Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

Well, we got home late last night--which is why I haven't posted all day! I've been dealing with the usual *trip aftermath* all day. That's the worst part of a trip, in my opinion; having to unpack the suitcases and deal with all of the laundry. But that's one of the (many) perks of staying at my parents' house--my mom sends us all home with suitcases full of clean clothes! She's such a June Cleaver! I love her! It really was a great weekend. We were in need of refreshing and I feel like our little getaway did just the trick!....Plus there was some good shopping involved (more on that later!)
We visited my grandma in her new digs. Since I saw her last (at Thanksgiving) the family has moved her into an assisted-living facility. She has Alzheimer's and is slowly going away from us in her mind. She was having a good day though and was so glad to see us, especially the kiddos.

The kiddos with their Great-Grandma

On Saturday we decided to take the kids the Nature Center in the area. To our surprise they were having a special event in honor of Earth Day. We all had a great time and the weather couldn't have been more perfect!

I make my kiddos stand by signs for pictures--just like my parents made me! lol!

checking out the tadpoles growing

fun with deer antlers

Mr. B touching a snake

on the lake with Nana & Aunt Kari

Saturday was mine & Vince's 11th wedding anniversary. It was a pretty laid-back celebration this year. We just so enjoyed sleeping in and going out that night. We had dinner at Doe's Eat Place--WONDERFUL STEAKS!!

going out for our anniversary

Sunday morning we attended church where we met and married. It was nice to see all of our old friends at our *home* church. After church and a delicious Chinese lunch (it's hard to get good Chinese here in NW Alabama!), we hit the road back to our house. I got a lot of good reading in this weekend, too, I'll be posting on that soon!

one last parting shot with my mom & sister

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! I'm looking forward to getting caught up with you all. I did have a little time for reading blogs this weekend (and making a few comments) but no time for anything else. Too much sleeping-in, eating, staying up late, shopping.........you know.

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

my blessed life

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