Echoes of Love

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-19T11:32:00.000-04:00

My Little Scout!

2011-09-28T17:22:00.002-04:00

Beach Pictures

2011-09-01T08:04:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful vacation, a very much needed little break. I promised a few pictures this week and so today I thought I would post one of my favorite things about the beach...the Ocean. I just love to hear the waves, it is just something about sitting out there that is just so relaxing. The kids had so much fun out there, even with the rough waves knocking them down. These pictures were taken on Wednesday before Irene hit our coast.

As you can see they are holding on tight to daddy!

I just love this picture of the kids hanging on to each other.

Our New Friends

2011-08-30T18:38:00.001-04:00

We brought home some new friends from the beach. The kids are very excited about them.

Bryannas is on the left and BWs is on the right!

Irene

2011-08-29T12:13:00.000-04:00

Last week we went on vacation to the beach of North Carolina. Had a great time together. Yes Hurricane Irene forced a mandatory evacuation on us. Of course kids were upset we had to leave and cut our time short there but we came home and made the best of our vacation we had left.

While at the beach the ocean was rough in fact the ocean decided to eat one of BW's water shoes and didnt give it back...hahaha. Poor BW couldnt hardly stand up the waves kept knocking him down but he would get up and go back to it, he had a blast. The kids had so much fun with their daddy and getting to hear them have so much fun just makes this mommy smile.

Hope to have some beach pictures up sometime this week. But for now we have to get back into our routines, work and school and all that comes in between.

Pancakes!

2011-08-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

This year we started using Total Language Plus for Bryanna. So far we love it! Although she is able to read much harder books I decided to start with something easier to make sure we will like this currriculum. So we picked Pippi Longstocking, and no she has not read this before and I thought she would love this book. Not only does TLP have all the spelling, vocabulary and grammar together together but it also includes projects to do as well.. Also during the course of the study she will be working on writing a tall tale.

Now the projects are great and I can include my son in some of them. The first one we did was flipping pancakes. Yeah after I said we would do it I thought I am crazy this is going to get everywhere. The thought of pancakes on the ceiling and floor crossed my mind. But I love to let my kids cook with me and let me tell you the results were great. BW (my 6 year old) flipped better pancakes than me. They both really did good and believe it or not there was no mess to clean up other than dirty dishes.

Butterflies

2011-08-10T07:26:00.001-04:00

This year we are studying geography. For the first couple of weeks we have been focused on the World in general. Looking at the continents, oceans, explorers and some different animals of the world. One animal we are talking about was the butterfly. I thought it would be great if the kids could see the how a catepillar forms into a beautiful butterfly. So I went out and bought us a butterfly habitat and ordered our catepillars and we now have Painted Lady Butterflies. These pictures are of the chrysalis and butterflies. If you look closely at the 2nd and 3rd picture you will see one emerging from its chrysalis. Out of six we were able to see one emerge, very neat process. The kids have been very excited about their butterflies and watching them each day.

NOT BACK TO SCHOOL BLOG HOP

2011-08-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

I am participating in the Not Back To School Blog Hop this week. We started school on July 11th but wow the summer has gone by so fast. We have had so much to come up since we started that this week is actually going to be our first full week of school. As I have posted before last year I felt as if school was not that great, we really didnt enjoy it at all. But can I say so far so good this year. Kids are really enjoying school, and are asking to do it everyday! Can you say happy mommy....

So for our curriculum choices we decided to do some stuff together this year and it is working out great. We are doing science and history together. 7th grader has a few harder things to do but the two work together great.

1st grade:
History--Galloping the Globe
Math--Finishing Abeka K math and then on to either Abeka 1st or Math U See
Science--Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy
Phonics--Explode the Code
Reading--Still working on Bob Books

7th Grade:
History--Trail Guide to World Geography
Math--Math U See Zeta
Science--Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy
English--Total Language Plus(love this has spelling, vocabulary, grammar and reading all in one)

I have a typing software program that I will add to 7th grader soon. Looking to add Bible.. any suggestions?

Of course we are part of a homeschool group and the kids enjoy their time with them too!

Birthday, Fathers Day

2011-06-17T08:13:00.000-04:00

Do we ever slow down, it sure doesnt seem like it. Last week we had my nieces graduation and then had a big party for her afterwards. I still cant believe it, I am old enough to have a niece that is getting ready to go to college. Man time flies.

Today is my birthday, and in 6 days it will be my daughters birthday, and not to mention Fathers Day is Sunday. We will be celebrating all these events tomorrow with a pool party with the family. I hope tomorrow is a rain free day.

And well Fathers Day, well as most of you know is a very hard occasion for me. This will be the fourth Fathers Day I have not had my dad here with me. Does it ever get any easier, it doesnt seem like it. I miss him so much. I often tell my husband that there are so many times I wish I could just talk to him, hug him and just hear his voice. I miss him picking on me and seeing him with his grandchildren, oh how he loved them. So to my Daddy, I want to say Happy Fathers Day and I LOVE YOU!

To my husband and wonderful father of my children, Happy Fathers Day! Our kids are so blessed to have you as their daddy! WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES!

Hope you all have a great weekend and hopefully I will be back to a normal routine soon!

Busy, busy

2011-06-08T07:39:00.000-04:00

Things are really busy around here. We have been swimming and enjoying our summer. We have been to award ceremonies, baccalaurete and are preparing for my nieces graduation this weekend. It is a happy but sad occasion. I am so happy for her, she has worked so hard. But sad at the same time, I cant believe she has grown up so fast. Of course there will be a party following graduation.

Not only that but my daughter has a birthday approaching. In fact next weekend we will celebrate her birthday with family. She decide she wanted to go shopping instead of a big party. She has learned well from her mom...haha. I definitely cant believe she is going to be 12. Of course she is excited and is counting down the days.

Plans for the next school year are moving right along. Hopefully I will have the list up soon of our curriculum choices. I can tell you I am so excited about our history selection...did I really just say I was excited about history? Well I am and I think the kids are really going to enjoy it.

Are you planning for next year yet?

Dance Recital

2011-05-23T18:03:00.000-04:00

We went ot my nieces dance recital a week ago and I had the opportunity to take some pictures of her.

End of School Year, Feeling Old, and Fishing

2011-05-17T22:30:00.003-04:00

We have pretty much finished the 2010-2011 school year. This school year has seemed so long. I have to say I dont think I was completely happy with my choice of curriculum this school year, it just seemed like somthing was missing. I have almost finalized the choices for next school year, hopefully to get this posted in the next couple of weeks. I can say I am very excited about the choices made so far. My plan is to start back to school the week after July 4th.

My niece turns 18 this week and by the way is making me feel really old. And in a couple of weeks she will be graduating from high school.Where has the time gone. I remember the day she was born and I couldn't wait for the chance to hold my first niece. She has gone from a beautiful little baby to a beautiful young woman. I am so very proud of her and all she has done. She is such a sweet girl and I love her so much.

A couple of weeks ago we took the youth from our church fishing and they all had a lot of fun. My kids really enjoyed themselves, not only did they get to fish but they also got to spend time with their friends.

When God Created My Toes

2011-05-16T21:33:00.000-04:00

When God created my toes, did he make them wiggle? Did he know I'd giggle? Did he have to hold his nose, when God created my toes?

This charming picture book allows children to imagine what it was like when God created them. From the top of their heads to the tips of their toes, they will explore and understand God's delight in their lives.

Through rhyming lines and vivid illustrations children will gain confidence and self-esteem when they begin to fully realize how perfectly, intricately, and uniquely God made them.

My Review:
The book is full of rhymes and colorful pictures. But honestly I am not crazy about the book. Upon finishing this book I felt as if we were not sure of what we just read. I cant figure out where they were going with this book. I would not recommend this book to others.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Busy Month and Pictures

2011-05-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

I havent posted for a whole month, I cant believe that. I have been reading your blogs but I felt I had nothing interesting to blog about. But as I sit here this morning I realized I had a very busy month of April. We went to the beach, my nieces prom, Easter, my nieces 16th birthday, and a funeral. I think we had something every weekend. It looks like May is starting off to be the same way, does it ever slow down?

I thought I would post some pictures from our busy month, there are quite a few of them.

Cousin's from my hubbys side.

God Gave Us So Much

2011-03-31T21:41:00.000-04:00

For this review I was so excited to read this book to BW, I have heard great things about the other books written by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Not only was we getting one book but there are 3 stories included in this little treasure.

This is such a sweet book it starts out with the story God Gave Us the World. In this story Mama Cub tells Little Cub about how creative God is and how he made things different. She goes on to tell Little Cub that God made this amazing world we live in and it is Gods gift to us and we have to protect it.

Our next story was God Gave Us Love. Grampa Cub and Little Cub were fishing and Little Cub gets upset with the otters because they are scaring away the fish. Grampa tells Little Cub that we are to show everyone love. He explains to him about God's Love for us and how God sent his son to save us.

Finally we were able to read God Gave Us Heaven. In this story Little Cub has lots of questions for his Papa about Heaven. He explains to Little Cub that even though we cant take our earthly things to heaven the things in Heaven will be so much better. No bad things would be in Heaven. Papa also talks about seeing our families in Heaven as well as how we get to Heaven.

Very Cute story and BW really enjoyed this book. The pictures are so pretty and colorful. I would recommend this book to others.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A Little bit of what we have been doing

2011-03-28T10:52:00.001-04:00

Last week I was getting things back to normal after a trip to Greenville for a 3 day homeschool conference. I enjoyed my time at the conference, and let me just say that Carol Barnier was awesome. She gave so many tips that I cant wait to put to use. The last time I went to a conference I came home with all of the kids curriculum. This time not so much, I only came home with science, Bryannas language arts and BW's next phonics book. So I have quite a bit of research to do to figure out the rest of our next school year. Right now I am looking at doing Galloping the Globe for BW. Seems like I have so much to do, I think we are going to start in July since it is so hot and take a couple of weeks in September and October off. Where are you in your plans for the next school year?

We were invited to attend a study with other homeschoolers about medieval times. Last Thursday was our first time going and the kids had a great time. They talked about for a long time after we left. They talked about castles and made castles last week. This week they get to learn about knights. Cant wait to hear there stories after they finish that day.

This past weekend my wonderful hubby surprised us with a 3 day weekend. We had such a great time with him. We spend 1 of those days out on the town, took the kids out to eat, and went shopping. The other days we celebrated my grandmas birthday (she turned 80) and went to church. Such a great weekend.

Hot Water Heater, Conference, and Anniversary

2011-03-11T13:10:00.000-05:00

One morning this week our hot water heater gave out and leaked in our floor..ugh. So after I got everything cleaned up out of the floor and found out what the problem was I had to thank the Lord that I was home. Had I not been home we would have had a mess. So we have had to change our daily routine up a little, spending time at my moms some for use of water. The plan is to have this replaced in the morning and hopefully things will be back to normal.

Next week, well in 6 days, me and two other moms will be heading to Greenville, SC for the Southeast Homeschool Conference. Can I tell ya I am so excited about this trip! I am so looking forward to spending time with other homeschoolers, getting some great tips from seminars, and attending the book fair. Looking forward to the fellowship with my friends too! Did I tell you, I am really excited about going on this trip, well if I didnt I am very excited!

Also next week while I am away it will be mine and my husbands 11 year anniversary. I know I wont even be here with him. He has to work the whole time I am gone so we are going to celebrate another weekend. We thought about this weekend but with the water heater issue it may have to be the weekend after the conference. I cant believe it has been 11 years since we said I do, I love him more today than ever. He is the best and I just love him so much. I couldnt have asked for a better hubby and father for my children.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

Camera Strap

2011-02-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

So I was very eager to sew me a cute little camera strap for my camera. And let me say I do not sew very much and this is not by any means perfect. Bryanna picked out the pattern and of course it has pink in it and I added a pink fleece material to it and I love it. I cant wait to sew more and maybe figure out how to make it a little fancier!

The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari

2011-02-24T22:12:00.002-05:00

After reviewing the book The Dragon and the Turtle I knew we had to reveiw the sequel, The Dragon and the Turtle Go On Safari. As expected this book was a very good read. BW enjoyed it so much. The illustrations are excellent.

This book is about two friends who want to spend the night at Mount Sillymanborrow. They enjoy the time they are together but as the night goes on and it becomes darker and the noises start it becomes scary. But even though they are scared they figure out that their friendship is very strong and they take care of each other.

Just as with the first book there is a bible verse at the end of this book too. The verse tells us to not be afraid, God is with us and will never leave us. Such a strong message and a great one to teach our kids. I recommend this book for you to read to your little one.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

More Pictures

2011-02-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I told you I was going to take some pictures of the kids with the camera. We have an old smokehouse in our yard so I decided to takes some shots of Bryanna there and I hope you like them, I do. BW was not really wanting to take pictures yesterday but I managed to get a few of him outside too.

A few Snapshots

2011-02-21T11:14:00.001-05:00

I know I have the best hubby ever, I love him so much. This weekend he bought me the camera I have been wanting for a long time. I got the Nikon D3100 and already I really, really like it. I have a lot to figure out in using it but I know I can do it. I told Bryanna I wanted to go outside and take some pictures today and she has already started to say, "Do I have to dress up", Poor kids I guess they know that they are going to be in a lot of pictures. I told them they probably would be tired of me taking their pictures.

I played around with the camera yesterday and took some snapshots and thought I would share a couple with you. Remember I am not a professional, and I have a lot to learn with this new camera.

Close up of my sweet little boy. Love those eyes!

My Bry is always smiling!

This boy loves his daddy!

And of course a picture of BW'S pokemon.

Ramblings

2011-02-18T09:30:00.003-05:00

Wow, its been a while since I posted. There has just been so much going on. I told my mom this morning that I need to slow down a little.

This month already we have had a homeschool meeting and a field trip with our homeschool group. There has been a doctors appointment, birthday party 2 out of 3 weekends, Chuck E Cheese, circus, and basketball games every Saturday. Might I add that basketball has been so much fun for the kids and for us to see them play and enjoy it as well.

Oh yeah and some big news for us this month my brother and his wife announced they are expecting baby number 3. Due Date is September 19!!!! Can you tell that I am ~~happy~~ excited.

Then yesterday we got a phone call that one of my cousins found out she has cancer and they are going to do surgery today. So mom, my grandma, and I are heading up to the hospital in a little bit. Please say a prayer for her and the family. Her health is not that great so pray that everything will go well with the surgery.

Hope you all are doing well and wishing you all a great weekend.

Radical

2011-02-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple-then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" surburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment-a one year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

My review: I think that this is a great book to read and would recommend it. One thing that stood out to me was the differences that was shown between our culture and other cultures. It is amazing that in our culture how we strive to have the best and not only want the best in our personal lives but also in our church. In other cultures they just want to hear the gospel. As a christian that is what I should want as well to hear the gospel but also spread it to others. At the end of the book you are challenged to join in on The Radical Experiment doing these five things for one year..1. pray for the entire world, 2. read through the entire word, 3. sacrfice your money for a specific purpose, 4. spend your time in another context, and 5. Commit your life to a multiplying community.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

The Homeschool Mother's Journal-2

2011-01-28T08:19:00.003-05:00

In my life this week...

We have been celebrating my moms last week of work, she is retiring. Such an exciting time for her and it makes me so happy to see her this excited.

In our homeschool this week...

Bryanna is still working on a study of China. She finished her project on Panda Bears this week and now has to start getting the next project started...making egg rolls. Looking forward to trying those. BW is moving right along learning new words and reading simple sentences, I am so proud of him.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

We have Upward Basketball, which includes practice once a week and a game on Saturdays till the end of February. The kids are having a blast and I am enjoying watching them play.

My favorite thing this week was...
I had the opportunity to go to my moms work for a retirement party they did for her and I was so amazed at all they had done and all the compliments they gave her. My mom is truly a sweet and caring person and it showed by all the people she worked with. She is going to miss them but I think they are going to miss her as well.

What's working/not working for us...
I am not sure of our history curriculum for Bryanna, I am doing a lot of research right now to see what I can find that will be a good fit. I have learned BW does better with learning words if I put them into a bingo game, make him index cards with his words on them and then when he learns them put them on the wall .

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

Any ideas on a science curriculum for a 1st grader and 7th grader?

A photo to share...

BW's Basketball team praying before the game.

If you want to join in on the journey head over to The Homeschool Chick.

Randomness

2011-01-20T12:21:00.002-05:00

Where we are at right now....

In school Bryanna has started a study on China and even though she is doing a lot of research it is going well. She finally finished her math book but now we are going back and reviewing some things before moving on. BW is doing really good and is getting back on track, he is learning new words and seems to be paying attention well. Sometimes I still have a hard time keeping his attention on what we are doing but all in all he is doing good.

As far as school anyone have any suggestions on History for a 7th grader and 1st grader. Yes I am already thinking about next years curriculum. I am going to the conference in Greenville in March and I hope to be able to purchase the kids curriculum while I am there.

My moms birthday was this past weekend and she turned sixty. I love her so much, she is just so special to me. She is retiring at the end of the month and I am just excited for her. After dad passed away I told her I would like her to enjoy her retirement since dad didnt get to see it. And she is excited and talking about all the things she wants to do once she retires.

Kids have started playing upward basketball and I have enjoyed watching them play. They love it and are doing a good job.

I would like to have this:

I want a new camera and I like the look of this and what I have read about it. If you have a D3100 would you please let me know what you think of your camera.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-19T12:09:00.000-05:00

Moms Birthday, We love her so much!

Spaghetti Tacos?

2011-01-07T11:04:00.000-05:00

Some of you probably looked at the title of this post and are wondering what I am talking about. Well, I need to tell you how this came about first. Bryanna ~~likes~~ loves to watch the show ICarly, it is a show that comes on Nickelodeon and it is about some teenage kids who have a web show. One of the times she watched it Spencer, Carlys brother, fixed spaghetti tacos. And ever since then Bryanna has been wanting to try them.

So her daddy told her while he was out of work for Christmas we would fix them. I was really unsure of this idea. It is just regular spaghetti inside a hard taco shell. Here is a picture of what the taco looked like...

Now I am sure most of you are wondering was it any good. Well the words from Bryanna are......

AWESOME, THESE ARE SO GOOD, MOM YOU HAVE TO FIX THESE AGAIN!!!!!!!

Really these were good, but they were very messy.

The Dragon and the Turtle

2010-12-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

So I forgot to tell you that I have signed up on the blogging for books website. I am very excited about this opportunity and cant wait to see what books are in store to choose from next. Here is my review for my first book.

One day as Roger the turtle is playing pirate he realizes he has gotten lost. Padraig the dragon sees Roger and wonders why Roger looks so sad. When Padraig finds out Roger can't find his home he offers to help him. After checking several houses they finally find Roger's home. Through their journey Roger and Padraig become friends.

I think this book is great. I really like how the book shows that the dragon and turtle have differences but in the end become great friends. I also liked that at the end of the book the author included a bible verse to reference with the kids about friendship. There was also a recipe included that the kids are very excited about trying. After reading this book my son was so excited about it he made sure he was going to be able to keep it.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Christmas Tree

2010-12-13T11:47:00.002-05:00

I know I am late getting these pictures up. We have had our trees up since the weekend after Thanksgiving but I wanted to share them with you.

Our new tree in the kitchen...my snowman tree!

Our living room tree

Snowman Craft

2010-12-08T07:40:00.000-05:00

When we remodled our living room and I was thinking of what I wanted to hang on the walls I thought what would be better than to display our childrens artwork. Last week I decided to let the kids make snowmen for their frames. I gave them lots of supplies, even told them to get twigs from outside. The idea was this was their masterpiece and to make it the way they wanted to. I think they turned out great and wanted to share them with you!

Bryanna's is on the left, BW's on the right. If you look carefully at Bryanna's she even added a Charlie Brown Tree.

I Love Christmas

2010-12-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and now we are on to the Christmas Holiday. I love Christmas...my favorite holiday! Not only is it the time to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior but I love the time spent with family and friends. The decorations, smells of candles and the baking. I miss having my dad around to spend it with but I know where he is and that makes it so much easier.

The other night BW told us that we didnt have to buy him any presents he just wanted us to celebrate Christmas. We asked him how he wanted to celebrate and this is what he said "singing, dancing, decorating or anything like that". That of course melted my heart. But of course when we started wrapping presents last night and there was some for him that excited him. I love to hear the kids try to guess what is in the box when they put a present under the tree....so funny!

We are also adding in some fun things each day by doing crafts or baking something together. Tonight I have a little surprise for them we are going to meet some family and friends and go see a movie.

What kinds of special things do you do during this holiday season?

He is 6 years old...

2010-11-24T10:48:00.001-05:00

BW turned 6 years old on Monday. Where did all that time go....it went by way to fast for me. We had his birthday party Saturday and he had so much fun. He had a lego cake and a lego pinata both made by me that he was just so excited about. Of course he had presents too. He ended up with some money so I decided I would let him go do some shopping. So our first stop was Toys R Us, they sent him a 3 dollar gift card in the mail for his birthday (he is part of the kids club they have). We went in and he picked out what he wanted, went up to the register to pay for it and he got a birthday hat and balloon. I thought that was so nice of them to recognize him that way. So after a day of shopping we went to the kids draft night for basketball and got to meet their coaches and team players. I let the kids decide what they want for their birthday dinner and BW decided he wanted corn dogs, chips and dip. He had a wonderful day.

I love this picture of Sissy reading him his birthday card....so sweet!

One of his lego creations he got for his birthday! And dont he look cute in his glasses!

What we have been doing

2010-11-09T11:10:00.000-05:00

We have had so much going on and I guess it will be this way till the holidays are over.

I have signed the kids up for upward basketball and they are super excited about getting to play. We have had our evaluations and now we are just waiting on practices to start. They are having a draft night in 2 weeks and we are excited to meet their coaches and have some fun.

In 2 weeks it will be my BW's 6th birthday, wow, where did that time go. He of course is very excited and wants everything. I think he has decided he wants to have a lego party. He has really gotten into legos recently. I love to watch him build these because he gets so into it and serious about it.

On the otherhand we had to go to the eye doctor last week and I was shocked at the results. We knew there was a chance he would need glasses but I wasnt really prepared for the diagnosis. The doctor said he was 3 times as farsighted as he should be at this age and has astigmatism in both eyes. I was so shocked, and after that wore off I could just cry. I thought how could he have had such a hard time seeing and I the mom not know it. So doing my research of course found out that he was probably born with this so the blurry vision is all that he has known. I felt a little better about it and now I just want to get him his glasses so he will see better. He was so excited he got to pick out his frames, some light blue ones (his favorite color) and he looks so cute in them. I cant wait to pick them up and you know I will have to post a picture of him. He has just been worried that people will laugh at him so we are having to really encourage him.

Hope you are all having a good week!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T08:07:00.000-04:00

Busy, Busy, Busy....

2010-10-20T07:58:00.001-04:00

We are still here, just been very busy. Just last week we had 2 field trips with our homeschool group and my niece, who is a senior this year, was on the homecoming court at her school. We went to Battleground Alamance, Transportation Museum, homecoming parade and the homecoming football game. We had a lot of fun though and enjoyed everything so much. Today I am posting picutres from our Battleground Alamance trip, hope you enjoy. There were some other stations but my camera battery died. Other things were blacksmith, making apple cider with an apple cider press, chair weaving, and writing with a feather pen.

The Allen House

Telling about the inside of the Allen House

I love how the herbs are hanging on the wall.

I really like this picture!

School is in Session, This is a hornbook.

What do you think about this way of cooking?

Can you guess what that pan is called?

Making candles.

Time for music!

The Doctor is in....not a favorite to hear about!

And of course game time....BW playing with Jacobs Ladder.

Bryanna playing shut the box.

Telling us about the cannon demonstration.

Cannon....

A New Addition

2010-10-05T11:44:00.000-04:00

We have a new addition to our family. Her name is Kira. She is doing really good, we just got to get her adjusted to our little dog. She wants to play and well, she can stand overtop of our other dog so right now she is a little rough. Hopefully they both will adjust soon.

CSN Review

2010-09-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

Ok everyone it is that time, remember I told you I was going to do a review for CSN stores. Well the product I chose was the..........

Rachael Ray Hard-Anodized 5.5-Quart Covered Casserole in Orange

This casserole is designed to perform flawlessly on the stovetop or in the oven. It features a large cooking surface to brown or sear meats with ample room to add additional ingredients to complete a one-dish meal that may be finished on the stovetop or in the oven. The casserole's lid fits snugly to lock in moisture and flavors, making this pan perfect for the long, slow braising of a tender stew or pot roast.

Features:

•Professional hard-anodized aluminum material provides even heating throughout the pan

•Exceptional strength and durable construction

•Comfortable contemporary silicone handles

•Durable nonstick interior releases food effortlessly and is easy to clean

•Glass Lid allows you to monitor foods

MY EXPERIENCE: After using this pot several times I have to say that I absolutely LOVE this pot. Everything I have cooked in it cooks great and the handles are a really nice as feature as well. I have put it to the test by using it several ways. I fixed a homemade mac and cheese in it and nothing stuck to the bottom as in other pots, I fixed things using a wire wisk and so far there are no scratches in the pot. I even cooked a roast in the oven in this pot and the pot stood up to this task. Let me also say I decided after the roast I would let this pot sit for a day to see if it would be hard to clean. Guess what it didnt even have to soak, it washed right up for me. I really like this pot and I am thinking of buying other pieces like this. I would definitely recommend this piece.

Muffin Tin Monday

2010-09-20T12:09:00.001-04:00

Today I decided to link up with muffin tin mom and do my first muffin tin meal. This weeks theme was shapes. First let me say my son was so excited about his lunch. I will most definitely be doing this again.

So here you have it, heart shaped bread, triangle chips, triangle candy corn for dessert, oval cheese, circle ketchup and star chicken. After doing this I realized oh no I forgot fruit and noticed there was a lot of yellow. If you would like to join in head on over to muffin tin mom and link up.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T11:14:00.002-04:00

A Few Beach Trip Pictures

2010-09-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

As most of you know when we were on vacation we were evacuated due to hurricane Earl. Although our trip was cut short and we were not able to spend any time at the ocean due to rip tides I did manage to get a couple of pictures out on the beach. These were all taken the day before Earl was supposed to hit. The waves were rougher and the wind had picked up a bit. Oh and there was a black flag out...no swimming and if you look there were people out in the water. I couldnt believe it.

Hope everyone has a great day today!

Cherry on Top Award

2010-09-08T10:55:00.000-04:00

The Cherry on Top Award Rules are:

1. Answer this question: If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
2. Pick 6 people to share this award with.
3. THANK the person who gave you the award!

First of all I want to thank Robin at Adventures of Arbor Creek for giving me this award. I enjoy reading her blog as well as chatting with her. I was so excited to see she had given this to me.

Question Answer: This is kind of tough one, I say there are things I would change but in reality would I? I think about them and wonder if my life would be as it is now if I changed them. Would I be as close to the Lord as I am now, would I lean on him, have as much faith in him had I not went through all the things I did. Would I be so blessed to be a stay at home mom and get to enjoy all the precious moments with my children. There is no way to know so would I change anything, really not sure.

I am going to pass this award onto 6 ladies whose blogs I enjoy reading and are encouraged by:
Michelle at Raising Little Women
Katrina at Craig Family Chronicles
Jenny at Our Nifty Notebook
Rebecca at Moms Mustard Seeds
Stephanie at Because of Love
Kelly at Joyful Adorations

Rambling

2010-09-07T08:05:00.001-04:00

I bet you thought I had disappeared, no just had a lot going on.

Last week hubby was on vacation, we headed out to the beach for a week. But Hurricane Earl had other plans for us, we were evacuated on Thursday morning. So beach trip was cut short, but we said no matter where we were we still had that family time together. So Friday we went on a shopping trip, you know shopping seems to be good for everyone. Had a lot of fun this past week, and I am really missing my hubby already this morning.

The kids both have doctors appointments this afternoon and I am a little stressed about it. Both kids have to get their vaccinations and I hope they do well. I hate to see my kids go through any kind of pain, especially when I cant do anything for them.

In other news I think I am going to give Sonlight a try for history and science for Bryanna. We like HOD but I really want to try this too. Starting this week we really start to get into school more. BW is really eager to learn how to read, I am excited about that but a little sad. My baby is growing up.

Oh yeah, my item arrived last week for my CSN review. Cant wait to use it this week and tell you about it, I am very excited.

Hoping to get some pictures posted this week I took of the kids at the beach. Wishing you all a great week!

CSN Review

2010-08-19T17:28:00.001-04:00

I have been in contact with a lovely lady from CSN Stores about doing a product review. I didnt realize that they have over 200 stores. Upon my looking at the stores, I seen they have a little bit of everything from shoes, to dinnerware, to furniture and even pressure washers!

Wow...what do I choose to do a review on? There are so many things that I would like to do this review on, it is just so hard to decide. But people that know me know that I like to be in the kitchen. So what shall I choose, new kitchen tools, a new pot or pan, or even bakeware.

Stay tuned to find out what I choose!

Not Back-to-School Blog Hop

2010-08-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

This weeks topic for the Not Back-to-School Blog Hop is Student Photo Week. If you want to join in go over to heartofthematteronline.com. These kids really know how to make me smile and they bless my heart so much.

First Week of School

2010-08-13T11:42:00.003-04:00

This week marked our first week of school. We had a great first week. The kids did really well and I am pleased with how everything went. Last Friday we had a play day with some friends before getting back into the school routine. We went to a church that has an inside play center and had lunch, the kids had a lot of fun.

This year I did something different for our first day of school. I fixed a little goody bag for both kids that they were so excited about. Bryanna kept telling me "mom you really didnt have to do this". I enjoyed seeing there surprised faces.

Looking forward to another great week! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Not Back- to- School Blog Hop

2010-08-10T07:33:00.003-04:00

This weeks Not Back-to-School Blog Hop topic is Schoolroom. I am very excited about this because I get to take a sneak into other schoolrooms and maybe come away with some ideas for our family. We have been schooling in our living room and when we remodeled in the spring we had to move to the kitchen.

This is where we do all our schooling at. I really like sitting at the kitchen table with the 3 windows, gives such great light.

This is something new we are trying this year. Since both kids are doing school work this year I thought I would give each of them a color, Bryanna gets pink and BW gets the green cart. In these are there pencils, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, notebooks and current books they are using. And of course my lovely whiteboard that really comes in handy.

These cabinets are in our laundry room which is right beside of the kitchen/dining area and as you can see from the pictures below these house anything from teachers manuals, books not currently using, to craft supplies. Please excuse the mess, still working on getting everything organized.

One thing I didnt take a picture of was a bookcase we have in our living room that has additional books and our paint on it. This is our schoolroom, hope you enjoyed your visit. If you homeschool and would like to join in, please do it is so much fun and you meet other homeschoolers as well.

Thursday Storms

2010-08-06T11:12:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we had some rough storms pass through our way. I was over at a friends house when the storm came up and decided I would wade it out there and let it pass over. For one I dont like to drive in pouring down rain much less stormy weather. So when I came home there was a couple of trees down and debris in the road. But I was not expecting when I pulled in my driveway to see this tree laying in it. Apparently lightening hit the tree and this part fell down. So we now have a day of cutting the tree up (well the hubby will be cutting) and cleaning up the yard of limbs and debris.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Question and Answer

2010-08-03T07:46:00.002-04:00

When I posted my curriculum choices I was asked this question:
Do you have any traditions for the beginning of the school year?

I thought about it and the answer would be no, we really dont have any traditons to start our school year off. Never really thought about doing anything to kind of kick our year off. We do have school a couple of weeks and then take a week and head out on vacation, and that is a nice little break before we really get into our school work.

But this year we are going to get together with some friends and have some fun with them. So that will be cool before we have to buckle down into the books. I have also found a unit study on chocolate and I thought this could be fun...I mean who doesnt like chocolate..right. We will be learning but at the same time having fun exploring the world of chocolate.

So do you have any traditons that you do before the beginning of the school year?

Curriculum 2010-2011

2010-07-26T10:17:00.003-04:00

Well we are winding down the majority of the summer. It will be back to school in 2 weeks in our house. Looking forward to getting back into it, new things going this year. Bry will be a 6th grader and my little man will be a kindergartner, that time went way to fast for me. He is excited, already wants to start school. I think our curriculum choices are pretty much final just a few more things to pick up.
Our Curriculum for the 2010-2011 school year:
Bryanna:
History: Heart of Dakota--Creation to Christ
Math: Math U See--finish using Epsilon and then move into Zeta (love this program)
Science: Heart of Dakota--various books
Grammar: Shurley English
Spelling: Soaring with Spelling and vocabulary
Reading: Finish Little House on Prarie Primer and start Drawn into the Heart of Reading

BW:
History: Heart of Dakota--Little Hearts for His Glory
Math: Math U See--Primer
Science: Gods Wonderful Works
Phonics: ~~Reading Made Easy~~ The Reading Lesson
Writing: A Reason for Handwriting

We are going to go into it slow, have school for 3 weeks and then we are heading out for our family vacation. When we get back it will be time to really get into our schooling. I am a little nervous about schooling two this year and being there are so many years apart kind of hard to do a lot with them together right now. I think we are going to do some unit studies together, looking at doing a study on chocolate first...yummy!

Hope all of my fellow homeschoolers are having a great summer and look forward to seeing what your school year brings for your family as well.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T10:08:00.004-04:00

Our week....

2010-07-08T21:31:00.000-04:00

We have been super busy this week...It all started with a family reunion last Saturday. I enjoy being around my family and seeing everyone I dont get to see that often. Then that night we had some friends over for swimming and food. Sunday the 4th we went to church and then after the evening service we had fellowship. Headed home, changed clothes and then went out to see the fireworks.

Starting Monday I went with a friend shopping had a lot of fun. Although didnt know how to act not having the kids to worry about or constantly hearing my name being called. Tuesday I took the kids to a free summer movie at the theater and upon arrival there we received coupons for the kids to get a Chick-Fil-A kids meal free...so guess where we went for lunch, yep you guessed it Chick-Fil-A. Went to Barnes and Noble, love going in there and relaxing and looking at books with the kids. Today we went swimming with some friends and have just been hanging out since we got home.

Whats your week been like?

New Friend Friday

2010-07-02T07:47:00.001-04:00

Today I am linking up with The Girl Creative and Trendy Treehouse for New Friend Fridays. If you are new here feel free to look around and follow me. Head on over and link up and make some new friends.

Pool Party Pictures

2010-06-29T22:58:00.003-04:00

Bryanna's Birthday

2010-06-28T16:34:00.000-04:00

Last week my baby girl turned 11 years old. I started thinking about how little she was when she entered this world and not knowing if she would make it or not. You see she entered this world at 28 weeks and weighing 2 pounds 7 ounces. She had a pda which is a valve that did not close in her heart and thankfully after several checkups and visits to the heart doctor it closed on its own without requiring surgery. I remember standing by her bedside in the nicu and she stopped breathing...scariest thing for a mom and not know what to do to help her. But I also remember the day I got to bring my sweet precious girl home such a happy moment. Yes there were things we faced when we got home such as setting the clock every 3 hours to feed her, routine doctors visits, rsv shots, being careful of others around her but we got through it. She suffered some breathing issues that continued for years but for the past two years she has had no medicine and seems to be handling it well...I do still keep an eye on her to make sure we have no attacks or anything like that. She did have to have tubes put in her ears twice, adnoids taken out, and speech therapy. We also had to have her checked for cystic fibrosis...very scary time for us. But look at her now and you would not know she has been through this....

So this past Friday she decided she wanted to have a sleepover with 3 of her best friends. She had so much fun and cant wait to do it again. Keep in mind this was her first sleepover with more that one person. I had so much fun with these girls too, they just all bless my heart so much.

So after dinner they did 2 crafts they decorated flip flops and made necklaces...

They played outside, played sharades and acted out Bryannas favorite tv show.

So the next day we had her pool party with the family and her friends, check back tomorrow for pictures from that!

Follow Me Fridays Blog Hop

2010-06-18T07:42:00.000-04:00

Enter your link below & follow the blogs you love.
It's that simple. Have fun!
Don't forget to follow the Hosts below
Trendy Treehouse & the girl Creative!

Birthday Surprise

2010-06-14T10:56:00.001-04:00

So I have got to have the sweetest hubby ever. He planned a surprise birthday party for me this past Saturday. I had no clue...I even made the chili. I am sure you are asking yourself how did you make chili and not even realize something was up, well......He wanted some chili (his grandmas recipe) and of course I had none so I said I would fix it on Friday. So the plan was we were going to have lunch with my mom on Saturday at her house and then go swimming. Little did I know that my family and his family would be there waiting for me when I got there. I felt so special that day, I was sang to several times, I had birthday cake, there was decorations and even a few gifts. What a great day that was!

Have you ever had a surprise and helped with it and not even known anything was going on?

Friday Follow

2010-06-11T16:41:00.000-04:00

I am sorry I am so late getting this up but I was having some problems with the computer this morning. While reading in blogland I came across this blog hop hosted by Trendy Treehouse and The Girl Creative. What a great way to enjoy new blogs and make new friends.

Testing and conference

2010-05-25T07:04:00.000-04:00

Wow, end of the year testing is Friday for Bryanna. I can't believe it is already here, where did this year go. I get way to stressed about this. Last year I worried over her math and she did very good but I cant help it. After all I am her teacher and I feel like it is a reflection on my teaching. She is a little nervous which is to be expected but I told her just to do her best and she will be fine. I think we are both ready for it to be over with so we can see how well she does.

On another note the homeschool conference is this weekend. Last year I went to the bookfair and had a wonderful time and came home with almost all of my curriculum for this year. I have been debating on whether to go this year or not but I think that I am going on Friday after testing and I am going to take Bryanna with me. Cant wait to see her reaction when she sees all the vendors. It is definitely an experience and gets you all pumped up for schooling. I hope next year I can go to the full conference and enjoy some of the workshops as well.

I have been looking at curriculum for next year and even after 2 years of schooling it can still get overwhelming. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do with language arts/grammar but I really like the looks of growing with grammar and soaring with spelling and vocabulary. Do you have any suggestions for curriculum?

This is way off of the subject but tomorrow we get our tables for the living room and that will make the set complete!

Almost Done

2010-04-30T11:59:00.002-04:00

Wow it has been a month since I posted, I haven't been gone just really nothing to post about. But everyone wants to see the living room now that the furniture has arrived. I can say we are almost done. All we have left is to finish hanging stuff on the walls and our coffee table and end table will arrive at the end of May.

We are so happy with how everything turned out! When we get our tables I hope to be able to show you a completed living room.

Living Room Update

2010-03-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

We have completed the painting and the floors...yay :) I think it turned out so pretty and I love them. So now all we have to wait on is the furniture which is scheduled to arrive on April 7th.

Before Pictures:

sorry this is kind of dark

carpet

After Pictures:

not sure what that spot is, I think I need to clean my camera

new floor, so pretty :)

What we are doing...

2010-03-11T08:06:00.000-05:00

Well as I told you our furniture has been ordered and is scheduled to be delivered in about 4 weeks. Cant wait to see it all in our house. So for now we are in the process of painting and then we hope to get the floors installed before delivery day. My main computer is down so I am unable to put any pictures up at this point but I cant wait to share with you what we have done.

Tomorrow I leave for the whole heart conference with a friend of mine and I am looking forward to the conference and hope to get a lot out of it.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope to check back in with you next week!

Lots going on...

2010-03-08T07:36:00.000-05:00

We are getting ready to be really busy starting today. This past Saturday the hubby and I went and purchased our new living room furniture. No I didnt get the ottoman, it was nice but the shelf went all the way through so basically no storage which defeated the purpose for me. So we got a coffee table instead. And we had planned on getting a sectional but we got a loveseat, couch and chair. We love it! This year will be our 10 year anniversary and guess what, this is our first official big furniture purchase. So today begins the cleaning up of walls and packing up of small things so we can prepare to paint. Then we hope to put floors down before the furniture comes. Alot to do, but it will all look so good when we are finished, at least I hope so. Not sure how much I will be able to be on here but I will check back as much as I can.

Living Room

2010-02-25T18:17:00.000-05:00

Lately all I have done basically is look online at things for our living room. As I told you we are going to put new floors down, paint and get new furniture. We havent really decided on floors, paint color or a couch yet but I did find this ottoman that I really like. I like that the top opens for storage and that it has a little shelf on the bottom, what do ya think about it?

Prayer Request

2010-02-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

Around lunch time today I received the call that my dear sweet great uncle had passed away. I rejoice in knowing he is in heaven and that I will see him again one day. He always had a smile on his face and loved life. I am truly going to miss him.

Please pray for the family today and the days to come. It will be a very hard loss for all.

Friday Follow

2010-02-19T08:04:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each blog. Follow a few or follow them all.

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Homeschool Review

2010-02-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

Yes today I had my homeschool review with the state. It only took 15 minutes and we were done. I felt like I was very well prepared. I brought everything they told me and brought some of her work and pictures with me to show as well. Was I nervous about going, not really. But I can say I am glad I have that behind me. We went in not sure what to expect, we were just told what to bring, and came out with smiles and a certificate in hand. We got a inspection verification certificate. Not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

This and That

2010-02-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

I havent posted in a long time but things have been really busy around the Kennedy house. First off, I got a letter about a homeschool review and that will take place on the 18th. I am busy getting all of that stuff together as well as trying to stay caught up on school work.

Something happened with my sister last weekend and we were not sure if she would pull through but God brought her through and now she is going through some recovery. This has us very occupied, we went from having 2 children in our house to 4 overnight. But thats ok, I love my nieces very much and I am enjoying every minute I have with them. I ask all my bloggy friends to be in prayer for my sister and our family. Prayers mean so much.

Another thing Bryanna lost one of her pets, her dog Angel. She passed away this past Friday night. She was really upset and bless her heart she said she thought it was her fault. It is amazing how attatched you can become to animals.

It has snowed here over the weekend and that has really put a damper on things. The kids want to be out in it me not so much. Snow is just not my favorite thing, not a big fan of the cold at all.

We are talking about redoing our living room floors, furniture and all. So of course I have been on the lookout on the internet for couches and flooring. This is a job, I see things I like but then I think is this really what we want. So hopefully we will figure out something.

Italian Sub Stoup and Garlic Toast Floaters

2010-01-08T15:09:00.001-05:00

I have to give credit for this recipe to Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals and it is yummy. We really enjoyed it and if you like italian foods you will too. So here is the recipe for those who would like to give it a try.

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil plus 1/4 c. for croutons

3/4 lb sweet italian sausage

1/4 lb stick pepperoni, diced

1 ham steak diced

1 green bell pepper, quartered and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, quartered and sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

6 cups of chicken stock (I did use a little more)

1/2 lb gemelli pasta

5 c. cubed crusty bread

3 large garlic cloves

1/2 c grated parmigiano-reggiano

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I didnt use these)

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 bunches arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped (about 4 cups) (I didnt use these)

Directions

Place a soup pot or deep sided skillet on the stove top and preheat to medium high heat. Add olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and the sausage. Brown and crumble the sausage, drain off excess fat if necessary then add the ham and pepperoni. Cook meats together 2 minutes then add peppers and onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Add diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and bring stoup to a boil. Stir in pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Make croutons while pasta cooks.

In a large skillet heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 4 turns of the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bread to garlic oil, toss and toast the cubes 5 or 6 minutes. Season the toasty cubes with red pepper flakes, oregano and lots of grated cheese.

Stir arugula into soup just before you serve it up. Ladle up the stoup and float several toasty garlic bread cubes in each bowl.

My Harris Teeter Shopping Trip

2010-01-07T18:05:00.001-05:00

Harris Teeter is having super doubles this week, doubling all coupons up to $1.98 and 20 per household per day. My grand total was 103.18, I saved 110.68...yay! You cant see everything very good, but this included 2 boxes of laundry detergent, 3 packs chicken breast, 2 family packs cube steak, 2 packs stew beef, tenderloin, 2 packs bacon, pack of ham steaks, 2 packs of shredded cheese, 2 boxes of special k bars and 2 boxes of special k cereal. I love to get deals like these, did any of you make a trip to Harris Teeter this week?

Christmas

2010-01-06T00:35:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone, I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year. We had a very good Christmas, but very busy. The kids got way to much stuff as usual, and we eat way to much. The kids both got a nintendo ds and when they opened their boxes their faces were priceless, you see we told them we couldn't get them so they were totally surprised.

They both wanted some boots, Bryanna wanted pink boots and BW wanted toy story boots. Of course Bryanna got littlest pet shop stuff, a keyboard, some clothes and a few other things. BW got a few more pokemon, a batman cave, a Mr Potato Head along with a few more things. Still missed daddy being here and I think it made things even worse without my brother being home for Christmas(he had to work), but we did enjoy the family time together that we had. I enjoy spending time with my family because you never know when they will be here no longer. Every moment I have with them is precious.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I wont be able to blog till sometime after the Christmas holiday because it is getting really busy around here. I wanted to take the time to wish all my bloggy friends a very Merry Christmas!

Snow!

2009-12-21T07:55:00.000-05:00

Last Friday we had ~~a little~~ well 8 inches I think of snow come our way. But my kids just couldnt wait to get out in it and play. So they went out while it was coming down and had so much fun, they didnt last long out there too cold they said. I love to watch the snow fall, I think it is just so pretty!

Christmas Party!

2009-12-04T14:29:00.019-05:00

So as I told you we went to the assisted living home and had a great time there with the ladies. One of the dear ladies was in the hospital, one wasnt feeling to good (she did come eat with us but didnt feel like doing anything else) and one of the other ladies doesnt come out of her room. But one thing that really stuck out to me about these ladies was they told me several times you didnt have to bring all this you could have just come. They didnt care about the gifts, party or crafts, All they wanted was a visit from us. And yet they would ask the kids what they wanted for Christmas and offered to help with the party. This day was for them, we wanted to do for them and in turn they still wanted to help us. Such a blessing to spend some time with them! So as promised some pictures from our day!

Making Christmas cards for the Baskets.

Putting the Baskets together.

Finished baskets!

Enjoying some snacks.

Working on Crafts.

Pictures with a few of the ladies!

Christmas Project

2009-12-02T12:26:00.004-05:00

Our homeschool group that we are a part of decided this year we would do for others at Christmas. We thought this would be a great lesson for the kids to do for others and take some of the focus off of getting gifts.

We are going to a home (not a nursing home but a home with ladies who cant stay by themselves) and are taking some Christmas fun to them for a while. We are heading there tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it. We are fixing baskets for each lady and each child is making a card for them to go into the baskets as well.

I thought instead of doing our Christmas party with the kids before we went, what about taking the Christmas party to the ladies and include them. Everyone thought this would be a great idea. I think this will be something great to include them in. We also are going to do 2 crafts with them and this will be something not only the ladies would do but also the kids with them.

So check back on Friday for pictures of our Christmas fun!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T07:16:00.006-05:00

Proud Aunt

2009-11-06T10:13:00.003-05:00

Thought I would brag on my niece a little bit today. I am so very proud of her. She is a junior in high school and is doing so good. She is in rotc, which she absolutely loves. Yesterday they went to fly planes and this week she was chosen to do the drill team competitions. She said she wanted to be a pilot when she gets out of school, air force, air medic flight or something like that. She plays soccer and her academic grades are really good. Last year she was inducted in beta club and last night I had the honor of attending her induction into National Honor Society. The candles in the picture each have a meaning to: white candle represents eternal light of knowledge, blue candle represents scholarship, green candle represents service, purple candle represents leadership and the red candle represents character. I told her she gets her brains from me...haha. She is so excited to be chosen, and oh how proud we are of her.

Family Time

2009-10-27T07:27:00.010-04:00

This past Saturday we decided to head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get away for a little while. We took my grandma and my mom with us. One of the things I love about fall is seeing the change of the leaves. It was beautiful up there! We stopped at this little area and took some pictures, had a picnic and hung out there for a bit before heading back. The kids really enjoyed it and we just had some great family time together.

Blessings

2009-10-22T17:16:00.010-04:00

To start this post off I wanted to Thank God for all he has done for me. I want to thank him first for dying on the cross for my sins so that I could be saved. I thank him for my family, my church and my great friends. I thank him for the husband and two children he sent to me. I thank him for my health. I thank him for always providing for our needs. I thank him for the opportunity to be home with these kids and to be able to teach them not only the regular school work but more about the bible.

About two weeks ago Bryanna was working on a project and was asked what she would thank our pastor for and this sweet child spoke up and said "Well the first thing that comes to my mind is for preaching the gospel so we can learn about God". I thought how about that a 10 year old realizes how blessed she is about having the true gospel being preached to her. Sometimes I wonder at her age is she really paying attention and listening. I see her notes but still is she understanding? We often times will ask her what the message was about and believe or not she can tell you a lot that was said. This makes me so proud.

We took off this morning and went to the Chinqua Penn Trail and walked. We just took our time and had a good time together and talked about a lot of things. During our walk I was so blessed by something BW said to me. We were walking along the trail and he put his hands together and looked up at me and said "mommy, can I tell God thank you for making this, because I really like it". So there walking the trail my 4 year old son started to tell God thank you for making that for him. This was one of those moments that you wanted to cry not because you were upset but because you were blessed to see such a little child understand Gods work and that it is him that blesses us so much. It blessed my heart but also convicted me because I know I fall short of thanking God for all his blessings that he gives me. Sometimes kids help to open our eyes to things we may not even see.

Can you think of something that your child has said that has blessed your heart tremendously or convicted you of?

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

2009-10-14T13:07:00.001-04:00

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You are old fashioned and traditional. You prefer the old classics to newfangled traditions.

You believe that some of the best things in life have been forgotten. Luckily, you still remember them.

You are nostalgic for a simpler era, even possibly a time before you were born.

You love old movies, music, and fashions. You find the past to be a rich and interesting time.

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

First Homeschool Meeting this Year

2009-10-07T09:47:00.009-04:00

We had our first homeschool meeting last week and had a great time. We were able to be outside and enjoy the fall weather. The kids played outside, had a snack and even decorated pumpkins. Actually BW didnt want to leave. I am so thankful to be a part of this group, the parents are great and the kids have so much fun playing with the other kids.

BW playing on the playground

Working on our pumpkins

The finished pumpkins! BW's pumpkin is the whiter colored one and Bryanna's is the one right beside of BW's with the cute little lips. I think they all did a great job and had a lot of fun doing them.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-23T23:27:00.002-04:00

Sweet, Sweet Video

2009-09-04T11:49:00.004-04:00

I have been wanting to get this up for a while now. A few months back my husband surprised me with this little video he put together. He just doesnt realize how much I will cherish this. Hope you enjoy it.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T11:48:00.000-04:00

First History Project

2009-08-10T23:23:00.010-04:00

I know this is late getting up but this was Bryanna's first history project. We were talking about a shield of faith and she had to make her own. I also thought BW might like to make a shield as well and I just let him draw what he wanted to on his, he said it was a snowman. Not sure why he chose this drawing.

School just ahead

2009-07-20T08:58:00.003-04:00

First off let me say we have been very busy this month. We have been getting things ready to start school, have went on vacation, had a family reunion, started a new bible study at church(which by the way is great, Thanks Michelle for doing this) and even got to enjoy the most beautiful wedding. But school is just ahead, thats right we are planning on starting back on Monday, July 27th. I cant believe it is here and now I question do I have it all together to be able to start so soon. But I know with God all things are possible. I am a little nervous not only is my little girl starting 5th grade but BW is starting his preschool program too! He is excited, thinks he is a very big boy now. He will be like sissy. All this new curriculum we are trying this year has a lot of hands on activities, which we are looking forward to. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break and I will keep you guys posted about our school year.

Great Recipe

2009-06-10T01:23:00.002-04:00

I found this recipe over at abbysweets.blogspot.com and let me just say it is absolutely delish!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix by hand and pour in 13 x 9 greased baking pan.

1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Mix and pour over cake batter. Swirl into batter with knife.

Bake @ 325 for 40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 – 15 minutes before icing.

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp milk

Pour over warm cake

Homeschool Conference

2009-05-26T10:08:00.003-04:00

I went to the homeschool conference on Friday, dragged my mom with me so I wouldn't be by myself. Thank goodness I did, it was just a little overwhelming(sp?) Let me start by saying we parked at the fairgrounds and was going to take the shuttle bus to the convention center,I was expecting to see a little short bus. Not so, we got there and the shuttle bus was like a greyhound bus. Yes this big. Get to the conference and go to the book fair...as soon as I walked in I was like oh my gosh where do I start. 98 vendors to go through and let me say we were there for 5 hours and only attended the book fair, no workshops. I had every intention on going to some of the vendor workshops but no time. I had so much fun and came home with all of our curriculum for next year except for science. And I will definitely be going back next year. So here is how it all plays out for next year:

BW: Heart of Dakota-Little Hands to Heaven

Bryanna: Heart of Dakota-Preparing Hearts for His Glory(History/Bible)
Rod and Staff (English)
Math U See
I also bought a Charlottes Web Study Guide that we will start for reading at the first of the school year.

Mothers Day and....

2009-05-08T10:27:00.009-04:00

It has been a while since I posted but we have been really busy. School is officially over and I have been searching for all new curriculum for next year. I think I have pretty much narrowed it down to a couple of things. Getting excited about the new school year starting. On the other hand Mothers Day is Sunday and it will be a year since my dad passed away. What a mothers day to have right? I well all of my family has had a hard week knowing this is coming up. Wow the time has passed so fast, but sometimes I still think he will be home for the weekend from work. Sometimes it still does not even seem real. I miss him so badly, but at the same time I remember the early morning phone call I got from my mom the last night my dad was home and he was yelling cause he was in so much pain, and it feels so good to know he is not in pain anymore. I wouldn't take him back in that shape that is for sure. I think one of the best parts is knowing that I will see him again in heaven. And through all that dad went through one thing that sticks in my head that he said to us was GOD IS GOOD! And how true is that. Bryan asked me what I wanted for Mothers Day and all I could say was I dont know. I am having a hard time with this so I ask that each of you to please pray for me and my family especially my mom as this is weighing hard on her as well. Let me just say something about my mom. I am sure we all think we have the best mom in the world. But my mom is just awesome. I love her dearly and couldnt have asked for a better mom to have. She is such a strong, caring, compassionate and loving lady. So to my mom and each of you ladies I wish you all a Happy Mothers Day!

Chick fil-A

2009-04-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

I seen this over at Savvy Little Women and thought it was funny, so I thought I would share it with you.

An Update.....Well, Rambling

2009-04-14T10:22:00.003-04:00

Well we have gotten testing out of the way and Bryanna did really well. Bryanna really liked the way she was tested and how things went. We will definitely be using Greg again. I was very proud of her and you know after she tested I felt like I had accomplished something this year. Sometimes you feel like are they learning anything? But this test really helps you see how they are doing. My sister also had a procedure done on her heart and they are 95% sure that they have fixed her problem and hopefully she will not have anymore issues there. God is so good to us. So now we have about 16 days left of school and might I add they will be lazy days. We are not doing much, there are a few things I want to finish up and we are going to incorporate some fun things as well. There is a homeschool conference coming up and I am very excited about that. I hope to get all of the kids curriculum picked out. BW will be starting a preschool curriculum in the fall. He is showing interest in school, thank goodness. I am just trying to figure out how I am going to school 2 kids. But it will all work out.

Corduroy

2009-04-02T11:09:00.002-04:00

BW has shown a lot of interest in reading lately, so recently we read "Corduroy" and "A Pocket for Corduroy". Bryanna is really to old to read little books like these but I try to involve them in the some of the same things. After the first book we made these Corduroy bears and added the green overalls and buttons. It wasn't until we read "A Pocket for Corduroy" when we added his little purple pocket and the piece of paper with his name on it. The kids had a great time with this. Crafts are just so much fun to do and the kids enjoy them so much.

BW's Corduroy is on the left, Bryanna's is on the right.

Whats going on at the Kennedy house?

2009-03-26T14:56:00.003-04:00

So what has been going on at our house. Lets see where to begin. Well we had an unexpected death within our family. The kids and I have all been sick with some awful stuff. BW pulled a muscle in his neck. We have been busy helping my mom the past couple of months doing some work on her house. And most importantly we have been trying to do as much school work as possible.

School has been going really good. BW is showing more interest in wanting to do school work too. This is making life as a teacher much easier. We have testing coming up in 13 days, yes 13 days. I am a little nervous being our first year, I just hope we have covered everything that we need to at this point. I am also starting to check out curriculum for next year. Thinking of checking out some new curriculum for next year. Also trying to figure out where I want to start with BW. He will be 5 in November, not in Kindergarten according to the public schools. But I am thinking of starting him in to some more in depth preschool and start working on reading with him. Reading he is showing a lot of interest in. As for Bryanna I think she needs a different Math one that is more hands on maybe if I can find this. The Language Arts that I used this year was good but I didnt feel as if there was enough grammar work for her. As for history, science, and bible I am thinking of trying something new. I like to try new things. Maybe when I make my decision that will be another post.

I have some difficult upcoming days ahead for me. First, on the day she will be tested will be one year since we found out about dad having cancer. A month and 3 days later will be 1 year since he passed away. God has blessed us so much in the past year even with my dads passing. It has been so hard and sometimes it seems as if he is still working out of town and he will be home on Friday and then he is not there. But one thing is for sure I know exactly where he is and that is heaven with his Lord and Savior. One thing my dad said that I remember always is he said "God is good" and how right is he!!

This is a lot of different subjects, hopefully you didnt get lost in the whole post.

Bubba's New Haircut

2009-03-07T20:33:00.002-05:00

We took Bubba to be groomed today and we were so excited with how he looked when we picked him up. She put this cute little St. Patrick's Day bandanna.

A Giveaway!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-02T12:15:00.004-05:00

The Farm Chicks are hosting a giveaway. Head over there and sign up for this yourself!!

The Family by BW Kennedy

2009-02-27T20:30:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-04T10:33:00.002-05:00

Doctor Visits

2009-02-02T10:15:00.006-05:00

Last Thursday the kids had their annual appointments to the doctor. They have grown so much, BW is now ready for a booster seat and he was so excited. Everything seem to check out well. The only thing we have to move further with is Bryannas eyes. The eye test they did on her showed that she would need glasses for distance as well as reading. I thought, it hadnt been a year yet since she got the reading glasses, but we have made an appointment with the eye doctor for the 10th.

Also we can keep Bryanna off of the asthma medicines unless she starts showing signs of a cold and then she would have to go back on them. The other thing we have to watch is how her breathing does when she does a lot of playing if this seems bad she will have to go back on the meds as well.

When I looked at their growing charts and seen how much they have grown since they were babies it makes me want to cry. BW has pretty much stayed at the top of his chart and Bryanna started way down on the chart, a mere 3 lbs 5 oz when we brought her home and now at the top of her chart. We just have so much to be thankful for and I thank God for my children and for allowing me to be home with them and teach them.

Moms Birthday

2009-01-26T09:50:00.009-05:00

I am about a week in posting this but I wanted to tell all my bloggy friends what we did for moms birthday. Moms birthday was on the 16th, let me back up and say my dads birthday was on the 12th, so this was an extremely hard week for us especially my mom. Anyway my brother, my sister and I got together and talked about what we wanted to do for her birthday. We wanted to do something special for her. So my brother who lives 2 hours away said he would rather us come down there. I called my mom and said "Mom I want to go see Ricky and I dont know how to get there so you will have to go with me." And guess what it worked. My sister and grandma and the kids went on down about lunch time that Saturday and mom and I left later. We got there and my sisters vehicle was hidden and I made her go in the house first and boy was she surprised. We had dinner and cake and ice cream and a good time of fellowship together. It made her feel so good and she had a wonderful time. Before we left we took some pictures with her so I thought I would post some of them today.

mom and my grandma

mom and all her beautiful grandchildren

Me and mom

Beautiful Christian Sister

2009-01-16T16:34:00.003-05:00

So I didnt really have anything to post about so I thought I would post this poem I received in an email a while back.

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin,'
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does... but beautiful is just plain beautiful!