farm field trip

On Tuesday, Mary Reese's class had a field trip to Lyon Family Farm in Taft, TN.  I ♥ farm field trips and will be sad when I go on my last one.

We had never been to Lyon but as soon as I pulled in the parking lot...I knew it was going to be a fabulous day!

Mrs. Propst got her class together for a quick picture before we started our day...



A precious class (minus Mary Bibb and Jayden who were out sick).

Mrs. Propst told them to make a funny, scary face and this is what we got...



They are all so funny together.  She does a great job by creating a little family with her class.  They all get along so amazingly and treat each other with respect!

After learning the "rules" of the farm, we divided up into groups to explore the farm...





We started at the petting zoo...



with the piggies and the alpaca...



We also saw chickens, cows, horses and donkies.  Mary Reese wasn't that into the petting zoo.  Can't say I blame her.  She was We were glad to move onto the School House Barn...



...where we learned how Mr. Richard planted pumkin seeds and how they turned into pumpkins.  We also learned about all the different pumpkins and gourds he grows.

Finally it was our turn to load up...



[Mary Reese, Abby & Mia Kate]

...for the hay ride to the pumpkin patch...



Two of our buddies...Crawford & Bo




We jumped out in the middle of the patch...



...in search of our perfect pumpkin...



...and with a little help from our friends...



...we found them!

Once everyone found a pumpkin, we loaded back up for a ride back to the farm...



Eliza, Mary Reese, Mia Kate & Kenzie



Mary Reese and her mommy

When we got back to the farm, it was our turn to explore the corn maze...



...and hopefully end up at the playground...



We might have gotten turned around and ended up coming back out the entrance...I will never tell!

The kids had a ball playing on the farm themed play area.  They played in bins of corn...



Isabella, Mary Reese & Mia Kate

They zoomed down a massive slide...



And jumped on a huge pillow...









Mary Reese opted to ride home with me.  We grabbed a picture with Mrs. Propst...



...our pumpkins and a drink for the road...



...and headed home.  A super fun day down on the farm with our class!

fall frenzy '11

Friday night was fall frenzy for Banks and Mary Reese!  A fabulous time was had by all...



Mary Reese and her friend Gray immediately headed for the cotton candy station.

Then Mary Reese set her eyes set on a ZuZu pet at the toy walk...



I bet she played that game no less than 10 times before she finally won!  Thankfully the ZuZu pet was still on the prize table.

Then she moved onto the cake walk...



She played that a few times before her friend Hampton came to give her some tips...



She finally won!  And what did she pick from the table [that did include some fabulous looking homemade treats]?  A pack of mini cupcakes from the Walmart bakery.  Seriously?

Banks spent all his tickets on the dunking booth, the lego building tower contest and the football toss...



Mary Reese found her friend Mia Kate and her brother at the lollipop pull...



The face painting this year was AMAZING!  Mary Reese opted for a pink feather instead.

Mary Reese also won a couple of goldfish at the ping pong toss...



She won a fish for herself, Owen and her friend Eliza.  Eliza has been sick couldn't come.  Mrs. Propst asked Mary Reese to take Eliza tickets and win her some treats!

This year we had hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and nachos at the food station.  Where was Jody?



Grilling burgers and dogs!

Finally at the end of the night, we found our friend Amelia...



Another successful fall frenzy!  We didn't win any silent auction items.  I bid on a few early on but forgot to go back and check on them.  We also bought a key to win an iPad.  We didn't score on that one either.  The first key that was tried was the winner.

I am glad the frenzy is only once a year...it worn me out!

mummy

How cute are these?  No I did not make them.  Debbie got them here.

They are a rice krispie treat on a stick dipped in white chocolate with candy eyes and more white chocolate piped on to make it look like a real mummy!

sheff cup

Banks has been learning about the game of soccer in PE this year.  They ended their unit with a little tournament against all the other 3rd grade classes...THE SHEFF CUP!



Round 1 was against Mrs. Davis's class.



A little header...



They ended up losing...but it was a fun way to end the unit!

another one bites the dust

On October 12th...Mary Reese lost her second tooth.  She was thrilled to find the tooth fairy left her some money in her pillow eventhough she totally forgot to leave her tooth under her pillow!  Her top two front teeth are loose as well.  Hopefully the other ones will come in before the top two come out...otherwise I am not sure how she is going to eat anything!

homecoming @ the capstone

Last weekend we took Banks and Mary Reese to Tuscaloosa for the Alabama/Vandy game.  It just happened to be homecoming at the capstone.  One of my favorite times of the year.

I can remember the intense choreography competitions, working for hours pomping the lawn decoration, walking to the corner of Reed Street and University watching the parade come by and the buzz around campus on game day.  It hasn't change much and I was excited for my children to experience all the hype of homecoming.

We got to town around lunch time and decided to grab lunch before heading to the quad/strip area.  I was excited when I spotted...



Iguana Grill!  One of our favorites in Birmingham.  It was pretty empty and the perfect place to grab a quick lunch before heading to the madness.

We parked the car in some college kids backyard near the stadium [I bet they make a small fortune on game days!], and headed towards the quad via sorority row and the strip.

I made a quick stop by the Alpha Chi house.  I showed the kids where I spend 4 glorious years.  Mary Reese and I made a quick trip upstairs.  I showed her my old room and the sleeping porch.  She wasn't real impressed with the sleeping porch.

The lawn decorations are AMAZING!  Here was the one at the Alpha Chi house...



They ended up coming in 2nd Place for the lawn decoration and ended up winning the homecoming spirit trophy.

I tried to get their pictures in front of it...



They were not having it!

We started our mad search for a cheerleader outfit and a football jersey.  We popped into a few shops on the strip but none were to be had in our sizes.  So we headed to the quad...



We saw some cheerleaders and the band on the steps of the library.  We found the huge Sup Store tent where we finally found a cheerleading outfit...



We found some friends from home and crashed their tailgating tent.  I also found several of my college friends.  We tried for about 30 minutes to get all our children rounded up for a group shot.  We finally roped everyone in...



Front row:  Banks, William [Lori Lee Orrell] & Emma [Catherine Ray Martin]
Back row:  Sara Frances [Mande Elliott McLeod], Mary Reese, Harrison [Catherine Ray Martin] and Elliott [Mande Elliott McLeod]

After visiting, throwing the football and running around...it was time to head to the stadium...



The Million Dollar Band before the game...



Big Al and the cheerleaders leading out the team...



We cheered, we danced, we ate...



stadium dogs and nachos.

We even talked the lady behind us into taking our picture...



I hate Owen wasn't with us but I knew he could have never survived the 6:00 kickoff.

We decided to take it to the house at the beginning of the 4th Quarter...hoping to beat the traffic.  And by the looks on these faces heading to the car...



...it was the right decision.  I knew it was definitely the right decision when McFarland Blvd was like a ghost town and it was smooth sailing down I20.  We made it to our doorsteps around 10:30 and I was thankful I was snug in my bed at a decent time.

kitty for queen

I few weeks ago I got a text from a friend.  Her daughter [who I have known since birth and use to babysit] was nominated for homecoming queen!  I was so excited for her.  It is hard to believe that her and her twin brother are seniors this year and are about to go off to college themselves.

Last Friday, we camped out in front of her mother's art gallery/floral design business.  We could hardly contain our excitement waiting for her to drive by and give us that Miss America wave.

We saw the marching band...



We saw floats, cheerleaders and red raiders...



We caught candy, beads and even a flower...



Finally we saw Kitty coming our way...



Isn't she beautiful?  She was driven by her father and her twin brother rode shotgun.  I love how close her and her brother are.  They really do take care of each other.  I hope my children grow up acting the way they do towards each other.

She wasn't crowned queen, but she will always be a queen in my eyes!

I am telling you I am having a hard time believing they are seniors.  This seems like yesterday...



Actually it is 1996 [the year my twin brothers were seniors].  I took them and their older sister to watch the homecoming parade.  Wow...15 years ago!

She was the flower girl in my wedding with her twin as the ring bearer...



I am so proud of the young lady she has become!

community :: it's up to us

Banks has been studying the community in his first IB unit of third grade.  They studied the meaning of community, the responsibilities of being a member of a community and leadership in the community.

During this unit, they took a tour of City Hall [talked to the mayor and an employee of the chamber], the county court house [talked to a judge], the county jail and the Old State Bank [to get the history of our community].  Three of the third grade classes at the Old State Bank...



His class behind the bench with Judge Waters at the courthouse...



[A little trivia...the bench seen here is the same bench that was used in the Scottosboro Boys trial.]



When they got back to school, they watched a demonstration from two of the K9 officers.  The next week, they walked to the fire station located beside their school.

The final lesson in their IB unit was a community service project.  Each child had to volunteer at least 30 minutes of their time doing community service.  They had to answer question and turn in a poster showcasing what kind of service they did...



Banks made fall goodie bags to deliver to the people at Riverside Senior Living.

As extra credit, we put together a video...



I am so thankful they are learning about our community and the importance of community service at such a young age!

Family Favorite: Italian Joe

***I found this recipe in my drafts.  I guess I forgot to publish it!  It is perfect for those cool fall nights!***

It's a modern day version of the Mamwich [I am sure it is much better...I have never actually eaten a mamwich].  The intro to the recipe says it only gets better with time [y'all know I love a recipe that you make a head of time].  It is loaded with great veggies [a wonderful way to sneak them in for the kids]...



The finished product served on some Ciabatta Rolls...



As you can see, Owen LOVED it...



Y'all think I am kidding when I say he requires at least 3 baths a day.

Italian Joe

1 ¼ lb. sweet Italian link sausage, casings removed
1 lb. ground chuck
4 T. olive oil, divided
2 c. diced onions
2 T. minced garlic
1 c. diced red bell pepper
½ c. diced carrot
½ c. diced celery
2 T. tomato paste
1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes in juice
4 t. dried oregano
2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. ground nutmeg
1 t. dried Italian seasoning
½ c. dry red wine (I used beef broth)
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 loves ciabatta bread (I used Alexia Ciabatta Rolls from the freezer section in Publix)

Brown sausage and chuck in 2 T. oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking up any large chunks with a spoon, 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 T. oil in same pot over medium-high. Sauté onion until just beginning to brown, 5-10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minutes. Stir in bell pepper, carrot, celery and tomato paste; cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomato puree, diced tomatoes, oregano, pepper flakes, nutmeg, Italian seasoning and browned meat; simmer 10 minutes.

Add wine, vinegar and brown sugar, then bring mixture to a boil. Simmer sauce until thickened, 10-15 minutes, stirring often; season with salt and black pepper.

Slice ciabatta loaves lengthwise. Spoon Italian Joe over bottom halves of bread, cover with top halves, and cut each loaf into 6 sandwiches.

***We only used ½ of the joe mix, so I froze the rest for another night. The recipe says it serves 12.

a call from royalty

How would your little princess like a call from this Princess?



It can happen!  Mary Reese got a call from Cinderella last night telling her what a great job she had been doing.

Somewhere in my "blog surfing" last week I discovered this post from a Disney blogger.  It is all made possible by my friends at Target [it makes me love that place even more]!  You go here to schedule your call.  It is super easy and FREE!

You put in your birthdate and phone number.  Then you pick the Princess [you can choose from Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Belle and Aurora], the message, and the time.  The great thing...if your forget [which I did], all you have to do is text PRINCESS and they will call you right back!

This is one reason I love Disney and Target so much.  Always first rate.  Mary Reese thought it was super cool to get a call from Cinderella herself!  She wanted to know how Cinderella knew she had been doing such a great job at school.



Which princess will you pick?