French Braids- Finally!

3 girls later,  I finally learned how to french braid!

Where do the Days Go?

 I have a confession to make.  I exposed my child to The Pioneer Woman.  I started reading her blog three or four years ago and couldn't get enough of her recipes.  She includes pictures every step along the way and as you read, it's as if she is actually speaking to her.  Her writing is very natural, and her pictures are gorgeous. As the couple years went by that I read her blog, I ventured to homeschool my girls, and my friend, Nicki, that had originally pointed her out to me, mentioned that she homeschooled her children as well. I've loved reading her posts, and since then, she has grown HUGELY!  She now has a tv show on food network and we faithfully watch it each week.  She now has her second cookbook out.  Emily adores her, rightfully so.  Her Nana bought her a whole cupboard and drawerful of cooking supplies and tools.  Besides reading, cooking is an outlet for her.  It brings her joy to bake for others.   Granny would be so proud.  (Above, Emily is following and making something from her blog, and below she made cinnamon rolls from her cookbook.  

 With only a couple coverings of snow this winter, Ellie made the most of it by playing in the snow and then drinking hot chocolate outside.

 I had a blast gathering all these creative ideas for Ellie to make these beautiful homemade Valentines, yet she insists on the premade Barbie Valentines. 

 Cincinnati Children's Theatre offers four shows throughout the year, and we've had the opportunity to see 3 of the 4.  Each show is better than the next.  Believe it or not, Pinocchio was one of our favorites, although the girls didn't really know the story before-hand, sadly.  The music and acting was beautiful!  Pinocchio was a boy from our church, which was pretty neat!

 The girls had to bring school work to the last show, because I helped a friend get the kids off the buses.  The girls enjoyed passing out programs as well.

 One of our favorite field trips was tapping maple trees to make syrup.  The girls learned so much!  This experiment focused on density.

New Year, New Experiences

We love Manna Cupcakes in Downtown Lebanon. Took a break from our school day and surprised the girls with a trip to enjoy a sweet cupcake. I wish I would have taken their picture of their faces when I told them I was taking them here... priceless.

Daily Grammar in the car while taking turns for piano.

One of our favorite traditions of the Christmas Season- we go to Christ's Church in Mason, where our neighbors attend.  We look forward to this musical/play production every year!

Incorporating art with our Bible story

Could my neice be any sweeter?! Addison Jean.  God does amazing things.  (And Katie and Brian make beautiful babies!)

This is just what swimmers do... drives me crazy.

Testing solar cars at Cincinnati Museum

Learning about Animal Adaptations

Creating music through symbiosis

A real elephant's foot....

Our January in a wrap!

Christmas fun!

 Why I let my posts go so long, I don't know, but here is a re-cap of December.  Sad I don't journal more, but surprise, surprise, one of my resolutions...  here's the Holidays (although it doesn't do it justice)

 Ellie and Morgan, Morgan and Ellie...

 Emily spent her allowance on Shoebox

 Sewing hats for local hospitals...

 Emily's spa time... 

 Annual Christmas baking

 Landon at Boonshoft

 Annual Gingerbread Houses

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas!  Love you all!

Snapshots of Christmas

I read a blog the other night where she snapped pictures throughout her house for her to remember Christmas in 2011.  I loved the idea, so here is a taste of our lives on Christmas one very quiet night as the girls were sleeping.  It was actually very special as I went around and tried to capture our lives in the here and now- so different than 10 years ago or even 10 years from now.  It was fun to reflect on each picture, and smile with each memory it brought. 

 

 Above is Handy the Elf, our version of Elf on the Shelf.  This is our 2nd year with him, although he was an imaginary elf for my sister Katie, as she was growing up.  He always left her notes and a special gift on Christmas, and now he watches over my girls, and the girls are truly mesmerized with the magic of it all. 

A special place where we hang cards, but also have a Santa's bag that my mom made that holds cards and letters.  I love both places, because I find the girls pointing and reminiscing about different families hanging on the wall, and also sitting on the recliner sifting through the Santa bag reading through cards and letters.

I love our new tree.  It's nothing extravagant or special, clearanced after Christmas at Hobby Lobby a couple years ago.  It has ended a cussing daddy unstringing tangled lights, only to find them burnt out, and it only comes in 4 or 5 pieces!  Before we had a tree that came from his parents and you could see the metal pole all the way down.    Although this tree is artificial, I grew up with a real tree that filled the house with such a wonderful smell.  I am sacrificing the smell because of my two girls tree allergies, but it's pretty cute in our corner of our living room.

I love this table, because it holds gifts that family and friends have gotten us.

This is a homemade advent calendar where you move the star and count down to Christmas...  I got it in a family gift exchange and I love it!

The front of our fridge.  Cluttered, but pretty symbolic of our lives.  A Bible quote the girls memorized a few weeks ago, a magnet Ellie talked me into shopping the other day, a countdown from a gift from a neighbor, a printout from pinterest, and a magnet that says pray (hard). 

My favorite.  This is my view from the kitchen sink where I pretty much live. The fish I've come to like that stares at me as I'm doing dishes.  We tried to put it on the shelf in the keeping room, but we forgot about it for about a week, and it was still alive.  So here it swims.  A frame and poem of Sandy, my mother-in-law, whom I miss terribly, more than words.  The mini clay figures of our family that Erika made for me.  They make me happy.

To the left is the Tastefully Simple spice rack I bought for myself for my 15 year anniversary.  Rob bought me flowers, and they were never delivered, so this is what I bought instead.  Use them everyday. :) Instead of dead flowers.  The frame is holding a picture of this years Christmas card and Rob finishing his marathon.  I've always wanted under the counter lights, but this counter light is as close as it's ever going to get.

Emily's make-do Christmas baking cupboard, right up above where she helps me bake.  When we went to build this house, our builder realized that we didn't have a pantry in our plans- so we had to squeeze it in our mudroom.  This cupboard we've made for the holidays, is perfect and so convenient!

Nan's card holder she painted when I was a baby.  I tease her and tell her I don't want to be fighting over it when she dies, so I was taking it now.  I know, dark, but it's one of my favorite things from mom.  The plant is from my "sisters" at church that sent me this when my grandpa passed away the same weekend when I gave a retreat at church.  I hope this plant lives forever.

My girls have been amazing this year.  They are going through their rooms and giving their sisters and family gifts that are very special to them.  They are writing poems, sewing, making clay pieces and so many more surprises.  love that! 

This picture of Em is taken so many years ago, but my favorite of her with Santa.  He was at Walgreens one year, and he was pretty amazing.  I could replace the pictures of each of them, but it would be taking away part of their childhood- and they are so precious!

This is a cup from the girls' piano Christmas party, and behind it are the boxes that have yet to be mailed to Operation shoebox.  The girls researched who and where they wanted to spend their money for someone at Christmas, and after watching the videos on their website, they were so touched and very willingly spent their chore-earned money on children who may only receive this one gift ever.  What a priceless experience for them at their age.  There are so many sad things out there, but this was perfect for them. 

The unfinished gingerbread houses because we ran out of icing, and i've yet to make some more.

Ellie made these :)

Merry Christmas!!!!