Finished by Friday!

Remember I’m the type who likes lists and crossing off each item?  Well, this is a short list of what’s been accomplished in our household/homeschool this week.  If you care to share your list, I’d like to be inspired!

1. Angelina finished up her Religion book.

2. Moved 3 bags of clothes and miscellaneous stuff, in addition to an old & un-used suitcase, out of my home and into a thrift store.

3. Seven dozen eggs washed & sorted for delivery to my Fargo friend on Tuesday.

4. Finally cleared all the ice off our back sidewalk, which is most heavily used.  It’d been frozen since a child emptied a water-filled cleaning bucket just outside the door.  That child will NEVER do this again.  (The front sidewalk remains a total skating rink until we can find a way to drain the water when it’s actually melted!)

5. The chicks are ordered with arrival date set for the last few days of April or first couple days of May.  We’ll be receiving 100 slow grower Cornish Rock Cross (straight run).  The rest will be females for the laying flock: 5 Red Sexlink, 5 New Hampshire, 5 Black Wyandotte, and 5 Delaware.

Tuesday DayLook: February 25, 2014

 

Looking out from my back porch... it looks crisp, cool and slightly windy.  I really don’t want to stick an arm out to see if the temp predictions are accurate!

I am thankful for... warmth and a solid home – who in these northern climes isn’t thankful for those two at this time of year?  Also thankful that in February I can start to see the end of some homeschooling subjects…lighter days are ahead.

I am reading… newspapers and blogs.

I am praying for... a good friend’s father who is in the hospital with pneumonia.  Graham, who is preparing to receive his first Reconciliation this coming Sunday.

I am hearing... the water trickling through the filter of our aquarium.  It’s a peaceful sound.

I am wearing… black knit pants (kinda like leggings, but heavier material), a purple knit top with a green/aqua cami underneath.  I needed color today.

From the School Room... as I mentioned earlier, we are seeing the end nearing in some subjects.  It’s a great feeling and makes the kids want to work ahead even more.

From the Kitchen... over the weekend, I made up meatloaf and meatballs to ‘base’ our meals for the week.  We look forward to spaghetti and meatballs today.

From the Garden… if I’m going to start seeds, it will happen in March.  Will I have the gumption?

From the FarmYard… a friend in Fargo sells eggs for me, thank goodness!  Last year, Angelina was interested in Polish chickens, so we purchased 10.  There were quite a few cockerels, so not all are laying hens.  However, between them they produce about 2 dozen small eggs each week.  I don’t sell these, but they’re great for egg dishes like omelets, french toast, scrambled eggs or boiled eggs.

A successful moment… the boys (Graham and Zeke) wrestled in their first tournament last Friday and each placed third in their group.  They were happy and we thought it was fun to watch.

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Tuesday: Little Loboe wrestling practice for Zeke & Graham, Greg will help with practice

Wednesday: Eric and I plan to attend a sponsored talk on ‘technology’ – free meal with the deal – is it a date?

Thursday: Little Loboe wrestling practice for Zeke & Graham, Greg will help with practice, Ballet Academy for Angelina

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Well baby check for Marcus, bulk shopping in Fargo, First Reconciliation Retreat & First Reconciliation for Graham, Scrap quilt workshop for Angelina, Crop Judging for Zeke & Angelina, Possible Wrestling Tourney for Zeke & Graham

A picture memory...

Zeke above and Graham below in 2009.  Zeke would have been six and Graham three.  My how they change over the years…the interest in Legos and building, however, has NOT changed!

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday DayLook: February 11, 2014

 

Looking out from my back porch... it’s a cold, crisp, & slightly VERY windy day.

I am thankful for... a warm home, reliable vehicles, being able to homeschool, the Neato robot vacuum given to us at Christmas, and good health.

I am reading… blog posts, board books, and the newspaper.

I am praying for... a young man from our area who is going through a rough time and an acquaintance who just found out he has a cancerous brain tumor.

I am hearing... the shrill music from Marcus’ riding toy.

I am wearing… a t-shirt, jeans & flip-flops.

From the School Room... the two youngest managed to crack the screen on the tablet, so it’s been a challenge for the two middle boys to do their memory work.  I hadn’t realized how much we’d come to rely on the tablet…until it wasn’t available!

From the Kitchen... made cranberry swirl bundt cake yesterday and white chicken chili.

From the Garden… it’s out there somewhere. 

From the FarmYard… need to order chicks!  The current hens lay more than 14 dozen each week.  It’s wonderful.

A successful moment… the weekend packing list is written up and ready for the kids.

A few plans for the rest of the week…
Tuesday: middle boys have wrestling

Wednesday: nothing extraordinary planned

Thursday/Friday/Saturday: State Wrestling Tourney (all plan to attend), Crop Judging for Angelina & Zeke at Little I and Kindred, Visit with Uncle Eric & Grandma & Grandpa Golden Acres

Sunday: 4H Citizenship in Action for Greg

A picture memory...

This is Zeke in December 2004 (22months); he’ll turn 11 next week on February 18.

Finished by Friday!

Remember I’m the type who likes lists and crossing off each item?  Well, this is a short list of what’s been accomplished in our household/homeschool this week.  If you care to share your list, I’d like to be inspired!

1. Greg is registered for the ACT.

2. Zeke finished his shield project.

3. Angelina tried out a new recipe from Pinterest - http://cookiesandcups.com/banana-bread-crumb-cake/

4. Kitchen has been kept relatively clean all week.

5. Zeke figured out, on his own, that using a sled to bring 5 gallons of water to the chickens each day is easiest.  I’m impressed he thought of this on his own! (Maybe my kids are developing some common sense, after all.)

 

This & That

Sometimes…well it’s honestly most times…I need to be reminded that I do accomplish quite a bit during the week.  I like lists and being able to cross an item off.  It’s satisfying to see a job through to completion.  And then there are those weeks where it’s just a good thing we all survived Monday…or Tuesday!

I’ve been trying to help Greg register for the ACT for the last couple days.  It wouldn’t let us register and I finally figured out why. Duh!  The site where ‘he’ wants to take the test doesn’t offer the test on the ‘date’ he wants.  Sheesh…at least it’s figured out.  He’ll have to drive a little farther to a test site.

Today has been one of those days where I want to duct tape at least three kids to their seats so that I don’t have to run off to find them (or in my case, yell up the stairs because I don’t have the energy to go up two flights…AGAIN!).  Focus, focus.

Apparently at snack time, which I’ve really tried to eliminate (due to the above reason!), Zeke decided his snack would be cookie dough.  Angelina told me he started tossing ingredients into a small bowl and then proceeded to eat it himself.  He mixed it with a WIRE WHISK!!  I only know this because he didn’t wash the whisk and it was sitting on the counter, full of cookies dough, when we all came up for dinner.  Other evidence was flour all over the floor and counter.  Ugh.  My brother and I used to do this with my mom’s spices in either a brown sugar or powdered sugar ‘base’.  We would then dare each other to eat the concoctions.  I often wonder if she figured out where her supplies went.

Eric is gone all week, again.  Last week it was for work, this week it’s for fun.  He went snowmobiling (can’t remember where, but East of ND) with a couple relatives and friends.  My brother, Collin, likes winter as much as I do and plans a snowmobile trip every year.  I actually encourage Eric to go.