11/05/2011

This Week At Our House: Week 9 of School

IF you were visiting at my House right now you would hear the crackle of the fire, Christmas music, the washer, and the parakeets. The wonderful smell of a mint yankee candle and chocolate coffee would greet your nose. Outside it is a blustery Winnie the Pooh kind of day.
On My Heart:
This has been a month of change at our home and in our hearts. After 11 years at our church we have been called to leave. At this time I wish to not share the details. I am excited as we step out and see what the Lord has for us.
My mothers heart was torn this week to watch ds 20 have to deal with his car breaking down and the cost to fix it just too much to justify with the age of the car. So proud of him for working it out and getting another car with his savings ( money I am positive he had earmarked for future things)
The gals did a great final push to get all their school work done to complete week nine. The first quarter of school is behind us! AND we are on schedule. This is amazing considering all the life interruptions we had. Very proud of them.
Family Fun
We do not celebrate Halloween in any way shape or fashion. With that said we decided to call our pumpkin carving ART. The kids spend a considerable amount of time with their "squash medium".
This is the first year we have not gone to our church fall festival on October 31st. We have never carved pumpkins before ( yes you read correctly). So the kids carved, dad lite a fire in the barrel and I went to find the Smore fixins. The kids art work was fabulous!
Such detail. And concentration.


 And the oldest child lite his pumpkin with coals from the fire. ( resourceful since we only had one candle). It was a fun family evening.

In the Kitchen:
This week has been a nice mix of simple food. Sliders ( small hamburgers) on Yeast Rolls, Beef Nachos ( done in the over to perfection),Broasted Chicken and Potatoes, Steak and Baked Potatoes, Tacos, Leftovers. I love how lunches change when the weather gets cold. My favorite is tomato soup and any kind of sandwich. Kids still love Mac and Cheese and Hot Dogs. Another favorite is Tuna Casserole.

The above dish is a lovely casserole from the 1960s. We are trying to make smaller portions so when I found this at a thrift store I just had to get it. The price and size were right!  I have a lovely collection of very large casseroles...most serve 12 to 20. These are great for bulk cooking, pot lucks and holiday feast, but not so great for everyday cooking. ( if you are trying to cut back on portions) Another reason for the smaller size is that not all family members love corn pudding, sweet potatoe casserole, green bean casserole,and a few more must haves for the holidays. So this year I am making half recipes so as not to waste so much or have leftovers looming from Thanksgiving till Christmas and Christmas till Easter!
Speaking of waist ( not waste)...homemade bread is amazing. Self control is a must. I do enjoy making it every week. Its healthy, ( in moderation), and very economical. The above is bread waiting to be decorated with pizza toppings for Pizza Toast. This week we have also enjoyed Yeast Rolls, Butter Bread, and Biscuits. This coming week I plan on making Apple Bread and Pumpkin Bread in my bread machine. I love that homemade breads do not have additives or preservatives.
In The School Room
So happy to be on to quarter 2. I did a lot of tweeking to our lessons to make them work with whats going on in life and am really looking forward to a fresh start this coming week.
Several times this week I have had to push back tears as I think my 17 yo is a senior...sigh. You would think that with the third one it would be easier. But the Lord made each of them so different and so very special...no cookie cutter schooling/parenting here!
We finally said good by to the crystals. They became quite large and were very cool to do. As you can see by the photo they were falling apart.
On the Creative Side
I am finally finishing up this afgan!!! Remember, I got the yarn for free last year? So excited to finally finish a project. ( and no I do not know what stitch it is...I made it up cause I just cannot read directions correctly)

This sums up the feeling around here on a cold day. Cozy and snuggled up on her favorite persons chair. She was waiting for my husband to come home. And yes her underside is peach colored. This is why I named her Fancy Rose.


We ventured into the attic today to fetch boxes of winter clothes and our coats. I spied all the christmas boxes. Oh must have self control! Just a few weeks and I can decorate for my favorite holiday.

5 comments:

  1. Oh, my! After that first paragraph, I sure wanted to come over to your house!! Sounds lovely. I also love your casserole dish. It is quite beautiful. Lovely week. Your menu sounds yummy.

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  2. Sounds like a great week, and very similar to our day, with a far, and warmth while it's snowing outside. I love the afghan, so pretty. We don't do halloween either, but I love what you did with the pumpkins. I pray you find the church the Lord has for you. :)

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  3. Yay on finishing your afghan! Your home sounds warm, inviting, and filled with love and peace. Praying you stay so throughout this change of churches, and the holiday season! I am looking forward to Christmas as well :-)

    {{{HUGS}}},
    Lori

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  4. Oh, what a cozy week! Everything sounds calm and lovely in your home right now; I'm so very happy for you!! I, too, have battled those tears as well. (((hugs!)))

    Your stitch looks like a single crochet stitch. To help you along if you'd like to branch out, did you know YouTube has several crochet videos? In case you're a visual learner (like me). I have to read a pattern a dozen times before it can take shape in my mind, and if I can't envision it, I can't understand/do it. But we persevere!!!!

    You are an encouragement to me this morning. We have a house full of sickies, and I'm stressing over falling behind. I'm going to let all of that go and just BE and enjoy the rainy, cloudy, dark day.

    Be blessed, and thank you for sharing your week with us!!
    Have another lovely one~
    Shani xxx

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  5. I just wanted to let you know I have an award for you over at my blog...
    http://homeschooljournal-bergblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/versatile-blogger-award-from-our-side.html

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Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Psalms 143:8