Apple Orchards

I love living in the heart of this country. I love the farming and the countryside. We went to an apple orchard today with some friends. It was such a fun afternoon. There was a tractor ride with a violin player, fun rides for the kids, and lots of lots of apple trees.

fall

In honor of fall I decided to go darker with my hair color. My friend Kristan does hair from her house and we had a fun time drinking cokes and watching Grey's Anatomy last night while she did it. (I'm secretly hoping I'll get her hooked to the show! Although I wasn't too impressed with this season from last night.) Anyway, Thanks Kristan - I {LOVE} it!

Fall brings out such a fun spirit in everyone! I love the cooler weather. Most people craft this time of year. I know you all are out there - I see it on your blogs daily! I can be a crafty person, but I think I'm too big of a book worm to come close to Martha Stewart. So next week I am going to do a book feature on my book blog. Don't fret, I will post teasers on here as well. Each day will feature a different variety of books and ideas.

I hope you all have a fun fall filled weekend!

Disclaimer: My hair is not red - it is a chocolate brown. It came to my attention that some people were seeing red.

Gathering Rocks and a Swap

There is a spot that we have found that we like to go to by the Raccoon River. It is a great place for throwing rocks, skipping stones and enjoying the fall weather. Last night we were on a mission to gather a few rocks I needed for a glass jar that Wade had found. Gage loved finding all the rocks and Noah enjoyed trying to eat them.

This morning we were able to finish our project - the fall leaves on Gage's tree. Wade had found me this awesome branch to use for the project and happened upon a glass milk jar as well. We washed the jar and filled it with the rocks from last night and then decorated the tree with fall leaves.

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Yesterday I got my swap package! Erica hosted a fun back to school swap and Brittany had my name. She also graduated in 1998 and sent me a fun CD, Titanic the movie, socks, tic tacs, Burts Bee's chap stick, Bath and Body Lotion, a frame (with Bill Clinton in it!haha!), and miniature globe! It was a fun package! Thanks so much Erica for hosting and to Brittany for the fun surprises!

Becoming Jane

We had a girls night out last night and went to see the movie Becoming Jane. A fun time was had by all!

Ok - so the movie theater. Let's just say - a tad bit creepy. Two guys were the only workers there and I'm not sure if they liked all us giggley girls cramping their night alone. We had them take pictures of us an only one turned out - and not really that well. They did let us play behind the treat counter though! To bad we couldn't all get free drinks for being the happiest and hottest patrons of all time.

As soon as got all our giggles out and all our flashy photo sessions we headed into the theater only to see the end of the movie playing?!?! WHAT? We all gasp - did we miss the entire show? We didn't want to know how it ended! (That she died, found love, lost love or wrote a book or anything to that extent.) Our loud obnoxious bantering totally ruined the mood for the poor lone woman watching that showing and we finally figured out that we were just to early for our showing. That gave us some time to put our feet up and relax. We also got a chance to eat our smuggled loot and chat before the show began.

Now on to the movie review. I am not a movie critic. I hardly am a want-to-be book critic. I know that the girls I went with are totally going to disagree with me on this one but I loved the movie and was happy with the ending. (Imagine that - she did write a book after all!?)

My naive self didn't want to know if she ended up married or not - so I blocked out all memories I had of reading any information on Jane before the movie. Or maybe it was just the long day I had. Either way, I didn't think she ever married, but I couldn't remember exactly. I loved the love story and I actually loved that she didn't end up married. It gave her fiction more meaning to me. She found a way to write true fiction. I loved Anne Hathaway. I loved the soundtrack and I really wish those dresses would come back in style.

I have a book I've already started this week, but it will have to go on the back burner for now. Jane Austen. Jane Austen. Jane Austen. I loved girls night out and I loved Becoming Jane!

Good News Wednesday

Welcome to Good News Wednesday!

1. Last night a fun time was had by all as we enjoyed a girls night out. We saw the movie Becoming Jane and have fantastic pictures. I will post these later today!

2. I got my eyes checked this morning. My vision is still the same which is the good news. However, I will look like a vampire for the rest of the morning. I let Gage take this picture.

3. I read a wonderful book this week: The Read Aloud Handbook. It has very good ideas about how to get your kids excited about reading and how beneficial reading is. Gage started a reading caterpillar on his door. He loves adding a body part for each book or chapter he reads. I will be posting more fun ideas I've learned next week on My Reading Spot.

4. I am the mom to two of the most handsome boys on the planet. It's my blog so I can say that. We got new Sunday shirts for them and I attempted to take their picture before church this past weekend. Don't they just make you laugh?



What's your good news for the day?

My Reading Spot

This past week I've added a few more reviews as well as a fun reading survey on my reading spot blog. Sometimes I am reading so much I have a hard time updating it! I paused between books this week to update it so I hope you all enjoy.

Jane Austen

So PBS's Materpiece Theatre has great news. They are going to play adaptations of all six of Jane Austen's books in 2008 and a new drama about her life. How exciting! You can also enter to win a collection of her books by signing up for their newsletter. Learn more [here].

Usborne Books

Have you ever heard of Usborne Books? They are a fantastic books for children of all ages. There are over 1300+ titles, with countless subjects, they have award winning books and fun kits and games. I am going to be hosting a party on Tuesday, October, 2 and anyone can order - no matter where you live! Check out Katie's site {here}. I will also be adding her site to my sidebar so you won't forget!

You won't want to miss checking out these books. They are such great books and for such great prices!

Friday Night

Friday was our turn to watch for our date group. We watch 6 kids and then in turn get two other weekends off! It truly is the best invention in the world and I highly recommend it to anyone.

We trade for 3 hours. This is how we spent our evening: First we played inside and got Wade's jumbo white board out for everyone to color on. Wade drew pictures for the kids on the white board and entertained them with games such as "guess this shape" "guess this picture". Then we headed outside to enjoy the wonderful weather we had. It was such a wonderful night Friday so that took up an entire hour of our time! We played soccer and drew with sidewalk chalk.

After enjoying the great outdoors we headed in to read one of Gage's favorite books Sammy and the Robots. In this book Sammy's robot is broken so he has to make new ones while his original robot is at the robot hospital. So, yep, you guessed it, after the book we headed to the table to create our own robots. The girls made purple and pink robots. Gage's was blue. Gage loved this activity and we have made several more robots this weekend!

It was then time to settle down for a snack and a movie. But we had no ordinary snack planned. Special rainbow drinks were on order. They liquids actually separate to form a rainbow - can you guess how they do it? I'll give you a hint, it all has to do with sugar and the drinks we used were: grape juice, Poweraide and Diet Sprite. I don't think that they taste that good, but I'm not a 3 year old. Popcorn and Beauty and the Beast were next up.

I'm sure not all our Friday nights will not be this creative, but with some planning I think they end up really fun. Now it's our turn to enjoy two free weekends! Woo Hoo!

Jane Austen

Take the Quiz here!

Yes - I know - 3rd post of the day, and another quiz, but I saw this on another blog and couldn't resist. I am Anne Elliot of Persuasion! It said:

Let's face it, you're easily persuaded, especially when faced with choices that are or aren't 'the Elliot way.' But this doesn't mean that you don't have conviction. Actually, your sense of duty is overwhelming. And though you won't stick your neck out too often, you have learned to speak up when it counts. To boot, you know how to handle sticky situations. You love deeply and constantly.

Who are you?

Brownies

There is nothing like making homemade brownies and licking the bowl at 9:30 on a Friday morning. Fridays are the best day and to celebrate (and since we had all our chores done and Noah was taking his morning nap) Gage and I decided to make brownies. We Christiansens believe these are the best brownies in the universe. No other brownies come close. No joke. The recipe is called Ken's Famous brownies, because my brother Ken would make them so often when we were growing up he had the recipe memorized.

I thought I would share the secret recipe - but you might want to write it down, because this post will then self destruct.

Ken's Famous Brownies

3/4 cup butter softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

3/4 cups unsifted flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together in large mixing bowl the butter, sugar, vanilla and eggs. Set aside. In separate bowl combine all then dry ingredients. Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture. Stir until smooth. Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Enjoy!!!

5:00

Most kids despise it. Most kids scream and yell and jump up on higher furniture clutching their "blankie/binky/favorite toy" when it comes out. One of my favorite stories about this monster was told on Erica's blog here. What is this terrible monster you ask? The vacuum. And apparently my baby Noah LOVES it.

That's right, you read right. I have been proven numerous times in the past week that my little Noah is abnormally strange and loves it when I bring the vacuum out. Let me explain about how I happened upon this strange phenomenon.

Each night (yes, I am compulsive about this) around 5:00 we pick up all the toys and I have Gage jump up on the couch. I hold Noah with one arm as I get the deed done with the other free hand. Gage loves to pretend that I am going to vacuum toys as he bombs me with them from the couch. He squeals and loves playing this game. Well a few weeks ago I noticed Noah was getting really had to hold on to. I mean REALLY hard. He would wiggle and squirm. I figured he was scared of the noise. Then last week I couldn't hold on to his 19 1/2 pound squirming body any longer and I put him down while I finished the room. I figured he would scream, and the floor would be clean in a few seconds, but as soon as I put him down he was off....he giggled and chased the vacuum every where I went!

What a strange boy. He loves to be put on the floor when I vacuum. He loves to chase it around. He laughs and giggles when I bump him with it and pretend to vacuum him up. He even cries when I have to put it away!

I love that they makes this 5:00 cleaning so fun. Gage bombs the living room with toys from the couch and Noah chases me around. What funny boys! Bring on 5:00.

Good News Wednesday

Welcome to Good News Wednesday!

1. We love sleeper jammies. They look the cutest and are so much fun. When we got home from the store Gage insisted in wearing his around. Although it was 4 o'clock he wore his jammies. He loves them and Noah loves them.

2. I finished this book last night and it was great. I can't wait to get get my hands on the next one in the series. If you want to borrow it let me know! If you love Twilight - and I know you all do - then try this series, or A Great and Terrible Beauty. Both are series you will enjoy! Other books I've finished this past week: Mr. Darcy's Diary and Darby. All reviews are found on My Reading Spot.

3. Today is story time. Gage is old enough for the story time that I can leave him at and he loves the independence. I read magazines and sit with Noah outside in the children area while Gage goes to story time by himself. Yesterday we went to a different library story time and he made a cool fish tank. Yippie for libraries!
4. Tomorrow is soccer! His attention span is VERY short, but it's so fun to see him try the drills and learn new skills. I am such a poet.

5. I'm planning my next book swap for October. I'm really excited - I love swaps. Anyone else game?

6. Gage is finally drinking real milk. I know it sounds crazy to post about this, but it really is good news. 3 1/2 years of soy formula and lactose free milk are in the past. I love that I can buy one king of milk for our family now!

What's your good news?

Winterset

Today Wade was able to take the afternoon off and we drove out to Winterset, Iowa. In case you didn't know - and EVERYONE should know - it's the birthplace of John Wayne. WOO HOO! It's also home to the Madison County Covered Bridges and a really fun park that wins the most original name contest- Winterset City Park.

Anyway, at this park you can drive to Clark Tower, a fun place that you can climb and overlook Madison County. The colors this time of year are fantastic. We then had some fun at the playground, playing at one of the covered bridge and then getting lost in a hedge maze.




My favorite picture of the entire trip is when Wade was trying to balance on the top of a rail to get a picture of the maze. He lost his balance and managed to save himself, the camera and take a picture. Gage then tried to act like Daddy. That is when I said it was time to get in the van and go home. What a fun afternoon!

Edward

Which Twilight novel character are you?

You're Edward Cullen - You have great taste for the finer things in life, a classic style, and you understand the way people work so you can manipulate easily. You have many talents and a bit of a temper, but you are mostly level-headed and rational.
Take this quiz!








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Make A Quiz More Quizzes Grab Code

I saw this on another blog and couldn't resist taking the quiz. It's pretty fun so take it and see who you are! (To take click on the word quiz in the sentence above that says "Take this quiz")

Heart

So the seasons are changing, which I always love; however, I have learned that not everyone does. This became apparent to me this afternoon as I had this conversation with Gage:

Gage: Mommy, you know when we went on that walk this morning?

Me: Yes, we went on a walk this morning, what about it?

Gage: Mommy it was cold outside and it made my heart sad.

Me: It made your heart sad?

Gage: Yes, my heart was sad.

This picture is of an activity Gage and I did this week. We picked branches and then since the leaves outside are currently green we glued small green leaves all over each branch. Each morning he wakes up and looks out the window to check the leaves. He can't wait till they change orange or yellow so we can change the leaves on his branches. However, he was pretty disappointed when I told them they would never be blue. This way at least his sad heart has something fun to look forward to as it gets cold outside.

Mr. Darcy

I finished this last weekend and it's a very cute read if you love P & P. I posted a review on My Reading Spot.

Catch up

Noah's album is now caught up to 5 months old. I am only halfway behind in his life since he is 10 months old! Here are a few pages that I did during the past crops. My favorite is the one with him in the blossoms. The following pages (when I get around to doing them) will have pictures of his first trip to Washington. I was just impressed with the fact that Costco could develop a square enlargement, I believe it's an 8x8. I will have to have more fun with this in the future!

Good News Wednesday

I apologize for the two week Good News hiatus. It's now back.

• I LOVE feeling healthy again. I don't wish a kidney infection on anyone - they come from a UTI, so watch out. I am very glad Wade could take care of us all weekend.


• I've gotten cuddles from Gage lately. He has always been a bigger cuddle bug then Noah, he tries to find any excuse to sleep in our bed. Noah wants his own space. I love that Gage isn't old enough and will still let me curl up and take naps with him.


• The weather outside is not frightful....but BEAUTIFUL! I love autumn time in Iowa. I love the pumpkin farms, the leaves changing color the cooler weather.



• I found this - Sunkist Cherry Limeade- at the store the other day. Give it about an hour and a half in the freezer before opening it and it's like you drove straight to Sonic!

• Happy Wednesday - Hump Day - It's almost the end of the week! What is your good news this week?

Book Swap

I received my loot from Kristy today via Heather's Book Swap. She sent some scrapbook stuff as well as a magazine, a idea book for kids' parties and a fun looking novel.

Thanks Kristy - I hope you get yours soon - and thanks Heather for hosting, it was a fun time!

I think that I will be hosting my book swap again in the month of October, so be on the lookout!

Bitter Sweet

I got my first phone call last night. I say it that way because I remember my friend Allison getting these last year when her husband was in the same rotation. A phone call my Wade saying he was stuck in surgery and wasn't sure when he would get home.

1. How cool! My husband is stuck in surgery. SURGERY. wow. That means that yes, this is true, and he really is going to actually be a doctor someday. Sometime it seems so far away. He said it was really cool and he was scrubbed in helping for most of the surgery. It started at 12:15 and didn't end until around 7:45. It was on a foot. More precise, a heel. I had no idea you could do that much work on such a small area.

2. How sad! Gage slept in yesterday and then I put the boys to bed by myself and he didn't get to see them at all. He had to leave at 5:30 this morning for a church meeting he has every week and I have a meeting at the school tonight that he needs to join me for so he won't get to see them today either. sad.

I guess this is the way it rolls from here on out.

Soccer

Sorry I haven't posted. I have been really sick with a bad kidney infection. I am still in recovery. I did want to post afew pictures of Gage's soccer class. It was really fun to watch, they learn basic soccer skills. Gage doesn't have much attention span so sometimes he would wonder off looking at airplanes or spin circles on the field. He loves his soccer gear he got. The other day when he was getting dressed he put on his undies, soccer shoes and his shin gardens (what he calls his guards).