Happy October 1st!

Happy first of the month and happy Monday everyone. Hope the beginning is going well for you!

Is there anything special you are looking forward to this month?  Any traditions for the month? Celebrations?

Traditional things for us here is a Cox Farm field trip and Harvest Festival at our church.  Both of which are enjoyable events!  Think last year, it rained so much we never made it to Cox Farm; we'll have to make a greater effort this year.

We'll still have our crazy schedule, similar to what I posted as a wrap up of September.  Hope that with the end of October, life will slow down.  We'll only have one sport, Tae Kwon Do, and it tends to not interfere with meals or therapy!  Baseball seems to be all over the board, on the day of the week, the time of day (which gets more crazy with loss of evening day light), and whether game or practice.  Guess my "home body" ways are showing them self here.  I like predictable and routine.  Yes, I understand life is not always like that.  Life has a way of shaking things up, changing the order up, sifting things out ~ a test in flexibility!

It's been a long time!

Thankful I don't have any blog readers out there, waiting in baited breath, for my blog posts. You all would be long since dead. Needless to say, I've had a lot of thoughts on writing and picture taking, but they just didn't happen.

We are all safe here, in our corner of the world. We've been plugging away at school, trying to stay ahead of daily chores, and keep our heads up.

Hope all is well with you!

Monday Musing

If ever there was a way to being a Monday and it felt like a Monday, today seems to fit the bill. I've been dealing with a sore throat, didn't sleep well, boys woke up on the wrong side of the bed, it's hard to talk, tons of school before us, tons of chores before us, blah, blah, blah.

Will definitely be a caffeine type of day, christian music playing when appropriate, breathing, remembering to take it slow, remembering that not all things need to be done today sort of day. Thankfully, boys are showered, coffee is being consumed, and the sun is shining. Thankful that quiet times don't have to be a fancy, huge deal. Simple prayers and remembering verses will be getting me through this day. If you care to join me today, I'm praying for clarity and for focus.

Happy Monday! And may it end on a better note than it began!

Nothing usual about

today!! Woke up feeling like I hadn't slept well and at just after 4:00 PM still tired and not ready for the day. Phone calls this morning seemed to take a lot of time. School was very disjointed! On the bright side, after we got home from the library we were home for the remainder of the day. I was actually able to get a good fire going today. Cool thing is that I am the only one enjoying it right now. The boys are wrapped up in electronics (and I'm so tired, I almost don't care today). It's nice and warm in this room, with the only light being from my computer and the fire. Not so romantic or anything, but with Kevin on the way home, guess sharing with a sleeping cat and my computer will have to do. Here's what it looks like, should you care!!!

Beginning of the week

It's a rainy Monday morning as I type out the first blog of the school week. Coffee is ready, boys are still sleeping (although Thing One may be up before I am finished), chores are started (Kevin started the dishwasher ~ Thank You!!!!), and I'm just getting to introducing our school week. Madlib Monday will still be here, just later today.

We are reading and rowing "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen, illustrated John Schoenherr this week. It's another winter favorite of ours. To begin our study of owls, we went to a local county park Friday night for an "Owl Pondering". We got a quick introduction to Owls, dissected an Owl pellet (good starter for me as we have two for each boy here), went on a hike "to see" nocternal animals. Unsuccessfully I might add.

At Hidden Pond Nature Center, there is a barn and garage for office space and garage type stuff. There, an Owl usually likes to hang out. The staff a few live mice, that they would throw onto the garage roof, so the owl would come and get it. Very cool to see it swoop in and hear the talons scrap the roof. The birds are very quiet. Neat opportunity for the boys.

Well, we've had a number of rainy, above freezing days lately. It got me thinking that prior to when we left, that boots would definitely be in order for the hike. My thought proved wise. The boys and my boots after hiking:

There is a lot more fun stuff to come, this go around of Owl Moon. I'm not sure who will enjoy the book more, the boys or me. Guess we'll find out on Friday!!


P.S. Our oldest is still asleep, at 7 AM, as I get ready to post.

Monday Musing

It's still early today (5:41 AM by our Set Top Box) or "6:41 AM before we changed our clocks" according to Thing One. It is still VERY dark out side, but there is enough light outside to "see" the shine on our vehicles to know that it rained over night. There very well may still be a light mist coming down. Another week begins in the cold and dark.

We'll begin our school week with the second week of "Hanna's Cold Winter" and a week with "Mr. Gumpy's Motorcar". I'm looking forward to this week, because the outside activities have slowed down a bit. On the same note, but not so fortunately, we are battling what may be common colds or could be the flu. Because I just don't know yet, we're trying to take it easy, lay low, and get healthy. Our school days may be a little less organized as a result, but we'll get everything done that needs to be.

On the home remodeling front, progress is being made in the basement. The whole utility room has a dropped ceiling now, the HVAC trunk and steel I beam have been drywalled, and the second window well has been drywalled. Our contractor will be back today to do the final sanding and priming. I'll hopefully be able to paint those areas later today. My end of the job isn't finished though. Another trip to Home Depot for a piece of drywall, more spackle, an outlet cover, HVAC register cover, and return a couple of things.

Window well drywalled

Framing for wall behind sink

Manic Monday

Odd heading, I suppose. Sure feels like it has been a manic kind of day though, as I sit back and consider all that has been accomplished and all that is still left to do. Was up before 6:00 AM today, sitting with my bible and bible study book. It was dark, except for minimal light (trying to keep the boys sleeping!), and a bit chilly. Thing one was up before I was finished, but said something to the effect of "I'll be quiet so you can finish your quiet time!!" He followed through with that fairly well, too. The day progressed from there. Here's what has been accomplished thus far today:

• school with each boy
• reorganize Thing One's folder
• breakfast for everyone
• clean-up
• putting school stuff away
• packaged up a book to go back to a friend
• getting ready for the day
• speech for Thing One at the public school
• orthodontic appointment for Thing One (pallet expander got stepped on)
• run by post office
• straightening up of lots of little piles of stuff
• going over some Webelos requirements
• going over some Bobcat Requirements with Thing Two
• played with dulcimer for a bit
• sent out a couple e-mails
• organized stray newspapers
• threw away a few handfuls of trash
• looked at Thing Two's leaf pile and helped make it bigger
• cleaned a bathroom
• gotten four loads threw wash & dryer
• one still in wash and one more to go all the way through
• unloaded dishwasher
• reloaded dishwasher
• made progress in clearing off coffee table
• put away a few craft supplies
• came up with meals for the week
• talked with a friend, briefly, on the phone
• got the boys Razor Scooters folding again with the help of a little WD40
• updated sidebar on blog to account for new FIAR book for Thing Two
  

Now to just get rid of a few more piles of stuff during the rest of the day, read some more in bible study book, start reading chapters in "The Case For a Creator" and collapse later.

Monday Musing

The weekend sure did get away from me. Don't remember much from Friday evening, probably spent a portion of it knitting. Saturday, we ran A LOT of errands and even a return of one purchase. Yikes, a lot of tracking between stores. Got to sew some duvets for the boys new comforters. Two sheets (@ $4.50 a piece) were a lot cheaper than the almost $20 or almost $30 the boys were looking at. Let's see, $18.00 for the four sheets or $50 for two pre-made. That's a no brainer of what to do. That evening I even got to hang out with a friend and meet some new ladies that I recognized from church, but hadn't met yet. Sunday was just as crazy. Church in the morning, then lesson planned for a couple hours until hubby was home for lunch. Cleaning, more lesson planning, waiting for hubby to get home with a color cartridge so I could print things for school (that was an ordeal he can describe on his blog!!). We got to some cleaning in the basement and watched some ball games. Dinner was finally made and eaten to be followed by printing, in color. The boys to bed and finally working on the long over due checkbook.

So, it's now Monday and the pace hasn't slowed much. Got up, exercised, ate breakfast, got ready for the day, sorted and started our mound of laundry, finished lesson planning (and still a bit to do), and onto school. We're wrapping up most of the work now, to break for lunch, then the library, possibly another return, to back home, to a bit more school. Still need to update the sidebar pictures too. That will have to be later today though. A bunny trail from school let us learn that there are 6.7 million square miles in the USA (were we live obviously), 6.59 million miles in Russia (setting for Another Celebrated Dancing Bear), and 127.77 square miles in Japan (setting for Grass Sandals).

Hope your weekend and Monday have been more relaxing than ours!!

Monday Musing

How many individuals, who blog, actually write a blog everyday? I really don't know that I could come up with enough original or interesting idea to write about each day. Maybe I'm missing something unique, different. I'm sure if I watched my kids more closely or listened more closely, I'd see or hear something worth repeating, maybe not.

Just a thought; something to think about and ponder.

P.S. just an a side. Just happened to look at the number of posts for September (8) and number for the year (86). So as of today, I've matched the quantity of posts as last September and for the the year 2008. I could stop blogging now and be equal to last year. Probably won't happen though, there's bound to be something funny, amusing, or interesting to write about in the coming days, weeks, or months.

The Week Ahead

I'm going to start off with a side note in the form of a question: Am I getting in a rut or starting a series with the title "The Week Ahead"?

We're off to another school week, tomorrow. Today was our first holiday of the school year. It was my desire, for this school year, to incorporate some days off that my husband has from work. In all honesty, it's not to difficult when most of the office holidays are days like: Thanksgiving (and the day after), Christmas, New Years, Spring Holiday (which always falls on Good Friday), and Memorial Day (we're usually finished with school by then). This school year though, I wanted to add Labor Day and Presidents day. It's made for a few short weeks in school, but I've quickly learned how to plan around that.

It will be an interesting week, in that it's our first with me still recuperating from surgery. The boys have been good about helping out. So, in theory, school should go well. Hubby has been very helpful and even decided what we're having for dinner tomorrow, so that I don't need to worry about it. Thankfully, a friend wanted to bring us another meal and I may be ready for it as I'm worn out.

The week ahead will still be busy. We'll be starting our co-op later this week, a doctor's appointment for me, and Scouts begins as well. Yikes, haven't even begun working on Thing One's new Webe shirt or brag vest. Got a lot of sewing to do. Hopefully, I'll be able to get it done in time.

I'll update the side bar, in a bit, with the books for the coming weeks. I'm finding it helpful because Thing Two, especially, likes having a picture of the book, for the cover of his lap book. Off to round up books, take a few photo's, and upload them.

Have a great homeschooling week (or regular school as the case may be) friends.

The Week Ahead

promises a variety of things.

For starters, we're starting our third week of school. Thing One will be finishing up Gullywasher's and Thing Two will be working through Who Owns The Sun. Interesting little comment, made at our house, when discussing Thing Two's book, the boys responded (even though not a direct question) "God". Have to agree with them and thankful that lesson's about God are sticking with them.

There will also be a trips to a hospital this week. A dear friend of ours fell and broke her hip. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to make it out to see her. Wednesday, it's my trip to a hospital to have my gall bladder removed. Not a fun week health wise, but hope that recovery, for both of us, will be speedy.

Laundry Basket Boys

Some things in life never seem to change. We'd finished folding laundry - last week maybe - and were sitting around reading "Hardy Boys". It didn't seem to take long before the boys found their way into the laundry basics. They were totally content, just sitting there, listening. Guess they like small places. Found a photo from about four years ago. Then, they could share a basic. To funny!!

What was lost is now found!!

Okay, so it's nothing of great consenquences, but none the less, important to me.  I have a cookbook, Casserole Cooking From Taste of Home Books.  There are a number of recipes that we enjoy from this book and it got buried beneath some piles of papers.  Was disappointed when I thought it was lost, but got over it.  Was happy when it was found.

Ah, can still make:

• Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Tater-Topped Casserole
• Sunshine Casserole
• and others

P.S.  Does this count as Monday Musing?

Not a Wordless Wednesday

It's been a bit challenging to keep up with Monday Musings, Wordless Wednesday, Science Friday.  Thanksgiving and a cold got the best of me.

In trying to consolidate postings, I remembered this picture.  We'd planned on giving the Bibles as Christmas gifts, but when the boys began asking for big kid bibles, it was hard to not give in and let them have it early.  Both were excited to get their new Bible.  They've enjoyed learning how to look up passages and learning to read from them.

Monday Musing's

I've been working on Christmas decorations the last few days.  I have been painting the letters in the word "NOEL" gold.  I'd seen this in a Southern Living Christmas 2008 book and really liked it.  Hoping to getting some family photo's with each of us holding a letter and some individual shots, too, for a frame that has been on the wall (for a while now) with four empty slots.  I've taken a few pictures of the letters in my dining room window, which turned out really cool, but realized that my Five in a Row ornament's were in the shot.  I might be able to crop them out but haven't taken the time yet.  I hope to try a little later in the day.

 In the same book, there was a photo of hung stockings with a letter dangling with the stocking.  Thought this would be a cool thing to do as well.  So, the eight letter are almost finished. 

It's amazing how many coats of paint are needed, when using gold, to get it covered.

Got to the pictures, as you can see.  The gold doesn't show up well.  But when we get to family photo's taken, I'll post those.

Monday Musing's

So, I have been trying to add more fun stuff around the house for school.  I'd seen metal put up on a wall on FIAR ladies blog.  It looked like something the boys would have fun with using letters or words to create stuff.  My problem is that we decorated our house long before we began homeschooling and have limited wall space.  I was able to find a couple pieces, about 2' x 3', at Home Depot and they fit under the cork board puzzle I'd put up on the "stair case wall".  There isn't much use for the wall, other than photo's, so adding the metal sheets was easy enough - other than having to work around an outlet.  

It should be fun, just need to order some words or buy some magnet sheets and make our own - or both.

Monday Musing's

In the past few month's of the school year, I have visited a number of Five in a Row ladies blogs.  I have been inspired at their creativity with homeschooling and their blog.  One of the things I want to try is "Wordless Wednesday" - posting a picture, with no text, of something - anything - that inspires you.  I may try to keep up with my Science Friday's, too, and Musing Monday.

Not much to muse about today though.  Will be very happy, though, when the election is over and any fall out dust has settled.