Moments

I've been a little quiet on the blog lately.  So I thought I'd take a few posts to get you caught up on what has been going on.

The kids and I spent a weekend at my parent's house the end of October.  It's always nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and just slow down.  First on the agenda: a mini manicure.  It's a must for Molly every time we are there.

The kids and I also went to see Hotel Transylvania.  What an adorable movie!  We are still quoting lines.  We also hit the mall for a little shopping and playtime.

My favorite part of the whole weekend:  the Great Pumpkin Patch in Arthur Illinois.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid but had heard it was a lot of fun.  I was not disappointed.

There was so much to do!  Petting zoos, shops, hay mazes and even a semi-haunted house.  Plus thousands of mums and pumpkins and gourds to choose from.  We left with some pumpkins for decorating and an acorn squash.  I baked it up the next week and it tasted amazing!  If you're ever in central Illinois, check it out!  Definitely worth a trip.

We ended our weekend at Yoder's Kitchen for some great Amish home cooking. 


I love Amish country.  Sometimes I'm a little envious.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not talking about necessities like a dishwasher and laundry units.  And I'm spoiled with Facebook and Twitter and social media with instant access to the entire world.  But I wonder.  What would life look like with less distraction?  Do their kids whine about chores like mine sometimes do?  Would I get more accomplished through the day so I could actually do something I enjoyed?  Or would I just find something else to suck up my time? 

As we traveled, I saw a group of Amish children in the front yard with wide open spaces playing baseball.  I guarantee their Mother didn't have to peel them away from the electronics to get them out there.  I feel like that can be a daily battle in my home.  My kids have gotten the idea they have to constantly be entertained.  Imagination has to be encouraged.  Self-play has to be spurred.

But if I look at myself, they get it honestly.  I have to consciously 'put my butt in the chair' (as Jeff Goins says), and write.  When I open the laptop I have to be intentional about not opening Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest so as not to be distracted.  My imagination has to be encouraged and creativity spurred.

As the Holidays approach, distraction and busyness only increase.  But instead of diverting my attention, I hope to live in the moment.  The moments that make memories.  Moments that matter.  Because that is where real life happens.

Scarecrow square

Snoopy-crow

Danville, IN has a scarecrow festival in the fall.  The square of the county courthouse is surrounded.  Some are pretty elaborate.

Magic Tree House

The kids recognized Magic Tree House right away.  I of course recognized Mr. Monopoly.

And our favorites...

Slinky the Dog

and Count Dracula...

Some were very creative based on business expertise, movie/tv characters and books.  We had a great time!

Happy Fall Y'all!

One of my favorite road trips every fall is to the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County Indiana.  The drive is beautiful and the colors are gorgeous.

Along the way we stopped at several antique road side shops, then headed into Rockville.  We sampled some ice cream.  Madelyn chose the caramel apple flavor.  It was delish!  I almost stole it from her! 

Madelyn loves pigs.  This one is an outdoor grill!

We browsed around in Rockville for most of the day, then headed out to find some covered bridges.  We then ended our evening at Mayberry Cafe.  It was a great day!

Tricks or Treats

We had a wonderful and full Halloween weekend.  On Friday we took the kids to their first haunted house at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.  David loved it!  Madelyn screamed and cried the entire time, but then after said she had fun.  Hmm...  I'm not so sure.  Molly and I decided to sit this one out.  Good thing I guess.

A Mermaid Princess, Mario and a Parrot

On Saturday we found a Trunk or Treat.  And Sunday was another Trunk or Treat, some pumpkin decorating and we also made Halloween sugar cookies.

Madelyn designed a face and David a Mario

Finally Halloween night, we went out Trick or Treating.  This time, Madelyn wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake.

Molly seemed to catch on quick what all of this was about.  And she was not shy at all.

She was pretty popular with the homeowners and gathered us.... I mean her.... lots of candy!

Shell Island - Day 2

I know, I know, technically vacation is over.  But I'm going to relive it again this week, just for you.......What's that you say?  OK, OK.  You caught me............ For me too.

Enjoying the pontoon boat ride.

Friday we spent the day at Shell Island.  We weren't exactly sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised.  We were greeted on the island by lots and lots of jellyfish.  Some were huge!  At least 2 foot in diameter.

The island itself is 7 miles wide and about 3/4 of a mile wide.  My suggestion for next time would be not to have so much stuff to carry because we did a lot of walking before finding a place to sit and relax.

The kids and Daniel ventured off down the beach after awhile to search for more shells.  They found all kinds of neat treasure including an abandoned boat.

The vegetation on the island was just like you would picture for a deserted island.  It kinda made me think of the Swiss Family Robinson.

And what did Molly and I do while they went out on their adventure?   We sat and played in the sand, waded in the waves and even sang songs of praise to our Awesome God as we soaked up the beauty of his creation.

The day was windy, and the surf was high, but we still found loads and loads of shells and sand dollars.  What a great inexpensive souvenir.  And upon our return back to the condo, we were greeted with the smell of cheesy chicken in the crock pot and a nice warm meal.  As David and Madelyn both said, "It was the best day ever!"

Florida or Bust

We took a bit of an extended fall break for a much needed, long-anticipated family vacation.  Wednesday after picking the kids up for school we headed to Florida.  Panama City Beach to be exact.  We drove until Athens, Alabama before getting a hotel and bedding down for the night. 

Glad to be out of the car!!

Then up and at 'em early the next morning.  We did a little more site seeing on Thursday.  We ate lunch at a good 'ol hometown place called "It Don't Matter" Family Restaurant.  It was located in a beautiful part of Alabama off of a two lane highway. 

As we had entered into Alabama, we began to see lots of cotton fields ripe for harvest.  What a beautiful landscape for the fall!!

The kids picking some cotton.

"I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."  John 4:35

We also saw a helicopter training field and about 10-15 helicopters.  Some were flying in and out of the field, some were hovering.  What an amazing site!  Also on our drive, we saw a real-life Tabernacle.  Unfortunately, they were not giving tours at the time, but we were able to see the outside tent and also the altar.  Very neat.  Finally, near evening we made it to the beach. 

The view from our 14th floor condo.

The kitchen and dining room from the balcony.

After getting our things in, we headed down to the beach to dip our toes in the water and enjoy our first sunset.

Mesmerized by the beauty.

Ready to play in the sand.

A little unsure, but sticking her toes in for the first time...

It's been a long time since these toes have been in the warm sand.  I can tell you they are much anticipating the next few days of rest and relaxation!!

After sunset, we ordered some pizza for delivery and got some rest.  A big day planned tomorrow.  Stay tuned for more vacation escapades!!

A sure sign of Fall

Autumn is upon us, which means a trip to Anderson's Orchard for some apples.  There are orchards that are closer to use, but the u-pick is the draw.  It's all about the experience.  David is like a monkey in the trees.  The boy has no fear! 

Madelyn was a little more cautious than her brother and had a few times where she got stuck and had to be helped down, but she picked quite a few apples too.

Molly did a lot of her apple picking from the ground, but also wondered why she couldn't climb too.

She also did a lot of taste testing.

 

One more start of fall down in the books.  I see a lot of apple desserts in our future!

Turkey time!!

We spent Thanksgiving at Heidi's house this year.  We had a great time.  Who can go wrong with turkey and all the fixings??  Later that evening, Aunt Heidi sat down and read some Thanksgiving books to all the kids.  This was about the only time besides dinner they sat still for more than 5 minutes.  Lots of playing was to be had.

And how did Molly spend her first Thanksgiving?  Well, after some sweet potato casserole, stuffing and dressing, she spent some time reading....

And also chasing the Black Friday ads....

Photo courtesy Heidi Hackney

After some more turkey, and even some Charlie Brown, Thanksgiving was over.  We were all stuffed and tired, but had a great time!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

2010 Lusk Pumpkins!!

This year David wanted a Spiderman pumpkin and Madelyn wanted Hello Kitty.  Daniel was able to find a pattern for Hello Kitty, but he did the Spiderman freehand.  I think they turned out pretty good.  Neither David nor Madelyn wanted to scoop out the seeds.  They hated putting their hands in the gooey mess.  They kinda take after their Mommy.  :)

Molly loved the gooey pumpkin guts.  She had it everywhere!  Including in her mouth.  Yuck!  In fact, we had to finally take it away from her and she made her disapproval known quite loudly.  Be glad this is not video. 

 

HAHA!!