http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:26:00 -0600 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:26:00 -0600 My New Blog I've moved! Feel free to come visit me here My New Blog http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/271666/ Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:26:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/271666/ I've not updated here in quite awhile.Reason being, I have another blog over at Xanga that has been taking up most of my blogging time.  I'm not sure if I can or want to keep up with two blogs.  My Xanga is more for real-life friends and family members.  This one here is much more anonomous.  I notice I tend to edit myself much more when people I know will be reading it.  We went and cut down our christmas tree yesterday. It was COLD!  No snow on the ground yet, but COLD!!  I needed leggings or long johns or cuddleduds or something underneath my skirts next time I go tromping around in the woods! BRRRRRRRRRRR!We always get our tree at very small,locally owned chrismas tree farm.  DH went to school with one of the owners son.  They drive you back to the tree lot on a flatbed trailer hitched behind a tractor. Haybales to sit on!  Its fun!  Anyhoos, I was wearing a long denim skirt, brown leather boots, black wool peacoat and a black scarf hood wrapped over my head. Yes, one can very elegantly ride on a haybale, in a skirt.  Its was kinda cute!  Everyone else was just jumping up on the side of the trailer and clammering on.  I went to the front "step" and stepped up as my eldest son held onto my arm.  He helped me up and also jumped off the side as soon as we stopped and ran to the front to help me down.  It was SOOOOO sweet!  We got alot of stares and quawks for sure!  I'm sure the crowd thought I was amish, and what was I doing buying a christmas trees along with a bunch of boys wearing leather coats and NASCAR hats! LOL!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/249739/ Mon, 4 Dec 2006 08:08:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/249739/ My pink shoes just arrived via the UPS truck.Oh.My.Goodness!!They are CUTE,CUTE,CUTE!CUTE!!Nothing like a nice PINK pair of shoes to make a girl feel oh-so pretty and feminine!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/235504/ Thu, 9 Nov 2006 13:20:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/235504/ I am not usually a "shoe person".  I own just a couple of pairs of shoes; a pair of brown clogs, running shoes, brown ankle boots and one pair of black "clunky" shoes.  Shoes normally don't excite me. However when I saw these, I HAD to have them! HAD HAD HAD to have them RIGHT NOW.  DH ordered them for me this morning!!! I simply can not WAIT for them to arrive!  (Those loveerly little shoes can be found at hannanderson.com) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/232894/ Sun, 5 Nov 2006 17:34:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/232894/ I didn't do a very good job yesterday with keeping up with the housework. I woke up this morning to a total disaster area. A little bit of time and elbow grease later- http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/229807/ Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:16:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/229807/ I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.3 of our clocks will automatically reset themselves tonight, no problem. I can not forget to reset our bedroom clock, the microwave and toaster oven and the boys alarm clocks.Bah.Thanks, Mitch.(not)ok, rant over.I totally blew my 2nd day of "rising before dawn" challenge today. blew it bad.  I got up at 7:45 am. The only reason I woke up at that time was because our bed was vibrating. Yes, vibrating.  My DH has suffers from profound hearing loss in both his ears.  For all intent and purpose he's deaf.  So our bed has a "shaker thingey" in it that is hooked up to the phone line so when the phone rings, the bed shakes, when his alarm goes off it also shakes the bed and flashes a super bright light.  Someone called here at 7:45 am and shook me awake out of a sound sleep and in the middle of a dream.  I got scared because no-one EVER calls us at that time so I was afraid it was bad news.  When I checked the messages, it was just a colleage of my hubbys.  Even though I arose late, I still had about a half an hour or so before the rest of the family got up and moving.  I've been really super struggling lately with some issues with the church we attend.  I had a goooood, long, honest talk with the Lord about it this morning and while nothing is really resolved yet, I do have a very real sense of peace and even His caring about it.I cooked breakfast this morning and all 5 of us actually sat down at the table and ate together.  DH and the boys were super impressed!  Then we all worked on cleaning out the basement.  We are remodeling it, adding another bathroom (we only have one bathroom for the 5 of us) and eventually adding our master bedroom to it.  DH and I will have our very own, very first master suite!  He and the boys are doing it all themselves so that makes it even MORE special to me!Son#3 is gone tonight from 5 til 10 for church. He is acting as an extra in a "play" called "Judgement House". They ahd over 300 people attend Thursday night and 50 decisions for Christ were made!  Tonight is expected to be even BUSIER!Heres a picture of me, cleaning the kitchen in a skirt. I want to try and dress nicer and more feminine even when I'm just home taking care of the house and family.(hehe, I'm barefoot! In the kitchen! Not preggers though :(I'm almost always barefoot!) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/228393/ Sat, 28 Oct 2006 16:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/228393/ Its 8am.I've been up since 5:30am!Yes, I am excited about that. 'Tis Day One of my "Rising before dawn" challenge. So far this morning I have:ShoweredLet doggies outSpent one full hour listening to worship music, praying and reading my bible(!)Dressed (not all the way to shoes though, I lurve to run around barefooted)Made the bedCaught up on our attendance book (only a week behind, usually its a month)posted this coming weeks breakfast, lunch and dinner menus on our whiteboardrefined my shopping list (I'll be leaving here in less than an hour to be at Aldis when the doors open)started a load of towels in the washer.I figured I'd done enough to reward myself with a little computer sit-down and bloggering!I kinda like this getting up early.  I've been such a slug-a-bed lately.  Its nothing for me to sleep in past 8am. Sometimes well past it!  One day last week it was 930 before I got up. YIKES! Grant it, I went to bed well past 1am, but still......I had to get all 5 of us up and out the door before 6am on Wed.  That was HARD, but it proved to me that it can be done and we all can survive. The time-change is sat/sunday so that might make things more interesting.  May I just add that I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE this time-change.  Indiana never changed time and now, this year, we do and I HATE it. I hate the fact that our "dear" state government went ahead and changed the time despite the fact that no-one else really wanted it.  Leave it to the goverment to think that they also control time! :pGot my frig nice and clean yesterday.  DS1 used the steam-cleaner on the insides and it looks almost brand new!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/227549/ Fri, 27 Oct 2006 06:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/227549/ Since today is Thursday I want to make a dinner plan for next week, grocery list and clean out both refrigerators.  Tomarrow is shopping day when I do most of my weekly shopping. I'm working on re-vamping my household notebook also.  It needs a re-do. So does my house, my schedule, routines and kids homeschooling schedule.  I've kinda let alot slide here lately and I REALLY need to get it back on track.And, I'm (yet again) failing miserably.  Its 10 am, I"m still in my pj's, sitting in front of the computer, drinking coffee, 2 of the 3 kiddos are still in bed. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/226930/ Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/226930/ Slow Cooker Day: Taco Soup Ingredients 1 pound ground turkey 1 can chili beans, with liquid 1 can kidney beans, with liquid 1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid 2 cans diced tomatoes 1 can tomato sauce 2 cups water 1 package of taco seasoning mix In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain & set aside. Place the ground beef, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, & taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on Low setting for eight hours. Serve alone or can be topped with shredded cheese & sour cream. Thats the original recipe. I found it on this sitehttp://momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan3.aspx(wanting to give credit where credit is do)I modified it alittle.  I used ground beef as we aren't big fans of ground turkey. It was good and it made ALOT. It fed all 5 of us (DH, myself and my 3 alwaysgrowing, everhungry, hollowlegged teen boys) with leftovers to spare.  The boys really enjoyed the sour cream and cheese toppings. Oh, and I crushed up a bag of "Frito" chips to add on top too. That was also a big hit.  The only complaint I have is that it tastes more like chili and less like tacos.  If I make it again, I don't think I'd use the chili beans and I'd add more taco seasoning.  Maybe season the meat with a pack of taco flavor and then add another pack to the "broth". http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/225170/ Mon, 23 Oct 2006 16:59:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/225170/ Went grocery shopping and bought about 20 pounds of pork ribs to cook and eat tomarrow in our 1st annual October RibFest.DH brought a Saws-All home from work and 2 of my boys spent a good hour working together (nicely!) sawing an old sofa up into pieces so we could fit it in the back of the van tomarrow and take it to the dump. Nothing like a good power tool to bring back the brotherly love!Fixed a BIG crockpot full of Taco soup (very good and you can make it from ingrediants bought at Aldis. cheap and filling) and a batch of "tender cornmeal muffins" from off of the hillbilly housewifes site.  I really enjoyed the muffins, they were super filling.  Youngest son wasn't thrilled with them, I think it was the texture.  They were more like baked polenta than muffiney muffins.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/223746/ Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolm22117/223746/