Gingerbread Houses

I admit I'm getting just a tad bit stir-crazy being stuck inside due to the weather. Yesterday we would have gone to the Library, but I had hubby take my vehicle because it has heat (very nice to have when the temp is in the teens). So after having my children do their fair share of household cleaning, we pulled out the supplies and made these gingerbread houses (that's called incentive;).

If you're a dyed-in-the-wool make your own gingerbread kind of person, don't read any farther,lol. Because we take the easier road and make ours with graham crackers instead. I started going this route a couple years ago when I needed an activity for 30 kids... that would be a lot of gingerbread. This is really great if you have little ones, it's easier for them to work with. Either way, it's messy, messy, messy. But it's all a part of the fun:) If you want detailed instructions, here's a link.

Here is the Princess's Kingdom (her words, not mine).

The Professor was intent on having a village.

The Artist stuck to your basic little house with some nice accents.
And that ends our parade of gingerbread homes;)

Technically, we could take another snow day today since all three local schools have called off. But I want to get all our book reports and other projects done before Christmas break (only 3 more days!).

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, it's off to school we go...:)

Memorial Day Happenings

We had planned to take the kids to the Oregon Zoo on Memorial day, but the weather didn't cooperate. So instead, we went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, or better known as OMSI around here.

I wanted to include something specific to Memorial day in our plans as well. It turned out that Omsi was having a short service, as well as the tolling of the bells, for those who had gone down in Submarines serving our country (the USS Blueback resides on the waterfront next to Omsi). I was amazed how many Submarines went down (with crews averaging 75 men) in just a few short years during World War II. It definitely was a solemn reminder of those who gave so much defending our freedom, now and in the past.

After this, we watched Sea Monsters of the Deep on the Omnimax IMAX screen. It was amazing; not just because of the National Geographic film that was quite interesting, but because it was my first time viewing their screen. By the end of the show, I had to hold onto the rail tightly as I left the room- it was a bit of a sensory overload.

The kids really enjoyed the dinosaur-themed displays.

Here they are digging for bones...

We managed to squeeze in a planetarium show as well (more sensory overload:). It definitely was an enjoyable (and tiring) family outing.

My KID'S STUFF giveaway ends tonight at 12:00 midnight. I'll announce the winner in tomorrow's post!

***HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend Mrs.Darling at Dishpan Dribble!***

Easter Happenings

Here are my three kidlets all ready for Easter morning services.

Hubby and I are both Sunday school teachers (different grades), so we also had separate parties in our classes that morning. Of course, that meant I had two parties to prepare for, LoL. So I made about 5 dozen cookies, a fruit tray (always a hit with the little kids) and many goody bags with assorted items of candy and toys-thank goodness for the dollar store!

I had planned to roast a turkey for Easter dinner (we're not big pork fans), but hubby surprised me with the decision to take the family out to eat- he said I had done enough work on other things, he wanted me just to relax- what woman would argue with that? It is such a rare occasion for us to go out to eat (I always think of all the groceries I could get with that money) so it really was a treat- and no kitchen to clean up afterwards!

Every year our church puts on an Easter performance, and this year my boys had a small part in one of the scenes. While it was a small part, they still had to be at rehearsals three evenings this past week, which wasn't easy to fit in the schedule. However, they were thrilled to be a part of it all. I look forward to this performance each year because it's totally centered on the true meaning of Easter, and in particular this year it focused on Heaven and what awaits us there (loved ones, ect). So I cried liked usual, and felt like my soul had been refreshed. I need that sometimes with all the other hustle and bustle going on. I suppose we all do.

Because the day was so packed with activities, we didn't get to our Easter egg hunt until after the Evening services. My kids were really good about this, considering they were really looking forward to it. If you live in the Northwest, you know this is still our rainy season, so we did our hunt in the house where it was nice and dry.

I was amazed when I went into several stores this year, Easter items are getting bigger and more expensive it seems. I had decided I wanted to keep ours low-budget, so it didn't end up becoming Christmas-in-a-basket! I picked up a few dollar toys, chocolate bunnies (a requirement) and a small amount of candy.

Of course, much of the fun was in the scavenger hunt anyway.

End result: they had alot of fun, and were quite content with their small amount of loot!

My daughter and I made these decoupage eggs together. She was fascinated with the whole process. We invited her brothers to join in, but they were immersed in the creation of a lego kingdom...can you imagine boys wanting to do that instead of decoupage?

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter~

St.Patricks Day Happenings

Here are some pictures of our Saint Patrick's day activities :

While there was no leprechaun caught in our trap, it was quite obvious one had stopped by...

Our menu for the evening:

• Irish Salmon in Heavy Cream- My kids loved this- and it was a nice change from the usual corned beef.
• Herbed Cabbage and Potatoes
• Fresh Garlic Sourdough Loaf (after all, I'm not 100% Irish:)

My daughter absolutely loved helping me make these Lucky coin cakes, which we served with Leprecaun fizz.


Hubby trying to fool the boys with a little slight of hand.

Playing Lucky Bingo

Our little Irish Rose

After the food and festivities, we watched the Hallmark film The Magical Legend of the Leprecauns. The kids and I love this film, I'm not even going to try to quess how many times we've watched it!

Good night to all~

May the Luck of the Irish be with You

Last night the kids made a leprechaun trap. They had so much fun running around looking for various items that might "lure" one of the wee people to the trap, and hopefully catch him in the act. We used gold dollars and one of Mommy's sparkly bracelets, as well as one of my daughter's miniature tea cups with saucer. Then we camouflaged with small pine boughs.


Now my daughter is running around talking about how she is going to have a "pet" leprechaun, LoL.

We, of course, did discuss that being wily and sly little fellows, leprechauns are not at all easy to fool, let alone catch. But maybe we will atleast be able to tell he stopped by....

I plan to post pictures of our various St. Paddy's day activities later today, so until then:


Free Glitter Graphics

5 days and counting...

Today was spent working on maps of Ireland, and making a mini-book about snakes. There is actually a tie-in there: legend has it that Saint Patrick himself drove the snakes out of Ireland. Makes me wish he had immigrated here!

And if the mention of snakes made you shudder, just wait...your turns coming Marva, Nikki & Kristy. The boy breed just naturally wants to learn about and handle the things! So I settle for the learning, and let them look at them through glass at the zoo, Lol.

Ireland is a beautiful country. I haven't been there myself, but my younger sister has. I thus far must settle for pictures. There are very few places I would step off of good ol' U.S. soil for, but Ireland is one of them. Maybe I'll shoot for our 25th wedding anniversary...so only 10 more years to go! If I save up all my pennies...

We made tentative plans for our St. Paddy's day party. As it is also the beginning of Spring Break (for those bound by such rules) we will be able to invite some of the kid's friends to it. Fingers are crossed for good weather...

And I am trying out some new recipes with a definite Irish twist to them. I just wish I had not tried that Dubliner cheese. It's absolutely delicious and full of fat calories...

My children are also copying Irish Proverbs for penmanship this week. So here are a few to consider:

• Shallow water makes great noise.


• Falling is easier than rising.


• Man talks, but God directs.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

I am calling off all other posts (of mine that is) to dedicate the next week to all things Irish.

One of the few things I share with my birth mother, with whom I did not live while growing up, is a love of my Irish heritage. And I, of course, am not 100% Irish- but I quess you could say I'm just enough! And I have the hair to prove it. As did my mother and great-grandmother (and now my daughter).

I should maybe say up front that I am not Catholic, and St. Patrick's day is not about a Saint or religion to me, just about being Irish. And I won't drink a drop that day (well, maybe some Tea).

I love just about any holiday, even more so now that I have 3 children. While I know people who do not celebrate many holidays, for a variety of reasons, I always feel each holiday is what I make of it.

So I will leave you with my favorite Irish blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be ever at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Back from Vacation

WE'RE BAAACK! We arrived home late last night. I am slowly but surely getting everything back in it's proper place. It was absolutely wonderful coming home not only to a very clean house, but also a newly organized one.

So I'm going to do the proper thing to do when you get back from vacation- make everyone watch your slides! Lol

We had a simply wonderful time. We stayed at a resort that I had acquired a trial membership to- I can now add this to the list of smart things I've thought of (wish that list was longer than it is, Lol). Really though, it way exceeded our expectations. We had reserved a chalet, which is basically a cabin set apart by itself. It also had a deck with barbecue and hot tub. It was absolutely beautiful inside. It was made out of the most beautiful wood and looked so rustic. I am not into fancy or expensive luxury looks, so this was definitely to my taste. I took pictures, but there was no way to do this place justice. It was their slower time of year, so it was very private. They are on a huge piece of land, and you would occasionally see deer prancing by (or whatever deer do).

So, other than relaxing and hanging out together as a family, here is a list of the "big" activities we did:

The High Desert Museum is located in Bend Oregon. While this was a little expensive for us, I knew my kids would really enjoy going here. We didn't realize they closed at 5pm, and arrived around 3:30. When we went to pay, they said since we were starting later in the day, the kids could go free and my husband and I were given a discount. Which means we paid $14. instead of$56., is that an awesome deal or what? We still had plenty of time to view the inside and outside exhibits (in fact, they let us stay a little past closing). It was absolutely fascinating. If you enjoy early American History, this is a must to visit if you're ever in the area. They had life-size models of teepees, a mining camp, a saw mill, mining town, stagecoaches, cabins- I could just go on and on about this place. It would have been worth the full admission price!

The Mount Bachelor Resort is the 5th largest resort in the United States. My husband was raised in Oregon but had never been here himself, as it is a 5 hr drive from where we live. We decided to spend an afternoon at their Snowblast Park. It has 800 feet of rolling hill to sled down! I had decided beforehand that I would sit out the sledding, both to save the extra fee and to do some video recording of the event. But when I got a look at that huge slide, the child in me took over and I knew I had to join in the fun! Unfortunately, when I got at the top of the mountain, I came to my senses- I was terrified!!! I'm not kidding, my heart hasn't beat like that in a long time, I was just so scared! I decided I would go back down and video tape as planned; the only problem, the only way down was on a tube! Okay- so to make a long story short, I did it- and it was a blast!!! I have been talking about it ever since, more than anyone else in the family. We all agreed it has to be a yearly tradition now, and I can't wait til next year!

By the way, my little 5 year old daughter never skipped a beat, her only complaint was she had to go with us for the first slide! She definitely doesn't get her fearless streak from me!

The Peterson Rock Garden was the hands-down winner of the best attraction of our trip, atleast to my two boys. It was created by a Danish immigrant to the United States who settled around the Cascade Mountains around the turn of the century. After years of collecting a great variety of rocks and petrified wood (much of it from his own land), he began building miniature castles, monuments, towers, and bridges. It eventually spanned 4 acres of land including a farmhouse, museum, picnic area, and pond. They have a self-pay box on site; for our family of five it was a suggested donation of $7.50 total. While we were dashing around looking at all these creations, a woman stepped out of a building and volunteered to open the museum which was closed. They had the most incredible rocks. I know- rocks? God's natural creations far out-trump anything man-made! Each of the kids picked out an animal carved out of rock- what an awesome souvenier! Oh- they also had about 10-15 peacocks that let you come right up to them as they rotated 360 degrees showing off their beautiful plumage. The kids also were able to pet a 3 week old goat the owner had on site. It was a wonderful, invigorating visit. We are planning to attempt a small rock monument in our own front yard this summer after visiting here- the kids can't wait!

We also did light hiking, hide-n-seek, and were just plain lazy in-between!

One last confession: while I did not visit the many outlet stores located in a near-by town, I couldn't resist visiting the local Walmart. I found two matching comforters for my boys beds, original price $49.99 each, clearanced to $9.99! As well as some Easter shirts and ties for my boys, for some reason they only seem to have the better quality dress items around this time of year.

Oh, and I picked up a Looney Tunes Spotlight collection dvd set for $9.99- that meant almost 4 hrs of peace and quiet (not counting the many "What's up Doc?") while we drove home!

So we're all a little tired out, but have added some wonderful memories to the family log. As well as 250+ pictures!

Have a wonderful weekend- and don't forget to set your clock ahead if you live in the great NorthWest~

*While I was gone, my blogging friend Minimalist Mommy tagged me- which happens to be my first tag as a blogger! Which also means I'm not quite sure how it works, but I'm hoping I can still participate. So I plan to get to that soon.

Snow, Beautiful Snow!

We awoke this morning to a lovely white covering on the ground! The kids are so excited and hurriedly putting on their winter outerwear (which I just happened to pick up in the last week).

We will be leaving for church in a couple of hours, but I canceled all baths (don't tell anyone) so they can have some fun in the snow- you never know how long it will stick around here.

Well- time to go get some pictures as proof!

New Year's Eve at the Zoo

I know, most people have a party to celebrate the end of the year. But this year I decided to spend it at the zoo (visiting relatives my hubby says- very funny).

The Oregon zoo has been decked out for the last 20 years for the Christmas season, but it took me 10 years of living here to finally make it there. I really wanted to take the kids this year, but before we knew it time got away from us. It actually ended last night, but when I visited their website today (in a last minute search for somewhere to take the kids) I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were extending it 1 more night- and admission was free to boot!

My tribe of 6 (my son's best friend was along) would usually cost about $40.- What a deal!

So we all bundled up and had a Cooold night of fun. We followed that up with renting the movie "underdog" (very cute and clean- a live action take of the old cartoon) and ate WAY too much junkfood. Now the kids are in bed and hubby and I shall bring in the new year with some time together (break out that sparkling cider!).

Happy New Year to all!

Back from the Coast

We have just arrived back from several days at the Oregon Coast. Between Christmas and our trip, the week has just flown by.

Christmas day was a wonderful day spent with the family. We got back from the in-laws at 10:30pm that night, and were up early the next day to clean the house and pack for the trip. I usually would have done this already, but with all the celebrating the house was a mess again and there were new things to pack. I HATE coming back from a trip to a messy house. We left early afternoon for the coast.

We stayed at an Upscale Inn/Spa, not at all the kind of place we would usually go with our 3 kids. Hubby was given a $500. gift certificate from his employer for a side job he had done. He didn't say it, but I knew it really was a boost to his ego to be able to take us there. Anyway, we arrived and picked up our key card and drove to our spot. When we stepped into the room, the fire was already burning in the fireplace. I thought that was nice, but something just didn't seem right. There was the brush on the counter, the shoes against the wall...hubby thought someone just left behind a few things. I didn't think so. When I saw the yarn with the knitting needles on the side of the easy chair I knew there was a mistake. Sure enough, they had given us the wrong room and key card. Fortunately, it was dinner time and hopefully they never knew someone was walking around their room for a little while.

The next few days went by so fast. The kid's hiked, swam, played chess, did misc. activities in the play/game room, and played with their new Christmas toys. We don't have TV at home, so this was also a treat to them. They offered movies still in the theater you could view, and we watched "The Waterhorse". I absolutely loved this movie! It's set back during World War 2 in the country of Scotland. It had a few mildly scary parts (during which my daughter hid her head). It was a great story with excellent acting. I have to admit I have a weekness for stories about leprecauns, fairies and things of that nature. This dealt with the Loch Ness monster legend. I rarely buy a movie when it comes to video, but I do plan to buy this one.

We came back with some lovely souveniers and new memories. (Picture is on sidebar). I'm glad we have a long weekend to rest from the trip- that is after we have the last Christmas party of this season tommorrow. So it looks like I will be wrapping presents once again this evening. I will end with wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year~

Twas the Night before Christmas

My children are having such a hard time going to sleep this evening. I keep telling them the later mom gets to bed, the later we open presents in the morning. It doesn't seem to be helping, and I can't say I blame them. I remember the excitement as a child waiting for Christmas morning to come, and it never came fast enough. The rule in our house is you are allowed to get your stocking as soon you get up in the morning, the rest waits atleast until we read the Christmas story. My boys are excited as they will be helping hubby read this year. Christmas Eve has been an evening of fun. We were supposed to watch the Nutcracker, but due to time watched Veggietales Star of Christmas. It was very cute, I actually had tears in my eyes at the end. We followed that up with a birthday cake for Jesus (which my daughter had prepared). We talked about what gifts we can give Jesus, and it was interesting to listen to the kid's ideas for this. I had printed up some Christmas-themed games (bingo,ect.), and then we made snowflakes. I could tell my boys were not overly excited about the snowflake idea- that is until they unfolded them. I had downloaded some patterns and they made lovely snowflakes with really simple cuts. Anyway, it was more fun than it probably sounds. Then for the most anticipated part of the evening- opening the Christmas eve present. I informed my kids I had misplaced these gifts; fortunately I did have some clues for them to find them with. And so ensued our scavenger hunt. We had so much fun with this, and we loved watching them work together. The gifts were among some clothes in my clothes dryer. My oldest was looking so earnestly for the clues cards that he forgot what he was actually after. I asked him if he could find the clue in there; he replied "no mom, theres just some clothes and presents in here!" He laughed and laughed when he realized it was the end. They want to do it again next year, and so I quess we have a new tradition. We had our little feast by the tree of Hot chocolate and miscellaneous snacks, and then hubby read Twas the night before Christmas. I followed that up with a story of Christmas in 1776, and then we "hung the stockings by the chimney with care" (minus the chimney). My kids said this was definitely the best Christmas Eve ever. So there you have it in a big nutshell. Wait! What is that I hear? My house is actually silent now. So I will wish you all a peaceful and Merry Christmas~

Traditions

I spent some time last night searching the internet for Christmas tradition ideas. I hit on a blog that had so many great ideas on it, I couldn't even begin to put a fraction of them into motion- and I want to do just about every one of them!

One idea that we had already started was reading a new Christmas story each night of December, culminating in the story of Jesus birth on Christmas Eve. Tonight we read "A Ragged Christmas Feast".

It was a story about a feast that was held each year for the poor children in Dublin, Ireland. These poor, ragged little children were thrilled to receive all the tea and hot buns they wanted at this feast. No gifts- just something to eat and to warm them.

My boys found it interesting and pondered the moral of the story, while my daughter colored and told me I had repeated myself twice! We're all looking forward to tommorrows story. I will probably post some of the other ideas tommorrow. That's all folks~

Anticipation is half the Fun

I don't know if this saying is true for everyone, but it definitely is with me. I think I actually get more fun out of looking forward to something than out of the actual event. My hubby chuckles at this often.

Anyway, for us this week is full of long-awaited events. I grew up in a family that did not observe the halloween holiday. While I respect my parents view on this, I admit I couldn't wait til I could take my first little one trick-or-treating. I remember at barely 2 years old how he really didn't know what was going on- until that first candy dropped in the bag, he was hooked after that! Of course, I'm not big on the witch/ghoul thing, but it really is what you decide to make it.

Then the day after halloween, my girlfriend (who was also my maid of honor)arrives from Alaska. I last saw her 3 years ago when she bought my daughter and I tickets to come out and visit her. She really is more like a sister to me, kindof Gods replacement for not growing up with my own. We are so totally different in so many ways, but we can talk forever!

The next morning we will be joining a group of ladies from our church for a 2-day ladies conference. I am already missing my kid's, but I know this is a much-needed time of fellowship and fun (not to mention shopping!). My friends daughter will be staying at my home during the trip, so our daughters will be getting to know each other too. My hubby will be staying home with the kid's so I know they'll be well-taken care of.

What more could a girl ask for?

Camp Champoeg

Today we took the kids to Homestead day at Camp Champoeg.

They had many fun activities going on there. My 8-year-old son was fascinated by the old-time blacksmith who was demonstrating how nails and other items were made way back when. He then let a long line of children take turns at pounding out their own nail. I was very impressed by this, as it was quite a hot day and the man running the station was standing by a hot fire the whole time. My son was thrilled, and that nail has not left his pocket since!

They also had a wheat threshing demonstration, a peddler's cart where you could choose beads and shells to make a craft, old-time children's games, food samples, fresh produce from their wonderful garden which the kid's could choose from, and of course fresh lemonade.

They have a small museum there and we especially liked the animal pelts ( that's the closest I ever want to be to a skunk!). The admission fee of $3.00 per car was the usual day fee, and other than that it was donations only.

We all had a good time, and it was much cheaper than the state fair! We followed that up with supper at Jack-in-the-box and then ended the day with a family bike ride at another local park ( we had to work off all that greasy food!).

I love that good, tired feeling at the end of a day spent doing things together as a family.