Snow and Ice(ing)

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Noahism of the Day






There is a tradition at the kids' elementary school to create Dicken's inspired snow villages. Rachel made a beautiful inn she called "The Out Inn" when she was in 5th grade:


While sitting at the table Noah lamented that he couldn't use this box design that he created on Sunday for his snow village:
Noah said, "I guess they wouldn't want a Fusion Reactor Core Generator at School."



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Haley's 13th birthday

Rachel was invited to Haley's birthday party held at an awesome place in Senoia called Cutie Pies and Cakery;


The girls decorating their cake boxes. Each girl iced and decorated their own cakes:





Rachel loves to design with circles and the color blue:














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These are photos from the day before Thanksgiving when the girls baked and decorated cupcakes:









Here is a mash up of two of my favorite pics of the cousins:


Off in a little bit to take photos of this year's snow village.

The Game of Life...or SEEMINGLY UNENDING TORTURE

Michael blogged about our Family Home Evening experience with playing Life. We started by rereading the rules, which, apparently, were being played fast and loose by Rachel and Noah. Playing by the rules and correcting misconceptions of the rules took up most of the game. Rachel was the banker and was consistently overwhelmed by her nagging customers. It reminded me of the scene in "Its a Wonderful Life", when Jimmy Stewart was trying to convince everybody to calm down and not make a run on the bank. I am all for changing the name of the game Life to something like "EPIC", or "ETERNITY"...or better yet..."PIT OF HADES".
My mom would say I deserve these moments because of my intensly competitive nature as a kid that made games no fun to play. I'm thinking my debt has been sufficiently paid and we should stick to the game CLUE or SCRABBLE, which I enjoy infinitely better. Though it was funny to see Noah getting hit with a lawsuit every few turns. He chose to be a doctor and we explained that it was par for the course. Eve was such a good mom to her plastic brood. She wept when she lost her "teaching" career, and found little solace in becoming an "accountant", but she felt better after her first raise. Aaron was kind of giggly throughout the game and his people kept falling out of his car.

::::::::::::::Teacher Conference for Eve:::

I met with Eve's Kindergarten teacher. I really like her and think she has Eve's interests at heart. She sees Eve struggling with some letter identification. Eve sees "u" as "n" and visa versa, as well as, "d" as "p", "m" as "w". The teacher is working on several strategies at school and had some great suggestions for reinforcement at home. I pulled out the cards I made for Aaron in Kindergarten and Rachel and Noah went to work helping their sister. Then, Eve brought me a work book and I was proud she recognized the letters and their sounds. I'm going to pop in Electric Company videos, this week to start reinforcing, as well. I love the show, too, so that helps.

::::::::::::::Freakishly Cold Day


It was 20 degrees colder today, than at the same time last year. When I was walking in the park the temperature was at 37 degrees Farenheit with a strong wind. I wore Aaron's cool glow-in-the-dark gloves to add some warmth. My lips are in the beginning stages of chapping and my skin is feeling a little tight. I did get my six miles in, so far, 12 for this week. I saw some bluebird playing in one section of the park and they make me smile. I love bluebirds!


:::::::::::::::Turkey Cake:::::::::



This is one of my favorite recipes. Michael, Rachel, and I made this recipe design a few years ago and it turned out soooo cool! These photos are from 2004 and Family Fun Magazine is rerunning the recipe on their blog:




I just thought someone might want to make that as a part of their feast. Fun stuff!

Well, take care and stay warm! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

from our family to yours!





_{Kate Hadfield, Tiff Brady and Bren Boone designs}

White Lies...Aren't So Harmless

::::::::::::::::Why Kids LiePaul Ekman, Ph.D.:::

This was a very good read! Dr. Ekman uses decades of research, personal experiences and common sense to discuss the common trait of lying. His stepson, Tom, has the best line in the book, "Face it. Your kids are going to lie to you until one of you dies."
Kids (and adults) are more likely to tell a lie if they perceive they will be punished, the respect for the target is low or the lie has been authorized. There are also those who like to dupe others that they view as gullible and get delight in doing so. Dr. Ekman cautions parents strongly on telling white lies that they perceive as harmless, but kids recognize as just plain lies. I am guilty of putting off telemarketers by telling them that "Victoria's not home." I see how my avoidance of the annoying callers is a lie, so I have repented and will simply be saying, "No, not interested", then hanging up the phone.
Ekman stresses the need to explain to the child the reason the lie is harmful, not only to the level of trust, but, possibly, to physical health. Children who have higher I.Q.s are equally likely to cheat as any other child if the opportunity, pressure and other factors are conducive.
He brings out the concept of The Halos/Horns Effect. The phrase refers to prior knowledge you have of a person effects if you think they are likely to have other good or bad traits. We are dealing with this in our son's Sunday school class. The teacher informed our son, in front of the class, that the reason she was in the class was because he is a behavior problem. This is likely true, but she handled the situation completely inappropriately. She also has formed friendships with the young girls in the class and they can do no wrong. While we see and hear them belittling and acting in a condescending manner to our son. He is also dealing with a child who has anger management problems (a family trait) and has thrown chairs and tossed our son's glasses down the hall. Michael is going to sit in on the next few classes because I am doing something at the same class time. It is probably best that Michael mediates the situation first because I turn red as a lobster and my face shows my intense displeasure.
Try to focus on the cause of the lie, don't yell, don't withdraw affection, assign a punishment that fits the crime, don't tell lies of any kind. If the kids don't need to know certain information tell them that is why you are not disclosing the information, but don't lie. I will close with some advice from Tom Ekman, "But if you create more situations where your child feels less compelled to lie and can tell the truth, then you can make a big difference as to how much your child will lie."

Great book!

::::::::::::::::Pomegranate 7up Revisited::::::::

Michael really likes the new Pomegranate drink. He told me the flavor was "festive"! So, just wanted to add his review.



:::::::::::::::::Thanksgiving Holidays:::::::

I need to make cupcakes for Eve's class and baklava for my dad and Alice's dinner. Aaron is reading for the Thanksgiving Feast at Eve's pre-k. Noah is doing the play "Stone Soup" with his second grade class. Aaron and I will be dissecting a chicken wing for science. Life is full and ever interesting!

Smiles!

Give Thanks!

:::::::::Letters to the troops for Thanksgiving:


I got this email today: Something cool that Xerox is doing Let's Say Thanks

"You can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them...

...It really did just take a few moments to choose a lovely card and sentiment, so please send one if you get a chance!


::::::::::::::An Oldie, but a Goodie::::::
Who Needs 31 Flavors...
When there is VANILLA and chocolate!




_{Shabby Miss Jenn: Ice Cream Party kit at Shabby Miss Jenn Designs
Darcy Baldwin: DJB KELLI, DJB JULIANA IN A HURRY, Stickbet Alpha, Save The Date at The Digichick
Jenn Patrick: Backward Staples
Kate Hadfield: Wordy Bit Alpha}


This layout is using photos taken in 2005. This photo of Noah's face just makes me smile. I, especially, like the ice cream on his face.

:::::::::::::::::::Genealogy Merit Badge::::::

I worked with the Scouts last night on the Genealogy M.B. We talked about relatives, where to look for information and why it is important to learn information from family sources before they pass on. I also cautioned them that two people at the same event can see things and remember things completely different. It was interesting to note that Aaron was unaware of a lot of family information because I take care of all of that for him. Maybe, just maybe, he will pay a little more attention.

::::::::::::::::::::Indexing::::::::::::

I have signed up to transcribe historical documents. Through www.familysearchindexing.org I have downloaded my first batch of documents from a book of marriage certificates in the 1850's. The handwriting is already stumping me so I need to do some more letter comparisons.

Off to index for a bit!

Smiles!

On the Flip Side:

Text: July 01, 2007
Rachel had fun posing with her own rendition of Monticello on back of the nickel her dad gave her. The house and the grounds were gorgeous

Photo Id: Rachel makes comparisons.
Photo 2: Rachel age nine.

<sub>Background paper: Kraft paper from Simply Irresistable kit by Gina Cabrera
Chippy Alpha: Audrey Neal from Summer Collab kit at TLP
Frames: Nancy Comelab
Notepaper: Modified from Nancy Comelab
Book Plate Alpha: Christina Renee
Punch Label Alpha: The Powers Sisters
Backward Staple: Jenn Patrick
Font: Jefferson/Jane Austen



The gardens at Monticello are bright and beautiful! Strolling through there was such fun.


Paper: LDD Retro Kit
Cluster Frame: (modified) Nancy Comelab
Parisian Alpha: Rhonna Farrer
Font: TK Doodle, Adine-Kirnberg Script, DB Michael by Darcy at The Digichick</sub>
::::::::::::Runnin' Away, Aye!::::::

Yes, we are off again for a few days! We are attending a family reunion. It appears it will be a soggy time, but the kids will have fun with their cousins, aunts and uncles.

::::::::::::Twisted Kids::::::::

During our trip Aaron was searching for a song to listen to on the mp3 player. He found "Alice's Restaurant" by Arlo Guthrie. Michael said that is our Thanksgiving song. Pick something else. The kids all chimed in that they wanted "Alice's Restaurant". Rachel remembered a lot of the words, so she sang along. By the time we got to Monticello, Virginia to visit Thomas Jefferson's home we started calling any time the kids sat together "The Group W bench". They seemed to like that lable. Luckily, they don't identify with any of those on the bench from the song...not even the litterbug!
Rachel popping Aaron in the head:

Aaron throwing an elbow in retalitation:


Smiles!

Progress!

Aaron and Eve ran in the homeschool running Fun Run yesterday. Aaron ran 3/4 of a mile and Eve ran a 1/4 of a mile. We aren't an athletic family, so I was really happy with Aaron's time of 11.14. I ran with Eve to keep her going otherwise she wanders off to the playground. We ran 4:23. The kids all received ribbons with their times on the back.


::::::Siding:::::::

The siding is done except for some trim pieces. I need to finish caulking and then we can get the house painted.

We are going to start working on the kitchen this week, while my dad goes hunting for the rest of the week and off to help build something at his church. We are going to get the kitchen cabinets through IKEA. We opted for the Adel birch collection, so I will be pulling stuff out of cabinets, so we can get to the base cabinets and start the flooring.

I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving in June?

_{I used Shabby Princess' "Shabby Fall Kit", Mo Jackson's "Cake" and "Dorothy's Kitchen 3". Font used: Pea Jane}

Why a Thanksgiving layout in June you may query? Well, the easy answer is that I get around to things whenever I can, or the whimsy strikes me to scrap the photos. The other reason is that it is a picture of one of the many talents my husband possesses---Baking. Since Father's Day is drawing nigh I will be sprinkling in layouts that have to do with my husband. Father's Day is a celebration of the things that Father's do the rest of the 364 days, so I will be scrapping the photos that show some of the aspects of my husband's life. The fact is that I really like this guy. I enjoy discussing things and being his sounding board when he just wants to talk (this allow me to scrap at the same time, which is kinda duo-tasking...have I created a new word???). He is the assistant Scout Master in our son's troop and he and Aaron are gone for the week. The funny thing, to me, is that I took the time to sew and iron Rachel's Girl Scout patches on her vest. To some that is quite an ordinary task, but you need to realize I save up all patches for Michael because he sews and irons really well. I think I did a pretty spiffy job, so I may unburden him with Rachel's Girl Scout patches from now on and let him concentrate on cooking dinner...YES... he is a wonderful cook, too! It really is have him cook, or eat spaghetti most every night. I am willing to branch out on the whole cooking thing, but right now I'm jonesin' for a smoothie. I really like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt and milk. Let me know if you have a kickin' smoothie recipe for me to try. Here is the Turkey Cake link from Family Fun Magazine, which has some awesome ideas: Turkey Cake Instructions.