Grace got hold of my phone and took this picture of Dorothy one evening.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
This Week At Home, 2012, Week 19
Little notes I write to myself each day in order to remember each precious one!
Monday...
Thankfully, I am not as tired as I thought I'd be. (Dorothy kept coming into our room last night,probably making sure we were still there!) I worked through the laundry. Blankets will have to wait until a sunny day for airing outside. I don't wash them every time like I used to. Sunshine does wonders for campfire smoke.
We got busy with our lessons. I want the last 9 days to count for something, no fluffy days for us! I did hear some groans. "I wanted to sleep in today," one unnamed student complained. Tough. I didn't sleep in today either. *grins*
I started reading, Fast Food Nation. It just makes me want to run away! How can we be such a nation of dumb people who think fast food is food? And now they want our babies to drink cola. Don't laugh. One fifth of one year old babies drink soda!
I took Grace to dance and Jeff had a meeting at church tonight. We had pancakes with grilled bananas on top since it was just us four.
We also got word that our landlord is going to try to rebuild the cabinets to accommodate a new stove. I sure miss baking!
Tuesday...
It's getting harder to get our lessons done. I keep reminding the kids that we need these last days to be solid ones or I will tack on more until I am satisfied. And yet, it is really my own desire to be done with the year that is disturbing our efforts!
Grace and I planted some of the seeds that arrived. I have high hopes for these seeds bought from a local company. They are supposed to be made for Indiana.
Still no oven, but a guy came today, who is going to give a quote for cutting out cabinets and put in a new regular sized stove! There is hope yet! But nothing happens as fast as I'd like.
Wednesday...
No AWANA tonight means the stress level is lower today. A crew of guys are here rebuilding the outside of the chimney, which is crumbling. Another nice thing about renting, not having to pay for a house that needs so many repairs!
The younger two finished their science curriculum today. Now we will work on finishing up our notebooks. We are enjoying a new read aloud, Loving Will Shakespeare. Trevor is starting to write his term paper on Indiana Dunes State Park, a combination Indiana History and composition assignment. Ryan listened to a Great Courses CD about Black Holes.
Dinner was vegetable chili, which did not thrill my kids, so they had to fend for themselves. :-(
Ryan went to youth group and the rest of us played Pictionary. It was such fun.
Thursday...
Need to get bread today. I could not even bake if I wanted to!
Got our lessons done. Babysat in the afternoon. The chimney was completed. Looks really good. I'll be glad to have workers gone.
Karate tourney night! Grace and Trevor are alternates this year, so unless someone can't compete, they are just going to watch and eat junk food.
I fed them eggs, fruit, sausage, and toast for dinner.
Friday...
Three stores to hit today and the farm market tonight! No time for lessons, except finishing up writing assignments. The laundry somehow got out of control again. Oh, wait, it's all the laundry that has been hiding in Grace's room that she finally had to clear out so she'd have clean clothes!!
Dinner is BBQ chicken sandwiches, salad, and fruit.
Saturday...
My hopes for today include getting the "pool" raised bed and tomato containers filled with new dirt and planted. I now really wish we had started tomato seeds this winter, but hey, next year we will give it a try.
Grace is having lunch with her beloved Sunday school teachers. The kids who read the entire Bible and wrote a summary of each chapter get this as their reward. She worked so hard to make sure she kept on top of the reading assignments. She did not want to miss her chance.
Sunday....
We're going to see my Grandma at her nursing home. It's also her 90th birthday in addition to Mother's Day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jenn
 |
| Packed up and ready to go home. |
Monday...
Thankfully, I am not as tired as I thought I'd be. (Dorothy kept coming into our room last night,probably making sure we were still there!) I worked through the laundry. Blankets will have to wait until a sunny day for airing outside. I don't wash them every time like I used to. Sunshine does wonders for campfire smoke.
We got busy with our lessons. I want the last 9 days to count for something, no fluffy days for us! I did hear some groans. "I wanted to sleep in today," one unnamed student complained. Tough. I didn't sleep in today either. *grins*
I started reading, Fast Food Nation. It just makes me want to run away! How can we be such a nation of dumb people who think fast food is food? And now they want our babies to drink cola. Don't laugh. One fifth of one year old babies drink soda!
I took Grace to dance and Jeff had a meeting at church tonight. We had pancakes with grilled bananas on top since it was just us four.
We also got word that our landlord is going to try to rebuild the cabinets to accommodate a new stove. I sure miss baking!
Tuesday...
It's getting harder to get our lessons done. I keep reminding the kids that we need these last days to be solid ones or I will tack on more until I am satisfied. And yet, it is really my own desire to be done with the year that is disturbing our efforts!
Grace and I planted some of the seeds that arrived. I have high hopes for these seeds bought from a local company. They are supposed to be made for Indiana.
Still no oven, but a guy came today, who is going to give a quote for cutting out cabinets and put in a new regular sized stove! There is hope yet! But nothing happens as fast as I'd like.
Wednesday...
No AWANA tonight means the stress level is lower today. A crew of guys are here rebuilding the outside of the chimney, which is crumbling. Another nice thing about renting, not having to pay for a house that needs so many repairs!
The younger two finished their science curriculum today. Now we will work on finishing up our notebooks. We are enjoying a new read aloud, Loving Will Shakespeare. Trevor is starting to write his term paper on Indiana Dunes State Park, a combination Indiana History and composition assignment. Ryan listened to a Great Courses CD about Black Holes.
Dinner was vegetable chili, which did not thrill my kids, so they had to fend for themselves. :-(
Ryan went to youth group and the rest of us played Pictionary. It was such fun.
Thursday...
Need to get bread today. I could not even bake if I wanted to!
Got our lessons done. Babysat in the afternoon. The chimney was completed. Looks really good. I'll be glad to have workers gone.
Karate tourney night! Grace and Trevor are alternates this year, so unless someone can't compete, they are just going to watch and eat junk food.
I fed them eggs, fruit, sausage, and toast for dinner.
Friday...
Three stores to hit today and the farm market tonight! No time for lessons, except finishing up writing assignments. The laundry somehow got out of control again. Oh, wait, it's all the laundry that has been hiding in Grace's room that she finally had to clear out so she'd have clean clothes!!
Dinner is BBQ chicken sandwiches, salad, and fruit.
Saturday...
My hopes for today include getting the "pool" raised bed and tomato containers filled with new dirt and planted. I now really wish we had started tomato seeds this winter, but hey, next year we will give it a try.
Grace is having lunch with her beloved Sunday school teachers. The kids who read the entire Bible and wrote a summary of each chapter get this as their reward. She worked so hard to make sure she kept on top of the reading assignments. She did not want to miss her chance.
Sunday....
We're going to see my Grandma at her nursing home. It's also her 90th birthday in addition to Mother's Day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jenn
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
First Camping Trip of 2012
Just back from a whirlwind trip to our favorite lake, Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park. For 24 hours, it was "make the most of every moment." We'd been obsessing about the weather for a week. I really didn't think we'd get to go, as we only had a day and I was not interested in going if it was going to rain.
Thankfully, the weather was absolutely beautiful! We did a craft at the nature center. We hiked. We played at the beach. We had Grandma and her friend over for dinner. We watched a sunset. We enjoyed our camper. (I wish I could say that we enjoyed sleeping in our camper, but a noisy bird kept us awake off and on!) And then we packed up in a big hurry the next day after lunch to avoid the storm that was threatening our happiness!
Thankfully, the weather was absolutely beautiful! We did a craft at the nature center. We hiked. We played at the beach. We had Grandma and her friend over for dinner. We watched a sunset. We enjoyed our camper. (I wish I could say that we enjoyed sleeping in our camper, but a noisy bird kept us awake off and on!) And then we packed up in a big hurry the next day after lunch to avoid the storm that was threatening our happiness!
Friday, May 4, 2012
This Week At Home, 2012, Week 18
Little notes I write each day to remember each precious one!
Sunday...
Awesome sermon on being content. I am glad that we will get to discuss it on Friday with our small group. After our lunch of leftover burgers, which sounds blah, but was really yummy, the guys went to get haircuts, where they ran into Grace who was getting a haircut while out with her nana. When the guys got home and Grace returned, we spent some time working on the yard. I weeded and the guys mowed. Grace made a fruit salad and brought us water. We finished off the crock pot lasagna for dinner. Deep Space Nine was our evening's entertainment. Slowly, I am starting to like the characters, but am not happy with the themes of some of the shows, a little too suggestive.
Monday...
The oven repair man is coming this morning! My guess is that he won't be able to fix it because the part will either no longer be made or more expensive than a new oven. Either way, I am making chicken in my slow cooker today, which I must get in the cooker soon!
We have our last week of Sonlight to finish this week, always a sad week. Thankful that we will have another year of Sonlight to start in August. But this week will be the last of what has been a great year of learning together. OK, not the last week. We have two or three more after this to finish up other subjects and get our 180 days all in.
Other than lessons, I need to catch up laundry, keep the kids working on cleaning up their messes, and take Grace to dance. The parents are invited to watch the last 15 minuets as they've prepared a little number for us.
Tuesday...
Seemed like a long day. We got right to our lessons. After lunch, we worked on a quick tidy up. Then we had our little friend over to play. It was stormy this afternoon, so we couldn't play outside. I spent some time doing laundry. It's finally caught up for a moment in time. Grace went to art class. I made three bean chili with zucchini. (The oven is still out.) We measured 2 inches of rain in the gauge today. Wow!
Three Bean with Zucchini
1# pound of lean ground meat (I use grass fed beef, but turkey or bufalo would be good)
2 medium zucchini, cubed
3 15oz. cans of your favorite beans (I used white kidney, black, and pinto)
1 cup whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 large can of tomato juice
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 chopped onion (you'll want to cook with the zucchini if you choose this)or 1 t of onion powder
1T chili powder
1t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
*next time I am going to add some frozen corn to the mix.
Brown your meat and drain if needed. Add garlic and zucchini. Cook until tender. Add the rest and simmer just a little while.
Wednesday...
I did not sleep straight through the night, so I felt sleepy all day. Lessons were done. We finished our history "spine." For a brief moment, I thought about saying we could get out next year's book, which is already here and waiting, but then, I decided we really do need a rest. We still have lots to keep us busy for another couple weeks.
There is warm, moist air coming into the atmosphere, making it humid and not as pleasant.
Tonight is the AWANA party night. We'll have an extended time for the girls to work on their books. At my table, one girl finished two books this year, one just finished a book last week, one started a book and finished the first section last week, and I have one girl who is stuck in the middle of her book that she started last year.
For dinner, we're having pancakes, sausage, and fruit. I don't have that oven working just yet. There is a dilemma to be worked out. The oven is 27 inches, a space saver. The new ovens are 30 inches or so. The old one is over 45 years old. The part will cost hundreds of dollars. But a new oven won't fit in the space without redoing the cabinets. Ugh. Times like this I am glad I don't have to make the decision.
Thursday...
Another day, much the same as the others, which is just fine with me! Although, Trevor and I did make a quick trip to the library and bakery before lessons. We watched our little friend in the afternoon. I made grilled cheese and a big salad for dinner. We had fruit, too. I don't know if I'll make it without baking a home made pizza this week. I make one every week!
Friday...
Waking up to cooler weather and a big blob of stuff headed our way via the radar. Tonight is small group, here. Today we will finish up loose ends with lessons and then tidy the house. Dinner will be spaghetti, salad and fruit.
Have an excellent weekend! I'll write more about ours on Monday. Let's just say we have an adventure planned and the weather probably won't cooperate.
~Jenn
Awesome sermon on being content. I am glad that we will get to discuss it on Friday with our small group. After our lunch of leftover burgers, which sounds blah, but was really yummy, the guys went to get haircuts, where they ran into Grace who was getting a haircut while out with her nana. When the guys got home and Grace returned, we spent some time working on the yard. I weeded and the guys mowed. Grace made a fruit salad and brought us water. We finished off the crock pot lasagna for dinner. Deep Space Nine was our evening's entertainment. Slowly, I am starting to like the characters, but am not happy with the themes of some of the shows, a little too suggestive.
 |
| Saturday's grilling out |
Monday...
The oven repair man is coming this morning! My guess is that he won't be able to fix it because the part will either no longer be made or more expensive than a new oven. Either way, I am making chicken in my slow cooker today, which I must get in the cooker soon!
We have our last week of Sonlight to finish this week, always a sad week. Thankful that we will have another year of Sonlight to start in August. But this week will be the last of what has been a great year of learning together. OK, not the last week. We have two or three more after this to finish up other subjects and get our 180 days all in.
Other than lessons, I need to catch up laundry, keep the kids working on cleaning up their messes, and take Grace to dance. The parents are invited to watch the last 15 minuets as they've prepared a little number for us.
They got hair cuts!
Tuesday...
Seemed like a long day. We got right to our lessons. After lunch, we worked on a quick tidy up. Then we had our little friend over to play. It was stormy this afternoon, so we couldn't play outside. I spent some time doing laundry. It's finally caught up for a moment in time. Grace went to art class. I made three bean chili with zucchini. (The oven is still out.) We measured 2 inches of rain in the gauge today. Wow!
Three Bean with Zucchini
1# pound of lean ground meat (I use grass fed beef, but turkey or bufalo would be good)
2 medium zucchini, cubed
3 15oz. cans of your favorite beans (I used white kidney, black, and pinto)
1 cup whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained
1 large can of tomato juice
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 chopped onion (you'll want to cook with the zucchini if you choose this)or 1 t of onion powder
1T chili powder
1t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
*next time I am going to add some frozen corn to the mix.
Brown your meat and drain if needed. Add garlic and zucchini. Cook until tender. Add the rest and simmer just a little while.
 |
| Bird Killer Want To Be |
Wednesday...
I did not sleep straight through the night, so I felt sleepy all day. Lessons were done. We finished our history "spine." For a brief moment, I thought about saying we could get out next year's book, which is already here and waiting, but then, I decided we really do need a rest. We still have lots to keep us busy for another couple weeks.
There is warm, moist air coming into the atmosphere, making it humid and not as pleasant.
Tonight is the AWANA party night. We'll have an extended time for the girls to work on their books. At my table, one girl finished two books this year, one just finished a book last week, one started a book and finished the first section last week, and I have one girl who is stuck in the middle of her book that she started last year.
For dinner, we're having pancakes, sausage, and fruit. I don't have that oven working just yet. There is a dilemma to be worked out. The oven is 27 inches, a space saver. The new ovens are 30 inches or so. The old one is over 45 years old. The part will cost hundreds of dollars. But a new oven won't fit in the space without redoing the cabinets. Ugh. Times like this I am glad I don't have to make the decision.
 |
Thursday...
Another day, much the same as the others, which is just fine with me! Although, Trevor and I did make a quick trip to the library and bakery before lessons. We watched our little friend in the afternoon. I made grilled cheese and a big salad for dinner. We had fruit, too. I don't know if I'll make it without baking a home made pizza this week. I make one every week!
 |
| Grace's latest. |
Friday...
Waking up to cooler weather and a big blob of stuff headed our way via the radar. Tonight is small group, here. Today we will finish up loose ends with lessons and then tidy the house. Dinner will be spaghetti, salad and fruit.
 |
| She has a hard time staying awake for lessons. |
~Jenn
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Fun with Nana
 |
| Fun hair time! |
 |
| Future plans. |
 |
| Taking Nana to the art show. |
 |
| Smoothie time! |
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