So So Behind

Alright people it's official. I'm so far behind on this here blog that I don't even know where to start. A *brief* overview follows.

April~ family trip to Co Springs for Gymnastics Regionals (Utah, NM, CO and WY). David took a place in every event and the all around. We also got to spend a weekend with my niece and her beautiful family. After the regionals, Dan went home to get back to work and I drove with the boys to IL and spent 6 glorious weeks hanging out with friends and family, and helping my Dad recoop from a health issue. (Homeschooling is wonderfully flexible, have I ever mentioned that?) Dad turns 75. Big party for him, which he enjoyed.







May~ First 1/2 of May spent in IL. We arrived home and went back to school. Dan was VERY glad to see us and I was glad that the laptop fairy had visited him while I was gone, LOL! Tyler (nephew) graduated from high school. Said nephew also turned 18 *yippee* Spent most of the rest of May just trying to get settled back in and back to *normal* whatever that is.




June~ More school. Back to work for me. Dan gets laid off from his beloved Wooten job. Joined local CSA, very excited about that : ) Dan refabricates engine for dune buggy. She lives!





July~ Independance Day! School finished for the year during the last week of July. Prepared for niece coming for 2 weeks. Dan gets hired by company called Les File. Really likes it. Dan puts final touches on dune buggy like decals, painted muffler tips, etc.

August~Derek turns 6. Niece comes and spends 2 weeks. MANY adventures (whole blog post about that later) Dan gets laid off by Les File. Jodi spends weekend in Chicago and nephews stay here, much to our boys' delight. Dan busiest unemployed man I know. *amused* Dan buys me a dehydrator and I learn to make beef jerky. Dan repairs damage to dune buggy done by neice, oops *grins* Nephew James turns 9.

Phew. I think that's all the BIG stuff. Coming up is our 15th anniversary, Sister moving closer to us and Dan looking for work, and of course, the start of school in early Sept. Good times!

4 Years??

4 years ago yesterday. That's when David, Derek, my Mom and I arrived in NM where Dan and Patrick were already setting up house. It would be our first time living farther than a few miles from our parents. It was the first time we'd be living far away from our high school and youth group friends. We were in a terrible place in our marriage, undecided about whether we should just throw in the towel, or keep fighting what seemed like an endless uphill battle. We'd lost our home, our pride and our self-respect somewhere along the way. And then, God led (that should read dragged) us here, and we started a new chapter in our life. One that was centered on Him. One that made family (our nuclear family) a priority, not just by a conscious choice, but by not knowing a single person in this town except for my sister and nephew that we were living with at that time. One that showed us how far off the mark we had become. Since that time, we've moved 3 times, lived with another sister and nephews, had and lost jobs, our sanity and sometimes our temper, but we've grown in the Lord, in our family and in our maturity levels. We do almost everything TOGETHER, sometimes to the amazement of our house guests. We live, laugh, love and learn here at home, because that's where we like to be. Life is good here in NM. Happy anniversary to the Man Crew! Here we are in July 2011

And here we were in 2007 not long after we arrived.

Blogging After Dark : )

Hello all and greetings from Sunny and HOT AS THE BLAZES New Mexico. : ) We are experiencing record breaking stretches of triple digit heat here, but since we have A/C, and running water, all is well. Life is good here on the surface of the sun, LOL! School will be out in less than 2 weeks (yes we homeschool year round, just saying) Our niece will be here in the same amount of time to spend 2 weeks enjoying the sun and fun here and Dan went back to work this week! It's all good! I just got home from work a bit ago and am heading to bed, but since I'm trying to carve out time to blog again, well this is it *hee hee* No pics this time either as the flash drive is in the dark bedroom with the sleeping Hercules, so I'll try to post some new pics soon. Mostly, just waving a hand to everyone and saying, "Hey, don't forget about us! We're still here."
Blessings,
~K~ and the Man Crew

Testing Testing

Please ignore this post unless you can tell me how to schedule a post. I'm just trying some things out. Thanks, the Management

Hello Again, my Friends

Just popping through to say HI to all my friends and family that try to keep track of me on here. It's been a hectic few months filled with school, gymnastics meets, travels, and much chaos. As things are simmering down a bit, I'll be around more often again. Hope that's ok with you all *winks* For now, just a hello and a quick update.

• In April, David made the gymnastic regionals in his first year of competing. And then placed in every event!!


• Also in April, my father became quite ill and spent the weekend in the hospital and then a month in a nursing home/rehab center.


• SO~ we made one trip count for two. Went to CO for the regionals, took a right turn and drove until IL and spent 5 weeks there. GOOD times! More on that at a later time.


• The great thing about homeschool is that you can take it with it, and when that fails because you are so busy, it can just wait until you get back home. The kids are playing with cousins, hanging out with grandparents and visiting old friends. The lessons learned about taking care of family are some of the ones kids don't learn at school anymore.


• David is about to finish his 8th grade year and will start homeschool high school in the fall. WOWZERS, when did that sneak up?


• Patrick is wrapping up his 6th grade year and will be enjoying middle school all by himself next year since D will have moved up.


• Derek is (sigh) finishing his Kindergarten year and is starting to sound out words. He is quite proud of himself.


• Dan is currently unemployed, but as this is a normal part of the construction life, we are not worried. He's taking great pleasure in having the time to work on all those projects he generally doesn't have time to enjoy. The current project is a new (to us) motor for the dune buggy which hasn't been running well in quite a while.


• Dan got a kitten for Father's Day and it's the best gift we ever got him. He even allows that silly thing to sleep on his head : )


• Me? I guess I must be boring. I'm still working at Kohl's, working at the gym on Saturday mornings, still teaching school, baking bread and spending too much time on Facebook. ;) Still spreading my own personal brand of sunshine wherever I go. That's me.

That's enough for now. I'll try to post some pics of our trips, antics and silliness, but I'm not going to go back and try to tell all that's happened since I was regularly posting. I'll just pick up and start again. I hope to be catching up on some of your blogs soon also! Much love and God Bless, ~K~

Simple Woman's Daybook

Hello friends hither and yon! I'm back from my travelling days and ready to get back to our regular meeting times. Let's start with an old favorite of mine.
For today...June 7, 2011 (Where IS this year going?)
Outside my window...the sun blazes down with intensity, the temp soars to over 100* and a dry wind blows. However, the flowers bloom, the veggies stretch for more sun and the kiddies play.
I am thinking...that homeschooling is the best thing ever.
I am thankful for...boys that play together so nicely most of the time.
From the learning rooms...reading, spelling lists, copious amounts of reading, and science video classes to round out the year.
From the kitchen...right now, a roast simmers away in the crock pot. Other tasties this week include fresh bread (yum~O) a cookout, pizza, breakfast for dinner, popcorn and a veggie tray, and BBQ sammies from the leftover roast.
I am wearing...brown knit capris, a peach t shirt, ankle socks and tennies.
I am creating...a Martha house the Mary Way. Check out the e-book titled "31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way"
I am going...to get slimmer : ) Even if it kills me. I started P90X yesterday. ouch.
I am reading...the aforementioned e-book, an annotated copy of the Constitution (which is taking forever since it takes me a long time to understand it little bits at a time) "What Would the Founders Say? (Also taking forever, same reason) and new new TOS magazine : )
I am hoping...that P90X gets easier, but I'm not holding my breath, that dinner is tasty, and that I'll make it through my to do list today.
I am hearing...Tommy Walker from the stereo, boys whispering to each other, the dryer tumbling clothes, Shadow barking at the garbage truck and the ceiling fans pushing around cool air. Praise God for Central Air : )
Around the house...all is clean, for now.
A few plans for the rest of the week...taking D back and forth to gym, finishing the homeschool week, working out with Dan each day, Sam's Club trip tomorrow, game night, and a BBQ with friends. Life is good!
A picture thought I am sharing with you... being the mother of boys is not for the faint of heart. Just sayin'


If you enjoy this style of post, come take a peek into the lives of other daybookers over at www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com and maybe even join in : )

Joy-FULL February 2011 Catchin UP! Days 16-24

Please forgive the mass catch up post, but this month has just been so busy. Thanks for understanding : )

Day 16~ Something that I rarely 'allow' myself to do is sleep in, or go back to bed after Dan leaves for work. However, there is something so refreshing about a little nap here or there, or even better, just sleeping in. It's so, well, decadent feeling, like I've somehow become a lady of leisure overnight and I no longer have to heed the alarm clock's demanding bell. It's glorious! I've allowed myself to get back to bed after Dan left several times this month and it's been wonderful!

Day 17~on the flip side of sleeping in, is getting up REALLY early, before the mayhem of the day arrives. When the house is quiet, and I can check on sleeping boys, start a hot breakfast for a treat, get the dishwasher unloaded and feed the critters, and get my computer time done, all before the day officially starts. It's great to start the day ahead of the game instead of waking up behind the 8 ball and running all day to catch up. The best part is having time to do my devotions without interruption. Now THAT'S a great way to start the day.

Day 18~ New books! I love books! New books, "new to me" books, borrowed books or old books found after a long disappearance. Just love books! A while back, I went to the used book store and also hit a big book sale at B and N in the same week and I bought TONS of books for us to dive into. Everything from a DVD math program to a field guide to our plants, animals and such around here, and a couple of novels for me, and some for the boys. Ooooo! I just love new books. I've given myself 'permission' to purchase a new book now and then. I had quit buying them for a while in an effort to save money and while that is good, having quality literature and homeschooling resources available is also a good thing. So, I have a little book budget now : )

Day 19~ Dinner recipes that EVERYONE likes! In most families, I think there is at least one picky eater. I am a tad on the adventuresome side when it comes to food. Those of you who have known me a long time, this is a NEW thing for me : ) However, some of my family members are not so open to new food sources, or familiar ingredients used in new ways. So it's always wonderful when you try a new recipe and EVERYONE likes it! Or at the very least, no one declares it gross or disgusting, LOL! Last month, I tried 6 new recipes in one week, using only my crock pot. Some were met with rave reviews, some mediocre and some were awful. But the ones that were great, they will make it into the prized recipe box which holds the recipes that EVERYONE likes, so next time I need to hit one out of the park for a dinner party, I know which ones to use. Mmmm, delish!

Day 20~ Bargains!! Who doesn't love a good bargain, right?? I know I sure do! It's brings me great joy to fill my pantry with good, wholesome food on the cheap, or to use my Kohls employee discount on clearance items, with an extra 15% off coupon to put quality clothes in my kids' dressers for way less money. Again, something that I'd quit doing was shopping sales because we were trying to cut every cost to the bare minimum, but now that things are easing up a bit, it's time to hit the clearance racks again : ) Anyone wanna go shopping??

Day 21~ Days of rest. They are quite rare around here as we've become quite the mobile family. As the kids are growing up, we spend more and more time on the road, taking them hither and yon. So a day that does NOT require us to leave the house after 3 pm is a treat! Saturday, we just laid around like beached whales, sleeping, resting, reading and lounging while the day waxed and waned around us. It was GLORIOUS! What a time of refreshing it was after the last 12 hectic weeks. I felt like a whole new person come Sunday morning! We've got to get back to taking good care of ourselves even when life gets hectic.

Day 22~ Getting out doors each day. I've been sadly neglecting getting outside with the boys recently and I've missed it. Even if we just walk around the block or ride bikes up and down the street, we (I) need to get out every day. It provides Vit D, fun, a connection to the wonderful creations of God, and helps our bodies take care of themselves as we breathe in the fresh clean air, and breathe out the indoors stale, over processed air.

Day 23~ The technological age. I have so been enjoying getting back on Skype and chatting with friends and family across the land. It's so fun to see them while they are talking to you, makes everyone seem that much closer. We talked to my mom this week, and Derek ran to get all the crafts he's made in Kinder this year so PaPa and Grma could see them, then came the long line of cars he's fascinated with this week. David showed off his new gymnastics sweatshirt and his longer hair. Karen and I laughed and giggled as we watched Dad and Mom interact with each other and the grandbabies. Good times!

Day 24~ Friends! I've often been guilty of neglecting my friendships for the sake of spending time with my family. I'm working now on a balance that includes caring for my family's needs while still enjoying healthy, well balanced friendships. So, to all my friends that have been with me for the long haul and know that I can take weeks to return a phone call at times, thanks for hanging in there while I learned some balance : ) You all are wonderful and bring me GREAT JOY!

Thanks for catching up with me in this great adventure I'm taking!