family

A House Full of Memories!

Yesterday we celebrated the day we purchased our house. I thought it was a fun way to remember the day we brought the kids out to see their new house and all the memories we have created here over the last 5 years. I still remember the boys running from empty room to empty room…
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This is what is so great about small town Iowa!

This weekend was our small town of 700’s Christmas celebration. It is a chance for us to get everyone together and share in the Christmas spirit. On Saturday, they served pancakes, eggs, and sausage to everyone and then each one of the kids picked out a toy and visited with Santa. Then on Sunday, there…
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First snowfall of the Season!

This weekend we had our first snowfall of the season. The snow was wet and perfect for snowman making and snowball throwing. The kids couldn’t decide what to do first….decorate the tree (as we had originally planned) or go out and build the snowman! Both got accomplished and we have a new addition to our…
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Go Vikes!

This weekend we surprised our boys with tickets to the Vikings vs Packers game. Now for some people this may not be a big deal, but it was for us. None of us have ever been to a NFL game. It was difficult for me to wrap my brain around spending $500 on something that…
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Reading Traditions

Reading has been an important part of my life as long as I can remember. I remember my parents reading to me and then “pretending” to read the newspaper, magazine, or books in our home. As a child, since my sisters were 15 years older than me and out of the home by the time…
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5 Years Ago

Five years ago, on another Saturday morning, I was sitting at the table having breakfast, reading the paper while our 2 and 3 year olds were playing. My husband had left for his office to do some work. We had just had a fun night of trick-or-treating with my husband’s family and found out that…
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Pumpkin Carving 2008

Every year we gather up all our pumpkins and search for the coolest designs and get to work. Typically it is Pat and I doing all the work, but the kids love seeing the designs come out on the pumpkins and then the real excitement of lighting them outside. For me, it is all about…
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Final Days of Giving

So, my final days of giving were days spent with friends and family. On Friday I spent the evening with my friend Tammy having a girls night out. We had such a great time, but fortunately I was more of the receiver because Tammy treated me for my recent birthday. But, while we were out,…
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Lego Creation by Bennett

Bennett and one of his many lego creations. Tonight I had the rare opportunity to spend over 3 hours with just our middle child. First of all I was thrilled that he chose to spend the evening with me rather than going into town with his dad and siblings. I get one on one time…
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Soccer Mom

Bennett and Patrick as the Van Horne Vipers! Reagan, their cheerleader! Last weekend I officially became a soccer mom. Soccer was something that I was never sure about. We didn’t have soccer where I grew up and neither did my husband. We just didn’t understand it. We have been to a few of our nephew…
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Stacie's bookshelf: read-in-2023

The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before
Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D'
The Royal Governess: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II's Childhood
Food Fight
Spare
Foster
This Time Tomorrow
To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage
Save What's Left
Remarkably Bright Creatures
The Galveston Diet: The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan to Burn Fat and Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms
Golden Hills
The Girl with the Louding Voice
The Favor
Small Things Like These
This Is How I Lied
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish: Book 1
Audrey L and Audrey W: True Creative Talents: Book 2
Chasing Giants: In Search of the World's Largest Freshwater Fish
The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life
In Conclusion, Don't Worry About It
It Is Well With My Soul: My Story
Have I Told You This Already?: Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember
Book Lovers
A Girl Called Samson
Finn and the Feline Frenemy
The Levee
The Golden Spoon
Only the Beautiful
Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories
The Sisters Sweet
Fish in a Tree
This Tender Land
Intermittent Fasting Transformation: The 45-Day Program for Women to Lose Stubborn Weight, Improve Hormonal Health, and Slow Aging
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar
Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine
The Great Gilly Hopkins
BenBee and the Teacher Griefer
We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship
Blue Highways: A Journey into America
Beyond the Point
The Family
Hamnet
The Bookstore Sisters
And Finally: Matters of Life and Death
The Cactus
Black Cake
Ban This Book
Passing
I'm Glad My Mom Died
These Precious Days: Essays
Evidence of the Affair
The Night Travelers
Out of the Corner
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
One Day in December

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