Simply Dawn

A Good Kind of Busy

It’s been busy on the home front.  Busy, but good.

The past several days have been productive.

There is so much to write about, and in my perfect world all the bullet points I am about to list would come each with it’s own post, but for now I will just catch you up a bit…

• we got a new van, 12 passenger
• we went to Wisconsin Dells for a family reunion
• we got the new van stuck in a friend’s driveway during the 18” snowfall
• we have painted the laundry room and wired in our second washer and dryer set *happy dance*
• I pulled out an old quilt project I started when Sybbi was a new baby and made some headway
• Flylady is painfully slowly but surely helping me to get my home organized
• my 365project is out of sync but I am having fun putting words in place of missed shots

Tonight is tutoring night and I have pizza dough and sauce made and ready to go along with homemade lemonade…now I just need to figure out a dessert.

Here are some shots from our busy morning…

our busy climbing boy…A few weeks back I went away for a girls weekend and David watched all the kids…when I got back he said he didn’t know how I got anything done.  John wasn’t climbing then…

administering a spelling test while pressing strip sets for a quilt…

Yep, it’s been busy but good and I hope all is well in your world.

Lovies,DJ

School Projects

Look what Addie did today.

Since we don’t ship the art project in, we have to take pictures.  We are limited to how many items we can transfer electronically so I take a bunch of pictures and use my CM Storybook Creator software to pull them all together.  Save it as a JPG and the teachers are happy.

Here is one that Gavin did last week for a planetary distance lab.
I am teaching them how to do the layout and labeling so that someday they will take over…but for now it’s fun to have an excuse to play.

I didn’t take pictures of filling out the valentines for the public school kids, but I will try to find some of their work to showcase.

Doing Life 6-25-08

Today, I conquered my computer...again!

I have been working this week on catching up on projects-procrastinated, and the computer was one of them.  Actually, the computer and the camera, because as you know, I have some sort of hang up when it comes to uploading my photos.  Today, I uploaded and then edited (you know, shift the alignment from landscape to portrait, get rid of red-eye, delete the really bad ones), and backed up to CD.  Now I am ready to clean up my camera and maybe tomorrow I will get some more pics taken...starting the process all over again.

I also finished up the window treatments for the boys room (which I plan to take pics of tomorrow and maybe even blog about some day).  They are happy to have somepersonal touches in thier room.  We painted it this winter and now with the treatments, the only thing left is to make quilts for thier beds...I know, I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew.

Other than that, we are keeping up with laundry and the math for summer.  I am trying to keep up with the housekeeping and child-rearing...even tried potty-training twins last week...not a pretty picture and decided to wait a little while longer.

My plans for the rest of the week are to possibly finish up the four or five year quilt so we can get it on the wall before this baby comes.  We have an event at the end of the week that should be fun for all and then R & R on Sunday.

Hope your week has been going good...oh, I almost forgot, I am starting to not feel as sick in the evenings...could July be the start of the Golden Months!

Lovies,DJ

Mondays

So, it is sooooo wierd to wake up on Monday and say to yourself, "Self, we have no homeschool for the big boys today."

"Really, are you sure?"

"Most certainly!  We finished the testing early last week and the new math won't arrive until Friday.  That leaves just the reading lessons with the Bear."

"Goodness!  Time does fly."

That's where it sits.  My crazy, fun, mixed-up life just got a little more mixed up and that's okay.  In light of no homeschool for the older boys, I am getting them going on housework.  I am going to get a bit done myself (upstairs dusting and vacuuming, perhaps the bathroom, and office paperwork).  Last week I completely cleaned the homeschool bookshelf upstairs and my little desk, as well as one of the student desks.  It is amazing how much that did for my cleaning motivation, hence the desire to keep it going. 

Last night, I finished one of the pantaloons for Addie and the outfit is adorable!  I made it a size 6, so it is a bit swimmy, but she should be able to wear it in the spring and possibly all summer next year, so that is encouraging.  I have two more pantaloons to make and then three play outfits are complete.  The boys desperately need curtains for thier room, so that is next on my sewing agenda.  After that, I will try to finish up the hundred-year quilt so I can have Dave hang it on the wall before the end of the month...not too hard of a challenge, but just enough.  Then I have to assess the clothing situation and make a decision about what will be sewn and what will be bought.  Hopefully I will get that done soon, before the garage sale season is over, and I can score some deals (and maybe some of you can help)

Other than that, the garage needs a good once over, and I am only talking about the common areas.  Dave will be staining doors and trim today, so it probably isn't the best time to accomplish that.  I am sure the customer doesn't want dust all over thier woodwork and then polyed over...but it could be a new look...we could be on DIY -- dusty woodworking -- think it will fly????

Alright, enough musing for now.  I pray that you are blessed with joy and contentment as you go about fulfilling God's calling on your life.  BLessings to you!

Lovies,DJ

DONE!!!!

Standardized tests are done...kaput...finished!  Happy dance!  Happy dance!

They were not nearly as hard as I thought that they would be to administer, and we were able to do it with all the kids in the same house...huge blessing not to have to run some here and there.  Anyways, it will be good to see results before finishing up curriculum choices for winter.  We will be doing Saxon math over the summer and getting the Bear caught up on Kindergarten.  Addie may start reading lessons and then we will see where it takes her...she has a strong desire to learn...or is it please...hmmmm.

Wow!!! A breather!

Lovies,DJ

Today

Wowser!  I have been gone a while...sorry!

We had a great time on Saturday for the scrapbook retreat and Creative Escapes will get my money every time I go out for scrapbooking.  I will write more on that later.

Sunday we went to Sunburg to visit our friends and see thier farm.  It was lovely and Kelly always feeds us well.  The two of us got to go for a two mile walk down a beautiful country road.  It was amazingly turbulent weather on the way there, but it cleared up to a beautiful day.  The kids had a blast and no animals were killed, so I'd call that a great day!

Monday, Dave let me sleep in and then he was off to do some work.  The kids and I did a little housework and lounged about watching TV.  I was able to get a good nap in and was cleaning house when we were invited to a grill out at our friends house.  It was a bit chilly, but the fire and food and friends made up for it. 

Tuesday was back to school day.  Not too rough, and I did get a bit more housework done.  The little ones even got to play playdough (such a rarity...stinky and messy!) and then puzzles in the kitchen, where I had them trapped with gates.  In the evening, after nap Gavin returned to us from our Sunday visit and we had a decent meal, and then a visit from April.  She brought a ton of homeschool items that she won't need and it will be a huge blessing to us!  We planned our Friday trip to Trader Joe's

Today, Joe is hard at work and he has won the customer across the street for his lawn service.  One steady customer and hoping for more.  He is soooooo close to being done, if not this week it will be next.  After that it is just the standardized tests and on to summer vacation.  We will do math and penmanship over the summer, but that's it!

I still have a bit of housework to catch up on.  I am hoping to get Addie's play clothes finished and then finish up the quilt.  Then maybe I can work a little more on Addie's scrapbook and then maybe post some pictures.

I hope that your day goes well and I will chat more when I can.

Lovies,DJ

Today

Here we go...into the weekend!  I don't know how long it has been since I have looked forward to the weekend so much.  Usually days just sort of have a rhythm, and it doesn't matter if it is the weekend or not.  Not so this time!

I do have a splitting headache, but here is my plan:

get packed for the retreat (yes it's only most of a day, but I have a lot of stuff!)
help with homeschool
laundry
prepare a treat for Sunday
clean house??? maybe a little

I hope your day is well!  I am praying for good weather and safe travel for all of you...even those I don't know.  I check up on you, you know, with sitemeter.  I can see where you are coming from and if you visited, I just don't know who you are, because you didn't leave a comment.  That's okay, I lurk at other blogs too!  It is so sweet that you stop by.  Anyway, that is how I am praying for you!  I will pray for the are that you are in!

Have a very safe and memorable Memorial Day Weekend.

Lovies,DJ

Today

Today we are battling through homeschooling...again!  Grueling!

I have to pull together my pictures for the scrapbook retreat.  I am doing the girls' albums, and I have to go all the way back to 2004.  In 2004 I had a hand-me-down digital camera from my dad.  It worked some of the time and sometimes not.  I still had my film camera and took a few pics, but there was a season where I didn't get many because the digital would be flaky.  It wasn't until Christmas '05 that Dave bought me the Canon ELPH PowerShot SD550 with 7.1megapixels...whatever all that means.  It has served me well, but seeing my friends new camera and the shots she gets has me repenting for covetting.  Anyhow, all this means that I have to wade through the film pics, digital pics that are printed or not, and photo CD's, not to mention all the cards and letters sent with pics to find all the pics of the girls.  Thankfully this winter I did organize all the printed materials, so that helps, but I should have started a little earlier in the week.

Other than that it will be a busy weekend.  I will post more later.

Hope that you are having a good day and that you are feeling loved.  If not, get Jesus!  You'll never have that unloved feeling with him!

Lovies,DJ 

Today

Today the battle to get the school work done wages on.  Perservere, perservere, perservere!

Gavin helped me with some chores in expectation of our guest who was unable to come.  I was to make lemon curd with my friend, Karen B.  She called me a little before she was supposed to arrive saying her son had just puked all over...no visit today.  I have some biscuits I made for the lemon curd and will probably bring her some, to bad there is no curd though.  Please pray for Karen and my visits...literally every time we try to get together there is a catastrophe with thier house or sick kids.

Other than that, just trying to keep up with laundry and get to that sewing room.  I have to also pull together supplies for a scrapbook retreat on Saturday...yes!  I get to go out for most of the day and scrapbook...if I get my act together.

I suppose that is it for now.  I am going to take people outside for a bit before pulling lunch together.  That will give my student some silence.

I hope that you have a great day and keep your focus on higher things while you are putting your hands to work!  Remember, if everyone goes to bed knowing that they are loved, then you did well!

Lovies,DJ

Today

Nope, I am not giving you a synopsis of the weekend because I am tooooooo tired right now.  Maybe tomorrow.  Today was grueling emotionally because we are coming to the end of the school year and the battles we face in just trying to get the work done.  I know, I know...we are homeschoolers, can't we just quit when we want to????  There in can lay a problem though.  I think sometimes you can take that path, but if you take it too often you set an example.  Then people begin to expect that when times are hard, you can just quit and try again (or not) later.  Anyway, that is where it sits.

Well, I also have babies that climb out of thier cribs and have to try to wrangle them.  I was sick as a dog at dinner because I cooked venison (only 2 pounds left PTL)

I better get, they have escaped!

Lovies,DJ