May. 11, 2008 - Happy Mother's Day
I had a beautiful Mother's Day. We usually go somewhere as a family, but because of the van issues, we stayed home today. We even skipped church. Jason went last night to the grocery store and got all kinds of breakfast stuff, so we slept late and he fixed a big breakfast, and we ate all morning!
He even had the kids help him clean it up, so I didn't have to!
I got a whole set of goodies from Kathryne, a card from Charles, and a picture from Ashlyne.
Here are my goodies from Kathryne including a pop up card, finger puppet, fan and bracelet- with gospel colors:
Here is my card from Charles. I don't know if you can see, but he drew money in it. :-)
And here is my picture from Ashlyne. She said Charles helped her draw flower stems.
And my gang enjoying Daddy's breakfast:
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May. 11, 2008 - Summary of Thirty Day Bible Reading Challenge
I realized today that April has ended, and I forgot to sum up my experience with the Thirty Day Bible Reading Challenge.
I have to say, I have been much more faithful in getting in to God's Word first thing in the morning. this has been a good experience for me. I have read my Bible faithfully since I was young, but I always put it off until bedtime or naptime. I have been convicted to start getting into the Word first thing for a while now. I really made the commitment when I read Time Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George, and completing this thirty day challenge helped to keep me focused.
When I start the day focusing on God's Word and what He would have me do for the day, I am much less likely to start my day overwhelmed. I know that my strength cannot come from myself but from Him!
I am thankful to have had this challenge to motivate me.
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May. 11, 2008 - From Generation to Generation
My children love to listen to stories. Last Sunday they got to visit with Jason's uncle who isn't often here. They live far away, so we usually only see them once or twice a year. He has been here several times lately helping to go through Jason's grandmother's things.
On Sunday, we all gathered together and had pizza at our house. The kids were very taken with their great uncle and sat for an hour or so listening to him tell stories of his childhood. It was very cute to see how enthralled they were, and I'm sure he appreciated the enraptured audience.
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May. 11, 2008 - Pictures of the Kids from Springfest
Last Saturday, I took the kids to Springfest in a little town close by. They had a great time doing a bike rodeo from Safe Kids, walking through Healthy Hometown (a display by our area hospital), and playing on the playground.
I finally have my "real" computer working, so here are some pictures of our day:
Gearing up for the bike rodeo- They got to keep the new helmets!
Even Rachel took a spin!
Spray painting for faces:
Look, a monkey on the bars!
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May. 10, 2008 - God's Provision for Us
I just have to share how God took care of us this week.
My van died on Thursday. This was not a surprise. It has been suffering for quite a while. My speedomoter (sp?) and that whole panel thingy (don't you love my automotive terms?) was out. It didn't register anything. I had been driving for a week just guesing what gear I was in!
Well, I was staying pretty close to home, but on Tuesday I took the kids to a used curriculum sale about 30 minutes from our house. It was an an ice skating rink that does a homeschool day every Tuesday. My older kids like to skate, and I needed to sell some curriculum, so I went. I knew it was a risk with the van, but I went. We were fine.
On Wednesday, we went to the library for story time. On Thursday we stayed home for the morning, but we headed out after nap to go pick Jason up at the church where he works to go look at (get this) a new van. We pulled up to the back loading dock where we would meet him, and sat to wait. The van started this funny shaking, so I turned it off. It never started up again.
Jason investigated, and in his mechanic mind, he could explain what happened. All I know is some hose we really needed was broken, the van was running hot (even though this didn't register on my panel that was out), and I was probably out of gas (again, it didn't register on my broken panel).
God not only had protected us in all that driving Tuesday and Wednesday, He had brought us right to the door of the church where my mechanically minded husband worked to break down! And, He had guided my husband in repairing a "junk" car that he got last weekend. He just "happened" to get it working and get it tagged in time to start driving it this week, so now we have a car that we fit in (although snuggly) and a spare car (the one Jason was driving) that at least the kids and I can fit in (although snuggly). Wow! Isn't God good.
In the meantime, I am learning just how wonderful the person who invented the minivan was, and how he or she deserves a Nobel Prize. And I am learning how very big my van (that I was beginning to view as rather small) really is!
God is good. Jason is going to try to nurse the van back home next week. It is still stuck in the church parking lot. And we are going to decide what to do- fix it or try to get something for it as is and get something else.
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May. 10, 2008 - Please Cast Your Votes!
Guess what! I am now one of three runners up at the Communication FUNdamentals blog contest for naming the last day of the homeschool convention. And Jen (Maytheybemightymen) is a runner up also! Congratulations. There were some really good entries.
Please go help us out by voting here. The contest closes May 12.
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May. 8, 2008 - An Early Mother's Day Gift
One of the websites I am across through the Ultimate Homeschool Expo was Art of Eloquence. JoJo Tabares is offering a neat freebie for Mother's Day to all moms. Click here to get yours. And you can check out her site. There's all kinds of neat things.
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May. 7, 2008 - Teacher Appreciation
Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day. did you know that? did you get a special gift for your child's teacher(s)?
I wish, I'd known. I want some new books from the bookstore. 
Jamin who writes for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Minute has a great tribute to the Homeschool Teacher of the Year on her blog. Check it out.
And, Happy Teacher Appreciation Day - a little late.
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May. 5, 2008 - Monday Meanderings
- Bible Study/ Devotions ~ I am reading in Kings for my 60 day overview- the life of Solomon. In reading through chronologically, I am in Numbers.
- "Must Do"~ I am preparing for a used curriculum sale Tuesday. I really hope to sell my Weaver curriculum I bought last year and hardly used. I also need to do some "summer planning" because we are finishing up regular school this week and will have a three ewek break and then summer school. Several events this weekend to plan for:
Cole's birthday party - my great nephew, Jason's mom's birthday party, and Mothers Day
3. Zone~ May is for paperwork and organization. As I said earlier, I need to get a summer schedule going. I will also begin to file away this year's school things at the end of the week. Today I am printing out our May calendar. (a little late I know :-) )
4.Train Them Up~ The children will finish regular school work this week. We are memorizing Proverbs 9:10. Today we used a neat chart from the Carriers to talk about pleasing speech.
Menu Planning~
Monday - Leftover pizza- I was going to make tacos tonight, but I think we'll shuffle to get rid of this pizza.
Tuesday- Tortillini with homemade alfredo sauce (recipe below)
Wednesday - Tacos
Thursday - Homemade chicken nuggets and fries
Friday - Birthday party
Saturday - Birthday party
Sunday - Mother's Day - eat out for lunch and leftovers for supper
Also baked today: homemade croutons, banana bread (in the machine) and banana oatmeal muffins
Recipe for alfredo sauce: I don't like to buy the kind on a jar because of the preservatives. I have tried a "real" alfredo recipe with heavy cream and it was good, but it is very heavy and fattening I'm sure. I found this one online, and I love it. It is easy and very yummy.
1/2 cup butter
1 8oz package of cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 ounces of grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Melt butter in a nonstick sauce pan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk a little at a time, whisking to smooth. Stir in parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. If it gets to thick, thin with milk.
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May. 5, 2008 - More From the Un Convention on the Rights of the Child
I have been following the developments at parentalrights.org. This week's article should really make those of us who are teaching our children Biblical things sit up and take notice. The article is Religion is Child Abuse?
I'm not really one to jump into a panic just because things are brought out in the media, but this is a piece of legislation that I am watching very carefully. As a Christian parent and a homeschooler, my freedom to teach my children as I feel God is leading me is VERY important, and the introduction of any piece of legislation that may limit those freedoms is very concerning to me.
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May. 4, 2008 - Hey, I 'm a Semifinalist!
I entered a contest (yes, I like contests) at Communication FUNdamentals and I'm a semi-finalist. I suggested a name for the final day of the homeschooling convention!
Check it out. There are some great names suggested. I wonder if I could throw the results by voting multiple times.
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May. 4, 2008 - A Great Cooking Contest
Cooking: an art I have recently decided I enjoy! Here is a great kitchen supplies contest from My Wooden Spoon.
WOOHOO!! Today officially kick starts my 3 month long giveaway! Every week from today until July 31, I’ll be giving away a prize. Let me tell you people, you won’t wanna miss this. I gathered up some great prizes from cash, gift sets, magazine subscriptions, and even a KITCHENAID FOOD PROCESSOR:) !!!
The best way for you to keep track of each weekly giveaway, is to subscribe to my feed via RSS reader or by EMAIL. If you choose email, you MUST confirm your subscription or you won’t get any updates. I promise you will receive NO spam! Only email updates when I make a new post here.
I’ve made it VERY easy to enter so everyone can win. What is that you ask? Do I ship anywhere? ABSOLUTELY! I have always made my contests & giveaways eligible to everyone no matter where you live. If UPS or USPS can deliver there, I’ll mail it there.
TODAY’S PRIZE: CUISINART FOOD PREP PLUS PROCESSOR with a Wooden Spoon
This handy kitchen appliance will make chopping up that garlic for some Shrimp Scampi with Linguine a breeze! Here are the specs & features:
The Mini-Prep® Plus is the perfect little helper for small food preparation, from chopping herbs or bread
crumbs, to finely grinding hard cheese. Its versatility lies in the special Auto Reversing Smart Blade™, which makes it easier to process both soft and hard foods.
Designed in Italy with the same look as Cuisinart’s® newly launched PowerPrep Plus™, the Mini-Prep Plus’ sleek touch pad controls afford easy cleaning and an elegant look. And despite its space-saving size, it’s more powerful than other choppers. So now you can prepare small quantities of food faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Features:
Chop or grind at the touch of a button24-ounce work bowl with handle
Exclusive auto-reversing SmartPower® blade for two powerful processing options
Touchpad controls are easy to use and easy to clean
Dishwasher-safe parts
Stainless steel blade with sharp and blunt edges
Spatula
Instruction/Recipe book
HOW TO WIN:
I’ve made it super simple to enter. You can do one or all. You get 1 entry for each one you do, with the exception of the banner. Please try to leave everything you’ve done in ONE comment. It makes it easier for me to keep up with;)
- Leave a comment. EDITED: Only ONE comment per person will count! I seem to have one particular person that thinks he can leave several comments for additional entries. NOT THE CASE!
- Blog about this week’s giveaway linking to this prize page OR my home page.
- Stumble this post. You must be a member of Stumbleupon. Don’t lie and say you did because I can track everyone who stumbles. Besides that’s not fair to the others who really did stumble. Don’t know what Stumbleupon is? Read about stumbling here.
- Add to Technorati Favorites. With your comment, you must tell me your username at Technorati. If you have already faved me, please tell me with a comment.
BONUS entry: Add a banner to your sidebar for the duration of the giveaways (which is 3mths) and I’ll automatically give you 5 extra entries into each giveaway that you choose to enter! I MADE FOUR BANNERS THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM. CLICK HERE!
The Fine Print
Every week, the 4th (optional) entry will vary. Number 1,2, and 3 will always remain the same. If you choose to blog about it, you must do this for each prize, each week. Each winner (each week) will be selected randomly. The winner will have 1 week to claim his or her prize. You MUST contact me to claim your prize!!
THIS WEEK’S PRIZE GIVEAWAY WILL END ON MAY 7TH, 2008 AT ABOUT 10:00PM CST.
Good luck to all who enter!!
I'm entering and I plan to keep checking back for the weekly contests.
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May. 3, 2008 - A Scrapbooking Contest
Back in the long and carefree days before I had children, I was a scrapbooker. I have beautiful baby albums (that I have referenced before) for my older children. But, alas, now that I have something to scrapbook, I have no time and no money. Also, my pictures are all digital now. So, I digitally scrapbook. :-) But, Kathryne shamed me today. Somehow the topic of the baby books came up and she was asking me about each of their books. When we got to Rachel (the fourth child), I had to admit, she didn't have a book just a box of pictures and stuff. All the kids were shocked. "Why doesn't she have book, Mom?" Okay, okay, I'm a neglectful mother.
But, then I ran across this contest. Perfect timing. Perhaps I'll win, and then Rachel can have a baby book.
Check it out from Growing in Grace Magazine:
To give all of you jump-started on your scrapbooking, we have contest for you!
To Be Entered:
Leave a comment, telling what would be your first project in creating a scrapbook.
Announce it on your blog - including links to this article on GGM.
Put the icon on your sidebar.
Action pack
2 Mini picfolio albums
Petal multi-maker punch
Storybox mats/journaling boxes
Scissors
Photo organizer
Photo splits
This prize package sure is full of a lot of goodies, and it's worth over a $100 so make sure you enter for your chance to win it. The contest is rather easy so I hope you all enter and tell your friends!
We want to thank Misty Brown for donating this WONDERFUL prize package. What a blessing this was! You're welcome to contact her if you wish to inquire about scrapbooking supplies.
Misty Brown, Scrapbooking Consultant
Email: fancythismarble AT embarqmail DOT com
Location: North-East, Indiana
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May. 1, 2008 - Ultimate Homeschool Expo
I just have to put another plug in here for the Ultimate Homeschool Expo. I feel like one of those Geico commercials- "I am a real customer, not a paid celebrity."
I have just gotten sooo much out of the workshops I have listened to. There are literally HUNDREDS of dollars of freebies in the virtual grab bag, and all these things will be available forever when you pay your $40 for admission. All the audios can be downloaded and listened to at your leisure.
Some of my favorite workshops so far:
Teaching Creation Science
You're Not Superwoman! Balancing Our Homeschool Ideas with Realities of Life
What Does God See When He Looks at Me?
The Value of Motherhood- MY FAVORITE SO FAR
Secrets to Supermarket Savings
There have been many more, but it is great to be able to hear these speakers, chat live with other moms, and get all this good information without leaving the house or my kids!
If you haven't checked it out yet, check it out. After July the conferences will still be available but the price goes up to $99.95!
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May. 1, 2008 - A Mother's Day Contest
Here's a great contest to win a Mother's Day gift (for yourself or someone else). Check it out at Proverbsmama's blog.
Here's what you do:
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Apr. 29, 2008 - Yummy Recipe- Homemade Corn Dogs
I was asked for the recipe for homemade corn dogs. I have to say, this comes from the neatest recipe book : Make-a-Mix
This book is great for me because I like to cook from a mix, but I am trying to be more health conscious and more frugal and buy less-processed foods. So, now I can make my own mixes and then I can use them for easy cooking.
This recipe starts with Corn Bread Mix:
4 cups all purpose flour
4 cups yeallow cornmeal
2 cups instant nonfat milk powder or dry buttermilk powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
This makes a LARGE mix of about 10 cups. It can be used to make corn bread:
Combine 1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/4 cups mix
Or corn dogs:
1/4 cup corn bread mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard (I leave this out)
pinch of paprika
1 egg slightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
Heat oil in a deep fryer or about 2-3 inches in a suacepan. Dry four hotdogs with paper towels. In a pie plate, combine the dry ingredients, then stir in egg and water to make a stiff batter. Roll the hotdogs in batter and use tongs to place them in the hot oil. Turning once, fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.
This makes enough batter for four hotdogs. I usually double and fix eight for my crew. Sometimes I stick kabob sticks in them for a holder. :-)
These are a favorite with my kiddos (and I like them too.)
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Apr. 29, 2008 - Contest on the Front Porch
The HSB Front Porch has a great contest going on to win a book that I really want to read. Check it out here: Contest
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Apr. 28, 2008 - Family Photos
It has been a while since I posted pictures because of my computer issues. I thought I would share some tonight.
Pictures of the kiddos enjoying our local Come See Me festival. This is a spring festival held every year. We went to the parade, Frog Hoppin Fun, the Frog crafts at the library, entertainment at a local garden, and a Frog Float with a petting zoo and bouncy things for the kids. (Umm, it has a frog theme. Can you tell? )
Here are some photos of what Ashlyne and Rachel do all day while I'm teaching Kathryne and Charles:
Here's Kathryne, my little seamstress, making some blankets in her room at bedtime. She did NOT learn to sew from me. What she can do, she learned from my mom and on her own.
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Apr. 28, 2008 - A Great Mother's Day Contest
This is a great Mother's Day Giveaway from 5 Minutes for Mom.
I saw this printer featured on Celebrity Apprentice and thought at the time it looked great!
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Apr. 28, 2008 - Monday Meanderings
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To learn more about "Monday Meanderings” please go HERE! Bible Study/ Devotions ~ Reading through the Bible by e-mail (in in Leviticus) and through the 60 day overview (I read about David and Goliath this morning. "Must Do"~ This week I Must ... * Send some e-mails about children's ministry stuff. * Order VBS material * Go to AWANA awards ceremony Homekeeping ~ May's zone is paper and file sytems. I have just cleaned out our files, so I don't need to do that this month. I do need to go through my calendar. This week, I am working on a desparate decluttering class fromChristian Homemaking. Train Them Up~ We are finishing up our official school year this week and next. The kids are working mainly on seatwork and getting through textbooks. For Bible we are memorizing Dueteronomy 30:14. I am also going to start teaching Kathryne and Charles to prepare lunch this week. They already know how to do some food preparation, but this week we are going to start a system where they take turns being responsible for luch (along with me). I hope this will lead to making them ultimately responsible for lunch and then we can work on supper. :-)
Something very exciting I am looking forward to this week is the Ultimate Homeschool Expo. Menu Monday ~ Ravioli, salad, garlic bread Tuesday~ Chicken casserole, green beans and mashed potatoes Wednesday~ Eat at church Thursday~ Homemade corn dogs; fruit; fries Friday~ Annies pasta for kids; carry out date for me and Jason Saturday~Homemade Pizza Sunday~ Leftovers and sandwiches |
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