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An Autumn Decor Peek & a Wicked Little Bit of Halloween.

October 18, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

We’re sharing our current Autumn decor with you today! We’re so glad you’re here. Come on in!

I’ve been taking a couple of photos here and there, of our homestead autumn decor, simply because it is FUN for me, and I know many of you love to see this kind of stuff. So, I’m sharing, just as I did last year. It’s just a small collection of shots, and most all of the decor I’ve done is indoors. Not much has been done with the outdoors at this point in time, although we did rip out all of the tomato plants and cosmos. It seems we still have some jalapeno and bell peppers growing though, so we’ve left those for the time being. Marigold plants remain for now as well, adding some color to the near empty gardens now. The strawberry beds need to be ‘put to bed’ before the first frost! Which feels like it may be soon! It’s gotten pretty chilly around here. Especially at night! We’ve even built a fire or 2 in our wood stove, and it’s given us that nice cozy atmosphere we love through the cold season.

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But one thing I do have outdoors, is this new flag that I picked up for next to nothing. It was one of maybe 50 designs, and apparently the last one. It was the one and only I wanted. I made the staff of the store go through quite a bit to get this display one down for me. I really wanted it! And I got it. And it makes me smile every day.
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I made this wreath, but don’t be too impressed. It was already vine like, and I made it into a circle, and hung it.

Come on in and take a little look around, to see a few other seasonal touches around the homestead.

Some faux fall flowers, dropped into an antique milk jug.
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Our wall table, and some family photos in a big frame, that I just stuck some faux leaves in. Above on the wall is a new sign I had to have, for the Halloween season. I got it on sale too.
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It’s so suitable for the Halloween season. But I love it because it’s a slang word I have used all of my life. I’m originally from western MA, and it’s common language out there. When I came out to the Boston area to art school, I quickly found the whole world does not actually use the word like I do. Or at all. But I still use it. I cherish it. I find the word wicked useful.
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Great craft and treat ideas in this special Halloween edition magazine of Matthew Mead’s, from last year.
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These are the kid’s. And….these are the kids. LOL (They know which one is them.) But here they are sticking in the weave of a basket in the kitchen. Until they grab them again. Come to think of it, I don’t even know if they are still there. But I’m not going to look now. I got my photo.
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An Autumn ribbon that hangs our Prayer List Chalkboard. I’ve mentioned that I love the idea of changing out the ribbon on our chalkboards, to go with current season and holiday home decor.
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A hedgehog ornament. Cute, huh? She’s hanging on our season tree (branch).
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Apple cinnamon tea, in a beautiful ceramic mug, that seems perfect for Autumn.
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It’s been a happy Autumn indeed. May the coming winter be as good to us.

Have you happened to do any autumn decorating at all this year? We’d love to hear a little bit about what you’ve done, no matter how simple. And, if you’ve taken photos and blogged it, leave us a link! We’ll swing by your place!

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Boston Museum of Science | Field Trip | Homeschooling

October 12, 2010 By Laura 3 Comments

One of our first field trips of this new homeschool year, was to the Boston Museum of Science!

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{JM, O & S} are at that age now, where I knew they would really benefit from going, on an educational level. {A}, of course, has been an appropriate age for some time, and she found many areas of interest that she enjoyed learning more about.

We left home early in the morning. I have to add, that I had decided I was not going to lug my big camera equipment around…because that was one of the reasons why we got {A} the Canon point and shoot for her birthday, right? But I have to tell you…it was hard! I felt like I was leaving one of my children behind! I was walking to the car in the drive-way as we left, asking myself…can I really do this? I made myself leave it home, and I worked on learning how to work this little thing better. And I’m still working on it. I’m an all manual girl for sure.

Anyway, we were there until late afternoon. This museum really is a place where you could spend at least2, maybe even 3 days at, to really enjoy it to the fullest, and not miss anything. Thankfully, we live close enough that we’ll be going again soon. The planetarium here at the Boston Science Museum, is currently under construction until early 2011. So we’ll be returning to see that when it re-opens. Especially because the little ones are studying Astronomy this year. But we certainly filled our day taking in all we could, enjoyed every moment expanding our knowledge on a variety of subjects, and having fun while we learned!

This very large scale grasshopper model displayed the internal parts of the insect, and their function. It was interesting to see the muscles of their legs, which are quite powerful in relation to their size. They can jump up to 20 times the length of their own body.

A real highlight of our trip, was this educational exhibit on electricity. The scientist was extremely knowledgeable and held our attention for sure. His ‘science lab’ was intriguing, as he explained a variety of facts.

We were often advised to protect our ears for certain demonstrations where the electrical currents were very loud. The kids were getting a little upset with me, because I kept uncovering my ears in order to take photos. But I got a shot with an electrical current like I wanted! Cool, huh?

These 2 guys were sure they were stronger than a AA batteries. But this demonstration proved them wrong. They were sorry they volunteered their manhood strengths, because the magnetic force that was created here, won in the end.

I was talking to my cousin’s middle school boy this past weekend (smart little fella), who took a field trip here when he was in 5th grade. He mentioned one of the highlights for his class was the electricity demonstration here too. They saw a couple different demos than we did this day.

The kids very all excited for this space exhibit, since they are currently learning all about astronomy. So this area in the following photos was very educational for them, and really brought to life so much of what they have been studying.

Inside the spaceship capsule, watching an educational video about the space shuttle.

This contraption was something else. There was so much it did. Engineering at it’s best. It was so much fun to watch it work.

As we looked at it, and watched the intricate and clever functions of it all, I thought to myself, “I can see {JM} building something like this, someday.”

No sooner did I think that, did he ask me to take his photo in front of it. He was grinning from ear to ear, and I could see his wheels turning. I think he was inspired.

I loved this wall.
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But this was the highlight of the trip, for ME, at the Boston Museum of Science! When I ever came around the corner, and saw this…..my heart was all a-flutter!….

boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-17 An old school house! I know they around here and there..like at Sturbridge Village, my cousin reminded me. I haven’t been there since I was very little, and I don’t remember anything there. (That’s another planned trip for us!). But I was very excited to be able to see this one, and GO IN!!

I was smitten, with every nook, cranny, and detail.

And I couldn’t resist playing teacher!

Thankfully I even had willing students, to play along and amuse me!! Their clothing was all wrong, but I didn’t care.

So was mine. But I was having fun. Michael was taking photos of my antics, left and right. I was glad I had on one on his shirt for this shot….so no one could see my mom jeans. ; )

Just kidding.

boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-24 {O}, pretending to write.
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-25 Check out the desk. Michael reminded me that we have an old school desk his parents gave him, when they moved from this area some years ago. I forgot about that!! I’m going to find it, and maybe bring it upstairs and put it in our school room. : )
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-26 THERE’S the pencil sharpener I remember.
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-28 I didn’t easily leave the school house area! As we stepped out and I looked at it from a little ways, I started to have crazy thoughts. Out loud. Like…”You know Michael, I bet you could build me one of these fairly easily.” And to my surprise, he didn’t even chuckle. He asked me where we would put it. Huh. Oh…..I guess I’ll find a spot then!
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boston-museum-of-science-field-trip-29 I loved this display. It slowly turned.

Behind it was a whole room of taxidermied animals! As we explained to {JM, O & S} about what taxidermy is, the process, and when and why it is done, they were wide-eyed!! We couldn’t help but laugh. I remember being about their age, and trying to wrap my brain around it all, when I learned this little fact of life, too. They were so cute.

{A} knew about taxidermy, but she said she found seeing the stuffed animals here very interesting anyway, because it gave her an accurate scale of the size of the animals. For example, we saw a Grizzly Bear and a Black Bear side-by-side, and she was surprised to see how much larger the Black Bear was. She always assumed Grizzly Bears were the larger.

It was a great trip, to a really great museum, for all of us. We look forward to returning there within this school year again, to see the planetarium, and have another day studying the world of science (all of God’s Creation), history, mathematics and social studies.

Have you ever visited the Boston Museum of Science? If so, what part of your visit did you like best?

Thanks for reading along and following some of our home schooling adventures we chronicle here. We’re glad you stopped by.

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Beef Stroganoff | Recipe

October 7, 2010 By Laura 1 Comment

Beef Stroganoff is a meal we had only made once before, in our married years here, years ago. As I recall, too, it didn’t come out quite as we had hoped. I believe the issue was that the meat came out a little too tough. So I guess we decided we weren’t good at making that meal, and we didn’t make it again.

That is, until a few weeks. I found myself dreaming of, and really craving, some Beef Stroganoff. Day, after day, after day. Finally, I decided I just had to have some, and set out to find a new recipe. I found one. This is it. And I can assure you…..we’ll be making this a little more regularly now! It was DE-LICIOUS, and it sure satisfied my craving. But only for that day, because now we all want it again, a.s.a.p. So count this recipe as tried, true, and definitely approved! (And that counts the kids!)

Participating Ingredients:

12 ounces boneless beef sirloin steak
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups hot cooked noodles

Directions:

1. If desired, partially freeze beef for easier slicing. Trim fat from meat. Thinly slice meat across the grain into bite-size strips.

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beef-stroganoff-recipe-2 2. In a small bowl stir together sour cream and flour. Stir in water, bouillon granules, and pepper; set aside.

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beef-stroganoff-recipe-1 3. In a large skillet, melt the butter, and then add 1 glove of minced garlic.
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beef-stroganoff-recipe-3 4. Cook and stir the meat, mushrooms, and onion, in the hot butter with garlic over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until desired doneness. Drain off fat.
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beef stroganoff 5. Once the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, along with the mushrooms and onions, stir in the sour cream mixture into skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.
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*Now interestingly, whenever I have thought of Beef Stroganoff, I’ve always imagined it in my picture-mind, with a dark rich brown gravy. As you can see, that’s not how it comes out here. And why would it, with the sour cream we’ve added? Suddenly, I realized that the darker brown gravy I was recalling, was from the Beef Stroganoff hot school lunch menu, that I got in my elementary years. Now, I have to wonder what that stuff really was. Hmmm.

beef-stroganoff-recipe-5 6. Serve over noodles.

And have seconds, while you can.

Yes, your peas too! ; )

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Facts:

Calories427, Total Fat (g)23, Saturated Fat (g)13, Monounsaturated Fat (g)7,
Polyunsaturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)119, Sodium (mg)575, Carbohydrate (g)29, Total Sugar (g)6, Fiber (g)2, Protein (g)26, Vitamin A (DV%)0, Vitamin C (DV%)3, Calcium (DV%)9, * Iron (DV%)23, Starch (d.e.)2, Lean Meat (d.e.)3, Fat (d.e.)2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Heading Home from Martha’s Vineyard | Ferry Island Queen at Sunset

October 4, 2010 By Laura 2 Comments

Finally wrapping up the 3 kiddo’s birthday posts here! But I had to share with you all the gorgeous scenery on our ferry ride home, from Oak Bluffs back to Falmouth. It was dusk, and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.

marthas-vineyard-ferry-island-queen We did get to the ferry stop in plenty of time, and made me realize I probably could have chewed my Fettuccine Alfredo a little better, after all. But we just didn’t know how long it would take us to get back by foot. So a chew or 2, and then letting it just slide down, is pretty much what I did.
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Waiting for the ferry. They were so tired, but still smiling!
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The ferry pulling in. Time to head home from a beautiful day on Martha’s Vineyard.

My handsome boys…

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My beautiful girls…

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<:swoon:>
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I love my kids. <sigh>
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Pulling into Falmouth port, after 45 minutes of being awestruck by God’s beautiful paintings in the sky.

I couldn’t get a good shot, but we all noticed a boat named “Bonaventure”. That’s the name of our church! We wondered what the story was behind the name of the boat. Was it too, named after the saint? Did the owner belong to our parish?

Michael letters tons of boats, every spring, and the names are always interesting. There’s a post right there! Funny stuff sometimes.

And still smiling. But trust me, they were dragging, and so were we.

On the way home, the kids said it was their best birthday ever. But they say that every year, and it hasn’t always taken much! I’m glad they are always so happy though.

It was a day with blessings written all over it, for sure. But the biggest blessing on this day, and every day, are the kids themselves. We will forever thank God, it was His will to bring them into this world, and into our life and family. Each of them are blessings, joys, and responsibilities that we never take for granted. We praise and thank God every single day, for them.

Thanks so much, for sharing in our celebrations of the kids birthdays! It’s a lot with the 2 dates so close to each other, and a 3 in 1! We’ll be moving on to other things now, in many sections of the blog here, and really great stuff, so stick around! And if you haven’t visited the Home page, I strongly suggest you do. ; )

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Surprise Destination – Martha’s Vineyard | Continuation of Triplets’ Birthday

September 29, 2010 By Laura 10 Comments

Continuing sharing the triplet’s 8th birthday here. Get ready for a whole lot of photos! (Let them all load before scrolling like crazy, ok?)

Following a birthday kick off at home in the morning (as posted in ‘They 8 and 8 and 8’…), we had big plans for the rest of the day! Well, you know, big in our world. It was going to be a great surprise for the kids. A whole new adventure, and I knew they would excitedly enjoy every second of.

But first, believe it or not, we had to deliver our home schooling package to the town, as this day was the deadline! Ugh. The office was in the complete and distant opposite direction of our adventure, so it was a mad rush, as we had transportation to catch!

In our travels, the kids tried to guess what we were doing, and eventually voted that they wanted to know, so they could be excited on the way. So I told them.

(Imagine the announcement here, Oprah-style:

“We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!”

Ok enough. They were about as excited as that audience too!! And no, I don’t really watch Oprah much. But is there anyone in the world, who hasn’t seen that clip?)

Sometimes, knowing what you are about to do is half the fun! They chatted excitedly the rest of the way, all the way to………

marthas-vineyard … the Island Queen Ferry. We were indeed going to Martha’s Vineyard!

It was about as close to (and as exciting as) a cruise ship experience, that we were ever likely to have.

You’d think, where we live, we would have been to Martha’s Vineyard by now, if not 100 times. But we hadn’t. I think I do recall going as a kid with my family, though. But not since. Have you been? If not, you can ‘come along with us’ through these photos. And if you have, you’ll know it’s well worth the re-visit!

Just about to deport.

The sea was so calm that day, and the temps were mildly warm…..perfect for a nice cruise, and a beautiful day on the island.

They stood a lot of the time. They didn’t want to miss a thing.

A few days later, someone asked {S} if he saw any dolphins or whales out there, and he said,
“No. All I saw was a dead bass, and a jelly fish.”

This mother’s heart gushed at the sweet sight of this.
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Another motherly heart sigh.
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Pulling into port!!

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A little welcome from the shores.
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An Osprey nest, perhaps?
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We got walking on the island, and every where I turned around, there were fun photos to take. Who’s birthday was it, anyway?

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Looking at the pamphlets available, there was one ‘must see’ that jumped out to us, and we were on a mission to find it.
(Dropping in on little shops as we went along of course.)

We found it!!

I can tell you, it was hot as hell in this old wood structure. (Or so I would imagine. Hopefully I’ll never know, for sure.) You could literally smell the warm wood. And believe it or not, so dark in there I had difficulty taking (good) photos. But it was so charming anyway!

Ready to go!!
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The coolest thing about this carousel, was trying to get the brass ring, as the carousel went around. These next 2 photos are awful, and you’ll need to look carefully to see what I am talking about. But, do you see that thing {JM} and {A} are reaching towards? That’s a metal ring dispenser.

You could try and grab one out of the dispenser, every time you went by.

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Most every ring was silver. But the one who got the ‘brass ring’, got a free ride!! It really added such a fun element to the whole carousel experience. There was also a dispenser on the inside of the carousel.

None of our kids got the brass ring. But hey…they are lucky enough, right?

More strolling around, just enjoying all of the charming little shoppes and restaurants.

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This place looked like fun!

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Just a quick glance around, told me this place had some great games to play! And none of the smutty and/or violent animated graphics I deem inappropriate for my little one’s eyes.

marthas-vineyard-20 But nothing in this amusement arcade place, was more exciting than the site of PLINKO!! Seriously?? I could not have been more excited!! That was always my favorite game on the Price Is Right. We were good at it too!

I was busy playing myself, and not taking as many photos in here.

Racking up the tickets!
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Oh what to get……decisions, decisions.
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I am sure all of you parents out there, know how long this can take. Have mercy!
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In the end, they all happened to settle on ‘silly bands’. It’s their first ones, believe it or not. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone wear them more than once or twice, since. But they sure do like to collect stuff~ Oh my gosh, do they ever. (All of them. Trust me!)
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There are a lot of great signs at Martha’s Vineyard. Being in the sign business, we really notice and appreciatethese things. For anyone reading and not aware of these things, a sign is one of the top most important elements of your storefront business. It’s a first impression. It’s creates all kinds of sub-conscious messages about your business, and it definitely effects the flow of people that come in your door. Or not.

This sign, Sharky’s Cantina, drew us in. It was just a great sign. Well laid out, fun, high quality. So it gave those same impressions of the establishment as a whole, too.

The margarita might have been calling me in also.

But……there was just no room for us in there. It looked like a great place, but it was small, and packed with people. (Because of the sign. no doubt. ; ) See? ) We sat at a teeny-tiny table, in the very back corner, and I immediately felt trapped. Need-to-get-OUT!! I guess ‘Cantina’ was a clue there. But I was hyper-focused on the, well maybe the margarita. We had to find somewhere else to eat.

As we looked for somewhere else, we happened to look down a pathway, that really, really drew us in. As hungry as we were.…..

Walking through these gates, was seriously like walking straight into another world. Martha’s Vineyard as a whole, is pretty peaceful. But this…..this place….offered an indescribable feeling. All we could hear, were our own soft steps on the sidewalk, and the occasional tweeting of birds. As we walked along, I had to look back behind me to the gate I had just walked through, trying to figure out what just happened.

marthas-vineyard-32 The little walkway, led to a street lined with the quaintest little homes, that all seemed to surround a big green. Just looking down the little street, with the row of little houses, almost dumbfounded me. I almost felt like I was in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Can you imagine that? I really wanted to go there, as a child.

This is the green that the we came upon, surrounded. What you see there in the center of the green is what is known as ‘The Tabernacle.’ We had to check it out.

It definitely had elements of a place of worship. It seemed like such a lovely place, to hold an outdoor Mass.

(To us, because we’re Catholic.)

As I looked around, I think I said, “This place is so cool, ” 20 times.

But it really was!!

One of the kids took note of the banner sign hanging, and read it out loud:

“Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place.”

Yes, surely. It seemed to us, that the ‘presence of the Lord’ was all over Martha’s Vineyard! The beauty of it all….how could one not feel God everywhere?

But, we didn’t see ‘the Tabernacle’ as us Catholics best know it. And thus, ‘the presence of the Lord’ as we know it, either.

Still, it was cool! And I did feel Him everywhere, all day.

I guess concerts and such are held there. I got the impression, some non-denominational celebrations as well.

Over yonder, from ‘the Tabernacle’ looked like what might be a Catholic Church. But the family was all talking about their ‘bellies grabbling’, and they all wanted to eat. We all needed to, really.

So we continued on our quest for a restaurant, which really got to be quite the task! There were little places around, but by this point in the day, I really wanted the kids to eat some ‘real food’, as I like to call it. (In other words…healthy.) Time was ticking, we were all dragging by now, and pretty warm too! When finally, we settled on an Italian Restaurant. By the time we got in, got a table, and ordered, we were in a slight panic waiting for the food, worried we would miss the last ferry at 6:45, to home-land! So we were scoffing down our meals by the time we got our food. Can you imagine missing the last ferry of the day? An overnight at MV was not at all in the budget, and we had nothing with us!

Can I just say, Fettuccine Alfredo is not easy to eat quickly!

Nor is high-tailing it to the ferry with a belly full of it!

(The fettuccine was what I ordered. The kids made healthier choices on their own, thankfully.)

I just had to grab a shot of this place. It’s an Inn. Michael knows some folks who stay there every year.

See? No heavy fettuccine in those bellies. “Hey, wait for me!!”

We did make it to the ferry in plenty of time. We ended up sitting and waiting for it. But we were happy to just sit, and chill. No rush anymore. Just a sweet evening ferry ride for us all, at dusk. SO BEAUTIFUL! The cool evening breeze……the smell of the sea…..the colors in the sky…….God everywhere, still. Not to mention our beautiful children, I was especially, especially thankful for on this day.

So….I took lots more photos on the ferry ride home. And that, my friends, will be the final Trio Birthday post, coming up next. You just have to see how perfect it all was.

Now tell me, have you ever been to Martha’s Vineyard? Once? Many times? For a day or an extended stay? Recently or a long, long time ago? As I said, I think I had been as a child. Michael never had. Nor our kids, of course.

But we’ll all be going back.

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One of our first field trips of this new homeschool year, was to the Boston Museum of Science!

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