Sprittibee

An Early Driver's Ed Class

2012-01-27T10:42:00.000-06:00

Raise your hand if you have ever violated a traffic law.

Oh, come on. Be honest.

You know you did a Texas pause at a stop sign in your neighborhood once or twice.

How about a speeding ticket? I bet you have had at least one in your life, right?

These things have been on my mind a lot because in just a few weeks my big kid is turning FIFTEEN - and sooner than later he'll be taking driver's ed and learning to navigate the Texas highways.

He's paying attention to the roads these days. I'm pointing out landmarks and street names to make sure he can find his way home if he gets lost. We're going over maps to help him gain direction.

I had no idea that I was going to be giving him a REAL LIFE driving lesson yesterday. I got to be the bad example and the good example, all at once.

Here's what happened:

We had two appointments at our orthodontist scheduled - for both of my teenagers. That means tight teeth and misery, so I usually make the day a little sweeter by offering to include a meal out. They decided on Chicken Minis from Chick-Fil-A.

All that would have been fine, but mama had a hard night with the nursing baby and lost about 2 hours of beauty rest... so we got out of bed with only 30 minutes to spare before we had to leave. Chick-Fil-A was not going to happen unless we skipped showers and didn't fret over jackets and hairstyles.

After our harried rush to the door with all four kids and a diaper bag, I had my daughter call Chick-Fil-A and order our meal so it would be ready when we got there.

[I bet you didn't know you could pre-order fast food to make it faster, didya?]

I was driving along and keeping an eye out for the cranky toddler and baby in the visor mirror because they were poking and hitting each other. Nothing like a whining, screaming two year old in the morning to set your nerves on edge.

[He looks happy in that photo, sure... but don't let that fool you.]

The road was almost empty except for a few cars that passed me up because I wasn't speeding. I didn't even notice the light at the edge of town turning red and drove right through it at about 60 miles per hour. No one was in front, beside or behind me that I could see, so I had no idea I had run a red light until I whizzed through and saw a car in my peripheral vision rolling towards me on the left. I suppose the visor was to blame for me not seeing the color of the light changing.

Thankfully, there wasn't any chance of me hitting the person because they had just started to roll forward and weren't far in to the intersection yet. I kept on going because there was really no reason for me to stop. The other driver only had to break - even though my son said he caught a glimpse of his face when we passed and he was not happy at being inconvenienced.

I was a ways down the road when this same man came ZOOMING past me on my right (he had to be going well over 80 to catch me at that speed so quickly) and SWERVED in front of my vehicle, coming precariously close to my front bumper. Then he slowed down and put his breaks on.

[Can anyone say "road rage"?]

I wasn't going to bite. Instead of getting irate like I suspect he was hoping, I slowed and moved to the right to get out from behind him. I am guessing he expected me to try and get in front of him, so he swerved over in to my lane again and slowed further. The speed limit was 65 and I was down to 50 or so.

Realizing that he wasn't going to let me be, I put the safety of the FOUR children in my car first and slowed to give more bumper space. Even though he was being a jerk, I stayed behind him another seven minutes in to town while he continued to change speeds to irritate me.

Right before I was about to turn right in to the shopping center to get our breakfast, he pulled three lanes over to the left to make a left turn and slowed to make it obvious that he and his wife were looking in to our car. Unable to punish me with road rage, the guy CALLED THE POLICE and reported my red light infraction.

Thinking my run-in with a crazed driver was over, I went about my business and took the kids to eat, see their orthodontist and to piddle around in town for a bit. We had just finished our cheeseburgers at the table when the doorbell rang.

"Is this your vehicle in the driveway, mam?" The officer asked.

Mr. Road Rage had made me sound like a hit and run driver by telling the police I came "this close to T-boning him" (insert exaggeratedly small pincher fingers here). Hardly.

"The guy nearly clipped my mom's headlight off after he sped past us." Kaden told him.

After my fifteen year old and I both shared the same story about our scary stalker, he took my driver's license, went back to his car, and wrote up a report.

He came back to the door and informed me that although he had told the man I had not tried to deny the fact that I ran a red light, he was unwilling to back down on insisting that I get a ticket for it. He told the man that if I wanted, I could report him for reckless driving and he would get a ticket, too.

The guy said he wanted me to get a ticket and didn’t care if I said he was changing lanes unsafely because I was a liar.

"You know, we rarely get anything like this." The officer said, sighing. He said he would be on his way over to the guy's house to write him a ticket after he left. I wasn't sure that really made me feel better.

So there you have it. Hand-delivered, door-to-door tickets and the end of nearly a decade's worth of a perfect driving record - all for the careful scrutiny of my teenagers, I suppose. There's a reason for everything.

Here's the positive I'm taking away from this experience... (I'm serious about counting blessings):

1. We could have been in an accident, and thankfully - praise be to God - we weren't. It would be a lot different if some or all of us weren't here any more because of my accidental red light mishap or if I had tried to engage in this man's road rage.

2. My kids saw me stay cool when someone on the road was clearly out of line and hostile. I hope that they would do the same if the wheel had been in their hands.

3. My kids saw me tell the truth to a police officer - and we even discussed that I would rather tell the truth than get off without a ticket. I told them that I know I have run a few red lights here and there and it is only fair that I pay a ticket if I really ran a red light. I want them to take responsibility for their actions - even when it costs them something.

4. My children will be learning about the process involved with getting a ticket, responding in a timely manner, going to court, and doing what needs to be done to clear your driving record if need be. Maybe I'll even let my son take defensive driving online with me for a preparation of what is to come. It couldn't hurt.

I guess we can look forward to an extra courthouse field trip this year (or two - depending on how Mr. Grumpy Pants responds to HIS ticket). Not necessarily something I would have EVER put on the lesson planner, but a valuable set of lessons, none-the-less.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Lighting a Fire... at the Homeschool Post

2012-01-22T17:27:00.000-06:00

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.”
~William Yeats~

"We snuck away from the big city this weekend and left suburbia behind. We took our kids to the country, exchanging our lazy at-home weekend routine with actual work (and the sore muscles to prove it). We even let the toddler have his fill of dirt and rocks. We left the laptops, the Xbox, and the toys at home."

... come read the rest of the story with me over at the Homeschool Post today...

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

My Sweet Thirteen

2012-01-20T10:27:00.002-06:00

One year ago today she was pretty in pink. Turning twelve. Sharing a bedroom with her little brother. Hanging on to her stuffed animals and putting headbands in her hair.

Now she's too cool for all that. Two inches taller. Has had her first pedicure. Has plans to write a book about Norse history, and hides away in her own room downstairs drawing and using her laptop.

The stuffed animals - well, half of them - were donated this past week to a friend giving a garage sale. Kitty cats and ponies.

My little girl is a teenager today.

I thought I would share with you her fancy cupcake project she did last year in honor of her day. She loves to bake.

Last year she made her own cupcakes and colored her own frosting... and created these cute cupcake toppers for our family members and her sleepover friends. It was an all-day project, so this year she told me she wanted me to buy her frosted cookies instead.

I'm taking her somewhere special after lunch. No clues. But I have a feeling she already knows where it is.

Be watching my twitter, instagram or flickr stream for clues!

Happy birthday to my sweet thirteen. I love her so!

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Remind Yourself What the List and Lesson Plan Don't Know

2012-01-13T07:51:00.000-06:00

::low-tech lesson planning::

I snuck out of bed early today so I could squeeze in a blog post. I snuck out of the warm covers and left behind two snuggly little boys, a protesting long-haired kitty-cat, and the soft glow of a baby monitor.

Daddy, who is always just a little too noisy in the morning, was downstairs trying to enjoy his coffee at 5:15am. "I'm going to be late. I have to take it on the road today."

I handed him his travel mug and noted how the dishes hadn't been done by my hopeful twelve year old that promised she would do them at 4:30am (and set her alarm) if I would just let her draw for an hour last night after the babies went to bed... in peace.

I used the already dirty pan that daddy used to cook his eggs to make mine. And two slices of bacon. Both at the same time. We take as many short cuts as we can around here.

I ate in silence, making a mental note of all the things that must be accomplished today. A gentle nudge from the Spirit reminded me that I should pray for my meal; the first reminder of the day to be present in this moment and not stuck in list mode.

I thanked him for bacon... eggs... milk... prayed that our day would be better today. Less fighting, less struggle, less difficulty. Let us do better. Give us success.

Many years of catching the bus, going to school, fighting the traffic, punching the clock... and I still struggle with laying down the list and choosing to enjoy life when there are items left unchecked.

Yesterday before bed I noticed that both of my kids were doing something "educational". One was drawing (even though art was not on her assignment sheet for the day), and the other one was watching a movie about sea creatures (even though he had already finished his assigned science reading). I pondered over how strange it is that I am unwilling to call it school if it doesn't look like my institutionalized upbringing - straight back children in neat rows with hands raised high for attention. Even in my own "classroom" of two, I have a hard time acknowledging out-of-the-box checks on our syllabus. It is so hard to recognize true learning as it takes place - this thing we call life - because it is such a natural phenomenon.

At lunch yesterday there was a quiz. My nearly fifteen year old thought he had me stumped. "What are dermal denticles?"

I drew on my vague understanding of Latin, and my greater knowledge of his interests - which are all things scientific and found in nature. "Well, derma - skin? And denti - teeth?"

"Yeah, but on what?" He smiled, knowing I was caught.

"I give up."

He proceeded to tell me the story of a shark's "skin" - which is not scales, but tiny linked teeth that provide a body armor, reduce drag and turbulence, and help him hunt quietly.

Who knows when he learned this about sharks, but I wasn't the one who taught it to him. It didn't go on any lesson plan. There were no check marks, no grades, no records made.

It was simply a boy with an interest - feeding his mind full of the wonder of God's creation. And it stuck. It gave him interesting small talk at lunch and he marveled at how cool God was to design such amazing creatures.

I can't take credit for that, folks. I might have scoffed at unschooling in the past, but sometimes I wonder if God made me in to an unschooler just to humble my little classroom-teacher-style heart.

Sometimes I have people ask me how in the world I "get it all done" with babies in the house. I don't. Sometimes they ask me how in the world I have the patience to homeschool. I don't. I'm just as frazzled and tired and impatient as the lot of them.

::caught reading the dictionary::

However, even I, the one who is chained to her to-do list, can see the miracle in a year's worth of unscripted learning turning in to passed tests that we did not study for. I can see the beauty in my kids being passionate about their God-given interests. I can SEE them... every day... watch them unfold like roses. Here today, growing, blooming... I can't imagine sending that bouquet away to someone else's table.

Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. ~Mark Twain

So I'll keep adding the little miracle "assignments" to my school list each day so my conformist mind can rise above the urge to think we "didn't get much done": discussion about shark skin, educational movie about ocean creatures, research and practice Manga drawing styles, lettering difficult piano music and practicing, baking chocolate chip cookies without help...

I'm so proud of them. I couldn't keep them from learning if I tried.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Keep Aiming for the Goal; Despite the Difficulties

2012-01-12T16:31:00.000-06:00

One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it. ~Sidney Howard

I've been aiming at my goals lately. This explains my absence at the keyboard.

It's been so long since I really felt the blog bug biting. Am I really a blogger any more? How often do you have to blog to be considered a real blogger? Kind of like that Tootsie Roll Pop question, isn't it?

Instagram has kept me on a leash, though. The DSLR has been on vacation for far too long. And I have been hooked on Pinterest imagining all the things I'm going to make when I get my craft on this year. How about you?

I drug the sewing machine out of the downstairs closet today. I can't imagine when I'll find time to use it, but I want to look at it every day and get my desire burning for all those imaginary quilts in my hopes and dreams.

Until I find time to create, I'm cutting distractions and aiming my sights on the most important things on my list each day. Often times that means that the computer - and the blogs - and the emails - come last. It has been easier than I thought. I hope it doesn't mean I've lost the joy of blogging forever.

So far this year I have already succeeded in making a meal plan, getting rid of three boxes worth of old tax paperwork, organizing the book shelves, and paying the bills. I'm a step ahead of last year with our taxes - ready to go through the rest of the paperwork in the garage (about three boxes to toss and three to re-organize for storage).

And -- I've cooked at home almost every meal since the first of the year. Even when I didn't want to. Gourmet meals and easy ones - depending on my level of dedication and how the day has gone. Reminder: I live in a zoo.

Today we have had a "teacher in service day" with a teething baby who's had a fever for two days and a tweeny daughter that has been unable to get out of bed. That, plus my toddler who has been throwing wooden blocks in the sink, drawing on my new books from Amazon, stuttering on purpose, throwing temper tantrums and "feeding" his little brother bits of crayon wrappers and erasers he has picked off. You can guess what kind of dinner we'll be having tonight. Probably cereal - and Prozac. I'm just kidding about the Prozac. Mostly.

OK, so the rest of my day, with what little sanity I have left, I'm going to complete the following:

1. finish tossing the rest of the old paperwork
2. organize the 2005-2011 paperwork in the tax box in our garage
3. restack Daddy's wall of teetering heavy premature death in the garage when I finish going through the boxes
4. make Tacos for dinner if I don't give up and force everyone to eat cereal
5. finish entering lesson plans for history in Homeschool Tracker
6. shower and get dressed before Daddy comes home in an hour/oops! My bad, he's here!
7. charge the iphone
8. help Kaden with his book reviews
9. paperwork
10. read and relax tonight - minus the laptop, iphone, or television + chocolate in some form, and a cold glass of milk

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. ~ Zig Ziglar

So how about you guys? The three of you who are still left reading this dusty blog. How have you been aiming at your goals for 2012?

Credits: Photo is mine, but the target is my husband's. He has fantastic aim at 100 yards.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

2012-01-06T18:47:00.003-06:00

Cold nights deserve warm soup. Even if you are planning to eat sandwiches, a creamy soup is just what the doctor ordered. Most of us are trying to eat more vegetables as a resolution, too... so what better way to eat them than blended in to a cream soup?

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Ingredients tablespoon of butter
1 head of cauliflower
2-3 diced potatoes
1/2 cup diced onion (or a small onion/few shallots)
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on how many people you are serving)
1-2 cups half and half (depending on how creamy you want it)
1 cup water (as needed or if your broth is thicker - like stock)
black pepper and salt (to taste)
garlic powder or crushed garlic (to taste)
spices: coriander, savory, white pepper (1/2 to 1 teaspoon each)

Instructions Saute the onion, garlic (if you use fresh) in butter until clear or slightly browned. Bring pot to a boil with broth and rest of the ingredients except half and half. Add onion and garlic to soup pot. Cover and turn heat down to low after potato and cauliflower are soft enough to mash with your spoon. Add cream and stir. Get another (same size or larger) pot to pour soup in after you blend it. Puree the soup in the blender (usually takes 2-3 sessions to get all the soup - be careful not to burn yourself!). Return the soup to a pot to stir well before serving.

.....

I used up my turkey broth from Thanksgiving on this soup and it was wonderful. We had grilled cheese sandwiches with it (a treat - since we don't eat a lot of bread around here). Everyone enjoyed it, and my picky eaters had no idea they were putting away an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting!

Hope you are keeping warm and making happy memories this January. Remember to take those resolutions in stride - and remember to get back on the saddle if you slip!

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Christmas 2011 Photo Wrap-Up

2012-01-04T20:33:00.000-06:00

1. Grandma Betty and her lovely sisters (who all COOK like Ninjas), 2. Christmas Eve at Grandma's #christmas #holiday #tree, 3. Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Musil, 4. Worm Pie, Frosty, and a Cardinal on the tree #christmas, 5. Good Christmas Eats #holiday #christmas #food, 6. Christmas Day 2011, 7. A child's dream come true. #christmas #toys, 8. Pink December #christmas #nature #plants, 9. My little sugar lump. #cute #instababy, 10. fireplace-crawl, 11. bettytree2011, 12. Frosty #snowman #winter #January #happy #smile

I know it isn't Camera Phone Friday yet, but I wanted to wrap up the Christmas pictures just like I'm wrapping up the Christmas decorations. I'm on the ball this year getting things put away.

We're boxing more than Christmas up, too. We have already taken a load of clothes to good will, a load of old towels to the animal shelter, and soon we'll be taking a load of stuffed animals to the fire station. Oh, and two boxes to the post office.

Then there are the bookshelves that still need to be purged and the closets to go through in the kids' rooms. And the piles of paperwork and procrastination projects to tackle...

So while I'm busy trying to keep my sanity over here... be sure to stop by the Homeschool Post where we have an even busier mama talking about enjoying the journey today. That seems to be a theme lately.

I hope you are enjoying life's little moments as treasures where ever you are and what ever you are doing!

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

2011 in Pictures

2012-01-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

Saying good bye to a year is hard. Especially one that was so packed full of one-time memories as 2011 was for us. Fourth child, first smile, first words, first steps... teenage tests and two big kids in glasses and braces at once.

Life took center stage as we went from each moment to the next without catching a breath. 2011 was a marathon. We didn't finish first, but we didn't come in last, either.

Forgive me if I go on and on with the photos. These are a few of my favorites from the year:

January

My funny Viking. We cut his curls off after taking this photo for me to make Valentine cards with. Mama cried.

February

We welcomed the littlest of our four in to the family. I had no idea how much laundry four kids would bring. I have yet to find the bottom of the basket.

March

The cilantro grew and grew and grew. Mama searched for her missing homeschool groove (letcha know when I find it) and #3 learned to get away with a lot more dirt while Daddy was on duty. #1 and #4 became good buds.

April

May

I became addicted to Instagram. Loved my snuggly mother's day gift. The cat got used to having a fourth kid in the house... and the big kids played piano with Chickie.

June

Double trouble. Teens and toddlers are not the best combination for a mama's sanity. However, these two are tight. Koko loves his Momo.

July

That was the photo that made me go on a diet. The one at the Apologia Lunch up there with the fat lady and the baby. And Texas was in the worst drought in U.S. History. Jenn and I took photos for the THSC convention together, too (Texas Homeschool Coalition) - and toured a bit of Texas. We took her to the Alamo. I finally tired out of Freddy's burgers - where I had eaten nearly every week while pregnant with the Gladiator.

August

"Not so diet" diet foods, sneaky decoy pillows, and little boy pouts. These are a few of my favorite things.

September

A brave new world - with a fully mobile child on all fours and pulling up. Sweet visits with friends.

October

The first rain in a loooong time.

My bath time boys.

Nap time was golden... but the little bug wouldn't sleep for very long. He's such a light sleeper!

Leavin' on a jet plane! Morgan, the tiny guy and I - took a trip to the Relevant blog conference and visited Hershey Chocolate World.

November

Just being us. Oh, besides the oral surgery thing. We don't usually get 10 teeth pulled in one visit... but unfortunately, Morgan did in November 2011. Poor thing.

December

And just like that, 2011 was over. Sweet dreams to a very busy year. May we embrace 2012 and live with purpose.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Peace Be With You: My 2012 Homeschool Mom Reflections

2012-01-01T15:37:00.002-06:00

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” - Isaiah 52:7

I have been stressing out for a week or more about trying to find time to figure out what my "WORD" for 2012 was, much less sit down and write about it. I have been burried in two weeks worth of laundry, piles of papers on my desk, my to-do list that I have been slowly consolidating from the many scraps of papers it had multiplied to... and it seemed with all of our holiday hustle and traveling about, I would NEVER have time to THINK.

I might have mentioned it in a brief prayer - one of those, "Oh, yeah - God, I need a word for 2012. Now can you please help me not go crazy in this moment." No bother with an Amen, because someone was sticking their fingers in a dirty diaper that was left on the floor... or flinging their toys in the toilet... or accidentally peeing on the bathroom rug before they stepped in the bath. I say a lot of unfinished prayers around here... and that's ok. I've heard them called "prayer sandwiches" - because everything you do is sandwiched in between two prayers. I sure hope so.

Today, God answered my heart. My flippant and quick wishes for a word were given consideration by the King. He showed me he's thinking much more about me than I am about Him.

Last night I was cleaning off my desk and I picked up a broken ornament that had three silver hearts – one said Jesus, one said Hope, the other said Peace. I was kind of leaning towards hope because I’ve felt like a failure lately with all my piled up duties. In fact, I just told all of Twitter last night that I was already behind and it "wasn't even 2012" yet. But I do have hope, always. I do persevere. I “do the next thing”.

One thing I DON’T do is stop KICKING myself. Last year was about finding joy in the journey. I suppose I had more joy last year just because I stopped to THINK about it more. A new baby, while deliciously sweet is yet another person to fit in the schedule and the schematics... and a quadzupling of our laundry quota. Counting blessings is magic, though... so, "Thank You" to Ann Voskamp for my new obsession with listing my gifts.

Lost in thought, I turned over the two tiny hearts and smoothed my finger across their scrolling inscriptions: Hope and Peace… I wasn’t sure which word was standing out. Or maybe they weren't my words at all. I got back to sorting papers and didn't give it another thought.

Today after church, I picked up my task again. Piles and piles. Bills, magazines, coupons, homeschoolishness, blogging inspiration, scrapbook and prayer journal bits to remember, correspondence, to-do list sticky notes... paper after paper needing a place to rest. In this never-ending stack was a Beth Moore Bible Study workbook for “Jesus the One and Only” which I didn't finish (that I’ve had on my to-do list since, ummm... 2004). I thought – hey, maybe I should do this with the kids as our Bible this year - since they are old enough, and there's no use in finishing it now that I have probably forgotten everything in it anyway.

I remembered recently telling a friend of mine that I was willing to host and lead a bible study at my house because doing it at home would help me not have to get the babies out and about (and give me the comforts and safety of home to do my study in: baby gates, snacks, and toys). Leading a study would make me more accountable to get the reading and preparing done, too.

I mulled this over and stared at the dusty workbook in my hands. On the cover of this book is a picture of a dove descending on Jesus. My eyes hung on the image.

Doves are a symbol of peace. Hmmm... Jesus, Hope, Peace...

At church today, my daughter picked up a handful of Christmas cards from our church mailbox in the foyer. I had added them to the pile on the table I was sorting through. I had a stack of them to open: late Christmas cards, belated birthday cards for my husband and I, and a couple of anniversary cards that were early. The first card I opened was puffy – so I knew there was something else in it besides just a card.

It was wrapped in tissue; a crystal window ornament – with two doves and an olive branch. It caught the sunlight and spun on my finger.

:::CHILLS:::

I can’t explain it, but it almost made me cry when I looked at it. Someone at church who barely knows me gave me this symbol – this ornament for my window – a light catcher… and had NO IDEA that it would be sending a message to me about what I needed to REST IN this year: God’s peace.

There was no inscription in the card other than a name... but the card said, "Wishing you peace and joy throughout the season and the new year."

I felt it in my spirit all at once that God was telling me that He is in control, that my life and all the mundane details that carry me like a tidal wave through each day… the diapers, the dishes, the division… that all of it is part of his beautiful plan for my life – and that I’m NOT behind. I’m in HIS PALM.

Peace in the midst of my chaos.

I can hardly type it without tears. What an overwhelming feeling to know that the creator of the universe cares about a housewife’s burdens. That He knows my fears and wants me to rest in Him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

And again, I say AMEN!

Happy and PEACEFUL 2012 to you and yours.

May you find a double measure of His Peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) waiting for you this year. #SELAH

In His Grip:

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

To Conference or Not to Conference...

2011-12-30T23:00:00.000-06:00

:::You Live and Learn:::

I learned a lot of things when I went to my last blog conference this year. Not all of them were good things, but most of them were. Life is sometimes like a reality show - hey... wait, it is reality. That means going in to situations with expectations isn't always a good thing.

Random Things I learned from "Relevant 2012" (one for every photo):

1) If you expect to buy a new iPhone to take with you to a blog conference, you probably won't get it on time. However, upon returning home - it will most likely be on your doorstep. [Just so you know, the camera was totally worth the upgrade - as you can tell from the LOUSY quality of the photos taken indoors without good lighting.]
2) Blog conferences are much easier to navigate without infants along. [Not that it isn't nice to have a snuggle buddy. But don't plan to retain much info if you are there with kids.]
3) I still love flying. [I wish I could do it more often.]
4) Learning to say no is important. Learning what your limits are is important. Both are more important than blogging.
5) The weather up north is amazing, but I still love Texas more.
6) Hershey World is REAL expensive.
7) Southwest Airlines doesn't fly in to Harrisburg.
8) Not everyone you meet online is creepy. Some of them become real life friends - for keeps. [Which makes blog conferences so wonderful: think slumber party gone viral!]
9) White stuff that falls from the sky is called snow. [Ha! Had to throw that one in even though I already knew it. It does snow every now and then down here. Realy.]
10) No one will make fun of you if you wear a hat.
11) You can survive tween hormonal meltdown and come out on the other side of it victorious. Even on a long trip. Even if things don't go as planned. The key? Count your blessings - and PRAY hard. Then trust that He will work things out.
12) It's good to be home. [That's something I learn on every trip I take. Trips are cool like that.]

Four blog conferences, one Robotics competition and six or seven homeschool conventions - since 2007.

I'm an event junkie, it seems.

Attending conferences gives me encouragement to be better at what I do. That's the most important lesson to take away. If your soul is refreshed... your purpose is renewed... your "battery" is recharged... then you have come away with something worthwhile.

I won't be going to Blissdom this year because: baby is still nursing, I have a Clarkson Mom-Heart Conference to attend the weekend before it in Dallas (imagine my 2 year old without mama for 2 weekends and a few week days), there is no money for travel/food/hotel - for 2 adult tickets (because of the "helper" I would need to babysit)... and honestly, I can't imagine doing another conference with kids tagging along. A teen that was responsible and participating in the gig, yes - but not a baby. Mama is tired and mama is broke.

Believe me, it's a hard decision when your Peeps are calling for you to come... and I might be a little moody at the end of February (and possibly will avoid the internet all-together for a few days - especially Twitter). However, I'm doing the right thing. Little dude isn't ready to quit mama's milk cold turkey... and he'll be 1 in February - no need to rush him - especially not for a conference. Nor do I think it is possible to be a good photographer while juggling a 25 lb chunk of ENERGY that eats every small item within reach.

Maybe there will be other conferences this year that will fall in to place? We'll see!

I'm content with waiting to see what sort of traveling plans God has in store for 2012.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Holiday Happenings 2011

2011-12-23T16:08:00.000-06:00

:::Family and Good Food:::

The holidays are a blur from November through January. You can hardly tell where Thanksgiving begins and the tree comes down after New Year. One thing is for certain this year, though... my cards might not be making it out before March. Hey... I hear Jesus' birthday was probably closer to spring anyway.

"That's my story and I'm stickin' to it."

Here's the quick photo breakdown, from right to left, top to bottom...

1) Jessie and Morgan (cousins) trying to see who was the tallest. Morgan is growing like a weed and is now just barely an inch shorter than her mama.
2) My Thanksgiving Turkey - sharpie on Solo - mixed media.
3) Grandma Betty's Pilgrim and Indian salt and pepper shakers (cute-tastic).
4) The tiny man in Nana's upstairs game room baby corner - peeking out of the play house.
5) Three of my sweeties in the sunlight - sitting on aunt Paige's couch
6) My signature dish at Thanksgiving: Sweet Potato Bliss.
7) Someone I always miss at the holidays: my grandma - with Aunt Paige back in the 70's
8) Aunt Sara's turkey cookies. God love her, the girl can bake like a ninja.
9) Aunt Angie, Paige and me. Everything looks better in black and white.
10) Chipotle Tacos. Because they are tasty. (off topic, I know)
11) A big catty yawn. Because the holidays make you TIRED.
12) Marsha's picture of people picking coffee beans. Because you drink lots of coffee when you travel as much as we do for the holidays. #roadtrip

What are you up to this Christmas?

I've done a lot of things this year that we haven't done in ages. Like cooking our own Christmas meal at home. A friend of mine gave me a free turkey and it just sort of 'happened' that we had Christmas dinner with mom before we went to go celebrate with Kevin's side of the family. It was a really nice treat. Kev said it was the best turkey he had ever eaten. {I love it when people compliment my cooking.} We had sweet corn cake, baked sweet potatoes, and baked rosemary potatoes to go with our mouth watering turkey and gravy.

Morgan said at the table Tuesday night, "So this is what it is like to have a cozy family Christmas at home? I like it." It was the first that she can remember. We had one like it when we were living in Arkansas away from family, but it was much better having my mother to share it with us last week. The presents that Chickie got the kids are on layaway still, so maybe we'll do that in January.

We bought gifts this year, too. It has been a long time since we have bought more than just one or two gifts. We don't even buy gifts for each other most years. We put gas in the car and take the kids to open gifts at their grandparents as our "present" for the holidays, and rarely we sign up for the gift exchange name draw. This year, a little birdie told us that the cousins were buying gifts for our kids, though. It just so happened that there was enough money left from the transmission loan that Kev took out to fix our SUV to buy some gifts this year.

It felt great to spend an evening wrapping gifts with my 12 year old. I taught her how to tape and tuck and create her own tags from wrapping paper snips. She helped me shop, too. It was a rare treat to be part of the "crazy" last minute shopper mayhem with her. She told me she loved giving presents more than getting them. I couldn't agree more. I can't wait to see their cousin's faces when they open the presents on Christmas day.

I'm looking forward to Christmas eve feast at Grandma Betty's house tomorrow night. I'm taking baked Cauliflower and Spanish Rice. I think they will be having ham and tamales... sweet potatoes, twice baked potatoes, cheese and crackers, sweet tea, WORM PIE, apple crumb cake, red velvet cake roll, creamed spinach, rolls, sugar cookies, egg nog, cake balls, green beans, corn pudding, cabbage... and more. Nobody does cookin' like a big Tex-Czech family does cookin'.

If our tire pops on the way home, Kevin can just put me on the bottom of the car and keep driving. I'll be a big fat roll of jelly by the 26th. Just in time for the 17 Day Diet to start back up on New Years Day. I'm ~~dreading~~ preparing myself to eat like a rabbit again...

And then there is my birthday week coming up... which is a whole 'nother topic all together. If I told you how old I was turning, I'd have to kill ya. But at least I'm getting what I want for my birthday this year. It's something I've wanted since I was five years old. You'll have to wait and see what it is... because there's a big, long story attached to it.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

My Bad Christmas Cat

2011-12-18T01:08:00.003-06:00

:::Who, me???:::

He only LOOKS innocent. Trust me.

Meet Quaker. He's a good kitty that I got a few years ago the week before Thanksgiving. His cage had a warning sign at the shelter. It said, "THIS CAT BITES."

Most of the time, he's a sweetheart. He snuggles, nudges, rubs, purrs, and tries to lay on your ~~head~~ pillow to get attention.

Last week, he SCRATCHED the baby's cheek, though. And that's a NO-NO around here. I chased him down the stairs with a belt and caught the end of him with a pop as he quickly squished his huge self out of the cat door to the garage in horrified retreat from the raving lunatic mama and her bleeding little man-cub.

I doubt he'll ever do that again.

Dogs might not be smart enough, but old kitties CAN learn new tricks.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Expensive Surprises

2011-12-15T00:53:00.000-06:00

:::Please wait while ASUS installs another couple hundred dollars of credit card debt on your account:::

Bahumbug. What a week for your laptop to die. Well, at least there were sales on the computers this time of year.

Let this serve as a notice to you:: BACK UP YOUR DATA. RIGHT NOW.

I now have a much lighter, much smaller laptop, courtesy of my Best Buy Credit Card. Don't ask my why they wanted to know my father-in-law's ex-wife's age (as if people really know these obscure relatives on a regular basis?) to activate my dormant account again. And I have a little silver external hard drive with my old, hateful Toshiba laptop hard-drive in it.

The old data box says that 1/4 of the memory on it is used... but there are NO FILES. :::whaaa??::: Come on. Really?

Is there a PC doctor out there who can help me figure this out?

I was right in the middle of emailing the vendors and winners of the Homeschool Blog Awards about the prize drawing I had completed. There were spreadsheets and email templates and documents involved. All of which took lots of time to create. I've also got PICTURES and many other important things on that hard drive.

And the transmission is going out on my truck. Which won't be cheap.

This day was full of surprises. Some of them were good ones, though. My 2 year old actually let a DENTIST look at his teeth - and the hygienist clean them! I won't ruin it by mentioning that he ate the orange flavored paste and refused to spit it out. Hope there wasn't a lethal dose of fluoride in it.

Before anything else unexpected happens, I think I'll go get in bed.

Oh, and I lost all my email in Outlook... so if you have been waiting on a response from me, just email me again as a reminder... I won't mind! Nice to have an excuse for not replying to all my zillions of emails for a change: "The computer died and I lost my data." How long you think I can milk it?

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Un-Perfect Holiday Traditions

2011-12-12T00:42:00.000-06:00

My husband and I have always been ones that DRIVE at Christmas. We're both only children from divorced families, so our kids have four sets of grandparents. I've been doing the holidays at my in-law's house for nearly 20 years. Our personal family tradition, without us really deciding on it, has become an annual gypsy holiday traveling adventure - packing up suitcases and listening to Christmas music while the Texas miles stretch out behind us.

When I got married and had kids, I imagined the type of traditions I wanted for my kids. I figured creating new traditions would fix the dysfunction of my past - and that I could create something for my kids that I didn't have.

What I had in mind for the holidays was much like a Norman Rockwell painting: everyone in the family bowing for a prayer, reading from scripture about Jesus' birth and what it meant for humanity... you know - the "reason for the season" stuff. In my ideal, all of us went to some sort of church service, we baked birthday cakes for Jesus instead of cookies for Santa, we gave presents or money to the poor, and we sometimes met in the mountains somewhere at a cabin that everyone rented so there would be memories of snow.

In my dreams of how Christmas was to be there were always exterior lights on the house. The checkbook always had enough money in it for at least one nice gift for every family member. Oh, and the lights on the tree (that promptly went up the day after Thanksgiving) never went out on the bottom half because the cat chewed through the wiring.

My perfect Christmas included caroling and driving through Christmas light displays with everyone singing and merry (and no one got a ticket on the way there because they were speeding). The glass ornaments never broke, and the carpet never got huge hot chocolate stains, either. In my bubble of utopian holiday bliss there were plenty of kisses under mistletoe and Daddy always stayed up until midnight on purpose - just so he could ring in the new year with yours-truly.

Cue the loud snap as I wake up from that candy-land dream... fast forward to real life...

Each year I packed up the suitcases for our week or two with the relatives and the reality of how the holidays weren't measuring up to my ideals became more and more clear. Things weren't matching up to my "White Christmas" dreams. Not anywhere close. [Forget the fact that we live in Texas and snow is an anomaly.]

There are some traditions that just aren't possible any more. People don't live forever.
[My grandpa wasn't carving the turkey any more in my grandmother's pink dining room that stayed meticulously clean. My cousin who grew up playing with me in the cow pastures chasing barn cats was gone. There won't be any more root-beer floats watching Johnny Carson with Pawpaw and hatching plans to get up and peek on the grownups as they play Santa and wrap gifts.]

Sometimes there are conflicts of schedule or family situations you just can't fix.
[My dad didn't call me at Christmas last year and my kids haven't seen him for ages. My mom might not come with us at Christmas and probably will be spending the holidays with her sister. My in-laws don't go to church. The extended family on my mom's side hardly ever get together in one place any more, and when they do, it seems that there's never time to sit down and really spend time together like we did when Mawmaw was around and everyone was "spending the night" to open gifts in the morning.]

Isn't it funny how your past and present merge in a sugar-plum fairy ink-blot test of your emotional state each Christmas? No wonder people get the "holiday blues". Even with a strong faith, the holidays can be a time of broken dreams and second guessing yourself. I can't imagine how mixed up the Santa camp can get when removing the baby from the manger.

Even though I had aspirations for new traditions, I never was able to get that perfect Christmas to materialize... and shucks, my big kids aren't toddlers any more. One of them is turning 15 this winter. Time is running out.

Am I going to be bitter about it and keep trying to measure the holidays up against a pipe dream? Or can I find a way to make the best of real life and make the most of the time we have with our treasured family members - even if they do holidays differently than our Norman Rockwell vision of how holidays should look?

Do you have a perfect vision of how Christmas should look? How does it really look in your family? Have you found ways to create new traditions in your family?

How about sharing some of the traditions YOUR family does that you LOVE for the holidays... counting your holiday blessings and being thankful for the small things that make the season special for you?

My Family's Merrily Un-perfect Christmas Tradition Goodness:

...bubble lights and forest animal ornaments with real fur at my dad's house... his passion for Christmas was contagious and I loved the way he always took us to the Christmas Store in Dallas to buy a special ornament when I was a kid.

...I love how we've always taught the kids about the real St. Nick and his true story, about Jesus, and how my daughter told me "I'm so glad you taught us the truth" when she was about 6 after seeing Polar Express...

...my husband and my first Christmas together, getting lost on the way to my grandma's house and shopping together to buy everyone in the family a present - something we haven't been able to do for a very long time as a one-income family.

...to-die-for Christmas dinner with trimmings (and 'chocolate worm-pie') at Kev's mom's and the Lutheran candle-light service we all attended for so many years with them.... and opening presents on Christmas eve after we get home (where everyone got a "Santa Banana" gift as well, which was a gag-gift that told about that person's personality or past)...

...presents and sugary sweets with Pop and Nana and their much needed Christmas money they so generously share with their kids, spending lazy mornings in bed and having Pop fix you eggs "Sunny-Side-Up" whenever you want them (how he always makes me crispy bacon and has oatmeal cream pies and Special Dark chocolate bars stashed for me), games that all the siblings and their spouses play until the wee hours and all the joking and laughing that goes on....

...the kids cuddling with Chickie (my mom), eating out with her and going to see a movie or browse an antique shop (how she can never say no - and always buys them something special) - going to see the drive-thru lights with her and having her help put up the tree (we love how she always wants a copy of every photo we take - it shows how much she loves us and the kids)...

...going to see the Nutcracker with my dear friend Paula and her children, and watching my niece sing and dance to it in her recital...

...the anticipation we all have to rush home and see all these people who are so dear to us... the thought of spending time on the road with my family, drinking coffee and hot chocolate and listening to and singing Christmas songs... the warmth in my heart to know that not only did God give me the gift of salvation through his tiny newborn son... but He also blessed me with THIS FAMILY - the wonderful gift of love... the people that we can touch, hold, hug, laugh and cry with. Life is so precious when you share it. Christmas is the same.

I want to start a tradition of being thankful - and positive - and truly counting my blessings as presents from the Lord this year. I can't wait to add new things to the Christmas Goodness list this year.

Link up with me if you have some holiday wonder to share!

LINK UP HERE:

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

iPhone-o-Graphy: The Two Under Two Edition

2011-12-10T14:21:00.001-06:00

1. Bath time with mama #incourage, 2. Vampire Baby : cutting teef, 3. Can't deny the DNA on that one. #daddylookalike, 4. Handsomerest, 5. Nap time is golden. #incourage, 6. The Eye of the 2yo Hurricane ;), 7. Unscripted Sweetness - brothers holding hands #mademyday #incourage #love, 8. Chipotle Two, 9. Might as well put a bottle top on the jug. Kid loves milk.

Life is made up of moments... and seasons... and it is a rare treat to get to revisit a season that you thought was lost forever. Sometimes God saves miracles in His back pocket... like movie tickets for a date you weren't expecting.

That's my little boy life right now. It seems it all circles around these two under two.

But I'm painfully aware - it is crystal clear with my fourteen year old's adam's apple and lanky legs to remind me - that seasons are short. A first Christmas becomes a fifteenth before you know it.

Forgive me if I can't break away from these rubber band wrists and pudgy baby thighs to keep up in here. I'm a woman in love... and a woman that is twice blessed and knows it.

Two sets of beautiful kids. Both sets 23 months apart... with a ten year gap in between them. [No, I didn't plan that - God did.]

Some people say I started a new family, but it's all the same family, really... it's just one that kept growing and becoming more wonderful. Don't know what I would do without my sweet little guys now that they are here. [Besides get a whole lot more homeschool done - and possibly have a much cleaner house!]

Hey - the bottom of the laundry basket isn't my destination of choice, anyway... And who needs a clean house when there are trains to play with???

Disclaimer: Having little ones is not without it's difficult moments. Regardless of the stress, PLEASE take time to snuggle and smile together - and count your blessings, because truly, childhood is fleeting.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Get in I'm Driving : Ginny Owens

2011-12-05T16:09:00.001-06:00

Waaaay back. Me and Ginny go way back. Back to the days when I was recently caught, recently cleaned... brand new in Christ. It was 1997 when my oldest son was born, and he wasn't a year old when my husband and I began our bible study together.

I turned my first Christian radio station on in the car and heard Ginny's sweet southern voice. After falling in love with her music, I learned the story of how she was blind - which amazed me. I love to hear about people overcoming whatever obstacles life throws at them. She proved to me that Christian music wasn't boring - and that it had something to offer to a secular music listener like I was. She had me at "Free".

{Completely unrelated, but interesting: During my early homeschool years, I even met a girl that claimed to be Ginny's cousin. She was an online friend that used KONOS curriculum and she lived in Arkansas.}

All these years between me and my conversion... between me and those early homeschooling days in Houston... and I got an email from Ginny's PR team. Would I like to review her new album? They had no idea that she's always been a favorite singer of mine. It was providence. Of course, I said yes.

I mean, we're talking about GINNY, right???

I popped in the CD a few months ago when it came. And my kids are SICK OF IT. It has never left my car. I even brought it in and ripped it on to my PC. It is my newest crush. I adore it. She's so talented! You just have to hear it yourself.

The title of the album is "Get in, I'm Driving." It is hard to pick a favorite song, but I really like "Get in, I'm Driving". She talks about why she chose that name and creating the song on her blog and in a video on her blog (she is a blogger - #swoon). So many of these songs really spoke to me. She's got a talent for coming up with words that move you.

And her voice is like buttah.

Hop over to her site and listen to what she has playing! If she's new to you, you'll be in for an extra special treat. If she's not, then what are you waiting on? Hurry in and grab your copy of her newest album. It is already a favorite in my house.

Ginny and me, Me and Ginny... we go way back. She might not know it, but we do.

Disclaimer: I got a free CD (thank you, Ginny!) out of this review, but Ginny hasn't paid me a cent. And I really do love her - and wouldn't turn down free tickets (OR BACK STAGE PASSES) to any concert she does in the general Texas area. *hint*

Quaver Music - Music Curriculum for Kids
On My Radio... Fave Christian Music
Guitar Shop Field Trip
Christmas Meme : The Christmas Tunes I lurve

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

A Quick December Devotional

2011-12-03T20:28:00.001-06:00

1. Heavy cloud. No rain. ~ Sting #austin #pray4rain #Texas, 2. Painting in Orthodontist office - love the colors., 3. It feels like it has not rained in cat-years. #texas #austin #rain, 4. Just out of reach. #austin #sunset, 5. Oldest/Youngest #incourage, 6. Marshie n Me #incourage #love, 7. Procrastinator Planner for my niece and me. #incourage, 8. Three generations of cotton tops. #incourage, 9. Book buying feet., 10. on the Laptop #incourage, 11. Carrot Cake with home made orange cream cheese icing for grandma (who is NOT 30) #incourage, 12. The Lunch Room Gang #incourage #love, 13. What Fire Leaves Behind #TXfire #Texas #hwy29 #hillcountry, 14. Jason's Deli Club Salad #love #incourage, 15. Rain!!! #incourage #love #texas

What??? It's December Already? I stopped by at the Post and the December desktop wallpaper just went up!

Seems like every time I blink, another month has gone by.

We have been absorbed by homeschool, conferences, orthodontist and oral surgery visits, illness, projects, and just plain LIFE. While we were busy, somehow the Christmas holidays seemed to sneak up on my calendar and are now precariously close.

How about a quick trip down memory lane with some iPhone pictures? I can't seem to find the time to get the big camera out.

Note how big the baby is getting... the sweet photo of Marshie and me at her house when she stopped in to visit the states... and notice the drought and rain depicted in the pictures. It has been the worst drought in Texas history this past year, and every drop of precious rain gives call for a celebration. It has not been uncommon to see signs on fences with a plea for Texans to pray for rain. The farmers and ranchers here have had to sell livestock, struggle for feed and hay, and are suffering great losses.

I know how it feels to go through a dry spell. I've been in one - a general one that spans all sorts of different aspects of my life. It hasn't been pretty. It hasn't been fun. The physical, Texas drought has been like a reminder that I need to be praying for rain. For physical rain, yes - but for spiritual rain, too. Not only praying for rain, but trusting that He will bring times of refreshing.

I've heard it said that a Christian should pray for rain and then carry an umbrella. Expect results. PUSH: pray until something happens.

I believe it. I don't mind that my prayer journal sounds much like a broken record. I'm counting on God to either change my circumstance or change me. Or give me the stamina to keep trusting, keep doing good - NOT GROW WEARY.

And every now and then, there's a little 'gulley washer' - one of those ten minute storms; a glimmer of what it feels like to have prayers answered. Beads of sweet, glittering water on the windshield - streaming like arms lifted to the sky. I'm so thankful for the reminder of what the rain feels like.

Texas and I are drinking it in. Waiting on Him for more.

What Happened to Summer (July 2011) iPhone Pix Post
I love my iPhone (last iPhone collage I did)
A Hobby for Heather
Oh, HAI; I'm Heather

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

X is for X-Ray

2011-11-26T19:55:00.001-06:00

"X is for X-tra PAIN and AGONY" says Morgan. 10 teeth pulled, impacted canine teeth exposed and chained for future pulling, and lots of squishy foods and liquids (without a straw for six weeks). She's just glad that only mama noticed the "instruments of darkness" tray before the surgery.

Now she's feeling much better, thank you for asking. And she's catching up on her school assignments after a week of narcotics and Ensure shakes (yuck).

Her words of advice for those of you about to have this type of surgery? "Don't get your teeth pulled." Ha! But maybe she'll change her mind when her pearly-whites (after they all grow back in) are straight and pretty. Hope so, because dental surgery is not cheap. Until then, she'll just flash you her charming gummy smile and wish you and X-tra happy day!

What letter adventures are you having in your homeschool lately? Tell me your story.

More info about this alphabetical photo meme is below...

Join me at the Homeschool Post for the A B See Meme (an alphabetical photo meme) and a chance to win a prize each month. All you have to do to enter is upload your photos to their Flickr Group or tag them in Pixosphere each week. You don't even technically have to be a blogger to play along... you just have to have an alphabetical themed photo and a Flickr or Pixosphere account!

Here are the links to the past few 'A B See' posts I have done here:
A is for antique.
B is for bugging big-sis.
C is for computer.
D is for digger.
E is for eat... and Elmers.
F is for fried rice.
G is for goofy girl.
H is for Heather.
I is for insect.
J is for joy.
K is for Kreative Spelling and Killer Homeschool Deals.
L is for live music.
M is for matryoshka.
N is for national cemetery.
O is for Orchids and Opryland.
P is for Pregnant.
Q is for quack.
R is for rocks.
S is for street.
T is for Train and Tunnel of Turmoil
U is for unwound.
V is for vanity.
W is for Waaaaaa!

Tip: Use the dictionary to get ideas if you are stumped on a letter. No excuses! Get to clicking!

A Yummy Way To Use Up Left Over Chicken - or Turkey

2011-11-25T11:04:00.001-06:00

Other than Thanksgiving, we don't cook turkey that often. I have very few recipes for turkey. It isn't that different from chicken, though, so you could pretty much use it in any dish that calls for chicken. Just be prepared to take a little snooze after lunch - ha!

I made this before the holidays, and it is one of my easy meal favorites when there's not enough time to cook (or not enough energy). This easy casserole makes a great way to use up left over chicken or thanksgiving turkey.

I know I don't usually post recipes in here (especially recipes with turkey), but I'm considering moving my recipe blog over to this blog and merging the two together. I don't have time to keep up with both of them (as you can see by the date of my last post over there). I'm just not sure how easy it would be to search through them over here. I'd love some ideas on blog organization - but that's for another day...

And so here's the recipe... We'll tackle the big blogging issues of life when the tryptophan has worn off.

"Broccoli-Cheese-Rice-Chicken (or Turkey) Casserole"

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked white rice (I use basmatti - boiled and then simmered 15 minutes with 1 lump butter and a teaspoon of salt)
Leftover chicken or turkey - shredded or chopped
garlic salt (to taste)
dash of pepper
teaspoon of salt
cup (or more if you love it) of frozen broccoli (cooked - I microwaved mine)
4 oz or less of grated Velveeta (I hate grating the stuff, but you want it to be evenly spread)
Dehydrated onions (dash) - or you can pan fry chopped red onion (and even some celery)
small bag of cheddar or colby jack cheese (I put a large handful of cheese in the mixture and use the rest for the top)
Can of cream of something soup (celery, chicken, or mushroom work great)*

*If you don't have cream soup or don't like to use them because of the MSG and other additives, you can add a little chicken stock, and either some half and half, milk, or sour cream. If I use the thinner substances like broth and milk, I also add some butter - and if you like it thicker, add a tablespoon of flour.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together in a large bowl until creamed and consistent. Spread in to a flat baking dish with a raised side (like a brownie pan). Cover top with a layer of shredded cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven - or until sides are bubbly and the cheese looks melted and slightly browned at edges.

Enjoy!

The Pros and Cons of a Farmish Field Trip on Friday

2011-11-19T08:45:00.001-06:00

I missed my blogging deadline yesterday at the Homeschool Post. I was supposed to say "The polls are closing" and few other fun announcements... but I was busy all day from the time I woke up - hardly stopped to eat. The day was so eventful, that I wanted to recap it for you. It was worth sharing.

The big event was a field trip to a dairy farm where they make raw milk, cheese, yogurt, and sell other good foods like jam, salt, soap, and maple syrup. I'll review the field trip for you on my Field Trip Foto Friday series later. For now, just sit back and enjoy the photos and have a little laugh at my expense.

Friday Cons

1) Getting everyone ready for the field trip took forever.
2) I rushed around cleaning up for the in-laws to visit before we left.
3) When giving my daughter her antibiotic, I absentmindedly TOOK it myself.
4) McDonald's drive-thru was renovating, so I had to go in and carry everything out.
5) We got there 45 minutes late and missed the trailer ride.
6) Had to drive 20 minutes out of the way coming home because I was so low on gas.
7) The gas hose malfunctioned and sprayed my entire arm with gasoline at the pump.
8) I had to smell gas the entire way home on a long drive and my arm was stinging.
9) When I got back in my car, the tea spilled on my leg.
10) My inlaws beat me home and had to wait outside for 20 minutes.

Friday Pros

1) The outhouse made me so very thankful for running water and indoor plumbing.:::
2) It was grey and not too much sun (makes for great photos and less sunburn).:::
3) Very thankful that the vehicle got us there without excitement; boy those dirt roads were bumpy!:::
4) The farm was awesome and all of us enjoyed being out in the fresh air and seeing the animals.:::
5) Oh, my - the goodies we brought home are delicious.:::
6) My in-laws bought us pizza, so I didn't have to cook.:::
7) Payday came early.:::
8) The iPhone Mapquest and Gas Buddy apps work like a charm.:::
9) I got some fantastic iPhone pictures with the 4S (it was worth the upgrade just for the camera).:::
10) The baby looked cute in the shirt grandma got him (Kaden called him the "Techno-color Sith Lord"):::
11) I found a Four Square location called "Middle of Nowhere" and checked in - gave me a chuckle!:::

So, the day was not a loss after all. Even if you can still smell gasoline on my arm despite the scrubbing.

And, while I didn't get my blogging done, I enjoyed a busy day of IRL. You know - you won't have much to blog about if you aren't really living. Our farmish field trip fun inspired me to get back to my homeschool series in here. Nice to have a field trip to review for a change. The babies both behaved perfectly, so maybe I will venture out more with my two under two. Helps to have teens around for sure... (another Pro I forgot to list).

Flat Kelly's Adventures at Relevant '11

2011-11-12T22:53:00.001-06:00

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Kelly at Blissdom. It was a crazy trip - a huge hotel - and there wasn't enough time to get to spend with her in person. I always hoped to see her again IRL because she lives in Texas! #Yeehaw! Unfortunately, Texas is a REAL big state, and Kelly and I live many hours away from each other. When I heard she was coming to Relevant this year I was thrilled. She had a ticket... but life got in the way of her going, and at the very last minute, she sold her ticket and decided to stay home.

The above picture is Kelly with me and the Viking when he was about the same age as my tiny Gladiator. It was taken in the Gaylord Opryland {#swoon} at Blissdom 2010. The photo below is at the SavvyBlogging Dinner with Kimberly of Raising Olives. {I love homeschool mamas.}

I was bummed out when I found out Kelly wouldn't be coming to #Relevant11. I cooked up a plan to take her with me - and Kelly had a friend print out a flat version of herself to travel to Harrisburg and meet me at the conference. She caught someone else's flight to Pennsylvania and caught up with me on day 2 of the conference. We spent the rest of the trip hangin' together in 2D. It wasn't quite the same as having her around in person... but I hope she'll enjoy these fun photos and see that she was able to rub shoulders with a few of her favorite bloggers even while still home in Texas... and know she was missed by all of us!

There might be some flat Kelly shots in the Relevant stream which aren't pictured here (the one above is by Darcy - who was the official conference photographer)... so follow the link and see how many other flat people you can find. I know there were at least 4 or 5 flatties networking at Relevant. It's hard when you want to be there and have to stay behind... but traveling by flat isn't all that bad. I did Blissdom 2011 as a flat person traveling with Dawn last February.

Here are Kelly's adventures after we hooked up:

Katey's (@MamaKautz) "I am sooo blogging this" T-shirt caught Kelly's eye. She wanted to get a snapshot of it while we were in the Dayspring (In)Courage Lounge...

We hung out at the Mercy House booth with Kristen and Kelly had a hard time picking her favorite necklace. Did you know that these were made by African women and girls who are learning skills to help them support their babies - and that they made them out of rolled newspaper? What a wonderful GREEN product! It would make a lovely Christmas gift! There were so many AWESOME sponsors at Relevant.

Kelly wanted to get her picture taken with The Nester and Emily P (who hates her P, but I love it - and who also has a new book out called "Grace for the Good Girl"). Kelly was kind of hoping she could take home a copy of the book that Emily wrote, but they weren't giving them out to flat people. {It would have been way to heavy for Kelly to carry around anyway.} Maybe she can put it on her holiday wish list?

Money Saving Mom had a little chat with flat Kelly about budgeting and couponing so that she would have more money to spend on her family this December. Kelly remarked on how great of a babysitter Crystal was. My little guy and this little guy enjoyed a few slobbery glances as they wondered where in the world they were, what the meaning of life was... and why people were afraid of the elevators.

Jolanthe and Kelly enjoyed chatting in the hallway after helping Jenn print some affiliate cards for Bright Ideas Press. Jenn told me that Jolanthe was "hard core" {geek} because she took a printer along to the blog conference. You might not need a printer, but if you're SMART, you'll take along your own mobile hotspot and an extension cord. The hotel had horrible internet service (every hotel I have ever been to has been the same).

Amy Bayliss and Lisa Boyd sat next to me at dinner. I took most of my photos with my iPhone while I had the baby on me... and somehow my 12 year old "babysitter" ended up working for Dayspring instead of me... so the baby was with me a lot and photos became few and far between. Kelly kicked me in the shin under the table to remind me to get a good picture with Amy since she knew how much I had been anticipating meeting her IRL - FINALLY. Amy is one of my blog friends that goes back to ancient blog days! Of course, I could hardly feel Kelly's kick since she was made of paper; therefore, I'm stuck with just this sorry iPhone 3G shot. [The iPhone 4s didn't come until the day after I got home from Relevant - go figure.]

Kelly attended a few of the break-out sessions with me after we ate (I have no idea how she was able to stay so paper thin eating all that BEEF).

I have to be honest - it's hard to listen and take notes when you don't have free hands and you are worried about keeping an almost 9 month old baby busy and quiet. I learned a lot more at Relevant 2010 - because my whole family came with me and stayed at a friend's house (I was pregnant with the tiny dude then and the bigger one was already weaned, so he didn't come to the hotel with me and I was able to SOAK in the messages and really BE present with the people).

If you have to take a baby to a blog conference, be sure you get with the speakers and ask for their notes. Or if you have a babysitter at a blog conference, make sure they are not a teenager (going on 26) with a serious fettish for swag and coffee. Take your mother - grandmas make the perfect travel companions for blog babies... and they don't charge for babysitting. Win - win!

These are some of the other bloggers - and I know I should know their names (I'm horrible with names - and the stack of business cards I collected at Relevant will be useless to help me unless each card has a photo of the person it belongs to, I'm afraid)...

Update - 30 minutes later after asking Twitter:
According to my Twitter genie @DeniseBlooms... "@sprittibee Here are their blog links http://t.co/wBOqB58T (Giving Up on Perfect) and http://t.co/CPYPGv8R (Domestic Serenity - holy cow her header is so hypnotizing! Love!) #Relevant11"

Below is a shot of the lobby centerpiece that reminded me of Beth. I stayed at her house last year when I was at Relevant 2010. She's another person that should have gone to Relevant in 2D this year with me (oops)... and I'm sure Kelly kicked me under the table about that, too... but again... she was such a light-weight and I was a bit preoccupied. Hindsight is 20/20. Next year, Beth - start saving up!

Kelly thought it was really funny that she was smaller than the Halloween contest entries and really took a liking to the Tin Man pumpkin. I let her cast a vote for him, but we have no idea which pumpkin won.

Hotel staff were helpful during the conference. Our favorite employees were the restaurant owner/manager, the awesome night waitress who brought us eggs and bacon even though it wasn't on the menu - at nearly midnight, and the wonderfully witty Scottish guy. {We were all suckers for that accent - could have listened to it all day.}

Right before we checked out of the hotel, Ann Voskamp got to visit with Kelly. Ann is an introvert, so she pretty much stays in her room unless she's speaking. We adore her - and are so glad the Farmer made her come to deliver the ending keynote. I always wished there were more time to spend with Ann... but I know she gets claustrophobic in crowds. How could she feel any other way with all those miles of Canadian wheat, open skies, forests, and with leading the quiet life of a busy farm wife? Maybe one day I'll happen to pass by her farm and she'll invite me to sit down and drink tea? Nice thought... but Texas and Canada are oh, so far from each other. I can't imagine what would ever take me back that way.

There was a lovely pink sweatshirt that Kelly had her eye on in the Sheraton Gift Shop. I had to remind Kelly that they didn't have a size which would fit her flat mini-self. I thought they were a little pricey, too. We settled for an iPhone picture instead. Maybe next year she can save up her pennies and get herself a Hershey Chocolate Souvenir when she's in town for Relevant 2012? I hear Relevant won't be at the Sheraton next year. We'll miss them.

Unfortunately, though she tried, Kelly was not much help with the luggage when it was time to load up.

We caught up with Myra in the lobby as we were waiting on everyone to scrape the ice and snow off of their windshields and car tops. This Texas girl really enjoyed seeing snow so thick and white... but was VERY glad that it didn't deter driving or flying for the trip home. I took Kelly outside and let her "chill out" in the snow for a picture, but the iPhone just couldn't do the moment justice.

It was so sad seeing everyone load up and leave. That's the awful thing about being with friends for a whirlwind conference weekend... there are only so many things you can cram in to such a short time... and so many people you adore... that you often feel like you failed and left things undone when everyone parts ways. [Speaking of failing, I only wrote in a few of the prayer journals because it was so hard to get in there with a noisy baby and my big stroller.] That's what makes blog conferences so addictive: you always want MORE of being around "your people" (who understand you and encourage and inspire you to be good at what you do).

After saying good-bye to Myra, Kelly visited with Maggie Hogan of Bright Ideas Press (who was my airline sponsor for the conference). Pretty soon, we said good-bye to Harrisburg and headed to Baltimore through the snow. Maggie and Stacy with BIP drove me to the airport (Kelly rode in the darkness of my laptop bag - that I still don't know how Stacy fit in to the back of the vehicle). Kelly was pretty quiet for the rest of the trip to Texas.

We gave Kelly the tour of our house after ~~finding her smashed in the luggage~~ she helped us get unpacked. Remember that "If I can homeschool, ANYONE can" bookcase post? Kelly got to be the first blog friend to see my new book cases (in rare form: right after the 2 year old scribbled all over the white painted doors).

Kelly was in her element with all those homeschooling books and curriculum, and in fact, she hasn't wanted to come down from the shelf on home-making, parenting, and organizing. We homeschoolers enjoy looking through each other's book shelves. Don't worry, Kelly - I'm letting you spend a lot of time up there on the shelves reading to your heart's content. You let me know when you want to go home... or I can stick you in an envelope and send you on another flat Kelly adventure!

Or... maybe I'll just bring you to the MomHeart Conference in February? Is that a plan? I'd much rather hug you in 3D.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

The "I Need a Clone" Edition of Sprittibee

2011-11-08T14:53:00.001-06:00

I'm back at it again... writing blog posts in the shower. Speaking of... if you are a writer - or just a parent - that does their best thinking ALONE in the shower (whether that's the only moment in your day you get alone, you don't have to tell me)... you might want to get one of THESE things:

My AquaNotes notepad has been really handy. Even for leaving notes for the husband (who leaves the house before 5:30AM). I love blogging in the shower. If only they made waterproof computers... until then, I'll be using my AquaNotes pad & pencil - the old fashioned way to shower-blog.

Until ~~the kids are all four in college~~ I have time to blog daily again, there's always the 140 character version of my brain dribble on Twitter.

You might miss important tweets like this one if you don't subscribe to the tweetishness:

... yes - even recipes. For the over 140 character version of the soup (for those of you who love me enough to read my blog): let's see... 3/4 cup lentils, leftover chicken stock from last night's rotisserie, chopped chives, leftover rosemary baked chopped potatoes that were cooked in olive oil, a dash of lemon pepper, water, coriander powder, sumac, poultry seasoning, dehydrated onions, garlic salt, pepper, salt, a can of mixed veggies, leftover green beans (chopped)... and it was oh, so yummy. My 2 year old asked for seconds. My leftover soups are always different - never make the same one twice. Twitter helps me remember what I cooked so I can try to re-create it later.

Bet you never thought about twitter as a kitchen tool. Didja?

I've been up to the usual around here... cooking (hence the soup for today's lunch), cleaning (besides the collosal laundry pile in my bedroom that we're busy avoiding - and picking clean clothes from each day), homeschooling (between pain pills and teen 'tudes), and generally surviving. The surviving part includes nursing my 12 year old back to health after nearly all of her teeth were pulled yesterday. Ten of them. Including her wisdom teeth. She used to be so smart...

And the night before the surgery I took her to the McDonald's drive thru for french fries and got her medicine at the 24 hour drive-thru pharmacy so she could start taking it before her teeth were pulled (because I love doing things last minute)... and then came home to get the voting pages up for the Homeschool Blog Awards. Thank the Good Lord that we hired someone this year to get the nominations and polls done because I guarantee you that there would have been no awards this year with my available amount of free time.

You are going to go over there and vote, right? There are like 1,186 nominated blogs. More than enough reading material for the rest of your online time - forever.

Oh, and if you want a lovely November desktop wall paper, Dawn came up with something so lovely in brown and yellow... just in time for Thanksgiving. You have to click over there to get the bigger versions to download...

And just a little side note: the baby of the family had his 15 minutes of fame at The Relevant Conference. Check out his appearance in this lovely blogger video for Veggie Tales! Amanda did such a great job editing. {wish she would teach me how to vlog - I'm video impared}

Isn't he cute? I know something he's needing for Christmas now! Amazing how it's already time to start making those lists out - this year has flown by!

Everything fits in to this thing we call life (and life for us is learning) and that's worth blogging about.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Disclosure: the AquaNotes was given to me free to try after I whined on a blog post about needing a waterproof tablet to take notes with. My opinion is uncompensated and I really do love it!

How Does a Blog Conference Relate to Homeschooling?

2011-11-05T00:31:00.001-05:00

Blog Conferences and Homeschool
Are you tired of hearing about Relevant? And just how does a blog conference relate to homeschooling? How do homeschool and blogging fit together? Those are really great questions. Did you know that there were so many homeschool mom bloggers at Relevant that there weren't enough prizes for them when Jenn did her Homeschool Meet and Greet?

Rumor had it that there were over 70 women there who were homeschooling (out of the 200 attendees). That's a huge amount! Wouldn't it be grand if there were that large of a ratio of homeschoolers out there in mainstream America - 40 percent of American kids?! How great for the kids if their moms were able to be home with them - and to feel empowered and capable of nurturing and educating their kids from diapers all the way to decimals - and beyond.

Field Trippin'
Homeschooling provides a way for you to do a lot of things with your kids that wouldn't be possible in traditional schooling methods - freedom to travel (hello Relevant!), to field trip, to explore, to GO. There's a lot to learn OUT THERE.

Like for instance: Chocolate World (hello field trip!). Who knew all those wonderful mysteries about where the dark stuff comes from... or that you could make your own chocolate bar and design the wrapper?

Keeping a Record, Connecting with Others
One of the many things that makes blogging so attractive to homeschool moms is the journal aspect - the passion of sharing the journey that you are on with your kids. It is like a huge "school project" this blogging thing. A timeline of sorts. Living history. And of course, the homeschool kids can write their own chapters - on their own homeschool blogs. Writing is one of the best skills you can give them - so they can communicate well and shape the world.

Sharing the journey also means connecting with others - encouraging them on their own path, helping those who are struggling, answering questions... being a tiny part of the bigger picture: an online teacher's lounge for homeschool moms.

Blogging Income and Perks
Another great thing about a blog for a homeschool mom is that it can be a source of income (which might equal more field trips - or books). Granted, for most of us, it isn't a large source of income... but a little extra mad money, Amazon book money, or grocery money is worth it if you would have been spending the time "digital scrapbooking" or checking email anyway, right?

And what "funner" way to make money than blogging? Blog conferences are helpful in showing bloggers how to take their website and build on it so that the income streams are possible - and more profitable. Life after Yahoo Email groups for some of us extends to blog posting the best of our ideas - and sharing with an even larger community online. No harm in making a little money for the effort you put in to your online space.

Then there is the 'swag' or free stuff you can get blogging. Usually, the free things come in the form of the type of niche your blog falls in to: homeschoolers usually get educational materials (ie: curriculums/books/etc). If you are smart, you won't let your review box get as full as mine did this past year. [I'm in the learning to say no stage.] I'll be digging out far in to 2012. Note to those waiting on my reviews: I'm on it!

Free stuff is fun - and blog conferences are a way to get in on the goodies - even if your blog is small. Companies want an honest review - because word of mouth is the best kind of advertising. Free stuff WITHOUT deadlines for reviews (like the swag from conferences) is even BETTER.

Life and Learning = Worth Writing About
So... let's recap. Here it is in a nutshell: blogging and homeschooling are great together.

The Relevant Conference was a wonderful source of encouragement that spoke right to my Christian homeschool mama's heart. You don't have to let go of your passions when you take on homeschooling - you can find a way to merge them in to a mixed media masterpiece. Think... art, photography, digital scrap, writing, video, education, field trips, travel, learning - a big blog smorgasborg!

Everything fits in to this thing we call life (and life for us is learning) and that's worth blogging about.

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

A Bit of Conference Talk and Dayspring Winner

2011-11-03T00:07:00.001-05:00

So I went to that conference again, you know ... the Relevant one. And I saw all these great people - my peeps - again. It's hard to get back in to the REALITY of here and today when you have so much information to process... so many wonderful people that your heart misses. So many photos to edit and emails to check...

Remember the (In)Courage give away I did before I left? Well I have a winner. Number 27! #WOOT

Julie Ann of Whimsical Words won the DaySpring loot! Wish I could give away a Relevant 12 conference ticket to go with it... but no cigar.

I can't wait to tell you all about our little adventure (the baby, the big girl, and the crazy blogging mama) in Hershey and Harrisburg. But first... there are orthodontist visits, homeschool assignments, piles of mail and laundry, chicken to fry, and many thoughts to sort out. Until then, you can take a look at the few photos I actually snapped in my flickr set for Relevant11. This year I was carrying the baby around with me at the conference for more than half of the time I was there (last year his brother was already weaned and stayed at my friend Beth's during the day). It made for a very BUSY time, but I still enjoyed seeing all my blogging friends.

Now for the bumpy re-entry in to "life"... and putting some of the wisdom I took home from Relevant in to practice.

What I Wore to Relevant 11

2011-10-28T01:39:00.002-05:00

I did it. I packed the suitcases for Relevant and we left Austin early Wednesday for Pennsylvania. Sweet Morgan hadn't ever flown, so the trip was exciting for her until we got to the hotel (where the babysitting of her tiny 8 month old brother commenced). She and my friend Jennifer's daughter, Maggie are GREAT babysitters and "will work for chocolate".

Until I have time to share with you a little of the amazing things we're learning and doing here at the conference, I thought I would share the rapture photos of all my flat outfits before I shoved them in the suitcase. Just in case you wondered what a person might wear to a blog conference. Because I know it was keeping you up at night.

Look closely there- those are blue jeans. And a sweatshirt. And a tank top. Pretty snazzy, right? Yeah, it's come as you are at Relevant. I love that everyone is just who they are and that everyone has so many things in common: namely, a love for Jesus and blogging.

That little patterned bag is my business card ditty bag that my aunt created for me with her mad sewing skills. The scarf was a fun addition since it got colder today. We had to do a Target run tonight for a few essentials and it was downright cold outside. Jennifer and I - gulf coast girls - nearly froze to death before we got back to the hotel and the baby didn't have his socks on (don't tell my mother).

As you will note, there's a skirt in this picture. I had high hopes for wearing pretty shoes, but two days of walking is making me re-think the clog and heeled boot theory I started with. Tomorrow, I'm going to scrap the fuzzy clogs and wear my black 'Wookie' boots again... with that striped grey sweater up there.

The 'Wookie' boots are flat on the bottom and ever so comfy. I might even wear them for the rest of the conference. If you can keep a secret, I got them at Payless a couple of years ago. AND, most of my jeans came from Good Will. I was thrilled that I could get in to the size 10's again after working on this diet and trying to avoid sugar more. Yay for having a stack of "new" jeans to pick from!

Remember to check out my give away for Dayspring and (In)Courage before October 31st... and stop by my @sprittibee tweet stream or follow the #Relevant11 hashtag on twitter to find out more about the conference and what I'm up to.

Tomorrow I'll be having breakfast and coffee with Sally Clarkson and attending the Homeschool Meet and Greet. There are so many homeschooling mama bloggers here! Our keynote tonight was Tsh of Simple Mom who has a great multi-fasceted site about everything from organizing, to homeschooling - simply, of course.

A little side note? We have all had quite an eventful weekend with the elevators at our hotel. Jamerrill and 8 other women were stuck on the elevator for over an hour yesterday. I brought along flat Kelly to the conference and took her photo in the service elevator tonight. I'm avoiding the guest elevators at all costs after Jenn and I got in one today and the door hessitated to open (and when it did, we had to step UP to get out). Stop over at Jam's site to hear more about #Relevator11 (the new twitter hash tag for Relevant 11's elevator mishaps).

Subscribe to Sprittibee by Email

Links for 2011-06-06 [del.icio.us]

2011-06-07T00:00:00-07:00

Organic Food Coupons

Links for 2011-06-03 [del.icio.us]

2011-06-04T00:00:00-07:00

Links for 2011-05-28 [del.icio.us]

2011-05-29T00:00:00-07:00

Can a Macro Lens be used for Portraits?
Interesting discussion on using a 100mm for portraits.

Links for 2011-04-21 [del.icio.us]

2011-04-22T00:00:00-07:00

Outline Map of India
Chickscope 1.5: Resources: From Egg To Chick
Great site for learning about chickens and eggs.
The Developing Egg
Diagram of a developing egg.
Creative Organizing Part II: Beads and Jewelry

Links for 2011-04-18 [del.icio.us]

2011-04-19T00:00:00-07:00

Photography Cheat Sheet
Time to lay off of that auto setting. Cheats for exposure, white balance, iso and more...

Links for 2011-04-14 [del.icio.us]

2011-04-15T00:00:00-07:00

Links for 2011-04-11 [del.icio.us]

2011-04-12T00:00:00-07:00

Five Great Homeschool Blogs
Kris shares a few of her fave homeschool blogs.

Sprittibee

An Early Driver's Ed Class

Lighting a Fire... at the Homeschool Post

My Sweet Thirteen

Remind Yourself What the List and Lesson Plan Don't Know

Keep Aiming for the Goal; Despite the Difficulties

Creamy Cauliflower and Potato Soup

Christmas 2011 Photo Wrap-Up

2011 in Pictures

Peace Be With You: My 2012 Homeschool Mom Reflections

To Conference or Not to Conference...

Holiday Happenings 2011

My Bad Christmas Cat

Expensive Surprises

Un-Perfect Holiday Traditions

Related articles

iPhone-o-Graphy: The Two Under Two Edition

Related articles

Get in I'm Driving : Ginny Owens

Related articles

A Quick December Devotional

Related articles

X is for X-Ray

A Yummy Way To Use Up Left Over Chicken - or Turkey

The Pros and Cons of a Farmish Field Trip on Friday

Flat Kelly's Adventures at Relevant '11

The "I Need a Clone" Edition of Sprittibee

How Does a Blog Conference Relate to Homeschooling?

A Bit of Conference Talk and Dayspring Winner

What I Wore to Relevant 11

Links for 2011-06-06 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-06-03 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-05-28 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-04-21 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-04-18 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-04-14 [del.icio.us]

Links for 2011-04-11 [del.icio.us]