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Dec. 1, 2009 - Double Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted in Recipes

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Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe created by Carolyn Gurtz, winner of the 2008 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest

 

Makes 24 cookies

·         1/4 cup Fisher dry-roasted peanuts , finely chopped

·         1/4 cup granulated sugar

·         1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

·         1/2 cup JIF creamy peanut butter

·         1/2 cup powdered sugar

·         1 roll (16.5 ounces) Pillsbury refrigerated peanut butter cookies , well chilled

·         Crisco original no-stick cooking spray

Heat oven to 375°. In small bowl, mix chopped peanuts, granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

In another small bowl, stir peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely blended. Shape mixture into 24 balls, about 1 inch each.

Cut roll of cookie dough into 12 slices. Cut each slice in half crosswise to make 24 pieces; flatten slightly. Shape 1 cookie dough piece around 1 peanut butter ball, covering completely. Repeat with remaining dough and balls.

Roll each covered ball in peanut mixture; gently pat mixture completely onto balls. On ungreased large cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart. Spray bottom of drinking glass with Crisco original no-stick cooking spray; press into remaining peanut mixture. Flatten each ball to 1/2-inch thickness with bottom of glass. Sprinkle any remaining peanut mixture evenly on tops of cookies; gently press into dough.

Bake 7 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Store tightly covered.

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Nov. 30, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling - Sharing Chores

~~ Working and Homeschooling  ~~

I wanted to devote one post just to how we manage to do housework, etc. with me working outside the home.
 
Dd has certain chores that are daily:
  • keep the filtered water pitcher full
  • feed cat
  • empty trash can in our only bathroom
  • pick up clutter around the house
  • wash the dishes
A few times a week, she will do these:
  • Vacuum all the rooms in the house
  • Clean the bathroom counter
  • Laundry (Though she often leaves the drying for me since I do not want my scrub tops in the dryer.)
  • Start the evening meal
Dh will help with things like:
  • running errands for me (bank, groceries, post office, library)
  • outside things (mowing, etc., but he was doing that before I started working)
  • dishes
I still do most of the dusting but I don't do it every week.  To me, having an immaculate home is not nearly as important as still having time to rest and enjoy my family.  When you add in the homeschooling, there is all the more reason to not worry about keeping an immaculate home.  Dd's academics are much more important than a super clean home. 
(I guess I should also add -- our home is not a large home.  2 bedrooms/one bathroom)
Another thing I have done that is very helpful is to get any of my own errands done on my way home from work.  That way, when I have a day off, I can relax, unwind, and be at home with my loved ones.  For those of you who are local, you know that if I leave work on the west side, I can stop by a couple of grocery stores, as well as the chiropractor's office w/o going out of my way.  I can make a quick stop downtown for the library, post office, or the bank.  If I leave by way of the highway, I can take a short detour and visit the health food store, Walmart, Goodwill, Meijer, or Hobby Lobby.  This actually saves time because I'm doing the errands while I'm already out on that end of town.

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Nov. 28, 2009 - Love Letters to Your Kids

Posted in Our family

I received this info in an email from TOS, but I'm sure there will be some who stop by who do not receive those weekly emails.  Because of that, I just HAVE to share this really cool website with you!  It is love letters to your kids.  Each Friday, she posts a new topic on which to write.  I searched my bookcase diligently this afternoon until I found an unused journal.  I am going to start this project for my daughter because I think it will provide a rich heritage for her in years to come.  I am so excited to start this!

http://babyloveletters.typepad.com/baby_love_letters/

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Nov. 27, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

Visit www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more wrap ups. 

 From the Heart:
Do you know someone who has lost a loved one this year?  If so, please send them a note and let them know you are thinking of them.  You will never know how much it means to them to know someone remembered that their holidays are going to be quite different this year.
 
I lost a very dear friend when I was just 15.  He died on Christmas Eve.  Since he was the closest person I had ever lost to death at that time, it was devastating to me.  Even though it has been 30 years since he died, I still have times that I struggle with the loss.  His parents attend the church we used to attend.  Every Christmas Eve service, I would find his family in the sanctuary to let them know that I love them and that I did remember their pain.
 
On the Homefront:
I was supposed to be off work on Tuesday, but before I even clocked in on Monday, I was asked to come in for four hours, which turned into 4-1/2 hours.  Anyway, once I finally got home, dd and I put up the  and got the rest of the house decorated.  We were a bit concerned about how the new  would be with the tree, but so far, so good. 

Since we were playing Christmas music and decorating the house, we agreed that we should have some cookies, so we went to Save A Lot and got some of the chocolate chip cookies in a roll and baked them.  (We were too tired to make them ourselves.)  We also made cinnamon rolls later in the evening. 
 
Wednesday we went shopping and got a new DVD/VCR player.  We still have some video tapes we need to watch, plus I want a couple of shows recorded so I can watch them later.    We bought a few more  gifts too.
 
I have to admit it -- I'm a sucker for those annual Christmas movies.  DD and I have spent a lot of time enjoying some family-oriented movies. 
 
 In the School Room:
Since I had 2-1/2 days off from work, we only did school on Monday.  I wanted to have some special mom and daughter time while it was Thanksgiving week. 
 
 To our health:
This week has been a hard one where the asthma is concerned.  I think a lot of it has to do with the change in the weather.  We had a temperature drop, wind, and rain.  I seem to notice a change in the asthma every time there is a big change in the weather.  Usually, it affects me with being more short of breath than usual, as well as my chest hurting.  The best way to explain the chest hurting is to say that if you've ever gone out on a bitter cold day, after having an upper respiratory infection, and taken a deep breath.....well, that terrible feeling you get in your chest is what I feel like when my chest starts hurting. 
 
Nurse emoticon   On the work front:
I found out I will be working the afternoon shift in ER on Christmas Day.  That will be nice in the sense that I will be here with my family Christmas morning.  However, by the time I get to work, people will have had their Christmas dinner, ate too much, have heartburn, and think it's a heart attack.  So guess where they will be headed?  You got it.....ER! 
 
I work this weekend in admissions.  I will have to miss hearing the man who is coming from Vegas to candidate for the "next generation" pastor's position.  I work with his mom in ER.  She is a rare gem.
 
:cookIn the Kitchen:
I made hot potato salad and sweet potato crunch to take to my sis-in-law's house for our  meal.  DH bought some pies to take with us.
 
Without knowing my work schedule for December, I did the best I could to work on my menu plan.  I posted how I did it on my menu blog
 
  Refreshing my spirit:
I spent some time doing a Beth Moore study on the apostle Paul.  It's going to take me a long time to get through this study, but it looks like a good one.
 
Reading emoticon   In the Literary Scene:
I'm beginning to think I need to read Passionate Housewives Desperate for God a second time.  It is a  really good book, and wouldn't hurt to "digest" it again.
 
 for stopping by! 
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you.

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Nov. 25, 2009 - Great coupons!

I usually don't use coupons because I can often buy the generic much cheaper.  However, I got an email with a link some coupons I will actually use.  Here's the link if you want to check it out:

http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13930&nid=10&zid=js37

We are going to be making homemade trail mix for the holidays.  Some of the coupons will be good for things to use in our snack mix.

 

 

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Nov. 24, 2009 - Asthma update

We got a new air purifier from Oreck a few weeks ago.  It has made a huge difference in how the house smells.  I didn't notice that the house had a musty smell about it until I saw how clean it smelled after using the air purifier. 

With the asthma, I cannot be directly in front of the purifier for any length of time because I will immediately notice that I start coughing.  I think it is because the purifier is pulling the air toward it.  So, if I'm in front of it, the bad stuff is passing by me before it gets to the purifier.

For several months, dd has been doing all of the vacuuming because that tends to really stir up stuff and causes my chest to start hurting, as well as making me short of breath.  Yet, today I did vacuum (twice), and I never noticed any problems with my breathing.  All I can attribute it to is the purifier. 

I decided to try to cut back on the herbal stuff to see if I could wean myself off of any of it.  After all, it is rather pricy.  Unfortunately, I noticed a big change for the worse within just a couple of days.  At least I know that I really do need to continue the herbal stuff.  (The types of herbal stuff I use is listed in the journey with asthma category.) 

I am still using both inhalers every day.  I have to use the albuterol inhaler three times a day; the steroid one gets used twice a day.  I cannot seem to get off that albuterol inhaler.  Though it has been rather frustrating, I have decided not to let it rule my emotions. 

I discovered another interesting thing over the weekend.  Since I was off from work, I took a two hour on Saturday.  When I woke up, I was in the middle of a nasty asthma attack.  I was really struggling to breathe.  I used both inhalers, but still continued having problems.  I remembered hearing that caffeine can help.  Normally, I will drink a diet coke (usually when I'm having issues while at work).  This time, I decided to make a cup of my instant, homemade cappuccino .  Within minutes, I could feel my breathing settling down.  It was  moment for me that left me feeling  so that I could enjoy the rest of the weekend.  And it was  too!   

Two praises:  I'm not having asthma attacks as frequently now.  And on the rare occasions that I do, I don't have the panic attacks that accompanied them when I was first diagnosed.  I'm learning what I need to do, doing it, and patiently waiting for things to settle back down to normal again. 

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

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Nov. 23, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling - Refocusing

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~ 

Last week I mentioned the struggle of trying not to focus on what I missing, now that I am working outside the home.  I went through some very dark days of depression shortly after starting my job.  I came to realize that I was in a season of grieving.  Here is some of what I had to battle, and how I chose to reframe my situation.

  • No longer a SAHM/Thank God I could find a job in a field I love.
  • Developing chronic asthma shortly after starting a job and dealing with the loss of a healthy body/Thanking God that I have a job so that I can manage to go to the doctor when I need to.  Thanking God for the drug assistance programs which help provide the necessary meds to keep me going.
  • Loss of social time with my friends/Thanking God that my friends understand my situation.  Thanking God that I am in a job which places me with people all day long.  (I am a "people" person.)
  • Loss of dh's income due to the recession/Thanking God for any jobs he gets (self-employed), as well as thanking God that dh is able to be w/dd and help her when I can't be here.
  • Rarely able to do things I really enjoy (watch TV, read, write devotions) - Thank God that I have the energy to do what I really need to do to make things work for us right now.
  • Loss of our 18 yo cat in August - The Lord has provided us with a kitty who loves to cuddle, which is exactly what dd and I wanted.  At the end of a long, stressful day, I can come home and unwind while cuddling our kitty.  It really does help lessen the stress of the day if you can pet an animal.
  • Loss of being able to homeschool dd in the way I had done previously/Thanking God that these changes have helped dd to mature and take on more responsibility (and that is a good thing).
  • I have added a HUGE amount of stress to my days by working outside the home/Thanking God that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has placed me in my current job and will give me the strength, grace, mercy, and compassion that I need to do that job and do it for His glory.

As you can see, we have had some MAJOR things to deal with.  And that doesn't even count all of the things we've had to deal with in the past few months.  However, the Lord is good and ALL He does is good. 

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Nov. 21, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

Visit www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more wrap ups. 

 

  From the Heart:
I thoroughly enjoyed having a couple of days off from work this week.  Since I've been doing so many 7-3 shifts, my body is used to waking at 4:30 or 5:00.  I decided to take a Tylenol PM one night to see if it would help me to sleep in a bit.  It was  to  in until 8:00 the next morning! 
Since dh's  was yesterday, we invited his family over for some cake.  While talking with my sis-in-law, I mentioned that I would be unable to have  with my family since I have to work the day of the family dinner.  She invited us to her house on  day. 
 
On the Homefront:
I'm getting geared up for the season.  I know I will have to do well with managing my time to make sure that the get wrapped, that the homemade gifts get done, etc.  I plan to enjoy the season though.  I refuse to let myself get  or  over getting things done for .
While dd headed out to a church activity on Saturday morning, I turned on some  music and wrapped a few gifts.
 
 In the School Room:
Since I had a couple of days off work this week, we did a girls' group on Wednesday afternoon.  Each girl brought something to be used in making trail mix.  I poured each item into a separate bowl.  Next, the girls could come along with a baggie and fill it with the items of their own choosing.  They seemed to enjoy putting together their own trail mix.
 
Since I don't know my schedule for December, I don't know if we will be able to plan any girls' groups for next month.  Because of that, dd and I bought several different Christmas mugs so each girl could take a mug home with her today. If we do have a meeting next month, we'll have to try to come up with something different.
 
While purchasing mugs, I decided to get for me that has a  on it.  I love snowmen, and I like that I can continue using it even after Christmas because it isn't a mug. 
 
 
Nurse emoticon   On the work front:
One day, an elderly lady came in by ambulance.  When she realized where she was, she yelled, "OH!  You can't keep me here!  I have an appointment to get a permanent in my hair tomorrow!" 
 
Another time, I had a patient walk in my office.  I said, "What are we doing for you today?"  The patient replied, "I'm here to get goosed," then handed me the paperwork with prep instructions.  He was there for a colonoscopy. 
 
Starting in December, our work days will be 8 hours long instead of 7-1/2 hours long. 
 
:cookIn the Kitchen:
On Monday, I worked all day then came home and made a double batch of Cincinnati chili.  By double batch, I mean I used 2 packages of the spice mix for it.  This means I had to use 12 c. of water, 3 pounds of ground beef, and 2 cans of tomato paste.  It sure took a while, especially when I had to puree all of it in the blender.  Once finished, I put meal-sized portions in freezer bags so that we will have several meals saved back for later use. 
 
On Wednesday, since we were having the girls' group, I wanted to do something quick and easy for supper, so I made taco soup in the crock pot.
 
Thursday morning, I assisted dd while she made a chocolate sheet cake for dh's  .  This is his favorite cake, so he was quite pleased when he walked in and saw it on the kitchen counter. 
 
  Refreshing my spirit:
I continue to struggle in this area because I am so terribly tired when I get home in the afternoon.  Now that I am back in the admissions department (as opposed to ER), it is hard to read anything at lunch because it is always so noisy on the floor.
 
 In the Literary Scene:
I am still reading Passionate Housewives Desperate for God.  This book is a great read, even if I am working outside the home.  It has given me much food for thought.  (Thanks Bobbi, for telling us about the great deal on this book through Vision Forum.)
 
 for stopping by!  I hope you return soon.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you.
 
 

 

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Nov. 17, 2009 - Gifts from your kitchen

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With the holidays upon us, I thought I would share a site that has a lot of neat ideas for homemade gifts.

http://www.giftsfromyourkitchen.com/

 

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Nov. 16, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling - Making Different Choices

 ~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

I have to admit it -- I am a news junkie.  However, with working outside the home, I have made the choice to cut back on my TV time.  I will watch about the first 15-20 minutes of the news, and then the TV is turned off. 

I am making the choice to try to make time to either play games with dd in the evening or watch family-oriented DVDs with her.  Often, you will find the two of us cuddling on the couch with the cat.
 
I used to be an avid reader.  If I got a new book, I could immerse myself in it and forget about everything/everyone else.  With working, I have had to push that passion on the back burner.  If I do any reading at all, it is a couple of pages before I nod off to sleep.  I even try to do my devotions on my lunch break so that I have more time with my family when I am home.
I have also had to cut back on emails.  I used to be signed up to a lot of different mailing lists.  Time just doesn't allow me the opportunity to continue receiving so many emails, so I have cut way back, in order to give me more time with my family.
 
I used to love to sit and chat with a friend on the phone.  I will admit -- I miss those times.  I do it occasionally, but over all, I rarely call my friends.  And I have to admit -- I get lonely for them.  I really miss them.  However, rather than focus on what I am missing, I must choose to focus on what working is doing for our family.  It is paying the bills, which would otherwise be way behind at this point.  I know that this is where God has placed me.  As hard as it is sometimes, I prefer to be in center of His will.  Being anywhere else would just be misery.
 
You see, working outside the home and homeschooling can be done.  You just need to learn to make different choices on some things. 

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Nov. 14, 2009 - Saturday

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

I have been trying to get as much as possible done on the days when I do work, so that when I have the day off, I can actually relax and unwind a bit.  Unfortunately, that isn't how yesterday played out for me.  Instead of resting, here is what I did:

  • a load of laundry
  • posted an ad on vegsource for some hs items I want to sell
  • organized a cabinet in the kitchen
  • made bbq sauce
  • made granola
  • made soap (recipe is posted in the body care category)
  • blogged
  • made some phone calls
  • planned a girls' group meeting for next week
  • contacted someone about using their facility for our local 4-H clogging group
  • swept
  • made supper
  • got my lunch prepared for today
  • did school w/dd
  • organized some hs items
  • washed dishes at least 4 times 
  • got all my stuff together so it would be ready for me as I got ready for work this morning
  • went to bed at 7:30 because I was

While it felt good to know that I was making a lot of progress, I have to admit that by evening time, I was less-than-pleasant.  It is hard to balance keeping a home, working outside the home, and hs'ing.    And when your hormones are amuck, it's all the more difficult. 

Would anyone care to give me a nice, long back rub? 

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Nov. 13, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

 

Visit www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more wrap ups.

On the Homefront:

I got a bit of downer over the weekend.  It looks like I will have to miss out on having with my side of the family.  They are planning to have their dinner on Friday.  I have to work 11-7 that day, so there is no way to schedule the dinner around those hours.  On the other hand, I do have Thanksgiving off, so we are discussing what we'd like to do for our dinner, here at home.  (This will be my first holiday off since I started working.)

Last weekend, one of the ladies I met on a homeschool board was in our area.  She stopped by to visit.  Here is a photo:

L to R:  Sarah (my online friend), her mother, my friend Lucy (who is also a part of the online community), and myself (in the black shirt).  We had a lovely time visiting.  Sarah's mother homeschooled her way before homeschooling was popular.

 In the School Room:

While I was off on Friday, I planned out dd's next science pace.  I was hoping she would get it completed before the end of November, but I'm not sure that will work.

She should get her Easy Grammar finished the week of Thanksgiving.  At that point, she will start doing a Total Language Plus course for literature.

I dug out my high school binder where I'm keeping track of courses for high school.  I need to get a few items added to the binder.  I am also keeping copies of all table of contents from every course in that binder so they all stay in one place.  This will make it much easier for me when I need them. 

DD and dh went to the reservoir yesterday while the weather was decent.  They walked at least 2 miles while there and had some nice, quality time together.

I am planning to have a girls' group next week since I have two days of in the middle of the week.  I know dd is looking forward to this.  I used to host them in my home at least twice a month, but with working, it is a rare occasion when I actually have time for extras like this. 

 Refreshing my Spirit:

I am still having trouble making myself do any in-depth studies when I am home.  I am just so  when I get home that I don't want to have to focus on anything.  I'm doing good this week to even grade dd's work.  Thankfully, dh has really stepped in and helped with that.   I had several things to do this week after work, so by the time I got home Wednesday, I was in .  Not because it was a bad day, but just because I was so terribly .

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Nov. 9, 2009 - My #1 Hint

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~ 

If I had to come up with only ONE hint for making working outside the home also work with homeschooling, it would be to get in the habit of making a menu plan.  I do mine for a month because I have my schedule for the entire month.  If you only know your schedule for a week or two weeks in advance, then plan it for that length of time.  This has been the biggest help for me.  Being able to come home and know in advance what I'm doing for supper is a HUGE relief.  No more wondering, "What in the world am I going to make?"  No temptations for stopping at McDonald's and paying a small fortune for unhealthy food that is going to make all of us feel sick.  It also alleviates constantly running to the store to pick up something.

 
Yes, it may take some extra time and discipline up front, but the savings down the road in my time, energy, and $, are priceless!
 
For more hints on how to start menu planning, visit my other blog:
www.homeschoolblogger.com/menu

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Nov. 6, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

 From the Heart:

My nephew is home after completing basic training at Ft. Benning.  He and his girlfriend decided to get  on Tuesday.

On the Homefront:

Dh, dd, and I went to a 25th wedding anniversary on Sunday for some our friends, Sonny and Renita.    Sonny was the best man in our  over 21 years ago.

I was off Tuesday and got a lot of litte projects done.

  • Refilled the baking soda container that I keep in the bathroom for my netty pot,
  • Straightened up the bathroom closet while looking for a few needed items of which we had run out,
  • Washed the kitchen counters,
  • Took several boxes to the attic,
  • Washed 3 loads of laundry,
  • Removed a lot of my clutter from the kitchen and the chest in the bedroom,
  • Got my work clothes ready for the rest of the week,
  • Started making plans for a few activities next month,
  • Organized my spices
  • Got out my Christmas dishes so we can start using them.  (I figure if the merchants can start marketing Christmas before November, I can enjoy my own Christmas items for a few extra weeks.)  
  • Paid a couple of bills, and a whole lot more that I just can't seem to remember right now. 

We also got our new air purifier on Tuesday.

My mom's side of the family has a gals' night out once a month to celebrate the for that month.  This month, we stopped by to get our favorite fast-food meal, then went to my mom's house to play games. 

Since I have the weekend off, I plan to get a lot accomplished Friday evening so that I can relax on Saturday and take a nice, long

 In the School Room:

Tuesday was a different kind of school day for us.  I heard the city trucks that remove the leaves.  DH and dd quickly ran outside to :sweeping leaves: our leaves to the street before they got to our street.  They didn't get all of them done, but they sure got a lot of them!  .   DD was glad to take a bit of a break to help her Dad.

She still had to do most of her school work that day though because she has fallen a bit behind in her science, and I am trying to get her LA course for this semester finished by  .  I'm not sure we will get it done though since I have 3 days in a row off that week.  We will be decorating the house those days for .  I doubt that much school will be done while the decorating is taking place.  I am getting to the place where I am letting dd do a lot of the decorating on her own since she enjoys it so much.

  To our health:

We got our new air purifier this week.  We are hoping it will help with my asthma issues.

Since I take so many pills (herbal stuff, not meds),   dh bought me one of those pill holders that holds a week's supply.  I bought 2 more -- one to take to work to use during my lunch break, and one for my evening herbs.  It has made taking my pills a lot easier.  I only have to distribute them once a week, as opposed to doing it several times every day.

Nurse emoticon   On the work front:

Monday was a rather odd day in the ER.  We had several patients coming in for the exact same thing (and it wasn't H1N1).  I asked if it was a full moon.  The doctor said the full moon was a couple of days prior to that.  I said perhaps people just missed it by a few days. 

On that same day, I saw FIVE different people I know, and I know ALL of them from the same social circle.  Isn't that just ?  Please don't  at me, but due to HIPAA guidelines, I can't give any other details. 

I was working in ER one day when they actually lost a patient.  I think this young patient was actually gone before the ambulance brought them in.  Very, very sad.  You can definitely tell when a family's grief is the kind when they have "no hope."  It was so heart-wrenching.

 Refreshing my Spirit:

I haven't had a weekend off for many weeks, so I am really looking forward to going to  this weekend and reconnecting with my church family.   (For some odd reason, I keep having trouble getting my last category to work on weekly wrap up.  Even when I try to change the categories around, it still doesn't want to work.)

Have a  week!

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Nov. 3, 2009 - Pumpkin Latte

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Pumpkin Latte 

2 cups milk (or soy milk)
1 cup strong coffee
2 T vanilla
2 T sugar (or artificial sweetener)
2 T canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice **

Mix all together.  Can be warmed in the microwave or put in the crock pot overnight.
 

**  Pumpkin Pie Spice 

1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. allspice
 
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Free Snuggie Blanket: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/proverbsmama/740438/ 

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Nov. 3, 2009 - Danny Gokey

Posted in Just for fun

For Danny Gokey fans:

http://www.sophiasheart.org/journal.php

 

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Nov. 2, 2009 - Working & Homeschooling #1

~~~ Working and Homeschooling ~~~

Several people have stopped by my blog and asked, "How do you manage to work and still homeschool?"  I decided to start a category, dedicated just to that topic.  

For starters, I have an "only."  She is in 8th grade, so at this point, she doesn't really need me as a "teacher."  Instead, she needs me as a facilitator. 
 
Since dd is in 8th grade, we are trying to do as many subjects as possible this year that can count toward her high school transcript.  With also facing the emotional highs of lows of puberty, I also knew that it was unwise to expect her to do a full course load during the school year.  To alleviate the chances of her "melting down," she knew she would have to complete some subjects over the summer months. 
She completed her Home Ec course over the summer.  Shortly after school officially started this fall, she finished up the A Beka high school health course.  She is nearly done with her World Geography.  We used Challenging Geography as well as the game Where in the World? to complete this course.  She has done really well learning the countries of the world and she enjoys it, so it was a good fit.  I am "quizzing" her on the countries, and that is what will earn her course credit.  I will likely have her pick a country on which to write an essay.  So there are three courses, nearly done.  She should finish up the first semester of her language arts course around Thanksgiving.  (For more info on what types of courses we are using for high school, read the "High School" category.)
 
We are not unschoolers, so most of our curriculum is already laid out for us, which is a huge help since I started working.  The only subject I really need to plan ahead is her language arts.  We are using an old version of Easy Grammar and Easy Writing.  Over the weekend, I will pull out the next week's assignments and put them in a folder for her.
 
She knows that any assignments that stump her can be set aside until I get home in the evening.  DH has been helping out some.  On evenings when I work later hours, he will grade her work.  He has also been helping her with her spelling. 
 
It isn't taking her all that long to complete her assignments.  If she gets out of bed when she is supposed to, she can usually have most of it done before lunch time, or shortly thereafter.  Right now, she is doing LA, Pre-algebra, vocabulary, and science.  She still chooses to work on her geography, but only does so a couple of times a week.

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Oct. 31, 2009 - Weekly Wrap Up

Posted in Weekly Wrap Up

 

Vist www.homeschoolblogger.com/threelittleladies for more Weekly Wrap Ups.

 Refreshing my Spirit:

I finally finished a book after trying to get it done for at least two months.  When I go to bed at night, I like to read, but am usually so tired that I fall asleep very quickly.  I don't even waste time  anymore. 

I started reading "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God."  Though I'm no longer a housewife, I am desperate for God.  A lot of my passion has died because of the constant responsibilities I carry, now that I'm working outside of the home.  (Not to mention that I've had to work every weekend this month, so I haven't even been to church.)

I am currently reading the epistles on my lunch break.  I am reading them from The Message Bible because the wording in it gives me a fresh perspective on familiar scriptures.

On the Homefront:

This week, DD and the neighbor boys raked a huge pile of leaves in the front yard.  Next, they would  then jump into the pile.  They had a load of fun doing that over and over and over.....

DD took care of the  for me early in the week so the house would look nice when I was off work on Wednesday.

When I came home from work on Saturday, the  delivered several packages.  They were things I had ordered online to save back for .  I had so much fun them!    One of the items was the first season of Highway to Heaven.  Since I got such a great deal on it, I decided to go ahead and let everyone start enjoying that one.

I got my hair cut and decided to color it deep burgundy.  It looks very pretty, but that is just MHO.    Just before I was ready to  , I noticed that some of the dye was on the wooden door frame.  You can imagine my   when I couldn't get it to come off.  I thought dh would   , but he just told me to extremely careful with it in the future. 

I found an emoticon that is so appropriate for our home/family.  We have three people here and only one bathroom: 

:cookIn the Kitchen:

  • Menu plan for November is done,
  • Posted menu plan on my monthly menu blog,
  • Posted some new recipes on my menu blog,
  • Bought the needed items to complete my menu plan, and spent less than $30!    (Thankfully, the meat is already bought, so that will save a lot of $ this month.)

 Nurse emoticon   On the work front:

Things are going well at work.  I will be in admissions over the weekend.  Since it is excessively slow on Sundays, I may be hair pulling yahoo emoticon or bored yahoo emoticon from complete  by the time I get off work that day. 

 In the School Room:

No major changes here.  Since so many people have asked how I manage to homeschool and work outside the home, I do plan to start a category dedicated to that issue.  Please stay tuned.......

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Oct. 29, 2009 - FREE Snuggie Blanket

FREE Snuggie Blanket!!!

http://gizmodo.com/5390239/gadget-deals-of-the-day

 

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Oct. 27, 2009 - Another Laundry Soap Recipe

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While searching the internet one day, I came across another laundry soap recipe.  (Please note:  I have not tried this one.)

Homemade Laundry Detergent


1 bar Ivory soap, grated (you can use Fels Naptha but it is more expensive)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax

Mix everything in a plastic container with a lid.  Use a heaping tablespoon for a normal load, and 2 heaping tablespoons for a heavily soiled load (like work clothes). 

She suggests doubling or tripling this recipe when you make it so you have a bunch on hand.  She uses an ice cream bucket with a handle to store the detergent in.  It is big enough to keep the tablespoon measuring spoon in the bucket, and it is easy to get down off the shelf in the laundry room using the handle!
 

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/school4jesus

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