Thursday Thirteen #4

13 photos of gorgeous Pennsylvania Farms...

We just spent a few days in PA. While driving in Lancaster County, I snapped a few (OK, a bunch!) of farmland photos. The days weren't real sunny, so it made for some really interesting photos...almost eerie.

I'm NOT a professional photographer - it's just a hobby - but enjoy anyhow...

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As long as these farms are viewed from a distance, they're so beautiful. Don't get too close though...the smell will knock your socks off!!

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I'm back!

Wow, I didn't realized how much I'd miss blogging, but I did. Our family went away for 6 days, so I haven't blogged in a while. I was going to bring my computer along, but I decided not to since I needed a few days without it. I actually enjoyed not being able to blog, having to reply to emails, or update our homeschool website (I'm the president of our homeschool group and I also take care of our website). Now that I'm back, I'm refreshed and ready to go!

First of all, our trip. We went away because Lionel had a big quiz meet in PA. We decided to all head to PA as a family to support him and his team. There were 20 kids in all on the Bible quiz team, along with 4 great coaches. Here's the team...



(Lionel is in the front center...next to one of the coaches, he's wearing a gray shirt with red basketball pants and has a baseball cap on.) The team ended up winning both the upper and lower divisions for the entire weekend which was wonderful!! I'm so proud of them all. They work hard all year long. Currently they are studying Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. These kids eat, breathe, and sleep these books of the Bible all year long so they can do well on the quiz team. It's amazing how much they absorb and memorize!!!

My sister lives right in the area we visited, so we were able to stay with them for a few days as well. We went to Hershey Chocolate World for the gazillionth time too...it never gets old! If you've never been to their 3D Theater presentation, you've got to go! You not only get to view it in 3D, but you 'feel' it as well...the seats vibrate, stuff falls from the ceiling - bubbles, sprayed water, 'cob webs' etc., and things crawl over your feet. It was so much fun!

OK, I'm off to answer a few emails, I'll post more tomorrow!

Photo Hunt #94 - Old Fashioned

I love this 'old fashioned' photo of my Mom with her long red hair!

Miss Potter

Today Edward and I finally got to watch one of the movies I've been anxious to see...MISS POTTER

Oh what a wonderful movie!! I really got to know who Beatrix Potter was. I never knew she fell in love (and was supposed to marry) her publisher Norman Wayne...yet he died before they ever married. I never knew she eventually married William Heelis or that she wrote 23 children's books. We all know her most famous work as being "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" but have you heard of The Tale of Pigling Bland, The Tale of Ginger & Pickles, or The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin ...all part of her original Peter Rabbit series?

The movie has a few flashbacks to her childhood which shows that her creativity began when she was quite young. Her imagination was amazing, her drawings/water color paintings beautiful, and her stories very sweet! The setting is 1902 England....the scenery in the movie is gorgeous and the music just adds to the whole sweetness of the movie.

Funniest quote award goes to Helen Potter (Beatrix's stoogy mother) who says "I wish you wouldn't bring tradespeople into the house. They carry dust." She never wanted to acknowledge that her daughter was famous or that she had money...and lots of it! When Beatrix died in 1943, she left 14 farms and over 4000 acres of land to the National Trust! Wow!

Some great websites to visit:

The Official Beatrix Potter website
Kid's Corner
Miss Potter - the movie site (includes preview video)
Beatrix Potter Attractions


So, do I recommend this movie? You bet!!

The blessings keep coming!!!

WOW! Another package?!? Thank you so very much! I have been spoiled this past week. The package arrived on Saturday which was perfect timing. We had just gone to see my Dad at the nursing home and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and our whole situation with him. I still battle with guilt feelings about having him in a nursing home. Yes, it's the best place for him now, but it's still so hard to deal with.

Anyhow...the package (and the card - which came separately!) was there when we got home. It totally brightened up my day, so thank you!!!



In the package were 2 Perler Bead kits for the kids - Lionel loved the dog and Sweet-Pea immediately fell in love with the fish. There was also a very pretty journal and a magnetic note pad. The verses on them said "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Thank you again dear Secret Sister, you are too kind!

Saturday Photo Hunt #93 - Important

This Photo Hunt was very easy for me. There are 3 things that are extremely important to me...

1. My relationship with God




2. My wonderful loving husband 'Edward'




3. My two beautiful children, 'Lionel' & 'Sweet-Pea'



See? I told you this one was easy!

Friday Faves - Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Friday Faves: Favorite Kitchen Gadget

I'd have to say that I really love using my Braun hand blender. We use this for a bunch of things, but I'd say that the my favorite way to use it is for making smoothies and mashed potatoes! Stick a few bananas and some frozen strawberries in the container, add a little milk and powdered sugar and blend! It's that easy! Potatoes come out real creamy too when you use this blender. The best part - it's easy to clean. (Is this sounding like a commercial? ha ha)



My favorite appliance is also my Keurig...someday I'll post about that one, but if you don't have one and you love coffee...quick...go run out and grab one!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

Well, it's not my 'real' birthday, but it 'is' my birthday. How is that you ask?

Today is my spiritual birthday!! 37 years ago on January 18th (in 1971) I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. I was only 5 years old then, but I remember kneeling beside my Mom's bed with her beside me as I prayed the sinners prayer. Since then, I have grown to love Him more and more each day. I have dedicated my life to Him and am proud to say that I am His child!!

If you are totally clueless as to what I'm talking about, please visit one of these websites...today just may be the day you too will have your spiritual birthday!

Billy Graham Evangelical Association
Focus on the Family
The Romans Road
Who is Jesus?
How to Follow Christ Video

Blessings,

Thursday Thirteen #3

13 Interesting things I've done or been through in my lifetime...

My life isn't all that interesting, but I have done a few things that may be interesting...here goes...

1. I taught school to Navajo Indians while living on their reservation in New Mexico.
2. Went skiing in the Alps of Switzerland!!
3. I rode a mule named Harry down the Grand Canyon when I was 19.
4. I survived a plane crash.
5. I was an extra in a movie and was on a TV commercial for a local store.
6. When living in South Africa, I lived on a banana farm surrounded by sugar cane...yum!
7. When I was 16 I went to The Austrian Tyrol Ball in Vienna and danced like a princess.
8. I survived 2 tornadoes - one in Kansas and one in Wisconsin
9. While riding Space Mountain, the seatbelt broke off and I almost flew out of the ride!
10. I rode on an Ostrich while living in South Africa.
11. When in college I won a poetry contest - I won money and was published.
12. I went para sailing and lived to tell about it! ha ha
13. I drove over the Schoharie Creek Bridge less than an hour before it collapsed - imagine how I felt after when I found out! I had the chills for weeks!!!

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Wow - another Secret Sister? Thank you!!!!

OK, I am totally stumped here. Tamara said that she knows what's going on, but I am sooo confused. I got another wonderful package today from another Secret Sister. I am doubly blessed!!!

Today the mailman delivered these 'warm' goodies...


I love snowmen, so this package made me smile. The kids absolutely went crazy over their gifts - THANK YOU! Did you see my previous post about Lionel though?? Do you know what he does with legos? ha ha Sweet-Pea loves books, so this will be fun to read together...and crafts...her absolute favorite thing to do!! Since it's so cold outside today, I'm going to hang the snowman on my front doorway too - how fun.

You have blessed me today and I want to thank you!!

Thank you Secret Sister!!!

Yippee!!!! I got a wonderful package in the mail yesterday from my Secret Sister. It was filled with lots of goodies for the whole family!!

Dear SS, It was so sweet of you to think of me and write me such a nice note. Thank you very much for your kindness!!! The kids went crazy for the ladybug lantern. I know it will come in handy too! My daughter gets finds them in her bedroom each spring and although it's fun to see them, we're stumped on where they're coming from. Now we can catch them, watch them for a while, then set them free safely. How fun!!



Thank you for the great books, the candles, the calendar, poster and the crafts as well. Wow! I feel blessed and am grateful for all the thoughts and prayers as well.

Hugs,

More on our American Girl Tea club

I've had a few people ask me about our American Girl Teas...so I will explain more about what we do. As I mentioned in a previous post, we have 6 girls and 5 moms (that includes us) in our home once a month. Sweet-Pea and I have so much fun setting up our table with fine china and teacups. The first month we met, we asked that each mother/daughter bring their own unique set of tea cups and saucers. We keep them here and use them once a month for our teas. The variety of cups/saucers on the table along with our own china plates makes for a wonderful setting! It's formal yet casual.

The girls usually dress up...sometimes in very elegant dresses, and even a couple times some have dressed in attire specific for the time period we're learning about. I have to admit we Moms have gotten a little bit more casual as time has gone by, but the girls still do love to dress up! They are taught how to act like proper young ladies during our teas. We teach them basic table manners as well as what it's like to be a gracious host.

What do we do during our teas? We meet from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon. The first 10 minutes or so are pretty much for socializing and getting settled. We then sit down and the mother/daughter team who is leading that particular month totally takes over and runs the show. We usually have our snack time first. During our snacks (which are usually foods specific to the time period for that doll), we talk about the story and sometimes are quizzed on how much we know. Lots of laughter go on during this time!!

After we eat, usually Sweet-Pea helps me to clear off the table while the devotional is given by the mom of the mother/daughter team. Scripture that pertains to our story is used and the girls are taught how it can be applied in their own lives. After the devotional (usually only 5-10 min.) we do our craft. Sometimes that takes up the rest of the time, but sometimes we can squeeze in a game - again, something that pertains to the time period.

That's it in a nutshell. Here are a few photos of our teas (so far) and what was done for each. I don't remember ALL the details, but I'll do my best to type what I know.

DOLL #1 - Kaya
Food: corn bread, pumpkin pudding, nuts, Indian tea, coffee, lemonade
Craft: t-shirts (the pink one Sweet-Pea is wearing), bracelets
Game: the stick game



DOLL #2 - Felicity (Even Lionel got into this one by wearing his 3 pointed hat while answering the door for us - then he split into another room to 'escape'!)
Food: apple butter, homemade rolls, sweet pudding, tea, coffee, lemonade
Craft: fruit topiary
Game: table top bowling



DOLL #3 - Elizabeth
Food: muffins (not sure what else), coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: potpourri sachets
Game: blind mans bluff



DOLL #4 - Josefina
Food: sweet breads, cookies, Mexican corn things (?), coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: corn husk dolls
Game: beans game



DOLL #5 - Kirsten
Food: sliced apples, ham, raisin buns, coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: yarn rag dolls
Game: no time!



DOLL #6 - Addy
Food: hard boiled eggs, homemade breads, jelly, corn dish, coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: paper drawings
Game: no time...but after we were done the girls got into Sweet-Pea's princess dress up bin!!



DOLL #7 & #8 - Samantha/Nellie
Food: omelettes, muffins, gingerbread, coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: gingerbread house
Game: pass the paper people drawings (hilarious!)



DOLL #9 - Kit
Food: waffles, ambrosia, breads, coffee, tea, lemonade
Craft: paper lanterns, tissue paper flowers
Game: alphabet game



We still have to do Emily, Molly and Julie to complete the series. Once we're done with the American Girl dolls, we will do the Life of Faith dolls, then we'll start all over again with the American Girl dolls!! Sweet-Pea can't get enough of these dolls, so we'll be doing this for quite some time I imagine.

One of the highlights thus far was definitely our trip into NYC to have lunch at the American Girl Place. We had a blast and I'm sure the memories made will last a lifetime!!

Here they are enjoying their delicious meals...


Here's Sweet-Pea with her 'Just like me' doll...she even dressed like her for the day!


Now...to brainstorm a club for Lionel and his friends...hmmm. Any ideas? I was thinking of "The Lego Lads" and having 3 friends over each month specifically to build a Lego creation that pertains to a particular topic for the month. Share your thoughts if you have any. I need input! Thanks!!