Our Simple Life

Pilgrim Cookies

Click here to see how these are made

and these

These were so much fun to make.  Easy too.

Corey

Half way finished

Well, today I have continued on with what ever junk I have had going on, plus I added a tummy bug and my monthly visitor to it.  And, I worked 14 hours.  I have the bestest hubby who worked all night last night and is doing so again tonight.  With one stipulation, though.  I have to drive a lot of the way to SC so he can sleep.  That is a deal, as I would rather drive anyways because I get sick going through the mountain areas.  He has napped quite a bit today, so he is going to be alright tonight.  He will also have a coffee pot full of fully loaded coffee to sip on all night.

And, I have not packed the first thing.  NOTHING!!!  I also still have to bathe the dog and go to WalMart to buy the odds and ends of things needed for the house and this trip.  I relaly feel like I should stay up tonight and do more (it is only 10:20), but I am tired and really want to finish sleeping the rest of this crud off.

Nothing else to really write about today.  I took one of our client to the doctor in downtown Nashville this morning only to have to turn around and come back.  Our handicap van would not fit into the parking deck, and the closest space was over a half mile away.  That normally would not be a problem, however, it was freezing and pouring down rain.  We decided to reschedule for a few weeks.

Poor Conner, the Packers are really getting creamed right now.

Home today

Well, today I am home from church.  I am officially sick.  Last night I was runnng a fever, but today it seems to have broken.  I hope the fever stays away  We are supposed to be traveling back to SC in just three days.  I need to get better quick!!!!  This is giving me the opportunity to have lunch done when Jason and the kiddos get home.  I am having roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green peas, corn, rolls, and cherry cobbler.  While it sounds like a lot, it will not take very long at all to prepare.  I placed the potatoes in the croc pot to cook, the chicken in the oven, and the rest is easy. 

We will be clocking in next door tonight at 9pm and will not be clocking out until Tuesday at 9pm.  Yep, you read it right, we are pulling 48 hours.  We are blessed with the flexibility to be able to run home and nap while the other covers, so that is a plus.  And, Jason loves to work all night, so he will doing most of the night work.  I am not much of a napper, so we will see how I react to all of this, LOL!!!!

I have been searching the Black Friday adds this morning.  Not a while lot appeals to me.  Maybe it is because I feel cruddy and the thought of being at out in 20 degree weather at 4am just doesn't sound like fun to me right now.  I think it is mostly the tradition of it all.  Whether I buy anything or not, my aunt and I (and sometimes my mom) each year are out at WalMart at 4am to watch the people fight like idiots over $3 croc pots and Barbies.  That is the best entertainment I get all year.  Then there is eating out.  We always have such fun with this.  One year I poured a glass of tea on my aunt at Bob Evans, another year we ate at Chili's and my mom ordered a Chili burger.  She was a bit upset that her burger didn't have Chili on it.  I explained to her that it was a Chili burger because we were at Chili's.  I guess you had to be there to get the full humor of it, but it was funny.  I think that was the same year I ordered a Chipotle burger and pronounced it wrong and it was really funny.  We have a lot of fun on Black Friday.  It will really be special this year because we were unable to get together last year for Thanksgiving and it has been almost a year since we all have all seen each other.

We are taking the week off of school.  I think to try to do anything this week is pointless.  We will resume on December 2 and go until Christmas week.  I do need to get Conner schedule to take the ACT and set up an appointment at Vol State to get information on the dual enrollment program for next year.  He is wanting to go through paramedic training, so it is our goal to make sure he is ready to start his training right after graduation from high school.  While I am glad he has finally chosen a career, I think he would make an awesome nurse (which I think he would like to do as well, he just still has the stereotype that men aren't nurses and he would get made fun of). 

Gotta go get my cobbler in the over!

Favorite comments

Along the lines of my last post, I thought I'd write a little entry on some of the comments that I can remember from recent years.  Here we go:

*homeschoolers are wierd

*homeschoolers are behind

*all the homeschoolers I know are unsocialized (yet she knew all of us so we must come out of our caves every so often)

*a kid's environment can't be blamed for their behavior ( trying to infer that homeschooling would not make a difference in my children's behavior)

*why are you out in public? What kind of schedule do you keep?

*don't you have school today?

*these wierd people who lived in this house before us had their dining room turned into a music room - with instruments and everything.  You know they were homeschoolers"

*I could never do that! (homeschool of course)

*Do you have a degree? You don't!??

*I bet you don't have to do any work. I bet your mom just gives you all A's.

*When is your mom going to teach you to write? (poor thing confused writing with spelling - the adult who was questioning my child)

*I will NOT homeschool my children unless God sends me a handwritten note from heaven telling me I have to.

and last but not least: 

Recently while in the church library,  a lady came in and was looking for a book on how to teach young children to sit quietly in church.  She then looked over at me and the other lady who works in the library - both of us homeschoolers - and said "you both should get this book. Especially since you homeschool. I know your children are not used to sitting still and quiet in a big setting like church since they don't go to public school."     

I think my tongue was bleeding as I walked away.  God bless the ignorant Lord, for they know not what they say.

Got any funny comments to share?

***Update****right after I wrote this entry I skipped over to thornfaith's blog and watched the latest video on her blog about The View's Joy Behar calling homeschoolers "demented".    This woman is a sad, godless person.  She needs a savior.    So add "demented" to the above list.  ******

I've been tagged and I'm clueless!

Ok.  Watalulu  tagged me and I'm completely clueless on what to do.  All I know is that I'm supposed to list 6 unspectacular things about myself.  This shouldn't be hard.

1)  I've been wearing the same Seiko watch for 20 years.

2) I've never colored, dyed, or highlighted my hair.

3) I prefer comfy clothes to fancy clothes.

4) I used to stand in front of the TV when the Sonny and Cher show was on and sing my heart out! (I was 5 at the time!)

5) I love the Sonic commercials

6) I played clarinet for all 3 years of middle school

These are definitely some unexciting aspects of my life.  If you read this post - consider yourself tagged! I'd love to know some boring facts about you too!

The Sandpaper Lady

Well, every now and then we have to meet people who rub us like sandpaper and last night was one of those nights.  My husband and I were invited to a couples baby shower for a couple that we go to church with. The night was great - great food and friends - and the sandpaper lady.

I approached her to ask her about her family's recent decision to move to the Sudan.  As we started talking about how they came to this decision, it dawned on me that she would probably start homeschooling.  As I voiced this realization to her, she made a sour face and said, "yeah" as if her life had just ended.  I kind of laughed and asked her about her lack of enthusiasm and got the dreaded answer:  "Well, homeschoolers are always behind."  What a shock.  A public school mom with something negative to say about  homeschoolers!  

She proceeded to tell me that in AWANAS she knew a 4th grader who couldn't "write" and a babysitter that she once employed who was a homeschooler who now does horrible in college. (But she's in college? Must not be that stupid!)

I hope my face wasn't as red as it felt. 

Anyway, I proceeded to try and make her think about the fact that the 4th grader might have just been learning at his own pace (she has no concept of this - being that her children have no choice but to follow the leader) or that maybe he had a learning disability.    She didn't hear what I was trying to say. In her opinion his problems were all due to homeschooling.

So I began to bring to her attention all the ps kids who get passed on to the next grade who can't even read.  Or the ones who only know what's on the TAKS test, and nothing more.   She had a blank look on her face.    I tried to talk to her about the importance of raising God-loving kids vs. academically trained kids who act like the devil.    She blankly stared at me.   I talked to her about the joy of spending time with your kids, imparting God's values into their hearts and about the awesome life experiences her boys would have being on the mission field.   She just stared and shook her head.  

Did I make a difference?  I don't think so.  What disturbs me the most about this conversation? Not the fact that she was insulting homeschoolers - that's typical of ps people.  What got to me was her judgement of this child.  She put the value on his abilities - not on who he was on the inside.  Did she know his heart?  Did she bother to encourage him or just belittle him?  He was probably an awesome little boy.  Did she care? Doesn't sound like it.   What's even sadder is this fact - she and her husband are going to a country where the education level is most likely non-existent for some of the kids.  How will she minister to these little ones if all she cares about is how educated they are? 

You know - sometimes God puts us in situations to reveal our  judgemental attitude.  As she is surrounded with uneducated children in the Sudan, I hope God will reveal to her the importance of loving children for what's inside of them - not what kind of education they have.

How do her comments make me feel personally?  It makes me all the more determined that if my kids only learn the Bible and to live their lives totally sold out to Jesus, I will be perfectly proud of them and happy!

I will not bow down to the education idol. 

I feel sorry for those who do.

Wilton instructor

Quote from Julia

Charleston

Guess who went to Charleston without a camera?   I didn't understand why anyone would need a camera in a cell phone when they first came out with them, but now I get it - forgetful moms.  So, this is the best I could do.

Growing in Grace Magazine

An acquaintance from CMOMB asked some of us to post this on our blogs.  Here goes, Jacque!

I have not ever posted here, and I don't know if anyone already posted about the Homeschool Blog Awards or not, but I wanted to make sure you all have the opportunity to vote for some Mommas I know are here on CMOMB. [Please read below for Home Educator Appreciation Day]

For one, Ruth is in the Best Homeschool Mom category, and while I am sure that her winning the category is not that important at this time, the winners of each category get some REALLY nice prizes, so I know it will be a great benefit to her if she were to win. On that note, she is behind in the polls, and the voting ends TONIGHT, Friday, Nov. 21!
So, go vote for her: http://homeschoolblogawards.com/best-homes...-mom-blog-2008/ Her blog is "But First, We have Coffee".
(Her son, Joe, is also in the Teen Guy Category)

There are other categories I have a keen interest in, because my daughters and son have also been nominated, as well as our online Magazine for Mothers and Daughters, Growing in Grace Magazine, and Jocelyn's modesty group blog, Feelin' Feminine, is also in the running.

If you are interested in any of these blogs, you will find them listed on my blog:
http://jacquedixon.com/?p=1941

You do not have to homeschool to vote in the awards, and, unless your computer does not allow you to (as mine sadly won't let me:(( ),
you are allowed one vote per person in your family, up to 5 votes.
You can see all of the categories and vote here:
http://homeschoolblogawards.com/2008/11/ar...e-voting-begin/

Another thing many of you may be interested in is Home Educator Appreciation Day.
Growing in Grace Magazine is holding our first ever Home Educator Appreciation Day, and I want to invite you to participate!

There are three different categories for which prizes will be awarded:
Homeschooled Less than 2 years
homeschooeld 10 years or less
homeschooled 10 years or more

The twist is that the students must nominate the teachers.

The rules are on Growing in Grace. If you think this is a good idea, and you have a personal blog, would you mind spreading the word?
Read it to your children!! ;P
http://www.growingingraceonline.com/2008/1...iation-day.html

Here are some of the prizes that are in the 3 categories:

The Lord Builds the House by Johannah Bluedorn -

Glaucia the Greek Slave: A Tale of Athens in the First Century [soft cover] by Emma Leslie

7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential by Zan Tyler -

Sensibility E-Pattern [of your choice] by Jennie Chancey - ePatterns

Teaching the Trivium by The Bluedorns -

7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential by Zan Tyler -

Marie's Home: Or, A Glimpse of the Past by Caroline Austin -

Site/Graphic Set by Designer-G's -

Custom Blog Theme by A Pondering Heart Boutique -

These are not all for ONE category, but divided between the three, but they total over $300, so you MUST go take a look!!
The deadline to nominate is November 30th, and the winners shall be announced in the December issue of GGM.

Thank you ladies, for allowing me to post this PSA! I hope you all get entered in for the chance to win!