My Baby is 9!

Not only did my oldest daughter turn 16 just 11 days before, but my baby is 9!!!  It doesn't seem that long ago that I was in constant baby, nursing, diaper mode.  Sniff.

But she is a sweetie and loves to help me in the kitchen.  She loves kitties and clothes and even math!  It's great having a little sister in the house.

Sweet Sixteen

Our lovely daughter, our first born,  turned 16 today.  My head is spinning.  She is a great gal, a big helper around here and her siblings love her attention.  She loves the Lord, music, drawing, writing, her cats, her family and friends and books, books, books.  She is a blessing to all of us. Happy Birthday, Honey!

Full Circle Jesus Music

I would like to start posting about various ministries that I think are doing good things for God.  Here is my first one.  My dh found it while searching for Darrel Mansfield.  Someone gave me a tape of Darrel's music when I first got saved back in 1980 and I've missed those old songs that ministered to me as a baby Christian.  Full Circle Jesus Music is an online radio program with new programs once or twice a month. The focus is on Christian Music from the 70's and 80's.  They have podcasts of the programs, too.  Here is the link.  I hope you enjoy it:
Full Circle Classic Jesus Music

Happy New Year 2011!

I have decided to try and blog more often.  I started this blog at Blogger over 2 years ago, but never used it.  I am officially using this blog account.  I was at homeschoolblogger for several years and will stop in now and then to keep it active so I don't lose my posts. Would love to transfer it over here, but that will take too much time, I am sure.

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions, but I am this year. 

I am going to read through my Bible in a year, along with my 3 oldest kids.  I'm off to a great start, I read it this morning. :)

I never, ever diet, not since High School have I tried to lose weight!  But at age 48, the pounds are piling up!  So I am going to attempt this so-called easy diet:  The  No S Diet .  No snacks, no sweets, no seconds.  Except on weekends and special days.  I will start on Monday :) 

I must, must start exercising!  Even if it just walking the neighborhood with the kids and dog.  That is my first step.

I want to learn guitar, again.  I got a Takamine guitar in high school from my Uncle Mike.  I took a year class and didn't learn how to play!  My fault, I'm sure.  I tried, but wasn't consistent in practicing.  But I kept that guitar for my future husband. Maybe he will want to play it.  Well, guess what?  He did!  I didn't get married until 12 years after I graduated high school, but I kept that guitar, even storing while I lived in Hawaii and Thailand.  That new husband of mine picked up my old bent guitar and learned to play all by himself, with a few helpful tips from our wonderful friend, Joycie.  It served it's purpose well, and is no longer with us.  E bought a 12 string several years ago, but that is too hard for me. We also have some kid guitars, one that is pretty decent, so I will attempt to practice on that.  Man, I don't even have a picture of that old Takamine.

So here's to a new year and a new blog and new goals!

10 Years of Homeschooling

Ten years of homeschooling down, ten to go, all involving teaching High School! I've been wanting to write this post since we finished our 10th year in June, but at least I am getting in 2010. When we first started in Sept. 2000, I had one student and a few littles. Two years later, my second student joined us. I've been teaching all 5 for 3 years. I have just 3 more years teaching all 5 of my kids. My oldest, who turns 16 in a few days, will graduate in 2013. In that year, I will have 3 in high school! One by one, they will finish our homeschool and at some point in their lives, move out on their own. We will almost have 5 teenagers at once, but our oldest will turn 20 just 11 days before our youngest turns 13. That will be in four years, and boy that isn't very long. The time is flying by. May I take full advantage of every minute I have them with me in our home. I better go spend this New Year's Eve with them now.
Here is our oldest in her Kindergarten year, 2000:

Good Bye Math Manipulatives

I sold our Saxon Math Manipulatives today. It was a difficult parting. A few weeks ago, the kids took a lot of the items back out of the box to keep. So many fun memories! My oldest daughter took out the Teddy Bear Counters and Pattern Blocks. What fun the two of us had in Kindergarten counting with those little Teddy Bears! My youngest took out the clocks. They wanted to keep the geo boards. But this week, I decided to go ahead and sell everything. Except the Teddy Bears. So I substituted them with Butterfly Lifecycle Counters. And gathered everything else. I am amazed that after 10 years, I still had all 100 linking cubes and all 100 counting squares! All the dominoes were there except the double nine!!! Where is it???? So they found a good home with four young children today. To a local mom who has been looking for them, hoping for a good deal. I was able to bless someone else, and make a little money, too. Good bye linking cubes and pattern blocks. Good bye little teaching clocks and hundred number board. We had good times and hard times. I'll never forget how you helped my children learn.

Fall is Here!

I love the fall weather! I actually love spring more, but it is too close to the hot summer weather. In the fall, it is far, far away! Except for this week. It will get hot again. Then cold. There goes our fall. But we did have a few days of 70s weather. I took the kids on a surprise field trip last week, to the Pumpkin Patch. It had an awesome corn maze that the kids loved. Then we bought a bunch of pumpkins. Here are some pics:



Halloween: A Bum, Darth Vadar, A Dalmation, A Medieval Farmhand, A Raven: