They Say Fall is Here - Daybook Post

Outside my window ~

Some rain on Sunday brought a little bit of a drop in temperatures.

I am thankful for ~

* My peeps arrived home safe and sound from the 8th grade "field" trip!!

* David and Miss Mabel had an amazing adventure that allowed for some incredible bonding between a father and daughter.  (Post on the Grand Canyon trip coming soon!)


I am reading ~

It just arrived in the mail a couple of days ago.  Looking forward to this, and it should be a quick read since it is only 105 pages.

From the school room ~

* Big news!  Big Big news!

Miss Sally received her first college admissions letter!

What an overwhelming feeling of success in our school year journey!!  It still feels surreal.

* Miss Clementine has been working on some fall art projects...

The day she day she did her apple stamp fall tree (above), I was look the heck am I kidding??!!

It was like a crazy 100 degrees out, Stan was like, "Mom, when we do go to the apple orchard..."  I was like, Dude!  Woe.  We have no apple orchards.  (Where's he been the past 9 years??  Ha ha ha!)  And I have a cactus ready to bloom, for Pete's sake!  I need a Corona!

* The high school kids in our homeschool group attended a 90 minute self-defense class.  So informative!!!

* 9th week - this week!  End of the first quarter already.

I am praying for ~

* an end to abortion

* for our priests

* for all those who have asked me to pray for them

* our country

* Each morning I say the St. Michael prayer, petitioning for my family's safety from all the evils of this world (if possible.)

Around the house ~

I can find this large bottle of shea soap at TJ Max or Tuesday Morning stores for $5.00.  Each season, a new scent arrives.  I love this stuff!  (It lasts by my kitchen sink for a good 60 days and gets a lot of use.)

From the kitchen ~

I put together my monthly meal planner for October.  I decided against adding chili or more soups the weather will probably be warm still.

I am listening to ~

Silence!  It's golden.

Coming down the pike this week ~

Sunday - High School self-defense class
Sunday - High School youth group
Tuesday - Miss Mabel Edge youth group
Wednesday - Miss Clementine ballet
Wednesday - Choir practise
Thursday - PE for Stan
Saturday - Hike for Life TX

One last photo to share ~

Taking a school break on a hot afternoon with a chocolate sundae!

Have a great week!

~  Patty ~

What's for Sunday Dinner?

It's been quiet around our house this past week with Miss Mabel and David away on her 8th grade "field" trip.  We miss them and look forward to their homecoming on Saturday. :)

The strangest thing around here is that I have had left overs.  This is a foreign concept to me!!  With so many mouths to feed, I never have left overs.  It's been nice.

I looked over my monthly menu and saw that I have the Crock Pot Creamy Chicken & Rice dinner down for Sunday.  I haven't made that dish in awhile, and my family LOVES it.

See recipe here.

For dessert, I thought I would make one of David's favorites, Snickerdoodle Bars.

See recipe here.

My family could eat these up in no time at all.  They are crazy yummy!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend wherever you are and a blessed Sunday.

~  Patty ~

Fall Books

So it's the first day of fall, and oh my goodness sake, that doesn't mean a darn thing in our neck of the woods.  Basically, instead of it being 98, it was 95 today.  :)

As an acquaintance would say, "Happy thoughts.  Happy thoughts."

When Miss Clementine heard it was the first day of fall, (she is still trying to figure out this adult concept since it is clearly swimming weather), she asked if we could bring out the fall books.

I pulled out our bin and this is what we found inside:

Happy reading!

Happy Fall!

~  Patty  ~

Mother Teresa Apron

My new apron arrived in the mail today.  I'm SO excited to show it to you!

It would make a lovely gift for the cook (or baker) in your life!  I found it at Catholic Company.

It is sturdy yet soft enough.  But it runs large!  I am going to have David take the neck tie in for me.  And yes, it would even fit a med-large built man.  The waist tie wraps around a couple of times so, as a medium-framed woman, I can tie it snugly and make it fit.

St. Teresa, pray for us!

~  Patty ~

He's Kind of a Special Role Model (in our house)

Saint Andrew Kim Taegon

Korea's first Roman Catholic priest; his feast day is today, September 20.

St. Andrew Kim, pray for us!

(My family chose to create St. Andrew Kim for our homeschool group's saint peg doll exchange last December.)

~  Patty  ~

Monkey Bread

I believe everyone, at some time, has had a piece of Monkey Bread.  It's so good!  It's hard to stop eating once you start.

If you have never made it or are a beginner cook, this is an easy recipe.

Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

4 tubes Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (you can buy the individual 10 biscuits per roll or a 4-pack of them.)
1 cup sugar
2 tsps cinnamon
2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1.  Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.

2.  Mix sugar and 2 tsps cinnamon in a ziplock bag (or in a medium size bowl).  Shake a few pieces of biscuit at a time in the bag.

3.  Layer in bundt pan or tube pan.

4.  Combine butter, brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Bring to a boil.  Pour over biscuits.

5.  Bake at 350 degree F for approximately 40 minutes.

When cooled off a bit, just pull apart and eat :)

This is seriously addicting!

Enjoy!

~  Patty  ~