Homeschool

We recently pulled the littles from our public school system and began Homeschooling.  The littles were continuously coming home bruised and beaten up.  Everytime anything was questioned, I always recieved the same responses of no knowledge of an incident, or of them blatantly being harmed by other children.  Anytime this was questioned I would be told how those children came from "troubled homes". My question was "Don't you think if their parents had been held accountable, instead of excuses, that these kids wouldn't be coming from "troubled homes?"  If their parents were held accountable now, things would be different. Make them get a job instead of mooching off the government while staying home doing drugs.

Anyway, back to the subject- Homeschooling

We are brand new to this and still have a lot of learning.  Our back room was empty so we made a classroom.

We tend to be a little on the thrifty side so I made sure to look into getting items I needed for the best value.  My first need was a large white board.  I checked several stores and websites, but they were all so expensive.  I checked about paints and what-not. Then it dawned on me: White bathroom paneling. Off to LOWES I went! I paid $11 for a 4x8 sheet. It works great for my dry-erase board. We actually framed out one of the windows for it and then added cheap 1x3's for trim. I made our calendar with the left over piece. I drew out a calendar grid in permanent marker and used stick-on numbers and month. This also gave me the option to fill in weather with my dry-erase marker.

Every classroom needs tons posters and visual stimulation. I found some great posters at Dollar Tree. You get 2 for just $1! I then laminated them so I can use dry-erase markers when teaching. We found their desks at Big Lots for $9 and I hotglued their name tags and supply baskets (pencil dividers from Dollar Tree) to the tops. Oh, and my desk came from our local thrift store. $6 for the locking desk, and it even had the keys!

We still have a long way to go, but today was our first day of school, and it was extremely gratifying to teach the littles and see them respond with excitement.  They did awesome! I am thankful that I am able to do this with them.  We decided to do this because of horrible circumstances, but it has turned out to be a gift to our family. I will be posting more on our system in the future. Right now we are figuring this out. I have a couple of ciriculum resources that I'm using, I'll let you know which work best.

Happy Homeschooling!

Memorial Day Dedication

I'm sure if you are on Facebook, you have seen all the dedications to the veterans and Fallen.  To some this is an abstract thought, but to this family, Memorial Day is an important day.  Yes, my husband is in the military, but in the past 9 years we have lost some extremely good friends. These were friends that have changed our lives for the better.  There is no greater gift than lives lost protecting our country and freedom.  Our home has always been known for the place to come for "Momma" to feed you.  We have celebrated holidays, births, deaths, and just good times jammed into small houses with small tables. It never mattered where we lived, or how many people, all that mattered was Family and camaraderie, a place to gather and share a meal, and know we all loved each other.  Over the years we have gained so many friends that became family.  With that said, we also lost friends that will also be family.

After a lot of sweat and a little blood, the table is finished.  We felt it was appropriate to put it together today. Now we have a proper family table for the ones that are still with us.  As we come together to celebrate occasions, we will always the remember the one that no longer are here to gather.

Happy Memorial Day

Thank you to all that serve and to the families of the Fallen.

We used the plans found at http://ana-white.com/2012/11/plans/triple-pedestal-farmhouse-table 

If you are in the market for building home furniture be sure to check out her website.  It is absolutely amazing.

Pinterest Daily

Soooo, like many other ladies in the world, I have discovered Pinterest! Oh yes! I realized last week that I use it everyday. I use it for cooking, sewing, cleaning, and trying home remedies. I have found some awesome things, and I have ended up with some horrible non-edible messes. I am just amazed at how technology has given us an outlet to share the neatest ideas. Again, just another awe moment on technology, and yes, I truly believe our phones are powered by magic. With all that said, I'm going to start blogging my Pinterest adventures every few days. Hopefully you will find some great inspiration, or maybe just a good laugh. One thing that will be clear, is how much of a total dork I really am.

Monday- I was reading a blog on tons of things to do with old baby beds. You would not believe how clever some people really are. I was not in the need of  any benches or tables, but I NEEDED a puppy gate for my Rotties. I love them with all my heart and we kennel them at night, but sometimes I just need to contain them for just a bit in their own room. It gets a little crazy sometimes with the littles and dogs, and company, and the mailman, and the random doorbell ringing. Gracie (my hateful heeler) just jumps it because she thinks she's not a dog :-) After a few measurements, Mr.Man and I set off to the garage. He used the jigsaw to cut out simple U's for the gate to rest in because I hate the swinging. It always ends up broke in my house. Then I measured the doorway and cut the sliding side of the bed to fit. Ta-Da!

Not too bad if I say so myself. *Pictured is my sweet Lucy*

Tuesday- This was my regular bread day, no pinning. I make all our breads homemade and freeze them so they are ready whenever I need a bread. I like this better than the prefab biscuits. This way I KNOW what's in them. *Unfortunately, I do not get to eat any for awhile because I'm still 'fluffy'. It is nice to have in the mornings for the littles. I can pop a few biscuits in while they get dressed, and BAM, hot breakfast before the bus. I made 6 batches of regular biscuits, 2 batches of cheesey biscuits, 2 batches of cinnamon rolls, and some loaf bread. I just wish strawberry season would hurry up and get here so I can stock up on my preserves. 

Wednesday- Oh for all that is good and holy, I made the best burgers. I found a Pin that had no link. It was a picture of a burger with a pineapple slice wrapped in bacon. I knew this would be great! I used my usual burger recipe and then just added the goodness. Not sure if you're drooling yet, but you should!

Pineapple-Bacon-Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup Dale's

Sliced pineapples

1 pound bacon

• Mix beef, onion, and Dale's
• Pat out patties  
• Top with pineapple
• Wrap with uncooked bacon

I assume you could grill these, but I fried them in my cast iron on the stovetop on medium-high. I used a lid so that the burgers would cook through faster without burning the outside.

Now today was the kicker.

Thursday- Honey Mustard Chicken topped with cheese, bacon, and mushrooms. For the Original Post Let me tell you, it was AMAZING! Erika was on the money with this recipe! Be sure to check their blog for some really great recipes. I used my trusty cast iron and there are no words for how good it came out! I followed her recipe except for the cheese, I didn't have Monterey so I just used cheddar. The honey mustard glaze was the best I have ever tasted. This is definitely a MUST! 

Thanks for reading! Bare with me and I promise to get better at this. Next week I will remember to take more pictures.

Oh, and as always, don't forget to smile.

Bathroom Garden to Hide Stage Fright

We have this weird window in our bathroom that creeps me out. I have been reassured by many saying "You can't see through it", but I hate it. You have no idea how it feels to have stage fright in the middle of the night. I was playing around with the thought of curtains, but it's just above my jacuzzi tub. They were so awkward, I took them down. Then I had the idea of growing ivy and making a lattice for it to grow and cover the window. The more I thought about it the more I wasn't satisfied. I do not work for something that does not pay or can't eat. 

When in doubt and need randomness, where do you head? Number 3 and I went to good ole WalMart and bought a window box. We decided to plant some veggie seeds that we had left from last year! 

After much debate we used cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes. I love the way the plants smell and you can't argue with food! Number 3 was so excited about choosing and getting to play with dirt in the kitchen.

After a few days we were surprised by a few sprouts. We are at week number 2 and the tomato plants are getting huge! The cucumbers are little slower, but they are coming along. In the next week we are going to try putting up a lattice using handy-dandy 550 cord. Oh yeah, we believe in a healthy dose redneck around here. I am hoping with a little luck that they will blossom and fruit. After reading several resources, I'm not sure if they'll fruit because of the lack of pollination. Who knows? It would be nice to have enough tomatoes to make sandwiches and salads in mid-Winter, and enough cucumbers to pickle a few jars here and there. Either way, at least my window will be covered soon and I can have privacy in my master bathroom.

First Signs of Life in the New House

After buying most of the furniture we are finally getting settled in the house. This is definitely taking longer than any other move. We have literally started over! We were excited to sell everything and buy all new, but Mr. Man and I had no idea that starting over would be so much work! 

Anyway, sorry to ramble! I love Chickens in the Road blog because she always posts the neatest things! A long time ago she posted about re-growing celery in a bowl of water, and I thought "How neat!" Here is the original post Well now that we are living in a populated neighborhood instead of in the country, my growing options are limited. I want to grow some things in my bathroom window, and I figured this was as good a place as any to start. 

 I "planted" my celery. I was worried that it would not work because this celery sat in my frig for over a week.

As you can see, we still have a lot of growing to do, but it amazes me how fast this has grown in just two weeks.

If you were wondering, no, I haven't been sitting in my bathroom watching this grow! I have been working room by room while waiting.

Isaac's room was first. My little man is a nut! Yesterday he came running out with a cape on and announced, "My superhero name is ExtraLarge!" 

Then it was on to my girls' room! They are what you would expect from a 4 year old and 3 year old. Everything is pink and purple and looks as if Princesses exploded in their room.

Then it was onto the living spaces. I still have one living room that's not done. I firgured I'd mess with it later. A giant Christmas tree room keeps coming to mind ;-)

Then came our room. We have a king size memory foam mattress.  After looking at tons of beds I decided to build my own. There were two big facters 1)I'm cheap 2)if I can build it myself, why not?! I guess those two reasons are really just one, but back to the subject. Here is my new bed. I still lack the extra throw pillows, but you can see where it is going.

We are not doing the major decorating in this home because we only have 21 months left here. Now that the bare necessities are done I can move onto important stuff! Like kiddos and crafties! After lots of work I have my craft room up and running! It's not pretty or cutsy, but it is functional and actually really nice. 

So that was my last few weeks in a nutshell. Now that all is settled, I promise to post more often. I hope you enjoyed! Here's a parting thought, just in case you have not smiled today.

I Promise this Won't Become a Habit

First and foremost, my heart goes out to the victims and their families.  This horrible event has changed more lives than anyone will ever know. It is yet another situation when questions should be asked to help prevent this happening again in the future.

This post, and posts like these will not be habit. I do not believe in shoving my political views in people's faces, but this has weighed on my heart for awhile, and then listening to the news at 3:30 am broke my heart.

There is a good question that needs to be asked today. Is a handgun or vehicle more dangerous? If I do not have my pistol on me and really have the urge to kill someone, I would just run them over. If in doubt, backup and run them over again. The people killed yearly by vehicular man slaughter far outnumber the people killed by handguns.

Be prepared. Today we will be pelted with more politicians and such with more gun restriction purposals. They will spew at how the guns are at fault, but keep this straight, a psycho man killed those poor people, not a gun. Gun laws are at their strictest, but yet crime is at its highest.  It looks like this would make people open their eyes and realize we are going about this all wrong.  Instead of a state deciding who can and cannot own a gun, why not let EVERY citizen own a gun? We let EVERY citizen get a license to drive a vehicle.  I think there needs to be a serious reevaluation of the laws. Why not require anyone of a certain age who wants to carry a weapon to take a class? There should be a training course, written test, and actual skills test. Then be issued a gun license exactly like their driver’s license.  Then if there are offenses their license would be revoked, again, like a driver’s license. The class should be as extensive as  driving tests are meant to be.  Classes on general care, cleaning, handling, gun ethics, caliber, quick response, and accuracy should be taught, and then required to pass. There are a hundred different things that I have not mentioned, but I think you get the gist of what I am trying to put across. Not to mention, the economical boost. It would be an industry that would expand tremendously and create jobs. That is something this economy needs more than anything right now.

If there had been one, just one, responsible armed person in that theatre, there would only be two people in the hospital right now, the victim of the first shot fired, and the gunman. He would have fired that first shot and then the situation would have been handled. Gun laws do not stop criminals from carrying. They only make it harder for upstanding citizens to be armed. It took over two years for me to legally own a handgun in New York. Then, I was still not allowed to carry it. I am not trying to say this would be the perfect fix, but it would definitely be a better option that what is being placed right now.  I hate to sound like a close-minded old man, but carrying a gun is our Constitutional Right, but in law making, that really does not seem to have any bearing anymore.

Ok, I have said my piece. Thanks for reading. 

The House is Like Sex...

After having the perfect house sold out from under us, we finally found a home and are just waiting for it to be ready. We hopefully only have a few more days of hotel living and we will finally be home.

This home is definitely a compromise, but it will do. We will only be here for about two years and that gives me time to perfect, thoroughly research, and test methods of doing the things I want to do. So this home is like sex, some are just practicing, some are in it-to-win-it, and others are just doing it for old-time’s sake. (I know you’re smiling and wondering) We are practicing for our final home so that when the time comes to really settle in and plant roots, I will be ready.

My goal for the next two years is to become extremely organized. Not just once, but to live a productive and organized lifestyle. I want everything we do and every dime we spend to be productive, not just blown and wasted.  I want to HAVE what I NEED, and I to WANT what I HAVE.  I would like to say that the food we eat is grown by us, and things that we have are made by us.  Not only to teach my children to appreciate the small things but also for a physically healthier life.

Gardening:

The big challenge is the yard is relatively small. I will be learning how to grow my vegetables in containers and hanging down fencing and walls.  The goal will be to have the largest yield versus smallest growing area.

Cooking:

I would like to go almost completely organic. I am not fond of the thought that we intake more chemicals and processed goods than actual organic.  This even goes for meat.

Crafting:

Well, this is always the fun part of life. We own the tools to fill a work shop, everything sewing machine possible, and tons of crafting supplies. I want to dabble in, not just crafts, but actual clothing, furniture, and daily needs.

Family:

This is the most important one. My main focus is to do all this as a family. I want my children to grow up and remember working together to get things done. I want them to smile when they look back on life. I do not want them to think they have to buy everything under the sun to be happy.

Financial:

Our money goals are normally very private, but my cards are on the table. Our goal is to buy a home, not just a house, but a place with land and that offers the things we want to do when the Husband retires.  We not only want to purchase this home, but to pay for it in cash.

And then, to top it off….Get ready to laugh…We will be learning how to stockpile and build a supply to sustain us for long periods of time without having any kind of outside contact. Because you never know when the Zombies will attack! Hahaha! I know it may sound funny, and No, we do not believe there will be a Zombie Apocalypse, but you never know when there will be natural disaster, economic failures, or any number of things that would require you to be prepared. Plus, it gives me a legitimate reason to Coupon.

So in closing, here goes to Texas city living.