Surviving the Storms {updated}

I don't know about where you live, but it has been one crazy Spring here in Western Arkansas.

We've had rain like nobody's business. And then there are all of the tornadoes that have been passing through. I'm so thankful that none have touched down here.

I've been through that before and it is heartbreaking. I've been so saddened by all that has happened this year in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. And now Arkansas.

Last night was another rough one. Monday was even worse in our area with crazy winds.

A tree two houses over from us fell on the power lines, thus blowing the transformer about 10 pm Monday. As of late last night we still don't have power. Yesterday afternoon we loaded up all of the food from our refrigerator/freezer and brought it over to my parents' house (deja vu!). We also spent the night here. There's nothing like trying to sleep during a storm when it's killer muggy outside and you can't even turn on a fan. Did that Monday night...decided not to try it again last night:)

We're heading over in just a bit to check out our house. Maybe the electric is back on, but I'm not too hopeful. There are TONS of trees and power lines down all over our area and I know there are bigger fish for the electric company to fry, ie: intersections and roads, before they get to our back alley.

But here's hoping!

I am very thankful that my family is all safe and we've had no major damage. I hope and pray that you are safe from the Spring storms where you live.

{update}
We were pleasantly surprised to find our electricity back on when we got to our house! Whoo hoo! So now we're busy getting our food back home and getting back to life as usual~whatever that is:)

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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