This week has been a week of beautiful and of not so beautiful.

It was filled with Co-op and a brand spanking new class I am holding at my house and Shrek the Musical practice and a funeral for a dear friend’s father and lots of laughter.  And lots of learning; Algebra I [the first lesson of the week gave us fits!!], Chemistry; Grammar Girl, History, reading about the brain, experiments, lots and lots of writing and more.

1.  Nomad sleeping with his baby.
2.  End it Movement
3.  Chemistry lesson about thermometers.  You were supposed to experiment and learn the reason why a thermometer rises in hot water and lowers in cold.  The only thermometer I had was a meat thermometer and Keilee kept yelling, “Come on you can make it to the rare lamb!!  Ok now come on baby, make it to the rare beef.”  I was cracking up.
4.  Her Mythological Zentangle creature
5.  Art Journal class – Mardi Gras masks!  These turned out beautifully.
6.  Shrek the Musical practice.  This show is going to be wonderful. It has a great script! Keilee was asked to be in the Ensemble.  There are only 3 teenagers and the other 2 are in high school.  The rest are all adults.  She was so excited!  This show has AWESOME music!  Shrek and Donkey are hysterical.
7.  My first Co-op class at my house! I have wanted to do this forever.  I am so thankful for Jessica for giving me so much inspiration with this!!  We had a great first day doing Creative Writing, Mapping the World with Art and they are doing a project together; making a stop animation film.  I love projects that involve kids working together especially since Keilee is an only child.
8.  Sunday it was 70° here!  We stayed outside all afternoon reading in the sunshine.

We had a field trip planned to Space and Rocket Center to see the Da Vinci exhibit.  Keilee loves Da Vinci.  However one of my best friend’s father died and we went to his funeral that day.  It was a beautiful celebration of a life well lived.  He was 84 and founded the church the funeral was held at.  My favorite part was when the minister sang “Zippity Do Dah”.  It was lovely.

I am not ready to share the ‘not so beautiful’ but please keep Keilee and I in your prayers.  I know God has a perfect plan for us.  I try to remember that through all the tough times.  He gave me this child and I know he will provide.  I would just really appreciate your prayers for us.

Happy weekend all!
Homeschool Rocks!
Karen
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Linking with
Mary at Collage Friday
Sylvia at Friendship Friday

Keilee spent the last week doing what she does best; crocheting, art jounaling, singing and practicing for her new play. 

1.  Valentine’s Lunch at Panera.
2.  We played a great game at Co-op that Keilee first played virtually with Jessica’s girls.  It involves a HUGE taped roll of candy and dice.  They loved it!
3.  Practice for Shrek the Musical
4.  Famous person dress up day at Co-op.  Keilee said she was “Amelia Earhart with style”
5.  Writing class via FaceTime with Jessica
6.  Great game making site we found that she has spent a lot of time on.  It is Game Star Mechanics.  We both played on this site making mazes for each other to maneuver. 
7.  The purse she made with bottle tabs and yarn.  This turned out AWESOME.  I seriously loved it.

I found a new FREE Chemistry site for Keilee.  She likes it a lot so far although she thought it was too easy.  She seems to think the first few lessons of anything are too easy and she loses interest.  I try to explain that no matter how many times she has taken a course the first few lessons are always review.  You can find it here at Middle School Chemistry.

And as always she did tons of Art Journaling.  She spends hours and hours a week doing this.

The weather was GORGEOUS this week and we spent a lot of time outside.  We actually sat in the sun on Tuesday.  We took walks and played with Nomad.  It made us both want Spring and Summer so badly. 

Prayer Request:
My boss Stan has been in the hospital for over a week.  He had his appendix out and then they removed 3′ of his colon because of infection.  Please keep him in your prayers.  I am also laid off again.  I have been since the end of December and I haven’t mentioned it but we would love your prayers. 

We have big plans for this weekend and next week.  I would love for the weather to stay lovely but it isn’t supposed to.  It’s ok, I will close my eyes and imagine hot Summer days.  They will be here soon enough!

Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

This week was all about SNOW.  I don’t remember it snowing twice in one week in forever.  It was a week of us being so excited about snow.  We have gotten none all winter.  I see Instagram pictures all the time with beautiful snow and have wanted some so badly.  And I got it!

It started snowing Monday on the way home from Co-op.  Just a few flakes and by the time we were home, nada.  But the forecast was for snow during the night.  When we woke up Tuesday morning we had about 2″.  Keilee and I bundled up and took Nomad out.  We all had a blast playing in the snow.  Trey, one of Keilee’s really great friends, came over and spent about 7 hours with Keilee.  They played outside and took a walk and watched movies and talked and talked.  Then she introduced him to World of Warcraft and he played my character for about 2 hours.  They had a blast!

By afternoon Tuesday it was all gone.  But another system was headed our way!  All Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I kept getting “Winter Storm Warning” updates on my phone.  We waited impatiently all day Wednesday and finally about 3:00 PM it started snowing.  HUGE flakes and it was like a blizzard.  I was so excited!!!  By 8:00 it was a winter wonderland.  I know to so many of you this is not a big deal but to us it was HUGE!!!  It rarely snows more than a dusting around here.  Keilee and I went outside at night and it was magical.  It was quiet and still and so incredibly beautiful.  Some of these are from our house and some are from my Brothers.

There is something about being outside at night when it is snowing that is just unbelievable.

After we got up Thursday we measured and we had 5″.  My brother had 7″ and some areas around us had 8″.

It was a lovely, snow filled week.  And now we are ready for spring!

One of my favorite pictures!  She was throwing it at ME!

Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?”  ~J. B. Priestley

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday“

I am late to the Friday Collage party but I wanted to post something!  We had a great week this past week.

Here is a quick collage.

* The pencil sharpener is something that has seriously always been a part of my life.  We moved here when I was little and Daddy put it on the wall.  When he put it there he and my Mother were young parents. I was a small child. Over the years I sharpened my pencils hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It heard the laughter and love that flowed through our house. Now, nearly 40 years later, it is a different time, my Mother and older brother have died, my Dad has remarried, my younger brother has his own family. Kei and I live in my childhood home and she sharpens HER pencils, turning the same handle I used so many, many years ago. But still it is a house full of laughter and love. The circle of life.
* Keilee got her pink guitar and decided to do a semi photo shoot for her edits.  She was wearing a headband she made!!  She saw it on Etsy for $25 and decided she could make it.  It is so cool and HIPPY, with yarn and beads and feathers.  She has already sold 2 and if anyone would like one they are $11 shipped.
*  I have restarted keeping a list of 1000 Gifts inspired by Jessica at Teachable Moments.  Every morning I list things I am thankful for and then I thumb through the bible until I find something I like.  I am using my Mom’s Bible and it has been amazing. Every day I find pieces of her; underlined passages, notes in the margins, old photos, little love notes from my Daddy, dried flowers and more.  It HAS been a HUGE 1000 Gift!
*  Seth introduced Keilee to Flappy Bird and she has been playing.  I hate that game.  It makes me crazy!!!  If you haven’t grabbed it for your iPhone you are out of luck.  It was announced yesterday that the developer demanded it be removed from the iTunes store.  He is from Vietnam and was reportedly making $50,000 a day from it!!!  But I read he was an introvert and could not handle the notoriety from it.
*  And we continue to play World of Warcraft.  Since Keilee is sharing an account of my brothers she has access to all his ‘modes of transportation’.  One is this motorcycle that 2 people can fit into.  I have cried laughing at her zooming us all over the place, paying no regard to little things like MOUNTAINS and LAKES!!!  Fun times.

Today we have SNOW with MORE expected tonight.  I am off to enjoy it.  Stay warm wherever you are!

Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  ~Abraham Lincoln

Keilee finally got to have her 14th birthday party.  She had a problem coordinating with her friends.  At first she invited her Co-op friends but Kathy called and wanted to know if Sophie could stay the same night because she had plans.  So Keilee just invited her too.

They had a blast!!  Talking and singing and eating and playing games and dancing and doing makeup and hair.  Also Grace and Lilah got to Facetime in and play games with them.  It was such fun!!  We played “Murder in the Dark” for over an hour and I was cracking up at them.  I finally hit the bed around 12:00.  I think they went to sleep around 2:30.  Such great girls, I love them all.  The bottom right picture is what I took when I said, “Ok now act like normal teenage girls” 😉

We had bitterly cold weather this week again.  We didn’t get one smidgen of snow but oh my goodness they did all around us.  Birmingham got 4″ and it was snow and ice.  It came in so quickly they couldn’t dismiss schools or work.  People were stranded in offices, kids had to spend the night in schools, people abandoned their cars and walked home.  It was horrible.  A lot of people in the North are making fun of us but you have to remember we don’t have salt machines and snow plows and people do not know how to drive in snow because it so rarely happens.  And Birmingham and Atlanta are HUGE cities with crazy traffic on the best of days.  It is supposed to warm up this weekend, thank goodness!

Keilee is still flipping and throwing her body all over the place once a week.  And I am still paying for it. 🙂

Lots of learning sort of things going on.  She had a test in Photography on Monday and is pretty sure she made 100.  She has done Algebra twice this week for about 2 hours each, History, written on her story, Art Journaling, Grammar Girl, read our Bible study guide, read, done Biology, worked on her Etsy Store and Facebook “Keilee’s Kreations” site.  If you are on Facebook please stop by and like her page!  She is hard at work on another design for her headbands.  They have felt flowers instead of bows and I love them!!

1.  Working on her story
2.  Her new headbands!
3.  Algebra
4.  Fun at Wal-Mart
5.  Art Jounaling
6.  World of Warcraft

Keilee and I have started playing World Of Warcraft again.  I have played on and off for over 12 years but we have never been able to play together.  We are having a blast!!  We play for hours each day and there is lots of laughing and figuring out things and mapping routes.  And I am always lost but she never is.

So there is a quick look at our week.  We are so ready for warmer temps!!  We don’t have plans this weekend and intend on just hanging out and playing games together.  One of my favorite things!

Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

“If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.”  ~Marcus Brigstocke
“A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy. In other words, gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression.” ~Jane McGonigal, Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

Linking with
Mary at Collage Friday
Sylvia at Friendship Friday

Great week but very few pictures.  Instagram is going to be the death of my blog!  It is just easy to post there and when it is time to blog I feel like I have already put all the pictures I have taken on IG.  So if you follow me there, you have seen most of these!!

I learned to CROCHET this week!  Just a single stitch but I did that stitch about 10000 times I think.  I made a scarf, sort of.  It kinds looks like dreadlocks but I love it.  Keilee has been begging me to learn for 2 years but I didn’t think I could because I have some nerve damage in my left hand and have very little fine motor skills but I managed. 

Keilee did Biology several times this week.  She gets on a kick and stays on it for days.  She asked me if I would ‘bleed for Science” and guess what? I did!!  She wanted to look at  my blood in the microscope.  Our microscope is the pits!!!  We so need a new one but they are pricey. 

My cousin Gigi, who made me the beautiful quilt, came over this week to show Keilee how to sew Fleece boot socks.  I had ordered a pair on Instagram and LOVED them.  Keilee got the hang of it quickly.  Gigi is a great teacher.  She is just a wonderful, craftsy person. She can do anything!!  Poor Kei is stuck with me who can do about nothing crafty. 🙂

1. Algebra!
2.  Kei took this pic of me getting gas.  I thought it looked cool.
3.  Keilee at the eye doctor.  She had been having headaches so I took her in.  Her prescription had to be changed a bit. 
4.   A page in her art journal.  This was one of my favorites.  It is based on a song from Sweeney Todd.
5.  This is the view from my bed every sunny morning.  It is the early morning sun reflecting off a mirror Keilee had gotten me about 4 years ago.  It always makes me smile.

Keilee also sent about 20 emails Thursday to Animal Rehabilitation facilitates all across the US asking for advice and telling them a little bit about herself.  She did it all herself, I didn’t even know she was emailing them.  She found the places online and found their email addresses.  She has gotten 2 replies with tons of great advice.  We have found that most people who are passionate about their job LOVE to help and give advice to young people. All you have to do  is ASK!!!

Favorite Resource:
We grabbed an ebook from Amazon called “Grammar Girls Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students” when it was on sale earlier this week.  It is full price now but it is AWESOME.  I use her site all the time when we are looking up grammar questions and I have seriously learned so much in 3 chapters!!  I can’t believe how many capitalization errors I have made my entire life!  I actually think I made a few in this post but I don’t feel like looking it up. 😉

A Favorite Post
If you haven’t read Jessica’s post over at Teachable Moments, “She Is More Than A Number”  please take a few minutes and read it.  This just resonated so deeply with me.  It is wonderful!!!

Keilee  joined me today with a Friday Collage.  Check out her post if you’d like.

So that is a quick, repetitive for some of you, look into our week!  Keilee is getting ready to do the writing class with Jessica and the girls as I type and this afternoon we are going to some new friends house to play games! 

And I want snow!!  I see all these beautiful pictures on IG of snow and it makes me want snow so badly.  Maybe we will get some this winter.

Happy weekend y’all,
Homeschool Rocks!
Karen

 “Just as eating against one’s will is injurious to health, so studying without a liking for it spoils the memory, and it retains nothing it takes in.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday”
Kris at “Weekly Wrap Up“

Keilee had a great birthday.  We went to IHOP as we have every year since she was 3.  She wore the same hat she has worn since then. And they brought her an ice cream sundae and sang, “Happy Birthday” the same as always.

She didn’t do 14 Acts of Kindness but she did do several things.  She baked cookies and brownies for the Police Officers, she got a Gift Card at Starbucks for the person behind us in line and she bought candy and took to Hospice.  They were so awesome to my Mom before she died that Keilee wanted to do something nice for them.

We had a HUGE Freeze here, temperatures below zero so these girls stayed inside for days.  We watched movies, played games, read, Keilee did History and Science and Art and edited photos and more.

We broke down and got cable this week.  After 1 year and 7 months.  ATT has finally made UVerse available where we are.  After 30 minutes on the phone I got over 150 channels for $20 more a month.  It is a 2 year contract and she guaranteed me that price for the entire 24 months.  I also got a $250 Visa Gift Card!!  We canceled HuluPlus and Netflix DVD to home and that saved $16 so it is only $4 difference.  The main selling point is that our internet is 3x faster!!!  My download speed was 5.89 and I have checked twice and it is over 21mg!!!!

Keilee started back gymnastics and we did several experiments with water and ice.  These are BUBBLES that froze!  So cool.

Keilee’s back kickover.  Click on the link to watch!

Video Jan 08, 10 17 00 AM

So 2014 is starting off great.  We have plans the next few days that we are looking forward to and Keilee is doing a class right now with Jessica’s girls on FaceTime!  So there are girls in Alabama and Connecticut learning together! Technology rocks!

Homeschool Rocks
Karen

I love this quote and I feel the exact same way 🙂
“I am often accused of being childish.  I prefer to interpret that as child-like.  I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things.  I tend to exaggerate and fantasize and embellish.  I still listen to instinctual urges.  I play with leaves.  I skip down the street and run against the wind.  I never water my garden without soaking myself.  It has been after such times of joy that I have achieved my greatest creativity and produced my best work.” ~Leo F. Buscaglia

Linking with
Mary at “Collage Friday”
Sylvia at “Friendship Friday”

I sit here going through pictures for my post with tears rolling down my face.  Where did it go?  Where did the time go?  You were just this little bitty girl, full of laughter and energy and giggles and questions.  I want that little girl back at times. 

But here you are; 14.  How can that be?  I don’t think I could ever tell you what you mean to me.  All these years it has only been me and you.  You made me something I never thought I would be; a Mother.  Being your Mom has been the greatest blessing of my life.  The best thing I have ever done.  I wouldn’t trade my life now for anything. 

You, this beautiful child, changed me forever.

You are strong and creative and full of indignation for anything unfair.  You speak your mind, you keep up with the world, you have a brain that amazes me; you can be doing art one minute and watching an MIT video on DNA the next.  You have such a kind heart, a heart for giving and caring.  You light up around anything animal.  You blossom around small children.  You love Jesus with all your heart and are happiest when you are doing things for other people.  You would rather watch a documentary than the latest TV show, you would rather have broccoli than chocolate.  You intend on changing the world and I have no doubt you will do it.  You sing, there is never quiet in our house.  You sing in the shower, while you learn, while you clean, everywhere.  Your world is full of music.  You love the bands you love with intensity and your choice in music is not what anyone expects from a blonde 13 14 year old girl.  You feel songs deeply and they all mean something to you.  You love fashion and spend way too much time picking out clothes.  Thankfully we have been blessed with amazing people in our lives who have always given us clothes for you from age 2 until now.  You have known what you wanted to do with your life since you were 7.  An Animal Rehabilitator.  Your plan is to live in Africa and save every animal you see hurt or hungry or sad.  You want to have your own TV show so people can see what you are doing.  A combination of your 2 loves; acting and animals.   You tell me it doesn’t matter how much money you make, you just want to make their lives better.

You love acting to the depths of your soul.  You come alive on stage.  It has always been one of the joys of my life to watch you perform.  You take a character and bring it to life in a way that is just perfect.  I have had hundreds of people tell me how amazing you are on stage.  But still you are humble.

When you were 7 we decided to Homeschool and I would not have changed that for a million dollars.  I have had the privilege of watching you learn, seeing your face when something clicks, answering questions, looking up information.  You have a ‘love’ of learning that is exactly what I wanted you to possess when I started this journey. 

Our lives are not filled with expensive vacations or huge houses and big cars.  There are times when we are really scrambling for money, but we have never wanted for anything.  God always provides.  You have never been a child who said ‘I want that” in stores.  I have to practically beat you over the head to let me buy you anything but you are always wanting to buy me something. 

My daughter, my sweet, amazing daughter.  Today is your 14^th birthday.  The age you have wanted to be since you were 4.  The age you always made your Barbies.  14.  I hope this year is filled with love and laughter and joy and all things beautiful.

On this birthday your Mamma wants to tell you ‘thank you’. Thank you for changing my life forever.  Anytime anyone ever says to me, “Keilee is so lucky to have you.” I just smile and shake my head.  “I” am the lucky one.

These pictures were made 7 years apart.  Same pose.  You can’t tell from the newest one but her feet are the exact same way.

Happy Birthday Keilee,
I love you to Pluto and back,
Mommy

Linking with
Mary at Collage Friday
Sylvia at Friendship Friday

We had a great Christmas.  We were so busy and it seemed like we weren’t at home the week before Christmas at all!

We went shopping in Huntsville with some of our friends from Co-op.  We had a great day at the mall but it was SO crowded.  Keilee and Abby had a blast hanging out together.

We spent Saturday with friends.  We ate at Olive Garden and they attended our church’s Christmas service.  We had 2 services on Saturday and since we spent Sunday at my Dad’s it worked out perfectly.  Then we rode around our historical district and saw beautiful Christmas lights!

1.  Hanging the last ornament on our Jesse Tree.  We bought the accompanying book “The Greatest Gift” by Ann Voskamp and totally loved each day’s story and verse.
2.  Keilee working on a Gingerbread house.  What this picture doesn’t show is it completely falling apart all over the floor.  I took that puppy back to the store.  We were so frustrated because she worked on it 2 hours!
3.  Keilee making Cocoa Reindeers for the neighbors.  These were SO cute.  She also made a video for YouTube showing how to make these.

4.  My brother and his family went to South Alabama this year for Christmas so we celebrated on Sunday.  Here are the cousins.

Christmas morning we had a blast opening gifts.  Keilee was more excited about what she got me than what she was getting.  She worked so hard selling her headbands and I was not happy that she spent so much of her money on me!  But that is what makes her happy.  Here are some of my gifts.  My favorite thing was the “I Am SHERlocked” shirt.  I am a huge Sherlock fan!

Here is Keilee with a few of her presents.  It is so easy to buy for her because I know her so well.  It was so nice to be able to buy her things this Christmas. 

My boss got me a Macbook Pro for Christmas.  I almost fainted.  And then I promptly gave it to Keilee.  I have a PC and her old Macbook blew up about a year ago.  She has LOVED it!

This precious gift is from my cousin.  She and I have been close since we were born.  We were wonderful friends until our 30’s and then we just grew apart.  We have recently become close again.  She made me a Cross Quilt and I love it beyond words.  She saw that I pinned one on Pinterest and decided to make me one.  It is a gift that I will cherish forever.  It is simply gorgeous!!!

So that was our wonderful Christmas.  And next week is my sweet girls 14th Birthday.  I swear she was just 4!!!!

Homeschooling Rocks,
Karen
“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.”  ~Dr. Seuss
“Christmas… is not an external event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.”  ~Freya Stark