Time for New Pics

Has it really been a year since we had our pictures made??!! Where has the time gone? My children are growing up before my eyes, and last year's photo is certainly outdated. Sunday morning, I ushered the kids all out the door for a photo shoot before Meeting. It turned out pretty decent. None of Ray and I, but hopefully we can get one more opportunity for a family photo outside before it gets too cold. And blah looking. Fall does get blah blah blah in this part of the country just before the snow arrives. Right now, though, it's very pretty with all the beautiful leaves that are half on the trees, and half on the ground.

So, here they are. The Shippey Kids. Emily is going to be 10 in two weeks, Lauren is 7 1/2, Owen is 4 1/2, and Nelly is 2 1/2. If I get ambitious, I might get these out in the mailbox to you. If you think I might need your address, you can put it in the comments section. :)

It's been a busy week. And it's only Wednesday. Maybe that's because last week seems to have run into this week. Last Friday, my cousin S and her family came to town from OK! So much fun to see them again! They have two beautiful children that are very close to Owen and Nelly's ages. The kids really enjoyed their time together. And I didn't get a single photo. What is wrong with me??? I'm really disappointed in myself now. Will have to get better about that. I think S might have gotten some, though, so I will nag her to send me some. :)

We also had some sad news last week. One of our young friends passed away suddenly. We attended his funeral on Tuesday this week. A very touching service. Good to be reminded that God does have a plan, and that sometimes His plan is just to cause us to pause in life, and give us an opportunity to know Him better.

We had Jean and Tanya stay with us from Friday through Tuesday this week also! That was fun. We all enjoyed getting to know Tanya better. She even took 3 of the kids and walked all the way up to the park one day! It's a long walk, but they had a blast! I also managed to awaken everyone very early on Sunday morning (before 7am) with the smoke alarm. And not just one smoke alarm! We're talking ALL THE SMOKE ALARMS IN THE HOUSE! I could hear my kids upstairs freaking out about the "fire"! The problem was, I decided to fix a coffee cake recipe in muffin tins instead of a baking dish like I have always made it before. It ran all over the top of the pan and burned to ash on the bottom of my oven. Nice. It was so bad, we had to open all the windows and doors, and eventually dismantle the smoke detectors because they wouldn't stop screeching. Ackk! Long story short, it was a mess, but thankfully the neighbors didn't call 911, the muffins didn't actually burn, and we were able to eat breakfast through the haze. Talk about embarrassing! Why does that stuff have to happen when I have company?

Let's see, what else...

Oh, the single sock pile has been reduced! Turns out being a single sock might not be so much fun afterall (they do make their way to the trashcan if they remain single for too long). Many of them happily reunited with their mates today. Oy!

And, it's getting chilly here. That means, it's soup weather. Here's today's recipe post. I made this baked potato soup on Sunday evening. We had it with rolls (incidentally, they were the whole wheat rolls that I posted about last time). I don't remember for sure how I got this recipe, but it is hearty, delicious, and nutritious. And I'm a poet and didn't know it. Ah!

Scroll down and read this recipe, and then have a wonderful day!

BAKED POTATO SOUP

2/3 c. butter or margarine

2/3 c. all purpose flour

7 c. milk

4 lg. baking potatoes, baked, cooled, and cubed (you can peel 'em if you want. I didn't.)

4 green onions, sliced (or use onion powder. I did.)

chopped celery, optional (however much you want)

12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. (or 8 oz.) sour cream

3/4 tsp. salt, or more

1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large soup kettle or dutch oven, melt the butter. Stir in flour; heat and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 min. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Yield: 8-10 servings or 2 1/2 quarts.