Walkin' in Memphis

This past weekend I took a little overnight trip to Memphis with four of the ladies who work with me in the youth department at church. It was strictly all play and no work! It's been a long time since I've done anything like that. Since none of us had ever really spent any time in Memphis before, we were totally the dorky tourists. It was quite funny! First off, we hit Beale Street which is famous for its jazz music.

at Hard Rock Cafe on Beale Street (I'm in pink)

We had fun checking out the rock star stuff at HRC and then strolling down the street a little. It was mostly just a lot of free-flowing beer (which is not my scene at all) and some trashy tourists shops. There was some great live music going in lots of little spots though and some cool music history. But when we saw the horse and carriage rides, we had to do that. It was so much fun! Our driver took us all over the downtown area for some great sights. Along with some awesome historical sights we even saw the building that Tom Cruise jumped out of in The Firm. We ended the evening looking like drowned rats though as we got caught in a downpour just after our sightseeing tour. The next morning I was somehow coerced into going to Graceland (a place I've never had any interest in). I consented since we weren't actually going inside--just up to the gates for some photo opps. Of course, I had to have my moment at the gates of Graceland, too.

Rockin' with Elvis at Graceland

And then I had to ham it up with Elvis at the souvenir shop.

You ain't nothin' but a hound dawg, baby!!

One of our requirements was to eat at someplace *famous* while there. The only thing we came up with was Neely's. You know, the BBQ folks that Paula Deen "discovered" and now they have their own Food Network show. Well, their BBQ is pretty delicious!!

the combo platter at Neely's--I swear I split it with my friend!!

Then we walked off our lunch at the mall. It was just an over-all great weekend! We laughed our sides out--at each other, of course. They teased me for being everybody's mom: "don't you dare throw that gum on the street, find a trash can!!"

We're looking forward to another *Girls Outing* very soon!!

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

Search This Blog