TRUE BLESSINGS HOMESCHOOL

Our drawings

2012-02-02T15:29:00.002-05:00

Katie's lion. She wanted to try and draw a lion like I did so this is her end result. She did a great job.

Margarete's tiger

Ana's cheetah. Someone said that this looks like the cheetah is sad. Ana has been somewhat sad lately. She misses her big sister terribly.

"Drama" & More Pictures

2012-01-26T15:36:00.005-05:00

Tom and Katie started in a drama/music program a few weeks ago. They have some songs to memorize. Well, Katie has been memorizing "CONSTANTLY." This is all we hear. I think I need earplugs. :)

Margarete's lion

Ana's Gilgamesh...We decided to craft a page for this instead of a plain 'ol coloring picture

Katie's Gilgamesh

A quick picture of little flags sitting on my window sill.

Just Pictures

2012-01-24T18:50:00.003-05:00

My Drawings, Egypt booklets, & Science Pic.

2012-01-19T16:28:00.006-05:00

The websites we I got these are listed on the right sidebar towards the bottom . We made Queen and Pharoah booklets instead of coloring pages and individual booklets. (there is another Queens "small booklet for Hapsheput, but I don't have a pic.)

Katie and Ana's Science jars

Margarete's drawings below

Last night around 10:00 pm I decided to draw. These two pictures are the results. I haven't really drawn in years. I still can do it. ~LOL~
Tonight I will attempt another. (hopefully)

Everyone must read this

2012-01-15T19:01:00.001-05:00

I can't even begin to say how I feel about this. ....

http://www.wolfhirschhorn.org/2012/01/amelia/brick-walls/

With Much Sadness....

2012-01-12T15:35:00.002-05:00

I am deleting all of Becca's homeschool lists on the sidebar. She decided, on her 18th birthday, to leave our home. Yep, she did. I won't write the details but, she had most of her school work done for her senior year and she left. I just found out that she took a GED in another state and that's that.

We did so much. She did so much. The writing and the reading she did since 2nd grade was amazing.

Tom, Katie, and Ana are still plugging away at their work. They are doing a great job.

If you could pray for her and us that would be wonderful. :)

Science Experiment Pictures

2012-01-09T15:30:00.002-05:00

Katie and her colored crystals from a "Be Amazing" science kit. These kits are great! They are only a few dollars and cause a lot of fun!

Katie and her new pottery wheel. She's working hard.

These are crystal spheres from a "Be Amazing" science kit. The girls are now making colored spheres and "gravi-goop.

2 crystal spheres in Ana's hand.

Miscellaneous Pictures

2012-01-05T13:24:00.007-05:00

My dad and Ed; I love this picture

My brother and our grandson

Science experiment; water with salt and a black piece of construction paper. The salt coated the bottle.

Dereck with a crocheted "hat" made by Katie

Pancake with "ear warmers" made by Katie

Me; the necklace was crocheted by Katie :)

Katie and my mom. :)

All of these are gluten free, dairy, free, soy free cookies, brownies

Our Buddy

This was taken during one of our weekly "fun days"

Myself (Ugh...not a good pic.) and our grandson...he is so cute. :)

Excuse Ana's hair: bad hair day ~LOL~

Christmas Eve

One of the beautiful horses the girls get to ride

Fairie Houses for Christmas

2011-12-26T13:14:00.007-05:00

These are some pictures of the fairie houses I made for the girls. They are a little out of order but you get can get the idea. :)

Katie's fairie house

Ana's fairie house

This is part of Katie's house (I can't seem to get this picture posted in the correct order) :)

Please Pray for Noah

2011-12-23T18:32:00.003-05:00

Noah "and" his family need our prayers.
www.prayingfornoah.com

Gluten and Dairy Free Fried Mashed Potatoes

2011-12-09T18:10:00.002-05:00

Using left over mashed potatoes, pat them into a pancake and fry them in soy free Earth Balance. These are soooo good. :)
I make my mashed potatoes with sf Earth Balance, unsweetened coconut milk and salt. I add everything to my liking; I never measure. :)

Another Gluten Free Cookie Recipe

2011-12-04T19:16:00.004-05:00

I changed this recipe from a 1991 Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies Magazine.
My changes are the flour, and the "butter." As I made these last Christmas, these cookies rarely made it to the plate. As soon as I made them everyone was grabbing them. :) ... Ed usually stays away from gluten free but I remember him telling me that they were one of the best cookies I made. These are time consuming, but when you really get into making them, it is well worth it.

-Gluten Free Flour Mixture-
6 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca starch
------------------------------
Orange Crisps (gluten, dairy, soy, nut free)

2 egg whites - room temperature
1/4 cup earth balance-soy free
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel
1/2 cup domino sugar
1/2 cup gluten free flour mix
confectioner's (powdered) sugar (gluten free)...Aldi's is gluten free
optional: Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

*Set oven at 375 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes.*

Melt earth balance in microwave and stir in the orange peel; set aside.
In medium bowl, mix egg whites with electric mixer until you have soft peaks (the tips curl over). Add sugar and beat until you have stiff peaks (tips stand straight up)...this may take awhile. fold in 1/2 of the flour, gently stir in earth balance mixture and fold in remaining flour. Combine well.

Using a level tablespoon, drop batter onto well greased cookie sheet "at least" 3 inches apart into 3-inch circles. Bake only 3 cookies at a time. Bake as directed above.*

You must remove the cookies immediately from the cookie sheet with a thin metal spatula. Place cookie upside down on counter and moving quickly, roll it around the greased handle of a wooden spoon. Slide the cookie off and cool on waxed paper. As I slid the cookie off, I would press them a little. This kept them together. Repeat with other cookies. If the cookies cool before you roll them, reheat for 1 minute.

Sprinkle/ or sift powdered sugar over the cookies or melt Enjoy chocolate chips dip one end of the cookie in the melted chips or drizzle.

I love chocolate but I really believe these are best with the powdered sugar.

*These are delicious.*

Gluten Dairy Soy Nut Free Recipes

2011-11-29T14:55:00.003-05:00

I like this flour mixture:
6 cups white rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
(sometimes I also had 1/2 cup Sorghum flour; especially for "heavier cookie batters)

Brownies:
2 cups domino sugar
1 cup earth balance
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract or a vanilla bean
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix (above)
1 1/2 teaspoons guar gum
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (gluten free, aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt earth balance and mix everything together. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 mins. (30 minutes makes it really cake-like) Use a 9 x 13 pan/greased. (I use spectrum shortening)
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Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup earth balance
1 cup domino white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons alcohol-free vanilla extract or 2 vanilla beans (I like the van. beans)
3 cups gluten free flour mixture (above)
3 teaspoons guar gum
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups Enjoy Life chocolate chips

I put everything in the bowl in order and mix well but stirring in the choc. chips by hand.
Roll into balls (not large!) and place onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
(this is how I bake these in my oven: I put a rack in the middle of oven and one the next level up. I bake half way through and then switch the pans to the opposite rack and bake the next half of time)
Do not let them get to brown around the edges.
-------------------------------------------------

Our favorite *(Margarete's Own Recipe)*

Egg, Gluten, Dairy, Nut, Soy Free Chocolate Cake

3 cups gluten free flour mixture (above)
1 tsp. salt
2 cups domino sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 Tablespoon Guar Gum
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract
2 cups plus 1/3 or 1/2 cup Tempt (hemp) chocolate milk
optional: handful (or more) of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

Mix everything together (except choc. chips)very well. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 pan. You can pour choc. chips over the top and press down slightly.
Bake at 350 degrees. Start checking at 35 minutes with a toothpick until toothpick comes out clean.

I also blend together Spectrum Shortening and Powdered Sugar (gluten free) to our taste and use that for icing. You can add vanilla extract but I do not.
I first put the cake in the freezer for awhile before I spread on the icing...easier that way.
-----------------------------------------------

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:29:00.002-05:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
*HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY WITH YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS.*

We are on our way to my parents' home. I can't wait to get there, our son Bob, his wife Bethany, and our grandson Patrick are there! We haven't seen them since August. Patrick is now 5 months old!

Happy Thanksgiving again!
~Margarete~

*THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US*

Katie's paper fairie

2011-11-21T22:56:00.002-05:00

Veteran's Day and Pictures of Crafts and horses

2011-11-11T09:07:00.004-05:00

Katie

One of Katie's creations

Ana's "Sargon the Great" from Story of the World 1. We used colored pencils, black curly yarn, and for the background, material scraps.

Katie's "Sargon the Great"

Ana

Thank you to all who have served our country.

The girls are doing some worksheets about Veteran's Day and Tom is watching a WWII documentary.

For kids:
www.apples4theteacher.com worksheets

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/veterans-day/tomb-of-unknown-soldier.html

http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/flanders/index.htm
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-holidays.com/remembrance/images/bflanderspoem.gif
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/remembrance/worksheets.htm

Ana's paper quilt from dltk-kids.com

Katie's paper quilt

Sewing

2011-11-09T18:09:00.002-05:00

Today the girls went to horse riding lessons and then we stopped at our favorite "cafe" and play area at our local church. We found out that there were women there sewing pillowcases for hospice and quilting. The girls were allowed to go in and learn how to sew. They each learned how to sew straight and made a mini pillow for their dolls. They listened well and picked up very fast. I now have to get my sewing machine fixed. Katie is ready to sew a blanket; that's what she says. ~smile~

Back track to Saturday. The girls were in a local horse show and Katie came home with 2 blue ribbons and Ana came home with 1 blue and 1 yellow ribbon. They were very excited and Katie "can't wait until she can get every color ribbon." ~LOL~

Have a good night everyone.
~Margarete~

Katie's Chinese Armor and Ana's dragon

2011-11-08T17:15:00.003-05:00

Katie's "Chinese armor" She created it herself. ~smile~

This is the back of the armor. I have to laugh; she put a target on the back! ~LOL~

Here she slipped into her armor and made the sleeves and the shoes.

This is Ana's Chinese dragon (it is a "mini dragon). ~smile~And here, I just decided to post this lovely photo I took.

First Experience

2011-11-02T12:22:00.002-04:00

The girls had their first experience of being thrown off a horse, at the same time. They had their lessons today which the two of them were going a bit slow. All of a sudden I saw purple flying (that's the color Katie was wearing), and then Ana was off on to the ground. What happened was ice came of the roof of the arena (outside) and spooked the one horse. While that horse was spooked it scared the other. Of course I screamed, "a little". Inserting rolling eyes here. It scared me because it happened so fast. The girls were a little shaken but after the horses were calmed down, they got right back on. I think they may be a little sore tomorrow.

Gotta go.
~Margarete~

Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Soy Free Pancakes

2011-10-31T13:46:00.002-04:00

These pancakes are so good. I found the recipe here. I changed the ingredients to what Katie can eat. So here is my recipe and how I cooked them:

2 1/3 cups Arrowhead Mills All Purpose Baking Mix
2 Tbsp. domino sugar
2. tsp. baking powder, gluten free
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups Silk Original Coconut Milk (I believe I used the 2 cups)
3 Tbsp. earth balance, soy free (melt)
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. alcohol-free vanilla
2 1/2 tsp. guar gum or xantum gum (I used guar gum)
-------------------------------------------------------
Mix with a wisk and then a wooden spoon. It should be thick not runny.

Heat a non-stick skillet low to medium heat (not to high!)

Melt extra earth balance in skillet (do this for each set of pancakes). Each pancake was an overflowing Tbsp. that you use to eat soup. I fit 4 pancakes in the skillet. Cook like a regular pancake. They should get very fluffy and the outsides a little crisp or should I say a small crunchy texture and golden brown. I topped them with homemade chunky applesauce. Oh, they are too good. ~LOL~

This made more than a dozen.

Merry Christmas!

2011-10-29T13:32:00.003-04:00

Only kidding!

We are having a nice snowstorm today. The girls have been out playing for quite a while so I had to go find the snowsuits, etc. They were in sweatshirts. It didn't bother them. The snow is quite heavy; uur neighbors tree looks like it's destroyed by the heaviness.

I'm going to make some more applesauce; I have been making applesauce and apple pie mixture for a few weeks now. Our friend Jimmy has given me a total of about 9 carpenter sized buckets filled with apples.

I have been craving cheesy, potato, corn cowder so that is what I will be making for dinner. It's the perfect day for this. ~smile~

Ed started up the coal stove and it died. I don't know what's wrong with it so we have to wait to use it. Yes, I have the heat on. Yesterday I turned it on when I realized it was only 63 in here and everyone's noses were turning red. ~LOL~

Have a good snowy day, everyone!
~Margarete~

Homeschool Giveaway

2011-10-24T13:25:00.001-04:00

www.homeschoolgiveaways.com Is giving away a one year subscription to www.exploringnature.org! This looks so awesome for science. Take a look. ~smile~

My Thrift Store Find

2011-10-22T19:34:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note:

Yesterday the girls and I stopped at the thrift store while out shopping. I picked up 'Copywork for Little Girls' 180 lessons for gr. 1-3 and 'Copywork for Little Boys' for a total of .50 cents.

I also bought Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic workbooks and answer keys for a total of $1.00. ....Tom's so thrilled.... ~LOL~

Oh and I found the Abeka historical fiction novel 'The Talisman' for .38 cents.

Yesterday was a good day.

~smile~
Margarete

Egyptian Scarab Falcon Clay Necklace and a Griffin

2011-09-25T20:46:00.002-04:00

We decided to make air dry clay egyptian necklaces tonight. They turned out a little larger than expected but the girls had fun. I made a pdf file of the paper necklace and put it on hslaunch to share; top of the right sidebar. You can color it in, use air-dry clay, model magic or whatever you would like. I really think the model magic would be the way to go. But, I didn't have any on hand. We are going to paint them gold and add color to them. I have to go out tomorrow to get the paint.

Tom had the idea to sculpt a griffin. He's not done yet, but he is doing a great job.

Gluten Free Dairy Free Blueberry Chocolate Chip Scones

2011-09-24T19:19:00.003-04:00

Tonight I decided to make quick gluten free, dairy free, and soy free scones. I used the Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free Baking Mix and found a recipe in which I changed. These turned out pretty good. The Aldi's frozen blueberries are perfect and plump for this recipe. I used the Enjoy Life Choc. Chips. They are huge! Katie is on her second one. There is a little bit of a taste in them that I am not sure of. It may be from the box mix. But for a quick recipe, these are perfect. As long as Katie likes them that's great!

Story of the World 1 Red and White Crown

2011-09-22T17:04:00.005-04:00

Here are some pics. of the girls' red and white crowns for Egypt study of King Narmer. Ana remembers the king by rhyming with "armor". ~lol~
I got this idea from watching a youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEatkWOZnGM
This is very easy to do. I just drew it on paper after watching. I added the piece in the back.

You could get real fancy with the back and cut it out around the ears but I really didn't feel like it. So, I just cut out a rectangle piece and taped it to the back.

Our Egyptian Cat Mummies

2011-09-12T20:14:00.004-04:00

We got the sheets ready to rip...

Got out the tea bags...

Soaked the tea bags and sheet strips in boiling water...

I dried them in the dryer (this is the book we used for this craft) It will be listed on the left sidebar this week.

Tom sewing his ears on his cat mummy

Tom's cat mummy

My cat mummy

Ana's cat mummy (she doesn't like the face she drew)

Katie's cat mummy...she sewed her mummy's ears on by herself. Ana and I cheated; we used glue. ~smile~

A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks 'Giveaway'

2011-09-07T21:52:00.002-04:00

"A Journey Through Learning Lapbooks" is giving away a Peter and the Wolf cd and lapbook. Here's the website:

http://www.ajourneythroughlearninglapbooks.com/2011/09/06/peter-the-wolf-cd-and-lapbook-giveaway/#comment-561

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-07T17:48:00.000-04:00

Air Dry Clay

2011-08-31T14:31:00.002-04:00

I found this online today. How to make your own air-dry clay. I think we may give it a try.

http://www.examiner.com/mixed-media-in-seattle/cold-porcelain-recipes-how-to-make-your-own-air-dry-modeling-clay

Question

2011-08-31T08:48:00.002-04:00

Should I put "everything" on this blog...the lapbooks, etc. Or, should I keep putting the lapbooks, etc. on my other blog http://lovinglifelapbooks.blogspot.com ? I would just write about other things on here. I really need to figure out how to get everything together.

Story of the World 1 Ancient Times History Timeline

2011-08-30T18:33:00.006-04:00

I posted pictures of the girls new Story of the World 1 Ancient Times History Timelines and their first notebooking page on my Loving Life Lapbooks blog.
http://lovinglifelapbooks.blogspot.com/2011/08/story-of-world-1-timeline-with.html

They love it!

Waiting....

2011-08-27T14:27:00.002-04:00

We are just hanging around waiting for the storm to hit. We have the backyard cleaned up and all the boxes in the basement are up off the floor. We are just praying that our pump keeps working and we don't lose electricity.

We almost lost our bunny the night after we got him. He was accidentally hit by a bat. Yep. Only here could that happen. He was taken out of his cage (without permission), one of the girls' friends was taking him back to the cage when our daughter swung a big fat plastic bat. She came running in with Pancake and handed him to me saying, "Do something with him!" I was not expecting that so I laid him on the floor and he looked like he was dead. His head was tilting and his left eye was almost shut. We rubbed him, hugged him, gave him water, said some big prayers, and within a few hours he was hopping around the house. Even the dog let Pancake snuggle next to him.

He is an amazing little animal. He loves to look over your shoulder, he's not afraid of anything.

New addition to our family

2011-08-23T09:37:00.003-04:00

This is "Pancake". Jon got him yesterday. He is a miniature so he definitely will not be getting much bigger. We are probably going to have him in the house. He will be neighbors with Spencer and Dereck, our guinea pigs, aka: "The Boys". Anyway, we will be trying to train Pancake to use a litter box. This is going to be interesting.

We are Back

2011-08-21T17:33:00.002-04:00

We went for an extremely fast visit to VA to see our grandson. We left yesterday morning and have been back since around 4 this afternoon. It was nice because it was just myself and Ed. Little Patrick is getting big, fast. He's already cooing and trying to "talk". I cannot wait to see them again. I really miss my son and his family.

I'll get back to making notebooking pages this week. ~smile~

~Margarete~

Story of the World 1 Notebooking Pages

2011-08-18T17:24:00.003-04:00

I started making some SOTW 1 notebooking pages today. I was getting a little bored with the science so I decided to start these. I'm still going to finish the others but I needed a change of books for the moment. ~smile~

The SOTW 1 notebook. pages are kind of plain but I want it that way because we will be adding paper crafts and lapbook booklets to them. They will not have any space to color or pictures. This makes the pages more interesting; to me/us that is.

I will be adding them to my hslaunch page at the top of the right sidebar.

Here's hoping these will help someone.

~smile~
Margarete

Horse Camp

2011-08-16T10:20:00.003-04:00

The 2 girls started their week of full days summer camp yesterday. (Do you see me jumping up and down?) hahaha Oh my. Anyway, they are having so much fun. Katie said she was on the biggest horse, Not a draft horse but close enough. I'm still trying to figure out how she got her legs around. ~lol~ The horse is huge.

I told the girls that I wish I could send them there more days than their regular lessons and Ana said, "But Mom, we won't have enough time to spend with you." She is worried she won't see me. She sees me all the time; from the time they open their eyes to the time they close their eyes. You would think they would love to get away from me. But no, they want me around.

On Saturday, we found out that one of the horse passed away. He got sick and they had to make "the decision." He was Katie's instructor's horse. ...beautiful... He will be missed so much. Katie had the chance to ride him last Wednesday. She was in heaven. Seriously; when she was done her lesson, she was happy, excited, I just can't explain it. I saw a difference in her. When she found out that he died (we told her Sunday after church), she was a mess. She cried off and on during the day, hugged me a lot and her day was just "off." She couldn't relax. She seems ok now.

Katie and Ana love being at the barn. It is a special place for them. The young women in charge of the barn, instructors, etc. are wonderful with all the kids. Many have disabililties and yet they are smiling and having a bundle of fun. I am so thankful for the girls to be able to be there.

Ok, so what do I do with my self while the girls are not here? I'm going to clean out my refrigerators. Isn't that thrilling? ~smile~ Seriously though, they are a mess. They are slowly dying and they are freezing the food/milk that sits on the top shelves. Here's praying that they last until we can get a new one...with cash. We were looking at the biggest one. Wow, would that be nice.

Have a good day.
~Margarete~

P.S. I'm slowly getting those notebooking pages for 'Milestones in Science done. I've been doing some every day. After that I think I will make some for other books I have. That will be done slowly considering school is starting soon. We had one day of school so far. ~LOL~

My Homeschool Find

2011-08-12T19:23:00.005-04:00

I went to Ollie's today and found 'Fun with Hieroglyphs for $3.99.

They also had a beautiful medieval pop-up book and a mosaic castle craft (3-D) that would be wonderful for SOTW 2. But, I held off. I didn't want to spend money for things not being used yet. And let me tell you, that was not easy. ~LOL~

From Aldi's, I did get a metal 3 rod towel rack which I hung over the basement door and attached all my lapbook booklets with the shower curtain rings on to it.

Adding: Since I have no more rings, I just bent a large paper clip. :)

Have a Good Night
~Margarete~

Notebooking Pages

2011-08-11T13:47:00.002-04:00

I added 6 more Milestones in Science notebook pages on my hslaunch page (link at the top of the right side bar). ~smile~

Notebooking Pages (Update)

2011-08-09T17:11:00.006-04:00

UPDATE: I got the problem fixed and I started to upload some notebooking pages at www.hslaunch.com ... the link is at the top right side bar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been trying to make new notebooking pages for 'Milestones in Science' experiment kit by Thames & Kosmos. I am having trouble with the pdf files. The corners have 2 lines like this: l_ and I can't seem to remember how to get rid of them. I am using Serif Applications PagePlus 9. I had this happen before and I cannot figure out how to erase them. When these are gone. I will load them onto hslaunch.com under my page.

Story of the World Lapbook Booklets

2011-08-09T09:24:00.003-04:00

These are the labook booklets (2 of each) we are using for SOTW 1. I cut out everything and put them in baggies. Everything is now on shower curtain rings to keep them in order. I'm going to put up some hooks to hang them on. This way they are right where we need them. There is just too many to put into a binder for storage.
I'm going to do the same for the Magic School Bus lapbooks.
I was going to do this for Tom but I think he's old enough to do it himself. It would save a lot of time, though.

Officially Started??

2011-08-08T08:50:00.004-04:00

Ana has been begging me to start school. This morning she kept asking and even sat at the table waiting. So, I believe Ana has officially started school. ~smile~

Katie is now sitting at the table with her math book. I'm concerned that she is going to have a little trouble concentrating. We shall see.

I, on the other hand, am not ready. I'm still putting notebook pages together for Story of the World 1(for the girls) and Tom's science. I've been having second thoughts about Tom's history. I'm thinking I want him to do Story of the World 3 & 4 with his history reading books that are listed below plus some.

Tom is working shoveling manure today. Yep, he's working on a horse farm with our friend Jimmy. It's good for him. I get tired of seeing him on x-box (I really don't like that game). He does go to the pool almost every day.

On Friday, Jimmy gave me huge containers of tomatoes. So now we have 17 bags of sauce. He gave us zucchinis and I made 30 loaves of different zucchini breads (still have many left). I will be blanching them and freezing. We also have a huge container of cucumbers and I'm waiting for Ed to help me make pickles. He did that last year. Oh yeah, he also gave us many eggplant so I'm slowing frying and freezing them. We are getting a full freezer which I am very thankful for.

Have a good day everyone.
~Margarete~

P.S. Forgot to add that we also have a few pans of zucchini brownies frozen. ~smile~

Side Bar Posts

2011-07-24T16:45:00.002-04:00

I'm trying to get my homeschool lists together on my sidebars. I will be taking off the science dvd's & math books soon; and anything else that we do not need anymore. This can make room for this years "curriculum". I'm also trying to link the books, etc. to the websites where I bought them.
Hope this helps someone.

Homeschool Giveaways

2011-07-24T14:43:00.003-04:00

Homeschool Giveaways is "giving away" 'WonderMaps by Bright Ideas Press. You have to go on their site, sign up and then you can enter by leaving a comment.
www.homeschoolgiveaways.com

Weighted Blanket Success

2011-07-21T16:27:00.003-04:00

Welllll.......Success! Last night Katie went to bed with her weighted blanket, another blanket, and my body pillow. She slept all night except for getting up to go to the bathroom. She woke up a little before 8 am and that is because I moved her blanket to check on her. This is progress. She also has been much calmer today. Probably because she got a normal amount of sleep. ~smile~ Maybe the dark circles under my eyes have a chance to go away. ~LOL~

I will continue to update on this. Maybe this will help someone else.

Katie's Weighted Blanket

2011-07-16T13:12:00.004-04:00

We are all so excited! Katie's weighted blanket came today. Here is a picture along with the pillow case they included. Katie cannot wait for bedtime tonight. "I" can't wait for her to go to bed tonight. ~LOL~
It is a beautiful blanket. It is 9lbs.
Here is the website:
http://www.weightedblanket.net
They are very thorough. I had left a message for ordering this over the 4th of July weekend. Well, they called me back the very next business day to inform me that I ordered the wrong weight. The woman was very nice. So far I would recomment this company right away.
I'll let you know in a few days, week if this helps Katie. Every child is different, so we shall see.

Pea Picking

2011-07-13T20:54:00.006-04:00

Last night Ed came home and asked, "How would you like to pick some peas?" "What?" I asked. Yep. Jimmie called and said he has lots of peas. Well, That's what we did this afternoon. We gathered some of the kids including Becca's friend Brian and off we went; pea picking (very natural not sprayed!). We had fun. I now have a lot of respect for the people who have to do this all the time. ~smile~

Anyway, we came home with a few buckets of peas, broccoli, and a huge carpenter's bucket of eggplant. ~LOL~

Yes, Jimmie also had some of the other vegetables there for us. I will now be freezing these. I also found out that I can freeze eggplant, which I did not know. So, tomorrow afternoon I should be busy in the kitchen.

Tom said that when he is older, he would love to be able to do this, plant crops, harvest, etc. But he said this would be on the side after his "regular" job. I had to smile at that. Jimmie is an excellent teacher for this. I now have to start finding some books and experiments, etc. for Tom.

My fun-filled daughters

2011-07-09T12:46:00.004-04:00

This is Ana after she decided to dress herself.

This was taken when we were getting the garden ready

Quick Post

2011-07-07T21:13:00.005-04:00

I am so excited for this new school year! I just put in a few orders for school books etc. My kids (and myself) are going to be excited when the UPS man gets here. ~smile~

I also started changing my blog sidebars with the new subjects. Tom will be doing a lot of experiments this year and so will Katie and Ana. They needed a change. This will keep their attention better.

I'm also excited for Story of the World. I bought Jim Weiss audio cd's for the girls! They are starting to want to listen to stories at night so this will be great.

I do have some more things to get but I will be ordering them in a few weeks. I have to "save" some from my grocery money. ~LOL~ That's ok. It will benefit all of us.

I had decided not to use the Apologia Human Body for Becca. Apologia seems a little boring and she really didn't like the courses that she already took. (I wish I could go back and change it). The books and dvd's that I ordered will be better for her. ~This is her last year~

I can't wait to see the Artists and Composers activity paks from Homeschoolinthewoods.com . These look awesome! I'm wondering if Katie and Ana could do some of these? We will see....

Becca will be doing crafts for art so we will be visiting Michaels and AC Moore quite a bit.

The 2 girls are doing great with their therapeutic horse riding lessons. Ana cried last night because she found out that the horse she had started with, was going out to pasture. She doesn't quite understand that he is old and needs to relax. I tried to explain to her that, just like us when we get old, we need to relax. She'll be ok. I'm sure she will find another special horse.

We were blessed with a PA Autism Grant for Katie's lessons. We were so excited when we received the letter.

(Just a little note: The girl's "trainers" are excellent at what they do and they are very nice and enjoyable to be around.)

This week I ordered a weighted (twin) blanket for Katie. We ordered from Dream Catchers www.weightedblankets.net (Thanks Mom & Dad). I will let you know how Katie adjusts with it. I'm thinking we may get it by the end of next week.

Thomas isn't so thrilled. I have him going back to learning Latin. ~smile~ I hear/heard good things about First Form Latin, so we will be giving this a good try. I think I will sit with him to learn this "if" I have the chance to.

We are so excited with becoming grandparents. What a gift from God! Our grandson is so beautiful. We have been seeing pictures and it's amazing to see him with his eyes wide open. We also see his Daddy in his face and also his Uncle Tom. We are hoping to go down again real soon. (not soon enough for me)

Well, Time to move on with other things.
Have a good night.
~Margarete~

Our Grandson

2011-06-30T10:53:00.000-04:00

He is Here!

2011-06-26T14:52:00.001-04:00

Our 1st grandchild/grandson was born today! He was 7lbs. 12oz.; 20 1/4 inches long. We cannot wait to see him. We are trying to figure out when to go...it is quite a ride. I bet he is so beautiful. His parents are. :)

Summertime

2011-06-21T11:10:00.002-04:00

Pumpkins; This and That

2011-06-01T16:19:00.003-04:00

Just a little while ago, I went out to the garden and I saw pumpkin seedlings all over! Do you think my dear husband will be upset knowing Katie and myself replanted them in the back where I had the sunflower seedlings? ~LOL~ I just transferred the sunflowers so we should have many pumpkins in the fall .... I may need a new place to live after this. ~hahaha~

We are have a tornado watch here until this evening so Katie asked if it changes to a warning can she go and get her things together. Absolutely! She is well prepared. Praying it never comes to a tornado hitting here!

I am waiting anxiously for Ed to give the ok to order new homeschool books/supplies. I'm getting very "antsy" and want to get things moving around here.

I have the homeschool room just about finished; being cleaned up that is. Soon everything will come out to put in the new floor. We've been waiting so long!

In a few weeks our new grandson will be born. I will soon be an offical grandmom. ~Big Smile~

Have a pleasant rest of the day.

~Margarete~

Unbelievable!

2011-05-17T07:58:00.003-04:00

..."My kids are still sleeping!"... How nice it is to sit downstairs and hear the birds chirping. I actually can hear the computer's humming.

Today I will be working on getting Tom's portfolio ready. This shouldn't take long. Becca does her own. Next school year I add Katie into the mix. Ana's still free for a few years. ~smile~

Katie was working on her 'Handwriting Without Tears' cursive writing book yesterday. She had started it at the beginning of the year and got away from it. (She only did a few pages). She just zips along. She has no problem following the directions by herself. She is a little shaky but that will subside as she moves along. I'm thinking she will prefer cursive over printing. Tom never uses cursive he has always disliked it. Ana is shaky with her printing so I will be pulling out the other HWOT book I have.

**Today Becca will be taking her EMT paper test, again. She didn't do well with it the first time. She is excellent with hands-on; doing the actually contact with people. She did great working on the ambulance. ~Pray she passes~**

I think I hear someone getting out of bed...~LOL~ it's the dog~ hahaha This is too nice.

Enjoy your day.
~Margarete~

The Service

2011-05-16T13:15:00.003-04:00

We are now home after attending the service for the little girl that was murdered. I have to say that it is so hard to sit through something like this. Never in my life did I think something like this would happen so close to home. It seemed there wasn't a dry eye and if there was it wasn't many. Many "letters" were read from the children that she was friends with and attended school with. The most noticeable thing written was that they always referred to her as having a beautiful smile. She was helpful, friendly, and loving. She was definitely a very loved little girl and her family is going to need a lot of support.

I thought that Ana and Katie were having trouble understanding. I don't think so. Ana was upset that I didn't take them to the burial. Katie is sitting here writing the little girl's name on balloons and making something out of them.

Our neighbors are more watchful now. They are keeping an eye on the kids as they play outside. I think this is even bringing us closer to some neighbors.

I have to go attend to some children right now.

Hug your children.
~Margarete~

Garden, Again

2011-05-14T10:40:00.004-04:00

Last night, actually early evening, Tom and I worked on a garden in the backyard. We cleared out a strip of grass behind the garages (the whole length), and planted sunflower seeds. We are going to try and clear out some more to plant some zinnia, pansy, cosmos, and morning glory seeds. It would be so cool to look out our large back window and see the beautiful colors. Hopefully the dog won't get too playful and start digging them. I need to find a fence about 2 feet high that would keep him out.

Ed is going to get the rototiller fixed this weekend so we can get the garden ready. We seem to always be late with this. Oh! In the fall we had thrown pumpkins into the garden so the kids took a few, pulled them open, and were checking out the seeds. Katie decided to throw them all over the backyard and "plant" some. Either the lawn mower is going to get them when they start to grow or we are going to have many pumpkins to share. ~LOL~

Hope you all have a good day.
~Margarete~

Garden..

2011-05-13T13:04:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the girls helped Ben mulch 2 of our neighbors gardens and some of ours. They worked so hard. Katie was pushing the wheelbarrow and mulching like she has done it forever. ~smile~ We also planted some bushes and today we are planting flowers. Ana wants to help but as soon as she starts digging, she finds a pill bug or worm and gets sidetracked examining them. ~LOL~ Next week I'll get some hanging plants for the front of the house. I do need to figure out what type of hanging plants for part sun/shade. The plants always die that hang on the back porch.

Our neighbor and I were talking about how great it is to homeschool. We were saying that girls were learning so much by digging, planting, (checking out the bugs) and doing hard work; instead of always sitting in the house doing paperwork. They are such "hands-on" kids.

I'm not sure what to do in this situation. As you know, we had the tragedy this week of the murder of a little girl in the neighborhood. We went to the vigil and the next day the 3 girls wanted to put something else down on the rememberance pile. We did. Well, Ana wanted to go there again, this morning. She said she wanted to see where the little girl was. I did try to explain to her that she's not there anymore, etc., etc.,... Do I take her around there once more or try to get her on another subject? She did have nightmares the night before last. It's so hard for little one's to understand. I know the girls' friend around the corner is also having nightmares and can't sleep. She goes to school and it was announced over the loudspeaker....she's only 7.

Well, Ben just came home from getting me more flowers. Off to the garden. ~smile~

~Margarete~

Death...

2011-05-10T20:16:00.005-04:00

Sometimes it is so hard to comprehend. One moment a child can be playing and the next you hear that child has been brutally murdered. That is what happened in our town last night. A man,(a huge man) beat, strangled, and did unspeakable things to a little girl. Afterwards, like she was trash, dumped her. Sick, just sick.
We went to the vigil tonight. All types of people just standing there. Out of love, everyone was there.
Now, as we were walking towards everyone, a thought came to my mind. Oh my, That man is going to die. Just by looking at the motorcyles, cars, and people upon people I thought Lord he needs you. Yes, he did the unspeakable but remember, God created him. He has a mom and dad, family. Someone loves him or did love him. Only God can take care of him now.
The girls took 2 roses to put down on the rememberence (sp?) pile. I could not look up at the other little girls standing there. They must have been her friends and neighbors. One was crying. I did not want to look into their innocent eyes.
Ana and Katie know what happened. Katie does not seem to understand. as much as Ana. Ana on the other hand, has been asking all kinds of questions. She wanted to know if we would think of her if she would die. I hope she sleeps ok tonight. I honestly do not know if I will sleep well at all.
Honestly, it has been a weird day. Even the young lady at the deli we visited said the same thing. Police cars, news reporters, no one could seem to relax.

This day needs to be done.

~Margarete~

Bugs and Salamanders

2011-04-29T18:45:00.005-04:00

Katie found a salamander in our backyard. Unfortunately, it died.

The girls were collecting these "wonderful" bugs. They love to find these and collect them into a jar.

I think my girls should have been boys. They are rough, tough, and get quite dirty. ~LOL~

We Saw a Red....

2011-04-29T13:26:00.004-04:00

Scarlet Tanager today. It was beautiful. As we were trying to get a picture Ana decided to yell. Oh well, we will go out another day and try to find another one.
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/579/overview/Scarlet_Tanager.aspx

Lesson #8

2011-04-29T10:23:00.003-04:00

Katie doing a figure 8 for the first time.

Wordless Wednesday and Riding Lesson #7

2011-04-20T13:10:00.003-04:00

Stuff

2011-04-17T18:21:00.004-04:00

I found the book, 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle (in brand new condition) at the thrift store (75 cents) a few weeks ago. I handed it to Tom with the movie which I found at the library. He finished the book in record time; he really liked it. Every now and again, he tells me things about it. Of course I don't understand what he's talking about because I haven't read it. Maybe I should. He wasn't fond of the movie. He said it was a little confusing and of course it was different. He also said the ending was weird. So, in our house, books rule. ~smile~

I have started to weed out books from my basement shelves. There are books that haven't been touched in quite some time so I'm just going to give them to the thrift store. Things are going to be moved around so I can get this homeschool room cleaned out once and for all. I keep saying I'm going to do it and then don't.

We have attended a different church the past 2 weeks. It is very large. The preaching is good and straight to the point. The 2 girls have gone into their classes with no problem and Becca has enjoyed the youth group. As usually, she knows some of the people and has met a new bunch. She said the kids are kind and easy to talk to. This is where we go for bible study on Tuesdays. We feel very comfortable there.

One more thing; Becca is still has a splint on her wrist. This doctor is starting to make me made. She had an MRI last week and we have to wait until Tuesday to get the results. Ed is going to this appointment. This has been many weeks. She hasn't been able to get schoolwork done. That is not good considering this is 11th grade.

Have a good night
~Margarete~

Awake

2011-04-17T02:33:00.004-04:00

Did you ever have something that bothered you and you couldn't sleep? Well, that's happening to me right now. Oh brother. It's after 2 in the morning and I'm wide awake worrying about something. Something that is stupid but won't leave my head. I was sleeping so nicely and then, Wham! wide awake.

I could sit here and watch a movie, my son is also wide awake watching, 'The Gangs of NY'. But, I'd rather be sleeping in a warm bed.

Now the dog is down here with me. ~smile~ He follows me everywhere.

At least the dishes will be washed. ~LOL~

I'm going to try and sleep, again.

Good Night
~Margarete~

Lesson #6

2011-04-14T08:57:00.005-04:00

Patches was pulling at Katie's shirt and hair! He was in a very playful mood. You can't see it in this picture but, Patches has extremely light blue eyes. He is a beautiful horse.
~Katie posing~

Ana getting ready to lead her horse into the "arena"

Ana was so excited because she was allowed to carry the saddle to the horse

Therapeutic Riding Lesson #5

2011-04-06T13:11:00.005-04:00

Pictures from Yesterday ... continued

2011-03-27T18:51:00.005-04:00

Our Fun for the Day

2011-03-26T22:01:00.005-04:00

I took the girls to an outdoor expo and we had sooooo much fun!
Here are a few pics.

Update

2011-03-24T20:33:00.003-04:00

I had posted about Becca and Ben going to the doctor's today. Ben has to wear a ankle support and get physical therapy and Becca has a splint on her wrist. She goes back in about 10 days to see how she feels. They cannot tell if there is a hairline fracture or not. Since she got this splint on, she says it is really hurting now. Hmmm....I'll give it a few days and if she still feels pain, I'm calling.

We had a rough day. But all is well, the 2 little ones are in bed and it is now very quiet. You can actually hear the dog snoring. ~smile~

I am so glad the weekend is almost here.

Good night
~Margarete~

Good Morning

2011-03-24T08:12:00.003-04:00

Hi, everyone! We have snow again.... it's just a light covering, no big deal. ~smile~

We are about to start school this morning. Ana is already saying, "No" to whatever I tell her. It should be an interesting day.

I have to take Becca and Ben to the doctor today. Becca hurt her wrist and it seems to be making her feel sick. It's not swollen but she can feel a piece of bone (very small). When she wraps it, it doesn't do anything, it acutally makes her feel worse. Ben hurt his ankle/foot playing basketball over the weekend. He seems to be getting better but I think it's best we keep his appointment just to make sure.

Katie seems to be a little off this week. Last night she didn't want to go to her Awana class and begged to stay home. Well, while we were sitting here we had a pretty bad ice storm and thunder and lightning. She looked out the window and says, "Hey Mom, I think the flagpole across the street is on fire." Well, it was the light underneath. There was smoke, sparks and looked like a small flame. We couldn't quite tell. I called my neighbor and she even said it was on fire. Soooo...I called it in and they sent two people out and a firetruck. The two looked at it for a few minutes and everyone left. At least we did our duty. It eventually went out.

By the way, I never cleaned the dining/homeschool room. I can't get motivated. I think we need to dump everything on the floor and take out the desks. This way, I will have to clean it.
I should take a picture of the school table; well, maybe not. You can't see the top. ~LOL~
I'm sure there are others out there that have the same thing but just aren't telling. ~smile~

Enjoy your day.
~Margarete~

Riding Today

2011-03-23T16:02:00.003-04:00

My pictures turned out horrible so I took a video. I didn't get Katie doing anything but you can see them on the horses. I'm taking my older camera with me next time. This Sony camera has not cooperated since they started riding.

This and That

2011-03-23T09:18:00.003-04:00

Ok, who prayed for snow? ~smile~ we only have a coating but it's supposed to rain/snow tonight and snow showers tomorrow "with" no accumulation. ~Whew~ We are honestly done with snow. We need sunshine and warmth.

The girls are getting ready for the horses this morning. They missed last week because they were sick. I hope we never have to miss again. I am going to talk to the instructors because Ana has really been a stinker lately. She has been mean to her sister, mean to the dog, back talking and really being a .... brat. Maybe while they are "instructing" they can have a nice talk about kindess to people and animals.

!LOL! While I was typing this, a bird hit our large kitchen window! We can see the imprint of the bird from the rain on the glass. We must have a very dizzy bird flying around the backyard!

Last night while searching for ideas for school next year (for K & A) I remembered I had found "The Magic School Bus" lapbooks from the blog "Yee Shall Know" I will add the link later. Anyway, I thought we could do a few of those lapbooks, read the MSB books and add experiments from the 365 Simple Science Experiments Books. Doesn't that sound like a good plan? I will print out the lapbooks and cutout the booklets ahead of time. I will also get all the science material together in a box so I will not be searching for the stuff when the time comes. Yes, I have done that.

Well, time to search www.homeschoolshare.com for some "R" printouts for Ana.

Have a good day.
~Margarete~

Next School Year

2011-03-22T16:20:00.003-04:00

I have started to contemplate school for next year. Ugh............. I'm not even done this year. Anyway, I believe Tom will continue with his American History Study. By next year he will be into the Civil War and maybe beyond.

I'm not to sure about Science. I was thinking of starting him with Apologia Biology. 1/2 the book in 8th grade and the other 1/2 in 9th grade. This way he can really concentrate on each unit, study more and he would understand it more.

I was also looking at some writing programs. I think the one program was "Writing With Ease". He doesn't like to write and I'm believe he needs a little more structure on this. I have him write alot but I think something is missing. He needs to be able to flow into his sentences. Does that make sense?

He will continue with the Editor in Chief series and with vocabulary books. He likes the Vocabulary Cartoons and the SAT Vocabulary Books.

Tom is having a hard time with math; always has. We will be having math class throughout the summer to get Teaching Textbooks 7 finished.

I'm definitely not sure about Becca yet. It will be 12th grade. :(
I do know she will continue to do Progeny Press study guides.
Her troublesome subject is Science...we will get through this.........

Katie and Ana are the easiest. :) They will most probably be doing 365 Simple Science Experiments and the 365 More Simple Science Experiments. I will probably have some "simple" notebooking pages made for them. This way they can start learnig how to keep science logs.

I'm going back and forth with history. I was thinking of continuing the American History for them but my real desire is to start Story of the World 1. I loved doing this with Becca and Tom. It was the most enjoyable time when we were using this. We crafted, did some notebooking, did a long timeline, etc. We had so much fun. I still have their pharoah death masks we made out. The link to that is on the right sidebar "Our Egyptian Death Mask"....I think that's what it says. ~LOL~ I can't remember at the moment. (senior moment)
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I'm done writing about school now...it's getting boring.

Today was our Bible study and relaxing day. I am in the study of Revelation (Beth Moore) and enjoying every minute. I want to study this further.
After Bible study we go down to the cafe where the kids play and we have lunch. I had a good time talking with "Candy"...I enjoy talking with her every week. She has 2 little boys. Then, I had the pleasure of meeting another woman (I won't write her name because I'm not sure how to spell it. ~LOL~) Anyway, we had a nice conversation and she has two little girls Ana's age. Hopefully I will be able to sit down and talk with her again next week. :)

I need to go. I have to get dinner together AND, I have to start cleaning out my "dining" "homeschool" room. Ed will be putting in a new floor soon and he can't with 2 huge computer desks and table and tons of books in the way. (I have no idea what he's going to do with the piano).

See ya.
~Margarete~

Sickness All Around

2011-03-14T16:10:00.002-04:00

I'm telling you, we cannot get rid of "the sickness" around here. I went on medication last week and I'm feeling much, much better. Now, the 2 girls are sick. We really need to get out of here! I don't think the girls will make it to their riding lessons on Wednesday. Our Bible study is tomorrow but I think I will just take Tom and Becca can watch the girls. We haven't been there in 3 weeks.

We did get out on Saturday for the Sparks Awana Games. Katie's team came in 2nd place. They were disqualified in 2 of the games which was very unfair. They did nothing wrong. The official must have thought they were in the Olympics or something. ~annoying~

I've been praying for the people of Japan. What devastation. I am amazed at the videos I have seen. The water pushing cars, houses, boats, even ships like they were nothing. I have been wondering, where are the children? In all the videos and news reports you see mostly adults, I've seen maybe a total of 3 children.

I finally ordered Tom's Critical Thinking "Editor in Chief" book. We lost his first one; where it went to I have no idea. It disappeared from the face of the earth. I'm baffled.

Katie's calling me. I have to go. Enjoy your family.
~Margarete~

Riding Pictures

2011-03-09T18:47:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls doing their therapeutic riding. I think this is the best thing we could have done for them.
The pictures are not that great but that's ok. ~smile~
Ana talked the whole time!

Oops

2011-03-03T07:56:00.002-05:00

I have made a mistake with the riding scholarships. So far they have the girls getting partial scholarships (1/2). That is still good. I read into some things wrong. They are still working on this so I'm going to keep praying that it will eventually be full. If you feel led, please pray for this.

Also, Tom had "minor" surgery on his lower lip yesterday. We had thought he had a pimple that wasn't going away but instead it was a cyst which kept getting bigger and bigger. He is out of it because of the pain medication and he just doesn't feel good. So if you could, would you please pray for him also? He has a follow-up next week.

I have been sick all week, mostly in bed. Of course school has suffered but I'm going to work with K & A this morning. Tom isn't going to do anything until he feels better.

Canned soup just doesn't make it on my top foods list when your sick. Ed came home last night and we made chicken vegetable soup together, kind of. I sauteed the vegetables and he cooked the chicken and made the noodles. It turned out very tasty.

The girls are really starting to seem like they are going a little stir crazy. Yesterday they went outside to play. Of course they found the mud and had to dig. Katie "saved" a worm. ~smile~

Enjoy your day today
~Margarete~

Therapeutic Riding

2011-03-01T18:15:00.003-05:00

The girls are supposed to start riding horses next week. We are getting a scholarship for this including trying to get some autism grants. We did get the summer camp scholarships also. I'm glad I did this. I got so tired of hearing "we make too much money" that I didn't try. We actually do not make "too much money" especially with how many children we have. Well, as I searched on line for therapy I ran across therapeutic riding for children with ASD, etc. I hesitated and didn't do anything. Well, 2 Fridays ago, I went back on the website and wrote to the place and "click" I didn't hesitate. I was called back in about 20 minutes and the girls had a "lesson" on Saturday. And can you believe this?! My camera battery was dead. I always have it charged. Oh well, we will have many other changes for pictures.

We have sickness going around again. Ed was sick about 2 weeks ago, I got sick for at least 4 days last week and now we are both sick again. I don't know whats going on, but I am definitely ready for spring and summer. I want to walk in the sunshine and ride our bikes. I am excited to take the kids all around town, like we do every summer, and enjoy the creeks, parks, and coffeehouses.

This year, we may even be joining the pool. That will be so good for the kids to enjoy in the afternoon. I'm ready to teach the girls how to swim. I'm sure they will pick this up quickly.

This is an exciting summer for us. We have a nephew graduating high school, a niece graduating middle school, and our 1st grandchild due.

I was thinking about our homeschool today. I had put up a hugh timeline and science classification on the walls. Well, we really haven't done anything with them. Katie has had a hard time making it past a certain time with schoolwork. Her concentration goes. Believe me, she has learned tons of things especially from me reading and all the science videos we have watched. I worried about this but in reality we have many years to go. We just need to take things slowly and have fun while doing it. Ana's "handwriting" is also getting better. She usually traces some Bible verses. We had stopped doing this for awhile and just started again. I really noticed a difference. She is not that "shakey" anymore.

Tom is plugging away at his schoolwork. He said he would like another health book. He has been reading the Abeka health and he thinks it is outdated and he wants "real" health reading. :)

Becca is doing very well. She cleaned up the house for me today. It seems that when I'm down, the house automatically becomes destroyed.

Ben has started selling knives. I don't know the name of the company (the kind that gets college kids to sell), but he has already sold some and has many more showings. He's trying to get us to buy but they are way to much money for me.

Time to go.
~Margarete~

Good Morning

2011-02-19T09:36:00.002-05:00

I would like to ask all of you to pray for Lori and her family today. Today is the funeral for their baby girl Vera who passed away last week.
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We had a great time yesterday biking and walking around town. We biked in the morning and walked at lunch, which includes walking up steep hills. We stopped at the coffee house to sit and relax for awhile and then Katie and I biked to the library to exchange some videos for the weekend.

My knees aren't doing to well this morning. I guess I'm getting old. Katie and I are going biking again. It is quite windy so maybe it will give me a little push so I won't have to peddle as much! ~LOL~
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We hardly ever sign up for sports, camps, etc. because we can't afford it ... I have never done this before... "but" I am in the process of trying to get scholarships for the two girls to attend an equestrian riding center. The center "caters" to children and adults who are disabled, affected by autism, etc. and others. This would be so good for Katie. I did talk to a woman there and I told her that I wanted to try and get both girls in, to keep them together and she said to try for 2 scholarships and for scholarships for camp. I'm also trying for a grant through the state. I am very excited for this possibility. I have not discussed it with the girls because I don't want them to get all excited and then it doesn't happen.
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Off to the kitchen. I am in need of some heavy duty chocolate. I'm going to bake some gluten free chocolate, chocolate chip Muffins. Yum!

~Margarete~

Another school day....skip

2011-02-18T08:06:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had so much fun biking and walking around town. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air. We walked to a creek and the girls forgot that it was still wintertime. ~I posted pictures last night~ they got to stick there feet in water and walk through snow with barefeet; better them than me. We were on top of a very small "bridge" which had a railing on it but a child could go right through it. Well, Tom was having a fit because he thought they were going to fall in. The one side was deep but not deep enough where I couldn't just jump in and grab them. They probably would have gone under but would have been able to pop back up. That sure would have been interesting.

On our bike ride, we found a "fairie house". The picture is in the last post. As we were riding, I looked to my right and saw this "house." It is so neat. Katie jumped off her bike and looked inside to see if any fairies were there. I thought that was funny. I should take a small fairie that I made and put it in there. That would surprise some kids! Tom just rolls his eyes. ~smile~

As we were walking home, we have to walk a very steep hill. Well, Katie decided she wasn't doing it anymore. She thought I was going to push her bike and pull her; I don't think so. Anyway, She was sitting on the sidewalk "having a small fit" (yes, my children do that), and I walked around the corner. I could just peek around and see her. Well, I waiting about 30 seconds and when I looked around the street there was a young teen boy walking towards her on the street. He saw me and made a "bee" line back to the other side. I don't know what he was going to do. He didn't say anything to her and she didn't even notice him. I have no idea where he came from. There wasn't anyone else walking on the street. Well, I woke up in the middle of the night having a very weird feeling about that incident. I'm going to keep my eye out for him, or anyone else for that matter.

We are getting ready to enjoy this day, skipping school. I'm a little slow and tired this morning. It looks like it's gong to rain but I thought it was going to be a sunny hot day today. I'm praying the sun comes out.

Have a very nice day today. Enjoy your kids and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather!

~Margarete~

Pictures from the day

2011-02-17T17:29:00.005-05:00

We skipped school today and enjoyed the beautiful weather....

Tom is teaching Ana how to ride her two wheeler without training wheelsSo, who do you think painted Spencer's (the guinea pig) nails?The girls are thinking summer is here!

Katie has to test the waters...

We found this fairie house while we were biking riding. Pretty cool, huh?!This last picture is for Ed...

Beautiful Day

2011-02-17T09:20:00.002-05:00

At this moment I am contemplating doing schoolwork or going outside to play. It is a bit chilly this morning but this afternoon is supposed to be really nice. I can feel the sunshine calling me outside "Forget the schoolwork, it will be there when you get back." LOL! "Come, feel the warmeth of my rays on your skin, and the soft breeze of the wind in your hair." Now, who can stay in with a calling like that? ~~LOL~~

See Ya!

~Margarete~

Another "Video of the Day"

2011-02-16T18:52:00.003-05:00

Today we started watching 'Cities of the Underworld: The Complete Season One'; from the History Channel. This is really cool. This has the cities under Scotland, under Rome; I bet if people could get down there, they would be able to live there. Hitler's Underground Lair...I have to say that he had an awesome (if I may use that word), vision of "Germania", and lastly, Catacombs of Death which we did not see yet. This held the attention of a 7 yr. old and 5 yr. old. Ana was a little scared of the places. They are quite dreary looking, especially to a little one.

By the way. We do not have cable so we have to rent these from the library; I'm glad they are free. ~smile~
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On another note, our dryer decided to malfunction. (that was Tom's wording). Anyway, I've been drying my clothes by the coal stove. It is somewhat slow but it works. LOL!
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Gotta go. Tom's been sitting here dying to get on this computer. Maybe I'll let him suffer with waiting a little longer....

~Margarete~

February 14, 2011

2011-02-14T15:39:00.003-05:00

Early today the 2 girls were outside getting their bikes ready for the week. We are supposed to have nice weather. They had built a little fort on the deck and Katie actually changed into shorts and a t-shirt! (it wasn't "that" warm) I tried to explain to them that we could still be getting snow, It is only February, but they didn't want to hear it. LOL!

Today we were watching "Jeff Corwins Experience: The Amazon: Aquatic Ecosystem. This by far is the best one yet. He actually was able to hold 2 sloths. The kids, and myself were amazed at how cute, small, and ssslllooowww.....they were. ~smile~ We laughed so hard when the one sloth came down from the tree, usually only about 1 time a week, and yes, went to the bathroom. It had a smile on its face! The kids were rolling on the floor.

It was good for us to see these animals because Katie has been doing some lapbook booklets about sloths. She was so excited to actually see one that was alive.

After this we put in 'Eyewitness: Rainforest Jungle'... As Ana was watching she told me that God created the animals and us. It talked to much about evolution, the kids turned it off.

Someone on WTM mentioned that Scholastic was having their $1.00 deals this week. I ended up getting 13 downloadable books! I already printed a few things. The one thing I'm excited about is that I got a few of the read-aloud play books. Tom needs to do speech and I'm going to have the family do this together. Ed's going to be soooo thrilled. ~smiled~ I think it's going to be quite interesting.

Now the kids are watching 'Bach's Fight for Freedom video. Last week they watched and enjoyed 'Strauss: The King of Three Quarter Time.

Now, I'm off to the kitchen to make some gluten free/casein free cornbread, which by the way is delicious.

~Margarete~

Baby Vera Update

2011-02-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

It with saddness that I must tell you that Baby Vera went home with Jesus.
Please continue to pray for Dave, Lori and their family.
A very short update is found at http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com

February 10, 2011

2011-02-10T12:43:00.009-05:00

I finished reading 'The Light in the Forest'. This was a sad book in our opinion. I will not give away the ending. ~smile~

Our next book together is 'Guns for General Washington.'
I will be reading 2 short books to the girls: 'Daniel 'Boone' by Katharine E. Wilkie copyright 1960; 6th printing (this book) 1964 and 'Old Whirlwind: A Davy Crockett Story' by Elizabeth Coatsworth copyright 1953; 1st printing (this book) 1964. .... I edited the copyrights...I had the wrong dates before.
There is an update on baby Vera at: http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com/

There is a fundraiser being developed for Noah (look at my right sidebar)...the website for the fundraiser is: http://www.wheelsfornoah.com

2011-02-05T10:25:00.002-05:00

I just found out yesterday that our evaluator is not evaluating anymore. This is so sad for me. We have known her for years and she has been evaluating school for us for 9 years. She knows my children so well. She knows how we school...not traditional...and now I have to find another one. I was talking to her yesterday and she was saying how she was so confused the first year she evaluated Becca. Everything was so different than what she knew. (She was a teacher for at least 30 years and evalutor/test giver/etc..) She was so surprised at how my kids were learning. For some reason PA wants her to update in a class (?) and it is too much money. She'd never get her money back in evaluations, which I understand. So, now I have the task to find a good evaluator, not someone who just goes through the checklists. Do you know what I mean?

~Margarete~

New Update on the Baby

2011-02-04T13:24:00.002-05:00

There is a new update for Lori and her baby
http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com
They have a long way to go and need a lot of prayers.
Their message is very strong in faith, though.

2011-02-03T13:23:00.003-05:00

Today I started reading "Light in the Forest". The kids don't want me to stop. ~smile~ I usually sit next to the coal stove so while I'm reading I start falling asleep. ~LOL~

I noticed that Katie is really understanding what is read to her. I usually ask her questions afterwards or even a day or two later. She does a good job.

With Ana, I'm not to sure. At least she sits there and listens.

I have also been reading about horses to her. She is obsessed with them.
I wouldn't be surprised if she worked with them some day and/or owned some.
I've been looking into riding lessons. Some how I will get her and Katie lessons. ~smile~
They are $30 to $40 a lesson. WHOA!
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I had finally bought the KnowledgeQuest Maps. The Atlas and Cd came about 1/2 weeks ago and I'm so excited to print these out. Only one thing; my printer decided to get jammed and now I need a new one, again. This one was a Canon MP250. I may just get another one. It was cheap.
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I may have mentioned that we lost Tom's Editor in Chief Book. I have no idea where it went to. I'm still searching but can't find it. Ed told me to order another one. Tom is not happy over that.
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I need to post some pictures of the crafts Ana has colored and made. I just need to do this when the girls aren't around me.
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Gotta go....The girls are getting rough with each other.
~Margarete~

A Few Things

2011-02-02T15:38:00.004-05:00

We had some ice today. I don't think is was as as bad as the weather people thought it would be.

**If you have been following Lori and her baby, Lori is now out of the hospital and on her way to her baby! Please pray that they get many answers to what is happening with their baby girl.
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My kids just love the Jeff Corwin videos. They have laughed, and screamed (actually, that was me screaming at the snakes), and totally enjoy these! Right now they are watching the Insects and Arachnids. I have to say, Mr. Jeff, you are crazy! There is no way that I would put a spider on my face! Anyway, there sometimes is reference to evolution but I'm not going to stop watching a video because of this. We explain this to the kids and move on. We would be missing out on alot of educational information if we worried about this.

Yesterday, I finished "The Children of the Longhouse" by Joseph Bruchac. This is another one in which I didn't think we would like. It was very good. We "followed" a young indian boy (in the late 15th century) while he was being hasseled by older boys, his relationship with his sister, and becoming a young man. I wanted to cry near the end but I held it in knowing that I would be teased unrelentlessly. ~LOL~

Our next book is going to be "The Light in the Forest" by Conrad Richter.
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Next week I will be taking Katie to a nutritionist. She really needs to get back on vitamins and we need to help her get proper sleep. She has been taking melatonin but I think I'd like to try something else. She also has an upcoming dr. appt. I honestly do not want to increase her medication. I know she is on a very low dose compared to other children but I really don't like medications. This dr. is very good and listens to everything I say. He also has a child with autism.
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Enjoy the rest of your day!
~Margarete~

Update on Lori Again

2011-01-29T10:43:00.001-05:00

If you would like to read about what is going on with Lori and her baby, her sister in law is keeping everyone up to date.
http://isaiahs-journey.blogspot.com

Update on Lori and the Baby

2011-01-28T14:25:00.003-05:00

Lori went in for a routine c-section
hemorraged; needed 5 units of blood
internal bleeding
emergency "surgery"
critical drug induced coma

The baby girl:
little brain activity
pupils will not dialate

Please keep praying!

EMERGENCY PRAYER FOR LORI

2011-01-28T08:21:00.002-05:00

Please pray for Lori, Dave and their children. Lori went into have a c-section and now she and the baby are in critical condition. They are in separate hospitals and Dave is torn on where to be. They are a beautiful young family from the church we used to go to. They are a missionary family. They usually work with teen girls. Dave's family has been missionsaries to the Ukraine.

Thank you so much.

2011-01-21T09:27:00.002-05:00

Today I will start reading 'Children of the Longhouse' by Joseph Bruchac.

I will also get out the kids' timelines so they can see the order of time in which these books take place. I have gone a bit out of order. That's ok. We are enjoying the reading anyway. ~smile~

The girls were already outside playing in the new snow and Tom shoveled our walks, next door, and the walks across the street. The owners will be surprised that is was all done for them. ~smile~

Have a good day.
~Margarete~

Pictures Of The Day

2011-01-20T17:28:00.004-05:00

THESE ARE PICTURES OF AN OLD BUILDING

2011-01-20T14:37:00.002-05:00

I finished reading 'The Sign of the Beaver' today. This book showed us the difference in the lives of an Indian boy and "white" boy.
We talked about why Matt would not go with Attean and also what it would be like if his parents never came and he was at the cabin alone. We also talked about how Attean got Matt ready to be on his own because without him Matt could have died.

Afterward, Ana colored in some picture crafts of Native American Indians from Scholastic books. Katie seemed to be deep in thought. :)

~Margarete~

2011-01-19T15:54:00.002-05:00

I am almost done reading 'The Sign of the Beaver'. The kids have enjoyed this as have I. It really makes you think about how kids many, many years ago were left alone in the wilderness and now we can't even leave a 13 year old home alone. If something were to happen, you can be arrested for neglect.

Many years ago the kids learned how to cook, clean, hunt, work, etc. Now kids only want to sit on their rear ends and watch tv or play video games.

Our kids are that way also. But, we have made them help others or go out and work. For instance; Becca has been making money shoveling (at an adult apartment complex) when it snows. She has, a few times, not accepted money or been given candy, and hot tea. (she laughs at this) But, the older people that she does this for seem to really like her and care for her. They are slowly getting to know Tom. They have had our older boys shovel for them also (the boys started this little business ~smile~).

Becca also helps out a neighbor by watching their home and cats when need be.

She is now at my parent's house for up to a week. My mom had knee surgery so Becca went to help with the Therapy and just be around to help with everything else.

Becca has been studying for her last EMT test. She didn't pass it the first time but I think she is determined to get this done. She is excellent at the "hands-on" but when it comes to paper tests forget it. She loves being on the ambulance and I think she is missing it and missing the people.

School is starting to get better here. It seems that when January comes around our days are better for schoolwork to get done. Maybe it is because of the cold weather, the longer days and we have to stay inside more.

Don't forget to read up on Noah's blog (right sidebar). He is back in the hospital.

Have a good night.
~Margarete~

2011-01-18T11:21:00.003-05:00

Today is a rainy, icy, snowy day. The girls are getting over colds/coughs and I believe Katie is losing her voice. That is really not a bad thing. ~smile~

They have been working on a few crafts. First they finished coloring the people from the "Time Travelers: Colonial Life crafts; www.homeschoolinthewoods.com . I have to finish putting them on the transparent paper. They did theirs a little different. They are making them into books.

Katie is making a big tree with cutout leaves and animals. Ana is making an ocean mural from www.learningpage.com . When they are done I will post them on the Loving Lapbook Blog.

I'll write later. One little girl is not behaving herself today ("A").
~Margarete~

Just Want to Say...

2011-01-13T21:29:00.001-05:00

HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!

FAIRIE DOORS FINISHED

2011-01-08T15:09:00.002-05:00

ANA'S DOOR

KATIE'S DOOR

MY DOOR

Fairie Doors and Snow

2011-01-07T09:55:00.002-05:00

We made our fairie doors last night. From left to right: Mommy's, Katie's, Ana's.
We had fun doing this. They are about 8 inches high.
I still need to go out and get some paint. Thanks Jeanne!

We have snow this morning so the girls are outside making ice cubes and trying to make a miniature igloo. I think they are getting tired and it is only a little about 10 am.