Counting Down....

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!
We spent the day over at my son & daughter-in-laws house and opened our presents there.
I got a Nook Simple Touch with a Glowlight - LOVE it!! I have to control myself from buying books, it's just to easy to read one and buy another : )  My library has free lending of e-books but I can not figure out how to get it from my computer to the Nook, maybe one day I will figure that out.
Okay, Off of Christmas talk, are you sitting down.....
KELLY HAS A BOYFRIEND!
The so called "friend" she has been meeting up with for months at the movie theater, park & pizza place who I thought was a girl is a 20 year old guy.... She lied right to my face about this whole issue and it really hurts. I thought we had a very good relationship with each other were she felt she could tell me or ask me anything, but I guess not : (  From what I gather they aren't that serious with each other yet but the guy lists himself as "in a relationship" on his Facebook page (Yes, I checked him out on Facebook - I was dying to see what he looks like). I just look at Kelly now and think "Do I really know her"? Kids, It is one thing after another but you just got to LOVE them and see where it takes you.
On a sad note, We had 3 chickens & 1 turkey taken from our pen. We are not sure if it was a bobcat, raccoon, dog or person that took them, but what ever it was it was able to climb over our goat/chicken pen fence which is like 5ft. tall and pick up a turkey which was at least 12lbs if no more without dragging her and got her back out over the fence.... It was really sad because we have had Tomaseta for many years, she was like the grandma to the other chickens. We are now down to only two hens, I pack them up each night into a dog crate and put them away and let them out in the late morning just trying to save them from what ever it is raiding our pen.
My husband is still working - Yea! He HATES it and complains every day, but it is job!
Well I'm counting down the days till the New Year arrives - I pray 2013 is a better year for all of us!!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

It's Starting To Look Like Christmas!!

Only a few more days to go till Christmas! I am still not done with my shopping - Yikes! I will be out there on Christmas Eve for sure picking up those last minute gifts....

You know we are all really blessed,  Make sure you let all those you love know it!!

Happy Holidays!!

God Bless!!

Happy Holiday Season!!

I can't belive I have not blogged in sooooooo long!
Hope you all are doing well & are enjoying this holiday season.
I have been away from blogging & facebook and have missed sooo much of what has gone on with all of you - I'm sorry!
I was floored to read that of one of my dearest blogging friends husband had passed! It sure puts everything else into perspective real fast...... May God help ease her & her children's sorrow.
We have sure been having our lows here, but as I said when you read  about news like above all this stuff seems minor. Just this past week my husband got called back to work for a few weeks (Praise God) - He has been out of work for months...
Kelly finally got her driving permit, but still has no interest in driving. School has been horrible this year! I can honestly say it has been our worst year ever. She has no interest in anything..... She turns 18 in Feb. but she still will have one more year of schooling to do - God Help Us With That!
I have let candy be my rescue wayyyyy too much, I've gained more weight which just makes everything else seem worse. The lawyer issues I have been dealing with have taken a toll on me also, I pray that all of that mess will be wrapped up by the end of this year.
I still need to Chrsitmas shop, the holiday is almost here - YIKES!
Sending prayers out to all who need it during this time, the holidays can be such a tough time for some many....
Until Next Time - God Bless!

Suck It Up....

Wow, It has been harder than I thought getting back into the school grind! Neither one of us is in a school work frame of mind, but sometimes you just have to suck it up and do it!
Did I mention that Kelly stepped on a rusty old nail??? Yes she did! I had to take her down to the doctor's office and get a tetanus shot. She was actually pretty good in the doctor's office this time, most times she shakes so much that I worry they will want to put her into the hospital for tests : ( This time no shaking and no crying when they gave her the shot, I was a little wozzy tho.
My husband isn't working AGAIN, It is really unusual for there to be no work at this time of year so I am pretty nervous on where all this is leading to. We do have the money that I had gotten a number of months ago from my being the excutor of those wills, but the sad thing is I had gotten$12,000 and we are now down to $5,000! It is amazing how fast money will go when you have none coming in : (
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Back To School Time At Our House

Well we started the old school engine back up yesterday, geting back up and running is always a slow process in our house but we'll get there : )
It sure was nice taking time off from EVERTHING! We didn't do much but just the time away from thinking about schooling was nice enough. I did some reading, I devoured the "Fifty Shades Of Grey" books. I REALLY enjoyed them : ) So needless to say I am now on an erotic romance kick and need some new suggestions, if you have any please fill me in on them. Kelly went to the movies and saw that Batman movie, she went with a girlfriend she meet on that dam game, "World of Warcraft". Heck it was a bit strange having her meet up with someone she had never meet in person before but I figured the movies was the best place for that kinda thing. They had a great time and I am pushing for them to go bowling or to the movies again real soon.
I was away from your blogs for awhile and have missed SOOOOOO much, I will be getting caught back up with you all real soon : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Summer Time Frame of Mind

It's funny, I had such high hopes for keeping schooling going thru out the summer. From the start Kelly & I have been just like these to rams - butting heads! I should have just taken the time off and started up when the public school starts again but NO I had the grand vision to keep the train rolling in hopes we would get alot done. Instead it has been a battle almost every day. She needed that "summer time" mind set alot more that I thought she did.

I screwed up!

Reading the Newspaper : (

Honestly it must be bad for your health to read the newspaper!
I just glanced at USA Today and read JP Morgan lost 5.8 billion dollars (Didn't tax payers help bail them out in 2008!). Hope Solo says she and some of the other olympians were drunk on the Today show after partying the night before and that the one of the olympians describes the olympic village as a "frat party with a very nice gene pool." It also states that all of the clothes that the olympians will wear for the opening ceremonies were made in China (Are you kidding me)! And DON'T even get me started on the Penn State issue, I can't imagine how any human being would stand by and not bash the sh*t out of that guy if you saw him doing something like that to a young boy!! I don't give a rats ass who he was I would have kicked him in the personals and called the cops - End of Story!! Those men who turned a blind eye to all this need to rot in HELL!
See what I'm saying, the newpaper is harmeful to your health!

"Groundhog Day"

It is spooky but sometimes I think I am stuck in that movie "Groundhog Day", where the guy keeps living the same day over and over.... I do the same thing every single day it it is crazy!
On the school front: It has been moving in reverse. We start something and never seem to finish it : ( An example was we were reading "Adara" a intresting story which did capture our interest right from the start... We never finished it! I had inter-library loaned it and had to give it back before we completed it. So from now on I am not going to inter-library loan any books until we settle down to a more routine pace with the school work. One of the problem is Kelly has been staying up to all hours of the night playing that dam game "World of Warcraft"! Her friends are on till sometimes 4 or 5 in the morning and to top it off my daughter-in-law & son are now addicted to the game too so they all play at the same time. Which of course makes my lovely daughter a dream to work with duing school time... I guess I should have known we would run up against this problem since most of her buddies are off of school and stay up to all hours. But I haven't given up hope yet, I'm just going to streamline our studies for now and see how that goes.
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Nascar Vacation : )

This past week was my annual Nascar vacation. Twice a year Nascar racing comes down here to Daytona and I am there! My son, daughter-in-law & I went over to the track and saw the Nationwide race on friday night which was awesome! After last year we decided no to go to the Cup race and I am glad we did not it was a snoozer. My daughter-in-law was also nice enough to go with me down to get one of my favorite drivers autograph & photo "Brad Keselowski"! It was real hot that day and we had to stand in line out in the sun, my daughter-in-law was a real trooper. The kind people at the discount tire store where the signing was taking place gave out ice cold bottles of water to all of us who were in line which was a life saver. Had a fun time getting out and enjoying the time away from the house. I can't wait till Feb. for the Daytona 500 for my next get away : )

Happy 23rd Birthday Kristopher!!

On July 1st. my son turned 23 years old! I sat there while he cut his birthday cake wondering where those 23 years have gone! It really seems just like yesterday we strapped him into the car seat and brought him home from the hospital - He scared the life out of us coming into the world 6 weeks early but he now says he just wanted to see the fireworks on the 4th : ) He has always been such a wonderful boy and now has turned into a man I am proud to call my son!
God Bless him and may he have many more happy & healthy Birthdays!!

Last Sunday in June

We ran into a couple of rough patches this past week and also some highlights. A few examples were my husbands jeep broke down and my neighbors horses got loose. On the upside we were able to still repair the jeep so we are back to a two car family again - Whooo Hooo! Another positive I need to tell you about is I finished the book "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. At one point I even updated my blog saying I had to put the book down because it was so sad and hit so close to home having a Mom who suffered with emphysema and seeing her deterioration before her passing made me just tear up with each sentence in the book. I told Kelly about it and she said "Why don't you just skip that part and go on". DUH! So I did and Oh My Gosh!! I am so glad I did, I loved this book it was sooooo Good! I felt drawn to this book for some reason and now I know why, I could relate to ALOT of the book especially towards the end of the book where the the gal retells what her mom told her near the end of her life that she "never got to be in the driver's seat of her own life", that "I always did what someone else wanted me to do", and "I've always been someone's daughter or mother or wife", "I've never just been me"! Good God that is me to a tee!! That is exactly how I have been feeling lately and it was kinda shocking to read my same thoughts in the book.... Anyway, GREAT book if you get a chance read it : )

Jean Craighead George

I just read about the passing on May 15, 2012 of one of my all time favorite writers - Jean Craighead George! You can read about this amazing women and her passing here. I LOVE all of her books! Most of her books I have read as an adult since I was never aquainted with her or her books in my school : ( A few of my all time favorites are of course "My Side of the Mountain" (does it get any beter than that book - I don't think so, It may be my most favorite book of all time! "On the Far Side of the Mountain" & "The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo" are a few others. Kelly & I have read the books mentioned above but I really want to make an effort this year for Kelly to read a number of Jean's other titles as well for ex, "Julie of the Wolves" , "The Cats of Roxville Station" to just name a few of her other goodies.

Rest in Peace Jean Craighead George - You will be missed!

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

"Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

Good Grief! I have found another great book! "Wild From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed. My library from time to time gets new books in, I happened to notice this one and reserved it not knowing Oprah had also picked this book for her book club. I have just started it as I am up to my eyeballs now with books - Which I am loving by the way : ) By page 11 I am already tearing up and ready to bawl! I don't want to give too much away but the gal is with her mom in the hospital and the gal knows her mom has cancer. The gal is realizing she will have to live the rest of her life without her mom. Now having lost both my parents I can tell you it is a gut awaking when they pass on. You always feel like they are there for you, your own personal safety net when life throws you a curve ball you can either call or see your parents and they are always able to make things better. Once they are gone there is no one who loves you like the way they do and it takes a HUGE toll on you emotionally and physically. Page 11 and I am already drawn into the book, It's going to be a long book reading weekend for me for sure : ) I will up-date you as I get further into the book on if the great writting continues...

Until Next Time - God Bless

Lawyer Saga Continues : (

Sometimes I think I am in a bubble and I'm functioning but not really, Does that make any sense????
I am having another go around with the gosh dam lawyer, he is getting more and more fed up with me by his responses. What get's me so sick is I have asked him if he has taken the first part of his fee out of the account and if so how much was it? Also, I asked to see the bank statement for the estate account? Don't you think those are logical questions to ask? Well he wrote back with another nasty tone e-mail going all around the questions but never answering it.... He even said the folks who are getting the money are getting really impatient - HELLO!!!!! He has been the one holding everything up and he made it seem like all this mess has been my fault. I have still been trying to get the other $10,000 gift to me from the first ladies will (I still feel with all my heart that I am due that money and feel the families will also agree with me). He said to me if I contiune to presue it I am no more than a thief, that it would be just like stealing. He said if I continue without the families okay FIRST he does not know if he can any longer represent me! SOOOO he is pretty much playing the strong hand again to me.
I pray that GOD with take all this mess and iron it all out for me.... If you could send a prayer my way I would appreciate it.
Thank you!!

"Follow My Leader"

As we are working on the "Eye", Kelly & I are reading "Follow My Leader" by James B. Garfield. I had to inter-library loan the book and we got the 1957 edition of the book. What a great story! Our time with the book ran out and Kelly said "Now we won't find out what happens to Jimmy"! Heck anytime this kid is remotely interested in a book I'm excited. I contacted our library and we can keep it for another week which should be enough time for us to finish it. I just love the use of the "50's" language in the book! If you are doing an "Eye' study like us, I think this book will be a welcome addition to your study : )

Happy Monday Morning : )

Good Monday Morning!
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
We had a ton of rain this weekend, the poor horses were standing in water again.
We had been so dry here everyone was praying for rain so I guess our prayers were answered. I just hope we get a nice balance of rain & dry/hot because what we had yesterday was just as bad as a hurricane and we don't need that!
Hoping to tackle some of the school work I have planned, Kelly is starting Chemistry and the child has no interest in that at all YET. I am hoping by doing a few easy experiments that it might spark some interest in it. Hey you never know till you try something if you like it or not.... (yea, I'll keep telling myself that when I'm staring at her blank face looking back at me).
I also have been working very hard on getting my eating under control. I am such a stress eater that I need to get a handle on that for sure... I have been going for watermelon, cherries, grapes instead of my usual muffins. ice cream ect. happy to say I lost 4 pounds. Not great but it is a start, my start weight was 170lb. now I'm at 166lbs. I would like to add in some walking to budge some of this weight but I just can't seem to get out there. I am working on cleaning out the swimming pool and trying to get that back up and running - hard to belive but we never got it running last year at all. You would think living in Florida a pool would be a must but actually it just get's too hot and the water becomes so hot it isn't refreshing at all.
Well enough rambling from me, Hope you all have a great day!
Unil Next Time - God Bless!!

Can You Guess????

Okay can you guess what I was doing yesterday? No, I didn't go to Disney World! I went garage saling again! I'm getting to be a crazy shopper : ) I bought this pooh bear for a $1.00. I had no reason for buying him, but he was just so dam cute : ) My daughter-in-law and I really went out looking for a used washer and dryer that was listed for $50.00 for the pair but by the time we got there it had already been sold. This sale was one of those where the fellow was moving out of the country and was just off loading everything. I bought this bear and 12 vhs tapes (since we have no tv my husband watches tons of movies and always needs new ones which are getting harder and harder to find). We have been having alot of rain so the garage sales are having a hard time of it, but we had fun again... I LOVE garage sales!

Getting My Reading Groove On

I really LOVE to read and so often I feel like I don't have the time - Why the heck don't I have the time????? That is the question! I am now trying to make time for my reading, just giving myself time to dive into some books I have found a fancy for. As I mentioned I am reading "Last Child in the Woods" and also this goodie "Look Great Feel Great" by Joyce Meyer. I have read it once and now am going back over it as it brought up so many good things to try to make a better me : ) One thing that really jumped out at me was her saying if you lounge around in sloppy clothes with your hair a mess it will bring you down and lower your self esteem, by just spiffing up a little bit each day you won't feel so low every day. Now my clothes selection consists of just tee-shirts and jeans. I wear a size x-large tee shirts, I could get into a large but I have been happy wearing the bigger shirts they feel cozy to me but they look awful! One of my new me mission is to find some better clothes to wear and maybe get some nail polish too. I am also thinking in the near future of seeing about getting my hair cut and maybe getting my ears pierced again (I had two holes in each ear but over the years they have closed up). I am thinking maybe feeling a little bit more lady like just might put some umph into my day.... Anyway a really good book, if you get a chance and see it at your library give a look see I think you will like it : )

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

I Need To Take A Deep Breath!

I figured I better come here to my blogging buddies and take a deep breath before I go haul off an get myself into trouble!
You all know the ups and down I have had with the two lawyers who have been handling the will that I am the exector of..... Well I have been begging the guy to liquidate the funds to pay out a first payment to the families and take care of other matters. I have been asking for months now, I actually have an e-mail from him stating he would go to the bank and start the process on April 27th (I had been asking even earlier than that but he said he misunderstood what I was asking him to do). I have been e-mailing him from time to time to see how things were going and he would shoot back one condescending e-mail after another saying I don't understand the process it's not just a matter of writting a check and so forth. One e-mail when I asked if the checks had been mailed yet, he wrote "Nope". Roughly two weeks ago I wrote again and he said he was busy with a trial and he would get to me the next week, since I hadn't heard from him I e-mailed today. He wrote back stating he has an appointment with the bank tomorrow to get the process started. I almost choked on my diet pepsi, just getting the process started! I wrote him back highlighting the April 27th date and the part which he stated he was going to the bank and do you know what the asshole wrote back - "Nice Highlighting". My blood pressure is through the roof right now! I am so mad but I just don't know what to do about it, If I get cranky with him he could drag his feet even longer. If I ask him to wrap up the work he has done and that I want to take this case else where that would be so hard since I am here in Florida and all this is taking part in PA. I just HATE when people shoot off the condescending tone my husband does sit all the time to me and it makes my skin crawl I find it to be so degrading. Here this man is working for ME and talks like that to me in e-mails.... I guess he feels like he has me over a barrel and I guess he does : (
Sorry for the tirade I just felt it best if I share with you all and not shoot off a nasty e-mail to the lawyer which would get me in deeper sh*t!!

Last Child in the Woods

I finally got my copy today of "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv from our inter-library loan program. I can't wait to dive into it! If you might be interested in also reading this book, Nicole over at Journey to Excellence is doing an impromptu book study on it. I was able to read the introduction while at the library and it was such a eye opener & also made my heart sad. The book should be a goodie, hope you can join us in reading it : )

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Computer Problems : (

Haven't had my compuer the past few days. Our old monitor blew up which left me without a computer. I have to use a monitor since my screen on my laptop died. I called out repair guy to see if he had a) a monitor & b) to see how much it would cost to fix my laptop screen. Turns out it would cost more for the screen then I paid for the laptop : ( I was able to score a monitor from him for $20.00 so I am back up and running. I am a shamed of myself on how addicted I really am to the computer! I went to bed by 9pm. got up early in the am and then took a nap... all because I was lost without my baby. The repair guy is also looking at our older Dell laptop to see if he can get that one up and running, I really hate to spend too much on these older models so I am just keeping my fingers crossed it will not cost and arm & a leg to fix.
Now I am off to catch up on you'lls blogs : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Last Day Of May 2012

Here we are at May 31st. already!
We have been having internet trouble this past week. Okay, I have to say I was "almost" as bad as Kelly whining about no service. It would go on and then off which was so annoying. The Brighhouse cable guy came out both Tues. & yesterday and worked on it so hopefully we are back up and running.... Thank Goodness because Kelly had a glazed look in here eyes since she couldn't play World of WarCraft with her buddies, not sure where that was leading : )
I have been doing some work on my Blog changing everything over to the 2012-2013 school year. Since we are not stopping this year for any summer vacation time I figured we will just start our new school year right after June 6th. that's when our public school ends their school year.
Kelly just normally sleeps till noon every day, I have to go in and wake her up so not sure really how late she would sleep to. This is her normal schdule even before her new trend of staying up late with her computer buddies playing World of WarCraft. We get to school work as soon as she has her "coffee" a can of diet soda and wakes up a bit. This of course gives us no time to ride the horses : ( It is getting so hot already here that if we want to ride them at all we need to get out in the early AM which just isn't in Kelly's DNA. I have always been a morning person I LOVE getting an early start to the day, so it is hard to deal with Kelly being a night person but it is what it is as they say.
Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to getting a new school year going : )
Hope everyone has a wonderful last day of May 2012!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Garage Sales : )

My daugher-in-law and I went garage sale hunting today. This is the first time in many years that I have gone to garage sales, I had forgotten how much I enjoy it : ) When I was younger my aunt, my mother & I would go every Sat. morning, I was collecting odd shaped candles back then and would only buy if I found one or a treasure. Today brought back so many memories of those carefree days it felt GREAT! We got off to a slow start this morning but then stated hitting some goodies, My daughter-in-law bought a number of Christmas decorations, hanging plants and a beautiful glass table & chairs that will fit into their kitchen area just perfect. I bought two Magic School Bus books (.50 cents each), 16 Kids Discover magazines (.05 cents each), three movies for the VCR ($1.00 each) and 3 huge material bags for when I go to the grocery store so I don't have to use plastic bags (.25 cents each). I was so happy with my finds and I enjoyed my time away from the house, Can't get any better than that!
Hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day Weekend : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

All Moved In Already : )

Kelly & I went over to my son & daughter-in-laws house yesterday for Annie's birthday, I can't belive Annie has the whole house decorated already!! Everything is out of the moving boxes and put in it's place, all in just a week of moving into the place! Eight years later and I still have boxes we moved with that haven't been opened yet... this girl is amazing : ) She is now tackling the outside planting flowers and pulling weeds. They sure have it soooo cute and relaxing, I LOVE it there!

God Bless this home : )

A Bit On The Disappointed Side Of Things Today

Feeling a bit down today because of something Kelly said..... We were talking and I asked her "What was the name of the blind & deaf girl we watched the dvd about"? She did not know : (  This is the kinda thing that I deal with, She retains the bulk of what we are learning about but not the details like names and dates ect. To be honest with you I was really disappointed and felt really deflated. Now if I were to go and get more books out of the library to go over the Helen Keller story to try and hammer in the info. into Kelly's head, She would pull a fit saying we have already learned about her lets not beat the topic to death. I have read where you need to see something a number of times for it to stick in your memory so maybe if I get a white board and write the "Topics" of the week on it and she sees it each day maybe then info. like Helen's name might stick in her brain a bit better. Do you all have any tips or ideas I could use?
Speaking of Kelly she has a new addiction! I really mean it, this child is now addicted 24/7 to "World of Warcraft". She plays that game non stop, every time she is on the computer that game is on. Her online friends are all on there and they meet up in the game and fight things.... She has even gotten my daughter-in-law into it! You have to buy upgrades to level up your player and the real kicker is you have to PAY each month ($15.00) to play on line. It all seems crazy to me!! I'm thinking of ways to work her needing $15.00 each month into her doing more school work without the moaning and groaning.
Anyway, We will be motoring along with our school work this summer. We are NOT taking off for any summer vacation time. I'm hoping to get back into our more normal pace of things now that my son & daughter-in-law are all snug as bugs into their new home and loving it! Whoo Hooo!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Bird's Nest - Oh My : )

Today I found a bird nest in my dryer vent! Since the episode with the mouse/rat who tore open the vent hose I haven't been using the dyer and sure enough a mommy bird decide to use it for her nest : )  Can you see the baby in the second picture? I have seen a least two babies but it is hard to really tell they are in such a small space. I wonder how she will be able to feed them once they get a bit bigger....
Nature sure is amazing : )
Until Next Time God Bless!!

Miracle Worker & It's Official : )

As part of our "Eye" study we watched the "Miracle Worker" I don't know how it is possible, but I have never seen this movie before. Let me just say Kelly & I were blown away by it! It was alittle over acted in parts, but it sure kept us watching. Kelly said " I don't usually like emotional movies, but this one was good I liked it"! I have not seen any of the other versions either of this movie but this one was REALLY good I highly recommend it to everyone : )

Well it is official, My son & daughter-in-law are now first time home owners!! They had the closing today and they are happy as two peas in a pod : ) Today is also their 3rd Wedding Anniversay, What a great Anniversay present for the both of them I say.....

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

The Day Is All Mine : )

Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful Mother's Day weekend!!!!
I am home alone today, Kelly went to spend sometime with my daughter-in-law & son helping them get ready to move on Tues. (their closing on the house is at 8am).
I've been working on a timeline to go with our Mystery of History vol 1 studies, we didn't do the timeline or the memory cards when we started this curriculum and what a mistake that has been! We are both geting so mixed up on who is who, So I thought it best to do a quick timeline and jot down some notes on each topic we have covered so far.
We really enjoyed the entire dvd series of "Jacob's Ladder", Let's just say the electric went out for a few minutes and Kelly jumped out of her chair as soon as the power came back on and got the movie going again.... Now that's sayin something : )
Have you noticed how many "hot" topics of late have been in the news, breast feeding an almost 4 year old, same sex marriages ect. Even on facebook a gal started in that she feels teaching your kid to can fruits & veg. isn't schooling... What do kids REALLY need to know now a days????? I struggle with this often. Is it more important to cover topics that they will face out in the real world or for example things like forms of math you may never use in your life time. How much of the stuff you were taught in school have you really ever used???? I guess that's the beauty of homeschooling you can go in the direction you feel is best for you & your child, but DAM it sure can be mind blowing sometimes : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Too Hot Already : (

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile it has just been so darn HOT here!! We had no airconditioner so it was dreadful in the afternoon just when we were getting ready to do our school work : (  Last night we went out and bought one from Lowes $400.00!! Yikes!! I really hated to have to buy one but it is only May and we were roasting every day. It was the biggest model we could get that had out type of plug I figured it would at least cool off the living/kitchen area and that beast was heavy to carry into the house.... Well I hate it! I am so disappointed in it : (  For $400.00 I was expecting a power house and this thing is like a whimp not much power and cooling is okay, I was hoping for greatness and only got okay. To tell you the truth if I could of hauled that beast out of the window myself it would have went back to the store but needless to say my husband got it in there and it is staying.
On to other news my son got another promotion!! He is now going to be in charge of 30 people and have a number of very important tasks to do during the day, he also get's a nice pay raise. I am so very proud of him, he has only been working at the store for roughly 2 years! The closing on their house is set for May 15th., a new home & a promotion life is good for them - Praise God!!
Kelly has lost all her umph to learn to drive again : ( I'm not sure what caused it but it might have been that her car was acting up the gas gage even when you had gas in it would just shoot to empty and the light would go on so you never knew how much gas you really had.... then the engine light went on so I took it back to the car repair place we bought it from. It had no warranty or anything (that's the chances you take buying used) but the guy was nice and did the repairs for only the cost of the parts no labor. I am hoping today we just take the written test on the computer and see how she does and maybe once she has her actual permit and gets out on the road she will get the driving mojo back.
My husband is still working. Everyday can be a swallow the tears kinda day if I let it be... but I really try and not let things pull me down. This past Sat. he left for work at 6:30am and didn't come home until 8:30pm that night, no call or anything. He said he was playing golf with a few of the guys from work, then last night he said in passing that he hasn't golfed in over a week and a half.... I questioned him on it and he mubbled something and tried to let it drop that I had caught him in a lie. Like I said I swallow alot of tears some days : (
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Pulled An All Nighter

Don't you just HATE when a crisis starts at night..... that's what accured at our house last night at about 10pm. My horse started with the belly pains (stomach turning), he has had this before and we have walked him around the block a few times and it helped it pass. Well when it started late last night we could not walk around the block because there are no street lights and it would be too scarry. I walked him and walked him around the pen keeping him from going down on the the ground so he could not roll, that is what will turn the stomach and that would be very bad. By 2am. I could no longr get him up off the ground! We tried everything to get him up but he would not budge, I thought we had lost him for sure. Kelly & I went in the house we were exhausted and I must have dozed off for a few hours, I woke up about 5am and Roper was UP! He was doing just fine : ) It was like a miracle this morning seeing him look at me with those big baby eyes of his when I thought for sure he was a goner - Thank you God!!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

The Good & The Bad of History Dvd's

 We watched these two dvd's for our Mystery of History lessons:
Jacob's Ladder episodes 3 & 4 about Ruth, Naomi & Boaz was great! It really kept Kelly's attention with the kids added into the story. I have now put all of the episodes in my Netflix queue, we can't  wait to view them!
Now the next one Samson & Delilah was a different story. We found it to be dull, slow moving, poorly acted, alot a sexual overtones (and we hadn't even gotten to the part where Samson & Delilah hook up) that I just didn't feel comfortable with so we stopped the dvd and didn't finish it. : (
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Weird Day In The Kitchen

I had a doozy of a day yesterday.... First I was using my oven to cook up some lunch for Kelly & I. A short time later I smelled something burning, I checked in the oven nothing. Then the smell got worse and sure enough our food was all burnt! It had only been in less then 16 minutes at 375 degrees. I pulled out the burnt up smelly stuff and toss it out and turned the oven off and it won't go off! Now I'm starting to panic a bit, I played around with the dial and it still didn't go off. In my head I am thinking how am I going to pull out the oven and get behind it to pull the plug... not thinking the logical thing would be to just go to the electic box in the house and slap the braker off. It did eventually go off - Thank God!
THEN I'm cooking dinner - broccoli, fried rice & baked beans on the stove. I get everything done and I look at the broccoli and it had white thin things on it... right away I'm thinking the broccoli must have gone bad and some worms were on it - Yuck! So I toss out the entire huge amount of broccoli that I cooked. Then I look at the beans and there the white things are again, I'll pulling them out to see if I can figure out what they are before tossing out the beans too. Kelly comes over and looks at it and says "Mom, that's just some of the noodles from the fried rice" - DUH!!!!!! I used the same spoon to mix the broccoli, fried rice & beans!! How stupid am I!!  Hey, I'm going to blame this one on the pre-menopause brain. : ( 
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Kids Discover Magazine - Issues Needed

We are in search of these Kids Discover Magazine titles:
Ancient India
7 Wonders of the World
Ancient Persia
Vikings
African Kingdoms
Samurai
The Aztecs
Incas
We have looked on ebay which does have a few of the titles, but I would have to buy others that we aren' interested in. So if you have any of these or know of where I can get them please contact me - Thanks!

The Time Warp Trio - Tut Tut

We read this cute book today Tut Tut by Jon Scieszka as part of history lesson. He has written a few adventures for The Time Warp Trio but this is our first one and we really enjoyed it! I am not really a fan of fiction books for our school work but this really was a fun read. I know Kelly enjoyed it because she didn't want me to eat my lunch she wanted me to keep reading.... Can't ask for better than that! : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Froguts

You all have to check out this website Froguts and watch the demo here, You will be blown away by it! Being that Kelly & I are vegetarians we could never do any dissections on real animals so this is the next best thing! We will be using this for sure for our next years biology lab science.
Thanks to Almost Unschoolers for the posting about this great site!

Just Crazy Times!!

Here we are at another Thursday....
Things are still crazy here but Kelly & I did finally finish and pass her 4 hour drug & traffic class needed before she can take her written permit test. The permit test is 20 questions on traffic signs & 20 questions on traffic laws. She has NOT picked up the driving book to go over these things yet : ( I'm really trying to keep her moving on this and get her out there and driving!
I tell you I was getting worried yesterday I have been e-mailing the lawyer for days who is handling the wills and he wasn't getting back to me.... we had just liquified the ladies assets so he has control of over a million dollars right now at his finger tips and not hearing from him almost made me up-chuck. I tell you being an executor of a will is not easy it is gut wrenching at times.... I could not sleep last night so I shot him off another e-mail at 12:30am with my concerns and he finally wrote back this morning saying his work load is heavy and he was in court so he will no get to me until Monday or so.... I guess I should have expected that since he was paid a partial payment of his fee ($13,000), so now I am tossed to the back burner.
Also, Our horses broke out of the pen the other morning. Kelly & I drove around and around and could not find them (again thank God we have a car).
We went up to the black top road which has a bit more traffic just to make sure they weren't up there and sure enough there was a police officer, some ladies & my horses - YIKES! The lady who had them running in her yard was super wonderful, she said it was beautiful to watch them run and toss their heads and such. The lady actually drove her truck along side of us all the way back to our house so that she could drive me back to my car! There are still some wonderful people here on this earth : )
My husband is still working.... He has sooooo many issues I have to just leave all that in Gods hands because I am making myself sick over it all! I am a nervous eater and I have been packing on the pounds with all of his bull stink and it just makes me feel even worse about myself and I need to stop it. Dealing with the pre-menopaus also during all this has been terrible! Nobody really talks about how much it throws you on the ground and stomps on you!! I've been depressed enough with dealing with that and then all of my husband baloney just about puts me in the looney bin, but as they say this to will pass!! : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

First Attempt At Chow Mein

Wow, Did this turn out GREAT! Now if I can do it anyone can make this delicious dinner! It was soooo easy too which was a plus since I stink at cooking and you only mess one pan - Who caould ask for better. I added broccoli since we are broccoli junkies but I'm sure you could make this many different ways each time you make it and it would be awesome. I got the recipe for this Chow Mein dinner here: Homemaking on the Homestead Give it a try I think you will like it : )

The Other Shoe Has Dropped

Just when I thought life might be going "Good", I am awakened but again to what my life is really like : (
I have gotten two payments from the wills I was mentioned in and how wonderful it has been to be like other families for just a little while anyway who can actually breath knowing you have a little cash to back you in case of any unexpected bumps in the road, the ability to help others and so forth. They say money is the route of all evil but dam it sure makes life alot more fun. Now I'm not saying we went out and crazy shopped or anything but just knowing you could is a great feeling. I think you get the mind set I have been in, now comes the other shoe I should have seen dropping as they say.....
My husband says he gave his two week notice to quit his job!
Flashback to last year off of work for over a year, no jobs to be had ect. and this man wants to QUIT his job!! To say I was floored would be an understatement. He should be thankging God every day he has this job instead of quitting it. He says he no longer wants to be a painter that he wants to just do a job in a food store stocking shelves for example.
He has done this EVERY time in our life when we come into money, so I should have expected it but I thought after this last year seeing how hard it is for a 50 year old guy to get a job it would be different... I am so sick of it!! Sure we can live on the money for a good part of the year but then it will be gone! My son & daughter-in-law's closing on their house is scheduled for May 15th, We had given them some of the money to help them be able to get the house, this news of my husband quitting is just going to hit my son hard. I am sure he will want to pull out of the contract for the house so he can return the money to us. It felt sooooo good being able to help them that I would hate this to ruin one of the biggest days in their lives so I am going to try and shield this info. from them for as long as I can.
I have asked God to help me with this and to try and open my husbands eyes to what he is doing... Please send prayers my way if you could.
Thank you for listening : )
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Happy Easter 2012

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!! Hope everyone has a wonderful day and gets to spend it with those you love. For the first time since I think I have been on this earth I will not be celebrating it with an Easter feast with family members : ( My husband says he has work to do today on a side job he has but I'm thinking he is actually on the golf course. Anyway, my son & daughter-in-law were over yesterday for my birthday so I guess that was our family time get together. It sure isn't the same when you don't have a meal cooking in the oven and hidding colored Easter eggs outside for the kids to find (even tho they are 17, 21 & 22 in age).

Hope all of you have a Blessed Day today with your families.

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

I HATE Getting Older : (

Good gravy I turned 49 years old today!! Man I am OLD : (
My son & daughter-in-law came over and joined us for some pizza and then we ate this fantastic cake with ice ceam. It was really nice having the family together but DAM I hate getting older!!

On a happy note: The papers were signed today for my son & daughter-in-laws house, the closing date set by their realestate gal is for May 15th, that's their wedding anniversary date! I think it is a sign that this is the house for them : ) Still alot of hurdles to go thru before it is theirs but it's a good start!

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

House Hunting Almost Over - I Hope : )

I'm still holding my breath but it looks like my son & daughter-in-law just might be getting the house I posted about yesterday! The house was listed for $79,900, they offered him $72,000, He came back with $77,000, they then offered $74,000, He then came back with $75,500 and my kids are taking that price. They have to go and sign some more papers tomorrow and the sellers has to sign the papers also then starts the crazyness of the banks & inspectors for EVERYTHING so we are not out of the woods just yet but we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel : )
Keep them fingers & toes crossed!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Still House Hunting : (

Yes, My son & daughter-in-law are STILL house hunting!! The really cute pink house looks like it isn't going to work out. Now it is between this one which is for sale with an actual owner which is very cute and has a great back yard which I love or a much bigger house (a forcloser owned by a bank) that is double the size of this one. I just worry about the airconditioner bill ect. for tha big house but you know me I'm just a worry wort! The kids are really pulling for the bigger house, they are the only bid on that house but that means nothing the bank may just sit on it till they get a higher offer. The kids have to decide if they are going to wait for an answer from the bank which could come today or maybe next week sometime and risk losing this one pictured which they have a very good chance of getting. Can you tell I'm pulling for this one, I didn't even post any pictures of the bigger home : ).... Hopefully we will know today one way or another, Keep you fingers and toes crossed again!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Hitting The Road - Yikes!!

Kelly has finally decided she wants to learn to drive!! This is her first attempt at being behind the wheel of a car. She drove up and down the driveway, around the lawn and back out to the road. She was nervous but started to feel abit more confident the more times she did it : ) Yep, thats her car we bought her! As I said we needed a car in case we had to evacuate so we went out and got this one, it has a ton of miles on it but we like it. We had to put down $1.200 and pay $60.00 a week until it's paid off - We HATED the idea of having a car payment but I feel alot safer. We hope to get the four hour drug & traffic class out of the way this week (she can take it on the computer) so she can take her permit test and get her out on the road - YIKES!
Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Fire Season Is Starting Again - Yikes!!

Th other day Kelly & I were taking the horses out for a stroll when we noticed at the end of the road black smoke! Yes, I know what your thinking man they have alot of fires in their area and it does seem that way!! When I see that black billowing smoke I get such a feeling right in the gut. The fire was getting nasty so I jumped off of Roper and ran to my neighbors house who was two houses away from the fire to alert her. Kelly & I then went back home to put the horses away... Fire is our worst fear as we do not have a car to get away from the fire if it were to come or way which I tell you is a scarry feeling. We ran back down to the fire, there were loud pops going off not sure what that was but finally a polic officer got on the scene and told me that the man who lives at the house was not in the home at the time of the fire he was making his way home from the convience store on his bike but no one was sure what happened to his dog. It took FOREVER for the fire engines to get here!! I mean forever.... mobile homes burn fast. The man's home was totally lost but they did find his dog which was a huge blessing, this man had nothing else in this world but his dog. We all take things so forgranted that we seldom appreciate what we have - I now I have a BIG problem with that and after seeing that this guy who lost everything was so happy to just have his dog it really brought things into perspective : )

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

I Love Florida - Not!

This is what a woke up to this morning!! It must be scorpion time again here in Florida : (

This fellow was walking up the wall in the shower - Yikes!! I guess he was looking for water since we have been pretty dry here.

Until Next Time - God Bless!!

Air Show 2012

Kelly & I went to the Wings Over Flagler air show on Sunday. We had missed it last year so we wanted to make sure we went this year. They had alot more flying shows to watch which was really great to see. Last year one of the pilots crashed and died so they did the missing man formation on the fly over. Still the thing I like best is listening to the older men as they retell their war stories! You can see their faces when they look at the old planes it brings back some good and some bad memories. We owe so much to all of them!!