I wouldn't have it any other way. Being busy just means that the time goes by faster. I have no idea where September went. Don't get me wrong. I never take advantage of each day. We definitely live it to the fullest!
We had a great visit with my dad's friend "Whip" and his wife. Friends since high school, I don't think they have missed a beat. He makes the best pork loin ever! While we were visiting I took the girls to shop around at Bass Pro Shop. They were having a kids fun day there and the girls had a lot of fun playing games. Best of all, they got a lesson in gun safety and got to shoot their first gun. It sure did bring back memories of Dad taking us deer hunting when we were little. I think Brittney could shoot those coke cans with her eyes closed! Ha! And she was probably only Kaylee Jo's age at that time!
Me and Mark Whipple (Dad's friend)
Come on, Jessie the Kid! I was even able to sign up for a gift card and ...yes!! They drew my name! I tell ya! I am on a roll of these drawings!
At home I was reading up on schools in Germany. I am one of those who wants to be immersed in their culture and learn everything I can. In Germany the kids go to "Kinder" from age 3-5. Their first year of school in actually 1st grade and it is a very big deal. Families gather at the school from grandparents to aunts and uncles to help their little one celebrate the first day of school. The children are also given a gift called a Schultuete. They are filled with gifts, candy, and lots of school supplies. It dates back to the early 19th century. I thought the kids would just LOVE these so I made them some small ones and surprised them after school.
Oh yeah, we also had some yummy treats. These are harder to make than they look! They are supposed to be apples with little worms coming out. Those will need to be perfected! lol
We have also done some dancing and the girls really enjoy this. Dance class is something I hope to get them involved in over in Germany. Kinadie has also been playing soccer at recess. We'll probably be looking for a soccer team for her as well. She brings her ball to school every day.
On a sad note, my 100 year old great-grandmother, Grannie Holt, passed away. I am only sad because I will miss her. I am happy because she lived a long life and really did live it to the fullest. She made the best beans and corn bread. Everyone loved her peach cobbler and in her memory I made some stew to help me get through the cold week we had. It really was comfort food.
I will miss her house with the orange carpet and space heaters. It was there before that part of Abilene was actually part of Abilene. I remember sleeping with her in her bed and listening to the sound of the train. She never seemed afraid of anything. Maybe it was because she knew that Grandaddy was there in spirit watching over her. She always talked about him. I heard stories of him working cattle and how cold the winters were in South Dakota. They both loved to dance. Grannie danced well into her 90s. Nothing could get her down. She was never afraid to speak her mind. She was usually watching CMT when I would go to visit her, yet when Tanya Tucker came on she would change the channel! Ha ha! She loved all of her grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-great-grandkids. She was loved by so many. I will never forget the times with her and can't wait to see her again someday.
The last couple of weeks have been filled with lots of fun. We made a trip to Canyon Lake for a Brown family reunion. We had almost everyone on the Brown side there. I think there were around 70 people there. I am so glad I got to meet a lot of these people. We have a good group and loved the memories that were made.
I had read about military members being able to get free tickets to Sea World so I got tickets for the girls and surprised them while we were there. I get teary-eyed at the Shamu show. Its my favorite part. The girls loves the seal and walrus show. Kinadie liked the penguins. Kara's favorite part was the roller coaster. I thought she'd be scared but when I looked over at her, she had both hands in the air! "Whooo Hooo!"
Finally, this last weekend we were able to make it to The State Fair of Texas. I took Kinadie first when she was 18 months old. This time our mission was to try all the fair food. Boy did we!
This was the deep fried Thanksgiving dinner. I wasn't too impressed. It was good but it wasn't unusual. It tasted like stuffing.
You can never go wrong with a Fletcher's foot long corny dog!!! Yum!!
The girls begged me for some Strawberry Blue Bell. Gosh we will miss that ice cream.
I'm sure we'll be seeking out the Gelato though!
Cotton candy is the best fair treat. I couldn't resist. This was the favorite all around.
Shortly after the cotton candy picture was taken, Kaylee Jo passed out! We were laughing so hard! Too much sugar for her!
This is what was left of the deep fried frito pie. It was a good one!
Here is Mom's husband, Kevin eating some of the Mexican Fried Firecrackers. They were new to the fair menu and I believe this one was a keeper. I may have to recreate these for Kris. He would have loved them.
Here we have the Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and the Deep Fried Ranch Doritos Peperoni Pizza. The cookie dough was too sweet and dough-y for me. I like my cookie dough really cold. The pizza was the most random thing! It taste like a bunch of crunched up chips on top of pepperoni pizza. The flavors didn't blend. I could taste each one separate.
This was the Deep Fried Nutella and the Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. The Nutella was good. It was served with sliced bananas but needed more fresh fruit. I may have to make some bite size pieces of that. Mom loved the PB and J. If I wasn't so full I would have liked it more. I will have to try this again on an empty stomach. We also tried a Deep Fried Millionaire Pie caramel apple and candy apple. That was my first and last candy apple! Too sticky for me! My top pick was the Firecrackers. They also had a Cuban Roll, Deep Fried Oreo, Fried Twinkie, Fried Butter, Fried Beer, Red Velvet Funnel Cake, fried pumpkin pie, fried pecan pie, and probably lots of other things that I missed. Some of it is pretty silly! Ugh, it's kinda sickening looking at this stuff now! Ha! I'm sure you want to try it though, too, right? lol
Now back to being busy. But this time its going to be here at the house. I have lots to clean and organize. Gotta find my running shoes to get back to my exercise! Gotta get all ready! Not much time, people!!! 78 days!!!
