Category Archives: Holidays

Bump in the Night…

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.

I'll Get you my Pretty..
I'll Get you my Pretty..

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!

epic-corn
Epic Corn Hunt
Epic Train
Epic Train

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!

Vampire?
Vampire?

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.

Mother Nature
Mother Nature
Don't fool Mother Nature
Don't fool Mother Nature

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,

K

October is Creeping By…

It has been a good week.

Kei got a new box.† It is amazing what you can do with a box, where you† can go, what you can be.

Step Into My Parlor...
Step Into My Parlor...

It is a window to imagination…

Complete with Homemade Curtains
Complete with Homemade Curtains

My Daddy has millions of acorns.† Kei and went over there and got some and painted them orange.† [Which is harder than it sounds.† Anyone know a better way to anchor these little guys while you are painting them?] Then she drew pumpkin faces on them.

FIVE little PUMPKINS
FIVE little PUMPKINS

We had to punt the Edward Scissorhands idea.† Too expensive for this year, so she is going to be Mother Nature.† Which is very apropo for her.† We went to look for ideas at the Halloween store in town.† They have some of the coolest stuff!

kei-creepy

We had to, of course, take the required ‘I’m so scared’ picture.

kei-scream

Today she was playing with clay and made this cute little clay family.† I thought they had a Gremlin ‘flavor’.

Do Not Feed After Midnight
Do Not Feed After Midnight

All in all, a very good week.† Of course, it is supposed to RAIN tomorrow.

Stay dry,

K

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

What a great day.

fireworks2

Friends, food and fireworks.

k-liv-4th

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

fireworks

I Could….

I could send her to school,

And from 8:00-3:00 have no clue…

How many times she laughed,

How many times she learned,

How many times she questioned,

How many times she understood,

How many times she wanted more information,

How many times she bounced in her chair from excitement,

How many times she was proud of something she did.

I could send her to school and she could get her exercise and sunshine,

In 20 minute doses, ifÖshe had on the right shoes, and no one misbehaved and everyone was quiet.

I could send her to school

And let her eat the processed high fat, low nutrition fare they feed millions of children a day,

if she had enough time to eat and didn’t talk too loud and if no one grabbed her food.

OrÖ..

I could homeschool her.

kei-lunch

kei-learns

Hugs,

K

Earth Day 2009

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

Field Day, Puppet Shows, Jump Rope, Play Days and Easter oh my…..

Since my computer has been out of commission I am going to squeeze the last 3 weeks into one post.† We spent a portion of the time in our downstairs bathroom hiding from tornadoes.† My poor umbrella that I just bought did not survive.

umbrella
Farewell Dear Umbrella

Our homeschool Field Day was awesome thanks to Heather!† The kids all had such fun.† We had around 107 people there. I love how homeschooling just keeps growing and growing!

kei-fd
Kei the Mighty!

One of my dearest friends Ali, got Kei a puppet theater and several puppets and she has been playing with them so much and I have been an unwilling audience for 100 shows!!

k-puppet

We finally had a warm day and Kei wanted to jump rope.† She loves to be outside.† April is so crazy here. It can be 70 degrees one day and 35 the next!

021

Esther had a bunch of us to her house for a play day.† Kei would move to Esther’s if she could.† We both had a blast!† I laughed so much.† Besides being smart and full of great ideas HS moms are also hilarious!

Food Tastes Better w/ Friends
Food Tastes Better w/ Friends
Important Girl Stuff..
Important Girl Stuff..

We went to church on Easter and then to Daddy’s for lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt.† It was our 1st Easter without Momma.† I missed her so much.

Before the Hunt
Before the Hunt
Found One!
Found One!

All in all, a lovely 3 weeks.

Hugs,

K/K

The Old House…

mamaw

My daddyís mom and dad lived in Moulton.

They were older. Even when I was small they were old. I loved my Mamaw more than anything when I was little. She never wore pants, always dresses and stockings with elastic garters. Mamaw loved red; even though she was a little embarrassed about the fact that she did. [She considered red a ëloose womanísíí color]† We went to their house almost every Sunday.†

About twice a month they would come spend the night with us. We always went to pick them up because even though my Papaw drove around town, he didnít drive distances. Mamaw would always let me pack her overnight bag. I loved picking out her dresses that she would wear.

Every summer I would spend a week or so with Mamaw and Papaw. They had a great house with a farm. It was strange because they lived on a farm but they lived in the middle of town. I would help gather eggs and milk the cows. It is sad that Kei has never done those things. Mamaw and I would walk to ëtowní. I loved it. It was right down the block but I always felt so grown up.

I have so many memories of my Mamaw and Papaw. The both lived to be in their 90ís. But by that time I was older and didnít spend so much time with them.

I loved their house. It was a big old farmhouse, over a hundred years old.† My daddy told me they bought it for $2500, with 16 acres! When my grandparents died, he and his brothers sold it for $20,000. It is for sale now. The asking price is $136,900!!!! They have even put in a pool!† That is with NO acres. My daddy didnít believe me, he came over here to look on the internet. He said that Mamaw and Papaw would faint if they knew how much it was.† I wish we could buy it. I would even live in Moulton!

I would give anything if, just† for one day, I could grab Keiís hand and pull her back in time. Back to Mamawís front porch, with Daddy making home made ice cream and Papaw smoking his cigar and Momma and Mamaw inside cooking fried chicken with all the trimmings. I would show her the pond and climb my favorite tree with her, I would show her the hole in the barn where we would throw apples, and the grapevines and the wraparound porch that we would play game after game of chase. We would quietly crawl under the house so I could show her the wild kittens that were just born. I would show her the secret room in the back of the house that we made up scary stories about. She could sit in Mamawís lap on the front porch rocker and feel so loved and happy. I miss my Mamaw and Papaw, but mostly I miss my Momma.

Happy Wednesday,

<3

K/K