Martian's Musings

1st Birthday of the Year award goes to.......

2011-03-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

Nathanael! Otherwise known as Nate the Great. Nate, my 3rd son, and fourth child,

was my first homebirth.....6 years ago.

Really? It's not fair that time goes so fast.

Wasn't this just yesterday?

Well, I can't escape reality. He's six years old, and loves cowboy boots so much that I'm not sure what we'll do this summer when it's time to wear shorts. Can you get away with wearing cowboy boots with shorts when you are six? Since his old pair were quite worn out, we thought that a new pair would be just the thing to get him for his birthday. Rob left work for a bit to meet me at

West of Ole England to help him pick out a new pair. A quick, but fun excursion.

As per Nate's request, his birthday dinner menu looked like this:

hot dogs

hamburgers

chips

cake

icecream

Dr. Pepper

Mommy added: baked beans

baked potato salad

Healthy, huh? Nate also ordered a lemon flavored cake with white icing, monster trucks and cars. Thank goodness for Google! I got some ideas in no time as to how to put that cake all together.

And thus begins the birthday season! Next up? Me! :-) I used to be first.....

Crafty Classroom Giveaway!

2011-03-07T16:56:00.000-05:00

The Crafty Classroom has a wonderful giveaway this week! While you are visiting her blog, be sure to check out all her fun ideas and homeschooling hints. This site has a wealth of information and it'll quickly be one of your favorites!

Here's what she is giving away:

A program for 2-3 year olds. It uses colorful books, songs, games and activities about animals to introduce the alphabet, numbers, shapes & colors. This program is designed to excite your child about school. Each day has different ideas to keep your child busy as well as the flexibility to work at your own pace. Bible time will introduce creation and other Bible stories that will give a Biblical foundation. You will also learn some Biblical characteristics by looking at animals

Secondly,

A homeschool program targeting students in K3-K5. The programs Biblical focus is on the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. The student will learn Bible verses and stories that teach different “fruit” and character qualities. In this program the student will master letter sounds using a vertical phonics approach. Math concepts cover counting, number recognition, colors and shapes, measurement, ordering, and more.
They will explore the body, nutrition and healthy habits for science. Each lesson tries to target different learning styles. There is a variety of different worksheets and activities to keep learning fun and engaging. There are “Bigger Step” options for those students who are ready to do some book work and are ready to read.

Lastly,

A program developed when a homeschool mom couldn’t find a cursive program that she was 100% satisfied with. As a result, The Joy of Handwriting was born. She took the best methods and ideas that she thought would work best and developed a program that is high quality and easy to use with kindergarteners as well as older elementary students. After having such good success with her own kindergarten student she wanted to make it available for others to try. The program was originally developed for cursive handwriting, but updated with a manuscript version

Good luck!

Why Bother?

2011-03-06T16:07:00.001-05:00

I have hesitated to blog lately for many reasons. The first reason being: there are tons of blogs on the net to fit all kinds of personalities. The blogs I love to click through happen to be along the lines of

inspirational like this one,

crafty blogs like this one,

or food blogs, like this, for example.

While I love reading blogs, and I do like to blog, I still hesitate. Why? The question for me, is 'Why Bother'? With so many top notch blogs out there, who needs mine? Another reason I hesitate (and it's a big one for me) is I don't want anyone reading this to think I'm bragging about where I have been with my kids, what I made for dinner or what crafty thingy I have made lately. Truth is, I'm NOT crafty! I just happen to love copying OTHER people's craftiness! I love finding new ideas for cooking. And I love passing it all on because, let's face it....worn out moms like me need all the inspiration we can find! So, I may not have beautiful words of wisdom, or an original thought in my head, but what I do glean, I pass on to you. It's not about me. Please believe me! I guess my blog is sort of like my journal. I find great ideas for life and I need to remember them and pass them on.

OK. I DO have ONE GOOD reason for blogging. My Mother! She loves to keep updated on her grand kids, and this is a great way to do that for her. So, for that reason alone, I'll keep at this. :-) And hope and pray that nobody takes this blog as my "bragging page". 'Cause it certainly isn't meant to be that. :-) :-) OK? :-)

Whew! Guess what? My sister and her 5 beautiful children are coming for a visit very soon! I'm beside myself with excitement! I can't wait to hug her neck and all the nephews and nieces, too, of course! We have plans. Yup! One of those is to get all 10 of our children together for a NICE cousin photo. (Nice meaning no dirty fingers or faces, combed hair and .....matching outfits.

Well, ok, matching shirts, anyway. I lucked out at Old Navy with cheap polo's and free shipping. Since I typically buy new polo's for my boys for Easter, I figured the shirts can do double duty. Cousin photo AND Easter. 'Cause they were so cheap, I outfitted my nephews with some snazzy matching polo's as well. Still have to figure out what the 3 girls will wear.

Photo location: thinking of the possibilities. Here are a few choices for a green location.

Which location is your favorite?

Happy Monday!

2011-02-21T21:01:00.000-05:00

I ended up having today off work and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I usually work from 2pm-11pm on Mondays, and it always feels like a bad way to start the week of homeschooling. Not today! Today was relaxing and fun! And I have a photo to prove it!

Happy President's Day!

Meet....

2011-02-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

...Gary! (What ELSE do you name a snail, but Gary?)

Doesn't God make the perfect things to occupy little boy's time?

....snips and snails and puppy dogs tails....

Activity Bags

2011-02-03T14:08:00.003-05:00

Campmeeting is just around the corner and I found just the thing to encourage quiet sitting. Although generally I have found the less we take to church with us, the quieter my younger boys are, I will make exceptions for campmeeting services because they tend to run muuuuch longer. It's hard for ME to sit still sometimes. ;-) When I saw this pattern for activity bags, complete with crayon pockets,

I just had to make them.

This pattern is free from Moda Bake Shop

I didn't order the fabric they used mainly because I have never ordered fabric online before. (Stupid reason, huh?) I think I will definitely order soon, though, because I paid a whole lot more by shopping at my nearby JoAnn's. The choices weren't as adorable, either.

Pretty much, the choices were puppies, or puppies. We went with puppies.

The outside has a crayon pocket on the front...

...and a double patch pocket on the back.

The inside is fully lined with a magnetic snap AND another pocket!

Gotta run....the heart shaped flat bread I made for the Valentine's party tomorrow is nearly gone

so I hafta make more!

AND, my parents arrive tomorrow for camp! So excited! But....lots to get done.

Have a blessed weekend, everybody!

For the love of bread.

2011-02-02T23:41:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had an "I can make thaaaat" moment? I had one such moment a couple weeks ago while sitting in a hair salon thumbing through a magazine, waiting for my client to get her hair washed and styled. I saw an ad for this...

Another picture in the ad showed the dough all rolled out flat like biscuit dough, and being cut out with a circle cutter. Surely I COULD make these!

Double light bulb moment! I can use a HEART cutter and make cutzie little sandwiches to take to the Valentine's party! Tonight was the night to try it out. I used my favorite bread recipe, but didn't double it like I normally do....'cause....it COULD have flopped and I would have wasted a lot of honey! And freshly ground wheat. BUT......Ta-da! It worked!

The hearts sliced beautifully and were light and delicate.

A little mayo and tiny spoonful of leftover chicken salad. Isn't it cute? Yummy!

Oh yeah....yummy!

Never have met a carb I didn't like! Before you leave, take a look at my cousin's blog HERE and read about how her sweet little daughter, Carly, accidentally bought an iTunes app for $349.99, and how she learned a lesson about God's mercy and forgiveness.

Valentine Shtuff.

2011-02-02T09:03:00.001-05:00

I promised to show our Valentine "boxes" (that aren't actually boxes at all) that the boys helped me make for their party this Friday with the homeschool group. Now that they are finished and my creative juices started flowing, I had other ideas that I wish I had thought of first. (Like covering the entire canister with brown paper and cutting out individual Scooby's. I would have liked to have a brown velvety ribbon or maybe strips of faux leather for the handle, instead of the red ribbon I found in my Christmas stash. The possibilities are endless, of course!

Sticking a mouse through the slots in the lid.

Cover the canister in mod podge. Apply whatever decorations you want and cover everything with 2 coats of mod podge, letting it dry between coats.

We also finished our mousy valentines to pass out. I found this idea at the family fun website and changed it a little to suit my little guy's abilities to assemble. You can see what we used here.

The body of the mouse is a white heart folded in half.

Winter Paradise

2011-01-30T17:24:00.001-05:00

Truly, we live in paradise! Although I was raised in Pennsylvania where we were never bored in the winter, I'm finding it hard to beat the winters in South Florida! We met a couple families at nearby Halpatiokee Park and enjoyed God's creation via long meandering trails that eventually led to beautiful waterways. The boys were like magnets to the water. What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon? We live about a mile from the beach, but that isn't all Florida offers! This is the other face of Florida: woods, critters, bike trails, cypress and Australian pine trees. I love it.

Long Live the Vikings!

2011-01-28T17:46:00.001-05:00

Christmas money comes in handy if you save it for the after Christmas sales. The "littles" have had their eyes on these "How to Train Your Dragon" viking battle kits for months, now. Today we discovered two of them on the clearance shelf for less than 1/2 of the original price. SCORE!

They were more than happy to open their wallets!

You don't think I would let them play with the toys without testing them first, do you?

I mean, these things can be DANGEROUS!

The toys passed inspection, but the jury is still out on the question of whether or not these toys are safe in the hands of 4 and 5 year old boys. However, no blood was shed today, so it's all good! Wait....there WAS blood shed today. Eli sliced his foot in the woods (barefoot...doesn't the boy listen to me?) while building a fort for the vikings. But that's another blog.

Bee in My Bonnet

2011-01-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

I love stumbling across new blogs. I love the ideas I find in these blogs! I love the GIVEAWAYS I find at these blogs!!! What could be better that finding both in one blog? Check out the adorable stuff HERE. Enter for your own chance to win a sewing pattern from

So, instead of doing what I SHOULD be doing...


(putting these guys in bed)

......I'm taking a few minutes to link you up to this adorable giveaway!

Help?

2011-01-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

Want one of these babies? Well, my daughter does, and she has a chance to win one! (with your help!)

Go to THIS link and vote for Rebecca!! Please? She's a few votes shy of the most votes and the drawing is in 10 days! Your votes will help make her a happy, happy gal! (Her profile says "Beginning the Journey by Allana Martian) How exciting it would be for her to win!

Valentine Fun With Oatmeal Canisters!

2011-01-26T15:28:00.000-05:00

We have all made these Valentine's Day shoe boxes, right?

Time to think outside the "box"! Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Mulan Madness

2011-01-20T15:30:00.005-05:00

"Mom, we can't find Mulan!"

Reeheeheeeeaaally?"

Well, let's just say that I'm glad I ran into this timely blog today (not that I'm a neat-freak, 'cause anyone who knows me, knows I'm CLEARLY not THAT), and this blog was a real blessing, too. Thank you, Lord for providing me with what I need before I even ask!

Creative or Obsessive?

2011-01-20T12:37:00.005-05:00

You've never shopped a Goodwill until you've shopped one with Zack! Everything in the store that's made of clear glass or plastic, can be used as some sort of aquarium or fish tank in his opinion.

"Can I get this, Mom? It would make a great..."

"Let me guess", I usually interrupt him, "a fish tank?"

I found this tiny self contained beauty on my kitchen window sill. Zack put it there so the sun could encourage algae growth. It's small, so I'll tolerate it. How small? See the penny? And the tiny snail inside? This is the packaging that his iPod shuffle that he got for Christmas came in. Re-purposed as a tiny aquamarine world. So cute. :-)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T08:50:00.002-05:00

Neckless: The Audry Amaka Story

2011-01-18T19:30:00.012-05:00

I love books! Who doesn't? It's a longstanding dream of mine to have a wall of well-stocked bookshelves in my family room someday. As of yet, I don't have the family room, bookshelves or even the books to fill them. So.... Did I mention that I love the library? Well, I used to, anyway. Maybe it's just our particular library, but I have a hard time finding GREAT books for Nate and James to read. So.... I was THRILLED when a certain young man named Brent Vernon published his first book, because I was sure it would be good. I was even MORE thrilled when I discovered how FANTASTIC this book is!

Written AND illustrated by Brent, Neckless is about a little giraffe who is born without a neck. (Hence, the name of the book.) Cute, huh? The book is full of tongue in cheek humor. It's full of adorable artwork. It's also tall on life lessons. (pun intended) "Take what you have and do something good with it." That's the lesson learned in this book which is 31 pages long.

Here is Audry just after she is born. Don't you love her mama's expression when she sees that her beloved daughter has no neck? Do you know what a Black Mamba is? You will after reading this book that's not just for girls!

Without reading the book, I knew it would be good. So when Brent announced on Face Book that the book was ready for purchase, we rushed over to his mom and dad's house to get our very...own...signed...copy. Yay! Then we headed over to Winn Dixie for groceries but had to sit in the truck and read the book first! I see children's books in Brent's future! One can hope, right? So, adding to his talents of singer/songwriter/puppeteer, Brent can definitely add successful book writer! I hope someone donates a copy to our local library. It sure could use it!

Did I mention Brent is from our sleepy little town? I have known him since 8th grade. My little fame by association claim. YOU CAN GET YOUR OWN COPY here.

You See.....I See

2011-01-17T19:42:00.005-05:00

You see.....what I'm about to have for lunch or dinner. Wrong! (in fact, I had roast beef, mashed potatoes and corn, none of which came out of a can, so HA! Don't hate me.) I don't buy this stuff, mainly because of words on the back like monosodium glutamate, mechanically separated chicken (what?), and tocopherols, to name a few. My spell check doesn't even like those words.

I served this to my dear client for dinner. She wasn't feeling well and this is all she wanted. Hey, she's 91! What the Dear wants, the Dear gets, even if it includes MSG! I almost threw out the empty container. Glad I didn't!

I see.....a 15 ounce container with snap on lid complete with air holes! Perfect for a bug or insect! Boo-ya! Nate and James are gonna love me when I pull this baby outta my ~~hat~~ cupboard! Maybe I should wait until I collect two of these before I unveil? Double the love.

Re-Purposed Sundress

2011-01-16T16:45:00.009-05:00

"Mom, what should I do with this dress? It doesn't fit me anymore!" These words were from my daughter who was cleaning out her drawers and closet. Usually, she will pack away a few bags of clothes to give to her cousin, but THIS dress.....well, she couldn't part with it! She wore it a few times with a cute little white sweater and it looked very sweet on her. One look at it and I felt like Gru in Despicable Me. "Light bulb!" Doesn't it just look like it longs to be re-made into an apron? Well, it did to me. Rebekah agreed to that idea happily, knowing it would give her a chance to wear it over and over in the years to come. I took it to work with me and got right to...well, work!

I think this was one of the easiest projects I have ever done. I cut off the entire back of the dress, just inside the seams on the front. I opted to leave in the lining, to make it more absorbent for drying wet hands. I attached one big pocket, made by using a big piece of the back of the dress. A cute ruffle was made from the discarded back lining. Then I sewed a seam down the center to divide it into two pockets. To close the side seam, I turned the whole thing inside out and sewed the side seam including the pocket sides, with right sides together.

When the pocket and sides were done, I cut the length of the dress to a more appropriate apron length and hemmed it. Rebekah purchased a package of pink bias tape ~~thinking it was ribbon~~ knowing it would be stronger than ribbon, and I used it to create back ties.

White lining from the back of the dress was used to make a white ruffle for the top of the pockets.

There it is! I can't tell you how many times she has said, "Mom, I LOVE this apron!" (I'll post an actual picture of her wearing it soon.)

2011-01-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

Answers, anyone?

A New Perspective

2011-01-15T12:36:00.007-05:00

There have been times in my life when the road feels rough and stretched out endlessly before me; choices have left me feeling confused and I just want to stop and get off this merry-go-round called "life".

With a little change in perspective, might I feel differently? Are there helping hands assisting me when I least expect it? Am I surrounded by friends who care? Is there a loved one walking along quietly beside me?

I need to take time to see the beauty in God's creation around me. It really is the little things that shout the nature of God's character!

Even though the climb has left me weary, I will always keep looking up. If I look down, I'll only see "da-feet".

I'll find the support I need by taking the time to see what's already there: the smile of a precious child, a warm embrace, a change of scenery that refreshes my soul, a memory shared with a loved one.

I might feel like I am teetering on the edge, but the Bible promises me in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Daddy Loves His Gal.

2011-01-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

And I'm glad he does!

This One's For You, Dad!

2011-01-14T23:53:00.003-05:00

ALLaboutANA

2011-01-11T22:26:00.002-05:00

I have a new name! Let me introduce myself. My name is ALLaboutANA. See the Allana in there? See the Ana at the end? Ana is my "friend". She tells me what to do, and I do what she tells me to do! I'm all about her! She has told me that I need to talk about my wonderful parents in my blog, so that's what I'm doing now.

They are wonderful parents and I don't get to see them as often as I would like to. We had Thanksgiving together (at ANA's house, of course) and I'm looking forward to seeing them in a few weeks! (Can't wait!!) I snapped this great shot of them at a local park this past Thanksgiving, after Dad took quite a few family pictures for me (and a few pics of the ground, too) He took the picture you see in my header.

So, Dad and Mom, you may not appear very often in my blog, but you are always and forever in my heart! (ANA did NOT tell me to say that. I truly mean it.)

Happy, Ana?? :-)

Brace Yourself!

2011-01-11T21:43:00.006-05:00

Braces...the gift that keeps on giving. Things were light for Rebecca (who, by the way, has asked to change her name to Rebekah, and will hereafter be referred to as such, until such a time as she changes her mind) under the Christmas tree this year. Her gift came in the form of metal in the mouth. So far, Rebekah is the only of our children who's teeth didn't get the message that they were to grow nice, straight and even. A money whooping will set them straight! We should have done this last year, but didn't know how things would go financially...hindsight.

This is a pretty good before shot. You can see her naughty teeth.

Dr. Bradford setting in the brackets.

All set, waiting for the glue to completely dry.

It has now been 4 weeks, and wowza! What a difference already! Rebekah is blessed that her teeth are moving so quickly and easily! Go back and look at the first picture! Merry Christmas, Rebekah, AND.....Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Birthday, Easter, Christmas 2011...etc. (How long can I milk this?)

Boys 2 Men

2011-01-08T16:53:00.003-05:00

Little boys. This is the second time in the last week that James has hurt "that" finger. And of course, he has to show it to me! How do I explain what that "sign" means? He is only 4 and he thinks the moon is a moom. And that Batman has a soup. (suit) Innocence doesn't last forever. I think I'll kiss the boo-boo and let it go for another year.

Men. My man. Wonder what's got him riled up? Could it be that his only daughter is almost 16? Beware, boys. Be VERY afraid. Next thing he'll be doing is writing names on the bullets.

Two recipes in one day!

2011-01-08T16:14:00.005-05:00

Tonight I'm going to a Soup Party! Guess I'm taking soup! A good standby...Potato Leek. What you see, is what you get! Red potatoes, 3 leeks chopped, some parsley and salt for seasoning. Boil.

A handy utensil, the soup ladle! I had to buy an new one, because "I" left my old one in the woods after using it to dig holes and only the Lord knows what else. Or maybe one of my boys did that. I can't remember anything important these days and believe me, ladles are important! I have been doing without one for about 6 months now. When my old one turned up dead (cracked) I knew it was time to stop hoping it would turn up in the toy box and decided to break down and buy a new one. Thank you, Winn Dixie for your overpriced ladle.

Anywho, here is the finished product, mashed with a potato masher, and with about 6 oz. cream added.

Ready to go to the soup party! Just as soon as I get off work.....

Wake-You-Up Sunday Roast

2011-01-08T16:00:00.006-05:00

Sunday afternoons are for napping, right? In our house, there is almost always somebody taking their weekly Nazarene Nap. I drink a cup of coffee before church to stay awake, but after lunch....there's nothing sweeter than a Sunday snooze. Coffee is for the mornings, but this recipe calls for coffee in the roast! You heard me right! When I heard of this recipe from a friend, I had to try it. "Rich, dark gravy" is how she described it to me and I was hooked.

Here's how:
Sear the roast in a skillet

Because I have two young ones and a couple older picky eaters, I process a whole onion and a few mushrooms in my food processor and cook it for a few minutes in olive oil (or butter) until translucent.

Here's the "wake-you-up" part. Add a cup of coffee to the roast in the crock-pot! (I did about 4 cups the first time I made it, but found it to be too bitter. Next time I'll do 1 cup.)

Season with this.

Put it all together in your crock-pot and simmer on low until done. I did mine overnight.

Remove roast from gravy. Shred and remove fat. Thicken gravy with cornstarch and return meat to gravy. Serve over rice or potatoes! (brown rice shown here)

Really, really yummy! The coffee in it wasn't enough to keep me from missing my Nazarene Nap, either. ;-)

2011-01-04T21:18:00.004-05:00

What have we been up to lately? Well, for sure, it's been a bit nuts around here.

Back in November, we annoyed the heck out of the kids by kissing in public.

While at the Stuart Air Show, Rebecca decided to try and take her daddy down inside a Boeing transport carrier. To get out of her grip, all that was needed was a strategically placed "pinch".

More important news! Rob graduated from Palm Beach State College! Woo-hoo! I'm so proud of him! He is now a certified machinist. :-)

Somebody got braces. Tee-hee-hee.

2011-01-04T21:01:00.002-05:00

It just wouldn't be Christmas if Rebecca and I didn't go to the annual Ladies Christmas Tea at NHF in Palm City. They certainly outdid themselves this year! The all purpose room was transformed into a Winter Wonderland! Think falling snow (strategically placed snow flake cutouts) snow covered trees (bare limbs spray painted white) and icy air! (A/C lowered to shivering levels) The food was fabulous, the dozens of tables decorated in beautiful china, good friends to sit with and enjoy the beautiful program....to sum it up, an event to remember!

Rebecca, Katrina and Emily pose on a park bench.

Chance of snow...100%. Aren't the food tables lovely?

The table I decorated for the young ladies of our group.

Mother and daughter!

2010-08-17T17:26:00.002-04:00

Well, these last three posts are totally backwards. This is Rebecca with her little charge, Vernon. This picture sums up her time with him. She did all the chasing. He was a live wire but absolutely adorable! You'll notice that the children who played wore the darker blue uniforms (donated by local companies) and the buddies all had light blue shirts. Also donated. Each player (not the buddies) also received shin guards and a soccer ball.

2010-08-17T17:15:00.002-04:00

I'm on a roll! (Read previous post) Since blogger is allowing me one picture upload at a time, I'll roll with it...

Here is Zack with HIS buddy, Kelly. Ain't she a cutie? I think Zack enjoyed having such a beautiful buddy. ;-) Kelly was AWESOME! She never stopped smiling and was so happy to hang out with Zack. The first thing the buddies were to do each Friday, was to have their assigned child run around the perimeter of the field with them to warm them up. (those that were capable) Let's just say that Zack warmed Kelly up each Friday evening. She is very athletic, but Zack kept her on her toes. I do hope this program is repeated next year! It was fun for all involved!

2010-08-17T17:03:00.002-04:00

Success! I have been trying endlessly to upload pictures to my blog and it just wouldn't let me. Apparently 5 pictures is too much for Blogger to handle at one time. Why don't kids come with upload options? My luck, all 5 of my kids would be allowed to be uploaded. No downgrading to only one child.

Earlier this summer, Zack was invited to participate in a soccer program for kids with various disabilities. The idea was that each special needs child would have a buddy for the evening to play soccer with them (and field exercises) and the parents could just relax on the sidelines. Since they were looking for buddies, and we would all be there each Friday, anyway, I recruited Rebecca and Elijah to be buddies. Here is Elijah with his little guy, Christopher. He was so cute...and a handful. The first night he required 3 full time buddies, but by the end of the program, he was in Elijah's capable hands. It was fun for me to get to know his mother a bit one night. Turns out she has been in Hobe Sound for quite a long time and knows the Vernons and Potters and other families too.

Giveaways! Free Stuff!

2010-03-31T12:51:00.003-04:00

I love me some free stuff! Or should I say I love the IDEA of free stuff. I'm not one of those lucky people who win things by entering contests, but it doesn't stop me from trying! I found this adorable blog by an adorable lady and she is having a Giveaway Extravaganza! The fact that she is giving away 7 different things gives me hope! :-) Actually, I'm just happy to have been connected to her blog through another friend because her site looks informative, encouraging and fun to read. I can't wait to delve into her blog when I get the chance. In the meantime, go on over and see if you can win yourself a little something! Here's the LINK!

Wedding Bells

2010-03-20T16:18:00.008-04:00

The new Mr. and Mrs. Habecker!

We were blessed to have a Habecker wedding right here in South Florida! As a child, I attended all my Habecker cousin's weddings in Pennsylvania and now their children are growing up and are of marrying age. Sheldon is a pastor in Salunga, Pennsylvania. The bride, Jennifer, is from Hobe Sound, Florida. The ceremony was beautiful and I loved the fact that they signed the wedding license during the ceremony. I have never seen that done before and was told it was a Canadian tradition. (Jennifer Shillington's Dad is from Canada)

This was James' and Nate's first wedding. James really didn't care one iota about the ceremony...

...while Nate was very attentive and observant. Here he is checking out the program.

Love these males!

Habeckers abound!

The reception was lovely as well. As were these two sweeties! Rebecca sure enjoyed going to the wedding with Taylor!

Warning: Pregnant woman needs food. Now.

James was disappointed in how his baby blue cookie tasted. ("poor" mom had to eat it for him)

Chocolate! A much better choice!

Monkeying around.

At this table we have my Uncle John and Aunt Shirley (grandparents of the groom), Bro. and Sis. Arnold (if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would definitely attend their church. LOVE them!), the Pierpoints (who married Rob and I almost 19 years ago) and another unidentified couple.

My cousins, Kevin and Noreen, with their son Dwight (back to the camera), his girlfriend to his left and Chris Shillington, cousin to the bride.

My cousins Crystal and Mike and two of their children.

Cutting the (yummy) cake.

Catching up with my cousin, Steve. It has been years since we have spent time together and it was so good to just sit and catch up on life. Steve is the father of the groom. (we also share a birthday!)

Ear-wax bird enjoying the reception. Don't ask.

Dwight caught the camo-garter belt and Ana Kline caught the bouquet! Dwight is finishing up nursing school. He's gonna be a GREAT nurse!!

Rev. Arnold chatting with Robert Booth. (brother-in-law to the bride) Oh yeah, and that's my super-duper-dad enjoying having his sister and all her children in town for the weekend!

Chad (youngest of the Habecker boys, holding his son) and his wife Paula. He and Paula are such good parents and we enjoyed hanging with them at the reception. Nathanael really attached himself to their daughter, Kiersten. (I think that's how it's spelled!)

With everyone going their own direction, we didn't get any other group pictures besides the one that Churchill's took, but here are Adela and I, and our two daughters, with Chad and his two children. Of all the Habecker boys, Chad was closest to our age and I remember playing with all his toys down in the basement of their lovely home in Pennsylvania when we were little.

Getting to know Paula better was an absolute joy! Rebecca and I attended Chad and Paula's wedding in Pennsylvania. I think Becca was about 4 years old at the time.

Congratulations to Sheldon and Jennifer Habecker! Jennifer, welcome to the family!

Let the Birthday's Begin!

2010-03-20T15:35:00.004-04:00

Let the Martian's birthday season commence! We begin with Nathanael Levi! He likes to inform me that he was born on the floor in the middle of the living room. Simplified version, but true. What I CAN'T believe is that he is 5!! I love this original piece of work that God entrusted to Rob and I.

For his birthday, all he has talked about is wanting a monster truck. He got monster trucks! While Rob took him out for an errand run, Rebecca and I got the kitchen all set for his birthday. When he walked in and saw the transformation, he was beyond thrilled! I was getting over laryngitis, so the cousins and grandparents didn't come, but we had a great night anyway.

Because the sugar in the cake wasn't quite enough...

Because, "It's my birthday and I'll put-pencils-up-my-nose-if-I-want-to."

Is that not the look of a happy boy? (Thought about cropping the photo and decided to leave Rebecca just as she is. Snicker.)

Two of my lovies...

Monster gun...

Card from Papa and Grammie with a 5 spot in it.

Cool frogs...

And the MONSTER TRUCK!!

Happy Birthday, Nathanael! Daddy and Mommy adore you!

Cape Tutorial

2010-02-20T12:32:00.003-05:00

Capes, I love. Tutorials, I love to read, but not make. Bear with me! There are several tutes out there including this one which is a super-hero cape, and this one, another super-hero cape including a mask. Then there is this pirate cape, which is adorable, but not quite what I was looking for. I wanted a full cape that didn't tie right under the chin to avoid finding my "littles" asphyxiated on the ground. I also wanted a collar. Never did find a tute that covered that, so I was on my own.

Materials I used:

twin flat sheet-red
twin flat sheet- black
thread
black 3/4 inch elastic
yarn and chalk for drawing arc

I folded each flat sheet in half and in half again. That's 4ths, right?? From the folded corners, draw an arc (using yarn and chalk-have someone hold the other end of the yarn while you draw. Or not, if you are that talented.) The length of the yarn should be equal to the length you want the cape, plus seam allowances for top and bottom. (In other words, measure from your child's base of neck to the length you want the cape. In our case, they went almost to the ground) Being a lined cape, I needed a black and red piece for each of my boys. Laying them out this way, you can cut 2 of each color at a time.

Here is where I get really vague. Sorry. Not a tute writer, remember? On to the collar. Before I cut out the capes, I cut the wide hem off the sheet and saved it for making collars. I wanted it to be stiff, so I used two lengths of the hem and sewed them together along the top edge. I left the length longer than the circle of the neck. Follow me? I pinned the hem in between the two neck pieces, with the collar now on the inside, hanging down, leaving the edges to be sewed together at the top. Remember I said that the length of the hem was left longer than I needed for the length of the neck area? Well, now is when I trimmed that off. Starting at the edge of the neck, I cut out and up so the collar would come to a point. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo of that. If this is too vague, you can skip the collar! When I finished sewing around the cape, leaving a hole for turning, I just sewed along the raw pointy edge of the collar with a zig-zag stitch.

Deep breath!

To help the cape stay on the shoulders and keep pressure off the windpipe (not to mention for the super-duper twirling affect) I sewed in a finger hole along the front edge using a small length of elastic. Repeat on other side.

No ties wanted. What to do, what to do? Ta-da! Elastic joins the cape at the front, across the chest. The little's heads fit through the hole quite nicely. (Notice the zig-zag stitch on collar?)

And, oh boy, do they ever twirl!!

Ready to avenge and defend the home front! Apparently, perching on a van bumper makes the whole world conquerable!

Silver Springs

2010-01-17T17:56:00.009-05:00

I worked Christmas day this year. Guess what that means? It means I owed my family, big time! With the extra cash I made, we took a nice little family trip up to Orlando for a visit to Wonder Works (we'll never go back), dinner that night at Sweet Tomato's with my wonderful Mom and Dad (of which I have no pictures because our camera was "picked up" by a stranger at WW. We got it back later that night.) and the next day we headed up to Ocala bright and early to visit Silver Springs. It was the "best day ever", to quote my son, Zack. Well, HE didn't say that about Silver Springs, but it IS one of his famous lines. After the horrid day we had at WW, we SO needed this relaxing day at SS. It was cold, but so stinkin' beautiful and quiet and uncrowded that we fell in love with the park. For an extra $10, we ended up with season passes, so hopefully we can go back again before the year is up. Take a gander at the beauty of Ocala and it's famous fresh water springs!

SS is famous for it's glass bottom boats.

The view down and all around was beautiful.

The water is so crystal clear that the turtles looked like they were in air instead of water. Did you know they eat ice cream cones? Neither did I!!

This is a sunken tree.

A viewing deck offered a beautiful place to sit and relax. Which we did!

A view from above.

Crystal Gale in concert at the Springs.

You have to pay big money at Busch Garden's to do THIS!

Souvenir shopping.

Shhh! The feather lolly-pop is talking to me!

I came all the way to Ocala to buy a toy I could have purchased at the Dollar Store!

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

2010-01-17T12:55:00.003-05:00

In December a group of moms got together for a Christmas cookie exchange and we had a White Elephant gift exchange. I'm assuming you know what that is. If not, sorry. Anyway, one of the rules was you had to say three nice things about the gift after you opened it, whether you liked it or not. (homeschool moms encouraging one another to lie?) Well, I thought that was a good idea and I'm going to attempt to think of three nice things to say about a horrible trip that Rob, the kids and I took to Wonder Works in Orlando. (otherwise known as the "Upside-Down House")

1. As a family, we had a nice time together. You know, no bickering and such.

2. Some honest soul returned our "found" camera to the staff and we got it back. (even if it WAS late at night and Rob and my Dad had to drive from my parents house to Wonder Works to get it back.)

3. They had this really cool upside down tree.

CHRISTmas Bell

2009-12-19T09:44:00.001-05:00

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom.. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good ÿ(Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor.. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven ( Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)
I belong to God
Do you know
Who you are?

Jesus is still the Reason!

2009-12-18T08:50:00.001-05:00

2009 Hobe Sound Christmas Parade

2009-12-09T20:19:00.004-05:00

At first glance, this first picture portrays a typical annual tradition.

It had been raining that morning, and we thought that surely the parade would be cancelled. People lined up, however, and it soon cleared up enough that we all thought the worst was over. Then it started in again about 30 minutes into the parade.

We stuck it out because Rebecca and Elijah were marching with their Tae Kwon Do school. Can you see Elijah here, drenched to the bone? (wearing black shoes and looking at the camera)

The rains came down.

Candy was ignored for the sole chore of trying to keep dry.

Unbelievably, it started coming down in sheets. Looks like a hurricane, huh? This Martin County Sheriff's posse bravely plodded on.

Afterwards, except for our heads we were all soaked to the bone and the kids were getting the chills.

We won't soon forget this years parade! After this one, next year's has nowhere to go but up! This was supposed to be the largest ever parade. In the end, all the bands cancelled but one. There was very little music playing, but plenty of good humor! What a way to kick off the Christmas Season!

"Present time, present time, open the present, see what's inside!" ~Blue's Clues

2009-12-09T19:51:00.005-05:00

Due to a crazy schedule this month for all parties involved, we decided to have Christmas with my parents this past weekend. It was a great weekend to do this since we had a full plate of Christmas activities to make it feel more like Christmas! (two Christmas parades and an awesome program at Hobe Sound Bible Church...The Singing Christmas Tree.) So, Saturday the 5th found us gathered around the tree in the living room, ready to unwrap!

Mom loved her monogrammed canvas tote bag from L.L. Bean. She never finds anything with her name on it so she was one happy gal!

I found a great book with "then and now" Bible maps. It also included a CD rom so Dad can print out the maps for his Sunday School class.

Grammie made these aDORable bear shaped blankets for Nate and James. They LOVE them!

Zack and Elijah both received a box full of art supplies. Paper, assorted art pencils and cool design books.

Both boys love to draw, so these were a BIG hit!

Dad went shopping for the men in the family and bought Rob a very nice set of drill bits. I don't know much about tools, but apparently Dad picked out a good set!

Can you believe we made Rebecca wait last to open her gift from her Grandparents??? We are SO mean! Actually, we all enjoyed taking our time and savoring every minute. Anyway, Mom crocheted this huge snuggie for Bee. Her favorite past time is to cuddle up in a blanket with a good book. This is way better than a blanket... it's a blanket with sleeves! How cool is that?

What? There aren't any pictures of ME opening a gift? You are right! My parents didn't think I behaved well enough to get one. Lump of coal for me! Just kidding of course. Mom (good listener that she is) remembered me saying that I would love to have a Mennonite Cookbook so she had her local book store order one for me. LOVE IT! (and just for good measure, she threw in a box of Rubbermaid storage containers, to boot!) Since there aren't any pictures to PROOVE that they bought me a gift, you'll just have to take my word for it!

Sugar Cookie Fun!

2009-12-09T14:05:00.005-05:00

I have found the perfect sugar cookie dough that rolls out, cuts out without sticking to the table and bakes perfectly without spreading across the pan to become conjoined twins with it's neighbor to be as elusive as the proverbial needle in the haystack. Until this year!!! Whatever possessed me to decide once again to have a go at the infamous sugar cookie, I'll never know! But while at wally-world, I picked up a tin of star shaped cookie cutters. On the back of the package was (of course) a recipe for the cookies. Much to my absolute joy, this recipe is fail-proof and doesn't taste like cardboard!!! Yahoo! Without further ado....

Traditional Sugar Cookies
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
Mix the dry, cream the wet, adding sour cream last. Add the dry to the wet and mix well. Chill for 1-2 hours. Bake at 350, for 8-10 minutes.

Making them with friends is much more fun! We joined our friend Misty and her girls Kathryn, Karissa, and Kaylee yesterday morning for some flour flying, dough snitching, red hot stealing good time.

Here you go! Try one for yourself!

I don't know who came up with this winning recipe, but as Misty said (at the failure of perfection of her Betty Crocker recipe) "Who needs Betty Crocker, anyway?"

Seemed like a good idea at the time...

2009-12-09T13:35:00.003-05:00

Someone sent me this following email. I don't know the source, so I can't give credit where credit is due.

The homeowner says:

“Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories … but two things made me take it down.

“First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

“Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.”

Simple Gift Idea (Yummy, too!)

2009-11-25T16:59:00.003-05:00

These have got to be the yummiest, easiest dessert I have ever made. Everyone in my house wanted MORE! Place unwrapped Rolo candy on top of pretzels on a greased cookie sheet. Place in oven at 300 degrees for 4 minutes.

Press a pecan half on top immediately.

After they are cooled, place in a jar or box or whatever you wish...

...and add a simple, elegant ribbon. (or whatever else you happen to have sitting around)

Crafty Candle Holders

2009-11-25T09:10:00.008-05:00

Look what Nate and James made! (with help from Mom, of course!)

Supplies:
dried corn
dried beans
dried whatever-you-have-in-the-pantry
white glue
plastic wrap
small container to make the candle in

Directions: mix the appropriate amount of dried goods in a medium container and add plenty of white glue. Press the mixture down into the plastic wrap lined small container. Let set for a few minutes and smoosh a candle down into it. After a couple hours, remove carefully from the container, remove plastic wrap and candle so it can thoroughly dry. Let dry overnight.

They look great on our table! Thanks, Nate and James! Happy Thanksgiving!

Let's Say Thanks!

2009-11-23T18:45:00.003-05:00

Let's Give Thanks!

This isn't a new story, but the website is still up and running and you can still pick out a colorful "Thank You" card, personalize it with a message, your name and hometown and know that it will be sent to a troop stationed overseas. I was happy to see that the winning card that Rebecca designed over three years ago is still there! I can't believe it's been that long. It was definitely a high point in her life to have been chosen as one of the winners! She was interview by several different papers and a children's magazine. This would be a great time of the year to remember our troops. In just a click of a mouse, you'll have a message on it's way! Here is a thank you note from an Airforce Staff Sergeant:

To the folks of Let's Say Thanks,

First off let me say a personal thank you. I was out of the office when the package arrived and it was placed on my chair. Just to see a package waiting for me made my day! I speak on behalf of other Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that receiving a package stuffed with goodies is a great feeling - knowing that the folks back home are very appreciative and supporting of their defenders.

I myself have children ages 7 (girl) and 4 (boy) whom I miss so dearly! Seeing the artwork and the messages "praying and wishing for your safe return" that others write really brings a tear to my eye. It is very touching to know that the kids back home know why we are here defending our country and that they are very active in the supporting us.

Again, I would like to say thank you and keep doing what you are doing as many out here don't have family members to lean on.

- An Air Force Staff Sergeant

Let's Give Thanks, everybody!

Annual Family Photo

2009-11-20T15:55:00.002-05:00

Just a few thoughts about my new header photo. I can't remember when I last used a professional photographer to capture our family. I don't like the traditional inside photo opps available from Walmart or JC Penny, etc. I like everybody ELSES photos, but not mine. I guess we are more laid back and informal and I like my photos to depict that. Think jeans and T-shirts. I actually dread our annual photo shoot because it seems like one person is always saying "I closed my eyes!" Or, "There's an ant on me!" Or "This hurts my butt." And that's just the 3 older kids. With the 2 youngest I get the silent treatment. And the scowls. And the "sun in my eyes" look. And the tongue. Lots of tongue. I did manage to get a few good shots, however, after lots of "cheese" and sweat. But I can't share those yet, until I get my cards in the mail! In the meantime, I'm SO GLAD IT'S OVER FOR ANOTHER YEAR! Or at least until Easter.

Falling Behind....Catching Up!

2009-11-09T21:52:00.005-05:00

We don't carve pumpkins every year, but this year we found a good sale on them at Walmart and decided to have a party. Zack had Friday off, so we invited Kaylee and Nicky over to scoop and carve.

Rebecca dug in and went with a camouflage theme.

I love how Eli's turned out, but when it was lit not much light shone through.

I think Zack carved his the quickest. Should I be worried about that?

Waiting for the evening time to be lit.

In the meantime, taco salad dinner!

Ready for lights out!

Can you see me now?

Nate wanted the moons and stars. I love how it turned out.

Happy boy=happy pumpkin!

James looks like a bandit with his eyes blacked out like that! Don't ya like his cool spider he insisted on having?

Sitting pretty! The extra big pumpkin on the left was Nicky's. He won it at his school party.

That's it for another year!

Happy "Birth" Day, Zack!

2009-09-17T19:21:00.005-04:00

I had a good laugh when I read this joke sent to me by a friend! But it reminded me that I have something to share! We have always talked to our children about their need for Jesus, and I remember helping Zack say the sinner's prayer at a young age. Of course, we wonder what about the time when they are past the age of innocence, do they need to say that prayer again, or if they just keep on keepin' on. I'm sure it's different with each child, of course. Dealing with Zack's autism adds a whole other dimension to this subject. I believe to a certain extent, God gives much more mercy and grace to Zack than to my other children. Zack operates within the abilities that his DISabilities afford him. His autism plays out in his behavior. Social situations are hard. The more sensory input he has, the less abilitiy he has to cope. Crowds, noise, visual stimulation, all pushes his coping mechanisms to the max. He reaches overload at the slightest provocation. So, as you can imagine, discipline is an major, ongoing thing in our home. I was recently introduced to The Young Peacemaker and we have been going through the book as a family. It's amazing the difference this book has made. It really is perfect for autistic/asperger's children. This Tuesday, I was asking Zack specifically about "getting" to Heaven and how he thought that was accomplished. He said, "Well, when I get there, God will give me my punishment for being bad and then let me into Heaven." My jaw nearly hit my chest! Where had we gone wrong, and how in the world did he get THAT so mixed up?!? I told him, "No, sweet boy! That's not how it works! When you take your last breath, it's over! You have made your choice and it's time to get your consequence, Heaven OR Hell and Hell IS the punishment!" You should have seen the look of shock that came over his face and he began to cry. Real tears streaming down his cheeks (by this time, I'm crying, too!) I asked him to tell me what he was thinking and he said he realized that he has been "very horrid to Nate and James." The realization that he deserved to go to Hell because of his sinful nature and that his idea of God accepting him into Heaven no matter how badly he behaved was WAY off, really shook him up. Of course, we prayed together and he confessed that he was a sinner in need of Jesus. I tell you, it shook ME up! To see someone realize for the first time that they NEED Jesus was something else to behold! I know that on some level we all experience this on a daily basis. It's called being humble. Realizing our position of desperate need for a Savior. It also made me think about how much MORE my children need us to talk to them about the things of God. How did we miss such a big one like that?

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

I guess there's no such thing as too much when it comes to talking to our children about God!

We wrestle not against flesh and blood....

School Fun

2009-09-15T19:40:00.005-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I excitedly brought out the preschool items I had assembled for Nate and James and announced "Hey guys, you wanna get started on school work?" I heard a rather decided "nope!" followed by another "nope!" (Not sure who went first.) Great, I thought. I must be saying something wrong. The proverbial light bulb lit up over my head and I waited a few minutes before saying, "Hey guys, you wanna get started on school FUN?" Eyes lit up! Score another win for the art of persuasion! It took them a little while to warm up to the routine, but they are really into it now.

This is the book we are using to learn Bible stories, songs, rhymes, ABC's, 123's and art. (and more!) It takes us between 15-30 minutes a day, depending on what activities we have planned. They really like doing the art, so that can stretch the time a bit more. As long as they are interested, we keep going!

This is the Bible that the curriculum recommends using. It begins at the "Beginning", of course. A story a day with comprehension questions built right in. It's amazing how much their little minds absorb!

Here is a peek into the main activities for today. To go with the part of Noah's story of the rainbow: tear up bits of colored paper and glue on black paper. I was getting a kick out of how each of them went at it their own way. True to personality, James GLOBBED on the paper bits, in a hurry to get it done. Nate carefully placed each piece.

In the end they both finished at the same time! So much for hurrying!

Neat, careful rows!

Really getting "into" it! Love the bandaids. Previous injury, not inflicted by tearing up bits of paper.

The letter for this week is B. Guess what week we are on! Using masking tape, we taped out a capital "B" and they placed blocks on it.

~Hooray for school FUN~

Messin' with the Martians

2009-09-14T08:30:00.003-04:00

Mary Ellen Huff put this little clip of various moms and their kids together with a song "I'm a Mom". The singers are Joyce Martin McCollough, Karen Peck and Sheri Easter and the words are great! You'll find (thanks to Mary's great sense of humor) our family picture is put along with the words "people ask what planet I'm from". I realize that there are WAY worse last names to have than Martian, and when I read some of them I thank God that I don't have THAT one! The most unusual thing that has ever happened to me concerning my (apparently hilarious) last name took place one afternoon at Walmart. I signed the check and handed it to the male clerk. (why am I not surprised that a GUY did this to me?) He noticed right away that my last name was Martian. He literally tipped his head back and started laughing his head off and said "You MARRIED a MARTIAN!!!" Oh yeah. That was funny.

ZZZZZZZZZZ

2009-09-13T19:03:00.003-04:00

Since my day starts early and ends late, this is how I keep my sanity. Just thought you might wanna know! (you know, just in case you were actually worried about me!)

The Kready Bunch

2009-09-12T12:06:00.008-04:00

Life just hasn't been the same since my older brother and his family moved off to West Virginia, leaving the rest of us "Kready Kids" behind in Florida. That was 4 years ago. It's been even longer since the four of us and our families were all together under one roof. If you are a follower of my blog, you probably know how much we miss them when the rest of us get together here in Florida. You would think it would be a simple thing to get us all together, but with various schedules with school and work it just hasn't happened. Until last week!!! Friends of Austin and Jen flew the four of them down as a gift. Not only that, they also opened up their home to us to have a mini family reunion! Not only that, they provided much of the food and all of the entertainment for the day. Theresa and Keith were wonderful host and hostess, the food was awesome, and the kids all had a ball on the slides that they rented to keep them occupied outside. I had a hard time parring down the pictures...I wanted to include them all. I picked my favorites to give you a glimpse into our wonderful day!

Food prep time!

Tons of water fun!

Love this one of Tuckor. :-)

Not sure what happened here, but Becca is laughing hysterically and Kailee has heard enough, by the looks of it!

All the children LOVE their Papa, but they love him even more when he has a seemingly endless supply of cookies in his lap.

Trying to keep cool on the back patio.

More cookies, please?

Someone PLEASE give the girl a cookie!

One of my favorite pics. He is the ONLY grandchild who caved to a much needed nap!

The oldest of the grandkids. Not to mention my favorite girl.

The last of the grandkids that will tolerate being held and snuggled with. :-(

Old friends catching up. My mom has been friends with Erma Jones for a loooong time! That's how Austin and Jennifer met. Through their mothers! (how romantic!)

All the grands...

Siblings and spouses...

...with the best parents a kid could ever hope to have! They gave us everything we ever needed and haven't ever stopped loving or praying for any of us. Christ-like unconditional love = happy children!

Delayed or Genius? You decide!

2009-09-11T22:00:00.005-04:00

Earlier this summer, my husband had the privilege of taking all 5 kids to their pediatrician in one day. Without me. (why do I have the urge to cackle at the thought?) Actually, he deserves a standing ovation. The children arrived showered, well dressed and with shiny brushed teeth and hair. Oh, and they were well fed, too. I couldn't have done it better myself. While he was still busy filling out forms for each of them (did I mention this was a NEW pediatrician?) the patient technician went ahead and took Nate and James on in the back to meet with the doctor. Becca went with them. No biggie. Until this tech took it upon herself to "test" my two youngest boy's skills. You know, do they know their numbers? (no, but she didn't bother to check if they knew their ABC's. Which they mostly do.) Do they know how to draw a square? (No, but Nate repeatedly asked if he could please draw a car for her. She said no.) Then she had the nerve to inform Becca that she thought the boys might be delayed based on her "evaluation" and was going to inform their daddy that he might want to get them tested.

So, here's the test. Readers, YOU are the experts. My 4 year old son refused to draw a square for this crazy person, but he can churn out these drawings of cars by the dozen if you are sweet enough to only ask. I ask you: does he have fine motor skill delays?

All I want for Christmas is the chance to meet this lady myself and give her a quiz of my own. "Hey kids! Anybody feeling sick? Mommy will take you to see the doctor!"

Return of the blogger

2009-09-10T20:38:00.003-04:00

My dear Mother kindly pointed out that since her computer won't run Face Book without crashing, the only way she can keep up with my family affairs, is to ~~call me on the phone~~ read my blog. The problem? I haven't been blogging! How did I turn my back on my on-line diary, get lost in the world of FB, and how do I return? Well, making the decision to ~~quit~~ wean myself off FB wasn't an easy one. What about all the long lost cousins? Old school mates? Won't I miss connecting with them? Well, I did modify "quit" to "wean". So, we'll see. But, I do know this: my children need me much more than I need to know whom is lunching with whom, who just took a nap, who is cheering for what team and who just got home from work! So, since there is not enough time in my day to include all the social highways and byways of the internet, I'll have to choose. Can I get a rousing "Welcome Back!"?

Where to begin? How about with one of my favorite photos from the last couple months: Rob's official First Day of School photo! Here he is surrounded by (almost) all his loving children who got up at an ungodly hour to tell him goodbye and good luck! Rob enrolled in PBCC this year and is going through the Machining Technology course. He has classes 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. It has been an adjustment for us all. But don't worry, the panic-induced pain in my chest is almost gone. Almost. I have worries. I pray. For him, for me, for the kids, for my job to continue at least until Rob is finished with school. (13 loooong months down the road) Here is an interesting observation I have made: Is your life flying by in a blur? Enroll your spouse in a full-time course at your local college. Time will come to a screeching halt! I'm not sure why. But, I don't like days that drag. At this point, I'm all about speeding up, but that's apparently NOT an option. But, back to Rob. :-) He loves school. School loves him.

(Mom, I know, I know! You already heard THIS story! But you haven't seen this sweet "lets-get-up-early-and-support-daddy" photo, now have you?!)

Simple, at home-haircutting that MAY work for most boys and is guaranteed to save you money unless you have to have a barber fix your mess.

2009-08-03T10:55:00.006-04:00

Grab a wiggly, smiling boy who isn't afraid of sharp scissors. Wrap him in a fluffy towel and kiss his chubby cheek.

Damp hair is way easier to cut than dry. I usually begin with the sideburn section, closest to the face, but I failed to get pictures when I did that section. Basically, I hold my fingers as close as I can to his little noggin and cut at an upward angle, working at the hair by his temple and making my way towards the back of his head until just behind his ear. You can see how I hold my hands by looking at this picture. Next, I do the back lower section of his hair. I don't hold my fingers against his head, though and that makes the cut a little longer. Notice the angle at which I'm cutting, trying to get the hair closest to his neck shorter than the top hair. I cut right up against my fingers.

After working in sections on the back of his head, I go over it a 2nd and 3rd time to make sure I got it all. Then the top! Working from front to back, I cut it in the same fashion, but with no angle. Thusly.

More pictures of cutting the back. Before the cut...

...after the cut!

Then, the bangs. (prepare for tears because of gravity defying hair making it's way up the nose)

Cut. (Do NOT attempt to kiss away the tears, or you will be spitting the rest of the day)

Go over whole head to make sure you didn't miss anything, like I did, here.

Better!

Use the cool, buzzy thingy from hubby's section of the bathroom to zap a straight line at the nape and sideburns.

Comb. Assess. Kiss adorable face unless you can resist. I can't.

Bathe away the mess, dry hair and admire!

One down, three more to go!

Ugly Boredom Bags

2009-07-24T12:40:00.006-04:00

Rob begins school next month for machining technology. He needed a "back to school" wardrobe consisting of short sleeve, button down shirts. (He is tired of wearing grey T-shirts.) He found an armload of shirts at the Goodwill and I sat down this morning to shorten the sleeves for him. (He can't wear long sleeves because they might get caught in the machinery and mangle his arm.) I was about to throw the cut offs into the trash when I realized that I had two bored little boys who would rather be at the beach than watching mom sew. (James has been running a fever or else we WOULD be at the beach! Forget sewing!) I decided that the sleeves were just the right shape to make a little bag perfect for holding a handful of hotwheels or whatever else suits their fancy. With their enthusiastic permission, these little bags took shape. Yes they are ugly. And no, the boys don't care!

On the raw ends, shape a "T" with your fingers.

Fold both ends of the "T" over.

Pin. Repeat with other side.

Sew. Turn rightside out and load with priceless treasure. Preferably nothing live.

Optional. Use scrap material to create a monogram.

Inside of ugly bag. This it to show that if you don't have scrap material, you can still monogram with a fancy stitch. (Yes, I know the Z is backwards. It's the inside, remember?)

Finished!

Capture the joy!

Times two!

It took twice as long to get Rob's sleeves hemmed, but they ARE done!

What Once Was a Cute Pair of Jeans...

2009-07-24T00:28:00.004-04:00

...is now an adorable jean skirt. (Hopefully Rebecca will agree!) I found a tutorial on turning a pair of jeans into a skirt and just had to give it a try. I found these jeans at the Goodwill and knew they were the perfect pair to convert. I should have taken a picture of the jeans before I cut them, but let's face it: we all know what jeans look like! The little green turtle was actually on the back of one of the legs near the bottom. Step 1. Cut legs off to the length you want the skirt to be, plus hem if you plan on turning a hem. Step 2. Remove all stitches of inner leg with thread ripper from bottom of zipper to just under back yoke. Step 3. Pin together and fill in the triangle with scraps from the legs that you cut off.

View of the back. You will have to decide how far up the back you need to go with your thread ripper. I stopped just below the yoke to get it all to lay smooth. In the future, I would probably not have such a defined curve (backwards J). I would probably tuck it in a bit more to meet closer to the top of the triangle insert.

Step 4. Sew the new seams. I used a serger type stitch that overlapped the width of the old stitching. You could just do a double row of stitches similar to what you removed. (Most jeans have a double row of yellow/orange stitching) I was very happy with how this looked.

Step 5. Hem. I decided to do the same stitch around the bottom and will just let it fray a bit in the wash. You can do whatever kind of hem you wish.

Finished view of the back.

And the front. (Please ignore the two water spots from my iron. Yeah, I know you wouldn't have even noticed them if I hadn't mentioned it.) I went ahead and put in an order for a new iron from Santa. aka: hubby. Voila! A jean skirt for less than $4.00!

I'm crossing my fingers hoping that number 1, the skirt fits (Rebecca is away at camp) and number 2, that she actually likes it! If she doesn't, I guess I'll have my 2nd skirt give-away on my blog!

Family Fun on the 4th!

2009-07-06T16:02:00.012-04:00

This year for the 4th of July, we headed over to my sister's annual Campbell's 4th of July celebration. While it was a smaller crowd than usual, we had the most fun this year than any other year that I can remember. The food was sublime, the weather was perfect and the kids played together like best friends. I took tons of pictures and included only a small portion of them here. But, since there are still a lot to look at, I'll let the photos speak for themselves and keep the commentary to a minimum. These are not in order according to how our day went and we'll start off with our redneck teeth photos.

These teeth were in the kid's pinata, but I think the adults had the most fun with them.

Siblings who play together, stay together.

Like father, like daughter!

Three of mom and dad's four grandaughters.

James giving me my daily kiss.

Aaron and Heather

Adela and Wes.

Rob and I.

Mom and Dad.

Heather made a birthday cake for the kids who have birthdays in July. Kailee, Kody and Elijah were the lucky B-day kids!

Brownie cake with fudge and white chocolate decorated to look like a flag. Genious, beautiful and yummmmmy!!

Cousins. With celebration hair. I'm not sure when this started, but the kids always spray their hair at our 4th of July parties. We are missing baby Tannor, Tuckor and James in this photo. They did NOT want to lay on the grass, thank you very much!

Chairs are better! Eleven of the grandkids are pictured here. We are missing Austin and Jen's kids, plus Adela's stepson. We thought of them all day, wishing they could have come.

This next group of photos were all taken under the fabulously huge tree in Adela's yard. They have four swings hanging from this tree and it's gigantic area of shade made it the perfect hang out spot during the day when it was hot.

Me, loving on Tannor.

Kailee swinging high!

The kids climed up the ladder with the swing and then jumped off. Nobody asked "will you push me?"

Watching all the kids having fun.

How high can you go?

Double the fun! Nate with Kailee.

Trevor taking a break in the shade.

"Is there room for me?"

Aaron, trying to prove that he can still be a monkey. There was never any doubt. ;-)

Grammie and baby Tannor! He is SUCH a loving child. I miss him already!

To take this picture, I stepped back until everyone in the yard was in the shot. You can see on the far right Wesley, Rob and a couple others working on filling the 500 water balloons.

Time to cool off! "Hit me with your best shot!" They are lined up waiting to be shot at with the water balloon sling shots.

Kody, pulling back as hard as he can on the sling shot.

Aaron and Rob are the sling shot holders.

This was slow and nobody was really getting wet, so the sling shots were dropped and a free-for-all started. Notice I'm standing back, with the camera so as not to get aimed at!

Slip-n-Slide time! Wesley is an awning maker and brought home this long stretch of awning material for a slip-n-slide.

Fun!

But, still that wasn't enough wetness for the adults. Do you think Heather won brownie points with her hubby? ;-)

This "hit" was hired by my lovely sister-in-law, Jennifer. "Thanks, Jen! Yeah, I know, I had it coming!!!"

The "money shot!"

Just so Rob wouldn't feel left out...

He took it like a man!

Pinata time!

After the kids all took their turn, the silly thing still had not been broken. We had a lot of laughs watching Wesley torment the adults by making the pinata go up out of reach and then down to the ground. (Aaron is blindfolded)

I think Wes really injoyed tormenting his wife!

Papa even took a turn!

Glow sticks. It wouldn't be 4th of July without them! I always stock up on them from the dollar store.

Rob and I also provide the fireworks each year.

Trying something new.

More glow stick fun!

Kailee making a sparkler angel!

Thanks, Adela, for hosting, cooking, soaking and entertaining us! Same place, same time, next year?

2009-06-29T20:10:00.004-04:00

Noah Clark put together this clip of the black belt promotion board breaks. Some of you will recognize Ryan Green, Hayley Diggins and Kristin Engebretsen. It is so exciting cheering on these kids and seeing them learn and grow so much over the years!

Fun Edits

2009-06-23T13:31:00.003-04:00

Just a couple photos that I edited for Rebecca's enjoyment! We talk a lot about purity with her and we pray for her and her future mate every day. She is choosing to wait for her "knight in shining armor". Enjoy!

Second photo shoot with Rebecca

2009-06-22T20:10:00.005-04:00

In no particular order, here are my favorites of Rebecca's 2nd photo shoot. These were taken on Harbor Island.

Party Time!

2009-06-22T15:29:00.005-04:00

I can't believe I pulled it off, but we were able to surprise Rebecca with a party this past Saturday to celebrate completing 8th grade! We invited both sides of our families and Diana (Rob's sister) graciously allowed us to use her house. My parents and two of Adela's children were the only ones from my side that were able to come, so I invited a close friend of ours and her family to "stand in the gap".

I made her a beach themed cake which tasted superb!

Rebecca loved it! I took lots of pictures of her, but didn't show her the ones from our second photo shoot. So those were a surprise for her as well. She now has that frame hanging on her wall in her room.

Close up of the table decorations. I made chicken salad sandwiches, and ceaser salad and my sister-in-law was so sweet to make a lovely fruit salad and a plate of cookies to add to the menu. (I didn't think to get a picture of the table before everyone dug in. :-(

The younger group ate outside on the patio while the rest of us stayed in the cool house!

James decided to eat here, all by himself.

This is Diana's father-in-law. His name is Radim and he is from Czech Republic. He is visiting for the summer. (Trevor digging into the food in the background.)

I also didn't think to get everyone together for a group photo. (what's wrong with me???) But here we have Rob's mother looking on while Rebecca opens one of her cards. My friend Ana and her daughter Katrina are on the couch. I DO have a picture of my parents, but it isn't a nice shot of them. (Mom, if you read this, see if there are any good ones of you on Dad's camera that you can send me!)

I have been planning all year on putting together a yearbook for Rebecca. Picaboo.com is a fabulous website to do just that. She had NO idea that I have been working on this! It turned out absolutely beautiful!

Ana and Katrina checking out the yearbook.

Rob's sister and brother, Diana and Eric.

The youngest of the group cooling off in the pool. I think we had 9 in the pool here.

So happy to be in High School now!!!

Blue Belt Promotion

2009-06-22T15:02:00.004-04:00

In order to keep my Tae Kwon Do blogs from becoming the same from promotion to promotion, I decided to cull just a few of my favorite shots from Rebecca and Elijah's latest promotion. Also, to keep you on your toes, I purposely (ha!) mixed up the pictures!

Christopher Jackson promoted to 1st degree black belt. He had to break a cement brick. Let me tell you, this boy make it look easy! The brick might as well have been a block of butter! He was also invited to become part of the STORM team. You can see Kayla W. in the background in the blue uniform. It is a very special honor to be a part of this demonstration team. If I remember right, STORM stands for Special Team of Role Models. They are chosen for their character, leadership and "giving their all". Christopher's sister, Danielle was chosen as well as my friend's daughter, Lilly.

This was something I hadn't seen before either, so I'm including it here. Christopher had a 3 board break which he also did flawlessly. He is amazing to watch!

You can see what he did better in this picture by looking at the way he set it up. Low, medium and high breaks.

Back to MY kids! Rebecca doing her board break.

Elijah was first in line for their group. He snapped this baby so hard it broke into 3 pieces. There is a piece in each of Steve's hands and the 3rd flying in the air over Steve's head. (above the white door in the background)

We have been fortunate to have my parents come for a lot of their promotions and this time was no exception! They also brought along two of my sister's children, Taylor and Trevor.

Traditional shot with Steve and Bri.

Ms. Hwang happens to be Steve Morris' instructor. Her father brought Tae Kwon Do to America. She is a 6th degree black belt with her father, and considered 5th degree here in the States. Rebecca and Eli enjoyed meeting her!

Big group = 2 1/2 hour promotion! It was great fun, though!

Yay!

Summer time in Florida!

2009-06-19T19:28:00.003-04:00

An afternoon at the beautiful Coral Cove park.

8th grade? Been there, done that!

2009-06-12T20:46:00.004-04:00

My 8th grade year was a year to remember. It was our family's first year in Florida, I made a bunch of new friends who I am still friends with to this day, I had a WONDERFUL teacher, Mrs. Linda Deckard, I had a crush on a boy who shall remain un-named and I was able to go to Epcott, my first experience with a Disney park of any kind! I loved every minute of my 8th grade year!

I never thought my daughter's 8th grade experience would look so different than mine. School at home, History with a co-op on Tuesdays, Bible study on Monday nights, Signing class on Wednesday nights, no class trip and no tassel turning. But, she has made "forever friends", grown closer to her Heavenly Father, went on a TON of field trips, promotes to blue belt in Tae Kwon Do in one week, and, well, if I say any more, it'll ruin the surprise! Rebecca had her evaluation this week and was officially promoted to High School with mostly A's. We spent a couple hours this past week taking some "official" pictures of her at the beach and at Harbor Island. (I'll post the Harbor Island photos later) Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Congratulations, Rebecca!

Full Plate

2009-05-30T23:20:00.003-04:00

(photo is from Sonshine Christian Academy's end of school year banquet held a couple weeks ago)

Yes, I'm still alive. My days have been full and busy.

FPEA convention was well worth the trip. Attending with my sister and a friend made the convention much more fun! Plus, mom and dad came along just for fun!

The school year has come to an end and changes are ahead.

Zack will be transferring to a new school.

Elijah is wrapping up 5th grade and we are considering putting him in 7th next year. (he'll be 12 in July)

Becca is mostly done with 8th grade, but is getting a head start on high school classes. We want to have an official celebration party for her as soon as she finishes her 8th grade studies. (soon!)

Nate and James are busy, growing....boys. 'Nuff said.

Rob is to begin college in the fall.

See why I'm taking life one day at a time? That's about all I can handle! And that is all God requires of me!

Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself.
Matthew 6:34

I'm in Love!

2009-05-13T23:06:00.005-04:00

I have been looking forward to the Florida Parent's Education Association Convention next week, and in preparation have been doing lots of research. I want to know before hand what I plan on purchasing for curriculum and check around for the best deal. I have been considering more of a living books style learning for Eli next year and found a couple possibilities. One was Beautiful Feet books for history and geography. They aren't cheap, so when a fellow homeschooler put her sets up for sale at half price, I snatched them right up! I'm SO glad I did and consider it my best purchase of the year!

As soon as I got home, I pulled out the geography set. I figured if Elijah wanted, he could begin it right away. I knew he wouldn't want to begin the history just yet, so I set that aside. I read the first chapter of the first book, Paddle to the Sea. I nearly cried as I read it! Stupid, I know, but I knew I was on to something! The setting for this story written in 1941, is the Great Lakes. I knew that this would be a book that Eli wouldn't want me to stop reading to him once I began. Then I opened the tube of maps that came with the set. They are the most beautiful maps I have ever seen! Heavy, parchment-like paper, beautifully illustrated, bordered and BIG! As we go through the book, he will fill in details with colored pencils. They are "frame and hang on the wall" quality maps! And, there is a map for each book! All four books (John Newbery Medal books) with this set are by the same author and are beautifully illustrated. After reading the first chapter about an Indian boy who carves out an Indian in a canoe to float from his home on Lake Nipigon, north of Lake Superior with the goal of letting the Indian "Paddle to the Sea" I read it aloud to Rob to get his opinion. His jaw dropped! He grabbed the book out of my hands and looked through it quickly. He said when he was a boy in Alaska, they watched a movie (film, at that time) on this story and he has never forgotten it!

I decided to google the title of the book to see if there might be a copy of the film floating around somewhere. Would you believe I found a link where you can watch the movie and read the book as well? Click HERE to see for yourself. (after you click on the book, keep clicking on it to turn the pages) You can also find the movie broken into 3 parts on You Tube. It's a forgotten classic! Apparently, children watched this movie when they studied The Great Lakes in school as part of their curriculum. So, YES! I'm in love with this set and can't WAIT to watch Elijah's notebook and maps take shape over the next year with both of these series!

U.S. History Co-op

2009-05-01T21:01:00.008-04:00

One of the joys of homeschooling is getting together with other families to share the "burden" of teaching a subject and also making it a lot more fun for the kids. I have previously avoided co-ops because of either time conflicts or because there weren't any being held close by. This year a U.S. History co-op was held in Palm City and the time worked out for us to be able to join in. The reading material was taken from The Little House on the Prairie books. So each week there was a reading assignment and we had a Q&A session at the beginning of each class. From that base, we studied many things surrounding that time period. (1860) The kids studied Lincoln, slavery, grasshopper invasions, history of trains, industrial revolution, Civil War, battles, Indians and much, much more! The big projects that the kids had to do were an art depiction of either a battle or person from that time, a newspaper from the 1860's, and a report in which they had to interview an elderly person about their past. The kid's notebooks are jam-packed with things they have learned this year about the 1800's in the U.S.

The children were divided up into three groups, by age. This is the youngest group (with Nate and James) learning about the 5 senses. (This stems from the part of the story where Mary Ingalls goes blind) They are getting ready to guess what is in the cups by smelling.

This was one of the most creative classes for this age, and by far Nate and James' favorite day at co-op. Check out this piece of art. The hands are cut from sandpaper (traced around my boy's hands), the cotton puff nose had perfume on it, the ears are bells and the mouth is licorice. These papers are hanging at home now, but the mouths have been eaten by James.

This is the middle aged group, doing an art project to go along with the lesson on the meeting of the railroads. (Pacific and Atlantic)

The oldest class filling in their answer sheets as they watch a documentary on the railroad.

Back to the little ones. They were all given a canister to shake and guess what is inside by listening only.

The favorite of the 5 senses....smell! They had to sniff these cookies! This must have been pure torture for these guys! Actually, it was amazing to me how different and strong these cookies smelled. There was ginger, cinnamon, lemon and chocolate mint. Such a difficult class!

The very attentive class!

Some of the art projects. Rebecca's is in the middle on the chair. She chose to depict Harriet Tubman. Her poster had photos of Harriet and quotes she is famous for. She had some very interesting things to say! My favorite: "I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger." If you know anything about this part of our history, you know she is talking about the underground railroad and the passengers are the slaves escaping to freedom. Rebecca also made a small quilt to go with her poster. Tradition says that quilts were used as signals to the slaves on the run. The pattern in the quilt gave directions to them as they escaped north.

Elijah with his art project. He chose to depict a battle scene in a diorama.

This same day, we had two men come from the Mussel Loaders to talk to the kids and to show them Civil War era artifacts. The kids were totally fascinated!

Elijah and Michael with Michael's diorama.

Attentiveness at it's best!

The gun in the Mussel Loader gentleman's hand is exactly the type of gun used to assassinate President Lincoln. Tiny, isn't it?

On the last day of our co-op, this past Tuesday, all the children dressed up in their period (or not so period) outfits. This is the youngest group. They were singing a song about life on the farm. Nate decided to do his own version of the song.

Their teacher, Stacy Jones, gave them each a certificate of completion and a little trophy with a peanut in it. (because she was "nuts" about them!)

The oldest group was given a flag to take home and also a certificate of completion.

This is all three groups together! I have to tell you a little story about the flags. When Stacy Efinger went to Walmart to purchase the flags, a lady approached her and asked her why she was looking at the flags. Stacy explained that she was buying them for each of the older students who had participated in the co-op and completed their notebook assignments. The lady walked away after their conversation only to come back a couple minutes later. She handed Stacy a $10 bill and told her that she appreciated Stacy teaching the class about U.S. History and helping them to be proud of their country. She has a son who is currently serving overseas and she wanted to donate the money towards the flags in honor of her son. We were all moved to tears over this story and we all intend to PRAY for this young man's safe return! He has one awesome mother waiting for him!

God Bless America!!!

Birthday Daze!

2009-04-30T19:11:00.004-04:00

My baby is 3! Seems like yesterday....(ok, I have the right to recount the event, right?) James was born at home in our bedroom. He came much quicker than I expected and Rob nearly missed the event. He was summoned from the shower and when he rushed into the room, James' head was already born. My body birthed James all on it's own. I never pushed. I kept laughing as I held him and saying "I can't believe he is here already!"

So, here we are, anxiously waiting to be DONE with diapers and sippy cups. We are almost there! James is not allowed to go in the front yard by himself because we live by a major road. Rob is always telling him he isn't old enough. After waking up on his birthday, I immediately sang "Happy Birthday to You". As soon as I finished singing, he held up 3 fingers and asked sweetly, "Now can I go outside?" Awww!

James insisted on a Blue's Clues cake. Blue's Clues is very outdated and I couldn't find anything to put on top of his cake. So, we made a "clue"! He loved it!

Did I say he loved it?

The whole gang. I like having simple family dinners for the birthday child. I like to bond together as a core unit vs. the party being all about the friends with the family in the background.

Huffin' and a puffin'.

Ready, set, go!

James is my most expresive child. He is a joy to watch!

His very own umbrella! Too bad we are in a dry spell.

Yay for cups and forks and spoons! (And Dollar General!)

$10 from Papa and Grammie. He'll have fun spending that!

There is SO much I could say about my youngest son. He is a joy. Whatever he is feeling, he'll express it. He loves to tell me he loves Jesus and "everyone". He loves life, laughs deeply and loves wholeheartedly! And I love him! Very much! Happy 3rd birthday, James! And NO, you can't go outside just yet! Maybe next year! Maybe.

Homeschool on my mind.

2009-04-24T21:45:00.006-04:00

When "Team A" (Rebecca, Zack and Elijah) was still in diapers, I gave no thought to their future education other than to be excited about them beginning kindergarten. I didn't focus on teaching them their ABC's before school, because in my opinion that's what they went to school to learn! I taught them to color, draw, paint, mold interesting things with play-do, and 21 things to do with glitter. We taught them to ride their bikes, play in a pool without drowning, climb trees and tie their shoes. I don't ever remember focusing on education, though. Homeschooling was FAR from my mind. Kindergarten came for Rebecca and she went to Hobe Sound Elementary. I'm convinced her teacher had Alzheimers. She would repeat herself several times in our parent teacher conferences and I remember thinking, "Is Rebecca learning ANYthing?" The answer was NO! She ended the school year not able to read. In preparation to enroll her in Hobe Sound Christian Academy the following semester, I taught her to read and also to write in cursive in less than two months. I wondered again about the capabilities of her previous teacher. HSCA was great and Rebecca flew ahead in her learning. However, in coping with Zack's newly diagnosed Autism, things were hectic at home and we were ready for a different pace in our education. With MUCH fear and trepidation, we asked a zillion questions from the ones "in the know" about home education. We embarked full speed ahead and long story short, we are now wrapping up year number 7. Rebecca will be in High School next year which is a whole new chapter for us!

But, that isn't the subject of this blog! I want to talk about "Team B", otherwise known as Nathanael and James. Over a half dozen years into being a teacher of my children, I am in tune with their learning styles even at their young age of 4 and almost 3. Nathanael is smart. But I don't think he gives two hoots about "book learning". He is naturally curious about things, how they work and what makes them go. He LOVES God's creation and creatures and will cuddle with ANYthing! Even a dead tadpole. He enjoys being read to and enjoys even more the cuddling that is necessary when one reads a book! My assessment is that he will learn, but he is in NO hurry to get there. I may not begin formal Kindergarten with him until he is six. Unless he changes, he will be a "hands on" learner and won't care much at all for seat work. Fortunately, he doesn't like to be outdone by his little brother, and sometimes changes his mind to follow along with what he previously rejected.

James, on the other hand is completely opposite. He craves learning. He'll be three next week and I can't teach him fast enough. It started with him learning his ABC's last fall. Now we are working on what the letters "say". I'm presenting him with three letter words all from the same family and he is catching on fast. I was astounded the other day to hear him asking me what different letters say. He likes to announce, "Mom, 'A' says aaaa," whenever he spots an A on a cereal box or in a book. He took it a step further and asked me "Mom, what does Q say?"

I enjoy doing all the same things with Team B that I did with Team A. We color, draw, mold, paint but are much more judicial with the glitter. (I guess I'm getting old!) But it's been fun adding the dimension of looking ahead, knowing that I will be the one who will teach them to read. It gets me motivated to get moving and not wait. So, we plunge in and expose them to whatever their minds will accept. Bible verses are recited for every vitamin they chew, lapbooks are piling up full of stories they learned about and explored and every day is an opportunity to fill their minds with SOMEthing! I love it! I wish I knew then (with team A) what I know now! I confess that I prefer teaching this age than I do the current 5th and 8th grades of Eli and Becca.

I'm getting ready to attend the largest homeschool convention in the USA, held in Orlando. FPEA's annual event is much anticipated in the homeschool realms. I have been able to attend only once before and am SO excited that I won a free pass this year! I'll be focused on solidifying High School material for Rebecca. A few years ago whenever I thought about teaching the higher grades, I literally shook in my boots. Now that I'm here, God gives me the grace I need to do it! I'm absorbing all I need to know about this road with ease. The ropes don't feel as rough as they did a few years back. I guess my calluses are thicker!

I hope to blog more about our home education and post pictures of our daily school activities other than the field trips. Yes, we DO do seat work, writing, math and everything else in between. It just doesn't make good blog material compared to a field trip on a ship or some other exciting place.

But first, Summer break!!!

Rebecca and the girls signing "It Is Well"

2009-04-19T20:32:00.002-04:00

This song was done in memory of Coby Jackson who went to Heaven last year at 3 weeks of age. The three beautiful girls in the front are three of Coby's four sisters, Danielle, Stephanie and Rachel. Rebecca is third from the left. This is one of my favorite songs that they do.

The Little Red Schoolhouse.

2009-03-13T21:28:00.011-04:00

Rebecca, Elijah and I had the wonderful privilege of attending a one room schoolhouse today. We didn't just didn't just observe, but actually became a living history museum for a little over 2 hours. They were totally immersed in the culture of 1886. They had to dress the part, act the part and only bring food and containers that were period correct.

The children all lined up for a group photo before the teacher opened the big doors you see behind them. They were all smiles until....

...the teacher, Ms. Hattie Gale opened the doors and had the children line up single file and prepare to enter the classroom. As you can imagine, one room schoolhouses were run very strictly. The children all took a deep breath and stepped back in time. Ms. Hattie Gale was authentic to a "T". Nobody was allowed to talk. Period. They couldn't even raise their hand to ask a question. The rules were explained and they marched in single file.

This schoolhouse was the first one built in Palm Beach County. It has been restored to it's original condition and is located at Phipps Ocean Park.

The children were each assigned a real student from that time and had to learn a little bit about them before attending class today. They wore name tags with their new name on it and were addressed by that name.

Elijah became John Wilder for the day. They each made a copy book before the field trip to write in. They were given slates, slate pencils and lead pencils to use while they were there.

Students were asked to copy the phrase "Good posture makes good thinkers." 100 times in their copy book. (What wasn't completed was to be "home work")

Like we have all read about in Little House on the Prairie books, students of all ages worked together and groups by age were called up to the front to study their level specifically.

"John" and "Levi" working on penmanship. It had to be done "just so".

The older girls worked on mental arithmetic. Rebecca became Maggie Lewis for the day.

During recess, the children played capture the bacon. The weighted sock was tossed into the center and if your number was called, you tried to beat the person from the opposite team with the same number to get the sock and get back in line. Ms. Gale made it fun, for such a simple game!

She kept picking on "John" and "Walter" and the children thought it was a hoot!

Period correct lunches were to be brought in period correct containers. We opted for beef jerky, apples and oranges. Others brought boiled eggs, cheese and home made bread. No lunch meat, chips, soda cans or juice boxes were seen at this picnic under a sprawling tree!

This little lady and her brother came in at least 20 minutes late. Ms. Gale stayed in character, reprimanded them and told them she would be speaking to their parents about their tardiness. She really gave them a scolding and I wondered how they felt just walking in like that totally unprepared for the "mood and setting" of this field trip. They took it well and were saying a solemn "Yes Ma'am" immediately. I think her brother was the youngest in the group and it was interesting to see how he would hold up. He did just fine!

Here is her little brother (I don't know either of their names) saying, spelling, saying a word and then using it in a sentence.

Elijah's, er, "John's" turn to say, spell, say...

Everyone had to read out of an authentic McGuffey's reader.

Ms. Gale went over some sound (Godly) character traits with them. I don't remember all she said, but it was about living honestly and always telling the truth, etc.

When 12 noon came around, everyone was allowed to step out of character and become themselves again. The smiles returned! Ms. "Gale" (I didn't catch her real name) did a Q&A with the children and posed for pictures with them.

"Good posture, young man!"

Ms. Gale pretending to put Eli in the "dunce chair".

Eli and Daniel pretending to warm their hands on the wood stove.

Rebecca with her lunch basket and HER authentic slate.

Ana and I were the chaperones for this trip and we had to dress period correct as well.

This was one of the most fascinating field trips for the kids this year and in spite of the serious atmosphere, they absolutely loved it! I also love how this went hand in hand with their history co-op they are doing on the Civil War. For those of you who are interested, the Civil War was 1861-1865 and this schoolhouse opened in 1886, about 20 years after the war ended. Did you also know that the Jupiter Lighthouse was lit in 1860? Civil War Confederate sympathizers removed the illuminating mechanism to darken the light for the duration of the war. My children also learned this week that their great-great-great grandfather John Wesley Foster was born in 1845 and fought for the South (the kids are NOT proud of that fact!) in the Civil War. He died in 1892. We have a photo of his tombstone but I'll save that for another post!

My Mother Has a Sense of Humor!

2009-03-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

While my mom was here for Nate's birthday last week, we were talking and cooking in the kitchen. I voiced my frustration about not having even ONE spatula in the house! I have plenty of wooden spoons, but for some reason, not a single spatula. I never think to get one until I need it, but never think of it when I'm actually at the store. Anyway, I told Rebecca that she could please get me one for my birthday which was (is) coming up soon. My mother heard and made a mental note. As soon as she got home from visiting us, she went to the store and bought every spatula under the sun, and in every color, wrapped them all up individually in tissue paper, put them in a box and shipped it off to me. It arrived today and after unwrapping the first one, I had an inkling that there were a lot more to unwrap. So, I called her up on the phone while I unwrapped the rest. I felt like I was reading a Dr. Seus book. Red spatula, pink spatula, regular spatula, spoon spatula! What a hoot! The very last package in the bottom of the box was a coffee measuring spoon. I made coffee for mom and dad while they visited and suffice it to say, mom decided that I needed a proper measuring device. Yeah, I made some "grow hair on your chest" coffee. Sorry. I was distracted. Both times.

Thanks mom! You're the best! (did I tell you that I'm getting low on tea towels?)

(Almost) Sailing on the S/V Denis Sullivan

2009-02-16T19:14:00.006-05:00

Today was the day we have been looking forward to for weeks! A sailing field trip aboard the Denis Sullivan, an educational sailing vessel. This three-masted replica of a 19th century Great Lakes cargo schooner is 137 feet long. When we arrived we were greeted by who we thought was the captain. Turns out we were wrong. He was part of the crew, but not the captain.

On board, the captain (in the green jacket) went over safety rules before we started. She seemed young to be captain!

This ship was built in Wisconsin, in 2000. It's summer home is Pier Wisconsin on the Great Lakes. It winters in Florida.

The kids were broken up into groups and were given many hands on learning experiences. Here, Eli and Zack are checking the depth of visibility.

Zack was the record keeper for their group. (Zack initially wasn't to go on this trip. When I realized he was off school today I asked if there were any openings and there were! He literally joined us at the last minute! I was so excited for him to be able to join in on the fun! This stuff is right down his alley!)

This contraption is lowered into the water. When it hits bottom, the trigger releases the pin, and the jaw closes around whatever it can and they haul it up to the top and dump the contents to study.

Hauling up the trap.

Lots of stuff to look at!

This group of gals, including Rebecca, were doing a number of things including measuring the levels of oxygen and salinity in the water.

This robot (worth $45,000-$50,000) was sent down to the bottom to explore. The kids watched on a big screen. The operator didn't travel too far with it because we were docked and they didn't want to tangle the cable around any pilings. But the kids were able to see sheep heads, tiny crabs and fish and coral.

The girls turn to send down the trap.

This crew mate in the red jacket was a lot of fun. He taught the kids some chants used by sailors when raising and lowering sails.

It was extremely windy, so they put up the smallest sail and promptly lowered it.

Down in the vessel were the bunks, galley, and engine room. This crew member is explaining what the trap in the floor is for. (It holds the contents of the "head".)

Behind the water-tight door is the engine hold. There are 2 diesel engines down there and this YOUNG lady was in charge of them. She just changed the oil on one of them yesterday.

There was a mini lab set up and the kids were able to view freshly caught plankton. The dark-haired lady you see in the upper right corner was 1st mate. She had a broken foot and was trying to stay off her feet!

Whatever was on the microscope could be viewed on the screen nice and big.

The mega downer to the whole day? It was too windy to sail! This vessel is too big to sail in the river and the seas were too high today. Mainly, though, the wind was coming straight at the boat and with the current direction and lower tide they didn't think they could safely get it away from the dock and out the inlet.

The upside? They are letting us come back! We get to come back with other groups and hopefully then we'll get out on the ocean! I'm praying that the weather will cooperate next time and we can experience sailing for the first time!

Field Trip to Museum of Discovery and Science

2009-02-13T19:44:00.010-05:00

(This photo was supposed to be at the end, but I accidentally erased it, so here it is, out of order)
My wonderful, beautiful friend, Ana and her family. Daniel, Katrina, Ana, Eli, me and Rebecca. We are ready to call it a day.

I love field trips! Especially ones like we went on today. For a much discounted group rate, we were able to enjoy this wonderful museum with good friends and fellow home educators. As a child growing up in Pennsylvania, our field trips revolved around history, battlefields, and wax museums. In Florida, field trips seem to be all about water, Everglades, Indians, oceans and science.

When we first arrived we found this huge "digital" clock in the courtyard. It was amazing to look at.

It was several stories tall and wrapped around all four faces of the courtyard.

A group photo of all the kids before we went in to enjoy the IMAX 3D movie. It was incredible footage of under the sea: colorful coral, gorgeous fish and adorable sea otters. It was lovely!

We had a 30-40 minute hands-on lecture on Nanotechnology. Here the teacher talked about nanotechnology in regards to Transitions eyeglasses.

Elijah helped demonstrate the application of nanotechnology and metals.

We pretty much had the museum to ourselves so I felt free to let Becca and Elijah roam around the building exploring whatever they wanted. Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

Checking out a display on force needed to escape the gravitational pull of the moon.

Eli playing virtual volley ball.

Becca and Katrina enjoying the sound room.

"This is your captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts."

What every big sister would love to do to their little brothers: shrink them! (We learned how to shrink them in the nanotechnology lecture!) It looks better if you click on it to enlarge it.

Next field trip on the list? A three hour sail on a three masted schooner! Can't wait!

Early Valentine's Party

2009-02-06T19:56:00.007-05:00

Each year, Sonshine Christian Academy, our local home school support group plans a huge Valentine's party at Mary Brogan Park. Every child or family brings 50 valentines addressed to "my friend" and we have a potluck, games, crafts and card exchange. It's always well attended and a huge hit! I'm no Mrs. McGregor (my adorable cousin who creates beautiful, handcrafted cards and journals) but I had an idea to use the verse from I Corinthians 13:7 on our valentine's cards this year. I made the cards on the computer and we put heart stickers and glitter on them. Then we attached them to little bags of gummi bears and graham cracker bears. They turned out cute!

The kids helped assemble this pile of 50 Valentines.

Getting the food tables in order.

It was warmer in the sun, and the kids eagerly lined up to distribute their cards.

Sweet little Claire, chowing down on her first cup-cake.

Elijah opted to let Nate and James hand out our family valentines and guarded our bags from the wind.

Nate and James enjoyed handing out their "Love Bears".

All the kids! What a motley crew!

This was the calm before the storm. Once they dug into their bags, it was nothing but excitement after that!

Rebecca, Shelane and I soaking up the sunshine.

Rebecca and Shelane practicing taking BP.

Valentine's Day is still 8 days away, but we enjoyed our early celebration!

"Love Bears All Things!"

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

2009-02-05T19:47:00.005-05:00

Just for kicks, let's start with the GOOD! If I were a good blogger, I would dig around in my boxes of photos that never made it to the albums and find the photo that would complete this part of the blog. Somewhere in said boxes, I have a picture of Zack and Elijah wearing these adorable jackets. I loved the jackets, saved them, sent them to my sister's for her boys to use, got them back and now Nate and James are putting them to good use!

More good: got a chocolate craving? This will cure it! Whip up your favorite batch of brownie mix. Use a cookie scoop to measure out the mix into a mini muffin pan. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the edges of the brownies are set and only the centers are still wet. Push an unwrapped Rolo candy into each muffin and place back into oven until finished. About 7 minutes, in my oven. Remove from oven and gently push a pecan half into the top of the Rolo candy. You can omit the nuts if you want.

The BAD! The other day, Nate started sobbing like his heart was broken. Tweezers gently wielded by daddy, revealed a "lost" pom-pom that had mysteriously disappeared into Nates nose. Yes, the drip is...well....you know. Like I said, BAD!

The Ugly: Meet our newest family member. I'm a horrid grandmother, because I don't know his/her name, nor do I care to. I don't have to care for this bearded dragon that was given to Elijah, so I'm "out of the loop" so to speak. He is big. He is ugly. Nate likes him.

But not when it gets too close to his face!

Blast Off!!!

2009-01-31T20:44:00.004-05:00

I'm sitting here at work, wanting to catch up a little on my blog. Problem is, I don't have my pictures on this computer. Then I remembered that when my mom and dad were here a few weeks ago, I uploaded all the pictures Dad took with his camera. Here are some of my favorites!

My dad has always loved to take pictures, and is always twisting around in some funny fashion to get a unique angle on the scene. He comes up with some good perspectives! I LOVE this one he took of Zack and Elijah setting off their rockets at Zeus Park. In reality, the rockets are only 2 feet off the ground from base to tip.

...3...2...1...blast-off!

The BEST dad in the whole wide world holding one of his "boys"! (sorry, all you gals out there that think YOUR dad is best! I've got dibbs on the winner in that category!)

...and the best MOM in the whole wide world! Proof is on the face of the baby! Nate and James adore their Papa and Grammie and are always wanting to visit them or talk on the phone to them.

Mom and Dad! I love you both so very much!

Deal or No Deal

2009-01-20T13:54:00.005-05:00

As most of you know, I love to hunt on Craigslist for a good deal on furniture for my home. Did you know that Craigslist is also a great source of entertainment? There are endless typos that will make you snicker, so called "deals" that you wonder "what are they thinking?", items that look better suited for the trash and on and on. But, THIS one takes the cake! I'm completely dumb founded! Study the bold heading before looking at the pictures.

Antique Dresser early 1900's Pine - $329

Real wood! Not pressed board here.
If you appreciate furniture you'll like this piece.
Call for appt.

Can somebody please explain this one to me? My question is will they sell their early 1900's computer to go with the antique dresser? And the price??? Hello!

Homemade Hooded Towels

2008-12-15T13:03:00.005-05:00

My friend, Misty, made some of these hooded towels and wrote a nice tutorial on her blog on how to make them. Click here to read it. If I had followed her directions, mine would have turned out like hers! I forgot to shorten the towel for a smaller hood. Plus, (on purpose) I made my pleats right beside the printed fabric, on both sides instead of one pleat in the back.

I'm so glad she posted her tutorial because I needed to get something for my two youngest nephews, and when I saw her hooded towels, I knew that these were just the ticket!

James and Nate are modeling them for my blog. They turned out nice! My sister's boys are all into camo and hunting stuff, so I think they will like these. Of course, Nate and James now want their own! Maybe for their birthday. :-)

Camo and brown for Tuckor.

Bucks and green for Tannor.

Adela, don't let your boys see these! They'll be in the mail later today or tomorrow!

Thrifty Christmas Napkin Rings

2008-12-13T22:42:00.004-05:00

I was looking in the store today at various napkin rings to decorate my table on Christmas day and was appalled to find them priced at about $3 each. Multiply that out and it's just too much for my budget. So, my thrifty side kicked in and I went on a hunt for the fixings to make my own at an affordable price. Here are my results. I'm not going to give a step by step. It's so easy even a cave man can make these.

Start with a holiday themed garland, $5 at Walmart. Add a pouch of raffia for $1.50.

Tie together 3 pieces with raffia.

Add a ring.

Tuck napkin inside ring. Viola! Napkin ring! I could make about 2 dozen of these and the price was $6. Anybody else have any thrifty ideas for decorating?

How to win a book!

2008-12-05T22:53:00.003-05:00

My friend and favorite family doctor in the whole world wrote a book. I haven't been able to actually read it from cover to cover yet. I did pick up a copy of it in her waiting room and read as much as I could, as fast as I could. It is wonderful! As the title suggests, it's all about allowing women to mother as nature (and God) intended. From pregnancy to birth to breastfeeding to weaning, this book covers a wide range of these topics in anecdotal style. Dr. Punger filled this book with HER stories, as well as stories from other women. I LOVE what I was able to read in her office! Anyway, she is giving away copies of this book next week, and one way to enter in her drawing is to re-post this information in a blog. So, without further ado, here is all the information you need! Click here to view her blog and enter if you want!

Holiday Give-Away

I'd like to give three Permission to Mother books away before the holidays. There are three drawings and three blog posts to respond to.

The first way is simply to answer the question below in order to have your name entered into a drawing to win.

I'll enter every one's name who answered the question into a drawing and announce the winner on my blog next Thursday, December 10th. Comments need to be received before Wednesday, December 11 at 11:00 pm. I'll mail it to you if you are outside my county, otherwise I'll hold it for you at the office. Everyone is eligible, even if you already own a copy, and entered before and even if you won before.

My book makes a good present for the holidays, birthday, or new baby. You need to be available on Thursday to give me delivery information if you are out of town. I am offering the book at $20.00 in the office and on my store through December 15th to guarantee Holiday delivery.

A very easy Question (which may be redundant for some of you):

How did you first hear about my book?

The second way to enter this give-away is repost the give-away information on your blog, facebook, myspace, digg, etc.... The way you enter this contest is by letting me know that you've re-posted in the comment section of this post.

I'll enter every one's name who reposts and lets me know in the comment section of this post and announce the winner on my blog next Thursday, December 10th.

Comments need to be received before Wednesday, December 11 at 11:00 pm. I'll mail it to you if you are outside my county, otherwise I'll hold it for you at the office. Everyone is eligible, even if you already own a copy, and entered before and even if you won before. My book makes a good present for the holidays, birthday, or new baby. You need to be available on Thursday to give me delivery information if you are out of town.

The third give-away is in appreciation of my readers that have posted a review of Permision to Mother on amazon.com.

I really appreciate the reviews and feedback that get posted on-line. At amazon it keeps my book from falling to the bottom of cyberspace pile of books. I enjoy reading your reviews. Other readers, followers, and potential readers also benefit from your thoughts and like to know how the book helped you. (Right?)

The way to enter this give-away is to let me know in the comments section that you have posted a review. Of course, I probably know that, but it lets me know you want to enter to enter. It's not to late to enter your review now. If for some reason you don't want to enter the give-away, but want to post a review by all means post.

You do need to have an active amazon account to post at amazon. You also must have read the book to post a review.

The details are the other details are the same:

Comments (and the amazon review) need to be received before Wednesday, December 11 at 11:00 pm. I'll mail it to you if you are outside my county, otherwise I'll hold it for you at the office. Everyone is eligible, even if you already own a copy, and entered before and even if you won before.

My book makes a good present for the holidays, birthday, or new baby. You need to be available on Thursday to give me delivery information if you are out of town.I am offering the book at $20.00 in the office and on my store through December 15th to guarantee Holiday delivery.

A New Bread Recipe

2008-12-04T08:33:00.004-05:00

I have enjoyed making my own whole wheat bread for some time now. All the while, sticking my head into the sand over the fact that I was, little by little, running out of honey. The recipe (which can be found HERE) that I have been using from www.breadbeckers.com is awesome! BUT, at 1/3 cup of honey per two loaves, I have been thinking that I had better come up with a solution, and soon! Well, the inevitable happened. I am out of honey. At $40 per gallon, I don't plan on stocking up any time soon. I used to be able to get it for $20 a gallon. SO! What to do, what to do? I decided to experiment by mixing the recipe I had been using with another that I have used in the past, but didn't like nearly as much. Much to my surprise, it worked! I now have a honey-free recipe that turned out as good, or better than my old standby!

I made two batches. The first I kneaded by hand and I found it to be very soft and easy to knead. It never did "toughen" up. I formed this dough into two loaves. The next batch I made, I let my bread machine do the mixing and first rising. Then I took it out and formed it into 15 large rolls. This batch did super, as well!

You can see some of the bread here in this photo. The rolls on the left were the honey-less recipe. The rolls that look a little more golden on the right was the breadbeckers recipe. But, the loaves turned out golden, too, so I think the pale rolls had more to do with cooking them for a little less time. They were totally done in the center, and very soft!

A close-up of the basket.

The perfect roll! Doesn't it just BEG to be dipped in a hot bowl of soup?

After some very "scientific" blind taste testing, the results were in: although the bread was still slightly sweet, it had just a hint of a sour dough flavor. There were no complaints over the change in flavor, and it is now the new, even cheaper bread of choice for our family!

Here is the recipe:

2 cups very hot water
1/4 cup melted butter
2 Tbs molasses
1 egg
1 1/2 Tbs salt
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs Lecithin (optional)
1 tsp gluten

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl or dump into bread machine. Add 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 Tbs yeast. Mix thoroughly. Add 3 more cups flour, one cup at a time until dough can be turned out on counter and kneaded. Knead for 6 minutes, adding more flour as needed. (if you use the bread machine, add flour until a ball forms in the machine and pulls totally away from the walls. Cover and let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled. Pinch and shape dough into 2 loaves, place in greased bread pans, cover, and let rise again. OR, break off about 1/4 cup dough, roll playdough style into a 6 inch long, 3/4 inch diameter "snake". Tie into a knot, place on greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again. Bake loaves in 350 oven for 20 min. (or more if needed), bake rolls for about 12 minutes.

Random Thoughts From Someone Who Hasn't Blogged In Awhile

2008-12-04T00:25:00.007-05:00

There has been this nagging thought in the back of my mind that I have been neglecting my blog. Then I think who really wants to see another blog with pictures of my kids doing something cute/amazing, or photos of yet another person's Thanksgiving turkey and all their family and friends (conveniently enough, I forgot to take my camera with on Thanksgiving Day) or marvelous Christmas decorations hung and artfully arranged without any mishaps. So, in lieu of another boring predictable blog, I am stepping out of the mainstream and giving you a peek into our normal, imperfect life. Don't worry, it's as boring as the predictable blogs!

I never did understand the love affair some people have with raw cookie dough. The kids and I whipped up 3 batches of cookies to take with us to our friend's house on Thanksgiving day. Keeping (clean) fingers out of the dough proved to be a challenge.

Notice that I have photos of all the dough, but I neglected to take any pictures of the huge pile of actual cookies we had a couple hours later. And I challenge YOU to take a better photo of 5 kids who are on a cookie dough sugar high. And yes, Rebecca is now pleading with me "Can I please go, now, Mom?"

Remember the Thankful Tree a couple of blogs back? Well, in spite of all my good intentions, the holiday week kicked my butt and we didn't get as many hands on the tree as we thought we would. Hey, I got a picture of it before I removed it from the fridge, so that should count for something, right?

Did you ever wake up in the morning and say "Who cares what I look like, I just want to sit at the table and eat a donut?" Yeah. Me neither. But James has! This was Black Friday morning, after Rebecca and I got up at 3:30 am and hit the stores with our list in hand. We got everything we had on the list!!! All two items. Can you spell success? Then we went by Dunkin Donuts, bought a box of 14, went home, threw them on the table and went back to bed. When everyone woke up, we had eggs and donuts and coffee. (Sounds gross now that I think about it!)

After the donuts and coffee, we put up our tree! Hold your applause. By the next day, 95% of the lights were (and still are) out. Something got unplugged and for the LIFE of me, I can't find the end it should be connected to. So, sometime before Christmas Eve, I have to UNdecorate the tree and get the stupid thing lit! You know, Christmas is for kids! And we have 5. (just in case you didn't know) So, I can't be all hum-bug about it.

So, there you have it. All my dirty laundry: I forget to take pictures of important things. Projects that are started don't always get completely finished. I feed my kids donuts for breakfast (very rarely, though) Plus, I have a dark Christmas tree sitting in my living room that looks nothing like the photo above. Hey, I just realized that I DID take a picture of the tree before the lights went out, so that should count for something! So, as you read other blogs today and maybe feel overwhelmed by their apparent jockeying for the next Martha Stewart award, remember that there are some of us out here in the blog world that are just (gasp!) normal people!

Live, Love, Laugh and hug the people you love!

A Doctor's Wisdom

2008-11-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even 1 yr. old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.' So the doctor said: 'Ok, and what do you want me to do?'
She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'
The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.'
She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.
Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of two babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms. The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!
'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution. The doctor smiled,realizing that he had made his point.
He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

If you agree, please forward. Together we can help save precious lives!

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"
Philippians 4:13

PS: Obama supports partial-birth abortion

Our Thankful Tree

2008-11-13T19:07:00.006-05:00

I had an idea for this "Thankful Tree" for the kids to demonstrate their thankfulness in a visual way. Elijah painted the lovely tree on heavy painting paper and we taped it up on the fridge. I then had them trace their hands on construction paper and cut out several of them. Each day, they take one and write on it something for which they are thankful, and add it to the tree. With five leaves being added each day, I'm sure we'll run out of room very soon. We are letting some of the "leaves" fall on the "ground".

I wasn't sure if Nathanael and James would grasp the concept of listing things they are thankful for, but as I was talking to them about it, they picked right up on it! They had all sorts of things they were thankful for and I wrote down their first ideas which were apples for Nate and James said he was thankful for Puppy, his stuffed animal. Today, James said he was thankful for pumpkin lolly-pops, and Nate was thankful for his bicycle!

The three older kids have come up with even more great things they want to express gratitude for like sunshine, love, God, aquariums and Mom and Dad!

This was a quick, fun project for them to do and they are chomping at the bit to get the tree all filled in with thankful leaves. I'll post another picture of the tree in a couple weeks when it is full and overflowing. I have a feeling they will ask to do this again next year!

What are YOU thankful for today?

Green is a Great Color!

2008-11-11T08:09:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday was promotion day for Rebecca and Elijah at Kids Kickin' for Christ. They both promoted to GREEN belt! Woo-hoo! They have been doing TKD for a few months now, after taking a break from it for a couple years. They had to re-learn everything, brush up on their forms, one-steps, and Bible verses. They have practiced a LOT over that last couple months. I think they average about 3 hours a week practicing, outside of actual class. I had told Rebecca and Elijah that I had to work and wouldn't be able to be at the promotion. Rob was to go, and so was their aunt. So, I knew there would be someone there to cheer them on and take pictures. Yeah. That was the plan. Don't you love how things can go SO bad when least expected? Rob dropped Nate and James off with a sitter and took Becca and Eli to promotion. After he got there, he realized he hadn't sent any diapers and wipes with the little guys. So, he turned right around and took diapers and wipes to the sitter and went straight back to promotion. Now, usually, Steve and Bri have a big class promoting and it usually takes and hour and a half from start to finish. This class, though, as you can see in the picture was on the small side and by the time Rob got back, promotion was over! And the aunt never showed up. I never knew my heart could break into a thousand pieces over an emotional hurt in my child. But that's exactly what happened. Rebecca was so disappointed that neither Rob nor I were there for them. I held Becca later and we both sobbed over it. I vowed to her that at the next promotion, there was NO WAY I would work and Rob and I would both be there for her.

Thankfully, someone (not sure who!) took pictures with the camera I sent with them. This one is a little blurry, but you can see Becca on the back row, with the orange belt around her neck. Elijah is on the far right.

Here they are with their teacher, Steve. Way to go, kids! I am SOOOO proud of both of you! You both worked your butts off in order to promote this week. Green is great, but PURPLE, here we come!!!