Kid Speak

Sew a friend came over yesterday and I was conversing with her son. He is mature in his thoughts and words and does not quite "get me" yet. Which makes him tremendously interesting to talk to. Not just typical "kid talk". He was telling me of his trip to Niagara Falls. He was speaking of the Canada vs. Buffalo, NY sides. (Can I just say I didn't know there were two sides, let alone two different COUNTRIES involved?) Man, these kids have so much to teach me.
ANYhoo, I ask him, "Is it as spectacular as they say?"
To which he replies somewhat suspiciously, "Well, how spectacular do THEY say it is?"
Already amused I answer, "Well, they say it is HUGE, LOUD and MAGNIFICENT."
He pauses for a moment thinking, and finally says,
"I think it might be even MORE spectacular than they say."
AH, the stuff of dreams these kids are made of...

Fickle, fickle...

New favorite Christmas fabric I loved...NOW what am I going to do? I had the whole quilt planned out! Oh well, we'll see!

Fantastic

Delayed Satisfaction!

M, don't read or look ANY further. Instead of BD cake we decided on Fondue as my Mom got me a nice one as a gift. We were too tired yesterday so this afternoon, FONDUESKY!
In the form of chocolate of course.

Hmmm....

Oh...

YEAH!!!!!!

Kate! Fon-don't!

Smoked Corned Beef?

YES!!!

Hey all you cool cats, smoke-man burned me some cool corned beef the other night and BOY is it good. Even little K has gone carnivvy on me. This stuff is delish!

I am smoked meat Crazy right now! Thanks smoke man!

Timeless...

Daughter of Fearless...photo taken by my own budding 7 year old photographer: Little "L"

That we all could be THIS beautiful!

Scone-nabber

And there they go!!!

Fearless came on by today to pick up her prize...new contest will be much more difficult and NO using the internet to look things up!!! (honor system)

No cheating now...

Don't blow your integrity for a basket of scones people. Lol

J and I got laughing as we couldn't think of a question that one COULDN'T look up on the internet...we figure we'll come up with something. Love to all...

Eyes on the Prize...

Here they are! Come and get 'em!!!!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Yes, yesterday was my 39th birthday...along with a few others as it appears! Thanks for all the hilarious birthday greetings and emails. I decided to do something special with each girl so R and I got pedies, L got to go to lunch with Daddy and I (I forgot the camera for that one, we went to Habaneros) and S and I did some shopping...) They did a tremendous job and got me lots of great stuff! So here you go! PLUS!!! Kate's best present? She slept through the night last night! Woohoo!

A very Happy Mom!

R and I get our nails done!

Hers are always prettier than mine!

Lots of the good stuff!


R got me bakeware that I wanted. I am ito clay and ceramic right now.

L got me this gorgeoous bowl I loved.



Who's baking now?

I have been wanting to explore Asian cooking...

I had bought these once but ended up giving them to a friend, Jeff put a note on it: "Because you have such a big heart".

Kate got me a wooden puzzle!

Baskets, always a favorite to give away baked goods in, but these aren't going anywhere!

Surprise! Hidden presents!

JoAnn's gift card! With the note: "Because I love you SEW much" from J.

I fell in love with this funky kitty in TN and he snuck back and bought it, got it all the way home to Fl and hid it til' my BD without my seeing it or knowing it. Now that's amazing.

Starbucks from S. You know I am taking HER!!

J says when my Starbucks runs out, I can get Vanilla Iced Coffee from MrDonald's. Hey Homeschool, you GAME???

Gotta love my man.

My girls are Da BOMB! And, more scripturally speaking, they truly do arise and call me blessed!

And a good time was had by all! Thanks for the GREAT birthday guys!

Winner!

Congratulations!!!

OBM wins the contest!

Well, that didn't take long! And I thought it was hard one.
In response to the question, "Who has lived a good life, had a wonderful woman, a lush garden and a collection of Russian nesting dolls", the answer is the old man (presumed dead by Nacho) in the movie Nacho Libre.

Scones will be baked and made available tomorrow, Thursday September 27th.

Sidenote: What are you doing watching movies like this OBM??? Lol
(It's a cult favorite over here at our house) :0)

NEW CONTEST!!!!!!!!

Playing for: A DELICIOUS basket of homemade blueberry scones!

QUESTION:

Who lived a good life, had a wonderful woman, a lush garden and a collection of Russian Nesting dolls?

First to answer correctly in the comment section wins a beautiful basket of homemade scones.

**Winner must pick up on day that I bake them or we cannot be responsible.** (for real)

Weird Science!

The dreaded Azalea Caterpillar...

Here's a weird science find today...a little caterpillar guy we found. Actually we found a LOT of them on an Azalea bush. They were MEAN too! They attach to a branch by sharp pincers on their backs. (this guy is actually hanging by his back. They were all attached this way) Plus they had big pincers on their mouth and when provoked with a stick they aggressively struck, bit with their mouth pincers and spit a liquid! YIKES!!!!!
Double click on picture for a close up.
Warning: After Dh did some research, he found that they do major damage to Azaleas by way of defoliating. So go check yours, it must be the season!

Homeschooling Moment

Ah, the perfect homeschooling moment. Kids working away while baby happily "works" with blocks in the background...look at my girl stacking blocks like crazy! I'd like her to learn to work while the kids are working for longer periods...(she currently works in about 15 min. increments) but right now, I don't really care how long she works for. My kids have always been good at autonomous play for some reason. Probably because I am always saying, GO PLAY!!!!! Lol

Goin' Scone Crazy

Scone happy...First photo is four different varieties we made yesterday. Blueberry (an all time fave most likely) cinnamon raisin, berry medley, and chocolate chip. We could do without the choc. chip believe it or not. It's just like a cookie and what's the point of that? Might as well make cookies. It totally wrecks the "scone" experience. The cinnamon raisin was similar but still delish. The berry medley (raisins, cranberries, cherries and strawberries) and the blueberry are the winners. Today after a breakfast of eggs. turkey bacon and toast we had blueberry FILLED scones with fresh whipped cream. What kind of lucky kids are these???
The tops slipped a bit but can easily be fixed next time with a well placed toothpick or two...We really want to try apple too...

Winner!

Here is "Homeschool Cool", winner of the massage for guessing the movie "Pride and Prejudice as the movie with the phrase: "What a shame, for I dearly love to laugh" in it.
Congrats Homeschool! (Go drink some water) ;)

Sconeliscious

Now, I have been trying to get scones made for some time now...and I must say, they were totally worth it. Much more difficult than I thought but just exactly (for once) what I thought they would and should taste like.
Even though I did not have cream of tartar which the recipe called for, I can't imagine what it would have done for them...Perfect!
These are blueberry but I cannot wait to vary them...

What-who, me?

Kate...did you find some chocolate?

No Mommy, not me... Michelle gave it to me! Yeah, that's it!

Busted.

Did someone say... schedule?

Well, with S helping in other's home during the week it has caused us to (ack!) return to somewhat of a schedule. Let me just tell you how it has blessed us today. We have only instituted 6:45-9:00am so far and will master that and then move on.

6:45-7:00 Wake up! Now this just doesn't mean "wake up" but is actually a trained discipline for them. I do not just say "wake up" or "get up" but train them that you need to become alert and active in this time. Cold water splashed on face, no lounging, brush teeth without toothpaste for now (as to not ruin their breakfast taste but aids in their waking up. They will brush again after breakfast) No moping or tired dragging around. It is not easy if you have sleepers but this 15 minutes of TRAINING time is to really become fully wakened. Because next is...

7:00 -7:15 Personal Bible time training. You MUST be awake to really do this (which is why the first 15 minutes of wake up time is vital) During this fifteen minutes they do a devotional which is really meant to train them to do it on their own every day. This time works into an hour or so. Yes, personal bible time is a DISCIPLINE. It is led by the spirit but must be disciplined in. The more you study God's Word, the more of a desire you have for it!

Fifteen minute increments are ridiculous in the grand scheme of things so understand that it is purposely done to discipline them into doing them and using time efficiently. They are required into doing them. They are obedient to it and then are released into self governing later...

7:15-8:00 Home Blessing and breakfast. Not a lot of time but today we had pancakes, got half the chores done and read another bible passage during breakfast. (I am introducing many passages from the new testament here as we have spent years instilling a love for the Old Testament which so devastatingly gets left behind in the Christian walk) We were in Phillipians today and talked about running the race, living up to what you've attained already, etc.) They are going to LOVE the New Testament as it so life applicable in a more understandable way but I sure do love that they can apply the Old Testament FIRST! We have discussed SO MANY of the new testament truths from the old testament perspective and in everyday life that they hear so clearly the new testament truths when reading it and it is a joy for them. Very exciting!

So 45 minutes is a LOT of time if used efficiently!

8:00-9:00 Regular Bible Time and finish chores (however long it takes. We do one chapter a day and are in 2 Kings)

Well, the kids are a 100,000% different in just a day of this. FILLED with joy, bouncing around happy and giddy. Why you ask? I KNOW that it is because we really were in God's Word a LOT and have seriously tithed the first fruit of the day. So much in fact, that I let them go off to play happily in the rain for awhile. Heck, it's only 9:00!! It is amazing to see them respond to some added structure and I realize yet again that it is the PARENT'S lack of discipline and structure that cause us to look at our children as if they are not disciplined. We must discipline first and they will happily follow.

The rest of the day's schedule will be less stringent except for S's as she is older and needs to do more but I can see that this will be fruitful for everyone. A sweet, delectable fruit that they will taste, enjoy and will in turn bring Glory to God!!

deleting a comment

Anyone know how to delete someone else's comment? I don't want these spammer comments....

Train 'em young!

I haven't been led to my next Keeper's at Home post though I really want to but I just won't write something that I am not led to! So...here is just a recent thought. Children CAN be trained young!
To my girls: Remember to do it young ladies. YOUNG. Remember how Kate loved to help? She is only ONE in this picture. I would not recommend letting your child stand on the dishwasher as we are doing here but you gotta admit, it's pretty cute! Kate can unload the top of the dishwasher, take clothes from the dryer, pick up toys. She knows where to go to get her shoes and is CONFUSED when we tell her to go get them and they are not there!! "Why are my shoes not where they belong?" she seems to think. This young she realizes innately or by training that everything has a place! We TRAIN natural organization and the natural desire to help OUT of our children. Don't do that to your kidlets girls! Kate was happy and thrilled to help always, even when we really didn't want her to. It is now (and was then!) worth it to take the time. Do you realize that we are training Kate to bless her husband's home????? We are preparing her for marriage and a life glorifying God? Her little two year old husband is somewhere out there banging a hammer with his Dad and learning how to open the door for his Mommy. Daughters of Destiny girls, daughters of destiny.

Quilt Presentation? Check!

What a fun time we had at our first presentation of our completed quilts! A 4th of July theme, the quilts surpassed expectation, as you can see!We had drawings for gifts, made everyone count M&M's for no good reason and gave Mr. "Bragging Rights" to best overall quilt!
I hope everyone had a good time, I sure did.

Eureka!

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "
6And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

Wow! I loved my personal bible time yesterday. It was such affirmation of my thoughts the night before. I suddenly had the realization that I had never prayed to the Lord asking that He help Kate sleep better at night!
Eureka! Pray! So of course I did and will continue to do so.
So the next morning (yesterday) to open up God's Word and read about how even the unjust person of the world can eventually grant a request when pressed, how much more would a God that loves us, do for our prayers, petitions and appeals?
I especially am holding on to the "cry out day and night" line because since I have prayed about it (a total of two days now) she has never slept worse. That is actually why I am up now. Kate has been up ,down, up down, for forever it seems. But I know that the enemy would love to see me falter in my prayers to my Savior! And I WILL not. So I will CRY OUT to the Lord, as much if not more than Kate appears to be doing, lol, and wait on Him who I know will answer!
And if she does not sleep better? Well, "However when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" speaks to me as well. I WILL have faith! (of course this means though He grants our requests, will He still come to find a faithless people) But also that we need to trust Him. Perhaps she is not sleeping in prep for another soon coming baby, perhaps there is a NEED for me being up so much. Who knows! I do know that I have faith that his plan is to PROSPER me NOT to harm me, so I can take comfort in the fact that he hears me, knows what I want, knows what I need and will do what is best for me regardless of what I think.
What a wonderful parent we have in the Lord!

How much?

I CANNOT believe my world has been shattered by Stuff Mart raising it's prices on it's company soda to .40 cents a can from a QUARTER!
Occasionally we would say, "WHO wants a Sam's Soda????" and off we would pile in for a treat that only cost me ONE dollar for the whole family.
Now I know it's only .40 cents but puhleeze. Capitalism is alive and well.
Not a week ago we were walking out of Stuff Mart and I told the girls, "One day ladies, we'll walk out and the price will have risen."
Imagine their surprise when merely one week later, it comes true!
Now it's easy to pull and drop a quarter but a quarter, dime and nickel??? I think they just lost a lot of sales, which of course will be made up by the price increase! I know it's perfectly fair, but "Still!", cries my sense of getting one over on corporate america!

There's a GENIUS in the house!!! (Well, not my house)

Well, it doesn't happen too often but there evidently is an actual genius in the family. My nephew Payden in TN.
His Mom Crystal whom I adore, (and who will gag at such a compliment, lol) has had some "issues" with him since birth. Inability to deal with high pressure social situations, loud noises, etc. (a bit like Asberger's symptoms) emotional breakdowns, the need to do everything perfectly, etc...a HIGHLY strung kid.

He could also read from...hmmm, correct me if I am wrong Crys (if you can ever figure out how to leave a comment, genius Mom) at around two I guess.
Ok, so he can read early. But now at five he is reading adult college level textbooks etc. and blowing everyone away.
But there are still the issues...so she is getting tired of everyone being impressed by his reading and ignoring some of the other issues and subsequently takes him on the rounds of Dr. appts.
This last one, the neurologist, gives him the EEG and spends 45 minutes diagnostically testing him.

"A genius", says he. He apparently has the other things going on because he is processing information at this unbelievable speed but is still just FIVE and cannot handle it. Sort of like "brain overload" I imagine.

She told him, "But it has been happening since birth!"
And he told her, "Yes, but remember geniuses are born not created. (Lightbulb moment)

Can you imagine wanting to write perfectly because your brain knows exactly what it should like but your motor skills are at age level five? I'd be frustrated too!

Since he was a BABY she can remember some weird things happening... So at the appt. he goes up to a medical chart and picks up a pointer and starts pointing to and reading: "The milligram equivalent to the blah blah blah", you get the picture.

Dr says, STRAIGHT to medical school for this one, straight to medical school. Payden does not do well emotionally in high stress situation like (you would assume) a Dr's office but for some reason at the Dr's offices he is amazingly calm and "on" as if (my words) he was in his element. He likes the way the Dr talks to him and can converse with him easily and of course like a 30 year old...

He is a brand new Kidnergartener at (everyone gasp) PUBLIC school so you can imagine what is happening to him there. Any breakdown he has or strange question or confusion and they want to label him right off. Crystal TRIES to explain how to handle him and I TRY to explain to her that they will nod and nod in agreement until you walk out the door when they will then do what they will with him. So after a few episodes they broach the subject of "special ed" and if you knew my SIL, you would know that was NOT the right thing to say to HER. Lol

She repeats this to the neurologist still wanting more information, assurance, whatever and he says, Yes, yes, Payden should go directly into the gifted program.

"No", she says, "not the gifted program, SPECIAL ED."
He freaks and says, "This child? THIS child? This child in special ed? You tell that teacher that if she practices really, really hard, one day she may be able to keep up with Payden."
All tests for anything were negative except for the short diagnostic test of intellect which the Dr. said Payden was so high he could not be charted. That he most likely was a genius!

Now as "wonderful" as this is, it does present a whole other set of problems for Payden and his family. What to do about education? And the public school who cannot keep up with him. They cannot even get their computers to allow a "Kidnergartener" to attend an accelerated reading program so they actually won't let him attend. Special ed. Hmph! Who's the one that apparently needs special ed? Interesting that a public school with many teachers interacting with the same children cannot pick out a child with an absurdly high intellect.

Though it does open up a whole new world of things to figure out, I am reminded that God gave THEM this child. Which means THEY are the ones who can handle it and deal with it the best way. I cannot wait until the day the find the RIGHT place for Payden, where he strolls in, relaxed and happy, challenged and at ease because he is around others like himself.

When the Dr is leaving he says to Payden, I have enjoyed spending time with you Payden, to which Payden replies, "I like you too".

What a great kid.

How did you know that?

My eldest, S informed me today of the "kid's code". Evidently they have us parents pegged. When they want to watch a movie with us she said they watch us begin with some enthusiasm. Then as our attention wanes, we get up and they say "Where are you going!!!!" To which we reply, "Just to get a drink, I'll be right back."
Then we just quick and check our email while we are near the computer, which turns into (she uses her fingers to "air type" while making typing sounds)
Then they come in and say "Mohhhhhmm!" To which we (I) evidently reply,
"Don't hound me, I'm coming!"
We then return to the movie somewhat LESS than enthusiastic and watch for awhile until we finally venture off to whatever.
Hmmm, sad but true I'm afraid.
:)

Spin Off Post

Here is my spin off post kindly stolen from Fearless Leader's last blog post. If you haven't read hers, this one will make zero sense.

You Won't Even Recognize Me

So I didn't brush my hair today! I was looking in the mirror and realized that the gray streaks in my hair were VERY unattractive under every kind of light. So I decided to go to McDonald's for a badonkadonk butt. It's great that my neighbor doesn't check my garbage and count the hidden french fry boxes. They gave me a Big Mac, Large Fry and Lg Iced Coffee (for the umpteenth time in my life) THEN, I ordered my eldest a large sweet tea and took it to her at her tennis lesson, and it made me feel amazingly shiny, and worth the badonkadonk that one day will not be able to be downsized even with a flat iron. I can see it now: Before the flat iron, my badonka looked like Jennifer Lopez's in that movie Selena, and after it looked well, exactly the same. These past few days, I've felt like I should be playing a guitar and seriously bobbing my head up and down with my 3 day unbrushed hair flying in my face begging for a handout. It's really a different look, but I like it. My husband DOES NOT. Everyone at McDonald's liked it though . I got everything from "You look 10 years older" to "Did your parents lose a bet with God? to "No, really, HOW can I help you?" Then to: You need to GET HELP. SERIOUSLY" All you friend-type people will have to wait until the next time you see me, and TRY not to stare at my badonkadonk as by then it hopefully will have reverted to normal when I washed it, and I am delaying showers for a week until I bump everyone into falling down. Maybe I'll quilt the thing and theme it the "Badonkadonk quilt" and show it off Sunday night...Speaking of Sunday night...I'm off to work on that chocolate cake . I'm blessed to have wonderful friends like M who bring me recipes just because she likes to do it and wants me to be 400 llbs. It really feels great. As good or better than most cuts I've gotten while beginning to shave when I was 14. I'm also always blessed by the people of my homeschooling group who I pray thought this was hilarious. They are so much like extensions of my family, and I love them. We have such a great time together and we glorify God by loving one another. I am confident this is in NO WAY what Heaven will be like so I'll just grin and bear it until I feel better on this side or the other.

Until then,

I remain your fevered, unshowered, hair-a-mess, french-fry eating, feeling sorry for herself, badonkadonk growing friend.

Thoughts through a low grade...

Thought stream...

Finished my quilt, binding is less than passable but I tried really hard. Got the hang of it about 3/4 of the way around. Corners are a mess and I wish it had come out better. Next time!

Jeff wanted to come home to care for us but I told him to stay...if he comes and gets sick, we're done for.

Sloan hilariously pointed out that the 2 notecard challenge was a bad idea. If anyone received one who read my blog, they would wonder which one they were: the good one or the irritating one. Do everyone a favor and assume you are the good one. ;)

I am hungry but nothing sounds good.

I cried this morning when Kate decided she liked scrambled eggs.

I am feeling better but my voice is going again...I don't think it will go all the way, probably just strained from using it all day.

House Relapse

Well, I thought I was feeling better but spiked a fever again last night and had terrible flu like symptoms. My WHOLE body ached. My throat is worse than ever this morning! Yesterday, I had gone out with Rach earlier and got sick in Wal mart and had to leave the poor kid in the produce section for 25 minutes while I was indisposed. We got home and later she was moping around and I lightly scolded her for moping. "Rachel, you only have a runny nose, stop moping!" She tried to pick up around and do what she should be doing.
Around bedtime as she was sitting on the couch looking a mess and holding her glass to her head and I said "Rach, do you really not feel well?" "Well", she replies, my legs won't stop shaking and my jaw hurts.
After I marked her temperature at almost 104!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt sufficiently like a SCHMUCK!
So she spent the night in my bed being monitored (and babied) by me. Lauren is still sick as well but not as bad. Bad congested cough and runny nose. Baby is doing much better.

And S, the girl of steel with Immune system appeal? Still going strong. That kid is the healthiest I've ever seen literally!

Back in the swing of things...

Getting back into the swing of things, I realize that sometimes, whether you feel good or not, you just have to GET UP and do it. Ugh says my body. No! Says my mind. Please? Says my spirit. But up I get and try to plug away at something. I am the type who can shake most anything off. I imagine I have out thought many a sickness in my day. If we all just shook off the doldrums, the lethargy, the "I don't want to's", we could accomplish much more! I am trying to shake off the end of being sick, trying to will my usual boundless energy back into existence, but it is difficult. I have had one or two emails asking how I felt, and it amazed me how much that meant. I even actually TOLD someone yesterday that I felt sorry for myself. Those are words you'll rarely if ever hear out of my mouth. But I digress... the concern of another person, even if they were just being POLITE made me feel BETTER. And I realize the gift of encouragement is no small thing. A kind word, a note, a smile, a compliment, a helping hand, a rah-rah talk or a phone call ASKING about someone them is a salve, a balm to the heart of one who is sick or down.

I love encouragement though I myself am an encourager and I don't think encouragers often GET encouragement! Here are some good ideas of how to be a good encourager:

YOU pick which is better:

How's your family? or... How's Susie doing in violin?

How's school this year? or... What curriculum are you using this year?

Let me know if there is anything I can do. or...I've set up three meals for you this week.

How's Church? or... What has your pastor been preaching on?

How are you feeling? or... Do you still have a fever? Sore throat?

How are you? or... How has God been working in your life lately? (be choosy with this one!)

Hmm, perhaps these are more listening skills or communication skills, but you get the point. When one friend asked me how I was and I answered, she emailed me BACK asking me to let her know how it went... You know, an extra step may mean nothing to you but EVERYTHING to someone else who has done nothing but eaten chocolate cake for a week straight. (haha)

Even if you don't have the gift of encouragement, you CAN be an encourager. Make it from the heart and you can't go wrong. I am challenging everyone to write two notes of encouragement to someone this week. One to the person you want to send it to and one to someone you normally wouldn't. (irritating church person, critical family member) Start choosing the road of encouragement and (to quote a line from a favorite, though irreverent movie, "Bruce Almighty", gasp away you legalists!) BE THE MIRACLE!

:(

Sorry guys, too sick to blog still. Hope you all are good.

Hey!

Hey! How come I haven't had lots of responses telling me how GREAT that cake looks!!! Lol

Yummy!

Well, here's the new version! I (nor the cake) made it to church so you get to see after all!

Cake was perfect!
Thin and dense and chocolatey!

I made extra whipped cream of course...

Delicious! Sorry you missed it D!!!!

How many chocolate cakes can we eat???

I promise to make one for our next HS function. Sept 16th!