Lisa's Logbook - December 26

Outside: Snowy and overcast.

Sounds: James sneezing, Em and Suzy chatting

Home: hoping I can stand another week with the tree up.

Projects: Christmas cards (yeah, I know, I know!). and figuring out my new MP3 player

Pondering: how to re-do the chore chart; I usually make a new one each January.

Teaching: Xmas break!

Gratitude: Thankful that I was able to work extra hours to spoil my family for Christmas this year.

Recipes: Waffles with real maple syrup and bacon!

Duds: Black yoga pants, grey long-sleeved tee, socks, slippers.

Reads: Reading Sala's Gift (I set it aside for a week or so) by Ann Kirschner and Beguiled by Deeanne Gist. Listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Vids:
The Family Stone - a 3 kleenex movie, it's now a Christmas fav!
The Missing Lynx - a stinker of a kids' movie (but they picked it)
It's a Meaningful Life (Veggie Tales) - kind of a mashup of It's a Wonderful Life, Polar Express, and A Christmas Carol. Not so memorable really; we probably won't watch again
It's a Wonderful Life - I think I love every minute of this movie. The kids say they want it remade in color with new actors. They just don't get it!
Knight and Day - pretty good!
About a Boy - watched part of it on Netflix instant but ran out of time

Hopes: to locate a copy of the 1982 Tron movie that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for!

Love: doing the logbook, but next week I'll change it up for 2011!!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, Pride & Prejudice movie day, David's birthday (taking him and some friends to see Tron), thrift store sale on New Year's Day. Not sure what we're doing for New Year's Eve yet.

Pic: Love this pic of my kids on Christmas Eve!

Christmas Music - 10 Favs and 3 Stinkers

I've been listening to a lot of Christmas music lately, as maybe you have too. So, I came up with a list of 10 favorite songs. Next week (or tonight) the list could be different, but this is how it stands on Christmas Eve afternoon 2010. Some I just like the song itself and some I like a particular rendition. If I had a lot more time right now, I'd give you the music for all these, but you get the idea, right?

So, in no particular order:

1. Silver Bells

2. O Holy Night (any EXCEPT the travesty by Mariah Carey)

3. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

4. Wizards in Winter by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

6. Gloria by Michael W. Smith

7. Carol of the Bells (Straight No Chaser has a good version.)

8. anything at all by Johnny Mathis (nostalgia....)

9. Mary Did You Know (not sure which is my favorite, but I downloaded Kutless's version today)

10. Emmanuel by Amy Grant

And here are a few songs that make me change the radio station.

1. Christmas Shoes (Like the dying mom really wants SHOES???)

2. Little Drummer Boy (so repetitious.....so repetitious)

3. Simply Having a Boring Christmastime (Oh, that's not the title???)

No Words

OK, I'll admit it. I haven't written 1000 words a day at all this week. Or most of last week. Too busy with Christmas stuff and working.

Lisa's Logbook - December 19

Outside: Dark, cold. Winter.

Sounds: Movie on TV, chuckling from the kids, and the text message alert periodically

Home: Tree up and presents mostly wrapped.

Projects: Christmas cards and cookies

Pondering: some healthy eating changes

Teaching: Xmas break!

Gratitude: A very satisfying family Christmas celebration

Recipes: Penuche, fudge and cookies - sugar overload!

Duds: PJ's, robe, and woolen socks

Reads: Reading Sala's Gift by Ann Kirschner and Juliet by Anne Fortier. Listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe tomorrow.

Vids:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Was disappointingly not very much like the book. Unlike some have said, I don't think it quite captured "the spirit" of the Narnia books. But it was entertaining. And quite scary and violent too.
Castle (Season 2) - 3 episodes while wrapping presents
How to Train Your Dragon - watching now (Gerard! Butler! With an ACCENT!)

Hopes: Suzy to have a wonderful time with her grandparents, aunt, and cousin

Love: shopping online!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, making cookies, visiting a friend or two, going to look at Christmas lights, wrapping presents, Christmas Eve service?

Pic: My siblings and me (in the red)

Lisa's Logbook - December 12

Outside: Very cold and very snowy.

Sounds: Furnace kicking on

Home: Put the Christmas tree and decorations up today, Also went through all of Suzy's clothes and most of Emily's.

Projects: Wrapping gifts, addressing Christmas cards, baking holiday goodies, and some last minute shopping

Pondering: the ways I am an enabler and how to stop it

Teaching: lots of reading aloud and Christmas preparations

Gratitude: that I stepped out of my comfort zone and it turned into a good thing

Recipes: Roasted a turkey and then made the carcass into SOUP

Duds: PJ's, robe, slippers, and woolen socks

Reads: Started Sala's Gift and have as a book by Deanne Gist waiting to be started. Going to start listening to The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe tomorrow.

Vids:
Sorcerer's Apprentice - liked it very much; helps that I enjoy Nic Cage
Date Night - I saw this in the theater and it was pretty funny so I watched it again on DVD
Charlie St. Cloud - I'll admit to putting this in my Q because it stars Zac Efron. Yeah, yeah, I know. But it was actually very enjoyable and I would have liked it even without Zac. And there's no basketball, no dancing, and no singing! LOL
Disney's A Christmas Carol - I avoided this last year thinking: 1) why do we need ANOTHER version of A Christmas Carol and 2) Jim Carrey? Really? But we read the book for book club and voted on seeing this version. And surprisingly it was REALLY very good. Do yourself a favor and watch it. I was pleasantly surprised.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Even though this came to theaters in June (I think), I hadn't seen it until now. As far as a representation of the book, I think it was pretty good. My conflicting feelings about the Twilight Saga itself remain the same.

Hopes: my friend's foot surgery goes smoothly and her recovery is fast and effective

Love: my husband!

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, Gymnastics, Leadership dinner, maybe a movie or time with a friend, Christmas party, and then Family Christmas in GR

Pic:

1002 words in 30 minutes

1001 words in 33 minutes

Christmas School Day 1

Day 1 of Christmas School:

Sadly the day had to begin with a long lecture from mom on doing what you're told.
Read aloud a chapter from The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
Read aloud a chapter from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Each child did their regular math work (50 min for the older 3, 30 min for Suzy)
Each child did their regular reading (Emily finishing Pride and Prejudice, David began Mansfield Park, James is reading the Phantom Tollbooth and Suzy worked on Explode the Code phonics online)
Suzy and David put lunch on (sandwiches) and James and Emily cleaned it up.

After lunch, I pulled out some old Christmas cards and the kids worked on making THESE ornaments while listening to Kenny G holiday music. The ornaments turned out to be too hard for everyone except David, whose ornament turned out very nicely. He also finished Emily's. We used the glue gun instead of tacky glue. The little kids had trouble getting their circles a uniform size. If I had helped, I'm sure they could have managed though. (I was working while they attempted this project.)

We also discussed some gift ideas throughout the day. And I roasted a turkey.

Attitudes were bad all around today. Hopefully tomorrow will bring out the Christmas cheer!

Lisa's Logbook - December 5

Outside: Dark and only in the 20's - BRRRRRR!

Sounds: Utter silence except the clock ticking and my typing

Home: trying to figure out where to set up the Christmas tree

Projects: Decorating for Christmas, baking for Christmas, making and buying gifts, oh - and writing 1000 words a day

Pondering: why people back out of things (is that vague enough? lol)

Teaching: Finishing up reading aloud The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and also Voyage of the Dawn Treader, so we can go see the film over Family Christmas weekend

Gratitude: Spent a really nice day shopping with Suzy today - even though our ballet tickets were not honored, we had a lovely time together.

Recipes: FUDGE! Going to make FUDGE!

Duds: jammies, robe, slippers, fuzzy pink socks

Reads: finished everything I was reading and haven't picked up something new yet. I have Sala's Gift as well as a book by Deanne Gist waiting to be started.

Vids: Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, an episode of Clean House (Netflix instant) as well as a ton of movie trailers on Zune (Xbox Live), and I think there was something else, but I can't recall now. Oh yeah, Van Helsing! (very Christmas-y, LOL)

Hopes: this week is fairly clear so I hope I can get a lot accomplished off my "to-do" list rather than my "run-around" list, if you can catch the difference

Love: sleeping in on Sundays (yeah, this is probably a BIG part of why we haven't found a new church - lol. Yes, I know, we're lazy! So, sue us!)

Plans: Working 5 hours M-F, a couple of meetings (both on the same night at the same time?!), ordering stuff online, a gingerbread house party, babysitting fundraisers?, BOOK CLUB!

Pic: I think this may be one of the best photos ever taken of Emily. The others aren't bad either. And did I order the pix? No, I did not. But I will.

NaNoWriMo Final Report

Final NaNoWriMo report:
We all finished and surpassed our goals! Cue the wild cheering and throwing of multi-colored confetti!!!!

Lisa - 50,009 (ok, so I only went 9 words over! lol)
David - 50,497 (goal 50,000 - 1st year for the whole enchilada)
Emily - 15,438 (goal 10,000)
James - 10,001 (goal 5,000)
Suzy - 3,569 (goal 3,000)

We all printed out our cheerful NaNoWriMo winner's certificates and today we attended a wrap party. It was really intended to be a write-in, but just about everyone there had already finished, so we just partied instead. A lot of friends did NaNo this year and quite a few of them finished - so CONGRATS to all you 50K achievers! And if you tried and didn't hit the 50K mark, there's always next year!

We will edit in January and I've set a goal of completing the editing this year instead of letting it fall by the wayside. From looking at their rough drafts, I can see what each child needs to work on (ie. paragraphing, quotation marks, capitalization, etc...). So we'll set aside some time for grammar, spelling, and punctuation editing and some separate times for content editing.

Suzy won't be editing for grammar and punctuation since I typed hers. She can use her time better working on her phonics to increase her literacy. Next year, she can type her own book maybe!

I won't be editing mine anytime soon (or ever?). However, I plan to pull out the 2008 NaNoNovel I wrote and finish editing that one. I've also already started writing a new novel as part of Inkygirl's 1000 words a day challenge. Click the badge or check the sidebar for more info.

Lisa's Logbook - November 28

Outside: Sunny and cold

Sounds: David arguing with me

Home: Going through my file cabinets of old teaching stuff

Projects: Visiting Churches

Pondering: why do the kids always put the meat in the FREEZER when they unload the groceries?

Teaching: Oh my, need to think about Christmas School

Gratitude: Thankful for my job.

Recipes: James likes to bake! Ain't that a grand thing?

Duds: jeans, red long sleeved shirt, NaNo hoodie, socks and tennis shoes, curled my hair, decided makeup was too much work.

Reads: reading Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig and listening to Scream-Free Parenting by Hal Edward Runkel; going to move on to A Christmas Carol when these are done

Vids: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (on Nick - bleh), Prince of Persia (loved it! Thought I would not enjoy it)

Hopes: that I can do most of my Christmas shopping online within the next few days.

Love: WINNING NaNoWriMo! What a feeling!!!!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics open gym, writing, co-op, James' birthday and a birthday party

Pic: The kids' table at Thanksgiving (check the difference between the plates in front of Suzy and James - closest to the camera. And yes, James ate all of his.)

Free Christmas Music

You can get lots of free MP3 downloads from Amazon. I suggest googling "free amazon mp3s". But here's a list of Christmas albums to get you started.

The Incredible Singing Christmas Tree - Veggie Tales
Sugo Music Free Holiday Sampler
Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler
Timeless Christmas
The Bell Medley

I don't start listening to Christmas music until Thanksgiving. :-)

Enjoy!

Lisa's Logbook - November 21

Outside: Probably cold. Don't know. Have not gone out. Sick.

Sounds: Smile FM

Home: Bob fixed the dryer! Yay, no more damp laundry hanging about!

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: where I picked up a nasty stomach germ

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: the youth retreat David went on this weekend and the scrapbooking day I got to enjoy with friends

Recipes: butternut squash soup

Duds: PJ's, robe, fuzzy striped pink socks

Reads: just finished Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich (read it all this afternoon) and getting ready to read Rhett Butler's People

Vids: Sherlock (PBS - 2 episodes - WOW!), Just Wright

Hopes: that no one else in my house gets this stomach bug - NASTY

Love: HOBBY LOBBY! Omigosh!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics, traveling for Thanksgiving, lots of writing, a babysitting fundraiser

Pic: I've not had a chance to add a pic! Sorry!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!

NaNoWriMo update

I haven't talked much about NaNoWriMo, but the kids and I are participating again this year. They've all been very motivated, due in part, I'm sure, to the reward system I have in place. They get a reward for each 10% goal - some small like a package of Mike & Ike's and some large, like Emily's regency dress for the ball. Some are privileges, like staying up late. I mostly made them things I would probably buy anyway.

So here's our progress:
Lisa - 29,595 (goal 50K)
David (10th gr) - 28,387 (goal 50K - first time he's done the WHOLE THING!)
Emily (8th gr) - 12,020 (goal of 10K met! But she's not stopping now.)
James (5th gr) - 7,419 (goal of 5K met! He's aiming for 10K now.)
Suzy (3rd gr) - 3400 (goal of 3K met! She's aiming for 6K now.)
I transcribe for Suzy, because her reading/writing fluency is low.

We set our goals as suggested by NaNo's Young Writers Program - at 1,000 words per grade level. Except for David who decided he could manage the entire 50K this year. Oh yeah, and Emily wanted hers set a little higher. However, three of the kids met their initial goals halfway through the month, so I think the goals are great for beginning novelists. Kids who have done NaNoWriMo before probably could have a bit more challenging goals. Next year I'll keep that in mind.

I've had some great plot discussions with each of them. David always helps me with my plot as well. We used only a small part of the workbooks from the Young Writers Program. Emily found the character worksheets helpful and all of us used the plot rollercoaster. We also sent away our inner editors.

David and Emily and I have attended several write-ins, which I personally have found very helpful. James attended one, but he was not very focused.

OK, time to move on! Oh yeah, I bought a NANOWRIMO hoodie this year and I've worn it every day since I got it (Nov 5). (Mine was a second, so it cost less.) It's so warm and cozy and it fits great! LOVE IT!

Lisa's Logbook - November 14

Outside: Dark and cold.

Sounds: Movie on tv, David talking with me

Home: Trying for some organization and extra cleaning

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: beginning my Christmas shopping

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: thankful for the discount grocery store near me
(I have a hard time being trivial here. I always want to say - friends, family, God....)

Recipes: Made lemon bars and key lime bars for the dessert banquet.

Duds: PJ's, robe, fuzzy striped pink socks

Reads: listening to Pride & Prejudice, reading A Smack on the Side of the Head

Vids: Life as We Know It (theater - predictable but good), Gone with the Wind part 2, Went with the Wind (Carol Burnett Show), The Losers

Hopes: a 5000 word day soon! Monday???

Love: seeing my kids so excited about writing! James met his goal today!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, co-op, lots of writing including a write-in

Pic:

A Change to Win $100

I love reading Lynette Kraft's blog. It's always cheerful, fresh, and just inspiring. She's a woman who hasn't let life's problems weigh her down but always rests in the knowledge of the love of Jesus. Her love for her family always shines through and encourages me.

Win $100 Gift Certificate for CSN Stores from Lynnette at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground!

Lisa's Logbook - November 7

Outside: Sunny but chilly.

Sounds: Christian music on radio, Bob shutting the front door

Home: Moved a dresser downstairs for Suzy since hers died.

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November, oh yeah and fundraising for the Regency Ball

Pondering: what to do with my story, which I detest

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: So thankful to live in America after reading the description of the famine in Malawi about 10 years ago.

Recipes: ohmygoodness, am I supposed to cook?

Duds: grey long-sleeved tee, red sweats, socks, and slippers, hair in ponytail

Reads: almost done with Gone with the Wind (on audio) and just finished The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwambe and Bryan Mealer (my mom's suggestion - HIGHLY recommended! I'm going to read it to my kids.

Vids: Beezus and Ramona (SO adorable and entertaining), Sense and Sensibility (two versions), The Last Song (I wish some other young actress had been cast as Ronnie rather than Miley Cyrus.)

Hopes: that calorie counting will show some results soon!

Love: my NaNoWriMo hoodie! It's soft and warm and fits me perfectly!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, gymnastics, David's awards banquet (2nd year varsity soccer), lots of writing

Pic:
This wig is making the rounds.

(BTW, I would share the pic of Bob from his work costume contest, but he told me I can't put it online. But I can email it to you if you want to see it.)

Lisa's Logbook - October 31

Outside: A lovely fall day but COLD

Sounds: Clock ticking, furnace running, and candy calling shrilly "lisalisalisalisa"

Home: HUGE piles of candy

Projects: NaNoWriMo is all I can handle for November

Pondering: my crazy main character named Marjorie

Teaching: Writing (novel writing, to be exact)

Gratitude: To have such wonderful parents! Love you, Mommy and Daddy!

Recipes: Planning to use the slow cooker a lot. Was given a HUGE roast, so will be serving that up!

Duds: jeans, long johns, squareneck multicolored top, grey hoodie over top, slippers and no socks (and my feet are cold)

Reads: Gone with the Wind (on audio) and Ann Rule's new true crime book.

Vids: The Lake House (man, I love that movie), an episode of Blue Bloods (a fav of sis Janet and mom),

Hopes: that I can manage my time wisely over the next 30 days - write 50K, work 88 hours (or possibly up to 110), get everyone where they need to be, keep the groceries stocked and the food plentiful.

Love: getting lost in my writing

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, 1 last soccer game, a homeschool meeting/write-in, another write-in, co-op Friday, a movie night with the teens, and other stuff too..... Just text me. lol

Pic: David/Ted at the Circle K

Day Off

So.... I bet you're wondering what our "day off" of lessons actually looks like.

This week, I scheduled our "day off" on Wednesday since I knew that would work best with the schedule. Usually it's a Friday though.

David was asked to do some computer networking at a small private school. A friend volunteers there because her daughter attends. This is the 3rd day David has worked on their computer lab. He is getting all the computers in the lab connected to the internet. So, that's David's day. (He reports that the computer lab is all set up now. And yes, he got paid!)

Emily had a field trip today with some other teen girls. Her "beautiful you" class at co-op had free makeovers scheduled and then lunch out! This is great for her - time out with agemates and practice with life skills (choosing food and ordering for herself in a restaurant).

James and Suzy had a lazy morning. We dropped Emily off, then they watched a Bionicle movie James had requested from Netflix. Then he was recruited to pick some butternut squash from a local farmer's field to be donated to a food bank. He was gone for several hours doing that. He was treated to a McFlurry and pizza while he was gone. He brought back a whole bunch of squash that I have been challenged (yeah, you know who you are!) to cook and eat.

That left only Suzy at home with me. That happens so rarely I was taken aback. Then we decided to have SPA DAY. She had gotten a manicure/pedicure science kit. I know - sounds weird. We had to mix up all the components for the hand soak, scrub, and lotion. V. cool. We did our hands and feet, buffed our fingernails and painted our toenail. I also curled her hair. She loved it all!

I also got 4.25 hours of work done during the day, scrubbed the stovetop and cleaned under it, scrubbed a wall, hung out 2 loads of laundry and brought them in (they dried in record time due to the wind). I read a couple chapters of Gone with the Wind. Then I got dinner ready and headed out to a book sale with a friend, picking up David on the way.

Now I'm home with my box of books, settling in to do my last 45 minutes of work for the evening.

[Oh yeah, forgot to say that I also made three phone calls that I have been procrastinating for a long time. One of them since JULY. lol]

Lisa's Logbook - October 24

Outside: Was sunny earlier, but is now overcast and 68. (The day turned sunny and GORGEOUS - a jewel of an autumn afternoon.)

Sounds: Bob and David talking, Christian music playing, James and Emily doing dishes

Home: Carving pumpkins today

Projects: getting prepared for NaNoWriMo

Pondering: how to balance the needs of each family member in finding just the right church setting

Teaching: Same old, same old?

Gratitude: David wants to play soccer again next year! He had a good season!

Recipes: Fried chicken legs, ummmm.....

Duds: brown pants, brown embroidered top, brown socks, loafers, and makeup

Reads: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (audio) and Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (memoir on friendship)

Vids: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (at the party, talking the whole way through! LOL), most of Luther (with Joseph Fiennes, about Martin Luther), Moonlight Serenade (not worth it, despite Amy Adams), an episode of MI-5 season 7

Hopes: David and I have a plan for a how-to book.

Love: walking with a good friend on a sunny afternoon

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, Soccer games for 2 of the 4, gymnastics, Emily field trip,

Pic: Will the real Ted please stand up?

Choosing Kids' Activities

Something about standing in the shower makes me think. Maybe it's the fact that I really can't multi-task in there. LOL So, the other day, I was mulling something over in the shower.

I was wondering why parents give their kids so much choice over their activities. I don't intend to offend anyone here, so please reserve your judgment.

My kids don't get much choice over their extracurricular activities, nor over their curriculum - at least not in cases where I have a strong opinion. I know many families handle this differently, but for us? I feel that we as parents have the better perspective, including the wisdom to look back over our own choices and see where we might have chosen better. We also understand our schedules, our wallets, and our willingness (or non-willingness, as the case may be) to drive all over the county (or even the state!).

I don't have the sort of kids who want to sign up for everything. In fact, if I didn't sign them up for sports, art class, field trips, camp, etc..., then probably they'd just sit home. That's not acceptable to me. I want them to have cultural experiences, to be active, to make friends, to learn about the world.

As an example, probably only one, maybe two, of my kids would choose to play soccer if left to their own devices. But all 4 are playing this year. All have played soccer most years since they were five or six. The years they did not play, we ended up regretting the choice. Soccer works well for us, but it might not be the best choice for your family. My point is not to go sign your kids up for soccer, but find what works for your family and insist upon it.

This fall I've signed three of my kids up for gymnastics without even asking them. I want them to do something active over the winter since they won't have soccer to keep them moving and our climate is not conducive to a lot of outdoor activities from December through February (or more!). Other things we've tried over the winter haven't worked well for us, but I have high hopes for this. Anyway, my point is - I made the choice. They were not consulted.

At some point, kids must learn to manage their own time, desires, and money. I offer my older children a little more autonomy, as long as acceptable alternatives are explored. For instance, David chose not to do our monthly art class anymore. I required him to continue to explore artistic concepts on his own and he has. However, he also requested not to play soccer several years ago, so I gave him an alternative - be sure to include physical activity in your schedule two or three times a week in good weather. Just like soccer would require, you know? Did he do this? No, he did not. So he ended up back in soccer.

Some of you may be thinking - that wouldn't work for us. The kids wouldn't do it. Well, mine aren't usually happy about the idea either. Oh well. An opportunity for attitude adjustments.

They'll thank me later. Right?

Sketch Tuesday Report

Harmony Art Mom's blog presents a weekly Sketch Tuesday challenge that we are participating in this year as a component of our art curriculum.

Two weeks ago, participants were to sketch something you drink. All the kids completed this one quickly. Here is the Flickr collection of all the submitted drawings from that challenge.Suzy's drawing is the "cover" illustration! Here are the other kids' submissions: DAVID, EMILY, JAMES.

Last week, participants were asked to sketch something you would see in an art museum. Here is the slideshow and links to each of our drawings: EMILY, JAMES, SUZY. (David did a sketch but it was not done in time to submit. His was a nice sketch of medieval armor and weaponry.)

Want to participate? Go HERE for this week's challenge. Then send your drawings to her in email and she'll include them in the slideshow.

Soccer Pictures 2010

David - Faith Falcons Homeschool Boys Fall Soccer
Emily - AYSO U14 Girls Travel Soccer - Renegades
James- AYSO U12 Co-ed Soccer - Dryden Team 1
Suzy - AYSO U10 Co-ed Soccer - Dryden Team 1

Lisa's Logbook - October 17

Outside: Going to be 60 today and SUNNY!

Sounds: old praise and worship audio cassette

Home: Replaced one large computer desk in the living room with a small table since Bob got us a couple flat screen monitors. No more huge computer monitors for us!

Projects: Costumes! Still!

Pondering: a NaNoWriMo idea - something different?

Teaching: James has a nature field day scheduled this week.

Gratitude: thankful for a lovely lunch with two college friends this week.

Recipes: Cake truffles - yummmmmmmmmy!

Duds: Jeans, pink long sleeved tee, socks, wet hair

Reads: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (audio) and The Exile by Diana Gabaldon.

Vids: Iron Man 2 (second viewing, with Donna), Gone with the Wind (1st half at book club), Babies (loved it! But there was a lot of breastfeeding-type nudity, so be forewarned.)

Hopes: that Bob can find a car he likes within our budget

Love: going to be a broken record and again say - LOVE MY BOOK CLUB! Love my Rollickers!

Plans: Working 4-5 hours M-F, Soccer practices and games for 3 of the 4, co-op, Bill & Ted party

Pic: I would put a pic here of David and the change he's made in his appearance but he's asked me to wait! So, imagine what might be different about him. LOL

Project RED

Project RED is offered by the local Farm Bureau for local 3rd graders every fall. Suzy is my last 3rd grader, so last Tuesday I hopped in the van with her, picked up a friend's son, and headed to the fairgrounds. There were around ten presentations by local farmers and educators covering everything from sheep shearing to the importance of growing corn. They got a goodie bag to take home, as well as some popcorn and an ice cream sandwich to eat there.