Week in the Life, Day 5

Oh, where did the weekend go?! I loved my pictures from Friday. Finally, some outdoor pictures with color & good light! I'm excited to see how this project comes together.

Week in the Life, Day 4

We have loved that the bus stop is right across the street from us. With a 7:10 pick up, we loved waiting until the last moment to run out to the bus this winter. 

I've been a bit overwhelmed this week & disappointed in the photos I took today. But, I am focusing on the fact that I am telling our story - blurry is better than nothing at all. 

Week in the Life, Day 3

Nick made me delete the crappy picture of him from Target last night (who knew he was so vain?). But, he graciously posed for a picture during our lunch date.

Today was another crazy day. We forgot sharing for about the 15 straight week. I went to go pick up my print job from Staples & they lost my thumb drive. When I went to pick up my photos from Walgreens for Ella's class project tomorrow, they never received my order. The kids were in such a good mood when I picked them up from school. I had three simultaneous conversations on the way home. It was exhausting, but nice to be around such happy kids.

Week in the Life, Day 2

Murphy's Law strikes again. 

It seems like as soon as I sign up for a project, work gets crazy busy. I'm taking a fraction of the daily photos that I anticipated, but I'm still playing along.

Week in the Life Day 1

For the past two years, I have participated in a Week in the Life photo essay project.

The purpose of the project is to document the details - the little things that don't seem like much - in your everyday life. I haven't done a thing with my photos for the last two years. This year, I vowed to make it simple & get it done.

Just a few photos from yesterday and a simple time line of some aspects of our day. Throughout this week, I hope to capture some pictures of me & Nick and more stories. I'll print both images on photo paper & put it in an 8.5X11 album.
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Fonts - Travelin' Typewritter and Janda Siesta Sunrise

Go Eagles!

We are deep in the midst of softball season.

Games a little painful to watch at times. I think out of both teams, the girls had a combined 5 hits. But, they have improved so much since last year.

Runners advance by walks (often because the newbie pitcher hits the batter) & stealing bases. 

Ella loves stealing home.

She's very good at stealing bases.  In fact, the girl in the pink helmet was batting after Ella.

The girls practiced sliding at the last practice. It showed - I think everyone slid into home tonight.

The Eagles prevailed and both teams were rewarded with a lovely sunset. This is Ella's second season on this team. It's a great group of kids & parents. Nick's very excited about her participation & is already dreaming about Ella earning a college softball scholarship.

Running Man

Nick completed his first half-marathon this weekend. I say first though right now he might say last. Can you see the balloons in the background?

It was a beautifully sunny morning.

The Albuquerque Half Marathon is a great size - about 600 people joined in.

Nick started toward the back.

I think this was the happiest he was all day.

We waited while all the runners came through & then had a picnic breakfast.

The finish line was at a school so the kids kept busy while we waited for Nick to finish. 

Here he is at mile 3 still looking good.  His training regimen started strong. Then, life/work got a bit complicated, the time changed & it was cold running in the morning & he came up with his own program that was probably a bit light on mileage. Add in a bad virus (no running) and a late return flight the night before the race. He had plenty of good excuses to back out, but he didn't.

The winner crossed the finish line in just over an hour. The kids couldn't understand why it took Nick a little longer. Thank goodness they weren't waiting for me to finish.

His iPod died at mile 4.

His hip flexors were not happy.

But, he finished strong with the kids. They didn't take it easy on him - they SPRINTED!

We are really proud of his great effort & commitment. Way to go Nick!

Mad Scientists

Once upon a time there was a mother who was exhausted. She saw the signs for the Science Fair sign up & thought it wouldn't be that bad if the twins waited a year or two to participate.

But then, the big sister started to get to work on her required project.

And, piglet number two didn't want to be left behind. 

And, piglet number three wanted nothing to do with the project, but his mother felt too guilty to leave him out of the process. And so, all three signed on for the science fair.

The mother was rewarded with lots of tears and complaints about not wanting to do the project.

An entire weekend was spent {not joyfully} working on these projects. And then came the practice and the concerns that the little ones would not be able to remember everything for their presentation. {Ella rocked her class presentation.}

The big day was today. Greta aced her practice presentations, but claimed to have forgotten everything when the judges came by.  Charlie wasn't terribly impressive in his practice rounds, but was very confident after school.

After Tball, we swung by the award ceremonies. There were only 4 kindergarten entires so the chances were good we'd be taking home at least one ribbon. 

This little one was THRILLED with her third place finish!

And, this little one was OVER THE MOON that he took home first prize.And, this Mamma was proud of the efforts of all three and very happy the experience ended well for everyone.
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Tinkertown Museum

Last year, Ella's class took a field trip to the Tinkertown Museum. 

The museum is nestled in the beautiful Cibola Mountains. I had great plans to go back & explore the area with a picnic, but that hasn't happened yet.

The museum started as an eclectic collection of treasures by Ross Ward. 

He made many of the carvings in the museum & found others.

This personal collection attracted attention and what started as a one room museum has grown to a major attraction.

After Mr. Ward passed away prematurely from Alzheimer's Disease, his family endeavored to keep the museum open in honor of his memory.

It was a cold spring day when we visited, but the kids really enjoyed the scavenger hunt among the treasures.

I don't think the museum is heated so it is open April through October.

It's a great little adventure just a short drive from Albuquerque.

If you have a little time (and a lot of bottles), the museum shares how to build a bottle wall. At a minimum, be sure to download a museum guide before you visit.

We are almost done with field trip season for another year. I'm hoping to attend Ella's last field trip, but I will miss the twins' last adventure because of a work trip.

Happy Tuesday!

How to Host a Bacon Fest

The second annual Bacon Fest is quickly approaching & I never shared photos from last year's fete.

Hosting a bacon fest is fairly simple.

Start with an inspiration dish & men (because honestly this is not the type of party that would be planned by a woman). Since we served the bacon wrapped grissini at a holiday party at our house, we were lucky that a friend volunteered to host the bacon party.

Inspiration dish - bacon wrapped brisket. 

Select your pièce de résistance 

We've got lots of Texans here - beans & bacon are a must.

Appetizers - Jalapeño poppers.

Pick a day when the doors can be open. The bacon smell is inevitable, but ventilation is crucial! 

Invite your friends to bring a dish honoring bacon.

Encourage creativity & a clearance note from the doctor before the meal starts.
Bacon wrapped scallops
Potato Casserole 

You don't need large servings or large plates - a little bacon goes a long way!
Bacon lasagna

Don't forget the greens!
Bacon Ranch Salad.

Take care of your guests.  Have some type of physical activity to raise those heart rates & combat the bacon.

And really, what's a party without a little karaoke?

Don't forget the desserts just because it's a bacon party.
Chocolate peanut butter bacon cupcakes.

Maple bacon cupcakes.
Ensure your pantry is stocked with takeaway containers so that you don't have 3 weeks worth of leftovers at your house. I promise that you won't want to eat bacon for a very long time after this indulgence!