Daddy's Birthday

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!

Love your girls!

Yet in Pain

Bummer! We wanted this done all in 2007.... yikes....

Hey- I'm looking for Dr. info.

It looks like we'll need to be heading to a specialist... I'm guessing Gastroenterology....



Hubbie is not yet feeling good... pain even yet.... we toyed w/ going to the ER on Friday :( but thankfully avoided it.... Monday we'll see his surgeon... but this seems to be outside the surgeon window. He's drinking lots of water and leaning toward a liquid diet... and struggling...



Anybody have Dr. recommendations??? (We're trying to check out the locals!!)



Thanks, ss

Knitting, Knitting

Knitting, knitting, one, two, three,

I knit socks for the girls and me.

I love sunshine and I love tea;

Knitting, knitting, one, two, three.

I'm on my thirld sock!!! Mom taught me this past Thanksgiving. I'm now a sock knitter! I cannot believe it! I'm enjoying taking my knitting wherever....

Bonus! Lovebug is knitting as I read in the morning. She's even picked it up on her own during the weekend! Daddy helped her when her needles pulled out. Wow! I've helped her with a horrible knot. She's not exactly eager but she's definately learning!

Ok, this does not take an expert! Before Thanksgiving I've knitted scarves. My hospital scarf looks like beads and as I worked on it I prayed for Hubbies recovery. I can knit & can remember how to purl. I dropped stitches!! Here's a great site on stitches.... http://www.knittinghelp.com/ Go there and watch a movie of the stitches.

Ok! My time is up!! I've put together my pattern for the circular needles! I can e it... and may post it.... another time!

God knits too!!! For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Ps 139:13

Knitting by Grace! ss

Comments
Feb. 7, 2008 - Posted by Anonymous
How lovely !! I am currently learning to crochet, and knitting is next on my WISH I COULD DO list. Love the socks !! God Bless. MomToCherubs http://www.becksbounty.blogspot.com

It is a New Year!!

Well I guess I wanted to start this e-mail off by letting you knowthat there are 11 months until Christmas!! Have you started yourChristmas shopping yet?

I don't know about you but one month of the year just disappeared andI barely even saw it.
Things are going well in the S household. Wife-ie is doing great with the schooling of Lovebug and Ladybug, Lovebug enjoys reading, Ladybug I think will be the mathematician, and I am probably runningat about 7.9 out of 8.0 cylinders. I am still trying to eliminate the rest of the pain from the surgery but things are going well. The doctor told me at the very end of last year that if I still have a lot of pain they would begin doing some testing this year to try to pin point it... he said the testing would involve Barium... Huh!!! I didn't say I had any pain, I meant there is a stain... yeah, yeah stain!

I thought in this edition of my monthly reminder I would add a couple of photos and give you a little info about what I do with No. It is really pretty simple. I am told do this... and I do it. Actuallyfor the most part I am training for the big league when I have to handle a complete silo from start to finish. My main role up until now has been coordinating with the manufacturer of the silos themselves and I am in charge of making sure the drawings are correct for all the holes that are needed in the silo, and then I send the PO to the vendor and sign my name in blood stating that this is what we really want to buy.

It is kind of weird... these silos (just the shell) can cost well over $100k each. But by the time we have the silo on site we mayhave as much as an additional $60k tied up in just freight costs alone.




This photo is a shot of us loading the first of three silos we had to get out by the end of last year.

Photo on right shows an example of some of the holes that have to be planned andcoordinated with the customer and the vendor.

Lastly this shows one of our installers working inside the silo getting some of the internal electrical work completed prior to shipping.





Hey don't be a stranger... Let me know how things are going in your worlds too.
Regards, KjS.

Pileated Woodpecker

Wow! This morning the girs spotted a new woodpecker!! "He has red on top!!!"

He does!! I've seen this bird once before!! We have a Pileated Woodpecker!!! We have 2 and the pair are sending down wood chips as they look for breakfast!!

I wish a zoom lens would have caught him!!!

They look like a Woody Woodpecker for sure!!!

Also, we have icecicles already on the house!! It will be a cold day with a high of 37! And we are off to a book sale & a fresh milk run!! We need like 20 gallons for the milk co-op!!

Stay warm!! ss

Comments
Jan. 28, 2008 - Posted by Jilann
Love your picture! I saw your link on the AO list. I just recently started blogging, so I love finding fellow AOers that blog too. Sounds like things are going great!

All's Well That Ends Well

This week our AO2 trip took us to Tales from Shakespeare. We enjoyed making our clothes pin actors for our play All's Well That Ends Well! We are yet a few players short... mostly boys... Here's our troup!

Clothes Pin Dolls: We saw a video on our podcast from Everyday News and were inspired to make our dolls! We found the wooden clothes pins, pipe cleaner arms, some curley hair, googly eyes, and some scraps of fabric. For hair we used also some DMC thread. Our last gent wears his kingly crown!! We've used mostly hot glue & some white glue. Lately we've added some beads for decoration!!

Ladybug's doll is first with pigtales! Lovebugs's girl has long golden hair. Mama's doll has the flowered dress with a crop hair style. The others are extras :)

We've finally added our handicraft!! During our morning reading Lovebug is working on her knitting. She's not overly thrilled with it but she's doing quite well! We are working on consistency that rounds out in joy!

Grace! ss

** Update: My Hubbie said I should put together a kit to make our clothes pin dolls!!! That sounds fun!! I have it for $10!!! Several picked one up at our HS business fair! Email me if you are interested :) shakespeare.dolls@gmail.com

Comments

Jan. 29, 2008 - Great Idea
Posted by Cheryl L
I love the idea about making the clothespin dolls for Shakespear!! I have wondered about ways to make the stories more concrete. I thought about making puppets. Callie loves to act out more than anything when she narrates and that would be fun!! Thanks!

Feb. 6, 2008 - Clothespin Shakespeare Puppets
Posted by FLORAandFAUNA
What a terrific idea! We have made and used paper dolls, but your clothespin characters are so cute! My family would enjoy providing dramatic narrations using these props. ...I guess you know what we're making tomorrow! LOL

Feb. 8, 2008 - Nice
Posted by Testimony
Great idea! Karen www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

Feb. 19, 2008 - Posted by lindafay
These are cute and a great way to share Shakespeare!

Feb. 19, 2008 - Posted by Anonymous
Oh, I love this idea! My daughter and I were just studying Mozart's The Magic Flute recently and used various stuffed animals for the characters to act it out. I'd LOVE to make some of these clothespin dolls. Or buy a kit! :-) Dana, www.alexml.blogspot.com

Feb. 21, 2008 - Posted by homeschoolhelp
This is such a good and creative idea, Stephanie! Congratulations on making it into the CM Carnival. I think a kit for these is a great idea! Blessings, Dianne

Feb. 21, 2008 - Posted by Anonymous
We love making clothespin dolls but I have not thought of making caracters from our literature. We just finished Romeo and Juliet...thanks for the great idea! Leila @Freedom Academy www.thecookfamilyzoo.blogspot.com

Mar. 2, 2008 - Posted by Jimmie
Quite clever! :-) We love crafts! I'd love to hear more about how you do Shakespeare.

Cocoa

For Christmas we've welcomed Cocoa to our family!! Well, we've often threatened to be rid of her! She's an ancle biter... she attaches especially to Ladybug... and we've had a most difficult time adjusting to her!!

We've just taken the plunge and started a Puppy class w/ Petco!! For now when the girls are out Cocoa is on her new dog line. This has allowed the girls to not run to get away from her!! They were looking for all heights to get out of Cocoa range!!

We are trying to keep Cocoa, but we've already looked at a replacement!!! Ooooo!!! Grace! ss

20 & Term II

Our new term is off to a great start! Our schedule is more intense..... and we've added a jewel too!!

20 Minutes!! (That's not a time out!!!) It is 20 minutes solo with mom!! We gather in my room with an array of books... these are the things we need solo time... body book, manners, anger... or Mother Goose, story books, Peter Rabbit, Pooh... This time has been precious!! Then after the girls Mama gets 20 minutes solo!! :)

Another add on is Lovebug is using 20 for independent reading... She's thilled with Heidi! We've had a bread and cheese and milk lunch, just like Heidi!

Here's our schedule!!

8a Reading with Mama, AO2 Additional reading by me or Heidi by her

9a Breakfast & Bible Devo & Psalm 8 (Daily read & btw memorize)

10a Window to the World- Praying for Chad this week

AO2 Her Pick A - Wind in the Willows

Poetry

MEP - Math

AO2 Her Pick B - Child's History of the World

And I've added a weekly check list to help us stay on track & catch up!! Right now we're doing 2 math lessons, poetry & handwriting daily.

I've also added our Hymns & Folk song on my MP3 player... and we play those at breakfast or in the afternoons!!

Right now I think we're doing more of the AO & CM that ever!!! We need focus on nature & time on Spanish. Also in the days to come we'lll add in our artist & composer!!!

That's our start to AO2 Term 2~~~

Grace! ss

Comments
Jan. 10, 2008 - Posted by JacciM
Thanks so much for commenting on my blog! :) I've enjoyed reading yours some tonight, too. Sounds like you all are well underway. Hope you have a terrific term!! Blessings, Jacci

Back to Climb the Mountain

This week we've started the climb into a new trimester!! We're in the middle of 2nd grade & K and enjoying the views in our AO journey!

Pagoo tears!! We'er appraoching the end of our hermit crab trip! Oh!! Lovebug does not want to finish this trip!! We've seen Pagoo grow from a pre-hermit crab... thru his fights for a shell of his own.... And today he pinched another hermit when Pagoo moved in first!! Just a month or so left!!

Math!! Oh this even yet needs more of me!! Math! Once a week is just not enough, humf!! So today we've ventured into double lessons!! In the midst of the lesson we enjoyed skip counting songs that are wonderful (The Skip Count Kid's Bible Heros)!! Also, the girls enjoyed the finger play with Thumbkin! We did number stuff to!! We are enjoying the MEP lessons!! Now mama needs to be consistent!!!

Ladybug enjoyed mama's favorite book... Miss Rumphius!! Maybe some day we too can live by the sea!!!

We are off to a great start!! These two days have been fabulous!!! Praise my Creator & Sustainer!! Tonight's pillow talk walked again the journey of the day!! Highlights were King Richard the Lionhearted & Robin Hood of Sherwood forrest from Our Island Story!

Grace!! ss

Hubbie- His biggest concern lately was a fall skating!!! (Roller, alas we're without ice!!) Praise nothing broke!! His wrist & a twist were feeling better after rest!! Pray for snow!!

Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas!! Filled with joy & sweet forgivness that only Jesus brings!

We enjoyed reading Luke 2 to slow down and remember this is the reason for the season! After we read, we HAD to act out our own nativity!

Lovebug was Mary who struggled to be mild! Ladybug was her choice of a donkey at the manger. Daddy was Joseph, the Angle of the Lord & our narator. Memom carried her shepherd's crook of a candy cane. Mama circled and came as a wise man to worship the King. Swaddled and laid into a manger box was our bear as Jesus. Grandaddy was Herod & watched our nativity.

I pray you a moment to slow down and read Luke 2.

Jesus is born & risen!!! King of Kings! ss

Our 2007 Christmas Letter

Hold on! Our 2007 roller coaster of life kept us on the edge! It has been a wild year! Through it all God has woven his comfort!! His hand has been strong & sure.

The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hand. Psalm 19:1-2

Our path was in the clouds thru the Rocky Mountains. In Estes park we drove into snow! The mountains truly declared the glories of God. The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hand, Psalm 19:1-2. We skied A-Basin in Colorado! That’s to say K made his way up the mountain and Lovebug mastered the bunny slope & lift. Ladybug skied well with an instructor. Alas, I struggled on the bunny slope, flopped on the magic carpet and understood how my dad could ski the parking lot!! Maybe that’s a genetic trait. K says it is better the second time you go skiing, yet I’ll reserve my thoughts on that.

We hit a speed bump as Hubbie had emergency surgery on 7/31! He awoke knowing nothing about what a diverticulum or colostomy were (that was a rude awaking). Following a week in the hospital, he repeated it all again 8 weeks later with the 2nd surgery to end the colostomy. All in all Kerry stayed 14 days in the hospital… walk… walk… walk… Thanks to the friends who kept the girls for this hospital visit& church family & the family that came to fill the gaps in our great need & flowers and many notes of encouragement. In that time we learned we were expecting a baby. In the weeks that followed the girls and I started our mornings with… fearfully & wonderfully made, knit together in my mother’s womb… Psalm 139

Thanks to the friends who kept our girls for the hospital visits & church family & the family that came to fill the gaps in our great need & flowers & many notes of encouragement.

We packed for Pennsylvania in the midst of those surgeries. The doctor let K travel… (this is not recommended after busting a gut). We took Philadelphia slowly, saw the Liberty bell, met Betsy Ross, got some confederate notes from a Yankee dressed like a Rebel. Ladybug met her great-Grand parents Cyrus & Erma for the first time. They saw where their daddy learned to shoot groundhogs, launch model rockets, touch an electric fence. They helped Great Grandpa fed the fish in the pond. Numerous times Megan & Lillian walked down the lane to help daddy get well! They laughed a lot as they rode the tandem bike. We ate chocolate in Hershey PA… Yummy! We discovered the owner of the Reading railroad from Monopoly (pronounced Redding for all the southerners reading), and he gave us a personal tour of his grandfather’s castle, the Stokesay Castle. It is a copy of an English Castle!! Wow all in PA! Thanks to the family we stayed with!

A grief came in that midst! September 20, Kyle our baby boy was born in heaven. We celebrated this little one when we found out about his coming while in the hospital first round. We cried & grieved his loss. Even the darkness is not dark to him Ps 139:12. This was merely 2 weeks before Kerry’s 2nd surgery. We were hemmed in tight. You hem me in- behind and before… Ps 139:5. For weeks and months now, my girls yet think of their baby brother.

In the quiet and the background from all the excitement… Lovebug is in 2nd grade. She is a good reader. Ladybug is in Kindergarten and writes, colors, glues, & dot-to-dots her alphabet. We’ve learned about sea life with Pagoo, a hermit crab. We’ve met Kings of An Island Story and saw William the Conqueror beat King Harold. Lovebug celebrated her birthday with Betsy in Understood Betsy. We’ve seen Christian on his journey beyond the Slough of Despond in Pilgrim’s Progress. We’ve started our day with God’s precious word and the girls know Psalm 1, 19, 23, 139. We’ve dabbled in Spanish. Our days are tight. The girls have enjoyed ballet & choir, too. Lovebug declared this week that one day she’ll homeschool her kids. We love it!

This year I, (K) made a big career change. After 14 years, or something like that, with General Dynamics/Vertex RSI/Tripoint Global/Vertex Communications Corp, I changed companies. Now I work in Marshall, for Norit-Americas, Inc.. I’m a Project Engineer in the Systems and Services group works along side the production of activated carbon used for filtration products, if it needs to be filtered I’ll bet we can filter it. The rest of my time is filled with lots of FBC projects and video editing, multimedia presentations. Then there’s doctor appointments and a CTscan this week. I am still supposed to be resting in that mix so I can get completely healed.

(S) My joy and privilege is to be home with our girls. School keeps me busy and we’re enjoying our study with Amblesideonline.com. I’ve had a burden & joy to pray with friends and have seen God’s hand working. I’m enjoying our cooking group 4Some and it’s a HUGE help to have meals ready. My freezer is empty for the first time in years and we’ll cook in January. I’m also learning to knit socks! Mom is my excellent teacher even on the phone! I’m nearly done with one very cute sock. We’ve also started a blog through this year’s journey. We’ve enjoyed watching the world thru our hits!! Learning with the Girls at http://grace2u-s2.blogspot.com/ *(as if 6/08). We’ve written thru lots of our year and you can catch up there (here).

From our world to yours… Have a wonderful Christmas celebrating Jesus! May you see thru the eyes of a child and see the wonder of The King is born.

S & K, M8 & L5

Cream Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

For FBC Mission’s Ladies Lunch 2/06 - From Patti Coles

I made this soup for about 60 for that lunch... It was a hit!!! I've been asked about it many times since!! Maybe I'll make it this week! Soup!! I've been making a soup a week and freezing it for lunches!! Hubbie ate all my Hot Taco & I like the Chicken-Rice.... I'm not sure how this will freeze... but it will be yummy!!

Grace! ss

Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 pkg sliced fresh Mushrooms
1 med onion finely chopped
3 T butter ** use real
1/2c flour
2 (14oz) cans Chicken Broth
3c Whipping Cream
1/4c dry white wine
1 1/2t salt
1t tarragon
1t Worcestershire sauce
1/4t white pepper

Coarsely chop mushrooms.

Sauté mushrooms & onion in butter in large Dutch oven over med heat 10 minutes. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Stir in broth & remaining ingredients. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium- high. Cook 20 minutes or until thickened stirring often.

*Be careful not to let it come to a full boil… it wills separate & not turn our right. It can also scorch & taste burnt.

Print by Print

I'm checking my laser... print by print... It's been a mess lately.... Mostly it hungry I guess, for toner.. when it's not chewing and jamming on paper!! Alas, this laser has seen many many years!!! It's much older than our girls... and goes back to college days!!!

It has survived a flood! When the roof in the old house needed to be replaced... it leeked only on this printer... Yikes!! And once dry, it was merrily printing again..

Toner cartriages have gotten quite difficult to find!! This is an old HPIIIP. In the years we've upgraded the memory.

Now I've talked of a new printer.. and now I must weigh the balance... a toner that approaches $100... or putting that chunk toward a new printer!!??? Oh, I'd really like to be able to print on both sides.. Now I'm here feeding each Christmas letter in 2x....

Oh, now I'm out of paper!!! Alas!! This is work!!! :) ss

Christmas Lights

Tonight we did the drive for Christmas lights!! The girls were thrilled with Santa & Rudolph & sleigh on top of the hospital!! They wanted to climb into that sleigh!! They were also in hunt for Santa... Lovebug carried her huge list all rolled up with a bow... Alas, he was not to be found....

Our Christmas cards are out!! They landed in Ohio!! So if you are between here and there or somewhere beyond... Merry Christmas!!

School is officially out!!! We yet have a bit of stragglers to run on... math...but we are definately moving at a different pace!! with games in toe too!! Today we cleaned... so we can make Christmas cookies!! Tomorrow... That sounds fun!! We have a ginerbread house to decorate too!!

Wednesday Hubbie has his follow up from the CTScan... Tonight he's hurt a bit... yet says no to even tylonol...

Ladybug said her brother was looking at Christmas lights with her.... and then later they said Kyle was playing with Holly in heaven. We could only smile!! God is good!!!

Grace & Glittering Lights that declare Jesus is the Light of the world! ss

Christmas Lights

Tonight we did the drive for Christmas lights!! The girls were thrilled with Santa & Rudolph & sleigh on top of the hospital!! They wanted to climb into that sleigh!! They were also in hunt for Santa... Lovebug carried her huge list all rolled up with a bow... Alas, he was not to be found....

Our Christmas cards are out!! They landed in Ohio!! So if you are between here and there or somewhere beyond... Merry Christmas!!

School is officially out!!! We yet have a bit of stragglers to run on... math...but we are definately moving at a different pace!! with games in toe too!! Today we cleaned... so we can make Christmas cookies!! Tomorrow... That sounds fun!! We have a ginerbread house to decorate too!!

Wednesday Hubbie has his follow up from the CTScan... Tonight he's hurt a bit... yet says no to even tylonol...

Ladybug said her brother was looking at Christmas lights with her.... and then later they said Kyle was playing with Holly in heaven. We could only smile!! God is good!!!

Grace & Glittering Lights that declare Jesus is the Light of the world! ss

Christmas Cards

Do you do Christmas cards?

We are in production!! Last year each of us signed each card!! That's not my ambition this year!! I'm just getting ready to hit the print & send them out!

Do you send a picture? I so like to see families grow up! I try hard to take that Christmas pic!! This year we used our April Colorado pic!! That was easy!

Hopefully they will be in the mail by the weekend or so!!

Hubbie has a CTScan on Friday to make sure there's nothing to his pain. Yesterday Ladybug had yet another fall and busted her lip and messed the same area of her Peter Pan teeth!! We'll finish school this week, the first term of AO2!! Grace to ya! And tinsil too!! ss

Christmas Cookies

We are making cookies at home and here too!!

Enjoy the nibbles! ss

Get your own! More Flash Toys from TheoWorlds.com

Comments
Dec. 12, 2007 - Posted by Anonymous
the cookies are SO cute! where do you find this stuff!! :) hope you are having a great day.

More Cookies

Hope you'll take a moment to go make you a cookie too!! ss

Get your own! More Flash Toys from TheoWorlds.com

Memorize!

We are brushing on the final touches of Psalm 139. There are just a few rough spots... missing a phrase... or so. Lovebug has asked to move on to a new passage...

Challenge- She need to say this passage... like during Christmas with family... and then we'll start something new.

?How do you memorize?

Every morning at breakfast, we read our Psalm. We'll read it and talke about it. It is a very causual & no pressure reading. We are NOT focusing on memorizing!!! I know if we consistently read the passage... we'll know it!! It will be like a friend! Every morning I read to the girls. Sometimes Lovebug wants to read... I love her reading God's word.

As we go along.. I'll stop and see if they know what comes next. Gradually we'll set it to memory. Some parts we'll know and others need more attention. I'll do more focused reading starting sometimes at our harder parts.

Now we are at our challenge point. We nearly have the passage word for word. We'll spend the next few weeks reviewing and practicing reciting the Psalm. Hopefully Christmas we'll say it top to bottom!

?How long do you spend on a passage?

We started Psalm 139 when we were expecting a baby! That was August. We we lost the baby in September I found so much comfort in the same Psalm... It was awsome to see God's workd meeting me in such grief.

So it has been from August to December. That's 5 months... with many breaks with surgery in the midst too. My goal is to work on a single passage for each trimester of our schooling. That's 12 weeks. Before this we learned Psalm 19. We picked it up after our Colorado trip. That was 4 months, April thru July.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God lasts forever.

As we make His word part of our day, I think we take on a bit of eternity!! For this lasts...

Grace! ss

Happy B Lovebug

Happy B to Lovebug!! Big 8 years!! We celebrated with friends at a wonderful indoor playing area! This is a bit early for she'll be 8 on the 4th, Tuesday!!

Eight years!! 2nd grade!! Teeth are squished and we are seeing an orthodontist! She's getting tall. She dresses up to a lovely young lady. She's a help to her sister with letters and learning. Often times she helps little sis to clean her room! She's great answering the phone. She likes dress up, sparkles, painted fingers, earings, and shoes with heals. She can run fast in those heels. She's nearly broken her nose! She enjoying ballet. She's learned Psalm 1, 19, 23 & 139 and can recite them. Her tantrums are tough. And she's known for her faces! She loves Jesus and has sought Him fasting. She yet grieves the loss of our little one and still prays for a baby.

She's reading Understood Betsy & Heidi both from AO2. She and Betsy will share their birthdays next week!!! How fun!

Grace! ss

Lessons: He is the potter, I am the clay. Jer. 18.

Followup: Hubbie is yet healing from Monday's Dr appt. Orthodontists are on a pendulum... from pull all 4 teeth to pull none! The nose has healed only occasionaly hurts. Ladybug yet has Peter Pan teeth. The sinus battles are declining, I hope. Grace to ya!!!

Comments
Dec. 3, 2007 - Posted by Anonymous
happy birthday m. sorry we didn't make it to the party...jack came down w/ a cold. suzannah was very disappointed. sounds like they had a good time. m looked beautiful. stacey