You must...

get this cookbook.

I'm not kidding.  I don't LOVE to cook. 

I like it. 

I have to do it. 

 I'd let someone else cook if they wanted to.

This cookbook reads like a novel!  It is BEAUTIFUL!

It makes me want to love to cook. 

I will at some point make EVERY SINGLE THING in this cookbook.

Read about her at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

You won't be disappointed.  She makes me smile and want to cook!

Because I want to...

No this is not another post about my sweet, loud, mess-makin', funny two-year old, despite the title. Here's a sweet picture of litte man and his daddy, though, just cause I like it and because I want to :)

Chad and I are going to FARGO, ND!!! 

 Why, oh, why is this a good idea?  In November?  Right after they got about 8 inches of SNOW?

Football?

Kinda.

Friends?

DEFINITELY!!

And, quite simply, because we want to.  We're leaving the kids at my sister-in-laws house and heading north! 

 WAY NORTH!!

I love road trips.  It's no secret. 

BUT, a road trip with just the hubby to see some GREAT friends, watch some good football and have 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep sounds heavenly, snow and cold or not!!

Dumped...

Emptied...
Poured...
Depleted...
Drained...
Expelled...
Unloaded...
You may know what I'm talking about here.

My 2 year old likes to do these things.

Alot.

Here is a partial list of things that Caleb has dumped, emptied, poured, etc...you get the idea, in the past few days.

1. Whole wheat flour

2. Milk-lots of milk

3. water-approximately 100 times a day

4. a partial jug of bleach-this one was a little scary.

5. a bowl of chili-as I'm typing this...

6. a bookshelf

7. His basket of diapers

8. I typed 8, without having another one, with the assumption that he would dump something else by the time I finished this post...so far so good.

Again, just want to reinterate that this is a PARTIAL list and that, by in large, these incidences were, in fact, intentional.

He doesn't look all that destructive, does he?

Don't let those baby blues fool you!

Piano lessons

Finally!!!
My kids are taking piano lessons! I've wanted them to for so long, but we haven't had the room for a piano and I didn't have the patience to take them someplace else to practice.

The older 3 are trading a time spot so they are getting a lesson every 3 weeks. I'm not sure if this is enough or not, but that's what we're doing for now.

Piano might actually be my only regret (not a big fan of feeling regret, so I just avoid it if I can). I think I took lessons for 3 years. Maybe 4?? I really don't remember much except where middle C is, 2 bars of a song I played for a recital and begging my mom to quit when I was 11. I liked playing, but hated practicing. Pretty typical for an 11 year old, I'm sure. My mom tried. I know she did. I imagine I will have very similar conversations with my pianists at some point.

I wish I would have kept at it for just a few more years.
I might actually still be able to play.
I can barely read music.
I just think it would be a great stress reliever to just sit at the piano and play something beautifully!
I don't expect them to be concert pianists, but I consider it a life skill to be able to read music.
We'll see how it goes...

10-0

So proud of these guys!

Hold on, I need to write it again...



10-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I've wrote before about life as a football wife, but there isn't much that compares to getting to the end of the regular season undefeated!

So many invested so much into this team, these guys, and when it all plays out to perfection, all I can do is smile :)
I know how hard all those boys work and how much they had to prove. They are a very young staff and felt like they needed to prove that they could be champions, despite their age and experience.
It was a lot of pressure. And they beat it.
They won.
Every time.

The staff, players and families watched the playoff selection show yesterday all together.
We also did this last year.
This year was TOTALLY different. I couldn't help but notice the atmosphere in the room compared to last year.
No major cheering, joking, celebratory antics.
Business, pure business.
They knew they were in, they knew we'd play at home.
The staff was gone immediately after our team was announced.
Off to get film, start studying, planning.
We won't see Chad this week and that's ok.
No regrets.
I want to win Saturday as much as they do :)
GO BULLDOGS!!!

Hi, my name is Sarah...

and I blog.
Infrequently.
Almost never.
Or, at least, not in a REALLY long time!!
It was kinda nice to not have internet for a few weeks.
Sometimes it was annoying when I had to order something, which reminds me I have to order my kids piano books, still..., or when I wanted to research something stupid, like how far it is from McPherson, KS to Helena, MT.
I read more, cleaned more, didn't check Facebook 6 times a day, and read to my kids more, got to think about things outside of the internet world. I had no idea what happened to any celebrities for 2 weeks or really, what happened to anyone unless I spoke to them, which was not necessarily a bad thing.
So here's the low down on what was going on while I was unplugged...
1. My mom came to visit, which was super great.
2. My in laws came for 11 days, which was also great. We ate a lot of McDonalds, which is my FIL's favorite place to take us when they're here. I enjoyed visiting with my MIL and they were a huge help while I worked in the mornings or did a bunch of other running around that I normally have to haul everyone too.
3. FOOTBALL-There will be a whole 'nother post about all that awesomeness!
4. My kids started their piano lessons. I had to FORCE Elijah to go to his, but I think he may secretly like it.
So that's about it. I'll be back.
Hopefully, sooner then later!

Internet

is gone. Well, actually, whoever we were getting our internet from is gone.
So, we're getting our own, which is the ethical/legal thing to do anyway.
I will blog again...
Probably Wednesday or Thursday next week or whenever I remember.