Craft time

Our finished product

Last week we tried to be crafty and use some of the beautiful leaves we found in the yard. I was inspired by the Kids Craft Weekly newsletter and wanted to create the No-Glue Seasonal Collage. Unfortunately we didn't have any clear contact paper, but we discovered that clear packing tape works almost as well! The boys weren't as into the craft as I was and were more interested in stamping and coloring, but that was fine too! It kept them quiet and contained for a few precious minutes!

The New Tractor!

I thought it would be cute to have the boys stand by the tire. Jonathan screamed at that thought. Guess I won't be using this for our Christmas card!

Grandpa bought a shiny new tractor and boys got to see it yesterday. Jonathan was not nearly as excited about it as Andrew was! It comes with a buddy seat, which Andrew was all about. He insisted on not one, not two, but three rides around the farm. Jonathan screamed when we got him near it. I even tried getting in the tractor with him, but he just tried to jump out. Maybe next time he won't be so afraid!

Local Celebrity

At the Farmer's Market on Saturday, they had a Law Enforcement Expo and Keith took Andrew to see it. Jonathan and I were there too, but we were shopping for fresh produce and completely missed each other. We also didn't have our camera, so no cute shots of Andrew sitting in the fire truck.

But, Keith was interviewed by the local news and made it on to TV! You can see his little clip here: http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/63451472.html

They didn't edit very clearly, in my opinion, but it was KAKE, and we have a special name for them that isn't appropriate for a family blog. :) Anyway, they had asked him what he thought about the deputy that was recently killed in the line of duty and that is what he was answering.

We forgot to watch the news that night, but Marilyn called and told us she had seen Keith on TV and so we looked it up, and here he is!

Boys outside

On your mark...

Get set...

Stop and look at the camera!

Go!

We had a lot of extra energy to burn the other day and so the boys ran races in the backyard. Jonathan usually stopped half way to the finish line and had a head start for the next race.

They still had energy after all that running. I wish they could share some with me!

Jonathan wanted to wear his hood and be like his cool big brother!

"On!"

Playing together in the sandbox.

It really wasn't that cold, but Andrew insisted on wearing his hood.

It's starting to feel like fall around here and it's been great outside-playing weather! We took advantage of it last week, and I was hoping the cool breeze would wear them out enough for a nap. It worked for Jonathan, but no such luck for Andrew. He's getting too big for a nap and will only take one a couple times a week (after some promises of a bike race later or other treats). I fear the day when he refuses to nap at all!

Race for the Cure

Walking with the crowd in the 5K. There was no room for speed walking!

the finish line!

dorks after the race/walk

On Saturday, Sondra and I participated in the Race for the Cure. We were part of the masses walking the non-competitive 5K. We were going to take Jonathan and Luke, but after some debate, we opted to leave our boys at home with their fathers and walk alone. After we got there, we quickly realized we had made the right decision because there were so many peoeple and walking with a stroller would have been difficult! We had a great time talking and walking and having girl time and all for a good cause!

Ice Fish and Tomatoes

Chef Andrew

Andrew was making "fish," which is funny since he doesn't usually want to eat fish. He was "catching the ice fish" in my cold-water bath I had used to skin the tomatoes. This kept him busy for quite a while, until he decided he need to add salt and added the whole shaker. Then our cooking fun had to come to an end.

I was given a bounty of ripe tomatoes and having been trying to find new ways to preserve them this week. On Monday, I peeled and diced a bunch to freeze. I found the recipe online. Just boil the whole tomatoes for a minute and then drop them in a cold-water bath to peel them. (I was skeptical, but it really worked.) Chop and freeze. I'm hoping they stay fresh-tasting for some yummy soups this winter!

I also have a no-cook pasta sauce that is delish! And so I decided to make up a large batch of that to freeze. The sauce doesn't require peeling the tomatoes, but since I was freezing it, I decided to peel them to make sure the sauce froze well. I'll post the recipe below.

And I canned some tomato juice. Andrew is worried I'm going to make him drink the tomato juice and I assured him I wouldn't waste it on him! I'm hoping all my hard work pays off and all of this still has that fresh-from-the-vine taste in the dead of winter!

No-Cook Pasta Sauce

4 ripe raw tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

couple dashes of pepper

In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients. Add 1 hand-chopped tomato for texture, if desired. Pour the (room temperature) sauce over a pound of hot cooked pasta and enjoy!

I wanna be a fireman!

I found this fireman hat and a matching yellow one at the Dollar Store, and they are worth way more than $1 around here! Usually Jonathan wants Keith or I to wear the hats and they don't fit us quite as well. But he gets to practice one of his favorite words, "ON!"