This Week At Home, 2012, Week 38

Little notes written to remember each precious day!

Monday...

The weather is cool, but it's sunny.  One of my best friends, who has been in California the last few months, is home and invited me to her house for coffee.  It's great to be able to leave the kids a list of lessons to do and a couple chores and know they will be done.  I ended up spending two hours with my friend.  She leaves to go back soon, so I am glad we had that chance.  When I got home, the kids were working hard.  We ate lunch, and then I did my part of the lessons.  After dinner, we went to play disc golf in the beautiful evening's weather.  It's supposed to rain this week, so getting out when the sun shines is important.  We're all improving our disc golf skills as well.  Although, my legs are sore from playing three days in a row !

Looking at our pond samples. 

Putting

Tuesday...

Today is my slow day.  (Ha!)  We got our lessons done in the morning.  Ryan and I looked at his pond water samples under the microscope.  The results will be written up by Ryan and posted soon.  We had lunch, and then got some bread. On the way home, we picked up our neighbor friends and they played for a few hours.   While the kids played, I baked oat bars and muffins. I also worked on laundry today.  Ryan got picked up by my mom after lunch.  It's his turn for a sleep over.  After dinner, we practiced our putting in the back yard.  Jeff has measured off the height of a disc golf basket on the trampoline. It you hit the mark, we count it as having gone in.

   

Kids playing

Wednesday...

Today is my busy day!  We did a full morning of lessons, had lunch, then took books to the library and then dropped Grace off at art.  While she was at art, Trevor and I went to a friend's home for a little visit.  It was nice not having to go back home for the hour. After art, we rested, worked on laundry, dishes, and I worked on this post.  :-)  It's rainy today.  We have AWANA tonight and Ryan will be home soon.

I finally got my paperwork done on time tonight. AWANA has a lot of paperwork!  It helped that two girls were moved to a new table. I'll miss them, but 6 is plenty.  


Thursday...


Started out rainy today.  I was still able to open a window on each level.  The house needed airing out. 

I can tell we are tired today.  Ryan has a lot of catch up work, since he was gone most of two school days.  He's grumpy about it.  I discovered what Trevor's math glitch is today by going back two lessons and reviewing.  I think we are on track again!  Sometimes you just have to back up to go forward!

We have to get food tonight.  It is slim pickings for lunch.  We've been out of eggs for two whole days, too.  *sigh* 


Friday...

TGIF!!!  We're going to finish up some language arts assignments this morning.  I need to run to Khol's to get a new electric kettle.  The one we had stopped working and it is essential to camping, as we use it to heat water to wash dishes.  I also want to bake more oat bars and some corn muffins.  I will be packing, too.  We can't leave until later as this is a work day.  Ryan also needs to finish his lessons with a biology test I need to give and grade.

This weekend, tomorrow actually is my mother-in-law's birthday, so we will be spending time with her to celebrate.  Also, Sunday is a bike tour in Michigan for Jeff and Grace.  The boys and I will be enjoying ourselves at the park.  The weather is supposed to be excellent.  Yay!

Here's a look back at a past trip to the lake...

I can't believe it has been a whole month since we last were there.  I am eager to do some hiking and try out a new disc golf course nearby! 

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jenn

Been Doing a Little Baking

Hello friends.  I was going to post this for Wordless Wednesday, but decided it would not be fair to post yummy pictures without any details! 

What is it that when the fall air turns cooler, I suddenly feel like baking again?  The family rejoices.  I groan because the temptation is usually too great for me and my weight loss stalls or worse!  But, it is fall and I want to bake! 

These pumpkin muffins are a favorite of ours.  I can't recall where I found the recipe.  I liked it because it had the most pumpkin in a recipe that I've ever seen.  The typical recipes just has a bit of pumpkin in them.  These muffins are going camping with us soon. 

Pumpkin Muffins

In a mixing bowl combine:  2 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup of oil (or apple sauce), 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin, and 1 cup white sugar.  To that add:  1 1/2 cups of  whole wheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg. (If I don't have those spices, I substitute cinnamon and ginger.)  Mix.  350 oven for 12-15 minutes.  12 muffins. 

The oat bars are a recipe I found from Lisa at Olive Plants All Around My Table.  They are excellent!  I did add a pinch of salt and a dash of cinnamon to my bars.  And I substituted dates for the raisins, as that is what I had on hand.  I will be making these again, soon, also for camping. 

So, how about you?  Been doing any baking, lately?  

This Week At Home, 2012, No. 37

{Little notes written, to remember each precious day.}

Sunday...

We are up and getting ready around 6AM to make it to the 8 AM service.  I have to admit here that if it were totally up to me, I'd attend a later service, but, then I would not be able to pack so much into my day.  (That's ironic humor, OK?) 

After worship, Ryan, Jeff and I attended our class on sanctification, while the other kiddos were in their age segregated Sunday school classes.  When we are all done, we dash home to change out of our good clothes and into park clothes, because we were off to a park for my family's reunion. 

I love family reunions!  The kids played kick ball with cousins.  Disc golf was also available, although I chose to talk to cousins instead today.  After the reunion, we split up.  Jeff took Trevor back to church for choir practice.  Grace, Mom, and I went to see Grandma, bringing her a Starbuck's chocolate smoothie.  It was a grand day!

Monday...

We are tired!  Lessons must go on, despite our feelings, and we do manage to get a nice morning of work done.  In the afternoon, we had some errands to run.  We need food for I am hosting my bunco group tomorrow.  That also means we need to get busy on the house!

Tuesday...

I set aside the whole day to work on the house and make dinner for my friends.  The 9th grader did his normal school work, while the other two assisted me.  We moved furniture to vacuum.  We searched out spider webs.  We vacuumed under the sofa cushions.  Basically we did all the things we normally put off.  

For dinner I made two types of chili, one with beef and the other with vegetables.  I had cheese, chopped onions, chopped green peppers, sour cream, crackers or corn chips to top the chili as desired.  I also made cornbread.  And a ton of fresh veggies to munch on.  For dessert, I made a peach crisp, served with vanilla ice cream.

My family, who is always excited about me hosting bunco, went bowling and had dinner at Chick-fil-A.  I wish I could have joined them!

In all there ended up being 8 ladies who could attend.  One was sick, another traveling, one at a meeting, and another was busy with her work.  We had a fun evening, just the same.

Friends who bake together....

Wednesday...

I knew today would be busy with getting lessons back on track.  Then Grace's art class was moved to Wednesdays at 12:30.  On the way home from art, we stopped at our neighbor friends and picked up 3 of their kids and brought them home to play here.  Grace and her friend made cupcakes.  The boys played war outside.  I worked on a menu for the coming week.  We enjoyed leftover chili before going off to church.

Tonight, there were 8 girls at my table.  8 girls!!  Last year, I had 4.  I love these girls.  They are so eager to learn God's word.  They are also full of energy.  Unfortunately, I am worn out afterwards, but in a good way!

Thursday...

Ah, sweet Thursday is here!  It's the day I get to stay home and not worry about much else except our lessons, laundry, dishes, and getting food tonight.  I need some down time today, so that is going to be my top priority!  I'll make homemade pizza for dinner with some broccoli slaw on the side.  Jeff and I will drop the kids off at karate and then go to Costco and Trader Joe.

Friday...

Finally, it's Friday!  And today, we have some great plans.  First of all, today is the day we are going to do our pond study for biology.  I'll do a write up of the study next week.  I really enjoyed our walk around the pond.  We even beat the predicted rain.  We also brought our discs to practice our long drives.  With the big open field, a person can fling quite a few discs and not worry about hitting trees or people.    

Tonight is small group at our home.  I need to get the school books put away and bake an apple crisp.  Have a great weekend, my friends! 
~Jenn

WW: Pretty!

Grace picked us another bouquet of flowers.  I love them, so!  I will miss them when the first frost comes.  Until then, we are enjoying them inside and out. 

This Week At Home, 2012, Volume 36

{Little notes written in order to remember each precious day!}

Monday...

We started our lessons a little earlier than usual, hoping to be done before Grandma and her "manfriend" came for lunch.  They were bringing Trevor an old desk that used to belong to Jeff.  In return, we were giving them two bikes the kids have outgrown.  (Yes, our kids are taller than their grandmother and her friend!)  It was a quick exchange, as they had a long drive down and back home.  Still, it was good to see them, to hug them, to see them try out the bikes.  I loved the looks of joy on their faces.  I am so glad they are healthy and able to enjoy their retirement, and make the trip on a beautiful sunny day.  I wish I had thought to take a picture of them.  Oh well.   She also brought me what remains of her 1970's Butterfly Gold Corelle dishes.  I love those things!  I now have parts of three sets, a 90's floral set from a friend's great aunt, some unknown florals from Good Will, and now my mother-in-law's.  All together, I almost have enough.  :-) I'd like a butter dish. 

From the garden

Tuesday...

Another full day.  Lessons went mostly well.  Still there are tears over fractions.  *sigh*  Fortunately, everything else is going smoothly in the home education department.

In the afternoon, the younger two went to their friends' home while Ryan and I ran a birthday errand.  You see, Sunday was my mom's birthday and she was out of town.  I wanted to surprise her, so Ryan and I went to her condo and left the above flowers and a card for her to find when she returns home tomorrow.  We also stopped at Starbucks to enjoy a cold drink together.  It is not often that he and I spend time alone.  It was a grand afternoon, although I know he'd probably rather been editing something on his computer, truth be told.  

In the evening, Grace went to art class.  She was invited to join the afternoon homeschool class beginning next Wednesdays.  I think we will do that.  I would rather have one less evening commitment. 

Red cabbage is ready! 

Wednesday...

It's already Wednesday again.  I am so thankful that I am feeling almost 100% back to normal.

The day started at 5:30 AM, as Jeff has a lot of work to do getting business taxes filed this week.  I was a good wife and got up with him, making him coffee and a good breakfast, too.  I am going to need a nap before AWANA tonight, though.  :-0

Speaking of AWANA, it went well.  I have seven 5th and 6th grade girls.  They all wanted to say so many verses!  After saying their verses, we move to game time which is fun, but crazy.  Lastly, we have chapel time, and the girls find it hard to sit still, even at their ages.

Thursday...

The weather is about to change.  Today is our last warm day of the week, and it only got in the low 80's.  I am so eager for cooler, fall temperatures to stay.

The younger two kids and I went to Costco after lessons. We were able to have a quiet afternoon just working on things that interested us.  Grace and I have been working on a recipe to make homemade Lara Bars.  Have you tried those?  They only have a few ingredients.  I think the homemade ones are really good, but they have a ton of calories, so we can't eat too many at one time.  Self control is being tested for certain! 

Friday...

Because we were in such a good school groove this week, we went right on and did our lessons today.  Normally, we use Friday for a catch up day and a trip to the library.  We didn't need any library books today.  We did need bread, so we made a quick trip to Great Harvest after our lessons and before lunch.  The kids always enjoy being handed a (free) big slice of cinnamon bread.  I usually decline, again, the calories!  Today I was saving them to have a nice gooey grilled cheese on the fresh honey whole wheat bread I bought.

It's nearly 2PM as I write this.  I have a list of things to do to get us ready for our weekend.  Tomorrow, Jeff and Grace will ride in a bike tour.  I will bake a cake and make food for our family reunion on Sunday.  It will be good to see my extended family.  Thankfully the weather is supposed to be wonderful on Sunday, too!

Thanks for taking the time to read about our week!
~Jenn

WW: Disc Golfers

Yes, you do need several discs to play.  Each one has a little different "edge" to it.  Some have no fade.  Some go farther.  Some curve.  It's rather interesting! 

This Week At Home, 2012, Week No. 35

Notes written about our days...

* Just a little side note here to take a moment to talk about why I blog.  I'm a busy homeschooling mom.  I don't have time to blog, but wait!  If I don't record the details of our lives, I will forget them.  So, I make the effort to write down little things that I want to remember, and then I invite others to read them.  That's the weird part!  :-) 

Monday...

It's Labor Day, and Jeff is still with us at home.  I've been on the couch sick with a cold for a few days.  It feels like a full blown sinus infection and I have zero energy, well almost.  I did manage to drag myself into the kitchen to make us a big pan of tasty lasagna.  Really, I am feeling better each day, but not my normal self.

I spent today on the couch reading a great book, French Kids Eat Everything.  That's a whole other topic for another time, but if I could go back in time to do it all over, I'd work harder to have better eaters!  *sigh* 

Life was not all bad today, Jeff and Ryan went out to play 18 holes of disc golf and stopped at the store for more fruit.  We're always out of fruit.  The most exciting part of our day was watching Deep Space Nine episodes.  The house is starting to get on my nerves, too.  No one is interested in cleaning, least of all me. I think I have the end of vacation blues setting in... 

Tuesday...

It's time to get us all back to work.  Jeff is missed today.  I am feeling better, able to do what I need to do, but still gravitating to the couch when those things are done. I feel so weak and am congested. 

The kids and I do a full load of our lessons.  I am so thankful that we can jump back into our work without much fuss.  Plus, they are super motivated today.  They want their two friends to come over when they are done.  That also gets me housekeeping minions.  The younger two spend an hour getting the house dusted, vacuumed, and tidy.  I direct from the couch.  

Grace resumes art class tonight.  I'm excited to see what this season brings.  I enjoyed all she made last year. 

Disc golfer! 

Wednesday...

Woke up feeling much the same as yesterday, yucky, so I decided to haul myself to the doctor.  Since I've not been sick long enough, there was nothing he could do.  I wore myself out for nothing.  I should have known better.  I usually wait it out, but I didn't feel like waiting longer.  Oh well.  On the way home, I got us bread, which we were out of, and picked up a library book hold for the kids' schooling.  Back at home, I decided to heed my doctor's advice and lay low, including not going to AWANA, which I hated because our crew is light this year.  We have 7 girls each!  We don't even all fit at the table. 

Our camping trip for the weekend with our small group was canceled today.  The weather is going to be rainy at the park we chose.  Bummer.  We need the rain, so I won't complain, too much, although, we did get 3/8ths of an inch already today!  It was a beautiful rain, much appreciated.

Thursday...

Another book came available, this time for me, so I went back to the library between morning lessons and lunch.  I figured this way I'd have something to read this afternoon while resting.  I feel better, but get exhausted easily, so I spent a lot of time reading this afternoon.  I am surprised that I got the book at all as it was just released this week.  I must have been first on the list at the library!  More about the book later. So far I like it and find it inspiring. 

Tonight is karate for the kids and Jeff is going to get groceries for us.  He's such a great guy.  (Thank you, Honey!) 

How does she sleep like this? 

Ryan in his usual posture. 

Friday...

It's Friday!!!  We made it through this rougher, but short week.  I feel almost human again, too.  Yay!  We don't normally do lessons on Friday, but since we were off on Monday, we need this school day to count. 

Let's talk school a moment.  For one, I am happy with attitudes, mostly.  There are still tears with math from the 7th grader.  But for the most part, everyone is doing a good job having happy hearts. 

We started two good books this week, Out of Many Waters and The King's Fifth.  I read Out of Many Waters aloud in the morning and we all listen to the audio CD of The King's Fifth in the evening. 

All this great reading got me to thinking about my own childhood.  I loved books and was always reading, but I don't remember reading books like the ones we are reading, living books.  In school, we didn't read a lot of books.  The books I chose for pleasure reading would not stand the test of time, except the Little House series.  Textbooks and workbooks were my steady educational diet.  (Boring!)  I love the literature that we are devouring these days. 

A battle from Trevor

Well, it's been a week, that's for certain.  I am thankful for so many things this week, a husband who takes care of us, kids who can help when needed, the freedom to rest when I needed, and a body that can heal itself! 

Until next time,
Jenn

WW: Last Chance Water Fun