Food

I've been thinking a lot about food this morning (not rare for me :)

I've been making some of T's favorites because tomorrow is his birthday - he'll be 33 (not 23 as Q might think). Last night we had Creamed Dry Beef on toast and tonight I'm making Chicken Tetrazzini.

I know that he also likes Moravian Sugar Cake. He likes to take a birthday treat to work and he needs much more than I could possibly make so he orders it from a local farm bakery. This morning, he brought some home for us, he said he order one 1/4 sheet too much. This is so yummy. Basically, it is a sweet bread that has been allowed to rise, then you punch holes in it and fill them with butter and top it off with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Now, to make you salivate a little bit more, have you seen this new product from Kraft? It is a ready to eat Philadelphia Cream Cheese cheesecake filling.

Their ad says "One step to dessert heaven." I think it sounds more like 3 steps!

Their suggestion: Simply spread Philadelphia Ready-To-Eat Cheesecake Filling into a 9" Honey Maid graham cracker crust, slice and serve.

My suggestion? Dig spoon in and insert spoon in mouth! Hey, its less steps too! Isn't that why its called "ready to eat?"

Remember, discussing it doesn't add the pounds :) Say a prayer for our will power today so that there will be some sugar cake left when T gets home tonight - and its not the kids this momma is worrying about.

**Also wishing my niece 'K' a Happy 14th Birthday. She's lucky enough to share her birthday with Uncle T!! And I know she just rolled her eyes at me :) We love ya K!

>>>>UPDATE<<<< I am going to try to post a recipe for the Moravian sugar cake if anyone is interested.

Want to play a game?

We had arrived home from church yesterday and T was keeping the kids busy while I was getting lunch ready. Q asked Daddy if they could play a game he played in Sunday School. Dad said sure and Q says, "OK Dad, you have to zip your lips shut like this," while demonstrating the 'zipper technique' on his own lips. Then Q says, "We have to see who can keep our mouths closed the longest. If you open your mouth, you lose."

Do you think the 4 year old Sunday School class was a little chatty yesterday?

To make it fun, Dad opens his mouth and Q says, "Oh no, you lose, Daddy. Would you like to try again?"

I was laughing so hard out in the kitchen I thought I was going to fall on the floor. I was stirring chicken gravy at the time and was hoping I wouldn't pull it down along with me.
This was taken last Fall. It makes me eager for warm weather and to be outside playing!

My Testimony

Candy and Roses and Penless Thoughts wrote their testimonies this week and it inspired me to write out my own. It is something I've always wanted to write out since reading The Purpose Driven Life [what a great book].

I grew up in a very happy household with loving parents and a brother and sister to fight with:) We went to church a few times, prayed before family dinners and were taught to know right from wrong.

I was not a rowdy, crazed teenager and thought I had it all together. I did not hang around with a bad crowd of people and I made good grades. I was involved in sports and had many friends. As a sophomore in HS, I had my eyes on a cute boy in the junior class. I watched him after lunch outside of his Biology class. Little did I know, he was watching me too.

Our first date was June 14, 1991 and we played miniature golf. We became great friends and he was never shy about telling me about his faith or his church friends (some I knew from school). He took me to a Sunday evening youth activity at a friend's house. His friends were so nice and caring. I was really drawn into the group and continued to go with him to most of the activities I could. On weekends, we did the "group dating" thing: eating out with other couples, watching movies and the like. I went to church with him on Sunday mornings a few times, but not very often.

The following winter, he and his friends invited me to come along on their youth group's winter retreat. I was able to room with some really fun gals (whose friendships I still treasure). We had a very good speaker for the weekend and we had fun out in the snow and playing card games until late at night. The church's youth group advisers were very godly couples who liked to have fun and I felt very much a part of this group.

I can remember the moment it happened. Our speaker had just finished his morning session and assigned us to prayer groups. I thought, uh oh. You see, my dad was the one who had the prayer at meals. I never did, I'd never really prayed before, especially in front of people I'd only known a few months. I began to sweat and become very anxious. What was I going to say?

My anxieties were calmed when I was placed in the same prayer group as my boyfriend's older sister. I don't remember if or what I prayed, but I was brought to tears. I wanted this. What they had. A relationship. To pray and to know someone was listening. You know. A friend. To call on in a time of need or to rejoice with. When no one else is around.

I stayed in the prayer group until the final amen was spoken and I ran up to the girls' room. But not before my boyfriend caught a look at my teary and puffy eyes.

He followed me upstairs and asked what was the matter. He was concerned that I was uncomfortable or that I wanted to go home. Absolutely not, I told him I want what they have, what he has. He prayed with me and I accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life. What an awesome weekend.

On June 15, 1996, I married my best friend, that cute boy in Biology class, whom I had beaten at miniature golf 5 years prior. Isn't it so awesome to look back at our lives and see how the Lord places people in our paths? He has the perfect timing and He uses the perfect people to give us what we need - when we need it.

That is my story. Of course I am still learning and growing each day - as the title of my blog states - living to learn and learning to live. Since I've started blogging, just about a month ago, I have made some wonderful friends who have challenged me in my faith and have brought smiles to my face with your stories and insights. *Thank you fellow bloggers* Even though we don't get to sit across from one another at my kitchen table, I am encouraged by each of you!

Let me know if you post your testimony, I would love to read it!

Bumbo, bird feeder & my dog

Now if that title didn't grab your attention - I don't know what will!
First, Bumbo - have you heard of these? I just bought one yesterday. It is a seat designed to sit a baby in an upright position. The box says 3-14 months - we've got a week until C is 3 months, so I gave it a try and Voila - he's sitting and he likes it. It makes C look like his knees come right out of his belly, but I think that is because it is a deep seat. I love it and recommend them - I can't wait until he can hold onto his toys and play sitting up. I would rather sit up and watch what is going on rather than be laying on my back (but, hey, maybe that is just me:)
Second, our bird feeder. We made our pine cone bird feeders this morning. We used some smaller pine cones and coated them with peanut butter and rolled them in bird seed. Q helped me make them and E ate the peanut butter.
Here Birdie Birdie!
And lastly, Riley, our lovable, playful, lazy bichon frise! Riley will be 9 in May, I guess you could say he was our first child :) He is great with the children and he barely sheds, we do have to have him 'groomed' every now and then, but hey, doesn't everyone deserve a good haircut?

Homeschool Tag

Tara has tagged me :)

Homeschooling Tag

1) One homeschooling book you have enjoyed.
>>The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach by Robin Sampson

2) One resource you wouldn’t be without.
>>My husband's sanity

3) One resource you wish you had never purchased.
>>A certain handwriting curriculum (I won't be specific)

4) One resource you enjoyed last year.
>>PBS - my oldest was only 3 last year :)

5) One resource you will be using next year.
>>Weaver Curriculum Vol 1

6) One resource you would like to buy.
>>I'm not sure

7) One homeschooling catalog you enjoy reading.
>>Christian Book Distibutors

8.) One homeschooling (educational) website you use regularly.
>>Heart Of Wisdom

9) Tag other home schoolers.
WeaverMomof2

A great ski adventure!

We've had our first official field trip since our blog adventures began! Dad and Q went skiing yesterday! It was Q's first time to go! Skiing is something our family really enjoys. T has been skiing since he was 3 or 4, and he taught me to ski when we started dating (now there's love, what's the saying about love and wallpapering a room together? It's kind of like that with skiing :)

We didn't get to ski in Vermont with T's family this year because of C being born in December. So, T took Q to a small ski area about an hours drive from us.

When Q woke up, he was excited about going and the next minute he was crying and pulling the covers back over his head. I showed him pictures of his cousin, who is 3, who had skied for the first time when the family was in Vermont last month. This encouraged him and while he ate breakfast I tried to tell him a little about it. He was rather eager to use poles, but little ones don't get poles because they don't know what to do with them.

They left in the truck only 30 minutes after Q woke up. I stayed home with E and C for a long-needed morning of house cleaning. Oh Yippee, my favorite thing!! [insert sarcastic laugh and rolling eyes here]

They left at 8 and were home by 1:15 (remember it was a one hour drive both ways). As they pulled in the garage, I stuck my head out motioning for a thumbs up/thumbs down sign from T. He only smiled and I thought oh no. As Q got out of the truck he ran over to me and I thought "oh wonderful, he's coming to tell me how much fun he had skiing with Daddy." No. He ran over to tell me how cool the stuff was that he got with his McDonald's Happy Meal and he was off to play with his sister.

As T walks in I start asking all kinds of questions to find out what happened. "Was he happy?" "Did he enjoy it?" "Was he crying the whole time?" "Did you even get him in boots and skis?"

Well, Q had a great time, only crying once :) He went up the chair lift without any problems (my first chair ride? I was scared to ride the lift for fear of it stopping and the cable breaking - but I've come a long way)

They did about 8 or 9 runs down "Fanny Hill". Funny, I learned on that one too and it is named that for a reason!

Q skied between T's skis for most of the morning but was learning to stay bent forward by keeping his hands on his knees. A few times at the flat areas, Q could 'let it roll' and 'ski' by himself. When he started to lose control, Daddy will yell "Bail out!"

T, being the wonderful husband and father he is, graciously brought back a few pictures for this momma to cry over! My boy was skiing!

So, it was a wonderful field trip - and we'll classify that under PE. Funny thing is, as much time as I spent on my fanny learning to ski, I am actually fairly athletic and I was a Physical Education teacher before we had children :)

Lift ticket for Dad and rentals for Q: $70 (I know, I know)
Lunch for 2 at McDonald's: $10
The look on this little boy's face while skiing with Daddy: Priceless

A good nap was had by all!

They say the cutest things!

Today we've had a fun day! We were doing some math this morning and talking about a dozen being 12 items. We had 12 gingerbread men to cut out and then Q wrote the numbers 1-12 on each of them. He was having a great time lining them up on the floor. After lining them up a few times, he picked up Gingerbread Man #2 and gave it to his sister, saying "Here this is for you because you're 2!" I thought, oh how sweet. Then he picked up #1 and handed it to me saying, "This one is for you because you're 41." YIKES! I said, "No not 41, how old is Mommy?" He looked at me with the cutest look thinking he was correcting himself, and said "Oh, you're 61!" Double YIKES! Then I corrected him, "No Mommy is 31." Well, Daddy came home for lunch today and we were talking about our dozen gingerbread men. After telling Daddy about how kind Q was to give his sister a 2 and how he got the second half of mine correct :) I asked Q what number he would give to Daddy, and he says, "a 2 because Daddy is 22!" Daddy had the biggest smile on his face while I let Q know that Daddy is not 22, but 32." I just can't cut a break today! :)

Just melts my heart

Even though he didn't get my blue eyes - I just love that he got my dimples! Couldn't you just eat him up?

A look at what we do...

I thought I'd post today about what one of our weeks looks like with Weaver's Interlock. Hopefully it will give you a glimpse into our days here!
Week 21 Bible Memory Verse "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." Matthew 6:26
The following is a combination of our Bible Story, science and social studies.
Since we started Interlock, we've learned about the first four days of Creation. We are currently learning about what God made on the fifth day. So far, we've talked about fish and other water creatures, amphibians and last week we began studying birds. We've talked about where they live and how God has created them to live in those specific climates. God made them big, small, with beautiful colors and plain colors - Each one is special. Q learned that God made birds with special feet, some with spurs and claws, and beaks suited to the type of food they eat. We also talked about how God created birds with an instinct to migrate. How awesome that they are so unique!

We've discussed how birds lay eggs and the eggs are different sizes. Birds are useful to man because they eat harmful insects, they give us meat, eggs and feathers for our use. We looked at bird feathers and that God planned for the feather to be a very special help to birds.

We even rolled around on the floor imagining what it would feel like to be an egg! Even pretending to be a little chick pecking it's way out.

We could have taught Q the days of Creation by having him memorize what was created on what day - but we would have missed out on so many fun projects and activities, and would he have remembered it? The memories we are creating are priceless.

Daddy is trucking tonight, so I thought we'd hard boil some eggs and I'll let Q & E compare a hard boiled egg and a raw egg and then let them decorate them. I want to see, too, if Q remembers one of our first lessons in Interlock. We looked at a raw egg and saw just 1 egg. When we opened it, there were 3 parts: the shell, the yolk and the white - but it was still 1 egg. This is like God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All three have different names, but yet they are One.

Next week we are going to fill a pinecone with suet (meat fat) and roll it in birdseed and hang it from a tree. I remember doing this as a young child and I loved watching from inside the house!

Great day so far, and its 11:20am!

I love snow days! It is coming down great outside, a little too much sleet for my liking, but beautiful! Today, E slept in and Q and I did today's lesson and Friday's! I've been wanting to 'double up' on some of our shorter lessons. What a great day.
I was also able to spend some time reflecting on a very good book I just finished, The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omaritan - I highly recommend it. I would love to start The Power of a Praying Parent.
Well, we are off to read some books, it looks like "If you give a pig a pancake" and "Does Cheese Grow on Trees?"

Noah's Wife by Rebekah Joy Anast

Viewing life as an adventure, not a trial

When my mom married my dad, she could not cook, and her housekeeping skills were untried at best. She was (is) deaf in one ear and partially deaf in the other. This handicap made it difficult for her to pronounce words correctly, and resulted in odd spelling and conversational blunders. Nevertheless, my mom had the advantage of Noah’s wife: she viewed life as an adventure to experience, not a trial to be endured.

When Dad announced that they would have their babies at home, delivered by a bearded midwife (himself), Mom read up on the subject and talked his ear off about all that she was reading, so that both of them would be prepared when the hour of labor arrived. She kept herself in shape and prepared as best she knew how, and trusted God for the rest. He was faithful.

When Dad announced, “We’re going to homeschool!” Mom didn’t point out her deafness, or the fact that she’d never heard of anyone teaching their kids at home. Instead, she went to the junk store and bought five dollars worth of phonics books and set to work on her dyslexic 4-year-old (me). When the day of persecution came as a result of following a faith-stricken patriarch, Mom did what Noah’s wife did: she followed her man into the ark and waited to see what God would do. Again, He was faithful.

Read the rest of the story at No Greater Joy

Bathtime?

I believe this is why they call it "Chocolate Ugly Cake"
The cake is advertised as being "So ugly its cute"

She's just too cute!

My next project

I've decided a need a new knitting project so that I can force myself to sit down in the playroom when the children are playing. And, I've found it, it is a Prayer Shawl. I found the pattern at the Lion Brand Yarn website.

What is a Prayer Shawl? Throughout the ages, shawls have come to symbolize shelter, peace and spiritual sustenance. Since the inception of the Prayer Shawl Ministry in 1998, the members of this ecumenical organization have lovingly donated their time and talents by creating hand-knitted and crocheted shawls for those in need. What started as a grass-roots movement has quickly grown into an international cause, with countless numbers of shawls being given to grateful recipients around the globe.The Ministry's message of caring is simple, universal and enduring. And we have seen time and again that the creation and presentation of a prayer shawl, like all acts of generosity, enriches the giver as well as the recipient. (from Lion Brand's website)

Knit Version: Cast on 63 stitches or any multiple of three, such as 54, 57, or 60.First row Knit 3, purl 3 to the end of the row.Repeated row Turn and knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches. Work about 2½ skeins in this pattern. Use the rest of the yarn for fringe, which can be from 3 inches to 9 inches long. Knot the ends of the fringes to keep the yarn from frizzing.

We did it!

We have started up again after a 2.5 month break and we had a good day. I'll say good, because there were a few interruptions, so it was not bad - it was good!!
Q woke up first and after he dilly-dallied for 15 min we came downstairs for breakfast. I started working with him during breakfast because he likes oatmeal and needs a good 15 min for it to cool down! :-)

We started out really well and he was definitely enjoying the talk about frogs. Well, 30 min into it, C woke up hungry. So while feeding him, I continued on with Q. As I was putting C down for some floor time, I heard E. I left Q to color and got E set up for breakfast. We finished Q's work with a fun phonics game (4 card takeaway). After E finished, she and Q headed to the playroom. I didn't get all the one-on-one time I was hoping for, but it'll come, I know.

I am just glad we made the move to get started again! I am going to have to be clever in finding other ways to 'squeeze in' some school time.

I know this wasn't a glorious first-day-back post, which I am sure no one was expecting, but I am glad we accomplished what we did for the day!! I love that Interlock is a 3-day program, because I think time-wise, we may need to stretch it out into a 5-day program -- doing less work on more days, and I think it'll work well for us!

Baby in a Tree

This is incredible! My dear friend Nicole sent this to me and I had to post it. God created that tree just so and allowed the picture to be taken just so!

What an awesome God we serve!

Don't look for a Baby, and you will see the Baby! Once you see it you won't see anything else!!!

tick...tick...tick...goes the clock

The countdown is on. Baby C is now 8 weeks old and we've taken a long enough break from preschool. Yeah, we've done little bits here and there...but I'm talking getting back into Interlock. I am missing the structure, but feeling very anxious about starting back in. My concerns, you ask...1) Before the baby was born, E would sleep in late and Q and I had a nice chunk of time to work...now, what will happen? 2) Will Q have lost interest or will he be ready to jump back into studying the days of Creation? 3) If C needs fed, will we be able to keep working or will the 'moment' be lost for the day? 4) If E wakes up early, will I be able to find something to keep her occupied while sitting at the table with us? 5)...give me some time...I can come up with another one to keep stalling! :-)

I've been praying that the Lord will smooth out any bumps we may encounter and I've asked Him to take away my anxieties. I also reflected on the reasons why we've started this journey.

After writing this, and stopping to pray along the way - I already feel more at peace and I know whatever happens - it will all work out for the good. God is good - all the time!

Here's E feeding 'Baby Doll.' I had to take a picture because she is holding the top of the bottle while shaking it...just like Mommy does with baby C's bottle! Too cute...

Here's Q coloring. I'm not sure why he decided to sit there (looks uncomfortable to me:-)...but he was very content and colored a very nice picture of the big brown puppy dog from Tom & Jerry-a new favorite of his. He and Daddy like to watch T&J Saturday mornings. Daddy says it was a favorite of his while growing up!

Our future is so bright...

we've gotta wear shades!

I don't know if you can see E's rhinestone shirt, but it says "My Dad Rocks." BTW - Daddy works in a limestone quarry!!

Having fun with cornmeal!

Yesterday we decided to work on our cursive letters some more. Q really enjoys learning the cursive letters. It is even more fun when you get to 'write' them in cornmeal! E wanted to try too, but we encouraged her to color instead. I could only imagine the cornmeal being dumped on the floor...maybe next year?

I wish I was skiing this year...

Last year we were fortunate enough to be able to ski in Steamboat Springs, CO. This year, with the baby, we decided we better stay home and miss the family ski trip. Hubby's family headed to Okemo, VT, yesterday. I was just at the Okemo site and it looks like they had a beautiful day there today. The good memories of last year's trip will have to be enough to get me through this year - what a fun trip...pictures are wonderful aren't they?