Being social

Trevor has this skill. I don't. Trevor finally met the boy who lives behind us. They are a great match. His new friend is almost 12, loves Legos, video games, and Air Soft. Since finding each other, they've played together almost every single day for a few hours. I like this kid, and Trevor's always had a knack for choosing good friends.

They managed to get invited to swim at a neighbors' house. The pool family doesn't even have any kids living at home.



I'm unsocial. I finally met the neighbor boy's mom; I wave as I drive past the pool neighbor.

I don't invited to dinner. I don't get invited to swim. Instead, I take pictures through trees of other people having fun.

Hazy sunsets

Crazy weather and lots of humidity.

Last soccer game of the season

Trevor's soccer team came in third place in the 9-12 division. It was almost surprising, because they played soooo well, but really were beat by two better teams.



This was Trevor's last season on this team. In the fall, he moves up to the 13+ age group. It's been a great three years, wonderful kids who are kind, team players, and have humble hearts.



Holly's team didn't play in the championships. This was a transition year for them, and these kids did not win a single game. Although their coach was discouraged privately, he was able to keep morale up among his players, and I believe they are all looking forward to returning next year.



My pathetic, botched, and lazy attempt at adding people to the team photo. It's definitely a reminder to me to do a LOT better next time.

Bird Rescue. Again.

There are five baby birds stuffed into this nest. We can't help but think one may be an imposter, but they all look alike.

Crowded conditions and growing independence mean we've been finding babies on the lawn.



The dog, fortunately, could not care less.



What we are thinking: Get back in your nest and STAY there!



What the baby bird is thinking: Foiled again! I'll wait five minutes and try again!

Memorable drive

We had a 350 mile drive to get Holly to the TeenPact National Convention. Trevor spent the night at a friend's house, and we left the house at 6:50 in the morning.

[photo removed]

The only time we see the sunrise is when we are out early in the car.

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Holly: Are those miniature cows?

Robert: No, the grass is just tall.
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At Holly's request, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for lunch. At least I knew she'd be getting one last meal for the week. We figured it might be the last meat she eats for six days.

The camp in Dayton, TN is beautiful, huge. We checked Holly in and then found the lodge where the girls are staying.


Rooms are preassigned. I think there were six bunkbeds and two double beds in each room. Holly chose the bed at the top corner by the window. Holly was very happy to notice that her room list included not only a girl she knew from Richmond, but also that she had the same room mom as before! At first, I was amazed with how TeenPact worked that out, how much effort they must have put into each kid, making sure their assignments were good. Then I realized God's a whole lot bigger than that, and it was effortless to Him.


And each room has its own bathroom. Newly tiled, two showers, three sinks, and lots of electric outlets.


They have a full schedule, and I can't imagine they'll be spending much time in the lodge family room. For click-and-drag 360 view photos, see here.


We dropped Holly off, and plugged HOME into my GPS. We really were out in the middle of nowhere.


We made a couple of quick stops on the way home for gas and to spend Kohl's cash that I'd earned the week before.

Earlier in the day, while driving through Damascus, VA, we realized this was an area that had been hit with a tornado last month. Trees were left standing like toothpicks, houses were missing roofs, walls, or partially collapsed. Debris was strewn about, and billboards torn away. It was quite sobering, and I was able to get a picture on the way home.


End of the day totals:

25 policemen in Virginia. Many had cars pulled over, but the traffic was close to the speed limit.

3 policemen in Tennessee. We stayed 10mph over the limit, but 98% of other cars passed us like we were standing still.

6 dead deer

3 live deer

Cheapest gas $3.48/gal.

1 kid gone for the week

2 rather tired parents

As planned/hoped, we were off the interstate before dark. We picked up Trevor and were home shortly after 9pm. I'm ready to do this again in a few more days, and it won't be as intimidating this time.

Weekly menu

Hmm, looks like I'd better be hoping for a sale on chicken.

bbq chicken, pasta salad with tomatoes and corn, bread
chicken souvlaki, tzitziki sauce, pita bread, couscous
tortellini salad, hummus, pita bread
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
BLT Pasta

On the back burner:
Dilled Chicken Pasta Salad
frittata
chicken caesar salad; bread
something with pork tenderloin
crockpot tacos

Recipe - Macaroni and Cheese

And no, this does not include a blue box!

I've tried a variety of homemade mac and cheese recipes over the years: healthy ones that no one else liked, creamy ones with odd textures, homemade ones that were greasy, gross and complicated. Sometimes it's good not to give up.

This was a great find in a delicious cookbook written by a blogger. It's an easy, easy recipe to make, and it's one of those few foods that I could eat every day. There's a wait list at the library for this book, so I'm back in line, waiting to read it again--and try more recipes!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz. box of uncooked macaroni (about 2-1/2 cups)
2 1/2 T. flour
1 1/4 t. salt
pepper to taste (I use about a teaspoon)
4 T. margarine
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. milk

Cook pasta until tender, drain. Mix all dry ingredients together, set aside. Spray oven safe bowl or dish with cooking spray. Place half of macaroni inside. Sprinkle half of the flour mixture over top and top with half of the margarine, sliced into small slices. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups cheese over. Repeat. Pour milk over all. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for thirty five minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional ten minutes. Serve hot.

Baby birds!

They are everywhere in our yard!

This mama robin is used to us. Her nest was blown sideways in a tree, and Robert tied it up twice to prevent it from falling out. Her light blue eggs looked just like Robins' Eggs Easter Candy. YUM! (Haha.)



Three red, barely feathered, super ugly babies!



There's another robin's next under the deck, and one of the babies fell out and made its way around the corner of the house. Robert put on a glove and put the baby back in the nest. Five babies stuffed into that one, a little older than the ones in the photo above.

When the humidity is low, we've been keeping the windows open at night. The cats wait at the windows all night long and start going crazy when the birds begin singing early in the morning. Then the cats want to sleep all day, so we wake them up just to be annoying.

I'll try to get more baby pictures. The things can only get cuter, because they sure aren't cute now!

Alpaca shearing

All right, the longer I don't post, the harder it is to post.

Our alpaca friends had their annual shearing day last week. They graciously hosted another homeschool group, and we showed up too.

In the middle of many days of rain and storms, Monday was a gorgeous day. They were already in full swing by the time we arrived.

Jango before shearing.


The new baby wasn't sheared but was kept close by while mom was sheared. It worked out a little better than taking your baby to the beauty salon, and the leash may have had something to do with that. (Just kidding!)


Holly perfected her animal balloon making with alpacas..


The fleece is sold, shown, or used by the (new, human) owners to be dyed and made into yarn. As I was taking pictures, it easily seemed this would be my best photo. Instead, it's the worst!


The alpacas front and back legs are tied and secured.


A helper holds on to their heads. They don't move a lot (yes, probably because they are tied), but it's important they be kept still to keep them safe from the blades. Some animals will make noises, loud and soft.


Alpacas have two different kinds of hair, huacaya and suri. Suri is less common, and Jango skipped a year of shearing to allow his hair to grow longer.

Hey, this is just like giving Trevor a haircut when he was little!


It is realllllly hot under all that fur, and the alpacas are noticeably happier immediately. Of course, it helps that they are free again too, I guess. (!)


Off to the bath, if you like!


Ahhhhhh!

Fun to get out, fun to see friends, and fun to see another side of the alpaca farm.

Book Reviews

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Third Ed. by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

This is the book that changed and cemented the focus of our homeschooling. I read the first edition shortly after Holly began second grade (at which time, we'd been homeschooling for half a year). It quickly became my "how to" manual, and even today, when asked what we use to homeschool, I still reply, "We loosely follow The Well-Trained Mind."

When the revised edition came out several years ago, I checked out a copy from our library and noted that the majority of changes reflected curriculum suggestions to more closely mirror those written by the authors (Story of the World, First Language Lessons, etc.). Nothing special to me.

Well, ten years later, the 3rd ed. came out (I'm finally reading it now). It's a bigger book, with an additional ~80 pages, including clearer descriptions in the middle and high school years. This time I've ordered a new copy. The first thing I'll have to do is transfer all of my pencil marks, sticky notes, and dog-eared page references to the new book. My old copy is a well-used reference, and I anticipate putting the new book to good use for the next five years to see my younger child through the rest of his homeschool years.

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey

Six year old Alex Malarkey died in a horrific car accident. He came back to tell his story.

A unique, interesting, and inspirational story by a remarkable boy. Some of his retellings are not Biblical, but it's an encouraging, wonderful story nonetheless. Do I believe all of it? I don't know that I have to; it's enough for me that Alex does.

Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: What You Need to Know by Nancy J. Holland, EdD

I happened upon this book while browsing new books at the library. It was really, really interesting to me, as I've long doubted Robert's diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS. There is no doubt that he has PPMS, although we know there are valid reasons for any doctor to maintain the current diagnosis (because of treatment options). Great book for us, a nice surprise, and thankfully not of much interest to anyone else I know.

Crunch Time by Diane Mott Davidson

This is the 761st installment in the caterer-turned-crime-solver Goldy Culinary Mystery Series. From the time my mother in law gave me an autographed copy of the second book in 1993, I've been (mostly) a fan.

Until now.

I could not muddle my way through the first excruciatingly boring chapter. No where to be found is the charming Goldy of old, the cozy writing from early in the series. Many of these later books have been lacking, but this time I am so over it.

Who Is My Shelter? Yada Yada House of Hope Book 4 by Neta Jackson

I've surprised myself by enjoying this series. This fourth book is absolutely so far my favorite. (Yes, I said that about book three also, but this one is even better!) Gabby is barely managing to keep up with her kids' schedules, her Manna House responsibilities, and managing her apartment building for single moms, when her estranged husband's needs become an even bigger priority in her life.

The author has overcome her earlier challenges of successfully weaving in characters from the Yada Yada series. She has an uncanny ability to draw you into the storyline and have a heart for her characters.

Excellent book; a believable story about the ups and downs of marriage. I think I read it in two days, and I don't do that often anymore.

Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar

Let's see. In addition to saving the band Van Halen, Sammy Hagar opened the number-one independent bike store in California, until Rockhopper copied him and became even more famous. He convinced the fire dept. of Fontana (CA) that sprinklers were better at putting out fires than fire depts. He won a triatholon and "finished so far in front," but because he's the nicest guy in the world, he gave his winnings to the second place winner.

I am convinced he would have invented the internet if Al Gore hadn't beat him to it. (Maybe he gave it over to Al out of pity.)

Definitely in the running for the most self-centered, egotistical autobiography I've ever read.

Mother's Day

Robert asked me yesterday what I'd like to do specifically for Mother's Day. Honestly, it was even hard for me to come up with an idea for dinner tonight. When the kids were little, there were a few times I would ask him to just take the kids to his mom's house so I could be home alone.

For the last several years, I've given them my spiel that goes something like, I don't want to cook for you, I don't want to clean up your dishes, I don't want to DO anything today.

This year is different. My kids have been so wonderfully loving to me for so long now. Impromptu hugs, kisses, "I love you, Mom!"s are the norm around here. I have been blessed with two amazing, affectionate, loving, and fabulous kids. As sappy as it sounds, it seems like every day is Mother's Day around here.

They had flowers for me this morning, cards, and my favorite mini candy bars (100 Grands), which I happily shared.


We visited the nearby church. It was so nice to see Trevor run off with his many friends. I know he misses that from our old church. We visited afterwards--with people we know, and we were in no rush to hurry out the door to drive an hour to get home.

Robert made reuben sandwiches for us for lunch.

I took a NAP. I never do that. I slept for an hour and a half!

I went for a walk with Holly.

Robert fixed his famous chile rellanos for dinner.

We watched the Amazing Race finale.


A wonderful day.

Flying through time at the speed of light

Monday:

I picked Trevor up from CAP on my way home from work. His uniform looked great. They are allowed to wear dress blues at the first meeting of the month; they wear BDUs the rest of the time. I'm still trying to figure out what insignia/patches/who-knows-what-else to order. It's not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. This may be my biggest challenge yet.



Tuesday:

School. Soccer game in lieu of practice. We've had frequent thunderstorms and were able to get our games out of the way before another downpour. Holly's team is in dead last place. It would be more discouraging, except they've always been a much, MUCH stronger team, have several newer players this season, and got the short end of the stick when the older boys from the competitive soccer team were added back in (as they are every spring season). Although we are still losing, we're playing better than everyone's expected.

Opposing team mom: "No offense, but we thought we'd be really beating you tonight!"

Me: "No offense, but we thought you would be too!"

We're friends, we weren't trying to be mean to each other! Meanwhile, we're just waiting this out and have higher hopes for next season.

Wednesday:

I worked.

Holly had her last biology class of the year, a party followed by a fetal pig dissection. She was the cutter. She loves these little animals, and she somehow can compartmentalize how cute they are and pulling their guts out, or squeezing their brains out.

Trevor finally met the boy who lives behind us. He's a nice kid, also 12, who likes Legos, Yu-gi-oh, video games, trampolines, and building forts outside. They seem like a nice match and have spent some time together every day since.

Thursday:

School. The four of us went to practice at the soccer fields. Walk with Holly.

Friday:

School. More soccer. Trevor's team is doing very well, surprisingly not in first place though. They scored three goals in the first two minutes, and Trevor had an opportunity to play offense. Later in the game, he got to make a penalty kick. All of the other team was lined up against their goal. Trevor kicked, MADE THE GOAL, and the game immediately ended, 7-0, as any 7 point spread automatically ends the game. It was a great shot, a nice opportunity for him since he never plays a position that has a chance to score. And it was motivating for him to see that his extra practice this season has really paid off.

Saturday:

Worked. Walk with Holly. Robert started Mother's Day early by oreparing a seriously wonderful, easy summer dinner of BLTs, corn on the cob, and chips with homemade french onion dip (super healthy, with plain yogurt). He even bought my new favorite ice cream, Kroger's Amaretto Cherry Cordial. We watched Voyage of the Dawn Treader at night, unable to help ourselves from comparing it to the book.

And that was the week. I think.