love you Craig and will miss you - see you Sunday.

Oh, So Yummy!

Recently, I have been baking some goodies; more so than I have in the past. If you ask any of the guys in this house, these goodies are quickly eaten up. They are probably just glad it isn't another pasta dish:) I thought I would share my newest find. It is Peanut Butter Banana Bread. Oh so good! Warning; get it while its hot, 'cause it will be gone before you know it.


Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
2 bananas, smashed
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chocolate chips (optional - but should they be:) )
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325'. Lightly grease a 5x9 in. loaf pan
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in the peanut butter, bananas, flour, and baking soda until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 325' for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Give it a try. Hope you like it. Let me know if it becomes one of your favorites!

Play Ball!

Well, the baseball season has begun in our house again. Craig II started playing in a Juniors Fall Ball league yesterday. Game was at 1pm and it was 108' outside. Unreal! I need to buy some stock in Gatorade/Powerade. He loves this sport, and improves with each season! We'll keep you updated as the season goes along! Blake starts flag football in a few weeks, so we'll share his photos as well.

Just Curious...

Does anyone else have a problem with their washing machine and dryer "eating" their socks? How is it possible to do all the laundry and then have an odd number of socks left over? Or what about some items disappearing? Just curious...