Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Devotional

Train up a child...

in the way she should go

and when she is old,

she will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Cool Weather...For Now!

Have you ever noticed that when people don't have anything to talk about the subject of weather comes up?  It seems that on Facebook there is always the same old "it's hot" comment made ALL the time.  Well today I'm going to talk about weather, not because I can't think of anylthing else, but simply because we live in a part of the great state of Texas where its hotter than hot!  The humidity is always 100%, and it hasn't been below 90 in like FOREVER!  A couple of days ago in my last post, I made the comment that I couldn't wait until the north winds start to blow our way.  Well, a few hours later a big sweep of cool air blew into our area bringing the temperature down to the high 60s!  We were outside when we felt the first fall breeze blow in.  A huge difference from 96 degrees to 69 degrees. We were able to sleep with the air conditioner off and the house stayed cool.  Yay for 2 days of saved electricity. 

The cool front brought some rain, and now its perfect weather to do this...

Cuddle up with sister on the sofa with a warm blanket! 

The weather is great, but I'm afraid it's not going to last forever, but we sure will enjoy it while it's here!  Whats the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Soccer and a Bit of This and That

This past Saturday my beautiful, stylish, very girly first born played in her first soccer game.  This wasn't her first time playing in a sporting activity, but it was a first for soccer.  She is very good at sports, and can learn quickly, but she is also just as good trying to make herself look nice for the game.  This past spring when she played T-ball she she wore lip gloss before each game and made sure her hair was perfect.  Well, this time was no different.  Lilah wanted her hair french braided a certain way, wanted her socks folded a certain way, and her shirt couldn't be tucked in because according to her "it didn't look good".  Too funny!  She was a beautiful soccer player.

 My girls before the game...

and a little action during the game...

                                        

Lilah is #2.  During the game my husband took her out so another child could play, and this was her reaction to that...

 
Her team won 14-0, and Lilah scored about 6!  She did great, and I'm looking forward to more games.

A little bit of this and that...

I have been playing around on my blog layout trying out different things.  I wanted a more "fall"  looking background, and I'm not sure what I think about this one yet.  I may change it or keep it.  I also might just break down and pay someone to re-do it.  Not sure yet, but if you see changes it's because I'm trying to find the perfect look for me.  Does anyone know of some great websites with backgrounds or headers?

I am not sure why my pictures are blurry on this blog.  They look great on my computer, but when they are uploaded to blogger they loose the sharpness.  Anyone know how to fix this?

Today is the first day of fall, and I can't wait to decorate my house.  These next three months are my FAVORITE!!  I love fall colors, weather changes,  and everything that has to do with Thanksgiving.  I'm so ready for the wind in the North to start blowing our way.  We are waaaayyyy down south, and  will be lucky to get a blast of cold air before Christmas.  So today I'm going to dig in the attic to find my fall decorations.  So check back for pictures!   Have a great first day of fall...and I'm so jealous of all the people north of us who are having great cool weather...we are still in the upper 90s.

Sweet Celeste

Celeste loves school.  She can't wait to get there and she doesn't want to leave school when it's time.  On the days we stay home, she asks all day if she can go to school.  She's a school girl and loves it!  So, when her big sister is at the table doing "hard" 1st grade work Celeste feels left out.  She wants homework too!  I have some preschool workbooks that have worksheets in it that has different letters and numbers.  I have taught her to write some letters, and I gave her these worksheets to practice writing them.  She is doing great...so great she did this....

Can you tell what letters she has practiced?  She was so proud.  Oh, this happened on a Sunday afternoon right before church.  Daddy had to scrub scrub scrub to get the permanent marker off. 

On another thought,  Have you ever gone through your camera, and noticed that little hands had got a hold of it and took some crazy pics?  Well I found a bunch this afternoon, and this is my favorite...

I think she was trying to take a new picture for her facebook page....no, not really. 

Potty Training.....again!

Well it's that time again...time to potty train baby number 3!  I personally don't waste any time when it comes to potty training.  Both my older girls were potty trained by 20 months!  I have heard doctors and other parents say that children don't know or understand about using the potty until the age of 3.  Well I'm sorry to say, I totally disagree.  Children are very smart, and are eager to learn at such a young age.  I think it would be harder to train an older toddler who knows it's easier to go in the pamper.  I have seen children up to age 4 standing in a corner, away from everyone pooping in their diaper, and then go to their mother and hand her a new pamper.  Uh...if they know how to give you a new pamper and hide in the corner...it's time!  Although I know that every child is different with their own needs.  This is just what works for us. With my oldest it was pretty much experimental.  When she turned about 15 months I bought her a little potty that did all those fancy things like play music, sing songs, and lights up when a stream of tinkle falls into the bucket.  I was not very consistant with her training at this age, I just wanted to introduce her to the idea and get her used to the potty.  I would put her on every morning as soon as she woke up, after nap, and right before bath time.  I did this because I was going to take off her pamper anyway, so I just stuck her on the potty.  At first she would't go but maybe once a day, but after a while she went all three times.  I then started to really take her every 30 minutes to an hour until she was completely trained.  It worked for her, and my second daughter.  Well now it's time to start with Trinity.  She is 17 months now, and has gone quite a few time in the morning and after nap. 

This time around I decided to skip out on the little potty because I have realized what an awful mess it becomes when the girls would potty by themselves and then try to pour it in the toilet.  I will totally spare you the details, but I have a feeling moms, you know what I am talking about.

A proud little girl flushing the potty.  Funny thing...she flushes it about 5 times before she leaves the restroom.

                                              

Here she is picking out her treat after she went potty.  I think this is the only reason why she goes because I don't give her candy any other time.  So, I will keep you updated on her progress.  Hopefully she will catch on quickly because who likes to buy pampers?  Not me!

We're Doing Fabulous!

Well, the first two weeks of school are officially over and week three begins! We are doing fabulous over here, and our schedule is hectic, but working out great! Lilah is doing awesome in school, and looks forward to going every day. I would have to say one of her favorite parts of the day is picking out her clothes in the morning and getting dressed. She LOVES clothes and fashion, and she is only 6. Whats its going to be like at 16?

Celeste loves school. She goes to a day school for a few hours a day 3 days a week. She is learning so much and has made a lot of new friends. On the days when we are home, she asks me all day when can she go to school again.

As for my little girl...while I am at school she goes to a babysitter twice a week for a few hours. She is doing great and loves playing with the other two children there.

She has totally be obsessed with her new shoes. She won't take them off. Typical girly girl huh?

My husband just finished up a 6 week loooonnnnggg project with his crew, and this is what some of it looks like...
As for me...school is great. I am focused, determined, and excited! When I'm not taking care of my little ones and hubby this is what consumes most of my time...

reading, studying, and writing papers. My poor blog, twitter, and facebook accounts are feeling neglected. I'm learning to balance my time, and keep to our schedule, but as we all know sometimes this is a challenge. I promise I will update more than once a week, and thanks for reading my little blog!

Crock- Pot Banana Nut Bread

Who knew that you could actually make bread in a Crock- Pot? Obviously not me! I have this great cookbook that is made up of meals made only in a Crock- Pot which is great for us because we are super busy around here. When I came across this banana nut bread recipe I had to try it because I love banana nut bread, especially in the morning while sipping on some coffee and reading my favorite blogs! How many of you buy bananas and then have to throw away a couple because they get mushy? This bread is great to make when you have those mushy bananas that are too soft to eat, but not rotten yet! Please don't use rotten bananas, I wouldn't want anyone to get sick. When I started to make this the other day I decided that I needed some very good and cute helpers to help me bake, so I found these girls and they were more than excited to help!

This is what you will need:

1/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

3 ripe bananas, well mashed

1 3/4 cups all- purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

This is how to make it:

1. Grease and four the inside of your Crock-Pot Slow Cooker stoneware with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Cream butter in large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly add sugar, eggs, corn syrup and mashed bananas. Beat until smooth.

2. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Add walnuts and mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared stoneware. Cover; cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.

3. Let cool, then turn bread out onto serving platter.

Tip: For a 5, 6, or 7 quart Crock-Pot Slow Cooker, you may double all ingredients. This bread also freezes well!

I hope you enjoy!