Tag Archives: nature

Back and only a LITTLE Broken…

April 12, 2013 Karen 23 Comments

4 weeks I have been blogless. My friend who always hosted my server had to shut his down and suddenly I had to find a new server! After researching I decided to use BlueHost. It was a long process to move 5 years of posts and pictures to a new server. Thankfully I have a great friend who did it for me. There were some hiccups and days I prayed that it wasn’t all lost forever. I started this blog in May 2008; the month my Mother died. Keilee had only been 8 a few months, and I have kept it up, for 5 years. Everything isn’t perfect. There are some weird little symbols thrown in, most of them look like little crosses which Keilee and I kinda like. I can’t fix them all. It would take forever. So I am leaving them in.

I can’t cram 5 weeks into one post so I am just going to highlight. 🙂

Keilee had her performance of “Father of the Bride”. It was wonderful. Even though she didn’t have a HUGE role it was so funny. Her “Brooklyn” accent was great and so many people asked her afterward if she was A( From Brooklyn or B( Took lessons! I am putting her favorite scene on here. She was in a couple more but they were less lines. Back story; she is one of the Wedding consultants and has a very bad attitude toward the Banks. She definitely thinks they are beneath her with her Paris fashions…but as much as you can ‘take the girl outta the Brooklyn, you can’t take the Brooklyn outta the girl’ 🙂 Plus she wore 5 1/2” heels! I can’t walk in 2” heels!

Another exciting thing the last few weeks is Keilee is a part of a new YouTube channel called “7 Cool Homeschoolers”. Theresa at Red Oak Lane’s daughter thought of the idea and the girls each day a day a week and post a ‘Themed’ video. So far there has been “All About Me”, “A Day In the Life Of” [Keilee did The Wicked Witch!], a Freestyle [check this one out it is hysterical, she randomly danced all over our town!] and a “How Do”. She is so enjoying coming up with ideas and filming these every week. It is all her. She comes up with the ideas and writes the script and films it all on her own. I got her a Tripod and it really makes things easier. Please watch and support all these talented Homeschool Girls!

She has been keeping busy with her ‘Unschooling’ life. She is constantly doing something. More in depth on that later on.

Here are a few collages although I have taken very few pictures lately except with my iPhone.

Keilee got a Giga Ball for Christmas and we just got it inflated. With an air pump it was still a bit of a PAIN! She likes it though. Storing it is a huge problem too. It doesn’t fit through the door of any of our outside storage.

She spent a couple of hours one night painting all over herself! It actually looked pretty cool but she couldn’t sit down or anything because it was MESSY!

Gymnastics and more gymnastics. She loves this. She is constantly flipping and flinging and throwing herself upside down. She has bruises all over her legs. She always says to me, “Mom why did you let me quit Gymnastic lessons???” Yup…all my fault.

Spring has SPRUNG here! Gorgeous days and nice nights. I am sure we will have some cooler weather but WINTER is gone! The squirrel was so funny. It was hanging upside down from VERY high in our tree. We couldn’t figure out what he was doing! And of course, all these pictures were taken by Keilee!

Various pictures taken…

1. Keilee with her cousin Seth. He is 6’4″ and had to crouch down! They were working in the yard.
2. Hula Hooping in Wal-Mart!
3. Trying to learn “Call Me Maybe” on the keyboard
4. Working on her video for “7 Cool Homeschoolers”
5. Keilee and I Easter morning before church.
6. Silly Keilee at her Vet internship
7. Easter basket cupcakes!

So…I feel like the Who’s screaming from their speck, “I AM HERE, I AM HERE!!” I have missed everyone so and missed posting.

Happy weekend!
Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen

“There’s nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.” ~ Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” ~William Shakespeare

Happily linking up with Mary at “Collage Friday“

Learning all the time

Princess Diana Ding-a-Ling of DingDong…

May 4, 2012 Karen 14 Comments

Show week…ahhh show week

The
Longest
Week
Ever…

Keilee has had a blast playing a ditzy blonde who can’t sing, can’t dance, giggles like a loon, but is very good at flirting!!!† This Mama has not enjoyed that part very much.† I told a friend this is the most Keilee has touched a boy EVER!† Let’s keep it that way for a few more years Kei, m’kay?

There was almost as much fun to be had backstage and after the show as during.† The younger girls flock around Keilee.†† She also gave her world famous “Knitting Lesson’s During a Play” classes.† It just tickles me all the people she has taught to knit. I love that she is passing along one of her passions.

The actual show is a twist on the classic “The Princess and the Pea”.† It is hysterical.† Prince Valiant takes off on his journey to meet his potential princesses.† They are all a little …strange….for his taste.† There is the very smart one that he doesn’t understand, the beautiful, vain one, the one that is stronger than he is, the alien one, the one who is allergic to everything, the one who is OCD about cleanliness, the Valley Girl princess and more.

Then there is Keilee.† The Ding Dong…

Pictures from Esther Crawford.† I am backstage all shows.† Esther described her role as a ‘poodle on crack’.† Pretty much true..

This is a collage that Esther made of her ~~screeching~~ singing.

Show week is almost non stop however we did find time for a bit of other things.† Keilee and I played a lot of board games, did some art journaling, we watched “The Man in the Iron Mask” which is one of my favorite movies ever, she wrote a story about an alternate version of “Red Riding Hood”, she is learning French, she is working on a Power Point presentation about Life in the 50’s,† we picked up a great outdoor swing that a friend was about to get rid of and have spent tons of time sitting under the trees reading and talking.

She also took lots of pictures.† All these she took with her iPhone camera.† Isn’t Spring beautiful?

So Saturday wraps up the last show.† The ~~bad~~ good news is she starts another one Monday.† Ay caramba!

Deep breaths, Karen, deep breaths.

Favorite resource…

Since we didn’t really do a lot of ‘schoolish’ things I will use a link to a blog that I have recently found and love.† Penelope Trunk is an Homeschool Mom, speaker and has founded 3 startups.† Her posts are intelligent and wonderful.† Check her out .

The other ‘Favorite Resource” is a recipe site called My Recipes.† Now I know there are thousands of these out there, but I really love this one.† Besides having tons of great, healthy recipes, there is another thing I love.† If you sign up [free] it will tell you if there is ANY ingredient in that recipe that is on sale near you!† Love it!

I really hope to slow down next week.† I am hoping for lovely weather, not many commitments, lots of learning and slow moving days.† What could be better?

Happily linking with Mary @ “Collage Friday“

and

Susan @ “Favorite Resource“

Homeschooling Rocks!
Karen

I love that one of my quote comes from my [coughcough] future son-in-law.
ìWith any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it’s just not†acting. It’s lying.î – Johnny Depp

“Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.” ~ Bette Davis

Friends, Learning all the time, nature, Nomad, trips

Camping, Bison and Ticks…

May 21, 2010 Karen 1 Comment

We finally got to go camping with our RoamSchool buddies!† We had a blast.† Below are various pictures from the trip.

The first one is Kei at home cutting up onions for my salsa.† The onions were burning her eyes!

We left early and went to Cathy’s and then we were off!

We met up in Athens and the girls all came with us.† They had a blast.

The trip went by very quickly and we were soon there.† We set up camp and then went exploring.

Cathy had made Lasagna so we got the kids plates.† They were all starving from the busy day.

The sunset was incredible.

Smores!!!

We all ran into town to the grocery store where Kei found a dog that looked just like Nomad on the Cottonelle!

We also went to the Bison and Elk Prairie.† We saw around 40 bison and 22 elk.† We were all so excited.

We also went to a Nature Center and saw some amazing animals.† My favorite were the Barn Owls.

We also saw eagles, chipmunks, hedgehogs, a white deer, and many more animals.

We ate Tacos that night but I was too busy eating to take pictures!† They were so yummy!† I want more right now!

The next day we had to leave because Cathy had to get back to work.† Even though everyone offered for us to stay with them, it was time to get our little family home.† Before we left we stopped by the Plantaterium which was really cool.† They also had some other exhibits.

Kids Table — Some of my favorite Kids in the World!

Then we went to an 1850 working farm.† We loved that.† Kei asked tons of questions and tried to convince me that she could work there for the summer if I would go with her.† Ummm…NO thanks sweetie.

Scream ScareWoman — Scream Scarecrow Woman!

It seemed like it took forever to get home.† The GPS took us some crazy way and it rained and stormed the entire way home.† Nomad was exhausted!

Animals seen:† <borrowed without permission from Esther’s site ;)>

spiders
mosquitoes
ticks
beetles
caterpillars
flies
bees
wasps
hummingbirds
indigo bunting
squirrel
bobcat
groundhog
osprey
eagle
wolf
coyote
bison
elk
deer
turkey
ladybug
beaver
dragonflies
great horned owl
barred owl
barn owl
screech owl
blackbird
centipede
frog
Fowler’s toad
rat snake
garter snake
box turtle
red eared slider
skunk
fish
tadpoles
water strider
goldfinch
heron

All in all a wonderful trip.† When we got home and got unpacked Kei took a long bubble bath and found a tick!!† I kinda freaked out and had to Google it to see how to remove it.† It came out really easily and we checked each other for more of the bloodsucking things!† No more were found but we did find one on Nomad!† It took forever to get that sucker out and poor Nomad was crying and Kei was crying but we finally got it out.† Ticks suck!

Tomorrow is Soulstock and we are both so excited!

Happy weekend,

Learning, My beautiful child, My Mother, Nomad

Missing, Dog’s Life & Happiness….

May 14, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

The 2nd anniversary of my Mother’s death came and went. I laid in bed on the eve of her anniversary in the same room she died in. I thought it would really upset me to be in there and while I didn’t sleep much, it wasn’t a ‘freaking out’ restlessness.

I remember that night. My brother and I spent the night here. We knew Mother didn’t have long. It was a horribly long night. They had hooked her up to a breathing machine and I spent most of the night on her floor listening to her struggle to breath. My 2 aunts stayed late. When they left it was just my Daddy, my brother and I. I finally got on the couch and spent all night back and forth from the den to her room. I talked to her and held her hand and touched her face. I remember looking at the clock at one point and it was 3:00 AM. That is such a lonely time. I remember thinking “I don’t know if I can exist in a 3 am that doesn’t have my Mother in it”.

We woke the next morning early, around 6:00. Eddie and I knew that she was almost gone. I called my aunts to ask them to come. They got here around 7:30. We all sat around her bed talking to her. All of us except my Daddy. He couldn’t handle it. It made me think of the line from “Steel Magnolias”, “I find it amusing. Men are supposed to be made out of steel or something. I just sat there. I just held Shelby’s hand. There was no noise, no tremble, just peace. Oh god. I realize as a woman how lucky I am.” My Mother breathed her final breath at 8:03 AM on May 10th. I walked outside and was surprised to see the world moving on. The sun was out, birds were singing, flowers blooming and my Mother was dead. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life.

But time marches on. We are living in her house. We are loving living here and I have discovered I actually like yard work. I have never done it. I grew up with 2 brothers who did the yard work. When I was married my husband did the yard work. Since then I have lived in apartments. But I enjoy it. I am learning, slowly about flowers and shrubs and just yard stuff.

Nomad is adorable. We are loving having him in our family. I never thought I would ever be a ‘dog person’ but I love him. Kei is wonderful with him and we don’t even mind the 3:00 AM potty breaks. He is the cutest thing.

Isn’t he just beautiful??

We had Brit and Cody here for a few days and had a blast.† Kei and Brit gave Nomad his first bath.† The girls loved it, Nomad not so much.

They played games, sang, talked and gave Nomad tons of attention.

Kei and I put up a Stage Curtain for outdoor plays.† Her and Nomad put on their 1st of what I am sure is many plays.† Nomad had 3 roles, a lion, an alligator and a bunny.† I was cracking up.

I love living here.† I love our yard.† I love sitting in the rose garden and reading in the swing.† I love waking up early in the morning and walking outside and everything is crisp and lovely.† I love watching the birds and squirrels and bunnies and chipmunks.† I love the feel of the cool clovers on my bare feet.† I love watching my sweet girl running with her dog.† Life is good.

Blessings,

Learning all the time, Life, My beautiful child, nature

Chickens, Puppies and Horses…

April 3, 2010 Karen Leave a comment

It has been beautiful here the last several days.† Kei and I have both loved being outside.† We threw a rope over a tree and she made a swing, which promptly became a horse visiting mystical lands.† I love listening to her play.

A few days ago 2 dogs wandered up.† At first I was very leery of them, strange dogs and such, but they were so sweet.† Kei played with them for over an hour.† I got their name and number off of their tags and called their owners.† They came to pick them up but Kei still had time to get some Puppy Love.† We are still planning on getting a dog as soon as her play is over.

Speaking typing of the play, it is week after next.† Kei is loving every minute of it as usual.† She has several roles in this one and one is a Dixie Chicken.† She is one of Humpty Dumpty’s backup singers! †† It is going to be a great play.† We also have been helping on the scenery.† The irony of not painting MY OWN HOUSE and then painting scenery doesn’t escape me. :p

KEI PAINTING WALL — Humpty Dumpty's Wall

She also got to try on dresses.† They have TONS of dresses at DreamWeavers and she was in heaven.

So far April has been lovely.

Enjoy nature,

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life

Tadpole Rescue 911..

May 21, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

Today Heather invited us over to rescue tadpoles.† Now Kei and I have never been to an event quite like this so we arrived very excited.

First the kids played.

I Can Go Higher Than You! Giggles

Then we ate lunch.† Heather made chicken salad and it was awesome!

Then Suzette, Heather, Esther, Gina and I chatted while the kids played Wii.† Then it was out to rescue tadpoles from the pool.

Kei was not content with one container of tadpoles, she had to fill another baggie full to take to Bull’s.

We had a great time but everyone had to hurry home to move the tadpoles from their baggies and jars into a more permanent home. † We had a blast.

We stopped by Daddy’s on the way home and Kei and Daddy let her 2nd batch of tads out in the creek.

I love days like today.† What could be better than great friends; great food;† happy, laughing kids; and new pets?

Thanks Heather,

Field Trip, Holidays, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life, nature, Science, Theatre, Weather

Earth Day 2009

April 23, 2009 Karen 1 Comment

What a beautiful world we live in.

We celebrated Earth Day by going on a Wild Flower Hike and picnic with our homeschool group.†† On the way we passed a school bus and felt very sorry for the kids who were going to be stuck inside on this wonderful day.

We arrived at the spot with little problem, thanks to Esther’s directions, Gina’s ability to read said directions and Bobby’s manly driving!

It was a little cool and overcast but we set off.† It was a great place to hike and a stream that the kids, of course, had to try out.† I think these kids would jump in water if they had to chip the ice away first!

There was exploring,

exploring

there was splashing, there was worm races, there was a simple ceremony for poor dead Lacey who raced a good race,

lacey-the-worms-funeral1

there was laughing, there was friendship and there was learning!

kei-brit

What better way to celebrate Earth Day!

Hugs,

K/K

HomeSchool

Beautiful Days…

June 5, 2008 Karen 1 Comment

Have I mentioned how much I love homeschooling?
I still donít know exactly what and how I want to do it.
But I do know I adore this way of teaching my child.

Tuesday we went to Turkey Creek Nature Preserve.
It was incredibly beautiful and fun was had by all.
One thing I love about HSing is this:
KB was in public school for 2 years and I was homeroom mom.
I went on every field trip and watched all the little 6 year olds interact with each other.
All they ever got was another 6 year old’s point of view.

Tuesday I watched KB sit and talk to a 13 year old
and help a 5 year old down the rock slide.
She sat and talked to a mom and played with kids from ages 3-15.
She interacted with all ages, WOW! Just like real life.

We have done the most incredible things this year with our homeschool group.
If I had one piece of advice for families new to HomeSchooling
it would be to find a local support group.
I have met fabulous people who I know will be my friends for life.

HomeSchool Girls