Fall Activities
Pre-Wedding Activites – Family Fun, Bridal Brunch, & Reception Decorating (Evansville & New Harmony, IN)
Wedding Welcome Basket!
We arrived for the super fun Wedding Celebrations! When we arrived at the hotel for my brother Josh’s wedding there was an amazing Welcome Basket waiting for us. My Mom put together the welcome baskets complete with a sweet letter, schedule of events, maps with directions, drinks, snacks, games, post it notes, gum, kleenexs, and more great items!
Since we arrived the afternoon before all the official wedding festivities began we got in on helping set up, prep, decorate, and enjoy some time with family. All of us were staying at the same hotel in Evansville, Indiana, so almost any time you were on the elevator or lobby area you could almost be certain to run into someone you know. It was a lot of fun spending time with extended family and friends. We super excited to be celebrating Josh and Megan’s big day!
Swimming in the indoor hotel pool, a hit with the kids!
Brina and Karlie hanging out on Grandma Penny’s lap and chatting away!
I am sure Pastor Jim is getting an ear full from the girls….who knows what they are talking about! Thankful for my parents and brothers Pastor and his family pitching in to help with various set up, decorating, clean up and so much more over the wedding weekend. They were a huge help!
Karlie hanging out with Great Grandma Willa! Thankful that Grandpa CE and Grandma Willa were able to join in all the wedding fun, it was wonderful spending extra time with them.
Brina and Nathan….waiting patiently!
Karlie sharing a fascinating story to Grandpa CE
Amber and Grandma Willa
Heading into the Bridal Brunch for Megan. Great Grandma Willa and Karlie talking on the way up the walk!
Bridal Brunch at the Red Geranium Restaurant in New Harmony, Indiana! They had delicious food on the Bridal Menu – Chicken Salad Croissant, Red Geranium Club Sandwich, Soup & Salad!
Brina hanging out at the Bridal Lunch!
Karlie sitting next to me at the Bridal Brunch!
Megan and Mom at the Bridal Brunch
Megan with the Moms! Teresa Petty (Megan’s Mom), Megan, and my Mom Penny Hendrich
Grandma Willa and Mom helping fluff flowers for reception decorations for Josh & Megan. The flowers went on the photo booth, cute idea!
Josh and Megan’s “photo booth” for the guest to use at the wedding. Our crew did the flower fluffing and decorating of this booth, it turned out really well!
Travel & Vacation: Aquarium Underwater Dining Adventure (Nashville, TN)
We were able to go to the Aquarium An Underwater Dining Adventure Restaurant with the kids while we were in Nashville, TN. They thought it was the best place to eat. I am not entirely sure they even tasted their food because they were so fascinated by all the fish and the aquariums all around us. It was a unique experience and a lot of fun especially if you have kids. The kids were so excited about the fish I forgot to take a picture of our delicious food!
One of the huge circular aquariums! We planned to go there for dinner as a surprise for the kids. They were hooked and excited as soon as they stepped foot inside the door.
Karlie wanted to take a picture at one of the sharks1
The last time we saw sting rays we were swimming with them at Grand Cayman Island. These were on the other side of the glass.
I see you hiding…a sprinkle of sand doesn’t make you invisible!
Colorful fish!
In the middle of the restaurant was a giant aquarium you could see from any where in the restaurant. Fascinating!
So many fish!
The girls decided they would enjoy one of these huge aquariums at our house! 🙂
Travel & Vacation: Adventure Science Center (Nashville, TN)
During our recent visit to Nashville we went to the Adventure Science Center. The kids LOVED it! It was a lot of fun hanging out, playing, and learning with the kids for several hours. We were there when it opened that morning and left when it was closing 7 hours later, I would say it was a hit with the kids! Even better is our whole family got in free (WOOHOO) because we are members of our local Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville and the museums are part of the same affiliation.
Brina and Karlie discovered that they CAN lift a car off the ground, using the right tools!
Activity that simulates walking on the moon, they had a blast!
Karlie especially liked the Space Chase room. Standing near her favorite planet….Saturn!
The space room was two stories high, this is looking up from the ground level. Pretty neat!
Chatting with Brina, the old fashion way!
Brave Karlie putting her hand into the mouth of a fish and pulling it out of the log.
The water table was a popular spot for the kids!
Brina checking things out!
Karlie using the wind from the Jungle Gym to blow the sails on the sailboat!
Karlie in the bubble under the dinosaur as Brina points out that the dinosaur is moving.
Karlie generating energy on the bicycle! Pedal faster!
Parachute race! Whose going to win! You raise the parachutes on the pulley system, when it clicks they release and see who lands first!
Locating our house!
Found Grandpa and Grandma’s house too!
Exploring particles and magnets….
Feeding the giant mouth!
Trying to master the digestive track maze!
At the top of the 3 story jungle gym you can look out over downtown Nashville. Great view!
Jake and the girls waiting for me to come down from the top. They obviously move faster, ha! Fun times with the family.
It’s probably been awhile since Jake’s been on a 3 story jungle gym. He was a good sport and allow the girls to “show him around!”
This was a laser game that we played several times. The good activities compete against the germs / sickness to see who will win.
Jake playing checkers with Karlie.
Brina maneuvering the wheelchair around the ramps and basketball court. Takes some skill getting around places in a wheelchair.
Travel & Vacation: Nashville – Parthenon Park
Our family was able to spend a couple days in Nashville, Tennessee recently. We had a little bit of time to burn before heading to our next adventure so we stopped at one of the parks near our hotel. The contained a full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon. It was massive! The re-creation was built in 1897 for Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition. The Parthenon represents classical architecture. It was pretty neat seeing it!
Sitting near the statue with the Parthenon replica in the background!
If you look closely you can see two people on the steps of the Parthenon (that is Brina and Karlie). They look tiny!
The side of the Parthenon. Can you see us?!
Hanging out on the steps. We look so small!
This statue near the Parthenon is of John W. Thomas. John Thomas was a native of Nashville and was the President of the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway for many years.
The outside of the Parthenon replica in Nashville, TN
Venting some energy out on the play ground for a few minutes!
Teaching Our Children: How to Build a Catapult
A fun little experiment for the whole family
The girls were talking with Jake recently about catapults. He decided to make it a teachable moment for the kids. They worked on designing and building a catapult. It was a lot of fun to watch them working together. The girls were super excited to see how well their catapult experiment worked! Thankful for a husband who takes the time to do fun and educational activities with the kids. Great memories with their Daddy!
Jake & the girls catapult design
Little pieces of the catapult that the girls have sanded
Brina working hard
Karlie sanding her piece of the catapult
Teamwork!
Ready to launch the first unsuspecting acorn across the driveway! It worked really well! 🙂
Science Experiment: Why Do Leaves Change Colors?
Why do leaves change colors?
Recently we did a science experiment with the kids. We were talking about leaves and why they change colors. In the Spring and Summer they are various shades of green, but once the cold weather of Fall hits the leaves start changing colors.
What is chromatography? The definition of chromatography is the separation of mixtures into their constituents by preferential adsorption by a solid, as a column of silica (column chromatography) or a strip of filter paper (paper chromatography) or by a gel. We decided to uncover the rainbow of colors found in each leaf. The kids picked 9 leaves to experiment.
Science Experiment Items:
- Leaves (different colors and types)
- White Coffee Filters
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Scissors
The leaves contain a green pigment, chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is used to capture sunlight. By using chromatography you will be able to see the different colors present in the leaves.
Collect a variety of leaves to test. Pour 1/4 inch of rubbing alcohol into the bottom of a jar. Cut the leaves into small pieces and put each leaf into its own container. Cut the coffee filter into 1 inch strips. Put a strip of coffee filter in each container (the bottom of the strip should touch the rubbing alcohol) and you can fold the top of the strip over the top of the container.
Watch carefully as the rubbing alcohol moves up the coffee filter paper. You will notice the colors moving up the paper as well. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for the rubbing to move up the paper.
We did the experiment saw the results and then “just for fun” we left it overnight to see what would happen.
One of the girls picked out 2 dark green leaves and one flower petal to test in this experiment. I figured they might as well see what happens with it too!
One of the girls picked out a red, yellow, and orange leaf to experiment with today!
Check out the cool colors!
What one of the leaves looked after sitting over night; after the rubbing alcohol evaporated.
As you can see the red flower petals (in the container on the left) did not amount to much color on the paper. The other two leaves did great!
Some cool colors found in these leaves.
Our 9 different leaf experiments and the colors we found inside them. We found the most variety of colors in the dark green leaves. The lighter colors on the left were ones that were turning colors (yellow, orange, and red leaves). The one on the right that looks almost white with a very faint yellow color is the red flower petal. Glad I let the kids experiment with that too even though it wasn’t a leaf, it was still a good learning lesson.Birthday Celebration!
The birthday candles kept relighting!
It has been a crazy few months around our house! Recently, I had the privilege of celebrating another birthday. It was a wonderful day! This year my birthday fell on a Saturday so Jake and the girls made me breakfast, we had delicious food, played games, read books, relaxed, opened gifts, ate cake, and ended the day by watching a movie together.
The cards, gifts, texts, phone calls, messages, emails, and all the best wishes made my day super special. Thankful for my family, friends, the opportunity to celebrate another year, and the many amazing blessings in my life. I have so many great memories and praying that this upcoming year is packed full of even more!
Delicious red velvet cake picked up by my sweet Handsome!
It was rich and tasty!
Cards and goodies from my family. They each picked out and wrapped their own gifts! I even got some cute birthday “notes” on a couple packages! 🙂
The perfect appetizer before a yummy birthday dinner!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Our family had a great time in the Midwest celebrating my little brother’s wedding. It was wonderful seeing my family over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The wedding was beautiful, successful, and hopefully they are now relaxing on their honeymoon! I was happy to welcome another sister into our family, WOOHOO!!! Happy for my brother and his new wife.
Now I am back home and need to make some progress with upcoming projects. Here’s what happened this past week and what is going on this week.
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to read to the kids – about halfway through the book
Plan one special activity with the familyPrepare for Upcoming Fall EventsSpend time Monday – Tuesday helping the kids with HomeworkAttend After School ActivitiesLunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforePlay a Game with the KidsWatch a movie with the KidsListen to an Audiobook with the KidsThanksgiving Holiday – So Many Reasons to be ThankfulCelebrating Josh & Megan’s Wedding & Activities
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day – didn’t drink enough when traveling
Continue my YouVersion plan(s)Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – took 2 days
Clean House (Basic Speed Clean before the Holiday Activities)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File Paperwork
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Prepare for Upcoming Winter Events
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Start Organizing the Kids Scrapbook Items
- Dr. Appointments for Kids
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Do at least one “Make 1 & Freeze 1″ Meal Prep (make a main dish to eat that day and one to freeze for later)
- Clean House (Focus – Suitcases Unpacked & Put Away from Wedding / Thanksgiving Trip)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Snack Bins Refilled)
- Yard Cleanup (Focus – Pool and Leaves)
- Pet Care (Focus – Hay Feeder Filled)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Earn some Creative Cash
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
- Read the book Wonder’s First Race by Joanna Campbell to read to the kids – about halfway through the book
Sweet Treat from My Husband
There are so many reasons to be thankful for my husband! Not long ago he picked up a box of Dole’s Strawberry Dippers and brought them home for me. Such a sweetheart! The Dole Strawberry Dippers are frozen strawberry halves covered in dark chocolate! Absolutely…..DELICIOUS!!! Thank you baby for the special surprise! He knows me well! YOUR THE BEST!!!
Wishing You a Safe & Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing you a truly amazing and safe Thanksgiving Holiday if you will be traveling to see family and friends! I am thankful for the many wonderful blessings in my life. This year we are thrilled to spend some time with our extended family over the Thanksgiving Holiday! It is not every year we are able to get together for Thanksgiving! We also get to celebrate with my youngest brother as he marries the love of his life this Thanksgiving weekend. So many reasons to be thankful!
I love this quote because even during the difficult times we can “be kind, be thoughtful, be genuine, but most of all be thankful”. What a great reminder not just for Thanksgiving Day, but for everyday of our lives!
