Wow! Has it really been that long?

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since Nov. 7! Shame on me! But what I really want to know is....did anybody miss me?????

All is well here on the old homefront. The school year is going great...the first semester is behind us....and besides a few very small bumps in the road, things are going great! For the most part, the kids seem to love learning. We were SO ready for Christmas break. I think we had all reached "burn out point" in November. We are really enjoying the time off. We'll start back January 3rd, hopefully refreshed. :O)

Christmas was wonderful, with the exception of Amy not being here again. :O( Hopefully next year she'll at least be on the North American continent and can make it home for the holidays. I'll post a few pics of Christmas Day....this is the first Christmas we've had where there were NO toys!!! Woohoo! Nope...I don't miss those days of tears on Christmas Day because that favorite toy broke not 5 minutes out of the box. :O) Hope Christmas for you and yours was just as grand as ours! And now...onto the pictures!
First and foremost, here is Matt's annual Christmas picture....same ol' thing year after year. Soon as the gifts are opened and ooh-ed and aah-ed over, he snatches the first blanket he can find and covers his head and goes to sleep! hahaha! Wouldn't be Christmas without this picture.

Rachel got a really nice music stand for violin practice, a music bag, a purse, the cutest little pocketknife with flowers on it, and some books and clothes...

Jacob got several books he requested, a fascimile copy of the 1560 Geneva Bible (also a request), a slick new red dress shirt :O), a wallet, a watch, and a few other goodies... Katie got a much-wanted comforter set with horses on it, a coat, a neato put-it-together-yourself skeleton kit (I'll post pictures later when it's finished), an ant farm, some dresses, the same cutest little pocketknife with flowers on it that Rachel got, and several other things that made her smile and say "Oh wow! Thanks Mom!" :O)

I got a VERY nice multifunction printer from my Amy :O) I love that thing! And I got a bird feeder, (or should I say ANOTHER birdfeeder....I can never have too many of those things! It was filled with candy canes cause Jacob knows I love 'em!) and a JCPenney gift card (already spent it!) *excuse the picture...I was still in my jammies :O)

I'll try not to wait so long to post again. Until next time...tootaloo! :O)

The Torah

Jacob received the nicest gift from a friend the other day. Someone gave him a small Torah (about 6 inches). It's probably about 40-50 years old, I'm guessing, and was purchased in Israel. Of course, it's all in Hebrew so I don't understand one thing that's written! But Jacob is very interested in things like this and it has a special value to him. Thought I'd post a few pictures of his latest treasure. :O)

Rachel's Violin Recital

This past Saturday evening was Rachel's second violin recital. She was pretty nervous this time, but not as bad as the first time! She performed VERY well....playing a Bach piece entitled Gavotte. She said she made one little mistake, but if she did, I didn't notice! A new feature that was added to this recital was the new Strings Ensemble! The teacher started the group several months ago (the group consists of any of her students that were interested...about seven altogether) and this was their first performance. It sounded wonderful! So here are some pictures that were taken on he "big day".
This was taken at home before we left:
This was taken while she was waiting to perform with the ensemble: And this was taken after the recital with her teacher:

Neato!

Jacob and I did the most neato-est experiment in Chemistry the other day! (I know, I know...a homeschooling mom shouldn't use the word "neato-est" but it's the best way I can describe it!) Anyway, the purpose of the experiment was to get a rough idea of how small a molecule really is. In order to do this, we followed a process to dilute 0.5 ML of dishwashing liquid to 400.0 ML. We filled a large bowl almost full of water and let it sit. We calibrated an eyedropper to determine how many ML of liquid are in each drop....this turned out to be 0.026 ML. Next we sprinkled a light dusting of pepper over the surface of the water in the large bowl. Then we carefully put one single drop of the diluted dishwashing liquid in the center of the water/pepper-filled bowl. The pepper that was in the center of the bowl was pushed outward, leaving a clear circle in the center (see picture below). Why did it create a clear circle? Glad you asked. :O) Because the dishwashing liquid is made of several compounds, one of which is sodium stearate. The other compounds sank to the bottom but the sodium stearate remained on top of the water, spreading out as a single, circular layer of molecules. Using the measurement of the clear circle in the water, and several other calculations we determined during the course of this experiment, we determined that the width of the molecules in the sodium stearate is about 1.2 x 10(to the negative 8 power) What does a number like this mean? Well, the width of the average human hair is about 10(to the negative two power) centimeters. The size of these molecules is about 100,000 times smaller than that! Pretty neat, huh? :O)

Before...and After

Katie had a big day today! She got her braces off! Well...mostly. Before they even removed her braces, they placed some sort of retaining wire behind her four front teeth to keep them in position. (She still has permanent teeth that haven't come in on the sides of these four teeth and this wire will keep them in place until the permanents do come in) Then they removed the braces....at least for a year or so....then they go right back on. She's loving it! The orthodontist showed me a "before" picture of her teeth and I could not believe it. I had forgotten how "out of whack" they really were! I wish I could post the picture he had so you could see her teeth up close. But since I can't, here's one that I took just before she got the braces on. BIG difference. :O)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

A "gift"?!?!?

Hmmm. One of the neighbors came by yesterday evening with a "gift" for Katie. My first question when they told me they had something for her was...."Is it something alive?" Of course, it was. Everybody knows Katie is an animal lover. So...now we have a one week old baby Boer goat....and yes, it must be bottle-fed. Oh my. I am sure "Ramie" the goat will turn out to be one big pet. Boer goats are the ones with the long floppy ears...and ya gotta admit they're cute....for a goat. :O)

Ewwww!

Get a load of this guy! Rachel was in one of the fields today (between rainy spells) and found this huge turtle! I think it's a big snapping turtle because he has spikes on his back. :O) (I'd hate to run across him on one of my late evening walks!)

We're still around!

It's been a little while since I've blogged....but then again, I'm a busy woman! :O) All is well here. We've been on a bit of a short vacation. We went to the coast to visit my family. We don't get to go often, so it was a real treat for us! Thought I'd post a few pictures from the trip. Here's a picture of me with my Dad.....

and here I am with my Mom...

and here's a picture I took while Matt and I were riding the ferry from Southport, NC to Fort Fisher, NC.I took more pictures but not with "my" camera so I can't post those. (Mom, have you downloaded those yet?) :O)

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for a wonderful photo, please see below. This, my dear people, is a mud puddle!!! We got an all-night rain last night and it's rained off and on all day today too! What a blessing it's been! Wish I could pass the rain along to those of you who still need it. :O)

Ahhh! Thank you, Lord! :O)

Well, as you all know by now, it was with alot of sadness that we had to get rid of all the cows. BUT....I have to admit, it is a BLESSING to have one of them in the freezer!! Do you know how long it's been since we've had a T-bone steak in the freezer??? Little Miss Moo (please, don't think me heartless) has been gloriously preserved as T-bone, rib-eyes, cube steak, ground beef, beef stew, and any kind of roast your tummy can imagine! We are grateful to the Lord for using her. :O)

A poem...by Katie :O)

Katie sat down this evening and wrote out this little poem. I thought it was pretty good myself. :O) Nope. No prejudice here.

I've Got Jesus in Me

It's not a starry night.
But everything is bright for me
Because I've got Jesus in me!
Yes, I have Jesus in me.
I repented of my sin.
He made me clean within.
Yes, I've got Jesus within.
Yes, He made me clean within.

A sad day

We started hauling off the remaining 5 cows today. This afternoon I took my cow Anna (in the picture below...isn't she the most prettiful cow you've ever seen?) and another cow to the stock pen. They'll be sold tomorrow. *sigh* The last 3 cows will be taken off in the morning. Sad day. :O( I can't remember the last time these fields did NOT have cows on them. Jacob sold all of his goats the other day, so this is one quiet farm now. No moo-ing. No maa-ing. All I hear is a rooster crowing.

What? Who me? No, I'm not crying. I haven't shed a single tear all day. (But I did cry a bucketful yesterday) :O)

I will be glad when the wearisome drought is over.
II Chronicles 7:13-14 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Back to the lake....

Monday afternoon found us out on the lake again. It was hot, but we picnicked in the most shady, cool place! We anchored at the bottom of a rock cliff. It was just so peaceful and relaxing. Those barbecue sandwiches and icy cold Dr. Peppers sure hit the spot! I could've stayed there for hours!

Took an interesting picture while Rachel was dangling her feet in the water....

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is one content man.Along other news, it's still smooth sailing with school. We set specific goals for each of the kids in the beginning of the year, and they all seem to be moving in the right direction. We're thankful for that.

As far as the farm goes....well, we're still VERY dry here and the pasture is turning brown again quickly. Unless things change this week, we'll be selling the remaining 5 cows this weekend. :O( We just don't have much choice at this point. So....*sigh*....anyway, that's just the way it's gotta be for now. Lord willing, we can start over in the spring. We'll just see what the Lord has when springtime comes. :O)

That's about all for now. Hope everybody is well and happy!

The Boat

For those of you who know Matt....you know that he's wanted a boat for years now. Well, this past Monday, he took the plunge and finally bought the boat of his dreams. After recovering from the shock (we never thought he'd actually do it), I must admit we spent a very enjoyable Monday on Cherokee Lake. We rode out to Cherokee Dam (about 10 miles) then stopped at one of the many islands near the dam to eat and take a break before heading back home. *sigh* These big boys and their toys! Oh well....at least it's something the whole family can enjoy together! :O) I think we'll just have to make the best of it....shouldn't be hard to do. I've got a feeling I know where we'll be this weekend! :O)

Campout!

Rachel and Katie decided (absolutely positively for sure) that they were going to "camp out" in the back yard last night. They put up the tent, put their pillows and blankies inside, got into some comfy sleeping clothes, then settled in for a nice, cozy night. Oh, and just for security purposes, they put our killer pup, Diamond, in the tent with them. The dog loved it, but of course, she was the first one to conk out for the night. It was about 10:00 pm last night when they finally got settled in for the night. How long did they last?? Actually, alot longer than I thought. Rachel came in about 11:30...oh it wasn't that she was scared or anything like that. No siree Bob. She came in because her "tummy" hurt. Really. Felt much better once she got inside. :O) So anyway, Katie and Diamond hung in there until about 12:30. Katie's teeth were chattering (it got down to 54 degrees last night) so she came in and got in her bed. In the end, only Diamond remained. :O) But they all had fun trying. Another memory made.

Field trip!

Yay! We all love field trip days! Today we went to the Nathanael Greene Museum in Greeneville, TN. We never dreamed they'd have so much "stuff" in this place! We were pleasantly surprised. Though the museum is named after Nathanael Greene, they have just one or two artifacts of his. Instead, it covers much of Greene County's history, and was really was very interesting.
It contains many artifacts from Andrew Johnson's life....

Lots of old antique farm tools that were used in this area....
Tons of Civil War relics...Katie would ONLY pose with the Confederate soldier :O)....
There was also a room called the Greene Adventure Room where kids can go and "pretend" lots of things. Rachel was an "old" pioneer woman....
And Katie enjoyed posing as Davy Crockett. :O)
Jacob was busy looking at all the "serious" stuff. :O) All in all, it was a very interesting day...educational too. Yesterday was a school holiday (Labor Day) and today was a field trip. Tomorrow we have GOT to get back to the books! :O)

Just a brief update!

All is well on the homefront here, and hope all is well wherever y'all are! Let's see...nothing new and exciting to report...we're just going on with our little routine around here (which is fine with me!)

Garden is putting out a few tomatoes, bunches of okra (pronounced okree), and just a few cantaloupe. The cantaloupe are on the small side, but very juicy and yummy!

School is moving right along. Between the three different grade levels, we're covering everything from multiplication tables to thesis statements...and everything in between. :O)The new pup, Diamond is just full of her little wild puppy-self. She drags off anything that isn't nailed down! I'll be glad when the puppy stage is over. She's just so cute though!Thought I'd also post a few pictures of my little helpers in the kitchen. Here's Katie making some fried cornbread (mostly unassisted) and Rachel in charge of the stove. How nice that they're old enough to be such a big help!

Busy, but fun week!

I'll start this post by saying....I decided not to post any pictures of my beautiful canned produce. (Do I hear a roar of applause out there?) :O) And, YES, I have been canning again! Want a rundown on our winter store? Wonderful! I'd be glad to share that information with you...since you asked, of course. So here we go:
Tomatoes - 54 jars
Salsa - 5 jars
Green Beans - 61 jars
Apple Jelly - 3 jars
Chow Chow - 4 jars
Cucumber Relish - 14 jars
New Potatoes - 6 quarts
Freezer Pickles - 7 containers...but these little babies aren't going to survive the winter. We're eating them so fast I only have 3 containers left!
I'll probably still have more tomatoes to can. (We use alot of tomatoes in the winter for soups and chili and casseroles.) But I think the bulk of the tomatoes have already been squirreled away.
Along with other news, Joel, (Matt's brother) and his wife, Ivy, have been in from California for a visit and we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them! We don't get to see them often enough.
And....HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY to my sweet Mommy and Daddy!! Not only are they blessed with a long and happy marriage, but I consider myself VERY blessed to have them. :O) Anyhoo...that's just a (very) brief update of what we've been up to this week. Be posting again soon!! Tata for now!

More 'maters!

Are y'all tired of seeing pictures of my canned veggies? :O) My apologies, but I just have to post them! I so love canning! (Have I ever mentioned that before?) So just try to endure...summer is almost over and the harvest is almost past. I'll be done before you know it.

School is still going great! Katie is using Abeka for history and science, and all other subjects are by Christian Light Publications. It's our first year using Christian Light, and for her, it's working well. Rachel is using mostly all Abeka. Jacob's using a combination of curriculum. He's using Saxon for his Algebra 2, Jensen's Format Writing (which has been really good for him. He doesn't like writing paragraphs, much less research papers and reports, and this has really helped him alot already!) He's also using Exploring Creation with Chemistry from Apologia. The course is on a cd. It has videos and pronunciation helps. We'll be doing labs for that this year. Fun, fun! :O) Some of his other courses are Abeka also. All in all, we're off to a great start.

New Kid on the Block :O)

There's a new dog on the farm now...her name is Diamond (named for the "diamond-shape" on her back). Katie is just tickled pink with her, as you will see from the picture. :O) The only unfortunate thing is that she is a "she". (Hmmm, we'll have to do something about that.) She's just a few months old, and it looks like she may be a good-sized hound when she's full grown. Aw, but ain't she cute?

How's School Goin?

Glad you asked about school. :O) Actually, we're sailing right along...trying to get back into the swing of things. And, to be honest, it's going great! The kids are taking great pains to stir up all they learned last year. (You remember how it is...you tend to forget school stuff during the summer.) I am just having the BEST time with Jacob's Algebra 2!! I love it! I think it's the most neato thing to sit down and figure out an algebra 2 problem! Don't you? :O) Jacob doesn't quite share my enthusiasm for it, but that's ok...I'm sure he'll learn to LOVE math!! Yeah, well, so anyway...

I've been canning again today....some juicy, red, ripe tomatoes! I want to can every tomato I can get my hands on because we use alot of them during the winter. I hope to have enough tomatoes to make some salsa too.

While I'm posting, thought I'd post a picture of Jacob in his new suit....a belated birthday gift from Amy. :O) Pretty handsome, don't ya think? :O)

School Days!

Ah! The wonderful subtle sounds of pencils writing, papers shuffling, book pages turning, and the occasional cries of anguish are being heard in our home again! School started back today! I am always so ready to get back into the routine of things. Today went very smooth...we'll have to wait and see about tomorrow...but Day One was great! I think everybody's curriculum is well-suited to each student. That always helps. Thought I'd post pics of the kids going about their work. (By the way, the picture of Rachel looks like she is half-asleep. She wasn't. She was only half-awake. Just barely. She is definitely NOT our little morning person.) :O)

More taters!

We finally dug the last of our potatoes today. We didn't get quite as much as I had hoped, but boy, were there some whopper potatoes growing! They'll be good eating come wintertime!Our pasture has really greened up and thickened up in the past several weeks! It almost looks like springtime again! We've somehow managed to hold onto six of our cows....including our old faithful bull below. Hopefully we'll be able to find some hay so we can keep them through the winter. In case y'all didn't already know, we've got a true blue Confederate living here...five of them in fact. Here's a picture of Katie with her rebel flag. :O)

Back to Normal???

Vacation is officially over now. I guess it's time to settle back down to "normal" now....whatever that means! Amy was home for about 3 1/2 weeks and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was good to spend time with her. We did alot of things and went alot of places together.

The kids got to go to the beach and spend time with their grandparents...

We went to the Rocky Mount Living History Museum...

We went to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg... We ate at the Old Mill Restaurant in Gatlinburg also. What a neat place! They converted an old mill that was used from the early 1800s to the early 1900s into a restaurant. Good food, too. :O)

Oh, and I am SO enjoying my Japanese doll that Amy gave me! Isn't she beautiful? (I think of Amy everytime I see her!) All in all, we just enjoyed having all of us together again under one roof. There's just nothing quite like family. :O)

So....normal is back now. Next week, Lord willing, we'll be starting our new school year on Wednesday. We have all of our school books, everything is in order, and we're ready to go. We're trying out some new curriculum with some of our subjects, and I feel pleased with our choices. So, we're just gonna take a deep breath and plunge right in!! I'll be posting soon! Ta ta for now!