Blog Year in Review 2010

The first sentence from the first post for each month of 2010.

January
Forty-five minutes after the ball has dropped, Toa of Boy and Mama are in bed.

February
Yes, it's that time again. [This, incidentally, was about needing help with an algebra problem. Not about some other "that time", in case there was any confusion there.]

March
Despite the fact that my sister and I hold differing political views, differing religious views, and different tastes in clothes, fashion, and food, I love my relationship with my sister for the following reasons.

April
We got word Thursday night that my brother's house, in East Nowhere, Ohio, burnt to the ground.

May
Toa of Boy wants a Pokemon Party for his birthday this year.

June
This post is a result of a conversation I had in my church hallway with my Signing Friend.

July
yes. It's Thursday, not Friday.

August
So far today I have:
Got caught up in my Bible in 90 days reading. This shall be celebrated with chocolate.

September
On Tuesday, I walked upstairs after lunch to match up my coupons with my grocery list.

October
Confession time, we actually finished up our unit on Canada last week BUT my small group at church was doing a media fast, so no blog for me.

November
I love homeschooling.

December
The Up--Sweetling and Toa of Boy were finishing adding the eastern European countries to their maps of Europe.

Want to play along? It's fun and easy. Make a blog post or a facebook note using the first sentence of either the first post of your blog for each month OR the first facebook update for each month. If you can, leave a comment back with me so that I can come and read your note/blog post.

Happy New Year!

Work in Progress

Not that I have a history of leaving art projects unfinished or anything. No, no. Nothing like that.

So here are the stages of my elven cleric. I'm looking for some constructive criticism and some helpful input on what to do next.

Here she is without a nose, because I was afraid I'd mess it up:

And now with the nose, eyelashes, and lips

Remember, its still in progress. Then I did the hand and rest of her skin, but was feeling good so didn't stop to take a picture. I did the hair, which I love filling in, then moved on to the magic and the dress and the background....

But after I added the background, she looked a little washed out. So I went back in and reworked some of the shadows and contrasts.


So, here is where I am right now. She doesn't look quite finished. Suggestions????

edit to add--Thanks Nora! I want that hand to look illuminated, so I was afraid to add much color to it. I'll rework that area tomorrow. In the meantime, left to my own devices, I tried to make her face a bit more symmetrical, and I darkened the shadows on her far arm.

Chili, Chilli, Chiiillliiii, Chilililee

I can't spell it consistantly, but here's a yummy recipe for

White Chicken Chili

• 1 large jar or 3 regular cans Great Northern beans, enough to total 45-48 oz
• 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded colby/montery-jack cheese, divided
• 1 jar salsa OR 1 can chicken broth

Cook the chicken. The friend who gave me the recipe poaches her chicken in boiling water for a while. I was too impatient for this, so I cubed my chicken and sauteed it with a little oil, garlic, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.

Without draining, dump the beans into a large pot. Add chicken, 2 cups pepper-jack cheese, 1 cup colby-montery cheese, and chicken broth or salsa. (Toa of Boy is allergic to tomatoes. The original recipe called for salsa, but we can't dump tomato chunks in our chili, so we used a can of chicken broth to make up for the loss of liquid.)

Heat till the cheese is thoroughly melted. Serve warm. Garnish each bowl with salsa, sour cream, and  reserved cheese, as desired. Yum Yum.

And cause a delicious bowl of chili needs a delicious dessert--

Chewy Cocoa Brownies

• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 2 Tbs water
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 13x9 inch pan.

Combine sugar, butter, and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir into flour mixture. Stir in nuts if desired. Spread in greased pan.

Bake or 18 to 25 minutes. Wooden toothpick inserted in center should come out slightly sticky. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

By Toa of Boy

it  is  snowing  like crassy  but  it is  happy in the house.We  mite go  sledding trmorr.Sanetta is not going to give me coll.

Personal Proverbs 31

• A wife with a gentle and sincere heart seems to be a rarity in today's society.
• She is worth far more than those multi-karat diamond rings which commercials claim are the measurement of love.
• Her husband can trust in her basic goodness, knowing that her words are rarely cutting and that her actions are intended for the benefit of her family. His life is enriched by her presence.
• She is good and kind towards him, daily demonstrating her respect and confidence in his character and his abilities through her words and attitudes. She avoids sarcasm, criticism, and demeaning "teasing". Neither does she second-guess his choices or go behind his back on decisions.
• Her life can easily be overloaded with activities and commitments, so she is careful what she agrees to and chooses wisely her involvements, praying about her decisions and constantly seeking only God's best for her and her family.
• She plans healthy meals and snacks, and is frugal and discerning in her grocery shopping.
• She avoids sleeping in, even though she could, but is instead intentional about getting up and utilizing her morning wisely. By doing so, she helps her family begin each of their days well, in peace and in health.
• She is not frivolous in her spending, but deliberate and conscientious. She seeks to increase the family's purchasing power, not squander it away.
• She is enthusiastic and motivated about her role and her calling, finding fulfillment and energy in the good works God has prepared in advance just for her. She is healthy, taking time to exercise and care for herself physically, because she knows her own welfare is very important.
• She makes sure that the tasks she engages in are productive ones. She does not waste away her days on worthless diversions, nor does she let business keep her distracted from what is truly meaningful. Instead, she regularly reflects on and assesses how she is spending herself and keeps herself from getting burned out.
• She knows the value of the gifts and talents God has given her, and she puts them to good use.
• She is compassionate and actively seeks out ways to help those in need.
• She is prepared in advance for both the immediate future and for the occasional contingency. Her household rarely needs to franticly scramble to get ready for an event, nor does a minor unplanned circumstance throw her life into a tailspin.
• She takes care to outfit her home usefully and beautifully. She clothes herself tastefully and attractively.
• The confidence her husband finds at home carries into his public and work life and he can become the man God created him to be.
• Her efforts do not only benefit her family, but to her credit, they carry over to bless and benefit others as well.
• She is confident, calm, and full of grace. She maintains a positive, joyful attitude even in the face of uncertainty.
• She thinks before she speaks, guarding her tongue against malice, nagging, gossip, and ceaseless prattle. Instead, she desires her words to bring comfort, help, and encouragement to all those she interacts with.
• She is involved with and knowledgeable about the activities and interests of her family members. She keeps track of schedules and appointments and special occasions. She is not passive about life, but engaged and pro-active.
• Her children are well-behaved, polite, and considerate, learning good character traits from their rich home-life. When they are grown, they not only have many fond memories of their childhood, they tell others of the lessons and the values they learned from those experiences.
• Her husband treats her as the priceless treasure which she is. She receives and recognizes his unique expressions of love.
• Our society has turned womanhood into a House of Mirrors, and the images and perceptions of women presented by our world today are false and distorted. A woman's worth is not based on income, material possessions, a high-profile career, or conforming to an impossible appearance standard. No, a woman's true worth is found in her inner character, in her ability to love and do and give to others, in her spirit, in her preciousness in the eyes of God, and in the originality of the artful masterpiece she was created to be to the world.

P.S.--I can't honestly say that I have completely arrived at this. But this is what my heart desires.

History Link

Cool history site with tutorial videos on how things were made through history.

Facebook Friday

11/13
arg. I put my cup of hot chocolate down somewhere, and now I can't find it. you know who is going to find it sometime tomorrow? The Jedi :(

11/13
So, Facebook tells me someone in Texas is trying to log into my account. Really? Cause my life is that exciting?

11/13
Why do people three and under fight so valiantly against taking a nap?

11/13
ARRRRGGGHHH@! Computers are just so bleepin evil!!!!

11/14
‎1)It has been decided that I am a "squipmunk". 2)The Jedi has been watching the Dolphins game in Danish. 3)The leaves in my yard do not get raked, unless its to make a leaf pile to jump in.

11/14
I called the computer a dork, but it neither cared nor changed its behavior.

11/15
Why does my to-do list keep growing faster than I can check stuff off of it? I'm sure Facebook has nothing to do with this problem.

11/16
Favorite quote of the day, "It's hard to focus when you look outside and see that the branches of trees are forming eyelids."--Julia from _Love in a Time of Homeschooling_ by Laura Brodie.

11/16
We watched Cats and Dogs tonight cause Mommy picked the movie. Mommy might not get to pick the movie again for a long time. We did, however, encounter several teachable moments re "suspension of disbelief" and "plot hole".

11/18
Old mother hubbard went to the cupboard, and realized what a bad grocery shopper she has been the past couple weeks.

11/19
It's nearly 8:30. Am I packed? no. Did I eat breakfast? no. Am I dressed? no. Have I even figured out what I'm going to wear? no. Is Telephone going to kill me? maybe.

11/24
So, if a 12-hr decongestant goes through the washer and the dryer but is still in its little foil packet, think its still good? And, on another topic, can I freeze heavy whipping cream? I only needed half a cup, and it seems a shame to waste the rest of the carton.

11/28
pumpkin bread counts as a vegetable side dish, right?

11/29
Today, I tried to explain to Toa of Boy what a wedgie is. Homeschooling at its finest.

12/2
a blogging we will go, a blogging we will go, hi ho the derrie oh, a blogging we will go!

Ups and Downs

The Up--

Sweetling and Toa of Boy were finishing adding the eastern European countries to their maps of Europe. I had already checked their outlines and labeling, so I left the room while they colored the countries on their map. I was cleaning the bathroom when I heard Toa say,

"Wait a minute! What's this?"

I heard Sweetling's chair push away from the table, presumably so she could go around to where Toa was sitting and help him. A moment later she started singing, "There's a hole in the bottom of the sea."

"No really," protested Toa, "what is it?"

"I don't know," admitted Sweetling.

"Mommy!" yelled Toa.

"Wait!" cried Sweetling, "Let's just look it up ourselves!"

Ah, that, dear ones, was truly music to my ears. Rock on you empowered learners you!

(And, for those who are wondering, the thing which puzzled Toa was-- a small white space in the middle of his map of Europe. It was later discovered that this little white space was not a tiny country, nor a misprint on his map, but a little corner of Slovakia which had been inadvertently cut off from the rest of the country by an overly large capital S when Toa was labeling his map.)

(For those who weren't wondering, Toa has decided that "Slovakia"  sounds like a Bionicle name, maybe a bad guy villain name, thinks Toa.) 

The Down--

In November, we wrapped up our unit on Norway. Now, call me crazy, cause that was a whole month ago, but I kind of expected at least some of the main points to stick.

We watched some clips of Rick Steve from the travel channel in Norway. We found pictures of the fjords. We discussed extensively what a fjord was. Toa, in fact, proudly found a picture of one of Norway's fjords in an unexpected place and pointed it out to me with great excitement.

We also started reading a book called Snow Treasure. We did a cool hand's on project about just how heavy 75 pounds of gold would be. We talked about how it would be to be one of the children' trying to smuggle gold on their sleds past the Nazi soldiers. We talked about it as we read, we made references to the story at other times.

Today, we were reading the last couple chapters of Snow Treasure. I don't want to give out too many spoilers, but the main character of the book is forced to make a hasty get away by braving some of the cold waters of the fjord. The book described how the water was so cold it felt like it was biting him when he first put his feet in, but the character pushed on, plunging into deeper water.

"What's happening?" asked Toa. "Is it flooding?"

"No," I said, "Peter is going out into the water of the fjord."

"What's a fjord?" asked Toa.

In retrospect, I should have told him it was a giant Lego construct built to battle the Bionicle villain Slovakia.