my blessed life

0511.  a yummy weekend breakfast eaten at leisure 0512.  a weekend morning spent with my family at a kids' craft clinic 0513.  watching the extreme concentration on my kiddos' faces as they worked hard on their task 0514.  watching father and son, one teaching, the other learning 0514.  sharing with them the joy of accomplishing their craft 0515.  listening to the talk the rest of the day about that fun of that simple experience 0516.  the surprise gift of a warm-enough-to-go-to-the-park-day in January 0517.  our puppy's first park outing 0518.  the fun of trying to walk a wiggly, over-excited puppy on a path 0519.  unexpected puppy kisses:) 0520.  my sweet girl and her beloved puppy 0521.  the blessing of a faithful husband and a loving father to our children 0522.  sunshine after days of rain 0523.  the joy of time spent with kindred spirits...

Where has January gone?!  It has absolutely flown by for me!  And by the looks of my calendar for February already, that month is likely to fly by as well, even with that extra day:)  I'm almost a little bit scared of how much we've got going on this month. I am happy to report that I was much more successful with my weekly plan this past week, too.  I realize my plan wasn't too detailed, but maybe keeping it simple is what made me successful...heehee  I'm just glad to have had a productive week and I look forward to another productive week. Monday: -Co-op classes -Work on reports/displays for our Presidents Fair -Housework: clean bathrooms -Dinner: Bean Soup Tuesday: -School -Work at the church -Dinner: Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, Eggs and Bacon Wednesday: -School -Girl Scout meeting -Dinner: Chili Thursday: -School -Continue working on reports/displays for the Presidents Fair -Dinner: Easy  Tuna Casserole -Going to a friend...

Another week in the books!  Overall, it's been a good one.  I can't say that I haven't had some of the usual struggles with my son, but we're working on it. A couple of weeks ago when I talked with you all about how I was doubting myself I was amazed at your response.  It truly overwhelmed me--and encouraged me--that I am not alone in my struggles.  Thank you , all of you who commented, for being honest about your own daily trials with homeschooling.  Your words really lifted my spirits!  Often when you are at home alone with your kiddos a lot, you can feel as though you are the only one having a rough day (or week!).  It helps so much to know that I have kindred spirits who can empathize with me.  It really does mean so much! So this week we marched on! Our week kicked off bright and early on Monday with our co-op classes.  The kids are really loving them!  I have fun, too.  Once again my kids did me proud in their Bible T...

I found a version of these on Pinterest (LOVE that site!) and just had to try them!  They turned out really great and really weren't hard at all--perfect for a weekend breakfast. Baked Egg Boats 1 sourdough baguette, cut into 4 sections 5 eggs 1/3 cup heavy cream 4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Colby-Jack) 2 green onions, thinly sliced (or onion powder if you've got picky kiddos) Salt & Pepper, to taste ***** Preheat oven to 350F. Cut a deep "V" through the tops of the baguette pieces until about a 1/2" to the bottom.  Partially unstuff the baguettes.  Set aside. Place the eggs and cream into a mixing bowl and lightly beat together.  Whisk in the bacon, cheese, onions, salt and pepper. Divide and pour the mixture into each baguette "boat" and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving....

I tried butternut squash for the first time ever this week and I really did like it!  It's kind of a lot of work peeling, seeding and cutting one up, but it was worth it--and they're super good for you, too.  I really enjoyed this soup recipe that I adapted from one I found on Pinterest. Butternut Squash Soup 3 tbsp. butter 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 tsp. dried sage 2 to 2-1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes 4 cups chicken broth 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper 4 slices of bacon 1/3 cup cream salt and pepper to taste ***** Melt the butter and olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until soft, 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and sage and saute one minute.  Add squash cubes and saute 5 minutes.  Add the broth and cayenne pepper.  Cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes.   In the meantime, fry the bacon crisp and drain on a paper towel; set as...

If you make a weekly plan, how did yours go last week?  I was just looking over my weekly plan from last week (which I made and promptly forgot..just keeping it real, folks) and I think I got about 50% of mine accomplished.  I guess that's not too bad, especially since I forgot to look at it once I made it.   How things really went: we didn't make it to the library until today, I didn't get the sheets changed, I took The Princess to sell Girl Scout cookies on Wednesday instead of Thursday because I found out at her meeting on Wednesday that her orders were due THAT day (oops!), Wednesday's dinner never happened (thank goodness for those Christmas gift cards for Subway), I blew my special Saturday morning breakfast because I ran out of eggs and working in the garage or cleaning my car never even entered my mind after I typed those words.  Oh, and I did get caught up on the laundry and the kitchen got cleaned...but of course that all needs to happen again now. ...

This week has had its moments, but it's really been a good week!  I like those! Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, of course, and was a school holiday for us.  I hadn't intended to take the whole day off, but I was still getting the house back in order after a weekend of company so it was a laid-back day.  We did watch Dr. King's speech on Youtube and did a couple of fun printables about him. Tuesday brought back our regular schedule (whatever that is, right?).  We got every thing done on my lesson plan, so that is always a successful day!  One highlight from this day was the conclusion of our *bean seed project*.  In science we are studying botany with Apologia's Exploring Creation with Botany and are really enjoying it.  For the 12 previous days we had been charting three bean seeds, each in a ziploc bag with a wet paper towel.  However, one was placed in the refrigerator, one was hung in the window and one was placed in the close...

Remember these Fall beauties from my front porch?  Well, I'd almost forgotten about them myself!  I bought them with the intention to roast them in the fall, but never had the time.  So I stuck them in my pantry and promptly forgot them...until this week.   I was browsing through my Pinterest boards and suddenly saw the blog post I had pinned on how to cook a pumpkin in a crockpot.  "Hmm.." I say to myself, "I should really roast those pumpkins before they rot!" So that's what I did this week.  I only had two of the above three left (I guess the other one got carved): the Long Island cheese wheel pumpkin and the neck pumpkin.   So I followed the instructions from here and roasted the cheese wheel pumpkin in the crockpot and put the neck pumpkin in the oven (because it was huge!), following these instructions .  Both recipes are super basic: just cutting up the pumpkin, being sure to remove the seeds and pulp, placing the piece...

Tonight we enjoyed cheese-stuffed pasta shells for dinner and while those were yummy, it was the two accompaniments that were the stars of the night!   Pesto Bites (inspired by Pinterest) 1 can of crescent rolls basil pesto *** Roll out the rolls into one piece of dough, pinching the seams together. Spread just a light covering of pesto onto the dough. Roll up the dough from one of the long sides and then slice it,  cinnamon roll-style.  I baked mine in a mini muffin pan--it was just  the right size.  You could also bake them in a pie dish or cake pan.   Bake @ 350F for 15 min or until browned.   Tomato Bruschetta 2-3 medium-sized tomatoes, seeded and chopped 2 Tbls. fresh basil 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1/2 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. garlic salt 1 tsp. lemon juice *** Place all in a bowl and refrigerate for an hour or so to let the flavors blend. Serve with Italian bread or garlic toast.   ...

I have been thinking lately about all the books I want to read this year and there are always too many to count, it seems!  I LOVE to read!  In recent years though I have to let something go--at least temporarily--in order to get some reading done (usually it's a basket laundry waiting to be folded) . I got quite a few new books for Christmas and now my stack of waiting books is getting pretty tall!  I thought I'd share with you what I'm working on reading right now. {in no particular order} Experiencing God the daily journal , by Henry Blackaby (a re-read) Celebration of Discipline , by Richard Foster (a re-read) The Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartin (a re-read) The Charlotte Mason Companion , by Karen Andreola (currently reading) The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Romance , by Heidi St. John The Distant Beacon , by Janette Oke and T. Davis Bunn The Solitary Envoy , by T. Davis Bunn and Isabella Bunn The Innocent Libertine , by T. Davis Bu...

Sitting here on Sunday night, eating a bowl of beef & noodles, catching up on some blog reading, I was  inspired by my friend Kathy to not just think about my weekly meal plan, but my actual plan for the week .  I am an obsessive calendar freak and love to have the lesson plans all done for my kiddos.  I also always plan out the week's dinners.  Last week I got really crazy and made myself a list of lunch ideas.  A few (very few) times I've even followed a cleaning schedule throughout the week.  Now I've heard it said that "life is what happens while we're making plans" and that definitely rings true with me.  However, life always seems to go smoother when you have a guideline {aka: a plan } to follow, right? And I certainly need a plan this week!  I'm buried in dirty laundry, there's a sink full of dirty dishes, the pantry is nearly bare and we have lots to accomplish in school this week.  Not to mention that church kitchen I'm wan...

I'm thankful to wrap up yet another week of homeschooling.  I have to be honest, this week had some great moments, but it also had some very rough moments, too.  I mean it when I say I have really been doubting myself.   Even though we had started back to school last week it seemed like the kids still had *holiday brain drain* this week.  I am thinking of what we might be able to switch and change up in order to break out of a possible rut.  I was all lesson-planned out and ready to go, but when the kids bog down it is so frustrating.   I am still searching for that motivator for my son, too.  He isn't always motivated by reward, nor he is really motivated by the threat of punishment.  He's pretty stubborn--much like myself.  That's why we go head-to-head so often, I think.  Neither one wants to give in or compromise.  But that's unproductive, right?   I found myself having to apologize to my children several times...