Our SWEET Girl Turned 14!!

On the 15th, we celebrated Miss Mabel!  David and I are SO LUCKY to be her parents.  She is our quiet one who finds JOY in everything!

Her birthday wish was to spend the day on a lake, and her daddy delivered!  BIG Time!!

He drove Mabel and Ester up to Lake Texoma, found a private beach, prepared fresh, foil-wrapped lunches over a fire, and then took them knee boarding and Mabel water skiing.  And she got up!! You go girl!

We ordered out dinner at this awesome sandwich place ::

(I'm telling you, sloppy, but to-die-for Cuban BBQ sandwiches!)

And then it was Nothin' Bundt Cake for our birthday girl::

She had a super fantastic day celebrating HER!

We love you so much, sweet girl!!  Wishing you abundant blessings throughout the year :)

XOXO

Dad and Mom

Cheesy Taco Pasta

During the summer, I tried this new easy-go-to dish for our Mexican nights on Tuesdays.  The fam liked it enough that it made the Mexican night rotation on our menu planning.

Cheesy Taco Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound large shells pasta
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.  Cook the shelled pasta according to the directions on the box and drain.

2.  Add the ground beef to the pan and brown well.

3.  Drain the fat.

5.  Add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water, stir and cook until water is gone.

5.  Add the salsa and cheese and stir to combine.

6.  Serve immediately.  (Can serve with crunchy tortilla chips on top.)

Enjoy!!

Patty

It's Been a Long Time - Daybook Post

Let's see if I remember how to write one of these...

Outside my window ~

We were not effected from Hurricane Harvey.  We did have the cloud coverage, cool breezes, and intermittent rainfall, but our prayers.  So many prayers go to all of those effected by this horrible, catastrophic storm.

I am thankful for ~

1.  Sarah's safety as well.  She is located north of Austin and only had heavy rainfall, (not catastrophic rainfall).

2.  All of the compassion, love, kindness, generosity that Texans (and others) displayed during this incredibly devastating storm.  Why doesn't the news broadcast this?  #TexasStrong

From the school room ~

Miss Clementine is enjoying Kindergarten!

And kindergarten science is about to get exciting!

Stan the man read and wrote three of his four mandatory book reports over the summer.  For each book report he sent into Seton, I bought him a new book for his own collection at home.

From the kitchen ~

For Sunday dinner, we enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches, cheesy potatoes, and slaw.  For dessert, Miss Mabel made oatmeal, chocolate chip bars.

Full bellies = happy folks!!

What I am reading ~

Around the house ~


Her little world!

I am thinking about ~

plans for tomorrow!  Trim the bushes.  Mow the lawn.  Work on finalizing plans for an upcoming birthday party.  Counting down the days till we go visit Sarah!

I am praying for ~

all the victims of Hurricane Harvey.  Amen.

What I am listening to ~

Ramblin' Man (The Allman Brothers Band - on my playlist)

Coming down the pike this week ~

Tuesday - Miss Ester has cross country practice

(Miss Ester with some of her team mates.  Photo credit: K. W.)

Thursday - XC practice again.

Thursday - Ice Skating lessons for Miss Mabel and Miss Clementine!

Saturday - TSG recruiting event (for Stan the man)

Saturday - XC meet for Miss Ester

A final photo to share ~

Actually a few from the eclipse ::

Miss Ester and Mabel melted a candle onto a piece of glass and then blackened it.

They held it out and could see the eclipse image on the blackened glass.

Isn't that a cool idea?!  I think they found it on Pinterest.

Now that we have finally found a new school year groove, I'm hoping to catch up on my blog reading and keep updating here.  Have a great week!

Patty

Feast of St. Helen

The feast of St. Helen (of the Cross) was on August 18.  She is the saint that Miss Mabel chose as her Confirmation saint.

Miss Mabel made these easy, chocolate crosses in honor of St. Helen and we read aloud a book about her life.

You can find St. Helen's story here.

St. Helen, pray for us!

Patty

Utility Spool End Table

When my husband built this beautiful coffee table...

... from an old utility spool, I realized that my other table needed to be replaced as well.

A week later, well, take a look for yourself!

The two of them look gorgeous together :)

He is a man that's been gifted with many talents when it comes to working with woodwork.  I am a lucky lady.  I know.

Patty

Family Photos Taken in July

Trying to think back to when we last hired a professional photographer to take our family pictures, (Sears photo studio doesn't count ;)...  it was our wedding!

So before Sarah headed off to college, I wanted a family photo done right!

It was so stinkin' hot that night.  We had sweat dripping down our backs and faces. Oh my gosh!  It was so bad.  At one point, I wiped my face on the back of David's shirt because no one was going to see it anyway. Right!?

They were complaining but knew better then to not smile, because if mama ain't happy, nobody is happy.  ;)

So here's a few from our album ::

And yes! I'm thrilled.  I am thrilled to pieces to have up-to-date photos of my loves!!  (Insert loud beating heart)

Patty