I've decided to begin a new blog(A View From The Mountain) and hope that you all will visit me.   I will continue to be here as well for the time being, but will probably post more often there.

Please come check out my new blog, http://sommersmountain.blogspot.com

Blessings,

Sommer

A friend of mine sent me a link to a warning about Hand Sanitizer.  I would highly reccomend reading it, as it may keep your small children safe.  I personally don't use it, but know those who do and it is a bit of a concern. 

Knowing my 4 year old, I could see this happening to her.

Look here: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp

Hi Everyone!

Well, it has been some time since I posted but here I am again :-)  I'll write more of a post later, but how about some fun...

My dear friend Peggy at Home Made Simplicity has encouraged a fun little question answer time.  I hope you enjoy this and perhaps you'd like to join us!  Please check out Peggy's great blog...she is so encouraging and a treasure... http://homemadesimplicity.wordpress.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lace or Ribbon?  Lace
Mountain or Beach?  Mountain
Reading or Writing?  Both
Cookie or Cake? Cookie
Baked or Mashed Potato? Mashed
Side or Back?  Side
Shrimp or Steak?  Shrimp
Scrambled or Fried?  Fried
Orange or Apple?  Apple
Spring or Fall?  Fall
Roller Skating or Bowling?  Bowling
DVD or Theater movies? Theater
Wood or Glass?  Wood
Blue or Green?  Blue
Chocolate or Vanilla?  Chocolate
Quilt or Knit?  Knit
Early Morning or Late Night?  Early morning
Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Watermelon or Strawberry?  Strawberry
Lunch or Dinner?  Dinner
Cold Cereal or Oatmeal?  Can I say  cream of wheat?

Song or Dance?  Song
Carpet or Hardwood Floor?  Hardwood Floor
Red or Pink?  Red
Cat or Dog?  Dog
Pretzels or Chips?  Chips
Iced Tea or Lemonade?  Lemonade
Non-Fiction or Fiction?  Both
Rose or Daisy?  Rose
Sunrise or Sunset?  Sunrise
Comb or Brush?  Brush
Pottery or Basket?  Basket
Bracelet or Necklace?  Necklace
Pen or Pencil?  Pen
Couch or Chair?  Couch
Country or Victorian?  Country
Farm or Ranch?  Farm
Braid or Ponytail?  Braid
Cash or Check?  Cash
Chocolate Bar or Jelly Bean?  Chocolate Bar
Coke or Pepsi?  Either

Hot Dog or Cheeseburger?  Cheeseburger
Blinds or Curtains?  Curtains
Dress or Pants? Dress
Sun or Moon? Moon
Adventure or Comedy?  Adventure
Cloud or Star?  Star
Lake or River?  River
Half Full or Half Empty?  Half Full
Truck or Car?  Truck
Bath or Shower?  Shower
Clothesline or Clothes Dryer?  Clothesline
New or Second Hand?  Either
Gum or Lifesaver?  Lifesaver
Email or Handwritten?  Handwritten
July or October?  October
Barefoot or Shoes?  Barefoot

Thanks for the fun, Peggy!

Before I go to bed tonight, I just wanted to pop on and wish all of you a wonderful Easter! 

We will be attending our church's Easter Brunch and then services at 11am.  I hope to have my brother go with us.  After church we will come home for a few hours and then go to my husband's Grandfather's home for dinner and an Easter egg hunt.  I know not all do this, but we still enjoy it and I try very hard to keep the true meaning of Easter at the forefront.

As you begin your day tomorrow, I encourage you to remember the great gift we've been given and praise God for so gracious a gift.  May your day be blessed and full of joy!

Happy Easter!

Wow!  I realize it has been quite some time since my last post.  Life has been busy, but I haven't had much to say.  Some days my mind is full of witty thoughts...and then other days I just have nothing!

Homeschooling update: We have finished our first "quarter" for the year!  I broke my yearly plans into quarters to better keep track of things.  It seems to work out well.  This next one will end just before the beginning of 2007.  Dd6 has done really well and I think we both are still satisfied.  I've had to adjust my ability to be flexible sometimes....and that is a good thing :-)  I was finding myself having a hard time just relaxing, but I think that is getting a bit better now.  Dd6's attitude has gotten better and we don't have too many headbutting sessions.  And I am learning to be more patient and gentle.  She seems to be keeping up with our lessons and I feel very satisfied.  Little dd4 enjoys joining us for Bible now(she had not been cooperative before) and participates in prayer time well.  She also likes to practice her "copywork" and likes to count.  I'm very excited!  I think I might gently include her with learning her letters and numbers after the baby has come....we will see :-)

My hubby is still plugging away at the Academy, however we wont be certain of graduation until he gets there.  It is hard to be certain about anything in this adventure, but we are just laying it all at God's feet and trusting in His providence! 

I am about 25 weeks along in my pregnancy and things still seem to be going well.  Baby is getting more and more active and I enjoy those quiet times when I can feel the little kicks and rolls.  It is such an intimate beginning to the relationship and begins that road to bonding!  I had a breastfeeding class last night.  The funny thing is, I was the only one there that this isn't my 1st pregnancy.  It was a little embarrasing, but I just wanted to find a proper support system.  It sounds like this Kaiser facility has really embraced the importance of breastfeeding and that I should be able to get any help/support I need.  I didn't really learn anything new...but the connection for support was all I really wanted anyhow.

Well, I must be off to do lessons and get on with my grocery day!

Have a blessed day!

It has been such a long time since I last posted.  I've been keeping busy with my dd6's lessons and just things in general.

We are on our 4th week of homeschooling and it still seems to be going well.  My dd's attitude tends to still be good, although she struggles with diligence and focus.  We are working on it though and some days are better than others. 

I think our "Little House" history read alouds are great!  We finished the "Big Woods" and now are on the "Prairie" one.  It has been so fun and dd6 really seems to enjoy the books.  We are learning so much.

My dd3 is also joining us for Bible and prayer and has become quite happy participating in it.  She listens to the Bible reading and then sweetly tells me what she wants us to pray for and quietly joins in.  It warms my heart.  She also loves to join in when dd6 is doing her math things.  I love to see her learning.

Yesterday was great!  After we spent time with my grandfather in law, we followed my father in law up to the top of Skyline(a mountain area in the Bay Area) and saw one of the last Giant Sequoias in this area.  This tree is called Methuselah and is estimated at 1800 years old.  It was just beautiful.  Apparently it was originally over 200 feet tall..250 or so.  After a lightening strike it was shortened to about 180 feet.  It was neat to look up and not be able to see the top of this ancient, glorious tree.  I marvel at God's creation.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

I was tagged by TwaddleMeNot; Here are the questions:   1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.   "children helped their parents gather the chips into sacks," Skillet Bread, Sourdough, and Vinegar Pie by Loretta Frances Ichord   2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?     My bookshelf that holds my antique books.   3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?      NBC11 News 4. Without looking, guess what time it is.     4:40pm   5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?     4:45pm...not too bad   6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?    My girls playing together(happily right now), my fan..aaah nice, birds chirping outside.   7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?      About 3 pm, I was delivering my rent check and checking our mail.   8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?      email and blogs   9. What are you wearing?     jeans and a brown cotton t-shirt.  Running shoes.   10. Did you dream last night?      Yes,  but I can't remember...wasn't too bad though.   11. When did you last laugh?     Just before my hubby left for his final class tonight...I can't remember why.   12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?     Pictures of our children, and a couple of old pics, celtic cross and wedding pics. 13. Seen anything weird lately? Nothing recently.   14. What do you think of this quiz?      It's fun.   15. What is the last film or video you saw?     Snow White 16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?      Well, I'd give some to charity or our church, but then I'd also want to buy a home with some land.  If we could I'd buy a horse or two and make sure we get our Honda Oddessy to replace my 1991 Mercury Tracer. 17. Tell me something about you that I do not know.     When I was just out of highschool I worked for a horse trainer.  I showed one of her horses and cared for her others when she was away.  It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life...I wish I had an opportunity to that now once in awhile.   18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?       I would bring as many to Christ as possible and have our country truly rely on God.   19. Do you like to dance?    Only when no one is looking.  Thankfully my hubby is the same ;-)   20. Comment to George Bush:     I'd ask if I could visit his ranch.   21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?  My first child is a girl and her name is Fiona Pearl.   22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?  Not sure, but I like Josiah Patrick.   23. Would you ever consider living abroad?    Possibly...I'd love Ireland.   24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate?     Welcome, come and rest.   25. 5 people who must also do this quiz on THEIR blog (if they so desire and have the time): not sure.

So I visited one of my favorite sites today, www.womenofsimplicity.com/wordpress and Peggy asked a fun question.  So I thought I'd post my answer here.

You are going on a weekend retreat alone to a comfy mountain cabin that already has a well stocked kitchen and all bathroom supplies in place.  You only have room in your vehicle for 10 things.  What would you bring?

1. my Bible

2. my journal

3. a picture of my family

4. my knitting bag

5. a lavendar foot soak(so soothing)

6. my favorite afghan(made by my mom when I was very little)

7. one of my favorite books~Pride and Prejudice

8. my favorite tea(Irish Breakfast tea)

9. my favorite cd's(Keith Green)

10. cell phone...for emergencies and night night calls to kids

So those are my thoughts...feel free to join in and leave your thoughts in the comment section.

I just wanted to share a praise...

For about 3 1/2 years or so, my hubby has been trying to get hired by a local police department.  Well, he finally got the "call" from the one he has been currently working with.  He has been selected for the Academy assuming he passes his medical exam.  We are so excited and praise God that He has continued to be with us in this.  I have faith that the medical exam will go well, but I will leave this in God's hands and pray that His Will be done.

Thank you to those of you that have kept us in your prayers.  We greatly appreciate it. 

I will share more as I can...we should know for sure by mid june.

Hello Ladies!

I hope all of you have had a wonderful week.  Mine has been good and I am feeling very encouraged as I get closer to beginning life as a homeschooling parent.  I have found many places of encouragement for both homeschooling and biblical womanhood(as a woman,wife and mother).  One of these places is Peggy Hostetler's website and blog, Women of Simplicity.  She has a beautiful viewpoint that she brings to my day and I have been encouraged greatly by her.

Now, she is adding to her ministry of Women of Simplicity with a new yahoo group.  Here are some snippets from her intro page to tell you a little about it....

" Home Made Simplicity is an announcement-only "notebook" created to offer hope, direction, and joy in the making, keeping, and maintaining of your home and hearth.

Home Made Simplicity, a ministry of "Women of Simplicity"( www.womenofsimplicity.com ) is a Christian alternative to the mainstream online homemaking arena and uses Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 as its guide."

If you are interested in receiving these encouraging words and ideas go to the Home Made Simplicity yahoo site and sign up.  Here is the link:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Home_Made_Simplicity/

Enjoy!