Finally, A Durable and Well-Made Book Bag!

Are you tired of buying new book bags in September, only to have them fall apart by Christmas?? 

Me too! 

The straps rip.  The seams fray.  The bottoms wear thin.  And they generally look ratty and leak important papers long before we’ve gotten our money’s worth.

Well, last summer, I came across some great reviews on L.L.Bean’s book bags, or Book Packs, as they call them.  Some said the bags still looked new after a whole year of use. (Yeah, right)  Many said they still looked new after years of use.  (Mm-hmmm.) 

I imagined reviewers with delicate little girls who handled their book bags with little white gloves.

Knowing my boys, and how abusive they are to their book bags, I was doubtful we could ever be so lucky. 

But I was also REALLY tired of buying poorly made bags and needing to repair or replace them before the school year was halfway through.

So I crossed my fingers and took the jump. 

I ordered a set of L.L.Bean Original Book Packs for roughly $28 each.  One in black.  And one in navy blue. 

They weren’t much more expensive than the ones I was buying at the department stores.  So, I splurged and had my oldest son’s name embroidered in the blue one for an extra $6 bucks.  Just for fun.

The verdict??? 

We are now well into the second year of using these book packs.  And as unbelievable as it is, they still look, dare I say it? 

Almost new!

The only place I can find any sign of wear is a tiny amount of roughing up along the front of the shoulder straps, and that is barely worth mentioning.  There are no holes, no rips, no frays, no loose stitching, and not even any thin places.  Oh, and the zippers still work perfectly!  

I am sold! 

However, even more than the quality and durability of the book pack itself, I love the reflective strips!  You can see them (above) reflecting the light from the flash. 

L.L.Bean uses 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material (on both shoulder straps and across the front pocket) which is highly visible to motorists at night. 

On dark foggy mornings, waiting along our busy highway for the bus can be dangerous.  These strips make all the difference.  I took this picture to show you just how much of a difference it makes.   

I won’t be buying another book bag without this feature ever again. 

I may not be buying my boys another book bag at all if the ones they have continue to perform well! 

That is, unless the boys want a larger one to carry more books, because they want to study more.  (Don’t laugh.  It could happen.)

And if so, I’ll be shopping at L.L.Bean.  The little bit of extra money up front will save me much more later on!! 

Check out L.L.Bean and see if there is a book pack there your kids would like.  They have tons to choose from in many colors and styles.  You won’t be sorry!  Hey, it might even make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone on your list! 

Getting quality practical book bags that LAST definitely works for me!!

You can check out We Are That Family for more Works For Me Wednesday tips!

FYI, this review is totally spontaneous and I’m not being reimbursed one cent for my opinion.  I’m not even getting a free bag…                                                           

…though I wish I were. 

Rich and Delicious Cream Cheese Christmas Quiche

Twelve years ago, a friend brought this quiche to my door for my husband and I, who were adjusting to the squalling bundle of joy we had just brought home from the hospital.  We absolutely loved it (and the baby, btw) and before the leftovers were even cold, I was on the phone asking for the recipe!

The quiche has become a favorite treat which even my boys now look forward to having.  I like to serve it on Christmas morning because I can put it together the night before, set it in the fridge, then pop it in the oven first thing in the morning.  I love sipping my coffee, watching the kids open their presents, and smelling the quiche cooking in the oven!

My recipe is totally adjustable depending on the size of your pie dish and your own personal cheese preferences.  What you’ll need:

Christmas Quiche

• Pie crust (I use bought, don’t tell mom).
• 1  8 oz. package cream cheese, softened.
• 1/2 pound breakfast sausage (we like sage) browned and crumbled.
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese (I broke up American cheese because it’s what I had, but you can use cheddar, Swiss, or whatever you like.)
• Roughly 5-8  eggs, beaten (depending on the size of your pie plate)
• @1/4 to 1/2 C milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Press pie crust into pie plate, making sure to close any rips.  Spread Cream Cheese evenly across the bottom of the pie shell and sprinkle sausage over that.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk, and pour some into the pie shell, being careful to leave room to add cheese.  Add cheese.  Then finish filling with egg/milk mixture.  (You might want to take turns adding cheese and egg to make sure you have the balance you want.) 

Bake 35-45 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.  I like to bake it over a cookie sheet in case of spills or overflows.

Enjoy!

For more great recipes today, visit Lisa’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

From Time-Out… To Out-Cold… In Under Three Minutes

Lately, between the hours of three and four in the afternoon, my little guy has been melting down.  It’s as though all of his problems turn into big green monsters when the clock strikes three. 

Some days, I can relate.

I’ve had a theory, which I’ve voiced to him on several occasions.  But each time, he has denied it vehemently.  The theory was that he was tired and maybe, just maybe, he needed a nap. 

Seems reasonable, no?

Well, over the weekend, those big green monsters were out in force and he earned himself a time-out.  In less than three minutes (no lie) I looked down and this is what I saw…

“I’m not tired.” 

Indeed.  :)

A cozy blanket, and 45 minutes later, I had my happy camper back.  I stifled a chuckle when he woke up confused and wanted to know why I never told him he could get up from time out.

Don’t you wish all of life’s problems could be knocked down to size with something as simple as a nap??

Safely Home

For those of you who offered prayer for my parents, thanks!  They made it safely home and Mom is doing pretty well.  She is sore, but getting around.  So that is a BIG praise!

Mom and Dad’s Visit, And The Long Drive Home

I posted earlier about Mom and Dad visiting from Pennsylvania.  We had a super nice time.  But the time just flew by. 

They left yesterday morning to begin their 13 hour trip and now that I have a few minutes, I thought I would share a few fun pictures of their time with us as well as a prayer request, which I’ll get to. 

Here is the little guy hiding as they walked in the door on Friday.  He didn’t know they were coming.  But when he saw them walking down the sidewalk, the look on his face was priceless.  It was funny to see him scramble to hide behind the door.  It didn’t take him long to warm up, though.

By mid afternoon, he got down to the business of showing Grandpop all his latest Hot Wheels Cars.  I dare say that Grandpop didn’t get much napping done while he was here!  Lol!

Although we visit Mom and Dad each summer when we go east, our time is always divided among tons of family and friends. 

So, as their health permits, Mom and Dad like to make the long trip to Indiana so they can spend a bigger chunk of time with us.  Isn’t that nice?  We worry about their traveling, but appreciate that they want to come! 

This is actually the first time in two years they have attempted it.  The year before the last, my mom fell the week before they were to come out, and ended up needing knee surgery.  Then last year, Dad gave us a scare with his heart and wasn’t well enough to travel. 

So their making the trip this fall was extra special.

The boys would have done just about anything to keep them here longer.  But I’m pretty sure they were missing their own beds, not to mention a little peace and quiet, maybe?  :) 

This is my favorite picture of their visit.  My little guy is posing with them in front of our red maple tree.  It’s a great picture of them! But it’s special for other reasons, too.This tree started it’s life beside the crick I used to play in growing up.  It was a seedling of the red maple my father planted when I was about the same age as my little guy.  My husband and I transplanted it to our yard in Elverson (PA) where it spent a year, and then was dug up and brought along with us to Indiana almost seven years ago.  So the picture represents tons of great memories.

Anyway, I’m rambling.  Sorry.

Mom and Dad left yesterday morning, as I said, and made it as far as Jackson,Ohio last night.  Then they had a mishap.  Mom fell across a rise in the threshold of the Ponderosa where they stopped to eat.  She apparently bent her bad knee backwards and hit her head pretty hard. 

Thankfully, there was a paramedic just behind them who was able to help get her up and onto a bench to check her over. 

When I talked to her this morning, her knee was, of course, painful. But she was feeling really sore in her shoulder as well.  Not to mention pretty mad at herself for tripping.  Poor Mom!

I’m sure they would appreciate your prayers as they push on to finish the trip home.

I’m hoping to hear from them this evening that they are home safe and sound. 

Pond Update

With my parents here visiting this week, I’ve had a great excuse to neglect many of my normal household chores and just sit.  Since the weather has been so nice, some of the sitting has been outside in the sunshine. 

Back by the woods where my husband has done so much work is now a beautiful place.  It is hard to believe just how much the area has changed. 

For fun, I thought I would dig through some older pictures and show you an early picture, and then pull a recent one to show you what it looks like now.  Don’t you love before and after pictures??

This was earlier in the summer.

And this is now!

Slightly different angle, but you get the idea. 

All hard work brings a profit…

Proverbs 14:23

Profit can be interpreted many ways.  But for us, simple enjoyment and the satisfaction of a job well done are profit enough.

Hayride!

This is the second year my husband used his FARMALL M tractor to pull the trick-or-treat hayride.  With Halloween falling on a Saturday, neighbors and friends gathered for a cookout and campfire in our back yard before the hayride.

Since we live in a small homeowner’s association, we pretty much know everyone on our road fairly well.  This has become a great time for us to get together.  

Those of us with trick-or-treat-age children ride with the kids.  The rest man their candy bowls at home!

To make the weekend even more exciting, my parents arrived Friday from Pennsylvania for a visit.  Since they drove for two long days, they were quite happy to simply man the candy bowl at our house.  They watched the Phillies and rested while the rest of us rode beneath the almost full moon and laughed with the kids.

What a great night!  We are so blessed!

When we came home, we gathered round the campfire for more stories and fun.  Fall is one of my very rite seasons.

I’m not sure how much I’ll be posting in the next few days while Mom and Dad are here.  I want to spend some time with them.  But by the end of the week, I hope to be back in the full swing of things.

Have a wonderful week, friends!