2014 Blue Jeans Week 24

A nice week of summer this week.  Nothing major happened, no big activities.  Just enjoying our summer days.  Here is a look at our week. . .

Our family and one of the cute sister missionaries serving in our area from our church.  She is from Tonga, and we love her!

Paracord or survival bracelets are the big thing in our house right now.  Mr J has quite a collection of colors which he has all laid out on the floor, and Ben helped him make this handy wooden stand to make the bracelets on.  

Ben experimented with a cookie recipe tonight.  He crushed up candy canes and put them in our regular chocolate chip recipe with dark chocolate chips.  They were pretty good!

For the past 2 weeks this cute girl has been staying with us.  She is Miss O's best friend who moved a long ways away last year.  This summer we made a plan to get them together.  So she stayed at our house for a while and went to girls' camp with us and then today I drove these 2 many hours to meet her dad so Miss O could spend some time at her house.  It has been so fun to have these two together again!  We have sure missed her!

A beautiful, calm summer's evening and Mr J got out the bubbles for fun.

Miss E got to learn how to mow the lawn all by herself.

Ben and I had a date night and went to an outdoor summer band concert.  The weather was beautiful--actually bordering on cold and I needed a jacket.  We enjoyed an ice cream social, the music, and just being together.

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!  Come back often!

Friday thoughts

My traditional random Friday thoughts. . .

My weekly bathroom mirror inspirational quote.

Spent a lot of time driving this week--like 10 hours straight in one day.  It was a beautiful day to drive, though.  I drove by this huge are of these wind generators.  I just think they are awesome looking.  They impress me.  I had no idea how huge they were until one day we were in the city and they had one wing on display.  It was amazingly huge.  

So grateful that I can just get in my car and drive where ever I want.  We have the freedom in this country to go, and that is a blessing I think we take for granted too much.  No papers, no guards, as you go from one part of the country to the other.  Thank you to the men and women who gave us that freedom and continue to work and sacrifice so we still do.  

Read this book recently.  I am a huge Jane Austen fan.  Love, love, love all her stuff.  This was a fun read.  Jane Austen was a prolific letter writer, and we assume journal writer although sadly none of these exits anymore and few of her letters also, and this fiction book is written as if it was Austen herself writing her own journal about her love affair.  I think any fan of Jane Austen really wishes Jane could have had a love like Mr Darcy or Mr Knightly, married and had a family.  It is one of literature's great loses that she died so young.  Anyway, a fun, fiction read that any fan of Austen would like.

Have a great weekend!

What's up Wednesday--Crock pot Italian Chicken

This is one of our family's all-time favorite meals.  We make it about once a month, and I make it often when we have company.  I love it because it is a crock pot meal.  We serve it over rice, but you can do noodles also.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and I always put mine in frozen

1/4 cup butter, but into 1" cubes

1 pkg dry Italian salad dressing

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1" cubes

1 Tab minced onion, I use the dehydrated chopped onion

Place chicken in crock pot.  Place butter and cream cheese cubes on top of chicken.  Mix together soup, onions, and dressing.  Spread over chicken.  Cook on low 6-8 hours. 

When ready to serve, take out chicken and shred, while chicken is out whisk together sauce so cream cheese chunks are mixed in.  Once sauce is smooth and mixed, add shredded chicken back in. Mix to combine and serve over rice or noddles. 

Enjoy!

2014 Blue Jeans Week 23

Girls' church camp week--what an adventure, no water, no showers, port-a-potties, no electricity, no buildings, and over 225 girls ages 12-18, but it was beautiful, lots of fun, and I got to enjoy it with my 3 girls.  Though I must admit I was very glad to be in my own bed and take a shower at the end of the week!  Here is a look at our week. . .

Sunday evening reading time--the kids love listening to Ben read.  He is reading the Boston Jane #2:  Wilderness Days by Jennifer Holm.  A good series to check out if you haven't read them.  Love Miss E's funny curled up position.  Does that look comfortable to you?

The library is the place to be in the summer.  Mr J gets to do a cool experiment at ours for reading so many books so far this summer.  Love our library!  And our Children's librarian with Mr J is the best!!!!

The 'before' picture for girls' camp.  All packed up and ready to leave. . . adventure here we come!

"I have to get up now?"  Miss O asks on one foggy morning at camp.  It was a beautiful spot we were in.

We camped near a historical monument for our Church, and it was neat to go visit the area with the girls.

This cool swing bridge was on the trail to the camp.  It was fun to go, but also very nice to go home!

This cute sister missionary from our church has been here for several months, and it was time for her to move to another area, so we got a picture before she left.

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a good week!

Friday thoughts

This was my weekly inspirational bathroom mirror quote for this week.  I thought it was especially appropriate as we just had a sweet neighbor lady pass away.  She and her husband are the best neighbors.  She had been battling cancer and was a great example.  She will be greatly missed!  I thought of this quote often as I thought of her and how we just never know what life is going to throw at us.  This is a great reminder to cherish every day.  Each day is a treasured gift from heaven when we get to be with those we love.  We need to remember that and celebrate and commemorate each day--that doesn't mean there needs to be big, dramatic things--just little things--an extra hug or kiss, cuddling on the couch, saying "I love you so much!" or "I am so grateful for you!"  We need to appreciate these days--our treasured gifts from heaven.

Enjoy the weekend with your loves ones--cherish and commemorate your time together!

What's up Wednesday--blueberry white chocolate chip cookies

My 16-year-old found this recipe on pinterest somewhere and made them this week for our family night treat.  They were so good!  Not a single one was left.  I love anything with blueberries, and with the white chocolate these are just divine--and they have some whole wheat flour in them, so blueberries and whole wheat flour basically make them a health food :)  We made these with fresh blueberries, so I don't know how frozen would work, but I am sure they would--just pat them dry as much as you can.  Enjoy!

Blueberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups blueberries, washed and patted dry

Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Mix in eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add in dry ingredients and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips into dough, then carefully fold in blueberries trying not to mash them too much.

Scoop dough onto baking sheets--we used medium cookie scoop, and bake for about 12 mintues or until lightly browned on edges.

Enjoy!

2014 Blue Jeans Week 22

A fun week--we had a birthday, enjoyed Memorial day, had fun with new legos, tennis camp, and just life in general.  Here is a look at our week. . .

Happy Birthday Mr J!!!  My baby is getting so big!

It is tradition to visit the old cemetery in town on Memorial day.  They have a special Civil War memorial we like to visit.

Ben and Miss E help Mr J with his new Lego set he got for his birthday.  Lots of fun!

The kids were super excited to get a new art kit from their aunt and uncle.  Mr J got right to work on a new masterpiece.

Mr J and I got his 3rd grade school scrapbook done today.  I try to get those done at the beginning of the summer when everyone can still remember what happened during the school year.

Miss E had tennis camp this week.  This is her cute coach.

Saturday night the girls had a group over to play volleyball and enjoy a bonfire with s'mores.  It was the perfect night for it.  They sure had fun.  Mr J was their referee :)

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a good week!

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