Sarah in one of her stylish outfits. I did make her change before we left the house.
Birthday party shopping last year. My other pictures of Leiah got messed up so I'll have to add them to this post later.
Cake and Cookies
August 8, 2013
Picture Updates
Ok, it has been a looooong time since I posted any pictures of us. Mainly our old digital camera died, and I use my blackberry to take pics. And, until today, I didn't know where the USB cable was to upload photos from the phone. Most of these pictures are a year old, as I've not been taking lots of pictures lately, for whatever reason. Too busy to think of it I guess!!
All the girls- Samanta, Alexa, Sarah and Leiah- December last year.
Samantha on July 4th, stuffing her mouth with tomatoes.
Alexa and her cat, whose name is actually Little Prince. We call him Princey for short.
Sarah in one of her stylish outfits. I did make her change before we left the house.
Birthday party shopping last year. My other pictures of Leiah got messed up so I'll have to add them to this post later.
Cake and Cookies
You'll notice there are no pictures of me-I'm the one taking pictures :) To be updated...
Sarah in one of her stylish outfits. I did make her change before we left the house.
Birthday party shopping last year. My other pictures of Leiah got messed up so I'll have to add them to this post later.
Cake and Cookies
August 6, 2013
August Treats
I just read a blog post on someone's blog that on August first the weather shifts to being cooler. Well, around here the weather shifts too.
Shifts to the surface of the sun! We barely venture outside these days. Even our pool gets pretty warm, so it's best enjoyed in the evening, when the mosquitoes are out of course. Yesterday we had to get out for 2 hrs of dance classes, with part of it waiting in the car, and as soon as I got home I put together a simple and refreshing sorbet. I was blessed with an electric ice cream maker- the kind that has an insert that you put in the freezer, so there's no rock salt or anything to mess with.
I found this recipe and altered it a bit and it was a hit. Here is my version:
Lime Coconut Sorbet
1 Can Thai coconut milk, not lite verson
3/4-1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt (I used cabot brand)
1 cup of heavy cream
2 large limes
1/4 cup honey
3/4 sugar * I would have used all honey but I didn't have enough
Zest the limes and juice them, then whisk everything together in a big bowl. Pour into ice cream maker and turn it on. I let it go till about the consistency of soft serve ice cream, then poured it into a glass baking dish and put it in the freezer till after dinner. I also made some ginger spiced peaches to go with it, which everyone liked, but they told me they didn't like the ice cream and peaches together.
For the peaches:
5 very ripe peaches
1/2 cup combined honey and brown sugar
1/2 inch of fresh ginger root, sliced
1/f whole cinnamon stick
2 cups water
For the syrup, you mix the water, sugar, honey and spices, bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. For the peaches, bring a pot of water to boil. Using a sharp knife, cut a small 'X' into the base of each peach. Put the peaches in the boiling water at least 1 minute, then remove with slotted spoon to cool. When cool enough, use the knife to peel the skin off. Then, slice or cut any way you like. When syrup is done, pour it over the peaches (strain spices) and stir. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. This would be good with vanilla ice cream or honey sweetened greek yogurt.
We are eating the ice cream leftovers now, and I think I'll put the leftover peaches into a coffee cake or something, or just eat it with the yogurt :)
Staying cool!
Shifts to the surface of the sun! We barely venture outside these days. Even our pool gets pretty warm, so it's best enjoyed in the evening, when the mosquitoes are out of course. Yesterday we had to get out for 2 hrs of dance classes, with part of it waiting in the car, and as soon as I got home I put together a simple and refreshing sorbet. I was blessed with an electric ice cream maker- the kind that has an insert that you put in the freezer, so there's no rock salt or anything to mess with.
I found this recipe and altered it a bit and it was a hit. Here is my version:
Lime Coconut Sorbet
1 Can Thai coconut milk, not lite verson
3/4-1 cup full fat plain greek yogurt (I used cabot brand)
1 cup of heavy cream
2 large limes
1/4 cup honey
3/4 sugar * I would have used all honey but I didn't have enough
Zest the limes and juice them, then whisk everything together in a big bowl. Pour into ice cream maker and turn it on. I let it go till about the consistency of soft serve ice cream, then poured it into a glass baking dish and put it in the freezer till after dinner. I also made some ginger spiced peaches to go with it, which everyone liked, but they told me they didn't like the ice cream and peaches together.
For the peaches:
5 very ripe peaches
1/2 cup combined honey and brown sugar
1/2 inch of fresh ginger root, sliced
1/f whole cinnamon stick
2 cups water
For the syrup, you mix the water, sugar, honey and spices, bring to a simmer and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. For the peaches, bring a pot of water to boil. Using a sharp knife, cut a small 'X' into the base of each peach. Put the peaches in the boiling water at least 1 minute, then remove with slotted spoon to cool. When cool enough, use the knife to peel the skin off. Then, slice or cut any way you like. When syrup is done, pour it over the peaches (strain spices) and stir. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. This would be good with vanilla ice cream or honey sweetened greek yogurt.
We are eating the ice cream leftovers now, and I think I'll put the leftover peaches into a coffee cake or something, or just eat it with the yogurt :)
Staying cool!
August 2, 2013
Sundholm Homeschool 2013-2014
Last year was my first time being a homeschooler. I was so worried and nervous! I was mainly concerned that I would have behavioral problems more than anything else, and that was what I had problems with. The girls did well with their learning, except in math. For some reason they get emotional with me, I guess because I don't let them quit when it gets hard :)
I chose to do the Charlotte Mason method of education, because it seemed like the best to me. This, I think, made it a little harder, because we didn't use a lot of workbooks etc. and the girls were just coming out of public school. I still think this is one of the richer methods of educating, so this year we are doing a combination of that plus some workbooks.
Truthfully there were many days that involved tears and me wanting to give up. But overall, as in 85-90% of the time it went well and was actually enjoyable. I have lovely memories of some of the things we did. So, the good thing now is that I have some EXPERIENCE and have a better idea as to how the girls each learn and what works best for them. YAY!
They will all be going to a Christian school next school year, 2014-2015, so I am preparing them for that. The wonderful thing about the school is they hone in on reasoning and thinking through things-there is NO multiple choice, fill in the blank anything...ANYTHING! They also, teach the children the Christian view of man, and how God's providence is all through history, and of course, America's Christian Heritage and all about that. In highschool we spent months on the the Mayflower compact in original language (f's are pronounced as an 's') and the constitution including memorizing it, and all the other events that happened along with it. They tend to take a more,uh, conservative approach to math in the lower grades, concentrating on them getting the basics down really well, similar to what children learned back in the 1800s. (3Rs)
This year we are doing preschool for our almost 4 year old, 2nd grade and 4th grade.
So, I am planning a more language rich and 'arts' curriculum this year. First up, History:
Last year I did a combo of Christian Liberty Press Pioneers and Patriots book, and Simply Charlotte Mason's early modern history. The focus was mainly on the explorers that discovered America, the Pilgrims, life in the beginnings of the country and on up to Benjamin Franklin. I talked to the girls about our options and we chose do something different this year, which I think is really important because they will learn a lot about these topics in the coming years.
We chose to do SCM's Middles Ages, Renaissance, Reformation and Epistles
This guide includes history, geography and bible study. This book doesn't have the lessons, it's just your guidebook. You purchase living books for the actual study. There are many, and we buy them each term. The book is broken up into 3 terms that are 12 weeks each. It is also for the entire family, and for older children, they get additional books to read on their own that they will write narrations from. I'm excited because I think it will be a fun study. Some of the books are for the first term are:
The Vikings
Leif Ericson
Johann Gutenburg
So also in this book there is geography, which I think is the early explorers such as Magellan. I have to buy a map software to get the blank maps, although there may be some free ones I haven't found yet.
If I buy it, it will be Uncle Josh's Outline maps
For Bible, we will study the epistles, starting with James, then Galatians and so forth. I am looking into getting this Bible study book from SCM (Simply Charlotte Mason) because you use an actual Bible to read from :)
Literature
I will be picking from a few recommended Charlotte Mason reading lists for both grade levels. I found a set of unit studies on classic literature books that I plan to use with some of the books to make it more interesting. The books in the list are:
I also bought some second grade readers from Pathway Readers and the Christian Liberty Press nature readers books 1-4 used locally.
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe I will get an audio version of the Pilgrim's Progress. I see much about it on Ambleside Online, and as far as the book goes, I just don't think they can do the original. There are some versions for children that look better, but I don't know. I know the rich language is important, so we may do the cd version. That book along with the stories from Shakespeare seem to be more at the 5th-6th grade level to me.
2nd Grade For Sarah, all from Christian Liberty Press
Modern Curriculum Press
Phonics
Spelling
Penmanship
4th Grade for Alexa, Christian Liberty Press
Modern Curriculum Press Math
Penmanship
For spelling, we are going to do dictation using a book from the SCM website.
Spelling Wisdom
For science we will use the Christian Liberty Press Nature readers and the Zoology 3 Course from Apologia. I am undecided as the whether I want to by the notebooks that go along with it yet, but I'm pretty sure that's what we're going to do. This will work with all grades too, yippee!
We may add in some fun science kits called The Young Scientist Club kits. As in, like one per term.
Last year we didn't do much with art, music or foreign language. For art and music, I plan to use:
World's Greatest Artists- because we like unit studies and it is currently free right now!
and, World's Greatest Composers
These are done like once or twice a week, very doable and adds interest to the day.
If we do a foreign language, I am looking at the Muzzy website, because they have an online program you can use for a little over $10 a month, rather than $200 for the dvds. (they chose French)
AND, I need to start teaching them piano. Gotta find some books to teach them to read music....
So add in daily chores, dance classes, church, probably swimming since it'll be summer here for a few more months and general play with each other, two swingsets and a trampoline (PE) going to the library, free reading...they will have a lot to do, and so will I! That doesn't include you know, groceries, cooking, laundry, cleaning, home projects, fall garden....aahhh!!!
Then that leaves the about to be 4 year old, Samantha. She is really really smart, as in she asked me to print her a page of letters to trace and she did and then starting writing letters by herself just from looking at her name. I'm not sure if I should start with basics and just teach letters, numbers (she counts past 20), shapes, colors or just jump into a reading program. I'm still thinking on it. I may buy her some of those workbooks at walmart and see how she does first.
And I think that wraps it up. Of course I also plan to do seasonal crafts, and will pick one handicraft per term.Not sure on those yet, but am thinking of doing more needle work/embroidery and simple sewing, maybe some jewelry making, wool crafts like felting etc.Paper crafts and painting for sure!
Phew, now I need to go buy new supplies for a home management binder and make a schedule!
I chose to do the Charlotte Mason method of education, because it seemed like the best to me. This, I think, made it a little harder, because we didn't use a lot of workbooks etc. and the girls were just coming out of public school. I still think this is one of the richer methods of educating, so this year we are doing a combination of that plus some workbooks.
Truthfully there were many days that involved tears and me wanting to give up. But overall, as in 85-90% of the time it went well and was actually enjoyable. I have lovely memories of some of the things we did. So, the good thing now is that I have some EXPERIENCE and have a better idea as to how the girls each learn and what works best for them. YAY!
They will all be going to a Christian school next school year, 2014-2015, so I am preparing them for that. The wonderful thing about the school is they hone in on reasoning and thinking through things-there is NO multiple choice, fill in the blank anything...ANYTHING! They also, teach the children the Christian view of man, and how God's providence is all through history, and of course, America's Christian Heritage and all about that. In highschool we spent months on the the Mayflower compact in original language (f's are pronounced as an 's') and the constitution including memorizing it, and all the other events that happened along with it. They tend to take a more,uh, conservative approach to math in the lower grades, concentrating on them getting the basics down really well, similar to what children learned back in the 1800s. (3Rs)
This year we are doing preschool for our almost 4 year old, 2nd grade and 4th grade.
So, I am planning a more language rich and 'arts' curriculum this year. First up, History:
Last year I did a combo of Christian Liberty Press Pioneers and Patriots book, and Simply Charlotte Mason's early modern history. The focus was mainly on the explorers that discovered America, the Pilgrims, life in the beginnings of the country and on up to Benjamin Franklin. I talked to the girls about our options and we chose do something different this year, which I think is really important because they will learn a lot about these topics in the coming years.
We chose to do SCM's Middles Ages, Renaissance, Reformation and Epistles
This guide includes history, geography and bible study. This book doesn't have the lessons, it's just your guidebook. You purchase living books for the actual study. There are many, and we buy them each term. The book is broken up into 3 terms that are 12 weeks each. It is also for the entire family, and for older children, they get additional books to read on their own that they will write narrations from. I'm excited because I think it will be a fun study. Some of the books are for the first term are:
The Vikings
Leif Ericson
Johann Gutenburg
So also in this book there is geography, which I think is the early explorers such as Magellan. I have to buy a map software to get the blank maps, although there may be some free ones I haven't found yet.
If I buy it, it will be Uncle Josh's Outline maps
For Bible, we will study the epistles, starting with James, then Galatians and so forth. I am looking into getting this Bible study book from SCM (Simply Charlotte Mason) because you use an actual Bible to read from :)
Literature
I will be picking from a few recommended Charlotte Mason reading lists for both grade levels. I found a set of unit studies on classic literature books that I plan to use with some of the books to make it more interesting. The books in the list are:
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Black Beauty
- Charlotte's Web
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- Little House in the Big Woods
- Mr. Popper's Penguins
- Stuart Little
- Treasure Island
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
I also bought some second grade readers from Pathway Readers and the Christian Liberty Press nature readers books 1-4 used locally.
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe I will get an audio version of the Pilgrim's Progress. I see much about it on Ambleside Online, and as far as the book goes, I just don't think they can do the original. There are some versions for children that look better, but I don't know. I know the rich language is important, so we may do the cd version. That book along with the stories from Shakespeare seem to be more at the 5th-6th grade level to me.
2nd Grade For Sarah, all from Christian Liberty Press
Modern Curriculum Press
Phonics
Spelling
Penmanship
4th Grade for Alexa, Christian Liberty Press
Modern Curriculum Press Math
Penmanship
For spelling, we are going to do dictation using a book from the SCM website.
Spelling Wisdom
For science we will use the Christian Liberty Press Nature readers and the Zoology 3 Course from Apologia. I am undecided as the whether I want to by the notebooks that go along with it yet, but I'm pretty sure that's what we're going to do. This will work with all grades too, yippee!
We may add in some fun science kits called The Young Scientist Club kits. As in, like one per term.
Last year we didn't do much with art, music or foreign language. For art and music, I plan to use:
World's Greatest Artists- because we like unit studies and it is currently free right now!
and, World's Greatest Composers
These are done like once or twice a week, very doable and adds interest to the day.
If we do a foreign language, I am looking at the Muzzy website, because they have an online program you can use for a little over $10 a month, rather than $200 for the dvds. (they chose French)
AND, I need to start teaching them piano. Gotta find some books to teach them to read music....
So add in daily chores, dance classes, church, probably swimming since it'll be summer here for a few more months and general play with each other, two swingsets and a trampoline (PE) going to the library, free reading...they will have a lot to do, and so will I! That doesn't include you know, groceries, cooking, laundry, cleaning, home projects, fall garden....aahhh!!!
Then that leaves the about to be 4 year old, Samantha. She is really really smart, as in she asked me to print her a page of letters to trace and she did and then starting writing letters by herself just from looking at her name. I'm not sure if I should start with basics and just teach letters, numbers (she counts past 20), shapes, colors or just jump into a reading program. I'm still thinking on it. I may buy her some of those workbooks at walmart and see how she does first.
And I think that wraps it up. Of course I also plan to do seasonal crafts, and will pick one handicraft per term.Not sure on those yet, but am thinking of doing more needle work/embroidery and simple sewing, maybe some jewelry making, wool crafts like felting etc.Paper crafts and painting for sure!
Phew, now I need to go buy new supplies for a home management binder and make a schedule!
July 31, 2013
Returning to Healthy
I used to be a health nut, or as I like to say, health nazi. For those of you who use to watch Seinfeld and remember the soup nazi you'll understand what I mean. I was SO strict about our food and its preparation; I felt it was my fault if anyone happened to get sick. It was some major bondage honestly.
So, when I had my 4th daughter, I was literally forced to let go of that, because it was too much stress and I didn't have the time. So I gradually began letting things go to the point that while we ate was at the normal supermarket, I still cooked from scratch, so it wasn't full of junk. The point is I had to let it go because it was becoming UNhealthy for me. The past few days I've been sensing a leading to start reclaiming some of those food practices back into our lives. So I've been doing lots of online reading, researching, thinking and praying. I trust in the Lord for our health, but at the same time we have personal preferences and knowledge about what is good and what isn't. Certainly if all we had to choose from was fast food, then we'd do the best we could and trust in the Lord to sanctify it. But, we are blessed to have a variety of things to choose from.
Another obstacle was cost-quality food costs. So I have to decide what is the most important. Since I have all girls, I feel the most important is food that lacks added hormones, whether it's organic or not. Organic is low on the list of priorities, although I'll buy it if we can. So I am working toward making some diet changes.
Since my daughter and I have just completed a round of antibiotics, we are focusing on eating probiotics. I am not a fan of supplements for probiotics, simply because they are too powerful for me. I do the best eating them in food form, such as kefir, yogurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut. I did buy the girls a chewable probiotic that they've been on before and they like it.
So, some changes I am making:
1. Start making kefir again, gotta buy some grains and I plan to try using them in coconut milk for something different
2. Make fermented veggies, hence the excitement about starting a greenhouse
3. Buy local raw cow's milk- there is one dairy here that does this for $6 per gallon, and I plan to buy 4 gallons (2 to the fridge, 2 in the freezer) every two weeks. It's a bit of a trip, but I think we can handle it.
4. Substitute whole grain products slowly. Yes we are more accustomed to white flour pasta, white rice...but, we'll learn to go back to better choices. Meanwhile I won't make a big deal out of it, just gradually change. I don't like whole wheat pasta, but I do like brown rice and quinoa pasta though it isn't cheap.
5. Do my best finding good meat, but I won't stress over it
6. Go back to making homemade bread. We've always eaten whole wheat bread, but I am way out of the habit of making it myself. I would also like to try some sourdough starter again.
7. Make kombucha- got a scoby growing right now from some storebought kombucha- I keep forgetting to make it!
8. Increase the amounts of fresh produce in our daily diet- serving more fruit at breakfast and lunch and eat least one salad a day
9. Make it a habit to bake some healthy snacks and treats each week- way out of the habit of this!
10. Start taking cod liver oil again, ack!!
To be honest, I just got burned out I think. I don't like my kitchen a whole lot because of how dark it gets, but we are making plans to do some home improvements very soon and the kitchen is one of the top priorities. Lots of painting and applying of wainscoting in the future :)
Also, being sick and unable to do anything and then being able to go on a long girl trip without having to do housework, really really helped me. It really recharged me and inspired me to get organized and be a better housekeeper and cook. Amazing how buying a few new kitchen gadgets(garlic press, cute little colander and a new coffee mug), and awesome new pot(walmart is getting rid of Paula Deen stuff, got a huge red stockpot for$25), a dish drainer and some of my favorite cleaning products (Ms. Meyers) change my outlook!
I am currently trying out a cool new recipe and will report back on the outcome soon.
So, when I had my 4th daughter, I was literally forced to let go of that, because it was too much stress and I didn't have the time. So I gradually began letting things go to the point that while we ate was at the normal supermarket, I still cooked from scratch, so it wasn't full of junk. The point is I had to let it go because it was becoming UNhealthy for me. The past few days I've been sensing a leading to start reclaiming some of those food practices back into our lives. So I've been doing lots of online reading, researching, thinking and praying. I trust in the Lord for our health, but at the same time we have personal preferences and knowledge about what is good and what isn't. Certainly if all we had to choose from was fast food, then we'd do the best we could and trust in the Lord to sanctify it. But, we are blessed to have a variety of things to choose from.
Another obstacle was cost-quality food costs. So I have to decide what is the most important. Since I have all girls, I feel the most important is food that lacks added hormones, whether it's organic or not. Organic is low on the list of priorities, although I'll buy it if we can. So I am working toward making some diet changes.
Since my daughter and I have just completed a round of antibiotics, we are focusing on eating probiotics. I am not a fan of supplements for probiotics, simply because they are too powerful for me. I do the best eating them in food form, such as kefir, yogurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut. I did buy the girls a chewable probiotic that they've been on before and they like it.
So, some changes I am making:
1. Start making kefir again, gotta buy some grains and I plan to try using them in coconut milk for something different
2. Make fermented veggies, hence the excitement about starting a greenhouse
3. Buy local raw cow's milk- there is one dairy here that does this for $6 per gallon, and I plan to buy 4 gallons (2 to the fridge, 2 in the freezer) every two weeks. It's a bit of a trip, but I think we can handle it.
4. Substitute whole grain products slowly. Yes we are more accustomed to white flour pasta, white rice...but, we'll learn to go back to better choices. Meanwhile I won't make a big deal out of it, just gradually change. I don't like whole wheat pasta, but I do like brown rice and quinoa pasta though it isn't cheap.
5. Do my best finding good meat, but I won't stress over it
6. Go back to making homemade bread. We've always eaten whole wheat bread, but I am way out of the habit of making it myself. I would also like to try some sourdough starter again.
7. Make kombucha- got a scoby growing right now from some storebought kombucha- I keep forgetting to make it!
8. Increase the amounts of fresh produce in our daily diet- serving more fruit at breakfast and lunch and eat least one salad a day
9. Make it a habit to bake some healthy snacks and treats each week- way out of the habit of this!
10. Start taking cod liver oil again, ack!!
To be honest, I just got burned out I think. I don't like my kitchen a whole lot because of how dark it gets, but we are making plans to do some home improvements very soon and the kitchen is one of the top priorities. Lots of painting and applying of wainscoting in the future :)
Also, being sick and unable to do anything and then being able to go on a long girl trip without having to do housework, really really helped me. It really recharged me and inspired me to get organized and be a better housekeeper and cook. Amazing how buying a few new kitchen gadgets(garlic press, cute little colander and a new coffee mug), and awesome new pot(walmart is getting rid of Paula Deen stuff, got a huge red stockpot for$25), a dish drainer and some of my favorite cleaning products (Ms. Meyers) change my outlook!
I am currently trying out a cool new recipe and will report back on the outcome soon.
July 29, 2013
Healed
Glory Hallelujah, Jesus set me free!!
Finally, finally, finally, my hands don't hurt. That was one of the weirdest illnesses I've ever had, and I believe it was a full on attack of the devil. My family was in hand to hand combat with the kingdom of darkness. But, we stayed with it, we continued in the Word, in prayer, in worship even when things didn't get better, and stepped out in faith, and we got the victory!
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;..." 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13
I was still feeling pain Friday, which was the day I had a overnight shopping trip planned with my mom and sister. It had been two years since we did anything, and I was NOT going to stay home. I was armed with plenty of painkillers and on I went. I felt good and the pain in my hands got less and less. We had a great time and by the time I got home Saturday night, I had almost no pain.
I can actually do some work this week. Today I will be catching up all the laundry, thoroughly clean the bedrooms and bathrooms and floors and do some organizing, and sometime this week I'm gonna hit my closet. Ouch :) And, now I can start my beachbody Chalean Extreme workouts!!! I even bought myself some very nice underarmor workout clothes and those bright colored Nike shoes. I'm set! Gonna burn some fat! I'll look like a different person soon!
My husband and I are also making plans to build a small greenhouse. See, we have very sandy soil, and a certain pest called grasshoppers has overridden us. They have eaten my beautiful plants, herbs, all the cabbages, green beans and squash. With that and the fact that this is Texas and the heat is unbearable to work in, we're going to have a fall garden ENCLOSED in a green house.
Grasshoppers don't like tomatoes and mint, so those survived, and I took my basil plants away from them, so we've had that too. The corn is still doing well, so there will be some corn soon! I need to take pictures. We also have a nice new crop of chickens. Well, what I mean is the chicks are almost grown and hopefully will start producing eggs. We were getting 6 eggs a day before some random dogs killed our best layers!!!
I'm still not done with homeschool plans, but I am getting really excited. After buying all the cute school clothes and shoes and seeing all the supplies at walmart, I feel ready to get into school mode again.
Maybe I'll get some pictures of all this stuff to make the post more interesting, we'll see. For now I have to get moving.
Finally, finally, finally, my hands don't hurt. That was one of the weirdest illnesses I've ever had, and I believe it was a full on attack of the devil. My family was in hand to hand combat with the kingdom of darkness. But, we stayed with it, we continued in the Word, in prayer, in worship even when things didn't get better, and stepped out in faith, and we got the victory!
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;..." 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13
I was still feeling pain Friday, which was the day I had a overnight shopping trip planned with my mom and sister. It had been two years since we did anything, and I was NOT going to stay home. I was armed with plenty of painkillers and on I went. I felt good and the pain in my hands got less and less. We had a great time and by the time I got home Saturday night, I had almost no pain.
I can actually do some work this week. Today I will be catching up all the laundry, thoroughly clean the bedrooms and bathrooms and floors and do some organizing, and sometime this week I'm gonna hit my closet. Ouch :) And, now I can start my beachbody Chalean Extreme workouts!!! I even bought myself some very nice underarmor workout clothes and those bright colored Nike shoes. I'm set! Gonna burn some fat! I'll look like a different person soon!
My husband and I are also making plans to build a small greenhouse. See, we have very sandy soil, and a certain pest called grasshoppers has overridden us. They have eaten my beautiful plants, herbs, all the cabbages, green beans and squash. With that and the fact that this is Texas and the heat is unbearable to work in, we're going to have a fall garden ENCLOSED in a green house.
Grasshoppers don't like tomatoes and mint, so those survived, and I took my basil plants away from them, so we've had that too. The corn is still doing well, so there will be some corn soon! I need to take pictures. We also have a nice new crop of chickens. Well, what I mean is the chicks are almost grown and hopefully will start producing eggs. We were getting 6 eggs a day before some random dogs killed our best layers!!!
I'm still not done with homeschool plans, but I am getting really excited. After buying all the cute school clothes and shoes and seeing all the supplies at walmart, I feel ready to get into school mode again.
Maybe I'll get some pictures of all this stuff to make the post more interesting, we'll see. For now I have to get moving.
July 25, 2013
Updates
Alright yall, I apologize for the random ads at the top of the screen. Some kind of malware is on the computer and I haven't had time to figure out how to get rid of it.
To answer a question, yes I do bake cakes for others and our family. It's been a year since I made a cake, but last week with my husband's help we made a great Little Mermaid one. You can see it here
As far as getting started, I don't know of a kit that contains all you need. You can go to the Wilton website and look there, but I usually just bought what I needed for each cake. It was more expensive in the beginning, buying pans and icing tips etc. But now that I've built up a collection it doesn't cost a lot to make a cake. The last cake required 3-4 cake mixes, 5 bags of powdered sugar, a container of shortening, a box of butter, new bottles of vanilla and almond extract, and a bag of premade gum paste. I had just bought a bunch of stuff for some cookies I did the week before, so I had most everything on hand. I will be making two more family cakes soon and I'll definitely need some toothpicks!
In other news I've been terribly sick. I started, a week ago, having fever and chills and painful achy bones and joints all over. After a couple of days it got better, so I thought it was a random virus. I spent the week making cake, staying up late (going back and forth to inlaws to visit family everyday), eating lots of interesting food (all meals at their house) and going going going! So, I started feeling really tired Monday, and by Tuesday was all out sick again. Except the pain was in my joints and terrible! I went to the doctor yesterday and guess what?!! It is a UTI! A urinary tract infection that presented flu symptoms and nothing else. WEIRD!! So, because I have a MUCH anticipated girl overnight shopping trip tomorrow, I am on high powered antibiotics and rest. It probably sounds dumb, but spending a week in your pjs only reading and watching your kids' tv shows and napping really isn't fun when you feel bad.
So, I am still working on homeschool plans. I am so glad for a slow week, although I would like to have been more productive :) So, I'm finalizing it and will order our stuff soon!
To answer a question, yes I do bake cakes for others and our family. It's been a year since I made a cake, but last week with my husband's help we made a great Little Mermaid one. You can see it here
As far as getting started, I don't know of a kit that contains all you need. You can go to the Wilton website and look there, but I usually just bought what I needed for each cake. It was more expensive in the beginning, buying pans and icing tips etc. But now that I've built up a collection it doesn't cost a lot to make a cake. The last cake required 3-4 cake mixes, 5 bags of powdered sugar, a container of shortening, a box of butter, new bottles of vanilla and almond extract, and a bag of premade gum paste. I had just bought a bunch of stuff for some cookies I did the week before, so I had most everything on hand. I will be making two more family cakes soon and I'll definitely need some toothpicks!
In other news I've been terribly sick. I started, a week ago, having fever and chills and painful achy bones and joints all over. After a couple of days it got better, so I thought it was a random virus. I spent the week making cake, staying up late (going back and forth to inlaws to visit family everyday), eating lots of interesting food (all meals at their house) and going going going! So, I started feeling really tired Monday, and by Tuesday was all out sick again. Except the pain was in my joints and terrible! I went to the doctor yesterday and guess what?!! It is a UTI! A urinary tract infection that presented flu symptoms and nothing else. WEIRD!! So, because I have a MUCH anticipated girl overnight shopping trip tomorrow, I am on high powered antibiotics and rest. It probably sounds dumb, but spending a week in your pjs only reading and watching your kids' tv shows and napping really isn't fun when you feel bad.
So, I am still working on homeschool plans. I am so glad for a slow week, although I would like to have been more productive :) So, I'm finalizing it and will order our stuff soon!
July 15, 2013
Summer busies
I can't hardly believe how busy I have been this summer! I was so looking forward to a whole lot of nothing- no demands on my time, just a long boring summer waiting to be filled with whatever we wanted to do. That did not happen.
At the moment I realize it's about the middle of July, and I still haven't had the yard sale I planned over a month ago. I may as well wait now because it's so HOT! I've been busy making cookie and cake orders, altering clothes for people, helping people move, hosting a bbq, having sleepovers, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, sort of doing laundry, going on outings, rearranging bedrooms, digging the garden up, saving plants, killing bugs....MUCH to do.
In the midst of that we did finally make it to the library last week and it was like water to the thirsty for the girls, ha,ha. I am planning our homeschool curriculum right now, and am about decided on it, but not for sure yet. We are going to do school in the kitchen/living area this year in order to free up a bedroom. I enjoyed having a school room, but my girls need some space. I will write about that when I get decided.
So, the other things I've been thinking about are sweaters to knit! Now is the time to start if we want to get to use them this fall and winter. I didn't knit anything for myself last year, and my husband has never gotten anything besides a hat that was too small, so I plan to make some things for us, but I also feel like I need to clothe the children too. It's hard to limit myself! Some ideas....
Matt
Me
Girls
Lots of choices...hard to decide!
Also this week I will be getting some dvds in the mail from Beachbody.com- woo hoo fixing to completely reshape my body!!! So excited. I am still losing with Advocare, but it does energize me and I need to workout to expend it!!!
This coming week we have family from out of town, lots of activities, and I have a Little Mermaid cake to make-ahhhh! Tomorrow is going to be a slow resting day though, possibly floating in the pool is in order. God is so good-He literally brought to my door a brand new swing set for free, and a nice trampoline for free; two things I was sort of thinking about getting (one at a time of course) for Samantha's birthday in August, and we got both! The favor of the Lord! I am bragging on God, because I didn't do anything.
***Started this post last night, just now finishing it
Right now it is cool and raining. We have had an interesting July so far, and summer. It has been hot yes, but we have had weeks of really nice mild weather too. This is the first time in a long while that I've enjoyed summer and not wanted it to just pass and get over with. Awesome!
At the moment I realize it's about the middle of July, and I still haven't had the yard sale I planned over a month ago. I may as well wait now because it's so HOT! I've been busy making cookie and cake orders, altering clothes for people, helping people move, hosting a bbq, having sleepovers, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, sort of doing laundry, going on outings, rearranging bedrooms, digging the garden up, saving plants, killing bugs....MUCH to do.
In the midst of that we did finally make it to the library last week and it was like water to the thirsty for the girls, ha,ha. I am planning our homeschool curriculum right now, and am about decided on it, but not for sure yet. We are going to do school in the kitchen/living area this year in order to free up a bedroom. I enjoyed having a school room, but my girls need some space. I will write about that when I get decided.
So, the other things I've been thinking about are sweaters to knit! Now is the time to start if we want to get to use them this fall and winter. I didn't knit anything for myself last year, and my husband has never gotten anything besides a hat that was too small, so I plan to make some things for us, but I also feel like I need to clothe the children too. It's hard to limit myself! Some ideas....
Matt
Me
Girls
Also this week I will be getting some dvds in the mail from Beachbody.com- woo hoo fixing to completely reshape my body!!! So excited. I am still losing with Advocare, but it does energize me and I need to workout to expend it!!!
This coming week we have family from out of town, lots of activities, and I have a Little Mermaid cake to make-ahhhh! Tomorrow is going to be a slow resting day though, possibly floating in the pool is in order. God is so good-He literally brought to my door a brand new swing set for free, and a nice trampoline for free; two things I was sort of thinking about getting (one at a time of course) for Samantha's birthday in August, and we got both! The favor of the Lord! I am bragging on God, because I didn't do anything.
***Started this post last night, just now finishing it
Right now it is cool and raining. We have had an interesting July so far, and summer. It has been hot yes, but we have had weeks of really nice mild weather too. This is the first time in a long while that I've enjoyed summer and not wanted it to just pass and get over with. Awesome!
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