it's Fall Y'all....

Summer has come and gone in a blink....and another school year has started. We took the obligatory first day of school pics for this school year.

This little one is totally excited about 1st grade. She seems to love math, in spite of her Math teacher, her mom. She is also an excellent artist. She especially loves her  homeschool hybrid classes, where she is learning science, math, and art. 

This one is in 8th grade, and the idea for a mug shot was all his, such a sense of humor. He enjoys classes at his two hybrid schools. He  had joined the local navy sea cadets, but decided to drop this activity because it interfered too much with church and tennis. He is excited that now he can grow his hair back out a little over the ears.

I never envisioned homeschooling as part of our story, but here we are starting our 12th year of homeschooling. With a first grader this year, one can understand my caption of homeschooling till Jesus returns...We have  two high school graduates, and one college graduate now employed!
Let the good times continue to roll.

A healthy choice from my "test" kitchen

Sometimes when you are trying to eat healthy, out of the blue, you just get the 'hankering' to start baking. Visions of cupcakes and muffins and all kinds of unhealthy items fill your head or at least they fill mine.

And let's face it there are all kinds of healthy type recipes out there....and the photo looks delicious, and then when you grab all the ingredients and take the time to make it, you wonder what kind of Yuck is that.

SO today I hit the test kitchen, my own...with healthy ingredients  available in my fridge and  pantry. and I came up with Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes....sounds pretty good? The raw batter was even delicious and the baking smell in the kitchen smelled like really tasty baked goods....and the final product? It was great too.... here's the recipe.

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

1 AdvoCare Chocolate Mocha Shake Pouch (purchase meal replacement  shakes)
1/2 cup old fashioned Oatmeal
1/2 cup almond milk
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup flaxseed flour
2 T coconut flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1- 7oz container of FAGE plain 2% yogurt

Mix together ingredients, Spray muffin pan, bake at 350 until done, makes approx 8 cupcakes

Berrys pickin' berries...

Today we took a trip to the farm to pick blueberries and blackberries. When we arrived, the man told us that the blueberries were not ready yet, so we picked two gallons of blackberries instead. Because of our morning schedules we could not get there until right before they closed at 1pm. So we did a speedy berry pickin'....

 The local farm is a cool place. see the cows in the next field at the top of this photo?

Karlie is feeling much better after her recent wisdom tooth extraction surgery. So glad to see her feeling like her regular self these days.

 Berrys pickin' berries in the hot boiling sun....

 Don't pick the red ones, they are not raspberries, just not ripe. 

 Someone won't look at the camera...

 This farm has large blackberries...Amazingly delicious.

 Do you see some more?

Fill up that bucket.

 It did not take much time at all to pick two gallons of blackberries.

Now to enjoy those berries.

Just Married~25 years ago

On June 16th, 1990 at quarter past two o'clock in the afternoon (because quarter past looked fancier on the invitation than just plain ole two o'clock) on a hot summer day in Mississippi these two kids said

 I DO.

Twenty-five years later we still do....

We are posing by this hay bail in the neighboring yard because 25 years ago, on our wedding day, while I was at a bridesmaid luncheon, KB was on the tractor bush-hogging. He said riding the tractor provided stress relief?

I met this cool cat at college band camp my freshman year. I was 17 and he was 18. He was toting a marching tuba on his shoulders and I had been assigned to be the tuba squad leader? I played clarinet/and marched a saxophone, some may call that coincidence, or luck,  I just believe it was Jesus.

He was wearing a muscle shirt and those '80's cut off blue jean shorts with the pockets hanging out. He had hair on his chest and a five o clock shadow on his face at 8 o'clock in the morning....to me that was a sign that He was a real man! ;) 

I had always thought tuba guys were kinda slow, but he was this smart math engineer guy, who aced all his tests, and studied for the fun of it, the complete opposite of me. And my oldest son grew up to play a pretty mean tuba so I had the whole tuba stereotype thing wrong.

I'm glad I joined band back in the 7th grade. My original intent for joining band back then was to get out of P.E.....I didn't know then  being  a band nerd would one day introduce me to the MR. that would make me a Mrs. 

Time flies when you're having fun. I'm blessed to share my life with my "favorite". The kids always ask who momma's favorite is, and the answer is Dad.  We've  had a lot of adventures, several kids, lived in two towns, enjoyed several jobs, worshiped Jesus and served at a few local churches. We seek to enjoy life together with our kiddos.

Happy Anniversary, Karl.

 I love you.
Photo creds: to our daughter karlie. 

Join us in  the celebration of our 25th anniversary.

With a 24 day challenge.   and beyond.

It's a game changer.