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I've been tagged by my4sweetums and ElCloud

1. All right, here are the rules.

2. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.

3. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

4. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight
things and post these rules.

5. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged
and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re
tagged, and to read your blog.

1.  The very first time I tried downhill skiing was on a weekend trip to Canada in college.  My boyfriend took me to the top and left me there.  Imagine his surprise when he later saw me coming down on a stretcher!  No, I wasn't hurt - a kind ski patrol guy took pity on me and took me down to the "bunny slope" so I wouldn't be in anyone's way!  It was great revenge on the soon-to-be-ex boyfriend though!  He thought I got hurt and my mom was gonna KILL him! *giggle*

2.  The first time my dad tried to teach me to drive a stick shift, I backed us off the road in the middle of the woods.  In a VW bug.  He was not a happy guy.

3.  My feet have grown a size and a half since I started having babies.  I'm NOT gonna talk about the rest of me! :-p

4.  I was always such an voracious reader, I could never put books down!  I even used to read while walking home from the bus stop.  In my younger (more dense) years, I would even read while driving.  Now while in the car, I only read at red lights. :oD

5.  I once "risked my life" for a lousy piece of paper that read "Kentucky Fried Chicken". :-0

6.  I was captain of a fantastic bowling team in my early teens.  We won most competitions.  We even got to travel to a different state for Regionals one year.  And throw cherry tomatoes at Pat Boone!  Don't ask!

7.  I sing in the shower.  Loudly.  With much expression.  My kids are young enough, they think I'm great!

8.  I almost got stranded at the airport in St. Kitts at the end of our honeymoon.  I thought dh had grabbed my purse which had all of our wedding gift money in it.  He, of course - being the new husband, looked at me like I was insane when I asked if he had it.  I had to RUN across the tarmac back to the airport, BANG on the door that is kept locked to hijackers and crazy tourists, VAULT over chairs in the waiting area, SNATCH the purse from under the seat where it had fallen then RACE back to the plane while being applauded and cheered by the locals in the terminal.  Meanwhile, dh is firmly "holding up" the plane by refusing to get out of the aisle and fasten his seatbelt because they wanted to leave without me. 

And there ya have it.  More of me than ya wanted to know!

I'll add my 8 to-be-tagged buddies later.  BIG storm rolling in and I have to shut down!!

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Closing indefinitely as in:  not permanently, but not sure when I'll be back.

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That's what this post is about.

Sometimes I think that's what this blog is about. *sigh*

I've been reading through past entries and wondering about the direction the blog has taken.  What is my purpose here?  Where am I going?  Am I sharing anything helpful?

I'm a bit ashamed about the lack of any mention of the Lord in my posts over the past year or so.  He is all I am - shouldn't that be clearer in my posts?  My Reason for all I do - so why the lack of recognition?

But right now I have a baby on my lap, a rolly baby next to me on my bed - blocked in with pillows, a chatty toddler dropping ceramic animal figurines on my hardwood floor and soupbeans about to boil over in a pot on the stove.  Think I have time for a meaty post about anything, much less the most important Person in all of life??!?

Maybe it's a season.  Maybe my priorities are off.  Maybe my focus is fuzzy.

Maybe it's not about me.

Anyone know where I'm going with this?  Input please?

Wow, and this started off as just a catch-you-up-on-our-little-lives post.  Go figure!

Peace,

Katie

I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power od God for the salvation of everyone who believes. ROMANS 1:16

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lovemy4babies has given me the Thinking Blogger Award!!  I'm honored!!  Here are the rules, followed by my five picks (only 5!?!!?  This is tough!!)

The rules:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. I thought it would be appropriate to include them with the meme.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.
That was that! Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!

The whole concept is truly interesting since this one blog site ( http://www.thethinkingblog.com/2007/02/thinking-blogger-awards_11.html ) that started the whole thing  - its all just an experiment! You can link to this person's original 5 tags from that site above and follow the trail! Here are my 5 nominations:

Lisa at The Preacher's Wife makes me think about my walk with the Lord and she's usually great for a laugh as well!  Right now she's hosting a fabulous Bible study.

OreoSouza ALWAYS makes me think.  Even when I'd rather feel sorry for myself.  But she's a good friend that way. {{{HUGS}}}

Michelle at Loving & Learning has a gift for words.

My new friend Shera at A Frog in My Soup is worth a look!

And I always love what Amanda Bennett has to say in her newsletters, etc at her Unit Studies blog.

There ya have it!  There are a bunch of others, but I tried to find bloggers that had not already been awarded. 

Peace,

Katie

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You know how you keep thinking it's going to get better so you don't say anything?

It isn't getting any better.

I hate to even list all this, it sounds whiny.  But maybe someone has some advice!

I've been in almost constant pain for 4 wks.  My body is falling apart!!

My jaw aches still.  They can't find a cause.  It may be teeth clenching, it may be I damaged the tendon.

I have what may be an abdominal hernia - I feel a BAD pinching when I move a certain way or pick up the heavier littles.  Right around the navel.

My dry scalp/dandruff/whatever is so bad, it's now moving down the back of my neck.  I scratch in my sleep, aparantly, because there are scabs all over the back of my head & neck.

NOW, I find several red hot spots on my... um... milk factories this morning.  That means infection, right?

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot   "Because of the multiple pg", my gums, which have always been borderline, have tipped the scales past gingivitis and now I need to have my teeth scaled.  $732 for them, lots of pain for me!

I want to crawl away and hide.

We have no ins., and I don't have a GP.  My only doc is an OB and won't see me because none of this is gyn/ob related.



Please pray for my health.  Any suggestions for ANY of it would be welcome as well.

Peace to you,

Katie

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I need more of me.  A clone or something!  An extra set of arms??  Eyes in the back of my head?  The ability to function on 3 hours sleep a night?

OK, no.  What I really need is LESS of me.  And more of Christ in me, and the Spirit of the Living God in me directing my steps, setting my priorities, showing me what is of eternal significance.

'Cuz I can't do it all.  But I want to!

I want to do Learning Adventures again with the 3 bigs!

I want to keep up the fun stuff we're doing for the basics, though.

I want to do FIAR consistently with Bee.

I want to do B4FIAR consistently with Bear.

I want to do Letter of the Week with Kitty, Lamb & Puppy.

I want to update the baby books, catch up on the scrapbooking, write letters to our sponsored dc, reply to my 1st grade teacher's Christmas card, make the great looking Valentine's chocolate pops in the kit my aunt sent, pamper my dh (who is leaving on a business trip this week), get together with friends, have more company...

I want to play catch with Bug, have a tea party with Butterfly, fix Bunny's hair, climb a tree with Bee, read all the books Bear wants to hear, have a teddy bear picnic with Kitty, and cuddle on Lamb & Puppy all day long!

I WANT A SELF-CLEANING HOUSE!!

OK, so some of these things are mutually exclusive.

There are manymanymany more things I could put on my "I want" list.  But the question IS:  What does God want me to do?

Hmmmm...

Got to close for now.Having electrical problems!

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That's what's going on here for school!  We attempted to continue with our schedule with Gramma here - per her request - but it never really works that way.  The dc are too distracted by having her here to stay on the routine.  Doesn't bother me, but she really wanted to see how we get 'er done! :o)

It's 5:40 AM and dh & Butterfly (10) are dropping her off at the airport.  We are all sad to see her go, but for my autistic dc it will be good to have life back to as-normal-as-it-gets.

So today, it's back to R, R, & R with all the biggun's and Mike Mulligan with Bee (6) & Bear (3) for FIAR.  Unfortunately, the twinkies haven't been sleeping well so neither have I.  Plus I have a terrible toothache, but the dentist can't find anything wrong (maybe I'm grinding/clenching my teeth at night?) so I'm NOT feeling very motivated to get back to it.

Good thing I don't have to rely on "feeling power", huh?  Good thing I'm a relaxed homeschooler - I won't feel guilty if we take a few days to cycle back into it!

I took advantage of my MIL helping with the dc and read two GREAT fiction novels this past week.  The Beach House Series by Sally John (2 books so far) was a wonderful treat!!  It overflows with God's grace in the lives of His children.  Now I'm reading Grace Works by Dudley Hall.  I'm thinking God has a theme going for me here.  I struggle with understanding His love and grace.  I'm praying for new insights!

Whoops - got to go.  Puppy (3mo) needs attention!

Peace,

Katie

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How's that for a title?  Guess I'm just not feeling very creative.  I'm drained.

My MIL is here for a week.  Normally, this is not a problem but my autistic dc are WIGGING OUT this time and the stress level is ENORMOUS!!  *sigh*  At least sweet dh is off work now for the rest of her visit and can help with these crazy dc.

MarlaMom asked some questions, so here's some answers!

My birthday is Saturday.  This is part of the stress problem.  My autistic dd wants everything to be "perfect" for my birthday and usually ends up ruining everything with her horrible attitude and acting out.  I love birthdays, can you tell?  Last year, I didn't even tell the dc it was coming and I forbade everyone else from mentioning it.  It was one of the least stressful I've had since dd was 2.

Here's a Valentine's idea for the dc to help out with: 

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I had the oldies station on yesterday.  I was hoping to hear some GOOD tunes, you know?  From the 50's & 60's, right? 

They played "Shout" by Tears For Fears!!!!  WHAT?!?!?  That came out in the 80's!!!  THAT'S not an oldie!!!!  I was in high school when that came out!!

Then it hit me.

That means I'm OLD!

NOT a good thing to have happen just days before your birthday.  I'm only 36-almost-37 fer cryin' out loud!  How can a childhood song be on the OLDIES station???

BTW, this is all tongue-in-cheek.  I have never minded getting older or having birthdays.  Ever.  Really.

MUCH thanks to my SS for leaving a comment today!  I DID get to do something for me tonight (and that's rare).  I got a couple of books in the mail today from a friend (yes, Krista, they arrived!) and I'm reading a so far WONDERFUL piece of fiction - The Beach House by Sally John. 

Peace,

Katie

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LOL

Hurray for hansmom over at School at Home With Calvert!  She found the question in the previous entry and was the first one to answer.  I left you a comment, Kathy.  Just e-mail me with your addy and I'll send you your gift!

BTW, if anyone else is reading my blog (giggle) go on over and check hers out!  And - more contests to follow.  Just because it's fun. :o)

Peace,

Katie

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I'm swiping this idea from a friend of mine!

Take the FIRST blog entry from each month and copy the LAST sentence.  It's neat!

JAN:  Hmmmmm... Yep, it's going to be an interesting year!  Off to start memorizing!

FEB:  I'm NOT trying to be a commercial here.   I just am amazed at the difference in my boy and would LOVE if those with struggling learners could experience the same thing.

MAR:  So, how did YOU do??? (BTW, I'm not your conscience - you don't have to answer here, just think on it and pray about it!)

APR:  This week's Carnival of Kid Comedy is up at the Shoe.  Oh, there are some real thigh slappers in this round.  Check it out!

MAY:  Show me how to truly seek intimacy with You.

JUN:  I always respond, "I don't!  I spend a lot of time in prayer, and my strength comes from Him".

JUL:  Still having computer trouble!

AUG:  My 26wk belly and a shot of the boys' heads together!

SEP:  I would suggest laminating the cards with clear contact paper, OR covering the chore pics with packing tape to prevent them peeling.

OCT:  UPDATE! Comp crash, pre-eclampsia, bedrest, 35wks+2

NOV:  It is awesome & special and wonderful... and I am smitten by these two!

DEC:  Next week, it looks like we'll be "going to" Italy, Japan &  Sweden!

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My friend HappyApple did this over on her blog and it looked like fun, so I am doing it too.  My answers will be in bold.   Have you ever...   01. Seen the Grand Canyon 02. Swam with wild dolphins 03. Climbed a mountain 04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 06. Held a tarantula 07. Taken a candlelit bath 08. Said “I love you” and meant it 09. Hugged a tree 10. Bungee jumped 11. Visited Paris 12. Watched a lightning storm at sea 13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise 14. Seen the Northern Lights 15. Gone to a huge sports game 16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 18. Touched an iceberg 19. Slept under the stars 20. Changed a baby’s diaper (more than I care to count!) 21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 22. Watched a meteor shower 23. Eaten alligator 24. Given more than you can afford to charity 25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 27. Had a food fight 28. Bet on a winning horse 29. Asked out a stranger 30. Had a snowball fight 31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 32. Held a lamb 33. Seen a total eclipse 34. Ridden a roller coaster 35. Hit a home run 36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking 37. Adopted an accent for an entire day 38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment 39. Had two hard drives for your computer 40. Visited all 50 states 41. Been to Austria 42. Had amazing friends 43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country 44. Watched whales (But I went ON a whale watch - just didn't see any!) 45. Stolen a sign 46. Backpacked in Europe  47. Taken a road-trip 48. Gone rock climbing 49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach 50. Gone sky diving 51. Visited Ireland 52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love 53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them 54. Visited Japan 55. Milked a cow 56. Alphabetized your CDs 57. Pretended to be a superhero 58. Sang karaoke 59. Lounged around in bed all day 60. Played touch football 61. Gone scuba diving 62. Kissed in the rain 63. Played in the mud 64. Played in the rain 65. Gone to a drive-in theater 66. Visited the Great Wall of China 67. Started a business 68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 69. Toured ancient sites 70. Taken a martial arts class 71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight 72. Gotten married 73. Been in a movie 74. Crashed a party 75. Gotten divorced 76. Gone without food for 5 days 77. Made cookies from scratch 78. Won first prize in a costume contest 79. Ridden a gondola in Venice 80. Gotten a tattoo 81. Rafted the Snake River 82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” 83. Gotten flowers for no reason 84. Performed on stage 85. Been to Las Vegas 86. Recorded music  87. Eaten shark 88. Kissed on the first date 89. Gone to Thailand 90. Bought a house 91. Been in a combat zone 92. Been in a marching band 93. Been on a cruise ship 94. Spoken more than one language fluently – not fluently but almost! 95. Performed in Rocky Horror 96. Raised children (in the process) 97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour 98. Passed out cold - not drunk, but post labor! 99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country 100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 101. Driven on the Golden Gate Bridge 102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking 103. Had plastic surgery 104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived 105. Wrote articles for a large publication 106. Lost over 100 pounds 107. Ridden on a boat down the Danube River 108. Piloted an airplane 109. Touched a stingray 110. Broken someone’s heart 111. Helped an animal give birth 112. Won money on a T.V. game show 113. Broken a bone  114. Dyed your hair  115. Shaved your head 116. Caused a car accident 117. Been elected to public office 118. Skipped all your school reunions 119.  Built your own PC from parts  120. Gone back to school 121. Read the Iliad and the Odyssey 122. Ridden a horse 123. Eaten Kangaroo meat 124. Had stitches 125. Toured castles in Europe 126. Had your picture in the newspaper 127. Eaten sushi 128. Sold your own artwork to someone you didn’t know 129. Published a book 130. Written poetry 131. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears 132. Fired a rifle, shot gun or pistol 133. Had major surgery  134. Had a snake as a pet  135. Gone on an African safari 136. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 137. Visited more foreign countries than US states 138. Visited all 7 continents 139.  Lived in a foreign country for more than a year 140. Been swimming in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans 141. Been to Niagara Falls 142. Lived on both sides of the Mississippi river 143. Sang in a foreign language in front of an audience 144. Been to the Berlin Wall 145. Taught a child to read 146. Been a DJ

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Autumn's Arrival

Hurry children, come and see

the aspen leaves are dipped in gold;

touched by God's great hand

The breeze is whispering autumn's chill -

winter's warning.

Hear the hiss and rattle?

Like water running over rocks,

the aspens speak to those who listen.

The smoky scent of burning leaves

warms the heart with memories

of autumns long past.

The tang of pine assaults the nose;

a glimpse of Yuletide joy.

Hurry children, come and see

and marvel at summer's passing.

© 1997

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wet phone lines!  I'll hopefully be back as soon as they dry out & I get a good connection.

Oh!  A funny!  Bear (3oy) was waving goodbye to Daddy this morning, turned around & said, "I'm gone MISS dat fella!"

Peace,

Katie

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Please answer the following questions:

What is the name of your homeschool?  RAINBOW CHRISTIAN ACADEMY

How did you come up with that name? BECAUSE WE STAND ON GOD'S PROMISES

Look to the left of your computer monitor. What is there? KITTY'S CRIB

Where do you keep your unmatched socks? IN A BAG IN THE CORNER OF THE LR

What habit are you trying to break? YELLING

What were you doing just before you got online? SLUGGING COFFEE 

TAGGING ALL ON MY FRIENDS LIST! *wave*

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Happy Fourth of July!  Praise God for our independence!  Please keep all of our servicemen (and women) in prayer!!

I just finished the best book I've read in a long time.  From Basic to Baghdad: A Soldier Writes Home by JB Hogan is interesting, funny, heartwarming... everything you'd want a book to be!  You can get it from Bright Ideas Press.  There's more info on the book at the From Basic to Baghdad site, though I admit I haven't been there yet.  Still having computer trouble!

Enjoy!

Katie

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I joined a new service called Unwired Buyer which tracks the auctions you’re bidding on.  They call your cell phone 3 min before the auction ends.  For trying it & bidding with it, they send $20 to your paypal acct!  You DON’T have to win the auction.  If you sign up with a referral from me, I get $5!  Anyone want to try?  LMK!

My money hit within 2 days.

Peace,

Katie

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Julie tagged me - IF I had time.  BWAHAHAHAHA!!! (where's that little raised eyebrow emoti-guy??)

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4? "You shall be as Gods" (Gn 3:1-6) (Living Parables by Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M)

 2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?  Nothing, but if I got up, the first thing I would reach is Kitty's crib.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?  Nature show on PBS

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Hello there!

First prenatal is today!  I'm excited, but nervous, too.  Always is a bit nerve wracking to wait to hear the heartbeat that first time.

School is going well.  We're studying oceans & explorers - the dc are thrilled!  Except for the copious amounts of seafood meals being served - some of them would like to skip those altogether! LOL  I can tell they are native Coloradans - land-locked & lovin' it!  (Except Bunny - the ONLY 7yo I know that asks to go to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner!)

I had a bunch of funny things to write... things the dc have said... but can't remember a thing now.  Sorry to waste your time! :-)

Peace,

Katie

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This week's Carnival of Kid Comedy is up at the Shoe.  Oh, there are some real thigh slappers in this round.  Check it out!

Peace to you,

Katie (who is VERY queasy and is going to LAY DOWN!)

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The new Kid Funnies Carnival (#3) is up at Kim's Life in a Shoe.  Check out the rest of her blog while you're there - it's GREAT!

Peace,

Katie 

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I was tagged by Janne (she's got a GREAT blog over there)

7 awesome movies (NOT in order) 

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Camelot
3. Little Women
4. Bells of St. Mary's
5. The Neverending Story
6. The Parent Trap (original)
7. Willie Wonka (original)


7 Great Music People (NOT in order)

1. Mercy Me 
2. Mozart
3. Vivaldi
4. FFH
5. Bing Crosby
6. Jimmy Buffett
7. Warren Zevon


7 people I talk to (almost) every day (No almost here)

1. Mark (dh)
2. Kitten
3. Bug
4. Bear
5. Butterfly
6. Bunny
7. Bee

7 things I love (NOT in order)

1. baby feet
2. mocha almond fudge ice cream
3. Yankee candles
4. autumn in New England
5. kitty-cats
6. old houses
7. good biographies


7 things you could call me

1. creative
2. intelligent
3. conservative
4. spiritual
5. Christian
6. passionate
7. moody


7 states I love (IN order)

1. Vermont

2. Colorado
3. Maine
4. New Hampshire
5. Massachusetts
6. Kansas
7. Pennsylvania


7 people that I will tag

1. Chrissy

2. April

3. MuckFootMom

4. Brenda

5. AmandaT

6. Mary

7. Chris

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Today is National Let's Be Real Day.

OK, So I made it up.  But I'd like to use this entry to "come clean".

* My house is usually in some form of chaos.  Dishes in the sink, laundry on the couch or toys strewn all over the floor... or all of the above.

* Dusting makes me itch - literally - so I don't do it often.

* I mop once a week, whether it needs it or not (has it ever "not"??!?)

* I get frustrated with my dc.

* I'm a yeller, though I'm working on it by God's grace.

* I'm selfish & lazy & spend too much time on the computer.

* I'm shy and drop the ball lots of times with ministry opportunities.

There's more, of course, but I *do* need to do school today.   

I hope this little glimpse into the real me doesn't scare ya!  I love my Lord, and I love my family - and isn't *that* the Real Thing?

Peace to you!

Katie

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Degrees of Separation - An Experiment

There is a game known as ‘6 Degrees of Separation’ (from Kevin Bacon - no relation to the best of my knowledge). The way the game works is to try to connect 2 famous people via 6 associations. We have been watching the blogsphere for the last year or so and believe that nearly all blogging homeschoolers will hear about important news items, etc. within 3 days of the first mention in a HS blog.

This experiment will work as follows:

1- If this is the first blog in which you have seen this post and you would like to contribute to the experiment, copy the entire post and post it in your blog.

2- Modify the post to add a link to your blog which displays the appropriate degree you are from the original in the following list:

{original, first degree, second degree, third degree, fourth degree, fifth degree, sixth degree}

That way, visitors can directly see the chain of communication that ended with this post in your blog.

3- Leave a comment in the blog where you first viewed this post indicating that your blog is among the next degree.

4- If you are a homeschooler or are interested in/considering homeschooling and either do not have a blog, would prefer not to blog this or the sixth degree is already taken, you can still contribute to this experiment by leaving a comment in the blog where you first read it.

5- After 3 days report back how many people read, commented and blogged based on your post to the blog where you first read this. (They only report this blog would receive is from the degree below and this blog will report the total from below and comments here to the degree above.) To illustrate how this would work let’s suppose that in this imaginary example every blog has approximately the same number of readers and that each blog entry for each degree ends up with exactly the same number of comments.

Let’s say that each blog would receive 2 comments where the experiment was posted and 2 comments from non-bloggers. This would produce the following:

original: 2 + 2 = 4
first: ( 2 * 2 ) + 2 = 6
second: ( 2 * 4 ) + 2 = 10
third: ( 2 * 8 ) + 2 = 18
fourth: ( 2 * 16 ) + 2 = 34
fifth: ( 2 * 32 ) + 2 = 66
sixth: ( 2 * 64 ) + 2 = 130

That totals 268. If you change the number of experiment posts to 3, the result is ( 5 + 11 + 29 + 83 + 245 + 731 + 2189 = ) 3293. Consider what the number would be when we average about 60 readers a day. (Welcome to math 101) Let’s allow a week for the reporting to roll back through the earlier degrees.

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I got this from cudltot over at Learning Adventures.  I thoughtyou may want to know a little more about me.  If not - skip it!

4 Jobs I've had:

1. Waitress

2. Hotel Maid

3. Hotel Manager

4. Music Store Manager

4 Movies I can watch over & over:

1. It's a Wonderful Life

2. Summer Magic

3. Little Women

4.

4 Places I've Lived:

1. Massachusetts

2. Vermont

3. Colorado

4.

4 Books I Love:

1. Psalms

2. Little House series

3. all by Louisa May Alcott

4. Little Britches series

4 Current shows I won't miss:

-none- TV doesn't interest me

4 Websites I Visit Daily:

(all blogs)

1. LFL

2. How's Luke

3. Tidbits of Our Lives

4. Janne's Jabberwocky

and many, many others!!!

4 Foods:

1. Chicken Enchiladas Verde

2. Chocolate

3. Good Italian

4. Homemade Soup

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:

1. mountain cabin with my family

2. beach with my hubby

3. ranch with my family

4. Heaven with my family! 

4. Albums (Artists) I can't Live Without:

-changing it to 4 CD's in the Turnstile -

1. Mercy Me 

2. FFH

3. NT on CD (book of James)

4. Frank Sinatra

4 Songs That Are Current Favorites:

1. "I Could Only Imagine" by Mercy Me

2. "Live Like You Were Dyin'" by Tim McGraw

3. "We Live" by Superchick

4. "Happy Birthday to You" - Jan-Jul is birthday season for our family of 8 and extended family!

My addition:

4 Places I'd Like to See That I've Never Been:

1. Grand Canyon

2. Ireland

3. Israel

4. Oregon Coast

Peace to you!

Katie

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I was tagged by blessedwifeandmommy at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessedwifeandmommy/

Great blog - you should check it out!

                        Seven Things to do before I die

1) Raise my children to have a hunger for God

2) Go on a missions trip

3) Live on a mountainside in a cabin

4) Climb a fourteener

5) Play my flute for a Christmas service at church

6) Write a book

7) Live life as if there were no tomorrow

                              Seven Things I can not do
1) keep the house clean as long as we are all in it
2) deal with "sickies" in the middle of the night

3) hear a baby cry and not go to him

4) tolerate lying!
5) juggle

6) eat calimari

7) Whistle really loud

Seven Things that attract me to my husband.

1) He works hard to provide for our ever-growing family
2) He has the kind of eyes that you can "fall into"

3) His unshakable faith in God

4) He gets all "gooey" when the littles smile at him

5) He can't keep a gift for me until the special day!
6) He puts everyone else before himself

7) He will admit his mistakes

                       Seven things  I say most often.

1) I love you

2) What are you DOING?

3) Give me a minute

4) Let's see what the Bible says about _____ (fill in the blank)

5) God Bless

6) not now!

7) If you can't say something nice...

                       Seven Books (or series) I love

1) The Bible
2) The Mitford Series

3) Created to Be His Help Meet

4) Little Women
5) Little House on the Prairie series

6) Mary's First Christmas
7) Cheaper By the Dozen
 
                              Seven Movies I watch over and over again
                          (or would watch over and over if I had the time)

1) It's a Wonderful Life
2) Willy Wonka (with Gene Wilder)
3) Bells of St. Mary's

4) Little Women (newer version)

5) Camelot
6) Summer Magic

7) Pollyana

                     Seven People I want to join in too.

All my Haven friends who read this but haven't been tagged yet!!

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OK, maybe not DESPERATE, but...

DH was born on Canada Day

DS#1 was born on Bastille Day

DD#1 was born on Cinco de Mayo

DD#2 was born on National Day of Prayer

DD#3 was born on National Pistachio Day (OK, I know - we're really reaching here!)

I need to find some real/cool/funny holidays for 3/6 and 4/25 (and a replacement for 2/26 wouldn't be bad)!  Every internet search I try comes up blank.  Any tips?

Oh!  And I'm NOT disclosing what MY b-day is.  Nope.  Unh-uh, no way!

Peace to you!

Katie

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*The tub is clean!  Yes, it took two days.  I TOLD you it was nasty!

*I have finally lost what's left of my brain (have you seen it?).  I asked the dc, "Where's S-G?"  No one answered.  "Where is S-G?!?"  Blank stares.  "WHERE is S-G??!??!!"  M is looking at me like I have three heads.  "Uh, right here, Mom."  I scan the room frantically.  You know where this is going, don't you??  She's on my hip.

*Don't worry what the neighbors think when your dc run outside in 40+mph winds with trash bags to see if they can fly.  They already think you're nuts.

Peace to you,

Katie

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My sweeties are growing up too fast!  K, my 11yo, was getting a lecture yesterday when I just had to stop dead with mouth gaping.  I realized I was practically looking him in the eye!!

And today my youngest, S-G,  is 6mo!  It goes soooo fast.

Nothing profound today.  Hug your babies - no matter what their age - and remember to appreciate all the little moments:  Hugs, smiles, surprises, diapers, runny noses, snuggles, poems, hair tangles, songs, boo-boos, unmatched socks, sticky handprints, "me do it"'s, running hugs, laundry piles, leaf piles, pb&j...

Peace to you!

Katie

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Taking a cue from a fellow blogger friend, I thought I would answer all the questions I've received in comments in one fell swoop!  (Sorry, I've always loved that expression)

Dianna in Colorado asked:  Do I know you from H.O.M.E group?

Yes, I love that group!  Hi!

Annonymous asked about the resources I used for Ancient Egypt.

I am using the Learning Adventures curriculum http://www.learning-adventures.org/index.html and used resources suggested in the manual as well as others I grabbed from the library, but nothing specific. 

Shurleen asked if the family devotional was original:

Yup.  I'll post the next "Fruit" entry next month.

KimMI wanted to know how the gate-closing and mouth-closing (LOL) Mommy character training issues are going.

Well, I'm $3.25 in the hole, mostly for "hate" and "stupid", with a couple of forgotten gates thrown in for good measure.  The kids are doing MUCH better - which is what I had hoped.

Finally, Barbara in AR asked about our "rock study" chocolate curriculum:

Using those desserts came from a few different sources - so long ago that I'm not sure where they are from.  I often joke that I don't have a creative bone in my body, but that I gather & store the creative ideas of others very well!!

Peace to you!

Katie

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Or at least dreams to think on...

* Take ballroom dancing lessons

* Travel to 5 foreign countries (2 down, 3 to go!)

* Vacation on the Pacific Coast

* Learn to knit or crochet

* Sing on stage just once (and NOT embarass myself!)

* Climb a Fourteener

* Move to the country ("A log cabin by a mountain stream/Where I can read and write/And sleep at night/And breathe air that's fresh and clean/Where I can raise a family/Like they did in my mother's time..." thanks Dave Loggins!)

* Publish my book

These are, of course, aside from the all important ones - seeing my children walk with the Lord, bringing others to Christ, deepening my walk, ...

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