My youngest dressed as the Mad Hatter on Halloween. I think he was downright adorable.

Carving pumpkins.

Joseph and his pumpkin.

Spooky vampire pumpkin.

Graveyard pumpkin.

Bonfire

Must spend time adoring the dogs at the farm!

These dogs are just lovers.

Here Kitty kitty kitty.

Beautiful girl. 

Joey riding the horse..

Kitty getting a sniff..

Warm crackling fire.

Elijah by the cabin.. Yes a bit fuzzy this was late tonight before leaving.

Joseph with an arm full of fuzzy love!

I just love to watch the fire.

Elijah riding the horse.

Elijah riding the horse.

Hmmm maybe I can find another kitty..

Sweet mule.. Patiently waiting.

Needless to say we had a lovely time. As seems to be my usual, I collected a few spare children to take along. I have 6 and apparently its just not enough! 

Fall activites

I know I've posted before about fall activities. This weekend is the church bonfire and the kiddos are so excited!! We are making popcorn balls and puppy chow to take with to share. Always love making these things this time of year. The kiddos are looking forward to the horse back riding and the hay rack ride, not to mention the bonfire. I am in the process of sewing yet another period type gown for my daughters friend for Halloween. 

 

This was my daughters costume last year. This was also after a long night of trick or treating. Which is why one little boy looks darn tired. I am fairly good at modifying the patterns I have and making them into the design I want/need. May be in high demand for costumes one of these days! 

Well onward with the sewing.. 

Have a delightful night.

Accomplishments..

Well today I accomplished one thing.. I replaced the kitchen faucet... The thingy, yes I know a very technical word that some of you might not understand, but the thingy that made either the faucet work or the sprayer broke. We had no water... I know I could have just replaced the thingy, however the top to that area wouldn't unscrew and besides the faucet was U....G.....L....Y..... Now I have a nice white Moen faucet that has the sprayer on the faucet itself and can be pulled out. I am so thrilled. It sucked putting it on. But now that it's totally done, I'm glad we did it.

Possibility of change.

Finally decided to make some changes in my life.. I have been working a third shift job, which is killing me! I loathe being away from home at night. I miss enjoying the day at all. I feel as if I can't ever get enough sleep and I feel as is I am missing everything.

So I called about a job I that would be very beneficial. The pay is more, there would never be an issue about my kids not having someone around, because if I needed to I could take them with me. I would be home nights, off weekends and holidays. All the way around a win win. I have an interview Monday.

My daughter had a job interview today. She pretty much has the job, pending background check and drug test. So we are not worried. She is excited. It will be her first job outside the home of course. She has a friend who works at the same job. The job is as a life coach. She would work with the disabled to be encouraging and helpful. She has a fair amount of practice since she her brother Andrew has downs and autism.

I am really praying that everything works out. I seriously need a change. I am just this close [..] to walking out of my other job without a backward glance. I am fed up with a lack of care from most of the other employees. I am tired of all the bad attitudes, all the sloppiness, the laziness. They all know what I think and pretty much all loathe me. And I can live with that. I'm not there to make friends. I am there to do a job.

Anyway... We shall see what we see. Otherwise, tomorrow is the last soccer game of this season. The boys have enjoyed it as usual. They have had such a fantastic coach. He worked hard with the kiddos.  He worked on fundamentals all the way through to the last practice. We've had a coach who didn't show up for a number of practices and even a couple of games. We had one that was there, but didn't really cover any important things. And then this year they were truly blessed. :)

Well, gotta get ready for work here shortly. Be blessed!

Fall!

Oh how I love fall this time of year is so wonderful. The cooler air, the crisp apples, the crunchy leaves.. WE decorate for fall in the house, fall scented candles, and pumpkins and gourds, and fall colors of red gold and purples. And oh the urge to bake... Its like stopping the wind sometimes, LOL.

 

We are excited the annual church bonfire is coming up. With a weenie roast, roasted marshmallows, hay rack rides... The kids cant wait. they have a lot of fun running around with all the kids..

Love sitting by the fire.. Sometimes I feel left out being a odd one out as a single mom. Most people sit around in couples and enjoy the season.

Love carving pumpkins. We tend to stick with more classic type designs. Never have carved a huge castle out of a pumpkin.. :)

Apple pies.. This one I cut out maple leaves for the top and layered it on...

Gorgeous night skies..

Beautiful  color on the trees.

Apple crisps with ice cream.. MMMM

I love love love fall!!

We have been busy with soccer!

The Camping Birthday Cake!!!

Three different views, with different light, by three different people... And I just noticed people moved around a few of the decorations as well... HAHAHAHA this was a fun cake to make. I spent probably 8 hours, and part of that in the dark in the middle of the night without electricity as we had a bad storm go through. So I spent time decorating by lantern light, which is sitting in the background of the bottom picture. Seems fitting I guess since it was a camping cake, ROFLMBO.

Hi there!

So I have been busy! Very very busy! We have moved again. I seemed destined to move a lot... LOL!! We are in a little house back in town and that's okay. Things are going well. The kiddos are out for summer and so far they are having a good time. I know that soon boredom will be setting in.. But they will have a soccer camp at the end of June.

We camped over Memorial Day weekend and had a lovely time. The weather was wonderful! The children had a lot of fun with their cousins. There was swimming and s'mores and scary campfire stories and bike riding and kite flying and of course lots of good camp food!

My sister Windi and I were discussing how we used to camp in a Volvo station wagon and wondered how the heck we managed it. W got to thinking that it was because we bare bones camped. 1 tent, sleeping bags, 1 cooler, 1camp stove, dishes, 2 pans, and minimum clothes.

This year I added a roof top container and was still trying to figure out how to haul more!! ROFLMBO! I brought 4 tents, 7 camp chairs, 3 air mattresses, 1 cook stove, pans, dishes, a basket full of health and beauty stuff, 6 sleeping bags, my pillows, sheets, and comforter, 3 coolers, 3 bikes, 1 wagon, squirt guns, kite, extra fuel, flashlights, lantern, skateboards, a backpack full of clothes for each of 7 people, 6 kids 1 dog and myself! Sheesh it makes my tired just typing that all out!

I am glad that my children are enjoying camping. Before the divorce, we didn't do many of the things we do now, as the children's father was just not into much of anything except his band. So we stayed home a lot unless the concerts were near by. So since the divorce we have experienced a lot more things. Summers spent at the pool, camping, wandering for wanderings sake, the boys are enrolled in soccer whenever the opportunities arise. We are enjoying life as it comes...

I struggle at my job. Most people who work where I work could not care one bit less about doing their jobs well then they already do. I have never experienced in my life the total lack of care in how things are cleaned, handled and done... I struggle with that. As someone who has OCD/perfectionist tendencies and especially when it comes to the preparation of food, it drives me nuts some times going in there... I am forcing myself to learn not to care... Its hard...

I recently was blessed by attending a wedding for a very happy couple and I wish them many wonderful years of great happiness. I am relieved that I have reached a point of being able to be happy for others and not just be cranky because I am alone.. This is a new thing. And its not that I miss my used to be husband, because I don't. That ship has sailed and I waved and wished it bon voyage!!! It is just hard sometimes to be alone. But I was blessed in that at the reception I sat with a wonderful couple from my church as well as my sister in law who was the photographer for the wedding, so I didn't sit with her all that much, but still. I was blessed to be a part of it!!

I am not sure what the future holds but I have hope!

 

Be Blessed Everyone!

Bouncing back from adversity

If anyone knows me they know that I am A. a pretty great cook and baker B. I am my own worst critic and really hard on myself C. I have higher standards over how something looks and tastes than the restraunts and other places I have worked and D. I don't settle for crap.. I don't care, who is eating it, what it's for, where it's being served, what it is, or when it's being served it should both look good and taste good..... I have been called a food snob and worse...

So when Thursday morning, the area manager where I work came in and threw away a bunch of the doughnuts I had made and called them crap, you can imagine I was pretty upset. He insisted I stay and make another batch... I was supposed to leave at 10 it was 9:30. I was pretty upset... I told my manager that she could give the job back to the old doughnut maker, that I was done... At that point I was angry... I moved over to do dishes while the oil heated up again to do another batch and I cried....

I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE HAD SOMEONE TELL ME MY FOOD IS CRAP!! I HAVE HAD PEOPLE TELL ME THEY WOULD EAT MY CAKE OFF THE GROUND, I HAVE PEOPLE WHO ASK ME WHAT I MADE WHEN WE GO TO POTLUCKS SO THEY CAN GET SOME, I AM SO OCD ABOUT ALL THE FOOD I MAKE BECAUSE I WANT IT PERFECT, I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYONE CALL MY FOOD CRAP!!!

This about broke my heart... I took some trash out and one of our regulars was coming in as I was going out and he said he felt sorry for me as he didn't like those two, the area and district managers. He heard what happened and when I was coming back inside he caught me before I went in and gave me a big hug and told me not to listen to them that my doughnuts were awesome... Made me smile, it also made me smile when I came back inside and customers where looking for the good doughnuts that I make.. They left without purchasing anything since mine had all been thrown away..

Meanwhile, I mixed up a batch his way and they came out smaller than the doughnuts I made... So he and the district manager and the store manager made a batch and they came out exactly the same size as the doughnuts I made... I was a bit vindicated in that.. All my mornings work thrown in the trash and for what? Nothing... There was no difference between his doughnuts and mine... But that was not mentioned... I admit I came back in Friday rather angry still...

I don't like being angry.. I am very much a forgive and forget kind of person.. I prefer to get along and get on with life... Thankfully this last weekend was my weekend off... Today was a better day.. I had a few days to rest, relax, and let it go.. I don't wanna be a cranky person.. And people where happy they love my doughnuts.. Last Thursday that was just a bad day.. Everyday can be great!!

Today I had my annual review, my boss is happy with me I had all good marks! Life is good..

Long time no see

Hello, I hope this post finds everyone well and blessed in this new year. My kiddos and I are doing well and things are improving after alot of changes we suddenly were forced to make... My daughter is now going to public school and doing fantastic!! I am so proud of her.. My boys are doing amazing. They played soccer again last fall and are improving more and more.. They are doing well in school and have made some great friends. I am now a doughnut and cookie maker... I go in so early in the morning, but it leaves the rest of my day free for my kids. I no longer have to be away from home while they are awake except right in the morning, but I leave work to pick them up and take them to school. So we have time to talk, and pray together on the way and start the day off well... Its working, even if mom is a bit tired, LOL! We were forced to move and were unable to find a home in the country. I have had to give up all of my dogs except my daughers. My heart broke.. I still cant think about them or I tear up... My daughter was also able to keep her elderly cat and her guinea pig... Life goes on.... I wish and pray blessings upon you all! Hugs Amy Ellen