Tagged

I've been tagged, so here we go...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. I was a sophomore in college, studying biology.
2. I was working for The Dow Chemical Company as a student technologist.
3. I was a member of the Gordonville United Methodist Church and a youth group leader (middle and high school) and a high school Sunday school teacher.
4. I went on a trip to Disneyworld with my Gramma and cousins.
5. I was living with my parents.

5 things on my to-do list
1. Pack for the trip (SIL getting married)
2. Weed kill my one "weed" bed
3. Wrap up some projects at work
4. Grocery shop
5. Pay bills

5 favorite snacks/foods
1. anything with chocolate
2. fruit
3. homemade pizza
4. fresh baked bread
5. eggs and hashbrowns

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire
1. Pay off debt
2. Take my family to see Europe
3. Save and invest
4. Travel more :)
5. Make Joseph a really spectacular wood shop (with rare woods, nice tools, etc)

5 bad habits
1. biting my nails
2. eating too much chocolate
3. staying up late watching sports
4. staying up late watching my DVR'd shows
5. not being patient enough with my kids (aka - yelling)

5 places I've lived
1. Midland, MI
2. Lansing, MI
3. Missoula, MT
4. Aberdeen Scotland
5. Lafayette, IN

5 people I'm tagging
1. Joellen
2. Stephanie
3. Crystal
4. Liz
5. Misty

Fun at the zoo

The kids got to go on a play date to the local zoo and also ride the train. Here are some pics that a friend took (thanks Margot!). You can see more cute pics here.




I just love the ones of the siblings in front of the train - so cute!

Strawberries = yummy

About 2 weeks ago Joseph took the kids strawberry picking at Pretty Prairie Farms. When I got home from work I was happy to see 20 pounds of wonderful smelling berries. So I spent the whole evening cleaning berries (with the wonderful help of Mr Jase) and prepping them for jam, pies, eating on top of cereal, and eating with sour cream and brown sugar (it is yummy, so don't knock it until you try it - I also thought it sounded strange until I actually I tried it, now I love it).

Here are the berries before cleaning (note that there was a third tray full of berries not in the picture)


Here is Jase helping to cut the tops off


A close up of Jase's berries


Here are the berries all cleaned and some packaged for pies (after eating lots too)

Swim suit as a hat?

Lately, Jase has developed an obsession with Meghan's clothes (see here). So I guess this really shouldn't have surprised me...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Joseph!

We hope you had a great day - we loved spending the day with you and making some yummy food for you too. We are grateful for all that you do for us and for your love and support in everything we go through as a family and individuals.

On the upside I (Heather) decided to make a Strawberry Rhubarb pie to celebrate Father's Day (Joseph loves pies, so I thought why not). I hate making pies, more accurately, I hate making pie crusts and usually just buy the box of rolled up pie crust. But one of the things I wanted to conquer in life was to make a great pie crust (and have it look great too). I've seen pie crusts made in food processors, so I opted for that method (mixing up the dough and getting the right amount of water never worked for me). I used this recipe from Paula Dean and it made an incredibly flaky and yummy crust. Now I'll be a pie making fool! This time I made the mistake of thawing the rhubarb and the pie ended up being more of a pie soup (which Jase thought was hilarious), but hey, the crust came out darn near perfect and that was what I was trying for. Plus, the "soup" makes great syrup for the ice cream!

A full day of fun

We had a busy day today, starting this morning with a trip to Columbian Park to see the ducks and geese, ride the train, and visit the zoo. Jase is learning to throw the frisbee, and he made a new friend that he sat with during the train ride.

Then we had a meeting at church and the kids did well playing. Here is Meghan being her cute self.

Here is Meghan holding up the laundry basket...

Then after some naps and dinner, we all headed to the golf course to go to the driving range.

Meghan loved the feel of the grass and the empty buckets were great fun (more than her toys on her stroller).

Jase has his own clubs now, so it is officially a family affair.

Helmet heads

Who knew that an old roller blade/skateboarding helmet could be so much fun...