warm yummies

I recently discovered that my bread maker will also make dough. It's a cold miserable night here in Pgh so I decided to make some cinnamon rolls. They were sooooooogood.... The machine did all the work. I just added in the ingredients, then laid out the dough, put the cinnamon on and baked. The other day we had pasta for dinner so I made crusty italian bread dough in the machine then baked it. It too was awesome....If you don't have one I would highly recommend it! Yum!

Question

So who could this be? An old picture of Tom? I am still completely amazed at how much Tom is the spitting image of his Dad. His cousin sent me this picture. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I never got to meet him. One day......in heaven.

late christmas

Tom finally got what he really wanted for christmas...........(with thanks from all his customers who are so gracious this time of year)With a little effort it was up and ready to goHe just wanted it for the bowling! Here he is getting ready on the approach What style and grace. He's still got it after all these years......Got what we don't know.

homeschool science

Our science experiment for the day....IS IT A SOLID OR A LIQUID? Mix cornstarch with water and you get what looks like a gooey mess......however if you put your hand in and pick some up you can form it into a ball. Open your hand and it flows off like a liquid. Slap your hand on the top of the mixture in the bowl and it won't move or splatter. The boys thought this was really cool......

Welcome to science 101. (Not sure if I told everyone that Cody is back at the McKelvey homeschool. Since about the middle of December)

attack of the marshmallows

It's marshmallow Armageddon at our house today. The boys made marshmallow shooters.

It started like this, a bunch of pvc plumbing supplies. Yes, the man at the hardware store thought I was nuts! And after some assembly it turns into this......Then load a mini marshmallow into the blow tube and blow till your lungs explode!

Ammo is cheap and won't hurt anything......I think

christmas crafts?

I pick now to work on some christmas projects! LOL Anyway, every year Tom gets lots of cards from customers on his route. We usually save them. Here's a project that I made from some of the cards. A new ball for our tree.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!!! Our new years celebration was sort of a wash. Tom was under the weather and went to bed about 9pm, the kids went to bed shortly after that. I was up to see the ball drop but then headed to bed myself. So New Years day was pretty uneventful. We had a little snow so the kids played in the snow. I did manage to make Pork and sauerkraut.
After dinner we opened our time capsule that we made last year on new years eve, to be opened this year. It was fun. Inside we put small notes of what we would like to see happen in our lives in the coming year. Also Jordan put in some legos, and a bent spoon from his time imitating the "Power team" that visited our church. He then spent the next couple of months bending our silverware just like the guys bent steel rods! Tom put in a picture of Mike Huckabee because we wanted him as our next president. I put in a guitar pick as I was taking lessons at the time. Hope everyone had a good celebration and hope the New Year brings health and prosperity!

browns vs Steelers

My "sister" who works securtiy for the Cleveland Browns sent me an email ,that she would be traveling with the team this weekend for the big game and would I like to get together? How awesome...... They all got to downtown Pittsburgh about 4pm. Traveling by bus when they are this close. So I picked her up at the hotel and we high tailed it out of the city for some grub and catch up.

although she works for the Browns she is a huge STEELERS fan. I couldn't resist taking her picture by the logo. She also bought some black and gold smiley cookies to take back to the hotel and taunt her co workers with, one of whom is her husband!

christmas

So this is christmas morning before..... During......

Tom with his new scarf ,hat, and gloves ( we are getting older every year, he really wanted that hat!)

Kids with new nerf guns (Lisa notice the lower right corner? A gift for Tom, he really enjoyed playing while you were here)Tom tries out Jordan's army helmet and "protective eyewear"...

hope everyone had a nice christmas........

beds

For christmas this year we decided on a new tradition (at least I hope its a new one) each of us had to make, do, sing, write ect something for each person in the family. I made new hats and scarves for everyone...

Jordan made me a candle and he made Cody (with Dad's help) a new bookcase for his bedroom..

Cody made me a wooden recipe book holder, Jordan a new poster for his room, and Dad an under the car dollie. Which he will porbably be using as his truck has now bit the dust and will either need a new engine or to go to it's final resting place.....

Dad made me a new shelf for under the kitchen window and surprised the kids with loft beds for their rooms....

Tom is never more happy then when he can build something with wood.....

christmas past

Just thought I would give you all a glimpse of a christmas photo that Tom's cousin sent to me today. Tom's the one in the sweater vest!!!! ( Also his Dad, Mom and sister, Ruth) Idin it GREAT?

Art class

Here's a watercolor that Cody just finished for "art class" today. Pretty neat I thought. Of course it's better in person.

tree

Went to pick out our tree. Tom thinks he found a winner........The kids agree and give it the "old heave ho" to the netting man......We drug all the boxes out of the basement. I should say that Tom drug them out of the basement. Cody, Jordan and I decorated. Tom fell asleep during the festivities and Jordan decided it would be more fun to decorate DAD!

candles

Jordan just finished doing a lapbook on bees ( a subject he picked). We put together this real nice folder with a bunch of information that he learned. So as a topper to the lessons we made beeswax candles. They were fun to make. He did a square on for Nunnie to put in her stocking. We promise there were no harming of bees to make these projects. Don't call PETA......

christmas party

Saturday we went to the christmas party for camp cadet. The police camp that Cody went to this summer. The party was really nice. It was a potluck so there was tons of food. They even had a DJ. Here's Cody getting embarressed because Mom was taking his picture while he was talking to his friends! Dad and Jordan are looking to see if this would be the right time to get up and boogie........

A little hard to see, but standing in the backround is the marine first sargent who taught them this summer. Cody is afraid of him, so he spent the whole night avoiding him. Then we told him he had to at least say "Hi". So right as we were leaving he went up to him, said in his fastest voice, "Happy Holidays" and ran out the door. It was hysterical.

b-day boy

So today was Tom's big 42nd birthday! No parade or anything. The dog ran away if that means anything. He eventually came home. Anyway, here's the big cake.......chocolate on chocolate of course make a wish.......

After Thanksgiving activities

So did you all go shopping today? No way was I going out at 4 in the morning to shop. Tom and the kids did do the annual trip to Able Hardware this morning around 6am for the free coffee and donuts! I am being totally serious, he goes every year!
As for me, last night I boiled up the turkey carcass and had enough broth to put up 4 quarts and make turkey rice and vegetable soup this afternoon......yum. I have been on this soup kick lately. About a week ago I made beef barley soup. It's in the freezer. And chili, which I canned. Great for lunches and those cold nights when you really don't want to cook. Make a couple of grilled cheese and have some soup! Perfect.

Happy Thanksgiving

So here's thanksgiving dinner before............And here's after...........Everyone enjoyed a nice meal....(I think) Snickers even got some dark meat, and a bone.HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

Family fun

Thanksgiving came early for my side of the family. Although we didn't make turkey we did have some good food and fellowship as Tom would say. All the guys lined up on the sofa to watch the Penn State game.......

We played bingo and everyone got a prize , then it was on to other board games........Tom's helping out Billy, he's not trying to win......
More football........

Looks like Tom is palying again........this time he's getting down to DJ's level and playing with the Thomas trains.......

Almost time to go. Lisa and Madisyn put on big smiles......

Thanksgiving quote

He who thanks but with the lips
Thanks but in part;
The full, the true Thanksgiving
Comes from the heart~J.A. Shedd