Long time, no post!

Poor, neglected blog! Wow - I knew it had been awhile, but didn't realize THIS long.

Earlier this month, we traveled to Maine to camp with my dad & stepmom. Had a GREAT time! We were gone for just about 2 weeks. The foliage was almost at peak - just gorgeous!

I will try to get some pictures posted here in the next day or so.

My BLUE and RED ribbon winners ...

The results are in from our participation in the 2nd County Fair of the season:

Pop-Up thought something with a farm theme might have a better chance of winning a ribbon ... and he took home the BLUE !

It's a little hard to tell, but he has corn growing in the field behind the crooked fence (my 2 favorite parts of the painting!)

Travel Trailer was hoping to place better in this fair ... but at least he's consistent, with his bird painting winning its 2nd RED ribbon of the season:

He also entered an apron that he made in a sewing class -- John Deere fabric -- hanging behind him in the below picture. He won a RED ribbon for that, also.

They also entered:

Pop-Up: green beans he grew in the garden, and a piece of pottery (3rd place/WHITE ribbon winner) and a pencil sketch of an antique car (3rd place/WHITE ribbon winner) - I forgot to take pictures of them, but will add later.

Travel Trailer: entered a pencil sketch of a cardinal bird

They've had a lot of fun with their County Fair entries ... and are already looking forward to working on more projects to enter next year!!

A little something for the NEXT County Fair ...

Pop Up was happy with his 5th place ribbon (see entry below dated 7.26.09) ... but he thinks something with a farm theme will stand a better chance of winning at the NEXT County Fair -- in 2 weeks, about 30 minutes up the road.

So, this afternoon, he whipped out this micro-painting ... it's about a 4x6 size:

See the corn behind the fence & windmill?? I love the crooked fence!

When it's properly framed, I'll post another picture ... I just thought it was cute, so snapped a quick photo.

County Fair

SEE UPDATES BELOW:

It's time for the County Fair AGAIN?!? Seems like just last month when I posted about last year's corn-on-the-cob eating contest & rodeo!!

This year, we are exhibitors! If only I'd have known sooner -- that if you pre-register and enter any of the competitions ..... such as:

fine arts ~ water color painting, oil painting, pencil sketches
photography
needlepoint
collections (we saw stuffed animals, matchbox cars, stamps)
scrapbooks
baked goods
canned goods

... you get admission to the entire fair ALL WEEK for $5!! But noooooo - it cost me almost $70 for our pre-purchase week-long passes. :-( At least I'll know next year!!

These are the watercolor paintings the boys entered.

Travel Trailer's is 4 birds in a cherry-blossom tree (a cardinal, blue jay, carolina chickadee and eastern bluebird).

Pop Up wanted to exhibit a different painting (of donuts) -- but alas, this is the one his mother made him enter. He was none-too-happy about it either, despite the smile. He painted a potted african violet - I suggested a darker color for the leaves, but he wanted NO advice - as usual! ;-)

UPDATE: This is the fair's red-ribbon 2nd place winner!!

UPDATE: This is the green ribbon -- 5th place winner!!

He thinks a "farm theme" would have a better chance of winning, so tomorrow, frantically begins work on his entry into the next county fair (that starts in 2 weeks).

And with that, we are geared up for a week's worth of good, old-fashioned fun!! I think we'll probably be there most every night. Can't miss the: demolition derby, motorcycle stunt show, outhouse races, OR the bull riding/rodeo!! Yee haw!!

See you there??

A Successful Sale!

STUFF is taking over my life! Our house was getting WAY too cluttered, and since - eventually, if we could ever sell this place for a fraction of what we have in it - we want to downsize ... we recently started weeding through it. Ok, that -- AND Dave Ramsey said we had to raise $1,000 fast!

The simple -- if "simple" is what you call hauling 5 separate loads of STUFF an hour away to your mom's house (because she has much more traffic on her road) - over a month-long period of time ... SIMPLE -- well, then the "simple" solution would be a Yard Sale.

Actually, we had TWO Yard Sales in the last month. Here is the evidence of the second. The first was so busy I didn't have time to take any pictures.

Here we have:

Bins of boys clothes - size infant thru 8/10. One lady came through and bought a whole bin (size 5) for a bulk-rate. That was simple! I only wish moms of other sized boys would have done the same thing:

My 1st son's crib. Silly me - I had to go cry in a corner of the garage as it was being disassembled and hauled away. So many memories tied up in that beautiful crib. From years of infertility, to the loss of 3 babies, to our firstborn son. I just can't believe that little babe is taller than his grandma now. Time -- it's moving FAST:

The SUPER nice, very expensive "Baby Jogger" stroller. Used ONLY at Disney. And even at that, it was still cheaper than renting a double-stroller there on our many trips. You look like that surprises you?!? That thing glides like it's on ice! LOVED that stroller! And now it looks like I'll have to learn how to "Craigslist" just to get rid of it. :-(

Videos, anyone?! Apparently nobody wants this form of media anymore. I think we have represented here -- almost every "Magic Schoolbus" episode ever created, every "There Goes a ... Boat, Spaceship, Train, Race Car, and every other form of transportation created by man" episode, and don't forget all those "Thomas the Tank Engine" videos. Perhaps the library would like a donation??

Sweet Rewards! Both boys worked hard to weed out their old, outgrown toys. Each earned about $75 in the past two yard sales combined. Yesterday, my little redhead, used his $75 toward the purchase of this spiffy new bike. He needed it, as he bumped his knees on the handlebars with every turn of the pedal on his old one:

And someone (with blonde hair) got a little jealous that I didn't blog about HIS new bike -- he would like it duelly(sp?) noted that he ALSO spent $75 on HIS bike. I forget the occasion, but I think it was for his birthday about 6 months ago. So, in order to have a more peaceful household, I present to you ... BOTH bikes!

There. Now life is fair. Until the next episode of "Sibling Rivalry" rears its ugly head! ;-)

Oh - I was just reading over this before I clicked "save" and saw that I mentioned Dave Ramsey wanting us to put $1,000 in the bank. We did raise about that much - between the 2 sales - but, as luck would have it ... dontchaknow that just last week, my car needed repairs (first time since we've owned it) to the tune of $750!!? Speaking of life being UNfair .....

Siiiigh!

Free Family Movie Festival - all summer!

Click here: Regal Cinemas FREE Family Film Festival

All summer long, across the U.S. ... Regal Cinemas are showing FREE movies --

Rated G and PG!!!!!

Showings are: 10 am on Tuesday & Wednesday mornings.

Click on the link above to see what's playing in your state!

Selections include: The Tale of Desperaux, Space Chimps, Curious George, Horton Hears A Who, Madagascar 2, Kit Kittredge: American Girl, Spiderwick Chronicles, Everyone's Hero, Kung Fu Panda, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Charlotte's Web, Barnyard, Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tales ....... and more!

Thank you, Holly - for the heads-up!

Thanks, Dad & Pat!

Thank you, Dad & Pat -- for the flowers:

... and for forcing me to clean off the table ... and close the trash can ... and get the towel off the floor ...

But really -- I should have been the one sending you flowers!!!

Love you!

Strawberry Picking

Look what we did today:

And what fun it was! Perfect weather - and when the breeze blew, it smelled like strawberry potpourri! Mmmmmm!

But I think we picked berries that were too ripe. Or at least, they're turning to mush awfully fast, now that they're home! They sure looked BEAUTIFUL on the vine, though!

Tonight we had chocolate fondue with strawberries. Not sure what we will do with them tomorrow - maybe strawberry shortcake?

We only picked about 8 pounds. Still ... I hate for them to rot before our very eyes!

But it was a fun family event for the afternoon!

Oh -- and here are some "Strawberry Factoids" ... since you know it was educational ;-)

* strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside

* the average strawberry has 200 seeds

* strawberries are a member of the rose family

* The U.S. is the top strawberry producing country in the world, followed by Spain

* 94% of U.S. households consume strawberries at least once/year

* strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring

Do you Roku?

Do you know about Roku? A friend just introduced me to it today.

www.roku.com

You buy the Roku box for $99 (one-time fee) ...

... then ... for as little as an $8.99/month Netflix subscription -- you can download an UNLIMITED number of movies & TV shows per month! Including History Channel, Discovery Channel, etc. All you need is a high speed internet connection.

Over 50,000 movies to choose from.

$8.99/month -- what a deal!

Thanks, Suzanne for the info!! You really are the Queen of Bargains!

Kids Bowl Free

A friend just told me about this:

www.kidsbowlfree.com

Kids can bowl up to 2 free games/day all summer long ...... see if there are any participating lanes near you!

No Foolin!

Tis true. It's April 1st. But this is NO joke.

If you know me - surely you know I LOVE Disney!!! Now you can, too!!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

Disney just announced its FREE DINING for August 16 - October 3.

Starting at $58/person per day -- price includes:

* Hotel accomodations ON Disney property
* Theme park admission
* Free Dining -- 1 counter service meal (burgers, chicken, etc); 1 snack credit (popcorn, drink, or ice cream) ; AND 1 table service meal at almost any Disney restaurant in/near any of the parks - each & every day!!!

For $58/person per day! It almost costs me that much to live at home! Maybe I'll move to Disney. I've been wanting to do that for a long time anyway!!!!!!!

Anyone know about Nikken?

Does anyone know about Nikken water filtration systems?

I'm just starting to think about them, but really am not very knowledgeable yet. Don't know if it's a lot of hype, what the health benefits are supposed to be, what they claim it filters out & adds back in, etc.

I'm on the front end of investigating, and thought maybe some of you could help me along?

Have you used it? Noticed any difference in health? Do you have to do any of the other "Nikken" type things as well -- or is the water enough? ;-)

Or is another type of filter just as good'?

I'd love to hear any of your experiences, if you've heard anything negative, and so on.

Thanks!!!

A Couple o' Limey's!

We just started using Homeschool In The Woods' Time Travelers history curriculum (THANKS, Angel, for pointing us in that direction!). Decided to start with the New World Explorers. We're just on the 2nd lesson, but WHAT FUN!!!

The little redhead is VERY excited about eating those limes in a few seconds:

Today we studied about the "Life of an Explorer" ..... the food they had to eat, hammocks & items for trade, disease, jobs of a sailor, free time & mutiny (a crime punishable by death).

We learned that scurvy was a common illness, due to lack of vitamin C. Fresh squeezed lime juice became the most efficient way to combat this dreaded disease, which gave way to the nick-name "limeys"!

I think if we'd have had a gallon of it, he'd have gulped it right down! Look at his shirt -- even Goofy looks perplexed by him!!!

This one HATED it! They are ALWAYS, ALWAYS the complete opposite of each other - an art I think they take great pleasure in perfecting! I wish I'd have had my camera ready for the reaction. I captured it a little too late:

That was fun! And just about the speed of an experiment that I can handle! :-D

Tonight, after dinner, we're going to work on tying knots (dad has the rope in his truck, or we could do it now) and drying fruit (needs to dry overnight for 12 hours).

They're looking forward to experiencing more of the sailor's life!

The Home He Had Always Dreamed Of

The boys are taking an Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) creative writing class. This week's assignment was to write a take-off on the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". The requirements are to include:

* an -ly adverb

* who/which clause

* strong verb

* quality adjective

* because clause

........ in each of the 3 paragraphs

Travel Trailer struggles with creativity -- much like his good ole Pa! I can't relate -- because, have you noticed -- hello -- I LOVE to write!!?? After struggling all afternoon with him, I was ready to pull my hair out, so declared that I was done, and he would just have to work with Dad on it after dinner --- since they deserve each other! haha! My pet peeve with RV: he too often substitutes the word "whatever" in every-day conversation when he's too lazy to search for a proper and/or descriptive word ... but anyway ... back to the issue at hand:

I'm not quite sure who contributed more - I'm just glad it's done! Actually, I think it was a joint effort. I'm so proud of both of them -- because I know this stuff doesn't come easy for 'em. So, just thought I'd share:

The Home He Had Always Dreamed Of
by
Travel Trailer

The year was 2009 in the windy city of Chicago. It was a bitterly cold and snowy day. There was a pack of dogs which loved to play in the snow. One of the dogs, who was named Solo, stood guard while the other dogs scavenged for delicacies like hot dogs. The leader of this pack was Friday because he was the strongest. (if it was my story, the strongest would have been named "Atlantis" or "Hercules" or some other strong name ... but it's not my story and I'm resisting the urge to pipe up ... so Friday, it is!)

Sometimes Solo got lonely when he was on guard duty and he would cry out “Dog catcher!” Then all the other dogs would scurry to the meeting place. When they arrived, they found out that there really wasn’t a dog catcher and they told Solo not to shout “dog catcher” again. So Solo didn’t shout “dog catcher” for a couple of months, but then he got so lonely again, he decided to call “dog catcher” once more. The whole pack came running to the meeting place. Imagine what they must have thought when they found out that there was no dog catcher. They were very annoyed because one of the dogs who had just found a big juicy sausage, had to leave it in all the excitement. The other dogs told him to never shout “dog catcher” unless there really was one.

Solo was on his usual guard post when he spotted a real dog catcher and gave the alarm, but no one came because they thought he was playing another trick. He kept calling and calling even though no one paid any attention. When they finally came, they found that Solo wasn’t there any more, which caused them to be heartbroken. He had been captured by the unpleasant dog catcher and taken to the pound, where he stayed for a few days before a family came and gave him the home he had always dreamed of, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, just on the outskirts of town.

And the real shocker -- we're done several hours before having to run out the door to class. Unlike when I'm in charge! :-( I could get used to this!!!!

Cherry Blossom Festival

I'm very excited! About 20 of us (so far) from our old Singles Ministry ~ where RV and I met 24 years ago ~ are gathering together next month to go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

I know it will be a certified ZOO with all the tourists ... and I admit I wouldn't go within a 50 mile radius of the place ordinarily, with just the 4 of us, but somehow, going as a "group" makes it sounds much more memorable & enjoyable.

And besides ... has there EVER been ANYTHING more spectacular and breathtaking?!

Here's hoping I can learn to use my new camera between now and then ... cuz I sure haven't in the LAST 6 months!

80% off again at restaurant .com

Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale again ..... code: MENU

Go get some of those $2 vouchers worth $25 ..... I am!!!!!

Restaurant .com ~ I triple heart you!

Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale (thru midnight tonite). 80% off code: DINE

Run, do not walk !

I bought several $25 gift certificates there for $2 (at 80% off their reg. price of $10)

Tried a new pizzeria tonight in a neighboring town. I feel like I robbed 'em blind ;-)

We spent a total of $14 and got:

large 2-topping pizza
two (2) foot-long steak & cheese subs
HUGE spaghetti dinner with salad & bread
3 sodas
---------------------
$37 total before discount
- ($25) restaurant.com certificate
$2 cost of $25 certificate
no tip as it was a self-serve pizzeria
---------------------
$14 total cost to us ...... for 2 tables FULL of food. We brought home a whole large pizza (minus 1 slice) and half of the spaghetti for another meal!!

I think they have restaurants nationwide that participate. It's a great way to try a new place. Tonight we had some of the better pizza & spaghetti we've had at joints like that - and we'd have never have gone if not for the $25 off dealie-o!!!!

And now I'm off to buy some more $2 certificates that have a $25 value!!!!! They don't expire for a year!! Most require that you spend a minimum of $35 - but even then, you're only spending $12 out of pocket (plus tip) total!!!

Thank you, restaurant.com !!!!!

If you miss out on this particular deal, no worries -- I think they often have 70% off deals!!!

I have several friends who use this site quite frequently - and am glad I finally started checking into it myself!!!

He says the darndest things!

I love my little Pop Up! (age 10 ~ but always, always wise beyond his years!)

He just bounced in here and said:

"Poor Solomon (our dog) ... doesn't even know death exists!"

Then he turned around, carefree as ever and bounced out, saying "I'd hate to be like that!!"

LOL!

Yep, he's my deep thinker! I know some 60 year olds that don't even think like him!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!

Thank you, Papa John's! Isn't their <3 shaped pizza the cutest? Someone is a marketing genius! While the guys enjoyed these CUTE pizzas (there was a pepperoni one, also) I had an Amy's gluten-free frozen pizza ... don't waste your money on that one - it was disgusting!

The boys had a basketball game this afternoon ... it ended in a tie ... 29-29. Really good game! Travel Trailer got a couple of baskets! Pop Up is still hoping he makes one before the season is over!

Then we headed to WalMart & Lowe's - where we got a Purple Martin birdhouse. The boys want one so that the birds will eat all of our mosquitoes this summer (and I'm on board with that!) ... Lowe's had the best deal on one that we've seen ($41). They say it can be difficult to lure Purple Martins to it - and keep other birds from claiming it first. We'll see how that goes. But since we are armed with several books on "how to lure Purple Martins" ... I'm sure it will be a sweet success. Haha!

Papa John's delivered 2 of the cutest heart-shaped pizzas! The boys are now wondering how they did that -- is there a heart shaped giant 'cookie cutter' that they use, or what? Cuz they were perfect!

Just finished watching "Nights in Rodanthe" - and while it didn't have the best message (since she was still married and all) ... it did have a surprise ending. I don't think Monica would like it.

Guess that brings you up to speed on Valentine's Day 2009 from our house.

I hope you & yours had a LOVEly (ha, that just came to me) day!!!

The Great Backyard Bird Count ~ 2009

Click here: The Great Backyard Bird Count ~ February 13-16, 2009

You can count for as little as 15 minutes for 1 day - or more, if you like.

Coloring handouts, tally sheets, submission info, and more at website.

Become a little scientist for a day!

Flying Creatures of the 5th Day ... I love you!!

Could this little birdie be my saving grace??

I'm hoping so, though I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch!!!

Reading has been a life-long struggle for one of my boys. He LOVES being read to and will listen to books on tape from here to Florida and back ... but when it comes time to read on his own - he's just not interested. He's a boy! He's active!

A few weeks ago, we started using Jeannie Fulbright's book: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.

What an awesome book! They're begging for more! Even RV and I have learned SO much. I only wish we'd have used it years ago (it's been sitting on our Science bookshelf with all of her other books)! This summer, Jeannie is coming out with a book on Anatomy and I think one other. I'm buying it hot off the press! Can't wait. www.jeanniefulbright.com

But back to this morning -- I woke up with a miserable headache, so was moving slower than usual. When I came downstairs, my boy with an aversion to books, was sitting on the couch - with a pile of bird books around him. He was even reading them - not just looking at the pictures! We have about 30 books from the library on birds ... and he wants to get more.

Since we're studying birds, last weekend we put up about 5 bird feeders - including suet, etc. in our yard. It's been loads of fun, watching the birds discover us! The non-reader wants a bluebird birdhouse soooo bad, he can taste it! I bribed him with "read X number of books and we'll get one". I wonder if he'll keep on going ... until we have a birdhouse "fence" around our house?!

I just hope he keeps it up - and I haven't just jinxed us. Once before we were on a roll that was short-lived!

Anybody have any books or series of books well-loved by boys that you can recommend? I need to fan the flames while there's still a spark present!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

We had a perfect day of skiing at Bryce today. The place was EMPTY! Look at this - not a single person on any of the trails!!!

Here we come with some of our friends ...... we went with 3 other families: Eagers, Kirkwoods and Heidorns ... I WISH I'd have gotten a picture of each family. Next time, I'll make them pose - before everyone gets all hot, sweaty & separated! There were about 20 of us - and I don't even think there were 20 other people on the entire mountain!

RV leading the pack:

Pop Up & RV:



Travel Trailer:

Pop Up:


The air temp was 50*! They skiied the whole day with no coats. I sat at an outside table (no coat) and soaked up the sun. It was almost like a day at the beach. Well - except, the opposite ;-) A completely GORGEOUS, sunny day!

The boys had only been skiing twice before (last year) - but they came down the (BIG trails on the) mountain like a couple of seasoned pros!

Swoosh! Swoosh!

I SO wish I'd have learned to ski when I was their age and fearless. I tried it at a Singles Ministry ski retreat about 20 years ago -- and it was not a pretty sight. Just makes me all the more determined for them to learn the things I didn't ...... swimming, skiing, sewing - eh, might as well throw in cooking & cleaning ......

Upward Basketball ~ 2009

The boys & their coach .... Dad!

This is the last year that Travel Trailer is eligible to play Upward Basketball (Christian sports league) since it only goes through 6th grade, so a year ago, Dad promised he'd be his coach for this final season.

When the league combied 5th-6th grade boys on the same team, Pop Up lucked out and wound up on the same team!

Although RV doesn't have ANY basketball experience and he was a little nervous with this undertaking, he's done a good job and all 3 of them are having a lot of fun!

Being 4-0 doesn't hurt! Go, team!

Hashimoto's ... and going gluten-free!

A week ago, I was diagnosed with "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis".

I've been on thyroid meds for several years now, but recently a blood test showed "thyroid antibodies" of 3,020. Zero (or very close to it) is normal.

Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease, where your body attacks itself as if it were a foreign object. Some of the symptoms are: fatigue, sensitivity to cold, infertility, repeated miscarriages (we've had 3), mental fogginess, loss of concentration, weight gain and more. Got 'em all - and then some!

Auto-immune diseases manifest themselves in different ways throughout the same family. In my family there are cases of M.S., Lupus, severe osteoporosis, psoriasis, diabetes and more. All of which, they say, can be helped with a gluten-free diet. A friend said once you have one auto-immune disease, 9 times out of 10, you will develop another. So, I'm trying to go gluten-free!

This is what RV made for dinner. Gluten-free fried rice ~ made with GF soy sauce!

It's actually been kind of fun searching the grocery stores for gluten-free foods - which are popping up more and more every day. Fun, because that means a trip to the store by myself ~ 'cuz I've got research going on!! So far, I've found a ton of varied items at: Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Wegmans (my **favorite** since they make it SOOO easy and put a "G" on all their Wegmans brand gluten-free chips, salsas, soups, salad dressings, etc. - no more guesswork with reading the labels and trying to decipher "hidden gluten code words"!). Just find a "G" on the label, plop it in the cart and keep on moving! I'll make myself learn to like the taste ~ whatever it is ;-)

Although I love and adore bread and pasta more than almost anything - I haven't missed them tooooooo much ~ even with a trip to Texas Roadhouse last night for RV's birthday dinner. It's a little hard to hate a diet where you CAN have: potatoes, butter, sour cream, ice cream, chips, cheese, tapioca pudding, chocolate, and more. Lunch at 5 Guys after basketball today was easy - cheeseburger with no bun and yummy french fries (cooked in dedicated fryer with peanut oil) = diet food??! Yeah, I can live with that!

And being down -5 pounds in about a week helps! Only X (way too much!) more to go!!! I am hoping I can keep it up - my doctor says if I do it for 6 months, I'll feel so much better and have so much more energy that you couldn't pay me to go back. Let's hope he's right!!!