Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Going rate for Sanity= $2.37

That was the price of sanity today. The kids did their normal chores for free and then I paid them for doing all the little things I have needed to do and just can't right now. They got 25 cents for each room they volunteered to vacuum. Picking up things = 1 cent for each object; Picking up trash= 2 cents; doing things Mommy asked you to do extra= 1 cent for each job. This worked great, no complaining and a fairly clean house. My kids are still young, so I can pay such low wages. I got the laundry basically done and put away. I had time to do their assignment sheets so tomorrow will go better. The kids are clean, in bed, and I am warm and toasty in JP's thermals. I am growing out of my regular pj's but his thermals he never wears fit nice and loose. I have regained my sanity.

Morning of Frustration

I usually blog when I am not frustrated and calm, but not today.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Those are my feelings right now.

Ran out of assignment sheets for kids so they don't know what they are doing for school. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Feel like the house is a disaster area, due to my inability to pick up anything not waist high. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Laundry piled up and washing machine wigging out this morning. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Still haven't put away laundry from the last time I did it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Feeling tired because of low iron due to the "3rd trimester blues". AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Behind in getting Christmas stuff done. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

This doesn't sound like much but to my pregnant body, it's enough. Don't worry it's too cold for me to go running down the street screaming, so no one will know but you and me. As if running were an option for me right now anyway, a slow waddle is about all I can muster. The neighbors don't have to know how crazy I really am. Please don't tell them.

Repost: Star Ornaments: Recycle those Christmas Cards

The ornaments pictured below are a beautiful and great way to reuse Christmas cards. These would be good for Sunday School or Children's Church crafts. Last year, my kids made these with a little help. This year Tera is making them on her own and Daniel still needs a little guidance.

Here are the easy directions:
1. Find a star template and cut out two poster board stars.
2. Cut irregular pieces from Christmas cards.
3. Glue the pieces to the poster board stars. It's okay if they overlap each other and you also want them to overlap the edges of the star. Pick a prominent picture to go in the middle of the star that will be on top.
4. Trim the edges of the star.
5. Glue the two stars together so that the points are not lined up. You want to see all the points.
6. Edge with glitter.
7. Punch hole in top and string them up. Use as an ornament or decoration.

Thankfulness

Something happened today that I wanted to share so that God can receive praise and thanks. We had our chimney cleaned and inspected today, considering our late night visit from the fire department about a month ago. (scroll down to find that story)

Well, we paid $110 to find out we cannot use our chimney. It will take $1450 to fix. It's really not that big of a deal, we have central heat and air but wanted to offset the electricity bill with the wood stove.

Here is the cool part. When we were going to buy this house, we were turned down by our credit union because the house did not have central heat and air. We found a mortgage broker who worked with us to get another loan. Then that company required a central heat and air system. Our plan was just to heat with the wood stove and cool with the window units already here. The mortgage broker worked it out for the seller to pay half of the cost to install the HVAC and then rolled the rest into our loan amount. We were so frustrated at this whole process because our closing kept getting put off again and again. The HVAC was the big hold-up on getting the house.

Thankfulness #1: If we hadn't had to wait, we would be really cold right now. God provided us a brand new HVAC with a 10 year warranty. (actually we have two HVAC because of the house set-up). We would have bought this house and froze to death this winter with a new baby come February. GOD PROVIDES

Thankfulness #2: The chimney inspector told us today that there had been a chimney fire before that had severely damaged our entire chimney. Basically, if we use this chimney, we will burn our house down from inside the walls. Since the chimney runs upstairs near our kids room, that's very serious. The stove pipe issue that brought the fire department out was a different issue. But I feel now it was a warning from God not to use it again until someone looked at it. It is a very sobering thought to know just how much God is looking out for us and to realize how serious of a situation it was. GOD PROTECTS

Tera made the point tonight that when it seems God is doing things we don't like or understand, He is really just keeping us safe. How awesome to be reminded of how much God loves us and protects us.

Our Robin Hoods

For Halloween the kids dressed up like Robin Hood. Our camera is messed up right now, so this picture was taken at a Trunk or Treat.

Letters to God

Weekly Update- Nov. 10-14

This has been a busy week for us. We had Monday Fun at the beginning of the week. JP has been working at least 2, 10 hour days every week and this Saturday will be the second one in a row he has had to work. That always tires us out so bad. Thursday I had a dr.'s appt. and then today we had a fieldtrip. The kids had a great time. They both made hand dipped candles. JP took Daniel to the pioneer skills and weapons demonstrations while Tera and I went to the museum and schoolhouse. Muskets and Ax throwing were more their style than ours. We had a Thanksgiving dinner and met some really nice people in our homeschool group.

Daniel has latched onto one kid and we are trying to help him direct his energy from just one person to a larger group of kids. Daniel is a very one on one kid, he doesn't like big group interaction but instead conversation and play by himself or one on one. So we are trying to help him be more adaptable. We are encouraging him to talk to someone different and not just talk to this one kid who is older than him. I have to be honest, having opportunities for the kids to get together with other kids has been a struggle for us. With JP's work schedule, moving and my health, we have been limited in this area. We thought given their personalities, Tera would have more problems but it seems Daniel is the one missing the interaction more. Please pray for us in this area. It is a constant prayer of mine, that God will provide someone for our kids. We know that God provides all that we need. We have to trust him for the intangibles, too.

Daniel has an eye doctor appointment next week. We are coming up on the end of Monday Fun for this semester. It starts again in January or February. I won't be teaching because of the baby, but we are planning on the kids taking classes again. They really do love going and learn so much.

2 week appointments already?

I went to the Doctor today for a regular checkup. Everything was great. I had gained some weight-I won't say how much but let's just say I made up for last month when I only gained a pound. I usually have one big month in my pregnancies where I gain a little more than normal, but oh well. That explains my needing to buy maternity clothes last week for the first time this pregnancy so I cannot complain too much.

Anyway, I go back in 2 weeks for my glucose test. As I was making the appointment which by the way is at 7:45 AM. That's going to be a killer. The receptionist said, "After that you go to 2 week appointments." I said "Already?" I cannot believe it. It really has seemed like this pregnancy is flying by. I am sure I'll have to remind myself of that feeling in another month or so.

Family Game Night

We have a Sunday Night tradition ever since my husband was pastoring full-time. Sunday night is Pizza Night and we watch old TV shows on DVD. Our repertoire consisted of The Andy Griffith Show and have added in the past two years- The Muppet Show-Season 1 and The Adventures of Robin Hood from the late 50s. Our kids have really looked forward to this every week. Well, we have gotten just a little burned out on these shows, so we decided to propose a game night to the kids. They jumped at the chance. My only catch was no kiddie games- I wanted more mature games. We decided since both the kids can read very well now that this was doable. My husband and I used to play games all the time before we had kids, so we have quite a few. We decided to try Pictionary. Not Pictionary, Jr. but the real deal. My dad bought me this game when I was a teenager and when we would visit him, he always played and beat me. It used to make me so mad. My dad was very smart, he always beat me in Trivial Pursuit, too.

Anyway, we found a roll of old newspaper print type paper in our new house hidden in one of the upstairs closets. We brought down Tera's easel and attached some paper to it. JP and I did a few practice draws to let the kids see how to play. Then we were off. Daniel and I were a team. Tera and JP made up the other team. We were so impressed with them. None of us are very great artists but it was awesome. It was the best evening I think we have had in forever. Both the kids want to play it this week. Daniel who usually gets upset if he cannot do something just right, had a very good attitude. The kids said it as much fun as Dollywood. Now there's a recommendation for you.

Weekly Update Nov. 3-7

Sorry for the lack of pictures, we have to get our digital camera repaired. It only takes inside pictures that are in low light, we don't know what it's doing.

Anyway. It seems right now school is like the second trimester of pregnancy. You are just mundanely getting through. Nothing real exceptional. I am recovering from my sinus stuff and now Tera is suffering. JP is clearing out our little storage unit we have had since we moved to Tennessee. We now have a place to store things so we don't need to shell out $25 a month for a few boxes.

The kids are doing so good in school. They both read an hour a day and are doing exceptional in math. We love our handwriting books this year. It is Scripture based so the kids practice writing a Bible verse a week. Science and Social Studies have been a struggle for us this year but we are getting on track and learning about Colonial America. After Christmas we are starting a new curriculum that is based around Missions. We will adapt it to fit our family but it incorporates learning a language, family devotions, geography and history. We will continue with math, spelling and handwriting in addition to it. But I am very excited.

Next week, we are going on a fieldtrip to the Sam Houston Schoolhouse. Yes, it is the same Sam Houston from the Alamo. He was a teacher in Tennessee before going to Texas. It will be an 1800's Thanksgiving. I am taking a turkey, (don't know what I was thinking). Next time I'll sign up for rolls. It should be a fun day for the kids.

We are also excited about a new thing on the Internet. The founder of Veggie Tales, Phil Vischer has started a mini kids network called Jelly Telly. It has 20 minutes of programming everyday online that is Christian based. You subscribe for $2.99 a month. We do not have cable, and frankly never want it again. But this is awesome, the kids love it and learn so much. It is a variety show that has all different kinds of "spots". One is What Could You Do? which spotlights helping others in your community. Another is Missions: which show MK's from all over the world. It is so awesome to have something uplifting for kids. Recommend this to anyone you know with kids, it's great.

Thankful for Healthy Kids

The kids had their checkups on Friday, starting with Tera at the dentist. Tera received compliments from the hygienist and the dentist on how great she is brushing her teeth. I had noticed she is not losing any more teeth. Well, the dentist said she doesn't have permanent ones to replace her baby teeth yet. So he is checking with an orthodontist to see what options we have about that. We gave her strict instructions not to be wiggling any baby teeth. But we are going to be praying that God will work at miracle before her next check up in May. Daniel goes to the dentist in December.

We went for pizza, carved a pumpkin, watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin, decorated their pumpkins they got at the dentist office and got ready for doctor's visits. I took Daniel and JP went with Tera. We knew they were getting the flu shots and Tera doesn't really like shots so we sent Daddy with her. They had to pee in a cup, get their fingers pricked and have a thorough exam. They are both in good weight/height percentages and overall amazingly healthy. JP said Tera did awesome and did not even cry when she got her shot. Daniel who never complains, didn't like having his finger pricked and yelled when he got his shot. He said it felt like someone stuck him with a sword. He was dressed up like Robin Hood, so I told him to pretend it was a battle wound. That didn't change his complaint.

We came home and went back out for two trunk or treats. JP and the kids also went around the neighborhood but nobody was giving out candy and it was frankly kinda scary. We won't be doing that next year. They watched the Disney Icabod Crane and Mr. Toad, JP borrowed from a co-worker. Thanks Billy. They loved it. We ate the leftover pizza while we watched and after a few treats, they got in bed around 9 PM. It was a great day.

Weekly Update Oct. 27-31

I thought I would give an update today because tomorrow we are going to be like a tornado. Dentist appointment for Tera in the morning, Kids getting their reading awards for the month at Pizza Hut, Both kids going for physicals and flu shots in the afternoon and then Halloween stuff. JP has the day off so being the genius I am I decided to fill the whole day up. JP has been working 10 hour days every day this week at work except for Monday. So our whole week has felt a bit strange. The kids always have a hard time adjusting when Daddy works a lot of overtime. But it's almost over and we survived.

We are 23 weeks today and at this point things are just ordinary. Baby is kicking a lot and hard. Tera actually felt him kick through my shirt. I don't remember the others kicking that hard this early, but it's been a while. We don't go back to the dr. for another 2 weeks but everything seems good.

We were going to volunteer at a community Trunk or Treat, but I started getting a really bad sore throat last night. I woke up this morning having a hard time swallowing without pain. I couldn't sleep so I got up and ate some toast, drank a big glass of orange juice and took some Tylenol. Besides gargling salt water and drinking hot fruit tea, that is about all I know to do for a sore throat when you are pregnant. I do not like to take medicine if I do not have to. I am not running a fever, and as long as I keep drinking fluids it doesn't hurt as bad. So when the guy called to confirm our volunteering tomorrow, I bowed out. I cannot sit outside at night with a sore throat and expect to get better. I also do not want to make myself sicker. So we will do our own thing this year, which may mean a trunk or treat at a smaller church with JP taking the kids. I will probably stay at home and give out candy to any kids who may come by.

I am so tired right now, I did not get a lot of sleep and plan on getting in bed soon after the kids tonight. I think with lots of rest, orange juice and prayer this thing will get better. I would appreciate any prayers, this is the first time I have been sick in almost a year.

Weekly Update

This is one of those uneventful weeks. We had Monday Fun and have spent the rest of the week at home going through the routine. Tera is taking a Music Theory class and her teacher gave her a song to learn this week-Yankee Doodle on the keyboard. So we bought an adapter since we cannot find our other one and set up my keyboard that has gathered dust for the past few years. She has practiced every day and is doing really well. Her teacher is a piano teacher and asked if we ever thought about Tera taking lessons. She said Tera would be a very good student for piano. So I am going to work with her through the spring semester and make sure she is serious about taking lessons. The going rate is around $70 a month for 4 half -hour lessons. Since we are watching our money closely, that seemed high so I want to make sure she is serious before we invest that kind of cash. If she is serious, hopefully she can start maybe next summer. She seems to really enjoy it and is very dedicated (her first week). Daniel likes to compose his "own" music on the keyboard. He has always liked to do it his way. I told him he could take the music class next time but he refused. He said Tera could teach him what she knows, but then when she tries he refuses to listen to her. OH well.

Both kids want to be Robin Hood for Halloween. It has been crazy trying to piece together the costumes but we are down to accessories and off to the thrift store tomorrow to look for quiver materials among other small things. A while back JP bought a DVD set of an old black and white Robin Hood TV series from the 50s. The kids love it and would watch it everyday if I let them. They read every kids version of Robin Hood, they can find. They make bows and arrows out of sticks and strings in the yard and have quarterstaff fights. I didn't even know what a quarterstaff was until I asked them. It seems strange but I am so glad they like Robin Hood compared with some of the things out there.

We have an opportunity to give out candy at a community Trunk or Treat. We are praying about it. This will be the first thing in the community we have done as a church. Our house church is just us right now, but we want to be the Church no matter what our size. It is really exciting to have the opportunity to serve.

The baby is doing well. Kicking hard already. We haven't had any problems this week and yesterday marked 22 weeks. JP is working a good deal of overtime right now but it is helping us after the move. Since overtime comes in spurts (there are months when he doesn't have any) we are not going to complain about it now.

Well, that's it for now, have a great weekend.

Up Close and Personal with the Fire Department

Sunday night, JP decided to try out the nice big wood stove we have in our new house. We have had wood stoves and fire places in several places we have lived so he is very familiar with them. He started the fire about 7 PM, the kids went to bed and I followed soon after. JP was chillin out on the computer and I fell asleep. About 1 AM, I heard him talking on the phone and telling me to get up to get the kids out of the house. He said the stove pipe was glowing bright red near the wall and the wall was so hot he could barely keep his hand on it. Like I said, he is a pro at fire places but he was freaked out. He called 911 which is something he said he has never done in his life. There was no smoke or fire coming out anywhere except the glowing pipe. We are so fortunate we live walking distance from the volunteer fire department. They didn't even use the sirens, but coasted down the hill to our house. The kids and I walked down to the car and I was glad we all wore warm clothes to bed and I thought to grab a blanket. By the time we walked down to the car, I was shivering. JP came down and started the car heat and he went back to wait for the fire department. They came in and checked the whole house out and choked off the wood stove. They used an imaging system which let them see through the walls to check for heat. It cooled down a lot while they were here and needless to say we will not be using it again until we have it inspected and cleaned. The fireman said when someone cleaned it they probably knocked some cresote or old ashes down into the pipe and it caught on fire.

They told us we could subscribe to the fire department for $50 a year or pay $1700 for them to come out to a fire. The $50 covers any time they come out. Since we are new, we do not have to pay for this time because we didn't know but we will definitely register and pay the $50 bucks gladly.

After the firemen left and we got the kids back in the bed around 1:30 AM, we got in bed and thanked the Lord for sparing us and our house. We realized how fortunate and blessed we were and thought of all those who do not have such wonderful outcomes.

The funniest thing was the next day at work, JP said some guy on first shift called him over. He said I thought I recognized you last night. The head fireman was a co-worker of JP's. Isn't that crazy!

Weekly Update

We are in the weekly routine now. The kids went on two outings this week. There was no Monday Fun- our homeschool class on Mondays. But we made a trip to the library and walked down to the little duck pond in the area called The Greenbelt. I would like to say I did well on the walk, but let's just say I was pretty winded when we arrived back at the car. No harm done. On Wednesday, they had a fieldtrip with a group of homeschoolers to the local Fire Station. The firefighters were awesome and the kids had a blast. The rest of the week we have focused on the 3 R's. Nothing special going on right now.

Today was our monthly Dr. Appt. We are 21 weeks now and everything was good at the appointment. I had the recommended flu shot today, the dr. pointed out that when pregnant women get the flu they usually end up in the hospital. I have only gained 8 lbs. so far. The dr. asked me was I eating good and I am. We just do not go out to eat that much anymore and eat a lot more veggies and healthy meals. I am actually eating more meat now than when I am not pregnant. So JP told me, now I can eat whatever I want without worrying since every month I say "I bet I gained 10 lbs. this month". Our baby boy is a kicker like Tera- hard. When I lay on my left side especially, it seems like he is trying to kick his way out. The heartbeat was good and we are not having any other problems at this point.

We have been here almost a month and it feels like we are running so much to appointments, classes, fieldtrips and overtime that we have not been able to unpack as much as we would like. We are getting it in little spurts. I have to take this mega-iron pill now to keep from becoming anemic later in pregnancy. The first few days I really didn't notice any difference but now I do feel like I have more energy. Let's hope that lasts. I did go through all the kids clothes this week to make an inventory of what they need for this fall and winter. It was a very reasonable list. We have had the great fortune of having family and friends who have given us clothes over the years, some of which the kids are just now able to wear. We are saving all Daniel's outgrown stuff for the new baby now that we have a place to store things. We'll donate the rest to our local Habitat for Humanity thrift store. Well, that's all for this week. Have a blessed Autumn weekend.

IT'S A BOY

We found out last Friday, we are having another little boy. I hope I will survive. The first little boy has definitely given me a run for my money. But memory is so short, I look back on home videos of Tera when she was little-she was a little pistol too. So I am definitely in trouble the third time around.

We think we have the name picked out, but we are waiting a little while before we announce it to give ourselves time to get used to it first. I go back to the Dr. Friday for a regular check up and the dreaded flu shot. We are all getting them this year on the recommendation of our ob/gyn and pediatrician. Tera is not too thrilled, so pray for her. Daniel doesn't care, he has never minded shots or needles.

We are off to the Library tomorrow and have a fieldtrip to the fire station on Wednesday. It seems like we will never get unpacked but oh well. We plan on being here for a very long time so we'll get around to it eventually.

Closure is such a good thing!

We finally closed on our house yesterday. We were very stressed, but God worked everything out. We met the seller for the first time. He had to pick up some things at the house after the closing, so we had a chance to talk to him briefly. The house belonged to his elderly parents. He said he was glad that another family was moving in, because that house had been filled with kids throughout the last 50 years. His mother was 1 of 9 and his grandparents owned the house before. There were 35 grandkids and that was the family get together spot.

We still love the house and have no buyer's remorse. After we left the closing, we told the kids we were going over to the house. Daniel thought we were going for good. He said "did we bring Saddle and Orangey?" (his two favorite stuffed animals). He almost cried when we told him we weren't moving in that day, just looking around. It didn't matter that all of our other things were still at our present house. He is so antsy, he cannot wait until Saturday. This is a big house-2280 square feet. The biggest fun right now- is scaring people. JP hides around a corner and jumps out and you hear loud screams, then "Daddy!" Daniel actually was quiet enough today to sneak up on Tera and scare her. You could hear him clapping his hands and saying "I got Tera...I got Tera" Life is definitely going to be a lot more interesting.

The Blessings of A Good Friend

Check out my playlist and click on Running Just to Catch Myself by Mark Schultz. This song reminds me of my friend, Kathy. Not because she is always on the go (even though she is and I have never figured out how she does it all), but because we were able to be apart of Mark Schultz's live DVD recording at a concert. She got us second row left side tickets. You cannot get much closer to the stage. That was one of the funnest evenings I think I ever had. My husband got enough of concerts when he was a teenager going to rock concerts, so he never liked to go to concerts (and still doesn't). Kathy loved it and when she asked me a few years ago to go, I jumped at the chance. Here is the funniest part about that night. There were two live shows. We went to the first one and as we were leaving, we saw some friends in line, Jacqueline, Barbara and Luke. We stopped to talk and found out they had two extra tickets they couldn't get rid of. Kathy is always up for spontaneous fun. This time I surprised myself and we almost snatched those tickets and got in line again. I called JP on the cell phone and said I will be very late tonight- like after midnight. He was cool because the kids were little and already in bed. This meant a free evening for him as well. The second concert was just as good as the first although the seats further back, it was awesome. We both bought the DVD and I still watch it occasionally. I can pick us out one or two times. I have had some really great friends through the years but that song made me think of Kathy. For that one evening, I had one responsibility-to have fun. That is usually how it is around Kathy. Love ya, Kathy and thanks for being a good friend.

Weekly Update

We didn't close on our house this week. We have been waiting on papers from the seller (who lives out of state) for over a week now-that is the mortgage broker has been. She finally got tired of waiting after sending it to him twice and sent a mobile notary to his house. We find out tomorrow if she got the papers and if so we close on Monday. It has been stressful. This is the sixth time our closing date has been changed. But we have given it to God and are praying for his strength as we pack this weekend and move all next week and next weekend.

Our doctor's appointment went good today. Baby's heartbeat good and it even kicked the doctor's doppler as he was listening. JP and the kids went back with me today for the first time. On October 3rd, we go for our ultrasound to find out if there are any problems and if it is a boy or girl. Daniel and Tera both want a girl. Tera asked me today what I wanted- I said "Healthy".

We got a five day week in this week and I have to say it was rough. Both of the kids have struggled with allergies or a mild cold this entire week. Daniel gets very cranky when he has a stuffy nose so he has been a treat this week. I would go into all we did but like I said it has been a long week. We will be packing all weekend and resting as we need it. Until next week.

Tera's Action Sports Drawing

Tera loves arts and crafts especially drawing. The thing is she doesn't spend time on doing an accurate job. This is the first time, she looked at art instruction pictures and tried to draw what she saw. I think she did a great job.

Update for this week

We made it through the school week. Thank goodness it was only a 4 day week. We are reading a wonderful picture book called Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling. It is about a carved Indian in a canoe named Paddle to the Sea. It is a geography book exploring the Great Lakes area through the journey of the little canoe. We also started Tom Sawyer. We visited the library and both kids came home with a backpack full of new books. Tera reading Boxcar Children, Junie B. Jones, Cam Jansen, Little House and American Girl. Daniel's reading list is definitely more masculine- Robin Hood, Odysseus, Blaze the Stallion and Arabian Nights. He always seems to pick books above his reading level but does a good job reading through them at his own pace.

Supposedly, we are closing on our house next week. We are praying and hoping no last minute things come up between now and then. No more pregnancy problems at this point. Just waiting to feel those first little baby flutters. We were 15 weeks on Thursday and go back to the doctor in 2 weeks.

Well, that's what is going on with us this week.

We're Back

Well it's been a while since I last posted. Soon after school ended, we found out we were pregnant again. We had a miscarriage at the end of March, so we have been more apprehensive this time. I have had more complications this time (i.e. bleeding every 3 weeks or so). I was found to have a hemorrhage which hopefully is healing. It was outside the baby's sac so it was a wait and see thing to know if the baby would be okay. It has only been 2 weeks since an ER trip and two ultrasounds later, but no bleeding since then. I went to the dr. last Thursday and she found the heartbeat again. Each time on the ultrasound the baby has been really strong, moving everywhere. I am praying the hemorrhage has healed and we will keep going with no more complications. I go back to the dr. the 3rd week in September for a regular check up. JP and the kids will get to go back and hear the heartbeat for the first time. With all the problems, JP has been occupied in waiting rooms with the kids on pins and needles. So it will be a real treat for them.

We started homeschooling but with my health the way it has been we are struggling to get on our regular schedule.

Hopefully, this starts regular posting again.

What's New

We finished school for the year last week, right before the long weekend. All of us suffered with allergies or something the whole week. We had wanted to go on a spontaneous trip over Memorial Day weekend but with scratchy throats, we decided to stay at home.

We got the kids a little portable swimming pool and they had a lot of fun splashing. That is until Daniel got it in the face and then the fun was over. But we had a good long time of rest anyway.

We are still waiting to hear about closing on our house. We are trying to be patient but patience is coming in spurts at this time. Even the kids are saying- I can't wait to move.

Now, we move into the summer months and try to deal with the heat and boredom the best we can.

My new niece was born 2 weeks ago and from the pictures I have seen she is beautiful. I just can't wait to see her.

Current Heart of the Matter Mag

Check out my Slide Show!

Early Springbreak

It's in the middle 70s here today so we took our Spring Break 1 day earlier than we planned. I needed a mental break too. JP found out last night that he has to work 10 hours of overtime between now and Saturday. Daniel's Dr. appointment is in the morning which we will run to after only 5 hours of sleep. I had to run out to the store this morning to get some things just to get us through until we can get back to the store. I have not bought one thing for the kids Easter baskets ( to be honest I do not even know where their baskets or plastic eggs are). I have a dr.'s appointment Monday afternoon. So last night when JP told me about overtime, I just laid in bed and cried. I forgot to get the rent check in the mail today. My brain is going into total shutdown.

We have come to a conclusion about our dog Buddy. He is such a sweet dog but we have not gotten anywhere with him being scared of everything. He pees on the floor everytime we touch a flashlight. We contacted the organization we got him from and JP said he just couldn't take care of Buddy any more. JP has to carry him outside everytime he has to go to the bathroom and Buddy hides in our bathroom when he is inside. So we have done everything we could do for him. The lady who is going to foster him is experienced with dogs like Buddy and really feels she can help him. I am sad because Buddy is so sweet but the fact is if JP ever got sick or hurt, I can't carry the dog so there would be nothing we could do. Tera was a little sad but she is very sensitive to situations like that. Buddy never played with the kids and since he hides in the bathroom they really don't have much contact. We are also looking into the possibility of moving in the near future to a place of our own. Be praying God will lead us to where He wants us.

With all these things going on, my sanity is dictated an early Spring Break. WOO HOO!

Happy 14th Anniversary

Today is our 14th Anniversary. I am married to a wonderful man who takes such good care of me and our children. But he had to work tonight, which is a real bummer. I know we will celebrate later on the weekend (if he doesn't have to work overtime), but to be honest I was really down today. I am better now but it didn't help that I really haven't felt great this week and made Chili for lunch. Yeah, sounds like a winner, huh? It was in my opinion the worst pot I've ever made. JP had to doctor it before lunch. He liked it and so did the kids but it bothered me. I'm probably just being hard on myself that it didn't turn out as good as it usually does and the fact that it was our anniversary just made it worse. Oh well, life does go on.

Our 14 years have seen us through some wonderful and some trying times. I do believe our marriage is stronger today than it ever has been. We have worked through our different personality issues and most of the time overlook the other's faults. It is still hard at times but we have never let quitting be an option for us. When we took our vows, we meant the til death do us part stuff and we will keep on meaning it.

I love you, Honey HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!

Something to Do When You're Bored

29

This week in review- March 3-7

I was going to do this every week but well life seems to keep happening. There are a lot of things going on right now and blogging has been the last priority on my mind. I won't go into details- none of it particularly bad just been stressed and tired.

Last weekend we took the kids to Fort Loudon- a British fort from the French and Indian War. They were having a garrison weekend with re-enactors on hand. It was not very busy and was so awesome to see the "Redcoats" and Cherokee at the fort. They shot off cannons and muskets. Daniel was in heaven. Then we went to Sequoyah's Birthplace Museum, it wasn't too hot but did have a few interesting things to look at.

Reading- Daniel has been reading Little Bear this week-his first chapter book. Tera has been working on Cricket in Times Square. She is such an avid reader that I am checking out books I remember from childhood and rereading them, then passing them on to her. She has read Stuart Little, Strawberry Girl, Skylark, Encyclopedia Brown and others in the last month.

Math- Last week, Daniel was introduced to the card game War in math. He taught it to Tera and they just love playing. It teaches and reinforces number recognition and greater than/less than. He also has been working on addition and I just introduced tangrams today. He has found a new fun thing about math. Tera has been reviewing higher level multiplication and equivalent fractions this week.

Science- Last week we finished our plants unit. We have grown bean seeds in glass jars and ziploc bags. We planted potato eyes which never came up. The kids also picked a flower and herb to plant. Tera planted marigold and Rosemary (because she loves the movie Ratatouille) and Daniel planted marigold and lavender. Some did not come up so we will replant those soon. We started a unit on Rocks and Minerals this week and the kids learned about sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks. We will be doing some experiments on these in the next few weeks. Tomorrow we are going to try our hand at rock candy. We are also going on a field trip at the end of the month to Tuckaleechee Caverns which is fifteen minutes away. It is an underground cave that is suppose to be really cool.

Social Studies- This week we talked about the differences between a map and a globe. We showed this on a Venn Diagram. We looked at how communication has changed over history. We continued studying Egypt- we talked about pyramids today and next week will make a sugar cube pyramid. We are also making Egyptian collars, headbands and a bracelet using a template I found online. They colored the Egyptian flag as well. They reviewed the difference between goods and services/producers and consumers.

Arts- We started our study of Mary Cassett an American Impressionist Artist. We read poetry every week and also review our current composers. We are studying Aaron Copeland and John Philip Sousa. I also started teaching the kids to play the recorder this week. They were almost begging to learn how.

Bible- Our verse comes from Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again I will say rejoice! This is a verse that we truly need to remember. Our Bible reading is in Exodus- the story of Moses since we are studying Egypt right now.

Read A Louds- We are always reading through a BoxCar Children book. Tera and Daniel cannot get enough of those books. We finished the Houseboat Mystery and started the Caboose Mystery this week. We finished Wind in the Willows a couple of weeks ago and started the Chronicles of Narnia series. The Magician's Nephew is done and we are halfway through The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe.

Well, that's it for now. I hope it's not a month before I blog again.
Kathy if you are reading this Tera wrote you a letter but we haven't gotten it in the mail yet. She sure enjoys being a penpal.

I Won, I Won

I entered one of the Bloggy giveaways and I won. I can't believe it. It was a surprise gift and I was definitely surprised. Always Faith was the blog site. Check her out sometimes at http://www.alwaysfaith.blogspot.com

This Week in Review- January 28-February 1

This has been a week of Review for us in several areas.

Bible- We reviewed our verse from last week.

Reading- Tera finished reading The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and will start making her lapbook next week. Daniel started reading regular books this week- Inside, Outside Upside Down, Pizza Pat, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Green Eggs and Ham, Here is A Box, Run For It, The Ear Book, Goose-Goose and Pig-Pig and Are You My Mother?

Math- Tera worked on Two digit multiplication this week. She got the simple version as well as the regrouping concept. Daniel worked on the concept of full and empty. He also worked with counting money with dimes and pennies.

Science- We finished up Weather this week. The kids are still putting some finishing touches on their lapbooks. They made a matching game for different kinds of clouds, finished their seasons collage with spring and summer, watched an IMAX video on the changing of seasons, read the book Snow is Falling. We also read weather sayings and wrote several of those in our lapbooks.

Social Studies- We did a review on safety rules. We discussed how there are countries with a longer history than the U.S., how weather affects our daily lives, how shelters vary from different cultures and environments as well as recognizing jobs are similar between different communities.

We introduced our new composers and artists. We are going to be studying American artists this term. Our composers are Sousa and Copland. Our artist is Mary Cassett. We reviewed the ones we have already been studying-Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Handel, Da Vinci and Rembrandt.

The kids have been working on Cinquain Poems. Since JP's birthday is this weekend, they both wrote a poem about their Daddy.

Tera's Poem:

Dad

Fun, Tall

Kayaking, Hiking, Drumming

He makes me feel safe.

Daddy

Daniel's Poem:

Daddy

Hardworking, Good

Fighting, Praying, Preaching

He makes me feel safe.

Dad

We brainstormed ideas together and these are what they decided to include in their individual poems.

(Daniel and JP sword fight with foam swords so that is what Daniel's poem is talking about so none of you worry)

Books From the Shelf

These are the books I am reading currently:

Red Moon Rising- This book chronicles the beginning stages of the 24-7 Prayer Movement in the UK and now globally. It has been an interesting book. The author is very humble about his part in this movement and emphasizes how God's hand has moved in various people's lives bringing them together as the 24-7 Movement as developed.

Believing God by Beth Moore. I am re-reading this book because I did not finish it the first time. This book emphasizes the difference between having faith in God and believing God. She has 5 faith statements she goes through in the book. "God is who He says He is; God can do what He says He can do; I am who God says I am; I can do all things through Christ; God's Word is alive and active in me." I am on the second statement in my reading. It has been important for me to go through this book again because I am at a point of real testing in our situation. Lately, I have been overwelmed with depression and anxiety over my husband's work schedule. Last week I prayed and just asked the Lord to help me to trust in Him more. I was filled with such a peace last week and this weekend. We all need to be reminded of God's sovereignty in our lives when we are committed to Him.

Does Anyone Here Know God? by Gladys Hunt. This is a worn paperback filled with short stories of women from all walks of life who came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This is my second maybe third time reading this book. I love it, it seems new everytime I read it. The testimonies of these women are more than just inspirational reading. It reminds us that God has a purpose for our lives and as I said earlier we just have to commit to Him leaving our future in His hands.

This Week in School- January 21-25

(my camera is acting up, so forgive the blurry pictures)

I am hoping to write a weekly summary at the end of every week for what we have been working on in school. Don't feel like you have to read this whole thing. This is more for me than for anyone else. Also, this is not everything we do just a summary.

Our verse this week: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother", which is the first commandment with promise, "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Ephesians 6:1-3

Reading- Tera started The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. She has read through all the reading textbooks I have collected over the years, so now I am starting her on "real books" She read 13 chapters this week. Daniel finished up his reading program this week, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Days. I was skeptical because this system did not work at all for Tera, but I pulled it out at the beginning of the school year for Daniel. It worked awesome for him. Today was the 100th Day, he was so excited. He will begin reading Dr. Seuss type books next week.

Math- Tera reviewed this week- she finished up a unit on measurement and also is working on her multiplication facts. We downloaded an awesome game-Timez Attack. The basic version is free and we hope to buy the whole program this summer. It teaches multiplication through a video game. It has helped her tremendously. Daniel has been working on 0-20 in order and identifying missing numbers. We did an activity today- measuring yellow and blue water to make green water. As you can see by the picture, they pretended the water was a hazardous material.

Science- We have been studying Weather. The last few weeks we have read, studied and done online activities. We have also been charted our daily weather on a graph. This week as you can see by the above pictures, we started a lapbook on weather. (This is a file folder that the kids put together that chronicles the different things they have learned). We will finish these next week. We have defined storms, listed the colors of the rainbow, decorated the outside with a season collage and colored trees according to the season.

Social Studies- The kids were interested in learning about the Revolutionary War so for the last few weeks we have been reading various books on the subject. This week we read several books from the Graphic Library series- (a comic book type history book with facts and dialogue)-George Washington, The Winter at Valley Forge, The Boston Tea Party, Patrick Henry, and The Star Spangled Banner (the War of 1812). We also read two Rookie Biography books- Benjamin Franklin- A Man With Many Jobs and Martin Luther King, Jr.- A Young Man With a Dream. We started The American Revolution (Landmark Books) but it is very comprehensive and will take us a little longer to get through. It is awesome to see the kids remember major figures and events of a time period just through reading.

We usually do poetry reading everyday and review our composers and artists we are studying, but this week that didn't happen. We have had an interesting week emotionally. All of us have been tired and irritable at some point in time. We also took a snow day in the middle of the week and still managed to get done. Tonight I have planned some 100 days of school activities for the kids to celebrate Daniel finishing his first reading book. That's our week in review.

Some Christmas Pics

The kids watching the train Nana and Grandpa Ron gave us going around the presents. They are dying to jump in and start opening but we make them eat breakfast first. (That is why the long face on Tera)

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

Sorry no picture again. We've been digging in before I remember to take a picture. But this is a recipe I made up and it turned out really good. Tera said "This is good, for something you just made up." My mom gave me the idea a couple of weeks ago about having a chicken, rice and cheese casserole. I took that idea and came up with this.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

4 cups cooked rice (I added a tomato chicken bouillon while it cooked)
2 cups cooked chicken shredded
2 cans Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese Condensed Soup
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can petite diced tomatoes
Taco Sauce/Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Cook rice according to directions with tomato bouillon
2. Combine rice, chicken, soup, black beans, corn, and tomatoes in a greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
3. Top with Taco Sauce and shredded cheese
4. Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly.

This makes a whole lot and would be good for a large crowd or for a potluck.

Serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe got everyone's approval. I made it up the night before so the texture was a little dry, so we just added a little salsa or taco sauce on our individual plates.

Awesome Crab and Artichoke Dip

The other night after the kids went to bed, I got the munchies. I was in the mood for something they wouldn't like to eat. We have supper together every night. I do not cater to my kids, but you are always respectful to things you know are not too weird. Well, I was in the mood for something the kids would think was weird. The last time I was in Food Lion, they had crab meat on sale for $1 a package. I snagged one and put it in the freezer. I had a small can of artichoke hearts in the pantry and we found this recipe on Kanimi's (the crab meat company) site. This is a modified version of their recipe. It was awesome. I mean awesome.

Here it is:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves or 2 Tbsp
1/2 Tbsp lime juice ( I used more)
1 7 ounce can of artichoke hearts chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese ( they said swiss, we used pizza cheese)
1 8 ounce package of crab meat broken apart
Top with sprinkle of bread crumbs and a little Old Bay Spice

Combine all ingredients and heat until bubbly.

Trying to Work out a System

No, I didn't forget again that I have a blog and I am not ready to give up blogging. I am trying to work out in my head a system that will work well for me. I am thinking maybe theme oriented days of the weeks. So that way I won't be at a loss over what to blog about and I will be more regular about it. I am thinking some themes might be-recipes, homeschooling, devotional thoughts. Anybody have any ideas? Feel free to leave a comment, thanks.