Our Little Corner: December 2013

Saturday, December 14, 2013

"GINGERBREAD" HOUSES

Our day started out pretty rotten. Originally we had a day packed with plans for fun with friends. But due to sickness those plans fell through and we were left with tears and disappointment. After a bit we dusted ourselves off and came up with new plans. It was time to make gingerbread houses! Thankfully, yesterday I had printed out plans and had asked Dave to pick up supplies for us. I believe Someone knew we would need them today!

Our supplies + a very excited boy

Cutting up a cereal box to put our house on.

And covering it with foil.

Instead of baking gingerbread or buying a kit we used a box for our form and covered it.

She was memorizing all the flavors.

The basic form of the house.

These two enjoyed some breakfast while Boo and I worked on the houses.

Boo's house.

Time for Mama to have a waffle break!

Next we covered our houses with graham crackers.
Cheaper than buying a kit and easier than baking gingerbread. =)

Mine is all done!

Boo is finishing up hers too.

Now for the fun part! Decorating!

Boo and Princess teamed up to decorate one house.

And Bugsy and I teamed up to decorate the other house.

We made our own bags to pipe the frosting. It got a little messy but it was fun.

Our sick one, Elvis, came down to decorate for a few minutes. Then he wanted to go back to rest and read. We are going to do another later when he is feeling 100% again.

Our final masterpiece! This is the front of our house.

Side view.

The back. (We were getting tired by then and running out of frosting. Lol!)

The front of Boo and Princess's house.

The side view.

The other side.

And the back.

These took a lot more time than I thought they would but I haven't made one with this process before. Next time I will definitely not tell the kids until we are done constructing the houses. Thankfully, they were entertained with waffles and a game which made the waiting easier. From start to finish it took us about 3 hours. It was lots of fun and this might very well become a tradition. =)

Friday, December 13, 2013

FINALLY!

I've been having trouble accessing my blog. I am happy to be back! I hope to catch up on some posts now that I'm back.

SUMMERTIME 2012

2012

It was a year full of learning not only educational-wise but life lessons too. We have come to treasure those we love more than ever. Family time is to be savored and memories to be created and viewed as priceless. And our Lord is to be praised, trusted & loved.

We are enjoying our summer. It is full to overflowing with VBS volunteering & attending, Taekwondo, park playdates, gardening, Staycation, camp, birthday parties, visits from loved ones, adventures & day trips, friends, outdoor fun, swimming, summer treats, church & lots of trips to the library. It is wonderful to have some time to renew & relax.

OUR 12th YEAR

It is hard to believe we are in our 12th year of homeschooling. Where does the time go? It seems as if I should feel like an expert by now. But that's not the case. I learn more every year & always look forward to the opportunity to grow.

This year we have made some big changes. At first I was a little cautious wondering how we would handle this. But God has been amazingly gracious. We have made many new & wonderful friends. Even with cutting back our schedule is full to overflowing with fantastic & fun opportunities & experiences.

I look forward to seeing what more God has in store for us this year and sharing it with you, our friends & family.

Summer, Here We Come!

We are winding down our school year. We've finished our co-op studies & had our last classes of the year. AWANA is almost over as well as TKD. The spring soccer season is in full swing. Soon summer will be here. Swimming, park days, field trips, VBS, popsicles, gardening, bike rides & fun with friends are things we are all looking forward to. We will be doing some fun studies over the summer as well. Some we have already begun!
As always our days are full to the brim. Many like to comment that Dave & I have our hands full. I agree. Our hands & lives are full of fun, laughter, learning & growing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A New School Year

School has begun! It isn't officially fall here yet but our fall activities have started. We are now back in AWANA, Wednesday night groups, Sunday school, soccer, homeschool & 2 family learning co-ops. This week we have added Taekwando to our schedule. Yes, we are busy! On top it all off I am co-leading our large, church homeschool support group. We kicked off the new school year with a picnic. It was an amazing time & lots of fun was had though the weather tried it's best to ruin it. God prevailed!

This year we have a 9th grader (How did we get to high school already?), a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and one in Kindergarten. And don't forget our little toddler!!!! As many like to comment yes, we have our hands full. Our hands are full of blessings, of life and of love. Some days bring more challenges & tough times but through it all we grow stronger & closer.

Announcement *

She is here! Safe & sound & BEAUTIFUL! We are all wrapped around her little fingers. Our little princess arrived on
April 6 at 8:06a.m. by C-section. She surprised us all by weighing only 7lbs. 9oz. We had expected her to be at least 9lbs. based on the ultrasounds. She is also 19.5 inches long. A little peanut!
As you can see from some of her hospital photos she is already learning to accessorize. Lol. The nursery nurses at the hospital stuck a pink bow in her hair. I love it!
I will not be publishing her real name on my blog due to safety reasons, (just like I have done for my older children), but if you'd like to know feel free to email me privately and I'd be happy to share.