• HOME
  • {A}’s Chipmunk Training Archives

 Homepage

  • The Homestead
    • Home Projects
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Decor
      • Seasonal Home decor
        • FALL Home Decor
        • WINTER Home Decor
        • SPRING Crafts and Creations
        • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • Our Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Organization
    • Re-Purposing
    • Furniture Refinishing
    • Budget
  • Crafts & Creations
    • Seasonal Home decor
      • FALL Crafts and Creations
      • WINTER Crafts and Creations
      • SPRING Crafts and Creations
      • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project
    • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Fan Pulls
    • Free Printable/Downloadable
    • Sewing Projects
    • Giveaways
    • Business Features
  • Recipes/FoodFun
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Sandwiches
    • Appetizers
    • Slow Cooker
    • On The Grill
    • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
    • Baking
      • Breads, Rolls and Muffins
    • Snacks
    • Treats
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homeschooling
    • Elementary Homeschooling
      • Elementary Homeschooling READING
      • Elementary Homeschooling MATH
      • Elementary Homeschooling LANGUAGE ARTS
      • Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Elementary Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
      • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Middle School Homeschooling
      • Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Middle School Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
    • Language Arts
    • Math
    • History / Social Studies
    • Geography
    • Foreign Language
    • Field Trips
    • Games
    • Nature Study
  • The Big Picture
    • Life In General
    • Celebrations
    • Faith
      • Into the Light; The Series
    • Giveaways
    • Reviews & Sponsors
  • Photography & Lettering
    • Photography
    • truck lettering
    • vehicle graphics
    • Newborns
    • Kids
    • Engagement
    • High School Senior Pictures
    • High School Senior Pictures Sneak Peeks

Let Us Eat Dessert!

December 2, 2015 By Laura 115 Comments


Do you have dessert very often in your family?
There is no time that I have been more reminded that our time as one family under this roof is dissipating fast than when the six of us have been gathered around our table, having a meal together. As a mother, I just don’t want to ever let these days go. So meals together have been something we have always done, and it has always been important to my husband and I, and I believe to our children too. Though the meals have felt rather usual in our day-to-day routines as a family for years, I knew they were memories in the making. Instant treasured memories….the day one or more of those seats were empty, because life moved on.
Well, life moved on this year, when [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, Home Page, Recipes, Reviews & Sponsors Tagged With: Desserts, family dinner, family-time, pies

The Greatest Show on Earth! – The Circus From a Private Suite

October 13, 2008 By Laura Leave a Comment

cute-ticket-holders

Sometime this past Friday, my husband heard that the Barnum and Bailey Circus was in the Big Town: Boston! Not too far from us.  It reminded us that when our triplets {J, O and S} were born, Barnum and Bailey sent them 3 free passes, good for life. Lots of companies sent us great stuff, because they were triplets, I guess. So upon realizing half of us could get in for free, we really got excited and started making plans for Sunday after Mass, to take the kids and surprise them.

Once we found out the show times that day, and it was a firm plan, something else occurred to us that made our hearts drop, and put a little damper on our excitement:   We thought about how there was probably going to be peanut debris everywhere at the center, where the circus would be held.  That’s a PROBLEM, in all caps, because {S} is severely allergic to any exposure to peanut products.  He is at complete risk for anaphylactic shock, and it’s a threat t his life.

So Michael (my husband) decided to just call the center, and see if it was indeed a concern; Were there peanuts and peanut shells everywhere?  He spoke to a really nice woman, and she basically said “Oh yes…there is peanut shells and such everywhere. They feed them to the elephants, and the vendors sell roasted peanuts at the snack bars too.”.  <sigh>  So he then asked if they possibly had any section of seats somewhere, that was a peanut-free zone.  He figured that was possible, as common as peanut allergies are these days.  The woman he was speaking with was all about figuring something out.  She was calling Guest Services to see what they could come up with.  She said to call that day if we decided to go, and they would do everything they could to accommodate us. She wasn’t sure WHAT yet, but she said she’d work on it.

So without a firm plan, I was a nervous wreck, as mothers get. I wanted to be excited about bringing the kids to the circus, but, I was so worried. So I had a plan, too!  I didn’t even want the kids to know where we were going, even as we drove there, because if there wasn’t a safe enough spot, we were turning around and coming home. My boy’s life just wasn’t worth the risk.  If there WAS a fairly peanut-safe area, I had all the other precautions I could think of:  His Epi-Pens of course (he is never, ever, anywhere, without them),  sanitizing hand wipes, and a dark blue sheet to throw over the seats where he would sit.  And then, we stopped at the ER on the way and I got some of those paper masks. : )  He was wearing one if there was a question of contamination.

So when we got there and parked, Michael called the lady back on his cell, and told her we were there. (He was carrying {S}, and I was still a wreck without knowing the exact safety-plan. )  The woman told him “Oh yes, we’ve been waiting for you.  Just buy 3 of the most inexpensive tickets, and come on upstairs to the Guest Services Office.”

O.k.  That was comforting to know they remembered, and were expecting us. So, we did, and then we were cheerfully escorted to a suite of our own!! They told us it had been specially cleaned and completely sanitized just for us, and to just enjoy the show! Seriously?!  They left us in this beautiful room, completely furnished. It was beyond what we were ever expecting, with a private bathroom (that’s always cool with kids), 4 or 5 flat-screen tvs, a computer, sink, fridge, bar with stool and huge slider glass doors that opened with a view of the whole arena from the room!  We even had our own balcony with 2 rows of seats. As cool as the room was (and really, we didn’t need all of THAT), I was just so-very-relieved over the safety of which {S} could enjoy the circus, along with all of us, that I was near tears. I was just seriously overwhelmed with gratitude. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and 2 EMTs came in and introduced themselves, and let us know they were right down the hall if we needed anything.  I was sure by then that we wouldn’t be needing them, but talk about nice!

Beyond the safety of this room, it was cool to just be able to get up and move around during the 2 hour show. (That’s a good thing for ME. lol).  We just thoroughly enjoyed the show, and this special family time, and felt so blessed that this woman cared enough to make arrangements like that for us.  She surely represents the ‘good people’ in this world, who work with a smile, and want to help people when they can.  We’ll never forget it, and we know the kids will always remember this surprise trip to the circus, that we watched from the special room.  What an incredible experience to have.

So enough of our cool story.  Here’s some photos…some better than others. lol.  I was shooting in the dark with flash most of the time.

This gives you a good idea of how we were able to view the show from this room.

private-suite-view-of-circus .

The circus down below us.
clowns-in-circle

barstools1 .

The kids love elephants, so I took several shots of them, and here are a couple.

elephants-in-circus

elephants-in-circus-2 .

{A} and {J} hanging out together at the bar stools, watching the show from there. Everyone else was out on the balcony at this point, which was right in front of them.  They were so cute.

aandj1

Below was one of the kids favorite acts, on this contraption, featuring “Bello”, the clown star of the show.   It was pretty funny, but made your heart race too.

stunt-contraption-in-circus

It really was a phenomenal show.  Even the intermission was fun, actually.  The kids were wiped out on the way home.  {J} fell asleep in the van immediately, {O} caught some zzz’s too, once I saw she was fighting off dozing, and I told her to go ahead and close her eyes.  {S} was a little too pumped to sleep then, but talked about how he looked forward to going to bed. lol.  {A} stayed wide awake, and was mesmerized by the full moon over the city horizon line. She noticed it had an orange ring around it, and it fascinated her.

Once we got home and everyone woke back up, the circus talk was non-stop….about their favorite parts, and re-playing all of the acts that they thought were so funny. They had a late dinner, and went to bed soon after – dreaming about the circus no doubt.

Today, the circus chatter continued.  I guess that’s why it’s called The Greatest Show on Earth!

Filed Under: The Big Picture Tagged With: anaphylactic-peanut-allergy, Barnum-and-Bailey-Circus, circus, family-time, kids-with-anaphylactic-allergies, life-with-anaphylactic-allergies

On Turning 40 and Family Apple Picking

October 9, 2008 By Laura 1 Comment

1_40-pancakes

I can hardly believe it myself.  Last Friday was my birthday, and I turned 40 years old!!  Yes, I’m the oldest and wisest of my family.
(Ok, I added the wisest bit myself. lol)

I’ve waited since I was really a kid, to feel grown up. But I still feel like a kid!  Since I have all of the responsibilities an adult would have, I’m guessing I am one by now, and I’ll just never feel it. I must have had some notion when I was a kid, about what it must ‘feel like‘ to be all grown up, and I’ve waited for ‘that’ feeling.  And I was just plain wrong. Because I’m still waiting!  Not complaining.  Just saying. : )

I didn’t plan my birthday-day, this year, as is the tradition around here.  Or certainly not in advance, as I was supposed and expected to do, anyway.  With the planning for the tv crew being at our house, last Wednesday, and Thursday spent doing our school work and catching up on work, Friday was there before I knew it!  Birthday morning brought 5 excited faces, all with a set of ears of their own, just waiting to hear my big plans of the day for our family, to celebrate my birthday.  (Oh dear. “Think quick“,  I told myself.)

Well, I knew I just wanted to do something Autumn-themed, with my family.  I decided on just what we did last year for my birthday;   a nice ride to enjoy the fall foliage and decorated yards along the way, some apple picking, having fun taking photos as I please, and maybe a stop or 2 at some antique shops.

So after the traditional birthday breakfast, we headed out to our local(ish)  pick-your-own-this-and-that farm, CN Smith’s. It was a really enjoyable and peaceful ride along the winding roads, with many trees in the early stages of a changing color palette.  But it did seem the clouds were starting to roll in, and it was the kind that seemed to blow a gentle breeze that whispered ‘rain ‘.

I love the store of this farm.  It is always selling their fresh fruit and produce of the season, grown right there in their own fields. They also have native honey, preserves, and apple cider.  There’s a petting zoo outside, lots of flowers, some green houses, a great old tractor, and you can go pick-your-own-whatever through many of the seasons of the year.  I might add, they really get into Halloween.  A little too much for our crew, (and frankly, even for me!),  although the carved pumpkin hay rides are nothing short of amazing.

2_cn-smith-store
3_cn-smith-tractor

Just as we headed out to the apple orchards, it began to sprinkle rain. I didn’t mind US getting a little wet, but I was worried about my camera.  After all…it’s my big $-maker.  And my other best friend. : )  But I decided to have a little birthday faith in the Lord, and He indeed made my little ‘don’t let it rain‘ wish come true. He’s so good to me. : )

And so the picking began.  As did the photo-taking .  I had some much fun with my family, and my camera.

4_apple-picking

5_child-hand-picking-apple

6_boy-with-apple

7_girl-picking-apple

–
1-2-3-BITE!

8_4-kids-biting-apples
9_girl-biting-apple

10_apple-on-tree

–
Our Apple Family.

11_apples-in-hands

–

One of my favorite shots of the day.  I got one shot, and then the wasp (?) flew away.

–

My true runner.

13_boy-running

–

After a good sprint, he decided he was mighty fast, and called for a race….

Ready-Set-Go!!!

14_

–

Then, with our bag of red gems in hand, it was time to head in the direction of home, anyway, with perhaps a stop or 2 along the way.

 

On our own birthdays, we decide what kind of birthday cake we want.  My choice?

Apple Crisp, with vanilla ice cream please!  (ok, so it’s not cake, but it’s close enough.)

My husband and oldest daughter got to peeling right away when we got home, and baked a delicious dish of just-what-I-wanted, with a great big golden scoop to go with it.

16_peeling-apples

17_apple-crisp

A fine Autumn day, full of beautiful colors and fresh air,  a long country ride, as I listen to the amusing conversations of my children in the back, laughter and adventure, fun photo opportunities, good food I didn’t have to make, home made cards expressing such love, tons of hugs, kisses, cuddles, the counting of blessings that are mine all year long….all spent with my family.  That is what my kind of birthdays are made of.

Happy Birthday to me, indeed.

 

Filed Under: The Big Picture Tagged With: 40th-birthday, apple-crisp, apple-farm, apple-picking, apples, CN-Smith-farm, family-time, turning-40

We are wicked happy to have you here! We hope you find much inspiration, help, humor and enjoyment here.




Archives



POPULAR POSTS

* * * * * *

SUBSCRIBE to House of Joyful Noise blog! Every new post, delivered right to your email box!


Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliates

Never at any additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products from our website. Your purchase through our links helps support our family, while sharing with you the products we authentically use and recommend, for various ideas, and letting you know where you can purchase them. Thank you for your support!

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 HouseOfJoyfulNoise.com · Genesis Framework by StudioPress