I ♥ Faces - "Completely Candid"

It has been a busy week and I wasn't planning on entering anything this week, but when I saw the theme...well I simply couldn't resist!

Candid shots are my favorite. I would have to say that the majority of the photos I take are candids. The only problem with that is that it makes it very difficult to choose!

My entry this week was taken one evening last week. The sun was beginning to set and Audrey had decided to venture down by the apple tree to see what had fallen to the ground {for some odd reason she loves to pick up apples. Yeah for me, right!?!} Well, I quick grabbed my camera in hopes of getting a cute shot of her filling her shirt with all of the appley goodness. And I did, but as I was busy shooting away, the little devil inside her must have take over. All of the sudden she decided to whip a huge apple straight at me!

Just see for yourself...

And if you don't believe me it's the Devil, hover your cursor over the picture so the picture number shows up.

I swear, I didn't assign the number either.

Coincidence?...I think not!

Make sure to head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ to check out all of the other Completely Candid entries!

What to make?

Do you ever get home and think, Hmmmm...now what on Earth should I make for dinner? Or is it supper? You know...the meal at the end of the day {and I am NOT referring to ice cream and popcorn}. I never know which to call it so I use both terms interchangeably.

Anywhoooooooo...back to my point.

Want to know my simple solution?

I always make sure to have these 7 cans handy:

Okay, these 7 cans, a can opener and a large soup kettle. In case you aren't able to read them, all you need is 2 cans of Hormel Chili (any variation but I choose 98% Fat Free Vegetarian with beans and 98% Fat Free Turkey with beans because it greatly cuts down on the fat and calories in the soup without compromising taste), 1 can of corn (unstrained), 1 can of mixed vegetables aka Veg All (strained) 1 can of sliced green beans (unstrained) 1 can of sliced white potatoes (strained) and 1 can of diced tomatoes (undtrained) Just dump all cans as listed above (or you can substitute any can of vegetables you think you would like better) into the large soup kettle. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat on medium to low until heated through. As my hubby would say, the longer it simmers on low the better but all you really have to do is heat it up.

And voila!

That is how you make yummy {and healthy} 7 Can Soup.

Enjoy!

The Headless Horseman

These two look innocent enough...don't they?

Well take a closer look.

Do you see it?


Yep, it's the headless horse I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

This is actually a really sad story because this rocking horse was made for Duke, by his Grandfather, for his 1st birthday. Needless to say, it is oooooold. Almost an antique, don't ya think? As you can see in the picture above, not only is it now missing it's head but it also lost the front of one of the rockers (years ago). Poor, poor horsey.

From what Grant tells me, this is the little one who is to blame for beheading the horse.

I'm not so sure that She-rah is capable of such a feat all by herself though.

As a matter of fact, I think she is trying to tell me something here.

I have a sneaky suspicion that a little blond haired, blue eyed boy {who shall remain nameless} was at least part to blame for the decapitation.

And it looks like Tootie is withholding some pretty valuable information.

Can't you just see the guilt written all over their faces?!?

I think it is safe to say that no matter what the real story is, these two kids simply love this poor rocking horse to death. Literally!

Lake Shack, Baby Lake Shack!

Okay Karen...this one is for you!

A couple of weeks ago, Duke's aunt Karen asked me if I could post a few pictures of Duke's parents new lake shack {baby, lake shack} that is being built this summer/fall.

Since the lake shack {baby lake shack} is an hour North of where we live, and we had just been there the weekend before she asked me to share some pictures, these have been delayed a bit. These pics were actually taken two weekends ago so there has been even more progress since then.

Above is the side of the house facing the lake and below is the side facing the road.

Do you want to go inside and check it out?????

Okay, follow me!

This is the view (from inside) of the door we just walked in.

And above the front door is where the two guest bedrooms (or Grant and Emily's bedrooms if you ask them!) and I am standing in the living room to take the picture.

That is the stairway leading up to the bedrooms in the background. I am standing in the kitchen to take the picture and the scaffolding is in the living room (great room) area.

This is a shot of the soon-to-be kitchen. That half wall will be a two tiered island with the cook-top stove built in. The hallway to the right brings you to the garage, a linen closet and if you take a left in the hall it would take you either outside or into a bathroom and laundry room.

Below is the view from standing in the kitchen. Those would also be the window facing the lake.

From the living room area you can enter the master bedroom, which is below.

And this is the view into the master bathroom/double walk-in closet area. The stool is in a separate room (the first door to the left), to the right is a walk-in closet then the open area with the sinks and the whirlpool tub. Then there is a shower bay and the other walk-in closet.

Below is the nook where the whirlpool tub will be going.

Okay, back out the the great room. Here is another view but this time taken from up the stairway.

This is one of the spare rooms.

It must be "Grant's room" cause here he is standing in the closet!

Oh, and can't forget the garage. Heck, I think the garage is going to be finished nicer than our house!

There you have it!

Or should I say...Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin roof. Rusted!

Reading Between The Lines

The other evening Grant, Audrey and I were outside in the yard playing with the dogs. Grant found a dandelion that had gone to seed, picked it up and began reciting his wish before blowing the seed off. His wish went a little somethin' like this:

"I wish I had another...Mommy."

"I wish I had another...Daddy."

Sort of shocked that he would say such a thing I responded by saying; "Now, why would you say something like that? Don't you love your Mommy and Daddy. You really should, because we are the only Mommy and Daddy you will ever get."

He then replied, "But I want two Mommies and two Daddies."

Perplexed, I asked, "Why would you want two Mommies and two Daddies?"

He then smiled slyly and explained by saying;

"I want two Mommies so that one can go to work and so one can bring me to the store and buy me a toy."

"I want two Daddies so that one can go to work and so one can bring me to the store and buy me another toy."

How did I not read between the lines?!?

National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

For those of you who know me, childhood cancer has become a topic very near and dear to my heart. I know and have grown to know many people who have had their lives turned upside-down by this terrible disease and that is why I feel compelled to get the word out about National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Many people don't even know that Childhood Cancer exists, let alone that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Many also do not know that GOLD is the designated color for Childhood Cancer ribbons, but they are often mistaken for the yellow ribbons used to show support for our Troops. I heard somewhere that it took 10 years to get the word out about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but now you see pink ribbons everywhere and numerous media expose' on breast cancer during the month of October. I would love it if we could do the same for National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...these children may not have 10 years, and I am determined to do my part to get the word out!

Did you know that:

Cancer is the #1 killer disease of our children today, killing more kids than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and pediatric AIDS combined.

Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region.

In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years.

Each year 12,500 children in this country are diagnosed with cancer. That’s 46 kids every school day! 1 in 5 of those kids (7 each day) will die.

1 in 330 children will develop cancer by the age of 20.

Right now over 40,000 children are in treatment, fighting for their lives.

Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children diagnosed with cancer will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

80% of children have metastatic disease (cancer that has spread to other organs or other parts of the body) at the time of diagnosis as compared to 20% of adults.

There are currently more than 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the U.S. Due to lack of funding for research into childhood cancer, the treatments for children are often times simply “down-sized” adult doses. As a result, 60% of the survivors of childhood cancer develop secondary cancers, infertility, major organ damage, developmental problems, hearing and vision loss and many other issues. Our kids deserve better.

Please continue to pray for all the people out there who are fighting, those who have fought and those who are survivors of pediatric cancer. If you feel compelled to become more involved with helping children and their families affected by this ugly illness and to ultimately find a cure, here are just a few of the things you can do to make a difference:

Make a donation to an organization that gives, and truly makes a difference, to these families:
Make-A-Wish, Caringbridge, Hope Kids, KidsCan, Cure Search, Jake Owen Raborn Foundation, Cole's Foundation and Miracles of Mitch just to name a few. These are all organizations that rely on donations to help families enduring serious illnesses'.

Give Blood - Save a Life. Everyday children and adults are in dire need of blood products to help them along during their illness/treatment. This is one of the easiest gifts you'll ever give and at no cost to you.

Become a Chemo Angel - A volunteer opportunity that allows you to bring a little cheer and encouragement to those undergoing cancer treatments, through little notes, cards and occasional small gifts.

Donate new, unopened toys to your local hospital. As a child, it's tough enough being away from your home and family during treatment. By donating toys, games, video games, movies and books to your local hospital, you will undoubtedly bring a smile to a suffering child's face in their time of need. For your convenience, here is the link to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis but ALL hospitals can use, and would greatly appreciate, these donations. http://www.childrensmn.org/web/givingtochildren/095364.asp

Make a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The only way to find a cure is through research and St. Jude has made it their mission to do just that.

There are many things that you can do to help and I simply can not list them all. There are some that take time, there are some that take money, there are some just simply take you. Please do what you can. You can make a world of difference to the children and families that are fighting this terrible disease.

If you read all of the way to the end of this, THANK YOU for taking the time and for caring.

Good night and God Bless.