Adventures of Hobie and Gobie

My New Favorite Song

2012-01-21T12:42:00.003-06:00

All I want for Christmas...

2011-12-13T18:37:00.002-06:00

Is my Auntie...

Thanks Aunt Michelle!

Prayer Room

2011-12-01T09:26:00.006-06:00

This past weekend, I got to see for the first time the plaque created in memory of Mom. The church named the prayer and conference room for her because of her unwavering commitment to prayer.After reading "Same Kind of Different as Me" (there was a picture of loved ones in a chapel that was named for a great woman of God who worked with the homeless) I wanted to make sure we got our picture with it.
This Thanksgiving I'm extremely thankful for a legacy of prayer and faith left by a Proverbs 31 woman! That legacy will be passed on to her daughters and grandkids!

Tea Party

2011-11-30T17:45:00.003-06:00

I was treated to a tea party thanks to Kara!

Kara's Pumpkin

2011-11-29T08:31:00.002-06:00

Remember this one from last year? That one was bought. Kara grew this giant pumpkin and then painted it.
Cute, huh?
And this is a cute outtake picture.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-28T12:29:00.004-06:00

Here's Kara annual Thankful tree. See a previous year's here.

Some notable "leaves" are vechtibls (vegetables), sevinteen (the #17), speseels (Speziales), prpl (purple) and Gob (God).
Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy, Handsome Baby

2011-11-18T09:12:00.001-06:00

Ignoring the messy living room in the background and blurry, phone camera picture, this is my new favorite picture!

WFMW-How to Save Bacon

2011-11-16T09:00:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I've participated in WFMW...but I think I've got a good one!

Instead of letting bacon go bad (since our small family doesn't eat in that often), when I get the bacon (either turkey or regular) from the store, I immediately roll each slice individually. Then place them in a freezer bag. Each morning that Kara or I want bacon, I nuke as many pieces as we want (to thaw) and then cook however!
Yum!

First Bath

2011-11-10T08:53:00.003-06:00

My mom taught me to get water in my kids' eyes when they were babies so that they would get used to it. (Apparently, she didn't do this with me, her oldest, and I had a fear of water in my eyes!)

Micah didn't mind :)

He wasn't too sure about this bath thing. But he didn't get upset either.

Aunt Tricia

2011-11-09T14:06:00.002-06:00

In honor of Aunt Tricia visiting this weekend, here's a video from an October 2010 weekend:

Eckert's Farm

2011-10-17T09:26:00.004-05:00

We took a fun homeschool field trip to an apple/pumpkin farm. First we were taught about how pumpkins grow and got to handle a few pumpkins and gourds.Then we took a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch to pick out one to take home:
After that, Kara and the other kids explored the other things to do:

Finally, we visited the store. Kara enjoyed her blueberry candy stick!

Brother and Sister

2011-10-13T13:43:00.002-05:00

Today, Micah:

April '05, Kara:

Awana

2011-10-04T20:54:00.003-05:00

Kara is in her second year as a Spark and Luke is in his third year as commander in our church's Awana program.
Don't smile here, Kara:
She said that her favorite part is games but she also likes music because she gets to see her mommy :).
Micah usually just chills during Awana:

S'more

2011-10-04T20:46:00.003-05:00

One of the best parts about Fall:
Not pictured...the yummy s'mores that were consumed!

Kara's Playhouse

2011-09-22T10:13:00.003-05:00

The local chapter of Habitat for Humanity had a fundraiser where they sold raffle tickets for a playhouse that Greenville College football players built with materials donated by a local business.

We had a good friend that bought Kara a ticket (unbeknownst to us) while Micah was in the hospital.

Kara's ticket was picked and now we have an awesome clubhouse in our backyard. The football players also delivered it.

Welcome, Micah Thomas!

2011-09-20T21:22:00.003-05:00

On August 5th, 2011, Micah Thomas was born at 9:21pm. At 8 weeks early, he came out screaming (yeah!) and weighed 4lbs 11oz. He was 17 inches long!

Micah spent 21 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit mostly learning how to eat. We are delighted that he is home now and we are together as a family!

Big sister, Kara, is a big help and LOVES her brother a bunch!

She's Come a Long Way!

2011-07-28T08:04:00.006-05:00

Last year for swimming lessons, Kara wouldn't jump off the diving board even with a lifeguard willing to catch her and swim her to the ladder. And now watch!

Branson 2011 Part One

2011-05-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

Our family took a trip to Branson recently. The kids had lots of fun in the pool...
Kara could stay there all day (and almost did!)
Here is a trip to the fish hatchery. The kids can feed the trout and learn about the hatchery from a movie and hands on activities.

Cousins...Sisters...
More to come...

Watching Kyrie

2011-05-07T09:14:00.005-05:00

Our favorite little friend, Kyrie, visited us the other night. Kara took charge. She played with her. Told her what to do ("No toys in the kitchen"). Fed her dinner. And pushed her most of the way on a nice evening walk.

Looks like this next baby will be easy for me if Kara does all the work ;)

Happy Belated Easter!

2011-04-28T09:34:00.001-05:00

From our family to yours :)

More Soccer

2011-04-26T13:26:00.006-05:00

Here are some action shots of soccer season 2011. I am sad to see it over. She did a great job and improved over the course of the short season.

Notice the kid on the ground....And Kara dribbles right past him...good girl! (He's ok!)

I've noticed a lot of action pics with her mouth open. It's kinda her trademark :)

Here she is as goalie...(the yellow shirt). She did well as goalie but I was nervous every time!
And practicing as goalie:Oops...

Slippery soccer ball

2011-04-06T13:47:00.003-05:00

One of Kara's fans :)

I haven't taken any pictures, just video so far of Kara's soccer season. That's Kara throwing it in. And then midway through the video she kicks it a bit.

Kara's fans get pretty into the game, so you may want to mute or turn down the volume :)

St. Louis Carousel

2011-04-03T13:54:00.003-05:00

Kara had a great day a few weeks ago at Faust Park in St. Louis riding the carousel and playing at the park. Gotta love spring!!!

Some Christmas?

2011-04-02T13:55:00.004-05:00

Maybe I'll get around to blogging some Christmas 2010. For now, here's a sneak peak (or all you're going to get...we'll see!)

Good times with the Roco boys

2011-04-01T10:41:00.004-05:00

My sister, Katie, came down to see us with her two boys for a quick visit. Even though it was short, we packed in a lot of fun.

We started by celebrating Robbie's upcoming 3rd (!) birthday. I think we did well with the Handy Manny talking toy with tools :0)
Then we took them to Marcoot Dairy Farm:

The moms enjoyed the delicious ice cream from the farm. No picture because we ate it while the kids were sleeping...shhhhhhhh ;)

Then on this cold but not too cold day, we took them to the park.

All in all it was a great time for the cousins :)

Happy St. Pat's Day

2011-03-17T08:52:00.003-05:00

To celebrate, Kara and I started out the morning with this Strawberry Green Smoothie.

Yummy, healthy and festive!

I'm back to posting!!! ;)

Last bit of Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-08T14:45:00.007-06:00

Random pics from our Thanksgiving celebration in NO particular order.

A Quick Visit

2010-12-08T10:27:00.002-06:00

We got to visit with the Carrolls (well some of them) on Thanksgiving day before we left for Chicago. Kara and Asher enjoyed some good cousin time.And some good food (thank you, Grandpa, for a nice breakfast!)
I think here Asher is saying, "Who are you and what are you doing?"
Grandpa with his two youngest grand"babies"
Goodbye, Asher! We'll see you for longer next time!

Cutting the bread for Thanksgiving Stuffing

2010-12-01T11:14:00.007-06:00

Every year, the youngest children in the family get the job of cubing the bread for my mom's (originally my grandma's) famous Savory Stuffing. This year, Nik, Sophia and Kara had that honor. They did a pretty good job!

(If you look closely, Nik's knife is upsidedown because he thought it worked better that way. Just goes to show how dull the knives that we give them are!)
The kids got tired after a bit and then the professionals had to take over:
Yummy!
And here's some pics of the the two cute non-bread cutting grandkids!
And one more of NikNik because he's such a ham!

Becca's Wedding

2010-11-22T07:56:00.004-06:00

When I was in Jr. High and High School, my best friend in the world was Becca. This weekend she got married and gave me the honor at singing at her wedding!

A happy couple (after 8 wonderful years!)
At the reception!
Best Friends!!! Looking better than ever!!
The Happy Couple!!!

Fall (quick) photo shoot

2010-11-18T11:11:00.003-06:00

I had two coupons for a free 5 x 7 photo card at Walmart. As we were rushing to get there (and let's face it, get out of there) I remembered the coupons were about to expire, so I made Kara pose for a quick photo shoot.

When I got there, the new HP photo kiosks were down, and I didn't get to use the coupons before they expired. In hindsight, I should have gotten a raincheck. Oh well...at least you got to see the cute pics!

Congratulations to Luke

2010-11-14T14:00:00.002-06:00

Today, my husband was ordained as a deacon in our church. We are so proud of him.

Aunt Tricia

2010-10-27T10:29:00.002-05:00

My sister came to visit this past weekend. We had a lot of fun!

Most notably...we visited the DeMoulin Museum...

And ate Pumpkin Pie and Halloween Harvest ice cream from Marcoot Dairy Farm...
Yum...

Covered Bride Festival 2010

2010-10-26T14:50:00.005-05:00

The Covered Bride Festival in Parke County, Indiana has been an annual tradition for my family since I was (younger than) Kara's age.
Papa bought some pumpkin ice cream which was a hit!
It was magnificent weather (which also means it was crowded) but we had a great time with my parents, aunt, grandma and cousin!
Kara insisted on carrying her own stuff out of the hotel...

We'll be back next year:

Delicious!!!

2010-10-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

I love fall and I love this fallish recipe.
Kara calls these our "Covered Bridge Festival nuts." Stay tuned to learn about our experience there.
Click over to my favorite crockpot lady for the recipe if you don't mind a new addiction (it's worse than Pringles!)

Kara's Big Pumpkin Part 2

2010-10-24T14:46:00.002-05:00

Here's how that big pumpkin turned out:

I asked her what the pumpkin's name was and she said, "Nothing. Why would you think I would name a pumpkin?"

TP'd

2010-10-14T14:49:00.004-05:00

One of our neighbors got TP'd and I had the privilege explaining what that meant to Kara! Wind blew a bunch of toilet paper in our yard. For the last few days, I've thought about going out there and cleaning it up. Then I had an idea. Kara just started a chore chart and she gets paid for doing certain things around the house (other "chores" she does just because she's part of the family). Why not pay her to do it? When I mentioned to her the idea, she litterally ran out of the house to do it! Best 50 cents I've ever spent.
Now what to do with the bushes. It looks like we've decorated for Halloween. We haven't!

Kara's Big Pumpkin

2010-10-13T16:21:00.003-05:00

Thanks, Grandpa, for a HUGE pumpkin. Thank you, also, for keeping it at your house :)

I think she likes it!

8 Wonderful Years

2010-10-12T16:00:00.003-05:00

Today I'm celebrating my wedding anniversary. Eight years ago today I pledged my life to my best friend. It was a wonderful celebration on that day but I never knew how fun, fulfilling and amazing it would be to be married. It's been a great ride and I love you, Luke!

Then:
Now:

Now a Sparky

2010-10-07T09:52:00.002-05:00

Kara has graduated from Cubbies to Sparks in the AWANA program and she couldn't be more excited. These are from the first night of Sparks this year.
Checking in:

She got her official Sparks vest the next week. I'll have to get some pics of that!

Fishing

2010-10-06T10:58:00.005-05:00

Last night, Kara, Luke and I had a great time fishing off a friend's boat on Carlyle Lake.
My attempt at an "artsy" sun picture:Kara with her trusty Barbie fishing pole.
Father/Daughter fishing

Yeah...the Barbie pole caught a fish!
Happy fisherwoman!
Daddy trying out the Barbie pole to see if it would work for him.
Daddy caught a fish with his pole!
Our scenic view:
Happy day and happy family!

Say Cheese!

2010-09-16T09:11:00.001-05:00

This is the first time I found a picture that Kara took of herself! Even with the messy hair, she's pretty cute, no?

Kara's Dinner

2010-08-01T19:34:00.001-05:00

Out of ideas for a Sunday night supper...here's what I came up with:

String cheese--protein and dairy
Grapes--from the Fruit and Veggie group
And the pretzels are a grain! Balanced, no?

It's the Simple Things...

2010-07-31T11:58:00.005-05:00

Today we had a fun day as a family in downtown Greenville. First we got to watch the tractors line up for a parade.
Then we bought some donuts from the Bakery Nook. We brought the donuts to Adam Brothers Music and Coffee House where I bought coffee,

and we watched the parade from there :)

We checked out a few resale shops including my favorite The Open Drawer (where I got a cute green shirt and shorts) and The Green Door.
Kara was about done in this picture (she said her arms and legs were tired!)
Finally, we headed to the DeMoulin Museum and checked out Luke's custom made plaque!

A simple, yet fun day in good ol' Greenville!

WFMW-Organizing

2010-07-28T16:06:00.003-05:00

My five year old was eager to help de-clutter her room once she asked if she could make signs for the project. Here is what she came up with on her own:

(Sorry it's blurry!)

I wished I had before and after pictures but because it was an organizing project, her room doesn't look that much different. It definitely feels different.

Kids helping with organizing....works for me!

Disney World pt 1

2010-07-11T20:16:00.002-05:00

Here's Kara's mad drumming skills at one of the (many) gift shops at Magic Kingdom:

Fun at PB & J and Park

2010-06-04T15:00:00.004-05:00

Thanks, John and Morgan for a fun day at the park and PB & J!!!

Myrtle Beach Part 1

2010-05-18T21:04:00.004-05:00

Kara and I are enjoying Myrtle Beach with my family. Here are some teaser pictures.

AWANA

2010-05-13T07:57:00.002-05:00

We have finished another AWANA year. Kara graduated from Cubbies (the preschool group).
Here she is pointing to the Wall of Fame and her name in the column of kids who finished their books:Luke was the Commander and I helped out with music!
We had our final club the first week of May and this coming week is the awards night.
Kara and I will not make that because (unfortunately?) we will be in Myrtle Beach. More on that later...

Moving Out...

2010-05-12T10:53:00.004-05:00

Last week, Kara and I helped my sister, Erin, pack up and move out of her freshman year of college.
Michelle and Kara worked hard on the cleaning the fridge.
Kara only took a few breaks to play on the top bunk.
Have a great summer!!!

Kara's First Haircut

2010-05-10T13:03:00.003-05:00

At 5 years old, Kara got her first ever haircut last week.

Before:
During:

After: This picture isn't the best, but Tabitha at Fantastic Sam's did a GREAT job and we love her new 'do!

My first 5K

2010-05-10T12:03:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, I participated in my first 5K. I ran the whole way and finished in 37 minutes and 47 seconds. Nothing to write home about but I was happy to finish!

Bonus: The route went right past my house so now I can run it whenever I want.

Picnic with a Friend

2010-04-29T08:36:00.005-05:00

Kara had a playdate yesterday. The highlight was the outdoor picnic!!

They couldn't decide if they wanted sun or shade so it was a "traveling" picnic. But they enjoyed themselves!

Soccer

2010-04-07T10:33:00.001-05:00

Before:
After:

Soccer Girl

2010-04-05T07:48:00.005-05:00

Kara is having so much fun playing soccer for the first time this year.

Here is one of her 3 goals in the first game. (Notice there was no goalie!)

Kara's Birthday Part 2

2010-03-12T13:04:00.004-06:00

Kara got to celebrate her 5th birthday in Chicago this past week. Here are some scenes from her little party.

Don't I have the cutest niece and nephews??
Baby Braedon...such a sweetheart!:
Big Brother, Robbie....such an entertainer!!!:

Cousins and great friends Sophia, Nik and Kara!:
The birthday girl (little woman?) herself:

Our Cheerleader

2010-03-04T09:25:00.003-06:00

For AWANA this past Super Bowl Sunday, the kids had to dress up like a football player or cheerleader. Kara was "posing" for the camera!

Kara's Balloon

2010-03-03T08:55:00.002-06:00

Here's Kara birthday present from her daddy!

Before/After

2010-03-02T07:54:00.005-06:00

Before---(probably Dec. '07)
After---(Dec. '09)
:)

Happy 5th Birthday, Kara!!!

2010-03-01T18:08:00.003-06:00

I know I haven't blogged in "literally forever" (props if you get that reference). I've been busy! But today is a special day and deserves a cute picture from a cute, growing girl!

Best Part of the Holidays--Family pt 2

2010-01-05T13:28:00.001-06:00

Best Part of the Holidays--Family

2010-01-04T09:15:00.002-06:00

Here are some random shots of family from the past few weeks.

More to come...

Worth 1,000 Words

2010-01-03T21:13:00.003-06:00

This picture of Kara on the morning our little family celebrated Christmas, sums our holiday up.

Happy, peaceful and full of family and fun. Hope your celebration of the birth of our Lord was just as wonderful!

Gingerbread Boy, Angel and Heart

2009-12-21T07:56:00.003-06:00

Kara and I made some fun gingerbread figures. Unfortunately I accidently left out the shortening but they still sorta worked!

Here are our creations...The Gingerbread Boy:
And the Gingerbread Angel:
And with the last few scraps...A Gingerbread Heart:
The figures were delicious even if they were a bit hard!

Ringing the Bell

2009-12-18T19:03:00.004-06:00

Today Kara and I rang the bell for the Salvation Army. I'm very sad that I didn't bring my camera but, to be honest, she wasn't as cute as last year:
Or the year before when she cried if someone didn't say "Merry Christmas" to her:
On the plus side, she did ring the bell so cutely that many people who looked as if they were going to go right out the door, came back and generously opened their wallets.

Merry Christmas!!!

Starting Her Young

2009-12-17T16:13:00.003-06:00

Kara wanted to help Daddy work in the garage (where he does his business LZ Engraving) and so he put her to work.

If you make it through this entire video, you are either family, or have been tricked into watching it, because it's pretty boring!

Hula Hoop Girl

2009-12-04T12:06:00.003-06:00

Kara's new favorite past time is doing her hula hoop. Or rather, showing people how well she can hula hoop.

See for yourself. (I didn't know I was in the frame FOLDING LAUNDRY...but oh well. Focus on the cute 4 year old doing her thing!)

Also, I want to send a shout out to 6 year old Tyler who taught her how!!!

WFMW-Kid's crafts

2009-12-02T09:10:00.004-06:00

Here's are latest Christmas craft. I'm looking for some more ideas, so comment if you have any good preschool crafts.

We made this wreath by first cutting a hole in the middle of a paper plate (no picture, sorry)

Then we (as in I) cut green tissue paper (and some red) into squares.

We wrapped the paper around our fingers (or a pencil), dipped it in some glue and applied it to the paper plate wreath.

It was a fun project. Please share your Christmas crafts or links to good sites. Thanks.

For more ideas, go here.

Operation Christmas Child Year 2

2009-12-01T16:11:00.005-06:00

Kara and I had a great time last year packing our Operation Christmas Child shoebox, so I had high expectations for this year's experience.

Hmmm....I'd better watch those expectations. For some reason, (maybe it was because I forgot about it so we had to rush through it to get it in on time, or maybe she was having a bad hair day) Kara wasn't as into it.

She still did it, with sorta a smile.

And we sent it off and are praying for the recipient.

Shower Favors

2009-11-30T08:45:00.004-06:00

First a caveat. My camera is mostly broken. So most pictures turn out like this:
Yep...that's me...just blurry!

But sometimes I can get a few decent ones like the day Kara and I recently made favors for my friends baby shower.They turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself.

This is her enjoying some of the chocolate as a reward for all her hard work!

Our Thankful Tree (and teeth)

2009-11-24T12:01:00.008-06:00

Kara and I made a Thankful Tree. I stole this idea from another blog (don't remember where...sorry!). The leaves are all the things that she is thankful for.

Here's when we started...

Notice the ONE missing tooth:

And today we finally finished it.

A closeup of some of the leaves (decorated with stickers and glitter, of course)
And here are TWO missing teeth.

Cupcake Party

2009-11-23T13:58:00.004-06:00

My local MOPS discussion group hosted a Cupcake decorating party.

Here's the process...

The final product...

The reward....YUM!

Goliath and An Angel

2009-10-29T12:40:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of Luke as Goliath and Kara as an angel for our AWANA club's annual Trunk or Treat.

My Little Recycler

2009-10-26T12:31:00.002-05:00

Sweetest Words to Hear

2009-10-22T14:06:00.001-05:00

I love hearing this phrase and never tire of it:

"Mama, can I cuddle with you?"
The answer is always yes!

Shopping

2009-10-21T09:12:00.003-05:00

Kara and I doing one of our favorite activities: SHOPPING at The Mills. We don't do it often enough but we both love it!
(This is the smile you get from a 4 year old when you threaten her she won't get to ride on the "ice cream truck" if she doesn't take a picture with you!)
We counted the "smile."

Meet Laura

2009-10-18T14:56:00.005-05:00

Laura is the name Kara gave to my in-law's new dog. She is an Australian Cattle dog or Blue Heeler.
Kara loves her a lot but won't get very close to her because she's scared that Laura will scratch her.

Fire!

2009-10-15T11:04:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary to me! My husband got me a new fire pit for our anniversary. It kinda looks like this:
To me, this is a BEAUTIFUL sight:
And so is this:
(Mom, I know what you are going to say...."Get that hair off of her face so that she doesn't get stickiness everywhere." It's too late!)

This is just a silly sight: (Luke was trying make me look like I was on fire!)
And this last one was an uninvited guest and it's quite a scary sight:
Look how HAIRY!:

WFMW-Washcloths

2009-10-07T08:12:00.004-05:00

After googling for an hour about how to keep my kitchen washcloths from getting that stinky smell...I did one better. I asked my mom.

"Don't use a washcloth for more than two days."

Duh! I had been waiting to wash it until it starting stinking! No wonder I couldn't get the smell out.

Fresh washcloths works for me. Click on the icon for more cleaning tips.

5 New Cute Kara Stories

2009-10-01T08:18:00.007-05:00

Story #1
We were driving home one night and Kara said, "Mom, I love you so much. I just want to break your head off, Mommy." Luke said, "What do you mean, Kara?" She said, "I love her so much I just want to keep her with me."

Story #2
Grandpa said his teeth hurt. Kara asked why. So Grandpa started telling her about what happens when you get older and about his particular teeth issues. Kara interrupted him and said "I'm too little to understand that, Grandpa!"

Story #3
Grandpa said "I love you, Kara." And Kara said "Grandpa, you always say that!"

Story #4
Kara pointed to my shoulder and said, "Mom, I think I'm going to be as big as that when I grow up." I said, "Kara, I hope you'll be taller than me when you grow up." (I'm 5"1'). "Why do you want me to be taller than you, Mom? So you don't have to get stuff for me anymore?"

Story #5
And just last night before bed, Luke said, "I love you, Kara." Kara replied, "I love your little nose, Daddy."

*I've been told that I got Story #5 wrong. Well, I wasn't there. Here's how it went:
"Kara, I'm going to miss you tomorrow when I go to work."
"I'm going to miss your little nose, Daddy."

WFMW-Apple Oatmeal "Cookies"

2009-09-30T09:25:00.006-05:00

What makes a cookie a cookie? Dictionary.com defines it like this: a small cake made from stiff, sweet dough rolled and sliced or dropped by spoonfuls on a large, flat pan (cookie sheet) and baked.

According to that definition, then the following is a cookie. But it's semi-healthy (if you ignore the first ingredient) and more like a fragile lump than a stiff cookie. Everyone who tried these, liked them. But not everyone thought they met the definition of a "cookie." (I guess they didn't go to dictionary.com!!)

Here are the ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 apple, cored and chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream the butter, honey, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a smaller bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda and cinnamon; stir dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Add oats and apple and mix to combine. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Mine didn't make 4 dozen. Maybe because the batter was too good. Or maybe because my 4 year old was my "helper."
Not bad for all by herself:
Yummy!!

Whether or not these cookies meet the cookie definition, they were a hit and that works for me. Click on icon above for more WFMW tips!

Hobie and Gobie pt.2

2009-09-29T16:54:00.003-05:00

I found out today that Hobie and Gobie call a circle an oval and an oval, a circle. She said, "They don't even know that a squished circle is an oval."

So...there you go!

Coming soon the recipe for yummy, easy, partially healthy Apple Oatmeal Cookies. So Fallish!

Hobie and Gobie

2009-09-17T08:12:00.007-05:00

This blog is called the Adventures of Hobie and Gobie and I'm happy to announce that they are both alive and well! Kara shares stories of their lives with us and here are a few:

Story #1
We are getting ready for bed when Kara says, "Mom, do you know that Hobie and Gobie's mom doesn't count to 3. She only counts to 2."

I said, "Then what happens."

"They spend most of the day in time out. They don't even get to play with their big sister, Ella."

Story #2
We went to the library and I told her she could pick one coloring page to bring home.

She said, "Do you know what Hobie and Gobie do? They don't even ask their mom if they can take a coloring page. They just take all of them."

Story #3
On our way to Chicago while Kara was potty training she said, "Hobie and Gobie have to go potty real bad." I figured that was a clue that she had to go so I pulled over at a gas station, got her out of the car (probably had to unbuckle Hobie and Gobie too) and took her to the restroom. When I tried to sit her on the toilet, she said "Not me, Hobie and Gobie." She wouldn't even try and she did hold it all the way to Chicago!

Just this morning:
"Do you know what Hobie and Gobie call Rice Krispies? Purple Krispies! HAHAHA" The Hahaha is Kara's new laugh. It's pretty funny.

Frequently, we "forget" to bring Hobie and Gobie somewhere and so they are running beside the car before we let them in.

Hobie and Gobie are about 2 inches tall. She carries them places. When I asked if they are boys or girls she said that they are both. Hmmm.

All I know is Hobie and Gobie sure make this a fun place to live.

**This just in***
"Mom, you know what? Hobie and Gobie can do things that no one else can. Not even dogs." Here her voice gets almost to a whisper! "They can do cartwheels under the water!"

WFMW-Extra Pillow

2009-09-16T08:33:00.003-05:00

I got this tip from our Neuro Muscular Theapist. When she would have me lay on my back, she put a round (hot dog shaped) pillow under my knees.

I thought...I wonder if that's the best way to lay on your back. And since I'm a back sleeper, I tried it.

No more back pain.

That works for me. To learn more tips, click on the icon above!

Kara's Artwork

2009-09-14T12:15:00.002-05:00

Kara is serious about her artwork. And she's pretty good (if I do say so myself). Can you guess what this picture is?
That's right...It's Bob, Larry and Junior with hats on their heads.

An Almost Oops

2009-09-12T14:35:00.003-05:00

I had a friend help me organize all my yard sale stuff. While pricing my old purses, she asked if I emptied them. I answered that I had but if she would just check all the little pockets to make sure I didn't leave something random in one of them.

This is what she found:

Prescription medicine (two kinds), SD card, mini SD card, earphones, change, lots of business cards (ours and other people's), my favorite kinds of tea, ear plugs, wet wipes, hand lotion, two pens, kleenex (possibly used), hand sanitizer, an order from the doctor to get a CBC, an eraser, 2 lip glosses and a chapstick.

Good thing she checked for me!

More from North Carolina

2009-09-11T09:17:00.004-05:00

We went on a few trails while visiting Asher last week. Here are some of the pictures that Luke took of Kara:

And my maybe all time (current) favorite:
Oh wait...this one is of me:

Luke needs to start his own photography blog but until he does, you can appreciate some shots here:

And here's a cool spider we saw:

Introducing Asher James

2009-09-10T08:46:00.005-05:00

Here's my new nephew, Asher James! We got to visit him (and his brother and sister and mom and dad) last week in North Carolina.Kara adored her new cousin (just a little)!
Look how tiny he is!!!
Here are the proud parents:
The cousins:
And the happy family:
Congrats, Carroll family!

WFMW-Bar Keeper's Friend

2009-09-09T09:43:00.005-05:00

I have a new friend. Even though I'm not a keeper of a bar...this product is my new ally in the quest for a cleaner kitchen.

Before (which is really after a good scouring with Dawn and scrubbing brush):

After:
Thanks, new Friend:

For more WFMW, go here.

Carlyle Beach

2009-09-08T12:54:00.003-05:00

Kara had SO much fun at the beaches in New Hampshire and PA, so Luke and I took her to Carlyle Lake for the day.
I didn't take many pictures because we were busy having fun!!!

Kara's Note

2009-09-01T15:27:00.001-05:00

My sweet daughter made this chalk drawing for me. Isn't she sweet???

It says, "I love you, mom"
I love that she wrote it twice!!!

Out takes...or Mom, enough with the Pictures!

2009-08-31T08:43:00.005-05:00

Kara's a good little picture taker (she wasn't always!) but here are a few from our vacation that, for various reasons, didn't turn out so well.

And here's one that Kara set up (that's her favorite stuffed animal, Sleeping Beauty) and took:
I think she's enjoying her ride :)

Pt. 5 of New Hampshire trip--The drive home

2009-08-31T08:15:00.006-05:00

On our way home from New Hampshire, we stopped at Niagara Falls and Erie, PA.

We thought that after liking the falls in New England like here and here, Kara would love the HUGE Niagara Falls.

And she did, but whenever we asked her how she liked it she said "I like Justin's waterfall better."
Here's the Maid of the Mist:

There is a pennisula by Erie that has a lighthouse at the end (our original destination).

The lighthouse was a private residence so we couldn't get very close, but the beach was such a find. It was beautiful. And Kara was so happy to go to her second beach. A wedding was just ending as we walked up.

As soon as we got in the car she said "Now can we go to my third beach?"
And, finally, one of my favorite pics of the week...our sweet girl sitting where she sat a lot (her car seat), doing what she did a lot (smiling!)

Pt. 4 of New Hampshire

2009-08-29T07:22:00.009-05:00

Really, this wasn't that long of a trip, but we packed a lot in!

The final day we visited the Vermont Country Store.

There was lots to see and do and smell and taste.

After that outing, we got to go to Spofford Lake and Kara had her first* time at a beach. She played a little in the sand and a lot in the water.

Then we took a boat ride on a VERY fast speed boat. I didn't get a lot of pictures of that. I mostly held on to Kara really tight!!!

That night, our hosts planned a great meal for us: Maine Lobsters, clams and steak! Here's Mrs. Mousette showing Kara two of the lobsters (I think there were 20!)

Here's Kara's reaction to Mrs. Mousette naming them and pretending they were talking to each other.

Kara also got to feed the clams. I learned that if you give them cornmeal the day before, it replaces the sand and dirt in their stomachs. Interesting..

It was a very delicous meal. They served the lobster with melted butter, but Luke and I didn't think it was needed. The lobster (and clams and steak) was soooo yummy!

*Kara's been to a beach before, but she doesn't remember it so she doesn't count it!

Tomorrow...last installment of our New Hampshire trip--The trip home!