At Peace Academy

We have moved!!

2011-07-11T07:15:00.003-04:00

After years of blogging about my 3 little lights, I now have 5 little lights! I have moved to a new blog called The Mullis Life. I would love it if you would come visit me there. :)

Ladies Spring Luncheon

2011-05-22T13:42:00.002-04:00

We had our ladies Spring Luncheon at church the weekend of Mother's Day. The theme this year was "a garden party" ...hats were encouraged and so a lot of us had fun with our spring hats. It also happened to be the Kentucky Derby so our hats fit right in with the weekend events!

Every table was decorated with a different kind of flower. My mom and BFF, Amy and her mom came down to enjoy the day with us. It was so much fun.

Here I am with my girls and my mom.The Goodwill Girls and Amy

My BFF, Amy. Love her!
Abby and Esther with Aunt Amy and Ms Sandy

My three kids sang a special and Nate played. They did such a good job.

Yes, I am alive and a few of my favs

2011-05-18T11:46:00.005-04:00

Ok SORRY for being MIA for SO long! I have been keeping up with my adoption blog a little better and those that read it to know that this has been a very difficult spring waiting to pass court for Micah and Sarah Faith. We are SO close to being through waiting for them to come home! Hopefully they will be here by June!

We have kept up with school and church and life but honestly it has been hard to do much more than keep up with it... and that doesnt make for really great blogging either.

I am beginning to plan school for next year for 4 students and for the first time I will be homeschooling with a baby in the house!

Our summer is also becoming jam packed with fun things to do. Hopefully we will be finished with the school year next Wednesday May 25th..just in time for the homeschool convention!

Now on to some happy things! Here are some of my favorite things this spring....

A new picture of my Ethiopian loves
My three little lights on Easter Sunday
My new favorite Kitchen appliance! Oh my word! We also bought the Ben and Jerry's recipe book and have decided to work our way through the recipes this summer! Love it!

Micah's new backpack...all waiting to be packed for Ethiopia and then for trips to Nana and Gramps house and the cabin! :)
A new Chore chart...notice all 5 of my kids!

Couponing. I am such a newbie! I had only been collecting for two weeks when Harris Teeter ran a week of triples! Oh my! So I woke up early and went with my limit 20 coupns and bought ALL the stuff below! It totals over $65 and I brought it home for $27..not too bad for a first timer!

FHE Hawks Basketball

2011-03-10T23:02:00.000-05:00

Weight Watchin

2011-02-17T10:43:00.003-05:00

So I have been on WW since July 2, 2010. I have lost, to date, 42 pounds...I actually lost a few more, but then I went to Africa and came back wanting to eat like a lumberjack for about 2 weeks!

So now I am back in the saddle , so to speak, for my last 10 pounds before summer. Here are some tips I have found helpful to me over the last half a year or so:

Exercise

Ugh! I really hate it, but I have found that the easiest thing I can do is walk for 20-30 min every morning. I make better food choices and have more energy if I do. Then I do sit ups at night.

Water

I actually like water, but I drink a ton and have found that if I use a straw I drink more water..weird, but true.

When I am out and about:

When we are out running errands, my kids are always begging to stop for a treat. A few things that have saved me are:

Sonic's Diet Cherry Limeade. I go between 2-4 ( happy hour) and get the Rt 44 xtra large. It is .5 points and I sip on it all afternoon. It is caffeine free too :) Love it!

Zack's Fat Free/Sugar Free frozen yogurt. If you live somewhere that does not have a Zack's, I am sorry because it is awesome. AND a med sz is only 2 points!!!!

Because I drink SO much water at home anywhere we go and I can get a fountain Diet Coke or Diet Dr Pepper ( At Chick fil a) is a treat.

When I am home:

I love flax seed cereal with Almond milk. It is only 1 point for a bowl. A 1 point breakfast! YUM!

The little Deli round breads are also one point and I use them for BLT's or I will spread some Pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese and make pizza toast. If I am wanting something sweet I can spread a little nutella on toast too

Sherbet only has 2 points a serving, so I will buy sherbet, but I have found that the diet Ice cream just goes to waste in my freezer cause it is NASTY! So I will buy the good stuff and just use the 4 points for it if I really want ice cream. Same thing with sour cream..it is so worth the extra little bit to not eat ff sour cream..yuck

Laughing cow cheese and special K crackers

I eat a piece of chocolate everyday and don't write it down and I don't count the points. It is my little bit of rebellion to the diet machine. Its just enough to psychologically keep me going. I know I have rebellion issues...I blame it on my christian school years and being forced to wear culottes. :)

My Best out to eats:

Subway salads

Chick fila char grilled chicken salad with ff honey mustard dressing

Japanese mixed veggies with steamed rice

Panera black bean soup and Asian sesame chicken salad

Moes Jr Joey Burrito

Anyone else have any hints and tips that work for you..I would love to hear them!

President's Day celebrations

2011-02-15T13:52:00.002-05:00

President's Day is next Monday and while I usually don't post about our family fun nights until after we have had our fun { just in case something like a dog/ child gets sick or someone calls and asks us out for dinner or to a ballgame:) }

I have had a few people ask me to throw out my ideas for holidays before hand in case they want some inspiration...therefor Be inspired:

The Menu:

Lincoln logs ( pretzels)

Woodrow Wilson Whip ( dip)

Benjamin Franklin Burritos

Ronald Reagan Rice

William H Taft Tea

"I cannot tell a lie" George Washington cherry pie

Our crafts:

We are going to trace our hand from elbow to fingers and put it on paper like a tree. Then color green at the top and fingerprint cherries for a cherry tree.

We will also take coins and do a rubbing to make a copy of Mt. Rushmore

Activities:

Pin the hat on Abe :)

Cyber scavenger hunt... I will have a piece of paper folded up. Everyone selects a paper and unfolds it to reveal a president. You must then Go on a cyber hunt to find out the questions listed about him and draw a picture:

The questions are:

Birth date

Which President

Fun Fact

State he is from

Wife's name

We will either watch a movie...I am still trying to decide which one or play a game..either hi ho cheerio, for Essie or Fact or Crap ( ya know not tellin a lie) game

There ya have it! Family Fun Night President's edition.. Feb 2011

My Love

2011-02-15T13:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and also my hunny's birthday. We have been together for 17 years and married for 15. I am almost at that point where he has been a part of my life longer than I was without him. I like that.

We met at Piedmont Bible College when I was a junior and he was a transferring sophomore. I knew the first time I saw him in the PBC cafeteria that I liked him. He had many of the qualities I deemed necessary as a 19 year old:

1. He was handsome

2. He was tall

3. He was an athlete

4. He was from the south

5. He had his own car

Such important factors when choosing a life mate, huh?

We went out the second week of school that fall to TJ's Deli in Winston-Salem and after our date, he very kindly told me he had come to college to play basketball and not to date. With which, I replied that was fine and dandy...for now. :)

We dated on and off throughout the fall and by Christmas I knew that this was the man God had sent for me to spend the rest of my life went. We began seriously dating October 30, 1993 and have not broken up since. He asked me to marry him after dinner at Tj's in May of 1994 and we were married June 10, 1995. Many moves and children later I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Someone told me the other day they thought I really did get the best husband...I would have to agree.

Happy birthday and Valentine's day to the best husband and daddy ever. I love you to the moon and back. I really did get the best husband...I really did.

~ From the luckiest girl in the world

Thankful things

2011-01-06T15:40:00.003-05:00

I am thankful today for:

My new hair straightener and the fact that cold dry air allows me a rest from my curls

Chai tea..a recent love of mine

Weight watcher

My parents and their unwavering support..even when I do crazy things like adopt more babies :)

Getting to see my sister over Christmas AND Thanksgiving

My new sweats from Victoria Secret that are soooo comfy

Gym membership for only $10 a month AND a workout buddy

Big girl sleep-overs..I am having my second..two months in a row and they are just as much fun as when I was thirteen!

Safety on our Florida trip and actually being warm for a few days

Time with my husband's sweet family and eating LOTS of Florida food like cubans and key lime pie

A new journal for a new year

Ladies Bible study starting back up tonight. Man, I have missed it!

My kindle ( a birthday present from my hubby) that I resisted but now I love it!

Psalms 37:5

Proverbs 15:13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken

New Years Bags

2010-12-28T08:02:00.005-05:00

Each year we have a New Years countdown with paper bags. I usually print out clocks and there is a riddle and the kids open a new bag on each hour. Last year we were in Florida and were not able to do the bags and everyone missed them. This year we will be driving home from FL on New Years Eve and staying in a motel in SC. Soooo, we are going to have our NYE bags travel style! We will end around 10:00 because we should reach our motel about then and we are staying somewhere with an indoor pool, so the last bag is swimsuits and we will celebrate 2011 in the pool!

Here are the riddles and bag treats for 2010

2010 is about to end and we have a trip to make. To get us in the mood open bag # 1 and we will celebrate!

4:00 Party hats and necklaces and glasses

Road Trips can be kinda boring and slow, but we can make it great. Open bag #2 and see what fun you can create!

5:00 Mad Libs

2 hours down, just 4 more to go .these bags are fun, they are so neat. Start checking signs on the road..because now its time to EAT!

6:00 Dinner

Our bellies are full and we feel good, but now what can we do? How about opening bag number 4 and enjoy what is in there too!

7:00 a movie

Take a break to see whats in here, just a little something to give you some cheer! :)

8:00 suckers

We are close to reaching our stop for the night, but New Years Eve is not the same if you don't try and make it bright!

9:00 DS game for all three? OR light ups battery sparklers

We are here! That was great! Now...... Are you ready? Are you set? What is in this last bag you will need cause you are gonna GET WET!

10:00 swim suits

Word of the Year

2010-12-26T08:09:00.003-05:00

I am involved in a home school online community and for the past 4 or 5 years we have all encouraged each other to choose a Word of the Year. A word that you will remember and will help you in the coming year to be a better mother, more like Christ, a better wife..the reasons are all different as to why ladies choose their word. I love to read every one's word and why they chose it. I also love to hear the reflections at the end of each year and how meaningful their word has become to them. Below was my post on the forum about the word I have chosen.

My Word of the year is : Expect

I have been " expecting" my Ethiopian babies for 13 months now..(sort of the gestation of a baby elephant!) God gave me this verse back in July when we were waiting on our first baby referral never even knowing that we would actually be 3 weeks away from leaving for Ethiopia and still have not laid eyes on our baby!

"Yahweh, in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will lay my requests before you, and will watch expectantly." Psalms 5:3

I was convicted that I pray and then don't EXPECT Him to do great things and that I should. He loves me and wants to give me the desires of my hearts. He also EXPECTS that I will grow and learn more of Him and His love through the trials and the joys of life. That way the desires of my heart are also the things that please Him.

I am EXPECTING great things in 2011!

Christmas Sunday Pictures 2010

2010-12-19T15:36:00.002-05:00

Cookie Day

2010-12-18T21:15:00.005-05:00

Today we made our sugar cookies for Santa. We have a friend that goes to Wake Forest that is from Benin ,Africa. He just graduated and is moving to NYC. He came over for dinner and a movie and to help us decorate our Christmas cookies. We are going to miss Dallys in NC, but are praying he has a wonderful time and a successful career in the big city of New York!

Steak and Shake

2010-12-18T21:03:00.003-05:00

Every Christmas we go to Steak and Shake the day we go and see Santa. It is the only time a year we ever go to S&S, but we started it 7 years ago and just cant imagine going anywhere else on this day! I love their chili and their Christmas milkshakes are the BEST! The first year we went our kids were 2, 4 and 6..my how time flies!
Nathan and Greg..silly boys!My expression to the silly boys!

My beautiful girls waiting for their burgers
With those yummy shakes!The CRAZY part of our day was when we got to the mall at 12:15 , the line for Santa was already blocked and they said he would be back at 2:00. Well, no one wanted to wait 2 hours to see him, so we dropped off Esther's letter to an elf ( she was the only one that still wanted to write to him or sit on his lap! :( ) and told her that maybe Nana and Gramps could take her to see him next week in VA! So our Steak and Shake and Santa day was just a S&S kinda day this year!

Esther to the Nutcracker

2010-12-14T22:53:00.001-05:00

Esther was able to go with her friend, Kirstyn, to see the nutcracker ballet. The girls took their American Girl dolls with them. The looked so cute! Esther said that she liked the ballet, but she had to make up words in her head for the story because no one talked!

weight watchers

2010-12-14T22:46:00.002-05:00

I started WW back on July 2. I just did the online program and kinda tweeked it for me. Here is a photo of a few weeks before I started the program
This is a picture in September. I had lost around 20 pounds.
This picture was taken Dec 2. 6 months on WW and 42 pounds lighter. I feel better, sleep better and I am much happier now. I have about 8 more pounds to lose before I meet my goal, but I am oh so close I know I will make it before we leave for Ethiopia

Thanksgiving

2010-12-14T22:37:00.003-05:00

We went to Virginia for the beginning of Thanksgiving week. My sister and her boyfriend were in from Colorado and so we had an early Thanksgiving. I am sad because it was after we left VA I realized I did not take any pictures :( It was a lot of fun though. We had a bonfire and my mom cooked a yummy meal and my BFF came over..and no pics! The only camera I have is on my phone and it doesnt really take great pictures..I may get a new one soon though.

We left the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and went to Pawpaw and Grandma's cabin near Murphy, NC. We had gumbo and crab legs that night...yum!

Esther Hope can eat herself some crab legs!
The next day we got up, watched the parade on tv and the kids not so patiently waited for fried turkey and all the trimmings
After lunch, everyone crashed on the couch for movies and naps
The kids love playing outside around the cabin

Abby turns 13

2010-12-14T21:59:00.002-05:00

These are really bad pictures. I was busy and did not stop to take good pics, so this is it! Abby turned 13 on Novemeber 19th and she wanted an outside soup party. So I made a bunch of crockpots of soup and had some friends bring soup and it was a beautiful day to eat outside and play. The kids had fun on the playground and Abby had a great birthday. I am so proud of the sweet young lady she has become. So far so good on the "terrible teens".

Softball champs

2010-12-14T21:50:00.002-05:00

Our church has had a softball league for the last 3 or 4 spring and fall seasons. This year they WON the championship in our division! It was so much fun going to games and cheering them on! I cant wait until March whe they start playing again!

Family Pictures

2010-12-14T21:40:00.002-05:00

Blogger block and the fall in review

2010-12-14T21:22:00.004-05:00

I have been sooo bad about blogging this fall. Its not like I have not had time or not wanted to...I just have not. Here I am going to do a bunch of posts here together and catch up!

Trunk or Treat ( Greg was a tree and I was a tree hugger)

Rockstar party

Wake Game

2010-10-19T22:17:00.007-04:00

We were able to go to the Wake Forest/Navy game last weekend. So much fun! My kids enjoy football games, but they love to tailgate! We had yummy food and a few games before going into the game. It was a beautiful night for football even if the Demon Deacons couldn't pull off a win.

Essie Hope enjoyed some Apple Dumplings while the big kids played Corn Hole.Me and my handsome hubby!

Apple picking, Ashville and pizza

2010-10-19T21:49:00.004-04:00

A few Fridays back , Abby had a volleyball game in Asheville. We decided to make a day of it and stopped in Morganton at the Apple Orchard that we have went to for years. It was a beautiful day and the kids had so much fun picking apples. It sure doesn't take long to pick a basket with all this help! Abby's teammates and their families met up with us there and we snapped a quick picture some of the girls and their siblings

After we left the apple orchard, we were early for the game, so right before we got to the gym, we spotted a little ice cream shop on the side of the road. I cannot even remember the name of the place now! They had some yummy gelato though! It was a quirky kind of place, but it was a perfect way to spend an hour.We went from there to the game and here is a picture of Abby and her middle school team mates. We have been so blessed to have had a good season with such sweet girls, a great coach and awesome parents. The girls have had a blast together learning the game of volleyball and making friendships.

So then ( are ya tired yet?) we left Asheville and drove to Hickory where we met our friends, the Dillinghams for pizza. we stayed such a long time, we were afraid the owner would tell us to leave and never come back! The Dillinghams are the kind of friends that you can not see for months and when we do get together , we just pick right back up where we left off. Thankfully, our kids do the same thing! They love hanging out and playing together!

We left our house around 9am and got home around 10pm! A very full day, but such a fun fall memory!

Dixie Classic Fair

2010-10-19T21:41:00.004-04:00

The Dixie Classic Fair is a tradition that has been around this area for a loooong time. I went back when I was in college and we take the kids every year. This year, however was the first time we entered things in the fair. Abby won a blue ribbon for a stamped art and a couple of third place ribbons for sewing and art. It was so much fun and of course..all that yummy food!

A week in the life of..

2010-10-05T09:26:00.002-04:00

A week in review

Here is what a fall week looks like around here:

Monday:

School

Speech

Music Lesson

Basketball practice

Dance

Softball

Tuesday:

School

volleyball practice or game

Baseball practice

Wednesday:

School

church

Thursday:

School

speech

ACE club Co-op

Volleyball game

Friday:

School

volleyball game or

basketball practice

It is CrAzY sometimes, but I love homeschool and I love how many activities my kids are in! We stay pretty busy and our life is full, but we are happy. :)

Broken arm

2010-09-29T10:04:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday night, Nathan fell at church playing ball with some boys and hurt his arm. We began treating it like a sprain, but after a few days of no improvement, we decided that we better take him to the doctor for Xrays. Well, it seems he broke his radius bone and will be in a cast for the fall. He has a soft cast on right now until the swelling goes down, but after 10 days we will go back for a hard cast.

At first, he was kinda excited to be able to have a cast on and have everyone sign it, but after a few days, he is starting to get a little tired of it. It might be a long 6 weeks!!

Esther Hope

2010-09-29T09:54:00.003-04:00

Essie turned 9 this past weekend! We had a bonfire at church and a tinkerbell cake! She also had a few girls come over for a sleepover.Making a wishEsther and the girls!The next morning.Esther with her tinkerbell toys

Happy Birthday Baby girl! I love you to the moon and back!!

Music Lessons

2010-09-29T09:47:00.002-04:00

One thing we have added to school this year is music lessons. we found a wonderful teacher in Mt. Airy that will teach all three kids ( and me and Greg!) for an hour together and call it a group lesson. We all have a different instrument we are learning and are trying hard to get our practice times in each week. Sometimes our house is pretty noisy, but it is fun!Esther Hope, the fiddler
Abby on the banjo

Nate with his base guitar

A fun September weekend

2010-09-29T09:34:00.004-04:00

For the past 11 years, my dad and I always go to a Virginia Tech football game together. We have only missed one year and that was because I was largely pregnant with Esther Hope during football season. So He was able to get us tickets to the ECU/Va Tech game that happened to be the same weekend of my mom's birthday. After the game, we all went out to Kabuki's for a yummy dinner to celebrate Nana! It was fun. The boys stayed home because Nathan had a baseball game ( that is why they are not an any pictures) :)

Let's Go Hokies!!!I love my daddy!Nana and the girls!Our beautiful kabuki cake photoGramps and Esther ready to hit the road!

Volleyball

2010-09-29T09:26:00.003-04:00

Abigail is playing volleyball this year for the Forsyth Home Educators middle school team. She is loving it. The team is made up of some of the sweetest girls and they have an amazing coach, Ms. Carla. Abby is a setter and also co captain.
Time out!Esther and Nathan have made friends with the other player's little brothers and sisters too!

Peptalk after a hard practice!Go Hawks!!

Labor Day

2010-09-29T09:00:00.005-04:00

Now that September is almost over, I am playing catch up a little on my blog. We have had an extremely busy month. I told someone the other day that the only thing I am worried about with our adoption is just fitting in more activities in our schedule!

We went to Greg's parents cabin for Labor day this year. Friends of ours went with us and Greg and all the other grown ups went white water rafting on Monday while the kids and I stayed back at the cabin and did some school. Tuesday, Pawpaw and Grandma came and so we were able to spend a little time with them. It was Pawpaw's birthday week, so the kids had fun making cards and signs and a yummy cake for him.

The kids with Pawpaw and GrandmaA family shotThe rafters before they got wetMy mountain man

Me and abby

FHE Hawks

2010-09-16T09:51:00.002-04:00

Abby is playing middle shool volleyball for theForsyth Home Educators this year. She is having a great time and they are doing pretty good too! She is co captain of the team and is a setter. Here is a photo of her team.

Counting blessings and looking forward

2010-09-13T07:36:00.004-04:00

I am taking this Monday post to thank God for all the blessings in my life right now and also to express how thankful I am for all the upcoming things I am looking forward to this fall. Fall is my ALL TIME favorite time of the year! There are so many fun things to do and see. When the air starts turning just a tiny bit cool and crisp in the morning, my heart just swells with anticipation for the season before us. So here is my list..some are just simple and silly..others are life changing, but I am thankful for each and everyone of them:

My Sweet parents

My awesome sister

Football season

pumpkin spice lattes

Yankee candle pumpkin pie scent

FHE volleyball and basketball (go Hawks!)

Picking at Priddy's

Chicken Stews

leaves turning

apple picking

The anticipation of our adoption referral

travelling to Ethiopia and meeting our sons

Adoption Grants

Walkertown Home Educators co-op

candy corn

Putting out my fall decorations

My 3 little lights :)

Club SODA ( our church kids club)

Christmas play practice

Beth Moore Bible studies

Reacquainting with a friend I haven't seen in 15 years

My BFF, Amy

Making my Christmas notebook and beginning to plan the season :)

Homecoming at church

pumpkin bread

Craft shows

My fall getaway with Greg

Church softball

Abby turning 13

bonfires and smores

There are so many other things God has blessed me with! I am just overwhelmed sometimes at how much I have been given.

Bless the Lord, O my Soul and all that is within me, Bless HIS holy name!

Psalms 103:1

Class Photo

2010-09-10T18:15:00.001-04:00

Class Photo 2010-2011

So funny..yet so true!

2010-09-09T09:41:00.002-04:00

With only a few months before I have my first teenager..I thought this was appropriate!

Kids are Dogs, Teens are Cats

by Adair Lara

I just realized that while children are dogs ... loyal and affection-

ate ... teenagers are cats.

It's so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, boss it around.

It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a

Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you

call it.

Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big

old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if

wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging

your doorstep, it disappears. You won't see it again until it gets

hungry ... then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long

enough to turn its nose up at whatever you're serving. When you

reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it twists

away from you then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remem-

ber where it has seen you before.

You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must

be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort

of depressed. It won't go on family outings. Since you're the one

who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you

assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear,

you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.

Only now you're dealing with a cat, so everything that worked

before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it and

it runs away. Tell it to sit and it jumps on the counter. The more

you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.

Instead of continuing to act like a dog owner, you can learn to

behave like a cat owner. Put a dish of food near the door and let it

come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your

affection too. Sit still and it will come, seeking that warm, comfort-

ing lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for

it.

One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you

a big kiss and say, "You've been on your feet all day. Let me get

those dishes for you."

Then you'll realize that your cat is a dog again.

Fun science!

2010-08-25T14:46:00.002-04:00

Our science this year is Jeannie Fulbright's Apologia Science curriculum on Anatomy and Physiology. Our first week we discussed cells and the different parts they each have. After a week of talking about cells and making diagrams of cells we actually made a cell..an edible cell. We took Knox gelatin and jello and made the cytoplasm. Once it hardened we used candy to make the parts!

We used fruit snacks for the Mitochondria because they were bean shaped, skittles for the Lysosomes, a fruit roll up, sprinkles and a mini marshmallow for other parts and then a big marshmallow for the nucleus.

Esther and Nathan said it tasted pretty gross , but they were able to tell me each part and what its job is as they created the cell!

Rainbow Night

2010-08-21T07:59:00.004-04:00

We had a Friday night at home and decided it would be a good night for Family Fun night because Friday nights at home are few and far between anymore! We decided to have Rainbow Night! Everyone had to wear a shirt one of the colors of the rainbow. Check out the yummy selection of snacks... Lucky charms, Rainbow Chips Ahoy and a little Taste the Rainbow (skittles)For dinner we had' Rainbow Kabobs', green beans and tomatos and cucumbers (very colorful)The table was set with paper placemats and crayons. We played a game trying to see who could make the most words out of the word rainbow and then everyone had to color a rainbow on the back of the placemat. We also had rainbow punch..it was really good!Here are the kids rainbow picturesWe finished the night munching on our skittles and rainbow cookies while watching a little "Somewhere over the rainbow!" It was Esther Hope's first time watching the Wizard of Oz and she loved it!

Back to school celebration

2010-08-17T20:38:00.003-04:00

Our back to school celebration was so much fun! Here is a picture of the cherry pie I made..complete with hearts and initials! Here is a picture of the kids after the scavenger hunt as they are dividing everything up and choosing what color they each want of everything.

My big 5th grader, Nathan

Esther Hope, 3rd grade

I really can't believe it but Abigail is in 7th grade this year.So far the first week is off to a great start! We are loving our new Bible study!

School year 2010-2011

2010-08-16T10:24:00.004-04:00

The new year school starts today!!! We really have an easy week to get us back in the grove. The kids are taking a class at the local 4-H building called Chef to Child and it is a cooking and health class. We are also going to be starting our Bible and Science curriculum this week. Today is crazy with 4-H, volleyball practice, dance and a softball double header SO tomorrow is going to be our actually fun back to school day!

I let each student chose a favorite for dinner. Abby picked appetizers and chose Won Ton wrappers.

Esther gets to chose main dish and has already decided on chicken legs

Greg and I both picked a side item ( him- mac and cheese, me- broccoli)

Nathan chose dessert which will be cherry pie and ice cream.

After dinner there will be a back to school supply scavenger hunt! Here is the list of things they are looking for:

Go GO GO and find the glue..It is in the place you go Doodoo! ( I know...potty humor!, but they think it is hilarious!) - bathroom

Markers are nice, Markers are neat. Go find the markers where Mac likes to eat! -back porch

Crayons will help you draw lots of art, but where they are hiding you can also find a poptart! - pantry

A binder will hold all the fun projects we do, but to find them think Chicken Stew! - pots and pans cabinet

A notebook is where your journal will be, but right now your notebooks are under a tree! - back yard

We use tape to keep things together you see..but for now your tape is on top of the Wii! - living room wii

Pencils can help you write or draw, but right now they are hiding out in the hall! - hallway

A folder is great to make a lapbook, so lots of folders are in the breakfast nook - kitchen

It is school time again, but please don't BooHoo..these little kids will do that for you! I thought a treat might be kinda nice, so get check them out they are hanging out with the ice! - sour patch kids in the freezer!

I am also planning to take pictures of the kids outside for their "school picture". I am hoping the weather will be nice.

Happy Monday Y'all!

New School year

2010-08-12T09:21:00.003-04:00

Our new school year will begin this coming Monday Aug 16th. I am so excited! Every summer, I toss back and forth about maybe doing some summer school, but we never do and by the time August rolls around I am so ready for it to begin. So Abby will be in 7th grade, Nathan in 5th and Esther Hope in 3rd. Here is a look at some of the things we will be doing this year:

Math U See ~ We love this program and I even looked at a few other curriculum's and all three kids were in agreement that we stay with MUS.

Apologia Science ~ We are all going to do the new Anatomy book together. Abby will have a little more research to do, but I am looking forward to studying the Human Body together.

Story of the World ~ We have done SOTW before but this year I bought the activity book as well. I am already planning some really cool map activities and art projects to do.

Bible ~ We will be working through a book on the Names of God this fall, I have an advent book for Christmas and I am still praying about what to do in January

Total Language Plus ~ This is new for us this year! We have been using Abeka, but were ready for something different. TLP is a concept where your Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing and Language and Reading are all based of a fiction book. Abby will be reading and working on Anne of Green Gables and Nathan will be doing The sign of the Beaver. It is designed to work through three or four books a year, but I only bought one to make sure we like this concept. If it goes as planned, I will be placing a order again soon! :)

Esther~ She isn't ready for TLP just yet, so we will continue on with Explode the Code and Abeka spelling and phonics thrown in and hopefully get her reading improved by Christmas break. We are also going to work through FIAR ( five in a row) Volume 4 together.

We also have Nature Journals and read alouds. We are taking a bit of a break to do an in depth study on Ben Franklin probably the month of December..this will be new and with the stress of Christmas might be fun! I also have started a Family Fun Night at least once a month. I have all kinds of cool themes planned! Like oceans, winter, Hawaii, baseball, football...I will try to keep them all updated here on the blog!

Here are our extra curricular for fall:

Abby:

ACE Clubs Co-op

FHE Volleyball

FHE basketball

Korners Folly puppeteer

Church youth group

Dixie Classic Fair entries

4H Club

A trip to ETHIOPIA!!!

Nathan:

ACE Clubs Co-op

YMCA Baseball

Club SODA ( at church)

Dixie Classic Fair entries

4H Club

Korners Folly puppeteer

Esther:

ACE Clubs Co-op

In HIS Company Dance

Club SODA ( at church)

Dixie Classic Fair entries

4H Club

Korner's Folly puppeteer

Praying the Lord will bless our year. It is going to be an exciting on with adding to additions fro Ethiopia to our family! I am so thankful to Homeschool!

Abby's Ipad contest

2010-08-09T08:20:00.004-04:00

Abby's Orthodontist sponsored a week long patient appreciation contest last week. For 7 days you could try to get as many people as possible to go to the orthodontist website and vote for a patient's picture.

Well, Abby got it in her mind she reallly wanted to win this thing and so we sent out email and face book messages the first day and she jumped ahead by about 50 votes!

Then another little girl started coming on strong, so Abby began making "Vote for Abby" signs for peoples cars, stickers to wear..it was crazy! She streamed the Internet to the wii and we watched the votes climb each day on the tv in the living room!

By the last day, her and second place were neck and neck. She had her grandparents calling and emailing all their friends. Greg and I were even inboxing high school friends on facebook we hadn't talked to in 20 years! By Thursday at noon when the contest was over, Abby won by 68 votes and she had votes from 8 different countries! Her grand total of votes was 635!

On Friday night, she was given her Ipad! Talk about one happy little girl!!

Thanks so much for voting for her and putting up with us and all our campaigning for one crazy week. Oh and by the way, the Ipad is cooler than I ever imagined it would be!

The winning screen shot!Finally getting her Ipad!

A Favor...PLEASE

2010-08-01T08:11:00.001-04:00

Hey! My daughter Abby is in a contest that her orthodontist is sponsoring to win an Ipad. Right now she is number one!! She still has a few more days until its over and we would reallllllly appreciate your vote for her...pretty please!!!!

Thanks!

Click here to vote!

Summer weekend in Virginia

2010-07-31T20:26:00.001-04:00

Day book

2010-07-13T09:46:00.005-04:00

A simple women's daybook:

Outside my Window … cloudy and breezy

I am thinking … I wish that our adoption agency would make some referral calls this week!

I am thankful for… that my kids like to play together

From the kitchen … whole wheat bread baking

From the learning rooms … Esther and Nathan playing an education game on the computer

I am wearing … t shirt and capris, again

I am reading … Captivating

I am hoping … to see my children in Ethiopia's faces by the end of July

I am hearing … laughter

I am creating …lesson plans for the school year

Around the house … After a big cleaning day yesterday, I am enjoying a clean house

One of my favorite things … coffee in a big chunky mug

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week …. Our adoption fundraiser yard sale is this weekend. Praying it is a good one!

A picture for the week:

My kids and their cool Gramps after he flew them home from a weekend visit at Nana and Gramps house!

Family Fun Night Watermelon style

2010-07-12T08:19:00.004-04:00

It has been such a long time since we have had a Family Fun Night. We had a Friday night at home ( minus Abby, she was out with friends) so I decide that it was time. I actually have planned one or two Family Fun Nights each month for the next school year. I think it will be fun and when we get back from Ethiopia, if we are referred two children and one is older, then it is a perfect opportunity to expose him/her to themes in a safe hopefully not overwhelming environment.

So Friday night was Watermelon night! Everyone had to wear green , red or black shirts. I decorated the table with red tablecloth, green napkins, red bowls and we had our watermelon punch in clear fancy smancy glasses.

We started off with a finger painting craft.

For Dinner, I made bbq chicken , green rice and black beans....it kinda looked like a watermelon! This is not original to me, I found it on another blog, but it was reeaaalllly yummy!

Esther thought it was gross to eat green rice, but I am the mom that colors their milk green on St. Patrick's Day, so she still ate it! We also had watermelon punch.

After dinner, we had a bubble blowing contest with watermelon Hubba Bubba.

After dinner we watched the one Veggie Tale movie that I knew had a watermelon in it and looked to find him while we sipped on watermelon and blueberry smoothies.

Next up will either be a back to school theme or a blizzard theme. As hot as it has been, I am in the mood to pretend it is cold and snowy outside!

Dash Game

2010-07-09T09:02:00.004-04:00

We took the kids from church to the Winston-Salem Dash game on Wednesday night. We had awesome seats and the kids had a great time in spite of the high 90 degree heat!

With Bolt the mascot
Abby and her "twin" dash girl
Nate, Josh and Reid
Our awesome seats right behind the dugout

M FUGE at Charleston Southern 2010

2010-07-09T08:37:00.000-04:00

Garage sale finds

2010-06-26T14:46:00.006-04:00

So I went out for 3 hours this morning to garage sales and spent $23 and this is what I came home with!!For $1 each I got a dry erase calendar/cork board that I have looked at hundreds of times at Target, a photo album for baby Isaac's pictures, a cute pair of Keds slip ons for me and three game cube games for Nathan (and Greg!)
Above I found a patriotic table runner and 4 placemats ($2), a bathing suit for me and before you get all grossed out, it still had the tags from Kohls on it ($2), two fall Winnie the Pooh flags($1), a candle (.25), a tee shirt for me ($1), 2 Ralph Lauren shirts for Isaac ($2) and A RL sweater for Abby or Esther ($2)
I also got the cutest snowman shower curtain and hand towels for $4! That is a grand total of $21.25!!! Her is all my treasures together!
The table runner and placemats being put to use.
Cute little Keds!
The bathroom!! And before I get a " hello it's July!!" I love snowmen and it matches my walls and rugs so I went ahead and pulled out some rustic looking snowmen from my winter decorations and decided to go with it! I love it and think it is just tooo cute so what if I am already ready for the first snow!! :>) For $4 I can change it without any trouble!
The one thing I am wishing I would have bought was a cute primitive chandelier for our dining room, the price was only $10 and she said to make her an offer..Man! I wish I would have! Really something like that..I should have bought it and if I got it home and didn't like it, I could have sold it in a yard sale and broke even or made some money.

I have had so many people say they wished they could yard sale but just don't have any luck with it...well, here are some pointers I have learned along the way from my mother in law who is the QUEEN of yard sales!!

1. Go early or not at all! 7AM is best, but at the very least 8AM. If you wait any longer than that it is picked over.

2. Only take the cash you want to spend. That will keep you from buying stuff you really don't want

3. Look for community sales in your paper or on Craig's List and go there first. More sales and less travel time. Also, if you are only going on a Saturday, check to see if they had a Friday sale. If they did, it is probably picked over.

4. Haggle. I am still not very good at it, but I will try if there is a lot of stuff I want, like kids clothes , and they are $1 each, I will pick out 10 and ask if they will take $7. Or if something is $5, I will say will you take $3

5. Don't waste your time at church or school sales. They are mostly the junk people didn't sell at their own garage sale and donated.

6. After I while you can almost know what people have to offer by looking at their house so if you want:

Antiques: Look for older brick ranchers with basements..usually older people or empty nesters whose parents have died and they have too much stuff. Unfortunately these houses usually have more junk too!

Kids clothes, toys, baby stuff, exercise equipment, bikes, golf clubs: Look for big subdivisions with smaller houses and yards. This is usually people in their mid 20's or 30's with school age kids and more stuff than room in their garage.

Nicer household goods, linens, china, wall art, flower arrangements, high end junior clothes: This is the big brick houses with the bigger yards. People whose kids are in high school or college and they finally have enough money to change their house decor.

Now...go out and find some treasures next weekend!!

A fun new lunch

2010-06-23T14:06:00.003-04:00

I found a yummy recipe for homemade pizza rolls. They are more like pizza puffs, but so much better than those nasty little microwavable rolls ( yuck!)

3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces pepperoni, cut into small cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 375o. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through, then stir in 1 Tablespoon basil. Sprinkle the puffs with the remaining 1 Tablespoon basil. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

**I think they would also be good with browned breakfast sausage and dipped in maple syrup!

__________________

Dancing Queen

2010-06-23T11:45:00.003-04:00

Esther Hope had her end of the year dance recital this past Saturday evening. She has not a competitive bone in her body and has not been interested in sports so far, but she loves her some dance class! Her teacher, Ms. Robin does an EXCELLENT job with the girls. They learn Scripture and dance to praise music. Every Monday all school year, Esther goes to class at In HIS Company dance and loves it. Her are some pictures from the queen's recital!

Countin my blessings

2010-06-15T07:34:00.003-04:00

Thankful things:

A successful school year. I cant believe I will have a 7th, 5th and 3rd grader next year! I am so thankful for the opportunity to home school my kids. Sometimes it is HARD, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The time I am able to spend with them and invest in them is worth every difficulty.

A summer break. I am not a huge fan of summer, but I have purposed this year to slow down and enjoy the simple things only summer can bring like lightning bugs, corn on the cob, pool days, ice cream, day trips and late nights.

My church family. I am overwhelmed sometimes at God's grace to us in giving us a church family that loves me and Greg and our children so much. I really like hanging out with them and ministering together! A pastor's family /congregation relationship can be a tricky thing. We have been so blessed by such generous, loving, supportive people that make up our congregation. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Goodwill Baptist!

Our adoption. I am so thankful that God called us to adopt. It is not an easy road! It is expensive and filled with uncertainty and we have a long way still to go! BUT the Lord has opened our eyes and showed us HIS heart for orphans in a way that we didn't even know existed before we began this journey. I am watching now as my children become burdened for orphan care and missions too and I am so thankful.

My family. I love my parents, my sister, my in laws and the older I get the more I appreciate them and want to be with them. I love that our relationship is deepening with age and time.

My friends. Those close by and those far away. With emails and facebook, I am so thankful to be able to stay involved in the daily lives of those I call friend.

My husband. 15 years we have been married this month. Right before we got married, someone told me their favorite thing about marriage was you get to have a sleepover with your best friend every night. I have to agree...thanks for being my best friend and my love. I could not have asked for a better husband and daddy!

Priorities. While I could list many materialistic things I am thankful for, I am so glad that the first things that come to mind are not things, but are gifts from the Father that make my life so much more complete than anything I could buy at the mall.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises. 2 Tim. 1:3-4a

Carowinds Photos!

2010-06-09T20:18:00.003-04:00

We had such a fun day at Carowinds last Friday. My kids dont remember going there because the last time we went Nate was a baby! It was a part of every summer I can remember growing up and I was so glad we were able to take them. It was HOT though! Mama's head doesnt work quite right in the heat, but I did the best I could! We stayed until around 4:30 and then headed back to Winston -Salem for Moes burritos and it was National Doughnut Day, so we pulled into KK for a free doughnut on our way back to Kernersville. All in all, a wonderful way to end our school year.

Summer Reading List

2010-06-09T16:20:00.003-04:00

Here is my Summer Reading List for 2010...it is a plethora of Adoption stuff, Christian living, classics, homeschooling and mindless fun!

the Connected Child

Parenting with Love and Logic

Radical

Captivating

Dear John

Waiting for Snow in Havana

Frankenstein

Half Broke Horses

Ella Minnow Pea

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Happiness project

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Einstein never used flashcards: How our children really learn- and why they need to play more and memorize less

Soo Whats on your Summer reading list???

School is out!!

2010-06-03T18:33:00.003-04:00

Today was our very last day of school. My, what a busy month May has been. I have had two people comment on my lack of blog activity so I thought I would give you an update...all 2 of my readers! :)

We have had a fun time getting to the end of school. It has been a little bit of celebrating every week as we have started finishing up subjects one at a time. Today was the last chapter, the last paper and the last math test. Whew!! I am so proud of my soon to be 3rd, 5th and (gulp) 7th graders! We will celebrate tomorrow with a day trip to Carowinds! I have not been there since I was expecting Esther so I am super excited to go AND to have all three kids tall enough to ride the roller coasters!

For the summer we have pool days, basketball and volleyball camp (for Abby), a few days in the mountains, 4H activities,VBS and Greg and I are the sponsors for church camp so our whole crew gets to go to Charleston, SC for that.

We will hopefully get a picture so we can finally see our newest member of the family all the way from Ethiopia, baby Isaac. Depending on when we get "the call" is when we will travel, but it is possible we will have a Ethiopia trip to plan into our summer too!!

Hope everyone has an amazing summer. I'll post some Carowinds pictures on Saturday!

~ Jackie

Nates Dressers

2010-05-15T08:42:00.003-04:00

Because we will be moving an Ethiopian baby (or two) into Nathan's room by the end of the year, we really needed some extra drawer space in his room. A fellow Homeschool mom was having a yard sale and selling some old dressers. We bought three dressers for $45. One was pressboard and in decent shape, so we just left it alone..although I think I am going to buy handles to match the other dressers.

The other two were in pretty bad shape, but they were real wood and built well. Soooo we striped and sanded and refinished them this week. Then Nate and I went to Lowes and bought new pulls for them. Here is the before and after pictures. I think they turned out beautiful!

Mike Rowe Rocks

2010-05-13T16:11:00.002-04:00

Check out this Link to Mike Rowe's ( Dirty Jobs) Blog. I like that he is bringing awareness to the farmers in America and where our food comes from. As if Mike wasnt cool enough before I read his blog! Esther and I love Mike Rowe!

Happy Birthday to my dad

2010-05-12T07:59:00.003-04:00

Today is my daddy's birthday! I love you dad! You are an awesome dad and Gramps! Thanks for all you do for us and the great example you are.

Colorado

2010-05-12T07:51:00.003-04:00

We were able to go out to Colorado and visit my sister for a few days this month. I have never been west of Tenn, so it was a new experience for me too. We went up in the mountians (where it was 23 degrees and snowing, in MAY!) We also were able to go to the stadium where the Denver Broncos play and to the Denver Aquarium. My mom, dad and sister did a 5k while we were there and my dad placed 2nd in his age group! It was a short visit, but a lot of fun!

I LOVE THIS!

2010-04-14T20:41:00.000-04:00

You Know You're From North Carolina When...

You've gotten used to the smell of cow manure on a car trip to Raleigh.

Saying "y'all" isn't just a cute expression; it actually means something.

There are big labrador retrievers in the back of every truck.

You give directions using KFC and Waffle House as landmarks.

You still see Dale Earndheart tributes on cars.

You can't imagine life without Bojangles' sweet tea

Your annual church fundraiser always deals with bbq and potato salad

You have a sunburn from May to October

Your 'heavy winter clothing' consists of some turtleneck sweaters, a fuzzy jacket, and your daddy's boots

Your family has fried chicken once a week

You can tell the difference between cotton fields and tobacco fields while driving

One of your neighbors has a confederate flag hanging on their front porch

You've been "properly raised", and yankees love it when they hear you say "ma'am" and "sir"

You get your carbs from biscuits, rolls, pancakes, and grits

You know the difference between a "redneck" and a "hick".

You own at least one surf shop or seafood restaurant shirts.

No matter what those people in ohio say, we are still "first in flight"

The Coca-Cola 600 is as big as the Super Bowl

You prefer Chick-fil-a to KFC

You know pastry is a chicken stew, not a dessert item.

Every time you visit someone you?re offered something to eat and a glass of tea.

Your granddaddy always wore overalls and your grandma always wore an apron.

In summer you have home-grown tomatoes with every meal.

When it rains and the creek rises, everyone gathers to see how high it rose.

You know that "chunk" the ball means to throw it.

You've had a burger "all the way" - chili and slaw on it.

You can recognize a copperhead and your heart drops when you see one.

You have at least one relative that raises collards.

Your folks have taken trips to the mountains to look at leaves.

Your school classes were cancelled because of a hurricane.

You know Krispy Kreme makes the best doughnut.

You have an opinion about UNC. You went there and loved it, or you hate everyone who did.

You know the best BBQ is found in Lexington

You would rather eat at Bojangles's than McDonald's

You have actually uttered the phrase "It's too hot to go to the pool"

You faithfully drink Pepsi or Mt. Dew everyday of your life.

You have your own secret bbq sauce.

You or your neighbors have more hunting dogs than you have family members.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from North Carolina.

Happy Birthday

2010-04-12T11:50:00.005-04:00

Today my baby boy turns 10! Nathan Morgan Mullis , you are such a sweet boy and I love you so much!. I am so blessed to have you as my son. here are 10 things I love about you.

1.Your tender heart. Be it an 80 year old man or a 3 month old baby, you love everyone and want to see them happy.

2.Your big blue eyes.

One of these days those eyes are gonna turn lots of pretty girls heads. I am praying that God will give you the perfect wife that loves the Lord and loves you.

3.Your appetite. There is nothing that makes a mama that loves to cook happier than watching her son enjoy his groceries!

4. Your prayer life. I love to hear you pray. Even though we take turns saying prayers at night, I secretly love it when its your turn to pray. I love the conversation- like prayers you pray to God and how you remember the little blessings to thank Him for.

5. Your affection. I cannot be around you for more than a few minutes without having you lay your head on my shoulder, hold my hand or give me a back rub. I love that you don't think your too big to still show mama you love her.

6. Your obedience. You are such a good son and I love that you obey me and your daddy and try your very hardest to do whats right.

7. Your love for your sisters. I love to watch you interact with your sisters, especially Esther. She calls you her best buddy and says that you are more than her best friend you are her best buddy.

8. Your happy spirit. We often say wherever Nathan is that's where the party is at. You love to have people around and often invite guests over without permission just so you can have an impromptu party. People like to be around you because you like to have them there.

9. Your math minded brain. Math is not an easy subject for me to teach and is not my favorite subject at all, but you make math fun to teach because you love to learn about it and understand it so easy! now, if we can just get those 8 and 9 times tables down!

10. Your love of the Lord. I had a lady tell me right after you were born that she believed you would be a preacher one day. I would love that, but I would love for you to be anything that you thought was what God made you for. I know that you want t please Him. I see this in your life everyday and I am so excited to see what He does through you.

So Happy Birthday Nate the Great! I love you to the moon and back!!

Life

2010-04-08T17:01:00.001-04:00

Life is good at the beach!

Happy April

2010-04-01T08:01:00.004-04:00

"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."

~ Robert Frost

Our April is going to be extremely busy! We will enjoy an Easter egg hunt at church and then celebrate Easter with a sunrise service, breakfast, church service and having friends over for lunch. The very next day we will leave for Florida for a week! Greg has been invited to speak at a dinner and the whole family is going with him and will spend a week at the beach and visiting grandparents. We decided to wait and have our spring break then instead of the usual March spring break. This decision made March very long, but it will be worth it when we are soaking up some sun next week.

Nathan has baseball beginning this month, Esther is still dancing and Abby finally has a bit of a lull in her schedule.

The kids all just finished up yearly testing. I am so thankful to have those out of the way. We have about 7 weeks of school left after spring break. It will take us a little longer than normal to finish this year, but it is for good reason. We have short trips planned to go to Greg's parent's cabin, a trip to Colorado to see my sister and a 3 day trip to Myrtle beach...all before summer even officially begins! That's the beauty of homeschooling, you can just pick up and take school with you, work extra hard and double up a few days or just extend your calendar. With our busy spring, I believe we will be doing a little of all three!

Cheaper by the dozen

2010-03-29T17:30:00.003-04:00

The kids were in the Homeschool Drama Club's production of Cheaper by the Dozen this past weekend. All of the kids worked so hard and long (from September- March) and had two performances. Here are some pictures. It was just a really great show!

Raleigh last Monday

2010-03-20T22:52:00.002-04:00

Last Monday we went to Raleigh to have some papers authenticated for our adoption. While we waited we went to the natural history and Natural science museum and also to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant for lunch. It was good! I was kinda worried I wouldn't like Ethiopian food, but I thought it was good and our waitress was so nice. Greg said it reminded him of the food he ate in India only not as spicy.

First day of Spring

2010-03-20T16:49:00.003-04:00

We are spending the weekend in Virginia at my mom and dad's house and we loaded up the 4 wheeler, the dog and all 3 kids and went out to Riner, VA to my dad's old farm. This is where my great grandparents lived. We had such a good time and even got to see a snapping turtle!

Speaking up and Speaking out

2010-03-09T19:02:00.006-05:00

I have been so saddened by the death of a 7 year old little girl, Lydia Schatz ,from California. She died after she was beaten by her parents for mispronouncing a word while reading aloud to her mom who homeschooled her. She was also an internationally adopted child. The story is here.

My heart is broken for a life that was never able to be fully lived and for a mom who is now dealing with the guilt and repercussions of listening to and following the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl.

They are a homeschool family that founded No Greater Joy ministries and speak on marriage, parenting and family. The only books I have read by them were books I checked out at a library. It is frightening to me now, but I was on a wait list for a month for the book To train up a child. The very book the parents of Lydia Schatz were following.

It only took a few chapters in to know that their teaching were not for me and my family. Comparing the training of children to that of pets and tempting your child and then whacking them with plumbing posts just didn't line up as godly parenting in my opinion.

This circumstance has provided quite a bit of negative publicity from the home schooling community in general. I have found out in my 5 years of homeschooling that the jean jumper wearing, chicken raising, 15 kid having mom that beats her kids is thankfully NOT the normal homeschool mom! There is an extensive list of teachers, preachers , publishers and others that have spoken out about the situation. You can read those here.

Even though the entire situation makes me sick, Michael Pearl's letter to his critics is one of the most offensive, downright creepy response to a child's death I have ever read. If you would like to read it go here. I am ashamed this man is in the homeschooling business and I ever took the time to peruse one of his books.

A man that could talk of himself and use laughter as an example in light of a child dying based on his teachings is no man I ever want to follow, read or take advice from. If you have any of his books or follow his disciplines then I would strongly suggest that you research him and his methods, pray and then burn his books and boycott their 1.5 million dollar "ministry".

You know who you are

2010-03-06T08:32:00.003-05:00

To whom it may concern,

This is a message to whomever it is that is posting advertisements in the comment section of my blog. I only post about once a week and I rarely get comments. When I see that I have a comment, it makes me so very happy. That is until I see that it is for Viagra, health insurance or whatever else you may be peddling. I eagerly check my comments and when I see it is not related to my blog, after my initial disappointment, in frustration, I click the delete forever comment. The traffic on this tiny blog is sparse..a few friends, grandparents and maybe a home school family or two. There is no reason for you to advertise here. . Sooo leave my blog alone!

Look what happen this week

2010-03-04T13:51:00.002-05:00

Before

After!

India Trip Video

2010-03-02T08:32:00.002-05:00

Enjoy Pancake Tuesday

2010-02-16T09:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Pancake Tuesday to ya! We enjoyed some yummy pancakes this morning from an old IHOP Recipe that I had. I thought I would post it for anyone interested. It is sooo much better than Bisquick pancakes. I also make homemade maple syrup that is so easy, but once you taste it, you wont be able to go back to Mrs. Butterworths! Enjoy!!

IHOP Pancakes

Nonstick Spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick
surface or apply a little nonstick spray.

2. In a blender or with a mixer, combine all of the remaining
ingredients until smooth. Pour batter onto skillet in 5" circles and cook

Maple Syrup

2 c. sugar
1 c. water
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Bring sugars and water to boil until liquid is clear. Let cool slightly and add flavoring. May be reheated on stove or in microwave. Store in jar in refrigerator. Use large mouth or a glass cup in microwave and heat just the amount you need.

india update Friday

2010-02-12T12:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the day of my Lasik surgery, so I wasnt able to update ...sorry. I just got a text from Greg and he was leaving Mumbai airport in his way to Newark. He should be there around 5AM. He is suppose to call me when he lands in NJ and know for sure if his flight to Charlotte is on time or not. Thanks for the prayers. I am sure he will have many pictures and stories when he gets home.

India Pictures!

2010-02-10T15:21:00.002-05:00

Greg posted these on his facebook page, but I thought I would put them on here for those who may not have facebook. I love the one with Greg and I am assuming local pastors..he looks sooo tall! The one with the children are from a children's home where he was able to go and pass out Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.

India update Wednesday

2010-02-10T14:03:00.003-05:00

I was able to speak with Greg on the phone today! He called me at 10pm India time and they were just sitting down for dinner! There was lots of laughing in the background, so I think they were having a good time. He said that they are busy from early morning to late at night.. nonstop.

He also said it was hard to teach with the interpreter because he had to teach so closely to his notes. Anyone that had listened to him preach knows that he doesn't stick with notes!

The weather looks like it will be cooperating with us Saturday. He is suppose to land in Newark around 5:20AM and then leave their around 8:20am for Charlotte. I cant wait for him to get home!

India update Tuesday

2010-02-09T19:18:00.002-05:00

Greg was able to facebook chat with Abigail today. It was lunch here and after 10pm there. He said he was super tired, but that he was having a wonderful time. He got to visit a classroom of children and he said there was about 50 kids per class in a room about as big as a small bedroom! I am hoping I will get to chat with him later on tonight before he goes to preach ( his morning). I have ask him if he will post some pics on facebook, soo we will see if he is able too. Here is the schedule our friend Amol emailed me so we would know what they are doing:

Here will be their itinerary:

7th evening - they arrive at Nagpur airport, where I will pick them up and bring them to the place where they stay and rest!

8th Morning - Morning: Spending time with the staff of Gospel India Ministries and the kids at Project Anupama

Evening: Dedication of a missionary and then we travel back to NAGPUR for the Conference

9th Morning - Discipleship Conference begins from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm everyday till 12th February 2010

9th evening - Visiting the local churches.

10th evening - Meeting with a few key leaders

11th evening - Prayer Time... praying for India.

12th Evening - Their return flight to Mumbai and then on their way back to NC!

India update Monday

2010-02-08T12:55:00.001-05:00

I was able to talk to Greg on the phone early this morning! He was in a car and there was sooo many horns honking I could hardly hear him! He said driving was crazy there!

He was able to go to a children's home and pass out Christmas shoeboxes! He said that was really awesome. He was also able to visit local churches and meet some pastors. He will begin teaching today and will have a interpreter. He said he was well rested, but a bit homesick. His flight is suppose to land at Charlotte at 10:00am on Saturday morning.
Thanks so much for all the prayers!

India update Sunday

2010-02-07T12:54:00.002-05:00

I was able to talk to Greg this morning and he was in a taxi with about 4 other pastors. They had landed in Nagpur and they were heading to their motel. The time difference is about 11 hours ( i think) and so he is fixing to go to sleep for the night. He said he was tired, but happy to be there and looking forward to the week ahead. I told him to take lots of pictures and give us good details!

india update

2010-02-06T12:54:00.004-05:00

Just got a text from Greg! They are in a motel... safe in Mumbai. The have a while to get a good nights sleep and then will catch the next flight tomorrow sometime. He said he did not sleep at all the whole flight, so he is ready for sleep! It is around midnight over there right now, so he should be able to get some sleep. Thanks for the prayers.

India Travel plans

2010-02-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

Greg's flight is out of Charlotte tomorrow at 2:00. Because of the ice storm that is coming through NC beginning late tonight, he is going down today and getting a motel with a shuttle to the airport. This will ensure he catches his flight and also the safety of me and the kids trying to get him there and then go to Virginia. Two men in our church offered to take him to Charlotte today so that the kids and I do not have to drive there and then to Virginia. I am so thankful!

I am also thankful he will get a night of peace and quiet and a chance to clear his head before beginning the trip...even if it does add one more night to our time apart.

He will then fly to Newark and on to Mumbai and then to Nagpur where he will spend the week. He unfortunately has an 18 hour layover in Mumbai, so we are praying they can either catch an earlier flight or get a motel room and catch some sleep.

Greg is planning to text or email me an update on what they are doing and how they are every day and I will post it on here. We appreciate the prayers, the contributions and the support.

Product of the week

2010-01-27T10:25:00.004-05:00

Burt's Bees has an amazing cleanser that I am loving this winter. I stumbled upon while staying at my inlaws in Florida and my mother in law gave it to me. It is perfect for my dry winter skin. Greg says I smell a little like GoJo when I use it, but I use a nice smelling moisturizer and its all good!

February Plans

2010-01-26T10:47:00.002-05:00

I have not had monthly plans on my blog for some time! I keep them in a notebook, but have not posted them. I am not sure why, but looking to February I thought I would share some fun plans we have:

~ Groundhog day is February 2nd. We will check the weather and see if Phil sees his shadow. Make these yummy cupcakes. we will also read Its Groundhog day, Gregory's shadow and It's up to You Griffin and Esther will make a groundhog craft.

~ India trip. While Greg is in India preaching at a pastor's conferance, we will study the country. I have maps of where he will be flying into, staying. We will do a basic fact sheet about India and watch a video.

~ Valentines Day. This will probably be the week of Feb 15 because the week leading up to Valentines Day we will be in Virginia while Greg is in India. We will write a chiquain poem. This will be awesome for Nathan as he is working on parts of speech in language right now. We will make heart sugar cookies. We will read The day it rained hearts, Roses are Red and the Valentine Cat. I am also going to use this week to do the colored carnation experiment and log our results.

Presidents Day (February 22nd) We will read a few favorite books on both Lincoln and Washington, we will do this color sheet. For dinner, we will have Lincoln Log Meatloaf and Washington Cherry pie.

Black History Month. Esther and I have been wanting to read the Addy American Girl books and so I think we will start them for Black History Month. We will also read Follow the Drinking gourd and do a quilt craft that goes along with that.

A Trip To Raleigh (hopefully!) We need to go to Raleigh whenever all our adoption papers come in and have them all authenticated by the state of NC. We plan to make a day of it and go eat at an Ethiopian restaurant and visit The Natural History Museum. They are having a coloring contest on sharks and every entry gets a free ticket, so we will work on that the week before we go.

Abby is reading the Percy Jackson series about Greek Mythology and I have a lapbook for her to do at her own pace on Greek Mythology form a christian's viewpoint.

All 3 kids are the in our homeschool drama clubs production of Cheaper by the Dozen, so there are lots of practice days between now and March 26th (opening night!)

Ace Clubs start this month too!

Birthday, Blizzards and Basketball

2010-01-11T13:29:00.006-05:00

I am a little behind on blogging, but I wanted to post about a really cool birthday weekend I had on Dec 20th. Greg bought me a silver pendant and chain in the shape of Africa with a heart cut out in Ethiopia. It was so beautiful and I have wore it every day since he gave it to me.

Most people that know me know I love winter and I love snow. Well, our area of NC was treated with an unusual amount of snow on Dec 18-20. We had the best time playing in the snow! I made two big pots of soup, we had friends come over to sled and play in the snow and it was just so much fun! That is the second year in a row we have had enough snow to play in behind the house and I love it!!

Because of the snow, the church parking lot was very slick and so church was cancelled on my birthday ( the 20th), but the weather was not too bad and we were able to go out with some friends to O'charleys where I was sung to ( Embarassing!) and given carmel pie ( Yummy!)

We were also blessed with Wake Forest basketball tickets to watch them play after dinner. We had awesome seats and had so much fun. I love watching college football, but college basketball especially ACC is just the best! Even Esther got into the game dancing and cheering and sporting a free basketball net hat for the second half.

My birthday is not always something I like to remember( the age thing and all!) but this was was different and really really fun!

Orthodontist, Observations and Opinions

2010-01-11T12:48:00.006-05:00

I have had an eventful day and its not even 1:00. My Mondays are usually spent doing laundry, baking bread and starting our school week. Well, today Abigail had an orthodontist evaluation for braces in Winston-Salem at 9:00, so we were up & about early this cold morning. I also made an attempt to shop at Whole Foods. I decided one of my New Year's resolutions was try a new food each week that is good for us and I thought Whole Foods might give me some inspiration. I also had a few other errands as I was out. Here are a few random comments about our day thus far:

Braces are freakin expensive! If you are pregnant or have a baby or toddler. To your prayers for health and sanity add good straight teeth. $5,000 a mouth =Yikes!

Whole Foods is weird. I am sorry to those who love it and think it rocks. I just cant get into spending $6 for Rice Milk and Tofu. Plus it smelled gross in there. Who knew there are 72 different types of olives and who thought to make a whole salad bar out of them? A+ on the selection of Burt Bee's stuff though. After 30 minutes aimlessly wandering around and dodging the Yups with their recyclable grocery bags, Abby and I left with 2 packs of blueberries, some flour and a package of yeast...Cobbler anyone?

Since we were being adventurous we decided to try a new place for lunch. Qdoba ....Yum!! Don't know how to pronounce it, but it was good. I had a naked burrito and some tortilla soup. I would try it again. Still not Moes, but not too bad.

On our way home, we stopped at Walkertown Family Practice to pick up a letter our doctor had to write stating that the surgery I had to have my appendix out in 1994 would not hinder my ability to parent an adopted child.(I know...crazy) The nurse, Mary, that helped us with our physicians forms and also with this letter is awesome. When I called, she had the letter for me in just a few hours. Thanks Mary...We appreciate you going above and beyond for us!

Now I am home after my big morning in the city. Time to start school, make bread and do laundry. Just thought I would share my very different Monday.

Mac or PC

2010-01-07T19:10:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen those funny Mac commercial about people choosing a mac over a pc? I think they are hilarious mainly because I am a mac person. There is a man at our church that knows a lot about computers, but he hates macs because he has really never worked with them before, so he says he feels lost on one.

My daughter, Abigail took her birthday and Christmas money to buy a netbook. She got a cute little Dell that she loves. When I was helping her set it up though it drove me crazy...yep, I'm a mac person. In fact, even my dog is named Mac!

I don't know why but I understand how they work. The place and format that come natural to me on a computer works on a Mac. I also love my Iphone...a lot. Like, it is probably not healthy to love an inanimate object quite so much. :)

Why do some people love Macs and the others PC? Fords or Chevys? Pepsi or Coke? I think it is because God made us all differently and gives us likes and dislikes accordingly. The world would be a very boring place if everyone's favorite color was green. There needs to be those reliable blues, prissy pinks and crazy oranges too. But, the very things that make us different and unique tend to drive us crazy in other people.

Acceptance and Tolerance are such overused words in the world we live in and I am NOT at all saying that we should accept sin, but when people chose things based on the way God made them or called them to be, then I think it is Biblical to accept and understand. Like maybe adopting a baby when you have three healthy kids or a deciding to homeschool.

Maybe there is someone that read my blog that is praying about taking a leap of faith in a direction you are sure God would want you to go, but are afraid of what others might say or think of you. Sometimes standing alone and being different can be a really good thing. Just ask Steve Jobs.

Happy new year

2009-12-28T15:27:00.001-05:00

We have been so blessed in 2009. We have had a great school year so far, our church is doing well and growing and our kids are happy and healthy.
Looking forward to an amazing 2010! Happy new year from our house to yours.

Snow day

2009-12-19T18:08:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas form Esther Hope

2009-12-16T20:53:00.002-05:00

Esther's Baptism

2009-12-07T11:05:00.003-05:00

Esther has been wanting to get baptized for the longest time. She came to me over two years ago, when she was just 6, and wanted me to explain to her how to go to Heaven. We have waited a while for her to get baptized because we wanted her to understand a little more fully what she had done and make sure she understood.

The last time we had communion at church, Greg mentioned not taking of communion if you had not followed through with the command of baptism and Esther cried and cried because she wanted to get baptized, but her daddy wouldn't let her!:)

Well, we had a baptism coming up at church and Esther and another little girl from church both very much wanted to be a part of it. So Greg was able to baptize Esther. It is such a blessing that all three of my children have received Christ and now are baptised!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T20:47:00.003-05:00

We actually had two amazing Thanksgiving feasts this year. We had dinner with my parents, sister and Amy in Virginia the weekend of Abby's birthday and then on Thanksgiving we were at Greg's parents cabin in the mountains of western NC. Both were sooo yummy! We have so much to be thankful for! I couldn't help but think that there is a good possibility we will have to more additions to our family to be thankful for by next November!

Abby's birthday

2009-12-06T20:37:00.003-05:00

Ok...so I am only about three weeks behind blogging about my eldest turning 12. Here are some pictures from Abby's birthday. We went to Virginia and mom and dad took us to Kabuki's Japanese food. YUM! We also got her midnight tickets to go see New Moon and she got a cell phone. I cannot believe my little redheaded baby is now a beautiful 12 year old! I love how she color coordinated with her cake! AND she said that it wasn't even planned!

Turkey Gravy

2009-12-03T16:23:00.002-05:00

Here is a yummy recipe for Turkey Leftovers from my mother in law, Lynn.

Chop a whole bunch of celery stalks and 2 onions and saute in butter until soft. ( My MIL says that the more celery the better, so don't be shy)

Add chopped up turkey

Add flour to cover and coat (about 1/2 cup)

Add a carton of chicken broth and cook until it begins to thicken. Salt and pepper, then pepper a little more.

Serve over toast.

A slice of Fall...

2009-11-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

Made this pound cake this afternoon and it was really yummy... Thought I would share:

Pumpkin pound cake

1 c. Wesson oil
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. soda
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
2 c. plain flour (presifted)
2 c. cooked mashed pumpkin or canned

Mix all ingredients in single bowl and bake in tube pan (greased and floured) at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Cool and dribble the following sauce.

SAUCE FOR PUMPKIN POUND CAKE:

1/3 c. butter
1 2/3 c. powdered sugar
2/3 tsp. vanilla
Few drops milk or egg nog

Melt butter. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and a few drops of milk to make thin enough to pour.

Zoo Day

2009-11-18T14:40:00.003-05:00

We went to the NC Zoo yesterday. It was the first time we have visited the zoo and we had a wonderful time,. The weather was great and the kids just had so much fun! They came home and watched National Geographic videos of seals and sea lions because they had such an interest in them after watching them at the zoo.

The old rock house

2009-11-09T13:46:00.004-05:00

Greg and I were able to go off Thursday night and Friday for some alone time. We were able to spend the night in alovely little cabin on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then we went to Floyd, Va to shop and eat. We had some time beofre we went to eat, so we rode over to my family's old home place. It is in Riner, Va and the house my grandmother was raised in is still standing as well as the graveyard where my great great grandparents, Joseph and Abigail Feather are buried.

Such a beautiful place out in the country. If those hills around the rock house could talk, I am sure they would tell us many many stories of past days.

Rockstar party

2009-11-01T16:54:00.003-05:00

We went to some friends of ours house for a rock star party. It was so much fun! Esther really got into character. The food was great and we had a blast playing rock band.

Trunk or Treat

2009-11-01T16:47:00.003-05:00

We had Trunk or Treat a chicken stew and hayrides at church last Wednesday night. It was sooo much fun!

Enough about me!

2009-10-23T16:38:00.001-04:00

Well, now this was a fun 99 question, bucket list kinda thingy. Probably more than you ever wanted to know about me and I am sure if my sister had a blog she would have way more items in bold, but it was still fun to do!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (only a little one!)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Cool new website

2009-10-23T08:30:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to pass along this cool website I found called Blastoff. You can make it your home page and then customize it with the news, games social networks that you like. There is also a "mall" where you can click on all these cute little flair buttons and go to the store of choice. If you go there from Blastoff you get a % off and if you invite friends and they sign up under you, then everything they buy, you get a % of that too in the form of a commission check each month. The best part is, its free! Check it out and watch the video and see what ya think:

BLASTOFF

Happy Monday!

2009-10-19T09:33:00.000-04:00

Williamsburg/Jamestown trip

2009-10-17T20:47:00.001-04:00

Clue Night

2009-10-09T19:24:00.004-04:00

We had a Friday night free ( amazing!) and I was trying to think of something fun to do as a family. We havent had family game night in a while, so I thought we would just play a few games. Then I got the bright idea to have a Clue themed night. I made up invitations and told everyone which character they were to be. Then they had to dress as that character and come to dinner that way.

We had a candle lit dinner with fancy glasses and we called each other by their clue name ( except Abby, she was way too cool to really enjoy it, but we made her try!) After dinner, we got out the board game Clue and played. I ended up being the murderer. Mrs White in the Hall with the Wrench!! Fun Free Family entertainment!

Miss Scarlett

Mrs Peacock

Professor Plum

Mean Rev. Greene

Mrs. White in the Hall with the Wrench!

Dixie Classic Fair

2009-10-09T19:16:00.003-04:00

We went to the fair today! We had a lot of fun looking at exhibits and of course eating all the yummy yummy food. We had ribbon fries and an onion blossom ( great lunch huh?) and then everyone got to choose a sweet for themselves.

I got a fried snickers bar, Esther a caramel apple, Nate choose a funnel cake, Abby got a snow cone and Greg reallly wanted corn, so he chose corn, but then got some cheesecake too. I think we hit our sugar intake for the month all in one Friday!