Chili's in the crockpot!

I think that means its gonna be a good night! We'll be trunk or treating later at church. Halloween pictures to follow!

Oh, I think I'll tack on my chili recipe. Its nothing flashy or fancy or different, its just a really good basic chili.

1 lb ground beef, browned

1 onion, chopped small

1 can chili beans

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1 small tomato paste can of water

1 packet of chili seasoning (original/mild - I want to mix my own, but we love the packet)

cheese, sour cream, chips, whatever you like to top your chili with

Add first 7 ingredients into a crockpot and cook for a while! Or you can do it on the stove of course.

Consumers develop taste for locally grown food | The Augusta Chronicle

Consumers develop taste for locally grown food | The Augusta Chronicle

I'm quoted in the newspaper! Its in the section about Good for the Economy.

Little Lefty?

Yep, it seems as though Paul is asserting his right to feed himself with whichever hand he chooses, and he chooses LEFT!  It looks awkward to Luke & I (but I think it would look that way in his right hand too since he’s not a perfect eater) but if you try to hand him the spoon in his right hand, he just passes it along to the left one.  He tends to throw with his left hand also (assuming the ball is small enough to allow one-handed throwing).  I’m just happy he can get soft food to his mouth using a spoon, doesn’t matter which hand it is!  Rice, yogurt, and applesauce are the current faves.

Oh, and this pic is about a month old.

School

Is going pretty well.  Ruthanne is having tons of fun with her subjects and we are actually getting everything accomplished.  This is a fun activity we did when we were learning about Columbus sailing to America.  Tin foil boats in the bathtub.

John is doing well in school too.  What is John’s school?  Learning to read of course!  He is doing awesome.  I wondered if he would do as well as Ruthanne, and he seems to be flying right along in our reading book.  I would highly recommend it.  There’s no fluff, its to the point, quick, no preparation needed (totally scripted for the teacher), and produced a really good reader in Ruthanne. 

What do I do with Paul during school?  Well, we do John’s school during Paul’s nap (since its 15-20 minutes tops).  I try to get Ruthanne’s school done in the morning and if Paul is behaving (i.e. somewhat quiet) then he can stay and listen to me read, play with toys, etc.  Lately he has been too cranky, seriously hollers even if I am holding him.  So, I have taken to putting him in the playroom (with John) with the baby gate up.  This way he has playtime (and has started being happy in there) and Ruthanne and I can fly through her schoolwork (so much easier without the boys distractions).

Waiting for his turn with the ball

Can we say football player?

Just Like Poppa

One of my favorite pictures from the weekend in Brunswick.

Thanks to Jackson who spilled perler beads all over Mimi and Poppa’s house, the older kids all got a dollar from Mimi for helping to clean them up.  One trip to the dollar store later, John is the proud owner of these funny glasses and wanted his picture taken with Poppa, his twin.  Too bad Poppa didn’t have on his glasses.

Mice, Mono, and More

Wow, long time no blogging.  I just dumped my camera onto the computer so maybe you will see a bit more of me over the next few days.

First, Mice.  We were infested!  Six mice caught and disposed of in our house.  I guess getting rid of the snake meant we had these little friends to deal with.  But, me and the kids got to hang out in Warner Robins since I didn’t want to hang with the mice (Luke was out of town).

Next Mono.  Ruthanne got sick while we were in Brunswick last weekend.  Strep tests were negative and doctor thinks it might be mono, but I opted not to do the blood test.  So, I’m sitting at home tonight while Luke is out at the Navy Ball alone since our babysitter opted out.  Good news is Ruthanne is feeling a ton better, can’t believe she was sick a few days ago.  Now, just don’t drink/eat after her, kiss her (with a good exchange of saliva), or otherwise get her spit in your mouth!  Its a lot less contagious than the flu I’ve learned.

Lastly, more.  I’ve had a lot of laundry to do after our two trips.  I’m not sure the kids had anything wearable left in their drawers.  This is what it all looked like folded on my bed (a king) before I put it away.

And, I got my hair cut by the “mobile hairdresser.  A lady at church is a hairdresser on the side and you can go to her or she will come to you.  So, I arranged to have her come during Paul’s nap.  Perfect, I can actually see getting my haircut at regular intervals (instead of yearly).  This is what was left on the floor.  I’ll have to get a pic of what she left on my head sometime soon.

There is tons and tons more.   Hope to write a little bit of something every day for the next little while.