barefoot and sometimes pregnant

New Adventures

2016-05-09T12:17:00.003-04:00

I have decided to close this blog, but never fear you can still keep up with me at my new blog...a rosary, a tractor and some books!

See you over there!

Hello There!

2016-04-28T09:22:00.003-04:00

Oh my gosh has it really been over four months since I lasted posted?! Crazy. Things are doing well over here.

I am currently working on a new and improved blog that I hope to start posting regularly to starting in May. Once I make the switch I will let you know with a blog post on this site. If you subscribe to new post by email, I will go ahead and add your email to the subscriber list of the new blog site.

I leave you with some pictures of our vacation to the greatest place on earth otherwise known as "the place where you stand in line for an hour then ride a ride that last 30 seconds." Have a great rest of the week!

My Christmas Gift!

2015-12-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

If you don't follow me on Instagram you may not know that Keith Andrew finally arrived!

Moments after he came out.

He came on December 17 at 4:17pm after one of my hardest labors. He weighed in at 9 lbs 8 oz and 20.25 inches long. I promise you the labor was hard no matter what my face shows in this picture an hour before he was born.

Why am I smiling?

He is proving to be a happy and fairly content baby as long as he is in my arms which is fine now since I am not allowed to do anything except rest for another week. Anyone who knows me knows that this novelty wore off a couple days ago and what I wouldn't give to get up and clean a bathroom right about now. Oh well, maybe I can get a couple books read while I snuggle with my Little Butterball or "Teeth" as Ike likes to call him.

His cheeks are even bigger in person.

For the non-followers of Instagram:

akahappyhomemakerI should be getting some sleep, but instead I am looking at him and praising God.

akahappyhomemakerBaby feet.

akahappyhomemakerI finally got a shower, I was able to join the land of the living room, Hubby is out getting the Christmas tree with the kids, and I have my early Christmas present....all is right in my world. #godisgood#bestchristmasever

akahappyhomemakerOldest son and youngest son. We think Keith looks just like Frank as a baby, but way chubbier.

akahappyhomemakerEvery little boy needs pjs with tractors on them.

I probably won't be blogging again until the new year so until then have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Remember Christmas is not just one day, but a season. Celebrate the season with joy, festivity and cookies, lots and lots of cookies. :)

40 Weeks and 1 Day

2015-12-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry, blogging has fallen to the waste side again and it isn't because I have a cute little newborn to cuddle. Baby Keith is happy to stay where is he is for the moment.

40 weeks and 1 day

To stay up to date on all the latest birthing developments, follow me on Instagram. It is pretty much the only form of social media I am taking part in right now. It is quick, easy and I don't have to hear about people's lack of intelligent political views.

Just to give you a glimpse of what you are missing...

"If you clean the walls, baseboards, floors, table legs and chairs in the dinning room, you can watch a DVD." 30 mins later, I have a clean room and they get to watch a DVD on wolves. Win, win.

Thanks for the ear protection and water bottle. Now I can stay hydrated and save my hearing when I am shooting.

I got some awesome birthday gifts

Still need to hang some stuff up, but the school nook is up and running.

Birthing Supplies!

Greta showing off her pine needle hair accessories and Frank showing off his missing tooth.

Hopefully, you will hear more birthing news in the coming days!

Theme Thursday: Catchlights

2015-11-05T16:25:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Micaela from California to Korea for Theme Thursday.

This week the theme is “catchlights".

Honestly, I had no idea what a catchlight was so I had to look it up and then read the link Micaela provided in her post. I never really noticed them before or realized that they were desirable in pictures.

The three little kids were napping and Edith was doing her math work so I took Frank and some bribing candy with me outside to get some pictures.

Without the catchlights:

With catchlights:

It really does make a difference in the picture and am going to have to pay more attention to them when I am taking pictures.

Next week the topic is closeups.

You Should Go Visit Belvedere Plantation

2015-10-30T13:24:00.001-04:00

If you live in central VA or willing to travel to central VA, then you should visit Belvedere Plantation in the fall. They hold an annual fall festival for about two months. Last year we went and the kids loved it. This year we actually bought season passes and tried to go at least once a week. At the beginning of each season they hold a sale where you buy one season pass and you get another one free so get on their mailing list to hear when it happens

The place is great because it is large enough to keep kids busy for four or more hours, but not so huge that you are spending most of your time walking. All the workers are very nice and helpful. They have a hay ride to a huge pumpkin patch where the kids can spend hours picking out a pumpkin or you can just buy one in their store. They also have a bakery that smells amazing and they sell kettle corn that actually is amazing.

I only have two complaints...one, you can't bring packed lunches inside the grounds so you will have to go back to your car to eat if you don't want to buy their food which can be a little over priced when you are feeding a family of seven. Second, they have some areas closed during the week such as the zip lines. The other thing that is slightly annoying is there are some activities that require "eggs" to play so basically you have to pay extra for those. The season passes did come with a "free" eggs so each kid was able to pick out one activity to do, but still it seems like everything should be included in the ticket price.

All that said, we will still be coming back and will probably get season passes again next year. I am not getting any thing for this review, but if they want to give me free passes or pumpkins I will take them. :)

They are open for two more weekends so GO visit them or you will have to wait for next year. We will be going back for their final weekend so if you see a family with a bunch of kids in overalls and rubber boots, it is us.

So now I give you a photo dump of all the neat things your kids are able to do there.

Dirt is always fun to play in.

Oh my, who knew a huge pool of corn could be so much fun to play in.

I totally need Hubby to make me one of these so all the kids can brush their teeth at one time.

The sad looks of kids who can't ride the pedal cars because they are too short.

They have not quite mastered the rules of checkers.

Paintball is one of the activities you needs eggs to play.

In there store, they sell smore packs, but the kids didn't know that so they just enjoyed the fire.

Riding out to the pumpkin patch.

There is actually a number of other things that are there that I didn't get pictures of...a petting zoo, pig races, rope swings in a barn, zip lines, and I am sure other things that I just can't remember.

Go visit them and your kids will forever thank you.

Theme Thursday - Silhouette

2015-10-29T21:11:00.001-04:00

Linking up with Micaela from California to Korea for Theme Thursday.

This week the theme is “silhouette".

I am really liking this link-up since it is making me use my camera more which is always a good thing. I found that if I leave my camera in the kitchen, I am actually much more inclined to pick it up and take pictures. When it is in my bedroom in the camera bag, it is the ol' out of sight, out of mind.

I took the pictures before I started making dinner so about an hour before the sun went completely down which is around 6:30pm for us in central VA.

Picture 1

Picture 2

Besides for cropping the power lines out of the picture, I didn't alter them in anyway. I am not great when it comes to using PicMonkey. It always seems like I make pictures worse.

I think I like picture 2 better as picture 1 seems really dark to me. What do you think?

Things My Kids Say

2015-10-27T17:01:00.000-04:00

The things kids say are way more entertaining then anything you find on TV.

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Frank: I want to wear the red shirt then maybe everyone will think I have blood all over me.

In the middle of Mass:
Harriet: Are we in church?

Ike (pointing to my belly): Baby? baby?
Me: Yes, the baby is inside there.
Ike: Baby goes (starts to fake cry)
Me: Yes, babies cry.

After someone insulted Frank:

Frank: Well, you smell like soap!!
Apparently the highest insult for a five year old boy.

Frank: Edith, come check out all this blood I have on me.
Edith: Nice!

Edith: Mom, will you teach me how to sew? Alana learned to sew when she was six and I am SEVEN and still don't know how to sew yet.

After driving behind someone going 15 under the speed limit for way too long:
Me: Why won't this car go the speed limit?
Harriet: Why don't you just push them out off the way with your car?
Me: You want me to run them off the road?
Harriet: There is grass there. Just bonk them into the grass with your car.
Me: I think they might get mad at me and I would get a ticket.
Harriet continues to mutter to herself on why I won't push them out of the way.

Walking by the kids rooms at night...
The girls room: Giggling and telling of stories.
The boys room: Explosion and engine noises..
That pretty much sums up the personality of my girls and my boys.

Kid's Bathroom - Before and After

2015-10-24T14:55:00.000-04:00

I finally finished painting and fixing up the kid's bathroom. It is a Jack and Jill bathroom between the kid's two rooms. I wanted it to suit them both so I went with reds and blues.

I painted the walls "Queen Anne's Lace" which sounds very regal.

Before the paint color was a sort of yellow white. This wall had one towel bar which wasn't great when five kids are using the bathroom.

I asked my Hubby to make me some towel racks and he did a great job. Now we can hang eight towels at one time.

This wall didn't have a towel bar until we added one. We had a standard shower head in the shower.

Now we have one of those hand held shower heads which makes rinsing girls hair out so much easier. Plus, the ones who shower on their own seem to like it more. I keep a rug on the bar and only put it on the floor when it is bath day because kids potty training and rugs don't mix. I went with a blue shower curtain that actually has small red poke a dots on it.

Before

After. I printed up some of Kendra's printable art and was able to find some red frames at Michael's Craft Store. I figure it wouldn't hurt them to say some prayers while they are brushing their teeth.

Before

After. I emptied out a drawer so I could store the diapers and wipes and get them off the counter. The only things that are currently on the counter are a box of tissues and their floss sticks and cups. Yes, I notice there is a light bulb out. :)

It looks much nicer in person since the photos make it seem darker than it really is. It was hard to take pictures in there since there are no windows and no natural light.

Now that their bathroom is finished, I am working on our master bathroom.

Theme Thursday - Same Photo, Different Angle

2015-10-23T15:02:00.002-04:00

I have been behind in my blog reading and just now noticed that Theme Thursday has been resurrected by Micaela from California to Korea. This week the theme is “same photo, different angle” and since I have been being to use my camera more I thought I would join in the fun.

I went outside to take pictures of the kids, but first had to locate all of them since they were all playing in the woods.

Three kids are in this picture. Can you spot them?

Helicopter mom, I am not. I am more of the "send my kids outside to play and then two hours later wonder if I should go check on them" type mom. It isn't that I don't care about my kids safety it is more I think they will learn and grow more by taking risk and not having me telling them what to do all the time.

Just so you don't think I am a completely irresponsible parent, we live in the country on five acres of land and besides for the mailman and the UPS man, no one really comes to our house. The neighbors are a good distance away from us and my kids are normally so loud that I can hear them inside of the house. The kids know not to go near the road, the older kids watch the younger kids, and when I hear a lot of ruckus going on out there or the dead silence that can only mean they got into some sort of mischief I will go and check on them.

I first came upon these two removing bark from fallen trees.

I am not sure what Frank was doing, but then was told he was hunting deer and turkeys...apparently, with a hockey stick.

Ike was just walking around looking for sticks.

I went back to Harriet and Greta to take the "same photo, different angle" picture.

When I changed angles, I realized that I could see Greta on the swing in the back.

Which led me to take pictures of Greta on the swing from different angles.

A picture of Edith walking along a fallen tree.

When I took a few steps back, I got Ike in the picture too.

What I like most about all these pictures is that none of them are posed. I didn't have to tell them to do this or that. They were just playing as they always do.

"Take a picture of me!"

Next week the theme is silhouette.

Remembering the Reason Why I Homeschool

2015-09-16T13:52:00.001-04:00

I am not going to lie, every year around this time I start to get slightly jealous of other moms. They post pictures of their kids off to their first day of a new school year. They write how quiet their house is, how they get X amount of hours on their own with no kids and how they have more time to purse their hobbies.

I sigh and see the mess of craft supplies all over the table, army men all over the living room because some battle is going on, mud tracked in the house from the kids playing outside, and the endless amount of books left on the floor.

On the surface it seem like only a "mess" and I sometimes seek those free moments that other moms are getting this time of year, but then I remember why I decided to homeschool and this "mess" is no longer a burden.

I homeschool so I can instill in the kids a love of learning, giving them the tools of learning so they can pursue whatever interest may come their way.

I homeschool because being in a class room for seven hours a day isn't the best way a child learns to love beauty, but rather being free to explore God's creation at will.



I homeschool because sometimes learning doesn't follow a curriculum or a syllabus, but rather it unfolds itself in the course of a conversation or story.

I homeschool so I can immerse them in read alouds of classical literature. They will grow up seeing it as natural to listen to mom reading Swiss Family Robinson while eating popsicles or listening to a story about Mozart while playing with playdoh.

I homeschool so all those things that seem "normal" to modern day kids...iphones, laptops, constant screen time, TV...aren't "normal" to my kids. They can easily go a day without looking at one screen and don't think anything of it.

I homeschool because at the end of a long day I can walk outside and see this…



Of course it isn't always easy. There are many days when I wish I had a clean quiet house, but you know what? When I am old and gray, a clean and quiet house isn't what I am going to remember.

I will remember Edith's desk full of paper, tape, pipe cleaners, paint and other random things she found around the house to build a rocket for her elephant. I will remember the creativity that just radiates from her and how she can think of something and then go out and make it. How she looks through catalogs not to tell me what she wants, but rather to get ideas of what she can make. This is why I homeschool.

I will remember Frank and his elaborate military scenes that take up the entire living room. How he can keep track of all the little battles that make up the war. He can tell you exactly what each guy is doing. He can explain various tanks and army equipment to you. Sure he doesn't know his entire alphabet yet and some would be worried, but I am not. He is five. Five year old should be worried about having to come into dinner before finishing their grand adventure in the woods not about getting homework done. This is why I homeschool.



I look at the younger three and see how many kids their age are already sitting in a classroom for 3-4 hours a day in preschool programs. The best preschool program can be found at home and in the backyard. They can learn colors, shapes, and counting by experiencing normal everyday activities. Letting them play and reading piles of books to them will teach them more than any preschool program can teach them. This is why I homeschool.



I feel sorry for kids these days. At a young age they are forced to grow up, to act like mini-adults, to give up playing for workbooks and homework. “Kids need a jumpstart on education” people say, “they need to prepare for college.” They don’t need that. They need play and lots of it. Yes, they need guidance in how to develop in virtues, how to help around the house, how to take responsibility for their actions, but all of these things aren’t taught in a classroom. They are taught in the loving walls of the home.

So yes, I have less personal time and a slightly messier house, but I have kids who don’t know when home life ends and education begins because it has been meshed as one. Every day is a day to go out and discover something new. Every day is a day to explore the vast world God has given to us. Every day is a day to see the truth, goodness and beauty in the world and to rejoice in it.

I homeschool because this world is too wonderful to be bound by a classroom for seven hours a day.

*I am not writing this to start some sort of mommy wars. If you have your children in private or public school and that is best for your family then stick to that decision and don't think this is some way of me telling you, you aren't a good parent because you don't homeschool. I am not saying that. These are my personal feelings and what works in OUR family.

Online Daybook and 7 Quick Takes

2015-09-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

Linking up with Kelly for some Quick Takes

Reading: Defending Marriage: Twelve Arguments for Sanity by Anthony Esolen

Eating: Chocolate chips...don't judge.

Listening: Episode 3 of the Ghost Fawn Podcast. Oh my, I am loving it. It has reignited the fire to get our own homestead going. We have five acres and could be doing so much more than we are doing now which is pretty much a garden that isn't doing much, but producing a ton of okra.

Wearing: My uniform of capris and t-shirt.

Praying: for all those mama's that are expecting especially my sister-in-law who just found out they are expecting a little girl.

We are thinking about lots of changes to the house. Finishing the attic, moving the playroom up there, moving Hubby's office, moving my craft area, removing tubs, installing a pantry, and a list of other things. Of course most of this stuff requires money and time so are making list and planning how to conquer it all. This weekend I am hoping to get the kid's bathroom painted and maybe a hallway painted.

We also celebrated a birthday. Edith turned 7! I can't believe it. The only thing she really, really, really wanted was a large stuffed wolf. I think Harriet's expressions are hilarious in the series of pictures.

Edith loved it. The thing is huge and so real looking. I may or may not have thought it was real when I walked into a room and it was sitting in the corner.

Edith didn't want cake for her b-day dessert, but rather candy bars.

There has been a lot of pinning going on since I am trying to figure out what I want in certain rooms, what we need to buy, what we can make, and what we can upcycle to save some money. You can following any of my Pinterest boards here.

I really need to clean out some of the garden beds and then take some pictures. Our tomatillo plants have just exploded recently. We are also still getting a bunch of okra.

I am starting to get ready for our fall garden. I replanted some green beans and rutabagas and those are starting to sprout. I am waiting a week or so before I plant the peas, carrots, etc. That will give me time to clean out some of the beds. Honestly, I am waiting for it to cool down a bit. The heat and humidity is just too much for my 28 week pregnant self.

Our Guest Room - Before and After

It has been a slow summer for the blog.

We started school about three weeks ago and so far things are going well. Edith is in second grade, Frank is in kindergarten and all the other kids do Circle Time, but aren't in any sort of preschool program. I have post in the works that will give more details to the curriculum I am doing so I will try to get those out in the next couple of weeks.

Our 2015-2016 school books.

I am still working on an actual post, but here are is the current curriculum for kindergarten.

I really hate board games, but will humor the kiddos every once in a blue moon. Actually, I have been playing more math games with Frank to help him with his numbers.

I do a lot of reading to the kids in the course of a day. Here are all the books we read one day and this didn't include the books we read for school.

I am 28 weeks! See the belly.

A Gap sale + a gift card = Baby K looking handsome.

The baby's nursery (aka. a large walk-in closet). I am hoping to paint it and hang up some cute art work.

If you follow me on Instagram you have already seen these, sorry.

I never printed these up for summer, but they were just the thing we needed as we got back into a routine.

Mary Poppins and Popsicle.

Do you take off the covers of your kid books because your kids destroy them? Don't throw the covers away. Put the covers in frames and call it art.

Ike is 2. He out weighs his 3 year old sister and is only 3 lbs less than his 4 year old sister. The thing is, he doesn't seem fat, but rather just solid. I believe he will be a football player.

Art supplies for the year.

Latin matching game and dreams of green salsa.

When you have boys you fix things like tool bags and tomahawks.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Our Guest Room - Before and After

2015-09-01T13:41:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has been over a month since the last time I posted something. Summers are always busier than I think they are going to be. I am trying to get through all the unfinished drafts in my draft folder so get ready to hear about things that may or may have not happened up to 6 months ago.

We FINALLY finished the guest room and guest bathroom. I am still on the lookout for a nightstand, bench or chest for the edge of the bed and a comfy chair for the corner of the room then it will be 100% done, but for now it is close enough.

I forgot to take a bunch of pictures before, but I did happen to find some on my phone.

It had a really ugly border at the top of the room and I had to remove that then I had to paint over the ugly yellow. The people before us had either yellow, purple or green on the walls. Not my favorite colors.

The room is very large so I whole family could stay in the room.. We have a queen bed in there and there is also room for a full blow-up mattress and another twin. It also has a private attached bathroom.

After

The color was a white with a hint of blue. All the pictures were found at Goodwill and I picked up the bed spread on clearance at Target. I was happy with the way everything turned out. That dresser I got for free at a yard sale. After some sanding, a coat of paint, and some new hardware, it is as good as new.

That toddler bed is no longer in there. Ike is now using it. That is the corner that is just calling for a comfy chair of some kind.

Some homey touches.

Now it is just waiting for some guest to arrive. Hint, hint...all my west coast family members!!

Have a great September 1st Everyone!!

Answer Me This and Gender Reveal!

2015-07-20T21:24:00.001-04:00

Hubby is picking up kids from VBS so I have a little bit of time for Kendra's Answer Me This link-up before the link-up closes.

1. What's currently on your To Do list?

To Do List, what is that?? Oh gosh, I am normally all on top of things, but the last few weeks I have been totally enjoying summer. The kids have been out of school, I finished all the planning for next years school year and a couple other things I wanted to get done. Now I am just sitting around reading books, drinking sweet tea and throwing Popsicle at kids every once in awhile.

Greta is still going for the Merida hair style.

2. Better type of superhero: magic/radioactive powers? Or trauma/gadgets/hard work?

I don't get the whole obsession with super heroes like Superman, Spider-man, etc. Honestly, I told my Hubby I am so thankful that he wasn't into the whole super hero thing because that would have been a major turnoff for me. Also, don't get me started on the whole Clark Kent takes off his glasses, puts some underwear on over his pants and all of a sudden no one knows who he is. I get kids need make believe and fantasy play, but I just can't learn to like the super hero craze. I much rather have my boys have real life historical heroes and play cowboys vs. indians. Now that being said, I would have to go with the gadget/hardworking hero.

Wait...who are these boys?! I don't recognized them with goggles on.

3. Finding out if baby is a boy or a girl before birth: Good idea? Bad idea?

We have always tried to found out because I am a planner and like to know what clothes to wash. Ha! We had ultrasounds with all the kids and only Harriet was too shy to show us if she was a boy or girl. Since ultrasounds can be wrong, I still wash a couple of the other gender clothes just in case.

Harriet wants to be incognito too.

4. Have you ever appeared on a stadium jumbotron?

No. I have only been to maybe two stadiums in my entire life to watch a sporting event so I haven't had very many changes for it to happen.

In NC on a very hot day.

5. Are you more book smart or more street smart?

I think I am book smart when it comes to some things (not math or science) and street smart in other things. If I stare at something long enough I can normally come up with a solution to a problem. I used to be sort of bad with directions if I happen to be in a new area, but I solved that problem. How?? Well, when ever I thought "I should go right" it turned out to be wrong so now when I think "I should go right" I automatically go left and I am going in the right direction. You are probably thinking I am kidding, but I am not. This has worked quite a few times for me. Try it!

Ike isn't book smart or street smart, but he uses his weight to get what he wants. That and his smile.

6. Have you had that baby yet?

No, but I am only 21 weeks so it is a good thing that I haven't. We did found out the gender though! Drum roll, please.....

It's a BOY!

That was fun. Have a great week!

A Year Later

2015-07-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

Linking up with Bonnie from A Knotted Life who is hosting for Kelly who is at Edel 2015.

1.
Tomorrow it will be a year since Joan's entrance into heaven and the last few days has been hard. You think you are okay then you think of something or hear a song and all the emotions come rushing back.

2.
You are happy for your daughter who is experiencing true happiness in heaven, but are also sad that she isn't in your arms. You are strong one minute then the next you are a muddle of tears.

3..

Your heart breaks when yours child ask you "Mommy, is the new baby going to die like Joan? I hope not because I really want a new sister on earth."

Your heart is glad that your children have such a love for their baby sister and treat her as such. People will make the comment "oh, you have five kids" and they are quick to tell them "No, we actually have seven. Our little sister is in heaven and there is another baby in Mommy's tummy."

I asked the kids what they would like to do for Joan's birthday. They quickly said "we want to make her cards, paper flowers, princess stuff, and maybe get her some real flowers. Then maybe we can talk about Baby Joan and say some prayers." So little and yet their hearts are full of love.

6.
Happy Anniversary on your entrance into heaven Joan!

https://youtu.be/cdaraHhNyB4

6.

Songs on Video

Just You by Amy Stroup

Nothing Is Wasted by Jason Gray

Poem on Video

"When the Heavens Open Up” by Cecilia Escobedo

Answer Me This Link-Up - The 4th of July Edition

2015-07-06T14:15:00.001-04:00

Linking up with Kendra for "Answer Me This"

We are at the in-law's house and half the kids are taking naps while the other ones are playing with Hubby's old toys so I thought I would have a little fun and link-up with Answer Me This.

1. How did you celebrate the 4th of July?

We came to the in-law's house where there is a pool, tons of food, and fireworks. What more could you ask for?

Ike was leery of the fireworks.

2. Do you sunburn easily?

No. I am of Mexican decent so always have a nice base tan. I have to be out in the sun for a really, really long time to get burned. It did happen when we were in NC for a week. Before that I burned around 8 years ago.

Edith loves the fireworks, but not the noise. Notice her covering her ears.

4. Have you ever personally set off fireworks?

Yes. As long as the fireworks don't leave the ground, we are allowed to set them off where we live. This year we had the excitement of someone burning their hair with the fireworks. I may or may not have also bought mortar fireworks from a different state and then set them off somewhere in VA.

Frank liked the sparklers.

5. Have you ever jumped off the high dive?

No and I never plan to do it.

Unrelated photo of Edith eating a hot dog.

6. Do you do anything weird in your sleep?

I shared a room with a friend before I was married and she told me that I grind my teeth and sometimes muttered in my sleep. My Hubby says I still grind by teeth and sometimes chomp down in my sleep. I should probably get a mouth guard or something since sometime I do wake up with a sore jaw.

Cookies!

I hope you had a great Independence Day!

Seven Quick Takes: The Outer Banks Edition

2015-06-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

Linking up with Kelly for some Quick Takes

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Hello from the Outer Banks! Hubby, the G girls, and the three older kids went to the beach. The two younger kids are down for naps so I have a good two hours to myself. I figured I would spend some of the time getting out some Quick Takes and then I am grabbing a book and reading until the kids wake up.

Reading: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. This is my vacation book and so far I am enjoying it. I hear there is a movie, but I refuse to watch it because all movies based on books are never as good as the book. I am also super excited to get my hands on Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. I loved his other works so can hardly wait to start this one.

Eating: There may or not be a bowl of popcorn next to me.

Listening: To the quiet in the house.

Wearing: Capris and a black shirt.

Praying: For all those who are experiencing extreme heat.

We rented a beach house out here in Kill Devil Hills and it has been great. Level one as the laundry room and a bathroom; the second level has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a sitting area; then the third level has the master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dinning area and living room. There is plenty of room for everyone and it doesn't feel crowded. However, there is a number of differences between living here and living back home in the country.

Pros:

1. They have trash service here. You just put your trash in the bin and the dump truck comes and gets it. No, trips to the dump.

2. Everything is close. You drive five miles and you will pass everything you could ever need.

3. The ocean is right there. Hours of free enjoyment for the kids.
4. The internet. Free unlimited internet. We can use Amazon Prime movie and music.

Cons:

1. There are street lights that shine into your room all night. The bedroom is never dark. I need a dark room to sleep so this constant light isn't much fun.

2. There is so much noise at night. There are always cars going by the house. Then in the morning the above dump trucks are out and about making a bunch of noise.

3. Sand everywhere! True at home we normally have mud everywhere, but at least you can wash off mud. Sand never really leaves you.

All that said, it is a nice place to visit but I like living in the middle of nowhere with no one around me.

Field trips galore on this vacation. The kids love a good museum and Edith is always full of questions for the tour guides.

On-line Day Book, Seven Quick Takes and Pictures From NC

Day 3 - The Strong Museum of Play

Day 4 - Another Day at the Museum and Lake Ontario

I should probably get some more pictures up from our Rochester Trip.

We heard Baby K's heartbeat a week ago and it was wonderful and scary at the same time. It has actually been sort of hard since then. With Joan it was only her little heartbeat that I ever heard from her. Never a cry or laugh. In the back of my mind, I keep wondering if that is all I will ever hear from Baby K. I continually pray for the strength to endure whatever may happen.

This picture was from our trip to Rochester. I realized Ike was being really quite and when I went to look for him this is what I found....him with a doughnut that was halfway gone. He has such a guilty look on his face.

My Hubby and I joke that Ike isn't happy unless he is covered in dirt or mud. This is him EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I am not joking. He goes out and comes back covered in mud. I have learned to sort of just let it happen. He is a boy and a kid. His siblings also join in the mud fun, but never get as dirty. If you don't want your kids covered in mud than remember to never come to our house.

When you are at the beach and it is hot, you get ice cream.

The view from our beach house. That is the ocean out there!

The big kids play while I hid under the umbrellas with the little ones.

Vacation is awesome because there is plenty of free time for coffee and reading.

Hubby is growing a beard on my request. Swoon...there is just something about a guy with a beard.

She has the whole ocean and she plays in a bucket of water.

The beach = hours of free entertainment.

I don't burn easily. The last time was probably 10 years ago. Well, it has happened again.

7. I leave you with some pictures from our adventures this morning.

We first had to pick up some kites.

Then we headed to the sand dunes and got the kites ready.

Hubby getting the kite up.

Hang gliders near by.

The G girls getting their kite ready while Edith and Greta watch on.

Both kites are now flying.

Sand is fun.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 4 - Another Day at the Museum and Lake Ontario

2015-06-11T08:09:00.000-04:00

Ike needed a much needed nap so we hung out in the hotel in the morning and then headed over to The Strong Museum of Play (again) in the afternoon.

Sorry, some of the pictures are dark.

The museum also has toys on display and I find it funny that a lot of the toys are things I played with as a kid.

Once they found this area they really didn't want to leave.

After dinner, we headed out to visit Lake Ontario.

The kids are thrilled.

There was a park there and the kids can't pass up a park.

Have a great Thursday Everyone!

Day 3 - The Strong Museum of Play

2015-06-09T12:33:00.000-04:00

While I have kids watching cartoons they have never seen before and Ike taking a much needed nap, I thought I would share some of the pictures from our trip to Rochester NY.

We went to the Strong Museum of Play and when I walked in I was sure I would either lose one of the kids or they would break something. Thankfully, neither of those things happened. I also liked they had some rooms that only had one exit so I could stand by the exit to make sure they didn't leave. After five hours of play they didn't want to leave, but I was so ready for a nap.

If there are princess, Greta will find them.

They never figured out that they weren't controlling them.

They all made crowns.

Well, the kids are in need so more pictures to come soon.

On-line Day Book, Seven Quick Takes and Pictures From NC

2015-06-05T18:32:00.000-04:00

Linking up with Kelly for some Quick Takes

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Reading: How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig. We are going to be covering some Shakespeare in Circle Time for the new school year. I can hardly wait.

Eating: Whatever stays down.

Listening: Talks by Anna Ingham...Poetry as an Integrator and Genesis of Blended Sound Sight

Wearing: Clothes

Praying: For all those who are getting too much rain and those who don't have enough rain.

Packing, getting ready for trips and keeping the house sort of clean. You know what has helped a TON in keeping the house picked up more? Banishing all the toys to a closet. Did I tell you this already? Around a month ago I got so fed up with toys always being on the floor and kids taking hours to clean them up that I gathered all the toys. EVERYTHING. I went though them all and gave a bunch away and then organized all the toys into a closet. There are no toys in their rooms or even in the playroom. They aren't allowed to go in the closet to get any toy out without permission. I wish I had done this years ago. There are no more huge messes and hours spent cleaning up. Before they go to bed the one or two buckets they took out have to go back.

The other great thing about this method is that I can see what actually gets played with and what hasn't moved from the closet for a month. Now I have a better idea on what toys I can give away and they would never even notice. As I tell my kids, they have no right to toys. Toys are a privilege and when you misbehave or don't do what you are told, then you get that privilege taken away.

We are done with the 2014-2015 school year!! We will still have reading aloud, Edith practicing her reading everyday and reviewing of addition and subtraction fact, but nothing more. I think I am as excited as Edith. I have actually already purchased all the school books for the 2015-2016 school year and am going to start planning lessons for the year. Edith will be in second grade and Frank in kindergarten. Then I will have Circle Time with all the kids in the morning. We will start the school year at the beginning of August because I want to take all of December off when the baby comes.

Some of the books purchased for next year.

Happy Mother's Day - includes a little video on motherhood

May Garden Tour

Garden Questions Answered

Please Don't Regret My Children's Gender

G. K. Chesterton: It’s Not Gay, and It’s Not Marriage

An Overly Simplified Comparison of Classical and Conventional Education

Are You Done?

I am almost 15 weeks with Baby K and the morning sickness hasn't eased up at all. I think it is another boy since both my other boys gave me 40 weeks of morning sickness. Fun. We still haven't picked out names yet. We are leaning towards some first names, but are still thinking of middle names. At the end of the month we will try to see if girls will continue to dominate or boys will try to catch up. I will be happy either way.

A trip to Home Depot on Friday night. We know how to live it up.

Naan and kabobs for dinner one night.

L.L. Bean finally sells a swim top that is long enough for my long torso girls.

Baby K made me buy them. Never go shopping when hungry.

I told the kids we could get ice cream, but when we got to the ice cream place it was closed. I am not sure who was more disappointed me or them.

I found this paper doll book and had to get it since the doll's name was Elena.

*Bonus* Pictures from NC

We took the kids to Duke Homestead and Tobacco Museum. We also visited a grist mill, but it looks like I didn't actually take any pictures there.

The kids got to meet Roy Underhill. I must say he was as nice as he could be and showed them some wooden toys, joked with them and even came out before and after the class to talk to the kids. You know what was also great about him, he didn't make any comments like "are those all your kids?" or "you are done, right?" He said he wished he had more brooms and would have made them apprentices for the day.

We went to the NC Zoo.

We visited down town Raleigh NC.

We spent some time at the NC Museum of History.

We had a lovely time in NC and everyone is so friendly down there. We did get the people counting the kids and asking us if they are all ours, but they always ended it with a nice comment. Well, not the one lady that told me I needed to stop having kids and was surprised to find out I had a husband, but we will just chalk her up as being crazy. :)

Have a great weekend, Everyone!!

Garden Questions Answered

2015-06-02T17:10:00.002-04:00

After the garden tour last week, Cari asked me the following questions...

Ok, tell me everything about your raised beds, since that's July's Big Project here. What do you use for soil? Did you truck stuff in, or use existing stuff? What about the wood chips? Why do you take them out during winter? What about the deer fence? How tall is it? What do you use for water? Is there a hose there, or do you haul it out by hand or have a rain barrel or something? Also, shallots- are they hard to grow? What kind are you growing? Tell me all the things because I've never done a large scale raised vegetable garden before and I want to know all the secrets.

I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. First, I would like to remind you that I am no expert and can only tell you what has worked for me. Most of my knowledge on garden stuff is from books and trail and error.

Soil

When we lived in No. VA and planted our first garden, we bought soil. All the plants thrived and things grew like crazy. When we moved to central VA and started our garden, we decided to just use the soil we had. We borrowed a neighbors tiller and went through the area a couple times to breakup any roots. Once we laid out the bed frames, I used the double dig method and added compost and blood meal to the soil. I knew to add those two things because we bought a soil tester that will tell you what your soil lacks and then you decide how to add those nutrients back into the soil. The soil has done well, but not as fruitful as when we bought soil. Amending the soil yourself doesn't cost as much, but is more work. I did plant a cover crop last winter and that seemed to help the soil a lot.

Wood Chips

This is the first year using wood chips in the bed. I got tired of constantly pulling weeds. This limits some of the weeds and helps with drainage. I placed the wood chips on garden fabric so I can pull them out of the beds in the winter when I plant a cover crop.

Fence

We noticed a lot of the gardens in our area have no fences. When we asked a couple people they pretty much said "well we just plant more than we need to make up for what the animals will eat." We decided to build a fence instead. It is five feet tall and so far has kept most things out. We have found deer droppings in the garden so it doesn't keep them completely out, but it works well enough. We have more problems with moles than deer and rabbits.

Water

We have no water access out near the road so we have a bunch of hoses (maybe 4-6, I would have to ask Hubby) running from the house to the garden. We set one of those sprinkler heads on a metal spike at the end of the hoses and water the garden for 10 - 15 mins each morning or twice a day if it is really hot. Recently we bought a timer so now I don't even have to remember to water it and when we are gone we don't have to ask a neighbor to do it for us.

Shallots

Super easy to grow. I bought Southern Exposure's perennial onion sampler and it included Egyptian Walking onions, Grey Griselle shallots, French red shallots, and yellow potato onions. They all grew and taste great.

I hope that answers all your questions and if you have any other just let me know!

May Garden Tour

2015-05-29T11:06:00.003-04:00

~ Linking up with Cari for a May Garden Tour ~

Oh gosh, I have been such a blogging slacker. I don't even remember the last time I blog about something. Between finishing up the school year, trying to do various outdoor projects, having my head in the toilet from Baby K's refusal to like anything that I eat, and just the normal homemaking stuff, blogging was thrown to the wayside.

I am not even going to lie to you and tell you that I will try harder next month because we are going on three (3!!) vacations next month. One is an actual vacation to the beach, the other is a business trip for Hubby that the kids and I are tagging along in and the third is the shortest. Does anyone know Roy Underhill from PBS's show The Woodwrights Shop?? Well, Hubby is taking a one day class from him in NC and the kids and I are going to go visit a friend who lives down there while he is spending he day making dovetails. The kids are super excited and they are hoping they get to meet Roy Underhill. I am hoping he will take a picture with them since it would just make their day.

Now on to the garden tour!

"Mom, why are you walking around with the camera?"

The nest you see below had three pretty robin eggs in it, but after noticing our neighbor's cat on our property the eggs are gone. :(

This is the entrance to our property. We live on 5 acres of mostly forest. There is a small creek that goes through part of our property, but there is never much water in it. At some point we would like to remove most of the trees and have more use able land. If you are wondering, those two boys NEVER wear shoes.

To the right of the above picture, you will see a pile of mulch and the split rail fence my Hubby made to keep kids from going too close to the road. The pile of mulch used to be much bigger. We are slowly spreading it out in various places.

Behind the pile of mulch is the compost bin.

Then to the left of the pile of mulch is the walkway to our veggie garden.

Here is the veggie garden. We have eight raised beds in there. At some point we would like to make it bigger, but for now it is a good size.

Three types of peas and parsnips.

Three types of beans and two types of beets.

Strawberries, blueberry bushes, some shallots, and daffodils. Those vine things on the fence are nothing. I need to pull those out. So far we picked around three strawberries and that is an improvement from last year.

If you look closely, you can see some of the blueberries.

This bed has broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, turnips, rutabaga, dill, and more beets.

This bed has our 8 pepper plants and okra. I just noticed Ike standing in the garden bed. Sigh.

Here we have our 9 tomato plants and six different types of lettuce.

The plot is the future site of our cucumbers and other squash. I still need to clean it out and plant stuff.

The final bed has flowers that need to be cleared out since they already bloomed and lots of onions that I need to harvest. There are also lot of weeds in there. Just ignore those.

In case you are wondering, we put down garden fabric under the wood chips in the garden beds so the wood chips can be lifted out in winter.

Walking back to the house you will find random logs that Hubby chopped down.

Frank's mud pit that he likes to play in with his cars.

I don't have a before picture of this, but it used to be an overgrown dead bush in the corner and then ground covering that I always found ugly. Now we have a small rose bush that should grow to be closer to 4ft by 4ft, a Mary statute to make our Christian friends a little uncomfortable, some Lily of the Valley, Tiger Lilies, and Balloon Flowers. Those were all just recently planted as bulbs and just beginning to sprout so maybe next month you will see more color.

Ike likes to give Mary hugs and pats on the back. I think he likes that she is his size.

Now we get to what is a current work in progress and is concerned our shade garden. We had grass there, but it really gets very little sun so the grass never did very well there. I decided to rip it all out and plant shade loving flowers and plants instead. I am not done covering it with mulch or making the walkway to the house.

I planted a Blue Chip Jr. Butterfly Bush, Hardy Cyclamen, Double Hellebore, Astilbe, VA Bluebells, lots of Hostas and primrose. Hopefully, next month you will see more color and maybe a walkway.

Before we had two really large bushes in front of the porch and they covered the view when you sat in the porch swing so we pulled those out and I planted two Azalea bushes. That planter needs to be moved. I am not sure where it came from.

Finally, I have my herb boxes out on the deck in the back of the house.

These were just made and seeds planted so nothing has sprouted yet.

There you have it...the gardens of our home. I still need to come up with a clever house name. Feel free to submit your ideas.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Seven Quick Takes - Happy Mother's Day

2015-05-08T11:31:00.000-04:00

Linking up with This Ain't the Lyceum

I have been a horrible blogger. I am sorry.

Don't take it personally. I am behind in everything lately.

I could give you a long list of excuses, but I won't.

Instead I made a video.

I hope you like it. If you make it to the end, there will be a surprise for you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Our Easter Recap

2015-04-09T14:59:00.001-04:00

Linking up with {pretty, happy, funny, real}

He is Risen! I hope your Easter celebration is still going on because it is only Easter Thursday. If you don't care to see a TON of pictures of our Easter day then please feel free to skip this post. It might be a post only a Grandmother can love.

Enjoy!

Our Table on Easter Morning.

Frank's Easter basket contained a shirt, some candy, a Melissa & Doug Pirate Sticker Set, and the book The Story of Saint John Paul II: the Boy Who Became Pope.

Ike received a shirt, candy and the book The Catholic Book of Saints.

Greta's Easter basket contained a shirt, some candy, a Melissa & Doug Princess Sticker Set, and the book Roses in the Snow: A Tale of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

Edith received a shirt, candy, Melissa & Doug Riding Club Sticker Set and the book I'm Bernadette.

Harriet received a shirt, candy, a Melissa and Doug Fairy Sticker Set, and the book Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat

Edith explaining to us that there is no such things as Easter bunnies, but rather the Easter angels dress up as bunnies to deliver the baskets. We never told her that she just came up with it on her own.

Harriet was all about jelly beans for breakfast.

We managed to get ready for church in enough time to take some pictures of the kids in their Easter finery.

Edith, age 6.

Frank, age 5

Greta, age 4

Harriet, age 3

Ike, age 1 (He will be 2 next month)

Some brotherly love.

You don't want to know how many pictures had to be taken to get them all looking in the same direction and sort of smiling.

Easter 2015

We had an egg hunt later in the day.

My kids are the happiest kids on the block.

Happy Easter!

Our Passion Play

2015-04-05T00:57:00.001-04:00

We did it. We completed our first Passion Play. Thanks to some fancy editing by my Hubby we have a little video that is decent enough to show people. The kids did a really great job considering they only had a week to prepare and memorize lines.

Please ignore my feeding kids lines, giving them directions and my constant telling them to speak louder. :) Next time I will give them more time to memorize lines and maybe get some other families to join in so we don't have to go through so many costume changes.

Enjoy!

Did you do your own Passion Play? Link-up below or use the hashtag #kidspassionplay on Instagram.

An InLinkz Link-up