Category Archives: Friends

Friends, Holidays, Learning all the time, My beautiful child

Bump in the Night…

November 2, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

Halloween has come and gone.

Kei loves Halloween!† Almost as much as Christmas and her birthday.† Remember when we actually looked forward to birthdays? 🙂

We started the Halloween week by going Trunk or Treating at our friends church.† We had a great time.

Then Kei made a witch nose and finger with Play Dough.

Saturday morning [Halloween] we went to our church for a Halloween celebration.† It was awesome!† We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and all the trimmings.† Our church rocks!

When we got home my brother brought us a pumpkin.† We then carved it.† Ok I am not the best carver in the world.† Kei wanted a vampire.† What she got was…a big mouthed something or other.† She did better on the eyes and nose than I did on the mouth!

Saturday night we got Kei decked out in her Mother Nature costume and were off to get candy!† Some of the people around here really get into the Halloween spirit so there were spooks, Mass† Murderers, scary music and fog at every turn.

When we had collected our fill of candy and half freezing to death we went out to my brother’s house where he had a Scavenger Hunt for the kids.† Heather and I drove the kids around to various locations for clues.† You haven’t lived until you have been to a graveyard on Halloween night with a full moon!† Also did you know some people put lighted crosses on graves?† I couldn’t believe it.† The kids loved it and the only complaint was that it was too short.† Thanks Eddie for inviting us!

And now it is November.† EEP!

Enjoy,

Friends, Life

Delicious Terror…

October 17, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

That is what my Mom always called it.† She loved scary movies, and scaring us to death.† She didn’t grow up in an era of Halloween and Friday the 13th and Saw.† She loved things like The Bad Seed, and Alfred Hitchcock.† I remember being very small and rushing home from school to watch Dark Shadows with her.† [See I was a vampire girl from wayyyyy back]

Last night we went to Gina and Bobby’s for food and fear!† We had a blast. Their house was pimped out in true Halloween fashion.

RIP Brit, Kei crying, Cody way too happy!

The food was yummy and we enjoyed eating with friends so much.† Then it was movie time.† Poltergeist was the thriller of the night.† Kei, Bobby and I had seen it, Brit and Cody were newbies and Gina had never watched the entire movie.

We loved it and there was a lot of hugging together from the girls.

Then we loaded up the car and went to Cry Baby Hollow.† This is a bridge that is a local legend.† I had been there when I was a teenager but Kei had never been. The legend I had always heard is that a woman threw her baby off the bridge and at night you can still hear the baby cry.† Also if you leave candy on the bridge, the baby comes and gets it.† Another part of the story is that if you put your car in neutral it will either roll forward or backward or rock back and forth, and sometimes there are little baby hand prints on your windows!!

So off we went.† It was cold and drizzly, a perfect night for ghosties.† We turned off on the ‘road’ and it was perfect; dark and spooky and raining and DARK!† The bridge is very short; about 8′ and has no side rails.

the-bridge — I wanted to get in Gina's lap but Cody got to!

When Bobby put the car in neutral, it ROLLED!† There were squeals of delight and fright from the car.† We had to turn around and do it a few more times and each time it rolled.† The best time was when it rolled backwards! Up an incline! <insert Twilight Zone music here>

Then we got out and walked to place the candy.† Did I mention it was raining?† and DARK?† The kids placed their candy and Brit swore she saw a shadow in the rushing water below.

I the kids were very glad to be back in the car.† On the way home Brit and Kei decided the entire “Rock-A-Bye-Baby song was written for the Cry Baby Hollow Legend.

We had a blast and stole Brit to come home with us to protect us from ghosts spend the night with Kei.† Thanks Lackeys!!!† We loved it.

Happy Saturday,

Friends

THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS…..

September 25, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

“Thank heaven for little girls
for little girls get bigger every day!

Thank heaven for little girls
they grow up in the most delightful way!”

Will it ever stop raining!!!??? I love rain, I love the sound of rain, the smell of rain, rainy nights, but I am ready for it to go away after a few days.† I hate soggy!

We had a great GNO to celebrate Gina’s birthday.† Chan came back with us and stayed for 3 days.† Her and Kei had a blast.

They played with Littlest Pets.† I love those things.† I wish we would have had them when I was little.

We went to the trails and park up at the local PS.† The girls watched the kids in their fenced in enclosure playing for 10 minutes and felt very sorry for them.† I asked Kei if she missed PS at all and she said, “NO WAY”.

There was singing and laughter and giggles galore.

Now it is the weekend again.† There is the Apple Festival in Moulton and Eva Frontier Days.† We have gone to both in the past and enjoyed them.† IF IT STOPS RAINING!

There is also so much around here I need to be doing.†† Nah…I think I will just lounge.

Field Trip, Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, My beautiful child, Science

September days….

September 17, 2009 Webmaster Leave a comment

“Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain so yellow
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a young and a callow fellow
Try to remember and if you remember
Then follow–follow, oh-oh.”
-† Try to Remember, Lyrics by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

I can’t believe it is already the middle of September.† Where does time go?

We are in full swing with homeschooling.† Loving it with very few meltdowns by either of us.

We missed the “Not Back to School” picnic and the 1st skate day because Kei was very sick.† We both hated missing it.

We did go bowling which was fun.† I got to see some people I hadn’t seen all summer.† Kei broke 100 which is a 1st for her.

She has been in a coloring mode lately.† Every night after dinner she colors and colors and colors.

We are learning about Kingdoms, etc.† Even though I think it is a little silly.† I mean how many times have you been asked for the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus or Species of a mushroom???† Kei has memorized all of them which is more than I know.†† We did an experiment about “Opposable Thumbs” and it was a hoot.† She had to try to do all these things with her thumbs taped down.† Some she accomplished but it took forever and some she could not do at all.

I love homeschooling.† I love spending so much time with Kei.† I love learning right along with her.† I have learned relearned so much!† We are doing American History and I have never been so fascinated by Explorers and the first settlements.† In a perfect world we could go to visit Jamestown after studying about it.† But…with the internet that is almost possible.

Kei is now working on a play about Virginia Dare. She is convinced that the Indians got her and they all lived happily ever after.† She still believes in that…..

Live, laugh, learn,

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time, Life

Lazy Days of Summer…

July 24, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

It has been a good week.†† Kei and I cleaned OUT her room.† We moved everything out and then rearranged.† What a job!† But she loves it.

We had my nephew spend the night a couple of nights and he was a blast.† He helped me clean off the balcony and various other “I need a strong dude” chores.† We sat on the balcony and had a fire.† It was so great.

We went to Esther’s for a day of food, laughter and play.

We moms had to get our “silly on” too.

Then Seth taught Kei to play Poker.† Of course, she had to ‘dress’ the part.† Esther said it was a fine example of learning Math and symbols.† E can find the ‘learning’ in anything!!

Kei is so excited about going to see “Beauty and The Beast” at the Princess.† We can’t wait.

Happy Weekend!

Friends, Holidays

!!!!Happy 4th of July!!!!

July 4, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

What a great day.

Friends, food and fireworks.

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.† You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.† ~Erma Bombeck

Field Trip, Friends, My beautiful child, nature, Weather

If I Were a Rich Girl…

June 18, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We spent delightful days at our friends new house at Smith Lake.†† The house was incredible.† Over 7000 sq. feet, on the lake front and beautiful.

I could stay there forever and Kei had all the rooms assigned as if we lived there by the time we left.† Complete with a homeschooling room of course.† An amazing house.† Imagine waking up, walking into the kitchen and being surrounded on 3 sides by floor to ceiling windows with a lake view.† The pool was great and Kei worked on her diving skillz.† She stayed in the water for hours and hours.† I swear she is part mermaid.

It was just what we needed.† Of course I got horribly blistered.† Why is it I lather Kei in sunscreen and then half way put it on myself!!!!?????

Happy Thursday,

Friends, My beautiful child, nature

Water, Water Everywhere..

June 4, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

K loves water.† She loves to swim, to splash, to dive, to go underwater, to just sit with water all around her.† She takes hour baths and uses her mask in the tub!† I swear the kid is part mermaid.

She isn’t able to put up her pool this year and at first she was so sad.† But, being the creative kid that she is, she has made adjustments.

One day she played all day on her Water Slide:

Then she made some sort of train/water track.

Then we went on a Wild Swim with our HS Group.† It was awesome.

Then yesterday she made a Water House.

Thank goodness the rain has left for awhile because she is enjoying every wet second of the SUN!

Friends, HomeSchool, Learning all the time

Schools Out…NOT

May 29, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We homeschool year round.† I believe learning is an ongoing process.† We learn every day.† How can you just STOP that for 3 months?† It is crazy.† But public schools are out here.† Which means no more quite mornings laying in the hammock and reading.† There will be kids…kids knocking on the door, kids wanting to play in the water, kids wanting to swing.† Now don’t get me wrong, I love kids.† Most of ’em. 😉

Gina picked us up to go spend the day at Suzette’s.† She had a cool new toy!† A Garmin GPS!† This was his maiden voyage and we loved it!† I gots’ to get my directionally challenged self one of these!

We spent a great day at Suzette’s.† 6 Moms, 11 kids, several dogs.† We had lunch and talked.† Suz told us about the awesome trip she is taking in her camper.† 36 days!† She will never come out of it SANE! 🙂

I have the greatest homeschool friends! I adore them all and I love ALL their kids! Now seriously, how many of your friends can you say that about??? <g>

Kei and I watched the National Spelling Bee last night!† We were rooting for the homeschoolers.† Especially Serena. She was so cool!† Of the 11 finalists, 3 were homeschoolers!!† I was truly amazed.† I consider myself fairly intelligent and I had never heard of 90% of those words!† Here are a few of them:

antonomasia, bouquiniste, oriflamme, guayabera, isagoge and sophrosyne.† SAY WHAT????

Have a great weekend,

Friends, Life, My beautiful child

Memorial Weekend

May 26, 2009 Karen Leave a comment

We had a pretty good weekend.† Actually Kei had a great weekend.† I had a worrying weekend.† I try not to worry about things but it is so hard sometimes.† I watch K play and think “I wish I was 9 and had no worries”† Now I know there are too many children who do have hard lives and worry about things but I try so very hard not to let K’s life be like that.† There is time enough to worry when they grow up.

After church on Sunday we went to Daddy’s and Katherine [my niece] wanted to spend the night.† The girls played outside, played Operation,

they played in Kei’s sand box that she has outgrown but we can’t bear to get rid of:

I sat on the balcony and read my Maximum Ride books!† My sweet Gina & Co. had brought them by for me Sunday.† Thanks Esther for picking them up at the library!† I love these books.† They are great for adults and kids.† I mean what is not to love about flying kids!

Monday the weather was semi nice.† Mostly sunny which is unusual lately.† Seth [my nephew] came over for a while and the girls played outside.

Laura had so graciously invited us over to grill out.† My California friends crack up when I say “grill out”.† They ‘barbecue”.† I try to tell them that barbeque is a sauce you put on meat.† Not all grilled food is barbecued!† Here in the South, we GRILL OUT!† Anyway the food was yummy!

All in all, a good weekend,

I hope this week is better for us,

Hugs,

HomeSchool Girls