Nov. 23, 2009 - Almost done
I'm almost done with my room. It is so cool. The walls are lime green, the trim is black, around the doors and the window sill are hot pink, and the door and the closet doors are going to be chalkboard black. I will post pictures of it when it is done. Oh one more thing I got a new bed it's a trundle bed I sleep at the bottom and my sister sleeps on the top.
That is it for now bye
Kathryn
Nov. 23, 2009 - Tagged.....There Was No Way To Escape It!
Choose 10 of your favorite fictional characters and list them below.
1) Kale (Dragon Keeper Chronicles)
2) Samwise Gamgee (LOTR)
3) Legolas (LOTR)
4) Bardon (Also Dragon Keeper Chronicles)
5) Link (Zelda)
6) Spiderman (Kinda obvious where he is from)
7) Batman
8) Aragorn (LOTR)
9) Saphira (Eragon Cycle)
10) Brom (Eragon Cycle)
----------------
1. If Kadaj was able to survive Cloud and him's battle,what would he end up doing? I have NO idea...maybe he would become a plumber =)
2. If Zexion had a heart,what would his main feeling be? Who? Well....he sounds like a sad guy..
3. If Versus had a nickname,what would it be? Another guy I don't know..um.....I'd call him Verse, but that's not very original...
4. What is Princess Midna the Princess of? The Twilight, but I only know that from hearing my bud Sarah talk about it, and I saw it before I typed my answer XD
5. Why is Samus and Ridley such enemies? IDK..Because......just hate each other in general?
6. Could Sonic and Shadow ever be friends? Maybe if the sky was purple..
7. Could Spiderman do a crime? NO! NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER. Spiderman is awesome and that's that.
8. Does Buttercup have a crush on Butch? Who have a crush on who? I guess they could..IDK
9. Is there a chance that Freddie and Sam will ever get along? I think not...at least not in the normal sense. They ARE friends, they just kinda hate each other =)
10. Is Bumblebee like a son to Optimus? Ya, I guess he is, I never thought about it...
The end! I finished the quiz! Anybody who would like to take this quiz also, feel free!
~Jenna
November 23, 2009 - I ♥ Faces: Sun Flare
When I saw the theme for this week's I <3 Faces challenge,: “Sun Flare”, this picture just popped into my head! :) I love the Sun Flare coming down on her. Isn't Hannah such a pretty girly? I sure love that Dahling!
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 22, 2009 - Cheeks
How 'bout those cheeks...
Nov. 22, 2009 - Field Trip - Falls Lake
I love field trip days. I look forward to the time learning more about nature or history whatever out topic of the day may be in a fun and hands-on way. I look forward to seeing our friends. I just look forward to all the day has to offer.
As our field trip day approached last week, it was raining and the forecast was grim. It was calling for rain and our field trip was an outdoor nature one. I wondered what the day would hold. We were assured that it would be a go - rain or shine - as shelters were available (unless it was storming).
As we drove over to Falls Lake, a few drops were hitting the windshield. A number of people had to cancel for various reasons. When we arrived, we were a small group. It was overcast and dreary ... and yet beautiful.
The haze obstrucing the view. The brilliant colors of the leaves, muted through the fog. Can you see God in views like this? So many times, I want my path to be clear. I want to see where I am going. I want to know what lies ahead. I want God to tell me what His plans are. I want. I want.
What I don't want is to wait, to wonder, to worry. I don't want to let go of my hopes and dreams. I don't want life to be so unfair for so many. Again, it is all about what I want. Sigh. It is hard when you can see so clearly that your focus is on yourself instead of on God.
I want answers to so many things right now. Things I've been praying about for a long time. It is hard to wait and yet I really do want what God wants for my life. I know He loves me. I know He is working in my life. I know He is there - even when I can't see clearly.
There is beauty in so many places if only we will stop and look. There is often beauty in places that may at first not look beautiful at all. My eyes see things so differently now than they did a few years ago. I'm thankful that God has given me that gift. I continue to pray that God would give me His eyes to see things. It is an area in which I fall short often. I think that the many struggles that our family has been through have helped to open my eyes to so much. I'm not the same and for that I'm thankful - and yet there is still so much work left to be done in me. I think the more I learn about Him, the more I can see that I lack. I'm thankful that I don't have to earn His love, but that it has been freely given to me.
Now, on to the field trip. We split into 2 groups. The younger children were learning about Dangerous Plants and Animals. The Ranger talked with us about spiders, snakes, fire ants, bees, ticks, poison ivy and unfamiliar dogs. He gave the children a lot of good information on what to do when you encounter these animals/plants.
We looked at pictures in order to recognize various species such as the Black Widow spider.
And even saw some that had once been alive.
The most dangerous snake in our area is the Copperhead. It was good to see what it looked like so that we could hopefully recognize one we might see. (Though I hope we never see one!)
Due to its coloring, this snake can easily hide among the leaves.
The Ranger also shared the most poisonous snakes have larger triangular shaped heads and eyes shaped like slits. One of the snakes that breaks these rules though is also found in NC, though typically not near us. It is the Coral Snake.
In order to help remember this snake, the children learned a rhyme.
Red and yellow kills a fellow
Red and black, OK Jack
They looked at some snake skins.
We walked around a bit and looked at the poison ivy vines growing on some nearby trees. Then we just played. It is a beautiful area and I'm thankful we had the opportunity to be outside today.
While we were with the younger children, the older kids had a class on Compasses. They learned about how to read and use a compass and then were tested on this by having to put their skills to a test. There were directions given and then they followed them to see where they ended up on a numbered line. The teams were given points based on how close they were to the right numbers. I heard great reports on this class, but unfortunately have no pictures to share. Please check out my friend Lynn's blog (click on her name) for more details and some pictures of this group.
A couple of hours later, some of the fog had lifted and the view was a little clearer. I love the reflection of the trees!
At lunch, we had a scare as Joshua's blood glucose numbers were very, very high. I haven't seen numbers like this since the week he was diagnosed. It was frightening. I had him wash his hands again and then we did a recheck. The number was accurate. We treated it and thankfully he was down 200 points by mid-afternoon and another 100 points by dinner time. Yes, it was that high!
He ALWAYS spikes on our field trip days. Always. I'm not sure if it is just the excitement of being with friends on a fun outing, but I've come to expect higher numbers on those days. Just nothing like this. It usually evens out by later in the day too. I'm not sure if there is more I could or should be doing about it either. I have talked with his doctor about this. I'm going to try to make sure he is well hydrated on these mornings and just continue to do our best. (There is no other factor that is different in terms of food, carb counting or amount of insulin.) It's a mystery as this disease often is. It can be a hard thing.
So often I'm asked if his diabetes is "under control". I'm not sure if it ever will be under our control. We are doing our best to manage it day by day and I think that is all we can do. Just yesterday a friend told me that it was still a struggle for her dh who also have Type 1 and that he still has highs and lows. I think part of the challenge is that so many different factors can affect your numbers. We are learning though and hopefully we'll continue to improve and get better. There is a high incentive to do well and with God's help we will continue to work at it each day.
I feel like I've been rambling and want to end with some things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for our health. I don't think I'll ever take this for granted again. I'm thankful for a wonderful medical team. I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful for a great FIAR homeschool group. I'm thankful for the many things in nature that God has made - each pointing back to a wonderful Designer. I'm thankful for my family. I'm richly blessed.
With love,
Leslie
Nov. 22, 2009 - Its that time of year once again...the time for shopping, decoration, freaking, visiting, and, remembering the Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ! Its his Birthday! SO CELEBRATE!!!!
Now I have a super long, but fitting title, what next? Oh yes, I know, I shall tell you the story, of a girl who wanted to get the perfect gifts for all her dear ones....it began when she remembered that Christmas was near......
Suddenly, it occurred to me....its only a month from Christmas! I need to start planning! Jusy about then I started making notes, planning plans, and having deep thoughts about how best to do things.....
Well, once again I must search for the unfindable, always sought after, PERFECT GIFTS! It is so difficult to get the perfect gifts for everybody! The only thing I can think of for my dad is "Reses" (he loves em)! He is SO difficult to shop for! My mom likes jewelry and clothes, but its so hard to chose those kind of thing without asking her which one she wants! I have a few ideas about what to get one of my brothers (hes 12) but they're all a little expensive for someone with my budget! And my 2 youngest sibs ...well....I could ALWAYS get them toys, but they already has SO many!!! Like hundreds!! Legos, Linkin Logs, Baby Dolls, Toy Weapons.......It seems silly to get more stuff for them to leave on their floor!
Ahhh, I do LOVE to shop, but its SO very hard to find the right gifts!!!! Well, what can I say? It IS part of the fun of Christmas! I'm sure I'll find them all something. I think I may end up asking my parents what they want, because otherwise I'll be all but clueless as to what to get them.....Well...the saga continues.....
~Jenna
Nov. 22, 2009 - holiday time advertisement!
The girls, Neko, and I attended a holiday craft boutique on Saturday. One of our friends was selling her hand crafted notecards, gift tags and a few other nifties. I was so impressed. Seriously, these are so well done. Actually two good friends have their own online stores, selling paper goodies. Just wanted to mention it with the holidays arriving, check out these adorable Christmas cards and tags!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/kristinsanchez
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mypaperhabit
Sunday, November 22, 2009 - My ventures
Terribly sorry I've been absent for a while.... school and all. I do have a very few pictures for you all however!
First the ones from the Halloween show. Both Rachel and I were in it -Rachel played a scary little trick-or-treater and I was a vampire.
Singing 'Loathing" with my arch-nemesis, the werewolf in the background.
Rachel's poem. She was a fairy princess. :)
This was a mimed skit, done to Sally's Song from Nightmare Before Christmas. It was my favourite one to perform.
Singing about "Good 'n Evil" with my backup dancers
And here we all are - Beka and I were vampires, and Rachel as the (not fairy at this point) princess.
The next week, I was asked by the director of the show I was stage managing (sorry, no pictures there) to help out with the VA film festival. I of course said yes, and I ended up dressing up as Ariel (from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid) and greeting people going into the big theater. Funnily enough, they were showing The Little Mermaid, so I got some VERY excited little girls coming up and talking to me. It was SO much fun!!
In front of the theater - it's a REALLY nice theater!!
This girl was dressed up as Taylor Swift... nice idea and all, but it would have been so much better if she had smiled. Just a thought.
This was the best part - talking to all the little kids! The girls were friendliest, but there were some little boys who didn't mind telling me ll about their sword-fights with each other. :)
So there you have it! Both of these were so much fun (I LOVED the costumes for each!) and the fact that I got to work with my little sis in one and kids in the other made it so much more fun to do. And now I plan like dressing up as Ariel to any and all costume parties I might have in the future.
And now I'm gearing up for finals! School is almost over - I can see the horizon! I've signed up for classes next semester, and I'm looking at all my options for next year, of which there are many.
I'm looking forward to my winter break, because I'm going to be out of town for a month! I've been invited to spend Christmas with my best friend in Pennsylvania, and then New Year's with my "little sister" up in Connecticut, and I'm so very excited. Lots of work to be done between now and then though, so goodbye for now!
November 21, 2009 - I Miss Him!
This past week has been extremely hard for me. I lost my Great Grandpa, who I was very very close to. I can honestly say that he was THE best grandpa I've ever had. I am so thankful for the last 5 years of being able to grow closer to him, of course, it wasn't as long as I wanted, but I am very glad I had them. It was wonderful! It was wonderful to grow as close to him as I did.
Over the past 5 years, he really opened up to me about his WWII experiences which he hadn't shared them at all before. When I presented him the Armed Service album I made for him at his 65th anniversary, he was moved to tears. I knew that all the efforts and the sleepless night I spent on it was so worth it! Getting to know him was truly a blessing to me. I pray it was to him also. Since I did that for him and grew closer to him through it, I have a very important place in my heart for the armed service men. When we took him to the cemetery, they gave him a beautiful military salute with Taps and a 21 Gun Salute. I bawled through the whole thing. Knowing that his service was important to him, and that was so very important to me because of him. It was very hard to sit through for me.
Sitting in his funeral service remembering all the times we had together, the tears just flowed. We would color when I was younger and as I grew up, we would sit on his front porch and play cards. He taught me to play rummy, war, slap jack, and more. One of the last times he played cards he was 87 and got down on the floor with the Littles to play go fish with them. It wasn't easy for him to crawl on the floor but he showed his love to his family by doing it. He truly was a family man. That was all he was worried about: his family. He made it known that his family was all that was important to him.
I truly miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his smile. I miss his playing cards. I now found myself crying when I pray because he is no longer on my list and it reminds me he is gone. I just miss him! But he lived a full and meaningful life. A life devoted to his family. I praise God that Grandpa knew our Savior and that I have the hope to once again see him on Resurrection Day. It hurts and its hard to have to wait for that day, but I know that the day is drawing close. OH, what a glorious day that will be!
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. Adonai ELOHIM will wipe away the tears from every face, and he will remove from all the earth the disgrace his people suffer. For ADONAI has spoken.
Revelation 21Love you, Grandpa!
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away."
Please continue to pray for us and also my Great Grandma who is by herself now, and also for my Uncle Keith. It's been hard for them too.
©AmandaDixon2009
Nov. 21, 2009 - Thanksgiving Fun
What I would love to be able to write is what a sweet fun time we had today making this craft. I don't do crafts all that often and the boys typically really like doing them. I was looking forward to them having fun with this activity. I would like to say that we enjoyed laughter while we talked about turkeys and the day of giving thanks. I would like to say that everyone was happy and cooperative while we were working.
Instead though, I'll tell you what really happened. We waited until the end of the day to do this craft. (That was probably mistake number one, but we had a couple of therapies and a science lab interupting our day). The boys were to have gathered pine cones earlier in the day. One hadn't and went out to find one in the dark. It was a small one and he was not pleased with it. Another boy had gathered two earlier in the day. Well, the first boy decided he wanted the extra one (though wasn't all that nice in asking). The other boy didn't want to give his up. Hearing them argue over a pine cone didn't do a lot to put me in the best of moods either. And no, I didn't take advantage of this teachable moment to talk about sharing or listening or anything else. My first thought was that I needed to remember this when it came time to do Christmas crafts! lol
The boys were a little ... less patient that I would have liked for them to be. I probably was too! The pine cones were prickly and didn't feel good on the hands. The pipe cleaners hard to manuever and the level of difficulty was just too much for my boys at this time. I ended up helping them a lot. (And did I mention that they weren't really being patient?)
In the end, we got them made. And they are cute.
I think the lessons that I need to learn are several.
*Don't wait until the end of the day for crafting when people are tired and the grumpiness comes on faster.
*Check the level of difficulty before starting a craft.
*Patience, patience, patience. I need to model it and teach it through my actions.
I know we'll remember these turkeys - and hopefully not the bickering that went with it. I hope I'll learn. I wasn't at my best tonight, but thankfully, there will be another chance. Thankfully the boys are pretty forgiving and love me in spite of my flaws (and the feeling is very mutual). I'm thankful for the times that I fail for it reminds me that I struggle just like my children do. It reminds me of how much I need a Savior to shape and mold me into the image of the one I want to reflect. So while it may not have been a teachable moment that was used wisely, I did learn from it.
Just thought some might like to see a less than stellar experience. We all have them. Sometimes I think people can feel discouraged when they hear about "all" that someone else is doing. Most of us tend to share the positives (I'm no exception). Just know that we all have those days - and so do our children. I still have much to be thankful for and yes, I will still do crafts with them at Christmas.
Blessings
Leslie
P.S. If you are looking for something fun to add to your November, check out the blog of my FIAR friend Kendra She has posted a great list of activities to do celebrating Thanksgiving.
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