Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday

The kids and I really enjoyed our Wednesday morning Bible studies. They looked forward to the craft part of it each week.

Which is why we chuckled the other night before T left for his evening men's Bible study, when the kids asked if Daddy will be doing a craft that night!!

To hear what other Tiny Ones are saying, visit Not Before 7.

Six-Word Memoir

I've seen this on a few different blogs and I've really enjoyed reading them. It has made me want to do one of my own. So, after thinking on it, and a little help from a friend, Momma Roar's six-word memoir is....drum roll please....

LIVING TO LEARN; LEARNING TO LIVE

Recognize it? ;-)

I chose this title for my blog because I felt it said exactly what I felt about home education and how I wanted our family to grow and to learn. I don't know how long we will homeschool (one more year or until Colin graduates) but I do know that I don't want there to be a distinction between home and school. School is not the only place a person can learn. Likewise, my children don't just learn in the playroom at our little table. I don't want there to be a line. The same can be said of our faith. Church is not the only place where I can talk to God and learn about Him.

We are living to learn and learning to live all at the same time. We are walking, talking, reading, training, praying, learning, exploring, instructing, growing...Living.

I'd be a total fool to say I can teach my children everything they need to know. But, I do know that I can give them one thing they need to learn - a positive learning attitude. A child with a positive learning attitude becomes a self-motivated learner, and will more quickly become a self-educating student. There will come a time when their schooling is complete, but they will never stop learning. What a more perfect place to instill a love of learning.

We are living, we are learning, we are loving and we are laughing - all under the guidance of our Heavenly Father. I realize home education is not for everyone, but it is working for us. It is working for us because "home education" isn't our ultimate goal, but home discipleship is. We are discipling our children to be useful to God's service, and part of that process is preparing them intellectually.

In "Educating a Whole-Hearted Child" the authors say it best,"Scripture allows for no other process for raising and training children - only the family. Your home is a dynamic living and learning environment designed by God for the very purpose of raising your children to become mature, useful disciples of Jesus."

We're

LIVING to LEARN

about Jesus and we're

LEARNING to LIVE

for Jesus.

At this point I'm supposed to tag five more people, but I won't. If you like the idea, please play along. And, if you do, here are the instructions:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Projects

What a full week! And a good week! It was a hard start at the beginning of the week: Sewing or Cleaning....which one to do???

Over the weekend, I got this fun pattern. Quintin has been wanting me to sew something for him and I didn't really know what I could make him. This week, well almost in a day really, I made some shorts for all the kids. I used a hunting camouflage fabric for the boys, leftover from this project. I had some Hello Kitty fabric that Elle really wanted me to make something with. But I didn't want to make her a dress/skirt...'cause then she'd want to wear it Sunday mornings. And I'm just not sure Sunday mornings are ready for Hello Kitty!! LOL!!! ;-)

These pictures make me smile- Elle and Quintin picked the poses themselves!!

While I did do some sewing...I knew I needed to clean too!

I spring-cleaned each of the kids bedrooms and their bath. And, we re-arranged the furniture in Elle and Quintin's rooms. They love how their rooms look now. Except, Elle was used to sleeping with one side of the bed against the wall...so far, she's only fallen out once! UGH!!

It feels so good to walk into their rooms now...not that they looked awful, but they just look more fresh and clean! Even the kids notice it!

I'm not going to post any pictures of their rooms today, I'll save them til next week, for Mary's Design Inspiration Carnival! You can find the link at the top of my left sidebar.

I'm taking "design liberties" and posting the graphic here! Can you see that white text at the bottom left of the paint brush graphic? That's me!! Wheee!!!!

So, that was my week. A few big projects tackled...a few more to go - but at least I could let go of some dust bunnies!

Have a great weekend!

Chew on this...

You Are Cinnamon Flavored Gum

You are daring, active, and a little outrageous. You crave adventure and novelty. You like to mix things up. Your personality is extra spicy and larger than life. You love to have fun, and you are passionate about everything you do. You're definitely a fiery person, and you don't back down from a fight. Most people love your fire - but you can be a bit too intense at times!

What Flavor Gum Are You?

Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Its Tuesday and the Tiny ones have been Talking!! To read more, visit Mary at Not Before 7.



Our development is surrounded by farms - we've got pigs and cows nearby - maybe even a chicken house or two. So, sometimes, when we walk outside, or open up a window, the smells remind us of them, even without seeing them.

The other day, Elle opened the back door and said, "Eeewww, the cows have been pooping!" She proceeded to close the door and walk away.

************
Quintin overheard some music with a woman singing "We're gonna make our dreams come true" and he asked us, "What if she makes my bad dreams come true?"

We assured him she couldn't.

Meme Monday

Mary, of Not Before 7, tagged me for this meme. And being as I like to stay on Mary's good side, I wanted to play along!! :-D


What was I doing 10 years ago...

I was working at the local YMCA as the Youth Sports Director - overseeing the Saturday morning youth program practices and games as well as teaching Phys Ed to two local schools. T and I were married just shy of 2 years.


5 things on my to-do list today...

1. Post this to keep peace with Mary. ;-)

2. Laundry

3. Get some more recipes posted to Momma Roar's Kitchen (yes, a shameless plug, I know!)

4. Finish up my Beth Moore "Jesus the One and Only" Bible study because this is our last week.

5. Try to write out some spring cleaning/organizing goals to complete by the end of the month (my house has almost quite entirely been taking over by dust bunnies)



5 snacks I enjoy...

1 - Salt and Pepper Popcorn

2 - Chocolate

3 - Skittles

4 - Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi

5 - Chips



5 things I would do if I were a billionaire... (after giving to church-related ministries)

1. Build a rec center with a new library in our small town.

2. Install a drive-thru-bank-like-money-sucker to my mailbox. Do I need to walk the length of the driveway everyday?

3. Hire a cleaning service

4. Install computers in every room of the house!

5. And of course: pay for airfare/hotel for bloggers to meet for a Blog Convention!! Site undetermined as of yet. When I become a billionaire, I will let you all know!



5 bad habits...

1. letting the dust bunnies take over

2. talking before I think

3. filling the dishwasher with detergent and forgetting to start it

4. going into a room and totally forgetting what it was I in need of

5. stacking everything into piles instead of organizing it



5 places I've lived...

1. My parent's house

2. Several college dorm rooms

3. Our first home was an apartment in E-----a (for those who know the area) so that I could commute to college to finish my senior year.

4. We moved into a house in 1998 - a cute cape cod! This was not in the same town I grew up in but the same school district.

5. We moved into this house in September of 2005 and the dust bunnies moved in shortly after.



5 jobs I've had...

1. Cleaning tables at local "hot spot" known for its ice cream.

2. Making sundaes at above restaurant - LOVED IT!!

3. Working as a clerk at a grocery store - up on the hill.

4. Teaching PE with the YMCA as well as an elementary school in the School District of L------er.

5. My current job - and although it can be the most frustrating, it is also the most enjoyable: Mom/Wife



TAG! Now YOU are it...

If you haven't, or even if you have, done this one - feel free to play along. Make sure to leave me a comment so I can come and play. And if you don't have a blog - you can play along in the comments section! :-)

Warning: Sappy Mom Moment Ahead

The kids asked to watch a video after lunch and I told them they needed to "find something to do" (such a common phrase in our house lately). If they could play until 1, they could pick a movie.

I was busy doing laundry when I overheard Quintin reading aloud.

I grabbed myself a seat with camera in hand to record these precious moments.

Ahhh - somedays they just blow me away!! Thank you Jesus for these precious little ones!!



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I can't believe it!

My maternal grandmother is 90 years young today!

This is her holding Colin last summer! Her name is Margaret (and she goes by Mike). She lives by herself, in a second floor apartment!!

My memories include staying at her house during our summer vacations. Watching Love Boat and Wheel of Fortune (still a favorite of mine!) We'd sleep with the windows open and I always remember the smell of roasted peanuts coming in the windows - whenever I smell them now, I think of her.

In her younger days, she worked as a seamstress and a cook. I remember being scared of the room where she sewed because of the dressform (mannequin) that stood in the room.

I remember going to her house and visiting the two sweet older ladies that lived across the street. We weren't related, but we referred to them as our aunts: Aunt Lucy and Aunt Mary.

I remember taking walks into the downtown stores - and it was a special time when I could choose a pair of earrings!

And, it is also my sister's birthday!

Happy Birthday Grandma and Dana!!

Wishing a wonderful weekend to all!!

I'm a junkie!

I'm a junk food junkie! I have such a sweet tooth that it isn't even funny - 'specially when I step on the scale! HA!

These Fudge Rounds have long been one of my favorites - followed by the Swiss Rolls below! But, a good buddy, Sarah, recently shared with me a recipe for some cookies that taste similar-but-oh-so-much-better! You can find her recipe here. I was gonna post it on my cooking blog - but as I started typing this, I....uh....just ate the last one - and I hadn't taken any pictures of them! LOL!!! I used a devil's food cake mix and some milk chocolate frosting that were in the cupboard (not necessarily to use together, but sometimes when a chocolate attack hits, I go for the frosting!)

So, in honor of a new found chocolate-love, I thought I'd share some other snack food loves. If you haven't tried them - please do! (And know that I'm not getting any kickbacks for sharing this most valuable info with you!)

DUH!!!

I'm sure there are many more - but I want you to stop drooling on your keyboard...so, we'll wrap it up here!

And while these are my favorites, I do not have them all in my cupboard at the same time - I do pratice moderation, ya know!!

What are your favorite snacks? Do you have anything that you just can't live without? I'd love to know ('cause maybe I'll find a new love too!)

Wordless Wednesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday

After playing in the woods and searching for salamanders with his 8 year old nephew, Quintin was so excited.

"Did you pick any up?" I asked.

"No!" came the reply, "I was afraid they were going to attack me."


note to self: when going into woods, take a bat in case of a salamander attack!

****

In the midst of chocolate-withdrawal, I mixed up some cookies as the kids were getting ready for bed.

As Elle stepped into her bedroom, she looked down into the kitchen and asked "When will the cookies be ready?"

For you, "in the morning!"

Its probably a good thing that there are only 2 girls in this house!! I don't think T could handle any more females suffering from chocolate-withdrawal.


****

For more Tiny Talk, head over to Mary's at Not Before 7.

More of Him

I really do enjoy crafts...and I'm starting to discover, that sometimes through this creative process - God talks to me.

One of my current projects is a blanket for a dear friend whom I used to teach with. As I was sewing this weekend, I thought about how the two pieces of material become one. How two unrelated pieces are brought together to create a beautiful pattern. They are brought together with thread that is unseen when looked at. It brought to mind an analogy of a braid and marriage.

I didn't think much more about it, until Saturday night. The kids were in bed, and T was finishing some things up at work. I pulled out my Bible to do some reading because I had some heavy things on my heart. My Bible opened to the book of Ecclesiastes and I began reading. I came to 4:12 -- "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

In the analogy of a braid, a braid can appear to have only two strands of hair. But it is impossible to create a braid with only two strands. If the two can be put together at all, they would quickly unravel.

The mystery of a braid is that the two strands actually require a third. Though not immediately evident, the third strand is what actually holds the other two together.

That's what marriage is like. God, in the midst of two lives, woven together with His, coming together to form that threefold cord that's not easily broken.

God is the only third party that can make a marriage work.

And He manifests His presence when we submit ourselves to His truth.

Love rejoices in The Truth!

May we submit ourselves to His truth. And may we continue to search and find More of Him in our daily activities.

To read More of Him, visit Heather at Not a DIY Life.

braid explanation found here.

Inspired to Create

Where do you get inspiration to create?

Thursday was a beautiful day. After mowing the lawn (and getting my first official sunburn of 2008), I found this:

He had his drawing pencils and sketch book and was creating this:

"Two rotted trees with a stump in the middle"

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him out there with his sketchbook. We hadn't worked in it since early last Fall, but he remembered all the details of those times: the sketch book, the pencil case stocked with pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener and then, the blanket!! It was such a precious moment to see him sketching...and inspired by nature.

Seeing that reminded me of another one of his drawings. We were talking about the color red, and here is what he created:

And, it was inspired by this:

YEP! That is my Green Eggs & Ham book from when I was a wee-one! (Back in the days when my sister was still telling me my name was hyphenated!)

While Quintin didn't copy my bunny's Easter baskets in hand, he did offer his bunny many carrots from which to choose for a yummy meal!

Drawing is not something I would do for pleasure - but I receive so much pleasure in seeing Quintin's artistic interpretations of his life and the world around him. What a joy to see his inspirations come to life whether it be in pencil or crayon!