We went up to Michigan this past weekend to visit my in-laws. We had a terrific time hanging out and playing games. We got to try out their new Wii system which was an absolute blast! The girls loved bowling the best. I must say it was a lot nicer than hanging out in a bowling alley. Plus, the Wii controls are so much lighter than a real bowling ball! lol! I really want a Wii now. But I'll stop pouting and just share a couple videos from our weekend playing on it. Along with the Wii, us older 'kids' (aka my hubby, myself, and his four siblings) got to sit down and play a couple games of Catch Phrase and Boggle together. That too was a lot of fun! I think we might've actually been louder than the younger ones when they were playing. lol!!
I found this on another blog and thought it was hilarious! I thought I'd join in on that fun as well. lol! Here goes!
Yep, I was tagged by Buckeyeblog to name six random things about myself and then tag some others to join in the fun. Here goes!
The Rules
Rule #1 ~ Link to the person that tagged you. Rule #2 ~ Post the rules on your Blog. Rule #3 ~ Write 6 random things about yourself. Rule #4 ~ Tag 6 people at the end of your post. Rule #5 ~ Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up.
1. I am an identical twin
2. I love to sing, which is what I initially went to college for.
3. I used to be very big into art, even getting a scholarship (by showing of a portfolio) for classes at the Dayton Art Institute. I don't know if they still offer classes there or not. Hmm....
4. I love to learn new languages. I even taught myself basic Korean to help teach a friend English. lol! (no, i don't remember much of it now...would need a refresher) My current language interests are Hebrew, Gaelic, and Cherokee.
5. I am most at peace when I'm outdoors, usually in Spring/Summer, and trekkin' around in the woods.
6. I have an irrational fear of water. No...I don't know when or why this fear started exactly, but it has gotten worse as I've gotten older.
I am tagging:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/drewsfamilytx
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/franticallyspeaking/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/inHim/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JacqueDixonSoulRestES/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/LisaProciw/
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/SandBetweenMyToes/
Go here to see the original Simple Woman's Daybook
For Today... Monday, December 1, 2008
Outside my window...is snow falling. I'm hoping for some of it to stick, but doesn't look like it will so far.
I am thinking...of what the word 'butterschnickel' might mean, since my eldest decided to make it up. lol! Wierd children. I wonder who they get that from? It couldn't be me.
From the learning rooms... reading and practicing of cursive for the younger two.
I am thankful for...my warm toasty house. It's freezin' outside!
From the kitchen...are thanksgiving leftovers! lol! (well, there's some turkey and a lil apple pie left anyway)
I am wearing...sweatpants, a t-shirt, and my usual ankle socks. Comfy clothes is what it's all about!
I am reading...my TOS still! I love that it takes me forever to paruse through it. It gives me something good to read in my down time.
I am hoping...to get our Christmas tree put up tonight or tomorrow and decorated this coming weekend when hubby has his next days off so we can all decorate together! Good thing it's fake or the cats would climb it. lol!
I am creating...a new daily lesson plan to fine tune our school routine.
I am hearing...the girls joking around in the other room. Lil goof-offs. ha! ha! Again...I don't know WHO they'd get that from! lol!
Around the house...not so much laundry to catch up on now, as I've put a decent dent into it. I do have dishes to do though. Oh yeah...and that whole Christmas tree thing.
One of my favorite things...is to sing songs to my girls.
A few plans for the rest of the week...hmm...I dunno yet. Honestly. I think ahead on some things, but on a lot of things I just don't. I'm not wired that way.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...
Our eldest cat, Sherlock, last winter with rock hard snow balls stuck to his fur all over his lil belly! It was so bad of me, but I laughed hysterically at him trying to walk with those stuck on him. Too funny! We had to put him on a blanket to 'thaw'. lol!
Well, our Thanksgiving Day was great. Lots of family time!
I had to start the day before if I wanted to get everything done, as far as food. Being a gluten free family, most of what I have to make has to be made from scratch. Yes, I buy flour mixes for the different things, but then there is a lot of preparation after that. I found out last year, that I'd have to double up the pie crusts after making them since they are so thin and have the consistency of moon sand before being baked. No joke. I actually have to put them on wax paper, roll them out and then flip them over into the pie dish because they are too fine to pick up. So, I made those the day before to get them out of the way.
I also made my first attempt at homemade gluten free stuffing. Last year, I ordered a gf mix and made it. This year, I followed a gf recipe I found online at a gf site. I must say, this stuff beat last year's mix hands down! We ALL loved it! It rivaled the Stove Top we used to eat! Now that we have a good gf stuffing recipe, I can now make my pork chops & stuffing again! Woohoo! We've really missed that. I also found an awesome mix for dinner rolls & buttermilk biscuits! Again, a lot of preparation even with the mixes, but they are GREAT!!!
The turkey also turned out much better than the last couple of years. Instead of roasting it in the oven, like usual. I decided to put it in my electric roaster this year. I usually only use this for my pot roasts. However, I wanted everything to get done around the same time this year...so, the electric roaster freed up space in my oven to cook other things. Wow! I should have done this last year! It turned out terrific! And it held the juices so much better! Definitely doing this again next year. So much easier and tastier!
As a family, we all told what we were thankful for in the past year, as well as in general. It was wonderful to hear my girls give their own thanks instead of just us adults. They seemed to enjoy it as well. My hubby then led us in prayer to our Lord for all He has given us this year and the protection He provides for us daily, even when we don't notice it. I hope everyone else's Thanksgiving was just as wonderful as ours was.
SInce I'm up late making pies and the like, I decided to visit some blogs while waiting for my gf pie crust to chill in the fridge for the next hour. I bopped on by Sisterchicksteph's blog and found a fun activity to partake in! She always has some really neato stuff over there. lol So, if you wish to participate, just copy and paste the list and highlight the activities you've done in your own life! Have fun! Be sure to let me know in my comments if you've decided to join in on the fun!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (on tv...lol!! hey...it didn't specify in person on this one!)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (a HOME movie! lol!)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (only on tv, but I've seen it!! lol!)
77. Broken a bone (wow...good timing or what? lol)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Tonight I finished up my Thanksgiving shopping...that I know of. I think I'm all done. Should be all set for cookin'! I start tomorrow on my pies, as well as injecting my turkey with seasonings/juices from my recipe and will marinate overnight. I also took that lil trip to the docs office that I was avoiding for my finger. My mom had called earlier and asked how it was doing. For the most part it was getting a little better. I could actually move it more but stil hurt to grab anything. (yes, I can type cause I dont have to fully bend that finger) However, while I was talking with mom, I turned my finger sideways and looked at the sides of it. Not good. Both sides of my right ring finger were (and still are) dark bluish/purple. They were not that way yesterday or on Sunday afternoon when my 'accident' occurred. So, I talked myself into going to the afterhours clinic to have it checked out. While there, they x-rayed the finger and found that it is indeed fractured...but only a hairline. So, it will heal perfectly normal but will have to be careful til then. They gave me a splint for the underside of my finger, to keep it straight, but it doesn't have to be completely immobilized. I'm still deciding if it hurts more in or out of the splint. lol But I am thankful that it wasn't worse and the swelling has gone down almost completely. Good news!
UPDATE: I received a call back from the afterhours clinic today (Wed). They had another doctor and a radiologist look over my x-rays again. I not only have a hairline fracture radiating out from the knuckle and down, but a small shaving off of bone as well. Nice eh? They now want me to keep it in a splint as much as possible, but this really prohibits me from doing a lot of things with my right hand. So, I've been taking it off and on as needed.
Well, for those that may be wondering why we missed co-op again today, here it is. When my hubby arrived home this morning from work (around 7:20 am), he let me know what the weather was like outside. He said that in the previous 45 minutes at work (he works at our county 911 center as a dispatcher), they had 12 accidents on the county roads already due to the icy road conditions! Three of them alone were near the church where co-op is held. I asked if it was truly that bad, to which I got a resounding yes...along with a rather stern "I don't want you on the road this morning." I understood completely...especially after he opened up the front door for me to see the icy rain falling down in sheets as we spoke. I didn't even want to dare to take the girls out in our minivan in that stuff. Our minivan has a nasty habit of locking up the brakes (though it's not supposed to) during ice and even normal rainfall..though I'm not as uneasy in the rain. During snow/ice I have learned to stop a lot sooner, yet sometimes end up 'gliding' unexpectedly. I have been very lucky not to have been hit by other cars because of this in the past. This morning was perfect conditions for 'gliding' in our minivan. No way, thank you very much. Not happening. And driving the country roads filled with ice, while more is coming down. Nope. So, we missed another day of co-op. Sorry to have missed you all again, fellow co-opers! Hope you all got there okay, if you ventured out into that mess. Hope to see you guys on Wednesday for Awanas!
Update: Oops! I was just reminded by my girls that there is NO AWANAS this week due to Thanksgiving! Duh! You'd think I'd remember...lol! Anywhooo....hope to see you all soon then!
I also forgot to mention the good news from this past week at Awanas! My 8 yr old participated for the first time in the Sparky Regatta Boat Race and placed THIRD!!! She did terrific her first time out!! Woohoo!! It was a blast to watch and even more exciting to see her have so much fun! She loved it!
