my blessed life

I'm overdue for a weekly plan!  Last week I didn't make one since we were fresh off of our trip and I had to hit the ground running, so to speak.  I have to say dinner time went better than I thought it might, planning off the top of my head.  I actually got pretty creative, using up some leftovers and what I already had around. Also, I know I haven't mentioned this yet, but I should...for accountability purposes and all that...Vince and I have joined up with some local friends for some friendly weight-loss competition.  So that means I am trying much harder to make healthy dinners!  This past week went pretty well, I must say.  I am looking forward to incorporating more healthy recipes this week. Monday {Apr 30}: -Home Economics day (gotta get this house cleaned UP!) -Dinner: Beef & Noodles  (not the healthiest, but not the worst and it's already on hand) Tuesday {May 1}: -Homeschool -Do ironing/clean out laundry room cabin...

Where in the world has April gone?!?  Wasn't Easter just last week?!  This month has really flown by.  As I began wrapping up this past week, I realized it's been about a month since I did a wrap-up.  Oops!  It's just been that busy around here. It's been a great month of homeschooling!  We've stayed on schedule, finished our last co-op until fall, had Spring Break, and more! Us all at Pizza Hut using our Book-It coupons! The sweet notes that The Princess wrote and sent with us to open on our anniversary getaway (their spring break). The Princess writing her final essay for her unit on  The Sign of the Beaver . Mr. B  learning via Reading Eggs . Incorporating some Lego fun into school A science project (it didn't turn out, but we had fun anyway) a sample from our co-op art exhibit (more on that later) visiting the Rainforest Cafe on a family fun day helping build the Lego Sponge Bo...

This past week on our anniversary getaway we enjoyed a beautiful drive through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park .  The thoughtful people from whom we rented our cabin had provided some great brochures on the park for us and one of those was all about the wildflowers that are native to the Smokies.  During our drive we (I) got a little carried away snapping up pictures of the beautiful flowers all over.  It was sort of like a scavenger hunt and Vince was gracious enough to pull the car over every time I thought I saw one I hadn't seen before.  I've included the names of the ones I've been able to identify, but some I'm not sure of.  Feel free to leave me a comment if you know the name of them.  I think wildflowers have the most charming names! (Robin's plantain) (fringed phacelia) (yellow trillium) (lyre-leaf sage) (sweet white trillium) (thyme-leaved bluets) (blue violet)

This has been one of our very fave review products from this year!   Science and Math.com 's Amazing Science Volume 1 is awesome !   This 2-disc dvd set shows and explains 23 different science experiments for you to try at home.  Watching these experiments and then doing them with your kiddos helps you learn about buoyancy, electricity, heat, magnetism, pressure, surface tension, temperature and more.   Jason Gibson--a real "rocket scientist"--is the host of each experiment on these discs and he does a great job of performing them and explaining them.  He goes step-by-step and keeps it simple, giving a materials list with each one.  The materials required were easy-to-find, mostly household products.  When watching these we were not only impressed with the results of the experiments, we were learning the science behind the demonstrations.   Here is a little teaser for you: From the first moment we began to watch th...

This past week Vince and I celebrated 15 years of marriage (boy, does time fly!).  And he surprised me by planning a romantic getaway in the Smoky Mountains.  It couldn't have been more perfect!  He rented us the. most. charming. little cabin in the woods...and I do mean woods.  We were miles and miles off of the beaten path, utterly surrounded by the beauty of the Smokies.  We drove in late (read: way after dark) our first night there and we drove so far on little one-lane paved roads that turned into one-lane gravel roads, never meeting another car along the way.   I told him I hadn't realized he wanted so badly to get me all alone...heehee   Today I wanted to share some of the beauty of the Smokies with you. the (paved) road to our cabin the sign for the turn to our cabin the (gravel) road further into the woods to our cabin now arriving at *Foxglove*, our cabin in the woods our back deck with the oh-so-relaxi...

It's been a very good month for review products around here, I must say.  I'd like to share another one with you: God's Great Covenant New Testament 1 from Classical Academic Press .   In God's Great Covenant New Testament 1, A Bible Course for Children , the focus is on the four Gospels.  This course is incredibly in-depth.  It immediately digs into discussing the Old and New Covenants, the current historical and political situation, a chronological introduction to Christ's life here on earth, a geographical introduction and an introduction to the religious life of the Jews during the time of the New Testament.  I was so impressed with the amount of information given in just the introduction!  It was so interesting to gain more perspective into the world surrounding the New Testament times.   (a map from the student book) This study is divided into four units: Jesus, the Son of Man, Jesus, God's Servant, Jesus, the Messiah, ...

Today Vince and I celebrate 15 wonderful years of marriage!  We've been through all kinds of things we never thought life would bring our way and so many wonderful blessings we never knew we would experience.  Can't wait for the next 15 years!!  I love you, Vince!!!