It's Thursday!!!

Outside my window...Sunny and 68 degrees

Around the house...not too bad except for my messy bedroom, that I would like to tackle today!

What I'm wearing...tinkerbell pj's (they were my girls')  would like to just make it pajama day and stay in them!

I am reading... I've actually got several going right now, but Dave Ramsy's total money make-over right now, and feeling partly hopeful and the partly frustrated

I am creating... I bought photo albms yesterday, so hopefully I will be doing that, we got some more ink for the printer, I will be printing off more lapbook stuff.

I am praying...for some needs of friends that I read on facebook, for myself, for my girls.

Family happenings...DD#1Leah made an A on her science yesterday! AND her Alegebra teacher says she's doing really well with that! PTL!   DD#2 Rach is learning to play the beauty and beast theme song on the piano and is doing well.  DD#3 is doing much better in math, she's reading books about bugs for her next lapbook. DD#4 dropped and broke her glass of orange pop last night, and has a small cut on her toe, bandaged with a Dora band-aid . DH is working his long day today  miss him!

I am hoping...I start feeling better today

I am thankful for...my life, for being a mom, and wife.

My plans for today...go get my eye-brows done, take DD#3 to 4-H meeting..do some housework and school in between...

Have a great Thursday!     ~Jill ~

A few weeks ago at the beach house we stayed at with some of our Homeschool family friends

on the way there

St. George Island

we arrived!!!

Denise here having a good time with the lapbook, Leah brought along

Leah teaching Denise how to put pics on facebook!

Rachel when we first arrived LOL

DH totally relaxin!

one the kids favorites!

Hope jumping in!

me and Emily's DH's

lovely ladys cooking supper

Amiee's baby's first time in the sand!

time for some crab huntin

the first one!

Rachel got one!

the little girls having a good time before bed time!

Hannah all dolled up!

Thats all for day one!    To be continued....

Outside my window~

got ya!  this "was" outside my window last weekend at the lake house!

In the kitchen~ well I have some mashed bananas mashed that need to be made in banana bread today!  Breakfast today will most likely be hot or cold cereal, leftovers for lunch or supper.

Beside my bed~ books! but one in paticular, I'm trying to read by Kevin Leman called Running the Rapids, it's about raising adolesants.

From the bathroom~

not sure if the barbies here were laying out and got too cold, or what! LOL!

I am thankful for~ a GOOD husband, my children, my LIFE.

I am praying for~ strength, and clarity of mind for DH and me to hear God.

I am thinking about~ how nice it's going to be to just be HOME this weekend (as we've been gone or busy the last three!)

I am hoping for~ cooler weather to come soon, and the bugs to go away!

In the School Room~ well, here it is, what we've been working on the last few weeks but completed yesterday!

Our lapbook! If you haven't seen one before, then here it is!

the branches of government was a neat little book she had to fill out.   at the top left the 123 book was the 3 things you need to do or be to become president

showing how you open up the little books in it  The Honesty flaps was neat, it asked what it meant , and why is it important to tell the truth..she put SO YOU DON"T GET INTO TROUBLE! good answer kid! LOL  and then it asked for a Bible verse that talked about honesty.

in the top left is a pocket booklet where we learned about when to capitalize president

inside the little book here is a pic of when he got shot  She was really intriqued by that pic

this was inside the chimney flap   I explained to her that a great deal of ABE's life, he was homeschooled!

the Gettysburg address inside the brown book (which she can look at and read when she's a little older)

the flaps at the top was the Math, I had to help her on the last few, but still a neat math experience for her

our little helper here, making her own creations by cutting pics out of magizines

I REALLY love this lapbooking thing! School has been more fun than it has been in a LONG time.  So we'll start on our next subject, and the older girls are excited to get thiers started (when they decide what its going to be about!) They have SO many interests!

I am planning~ to go to library story hour today, come home and do some Math with HG and hopefully take a nap, in between folding laundry!   

Have a great Thursday!!!  ~Jill~

On Contentment....  Last weekend our family went with DH to Tenn. for a Gospel Sing with the group DH plays bass for.  We stayed in a little lake house (nothing fancy, but very nice and spacious) The bathrooms were BIG, big enough to change clothes in, fix your hair, and whatever else you wanted to do!  The kitchen was big enough to move around in and pleasantly put a meal together (which I did, breakfast Sun. morn.)

So on the way home, we were all talking about wishing we had a bigger bathroom...when DH suddenly gets defensive and spouts off something about maybe in my next life...well that made me MAD!  Not wanting to get him any more riled up, me and DD's just hushed for a bit. Then when it came around again later, I tried to explain that its not for the sake of just wanting bigger and better things, but for the sake of trying to run a household with a big family, that some things "work" better, like more space in bathrooms, laundry rooms, ect.

He then says what he has said many times before"I'm just thankful for a place to live" well I am too GRRRRR, that statement always gets me, because I'm thinking while I'm thankful for that, can we not reason out the fact that we do need to make improvements, is that so wrong? Is it wrong then to plan to change some things for the better?  Does it mean we're discontent ?

I then came home from the weekend, and went to cleaning my bathroom like a mad woman!  I figured that I do need to be faithful in the least!  Conclusion..I'm alot happier with my small but clean bathroom now!  It does make a difference when we take care of our things.  And I had enough of some of my kitchen drawers, so I reorganized them, so I can enjoy cooking more because I can find my stuff!   

Also, close to that scripture I gave before about   godliness with contentment being great gain, well it also says how we brought nothing in this world and we will not take anything with us.  Not that I want to take a big bathroom with me, but It did help put things in prospective for me....that we are just here for a LITTLE while, we don't need to be so focused on early things!  A few weeks ago our pastor said to the congregation, how we ARE in love with things in this world. We want to say NO WE ARE NOT!  but step back and look at where we go, what we buy, what we do all the time...something to think about.

This has been quite a ramble, but I would like your comments again on this!!!!       ~JILL~

I finially got my brain to work on a long blog... and for some unknown reason the electric went off for about 2 seconds and shut me down completly! My big long blog was lost! Maybe I didn't need to say it!    I'm too aggrevated now to re-post it! Maybe later!  I will give you a hint on what it was about...1st Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.    The Lord brought that verse to my mind while I was typing that long blog! Anyone else struggling with this right now? Any commnents on how you've overcame???  

As I put on my facebook status a few days ago...sometimes I wish I could be like my cat! LOL!

After almost two years of being xanga friends, we had the privilage of meeting in person!

Let me give a little background here... our family was near where victoriantomboy lives, for a few church services where my DH 's gospel band was playing &singing. We had made arrangements way back in Feb. to try to get together!  

April Jo's salad!

DD Leah and April Jo

DD Hope and Brett really hit it off!

Hannah, Hope and Brett

Leah and Rachel and Brett

we've shared prayer requests, family concerns, mothering tips, homeschooling tips....the special bond of friendship!

I thanked the Lord for this special day (and my sweet DH for helping make it possible) God is Good!    ~JILL~

PS  lunch lasted about 2 hours!

outside my window~

I wish!!! It was outside my window a few weekends ago, when we went and stayed with some of our homeschool family friends.

Around the house~ Leah is reading to Hope on the couch, Hannah Grace is working on school on the couch, Rachel is getting ready to start school.

To do list for today~ Pack for the weekend at the lake house! Lots of laundry to get washed up, lists to make, ect!  Ok things aren't always as they appear....Beach house, camping, and now lake house? I can explain! DH's singing group is going to Tenn. for a Sat. and Sun service, soooo we're going along a day extra for a field trip!  As for the lake house..that's what the church is providing! So we're not really living the life of the rich and famous, we're just enjoying God's blessings for us!

I am praying~ for DH and DD#1 to get to feeling better. For wisdom and strength for myself on this homeschooling journey, for family in Ind.

I am hoping~ for crisp cooler weather in the mountains this weekend, and for traveling.

I am excited about~ the Abramham Lincoln lapbook DD#3 is creating for school, she is excited as well. We "will" be posting pics when finished!

In the Kitchen~ homemade veg soup DH made for us yesterday.

In the School room~ one of our silly cats is on my lap as I type! I don't know why, but she always jumps up on me when I'm on here, and I throw her down, and she repeatedly jumps back up!

I am reading~ trying to read a bargain book I got the other day about decorating your home, probably will take it with me this weekend.

I am sharing~ a few more pics from the beach house.

a relaxing spot

to say the least!

I about stepped on this little guy on my morning walk!

beautiful morning

reminds me of that song "Midnight Cry"

when Jesus steps out, on a cloud to call his children, all the dead in Christ will rise, to meet him in the air...  Anyone heard that song?

Have a wonderful weekend!   ~Jill~ 

Just had to share this...you know how you feel when you discover something new..like one of those ahhhh-haaaa moments?? Well I just have realized that by accident , kind of, I've been doing this with my very energetic 7 year old who my time to teach is limited with) that I've been giving her some coloring time when we start school at the school table. It is helping both of us! It seems to get her de-stressed and calm for when we start Math or whatever. It seems to give me a few minutes to get my thoughts together and be calm, or BLOG for a minute!  So I just had to share, and invite any of you today to share something that has worked for you...It doesn't have to be about homeschooling or children.    LOVE ALL OF MY XANGA FRIENDS!!!  ~JILL~

Sooooo, It's been a wonderful weekend...but now I have two in the bed, sick!  DH is famous for getting sick on our Anniversary weekend almost without fail! He was sick on on wedding day!  It's all that sinus and head congrestion stuff. Leah was fine until she went camping . she woke up the next morning when she woke up with a sore throat. Come to think of it...DH had been fighting it until we camped also!

So Friday, I blogged about earlier, then Sat we had our friends (originally from Ind) over for lunch.

Doug there being silly!

offering up the labor day sacrifice, LOL!

So after lunch we took them on a drive over to one of the campgrounds, where some friends of ours (church campout was going on. While we were there, our older girl's friend asked for them to come and spend the nite! Of course they wanted to, so back home we went to get thier things packed up!

Doug here again playing, and his wife Chris sitting there.

Hope enjoyed thier daughter Abby's company!

Hannah Grace and Christopher hung out together, he enjoyed some of Hannah's "boy toys" which with a house full of girls.. we do not have much of !!!!

We had a great time visiting and hearing about thier new adventures since they moved to Fl. two months ago.

We took Leah and Rachel back over to the camp ground to spend the nite, and we sat around and visited  a while, made a few smores ect. That's when we heard Hope (our youngest) tell someone she'd never slept in a tent yet...so that kind of pricked our hearts! I mean she's a month away from being 4! We had taken all the other girls camping since they were babies, but we hadn't camped since we had moved to Fl!!!  Our Friends Dan and Twila invited us to put a tent there on thier site. Soooo after Dave got home from preaching in the Prison, we packed up and went!  I told Dave "I know we don't really have time to go, but we really don't have time not to go" meaning our children are growing up, and now is the time to make the memories!

thats me and Hope thier making Bananna boats!

The older girls there in the purple shirt and the green one.

I'll try to post more camping pics later.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend, camping is a BIG job but I love to do things like that for the kids, they so enjoy it, and I want them to have wonderful memories tucked into thier childhoods!   NOW to get back to normal everyday life, laundry and school awaits us!!!!

Today was our 17th Anniversary, so we went out yesterday and spent the day just paying attention to each other, totally enjoying ourselves... while our sweet teenage girls babysat for us!  Today we had a visit with some Indiana friends who just moved here 2 months ago (well they're about 2 hrs away) and that was so much fun getting to visit with familiar friends!

And this is where we went...

we sat outside to eat...

we had some visitors....we thought they were so cute, looks like they were really having a conversation!

our little appitizer!

Then our delicious meal came

His

Mine!  Can you taste it?!!

a few shots from where we were sitting...

the boat back there bringing in more oysters!

we marveled at how these little guys were all lined up!

Then we went walking around the little town, checked out some antique stores and others...

Dave took this, he kept telling me to lean this way and that way, I had no idea what he was trying to get in the pic behind me! LOL!

and there was dessert...

So we needed to take a walk!!!

Dave having fun taking my pic

This is what I was looking at...

We had an absolute wonderful day together, it is such a blessing to be married to your "Best friend!"

To end the day, we went and did a little shopping at the Mall, I got some REALLY good clearences on clothes, Dave patiently waited while I tried them on!  Then to Sams for some groceries before going home.  Our 15 year old said "Good grief, you went grocery shopping on your anniversary date!" I said YES we aren't soooo selfish, we do want to feed our children! LOL!

As for the pics of our friends visit, I'm way too tired to post them now, so that will have to wait till tomorrow!  I also have some beautiful pics from last weekend's Beach House weekend we shared with some of our Homeschool family friends.     ~JILL~