The Grandchildren

Here is a picture of our grandchildren. Jessica has three beautiful babes this Christmas. Ciara, Maddison and little Isaiah. Now this is what we would like to find under our Christmas tree!

Giggles and Gingerbread

Yesterday we had much fun going to a Christmas play "Madelline's Christmas" and then we headed to our cousin's house to make Gingerbread houses. My wonderful sister in law makes these cute houses from her own pattern. The kids all had such fun decorating them in all sorts of design's. Their family makes dozen's of these and then passes them out to their neighbor's each year as a Merry Christmas. C-Sunshine and K-Doodle got to bring their own design home to show off and eat at their own pace. They might even share. :)

This is C-Sunshine's Gingerbread cutie!

This is K-Doodle's creation!

It has been cool here and feels like Christmas. There was even a springling of snow yesterday when we got to Alabama. How exciting! It didn't last though. Praying for a white Christmas, I miss the snow!

The Family Christmas Picture

We are in the beginning of Advent here at the Pappa house and busy decking the halls and planning the family holiday calendar. We have decided to stay home this year and let the grandparents come visit us! Looking forward to being home and enjoying the season. While Amber was home from college for Thanksgiving, we took a family photo for our Christmas card.
Although they are not in the picture...we don't want to forget our daughter Jessica, her husband Derek and our three precious grandbabies! Hopefully she will send me a picture soon and I will post. Merry Christmas!

Fall Happenings around Here

We have been busy this fall. I have taken a break from blogging to get into some kind of grove in schooling both girls and adjusting to life in our new home. Well, I think that we have found a good rhythm for our days although I am still working on housekeeping schedule that will work. We do spend many afternoon's out of the house which is not leaving enough time to get all the work done. I will be revising the girl's responsibilities and adding where I can to get things manageable.

I am also recovering from an injury during an overzealous attempt to get fit. WARNING - if you are over 40, don't attempt to do things full throttle that you haven't done in ten years! I have to go to physical therapy a couple times of week and by the end of the day, I basically can't move. So, if the work isn't done by dinnertime, it ain't gettin' done. :)

Here's a peek into what we have been up to...........

We took our new puppy Lucy to the Blessing of the Animals at our Parish. It was the first time that we have ever attended one of these Blessings and it was very sweet. Lucy took her Blessings with such grace. She was one of the smallest dogs there and scared to death! That is probably why she was so satisfied just being held the whole time.












Afterward, the girls made smores with their Dad in our big backyard! If you remember, we use to have a yard the size of a postage stamp. :)

C-Sunshine made her first full meal for the family totally by herself! She found the recipe, made her shopping list, did the shopping and came home and cooked. I did help with draining the noodles, etc.. but she did all the work. It looked and.........
and tasted very yummy! I was very proud of my little chef.


We went to see Disney on Ice "Celebrations" with our homeschool group and got to take along our cousins! It was a lot of fun.

We got to go on a canoe ride with Dad at a fall festival at Cochran Mill Farm.
We have more to post, but it will have to wait until another day. Much to do!

It's been a while....

It has been some time since my last post and much has been goin' on! We have moved into a new house, went for a wonderful vacation in the Outerbanks of North Carolina and started our new homeschool year. We were very fortunate to spend a lot of time with "both sides" of the family this summer. It was a lot of fun, but the days of summer are officially over and we have hit the books once again. We will post more about homeschooling later.

For now we would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. Little Lucy Lou!
After lots of debate and lots of research we decided to get a miniature dachshund. And she is the perfect fit. Everyone just loves her.l...including Dad!

I look forward to posting some during the fall and the holidays to come. The post might be a bit short, but I will try and stay in touch. Peace be with you.

What I have been thinkin' bout...

Well I sit here yet again pondering the upcoming school year. As the summer is drawing closer to an end, I feel the panic settling in. Our learning room is full of half emptied boxes and my lesson planning book beckons, but is unanswered. Trying to find the time to finish unpacking the house, enjoy a family vacation and finish up lesson plans for the school year will be on the top of my priority list in the weeks to come. Because K-Doodle is going to be part of Georgia's Virtual Academy this year, we actually have an official start date for the first time. August 17th. I am not sure I like that. Someone else telling me what day to start. That coupled with the fact that it is the DAY after we return from vacation with Pat's family.

I still have not found my camera cord to upload photo's. When I do, I promise to publish those photo's. It's in one of these boxes somewhere...........

Blessings to you all.

Happy 10th Birthday to Our C-Sunshine!

I can not believe that it has been ten years since C-Sunshine entered our world. She is such a gift from God and we thank Him everyday for her. Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Learning Room Inspiration

Cruising through some of my favorite blogs, I came across Jen's post about her Learning Room. Talk about the Wow factor! Such organization, it's a homeschool mom's "dream room"! I think I am going to use her room as a blue print of sorts for our new learning room. We will be in a 'bonus room' with no closets. I might have to take a second look at the dining room! :)

We are still in the throws of our move. I will post photo's again soon.

Summer Fun at the "New" house

Here C-Sunshine is painting inside her closet. She is so excited to have a "walk-in". She chose her room color - Tiffany Blue!

K-Doodle is busy painting her new bedroom "pink" with her Daddy. They have been busy trying to get the room ready before the carpet arrives.

It's Official - The papers are signed!

Well, the paperwork is done and we have a move-in date! We will officially move in just after the fourth of July. The carpet is going in on Thursday and we will move in shortly after. We will be spending the fourth of July at the Lake with my family. The new yard needs a lot of TLC, but Pat is up for the task. I think he is just excited about "having" a yard again. So are the girls! They have already been riding their scooters around on the long driveway. The house sits on 1.6 acres with lots of woods (and ticks) in the back so there will be lots to explore.

We will keep you posted with updates and photos as things progress. I just can't wait to just "be settled"! I have lots of organizing to do before the new school year. Take care.

16 Years and Going Strong!

Happy Anniversary to my "hubby" Patrick

Fun at the Lake with Nanny and G-Dad

Amber came to visit us from college. We were so excited to see her!

C-Sunshine and her cousin Amy 'hammin' it up on the Lake.

K-Doodle with cuz Beth about to take off.

Some Cousin Fun!

On the Move

On the move again. We are buying a house in Newnan and will be moving closer to Pat's job. He will only be seven miles away from work, but we will be about 20 miles away from the place we have gotten use to. Oh well, we have done this before and here we go again! Hopefully when we get a "real" house and not a rental, the family can finally settle in for good. And I can put things away, not to have to drag them out and pack them again.

We have already given our notice on our rental and they have put up the "for sale" sign out front. This has caused us to be on "Tidy Patrol" and is making us leave at a moments notice for a showing. Not my favorite thing. But, if the end result is to be settled, then it is well worth it. Each time I have to pack up this house, I realize how much junk we have in our lives. And the amount of books is incredible! But, homeschooling takes books.

I will try and be more diligent about updating our blog over the summer. K-Doodle is done with school and C-Sunshine is almost done with Math to do over the summer. Still thinking about curriculum for next year and will be posting what I am thinking, as I Think It!

Have a great weekend!

Looking towards the 2009/2010 School Year

As usual for this time of year, my thoughts have turned towards the next school year. With the arrival of all those catalogs and the scheduling of home school conventions, I can fight the will to plan, plan, plan for next year! Someone stop me!

In Georgia, we have a virtual academy that is available and I have been seriously considering giving it a try. It uses the K12 curriculum, but you have to deal with school control. You oversee the education, but have to abide by the school schedule, rules, etc... I am not sure that I can do that! That said, this is what I have planned for our homeschool staying as is. A HOME school.

What I am thinking:

Our 2009/2010 School Year

C-Sunshine – Fourth Grade

Language Arts

Language lessons for the Elementary Child – Book 1

with Language of God – Book C

Spelling Wisdom

Handwriting without Tears – Can Do Cursive

or Copywork

Explode the Code – Book 8

Math

Saxon Math 5/4 with Dive CD, moving into 6/5

Geography/History

Mapskills – Book D

Georgia Dailies – GA History

American History – Read A Alouds with Mom

History Notebooking

Science

Apologia – Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (includes notebooking) or Switched On Schoolhouse 4th Grade

My Nature Journal with lots of nature study outside

Art

Artistic Pursuits

Picture Art Study - one artist each six weeks – picture study once a week, read about artist’s life briefly during the study.

Music

Piano Lessons

Composer study – one each six weeks – daily exposure, read about the composer life’s briefly during the study.

Foreign Language

Spanish – Power-Glide Junior

K-Doodle – Age 6

Language Arts

Language lessons for the Young Child – Book 2

Phonics Pathways

My First Pets – Phonetic Reader Series

Handwriting without Tears – My Printing Book

Math

Saxon Math 1

Geography/History

Serendipity Unit Study - Countries

The Peachy Georgia Coloring Book – GA History

American History – Read A Alouds with Mom

History Notebooking

Science

Apologia – Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (includes notebooking)

Nature Drawing Notebook with lots of nature study outside

Art

Artistic Pursuits

Picture Art Study - one artist each six weeks – picture study once a week, read about artist’s life briefly during the study. (Using schedule by amblesideonline.org)

Music

Pianimals with Mom

Composer study – one each six weeks – daily exposure, read about the composer life’s briefly during the study. (Using schedule by amblesideonline.org)

Foreign Language

Spanish – Power-Glide Junior

Dance Lessons or Homeschool Gymnastic's Class

Homeschool Girl Scouts

Explorers Home school Coop

Please let me know what you think?

Happy Birthday Amber!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday.....Dear Amber......Happy Birthday to you!
We love you....Happy 22nd!

Renaissance Festival

Yesterday we attended the Renaissance Festival in Fairburn, Georgia. It was a lot larger than I thought it was going to be, and had a lot of educational programs and activities. This is a definite to put on the list of "annual events" for our home school.

King Henry VIII and his court took the time to answer our questions.
There were a lot of jugglers, acrobats and entertainers. The main form of
entertainment since there was no TV or Wii. :)
We got to see an Indies Condor which are almost extinct.
They can have a wing span of ten feet! Wow!
We had a great time and are looking forward to next year.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY April 27th...

Outside my window...
The sun is shining and it promises to be another warm and shiny day in the eighties. We enjoy the warm weather in spring but wonder just how hot it is going to get here in Georgia this summer. What have we gotten ourselves in to? :)
I am thinking...
about what a great time I had this weekend visiting with my parents and how nice it is to finally live close enough to go for a quick visit. I love you Mom!

I am thankful for...

My friend Jennifer who is keeping me grounded. I am also thankful for being able to homeschool my girls and the opportunity to become a decent homemaker. I have struggled with becoming totally dependent on my husband for income....ahem. But, have come to realize that I have been called by God to be at home full time at this season of my life.

From the learning room...
Right now, it's a disaster! We will be doing lots of pick up and put away today. We are studying Native Americans and plan to do fun projects this week. We will be posting those. Getting ready for a homeschool conference this weekend. Yippee!
From the kitchen...
Low-Carb food. We are starting the South Beach Diet today. I will post more about that later.
I am wearing...
PJ's
I am creating...
Nothing at the momemt. A mess?

I am going...
to try and be a great mother this week!
I am reading...
the Bible everyday this week.
I am hoping...
that this week runs smoothly.
I am hearing...
K-Doodle watching PBS and romping around the room.
Around the house...
Organization.
One of my favorite things...
Giggling Girls.
A few plans for the rest of the week:
to park day, homeschool co-op, have skin cancer sugery, gymnastics class, and a homeschool conference this weekend.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...
Don't forget to get your own Simple Woman's Daybook.

Highlights from Easter

We hope you guys had a great Easter week. Here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to.
Some silly girls before the big Easter Egg hunt in our town. Over 5000 eggs and about 60 children. Wow! This was the best hunt we have ever been too. The children were all so kind to each other and took their time. Must be that good ole Southern Charm!

K-Doodle doing some hunting!

C-Sunshine found a lot of eggs!

Some Sisterly Huntin goin' on

C-Sunshine making some Easter Treats.

Dipping some yummy strawberries.

Where have we been?

Please pardon our absence. We are using this time to do a bit of spring cleaning and clearing out the clutter in our lives. We are preparing for a used homeschool curriculum fair (yes, I am finally letting go of some things), preparing our hearts for Easter and doing those things we have been putting off. We are getting ready for some springtime fun with family and new friends. We will be back after Easter.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Easter season. Blessings to you all.

Our Spring Break

We are back from a great Spring break trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We love being only five hours away! Our family REALLY loves the beach, especially my ex-Navy hubby. We had both my parents and my mother-in-law along for the trip, although not all in one condo. We spent time on the beach, at the pool, bike riding, shopping and just enjoying life. It was a well needed and much anticipated vacation.

C-Sunshine enjoying the sun on her face and the breeze through her hair. Can't you just smell the ocean?

K-Doodle in the "surf" trying to jump all those waves. She loved the beach and playing in the ocean until she spied a dead jelly fish! Then it was, "Can we go to the pool?"

This is an alligator we saw sunning himself by the water close to the golf course. There were a lot of alligators around where we stayed. Did you know it's a $1000 fine to feed alligators in SC?

My talented hubby took this photo of a seagull on the beach (as well as all the rest on this post).

We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year. But we did miss our cousins!

Happy Spring!

You Are Kids Playing

You are a free spirited soul. More than anything else, you are often just happy to be alive. You are always laid back and cheerful. You enjoy whatever happens to come your way. You are spontaneous and zany. You're the kind of adult who still runs through the sprinklers. You don't take life too seriously. You try to have fun at all times, even when you're working.

What Part of Spring Are You?

My Shamrock Test

Your Shamrock Says You Are Level-Headed

You are brilliant, analytical, and somewhat of a perfectionist. You are ultra competent and knowledgeable. At times, people find you intimidating. You can be a bit sarcastic and harsh. You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck. You are creative, innovative, and complicated. You definitely have a unique spin on the world.

The Shamrock Personality Test
What Shamrock personality are you? Happy St. Pat's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Prayer of Saint Patrick

Christ be with me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ with me in quiet times
Christ with me in dangerous times
Christ in the hearts of all who love me
Amen

In celebration of the life of Saint Patrick, we will be making a rainbow craft to remind us of God's promise and love for us. We will be having a crock pot Shepherd's Pie for dinner along with Grasshopper Pie for dessert. Wishing all of you a very Happy Saint Patrick's Day!