MMMM....Love Them Wangs!

I like it when I am everyone's hero. When I can make a dinner that pleases everyone. And today was one of those days! It's been a while since I've impressed all FIVE of my family members. It was a lip smacking....finger licking...mmm--mmmm GOOD dinner!

Chicken wings. HOT Chicken wings. I followed the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. (Her photography skills are better than mine, LOL) It took me a LONG time to get them all cooked. I started at around 5, and had to fry 3 batches, for about 25 minutes each. We ate at 7. (I cooked up 10 pounds of wings, and there were NONE left. Not a single one!) But it was well worth the wait, and all the work! It's definitely a keeper recipe, that I'll do again and again!

Here's what the platter looked like BEFORE dinner.

And here is the AFTER shot...AFTER Caleb ate 24 (yes...you read that right..TWENTY-FOUR!!!) chicken wings. And splattered hot sauce all over into the ranch dressing, and all over the table. And had his face covered in wing sauce...wiped his face and then had his face covered in sauce again...and again.... I so enjoy watching my children enjoy their food! :-)

And the BEST part???? RON did dishes after supper! THAT lets me know he REALLY enjoyed his dinner!

Happy Birthday, Cameron!!!

15 years! Wow! Seems like just yesterday! It was Ron's first finals week at the Concordia Theological Seminary when Cameron first made his appearance. He was a very good, very happy baby!

Cameron is such a great kid! We are so proud of all he has accomplished. He is pulling awesome grades in school, he's a talented musician, he has great friends, and he's got a tremendous sense of humor. We are looking forward to what God has planned for him!

Cameron has always been easy to please. He just wants pudding for his birthday treat!

Pinewood Derby 2008!

Once again, it was Pinewood Derby Race time for Ethan. He's had the car for well over a month, but...life got busy, it's Lent...and on Wednesday Ethan came home from school and said "Um...Dad? Do you know the Derby is on Saturday?" Well, Wednesday was midweek and church, Thursday was meetings at church, and Friday was Family Fun Night at the elementary school (a carnival). Ethan and Ronnie worked after school yesterday to get it cut out, shaped and sanded. After Family Fun Night, they gave it a first coat of paint. A few hours later, a second coat went on. Today they did a bit more touch ups, put on the wheels and weights, and they were ready to race at 4 pm!

Ethan gives his car a nice coat of paint.

And we are OFF to the races! Ethan's car is the one with the Lego driver, on the far right. Doesn't it look cool?

Ethan had a strong second place finish!

The hard work paid off with a second place trophy for Ethan, and lots of thanks for his Dad!

A happy boy with his trophy and prize winning car!

How much snow do we have?

More snow than I WANT, and more than we've had here in Iowa in years and years! Here are some photos from around our area that Caleb and I took today. Is spring here yet?

Snow Day Activities

What do you do on a snow day? When it's below zero outside, and snowing and blowing so that you can't see to go anywhere?

If your name is Rachel, you read ALL day long!

If your name is Caleb or Ethan, you build really cool Bionicle ... things...all afternoon long!

see...isn't he cool?

or...if you are named Caleb, you MIGHT have to juggle the Bionicle pieces while talking to your girlfriend on the cell phone!

Oh...and if your name is Cameron? You just sleep most of the day!

Too True, Too True

I was sent this by my friend Anna today. And I can only say "This is most certainly true". The author, after an extensive internet search, remains unknown.

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At twenty-five below.
Oh, how I love Iowa
When the snow's up to your butt
You take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Iowa
'Cause I'm frozen to the ground.

Book Recommendation: The Wednesday Letters

My on-line BookChitChat group is reading "The Wednesday Letters" by Jason F. Wright. This book is about a couple, Jack and Laurel, who have had, what their children assumed, was a long, happy and healthy marriage. Early in their relationship, Jack promised Laurel that he would write a letter to her every Wednesday, and he kept that promise throughout their many years of marriage. The drama of the story unfolds after Jack and Laurel die in each others arms at their home one night, and their children discover the letters and the secrets their parents have hidden for so long. The children learn much their father and mother, and themselves, that take them by surprise. Read the book to discover what part forgiveness plays in the lives of the Cooper family.

Is it EVER going to stop?

Yet again we have had a horrible weather weekend! Saturday night into Sunday we had sleet and freezing rain, snow, snow and more snow, and then wind! Today all of the roads are just completely ice covered. I was headed to Waterloo for a doctor's appointment, and just 10 miles outside of down, was told by a Highway Patrol officer that "If it isn't life and death, you need to turn around and go home!" Shortly after that the highway was closed.

Kids are excited about a 2 hour delay tomorrow. It isn't supposed to get any warmer tomorrow, so I can't imagine that the ice is going to thaw any. I am SO ready for spring.

It was NOT a good day to have a gal from Carnival Cruise lines, offering us a really good deal on a cruise!

More Wii fun!

Caleb and his friend Sam spent some time Boxing on the Wii this afternoon. I think the pictures say it all!

Wii have fun at our house!

We are borrowing a "Cooking Mama Cookoff" game for the Wii to try it out to see if we like it. Wii DO like it! Here are a few pictures of Caleb chopping and dicing, stirring, rolling and mixing. What FUN!

One day, while I was not feeling well, Ron made sausage gravy, and Rachel made biscuits for the first time. Don't they look GREAT? They tasted as good as they looked! Way to go Rachel! I think YOU are now the official biscuit maker of the family!

February is always "Read a Million Minutes" month at our school. Ethan has been doing a great job of keeping track daily of how many minutes he has read! He averages 30-45 mintues a day, but one day last week he read for 2 hours! Keep reading, Ethan!

On the mend

I THINK we are finally all healthy here at this house. It has been a rough couple of weeks here! First, I was sick, and basically housebound fir 10 days! I didn't leave the house in all that time, except for a 30 minute dr. visit, where they told me I had Type A influenza! Since I'd waited too long to go to the doctor, it was too late for any medicine to work for me! BUT, everyone else was put on a preventative dose of Tamiflu. But later that day, Cameron was sick with the same symptoms, and ended up taking a double dose of the medicine, to help lessen the amount of time he would be sick. He still missed Thursday and Friday of school, and used the entire weekend to recover. He was finally ready for school again on Monday, and is totally feeling fine by now. By Monday NIGHT, though, Ethan was sick with a terribly sore throat. He missed Tuesday and Wednesday of school, and Wednesday tested positive for strep. After 24 hours of meds, he was feeling well enough to go back to school in time for a Valentine's Day party.

So...as of today...I THINK everyone is healthy. I still have a nagging cough, but it's nothing compared to what I was feeling a couple of weeks ago!