my blessed life

Here's wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving today!   I'm looking forward to a lovely day with my family.   We'll be busy eating too much, talking too loud, and  just enjoying being together.   Here's what's on our menu for the day:

So it's already November!  I absolutely cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by.   And it's not just an adult thing--my kiddos keep saying the same thing.  It makes me a little sad that they feel the years speeding up already.  I think it took me a little longer as a child for that to sink in.   No doubt it's a sign of the busy lives we lead.  I sometimes long for quiet days with no appointments or obligations.  Days where our time is truly our own and we can take our time doing whatever we want.  Reading books, baking cookies, taking walks.... As homeschoolers, we do have much more control over our time.  But it's almost impossible to not be caught up somehow in the busyness of life in 2016.  It's a fast-paced world we live in here in the United States. Which is perhaps why I feel a deep longing to savor this Thanksgiving season a little bit more this year.  It just seems that focusing on the ...

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...

Well, summer is in full swing around here. School work is completed for 5th and 7th grades, VBS prep has more-than-commenced, vacation anticipation is growing, and there is LOTS of reading happening. This is our 3rd summer to do our own family reading program.  Yes, we do partake a little in library programs and even some store-sponsored ones, but my kids' favorite (and biggest reading motivator) is the one I put together using internet resources. You can read all about the basic program here .  This is still the main plan that we follow--hey, it works! However, this summer, in an effort to help my kids choose more different types of books (thus not spending the entire summer on one single series--not that it's a terrible thing, just trying to add variety) I have also incorporated this reading 'map' found here .  We aren't using this entire program, just the map which has all different genres and types of books suggested. I like to shake things...

It's summertime!  And for our family that means a break from schooling for the kids and lots of planning for the next year for me. Of course, for me, that is something of a domino effect.  Planning means sorting curriculum and books that I already have.  Then I have to purge books we no longer need or want to keep.  And finally comes the organizing of what's being kept ( which is always too much ).   So that's what I've been working on for the past few days.  Cleaning off shelves, making piles of books to sell, piles of books and resources to give away, and since I've put this off for so long ...a piles of my kiddos' used-up books that I need to take samples from for their portfolios then dispose of the rest.   So a lot of piles.   I am trying to be a bit more ruthless this year with the purging.  I have such a tendency to collect lots of great resources, only to put them on a shelf and forget about them all toge...

This past weekend we were in Fort Smith, Arkansas --the city where I was born and where our children were born.  Even though we no longer live there we have lots and lots of extended family and friends in the area and were in town for a couple of family reunions.   While there we just had to check out the latest project that Fort Smith is doing as part of the revitalization of the downtown riverfront area: The Unexpected Project .  This project is a celebration of street art and they have placed it beautifully all over the downtown area.   My sister , my daughter, and I had fun on our scavenger hunt of sorts looking for all of these amazing murals!  They are just so beautiful and creative!   The Fort is such an interesting area anyway.  It was the border to Indian Territory before Oklahoma became a state in 1907--so not that long ago really.  And it was one wild west town back then!  If you've seen any version o...

Hello, sweet blog friends! Are you excited that summer is here?  I sure am!  Our family is ready for our annual, long break from regular schooling and is looking forward to lots of fun over the next few months.   I am also happy to be back in blogland!  I've missed it a lot and hope to find a better rhythm over the summer--one that is more sustainable for me in this season of life.   Some things that we have planned for this summer are family reunions, summer reading programs, a birthday celebration, vacation Bible school, a Great American Road Trip, maybe even camping--if I can talk my husband into it! What do you have planned for the summer months?  I'd love to hear about your plans!

I'm excited about this new year!  I'm so ready to put last year behind me. 2015 was just a tough year with lots of challenges.  Not that I don't expect challenges in this new year but I am just planning to face them with more grace, more patience, more of reliance on God.  Basically just more of God.  Without Him I can do nothing! My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness. II Corinthians 12:9 Some ways I am taking on the new year's challenges are: daily Bible reading ...I'm going back to one of my fave reading plans: the chronological one with the YouVersion Bible app reading a new-to-be but old devotional for the first time: My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers beginning my mornings with prayer and coffee--the best way! How are you beginning  your new year?

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! mini trees the kiddos' trees I just realized this morning that I haven't posted here all month!  It's been so busy:(   This week I am slowing it down and focusing on baking Christmas goodies with my kiddos. I hope that your Christmas season is lovely and that you are finding time to slow down and enjoy it as well.  Here are a few pictures of our home~it's all decked out for the holidays!  I was happy to get it all done early on in the season since I was hosting a couple of parties at our home and have been able to not stress about that but just enjoy. our Dickens' village the learning room Christmas around the house our master bedroom Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The trick to not going crazy and eating out too much during the holidays?  Stay focused with your meal plans!   At least that's what I'm telling myself ;) So here's what's on our plan for this week: Monday:   dinner at our church (it's a work night ...I'm guessing ...pizza!) Tuesday:   (slow cooker) meatloaf with carrots and potatoes Wednesday:   Breakfast-for-Dinner ...eggs, drop biscuits, and sausage gravy Thursday:   'Potato Bugs' with veggies Friday:   our church's youth Christmas party at our house ...taco bar! Saturday:   sandwiches & snacks Sunday:  (slow cooker) roast with carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls What's on your plan this week? This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie .

Happy Monday, y'all! You know what that means for me ....menu planning for the week! And, yes, even though I've been terribly lax in posting my meal plans lately, I have actually still been making them.  My weeks just go so much better when I have a plan:) And since we've started school again I've come to the conclusion that I must use my slow cooker on Tuesdays (piano lesson day) and Fridays (co-op day) right now ...or my family will forever be doomed to some horrible fast food on those evenings.  I'm just usually too tired/busy/all of the above to make my plan happen on those nights if I wait too long. So... slow cooker to the rescue! Here's what's on the plan for our dinners this week: Monday: (a sort of clean-out-the-fridge-of-leftovers night) pinto beans, corn, green beans w/new potatoes ...and if that doesn't look like it'll be enough ...sauerkraut and wieners. Tuesday: (slow cooker) honey-garlic chicken sandwiches w/f...

I love this time of year!  Having our curriculum plan for the coming school year ...and reading about others' plans is always exciting to me.  I've gotten some great educational leads by checking out what others are using.  Today I'm sharing our choices for the '15/'16 school year. For The Princess... ...who is now....gasp!...a 7th grader !  That means we've been truly homeschooling now for at least 8 years.  Wow.  That sounds like I'm a veteran, but really I learn new things every year.  And now that we're moving into secondary education I've got a lot more to learn about. Bible Study & Christian Character: ~ The Pilgrim's Progress curriculum ~ Our 24 Family Ways ~ Child Training Bible Math: ~ Teaching Textbooks 7 (primary) ~ Life of Fred (supplemental) ~ Khan Academy (supplemental) Language Arts: ~ Learning Language Arts Through Literature Green (grammar) ~ SchoolhouseTeachers.com (spelling/vocabulary) ~ Total Lang...

I don't know about you but this time of the year I always begin to long for the routine that fall brings.  I thoroughly enjoy summertime and the fun, spontaneity, and flexibility that it brings.  But the planner in me loves the routine of fall: regular meal plans, morning routines, bedtime routines ...my children--especially my son--really do much better with routine. While I have kept up menu planning through much of the summer, I haven't been posting it here and often I fail to do it if I'm not posting it.  So in the spirit of 'back to routine', I'm back to posting 'what's for dinner'. Here's what we're having this week: Monday:   Cheesy Stuffed Shells  (from the freezer) with Salad and Bread Tuesday:  Beans (in the crockpot) and Buttermilk Cornbread Wednesday:  Grilled Hot Dogs, Creamed Corn, Baked Beans Thursday:  Stuffed Peppers (maybe these ) Friday: yet-to-be-decided Saturday: Snacks & Leftovers (a bit of a f...

Is your summer flying by as quickly as ours is?!  I am kind of sad that it's already almost the end of July.  It has been such a busy summer for us that there hasn't been much relaxing getting done. However, this week has slowed down for us quite a bit {thank goodness!!} and the schedule doesn't look too terribly bad through the end of August.  I think that we even have a real vacation in there somewhere! Anyway, I thought I'd post a little update on what we've been up to this summer so far. Reading: My personal reading list for this summer is clicking right along.  So far I've read: Just RISE UP! by Sarah Francis Martin  {motivating and inspiring} Life of Pi by Yann Martel  {captivating story, twist in end really got me} Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie  {loved ...as I love all of her books} Crooked House by Agatha Christie Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie Miss Marple, the Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christ...