My Favorite Blogs

This post is for Jade. I am a novice blogger so I can't even figure out how to get a link column on my blog. If anyone wants to walk me through that, I would be so grateful. I the meantime, I will copy and paste my favorites. I remember how proud I was when I learned to copy and paste! (Note: after posting this, I tried to figure it out again, and I did it! I added links on the side. I still don't know how to type in a title and make it a hyperlink. That's a lesson for another day since I have to get the kids BACK to the church for a program in less than one hour!)

In no particular order, I like to check all of these every few days.

http://www.choosinghome.com/blog/

These next two are actually the same woman:
http://homeschoolblogger.com/quiverfull/
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/quiverfull/

http://www.xanga.com/MrsCatherine
http://homeliving.blogspot.com/

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

So, these are my favorites. I have a few more that are personal friends' or family but they are not as frequent posters or their content is not along the lines of these. Those I check about once a week or less. I do find that the blogosphere can be a huge time waster, especially with my VERY SLOW computer. But I just don't check all of them every time and I allow say 15-20 minutes and then stop!

Saturday in the Suburbs

My favorite blogs are those about a woman's life on the homestead. I love reading about a day in their life. But my home is no homestead so here is how our day in the suburbs went.

I slept in and W got me up about 7:15. I could have used a few more minutes but...sigh. J is out of town and dsB is camping so it is pretty quiet around here. I made some quick cinnamon rolls for the kids using biscuit dough instead of a yeast dough. Then I cleaned our bathroom and closet thoroughly and did a little laundry. We had a soccer game in the late morning during which W played very well. He scored several goals and had a smile on his face the whole time. Then we came home for lunch . After lunch we processed more than half of our remaining berries. They are so tiny it makes it harder to get their caps off. I gave each girl a grapefruit spoon and we dug them out. I got those in the freezer ( I need to remember to bag them before going to bed). Then it was off to nap time. I was very tired for some reason even after sleeping in. I only slept for 30 minutes before the neighbor kid knocked on the door and the dog went wild.

So I got up and worked on some paperwork. Only three more weeks of classes and I needed to get the final exams and the study guides ready and copied. Off to the copy shop. I stopped at the grocery next door for hamburger meat and buns. This morning at the soccer game, someone was grilling burgers and it smelled so terrific I decided we needed that for supper. They really tasted good.

After dinner I sent the children off for baths and showers while I ran the vacuum. We went to the church for a Movie on the Green night. There was a good crowd and they showed "Chicken Little". I was not impressed. The plot was weak and I got bored with the aliens. The kids enjoyed it, though, and they got to play with their friends. This is a tradition in the church that my kids love. The sponsors offer a movie, free popcorn, hot dogs, and sodas. It makes for a late night and I'm sure we'll be tired in the morning but I think it was worth it.

What's for Dinner: Grilled burgers, french fries (from Angel Food), sugar snap peas and baby carrots

What I'm Reading: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

What I'm Listening to: A Beach Boys CD from the library, just sounded like fun!

What's on the Needles: a dishtowel that my MIL started and I am finishing. My first experience with circular needles. I don't like metal needles and these twist too easily.

"Hunting for Tigers"

This title may not mean much to you. But for me it is a milestone. It represents hours of listening to a young person learning to read. I have now successfully guided 5 children through the 100 Easy Lessons required to launch into a lifetime of reading. I get tears in my eyes just thinking about how I sat down with my first child 10 years ago to read "See me eat". "Hunting for Tigers" is the 100th story in our book and W read it last night! We finally did it. If you've been reading my blog for long, you may remember this post: http://weavingatapestry.blogspot.com/2006/01/reading-lesson.html

I knew that this was a milestone that needed celebrating. So after lunch W and I took off. He didn't know where we were going but I had a plan. We went to Barnes and Noble, straight to the easy reader section. I let W pick 3 books he would like to read. I picked a couple to fit in with his current skill level. Then we headed to the little cafe. Each of us got a biscotti and a drink and we sat at a table for two where he could read to me. He read about 6 pages of his new Star Wars book. We talked and laughed. After a while he wanted to go home because he was anxious to get to park day with our friends. That was a most precious time for me.

Now that he is on the path to reading, the world is completely open to W. He can read his Beginner's Bible, he can read the directions to his school workbooks, he can read road signs and cereal boxes. He can learn whatever he wants now that he can read the book. He can travel to Lilliput or Neverland. He can giggle as Hank the Cowdog makes another mistake. He can join Pooh and his buddies on an "expotition" to the North Pole. Strong readers have such an advantage in life. I am proud of W for sticking with it even when it was hard work or even boring stories. Tomorrow we'll put together a basket of the easy readers we have for him to choose from during our reading lesson time. Before long he'll rather read to himself because it's faster. So for now I'll treasure those moments where he shares a good book with Mom.

More Animal Life

Other than the red, ripe berries, the real draw for my children is the fact that there will be live animals for them to pet and feed. The farm has the most gentle goats and horses there for the children to get up close and touch. These are all pictures of my children enjoying the animals.

New life on the farm

The highlight of the day, by far, was the fact that one of the goats on the farm had just given birth within an hour of our arrival. My city kids have never seen anything like this. The mother was still trying to expel the placenta, the baby was messy, and both of them were very dirty. But it was the most beautiful thing we have seen in a long time. We watched for about half an hour as the kid tried to stand on his wobbly little legs. The staff was worried about the momma as she hadn't nursed yet so they were trying to help her by holding the kid up to her and expressing some of the colostrum. I have so many adorable pictures but I'll see what I can share.

Strawberry Time

We made our annual trek to the strawberry farm today. We had planned to go last week with Grandma but it was threatening storms, so we opted for the indoor option of the museum. This time it was now or never since the season won't last much longer. Also, there was a feature article in yesterday's paper about "our" farm so we knew it might attract additional crowds. This year's weather has been drought conditions so the plants just are not producing as usual and I knew it would be slim pickin's.

I was right. I bought 4 boxes the first year and it takes the 6 of us about 20 minutes to completely fill them in a good year. Today, we had to search high and low for even the tiniest of ripe berries and it took us an hour to almost fill just 3 of those boxes. It was cool (low 60's) and not crowded so it was pleasant, but I was a little disappointed with the cache. I may skip the jam making this year since I still have some from last year. The blackberry crop looks promising so I can always add to the stash with blackberry jam in June.

Doilies on the Trash Can

Okay, this is carrying the household beauty thing just a bit too far. I was perusing my bookmarked blog sites, most of which are other moms who are in the same lifestage as mine. They are all raising children, some more than others, most are homeschooling, some have part time jobs. All have homes to care for and we are all striving to be better at it. Some of us (like me) have farther to go in the journey than others. But this has to take the cake.

I won't say the blog since it is one of my favorites, but the woman is giving a random list of things we can do to make our home more beautiful and cozy. So I'm reading along and she says we should put a liner in the small waste baskets throughout the house. This is a nice idea. I do use the plastic grocery bags for this purpose and I consider it recycling as well. But then she goes on to suggest we put a paper doily in at the edge and tie it all on with a wired ribbon. What? Doilies and fancy ribbons on the trash can? I am laughing out loud. I can't imagine what J would say if I decorated our bathroom wastebasket like that. I may just have to try it and find out.

Doilies and ribbon??????

A School Project

Here is a picture of the salt map of the Mediterranean B made this year. She worked hard at molding, painting, and labeling the whole thing. it turned out very nicely and we wanted to share it.

Our studies for the year have centered in this area. As we wrap up the year, I am fascinated by how much I learned from the course of study. We learned all about the fall of Rome...how that led to the rise of the church in the Middle Ages...how the Black plague led to the fall of the feudal system...how the printing press led to the Renaissance and then the Reformation. I always learn as much as, if not more than, the children. I always say a long time homeschool mom is one of the best educated people around. We cover all subjects, all levels, multiple times. I can't wait to find out what I'll learn next year.

A Culinary Adventure

Before Grandma's visit R had her turn in the rotation for cooking dinner. R is only 8 but she likes fancy food. She picked a recipe out of Emeril's kids' cookbook and we made it together. They are hot bunnies fille dwith cooked meat filling. She rounded out her meal with french fries and peas and carrots. It made for a pretty plate.

I'm back...

Please excuse my absence. We have had a wonderful visit with my Mother-in-Love from Illinois. She doesn't come very often so we really enjoy it. Now, I know she will read this (hi! Grandma) but please know that I say this in all honesty, no flattery here. I love my MIL so very much. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to raise my dh, and to welcome me into her family with open arms. She treats all of her children alike, whether by birth or marriage. At Christmas she buys all the guys a gift (think socks, cool tools, etc) and all of the girls a gift. The first time she did this, I was touched that she would include me with her own two daughters. Now, I see that she is just the most loving woman. J says he has never met anyone who didn't like his mother right off the bat. I have to agree.

While she was here, we went to the Tx. State History museum and saw the Deep Sea 3-D IMAX movie. Very cool for all of us. Then we went to the downtown Whole Foods store which is a grocery beyond your wildest imagination. We were killing time to avoid 5 o'clock traffic in a hailstorm. We had a good hour in the store and still didn't see it all. We visited a very nice yarn store, ate at Luby's (a Grandma tradition), had Easter dinner with my family, baked way too many desserts, ate way too much rich food, and laughed lots. It was with tears in my eyes that I dropped her off at the airport yesterday morning. We'll be seeing her at Christmas but that seems like forever.

Thanks for the Good Times, P. We miss you!

Happy Birthday to dsB!!!

Well, I completely missed posting on Thursday, which was my oldest son's "Golden Birthday" he turned 13 on the 13th. Now we have 2 teenagers in the house. We spent much of the day preparing for Grandma to visit and then had church in the evening. But we did go out for a very nice dinner after church. B likes seafood so we went to a seafood grill and it was delicious. He has coconut shrimp, others had various yummy dishes, and we had plenty leftover. We ate outside listening to the toads croak. The children behaved. Our waitress was one of 8 children so she enjoyed talking with ours about being part of a large family. She is expecting her first baby.

Happy Easter

Although Thanksgiving is my real favorite holiday, Easter takes a close second. Everybody loves Christmas but Easter remains a HolyDay for me. We attended services both Thursday(to remember the Last Supper) and Friday( to remember the story of the crucification). In our church we strip the altar area and shroud everything in black cloth. Then during the Sunrise service on Sunday, we will enter the sanctuary carrying all of the altar items (candles, Bible, etc.) and the lights will come back on. This is a joyous service and I find it even more meaningful than the later service which is the traditional Easter service.

We are enjoying a visit from my Mother-In-Love right now so postings may be scarce as we spend lots of time with her. She only comes about every other year from another state so we try to cram lots in while she is here. It's never long enough.

Have a Blessed Easter!

My Love/Hate Relationship with Spring

I am miserable. While I love to see the breeze ripple through the trees and the green everywhere, I really dread Spring. As I sit here with my eyes red and watering, my nose itchy and runny, and barely able to breathe, I am not happy to see Mother Nature doing her spring cleaning. I have severe pollen allergies and not many medicines even help me. I never know which days will be worst. Today is one of them. It doesn't help that it is very windy and I sat outside for over an hour in said wind at a soccer game this morning. (W scored two goals BTW...more on soccer later.)

I know once I get like this only a deep sleep and a shower are going to relieve it. I don't have time for either this afternoon. I finished my preparations enough to make it to the copy shop in time today and I need to change out the propane tank on the grill so we can have a steak dinner tonight. This means a trip out in the windy wild yet again. I also really need to tackle the kitchen floor; it's getting very sticky. And the upstairs is bordering out out-of-control clutter again. How does that happen so fast???

Well, that's what my Saturday looks like.


Quote from R as we were driving this morning: "I know what job God gave to Grandmama. She's painting the rainbows." My mother was an avid and talented painter near the end of her life.

What's for dinner: grilled steak and/or salmon, potatoes, whatever fresh veggies need eating before tomorrow's grocery run.

What I'm reading: Sex Begins in the Kitchen, by Kevin Leman. Catchy title, huh? It's really just a marriage book by a Christian author I happen to like. I found it searching the religion shelves at the library.

What I'm hearing: just the quiet humming of my computer and the distant talking of the children's book on CD.

Life Lessons

Both of my older two children learned a new skill this week. It was the task of returning faulty merchandise to a store. B bought a new skirt last week, one of those cute tiered flowy ones. The first time she wore it, we noticed the seams were coming apart. So I took her back to return it. Now this child is so shy I was worried she would try to make me do it so I went to a different part of the store (a fabric store, so no problem for me :) I checked the other ones in that color and they were also poorly made so she just asked for a refund. I was very proud of her.

Then just two days later dsB had to return a watch to Walmart because it broke the first day he wore it. He walked right up to the customer service desk and told the lady what he wanted to do. She did not even look up at him, but rudely sent him to the jewelry counter. I wondered if she would have treated an adult that way. We went next to the jewelry counter where he handled the transaction entirely on his own.

It's hard for me to think of all the lifeskills I want my children to be prepared for when they leave home. But I find that if I live life right beside them, aware of the goal, the opportunities will present themselves. I need to just remember to step back and let them handle it. Who knows, maybe that is a lifeskill for me, too.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

No, I'm not talking about my waistline. While I have lost about 12 pounds in the last 2 months (yeah ME!), what I' m really thinking about is my height. I went for a general checkup this week after 5 yrs. I am so rarely sick and in general good health that I didn't feel the need to pay out of pocket to be told how healthy I am :) But there are certain things every woman should do regularly and I needed to just bite the bullet and do it. When I stood against the wall and she read the little ruler, I was aghast...5' 6.5". How could that be? I went through high school and college at an above average 5' 8". I was standing up tall. I'm shrinking and I'm not even 40 yet. Now the dr. seemed more concerned about my family history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and breast cancer. But I reassured her I was the picture of health and tried to live clean. I eat right, I exercise somewhat regularly, I don't' smoke or drink. I'm wondering what happened to my inches! I know osteoporosis is a consideration and I'll probably get a bone density baseline taken in the near future. But a person's height is almost as much a part of their identity as their name. I am now in the normal range I guess after feeling tall all of my life. And worst of all, I have to lower my reasonable healthy weight on those ridiculous charts. It's a good thing I've lost 12 pounds...hey do you think it came off the top of my head?