Oak Creek Academy

Neglect

2012-02-06T11:56:00.000-05:00

That is what this blog is suffering from and a huge factor in why I don't have many followers. Not that numbers matter. A lot of the time I am more interested in life, as it is happening, than wondering if it will make a great blog post. Sometimes, there is the cold that lasts 8 - 10 days that just knocks the life out of you and not much of anything but breathing and sleeping happens. There are the days that are just mundane and not note worthy.

On the flip side, I do have a number of pictures on my phone and camera that would be blog worthy. I will see if I go and back date a few from the boys birthdays. If you find this post and decide to come back looking for back dated blog post, two things will have happened. One, post will have been written and dated in January 2012 or, the more likely, they photos will be up loaded onto the computer and that is exactly where they will sit forever.

Tuddles, the school day still calls.

A Month of Photos

2011-12-15T08:04:00.001-05:00

On Pinterest, someone had posted a "Photographing December List", the original post is linked! Well there's nothing like jumping in half way (or slightly before halfway) now is there? I'll see what I keep up with and if I can catch up with some of the previous one's as well.

Today, December 15th, is Christmas cards.

Wreaths Across America

2011-12-14T08:34:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday, many folks across the United States participated in "Wreaths Across America". Wreaths Across America are a nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman, Morrill Worcester, in 1992. (Copied almost directly form their site).

A solemn time to remember those of have served our country and died in combat or later in life. It was a time to come together to show our support, our respect, and our thanks.

Here are a few photo highlights:

Presentation of the Color Guard

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following are representatives from all Branches of Services including a

representative for POW/MIA's. Unfortunately, I missed a photo, I believe

of the Marines. I meant to talk one of all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taps being played, prior to

laying the wreaths.

One section of Quantico National Cemetery

Gentleman paying his respects.

Still brings tears to my eyes when remembering the fallen soldiers service to our country. Was hard to see dates of those younger than myself, who've died within the last year or so. Reminded me to be thankful for those who have served in various wars and made it home safely.

Remember, freedom is not free, there is a cost.

School Pictures

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

We actually had professional school pictures this year! With a photographer! With the usual blue back ground! (I've had the disc with photo's on it for almost a month and am just getting to this ~ okay, blame my computer issues! ;) )

So, here is our 2011/2012 class:

Thing Two

Third Grade

Thing One

Sixth Grade

2011-12-07T07:25:00.001-05:00

It was Christmas Craft time this past Friday - Gingerbread houses to be exact! Bought a couple Wilton's kits a week or two ago and thought it would be loads of fun for the boys to do.

Mid decorating, once the houses were put together.

Youngest adding decorating candy to "their" house!

(yes, decorating candy - tastes bad but looks pretty on this sort of thing)

More additions to the house!

First house put together! Looks pretty bad from the

other sides as it was hard to find the right consistency

of frosting to hold the ginger bread together.

Boys finished project! Looks a lot better than the other one!

Lessons Learned:

don't plan to eat these and use super glue to hold house together
probably does pay to trim the house part to a bit more square ~ I'd thought I could easily figure out the right consistency of frosting and use enough to keep it up (WRONG)
have ginger bread cookies available to eat while working on houses as the house smells good enough to eat
have a few bowls worth of different consistency of frosting; it will be helpful!

I'm B.A.C.K.

2011-12-05T06:41:00.001-05:00

Kevin and I found a refurbished MAC on Ebay for a couple hundred less than what it would have cost to fix the water damaged one. It arrived Saturday and various parts and pieces from the old one, that still worked (memory board mainly) have been transferred over. So, I'm back to blogging again.

Boys and I are into a light Christmas school season. We're reading a lot of fun Christmas books, watching Christmas movies, have made ginger bread houses (I'll blog about that soon - what an experience!), choir practice.

Now to spend some time updating the look of the blog for the holidays!

Testing & Musing

2011-11-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

My computer is on the fritz, S.T.I.L.L. Have been wanting to blog for awhile, but it has been difficult with the boys computer. So I sit here trying on my phone. Has been a beautiful day for photos, but either I couldn't get a good photo (of the moon and stars) or didn't have the camera (trees with varying degrees of leaf loss - that sounds weird. It the best I can come up with).

Been home today with Thing Two today; he has had a bad headache since yesterday that seems to come and go. Have been getting a bunch of putzy chores done - a good thing I supppose. Best things so far: sharing Rosemary with a neighbor and making mini banana muffins.

Suppose this will do for a test and ignore the typos as I am still learning to type on a little keyboard.

1st day of the month

2011-11-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

of November. Only two calendar months left in 2011. Can you believe 2011 is almost over? W.O.W.!!

As there are 30 days this month, I am planning on going through this "30 day mom challenge" with the family, whether they realize it or not. Here's the link. I still need to print it out, but that is the next activity I'll be working on.

Goodbye October!

2011-10-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

Last day of October ~ time is beginning to go at warp speed and seems to continue accelerating with each day. Here's a brief photo journal of our day:

A layer of frost on just about everything. Had to scrape the windshield in

order take Thing One up to speech at the local public school. Windows

had to be scrapped yesterday, too, for church, but Kevin did a bulk of that - on both

cars. Thanks honey!!!

We had a few extra Black Eyed Susan's grow, after the first round.

They're even pretty in the frost.

Started taking pictures of the boys and Charlotte serious wanted her picture

taken. She was a wee bit hyper through our legs and as soon as I said, "Okay,

Charlotte, I'll take your picture!", she sat down. Go figure.

Boys were happy to start their new math level today. As Thing Two

pointed out, we've started to reuse some of the things we bought four years

ago. When we switched to Math-U-See, Thing One was in third grade, now

Thing Two is in third and so we just need to buy the workbooks as we

have everything else. Somewhere along the line, probably when they were in

1st and 4th, we got off track for finishing a book in one traditional school year.

This year, they are working hard to get caught up.

Thing One volunteered at the Harvest Festival at

Burke Community Church.

Mr. Ninja

A totally kid made costume out of things we already had.

Like that idea!

Is there a better game than eating Krispy Kreme

donut? Ah, it smelled like the parking lot of Krispy Kreme, you

know the smell of sugar before you even get out of your car!

Only thing missing was the Hot Sign!

So, good night October, look forward to seeing you again next year.

Congrats are going out

2011-10-13T07:07:00.000-04:00

to our youngest (well, yesterday anyway)! The boys had swim and a certain almost 8 & 3/4 yo finally made it across the pool without a floating device, touching the bottom (good thing as they were in the deep end), a lane line, or a wall. I've known for awhile that he could do it, he just finally figured it out and did it.

Christmas Count Down

2011-10-11T06:25:00.000-04:00

While scrolling through Pinterest the last few weeks, I saw a Christmas Count Down board that was so simple ~ a clip board jazzed up for the season with "Days till Christmas" at the bottom. You'd then clip on the days till Christmas number like a regular sheet of paper cut down some. Very clever idea, worthy of recreating. I thought it might be nice to add an activity to the back side of the number, so there would be something to do each day. Not sure what all would go on this list, but here are some ideas:

daily Advent activities
make hot chocolate with candy cane stir stick (dip the non-hook end in melted chocolate or something fun like that)
make Christmas Cards
drive around neighborhood to look at lights
watch a Christmas themed movie (repeat as often as necessary to get to 25)
go into D.C. to look at National Tree and State Trees
bake cookies
make Christmas candy
read some Christmas books cuddled under blanket
invite friends over for Christmas sing along
deliver treats to neighbors
make wrapping paper
look up/research favorite Christmas songs or activities
see a live Nativity in your area (if available)
take some corny family Christmas photos
see how many things you can be thankful for from the past year
Christmas Party!

This may be a good enough start to a list! Don't want to overwhelm ourselves during this holiday. Now to keep my eye out for good bargain on clipboard andChristmas Paper.

When nature calls

2011-10-05T19:30:00.001-04:00

Go for a walk and enjoy the weather! Dropped Kevin off at the airport and made it home. It really seemed to nice of a day to spend the remaining day light in the car or house so we took a hike through the woods. Never seems to get old going out into the woods (it's still a value added to our home)!

Here's some of what it looked like:

liked how the light was coming through the trees

off and walking away!

off paved path adventures (to see where a beaver dam used to be)

What is on the other side of the log?

Charlotte wants to know as well.

the creek of course!

Dreaming ~

2011-10-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

That is what I would be doing if I could actually play the piano like David Nevue. Here's a youtube video of one of my favorite songs, it's called "While The Trees Sleep". I got hooked on this guy from reading Ann Voskamp's blog and am almost daily inspired to try to learn to play the piano. Time is the hardest thing to find, for with out time, practicing becomes difficult. Without practice, one doesn't get better at anything. We've got to do things over and over again to make progress.

Anyone want to give me a time management class?

Welcome to October

2011-10-03T19:03:00.000-04:00

and a rainy cool one at that. Today, the 3rd, was no different. Actually a nasty sort of Monday ~ cool/cold, rainy, and overcast just about the whole day. Had really wanted to have a fire with this weather, but the schedule that I woke up with, just wasn't going to allow it. Dropping a kid off for speech, picking him up from speech, have a meeting late morning, and a ball practice (or possibly make up game) in the afternoon. Just no time to light a good fire and keep it going all day. Ah, then the email came that baseball was canceled. I knew this before the meeting and couldn't wait to get home! Well over 6 hours later and it's still going strong! Ye haw!

And out of shear delight, I took a video of it. Yes, you can hear the logs popping!

School Lunches today . . .

2011-09-30T18:12:00.001-04:00

At Kevin's suggestion, while at Costco the other day, we picked up a four pack of pizza crust and sauce for each. Today, I surprised the boys with pizza for lunch. Usually, if we have pizza for lunch it's on an english muffin or soft taco shell. They were very happy about it today. This got Thing One talking about how he'd have pizza for lunch, on Fridays, when he was at the public school for K and 1st. The one I made, though not home made, was still way better than I remember from being in public school (I spent all but two years attending a Fairfax Co. Public School and we're still in the same county). The one thing I missed today was having a chocolate eclair after the pizza; I would usually by a slice of pizza and one of those just about every Friday. Ah, fuzzy wonderful memories from so long ago.

Chore Sticks

2011-09-24T18:44:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I read this blog post about chore sticks and thought it might me helpful in our household. So today, I began painting away.

Painted 8 of blue (for Thing One), green (for Thing Two),

and orange (for household chores).

Began labeling the sticks, for the boys, with regular chores and

individual school subjects. Some of these include things like:

~ make bed

~ pick up dirty clothes and put down chute

~ strip sheets and put down chute

~ make bed with clean sheets

~ math

~ grammar

The orange sticks have household chores and group

subjects. Here are some:

~ empty silverware

~ empty plastic ware

~ empty recyclables

~ empty trash can

Here are a bunch of them.

For the sake of getting a blog post up, I used a can to hold the

sticks. I still may end up using a can or three, but with paper around it.

If I use three, one for Thing One, one for

Thing Two, and one for school related stuff.
Anyway, put the sticks in, colored side down. When they are sent off to

do chores or school, they'll pick their sticks and work through them.

When the chore is complete, it can be put back into the can

with the color side up. They should keep working until all chores

and subjects have been completed and colored end is up.

I will probably end up making more sticks and going over the pen with a fine point felt pen (which I didn't have today).

Welcome Fall

2011-09-23T13:26:00.000-04:00

I am a fall person, by nature. The cooler temperatures, the vibrant colors of leaves, the crunch of those leaves already fallen, the need for a sweat shirt or fleece jacket, or a cup of hot tea, all make the world feel right with me.

During this fall season, am really hoping to get out back more. No, I do not mean out back to Australia or Outback the resturuant (that would be good too, though), but out and into our backyard. One of the greatest benefits of our house is that it backs up to many acres of park land and paved foot paths. Then there are the heavily wooden neighborhood areas that connect the various park lands together. It's been enjoyable getting out and looking around the various paths and taking one we haven't explored before. Our dog, Charlotte, has been having a ball with it as well. Her nose has been going crazy when we go for walks.

Well, now after about 8 days of mostly overcast and some rain, I'm looking forward to the sun and getting out. It's time to load up the backpacks with water bottles, pencils, art pads, nature journals, camera, and hit the trails. Maybe even a a picnic blanket and snack.

A few days late . . .

2011-09-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

in posting pictures of our new school wall. I really like how it turned out and thankful I finally made the time to work on it. There's room I may add a few other things, but for now, it's fine.

Our framed metal board which still has "Happy Birthday Dad"

in plastic magnetic letters. A picture of Miss C Dog, our school mascot.
The pink picture has a school then and now drawn on it.

Class pictures; this year we have 6th grade and 3rd grade.

Wooden frame that I'll change out sign, periodically,

for the season. For now, it is "IN OUR HOUSE".

Close up of letters with wooden button covering the screw,

which the wire wrapped around. The letters are held on with

mini clothes pins.

The boys wanted a school picture this year. These are the

sweat shirts I made for them a couple Christmas' ago. Oldest

has almost out grown his.

Hoping to find a new way of displaying our maps. These may just lean against this wall. Lots to ponder!

Thanks for looking,

Autumn Change

2011-09-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

Fall is beginning to hit the air; weather is cooler, a few leaves have gone to loose their color. Seeing folks posting on facebook about their favorite fall flavored coffee at Starbucks or donuts. Probably the most tell tale sign is that Christmas stuff is out, in force, at just about every store known to man (ugh).

I hope to get to decorating for fall today or tomorrow. Boys will love seeing Mr. Pumpkinhead on the stoop again. Wouldn't it be a hoot to get it all out while their sleeping. Might happen, might not.

Happy Birthday, Part Two

2011-09-05T19:00:00.002-04:00

A birthday celebration!!

Frame for Kevin that says "me and the boys"
It still needs a photo though, of the three of them!

Round brownie instead of cake! We had cake
on Saturday with his parents!

Yummy! Brownie, homemade vanilla ice cream, and
homemade hot fudge sauce

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T15:02:00.000-04:00

and Happy Birthday to my husband, Kevin Brock! He's enjoying a federal holiday coinciding with his birthday. Nothing like sleeping in, morning nap, walk through the woods with the family, and vegging while watching baseball on your birthday. At least for him, it seems like a good day!

For me, I've finally felt a bit productive around the house. Yea! Lots of little things are getting done. So far:

helped the boys through a worksheet (or 3) of math
made templates for cork board and metal board to be hung
alphabet is almost hung ~ stopped halfway through to take a walk with the family
cleaned the kitchen some
got laundry started later than I wanted, but finished earlier than usual ~ go figure.
finally figured out that the washing machine takes about 50 minutes for the normal wash cycle; WILL use the microwave timer now to help me keep track

Still on tape, at least for me:

hang the second half of the alphabet
make brownies
make corn bread
hot glue some buttons on screws
not sure what else
make some school related things

Beautiful Things

2011-08-31T12:43:00.080-04:00

"Beautiful Things" by Gungor was running through my head this mornings as I began to make tomato sauce. I had all these beautiful tomatoes just waiting to be consumed, some how, in some way. What became of this fuzzy logic is the following:

Began by grabbing a good pot to heat up some olive oil in.
Set the burner to about medium heat and moved on to the next thing.

Started with about a half inch slice of onion and

couple large cloves of garlic.

Also grabbed some of my Rosemary (that had been

drying from one of my 3 bushes) and began to chop away. Love my
Pampered Chef chopper ~ got through all of that quickly.
These went into the pot, with heated oil. I then began dicing up the tomatoes.
Some were chunks with a knife, some got diced with the chopper.

Everything in the pot. Just an occasional stir and let the heat & time

do it's thing. After awhile, I'll puree a portion of this to get the

seeds and skin blended well. Let it cool further and then into some

sort of freezer worthy storage container. I've deliberately not added basil

or oregano yet. These tend to be more tender herbs and should be added

in the last few minutes of cooking. They'll get added later, when I am making

a sauce, soup, or stew later.

The one tomato not chopped or diced. It was probably

the most sandwich worthy one out of the bunch and we're

having sandwiches for dinner. Yummy!

What has probably helped the tomatoes the most, is that I

compost just about anything that can be composted. As I tell our

boys, "if it came from the ground, it can be composted", meaning

fruit, veggies, untreated wood shavings, paper w/o to much writing

on it. Other things, like dairy and bread type products, just don't

decompose easily and tend not to be good for the soil. I know some

will compost with certain animal waste, but that just seems yucky to me!

I've also heard you can compost newspaper (but not the shiny adds) and

cardboard as well. Haven't tried those yet.

So, later on today, more tomato will be bagged and frozen for later use in spaghetti or pizza sauce. May even use some to make home made tomato soup. Another yummy food!

Court of Honor

2011-08-30T21:56:00.000-04:00

Troop 2215 had a Court of Honor (CoH) this evening. At a CoH, Scouts who have achieved a new rank or who have received new merit badges are recognized. Thing One was recognized for achieving his Scout rank as well as earning Swimming, First Aid, Canoeing, and Golf merit badges while at camp.

We're proud of our Scout!

Dear Summer . . .

2011-08-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

You aren't even gone yet and I miss you already. I miss the free time, the lazy mornings, the going bare foot, the fireflies. Do you really need to leave, now that Hurricane Irene has blown the high temperatures out to sea? These cooler temperatures can stay awhile so that denim shorts and flip flops can stay awhile too. Although I didn't really like you in July, with the high temperatures and high humidity, could we make up and just stay where we are? Please?

Sincerely,

St. Valentine

2011-08-25T18:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know the origins of Saint Valentine? I'll give you a hint ~ it doesn't have anything to do with cupid, pink, hearts, flowers, or chocolate. Does that surprise you?

From Mystery of History, lesson 12, we learned that Saint Valentine was actually a man who lived in and around Rome in the third century. He was martyred for being a Christian on February 14, A.D. 269.

In 495, February 14 was declared Saint Valentines Day to replace the pagan festival of Lupercalia on February 15. This date was a pagan festival of love, cupid, and such we now associate with the 14th.

Well, one activity with this lesson was to research chocolate, which we did. Of course, all internet roads lead to wikipedia ~ don't they? We read up on chocolate there (you can to with this link).

To set the "mood" before the kids knew what was going on, we had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. Yummy!!!

cooking on the iron skillet

Yum! Chocolate Chip Pancakes, fresh strawberries, and whipped cream (home made even)

foil on the inside of the pan; it makes getting the brownies out easier

my helper, Thing One, stirring the batter

everyone needs a Robin side-kick

No cooked brownie pictures, sorry folks! They're good and we still have some left!

Earthquack in Virginia

2011-08-24T07:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, the east coast of America experienced an earthquake. The epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia which is about 80 miles south (and a bit west) of where we live. It was an odd experience, in that, I didn't feel anything shake at the time. I was out taking our dog for a walk when it happened. Things did rumble and you could see windows bowing. Folks were coming out of their houses saying, "What was that?" (politeness added). My boys were out of the house, quickly, wondering the same thing. Thing Two tried holding it together, but when I got closer to home he was crying.

Turns out to have been somewhere between a 5.8 to 6.0 quake, depending upon the source. Fortunately, the only damage I've found is a rake knocked over and a light bulb burned out, both of which could have happened w/o the earthquake. There have been a few after shocks during the course of the evening, but nothing I've been able to perceive thankfully.

Micah 6:8

2011-08-18T07:58:00.000-04:00

When God speaks, are you able to hear him? When He whispers His desires for your life, are you still enough to hear and obey?

There are so many things whirling around us, each and every day. Things that are our own desires: picking up a book, sewing, playing guitar, pondering new recipes, surfing the net. Things others need or want us to do or add to our schedule. Do we pause long enough to allow God to speak His desires for our day? Do we seek Him each morning, like the manna for the Isrealites?

As we've been working with our oldest to overcome some learning glitches (& other things) many things are being added to our schedule; we've begun school (full force so to speak); we're getting back to a fall schedule with activities at our church, Burke Community Church; adding in more sports (yes, more sports, really only adding swimming as Thing One can use the extra exercise and Thing Two is SO close to being a confident swimmer, we don't want to loose the momentum). I feel like my schedule is spinning and not mine to control and manipulate. This morning, while unloading the dishwasher, head spinning, words came flooding into my mind ~ faithfulness, humbliness, daily walk. No need to be like Samuel when he heard God speak to him and he ran to Eli. I knew this was God and it was time to search these words. Micah 6:8 came up, it says:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does

the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God. (NIV)

Today, I'll focus on, dwell on how to be just, to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God!

Have a blessed day,

School is underway . . .

2011-08-16T20:10:00.001-04:00

The boys and Charlotte have settled into their favorite spots for when I pull out the books that I read to them.

Thing One seems to enjoy coloring, more than anything else, to keep his hand busy. Today's art focused on a kids fort with a bunker, no less. He was proud of his work and asked to take a

photo of it.

Think it actually took him a couple days to finish it. He really didn't want to draw or color during non school hours! LOL funny how any kind of school and kids will avoid a bit of work if they can!

So anyhoot, Thing Two has taken lead from Charlotte and started crawling between the chairs and the wall to get to what he calls his little cave. Guess he's learning about "man caves" early! He enjoys this little area and brings all sorts of stuff in there to entertain himself. The other day it was a deck of cards and he was playing Slap Jack against himself. I just snickered and rolled my eyes at him. He was reasonably quiet and listening well enough to answer the questions well.

A certain somebody trying to be still and have a straight face!

And here is Charlotte's favorite spot, snug up against my legs when I have the Lazy Boy foot rest up. Doesn't matter if it's stuffy warm or cold in the house she wants to be snug. I will like this when it starts getting cooler!

Favorit Cake Recipes . . . .

2011-08-15T13:58:00.001-04:00

This is what I do while on permanent hold with our health insurance provider, I type out my favorite cake recipes, because I just don't buy boxed cakes anymore. These are from Better Homes and Gardens, New Cook Book, copyrighted 1996.

YELLOW CAKE
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 milk

Grease and lightly flour two 8 x 1 1/2" or 9 x 1/2 inch round baking pans or grease one 13x9x2 baking pan; set pan(s) aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat till well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 1 minute afte reach. Add dry mixture and milk alternating to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove layer cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly on rake. Or, place 13x9 inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with desired frosting.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups cold water

Grease and lightly flour two 9x1 1/2 inch round baking bans or grease one 13x9x2 baking pan; set pan(s) aside. Stir together flour, coco powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside
In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat till well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add dry mixture and water alternately to beaten mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on wire racks. Or, place 13x9 inch cake pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with desired frosting.

Woo Hoo! Typing this out took 20 minutes or so, Cigna should be answering soon.

Science

2011-08-12T19:35:00.001-04:00

a beloved word around my house. The boys LOVE it. Even though some of the curriculum we use has a bit of science with it, there usually is not enough at all. Today was another day with the colored water, mixing the primary colors to make secondary colors. Here's some of the fun from today!

figuring out how to use the bulb pipette

primary colors we mixed up in an earlier science lesson

first color mixed ~ green

Top three are purple, green, orange.
There are some brown and black toward the bottom.

They played for awhile mixing colors. Always a good time seeing how much of one color changes another.

Free Time

2011-08-11T19:28:00.000-04:00

The joys of having "no screen time" is that the boys become more creative in what they do to entertain themselves. Today led to their stuff animals have a scout cross over. The puppies were crossing over to the next level (which of course I don't recall now) and all the other stuff animals are families and friends. Sorry for the grainy look, I took the photos from inside the kitchen with the window and screen down.

School Food

2011-08-08T16:01:00.000-04:00

I suppose can be good! When Thing One was in Public School for K & 1, he loved getting the pizza on Fridays. There was also the rare occasion, that I'd send him with lunch and he'd still buy lunch anyway.

Anyhoot, last Friday we had a variation of pizza on English Muffins and he even brought it up that public schools had pizza every Friday for lunch and so should we. That got me asking what they'd want this week for lunch. So this week, with mostly the kids input the school lunches for the week are:

Monday - fruit salad
Tuesday - hot dogs
Wednesday - peanut butter sandwiches
Thursday - grilled cheese sandwiches
Friday - pizza

Today, I used the fruit salad to my advantage as I'm trying to add more fruit into what they'll eat whole and from the "tree" or "vine". In addition to the bananas and apples they had strawberries and pears. They weren't so sure about it, but I reminded them that you can't base a decision off of one nibble. It takes several, real sized bites, over several days. When introducing new foods or for monitoring kind of fun junkie food, I really like using these plates I found at Target awhile back. They came in two packs for $1.99 and they have three different sized sections. I can tell the boys that they can have chips but only "this section" full. It helps with portion control.

Back to School!

2011-08-07T17:46:00.001-04:00

Wow! 2011/12 school year is upon us. Tomorrow begins our 4th week of the year! Things are totally different than I had anticipated when we wrapped up last school year. We've dropped a couple things to make life a bit easier, but at the same time we're notching up a lot of basics to help the boys "make the grade". Going basics!

Here's what school looks like for us:

Mystery of History Vol 2 by Bright Ideas
Big Bag of Science
A Child's Geography Vol 1 By Ann Voskamp
Literature Unit Studies: starting in "The Chronicles of Narnia" (everything but the Magicians Nephew which we did last summer), possibly "Farmer Boy" from Little House series, wrap up of a Christmas study we started last year, and FIAR/ByFIAR
Nature Studies for both
Math-U-See for both, but at different levels
Free writing (to get them writing and getting their thoughts on paper, no length required, but just writing from various writing strands)
Thing One individual work: Spelling from Queens Homeschooling Supply, Mad libs, magnetic words, grammar and math games on the Ipod
Thing Two individual work: Language Lessons for the Very Young 1, by Queens Homeschool Supplies and Sequential Spelling Vol 1, grammar and math games on the Ipod

We'll also be adding in Grace Homeschool Co-op in September where they'll be adding in P.E. & Chess for Thing One and Free Play & Science for Thing Two.

Quite a full school year and extra activities aren't even listed! Where's a yikes smiley when you need it?

Weather so thick . . .

2011-08-06T17:48:00.000-04:00

. . . you can cut it with a butter knife. This afternoon was true Washington D.C. & surrounding suburbs August weather ~ hazy, hot, and humid. So this afternoon, when it started raining, there was hope for cooler temperatures. Although the humidity levels have been reduced, temperatures didn't drop much. Oh well!

For no other reason, than shear fun, I recorded the rain through the kitchen window. Enjoy!

Back to Science!

2011-08-05T11:42:00.000-04:00

Boys have been excited for a couple weeks or so ~ you see, we bought a "Big Bag of Science". They love doing the experiments, learning new things in the world of science, love the mess, and are begging for white lab coats {where do I find those?}

Anyway, yesterday we began with the first experiment ~ fizzing colors. The gist of the experiment was to learn about chemical reactions with baking soda and citric acid when put into water.

We started with three test tubes filled with room temperature water, added a yellow tablet to one, red to another, and blue to the third and watched them fix up and dissolve. Not quite as hands on as the boys would have liked, but there will hopefully be some like that later in the year. Anyway, we ended up with the test tubes looking like this:

The second experiment will be looking through each of these and then looking through combinations of two and of course all three. They SHOULD already know the colors that the three primary colors make, but this will be a good review, just in case.

Now off to feed the minions! Have a happy weekend everyone!

When life hands you . . . . .

2011-08-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

. . . the wrong box of pudding, {more likely it was mixed in with the vanilla puddings, on the shelf at the store} add it to a smoothie. Yes, this is a banana cream pudding, but I was already making a banana/strawberry smoothie this morning and wanted to thicken it up some. This actually worked out really well. We had enough left over, after three glasses of smoothies, to make 6 pudding/smoothie pops. Should be another good treat later.

Happy eating!

Another Baby Blanket

2011-08-04T17:12:00.001-04:00

Some friend's of ours have a new little girl in their life! So cute, so tiny, so princess girliness (author license to create a new word)! It was a joy to knit a blanket for this little one, whose life is a miracle ~ wish you could sit and listen to Crystal talking about it. Awesome story! Here's the finished product:

Here's the blanket! Mostly brown and pink, a bit of green, and a touch of yellow.

Here's a close up of the brown, showing the border. I knit

six rows, then switch to knitting first and last 5 stitches with

the middle being a stocking stitch. Love the way it turned out.

I look forward to being able to give them the finished product. Only a few weeks after the baby shower. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with them at church on Sunday.

Happy Knitting,

What do you do?

2011-07-28T16:06:00.000-04:00

when exhausted and having a head cold BUT your brain is wide awake and ready to go?

Personally, at this moment, beyond the obvious blogging, I'm sitting with one of favorite cookbooks to figure out some new recipes to try. Here's my favorite, go to, cookbook (at least one of very few):

This is the cookbook where I found a good fried chicken recipe; the same one that while watching the show one Saturday our youngest cried because they were demonstrating the recipe and I didn't have time to make it for dinner. That one recipe, is worth the cost of the book. I've made one or two other things, but want to get to making more.

So I'll sit for awhile and find a few other recipes to try in the near future. May start with looking for bread recipes as I've been asked to bake some soon. They have some tasty looking desserts too.

Now off to some like reading, then maybe internet surfing for craft projects I want to copy.

Finding joy!

2011-07-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

Finding joy in a yucky day can be difficult. That has been today, in a nutshell. The joy though, things to be greatful for, what can I count?

children being thankful for a trip to the pool (whoops, we forgot to use sunscreen)
a child not complaining, much, about forgetting to use the sunscreen (wow is he red)
finally feeling like I can sit
groceries mostly put away
two thankful pets as I bought treats for both of them
a clean dog
a partial clean rug
a dog that takes large pills like a champ

Now, time to read to a young boy, while we wait on brother and dad to get home from Scouts!

End of Main St. VBS

2011-07-23T09:06:00.000-04:00

It's Saturday morning after VBS week. A long week of teaching the kids gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, grace, and faithfulness along with Heidi St. Clair.

Our family photo shot. Where the younger kids had their

photo's taken in their groups.

Stage decorated for skits.

The result of service projects. Kids donated back packs

and school supplies to be given to a group in Parsons, WV.

BCC has a team that has been going there for years to help

fix up yards, buildings, homes, etc. and provide VBS for the

elementary school kids. 132 back packs filled.

Thing Two, in orange and center, with his favorite teen helper.

He also played Chef Pierre.

Thing One and his favorite leader, also known as Dad!

Thing One and his best friend!

Pastor TJ (Children's Pastor) teaching the 5th and 6th graders.

TJ's first event at our church, 5 years ago, was VBS.

He was presented with a photo of Quest VBS and the cake!

His lovely wife, Deb, is to the left of him in this photo.

Closing ceremony on Friday. Right half of crowd from sound booth.

Left half of the group from sound booth.

Not only did VBS Quest fill a bunch of backpacks as a service project, during the week they also worked at two local elementary schools, fixed 24 casseroles for families in need, grocery shop for Lorton Community Action Center (a local food bank), deliver the meals and deliver food to LCAC. All this with temperatures in the 100's and a high heat index.

The cool thing, I thought, was that Pastor TJ mentioned $1,254.00 was donated to cover costs for groceries for LCAC; a student walked up and handed him $5.00, so the total jumped to $1,259.00; then another child brought a dollar in change and the total was $1,260.00. In total, the 5th and 6th graders bought 508 pounds of groceries for LCAC which is a huge blessing as their shelves were bare.

Later this morning, we'll head back to church to help with the final clean up. Hard to believe that in one week, the church is transformed, VBS held, and transformed back to "normal". Many lives forever touched.

Homemade ~ anything

2011-07-22T09:35:00.000-04:00

Making anything homemade has it's advantages and disadvantages. For awhile, making things at home, saved you money. If you had the talent to do something ~ anything ~ you'd save $$$'s by doing it yourself. Prices seem to be getting a lot more expensive, lately, and it's almost not worth it. Now, to make something at home, it's for the shear joy of creating something, from something else.

Personally, I love going through thrift stores, yard sales, craft stores, (and even trash day) and wondering what I can make out of the items I see.

Here are a few things I've made and posted on the blog:

Most of the above has been out of things we've bought; I have picked up a couple things on trash days! I have a beautiful (now) wash stand that was thrown out. A new door made by my dad, a new towel bar, and I refinished it. I also found a mini terrarium on trash day that just needed a bit of sanding and paint touch up. I've passed up on a few things that, now, I wish I'd picked up. Oh well!

What do you like to make new? What do you like to make, at home, even if it would be more economical to buy new? Do you keep a blog and want to share a link? Would love to see some of your recreations! Please share and maybe we'll all get a bit more inspired!

Is it scool or is it summer?

2011-07-15T07:17:00.000-04:00

I've seen a number of folks talking about school on facebook or through their blogs. There are the school supplies starting to appear at Wal-mart and Staples. Although we've done a couple weeks already, we not quite ready to start full schedule. For us, it's been a time to gear up for Vacation Bible School (VBS). Our church is doing "Main St." this year.

Monday is the big day. The day that 500 kids flood our church from Pre-K through 6th grade. Once again I'll be working with our Quest Kids (5th and 6th grade) as admin aid.

So, after I crash and burn next weekend, I'll pull our school schedule together the week after. After an order at Timberdoodle later today, we should be good to go for the 2011/2011 year.

Enjoy what's left of summer!

Boy Scout Camp

2011-07-09T12:58:00.001-04:00

We picked up Thing One from camp today. They had a family time/BBQ and bonfire Friday evening and we'd gone up to check things out. When leaving Camp Tuckahoe, we gave him the option of riding with the Troop or us. He choose us. Still made him help clean up though. LOL!

He seems to have had a good time, not to many details shared; seems like he has to take some time to decompress after a very BUSY week. We did hear that he'd been working hard all week and was able to complete the four merit badges he started there ~ Golf, Swimming, First Aid, and Canoeing. It was also kind of nice to hear that the Scout Masters there had to remind him of the some things we've been doing for awhile. It kind of felt good to look him in the eyes and say "See, your dad and I aren't to far off on what we expect out of you!"

It was kind of nice at the bonfire! They started out with some of the instructors playing leap frog (I know a kids game, but keep reading). Turns out their version turns into a competition. After each round the guys get a bit higher, and higher, and higher. If you can't make it over with a clean landing, you are out. It got down to two guys left and they were asking for guys, from the audience, that were over 6'4" to come be jumped over. This guy ended up raising his hands and arms to make a higher obstacle. Also during the course of the evening, they gave away awards for various things (leadership by Scout Masters, camp entry way, belly flop award, and others I don't remember). Think Troop 2215 came away with 5 or more. Nice evening to see what our son had been doing all week.

Now back to the reality of life. All the guys in the household are up at church and I'm home doing post camp laundry! Suppose I'll take the laundry because it means I have a fairly quiet house with the only noises being a sleeping dog and a fan running (can't even hear the washer!). Not such a bad bargain. So I'm off to knit, wash, and have a quiet time.

Puppy Love

2011-07-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

here is our dog, Charlotte. She loved the smells coming from the table. There is no effort, now, for her snout to be above the table to get a good whiff of our meals.

Here is today's smells that made her crazy, or at least what was left of today's smells:

YUMMY chocolate donuts!

Happy Saturday morning to you blog world!

A Day of Opposites!

2011-06-29T19:57:00.000-04:00

That sums up the day well. I could quit there, but blogging would be no fun then and I've taken pictures too! Earlier this morning I prepped some blueberries for something ~ maybe muffins or donuts. Doesn't this look yummy, even before it's sat for awhile.

Love the colors that berries leave behind, on my cutting board.

Would be nice to find a way to save the color and have the board be clean.

So, the total opposite would be spending a portion of the day, taking

over the dining room table, to organize our quicken accounts.

NOT FUN!! At least I made coffee before getting started.

Well, when I started this post about eight hours ago, I had several opposites to write about. Now that I have finally gotten the second photo to load, I've lost all recollection of what those were. Oh well!

Saturday morning baking . . .

2011-06-27T07:04:00.000-04:00

. . . . a blog post a few days late. A few weeks ago, I went by Kohl's because I had $30 Kohl's cash I wanted to use before it REALLY expired (I was one day after the expiration date, called them and I could still use it! Ya me!!). We really didn't need clothes, bedding, or kitchen stuff, so I looked for a few things that I'd seen before or the boys had asked about. So, for $28.52 of their money I walked away with a slip and slide for the boys and a Baby Cakes Donut Maker. This past Saturday was the third time we've used it and it has turned out to be a neat little gadget (although I am glad I didn't pay full price or use my own money).

We didn't get photo's of putting the dough into the machine or before they are taken out, but here's a look at the after product:

I would take the donuts out of the maker and put them onto a cooling rack on a

cookie sheet. I kept several warm in the oven until most of the batter was used.

Then I'd dunk in melted butter, roll in cinnamon/sugar, and put on platter.

Don't they look yummy?

Just a few left. If you overfill the donut area, you get

the flat "rims" around the edge. Instructions say to use two table spoons.

Yeah right, one is way better and you get more donuts and less wasted

batter.

A certain Thing Two thought they would be regular sized

donuts. Nope, mini donuts that you get to eat 6 or 7 instead of

being good and only eating 1 or 2.

Yes, Thing One likes them too!

Nice thing about all of this is that it is a small appliance and we actually had room to store it off of the counter top. Not sure what the next flavor will be, but it will be used a few more times.

The wall and the dilemma!

2011-06-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

Finally decided to pull everything off of one wall and patch the nail holes. Why? Because I really want to be able to have a school wall and that was the easiest one to use! {by the way, patching a wall goes quickly w/little or no humidity and really little holes!!!} Besides, if I wanted a lot of wall space, I'd have to get rid of a lot of book cases and books ~ eeeekk!

So the dilemma is this (and not accounting for the triangular part of the wall that is open to the steps), there is a light switch just about dead center on the wall width wise and about 4 feet off the ground (whatever the standard height is for light switches). It makes hanging a decent sized cork board, maps, white board, chalk board or whatever, next to impossible. Well if I want just one or two of those things, it might not be so bad. If I considered buying smaller maps, it might not be such a big deal, which is a possibility as well. Hhhmm! Maybe it is time to go over to Rainbow Resources and see what they have.

Traveling into the . . . .

2011-06-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

world of Narnia began today. We have read through the first two chapters and have been introduced to the Pevensie children, gotten a hint of Edmund's temperament, and been transported to Narnia.

I was pleasantly surprised that both boys remembered how the lamp post found it's way into Narnia.

Although Mr. Tumnus was working for the White Witch and had orders to turn in any Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve, his and Lucy's first meeting is one of my favorites. Having tea, by fireside, seems so cozy when it's been winter for a long time (and no Christmas)!

Summer School Days

2011-06-12T15:24:00.001-04:00

Begin tomorrow! Think it is safe to say that I am looking forward to getting back to school more than the boys are. We've decided to work through the remaining Narnia books. Last summer, we traveled to London and into Narnia while reading "The Magician's Nephew". Now, about a year later, we pick up with "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" (LWW) and will finish the series sometime during the fall.

Fun things to do for LWW: tea party, make Turkish Delight, hope to find instant snow at a teacher store, learn about WWII.

See you on the other side of the wardrobe!

Rug deodorizer

2011-06-09T14:57:00.000-04:00

I have been playing around with the proportions for making my own rug deodorizer because I don't care for the ones off shelf. These seem to give me a head ache because of their smell.

So today, I made some more and thought I'd measure out what I use, in case anyone else cares to use it. If you do try it, let me know what you think.

Here it is:

1 cup each: baking soda, Borax, and corn starch
1/2 T whole cloves
1/4 t ground clove
1 T ground cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg

Directions:

sift all together to blend and get lumps out
shake to blend smells
if you can wait to use, the spices distribute better
shake before using

This quantity fit well in a cleaned out, standard sized, Pringle's can. I used a canning funnel, which also fit nicely on top of can. I plan to later punch holes in top of can.

If you are wondering why I added Borax, it's because it is a natural flea repellent when sprinkled on rugs or cloth furniture and vacuumed about an hour later. As we have a cat and dog AND it is flea season, it seems like a wise idea.

Narnia

2011-06-04T08:09:00.000-04:00

In just a few short days (9, but who is counting) we'll be beginning our first summer session of school.

A few days ago, I asked our boys what they'd like to do for a literature based unit study. As we had done "Magicians Nephew" last summer, I gave the boys a choice; either reading "The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe" (LWW) or working through the remaining books in the series (and getting back to FIAR afterward). It was a resounding, "Finish the series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They were very excited about it. After diving into the web and all thing Narnia, I admit, I am getting excited too.

There is a lot if prepackaged unit studies, a lot of free unit studies, and a lot of tie in information as well. So far, I've read through four chapters in LWW for vocabulary, tie in activities, and discussion questions. I have tie ins to WWII, tea party, air raid shelters, and scripture.

I am looking forward to this part of school!

June

2011-06-02T08:01:00.000-04:00

June sure came in yesterday like the hazy, hot, and humid summers Northern Virginia can be known for. The air was thick and sticky. Just a yucky kind of day.

Today, one word sums it up best ~ aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! It's started out cool and clear. We may still have our A/C on later, but it's still bound to be better than yesterday.

Now back to cleaning and straightening.

Daily Scheduling

2011-05-29T18:29:00.001-04:00

I've been busy, busy, busy. Printing things for school, making wish lists for when we attend the HEAV Convention, and about to print more blank weekly lesson sheets. Yes, it may be a bit early, but given we will have a couple weeks of school in June, I want to get an idea of how school may look with some of the new subjects we are adding this year.

For 2011/2012 school year, I am hoping to add:

typing
Spanish vocabulary using Rosetta Stone Latin America
Phys. Ed.
Nature Studies (been meaning to do this and have neglected it greatly)
more art, but through our Unit Studies, Geography, and History
A Child's Geography written by Ann Voskamp

Most of these may only be 2 or 3 days a week and may need to be shuffled some once we have fall activities figured out. This is in addition to Five in a Row, Beyond Five in a Row, Amanda Bennett's Unit Studies, Mystery of History, Math-U-See, and Language Lessons from Queens Homeschool Supplies. These we've used in the past few years with a lot of success, so we're continuing with them.

What do you think?

2011-05-23T16:39:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I'm full of questions today! This time it's "What do you think of my new blog header?" (the previous post was about lunches).

For a very long while I've wanted to name our little school, tried a number of variations of names and things, all with no appealing luck. A couple months ago, thought about Brock Academy, but again, it just doesn't make any bells whistle for me. Had always wanted Oak in the name, because for awhile we actually had a oak tree in our front yard. Finally, it dawned on me that our little cluster of streets is called "Oak Creek" and sticking academy after it sounded right.

Of course, then, I wanted to create a new blog for school and even started working on it. But I'm not so sure I can keep up yet another blog, just for school stuff as school and life have become so intertwined. Decided to leave the current URL the same and just tweak the header.

So I leave you with the question again, what do you think?

School lunches?

2011-05-23T12:50:00.000-04:00

May be an odd question given that we home school and we've finished the 2010/2011 school year. Seriously though, there are times I just have a blocked brain for new and different things for lunch. Our boys get a bit bored with the same thing everyday and so do I. Here are some of our favorites:

Popcorn chicken
English Muffin Pizza's
Meatball subs
Grilled Cheese
Grilled Peanut Butter & Cheese
Sliced apples, cheese, & crackers

Can you share some of your favorites (in the comments if you don't mind, so I can come back and look)?

More Planning!

2011-05-18T08:09:00.000-04:00

Planning for this coming school year has begun; a tentative schedule for when we'll school, titles for unit studies, coming up with fun things to do.

I love finding books that both boys can be engaged in, have loved reading (or being read to), and the ability to take it a bit deeper. With all the planning thus far and knowing that our summer weeks are a bit scattered over June, July, and August, I wasn't so sure that I wanted our boys using different books for the summer session. This reminded me how much they enjoyed "The Magician's Nephew" last summer.

Now, I am off on a gathering expedition for "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". So far, I've found a few sites that have some good things and have a few resources at home. Part of our study will be to cover the discrepancies from the book to the movie.

Ideas so far:

listen to Focus on the Family Radio Theatre version
read the book
build some boats
go to creek to see how boats float
visit some real boats

Coffe gone WRONG!!!!!

2011-05-16T09:06:00.001-04:00

When you find a bunch of grounds at the bottom of your coffee cup (or in my case coffee glass as I like it iced), it makes you look at the bucket where the grounds go.

AH! This would explain why coffee this morning didn't taste all that great.

Which leads to:

a second filtering of the coffee. At least this go around

tasted much better.

Planners

2011-05-15T16:50:00.003-04:00

We've finished four years of homeschooling and I have yet to find a planner that I like. Well, the first year we used Sonlight and their Instructors Guide has just about everything laid out. When we switched to Five in a Row, I began fumbling around for forms that would work for us. Hoping this year, I've found a collection of forms that will work for me.

Quick glance of the whole year June 2011/May 2012. Pink are

holidays/vacations I know we'll take. Yellow are my review and testing week. I've

already started noting things in pencil to get a feel of the year.

This form is for our unit study titles. I have the weeks listed

along the left side, starting on Monday. With this, if I have seasonal studies

I want to put in, I can, then fill in with other titles. I also note weeks

off and holidays here too.

My colorful, seasonally designed, home made,

monthly calendar. I have one for each month so I can note things

like co-op, ortho appointments, sports, and other things.

Here is my "Extras for the Year" form. Something new for me as

I want to intentionally add some fun things to the school year and can plan

ahead as I find stuff or make a notes to call about an event.

"Books we've read, videos we've watched, field trips" with a space

at the top for title of book, author, and illustrator for the book we're doing

a unit study on. I'm hoping to use this as a way to figure out what books we'd

like to find at the library and then include it in the boys notebooks.

Here is my modified (I used a smaller version last year) weekly calendar.

The top line says "week of:" followed by two bigger blocks for the boys individual

unit studies. I'll write the title of the book in the gray shaded line and then the

topic to be studied by the letter M, T, W, T, or F. I'm using two blocks because the boys

are not always doing the same unit study. The remaining boxes are for

grammar, MoH, MuS, geography, spelling. Some of these we'll do together, others

that are separated just take a note of lesson number and I'll code those lines with colored pencils.

As for keeping it all together ~ 3 ring binder. In the front will be my over view pages (Year at a Glance, Unit Studies Overview, and Extras), then behind monthly tabs will be the monthly calendar and relevant weekly lesson plan.

Now it's time to pull it all together, sharpen the colored pencils, and write some things out. At least after my geography book comes in.

School's Out for 2010/2011

2011-05-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

and as I posted on facebook yesterday (or something close to it), "My first free afternoon and I wander Staples looking for supplies for next year!" After mulling over the selections of colored pens and pencil holders, I left empty handed. LOL

The boys were in Tae Kwon Do, at the time, so I headed back to that neck of the woods. All was not lost for 2011/2012 as I'd brought with me the starts of my planner, a Beyond Five in a Row manual, and my laptop (fully charged). After getting comfy in the van and finding someones unsecured wi-fi I created a few more planner pages. I'm really enjoying the planning aspect this go around!

Hats off to the beginning of our 5th year of homeschooling in June (I still have a few big projects around the house I want to get to).

Dreaming

2011-05-03T15:09:00.000-04:00

of next school year, the school books, the new crayons, the new pencils, the new ~ wait a minute we homeschool there aren't always new crayons or pencils when we have a bazillion collected over the last few years (thanks Grandpa and Grandma for the LARGE donation to each boy a few Christmas' ago).

I am dreaming of texts books and planners and field trips and art projects and getting out more and making school so much fun.

What do YOU do to make school fun? What kinds of tricks do you keep up your sleeve? I need help with getting "the fun on" for next year.

Here are some of my ideas thus far:

hoping for a field trip a month, possibly themed around month, season, or unit study
designing school logo for t-shirt, sweat shirts, pj bottoms (for the all important pj school days)
more art & science because the boys love that stuff
having FuN fRiDaYs by cooking, exploring, science, art
during the winter, more stay at home days with a fire going (will have to see how Speech and O/T fit into that)

Please leave some suggestions in the comments so I can come back and get inspired.

Thanks!

Just a quick

2011-04-28T17:19:00.001-04:00

Test to see if I can post; a friend is having trouble with her blog.

Mary vs. Martha!

2011-04-27T13:56:00.000-04:00

I've often felt more like a Martha (for wanting to get something done) wrapped up in a Mary's body (being leisurely occupied in something else). Came across this website - 31 Days to Clean - via facebook and I'm curious. Could this be the book that helps bring order to our home? Would love to check it out. Leave me a comment if you've read the book and how it's helped.

Thanks!

Reflections . . .

2011-04-24T09:13:00.000-04:00

on today would be to borrow Matt Maher's music ~

Let no one caught in sin remain

Inside the lie of inward shame

We fix our eyes upon the cross

And run to Him who showed great love

And bled for us

Freely You've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with Him again

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin

You bowed to none but Heaven's will

No scheme of Hell, no scoffer's crown

No burden great can hold You down

In strength You reign

Forever let Your church proclaim

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with Him again

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

O death, where is your sting?

O hell, where is your victory?

O church, come stand in the light

The glory of God has defeated the night

Sing it, o death, where is your sting?

Visit http://www.xtralyrics.com

O hell, where is your victory?

O church, come stand in the light

Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with Him again

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

Trampling over death by death

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead

We are one with Him again

Come awake, come awake

Come and rise up from the grave

Rise up from the grave

From this week ~

Oldest earned two strips at Tae Kwon Do yesterday - woo hoo way to go kiddo
took a walk through the woods earlier, this past week. Nice break to the day.
Spring Break never seems to last long enough! Fortunately, summer vacation starts soon.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-04-15T12:39:00.001-04:00

Many are aware of Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts". I've been reading, slowly through the book as well. Finally get around to my own Thousand Gifts. The list began last night, with the following:

viewing the sunset, through trees laden with spring buds, from the kitchen window
deck boards, cool to my feet, on a warm evening

continued today:

cool breeze coming through window
okay nights sleep
patiences for a long to do list

I hope to make it to 1,000. Will you join me if you haven't started?

Homemade Peppermint Mocha

2011-04-13T07:33:00.003-04:00

Some things in life can only be expressed by YUM!!

I read somewhere or Kevin told me about steeping Earl Grey before mixing in your Hot Chocolate Mix. It sounded interesting and something that might be worth trying, at least once. Well, I remembered I had Peppermint Tea which would be even better and it is (I've tried both).

To make:

make tea as you would usually
once tea bag is out, mix in hot chocolate mix

So simple and so good. For a high maintenance drink, I'll brew fresh coffee and pour that over the tea bag and leaving some room at top. Let steep, remove tea bag, add hot chocolate powder, a splash of milk, and mix. YUM! Hot Peppermint Mocha! (and we generally top with whip cream and sprinkles)

P.S. Just uploaded a bunch of pictures so I am back blogging and retro dating.

SUMMER, sUmMeR, s u m m e r

2011-04-11T14:19:00.000-04:00

Today has been a warm day. At a friends facebook post about working on getting rid of the her farmers tan, I decided to work a bit outside and catch a few rays myself. It felt good, even if warm, to feel the occasional breeze, to be buzzed by a bee, to hear the dog panting (but refusing to go in), to hear the screen doors being opened and closed.

Also today, we've polished off the first round of home made fruit-sicles. The boys called them frozen smoothies and basically they are. I can forsee buying mass quantities of fruit for the summer. Have to snicker though, I'm getting a lot of fruit into my boys this way. These were the main portion of their lunch, along with a yogurt.

Off to clean and possibly start rearranging some furniture.

Happy Early Summer, Popsicles, and Reading!

What is in YOUR kitchen sink?

2011-03-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Not a trick question!

dishes?

scrap food?

nothing and it's clean?

here's what is in mine:

Red Impatients and Purple Panseys

Geocaching

2011-03-29T19:00:00.003-04:00

geocaching ~ a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online.

We went geocaching today, for the first time. Thought it would be a bit easier than it was, after all we were using the GPS on our IPhones ~ isn't that suppose to be accurate? Hope to find more that are close so that we don't have to drive to find some.

We didn't take anything this time, as we didn't have anything to leave. We'll know what to have for the next time.

Afterward, we continued our walk. It lead into asking Thing Two if he felt like a giant or if he were jolly (he was in green sweatpants and a green hoodie). We'll have to find a commercial on you tube to show him.


Our Jolly Green Giant

Just because we mentioned all in green, we needed an all in blue:

Miss Charlotte is finding the creek more and more enjoyable.

Our hike ended shortly there after, other commitments were calling.

A.W.O.L.

2011-03-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

That would be me at my blog! Nothing to write about, pictures taken though. Even still have a February header picture. Maybe I'll work on that today.

Thankful!

2011-02-03T12:41:00.000-05:00

If you are a crafter, have you ever made something for someone and wondered if they really like the gift? I've had that happen, often actually! With our boys, there is obvious thankfulness, in that I see them enjoying the gift.

Just over two years ago, I completed this blanket for Kevin's co-worker's daughter. I wondered if they liked it or if there daughter ever used the blanket. Anyhoot, Kevin forwarded this photo to me this morning:

So, I suppose she does like the blanket and that "feels" good!

Day 5

2011-01-30T08:57:00.000-05:00

A picture of your favorite memory

My Mom's parents house in Crandon, Wisconsin. Lots of fun memories there. Couple things, as a result of visiting here. First, I really like the craftsman style house. Second, the bay window you see was a part of the dining room. It was full of colored glass. I hope to recreate that some day in my own house.

Day 4

2011-01-29T03:13:00.000-05:00

A picture of your night

Day 3

2011-01-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Found the photo on a NCIS fan website.

I also enjoy NCIS LA, but, at the time of writing this blog post, didn't have the umf to find a cast photo.

Day 2

2011-01-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Day 02 A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

That person would be Michelle! We've known each other since Middle School. Couldn't think of one good photo to sum it all up, so a picture with several will have to do. There are photo's from early 80's, photo from college, and from our weddings. Although we don't talk as often now, we still manage to keep up and always pick up where we left off!

As an aside ~ thought it was kind of funny that Kevin knew this photo was for day 2 and didn't question why a picture of pictures!

Day 1

2011-01-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

A picture of you and ten facts:

Born in Wausau, WI
Youngest of 5
Married almost 14 years
2 kids ~ Thing One and Thing Two
Almost finished with 4th year homeschooling
Love to knit
Lived in 11 different houses/apartments during my life
Waiting on being matched with a Birth Mother for an adoption
Always have trouble with lists like these
Looking forward to when the dog sleeps through the night

Are you up for a picture challenge?

2011-01-25T13:17:00.002-05:00

A friend on Facebook posted this and I thought it would be interesting to do. A picture a day, for 31 days. Each day has a different theme or whatever you want to call it. Here are the days:

Day 01 A picture of yourself with ten facts

Day 02 A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Day 03 A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Day 04 A picture of your night

Day 05 A picture of your favorite memory

Day 06 A picture of a person you’d love to trade places with

Day 07 A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 A picture that makes you laugh

Day 09 A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Day 10 A picture of the person you do the most unusual things with

Day 11 A picture of something you hate

Day 12 A picture of something you love

Day 13 A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 A picture and a letter

Day 20 A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel

Day 21 A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 A picture of your day

Day 26 A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 A picture of something you’re afraid of

Day 29 A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 A picture of someone you miss

Day 31 A picture of yourself (read less)

I plan to start tomorrow and hope to be finished by February 25th!

Binding a Lapbook

2011-01-22T13:41:00.001-05:00

For part of our curriculum the last 2 and 1/2 years, we have been doing unit studies. These usually have some kind of notebook or lap book type pages to go along with them. For the first couple years we would put the parts and pieces on construction paper and staple the pieces down the left side. I hadn't been to happy with this and bought a GBC machine this past fall. These are the machines that put the rectangular holes down the side of your paper and allow you to put a GBC plastic comb on the stack of paper for a "finished book". There are some machines that are geared to office work, being able to punch several sheets at once and can handle a 2" ~ 3" comb spine. Ours is not as heavy duty, and hence less expensive.

Following are some of the steps I use to create the books.

The actual machine. The charcoal gray 1/2 circle, on the left

allows you to adjust the size of paper you punch. I have three

choices: letter, A4, and U.S.A. over sized. I tend to leave it at letter.

Before punch holes, make sure all sheets are lined up in the

correct order; I have forgotten to check and punch holes on the wrong side.

To punch the wholes, take between 5 - 8 regular sheets stacked

neatly together. Insert the left side of the stack into slot

(similar to a 3 whole punch) and wiggle them a bit to make

sure they're all the way back. Press down handle to punch holes.

Repeat until all sheets have holes.

This is what the left side of your paper will look

like when done correctly. I still occasionally mess up

on this step. Thankfully it hasn't happened on an original piece of work.

Now for the comb spine. Insert it so that each "comb" is in between the tines
and can be opened up. One side can be opened, one can't.

With my machine, the handle that you press to punch the

holes also opens the spines. On mine, there is also a wedge piece

that can be moved to lock the handle open - it is on the right of the

photo about midway.

Now, pick up some of the punched paper. How many you

grab at one time may vary, depending on thickness of sheet and

how comfortable you are with it. Line up the holes with the "comb"

teeth and bring forward until teeth are all the way through the holes.

Repeat until all sheets are on. I personally like to have the open part

of comb at the back. You may like it the other way around.

Once all the sheets are on, unhook the wedge/lock

and pull the book off.

Here is what the book looks like with the spine on.

For the actual cover, I either let the boys draw a cover onto card stock or I will print the cover of the unit study onto card stock. For some of the larger unit studies we have finished, like Amanda Bennett's Pioneers or Thanksgiving, the boys and I will sort their work into different categories. Some examples are: vocabulary, biography, maps, miscellaneous, Mayflower, 95 Thesis, or whatever else may be appropriate. Then I will type these categories out in a Word Document, one word per page near the upper right corner and rotated. The document then gets printed onto several sheets of colored paper and put on top of the appropriate stack. When the book is completed, it is easier to find the various components that they'd worked on during the study. Following are a few photo examples:

So that is how we bind a lapbook in a nut shell!

Boys Advance to Yellow Belt

2011-01-22T11:00:00.001-05:00

The boys tested, this morning, for their yellow belt in Tae Kwon Doe. I didn't think to bring the camera as I hadn't fully comprehended that they were testing when it was mentioned last night. Snapped a couple photo's on my cell phone, as they were getting their belts. Below, is at home (obviously). Thankful for a sport they can do together!

Charlotte likes the smell of the belt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Extravaganza!

2011-01-20T19:43:00.001-05:00

Another Thursday, another birthday. At least only in January do we have two birthdays 7 days apart. It wasn't our intention to have our kids birthdays that close, but it just worked out that way.

This go around, Thing Two celebrated his 8th birthday. As of right now, he's riding off with his day to worship rehearsal. Kevin had practice last Thursday and took Thing One. This week he's taking Thing Two. It's suppose to be a treat hanging out with Dad and staying up late. Glad that the boys seem to enjoy it.

Seems as though, he's had a great day. He got Poke'man cards from his brother and a green nerf football from Kevin and me. If you know our kid, both are a great fit for him. When he's talking, the subject are either Pokeman or sports, so these were good for him.

Yes, there are photo highlights as well:

Chocolate milk this morning with whipped cream!

The cake that almost didn't happen (Ugh! again this week).

So I'd mixed the wet ingredients and was getting ready to alternate the flour (et al)

with milk into the wet ingredients. I went to get a measuring cup and the crisco fell out of

the cabinet, knocking he flour bowl onto the floor. Also in that process

something hit the oven temperature knob and it got turned up.

Wasn't to happy when all was said and done, but still able to create a

descent looking Poke' Ball. And for what it's worth, we still have
flour in the grooves of the kitchen floor! PSA ~ don't install hardwood floors
with "V" grooves in between planks; it catches all sorts of dirt or FLOUR!!!

Just what every cake needs, bunny ears.

Candles lite, singing "Happy Birthday".

Decorated birthday chair! There are only eight 8's

on the banner, 9 by Thing Two's first count. Had to

tell him that one 8 actually had a shadow.

So ends our crazy birthday week. 51 more weeks and we get to do it all over again. Love you birthday dude.

Baptism

2011-01-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

Big day for Thing Two! It has been his desire, for a few months now to be baptized. Today was the day! Before the actual baptism, the kids get video recorded giving their testimony. Turns out our son was in good company, in that, 6 out of the 10 kids favorite verse is John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only son

That who ever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And those were 10 baptisms over 3 services. Anyway, here are some of the photo's:

Pastor TJ at the beginning of the baptisms.

Thing Two's video testimony.

Not the greatest photo, but thought it was cool

to see TJ and Thing Two watching the video.

The photo above and two below are the actual

baptism.

What a happy day for our family!

Pinewood Derby

2011-01-15T18:50:00.001-05:00

Another year of Pinewood Derby! It is Thing One's fifth and last year as a Cub Scout, but only Thing Two's second year.

Following are a few photos from the building phase:

Almost completed cars. Still need wheels and more weights

Few "tools" of the Pinewood Derby.


Scale! Need to be able to figure out if your car is at the 5 ounces or 141 grams

Paints used, but not put away!

As an after note, neither boy won anything! As someone put it "That could be good to come home with no trophy". For Thing One, kind of disappointing though, that after 5 Races there were no trophies. Oh well!

Eleven years ago today

2011-01-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

Thing One was born at 2:33 PM. He sure has enjoyed telling everyone how old he is as well, "Hi stranger, I'm 11 now!" Okay, maybe not much, but seems that way.

Here are some photo highlights of the day!

A certain younger brother was not to happy. He couldn't

win at the video games! Not that the games are rigged, but odds

are not in your favor kido!

Blowing out the candles!

Yes, there are only 4 candles. Yes, he turned 11.

A certain someone, who will remain nameless, did not grease

the pan well, so the top of the cake did not come out well.

However, if the messiness of the kitchen indicates how

tasty the cake is, we have a winner!!

Decorations done last night!

Balloons added this morning, because there wasn't

enough around the house.

Streamers near the top of the window

and "Happy Birthday" Streamers across the middle.

Ribbons and streamers from the chandler.

YES! Annual chair birthday banner has been

poorly photo shopped by me. Thought

I'd keep the boys blog names going!

LAST TWO PHOTOS

These were taken with Thing One's new camera. Not the

best available, but he's happy with his present.

So ends another birthday for our oldest and begins the one week where I can say that my boys are 4 years apart!

"What My Obedience to God Costs Other People"

2011-01-11T07:02:00.000-05:00

I have been reading Oswald Chamber's devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" often lately. I'm finding the topics timely and something to dwell on through out the day. Today's title is above and here is the scripture:

As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon . . ., and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus - Luke 23:26

I am struck by this in a few ways.

First, am I truly living and following Jesus, in such a fashion, that there is a cost to others? My living and following of Jesus needs to be transparent enough that others can easily see the joy that is brought by faith, see the mercy and grace when there is pain, see (and feel) the forgiveness when there is sin. I desire this to take place and grow within my own life.

Secondly, I'm beginning to understand that, if I am following God's will for my life, there WILL be others who become offended by it. This is okay, as long as I don't step outside of God's plan. I may offer support and help, the best I can, but His way has been set before me and I need to follow it. If one wavers to accommodate the offended, more harm will be done, than good. Clear vision to finish the race before me, is needed and with that clear vision, be able to see those in need along the way.

My prayer is that my obedience to Christ be more transparent.

Yum!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Homemade Cafe Mocha

This is the sort of thing one makes when the guys leave the house on a Friday afternoon! Had thought I'd be taking "the Things" to Tae Kwon Doe, but Kevin got home early. So here I sit, still in grubby, but clean clothes, having just made a cafe mocha and now blogging. Pandora is playing "Old Country" music. Not a quiet house, but sounds that are okay.

As almost any teacher will tell you, the first few days back, after a break, seem long and difficult. It's been that for us, too. Also a full week of almost ALL activities. No easing into it with just a few subjects or activities!

This week we've been doing our usual grammar, math, and MoH along with Amanda Bennett's "Winter Wonders". We've had fun reading a lot of snow related books, making snowflakes, and drinking hot chocolate. Unfortunately, no real snow to be had! Here's a look at our snowflakes we made though:

Kind of like the reflection of the trees in the window, don't you?

Now off to enjoy my second mocha!

Our Homeschooling Experiences

2011-01-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

It has been hard to write about school! It seems like each day has been more of the same.

Honestly, would like this to change! Would be nice to have more fun, more exploration, more imagination!

Yesterday, although a bit of a struggle, we began to do more than the bare minimum. We spent a lot more time reading! I am slowing turning into one of those folks who has a ton (word used loosely here) of books out at one time. We read before school, during school, during lunch, during the afternoon. I found it quit enjoyable. Probably my favorite book to read was "A Redwall Winter's Tale" by Brian Jacques. It is full of rhyme and the animals dialect (which took a bit of getting use to in order to speak it). The boys seemed to enjoy it as well. I'll have to keep that in mind for other unit studies we endeavor to explore!

Another Oswald Chambers Entry

2011-01-05T06:22:00.001-05:00

The last few months, I've been trying to read Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" daily. There has been something for me to learn and dwell on in Mr. Chambers writings. His devotions have been pointing me back to God often.

Today is the same. I've been made to pause and dwell on the various verses and how they relate to each other. Makes me stop and ponder if I'm being faithful in my following. Must say it feels good to be "stirred" by the Holy Spirit.

Here is today's "My Utmost for His Highest":

Jesus answered him, ’Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward’ —John 13:36

“And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ ” (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, “Follow Me” (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, “Follow Me” (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first “Follow Me” was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18).

Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. “. . . He breathed on them, and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (John 20:22). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.

All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to “receive the Holy Spirit.” “Receive the Holy Spirit “— the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T02:30:00.001-05:00

If you are one that you like the way the numbers look for the month, day, year; this year has a few!

1-1-11
1-11-11
11-1-11
11-11-11
9-10-11

Okay, that's all I can come up with at 2 something in the morning!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-12-31T07:59:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is slowly beginning to rise. Although cold, it was nice being outside, briefly, with Miss C. Through the bare trees, one could see that moon was still out and the horizon is turning shades of pink.

I am thinking... of things it would be fun to do with the family. There are games the boys got for Christmas that we can play with, possibly take a hike through the woods, and some necessary shopping to be accomplished.

I am thankful for... a chimney repair guy, who is willing to squeeze us in today, though his schedule is booked through January. During a wind storm last weekend, the cap to our chimney was blown off. He's a great guy and honest businessman if you need a referral ~ Phoenix Chimney & Venting, Inc.

From the learning rooms...pulling a few things together, hopefully today, for next week. Think we'll be adding some work on

From the kitchen...biscuits, chocolate milk, coffee, coke, and biscuits fixings.

I am wearing...pajamas (so what else is new when doing this style of blog post!)

I am creating...still working on shawl; not much has changed in the last 6 days

I am hoping...to have a great day with the family.

I am hearing... humidifier running and family noises.

Around the house...slow start to the day. Ready for the day, but still sitting and lingering over coffee.

One of my favorite things...being warm and cozy under a blanket!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Getting back into the routine of school, hanging out with some friends. Not sure what else.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...the moon and day growing brighter. At the time of writing this, the picture was taken well over an hour ago!

2010-12-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it has started snowing. We may just have a White Christmas.

I am thinking... how nice it would be to have a fire (in the fireplace) and a nap today. Wonder if I can convince anyone else how nice that would be.

I am thankful for... a messy living room, happy children, and a husband making hot chocolate.

From the learning rooms...not much today, we're on Christmas break.

From the kitchen... Kevin is heating up milk for hot chocolate he got for Christmas. Thankful he wants to share.

I am wearing...pajamas

I am creating... another triangle shawl. I really enjoy knitting! So much so, Kevin bought me some supplies.

I am hoping...to take a nap. Yup, I'm tired and didn't even stay up late last night.

I am hearing... humidifier running. Toys being played with, conversations from one room to another.

Around the house...not much is going on.

One of my favorite things... hanging out with the family! It's enjoyable when everyone is getting along.

A few plans for the rest of the week: no definite plans for the week. More hanging out!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...(and may have already shared this) a photo of Charlotte and a family photo!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2010-12-24T07:40:00.000-05:00

Twas the day before Christmas and nothing was stirring at our house. It's quiet, mostly, and a slow start to the day. Breakfast is in the oven, coffee is being consumed, dog's been out, animals fed. Not such a bad start to the day!

It's been a pretty good year for us. We've survived the Home Study process and have an adoption application in at Adoption Answer. We're officially waiting to be matched.

The boys finished up 4th and 1st this past May. We took a few weeks off and started 5th and 2nd lightly through the summer. Both boys have enjoyed being involved in Cub Scouts and Tae Kwon Doe this year. They're progressing and earning their ranks in both activities. Thing One is a Webelo 2 and will move onto Boy Scouts near the beginning of 2011. Ian is a Wolf this year and enjoying it. Both guys are a Senior White belt in Tae Kwon Doe and looking forward to testing for their yellow belt.

Kevin continues to work at The Emmes Corporation as a Senior Software Programmer. Hard to believe he will have been with the company for 15 years next month. Only down fall with his job is the 30 plus mile commute, one way. In this economy, that's not such a bad thing. Outside of work, he's been active in various ministries at Burke Community Church (BCC). Probably his most favorite is playing bass, with a close tie for second in the various aspects of Men's Ministry.

This year, I've enjoyed attending Breakaway, the Women's Bible Study at BCC. During this past fall semester, I joined in with some of the ladies to preform skits at some Breakaway. It's been fun getting to know a few ladies a bit better through this. Learned a few things knitting this year. Started off by learning how to make a hat. Also learned a few new stitches.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas while celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Tuesday Tidbits

2010-12-21T16:00:00.001-05:00

Tidbits on a Tuesday, from our house to yours!

Days are officially getting longer. Although we may still get a lot of snow, it's mentally a nice thing to think that we'll be getting more sunlight.
Went to Costco today. Did the usual, go with a short list and spent over a hundred. We did buy a present for Kevin from Thing One and Thing Two. It's something I am sure he'll enjoy. So far, it is the biggest under the tree.
We're watching "Narnia" this afternoon. Closest thing to a Christmas movie, on DVD, which means we don't have to go downstairs.
Our dog, Charlotte, is such a snuggle bug. She's keeping my side nice and warm.
We'll be having a non-traditional Christmas Eve meal ~ California Pizzeria BBQ Chicken Pizza. Costco had samples and the boys thought it was pretty good. We'll be keeping our Friday Pizza tradition, while having something a bit different. We just need to figure out what service to go to.
Only one more present to wrap.
Only one more present to buy.
Only a few more thing to buy for each stockings.

Merry Christmas!

It's just around the corner

2010-12-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

and if you blink, Christmas will be over! We begin celebrating tomorrow, officially, with Kevin's family tomorrow. Hoping the weather holds out for it. Last year we got snowed out!

This next week, I hope to have fun with the boys all week. We still have a lot of fun Christmas books to read, Mad libs to do, and more baking. Want vacation to be fun, but hopefully without the t.v. ~ well maybe some movies. Then there are some long walks to take with my Christmas present, see below!

Ms. Charlotte got her last shot today, so she's good to go for exploring. It'll be fun to get out w/her, especially since she's a coon hound and really seems to enjoy being out.

She isn't my only gift this year. Also bought the Willow Tree Nativity set. There won't be a whole lot under the tree this year, for me anyway, but that's okay.

Now that you know what I've gotten for Christmas, what are you getting?

2010-12-01T06:57:00.001-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... it's dark, windy, and raining! Already feels like a gloomy day.

I am thinking... how nice it would be if our 10 year old slept in in the morning. He's been waking up early and LOVES to talk first thing in the morning.

I am thankful for... a descent nights sleep.

From the learning rooms...more on Christmas today. Hope to get to the mad libs again today. The boys seem to be enjoying Christmas School.

From the kitchen... no wonderful smells coming from that room, unfortunately. A lot of dishes to be dealt with. Want to help?

I am wearing...pajamas

I am creating... a manger for our nativity set. I really need to spend some time and finish it up. Have been "putzing" with yarn as well. No particular pattern, just playing with scraps. Need to create a more Christmas Festive header for this blog as well!

I am hoping... to get a lot done today. Wasn't all that productive yesterday!

I am hearing... the wind whip rain against the house; our 10 year old playing with legos in front of the Christmas tree; sounds of the fridge working; clicking of the keys. Quiet morning noises. Lovely sounds!

Around the house... is so much to do. For once I'm not panicked over it. It'll get done when it gets done.

One of my favorite things... is knitting (most know that I suppose). I enjoy the challenge of new patterns, picking out yarns, running my fingers through the different styles of yarn while at the store, and the monotony of it - (at times, it's kind therapeutic how repetitive it can be).

A few plans for the rest of the week: Seems that the remainder of the week is geared toward our kids. Tae Kwon Doe, scouts, co-op, Quest Sold Out (5th and 6th grade youth group at our church).

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...the boys after doing well at their first Tae Kwon Doe tournament.

Beginning of Christmas around our house

2010-11-30T07:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the boys and I began our Christmas Unit Study (when we got around the to actual unit, Thing Two said something along the lines of "Finally, we're going to study someone from Heaven!")

They were totally excited that we began with a movie ~ "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey". After this, we began "Mad Libs Very Merry Songs and Stories". It's my desire to do one of these every school day, to start the day with a bit of fun.

When looking through the local libraries database, I cam across "Stories Behind The Best Loved Songs of Christmas" by Ace Collins. This is working well so far because after the silly mad lib, we're finding out a bit of the song, as it was originally written. Yesterday's song was "Jingle Bells" and here's yesterdays lesson:

Dashing through the cats,

In a one-zebra open horse

V’er the Thing Ones we go,

running all the way.

Dogs on bobtails ring,

Making pigs bright.

What fun it is to build and sing

A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle stores, Jingle stores

Jingle all the way!

Oh, what fun it is to hang

In a one-zebra open sleigh

The song "Jingle Bells" was written by James S. Pierpont in approximately 1840. His father had asked him to write a song for Thanksgiving, YES, Thanksgiving! The song came about after watching young men riding their sleighs and James joining in the merriment. After the song was written and preformed for annual Thanksgiving service, it was a huge success and the choir was asked to perform it again at Christmas. It gained popularity, through word of mouth, and became more widely known when, in 1857, the Salem Evening news ran a story on it.

Our first day of Christmas lessons was a success!

The tree ~ 2010

2010-11-28T20:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, the yearly debate began ~ who gets to put the star on top of the tree. Fortunately we just have the two kids, so our routine works out well. Even years (like 2010) Thing One gets to put the star on top as he was born in 2000. Odd years it's Thing Two's turn as he was born in 2003. Of coarse that prompted the "How will we do it when we adopt?" Okay, lets take that one when it happens. If we adopt an infant, it won't be an issue right away.

Thing One's turn to put the star on top!

View from directly in front of the tree.

Visit to Yorktown, Virginia

2010-11-23T20:00:00.026-05:00

Although Yorktown wasn't the same time period as Jamestown, it is relatively close. We spent part of a day there and at Yorktown's beach area. Was pleasantly warm that day!


Camp's kitchen. The fire pits were dug into the ground to minimize sparks burning down camp.

Government didn't have enough tents for families that came along. Wives would have a "tent" out of whatever was available. She may also do laundry to earn some money.

Musket demonstration.

Few turkeys roaming around Yorktown. They escaped the Thanksgiving feast.

Thing Two was chosen to be a part of the cannon demonstration.

Canon after being fired!

Pretty Chicken!

On the beach, burning off energy!

Our builder dude!

Grass of some sort!

Surprisingly good picture.

Still digging and finding time for a picture.

Time to sit on the rocks.

Visit to Jamestown, Virginia

2010-11-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

We finished up our Pioneer Unit Study this past Friday and took a trip down to Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg Virginia area. Here are some highlights of Jamestown.

Hole in perimeter! Got to stick your head out.

The other kid seeing if his head will fit.

Yup! I fit through.

Here's my better side.

Armor for the day!

In Jamestown's Church! Really! They aren't normally this still.

Iron work.

Scrapping out a trunk to make it into a boat.

How the Indians slept.

Thankfulness

2010-11-08T09:59:00.000-05:00

We did a bit of shopping yesterday, as Kevin was out of cold medicine that is okay to take with all the other stuff he is on. While at Wal-mart, I took a bit of time to look for a this computer lap desk I'd seen a week or so earlier. It's one that gets a lap top up, so that air can circulate underneath and not run so hot. Not such a bad investment as I've already fried one mother board.

So today, I am thankful for my little lap desk, as we're working on school stuff. I am able to get my computer at a good height while sitting on the floor (and it's not making my lap to hot).


My MacBook, on the desk, attached to the T.V.

Top of the lap desk. You can have your lap top flat or propped up.

This little desk even came with a light that plugs into a USB port.

Here's my thankful item today. It will probably go up on our Thankful Tree tonight at dinner.

Today is

2010-11-05T07:31:00.000-04:00

November 5, but you may have already known that. It's also a Friday - woo hoo, home made pizza!!

This of course means 20 days until Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving tree is coming along. Had originally hoped to get a leaf up each day, but reality sets in and it doesn't always get done. It is looking pretty good though and hasn't dropped a leaf yet! Bonus!!

With Thanksgiving plans settling into a nice routine, I'm already looking at Christmas! LOL as I just got a fall header on the blog. The other day, I took advantage of the "Thing's" being at Tae Kwon Doe and went to Hallmark. They were finishing putting out some Christmas things. It sure was fun looking through their stuff.

Of course it got me thinking of activities to do around the house to keep the boys off the computer and TV. Found a few more ideas to add to my list of things to do. So far we have:

Make a wish list
make chocolate covered pretzels
make oreo truffles
decorate the tree
send out Christmas Cards (John & Terri, if you are reading, you'll still hold the title of early bird in our house)
possible pictures for said cards
tour neighborhood for lights
make mint brownies
make peppermint play dough (have been meaning to do this for years and hope to get it done this year)
watch "Polar Express"
watch "The Christmas Miracle of Johathan Toomey"
make peppermint bark
nature hike
go for hot chocolate

I've got a few more to fill in, but time to do so!

A day of firsts!

2010-11-02T09:59:00.000-04:00

Today is a day of firsts for me (and our household). The day started with my first mammogram. All in all, it wasn't so bad. One hears enough about being squished, that honestly, it wasn't all that bad. Bright side ~ left with a special dark chocolate bar. Funny side ~ the gentlemen sitting next to me (one waiting room for all radiology appointments) was called back before me. Evidently the technician typed in the wrong pager number and total the guy he probably really didn't want a mammogram. Wonder if she did that intentionally to make me laugh.

The other first for our house, the first fire of the season. We'll be sitting in the fireplace room toasty warm today. Woo! Hoo!!!