Pumpkin...vegetable or fruit?

This morning Jimmy and the girls transformed our pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. As they were working away, I wondered...,"Is a pumpkin a vegetable or fruit?" Jimmy was unsure, so I went to the trusty internet to search for my answer. Technically, because it has seeds, it is a fruit. So is a tomato (which I knew) and a cucumber (which I did not know). Did you all know that?? Or am I the only uneducated one?

Jimmy starting the carving process
The girls cleaning out the pulp

Rebecca being grossed out because of the pulp

Leah thought this was shredded cheese...which that is what it looks like.

Their finished Jack-O-Lantern

New make-up from Grandma leads to dress-up

Pumpkin Patch

Hannah with her pumpkin pick Leah with her pumpkin

Rebecca with hers

Rebecca enjoying the hay ride

Hannah on the hay ride

Last Friday was a great fall day to go to the pumpkin patch. We had a good time...Leah's favorite was the hay ride. They learned about the growth from seeds to pumpkin, and saw many different types. Instead of putting the pumkins on the porch where I would have chosen, the girls put their pumpkins in there bedrooms to decorate them for fall!

Today was sew sew

Our 4-H group is working on a community project this year which requires the kids (and me) to learn to sew. So, after our meeting yesterday which was all about sewing, the girls were anxious to do some more today. I am definitely not the person to try and teach them, but lucky for us, Jimmy knows way more than me. One of the kids was trying to put the thread through the needle AGAIN when he finally asked where the threader was. I was like, "What's that?" So low and behold he searches through my simple little sewing box and finds the threader and proceeds to show me what it is and how it works. I was extremely impressed! I'm glad someone in this house can teach the girls how to sew!

When times are tight...

You cook whatever you have in the house. This is Jimmy's latest meal; a cheese and hot dog omlette! He says it's easy b/c you don't have to cook the sausage or bacon first and then the omlette. You can just throw the hot dog in there. Look yummy??

Raaa!

The story of Raaa. Leah has always been our wide open, full of energy, climb on anything child. Before she was a year old she was pushing chairs to the counters and tables so she could climb up there. I have video of her at ten months do that exact thing. It took our third child for us to have to put locks on the cabinets! She one day learned how to open the refrigerator and her and a little boy I was babysitting at the time would team up. Leah would open the fridge while he would take the stuff out. After a few cracked eggs and continuously running back into the kitchen to get them out of the fridge, I needed help. The little boys mommy had a plan. She brought me a scary mask to put in the fridge. So that morning before Leah got up, I stuck the mask on top of the milk jug. When she went into the fridge she jumped and said a very simple, "aahhh!" I know that must sound mean, but it was too funny, and by golly it worked!! She named the mask Raaa (as in running up to someone with it on and yelling "Raaa"). She quit going in the fridge b/c she didn't want to see him, and to make things even easier, I could take him out of the fridge and move him to the laundry room where she was beginning to cause trouble. It kept her out of there too! I loved Raaa, but it took a very long time for Leah to even look at him. We've tried for a long time to show Leah that it is just a mask, but she has been terrified of him. Well, about a week ago we finally convinced her to touch it. Then she even put it on. Now she loves it and wants to run around the house wearing it! It is too funny! Here is a picture of her wearing Raaa.

My little cowgirls

The girls and I have been so busy with school, all of the fieldtrips, dance and soccer that it was great to have a fun family weekend. Jimmy was off and the only thing besides soccer that we had planned was family time! Yay! Friday we took life easy (after I cleaned out all of our dresser drawers) and the girls stayed up and watched Disney. Saturday night was the Sugarland concert we had been waiting so long for. We stayed the night with Jimmy's brother and his wife since we would be in RR again Sun. morning. Sunday we went to church, ate lunch and off to Rebecca's soccer game. From Halifax County, through Northampton County, to Hertford County for a game!! In case you didn't know, we spend a lot of time in the car! Anyway, we had a great weekend. This was the girls first concert and I was really excited about taking them. We left Leah with my sister since we thought she was too little. We got there in time to walk around some before Kelly Pickler came on. Then it was Sugarland! Hannah surprisingly didn't last long out there. She was sooo tired that all she wanted to do was go to bed. Jimmy ended up sitting with her under the tent for most of it. She laid her head on the table and watched the concert on the big screen. Hannah said that if the concert was during the day she would have stayed out there with Rebecca and I. Rebecca on the other hand...she had a blast singing, dancing, clapping and hollering! I'm not sure if she was having that much fun or if she was just so exhausted that she was silly. Paul and Kim were with us, so when Rebecca finally got too tired Paul took her to the tent as well while Kim and I watched the rest. I thought it was a good concert and a family fun filled weekend.

Rebecca and Hannah
Climbing the tree at Paul and Kim's
See how tired she looks!
But not Rebecca!!

Colonial Weekend

We had a field trip this weekend to New Bern to visit Tryon Palace. This was a home from the 1700's and it was set up like it would have been back then. We took a tour of the home and it was gorgeous! I really enjoyed that. The yards alone were awesome with beautiful beautiful gardens that you could play some serious tag in! Since this was all about Colonial America, my friend Katie made the girls the cutest dresses and hats that were like the ones people wore during those days. They looked soooo cute and I could truly picture what this place looked like with little girls running around the gardens way back when. There was so much walking that I am glad Leah stayed home with Jimmy.


Katie's children Jeremy and Dottie and my girls Hannah and Rebecca
Hannah and Rebecca on the back steps of Tryon Palace curtsying (sp) away. They did this all day, especially when taking pictures.
The three girls in one of the gardens. They loved the many fountains.
There they go again curtsying away! Weren't the flowers in the back great?!
Dottie and Rebecca, not very lady like...digging in the dirt collecting snail shells.

Hello again!

Yes, it's really me!! I took a bit of a blogging break. Last week was pretty busy because I had to go out of town on Thursday for a few days, so I needed to do a lot before I left. I was in my friend Beth's wedding over the weekend. It was a little emotional Thursday night because it had been many years since we had last seen each other. It was great catching up and laughing over our childhood days. The wedding was beautiful! I was ready to get home and see my family though, and I got home just in time for Rebecca's soccer game. The rest of this week has been school, lots of Roanoke Rapids trips, and catching up on cleaning. Also, I've been busy making these necklaces. I saw some online somewhere and immediately wanted to try and make my own. I think they are pretty cute!

This is a sterling silver necklace with hand cut sterling silver charms. They have my girls names on them, and one charm has a flower. Then I have a pearl hanging also.

This is also a sterling silver necklace with hand cut sterling silver charms and a pearl hanging. Jimmy and I made this one together! The little charm says J & D and the bigger one says "Forever love.." Both of these charms are hammered to give it a different look.