Yes they're all Mine

Menu Monday-January 23

2012-01-23T21:04:00.003-06:00

Well last week worked out so nicely that I thought I would try again. Now this week wasn't as easy because I was out of town at a dance competition and had to make my meal plan on the fly. Again my goal was to use as much food from my pantry as possible. Here is what I came up with:

Monday:

Chicken tenders
green beans
fresh cantaloupe

All of these items were already in the house-whoopee!!

Tuesday:

Taco Tuesday
Shells*
2 lbs ground beef*
fiesta blend cheese*
sour cream*
black beans
soft shell tortillas*

*-items that had to be purchased; this is (approximately) a $12 meal for the 7 of us

Wednesday:

Spaghetti
Bread
Green beans
fresh pineapple

all meal items were here

Thursday:

"gondola" sandwiches*
Gondola sweet bread
assorted lunch meats/cheese
chips
fresh fruit

*will have to buy bread-3 loaves $7

Friday:

Frozen pizza*
cold carrots with dip*

Saturday:

Left overs

Sunday:
Small group
-we are the dessert so I will be making a coffee cake or cupcakes with boxed mix that I have

Our grocery bill for the week was $78. Not bad for a family of 7!!! I just know I could slash it even further if I could just get rid of convenience items for lunches!! I spend so much money on chips (baked), fruit snacks, etc. I wish I was diligent about buying more fruits and veggies!!

Menu Monday (Pantry Challenge) January 17th

2012-01-16T15:58:00.004-06:00

Well I did our first week of the pantry challenge and noticed a tremendous drop in my weekly grocery bill!!! Here is what I came up with (items in bold I pulled out of cabinets/pantry):

Monday:
Ham sandwiches on mini rolls
Green Beans
Fresh fruit

Total cost of meal: 99cents for a fresh pineapple (Aldi has them on sale this week!)

Tuesday:
We have an out of town volleyball game this evening and have to leave immediately after school, so this night is a bust!! I am going to deduct our dinner out from grocery money. We will be dining on:
Gondola's
Chips
Fruit cups
Water
As you can see the cost will only be for the sandwiches which will be about $10!

Wednesday:
Spaghetti with sauce
Bread and butter
Green beans (can you tell I had plenty of beans socked away!)
Canned mandarin oranges

Thursday:
Taco's
Shells from cupboard
Meat, cheese, sour cream purchased
Total: $10

Friday:
Frozen pizza
Salad

Saturday:
Burgers
Fries

What kills me every week are prepackaged snacks, breakfast items (bagels, cereal, frozen pancakes, waffles), and things for lunch. We don't do hot lunch so we need a variety of things for all 5 kids to take 5 days each week. I am running out of lunchtime creativity!!!!

This week I did also purchase yogurt, chicken strips, and milk.

Our grocery budget was under $100 which is pretty awesome for a family of 7!!!!

I will be doing the same thing next week!!! Stay tuned for more adventures from shopping in the pantry:)

I haven't done this in awhile, but I'm headed over to link up at orgjunkie.com to check out some new possibilites for meals!!!

Pantry Challenge

2012-01-12T19:02:00.002-06:00

Well I have decided to jump on the pantry challenge bandwagon that I repinned on Pinterest. We seem to be accumulating more and more canned food, boxes of pasta, and random packets of taco sauce here at chez Story. I'm not sure if it is because I am working full-time right now, or if my meal planning system is in a temporary funk?

Here is how I am going to play...I am going to shop from the pantry first. If there is any possible meal that can be put together with the food that we already have here, it will be used first. I will be prepared to buy fresh fruit, veggies, meat etc. but our freezer has A TON of stuff as well!!

Wouldn't it be nice to find that our grocery budget could rest for a week by using what we already have?

I'm not sure what our menu for next week will be, but I know that we have lasagne noodles, sphagetti noodles, and numerous cans of tomatoes!!

This will be interesting!!

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T16:04:00.008-06:00

Oliver rang in the new year with a nice cup of chocolate milk!!

Such a pretty girl!!

Oliver, Ella, and Michael dancing to Just Dance 3-they all had some SERIOUS moves!! Ella was not happy when Uncle Tom didn't accept her rematch challenge!!

Counting down to the new year (8:30 p.m.) with some sparkly white grape juice-so yummy!!

Party girls

Toasting each other

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We said farewell to 2011 with a small New Year's Eve celebration full of dancing (Derek hung a real disco ball), eating (easy menu of gondola's, chips, and some seriously delish treats!!), laughing, and playing.

As I look back on 2011, I see a year that was really good and as I look ahead to 2012, I can't wait to see what God has in store for our family and for all of the people that we love!!

The Bucket List 2012

2012-01-01T22:14:00.002-06:00

Our new bucket list for 2012 has been written. As we've done in the past, our crew sits down for a family meeting to create family activities that we would like to do at some point during the new year. We have two rules: 1) Everyone has to participate, and this year 2) All activities must be free. Here is our list:

Peris: One announced "screen" day

Michael: Star Wars Movie Marathon

Ella: A dance party

Fiona: Harry Potter Movie Marathon

Emmy: Build a blanket fort and hold a reading club inside

Derek: A long bike ride with a picnic

Kara: A "tour" of 3 parks (my choice) in one day

Bonus activities: *A tree tour with the Dean of Green
*Strawberry picking

This is always such a cool list because we get to do these things as a family which I love.

The "50" Challenge

2012-01-01T21:07:00.002-06:00

The Story Family has decided to take on the "50" challenge that was shared by us with our good friends the Kawakita's. What is the "50" challenge?? This year, our family has committed to read 50 books by December 31st of 2012. Starting today any book that one of us reads can be written on a big piece of paper and counts towards our goal. To count, the book has to be read completely. Now I know 50 books isn't a big number for a family our size, but I have a feeling that once we get going we will surpass this number and keep going!!! The Story's are readers!!

Keep your eye out...you never know when a surprise book review may pop up here!!

Baking

2011-12-25T12:11:00.003-06:00

Making gingerbread and spritz cookies-of course if you help you get to eat the dough!!

The girls made chocolate covered pretzles, iced graham crackers, chex mix, and snowman donuts for Ella's dance team bake sale. We had a lot of fun making some yummy stuff to sell!!!

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This holiday season seemed to blow by. I will say that working definately made things challenging, but that being said, we still packed in so many fun things. We baked cookies, made s'mores in the fireplace, sent cards to our neighbors, and went on a nighttime walk around our neighborhood to look at lights.
We are so blessed to have such full lives-busy, crazy and hectic but so full of life and joy.
What a wonderful Christmas season.

Elfie's antics

2011-12-25T11:34:00.008-06:00

Elfie was the "Mac Daddy Elf" when he had a date with two Barbies under the Christmas tree

Elfie taking a rest

Elfie hanging out on the downstairs shelf-believe it or not, this was the hardest hiding place yet

This was also hard-Elfie was being sneaky

A special message: "I love the Story kids"

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Our adventures with Elfie were very fun this year!! Last night he went back to visit with Santa and won't return until next year.

We will miss you!!

Graffiti artist (day 14)

2011-12-15T08:07:00.011-06:00

In a playful turn of events, Elfie decided to embellish our family pictures by taking a dry erase marker and doing a little graffiti. Boy he got us good!!! Don't we look silly?? The kids thought that this was just hilarious!! Until Michael started questioning whether or not the marker would come off. We sure are enjoying the antics of our little Elf.

I think Elfie looks like he is enjoying his little trick a bit too much-see his naughty little grin...

Lesson Learned (day 13)

2011-12-14T05:26:00.001-06:00

While we all love our dear friend Elfie, I have learned a lesson in appropriate hiding......i.e. NOT in a bedroom!! There are no pictures of day 13 because Elfie decided to hide in Michael's room(he was hanging out on the little tree) which turned out to be traumatic ("He is watching me, and that is freaking me out Mom!!). Elfie decided to move early to our Christmas tree which also resulted in trauma (Now I'm freaked out that he is in your room watching me Mom!). The deal was sealed at bedtime when Emmy's prayer included: "And please let Elfie move to a fun spot that is NOT in our bedroom because his eyes will watch us".

Sorry Elfie.

Pal-ing Around (Day 11 and 12)

2011-12-12T19:11:00.002-06:00

Elfie found the pickle ornament that we hang on our tree-whomever finds it first gets to open the first gift on Christmas Morning.

Elfie hid on our china cabinet and told secrets to his best friend Frosty all day long.

Tea for three (Day 10)

2011-12-12T19:05:00.003-06:00

This morning we woke up and found Elfie hosting a tea party under the Christmas tree. Santa, and "Golfie" the Nutcracker (yes, he is from the Holiday Bazaar) were his guests. On the menu: frosted animal crackers and water.

Elfie was a good little host!!

By the end of the day, all of the cookies were gone. Emmy is convinced that Elfie ate his special treats!! She is still trying to figure out how he ate all of the cookies.

I love the magic that Elfie is bringing!!

Hanging around (day 9)

2011-12-12T19:03:00.002-06:00

Elfie was hanging around the kitchen-maybe he thought that Santa and the cookie cutters were on a zip line??

Picture perfect (day 8)

2011-12-12T19:00:00.002-06:00

This morning Elfie greeted us by hanging out in the hallway-I think he was checking out the kids when they were little!! Yes Elfie, they sure are cute!!
And so are you!!!

Advent evening-pizza picnic

2011-12-12T18:53:00.002-06:00

One of our family activities from our Christmas Countdown advent calendar was a pizza picnic in front of the Christmas tree. Derek brought home pizza and we enjoyed some yummy food together. Grandma and Grandpa Story joined us so that Emmy could work on her timeline board-she interviewed Grandpa Story because he is "really old"-the definition of "really old" by the way is older than me (and she informed me that being older than me is REALLY old).

Working on the timeline

Wonderful Counselor (day seven)

2011-12-07T08:15:00.002-06:00

This morning Elfie didn't travel very far. He decided to stop at the Nativity scene that is right inside our front door.

It looks like he is holding Baby Jesus and talking to all of his friends.

I wonder what they are saying....

Look who is peeking (day six)

2011-12-07T08:09:00.004-06:00

Hanging on our entry wall is a window that hung in the first house that Derek and I bought together. As a surprise, Derek snuck this window out of the garage on the day that we moved and brought it to our new home in a new town. I love this window because it reminds me of so many things-namely the birth of our first three children.

Today Elfie returned from the North Pole and decided to peek out from behind a window pane in the window. He was actually pretty hard to find-but it was worth all the smiles when his special spot was revealed.
Just lovely!

Elfie-Day Five

2011-12-07T08:05:00.001-06:00

Elfie was caught reading the Nativity story in a quiet spot this morning near our tree. He looked so peaceful.

Gingerbread Houses with Grandma Choo Choo

2011-12-07T07:52:00.009-06:00

What has quickly become a favorite holiday tradition, we got together for an afternoon of fun to create our gingerbread masterpieces!! With loads of candy and ideas, each builder received a base, graham crackers, bowls of cement (royal icing), and were cut loose to begin. It is fun to see the kids become more and more independent in their desire to build their OWN projects. What a great afternoon!!

Supplies

Michael built his own "Santa's toy assembly line" this year

I circulated as a helper-Addison built an awesome gingerbread land with LOTS of green sprinkles!!

Uncle Tom and Oliver

Ella felt bad and allowed her Dad to "work" with her-she is so me and wanted this to be an independant project!! We ladies just aren't in to group work!!

Peris made a mini-city

Emmy snatched Aunt Christine up as her partner again-they make a great pair

Avery made a "Hello Kitty" land, and Fiona made a giant building

Working hard in the kitchen-in the background you can see the Mommies chatting-that is really what the grown up's (well the grown up Moms) did:)

Swinging into the Christmas season

2011-12-07T07:48:00.003-06:00

While Elfie did not move on the eve of day 3, on day four we found him swinging from the ceiling fan!! Boy he must have had a super fun time getting back to us from the North Pole!!

The kids thought it was HILARIOUS!!

Elfie-Day two

2011-12-03T22:49:00.005-06:00

Day two-I am happy to report that Elfie was able to return to the North Pole with good news for Santa!! And when he returned, he decided to hide in our Christmas wreath. It was so much fun trying to find him!!

Elfie is such a cutie!!

Elfie Arrives-Day one

2011-12-03T22:31:00.006-06:00

After several years of flat out begging (Emmy), we purchased our own Elf on the Shelf this year. After weeks of waiting, Elfie finally arrived on December first. To celebrate his arrival, we had a very special "Welcome Elfie" breakfast. Please note that even before we purchased our Elf, his name had already been determined hence the name Elfie-quite original, we know.

The kids woke to a special breakfast including homemade french toast, snowman donuts, and candy cane hot cocoa ( a Story family favorite).

We enjoyed listening to the story while we dined on our special breakfast treats. I don't know about you, but I just can't wait to see where Elfie ends up this holiday season!! I sure hope he has a lot of good things to report back to Santa!!

The table setting for Elfie's breakfast

The snowman donuts-mini powdered sugar donuts, candy corn, and black icing

As a special treat, Elfie brought each of the kids a special mug to use during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Talbott's Tree Farm

2011-12-03T22:23:00.008-06:00

It might've poured down rain, but we didn't let that stop us!!

Year #17 at Talbott's Tree Farm!!
It was a bit chilly (and we were soaked) so we took a break half way through to get some hot cider.

On a mission!!

Still looking....

Back to the first tree we found-it sure is cute!!

Official tree cutting assistants

Christmas Countdown

2011-12-03T21:35:00.006-06:00

After spending a lot of time on Pinterest, my friend Danielle and I decided to create our own Christmas Countdown boards. After some planning and material gathering we sat down one afternoon to do what my daughter deemed: craft chat. This project turned out adorable-I wish you could see Danielle's because she used the cutest paper that looks really cool and retro!! The pockets are filled with tickets (that she made on her cricket cutter-did I spell that right?) that have advent activities that are to be done as a family. Some examples of what our family will be doing this year are things like: Elfie's arrival (our Elf on the Shelf) breakfast, enjoy a new holiday journal, pizza in front of the Christmas tree, make s'mores in the fireplace, send a Christmas card to someone you love, complete a random act of kindness for a neighbor, take a late night walk, and several other cool ideas. If you are interested in the makings of the board, it was relatively easy. Here is how we did it:

Materials:
Foam board
25 pockets (ours came the stamping aisle)
wrapping paper (used to cover the board)
various paper and stickers
round punch
number stamps
tickets to write activities on

Here is my "Santa" pocket for Christmas day. You can see the black polka dot wrapping paper that I used to back my board. Then I covered the pocket with paper and added embellishments. The ticket is just tucked in to the pocket.

Another close up of pocket number 10

I have to say that the kids love the board so far!! In the past we have done a different Advent calendar which included a lot of candy. While they have asked about the candy, they have really enjoyed taking turns pulling out the tickets to see what they get to do each day. It has been fun starting a new tradition this year!!

Phoenix V - Sunday

2011-11-21T14:58:00.004-06:00

Run, run, run.....we're here!!!!

This is awesome!!!

Saturday/travel day

2011-11-21T14:46:00.005-06:00

Swimming at the Comfort Suites in Huntsville, AL

The Big Reveal

2011-11-21T14:30:00.003-06:00

Way back in September we decided to take a surprise vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We weren't sure how we would keep it a secret, but we knew that we had to get the kids and our stuff into the van without them knowing. In October we wrote "Big recycle day" up on our white board and the complaints started immediately!! Boring...that stinks...what?!? Were all the comments we heard. This past Saturday we loaded up big plastic tubs full of "recycling" (our clothes) and headed out. As we got going, we started handing back items that we "found" underneath my seat (thank you Amy and Debbie for this super awesome idea!!!). Flip flops were first, followed by a swim suit top, towel, and sunscreen. The kids were just NOT getting it!!! Once we realized that they were not picking up on the beach theme we handed back a coke can with flip flops, and finally an add that showed the word vacation. That was the give away-Ella figured it out first and the kids went nuts-it was just the reaction we were hoping for!! Needless to say it was the best surprise EVER!!!!

Our first stop in Indiana. A great beginning to our Thanksgiving vacation!!!

Christmas "Expandable"

2011-11-13T19:24:00.003-06:00

My Christmas Expandable

I've had a few friends ask me about my "cash only" Christmas budget system so here it is.

1. Purchase a coupon holder with several pockets. I purchased mine at Target for about $6. It is like an expandable.

2. Label each pocket with the categories that you budget for. As you can see above, a few of my categories are: cards/postage, tree, ornaments, decorations, kids, parents, etc.

3. Put budgeted cash in each pocket

You are ready to get your shopping on!!!!

I love this handy little expandable because it is small enough to carry in my purse, and it is a really easy way to save all of your holiday receipts!!! Mine even has a small pocket in the front that holds things like a pen and post it notes.

It is a holiday must have for me!!!!

Quiet corner

2011-11-13T19:16:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you, but I long for a quiet space. Just somewhere for me. Where I can go and do what I want without little fingers picking things up and sometimes quite frankly asking if they can help. I need a place where I can spread out and focus on getting a project done. Nothing fancy. Just somewhere to call my own. Well I found my space....in a corner of our unfinished laundry room. It is ugly (as you can see in the above picture) but Moms, it is MINE!! I am going to brighten it up a bit with some cheery paper to cover the peg board and will use the desk drawers to hold ribbon, paper, and other crafting supplies. The space is just right for me to sneak off and get a few fun things done. I can't wait to get started on some Christmas presents in my little corner that is just for me......

Simple Sunday treat

2011-11-06T15:19:00.005-06:00

Now that we are gearing up for the hectic holiday season, I wanted to share the EASIEST recipe (courtesy of my neighbor Maria) for a Pumpkin Spice Muffin that is super yummy!!!! My kids ask for these constantly!! They make a delicious breakfast muffin, pack well for a lunch time treat, and serve as a great afternoon snack. When you see the ingredient list, you won't believe that something so easy WILL taste so good!!!

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

1 small can of pure pumpkin
1 box of Spice cake mix
1 cup of water

Baking directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix the above ingredients in a big bowl
3. Spray your muffin liners with Pam and then fill each muffin liner approximately 3/4 full
4. Bake for about 20 minutes (I use the tooth pick test-if it comes out clean, the muffins are done)
5. I let them set about 5 minutes before serving, BUT I have eaten them immediately after pulling them from the oven because they are just that good!!

Here is the finished product. I have also taken mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and sprinkled them on top of the muffins prior to baking. Another idea I've contemplated is adding a small amount of sweet potato baby food to the mix-this would boost the nutritional value and wouldn't change the color or taste of the muffin.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

2011-11-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

Everytime I see this picture by Mary Englebreit I giggle because it reminds me of my son. I see him sitting on this rock along side his pet frog-first because he really does make this face, and second because he really did have a pet frog that he loved dearly. In the back ground are Peris and Ella playing with their toys-and in their play they have asked Michael to be their prince. Little does he know that in his "prince-dom" there is no ruling because the girls have taken charge yet again!! He is along for the ride in their imaginary world, and while it is fun....he is looking up towards the sky and wishing that there was just a little bit more teststerone in his household. He is loved, but he is outnumbered!!

Showing gratitude

2011-11-02T14:01:00.008-05:00

This year I decided that we were not going to skip the month of November-seriously!! I am guilty of going from Halloween to 100% Christmas holiday spirit on November 1st. In doing that, I always loose a great opportunity to teach my kids the art of Thanksgiving-a beautiful prelude to the holidays!! I saw some great ideas that have been posted but felt like I wanted something concrete-something that we could look back on and enjoy as the kids get older-hence the Gratitude Journal. I created the one below for under $3!! How is this going to work? Tonight at dinner I am going to present this to my family with the explanation that November is a month to give thanks (perhaps this will cut down on the "gimme" attitude that we all-yes I am included here-get when the season kicks in to high gear). Each night at dinner the journal will come out and each of us will have the opportunity to write down things that we are thankful for. I am going to suggest that we all participate, fully knowing that the more verbose (Ella) will want to write a book of thanks and the less interested (Peris) will cringe at having to participate at all. Hey, it's a family thing!!

Maybe this year we can focus on what we have and it will take our eyes off of what we want. Maybe this year we can grab a hold of this idea of gratitude and let it spill over to the other 11 months of the year. Maybe this year we can begin to see clearly how much we have and see that what we have has very little to do with things but with the people that we love.

My color scheme-a pretty paisley, matching leaves, a burnt orange and a blue-gray

Accent ribbon is a brownish/auburn with a bit of sparkle

I used a cheap spiral notebook with the thought that the pages would be easily turned by little and big fingers a like.

First I cut a strip of the leaf paper to use by the spiral edge of the notebook

After cutting and gluing that down, I traced the larger paisley paper and cut it down to fit the rest of the exposed front cover

After gluing the paisley portion down, I covered the seam by gluing down the small strip of ribbon-it turned out so pretty!!! Very fall-ish.

Emmy and Fiona thought that we should put something on the "boring" inside cover. We used a cutter and made the two circles and I wrote (my handwriting is bad!!) "Giving Thanks Journal" in the front.

Happy giving thanks!!!!

Roasting some seeds

2011-11-01T21:06:00.007-05:00

This year we decided to roast the seeds from our pumpkins for fun. It was just as easy as I've been told-and super yummy too!!

First the kids scooped out all of the pumpkin goo and seeds and put the seeds into a colander.

After we filled up the colander, I rinsed out the seeds and pulled out any big pieces of pumpkin that were left in the mix.

We preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Peris put the wet seeds on to paper towels and patted them dry. I sprayed an old cookie sheet with cooking spray and then Peris spread out the damp seeds before giving them a good sprinkling of sea salt (I went back over the seeds a second time so they were REALLY salty).

We baked them for about 30 minutes (they turned golden brown) before taking them out of the oven to eat. Even really hot they were awesome!! Fiona loved them until Derek informed her that the seeds really counted as a vegetable-then she wasn't so sure.

Note: We did make a batch with cinnamon and they didn't turn out well. The salty seeds were the way to go. They were really delish!!

Boo-tiful

2011-11-01T20:48:00.004-05:00

The football player and Hogwarts student (from Slytheran)

p.s. the Slytheran badge and tie are another famous Derek Story creation!

I think Daddio needs to open a costume business on the side!!

Cowgirl and pumpkin (yes she is missing an eye!! Peris wore this costume 11 years ago so it's seen better days!! This was a recycle year-we went with what we had in the costume box)

Henry the cowpoke a.k.a. "Emmy's cowboy"

The cowpoke post trick-or-treating

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Once again we had a great night out in our neighborhood. I love going to all of the special houses and seeing the people that have watched our kids grow up over the years. It is so fun for our kids to hear the grown ups "ooh" and "ahh" over their costumes each year. What a great time!!

Punkin Party

2011-11-01T12:59:00.010-05:00

Michael grew his own pumpkins this year!

"Angry bird" pumpkin

"Funny face" pumpkin

"Spooky face" pumpkin

"Arial" pumpkin

Gross!!!

Poor Derek-once again he did ALL of the carving this year!! The kids scooped out the "guts" but stood back when the actual carving started.

What a super fun afternoon!!!! We even roasted the seeds this year-yummy!!!!!!

Pin it!

2011-10-30T13:58:00.006-05:00

So maybe you don't have this problem, but my kids share towels. If it's within arms reach it's fair game. This grosses me out!! I have tried various methods of keeping one towel to one child and nothing has seemed to work. My awesome friend Danielle suggested that I use little plastic clips on each towel as a visual reminder that each person has their OWN towel to use!! We took a quick trip to our local grocery and found the clips, but they were a little bit more expensive that I wanted to spend. We then went down the laundry aisle and agreed that wooden clothes pins would work just as nicely. Below is what I did to make these super easy (and very non-creative) towels markers...don't you want to know if it worked?????

Scroll down to find out!!!

Supplies: wooden clothes pins + a black sharpie

total cost: $3 (I already had the sharpie) - I'll be using the leftover pins

for a much cooler craft to be done at a later date!!

Easy- now I did try to "color code" the pins but the marker didn't really work, so I left the rest plain.

Side note: my handy husband took 2 old pieces of trim and screwed in 5 coat hangers to make a DIY towel hanger in our bathroom. It is the easiest way to hang up our towels-the problem is keep one towel to one child!!

Close up of the finished pin-super simple!!

- The final result-

**Please note that these towels all look the same and I am aware of this!! See what I have to work with**

I am HAPPY to report that the clothespin experiment has been successful!! The kids actually LOVE using them!! What an easy, cheap solution!!!!

Hoop wall art

2011-10-25T18:15:00.005-05:00

I picked up this idea on Pinterest-it is an easy and affordable way to make unique wall art for a room using really simple items!!

Materials needed:

1. Fabric in assorted colors and patterns (The largest yardage that I got was 1/2 yd for the owl fabric; for the rest, the store clerk measured each piece based on the hoop size that I purchased)

2. Various sized cross stitch hoops

3. Scissors

Here are the fabric swatches I chose:

Create:

Separate the hoop that you are using (notice that I found a really cool oval hoop for the owl fabric) and place one pattern of fabric inside. Stretch it nice and tight so that when you place the top hoop back on it doesn't ripple

Cut the excess fabric from around the hoop-now the more I thought about this, I thought that leaving some fabric ruffled would've been super cute as well.

The finished project is at the top-the cost?? 16 dollars!! The girls chose how to arrange the hoops which made it part of the fun for them. I was going to place them differently when my 7 year old pointed out that it was their room. You can do this with more hoops for a cool look as well!! My friend Danielle used more hoops with really cool grown up fabric for a gorgeous look!!

We love it!!!!!

Dusty

2011-10-25T16:14:00.002-05:00

Alright. I have to admit that Facebook has made it much easier to post pictures...but...it just isn't the same!! I love this blog, soooo I'm dusting it off and will be bringing it back. I know there aren't many followers, but I just love doing it!! It's one of those "me things" that I really enjoy. I'm gearing up for holidays and have a lot of ideas to share-easy stuff that is still really cute. I've gotten a lot of ideas via Pinterest (my newest obsession!!) and will be experimenting with some decorating and crafting that I've picked up there. I have some good menu ideas to share and some new pictures to post-heck we've done a lot since last April:)

It's good to be back!!!

Earth Day 2011

2011-04-25T13:45:00.005-05:00

The 8th grade Earth Day "Court"
Fiona playing the Orff instrument for her class performance

Singing an Earth Day favorite

Emmy doing an interpretive dance to Vivaldi's Spring

Singing the song that ALWAYS chokes me up:

"This Pretty Planet"

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Earth Day every day North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antartica, Africa, WHOO

This is just one of the many chants that our family has learned over the years from our wonderful librarian Mrs. Dee.

As a result of our school taking on such Earth friendly behaviors (i.e. going green), our kids encouraged us to recycle!! This is our 3rd year of actively recycling as much household material as we can. I personally think it is very impressive that a family of 7 can put out one to two trash bags each week!!!!!

We are doing our best to care for the Earth in our own little ways:)

Cloud watching

2011-04-25T13:42:00.002-05:00

Derek just happened to catch Michael and Emmy laying in the backyard looking up at the clouds in the sky. It was one of those sweet, sweet moments where you realize how blessed you are to have children who are blessed to have siblings.

Jr. Gamma Phi

2011-04-25T13:37:00.005-05:00

This year we had 3 circus performers in the Jr. Gamma Phi circus!! The kids did a great job and had so much fun!!! We are so fortunate that this is a program available to our family!!

Thank you Ms. Kim!!

Spring Break at Glen Oak Zoo

2011-03-10T11:57:00.009-06:00

Happy 8th Birthday

2011-03-10T11:45:00.007-06:00

Happy birthday morning!!

"Po"-the panda pillow pet

A book light

The favorite gift!! A BIG chocolate bar!

Tie dye soccer socks for spring

DS art game

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This past weekend Fiona celebrated her 8th birthday and I was left wondering (seriously) where has the time gone? I cannot wrap my brain around her being 8 for some reason.

I still remember the day she was born-I had gone to an appointment and Dr. Wellman sent me over to the labor floor to be monitored. I stopped in the waiting area at OSF and ran into Melissa Trauner who excitedly asked if I was going to deliver that day. I remember saying something witty while thinking-sister, I'm not ready for this baby to be here!! Just a few hours later our beautiful Fiona was born to a waiting room full of family (she was the first child we had here in my home town)-I also still remember waking up in the recovery room to a full house and thinking man I need to vomit!!! I have fond memories of that day-being surrounded by our closest friends from church and our family. Holding her for the first time-my tiny bundle that mewed like a little kitten.

Fiona I pray that you will continue to be the unique little girl that God has created you to be. I pray that your sense of self will blossom as you enter this new year full of promise. You are truly a gentle and wise little soul who brings me tremendous joy each and every day.

Your daily "I love you Mom" means more to me than you will ever begin to know.

Happy birthday curly girlie.

I love you

Fiona's Friend Party-Gnomeo and Juliet

2011-03-08T20:00:00.003-06:00

This year Fiona decided to have some of her good friends join her for a birthday movie celebration. She picked Gnomeo and Juliet-along with popcorn, soda, and some additional movie treats!! She is a candy connoisseur!!

Family Night

2011-03-08T19:52:00.011-06:00

Mark one item off of the bucket list!!! We took a night out for some serious family fun at Artful Designs!! Here is what we each decided to paint:

Peris-a dragon bank

Michael-a piggy bank (that was sick and therefore was named Sickie the pig)

Ella-an elephant bank

Fiona-a kitty bank

Emmy-a doggie bank (which she gave her cousin Addison as a gift)

Derek-a sugar bowl painted as the tin man who is "off to get some sugar"

Me-a bunny bowl for Easter

Willy Wonka

2011-03-08T19:48:00.003-06:00

This year Metcalf put on a wonderful rendition of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Peris was a townsperson and an Oompa Loompa. She did a fantastic job-all of her hard work and rehearsing paid off!!!

Featured Friend

2011-02-21T11:50:00.006-06:00

Ollie begins to wonder what is going on here??
Getting ready to meet the first graders....

Emmy has waited ALL week for her special guest!!

Aunt Christine answers: "What would you do if you only had one hour to live?" which followed questions such as "What is your favorite color?" and "What is your second favorite color?"

Gotta love first graders!!

Ollie shows off his sitting up skills

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After months of waiting and then being sick for 14 days, Emmy finally was featured friend in first grade. Each day for one week, Emmy was in the spotlight and was able to have visitors come in to meet her class. On Tuesday, Derek went in and read a book; but the REAL deal happened on Thursday when Ollie came to visit. Last year as a kindergartener (seriously) Emmy asked if Aunt Christine and "the baby" (who wasn't born yet) would come see her on her featured friend week. It was a great morning!! While Ollie wasn't sure at the beginning of the visit, he cheered right up and was the most popular 5 1/2 month old around!! The first graders adored him!!! I got to go in for my visit on Friday to read a book and when questions were asked they went something like this:

"When can you bring Ollie back for a visit Mrs. Story?"

Maybe at the end of the year my little first grade friends!!!

Snowtorious B.I.G.

2011-02-21T11:46:00.004-06:00

This drift was up against the garage door and around our van!
Yes that is a snow drift behind the kids-they actually could sled down into the front yard-it was crazy!!

Eventually the kids made a snow fort behind the drift.

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Well I wasn't a beliver when it came to the forecast in early February about the "big" snow. Obviously it did come true-even Metcalf closed down for 3 days!! Derek was home 2 of those days because the University shut down as well. It was actually a nice break from the craziness of the school year-we spent time outside and then warmed up with lots of hot cocoa, marshmallows, and a toasty fire.

Ollie comes to play

2011-02-21T11:42:00.004-06:00

I'm a bit behind, but we enjoyed having Ollie over for an evening while his Mommy and Daddy had a date night!!

We hope they go out again really soon!!!!

Story Family Bucket List 2011

2011-01-02T15:48:00.002-06:00

The goal of our bucket list is to spend quality time together!! Each year we each pick one fun (low cost) thing to do together. Here's our list for 2011:

Peris: Visit St. Louis Zoo

Michael: Attend a college basketball game

Ella: Paint pottery (this is also a carry over for Peris)

Fiona: Have a pajama party day which includes movies and pizza

Emmy: Have a tea party with hot cocoa

Derek: Tent camping (I do not approve of this but will participate reluctantly!!!)

Kara: Spend the day at Forrest Park Nature Center walking the trails

So there you have it!! Our fun list of things to accomplish in the upcoming months!!

What did we accomplish in 2010??

2011-01-02T15:41:00.003-06:00

As we start 2011, I wanted to look back and see what we accomplished in the year 2010. We are so fortunate and had so many prayers answered!!! First, we did great on our bucket list from last year!! We only had one request that we didn't get to for Peris-painting pottery. Thankfully you will see this on our 2011 list and we have made it a priority!!!

There were several things that weighed heavily on our hearts this past year. We waited to see if Michael would get into Metcalf, learned that Aunt Karen was diagnosed with cancer, lost several dear friends to cancer. Many of these mountains were moved in God's perfect timing-but the waiting was so hard!!

Michael did get in to Metcalf which has changed our lives!
Aunt Karen was pronouced cancer free in November (a prayer that we all prayed for daily-the kids especially)
We took a wonderful vacation in August
Summer finances were covered with jobs that came at the right time
Tim and Christine celebrated the birth of their son Oliver (also a prayer that was answered after 2+ years)
We became involved with a wonderful small group

So many things that I can't even begin to list them all. We are still learning and growing-meeting challenges that come as best as we can. Trying to look at the mountain maker rather than trying to make the mountain move on our own strength.

Here is to a wonderful 2011!!!!

Happy New Year's Eve!!

2011-01-02T15:33:00.006-06:00

Fiona making New Year's Eve cupcakes
Happy New Year!!

My New Year's kiss

Ollie's first New Year's party

He's looking at me like I'm nuts:)

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We rang in 2011 with our crew-the Kirk family (Tim, Christine, and Ollie). We dined on steak (thank you Timmy and Christine), hotdogs, homemade french fries (thank you Derek), and homemade bread-all delish!!!

After dinner the adults talked and watched Fiona decorate her cupcakes with the icing tools that Santa brought her-she is seriously talented in the cullinary arts!! It was fun to watch her intently swirl the icing and make different designs!

We opted our for S'more this year and instead pigged out on cupcakes and crispix mix-also very good.

The Story family made it until 11:50 and then decided that it was time to head up-hey, we watched the ball drop for New York!!

We have much to be thankful for at the close of 2010!! It was a very good year for the Story family (i.e. no one had a hospital stay or serious illness).

Here's to a great 2011!!!!!

Fox River Getaway

2011-01-02T15:28:00.006-06:00

On December 27th we got the greenlight to head up to Fox River Resort for a mini-getaway. For 2 days we played games, watched movies, and swam. It was wonderful!! We were all in serious need of just having family time together-no practices, games, commitments..just us having unscheduled fun!!! I'm so glad we were able to do this over break!! We didn't come home rested, but we came home after making some special memories!!! Priceless time together which I love!!!

Christmas with Grandma Choo Choo

2011-01-02T15:20:00.010-06:00

Addison and Ollie
Uncle Tim helping Emmy with her iPod shuffle (he would soon purchase the
Justin Bieber cd and upload it for all of the girls....hence the repeated singing of "Baby" which is
seriously about to drive me insane!)

Peris, Michael, and Uncle Dave

When asked what Emmy didn't get for Christmas, she replied:

"I really wanted Oliver to come and live with us"

She sure loves this little guy!!

Avery and her Dad

Peris and Patrick

Michael gets Garfield

Ollie's first Christmas at Grandma's house!!

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One last holiday celebration was had at Grandma Choo Choo's house the day after Christmas. We all got together for brunch and then opened our gifts. After the mass opening, we enjoyed the annual white elephant gift exchange. We were on the letter "t" this year (each year we have to make a $10 purchase with a specific letter from the word Christmas) and some of the gifts were definately PG-13 rated!! Note-I couldn't post pictures of 2 gifts that were given!!

As always it was a great time!!

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-26T08:01:00.021-06:00

For the first time ever, the kids woke us up on Christmas morning-they were in bed and asleep by midnight and up by 7. Derek and I were in bed by 1am and up by 7.

Still the best present ever!!

Before I could say go, Ella found the pickle. She is a winner 2 years in a row!!

Santa brought Emmy a Moxie teen doll

"Mom, Santa brought what I really wanted"-Fiona got a cupcake baking set

from Santa complete with an icing kit.

"AHHHHHH" screams Ella!! Santa brought Ella the "leg warmer" Barbie from

Toy Story 3

Santa brought Michael Super Smash Bros for the Wii, but pictured here are his

Super Friends that he got from us.

Peris got her mini-video camera!! Santa brought her a Playmobile wedding car that she put together in record time.

Michael also got (from us) Donkey Kong Country for the Wii which made him exclaim:

"This is the best Christmas ever!!"

Ella and her American Girl doll bed

Fiona and her new American Girl doll Angie. Fiona has wanted a doll for quite some time and had picked this one out of the magazine. She had named her months ago with the hopes of getting one on Christmas morning.

Emmy and her new American Girl doll jammies-her doll got a matching pair

The wedding car all put together-notice the bride's veil which trails off the back

of the car:)

Henry on his new pet bed

Henry sharing his pet bed with Derek who was very tired

Breaking it down with Just Dance 2-this game is hilarious!!!!!

Derek and Mike doing a little "Cris Cross'll make you Jump Jump"

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We had an awesome Christmas day here at the Story house!! While we weren't ready to get up in the morning, the kids were so excited that they were ready to get going pretty early!! We did our stockings and Santa gifts first and then took a quick break to get the fire started.

Santa brought:

Peris: Playmobile wedding car

Michael: Super Smash Bros for the Wii

Ella: Leg Warmer Barbie

Fiona: Cupcake making set

Emmy: Moxie teen barbie doll

Then the gift opening began!! The kids got:

Peris: Playmobile Church, doodle book, mini video recorder

Michael: Donkey Kong Country for Wii, doodle book, Super Friends toys

Ella: Kit's bed (American Girl), iPod shuffle, doodle book

Fiona: American Girl doll (Angie), doodle book, iPod shuffle

Emmy: American girl pj's + doll pj's, iPod shuffle, doodle book

Derek and I also enjoyed some great gifts as well!! Slippers, books, and for Derek a new red sweater vest.

More than all of the gifts, we are reminded how fortunate and how blessed we are during this season to have such a wonderful family and so many fantastic friends.

May God continue to provide these blessings for all of us.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve night with the Kirk's

2010-12-26T07:42:00.012-06:00

Singing happy birthday to Jesus
Uncle Tom and Ollie

Oliver and Ayden dress up as little Snowmen

Uncle Dave and Ollie

Fiona in her beret

Derek (a.k.a. the baby whisperer) holds Ayden

After going to Eastview for Christmas Eve service, we headed over to see PaPa and Grandma Pat for the annual Kirk Christmas Eve celebration. We had lots of fun singing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus, eating, and opening up gifts.

What a great night!!

Christmas Eve with the Story's

2010-12-25T16:20:00.019-06:00

The weather held out and we were able to head over to see Grandma and Grandpa Story on Christmas Eve morning!! After some yummy cinnamon rolls and fruit we got right down to business-opening presents, that is. We all got cool stuff!! From stylish scarves (courtesy of Aunt Jayne) to softy pants (thank you Grandma) and games our day was full of fun and family!!! Then it started to snow-we agreed that sitting in the kitchen and looking out reminded us of living in a snow globe.

What a wonderful way to start off our Christmas celebration!!!!

December 23 (Day two of break)

2010-12-25T13:24:00.011-06:00

Cooking school with Patrick
Learning how to make the DELICIOUS vegetable soup!!

My potato peeling helper

The youngest chef

For dinner we headed out and stopped in Morton for a little

Steak n Shake

Not sure what this is, but there was no actual yelling going on

during this shot

We ended our evening by driving through the Festival of Lights-it was

magical!!

December 22 (Day one of Break)

2010-12-25T13:21:00.005-06:00

Day one of Christmas break was spent doing a lot of nothing!! Our big outing was to the library where we stayed for over an hour playing games and reading. Once we got home we enjoyed a lot of quiet reading time-it was such a great afternoon!!

Talbott's Tree Farm

2010-12-23T08:23:00.007-06:00

Derek forgot the saw

Riding the tractor

The gang starting the tree search

Tree number one

For the past 16 years Derek and I have gone to Talbott's Tree Farm to pick out our perfect tree for the holiday season. From the very beginning this adventure includes hours of trekking around to make sure that this perfect tree, a special combination of tall and fat, is found-regardless of weather we're talking at least an hour here. As time has gone by, we've added several little people to our family and we've kept this as our most precious tradition. I love that the kids know that every year on the day after Thanksgiving we will load up in the van and head out-yes there are groans and Emmy makes sure to point out that she doesn't particularly like the walking part-BUT when we get there it is the official start to our holiday festivities.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

2010-12-23T08:13:00.011-06:00

We travelled to Mapleton for a yummy Thanksgiving dinner

Grandpa Story, me, Fiona, and Michael

Uncle Alec, Grandma Story, Emmy, and the girls dancing in the background

Big smiles!!

Alec and Derek

The wish list tradition continues

The kids were given stacks of catalogues to browse through. Anything that looked good was circled-yes, there was a lot of circling going on!

We aren't really sure when this went on during the festivities, but obviously the girls had a blast jumping off of the bed.

What a great Thanksgiving day!! We are blessed!!

Thanksgiving Lunch 2010

2010-12-23T08:04:00.011-06:00

All of the Grandkids

Front row (from L) Addison, Berlyn, Avery, Peris holding Ayden, Emmy holding Oliver

Back row (from L) Michael, Fiona, and Ella

Dad, me, Tim, Tom

(Dave was downstairs playing pool and wouldn't come up when I yelled at him)

Peris holds Ayden

Mr. Cutie

Michael and Berlyn hanging out on the couch

Something naughty is going on here!!

Fiona (not eating) and her Dad (trying to get her to eat)

The "big" kid table

The "little" girl table

Imagine Toy Collection with our Small Group

2010-11-28T09:26:00.006-06:00

The mathletes of our group (i.e. the toy counters)
Danielle and I-inventory control!!

Dan poised and ready for action!!

Jeff and Derek-they don't look poised and ready for action...

Charity, Danielle, JoAnn, and I

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Our small group volunteered on Toy collection day at Eastview and had a blast!! As of last Sunday, the total toy collection was upwards of 25oo!! Now that is God's love working through some serious toy donations!!

Imagine day is December 18th at Eastview. If you know of someone in need, please call the church office for further details, or send me an email and I will get the information for you.

It is a wonderful thing!!

Go Team Fulkerson!!!

We are so fortunate to be part of such a wonderful small group!!!

Imagine Kick Off - Toys

2010-11-28T09:20:00.002-06:00

This year we kicked off our holiday season by heading out to buy toys for the Imagine project at our church. Imagine is a wonderful outreach that will provide thousands of toys, coats, and food to families that are in need here in our community. This year our budget was more of a challenge, but we were still able to purchase five wonderful gifts that we pray will bless 5 wonderful children. There has been a lot of discussion in our home this year about where these toys go-the kids are beginning to realize that cell phones, iPads, Itouches, and all of the things that we think we "need" really have little meaning in the big picture that God paints for each of us. While I do not mean to push volunteerism only during the holidays, I would encourage you to reach out to someone in need during this time where many aren't feeling the joy of the season. Then perhaps we will reach out beyond the season and continue to give to those who have a need whether big or small.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-16T13:45:00.010-06:00

The Hippie
Classic Bear in the Big Blue House
(this will be passed on to Oliver next year)

My little Pumpkin

Yoda

The haul!!

Halloween 2010:

Peris - A pumpkin

Michael - Yoda

Ella - Hippie

Fiona - a rubix cube

Emmy - Bear

I.S.U. Homecoming

2010-10-22T16:05:00.014-05:00

Decorating the trumpet for the big parade!

Waiting for the candy!!

It's Reggie Redbird

My high school alma mater

Mrs. Davenport you rock!

Dr. C where's your candy??-ask the Story children (who, by the way, at this point cannot even carry the bags that they have!!)

Mrs. Herbert, my fav!!!

"My stomach hurts"

Michael and Ella turn 9

2010-10-22T15:56:00.007-05:00

We celebrated Michael and Ella's birthday morning in our traditional style: first they walked out of their bedrooms through birthday streamers and then it was off to the living room for presents! For breakfast they dined on Krispy Kreme donuts-I'm not sure their teachers appreciated the early morning sugar rush:)
I love how they are holding hands.
One of my most precious memories of Michael and Ella is from when I was pregnant. My Grandmother would go on and on about how special they were and how God just didn't want to send one alone. I have always thought of Ella as that angel baby who wanted to wait and come with her brother.

Scribblenauts

Wii Wipeout (this really is a hilarious game)

This year in lieu of a friend birthday party and gifts, Ella requested a special trip to the American Girl store in Chicago. We will be going on October 23rd-just Ella, her Dad, and I for a special day of shopping and the big treat: lunch. The paper that she is holding is the menu (and it's pretty fantastic) that we gave her so she had something to open up.

Just a little treat for her to open on her actual birthday-the good gifts are yet to come:)

Ackerman Farm

2010-10-12T08:04:00.013-05:00

Arriving at the farm
The baby goat

The gang

Life is very good!!!!

Headed to the maze

Getting started! The goal was to find 16 letters that spell a secret message-if you decide to do the corn maze know this: it is really a challenge!!!!!

I couldn't help thinking about Children of the Corn while we were in here!

Ella posing for the camera

The 3 that didn't make it 'til the end. They were hot/tired/thirsty so Fiona and Ella (who HAD to figure out the message) went with Derek to find the remaining clues.

What was the secret message???? You'll have to head over and do the maze to find out :)

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I think we have found the best kept secret near Morton!! We visited Ackerman Farm this weekend and WOW it was awesome!! It is small enough to still have that personal touch (we met Farmer John the owner) but big enough to offer lots to do for a variety of ages (which translates into even the 11 year old had fun!). I was so impressed at the fair prices of their products! Even their gift shop items (which are adorable!!) were reasonable. We did do the corn maze (about $23 for the 7 of us) and purchased 9 pumpkins and 3 gourds ($27) so our grand total for this field trip was $50!! Now for a family of seven, we think that is great!! The majority of their pumpkins are 3 for $10 and they are HUGE!! We also chose some really cool, funky gourds and some little, bitty gourds that are so cute. If you are looking for a really nice place to spend the afternoon take the drive over to Morton-it really is worth it!

Thanks Farmer John!!

Golf date

2010-10-12T07:59:00.005-05:00

Fiona had asked several times if she and Derek could go golfing, so they loaded up the clubs and hit The Links. If you ask her, she can tell you exactly what club you need for a variety of situations. I think Derek has found a permanent partner!

Love at first sight

2010-10-12T07:36:00.003-05:00

Peris gets to hold Oliver for the first time

please excuse the fake vampire bite tattoo

Take me out to the ballgame

2010-10-12T07:33:00.003-05:00

On one of the more cool nights towards the end of summer, we went with Gramma Choo Choo and Pat to a Corn Belter's game. It was a fun way to celebrate Labor Day weekend!!

The Gift

2010-08-26T20:52:00.004-05:00

Introducing

Oliver Levi

August 26th

10:36am

The beautiful Mommy

I love these boys!!!!!

For Oliver

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Happy Birthday Peris

2010-08-26T20:41:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure starting school was the best birthday gift, but we started the day off traditionally! Which means that Peris' door was festooned with streamers that she walked through to start her celebration. Before enjoying a breakfast of donuts, she got to open up her gifts. This year she was dying for some cool Playmobile stuff-the house and a few additional sets. She also wanted a Webkinz to keep her account alive.

We finished off her day with her dinner of choice: homemade pizza.

Now for some Mom sentimental business.....I cannot believe that Peris is 11! I can clearly remember the day she was born! At 3:23 pm looking down at her and realizing in an instant that my life would never be the same. Looking deep into those dark eyes and embracing the new role I was taking on. My life was changed in that moment. Now eleven years later I look into her eyes and realize how much she is still causing me to change. To dig deep into my own emotional reserve. To be strong for her when I want to be weak. To have a fresh perspective on what it is like to be a tween. To continue to love her with a fierceness that still shocks me.

Happy birthday sweetie. I pray that this year you see how much value you hold in my eyes and in the eyes of your heavenly Father who loves you more than I can even imagine.

You are a precious gift. Beautiful. Generous. Kind. Giving.

We are ALL Wildcats!!

2010-08-26T20:30:00.008-05:00

6th grade

3rd grade

2nd grade

1st grade

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Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them

Matthew 18:19-20

For every prayer that was offered in faith for Michael I say thank you!

I give thanks for my children being together for the first time since we have started school. It is a wonderful gift!!

Thursday..Happy Birthday to Me...

2010-08-22T11:28:00.014-05:00

Happy Birthday to Me
"Happy 39th Birthday"-written by my hubby in the sand

Let the rain begin

Walking to Painter's Homemade Ice Cream

for my birthday lunch

On our evening walk we saw this sand beetle bug-this is for you Uncle Timmy!

All the kids said "Uncle Tim" at the same time!

After the rain storm, I got a special birthday rainbow-truly amazing. Ella said, "Mom! It's God's promise to never flood the earth again!" Yes my genius child that is exactly what He said.

Hanging at the indoor pool

Michael and I took a walk (just the 2 of us) and saw the lightening off in the distance. We didn't get very far because we both sort of got nervous.

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What an awesome birthday! I woke up, took a walk, saw a gorgeous sunrise, hung out on the beach, ate ice cream for lunch, and then it rained-not my favorite part of the day.

We took a break and played card games, watched t.v., took naps-it was great!! I opened up my gifts and loved everything! I got a new Vera backpack, flip flop earrings, and a cool necklace with charms. My Mom sent her package and I got cook books, ME socks, and a journal.

After the storm (and the pretty rainbow) the sky cleared up and we went for a nice walk. Weather changes quickly and by the time we returned the skies were clouding up so we hit the inside pool.

Michael and I took a short walk and then it got pretty stormy again.

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Friday we woke up early and it was really foggy and rainy so we decided to head out for home a day early. We packed up our stuff in record time and hit the road.

What a wonderful way to end the summer! We had such a fantastic time!!

Good bye Garden City Beach! We hope to come back next year.

What a Wednesday! At the Beach that is.....

2010-08-22T11:23:00.006-05:00

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Wednesday was another awesome day!! We had great weather and a lot of beach time. On our walk last night, we met a family who made these really cool sand castles by taking extremely wet sand and allowing the sand to drip into formations. Wednesday was our "drippy" castle day. The kids loved it!! We sat on the beach for a long time making fairy castles and recreating Narnia. It was fantastic!! When the kids tired of the castles, they would grab a boogie board and head out to catch some waves. After a late dinner, we took another walk down but this time we went towards the pier. This laid back schedule is just what we all needed! I am so thankful that we had the time and resources to get away.

Terrific Tuesday at the Beach!

2010-08-18T07:06:00.012-05:00

Waiting on the girls to get up!
It took us a few days, but we jumped on the bandwagon of getting out to the beach early to stake out a spot! Seriously! If you aren't out there by about 9am, there isn't much room left to set up shop!

Notice our new addition? The beach umbrella. Sadly, the cabana that served us perfectly when the kids were little just isn't big enough now.

Michael running towards the ocean-his reward for helping Derek set up our stuff. Michael has loved getting out in those waves!

The boys going out to boogie board

Ella conquering the waves!

Our new beach set up

The girls taking a shade break-it is hot today!!!

Alright..no shocker here..Fiona was the ONLY one brave enough to get close to the (real) enormous pelican. We walked down to the pier and as we got out towards the end we saw the bird. She was like, "THAT IS SO COOL" and got pretty close!

Fiona has been fascinated with the ocean life, shells, and other scientific things that we have seen. She is loving it!

Enjoying homemade ice cream at Painter's. After our long walk down to the pier, we needed a little treat before the hike back.

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Tuesday was a great day here at Garden City Beach! We got up early (well relatively so) and got out to the beach by 10am-thank you Derek and Michael for staking out our spot! We learned quickly that if you don't get your stuff out early, there isn't any room! Our day consisted of hitting the beach in the morning, taking a break and going to the outdoor pool, getting dried off and walking the beach to the pier, getting ice cream for lunch (yes we are super cool parents), walking back to our spot, getting re-sunscreened, spending the afternoon at the ocean, making sand castles/sand cakes/sand tarts, boogie boarding, and around 4:30pm coming back in for dinner. My favorite part of the day was heading out around 7pm for an evening walk in the opposite direction down the beach (see Facebook for those photos). The kids are fascinated by the little shells (we aren't sure what they officially are called) that turn on their sides and dig back down in to the sand. Fiona and Emmy could watch them all night long!!

It was seriously another perfect day!! We are very fortunate-beautiful weather and wonderful family time!

What a fantastic way to end the summer!

Monday at the beach (day 3)

2010-08-16T22:15:00.007-05:00

Day 2 with the fam at the beach

2010-08-16T21:42:00.003-05:00

Day 2 is just gorgeous! This is our view off of the deck.
Michael is a boogie boarding fool!!!

Emmy getting brave

Peris riding a wave in to shore

Ella finding (and scientifically classifying) different shells and coral

Emmy and Peris having a great time

Sand mermaids

Fiona buried up to her neck

Taking a walk

and stopping for shells

and writing messages in the sand

headed back

Nightmare adventures on the beach

Day two-My morning with Michael

2010-08-16T07:32:00.006-05:00

Michael and I were early risers on Sunday morning, so we took advantage of it and went out to the beach together. We found some cool shells and then he conquered some waves!
Mom and Michael's Shells

"Watch me Mom! I'm gonna catch a wave!"

"THIS IS AWESOME MOM!"

"MOM I LOVE IT HERE!"

Garden City Beach we're here-Day 1

2010-08-15T21:07:00.013-05:00

Atalaya Towers

(Our condo is second set of windows from the left-count 6 floors and that is us)
The view off of our deck

"Who has two thumbs up and loves the beach?"

"Us guys"~Michael and Derek

Our first sunset

The sun sets and we continue to hang out on the beach

Sand creatures

Hanging out on the beach with a great big "I'm not working" smile on his face!

Applemountain Resort, Clarksville, GA

2010-08-15T13:00:00.011-05:00

The second bedroom with 3 bump out windows
Derek in the kitchen

The view off of the back deck

View from the kitchen into the dining area and living room

Master bedroom

Master bathroom

Beautiful pool

Hanging at the pool-well worth the drive!

The Ride

2010-08-15T08:40:00.008-05:00

Fiona sets the tone for our journey to Georgia (little do we know that we'll need her humor!)

Our meal stop in Kentucky

Michael and I having some fun

This was our undoing! Google maps took us through the Smoky Mountain National

Park. What should've taken us 45 minutes to travel turned into a 2 1/2 hour

NIGHTMARE!!

Michael after puking a long side the road

Almost 14 1/2 hours later and we roll into Applemountain Resort in Clarksville, Georgia

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The first day into our journey started out great!! The kids had DS games that we rented and brand new library books to read. There was no complaining (yes we used strategic seating in the van) and we really had fun. After our lunch stop in Kentucky we broke out a travel treat from Grandma Choo Choo which also occupied quite a bit of time.

Then we got off of the beaten path....Google maps took us off of a normal road and on to a little two lane "highway" (and I use the word highway loosely!!!!!). At first it was charming and scenic, but after about 20 minutes Derek and I both agreed that we were in trouble. The twisty, curvy road was NOT making our travel easy, and we knew we couldn't turn back.

FINALLY we pulled off at a motorcycle pitstop and Derek got directions. We did have about an additional hour before we got on to a 4 lane road, but the guy did give us directions to a McDonalds.

All I will say about that McDonalds in North Carolina is this......when we were leaving, there was a guy selling pit bull puppies out of the back of his truck! The ma ma pit bull was sitting on the top of a tool box in the adjacent truck and didn't look very happy. That entertained Derek and I for miles!!

We did finally roll in to the time share around 11pm! The kids were SO good! They didn't complain at all!! It is always an adventure for the Story family!

Peris' Friend Party

2010-08-10T10:06:00.010-05:00

Pool Party!
The challenge begins..just Peris on Rickey's shoulders

The party crew: Rickey, Logan, Peris, and Danielle

VICTORY!! The kids tried all evening to do a triple stack!!

Not quite....

A good 'ol fashion game of chicken

Due to our late vacation, Peris has her friend birthday party early this year. She invited 3 school friends to GE Pool for some swimming and pizza. The kids had a great time!!

Water fight

2010-08-10T10:03:00.002-05:00

What started out as an "innocent" water fight with squirt guns quickly deteriorated into a full blown soaker! Cups, water bottles, and the actual water bucket were used to dowse each other. Who started it? Ummm...Gramma Choo Choo! What a blast!!!

First Chance Camp

2010-07-19T08:09:00.007-05:00

Ella and her counselor Melissa

Michael's group~his counselor is Pastor Mike

What happens at camp stays at camp

Last night we dropped Michael and Ella off for their first overnight church camp experience. Now if you know Ella, you understand that this is a huge step of faith for her. Ella is honestly terrified of bugs; specifically lady bugs and Japanese beetles-both of which are in abundance right now. She also does not like lake water, sweating, being hot-generally there is not a lot of love for the outdoors. What began as a confident, "yes I'll go", quickly vaporized into the chant, "I'm not nervous..I'm not nervous!". Thankfully there are a lot of very supportive and understanding leaders who quickly diverted her attention to the cool t-shirts (a fashion statement) and air conditioned bunkhouses. After a picture with Melissa her counselor, Ella was ready to head down to the beach. To my surprise, Ella was splashing in the lake water and building sand castles with her new friends.

What about Michael you ask? That kid couldn't get away from us fast enough! He didn't want us to walk him over to his meeting spot, didn't want us to meet his adult counselor (do I even need to mention that it just so happens to be our head pastor-eek), didn't want me to help him with his stuff, and didn't want us to even begin to approach him for a good bye hug. I also made the grevious error of bringing him his towel after dropping off his belongings in the boy bunk area. He looked at me like, "Mom you are seriously crazy bringing me this towel in front of the other dudes!". Michael had NO problem jumping in that lake water and before I left Pastor Mike informed me that he and Michael had a talk about mooning the other campers. It seems that Michael was unaware (this I do not doubt) that his swim trunks were sitting very low on his tushie. Sigh. Thank goodness Pastor Mike started out his ministry as a youth Pastor. He will certainly need some vacation time after this experience!! I am sure that Michael talked his ear off!!!! We go back to pick them up this evening at 5:30, and I am hoping that it was a wonderful experience for both of them. I want them to learn that learning about God is really fun and that being a Christian is also truly fun. I want them to grab on to God now so that we can build on that in the tween and teen years. I know that building a foundation now is so important-I'm really excited for them and know that it will be a great memory!!

Thank you to every person who volunteers their time to make this so special. You are for sure making Jesus smile!

Oliver's Baby Shower

2010-07-19T07:57:00.013-05:00

Christine and Grandma Diane
Safari cupcakes

Christine getting ready to open her gifts

The gift pile

Aunt Kara, Christine, and Grandma Choo Choo

What a cute elephant!!

A beautiful quilt made by a family friend

Christine's a natural

holding baby Stella Eteau

Rose, Christine, and I

Tim (Dad to be), Grandma, Christine, and ??? What is Ray going to be called??

Tim, Christine, Grandma Betty, Diane, and Ray

On Saturday we had a big shower for Christine and baby Oliver. The turn out was awesome! We were so fortunate to use Diane's house and had a lot of help to make the shower special. The theme was jungle safari to match Oliver's bedding. Everyone was so generous-I know that Tim and Christine had fun putting together all of their stuff like the changing table, pack and play, and vibrating bouncy seat.

It was a great day! There are a lot of people eagerly awaiting the arrival of this little guy!!

Man I hope we aren't on vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if we are, Tim I REALLY hope that you remember the breathing!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-19T07:51:00.011-05:00

This year we spent the 3rd and 4th of July at my Dad's house which is an annual tradition. On the 3rd there was a big picnic and a monster fireworks display for about 200 people; then on the 4th we got our own fireworks display. It was a nice weekend!

Summer Tour of Peoria 2010

2010-07-03T06:51:00.008-05:00

First stop...Trefzger's Bakery (BEST cookies and lemon tarts around!)

Second stop...Wee Tee minigolf

Third stop...the Riverfront

Checking out the Spirit of Peoria

Derek took the day off of work and we took a Story Family fieldtrip over to Peoria. We hit our favorite spots and had a really fun afternoon. This field trip is kicking off the renewal of our family time. We are recommitting to have a special family time once a week where we are going to come together for a fun (low cost) activity, some character building, and some time with God. Unfortunately with school and the busyness of life, this time had slipped away from us-so we are reclaiming what is really important-time for us to come together as a family doing fun things and learning about life from God's point of view.

Note: the food was great! minigolfing? probably not something we will revisit for awhile:)

Pool Party

2010-07-02T07:39:00.007-05:00

We had the BEST day with Mrs. Nevius and Ms. Hatch this week!! These are some of the pictures from our Montage "Cooking with Mrs. Nevius and Ms. Hatch" party. It was an awesome day of biscut pizzas, cookies, cake, Shrek twinkies (yes, the filling was green), swimming, and wonderful conversation. I'm not sure who had more fun...me or the kids.

Let me add that after three years of having these wonderful women as kindergarten teachers it is hard for me to accept that the Story family will not see them on a daily basis. Sniffle. Although.. we will be stalking them in the halls of school...probably on a daily basis :)

Thank you again Mrs. Nevius and Ms. Hatch for a perfectly, lovely day!!

You are both wonderful and very special to us!!!!

G Slide (Ella's Dance Recital)

2010-06-28T07:36:00.007-05:00

Ella pre-show
The fam post performance

Addison and Avery also performed

Grandma and Grandpa Story

Grandma Choo Choo and Pat

Ella rocked her first dance recital at the BCPA!! She took the beginning hip hop class, and it was very evident that this was her passion:) If you know Ella you understand what I mean-the girl loves to perform!! She did a super job and had so much fun!!

I think we may have a few more dancers next year!!

Uncle Tim's Birthday Cookout

2010-06-24T09:25:00.011-05:00

Happy 29th Birthday!!

Peris and Berlyn

Avery and Fiona

Ella gearing up for PCSL

Hanging out on the dock

The crew

A long awaited "silly" pose

Photo's courtesy of Aunt Jessica

Love to read?

2010-06-06T19:27:00.002-05:00

I love to read!! I could sit around all day long and devour book after book. But what does a girl do when she runs out of reading material? Well of course one can ask for suggestions, but you can also check out this super cool web site:

www.bookseer.com

You enter a book title that you have enjoyed and it will give you a list of new titles to check out-like I said it is super cool!!

If you are looking for a few good summer reads I would definately recommend:

Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Both were recommended to me by my friend Laurel and both are excellent!! I didn't want to put either read down!!!!

Have a suggestion? Leave me a comment because I am always looking for something new!!

Remember...

2010-06-05T09:23:00.006-05:00

Kindergarten Program 2010

2010-06-05T07:36:00.006-05:00

Emmy receives her published writing from Dr. Coffman
"Best-ies"

We sat through our final Kindergarten program for Emmy and it was lovely. I will say right off the bat that I did NOT cry during the entire program! I did sit and wonder how it was possible that my youngest daughter was now finished with kindergarten? Of course knowing that we were done with kindergarten also was a little strange after having had Ms. Hatch and

Mrs. Nevius for 3 years straight. I remember getting so annoyed by people who assured me that "this time goes by so fast"-thinking that time was going by so slow! Now as I sit and look at my prospective first grader I realize that I would give anything to slow time down just a little! Now I am the Mom who looks longingly at the Mom with littles ones-I am the Mom who wants to whisper it really does go by so fast!

1st grade here we come.

Fiona's Play Day

2010-06-05T07:34:00.003-05:00

Fiona and I enjoyed lunch on her play day at school. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, so her play day was inside rather than at the park. It turned out great-the kids had such a good time at stations and then in the gym!!

DARE Graduation

2010-06-05T07:27:00.005-05:00

Peris' certificate of graduation from DARE
Her super cool DARE t-shirt
(they were NOT this cool when I was a 5th grade teacher! Mine was white with huge red lettering)

Among other things, 5th grade means DARE. DARE is an awesome program put on by local police enforcement to teach kids about D-drug A-abuse R-resistance E-education. But it is so much more than that! This program also teaches the kids about self esteem and having the power to "say no" to so much more than drugs and alcohol. It lays issues out on the table such as smoking, peer pressure, and friendship. The program begins to hold the students accountable for their actions and does address the question-what will you choose to do when faced with these choices? What I couldn't believe is that this program has been cut in our community!! Our 5th grade students are the only 2 classes in our area who received this program for the 2009-2010 school year! I hope that changes, because for some kids this will be the foundation that will help them cultivate the skills to remain drug and alcohol free through junior high and high school! That seems priceless to me.

Good fortune

2010-05-31T16:59:00.002-05:00

We are fortunate! While many schools are facing significant staff and program cuts, we have the luxury of knowing that our kids will have the same awesome opportunities and teachers next fall!! It is painful to hear of programs that are falling by the wayside-many of them art based. There is always the question "Is art a valid part of the school curriculum? Is it necessary?" I think my 7 year old daughter can answer that question quite clearly. While going through the end of the school year "stuff", we came across this writing sample done by Fiona. The prompt was simply to "write about something you love". Here are her words:

My favorite thing is art. I like art because it gives me passion. It's something where I can exspereince (experience) my work. It's something where I can just give what I got and give it all my might and just get my creation out of me and on to the paper. Art is fun to me because I can just make funny, cool, weird, and crazy creations and it's realy (really) delightful to me.
I LOVE ART!

So thank you Mrs. Mohrman for providing such funny, cool, weird, and crazy opportunities for the kids to just get "it" out of themselves and on to the paper! We are so incredibly blessed to be where we are and that is never far from my mind!

Baseball game with Grandma and Grandpa Story

2010-05-27T07:45:00.005-05:00

What a perfect night!! Grandma and Grandpa Story, Baseball, hot dogs, and storm troopers!! Michael was in heaven!! Peris thought it was cool!!

The Bowling Party

2010-05-17T08:57:00.013-05:00

Ready for her guests to arrive and start bowling!!
"Let's Rock This!"

Emmy and her pals

Two peas in a pod!

Emmy and Adrian

Emmy and Olivia

Emmy and Elliott (isn't he the CUTEST?)

Ella striking a pose

Emmy and Berlyn

Fiona and Grace (Elliott's sister)

Excitement over the Barbie!!