Hayride and Bonfire!!

Today was our annual church Bonfire/Hayride. This year it was at a new location...I wasnt sure I was able to return to the last location so soon, as I was tramatized last year over Blakes injury. THis place was BEAUtIFUL!!!!!!!! Above is Mia and her friend Sydney playing with the bread to feed the ducks....or just playing with it.

Our hayride!!!! 2 wagons fulls!!!

It was a bit of a rough ride...so Mia held on tightly to her big sister Chloe.

Bringing up the rear....

Mia being cute...imagine that.

Camye feeding a calf...I love cows ...they are my favorite animal! I love their eyes!!

Mia and her cow! She loved feeding them!

Me and the love of my life!!:):)

Summer Fun With Friends

What a fun summer we have had!! It is over all too soon. School, soccer, dance and music lessons have begun.
Mia has a new friend, Ellianna. They are about 7 months apart in age. But they play so well together. Ellianna happens to be one of my best friends daughters, so they see each other quite well. These were taken at Ellianna's older sister's birthday party! Running around with a balloon:)

Camye and Mia....I love my girls!

All the girls at the party, big and little!!

Mia and Ellianna having a little girl swim while the older girls swam!!

~Mia's First Tea Party~

Okay so I have the MOST awesome friends!! My friend Tina and Jennifer came up to my house and gave the most fabulous TEA PARTY!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! The food was very tea party-ish. The menu included: Cucumber sandwhiches, salad, potatoe soup, chicken salad on croissants, deviled eggs, fruit kabobs, sugar cookies and cupcakes. Drinks included all sorts of teas, lemonade and punch!

When I said the food was fabulous..I didn't lie.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Tina made these adorable little butterfly cupcakes for the little girls!!

Mia had a blast!! She loves being the center of attention!!! Danielle, Myla, Mia and I...hoping the girls are as close of friends as Danielle and I are!

Logan being adorable as ever!!!

Katie and I...she is such a sweet sweet girl!

This picture brings back such great memories of my childhood. This picture could very easily be Staci, me and Jennifer. But it is Bailey, Camye and Madison...the next generation..new and improved!!;)

Mia LOVES new clothes and toys!! She is a typlical girly girl!

Great friends, The Zotolla's got her a flashlight with her name on it!! She loves it and was trying to take pictures with it!

One of her favorite gifts...Ritz Crackers!! Thanks Miss Lori!!!

Mia and Myla jumping in circles!! They are so cute together!!

Chloe and Chloe....2 beautiful, godly girls!!

Freezer Cooking Mission ACCOMPLISHED

...and very successful!!! I had a fabulous plan to get up at 7 and get everything finished by noon. But at 8:30 when I rolled out of bed..I realized that wasnt going to happen. So I started right in..I had thawed 32 pounds of ground beef and 16 pounds of chicken the night before. Here is what I made:
4 lasagnas
4 chicken pot pies
4 bags of chicken in marinade for grilling
2 bags of Tex Mex Chicken Starter
2 Chicken and Bows casserolles
2 spaghetti sauces with meat
2 taco meat
2 meatloaves
2 bags of meatballs

I completed this all by 1pm ONLY because my great GREAT friend Lori came over to help me out and that she did!! She is a great person to have in the kitchen when things need to be done!! Thanks Lori!!:)

Tex-Mex Chicken Starter

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup canola oil

3 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 garlic powder, cumin, coriander and oregano

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips

3 medium onions, sliced to rings

4 garlic cloves, minced

Mix all together, coat chicken and freeze. This chicken is great with pasta and veggies, chicken fajitas, and on salad.

Lads to Leaders Nashville Convention 2011 Part 2

Lads to Leaders is the one of the best things I have ever done for my kids. I was never involved with church or wanting to bible studies when I was younger. My kids beg to practice their speeches/devos, beg to practice leading a song (which I cant do correctly), repeat our puppet script over and over and over and over again....which included Adam and Eve, Daniel and the Lions Den and Pharoah and the plagues. They know what the serpent said to Eve..word for word..they know Daniel's prayer while in the den...word for word and the know all the plagues in order and what finally convinced Pharoah to release God's people. They practice and practice their books of the bible. They are writing papers already for next on Will Work Till Jesus Comes. They become close with their christian friends. They memorize scripture. They cant wait to get to church.

While we were there, we heard a statistic, less than 25% percent of kids stay in the church yet 85% of kids involved in Lads to Leaders stay in the church and are active members. Chloe and Daddy...she cant possibly not ham it up for one photo!!

Love these kids!! They are 15 months apart but I call them my twins.

Blake holding his finalist trophy for Speech. He was in the top 6 for Boys Speech yet again, out of 24 boys!! He says HE WILL PLACE NEXT YEAR IN THE TOP THREE!!! I have no doubt he will!

Things got a little crazy in the food room....poor Chloe! Levi and Paul attacked!!

Just a picture of our Green Group. There were over 6,000 christians there this weekend. What an awesome experience!!! And that was just at Nashville! I havent heard how many met this weekend in Dallas, Memphis, Indianaopolis, Orlando and I think their are a few other sites!!

Lads to Leaders Nashville Convention 2011

This our group that went. We grow a little every year!:)
Chloe waiting for awards...:)

Paul recieving his first ever award! He worked toward and recieved a Bronze in Good Samaritan.

Paul and his best buddy Levi! Both Bronze winners!

Cydnie, Chloe and Adam waiting for the action to begin!:)

Little Camye waiting patiently after Songs of Praise..even if she didnt place she did a fantastic job leading her song.:)

Chloe, Camye and myself waiting....the judges were deliberating!

Chloe overly excited for Saturday night award ceremony.:)

Blake recieving 2nd place scrapbooking!!!

Chloe recieving 1st place Scrapbooking. She will now be in Winners Circle Scrapbook until she graduates high school, which is only 3 years away...can I say *tear*?

Camye was already in the scrapbooking winners circle this year. She recieved 3rd place Winners circle which was against 4th-6th graders. She is only 4th grade.

Paul onstage and loving it!!

We had a great year! We had 2 puppet team this year and didnt win. I am in charge and feel we should have since our script rocked. This is my blog and I will say what I want. But I feel like their are 'puppet politics' going on in Nashville!! Maybe next year...>!!!!!!!

What a great week at camp!!:):)

This was my 12th year at Camp Appalachia. I would say that I had a complete blast if I wouldnt have came home with the stomach flu. It was terrible. I came home Wednesday night and my friends came and got me at 6am Friday morning. Thanks Tina and Jen!! I truelly can say that I spent the entire week (other tha when I was sick, sleeping or eating) I spent it sewing! I dont even have very many pictures to share because I was so busy sewing sewing sewing.

Camye and Blake were the only two kids to go with me this year at Camp. Paul is not old enough and went Camp Granny and Chloe went to Camp Concern. Camye and Blake go to Camp Concern for junior week on Sunday. Camye took Clay, Sewing and Cake Decorating. Blake took Rifelry, Archery and Leather Making.

Our sewing class sewed sock monkeys and bible covers. Which I am ashamed to admit I dont even have pictures of them YET!! But since my sweet Camye took the class I can snap pictures of hers. Camye during the shaving creme fight!!

Camye and Bailey (her camp BFF) after the shaving creme was hosed off!!

Me and My great and wonderful and talented friend Tina.

Blake and his Camp BFF..Jason.

I love my camera!!!

I will post pics later of our sewing projects. And I almost !! almost got to start my wool kits I purchased last November! Someday soon...