Category Archives: A Post A Day

What to Do on A{nother} Rainy Day?

A). I could cry. Literally a river. As I watch our garden inundated yet again with torrential downpours. Just for reference: here’s is our otherwise lovely creek. Except right now it is swollen and way outside its banks. Bummer!

IMG_0191B). Or I could curl up with a good book like these two, which I have never finished but really want to finish.

IMG_2398C). Or I could attempt to clean up this pile that mocks me every single time I enter our library.

IMG_1935D). Or I could get some long overdue things printed like my new Alphabet Page Protector Printable Set and my fantastic new TpT and Blogging Planning Binder and actually display these Number Posters that I created awhile ago and sell in my TpT store.

IMG_0216IMG_0221IMG_2390E). Or I could try to finally finish up a new product I’ve been working on which involves a candy theme and fact fluency. Here’s a little sneak peak!

photo 2F). Or I could do all of the above! I have done some of these things today and yesterday as the rains have continued to fall and fall and fall.

Let’s see. How did I do? Continue reading

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10 Things I Want to Do This Summer

Deanna over at Mrs. Jump’s Class posted a fun linky last week. I read her list and thought it was a great idea, so I’m joining in with my own 10 Things I Want to Do This Summer list.

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1. Cook a meal EVERY night. I’ve gotten a bit less intentional about this since my bout with poison ivy and 11 days in China. We have a family of 8 though and going out to eat just isn’t an option very often. I LOVE to eat meat and veggies, as does the fam, so I need to COOK!

IMG_9103Here are some fresh apples just cut up ready to sauté in the skillet with a little olive oil and cinnamon. They were so sweet I didn’t even add any sugar!

IMG_9106I’ve tried plans and charts and calendars. Truth be told, if I get to the store and buy the food, I usually get it done. So yeah, getting to the grocery store might help LOL!

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IMG_9109Speaking of the apples, they were delicious and none were left of course, much to the Prez’s displeasure since he is always hopeful (if rarely indulged) for a leftover plate for work the next day, which brings me to number dos! Continue reading

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10 Posts in 10 Days: 5 + 2 + 2 + 4 = 10

Right?

Actually, no, it doesn’t.

Since early March, we have added 13 new chicks and young hens to our flock. Our children are learning about the stages of life for a chicken in the real world. I hope to one day hatch chicks here on our little farm. Maybe next year when these chicks are one-year-old layers.

IMG_8929Sadly, we have lost three of our new chicks *apparently.* Two are definitely not coming back.

The third one … she was missing last night when we had to close up the henhouse. We don’t know what type of hen she is/was, but she is/was totally white and the other hens were really mean to her, which could be why she is gone. They never accepted her, which made us all sad and little mad too. Continue reading

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10 Posts in 10 Days: Hands-On School

I realize my blog is really neglected at the moment. It isn’t that I don’t want to write or that I don’t have anything about which to write. It might be that I don’t seem to be able to hold my eyelids open any longer by the time I get a blank page up on my blog late at night. It certainly isn’t that I don’t have any photos I need to upload.

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We have all of the math wrap-ups. They make a great math tub activity. They are self-checking and all attached together, which makes losing parts of them virtually impossible.

Nonetheless. I want this to be a record, or rather a journal of sorts, of our pursuits in learning and just life in general.

I decided I would challenge myself to write 10 posts in 10 days. I make no promises, but what follows is my first installment: Hands-On School. Continue reading

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On Our Table

I have so many photos that I haven’t posted, so I was thinking of a photo dump. Then I thought it would be more fun to have a theme for the photo dump, so here are some views of our tables taken since January up until this past week!

On the coffee table

The best-ever souvenir purchased on Disney property: a $7.95, 750-piece puzzle.

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On the hard-rock maple table in our library

The iPad with The Story of Us: The Dust Bowl on it

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The Rollercoaster of Life

While I had hoped to do some school updates, life has gotten too busy for that. Life is full of twists and turns. I am so thankful we can’t see into the future. If I had known the trials our family would be enduring at present a few years ago, I’m sure I would have made different decisions. However I’m sure of this: we have walked out God’s call to adopt each of our children and we have trusted Him to lead us in that.

Maybe someone reading needs to read this quote today. Surely all have heard of Corrie Ten Boom, but if not goo*gle her because knowing her story gives the quote its power.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. –Corrie Ten Boom
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Anyone Still Reading? I’m Still Here!

Wow, where did the last month go since I posted?

Life has been busy and blessed and broken.

I look at the following photo taken one day while driving on one of the many country roads we now traverse. I can see far ahead in this particular part of the road, but the VAST majority of this road is curvy and I cannot see around the next curve until I go through it.

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Isn’t life like that much of the time? We can see far ahead. But as the following photo shows, a curve is usually not far away. And we have to take it slower and not try to figure out what we’ll do too far in advance.

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By the way, my front seat passengers took the photos for me in case anyone is wondering. The Fall leaves here have been magnificent! They are now mostly fallen and the temperatures suggest winter is marching into our area sooner than later.

I love all of the seasons, but I must admit the falling leaves and approach of winter make me long for warmer and sunnier days that I know lay ahead.

I don’t know where life has taken you or your family in the last month, but if like me, you’ve waded through muck and mud and made it through to the other side for today, that is cause for celebration.

I have wrestled literally with the Lord over what I have perceived to be unanswered prayers, one in particular. I have come full circle in wanting to understand why He in fact does forsake His children when His Word says He will not, and in coming full circle I have accepted that my definition and perception of His promise is sometimes vastly different than His providence in my life and in the lives of the ones I love the most. I have also come to accept in this wrestling deep within that I just can’t understand who He is in entirety because He IS the I AM, the God of the universe.

I saw this saying this weekend. On Pinterest I think.

If God was small enough for you to completely understand him, he wouldn’t be big enough for you to completely trust him. Rick Warren

Did you really read that??? That sums up where I’ve been. Maybe you’ve been there too. Today I’m going to choose JOY. Someone told me this past Friday that my face exuded joy, and I was completely dumbfounded. She knows a bit of what our family has been enduring, and she said that Joy is usually seen most in those who are choosing it amidst troubles. Happiness of course is easy to find, but joy is often not. I can’t argue with her thoughts on me, but I really was surprised.

I am hoping, really hoping, to write up some posts that I’ll schedule to show up on here in the next week. They are from the past 6 weeks of learning here in our one-room schoolhouse. I don’t want to forget all we’ve done as life takes twists and turns in the future. I don’t know how long this one-room schoolhouse journey will last, so I want to record the moments. I hope your family is blessed this Thanksgiving week! I know we are!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles 16:34

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A Different {Sort of} Assignment

Yesterday afternoon I had an unusual (and dreaded) assignment: Christmas Card photo session.

Dum, da, da, dum. And yes, the Prez is doling out skittles in the following photo (more on that later).

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I was not the only one dreading it. I base my feelings of dread on past experiences, people. Just eing real and honest here. Maybe some others in the family were dreading it for the same reason. I didn’t ask them their reasons, but I promised them a monetary payment for their time and a bonus for the child who behaved the best. I also had the Prez grab a bag of candy on his way home from work.

Yes, folks, I bribed my own children. It had to be done. I know, some may say this is ridiculous. They should do this (well all but the three-year-old right?) without being paid, and they should show respect and a willing attitude. I mean, the Prez didn’t require candy or bribing. Well … OK, nevermind that.

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