apple orchard

Today was a beautiful fall day! It was sunny and much warmer than it has been for a while! My car thermometer said '49' degrees! It was NOT snowing, it was NOT raining, and it was NOT too cold! It was perfect!

It was the perfect day to venture to the apple orchard. We have made this a family tradition every fall for the past 18+ years to head out to the Pine Tree Apple Orchard for a fun filled family outing.

Well this year Drew and I were the only ones that wanted to go- various reasons were given- but Drew and I decided the day was just too perfect to pass up. =0)

The first thing we did was to take a wagon ride. This is always a favorite and the scenery is amazing!





Our next stop was a hike up the hill to the corn maze.



This is always so much fun! After entering the maze you look for these wood boxes with letter clues on them. Drew is writing his clue down on his paper.



This year there were 7 letters to find along the maze and these letters are scrambled and spell a word. We had a lot of fun searching for all the clues!



If you get the word correct you receive a prize at the end! A juicy red apple!





Then it was off to the pumpkin patch.



And a sweet lady offered to take our picture for us.



Drew "picking some apples."



(OK, this is NOT a pick your own apple orchard, but I couldn't resist posing Drew for this picture.=0)

And of course at the end, we stopped at the apple barn to buy some apples and some baked goodies to bring home!

Thanks for an awesome afternoon, Drew!!!

senior soccer

Last Thursday was Tyler's last regular season soccer game. It was also 'Senior Day' and 'Teacher Appreciation Day' all combined into one fun soccer night. I didn't get many pictures that night because it was really cold and I was being kind of wimpy and didn't want to take my mittens off or get out from under my blanket, but I managed to get a couple. =0)

This first picture is from the 'Teacher Appreciation'. Each of the players were asked to nominate a teacher who has been their favorite from over the years. Tyler chose his AP Calculus teacher (he had this teacher last year for pre-calc also). Here is a group pic of the teachers that were honored.



Drew and his friend were 'Ball Boys' for this game- this picture was taken before the game started as they were watching the varsity team warm up.



The cake from after the game.



Here is one of the pages from the program that was made for "senior night'.



There was a bio for each of the seniors in the program saying how many years they have been playing soccer, most memorable soccer moment and favorite teacher.

Tyler's read: "13 years playing soccer, most memorable moment 'winning Schwan's USA Cup U11' Tyler also plays Hockey & favorite teacher is Mrs. C-."

Tyler's team has their first section play off game tomorrow night- Go North!!!

really?!?!

We woke up to more of this today~



This is the second snow we have had in just a few days and they are forecasting more snow on Wednesday!!!! This is early (too early)--even for Minnesota!

And I know it must be getting cold and snowy out if Jake has pulled out his winter wardrobe! =0) Seriously, this is what Jake will wear all winter long- unless the temps or windchill get really, really cold (like 20 below zero or colder- then he will wear pants and maybe a jacket!!!)



I just love the look of the choppers with the shorts! Too funny! And he has substituted his baseball hats for his hockey hats- but he always has a hat on!!!

I will admit that it was very pretty out today~



But still.... it would be nice to enjoy Fall a little bit first!!!

pumpkin bliss

**Updated to join in on the Recipe Party that Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is having today.**


It was a cold, fall day today- a perfect day for a little baking!

And nothing says fall to my family quite like a pan of pumpkin bars! My mom has been making these bars since I was a little girl~ these have always been one of my favorite fall treats and are now a favorite of my boys as well! Seriously these are so good and I usually try to make these a couple of times each season!



Pumpkin Bars

Crust:
1 package yellow cake mix (reserving 1 cup)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 - 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Topping:
1 cup cake mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

Combine crust mixture and press into 13x9 greased pan. Combine filling and pour over crust. Combine topping until crumbly and sprinkle over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

snowy morning

I woke up this morning to see a dusting of snow that had fallen over night. I dug out my favorite Ugg boots and headed outside to take a few pictures.





And my favorite picture of the morning~





I guess it is time to pack away the summer clothes and flip flops! :)

a camera class and the Twins win

It was a good day today!

Well---other than Jake being home from school today. He was not feeling real good last night after hockey tryouts and then this morning was feeling run down and tired so I kept him home today in hopes that by giving him some rest he will stay healthy!!! (150+ students at Drew's school were absent yesterday because of flu like symptoms!)

On to the good part of the day....about a month or so ago I had signed up for a camera class at a local camera store. Well today was the day of the class, and oh my goodness it was so good! This was a 2 1/2 hour class and it just flew by! I learned so much and am already looking forward to the second part of the class next week! I really trying to learn as much as I can about my camera and taking better pictures-- and it has been so much fun! I really am enjoying learning something new!



Tonight, Tyler was suppose to have a soccer game against a big rival--- but it got cancelled because of flooded fields due to all the rain we have had in the past few days.

So, the good news was that we didn't have to sit out in the freezing, cold rain tonight (although I would have loved to see Ty play-- we have already done the cold, rain thing last Thursday and it is not so much fun!!!!) Instead, we were able to sit in our warm, dry house and watch the MN Twins play Detroit to see who would make it into the play off games. Amazingly enough- all three boys were home tonight as we sat with the fireplace going and watched the Twins win-!!! It was a perfect night!

a book kind of weekend

It has been a cold and rainy weekend~ the perfect kind of weekend to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book~ and that is just what I did (in between hockey tryouts, baseball games and homecoming events.) =0)

I just finished "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. This book was so good, I literally could not put it down and it is now on my list of all time favorite books! I loved it!

This book is a true story about "a modern day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together." It was a book that brought tears and deep thought on themes such as prejudice, homelessness, sickness and suffering, forgiveness, friendship and faith.



This story is a beautiful example of how we all can make a difference in the lives of others! This book is definitely a must read!

homecoming 2009

Pictures from Tyler's senior year Homecoming~





Tyler and Megan~



The group of 18 couples~









Tyler and his good friend Zach and their dates~

homecoming t-shirts

I made the boys 'pose' for me today with their Homecoming t-shirts on. The tradition at their school is that the seniors wear black and the freshmen wear gray (sophomore's are white and juniors are red)for Homecoming. And tradition is that the underclassmen better not wear anything other than their class color....or else! =0)

homecoming week

It is homecoming week here at our schools. Last night was the 'Powderpuff'' football game where the senior girls play the junior girls in a game of flag football. Tyler and 2 of his friends were the 'coaches' for one of the groups of senior girls. Hmmm... 3 soccer players coaching football???

I was able to get a couple of pictures of Ty last night before he left for the big game. =0)





Did you see the clip board (I don't think anything was written on that paper) and the headphones (XBox headphones)? All three of the 'coaches' wore these to look official, or something... =0)

And a couple of pictures at the game~











And the seniors win!