my blessed life

I know I told you about visiting Mammoth Cave a couple of weeks ago, but did I mention that we camped there that night? In a tent, no less. The vote is still out as to whether or not I'm a good camper~both times I've camped it has rained. And I mean all. night. long. Even with a good tent you get a little damp and that's just not my idea of fun. But we actually did have a good time while we were there. Except when Mr. B decided he needed to know what a lantern felt like and we had to nurse a slightly burned finger. The kiddos slept great in the tent, even in the dampness. I, on the other hand, woke up at midnight when the rain started, then again at 1 and 2 and 4:30, then finally at 6:10. Sleeping in the rain in a tent is not the same as sleeping in the rain in, say, a camper. Completely different. When we woke up at daybreak and the downpour was still steady, we decided that it was time to pack it up and hit the road home. That process went remarkably smoothly and w

Today I'm linking up with Amber at {aefilkins} for *Friend Makin' Monday*. I have discovered this lovely new-to-me blog recently by way of my friend, Jolanthe, at No Ordinary Moments . Amber has asked everyone to list a few things that we just can't live without. I won't list thngs like God and my family, because that goes without saying! But here are a few things that I like to have to make life better: my computer my phone my kitchen books There are just a few of my favorite things:) If you're interested in making some new bloggy friends, head over to Amber's and check it out today.

Last week was filled with good food , I must say. It was my birthday week and I got to celebrate all week long~just the way I like it:) Seriously. On my birthday night my awesome hubby took me to P.F. Chang's . Wow . Have you eaten there?! I've been hearing about it forever and just discovered there was a new one only an hour from us, so I requested it for my birthday date night. I was a little worried that I had built it up so much in my mind that I might be disappointed... NO way ! It was sooo yummy, I can't wait to go back! The rest of the week was filled with good home cookin ' and another night out, compliments of my parents, on the weekend to celebrate my birthday some more. We went to one of our all-time fave places, a local Italian restaurant, Taliano's . If you live in the Fort Smith, AR area at all you really have to eat there~the manicotti is amazing! I promised you a couple of the recipes from my menu last week, so here they are, with my menu plans f

This weekend I was perusing the lastest issue of Martha Stewart Living and its full of the most adorable pumpkin projects. So I thought that I should start thinking about what sort of pumpkin I'd like to do this year:) My family loves to carve pumpkins! Last year was probably the most fun we've ever had with pumpkins~you can check them out here. Look at these cute ideas: And I'm thinking these pumpkin luminaries might be pretty and festive on our coffee table: (all images from Martha Stewart) Does your family like to carve pumpkins? If so, where do you get your inspiration?

Its hard to believe that we just wrapped up the first 4 weeks of school for this year. It has absolutely flown by! And it has gone really well. That doesn't mean that every day is perfect, but we are having a great time learning together. I'm also really happy with our new homeschool group that we've joined. Last year was a pretty lonely time for me with pretty much no support group at all, so when we moved I was determined to find a good homeschool group to become a part of. We now are participating in co-op classes each Friday afternoon and the kiddos are loving it. The Princess has art, a book club and a history class and Mr. B is taking early math and early reading classes with playtime in between. Our group took a field trip to a local fire station this past week, too, and we all had so much fun! Fort Smith Fire Station No. 1 Demonstrating *the suit* coming out of *The Smoke House* The Princess was so excited to blow the horn on the fire engine. We also took a trip

Well, I realize it's been a while since we had an installment on the house tour. I kind of got stalled with the master bedroom and bath. Why is it that we tend to leave those rooms until the last? Or is it just mine that get junked up with little piles? Today I'm sharing our master bath. I have to say I do like it alot, I feel very blessed in our rental home. I work fine with only one sink, but having double sinks is really nice. Here we have a print of vintage Paris postcards and some guest towels, both vintage and new. More Paris decor. In case you're wondering why I'm such a Francophile, Vince and I honeymooned in Paris. So it has a special place in our hearts. This is the private toilet~its great having that all nice an separate. And here's the shower. That kind of says it all. Their is also a corner jaccuzi tub. I have to say the corner shape is a little awkward, but it is a nice relaxing tub. But do you see those huge 46" square windows on each side of th

My family loves this *oldie but goodie*! Ranch Oyster Crackers 12-16 oz. pkg. of plain oyster crackers 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing Mix 1/4 tsp. lemon pepper 1/2-1 tsp. dill weed 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 3/4-1 cup canola oil ***** Preheat oven to 250F. Combine the dressing mix and oil, then add the dill weed, garlic powder and lemon pepper. Pour over crackers, stirring well to coat. Place in preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Last week we visited the longest cave in the world~367 miles long! Pretty amazing! Since we were in the area for Vince's speaking engagements we thought it would be a great field trip for the kiddos. They have a ton of tours available in different parts of the cave, and there were several that looked really interesting, but we opted for one of the shortest tours that looked like it would be best for The Princess and Mr. B. We decided on the *Frozen Niagara* tour. This part of the cave is one of the few th at has stalacti tes, sta lagmites, collumns and flow stone formations. Mammoth is mostly a dry cave and in order to have these types of formations there must be moisture. Even though this was a short tour, it was amazingly beautiful. The formations were so varied and intriguing. I realize these photos are a little dark, but it was the best I could do in a dark cave with a flash:) I hope that we get to go back someday and take another tour or two. Have you been there?

It's that time of the year! You know the one: when Callapidder Days hosts the Fall reading challenge . I need that challenge right now, too. I have been reading a little fiction lately, but I need to dig into some meatier stuff also. So here's my list for the next few months. It may be added to or have a deletion or two, but I hope I'm able to conquer it all. I'd love to hear what you're reading right now~I'm always looking for great book recommendations. Fiction: The House of Winslow series, by Gilbert Morris This is a series of I-don't-remember-how-many books (around 40) that traces the family of Winslow from the Mayflower to modern times. I have read the first 8 and am looking forward to reading the rest. The Return of Sherlock Holmes , by Arthur Conan Doyle I've had this book forever and have never read it~shame on me! Now I'm reading it. Non-fiction: Let Go, by Shelia Walsh I just received this book for my birthday and it looks really good. The

We started the birthday celebration early~as usual:) My theory is that if you have to get older why not celebrate longer?! I try to party all month if possible. LOL Even though yesterday was a day early we had a yummy lunch out after church at a local fave restaurant, Marketplace Grill. On your birthday they give you a dessert on the house. My personal favorite is The Chocolate Mess. Can you see why?!?! I promise I shared it with 4 other people!! And we scraped it clean, too! Afterwards we took the kiddos to the movies to watch *Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs* in 3D. We were way early for the movie, so I thought I'd capture the moment with them in the special glasses. The movie was really great~we all enjoyed it. Actually, the entire day was really wonderful: a great service at church, delicious lunch and awesome family time. It just doesn't get any better!