tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59536859078354475162024-03-05T07:37:29.247-08:00Search me, O Godand know my heart...Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-20289309456016636582011-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:002011-08-15T19:31:15.670-07:00a week offWe've been dealing with a lot of sickness in our household for the past several weeks. Fortunately I've been well, but the rest of the family... my hubby, both girls, and our cat, have not been so well. Last week we just decided to take the week off and have a chance to rest and recover. But this week we are finally back in to school! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post by the end of the week.<br />
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I've got to share something funny my daughter said to me over the weekend... we were at the store, and I was holding my youngest daughter's hand. She's 7, and is at the point where she doesn't want to hold my hand in public. She'd rather walk a step or two ahead of me, as I guess that way she feels more grown up. When I asked her why she didn't want to hold my hand she replied she wanted to be like her big sister, and not have to hold my hand anymore. Well, my older daughter still likes to hold my hand when we go out. So when she heard her younger sister say this, she came back and held my other hand. I thought that was so sweet... and then she said, "Mommy, do you know why I want to hold your hand now?" I thought she was going to say something sweet, but instead she said, "Because I know it won't be much longer that I'll be able to hold your hand... before we know it, instead you'll be holding a walker." That stinker! :-) At least being sick hasn't hurt her sense of humor!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-58938060246245160632011-08-04T16:54:00.000-07:002011-08-04T16:54:03.474-07:00World CakeI've got the pictures on my computer, so I decided I might as well go ahead and upload them. At first I had around 20, and decided that was probably too many. :-) It's tough to decide which pictures to put up here, but I've finally whittled it down a bit. :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4zQgBgBQDJpWjCP2tmqql9XvcfHIC7SjQnFPdtE5RWkBNp3jF1ujn2p0j5BpyvG8FZKwOuuWaWKU5YQGULurZhYtjNBo5GJv1TpTrMiGiL_6XwLgmNgKGghjWM62RZvUnS4SyVWxRA/s1600/IMG_6031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4zQgBgBQDJpWjCP2tmqql9XvcfHIC7SjQnFPdtE5RWkBNp3jF1ujn2p0j5BpyvG8FZKwOuuWaWKU5YQGULurZhYtjNBo5GJv1TpTrMiGiL_6XwLgmNgKGghjWM62RZvUnS4SyVWxRA/s320/IMG_6031.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here's D, outlining Australia.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjliLCHpXMip6rxDxQnuvZXb1GK3nDki2vsZmDnoZEQ-nBHa00yz3pccX6W77AYuzfYHXHh3TGf56jnzMpWsuWJDGwTa2HCO3Es3QFQGbAp_Yz-ThU0OgpkP5SdsAAD0obIrRwdUCaEw/s1600/IMG_6036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjliLCHpXMip6rxDxQnuvZXb1GK3nDki2vsZmDnoZEQ-nBHa00yz3pccX6W77AYuzfYHXHh3TGf56jnzMpWsuWJDGwTa2HCO3Es3QFQGbAp_Yz-ThU0OgpkP5SdsAAD0obIrRwdUCaEw/s320/IMG_6036.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Europe, Africa, Asia...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgadtAm6Z5HI8thKLua1yRVN7-TKFr1GnruFyOFwSJxGXnmGoCwNoj7HcQtQdxEHmQBnIUOE6esAvo3lle08wyU2kUw-Ulo28ADSwNnkju3c_8ASv0WUJaBL30FQEjk-jEKooSQtuWg/s1600/IMG_6039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgadtAm6Z5HI8thKLua1yRVN7-TKFr1GnruFyOFwSJxGXnmGoCwNoj7HcQtQdxEHmQBnIUOE6esAvo3lle08wyU2kUw-Ulo28ADSwNnkju3c_8ASv0WUJaBL30FQEjk-jEKooSQtuWg/s320/IMG_6039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A is filling in the oceans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxpgFQkGImhez029anegAbldJbBTjp6YTnmGs2-JUna6M-oK9Z3UCogwZMoDFO4LhzMnOCIXg4nWob8VL7JAc23qpo5mawOWXW3VfrJdB9s4Q_IK46fsByhyjlnBBReRHIAdjP3r7oA/s1600/IMG_6041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHxpgFQkGImhez029anegAbldJbBTjp6YTnmGs2-JUna6M-oK9Z3UCogwZMoDFO4LhzMnOCIXg4nWob8VL7JAc23qpo5mawOWXW3VfrJdB9s4Q_IK46fsByhyjlnBBReRHIAdjP3r7oA/s320/IMG_6041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I thought about just leaving the continents bare with no frosting, but my kids weren't having any of that! :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqNyHBBXda8VSBFhyphenhyphenzNA3hCHVy_w5n1YRiUp2NrqyXYv1bwjzhHAqmy-uNq55gtO6uNLDwsi2pUe06o0owYDLixWHzJUEz9fcf8NUNfpa9amxlVRtTXbRdtrirOa_sTZLNJGWAZqK4w/s1600/IMG_6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqNyHBBXda8VSBFhyphenhyphenzNA3hCHVy_w5n1YRiUp2NrqyXYv1bwjzhHAqmy-uNq55gtO6uNLDwsi2pUe06o0owYDLixWHzJUEz9fcf8NUNfpa9amxlVRtTXbRdtrirOa_sTZLNJGWAZqK4w/s320/IMG_6046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Filling in the continents...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNMDG4tpHLF5y5NPLB7udsJT53BZJtEy3tAGwFtVnOXL07nUvzeo825OwDHG3lnk_5IjpR75X0UX4o0PXU2qHwvEDmTNJFq98p4WChJ8i4W5YOCwkDwmG37hbuM8lyf6rPsWhu17hzQ/s1600/IMG_6054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9zPTc2_pueIC4h1tRV66H9obLNmD1HHxJyUlYOLASdCyWiqUbTec7Bn8cIPruyh3iM5SfJFHq8wiO2L6O6DdSd3EJMad_1HpAcmxc1FHfb7zKkTDKjutNiJCrvKzakmzudLZvdyB8A/s1600/IMG_6054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9zPTc2_pueIC4h1tRV66H9obLNmD1HHxJyUlYOLASdCyWiqUbTec7Bn8cIPruyh3iM5SfJFHq8wiO2L6O6DdSd3EJMad_1HpAcmxc1FHfb7zKkTDKjutNiJCrvKzakmzudLZvdyB8A/s320/IMG_6054.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Voila! Our finished Cake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJTLwlMFx5-1wt2oNH9F_OpbNb887OzF6v12EZSrvKW7-I_bZkX5mw04q6lULvcyDwfj8somy1ViBUNkUEKvp8QZe8QQnFBNU_eTKEBzUdzc3oTKaXyX36AkoIrISsQ5uQc8KOCzN1g/s1600/IMG_6055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJTLwlMFx5-1wt2oNH9F_OpbNb887OzF6v12EZSrvKW7-I_bZkX5mw04q6lULvcyDwfj8somy1ViBUNkUEKvp8QZe8QQnFBNU_eTKEBzUdzc3oTKaXyX36AkoIrISsQ5uQc8KOCzN1g/s320/IMG_6055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Two proud girls :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DzalnQ1g4XoapyN0lwIRuY_zhycvd2KKWyOD6agb5MDDg1Br31Kkep2tsdr2MvvuEebHrz5ka7lU8KFgA1lTmRk58rhjooZp7dn8qHzqgUHXWXMLhxzElS2mrArPBLtW1CQ_Fdki0w/s1600/IMG_6062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DzalnQ1g4XoapyN0lwIRuY_zhycvd2KKWyOD6agb5MDDg1Br31Kkep2tsdr2MvvuEebHrz5ka7lU8KFgA1lTmRk58rhjooZp7dn8qHzqgUHXWXMLhxzElS2mrArPBLtW1CQ_Fdki0w/s320/IMG_6062.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> But of course no cake is complete without sprinkles! :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKCOYq5oW5D7LmU4D60tJPMoR74AvypYf_AnEuuCbdEPqlmTfEzHHs745J5V7zi3CR4GjM22b9Ir1yWWR2FfRFFif5qCBFqkwM9sMy0YTQ9uABnfEtFOJqZ1MDB_F1l-2L6R-6psPvg/s1600/IMG_6068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKCOYq5oW5D7LmU4D60tJPMoR74AvypYf_AnEuuCbdEPqlmTfEzHHs745J5V7zi3CR4GjM22b9Ir1yWWR2FfRFFif5qCBFqkwM9sMy0YTQ9uABnfEtFOJqZ1MDB_F1l-2L6R-6psPvg/s320/IMG_6068.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD87mhpWOwSi4GwL_ZvZkeiwbTAOvSclAv_6ct2hk-3X8tMhpDm8MBXabzr_YHlKq6FFLHRtJM5ZcvAE8dxROm-F-XYRB0j-OFyLIhfpYt0pSRXR3iYTeYSLt68FCp_yWTKgT6lEZL5g/s1600/IMG_6069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD87mhpWOwSi4GwL_ZvZkeiwbTAOvSclAv_6ct2hk-3X8tMhpDm8MBXabzr_YHlKq6FFLHRtJM5ZcvAE8dxROm-F-XYRB0j-OFyLIhfpYt0pSRXR3iYTeYSLt68FCp_yWTKgT6lEZL5g/s320/IMG_6069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sugar! :-)</div>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-6846529315335585382011-08-04T15:21:00.000-07:002011-08-04T15:21:25.129-07:00Week 2We've only got one more day for week two, and we're doing great! We did have a light week of school this week, though. The girls are going to VBS every morning from 9-12, and it's just too much to have 3-4 hours of school in the afternoon. So we've been doing the fun stuff, and the things that would be too hard to catch up with next week. <br />
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I didn't take many pictures this week, until today. We made a cake and decorated it like a map of the world. That was so much fun! I took lots of pictures of this activity, and will try to post them this weekend. <br />
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This morning the girls got up early so they could help me make the cake and get it in the oven before breakfast. Once it cooled I found a map in one of our school books that was about the size of our cake. I unfolded a paper napkin and placed it over the map, then carefully traced the shapes of the continents in pencil. For the continents that were very close or touching (Africa, Europe, Aisia; North and South America) I made it all one shape, to make it easier for my girls to decorate. Then I cut out the continent shapes and carefully placed the napkin shapes on our cake in the correct places. This afternoon the girls mixed up some blue and green frosting, and took turns tracing the shapes of the continents with the blue icing in a ziplock bag with the tip cut off. Next they filled in the blue oceans, then took the napkins off the cake and filled in the rest with green. Oh, my oldest daughter suggested we use the plain white frosting for Antarctica, since it's not green that far south. :-) The finished product was great! We lost quite a bit of detail when spreading the frosting, but you can still tell which continents are which. The perfectionist in me really wanted to take over and do it all myself, but I had to keep reminding myself that this is for my girls, not me. :-) And they really did a great job! I did help a little, and did just a bit of touch up work. But for the most part, my girls decorated the cake! <br />
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I'll try to post pictures either later today, or sometime this weekend. Enjoy your weekend! :-)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-78873157418852736662011-07-30T13:14:00.000-07:002011-07-30T13:14:36.944-07:00Week 1 picturesHere is a collection of pictures from our school work this week. The girls have sure had a lot of fun this week, and so have I! :-)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cPqbzV5XeewKYJOWvf-ZIR0lw8W8LWZkiuH1gkJdYNxKwqynv2XHkXyVkxOYfiz3HMigMB-6edTSDk0lgC9ntGbWhuxY6Z7GdrlGOJL14D42mz4tvtZiFrzrUng6zsfevK-yZUuFjA/s1600/IMG_5936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cPqbzV5XeewKYJOWvf-ZIR0lw8W8LWZkiuH1gkJdYNxKwqynv2XHkXyVkxOYfiz3HMigMB-6edTSDk0lgC9ntGbWhuxY6Z7GdrlGOJL14D42mz4tvtZiFrzrUng6zsfevK-yZUuFjA/s320/IMG_5936.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> D & A drew the continents on oranges...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFJWs16pkllQSzHY5i443mtPPWy35jL8M9fq_2bAxN0zA15E-jmmQ90lajrS6sI64-VYmU_nsNmvCrV6HdGQCjs94sqaIsXFt3Ml3bU-X5Nv2Fo0hxSuCBnqgC07uCb9max94hg2-YA/s1600/IMG_5944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFJWs16pkllQSzHY5i443mtPPWy35jL8M9fq_2bAxN0zA15E-jmmQ90lajrS6sI64-VYmU_nsNmvCrV6HdGQCjs94sqaIsXFt3Ml3bU-X5Nv2Fo0hxSuCBnqgC07uCb9max94hg2-YA/s320/IMG_5944.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We sliced and peeled the oranges, then tried to put them back together in a flat map. Here is D's orange...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsoD1LMTogV_1pyC2fssn5v4-jMTbm8sWMzPMOQBrEw_fxQNLwgAK5kczO6D1uHE0UnPu5I1TpBJV9u9cNjzR94IwpXC01RnPUhVeFOKKu3YDYt8OD3arAeD6evjAB3bcR6eFokZlfQ/s1600/IMG_5945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsoD1LMTogV_1pyC2fssn5v4-jMTbm8sWMzPMOQBrEw_fxQNLwgAK5kczO6D1uHE0UnPu5I1TpBJV9u9cNjzR94IwpXC01RnPUhVeFOKKu3YDYt8OD3arAeD6evjAB3bcR6eFokZlfQ/s320/IMG_5945.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...and A's orange.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7973SQW3dKKDMe5dDRArgvC7bhLAMk_AM0GQPH0q1hu2dOAMEmnu-ZhuBMFriAbp2qr79orbdLcmnQSEKOwhw6Q5f-PIXHKIecYfkG9qSBiYPrSWKI95-v5GklAe9G25jbdgJ9U59Q/s1600/IMG_5951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7973SQW3dKKDMe5dDRArgvC7bhLAMk_AM0GQPH0q1hu2dOAMEmnu-ZhuBMFriAbp2qr79orbdLcmnQSEKOwhw6Q5f-PIXHKIecYfkG9qSBiYPrSWKI95-v5GklAe9G25jbdgJ9U59Q/s320/IMG_5951.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Here is A's John 3:16 poster...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaCR_k3OkGKUEPkuKXvqt7Gw4TsvOzEefFmOIhXRjmNMmxJJR228agDN27GnplapiEgonkHa8vJNL2jtJTQHsszCqSq1VXv1fzFzxdVCHrGai2FMDmqgpY99nK_efFlcz9XuVP8Attg/s1600/IMG_5952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigaCR_k3OkGKUEPkuKXvqt7Gw4TsvOzEefFmOIhXRjmNMmxJJR228agDN27GnplapiEgonkHa8vJNL2jtJTQHsszCqSq1VXv1fzFzxdVCHrGai2FMDmqgpY99nK_efFlcz9XuVP8Attg/s320/IMG_5952.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> ...and D's John 3:16 poster.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmliAnoUrl8i4d4h4zimh5_ZY8pJdp0tRiAwB8WJuaDSD2zOPgj6K2QVVqff9kU7mDISC_ITUjaabLwKNM165ZcNqXAODF8PtvQ8TvUtpP71b2PawVxYumUoC9vE8cYrarkwORAjo3qA/s1600/IMG_5955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmliAnoUrl8i4d4h4zimh5_ZY8pJdp0tRiAwB8WJuaDSD2zOPgj6K2QVVqff9kU7mDISC_ITUjaabLwKNM165ZcNqXAODF8PtvQ8TvUtpP71b2PawVxYumUoC9vE8cYrarkwORAjo3qA/s320/IMG_5955.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Wednesday the girls studied our backyard habitat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2m0qLnULYkUzID7E_-oAZURSVlxGblrk66-ASHdAZVw_kTs13LOx6IIeIKCXA2acwqUsmh8d-PnUGreX7Eb7PD6NX9NvUZIWZKoWbpqh9lKpYRsJ-dxWCdMvjMBdlmad_vMABJ3FeA/s1600/IMG_5959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2m0qLnULYkUzID7E_-oAZURSVlxGblrk66-ASHdAZVw_kTs13LOx6IIeIKCXA2acwqUsmh8d-PnUGreX7Eb7PD6NX9NvUZIWZKoWbpqh9lKpYRsJ-dxWCdMvjMBdlmad_vMABJ3FeA/s320/IMG_5959.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8OpUXDBTEQsgp0q0kq7MXWa_E-ngMvpNH30gXByVC3oR35lfiVkK2aHJRpqUTO6dv-3jlYFlEQ6XOZBK6KqgoudGY32smcmkZ7_Y1fjHQfeIsHraUhVLq4QsdapY2d-p-mwL5sKVpg/s1600/IMG_5969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8OpUXDBTEQsgp0q0kq7MXWa_E-ngMvpNH30gXByVC3oR35lfiVkK2aHJRpqUTO6dv-3jlYFlEQ6XOZBK6KqgoudGY32smcmkZ7_Y1fjHQfeIsHraUhVLq4QsdapY2d-p-mwL5sKVpg/s320/IMG_5969.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Later we went on a nature walk at the park. A sat down on the bench and drew a water fall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe4nosXxl4hqWf8xCa-lrfRObpra0ReX00axXuYNFmrrMpddx0jgi5JV8GSV5eKu1GkXGnNegHCHXp-JdhrnNj7T1FBn49Rr25woEPfU4sgoKz04CsyG3GuaHFrrN3Jpn8l8x9zN8ew/s1600/IMG_5973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe4nosXxl4hqWf8xCa-lrfRObpra0ReX00axXuYNFmrrMpddx0jgi5JV8GSV5eKu1GkXGnNegHCHXp-JdhrnNj7T1FBn49Rr25woEPfU4sgoKz04CsyG3GuaHFrrN3Jpn8l8x9zN8ew/s320/IMG_5973.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghicBPZiSCyd1bWwW9M0J-erBuvR7aTIGf4XapBmQyCb185-Zjmd9tUVwVdNtHifc8II6YQDzUYxAU7KlKQCqrhI9CPdlmpfvsBDPmLMX0nj2DLFtc64F8MR-ZTJAZ9oBNscjCDN1pqA/s1600/IMG_6000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghicBPZiSCyd1bWwW9M0J-erBuvR7aTIGf4XapBmQyCb185-Zjmd9tUVwVdNtHifc8II6YQDzUYxAU7KlKQCqrhI9CPdlmpfvsBDPmLMX0nj2DLFtc64F8MR-ZTJAZ9oBNscjCDN1pqA/s320/IMG_6000.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> On Thursday we started an experiment with worms. We'll keep an eye on them during the next week and see how they mix the layers of the soil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJ0SEsEuKgfu_Z2LPYrNIYbYIC8t3QdOU3cRraUaWgmg_JDpQdhdHqpC4SIlafF9DN5IGTEmRLNaSst5kx-06U7e95l5HKkC47GXaZ9jgC1IDCtLcG0Yq_rkv6dSWhzilB4SKEO_0Bg/s1600/IMG_6003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinJ0SEsEuKgfu_Z2LPYrNIYbYIC8t3QdOU3cRraUaWgmg_JDpQdhdHqpC4SIlafF9DN5IGTEmRLNaSst5kx-06U7e95l5HKkC47GXaZ9jgC1IDCtLcG0Yq_rkv6dSWhzilB4SKEO_0Bg/s320/IMG_6003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> watching the worms wiggle around in the dirt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5Sl6oYZH2TLKqK1v0Rosoed_MmpE1sh3O0uKHLdB8_sb6GHgW-GS9uDwde738GpbmoH-a2vPJM7BSczfqoWqfooxY_0yugPJznP_gfZLZfgJ_ij6jk_hJUrqTVSMMf1JZWbeyXftAg/s1600/IMG_6005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5Sl6oYZH2TLKqK1v0Rosoed_MmpE1sh3O0uKHLdB8_sb6GHgW-GS9uDwde738GpbmoH-a2vPJM7BSczfqoWqfooxY_0yugPJznP_gfZLZfgJ_ij6jk_hJUrqTVSMMf1JZWbeyXftAg/s320/IMG_6005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> A is drawing her findings for her science notebook.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECdWrpaCHL5R8vZY-uZD62d10_8-lCWQ3mwMIDREiLcW8Szb4x0_qN1MLI545JLal1gpDRHHbTX9SHWNKXacCKZMOChUivcfeRcGF0k29N1QpaHVpx6Uz8coxSNj1R8YMmh9vJo11ag/s1600/IMG_6006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECdWrpaCHL5R8vZY-uZD62d10_8-lCWQ3mwMIDREiLcW8Szb4x0_qN1MLI545JLal1gpDRHHbTX9SHWNKXacCKZMOChUivcfeRcGF0k29N1QpaHVpx6Uz8coxSNj1R8YMmh9vJo11ag/s320/IMG_6006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">D is drawing her observations for her science notebook</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This has been such a fun week learning about the world God has created! We're looking forward to see what else we'll discover next week! :-)</div>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-59543632721096972442011-07-28T16:46:00.000-07:002011-07-28T16:46:16.285-07:00Week 1 - Day 4What a wonderful week this has been! We've still got one more day of school this week, but it looks like tomorrow will be a light day. Which works out great, as by Friday we're usually ready for a break. :-)<br />
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I'm hoping I'll be able to post some pictures this weekend of our first week of school. We didn't take any pictures the first couple days as my oldest was sick and feeling pretty miserable, but starting Wednesday we started taking pictures.<br />
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Here's a bit of a recap of our week. Monday we started the week with prayer, saying the pledges, and taking communion. I think I already wrote about the rest of Monday. The highlight for the girls was filling out their passport applications.<br />
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Tuesday we learned about Ecosystems, and read about what the first ecosystem in the Garden of Eden might have been like. We did all the basic things... spelling, handwriting, math, LA, geography and science. For art the girls each made a John 3:16 poster. They cut out pictures of people from around the world and pasted them onto their colored paper, then wrote the Bible verse to go along with it and pasted that on their papers, as well. They put those posters in their geography notebooks.<br />
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Wednesday during Bible we read a book called <u>God Speaks Numanggang</u>, about a family who moved to Papua New Guinea 30-40 years ago to start working on a Bible translation. That was an interesting book. The girls' favorite activity was a nature walk we took in the park. Each of the girls took a clipboard, blank paper, colored pencils and a magnifying glass. We walked one of the trails at the park and they each chose something to draw. My oldest drew a waterfall, my youngest drew a rock. Yeah, that pretty much sums them up. :-) We'll try to plan a nature walk every week.<br />
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Today in science we learned about niches. The girls really enjoyed today's activity! We filled a large pickle jar (empty and cleaned, of course) with layers of moist soil, sand, soil, sand, and a thin layer of oats on top. We were going to try to dig up some worms in the back, but the ground is too dry so we weren't able to find any today. Instead we drove to the local sporting goods store and bought a dozen night crawlers. We brought them home and had fun dropping them into our jar. My youngest wouldn't touch the worms, of course. My oldest thoroughly enjoyed playing with the worms. :-) They each drew the jar and wrote their observations, then we covered it in dark paper and put it in my closet (a cool dark place). Each day we'll take out the jar and see how they've mixed the layers as they tunnel down into the soil. We'll do this for 10 days to two weeks, and when we're finished we'll set the worms free in the garden, if any survive that long. :-)<br />
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Tomorrow looks to be a light day with just the basics. Hopefully I'll get some pictures posted sometime this week, and next week I'll have more fun school activities to report. :-) We're really enjoying this new curriculum!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-17583785581972992802011-07-25T23:20:00.000-07:002011-07-25T23:20:48.056-07:00First Day of School with My Father's World!What a day! It's been a long day, but overall, a good day! Unfortunately my oldest daughter has been sick... she felt pretty miserable over the weekend, so this morning we made an appointment for her to see the doctor. I told her yesterday if she wasn't feeling up to it we didn't have to start school today, but she said she really wanted to.<br />
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This morning when I went into my younger daughter's room to wake her up, I noticed she was snuggled under her covers, fully dressed for today wearing khaki's and a long sleeve shirt. When I woke her I asked if she had gotten up early and gotten dressed, then went back to bed. She shook her head "no." I asked when she got dressed and she sleepily replied, "I wanted to be ready for school." I distinctly remembered her wearing her night gown when I put her in bed last night, so I asked her if she changed into her day clothes after I put her to bed. "Yes. I wanted to be ready for school!" Silly girl! But I'm really glad she was so excited to start school today! :-)<br />
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Even though my older daughter said she was miserable, she really wanted to start school today. So after breakfast we opened our day in prayer, then said the pledges to the flags (we have an American flag and Christian flag hanging in our school room). After that we had communion, then began our learning with reading from <u>Window on the World</u>. We also reviewed our memory verse for the week, John 3:16.<br />
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Some other subjects we worked on this morning were language arts and math. Then the girls filled out their passport applications. Since we'll be studying geography this year both girls will receive passports, and get to enter in a sticker for each country we study. They were pretty excited about filling out their applications, and turning them in to the Passport Office, aka Daddy!<br />
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After lunch we made the trip into town to see the doctor. It turns out my daughter has a left ear infection, a right eye infection, a sinus infection, and possibly bronchitis. Poor girl! No wonder she's been so miserable! On the way home I told her we don't have to do any more school today, she could just relax. To which she replied, "No, Mommy! I want to finish school today!" So once we got home we finished our day with some geography, followed by science. This year in science we'll be studying ecology.<br />
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I think that about sums up our day. It was a great first day of school! I wanted to take some pictures, but since my daughter was feeling so miserable I decided to wait on that, until she's feeling better. I'm thinking we did more than what I've written here, but it's late and I can't really remember. And this post seems a bit scatterbrained, but I wanted to at least get a quick post up and say how wonderful our day was, despite my daughter being sick. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon and she'll be feeling better. And now I'd better get to bed so I can get up early to give her the next dose... If you've got a moment, she could sure use your prayers that she'll recover quickly from all these infections. Thanks!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-85683600861643242992011-07-21T10:36:00.000-07:002011-07-21T22:13:00.567-07:00Trials and BlessingsWhat a month this has been. We've had plenty of trials, but we've also seen God's hand in our lives. It's been a month of car repairs, washing machine repairs, and vet bills. Last week I was praying, asking God how much more could we take? There were so many unplanned expenses this month... we didn't know where the money was coming from. We just kept trying to trust God to take care of it. My husband kept reminding me to be joyful in our trials... but that's really hard to do!<br />
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One of our biggest trials this month has been with our cat, Autumn. Autumn has become such a wonderful part of our family over the past 4 years. We adopted her 2 days before Christmas, and were so excited to give her a forever home. It seemed she might have had a rough life. She was afraid of everything, at first. The agency we adopted her from said they picked her up as a stray 6 months before. She was sick and malnourished, and wouldn't trust anyone. By the time we adopted her she was healthy, but still didn't quite trust people. But over the past 4 years we've really become attached to her, and she has her place in our home. She seems happy, she's finally gotten used to having kids around, and is content to just sit in your lap and purr.<br />
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Well, a couple weeks ago she started getting sick. Autumn had an accident outside her litterbox, which she had never done. We took her to the vet and he ran some tests. Our first thought was some sort of parasite, but that came back negative. She was underweight, and not eating. We took her back again a couple days later, because she seemed to be getting worse. The vet ran more tests, and called us the next day, asking us to come in. He said he's not 100% certain, but it looks like Autumn has lymphoma. Another possibility is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but the word cancer really stuck in my mind. Our oldest daughter was at camp, our youngest was home with Grandma. How could we tell our girls their beloved cat might be dying of cancer? We told them both when our daughter came home from camp, and that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. My oldest daughter, especially, was just crushed. <br />
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So yes, it's been a difficult month. We're seeing some progress with our cat. I'm not convinced she has cancer; I don't know if I'm just in denial, but I'm not ready to accept it. The vet did give her a couple of shots that he explained would help her feel better, at least temporarily. We've changed her diet to something that is good for cats with IBS, in case that's what the problem is. She's eating again, and is putting on a little weight. I just keep praying that God will heal her, because I know He cares about the animals He's created. But if He doesn't heal her, well, I know He knows what is best, and will continue to take care of us.<br />
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As far as the finances go, it's amazing how quickly vet bills can grow! My husband and I decided that we've done all we can. We won't take her in for any more tests, and we can't afford treatment. So we'll just make her as comfortable at home as we can. It's just been tough, with the vet, the car, and the other unplanned expenses. But you know... God has been trying to show us all this month to trust Him. My husband and I both subscribe to K-Love's Encouraging Word of the Day. I've just got to share a recap of the emails we've received...<br />
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The day we received the news from the vet, the verse was<br />
<blockquote>Psalm 120:1 - I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer. </blockquote><br />
Saturday, the day we had to tell both of our girls the news...<br />
<blockquote>Psalm 3:4 - I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.</blockquote><br />
During this time we were wondering about finances... how were we going to pay for it all? Sunday's verse was<br />
<blockquote>Psalm 38:15 - For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God.</blockquote><br />
And the verses continue to be so encouraging! But now I need to share with you God's blessing in our lives this month. We experienced something I've heard about, but never experienced myself. Someone, we have no idea who, gave us a gift on Sunday... a gift that covers every single dollar we've had to pay this month on these unexpected expenses! It covers the car, the washing machine repair, and all the vet bills! I've heard of this sort of thing happening, but I've never experienced it myself. I am humbled and awed that God would provide for us in this way! It is so apparent to us that this was God answering our cries to Him, providing to us in this amazing way. It's not a coincidence. It's God showing us He loves us, and is taking care of us. The money didn't come before we had the expenses, it came at just the right time. Like I said, I am so awed and humbled.<br />
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The funny thing is, yesterday we took the car in for an oil change. They did whatever inspection they do when they change the oil... and at the end of the inspection the gentleman informed us that there is an oil leak. The part to replace isn't that much money, but because of the place it's located, it will take around 15 hours of labor. Normally this would really stress us out... but after seeing God's hand at work in our lives this week, my husband and I know He's going to take care of us. I'm not even going to worry about the car. Oh, and the funny thing is, here are yesterday's and today's verses...<br />
<blockquote>Philippians 4:6 - Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.</blockquote><blockquote>1 Peter 5:7 - Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.</blockquote>I just have to smile, and trust God. Because I know He's got it all under control.Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-71250587685303628992011-07-07T17:43:00.000-07:002011-07-07T17:43:34.452-07:00A Fly Went Bye ByeWhen my youngest daughter was five, one of her favorite books was A Fly Went By. We would read this book over and over. And that really has nothing to do with today's post. Well, other than the title.<br />
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Last night after we put the girls to bed, my oldest told me my youngest was in desperate need for me to come upstairs - there was a fly in her room. I went up to see what all the fuss was about. I can't catch a fly, they're way too fast. And I didn't want to squish it... anyway, she was freaking out because there was a fly on the edge of her bed. She had a crumpled up tissue that she pressed into my hand, and told me to "get it." Yeah, right. Well, I figured I'd try, and then it would fly somewhere else. It was a big old fly, one of those fat lazy ones. Probably at the end of its life. I grabbed at the fly with the tissue... and guess what? I caught it! But then what do I do with it? I didn't want to throw it in the trash, it would crawl out and fly around the house. I didn't want to throw it outside, I figured it would come right back in. So I did the only logical thing I could think of... took it downstairs to flush it. <br />
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Well, when I lifted the lid, I noticed someone forgot to flush. Gross. Oh well, I was planning on flushing, anyway. I threw the tissue and fly into the toilet and flushed. But then the tissue came back up. I figured the fly probably drowned, and was about to flush again, when I saw the fly float out of the tissue toward the surface of the water. I couldn't imagine it would be alive, but before I got a chance to flush... it flew out of the water! Unbelievable! So now I had a pee soaked half drowned fly, buzzing around the bathroom. Fortunately I had shut the door. First the fly landed on the toilet. I grabbed some toilet paper and made a swipe at him... but apparently his near death experience gave him a boost of adrenaline, because he was quicker than me. Great. Then he tried to get out of the bathroom, and landed on the door. I was afraid it would fly out under the door, as there is a pretty big gap there. But I was able to catch him that time, and lost no time in flushing him. I watched carefully, and this time both the fly and toilet paper went down to their watery grave, and didn't come back up. Although after that I was a bit nervous to use the toilet, because you never know... <br />
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When I told my children the rest of the story of what happened to the fly after I took it downstairs, my oldest said I should make this story into a children's book. And my youngest said, "Yeah. It could be a Little Golden Book." Oh my.Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-78319744272624895022011-07-06T14:03:00.000-07:002011-07-06T14:03:01.208-07:0019 days and countingThis past Friday was our latest Box Day. We received our school supplies, and had fun looking through all our new books. Our math books came today, so now we're all set for the upcoming year! <br />
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This is going to be such a busy month! On Sunday our oldest goes to camp, and she's so excited! The day after she gets home from camp both girls will be staying with their grandparents for a week. Their church is having VBS, so the girls are looking forward to going to that. Then on July 25th we start our first day of school! :-)<br />
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I've spent the past few days looking through our curriculum, and at first I was a bit intimidated. The instructor's guide seems a lot more detailed than what I'm used to. But after spending more time with it, I think it will work out just fine. I figure the first couple of weeks we'll all be getting used to the new program, but after that it should come a lot more easily. Hopefully in about three and a half weeks I'll be able to write a new blog entry about our first week of school! It's amazing that it's coming up so quickly!<br />
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Last night my oldest was sitting with me as I was putting all the worksheets into sheet protectors. She was looking through the art book we'll be using this year, and she found a lot of interesting projects. As she was just about ready to go to bed she turned to me and said, "I'm so excited for school to start!" That's such an encouragement to me, and confirms to me we're doing the right thing with homeschooling our girls. :-)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-69655768191158910332011-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:002011-06-27T16:28:16.576-07:00Convention - more fun than I realized!This weekend my hubby and I traveled up north to go to our state homeschooling convention. His parents were wonderful and kept the girls to make it easier for us. We only went to the curriculum exhibit, but we still had a lot of fun! I was amazed at how many companies were represented!<br />
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Our first stop was the My Father's World exhibit. It was wonderful being able to see all the curriculum laid out, and the people there were so friendly and helpful! Even though we knew we wanted to buy from them, we decided to wander around the exhibit hall before coming back and making our purchases. <br />
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At first I was a bit nervous, as there were so many people there! It was a bit overwhelming. But God is good, and within two minutes of walking in to the convention center we saw another homeschooling mom from our church. We visited with her for just a couple of minutes, but that really helped to make it seem not quite so overwhelming. She said this year they had the biggest turnout they have ever experienced. That's pretty cool!<br />
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As my husband and I walked around to see the different vendors, I commented to him that it was kind of like walking around at the fair, only most everyone there were Christians. I loved it! And my husband said next year he'll have to try to get both days off work, so we can go to the entire convention. That will be so much fun!<br />
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There were some really fun exhibitors we visited. There are a couple of creation science based organizations in the Pacific North West, and it was fun to see the different tours they offer. There is even a creation museum up near Mount St. Helens! We would love to take a trip up there someday with our girls. It's several hours away, but that would be a wonderful field trip someday.<br />
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We finally made our purchases, although most everything we bought will have to be shipped to us, as by the time we went they were out of some of their packages. We were going to take the Light Rail back to our car, but it was such a beautiful day my husband and I decided to walk. Saturday was really a wonderful day!<br />
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Yesterday after the girls came home we showed them the few things we brought home from the convention, and they were so excited! Each of the girls will have a pretend passport this year, and each time we visit (learn about) a country they will get a flag sticker to put into their passport. They both thought that was so cool, so last night when they were talking over the computer with my parents, my oldest had fun showing Grandpa her new passport. It was a lot of fun, because then he was able to show her his real passport. She was amazed at how similar they looked, and how real her passport looked! :-) The girls were also really excited to see some of their new language arts books, and thought they looked like a lot of fun. I've had some reservations about the LA recommendations, but I decided to go ahead and give it a try this year, and if we don't like it we can try something else next year. But my oldest was so interested in the book she curled up in the recliner with hers and started reading! I think she's fascinated because it is a reprint of a book that is almost 100 years old. <br />
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All in all, Saturday was such a fun day, and now we're even more excited to start school in a few weeks. In about a week or so we should be having our "box day," so we'll have a lot of fun going through our new books. I wish we could start school sooner (and so do the girls!) but my oldest will be away from home for 2 weeks next month, so we'll need to wait until she's home. She'll be going to camp for a week, then the girls will be be with their grandparents for a week so they can attend VBS and Grandma and Grandpa's church. Once they get home we'll start school, so that will be July 25th. We're all anxious for that day! And I look forward to having some fun topics for my blog, once we start school. :-)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-65126740598020433362011-04-25T10:15:00.000-07:002011-04-25T10:16:10.755-07:00thoughts on next yearI've been giving more thought to my blog lately, and I'd really like to get back to updating on a regular basis. I don't know if that will actually happen, but it's a goal. :)<br />
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We're wrapping up our current school year, and I've been giving a lot of thought to next year. A couple weeks ago we visited my parents in Arizona, and somehow during that week the topic of next year's schooling came up. I'm not sure what all we talked about, but I got to thinking about the possibility of trying something new next year. We've been using Sonlight for the past 5 years, and we've really enjoyed it! But I think we're ready to try something new. Sonlight has a lot of reading (which we love), but not much of anything else. I think we'd all really enjoy some hands on activities.<br />
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The past two weeks have been crazy with researching different curriculum options! When I began I didn't really know what I was looking for, although there were a few things that were important...<br />
<ul><li>I want a Christian curriculum. Something that gives a lot of focus on the Bible would be terrific.</li>
<li>I'd prefer a lesson plan that has everything planned out for me. I'm not comfortable in my ability to put everything together. It's too stressful (I tried that in preschool and it didn't go so well) and I'm not confident I'd include everything my girls need to learn.</li>
<li>Combining lessons would be terrific. My girls have had separate lessons in everything up to this point. It would be great if some subjects could be combined.</li>
<li>Hands on activities are fun, but I'm not at all creative... if we're going to do these kinds of things, it needs to be planned out for me, and scheduled in. Otherwise it's not going to get done.</li>
</ul> As I searched online for various curricula, I found a few that interested me. At first I was drawn to Tapestry of Grace, but the cost of that one held me back from putting too much research into it. So right now the top contender for me is My Father's World. It has everything I'm looking for, and the cost is about half of what I'd pay for another year of Sonlight. And the way they save money is by using the library for most of the readers. One thing we loved about Sonlight is the wonderful library we have built up over the past 5 years! But the cost of continuing to build our own library is just not possible right now. We do have a wonderful library system in our state, so I'll be able to make use of that. We can look online to find the books we'll need, and have them sent to our local library for pickup. And through the course of the year if there are any books we find we just love, we can keep our eye out for a used copy somewhere.<br />
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During my research I've read about some fun activities that are planned during the year's study of Exploring Countries and Cultures (the program we'd start with My Father's World), and it looks like a really fun program! I've shared my findings with my girls, and they are both really excited about the prospect. In fact recently as I was looking online for other curriculum choices my oldest asked what I was doing. When I told her she said, "No, Mommy! Don't look at any more! You might find something that's not as fun!"<br />
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Although I haven't decided 100% on our choice for next year, at this point it looks like we'll be going with My Father's World. I'm excited to go to our Homeschool convention in June so I can see the books in person. This will be our first time at a homeschooling convention, and my husband and I are really looking forward to it. We won't be going to all the different workshops, as this year our focus is just to see the exhibit hall. While we're there I'll also be looking into a new math program, but that's a post for another time. :)<br />
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I'm excited to see what the coming year has in store for us!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-60234031855255656822011-03-27T20:18:00.000-07:002011-03-27T20:18:46.717-07:00lost in spaceWow, it's been way too long since I've updated this blog! School is going alright. We're not as far along into the year as I'd like to be, but such is life. I guess that's one of the beauties of homeschooling. I wanted to finish in May, but it looks like we'll go into June. I'm just thankful I have the freedom to arrange our homeschooling schedule to fit our lives, rather than the other way around!<br />
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It's hard to believe my girls are 7 and 11! And I'll have a 5th grader in the fall! Where has the time gone?<br />
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Although I've neglected this blog for the past several months, I've been working on another one, lately. I'm not sure if I've got the courage to share the address for that one, though. :-) My husband and I started a new weight loss journey last month, and I've been chronicling my journey, stumblings and all. He's trying to get his diabetes under control, so I'm joining him in our new exercise routine, trying to give him whatever support I can. It's been a wonderful change for our family, although it sure has been a challenge! Whenever I start a new exercise program I almost always end up injuring myself, and this time has been no exception. But I'm finally back on track. Anyway, most of my blogging efforts lately have been with the other blog. If I ever get brave enough (or if someone requests it), I might post the link from this blog.<br />
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In any case, I figured I'd better check in to let you know we're still kicking. :-) And still pressing on with our homeschooling!Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-18470373840713221232010-09-08T15:25:00.000-07:002010-09-08T15:25:27.636-07:00Through my child's eyesOver the past five weeks, Peanut and I have been reading through the book of Mark for our time in the Bible. She is a very sensitive child, and we have to be careful what we allow her to watch as far as television and movies. For example, when we watch Little House on the Prairie, she always sits next to me because if there is a disturbing scene (someone is injured or sick) she will bury her face into my neck. She can't bear to see anyone in pain.<br />
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Because of this, I have wondered how she would handle the chapter about Christ's crucifixion. I know she's heard the story before, as we've read about this in some of her Bible story books. But to my knowledge, this is the first time she's heard this story straight out of the Bible.<br />
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Today we were scheduled to read Mark 14:43-72. Peanut was sitting in my lap and while I was reading about the soldiers beating and mocking Jesus, she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face into me. I stopped reading for a bit so we could discuss what was happening, and how she felt. She said she didn't want to read anymore, so I asked her if she knew how the story ended. Peanut nodded her head yes, and said Jesus would come back to life. I asked if she wanted me to keep reading, so we could read the happy part of the story. Peanut thought for a bit, then agreed to have me continue reading. Mark 15 was very difficult for Peanut. I paused off and on to be sure she was ok. We talked about why Jesus died on the cross. Then I read chapter 16. It was such a relief to her to read about Jesus coming back to life, and that He was ok!<br />
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It was very touching this morning to read from the Bible with my girl. To be able to experience the anguish and joy through her eyes... I think this morning she is the one who taught me about reading God's Word... seeing it through my daughter's eyes was an eye opening experience for me. And it reminded me of what a great sacrifice Jesus made, so that I might have eternal life with Him.Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-28899080142053611492010-08-26T12:16:00.000-07:002010-08-26T12:16:50.276-07:00a troubling day in schoolThis morning Peanut and I were reading about the Bedouins in the Arabian desert. I was reading to her out of her <a href="http://www.sonlight.com/1H06.html">history book</a>, and this is the sentence I came to:<br />
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<blockquote>The Bedouin are Arabs who wander across the Arabian desert, herding camels, goats and sheep.</blockquote><br />
Peanut exclaimed, "That's terrible!" I didn't see anything wrong with what we just read, so I asked her what she meant. "They kill their animals! That's so mean!" Then I realized the source of her confusion. I read "herding camels, goats and sheep," but Peanut heard "hurting camels, goats and sheep." I guess pronunciation is extremely important! :)<br />
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Later we finished reading Charlotte's Web. Peanut has enjoyed the book during the past couple of weeks, but she was terribly disappointed in the ending. "What? Charlotte dies and that's the end? How can they do that? Who would make a book with such a sad ending?" I guess she is learning books don't always have a "happily ever after." But at least I know she's paying attention in school today. :)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-7141955903220329352010-08-21T19:15:00.000-07:002010-08-21T19:15:58.756-07:00Chocolate FixLately I've been needing chocolate. Unfortunately, I'm down to 1/2 square of Ghirardelli chocolate... and I hesitate to eat the rest of it, because once it's gone, it's gone. So tonight I got online and did a search for "single serving brownie recipe." A few weeks ago I tried making a chocolate cake in a mug, and that was a disaster. It turned out rubbery and tasteless. But I knew there had to be a way of making one serving of some sort of cake or muffin... I've had those little single serving chocolate cakes you can buy in the grocery store... you just add water to the mix, stir, and microwave. I really like those, but don't want to pay for them. So tonight I was on the prowl for something I could easily make at home, using the ingredients I already have on hand.<br />
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I ran across <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/26020-microwave-brownie-in-a-mug-single-serving">this </a>recipe. After my last attempt (and failure) I was a bit hesitant to try this one... but one thing I liked about the ingredients was that eggs were not on the list. Since there are no eggs, I figured this would be easy to scale down to a half serving. But since this was my first shot at it, I decided to make it as it's listed. Well, I mostly followed the instructions. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons sugar, and I cut it back to 2 1/2. That was plenty, it could even do with a little less. Although I prefer my chocolate dark, so if you like the sweetness of milk chocolate, you may want to add in all 3 tablespoons.<br />
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I mixed everything up in a 2 cup measuring cup, since I was a bit leery of using my good coffee cup. :) But to my surprise, it turned out pretty well! I heated it for 60 seconds, and according to the recipe 60 seconds is supposed to give you a molten chocolate texture. Mine was cooked all the way through, but that could be because I used the 2 cup measuring cup. Next time I think I'll half the recipe, and use a small 6-ounce cup, and see if that works. The consistency was very soft, almost like a bread pudding, but not quite. This could have been because I devoured it as soon as it came out of the microwave. If I had let it cool for a few minutes it might have firmed up a bit. Oh, and as I didn't have any vanilla ice cream, I enjoyed this with a nice cold glass of whole milk.<br />
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Now that my chocolate fix has been satisfied, I think I can get on with the rest of my evening. The girls aren't home tonight, so it's just me and the cat. I'm ready for a quiet evening. :)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-89976098138178122102010-08-12T16:56:00.000-07:002010-08-12T16:56:17.725-07:00Week 1We have almost completed week one of our new year of school! Our school days have taken longer than I anticipated, but we are reading some great books. Soon I'm hoping to make a list over in the right column of our favorite books we are reading. <br />
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So far Peanut's favorite subject is poetry and her favorite book is <a href="http://www.sonlight.com/1A20.html"><u>Favorite Poems of Childhood</u></a>. Butternut's favorite is math, although her favorite book so far is <u><a href="http://www.sonlight.com/4R06.html">By the Great Horn Spoon</a>.</u><br />
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It looks like this is going to be an exciting year! :-)Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-90161669391562498502010-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:002010-08-04T11:35:16.530-07:00All Creatures Great and SmallI am not a spider person. If there was some sort of plague that destroyed all the world's spiders, I'd count that as a good thing. In fact, if something wiped out all the creepy crawlies, bugs and insects from this planet, that would be just fine and dandy. However, I know there are animals that count on the bugs to survive, and plants also need certain bugs to pollinate and grow. So it's a good thing God hasn't put me in charge of the earth's insect population, or we'd all be in a heap of trouble.<br />
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However, I have recently come to the conclusion that if the spider is outside and not in my direct path - for example, sunning itself on a flower, making a web in the bushes, or climbing a tree - I don't mind it. I've actually begun to enjoy watching them - from a distance. However - and this is an important issue that all spiders must understand - if any spider crosses the threshold and enters my home, he is as good as dead. The critter will either find itself in a watery grave, or on the bottom of my shoe. Or better yet, on the bottom of my husband's shoe. That way I don't have to worry about my shoe getting all icky on the bottom. That, and his shoes are bigger, so it just makes sense that I'd use his in exterminating said spider.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5eVrYWQkf6Nzck10BzygIug9M1dTsOx_ujYGjmQFCPmU3VNTWaLmPNK-p8XeXWSnBe_7jYaYikin_AhDSsNU2a5k1M7vHp2hrNqGoboRSOOe-D6uH-7PFdODTr2I0J2hsGdO8wIBNQ/s1600/IMG_3857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5eVrYWQkf6Nzck10BzygIug9M1dTsOx_ujYGjmQFCPmU3VNTWaLmPNK-p8XeXWSnBe_7jYaYikin_AhDSsNU2a5k1M7vHp2hrNqGoboRSOOe-D6uH-7PFdODTr2I0J2hsGdO8wIBNQ/s320/IMG_3857.jpg" /></a></div> But back to a more friendly note (after all, these are God's creatures, so I should respect them as such), I have begun to make friends with a little spider in our back yard. My husband first noticed the little guy at the end of March. He was hiding in the grill cover. My husband looked this little guy up online and found it's called a crab spider. They eat other insects, so this little fact helped me decide to tolerate the little guy. He was a bit creepy looking, so as long as he kept his distance from me, he could stay. :)<br />
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Now let's fast forward to a couple days ago. Butternut had been playing outside for a while when she excitedly came in and said she'd found a big spider on the flowers. I decided to go investigate, and sure enough, it was our little friend. Only now he's not so little!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9Y6P7nDhlT5JCLp3fGLdVIGLSvGV4LRzjGChKkotoclUNUqJ8CXYsnH5FI3wayv7XTC13uN87RPXV5jxrpFILKYbXhicce7qi4lfsM6q9Lq-fGl4o-t95occYbXEcMJL1BjDEheSTA/s1600/IMG_4264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9Y6P7nDhlT5JCLp3fGLdVIGLSvGV4LRzjGChKkotoclUNUqJ8CXYsnH5FI3wayv7XTC13uN87RPXV5jxrpFILKYbXhicce7qi4lfsM6q9Lq-fGl4o-t95occYbXEcMJL1BjDEheSTA/s320/IMG_4264.jpg" /></a></div>Isn't he pretty? I see how they get their name of crab spider. He was a little upset with my husband right then. I don't think he wanted his picture taken. Come on now, little guy, don't be shy! :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhHH9dNKolWeEQwYculhwfUrPns-APcYiHuIakm7TcrQLyh5hhH2Q2l_eb9jkeRgk7W1I2FjitGMBlyKyolGuukmMs_AT9Hh2rP-OczY7NMpql_tCA1BrvLlyHK4F3Meew7A5t_URgw/s1600/IMG_4265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhHH9dNKolWeEQwYculhwfUrPns-APcYiHuIakm7TcrQLyh5hhH2Q2l_eb9jkeRgk7W1I2FjitGMBlyKyolGuukmMs_AT9Hh2rP-OczY7NMpql_tCA1BrvLlyHK4F3Meew7A5t_URgw/s320/IMG_4265.jpg" /></a></div>My husband went back out later to take some more pictures, and when we loaded them up on the computer we had a bit of a surprise. Our little friend was enjoying an afternoon snack. I guess they really do eat other insects! In this picture he is feasting on a small bee. So now it's official. As long as he stays in the flowers, the little guy can stay. Who'd have ever thought I'd be interested in something creepy crawly like a spider? I went outside to check on him this morning, and he's still in the flowers. I guess that's his new home. He sits on the flower and waits for an unsuspecting bee to come along, then whamo! He's got lunch! I'd like to see him actually stun the bee, but I don't know if he'll do it in front of an audience. I guess I'll just have to keep my eye out. And please, pretty little spider, stay outside so I don't have to put an end to our beautiful friendship.Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-56936570905484173522010-08-01T08:06:00.000-07:002010-08-01T08:06:58.546-07:00expect changes :-)<span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial;">For our anniversary my husband took me out for a drive into the country. I love looking at farms and barns! My dream is to someday have a small acreage out in the country with a barn. I don't necessarily want any animals, I just love barns! I've got fond memories of playing in the hay loft of my grandparents' barn, and I'd love for my girls to be able to experience the same thing someday. So anyway, we drove around out in the country and looked at barns. What a relaxing way to spend an afternoon! We took some pictures, so I think I'll use one at some point as my header, instead of the mountains. That's what I've been planning since I revamped the blog. I took a few pictures, but most of mine are grainy and out of focus. I'm not that great at picture taking. :-) However, my hubby took several pictures, and his are beautiful! So I'm sure I'll be able to find a good picture for the blog. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial;">Well it's time to get the girls up and get ready for church. I love going to church! It's like walking into a family reunion every Sunday morning. :-) Have a wonderful day!</span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-90330762540064655792010-07-17T21:46:00.000-07:002010-07-17T22:14:24.354-07:00A Nutty Week<p>This week started out great! It was VBS week at our church. Our girls have been so excited, looking forward to this all summer. We got there Monday, and my husband helped with the games, and I helped to corral the preschoolers. I think we had 23 preschoolers on Monday, and when we got home I was exhausted! I came home and took an hour and a half nap. :-) Tuesday was another fun day with 26 preschoolers. But at the closing ceremony I could tell my oldest (Butternut) wasn’t feeling so well. She came home after VBS and took a nap. Which is pretty unusual for either of my girls. Wednesday morning both girls were sick, so I stayed home while my hubby went to VBS. By Wednesday evening my throat was getting a bit sore, but nothing major. </p><p>Also on Wednesday, my computer died. That was a bit sad, but strangely enough, it really didn’t seem to bother me. I figured a few days without a computer wouldn’t hurt me. Then Thursday morning the coffee pot died. That was <strong>tragic</strong>. A computer, I can do without. Coffee… not gonna happen. So I boiled a pot of water on the stove, poured the grinds into the coffee filter inside the filter basket, and slowly poured the water from the tea kettle into the filter basket, while holding it over my mug. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do! I declared to my husband that I wasn’t touching anything electronic for the rest of the week. </p><p>My husband is so wonderful. After lunch we got online and looked at stores in a nearby town to see what they had for coffee pots. We found one that would work into our budget, and he set out to buy it. And just a few days ago he’d received a coupon for the store, for 20% off. The coffee pot was already on sale, plus it had a mail in rebate. And because he’s so wonderful, he upgraded a bit and got the one with the stainless steel carafe, as my anniversary gift. As it turned out, once he got home and opened it up he saw it had been used. Ick. So back in to town he went… but they made up for it. They gave him some money back, so it ended up costing the same as the original one he was going to get. :-) </p><p>Well, Thursday evening I started to get sick. I felt worse than I’ve felt in a very long time. Turns out I have a nasty sinus infection. So I’ve done a lot of sleeping the past couple of days. I guess I really didn’t end up missing my computer. And after a bit of trial and error (and reformatting the hard drive back to factory settings), it’s back to working again. </p><p>So that’s been my week in a nutshell. Oh, and speaking of nuts, I’ve got our family profile over there on my side bar. I think I’ll use those nicknames when I’m talking about our kids, just because I’m paranoid about putting their real names here on the internet. That’s probably a bit crazy for someone who met her husband online, but what can I say? I guess I’m a nut that way. :-)</p><p></p><p><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Edit: Ok, now somehow my formatting is not coming through correctly, and all my paragraph breaks disappear when I try to publish my post. Don't tell me I've now broken Blogger... That's gonna drive me crazy if I can't get that figured out. Hopefully it will work for me the next time I try to post... Grrr....</span></em></p>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-16635843809735595902010-07-14T08:36:00.001-07:002010-07-17T21:15:55.514-07:00Granola Bars! :-)<span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >Well, I believe the verdict is in. Although the previous recipe was a bit sweet for my tastes, it does seem to be the one I will go with. When I tried cutting back on the honey the bars were very </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >crumbly. So I guess I'm ready to post the recipe. :-)<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5iCxzwDMedgpl8UTYHbkBV9-z7gz2cA3mIlC2ZGu_R4hsdOGAZtV4nl8RZblV4JEI3V-i0Ag9c8FSpRynbU7qMe4To2kr1Jibf1MHL16kzC48UyEKlc7OYrMFzGfFkwLg5S9bvEyKw/s1600/IMG_4188.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493789289405188130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5iCxzwDMedgpl8UTYHbkBV9-z7gz2cA3mIlC2ZGu_R4hsdOGAZtV4nl8RZblV4JEI3V-i0Ag9c8FSpRynbU7qMe4To2kr1Jibf1MHL16kzC48UyEKlc7OYrMFzGfFkwLg5S9bvEyKw/s200/IMG_4188.JPG" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >A couple of weeks ago I ran across a wonderful find that I included in the bars... </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >mini</span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" > marshmallows. And not just any mini marshmallows... these were truly miniature! They remind me of the kind you get in packets of hot cocoa mix. <span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >I included them in the last batch of granola bars, and although I really liked them, the kids said they couldn't really taste the marshmallows. I suppose that's true... but I really like marshmallows. I'd be happy eating a bowl of these for breakfast. :-) In any case, I p</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >robably won't use these too </span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >often because the store that sells them is pretty far away. I will include them in this recipe, but if you want to either omit them or use something else (nuts or dried fruit) that </span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >would be delicious, as well.<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajUMOjeKqmlPJcNjHgvYjHZ39JEssT4Aid0V6vytsXjOeBufWODB9u1D5DcNZXAiWIyKEB8RyESGzfSx3Frd2dW6VbTA6roAY9v5F1_bPN259ko6_Vh-mQiT0vpv08E_OUBbaq-7F6Q/s1600/IMG_4185.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493789992725346178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajUMOjeKqmlPJcNjHgvYjHZ39JEssT4Aid0V6vytsXjOeBufWODB9u1D5DcNZXAiWIyKEB8RyESGzfSx3Frd2dW6VbTA6roAY9v5F1_bPN259ko6_Vh-mQiT0vpv08E_OUBbaq-7F6Q/s320/IMG_4185.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >And now, for the recipe! Here is the cast of ingredients. It's all pretty basic, and mostly what I use for our regular granola. And as you can see we go through a lot of oats! :-)</span></span><br /><br /><ul><li>3 cups oats</li><li>1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil</li><li>1/4 cup plus 3 Tablespoons honey</li><li>1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon</li><li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla</li><li>12 teaspoons mini marshmallows</li><li>6 teaspoons mini chocolate chips</li></ul><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >This starts out the same as the other granola. Mix oats and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup honey, and vanilla, and mix well. Pour into a non-stick baking pan and bake at 300 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If you stop at this point you can store in an air tight </span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >container and have very simple granola.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >To make the bars, let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then pour back into the mixing bowl. While it's cooling, lightly grease a muffin pan.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GOoOFmRPLmbVb-o6ekQpJGq1hm1sMTQsrjLcwSZANIKgIonLBJhdrvwTexOJWvBXsKog8kjbMfxTJV4ySIu-gk2VZ6VF-Xw7qMwMr-PXN13l0ErxTqna3yHqU3GsqdiNIm6yAmCFOQ/s1600/IMG_4206.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493793997828422482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GOoOFmRPLmbVb-o6ekQpJGq1hm1sMTQsrjLcwSZANIKgIonLBJhdrvwTexOJWvBXsKog8kjbMfxTJV4ySIu-gk2VZ6VF-Xw7qMwMr-PXN13l0ErxTqna3yHqU3GsqdiNIm6yAmCFOQ/s200/IMG_4206.JPG" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >Measure out 1/4 cup of the granola into a </span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >small bowl, and add 1 teaspoon of mini marshmallows, and 1/2 teaspoon mini chocolate chips. Mix well and pour it into a muffin cup.</span></span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvlCHPq8SAbRuCkR_EgErh64Qa21h61-bPEqwgXDi41S4wqS7NTJUNLZoHjmcohR4kOe0lXOzOdfcCe0IKxk05D83YMM6p6tz1r1U2eLkIHfCT1PgvXu3Jrjiw0xFWz95gOzoF08drA/s1600/IMG_4209.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493794452526829634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvlCHPq8SAbRuCkR_EgErh64Qa21h61-bPEqwgXDi41S4wqS7NTJUNLZoHjmcohR4kOe0lXOzOdfcCe0IKxk05D83YMM6p6tz1r1U2eLkIHfCT1PgvXu3Jrjiw0xFWz95gOzoF08drA/s200/IMG_4209.JPG" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >Repeat this with the remaining gran</span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >ola. You'll probably have a bit of granola left over when all the muffin cups are full, so just put a little extra in each of the muffin cups.<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0SoEw9QiEEBDjIoqfvtCOCGPSy-djuSC9I-ZXm-dmJQTpD2brn4ySQrbCG6nRqgDsQIyTslaUCWhPreKqXnkhddiB6wQTjpia4SqebkbIF18HgZpLTHWi_EFsLLT8ENix6S1c8Tf-g/s1600/IMG_4213.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493795613674234466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0SoEw9QiEEBDjIoqfvtCOCGPSy-djuSC9I-ZXm-dmJQTpD2brn4ySQrbCG6nRqgDsQIyTslaUCWhPreKqXnkhddiB6wQTjpia4SqebkbIF18HgZpLTHWi_EFsLLT8ENix6S1c8Tf-g/s200/IMG_4213.JPG" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >When all the muffin cups are full, firmly pack the granola down into the cups. I've found using a plastic 1/2 cup measuring cup works well for this. I just place the measuring cup on the top of the granola, and press down with as much preasure as I can. When all the granola is packed down, bake at 300 for a final 10 minutes, then allow to completely cool. I usually let mine cool around 3 hours.<br /><br /><br />When the bars are completely cool, carefully remove them from the </span></span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >muffin cups. I've found an easy way of doing this is to carefully slide a plastic knife down along the side of the bars. This applies just the right amount of pressure to free the bar from the pan. When I first took mine out of the pan they were very sticky. Almost too sticky. So I put them all on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet and left them in the (cool) oven overnight. This allowed the air to circulate around the bars and really helped with the stickiness.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vNWuSCxcs2a8AGTsT7gbKf5Yzl_8tul9zZhVzqwRxgNVMmDHAchNzHrOAMcMK4RxPvSNaKHuBbOCPTUiC3shvqnt33ZRk-puu74g2iD3-UvKnNg3tCCmA2sHTr3XEGm2qUiM5jJVxw/s1600/IMG_4219.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493796744189325218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vNWuSCxcs2a8AGTsT7gbKf5Yzl_8tul9zZhVzqwRxgNVMmDHAchNzHrOAMcMK4RxPvSNaKHuBbOCPTUiC3shvqnt33ZRk-puu74g2iD3-UvKnNg3tCCmA2sHTr3XEGm2qUiM5jJVxw/s320/IMG_4219.JPG" /></a><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,153);font-family:arial;" >My family loves these granola bars! And even though they are a bit on the sweet side for my tastes, I do admit they go great with coffee! :-) We all thought they taste very close to the S'mores granola bars you can buy in the grocery store. And although they do have more honey than I'd like, at least they don't have the high fructose corn syrup or preservatives of the store bought ones. I also like the fact that they are round, rather than rectangular. It makes them a bit unique. I also think it helps them hold their shape a bit better, as there are no corners to easily break off.<br /><br />I store these in an air tight container, but they could also be individually wrapped in plastic wrap. I've also decided I need to get a second cupcake pan so I can make more than 12 at a time. Otherwise I'm making a new batch every 3 days. :-)<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-30058947197858598162010-07-13T15:59:00.000-07:002010-07-13T16:09:45.804-07:00Experimenting in the Kitchen<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >For the past couple years I've been looking for a simple granola bar recipe. There are oodles of recipes online, but they all have so many ingredients, most of which my children won't eat. :-) I was hoping I could find a recipe to make our <a href="http://davimee.blogspot.com/2009/12/granola-revisited.html">granola </a>into bars, but so far, nothing has worked. <br /><br />Recently I made a mistake when making granola. Usually I half the recipe, but this particular day I decided to make a full batch. Unfortunately, I was still thinking in halves, so even though I used 6 cups of oats, I used half of everything else. The granola turned out pretty tasteless. I hated to waste all those oats, so I figured I might as well experiment with it. I'd try coming up with my own recipe for bars, and if it didn't work, oh well. The oats would have been tossed, anyway.<br /><br />After a bit of experimenting I came up with something that for the most part, seemed to work! It still needed a bit of tweaking, and that's what I've been working on the past couple weeks. I think I have the recipe just right... I just pulled a batch out of the oven. We'll know tomorrow, when we eat them for breakfast. If this is "the recipe," I'll post it here. If it still needs some tweaking, I'll try to get it just right before posting. When I made them earlier this week my girls and husband loved them, but they were a bit too sweet for my tastes. So I've tried to cut back a bit on the honey, and we'll see if they still hold together. I should know in the morning!<br /></span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-56180987164992027302010-07-13T05:20:00.000-07:002010-07-13T05:20:00.177-07:00The Visitor<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >It was late at night and the house was dark and quiet. The girls were asleep, and I was in bed reading a ghost story, when I heard it. It was a horrible sound... the low guttural, muffled meow of my cat. That in itself was very strange... she rarely meows. But when she does, it's not the nice soft meow of most cats. Her meow sounds more like a cow in pain. Only tonight, the meow was even more horrible, compounded by the fact that I was reading a ghost story.<br /><br />Autumn jumped up on my bed, and I noticed by the dim light of my reading light she had something in her mouth. This was the second strange thing. Our cat has numerous toy mice around the house, but she's never shown an interest in them. This time she was holding one in her mouth. "Whatcha got, kitty?" I asked, calling her forward. She dropped her toy mouse... and in a flash it scurried across the foot of my bed! And to be honest, I'm surprised my scream didn't wake my girls. I don't know who was more scared... me or the mouse!<br /><br />For a while I just sat in bed shaking, afraid to get out for fear of stepping on the thing. Finally I got up the nerve and quickly made the bed (to be sure there were no little lumps under the covers), then proceeded to turn on all the lights in the house. I'd heard mice usually come out at night, so I figured I'd discourage this critter from running across my path. Then I went through the house and cleaned up all the jackets and blankets left scattered around. I didn't want to give this little guy any convenient hiding places.<br /><br />Finally in the wee hours of the morning I was able to calm down enough to go back to bed. But before going to bed I told my kitty that the next time she decides to catch a mouse, please dispose of it. And please, please don't bring it onto my bed!<br /><br />Throughout the night I heard scratching noises in my closet, and the next morning we found a little hole in the wall where the mouse had escaped. We saw it once more that day, then didn't see or hear anything after that. We figured our kitty must have scared the poor little critter away. There was no evidence of a mouse anywhere in the house (fortunately no droppings or food chewed up), so we thought that was the end of it.<br /><br />Nine Days Later.<br /><br />Around 2:30 in the morning my husband and I were awakened by our cat making a very loud, horrible sounding meow. She was in our room, and my husband began calling her to us. In my sleep muddled mind I thought, "don't call her, she might have a mouse!" I mentioned this to my husband, and he turned on his flashlight, but didn't see anything. Then he got out of bed and looked on the floor in front of her... and sure enough, there was a mouse on the floor. A very dead mouse. I asked if he was sure it was real, and not one of her toys. He assured me this was real. He left to get a garbage bag to dispose of the pitiful creature, and my cat started batting at it, trying to get it to move! "Autumn, stop!" I didn't want to take any chances that the thing was just in shock, and would regain consciousness and scurry across my floor again. My wonderful husband disposed of the mouse that night, and we haven't seen or heard any more little visitors in our house.<br /><br />The end.<br />(At least, I sincerely hope this is the end.)<br /></span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-960494418694169432010-07-12T17:04:00.000-07:002010-07-12T17:18:38.212-07:00Rice Crispy "Donuts"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >This year for Father's Day my girls wanted to make Daddy breakfast in bed. The only trouble was, he was running the sound board at church, and had to be there at 7:00. Which meant they'd have to get up at 5:30 to serve him breakfast. We did a bit of brainstorming, trying to come up with something they could make the day ahead and serve him in bed. Daddy likes donuts, and he also likes rice crispy treats. So we made rice crispy donuts. :-) I mixed up a batch of rice crispy treats, then we formed them around little cups to make the donut shape. Some of them ended up looking a bit more like ant hills than donuts, but it's the thought that counts. :-)<br /><br />Saturday night I set my oldest daughter's alarm for 5:30. When it went off she woke her little sister, they crept downstairs and got Daddy's donuts (hiding in the entertainment center where he wouldn't find them) and brought them to Daddy. He was quite surprised, but mostly surprised that his girls were able to crawl out of bed so early in the morning!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a2tpJi_SSzPVL4yTgrxJHJMJwLI0akkFIrcnkpdEBaCm31Fy6KNeu6PYb_4YH6JFD1Bo4IJ6kOwR8cdAT1gfhSUNqkGn_sYo-pqjmAkSO4dwzkYtgSLBG22UFloW4iQiyvI0-1SWig/s1600/donut.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a2tpJi_SSzPVL4yTgrxJHJMJwLI0akkFIrcnkpdEBaCm31Fy6KNeu6PYb_4YH6JFD1Bo4IJ6kOwR8cdAT1gfhSUNqkGn_sYo-pqjmAkSO4dwzkYtgSLBG22UFloW4iQiyvI0-1SWig/s320/donut.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493177965035661026" border="0" /></a></span></span></span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-22886287587803385932010-07-09T10:14:00.001-07:002011-08-02T22:02:08.225-07:00Our Homeschooling Journey<span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial;"><i><b>Update - 08-02-11</b> When I wrote this we were using Sonlight for our homeschooling. I still love Sonlight and am grateful for the wonderful library we've built up, but this year we decided it was time for a change. We are now using </i><a href="http://www.mfwbooks.com/">My Father's World</a><i>, and so far we love it! I'll leave the rest of this post up, until I have a chance to do a full edit and give more of my reasons for switching. But for now, I'll just leave this edit here.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #000099; font-family: arial;">When I was pregnant with our first daughter, my husband and I knew we wanted to home school. We had both gone through the public school system and turned out alright (smile), but we knew we wanted our children to have the opportunity to learn what we believed (and still do!) was most important, our faith in Jesus. <br />
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In the beginning, I knew next to nothing about homeschooling. I had a few friends who had been home schooled, and from what I could tell it seemed like a pretty simple concept. When our daughter started reading at a very early age, we decided we'd go ahead and start preschool early. When she was three I did some research, and decided it should be fairly easy to come up with my own curriculum. I know for some families this works wonderfully. However, ours wasn't one of them. :-)<br />
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I also tried a couple of curricula that utilize the library for your main resources. After a few weeks of this, I decided that wasn't going to work for us, either. I needed something simpler, something all laid out for me.<br />
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I had heard of <a href="http://www.sonlight.com/">Sonlight</a>, but by this point I'd forgotten about it. My Mom-in-law somehow knew of Sonlight, and suggested we take a look at it, again. (Thanks Mom! :-) When our daughter was 5 we ordered the Kindergarten Core, and have not looked back. It's worked wonderfully for us!<br />
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The main thing I like about Sonlight is the fact that everything is planned out for me. And you also order all the books, so there's no running to the library only to find out the book you need is unavailable. It is a literature based program, which means lots of reading for my girls. Being as how they both love to read, this works well for us. I don't think it would work quite as well for a child who doesn't enjoy reading.<br />
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This year we're starting 4th Grade for my oldest (American History part 2), and First Grade for my youngest (World History part 1). My first grader is very excited to start school! My 4th grader wouldn't mind waiting a few more months. :-) In any case, we plan to start next month. It's not quite soon enough for my youngest daughter, and a bit too soon for my oldest. But it's just about right for me. We always seem to get behind during the school year (last year our water heater broke and flooded our bedroom, so all of our bedroom furniture was in the dining room [aka the school room] and living room for a couple of weeks; later we moved, so there were another couple of weeks without school...), so this year I'm hoping that by starting early we can prevent falling behind too badly. But we'll see how it goes. I guess that's part of the beauty of home schooling... it's so easy to make school revolve around your life, rather than life revolving around school.<br />
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One of my goals for this blog is to keep a running list of our favorite books we read in school this year. I don't know if I'll succeed at being faithful to that, but I'll try. Hopefully that can also help me to keep motivated to keep Grandparents updated in what we're studying throughout the year. It's one of my goals, anyway. Usually my goals last a few weeks (or a few days! :-), so we'll see how this one goes.<br />
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And that, in a nutshell, is our homeschooling journey! If anyone who reads this has any questions about homeschooling in general, or Sonlight in particular, feel free to ask me any questions! <br />
</span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5953685907835447516.post-69486132975172492482010-07-09T10:03:00.000-07:002010-07-09T10:09:29.723-07:00I've got it!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" >I've been thinking quite a bit over the past few days about this blog, and what I want to convey in the title. I don't know why it's been such a big deal to me, sometimes I can tend to obsess over the little things. :-) But I wanted the title to reflect what's important in my life. And I wanted it to be able to go with any picture, in case I later decide to change the picture in my header. Finally I decided the title should come from Psalm 139, my favorite chapter of the Bible. You can't go wrong with that chapter. :-) So my new title is taken from Psalm 139:22. Now that I've got the redesign and title completed, I can get back to blogging. Well, unless life interferes with computer time. :-)<br /></span>Ehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08028505458020859441noreply@blogger.com2