My Grown Up Christmas List

Gosh, I have been soo busy I have barely had time to sit down and blog.My plan is to write a Christmas one every day next week, we shall see how that goes.Being that it is Christmas, I thought it would be fun to write a blog on what has been catching my eye this year. Chances are I wont be getting any of it,but I thought it would be fun to dream a bit. I always try to keep in mind that the true gifts we receive are the ones which cannot be wrapped, the gifts of friends and family,the gift of Gods son. These are all gifts that keep on giving.I dont have a materialistic bone in my body,so this post is a little strange for me. You know how we moms tend to be, its usually about the kids, and then whatever is left over, that is what we get =)  . I much prefer it that way.  So, here we go:
Number 1: Toms Shoes
I have always admired these shoes from afar,and I like the concept. Every pair you purchase,they will send a child a pair. It is a good thing he is doing.I really want the burlap classics or the silver glitters.

Number 2:Amazon Kindle

My friend Jamie, who is a very sweet devout Christian lady came up with the term Book Whore.....lol.I think it is funny. Well, I am not a book whore, but I would consider myself a book hoarder.I have a ton, I am especially a Christian fiction junkie of the amish persuasion.I dont think actual books could ever be replaced, but  I think of all the room it would save in my house,and the thought makes me happy.Maybe someday, but then again by the time I get one, they will have probably already invented holographic readers(If they havent already done so).

Number 3:Harajuku Lovers

I cannot help it, I may be thirty, but I am still in love with cutsey type things. Is that wrong? I feel kindve guilty ,because I dont know if "motherly" types should enjoy stuff like this,but then again, its not like Im an 80 year old grandpa wearing ninja turtle pajama pants....lol. Heres a pic, so you will get the just mentioned visual out of your mind: 

I love Gwen Stefanis line, especially the purses and the fragrance.If I get nothing else this year,I am hoping a purse like this will be in my stocking(some toms wouldnt hurt eiether).

Number 4:Wii Games

I was blessed to have received a wii a couple of years back for my birthday, and a wii fit for Christmas last year. I am very much into the active games, never been much into maRIO,etc. Here are a few games that have caught my eye recently(the first one for my daughter)    (or any game by Golds gym, and pretty much any active wii game that doesnt stink.....lol)

Number 5:Fashion Bible Cover

Welp, thats about it =) Whats on your Christmas wish list this year?

Life a life with no regrets

Where did November go? Where did this year go? Is it just me or the older you get, the quicker the years fly by..........December is always a tough month for me. I love Christmas, but I often find myself reflecting the moments of the past year. What I did wrong, what I did right, focusing more on the wrongs than rights. I cant help it. I am soo hard on myself, I am my own worst critic.Last year was a good year for me. I have a bucket list of things I want to accomplish in my lifetime, and I accomplished like 5 of them. This year I havent accomplished any.I had a sweet friend point out to me this morning that I should just take two of them from last year and apply them to this year....lol. I just might have to do that. I want to live a life of no regrets.Some opportunities came my way this year,and i felt like, due to my current circumstances financially and our current situation that I shouldnt follow through with it. As the famous Mark Twain once said" I seldom realized opportunity until it ceased to be one". Here is my kindergarten like illustration,please dont laugh

As this picture illustrates, the things going on around can often seem soo big and consuming,that we cant see the opportunities just on the other side. That is why we have to step out of the realm of our circumstance, and grab ahold of what is there, because if we dont it will go away.I want to encourage you to live a life of no regrets for the rest of this year and the coming year. You'll be glad you did.

Gobblle Gobble

Wow, where did this month go?Did someone say it was December? You would think it was with all of the Christmas trees put up, lights strung,etc.Oh, its not? What?!?! Its still November? Well, you could have fooled me...........
I find myself in the same situation every year. I spend most of November agravated.People are too worried about December and Christmas, that they forget what Thanksgiving is all about.It truly doesnt get the credit it deserves.I am not putting Christmas down by any means,it is one of my favorite holidays. I just wish people paid more attention to Thanksgiving, thats all. Next year I am determined to put up a thanksgiving tree in my house, complete with Turkey lights, or something to that effect.To me, Thanksgiving is the foundation for the Christmas season.Well, actually Christ is the foundation for Christmas, but you get what I am saying.
       Anyway, so here I am tryin to plan a low fat thanksgiving. should be fun.So far apple cider brussel sprouts, crustless pumpkin pie, and a green salad are on the menu. and of course turkey.I think I just gained 5 pounds typing that....lol..Maybe I will just have turkey salad.
  Whatever you eat, wherever you spend this turkey day, I hope you have a blessed one. And please take the time  to be thankful.Make a list.Count your blessings

Its Turkey Butt Kicking Time!!!!!!

*Sigh* Its November. The busyness is over. For the time being that is. I have only one goal this month: To kick Thanksgiving in the boo-tay......lol.








 I am participating in a weight loss challenge with a group of friends at church,and so far I am doing fairly well. I have been drinking a ton of water, which is a miracle in itself, because normally it makes me terribly sick. My goal is to lose 42-45 pounds in 42 days. we will see. I realize a pound a day isnt really healthy, but I am pretty big and........The winner gets alot of money. I am hoping I win because i really want a pea coat......lol. Among other things.Ive long come to realize there are alot of things i cannot change but there are some things I can and its high time I start to change the things I can. This is one of those things.So, I am going to try to post weekly updates. There is one thing I know. eating healthy is soooooooooo expensive.I am most definately going to try to grow my own garden in the spring.Should be interesting, I tend to look at plants and they die , so we will see how that goes.....lol.Here is a horrifying before picture for all to see:

me at 260 pounds(obviously I am being very goofy in this pic) Thats all for now, will write more soon.............

Blogs I Love

Ok, so here recently I have really gotten into blog reading. I love checking out other blogs,especially crafty type ones.I am also noticing more and more on various blogs the whole button thing I may have mentioned it before, but I am a member of<3Swap-Bot<3 ,a swapping community that swaps pretty much everything from postcards(which is actually how I got started),crafty type items, to emails, to pretty much whatever(I recall even seeing a swap for underwear on there once....lol.Not of the used variety though, that would be nasty). In comes the I heart your blog swap, hosted by Jex ,where you review fellow swappers blogs and then put their buttons on your page. Some of their buttons I have on the side, and then there are a few on the bottom(I like to call this my button burough),but I encourage you to check them all out:

Memories Through Quilting

I have really enjoyed Vicki's blog. I am a "closet quilter",and have come to find I really dont have the time or patience to make them.But she makes me want to try.You really ought to check out her grandmothers old sewing machine that has been passed down for three generations..........

 The Sweet Maple Life

First, I wanted to thank Mary for her sweet comments about me. As  a homeschooling parent, I dont often get told"I admire you, or I have alot of respect for parents that do that", so its always nice to hear.Mary talks about her life,shes an american in the process of becoming a canadian so she can move to canada to be with her hubby.Seems like an interesting but annoying process.....lol.and she is crafty,which is always a plus.I will definately be keeping up........you should too.
PS she also has a digiscrapping blog

What oh What
If im a sucker for anything, its a blog with a ton of crafty ideas, and cassandras blog definately has that. Lots of ideas to get the creative juices flowing........love the clothespins!
MissMuffCake
I really enjoyed this site. What intrigued me the most is that she is a vegan, and she frequently posts vegan recipes.I have been thinking about going vegan(or at least partially vegan....lol)She also loves cupcakes, and that gets points in my book =).She also has a compassionate heart towards the homeless and unsheltered animals,which I found to be very inspiring........
Shes Crafty,shes just my type.....
This blog is about Amber, a 30 something single mom who is using crafting to help cope with her RSD and help support herself. I admire anyone who can take hardship and turn it into something beautiful.She makes some awesome things.......
Sanitys Overated
Ok Amber, I tried to add your button, and this was the best I could do........lol. Amber is a stay at home mom who writes about her everyday musings.Really quite entertaining. She has the cutest two little boys. She also reviews books she has read which I think is pretty cool(I need to do that myself).Insanity is more fun when shared with others.....lolJexyland
and last but certainly not least is Jex. Her blog is soo cute, it has the cutest buttons(scroll down to the bottom)like little kimono girls, cupcakes,etc. it is just full of cuteness, and has some really cool craft projects. Check out her pin cushion tutorial!

Well, thats it, I hope you enjoy, and many thanks to these girls for sharing their blogs with me =)

Who let the cats out.............

Wow, what a crazy past couple of weeks this has been.I think I have coined a new term.Instead of using the words  "Im busy" I am going to start saying "Im October" to replace it."Can you come today". "No, sorry, Im October"It never ever fails, this 10th month of the year is always the busiest time for us as a family.Every year we participate in a production called hell house at our church(google it), so I have also coined the terms BHH and AHH. Before Hell HOuse and after Hell House,after HH meaning some time in November and BHH meaning SEptember."Ill let you know AHH" is a phrase which is very common for me.
***********WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG POST SO RACHEL CAN GO MAKE SOME BEEF STEW FOR DINNER************
ok, Im back,30 minutes later....lol. That was some good stew. I hate how the meat shrivels up when you cook it though. =(
  So anyway, yeah, Ive been busy.Between school and church it just doesnt end. But I wouldnt have it any other way.
This week has been an interesting one,my daughter came down with "cat scratch disease" also know as cat scratch fever. I didnt know such a thing actually existed but yup.Its more common in kittens whose immune systems arent fully developed yet, you can get the bacteria.So, in honor of her, I have put together this blog of psycho cat photos, I hope you enjoy =)




Kitty Yawns....................

Have a great day =)

Looky What I Made!

So, I mentioned recently that I have got back into crafting. My sewing machine is very happy right now! I got this cute little pumpkin pattern over atAlison's (also known as Oopsey Daisy) Blog  and I cant stop making them! Hope you enjoy. I think Ive been bit by the holiday crafting bug, so look out for more projects in the next few weeks...........

Whats going on

    Happy Fall everyone! I am super excited!Bring on the cooler weather, hoodies,and the pumpkin dishes.......
Well, we are about to enter our third week of school. Its going fairly well. And my daughter is actually reading! Talk about miracles! I barely got her to read one book all summer,and here lately she has been begging me to read. This makes me very, very happy. We have finished our first two books with the sonlight program, and are about to start some new ones next week.Ill be perfectly honest though, Im not a huge fan of their LA program,maybe that will change.
   Speaking of reading,right now i am reading the Seasons of Grace series by Beverly Lewis(my absoloute favorite author) and a book called Blue Like Jazz. Just thought you'd like to know.
   Here lately, I have really been getting back into crafting. First I got caught up with my scrapbooking(im in 2009 now). My things were all out of order. I have recently became a huge fan of creative memories,especially their cutting system. I went to a crop(its like a scrapbooking party where everyone gets together and scrapbooks, or at least they are supposed to....lol). I also discovered a blog that got me inspired(see the bottom of my page for a link), so I pulled out the old sewing machine and made a bunch of really cute pumpkins. I attempted making a skirt, it went well until i tried to get the elastic in....lol. I will try again.
    Other than that, there isnt a whole lot going on, which is a good thing, I guess. We decided not to do Junior Bible Quiz this year, so that has been a  major change. They changed up alot of the rules this year,and DD didnt want to participate.Plus they werent going to go compete at other churches like they normally do. So, Im debating on whether we should look for something else to do, but we probably wont. I think God may be trying to clear our plate a little........
  

Complain Complain Complain

 Wow, I cant beleive it has been a whole month since I have posted.

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings" Philippians 2:14

This verse has really been in my spirit the past day or two. Lets face it. We are all complainers. We complain about people. We complain about our jobs. We complain about how other people do their jobs.We even complain about what other people complain about. Call it what you want: having an opinion,expressing how you feel.....blah blah blah. Its complaining. Plain and smple. Everyone does it. And if we dont do it, we are thinking about doing it and that is just as bad.
    Here is the thing about complaining though. Sometimes when we whine or complain it can take the joy out of things. There are certain situations in our lives that we complain about which were never meant to frustrate us, but that which God intended to bring us joy. When we "murmur" or complain it takes away from that and just makes life less fun. Life was meant to be fun,not some big complaint fest.
   So, take a look at your life and the situations you are facing. Those simple mundane tasks we do every day, or maybe another person. Take that thing in which you have been complaining about and ask yourself"am I making my life less fun by doing this,and is this something  that maybe God put in my life to bring me happiness"?

Thats all

Homeschool Times Volume 5:1

  This will be my first official homeschool post of the year. I call it version 5.1 because my daughter will be in 5th grade, and this is the first installment. Clever, huh? lol.
    Last Year was probably our most difficult year. There was lots of home remodeling going on(Idsay for at least 10 weeks). Try doing school with all the knock knock knock and tap tap tap. It just wasnt really happening. I had to do alot of reflection as to why I was doing what I was doing, what I needed to change,etc. Truth be told I can be a bit too uptight sometimes. I like to make lists, and lists of lists that I need to make. I like to check things off of those lists, and when they dont get checked off soon enough, I feel as if i have failed somehow and am going to lag behind. I used the same approach for homeschooling,always focusing on what needed to get done that day, instead of just kicking back and enjoying the journey and the learning process. My daughter is a dreamer and gets distracted very easily. Therefore something that would take a normal person abut 10 minutes can sometimes take her an hour or more.This has always been an issue, but this year I am determined to not let it be...........
   When we first started this journey, I was determined to  school her all the way through high school. That has changed the past year or two however, and now I just kindve take it year by year. This was the first year I actually considered putting her in public school(which, for the record, i have nothing against).So, I have decided to take the "treat this year as if it were your last year to homeschool" approach. Even though, I know it wont be,what if it were?Its definately something to think about.I got to thinking about this, and if it were, i would want to use the best curriculum out there,take a more simplistic, fun approach, and find something where my lessonplans are written out.
   That being said, for the past several years, I have pretty much just used what was affordable and whatever I could get my hands on to use, and make it work.Top notch curriculum was never an option for our family. Money has always been an issue, and homeschool is not cheap.There are some rare, inexpensive gems out there, but for the most part I have found that you get what you pay for.
   That being said, I have been drawn to the sonlight  curriculum for years. It has always just been too expensive. It is one of the best out there.It has everything written out for you,you dont have to come up with your own lesson plans. I decided a few weeks ago to go ahead and take the plunge.A pretty crazy thing to do, especially since we already had all of our curriculum and the year was almost planned.I also chose rather than to buy all of the items at once,to find them online seperately.Talk about a headache.....lol. I am praying that it pays off.If all goes well I should have it ordered by the end of the week. I hope.
     Heres the real kicker, and you are going to love this.....lol. My daughter absoloutely hates to read, and sonlight is a literature based curriculum. The core program we are using this year has over 40 books,and they range from 50 pages to like 300. Some of them we will read aloud together, and some she will read on her own.I am hoping that she will come to love to read.It may be the stupidest move I have ever made, or the best, only time will tell.............
    So, with all of that being said, here is what we will be doing for the tear: For history and LA we will be using sonlight, Teaching Textbooks 5 for math,apologia human anatomy and physiology for science(which i am super excited about), along with wordly wise/daily grams, and a reason for spelling and handwriting.
   Wow, that was rather long winded, but with the new school year quickly approaching, I figured I better write a blog about it......lol.
   Wishing everyone who reads this a blessed school year!!!

Thinking about homeschooling?

 So, this is our homeschooling journey. As I mentioned previously, I had had a blog dedicated to just homeschooling at one time, but decided to combine them. So from time to time you will see blog posts about homeschooling here.Why I decided to do it,what we are using and what weare doing,etc.
    The  choice to homeschool isnt for everyone.It has its disadvantages, for example, if money and financial security is important to you, and you like to make lots of it,then this isnt the best option for you. This has been thegreatest struggle for me personally. But through this journey I have come to realize that Time=Money. It is perhaps even more valuable.
   Speaking of time, you dont really get much to yourself,that is unless you are willing to wake up in the wee hours of the morning before everyone is out of bed. Yeah, I dont do a whole lot of that....lol. You have to sometimes be really creative,in my case, often retreating to the bathroom for some alone time. To this day, my daughter still *thinks* I have a potty problem.....lol.
   Thinking about homeschooling and dont know where to start? Or is it something you have just always wondered about? How does it work? Well, to start, to need to find out what your states rules are. Alot of states require mandatory testing,have attendance laws, require you to keep records,etc. Fortunately, my state does none of that(or guess I should say unfortunately for some) You can find out your states rules here .
    What about curriculum and books and such?Well, there are several ways you can go for this. Did you know that there are online public schools? In this particular situation, your child would have a teacher, and you would be considered their "learning coach" .Although its not for everybody,it is definately an option for parents who are having issues with their local school system.Or maybe for families who move around or travel alot.
  As far as teaching your child yourself, anyone can do it. You dont have to write out your own lessons plans, there are some wonderful curriculums out there that do it for you. You dont have to "teach" them everything. Figure out what your strongest subjects are, as well as your weakest and go from there. My favorite subjects to teach are science and history, and while i am pretty good at those, i am terrible at math. So, we do a DVD/CD rom math curriculum where actual teachers tutor her. Its great.
    You will want to start buy figuring out what your childs learning style is. here is a little quiz to help you determine that. Because every child has different needs and learnes differently, this is very important.Here  you will find an article about the four main types of learning styles.
   So, hopefully this has been some help to you and will be enough info to get your started. I am always open to questions, so if you have one, just leave it in the comments section.

In His hands

I am back online. Yay! I have missed blogging. I am going to try try to log on at least weekly and post some reflections. Earlier this week,my husband was cleaning our yard and found a broken plastic handwith a hole in it.Kindve a weird thing to find in the yard, but whatever. It was very obviously the hand of Christ. His Hand. There is comfort in his hands,there is grace extended, there is healing. There is power.But most importantly and the thing he showed me this week is that his hand and his arm do not fall short.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd I have all that I need(NLT)  The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack(Amplified version)

See, Gods word says that he will provide for all our needs. Not  necessarily our wants. His hand does not fall short and every good and perfect gift comes from him. Do you have a need in your life, whether it be financial,spiritual, or physical?Leave that need in his hands and cast all of your cares upon him. There is no better place to leave your needs than in the hands of God.
We have raised our hopes and our cities high


We have followed fragile dreams

But only One could take the measure of our goals

And we've stumbled over the trials of life

And we've wrestled the unseen

But only One can calm the storm inside our souls



In the hands of God we will fall

Rest for the restless, and the weary

Hope for the sinner

In the hands of God we stand tall

Hands that are mighty to deliver

Giving us freedom



When our strength gave way to the weight of guilt

'Til we strained for every breath

Only One could lift our shame and make us well

And when all is finished and we face

The fearsome power of death

Only One has overcome the gates of hell



You're amazing

You're amazing, You are

And we praise You, Lord

For what Your hands have done

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Masterpiece Theatre

 Wow, I have been having mucho computer problems the past month or so, that explains my absence. Time to get some more memory I guess. Oh, and I am never downloading a ton of pictures ever again.......lol.
    So, we are one book report away and half a lapbook from being "done" with school this year. As a homeschooling family, I dont think we are ever done,but from here on out it will be very minimal for awhile.Lots of stuff going on.
     I didnt get my license. I am going to give myself until the end of the summer. Getting practice time in is hard when you have to have a licensed operator in the front seat, and the only licensed operator  I can drive with is gone most of the time. I didnt realize how difficult parralel parking would be(maybe it was just me). Lessons learned:Dont practice driving with a child in the car. Especially when the child in question is yelling things like "we are gonna die",etc. lol.
     I got to go on vacation on my birthday and it was by far the most fantabulous family vacation we have ever been on. The cheapest too, at only right around 300 dollars. It was such a wonderful thing to wake up on my birthday morning to see the mountains in close view.Theres nothing better than experiencing Gods creation first hand. Its like looking at a huge giant painting.A Masterpiece that was created for us to enjoy. I will post a pic when I get my other modem back.Words certainly cannot describe it. We went hiking as a family, and it was a very challenging experience.  At the national park we were at, thats pretty much all there was to do. There were several options, an 11 mile hike, 8 mile, or 4 mile. Of course we went with the 4 mile one....lol, but it turned out to be the most difficult. Its wasnt called devils hall for nothing....lol. I think they call it that because of how you feel afterward....lol. It felt pretty good though to ber able to finish it, and then later see these "young" teenagers, come back from the trail unfinished gasping for breath. yeah, I still got it  =) Later on as we were leaving, we found out the trail we went on was also the most popular one for the mountain lions. Isnt that special.....lol. We also ventured out to New Mexico(never been) to visit family, but our trip was cut short by forrest fires and a really bad, bad accident.Seeing stuff like that really makes a person want to drive, let me tell ya =(
I dont want to make this super long, so I wont. Have soo much more to say, but I will save it for another day.............

The big 3-0..........

 So, in just 2 short weeks I will be entering a new chapter of my life. The big 30. I havent quite decided what i want to do, but I do know I want to get away for a few days, perhaps on a camping trip. I would like to do some photography somewhere,you know, just have some time with God and nature. That would be sweet. I have mixed emotions about this new chapter in my life. Trying to focus on how far i have come and not on the things I havent yet accomplished. I am looking forward  to what this age holds and saying goodbye to my 20s.I would never go back, and I know everything up until this point has prepared me for the future............I have got a ways to go,but I never want to forget how far I have come.I am not getting another year older, I am getting another year to experience life and all that is has for me, another year to gain wisdom and to learn. i think I now know what the term another year wiser means.
  So, be looking for pics in the next few weeks of my birthday adventure,wherever it may be.........

The role of Mommy

Wow, it has been a week. Here we are, on the downhome stretch to finishing school for the year, and out of the blue M gets sick. I am not complaining, in fact it was actually a blessing. Now, thats the wonderful thing about homeschool, I didnt have to worry about make up work(theoretically speaking), no doctors notes,etc.It has been a stressful past few weeks for us,with trying to get done,etc.When i get too busy, I tend to look at the things God has meant to be a blessing in my life,and look at it as stress or an extra thing to do on my "to do" list. Check, there you go. Whats next? I think sometimes God allows certain things to happen so we wont do just that. This week, M and I got some much needed downtime. Bless her heart, she hasnt been this sick in 4 years or more(which I am very thankful for). Shes better now. My husbands job doesnt offer insurance, and we dont qualify for certain assistance,so we dont go to the doctor alot, unless it is an ER visit. Well because she got sick this week, we happened to stumble upon a clinic that could get her set up with some sort of coverage. Not only did she get coverage, but we were able to get it as well(its only good for certain clinics, but hey, its better than nothing).
   So, today she is on the mend(she is on like three antibiotics,which Im a little  nervous about), and she is even cleaning her room.Yay =)
   This weekend, it being Mothers day, I am reminded that there is no other role as important as being a mother(and a wife).Its weeks like this one that make me thankful for my own mom and everything she has done for me. I am a parent,cook, housekeeper,refe, teacher, nurse,maid, security,supervisor, nutritionist, caretaker, personal assistant,life coach, laundry maid, dishwasher,and motivational speaker. I dont get holiday pay, am on call 24 hours a day.7 days a week. Dont get sick days or days off. Now, whose job is more important than that? Happy Mothers day to all of the wonderful moms out there. Hope you have a great one, you deserve it.

Making a Switcheroo

I have been having a host of computer problems this year, so I havent had much time to devote to my blogs as i would like. I currently have three, a homeschooling one, a cooking one, and this one.Well, I am getting rid of two of them, and just keeping this one. So, its going to be a little bit of everything, but mainly homeschooling , since that is what I seem to blog about most. I dont think i have mentioned it much on this one thus far so i am going to copy posts from my other blog onto this one to keep my readers up to speed. I really hope you enjoy it, and its always encouraging to me when readers post comments. Who knows, I may even post a giveaway or two.............