Be Still

'We have become a body of people who look more like a herd of cattle in a stampede than a flock of God beside green pastures.' --Chuck Swindoll

Psalms 46:10 says to 'Be STILL & know that I am God.'

'We are commanded to stop...rest, relax, let go & make time for Him. The scene is one of stillness & quietness, listening & waiting before Him.' --CS

Just for You!

This week's DT dare over at ASF comes from Penny & I love it!!



Ready for this week’s dare.
So many times we all get caught up in doing layouts/cards for challenges or DT assignments that we forget the reason that we all starting scrapping. So, your challenge is to do a layout or two cards just for you. It cannot meet any challenges or be for any assignments or be for the upcoming cybercrop. I want you to remember why you started scrapping in the first place.

http://ascrappinfriendsy.com/dtdares/

You Might Be a Red Neck if......................

You have a goat reclining on your front porch! Ha!Ha! Sparky looks like he's made himself right at home. ;-P
Anybody home.....I wanna come in!

Bunny enjoying a little Harry Potter.

Sanji-baby who is getting Huge & oh so fluffy. We can't wait to see what he looks like this winter with that gorgeous fur coat!

Jedi Sandwiches

Not sure exactly how we got to talking about this today at lunch, but Ashley & Jon were 'remembering' how they used to make Jedi Sandwiches when they were about 7/8 years old. What is a Jedi Sandwich you may ask....Well, I wrote this down....methinks it has the makings of a scrapbook page. ;-)

Jedi Sandwich:

~One hot dog bun

~Shredded cheese

~Crunched up potatoe chips

~With ketchup on top

These are the required ingredients, but after that, feel free to add to it whatever you'd like! Ha!

School today went a little bit better...Alli still has the 'attitude' that she inherited from Ashley. Somewhere along the way when I wasn't paying attention, Ashley grew up & now gladly accepts her assignments & goes off to her favorite spot to work. And not long after that happened, Alli stepped in & assumed the position of 'School-is-no-fun-&-you-can't-make-me-enjoy-it-no-matter-what!!' I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass. Sigh! I guess it's just an age thing because Ashley was just about her age when she did all this. And it's not that she can't do the work.....trust me, she CAN! She'd just rather mumble & grumble her way through reading than to enjoy it. Let her read over my shoulder while I'm IMing to Danielle & she has NO problem whatsoever. Ashley says the same thing about if they are looking at/reading magazines together. No problem there either. Ashley did remind me that I've said Sarah grew up reading from the 'Singing News' magazine & Chris learned to read reading 'Nintendo Power'. The others haven't had a complaint & even Jon who is having a time getting his brain back in gear hasn't grumbled at all. We're plugging along working through LONG multiplication/division problems along with variables, commutative/associative properties of addition/subtraction/multiplication/division.

Along with math these first two weeks, we are working on our Olympic unit. In their spare time the kids have been enjoying all the library books I picked out about the Olympics & such. Below is one of Michael's pockets of time pages that he & Alli are working on. It goes along with reading the Magic Treehouse book 'The Hour of the Oympics'. They take turns reading out loud, a chapter a day & then they cut out the tags which are color coded & they have to put the events of the chapter in order.

This is going to be the cover page for their other Olympic book they are making. Jon & Ashley are doing certain things along with them....just a little more advanced than Alli & Michael. Although today they ALL wanted to do the Olympic word find puzzle I had. Guess you can never be too old for a little fun! ;-)

First Day of School

I intended to start school yesterday, but we had a last minute turn of events (this is why I love homeschooling...we can go with the flow!) Chris had asked if we could bring him his TV....his room-mate had come with one, but little brother had broken a prong off or something & so they couldn't make it work. We had also been needing to go by Maw's & get her old microwave....ours was on it's last leg & Maw got a new one when she did the remodel, so we were going to inherit her old one. So......yesterday was the day to do it all. Loaded everyone up after lunch & headed to LU to deliver Chris' TV. The boys were tickled to get to see his dorm room & meet one of his room mates. Then we ran by the Christian bookstore while we were up that way. Maw had told me they had used text books for sale, so I wanted to check that out before I bought anything online. I was really tickled to find the Saxon 8/7 math text AND answer book for $21!! I still need to order the LOF fractions book for Michael.....but hey, that's LESS than $50 for school books for the year! I have most everything else I need here already. After the book store, we headed to maw's house. Sarah & the kids were there so we ended up staying til almost supper time. The kids had a blast playing together & we had a really nice visit. Sometimes these unplanned get-togethers are the best!So today was the day......The First Day of School. Not that we really did a whole lot.....I'm really going light until about the second week in Sept.....AFTER Vada & Johnny's visit, Bruce & Lauren's wedding, Ashley's BD & the Family Reunion. Basically what I'm shooting for is some math review....you know, get everyone's brain back in gear & we're going to do this unit study on the 2008 Olympic Games that I DLed from CurrClick. Thought this was perfect for a beginning unit...since the Olympics just finished up & all the kids were really into watching it all this time. Today we just read over some quick facts about China, found Beijing on the globe & then marked it on their maps & then colored an Olympic flag & learned who created it & what the circles & colors mean, etc. After lunch, Ashley & I went out to the library & found some books about China, Ancient Greece, the Olympics, gymnastics & I got the Magic Treehouse book 'Hour of the Olympics' for Alli & Michael. The unit I DLed also came with a 'Pockets of Time' unit to go along with the Magic Treehouse book, so we'll start on that tomorrow.

Jon is Official

Jon completed his Hunting Safety course yesterday afternoon & now has his certificate & a Resident Junior Combination Hunting license. He's so tickled! Come on Hunting Season!! And just a little side note...to prove that we really do live out in the country where 'Everybody knows everybody'.....one of Jon's instuctors was chatting with me & informed me that he used to date my Aunt Linda! ;-) Buddy Craig says to tell you Hi, Linda & also a Hello to you too, Maw!

Music

This is my layout that I did for my weekly challenge over at ASF. It was all about statistics...the numbers in our lives. I chose to document some of my favorite songs that I have downloaded on my computer. The journaling reads: 800+ songs downloaded on my computer. And this doesn't include the cds...we'll leave that for another layout. HA! I love my music...gotta have it! All kinds...country, pop, oldies, praise & worship. It all has a time & place.And written all in the ipod dancer are the titles of some of my favorites.

Island in the sun-Weezer*Mockingbird-Toby Keith*You're Worthy of My Praise-Jeremy Camp*Everyday-Hillsong* Talk About It-Nicloe C. Mullen*International Harvester-Craig Morgan*Empty Me-Chris Sligh* Lifesong-Casting Crowns* Home-Daughtry*Moments-Emmerson Drive*Broken Wing-Jordin Sparks*Lonely Day-Phantom Planet* Save Me-Remy Zero*Last Dollar-Tim McGraw*Bad Day-Daniel Powder*It Is You-Newsboys

New Kitties

Went outside just the other day & Ma-Lady had brought her babies up from the barn. They are so sweet & getting spoiled already. Anybody want one??

New Challenge

This coming week is my turn again to post the challenge over at ASF.....check it out.



Statistics- a collection of quantitative data.


This challenge is all about numbers! Think for a minute of all the numbers we keep track of: our kid's height/weight, our own weight (HA!), gas prices, grocery prices, car mileage, kid's clothing/shoe sizes, etc.You might find this a good time to compare something. Then/Now, Before/After....how much a baby weighed when born & how much he weighs now. Or if you're like me...with a BUNCH of kiddos...do a LO about how much each child weighed at birth (cool to see the similarities/differences). If you're doing Weight Watcher's(or any kind of diet)....do a before/after LO. How old were you parents when they first had kids/how old were YOU when your first child was born. Compare prices of everyday items (gas, milk, a home) now & the year you were born.


Maybe you just want to document the 'stuff' in your life. How about the cost of school supplies this fall- with an itemized list. Maybe your grocery bill for the week. How many song files in your digital library. How many photos do you take each month. How many minutes do you use on your cell phone in a month. How many miles you drive each day. How many DVDs in your collection. (Jo )You get the idea. Think of the numbers in your life & let your creativity flow..................Have fun!

Yesterday's Visit

Man, it was so good getting to see Chris & visit for a little while yesterday. He looked great & seemed like he's just eased right on into college-life & is enjoying it all! The only little thing is that he is considering dropping one of his classes. He has 6 & from what he can tell there's going to be TONS of required reading & he's just not sure he can keep up with that much. So, just pray for wisdom & that he'll make the right decision...I know he will!

After that, which was the high-light of my day, it was off to run errands & do the grocery shopping. I did catch up with Ella at ACM & we got to shop & visit for a little bit. I made my usual rounds to Target, Old Navy, ACM, Sams & Walmart. Got home & Clay & the boys were playing chef.......frying up their squirrels for supper. The girls & I weren't quite so brave.....we fixed Garden pasta with sketti sauce & french bread. Then after supper we settled down to watch 'The Cheetah Girls- One World' on TV. It was ok, but I think I liked their second movie the best!

Not alot going on today other than I have to run Jon out to the library about 11:30. He's taking the Hunting Safety Class out there today & tomorrow from noon-6pm. He's really excited....been studying & practicing online for a while now & Clay is confident that he'll pass with no problem. After I drop him off, I'm just going to come home & maybe work on some school stuff & scrap. Will have to hang close by (not that that's a problem) in case he finishes up & calls me to come get him earlier.

Michael's Turn

Jon's been squirrel hunting twice now with Mason so today was Michael's turn. He & Clay were supposed to get up & go early this morning, but neither one of them got up in time. Ha! We all know what a morning person Clay is! Instead they went this evening after supper. Here's what he came home with! Way to go, Dude!!Not alot going on today......just 'stuff' around the house. Clay spent most of the day over at Mason's helping him work on his tractor. I did some laundry & then spent some time online looking at math curriculum trying to decide what I wanted to do with Ashley & Jon this year. Was all set to go with the Saxon 8/7 & algebra 1/2 until another homeschooling friend suggested Life of Fred (LOF) math books. I had never heard of these before, but they are literature-based & from what I read, seem really interesting. Now I'm kind of leaning in that direction. Hmmmmm...what to do, what to do? After my online searching, I cleaned out some of the desk drawers & our book shelf in the kitchen. Put some more old workbooks away & bagged up some others to take to Sarah. Also pulled some left-over pages from last year's workbooks & set them aside for some review when we start back. Little by little I'm getting there. In the midst of all this cleaning & searching, I baked some brownies for us & a batch to take to Chris & his room-mates tomorrow. Have I mentioned that he's meeting me for lunch tomorrow at Chickfila & I'm SO exicted to see him & sit down & visit & catch up on how things are going for him?!

The Power went out.....

yesterday afternoon for a few hours....from about 3-5pm. So, Ashley & I scrapped. She worked on cards & I did this layout.

The pictures on both of these layouts were taken by Ashley & Alli one afternoon when the wind whipped up outside. I love how they turned out.....just look at their hair!

This is a layout about the Barbie Wedding we had at our house a while back. Alli & Cori had been planning this forever! It was really cute. Just one of those little bits of life that you want to capture & remember.

Little Bits of Randomness

To start things off.....Jon had let the goats out to play yesterday afternoon & of course they had been up on the porch & patio....So............I went out behind them to spray the porch/patio down. Now jump ahead to supper......we were having tacos/taco salad. When I opened the can of black beans to wash & drain, I just had to laugh to myself. I put them in a little bowl & when Jon came in, I held the bowl out to him & asked him what it was. Don't you know he said it was a bowl of goat terds! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The water level in our pool has gotten really low & at this point I don't think we are going to try & fill it up anymore. Clay says he's just gonna hook the hose up to it soon & use that to water the garden. Anyway, the boys took a notion last night that they wanted to go out & play in the pool before Clay drained it. And they wanted to do it at night when it was getting dark so they could use the colorful pool lights. I decided to try & get a couple of pictures, but of course it didn't look as cool in the pictures as it did in real life. The lights really looked awesome in the pool, but they just didn't show up all that well in the picture.

See, another sign that Fall is on it's way. The guys went up on the mountain this afternoon & came home with these honkin' logs. Jon was wanting to split them & earn some money, but Clay told him he'd have to do it since they were so big. Don't you know that after he got out of the pool this evening Jon went out & swung til he split one of these suckers! He said that was it....that was all could do right then, but he was satisfied that he did it! It was something just sitting here at the window watching him.....such strength & determination.

Enjoying the Quiet

This is exactly my favorite time of the day, I think. I'm the only one up, it's so peaceful & quiet. I'm sitting here by the open window with my hot cup of coffee just soaking in the morning sounds. It's not hot yet...in fact the breeze coming through the window is kind of cool. (I told you fall was in the air). I hear the birds, the crickets & the sound of the water filter on the pool........oh so peaceful!


Let's see...all these little life bits that I've been wanting to remember. Sunday afternoon the boys were watching Myth Busters & it was about how a prison inmate made a cross bow out of old newspapers, some home-made paste & the elastic from his underwear. Very interesting. Next thing I know Jon & Michael are totally absorbed in making their own cross bows. Not out of old newspapers, but out of sticks & string & what-not. They spent THE WHOLE rest of the day working on their projects. (I still need to get a picture of them!) Needless to say, they weren't BORED! I tell you I was really impressed!! And Jon's actually works! I mean he sawed, whittled, notched, etc. His trigger is a clothes pin glued to the top of the bow & he even whittled his own arrows to fit. Homeschooling just doesn't get any better than this. ;-)


Jon got up early again yesterday morning to go squirrel hunting with Mason. My little 'Daniel Boone' came home with 7 squirrels all skinned, gutted, washed & ready for the freezer. He already shot 5 the other day when he went. I had told Maw about him going hunting with Mason & she told me how squirrel used to be one of her favorite meals.....fried squirrel with mashed potatoes, biscuits & gravy. So, in turn I told this to Jon & he came home telling me that some of these were for Maw.....he had shot 3 especially for her so she could fix a meal. Now how sweet is that?!


I am so thankful for my computer & being able to keep in touch with my 'Baby' (yeah, yeah, I know...the 19 yr. old one who is away at college......I'm a MOM, ok). ******News flash..........the peace & quiet is now over. The children are awake. Let the squabbling begin!****** As I was saying....at least I'm able to keep in touch & we can chat whenever we want. Those 4 days before classes started were really fun for him, I think. Lots of activities & getting to know his dorm-mates, etc. He's had his first day of classes yesterday starting at 7:40am with American Lit! Today's first class isn't until 11am, I think....so he can sleep in some. I talked to Maw last night & she said he had come by about 5pm & ate supper with her & visited while he did his laundry. Stayed til about 8:30pm. Said she sent him off with a 12 pk. of Mt. Dew & the left-over pizza for a snack! I know she really enjoyed him coming by. I think this set-up will be cool for the both of them. ;-) I'm so blessed to know he's at such a good school & to know that Maw & Sarah are both just right there close-by. Praying that he will have an awesome year!

Just a few layouts.....

Just thought I'd share the few layouts that I've done the past couple of days....This is Michael with his birthday cake....notice how I didn't have two #1s & had to stick a regular candle there alongside the 1 to make 11. Ha!
Pictures taken at Peaksview Park where we had Michael's party. In the top picture we have Summer, Anna, Catherine, Evan, Michael, Daniel, Jon, Dillon, Alli, Cori & Taylor

This pic is about 19 years old.....Wow! Grandpa Bunner has since passed away, so I'm espacially glad to have this picture. Four generations of Bunners...

Grandpa-Howard Clayton bunner

Papaw-Leslie Howard Bunner

Clay-Leslie Clayton Bunner

Chris-Christopher Clayton Bunner

And last but not least....just a quick LO of some Bunny pics that Ashley took!

Zonkered

Bunny was in such a lovey mood this evening. He just wanted to be right near where we were & so he hopped up on the table where Ashley was trying to read my Country Living magazine, sprawled himself out & went to sleep. It was so cute! I was rudely awakened this morning at 6:45am by Jon telling me he was leaving to go squirrel hunting with Mason. Now, I knew he was supposed to be going, but I guess I was just sleeping that hard.....it totally scared me to death when he touched me. I mean wide awake, heart pounding, etc. Didn't think I was going to be able to fall back asleep any, but I guess I did. Finally got on up about 7:30 & got my shower. The girls & I headed out for our day on the town. First stop, was LU to drop off some things Chris had forgotten & asked me to bring. You know, important stuff like his cd case & two video games! ;-P After that, we met Maw, Sarah, Ella & Alley for lunch & a visit at Subway. On to Best Buy....where Ella had told us the new Jonas Brothers cd was on sale for $7.99. So we got that & headed over to Target.....a scrapping mag & some Barbie cloths there & then a quick run into ACM to pick up some Halloween papers so we could make some cards this weekend. Sams & then Walmart & home again, home again, jiggity-jig. Made some BLTs for supper & since then, I've just been chillin'......watching a little Olympics & messing on the computer. Think I'm headed up to read for a while now.

Bernard

The guys are getting real High-tech this fall in their scouting/hunting. They've bought a feeder & a Remington Digital Game Scouting Camera. It really is cool all the critters we've seen so far that they have been feeding. It's motion-activated & we've got pics of a blue jay, squirrel, mama racoon & her 3 babies, a doe, buck & Bernard the Bear. ;-) Bernard is actually a cub.....about a year old, they're guessing. Because last fall when Jon was hunting he saw a mama bear with 3 cubs.....so we figure that Bernard is one of those cubs. He even got so nosey that he knocked the camera sidways on the tripod. One picture was VERY close-up & the next frame the camera was pointing at the ground.Also thought I'd share a couple pictures from King's Dominion the other day. It's hard to get any really good ones at a park like this, but anyway.
Ashley, Jon, Chris & Michael getting ready to go up on the Drop Zone.
Alli & Michael on the swings

Ashley & Jon on the Scrambler

All Moved In

Wow....lots happening around here the past few days! Saturday was Chris' last day of work at Frito Lay & he went out with a bang......pulling a 12 hour shift! He was super tired, but the paycheck will be nice.

Sunday was church & then more or less a restful afternoon.

Clay was at work all day Monday & the rest of us just spent the day piddling around here....doing laundry & such & kind of getting Chris' things together for school. Fixed fried chicken for supper that night........I wanted to cook Chris' favorite meal & have a special 'Back-to-school' supper & since we were planning on going to King's Dominion on Tues. our special supper had to be Monday night.

Up bright & early Tues. morning & off to King's Dominion. I think I'm just getting too old to care for the theme parks anymore. I told Maw I felt like Mema just going from bench to bench........I was perfectly happy sitting on a shaded bench & sipping my COLD drink. Now, don't get me wrong......I did my share of rides with the kids. They drug me on the Rebel Yell first thing. I tell ya.....I HATE wooden roller coasters!!! I even did the big new coaster......the Dominator. I actually loved that one! I think that & Flight of Fear were my two favorites. Over all we had a really nice day.....not too crowded at all which was nice. We just didn't get home til midnight last night. Boy, was I pooped!

We didn't rush to get up this morning....I just left everyone alone & let them sleep as long as they wanted.....Chris had until 10pm tonight to get checked-in at Liberty. I fixed our 'Special occassion' breakfast this morning........cinnamon buns. And the kids pointed out how I had mistreated them so by NOT fixing coffee to go with the cinnamon buns. How silly of me.......don't know why that slipped my mind. Oh well.....they'll live. :-P We took Chris up to LU late this afternoon & got him all moved in. Of course he still has to unpack & get settled, but he's there now. Met his room-mates & one mom.....they all seem real nice. One is from Maryland & the other from Farmville, VA. Also met his RA & found out that he was homeschooled all the way through too.....him & all 5 of his brothers & sisters! So, he was tickled to find out that he & Chris had that in common. We made a QUICK run to Walmart for a case for his laptop & to pick up a small microwave for their room. One of the other guys brought a TV & a small frige, so I think they are set. We hurried him back up on campus because his dorm & their 'sister' dorm were all going to supper together & then back to play volley ball & ultimate frisbee. We wanted him to go ahead with them & get involved & start getting to know everyone. It sure was hard hugging him good-bye & walking back down that hall, but I did it! Thanks for the prayers from everyone.......I know that's the only way I did it! My mantra all day has been 'I can do all things through Christ!!.........I CAN do ALL things through Christ!' Now, I'm sitting here chilling for a bit. Guess it's time to get serious about school for the others now. Will start working on that this coming week.

I do believe...............

that Fall is in the air. At least those first subtle hints anyway. Here's what I've noticed............temps in the 80s instead of upper 90s (I know, I know...we still have Sept. to go thru which can be quite warm, but all the same...)*cooler mornings & evenings*back-to-school sales*all the end-of-summer clearance sales*the return of tons of college students to Lynchburg*I heard Clay telling the boys that they needed to start hauling firewood already (got to have that done & out of the way BEFORE hunting season starts!)*the boys have been up in the woods checking on their feeder up there*Yesterday they bought a new camera that they rigged up on a tree near their feeder so they actually see what is coming in to eat. See, nothing major or dramatic, but like I said....it's subtle. Before ya know it, we will have our first fire going & I'll be cooking up a pot of chili, etc. I LOVE it!! Ashley & I have already been talking about & planning our Homeschool Halloween party/Scare Mare/& I even went so far as to buy the cutest set of Halloween stamps yesterday at ACM. Can't wait to make some Halloween cards for all my friends!

Layouts from Yesterday

Here's my Sanji-Baby about a month ago. This was his favorite place to be.....up on the desk behind the keyboard. Now, he's gotten too big to get back behind there. He'll lay in the open window right here beside the desk. Don't know what he's gonna do when it's too chilly to have the window open anymore.Jon & Michael found this big ole turtle at the creek a few months back. He was so big & with spiney edges.....I said he looked like Bowzer.
And last, but not least........the cherry pie I made with the cherries the boys picked over at Mason's house.

Obstreperous

I learned a new word today................Obstreperous.........
~adjective

1.resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly.
2.noisy, clamorous, or boisterous: obstreperous children.

I learned it while reading Beverly Lewis' 'The revelation'

'Like it or not, Lizzie had climbed into the carriage as he'd stood right behind her, nudging her inside like an obstreperous heifer.'

Here are a couple of cards that I made this afternoon. This first one was made with some fun 'Love Elsie' papers that Ken sent me.........Thanks Ken!! ;-)

And this adorable little tree card was made using a recent Paper Crafts magazine for the inspiration. I just love how it turned out & can see me using this pattern again. Wouldn't it make some awesome Fall cards?!

'End of Summer' challenge

This week's DT challenge at ASF is posted by Laurajean:



With School right around the corner and so many kids and teachers going back to school.....I thought it was only fitting to do an "End Of Summer" Dare....so I want you to LIST 5 things you enjoyed over the summer...could be your 5 favorite memories, 5 songs that remind you of summer or even your LEAST favorite things about your summer!!!!! BUT, of course their is more...you must use the Following**5 Pattern Papers**5 Stamps**5 Ribbons**5 embellishments**5 fastners(brads, eyelets, staplets, etc.)This is my FIRST Challenge here and I can't wait to see what you ladies create....HAVE FUN!!!!

http://ascrappinfriendsy.com/dtdares/

Tax Free Days

Not really a big deal to me...........there was NO way I wanted to get in the middle of the school aisles & plunder for school supplies. I already bought a huge stack of notebooks & notebook paper the other day at Walmart for 5 cents each. One of the many beauties of homeschooling......no supply list!! ;-) The only thing we did to take advantage of the tax free days was Chris buying his laptop today at Best Buy. One more thing checked off of his back-to-school list.Met Ella, Alley & Maw today for lunch at O'Charley's. Had a really nice time together. Then we hit Target, Michaels & ACM before heading back to Walmart to get our groceries. It had rained really good here right before we got home.....we really needed that. I just HAD to run outside & snap this picture when the sun came back out........sooooo pretty!