The Pumpkin Patch

We finally made it to the pumpkin patch on the last weekend of October. Although Alex should have been studying for his test, he came along with us. I'm grateful to him for making those little sacrifices for us because to me, they're huge! It was all very fun and low key... except for when I accidentally let a HUGE goat out of the petting zoo! (like, his head came to my waist!) I'm telling you... he was waiting for his escape. I had both kids ready to exit the gate, but there were these two big goats waiting right there with there noses up to the crack of the gate. While holding Todd, I weaseled my way between them and the gate, pushing them back with my bum as best I could until I had enough room to open the gate to let Lucy out. Once she got out, I kept having to push one of the goat's noses back, but before Todd and I could get out the goat just booked it out of there! 

Pretty much everyone just stared at us as I expressed my frustration/embarrassment/it wasn't my fault and while Alex wrangled the goat to get him back in the gate. I wish I would have gotten a picture of Alex handling the goat, but I didn't think of it until afterwards. In the end, it was a success and no one was harmed in the process. :)

Anyways, I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. 

Painting Pumpkins

Rather than carving pumpkins this year, the kids painted them! I made some stencils - a dinosaur for Todd, a butterfly for Lucy - hoping to have a cute little something on their pumpkins. But the stencils were eventually ripped off and the pumpkins were turned into a brownish-purplish mess. 

The next day, Lucy sees the pumpkins, takes them to the bathroom sink, and gives them a "bath". :) Maybe we should just stick to carving...

My Measly Attempt at Halloween Decorating

I think this is the first year of our Halloweens together that I've actually decorated for the holiday. 

Bring in the fake spiderwebs, a cheap homemade banner, and our little pumpkin family of five and I'd say that it's a good start. 

I'm actually surprised at how long the pumpkins have lasted considering Todd is constantly rolling them off of the fireplace hearth multiple times a day. And both kids use them as little seats around the coffee table. 

Mt. Lemmon

Alex took a final exam last Thursday, and to celebrate the stress-free weekend we took an hour drive up to Mt. Lemmon. I'd like you to notice the long pants and sweaters...!!! The mountain was a nice break from the heat with amazing views, the scent of pine, and the crisp air. It reminded me a little bit of Utah...oh, how I miss Utah!

We all needed this little break away from the typical routine. 

Mt. Lemmon - We will be visiting you again (especially since you're only an hour away!)

Lunch Ideas for Work or School

I've been making Alex lunch for school every day since we got married. It's something that I really love doing for him....sending him off to school with a little care package of fruit snacks, granola bars and other survival essentials for the day. I have always made him two turkey/cheese/tomato sandwiches - until recently. 

Alex expressed to me that although very grateful, he just can't stomach another sandwich for a long time! I don't blame him at all. After 5 years of it, I'd be sick of it too.

That comment has sent me on a little hunt for ideas of what I could make for him in the mornings that won't take me long to make. And I must say, I've had a ton of fun doing it! Alex loves food and it makes me happy to see and hear his reactions to the different things I've packed for him. And what's great about making him a delicious lunch in the morning is that by the afternoon I don't need to figure out what I'm going eat for lunch! It's already done!

Before I list the few lunch ideas, I must mention these great Rubbermaid LunchBlox containers!

I have both the Sandwich kit and the Salad kit. These little containers are the perfect serving size and it's fun to figure out what you could put in each container. They stack perfectly and are made to fit in a lunch bag. They also come with an ice pack, so if you or the person you're making the lunch for doesn't have access to a fridge, the ice pack will keep everything cool until it's time to eat! I'm telling you...great investment! My grocery store had a buy one pack get one free... I couldn't pass it up!

#1 Seven Layer Bean Dip

(side note: I don't measure anything, so you'll have to estimate how much of the ingredient to use) :)

It's actually a six layer bean dip over here...we omit the olives. 

All you need is:

Re-fried beans

Sour cream

Avocado

Tomato 

Cheese

Green onions 

Super easy! Takes a second to cut things up and you layer the ingredients in the order they are listed. Pair with a bag of chips (of course!) and you're good to go!

#2 Chicken Salad Sandwich

There are tons of different ways and combinations to make a chicken salad sandwich, but this is our favorite!

Ingredients:

1 can of chicken

Mayo

1 pickle diced (we like the Zesty flavor! Amazing!)

1 green onion diced

1/2 cupish Craisins 

handful of sliced almonds

Garlic salt

Onion Powder

Paprika

Salt/Pepper

Mustard

Mix it all together. Assemble on sandwich and drizzle with mustard. The salad definitely tastes better if it's been refrigerated for a couple of hours. 

#3 Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is probably the fastest and easiest meal to make. 

All you need is:

Packaged baby spinach (ready to use)

4-5 Strawberries

Feta cheese

Sliced almonds.

Dice the strawberries then layer the salad. Pair with either poppyseed dressing or a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette and it's delicious! 

#4 Pita

One of the most frequented restaurants in Provo for us was The Pita Pit. We LOVED that place! A pita is a great change up from a sandwich. You could make any type of pita you wanted!

In this pita, I put a lot of different things:

Turkey

Salami

Feta Cheese

Lettuce 

Tomato

Red Onion

Pepperoncini's

Chipotle Mayo

Mustard

Sub Dressing (oil/vinegar)

Salt/Pepper

Sides/Snacks

Here are some ideas to pair your main dish with:

*Fruits - grapes, oranges, apples, plums, strawberries

*Hard boiled eggs

*Hummus and pita chips

*Beef Jerkey

*Raisins or Craisins

*Celery with peanut butter and raisins

*Carrots

*Chips and salsa or guacamole

Happy Lunch Making!! 

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! 

We had a great weekend together as a family, mostly listening to the LDS General Conference. Conference sure is a different experience when there are young children vying for your attention and making tons of noise. But through all of the distractions, we were able to hear a lot of wonderful, uplifting, inspiring messages. I've definitely come away with a renewed sense of wanting to be and do better as a person. I've got a list of resolutions to start working on. :) (And we're sooo excited for the announcement of a temple to be built here in Tucson!!)

Todd, however, was battling a fever all day yesterday and all through the night. It's heart breaking to wake up at 1 am to the sounds of whimpers coming from across the hall. But being able to rock a sick little boy by the dim light of a nightlight, cradled in my arms, with damp rags across his chest and forehead and humming his favorite songs, reminds me of how much I love being a mother and how sometimes there are only things a mother can do to comfort her ill child.  

Thank goodness he woke up feeling better this morning. Lets hope none of us get sick this week... especially since Alex has a final test this Thursday! That would be the last thing he needs...