Waterside Living

On Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T05:41:00.004-05:00

Zechariah’s Song

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Luke 1: 67-79

Praise be to our Lord and Savior, and may your feet be guided into the path of peace this Christmas and always.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

High School!

2010-08-18T18:40:00.002-04:00

We started school this week -- My Boy starting 11th grade and My Girl starting (drumroll please.......) ............... high school!

I don't know who is trying to play this cruel trick on me, but there. Is. No. Way. my kids are old enough for 9th and 11th grade!

I've got to say though, as much as I have loved homeschooling all along, I still love it just as much in high school. I love having my kids old enough for in depth discussions about history and church history (a la TOG). And I love being able to have discussions about books we both enjoy (they're reading Pride & Prejudice this week. Joy! It's fun to have someone to laugh at Mrs. Bennett with!)

I also love that they are doing such a good job with the independent part of their learning. I always heard that by the time you get to high school a homeschool mom has worked her way out of a job, but I didn't quite believe it. However, I can tell you that there's a lot of wisdom to it. Even though I'm still teaching My Girl algebra, and I'm meeting with the kids once a week for TOG discussions, I'm finding myself with a lot of time on my hands. I've even taken on a part time job! I don't know if I'll keep it or not -- we've only just begun our year but so far, so good. I'm able to be there for the subjects my kids need me for in the morning hours, and then work in the afternoons. Where we might have a problem later is when extra-curriculars start up. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, I guess. For right now, this first week of school has been a good one!

2010-07-03T07:42:00.003-04:00

What more was needed by this old man, who divided the leisure of his life, where there was so little leisure, between gardening in the daytime and contemplation at night? Was not this narrow enclosure, with the heavens for a ceiling, sufficient to enable him to adore God in his most divine works, in turn? Does not this comprehend all, in fact? and what is there left to desire beyond it? A little garden in which to walk, and immensity in which to dream. At one's feet that which can be cultivated and plucked; over head that which one can study and meditate upon: some flowers on earth, and all the stars in the sky.

--Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

2010-06-25T03:37:00.003-04:00

Today's the day! The movers will be here in 5 hours (why am I awake??). We'll pack up, drive to our new city, sleep in a hotel, then move our things in our new home tomorrow. I'll try to remember to take some pictures for a change.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Daybook

2010-02-22T06:52:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... It's nearing daybreak; I can see the silhouettes of bare trees against the sky. We're coming off a wonderful spring-like weekend, but I think today is going to be cloudy, rainy, and cooler. Bleh. It's been such a wet, gray winter here. I'm ready for green!

I am thinking... that I need to get off this computer and get my day started! I need to make breakfast, lunches, start the crockpot, and shower. But I don't wanna...

I am thankful for... God's provision for our family.

From the learning rooms... My Girl is still struggling with adjusting to the online writing class I signed her up for. I know, one of the reasons I signed her up was so she could get used to meeting weekly assignments from someone other than me, and that is definitely happening. And she isn't happy. And I expected that. But it doesn't make it any more fun to live through! I keep thinking and hoping that over time it will get better :-)

From the kitchen... right now, all is quiet. But I need to get going. Honey Nut Cheerios w/ blueberries for my breakfast, make lunches for us to take to co-op, and start the crockpot -- I'm thinking beef tips for dinner.

I am wearing... warm & fuzzy pjs and I'm wrapped in an afghan that My Man brought back from his trip to Africa. I love the rough, hand-woven texture of it.

I am creating... I heard about "Oil Rubbed Bronze" spray paint on one of the blogs I read (Thrifty Decor Chick), and it was something I'd been needing awhile. All my fixtures, knobs, etc. in our house are ORB, and the front door knob has been showing wear for several months now. So I finally picked up a can yesterday at walmart, and I'll be spraying that this week. There are a couple of other places around the house that could use a spray, too, so who knows what kind of mess I'll be creating?!

I am going... to spend all day today in co-op. Tomorrow night is our homeschool group meeting, which will center on homeschooling high school.

I am reading... "My Life in France" by Julia Child. I'm enjoying it so far. I saw the movie "Julie & Julia" last summer with My Girl, and I've been on the waitlist for the book at the library ever since. It finally came in last week.

I am hoping...

I am hearing... a few birds outside the window. Could that mean spring is somewhere around the corner? I hope so!

Around the house... I worked in the yard doing some winter cleanup in the gardens. I cut back the butterfly bushes and the hydrangea, and cleared away the spent stalks of perennials. Things look a little bare, but much neater!

One of my favorite things... is enjoying movies with My Girl. We went to see "When in Rome" this weekend. It was a fairly innocent, slightly silly romcom, but My Girl hasn't seen many of those yet, and she loved it. I loved seeing her love it, and enjoyed the time with her.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Nothing big on the plate here. We're gearing up for Speech & Debate season, so we'll be working on those speeches. First tournament for us is in 3 weeks.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing.. Here's a picture of our house from last April -- my favorite time of year. Green grass, green buds on the trees, blue skies, warm temperatures. Ah, spring! I can hear you whispering!

Top Dog

2010-01-04T09:42:00.001-05:00

Guess who's Top Dog around this house?

Rice balls

2009-12-31T14:42:00.005-05:00

I was looking through some old photos on my hard drive, and found these from a couple of months ago. I realized I had taken them but never wrote the post to go with them!

At the end of Unit 1 of our TOG (this past October) our co-op group had our Unit Celebration. Every family brings a covered dish that relates in some way to the time period or geographic location/culture that we studied. We spent a week studying Japan during the Middle Ages, so My Girl (lover of all things Japanese) wanted to make some Japanese food. She had seen lots of references to rice balls in things that she reads, so that's what she wanted to make.

She found a few youtube videos that give step-by-step help in making them. It always amazes me what you can find on youtube...

Anyway, we went to the Super Target to find our ingredients, since the smaller store I usually use doesn't carry sushi rice or seaweed ;-) Then, we got started.

The first thing you so is cook your rice. I don't have a rice cooker (I know!) but it did just fine on the stovetop. Then we mixed canned tuna with mayonnaise and also sliced the seaweed as instructed in the video.

Once the rice was done, we set up an assembly line with a bowl of water for moistening our hands, the tuna, the rice, and the seaweed.

They're really simple to make. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking, then get a small handful of rice and shape it into a ball.

Use your thumb to poke a hole in the center,

spoon some tuna mixture in,

and plug the hole back with rice.

Then get a strip of seaweed and wrap around the ball.

They really weren't bad! We seasoned ours with soy sauce, and we weren't crazy about the seaweed. But they were pretty good after all. We made this plateful, and then realized they needed to be smaller so we'd have enough for the UC. So we made another plateful of rice balls about 1/2 this size. We ended up with about 25 or 30 of them, and were all eaten by the end of the night!

Monday's Daybook

2009-12-28T06:03:00.004-05:00

FOR TODAY (December 28, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's very dark out, but the Christmas lights are all on. My Man did a great job of stringing a Christmas tree design on the lakeside porch this year. He's always trying to come up with a creative way to light up the lakeside of the house. Ultimately, he wants to get a tree for the dock, but we haven't gotten around to purchasing one of those yet!

I am thinking... about a new Bible study I'll be leading at church in a couple of weeks. We'll be doing Leslie Parrot's "You Matter More Than You Think." It's a dvd study geared towards women who get so bogged down in the details and minutiae of their lives and wonder whether any of it has any meaning in the long run. I'm looking forward to it, as that very thought has been niggling the back of my mind for awhile now. Am I serving the Lord's purpose for my life? It seems so mundane and unfocused sometimes. Like I'm constantly just "doing the next thing" without really having a set purpose. I'm praying that I'll gain some insight by doing this study, and that it will also touch the lives of other women who might be wondering some of the same things I am.

I am thankful for... the blessings of this Christmas season. For the gift of the Son, Jesus Christ, in my life.

From the learning rooms... We are beginning "catch-up week" around here. Hopefully My Boy can make some real headway in catching up in chemistry, as he got pretty behind back at the beginning of the year (a week of driving, getting pneumonia, and then breaking his writing arm all in a space of 2 months). My Girl is pretty well on track for the year, but she is beginning an new online class next week and needs to finish reading "The Time Machine" before Monday.

From the kitchen... I need to go start some coffee!

I am wearing... Flannel pj pants that I had originally bought for My Boy for Christmas but decided they'd be better for me :-) Also a tie-dyed "Jesus" t-shirt and a warm fuzzy white robe.

I am creating... I'm in-between projects right now. Over Christmas, I knitted a vest for My Man and a Denver Broncos hat for My Boy. I do have a pair of socks on the needles that I need to finish up, but I'm in the boring part of finishing up the legs -- just going round and round -- and I need some motivation.

I am going... nowhere that I know of. I'm sure I'll be doing errands, but right now nothing comes to mind. Joy! I am such a homebody at heart, and I relish days when I can actually just stay in my nest.

I am reading... Just finished Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons. I enjoy her books. They all take place in the lowcountry of South Carolina, and they remind me so much of childhood vacations I took at the beaches there. We didn't spend a lot of time in the actual lowcountry, more at the beaches. But we did visit the lowcounty area a few times. The whole area is so beautiful and I can easily picture it as she writes about it.

I am hearing... only the ticking of the clock on the wall behind me and the hum of the refigerator.

Around the house... this ginormous tree must come down today! While it is really beautiful, and the scent has been lovely, I'm just frankly tired of the cramped feeling we have in our family area. Honestly, the tree didn't look so big when it was out in the open field!

One of my favorite things... pound cake. Yum! One of My Man's co-workers (and good friends) gave us one for Christmas this year and it's delightful. A slice of pound cake and a cup of coffee while sitting by the Christmas tree -- that's hard to beat!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Taking back control of my house from the Christmas decorations, wrapping paper, ribbons, and even a few gifts that are still strewn around on the sofas. Also, I need to begin organizing our TOG materials for the upcoming 3rd unit (hard to believe the school year is flying by so quickly.)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... This year was the closest I've ever had to a white Christmas. We got about 3-4" of snow the weekend before, and there was actually a tiny bit still on the ground on Christmas morning! Here's a picture of our house during the middle of the snowfall. The grass was actually covered by the time morning arrived.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Etsy

2009-12-17T07:24:00.002-05:00

I've opened a shop on Etsy, so I thought I'd let you know about it. Right now, I'm selling handknit children's hats, as you can see in the sidebar. I have 2 styles, roll brim and team spirit stripe. I've got hats in stock in colors for ASU (black & gold), UNC (carolina blue & white), NC State (red & white), ECU (purple & gold), and even Duke (blue & white). My shop's name is JayRuth (this was a nickname my sister and her friend called me when I was a kid). Stop by and take a look!

Fun Black Friday

2009-11-28T06:25:00.007-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We had a great Thanksgiving here -- my brother & sister and their families, and my mother, all came up to our place for lunch. We ate ourselves silly (or sleepy, as the case may be), watched some football and the Cake Boss marathon, and then ate again for dinner. I love a lazy afternoon with my family!

On Friday, our family did a little bit of shopping (but not at dawn!) and then we headed to Virginia to pick out our Christmas tree.

The tree farm we went to this year was just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Meadows of Dan, Virginia. What a gorgeous afternoon it was for a drive on the parkway!

When we got there, we spent quite a bit of time looking for the perfect tree, and I took lots of photos (for a change :-) BTW, you can click on any of these photos to make them larger.

My Girl was always drawn to the short, fat trees.

Here are more miscellaneous family shots...

Here's the tree we picked out:

After we picked out the tree, they cut it down for us, loaded it on our truck,

then took us on a hayride through the woods to their log cabin.

There they gave us hot chocolate and graciously allowed us inside to warm up by the woodstove.

What a beautiful spot they have. I have to admit, I was making plans in my head to sell my waterside retreat ASAP so I could find myself a mountain top somewhere. It was truly a gorgeous setting.

Let the Christmas season begin!

Year 2, Unit 1 Celebration

2009-11-09T06:27:00.003-05:00

Last Friday night our Tapestry of Grace co-op had its Unit Celebration for Year 2, Unit 1. We had a blast!

We have 18 families in our co-op, with groups for Lower Grammar (K-3), Upper Grammar (4-6), Dialectic (6-9) and Rhetoric (9-12). Just guessing, there were probably 75 folks there. The time period we had studied was from around 500 AD to around 1300 AD.

Lots of the kids (and even some of the moms) came dressed in medieval costumes -- we had princesses, knights, heralds, and even a dragon! The Lower Grammar class led us in a song (the Wassail song -- it was a little funny to watch 1st graders singing about their ale! :) and the Upper Grammar class treated us to a funny skit based on St. George and the Dragon (hence the costumed dragon who attended our feast!) The high school kids recited to us the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, both in Middle English and Modern English.

Several kids read to us reports they had written during the year, including My Girl, who took on the persona of a Viking housewife and told us about a typical day in her life. Lots of kids had made really cool crafts throughout the unit and brought those and showed them to us as well. We had "stained glass", catapults, dioramas, models of castles, coats of arms, and displays of the "Four Alls". There were also some really well-done TOG lapbooks on display.

While the kids were doing their presentations, we were all enjoying our Medieval Feast. We had so much good food! There were pork roasts, beef stew in trenchers, swine, spiced pears and apples, spinach tarts, bread and cheese, and almond cake. My Girl, lover of all things Japanese, took advantage of the week we studied Japan to learn to make rice balls, so she made those for the UC. They were yummy, too!

It was a fun night, but of course I didn't take any photos. This is me we're talking about, remember? I never remember to take my camera anywhere! I'll try to do better next time...

Today's Daybook

2009-11-02T06:22:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY (November 2, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's just beginning to lighten up out there, but I can see that there is a breeze wafting through the fronds of my hanging fern. I'll need to take those down soon, as the cooler weather has made them look a little worse for wear.

I am thinking... how happy I am to have a reprieve from crisis mode. In the last 2 months, we've had flu (2), pnemonia (2), broken wrist (1, but 2 bones), and bladder stone surgery (1 dog). My stress eating has been through the roof!

I am thankful for... a Panthers win last night! It's about time! And I'm happy for Jake Delhomme, our good-guy qb who has had such a tough season this year.

From the learning rooms... We're officially beginning our 2nd term today. Got all records keyed in over the weekend, report cards done, and all handouts for the upcoming term are printed out. I think I'm in good shape!

From the kitchen... Coffee's brewing! Right after I finish this post I need to make lunches for today's co-op, cook some chicken for my rice salad for today's lunch, and put a chicken in the crock pot.

I am wearing... pj's right now. My plan for today is a thin white sweater, black nylon "warm up" pants, and a gold-colored scarf. Black vest.

I am creating... a second pair of socks. I love the new sock technique I learned last month (called Crazy Toes and Heels socks), and have started a new pair with some yummy green sock yarn from Knit Picks that my sister gave me last year for Christmas.

I am going... just the usual this week (I think.) Co-op today, piano tomorrow, church youth group on Wednesday night, Speech & Debate on Thursday, and TOG Unit 1 Celebration on Friday.

I am reading... Austen's Northanger Abbey. It's slow reading for me these days, as I just keep a book in my purse/bag for those snippets of time I might find to read a page or two.

I am hearing... The coffee gurgling in the pot, and a plane flying overhead. An occasional ring from the wind chimes.

Around the house... the cactus' (cacti?) are in bloom. Most people know them as "Christmas cactus", but over here, they consistently bloom every Halloween. At least they aren't orange!

One of my favorite things... the sound of wind chimes. I finally got some new ones this summer and have been enjoying them ever since.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I guess I listed them above in the "I am going" section. I'm firmly entrenched in the chauffering season of life.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... Here's My Boy being cool and showing off his cast. He got a pink stripe in honor of Breast Cancer awareness month (His Grandma Ruth died from breast cancer 5 years ago.)

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Dock Repairs

2009-10-24T09:53:00.010-04:00

Our dock has gotten into pretty sad shape.

I remember when my dad built it nearly 30 years ago. He was a high school drafting teacher, and another drafting teacher friend of his ran a dock-building side business, so the 2 of them got together and built ours. I was in college, and my male college buddies made good grunt workers. Some of the work had to be done in the water; it was early spring, the water was cold, and my dad and his friend were certainly not going to get in the lake! So those young guys were naturally picked for that job. I had some good friends back then :-)

The dock was a fairly simple, U-shaped dock/boat slip, with a pitched-roof covered in tin, and it served us well for many years.

A few years ago, though, I became wary of that roof. Every time the wind or boat traffic stirred up waves and rocked the dock, that roof would sway back and forth more and more. I just knew it would fall one day, and I didn't want someone to be under it when it did! So My Man dismantled the roof and hauled away all that old wood and tin. Fun.

With the roof gone, the wood dock was now more vulnerable to sun damage, and the U shaped slip became unstable and wobbly to stand on. We knew we needed a renovation, but dock work is expensive!

Finally, this fall was the time. We couldn't afford a brand new dock, and the general structure of the old one was fine (thank you Dad!). So we hired some guys to come and upgrade the dock we had.

First they needed to replace the floatation on one of the fingers of the U. (My Man and my dad had already done this on one of the fingers a few years ago.) The dock guys brought in a barge with equipment to lift the dock high enough to slide out the old, white styrofoam and slide in the new, black floats.

Then, they replaced some of the old decking. Some of the old deck boards were in good enough shape that they could just be flipped over and reattached. The sun does the most damage to the treated lumber, so the underside still looked pretty good. The wood that was too damaged was replaced with new wood.

Next, they installed an underwater stabilizer to keep the fingers of the U from wobbling and twisting.

And finally, they replaced the bumper trim all the way around.

It is amazing how much better it is now. You can walk on it barefooted without getting splinters, and you can jump around and it won't wobble. It is so stable now you feel like it must be sitting on ground instead of floating. The multi-colored deck boards look a little funny, but a few months in the sun should even that out some. And for the money we saved, I don't really care how it looks ;-)

I can finally feel comfortable inviting folks over, and not worry about their safety on the dock!

Monday's Daybook

2009-10-05T06:34:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY (October 5, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's still very dark out, but I woke this morning to the sound of rain. The forecast is calling for cool temp's today -- high of 62, good chance of rain all day. Wish I could stay home and enjoy a cozy day!

I am thinking... hmm... surely I'm thinking of something? I don't know if it's because I've been "out of the loop" from being sick, but there's really not much on my mind right now. Gee, that sounds horrible :-o

I am thankful for... a reprieve from sickness around here. My Boy had viral pneumonia a couple of weeks ago, and I had it all last week. My Girl ran a low fever on Friday and Saturday, but thankfully she seemed to be fine yesterday. Hopefully we're done with it!

From the learning rooms... My Boy is trying hard to catch up with his work. He learned a valuable lesson at the beginning of this year when he missed a week of good school time for driver's ed, followed by a week of being sick. He learned that as we get older, the world goes on and we have to do whatever we can to keep up or else we get left behind! His 3 toughest classes, chemistry, geometry and TOG, all run on a schedule determined by someone other than mom ;-) so he's got no recourse.

From the kitchen... Coffee's brewing! Tonight's a crock pot night since we're gone all day to co-op. I have beef tips, and I'm trying to decide between making a pot of vegetable beef soup or beef tips with mashed potatoes. The rain might be calling for soup...

I am wearing... plaid pj bottoms and a soft green t-shirt from Naples, FL.

I am creating... a new pair of socks. I'm learning a new technique of how to knit both socks at once on one long pair of circular needles. One of the reasons I've been so slow to finish socks in the past is that I HATE the second sock. You work so hard to get one complete, but when you bind off that first sock you just have to start all over on the second one. So discouraging! Now, when I'm done I'm done! I can't wait to see the finished pair. Hopefully, knowing how to do both socks at once will kick me in gear to use up the beautiful sock yarn I got for Christmas last year.

I am going... no where this week. Wow -- no plans to be anywhere but the usual running around. What a rare treat!

I am reading... mostly these days it's teacher's notes for TOG lit class. I wish I could say I'm being good and actually reading the books the kids are, but no, I just read my notes. The TOG kids are finishing Dante's Comedy this week, and will begin Canterbury Tales tomorrow.

I am hearing... the coffee pot gurgle. Time for a cup!

Around the house... we're in serious need of a pickup. We're doing a terrible job with our school books this year. In the past, we've kept everything downstairs in our basement and done all our schooling down there so the upstairs stayed relatively neat and visitor-friendly. For some reason, we've begun migrating upstairs to do our work and have been leaving our books scattered. There's no real "home" for our books up here, so I guess I need to create a spot (or, enforce the rules and make the kids take the books back downstairs!)

One of my favorite things... is the fall season. Octobers are so lovely here! The sky is crisp and blue, the weather is usually mild, and the falling leaves are beautiful. My neighbor has a nut-tree of some sort that stands next to his metal-roofed shed. Every October I'm reminded of the season by the steady sound of POP! when a nut falls to that roof. It's a familiar, comfortable sound for me and it never fails to bring me a smile.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Nothing much -- a trip to the doctor for My Girl (just a well-check) and the usual piano lesson and speech/debate class.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... This is my most recent pair of socks, made from gorgeous hand-painted yarn. I finished these a couple of weeks ago, and they are possibly my last pair of one-at-a-time socks!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Birthday Heroes

2009-09-25T07:50:00.004-04:00

My Boy turned 15 a few weeks ago, and it wasn't hard for him to decide how to celebrate.

Heroscape!

He and his group of friends have become Heroscape enthusiasts over the last 2 years. Once a month, one of the boys hosts a war strategy game party at his home, and they all gather. Some months they play Axis & Allies, some months it's Kingmaker, but most of the time, it's Heroscape.

Haven't heard of Heroscape? If you don't have a teen or pre-teen boy, I'm not surprised. Heroscape is a game of war between all the heroes of history. There are vikings, revolutionary soldiers, gladiators, dragons, monsters, and even Marvel comic book characters. Players purchase figure sets at WalMart, Target, or online, at prices from $9.99 to $30. The sets come with figures of varying "strengths", and assorted pieces of terrain.

When you play, you set up the terrain however you want, and then you move your heroes all around the terrain using the playing cards that came with them as a guide for how they move and how they fight. You'll have a landscape with vikings fighting the Hulk, Greek soldiers fighting dragons, and the Silver Surfer attacking barbarians. Or something like that.

That's about the extent of my knowledge on how the game works.

I do know that you can collect as many sets as you want, because that's all My Boy wanted for his birthday. And all the boys who came to my house brought big boxes of heroscape stuff with them. My Man and I couldn't believe we were in the toy department of WarMart looking for birthday presents. We thought we'd done our last toy run a couple of years ago!

The boys had the downstairs rooms at their disposal. We rearranged the furniture, and borrowed a table from the church to give them more playing surfaces.

This is what it looks like when 8 teenaged boys invade your home with heroes and monsters.

The boys all love it -- it gives them a reason to get together for pizza once a month. And who wouldn't love that?

Sewing

2009-09-20T06:56:00.003-04:00

About 20 years ago, my sister gave me a sewing machine. It was a Singer machine, in a cabinet and everything. She had bought it new for herself, and then after awhile she decided sewing wasn't something she really wanted to spend her time on.

I've still got it. Since then, we've moved 4 times, and that sewing machine is one of the trickiest pieces of furniture we have. Its weight is lopsided, being really heavy on one end and really light on the other. And it has long skinny legs that I'm always afraid are going to snap off, so you can't push it or slide it across the floor (or moving van, as the case may be). You have to carry it. And it takes 2 people.

During the times we move, we always say, "do we really want this sewing machine??"

But there are so many times I'm glad we have it. I've used it make curtains, duvet covers, porch cushions, halloween costumes (a purple princess dress comes to mind...), maternity clothes, and lots of mending. It's been a good, dependable little machine.

A few weeks ago, My Girl decided she wanted to give sewing a try. She's grown up a lot this summer in terms of taste, and has become very interested in fashion. So she wanted to try making something that was really "hers".

We found a cute pattern for a dress, and finally found a fabric store that sells clothing fabric (as opposed to home decor fabrics).

Here's her dress:

Doesn't she look great? We had fun working on it together, and she had fun choosing the fabrics. It was a nice mom & daughter project, and this was one of those times where I'm *really* glad we kept the machine!

Big Happenings

2009-09-17T10:01:00.003-04:00

We've got big happenings around here!

My Boy earned his learner's permit last week, and received the official one in the mail yesterday.

He's doing a great job driving, but I might need some anxiety meds ;-)

Seagrove

2009-09-13T08:19:00.006-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I took some of my girlfriends on a girl's day out to one of my favorite places: Seagrove, NC.

Seagrove is a tiny town about 20 minutes south of Asheboro, NC. There's no big industry there, no sight-seeing stops, no antique villages, or even great restaurants. If you don't know what to look for, you'd drive right past the exits on the highway without ever giving it another thought. But you'd miss a great day!

Because what Seagrove has, is clay. Supposedly perfect clay, clay that is just what you need for making pottery. And Seagrove is the Pottery Capital of the World!

You can find all sorts of pottery there, from artsy...

to functional...

to these unique face jugs...

Potters have been working in Seagrove since the 1700's, and most of the potters there today are descendants of those craftsmen. These folks have been written up in magazines and their work is on display in museums around the country.

But what's really fun about Seagrove is *where* you find the pottery. You see, just about everyone in Seagrove is a potter. And just about everyone in Seagrove lives in old houses on several acres of land. And they all have their own workshops and kilns out behind their old houses. So they put a sign out by the road that advertises their wares, and they're open for business. There are over 90 such businesses in the Seagrove area, including the nearby towns of Climax and Whynot. (you read those right)

When you visit Seagrove, you first go to downtown (about a block long) and find the pottery center, and pick up a map. Then you hop in your car and drive around until you find a pottery that looks interesting, and you pull in. You'll be greeted by some of the friendliest folks you ever met, and you'll see of the cutest gardens, and sweetest greeter-dogs, and I guarantee some interesting sights.

In fact, you have no idea what you'll find when you get out of your car. Some of the potteries look like typical craft shops, some look like old time general stores, and some look like art galleries you'd find in the biggest cities. Each one is an adventure!

Here's what I came home with this trip, to add to my collection:

a couple of coffee mugs

a canister set

and an ornament. I had this old windchime that had lost it's "ornament thingy" that hangs from the bottom. I saw this beautiful oak-leaf ornament and knew it would be just the thing. Now I have wind music again, and it makes me happy :-)

No face jugs this time!

My Daybook

2009-09-08T06:27:00.005-04:00

FOR TODAY (September 8, 2009)...

Outside my window... All is dark. The sun hasn't yet risen, and I'm waiting for morning here in my comfy chair with the lamp on beside me.

I am thinking... that I rilly rilly need to get back to blogging! I think about you all the time. I take pictures all the time. But you know what the problem is? You're going to roll your eyes. I do, just thinking it. I always blog early in the morning, when everyone's asleep. My camera is here beside me, but my cable that connects the camera to the pc? It's downstairs! Why? I don't know. But I don't want to creep downstairs to get it and wake the whole house when the stairs creak. I am jealous of my mornings -- all alone, in the quiet, so peaceful. So I think, I'll get the cable later, and blog tomorrow. Then I forget until the next morning. And so it goes. I told you you'd roll your eyes...

I am thankful for... goodness, where to start? For my dear husband, my precious kids, our happy home, good friends, loving family. Life is good.

From the learning rooms... My Boy begins his online geometry class today. This marks another first for us -- I'm not teaching him his math any longer. I'm hoping that this will be another step in his independence and taking responsibility for his own learning. That's the ultimate goal in homeschooling, right?

From the kitchen... the smell of coffee is drifting over here to my chair. Time to go get a cup!

I am wearing... pj pants, a UNC basketball National Champions t-shirt (go heels!), and my big fluffy white robe. (How can My Man resist that?)

I am creating... a scarf for My Girl. Big Lots had skeins of fluffy novelty yarn for $1 each, and I bought some I thought she'd like. I finished her dress, my socks, and my cardigan. Pictures are in my camera, but the cable... Well, you know.

I am going... to take My Boy to get his driver's permit one day this week. Unbelievable.

I am reading... Nothing right now.

I am hearing... crickets outside. I can just see the outline of the trees across the cove, so the sun is beginning to rise.

Around the house... New perennials! Yesterday, My Man and I went to Lowe's just to look around, and we found a treasure! They had 2 full racks of spent perennials, in 1/2 gallon pots, for 50 cents each! We came home with oodles of rudbeckia, coreopsis, salvia, yarrow, and speedwell. I paid $21 for plants that would've cost $222 new. True, they look a little droopy right now, but I know they'll bounce back. Can't wait to see them next year. They are all supposedly deer resistant. We'll see...

One of my favorite things... watching the birds coming to our feeders. The hummingbirds have already gotten started this morning (or maybe they've been coming all night?) It's gotten light enough outside that I can see the silhouette of them as they flitter around the porch posts.

A few plans for the rest of the week... getting back into the school groove. Labor Day is a tough holiday for our schooling. We have a week or 2 to try to get in the school habit in August, then a 3-day weekend to get us out of sorts again, as the kids are reminded of the lost summer. So Tuesday after Labor Day is notorious for poor attitudes around here. Maybe today will be different?

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... This is a shot I took in the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco in June. This beautiful garden was one of the inspirations for me to spend a little more effort in working in my yard this year. Plus, we've had a slightly cooler summer here, and definitely more rain, so it's not been so discouraging as the last 2 or 3 summers have been. I encourage you to visit a local garden if you can. Your soul will enjoy it!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-08-17T19:40:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (August 17, 2009)...

Outside my window... another warm, sunny day is drawing to a close. It's still light out, but the sun is just about down.

I am thinking... that I wish someone would come by and fold those clothes that are on my couch. When I was in college, my roommate and I had an imaginary housekeeper named Consuela. She wasn't very good at her job. I like to blame things around here on her, too. She makes for a very handy scapegoat :-)

I am thankful for... having My Man back home. This was the second of 2 weekends away at the youth beach retreats that he works on every year. He left the beach last night around midnight and drove through the night to get home around 5 this morning.

From the learning rooms... My Boy began his chemistry co-op class today. I think it's going to be good -- the class is small and the teacher has led this co-op several years. Both my kids began their Tapestry of Grace readings today, too. I'm so happy to back on a routine!

From the kitchen... nice and clean right now, thanks to My Man cleaning up after dinner. We had salmon patties, broccoli salad, and cantaloupe -- something quick after an afternoon trip to the grocery store.

I am wearing... denim capris and an orange knit top.

I am creating... a dress with My Girl. She picked out a pattern and some fabric recently because she's decided she wants to learn to sew. Hopefully we'll finish it this week in time for her to wear it to church Sunday.

I am going... pottery shopping on Saturday! Seagrove, NC, is the pottery capital of the world (or something like that). We used to live near there 10 years ago, and I love to go back every so often. There are over 90 potters and shops there, and it's a real adventure that takes all day to visit just a few. I'm taking along 3 friends from "up north", and I can't wait to show them a quintessential southern country phenomenon. I'll try to remember to take my camera!

I am reading... a couple of blogs I've followed for a few years. The bloggers feel like friends, even though I've never met them. One of them, Our Quiverfull, is an inspiring, touching, and heartbreaking look at the life of Noah: a 3 year old boy with mitochondrial defects that are challenging his very existence. He has been having a particularly bad few weeks, but the faith of his mother is such a testament. The other blog, which I'm not going to name, is usually one of the funniest -- this blog normally brightens every day with real laugh-out-loud stories from the blogger's life. However, the past week or two have hinted at troubles, and her post today seems to confirm that she is having some real problems with her marriage. My heart is breaking for her, too.

I am hearing... My Man and My Boy downstairs shooting at Germans in the World War II Aces game on the wii. Enough to make a momma proud...

Around the house... I have stacks of books that I've listed for sale.

One of my favorite things... starting the new school year and reconnecting with the other moms in our co-op. So many of them are such good friends, and I rarely see them in the summer.

A few plans for the rest of the week... we have an open house Thursday night for our Speech & Debate club, but other than that, nothing other than trying to get settled into our new year's schedule.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... here's our sweet girls, Princess & Ginger.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-08-11T07:55:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (August 11, 2009)...

Outside my window... There's a tufted titmouse right outside on the window sill -- I think he's hunting for spiders. He peers inside at me every so often.

I am thinking... do tufted titmice even eat spiders? Let me check my friend wiki --- turns out, no! They don't eat spiders. What they're doing on my window sill is using the surface of the sill to crack the sunflower seeds they take from the feeder.

I am thankful for... having my family back home safe and sound. There was a youth beach retreat this past weekend, and both kids attended; My Man was on staff. I had 3 full days of aloneness -- can you imagine? I love alone time for awhile; it helps me recharge. But 3 days is plenty, thank you very much. I'm pleased to have my babies back home and my best friend back by my side.

From the learning rooms... I'm finalizing our plans for beginning school -- next Monday's the day! This summer I've been trying to organize My Boy's assignments using Homeschool Tracker Plus. I've never ever been a "lesson plan type" of teacher, but my hope is that if I can bring it together with this program, the transcript it produces will be worth the effort. We'll see.

From the kitchen... right this minute, nothing. I'll start some coffee in a few minutes. After a weekend of not cooking, I need to take stock of my pantry and probably go to the store later today.

I am wearing... baggy navy blue shorts and a grey & white striped top. Bare feet.

I am creating... still a couple of knitting projects. Outside, I've been working on more stone pathways. I made one a couple of weeks ago leading off one side of the carport, and I had planned to build a smaller one this past weekend, but it was too hot. I'm a heat wimp. Once it cools down a few degrees, I'll get to it.

I am going... to a coffee night tonight with other moms of high schoolers. I hope we can share ideas and ease each other's fears of the task ahead of us of preparing our kids for college, but also I hope we can just have a great night of fellowship!

I am reading... not much, but I need to start reading my teacher notes for next week's lessons.

I am hearing... a few birds outside this morning. Loudest was a jay, but now I hear a softer trill of a bird I can't identify. I don't think I've heard that one before. They're probably announcing they are ready for breakfast. I've had to bring in my new birdfeeder since the raccoon broke it the other night, and put it back out in the mornings. The birds have really taken to that feeder, because it hangs from a tree limb and they love the protection the tree gives them while they feed.

Around the house... bags from the past weekend need to be unpacked. Clean towels that are still on my couch need to be put away (at least they are folded :-)

One of my favorite things... a breakfast of granola, fresh ripe peach, and soy milk. I'll go have some when I finish this posting.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I take my mom to the dentist tomorrow, and this weekend I'll take My Boy and My Girl to Charlotte to see Julius Caesar. We saw a production of this a few years back in a different town, but this one's free! so we're going again. Even though the kids aren't looking forward to it since "we've already seen it, Mom" I think they'll find it interesting to compare how the same play can look totally different when done by different acting companies.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... Here's a blue heron that hangs around our shoreline, and a tiny water turtle My Boy found on our dock steps recently.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Night Visitor

2009-08-05T06:19:00.003-04:00

I awoke this morning at 5:30. Not sure why -- my eyes just opened and there I was. Awake. So I got up and went upstairs, wrapped up in the afghan, and sat in my big comfy chair by the window in the dark.

I was just listening to the sound of silence, when I heard a clang right outside the window. At first I jumped (wouldn't you?) but then I recognized the sound -- it was the sound of the brand new ceramic birdfeeder I had just bought being clumsily opened.

I looked outside and could see that the bird feeder, which was hanging from a limb by a long wire, was being held up against the trunk of the tree. I couldn't tell in the dark what was holding it, but I guessed either a raccoon or a possum.

When I flipped on the outside light, a cute little raccoon peered back at me from behind his black mask. I should've taken a picture, but I was too concerned about my bird feeder. It is brand new, after all, and I just knew that clunking sound meant Little Raccoon was about to break the lid, and besides, we'd just filled it with birdseed!

So I went outside (thankfully remembering to turn off the alarm first), and clapped and hissed and chased him away, and brought the feeder inside. I'll have to figure out a better place for it.

Hmph. I enjoy seeing the wildlife around here, I just wish they'd cooperate with me and leave my stuff alone!

Porch Cushions

2009-07-31T09:03:00.003-04:00

I'm so happy to have company come over. We're not big entertainers here, and we live sort of out in the boonies, so I feel bad inviting folks to come way on out here. But if it weren't for the occasional guest, this house might never get spruced up!

One of my best college buddies, Kim, is coming to visit this afternoon. I haven't seen her in probably 8 years or so, and she hasn't been to our lake place since before our house was built -- back when we had a 1960 single wide trailer that we stayed in for weekends.

So we decided we had to take the plunge and replace our porch cushions. Let's face it, our porch is the one place most folks want to be. It has a great view and is north-facing so it's fairly cool even in the summer. So it needs to look decent for visitors!

Our porch furniture is old and/or homemade, so store-bought cushions don't fit. I have 2 porch swings that were made by my dad, and an old metal glider and chaise lounge that came from who knows where. So we have to buy foam rubber cushions and cover them in fabric.

Here's what I did this week.

This is the chaise. It's covered in a green fabric with teeny blue polka dots.

Here's the glider --

and one of the swings --

The other swing is on the downstairs porch, it has one cushion on the seat (none on the back)and it's from the same fabric as the other swing.

I replaced the foam for 2 swing cushions, and covered 6 cushions and 6 pillows this week for less than $150 -- not bad! Cushions and pillows are pretty simple to do -- I don't add the cording or other fancy trims. These are outdoor cushions, after all. And I was lucky enough to find enough remnant pieces of matching fabric to cover it all, so that was a big money saver. These will probably hold up for 5 years or so, assuming we can keep the dogs off of them! so I guess we came out pretty well.

Camping

2009-07-29T08:44:00.004-04:00

I went camping with My Girl last weekend.

We went with the youth group from church, and there were about 20 kids and 6 adults. We set up our camp at a beautiful spot near West Jefferson, on some property that is owned by a retired minister. His property is probably about 1-2 acres, set right along the New River. In the far corner of the property is his cabin, which was built in the 1800's.

I absolutely fell in love with the place. It was built from rough-hewn logs, and had these gorgeous stone steps leading to the front porch.

I loved the lichens and moss that were covering the steps. Everything about the place said "comfort" and "welcome". It was surrounded by huge trees and wildflowers. There was bee balm growing wild right behind it -- the same bee balm I paid over $6 a pot for at my local garden shop.

The rest of the property was a large grassy field where the owner allows friends and church groups to come and camp. He's even set it up with water and power hookups.

He's also got a permanent fire pit installed, and we kept a nice fire going most of the weekend.

On Saturday, we spent the day on the river.

We put our inner tubes in right in front of the house, and arranged for two of our adults to meet us a few miles downriver. None of us had ever tubed that particular stretch, but a neighbor told us where to pick up, and he said it should take us around 3 hours. We all slathered on our sunscreen and plopped our fannies in our tubes and set off.

It truly was beautiful. We saw a total of about 6 houses along the way, and all the rest of the scenery was forest or meadow. Every so often you could see old fenceposts that had been forgotten. I thought I could have stayed on that river floating all day.

But then the 3rd hour came and went. We were supposed to be picked up at the "3rd bridge." We had passed two bridges, but had no idea when or where we would see the 3rd. Some of the kids were starting to get antsy, and sunburned. Luckily we had taken snacks (thank heaven for "dry bags"!) but even I was starting to turn into a prune.

The 4th hour came and went. Still no 3rd bridge. There were some spots where the current was almost non-existent, and that's why it was taking us so long. You just never know what the river's going to do!

Luckily for us, the guys who were picking us up came and looked for us. They took the road back from the 3rd bridge and were able to follow the river towards us for about 1/2 a mile, and they waited there for us. We were so happy when we saw Mr. Rick standing on the side of the river waving us down. Even I was ready to get off the river at that point!

Still, the trip was a lot of fun. I shared a tent with My Girl and two of her friends. We had a great time!

Peach Cobbler

2009-07-28T17:20:00.001-04:00

My Man's sweet mother, Ruth, was an awesome cook. I have several of her recipes, but my favorite is her peach cobbler. I made one this afternoon, and thought I'd share the recipe with you. I'm sure Ruth wouldn't mind!

Ruth's Peach Cobbler

4 cups sliced fresh peaches
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
2 cups sugar, divided
pinch salt
1 cup milk
1 T lemon juice
ground cinnamon or nutmeg

Place margarine in a 9x13 pan (I use glass) and place in oven set to 375 degrees.

Place peaches, 1 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and milk. Stir until moist.

Remove pan from oven, and pour batter over the butter. Then pour the peaches over the batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg. Return to oven, and cook at 375 for 35-45 minutes.

If you get some fresh peaches this summer, you've got to try this recipe. You'll want to eat it all at once!

A Mother's Love

2009-07-22T05:59:00.002-04:00

My heart was touched this morning by this blog post by Mary Grace over at Books and Bairns. Mary Grace and her husband, Mr. Blandings, have opened their hearts and homes to foster and adopt two very blessed children with special needs. This blog post shares the daily struggles and joys of rearing one of them. I encourage you to follow the link and read the post yourself. It's not long, but something about it makes you thankful there are folks like Mary Grace and Mr. Blandings who so willingly and overtly follow God's call on their lives.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-07-13T05:29:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (July 13, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's still dark out, and an early morning thunderstorm has just begun. I can hear the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain on the leaves of the river birch tree just outside my window.

I am thinking... about Calvinism and Arminianism lately. Maybe you've noticed I've added two blogs to my bloglist, both about Arminianism. I'm looking for writers who can articulate the Arminian position in a way I can get a good grasp over it. We'll be studying Calvin and Arminius later this year, and I have a feeling I need to be ready to answer some questions here. My Boy has been having some heated discussions lately with his friends about free will (homeschoolers! gotta love 'em!) so I expect he'll be very interested in this topic. I just want to be prepared with some answers.

I am thankful for... this rain (cue loud crack of thunder). It's been a couple of weeks and things are starting to look a little parched around here.

From the learning rooms... Not a whole lot yet. Both kids are picking up their math studies, and My Boy is diligently working to finish his biology. Speech & debate season interfered with his getting done with all of his subjects, and I let him take a much-needed break in June. Now he's trying hard to get it all wrapped up.

From the kitchen... right this minute, nothing. We did enjoy dinner last night: chicken kabobs on the grill and brown rice. Tonight: baked barbecue pork chops, canteloupe, and brussels sprouts with cheese sauce (the only way my kids will eat brussels sprouts is with lots of cheese sauce, and then not very often :-)

I am wearing... cotton pj bottoms and a green t-shirt from Naples, FL.

I am creating... still those socks. I picked up some yarn and a pattern for a light weight jacket/cardigan. I'm hoping I'll get to wear it almost year round around here. It would also make a great house jacket -- sort of swingy, with 3/4 sleeves. I'll post a picture when I get it done.

I am going... to stop by the vegetable stand in the nearby town this morning. I'm hoping to find some cantaloupe and some fresh blueberries. And maybe even some peaches. It's about time for the freestone peaches to be coming in -- as a descendant of a long line of SC peach farmers, I've been spoiled to only eat peaches when they are fresh, ripe, soft, and freestone. It limits my time to enjoy peaches, but boy are they good!!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters. I'm enjoying it, but just reading a bit before bed each night. At this rate it will take me awhile.

I am hearing... thunder and heavy rain. It's really coming down right now. All else is quiet around the house.

Around the house... I need to do some work on my porches. The cushions on the porch swings and lounges need to be recovered, but my sewing machine needs to go to the repair shop first. The bobbin isn't feeding correctly. It's been this way for awhile -- I don't sew much, but there are projects every once in awhile, so I need to get it fixed.

One of my favorite things... brown rice salad for lunch. Mix some leftover brown rice, cooked chicken, chopped tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and my new favorite dressing -- Kraft Asian Sesame. delish!

A few plans for the rest of the week... taking My Boy back and forth to the local high school for driver's ed. He's a little nervous about it, but at least he'll have a friend there too. He's been practicing driving a bit on some of the little lanes around here.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... My Man was given an old sailboat last year, and he has spent the winter and spring fixing it up. I gave him a sail for his birthday. Here's a picture of him sailing into our cove after an afternoon out.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

My Man Posts...

2009-07-09T18:55:00.002-04:00

My Man gave me permission to copy his church newsletter article here. I changed a little to keep our names out, but otherwise it's straight from him. I thought you might enjoy it...

Living the Adventure

It's hard for me to believe that August is here and summer is starting to wind down. It’s like that old expression, “Where does the time go? It just seems to fly by.” It had to be just a couple of weeks ago that I was on my June vacation!

Speaking of flying and vacation, my family and I were able to fly out to San Francisco, CA, to see all the tourist sites. We were able to do this trip because a friend who works in the airline industry gave us some “non-rev” airline tickets. We had an awesome time and we are so thankful to have received such a generous gift that made it possible for us to do such a wonderful trip.

Non-reving is a great perk that allows employees to travel for free on selected airlines. The catch is that you become the last person to get on the plane, because the paying customers get first priority. If the flight becomes full then you get “bumped” and you have to find another way to get to where you want to go. Needless to say you have to be flexible when you are traveling non-rev. You go into the adventure knowing that you will probably get bumped, and might even get stuck somewhere short of where you want to be, thus making you have to buy a full fare ticket to get to your final destination. It doesn’t help to get upset, because in reality, you are a guest that has been given a free gift which allows you traveling privileges with that particular airline. As a non-rev passenger, that airline reserves the right to withdraw those tickets at anytime. Non-rev passengers shouldn’t complain, but while we were standing at the ticket counter, there were other non-rev travelers doing nothing but complaining.

Our entire family did get to San Francisco, but we did have to split up once we landed in Chicago. Jana and My Girl went on ahead of My Boy and me. I told her to catch the airport shuttle and that My Boy and I would catch up with them at the hotel at some point. We said good-bye to them in Chicago as they boarded a flight to Los Angeles which would then take them to San Francisco. My Boy and I scrambled to find another way out to California. We found room on a later flight that got us to Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there we were able to get on a flight to L.A. which continued on to S.F. We arrived at the hotel at midnight Western Time. Our travel day started at 7 AM Eastern Time, you do the math. Like I said earlier, to non-rev is an adventure and I’m not complaining! Our travel back was almost as adventurous. At the last minute two men who were trying to sneak their dog onto the plane were busted, so 4 seats opened up as the airline was beginning to shut the door to the airplane. They quickly got us on board and we got home.

The Christian life is like non-reving. We are given a free gift through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We just have to accept the gift and step out on faith that God will guide us on our life’s journey. We may come up short sometimes, and we may often find ourselves complaining about our lot in life. (How did I get stuck here? Why do I have this crummy job? Why did I marry this person?) I think we lose sight of our final destination, which is our heavenly home. We need to remember the words of that old spiritual song that Burl Ives was known for singing:

I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger
trav'ling through this world of woe.
there's no sickness, toil nor danger
In that bright world to which I go.
I'm going there to meet my father
I'm going there no more to roam;
I am just going over Jordan
I am just going over home.

Time does fly by and before you know it this life will be gone. Do you see yourself as passing through and enjoying the adventure that God has put you on, or are you stuck at the ticket counter complaining about his free gift?

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-07-06T20:00:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY (July 6, 2009)...

Outside my window... It's been such a nice few days here. Very warm (mid 80's+) but low humidity. That's so unusual for this area! Sitting on my porch, enjoying the evening breezes, has been worth the (more than) occasional mosquito bite. Heaven!

I am thinking... we could use some rain. I know, I know, my kids say I'm never satisfied, but I really don't want a repeat of the drought we had the last couple of years. It's been 3 weeks or more since we had some good rain.

I am thankful for... God's provision for us, rain or shine! I know He has everything under His control, and I'm thankful I don't have to worry about it.

From the learning rooms... We picked up our math studies today -- My Girl continuing in the math she started mid-year last year, and My Boy finishing up the last couple of sections from last-year's math. My Girl, who loves all things Japanese, began the free Japanese program Irasshai by Georgia PBS.

From the kitchen... The kitchen's all cleaned up from dinner. My Man is the best! He is so good to do the clean up for me after dinner. What a blessing he is to me :-)

I am wearing... Navy blue nylon gym shorts and a purple floral scoop-neck tee. Bare feet.

I am creating... these socks. I actually began them last winter, but stopped after 1 1/2 socks. I'm finally motivated to finish them up, because I want to start a new project. My Man gave me a gift certificate to my favorite knit shop for Christmas, and I need to go cash it in. I'm trying to have a little self-discipline by making myself finish these socks before I start something new.

I am going... to get a mammogram tomorrow. yippee.

I am reading... Wives and Daughters. Yes, I realize I started it a long time ago. It's a long book! And, like my socks, I put the book down for a few months and have decided it's time to pick it back up and finish it!

I am hearing... three dogs chewing on chew sticks. We are babysitting (dogsitting?) Sugar, our friend's cute little Bichon Frise. He fits in pretty well here when he stays with us -- Ginger loves the company, but Princess could probably do without it. They're getting used to each other by now, we do this doggie exchange a couple of times a year.

Around the house... there's a stack of vhs tapes in front of the tv. My Girl decided this weekend to have a movie-thon of "old" movies -- Toy Story, Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Lady & the Tramp. "Old" movies indeed ;-)

One of my favorite things... Pioneer Woman's pico de gallo and guacamole. Oh my goodness! I made some for dinner tonight, and now I'm stuffed full. Yum yum!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Not much. I've got my mammo tomorrow, a trip to the library to pick up a few reads for My Girl, and not much else. Still enjoying summer!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... These are some of the sea lions on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. They've got the right idea on how to spend these summer days...

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T09:51:00.004-04:00

I hope you're having a great holiday weekend!

Mine has been pretty traditional, for us. Which means, we don't really do much that's different on the 4th.

I did forget to watch tennis yesterday morning, but I'm watching the men's finals today. I don't watch much tennis like I used to. I used to love watching John McEnroe (I admit I was a fan of his), Ivan Lendl, and Martina Navratilova. These days I only watch the Wimbledon finals and US Open finals. But this morning, Andy Roddick is playing Roger Federer, and he's surprisingly holding his own. Roddick recently married a local girl -- Brooklyn Decker -- who is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I have no idea who she is other than that, but we've been seeing them on the local news lately so I'll root for him. Plus, he's the underdog. Gotta go for the underdog.

Our other 4th activities: I did too much yard work yesterday. There's a fairly steep bank that leads down to the water, that is the bane of my existence. I tried to landscape it a few years ago, but the maintenance is backbreaking. So this year and last, I've kind of let it go. And the weeds have loved me for it! It has really started looking baaadddd, so yesterday I took the plunge and got to work on it. Many of the weeds were trees that had been allowed to grow into saplings 4-5 ft. tall (I told you it was bad), so most of my day was spent with the long pruning shears. Keep in mind this is on a steep bank, so I was in a constant reaching/stretching position, and having to keep my balance or else go sliding down the hill. Once I got the big stuff, My Man followed behind with the weedeater. The bank looks much much better today.

Lets just say I'm paying for it this morning. I'm walking around like an 85 year old!

Of course, one of the nice things about doing yard work here is that, if you do it in your bathing suit, you can jump in the lake to cool off. So I spent a good deal of time yesterday on my float, too.

We did try to do stick to tradition for dinner. We grilled corn, grilled hamburgers, made Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes, and finished off with homemade banana walnut ice cream. It was pretty delicious!

We ended the night watching a few fireworks from around the lake, but just the ones we could see from our porch. Then I went to bed, and fell asleep to the sound of fireworks booming that went on until around midnight.

It's a pretty quiet morning around here today. Ahhhhh.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-05T09:51:00.000-04:00

July 4th Kickoff

2009-07-02T21:19:00.002-04:00

You don't need a calendar to know it's coming up on July 4th weekend on the lake. All the signs are present:

-- for the last few nights, we've heard sporadic fireworks from all around us. Everyone's gearing up for the big night.

-- tonight, on a Thursday, there were as many boats buzzing by at sunset as there usually are on a typical Sunday afternoon.

-- our little lane is busy with cars going in and out of our peninsula. There are only a few of us who live on this lane year-round, and about 75% of the houses are occupied on a summer weekend. But on the 4th, everyone's here.

This weekend, we'll hear the sounds of boats non-stop, our dock will rock in the waves like it's on an ocean, we'll probably hear a boat siren or two as the lake police try to keep drunken boaters off the water, and there will be fireworks everywhere you can see.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Fourth on the lake. I love the feel of a hot summer day, I love cooking out (of course, we do this several times a week so it's not just a July Fourth thing), I love seeing all the American flags flying by all the docks around the lake, it's nice to sit on our porch and watch fireworks all around, and yes, I do love going out on the boat around 9:00 pm to get a good view of the big fireworks show a couple of coves over.

But we don't go anywhere near the water at other times on the weekend of the Fourth. Taking a boat on that bumpy water is too much like punishment, especially our little boat. You can't enjoy a ride, and you certainly can't ski or tube, so we don't invite friends over that day, either. For full-time lake dwellers, July Fourth weekend is the time you almost want to leave town.

I guess it's kind of like folks who live in Augusta, GA who leave town during Master's Week. A lot of folks even rent out their homes to pay for their own week away. Hmmmm.... there's a thought....

San Francisco

2009-06-28T15:38:00.004-04:00

Well, we're home! We had a terrific time sightseeing and walking around that beautiful city. We were struck by how much there is to do there! Here are some of the highlights from our trip.

First, we flew Southwest Airlines, on buddy passes. Let me just say, trying to get 4 people all the way across the country on buddy passes in the summer is an adventure in itself. We all got bumped from our first choice flight to Phoenix, and ended up going to Chicago instead. Once there, we were split into 2 groups with My Girl and me going to LA and then to SF, and My Man and My Boy going to Albuquerque, then to LA and then to SF. We left our home at 8:30 eastern time that morning, and arrived in our hotel room at 11:30 Pacific time -- that's right, 2:30 am eastern time. But we were grateful for the passes, and the folks at all the ticket counters were terrific. I highly recommend Southwest's customer service. They all went way out of their way to help us get where we needed to go.

In fact, things were looking doubtful for our getting out of SF on Saturday at all, but thanks to a group that was (no lie!) trying to smuggle in a small dog, we got to board at the very last second. We have no idea how they got that dog past security, but there it was in the line to board!

On day 1, here's what we did:

-- we decided to rent a car so we could go wherever & whenever we wanted. I'm glad we did that. Part of the time we drove the "49 mile Scenic Drive" route. That's a great way to do a self-guided tour that hits all the good spots.

-- we couldn't get the line out of our heads from "Elf" where Buddy meets a guy named Francisco at his dad's office. "Francisco! That's fun to say -- Francisco!"

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-- our first stop was the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park. These gardens were gorgeous, and the weather that day was perfect. We had tea and cookies at the outdoor Tea House. As we were sitting at a counter overlooking a pond, sipping our tea and munching our cookies, we were shocked by a bold squirrel who just walked right up and took a sesame cookie out of our bowl! It was so funny, because we all just sat there in shocked silence and watched him do it, without realizing what he had done until it was too late! He sat in a tree not 4 feet away from us and munched happily on that cookie until it was all gone. And then, yes it's true, he came right back again. This time, I snatched the bowl away, but that pesky squirrel grabbed the sesame cookie right out of My Girl's fingers! He knew exactly what type of cookie he wanted, because he got the same kind both times, and left us alone once all of those were gone. The Tea Garden was the second-favorite thing we did on our trip.

-- next, we drove to the Ocean Beach and saw Seal Rocks and Cliff House. We ate a late lunch at a Mediterranean restaurant in the Marina district. We drove through several areas, including Presidio and Pacific Heights, and then took a short visit to the gorgeous hiking trail area at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. We decided not to walk out on the bridge that day because of the thick fog, but we did drive across it and through Sausalito. We spent the rest of the afternoon driving around places like Lombard Street ("crookedest street") and Coit Tower. We finished the day at Ghiradelli Square with hot fudge sundaes from Ghiradelli's and cupcakes from Kara's.

-- the highlight of the trip was the tour we took Thursday morning to Alcatraz. My Girl was secretly dreading this, but even she said later that it was the best part of the week. So interesting! My Boy bought a book while there that he's been reading non-stop ever since, and My Girl is trying to be patient for her turn with it. Today, they rented the movie "Escape From Alcatraz" to watch later tonight!

-- after Alcatraz, we walked to Chinatown and ate lunch at Brandy Ho's Hunan restaurant. It was very good, but oh so hot & spicy. I ordered "mild" but around the places I'm used to, that would have been "medium" or "hot". We shopped some and ventured into a Chinese bakery. We did NOT make good selections at the bakery. Ick. I can't remember what they were called, or I would tell you and warn you. Just remember, if you go to an authentic Chinese bakery, it's not Krispy Kreme ;-) Thursday night we went to the Asian Art Museum to see the "Lords of the Samurai" art exhibit.

-- Friday morning we drove to Muir Woods and saw the awesome Ocean Redwoods. We hiked around the Cathedral path, and that was probably my favorite part. Just beautiful. If only there hadn't been so many people, but I guess you can't help that.

-- on the drive back from Muir Woods we stopped at a roadside stand where a fellow was selling almonds, plums, cherries, and apricots that were out of this world. So that's what really fresh, huge plums taste like! mmmmmm.....

-- from there, we went to Japantown for lunch. We had sushi, tempura, and teriyaki dishes. We drove around a little more, and then My Boy requested one more visit to Ghiradelli Square for another hot fudge sundae. He said those were his trip highlights :-) After our sundaes we walked to Pier 39 and watched the sea lions for awhile, and then it was back to the hotel.

It was a great trip, and we all had a terrific time but now we're all exhausted! It was a fun 5 days!

Here's a slide show of our photos, in case you're really interested :-)

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-06-22T07:01:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (June 22, 2009)...

Outside my window... Hot!! The sky is clear, but there's a vague haze already at 7 in the morning. I'm watching another house finch building another nest in one of my ferns on the porch. This is family #6 in houseguests born at our home this spring. The most recent, another set of house finches in a different fern, said goodbye to their fledglings over the weekend. I could hear them chirping words of encouragement all morning last Friday.

I am thinking... about our trip tomorrow to San Francisco. We're flying out with 4 "buddy passes" so I just hope we all get to board the plane and actually get out there (and back).

I am thankful for... those buddy passes. What a blessing they are to us -- vacation probably wouldn't have happened this summer without this generous gift from a church member.

From the learning rooms... Summer break has finally arrived. ahhhhhh....

From the kitchen... nothing happening right now. I need to get some coffee going, though. Dinner tonight, probably burgers on the grill. I don't want to heat up the house cooking!

I am wearing... pink flowered pj pants and a t-shirt from a youth retreat my kids went on last summer. The theme of the retreat last year was "God Most High -- the Musical." My kids won't wear these shirts in public, though, because the design of the words makes it look just like it says "High School Musical," and no thinking teenager would be caught dead in something that could be mistaken for that.

I am creating... piles of laundry to be folded as we get ready for packing tonight. I hope no visitors show up today -- there's no where to sit. The couches are covered in clothes!

I am going... to San Francisco tomorrow! (did I mention that?)

I am reading... books on, can you believe it, San Francisco! I'm trying to plan a loose itinerary. Our plan is to cover the west-side stuff (Golden Gate bridge, Golden Gate Park) on Wednesday, the east-side stuff (North Beach, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz) on Thursday, and rent a car and go to Muir Woods and Point Reyes National Seashore on Friday. Then we're supposed to fly back home on Saturday.

I am hearing... the gurgle of the coffeemaker. I did get that coffee started a minute ago :-) Also, I can hear the clothes tumbling in the dryer.

Around the house... My Girl and My Boy are still sleeping soundly. I expect My Girl to arise first, probably any minute (it's 7:30 now), and I'll probably have to awaken My Boy around 10:30 or 11:00.

One of my favorite things... The Closer. I just love that show. It comes on tonight at 9. If you like strong Southern women with a weakness for chocolate, you'll like Brenda. Just try to overlook Kyra Sedgewick's southern accent. Very few actors can get it right, and she's no exception.

A few plans for the rest of the week... I think I've already bored you enough about our plans for this week :-)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... Here's a picture of My Man with his buddy Princess. We had a nice Father's Day yesterday. Believe it or not, this was the first Father's Day *ever* for my kids to have him home with them all day. He's usually long gone on Father's Day Sunday mornings by the time they awaken (he's a pastor, remember, and he likes to get to church long before anyone else so he can get his thoughts together), but this year he's on vacation. It was so nice! No special breakfast, though (see My Boy's sleeping habits, above). We had a nice lunch of his favorite Wilted Spinach Salad, then we all went to see Up at the matinee.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Back from the Mountains

2009-06-13T16:31:00.010-04:00

We just got back from spending a couple of days in the mountains. My Man, who is a United Methodist pastor, attends the UMC Annual Conference every June in Lake Junaluska, west of Asheville. Sometimes we go with him, and go play while he goes to meetings.

This year we went up on Thursday afternoon, spent all day Friday playing, and then came home Saturday morning. We had fun!

First thing Friday morning, we drove through Haywood County and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway en route to our hiking spot. Here are some of the scenes from the overlooks we passed: (btw, you can click on any of these photos to enlarge them)

We went to Graveyard Fields Trail to go hiking. It's called Graveyard Fields because, well, you can read about it here if you click on the picture to enlarge:

This trail is listed as "easy", and it really is. The loop totals 3.1 miles, all at a very slight grade. You get to see & climb on two sets of falls, and walk a nice hike following a stream. There are gobs of wild blackberry bushes in bloom now, and wild blueberry bushes that they say are in fruit in the fall.

These are pictures from the first set of falls we saw, called "Second Falls" :-) They aren't really big, but they are nice for climbing on. I was sort of in the middle of the falls, so my pictures of the falls themselves aren't very impressive.

Here are some pictures of the hike:

And these are from the second set of falls, called "Upper Falls". If you'll click on these, you'll see My Girl and My Boy had climbed up to the base of the big falls to put their heads under the water.

After we finished our hike, we drove on to Sliding Rock. The kids had fun here, even with the frigid water temperature!

And we finished up at Looking Glass Falls. My Boy went swimming at the base of the falls, but My Girl had had enough cold mountain water by this point.

This was a terrific day -- just enough exertion and just enough water fun. We can't wait to go back!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-06-08T06:56:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (June 8, 2009)...

Outside my window... It looks to be a beautiful day. The water is so still it looks like glass. A couple (man & woman, middle aged) on a fishing boat drifted past this morning -- they were as quiet as the morning. It was 6:30 when they went past my house. I wonder what time they got started?

I am thinking... how blessed I am to be able to have my quiet time and a cup of coffee on my porch overlooking the lake.

I am thankful for... my friend Carol, who offered me a project -- painting her office. What a blessing that was -- getting to do something fun, and getting paid for it to boot!

From the learning rooms... My Man and I have been taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class at our church. We're most of the way through it, and we have learned so much. The words "financial peace" have much meaning for me, and this course is allowing me to finally have some! I recommend it for anyone. It has given me information and techniques that may be common sense, but I never knew a lot of it. Even more, Dave's upbeat presentations are not only entertaining, but so motivating. He really makes you believe you're going to be just fine, and even wealthy in the future. We've got a plan to be debt-free (except for the house) by this time next year.

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing. Plans for dinner tonight are spaghetti and salad.

I am wearing... Old blue & white pj pants that used to belong to My Man, with a pink Land's End pj top. My toenails are bright red :-)

I am creating... lesson plans for TOG next year. I'm giving Homeschool Tracker Plus another try this year. I used it somewhat this year, to keep track of attendance and reading lists, plus My Boy's assignments. But I only entered them after the fact. This year I'm trying to enter all the assignments this summer and save them so I'll have them for My Girl when she gets to this point in a few years. I think I'm about done with TOG assignments, now I'm deciding if/how to enter the other subjects.

I am going... to paint Carol's office in about an hour. I've got to waken My Girl, because she wants to help me so she can earn a little summer money, too.

I am reading... the book of Revelation. I don't think I've ever sat down and read the whole thing -- it's always intimidated me. I don't usually get symbolism. I'm very black and white -- just tell me what you want me to know, don't make me have to infer meaning from symbols! I always failed at that in high school english :-) But I'm taking a few days to just read it through, without a commentary, to see what God wants me to learn.

I am hearing... only the ticking of the clock and the whir of my laptop fan. I love this time of morning.

Around the house... there is still a pile of sleeping bags in the great room, from My Girl's birthday sleepover Saturday night.

One of my favorite things... tomato sandwiches made with garden-ripe tomatoes, Duke's mayonnaise, salt & pepper, on white bread. Heaven! and my tomato plants look really great right now. They've got some blooms, at least. I was late setting them out, and I'm trying out container gardening this year. I put my plants on the deck, in full sun, hoping the deer and bunnies won't have the nerve to climb the steps to eat my bounty this year.

A few plans for the rest of the week... The first half of the week I'll paint Carol's office, then on Thursday I'll take the kids and go to Lake Junaluska to join My Man. He's up there the last half of the week for Annual Conference, a yearly meeting of Methodist pastors from western NC. Lake Junaluska is in a beautiful area of the mountains, and we'll go up for a day or so to enjoy a hike and play in the streams.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... These are pictures from My Girl's party. She's 13 this month!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Checking In

2009-05-31T07:57:00.002-04:00

I saw my sister yesterday, and she said it was high time I updated my blog. It's been nearly a month since my last entry!

So what have I been doing all this time?

* traveling to speech & debate tournaments. My posting really slowed down once tournament season started. We traveled to Acworth GA, Raleigh NC, and Fayetteville GA within about 5 weeks of each other, missing 4 days of school with each tournament. Of course, those days *counted* as school, but subjects like math, writing, and science suffered. So we've been trying to catch up in those areas while trying to just keep up with our TOG reading schedule. We love speech & debate here, and I will go to my dying days believing in the huge positives of the activity, but there's no denying it's tough finding the balance. We need to do a better job planning ahead for the busy-ness of the early spring.

* traveling to Brosnan Forest. My dear brother-in-law works for Norfolk Southern Railway, and that company owns a huge forested resort in SC near Charleston called Brosnan Forest. During the winter months it is used as a hunting preserve for company meetings and entertaining clients; during the spring & summer months it is available to employees to vacation there. Wesley reserves the largest cabin (sleeps 24!) every other spring for a large family vacation time. Word "cabin" is used very loosly here -- don't picture camping or hardship! It is more like a log hotel, with every amenity except room service. Satellite tv, free wifi, all linens provided. Then in the resort itself, there is a pool, lots of stocked fishing ponds, skeet shooting, tennis, badminton, golf, and unbelievable wildlife. We watched a family of bald eagles all week. It was amazing! Even though we were so behind in school from all the debate travel, do you think I would turn down this opportunity? No way! Of course I took all the school books with us. How much schooling do you think got done? You're right -- not much. So that was another week out of school.

* Curriculum selling & shopping. Yes, that's right -- it's that time of year again. Time for plowing through catalogs & sell/swap boards online looking for school books for next year. And writing up ads for books I have that I need to sell in order to have money to buy books for next year. And packaging up books I sold. And driving to and from the post office to ship them out. And standing in line at said post offices. (I've already bought one book twice. Ug. Now I have another one I need to sell!)

* Neatening up my flower beds. When I got home from one of my trips out of town (can't remember which one) I found dh had left me a surprise of 21 bales of pine needles stacked neatly in the carport. The stack is down to about 6 bales now; I'm slowly but surely making my way through it. The yard looks so much better with neat beds and fresh pine needles, but goodness I'm sore! My back and leg muscles are groaning.

I know there's more, but for now I've got to go get ready for church! I'll post again soon, I promise!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-05-04T07:45:00.004-04:00

FOR TODAY (May 4, 2009)...

Outside my window... It looks to be a beautiful day. Bright blue sky, wispy white clouds, gentle breeze fluttering through the leaves. I can see the mamma house finch busy going back and forth from the hanging fern on my back porch.

I am thinking... that I hope we recover from these allergies or respiratory gunk or whatever it is. My Man, My Girl, and I have been coughing non-stop for a couple of weeks now. A good night's sleep would be heavenly.

I am thankful for... the beauty of springtime. I just love it when all is green. My mom planted the azaleas and iris and forsythia here 30 years ago, and they are just lovely this time of year.

From the learning rooms... today is the last day of My Boy's biology co-op. They're finishing their dissections -- a frog and some fertilized chicken eggs. Ick. I'm thankful we have a homeschool mom in our group who is a nurse, and is working on her teaching degree. She does a terrific job teaching this class.

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing.

I am wearing... blue & white pj pants with a pink t-shirt my sister brought me years ago from the Cayman Islands. It's getting just about perfect in worn-out softness.

I am creating... plans for our TOG co-op next year. We have 19 families who have signed on to be a part of it.

I am going... to the local high school today or tomorrow to sign My Boy up for driver's ed. Unbelievable.

I am reading... Tom Sawyer. My Girl just finished it, and was surprised I'd never read it. "You really should read it, Mom! It's really good!" So I'm reading it on her recommendation :-)

I am hearing... Princess gnawing on her chewbone.

Around the house... I spent Saturday constructing a landing at the bottom of our deck stairs. My Man was busy at work most of the day, so he was only around for part of it. He got out the chain saw and started it for me so I could cut the timbers the right length. Then he drove me to Lowe's and helped me load the sand and gravel into the truck. And he helped me dig out the dirt. The rest I did on my own. And I'm sore to prove it!

One of my favorite things... is roast beef cooked the way Aunt Doris cooks it. I fixed some last night, and it was yummy (though not quite as good as Doris' :-) The only other thing I can cook like Aunt Doris is macaroni and cheese. It's delish but incredibly fattening. Aunt Doris is a fabulous southern cook, and I really really need to go spend some time with her so I can learn to do her biscuits and corn.

A few plans for the rest of the week... we might drive down to SC to spend some time in a (huge) cabin with my brother-in-law and other members of My Man's family. They rent it out every-other-year, but not many folks are going down there this year. My Man can't even go -- but it's a fun, relaxing place to be so maybe I'll take My Boy and My Girl down for a few days.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... These are some shots of the landing I made on Saturday. I had to build a frame with timbers, dig out the dirt and level it about 3", then put a layer of sand, place my stones, and then fill in with gravel. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Now I just need to continue by making steps go up the hill!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Back Home

2009-05-02T16:19:00.005-04:00

Oh, I'm glad to be home!

Don't get me wrong, the tournament was lots-o-fun. My Boy & My Girl got to make some new friends and spend time with some old ones, and they learned so much from observing so many good speakers and debaters. My Boy competed in the Open Interpretation event, with his interpretation of William Stieg's Yellow & Pink. He didn't advance to the semi-finals this time, but he was just thankful to have made it to the Regional Invitational tournament.

It began with registration on Sunday night, competition Monday through Thursday, a pizza party Thursday night, and the drive home on Friday. Whew. I need a rest!

I took a few pictures of my flowers before I left, because I could tell that they were going to peak the week I was away. I'm so glad I did, because they're starting to fade now.

Here are the azaleas that line the edge of our property:

I took these in the morning, and they are in the shade so they're really too dark. I'm sorry for that; they were stunning this year after looking not-so-great last year.

This is another poorly-lit shot of the clematis vine that is growing on an antique ladder beside my house.

Hopefully my photography skills will improve!

I spent my day today on an outdoor project. I did take pictures, but I'm too tired to post about it now. Hopefully tomorrow :-)

Off to Atlanta

2009-04-25T19:05:00.002-04:00

We're heading for Atlanta tomorrow morning. The Region 8 speech & debate tournament begins tomorrow night, and lasts through the week. I'll check in if I get a chance, but if not I'll see you in a week or so! If you're looking for something good to read, try some of the blogs in my bloglist (left).

Wish My Boy luck!

New Neighbors

2009-04-25T14:43:00.008-04:00

It's a beautiful springtime here by the lake, and that means new neighbors!

Here's our front door. Do you see the new folks?

What about now?

Look closer!

There they are!

A mamma house finch has boldly built a home less than 2 feet from our front door. Every time we go in or out, we are startled by the sound of wings flapping as she flies away. I worry about those those babies, because the Mamma is so disturbed by our comings and goings that I'm surprised she was on the eggs long enough to properly warm them. But at least one hatched. I'm not tall enough to see inside the nest, so I'm depending on my camera to show me what's happening.

Here's the inside of the nest about a week ago.

and here it is today:

It looks like only one baby, doesn't it? I guess a wreath by the door isn't a great place for a nest.

Our other set of neighbors moved in up near the road.

This a bluebird house that has at least 2 broods every year.

I tried to get a shot of the parents as they were going in and out, but just never timed it right.

Here are the babies about a week ago.

Here they are today.

Either mom or dad is keeping an eye on me from the tree across the street.

I hung my baskets of ferns and petunias last week, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time before more families settle in!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-22T07:11:00.004-04:00

My Girl was confirmed at church on Easter Sunday.

She really loved her confirmation class. It met for 13 weeks, and was taught jointly by Pastor Billy and her dad. I think there were 13 confirmands, plus each confirmand had a mentor who stuck with them and attended all their classes with them too.

Miss Lynn is the best mentor ever. She is so thoughtful and sweet, and really loves My Girl. I'm happy My Girl has another grown-up in the church that she knows will always love her and care about her no matter what.

The night before Easter, there was a cookout at the church.

Then on Easter morning during the worship service, the kids were confirmed and welcomed into the church body as full members.

It was a special time for My Girl, and I know she'll always remember it fondly!

Unit 3 Celebration

2009-04-18T08:16:00.004-04:00

We had our Tapestry of Grace co-op's Unit 3 Celebration a couple of weeks ago, and I only remembered to take a few pictures. I got this really neat camera, and I can never remember to use it!

We had a very nice turnout, and lots of good food. I will say, though, that I'll be glad to move on to a new year plan, where there will hopefully be more food selections ;-) We've spent just about the whole year in the ancient Mediterranean area. Let's see... olives, whole grain bread, grapes. We've about done all the combinations you can do! We did have some yummy baklava, a great Greek salad, some chicken kabobs, and some tasty yogurt/cucumber dip this last time. I should have taken pictures!

Some terrific projects were on display. One of the groups made amazing models of Phoenician boats using paper mache over a 2-liter soda bottle. They even made models of the cargo. Also on display were some Greek-style pots, made by taking a terra cotta pot, tracing an image on the sides, and painting around the images with black paint. (pictures would've been nice...)

One of the groups took a poem about some men from the ancient Greek period and divided it up into sections. One student took each section and recited it from memory for the parents.

The rhetoric group and their siblings performed the play about Job that is in Week 23 of the TOG year plan. It is the story from the Bible, but set in a Greek drama format. The kids wore Greek style costumes with masks, and the characters were Job, God, Satan, Job's Wife, and the Chorus. I did take pictures of that!

Here are Job (in blue), Satan (in black), and God (in white) fooling around in rehearsals.

Here's a picture of the Chorus and Chorus Leader (Job's Wife). (notice poor Job's Wife is on crutches)

Here one of the servants is reporting to Job that all of his children have been killed in a terrible accident.

Here are God and Satan discussing Job's fate. The student who played Satan came up with a really terrific voice for his character!

Here's the cast!

If you have a group of kids, I recommend doing this play. We had a lot of fun, and it didn't take a lot of work. We of course could've put more time into scenery, costumes, and memorizing lines, but even with the kids reading their lines from cards they had a great time and learned a lot. And that's what it's all about, right?

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-04-13T06:57:00.003-04:00

FOR TODAY (April 13)...
Outside my window... The sun is rising -- I know it's out there somewhere because I can see across the lake. But it's grey with clouds and light rain. It's not raining very much right now, but I can tell it's rained overnight. More expected today, with cool temperatures.

I am thinking... how thankful I am that Capt. Richard Phillips was rescued from the Somali pirates. I don't know why, but that story really captured my attention.

I am thankful for... time spent with my family yesterday. I took my Mom to church yesterday for Easter and for My Girl's confirmation. Unbelievably, there were 3 different people there that she knew from years ago (this was not her home church, and in fact was not in the same town where she has lived the last 50 years0. First, a neighbor from when I was growing up -- she had a grandson being confirmed there too! Then a co-worker -- the assistant principal at the high school where Mom worked as bookkeeper for many years. And finally a former neighbor from up here at the lake. It really pleased Mom to see these folks. After church, we came home and my brother and his wife and daughter joined us for lunch. We had a fun time!

From the learning rooms... We're taking today and tomorrow off for spring break, but we've really got to get back into a groove. The time away for speech tournaments and testing has brought our schooling to a grinding halt.

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing.

I am wearing... my favorite pj's -- royal blue fleece, that my sister gave me for Christmas.

I am creating... nothing I can think of right now.

I am going... to host 2 Tapestry teas this week and next as interest in our TOG co-op for next year in growing.

I am reading... the high school forums at the Well Trained Mind. I always plug back into those boards this time of year, when I need to start making decisions on next year's curriculum. Those homeschool moms are a wealth of information.

I am hearing... some birds chirping outside, greeting the day.

Around the house... I'm finally seeing some green! Trees are leafing, plants are blooming. Now if only I could figure out some deer deterents -- they are a real problem this year. I've been on this same spot for over 30 years and we've never had a problem with them at all. Never even seen any around our yard. Now, we see them all the time. At first they were cute, now they're really wearing out their welcome.

One of my favorite things... is napping on the couch while the Master's Tournament is on tv. Honestly! and I got to do it yesterday afternoon. Bliss!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tapestry Tea this afternoon (I need to clean up!), speech party at a park on Thursday, getting back into the school groove.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... This is My Boy, My Girl, and me at the NC speech tournament last week. My Boy got second place in one of his speeches! He's reached the final 16 before, but he's never placed, so he was thrilled beyond words to get second. We're off to the Regional tournament in Atlanta in 2 weeks!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T06:58:00.001-04:00

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Charles Wesley

Catching Up

2009-04-10T19:34:00.003-04:00

My goodness! Life really got in the way with us for the last couple of weeks.

Since I last posted, we've been to a speech tournament in Atlanta, taken our Iowa tests, been to another speech tournament near Raleigh, finished up TOG Unit 3 and had a Unit Celebration, started attending a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course, and started planning for next year's curriculum. I've got a lot to tell you, but I can only think about 1 little bit at a time or I'll get overwhelmed and just skip it altogether!

We got in from the most recent tournament last night, and now I've got to plan for the upcoming weekend. I know my family would appreciate it if I found some time to go to the grocery store in the morning, since we're pretty much scraping crumbs from the bottom of the refrigerator for meals today ;-)

Tomorrow, in addition to the grocery store, I'll go shopping for Easter baskets and I want to find a gift for My Girl. She is being confirmed at church on Sunday morning, and she's decided to be baptized as well. We're United Methodist, and she was baptized as an infant. But often kids who grow up in our church opt to be baptized again so they can have a part of the decision and so they'll remember it.

When My Boy was confirmed 2 years ago, he wanted to be immersed. So My Man held a baptism in the lake and about 4 of the confirmands joined in. It was special (but chilly in the lake in early April). My Girl has decided to be poured (as opposed to being sprinkled).

My schedule for Sunday will be a little busy: sunrise service at 6:45, church breakfast at 7:30, pick up Mom at 9:30, church at 10:30. After church, we'll go home and eat barbecue sandwiches (not quite traditional, huh?). But since Easter's are so busy, I'll make the barbecue on Saturday and then just have to heat it up after church. It's supposed to be nice weather, so we can eat on the porch. Mom looks forward to coming up here when the weather is nice -- the porch swing is "her spot"!

We can all fall asleep watching the Master's after we eat!

I've got pics of the Unit Celebration and the speech tournaments, so I'll post about those in the next couple of days.

Hope your Easter is blessed! Christ is Risen!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-03-17T16:28:00.002-04:00

FOR TODAY (March 17)...
Outside my window... I't bright and sunny -- finally! Warm today, upper 60's. There are gentle ripples on the water surface, proof there are boats on the water nearby. Warm weather brings them out!

I am thinking... that I should get off this computer and start supper.

I am thankful for... receiving our tax refund the same week we had to pay $400 for repairs to my car.

From the learning rooms... My Girl is hard at work refining her 2 speeches. Her first tournament is next week in Georgia. I think she's starting to wonder what she's gotten herself into!

From the kitchen... Tonight I'll be preparing chicken pot pie casserole. I really need to get started on it though!!

I am wearing... ok -- I'll be honest. I'm embarrassed to say that yes, it's 4:30 pm, and I'm still in my pjs. How horrible is that?? But I've got to get dressed soon -- I've got a homeschool meeting tonight.

I am creating... meal plans for next week, when My Boy will be home with My Man, as My Girl and I will be in Georgia at the tournament. I want to have things nice and microwavable!

I am going... to a homeschool support meeting tonight, where we'll be learning about right- and left-brained learners, and how to tell which your kids are.

I am reading... right now, not much. But I am researching curriculum choices for next year.

I am hearing... the tv is on in the background, but I'm not really paying attention to it. why is it on?......

Around the house... things are in need a pick up all around the house.

One of my favorite things... is getting a few minutes of time to go get a cup of coffee with friend, as I got to do yesterday with my friend Sherri.

A few plans for the rest of the week: meeting tonight, confirmation class for My Girl tomorrow night, and a speech open house on Thursday. Our TOG group meets on Skype on Friday morning.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

I saw this video on April Showers and chuckle to myself everytime I think of it:

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Camellias

2009-03-12T09:34:00.005-04:00

I really like camellias.

They are almost a perfect shrub. They are evergreen, and they bloom when most other shrubs don't, so they provide color in usually drab seasons. And the blooms are big and showy. The only down side is the litter the big showy blooms make when they fall off the branch has to be raked up at some point.

Other than that, a pretty good addition to the yard, I'd say.

The other day, we walked the dogs down the lane, and I took my new camera. A couple of neighboring lots have camellias, so I thought I'd take some pictures. This is My Boy & My Girl with the dogs. No camellias in this shot, though.

The lot next door is vacant. It has a couple of camellias which have grown uncontrolled for years so they are huge.

Farther down the road is a yard with 2 camellias growing right up next to each other, so the shrub looks like it has two types of blossoms. Some are solid pink, and some are variegated like these.

I decided last year to plant 5 camellias up near the road to provide some privacy from our new neighbors. A few weeks ago I was excited to see them covered in new buds, ready to bloom out.

Apparently, deer like young camellias. This is what mine look like right now. *sigh*. I only hope they'll grow back in this spring! Any ideas on how to protect them?

Shrimp Pasta

2009-03-10T19:14:00.003-04:00

Here's a meal my family enjoyed tonight.

1 lb. pasta (fettucine, linguine, etc.)
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag fresh spinach
2 14.5 oz cans diced or stewed tomatoes, italian seasoned
1 small can ripe olives, sliced
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
additional italian seasoning to taste (optional)
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, sautee garlic and spinach in olive oil until spinach is wilted. Add tomatoes and olives, bring to a boil and simmer 6-7 minutes covered. Add shrimp and cook another 3 minutes, or until shrimp is pink. Add cooked pasta to pan and mix well. Serve with parmasan cheese.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-03-09T22:57:00.005-04:00

FOR TODAY (March 9)...
Outside my window... It's dark outside, but I can see the reflection of the lights on the water from the house across the cove.

I am thinking... about next year's curriculum, book choices, and plans. I bought Tapestry of Grace Year 2 DE last week, and I'm deep in the weekly reading assignments making plans.

I am thankful for... the blessing of living in this house by the lake.

From the learning rooms... today was co-op day, so not much else in the school department. Tuesdays are a big day around here, because we don't have anywhere else to be.

From the kitchen... My cupboards are getting bare. I need to go to the grocery store tomorrow.

I am wearing... green knit crop pants and a Costa Rica t-shirt. My Man and I walked after dinner tonight, so I'm wearing what I put on for the walk. I'm barefooted.

I am creating... a new photo library. I got a new camera! Yippee! It's a Canon Powershot SX110 IS. It's a point-and-shoot, but it has manual settings too. I would love an SLR but it's just not in our budget right now. So far, I'm really liking this camera.

I am going... to take my car in to the shop tomorrow to have the oxygen sensor replaced. Grrrr. Good thing we got that tax refund coming!

I am reading... TOG Year 2. Can you believe there is a 42 page document on the Loom all about teaching literature in the Rhetoric level? I've got a lot of homework to do this summer.

I am hearing... the sounds of night outside. A fishing boat just came into our cove, so I hear its engines, the sound of the water splashing on the beach, and the creaks of our dock as it rocks in the disturbed water.

Around the house... signs of spring are popping up in the yard! Trees and plants are budding, forsythia and daffodils are blooming. Heaven!

One of my favorite things... is walking around our neighborhood and seeing the water from so many vantage points.

A few plans for the rest of the week: a normal schooling week. My Girl has Confimation class on Wednesday night too.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Some photos from the yard, taken with my new camera!

Here are some cardinals waiting for me to leave so they can return to the birdfeeder. We've counted as many as 14 cardinals at once around our feeder.

The forsythia along the edge of the yard.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Fifteen Authors

2009-03-07T20:31:00.004-05:00

Country Doctor's Wife posted a meme and invited everyone to participate -- list 25 authors who most influenced your writing. Well, obviously, I'm no writer. And obviously this meme was designed for folks who can write.

But I do consider myself a reader, and maybe I can think of 25 authors that I like. Well, I might not get 25. I might just get 15. and some of them might just be my favorite books, but not necessarily favorite authors. So how's that? CDW said I could make up my own rules, so I think I'll just list 15 books and/or authors that I like!

Here's my list:

1. Jane Austen (duh! How many times can I put her, anyway??)

2. Patrick O'Brian (His Jack Aubrey books are to me, like Jane Austen with male characters.)

3. C. S. Lewis (his book Mere Christianity is one of my favorites)

4. Charles Dickens (I used to try to read one of his books a year. I need to start that tradition back up again.)

5. Robert Louis Stevenson (A Child's Garden of Verses -- love those sweet poems!)

6. Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

7. Jan Karon (The Mitford series)

8. Janet Evanovich (the Stephanie Plum books -- hilarious, quick reads that are perfect summer reading)

9. Margaret Mitchell (have to give Gone With the Wind a spot on this list!)

10. Clyde Edgerton (His books Raney and Walking Across Egypt are wonderful Southern humor. In fact, I need to find my copy of Raney and read it again!)

11. J.R.R. Tolkien (the Lord of the Rings trilogy is all I've read of his, but they are, of course, terrific.)

12. James Herriot (All Creatures Great and Small, and his Treasury for Children)

13. Oswald Chambers (his daily devotions challenge me every day)

14. Louisa May Alcott (love Little Women)

15. Noel Streatfield (I loved Ballet Shoes, Theater Shoes, Skating Shoes, and Circus Shoes as a young girl)

How about you? do you have a list? You can list your favorites in the comments, or on your blog (but leave me a link if you do!)

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-03-02T19:19:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY (March 2)...
Outside my window... It's dark outside -- Monday is almost over. I can see the snow on the ground in the circle of light from the barn.

I am thinking... that I'm so happy My Man convinced me to go ahead and do our taxes today since we were snowbound anyway. Now they're all done!

I am thankful for... a dear husband who is the perfect complement to my personality. He gets me up and going when I would be happy to sit idly by.

From the learning rooms... the kids were thrilled to finally have a snow day -- the first in a couple of years around here.

From the kitchen... I can see my newly cleared off counter tops. I put away some appliances that I rarely use, and rearranged others, to make a larger workspace. I like it!

I am wearing... jeans, a turtleneck, and a dark green polarfleece pullover, with my running shoes.

I am creating... nothing right now.

I am going... to get a new laptop with our tax refund. I have to decide if I want to make the big jump to a Mac! What do you think??

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell.

I am hearing... the sound of the Final Jeopardy tune.

Around the house... There are reminders of the snow day lying about. Gloves, hats, boots, all around.

One of my favorite things... is seeing my 14 year old son frolicking in snow like a little boy. Poor things, my kids really haven't seen much snow in their short lives.

A few plans for the rest of the week: just a normal week ahead... schooling, tutoring, driving my kids to places they need to be. I do meet a friend tomorrow evening at a coffee shop to tell her about Tapestry of Grace. That will be fun!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Here are some photos from today's snow. Most didn't turn out, because my shutter is messed up on my camera. I ordered a new one today!!!

It looks like he's going to slide right into the lake, doesn't it?

Bob came by to visit us today!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-02-23T20:37:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY (February 23)...
Outside my window... It's dark outside -- Monday is almost over. Today was pretty chilly -- high in the 40's, but sunny.

I am thinking... that I'm tired of coughing. I did get that cold last Monday, and I've had it all week.

I am thankful for... the blessing of growing up in a happy family with a happy childhood. I'm also thankful that we've been able to provide that for our kids, too.

From the learning rooms... My Girl is excited about her 2 speeches she is preparing for the upcoming state tournament. But she needs to really put her mind to memorizing and perfecting them.

From the kitchen... tonight we had Salmon Stew. It's an easy & quick supper to throw together when you are short on time. I grew up eating this, but had forgotten about it until my sister reminded me of it last week. My family liked it, so I imagine I'll keep it in the "rotation."

1 can salmon, undrained, with bones removed
1 qt milk
2 T butter
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and slowly heat to just boiling. Eat with crackers!

I am wearing... My Man's old pj pants, a long sleeved t shirt, and my fuzzy fleece "housejacket." And my red fleece bedroom shoes.

I am creating... a website devoted to homeschoolers in North Carolina. www.nchomeschooler.com It's still in the baby stages, but I'm pleased with my progress so far. If you visit it, drop me a comment and tell me what you think!

I am going... to visit a friend tomorrow who has graciously suggested talking to My Boy about his debate topic, the H1B program and how it affects the United States' policy towards India. Don't ask me what that means. It's his debate topic, not mine!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)-- yep, still. Yet again.

I am hearing... the sound of the tv. Monday nights are the nights My Boy, My Girl and I watch "Chuck" and then I go and watch "The Closer" in my room. I don't watch much tv at night, but I do like those 2 shows.

Around the house... My Boy & My Girl are lounging in their new shoes. My Boy got some sweet gray New Balance shoes, and My Girl got some cute Chuck Taylor Converse All-stars. Hers are beige with a plaid tongue that she can flip down. I told her that I used to have red, white & blue ones that I got during 1976 -- the year of the Bicentennial.

One of my favorite things... is 3-Day Coconut Cake. I don't know what reminded me of that, but one sure would taste good right now!

A few plans for the rest of the week: a (non Tapestry of Grace) co-op meeting tomorrow night to plan for the fall session, and our Tapestry of Grace co-op meets on Friday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Did you watch the Oscars last night? I just watched the red carpet part. I remember thinking how pretty Amy Adams looked in this dress, and the necklace really played up her eyes. Today, reading different "Best & Worst" lists, she has made both sides -- some people's favorite, some people's worst. Go figure.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Ahh, the Sounds of Spring...

2009-02-21T07:18:00.002-05:00

For most folks, you know it's almost spring when you hear the chirping of birds outside the window. Here by the waterside, the telltale sign is the sound of bass boats rushing past at 7 o'clock on Saturday mornings....

My New Baby

2009-02-17T10:35:00.002-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to my new baby.

The North Carolina Homeschooler

This is the website I've been slowly working on the last couple of weeks. I have a long way to go, I know. But it's coming along!

If you're a homeschooler in NC, please stop by and visit. I add information every day. Right now, most of it pertains to the Piedmont area of the state, but I'm hoping that will change soon. As more folks find me, I'll get more announcements from other areas.

Also, I want to include tips for NC vacations and field trips. Got any? Please send them my way, along with photos.

And let me know what you think!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-02-16T16:59:00.004-05:00

FOR TODAY (February 16)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining and the breeze is chilly. Once again snow was forecasted, and nothing fell. I have 2 very disappointed children.

I am thinking... that I am coming down with the cold My Boy had last week, and My Girl had over the weekend. My throat has been getting scratchier all day.

I am thankful for... meds that lessen the symptoms of colds, etc. Can you imagine living in the days of no advil? No benadryl?

From the learning rooms... 30 days and counting until the IOWA tests. We're ratcheting up the math this year in hopes of bringing up those scores. Both my kids score way above grade level on language, not so much on math. Scholastic had some good workbooks for prepping for the tests in the math area, and we've been working on those. We'll know soon how well they worked.

From the kitchen... there are pork chops in the crockpot, cooking in honey mustard sauce. I'll add rice and roasted asparagus to our dinner, along with rolls.

I am wearing... blue jeans, a beige long sleeve top and a burgundy camisole underneath. I'm chilly, though. I need to put on my fuzzy polarfleece "house jacket".

I am creating... amigurumi dolls with the co-op class I teach on Mondays. I'm teaching them to crochet, and then we'll make one of these cute dolls.

I am going... to hear Chuck Edwards speak tomorrow night. He'll be talking to parents and teens about media and how worldview comes through in what we watch and read. Both My Girl and My Boy will be attending, but they're not very excited about it. They're going anyway ;-)

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)-- yep, still.

I am hearing... just a few sounds. I like quiet after a long day at co-op. I can hear the jingle of the dogs' collars, the sound of the wii downstairs where My Boy and My Girl are playing, and the sound of a fishing boat out on the lake. They must have decided the fish aren't biting in our cove so they've headed off for better luck somewhere else.

Around the house... Every room needs a general picking up. A few weeks ago we had a party and everything was so clean, and I wondered how long it would stay that way. The answer is, not long.

One of my favorite things... is roasted asparagus. Place fresh asparagus in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt, and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes. Easy and delicious!

A few plans for the rest of the week: not much out of the ordinary this week. Schooling, tutoring, laundry. I love weeks like this one :-)

Here is picture thought I am sharing... this is a picture of some cute amigurumi that I borrowed from Patti's Originals

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

2009-02-16T10:38:00.003-05:00

I borrowed this quote from over at Quiet Life, because I thought it was such a good reminder for me (and maybe lots of other homeschoolers and moms as well):

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

-- Helen Keller

Have a great day! My entry for Simple Woman's Daybook will follow later today.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:57:00.002-05:00

Here's wishing you a happy Valentine's Day!

We had a very nice one here. It really began last night, with a date night for me and My Man. We had dinner at a nice restaurant -- one where we even had to dress up a little. It was divine...

Today began with sunshine and yard work for me! I finished the pruning I needed to do (I even took pictures, and I'll post them tomorrow). Then My Man helped me load the brush into the truck, and we took them to the landfill. After that, we drove to visit my mom. We had a nice surprise, in that my sister was there too (Hi Sis!) so that made the trip extra special :-)

We came home (after stopping off for some groceries) and I fixed dinner: steaks, sauteed broccoli, oven-roasted potatoes, and honeydew melon. Yummy.

My Man said, I wonder how many other women got taken to the landfill and the grocery store on Valentine's Day?? I say, if it's with my Valentine, I'm happy to be going anywhere!

Speech & Debate

2009-02-10T09:33:00.006-05:00

Can you believe it? I took my camera to the Speech & Debate tournament last Saturday, and I actually used it! Now I've got some photos to share so you'll have an idea of what we do at the tournaments.

We're a part of a Speech & Debate club that competes under the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA). My Boy has been competing for 3 years now. This year he is competing in Team Policy debate, Open Interpretation, and Impromptu speaking. This is My Girl's first year participating, and she is competing in Open Interpretation and Expository speaking.

Open Interpretation, like all "interps," is a category where you take a piece from literature and "bring it to life," in other words, act it out word for word from the piece. Last year, My Boy did a selection from Wind in the Willows; this year he's doing Yellow & Pink by William Steig, and My Girl is doing Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes.

Impromptu speaking is where you draw 3 topics from an envelope and you have 2 minutes to prepare a 5 minute speech on one of the topics.

Expository speaking is what you normally think of when you think of speeches. This is a speech on a topic of your choice, using visual aids such as display boards.

Team Policy debate is a debate between 2 teams of 2 members each, debating a set resolution. This year's resolution is: "Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly change its policy toward India."

There are many other categories to compete in -- these are just the ones my kids are doing this year.

This is challenging stuff, and a tiring event, but my kids love it. They spend the fall preparing for tournament season, which runs from winter through spring. We are a part of a region that includes NC, SC, Georgia, and Florida, so they are competing against kids from all over those 4 states. In April there is a Regional tournament, where the semi-finalists from the earlier tournaments in the region compete. Then a national tournament follows in May, where kids from all over the country compete against each other.

It's a terrific opportunity for them to meet people, make friends, and gain experience speaking in front of audiences about topics that matter.

Last Saturday was a practice tournament that our local club sponsored. We had about 50-60 kids from NC and SC. Here are some of the photos I took:

Here, My Boy and his debate partner were the negative team, against the team that eventually had the winning record for the day. These pictures were actually taken after the round was over, so the guys are making notes and talking about how things went.

This is a debater giving one of his speeches.

Here are some parents doing their jobs -- judging speeches & debates, checking ballots, assigning timers, and tabulating results are just a few of the jobs parents do. Speech & Debate is definitely NOT a drop-off activity!

These are some of the students who participated, during "off" time in the gathering room. The practice tournaments last from 8:30 to 5:30; actual tournaments go all day for 3 days.

This is how most of us feel by the end of the day!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-02-09T08:03:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY (February 9)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining! It's chilly this morning (39) and a high near 70 is expected all week! Yippee!

I am thinking... that I need to bake something to take to our new neighbors. They moved in last week to the house high on the hill, across the street from us. They have a nice view of the lake, right over the roof of our house! This is a new construction house, so our little neighborhood is growing. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like the quiet and privacy we've had for years and years :-)

I am thankful for... having My Man and My Girl back home after a weekend away at a youth retreat in the mountains. My Girl had a terrific time and was bubbling over with excitement telling me about it.

From the learning rooms... My Boy doesn't have his biology lab today, so we don't have to rush so early to get to co-op. He does, however, need to use that time stay caught up with biology! This is his first lab science and he's finding it difficult but as the year is progressing, so is he. and that's all I ask!

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing, and it's about time I go have a cup. Tonight for dinner: hamburgers on the grill, Pioneer Woman's guacamole & chips, and Pioneer Woman's Onion Strings. Mmmmmm...

I am wearing... Navy blue satin pj pants, a navy long-sleeved t-shirt, and no bedroom slippers. I couldn't find them in the dark this morning.

I am creating... a website for homeschoolers. I'll post about it this week.

I am going... out to eat with My Man to a fancy restaurant on Friday, for Valentine's Day!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)

I am hoping... that My Boy feels better today. He was feeling puny all day yesterday. I hope it was just being run down from the tournament on Saturday, and that he'll bounce back today.

I am hearing... birds twittering and geese honking outside. They are as happy about the sunshine and warm temps as I am! Here's a sound file of the twittering I hear.

Around the house... This week I need to prune, prune, prune. I have three huge butterfly bushes that need to be cut way back, an arbor of scuppernong vines that I ignored last year and so they must be attended to this year, as well as shrubs that need to be neatened up a bit.

One of my favorite things... is springtime. I don't know if this warm spell is the real thing, but I'll take a week of pretending it is.

A few plans for the rest of the week: schooling, tutoring, and pruning. I also need to run down and visit my mom and adjust her new bird feeder so she has a better view of it from her room.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This is a photo of the house finch. They're not the most beautiful of the birds in our yard, but they still have a place in my heart. Of course I see a lot of their babies, because they love to nest in my ferns and they endure my peeking at them all spring long. So we've come to appreciate each other.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Busy Weekend

2009-02-06T06:21:00.003-05:00

I've got a busy weekend coming up.

This morning our Rhetoric group (high schoolers) in the Tapestry of Grace co-op have our weekly discussion meeting. Every other week, we meet in person, but on the "other" weeks (like today) we meet on Skype. That's from 8:30-11:30.

I'm cutting out early to get my hair cut (Yippee! It's way overdue.)

Then, My Girl and My Man are leaving this afternoon for a youth retreat in the mountains. They should have a great weekend -- lots of music, speakers, and activities, plus snow tubing on Saturday afternoon. They'll get back on Sunday.

In the meantime, tonight My Boy and I have to go set up for the third (and final) practice tournament for Speech and Debate. That tournament runs all day tomorrow. I am going to take my camera (just like I did at all the others) and I'm really going to try to take some pictures this time. If I do, I'll post them Sunday.

Hope your weekend is full of rest and fun, and happy times together with the ones you love.

Simple Woman's Daybook for February 3, 2009

2009-02-03T10:47:00.005-05:00

FOR TODAY (February 3)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining! The water is bright with the reflection of the sun, and the flag by the shoreline is waving in the breeze.

I am thinking... about plans for that new website I mentioned a few weeks ago. I've gotten started on it, and can't wait to launch it! But it's been taking a lot of time, so I haven't been posting here as often as I should.

I am thankful for... having My Man back home after 2 weeks away on a mission trip.

From the learning rooms... we're trying to get a lot done today. Tuesdays & Wednesdays are our only days without outside classes and co-ops, so we have to really make them count.

From the kitchen... Nothing's cooking right now. We went to Denny's for breakfast this morning -- they are giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts until 2:00!

I am wearing... blue jeans, a navy turtleneck, a grey wool v-neck pullover, and lime green running shoes.

I am creating... nothing really right now, but I almost always have a pair of socks on the needles ;-)

I am going... no where else today. See above regarding Tuesdays and making them count schoolwise!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. I saw the miniseries last week while My Man was away (really good BBC historical drama) and wanted to read the book now!

I am hoping... that spring will arrive early this year.

I am hearing... the footsteps of my kids upstairs while on a "short" break. Aha! Here comes someone now -- I hear their footsteps on the stairs!

Around the house... the house is pretty clean and straightened right now, since we had a few of My Boy's friends over for the Super Bowl. I wish it would stay like this!

One of my favorite things... is seeing deer run across the road as we drive to and from our home.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Nothing out of the ordinary for the week, but then on Saturday we have our last practice tournament for Speech & Debate. As Facilities Director, it's a long day for me (as well as all the other folks who put this show on!) I'm kind of glad this is the last one for awhile.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This is a photo of My Boy participating at a youth leadership conference he attended last week. It was sponsored by the Leadership Institute, a national group promoting conservative political action among high school and college students. There were about 45 kids at the conference last week. In this photo, they are in break-out sessions devising a solution for a hypothetical problem they were assigned.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

Aretha's Hat

2009-01-29T15:48:00.003-05:00

So, I'm assuming you watched at least part of President Obama's inauguration ceremony last week. Did you see Aretha Franklin singing America the Beautiful? Did you love her hat?

Well, I love the Queen of Soul. Always have! and I thought her hat was smashing!

But please, please, click on this link to see other versions of the famous chapeau. Be sure to go through the entire slide show. You won't be sorry!

The Story of Bob

2009-01-28T09:34:00.006-05:00

We used to have a dog named Bob.

Bob is a beautiful, friendly, hulk-of-a-dog Golden Retriever, and we love him to death!

Here's his story:

We brought Bob home in summer of 2000 from a breeder who lives nearby.

Here's a picture the breeder took of us with Bob and Bob's mom. Look at how little My Boy and My Girl were! Look at how little Bob was! Look at how skinny I was!

Bob was cute, and roundish, and reddish, and my kids were in a Veggie Tales phase, so they named him after Bob the tomato.

Bob grew and grew and grew into a gorgeous, loving family pet. You couldn't ask for a better pet for small kids -- so patient with them tumbling around and over him! Always there for a rub (you rubbing him, that is).

Bob loves living at the lake. He loves hunting for box turtles, and barking at Blue Herons.

His favorite lake pastime is fishing. On a given day, he will stand in the water up to his tummy, and stare in the water watching for fish swimming by. For hours. And hours. He won't come out when called. He won't come out for bribes like hot dogs. He never tries to catch any of them, he just enjoys watching. And watching.

For some reason, Bob no longer likes to swim. When he was younger, he loved retrieving sticks and tennis balls in the lake, but at some point he grew fearful of it. If you would throw a stick in the lake, he would jump around on the shore, and run out onto the dock, and he wanted that stick so badly. But he would not go in after it, no matter what. It's still a mystery to me what happened to him to cause this change.

Another thing Bob loves about living at the lake is the socializing. We live on a quiet road that is very sparsely populated. There are homes on our road, but most of them belong to weekenders, whom we only see in the summer. The rest of the time, there are just a few of us around. So we feel free to let Bob visit the neighborhood as much as he likes. He is free to walk around and say hi to whomever he can find on any given day, and everyone on our point knows him and loves him.
He became the Neighborhood Dog.

Through the woods, there is a home of "year rounders"-- two women who share a very nice lake front house. They run a business of some sort from their home, so they have folks in and out quite a bit. They also throw some really loud parties on weekend nights in the summer. Bob, being the socialite he is, loves to frequent those parties and visit those ladies quite a bit.

One night, a few years ago, we got a phone call that Bob had been at one of their parties and a thunderstorm came up. (Now another of Bob's quirks is extreme fear of loud noises like thunder and fireworks. We had to tranquilize him every July 4th because so many folks shoot them here at the lake.) Anyway, when the storm hit, Bob got so upset that he burst through their screen door trying to get in the house (all 105 pounds of him!) and he wouldn't go back outside.

You can imagine our embarrassment -- this was the first time we'd ever met these people, and it was because our dog had just torn through their screen door. Yikes!

Anyway, as the days and months passed, Bob began spending more and more time over there. These ladies had 2 black labs, both getting up in years, and they spoiled those dogs. When Bob came visiting, they spoiled him, too.

They regularly cooked chicken and rice for their dogs, and gave some to Bob. When they cooked steak, they cooked enough for all 3 dogs, too. They left their downstairs door ajar so the dogs could come and go in the house, and the dogs slept on a leather futon.

To make a long story short, Bob decided he'd rather live where he got homecooked meals every night, and slept on a leather couch - he's surely not stupid! It got to where he was spending so much time with those folks, we asked if they'd like to adopt him. They jumped on the chance.

Not much has really changed, though. Bob is still free to roam the neighborhood and visit whenever he likes. Now, though, we're not home base. We're the ones he visits.

And we still see him from time to time, though his visits are not as frequent. He's getting white in the face (he's almost 9 now) and he slowly meanders up the road where he used to trot at a brisk pace.

But we still love him to death! Whenever he comes by, we all go out and hug his neck and give him dog treats. But since I don't offer him our chicken and rice, he goes along on his way.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-01-26T19:33:00.005-05:00

FOR TODAY (January 26)...
Outside my window... It is evening, and chilly and grey. This seems to be a recurring cycle of weather lately -- grey and chilly.

I am thinking... of my sweet husband, who is out of town on a mission trip right now. (same as last Monday. Thank goodness, this is the last Monday I'll have to write that!)

I am thankful for... God's provision and faithfulness.

From the learning rooms... My Boy and My Girl each had good tournaments last Saturday in speech & debate. My Girl just barely got her expos speech completed in time to deliver it -- now she needs to work on memorizing it!

From the kitchen... we've been enjoying a big pot of barbecue the last day or so. I can only make this recipe when My Man is not home, as it doesn't agree with his delicate constitution :-)

I am wearing... satin-y pj's that have a flannel-like lining. Very warm and cozy, yet pretty too!

I am creating... a monogrammed pillowcase using this beautiful embroidery pattern:

I am going... to drink more water! Then I'll see about the next step in losing some weight.

I am reading... the Cliff's Notes version of the Iliad to aid in my teaching of this class in our co-op.

I am hoping... to get a good night's sleep tonight. One of our dogs, Princess, was up sick all night last night. I also hope she's ok now. She has seemed fine all day, so we'll see.

I am hearing... the news on tv. It's taking me awhile to be accustomed to having a new president. Every time they say "the president says..." and I look up to see President Obama it makes me start just a bit. Eight years is a long time to see the same person identified as "Mr. President" so I guess it's normal to take awhile to adjust!

Around the house... We're all pretty quiet, and winding down. We had a busy, busy weekend with the tournament on Saturday and church on Sunday, and then co-op today. We're all ready for a quiet normal day at home tomorrow.

One of my favorite things... is a warm spring afternoon spent on the porch swing overlooking the lake. That seems oh, so far away right now...

A few plans for the rest of the week: Teens in our homeschool group will be helping me serve dinner at Room in the Inn at our church on Wednesday night. This is a branch of the Urban Ministries program that provides overnight shelter for the homeless in our area.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I need some sunshine! Since there's none here for me, here's Monet's "Cliff Walk" that I can gaze at and remember what the sunshine feels like.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

My Friends Blog Award

2009-01-22T19:47:00.003-05:00

My blogging friend, Deb from Atlanta, so kindly gave me this Friends Blog Award. Thank you Deb!

According to Deb's blog:

"The Friends Award isn't about being the most popular blogger or having the most read blog. It is just because you are a friend.

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I'm sorry to say, though, I don't have 8 blogger friends! I'm too new at being a semi-consistent blogger. Plus, I would've given one to Deb and also to Country Girl, but Deb beat me to it!

Here are the blogs I chose to receive the award:

Alice at Beside the Stream
Suzanne at Chickens in the Road
Kristine at Jewels of My Own
Mrs. C at Happenings @ Home

Unit 2 Celebration

2009-01-22T06:35:00.007-05:00

Our co-op had our Unit Celebration for Unit 2 of Tapestry of Grace last Friday night. A fun time was had by all :-)

Our evening started with the Rhetoric kids reading character sketches they had written about characters from the Odyssey. We don't normally assign writing in our co-op, so we weren't sure what we would get. They did a pretty good job, though. We told them to write a 3-minute oral report, and gave them character qualities to concentrate on based on one of their questions from the Week 17 SAP's. We were proud of them, though none of them quite made it to 3 minutes!

Next, one of the Dialectic groups presented a hilarious re-enactment of the story of Samson and Delilah. Quite entertaining! Samson was too embarrassed to show his face, though, so he looked a little like Cousin It from the Addams Family.

I'm sorry to say I don't have more pictures of the skit, but I was using the wrong setting on my camera and there was too much fast-paced action (!) so they came out blurry. Here is a photo of Delilah talking with the Philistines, though.

Next time, if they'll do costumes, I'll do better with the photography!

After the re-enactment, several of the kids told us about projects they had made over the past nine weeks. We had some really beautiful projects.

This was all followed by the most fun of all, the food! We had a great range of flavors, as this unit included the Israelites, the Philistines, and the Greeks, as well as 1-week each the Chinese, India, and the Mayans. Our food included black bean soup with corn, chinese pot stickers, Philistine Stew, tabouleh, homemade bread, olives, baklava, and a terrific Greek salad. The kids (and some moms) first told us all what we were eating and why they chose that dish to bring, then we could dig in.

The evening ended with fellowship. We all love the Unit Celebrations, especially since they give us a chance to visit with each other. Since we're in separate classes for co-op we don't get much chance to chat. Also, the dads enjoy feeling more a part of what we do.

This is the first year our co-op has been so big (13 families!) and the newer folks are adding so much to our group. It's been a fun year!

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-01-19T18:45:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY (January 19)...
Outside my window... It is evening, growing pretty dark. There is a mist of moisture beginning to fall, as they are calling for 1-3 inches of snow overnight. (Here, that's a pretty good snowfall!)

I am thinking... of my sweet husband, who is out of town on a mission trip right now. While we're waiting on snow, he's suffering in 90 degree sunshiny days. Poor baby.

I am thankful for... my 2 kids, who are a joy to talk to, to laugh with, and to be around.

From the learning rooms... We had our first day of Spring co-op today. I'm teaching a Needle Crafts class and a class on the Iliad & the Odyssey. It went well, but I'm exhausted!

From the kitchen... I have a pot of Chicken Tortilla Soup simmering on the stove. I got the recipe from Happenings @ Home. It was just the ticket on this cold night!

I am wearing... warm pj's and my red Land's End slippers I got for Christmas.

I am creating... workbooks for Unit 3 of Tapestry of Grace for my kids.

I am going... to stay inside all day tomorrow!

I am reading... nothing right now. I need to find a book to start.

I am hoping... our power won't go out with the snow tonight and tomorrow. With My Man not here, I don't want to have problems to deal with!

I am hearing... Ginger (one of our pups) going to town on her raw-hide bone. She loves those things!

Around the house... there are too many lights on! Usually it's My Man who goes behind the kids to turn off lights they leave on. But with him gone, I need to go turn a few off right quick ;-)

One of my favorite things... is the show "24", and it's on tonight.

A few plans for the rest of the week: We'll be doing our schoolwork in front of the tv tomorrow to watch the inauguration, and we have a practice speech & debate tournament on Saturday that our club is sponsoring.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Here's my favorite video montage of Pride & Prejudice. Enjoy it!

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

My Interview with Country Girl

2009-01-14T06:31:00.002-05:00

Country Girl posted an interview of her own the other day, and offered to interview others. She graciously agreed to interview me, too, and here it is:

CG: I can see from reading your blog that you're a book lover. I'd like to know if you could tell me one single book that made an impact on you. Why?

WL: Oh my, one single book? Well, I suppose one that has made the biggest impact (besides the Bible of course) would be Dumbing Us Down: the Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, by John Taylor Gatto. It's a short book, written by a former New York state Teacher of the Year, and it was a major factor in our final decision to go ahead and homeschool.

CG: Your Blogger profile lists North Carolina as your home. Are you a native of that state? And what do you love about North Carolina?

WL: Yes, in fact I'm one of the "rare" remaining natives in a state that has seen huge population growth from newcomers in recent years. I love lots of things about NC: the weather, the people, the fact that I can get to the mountains in less than 2 hours and the beach in 4 hours, the small towns, the trees, and the weather.

CG: If I asked your family what their favorite all-time mom-cooked meal was, what would they tell me? (They'd all have to agree!)

WL: I just asked them, and they agreed on creamed chicken served over rice, sauteed green beans, and rolls. And that's saying something, since they NEVER agree :-)

CG: I see that you homeschool. What led you to this decision?

WL: Yikes, how long do we have? Well, first, I was surprised that when it came time to return to work after maternity leave with My Boy, I found that I could not bear to turn my baby over to someone else for that many hours a day. So I didn't. I quit my job to stay home with him. Then, the Lord showed us some kids in our church who were the most poised, honest, good-natured, nice-to-be-around teens I'd ever met, and we knew we wanted our kids to turn out like those kids. They were homeschooled, and that was my first introduction to the fact that there were even such things as homeschooled kids. Through the years our kids were little we just kept hearing good things about homeschooling, and meeting more and more families that did it. And My Man is notoriously a "go against the stream" kind of guy, so he was very supportive. I knew from my own 6 years of teaching experience that while there were some very good teachers out there, there were also some very bad ones, and you have no control over which ones your child gets. I knew I could do at least as well as a mediocre teacher any day of the week. So we gave it a whirl. And our kids are looking more and more like those first teens we met years ago.

CG: If you could take your husband for a week-long getaway (money is no factor and the children will be cared for) where in the entire world would you go and why?

WL: I'd prefer a beach somewhere with a good book, buy My Man would be bored silly. So my dream trip with him would be to visit England to see all the places John Wesley lived and preached.

Thank you so much for the interview, Kate! I had fun answering your questions.

Would you like to be interviewed?

Here's the directions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

So let me know if you'd like to play along!

Great Deal on Tickets!

2009-01-12T17:02:00.002-05:00

OK, so on my Adsense (to the right) today all day the ad has been for Carolina Panthers tickets. Lower level! 50 Yard line! Whatever you want!

I bet they are running some terrific deals on those tickets right about now...

Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-01-12T06:56:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY (January 12)...
Outside my window... The sun has just risen. The water level has come up several feet. The beach area where we had the bonfire is covered in water this morning. There must have been more rain in the mountains than we got here. It always takes a day or two for that rain to make it down to our part of the river system.

I am thinking... about a new web-based business idea. It's still in the baby stages, so I'm not sure about it yet. I'm keeping the details close until I decide whether to really go for it.

I am thankful for... the new friends my daughter has made at church. They are an answer to prayer.

From the learning rooms... My Boy's biology lab starts back today. I've talked My Girl into entering a geography bee this morning. The $10 prize was the clincher. She hasn't studied, and she just decided last night, so this is just a lark!

From the kitchen... I can smell my coffee brewing, and I can see a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Let's see, blog or do the dishes???

I am wearing... warm pj's but nothing on my feet. They're starting to complain.

I am creating... a pair of socks with the handpainted sock yarn My Man bought me for Christmas.

I am going... to visitation tomorrow night for a dear dear woman who died over the weekend. She was 86 years old, like a grandmother to our family, the saint & conscience of our former church. She will be profoundly missed, but I know she is rejoicing with her Savior right now.

I am reading... some knitting and sewing books to prepare for a Needle Crafts class I'll be teaching for our homeschool co-op beginning next week.

I am hoping... the vest I am making My Man will fit. I pieced it yesterday, and it looks big! I'll have him try it this morning.

I am hearing... the occasional bark of a dog somewhere across the lake.

Around the house... the baseboards are calling out to be cleaned. I hate cleaning baseboards. That's the one household chore I will gladly pay the kids to do.

One of my favorite things... is the smell of sesame seed oil. It just makes my knees weak!

A few plans for the rest of the week: I'm starting a part-time tutoring job at the local elementary school on Wednesday. I'll be working with kindergarteners for the first time in 7 years! Oh my!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I didn't take this photo of an osprey nest, but it is a fairly common sight around the lake.

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

well, so much for the playoffs...

2009-01-11T13:30:00.002-05:00

Wow. What a let down last night's game was.

In case you don't follow NFL football, last night was the playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and my hometown favorite Carolina Panthers. The same Carolina Panthers who had finished the regular season 12-3, had won their division, had secured a home playoff game and a bye week by playing so well in the regular season, who had even beat these same Arizona Cardinals earlier in the season.

Arizona won, 33-13.

It looked like someone was out there dressed up in Panthers uniforms, pretending to be our guys. It was a nightmare. Ugh.

Oh well, at least my Tarheels are playing basketball this afternoon...

Go Panthers!

2009-01-10T07:30:00.005-05:00

Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Playoff game 8:15 p.m. tonight
Forecast: rain reaching area by 8:00 p.m., 45 degrees

Not sure exactly what I'm wearing, but I'm gonna be cold & wet either way!

Polar Bears

2009-01-09T07:01:00.003-05:00

You've heard of the Polar Bear Club, right? They're the folks in Coney Island who (insanely) swim throughout the winter months, and every year on New Year's Day. There's lots other groups that do similar New Year's Day swims, but I think the Coney Island guys were first.

Well, this year My Girl and My Boy decided to go for their own version.

You see, every year My Man begins his needling sometime in January for one of them to jump in the lake. He offers all kinds of bribery, from money to french fries, if they'll take his dare and jump in.

Mind you, a normal, perfectly sane person won't go swimming in our lake until at least mid-May. While we don't get much snow around here, and the temps aren't nearly what they are up north, it does get cold in the water! We always have plenty of below freezing temperatures, enough to get the water really really cold.

Usually, the kiddos don't give in until March, and even then on a bright sunny unusually-warm day.

This year, My Crazy, Brave Girl gave in on January 3! And My Boy couldn't let her be the only one to lay claim to the honor of Earliest Jump, so he agreed, too. Of course, on the condition that no pictures of him would show up on anyone's blog :D

The prize? Dinner at the local Japanese joint, to include sushi. Since I didn't want to cook, and we all love Japanese, I'd say we got off pretty easy.

PS I have to add, they went in again and went all the way under. Unbelievable!

Crazy Weather

2009-01-07T15:44:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was crazy, weather-wise!

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of pounding rain and heavy gusts of wind blowing against the windows. It was around 66 degrees.

By breakfast, the rain had stopped, and it was a little breezy.

By noon, nothing really to talk about, except that it was sunny for the first time in several days!

At 3:00, I noticed our lights were going dim off and on, and realized it was due to heavy winds again. I looked out the window, and grabbed my camera. Here's what I saw:

The rainbow was huge, right across our cove, and gorgeous. There were dark rain clouds behind it, to heighten the effect.

I like this one, because you can see leaves blowing in the forground.

Looking out towards the main channel, you can see the whitecaps. This is the same basic view as my banner, so you can see the difference in the water.

After about 5 minutes, the rainbow was gone but the winds were still very high. Around 3:20 I took another look outside and a huge flock of white birds (seagulls?) was flying over the channel.

Then, another 5 or 10 minutes pass, I look outside, and see this:

This time, the double rainbow was more visible, and the first one showed from end to end. I couldn't get it all in one shot so I had to take two.

Then, around 3:45 we had a rain shower, for about 30 seconds.

Then, nothing noticeable.

Last night, the winds had died down and the temp had dropped to the 40's.

This morning, I hear they're calling for snow later this week!

Lake Management

2009-01-06T06:28:00.006-05:00

Our lovely lake is part of a system of lakes in North and South Carolina that is managed by the local power company. The lakes are created with a series of dams up and down a river basin that stretches from the mountains of NC southward to the lowlands of SC.

Throughout the year, the power company manipulates the lake levels, depending on weather conditions and the need for hydroelectric power. Usually, they lower the lake to its lowest level in the winter, and that gives property owners a chance to perform dock and seawall maintenance. We're lucky with our particular lot. When the lake is full, the water comes all the way up to our seawall; when the lake is at its lowest, the floats of our dock are still in the water, though it is very shallow. We also have one of the few natural sand beaches, so we have a nice swimming area.

For the last couple of years, our area has been under severe to extreme drought conditions. I wrote about it here, and posted pictures like this one of our own dock.

You can see that about half of our dock is beached, and you can easily see the havoc the low water played on the structure of our dock. I'm surprised we made it through the season without losing it altogether.

This year we've had some relief from the drought. Our specific area is officially out of the drought, but the entire river basin as a whole is still in stage 3 drought conditions. We had a lot of rain this fall which enabled the lake to get almost to full pond, which in turn allowed the lake management folks to have more control over the winter level. That means we're back to almost-normal winter levels, which look like this.

That's My Man and the kids burning the Christmas tree and yard debris, an annual thing here when the lake gets low enough to allow it.

It's so wonderful to see the difference. While we aren't farmers, or otherwise dependent on rain for our livelihood, this past drought has been such a reminder to me of how folks throughout time have been dependent on God's providence. Everytime I saw our creaking old dock about to break in half due to the low water, I was reminded of the awesome power of our Lord, and the inability of man to control certain things.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. -- Matthew 5:45

Simple Woman's Daybook for January 5, 2009

2009-01-05T07:12:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY ...
Outside my window... it's still dark, and I can see the twinkling of lights from homes across the lake. I love how they shimmer on the water.

I am thinking... about gearing up for school this week and all that will entail.

I am thankful for... a free afternoon so we won't have to rush school this morning. Our local co-op doesn't begin until next Monday.

From the learning rooms... back to work today! I always dread the day back -- usually attitudes are the number one teaching opportunities on these days.

From the kitchen... nothing yet, but plans are for chicken stir fry tonight for dinner. My Girl's favorite!

I am wearing... a big fuzzy robe with huge snowflakes all over, that My Girl picked out for me for Christmas last year.

I am creating... still working on My Man's vest. I've blocked the pieces, they should be dry today and I will assemble it and knit the neck and armhole finishing. Then another block probably, and c'est finis!

I am going... no where today, as I want to concentrate only on a full day of schooling.

I am reading... everything I can find on the Carolina Panthers and their big playoff game this week against Arizona.

I am hoping... my kids will be positive and cheerful about returning to the school routine today. (Ha. Ha.)

I am hearing... the ticking of my clock on the wall and the clicking of my keyboard as I type. All else is quiet.

Around the house... Christmas decorations are away, but there are still signs of it -- the furniture is still out of place to make room for the drumset of our new Guitar Hero band kit. Funny, Santa didn't realize that would have to be considered an addition to the room decor when he brought that :0

One of my favorite things... is watching My Girl and My Boy playing together and enjoying each other, as when they've played Guitar Hero this week.

A few plans for the rest of the week: easing back into routine, and then going to the Panther's game on Saturday night! Can't wait!

Here is picture thought I am sharing... We had to promise one crazy photo to get the one good photo of the grandkids at Christmas. Guess which one this is...

If you'd like to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit this link.

New Year's Menu

2009-01-02T20:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we veered a little away from southern New Year's tradition, and maybe started our own new one!

The typical southern New Year's meal, at least for my southern family, is hog jowl, mashed potatoes, black-eyed peas, and collard greens. And I don't mean anything from a can or freezer bag! The collards must be fresh, cooked all morning (which really smells up the house, you know), and laced with bacon grease. The hog jowl must be sliced thin and broiled. The black eyed peas must by soaked overnight and cooked (with a slice of hog jowl for flavor). And the potatoes must be peeled, boiled, mashed, etc.

Let me tell you, it is dee-lish-ous in a big way, but it is an all morning effort. Something along the lines of Thanksgiving. And honestly, my own little family is not so dedicated to it that they'd miss it. They do like collards, but canned is ok. Black-eyed peas are fine, but canned is ok. Hog jowl? well, if I fix it, they'll eat it, but they aren't going to request it or anything.

My parents lived with us for 3 years, and during that time my mom taught me how to do the New Year's meal. And I did it each of those years. But now that it's just our little family, I decided to ditch it :-) Remember, this is the year of my becoming strong! And that includes standing up to family traditions that I don't want to keep! Ha! How invigorating is that??

Instead, we had (canned) collards, (canned) black eyed peas, and ---TA DA-- shrimp and grits! And it was really wonderful. The grits were creamy, the shrimp just right, and everyone liked it. In fact, My Man suggested we should fix the shrimp and grits for company some time. THAT is a recommendation in my house!

I'm thinking we'll repeat the menu next year, too. As for the collards and peas, next year I'll probably at least do frozen instead of canned :-)

A Couple of Homeschooling Tips

2009-01-02T11:03:00.003-05:00

I've come across 2 short tips for homeschoolers in the last couple of days, and wanted to share them with you.

1) Scholastic Teacher Sale -- through January 31, Scholastic is offering a large selection of teaching materials for $1 each. I ordered 10 books with topics ranging from Pre-algebra worksheets to Writing Prompts. Check it out at this link. But be careful, they run out quick!

2) Lee Binz, of the Homescholar Helper, has written a very helpful article on teaching writing to middle & high schoolers. Her article can be found here, and I recommend signing up for her newsletters if you have a high schooler or a soon-to-be.

Another New Year

2009-01-01T08:27:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've been making the rounds on my blog list and enjoying reading so many New Year's resolutions & goals. So of course I've been thinking about my own.

You know what? The only thing I can really think of is to be stronger in 2009.

Well, of course, there's always lose weight. But it seems like lose weight is up there on a shelf all the time. Every year. And each New Year I take it down, blow the dust off of it, and put it back. There, I can look at it, appreciate its beauty and value, and then go on about my business. Sigh. One of these days I'm going to take it down and actually put it to use!

No, this year I want to be stronger. Here's what I mean.

*note* -- this is going to get very introspective and journal-y, I can tell. If you don't want to hear that stuff, then stop here! And Happy New Year!!

Some of you may remember that this time last year I had a health scare, and it seems to have really thrown me for a loop. What turned out to be relatively minor and fixable -- Praise God! -- could just as easily been very serious and life threatening. I'm seeing lately that the whole thing left me feeling very shaken and vulnerable, more than I realized. I have been feeling lately that I'm vulnerable to the whims of life, somehow, and I don't like that.

I know in my head that I am a child of God, and I am only subject to Him and His plans for my life. Knowing that in my head is a great comfort to me, but unfortunately that knowledge doesn't seem to spread to my emotions, my psyche. I've become more aware of life and of death, become more fearful of risk. More (if that's possible) of a homebody. It's not to the point that it has changed my lifestyle, but I don't want it to get that far!

So this year I want to feel stronger! More in control of my day-to-day life! I've been almost hibernating this Christmas break, and it has felt good. Helped me to recharge. But now it's time to get moving! I need to get my house in order, my kid's schooling in order, my LIFE in order!

It's time for a new outlook!

Now let's see if I can put this new resolution to actual use...

On a happier note, here's my favorite Carol Burnett sketch of all time. It's long, so if you can't watch it all, at least watch the first 4 minutes. (This is part 2 of the sketch. Part 1 is on youtube, also.)

Chicken & Salsa Skillet

2008-12-31T10:52:00.002-05:00

Another "hit" recipe that I need to keep. This one is from the Kraft Foods magazine.

2 c multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 c salsa
1 c frozen corn, thawed
1 large green bell pepper, cut into short thin strips
1 c shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican style)

Cook pasta as directed. Meanwhile, spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, and heat to medium-high. Add chicken; cook & stir 2 min. Stir in salsa, corn, and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Drain pasta, and add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese and remove from heat. Let stand 1 min. or until cheese is melted.

Simple Woman's Daybook

2008-12-30T06:55:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY (Tuesday, Dec. 30)...

Outside my window... the sun is beginning to rise, so I can see silhouettes of the trees across the lake. Looking forward to a clear, sunny day with high in the low 60's.

I am thinking... that God is good, all the time. And he cares about my (in the scheme of things) small worries.

I am thankful for... God's provision in times of need.

From the learning rooms... today is still "Christmas Break" but My Boy needs to take a biology test this week, and My Girl needs to be working on her Interpretation for the Speech contest coming up

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing

I am wearing... the softest pjs ever, a gift from my dear sister

I am creating... a knitted sweater vest for My Man. I'm on the front, have finished the back. Hope to be done this week!

I am going... to the hospital today to have "growth x-rays" taken of My Boy and My Girl's hands to determine how many more years of growth they can expect. Both of them are shorter than you would expect for their ages and for the heights of My Man and myself, so we're visiting an endocrinologist to see if there is a problem.

I am reading... Under the Greenwood Tree, by Thomas Hardy

I am hoping... to find some part-time work soon to supplement our income.

I am hearing... nothing. Sweet nothing. No one is awake yet, and this is my favorite time of day.

Around the house... there are Christmas decorations, empty packages, a few remaining goodies that were gifts from friends -- all those signs of a Christmas past that will need to be cleaned up this week!

One of my favorite things... is the sight of the Christmas tree lights as I sit in my otherwise dark living room drinking my coffee in the still morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week: do some banking business for my mother, finish My Man's sweater, gear up for school next week, clean up and pack Christmas decorations.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...oops -- I'm on the wrong computer for sharing pictures. They are all on the downstairs pc. I'll try to include one next week!

This is my first entry in the Simple Woman's Daybook. If you'd like to participate, visit this site

Skillet Stuffed Cabbage

2008-12-30T06:35:00.004-05:00

I'm going to start a new label/category today, called "Good Eats," for keeping up with recipes my family has enjoyed. I have a problem of finding a dish everyone likes, and then forgetting all about it! So maybe this will help me stay a little more organized.

Today's entry: Skillet Stuffed Cabbage (modified from Good Housekeeping)

1 pkg Zatarin's rice pilaf
28 oz. diced tomatoes (I used 1-14 oz can diced (basil & oregano) and 1-14 oz can stewed)
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 cabbage leaves

Prepare the rice pilaf acc. to package directions, allow to cool a bit.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup tomatoes (with some juice) and all other ingredients except cabbage leaves. Place remaining tomatoes & juice into 12-inch non stick skillet. Spoon 1/2 c meat mixture into center of each cabbage leaf, to make a sort of "cabbage cup". Arrange each "cup" open side up, in skillet over tomatoes. Cover skillet and cook over medium high heat 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. To serve, place stuffed cabbage leaf on plate and top with tomato sauce from pan.

I served this with oven roased zucchini, and even My Girl got seconds! That's saying something :-)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T16:59:00.002-05:00

I hope you all are having a blessed Christmas!

We'll celebrate Christmas Eve by watching old movies, wrapping the last of the presents, preparing food to take to my brother's home tomorrow, and relaxing. My Man is at work until midnight -- that's what happens when you're a pastor. You work on most religious holidays.

We'll meet him at church tonight for the 11:00 Christmas Eve service. There will be singing, the reading of the Christmas story (My Girl will be helping with this), a short homily, and Communion, ending with a candle-lighting. I'm looking forward to it, but not to coming home at 12:30, scooting My Boy and My Girl to their rooms WITH DOORS CLOSED TIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH so Santa can get his work done and go to bed!

I'm getting too old for these midnight services. I'm embarrassed to say that I'm usually sound asleep by 10:30.

Tomorrow, we'll wake when the kids decide to, exchange presents, eat our traditional canned cinnamon rolls, have eggs & bacon later, and then we'll travel to my brother's home for an afternoon with family.

My prayer for you is that you have a safe, happy, meaningful, blessed Christmas Day.

2008-12-23T20:25:00.001-05:00

Drivin' 55 is having a giveaway -- hop over there by December 28 to register to win a beautiful Christmas box!

Holiday Busy-ness

2008-12-23T07:18:00.008-05:00

Thought I'd share some photos of the decorations in our home.

Here's our tree.

I was proud of this bargain this year -- we went to the tree lot and asked if they had any trees put aside due to damage. This one had the top spire broken off when they put it in the truck, so he sold it to us for $20! It would've sold for $50 or $60 regularly.

Our tree is decorated with a true hodge-podge of ornaments, including a lot from Hallmark. When my children were born, I began the tradition of buying them each a Hallmark ornament every year so they would have some ornaments from home to take with them when they move away. I selected them for their first couple of years, but from then on they have selected them. They look forward every November to going to the Hallmark store and picking out their ornaments, and I'm happy to get the free ornament Hallmark gives away if you buy 2 or more.

I will admit, I wouldn't always choose the ornaments the kids pick out. We have a tiny mp3 player (that plays real music!)...

some Star Wars figures...

and this year we've added a miniature PacMan video game terminal. But the kids had their reasons, and they love going through them all every year and remembering each one.

The tree is also adorned with handmade crocheted snowflakes a dear woman at a previous church gave us.

One of these days I'm going to find some patterns for those and add to my collection. They are my favorites on the tree.

These are two Santas my mom painted a few years ago. They stand in the corner of our stairway.

Here is more of my mom's artwork. She used to enjoy toll painting and was actually very good at it before she got sick. Her favorite things to paint were Christmas decorations, so I have lots of her work on display this time of year!

Here's a cross-stitch Santa I made a few years ago, and a nativity My Man's mom brought to us from her trip to the Holy Land.

My china cabinet holds some of my Christmas china, some additional Santa figures, and some pottery.

These porcelain Santas were given to me from my mom.

I remember when I was growing up, she used to collect these. There was a local department store, Peebles, that sold these. They would put an ad in the paper to announce that the Santas are in! and Mom and her friend Mary Anne would arrive bright and early and stand in line to purchase the 2 or 3 offerings for that year. They are beautiful and my kids are fascinated with them as they wear or hold something from the history of the time period they depict.

These pottery plates were a gift each year from a family at a previous church.

The church was located near Seagrove, NC. If you've never been pottery shopping at Seagrove, you really should go. They have over 90 small pottery shops, each one with it's own personality. Great day trip! Anyway, this family would give us a plate of homemade cookies on one of these plates each year. That was such a thoughtful gift and one I remember every Christmas.

Speaking of homemade cookies, this year I decided to bake some goodies to give as gifts to My Man's coworkers at church.

I found these adorable plates -- on sale for $3 each!

I filled them with goodies..

This year I made PW's molasses cookies, PW's chocolate candy cane cookies, pretzel rods dipped in chocolate, and tiger butter...

... and added a pretty red bow.

I think I'm all done!

Tiger Butter

16oz white chocolate
12 oz crunchy peanut butter
16oz semi-sweet chocolate

Prepare a jelly roll pan by covering it in wax paper. Combine the white chocolate and the peanut butter, and melt in double boiler or microwave. Stir together well, then spread mixture on the wax paper. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle it over the top of the white chocolate mixture. Using a butter knife or the back of a spoon, spread the darker chocolate over the white chocolate, swirling it around so you can see pretty "striping" patterns. Refrigerate the chocolate for an hour or so, until firm. Break the candy into pieces about 2". Store in refrigerator to keep the peanut butter firm.

Discovery Place

2008-12-18T15:06:00.002-05:00

Our Tapestry of Grace group took another field trip this week, this time to Discovery Place. We also had some friends from the nearby George Grant history co-op group come along with us. Altogether, we had 45 folks!

First, we toured the "A Day in Pompeii" exhibit. This was a special, limited time engagement, and it was very interesting. They had timelines of the day the volcano erupted, and many artifacts from the city. The most moving part was the last room, which held plaster casts of bodies of humans and animals, in the positions they were in when they were buried in ash. This part of the exhibit really brought home the tragedy to our kids, and even disturbed My Girl a bit.

After the Pompeii exhibit, we had lunch, and then watched an IMAX movie about ancient Greece. It was very good of course, but I think I'm getting old because I was beginning to feel sick! Of course, sitting on the very front row probably didn't help any :-)

After the movie, several folks had to leave, but we stayed for another hour or so and let the kids explore the rest of the museum. They had a new exhibit on the circus, and they got to walk on a tightrope extended about 20 ft. overhead (wearing a harness, of course!)

It was a fun trip, and I even took photos, but sadly my camera is no longer reliable. The pictures all turned out horrible. Maybe I'll get a new one, one of these days....

Knit Hat

2008-12-16T17:07:00.003-05:00

My Girl and I were watching Spiderman II the other day, when we noticed a scene in which Mary Jane and Peter are seated in a restaurant, and MJ wears a really cute hat.

I told My Girl, if I know knitters, someone has dreamed up a pattern for that and put it on the internet somewhere.

Don't cha love Google?? I don't know how we functioned without it so long *grin*.

Here's the website with the free pattern for Mary Jane's hat.

Here's the finished product, modeled by My Girl.

I think I made it a little *too* floppy, though My Girl likes it as is. I'll probably take out a couple of rows. Otherwise, I think it's kinda cute!

Mary Jane's Pithy hat (from Spiderman 2)
1 hank (198 yds) Magallanes 100% wool, color 308
size 8 needles
I increased the number of CO stitches to 90.

Someone likes me!

2008-12-04T07:51:00.001-05:00

I got a blog award!

Kristine, over at Jewels of My Own, sent me this award. I'm so excited! It means someone actually comes here and reads my blog every once in awhile. Wow -- who knew? Thank you, Kristine!

The rules for this award are short and sweet.
1. Link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Include the award on your blog.
3. Pass it on to 7 worthy bloggers with links to their blogs on yours.
4. Notify your recipients.

I don't post here every day, but I do go to some other blogs every day. Here are seven of my favorites (in no particular order):

1. Our Quiverfull, the blog of Kate, Jeff, Noah, and their precious family. If you need a constant reminder of the Lord's blessings and provisions, follow this blog. It will touch your heart.

2. Quiet Life. I first met Donna over on the WTM boards when she used to homeschool. I love to see her photography, and feel like I "know" her and her family from her posts.

3. Laura (and Calvin and Hobbes): China to Scotland. Laura is another WTM'er I met awhile back, and I love to live vicariously through her blog. She lived in China for awhile, now is in Scotland. Her photos of the life around her are compelling!

4. Beside the Stream. I love the peek we get into life in Colorado. I've never been out west, and it's fun to see day-to-day living out there.

5. Country Doctor's Wife. This is where I go when I need a full-fledged belly laugh. Rechelle and her sister April are a couple of real hoots, and a joy to follow!

6. Making Home. I haven't followed this blog for long, but every post I've read there has been an inspiration for me.

7. Chickens in the Road. This is a fun and friendly place to visit deep in the mountains of West Virginia. Lots of fun learning the country life along with this transplanted author!

These are just a small sampling of the places I like to visit. There are so many good blogs out there, where do I find the time???

Warhol Pop Art Project

2008-12-03T09:53:00.008-05:00

As promised, here's the art project we did last year in our dialectic co-op when we studied the 1970's and Pop art.

I found these instructions here, but modified them a bit for our purposes.

Using Andy Warhol's iconic images as inspiration:

I told the kids to find a photo of something they liked online, and email it to me. I didn't tell them what we were going to do, so I wasn't sure what I would get. I got 2 cars and a chicken :-).

For my example here, I'm going to use this photo of our dogs:

Open a document in Word, set the page layout to landscape, and insert the photo on the page. Resized the photo to about 1/4 of the page. Then, right-click on the picture and choose "format picture", "color", and change it to black and white. If you want to at this point, you can play with the Brightness and Contrast settings, but it doesn't take much.

Here's my photo now:

Place the photo in the upper left quadrant of the page, and then copy the photo to the other three quadrants of the page, to look like this:

Then print the page onto a clear transparency.

Now comes the fun part!

Tape the left edge of the transparency to a piece of colored paper to make a "hinge". Then provide the kids with scraps of colored paper, tissue paper, and markers, and glue sticks. The kids can tear or cut pieces of the paper to glue on the background paper however they want to.

Here's My Boy's finished product:

We were so pleased with it that I framed it.

This was a fun project, and both My Boy and My Girl want to do another!

Art Museum

2008-12-03T08:37:00.003-05:00

Some of our Rhetoric & Dialectic kids went on a field trip yesterday to the local art museum.

We studied the ancient Americas a few weeks ago, and discovered that the museum has a temporary exhibit of ancient American art! There were so many interesting pieces of pottery and jewelry from the Ancient Mayas and Incas, and other civilizations from Peru northward to Mexico. This was a very enjoyable trip for our kids. One of the most interesting pieces was a large urn (one of they boys said it was a trash can) that was used as a burial urn. It seems the dead would be folded up, as it were, and wrapped tightly in cloth, and placed inside this large urn for burial. I can see that saving space in our cemeteries today! (joke!)

One of the nicest surprises at the museum was the abundance of teaching materials. There was a room at the end of the exhibit where the kids could watch videos, draw & color tunic designs, and practice weaving. There was also a trunk full of more in-depth art activities that they loaned to us for FREE for a 2-week period. AND -- they offer a class to all the county 5th graders on archaelogy and artifacts, and they offered our group the chance to schedule a class, too. I can't believe I never knew about this resource in our community!

On a side note, there was also an exhibit of Andy Warhol artwork. Some of our kids were in our group last year when we studied the 20th century, and they remembered learning about him then. We did a fun project then, and I'll make a post about that so you can see what they did!

It has begun.

2008-12-01T10:13:00.003-05:00

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?

We sometimes go get our tree right after Thanksgiving, but not this year. I didn't change out of my pajamas on Friday (!) and it rained the rest of the weekend. So no tree yet.

However, today is December 1st, and there is one thing I absolutely HAVE to have in place on this day.

I bought this tacky little Santa years ago and it has become one of my kids' favorite traditions. They absolutely love moving the little Santa from pocket to pocket each day leading up to Christmas -- even in these teenaged years. They alternate "odd" and "even" every year so they'll know whose turn it is to do the honor each day.

And that makes me happy. So even though I have no other Christmas decorations in place, and probably won't for a week or so, I gladly dug out this Santa and hung him in his official place this morning. Traditions are so important to a family, don't you think?

Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T10:06:00.002-05:00

Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving!

Are you shopping today? Not me -- are you kidding? Bleh.

However, Apple is having a rare sale today on the Ipod Touch -- guess what My Girl wants for Christmas? And wants it bad enough to pay half? So I guess I will be doing some shopping today after all, but only at the Apple Online store!

We had a great day yesterday. My family came up here to the lake: Mom, my sister Mackie, her dh Terry, my sweet grown up nephew Drew, my brother Joe, his cutey-pie daughter (my cutie-pie niece) Hannah. Joe's wife Cindy doesn't get to come up to our Thanksgiving Day lunch, cause she's home in the kitchen getting ready for her family to come to their house for dinner that night. That's right - Joe gets to eat TWO Thanksgiving Day meals! Wonder how he's feeling about now??

Here's what was on the menu:

From me:
Turkey (16 lb, brined overnight) -- hit!
Dressing -- mom's recipe -- too much sage this time -- MISS
Rice -- nothing out of the ordinary -- hit!
Green beans -- cooked to death in the yummy southern style -- hit!
Spanish Green beans -- Pioneer Woman's recipe -- just ok
Butternut Squash puree -- PW's recipe again -- hit!
Giblet gravy -- hard to mess up -- hit!
Apple pie -- My Boy made it -- big hit!

From Mackie:
Broccoli casserole -- hit!
Sweet potato casserole (she's famous for this) -- hit!
Cranberry salad -- yummy, but a tad sweet with cherry jello -- still a hit!
Pumpkin pie -- Mackie's first! -- hit!

From Joe/Cindy:
layered salad -- yum yum yum -- hit!
deviled eggs -- always a hit!
yeast rolls -- need I say hit?

As you can see, we nearly starved for lack of food ;-). And we're still starving today. I felt almost miserable last night!

The Giver

2008-11-18T16:48:00.004-05:00

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Have you read The Giver, by Lois Lowry?

It is a book written for children (ages 12+) that looks at a future world where all circumstances of life are controlled in order to create a Utopia of sorts. It is quite interesting in how it warns of what society would be like with all risk removed, all choices made for you by Elders, everything ordered and organized. The goal of this society is sameness, with everyone memorizing the Rules so everyone knows how to treat each other politely and no one feels uncomfortable or uneasy. There is a speaker in every house so announcements can be made (and the Elders can listen in if necessary).

Hard to imagine, yet not so hard... This morning I was reading the book at the local middle school, while waiting for My Girl to finish her speech therapy. As I sat there reading, I heard over the loudspeaker, "Teachers, please turn on your tv's for this morning's announcements." Talk about an eerie feeling! I thought I had been transported to the land in the book!

I'm reading The Giver for a Bible study our pastor will be leading during Advent. I'm not sure how he's going to tie it in, but it should be interesting!

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Fall

2008-11-11T11:13:00.003-05:00

I just love fall in the Carolinas. Sunday was a perfect fall day. High around 70, crisp blue sky, enough breeze to shake loose some leaves. Gorgeous!

This is a beautiful maple in our side yard. I just about missed its peak, but it is still a stunning sight. I love the yellow against the bright blue.

Nature rarer uses yellow
Than another hue;
Saves she all of that for sunsets, --
Prodigal of blue.

Spending scarlet like a woman,
Yellow she affords
Only scantly and selectly,
Like a lover's words.
--Emily Dickinson

2008-11-11T03:14:00.000-05:00

Just curious -- are batteries on smoke detectors programmed to go bad at 2 am?

Unit 1 Celebration

2008-11-07T16:26:00.002-05:00

We had our Unit One Celebration the other week for our Tapestry of Grace co-op. It was terrific! Our group has grown from 9 children last year, to 23 this year. That meant we had over 50 folks at our UC! We had to move it to the Fellowship Hall of the church where we meet and it was like a church dinner or something. Amazing.

Anyway, the event went really well. Since we're studying the Ancients right now, and have just gotten to the part of history where the Israelites have left Egypt, we enjoyed a Seder meal. We had a very special guest, the sister-in-law of one of our co-op members. She grew up a Jew, and converted to Christianity in her '40's. She was so kind to share with us some memories of growing up, and she led our Seder meal for us.

I took a few pictures, but they're on my other computer. Instead, I'll direct you over to My Girl's blog, where she posted about the night: Weaving a Tapestry of Grace.

One funny thing about the Unit Celebration: I was in charge of the details of the night. I really wanted to have a Seder, but of course being a small-city southern girl, I have no notion of how a Seder should be. But I did lots of research and tried really hard. All week I had an earache. But it was strange, because it sort of moved around. On Friday (the day of the UC) I finally went to the doctor. She looked in my ear. She pressed it. "Does it hurt when I do this?" No. "How about this?" No. "Has it been draining?" No. "Have you been swimming?" No. Diagnosis? I'd been clenching my teeth all week! My jaw was inflamed and the pain was showing in my ear! By the next day, it was much better, and now it is completely gone.

I guess for our next UC I'll need to buy a mouth guard. Or not have any more Seder's. Or delegate!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-06T05:11:00.003-05:00

I know these are late, but here are some pics of our pumpkin carving. In a way, this was a sad Halloween. It was the first year we didn't go trick-or-treating! My Girl would've gone, but her brother was "too old" now, and she didn't want to go with just mom & dad. So, we went out and bought our own Halloween candy, turned on the porchlight, and watched Psycho as a family. I'd say the kids were sufficiently scared on Halloween!

The night before, we carved our pumpkins. And when I say "we", let me say that this was the first year I mean "they." Yes, they really did their own designing, cutting and scraping. Another reason it was a sad Halloween for me. I just wasn't needed!

My Boy's is the one on the top left. It's a ghost coming through a window. My Girl's is on the bottom right. It's a campaign statement :) The other two are store-bought fakes!

And here's a non scary dog on a really scary floral armchair!

Sheltering our kids

2008-10-31T06:56:00.004-04:00

As my kids are approaching the early and mid teen years, I've of course been struggling with how much of the world they should be exposed to, how soon, and how, how, how?? We've always tried to shelter them, to staunchly protect their childhood innocence. But we've always known, too, that they must not be sheltered forever. They must gain their footing in the world sometime, and I'd much rather them start the process while they're with me, so we can talk about it and My Man and I can give them whatever guidance we can.

Jess over at Making Home posted back in June about this very thing. I found her post very interesting, and it gave me lots more to think about. I thought you might like to read it, too: Thoughts on Sheltering.

Renaissance Festival

2008-10-19T22:06:00.004-04:00

We visited the Renaissance Festival last week. My kids love this, but we don't go every year. This year we went on a School Day, so the entertainment was much more family friendly than it is on a typical weekend day. But the shopkeepers are not as friendly -- they're so stressed out with all the unsupervised youth wandering in and out of the shops. I imagine it is nerve-wracking!