Fav Foto Friday

I never do this, but it is a great idea. I have been meaning to use this idea on the blog, but I always forget when Friday rolls around. So here is my one of my favorite pictures. We were up at Tad and Amelia's in late March. We were hanging outside with the neighbors. Degan really wanted to ride this bike, so Daddy came to his rescue.

Family, Family, and more Family!

This is such a busy month. Lynda, Zoe, Livee and Miles came down Friday and hung out all weekend. We had a great time. Sat. night we had movie night... Not the best movie (my fault) but the best company. Sunday we played a "long" game of Monopoly (Bobby's fault:)), I won! Today they left for home :(. Come back soon Carmacks! At 3:00 my Grandma Dee flew in from Oregon. I am so excited that she is here. It has almost been a year since I have seen her. To make a great visit even better, my Mom flies in to Austin tomorrow. They only thing that could make it better, would be for my sis to show up. I have so much planned. Crafts, shopping, and gardening. My Mom, Uncle David and Grandma Dee have the greenest thumbs, and I plan to see if they passed any of their gift to me. My front yard needs a little help. (That's a long story!) Grandma Dee leaves on Thursday. The next Thursday we are off to Orlando, Florida, to meet my mom for a fun trip to Disney World! To end the month right our Friends Rick and April are coming to Dallas on the 30th. We plan on going up there to spend Halloween with them and the family. So the 10 days of rest I have open in this month are going to be used wisely... Make The kids, Bobby's, and my costume. The kids treat bags, and get Carys a birthday gift. Busy might be a bit of an understatement.

To all those Nordstrom Cafe fans...

Since I have moved to Texas, Nordstom is not that close, and to top it off they only serve my favorite item on Fridays. Their Tomato Basil Soup is amazing! So, I was determined to find the recipe for myself. I made it last week and it tastes like the real thing! Ingredients 1 1/8 cups canned peeled plum tomatoes 4 1/2 ounces carrots, chopped 4 1/2 ounces onions, chopped 1 1/8 teaspoons dry basil 4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, 3 cups water, 1 1/2 oz. chicken base, 1 1/8 cup heavy cream, 1 1/8 tsp salt, 1 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions

• In a large stock pot, sautee the olive oil, carrots, and onions at medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Add the basil, salt, pepper, and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
• In a large bowl, whisk the chicken base into the water until dissolved.
• Add the water mixture to the stock pot, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 45 minutes.
• Puree the soup using a hand blender while adding the heavy cream until it reaches a thin consistency.

Even if you have not tried this soup at Nordtrom, I still recommend you try it. It has a great flavor, and a perfect fall meal

Remember what I said about Happy Thoughts?

Well, we have a very sweet friend that needs your prayers, happy thoughts, and positive energy. My Friend's daughter is in the hospital on very strong IV antibiotics, due to a infection she got from surgery a few weeks back. She is not in pain, but we need the antibiotics to do the job so that she doesn't have to go back into surgery. She has a great Mom, Dad and brother by her side, as well as other family and friends cheering her on. You can never have to much support, so please send those happy thoughts towards our Minnie. Thanks!

What we have been up to...

Well it's been a while. Still no camera (not a good one anyway), and we have really been keeping busy. Lots of crafty ideas, thanks to my talented sister-in-laws. The kids are doing great. Degers is talking so much lately. He is picking up new words, and saying his old ones so much clearer. We have been doing lots of great things with the kids. Earlier we took the kids to the Waco Zoo for some quality time with Daddy. It was so nice. There was only two other families there with us, so the kids had free reign. They loved it! Below you can see us in the alligator den. Kodi Lynn was a little scared to go in. I love this picture. Bobby found the smallest frog ever and the kids thought it was so cool. Kodi Lynn even held it. They were so sad when Bobby set the frog free. Kodi Lynn hates to set her friends free. Hahaha. You have to enlarge this picture to see the frog better. " Mr. To sexy for my diaper" is more like it. The kids love to run around in the back yard, and since it has cooled off I don't mind being out there either. My recycled pumpkin. I made this out of a bag I had hanging out in my pantry. It has a partner on the other side of the entry table. Can you see the pumpkin Kodi Lynn and I made? The small orange one to the right? Kodi Lynn had a blast painting them. She loves crafts and coloring. I wonder where she got that from. I have always loved Letti's candy jars, so I went and got my own. Thanks Letti for the idea. So that's just a little bit of what we have been up to. I need to get in the habit of carrying my big ol' camera around, so that I can share more often. We'll see?