Community Helpers

Walker and Kathryn are learning about community helpers at school this week. The kids were invited to dress like their favorite community helper.

Meet Dr. Busbee... And the other Dr. Busbee...

Kathryn, completely in the role, was too busy compassionately caring for her patient, Ariel, to smile for the camera.

I did capture this brief smile...

Happy Thursday!

A Weekend on the River

Walker and Kathryn spent a weekend on the river. Nana and Papa very generously offered to let them visit Camden, giving Mommy and Daddy an entire weekend without little ones!

I don't know who enjoyed the weekend more, Matt and I or Walker and Kathryn!

Here are Walker and Kathryn having a tea party with Polly Pig (seated in the middle chair).

And of course there were arts and crafts!

Nana even created an art gallery to display their masterpieces!

They had lots of fun playing in the shaving cream!

Walker loves the tire swing--well, really anything that goes around and around!

Playing in the sand box...

Dressed for church....

And a little flower pickin'....

Picture-takin' with the "Tree Man"....

Now you've seen how Kathryn and Walker spent their weekend, check back to find out what Matt and I did with all of our free time!

Let the Season Begin

October 1st seemed like the perfect day to enjoy my first one of these...

PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE! YUM!

I am sure this is the first of many for this fall season! Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Spanish according to Walker and Kathryn

Walker and Kathryn have Spanish class this year, and they are really amazing us with their grasp of the Spanish language. For example, they are currently learning the colors in Spanish.

They must really be overachievers because they have also picked up a few words on their own. According to Kathryn and Walker, the Spanish word for night is space (as in outer space). And Kathryn informed me yesterday that the Spanish word for acorn is nut!

I think they are slowly grasping the idea of translation, but with their own little flair! That doesn't surprise me coming from these two:)

Two Little Hurricanes

The rainy weather this past Saturday necessitated a trip to the McWane Center, a great place to expend energy on a yucky day! I loved these pictures of Walker and Kathryn in the hurricane simulator.
I won't lie. There are days these two act like little hurricanes, running here and there with speed, leaving me feeling all tousled and making my hair stand straight up!

Go Greek!

Did you know I like Greek food? In fact, I really LIKE it. So much so that whenever I see a sign like this, you can bet I'll be there!

Maybe I should say, I'll TRY to be there. You see, I really haven't been to a Greek festival in, well, about 6 years. There was this one time in Memphis, when my sweet husband attempted to take me. We only had one available night during the entire festival that we could go, so the kids and I were going to meet Matt after work to walk around the festival and enjoy some Greek food. We parked, we walked and we got there only to find out you had to have cash.

Well, neither Matt nor I EVER have cash on hand. And in a crazy twist of fate, Matt didn't have his ATM card either. I did have the checkbook, but our attempt to cash a check at the local grocery store failed. Sad to say, we had to load the kids up and drive to the local Mexican restuarant for dinner! Now, you know I love me some Mexican. But this particular night, I was REALLY, REALLY craving Greek food!

Fast forward to last night. The Greek Festival is in town, and guess what this wonderful festival has--A DRIVE THRU! GENIOUS! Matt had to attend a football game, so the kids and I loaded up in the car, drove downtown, and with a large stack of cash, I bought myself a fabulous Greek dinner!

I enjoyed it so much, I am tempted to go back tonight:) The good news is, if you live in this area, you can enjoy Greek food all year long. Here are a few of my local favorites...


Here are some more options for enjoying the Greek life all year round!

Classic Greek Key Bedding

Greek Key Towels

Greek Key Notepad

Greek Key Ribbon

Greek Key Belt

I think I might even learn to make baklava. Looking at this recipe, I think I can do it! Of course, a trip to the Greek Isles just might be my most preferred way to experience all things Greece!

A Yummy Recipe!

I don't think I've ever actually tried one of Giada de Laurentiis' recipes nor have I ever made orzo, but this one is too good not to share!

Tri-Colore Orzo

Ingredients

1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cups fresh arugula (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese (or feta cheese)
1/2 cup dried cherries
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain pasta and put the pasta on a large cookie sheet. Drizzle the pasta with 3 tablespoons olive oil, toss, spread out, and set aside to cool.

Once the orzo is cool, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.

If you know me, you know I improvised on a few things, so here goes...instead of arugula I used baby spinach and instead of dried cherries I used craisins. I also went real light on the basil (like maybe 3-4 leaves instead of 12...I'm not a huge basil fan).

Try it, and let me know what you think!