September 2014 Flickr Upload

As usual, you can catch the whole upload here, and I've included a few of my favorites...

 Church youth helping out a fellow family ...

 Backyard fires...

 011 helping ME with MY homework!

 First time flying with Rick, that was fun!

2 of my favorite girls!

LO Share on BenzillaScrapping - ZM

Here is a link to the layout, thanks for checking it out!

Happy almost last day of 2014, I wish that 2015 brings you many, many blessings!

In His Peace,
Elle

August 2014 Flickr Upload

As always, you can see the full stream here, and I've included a few of my favorites here...

 Crazy times with fun friends...

 Experimenting with how to make the engine stand...

 I love how these 2 talk to each other constantly.  About all kinds of stuff.  Especially when walking.  They are growing up way too fast...

 Our daycation in Fort Wayne, we had such a good time!

 First day of school.  6th grade and 8th grade.  Next year, no elementary and 1 in high school. Sheesh!  See the growing up comment above...

 First day of school for me too...

 Ice cream is always a treat, especially when it comes from Kelly's.  He's a treat too...

 45 Winery on the Leelanau Peninsula...

 Jr. High Dance.... What!?!?!?!  Yea.  Wow.  Can't believe it.

LO Share on BenzillaScrapping - M&B

Here's the link so you can go check it out!

M & B Layout

Thanks!!!

July 2014 Flickr Upload

As usual, you can see the whole stream here, and I've included some faves...

 Always one of my favorite things to do on July 4, Battle Creek's Field of Flight Air Show.  A good friend of ours is the Air Boss.

 Our Second Annual Hangar Party - So much fun!

 Another fun summertime gig - the demo derby!

 A fun treat for the 2 of us, a Tin Caps game...

 A trip up tot he Walldorf for some yummy food...

Bittersweet goodbye...

Soap Nerd

Yea, I think I've been bitten by the soap bug.  It is So.Much.Fun.  More so than riding in a one horse open sleigh.  Trust me.  That is cold.  Soap is fun.  I don't know what it is.   It is kinda stinky, but it is so amazing the chemical reaction that takes place.  How oil turns to suds.  And it is such a lovely suds.  And how many different recipes there are.  And the way it smells when it is done.  And all the lovely oils.  But I digress, perhaps I am putting the sleigh before the horse...

You see, I have sensitive skin.  And so do the boys.  And we have struggled all of our existence with commercial soaps because they dry out our skin or irritate it.  And I've been using some castille type soap for a long time now.  But I didn't realize it was made the same way my mama used to make her soap.  Only better.  No offense mama.  But it is true.  Her's was harsh and smelly.  This stuff is amazing.  But it got to be expensive.  So I started checking into making it myself.  As a dare.  As because I need something to do now that I can't garden outside. Like I really need another hobby...

What I found amazed me.  And exited me.  And turned me into a soap nerd.  What can I say.  I think I've become obsessed.  With finding new recipes and trying new things, and thinking about it all the time.

And yes, I've switched to using it for my laundry soap.  And i love it.  I love doing laundry.  I keep hoping the boys will make lots of dirty clothes so I can use it and smell it.  Because it is lovely!  I know, I think I am sick...

So I did open a new Etsy Shop, NerdyNannyGoatSoap, if you want to check it out, maybe give some of it a try.  I will more than likely get a website/blog for it soon.  I do have a Facebook page already but have not done much yet. 

Anyway, time to get the boys up so they can make some dirty clothes...

Have a sudsy day!

Layout Share on BenzillaScrapping - Parts

Here's a link to a cute, fun little layout I did.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

June 2014 Flickr Upload

Here are some of my favorites, you can see the whole stream here

 Someone has inherited my love of coffee.  Whipped cream makes it even better....

 At Gilmore Farms they have the Gnome car from a Disney movie.  It is huge, to make the actors look small, like gnomes.  It was funny!

 Fresh strawberries from the garden.  I can still smell them, they were delictable!

 More additions to the garden walkway.  I really like how the planters help define the pathway. There are a lot of new plantings there too, but they are hard to see in this picture.  I can't wait to see how they look next year!

 See what I mean?!  Isn't he handsome too?

 Sitting in the trunk at the drive-in.  Lots of fun!

Having ice cream with Grampa.  Yummy!

LO Share on BenzillaScrapping

You can click here to go see Fall Leaves LO...

Thanks so much for looking!

May 2014 Flickr Upload

May was such a fun month!  We took the Willys out off-roading at Cornwell's Turkey farm with a bunch of MVPA people.  Birthday celebrations, graduations, and getting more wood split were the highlights.

Taking a ride in the Pinz ...

 Riding in the Willys ...

 Still in the Pinz ...

 The fam ... 

 Birthday boy ...

 019 and my dad at his graduation ...

Making hobo dinners ... quite possibly our favorite meal during the summer ...

And of course you can see the whole thing here ...

Layout Share on BenzillaScrapping - Dentist

Here's how you can get to it super fast!

April 2014 Flickr Upload

Just a quickie before I need to get ready for school...

 My birthday celebration...

 Raking gravel back into the driveway

 010's First Communion... This picture is getting harder to do as there is one of us that is not growing any taller...

 Burning off the brush from the tree I had felled.... I love driving the tractor!

 Our Thanks-Chris-Ter celebration...  Yup, that is what Thanksgiving, Christmas & Easter looks like all swirled together....

 Spring band concert....

 My favorite yummy-ness at Chinatown Express...

The entire upload is here.  Thanks for stopping by!

LO Share Dad & Me

It is up over on BenzillaScrapping, here's a link to it...

Flickr March 2014 Upload

Wow, lots of stuff happening this month!!!

You can catch the whole upload here...

Science Olympiad Semi-State at Ball State...

 The team...

 Oh my, birthdays!!

 Flying with the guys....

 Finding new drinks (no, those are not all mine, just the pink one!

 Having fun on Flagler ...

Flying...

New Layout on BenzillaScrapping

You can check out Preschool here...

Febuary 2014 Flickr Upload

Ah this was a busy month!  I repainted both the bathroom and the kitchen when I was working the maintenance shift at work (0400-1300).  I had to do something to keep me awake in the afternoons!  Also lots more snow.  And Gadget loaned me one of his snowblowers.  It was the best thing ever!  Not only did it do a much better job, I just felt so much more empowered to be able to take care of myself!

As always, you can check out the entire upload here, and I've included some of my favorites (warning: there are a lot, I couldn't choose!)

 012 helping 010 with his homework.  This makes my heart happy!

 For awhile, my bed seemed to be the fun place to do homework.

 All geared up to blow some snow.

 Beautiful sunset God painted for me while I was blowing snow.

 Science Olympiad at Goshen College.  012 getting some advice from the guy who ran that competition.

 He did not win a medal for the wheeled vehicle, we found out later we were not up to spec, but this was for his Simple Machines entry.

 

The entire team, they placed 4th overall and won a wildcard spot in the semi-state down at Ball State

 

Me painting the bathroom

 The boys helping me scrape the wallpaper off of the kitchen walls. All our arms were sore!  It was a lot of work and they had just done some things that I thought were very weird.  Check out my new gas can in the background!

 Getting the last coat on...

 Double-decker closets are cool, apparently...

 Oh, poor Stretchy, he has been through so much!  This was 010's favorite toy when he was 004.  He would whirl and twirl him everywhere.  Sometimes accidentally letting go.  And then he would be lost.  The worst was spending 3 days out in the cornfield wondering if he would be massacred by the combine.  And then there were the what seemed like hours hanging in a tree until being rescued.  Now he has a much safer place to stay.  There were a lot of tears when he would get lost.

010 with one of his all-time favorite teachers, Mrs. Yenna.  She is amazing!