Field Trip Friday: Lincoln Marsh

A gorgeous fall afternoon just begs a trip to Sunny Acres Farm and a walk on the walking path at Lincoln Marsh!  What a fun and relaxing morning!  Have you taken a fun field trip this month?  Did you take pictures?  Write a post and link it up to Fantastic Foto Fieldtrips @ The Homeschool Post!

Have you Discovered Pinterest?

Does anyone besides me engage in the daily, “Oh dear, what on earth am I going to make for dinner” battle? I have NEVER been a good meal planner. I rarely know at 9 am what I’ll be making for dinner in the evening. That’s me. Planning meals bores me.  Does that make me a bad person?

Several months ago, my daughters introduced me to Pinterest and all the sudden I have a new lease on life. Well…maybe that’s just a bit over-the-top, but the truth is, Pinterest HAS become my new favorite cookbook. My “Dinnspiration” pin-board now holds all those awesome looking recipes I’ve found online that just have “must try” written all over them. Here’s a few of the recipes I’ve discovered and tried over the last several months:

Hungry yet?

But it’s not just the food I love on Pinterest! I’ve also found some awesome craft ideas (we’ve tried a few of those too!), home decorating ideas, outdoor gardening ideas, and much more! And following my daughter’s pinboards has given me FANTASTIC Christmas gift ideas!

So, have you discovered Pinterest? If you need an invite, let me know!

Homeschool Pass it On–Breakfast

Yum.  I love breakfast.  Take me to a restaurant that serves breakfast 24/7, and I’ll order breakfast 9 times out of 10…regardless of the time of day!  So when I saw this on Stef’s blog I HAD to join in!!

My top breakfasts?  (In no particular order, but ALWAYS with coffee!)

1. A power bagel with honey almond shmear from Einstein Bagels.
2. An Egg Mcmuffin from McDonalds.  (love these!!)
3. Denny’s French Slam breakfast…Mmmm…french toast.
4. Cinnamon Roll French Toast at Egglectic Cafe in Wheaton, IL

And here’s one of my very favorite breakfast recipes from the 2003 issue of Southern Living!

Ingredients

• 1 pound mild ground pork sausage
• 1 pound hot ground pork sausage
• 1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups milk

Preparation

• Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.
• Prepare hash browns according to package directions, using 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• Stir together hash browns, sausage, and cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
• Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pour evenly over potato mixture.
• Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

Photo Hunt: Drink

This week’s PhotoHunter theme is DRINK!!

In a word…COFFEE!

A Saturday morning bike ride and a leisurely cup of iced coffee.

And making sure I don’t run out at home.

2011 Stormy Lake Vacation Collage

Me & Dad • Lovely Sunset • On the beach • Look Mom, I’m SKIING!

Aren’t they cute? • We ♥ G’ma & G’pa • Perfect mirror image • Sibling ♥

I ♥ the driver • Another evening cruise • Strange children • Looking for food

Yes, another sunset • Inside activities • Five loons • Oh Captain, My Captain♥

A quiet moment • Still looking for food • Cousins & tubing fun • Last sunset

V.A.C.A.TION….in the Summertime!!

We’re heading to the beautiful Northwoods this afternoon and won’t be back for more than a week!  I’m ready for a vacation!  Here’s where we’ll be….are you jealous yet??!?

Weddings, Gardens, and Independence Day…

Last weekend, all four of my children were in the wedding of a dear friend.  The girls have been been friends with Emily…more like sisters, really…for more than 20 years.  They’ve share both the blessings and the hardships of growing up “in ministry.”  It’s created a bond that is unbreakable.  It was a wonderful weekend with laughter, tears, and lots of makeup and hairspray!!

Summer has finally arrived in Northern Illinois and our garden is finally looking like a garden!  In fact, we’ve even eaten some peas!  Now, if only the tomatoes would ripen.

And finally, I was asked to write an Independence Day guest post over at The Homeschool Village!  You can hop over HERE.  Happy Independence Day!

Shake It Up Cafe

A very busy week of VBS has preempted Memorize Mondays!!  Sorry to those of you who are memorizing every week!  Take this week to review everything that we’ve memorized so far!!

Here’s a little taste of what we’re doing at SHAKE IT UP CAFE this week!

 

VBS 2011 – Shake It Up Cafe Preview Video – Cokesbury Vacation Bible School from CokesburyVBS on Vimeo.

Wordless Wednesday: My Best Guys!

Stormy Lake on Memorial Day, 2011, with my two favorite guys!

(Memorize Mondays was postponed for the week due to the holiday and the fact that I was in the middle of nowhere!!  We’ll return next Monday to post and memorize the next portion of Romans 5!)

A Sunday Afternoon at Cantigny

This is one of our very favorite places in the world to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon.

Where else can you stroll through formal gardens, tour a turn-of-the-century mansion, climb on a 1941 M5Stuart Tank, take a walk on a prairie, play frisbee or have a picnic in the park, visit an amazing US Army First Division museum, and stop for lunch or a cup of coffee and an ice cream cone?

All for the cost of a $5 parking pass?

Here are some picture from our visit last weekend…