Yesterday, we spent the whole afternoon at Silver Dollar City in Branson.  World Fest was going on and people from other countries were there with their displays and shows.  I was hoping for my kids to participate in these events and learn some things from other countries but instead they spent all their time in rides!  They had a great time though.  Here are some pictures.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn't take very many pictures.  We have season passes, so we'll be visiting the park again pretty soon.  Anyway, look at their facial expressions in these photos.  :)

Clay, my husband Steve, Kayla and their cousin Sam

Evan riding the bug.  He had fun riding all the rides.  His birthday is tomorrow and he'll be turning 3.

Outside my window...it's so wet and muddy...uggh.  It's still sprinkling, sprinkling and will continue to sprinkle all day today.  Not so great.

I am thinking...how wonderful it would be for it to feel like spring actually and to be able to plant a garden and plant flowers!  I have a friend who is a professional landscaper and he will be coming out this week to give me ideas of what to plant around my house.  Yay!

From the learning rooms...they still have math lessons that needs to be covered and do some review on their other subjects.  We just have 3 more weeks of classes at HSN, our homeschool co-op.  The kids truly enjoy going to co-op.

From the kitchen...Here are some breakfast and dinner meals that's planned out for this week.  We'll be having some leftovers for supper.

Monday

Egg, bacon, cheese muffin, and orange juice

Taco casserole, lettuce salad

Tuesday

Cereal

lunch at HSN

Beef Vegetable soup (crockpot)

Wednesday

Oatmeal or Malt-o-meal

Egg Casserole, toast, fruit

Thursday

Chicken and Rice casserole, green beans

Friday

Spaghetti, corn, cottage cheese and garlic bread

I am wearing...a denim skirt, 3/4 long-sleeve black knit blouse.

I am reading...not much really, just some articles from the Hobby Farm Home magazine.  This is my first magazine and so far it's pretty good.  It interesting.

I am hoping...to get what I want done accomplished this week.

I am creating...nothing really.

I am hearing... the sump pump running.  My husband finally put in a sump pump in our basement to help keep the water from coming in and so far it's working pretty good!  Hopefully we'll be able to finish our basement one of these days.  We're waiting to see if the sump pump will help keep our basement dry.

Around the house...laundry, laundry...what a wonderful chore.  I sure don't like doing laundry.

One of my favorite things...is being outside when I can, but it's so wet and chilly.  I would love to see the sun shining and feel the warmth!

A few plans for the rest of the week...I haven't really done much planning for this week.  We'll go to HSN (Homeschooler's Network) on Tuesday which is an  hour drive and I plan to stop at Aldi's to get a few things before heading home.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

This picture was taken from my daughter's bedroom window.  See how wet it is?  We don't need more rain!

Hi!  It's been awhile since I've posted an entry for Friday Show n Tell.  So for today, I thought I would post some cute pictures of our Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppies that my daughter took the other day.  The puppies are 11 weeks old and are full of energy!

  This is the first time they seen daffodils and they went nuts!  They were so curious of what the scent was and just kept sniffing and playing around them.  They had so much fun running around the place.  The area was just a mile from our house.

If you'd like to see what others have for show n tell, run on over to Canadagirl's blog, Raising 4 Godly Men

Have a Blessed weekend!

For today,  Monday,  March 30th, 2009

Outside my window...right now it's cloudy and 48 degrees.  It's supposed to be windy and cloudy most of the day and up to 66 degrees.  It's also wet and muddy out there.  We had rain/snow this weekend.  Ughh.  It's been a crazy weather!

I am thinking...that it's nice to be back to HSB as it's been quite awhile since I've posted.  I've been so busy lately with puppies and it has slowed down a bit now.  We still have 3 labs and 4 corgis left to sell.

From the learning rooms...thinking of what to get for next year.  Kayla will be entering 9th grade!  I'm trying to decide whether to get something like BJU dvd program or just continue with what we've been doing.  I'm a bit terrible about record keeping and feel like I need something like BJU that will keep records.  Any suggestions??  We've been going to a homeschool co-op on Tuesdays and they offer great classes such as Math-u-See...

I am thankful for...many things!

From the kitchen...I'm excited that I discovered the Living on a Dime e-books.  I purchased a special last week and received several e-books and it's great!   It's helping me with meal planning and save some money too!  Here is our breakfast, dinner and supper menu for this week...

Monday

Waffles, bacon and milk

Lasagna, beans and peaches

Leftovers       

Tuesday

Eggs, bacon, toast and orange juice

We have homeschool coop, so we'll eat lunch there

Chicken crockpot noodle soup, crackers

Wednesday

Oatmeal

Mexican casserole, peas, salad

Ham, mashed potatoes, green beans

Thursday

Pancakes, eggs and milk

Hamburgers, seasoned rice and corn

Hearty chili with crackers or cornbread

Friday

Eggs, toast and orange juice

     Baked potato bar, salad

   pizza

I am wearing...my red aeropostale sweatpants that the kids got me for Christmas and an old, Old Navy t-shirt.  As of now, I'm barefooted but will put on socks.

I am reading...Living on a Dime e-books that I printed out.

I am hearing...the tv downstairs.  My boys are watching a show about snakes on Animal Planet.

Around the house...need to do some spring cleaning and wash and fold laundry.  My floor sure needs some mopping.  So hopefully I'll get it all accomplished this week.  :o)

I am going...the kids and I will go to homeschool co-op Tuesday, an hour drive from here.  Also might go to Sutherlands sometime this week to get stuff to build a kennel for our dogs and composite lumber for a raised bed garden.  Hopefully I'll get a garden planted soon when the ground dries up.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing...

This is my daughter's corgi and we caught her playing with toilet paper yesterday.  She's 11 weeks old today!

It's Friday Show n Tell again with Canadagirl.  My daughter and I have been busy making Reese's treats this week for gift-giving.  We gave some to 3 hire-hands that my husband works with on the farm and to a neighbor this morning, who just recently had carpel tunnel surgery.  She's a very sweet lady and asked Kayla, my daughter, to help her today.  She's helping to take care of her 2 grandsons and other things around the house.  It's been really good for my daughter to do something like that and she truly enjoys it.

These are very simple to make.  The cookie dough only takes 5 ingredients to whip up!  It calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter (you can use creamy if you'd prefer), 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 large egg and 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.  Mix well, put in mini muffin pans and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then quickly press in Reese's peanut butter cups.  You'll want to unwrap them ahead of time.  Each batch makes about 38 pieces.  The original cookie recipe came from Eleanor's blog at A Cup of Cold Water.  It's so easy and fun to make!

Well I hope you enjoyed my Show n Tell.  To see others have for Show n Tell, please visit Canadagirl's blog.  :)  Have a blessed weekend and a Merry Christmas!

Well I'm back, finally!  After solving the problems I had with my computer, I'm happy to report that every thing is back to normal!  With my new filter, I wasn't able to view pictures from my blog and was not able to see other blogs, but now after requesting to get a couple sites unblocked (Photobucket and Flickr) from the tech support, I was able to get them unblocked, thankfully.  I've really missed you guys!  I have lots to catch up on, don't I?  Anyway, this has been a good week.  Last Sunday, the kids played in a Christmas program that our church put on, called "Dear Theophilus" except for Evan, my 2 year old, who fell asleep and slept through the whole program!  He was supposed to be one of the little angels.  Kayla played as Elizabeth, Clay acted as Joseph, and Ethan was one of the shephards.  There were 45 kids in the play.

      Clay, Kayla and Ethan

Evan all tuckered out.

Wednesday, my kids went ice skating at our frozen pond.  They all had lots of fun except for my 2 year old.  He didn't think falling down was all that fun!  Lol  So he pretty much just sat on the edge of the pond and watched.  It was pretty cold too and they all were bundled up pretty warmly.  It was such a good day as there was no wind at all.  Here are some pictures.

He had so much fun sliding as far as he could go!

I love this one.  Isn't he cute!?

Ethan making a snow angel.  :)

Hi!  On Wednesday the 12th, we went out of town for the day.  The main reason was to take Bailee, our female Pembroke Welsh corgi, to a breeder and that was 3 1/2 hours away!  Crazy, I know.  So, to make our trip worthwhile, we stopped at Mansfield, MO to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum.  It was probably the best field trip we had taken in a long time!  We left our house at 7:30 a.m. and didn't get home till 6:00 p.m.  It was a long day, but we had so much fun!  We learned so much about Laura and Almanzo Wilder and their families that we hadn't known before.  The guide took us on a tour in their home and farm, where they lived most of their lives.  It was quite interesting.  They wouldn't let me take pictures inside the homes or the museum where the artifacts and stuff were displayed.  :(  But I did take some outdoor pictures.  Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!  :)

This entry goes to the kitchen, the first part of the house when they moved there.  Almanzo fixed up the kitchen just the way Laura wanted it.  Almanzo built the cabinets low enough where she can reach them.  Did you know that Laura was only 4'11" tall and Almanzo was just 5'2" or 5'3"?  It felt so cozy inside!  Look at the leaves, isn't it gorgeous?

The guide said that Almanzo added on little by little over the years.  The last he added on was the part of the house with the porch (on the right side).  It was all handcrafted and so beautiful, again very cozy!

Kayla, Clay and Ethan looking down at the creek.  This is where Laura and Almanzo got most their water.

Clay and Ethan out running on the beautiful land.

To see more show n' tell participants, go right on over to Canadagirl, Raising 4 godly men.

Have a wonderful weekend!

For today...November 10, 2008

Outside my window...I see two horses grazing grass.  It's sunny and 40 degrees right now.  It was cloudy earlier.  It's calling for 80% chance of rain today.

I am thinking...of my children in hopes they will walk in the right path when they reach adulthood.   

From the learning rooms...are plans to work on an "Autumn" lapbook with Ethan, my 5 year old, and make plans to do a Thanksgiving unit study with the rest of the children.

I am thankful for...God's blessings, my husband, my children and lots of things!

From the kitchen...I have coffee brewing.  I'm not a big coffee drinker but I've been drinking coffee with french vanilla creamer lately.  I know it's not a good health drink but it sure keeps me up and going.  :)  I will have fresh baked bread and rolls for this week.  I'm not good about planning my meals ahead.  I plan meals at the moment.  Will fix some kind of meat that I have in the freezer, mashed potatoes, canned green beans, salad and probably brownies.

I am wearing...blue knit capris that I wear around the house and a pullover that's keeping me warm.

I am reading... some articles from The Old Schoolhouse magazine.

I am hoping...to do some walking this week if I get my mind set to do it!

I am creating...hoping to create a clean and peaceful home this week.  There are so many things that really needs to be done.

I am hearing...my 2 year old, Evan, talking and asking me questions like "what's that?"  He's sitting on my lap right now.

Around the house...laundry and other chores that is listed on my daily e-planner I print out each week.  I'm not always consistent with it, but I do try my best.

One of my favorite things...is blogging!  :)

A few plans for the rest of the week...to go to town this afternoon to pick up goats milk and stop by the 4-H extension office.  Enrollment forms are due today.  A friend will be coming over Thursday and we'll be working on the program book for the year for our 4-H club.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

The fence isn't very pretty, but it works for now.  It's temporary and hopefully we'll have better fencing put up this year.  We're just waiting till we have the extra money to do so.

If you'd like to join The Simple Woman's Daybook, go see Peggy for details.

Have a blessed week! 

Hi!  It's Friday Show n' Tell again!  I truly enjoy participating in this and seeing what others have to show and tell. 

Last week my daughter and I made over 30 handmade cards.  She's doing a great job too!  She colored all the stamped images and I helped with paper cutting and layout.  It's been fun helping her make them.  She plans to sell the cards.  Her goal is to earn some money to help pay for horse riding lessons.

Which one do you all like?  I don't know which is my favorite.  I like them all! 

To see more show n tell participants, go over to Mary's blog, Raising 4 godly men!  Have a blessed day and weekend!

We went to see Kayla (in the red shirt) at camp yesterday and they took the time out of their busy schedule to play volleyball.  It was a beautiful day outside.  The camp they are involved in combines educational sessions, hands-on grassroots campaign experience, and opportunities to meet and interact with candidates.

Well yesterday we spent the day at the American Royal in KC.  My daughter showed her heifer and place 4th in her junior class and 5th in the open show.  If you're interested to know more about what American Royal is all about, you may click here.

This picture here is just a small glimpse of what it was like inside.  It was huge inside.  Two floors was full of cattle.  I have no idea how many there were.

Kayla showing her heifer.

Clay in the pink shirt and Ethan trying to get on with Clay has spent quite a bit of time playing in this area roping.  They had so much fun! 

Well this is my show n' tell for today.  To see what others have for show n' tell, go right on over to  Canadagirl.  Have a blessed weekend!  :)

I'm starting a new blog with a new address.  When I first signed up on the homeschool blogger a year ago, I put my last name at the end.  I wasn't thinking at the time and never felt comfortable to list names and I got pretty tired of having to say...my 13 year old, my 11 year old son, etc...if you know what I mean.  So I will eventually delete my other blog.

So here I'm re-introducing about us...

We live in the Midwest on 40 acres with lots of pecan trees.  We have a little creek that runs through our acres.  That's why we picked the name, Little Creek Homeschool, for our school. 

My husband, Steve, works with his dad and his older brother on the farm (just a mile from our house) which is a family business that consists of a grain farming base of 2,000 acres, a swine breeding business operating a premium pork production and a marketing business.  He's also involved in a family partnership that is directed to the production of commercial-show quality Maine-Anjou cattle.  He's a very hard worker and loves what he does.  In his spare time, he enjoys hunting.  His new hobby is archery.  Our oldest son took up archery in 4-H two years ago and that's when he picked up an interest in archery.  So together they have been going to 3-D shooting competitions and have enjoyed spending time together.

About our lovely daughter, Kayla.  She's 13 and she LOVES horses.  She has a 3 1/2 year old palamino mare that is recently broke to ride.  She also has an eight year old buckskin gelding.  She plays piano and has been playing since she was 7.  She LOVES to read!  She enjoys homeschooling too.  Reading and horses are her two favorite things.  She also likes Pembroke Welsh Corgis and would like to raise some pups.

Our 11 year old son, Clay, LOVES the outdoors.  He loves to hunt and spend time with his yellow lab.  School is not his favorite thing.  He would rather be outside than anything else, but he does try hard to do his best because he likes to go with his dad in the afternoons and work on the farm.  In order to do that, he HAS to get his school work done.  He also plays piano and would like to learn to play guitar one of these days. 

Our 5 year old son, Ethan, is a very busy guy just like his daddy!  He loves to be with his dad and enjoys going to the farm with him every chance he gets.  He's in Kindergarten this year and loves doing school!  

Now to our 4th child.  Evan is 2 years old and he is a sweetie.  He's saying more words now and pretty much repeats what we say.  Our other children calls him a "copycat".  We all enjoy him. 

And of course we enjoy all of our children and pray for them to grow up in the way they should go. 

Now about me.  :)  Well there's not much to tell.  Let's see.  I'm a stay at home christian, homeschooling mom.  I do my best to train my children.  It's not easy!  We have good days and some better days! :)  I like to make cards and some crafts when I get a chance to.  I would love to make lots of crafts and have a craft show, but I think God is telling me to wait.  I grow my own vegetable garden (not a fancy one) and put up lots of corn, green beans, spaghetti sauce and hot sauce for the winter.  My mother-in-law and I put up corn together every year.  I enjoy reading magazines and books.  My favorite magazines are Keepers at Home, Seasons at Home (a new one), and The Old Schoolhouse.  I do my best to read scriptures from my Bible and study God's Word. 

Well this is all for now.  :)