Gustav & Great Thanks!

Today mom said... "She really didn't want to leave."

Oh, it is hard to leave it all behind. I'm thrilled to enjoy my family here. We've enjoyed Bodacious today. Worship reminded me that God is my strength and His grace is enough!! A great reminder :)

Lovebug has so enjoyed playing and watching Austin!! She loved giving him a bottle tonight... and later making him giggle and giggle.

Great thanks to those who have so thought of us!!!

• Proverbs 31:20 She extends her hands to the needy.

You have been so kind!!! We have all kinds of cokes & juices... apples and snacks... a huge box of corn dogs... crackers & cheese.... baby food & toys....

Thank you Thank you!!! I hope all evacuees are so blessed by the very hands & feet of Jesus!!! Keep us in your prayers....

We are still following the storm. This site has the info for our family... look at the press releases.

G'night!! Grace! ss

Our Gustav Evacuation

We are an evacuation hot spot!!! Gustav is impacting my life!!! This is a replay of our Rita hot spot....

• Mom & Dad are in the library.
• Aunt Karen, Jenny, Nicole 6 & Austin 6m are in Lovebug's room with Pooky their dog...
• Uncle Eric is in Ladybugs room.
• Ladybug & Lovebug are in my room... camping out!!!

Friday we were thrilled to get an early leave to visit Mom & Dad in Beaumont... as we got within an hour of Beaumont, we started seeing the flood of people and RVs heading north, as we made good time south.



Friday night we became very aware of hurricane Gustav.... and Saturday the mandatory evacuation was called for Sunday morning..... The girls did not want to leave... and Daddy pulled from our Proverbs daily chapter....

• Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
  

Yikes!!!! Oh... we have to head out... We headed out north on 96 and it was a wonderful drive... with a lousy ONE HOUR wait for a stop light in Center!!! Horrible!! No kidding... we waited an hour for that light!!!!

We beat the family by a couple hours... and we've done a fruit box turnover!!!! All of the stuff sitting around has "vanished." We've moved lots of things into the garage....

We surprising have 3 tvs up and ready!!! The PC.... our tv has moved into the living area... and mom & dad have one in their room. They were thrilled to find we now have cable & can actually get some news!!! This is truly an upgrade since Rita.

Blueberry muffins are made!!
Hubbie & I are planning to hit 2nd service.
We must hit a grocery... and soon....


Knowing He hold us in his hands!!!
Grace!! ss

School.. Sour... and Sweet...

Monday we started... it turned sour at 7:30... "I don't want to!" My hope was for solo math time... ha...



Tuesday started with "math is good" and we headed into the day... this 2nd day soured too.... much later than the first... and with the same "I don't want to!"



Each of these days of resistance were met with great displays of attitude, many assigned chores in lieu of education, and a very involved Daddy... as well as a loss of all things sweet... as well as incremental consequences...



Today.... this is why I homeschool.... when one day in the mix goes right.... the day is truly sweet!!!

(7a Mama started with her devo! I'm jumping into Matthew... )

7:30 We started the day with a great math time solo (that solo is hard to find!)

8:00 Get dressed & ready, breakfast, teeth brushed, beds made...

9:00 Devo's start our schooling on the couch...

Lovebug heads into independent reading for 15 minute intervals...

Ladybug starts her daily reading SSRW lesson with mom.

Then follows handwriting for each... together reading all for us... outside & water the garden... another math lesson.... and in the midst a chore brought a quick attitude change...

12:00 It was lunch time and we were done... really!!! Hard to believe... done...



Now here's my favorite part... The girls headed to their rooms for the traditional quiet afternoon. My devo was done... and it was beautiful out.... so out we went...



The God provided a nature lesson :) After being dive bombed by a red wasp... we killed that sucker!!! and looked at him... and read of him too!!! Cool!! I wanted to draw him.. but that did not work out.



Then it was too hot... so we came inside and ALL of us did handicrafts!! We all knitted. The girls enjoyed spool knitting. We looked at our artist study... Then we got hungry...



We enjoyed a Tea Time at 4:00 filled with our Bach composer study. I want to track down our joke book we've enjoyed in days past.

Somewhere we also listened to our folk song.... I thought the "Drinking Gourd" would be a bar song... but it was a Civil War era song that told the slaves to look to the Big Dipper to find the Underground Railroad. Cool!!!! Our library even has a book on it!!!



Wow!! It all fit... and it was so not arranged by me!!! I so enjoyed it all!!!! I'm thrilled to be home with my girls. Thrilled to juggle these two!! I'm still challenged by so much... Spanish is at the top of that list... And I do love ending with Thanks be to God!!! For His indescribable gift!!! Salvation!!!!

By Grace!! ss

Start today!?!? please...

(An interview with my First Grader. The pic is for a height reference! She wanted to start TODAY!!!! Not me!!! She!!!)

(Tell me about school.)

It was fun.

And Paddle in the Sea was very fun. Paddle to the Sea lived
in... (going to get the globe)... lived in Canada. And he carved a
little boat. And he put a spoon over the fire to melt.. what?...
(lead). And he went to the sea. (Is that what happened
today?) No. giggle. giggle.

My favorite is and he carved the boat. (I thought something else was
you favorite?)

MATH!!! It was very very fun. And I did colors of cars.
The End.

(Why did you want to start today?)
Because I was eager to get math.

Ladybug 8/22/08

(Lovebug is holding out til Monday! It was fun starting Ladybug solo.)

Praying Jesus is our teacher!!!

Grace! ss

Little Mellons

I found 2 little watermelons!!! How fun!!! I was pulling the trails up so Hubbie would not mow them!! He said they'd not be in danger :)

The two cantaloupe are getting huge!! One trying to pull the vine down! I had no idea they were going to be airborne! I'm waiting for the stem to die... that indicates they are ready.

This is my very first squash! Just when I'm thinking to pull them all up for fall planting. Our neighbors tilled and planted their "real" garden with blackeye peas & beans... I want to plant lettuce.. but it is yet early for that endeavor.

Here's a great grasshopper!! We've also been visited by our rabbit!! He did not get our poor little carrots...

We've also had HUGE caterpillars.... and some little bug making the tomato leaves like lace... a lace bug???

My tomatoes are just starting to pinken.... and I'm ready to think of a fall garden.. What do you plant in a fall garden?? and when??

Growing!!! ss

Printed! Schooling prep...

I'm so getting ready for school!! The girls are in first & third grades this year. That's AO1 & AO3.

Today... so cool I picked up my print order for about 250 pages from Kinkos.com. The best part is yesterday I uploaded the files in the rain :) No getting out & no waiting.

My bonus was one job was printed wrong. I print our poetry as a cute little book. They quickly reprinted the order and we were out the door. Great service.

What all did I printed?

• Math.. 175 pages. We use a really cool free program found online. MEP. Printed & spiral bound. Ready for the year for Ladybug. I had Lovebugs print last year. I heard lots of this math on the main AO list. There also a group for MEPers.
• Poetry for the year. William Blake & Sara Teasdale and Hilda Conkling & Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• Color prints for our art study. The yahoo group AO Art Prints has a file for each term. We are studing Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) Florentine Renaissance, Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840) German Romantic & Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch Post-Impressionist. AO has a good site about our Art Study.
• Our AO1 & AO3 side by side schedule. I've combined the weekly list from AO & ligned up each week side by side in excel. I hope it well help me keeping up with now 2 in school! Right now 2 seems a challenge... how do moms with more balance this???!!!

So I'm glad that's done! It does make me want a duplex laser... but that is a want not a need.

I'm yet cleaning. Today I got to the bottom one school drawer from our coffee table... one more to go. Then I need to conquer the math drawer that's crowded with a mountain from our wooden train... hummm faith to move mountains!!! I yet need to collect all AO3 for the bookshelf!!! We'll start schooling on Monday....

I asked the girls if they wanted to start today.... they pondered it and gently said they had a few project yet to do!! Hum.... like me!! One project was hanging glow stars with daddy!! Glow fun!

I'm also praying for Kim today. Her surgery is today & she's is to get out of MD tomorrow. Then head home this weekend. Praying!!

Grace!! ss

Please Pray for Kim

My girls always play with our neighbors Hannah & Lexi!! We even put a gate & arbor in to cross easily between our yards! Their mom, Kim came to the hospital when Hubbie had his surgery!!

This week they've been covered in chalk as they collect the dust in containers! They've come with us to AWANA.

Pray....

This week Kim & Butch & their girls have headed to MD Anderson... Kim's been thru 2 rounds of chemo.... her surgery is this week. Oh, pray!!! Pray for healing and wisdom for the Drs. Pray for peace & protection. Pray for the girls. Pray that they walk in faith and are not overcome by fear. Pray that God would be big! Pray.

Praying!! ss

Blueberry-Coconut Cheesecake Bars

These looked so fun!!! I'll take them to our homeschool tea tonight!




Blueberry-Coconut Cheesecake Bars

• 1/2c butter
• 3/4c finely crushed graham crackers
• 1/2c flour
• 1/2c flaked coconut
• 1/2c ground pecans
• 1/4c sugar


• 1&1/2c pkg cream cheese, soft
• 2/3c sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1T milk
• 1t vanilla
• 2c blueberries

My Notes!! Use lemon juice in place of milk! Parchment paper made them a breeze to remove from the pan & cut with a pizza cutter!!

Lovebug said they were "yum yum yummmmmmm." Alas, Hubbie, I'm sorry, I'm taking them all tonight!!

1. Heat oven to 350. Grease 9x13x2 baking pan.
2. Crust- In sauce pan, heat butter until it is the color of light brown sugar.
3. Stir together graham crackers, flour, coconut, pecans & 1/4c sugar. Stir in butter til combined. Press into prepared pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes til tightly browned.
4. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese & sugar. Add eggs, milk, vanilla. Pour over hot crust. Sprinkle blueberries.
5. Bake 18 to to 20 minutes until center appears set. Cool. Cover & refrigerate. Cut into bars.

(Prep 30, Bake 8+18, Chill 3 hrs, Oven 350, Cal 136, Fat 9, Fiber 1, WWPoints 3)



I'm feeling bummed today. Baking is my pick me up!! I'm struggling with everything.... my clothes... car 3rd day in the shop.... emissions fixed & struts, I think.... prep for schooling.... cleaning that yet need so much of me.... more & more cranberry juice...

I'm wearing pearls!! The remind me my Hubbie loves me!!! They too are a pick me up when I'm struggling!! Like today!!!


God is great and greatly to be praised!!!

The Cutest Blog on the Block

Hummm.. I've tried lots of their blog backgrounds!! Fun!! I've finally found one that to stick with... for the moment!!!

www.thecutestblogontheblock.com

Tooth Fairy!!??

Look at that hole in Ladybug's smile!!! I love it!!!

She has been wiggling & wiggling those loose bottom teeth!! You know that wiggle that make you squirm, yuck!!! She's had lots of offers for pliers & string to help!!!

Before breakfast she twisted her tooth and out it came!!! She's so excited!!! And sister is talking all about fairy dust from the Tooth Fairy!!

That's the end of her Peter Pan teeth!!!

Loving it!!! Grace! ss

Expanded!

After 6 months Lovebug finally and much expected... got her expander out!!! She's officially expanded!!




She was thrilled to get gum!!! Now we've added some gum rules... no gum at home (it gets in their hair!)....


We'll wait 2 months to make sure the teeth will stay put!! If needed they will do a retainer.


Glad that's done!!! Grace ss


I'm looking for the before & after photo :)

Grand Grands

We spent a wonderful week with Memom & Grandaddy in Beaumont!!!



We weathered the wan-a-be tropical storm Edouard. Living down south I remember lots of hurricanes!! By God's grace none of my memories are the likes of Rita that brought my family evacuating here in 2005. This storm only closed some businesses... the rain and wind did not even damper the day.



Planning to stay only the weekend, we packed for a weekend. As mom's schedule opened up we were thrilled to stay the week! We did laundry daily and enjoyed going shopping! THANKS MOM!!



Bible School... We also caught the VBS program of my parent's small Church. Each evening the girls were thrilled to go with their friend Nicole. We so wished the girls' cousin could come too. Alas, Lovebug was a lone girl with her group of boys and she was not alone. She stood on her own and enjoyed the songs & motions of the program! Yea!



My brother was working and he has a schedule that's hard to catch! He works 3p to 3a!! We were glad when his daughter could come to play! Cousins are great!!



The girls spent many hours coloring the back patio brick. Grandaddy had the best chalk. It was HUGE. The girls colored each brick & then painted it with water. It made a lovely colored walk! How did I miss picturing that??



Hubbie joined us for the weekend. The opening of the Olympics was fabulous!! Mom & Dad have a great spot to watch the events!!



We headed to church & then 200 miles to home on Sunday. We made it to my favorite zoo! We enjoyed our stop at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin. The raccoons were out... the otter was swimming & eating... the baby flamingos were grey... a worked carried around a baby sloth (he's on their web sit too)... the bear even posed for a shot with us... God's Creation!!!

Love ya Mom & Dad!!!!

Grace!! ss

Walking... too far??

After yet another round of car in the shop... I asked Hubbie how he got home yesterday.

He was not quick to respond... finally he said....

He walked from the car spot on the loop.... to home. Oh! That's far.... Could he not find a ride? "He did not want to inconvenience anybody....."

I was in the same situation!! Just a week ago, I was thrilled to have Aimee rescue me!!! Should I have walked?? A firm "No."

So! What do you think???? Was that too far?? Would that have been too far from everybody???

Grace! ss