Noodles, Noodles and More Noodles!!!

This is something I always look forward to! Every year the week before the Mennonite Relief Sale a big group get together to make noodles to sell. It starts with 20 dozen eggs, 50 pounds of flour and a lot of willing workers. This year we had about 20 people show up to help.

It is so much fun hanging out with these older ladies and gentlemen and visit while you work for the 4 to 5 hours it takes to make these wonderful noodles. I always hear some really interesting stories!

Eva Neufeld and Carolyn Winter usually get there earlier than anyone else and start making the dough, so that when the rest of us get there we can start the kneading and rolling process. Eva always mans the mixer.

Carolyn breaking the eggs for the mixer.

Marcia Shewey was the kneader today. Everyone just jumps in anywhere they can.

A BIG PILE OF DOUGH READY FOR ROLLING!!!!

There were probably about 10 noodle machines there today and we had them all working hard. This is Millie and Gene rolling out the dough into strips to dry.

There were at least 5 or 6 racks for drying and they were all full several different times.

Every table in the dining hall was full of noodles that will dry over night before packaging.

Rolling, rolling, rolling!!!

These are the wide noodles.

And finally the thin noodles. After we are all finished cutting and laying out the noodles, we get to sample them. Carolyn fixed a great big roaster full of chicken and noodles and it was so yummy!!! If you have never done this, you really ought to try it. It is so much fun!!!

My Girls

Just goofing around with Animoto, but turned out pretty cute! All about my grands! Just click below to view the video.

My Girls

There's A New Hurst In Town

October has been a blur in the Hurst household!! We have been so busy getting Daniel and his beautiful bride married. It has been a wonderful time in our family and we are so blessed to have another sweet daughter-in-love!! Yes, it's love, not law! Here is just a sample of pictures from our fun weekend October 8th.

Kensi and her Dad as they walked down the aisle. She looked beautiful!!

Daniel was fighting tears when he saw her for the first time. The tears won!! I am so glad they didn't take pictures together before the wedding. Call me old fashioned!!

The excited mothers waiting for the wedding to start!

Watching the photographer taking pictures of our side of the family (and waiting for their turn) before the wedding.

Dancing at the reception!! So much fun!

At the end of our Mother - Son dance and a good cry! It was such an emotional day. Daniel and I both cried a lot! Happy tears, though!

Papa dancing with his Jelly Bean!

This is the only catastrophy that happened. The cake fell apart during transport to the reception and couldn't be saved. Only the 6" top cake survived. The poor lady that was delivering the cake was hyperventalating by the time she got there. The only thing that could be done as late as it was, was to go to Wal-Mart and buy some cupcakes. Kensi handled it very well. Her reaction was "Oh well, I got Daniel, that's all I need!" So glad she wasn't a bridezilla about it!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY KENSI

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Sister!!!

Today is Lisa's 48th birthday!! Oops, was I suppose to say how old she is??? We are all going to go out to eat together tonight and celebrate at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Canton. We have shared some really fun times together, but one of my all time favorites was when we went to Africa together. Below are some of my favorite pictures from that trip of the two of us.

I usually get funny cards, but today I guess I was feeling a little sentimental. This is what the birthday card I bought for her said:

We are Sisters...our memories filled with the same images of family pets and Halloween costumes, holiday gatherings, and long car trips. Sisters....with our own world of negotiations, truces, pacts, secrets and looks of shared understanding (we do this one a lot!), united by a million everyday moments that became a lifetime of sharing. We are Sisters....and we need never ask ourselves who we are, for in each other we can see the girls we were, the women we've become, how far we've traveled in our journey together. And we know what only Sisters can know...that a love that grows through stages and phases is stronger for having been tested. That sticking together works for almost anything life can throw at us. That we belong to each other in a way that we can never belong to anyone else...in a way that is deep and lasting and real.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA, MY SWEET SISTER!!! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!

Getting Ready for a Wedding!!

We are so excited about the upcoming wedding of our youngest son Daniel and his fiance' Miss Kensi Davis. We have had fun for months planning and dreaming and now it is just about a month away. Needless to say it will envolve our whole family from Austin and Tyler being groomsmen and Sara a bridesmaid and last but certainly not least Emma and Ella will be flowergirls. They are so excited! The wedding will be in Wichita at the Grace Presbyterian Church and the reception will be at the Boathouse on the river in downtown Wichita on October 8th.

Here are just a small sampling of the engagement pictures that they took.

This is a picture of the Boathouse where the reception will be held. We saw it in person and I love the wrap around porch. I can already envision what it will look like on the day with all the lights and decorations.

This picture frame has been in the Davis family for a lot of years. It has a lot of sentimental value and got passed down to Kensi. Her aunt used it to frame one of the engagement pictures and gave to them (Not this picture, this was just for fun and NO Kensi does not wear glasses, they were just being goofy). What a special keep sake that will be.

Dessert Test

Every so often an email comes across my inbox that includes some kind of test that you take that tells something about your personality. I don't know if it works this way for everyone else, but, I am always amazed that when I take the test, it is usually pretty close to being true. At least about me. Today I got one and you were supposed to pick the dessert you liked the best. The choices were:

1. Angel Food Cake
2. Brownies
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing
5. Strawberry Shortcake
6. Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing
7. Ice Cream
8. Carrot Cake

I chose Brownies and the meaning was: You are adventurous, love new ideas and are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare you take out your saber. You are always the odd ball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.

I think this is pretty accurate most of the time!

SNOW DAY!!

I love snow!! Some people get so negative about it, but I get so excited when I know we are going to get snow, especially like this. I don't like it when we just get a dusting. I love to curl up on the couch in a blanket and have a cup of hot coffee and watch a good movie. One thing missing is my hubby. He is in Texas, so I am here enjoying this by myself. He is supposed to come home tomorrow evening, but I don't know if he will be able to get here.

I wish I could walk outside, strap on some skis and head to a mountain and point them downhill. I haven't been skiing for years and this really gives me the fever!!

I can't even get the back door open. There is a huge drift up next to the door.

I think I will bake something and watch some movies and just enjoy looking out the window.