I've just posted a page at our site with details about a habit training system I've created for our family.  We've been using it successfully now for a little over a month with great results.  Details are here if you'd like to check it out.

I would like to use this blog entry to record comments/questions from anyone that would like to try using the system.  So if you have a question or comment, please post it here for everyone to read and for everyone to benefit!

Thanks!

Scattergories... it's harder than it looks. Copy and paste into a new post. Erase my answers and fill in your own. Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions...they have to be real places, names, and things...and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

SCATTERGORIES - THE LETTER D
(Hey do I get double points on some of these?!)

What is your name? Debra

God has gifted my almost 13 yo adopted niece Taylor with artistic abilities.  She's not had any formal instruction yet, but has enjoyed browsing some of the lessons over at www.teachartathome.com and the links they provide.  She found a photograph for this drawing here that she left open while completing her drawing.  She used the Prismacolor colored pencils and graphite drawing sets she received for Christmas from her grandmother.  She used Canson drawing paper.  When I figure out how to use my new scanner, I'll upload more of her work. :)

For those of you who are on top of your library books and have gloriously avoided fines, you may already know about the Library Elf.  For those of you like me, who are really neglectful about renewing your heaps of library books and get denied access (like I did) to future holds until their fines (which were $17.30 today!) are paid IN PERSON (ugh! an hour drive!), you may want to check this out.

 http://www.libraryelf.com/
Your Personal Email Library Reminder Service

Why have I never heard of this before??  I'll tell you why - because I never got denied access to place holds for books before and wouldn't have thought I needed it!  The rejection was horrid!   

After giving the Library Elf permission to nag me about my overdue books, I received an email from The Homeschool Mom informing me of their "Site of the Week":  http://www.gurulib.com . GuruLib is an online home library catalog system.  So I took a peek over there given my lack of library organization skills.  It looks pretty cool!  I'll have to give you an update at a much later time when I've actually had enough free time to do this with our current library of books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

I just wanted to put a brief blurb here for anyone passing through . . .

Our website, www.NotebookingPages.com is getting a fantastic makeover!  We are right in the middle of transferring everything over (which is why I am up SOOO way past my bedtime).  I had all of my blog photos at my site instead of at one of these handy place like Photobucket.  Honestly, if I had known how easy it was to use Photobucket I would have put my photos there a long time ago!

So, everything is getting a facelift including our blog here.  It may just take a week or so to fix all of the photos and links.  Let me know if you need help finding anything!

UPDATE *-* UPDATE *-* UPDATE *-* UPDATE *-* UPDATE *-* UPDATE *-* UPDATE

We have been open now at the new site for a couple of weeks and I have to say I feel quite at home!  Come for a visit!  (New orders get $5 off their order through the end of December!) 

I hope to be blogging more, returning emails (finally!), and seeing you all in the groups a lot more! :)

I had 2 very special blessings this morning!  First, one of our caterpillars emerged today - beautiful snowy moth (sorry no pics - caught me by surprise and I needed to release him).  Second, my awesome online friend Angi of PeakmoreAcademy sent me this wonderful award:

"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

Thanks Angi!  YOU deserve this award right back from me ten times over for all of the encouragement , creativity, & inspiration you've shared with me in so many ways great & small!  It amazes me how God brings his children together even through the internet to provide just what we need at all the right times!  I mostly appreciate your willingness to lovingly speak truth to me.  You make eternal differences in my life.  

I'm passing this award on to:

Jennifer over at Angels with a Purpose.  She's been an awesome inspiration to me these last few months after leaving a "chance" comment here at my blog.  The ways the Lord works!  She's always behind the scenes praying for me & encouraging & exhorting me as the Lord leads her.  "Nice" is just one way to describe her commitment to the Lord & to her family in Christ.  Stop by and encourage her.  This is her first year homeschooling ~ don't we all remember those days!

Molly over at HomeschoolwithIndexCards.  Molly has been a source of great friendship since the early days of NotebookingPages.com.  It's been an exciting year for us both as we've learned our way around the online business world.  She's been there to listen to all my "junk" (you all thought everyday was perfect for me didn't you?!) LOL!  & to rejoice in all of the victories.  She always points me back to the Lord in the most honest, humble way and I SO appreciate it.  Thanks Molly!

Kate & Jeff over at Our Quiverfull Many of you from homeschoolblogger probably know Kate & her family.  They have been a shining light to so many this year as they have walked a difficult path with their dear son Noah.  They are pure inspiration.  I cannot say much more without just completely losing myself here.  PLEASE continue to pray for this family & visit their blog often.  What a calling God has placed on their lives!  What a blessing they have been to the homeschool community!  Thanks Kate & Jeff & all the Estes children!

This photo is from VBS back in early June.  We had an AWESOME time at Avalanche Ranch!

God is Real! ...wah-hoo!

God is with Us! ...wah-hoo!

God is Strong! ...wah-hoo!

God is Awesome! ...wah-hoo!

God is In Charge! ...wah-hoo!

Dad had a big part this year playing "Rowdy", a novice cowboy!  Check out this city slicker!

The first thing he did was send our son in to get me because we have to document everything we find (nature study you know!).  So I came out with camera in hand just as they had finished observing him regurgitating his dinner (a large toad ~ sorry no photo of that!).  The snake then proceeded to coil up his body, flip over, stick out his tongue and crack his mouth open really wide. 

Well it seemed to us that maybe he had tried to eat too much and overexerted himself.  So I picked him up, put him in jar, and brought him inside to try to identify him with our snake chart (courtesy of the MO dept of conservation).  He didn't move a bit!  He looked dead.  Any other snake would have darted at the first step we would have taken toward him, but this guy looked really sick.

It didn't take Austin, our snake expert, long to recollect reading about this particular snake and he thought that perhaps the snake was "playing dead".  Playing dead?  That seemed so odd!  Turns out, he was right!  The eastern hognosed snake will in fact turn himself over and play dead as a way of defense.  After a few minutes in the jar, he came out of his "playing dead" phase and began moving around.  So we took him back to the woods to release him.  As soon as we let him out of the jar, he went back to playing dead again.  It was hilarious!  Finally, I guess he realized we were not a threat and began to leave the area, but not without giving us a final big "hiss".  Great nature find! 

For each of the kids' birthdays, they get a special treat...a day out with Dad!  Jessie picked to go out to breakfast & horseback riding at a friends' house (thanks Judy!).  What a special time they had!

Last fall, Austin found a great caterpillar & brought it in the house to observe.  Within a week, he looked like this.

We had given up hope that this little guy was going to make it, but kept the jar on the shelf because it still looked really cool.  Well, after at least 9 months, he (or she maybe) finally emerged!  I put my finger into the jar and the butterfly crawled right up and stayed there until I nudged him into our little garden.

This was either a Black Swallowtail or an Ozark Swallowtail. 
Either way, what a beautiful little miracle he  was! 
We did some research and found that these little guys will overwinter. 
So neat!