Fun at the Farm...

The weather on Monday was unbelievable for mid-October. I think the day started off in the 60's and peaked at 81 degrees. We had the day off from school and took advantage of the awesome weather and spent some time at a local fruit farm. The kids had a blast from the wagon ride out to the apple orchards to the corn maze to the yummy fruit pie from the farm store. Notice the beautiful fall colors in the background...

The wagon ride...

Abby was a little nervous...

Enter at your own risk...

Which way now?

Whee!

Watch out below!

Now that's a tire swing!

It's just my size!

Playing in the hay...

This is a great day!

Sweet Abby...

We don't get many poses as she's always on the move!

Can you believe the colors?

Tall, tall maple trees...

Short, short Curtises...

Our fam...

What we're reading this week...

I didn't get my Monday post done yesterday because we were gone most of the day enjoying the beautiful 80 degree weather...can you believe it? This time last year, we were in sweaters and coats...I know it's coming, but we'll take a bit of an Indian Summer while we've got it! I'll post some pics from our day later this afternoon. For now...

Here's what we're reading this week...

(Click on the images to link to Amazon's website.)

Happy Reading!

Jason's reading...

My reading...

(This is the author Charles Martin who I was introduced to this past summer...I'm looking forward to reading another selection.)

Emily's reading...

(Em loves this story...)

Ben's reading...

(These are great books...there are several Frog and Toad books to choose from.)

Abby's reading...

(This is the new favorite...Abby pretty much has it memorized!)

Website Wednesday!

This week's website is hulu. Now that we are a non-cable family, this website has come in handy when we have an hour and want to watch a show. The website features TV shows and movies, full episodes as well as video clips. The service is absolutely FREE! We have watched a few episodes of "House" and Jason has watched a couple of movies. There are family movies as well, and just yesterday, I found Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie! You can search by TV show name or movie title as well as searching by category.

From the website:

Company

Hulu was founded in March 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp and is operated independently by a dedicated management team with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Beijing. Hulu closed a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners in October 2007.

Mission

Hulu's mission is to help people find and enjoy the world's premium video content when, where and how they want it.

Overview

Hulu is an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites — all for free, anytime in the U.S.

The next time you have time for a tv show or a movie and can't find what you want on TV or in your video library, check out hulu and do a search for one of your favorite TV shows or movies!

Yummy Fall Treat!

I remember the first time I had roasted pumpkin seeds. I was in high school and our youth group at church had a pumpkin carving contest. While we were hard at work, our youth leaders were roasting the seeds. They were so yummy! Jason and I have roasted our seeds every year, although I'm usually the only one who eats them. I would just roast them in the oven and salt them, nothing fancy. Well, we tried a new recipe this year, and the seeds disappeared quickly...loved by all! 

Give it a try...

Sugar and Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

(found on Southern Food.About.com)

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 Tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil

1 Tbsp granulated sugar, or more, to taste

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

Rinse seeds well and get as much of the pumpkin pulp off of them as possible. Some of the small pieces are going to adhere, but they won't hurt the seeds at all, and might even add a little more flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Don't let them dry completely on the paper towels, because they might stick!

Toss seeds with the butter, sugar and spices.

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coated seeds in a shallow baking sheet, turning from time to time, for about 45-60 miutes, or until nicely browned and crunchy.

Just a couple of tips: 

Line the baking sheet with foil for easier cleanup.

Get the pumpkin seeds as close to a single layer as you can.

Enjoy!

What we're reading this week...

Jason and I are still reading the same books. Click here to see what they are. Jason gives his book a thumbs up (I'm telling you, it's worth your time to read it!) and my book is still weird, but I will finish it. I'm actually at the part where Snow White (Bianca) meets the dwarves, so it seems to be picking up somewhat. 

Here's what the kids are reading this week...

(Click on the images to link to Amazon's website.)

Emily's reading...

Benjamin's reading...

Abby's reading...

(Great illustrations!)

Happy Reading!

The Bike Lesson

Emily mustered up all the courage she needed today for her first bicycle lesson without training wheels! Bless her heart, she inherited her mother's chicken genes and hasn't quite been ready to take that step. Well, today, for whatever reason, she decided it was time... 

Notice Ben running on the sidelines...

He had to make sure Sissy was ok!

There she goes...

Poor Daddy is on the couch right now asleep, exhausted from running up and down the street!

We've been Fall-i-fied!

Fall is my new favorite season; I've said it before and I'll say it again! We never truly experienced fall (only in decorating our house on the inside with the fall colors and the kids learning about it in school). God definitely blesses his creation once a year with a spectacular palette of yellows, reds, oranges...

We joined in on the fun this year and planted mums and violas complete with a couple of scarecrows in the yard. Leaves are beginning to change colors, temperatures have dropped (literally overnight) and we've pulled out the boxes of jackets and long-sleeves. Jason and I are in an active debate concerning turning on the heater. Our house has a boiler in the basement and radiators in all the rooms. For now, we're content with portable heaters at night in our bedrooms, but it's not going to last much longer as the temps are now in the 40's at night.

I remember this time last year not knowing what to expect and picturing myself going to bed one night and waking up the next morning with several feet of snow on the ground and my family not having the appropriate attire for the season. It's hard to believe it's that time again. The snowplow service has been contracted and soon we will put our markers out lining the driveway for the first snowplow. 

As the season continues to mature, we'll post some pics for you to enjoy! For now, here is our house officially Fall-i-fied!

This is actually a Texas scarecrow...

He thinks Ohio is a bit chilly!

Mums and violas...

Violas...

The Pumpkin Patch

We took a trip to the pumpkin patch yesterday. Pumpkin patch pictures are my favorite pics to take! I love the fall colors. So, inevitably, my A-type personality comes out as soon as the camera is on. 

I will confess... I am a recovering SEVERE A-type personality. What is the secret, you ask? Being married to a SEVERE B-type personality! I have come a long way, let me tell you. But, when it comes to picture time with the kids, old habits die hard!

So, I knew the day might be off to a rough start when it began with the battle of wills on the potty with a VERY strong-willed, but precious (have to add that!) 2-1/2 year old! I no longer have any goal for her potty training success other than to enter Kindergarten in underwear! I digress...

Imagine my blood pressure rising when we started with this...

(Notice the feet behind the sign...

yeah, it was pretty much like that all day!)

and this...

(Really?)

I did get some good singles, just not a great group shot. I think we'll visit the farm for round 2! Perseverance is my middle name!

I must mention here that Jason is very careful and diligent in the pumpkin picking process! 

Check back for some jack-o-lantern pics soon!

We're outta here!