In Search of the Great Pumpkin.....

Today, was our outing to the pumpkin patch. The weather was beautiful, a little warmer than one would want for a fall day, but otherwise it was a great day to go hang out with the pumpkins! Although the morning did not look as if it was going to fare very well, as upon our arrival at the pumpkin patch, and upon debarkation from my vehicle, I promptly ( and obviously unbeknownst to me) stuck my flip flop wearing feet into a very angry ant hill! Too bad there is no video to commemerate the next moments of waving, shaking, slapping, and throwing of shoes to get rid of those awful pests! So to begin our day, I was itching like mad, almost in tears, and seriously considering getting in my car and driving back the 5 miles to nearest CVS for some Benadryl. Thankfully the kind organizers of the pumpkin patch had some Benadryl spray that I was able to borrow. Note to myself- due to Jack's bee sting a few weeks ago, and now my run in with the ants, we may want to just travel with Benadryl in our possession! The rest of the day turned out great as you can see from the pics ( however those were a feat unto themselves. It is very nearly impossible to get two children to smile and stay posed at the same time for longer than say, 3 seconds!) Rylie and Jack both had a blast in the bounce houses ( great improvements for Rylie in this category- she is getting so grown up!) We also enjoyed a fun hayride and picnic lunch with a group of our friends from church. There was even a maze made out of hay bales that Rylie and her friend Jacob were able to lead Jack through. Jack really thought the smaller pumpkins were large balls put there for him to practice his throwing skills, so I think some of their pumpkins may be a little mushier and most definitely bruised after our visit! As we were leaving Rylie picked out some baby pumpkins for our souvenirs to take home and decorate our front porch steps with. Today was a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon!

There's No Place Like the State Fair of Texas

It's that time of year again in North Texas, time for the State Fair. I love the Fair. The exhibits-who can resist a sculpture made entirely out of butter, or a giant sandcastle depiction of the Dallas skyline, or sitting in all the latest models of cars, that we will never in a million years actually own. ( The most comical thing was to watch all of the people,including ourselves go gaga over the newest model mini van- we have so gone down a level on the coolness scale.)Then there are the animals-for instance, there is Boris, the gigantic pig who seriously weighs 5,000 lbs or something crazy like that. There is something grossly intriguing about an animal of that magnitude. Of course there is also the petting zoo, where you can get your hat stolen by an ostrich, spend a fortune of animal food, which mostly gets spilled on the ground by your four year old, and hope your other child doesn't climb into the pen with the billy goats. Oh, and where else on earth can you possibly call it a day, only after you have had the chance to catch a show entitled " Dancing with The Dogs" I am so not even kidding. This is an actual new dog sport called "freestyling with your dog"( Mom- you and Jonah- so should get started on that!) Let's just say, we wished we had seen the other dog show instead. Dancing really should stay a people sport. Now we come to THE attraction of all attractions at the state fair- the FOOD. I fully believe that most people go the fair for that reason alone. The corny dogs, funnel cakes, nachos, cotton candy, turkey legs, and I can't even begin to list all of the fried nonsense that is being sold - the two new ones that I had never heard of were Fried Coke and Fried Latte. Did you make sure you had your IV drip of Mylanta before you came? Some things were just not meant to be fried. This year the fair had a different feel for me, because due to WW- I knew better than to eat any of that food out there, so I think that I may have been the only person- plus my two children, who brought their own lunch into the fair grounds. There were a few stares and gasps as I pulled out my turkey sandwich and grapes from my cooler. I thought I may get kicked out at one point for not partaking in the traditional corn dog, but I have to tell you, boy did I feel better at the end of the day, when all I had partaken in was a Nutty bar-eaten with saved up points! Not that I think that it is bad for anyone else to eat that food, for goodness sake, that was Luke's top reason for going, and he enjoyed every bite!I just knew how sick I would feel at the end of the day, and how dissapointed I would be on Saturday when I weighed in! Another great part of the fair is the Midway- and what was even greater? That we managed to avoid it altogether! Lastly, I must mention the people. We all know that the most interesting part is to people watch at the fair. We happened to have gone on Senior Day, and I tell you I have never in my life seen so many motorized riding vehicles. It really was a deliberate effort on our part not to get run over. You really do see some of the strangest things. All in all we had a great day. There were lots of fun hands-on things for the kids to do and see and Rylie even participated in her first Pee Wee Rodeo! Her Mimi would have been so proud of her barrel racing skills! The best part of the day? We did not leave having bought a Veggie Blaster 2000, an Oreck vacuum cleaner( seriously saw someone walking out with one),a magic, super absorption cleaning towel, a pet rock, or a jacuzzi hot tub!

Check this out.....

Check out this video on NOOMA.com from Rob Bell, it is one of his older ones, but I love it. It is so powerful. For those of you that don't know him, he is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Click on Rain. It is worth the 11 minutes of your time. Interestingly, he is doing a speaking tour and will be in town on November 16.
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It's Pumpkin Time!

Yeah, it's fall! I love this time of the year. After reading several other friends' blogs today, I can see there are many who share the same sentiment. I love that the weather starts to change ( by writing these words I hope to make them come true here in Texas, since it was 92 degrees today, October 1st). I love fall because it means college football, and I don't even care if it is on all day on Saturday. I love fall because of the State Fair and all that it entails. I love fall because it means going to the pumpkin patch and taking a ton of pictures of my children posed in piles of pumpkins, all with the hopes that I will get at least one where they are both looking at the camera! I love that fall means a new season of television shows like The Office- I LOVE that show- it is just so hilarious! GO JAM! I love that people start to put out their fall decorations ( including myself). I love seeing the wreaths, mums, hay bales, pumpkins, and scarecrows all over porches around the neighborhood. The other day I got out my fall decorations, which was not really an easy task, as locating them after the move, was somewhat challenging. But I did not care. I was happy. Just so happy looking at my fall wreath, my colored leaves, my spice candles. It made me smile to put my scarecrow out on my porch. I love that the leaves begin to take on the look of fall and that mean leaves to rake, but you don't mind, because you get to be outside enjoying the gorgeous fall day. I love that God made seasons. In the beginning, He created the earth with seasons. I think that Fall makes God smile too. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 " There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." I am so glad that there are seasons to our life. Not just seasons of nature, but seasons for our spiritual relationship, our marriage, our parenting, our friendships. As I enter into this fall season, I do so with reflection, looking back on the year to date. I am so thankful to all the blessings that the Lord has showered on me through His grace. I know that while I do not deserve any of them, He, in His infinite mercy has saved me. Just as the trees of fall lose their leaves and grow them new in the spring, the Lord shows me areas of my life that need to be shed or lost, so that He can begin a new work or growth in me. " But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:4-6. " I hope that each of you enjoy and celebrate this season. Happy Fall! Go get a pumpkin- or 5!