HaLLoWeeeeeeeeeN

I worked at work. Trevor worked at pumpkins.



Trevor realized yesterday that we'd never bought pumpkins to carve. We had to stop at several stores before we were successful. We were all getting a little worried, but Robert and I pretended we knew exactly what we were doing.



Holly is spending the weekend at a friend's house. She left her phone at home and is, for all practical purposes, incommunicado. Next time, I'll have to threaten her with posting goofy comments on her Facebook page if she won't take her phone.



Muhahahaha!



This was how I spent my evening.


I think I'll go puke now.

Weekly menu

Greek Soup, sourdough bread
Rocky Mountain Salad with chicken, bread
Flank Steak, Baked Rice
Amy's Dirty Rice, cornbread, fruit or vegetable
hot dogs
Husband Delight
Shredded Beef Tacos
Orange Chicken, egg rolls, rice
BLTs
Breakfast Burritos

Cake of the week: hmm...Chocolate Sheet Cake?

On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
Marlboro Man Sandwiches, creamy orange jello
frito pie
beef shoulder filets (whatever that is!)
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn
Robert's philly cheese steak pizza
French onion soup

Late October

Turning leaves and foggy mornings.



Grandma sends Popcorn Factory treats.


Lots of dress up parties at the library for story hours.


(NO, I did not dress up!)

Pig Roast

Earlier this month, cool and damp weather postponed our church's annual pig roast. This weekend, however, was gorgeous. Reading last year's post, the weather must have been about this same--only it definitely seemed warmer this year. And this was the weekend for fall colors in the Blue Ridge Mountains.



The pig cooked while we visited with our wonderful church family.


Robert even played a little basketball (I have to add: "with the rest of the old guys," lol).

It cracks me up to see these guys stretching.

And my camera ran out of batteries.

We had a lovely time.

Stupid things I say

I really should have a label for these. But it might be too painful.

I was checking out books to a Susan Nickel today, and then to her daughter Jessica. Little Jessica spelled her last name for me, "N-i-c-k-e-l." Because she's little and cute, I just had to say something.

Me: I bet you're glad your name's not Penny!

(Mom and daughter give each other a looong look before Mom looks back at me.)

Mom: My name used to be Penny before I legally changed it to Susan.

* * *

I of course died of embarrassment. The mom showed a LOT of grace and was very nice about it. She said that's exactly why she changed her name. I swore I wouldn't talk to anyone else the rest of the day.

But I did anyway.

Part 2 of 2: Our school year and Andrew Pudewa

As Trevor continued with most of the same curriuculum and subjects as last year, I was completely surprised that he is my challenge this year. Singapore, lit, SWR, Shurley, Writing Strands . . . all status quo. His new Rainbow Science has been a pretty good fit, I think he likes it. As always, *I* am the one challenged to keep up the pace of three lessons a week. Robert was going to work on this with Trevor, but I'm doing most of it. That's fine.

However, our Story of the World has been a complete bust. We've used SOTW longer than any other curriculum, since Holly was in second grade. It's not working, not sticking, not engaging him any more. As this realization dawned on me, and I began praying about what in the world I am supposed to do now, I also made plans to attend Andrew Pudewa's Nurturing Excellent Communicators seminar. Silly me, I thought it had something to do with public speaking.

Andrew discussed our children's sources for information: media, peers, parents, in that order. He spoke of why good readers are not automatically good writers. He shared the many benefits of reading aloud, of memorization, and of music. I was so inspired and encouraged, completely blown away at how I could apply this at my house.

Everything we were missing fell into place.

The new plan is to switch over to Beautiful Feet's Geography Through Literature, and IEW's corresponding Geography-Based Writing Lessons (replacing Writing Strands, which we're almost done with anyway). Thanks to my loopy friend, Susan, I already have a copy of the geography; and one of Trevor's favorite books is Pagoo, also written by Holling C. Holling (whose books make up the geography course). It will free up some of our history time AND put more emphasis on reading aloud. I'm excited, and even better, Trev is too.

* * *

Andrew's speech is available as a free download from his website, if you have the coupon code from the current catalog. As he encouraged us to burn the download and share with friends, I am happy to share the password with anyone who leaves a comment here asking for it. I've already given away a few copies on Facebook, and I'm sharing some with my hs mom friends locally too.

* * *

And, believe it or not, my camera was at my side the entire evening. I even touched it a time or two. My two friends and I briefly chatted with Andrew at the end of the evening, and I was too shy to ask for a picture.

Somehow I think my daughter would be proud of me, lol.

Part 1 of 2: Our school year so far

We have just completed week 8, and all is going well. I am tweaking as expected; I always do after the school year begins.

Holly is using all new material this year. It's the first time she's done every subject independently, although we touch base to go over some of her work. She's adapted very well, and I'm pleased at how she's managing her time. She's maintained the work schedule that I oh-so-optimistcally set for her at the start of the school year, with the exception of being one week behind in history. I'm very pleased. The rundown:

Life of Fred algebra. Great! The plan was for Robert to work on this with her. Holly found that to be enough motivation to do it on her own. (LOL, I'm sure we're all glad for this.) Math has never been her favorite, but it's not the most hated subject this year either. I love the way Fred is laid out, how it teaches in such a friendly, easy to understand manner.

Notgrass. Not working for Holly. Providing one credit each in history, lit, and Bible, there is a lot of work each day. We very quickly dropped the Bible work, and she decided to substitute a quarter (semester?) of IEW for a half writing credit. The history is intense; she finds it very dry and boring. We've decided that she won't continue with Notgrass next year. I really want to say here that *I* really love Notgrass, I think's it wonderfully written. I'd love to do it in my spare time (hahahahahaha). But I couldn't keep up the reading pace demanded by the curriculum. I'm disappointed that she doesn't like it the way that I do, but I learned quite a while back that it all comes down to what works for each person.

Signs & Seasons astronomy. I'm completely responsible for this never getting off the ground. (No pun intended.) Holly read the first chapter as planned; I dropped the ball on getting materials for the corresponding projects. I dread the thought of doing much work outside with the cold weather setting in. Robert finally picked up what I needed, which I've ignored for the past two weeks. On the plus side, this curriculum was written to alternatively cover over one summer, which I find quite appealing. Okay, so this is something else that fell off the schedule, but it's my fault. It will get done.

Getting Started With Latin. Since Holly's not a math fan, and intensely dislikes her history program, Latin has become her favorite subject this year. Who ever could have guessed this? She used the audio lesson downloads in the beginning but found them unnecessary. She's been covering 10 lessons per week. This will only last about 1/3 of the school year, and I'm not yet sure what she'll transition into. GSWL's author has written lessons to go with Gunnison & Harley's The First Year of Latin, preparing the student to read Caesar's Gallic Wars. (I can just hear Holly's enthusiasm over that.) At the beginning of the school year, I'd planned for and purchased Henle, following lesson plans through Mother of Divine Grace school. We shall see. (After writing this paragraph, the answer is becoming clearer, lol.)

Institute for Excellence in Writing, Writing Intensive C. Oh, how I wish Holly loved listening to Andrew as much as I do. She's not amused but, rather, finds him amusing. The work is getting done, and that's about all I can say. IEW's never been the best fit for her, so we skip the checklists, dress-ups, etc.

Extracurricular. She's counting soccer towards a P.E. credit. She's keeping track of riding/lesson/horse time, and we'll decide later whether it will count as P.E. or equestrian credit. She's again volunteering two hours a week as a grade helper for Good News Bible Club, which is sponsored by our church at a neighborhood school.

So far, it's been great. I can't believe we're a quarter of the way through. Holly's done a terrific job meeting both my demands and the demands of the curriculum. This has been a smooth transition, surpassing my expectations.

Soccer coming out of our ears

Soccer practice, soccer games, getting there and getting rained out, make up games.


Trevor's team has several strengths, a core group that's played together for many years, a wicked offense and a solid defense. It can get a little boring out there.


But they've stayed in first place the entire season.


----------------------------------------------

This is the second season in which Robert has coached Holly's team.


Even at this age group (13+), the teams are co-ed.


Little barely-turned 13 year old girls can play against 230 lb. 18 year old boys. (And those guys show no mercy.)


Holly's been up to the challenge.


Their team has maintained a first and second place rank this season.


It's funny to me that I feel like it's all we are doing, when we only have it twice a week.


And it will all be over long before I get tired of it.

Mini Update

1. Soccer is coming out of our ears. And out of my camera, but I don't have time to post pics right now.

2. I had a Moms' Night Out with two friends last night. We ate at Applebee's and then went to a lecture by Andrew Pudewa! He was wonderful, encouraging, inspiring. I've started making changes today in school.

3. Oh, that thing called school. It's hard to believe we are in Week 8. As expected, we've done some tweaking (even pre-Andrew), and I will update that.

4. Holly is back to riding at her old barn. She's thrilled.

5. Praise God, Trevor's surgery is been postponed indefinitely.

6. Our weather is back to normal for mid-October, blue skies, high 60s.

7. I'm working the next few days, hope to update more on most of these soon.

Banana Bread!

I should have posted this recipe ages ago; I've been making it for 20 years or so. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo; everyone ate it too fast, and I froze the second loaf.

KONA INN BANANA BREAD

2 c. sugar
1 c. soft butter (I used half margarine)
6 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 c.)
4 eggs
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2-1/2 c. cake flour (whatever, I've always used regular flour)

With electric beater, cream together sugar and butter. Add bananas and eggs, beating until well mixed.

Add baking soda, salt, and half of the flour; beat until flour is incorporated. Mix in remaining flour by hand. ***

Grease two loaf pans, taking care to well grease the corners and bottoms. Pour batter evenly into pans, and bake at 350 for 50 minutes until firm in the centers and edges begin to pull away from the sides.

Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before turning out of pans. These freeze wonderfully.

*** I often add in a cup of chopped nuts. If I forget, I add chocolate chips, but these are actually best without. (Imagine me thinking anything is better without chocolate...) The recipe is flexible, and you can be too.

Weekly menu

Chicken Jerusalem, rice, corn, mixed vegetables
flank steak, baked potatoes, Caesar salad
sloppy joes, cabbage ramen salad, onion rings
fish sticks, french fries, canned fruit
ravioli

Cake of the week: does Banana Bread count?


On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
Marlboro Man Sandwiches, creamy orange jello
frito pie
beef shoulder filets (whatever that is!)
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn
lemon chicken or orange chicken?
French dip
Robert's philly cheese steak pizza
French onion soup
husband delight

Amy's Dirty Rice

No photos here, but I'm adding this to remember it for future meals. I've had Amy's Dirty Rice a few times at potlucks and loved it; my family was hard to convince, but once Rob and Trevor tasted it, they were hooked too. Holly didn't try it, but it was fast, easy, and good enough for us to make again.

Amy's Dirty Rice

1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb. sausage (I used lower fat Jimmy Dean)
1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

Fry the sausage and onion together until sausage in brown and onion is soft and cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions. When both are done, combine in one of the pans (whichever is big enough), add mushrooms and mix well.

This also makes a great potluck dish (I'm planning to bring it to one next week), as it doesn't have to stay piping hot to taste good.

As if I can't get to the library enough...

I finally broke down this week and got a Roanoke County library card. There are enough books that my small library just doesn't have; I appreciate the many options available through a multi-branch system, particularly for school. In my spare time (hahahahahahaha), I also hope to take advantage of their music selections to use with Trevor for history. Yes, I can do interlibrary loans for free, but that is a big expense for my library, and I know firsthand many ways which that money can better be spent.


I was very interested in the workings of this other library, peeking into their backroom, paying attention to the new card processing in a different way than most people would. I hate to say it, but I like their catalog system a thousand times better--it's so easy to find things, identical to my beloved, former system in Colorado Springs.

It's like comparing apples to oranges, my main branch to this Roanoke County main branch (which is one of six locations). My library does stand out favorably though, as our children's department is six times larger, and we have a comparable number of public use computers. The killer is that I'll have to figure out which books go back to which library, and I have a feeling I'll be facing a few more overdue charges than I do now--to a library that charges more for late fees.

But...I'll be able to find books like these, things I've been wanting to read to Trevor for quite a while.


So it's a good tradeoff, one I'm willing to make. I've always said, You can never have enough library cards. Or something like that.

Book Reviews

Gods & Kings by Lynn Austin

Without even knowing my enjoyment of Biblical historical fiction, my friend Judy highly recommended this book. The first in the series Chronicles of the Kings, this is the story of Hezekiah as a young boy and the effects of his father King Ahaz's idolatry of the idol Molech.

The author sucked me in from the first page; my heart was racing and I could barely stand to read what happened next. I flew through this book; I have the second one ready to begin when I get the chance. Remniscent of Francine Rivers' best books, this was a great read, and I also highly recommend it. I am also reminded of the children's book I have, God King by Joanne Williamson, that I'd love to read aloud to Trevor.

Usual Disclaimer: I have issues with the whole idea of Biblical fiction. It's so vital to keep in mind the fiction aspect of it all and compare it to the true Word of God.


Mommywood by Tori Spelling

Haha, I suppose I couldn't choose a book more opposite than the one above, with the one exception being that I liked this too. I would never say I'm a big Tori Spelling fan. I remember her well (although not favorably) as Donna on my beloved 90210, but that's about it. However, Tori's sTori Telling was hilarious, and this book highlights Tori's great sense of humor and ability to poke fun at herself. This book describes Tori and her family's move to and subsequent efforts to fit into suburbia, showing that she's as normal (or abnormal) as any other mom I know.


Three Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares

This was just a teen book I pre-read before giving to Holly, including it here because it took me time to read. I liked it better than the Traveling Pants series though.

Blog tour and book review - The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall

I really liked the first Cindy Woodsmall series, so much so that I continue to recommend it to our library patrons. All of my friends seemed to have liked her next book even better; although I tried reading it twice and never was able to get the various characters straight in my mind. If I can wrap my brain around anything in the near future, I'd be willing to give that book a try again.

When WaterBrook Press offered me the opportunity to review Cindy's newest book, The Sound of Sleigh Bells, I eagerly accepted. I'm looking forward to reading this when the cold weather really sets in and I am in a holiday mood.

Publisher's summary:

Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?

Author's bio:

Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

For more info on this book, visit the Random House website.

* * *

Are you interested in participating in Blog Tours? See the official Waterbook Multnomah Blogging for Books site page.

Recipe - French Toast

I know, it seems like a simple thing. But regular "french toast" is too boring; my "fancy" french toast is too soggy. I tried a new recipe a few days ago that must be a real hit: both of my kids liked it a lot!




FRENCH TOAST

2 eggs
1/3 c. milk
1-1/2 T. brown sugar
1/2 t. nutmeg
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
6 slices of bread

Beat eggs in large bowl; add milk, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and mix well to combine. Heat lightly oiled skillet to medium high heat. Dunk bread into egg mixture, fry in pan until browned on both sides.

Ooh, I'm officially approved!

All right, I know it's time to blog when my dad starts complaining that I'm not posting enough.


The homeschool law in Virginia requires me to file a Notice of Intent with my local school district. I file under a specific section of the law, wherein I also must provide a "description of the curriculum" that I plan to use. The term "description" is pretty vague, not just in my opinion, but in the opinion of our state's homeschool association. (On an amusing sidenote, this group is called HEAV--Home Educators Association of Virginia.)

My right to homeschool is guaranteed under the law. All I have to do is notify. I do not request permission, nor does my school district have authority to give permission. Therefore, it really irks me that the school district responds, "Approval is granted for your program..." Big whoop-de-do. Their letter makes no sense. There is no approval to grant.

I could go on and on about this. Of course you know that about me. I'll just end with saying that apparently I'm just a rebel at heart.

Seen at my house this week

Holly caught these deer in the yard. We've had a mom with twins hanging around most of the summer.



Robert found this when mowing. We originally thought it was a baby copperhead, but I believe it's an Eastern Worm Snake. Lawnmowers are not good for baby snakes, no matter what species.



It's been warm and seems like the leaves turned overnight. Fall is here; sunsets are gorgeous.

Close up

Trevor spends time with friends

I honestly NEVER imagined my son would find alternative solutions to living so far out from his friends.

Evan calls Trev on the phone. They get each get on their computers, head to a favorite "Massively Multiplayer Online Game," and set their phones on speaker.



They've played together for hours this way.

I'm not quite sure what to think, but they are definitely having fun!

Trevor's book time

We really do let him sit in a chair to read. Once in a while.

Weekly menu

hot dogs, dijon pasta salad, watermelon
lemon spaghetti
cheeseburgers, caesar salad, strawberries
Robert's choice
Amy's Dirty Rice recipe
chicken fajitas except I'll use beef...
??

Cake of the Week: uh......Holly's birthday cake, which was store bought!

On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
Marlboro Man Sandwiches, creamy orange jello
frito pie
beef shoulder filets (whatever that is!)
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn

HaPpy BiRthDaY to HoLLy!

We celebrated Holly's 15th birthday today. She enjoyed sleeping in this morning and appreciated just hanging out all day.



It was a no camera affair, so we pulled out a few old photo albums.

A few days old

She's been teasing us, tormenting us, that she's halfway to thirty.

Holly's first birthday--
when we were ALL young!

I love the kids' birthdays. I try not to wonder where the time has gone, but instead remember how special the times were.

Three years old, just 1/10 of the way to 30

A big sigh. And a smile. (And try not to cry!)

Catchup from a loooong week

Monday:

Worked noon to 8.


Tuesday:

Robert drove me into work.



He and the kids picked me up at 5, and I ate a quick sandwich in the car as we drove up to soccer practice.


I dropped them off at the fields and beelined for Walmart--


where I spent $15 on junk food, mostly for the drive home. Hey, being a mom is tough work.


Wednesday:

Caught up with school and went to a work meeting at dinnertime. I didn't know it at the time, but I caught a tiny, tiny, tiny piece of gravel on my window on the way home, a one-in-a-million shot which caught my windshield at the perfectly wrong place.

Thursday:

When I went out to my car on Thursday, I found this.


It's right across my line of vision. I called for two estimates, which both came in at about $1130. That's not a typo. I haven't called the insurance company yet; I was too busy picking Robert up off the floor. We've had a $1000 deductible for several years--but with the new car loan, we had to drop the deductible down to $500. Funny how we can end up thankful to spend $500...

Friday:

I went into town an hour before work to stop by our employee health fair.

My numbers were similar to last year's, and I'm noting them here so I'll be able to find them in the future (and throw this little piece of paper away):

Cholesterol: 167
HDL: 59
Triglycerides: 72
LDL: 94
Ratio: 2.8
Glucose: 88
BMI: 22
Blood pressure: not good, but it wasn't helpful when the nurse leapt out of her chair and snatched the band off my arm, stressed that she couldn't hear when other people were talking.

Fine with the knowledge that I could have a stroke at any moment, I ran off to McDonald's to start my day with a mega-caffeinated iced mocha, with whipped cream and chocolate syrup for good measure.

I had left the house too early to think about lunch, and you think I'd be too embarrassed to admit where I ended up.


Junk for my brain, junk for my body, and a really big sweet tea to get me through the afternoon. (Note: caffeine and sugar are a recurring theme.)

At the point I thought my day couldn't get any longer, Robert and the kids picked me up after work to head up to the night's soccer games.



I ate another quick sandwich in the car on the way up, washing it all down with Dr. Pepper. (I've gotta get through the day somehow, and even more importantly, make it back home.)

The Roanoke River

One of our team girls used a can of blue hairspray to get our players in the spirit. (Or something like that, lol.)



It must have worked.

Robert in the spirit.

Holly's team won, 3-1 and is tied for first place in their division.

Pastor Derek tooting his own horn.

Trevor's team won 5-1 and as the only undefeated team in their division, remain in first place.



To kick off her birthday weekend, Holly brought a friend home to spend the night.

Saturday:

The girls slept in a little, and Robert fixed pancakes, sausage and strawberries for breakfast. They decided to go to the mall, so they shopped for a few hours while I parked myself at Starbucks with my computer and a venti Mocha Frappacino. (Who needs sleep any more?) Because shopping leaves teenagers ravenous, we finished off the afternoon with a late lunch at Applebee's.

* * *

A few things I learned this week:

1. Life will be crazy for the next couple of weeks.

2. Someone is making a killing on windshields.

3. A lot of caffeine and a lot of sugar are good things.