Autumn Apple Picking!

Our family FINALLY had a sunny day....to go apple picking! We went to Simmon's Farm and had a wonderful time in their orchards and doing their nature challenge, as well! (Steph...I'm sure you and the boys remember that!)Ronnie and Anna amidst the apples....what fun we had! Ronnie was so serious...and Anna was so excited, she practically danced thru the rows of apple trees!

My beautiful older daughters...we had a fun time with a family photoshoot at nearby South Park as well!

Anna insisted that Raggedy Anne and Andy had to come apple picking with us...

My sweetie and I...leaning on a wooden bridge and laughing at the kids!

Dad made a great ladder to pick Anna up to reach the "perfect" apple!
Ron, Sara, Ronnie and Anna did the "Nature Challenge" trail...Meghan and I cheer them on! Here they are at the end...climbing the rope up the side of the hill. Anna kept yelling "Look at me, Mom...Look at me! I'm Nim!!!" (she loves the movie "Nim's Island"!)
The Rope bridge....
Enjoying a little hike thru the fall leaves...
Our Peony climbing thru the tube...

They also had a petting zoo...while the older girls chatted, Ron & I took the little ones to see the animals...Ron made friends with a goat!
Anna made friends with a bunny!
Ronnie liked the ducks!
We ended the day at South Park, where Ronnie and Anna enjoyed rock climbing. What a special, memorable family day we had! We are so blessed to be able to be together, to live, and work, worship and praise, serve and have fun together as a family! What a blessing! This was a day that will give us wonderful memories thru the long, cold winter ahead! ~Sue~

Our 300th Post!!! Why I blog...

I have been thinking of this all week....why do I blog? I knew this would be our 300th post...since last December. I had no idea we would be so prolific with our writing...but God had other plans. I blog first and foremost....for my family.

I blog because I have discovered, that I love to write...it is a great creative outlet for me! Mostly, I blog as a sort of family journal/scrapbook of our everyday life. We have many family members and friends who keep up with what is going on in our lives...and it is a good way to keep in touch. I would like to have it printed, year by year and have as a keepsake...still looking into how cost effective that would be, but I would love it. But, I also know that it is out here in "cyberspace"...that if our computer crashes, it would all still be there....that as my hands hurt more and more and writing by hand becomes much more difficult than typing....this is also how I like to journal. (I still have my hand written journal...but, sadly, I don't keep up with it as much as I would like)

Blogging is a great 'homeschooling' tool for creative writing for my girls as well. They have distinctive writing styles, personalities...and I have always encouraged them to write. I like the pieces that they have done, and Sara is turning into quite the computer artist! (Is that the correct term?! I'm not sure...but I think you all know what I mean!)

After scrolling back thru the blog, thru the past year....I wonder what this coming year holds for us...of course, the holidays are coming up...many, many family birthdays...2 weddings...vacations....and of course, just everyday life in our home.

So to all of our family and friends....thanks so much for caring about us and reading this little piece of our lives! God bless you all today! ~Sue~

A Beautiful Bridal Shower

We've just arrived home from our dear friend Courtney's bridal shower. It was so much fun and Mum and I had a great time. Regrettably the littles both still had icky colds and Sara volunteered to babysit them....thank you Sara!! Courtney greeted us at the door-glowing, as usual. :) The fellowship hall of her church was decorated beautifully and the tables were very pretty. :) Courtney's mom, sister Hannah, and three aunts all set up, cooked for and set up this beautiful shower for their dear Courtney. She received so many beautiful gifts for her and Dan's future home! My gift to Court is going to be a wedding gift, as it isn't done yet. :) Mum got her the Betty Crocker Cookie book and made her an adorable apron, as was pictured in the last post. After a delicious lunch of warm chicken salad, pasta and salad, the games began. The first was tricky but very creative. The second was the traditional bridal 'bingo' as the bride-to-be opens her gifts. The centerpieces were so beautiful and quite a few women there were very happy to go home with them as prizes.

All in all, the shower was beautiful and so much fun. It was fun to gab with friends we don't see very often and to celebrate with Courtney her impending marriage. I was just thinking the other day...each of my friends one day will get married and I'll have the joy to walk with them during this precious season...laugh with them and cry as I witness each of their weddings.

Anyway, here are a few pictures taken of the bridal shower! I didn't take any of the decorations-I could kick myself for not taking any, but oh well. Courtney's mom informed me I would get to wear black flats with my bridesmaid's dress-WOOHOO! I'm pretty excited about my feet not hurting. :)

Here is Hannah, Courtney's sister, who announced and explained all of the games and is such a huge help to her mom and sister.

Miss Bride-to Be, opening a never-ending gift, it seemed. She kept pulling things out! :)

Friends forever. Back row: Hannah, Michaela, Me....front row, Morgs and Bella. :)

Best friends...sisters...maid of honor and the bride

Hannah and Courtney

Our two moms. :) Both of them are such wonderful mothers and examples of Godly wives, mothers and homemakers!

Me and Courtney. :) Isn't she just glowing?

I am off to do some resting and spend some time with the family....Maidens is tomorrow so expect a blog post for that, too!

Ce la vie!

Cold, dark, wet...what do you do?

Below is a picture of our dark, rainy sky....(and a beautiful autumn tree I couldn't resist adding)...It is cold, dark and dreary here in Pittsburgh, Pa....the way it has been for the past few days....so on this Saturday, what did we do...we got creative!

Meghan....crocheting a gift for a friend....I love the rich, red color of this cotton yarn.

Tent "forts" were built in the livingroom....


A WONDERFUL play was performed for Meghan and I...costume changes, lighting and curtains....above you see Isabella (Anna), Odette, (Sara) and the "Prince"...(Ronnie)... Job well done, everyone! (Sara...thanks for doing this with them...my creative genius!)
Crocheting slippers from warm , soft wool...

Sewing an apron for a new bride...with cherries on it!

Teaching the cat to"walk"...Anna's idea of fun! Chloe doesn't mind, either.

Spending most of the day in the kitchen...above, homemade bleu cheese salad dressing for the bridal shower tomorrow...
While all day....homemade molasses baked beans simmered on the stove. Yum! (the story behind this old family recipe will have to be another blog post!)
Crocheting another bridal afghan...this one in soft, soft yarn...in rich, warm fall colors....I am loving my wooden hooks...so smooth. Crocheting instantly relaxes me...and helps me focus. Plus...I feel good that when I sit down to rest ( and I have to rest often lately), I am being creative and productive.

~So now....little ones are bathed and in warm pajamas....hot bowls of beans are cooling for supper...will make some popcorn later on for a snack in front of the fire. I have one more salad dressing to make, and will finish sewing the apron after Ron gets up ... Ron will wake up in time to watch the Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightnings at hockey...and it will be a warm, cozy time here tonight.

I'll leave you all with this quote from Max Lucado:

"Constructing something engages only the hands, while creating something engages the heart and soul that our Creator gave us."

~Sue~

Quote of the day....humility

~Remember-the root word of humble and human is the same: humus; earth. We are dust. We are created...it is God who made us and not we ourselves.~
Madeleine L'Engle

Humility...being humble. This is my 'quote of the day' from a flip calender that Meghan got for me last year...I love this, and it sits right on the windowsill where I can see it, thru out my day.

This quote reminded me of part of what our pastor preached on last Sunday...and what our small group talked about last night. Humility....God's grace. We are no better than anyone else...and lower than most. We were reading in Luke 14 about the banquet...and one of the questions that our pastor asked was "who will you invite"? Even something as basic as inviting people to your home...will you only invite family? Other christians? Or will you go and open your hearts to friendships with non-believers...not necessarily to 'hammer' them with the gospel...but to gently show Christ' love to them...let them see and feel His love in action...thru you. It may be sacrificially...it may be a stretch for you to 'step out of your comfort zone'...but, think about it....who did Jesus befriend, serve and love? The sinners...the lost, the ill, the lonely, the outcasts....today, it could be the homeless, the drug addicts...the sarcastic, angry people....the people lost in 'worldliness'...loving the things of this world. I've really been thinking about this this week...who can I...who can we as a family reach out in friendship and Christ' love to befriend and serve? I think for us....it spreads to our extended family...and spirals outward to neighbors, friends...but we want it to extend even further.

I was talking to a friend last night , and one of the things that came up was going to a bar...sounds funny for me, but after talking to her, we could really make friends with some people who need to know Jesus' love and serve them with His care....just one example that would put ME out of my comfort zone...and today I ran into acquaintances from Ron and my dating days...20-something years ago...and they asked if we would be at the bar next Saturday to hear another friends band play...I haven't gone yet, but will pray about this, with the new insight that the Lord has given me....these people know we are Christians, they know we don't drink....but by being friends, being kind and meeting them where they are...maybe the Lord could minister thru us....show His love. I can't help the phrase echoing thru my mind lately...."but for God's grace....that would be me"....ONLY thru His grace.

So....who can YOU reach out to? Food for thought......~Sue~

Make it from scratch: Beef Broth

I was asked recently how I made my homemade beef broth. I had to think about it for a minute...I've been making it since before I was married, so I just throw everything in the pot! The story behind this broth is one of my favorites. My great- grandmother, my Baba, had 8 children. Her husband and 4 sons worked in the steel mill in Hazelwood (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and my great-grandfather insisted on having soup to eat every single day. They had other meals, as well...but a meal always started with soup. Apparently, the broth replaced everything that they sweated out in the mill. So, my Baba would make this soup, serve it with homemade noodles...then ONLY the men would eat pieces of meat and potatoes with butter...along with bread and butter with every meal. IF there were any meat or potatoes left...then the women could have them. When I think of everything that my Baba did in the course of a day back in the early 1900's....I think SHE worked much harder than anyone else....especially with carrying 9 babies ( I did say 8 before, but Margaret died of the whooping cough when she was 3 years old), nursing them all for well over a year...along with doing everything by hand. As I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandmother, and she would tell me stories about her mother ( my Baba), and her growing up years....then I was blessed to live with her for 2 years before marrying Ron....so I learned A LOT! Here is a 'rough' recipe for homemade beef broth! Hope you enjoy! ~Sue~

~Baba's Beef Broth~

First, I melt 2 tblsp butter along with 2 tblsp olive oil in the bottum of my 20 quart stock pot.

Then, I season the meat ( I only had round steak yesterday, but usually use chuck...either one is good) and brown both sides VERY WELL. Then, I added 2 big beef soup bones. (now, these I used yesterday were organic from a butchered cow, that someone gave me, but I've bought them in the grocery store in the beef department....or ask the butcher)

Ok....so your meat is well browned and you've added the bones.....now I fill up the pot with cold water. As it is filling, I scrape up all the wonderful brown, carmelized bits off the bottum of the pot. Add in 4-5 celery stalks with the leaves, 5-6 large garlic cloves, smashed....2 large onions quartered with the skins ON, and a couple large carrots.....salt and pepper....and simmer for hours.
***Note: as the 'scum' rises to the top, skim it off and get rid of it...it will make the soup bitter if you don't***

Usually, after a couple of hours, it is a rich golden brown color, and I take everything out and strain. Since it has cooked down, I usually add some water to get it back up to almost the top. Then, I put the meat back in. A lot of fresh carrots, and a peeled whole potato for everyone and "one for the pot".....when that is tender, we eat the soup with the carrots, then everyone gets a piece of meat (kids usually want ketchup on it) and a potato with butter and salt. And that is it! (if they had them, my Baba would add in whole tomatoes at the end..sometimes I do and sometimes I don't...Sara and I are the only ones who like them)

We made enough for 6 of us for dinner last night, lunch today, 2 quarts given away....and 2 HUGE containers frozen to make french onion soup out of one and beef stew out of the other....each one is usually 20 quarts. Any questions, just let me know!

Serendipity....

From dictionary.com : Serendipity: 1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. 2. good fortune; luck:

~Serendipity!~

I love when homeschool days turn out much better than I think they will! Ty is here with us today, and he is cranky from a cold....clinging to my skirts, whining to be picked up..then wanting down right away...up, down, up, down....how I expected my day to go.

I happen to have a small pocket of quiet right now...Ronnie finished his schoolwork in record time, without prompting from me (I was pleasantly AMAZED)...and is now reading a magic school house solar system book before being picked up to spend the rest of the day at his friend's house, before cubscouts tonight...busy boy.

Anna also did her schoolwork without complaining today...learning to add, writing her numbers....then she read 2 'bob books' for me....I'm so excited!

The girls are busily doing business math and algebra...American gov't, and lit....lots of papers being written around here.

Even though I thought that today would NOT be one of our better days....it's turning out quite nicely....dinner is simmering on the stove....20 quarts of homemade beef broth, to be made into beef soup, beef stew, french onion soup...and just to drink from a mug...we love this stuff!

I was able to have a rather nice quiet time today, read proverbs with the kids at breakfast, vacumn the livingroom, talk to a friend who just had her 4th baby...and have a hot breakfast and a hot lunch....when I didn't think I would get anything done today! LOL Serendipity....love that word....but, I love THE WORD even more...and I think God is blessing me today...I know I am blessed everyday, but seems when I put HIS priorities ahead of my own....at the end of the day, it all works out. I've really been trying to follow Elisabeth Elliot's advice...just 'do the next thing'.....and I've also been trying to PRAYERFULLY, do the next thing...actually stop and ask the Lord "what do YOU want me to do?" Some days are better than others...but I wouldn't trade my life for anything!

Now.....time to clean up the kitchen, strain the broth, do some laundry and make kefir smoothies...then....on to the next thing! Have a great day in the Lord! ~Sue~

In the Pumpkin Patch!

So...this morning, we were off to the Pumpkin patch at Trax Farms! We met Lori and Ty there...great photo op! (or...at least we tried!) It was very chilly and windy...so we took our pictures and hurried home. It was worth, it, though....Ronnie and Anna had so much fun....Ty wasn't quite sure what to make of it...but we got some great pictures and made some special memories. Best friends....Ronnie and Anna!
I love this one!

My littlest pumpkins! I have so many pictures of Meghan and Sara in these cutouts over the years....they look so cute!

They had a great time climbing on the pumpkins! Ty lost his shoe at one point, and got stuck, but after Lori rescued Ty, Ronnie rescued Ty's shoe! It was pretty funny!
Look at our little pumpkin!!! This pictures is one of my favorites!
How I love this boy!!!
And my littlest girl....her sweet face and huge eyes!

On our way out....I had to get them in front of the mums.....(shortly after this, Aunt Lori bought them each a huge chocolate chip cookie!)

~So, that was our morning at the pumpkin patch! Came home...made kefir smoothies...did schoolwork, got dinner in the crockpot (stuffed pepper soup)....made a big bowl of popcorn, crocheted for a while before I had to take Sara to dance. Just got done playing a 'Leapfrog' phonics game with Anna....then it's tucking the little ones in and watching the new Duggar family special tonight with the girls, when Ron goes to work. Another full day....doesn't seem as if I got a lot accomplished, but, in another sense....it was a good day. Hope everyone keeps warm tonight! Going down to 32 degrees here! God bless! ~Sue