• Monday, July 21, 2008 - What have wee been doing?
Posted By mrsowr
I have been attempting to update around the old blog lately, but the posts have been filled with updates to my health...how boring!!
Well, I finally uploaded pictures so here is our summer so far......
In June we bought plants, veggies and seed potatoes..
The garden was roto tilled
Flowers were planted
Vegetables were planted
Baby birds were hatched
Smoke? Just checking (Yes Dad, they are on the roof) Oh, yeah, this is also where my husband puts his moose and caribou antlers.
An 8th birthday was celebrated
A small town 4th of July parade was attended
The 4th was a hot day so every one but me took a cool dip in the pond
We purchased this new to us van
A 10th birthday was celebrated
And a basketball goal was assembled
That pretty much catches you up on what has occured around here since I began my awakening from my first trimester. No news on an earlier surgery date yet, I am accepting that no news is good news.
The girls and Mamaw (mostly Mamaw) worked on planting some flowers around the borders of our house. I conveniently miss the messy work by being the photographer. This is what we had by April 14.
We waited rather impatiently for our flowers to grow and by the time June arrived we didn't hold out much hope for the dried up, drought-stricken ground. Then we had to leave and go to VA for a month. While we were away the Lord graciously revived many of our plants. When we arrived home yesterday we were greeted with some pretty flowers and butterflies also enjoying the flowers! :) Here is Hannah with the flowers she planted.
As you can see a couple of the flowers are as tall as her! She was very thrilled to see them. Sarah's favorite was the yellow flower!
Mary picked the orange flower for her favorite!
Lydia also enjoyed the flowers. Here she is trying to look up at some of the blooms!
So she decides that she will pull this one down where she can see it
- or was she trying to eat it or smell it?? Who knows the mind of a 16 month old! Probably all three options were in her plan!
Well, I may not have a green thumb, but I am thankful for the growing children God gave to my care! Thank you everyone who has been praying for us. We have our final home visit with our adoption homestudy representative on Friday. After she turns in the last evaluation and recommendation papers then we will be waiting for a court date. We will be in the judges chambers for about 10 minutes to finalize the adoption. We are so excited about that!
We have no definite news on our next place of service but we are thankful that God has many children and we know He has work for us. We are praying to stay in His will as we prepare to move in the coming months. We will have our final church service with our Joppa family and it will be very hard to officially say goodbye. I am tearing up now because I know what it will be like.
Yet, I am looking forward to whatever God has for us next. Coming to Joppa and learning and growing was such a wonderful time in our lives and we are so thankful for it. We want to please God and look forward to learning more as we move on through this life He has called us to live.
My mom is doing very well considering. She is gaining more strength each day. She will have a 6 to 12 month recovery so it won't happen over night but she is so thankful to feel much better and wants to glorify God in all that happened. She is working very hard to do all that she needs to do - eating right and resting as much as possible. My dad has been wonderful too. I am so thankful for their example of marital love, loyalty and sacrifice to each other!
Well, here is one last picture. These were the tallest flowers we found when we arrived home. Needless to say they were in Mamaw's (champion gardener) yard!
By the way, I know I should know the names of the flowers we planted but I can't remember. They were complimentary gifts in some valentines and I forgot the names. We also planted marigolds, which I wanted because I hear they deter bees and mosquitos, but they didn't do very well! So if you know the flower names feel free to tell me!
We had a great weekend this weekend. I was able to spend Saturday at church, in ladies fellowship. First, I spent 4 hours scrapbooking with a couple ladies, and then I attended an ice cream social with even more ladies from church. It was an enjoyable time, and it was good to get to know the ladies in our new church better. I came home and Steve took the oldest four to Teens For Christ. When they got home, they quickly made the Duggar's Ice Cream Cake for my birthday, and stuck it in the freezer. Then Steve and I watched a movie and went to bed way too late.
Sunday, I went to church with the oldest four children, and Steve stayed home with 4 yo M (chicken pox) and 2 yo L (hates nursery and will get chicken pox soon). Since we couldn't eat out together as a family for my birthday, Steve called in an order for Pizza Hut pizza toward the end of church service, and we picked it up on our way home.
After we at our lunch, the kids and Steve presented their gifts to me. And then we showed the children our surprise. Pictures of the Sheltie dog we'll be getting soon. We found her via freecycle and are hoping to get her brought home soon. There's some distance involved between where she currently lives, and our home. The children are thrilled as they have wanted a dog for a very long time.
I spent the early part of the afternoon washing clothes and hanging them out on the line while Steve mowed and the kids played in the sprinkler. I talked to two of my sisters on the phone during that time, too.
We ate the Duggar's Ice Cream Cake (scroll down the page to find the recipe) mid-afternoon. It is double layered in a 9x13 pan, and we only ate 1/3 of it. It was very easy, and delicious! It sounds really rich when you read the ingredients, but it wasn't any richer than an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Steve calculated our cost this time to be $12 ... which is probably half of what we'd pay at DQ for a similar size cake. It definitely costs more than a baked cake, but it's nice for the occasional summer birthday treat. We used crushed chocolate cream-filled cookies (like Oreos) instead of a crushed candy bar. When we make it again, we'll try to lower the cost by shopping for the ingredients on sale, well in advance.
Steve grilled brats and hot dogs for our supper, which we ate with grapes, and chips. Then, he and I began working on cleaning out one of the kennels for Molly the dog. We do not intend to kennel her all the time, but want to have one ready for nights, and times we go to town. This will likely be most important when she first arrives, so she doesn't decide to wander away.
The kennel is in good shape, but there were lots of shrubs and small trees trying to grow up around it that we cut down. And Steve needed to trim overhanging branches that were reaching into the kennel too far. Some dead branches needed to come down for safety, as well. Now, we're in the process of removing leaf and branch debris from the floor. Then we'll wash down the cement floor, and clean out the dog house.
I'm not sure if we'll add any bedding materials yet (other than a couple blankets) or if we'll wait to add straw/pine chips once it cools off and she needs them for warmth.
My parents called while we were working, so I talked with them while we worked on cleaning up the floor. We came in at dark, and put the children to bed. We followed them not too much later. I was really tired this morning, and went back to bed after Steve left. I slept until 8, when my sister called. Then after she hung up, I crawled back into bed to nurse 2 yo L, who was waking up. I stayed there dozing until 9:00, when kids began to wander in to talk to me. I didn't get up again until 9:30. I don't do that anymore, so I felt guilty ... but it felt so nice to get that rest. Maybe I can stay awake to read this afternoon now. *giggle*
I'm still doing laundry today, so I need to go hang up my first load and start a second load. Then I think I'll get the children to come outside with me, and work on cleaning up the kennel floor some more. We're having a variety of leftovers for supper tonight, so I don't need to cook. But I should start thinking ahead to tomorrow's supper plans.
Edited to Add: M is doing well with his chickenpox. It seems to bother him less than the poison ivy did. He didn't get many pox, and he's scabbing up today. Unless more pox appear, he'll likely be non-contagious and able to go out in public again on Wednesday.
I thought I would share a bit of what's happening on The Homeschool Lounge this week! If you have not had a chance to enter one of our Giveaways be sure to stop by and do so! We have lots of new features over there too. The Homeschool Lounge forum now has smilies and a quote feature, and lots more exciting new features to check out! Oh and you will not see the site banner on the individual Homeschool lounge community Nooks either, now they are truly yours and can be personalized from top to bottom!
Here are this weeks Homeschool Lounge Happenings....
With the beginning of a new Homeschool year comes much planning and preparation; we know of one tool that can keep you on track and help alleviate some of the stress of it all... “The School House Planner”! The School House Planer touches all the bases... family, home, homeschool, garden and yes-even menu planning! The TOS planner is customizable, practical and easy to follow, every page is useful and you can customize your planner for your families needs by printing only the necessary pages.
The School House planner was developed, planned out and created by fellow homeschool moms just like you! Many moms get bogged down with multiple notebooks, binders, sticky notes and clutter there is no need for such clutter with the TOS planner! The TOS planner has by far exceeded any expectations I had for the perfect homeschool mom’s planner and it has more goodies then we can share here on this one web page. Take a look for yourself…
In The Schoolhouse Planner, you can expect to find:
• Calendars in various forms – yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily
• Lists of holidays and places to record special days in your family
• Planners for your homeschool – in various styles to meet your individual needs
• Pages for both long-term and short-term homeschooling goals
• Curriculum planning forms
• Evaluation forms and test score recording sheets
• A through-the-Bible in a (school) year schedule
• Forms for recording Bible memory and other memory work
• Logs for recording books read, movies and documentaries viewed, etc.
• A field trip planning form and recording log
• A sample science lab sheet and nature study sheets
• A place to record extracurricular activities
• Outside classes, co-op, and support group information and recording sheets
• Household planning forms
• Daily, weekly, and monthly household schedule charts
• Grocery, menu-planning, and food logs
• Various budget and financial planning forms
• Garden planning sheets
• An appliance and electronics inventory sheet
• Vacation planning ideas
• Address and telephone records
• And much, much more!
So much more I can’t list it all here so to learn more about this planner and get a sneak peak you can visit HERE.
The Giveaway: The Old Schoolhouse has generously offered one of our Lounge Sisters a free copy of The Schoolhouse Planner! This 247-page pdf retails for $39 and is sure to get your Homeschool year started off on the right foot!You know the drill, if you would like to enter to win this fabulous planner simply attend this GiveawayHERE.
Side note: To "Attend" a giveaway does not mean you must be present at a given time or place, it simply means your name is in for the draw! We will pick a name using Random.org and announce the winner here on Monday July 28th! How do you fit it all in without feeling like your day is crammed?
This weeks "Question Of The Week" is brought to you by Michelle
What is your typical schedule like, and how do you fit it all in without feeling like your day is crammed?
Please click on the question to share your thoughts!
If you would like to submit a "Question Of The Week" please send your question ideas Here! THL Monthly Giveaways
Don't forget to enter to win this months fabulous THL Giveaways...
A trendy and beautiful necklace lovingly hand made exclusively for THL by Kristen of "Kristen's Custom Creations"
The Checklist sponsored by Cindy Downes. Visit Cindy's Web site for free unit studies and Cindy's Nook Here.
A big thank thank you to all 3 of this months Giveaway sponsors! Please visit them!
Lounge Sister Spotlight Guess who is in the Lounge Sister Spotlight this week? Here is a clue...
I'm a 44-year-old Christian homeschool mom with 5 kids, living in the high desert in southern California. I married my high school sweetheart, and we've been married for almost 22 years.
Two of my boys happen to have Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. They use insulin pumps and can eat anything you can eat as long as they get enough insulin.
You can learn more about this weeks Featured Lounge Sister and make a new friend by visiting her on her Nook HERE.
We have a new "Open Window" where all or most links opened on The Lounge will remain in a frame on the site, you can click outside links and not have to worry about leaving The Lounge!
CHAT! We have a new Quick Chat feature that can be located using the blue icon in your "Hello Box" as well as our original separate Lounge Chat where we have evening chats along with a neat chat schedule.
To learn more about Quick Chat & Lounge Chat as well as the chat schedule and our chat hosts please goHERE!
Outside My Window...it's almost 6:30 am and the sun is coming up (days are getting a bit shorter). We have a mix of some blue sky with a few rain clouds heading our way. All is still with a beautiful palate of prairie wildflowers.
I am thinking...about all the grocerys I need to pick up today and what I'm going to serve the girls when they get up - I think a trip to the local bakery or McDonalds might be in order.
I am thankful for...God's blessings for a wonderful Sunday. Our girls were baptized along with 4 other homeschoolers from our church at an area lake yesterday. The morning began cool with a threat of rain. Our service was lakeside and about 2/3rds of the way through the message, as our dear Pastor spoke of Jesus' baptism with the Voice from heaven and the dove decending from above - our sky opened up and we had warm, bright sunshine, perfect for the baptismal service. God's blessings were truly on our day.
From the kitchen...
Monday ~ Grilled Chicken Salad
Tuesday ~ French Toast
Wednesday ~ Mom is bringing Steaks
Thursday ~ Meatloaf
Friday ~ Lasagna
Saturday ~ Brats at the firepit
Sunday ~ Tater Tot Hotdish
I am creating...need to work on the girls' scrapbooks and I'm also planning on some kind of framed scrapbook page for each of the girls with their testimonies and photos of the day they asked Jesus into their heart and yesterday's baptism.
I am going...to be home, mostly, except for running the girls to theatre and a few other things.
I am wearing...my usual barn wear... denim capris, a short sleeve gray t-shirt, sports socks, and hair in a ponytale.
I am reading...Judges and the Book of Acts; and a book from my dear friend called, "The Last of the Giants". It's a wonderful account of the lives and stories of three dedicated preachers who ministered to the men of the logging camps in the upper Midwest around the turn-of-the-century. A great book.
I am hoping...now that I have the house clean, that I can keep it that way; and to get a lot accomplished this week with the scrapbooks.
I am hearing...the clock tick & the roar of the computer engine.
Around the house & barn...ironing, keeping things tidy; scrapbooking; and finishing cleaning up the barn.
One of my favorite things...is all the joys that come with country living. Last evening was beautiful outdoors - not even mosquito-y; so we had the chicks in the front yard. They are soooo cute, even as they get bigger,they follow us around like we are their mama.
A few plans for the rest of the week... Today is the girls' final dress rehersal for the Summer Youth Theatre performance of Schoolhouse Rock Jr. Live. They will be having three performances - Monday through Wednesday. My mother will be joining us on Wednesday and depending on weather and how she feels, she may spend the night Wednesday night. Thursday is violin for Bookworm and Friday the girls and I will be manning our church's booth at the county fair. Not to mention the much-needed trip to the grocery store and calling to see if the blueberries are ready at the nearby U-Pick - we will probably be picking blueberries & freezing them & making preserves. A busy week indeed!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you...
Bookworm Ladybug
If you would like to join us in The Simple Woman's Daybook, please see our Hostess,Peggy for details. You may also visit her for the Mr. Linky to others.
Hello from Sleep Deprivation Land! Since I have not slept well for the past couple nights, I am having trouble typing... I think I'll just send some photos your way, OK?
Like our Redneck Stroller? Yes, it's a wheelbarrow. The kids went out to pick blackberries and wheeled Sara and Nate...
Here's the last of our lettuce crop... and our cucumbers are going crazy. Tomatoes are just starting to come in, not too many yet.
A Sweet Photo of Bethany... she looks bigger here than she really is. I haven't gotten a really good photo yet.
A Tea Party the littler kids had:
And now the reason I am so tired...
3 children ages 3 and under:
Four ages 4 and under (And you just haven't LIVED until you try to get a good photo of 4 children ages 4 and under... I finally just took what I had and figured I'd deal with it.)
5 ages 6 and under : (Yes, Mercy is holding a cucumber. We got about 15 that day, and 24 two days later. That's a lot of cucumbers, even for our large family.)
6 ages 8 and under:
All 9: (Yes, Mercy has taken a bite out of the cucumber. Good thing our garden is organic as it hadn't been washed yet.) So there you have it... some of the cutest kids in the world... we're having a great time around here! This will take long enough to download... I'll make another post of some of my favorite things...
I'm SO SORRY! I disappeared again. Didn't mean to. Same old excuse...life has been crazy! I'll have to fill you in on the details later this week but I will let you know this--A LOT has happened this year! Some great things, some not so great things. Come back later this week and I'll tell you everything, I promise.
Now back to the goal thing. I was supposed to post this July 1st! Here's how the second quarter of 2008 turned out...
1) Lose Weight.
I think I've only lost 3 pounds at this point. Not really getting that heart rate up enough to burn calories. I do feel more "firm" from walking though. Hmmmm, is that an excuse??? Wishful thinking, maybe???
2) Exercise at least 3 times a week.
No problem here. Most of the time I go walking M-F. I didn't walk at all last week because my accountability partners were busy/on vacation, etc. We go back to our normal routine tomorrow! I wish I could get them to jog or at least walk faster! I need to BURN THOSE CALORIES! I can't really fault them though, they are pushing strollers!
3) Make water my "drink of choice".
Well...nope, not doing it. I don't really have a good excuse except that I'm ADD and often just forget to drink. (Is that a good excuse?)
4) Restart my "Total Money Makeover" and get to step 3
Um, no. More broke than ever. Don't have a dime saved and owe my kids money. Hopefully this will be changing soon. I'll give details later. One good thing--I AM going to go through Financial Peace University again starting in a few weeks. That should get me motivated and back on track financially.
5) Read at least 50 Christian books.
Still doing HORRIBLE on this goal. I have such a hard time reading a book from cover to cover. I usually read out of 5-6 books at the same time and never finish any of them! I AM finishing up on one book that has been LIFE CHANGING though! It's "A Call to Die" by David Nasser. I think every Christian should read this book! I guess when I'm done that will make 3 whole books I've read in 2008. Pretty pathetic, I know...
6) Go to bed early and wake up early.
I don't even know if this is a goal anymore. I might be going to work and just take a wild guess what shift I'll be working? Yes, 3rd! A night owl's dream! I'll fill you in on all that later too.
7) Have a consistent quiet time.
I'm not where I want to be with this but thanks to the great book I mentioned on #5, I'm doing better than I've ever done before! Did I mention that this book is LIFE CHANGING???
8) Start a home business.
I still want to do this but I'm not sure if it will happen this year. I guess time will tell. In the meantime, I'm still researching and praying about it.
9) Find a schedule that works and stick to it.
We're not as scheduled as I'd like us to be, but at least we're getting back into the swing of school. I'm waiting until the job is a for sure thing. Then I'll be able to schedule everything else around it.
10) Go on a short-term mission trip.
I'm so bummed. My church just did a mission trip to Mexico, but I wasn't able to go due to...you guessed it...FINANCES! I hope they go again before the year is up.
11) Make this new apartment "home".
I finally--just this last week--hung up some pictures, artwork, etc. on our white, bare, naked walls! It feels a lot better. I think we're FINALLY beginning to see this apartment as "home". It only took us 8 months to reach this point...LOL! I'll definitely be signing a new lease come November because I have NO DESIRE to move anytime soon! (Unless of course a godly cowboy with 50 acres sweeps me off my feet...oops, sorry! Got carried away there! Can you tell I miss living in the country?)
12) Give my blog a "face lift"
Well, I'm still loving my new template, but I need to take the time to add more stuff to it. I'm hoping to buy a digital camera in the next few months. I would love it if I could add pictures to my blog!
Well, this night owl has to go walking at 7:30 a.m. So, it's time for me to hit the sack! Be back soon!
The craft for this week is what I call the Sharpie Shirt. You probably already have the stuff needed for this project already lying around the house.
Supplies:
One white T-shirt
Shirt board (can also use cardboard or posterboard)
Sharpie permanent markers in an assortment of colors
Rubbing alchol
Spray bottle (a paper towel will also work)
Begin by placing the cardboard inside the shirt so that when you draw on it with the markers, the colors will not bleed through to the back-side. Using the Sharpie markers, make random drawing (swirls, dots, basic shapes, squiggles, etc.), switching between all the colors.
When you are happy with the design, use the spray bottle and fill it with the alcohol. Take the shirt into a well ventilated area (think outside) and spray the shirt well. Leave the carboard inside until the shirt is completely dry. The markers react to the alcohol and spread out creating the tie dye look. The alcohol can also be applied by saturating a paper towel and wringing it out above the marks until they are all soaked. The alcohol application should only be done by an adult or an older child as it will burn they eyes and is flammable, so just use common sense here. It dries quickly.
My daughter loves this shirt and wears it as fast as I can launder it. This would be a fun and inexpensive project for groups, clubs, or VBS.
We have lots of new features over there too. The Homeschool Lounge forum now has smilies and a quote feature, and lots more exciting new features to check out! Oh and you will not see the site banner on the individual Homeschool lounge community Nooks either, now they are truly yours and can be personalized from top to bottom!
We have a new 
Bookworm
Ladybug
Since I have not slept well for the past couple nights, I am having trouble typing... I think I'll just send some photos your way, OK?
