Books I love-Little Britches

Recently I became enamored with everything ever written by Ralph Moody.  It all started when I made the decision to home school my kiddos.  I have been exploring the never ending option of how to accomplish this.  I have covered the entire gamut of stereotypical strange home school children to "is that really legal" to almost perfect fit for us.  I am still settling on what is best for me and my family, but I did have a brief love affair with Thomas Jefferson Education.  It is a very interesting theory based on teaching from the classics.  I love good book recommendations and to this point have never focused on the "classics."  Little Britches is one of the recommendations for family reading.  Ralph Moody, the author, based this story on his life story.  He leaves the "city life" when he was young and moves west with his family to a ranch.  I loved everything about this story.  I felt like I was a part of the family and I longed to know more about them.  Lucky for me there are about ten books illustrating different phases of Ralph's childhood set against the great American backdrop in the late 1800s and 1900s.  I can't put a finger on what is so fantastic about these books.  Maybe it is just the honesty of their lives.  They worked hard and suffered, but they believed in God and they believed in their family.  They were happy in good times and bad.  It is so inspiring to read later books and see the fruits of a child raised with honesty and integrity.  I can't wait until my kids are old enough to read it again with me. 

Brussel Sprouts and Sunshine

Today we waited for morning to come.  It never did it seemed, so we stayed in our jammies until we had to leave the house.  We all stumbled around in a daze.  Where did the sunshine go?  It is our clock.  It tells us when to wake up, when to eat, when to drink, when to nap, and when its bedtime.  Today it did not come and we were left to our own devices to manage our day.  We did not do so well. 

I cooked Brussel Sprouts for dinner.  They were part of my Bountiful Basket last week.  I refuse to let them go bad just because I don't know anyone who even eats Brussel Sprouts.  I searched out a recipe that appeared to bring out the best qualities in these little Green gremlins.  Something interesting occurred.  As they sauteed in a hot bath of olive oil they became very shiny and brilliantly green.  I found myself smiling.  It was the same kind of smile when I first greet the morning sunshine.  Seems so strange that these strange and smelly little veggies could bring sunshine to my day. 

Ode to Autumn

Okay, this is really not an Ode per say, but more of a bunch of pictures to illustrate autumn around our house.  We love it all! By the time Halloween (not my favorite holiday) arrives we really just get it over with, recover from the sugar coma and get on to the business of preparing for birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Here it is...

Austin learning to mow the lawn for the last mow of the season.

Rider and Lydia's Mommy School field trip to the Pumpkin patch.





Proof that the Princess was at the Leaf pile making party--IN THE CAR with her warm Daddy.





Our "After Potato Harvest" family trip to my favorite place Logan Utah.  My first visit in 12 years!  Wow a lot has changed.  It was so great to be there and I kept looking around every corner as if my old friends my pop out at any time.



My kids are certainly in the background of several poor brides trying to get shots on the temple grounds.



Captain America and his loot. 



Every day is Halloween around here.  Captain Underpants!

Hulk Smash and Hello Kitty ready for trick or treating.

Princess insists that Daddy paints her nails best.  We tried out the Pinterest suggestion to spray Pam spray to dry the nails and IT WORKS!