Awesome mornin'!

Right outside my window this mornin'!

Don't mind me...pretend I'm not even here!

The girlies noticed him as we were gettin' ready for school...too bad Zander was already at school!

So what's been going on you ask?  Not much, I say!

Kid stuff-sleepovers, halloween parties, haunted houses (my oldest is traumatized for life I think!)
Mom stuff-early Christmas shopping, (still) makin' dinner, watching baseball and Kansas State football, reading, and then all the other stuff we moms do (not worth mentioning)

Good news though...I think I got the sewing bug again.  I want to make some grocery shopping bags that are cute.  Doesn't it make shopping more fun when you have cute bags?  Well a cute bag actually makes everything better!!! 
So I found this great fabric today...bought some in dark red but want this color too.  LOVE it!  Can't you just picture this grey with bright yellow liner fabric or straps (or both)?  I can! 
So excited to make it into something amazing!

Source: shop.hobbylobby.com via Alicia on Pinterest

The weather has been so nice and we have had lots of chances to hang out with the neighbors in the back yard.  The kiddos all get along so great! 

And the most adorable neighbor dog...Sophie! 

Life is Good!
   

The dreaded words...

"What's for dinner Mom?"

Oh how I dislike those words lately.  I used to be able to come up with a weekly list of everything we were going to eat that week.  I used to come up with these completed shopping lists that got me to the end of the week.  What's wrong with me? 

As I write this, I have no idea what's for dinner.  I am so sick of chicken, gr. beef and pork.  If it were just me, I could survive on cereal, coffee, toast, salami, crackers, cheese, and red wine...that simple.  But no, I have 4 people relying on my cooking skills (good and bad) for sustenance.  UGH!  It's so tiring, overwhelming!

Source: yelp.com via Abby on Pinterest

*OK...Break time!  I made myself hungry...be right back...the salami, cheese and crackers sound too good.  I guess I'll skip the wine for a bit.  It is only 1:30 in the afternoon.  

Alrighty...
Does anybody else have these issues?  

This is what's in the fridge...the aforementioned chicken and ground beef 

Hmmmm...what to do with these lam-mo ingredients.  Something where everyone doesn't say "again?" 

Oh man!  The "lovebugs" are home within the hour.  I can do this...I can do dinner one more time! 
Remember, bedtime is just in a few hours!  (Red wine is in only 3!) 
I CAN do this!
BTW
The other dreaded words..."mooooooommm, K is giving me the mad face!" 

Off to motherhood!

Giddy-Up Cowgirl!!

Lili's girl scout troop had organized some riding lessons for the each of the girls and our group headed out Sunday morning for a nice little ride in the country.
It was such a gorgeous day here in St. L...the leaves are all changing and the weather perfect for some cowgirling! 

This was right before she was to get on...maybe just a little nervous.  

Pleased to meet you Jack! 

What a pretty boy!

And they're off!   I so wanted to go with them.

"That was cool Mom!"

"They said after we rode we would want to take lessons mom...they were right!"

Fun was had by all and lessons just might be in the future though she didn't mention it again the rest of the day.  I think I won't mention it either!

Ohhh and I also listened (ugh, not having cable bites sometimes) to KState football become #4 in the country!!!  So excited that I will actually get to see the game this weekend though...!  Go Cats!

Read any good books lately?

I love to read.
I always have a book going and I take that book with me everywhere.  You just never know when you might have a few minutes and need it!
I am a little OCD about the books I read too.  I record all the books I have read in 2 places.  A notebook in my nightstand and on Goodreads.com 
I love Goodreads...I highly suggest you try it out.  You can find recommendations, reviews, ratings on just about any book you might want to read, keep track of books you have read and ones that you want to read and write your own reviews for your favs and not favs.  Love it.  Anyways...
 
Here are a few that I have read and enjoyed.

A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff
 
Big Stone Gap (entire series) by Adriana Trigiani

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (the book was soooo much better than the movie)
 
Fairytale Interrupted by Rosemarie Terenzio
 
Night Road by Kristin Hannah


As I said, I really love to read but there have been a few books recently that I didn't like and I can get pretty irritated when this happens.
I usually have 1 of 3 ways when I finish a book:
1. Good book, fine now lets move on...no big impact at all
2. NOOOO don't end!  I want it to continue and end up doing so in my head or writing it down
OR
3. Are kidding me???  You're going to end it like that?

One that I read recently that fell into category #3...
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 
 
A lot of people are really loving this book right now and I must say I did not.  I did enjoy most of it but the ending just ruined it for me...just not how I saw it happening.  I read that last page, realized that was it, closed the book and was so irritated.  I couldn't let it go.  I just kept thinking about how I had just spent hours reading this book, enjoying most of it and now am so irritated.  Not OK!  That defeats the purpose. 

I decided I needed to figure out why I was so irritated because the whole point in reading for me is enjoyment, pleasure and a sense of escape.  I think I figured it out...it was all because there was no "happy ending".  I was a little disappointed with myself.  That seems so superficial, so shallow.  Now lets me clear...there have been a few that I really enjoyed that didn't end up happy but I think I went into it knowing that...historical fiction or non-fiction books about a time in history and I know how it ends up.  But it seems the difference is that those books still focus on the positive even in a very bad situation.


Well...I will keep reading and enjoying.  I will no doubt read some duds but its so fun knowing that the next one might make such an impression on me that I want to write more so it can continue is exciting!

What have you read recently that you loved?
Leave me a comment...maybe it will end in my "to-read" category on Goodreads!

Happy Tuesday!

Gooooooo Wildcats!!!

For some reason I am feeling purple...

Hmmm...wonder why??!

Good Luck to my Wildcats in the big game (the inevitable beat down) against "those who shall not be named"!!!!!!!!

Source: bhg.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Source: good-time0.blogspot.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Source: mymansbelly.com via Angela on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Mandy on Pinterest

Source: dont-stop-til-you-get-enough-1.blogspot.com via Shaunte on Pinterest

Love my Kansas State Wildcats!!!!  
Beat KU! 

Some favorite things...right now!

I love the feeling of "hunkering down", settling in for winter.  I love that soup and grilled samiches are what everyone is in the mood for.

Source: find.myrecipes.com via Jill on Pinterest

I love pulling out my sweaters and slipping into them for those cool mornings.  I love wearing my well-loved wool clogs that I could not live without.

I love how the sun has shifted to shine right into my computer/sun room.
The perfect place for my first cup of coffee!

My 2 favorite flowers...mums and geraniums. 

Loving these days!  

My boy!!

He is now 11...that just floors me. 
He is most always happy.
He makes me smile everyday. 

He loves big hugs.
He loves to wrestle.
He is such a sweet guy. 
He is an amazing brother to his sisters.
He is a good friend.

He has such nice friends (especially when they aren't trying to drown each other!).

I am a bit late on this (dang computer!!!) but Happy 11th Birthday to my sweet guy! 

I can't wait to watch the way you will change over the years.  I know for sure that you will grow up to be such a nice young man...you already are!  I am so thankful for that day 11 years ago that you came into this world and into my arms. 
I loved you from that first second and I always will! 
You have a big part of my heart! 
Love you Buddy!

Mom