Day After Thanksgiving (Black Friday)

I do not do Black Friday. We do Christmas very simply here, so I'm not looking for any big ticket items that would make it worth going out for. The thought of all those people and spending all that money on things that I more than likely don't really want and certainly don't need just makes me shutter. I have a philosophy about saving money, I stay out of stores.

I did take advantage of some freebies at a couple of homeschool sites and downloaded several fun ebooks.

The rest of the day was spent on catching up with laundry, digging in the garage attic for Christmas things, reading blogs and fussing with my blog.

Bessie surfed the net looking for Black Friday deals but discovered that most of the deals weren't really that good once you added in the shipping costs. She had fun "window shopping" anyway.

Gabe let Hannah and Dan take out his Thomas trains. This is a big thing as these are usually kept safe from harm. We allow the children to keep special toys put away and the other children have to ask to play with them. Most of the toys are in "general population", but each child has a few things they especially like that they are allowed to keep separate.

Gabe spent some time playing on the computer. Once in a while, he digs through the box of games and finds one he hasn't played in a while. This one was Pajama Sam. He says it is a "little kid game", but he enjoyed it anyway.

Rachel was also playing on the computer, but I didn't get a good picture. She loves playing on the computer and we have a good selection of educational software that helps her with her basics and are fun.

Thanksgiving Day

This year we spent Thanksgiving Day at Mom and Dad's house. We did some last minute baking before we left. Glenn and Theresa and their children were there also. We all had a very nice time.

I am thankful for Brian. He works so hard for us often being away when I know he would rather be home. This allows me to stay home with the children instead of working outside the home. He is a loving husband and attentive father.

I am so thankful for Bessie and Gabe. They are always quick to help, cheer me up, laugh and joke with each other and basically make life so much more enjoyable and easy for me while Brian is away. (And when he is home.)

I am thankful for the Littles. They constantly challenge me, but also bring a lot of joy. God has used them and continues to use them to expand and enrich my relationship with Him. I am learning to see the blessing they are.

I am thankful for lower gas prices. This is the lowest I have seen in a very long time.

I am so very thankful for Mom and Dad. This has been a very tough year for them and for us. Dad suffered his heart attack in January and Mom has had many months of surgeries and hospitalizations. They are both doing very well and it was a tremendous blessing to see them so fit and healthy again.

I am thankful for siblings and their spouses. We all get along so well and the cousins have a blast when we are together. It is always a pleasure to spent time in the kitchen with my sister-in-law Theresa. She is a natural hostess and loves working in the kitchen and serving others. I am always challenged to work more on my hospitality when I spent time with her.

I am thankful for all the nieces and nephews. They are a terrific bunch of children and young adults.

I hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving.

Brian has been away for several weeks. This is always a difficult time for all of us, even though it happens somewhat regularly.

For the most part we have been doing well staying on our routine, getting school done and keeping with our usual appointments and lessons.

Monday and Tuesday of this week, we stayed on track and got some good school done, on Wednesday, we played.

Good friends treated us to a movie at a new theater in the city. I hadn't been to the movies in 20 years, Bessie's been once and the younger children have never been, so this was a real adventure for us.

Bessie putting chili fixins' in the crock

pot before the movie

(Doesn't she look cute with her new contacts?)

We went to see "Bolt" in 3D. It was a very cute movie and the children did well and enjoyed it the experience.

After we parted with our friends, we did a bit of shopping. I picked up a few Christmas decorations at the Christmas Tree Shoppe and then we visited the Christian Bookstore at their new location. Bessie was able to get a music trac for a solo she is singing in church next week.

The children have been terrific at helping me while Brian has been away. The younger guys keep the wood ring filled for our stove and Gabe and Rachel keep my bird feeders filled. Most days Bessie makes sure the chicken's are fed and watered and she is always ready to help with meals, clean up and child care.

After all the work is done, there is always time for play. Our front room is quickly transformed into a large fort with room enough for all.

We sure miss Brian, but thankfully, we have great friends and family that help us pass the days until he returns.

Co-op Thanksgiving Party

I really love our co-op this year. It is very laid back, offers some great classes for the children, opportunities to fellowship with other Christian homeschoolers and we all have a wonderful time.

We met for our last regular meeting before our holiday break, with a Thanksgiving party. We had several activities, crafts, games and a pizza lunch with pot luck desserts. The highschool class helped the moms with all the festivities.

All the children working on a thankful wreath

Gabe enjoying bingo...with M & M markers
Dan works on an Indian paper doll
We made Oreo cookie turkeys
Isn't he cute?

We will start up again after the new year.

Election Lapbook

After several days off of our regular schoolwork, we got back to work today and accomplished quite a bit.

The top of the list was to finish Gabe's election lapbook. He did up the last few minit-books and he and I arranged the books and glued them into the folder. I think he is enjoying these better each time he completes one. He was planning today where he would start storing all his completed folders.

My Daybook

Hope you enjoy my entry for this week. Go to The Simple Woman to read more.

For Today...November 17, 2008

Outside My Window...A cold windy, day, with some snow flurries.

I am thinking...how lonely it is when Brian is away

I am thankful for...the boys, even when they can be sooo loud and wild, they make me smile

From the learning rooms...Hannah is reading a Bob book, Gabe finished his election lapbook

From the kitchen...simple fair today, grilled-cheese sandwiches, tomato soup and apples

I am wearing...my old tattered blue sweater

I am creating...Christmas gifts...shhh, don't tell

I am going...to enjoy my on-line Bible study tonight

I am reading...Christmas idea books from the library

I am hoping...to complete some of my gift ideas

I am hearing...children laughing, the fan moving warm air into the kitchen from the woodstove

Around the house...clutter, books, toys, works of art, and sticks for jousting
One of my favorite things...today...children's bedtime

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...speech, piano, finish up the Operation Christmas Child boxes

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Fall Schooling

I haven't been posting much about what we have been doing in our homeschooling. Things have actually been going pretty well this fall. We have somewhat of a schedule and most days we manage to get our basics done with extras thrown in as we can.

Rachel and Hannah are moving forward with phonics and math. They both do daily copy work and handwriting. They are working on a lapbook right now on a fun book. I'll post pictures when they are done.

Gabe does copy work, handwriting, Easy Grammar, Math-U-See and Spelling Power. He has shown a tremendous amount of growth in his maturity this year and does his work with little trouble and most of it independently. He is also finishing up a lapbook on elections.


I made several file folder activities for them and they practice things like numbers, letters and sequencing.

We are doing Tapestry of Grace year 1 this year...the Ancients. Here Gabe and Rachel write their names in hieroglyphs.

Often while I'm working with the bigger children, Hannah and Dan will do some of the many pre-reading activities we have come up with. Hannah is working on a size sequencing activity.

Dan is working on a color recognition activity. He loves playing with these little clothespins. Dan and I are working on a lapbook of "Give a Moose a Muffin".

Often during a break time, Bess will do something with Dan. They play games, read or like below, play on the computer.

Bessie's studies include finishing up MUS Geometry and starting Algebra II soon, Apologia Physics, TOG1 rhetoric level for history, literature and writing, Spanish and Art. She will also be getting her driving permit soon, so drivers ed will be up this year, plus SAT prep.

We are having a much better time with our schooling this year.

Fresh Baked Bread

A friend ground some grain for us. I had been wanting to try fresh flour and see if it really makes a different. Wow, does it! The bread is wonderful. Brian is ready to buy a grinder and do all our own bread. I have to admit that it was so yummy and quite easy to make. The bread sure didn't last long around here.

Logic Class

The K-3 logic class has been focusing on thinking outside the box...sometimes way outside.

This week, the children were asked of different things they could do with their feet. They came up with many different things, but no one thought of painting.

Yes, the kids did feet painting. What a fun activity.

The teachers in this class have a lot of fun with this group, but what a messy clean-up!

Nature Study

We have been having a very fun time with our homeschool co-op this fall. We have participated in co-ops on and off in past years, but this year we have hit on a great combination of families and classes.

I'm sure part of it is that our children are in a good place right now for doing a co-op. The Littles have picked up enough English to be able to do most of the work. Bess and Gabe are enjoying the friendships and the class offerings.

There are three different class divisions, K-3, 4-6 and 7 through highschool. The elementary grades are doing logic, recitation, Meet the Masters art program and nature study. The older kids are doing Apologia Biology, recitation, Meet the Masters and study court cases in their logic class.

I am teaching the nature study classes and we are focusing on nature journaling and observation. We are working on having the children notice things when they are out and about....seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling and touching nature and being able to translate all that into something for their nature journals.

This class time we gave each child a length of yarn. They were to make a square with their yarn someplace in the yard and then observe what they could in their square and draw it in their journals.

Some of the children are doing a terrific job and have a wonderful sense of capturing nature.

I am having a great time teaching this class and the children are learning a lot about God's creation.

What Accent Are You?

I found this quiz over at Nature Knitter. I'm pretty sure I have taken this before, but I'm wasting time on the computer today and this sounded fun.

I am not from the inland north and never have lived there, but I do often have people ask me where I am from, even though I have lived in the northeast my entire life. I do see that the inland north and the northeast were very close.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

60th Anniversary Ball

Recently, Brian and I attended the 60th Anniversary Ball of the base where he works. It was a wonderful event. There were people dressed from 1940s on up.

Quite a few retirees where there, some from WWII.

The meal was catered by several local restaurants. They had a terrific swing band and a singing trio reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters.

The event was held in one of the base hangers. If you have never attended a military function, you are missing out. The place was buzzing with 800 people but when the call to attention was heard, the place was immediately silent. The presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem causes shivers. I love the ceremony of the military.

Afterward they opened one hanger door and out on the tarmac were a row of vintage warplanes. They had them all lit up with ground lights. Of course, all the flyers wanted to go drool over the planes. They were pretty impressive and the history behind the planes is amazing.

P-47
P-51
B-17
B-25

We had a terrific time. It was so nice to have an evening out with good food, friends, music and of course airplanes!