In less than 5 months . . .

. . . the Christmas rush will be over for the year! Does that make you feel any better?

I'm actually planning way ahead this year and thankful I'm doing so. School for December has been purchased. We're branching out from our Five in a Row studies and adding in some Amanda Bennett's Unit Studies. I am really looking forward to her Christmas Unit Study this year. I'd tried last year, to create my own, and it just didn't work as well as I would have liked.

What would Christmas planning be without a bit of sly planning on the parent part as well. Last night, during dinner, I began saying what I thought the boys would get in their stockings. The boys where kind if impressed that I "knew" what would be in them. They even started sharing what they thought would be in them. Here's the run down:

Thing One: little lego kit, chocolate, new water color set, other art supplies, possibly a small box of his favorite cereal

Thing Two: gum, bakugan, pokemon, small box of cereal, silly bands, trek deck bike, small jar of creamy peanut butter

The beauty of this conversation is that I'm able to understand what they'd like for Christmas and begin price shopping now (figure out regular price so if I see a sale price I can go ahead and buy it). Both were also gracious enough to suggest a big item as well. Fortunately, they didn't suggest a whole lot and we might be able to buy all they suggested. The last couple years I've been tye dying something as well. Will have to consider what to do this year. Also on the list, as we do every year, new pajamas to be given on Christmas Eve.

Do you read through any sort of Advent devotional? It's been on my heart to do some sort of devotional the last few years and am actively looking for one to do as a family. Last year we bought an Advent Wreath and plan buy the white candle for the center this year.

In blog reading/surfing the net the other day, I came across these cute holders for small packets of tissues. Basically, you cut a piece of felt that will wrap around the tissue,with the edges meeting. It should be long enough to sew a seam down each end. Then, with pinking shears or other cute scissors, trim the edge of the felt. Neat, simple, cheap, and quick! I could make a few of these in a short time.

There are many other crafts swirling through my head! Looking forward to carving out time to decorate my house with stuff I've made!

Boys are growing up!

Which should be quite obvious really! They're moving on from an all consuming desire for things that are trains and into more tween/teen interests. Sports and Legos are difficult to combine, though, when desiring to design a new room for the boys. I keep coming back to a surfer type room with hints of sports and legos. Probably because a few years ago they had a surf/beach party and I tend to buy and make some sort of accessory for the theme.

As a result of the party, we have two strands of the lights, like those to the left, and they still work. Think these would be cool in the nook they have in the big room they'll be moving into again. Might attach some tea cup hooks to the ceiling and hang the lights criss cross all over that area. That area will also have some new Billy Bookcases {like these but without the narrow ones at each end}. I still want to bring in some tie dye, but just not sure how. Possibly in bean bag chairs or making a cover for the papasan chair they have and enjoy using.

Also, I plan to fix some surf boards I made that look more like enlarged boogie boards. I want to try to make them look more like surf boards which means they need to be a lot more narrow. I've seen a number of paint designs that would be cool and could also put their names on them. I can get the boys involved in this painting and am sure they'd love doing this.

Have you seen these peace lights from Pottery Barn? I think they're very cool and would be cool to have one, in black, for the boys room. I'm having trouble coming to terms with the light costing $149.00, though. Really??? How much does one have to make a year to be able to spend about $150 on a light? Suppose it is a good thing that we have some scrape plywood, about the right size, have tools that will work, and I enjoy working with wood and craft projects in general. All that is really lacking, in house, would be the black paint and rope light. Those can be picked up relatively inexpensive. As we have next week off from school, maybe I'll start working on it. Should be a fun project.

Other things that will be included in their room: a lava lamp night light, some sort of pennant banner (at their request with plaids and possible surf type stuff), fringe that looks like a hula skirt (possibly as window valance), and hibiscus flowers.

Happy Decorating,

Next Craft Project

This morning, I was taking a look at "Home Made Simple" and came across this gift wrap storage center. I'm totally excited as this is something I can recreate at home.

When Kevin and I were first married, we bought a wicker clothes hamper; ours is circular though. I've got so much spare fabric that I can make a liner for it. We also have a few hangers hanging around (pun intended). Not sure when I'll get started on this, but it will make Christmas wrapping look a lot better this coming winter.

I'm looking forward to a craft project that most of the items are already in the house!!

Can you hear it?

It is the sound of nothing but slow, relaxed, happy breathing. It's the hum of a slow summer day. It's the sound of bugs flying from one flower to the next. It's the sound of ice melting from hot, fresh tea being poured over it.

Welcome to my day, sprinkled with a bit of reality (laundry and dishes don't take a vacation).

Last Friday wrapped a crazy week of VBS. The boys had a great time, but it sure was all consuming. Think I logged, on average, 6 hours each day at church even though VBS was only 3 hours. I'll be the first to admit, and the boys will attest to it, that it wore me out. Knowing myself though, by next May or so, I'll be ready to jump back into it and log some crazy hours again. Hopefully, I'll remember what worked and what didn't!! Eeek, I'm suppose to write something like that up for the co0rdinaters (yes, I did a lot of hours, phone calls, shopping, computer work, etc. and I wasn't a coordinater over it all. Our 5th and 6th graders do a number of service projects during the week and that takes a lot of planning).

Okay, back to this week. It was thought that this week would be a lot slower! Yeah right! As certain parts of our Home Study took so long to get accomplished, some of the back ground checks have expired and new "rules" took effect as of July 1, 2010. So, we spent a portion of yesterday getting finger printed AGAIN, I need to go by the post office to pick up a lot of $$$'s worth of certified checks AGAIN, and get another form notarized AGAIN. Friday, we hope to drop all this off, in person, during our last interview (yup, as of July 1, 2010 we need 3 interviews).

Scattered in there is getting Thing One ready for his first Cub Scout sleep away camp! Not sure who is more nervous - him or me!! Kevin would tell you, in a heart beat, that it's me! Just can't believe he's old enough for things like this. Yes, there may be kids that go to sleep away camp or boarding school earlier than 10, but our kids never asked to go!

Probably should get back to reality for a bit! At least check on laundry and do a few odds and ends. Some will be fun, some school related, some just flat out CHORES.

Stay cool friends!



P.S. How do you like the photo (above) of the flowers in the corner of our yard? Been meaning to take one lately and got around to it today. It's my tribute to Wordless Wednesday even though I wrote a lot.

Quiet Sunday Morning

My guys! Aren't they handsome? This particular photo was taken Friday night at our church. Our pastor and his wife's daughter was married this May in California. The newlyweds came east, to celebrate their wedding one more time. What bride wouldn't love to where their dress more than once?

Anyhoot, it isn't often that I take a picture of all three men in the house that look kind of normal. This was the better of the two shots taken. The other had Thing One looking somewhere totally different. For once, the photo with the eyes shut is the better photo. The three of them gave me a quiet morning today. Kevin is playing, bass I believe, with the worship team and the boys wanted to go with him. I'm alone in the house with the only noise being from the clicking of the computer and the A/C running (isn't that a wonderful thing all by itself?)

What does someone do with some quiet time first thing in the day. I probably haven't been as productive as I could have been. There are still piles of things that need to be dealt with, things to be cleaned, or things to be put away. I've chosen to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee out of our new dishes (well the mug from the set anyway).

Kevin and I celebrated our 13th anniversary this past February and still have an amazing amount of dishes left from our sets that we bought just after getting married. Think one serving bowl, two or three small plates, and one dinner plate have succombed to life. I've been looking for dishes that would kind of go with what we currently have and that has been a challenge (I'm a little to frugal to just pitch the remaining dishes and buy all new ones). A number of days ago, I saw this set at Costco, unfortunately, this particular store only had the dishes in light blue. Pretty - yes - but really wouldn't go with the navy blue and white dishes we already had. After asking, it sounded like there weren't many white available at any of the stores. Last weekend we were at a different Costco and checked, just out of curiousity. Wow, not only did they have the white, but they had two sets. A little digging and rearranging of boxes and they were in our cart. As an aside, even Corningware was more expensive to purchase the same amount of dishes and just weren't as pretty.

So, on this quiet Sunday morning, I sit drinking coffee in a new, pretty mug!

Day 2

of our 2010/11 school year is underway. Off to a pretty good start. We've accomplished our literature unit study and are plugging away at a writing assignment. Thing One has asked for Mystery of History today (drats, need to get caught up on creating a time line). We'll see how that goes after we finish a few other things. Just might add it a bit of math review as well!

So, my parting words for the day ~ 2 down, 178 to go!

A need ~

feeling the need to go to Staples. Yes, Staples! See, I have their commercial running through my head right now. You know the one, with the "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" melody running through it. If you've forgotten, here's a link to it. Granted, we do homeschool and my kids don't seem to belly ache about school, to much anyway. For me, it's the "buying things new" feeling. Some things are fresh and new, but some of the old will still work though (read ~ no need to buy a new pack of pencils or crayons when we still have a gazillion at home). We will buy some new stuff. The list will probably include more glue sticks, colored paper, possibly some dividers for their folders, and hopefully a GBC machine for me.

234 years ago

. . . our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. It was the desires of this group of men, that we become a nation, independent of British rules. The beginning is beautiful, so instead of paraphrasing it, I'll copy and paste it:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."


These fifty-six men believed that they could, together, create a governing set of rules that allowed all to be free and to be ruled equally. At times, it feels that America is beginning to loose her way. That we've forgotten the simple truths that our nation was founded on. I will continue to believe that we "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." I will continue to believe that the pursuit of happiness is based on Biblical principles, standards based upon my Creator ~ God.

Have a fun and safe July 4th friends. Remember who your Creator is and rejoice in the freedoms our founding fathers desired to give us.

Can't believe it's time!

We'll be starting our summer session next Tuesday! Hard to believe that we've been off the whole month of June!

So far, here's what we have lined up:
We'll have a fair number of go along type activities, field trips, and fun along the way!