Super Sunny Saturday

That title just seemed to pop right off my lips so to speak......for some reason the kids & I have been on a roll with our alliterations. Not that we've been specifically studying them...we did that last year, but someone must've started it & it seems like everyone has joined in. I was going to share some of the ones I've heard over the week, but my mind is blank all of a sudden. Will have to try & jot some down so I can come back & share them here.

Some more of my recent card creations for our challenge at Cookin' Up Creations. This is one of my favorites & it was really fairly easy to do. The little flowers are glued atop the card insert where you can write your message....it pulls out of the flower pot.

Just a quick little card....we were challenged to use stitching on our card. It could be real stitching, pen stitching or stamped stitching. I took the lazy way out here & used the pen stitching.

Another quick & easy card....the challenge here was to use 'text'.....either from patterned paper, pages from old books, text stamps, etc. I punched these cute little flowers from a scrap of text paper that I had in my bag. Love how these challenges help you use up all those scraps!

A layout from our night at Scare Mare. Ashley, Jon & I went with the youth group from Calvary Chapel....we had about 30 in our group & we had an awesome time!!

Just a quick LO of our visit to Ella's house this summer.

And last but not least.....this LO of Sarah & Anna.....it was done for Patti's Lift challenge this week at CUC. I really loved the picture (Thanks Charlotte) & I like how the LO turned out.

Scrap Sketch

WooHoo.....my first LO on the Scrap Sketch blog....http://www.scrapsketch.com/....check it out!! This was Calvary Chapel's Back to School Pool Party that we had at Sugar Mill Pool back in Sept. Pictured above are Logan, Ashley & Alli.

November DT Creations

Love how this cute little mini album from D. Williams Designs turned out. I used it to showcase Ashley's Sweet 16 BD pics. It was fun to do & really quick & easy.All of the next three layouts used My Mind's Eye papers.....Kaleidoscope & Magnolia Collections.
Pics of the kids riding with Chris for the first time....after AShley's BD supper at Pizza Hut... we all went shopping for a while.

My crazy boys......when Chris was leaving after Fall Break. The little journal spot at the bottom reads: 'A brother is a friend given by nature'

Alli & Cori this summer.....you can never be too old to play in the sand. ;-)

My Latest Cards

Day 5- use something 'soft' on your card like felt, fabric, flocking, etc. I chose to use a felt flower on this card for my niece.Day 6- This one was simple....make a card using buttons.
Day 7- make a card using papers from at least 3 different manufacturers. What a fun & easy way to use up some of my scraps!

Day 8- Use OLD paper & eyelets. I dug to the bottom of my box & pulled out this gingham paper from Daisy Ds & the flower paper was BoBunny's Shabby Princess. I used the eyelets as flower centers.

Day 9- Create a 'Thanks' cards/Fall theme

I'm loving this challenge & it sure it nice to get my card stash built back up!!

Skipping Stones

Well, Winterfest tickets have been purchased for the three oldest kiddos. They are all SO excited...they've never been before, but all three of them were REALLY wanting to go this year. We didn't get tickets for the whole event just the NYE concert....that was what they were really interested in anyway. They will get to hear Barlow Girl, Fire Flight, Fee, Skillet & Mercy Me.

Just printed the pattern for this afghan....the Skipping Stones Afghan. Ashley ran across it in the Spring 2008 Lion Brand catalog & fell in love with it & wants me to crochet this for her bed. I told her at this point it, it's not likely to happen for Christmas, but will be a good project for me to work on during the cold snowy months afterwards. So, that's the plan....she's already been looking at yarn colors at AC Moore & writing down numbers of the ones she wants. Another little interesting tidbit from our day.....we found out that our little orange kitty, Gibbs is really a GIRL. LOL!! I guess it was kind of hard to tell with all that long fur. No wonder Charlie was extra 'friendly' with her whenever we let her come inside. Rolling my eyes!! Only at our house.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Just wanted to share some of Jon's latest artwork. He drew this himself, then scanned it & did all the coloring/outlining in paint.Pretty cool, huh?!

Card Challenge

We've started doing a Card-A-Day challenge over at Cookin' Up Creations.....It started Sun. & will run through the month of Nov. It's a great way to add to your stash of cards. Here's what I've done so far....Day 1- There were several examples we could lift...
Day 2- we were supposed to do a collage-y type card....I did the above two cards for friends at church.

Day 3- We were supposed to use a number/numbers on our card. This was done for a special little buddy who has a BD coming up VERY soon. ;-)

And today's....Day 4....our challenge was to make a TALL, skinny card. I'm loving all these challenges & the cool examples that Jan has been sharing to inspire us.

This was just a couple of fun pics that I took last month of Clay & Jon splitting a pile of fire wood.....you know all the winter preparations.... I used one of Stephanie's sketches from scrapsketch....#173. Love all her awesome sketches! I've been using them alot here lately. ;-)

AFTER Halloween.....

OK, it's officially AFTER Halloween now. Ashley said I had to wait til AFTER Halloween before we listened to any form of Christmas music. I think she wanted to check this new cd out as much as I did though. We just found out about this new Chris Tomlin cd the other day on his website & so she decided to see if she could find it at Walmart the other day. Believe it or not, there was just ONE copy there....for $9.....so we got it. She said it was meant for her to have this copy. ;-)It really is good.....we stuck it in this afternoon while we sipped our coffee & scrapped. She says I'm not allowed to over-do & wear out the Christmas music just yet as it is still a tad early.....but this is one I KNOW we will get lots of enjoyment out of!!

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Need to make some cards? Cookin' Up Creations is having a "Card a Day in November" challenge, with a chance to win a $20. gift certicate to your fav online store. Pretty cool, right? Just in time to buy yourself a scrappy Christmas gift! Gotta love that! LOL

Bargains

I had an awesome shopping day today. Ran into Old Navy to get Alli some jeans.....she has grown like a weed here lately & was in desperate need of some new ones.....& they had them on sale 2/$28. Michael & Jon have also grown too & they needed Ts. I had found some in Michael's size this past week at ON for $3.99.....which I thought was an ok deal....but when I paid for them it rang up as only HALF that price. So, I went back & picked him up a couple more. Today I happened to notice there were some men's sizes on sale & I was going to grab some for Jon. They were $1.99 which I thought was terrific....but then I saw the sign hanging there that said they were an EXTRA 50% off that!! WooHoo! I spent $37 & got Alli two pair of jeans...4 shirts for Jon...one more for Michael & a pair of Halloween jammie pants for Ashley. Then after Old Navy....we ran into AC Moore to see if they had any Halloween goodies on sale & sure enough they did. I got all these cute goodies here for just $10....The adorable stuffed kitty to hang on a door knob, little witchy candy dish, two black/white pumpkins, 4 notepads & the tiny little Halloween cookie cutters.
And last but not least....here's a card I made using sketch #7 from Scrap Sketch.....just love Stephanie's sketches!!

What we've been learning....

Just thought I'd share some snippets of what we've been learning around here lately. First off I must share one of my most favorite UNSCHOOLING moments from this past Monday. The girls & I were in the kitchen doing some baking for our Halloween party....we were trying out a new recipe for Pumpkin Nutmeg cookies & Ashley had measured all the wet ingredients into a bowl when Alli came in asking if she could measure the dry ingredients. Well, Ashley just set about helping her read the recipe & showing her which measuring spoon/cup she needed to use. How to scoop the flour up & then level it off with the back of a butter knife & how level the baking soda off by scraping it along the side of the box. I was washing up dishes & just kind of kept my mouth shut & quietly watched the proceedings.....it was so neat watching Ashley 'Teach' Alli what to do. Something they would never get in a class room situation. Not only the hands-on learning, but the sisterly bonding that was going on....made my heart melt. Sigh.....THIS is why I love homeschooling!!


Ashley has been studying about the Legislative branch of Government: Congress & some of her math looks like this.......
(-2)-[(-3)-(-4)(-5)]
(-2)-[(-3)-20]
(-2)-(-23)
21


(-3)-[(-4)-(-5)(-6)]
(-3)-[(-4)-30]
(-3)-[-34]
31

Jon was working on how to determine the sum of the numbers if he knew the average of a group of numbers & how many numbers are in the group. Michael was working on long division & we were getting so tickled at him.....he was having major brain farts today! I mean this is the child who about two years ago, beat out his brother & sister in a competition for memorizing all their multiplication facts & today he was telling me stuff like 4-3= 0! LOL!! It was one of those days!

Perfection

I love this quote that I read in my online devotions this morning.....from Girlfriends in God.....

'Give up on perfection. It is meant for heaven...not earth!'
~~Mary Southerland~~


And this one too....
'The further we get from simple things, the further we get from God.'
~~Amish saying~~

Halloween Party

We had our Homeschool Halloween party at Maw's house yesterday. Just 'Us'...Sarah, Ella, me & the girls. We had a really fun time.....lots of yummy treats, coffee & of course candy!Since we've all become such big NCIS fans, Ashley decided that she was going to dress up as Abby this year.

Alli as a gypsy & Ashley's version of 'Abby'

I love this little guy!! He's been around as long as I can remember & it just wouldn't be Halloween without him.

All the yummies....chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin cookies, candy treats, popcorn, soda pop & some coffee with several different kinds of creamers to choose from plus whipped cream to top it off. Mmmm-mmmm!

The lighting wasn't so good down in the basement but anyways.....had to get at least ONE group picture & they co-operated...for the most part. ;-)

Anna, Alli, Cori

Jesse, Daniel & Taylor

More Adventures

Well we all made it to curch this morning & guess who had a coughing spell during the service & had to get up & leave.....ME I'm so ready to be over this 'crud'!! Anyway...came home & fixed left-overs for lunch, watched an episode of NCIS with Michael & then when I came in here to the dining room I noticed that Chris had IMed me...........he went over to Maw's house to do his laundry & realized that he had locked his keys in his car! He tried to get it open with a coat hanger, but that didn't work. So I had to go take him the spare key that I keep on my key chain. I had a nice impromtu visit with Maw & Chris this afternoon. And I WILL be getting a copy of that key made to leave there at Maw's house. Don't know why we never thought about that before.....because if anything like that ever happens again, she will be alot closer by.

Jack-o-lanterns

The kids were actually able to carve pumpkins from our own garden this year!Jon's own creation
Michael used a pattern from the little book I bought last year to carve this crazy clown face.

And this is Alli's

one of the barn pics that Ashley & I took the other day on our 'Explore'.

The old house down on Carroll Ave. where they do Scare Mare.

Scare Mare '09

Took Ashley & Jon to Scare Mare last night. We met up & went with our church's youth group...we were hoping to have at least 15 people come so we could get the group discount.......we ended up having THIRTY in our group! How awesome is that?! It had been calling for rain yesterday afternoon/evening, but we kept praying that God would just hold the rain off for us & sure enough NO rain last night. It was the perfect evening....almost hot for late October. Here is the deranged bunny rabbit....didn't get to see him actually chase anyone around the field, but he did keep popping in & out of the tents while we waited in line.

And this lovely fellow.....he kept bouncing in & out of the tents/lines too.....& I mean that very literally....he had the coolset bouncy stilt thingies on his feet.

Ashley, Molly & Logan enjoying the wait in line.

We had such an awesome, fun time! Got there about 6:45pm & even after stopping back by the church to drop kids off, we made it home by 10pm. Not bad at all for a Friday night!

'Explore'

These past few days have been SO nice.....temps in the mid 70s, clear blue Autumn skies, leaves changing colors....So yesterday Ashley & I headed out, cameras in hand.....we were going to the library & Food Lion.....but along the way, we were hoping to get some nice Fall pics. We rode out to where we pay the electric bill....it sits in such a beautiful spot with the mountains (or HILLS) all around....but we were a tad disappointed....the colors weren't full-blown yet & it just didn't look picture-worthy. So, as we headed back toward the library, Ashley asked me where the little road across from Oak Ridge went...I think it's Freshwater Cove Ln....something like that. Anyway, I told her in all the years we've lived up here I've never been down that road....always wondered where it went & what was down there, so off we went on our 'Explore' (Can't you just see Pooh & Tigger off on an 'Explore'). It was SO pretty down that road.....winding our way around bends & curves in the road...up & down little hills......we saw so many cool old RED barns along the way. Took LOTS of pics! There was the cutest little sign in someone's front yard....their name was 'The Pughes'....& on either side of the sign were these two adorable little skunks. After that, we headed back to the library.....parked across the road in the very far corner of the church parking lot & got out so we could take pics of the tree in front of the library......it's such a pretty-shaped tree & is always absolutely gorgeous this time of year! Then, just for good measure, we rode down High Peak Rd. to John Ed's house & to see Ridgley's goats along the way. Such a fun impromtu afternoon. Was talking to Maw later last night, telling her about our adventure & we are thinking about planning a 'Field Trip' to Ridgley's to see her goats. ;-) Sounds like a plan to me!

Just HAD to share this little excerpt from the book I'm reading right now..... "He talked about the scriptures reminding us to return to our first love. I know the verses are talking about our returning to Christ, but the counselor thought the principle could be applied to marriage as well. He reminded us of Scriptures that urged a husband & wife to find delight in each other. See, we're supposed to keep going back to our love for each other, that wonderful, heart-pounding love that drew us together. But returning isn't a onetime thing. It's a constant returning. Day after day after day. Returning to each other with a thirst that can never be met without a fresh supply of water. With that attitude, any couple could survive the hills & valleys of life together."

Ugh....

....still have the sickies around here. It's like it just keeps hanging on. I feel like I didn't sleep ANY last night. First of all I stayed up watching a movie with Ashley & Jon & didn't get to bed til about 12:35....then I remember feeling like I had laid there forever & not been able to fall asleep.....it was 1:30 at this point....then about 2:30, Alli wakes me up & asks if she can have more meds because her throat really hurts....lay back down & hear Michael coughing....finally after about 30 mins., realizing he's not gonna get back to sleep until I give HIM some medicine.....get that done....& next thing ya know, Alli is up again saying she feels like she is going to throw up. It's just all that drainage! Before ya know it, it's 4-something & Clay's alarm clock is going off. I realized that Alli had gotten up AGAIN to go potty & Clay was settling her back into bed & putting the little trash can beside her bed for her. Thankfully after that....everyone slept. Of course, I woke up around the usual time anyway.....about 7:45 (I usually get up about 7:30...so I slept a whopping 15 mins. extra!) And as I speak/type....it's 9:25 & everyone's still snoozing. So.....we shall see how the rest of this day goes. I NEED more coffee!!! LOL

Today's Spooky Science Fun

Hole in Your Hand How to see a hole through your hand:
Equipment: 1 sheet of paper, your hand, your eyes
How to do it.
Roll the paper into a tube. We thought a tightly rolled paper with an opening between a quarter or fifty cent piece worked the best. Hold the tube with your right hand and look through it with your right eye. hold your left hand open on the left next to the paper. There should be a hole!
How it works:
Your right eye sees the hole in the paper tube and your hand, your left eye sees your hand, both eyes composite the images in the brain and combine them into one image. Nifty, huh?
Have fun!

Spooky Science

I was browsing a friend's blog last night....she's a homeschooling mom of 2 little boys & does the most wonderful, fun learning things all the time!! They are doing all kinds of fun & spooky science experiments since it IS that time of year, ya know. Anyway, I thought these were so cool & wanted to share them here. Let me just say these aren't stictly for the younger kids......EVERYONE was in here with me last night doing all of these experiments....& that included the teen-agers & dad too. They're just fun & really, really cool!!

If you have need of a larger photo click HERE.

Instructions:
You can of course SEE the black ghost, but did you know a white ghost will also haunt these ruins? In order to see him you must stare fixedly at the black ghosts mouth in bright light for 1 minute. After a minute you will need to quickly look in the doorway of the castle and you should see the white ghost. :)
How it works:
When you are looking at the black ghost part of your retina is NOT exposed to the light from the black surface. The rest of your optic nerves are LIKE WHOA and dazzled by the bright paper and they tire very quickly. When you look in the doorway of the castle the tired optic nerves do not see the white of the paper to its full brightness. They see it as more grey. The rest, on the other hand, see the white tint of the paper all the more clearly now. An exchange of black and white surfaces is produced and you can now see a white ghost! Once the nerves adjust themselves the white ghost disappears.