Project 365 – Day Fourteen (Sun-K)

January 14, 2007 KME 7 Comments

Project 365 Continues!! It has been an excellent week of blogging and picture taking. I am learning so much about my camera and lighting and what makes for interesting, creative pictures.

Today’s excitement was centered around a piece of furniture. No, I’m not going to post more pictures of the lovely Orange Chair. A dear friend’s grandparents recently bought some new living room furniture and wanted to sell their other pieces. They gave us an excellent deal on their cream leather couch and recliner. This afternoon we picked up the couch. We will return and get the chair next week. Hooray!!! I’m so excited to have some gorgeous leather furniture. Thank you, M and K!!

The couch is in wonderful shape. It looks lovely in the family room. J.’s grandmother graciously gave me several throw pillows as well (at least one for each child, she said). We feel very blessed to be able to buy this handsome piece. It’s a nice, long couch–you can stretch full out and have plenty of room.

I love the neutral color–it will go with anything. Tim thinks we should maybe put the recliner up in our bedroom. He said it is incredibly comfortable. I think the kids will fight him on that one.

These next pictures are of some of my favorite coffee things. I use my French Press almost every day. I like my coffee STRONG with lots of milk. The French press delivers a wonderful, robust flavor.

Lately I use a mix of Starbucks French Roast (regular) and Starbucks Verona (decafe). I can’t handle full strength caffeine these days so I make my coffee half and half (order it that way as well, when I’m out).

In my attempt to save money and make delicious coffee at home, I’ve been working on perfecting my barista skills. I have a nice routine figured out that results in a wonderful home made latte. I fix my coffee in my French press then heat up 3/4 cup (or so) of 2% milk in the microwave for a minute. After it’s hot, I whip up the milk with my AWESOME milk frother.

My sister in law bought me this Aerolatte to Go for Christmas. What a great present!!! I should probably keep track of how much money I save every week being able to make my own fancy coffees at home. Thanks, Jenn!!

And of course, no coffee blog would be complete without a picture of my favorite coffee travel mug. A friend in our small group Bible study saw me ogling this cup at Starbucks and surprised me with it the next week. Merry Christmas indeed!!! I use this all the time and it keeps my coffee HOT for hours.

I did not set out to be a coffee snob and I don’t claim to be a coffee expert, by any means, but I guess, when you live so close to Seattle you can’t help but be influenced by the coffee culture. I also don’t mean to favor Starbucks so strongly but I do really enjoy their coffee. Yum!

That’s all for my Special Day–see you next week!
Kathy

Share or follow

P365 - Day 129 (Handy Man Joshua)

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Notes for Pennies

Socktoberfest

Musings, Silliness

Saturday Snapshots

January 13, 2007 KME 4 Comments

This was definitely a day for Snoopy versus the Red Baron. I think four of the five children took a turn playing it.

Joshua bought the computer game for Daniel as a Christmas present. It is too difficult for David (although he tries his “bestest”) but the older three love it. At one point two children were both playing the game, on different computers. The rat-tat-tat-tat of the little plane guns about drove me crazy. Ha! Time for everyone to go outside!!

Daniel managed to pause and smile for the camera but was soon back at his game.

If you look closely you will notice several of the children are still in their pajamas. Sarah had some warm, footie pajamas on and lingered the longest in her sleepwear.

She had some serious coloring (continuing on from yesterday) to do.

An artist really needs the proper tools. A special sharpener that can handle colored pencils is crucial.

Sarah and I had fun snapping pictures of each other. It took her a little while but she finally got the hang of it and actually managed to get a photo that didn’t cut off the top of my head or focus entirely on our lovely, grey carpet. LOL.

I don’t think I spend enough time crouching down on Sarah’s level to look at the world with her. Every once in a while my heart wrenches when I notice how fast the children are growing – when I hear Joshua’s deepening voice, or see how tall he and Daniel are getting, or listen to their ‘adult like’ conversations. Their time here with me is so short–the days seem long and busy and crazy and full of thankless jobs but the joy, oh the joy is immeasurable.

Some of today’s Joy Filled Moments:

David repeated called Daniel his “Best Buddy” and “Best Pal.”
Without being asked Rachel helped Sarah pack her backpack.
When called back to finish a kitchen job, although he was totally bundled up and heading out the door, Joshua came back (without complaint) and finished it cheerfully.
Joshua shared his laptop and even helped set up games for the little ones.
The three boys took Sarah outside to play with them and included her in their ice games.
Joshua and Daniel both willingly offered their computer spot to David.
Daniel, occasionally a picky eater, declared the breakfast French Toast casserole ‘Delicious!’ and asked for seconds.
The children all picked up their rooms, hauled dirty laundry downstairs and clean laundry upstairs, without any fussing. The big kids helped the little ones.
Although she didn’t have a particular friend over, Rachel went around the house, during our party, and took pictures of the kids playing.

As Tim often says, “This is the Best Family in the Whole World!”

3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

The day continues

Sarah managed to sneak in some computer time as well today. A friend recommended an educational website, www.starfall.com, so we decided to try it out. Sarah loved picking out the shapes for the gingerbread man and playing matching games.

Rachel and I took lots of pictures of her new IKEA chandelier from Mamie and Grandad. This was one of her favorite shots.

I also got a cute picture of her drawing on the white board. My goodness, this board certainly has turned out to be a hit.

We had a fun dinner with some friends who are moving on Tuesday. We played a long game of Settlers of Catan, a short game of Castle Keep, several rounds of Five Crowns, and then even snuck in a game of Apples to Apples (Bible version). You have to cram in as many games as possible when there is a captive audience. Ha! Sad to say good bye but wonderful to have made such good friends.

Daniel and the boys!

Good Bye, Tracy and Josh! We’ll miss you. Drive safely and write when you can. Hopefully we can visit this summer!

Kathy

Share or follow

The First Flower of 2004

The Master Woodsman (Part 2)

Virtual Yard Sale

Project 365, Tim

Project 365 – Day Thirteen (Sat-T)

January 13, 2007 KME 2 Comments

It’s Tim’s day. Do grown ups get Special Days? Hmmm. That bears closer investigation. Certainly weekends are special around here. We often have friends over, play lots of games, watch movies and just generally relax.

Tim got up this morning and went straight to work on my computer. He knew I was eager to play with the blog template and needed some help so he set about researching things. It took quite a bit of time but yielded all sort of interesting information on how to get around wordpress. I pulled up my wonderful, garage sale Orange Chair next to Tim and read a cookbook I checked out from the library.

Truly this chair has great potential! I can’t decide if it’s retro or terrible. Don’t answer that–it wasn’t a question. LOL It’s very comfy and will someday, hopefully, be recovered in something a little less eye-popping.

The cookbook I’m reading is wonderful. It’s by Pamela Anderson, called Perfect Recipes for Having People Over. I love the way the author has a section in each recipe for further notes–when you would want to serve this recipe, any short cuts you could take, appetizer, drink and dessert suggestions, etc. I can’t wait to try out some of her recipes. I love cookbooks but never seem to actually cook from them. I don’t know if it is possible to be a homeschooling mother of five with a somewhat tidy house and still be a creative chef (without snapping by the end of the first week).

Back to Tim. This is his blog day, right? Let’s see. Tim worked forever on the blog, changing things, tweaking colors, adding borders, adjusting headline fonts, etc. He even taught me how to do some of the (easy) managing as well so I can modify some of the simpler settings myself. He is a good husband!!!

I’m not sure where the rest of the day went. In the afternoon we had some dear friends over. They are leaving this week for a new Army assignment. We will surely miss them!! Josh just returned home from a year abroad in Korea. It was fun/interesting to hear the two men comparing stories as Sunday School teachers and children’s leaders. We basically threw Josh into the Cities and Knights Settlers of Catan game this evening with no time to work his way into it. The rest of his family has played with us several times on the easier level. No such luck for Josh. He did great and definitely held his own.

Tracy and I taught a US President’s class together at the homeschooling co-op last semester. She was an excellent co-teacher and I am so sad she won’t be here for the rest of the year. It would have been marvelous to work with her again. How am I going to teach Civil War without her???

The L boys have been great friends to our boys. Phillip and Joshua are definite kindred spirits. They spent part of their evening swapping logic, mind-bender stories.

Daniel and David played with the two younger boys throughout the evening. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a group hug.

Things that occupied Tim’s time this Saturday–worked on his Sunday School class (studying I Corinthians 4 and 5), wrote and actually sealed and addressed several thank you notes, played Pirates, prepared lunch for at least 3 of the children, read his book, helped fix toppings for our pizzas, entertained guests, disciplined children, make us laugh and laughed with us, and on and on.

I was gone when this picture was taken–I’m not even going to ask what sort of game they were playing. Looks a bit silly for me!

It was a good day!

Share or follow

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Making the Most of Mealtimes

WFMW - Diet and Exercise

Tuesday Tips for Parenting - Cooking Creates Memories

Project 365, Sarah

Project 365 – Day Twelve (Fri-S)

January 12, 2007 KME 5 Comments

It’s Sarah’s (age 4 1/2) Special Day! Hooray, that means it’s also Friday and the weekend is upon us.

Sarah has been working on a letter for a little friend who lives around the corner. She colored several pictures, wrote notes (with help from Mom) and included a tasty treat. Today we were finally able to pass it along.

I always find it interesting to see how the children develop friendships. Although we haven’t lived there in over two years, David and Sarah immediately list people from the Duckabush when asked to name their good friends. We were very blessed, in particular, that one family had children whose ages matched almost perfectly with ours. It was a special time of friendship.

Sarah played with this neighbor girl recently and, I guess, she has been on her mind. She wanted to send her a letter. Sweet.

Book Review Time!

I think Sarah has convinced at least two different people to read her this book today. David loves its companion tale, Buzzle Billy, so it’s not surprising Sarah would choose this one as her current fave. I wish we had more books from the Building Christian Character series by Michael P. Waite. They are great–funny, told in rhyme, full of cute illustrations, and in the end, teach an important Biblical principle. The older three read them for years and it is fun to see the younger two pick them off the shelf.

This is obiviously a serious tale!

Sarah worked for a long time creating a picture on our new whiteboard.

The rest of us were doing our history and read-alouds while Sarah sat in the dining room and drew her picture.

Of course, I wasn’t doing much reading since I kept jumping up to take more pictures of Sarah. I couldn’t resist!!

Ta Da!! The final master piece. Truly a picture is worth a thousand (or at least several) words. Most of them escape me at this time.

Daniel and Rachel discovered some big blocks of ice in the back yard. They carried them over to the door to show me. When I went to grab my camera they quickly had Sarah hold the ice. “Cause it’s your Special Day, Sarah.” How perceptive are they–knowing I was trying to take lots of pictures of Sarah today. Of course, later on Rachel called me a Photo Maniac so it’s obvious how quickly even your family can turn on you. Ha!

Doesn’t this girl EVER wear gloves? Where IS her mother?

Sarah has long been a very careful and creative little artist but lately she hasn’t shown much interest in coloring. I bought her a new coloring book for Christmas and she has barely noticed it, much less done any coloring. Well, David has gone overboard in his coloring, spending long moments sitting at the table with his Prismacolor pencils and Dover coloring books. Sarah pays keen attention to that which interests her older brother. So when Rachel borrowed her new book during our reading and colored a beautiful mermaid page, I wasn’t surprised to find Sarah on the floor later in the afternoon, working hard on a picture.

For her Special Day game, Sarah chose Feed the Kitty. She knew that it was HER Special Day and was determined to have everyone play a game with her. She was quite enthusiastic in rolling the dice.

Every time she rolled two sleeping kitties she would throw her arms up into the air and say, “Yes!” It was hysterical. She was definitely an entertaining part of the game. Ha!

And, yes, we did have hot cocoa again this evening. If we’re not careful, the children will think they get hot chocolate on every game night (a dangerous, if yummy, tradition to start).

Happy Special Day, Sarah!

Kathy

Share or follow

Project 365 - Day Thirteen (Sat-T)

WFMW--Laundry Strike

Photoshop Elements 5 Class

Homeschooling, Musings

Friday’s Story in Pictures

January 12, 2007 KME 3 Comments

All of this blogging is seriously cutting down on my internet surfing time. Ha! Tim set up an easier, faster way for me to upload pictures. Yay! Thanks, Tim! He also fixed it so I can create thumbnails for all the pictures I’ve uploaded at one time, to the size parameters I prefer. So wonderful to have a computer guru husband! Here he is working at his desk upstairs.

He has to rotate his desk throughout the day as the sun comes through the windows. Telecommuting is awesome!! We like having Tim at home.

Daniel, Rachel and I worked hard finishing up our workbook pages for Korea. After a LONG (read several years) emphasis on American history, we have moved on to Sonlight Level 5, Eastern Hemisphere this year. We LOVE Sonlight and have been using it since Joshua was in kindergarten. The history spine for SL5 is World Book Encyclopediaâ€™s on CD. Joshua does his reading and Exploration Guide Book independently. I help Rachel and Daniel on their log books. We take turns (try not to fight) using Joshua’s laptop.

I have to be careful that we don’t end up skimming the articles,
trying to find the answers to the questions in the log book, instead of reading each of the sections carefully. Hmmm. Joshua is more interested in the different countries than Daniel and Rachel and reads each of the chapters in depth. The encyclopedia tends to be a bit dry which is harder for Daniel, in particular, to understand.

I try to make sure we find supplemental books at the library on each country. We read picture books written by native authors or look at illustrated guides to the different countries. The Sonlight forums have an excellent resource section on the different levels and people are very willing to share titles they have discovered. The extra books, I’ve found, add to the richness of our lessons and allow the children to put pictures to the people and places we are studying.

Here we are doing some school reading on ‘big blue’ (our beloved recliner loveseat that is comfy, cozy and roomy enough for three or four).

It continues to be COLD here in WA!! Brrr. This is NOT typical winter weather. Look at this ice!

The kids were all very impressed with Tim’s new, wide-screen monitor. David was excited to try out a game on the “new computer.” We had to explain to him that the computer was the same, it was only the monitor that was different. Hard to understand how it could be the same, old, boring computer with such a fancy new monitor. Ha!

David tries out the new monitor.

Rachel and I went to the library this evening. I begged Tim to go along and drive us–the roads are mostly clear except for our neighborhood which continues to have streets of solid ice. He agreed and the three of us set off. Raise your hand if you LOVE the library!!!

Searching for a good book.

Found something. Looks like a new Patrick McManus.

I managed to find a few picture books for the kiddos. I like to have a good collection of library books on hand, ready for Joshua, Rachel, and Daniel to read to David and Sarah. They are excellent helpers!

My three boys!! I love them all.

The big excitement of the evening was a phone call from Thailand!!! Hooray, a call from the Burts. We managed to figure out how to use the Skype program and enjoyed a FREE phone call. Sykpe runs through the internet. It requires high speed access and a headset that plugs into your computer. The software is free and, as long as you are using your computer and calling another person on Skype, the entire phone call is free. Whee! Daniel and Rachel talked and talked to the Burt children before passing the phone back to me. All in all we were on the phone/computer for 2 hours. That would be one expensive phone call!! I’m so delighted the Burts were able to hook their computer up as well. The children miss their friends and having the luxury of a LONG conversation was wonderful. Nothing brings a loved one close like hearing their voice.

We love the Burts!

Tomorrow we are having friends over to play Settlers of Catan. Should be fun. I have a LOT to do beforehand–laundry, cleaning, school scheduling, etc–so I hope it is a good, productive day.

Kathy

Share or follow

Mount Jupiter

War is Oil

Smoke Screen Stewardship Questions

Duckabush Blog

Monthly Archives: January 2007

Project 365 – Day Fourteen (Sun-K)

Related posts:

Saturday Snapshots

Related posts:

Project 365 – Day Thirteen (Sat-T)

Related posts:

Project 365 – Day Twelve (Fri-S)

Related posts:

Friday’s Story in Pictures

Related posts:

The musings and ravings of a bloggart family