Family night at home demands...

that Mom come up with a fun snack!  Tonight...Deep-fried Oreos!  It has been on my "summer bucket list" for the kiddos, who have never had the privilege of such a tasty treat.  Thank you to pinterest...again!  First, make a pot of coffee while the Oreos are chilling in the freezer.  The gal said to put them in the freezer for three hours...I did one hour and it was just fine.

Heat up oil to 375 degrees.  Mix up a simple batter of 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp veg oil, and 2 Tbsp white vinegar.  Mix well...no lumps!

 Coat the chilled Oreos in the batter.  Carefully drop them into the hot oil.  Fry till golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

 Eat while they are still warm!  "Oh, Mom, these are highly addictive!" said Ashlynn.  Teddy and Alisa groaned their approval.  "Mom is trying to kill us!" said Ted as he wiped the powdered sugar off his beard.

 I grabbed my coffee and sat for a minute.  Oh, yes, they taste just as good as the two places where we have ordered them!  I like them just like this...but a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and/ or hot fudge to dip in is good too.  Ted liked the cream cheese type frosting that one place offered.

I fried up the left over batter...tasted just like the funnel cakes you can get at the carnival!  I am not a big fan of the mess deep-frying makes.  Good thing.  This could get out of hand!  We have one more treat to try that is similar...deep fried candy bars.  But with the Friday night sport schedule...it will be awhile before we do them...thankfully!

"I'm just going to school for a little while..."

 said the silly lady with a large DD coffee in her hand!  We met this morning to go over a few things and put supplies away.  I sat on the floor sniffing new boxes of bright, sharp, shiny Crayola crayons.  I almost felt like I was depriving our little students of one of the joys of a new school year...opening that box of new crayons for the first time...then I remembered they are 3 and will probably snap them in half right out of the box just to hear the "snap" sound or see what is inside the paper.

Humor!  

That is our key word for the start of this school year!  A sweet cheery friend taught me the importance of that when our three were little.  If I am still...I can hear her bubbly laughter and see her tear-filled, red-face trying to hold back loud guffaws.

A bucket of freshly washed and dried friends ready for the first day of school!  Today...laundry and menu planning.  Tonight...a quiet night at home.  Tomorrow...grocery shopping.  Checking off things from our "to do to get ready for school" list!

"Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!"

 Ashlynn baked a cake for me!  I helped supervise, but she did the work.  I wanted the Fluffy Brown Sugar Frosting that I made for Mari's cake...so I made it and Ash frosted the cake.  We used the peanut butter from the Amish farm for the filling layer.  YUMMO!!!

 My loves sang to me.

"Only 2 candles?  Mom needs 44 candles!" Teddy insisted.  I don't...really...I'm good with 2!  After Teddy's flippant comment about me being 45 or so, I was ready to take Teddy down.  Thankfully, Uncle Brad instructed him last night on the finer details of dealing with women, "Teddy, it is always a good idea to round down for Mom's birthdays!"

Candles or no candles...the cake was good and the company sweet.  I love my family and friends for their loving words are always special.  Thank you!!!

A week of hard work...and all was ready for tonight's open house!

 Sewing curtains for the puppet window, tablecloth, napkins, and towels for the kitchen.  Alisa helped me make sensory bottles for our Science corner.  All three kiddos helped me hunt for book characters for our reading corner...scored a big Cat in the Hat and a little Curious George plus several other little animals at the Salvation Army!!!  After I threw them all in the washing machine, I had to laugh...poor Curious George looks like he is trying to get out.  I am hoping I don't ruin them...but washing is a must!!! shiver shiver shiver

 Everything is so bright and neat!  The room was filled with children and parents tonight.  LOTS of activity!!!

 My auntie is going to recognize a couple sweet friends!!!  The kiddos and I went to the storage unit this morning and Teddy helped me dig out several boxes.  We found books, decor, and teaching aids to add to this room-o-fun-learning!

 Mrs. K and Mrs. K watched several of our new little friends tonight.  "Oh. my. Are we in for a ride!?"  The supplies are over-flowing the table and wait for the appropriate storage spot.  Little faces smiled in response to our greetings.  Parents took in all the surroundings and information.

A couple more days...and we will hit the ground running...because there was at least one child who took off running across the platform DURING the opening meeting tonight.  I whispered to Ted, "Um, that is one of our little K3 students!"  And....he laughed.  I'm wondering what label I will assign to all my K3 stories...Dad, a little help here?!

We went over to meet our newest relative...

 Lollie the puppy!

 A little 8 week old Boston terrier with one blue eye and one brown eye.  She prances through the grass.  Mari says she doesn't like it...just like their Beau Lucky (the Boston terrier they had when they got married).

 We brought her a new blankie that I made once we heard the news (I had the sewing machine out for other reasons.).

 With all of us invading the house after prayer meeting/Bible study, she was little shy.

She let Aunt Kari hold her and cuddled right in to my arms.  We all turned to a bunch of saps as we watched her.

Ok, Mari, you win!

My little harvest of wimpy size tomatoes!  But they taste good!

I shall assume it is officially official!

 Today was our first inservice meeting and all the new staff was introduced.  Since it has been announced officially to all the staff and inservice has begun, I will share another new adventure.  I am stepping into the K3 teacher's aide position this year!  And...oh...look...I think I will fit right in...messy hands!  I will be working with a new friend, Miss K, who is really a Mrs.  She is from North Carolina and I love her twang when she says her name.  God orchestrated things so that I would be her aide...as she now transitions to a new job, home, church, and husband!  It struck me today...I have been there and done that a few times...and now I am going to help someone else do it.  So far...we have ideas galore!  We've clicked...I met her for the first time on Sunday...back from their honeymoon five days.  When she said she wanted her desk painted red, I think I may have giggled.  "I've never painted...should I use a brush or spray?"  Spray!  Definitely!  I can do it for you while you are in your meeting.

I went and picked up the kiddos to help us before ball practice.  They knocked out sorting three sets of books!  I could just squeeze them!  No fussing...just busy working...and Miss K let out another sigh of relief!  The room is on its way to shear cuteness.  "Do you ever look at pinterest?  I found a couple ideas..." as we discussed color schemes and plans.  "Um, yes, I have 116 pins under pre-school!" she replied.  And then we laughed.  "We know we will have fun...even if the students don't!"
Ted asked me over a year and a half ago, "What would you like to do if we ever had a change in our life?"  I would like to do something somewhere to help others and use the talents that God has given me.  At that time, I hadn't really considered going back to teaching full time as I was in the thick of being a homeschooling mom.  After stepping back in several classrooms last year as a substitute, the fire has been re-lit.  I am thankful and excited to be able to serve in this capacity!

We recited the quote..."Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

 Waking up to the ferry horn and the birds...but able to enjoy just laying in bed...for a little while longer.

 We packed up our things and checked out of the cottage...then headed to the beach.

 Another beautiful morning on the cool sand in the warm sun...watching the boats come in...

 and as afternoon arrived...many boats going out.

 The beach gradually filled with people.  What a place to watch people!

 Another picnic lunch of favorites.

 We finally headed to the bath house to change and head to the car...perfectly toasted and relaxed.

 We visited Maude's Garage and then headed in the general direction of home.  We took a side tour to go see Michilinda Lodge in Whitehall...and found a chain across the drive...it is for sale.  That was sad!  I always wanted to go see where Mom spent some of her summers.

Mari found a Fazolis for supper...and we lingered a little longer before our trip came to an end.  It was a fun way to celebrate our birthdays and finish off our summer!  Next week...school schedule begins!

Day 2 of our Birthday Extravaganza

 Started with sleeping in...making coffee and lemon blueberry scones.

 A delightful way to spend the morning...reading in the morning rays of sun on the cozy couch.

 Time stood still for a little while...and then seemed to go so fast the rest of the day!

 We watched the charter fishing boats come back in from the morning outing.

 The beaches had been groomed in preparation for the Friday visitors.

 The waves were gentle and the sun warm!

 The water was so clear...and COLD!

 As the morning turned into afternoon...the wind direction changed, the breeze was colder, and the waves got bigger!

 We brought out our lunch...another yummy dip and fresh fruit.  The seagulls suddenly became interested in our presence!

 Taking a break from reading...to watch people and watch the seagulls.

 We headed back to the cottage to clean up and go walk the shops.  We enjoyed the farmers market...finally...fresh Michigan peaches that were perfectly ripe!

 We stopped in for our birthday treat!

 "Yum!"

 We ended our day with a drive out to the state park.  Another gorgeous day and evening!

The green flag was out...swimming a "go".  Mari waded out (earlier in the day), but just going in to my ankles gave me a "brain freeze"! 

 By the time we got back, it was getting dark and colder.  We made coffee and snacked cuddled in our sweatshirts and socks.

A sweet time to "be still" together.  We talked when we wanted, but were content to enjoy the quiet too.  Yep, our husbands spoiled us by allowing us to take off while they held things together on the homefront!  What a blessing!  Thank you to our sweet husbands and kiddos!!!