http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:46:00 -0500 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:46:00 -0500    I've been wanting to move my blog elsewhere for quite a while now.  Homeschool Blogger is nice but isn't a perfect fit for me.  So I am moving.  Not sure how long I'll be at my next blog spot and I may continue to write on here from time to time but in the meantime you'll find me hanging out at Life in Sugar Tree Hollow.  Stop by and say "hello" http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/608778/ Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/608778/      I am no longer stoned.  With gallbladder stones that is.  Not sure I'd recommend emergency gallbladder surgery to others but I am amazed at how much better I feel.  Oh wait...maybe that's still the morphine in my system.  Ha, ha.  Seriously, I didn't realize how long I had put up with the stupid attacks, pain and such.    Probably for about six years although I only found out I had them last year when I had an MRI done for something else.  Yeah, I had tried the gallbladder flushes and other natural remedies but they didn't work 100% for me, obviously.  $21,000 later is what it cost me to get these pictures.  The boys were disappointed.  They wanted the actual gallbladder or at least the stones.  Guess they used to give patients their stones but now with communable diseases such as AIDS, Heptitis C and such, diesases that usually don't show up for for years down the line, they don't anymore.  My surgeon said he could take pictures and got a kick when I told him at my post op appointment that I showed not only my kids but the kids in our homeschool co-op.  It was defineatly a learning experience time.  My mom took one look at the pictures and said it look like a sack with a bunch of marbles spilling out.  Then one of my best friends quipped, "So that's where you lost them!".  Very funny, except due to all the stiches, it hurt to laugh     Despite the extreme pain and having to have a terrible procedure done the day after surgery to check out a blocked bile duct, I was so blessed.  By good doctors, nurses, staff who were efficient in their jobs and also took time to pray with me.  By good friends who prayed, took care of my children and took over my out-of-the-home duties without me asking, who stopped by the hospital and cheered me up, who called to check on me after I was home, came by to take care of me and the kids and who put up with me asking them the same questions over and over and over and over again (because the medication would make me forget, lol).  And by good kids and family who were there for me.      So...wanna see my scars?    http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/595765/ Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/595765/ Used to be...when it was quiet in our house, it meant somebody was into something   But tonight, it was quiet and near bedtime so I went in search of some kids to see what was going on. Here's what I found holed up in the bottom bunk of Jon's room.   Apparently they are hooked on the Magic Treehouse book I checked out from the library for them and were taking turns reading chapters.  Luke (age 8) would read one chapter and then Jonathan (age 7) would read another.  Hard to believe that not long ago Zech and Ben were this age and also loved reading this series...seems like yesterday.   After letting them read 20 minutes past their bedtime, I sent Luke to bed upstairs and tucked Jon and Laura in bed.  About 20 minutes later I went upstairs to say goodnight to Zech, Ben and Luke and expected to find all of them asleep (it was a big, long, homeschool co-op day, library day, errands day, etc.) but instead found them all lying in their beds reading the new library books, lol.  Ah...they are so like their momma!  No matter how tired I am or how late it is, I always curl up in bed with a good book and read a bit before falling asleep http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/595763/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/595763/ "Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep." Romans 12:15      Two dear homeschool moms in my neck of the woods had loved ones die recently.  One said goodbye to her grandmother a few days ago, the other to her husband last night.  And my heart is heavy.  For my friends.  For their children.  For their families.  I praise God for the knowledge of their loved ones salvation and that they are no longer suffering on this earth and yet beseech Him to comfort the ones left behind in their time of mourning.  Although death and grieving are a part of life, it hurts to see friends hurt   The picture above is my friend's hands with her husband's taken by one of their daughters a few days before he died.  "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."  Psalm 116:15 My momma always said death comes in threes.  I'm not superstitious but unfortunately I have found this to be true over the years.  Harold and I found out yesterday about an aquaintence that died a few months ago.  And unless she made a deathbed confession, she died without accepting Christ.  Lord, have mercy.  Since her death happened a while back, I'm not sure if it counts as the third in this theory but nonetheless, my grief this week is threefold. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4                http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/566467/ Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/566467/ Three generations at my sister's baby shower   We're all looking forward to a little princess being born to the King's!!! The Summer Birthday Club! Melanie (August), Mom (July), Missy (July) and Suzi (June) Had a great time down in Arkansas with family and friends at the Summer Birthday Club celebration...went to dinner and a show in Branson, had a sleep over and stayed up 'til 2 AM talking and laughing Back from Arkansas, Harold surprised me by inviting over a good friend and her kids.  This is the cake she brought that we served to the kids...Robin also brought cheesecake for the adults.  See!  I told ya she was a good friend!  We had fun playing Nertz too. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/565035/ Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:38:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/565035/ ...enjoy a kiddie pool!        While the other four kids ran around, danced and cooled off in the yard, during a surprise summer rainstorm this evening, Zech, age 14 and 6'2", decided to fold himself up and sit here     And yes, for those of you wondering, the laundry utilizing the solar dryer received an extra rinse http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562961/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562961/ It's berry pickin' time on the farm! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562954/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562954/     The solar dryer is up and running again!  We had to take it down last fall when the well went dry because it was in the way of where we needed to drill a new well.  Harold had said it was in a bad location anyway, it was old and needed to be replaced and that he'd install a new one in another location in the spring.  Well, his work has been busy and it just wasn't top priority.  I didn't say anything to him but would cringe when we threw another load in the propane dryer.      When washing quilts and comforters, I would hang them on the field gate and fences, which was kinda pretty and old fashioned looking.  It also made me think of the slaves in the American south that would hang quilts on the fences to send messages to those traveling on the Underground Railroad.  The plantation owners thought they were just drying the quilts but the quilt pattern and the way in which it was hung had special meanings.  As I would hang quilts on the fences and gate, I would think of these extraordinary people and the system of codes they invented.    This week Harold got half of the clothesline up!  Hopefully the farm and feed store will get more line in and we can finish installation.      What a joy it is to have it available again though!  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I think this was the first time in my life that I went without a clothesline.  Growing up in southern California, we always hung our clothes up outside.  Looking back, I think my parents had a dryer when I was older but I don't ever remember using it.  We would plan our wash days around what little rain we got.  If we accidentally had laundry out on the line when it rained, Momma would just laugh and say it got another rinse!      Here in the Ozarks, our clothesline is in use from about March/April through November and sometimes on warmer winter days.  I usually have a kid or two helping me hang clothes and it is a nice time to slow down, enjoy the outdoors and visit together.  The younger children enjoy doing their own laundry in addition to laughing and running through the lines of towels and sheets...one of my favorite sights   The older ones think its pretty cool to save money and be enviromentally friendly by using the clothesline for their wash.    I can't wait to wash my sheets and line dry them!!  There is something special about the fresh, crisp smell of sheets that have been dried on the clothesline.  I always sleep so well the first night of having them on my bed.  A number of years ago, Harold's allergies were very bad at night in the summer.  He can't mow the lawn because of allergies but we were baffled by what was causing his nighttime problems.  He would have his inhaler on his nightstand because he never knew when he'd get an attack and couldn't breathe. It took a few years of troubleshooting but we finally pinpointed it to his pillowcase drying on the clothesline and him breathing in all the pollen and outdoor smells it collected.  Poor guy! While I was being lulled to dreamland by the freshly laundered line dried sheets, he was having a restless night and trying to keep from going to the ER.  So I started drying his pillowcase in the dryer and he hasn't had an allergy episode at night since :)  One man's passion is another's poison I guess   In the meantime, we are all happy our solar dryer is back in operation! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562535/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/562535/     The Dallas County Fair is this Thurs.-Sat. and the kids worked like mad to get their entries ready.  I felt bad because we were short on time this week due to other committments so not everyone turned in items and even the kids that did turn things in didn't turn in all that they wanted to.  Oh well.  That's how it goes some years.     While standing in the check-in line yesterday we saw six other fellow homeschool families also rushing in at the last minute to turn in their entries :)  Zech placed first for his chocolate chip cookies. Ben placed first for his pottery entries, second for his drawings of knights and second for a few photos of a butterfly, redbud tree in bloom and a bluejay. Luke placed second for his whole wheat oatmeal raisin cookies, first for a photo he took of Laura and second for a flower photo.     I was very surprised that Jonathan didn't want to enter his drawings this year.  Laura was upset because she wanted to enter a baked good item but due to her age was restricted to a non-bake item (which she did last year).  Plus we just plain ran out of time.  Well, like I said...there's always next year.     No one won best of show this year as they have in years past but since everything was so last minute I don't think any of us expected it.  Harold and I are proud of what the kids did accomplish and turn in though :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/553514/ Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/553514/   Zechariah, looking quite grown up and dashing, dancing one of his favorite dances, the Virginia Reel :)  Notice the dance card on his partner's right wrist...a quaint, old fashioned touch available to the ladies!    The Lebanon Area Homeschoolers annual formal English Country Dance was a huge sucess!  I was on the sidelines with a sprained ankle but because I wasn't dancing, I could take more pictures :)  Zech and Ben looked very handsome and the dresses of the girls were gorgous, esp. those that made Civil War and Regency era dresses (1700's Jane Austen type, as seen in photo above).  Thanks to the White family to organizing another great old fashioned dance!  More photos of the dance (including some of Ben in a kilt!) can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43071&l=dbc0d&id=652988335 We've been enjoying teaching these dances to a small group of homeschool families in our county and will be traveling to Springfield at the end of June to another English Country Dance put on by the homeschoolers down there.  The Lebanon homeschool group will start back up their monthly dances in October.  Hopefully we can keep dancing with other groups until then to get us through, lol!  WARNING! This type of dancing can be very addicting but it is great for whole families.  It's wonderful to see little ones, teens, college students and parents dancing together!  I would encourage those reading this blog to find a group in your area to dance with.  It's good clean, wholesome fun and great exercise for the whole family. You can also view examples on Youtube.  Here's a few I found: Gay Gordon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psHoQnDkh8k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmaXkOIO9nA Posties Jig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB-tFWspyMM Duke of Kent's Waltz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7UbMvxfpmk You can also do a search for these dances: Hole in the Wall Physical Snob Chasing the Fox The Mayflower Lovely Nancy Virginia Reel Or just type in English Country Dance or contra dance :) Happy dancing! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/553415/ Thu, 29 May 2008 23:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/sugartreecreek/553415/