C3PO

I found this mask at a garage sale for $1.00. The kids LOVE all things Star Wars, and this was a really neat find. I'm sure it's worth more since it came in the orginal box from the early 80's, but the kids love it!! I also snagged a Star Wars Simon Says at the same sale. Gotta love a good buy!

Homemade Sunflower Seeds!

So... this was my first time! I can't

Say they were GREAT. They were ok.

They had a really nice taste to them, but they were harvested too early. I

found an easy recipe to follow and it

was a neat experience. First I dried

the flowers out on a window screen for about a week. Next they were taken off of the head and soaked in 1 gal of water with 2 cups of salt over night.

Then finally slowed baked them in the

Oven @250 for about 3 1/2 hours.

Fire!

we enjoy having bonfires from time to time, this was a small one the boys enjoyed! As you can see I'm always the one with the camera, so most of the pictures taken and posted are of my kids, cats and hubby. :)

Jacob is 11 (almost 12-Nov 12Th) going on 15!! He's SASSY, STUBBORN and all about the latest trends! Since we have no land-line phone, we decided to add Jacob on to Jason's work plan (like my phone) and thus he got his own phone. His phone is much more sophisticated than mine. His has the "text" keyboard is 2 different colors, it also slide. It plays games (even mine doesn't do that). He's very excited.

North Branch Free Kids Carnival

For the past 10-11 years North Branch has had a church sponsored free kids carnival. We've only gone to a recent few. Last year Joshua had a melt down so we had to duck out early, but this year we stayed long enough for the kids to use up their game tickets, eat lunch, look at all of the farm animals and get sun-burnt! The kids enjoy themselves so I mettle through, I hate how busy it gets, but that's just me!

Watch my garden grow 2....see 2008 for 1

Last year I started a garden! What I got was a couple of pepper and Tomato plants! Which I loved but...

...This year I planted anything I

thought we would eat! Some did

better than others!

Our pumpkins did not show up (yet flowers or Male/Females did)??????

We got a couple good Melons,

a ton of GREEN BEANS!

A few small tomato's,

the sunflowers are yet to

be dried, a lot of peas (in pea pods),

the pickles aka cucumbers are still an issue.

Some look great, others look like they got

a shot of FAT in "em. They are not growing

long and round....just round and round and round??

Next year will be different...live and learn, or

is it monkey see monkey do or is it next (3) times a

charm.... YOU CAN DO IT!!!! YES WE CAN!!!

whatever your mantra is...

I hope to do better next time!!

Pretty pictures though huh??

New found respect for the wild

Ok, so I've never been one to just look at a flower or plant and think "ummm wonder if I can eat that" but that all changed thanks to Miranda Lund! She was over a couple weeks back and we went on a hunt, she told me all about the wild fruit I have living on my land and it's been awesome! The first thing we found was the wild grapes, next came the wild plums, she also pointed out Chokecherries and a few others! So it got me thinking what else do we have and what I can make?? So the research began...I started with a book titled "Abundantly Wild" collecting and cooking wild edibles in the midwest. This was HUGE!!! We collected a lot of fruit from our yard (all that is said above, plus Serviceberries and wild roses (Hips), Hackberries, and Sumac) that has been there for many years and we've lived here for over 6 and it's the first time we've collected anything!!!

Did you know you can eat Dandelions?? How about Day Lilies? Who knew???

My first project was "wild plum Jam" I had no recipe, it turned out ok...I hope! We gave a jar to my mom and one to our friend Melanie, they both said it was good! I have 4 more sitting in my freezer! It was easy...I just boiled the plums and took the skins and pits out/off then reduced the filling with some sugar and pectin. The consistency was PERFECT!!! Very jelly/jam like! Its taste is sweet, yet tart at the same time!

Next project was grape wine, now if you read up on all of the proper instructions, it says you need many fancy items and spices to properly produce wine, but ya know what....back in the day when those things didn't even exist they still put out a nice, yummy batch of moonshine or wine so my theory was again to just wing it! I crushed the TONS of grapes I harvested and discarded the pits and skins and then fermented the juice in sugar and then added the yeast!! now it sits in my fridge for awhile (a month to a year) and then we test the goods!!!

This Saturday we're going on a Scavenger hunt! We're bringing out book along and we're going to hunt for Ramps (wild leeks), Puffballs (wild Mushrooms), Raspberries, and more! Yummy! Let the hunt began!

Greedy Guy

This little guy was hungry~

Jacob, Jason and Joshua were all playing soccer one day and our dog "Brutus" AKA Poochie went CRAZY!!! Now each day we get out there with him and he loves it! He'll chase the ball, roll it with his nose, he'll bark if we don't kick it for him to chase, he even does this super funny thing when the ball goes up in the air, he'll do like an almost back flip type thing! Awesome! Who knew?? I wanted a quiet, cute, cuddly, tiny lap dog, but what we got was this super duper LOUD CRAZY one!

Joshua cools off!

It's been a hot few days!

Joshua cools off!

Alayna's Birthday Party

We went to a friends birthday party a few weeks back. Joshua being a little shy opt'd to play alone, but that's ok! He still had fun!

Wow...it's been awhile!

What can I say??????? A little lazy, a little busy and a little bored with the computer has kept me away from updating this often. I also have my jewelry blog and try to keep up on that one.

This summer has been pretty fun, lazy and mellow. We spent a few days up in Eagle River WI at a friends cabin, we've done a lot of day trips and fun things locally, and spent time with family & friends.

Here are a few pictures of our summer so far...

My favorite thing....

My very favorite part about Christmas is to watch the joy and excitment of my boys when they open their gifts, get together with family and put up the tree! I feel very blessed to have the means to provide them with the things they need and want.

Cookies for Santa!

One of my favorite thing to do is cook. Although I'm not very good at it, I try. I love to make cookies and enjoy when the boys help me. This year the cookies were so good, Santa didn't get any :(

Christmas comes early!

A few days before Christmas we opened the gifts Jason's parents sent. I LOVE the blankets Grandma Connie made, and also like my new PJ'S. They were very generous this year, even giving us a HP printer for our camera. Jacob got the Bakugon arena he's been wanting since his birthday!

THANKS GRANDMA & GRANDPA!!!

Joshua's 5th Birthday!

Joshua had an amazing 5th birthday party! We had a few family and friends join us at the Almelund town hall. We played a lot of games such as "pin the hat the cowboy", red light green light and duck duck grey duck. We also made a "western vest and a cowboy balloon figure". We ate snacks, cupcakes and danced to music! All in all I feel the party was a huge success! Thanks to everyone that was able to attend.

Joshua with a table full of goodies!

Jacob & Joshua at the town hall!

Jason playing duck duck grey duck with all of the kids! Jonah, Hayden, Ella, Ashley, Joshua, Alayna, Jacob!

The gangs all here! Alayna, Ella, Abby, Joshua, Hayden, Jonah, Ashley, Jacob!

The Cutest cowboy Ever! Happy Birthday buddy! We love you!

Sci-Fi

While my mother-in-law was in town for her short visit (Wed-Sun) we went to the science museum. Connie (mom in law) and Jason's brother and his two boys also went. We got to see the CSI stuff among other "stuff"

Lazy PJ Sunday

I just love lazy Sundays. I just wish Jason was here to enjoy this day with us, he's working :( I love to chill, watch movies, make popcorn and play games with the boys on Sundays. Today I am updating my much needed blog as well.

Tag- Six random facts about me

Little Missy homemaker (Melissa) has tagged me so here goes....6 random facts about me.

1) I love to cook, but I really suck at it. There is only one recipe that I do well and that's our famous Irish Stew and Soda bread. I try to bake and sometimes do OK with that, but most of the time it ends up in the garbage. Once in awhile I send my "creations" to Jason's work for the guys to be my guinea pigs. I try to make new things, and with Jacob's wheat-free diet it's been a challenge to try to come up with new and tasty menus. I make a mean "Flour less Peanut butter cookie". (thanks for the recipe Brianna) I also have a slight obsession with collecting cookbooks.

2) I moved out of my mom's house when I was just 17 and had my own apartment, a full-time job and paid for my own car. . I was an early school baby (July bday) so when school was over in June, I left home. I grew up with a lot of craziness and ciaos and wanted to make a better way. I would go to Anoka Ramsey Community college from 8am-noon and then worked from 3pm-11pm 5 days a week. I did this all the way up to the time I met Jason. I'm proud of that fact.

3) Ok so this may not be random....but I love CATS! I have 4 and would have a lot more if my husband would allow me to. All of my cats are rescue cats. Autumn is the oldest and I found her when she was just 2 weeks old. Summer was a Ferrel baby and she is now the sweetest cat ever. The two babies were born in my basement, and the momma cat is a wild outdoor cat who isn't a good mom and abandoned them. I kept them thinking I would find a home for them.....but 10 months later they are still here! I have tons of cat things too. Clocks, plates, dishes, PJ's, books. I have loved these animals for my entire life. They give me great joy. I do hate cleaning the litterbox though!

4) I hate to clean. It's so odd because about 2 years ago it's like a switch went off and cleaning the house was no longer as important to me as it had been in years past. I used to be a HUGE OCD cleaner, even coming home from work at 1am and cleaning. Now I like to do less productive, but more fun things. I have started this blog, I have an entire room dedicated to my crafts. Beading, scrap booking, card making. It's a great place where Joshua and I go connect and doddle. I will sit and read over my cookbooks searching for something fun to make. I also TiVo a lot of TV shows. I also would much rather be birdwatching in my backyard than cleaning my messy house!

5) After 14 years I'm still totally in love with my husband Jason. Sure, everyone has rough patches, but I think love prevails. He's just a very hardworking, dedicated family man and a great husband and wonderful father. He enjoys his time with our family and I can truly feel that. He makes me happy, he makes me feel safe and secure. He's a great helper and provider and most importantly he's my best friend.

6) Chicago is my favorite place to go on vacation. Every July we take a family vacation and we've been to a few great places, like Montana, North Dokata, Wyoming but I hold a special spot for Chicago in my heart. I actually would love to move to Illinois. We've gone there 2 years in a row and went to a Cubs game, there is just so much to do. The city is HUGE and the fun never ends. From museums to the best hot dogs and pizza ever! I would go every year, but with little kids we need to mix it up a little bit. This year we're heading to Walt Disney World....who knows maybe my favorite vacation destination will change!

the rules....

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.Here is who I'm tagging...

Kids & Kittys!

We have 4 crazy cats! Autumn, Summer, Louie and Luna. Here are a few snapshots of them with the kids!

Jacob turns 11!

Wednesday Nov 12th Jacob turned 11 years old! So hard to believe~! That night ordered pizza in and played Jacob's new Star Wars The Force Unleashed Wii game. Thursday my mom came up and took him to a community ed class at school and out for a treat. Saturday we had a very "small" and informal party for him. Having my mom and sister and the girls up for more pizza and root beer floats (Jacob's favorite). The kids had a blast just hanging out and we played bowling, and ran around the yard. They even stayed for dinner...having spaghetti! Jacob got a lot of great new things! He got his Bakugan that he's been wanting for months from Auntie Tara and Grandma. Mom and Dad got him an MP3 player, his new Wii game and a new wallet with some cash in it! Grandma & Grandpa Carroll sent him some new Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards, WWE Cards with Card protectors, and a $25 gift card to Best Buy! He Scored! Later on Saturday he and Jason went with some friends (Devon & Brandon) to watch the UFC pay-per-view! What a great 11th birthday!

My Raccoon

When I was in high school we stayed a summer in Princeton at a cabin and while we were there I rescued a little baby Raccoon. She stayed with us in the house at first, using the litter box and eating cat food, but then she got really restless. My vet informed me that even as much as we try to domesticate "wild" animals they will always have a NEED or URGE to mate. This was true with baby girl coonie. We eventually built her a nice outdoor structure at my aunts house in Cambridge, she would come and go as she pleased. Sometimes she would sleep in her cage, other times she would stay gone for days. Every year she got a little bigger and a little bit more aggressive. After 3 winters she never came back. My guess is she found herself a nice mate and had some beautiful babies. I like to think of this rather than the alternative like getting hit by a car.

Joshua Update!

So we had another long day at the U yesterday. Got there about noon and didn't get out until about 3pm. We were at the Gastro Doctors and the weight management clinic. This appointment didn't go as well as the last one. They ordered more tests. We have to go in for an Echo of his heart and a glucose test. That one I'm really nervous about because it takes about 4 hours and he can't eat or drink for 12 hours before it and he has to have an IV and blood drawn during. :( The weight clinic was interesting, we learned all about portions and "the right foods" to eat and what a bad parent I am because I give in to his begging for "more" or the wrong foods. So....now it's just more waiting for more tests and trying to correct a few bad habits we've acquired. Did you know that a child's size plate is all a person should eat? Or that Potatoes don't count as a vegetable, it's a starch like bread. Or (my personal favorite) kids need to eat a fruit with EVERY meal, not just a veggie, but a fruit too? Cuz I didn't. The nutritionist said it gets easier, we'll see!

PUMPKIN PATCH FUN!

For the past 4 years now, we've gone to Lendt's pumpkin patch. It's FREE to get in and the pumpkins are only $1.00, $2.00 or $3.00. They have all of this awesome stuff to take pictures of too. They offer free use of a wagon to haul your pumpkins, free face painting, and cheap snacks. We have a great time! This year we discovered an apple orchard just down the road so after we got our pumpkins we went and got some apples and homemade apple butter! ~Yummy!~

Thanks for your support!

Just wanted to update you all and say thank you for all of your thoughts, kind words and prayers. We went to 2 of Joshua's 5 appointments Tuesday. We were there from 7:30am-11:30am at the U. The good news is after the ultrasound and an exam, the doctor seems to think most of Joshua's issues are related to his weight. His doctor called today to let us know all of the blood work we did also turned out OK. Now we have a few more visits for next week and after that we will know for sure what to do. Sounds like the major issue is his high blood pressure and weight. Which can be controlled with proper diet and regular check ups. Again....Thank you!

Fall Fun!

Joshua & Daddy on the 4-wheeler!
Jacob on his bike!
Joshua & his "drums" or sand pails!

Painting Pumpkins

Painting Pumpkins at my mom's house! What ooie-gooie messy fun!

Jacob learns how to shoot a .22 rifle gun! Wow....as a mom that's all I can say.

Corn Maze 2008

Shafer Corn Maze. It's about 10 miles from our house. The day went pretty well, other than Joshua SCREAMING during the last leg of the maze. I wouldn't recommend doing this with any little ones (4 or younger) it takes about an hour or longer to get through the maze and he just got so board. There are a few other things to do, but overall, a great day of fun for older kids & friends! NOW I KNOW....

Prayers for Joshua!

I haven't really shared with many people what's been going on with Joshua over the past couple of months. I haven't for a couple of reasons, one being I'm TERRIFIED and haven't really wanted to talk too much about it, and secondly because we really don't know exactly what is actually going on. However that being said the past couple of weeks I've been having awful stomach aches and have been really tired and withdrawn, and for that reason now is the time I need to reach out and talk about it. Maybe seeking some kind words of encouragement, friendship and prayers.

Here goes.... about a year ago Joshua went in for a check up, mostly because of his Asthma, they watch him pretty closely. Well, it was at that visit that his doctor said to me, his blood pressure is high and he's a little overweight, we need to monitor him. So, for the next year that is what we've been doing, going in every 3 months for his checkup. Well, in August, his doctor said that his pressure wasn't getting any better, in fact it was getting worse, and that he was gaining more weight (15 lbs in 6 months) putting him at 81.5 lbs for a 4 and a half year old, this was not good. So, thus started the barrage of testing, We've done everything from Diabetes to Thyroid, and so far nothing has come back pointing us to that as his cause. So, last month we started on a new direction, he has been referred to Children's for some Reno testing (Kidney and otherwise) and in the mean time we also have to go see an Gastroentologist (sorry for my poor spelling) a doctor who will look at the ins and outs of his weight gain. We've had to monitor and log everything he eats, we have had to completely change our way of thinking and try to stay positive. The hardest part is the not knowing and the waiting. I feel frustrated because I don't know what's wrong, I feel anxious because I am worried sick it will be something terrible, and I feel sad because I don't know what to do. I will keep up my blog as much as I can as the information is in, but please keep Joshua in your thoughts and prayers! Thanks for listening!

Almelund Apple Festival! 2008

The Almelund Apple Festival 2008!

So this was our 5th year in attendance, and thus far it was not our favorite, sorry to say :(

We had a lot of fun when it was small and so many unique things to do...also lots of fun/cool stuff too. This year we even had to pay to park???.....$2!! Also, this year there were soooooo many people and not enough places to park and it was CRAZY!

That said.. will we go back....YES....were we disapointed....Maybe....but bottom line were we together as a family and having fun...defiantly!

Mommy & Me Moments

Goofing around with the camera....me & My boys!

10th Annual North Branch Free Carnival!

Free food & free
fun!

North Branch Carnival

So.....it was the 10Th annual FREE North Branch Carnival today. We've lived here for almost 10 years.... 9 (Oct 99) and this was our first ever. See I've experienced a lot of "rough patches" between then and now, mostly anything that has to do with lots of people, crowds, etc I bail, so this was a first for us as a family! I've really been working on "my people issues" and trying to go outside of my pretty little box, today was a GREAT example of how to get over your people fears!

So the FREE fair was from 10am to 2pm. We arrived about 10:30am, and had a GREAT hour and a half of free fun. The boys got to see some fun animals...Bunnies, goats, lama's, chickens, etc. We got some free food, hot dogs, chips, can of pop, cookie. Then had 10 free games to tackle, everything from the balloon burst, to the basketball toss and more, there was also 4 (that I counted) Free bouncies, ya know the BIG jump in the air kind of things....both boys enjoyed those immensely. We even got new bike helmets for FREE!

Anyway, on to the BAD PARENT MOMENT...so Jacob and Joshua were up against each other at the balloon burst game sight, and Jacob (being older) was wining, so Joshua out of NO WHERE after this great start to a great day...decided to just have a totally melt down. He got so angry, threw his game punch down on the ground, stamped at the balloon tank, gave me a dirty look (which, mind you I was the one in his corner cheering him on, despite the fact that my oldest was on the other side) and walked away. Picture this... 8.500 people reside in North Branch, and about Half of those said people were at this frickin free fair, and now my child was having a total tissy in front of them and what do I do????????? So calmly, I say....now Joshua that isn't the sportsman thing to do....finish the game, whether you win or not the right thing to do is FINISH. To which point he ran as fast as he could the other direction and I was left standing looking like a total ass. So after finding my youngest child, I say again very calmly to him, if you do not straighten up (this is something my mom would say to me....what does it really mean?) we will not play anymore games. HE STARTED TO SCREAM AND CRY AND ACT LIKE A CRAZY PERSON, so then I said to him, let's just calm down and do something else like the bouncie thing, at which point he got even more angry, and YELLED AND SCREAMED AND I was totally embarrassed, and just started to walk away. We walked away (Jason supports my decision) so that Joshua would know it wasn't ok to act that way, but I know some would have stayed because it was free and fun and they have other children that had to suffer. So....I ask you this....is it fair that we left due to Joshua's totally lack of discipline, or unfair because Jacob who is much older had to also leave. My point of view is this....I wanted to do right by Joshua, whether or not people agree with it or not. By staying we would REWARD him for his negative behavior, giving him warnings I felt he should have been ok, but choose to act out anyway. So.....what would you do???? By asking I know I may be up for some unfavorable answers....but hey, that's why I'm here!

What Disney Princess Are you? Take the quiz...

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Arial I am Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Happy Anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So on Sept 10Th Jason and I celebrated 14 years of annoying each other. Really, it went pretty fast. It seems like just last weekend I got my 10 year "past, present, future" platinum band and now it's 14 yrs! It's hard to believe we met on a Thurs.. "July 19Th 1994" and married on a Saturday "Sept 10Th 1994". So was it LOVE at first SIGHT?? Maybe...but Any way you add it up....2 kids and 14 years... it's working! Love U J!

What are little boys made of???

Chaps and Spurs....cowhide vets,
boots and even a 10 gallon hat! Joshua LOVES his new Halloween costume!

Science Museum Saturday

Saturday was a rainy day, so we took the kids out to lunch and to the science museum for the afternoon. Back in July we took the boys to see the Star Wars exhibit and decided to purchase a year membership. The boys really seem to enjoy going and after only 2 visits it's paid for it's self. We don't pay to park, we don't pay to see the Omni Movie and we can go as often as we like!

5th Annual End of Summer BBQ-It's a HIT!

Carroll's 5th annual BACK-TO-SCHOOL BBQ!

This year we had a lot of new faces, and new friends added to the tradition. Katie & Justin and their 3 boys, Kitty, Dave and their 2 boys, Billy, Dion, Brandon & Sonja, Chris & Calley and their 2 little ones. JD, Kat and their 4 boys. We also had some of our best and oldest friends come back for another year! Mike, Miranda & Alayna, John & Renae. We had tons of yummy food, played Baseball, and let the kids run loose on the trail! I hope everyone had a great time! Thanks for coming everyone!

JACOB'S MOHAWK

HOW PUNK DOES HE LOOK? CUTE & COOL!

Dad did a good job!

Dropkick Murphy's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw

So...if you've seen the movie The Departed then you've heard Dropkick Murphy! They are an Irish Punk band from Boston. I L-O-V-E their music....we have 6 of their Cd's (out of 6) and enjoy every single one of them! View the video! Let me know what you think!

Still watching my little garden grow...

My very first garden...with all of the weeds!~
how big can a tomato get?

Never mind the phallic symbol here....look beyond that and enjoy those HOT peppers....

Joshie's Rainbow!

After the rain we've been having the past couple of days...this beautiful rainbow came! Joshua was super excited and asked me to take a picture...he loved how it was a "full" rainnow! This is off of our deck!

~Pretty Butterflies~

Yes, I took these with my ity-bity camera!

Jason getting his dance & sing on....Chris smiling and Billy waving in the background!
Chris & Calley! Smile Guys....we're having fun!!!!!!!!!
Eveyone.....why the hell am I bending down so far???
Dion & Brandon with his new Molly shirt on!

Irish Fair cont...

As much as I enjoy Molly, I hope Dropkick Murphy's come next time! They are my favorite. What the hell Jason....who are you talking to?


Joanna and Calley!

IRISH FAIR 2008!

So Jason and I went again as we usually do, but this year we got a sitter for the boys and invited a few friends to join us! We had a BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Flogging Molly concert was amazing and awesome!

the guys " Billy, Brandon, Chris and Jason!
Dion....getting her drink on!

My Hummingbirds!

About a month ago, my mom gave me a hummingbird feeder, since then we've had about a dozen or so birds visit EVERDAY! I've had to change the food often because of big black ants, but that hasn't kept them away! Look how cute and tiny and fast they are!

Chicago 2008

Before the Cubs game we went for lunch at this cute little Irish pub. They had great Fish & Chips and good beer prices!
One of our first stops was the Childhood home of Pres, Regan. We got a grand tour and some awesome pictures. Jason was so excited!

It wouldn't be a trip to Chicago without a trip to Lou's for pizza and Pasta! Here is Joshie doing is best noodle face!