~Still Keeping Busy~

Ok, so here is what I've been doing...while waiting!

I finished sewing the blocks for my quilt. I am going to pack it up for now. I'm thinking about how I want to embelish it before I sew it all together!

I've been crocheting the Crazy Stitch (I think that is what is it called). I need to get 100% cotton in another color...but this is what I have so far...

Today, I learned how to make a granny square! It is fun going around and around!

Other things I've been doing...

~We tried our homemade pickles...everyone agrees...YUM! A must for next year!

~Keeping up with real life stuff...haircuts, bills, laundry etc.

If this baby doesn't come tonight...I think I am going to try to make French Bread tomorrow.

I will TRY to be patient until Thursday...If the baby doesn't come by then, I have to go back to the doctor for an exam, ultrasound, and non stress test early Friday. I hate to have to go through that, so bring on the baby!

~Rainy Day Play~

We have had a very wet summer, but not a real nice rainy day...until today. I decided to change around our schedule to suit the mood of the day. Here is what we did...

Ate breakfast, completed chores, played matchbox cars (with the windows open and the sound of the rain in the background!)

Made a black bottom banana cream pie for tonight and banana bread for breakfast on Sunday.

Played puppets...

Made collages...

Got dressed (yes, at 11:30 am!) and headed out for some last minute weekend groceries...

Ate lunch, the boys made funny faces on the magazines we didn't use earlier in the day while I made yogurt...

Watched a movie...

While packaging my tissue gifts...

Took a nap:-)

Woke up feeling like another nap...but ate a peach instead...

Checked on my blog friends and started supper. We will be heading out for special services at our church tonight. I'll drink another mug of honey and lemon and hopefully, get to bed at a good time.

Sometimes, rainy days are wonderful!

Happy Weekend!

~Keeping Busy~

I'm feeling much better!

I gave the boys a day off of school yesterday! I had another doctor appointment and didn't feel like trying to fit everything in. I had some fun projects I wanted to get to as well!

So, here is how I kept busy yesterday...

I am planning on giving these tissue holders to the wonderful nurses that take care of me! Oh, and don't forget those that deliver those yummy meals! Monica did this when she had her little boy and I thought it was such a great idea!

I'm hoping to buy some tissues today and stuff them, tie them with a tract and put them all in a pretty basket. I wasn't sure how many to make, so I just kept at it! I think 21 should do:-)

~Chai Tea~

I am sipping some of this right now...



It seems I have caught a whopper of a summer cold. I woke up Tuesday with a sore throat and Wednesday brought the runny nose and coughing (coughing at 9 months is not pleasant). I have been drinking hot tea and lemon and honey...trying to get some extra rest as well. Can't imagine going into labor feeling like this.


Anyway, I've heard so much about Chai Tea on the net that I had to try it. I do like spiced tea. My favorite hot tea is still Chamomile but this is good.


So, my idea of Chai tea was so/so...until I took a detour through the grocery store the other week I found this...

O MY IS THIS SO YUMMY!

It is a little pricey to purchase more often than once in a long while, but WOW, YUM! I have three packs stashed away for "special occasions"!

Anyone have a favorite brand of Chai I should try?!?!?

My boys are taking good care of me...keeping quiet and offering to help...making this mom smile, even when I feel bad.

It is now Thursday and I feel much bettter...still sound sick, but feel better:-)

~Fast Food~

I have been using one of these...

I am totally new to pressure cooking so this is yet another learning curve for me this year! Not only do they cook healthy food fast...you save on electric and your kitchen doesn't heat up!

Last night we had Beef BBQ...in one hour! The beef was even a little frozen still. You start cooking on high...until the pressure rises. Then you turn it down to medium heat and keep turning it down. The last half hour my stovetop was only on the 2nd heat setting!

I've cooked soup, chili, mashed potatoes, beans (you don't even need to soak overnight!), and chicken. Everything cooks fast and doesn't dry out because all the liquid is sealed into the pot. I still have a lot to learn as I transfer some crockpot and oven recipes over to the pressure cooker, but I have been so pleased!

~Soap 'n Stuff~

I almost forgot to tell you...

I did fit my soapmaking in on August 1st! It was easier than I thought and it has been curring in my room for the past number of weeks. After this Saturday, I can give it a try!!!

These "drying racks" were made a number of years ago...we went to a beach that was known for fossilized shark teeth and we used these as screens! Totally off topic...but we found lots of teeth. Can't wait to try it again with the boys being older! Anway, they work great for the soap!

I've also been using a shampoo bar instead of regular shampoo/conditioner. I was a little intimidated by going "poo free" and thought this a good alternative. So far (3 weeks into it) I really like it. Way easy, no conditioner...and no knots! I have my eyes set on this website and their shampoo bars. I should try just using baking soda...maybe I'll make my own...I found a recipe on line. I have used a vinegar rinse once a week...contrary to what is said, I can smell it even after my hair dries if I don't do a rinse.

`

Lastly, I've been using my own laundry detergent for several months. I have tried both powder and liquid. Again, there are many, many online recipes to try. It doesn't take long to make a batch, and it last for awhile...even with my laundry pile! I have had to rewash a few things (boys play clothes can be a challenge!) but everything else has been clean and fresh smelling.

`

Chemical free? Not yet, but making great strides!

~Happy 11th Birthday~

It is hard to believe my oldest boy is now 11!!!! My, how time flies! We celebrated his birthday on Saturday...they love for dad to be home:-) Jordan requested big, juicy hamburgers, potato salad and chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. He enjoyed a lot of time racing too.

It was fun watching his younger brothers make him gifts this past week. Everything was their idea...I never mentioned a thing! I didn't even help them! Jared helped Nathan make this "pig":-) He also got other treasures from his other brothers...all homemade. And, thankfully, he appreciated everyones efforts.

Jordan is now 5'1"! (we measure them on their birthdays)...he grew three inches this year...a normal pace for him.

Our prayer is that he will continue to grow...in wisdom, in stature, in favor with God, and in favor with man. We don't have too many more years to shape our arrow before sending him out...but lets not talk about that yet!

~Did I, Am I, Will I~

This verse was brought out in our Sunday Morning service. It will be challenging me all week...

"I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the

work which You have given Me to do." John 17:4

`

Have I been glorifying God????...am I right now???...will I in the future???? How many times do I *think* I'm glorifying God, when my actual goal is to glorify myself? Yikes! Don't want to answer that one!

Have I accomplished the work????...am I accomplishing the work???...will I strive to accomplished the tasks He has for me??? How many opportunies have I walked right past thinking they were interruptions? How long will it take me to realize His work looks different than I think? If I am accomplishing "the work" is it with the right attitude!?!?!

I hope you all had a good and thought provoking Sunday!

~I couldn't wait~

Remember the great deal I got on this fabric...well, I couldn't wait! I decided I didn't want to clean ceiling fans or clean out under the kitchen sink today...this seemed like a better project:-) I got all the pieces cut out...



Here is a sneak peek of what the blocks are going to look like...

OOOOOhhhh, fun fun! This will keep me busy til this baby decides to come!

~My Boys~

Jordan 11 yrs

Jared 9 years

Aaron 6 1/2 years

Eric 4 1/2 years

Nathan 2 1/2 years

My Little Army:-)

I decided to take their portaits with their race cars this year. It is such a big part of their life right now! They just felt bad for Nathan...he had to sit with the flowers:-)

~Baby Bump~

Not much longer now!

~Moving Right Along~

Cut Fingernails...

...paid bills...

...made one last trip to the grocery store...

...made food list for whoever is here (so they know what's available)...

...packed bag...

...charged camera battery...

...took boys bowling one last time...

...finished quilt...

...washed everyone's sheets...

...going to bed!!!!

~Completed Quilt~

A one year project, completely done!!! Whooo hoooo!

Now I just need to hang it up!

~Slowly Progresssing~

I've been finishing up so many little projects around here. Some sewing, some cleaning, some misc things that only people nesting think to do!

Friday I manged to learn a new crochet stitch. Actually it is just a single and a double alternated. I really like it! I am going to be making many, many of these for a nice blanket! I love that I can do this while the boys are reading to me! I am hoping to find more 100% cotton yarn real cheap! Or maybe I'll add it to my Christmas list! I think I will enjoy making something other than dishcloths!

I made a cover for my electric skillet...That had to be done before baby right!?!?!? It sits out and gets dirty very quickly in our dusty house! This way I don't have to wash it before I use it!

Saturday I sewed my quilt top to the batting and bottom...right now I'm working on the handstitching...I hope to be completely done today or tomorrow!!!

I am also finishing up two skirts I started a few months ago! I found skirts to be extra comfy this summer and thought it would be fun to have some for after the baby!

I cleaned cob web's off the ceilings, I had Aaron take apart a fan so I could clean it, I did some straightening outside...I have cleaned all the carpets at least once this summer and the boys just washed the floors for me again. My canning stuff is all put away too!

I am almost done taking all the boy's yearly photos. I used to take them at their birthday...but I think it will be easier to do them all at once when the weather is nice!

What I have left is some hair trimmings (I did cuts not too long ago, but they need trimmed around their ears) and I need to groom the dogs. I need to cut some boy fingernails too! Then there is working ahead paying the bills and the church bulletin...I need to make a list for whoever is watching the boys. I can't forget to pack my bag and tha baby's bag. We need to dig out the carseat and finalize names! Oh yeah, charge camera batteries is a must do! Make an extra batch of laundry detergent and granola. Maybe clean a ceiling fan or two! Lots of little things this week! It sure adds up! I may even try to take the boys bowling one last time!

I'll keep you posted:-)

~Baby Update~

Well, I had a six hour bout with contractions on Monday. Nothing unusual for me to start getting ready two weeks early. Tuesday morning I felt like I had dropped...my mom had stopped by and said I looked like I had dropped. I went to my appointment this morning and sure enough...the baby dropped! One step closer!

Officially, I have two weeks from tomorrow! But don't worry if you don't hear from me...I am normally a little late...that is why my baby counter says three weeks:-)

Anyway, I have started putting away maternity clothes and getting out my real clothes!!!! I got out our pack n play's. I even bought some diapers!!! I do need to pack my/babies bag.

After struggling with keeping up yesterday, I decided this is my last week gardening, cooking, and canning. I may even take off school tomorrow to start cleaning one last time. My body is ready to rest and I am going to listen! Nathan has been a little more clingy and Eric seems to want a little more mom time as well. I will be trying to enjoy the next few weeks with my young men as we play the waiting game!

Tomorrow, we park ourselves by the sandbox!

~More Chickens~

Isn't this just the cutest chicken....


Oh, wait! These are the chickens...(with some boys mixed in!)



We picked up ten Brown Sex Link chickens last Tuesday night...The boys really like these birds! They are very friendly.

Gregg went to get a cage for them on Saturday morning. He came home with not only a cage but a house and three more Brown Sex Links! What a surprise! We bought the cage used and didn't realize they had chickens in it that they needed to get rid of! God surley provides!

The ten chickens will start laying in the next few weeks...the three are already laying!

Check out these eggs!


Left is Bantam (our first three chickens)
Middle is Large store bought egg
Right is from our new Brown Sex link! Wow! Big eggs!


I think 16 chickens are just too many for us to watch over! We will probably be getting rid of our origional three. Back to the Farmers Market they go!

~Just Peachy~

Yesterday, I went over to our local fruit farm and got two baskets of peaches...
Today I...

ate three

served 10

canned 8 quarts

and made 6 pints of jam

Tomorrow, more of the same:-) YUM!

~Meteor Shower Tomorrow~

It has been some time since we have gazed into the skies at night. I can't wait for the meteor shower tomorrow! It is still nice and warm out but is getting dark earlier so this one I can comforitably enjoy!

Here is a link to the Homeschool Freebie of the Day...they have links to different places with viewing guides...I'm off to check them out!

~More Icy Treats~

It is supposed to be a hot week around here...I'm keeping these ideas in mind:-)

Keeping it Simple shared this yummy Frosty recipe...I put a whole tray of ice cubes in it (I like it with a little less sugar as well). My boys love it more than the "real" frosty! This is a dangerous recipe...all the ingredients are always in my kitchen...no scooping ice cream...it uses dried milk and ice.

Joyous Notions shared this yummy Vanilla Bean Frappuccino recipe. Instead of vanilla ice cream I used mocha.

Me and my sweet tooth are keeping cool and happy!

~Back to School - Day 5~

Ahhhh, we just finished up our first week of school. It wasn't too bad...


We also fit in a trip to the dentist, a checkup for me, some swimming and a few naps! We did not complete everything on the schedule, but that's ok...we like to start a little slow!


The last thing I wanted to share with you is my brain...hehe.

Last year, I got rid of it...I found I really do need it! Mom's notebook is divided into sections for each boy...one calendar section and one reading list section. I got really behind in this last year. I kept having to fudge Jared's calendar...I knew we accomplished things, just not on what day!

The calender is more of a checkoff sheet. If we do things five days a week, there are five boxes. If we only do them three times, there are only three boxes. There is a box on the bottom for misc info.

I divide the reading lists into...Reading (fun stuff), History, and Science so at the end of the year, I can just put them in the right section of the boys portfolio!

Right now, my binder is just white...I'm hoping to scrapbook a nice cover:-) I also have my own pencil in there...It is pink and has hearts...no one is going to steal it!

I've have some fun updates for you next week...I'm still keeping busy!

Happy weekend to you all!

~Back to School - Day 4~

Here is something new for this year...kind of!

We tried doing a notebook timeline last year...tried is the key word. Jordan cut out the figures each week and glued them to pages in a book. It just didn't work for us. One thing that made it hard was we were in "BC" he just kept getting confused with the whole counting backwards thing. We also tried to put too many on a page. They were so smooshed that you really couldn't see what was going on. The third thing was that it was in a notebook. It was accordian style so we could stretch it out and see the progression, but we didn't do that...we just put the new people in and put it away! About half way through the year, we ditched the idea! The freedom to make choices...priceless:-)

I decided to try again this year. I have labeled poster board...and I am going to get it laminated...one little spill the the whole thing is trash if I don't!

It is neat to see one big empty space...and wonder what we are going to be learning about! Starting with 25 AD and ending with 1450 BC.

We are using timeline figures from History through the Ages...I really like this set and have used it for SOOOO many things. You can print notebook size, wall size or your own size...You can print with or without text as well! I also like their Time Travelers and Activity Packs!

We are going through the second Mystery of History book. The boys enjoyed the first book last year. Less info than we were going through before (Usborne books) but they retained more of it.

~YUM~

Just had to share this yummy dessert! Thanks to Make it and Love it!

If you like those orange cream popsicles...you will love this!

The two things I changed were...

~ I didn't measure the sherbet...I just used one container...next time I would use one container for the top and one for the bottom! (I have a small army to feed remember!)

~I used a 9 x 13 pan

I have been loving anything cold...icecream, smoothies, frosties, iced coffee, icecream cake...you get the picture:-) This is at the top of the yum list!

~Back to School - Day 3~

Our school stuff fits in here...

This is in the corner of the dinning room

For several years, we had school in a school room. The little guys played in the play room...which I could see at all times. Last year, that just wasn't going to work. I love the 12' counter with everyone having their own workspace, but with teaching three at once, we really needed to sit together.

We migrated to the living/dinning room. I still wanted to be able to "put school away" so we purchased this filing cabinet. This is how I have it organized.

Top drawer...art supplies and small stuff...glue sticks, pens, markers, dry earse markers, paint, paper clips, tape, etc. (I put it in the top drawer so the little guys can't get to it!)

2nd drawer...school books...I have hanging folders in there for each subject and the teacher books and boys books all go in there. Often, in the morning, I will pull out all the books we will be using that day and once they are all put away...we are done!

3rd drawer...other supplies...white, colored and lined paper, sheet protectors, folders, stickers, activity bags for the younger two. I also keep an "idea" folder for us to do "someday." I try to go through that every couple weeks...normally I can find something that fits right in with what we are studying!

4th drawer...folders...as the boys finish with a workbook page or printout they simply put it in their folder in the bottom drawer. Once a week (or so) we file them in the portfolios. It is so easy to get behind in this area! and I found this system to work very well for us last year.

Top...tissues, scissors, colored pencils, pencils, clip boards. All this gets put on the table in the morning, and put back when we are done. Again, the little guys can't reach it!

Everything is close by, but can be cleaned up very quickly!

~A Little of This...A Little of That~

I finally had a free moment to venture up to the garden...

I found a little bit of everything ready! Isn't it so pretty!

I was disappointed that almost all the pickles were rotting and the green beans were all dried up. My tomatoes are also looking odd. Like they have stretch marks...not enough water maybe!?!? Maybe too much!??! It sure is a good thing I don't have to survive on this! Always learning a little more:-)

~Back to School - Day 2~

Our first day of school went well! Here is my next fun find...
Math...gotta start math on time...or you'll be doing it all summer! My younger boys use Saxon Math. Jordan started using Teaching Textbooks last year and I loved it! No grading math papers for me!!! The math program is on a CD and Jordan just goes and does his math...it is graded...and I don't do a thing!!! Unless he needs some help:-)

I was struggling with "teaching" everyone everything and then checking their work. Checking math was not a priority for me and Jordan's math scores showed it. Math was an easy one to pass off on someone else with this program. The teacher on the CD explains everything...you can listen over and over and the teacher never gets frusterated! Imagine that! Not only is this easier on Jordan and I...his math scores went up!

~Back to School - Day 1~

*Sigh*...can you believe it's that time of year again! I am no more excited than the boys...*another longer sigh*!

It is our habit to start school on the first Monday of August. I am always glad to be done early in May...but this year I could have used a few more weeks off. I am planning on taking about 3 weeks off after baby:-)!!!!!! That will be a welcome break!

Anyway, since I am busy getting back into our school routine...I thought I'd share some of the stuff we have planned for this year! Geography was the most exciting....

Voice of the Martyrs has a childrens magazine called Kids of Courage. They also have activity books that go along with each magazine.

In short, each magazine talks about a different country. Think...maps, flags, food, language, crafts! FREE!!! We already looked through one...and can't wait to start on it for real! The activity books are full color spiral bound and have coloring pages, word puzzles, stories, facts, etc... They do have a $15 fee for those (I got them half price at my homeschool convention) but I am seeing that you can download some of them for free from their website.

They only come out 4 times a year so I bought some back issues to get us through this school year...hoping to do one country a month (7 in a year).

The best part is...we will be seeing these people/countries through God's eyes. Stories of individuals persecuted for Christ's sake!

Our geography book last year was too "pretend" for them...I am sure the boys will really like these stories and projects!

~What Boys do on a Summer Saturday~

This is what the three oldest boys LOVE to do anytime...but Saturday seems to be filled with tunning up, cleaning up and racing! They were clocked at 22 mph! (I tried to upload video...but it didn't work)

This is what I found the two little guys doing after supper...

They learn quickly don't they!

~Quilt Top~

I'm soooo excited to share this with you! The top left block is January...the bottom right block is December.

I ended up not waiting for the final directions on putting the quilt together...I feel like I am limited in my time this month and really would like to get this done before the baby arrives!

I wasn't liking how the blocks were all so different...I know, it is a sampler, but I still needed something to bring it all together. I decided on a boarder around each block. I really like the results!

I still need to "quilt" it...maybe next week:-)