2015 resolutions " Simply simple"

So for this year I choose  a resolutions theme. it is "simple" Life is not complicated why do we make it that way?

A simple life, simple solutions, calm down stress less. = Sounds divine. Right?

I am constantly reminded  of a quote made by Charlotte in the book Charlotte's Web by E.B. White  (That was a family story time read aloud in the summer of 2014) "Slowly, slowly, never hurry,  and never worry" I have heard  that in my head over and over in 2014.

Life is short, I don't want to rush it all away. I want to enjoy ever second of it.

For this year,2015 :

I will yell less

I will slow down and enjoy every second

I will play more with my children when electricity in NOT involved.

I will wear more skirts and dresses

I will exercise and drink more green juice

I will meditate and do more yoga

I will  create more and let my creative energy flow freely.

I will do my weekly project life book and not stress about the perfection of it. Capturing the moments  is what really matters.

I will print this out and put it on my nightstand.  I will read  it every morning as I wake up. giving me a fresh mindset every day

It is all about the right mindset, there are many studies about how if you can think it, and believe it you can make it happen.

Separate from my resolution list I WILL make this come spring:

I love everything about this I think I will do the scrap fabric in pastel rainbow colors (my love of rainbows always shines through!)

I will hang this on my front door, and friends........ If I can figure it out I  may make you one too!

Opposites attract

They say opposites attract, that seems to be true with Papabird and I. It is uncanny the amount of things we are so opposite about.

It is as simple as Black and white, really!My favorite color is White, Papabird's is Black.Seriously! I am not making this stuff up.

I cook a new recipe I  am loving it, I am literally sitting there wolfing it down only to look across the table and see Papabird just pushing it around his plate making it look eaten. Sometimes I get the occasional " Bleh! this is horrible!" Which then infuriates me because now all the little birds will then refuse to eat it!

I like it bright and sunny in the house, he likes all the windows closed making it cave like.

I like arcade type games, he likes fantasy games ( I do like some fantasy, he does like some arcade)

We sometimes laugh about our opposites and we sometimes argue.

Let talk Christmas decorations: I like stuff up just before Thanksgiving and take down the day after Christmas. Papabird likes it up the week before Christmas but up throughout most of January.

I just found a very cute website with natural Christmas decorations  I hope to remember those for next year.

Thankfully we do agree on one very important thing. We want to live off the land and have a farm Lucky for use we just bought one. Now lets talk animals: We both are having a hard time deciding on what animals to start with this spring.

Chickens: yes we do agree on those lots of them over 100., but what bread? Another issue we have not agreed on yet.We have a lot of animals on the table, well soon to be on the table! But we have only agreed on chickens, ducks and, turkey so far.

Happy Holidays!

Gingerbread Baby unit study ~ Jan Brett

Back in the schooling groove ( sort of),  We are using the build your library Christmas study with stories from Jan Brett.

We started this week with the Gingerbread Baby.

We also watched the book on DVD

We made salt dough ornaments.

 I found a roll and color  math work sheet for the little boys.THey loved it! I must get more of them for other units.

They started the week coloring gingerbread house.

 A fill in sheet all the kids did about being a gingerbread person. Here is Robin's work. I also had her write a story about her gingergirl using the new vocabulary from the book we just read. She underlined each vocab word.

Here is a closer snippet  from the story.

I had planned on making gingerbread cookies but I got so busy with Robin's other cooking projects for her Girl Scout cooking badge that I ran out of time.

She made quite a few recipes from this book that were excellent. I am loving cooking in the new house with the kids. I feel like I actually have room to breathe. My old kitchen was the size of a closet NO JOKE!

Robin has also started work on her Government patch.

Falcon has started lesson 1 in mapping the world with art.

Saying Goodbye is never easy

I never wanted a dog,,I am not a dog person but this dog stole my heart.

He was my first dog, he was a pure blood black lab bought for my husband but that stinkin dog chose me as his owner. I even tried to get him to sleep with my 3 yr. son and be his dog but that bull headed dog would cry without me and sleep next to me bed.

 Pretty puppy

 Hide n Seek

Bath time: puppies, bubbles and lots of giggles

 Drinking beer!

For11 years that dog has either slept in my bed with me or right next to my bed.


When I was in labor with all my kids he knew before I did that the babies were coming he would follow me around.

My 3 year old pooped in the back yard like a dog to teach our puppy where to do it.

The kids picked a good spot to bury him, on a hill next to a tree by the pond looking at the house. He was wrapped up in blankets and buried with items the kids wanted to add. His purple leash because he loved walks,some treats because he loved to eat, a football because he loved playing tackle with Falcon, a balloon Duck drew a face on for him. The kids got to pet him and say goodbye and they all helped put dirt over him in his final resting place.

His hips were bad, he was in a lot of pain and his meds were not working. I was not going to watch him struggle and let him be in pain just because I was not ready to let go.

Yes he still wagged his tail, yes he was still happy to see me. Even when I am in pain I still smile and I am still happy to see those I love that is not a true way to see if your dog is in pain. Dogs will not cry. He couldn't get up some days, he walked slow and was restless at night, he was in pain. They can't tell you but they show you.

I was not ready to let go. I had no idea how much I loved this dog I am so incredibly sad right now.

Goodbye puppy you will be forever missed.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Rainbows, I love them and rainbow colored anything.

My favorite color is white

I love Gingerbread people, strangely enough I own very few things with gingerbread people on it or gingerbread people in general I am just too cheap to buy them for myself. Seems like frivolous buy. So I buy things functional instead. I would love one year to own a bunch of Ginger people.

Pumpkin pie. I eat it year round. I LOVE IT!

So you want to know what going on with the house instead of my favorite things......... well you will just have to wait until I can find the cord to upload pictures to my Pc.

As for homeschooling we are back in the swing of things now doing a full load of work and playing catch up on time lost.

All morning I school the kids, then do farm chores then spend the rest of the night trying to un pack things and shuffle stuff around because we are still living in a house under construction.