Mom to Four Girls

I just won 2 points on the SuperLucky Button!

2011-11-22T22:24:00.000-05:00

I just won 2 points on the SuperLucky Button!: Superpoints is a members-only club where you earn great rewards for doing things online like taking surveys, watching videos or shopping.

Good Home School Mama

2011-09-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

I took the girls to the High Museum of Art today. They had a free day sponsored by Target. Actually, the first 4 Thursdays this month are free. There are several exhibits leaving this weekend and some that were just moved in and started so today was great because you got to see them all. I had never been. Always wanted to go but it's dang expensive most of the time.

Well, we weren't there too long when one was totally bored and ready to leave now. Excuse me, the museum was free but we paid $10 to park - we will walk and see it all (because quite frankly, I really don't intend to go back). And so we did.

Of course I nearly got us all in trouble because I was taking a picture of the girls looking at something. Yeah lady, I ASKED the dude over here first and he said I could take a picture of my girls to document this field trip. I'm NOT taking a picture this art (because quite frankly, my girls can paint MUCH better than this). Dude finally came over and said "She is JUST documenting that her girls were here on this field trip. She is NOT taking pictures of the art work. Thanks for backing me up Dude. Maybe I can convince Skylar to share the pictures I took with me (she loaded them to HER computer) and then I can add them here for you to see. One day... ;)

And I really didn't. But Skylar told me after we left she took 3 pictures. LOL She looked like she was texting but she got 3 pictures of her favorite things. Maybe I'll get her to let me have access to them one day so you can see the lips, Marilyn Monroe and bicycle she liked. In her defense, she was walking on an injured foot and it really hurt her to do so much walking.

Sandi was basically her 15yo bored teen self. We were walking through one area where she said "it looks like they just stole that stuff out of a 1970's house and put it here." I must agree. She did like the one exhibit by Radcliffe Bailey. "It was all sparkly. I like his use of glitter." His work was actually quite interesting and you could see the thoughts behind most of it. Also, he was there speaking to a group that moved through so we saw and heard him for a bit. Being in the back of the group though meant you didn't hear a lot so we moved on and kept looking.

So, I sufficiently bored my daughters for the year. Isn't that the job of every GOOD home schooling mom? Maybe now we can get busy with some FUN field trips.

Actually, one day I would be willing to go look at more exhibits but I'll wait a few weeks or months. Just wish I'd worn my pedometer today. Sure would love to know how far I actually walked!

Dolphin Tale

2011-08-17T23:53:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted a blog, but I just had to share this with you! The following was copied and pasted just as I received it.

We’ve got two fantastic opportunities to share with you! This weekend, Warner
Bros. is sponsoring free advanced screenings of Dolphin Tale for Homeschool leaders
across the nation. We’ve already seen it and we loved it! You can check out the trailer
for yourself at http://dolphintalemovie.warnerbros.com/ The screenings will take place
this Sunday in the following markets:

Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Cleveland
Colorado Springs
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Grand Rapids, MI
Houston
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Los Angeles/OC
Miami
Minneapolis
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
St. Louis
Washington DC
Salt Lake City

If you’re interested, please
hmcrsvp@gmail.com for the
When you rsvp you will get further
time and theater details.

We need all RSVPs by this Thursday, August 18.

We are also super excited about the second opportunity! Warner Bros. is giving
a separate set of screenings just for homeschoolers. Homeschoolers will have the
opportunity to see the film before anyone else! This is fantastic news to share with your
readers and other homeschooling families you may know. Make sure they register at
http://www.homeschoolmovieclub.com/join_us for a chance to attend the screening.

We’re so excited to share this news with you and we hope to see you there!

Your pals at Homeschool Movie Club J

Home Educating Family Publishing

2011-08-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

Home Educating Family Publishing

Register to win their contest!! It's quick, easy and fun. :)

Three Things I Have to Do

2011-08-03T15:37:00.000-04:00

Ummm... if I'd typed this earlier my list would have been different. Here is how my day has gone so far. LOL

I got Terry out the door in a freshly starched and pressed shirt but we are out of bread and the carnation instant breakfast drinks weren't in the fridge. The girls didn't make his lunch quite properly either. GRRR I was ready for a nap already. ;)

I had decided to let my buddies know I wouldn't be at TOPS when my phone rang and it was one of them saying her hubby is very sick - running fever since Sunday and they were headed to the doctor for the only appt. open today. I called another member and let her know I wouldn't be there due to my cold/congestion and that M wouldn't be there due to her hubby. She would make other phone calls.

I settled in to check emails, etc. and have a bit of a leisurely morning before my webinar. Sarah came in and asked for help releasing her parking break. Daddy set it too tight. I went out and got it released. When I let the door close gently, evidently I had hit the lock button (not a clue how) and now we were locked out of her car with it running and the spare key in her purse... also inside the car. We tried to use a coat hanger and get it open but I couldn't get enough leverage or pressure for it to actually push the button to unlock or roll down a window.

I told Sarah to drive Savannah's car to work while I figured out what to do. (insert whine, almost tears) "But mommy! My purse is in my car with my license and my money, and my lunch!" So I told her I'd give her breakfast money and planned to have her car open within two hours so I could bring her lunch and she should drive very safely. They can verify you have a valid license if they need. And so she left.

I walked in the house to a ringing phone. It was Terry. I explained and asked for suggestions for something not much larger than a clothes hanger that would reach the buttons and push them. He said to call Paul and ask his advice. Paul is our awesome local mechanic. I called and explained and he said he would be right here. Literally, he is 2 minutes down the road. In 5 minutes he was here and had it unlocked!!! Boy does Sarah owe him! I told her, it may not be money but some brownies or pie or something! (She is an awesome baker!)

I jumped in the Mustang (convertible!) and took off to meet her at work and swap cars. She was in her store meeting and so I sat outside and waited patiently. A couple of ladies walked in (late for their meeting!) and I asked if they knew her. Nope. Okay. So I continue to wait. Then someone came by that said yes, they knew her. I asked that they simply let her know I was outside waiting for her if they saw her. Another few minutes and someone came outside and said that I MUST be Sarah's mom because we have the same smile and look so much alike. Sarah came up right behind her and I delivered her purse and lunch and swapped keys and headed back toward the house.

I also knew that first thing I needed to hit the pharmacy for Skylar some insulin. Turns out she ran totally out of Humalog yesterday. She needed it early this morning and found a vial and used a syringe instead of her normal pen needle. So I stopped there "on the way" home. I got home just in time to start my first webinar of the day.

Since then I held the webinar, checked out some things online and met my in-laws for lunch with three of my girls. We ran to Home Depot for a spigot splitter, hose, and sprayer (with a fire hose setting!). We needed those items so Savannah could clean off the patio. It had been covered with leaves to the point they were decomposing and so it is essentially covered with dirt and worms. ;)

Then back to my in-laws to pick up what was left of my father-in-laws birthday cake (since I missed his birthday and wanted a piece of that Italian Creme Cake!!). Now I'm home going through emails, playing catch-up and getting ready for webinar #2 of 3 for the day.

I think it's a good thing we planned on chili dogs for dinner. Very quick and easy and if needed, my girls can get it ready.

This started off as an email to one of my groups in response to the daily email "Three Things I Have To Do" that makes us list the 3 most important things each day to help us stay on track. Yeah, you can see how much good it did me today. LOL

More travel fun!

2011-05-15T00:53:00.000-04:00

Well, my travel woes continue with this latest trip. I traveled to Harrisburg, PA for another home school convention. :) SO MUCH FUN! But I must tell the story before we get to the fun stuff.

Jennifer and I left on Thursday with tickets to Philadelpia, PA and then a connecting flight to Harrisburg. We arrived early enough to get checked in, grab some lunch and wait a few minutes before boarding. Hey, this is going smoothly! We were seated together with Jennifer at the window. The sky was clear so we took a few pictures while circling over Atlanta and as we were getting in to Philly. Nice flight! Even with the guy in front of Jennifer pushing his seat beyond where it should have been so he could sleep for quite awhile.

Arrive in Philly and learn we need to go from Terminal B to Terminal F. Finally find there is a shuttle to get us there. 30 minutes later we are at our new gate and sit to wait the 20 minutes for boarding. We watched our luggage get loaded. That's a good thing - we know it will get there with us. Then we hear the words, "your flight has been delayed. Your new scheduled departure time is 5pm. We are waiting on a crew to arrive." Not very comforting to know they are still waiting on a crew to arrive.

We decide to go get something to drink and a small ice cream. YUM! Head back to the gate to eat the ice cream when we hear "Your flight has now been canceled." Oh! REALLY? And so now how do we get to Harrisburg? You can go to gate 16 or the ticket counter for a new flight. So, we go to the counter. I call CP who handles this stuff for the company to find out what she needs us to do. It's finally our turn and we ask what flight they can get us on since the sign behind her says there is one at 5:24. Nope. Nothing until 8:24pm. Well, okay. Are we guaranteed that flight? Yes, unless it cancels. Gee thanks.

Ummm... what else can you do for us being inconvenienced? Oh, a $5 meal voucher. Nice. What can you get to eat in an airport for $5? Well, that 6oz bag of peanuts was $4.49. Yeah. That's good when you are hungry and won't be meeting up with your group for an additional 4 hours or so and they will have already eaten. And who wants to eat dinner at 10pm?

I called CP back to let her know we had a flight. She decided it was too little too late and she will get us a car. It is only about 90 minutes to drive. Now we need to let them know we will not be getting on that flight. If we just don't show up they will cancel the rest of our trip. We head to the ticket counter and talk to a lady who was nice and marked that we would not be on that late flight and tells us we are good to go for Sunday. We ask where we might use the meal voucher. Well, you need to go back through security. NOT HAPPENING! Where do we find the car rental area? She told us and we were on our way.

Ok - now to get the shuttle bus to stop for us. Thank you very much! Off to the car rental lot. Stand in line in a hot building and finally it's our turn. Sign my life way for the deposit. Learn if you don't put gas in the car they charge you for a full tank even if you only need a few gallons. And get brief directions to get on the highway - not quite enough to get us to Harrisburg though. Also, we realize each of us had taken a GPS out of our bag since we wouldn't be driving on this trip. Won't make that mistake again!!

I drive and Jennifer calls to let CM (who was supposed to meet us originally and who is now meeting us as we return the car to pay the fee) know we are on the road. She has someone else with our team give directions to get us to Harrisburg. All is good. They are heading to dinner and we will eat before returning the car. It was a nice drive and we enjoyed ourselves.

We get in to the Harrisburg Airport area and start looking for a place to eat dinner. In about 4 miles through this little township we were in, we drive past about 8 bars. Many of them we notice are across the street from funeral homes. We laugh about it but we can't find anything for dinner except Hardee's. Good enough so we stop and eat.

We call LD to let them know we are on our way to the airport. They are about 15 minutes away. Perfect. We pull in to return the car and realize we neglected to fill it up. We head back to the gas station, fill it up and drive back. Turn in the car, walk to the building and wait for CM and LD to show up so we can pay out and be on our way.

We go in and the lady behind the counter said her passcode just expired. She tries to use the other workers and it also expired and now both computers are locked up. We step to the side while they deal with locked up computers and try to help other customers. I guess it took a good 20 minutes. FINALLY we can pay for the rental and be on our way.

The rest of the evening was uneventful except that Jennifer and I were tired but in that mode where you just can't fall asleep. We talked until after 2am. It sure made getting up at 6am a bit difficult. Breakfast at 6:30 and head to the convention just after 7am. We had a great day, was halfway to our goal and headed to Red Robin for dinner. Back to the hotel and had a quiet evening, going to bed a bit early.

Back up at 6am to repeat the day. We finally closed the show over our goal and got the booth packed and headed to dinner. Sometimes the GPS doesn't know the BEST way to go. Really? Must we always take detour through the worst part of town? After circling a few blocks for the grand tour we get headed to Benihana. After waiting a little bit we were seated. On the floor on a flat pillow. Getting your legs under that table was fun. We were punchy from being tired. It made for a fun evening.

We watched the chef make our dinner which was delicious, even though the chef wasn't so great with his little show. There was a mix up with a raspberry lemonade where it came to the table a touch frothy and we discovered there was alcohol in it. Lots of jokes, including how the chef might have had a nip or needed one.

Honestly, at this point I have laughed so hard I can't even remember all that happened. I'm sure friends who were there will comment to remind me. ;) We did finish our dinner which included your choice of ice cream or rainbow sherbet. For the record, that sherbet was the best ever and several said it tasted like Trix.

Time to head back to the hotel but first another detour through the bad part of town where there were barber shops still open after 9pm, several fried chicken places within a block or less of each other, and one that would even cash your checks for you. We had to stop at Starbucks as well. Some people are addicted to coffee.

To the hotel and find out our room keys won't work. Had to get them reissued. In the room, pj's on and a quick check on facebook and email. Learned that there was a problem with our tickets not being synced or something. Jennifer calls and learns we do not have tickets even though we have paid for bags to be checked on this flight. Evidently THAT triggered them to notify us about 12 hours later that we didn't have seats on this flight. She gets it all cleared up (we hope) and now, we are on the flights and prayerfully headed home on time tomorrow.

Stay tuned! You never know what else will happen before July 31!

Happy Birthday Sandi!

2011-05-14T08:30:00.031-04:00

My 3rd daughter playing softball this year for the first time and having a great time.Today is her 15th birthday and I wanted to wish her a very happy birthday since I'm not at home to spend the day with her! She tells me that next week we will head to the DMV to her her learners permit. Hope she has studied hard!

More conventions... Frederick, MD - Day 1

2011-05-11T08:30:00.001-04:00


At the car rental building

Driving around Frederick - thankfully Dennis was driving so I could take pictures. ;)


The sun setting the first night in Frederick, MD.

Convention Season in full swing

2011-05-10T08:30:00.010-04:00

I have been privileged to work with Alpha Omega Publications over the past 5 years, representing them at home school conventions all over the southeast. This year I've had the opportunity to travel further from home and so I have been taking my camera. I've been traveling to so many wonderful places and you just never know when you'll see some sites you wish you had taken a picture of.

I've missed a few photo ops like the laundry drying on the guardrail on the expressway in Cincinnati, OH. Boy was that a sight! Traffic was backed up just a bit on the expressway and when it broke loose that was what we saw. Sure wish I'd had the camera out already that morning!

Here are a few pictures I've taken.


Cincinnati, OH


Montgomery, AL - the tiny airport!

I will stop with those two conventions for now. We have had the greatest time talking to parents, helping them decide if our curriculum will work for their family and encouraging those who are brand new to home education. Home education does not have to be difficult! If you have been considering home education for your children, just know that if you are committed to giving them the best education, YOU CAN DO IT!

What time is that flight?

2011-05-08T11:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I have had a fun couple of weeks. I traveled to Oklahoma City for a convention that was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 26 and 27. My luggage didn't arrive when I did so Delta gave me a cute little care bag. They called it an overnight bag. It included detergent, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, deodorant, razor and shave cream, and a t-shirt. Fine but I want MY stuff. I was told it could arrive about 6:30 or it could be the 10:15 flight. Tracking showed it arrived at 6:30 but the transport would have it delivered by 3am. I told the desk to call if it was there before midnight. Otherwise I'd just get it the next morning. It arrived sometime during the night. The convention went well and the rest of my trip was fairly uneventful.

Now fast forward to Thursday, May 5. I flew to Springfield, MO. The flight was fine (seats are getting smaller each trip and I don't mean I've gained weight either!), got my rental car, drove to the hotel and checked in early to a nice room overlooking Hammons Field. Got directions to Walmart and then headed out. I needed one item from Wallyworld and then on to the airport to pick up Esther. Pulled out the GPS and requested directions to SGF.

I followed those directions only to arrive at a closed airport with signs saying they had moved. Well, ok then. Follow signs that aren't quite clear what the numbers mean - nothing says 2m just an arrow and a two. Does that mean go two miles up the road? Go to the second light? Second intersection? SHEESH! Of course I got "lost" and so I stopped and called my hero husband to look it up on Google and get me where I needed to be. Meanwhile, Esther has already arrived and is waiting for me so we can go set up our booth since we must open it at 6pm.

FINALLY! I make it to the airport, Pick up Esther and we head back to the hotel to get her checked in and then to the convention center to set up our booth. We are both starving but we need to get set up first. Mission accomplished. Lunch/dinner at Steak and Shake which is directly across from the hotel. Change clothes and head to the convention.

Let me tell you that I've attended a few of these and never have I had teen pages who were so attentive and helpful! These kids were awesome! Our pallet arrived with a missing board and another that came off right beside that spot as we unloaded. There is no way we can pack our stuff back on this pallet. So a teen page found us another pallet but also considered working to fix ours if necessary. Other pages were always close by to bring water, answer questions (or go find answers), etc. They would even man our booth if we needed a bathroom break. Thursday evening we did lots of talking and showing and had lots of people say they would be back.

Friday was a steady day. Lots of sales putting us at the close of the day about 3/4's of the way to our goal. Again, quite a few saying they would be back to make purchases the next day when their teen or husband could be with them. After we closed up at 6pm, we headed to Lambert's Cafe Home of the throwed rolls for dinner. We had a short wait but it was so worth it! What a great place with wonderful food, great prices for what you got, and we left stuffed with lots left on our plates. If you get a chance to go, fried pork chops are awesome!

Saturday we headed to the convention, according to the information we had. We arrived about 9:45 giving us 15 minutes before the exhibit hall is to open. WRONG! They had changed times! Opened at 9:00 and closing at 6:30 instead of 6pm like was originally posted. It made for a long day and with workshops going on for some reason we weren't steady the entire day - just spurts of interest. We did FINALLY reach and exceed our sales goal right in the last hour of the day but we weren't sure it would happen. Oh, and the computer ordering system decided to dump the last order of the day AFTER the family had left the building. I knew the last name and what the order consisted of but nothing else was in the system. I remembered them discussing another booth and so I tracked down that exhibitor to get their phone number. I'm hoping the order is actually somewhere in the system after all but I'll let customer service deal with getting everything if it isn't. I just don't want to end up putting a duplicate order in for them and having their card charged twice!

Esther and I decided to try Texas Roadhouse for dinner. We had a bit of a wait but it was again worth it. Delicious! We had fried pickles thanks to a coupon Esther found for a free appetizer. Both of us ordered the 6oz steak with mushrooms on top, a house salad which was delicious with items you normally don't find in a house salad, and she had a sweet potato while I had a loaded baked potato. YUM! Again, we left very full and no room for the ice cream we kept saying we were going to get.

Back to the hotel where I saw the lights on in Hammons Field and then heard on the news they had lost a game played there that afternoon. I could have watched from my room if I'd been there during the game! After a good nights sleep we headed to the airport. Esther's flight was at 10:20 so I dropped her off and then checked in the rental car and onto my flight. Just as I got checked in I had a message from Delta that my flight had changed departure time. Instead of 11:30 we were leaving at 12:05. Also, it's overbooked so they are looking for volunteers to fly later. Ok - I'll volunteer. I'd love another voucher! I COULD have kept the rental a little longer and driven around a bit to see the sites, enjoyed some ice cream or whatever. Instead I'm sitting in a hot, humid airport!

As I sit here typing, I get another message from Delta that our flight is now scheduled to depart at 11:45. They just can't make up their mind! So, what time is that flight again? The time keeps changing on the screen I can see. At the moment it says 11:40.

So, I fly several more times this convention season. How many vouchers will I end up with? Will I ever get a flight home that actually departs and arrives at it's originally scheduled time? I guess only time will tell.

OH, and by the way... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

Watching and waiting...

2011-04-17T14:46:00.003-04:00

Sitting in the Baltimore airport (BWI) watching all the people and planes and waiting for my newly confirmed flight. However, to properly tell this story, I feel I need to back up a bit. Maybe about 4 days...

This is going to be a bit long!

I left home a little later than I anticipated on Thursday. My oldest daughter was taking me to the airport in Atlanta and my flight was for 12:30. For some reason, we ended up behind and left home around 11:15 meaning I walked quite quickly through baggage check-in, security, and on to my gate. I typically arrive early enough to at least be able to walk at a leisurely pace and not have to insist on taking the underground transportation!

Anyway, all was well and I made it in time to wait in line for my seating zone to be called. Got my bag in the overhead compartment and sat down in my middle seat. Thankfully, no one was in the aisle seat so we had some breathing room. It was a very uneventful 2 hour flight which actually landed a bit early. I walked off my plane and almost immediately saw my convention buddy Sara R. so we walked to baggage claim together.

There was a shuttle to Hertz so we all jumped on there (We had also found Dennis by this point who was working with us as well.) and headed to get the rental. Everything was good - the rental was a Rogue which barely fit the 3 of us with our luggage and computers, etc. but it worked. Now to get on to the highway.

I was a bit nervous as Dennis was the driver for this trip and leaving the rental area he was quite literally driving down the middle of 2 lanes. I have no idea why. I just hoped he was a better driver than I was imagining at that particular point in time. LOL Getting out of the rental area and onto the hwy where we belonged seemed to be a challenge. The GPS couldn't get a signal (but we thank God Dennis thought to bring it) and the instructions weren't totally clear from Hertz on what turn was taking us where. First thing off the bat we made a left when we should have made a right. We circled around, follow by now the GPS. I will tell you that a GPS saying to "stay left and keep to the right lane" was something we heard often but it tended to be confusing.

We did get things figured out, stopped by Dennis' sister's home and met her briefly and then on to Frederick, MD for our convention. The drive takes about an hour. The hotel was simple enough to find. There were places to eat all around. We were doing great! We go to check in... Sarah checked in first and got her room assignment on the first floor. I was next - second floor and no elevator. Are you serious? Apparently so. Oh, and I was on the total opposite end of the building. Dennis checked in - just down the way from Sarah. Very nice. LOL I asked about a change but due to a doggie convention in town, (dog show) they couldn't make a change. Everything was totally booked. No problem. I can handle this!

We had the rest of the afternoon/evening free so we took a nice scenic drive through Historic Frederick. It was beautiful and I hope to have my photos loaded to share soon. The weather was nice and we rode with windows down to feel the breeze and take pictures. We won't continue to expound on the driving at this point. I'm not sure I could have done better considering I didn't have a clue where we were heading, how narrow the streets were with parking on both sides and many of them one way. The architecture was gorgeous though and Sarah and I LOVED getting a little bit of a tour.

At some point (I can't recall now before or after driving around) we stopped at Target for a few items needed and then on to eat dinner at Golden Corral. Dennis had a business call to attend to so Sarah and I met in the lobby of the hotel and played Phase 10 for a while. It was a lot of fun to have time to relax and play for a bit.

Friday morning - up, breakfast and head to the fairgrounds to set up our booth. It took a couple of hours I guess but then we were free until 4pm. We drove back into Frederic Historic district and walked a few blocks to eat lunch in an old brewery. It was DELICIOUS! Then we walked for a bit more looking for a cemetery that had a statue we had seen the day before.

We happened upon a War Memorial Park that was beautiful and had memorials for all the wars. Again, we took lots of pictures! We walked more but didn't find the one statue we were now looking for which was Francis Scott Key. Turns out the cemetery for that was several more blocks away. WOW! It was huge and the outside edge was lined with grave stones for 100's of unknown soldiers and 100's of confederate soldiers. At the entrance was Francis Scott Key's statue. On the back side were the words to the Star Spangled Banner. Did you know there are 4 verses to that song? WOW! What wonderful words they are too! It's a shame we don't know ALL of them!

Well, by then it was time to head to the hotel to get freshened up for the convention that evening. Convention hours were wonderful - 4pm-9pm on Friday and 9pm-4pm on Saturday.

Convention was quite busy on Thursday evening. 9pm arrived before I knew it! Actually, it was about 9:18 when I realized they were blinking the lights to tell everyone it was time to close it up. We got packed up what needed to go with us and headed to find something to eat. We ended up at the Double TT Diner. It was a LOT like the Marietta Diner back home. Wonderful food, with just about anything you could imagine on the menu as far as ethnicity goes. I did get a picture of Sarah's dinner which was a Waffle Split! Basically a banana split on a Belgian waffle. It was gorgeous and she said delicious! I had a gyro which was quite yummy. I honestly do not remember what Dennis had that night. Then it was back to the hotel to crash for a few hours.

Saturday morning we woke to rainy weather. Fortunately it didn't really let the bottom fall out until we were safely in the convention center. People coming in though were drenched!! I was surprised it was as busy as it was but it wasn't as busy as we had heard it usually is. We did well - we missed our sales goal by $1205 but that isn't too bad.

So, show is over and we are packing everything up to ship to the next show. There are still people standing in our booth looking at books as we are tearing down and packing books up. I took 2 orders long after the convention ended in the midst of getting total counts on catalogs and the other stuff we must do. Oh, and Dennis had to leave to buy shrink wrap because ours didn't make it with the pallet and I KNOW it was on there when it left Montgomery!

Ok - so everything is FINALLY packed and placed on the pallet and shrink wrapped. Can we go now? YES! Now, where to eat dinner since we are starved and haven't had lunch during all this? By now Dennis has learned his driving scares Sarah a bit and so he is making the most of it. I just laugh (I'm also in the front seat while she is in the back thanking her seatbelt for being her CLOSE friend).

We finally decided on Longhorn but there was about a 45 minute wait and we still have an hour drive ahead of us. Let's just try the Chinese restaurant across the parking lot. Oh, I'm SO happy we did! It was DELICIOUS! An order of cheese wontons (we know them as crab rangoons) were delicious. I ordered my stand by - Sesame Chicken while Sarah ordered the Crystal Wok. It was a mixture of meats and veggies in a wonderful sauce and brought in a little wok over a flame. Dennis spoke Chinese and we had to get things interpreted. He ordered some green beans and we agreed on sticky white rice instead of fried rice. I've never had green beans so good! We shared it all and it was all SO delicious! I only wish I had taken some pictures of the food before we dug in! I have never had them bring a hot moist towel before but this is a classy joint evidently! Oh, and we also had almond cookies for dessert along with the typical fortune cookie. :)

Now we drive back to Baltimore. This trip was only interrupted by a road side stop to close the back hatch on the car that had let go. OH! So THAT is what the orange triangle with the ! in it meant on the dash! ROFL! Honestly, it didn't tell you why it was on but it did show when Dennis opened his door to get out. Anyway, so now we get in to Baltimore, find the hotel (which looked totally cool on the website AND in person!) and Dennis drops Sarah and I off.

Ok - now the real adventure begins...

I walk up to the desk and give my name. Nope, not listed for tonight. Sarah gives her name. Not found for tonight either. We look at each other as the clerk asks if we are booked into their other hotel. Where is it? It is also VERY close to the airport but on the other side. She calls over and we aren't listed there either. Our clerk checks again and realizes we are booked - for May 14. Yes, we are about a month early! Only we aren't! We can't be sure where the mix up occurred but our clerk was extremely sweet and offered to call around to other local hotels to see what she could find. She made about 5 calls while also answering the phone and found us something just a block away. Her shuttle had already left on a run but their shuttle van could come get us. PERFECT!

Meanwhile I've been chatting with Christi who makes all our reservations and she is at a ballgame with her kids so she needs to get home to get a fax to be able to fax the credit card info from the company to pay for our new rooms. We shuttle over uneventfully and stand in line to check in behind several soldiers who are coming home. While standing there the clerk takes a call from Southwest Airlines for 3 rooms for pilots because of canceled flights. While waiting for our stuff to be completed SW called again for 10 more rooms. Yes, cloud to cloud lightening is one of the quickest ways to get a flight canceled it seems.

We finally get the credit card info all faxed in and get our room assignments. We are across the hall from one another and it is still only about 8:30 I guess so Sarah comes over and we play a good game of Phase 10. Then decide to turn in. I stayed up reading a bit and hit the hay, setting my alarm for 6:30 because we must leave the hotel at 7:00 on the shuttle.

I awoke at 6:20 to a voicemail from Delta. My flight has been delayed. I text Sarah to let her know. She checks and her flight has also been delayed. She went back to sleep. I grabbed a shower and breakfast before we get on the shuttle. Shuttle dropped us off at BWI with perfect time to get through security and get to the gate.

Yeah, right. I don't know when I've ever seen a line so long to drop off already checked bags! It was a mess and that poor Delta Agent was getting swamped and she had no real clue what was going on because she had just arrived herself.

Because I'm ending my travel in Atlanta with no connections, I get to go to the front of the line with a few other people. WOO HOO! Now bag is checked and I'm off to security. Made that successfully and on to the gate area. Found my gate and ask for my seat assignment only to find out the flight is over booked heavily due to a canceled flight last night and one this morning. I have a chance but it's not a great one, of getting on this flight. I realize pretty quickly it's not a go. I was patient and he finally had time to book a new flight and give me a meal voucher for $10 as well as a $400 travel voucher. It's good for a year!

I have a flight in an hour but I'm on priority stand-by. I am confirmed on a later flight. I again realize VERY quickly that getting on the earlier flight will not happen. I go find some lunch at Potbelly Sandwiches. It was a great sandwich.

Since then I've wandered the concourse a bit hunting for a place to plug something in to charge. There is seriously ONE plug in this place and the plugs won't stay in it. UGH!

Anyway, so now I have a seat assignment on this flight at 3:15 and I hope to be home by 5:30. I was supposed to be home by 11:00 this morning. LOL

Maybe next time I won't wait an entire month to blog about something and won't be quite so wordy either!

WIP Wednesday - baby caps

2011-03-16T15:54:00.000-04:00

It has been a few weeks since I participated in WIP Wednesday. Life is just so busy right now. It may take me all day to get this post completed but I will get it done. ;)

I had a request for a baby cap so I tried my hand at making one but ended up purchasing a pattern from Etsy that was very close to what was requested. Sometimes it is just worth paying for the pattern versus spending hours trying to work one up for yourself when life is as busy as it has been lately.

I have also completed the 2 baby blankets I had been working on for awhile. I'll take photos and post those later. :)

Would love to see what you are working on. To participate in WIP, just click the link (photo of Rosie the Dog).

Poison Ivy

2011-02-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

End Day 1

Morning of Day 2

Yes, poison ivy in February. Never had it myself and never had a child with it. Until now. I don't like it. It's a pain and I'm not the one that has it. My 13yo daughter was out building a fort in the beautiful weather we've been having this week and evidently the little bits of green growing on her fort floor that she just HAD to pull up was poison ivy. And so she has a spot on the first joint of each index finger and then half her face and ears are covered. It's not pretty. She has asked several times WHY did it have to get on her face. And then she proclaims that "it is NOT cute."

Morning of Day 3

I hope we never deal with it again.

Wednesday WIP - baby booties

2011-02-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

I know I'm a day late with this post but yesterday it just wasn't going to happen. I had 3 webinars to work, lunch with my in-laws (it's a standing date) and then my youngest had a rash on her face that kept growing. So I spent the entire afternoon at the doctor's office with her. Turns out she has a horrible case of poison ivy on her face as well as a broken toe. (Might as well get that checked while we were there!) We left the Doctor's Office and headed across the street for an x-ray of that toe and then to the pharmacy. Our regular pharmacy was out of the meds prescribed and so we backtracked about 3 miles to their next closest location to get the lotion needed for the poison ivy. Today we need to pick up the liquid antibiotic and hopefully hear the actual results of the x-ray. Tomorrow is a recheck for the poison ivy (told you it was a pretty bad case).

So anyway, I decided not to wait but to go ahead and post my WIP.

Just got them finished! I need to make about 4 more pair though. February seems to be the month to have a baby for a lot of people I know, and I think so far every one has had a girl.

I'm also working on a baby blanket (or two) and a hooded scarf that was requested as a gift. So, here are the photos of the completed booties and a couple of actual W'sIP.

I really like this booty pattern and I wanted to try the twisted yarn ties. I haven't totally made up my mind about those ties. I will probably stick to ribbon most of the time but the twisted yarn ties are handy if you need to finish a pair and are out of ribbon that matches. :)


Pink booties with ribbon ties


Violet and cream booties with twisted yarn ties


Cream booties with pink ribbon ties


Hooded scarf in progress using the pattern from Lionbrand.

Lacy border baby blanket from a free tear off sheet I grabbed at Michael's.

From Marie Anne: To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. You can play along even if it’s not Wednesday; I leave each WIP up until the following week. Copy the code below Rosie's picture and paste it into your blog post so that others can follow too, and see the rest of the projects that are posted here.

WIP Wednesday - Hot Pink Raised Heart Afghan

2011-02-09T07:25:00.012-05:00

This pattern is an original that the sister-in-law of an acquaintance wrote a few years ago. Several friends have used it and I think it is gorgeous. I am working through it with my crochet-along group of friends and when we work on a project like this I try to post some photos so the ladies who are still learning can see what the project should look like. Here are the photos I've taken of my project so far. At the time I'm typing this blog post, we are working a bit beyond where the photos were taken. Hopefully it will be completed by the end of the month but it may take a tad longer since I have other projects in the works that have more pressing deadlines than this one. Enjoy!


Showing how to start the row

Wow! Using the flash made it REALLY bright!


Showing how to end the row

Panoramic shot just after working row 9

Row 4

Row 5

Row 6

Row 7

Row 9

Row 10

Row 11

Row 13

To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. You can play along even if it’s not Wednesday. Just click on Rosie's picture and follow Marie Anne's directions to post. We'd love to have you join us!!

Wednesday WIP - Light Pink and bright pink

2011-02-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

I have now started a couple of new projects - one being the crochet-along that I am doing with my crochet group. I've sent them the first 4 rows so far so I'm posting a photo of it to that point.

First 4 rows of our Raised Heart afghan pattern

showing the ends which fringe as you go

The baby shawl I had posted a few times as I was working on it has now been completed. I love it but you really have to pay attention as you work to keep from missing a stitch here and there or losing which row you are working. It's a nice size and will be nice for spring. I just need to tuck in all those random ends and it's good to go. You can find the pattern here.

Light Pink Baby Shawl

close up of the baby shawl pattern

I've started a hooded scarf that will be a gift. A mom asked me to make it for her daughter who saw a different hat I'd made for my youngest. This one will be much more mature for a young lady who is about to turn 20. The pattern for this project may be found here.

Beginning the light pink hooded scarf

Close up of the end of the hooded scarf

The last photos are of a baby headband. I followed the directions to a t - including the size hook, etc. and it is larger than I think it should be. It was supposed to fit a child age 18 months - 2 years old. I think it will fit my 12 year old. Oh well! She will use it. LOL The pattern can be found here.

Followed the pattern but it's too large.


close up of the headband. I need to add the decorative piece.

To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. You can play along even if it’s not Wednesday; Just click on Rosies picture, visit Marie Anne's WIP and see what others are working on too!

Baby Headband

2011-01-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

I received a crochet newsletter. Looking it over, I clicked a link and one click led to another. I've been looking for a good baby headband pattern and finally found one here http://just-crochet.blogspot.com/

Here are pictures of my work so far. I really like this pattern and hope to make several for friends with baby girls this spring!

Wednesday WIP - Fleur de lis

2011-01-18T23:33:00.000-05:00

I'm working to change a pattern someone shared with me to make a pattern to match someone's decor. I know it's difficult to see and it's a bit crooked but this is my first attempt at trying to match in actual stitches what I've drawn.

Now to figure out how to get it straight enough and write the actual pattern so I can work it without having to rethink things. One thing that made my project different from the original is that I chained 1 and turned on each end which means every other row was worked sort of backwards. The original calls for leaving a tail on each end so you have fringe when you have completed the work. I can see the benefit to working it all one directions. ;)

I would love for you to participate in the Wednesday Work In Progress posts - it doesn't matter what you are working on, anything is game. Just click Rosie's picture below and join us!

Hexagonal Blanket

2011-01-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

A friend was speaking of some scrap yarn she had and what could be done with it. We were sitting together freezing while waiting on our children to finish band practice and I found a pattern that would look good with either planned colors or just using up whatever you have sitting around. Here is the beginning of my blanket.

Round 1 Completed

Beginning Round 2

Round 2 Completed

Showing the slip stitch into the ch2 space to begin Row 3

Ch5 that begins Row 3

Showing the ch5 and first dc that begins row 3

First side of 6 for Row 3

ch2 between the first and second sides on Row 3

Beginning Row 4

Row 5 completed

Close up beginning Row 6

Not sure yet how large I'll make it or how long it will take since I'm using scraps and also have several other projects in the works. ;)

To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. You can play along even if it’s not Wednesday.Click on Rosie's picture, check out MA's blog. Then copy and paste the code she has on her blog into your blog post so that others can follow too, and see the rest of the projects that are posted.

Where does the time go?

2010-12-12T17:19:00.001-05:00

From left to right: Sandi, Sarah, Skylar, Savannah. At the Braves Game on Memorial Day 2010.

Seriously?

How did Terry and I get to the age that our oldest daughters are now 21 and 19? Has it really been THAT long since we brought them home from the hospital and celebrated their first few Christmas days? You mean I'm NOT 25 any more?

I can look and see they aren't 9 pounds 12 ounces or 7 pounds 5 ounces any more. I can't hold them in my lap or cradle them in my arms like when they were infants. But how did it happen so quickly? Where did all the memories - of things we swore we'd NEVER forget - get buried in our brains? I'm sure if I could remember ALL those moments, I would more easily realize the time that has passed. But they are filed away somewhere in my brain and they only surface when someone else says "Hey, do you remember when ...?

Remember when Sarah was bent over the sofa and we wondered what she was doing only to have her stand and turn to us with 5 pacifiers in her mouth?

Remember Savannah sitting in the backseat as we drove down Old Conyers Road after church one Sunday evening and hearing her little voice saying "I'm meeeeeellllllttttttiiiiinnnnnggggg!" like the witch in the Wizard of Oz?


Sarah eating her birthday cookie

Savannah heading out for a night on the town with a friend.

Of course I know that we didn't set out to raise our girls to stay children. We were rearing our children to become wonderful, mature, responsible adults. I must say that, to date, they have not disappointed us. They learned their lessons very well and we are extremely proud parents of our two adult daughters.

Now to complete the task of rearing the last two daughters so we can say the same of them in another 7 years. :) I love you girls!

I just found the following quote on the blog Real Life Stuff and I think it fits here: "It happens before you know it... the handprints get higher and higher, then suddenly - they disappear."

Bows

2010-12-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

I saw very quick and easy pattern last week sometime and just had to try it. I used a smaller hook, more rows and then a MUCH larger hook and followed directions to a T. Here are my results. The picture isn't great again because I used my phone but you can see well enough. My 12yo is trying to make some of her own. I'll post some better pictures of our tries later. :)

WIP Pink Baby Shawl blanket

2010-12-08T13:03:00.000-05:00

I haven't done much on it but then again, this IS a work in progress! It will end up a nice receiving blanket size and it's owner is due to arrive in February so I've got time. I need to get it finished though so I can work on all these other WIP's!

								This picture shows the color best. The picture below was taken in a different setting and with the camera in my cell phone.
First time I posted it here


This morning. :)

If you would like to participate in the Wednesday Work In Progress, please click on Rosie. We would love to have you play along!

Wednesdday WIP - Assorted

2010-11-24T15:47:00.000-05:00

So, I'm still working on this round ripple baby blanket, however, I've put it down for a few days to work on some special requests from my 12 year old. Other things like that kitty hat from last week. She has requested a Panda hat now. When I mentioned that I had a few people want to know WHERE??? So I created a toddler sized one shown to the right. I'm now working on a larger one for my daughter and yet another pattern for a child between 3 and 8. My daughter wants one slightly smaller but very similar to the kitty hat. Meanwhile I found a different hat I'm working on that I think would be very cute. No pictures of either of those just yet. ;)

I'm also working on this pink baby shawl (that's what the pattern calls it) that will be a nice large receiving blanket size. It takes a little more concentration for the pattern but I'm loving working on it! I love the color and the feel of it in the Caron Simply Soft yarn.

So, what are YOU working on this week? I'd love for you to share! You can see other WIP's by clicking on Rosie's picture and joining the WIP circle of friends!

New WIP - Round Ripple

2010-11-17T22:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've started a new blanket that I call a round ripple. But before we get to that, I wanted to show you the completed pink hat I had started. My intent was to make it a scarf with a built-in hoodie but I was crocheting during the church business meeting that lasted entirely WAY too long and ran out of yarn. (In my mind, that right there should have ended the meeting!)

My 12 year old daughter liked the hat just like it was but requested one addition - kitty ears. So, I made a pair of kitty ears and sewed them on. The hat is a bit big for her but she likes it so she gets to keep it. Maybe one day I can get a picture of her wearing it to share. :)


Kitty Ears on hat

So, now on to the new round ripple blanket. I saw this in a pattern book while I was out of town last weekend. I knew I didn't have room for the book in my luggage so I read through the pattern pretty well and was able to get it started. Now I need to go buy the book so I can finish it correctly. LOL However, I think I'm doing pretty well on my own so we'll see what happens. I've worked a round ripple before but it was more of a 7 point star pattern. I like this one because it almost has the look of a cabbage rose in the middle to me. We'll see how I add the other colors as I go. Here is the picture...


variegated white, yellow and green baby round ripple

I've also begun another tiramisu blanket. Haven't gotten very far but it will work up quickly and I'm expecting to have some time to work on these projects next week!

If you have WIP, please join our posting group and share what you are working on! Just click Rosie's picture and follow the easy instructions.

SURPRISE!!

2010-11-13T18:10:00.000-05:00

My sisters and I totally surprised mom for her 65th birthday by flying me out to visit without she or my dad having any knowledge or even a hint of a clue. This video is her response when she opened the door. :)

Happy birthday mom!!

Pink hat WIP

2010-11-10T08:40:00.000-05:00

I had seen a picture of a project I wanted to make but decided to work up my own pattern instead of purchasing one. I started thinking one direction on things and changed my mind after a bit of work. :) Then I ran out of yarn (I was using leftovers to figure this out) and my youngest said to leave it like this but she made one request - that I add kitty cat ears to it. :) So, I'm off to find the right pink and white to make the kitty ears to go on top.

I do now have a much better idea for my original project so my daughter gets a hat she likes and my other recipients will benefit with a much nicer project when I work theirs up in a couple of weeks.

Please join our WIP group by visiting the link below (click on Rosie's picture) and post what you are working on!

Wednesday WIP - Tiramisu Set completed & Baby Booty Story

2010-11-03T20:39:00.002-04:00

Completed Baby Gift Set

So, here is a photo or two of the completed set I had been working on. It turned out beautiful in my own opinion and I'm ready to make another for someone else expecting a baby soon. :)

You can click the photos to enlarge them

Now, I had promised a few people the "baby booty" story. First of all, here are the completed booties I sent with the set to my friend. Once I figured things out, they turned out well and I plan to make more for gifts to others. :)

Ok - lesson learned...when you start working on a pattern, read it COMPLETELY through. I found this booty pattern in the middle of a set which had a sweater and bloomer pattern, the booty pattern and then a hat pattern. Since the booty pattern was in the middle, that is where I began and ended. Didn't check anything else except the materials needed for the hook size. :)


Frankenstein Booty


Platform Booty

Please note that patterns written in the UK use the same terms we use but have different explanations. So, once the first booty made it extremely clear that I had used the wrong stitches and ended up with a platform booty, or as one daughter said, a booty to fit baby Frankenstein's foot, (insert total surprise face) I thought about it (still not looking at the pattern) and changed my stitches. Here are pictures of that first one... Now you can see why my kids said it looked like platform shoes or a Frankenstein shoe. LOL


Bottom is still too deep

So, now I've changed the stitches to what I think is the correct conversion. I was still off a bit as you can see...

Comparison shot

And so here is a shot of the properly crocheted set. Moral of the story is to always read through your instructions COMPLETELY and check every page of a multi-page pattern for extra notes, conversion charts, etc. If I had done this, I wouldn't have made the mistakes because it was clearly stated on the LAST page of the pattern in a set of two stitch charts - one for the UK and one for the US so you could easily figure out which stitch you needed to use.

Properly crocheted baby booties

If you have a work in progress, feel free to join our WIP group and share. it doesn't have to be needle work, it can be anything! Just click the picture of Rosie below. :)

Wednesday WIP: Tiramisu again

2010-10-26T22:07:00.000-04:00

I'm still working on the Tiramisu blanket that will have a pink ribbon running through the border. Here is a picture showing my progress so far. Haven't gotten much farther but the main portion of the blanket is over 1/2 finished and I think the pink ribbon I chose will be gorgeous.

Clicking the pictures will make them larger.

Join us for our Wednesday WIP sharing by clicking on the picture of Rosie the Shepherd below.

One WIP complete and ...

2010-10-25T23:56:00.000-04:00

Another about to the halfway point.

Here is the completed set I gave away today...

This blanket was crocheted on the diagonal. Easy to do so long as you keep accurate count of your stitches. :) This yarn was self striping which turned out really nice in my opinion.

However, it makes the booties appear not to match in a way. If someone takes a close look though, they will see all the same colors and patterns within the set. I liked the cute little hat except I ended up with a bump of sorts in the back. I didn't have a chance to figure it out so I'll pay more attention on the next one.

Click the pictures to enlarge them.

All wrapped up and ready to go!

And now for the one in progress. You can't tell the difference in this close-up but I'm slightly over 1/2 finished and I purchased the ribbon to go through the border this weekend. I'm excited to be working on it and getting closer to seeing the end result.

And here is the green and white heart blanket, booties, and bib all ready to go to it's new owner as well.

Wednesday WIP: Tiramisu

2010-10-20T08:33:00.000-04:00

And a new project has begun. This is called a Tiramisu blanket and the pattern may be found here. I've made it before with pink as the main color and brown for the border with a pink ribbon around. This one will be all antique white with a pink ribbon around. It's a tad larger now than when I took this photo yesterday and I hope to have it completed in the next 2 weeks for a gift.

I have also begun work on another pair of baby booties for someone who just had a baby boy. As you can see, I haven't gotten very far. This is just the beginning of the cuff portion. These work up pretty quickly so I hope to complete them this afternoon or tomorrow - depending on the time I have to actually crochet today, which is one of my busiest days this week.

The photo below is of the yarn I'm using. I saw it on clearance at Walmart a few months ago in just a couple of colors and grabbed a lot of it. My daughter said I spent $28 just on that yarn that trip. How could I pass up that kind of savings on some great baby yarn? It's still selling at Michael's for over $4 a skein!

And yes, it is in a zip top baggy. I find that is handy when I'm taking something small with me. It keeps the hook with the project and keeps it from getting dirty when I'm out and about and I can squeeze most of the air out of the bag and make it almost flat for putting in my handbag.

We would love to have you join in on our Wednesday Work in Progress circle and share whatever you may be working on.
Doesn't have to be crochet, or even a craft! It does tend to keep me going when I know someone is expecting to see how much more I've completed - even if it is only a row or two each week.

T1Diabetes Awareness

2010-10-18T18:08:00.000-04:00

My youngest daughter who is now 12, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, also known as Juvenile Diabetes on December 23, 2004 at the age of 6. Yesterday she drew this picture on her t-shirt and painted it in. She is thinking of making them to sell to help raise money to find a cure. She needs to find a way to have them printed. Meanwhile, I just wanted to share with you.

Finally completed ...

2010-10-18T14:22:00.000-04:00

Well, after several people commented about the finish on the green and white blanket, I decided to end with 5 rows of the white and let it be. I'm very pleased with the look. I went on to make a hat, booties and bib to make it a complete set. Here are the pictures. :)

Now I need to work on a completing a few other projects. ;)

Wednesday WIP - Green & White progress

2010-10-13T11:53:00.000-04:00

I've accomplished a little on this blanket in the past week. I'm now at the point of trying to decide how many rows of white before I switch back to green for the final one or two rows. I am currently working on the 5th white row. Also, when I switch back, do I want to continue the "granny" pattern or put a scalloped or ruffled type edge on it?

I realized too late that I had changed from using an F hook to a G hook, which has worked fine but is causing the granny portion on this outer section to ruffle a bit. I think it looks fine but leads me back to the question of how many rows and do I add an additional edging? I welcome your comments on this!

If you have a Work In Progress of any kind, please visit the link below and share with the rest of us!! It can be any type of work, not just crochet or needle work!

purple washcloth - new project started now a WIP

2010-10-06T22:32:00.001-04:00

So, Marie Anne wrote a new pattern for a washcloth or dishcloth and I just HAD to give it a try even though I only completed one round and added one more to my blanket today. That's why I stopped at the end of row 3 of the washcloth. I can stick that one in my purse and work on it anywhere. :) Anyway, I thought I would go ahead and share. I really like the purple color.

I couldn't decide which picture showed the color the best but I believe it's probably the bottom one. It's called Hot Purple and it's Lily Sugar'n Cream.

You can find Marie Anne's pattern and lots more information at http://tinyurl.com/3459cxg and http://macrochet.blogspot.com/ and then check out the other participants in her Wednesday "WIP" (work in progress) by clicking the photo below of Rosie, the German Shepherd.

>>>>> WIP: Green Heart Baby Blanket

2010-10-06T09:16:00.000-04:00

Still a work in progress but I think I'm going to make some changes to make it a more quick finish. There should be another round of the hearts. They are not difficult to do but just take a long time and twist the two colors up which must be untwisted about 3x on each side of the blanket on each round. I'd love your ideas. My thinking at the moment is to just continue the granny square rounds to the size it should be. I thought about making some plain squares instead of the hearts - less twisting but still ...

Anyway, here are the photos so far!

Everyone should read this and repost

2010-09-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

This dad posted a really thought provoking blog. I want to share with you...

Fun Week in August, 2010

2010-08-18T18:37:00.000-04:00

So, we're off to a great start this week. It's only Wednesday. I hope the excitement dies down a bit now. :)

I've copied and pasted below the first thing that happened. My husband just has a better way with words than I do. :) However, his excitement was a result of his coming to rescue me when my truck broke down on Monday evening when I went to PetsMart with my girls to get bunny food. I got just almost there when I saw my "check coolant level" light come on. I pulled in and parked, opened the hood to do just what it told me. I heard "psssss" so I stopped. We backed up a few steps and just in time. It blew the lid off and antifreeze spewed EVERYWHERE. That is when I made the phone call to Terry to come rescue me. :)

So here is his note he posted on facebook:

That's the way the dipsy doodle works...

by Terry Hawkins on Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 10:21pm

Last night, I'm over at Camaro buddy's house getting some parts and talking Camaros and Mavericks. I get a call from the wife that her truck is overheating and spewed everything out of the overflow tank. I leave, stop by my house, get three gallons of water and go to where she is. I pour two gallons of water into the overflow/reservoir tank and leave the cap loose on the overflow...didn't see a cap on the radiator (2001 Suburban). My intent was to drive her truck ten minutes to the garage we use. Old trick at work here. Loose cap and no pressure build up, right? Two minutes later, the temp gauge is above 260 and I pull over. I raise the hood and make my way to the overflow/reservoir tank. Cap is loose; no pressure. WRONG!!!! The cap pops off and scalds my left hand and wrist. I spent 4 hours in the ER. It hurt like all get and I have a very high pain tolerance. It is first degree burns with some second degree burns. The pain is pretty much controlled with Advil now, but last night it was Darvocet. I'm keeping it covered with Silvadene. Everything seems to be on target for a good recovery with 3 or 4 new scars on a hand that already has about 50 scars. My sweetie-pie was with me the whole time. Oh, my dad came and waited for the tow truck to haul the Suburban to the shop. Stuck thermostat. My mechanic told me that because of the EPA, these newer reservoir tanks have a seal on the cap that seals even when it's not tight to prevent the dreaded coolant form harming the environment. He said of lot of pros have had the same thing happen. So, I don't feel like a total doofus.

An interesting side story to last night was that my nurse was a he even though he looked very much like a she. Size 14 shoes was a give away as well as the facial features. He also had some kind of cream/makeup to cover his beard. It was such a deep sweet voice. No boobs and the fact he still had traces of a beard means he is still a wanna be and hasn't had the surgery. It was a different experience. Very different.

I think we can do without more excitement. Good thing. What I had done today wasn't nearly as exciting. However, it could be I guess depending on how my body deals with the after effects of taking 1 Valium to have a gynecological procedure. I'm home now, just waiting for the effects to wear off. So far I just feel a bit sleepy. Doc said some people sleep through the procedure and snore. LOL I held discussions with him and the nurse. Otherwise, it IS a pretty boring procedure.

Good thing: Daughter #2 cooked dinner and it smells divine. I only hope to stay awake long enough to eat a bit and then crash. :)

Have an awesome day and maybe I'll post some of my crochet WIP later tonight or tomorrow. I really need to get back to crocheting more since I know people having babies and Christmas is fast approaching. :)

Finally got talked into joining Swagbucks!

2010-08-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

Now, help me earn by joining too! LOL!

Smile by Uncle Kracker - Lyrics

2010-08-08T18:15:00.001-04:00

Wednesday WIP

2010-05-05T09:23:00.002-04:00

WoW! It's been a few weeks since I did this. I have 2 WIP's I'm working on. One is for my daughter who has a birthday the 14th and I'm no where close to having that one complete. Do I even have a current picture to share? Hmmm... Need to take one so give me a minute and I'll be right back with that...

...

...Here you go...

This was a design she chose from a book. It's simple but pretty time consuming. It will look great on her bed when I finally get it finished.

And then I just started this sweet baby blanket for a waitress we've known several years who just found out recently she is expecting. I hope to finish it long before that baby arrives! Here is the start of it:

You can just see the start of the sweethearts around the granny square. It's a little difficult to keep those two color yarns from tangling as you go but I can deal with it. LOL! Its working up fairly quickly but I have been keeping it to about 3 rounds each day since I got to the color changes just so I can keep things straight and not be overwhelmed.

Now, I need to find Rosie so I can link you to other WIP blogs today!

Oh, here you go!

New Schedule...So Tired

2010-04-21T22:44:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I accepted a contract job working just a few hours a week. This week began the actual schedule they have for me and I'm still figuring out how to make everything work and fit into my day properly. Once I have another few days on this I expect the time to taper down a bit but this week it's has just worn me out. LOL!

I have a couple of WIP to post but here is another Wednesday come and about gone and I simply don't have the energy to pull out my camera and work on photos, etc. Hopefully by next week I can update my WIP's again. I have almost finished a HUGE tote that I made and I LOVE it! I need to finish it tomorrow so I can use it this weekend. =D

So, I'm off to bed. I expect to be asleep within about 5 minutes of my head touching the pillow tonight. Hope you all are having a great week and I will post again soon!

Prayers appreciated

2010-04-11T21:03:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you are following this blog and those of you who are, I'm not sure if you recall our 2nd daughter going to China for 5 weeks last summer on a mission trip. Well, she's gone again. This time to Haiti. She is with Global Expeditions again and gone for 10 days to help with the relief effort in Haiti as well as to minister to the people there. She had to take hammer and chisel to help bust up the mortar holding concrete blocks, etc. together so they can be reused in the rebuilding effort soon. Because they will be staying in an area with no electricity, she won't have contact with us simply because she won't have a way to recharge her phone. I look forward to having her back home next week, sharing her stories and seeing the changes that take place in her life from simply being in such a poverty stricken area. There is no way she will come back unchanged.

So I ask you to please remember her in your prayers over the next 10 days. Prayers for her safety as they travel, as they are in this devastated area, as they minister to these people.

. . . . . . . . . . Saving Money

2010-03-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

Just when we had about depleted my stockpile of toilet paper, paper towels and a few other items, I gathered my coupons together, culled the expired ones, filed the new ones and started checking out the sales this week before they expired today. Kroger had several items I needed for great deals and many of those were of the "buy 8 and save $4 off your order." I ended up saving $12 on my entire order just because I purchased enough of those items.

Then I had my coupons. Fortunately for me, the Kroger stores in our area double coupons $.50 and less all the time. This saved me almost double what I would have saved overall with my coupons. Not ever one I had was $.50 or less but they do add up!

One of my great deals was that Northern toilet paper was on sale. The 12 double roll packs are usually $8.99 but were on sale for $5.99. I had coupons to save 50 cents on each package. When Kroger doubled those I saved a total of $1 making them $4.99 per package. WOO HOO!

So, my total savings off my shopping bill at Kroger yesterday as $87 and some change! My bill started off at $213. and my total savings with their sales and my coupons brought it down to $122.

Then, I went across the street to CVS where Dawn Dish liquid was on sale for $.96 a bottle. Normal price is $1.99 each so that was a tremendous savings! Then I had coupons to save $.25 on each bottle. I purchased the limit of 6 bottles that would have been $13.87 including tax and spent only $4.91!

The trick is to watch the sales, hold onto those coupons to match up with the sales and buy enough that you don't need to make that purchase again until the item is on sale and you've accumulated more coupons for that item.

I'm a happy camper with my shopping deals this week!

WIP Wednesday - Yellow Baby Blanket

2010-03-24T12:08:00.000-04:00

This is a blanket I started a while back and had put away. Now I have a recipient in mind and need to get it completed quickly. The pattern intrigued me because it was a take on a granny square but is set on the diagonal. The photo in the pattern book is just so pretty that I had to try it. Here is where I am so far...

This isn't the best picture but I can work on that next time. lol

This blanket has about 5-6 rows of yellow and then one row of "baby print" yarn. I think it would have worked a tiny bit better if I'd used two yarns of the same weight but I used what I had in my stash and I think it will be fine.

To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. Copy the code below Rosie's picture and paste it into your blog post so that others can follow too, and see the rest of the projects that are posted here.

Completed White Bridal Afghan

2010-03-21T18:47:00.001-04:00

Had some time (guess it's too late for my Sunday afternoon nap at this point) and decided to go ahead and post the pictures of this project now that it's complete and in the hands of it's intended recipient.

You can click the photos to enlarge them if you wish.

The afghan seemed to be the hit of the bridal tea today. The recipient loved it and it seemed everyone else did as well. Some were asking if I really made it myself. My response was "Umm... did you not see me working on it during church 2 weeks ago? I had to work on it every minute I could to get it finished in time for the tea today." lol Several realized then they actually had seen me working on it.

So, now on to some other projects.

.

. . . . . Achievement Tests aka Filling in the Circles with a #2 Pencil

2010-03-14T21:28:00.001-04:00

In the state of Georgia, we are required to give them every 3 years, beginning with 3rd grade. There is no rule about WHEN during that year they must be given. The only rule about which one to give is that it must be nationally normed. We do not turn them in to anyone but just keep them on file for our own records. The only reason I guess they make us do this is in case you were to decide to send your child back to a public or possible a private school it may make it easier to place them, although I'm not convinced of that.

Regardless of the reason, we are required so this year we have fulfilled that requirement again. The results? Oh, we aren't required to reveal them to anyone. Besides the fact you have to know how to interpret the scores, what difference does it make? I mean REALLY?

I've heard parents bragging about their child's test results. Come to find out, that parent didn't actually understand the results. I count it a blessing that the first time we ever had our oldest take a test, the place we used sent us an excellent description of what all those percentages and numbers meant.

As a home educator I'm allowed to teach my children subjects in the order we want to learn them. There is nothing that says my child MUST memorize multiplication tables by age 8. There is nothing that says my child must be able to understand fractions by age 11. There is nothing that says we must study Georgia History in 8th grade instead of 6th or 9th.

We just are not required to do things "like everyone else" or because that is the way some other school does it. I rather enjoy that! We can teach our kids on their level and make sure they actually understand something before we push them to the next thing. We can slow down or speed up depending on their understanding and ability to demonstrate that understanding.

Oh, you still would like to know how our girls did on their test? As I figured, our girls tested "average" for their peer group. OH GOOD! I'd hate to think I'm responsible for genius thinkers. I'd have to turn their learning totally over to their dad if that were the case. :)

. . . White Afghan...still in progress

2010-03-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I thought I'd finish it tonight. However, it is taking a lot more yarn than I anticipated, even following what the instructions said to purchase. So, this is my update and I hope to get more yarn in the morning and finish the last 3 sides of the round 3 of the border before bedtime Saturday night.

Looking at my photos here I realize I need at least one more to show how the 3rd row is actually done because there is a single crochet between the scallops that isn't showing. I'll try to update sometime on later tonight. (since it's after midnight now) =)

Wednesday WIP - My White Bridal Afghan

2010-03-10T23:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I've begun working on this afghan again since finishing Skylar's Ribbon Candy blanket. I am getting really close to finishing. I have 19 rows to complete and then the border. I hope next week to post pictures of it with at least a portion of the border complete. Would LOVE to have it totally complete since I'm giving it to a bride at her bridal tea in less than 2 weeks. (WHEW TIME FLIES!)

So, I typed that and then spent the evening working on it AFTER I had taken the picture but before uploading it. I believe I now have about 13 rows to go. YAY! Hoping to get this part completed by Thursday evening.

Oh, and when I'm finished, it will cover my queen size bed I'm quite sure. WOW! Didn't really have a clue it was going to be quite that large!

WIP Wednesday - Back to the Ribbon Candy project

2010-03-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Well, it's all done...almost. I have the crochet part finished and I'm ALMOST finished with weaving the ends through. I think I have about 6 or 8 more tails to weave and then clip the little pieces sticking out and I'm done. Problem is, Skylar wanted to sleep with it last night and so she did. I need to pull it off her bed today and finish those tails off and then it's done!

I started this post last Wednesday. Skylar has been sleeping with her blanket and LOVES it! She said it is VERY warm. As a result, there are still just a couple of tails I still need to weave and clip. I guess when she washes her sheets this week and has the blanket off her bed I'll finally get a chance to do that. LOL

To play along on Work-in-Progress Wednesday, make your blog post for Wednesday be about something you're working on - some type of craft, renovation project, landscaping, even that novel you're writing. Copy the code below Rosie's picture and paste it into your blog post so that others can follow too, and see the rest of the projects that are posted here.

. . . . . . Ribbon Candy Blanket WIP

2010-02-17T20:04:00.002-05:00

Here is the "Ribbon Candy" blanket again. Haven't spent much time working on this afghan since I needed to complete the baby gift. I'll be working on it this week though and hope to get a lot closer to the finish line with it.

I had a chance to work on it for about an hour or so last night and here is the progress I made... I believe I got 6 rows and started a 7th before I put it away.

It looks so much longer when you photograph it from the end instead of the side. LOL And actually, the stripes will go up and down her bed instead of across it. Of course, this was folded in 4th's instead of covering my bed completely.

Please click on the picture of the German Shepherd to the right, and check out other WIP's. We'd love to have you join us and post your own!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . Pink and White project COMPLETED

2010-02-13T23:35:00.006-05:00

So, you have read about me trying to complete this receiving blanket I needed to go with the baby booties and bib for a gift. I was trying to recall the directions for a diagonal receiving blanket I used to make. However, that was a minimum of 6 (7?) years ago and I kept having to pull it out and start over because it just was NOT working up properly. So, here is my first go that made it past about 4 rows. I was going to make it striped and thought it would be so pretty. I was NOT happy.

Believe me, this was NOT the first try. It was more like the 8th. So, I finally Googled "Crochet Diagonal Blanket pattern" and found exactly what I needed on the Lionbrand website! I was excited except it was made with one of those bulky yarns. I wanted my blanket to match what I'd already done so I proceed with the making. As I worked, I was thinking it wasn't looking very large. Hmmmm...

I re-read the directions. AHA! I had started working with the same hook I'd used for the bib and booties. That was NOT working. I used a G for those and this blanket called for a K. WOW! That really would make a difference! Here you can see the bottom triangle was done with the G hook and the top, which has only about 1/2 the rows of the other one, was done with the K. Yes, that made a HUGE difference and you could actually see the pretty edge it made as you worked with the larger hook.

I decided to work the blanket as a solid pink and work the edging in white. Since I wasn't using the yarn called for, my blanket isn't quite square and the edging looks a bit... well, just not quite right to me. However, I completed it according to directions with the exception of the color change and I'm pleased with it. So, here are a couple of photos of the blanket and the set I made to give.

This is when I had just finished the main part in pink.

This was when the entire thing was complete. I think it's pretty but I think next time I may play with a different kind of edging. Maybe a little more ruffle like. This one was easy but I think I'd be more pleased with something a little different.

The entire set all together and ready for me to fold and put in the gift bag. I stuffed the booties with tissue paper so they stand up.

A close up of the finished bib and booties.

By the way, I used Caron's Simply Soft pink and white yarns.

I'm not sure which photos are the most accurate with the color but I took some with the flash and some without to try and get good shots.

Wednesday - Pink and White WIP

2010-02-10T16:10:00.010-05:00

These were taken this morning before I left to sit and work while the girls were bowling for Phys Ed. I was able to finish seaming the booties, hide the tails on all the projects and sew the button on the bib. I also began working on the diagonal receiving blanket to match. I still need to add the loop button hole on the bib.

I really love how easily and quickly these items work up. I have also completed this set in camouflage for the grandson of a friend. I just think they are adorable!

To see more WIP and link your own WIP blog, click the German Shepherd photo below. We'd LOVE to have you join our WIP Circle.

. . . . . . Wednesday Work in Progress (a little late)

2010-02-05T16:42:00.004-05:00

Sorry but it's been one of those CRAZY weeks for me. Here is the current photo of my WIP. I need to get it finished - the birthday girl will celebrate this week! It will be twin sized when complete. My about to turn 12yo is dictating how wide each stripe is and which color comes next. She also chose the colors. :)

Please click here to learn more about Wednesday WIP.

. . . . . . . . . . . Shingles still...

2010-01-30T22:37:00.005-05:00

So, here we are one week later. I've had Shingles for 2 weeks and they are beginning to heal - scabbing over. However, I still get headaches along the nerve line and I can't wash my hair properly just yet. Even pulling it back still pains me.

I did see an ophthalmologist on Tuesday. He confirmed I was NOT contagious unless someone who has never had chicken pox was to get the fluid from a burst blister on them. He also confirmed I did NOT have shingles IN my left eye. And confirmed that both my eyes are great (not that I can see without help). He called my family doctor to let him know his findings. Then wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic ointment for my eye. Also said family doc was calling in prednisone for to start taking. It helps with the postneuropatic (sp?) pain that can happen. Oh, during his exam, they dilated my eyes to be sure they were seeing everything necessary. WONDERFUL! I didn't bring a driver with me!

Yep. So I have to TRY to focus to sign the credit slip to pay with our Health Savings Account card. Walked outside and bam! Can't see! It was a BRIGHT SUNNY day. I know I looked crazy walking to the opposite end of the parking lot with my hand shielding my face, fumbling with my keys and phone. Why the phone? It kept ringing
and I couldn't see who was calling. LOL

So I was able to drive fine. Had a busy afternoon which included going to the pharmacy to pick up said Rx's. Yeah. Prednisone is about $10 for 3o pills and it takes about 12 days to take them all. Big deal. Antibiotic eye ointment is another story. $90 for a teeny tiny tube. Then the instructions say to put a 1/2" squirt IN your eye FOUR times daily! SHEESH! I'd hate to know what I'd have to do had I actually had Shingles IN my eye!!

Ok. So I've had a busy week and I've done ok for the most part dealing with all this. However, I like to look nice for church. Can't wash my hair properly and it hurts to pull it back. No real good way to make it appear to be clean and all so I think I'm staying home tomorrow/today. Besides, the crusty stuff on my face still isn't pretty although it definitely is less red each day than the day before. Don't want to scare the little children!

. . . . . Shingles anyone?

2010-01-24T19:58:00.004-05:00

I personally don't recommend them (it?) Painful is putting it lightly. Miserable is the word for my day today. I was diagnosed on Friday after a gradual onset. Several told me that when they had Shingles it was just waking up with them or they looked different from what I have. Finally on Friday a friend said what I described was exactly how her's came on and what was on my face was how hers looked. ICK!

So I took myself to the doctor's office without an appointment (they are booked and overbooked typically). Fortunately for me they have a new PA who started Friday. YES! I'll see anyone who can diagnose this mess and help me feel better. Glad I didn't wait since with meds it feels this bad!

Oh, meds. Yeah. One script and it was a generic. Cost? $167.82!! WOW! She called on Saturday to see how I was feeling (miserable) and to say the doctor looked over my chart and suggested I go ahead and start Prednisone. I tell her my eye is weeping - not thinking until they had closed the office that weeping and tearing mean different things in the medical profession. They decided to send me to an ophthamologist on Monday and hold off on the Prednisone until then.

So, here I sit, in pain because it's too early to take meds again. The light from the computer and the overhead light make my already aching head hurt more. So, I guess it's back to bed with myself. And I keep having hot flashes - guess my body is trying to break this little fever I have.

Fun? I think not!

. . . Wednesday Work in Progress...

2010-01-13T21:27:00.006-05:00

Here is the first one I'm working to get finished. It's a wedding gift. So far I'm about 1/2 way finished. It really is the softer white and not the bright white.

Click on Rosie's picture below to share what you are working on and see more works in progress by others. I loved looking at what everyone is working on!

. . . . Crochet - My White Afghan

2010-01-12T08:11:00.009-05:00

To help some friends get how to make a particular stitch used, here are a few pictures. It is a puff stitch but the pattern I am following called it a bobble. It raised a little confusion as people were trying to look up video on YouTube to see how to make the stitch. I hope this helps! You can click the photos to make them larger if necessary.

This is after I've made the
single crochet and getting
ready to start the bobble/puff.




This is the first wrap of
the bobble/puff.


This is after going through
the stitch below (same as
the sc was done in) and
wrapping the yarn and coming
back to the front of my work.

This was after wrapping
again, going back through
the stitch below, wrapping
and pulling back through
that stitch.


This is after the final set
of wraps. You should now
have 7 loops on your hook -
that includes the loop from
the previous sc.








Now I've wrapped the yarn
to pull through all those
loops on my hook.

I've pulled it through all the loops now.





Now I've skipped a stitch and
made my next sc.








Showing the puff/bobble stitch just
made and the next sc.











This is the "back" side of the stitches
just made.





I hope this has helped you get the hang of this stitch. I look forward to seeing the completed afghans everyone is making.

. . . . . . . . Not so Christmasy please!

2009-12-30T09:27:00.014-05:00

Savannah said my mom had asked a few times lately for some pictures of the girls. Savannah is the photographer around here these days. However, it's difficult for her to take pictures she should be in with her sisters. So, on Christmas Day I took these snapshots of the girls. They didn't want them to really be Christmas pictures though.

The matching sweaters was funny to me because we all know if MOM had suggested they get matching outfits it would just not have been COOL at all. However, they discovered 2 of them had purchased the same sweaters and decided the other 2 just had to have the same color so they could wear them for the picture. Only problem was, by the time we got back to Old Navy to get them, there were no more in extra small so Skylar had to have a small. As you can see, she wore a gray sweater and black t-shirt under to help make it fit better. It also kept her warmer while we were outside on that really chilly day.

I believe you can click a photo to get it to pop up larger if you want.

Skylar-age 11, Savannah-age 18, Sarah-age 20 and Sandi-age 13.

. . . . . . . . . . MERRY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-25T15:22:00.002-05:00

Wishing you and your family the merriest Christmas ever! I do hope you have taken a little time to remember why we celebrate this season - the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ who came that we might have eternal life!

Our family had a very nice Christmas. The only thing to make it better would have been if I could have spent some time with my extended family in Arkansas. I have missed getting to spend time with them in the past couple of years. Maybe sometime this year we can head that direction for some time with them.

I'll be getting some new to me appliances next week which will be nice. We've been back in our house for 12 years and the appliances are beginning to fall apart. A dryer, stove and microwave will be delivered next week and we are all looking forward to it. There's a chance of a fridge being included as well.

Now that we've eaten our Christmas dinner it's time for a nap while Home Alone plays in the background.

Again, Merry Christmas!

.....YIPEE!!! Fall is actually Here!

2009-10-31T14:19:00.002-04:00

I LOVE cooler weather. I'm so happy we are finally having some fall although I would like a little less in the rain department and have a longer time to see the beautifully changing leaves. Seems about the time they turn really nicely it rains and blows them all off the trees. I was hoping for a ride to the mountains to take some gorgeous photos but it seems that won't happen for now. Maybe I can find some beautiful leaves online somewhere to look at.

Well, we're off to pick up one daughter from work, find some lunch and then take the younger one trick-or-treating at a local church's trunk-a-treat. Hope you have fun too!

. . . . . . . . . . She's in the air! . . . . . . . . . .

2009-07-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Well, by the time you see this, my precious daughter Savannah will be in the air on her way home from China! It's been a long five weeks, made longer by the fact we've been able to have so little contact.

We were extremely excited to receive a phone call from her last Sunday during our Sunday school class. She spoke to the class over my cell phone speaker for about 8 minutes. She sounded so excited and upbeat in the little ways she could share. Then we were also able to hear her in the church service. That was awesome as well except for the fact poor Sandi has been missing her sister so much that she just boo hoo'd the entire time and I think for the rest of the service. Watching her made me cry so the two of us were a blubbering mess. OH, and we heard passing traffic and a car horn blow in China. Isn't technology amazing?!

Anyway, she was able to tell us that "Dad" was doing a great work there. She was fortunate enough to get paired with 2 "C" Chinese camp counselors who were able to coach her in ways to share her faith with the other campers. Since she was there as a camper as well, she wasn't as limited as we all first thought in how much and how she could share with the others. She told us she had a conversation with a girl who was working to teach Savannah some Chinese so they could communicate better about "JC" and that the "M" there is going very well. She appreciated everyone's "PR's" and said for us to continue "PRing" for the "M" there.

Now, in case you couldn't figure all that out:
Dad = God
C = Christian
JC = Jesus Christ
M = Ministry
PR - Pray

I'll be back with an update after I've "debriefed" Savannah on her trip. HA!

. . . . . . . . . . 19 FREE GIFTS!. . . . . . . . . .

2009-07-25T22:43:00.002-04:00

If you subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine using the link and code below, you will save $5 off the subscription rate AND receive 19 free gifts! I've done it and you can too!

This magazine has so much to offer in each issue that it takes me days to get through it all. Helpful articles for home education in so many areas that I always find several that fit just what I've been looking for.

Click here to subscribe

Use this code for your discount: 

MHSGL5OFF - code for $5 off

Thanks and enjoy!!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . China

2009-06-28T20:55:00.004-04:00

So, our 17yo left on Friday for her 5 week trip to China. Keep her and the others (I believe she said there are 34 of them total) in your prayers. Due to the nature of their trip we will not hear from them often but we are trusting God to keep them safe and do a great work while they are there.

It was really busy around here getting to this point. She was gone to church camp for a week and then home working a week. Then off to a teen/tween retreat we did for our home school group at Lake West Point. The next day she was off to beginner camp as a CIT. Home again on Wednesday afternoon and then off for China on Friday. WOW!

She did call once she arrived in LA to say she left her sleeping bag at the security checkpoint in Atlanta. Hmmm... She was able to borrow an extra set of sheets another girl brought so that was good. Then her friend took this photo and text messaged it. She was lying on the floor at LAX waiting on their flight to Hong Kong. She looked none the worse for wear, at that point only about 36 hours into her trip. She was smiling and looked like she was having a great time.

So, the rest of us are just carrying on without Savannah's laugh and dry humor, waiting for the next 5 weeks to fly by!

FanPage for The Old Schoolhouse

2009-06-19T09:56:00.003-04:00

I'd love for you to check out this page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Gray-TN/The-Old-Schoolhouse-Magazine/42107471203

Lots of home school support and encouragement plus they give a lot of FREEBIES away! I don't think you'll be disappointed. I've downloaded quite a few in the past week or so. Right now they have some freebies here: http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/TOSSummer19Gifts/index.html so I encourage you to check it out! And the magazine always has great articles that really speak to you where you are.

So, that's my short little commercial. I'll be back soon, I promise!

. . . . . . . . . . Graduating Daughter #2

2009-05-26T17:41:00.011-04:00

So, this has been my favorite pose of the 4 of them. It was taken after the ceremony. Savannah is on the far right. From left to right are Evan McAvoy, Marilyn Wallace and Jamie Noble, the other graduates. It was a great ceremony! I'm hoping to get some good video off our camera when I have a chance to slow down enough to actually put it on a dvd.

This was Terry about to present Savannah her diploma and give his speech. Seems the most memorable part was something about not ever teaching pigs to dance to because it will annoy the pig. HA! He posted his speech on his facebook page so if I get a chance I'll copy and paste it here for you to read.

Here Savannah and Jamie were singing their duet. The were accompanied by another home school graduate, Garrett Washington. They did an awesome job. Each graduate performed some talent and Jamie and Savannah decided to do theirs together.

And here are the graduates as they move their tassels from one side to the other on their caps. They opted not to wear gowns because the girls didn't want to cover up their dresses. I think they looked beautiful, performed beautifully and the parents speeches were awesome as well as the charge brought by Mr. Boice. Oh, there were also slide shows put to music by each graduate. Those were quite entertaining at times. Especially one look Evan gave his mom for a photo she included in his presentation. PRICELESS!

It was a lovely time for all the families. Even my parents drove out for the ceremony. We tried to get some family photos but the cameras (yes 2 of them) messed up and I don't think we got a good one out of the many that were snapped. Oh well, maybe next time!

. . . . . . . . Prom, Birthday, Stuff

2009-05-10T22:56:00.012-04:00

WOW! Again, time has flown by and we have been so busy prepping for events that I've not had time to do more than think "I need to get on blogger and do some typing."

Backing up a bit, we had a wonderful home school prom! I think the kids had a great time and I know the chaperons did! I know I woke up at 7 on Friday morning and didn't sleep again until 3pm on Saturday. WOW! I won't do that again simply because I had a hard time staying awake to drive those girls home. NOT good! I did come close to pulling over and asking my 19yo to drive the rest of the way but I managed. Once I got to sleep I slept soundly for 5 hours and then I was good to go again.

On May 1 I celebrated my 45th birthday. The moms in our home school group surprised me with balloons and cookies and rice krispy treats and all kinds of goodies. I didn't have a clue! Then my sis-in-law took me out to dinner at Olive Garden. YUM! I celebrated all weekend. LOL!

Since then we have been busy with last minute preparations for Savannah's graduation. We are looking forward to that this week and then her focus will be on finishing her prep for her trip to China!

Here are a few prom pictures for you to enjoy!

Group picture before we left Stockbridge

Travis and Jesse all duded up in their tuxes - we have some good looking guys in our group!

<-Girls on the dance floor but looks like they are just talking here.

Guys on the dance floor - you can't tell here but they were watching Travis dance (in the white hat). ->

And here Terry had been showing the kids some dance moves of his own. =)

Next time I get to post will probably be after Savannah's graduation. Hope to be able to share some photos!

.....................WHEW!

2009-04-16T21:57:00.005-04:00

I just thought I'd drop in and say I'm here, I'm fine, and I'm exhausted! I've tried several times to write something but just haven't had time lately. So, I'm typing this and heading to bed.

At the moment I'm watching "Romance on the High Seas" with Doris Day. She's one of my favorites! I have several of her movies on my TiVo and I'm trying to get them onto a DVD so I can watch them whenever I want but not have them take up the precious space on my TiVo. LOL!

Today the girls and I helped set up a $5 Christian Book Store. They are opening tomorrow morning at 9am and we got most of the books that have arrived on the tables. We walked and carried books and dug them out of box cubes the size of a pallet. When we got so deep into them we had to turn them on their sides to get the rest of the books out. Savannah was sitting in one and looked like a little 5yo. It was cute but no one had a camera out. LOL!

Anyway, the girls will be working however many hours they can get. I'll be working to fill in for my friend and helping out when she needs me. Probably not very many hours over all but could be quite a few next week.

We've also been busy planning our home school Prom and Graduations and all that goes into getting ready for those. They are coming up WAY too quickly now that we are a week and 5 weeks away from them.

And we have an awesome praise! Our little church collected over 1/2 the money Savannah needs for her mission trip to China. If you would like to help or just read about it, check out her blog.

Well, I'm ready to go to bed so I'll try to write more when I have some time and something semi-interesting to write about. =)

. . . . . . . . . .Ice Cream

2009-03-19T20:09:00.005-04:00

Last night we took the kids for ice cream after dinner. Actually it was my sis-in-laws idea and I said okay. LOL! It sure was good! Here are Terry and Skylar enjoying their treats.

Another Soaker

2009-03-19T19:14:00.012-04:00

I found another wool soaker pattern to make for my friend. I saw the main part of it on the blog I found it on but there wasn't a picture of it completed as a skirter soaker. I think it turned out quite cute. Here is the link: http://withatangledskein.blogspot.com/2008/02/little-fire-crochet-soaker-pattern.html. They are SO cute! I appreciate the fact she wrote a pattern and shares it for free!

I don't have any wool yet so again, this was made with cotton yarn. So, here is a photo of the progress on the one I've made with the exception of a photo with the drawstring tie in it. I still need to take that picture and upload it to the computer.

By the way, if you want to see the photos larger, just click on them. You can get a really good look that way!

Almost completed - still needs the cuff on one leg.

And here is the cuff close up (sorry it's a bit blurry).

Here we go - completed soaker with the exception of a drawstring.
This is the front...

Here is the waist band area a little closer up...

Here I had started the "skirt" portion of the pattern.
It simply says to repeat until it's the length you want.
I wasn't sure so I asked my 11yo who said this was too short.

And so I added 2 more rows and got this...

Then I crocheted the drawstring and threaded it through.
Here is a close up of how it looks when threaded...

And last but not least, the photo with the edging on the skirt

and the drawstring tied at the front.

I think my friend will love it for her daughter. 8-)

Soakers and Saxophones

2009-03-16T16:36:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been a few days and I'm still really busy so this will probably be short. It's been pouring rain here for 3 days and I feel like I need to build a boat. HA! However, it should be done now so maybe we won't mildew too much.

A friend asked me on Tuesday evening if I could make "wool soakers." Hmmm... I'm sure I could if I knew what they were. She explained and I came home and did a search for patterns. I even joined a Yahoo group for people who make them and found some free patterns and photos in their files. WOO HOO! I finally settled on a fairly simple pattern (I think by Anita - will have to post that detail later) and made it in cotton. Took about 6 hours I guess but I finished and must say they look cute. Now I'll work on a revision of sorts because I feel the area between the legs is just too wide. Guess I'll try them on baby before I made any adjustments to the pattern though. Here is a photo of the finished product.

Saturday I spent the day where the girls take band and choir. Sandi had a saxophone solo, saxophone trio and a woodwind trio to play in before a judge. We don't have all the scores just yet but we do know she did pretty well.

I need to finish putting our dinner casserole together and get it in the oven. I'm making it from memory so I hope it turns out to be a delicious as I remember. LOL! Mexican Cornbread Casserole - if you know what I'm talking about and have a recipe to share, send it on!

I said this would be short so I'm going to close for now.

Snow! Smoke! Can I exchange a day?

2009-03-08T14:43:00.013-04:00

So, this week was a bit exciting for us. Down here in the south we rarely see snow. We got a good one last Sunday. Depending on where you were around here there was anywhere from 1/2" to several inches. Where my daughter takes saxophone lessons there was still snow around the flowers and on the steps on Wednesday and it was at least 3" deep still. It's only a few minutes drive from where we are and I think we only got a good inch or maybe 2 at the most.

Monday schools were closed for snow that had pretty much melted - at least off the roads. However, it was nice to have an excuse not to get out of the house. Terry went to work and had no problems and it only took him 35 minutes instead of 65.

So, the rest of the week was pretty normal except Thursday. I'd like to back up and just not have this past Thursday. My day started when someone contacted me to ask if the rumor they heard was true. I hadn't heard it from anywhere until that point. Ummm... NOT that I'm aware of currently. Maybe it isn't true. Find out sort of the line of the grapevine and decide I'll wait and find out when I see the people this involves later in the week. I go on with my day.

We attended The Irish Music in the Glen. It was fun to listen to Irish music and learn about the instruments. There was a girl dancing some Irish dances and they taught us how to do an Irish Jig. Well worth the $1 each we paid to watch. Then we headed to lunch with friends and had a great time at Pizza Hut. LOL!

Got home and had Sarah start boiling chicken for the casserole we were having for dinner. We needed to boil chicken and noodles and then put it together so it can bake while we are at the dentist. I was in the back of the house when I smelled smoke, the lights flickered and Skylar yelled all about the same instant and I heard the smoke detector going off. Well, the eye of the stove was on 10 and there was a fire under the burner.

Turns out there was some grease that had spilled under the burner that I wasn't aware of since I'd recently cleaned it. We were out of baking soda and the fire extinguisher needs to be charged. I dumped a box of kosher salt (doesn't work NEARLY as well as baking soda) and then dumped a cup of water which did the trick. Having an attic fan and open windows does a world of good for getting the smoke out of the house!

Now, to figure out how to make dinner when we are needing to leave for the dentist. Thought about dropping a child off at grandma's to boil chicken and noodles and be picked up on the way home. Checked the chicken and the water had gotten hot enough for long enough that the little pieces of chicken were actually done. So, told them to boil the noodles using the microwave. It worked.

Sarah and I head to the dentist for our 6month check up and cleaning. On the way, a phone call from another friend regarding the same rumor from earlier in the day. UGH! Different grapevine totally so I think it over and decide I need to find out sooner than later. I need to look up the number for those it actually concerns and get it from them. No time now... it will have to wait until I get back home. And I wonder, why people are contacting me about it since it has nothing to do with me personally. LOL!

Good visit at the dentist, head home to start putting the casserole together and make a phone call. Turns out rumor is true (we find out from an email that showed up about that time). We are losing our AWESOME choir/band director and his wife who plays piano and teaches the elementary choirs after the end of this school year. BOO HOO! We at HMV are all very sad!

So, my sis-in-law took the casserole to her house and baked it for us while we cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. We made tea and had things ready to eat once she got back with the casserole. Had a good discussion over dinner as usual - which included Skylar's guest who had been there through it all.

Skylar and her guest had a great afternoon riding bicycles and playing in the beautiful 70 degree weather. They were worn out so they got their showers and were in bed at a decent time and sound asleep.

What a week and what a day we had!! Can I send last Thursday back and exchange it for another one? LOL!

BRrrrrr! Baby it's COLD outside!

2009-03-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

Savannah enjoying the snowfall yesterday.

So, here in Georgia where I live south of Atlanta, I think it's been a good 7 or 8 years since we've seen more than a flurry or two. So yesterday on the way to church I saw a few "flakes" on the windshield mixed in with the rain. I had a child at home not feeling well so I stayed through breakfast, Sunday school and most of the church service. Savannah was speaking about her upcoming trip to China and when she was done the girls and I left in a flurry of HUGE flakes to get home and check on Sandi.

Sandi was feeling better so we headed to meet the in-laws for lunch and Terry was meeting us there after a short deacon meeting after church. Well, the parking lot was already getting slushy and still HUGE flakes of snow coming down. It was beautiful. On the way home I even took a tiny detour so we could get a few snapshots with a camera one of the girls had with them. I know it's not a lot of snow by most people's standards but we are loving it! And here it is 7 hours later (when I was typing thins) and it is still snowing, though the flakes are a lot smaller now.

Can you find our dog, Amber and our bunny, Thumper in the photos here? They weren't too fond of the white stuff. Here is also our front yard and some trees around our place.

Watkins Burn Cream

2009-03-02T10:21:00.004-05:00

I must tell you that I am singing it's praises today.

Yesterday I had a "stupid" moment and burned both my index fingers. I ran to the bathroom and ran cold water over them for several minutes to try and relieve the pain. I had my oldest come open the jar of burn cream and I coated the burns with it. Then I took 800 mg. of ibuprofen and lay across the bed. About 90 minutes after the initial burn I could doze off a bit.

I decided later I could stand band-aids and put them on. Not too bad a job for putting them on without index fingers. Typing has been difficult though - MANY mistakes for this touch typist. That has been the toughest. LOL!

So this morning I took the bandages off and while the burns are tender to the touch and I can't do much with them, they aren't hurting too much. I know I'll have scarring, but at the moment no huge water blisters or anything.

If you don't have some of this burn cream, I'd suggest you get a small jar to keep on hand! I don't sell Watkins and had never really purchased anything except their vanilla extract. However, we were at Buckner's several months ago and I picked this little jar up. I just thought it was a good idea to have it on hand. I'm really happy I did!

Now, about the ham... LOL!
Man, it was delicious! Just baked it for 25 minutes per pound in the oven, tightly covered in foil with about a cup of water poured in the pan. YUMMY!

Completed Project

2009-02-25T23:08:00.002-05:00

This is the finished product of the Sweetheart Hot Pad that I was working on the a couple of weeks ago. I think it turned out quite cute and my daughters had some fun using it.

Now I'm on to another project - a lapghan that has a foot pocket and some hand pockets to keep you warm while watching tv or reading. I'll try to post some photos of that soon.

I'm also working on finishing a star baby blanket for a friend. I hope to have it completed this weekend and can take some photos of it as well.

So, what projects are YOU working on?

Ready for A New Week

2009-02-22T18:38:00.003-05:00

Well, I'll be happy to start a new week. This past one was long and exhausting even though it was mostly spent sitting around waiting. It's good to be home. It was good to sleep in my own bed again.

I'll miss some of that good home cooking we had in South Georgia! Those women can COOK and if you went hungry it was your own fault! Fried chicken, creamed corn, potato salad, fried chicken, creamed corn, potato salad, fried chicken, baked ham, chicken and rice, butter beans, cornbread, cake, cake, cake, cake, and did I mention fried chicken and cake? I know there was more - like boiled cabbage and some other items I'm not recalling at the moment. Just take my word that it was some good eats!

I did pick up a couple of tips and I'm waiting to receive a new cake recipe that was a huge hit with the family.

So, we're home and ready for a new week of school, cleaning, meetings, cake deco classes, CIT training, choir solo and ensemble performances for judges and more.

Crocheted Heart Hotpad

2009-02-14T20:35:00.006-05:00

I thought I'd take a minute and update the progress on the crochet along I've been working on. We are about finished and it's looking good.

Here are the photos so far taken at the intervals the way we are working it. When the project is completed it will be a heart shaped hotpad.

I'm debating about making the completed set which includes a dishcloth and potholder. Maybe I will do those soon. I think it will make a nice gift set. It was a really quick project so would make it really simple to make up a few to give.

The original pattern was shown in pink and white but my kitchen is complemented with red so I chose red and white for this project.

I try to always give credit for the projects I work when someone else created the pattern. However, I can not find where I got this pattern or a name for the person who created it. Should it be yours, please let me know!

Poem

2009-02-14T10:16:00.004-05:00

My sister-in-law wrote this. She wrote the original version a few years ago when a friend died. She revised it last night for her uncle. I got her permission to post it here.

My feelings
Yesterday at 11:47pm

I cry because you cry
And like you, I want to ask why.
He seemed too young to die.

Your heartache is my heartache
And like you, my heart is ready to break
Why was he the one God had to take?

I grieve because you grieve
And like you, in Christ I must believe.
Our pain only He can relieve.

I grin because you grin.
And like you I miss my friend.
But I know we’ll see him again.

Suzanne Hawkins
February 2009

For Uncle James

Co worker to some
Good friend to others
Great man to all
Hero to me.

Sad News

2009-02-13T23:38:00.004-05:00

Tonight we received the sad news that Terry's uncle James passed away. Here is what Terry posted as a note on his Facebook page:

Lost a Hero.

Today at 11:09pm

One of my heroes, favorite uncle, and the one who got me hooked on cars, died tonight. He had been a diabetic since the age of 9 and has had several close calls in the last 7 years with diabetes caused conditions. We almost lost him about 6 years ago due to heart problems. He has fought, battled, and denied diabetes the privilege of taking him for 51 years. He has fought and was still standing. That makes his death all the more shocking; almost like a cruel joke.

He was driving home for work when his truck broke down very near home. He was walking on the side of the road when a car hit and killed him. The warrior was taken with a cheap shot.

My mom (his oldest and remaining sibling) is having a hard time. Please pray for our family and especially for my mom. She has to face this with no living relatives from her side of the family.

He is Heaven tonight with Granny and Papa (my grandparents) and Aunt Joyce (my aunt and mom' sister).

Thanks for reading.

Memory...

2009-02-11T08:44:00.005-05:00

So, this was on our local freecycle loop this morning:
Offer: 2 Training Potties
Both in good condition - and one has a battery-operated motion-sensor - cute. 
It just reminded me of when I was working to potty train our oldest daughter. We tried sitting her on the potty for extended periods of time with books and things to entertain her. One day, after trying for maybe 15 minutes she looked at me with a very serious face.
"Mommy, it needs batteries."
I know I didn't hear her correctly so I ask "What did you say?"
"It doesn't work. It needs new batteries."

That was when I knew we were living in a world of battery operated stuff, much more so than when I was growing up.

I had to explain to her that SHE had to do the work, not the potty.

Zig Zag Filet

2009-02-10T17:11:00.004-05:00

What a name! But that is what the pattern for the blanket is called. It's a baby blanket I made by request for someone. It's a simple pattern really. However, if you don't count stitches carefully it can really be frustrating when you crochet 10 rows and realize there is a mistake that can't be corrected except by taking out all those rows. I could have made 2 of these in the time it took me to make the one if only I'd carefully counted each and every stitch.

The photo is sideways - the fringe went all the way around except for the top of the blanket. It had a very small border that you really can't see in the photo. It turned out pretty and I'll probably make another one like it eventually.

I think you can see the filet pattern a little better in this close up (not really close but closer) shot on the left. And in the photo to the right you might be able to see the top border a little better. Anyway, I just wanted to share another accomplishment!

For now, I'm on to brighter and more colorful projects. Just wait until I post a photo of the larger blanket I'm working on for my 12yo daughter.

By the way, if anyone can help me figure out how to edit this so the text wraps in line with the photos, I'd appreciate some feedback!