How 'Bout Some Fall Ya'll?

Well, this might just be my WORST decorating decision yet but it's staying. I jokingly say that our house is decorated in "early childhood education." I am no good at decorating, I somehow missed that gene. My mom is good at decorating and so is my sister but I'm terrible at it and therefore just do whatever I want and don't worry too much about how it looks to the average person. My thinking is that even if I tried to do it wonderful and classy I would still fail. Anyway, today we were home all day for the first time in about a month. Seriously. We have had somewhere to go every day for at least the last 4 weeks, until today. It's amazing what a whole day with no commitments and no errands can do for your soul. I felt so relaxed and almost celebratory. Our day home also coincided with the first cool (relatively) day of the fall season. I started my day with a homemade version of a pumpkin spice latte. I have a little stove top espresso maker and I put in a scoop of decaf, then about a 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice, and then a scoop of caff and put it on the stove to brew. I have to say that it was a wonderful cup of coffee and what a joy to drink it hot without breaking a sweat!! We had our usual Bible time and then took a short bike ride around the neighborhood before starting our academics. It was a mostly fun bike ride but a little stressful at times. Joe is riding a two wheeler now and that can be an ordeal. We came home, did a full day of school and then did some fall art and some fall decorating. Later I had a short nap and then when Ollie came home we went on another bike ride to a park and then practiced baseball for a bit before riding home so I could make dinner. It has been a wonderful day! Anyway, back to my lack of decorating skills...the kids made lots of fall pictures and initially I had wanted them to make large, wonderful pictures that I could frame and hang in place of the art already up on the wall in the living room. Well, they didn't make large, wonderful pictures they made lots of small wonderful pictures and I wasn't sure what the best way to display them would be. When they were painting outside I was hanging their pictures on the clothesline and had an inspiration. So, I hung a piece of yarn and made a "clothesline" in the living room on the main wall. Even though it is pretty tacky I like it and am looking forward to changing out the pictures as the holidays change throughout the next three months. We also decorated the top of the piano and added a fall tablecloth and our main living area has been transformed.

We also harvested some fruits growing in our yard...persimmons, calimondons (sp?), jaboticabas, and avocadoes. I am most excited about the persimmons, that is truly one of my favorite fruits.

Who is Luke?

I read a lot of blogs and most of them are blogs of my "face" friends--meaning I see them face to face regularly.  However, I do read some blogs of people that I don't know in other states.  There is this guy, "Luke," that I have seen comment on a lot of people's blogs.  People I know face to face and people across the country.  What is the connection and who is he???  I'm assuming something homeschooling but what?

Just Another Manic Monday

We have finished school, I've tutored, lunched, and helped Hannah with her costume. Now it's time to chillax (my new favorite word) and update the blog and then maybe fit in a short nap before bringing in the laundry off the line and getting ready to go to Joe's game. I'm going to try to take a short nap most afternoons so that I can have the energy to get through the crazy evening with a happy heart. When I get tired I get really, really grumpy. Not fun for the fam nor fair for the fam. How's that for some alliteration? I have a few pictures and things to share so I think bullet points would do nicely...

• First of all, thank you to all of you who commented on my "salt and light" post. I appreciated the encouragement and affirmation.
• My aunt's and uncle's pool has been infested with all sorts of creatures. Only in Florida..

• The reading bug is going around at our house. Hannah has read 4 books in the past week and Grace is almost all the way through her first chapter book. It thrills me to see them reading and enjoying. It's been a long time coming but I finally have kids who love to read! Well, two at least. I hope Joe follows in their footsteps.
• We went to a really cool German restaurant last night. They had fabulous entertainment--two guys who sang, yodeled, played accordion, and various cowbells. They got the whole restaurant involved and we had a blast. One nice older woman even brought Joe a toy accordion to play. Oh yeah and the food was really, really good. I had Weinerschnitzel that was to die for.

• 

• Hannah and I worked on her costume for her next show, "Once on This Island," today. Tomorrow is dress rehearsal so it was time to get ready. She is particularly thrilled with her costume for this show. She plays "Andreya" a wealthy girl also called a "Grand Homme" and so she gets to dress in a beautiful dress. She had a great idea for her hair that I didn't think I could do but I managed it. I think her costume is wonderful but she looks too grown up. Like she's dressed for prom or something.

• Today is Week 1 of our 4 week meal plan. I have Italian Style Meatballs in the crock pot right now and we'll make them into meatball subs right after Joe's game.
  
• I have found an amazing food blog and I can't wait to try every single recipe once baseball and softball season are over. It's called "Closet Cooking," and the guy makes the coolest recipes. Check it out if you want to freshen up your repertoire of recipes.

Being Salt and Light

I had an epiphany of sorts sitting in church today.  The message was really good and really spoke to me where I'm at right now.  It was from 1 John 4:20-5:3 and was all about showing love.  Showing love to God by loving His kids (fellow believers) and showing love to His kids by obeying God and living "in" Him.  For  a while now I have felt bad that I am not as involved in the church as I used to be.  From the time we started until a year or so ago I was there everytime the doors were open and had my finger in every pot.  There were times that I very nearly burned out as a result but God was always faithful to encourage me and strengthen me for the task.  Well, over the last couple of years our church has grown and grown and grown and there are all sorts of things going on now and my finger isn't in most of those "pots."  I also have quit going to our midweek service because by the end of the day I'm usually too tired to really focus and now that we have an early service I can get "fed" before serving in the nursery during second service.  Speaking of that--I am in the nursery each and every Sunday (except for half the summer when I was out gallavanting across the countryside) so I am not seeing and meeting a lot of the new people that are coming.  All of these things combined have caused me to feel kind of disconnected at times and then guilty that I'm not more involved.  I resolve to be there on Thursday, check out this or that, call this person, etc.  And then....I leave church and all that is forgotten in the wake of meeting the needs of my family, planning our days so that we get everything done, playing taxi driver, cooking, cleaning, blogging (give me a break--it helps to keep me sane), etc.  Finally today I felt like God broke through that guilt and gave me a message and a mission.  The message was that it's okay to not be involved as much in church right now.  He has filled the church with lots of able-bodied and willing servants.  This is a season of life and it's a season where I am out in the world a lot and rubbing shoulders with His kids and those He desires to be His kid.  My mission is to spend time with God regularly and fill my cup and then let the fruits of that time spill out onto the world around me.  Essentially, to be salt and light as I go about all that my day entails.  To be ready to be His hands and feet and mouthpiece as He leads.  It's okay that I don't have time to be at church every time the doors are open and it's okay that I'm not involved in everything there is to be involved in at church.  I am to be salt and light wherever I find myself.  Even at the ballfield.  And let me tell you--that place needs some salt and light.  And  A/C.  

Game Day

Before each game the kids say the Pledge of Allegiance and then the Little League Pledge. It's pretty cute.
Grace and Joe both had their first game today. Joe played at 9 and Grace at 11. I had a great time watching them play and they both did great! I just wish that the weather had been about 10 degrees cooler. It was so stinkin' hot!! Thankfully the rest of Grace's games are in the evening and Joe always plays at 9 on Saturday. It was just starting to get hot towards the end of his game, the worst was during Grace's game. We should be getting some cooler temperatures soon, I hear that there is a cold front moving in this week. Woohoo for that!! Below is Joe batting and then running to first base. He plays coach pitch and each kid gets 10 pitches and if they still haven't hit they give them the tee. Joe got the tee on his first turn but hit the ball the next two times he batted. I've got video but it'll be tomorrow before I get it on the blog.


It's hard to tell which one is Joe but he's the one playing short stop and second boy behind the coach. One got hit to him and he stopped it and ran right to second with the ball.

The kids are pretty enamored with the concession stand. Hannah and Joe both got Push Pops after Joe's game. Grace got some taffy after her game.
Here is Grace's team getting ready for the Pledge. They don't have their uniforms yet, hopefully by their next game. For today they all wore white.
I didn't take any pictures during Grace's game. I did take some video though. My only excuse was that I was too hot to move to get into a good location for taking a picture of her. When she was batting and close to me I was videoing. We will have plenty more games though and I'll get some pictures eventually!

Hot, sweaty, but soooo happy!

The Cap Ceremony

Last night was Opening Ceremonies for the local Little League. The highlight of the otherwise very boring ceremony was that the kids got their hats. They both have their first games tomorrow but we've yet to see any other part of their uniform besides these hats. I'm hoping they'll have their shirts in the morning. We'll see. Joe especially likes his hat. He's barely taken it off since he got it. And below, we have their biggest fan and family pizza box holder. :0)

Thought-Full Thursday

So, we are on our fourth week of school and things have been going GREAT!  Really.  I get the kids up every morning and we start our day right then.  No laying around, playing, no spending an hour on the computer, no PBS kids, you get the picture.  Up and moving.  Well, yesterday I was dragging and just decided that we would have a more relaxed morning while I got the meal plan posts up.  Big mistake!  It messed up our whole morning.  The kids were grumpy with each other and had a hard time transitioning from their fight about who gets what Star Wars guy into chores and school.  That was about the time that I posted my "Wordless Wednesday" picture.  Oh yeah, and the night before I was too tired to do the dishes so my kitchen was a wreck and that always puts me in a grump in the morning.  On top of that a HUGE spider was enjoying the obstacle course on the kitchen counter and freaked me out a little or a lot.  I think you all know how I feel about killing these huge spiders.  If you don't, go here and read all about it.  So, I tried to trap it in a plastic container but it wouldn't be trapped.  It crawled up underneath the cabinet and is probably still there.  As the day wore on and I had to face the dishes and then make dinner Aragog and I bonded and I welcomed him into my kitchen (sort of).  At least I knew where he was and that he wasn't going to be under a dish I picked up or crawl up my leg or anything.  All of this fun made for a frustrating morning at our house yesterday.  We did finally get started and had a productive school day in spite of our rough start though.  I won't be making that same mistake today.  In about 5 minutes it will be "up and at 'em" around here and a new day begins.  My days are crazy full right now.  I thought I'd slow down this week but I haven't.  Maybe next week.  On the agenda today is chores, school, pick up organic produce, more school, tutor, take Grace to be "tutored" in softball at a friend's house (more on that in a minute), tutor again, Joe's practice, and then opening ceremonies for Grace and Joe after his practice.  We should finish our day at about 9 tonight.  Dinner will be pizza at the ballfield.  No other good choice since we will spend about 4 HOURS there tonight.  :0)  Grace and Joe both have their first games on Saturday and I don't think Grace's team is having another practice.  She has only practiced batting once I think.  Once.  That's it.  Ollie videoed it and her swing was appalling.  I'm hoping our friend Kate can help her out a little bit.  I showed her how to swing in the backyard last night and she practiced a little before we were eaten by mosquitoes and had to come in.  

On a happy note--I've added another place setting to my Fiestaware.  I now have Tangerine.  Kohl's was having a sale and I got a great deal.  I got the place setting for $26.99 (regularly $48), a free fruit bowl, and a tablecloth that was 50% off of $34.99.  On top of the sale prices I got an additional 20% off since I have a Kohl's card.  All of that cost me $35 and I saved $51.  It's tempting to go back but I'm resisting.  

Time to rouse the kids and start our day.  I hope yours is fabulous.  Peace out!

Wordless Wednesday

Four Week Meal Plan--Week 4

• Monday--Philly Cheese Steaks
• Tuesday--Spicy Lentils
• Wednesday--Shepherd's Pie
• Thursday--Pasta with alfredo, spinach, and salmon
• Friday--Hoppin' John
• Saturday--free
• Sunday--Pancakes and eggs

Recipes--

Philly Cheese Steaks--
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of sliced roast beef from the deli
sliced provolone cheese
hoagie rolls
onions
bell peppers
oil and vinegar

Slice the roast beef into strips and saute in olive oil and vinegar until it's browned and a little crispy. Lay the slices of provolone on top of the hot meat to melt. Saute onions and peppers in a separate pan. Toast your rolls and make your sub!

Shepherd's Pie--
There are a lot of different recipes for this out there but this is what I usually do--

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
mashed potatoes (homemade, instant, whatever)
frozen green beans
canned gravy
cheese

Brown the ground beef and mix with canned gravy and green beans. Top with cheese and then mashed potatoes. Bake for about 30 minutes or so at 350 degrees.

Pasta with alfredo--see Week 2

Hoppin' John

one bag of black eyed peas
a ham hock
rice
sweet pickles, chopped
dill pickles, chopped
chopped onions

Soak the black eyed peas overnight and then cook on the stove or in a crockpot with water, salt, and a ham hock. Serve over rice and put the pickles and onions on the table as toppings.

Four Week Meal Plan--Week 3

• Monday--grilled cheese, salad, and fruit
• Tuesday--Spicy Lentils
• Wednesday--Chicken Cobbler Casserole
• Thursday--Spaghetti
• Friday--Pintos in the crock pot (see Week 1)
• Saturday--free
• Sunday--Bacon, eggs, grits, and toast

Recipes--

Spicy lentils--see Week 1

Chicken Cobbler Casserole--

4 tbsp. butter, melted
4 cups sourdough, cubed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 med. sweet onions, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 cup white wine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, chopped (you can get these in a jar)
2 1/2 cups chicken, shredded

Toss together the butter, bread, and parmesan. Saute onions in butter for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in wine, soup, chicken and roasted red pepper. Cook about 5 minutes or until bubbly. Put in a baking dish and top with bread cubes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Four Week Meal Plan--Week 2

Here's the plan for Week 2--

• Monday--Subs
• Tuesday--Spicy Lentils
• Wednesday--Frito Pie
• Thursday--Pasta with Alfredo sauce, spinach, and salmon
• Friday--Cuban Congri
• Saturday--free
• Sunday--Vegetable Frittata

Recipes--

Subs--
Take a loaf of french bread and put mayo and mustard on one side, olive oil and vinegar on the other side. Then stack meat, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce and you've got a sub!

Spicy Lentils--see Week 1 for recipe

Frito Pie--
1 lb. ground beef
1 can pinto beans
1 can enchilada sauce
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 bag of Frito's
shredded cheese
sour cream

Brown the ground beef and mix in pintos and enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Layer fritos, meat mixture and cheese twice. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with more fritos and sour cream.

Pasta with alfredo, spinach, and salmon--
Super easy! Just pick a pasta and cook it. Cook salmon or use canned. Saute spinach in olive oil. Then toss it all together with a can of alfredo sauce. This is one of my kid's favorite meals!

Cuban Congri--
2 cans black beans
2 cups Minute Rice
1/2 cup water
2 yellow onions
1 med. bell pepper
3 tsp. garlic powder or fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste

Chop onions and bell pepper and saute in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Pour the water in a med. size pot and bring to a boil, add the rice, beans, and sauteed onions and peppers and salt to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Frittata--this recipe is from Amy
I would recommend doubling this because this doesn't make much.

6 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C red bell pepper
2 medium zucchini-sliced (1 1/2 C)
2 TBSP fresh basil leaves snipped and divided (or maybe 1/2 tsp dried basil)
1/2 tsp salt plus 1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
3 plum tomatoes-seeded and chopped

Break spaghetti into 2-3 inch lengths and cook according to package directions.

Chop onion and bell pepper, slice zucchini, cut up basil.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, 1 tsp fresh basil (or all the dried basil), 1/2 tsp salt, and black pepper, add 4 TBSP of the grated parm cheese.

In a 10" frying pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in cooked spaghetti. Reduce heat to low. Pour egg mixture over pasta mixture in pan. Cover, cook 14-15 minutes or until egg mixture is set in center and then remove from oven. Cut into pie shaped wedges and serve topped with tomato mixture below.

Tomato mixture: combine tomatoes, remaining 1 TBSP fresh basil (or dried basil to taste), and 1/8 tsp salt, plus remaining 2 TBSP parm. cheese.

Variations: change the veggies, change the cheese, add meat, delete the veggies entirely, LOL. I made this the other night and added colby jack cheese and smoked pork. I had no veggies, so I used spices with bell pepper and onion instead. I'd actually prefer the real thing, but it worked with the spices too.

Four Week Meal Plan--Week 1

Here's the plan for Week 1--

• Monday--Italian meatball subs and salad
• Tuesday--Spicy Lentils and rice--the spicy lentils are not hot spicy, just full of spices spicy.
• Wednesday--Chicken Ro-tel
• Thursday--Spaghetti, salad, and french bread
• Friday--Pinto beans in the crock pot with tortilla chips and toppings--cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, and salsa
• Saturday--??
• Sunday--Breakfast burritos

Recipes--

Italian Meatball Subs
Mix together--
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup bread crumbs (or oatmeal)
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 lb. ground beef

Gush it all together and shape it into 1 inch balls. Broil until brown and put in the crock pot. Then mix together--
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
1/3 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

Pour the sauce over the meatballs and cook on low all day or on high for 6 hours or so. To serve, put some meatballs and sauce in a hoagie roll or french bread and top with provolone cheese.

Spicy Lentils---go here.

Chicken Ro-tel

1 whole chicken or bag of boneless chicken, cooked and shredded
16 oz. spaghetti, cooked
1/2 cup butter
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1 can mushrooms
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
8 oz. velveeta cheese
1 can Lesuer english peas

Saute onion and pepper in the butter. Cut the cheese into cubes. Mix the cheese into the hot pasta to melt. Add all the ingredients to the cheesy pasta and put into a 13 x 9 pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
Note--this can be frozen before baking, my plan is to double this recipe and freeze the second one.

Pinto Beans--see here for the recipe, when I am pressed for time--a bag of tortilla chips will work in place of frying corn tortillas.

Breakfast Burritos--
Eggs (1 per burrito)
large flour tortillas
hash browns
cheese
bacon
canned green chile (the little cans)

Scramble the eggs, fry the hash browns, cook the bacon, and warm the tortillas so that they are soft. To assemble the burritos--in each tortilla put a spoonful of eggs, some hash browns, cheese, green chile (I leave this out of the kid's burritos) and then roll it up. These can be made ahead of time and then heated in the oven. They can also be frozen.
You can serve them with salsa poured over the top as well.

A Four Week Meal Plan Part 1

This is the first of many posts about the 4 week meal plan I made.  I am hoping that I will be able to stick with this and that this will help take one thing off my mind during this busy season.  Here's the overall plan--

Mondays--Sandwiches

Tuesdays--Dahl (Indian lentil recipes)

Wednesdays--Casserole or Crock Pot meal

Thursdays--Pasta

Fridays--Beans

Saturday--free day

Sunday--breakfast

I am trying to simplify for a while so all the meals will be pretty easy and basic.  I have also made notes about what I can do ahead of time.

Help! I'm on the Computer and Can't Get Off

I'm at that point in the night where I'm getting really, really tired.  So tired that I don't want to even get ready for bed.  Too tired to actually close the computer and get out of my comfy chair and go to bed.  I've read all the blogs, all the Facebook statuses, all of my e-mail so begins the cycle of checking them all again.  Or checking that blog that I only read every once in a while.  All the while I'm getting more and more tired and less and less motivated to get up, get my contacts out, take a shower, and put myself to bed.  Sometimes this checking and rechecking can go on and on and on.  Not tonight though.  I'm officially signing off and going to bed.  Not before I check everything one more time though.

Busy, Busy, Very Busy...

...that is the story of my life the last few weeks. My brain sometimes feels like it's going to explode trying to keep up with all of my thoughts. I am working on getting into the groove of this busy season of life. Here are some pictures of Joe at the ball field. Joe's new way of smiling includes a big flaring of the nostrils--makes for some funny pictures. My new way of taking pictures seems to be diagonally--makes for some funny pictures. Joe loves his new baseball pants. The first practice he just wore shorts but he got to wear his baseball pants to the second practice. He said that they feel awkward but he dealt with it. He looks so little in them!

On Friday we went on a great field trip to a local pharmacy. The pharmacist did such a good job explaining things on the kid's level. They even got some samples...not of real medicine of course. They got to sample a watermelon lozenge that can be made with medicine in it to make it easier to take. They also got to try a rapid dissolving tablet and they went home with a "prescription card" full of Skittles. It was probably one of the best field trips we've ever been on.
I'd really like to include a lot more field trips into our school year this year. There's just one problem--planning. I STINK at planning. It is soooo not my thang. I may try to get a few planned in spite of my poor planning skills. I think the grocery store would be interesting and maybe a restaurant.
A few more bloggy thoughts that I feel a burning need to share--how about some bullet points!

• I spent last night and most of today at a Salt and Light Conference at church. That's a blog post in itself but in short I will say that I've never been more motivated to read my Bible and pray. It was an awesome conference--so inspiring and motivating. We serve a big, amazing God!
• I had multiple opportunities to eat loads of sugar this weekend and managed to have almost none! I had coffee with a splash of creamer and that's the only sugar I had. Interestingly enough, it wasn't hard. I purposed ahead of time that I would have no sugar and wasn't tempted. My hands have been really bothering me and I've been lax about restricting my sugar intake. It's time to get serious again! Self control in the area of food is a big issue for me and this weekend was a good chance to practice self control. I'm just thankful there was no ice cream there. :0)
• I'm working on a 2 to 4 week meal plan. I can't wait to get it on paper and then share it here on my blog. It's one of the main things rolling around in my brain. I'm hoping to do 2 to 3 vegetarian meals a week, one casserole, a sandwich night and soup or salad, breakfast night, and so on. I just really, really want to simplify dinner. I don't want to have to think about it so much, just have a 2 to 4 week rotation of meals.
  
• I finished reading "The Prince of Tides." It was a wonderful book! Disturbing at times but so well written. If you haven't read it you should. I was going to read another Pat Conroy book, "Beach Music" next but I've decided to read the last Harry Potter book instead. I don't remember much of it and I want to preview it before my kids hear it. We are working our way through the books on CD.
  
• I broke my vow of silence at the ball field already. One of the moms on Joe's team went to the local high school when I taught there. I didn't teach her but I did recognize her and she me. We had a chat about some of her classmates and where they are and what they are doing. Another mom was trying to help her son with math homework and it was hard to listen to them and not step in to help. I might just help them next time. And then tell them about Jesus. :0)
• I feel like decorating our house for fall. We don't have much in the way of fall decorations and I've even thought about doing some fall art projects. I hate art projects but my kids love them (of course) and so I should do at least one. Any ideas? One year we did a thankful tree. We put a branch in a flower pot and wrote what we were thankful for on construction paper leaves and hung them on the tree. Maybe we'll do that.
  

Nice talkin' to ya! Peace out my friends.

Thankful for Wednesday!

Wednesday is our only day that we don't have something going on in the early evening so I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my Wednesday!  Of course, we have something different going on every Wednesday of the month but it's earlier in the afternoon.  I'm slowly getting used to being gone for most of the early evening.  I've been forced to think about and prepare for dinner in the morning so that we can eat right when we get home from practice.  It's a stretch for all of us but I love watching each of the kids doing something they enjoy.  Grace has now had two practices and is already showing progress.  Joe has only had one practice and it went well.  I really like his coaches and they are really patient with the kids and he is making progress as well.  I have done a good job at not making friends.  I just take my book and read and watch and read and watch.  I was joking with some friends yesterday about this.  Someone made the comment that I wasn't going to be spreading God's love at the ball field.  I said I'd get a shirt made that said across the back, "If you want to hear about Jesus, just ask!"  It may seem odd that I don't want to be friendly and make friends but honestly, I already have plenty of friends and if I have to sit at the ball field for two hours a night 4 nights a week I am going to accomplish something.  I don't want to just yap the night away although I am quite good at that, it's my gift actually.  :0)  I won't bring my book to games though, then I'll be friendly while I cheer my kids' on.  

It's still hot here and I'm ready for soup weather!  I would love to have a different soup bubbling in the crock pot every day.  It is such a tasty way to eat plenty of vegetables and it's easy clean up, low carb, easy to prepare ahead of time and so on.  Unfortunately, when you are hot you just don't feel much like eating soup.  Maybe in a couple of weeks...

I am thinking that I won't be blogging as much, my blogging time has been cut into big time!  If only they had wireless at the ball field.  :0)

Oh, and I wanted to blab a bit about couponing...I am really envious of these people getting so much food and other stuff for so little money but I just don't see how I will ever get there.  I have collected some coupons but it's got to be more than that.  You really have to do your research to see what's on sale where and then do the shopping and so on.  I want to do it, I really do but when??  And, I really don't know where to start.  At this rate all my coupons will have expired before I've used even one.  We could really use the savings at the store though so I need to get on the ball.  Any advice for a novice, unorganized couponer?

Monday Musings

I've decided not to do the daybook anymore. I'm just not that into it anymore. So, today we have one of my random thoughts posts, lots on my mind this morning!

• We spent a wonderful weekend on Marco Island with some long time friends from New Mexico. They were staying at a wonderful resort and shared a bit of their time with us. It was wonderful as you will see from the pictures. The living room opened on to a balcony that overlooked the Gulf of Mexico. It was really, really beautiful! Joe was looking out and thinking about what was on the other side and we had a very good Geography lesson. I love to talk to him when he's thinking so hard about something. The pool had a waterslide that the kids went on over and over again for about two hours. Hannah and I found some beautiful shells. It was a great weekend, great company, great location and lots of fun! Anyone want to invite us to the beach again next weekendBelow Grace and Joe were playing their own version of "Wipeout" as they went back and forth between the beds. And above--these are our friends, Cameron and Alan. When Ollie and I first got married we lived in an apartment behind their house, the cutest apartment ever I must say!
• We are getting a later start this morning since we are all worn out from our weekend fun. I'm still hoping to start by 9 which would have been an early start last year. We'll see.
  
• I'm dying to try a new pumpkin spice latte recipe that was posted on the homeschool group and another one that is a crock pot recipe that Melissa sent me a link to. I have tried making it on my own before and it was okay but these recipes are very different from what I've tried before. I think it will be better. If it's good I'll post the recipe.
• I love Mondays, a fresh start to another busy week. This week officially starts our crazy fall. Joe will practice from 5 to 7 on Mondays and Thursdays, Grace will practice from 5:30 to 7:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Hannah has theatre on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30. I can't decide if I should change dinnertime to 4 or 7:30. :0) Regardless our evenings just got really busy. I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in during practices.
• Speaking of reading, I am reading an amazing book. It's "The Prince of Tides," I'm sure you've heard of it. Maybe even seen the movie. I read it back in college and loved it then and I'm loving it just as much now. Pat Conroy is an amazing writer. His way of describing things is just brilliant. I have found myself wishing I had a pen and paper nearby to copy some of his sentences. If it was my own book I'd underline stuff but it's not. After I finish this I have another one of his books, "Beach Music," on my bedside table. I am pretty sure I've read it but I may not have. I read all of his books when I was in college but that one may not have been written yet. If you are looking for a new book/author--check him out!!
  
• Writing about books is the only thing I will miss about the daybook. I'll fit it into my other posts though.

Well, I need to wrap this up and go make my breakfast and do my own chores so we can start school. I'm determined to do the science experiments that I have been putting off and putting off and putting off and putting off. Today we do experiments on light and read a few books. Tomorrow we start our study of the body. Hannah is finishing up Australia this week and heading to Antarctica. Then--we will have finished Exploring Countries and Cultures!! Woohoo!! I am looking forward to starting Creation to Greeks.

Thursday Thoughts

We are not having our normal school day today so I have a few minutes this morning to blog.  We have to make a return to Toys R Us (the mix stick didn't work) and go buy some cleats.  Grace's coach finally called and she has practice tomorrow.  So, instead of rushing through school so that we could head out right at lunchtime I decided to do errands first and then come home and get some school done.  I'm ready to go but I'm waiting for the girls to finish their chores.  I've already done my chores--I've washed a load of laundry and have it hanging on the line and I've got dinner going in the crock pot.  I finally got my butt out of bed at 6 like I've been trying to do all week.  I got up, had my quiet time, showered, and started working.  It's amazing how much you can get done in a morning when you start early and stay off the computer.  We've actually been consistently doing better in the morning.  I get everyone up at 7 and by 7:45 the kids have eaten and are doing chores and by 8:30 we are starting school.  I've been trying to do this for years.  I guess my kids have finally gotten old enough to make it work.  I am much more productive in the morning too now that I'm making everyone get up and work.  I'm getting a load of laundry out almost every morning and getting other things done as well.  One of these days I'll do the blog post about chores that I've talked about doing.  For today though I'd rather ramble.  The first thing we do every morning is sing a hymn or two.  I'm using the book and CD "Hymns for a Kid's Heart" by Joni Eareckson Tada.  I really love it but I have one complaint.  Why does every song have to be sung by a soprano???  It makes it very hard for an alto/almost tenor to be able to sing along.  There was a song that was so high that I just skipped it.  None of us could sing along.  I love that we are all being introduced to hymns that are so full of God's truth though.  The kid's favorite so far is "My Father's World."  I love hearing their sweet voices sing along.  I really like "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing."  

The other day I saw a woman jogging in a mini skirt.  It was sporty looking but still...she wasn't super skinny so I assume her thighs are seriously rubbing together under there.  I think if I tried to jog in a mini skirt I'd start a fire down there with all the friction.  

I just love one of the things one little girl wrote in Hannah's birthday card--it said, "You make God smile, you rock!"  Isn't that sweet??  That was from Brenna.

My friend Ashley has a motto in her house, "touch it once."  That means that if you walk in with the mail, completely deal with it right then.  Instead of laying it down and then touching it again later, just throw away the junk and file away what needs to be filed away.  When you fold the laundry, go ahead and put it away.  When you pick up a bobby pin off the floor put it where the bobby pins go, not on the piano where it will later have to be moved again.  I am the queen of picking something up off the floor or moving it off the table and just putting it somewhere else that it doesn't belong but that is closer than it's real home.  If you have the motto of "touch it once" your house will stay less cluttered because more stuff will be in its proper place.  I am working on implementing this motto around here.

Well, the kids are ready so my time is up.

Peace out...

Kreativ Blogger Award

I would like to thank BeckyJoie at "Rather Be Writing" for presenting me with the "Kreativ Blogger" award.  That was very kind of you! 

Here are the rules for the award (and I quote):

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Okay, so I have to come up with 7 things about myself that people might find interesting...this won't be easy.  I'm not a terribly interesting person but here goes anyway.

1.  Before kids I was a high school math teacher.  I taught for 4 1/2 years, 1 1/2 in Albuquerque, NM and 3 here in FL.  

2.  When I was teaching in Albuquerque I looked very young and taught in a big school and was only there for a year so a lot of students and teachers didn't know I was a teacher.  I had some very interesting experiences as a result of that.  One of them was being asked to the prom.

3.  When I was in elementary school I was a very good speller but very shy and once I was in a spelling bee and I was getting close to winning and it scared me to death so I misspelled a word on purpose so that I could be "out."

4.  I used to fall down on purpose in public just to make myself and friends laugh.  

5.  I named my "adoption doll" Miracle Grace.  I thought it was the most beautiful name ever.  I still think Grace is a beautiful name.  :0)

6.  I love the idea of just vegging in front of the tv after a busy day but whenever I try I can never find anything that I'm interested in watching for more than 5 minutes.

7.  If old sitcoms were on I think I could sit there all night--I love Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, Cosby Show, A Different World, Eight is Enough, etc.

Okay, now I have to present the award to seven bloggers.  This part always gets me in trouble.  I have lots of friends who blog and I can't pick everyone.  Last time I did this I made up a bunch of awards so that all my bloggy friends got awards but I don't think I have the brainpower to do that again.  So, if you are not picked as a Kreativ blogger, know that I love you dearly anyway.

1.  Miss Ladybug's Cottage--this is Ms. Shawnie's blog.  That name might be familiar to those of you who have been reading my blog for a long time.  She was Joe's preschool teacher and it is my opinion that she is the best preschool teacher in all of this area.  Read her blog and I think you'll agree.  She writes about adventures with her baby ducks as well as her busy life.  I love hearing about her good dinners.

2.  Peters Peapod--Cris always has something interesting to write about and she does some fun, creative things with her girls and her family.  Today at 9:09 9/9/09 they did a bunch of little "9" things.  Wish I'd thought of that.  She also throws some great parties (although I've never been to one--she didn't throw cool parties while she lived here--bahhumbug) and can carve a mean letterboxing stamp.

3.  Sonlight Garden--I love Kirsten's blog.  She has 7 children yet manages to make running a big family seem easy.  I love how she brings beauty into her home and she takes beautiful pictures.

4.  Knitting Wannabe--Kris is not just a knitting wannabe, she's the real thing.  Now me,  I'm a knitting wannabe.  I never got past the washcloth.  She makes socks and shawls and dolls (not really but it rhymed).  She also, like the other Cris (but with a C) is a mean letterboxing stamp carver.  Even better than that--she's carving cool stamps based on children's books and planting letterboxes all over town.  I can't wait to do some letterboxing.  I have to read the books with the  kids first though.

5.  One Blessed Mamma--Amy is a fabulous photographer!  She has an amazing eye and takes beautiful pictures.  She also reviews homeschool products on her blog and is very thorough and if she liked it she can make you think you must have it too.  I'm sure they love her at TOS.

6.  Winchester Academy--Julie writes about all sorts of things and it's always interesting reading.  I love her balanced approach to life and parenting.

7.  Monkey Boy Adventures--this is Julie's childhood friend, Cindy's blog.  Even though I've never met Cindy in person I feel like she's a friend and I hope to meet her in person someday (come visit Julie!).  I enjoy reading about her life and all that she does with her son, Tucker.  I also like to hear about the books she's reading.

Take a Chance Challenge #5--Phone an Author

5.  Phoning an Author.  Pick a random last name out of the phone book.  Find an author with the same last name and read a book by them.  Write about it.

The last name I chose out of the phone book was Eldredge.  I was thrilled when I did a search of authors with the last name Eldredge to find John Eldredge.  He is the author of the book "Wild at Heart," a book all about men.  If you have a man in your life or you are a man I highly recommend reading this book.  "Wild at Heart" is not the book I read for this challenge though.  For this challenge I read, "Walking With God"  (BTW--it bugs me to put book titles in quotation marks instead of underlining them but I don't have the option of underlining in my blog--sorry to all you grammar people).  The beginning of the summary on the back cover says, "This is a series of stories of what it looks like to walk with God, over the course of about a year."  Eldredge basically published his journal from a year when he was consciously walking with God.  Consulting God on every decision and where it took him.  How things went when he listened and obeyed and how things went when he didn't.  I enjoyed the book for the most part but my walk with God looks very different and at times I thought I should be more like Eldredge in my relationship with God but at other times I disagreed with some things he did and said.  Overall though it was a good book and it certainly made me think and evaluate.  I could relate to much of Eldredge's struggles.  He struggles with trying to do too much and not being able to sit still and just listen to God.  He is always trying to do the next thing.  I am the queen of that.  I have a very hard time just sitting and doing nothing of consequence.  Unless you consider reading but I even make that something to cross off my list.  I'm always in a hurry to get to the next book because I might die and not get to read every book I want to read.   I am overproductive all the time and it is exhausting!  I fall into bed every night spent and worn out.  Sure, I accomplish a lot but at what cost.  Being still with God and listening is close to impossible with me but I'm working on it and God is working on me and I'm so thankful for His grace and mercy.  Here are some highlights that I marked...(I kept tearing little pieces off my bookmark to mark pages)

• "God wants us to be happy.  But he knows that we cannot be truly happy until we are completely His and until He is our all.  And the weaning process is hard.  The sorrows of our lives are in great part his weaning process.  We give our hearts over to so many things other than God.  We look to so many other things for life.  I know I do.  Especially the very gifts that he himself gives to us--they become more important to us than he is.  That's not the way it is supposed to be.  As long as our happiness is tied to the things we can lose, we are vulnerable."  
• "In learning to hear the voice of God, one thing is certain--if you cannot hear a 'no,' you will have a hard time hearing God at all or believing that what you think you've heard is in fact from God.  This is crucial--hearing God requires surrender, giving all things over into His hands. Not abandoning your desires, but yielding them to God.
• Each day ask God, "How am I doing, God? How do I think I'm doing, and how do You think I'm doing?"  and then LISTEN.
• "To come to Chist and realign yourself with Him at the end of your day when you are utterly spent and don't want to pray has a deeply sanctifying effect."

Worn Out!

Wow--this day off seriously wore me out. I am in the "industrious" few days of my month and I have been seriously busy, busy, busy!! I did decide to do some school today--about half a day's worth and tomorrow we'll do the other half instead of cooking. I also did laundry and cleaned up and unpacked. Then--I went looking for sports shirts so that we could go and have a free Chick-fil-a sandwich for lunch. Since we are not big sports fans I could only come up with two sports shirts. So, I put a call in to Uncle Billy and he came through for us on one condition--I had to wear a Georgia Tech shirt. That seems like no big deal but I come from a family of Georgia Bulldog fans and I went to University of Georgia for one year and Dawg fans don't wear Tech shirts. But--like the sign below says--sometimes we do.

After our lunch we were headed to the mall to do the last of Hannah's birthday shopping and I just kept my shirt on because.....there's a Chick-fil-a at the mall. I also carried the girls' shirts in my purse. We picked up Madi Y on the way to the mall and she brought a shirt too. Shopping was fun and our free sandwiches at the mall hit the spot. After the mall we went to Play it Again Sports to buy a ball glove for Ollie and I so we can practice less painfully with Grace and Joe. Right across the street from the shopping center was a Chick-fil-a. Yes, we stopped again. I was full and so was Grace so we "donated" our sandwiches to Madi's brothers but Hannah and Madi both ate another sandwich! Thank you Chick-fil-a!
Since my day wasn't busy enough I decided to make a big ol' Russian dinner with Hannah's help. She has been studying Russia (Weeks 29 and 30 in My Father's World--only 4 weeks to go!!) and I like to make a meal from whatever country we are studying. The week is going to get busy so tonight was the night. We made Pirozhki (little meat turnovers), Borscht, and cabbage and Russian apple pie (not very pielike at all!). The food was really good. I've never had Borscht before. I always assumed that I wouldn't like it since I don't really like beets but I was wrong. It was really good. Actually, we all liked it. After this busy day I am completely worn out and ready for bed. Unfortunately, my work is not yet done. Hannah bought herself a mix stick today (kind of like an ipod shuffle) and she's waiting for me to help her put songs on it. I'm off to get that started and then I get to go to bed!

To Do or Not To Do...

...School tomorrow of course.  On one hand, it's a holiday and public school is not in session so why should we be.  On the other hand, we just got started and two of our subjects have lessons that are 5 days long--meant to be completed in a week.  I didn't start them last week with everything else because we had an abbreviated week.  I don't want to wait another week nor do I want to rush through them because we took a day off.  On the other hand, Ollie has the day off so he will be here and everyone knows you can't have a normal day when the hubby is home.  On the other hand, we could just do a half school day--chores and a few subjects.  On the other hand, we could just do regular school on Tuesday instead of our home economics (clean the house and learn to cook) day--that would make up for missing tomorrow.  On the other hand, Ollie will be home to help deal with any uncooperativeness on Joe's part so I could probably get an easy school day out of Joe.  On the other hand, it's Labor Day and I want a break from labor. 

These are the crazy thoughts swirling in my mind tonight.  So, you homeschoolies out there--is it school tomorrow or a holiday for you?  I'll let you know what my day turns out to be.  Right now it's anybody's guess.

A Little Beach Fun

We were blessed to get to spend a day at the beach with some family on Saturday. It was a perfect beach day and we all had a great time. This picture above is my new favorite picture of my kids. I will have to find some place to put it on my sidebar.
Before we went to the beach Hannah did some roller blading. Is she cool or what with her shades?
Grammy and her grandkids enjoying the morning.

Grammy decided she needed to try out the roller blades too.

Grace had a turn as well.

Here's Uncle Ronnie on the beach with his sweet grandbaby Lily.

And Lily and her sweet momma, Ashley.

We had plenty of time for practicing baseball and softball. Pop gave them some pointers and they both really caught on fast. They both are already getting really good at throwing and catching. Randy, Ashley's husband, was telling Joe that he would have no trouble with throwing and catching and I said that he was worried about hitting. Then Joe said, "and the people mom, I'm also worried about the people." He's referring to the people who will be watching, he hates to be watched. I've told him that the people watching will be mostly watching their own kids and that seems to comfort him some.