Sophie Walks!

http://www.headwestyoungman.com/2009/06/sophia-walks-ballet.html

Keith did a nice job with this. I wish I could bottle these years.

Kari

Music of the Night

Gilli and I met Frank and family and Lynne at Jo Ann's to spruce things up for her memorial Saturday. Frank and Christa were workhorses as usual and tackled some major projects. After Lynne and I finished we sat on a bench behind Jo Ann's house.
The fireflies were out in full force. There must have been hundreds glittering and twinkling. Gilli ran, no fear at all into the night. She stood there, hands raised over her head just inhaling the sweet summer night.

What a blessing to get to see Gilli's unabashed enjoyment and joy de vive. Meanwhile Lynne and I laughed, mused, and "gave each other the freaks" (Gilli quote). :-)

Women

No matter how many children you have (or don’t have)

Let her celebrate !http://restoringtheyears.blogspot.com/2009/06/let-her-celebrate.html

Where have you been all my life?

What a great website for skirts!

http://www.newcreationapparel.com/shopdisplaycategories.asp?id=5&cat=Skirts

There are even long maternity skirts! You should have seen that crazy concotions I came up with trying to make long maternity skirts that weren’t uber-frumpy (I am sure they were but don’t tell me).  Put away your duct tape and thick elastic you cut off your sweats.

Pa’s Tennessee Peanut Brittle

Happy Father’s day!

In honor of Father’s Day we made a Black Forest Torte, Hawaiian Crowd Cake and a Cheesecake. We made Pa some good ol southern peanut brittle. It was not as hard as I thought. Christian helped man the thermometer. At first it would not break into pieces and looked like a huge topographical map of the US. I thought I was going to have my first entry at the Crafting Horrors site :-)

 

BUTTERY PEANUT BRITTLE

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup white Karo syrup
1 candy thermometer

Cook sugar, water and Karo syrup together until temperature is 240°F degrees, then add 1 lb. nuts.

Cook until candy thermometer reads 300°F degrees. Butter the cookie pan and have ready (this is very important!):

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoon butter

Measure out and have ready:

2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Quickly add salt, vanilla and butter, and have the 2 1/2 teaspoon of soda ready. Remove from heat, quickly add the soda (when adding the soda the mixture will fizz). Pour the (very hot!) mixture onto the greased cookie sheet or pan. Don't touch it or try to level the mixture with spoon.

Free Digital Subscription to Home School Enrichment

http://homeschoolenrichment.com/magazine/digital/

I recieved a few copies of the magazine and enjoyed them.  I much prefer print to digital but for free I will peruse them :-)

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I used this recipe but halved it. It only took 20 minutes including cleanup, searching for appropriate containers,  halving, then quartering the recipe and yelling at asking my kids nicely to shut off the hose, ten times.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Anybody have a huge bucket they are done with?

When Crafts go Wrong

http://craftfail.com/

I saw this on the WTM board. Good stuff :-)

My Man

A man who will go grocery shopping is more precious than diamonds and a cruise!  Nothing says “I love you” more than housework :-)  Thanks hunny!

Jam

 

SUGAR - FREE STRAWBERRY JAM

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 env. unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Dash of salt
1 1/4 pound strawberries
Artificial sweetener equivalent to 2 c. sugar

Boil jelly jars for 15 minutes. Remove jars from water with tongs that have been boiled for at least one minute. Let stand upside down until drained. In a medium saucepan, mix together lemon juice, gelatin, cornstarch and salt. Add strawberries, stirring constantly. Heat to a full boil. Boil 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in artificial sweetener. (I just used a teaspoon of real sugar)

Yes, I Twitter

I twitter with my best friend and husband.  I twitter back and forth with my kids.  I twitter and tweet with my friends who stop by for an iced tea while their kids swing with mine  :-)

Happy 30th Birthday Amy!!

If you see Amy please wish her a very happy belated birthday!  I owe her a big belted out Happy Birthday to you :-)   She also just passed her tests to become and RN.  You go girl!

Berry Sweet

We enjoyed picking strawberries with some friends.

In no time at all we amassed 20 pounds!

 

We packed picnic lunches and ate at the farm.

 

It was a great time!

For those of you who enjoyed the rum cake at the reunion…

#561. Wishing there was a socially acceptable way to buy rum for cakes

:-)

Drama Poolside

I dropped my camera so I do not have any riveting photographs.

First we caught a grey tree frog with a weird blood blister on his lip. Keith captured some pics of him. (Wait. Do frogs even have lips? I am homeschooling my children and I do not even know what the facial features of a frog are?  How can I expect to educate them on the weightier subjects if I do not even know the simplest frog anatomy) I digress.

We also rescued 2 baby bunnies from the pool; after which Quinn discovered one :-<. I think he will recover. 

Drama.

Devotion to Christ

How many of us are set upon Jesus slaking our thirst when we ought to be satisfying him ? We should be pouring out, not drawing on Him to satisfy us…the greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service to Jesus.

O. Chambers

The above quote gets me thinking. Surely our satisfaction and joy should be in Christ and we should be drawing on Him, for what can we do without Him? Is the problem when we are constantly petitioning God for our “needs” rather than looking for opportunities to serve and thank Him?  Any ideas?

Satisfied

1 Timothy 6:8  Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and raiment (clothing) let us therewith be content.

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation (behavior) be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said “I will never leave thee or forsake thee”

What She Said

http://www.likemerchantships.org/2009/06/saying-yes-instead-of-no.html

I love the above blog. The above post reminded me that when I want to say “I don’t have time”, I make the time to do the things I really want to do.

If that last sentence makes no sense I am sorry, exhausted mom here, going blind from painting the grout on the bathroom floor.

Simple Math Fact Practice

 

Gilli-bean needs to cement her basic math facts. Tonight I spend a long time coordinating a montessori style lesson with a card game. It took me 15 minutes to find the #14 card in my box (no I am not kidding). Keith is doing her regular math at night, this is a supplement. I have spent countless hours and at least $100 planning different strategies to practice the facts.

What have a learned?

The best strategy is the one that actually gets done.  I have found that a small sand timer and a stack of flashcards is all needed. I have the children run through then one time daily.  I have a set with the answers so Ollie can go through them too. They enjoy trying to get the whole stack done before the time runs out. Forget the $50 card games (as much as I love them and am glad I bought them) and use what you have!

This should take you to more WFMW posts http://www.wearethatfamily.com/

Art Opportunity

Join us!
161 Warren Street, Glens Falls, New York 12801 • Tel: 518-792-1761 • Fax: 518-792-9197 • www.hydecollection.org
Children’s Vacation
Art Studio Classes
Students entering 3-6 grades can learn the art of Degas while
listening to some of the music that inspired the artist himself!
Sculpt, paint, sketch, make prints, and more. Explore the
Degas & Music exhibit on exclusive tours and draw a real life
ballerina!
Each session will vary so that if your child is attending multiple
sessions, they will have a different experience each time.
Session I July 21 and 22
Session 2 July 23 and 24
Session 3 July 28 and 29
Session 4 July 30 and 31
10AM-12:30PM
Louis P. Brown Art Studio
The Hyde Collection
$30/child of Hyde member
$40/child general session fee
If signing up for multiple sessions $10 discount given each
session. Please Call 518.792.1761, ext. 17 to register.

Sophie’s First Step!

Sophia took her first step Sunday

All bets are off now!

Venn Diagram

www.despair.com

Free Future Christian Homemakers E-Book

http://www.futurechristianhomemakers.com/FCHLessonsIndex.html

Looks good!

Great Book, Great Speaker

EAST LINE BOOKS PRESENTS

LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS:

NATURE EDUCATION FOR PARENTS & OTHERS

Wed. June 10th      10 a.m. to 12 noon

Speaker:  Diane Shapiro

Don't Miss this Important Program!

In this essential program, local conservationist, Diane Shapiro, explains how you can prevent your child from developing "nature deficit disorder."  Her talk is based on Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.

[PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT www.eastlinebooks.vpweb.com  FOR OUR SCHEDULE OF SUMMER CLASSES WHICH IS ALMOST COMPLETE.  SIGN UP NOW AS SPACE IS LIMITED TO 8 STUDENTS PER CLASS IN MOST CASES.  THESE TEACHERS ARE OUTSTANDING SO DON'T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY!!]

I was blessed to attend one of  Diane’s programs at the Round Lake Library.  The book she is speaking on Last Child in the Woods is awesome. The library has it.

Let’s Pitch In

There is a  ministry to parents who educate at home called Book Samaritan. You can request the books you need and they will send them or something similar. Leslie suggested we have a challenge and donate some books!  We are book -a-holics  and all have curriculum we are not using and probably never will.

Unfortunately, the website for Book Samaritan is currently down. They are still in need of donations and will be happy to send you a tax receipt if you have a return address on your item. The mailing address for this ministry is: Book Samaritan 1715 Grandview Pawhuska, Ok 74056 their email is booksamaritan@sbcglobal.net Thank you for your donations.

Sunny Day

Mim and Sophie-Kate

We enjoyed sunny skies yesterday for our picnic to celebrate Derik and Erika’s birthday. Christian planned mini-golfing first then a cookout and swimming. I am thankful for Frank and Keith manning the grill and for Christa helping in ways too numerous to list.  Happy Birthday Duke and Erika! :-)

Picnic Basket Chalk Board

http://theblessednest.blogspot.com/2009/05/fun-chalkboard-paint-project.html

The above link is one of my favorite projects. Something else to look out for a yard sales. :-)

Shepherding a Child’s Heart

 

You may never use your child to promote your personal convictions. The purpose of discipline is not evangelism. The purpose of discipline is shepherding your children. Using them to showcase your beliefs abuses their dignity and threatens the integrity of your relationship with them.

Tedd  Tripp

The Power of Living Books

Today I want to introduce you to my friend and home school mom, Leslie. She sent me a great email highlighting the benefits of using living books vs. text books. Living books are books written by someone with a passion for the subject matter. For more information on living books look here http://www.amblesideonline.org/LivingBks.shtml

With Leslie’s kind permission here is her email:

THE POWER OF LIVING BOOKS-I think I get it now! We read a great picture book yesterday, "River of Dreams" by Hudson Taylor-about the Hudson River-it was a little wordy so I condensed some, but we covered all this and had great conversations: how the Erie Canal connected Lake Erie to the Hudson and why that was important, types of boats (inc steamboats and flatboats and whalers and why each were used for their purpose), how canal locks work, Hudson River school of painting, pollution/being good stewards of our environment, Revolutionary War in this area, how Manhattan started and its changes over time, trade routes, changes over time in transportation and how that affects growth of towns/industries and vice versa, ice harvesting, Washington Irving, James Fennimore Cooper, and we had the atlas pulled out to map a lot of what we read about! It was great-science, math, stewardship, literature, etc.-so MANY things and it was all tied together. I just LOVE it when that happens! I could have made a whole unit study up about this, but I didn't want to drill it and while they were interested, I don't think there were really that many aspects they'd be interested in pursuing further. But I'm going to try to do more things like this because it could make some good jumping off points, and even if it doesn't, they just learn SO much this way! I think the Holling C. Holling books would be good in this way too.   *the picture above is a picture of  Christian from when when he used to serve at the Senior Center about 2 years ago

Old Notes

I found an old notebook and want to share some notes i need to remind myself of.

Mary’s( the mother of Jesus) Magnificat contains at least 15 quotes from the Old Testament. Mary knew God through the books of Moses, Psalms, and the writing of the Prophets. She had a deep reverence for God because she knew His Word.

As I have cried out to God for wisdom the answer I have been getting is to hide His word in my heart so I may not sin against Him. We have been memorizing James 1 as a family for too long. I have been inconsistent in practicing with the children. I implemented a simple method but it is getting done. Each day after breakfast and before I read to the children one of the older children leads us all in reciting what we have learned and a new chunk.  As an aside, I found that I am consistent in doing devotions if I wolf down my breakfast and then read to the children while they finish. We are currently reading The Young Peacemaker. I pray that we will seek Him with our whole heart.

Paula meets her Fans

Sophie, Becky and Ruth meet their hero~ Paula Deen

OllieVision

Mike, Gilli and Abby

Keith

These were taken by Ollie, courtesy of *Aunt Ruth*

I now know why I am not a good photographer

Keith finished a DVD of pictures and video I took of a memorial service.  I am uncomfortable capturing the poignant moments. I felt like I was intruding on private sadness even though I was asked to take the pictures.