Lights....CameraS....ACTION!!!!

The lights are a "manly" job around our house. Josiah did a great job spearheading this project this year. He did a lot of it last year too. He and Mike came up with a system for taking the lights down...the problem is that neither one of them were HERE to take lights down. We finally decided yesterday that the rest of us needed to do it and that it HAD to be done THAT DAY. We had heard rumors of a cold front....I think we COULD have waited for today. However, if we'd done that, Cy would have been taking them down alone, as Jamin and Jared volunteer with a local ministry on Thursdays.

Josiah explained the "light thing" to me and we started.

Zander likes the ladder...doesn't matter if it GOES anywhere

Basically, we lay out newsprint, lay the lights on top, and wrap...this way they are not tangled when it's time to put them up....couple of problems....NO NEWSPRINT....no one knows where it went...I'm guessing a box of newsprint will show up when they bring the Christmas stuff down next year ::snort:: We had no option but to use the charming country print papers I had purchased AFTER Christmas....I nearly cried when we used the Gingerbread men with verses. LOL

She's a Doll

Stacia entertained us during school by showing up dressed in the dress of one of Arielle's favorite dolls.

Window on Health

This is my laundry room. Zander spends quite a bit of time on the washer, starting out this window, into the garage, watching Jamin and Jared lift weights. He tries to imitate but they fuss at him. ::snort::

WONDROUS WEDNESDAY

~Breakfast made (eggs, muffins and pancakes) - Day 3 of school went WELL.

~Weigh In - YIPPEE! I've lost all holiday weight and two more lbs besides....another bike ride this a.m.

~We got the outside lights taken down today. I wanted to do it TODAY because we are supposed to be getting another cold snap. I didn't take into account the 25 mph winds. Yikes. (Photos to follow)

~Adrienne called and invited us to the park for an hour or so. I made up meat loaves and a quick salad, got Stacia down for a nap, picked up Ashley (Arielle's friend) and we headed to the park. Jamin watched Stacia and I had the cell phone if she woke up.

~Received two PBS books. "Revenge of the Wrought Iron Flamingos", is in a new series I want to try....and "Keeping Our Children's Hearts" by Steve and Teri Maxwell.....unfortunately, this book is in BAD shape. I felt rude commenting on it and after I have it a few years it may look like that anyway. Adrienne, this is a book you can borrow and read in the bathtub. ::snort::

~Dinner - We actually have enough in our pantry to survive for several months, I think. ::snort:: We're only going to be running out of things like milk and eggs. LOL I was so glad I had the meat loaf ready to throw in the oven when we got home. I LOVE my french fry slicer attachment for the Bosch. I am using the SAME recipe for oven baked fries but now my youngers are gobbling them up. I made fries for them and roasted red potatoes, carrots, zucchini, celery and red pepper for the rest of us.

~We all decided that "King Arthur" simply wasn't working for us. Maybe in a year or so. The biggest drawback of the book is that *I* keep falling asleep within a page of starting the book. ::snort:: The children had quite the family council going to pick a replacement. We began "Jungle Book" tonight.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY!

I better hurry or the day will be over and I will not have blogged! ::gasp::

~Went for another exhilerating bike ride...I've been FREEZING all day....seriously cold. I've been wearing wool socks, a sweat shirt, wrapped in a blanket, hugging a microwave heat pillow. Bre says I don't know what cold is until I spend a winter in WA. WHAT - has she FORGOTTEN AK so quickly????

~Day two of school. WOW - things are going very well! I kept rechecking the schedule to see if I'd left a subject out - I once left Science out for 6 weeks. ::snort:: It seems we've done all.

~Photos won't upload - so I uploaded an inordinate amount of blinkies which are SURE to drive me as batty as the music did...but hey...I've gotta play.

~Bible Study began again tonight. We had two new students tonight. That's always fun. We finished I John. MIKE, IT IS NOT *ALL* AN EASY BOOK - WANT TO TACKLE LEVELS OF SIN????? What a thought for John to tuck in the final paragraphs of a letter. ::snort:: We decided none of us knew enough to get dogmatic. I plan to do significantly more study on this verse. We'll study 2 John this week and 3 John the week after....then they all voted to PLAY on the 30th. I'm game. We discussed what we wanted to study next. Some want to do women and some want to do OT.....think we'll do Ruth or Esther or something. The last time I did a "women of the Bible" Bible Study it sort of made me sick...trite, shallow stuff....but I'm hoping if we are studying BOOKS of the Bible that you know....it can't really be trite!

~Josiah survived his first "corporate visit" as a manager. No sweat.

~I was able to talk to both big girls briefly tonight. I will admit that toddlers can be a handful; but it is no fun to be a mommy miles and miles away when one of your babies could use a hug, either.

~Sort of wondering about starting another sort of Bible Study on the blog - but I have no idea of what at this point. LOL

MAGNIFICENT MONDAY

~Blenders (even ones with new metal blade assemblies) operated in a large family with youth who frequently use said blender...should always be CHECKED prior to using. The smoothie went well....until I picked it up to poor the last child a glass and all the smoothie came out the bottom!!!! I've become so GOOD at grabbing the camera but didn't think of it this time.

~Nolan finished an Explode the Code book - his first one.

~The children are spending a lot of time creating tunnels and such....studying WW2 is making an impression.

~I dealt with banks - they are all nuts - I'm convinced it cannot be ME. ::snort:: They took my money and then told me that they are holding it all until the 16th...um...maybe should have told me THAT before I gave you the money....they can't give me starter checks because I signed up online.....sort of defeated the purpose of starting the account to deposit cash and checks around here so that I could pay the bill by the 15th. ::snort:: I called the national office and they very "MUCH want to keep your business" they "highly value me as a customer"....yeah ...probably because I explained it's THEIR credit card that has screwed up the online payment 3 times that I'm wanting to pay and now THEIR bank is holding my money.....we're working on a fix that will "satisfy" ME! ::snort::

~We went spur of the moment to the park with Adrienne and her boys, when they dropped by and invited us. OK - don't bug me about plans! I always maintained that I have a FLEXIBLE plan....we planned to work in a park date sometime this week.....and every time I begin to make bread something happens.

~Now I need to see what else I can do on the "to do" list, make something creative for dinner, read to children, bathe children and get children to bed....

~Due to circumstances TOTALLY of my making....i.e. tying all my money up we are going to be eating what is in the house this week and NOT going shopping until the 15th...well OK I did save $100 for things like postage and produce co-op....I say that only to put in this PLEA - "Send me your creatiave dinner ideas! Things that you have in your pantry and never use!" LOL We are NOT broke hon, I simply sent all the money in one account to pay off the credit card and all the other money is frozen.....I could CHARGE but I'm determined not to do that until they PROVE to me that they've figured out this whole payment mess. ::snort:: Next time I talk to them - and I'm becoming good friends with several of the associated, Beth, I think of you every time I call a credit card place and I'm CHEERFUL and NICE - I'm going to ask them to award me some free miles for all the hassle they've caused me. ::snort::

Hey check out that pixie...midriff and all. LOL It does warm up beautifully down here...and it IS nice that it cools off - though I seem to be freezing even when it is 67*. May as well move to AK and at least have great scenery and snow! LOL

GREAT QUOTE

How funny - this is almost a quote of what I wrote last night in the post that sits in draft. ::snort::

"If I am thankful for each of my children, I will not wish they were different or that they would not bring trials into my life."

Isn't it great when God confirms from several places what He is speaking to you???

Quote from *Homeschooling with a Meek and Quite Spirt* by Teri Maxwell - book review to follow - maybe today. LOL

Psssst - TEETH can be cold when biking in 27* weather!