Catching Up: September

Yeah, so I haven't blogged in a awhile.  What's your point?  Okay, sorry.  I feel bad...really I do.  But I've been so overcome with homeschool prep and job (-less) worries that I honestly forgot I even had one.  So, time to catch up.

Here's a little rundown on the last little while.  And for those who have seen these pics on facebook, I beg your pardon.

Thomas' 10th Birthday:  he requested a cake that looked like a stack of pancakes, so Mom delivered!

We took a trip to Busch Gardens.

A peace rally that we attended in Hungary.  Oh, wait.  

No.....that's a picture from our geography club slideshow.  

Moving on.......

Went to the beach......

And the aquarium....

My kids decided to make a cardboard house complete with chimney/fireplace, shelves, front AND back doors, windows WITH simulated glass, mail slot, shingled roof, and lighting (flashlight jammed in a hole in the ceiling.

So yeah, that's what's been going on with us.  Other than that, we've been sitting around waiting for THE job to arrive.  We have had a couple of jobs that we thought were THE job, but they were just A job, apparently.  Memphis and Buffalo were contenders, but ended up not panning out.  Right now, we are waiting to hear about applications to jobs in Sacramento, Knoxville, Cleveland, and Chantilly VA.  Wish us luck!

134 eggs

Turtle Nest on the Beach Today

Still here....

Yes, I know it's been 2 months since I've posted anything.  We are out of our usual routine.  With Rick home all the time, everyday feels like Saturday.  Still no job.  It's been 5 months since he lost his job and we're still looking.  Lots and lots of applications....no job.  But we're trying to be patient, "trying" being the operative word.  I can't even count the number of applications he's put in.  But I remember most of the locations:  North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Illinois, Nebraska, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Minnesota, not to mention some mysterious location in the Middle East.

We just got back from the beach, where we visited with my sister and her family who were visiting from Utah (except a daughter who lives in NC).  Next week we're going to Busch Gardens as a reward for:
1.  having a stressful 5 months
2.  the kids getting their math caught up
3.  because it's fun and we haven't had a vacation yet!

Not much else has been happening.  I got released as the Gospel Doctrine teacher a couple of weeks ago, and am now teaching Valiant 8/9 (Thomas' class).  I taught Gospel Doctrine for 3 years!!  Wow.  Nice to have a different audience for a change, but I will miss it too.  Still teaching Old Testament, which is good since I know the least about that of all the scriptures.  And I LOVE being in Primary because they sing more than any other group at church!!!  And that's my favorite part of church.  Rick is out of the bishopric and in as the Young Men's President, which he enjoys.  It'll be nice since Austin turns 12 in November, and he'll be in there with his dad.

Other than that, we've just been kicking around trying to get a few home projects worked on in case we have to sell the house.  Oh, and I've been working on the usual homeschool summer planning, with the volume turned up quite a bit since I'll have a high schooler now in our homeschool.

I'll have to post pictures later.  Emma wants a smoothie right now and so do I!

Garden Update

I just noticed that the last garden entry is pretty old and pretty empty.  We've been harvesting chives, rosemary, and lettuce so far.  There are some green grape and cherry tomatoes growing.  But no major harvesting yet.  Here are some pics from today.

Nasturtiums.                                    

These will be in our salad tomorrow night for dinner!

Pineapple sage:  I think I'll try this in pound cake today.  It's very mild and has a sweet, pineapple scent.  I read online that you can line your pan with the leaves, then pour in the pound cake batter, and bake.

Rosemary:  We've made this into herb butter, spread it on homemade bread, and broiled it in the oven.  Yum!  There are basil volunteers at the bottom.  I don't know where that robin's egg came from under the rosemary.

Here's something almost ready to harvest.  An Eight Ball summer squash.

Lettuces:  Rouge d'hiver and Grand Rapids.  I like the Rouge better; it's sweeter.

Emma's Sweet Alyssum flowers, grown from seed.

Sweet Potato, Beauregard

And here's the garden.....

Poetry Projects

I am at SVU right now in Buena Vista, Virginia, with Audrey for an LDS homeschool conference.  I will be teaching a class on Friday called "Poetry in Motion".  It's about doing fun poetry projects in your homeschool.  I just thought I'd post the 3 videos I'm using near the end of my presentation, and also pictures of the scrollbox/diorama/peepshow box that Thomas made for me to show in class.

Here's Thomas' box, based on Shel Silverstein's

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out:

Here's Audrey's slide show.  She shot most of these pictures herself, and I helped her put it together on the computer.

Here is Emma's Stop Motion Movie.  Hers was done with her own drawings, plus some cut outs from a seed catalog.

And lastly, Austin's Lego Stop Motion Movie.  The poem might be hard to hear.  It's Jack Prelutsky's I'm Building a Bridge of Bananas.

Some Garden Pics

These garden pics are a little old but here they are.

The garden boxes, emptyFilled with dirt, and some plants

Okay, not a garden pic, but this kid is just too cute

Onions

I love this little statue

Lettuce seedlings

Sunflower seedlings

Sugar Snap Pea seedlings

Teenage chicks waiting to join the grown up chickens in the pasture

I just love my Lady Banks Rose vines

...and my Virginia Creeper (it's the closest thing to an ivy covered cottage that I'll get)

Lucky, trying to get a taste