Celebration Days

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and stopped to reflect on the reason why we are so blessed to celebrate our Freedoms. A special thank you goes out to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice and to those who have served and are currently serving.:)

I hesitate to start this post by saying that we have been EXTREMELY busy because I feel like a broken record but that’s exactly how things have been around here. Our last few days have been spent celebrating  Memorial Day, an early birthday,  and graduation.

I finally sorted through all the toys and separated them. It feels great to have that big task complete. Wednesday I had an appt. with my endocrinologist, so Mia and I left early for that. After we finished there, we stopped for a quick sandwich, and then it was on home to pick up Mathin for violin. We headed out to his violin lesson and then returned home for supper. We had grilled chicken, baked potatoes, and salad.

Thursday morning we were up early. I had an appt. with our financial advisor and then I stopped at a local children’s boutique to pick up a baby gift for a friend. After a quick stop at the store, it was time to head home.   I took the kids swimming that afternnon. It was their first time in the pool for the summer. They had a great time. When everyone was sufficiently water logged, we headed home. I fixed shrimp and fries for supper and then Mia and I headed out to water our flowers. It was another busy and long day.

Friday morning Mia helped me make Markham’s cake for his party. His birthday is Saturday, June 2nd  but we had a party for him and a few friends over the weekend. He wanted a slime cake so we got busy making one. I washed some clothes, picked up the house, and we headed out for another swim trip. For supper we had mexican chicken, rice, and green beans.  (I made sure I had a quick crock pot recipe going before we headed out for our swim.) When supper was finished and cleaned up, Mia and I went outside to make birdfeeders from pinecones that were collected from our friend’s house.

 

      Saturday Markham had some friends over to celebrate his birthday.

      We celebrated with pizza and slime cake. Then we headed out to go fishing. We made it home late and everyone was tired but there was a surprise waiting for us. When we came in it was extremely hot! Our air conditioning unit had gone out. It made for one long hot night! It was 97 degrees in the house!

       Sunday was another day packed full. Lance managed to find someone to come out and fix the unit. Luckily it was an easy fix and we left the house to cool off while we attended a graduation cookout for a friend. I couldn’t wait to get back home in the air. My feet and legs looked like marshmallows by the end of the day and my head was hurting but we had a nice time.

     Monday we went to my Mom’s for a Memorial Day celebration. We had fried chicken, potato salad, mac and cheese, baked beans, corn on the cob, rolls, and pie. It was extremely hot out. Lance cleaned Morgan’s car and the girls went to shop a little. I was tired from everything we had going on and really needed to rest. We made it home around 7:00pm. We had whatever we could find for supper.

    Today I have been busy trying to get the house back in order. There is a mountain of laundry to wash. I have been busy picking up, unloading and reloading the dishwasher, watering flowers, and trying to get the house back in some sort of order. There is grass waiting to be mowed and I have to go to the grocery. Tonight we will be having spaghetti, french bread, and salad.

    Blessings from our homestead to yours………

 

 

Organizing…..

Friday was a busy day (as usual). We had LEGO club and then took a trip to the grocery store. Then it was on home to put everything away. Both Mathin and Markham had friends spend the night, so we decided to have a fire in the fire pit. I fixed chili dogs, rotel, and we had Smores for a little something sweet. Then it was time to clean everything and everyone up. LOL.

Saturday we managed to stay home but it was still a busy day none the less. I fixed a brunch of bacon biscuits, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit. Lance decided to pressure wash the patio and give the furniture a much needed cleaning. Oh how much better it looks! We did some rearranging and the kids jumped on the trampoline and played in the sprinkler. Mia and I also helped Lance wash the truck.  I also worked in the house changing sheets and cleaning up. For supper we had chicken strips and fries.

Sunday it was more housework. I purchased Mia a new toybox for her room and we spent some time rearranging some things.  Mia and I made some oatmeal scotchies and I fixed tacos with all the fixins’ for supper. We took a trip to store to purchase a few things and the flowers also needed a good watering so Mia decided that she needed to help. Lance and Markham took a trip to purchase his birthday present later that night. He decided he wanted a new portable basketball goal. Even though we were able to stay home for the weekend, it was still exhausting.

Yesterday was one of those where things seemed to be a little topsy tury. A neighbor dropped by for an unexpected visit, someone dropped by to purchase an item I had up for sale, the little boy who spent the night with Mathin left his baseball uniform and his dad had to come and pick it up, and a friend dropped by bearing baby gifts. Somehow I managed to get numerous loads of laundry done and clean out Mathin’s closet. (A task I had been putting off.) I also went through a couple of toy boxes and put some things away in Mia’s new room. Supper last night was pepperoni lasagna rollups, salad, and french bread.

Today I have to finish sorting through toy boxes and trying to get some things organized. Tonight’s supper will be ribs, pinto beans, roasted potatoes, and cornbread.

 

Blessings from our homestead to yours…….

Beating the Heat

This morning I was up before 5:00am. Lance was up with stomach trouble and a nosebleed. The allergens around here have us all messed up. I stayed up and fixed his breakfast and packed his lunch. By the time he left for work, I was tired and decided to lay back down for a bit. When everyone got up we got started on our morning.

Mathin practiced his violin and worked on some silent reading while I worked on laundry and straightened up the house. I also found time to work on my grocery list and menu. It was a hot and sticky day around here. I took Mathin and Mia outside after lunch. They started out on the trampoline but I soon decided it was much too hot for that, so I went to the garage to find something.

It was time to bring out the daisy.

 

     Eventually Mia worked up enough courage to grab the daisy and squirt Mathin. It was a great way to beat the heat.

     When they had sufficiently cooled off, they had some ice cream and we came inside for me to get supper started. Tonight we had cajun roasted chicken, hashbrown casserole, fried okra, cornbread, and pineapple. While I was cleaning up the kitchen a pop up thunderstorm rolled through. I am thankful for the rain.  The days are flying by. This has been a busy week. Tomorrow we have LEGO club. The good news is, I found someone else to take over the LEGO club for me.  I hope everyone has a great day and takes the time to tiptoe through the daisies.

Busy Days

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I haven’t had a chance to post. We have had so much going on around here. Here’s what has been happening in our neck of the woods.

Friday we were up early. We had to be at Chuckie Cheese at 10:30 to meet our LACES group for our end of the year party. We picked a great time to go because it wasn’t very crowded. After we finished up there, we were off to the grocery store. Once we finally made it home, we put everything away and I got busy on supper. We had grilled steaks, caramelized onions and mushrooms, roasted asparagus, fries, and french bread. I also grilled some pork chops and froze them for the busy week we had coming up.

Saturday I had an appt. to get me hair done. Oh how I enjoyed that! It is always a treat to get to go. When I finished I met my mom, grandfather, and the rest of my family at a restaurant for lunch. My grandfather treated us to a Mother’s Day lunch. After lunch, Lance took the boys to see the Avengers. My mom, Mia, and I went to some local antique shops and children’s boutiques.  We really enjoyed the antique shop because many of the items they had for sale I have at home. They even had a bedroom suite like Mia’s they ahd just sold. Later in the afternoon I took my mom and Mia to get some ice cream. For supper we had sandwiches and leftovers.

Sunday I was up early. I cleaned the bathroom, Lance swept the floors, and I worked on laundry.  I needed to prepare some food for supper. My mom and grandfather came down and I grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. I also fixed corn salad and baked beans. I purchased some store bought pies that the grocery had on sale. One was a lemon meringue and the other was a Hershey cream pie. Both were delicious. When I see them on sale I will pick up more. By Sunday I was tired and wasn’t feeling the best. It was to bed early for me.

Flowers I received for Mother’s Day.

      The eggplant can Mathin gave me for Mother’s Day. It sits on a ledge in my kitchen.

The rooster cookie jar that was gift from Lance.

Monday was another busy day for me. I was up early. I had to take my Grandfather out of state. Hopefully it will be the last trip we need to make. We made it home by late afternoon.  When I finally made it back  my  Mom, Mia, and I  left to go and get some flowers to plant. I didn’t cook supper. We picked up pizza on the way home. I managed to get some laundry done.

Yesterday I had an OB appt. It was time for the blood glucose screening that I always dread. Lance was off from work because he had his own Dr.’s appt for later that afternoon. Everyone went with me for my appt. Lance dropped Mia and I off at the Dr.’s office (she doesn’t want to miss any of my appts.) and he took the boys to KMart to browse. When we finished up with my appt. Markham wanted to eat at the new IHOP they had just opened, so we had lunch there. We made it home around afternoon. Lance left for his Dr.’s appt. and I got busy on laundry and the house. When Lance made it back he took Mathin outside to work on some scout requirements.  Mia and I went outside to plant our flowers. It was a little on the hot and sticky side. When we finished I came in to get supper. We had grilled pork chops, baked potatoes, roasted squash and zuchinni, salad, and french bread. It was a long day and a late night. We were all tired.

Lance showing Mathin how to check the oil.

Checking the tire pressure.

Mia busy planting our flowers.

Watering her lemon verbena she had to have.

Some of our newly planted flowers.

Today Mathin has violin. We will be finishing up with our lessons for the summer at the end of the month. Mathin is looking forward to the break. Tonight’s supper will be mexican beef taquitos, refried beans, and rice. There just seems to be not enough hours in the day.  It seems like our busy weeks come in waves. Hopefully next week I will be able to get back on house projects that need my attention. I hope everyone had a blessed day.

 

FINISHED!

TESTING IS FINISHED!!! YAHOO!

The last few days we have finished up on our testing. They go in the mail today. It feels good to be done. We have violin the rest of May and then we will have our days free. We are still workg on violin over the summer but we don’t do lessons. We will take a few weeks off and then we will start working on health and science. Those subjects are fun for Mathin so he really doesn’t see that as school. Of course we will also have to keep on top of our multiplication facts and reading over the summer but just quick little lessons every few days.

Yesterday I worked on finishing up on Mia’s room. I still have to get some shades for the windows but for the most part it is finished. I will take some pictures and post them soon. She loves it and I managed to bring the project in under budget with some great finds. We were busy with housework also. Markham gave the dogs a bath and cleaned their cage. I washed up their bedding and put some items in the basement that needed to be stored. I have also found time to change and wash sheets and get our comforters washed. Slowly, Slowly we are making progress. Last night we had mexican pierogy lasagna for supper.

Today I have to make a trip to the post office to mail off Mathin’s test. Then I am going to try and get some dusting done. Tomorrow we are going to Chuckie Cheese for our end of the year party with LACES. Tonight’s supper will be chicken casserole, mac and cheese (we didn’t have it earlier this week), corn, and biscuits. Our weather has cooled down slightly. We are in the upper 70′s now with sun. We are still very dry and needing rain. I hope everyone has a blessed day.

Our Weekend In Photos

We had lots of activities over the weekend. We were busy but I think the kids had fun.  I was up early on Saturday. It was thundering and dark outside but we weren’t getting any much needed rain. Mia had been wanting to go and ride the little trains and Mathin had a Cub Scout class to take. I packed the cooler, a bag, and put some chairs in the van, and then I got everyone else up to get ready. We made it out the door with what we thought was plenty of time to spare. On the way to the park the bottom fell out. It was pouring but by the time we arrived the rain was over and the sun was back out. The park was having a Living History Fair but we went for the little trains. We got in line to sign the permission slips and then I saw the sign. PREGNANT WOMEN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RIDE THE TRAINS. I should have remembered this because I couldn’t ride when I was pregnant with Mia. Anyway, Lance got in line with Mathin and Mia.

Waiting in line.

Still waiting.

All Aboard!

Enjoying the ride!

Little Trains

The line really wasn’t that long so we didn’t expect a long wait. Boy were we wrong! They waited for about an hour and 15 minutes to ride. Mia thought it was worth the wait. She loved it.

While I was waiting I snapped a couple of photos of the history fair.

      Since the wait was longer than expected we were running behind for Mathin’s class. We had to make a mad dash all the way across town.

Explaining inertia.

We made it and the class was a good one. It lasted about an hour and we were soon headed home. A friend of ours let us borrow their golf cart to take the kids on a ride. They LOVE riding golf carts, so this was a treat.

Hold on. Safety first!

This could mean trouble.

         I finally convinced them to come inside for bacon sandwiches and chips for supper.

   Sunday a friend of mine who is known as “The Art Lady” was offering a class for the kids to make a Father’s Day gift. I decided to take Mathin and Mia.

Concentrating.

    Mrs. Jamie helping Mathin form his fish.

     This is right down her alley.

      Mathin and his fish.

      The kids were making fish. We thought this would be a great project since we have been fishing alot lately and Lance hasn’t caught one yet. They decided to make catfish. LOL. They had a great time.

      The rest of the day was spent riding the golf cart before we returned it and playing outside. Supper was philly cheesesteak and fries.

     We had a nice weekend but we are still in desperate need of rain. Today we have a 60% chance of it, so hopefully we will get some. Mathin has his achievement testing today.  Tonight’s supper will be roast and carrots, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and homemade rolls.

Blessings from our homestead to yours………

Summer Break We Are On the Way!

Our neck of the woods has been extremely dry here lately. Yesterday we were blessed enough to get some rain but not near enough. I spent the majority of the day working on laundry and of course school work. I finally ordered the finishing touches for Mia’s room. I can’t wait to have it all done. Mia and I fixed a chocolate chip coffee cake and I made up some pizza dough for the freezer. If you get a chance take a look at my site www.homeschoolhomestead.com for the pizza crust recipe that I love! It freezes great and I included tips to help keep the bottom of the crust crispy. Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Last night we had salmon patties, fries, hushpuppies, and slaw for supper.

Today is Mathin’s last official day of school. He is finishing up on his math now. Next week he will take his achievement test and then he will be on summer break! WooHOO!!! Who says homeschoolers don’t get excited over summer break? LOL. I have been busy this morning with laundry and getting some computer work done. I had been neglecting my website and it was time to get down to business. We have some new ideas in the works and one big project that I need to get finished before the baby comes! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, …..get it all done.

Mia is suffering from tummy troubles and I hope we can get that resolved today. Tonight’s supper will be homemade pizza and hot wings. I have a menu to plan and a grocery list to make out. Since I did a two week shopping trip last week, I don’t have to go to the store today. Oh, that is a GREAT feeling. It frees up so much time!

We have a busy day tomorrow of cub scouts and a History Festival with the minature trains to ride at a local park. I hope we can squeeze it all in. Have a great day.

 

Blessings from our homestead to yours…….

The Last Few Days

Here I am again, finally getting around to posting. Where is the time going these days?

Friday was our weekly shopping day. I also took the kids to eat at a local Chinese place. Markham had been wanting to go, so Friday was the day. After lunch, we had to go to Walmart and then on to the grocery store. I’m trying to purchase things I know that I will need when the baby comes. I know from experience it will be better to be stocked up now then making a mad dash to the store when we get home. Hopefully my planning will pay off.  It was a long day. We finally made it home and then we had to unload and put everything away.

Saturday I was up early. We decided to go and pick strawberries and then on to the catfish pond. I grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and packed a cooler with drinks. We wound up picking about 2 gallons of strawberries. Then it was on to the pond. The fish were not biting very well and we didn’t have much luck but we still had fun.  We got home late and I wanted to clean and put up some of the strawberries. I froze several to use in recipes later on.

Sunday Lance took Mathin to ride his bike and he and Markham went golfing. Mia and I stayed home, played outside, and I worked on laundry. I grilled bbq chicken for supper. We had that with rice, salad, and homemade rolls.

Monday was a day packed with schoolwork and housework. I had library books to return so I made a quick trip to the library.  Morgan came for a visit and brought a friend along.  We spent time playing outside since it was a sunny day. We fixed spaghetti, salad, and french bread for supper.

Yesterday I had an appt. Lance was able to go along with us since I was having another ultrasound.  It went well. Everything looked good. I also had to meet a lady who was purchasing some curriculum and then we stopped for lunch. After lunch it was on to Kmart to look for some items. We needed new pillows, so I picked up several. Then we had to pick up 2 new fishing poles. One for Mia and one for Mathin. We also had to stop at the bank and I wanted to get a Mother’s Day gift for my mom that had been advertised.  We also stopped for ice cream. We left early in the morning and didn’t make it back until after 5:00pm. I was tired but Lance wanted me to list some items for sale on some local sales sites. I’m glad we did because I think we are selling some of the items today. It’s time consuming but worth it if you can declutter and make some money.

Today we have school work to do and I need to tackle some house cleaning. Tonight’s supper will be grilled pork chops, baked potatoes, steamed veggies, salad, and homemade rolls.

I hope everyone has a blessed day.

Winding Down

We have had another busy week. (I feel like that has become the normal for my posts. LOL) The beginning of the school year and the end of the school year is always a busy time for us. Tying up loose ends and wrapping up projects is taking up a great deal of time.

Tuesday we started our day by receiving a phone call from my dr. telling me that Lance’s Family Leave papers were ready to picked up. Of course this meant an hour drive there and an hour back. Before I left, I mailed some curriculum that I had sold and dropped off some food with my grandfather. Then it was on to pick up the papers. I made it home around 3 and then helped Mathin finish up his schoolwork. We had tacos, refried beans, and mexican rice for supper.

Wednesday was another full day of schoolwork, laundry, and Mathin had violin. I had to pick up some baby items I had purchased and then it was home to fix some homemade pizza and hotwings. I found a new pizza crust recipe that was really good. I liked how it turned out and I froze some to see if I like it after it has been frozen. If so, I plan to make some pizza kits for the freezer for when the baby comes. I really liked that the dough was easy to work with and you didn’t even have to roll it out to get it to form to the pan. Mathin finished his last reading lesson for the schoolyear, so he was happy about that. School is finally beginning to wind down. He still hasn’t realized that we actually “do” reading all summer. Markham mowed out grass and went to mow my mom’s.

Today Mathin is working on  getting his birthday party thank you notes in the mail. He has math to finish up also. By next week he should be finished up with his math book and then we will do his testing. We are sooooo ready for summer.  I have been busy making out our menu for the next two weeks and the grocery list. Today has also been led to  changing sheets on beds and washing laundry. Tonight’s supper will be chicken tetrazinni and homemade rolls.

I can see the end in sight and can’t wait until we have free time during the day to actually play and work on projects that have had to be put on hold. Our weather has been getting warmer again. We were in the 80′s yesterday and again today. It looks like rain is moving. I hope this post finds everyone well.

Blessings from our homestead to yours………..

 

A Surprise and a Busy Weekend

We had a marathon weekend. On Friday Lance took off from work and we left early to drop off the FLA form with my OB. Then I had to meet someone to purchase some items and then it was lunch time. From there we headed to LEGO club. Lego club just really isn’t the same since my friend left for DC. She started the program and we have lost many of our original families. Mathin doesn’t seem to be enjoying it as much but Mia loves to go and play in the library. I think I am going to find someone else to head it up since the baby is coming. That way we can just go and participate and I don’t have to be responsible for the set up, clean up, and crowd control. It is beginning to be too much.

After LEGO club it was on to the church to meet someone else to purchase some items. Then we had to backtrack and pick up pizza for our LACES meeting. Our meeting went well but participation has dwindled down to a mere 3 families. Folks don’t seem to want to commit even though we only meet once a month. Maybe it’s a good thing. With it being small, it will be easier to manage with the new baby until we get into a new routine.

After LACES we finally headed home. We were all tired.  Then Lance came inside with a box. It was a package I had received from my dear friend Cheryl. www.holcombhappenings.wordpress.com Here is what was inside….

   The picture does not do it justice. It is a beautiful baby quilt for our new baby girl. We love it! Thank you so much Cheryl. We will treasure it always.

We were up early on Saturday. I had laundry to do and I had to run to the store. Lance, Mia, and I went to the store and then I headed to meet some folks who were buying some items I had up for sale. Then it was home to put groceries away. I made some spinach dip and brownies for Markham’s COH, and the we headed out to Mathin’s Blue and Gold banquet. The banquet was supposed to be outside but it was extremely cold and windy so they moved it inside. Mathin received his Bear rank.

The banquet was short and we left to go have dinner with my mom and grandfather. We made it home after 9:00pm. I was beyond exhausted.

Sunday was also cold and windy. Markham had his last Court Of Honor. He received his God and Life Award, a Chess merit badge, and his last Eagle Palm.

    Here he is receiving his God and Life.

Receiving is Eagle Palm.

     I can’t believe his time as a scout is coming to a close. It was a wonderful 12 years. I will cherish the memories forever.

     When we made it home from the Court of Honors. I fixed chicken tender salads and baked potatoes for supper. I followed that up with an oreo delight that Lance had requested. In between all the running I managed to continue to wash and hang up baby clothes and get the sheets changed on one bed. We all headed to bed early.

     Today has been a day full of laundry and trying to pick up the house. Of course schoolwork has dominated the day. Tonight’s supper will be baked pork chops and rice, roasted veggies, corn, and biscuits. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Blessings from our homestead to yours……