Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (February 23)...
Outside my window... It's dark outside -- Monday is almost over. Today was pretty chilly -- high in the 40's, but sunny.

I am thinking... that I'm tired of coughing. I did get that cold last Monday, and I've had it all week.

I am thankful for... the blessing of growing up in a happy family with a happy childhood. I'm also thankful that we've been able to provide that for our kids, too.

From the learning rooms... My Girl is excited about her 2 speeches she is preparing for the upcoming state tournament. But she needs to really put her mind to memorizing and perfecting them.

From the kitchen... tonight we had Salmon Stew. It's an easy & quick supper to throw together when you are short on time. I grew up eating this, but had forgotten about it until my sister reminded me of it last week. My family liked it, so I imagine I'll keep it in the "rotation."

1 can salmon, undrained, with bones removed
1 qt milk
2 T butter
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and slowly heat to just boiling. Eat with crackers!

I am wearing... My Man's old pj pants, a long sleeved t shirt, and my fuzzy fleece "housejacket." And my red fleece bedroom shoes.

I am creating... a website devoted to homeschoolers in North Carolina. www.nchomeschooler.com It's still in the baby stages, but I'm pleased with my progress so far. If you visit it, drop me a comment and tell me what you think!

I am going... to visit a friend tomorrow who has graciously suggested talking to My Boy about his debate topic, the H1B program and how it affects the United States' policy towards India. Don't ask me what that means. It's his debate topic, not mine!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)-- yep, still. Yet again.

I am hearing... the sound of the tv. Monday nights are the nights My Boy, My Girl and I watch "Chuck" and then I go and watch "The Closer" in my room. I don't watch much tv at night, but I do like those 2 shows.

Around the house... My Boy & My Girl are lounging in their new shoes. My Boy got some sweet gray New Balance shoes, and My Girl got some cute Chuck Taylor Converse All-stars. Hers are beige with a plaid tongue that she can flip down. I told her that I used to have red, white & blue ones that I got during 1976 -- the year of the Bicentennial.

One of my favorite things... is 3-Day Coconut Cake. I don't know what reminded me of that, but one sure would taste good right now!

A few plans for the rest of the week: a (non Tapestry of Grace) co-op meeting tomorrow night to plan for the fall session, and our Tapestry of Grace co-op meets on Friday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Did you watch the Oscars last night? I just watched the red carpet part. I remember thinking how pretty Amy Adams looked in this dress, and the necklace really played up her eyes. Today, reading different "Best & Worst" lists, she has made both sides -- some people's favorite, some people's worst. Go figure.





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Ahh, the Sounds of Spring...

For most folks, you know it's almost spring when you hear the chirping of birds outside the window. Here by the waterside, the telltale sign is the sound of bass boats rushing past at 7 o'clock on Saturday mornings....

My New Baby

I'd like to introduce you to my new baby.

The North Carolina Homeschooler

This is the website I've been slowly working on the last couple of weeks. I have a long way to go, I know. But it's coming along!

If you're a homeschooler in NC, please stop by and visit. I add information every day. Right now, most of it pertains to the Piedmont area of the state, but I'm hoping that will change soon. As more folks find me, I'll get more announcements from other areas.

Also, I want to include tips for NC vacations and field trips. Got any? Please send them my way, along with photos.

And let me know what you think!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (February 16)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining and the breeze is chilly. Once again snow was forecasted, and nothing fell. I have 2 very disappointed children.

I am thinking... that I am coming down with the cold My Boy had last week, and My Girl had over the weekend. My throat has been getting scratchier all day.

I am thankful for... meds that lessen the symptoms of colds, etc. Can you imagine living in the days of no advil? No benadryl?

From the learning rooms... 30 days and counting until the IOWA tests. We're ratcheting up the math this year in hopes of bringing up those scores. Both my kids score way above grade level on language, not so much on math. Scholastic had some good workbooks for prepping for the tests in the math area, and we've been working on those. We'll know soon how well they worked.

From the kitchen... there are pork chops in the crockpot, cooking in honey mustard sauce. I'll add rice and roasted asparagus to our dinner, along with rolls.

I am wearing... blue jeans, a beige long sleeve top and a burgundy camisole underneath. I'm chilly, though. I need to put on my fuzzy polarfleece "house jacket".

I am creating... amigurumi dolls with the co-op class I teach on Mondays. I'm teaching them to crochet, and then we'll make one of these cute dolls.

I am going... to hear Chuck Edwards speak tomorrow night. He'll be talking to parents and teens about media and how worldview comes through in what we watch and read. Both My Girl and My Boy will be attending, but they're not very excited about it. They're going anyway ;-)

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)-- yep, still.

I am hearing... just a few sounds. I like quiet after a long day at co-op. I can hear the jingle of the dogs' collars, the sound of the wii downstairs where My Boy and My Girl are playing, and the sound of a fishing boat out on the lake. They must have decided the fish aren't biting in our cove so they've headed off for better luck somewhere else.

Around the house... Every room needs a general picking up. A few weeks ago we had a party and everything was so clean, and I wondered how long it would stay that way. The answer is, not long.

One of my favorite things... is roasted asparagus. Place fresh asparagus in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt, and roast at 400 for about 20 minutes. Easy and delicious!

A few plans for the rest of the week: not much out of the ordinary this week. Schooling, tutoring, laundry. I love weeks like this one :-)

Here is picture thought I am sharing... this is a picture of some cute amigurumi that I borrowed from Patti's Originals




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I borrowed this quote from over at Quiet Life, because I thought it was such a good reminder for me (and maybe lots of other homeschoolers and moms as well):

I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

-- Helen Keller

Have a great day! My entry for Simple Woman's Daybook will follow later today.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's wishing you a happy Valentine's Day!

We had a very nice one here. It really began last night, with a date night for me and My Man. We had dinner at a nice restaurant -- one where we even had to dress up a little. It was divine...

Today began with sunshine and yard work for me! I finished the pruning I needed to do (I even took pictures, and I'll post them tomorrow). Then My Man helped me load the brush into the truck, and we took them to the landfill. After that, we drove to visit my mom. We had a nice surprise, in that my sister was there too (Hi Sis!) so that made the trip extra special :-)

We came home (after stopping off for some groceries) and I fixed dinner: steaks, sauteed broccoli, oven-roasted potatoes, and honeydew melon. Yummy.

My Man said, I wonder how many other women got taken to the landfill and the grocery store on Valentine's Day?? I say, if it's with my Valentine, I'm happy to be going anywhere!

Speech & Debate

Can you believe it? I took my camera to the Speech & Debate tournament last Saturday, and I actually used it! Now I've got some photos to share so you'll have an idea of what we do at the tournaments.

We're a part of a Speech & Debate club that competes under the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA). My Boy has been competing for 3 years now. This year he is competing in Team Policy debate, Open Interpretation, and Impromptu speaking. This is My Girl's first year participating, and she is competing in Open Interpretation and Expository speaking.

Open Interpretation, like all "interps," is a category where you take a piece from literature and "bring it to life," in other words, act it out word for word from the piece. Last year, My Boy did a selection from Wind in the Willows; this year he's doing Yellow & Pink by William Steig, and My Girl is doing Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes.

Impromptu speaking is where you draw 3 topics from an envelope and you have 2 minutes to prepare a 5 minute speech on one of the topics.

Expository speaking is what you normally think of when you think of speeches. This is a speech on a topic of your choice, using visual aids such as display boards.

Team Policy debate is a debate between 2 teams of 2 members each, debating a set resolution. This year's resolution is: "Resolved: That the United States Federal Government should significantly change its policy toward India."

There are many other categories to compete in -- these are just the ones my kids are doing this year.

This is challenging stuff, and a tiring event, but my kids love it. They spend the fall preparing for tournament season, which runs from winter through spring. We are a part of a region that includes NC, SC, Georgia, and Florida, so they are competing against kids from all over those 4 states. In April there is a Regional tournament, where the semi-finalists from the earlier tournaments in the region compete. Then a national tournament follows in May, where kids from all over the country compete against each other.

It's a terrific opportunity for them to meet people, make friends, and gain experience speaking in front of audiences about topics that matter.

Last Saturday was a practice tournament that our local club sponsored. We had about 50-60 kids from NC and SC. Here are some of the photos I took:

Here, My Boy and his debate partner were the negative team, against the team that eventually had the winning record for the day. These pictures were actually taken after the round was over, so the guys are making notes and talking about how things went.







This is a debater giving one of his speeches.



Here are some parents doing their jobs -- judging speeches & debates, checking ballots, assigning timers, and tabulating results are just a few of the jobs parents do. Speech & Debate is definitely NOT a drop-off activity!









These are some of the students who participated, during "off" time in the gathering room. The practice tournaments last from 8:30 to 5:30; actual tournaments go all day for 3 days.








This is how most of us feel by the end of the day!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (February 9)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining! It's chilly this morning (39) and a high near 70 is expected all week! Yippee!

I am thinking... that I need to bake something to take to our new neighbors. They moved in last week to the house high on the hill, across the street from us. They have a nice view of the lake, right over the roof of our house! This is a new construction house, so our little neighborhood is growing. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I like the quiet and privacy we've had for years and years :-)

I am thankful for... having My Man and My Girl back home after a weekend away at a youth retreat in the mountains. My Girl had a terrific time and was bubbling over with excitement telling me about it.

From the learning rooms... My Boy doesn't have his biology lab today, so we don't have to rush so early to get to co-op. He does, however, need to use that time stay caught up with biology! This is his first lab science and he's finding it difficult but as the year is progressing, so is he. and that's all I ask!

From the kitchen... I smell coffee brewing, and it's about time I go have a cup. Tonight for dinner: hamburgers on the grill, Pioneer Woman's guacamole & chips, and Pioneer Woman's Onion Strings. Mmmmmm...

I am wearing... Navy blue satin pj pants, a navy long-sleeved t-shirt, and no bedroom slippers. I couldn't find them in the dark this morning.

I am creating... a website for homeschoolers. I'll post about it this week.

I am going... out to eat with My Man to a fancy restaurant on Friday, for Valentine's Day!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. (still-- this will probably be here a few weeks since I don't have many long expanses of time to read these days.)

I am hoping... that My Boy feels better today. He was feeling puny all day yesterday. I hope it was just being run down from the tournament on Saturday, and that he'll bounce back today.

I am hearing... birds twittering and geese honking outside. They are as happy about the sunshine and warm temps as I am! Here's a sound file of the twittering I hear.

Around the house... This week I need to prune, prune, prune. I have three huge butterfly bushes that need to be cut way back, an arbor of scuppernong vines that I ignored last year and so they must be attended to this year, as well as shrubs that need to be neatened up a bit.

One of my favorite things... is springtime. I don't know if this warm spell is the real thing, but I'll take a week of pretending it is.

A few plans for the rest of the week: schooling, tutoring, and pruning. I also need to run down and visit my mom and adjust her new bird feeder so she has a better view of it from her room.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



This is a photo of the house finch. They're not the most beautiful of the birds in our yard, but they still have a place in my heart. Of course I see a lot of their babies, because they love to nest in my ferns and they endure my peeking at them all spring long. So we've come to appreciate each other.

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Busy Weekend

I've got a busy weekend coming up.

This morning our Rhetoric group (high schoolers) in the Tapestry of Grace co-op have our weekly discussion meeting. Every other week, we meet in person, but on the "other" weeks (like today) we meet on Skype. That's from 8:30-11:30.

I'm cutting out early to get my hair cut (Yippee! It's way overdue.)

Then, My Girl and My Man are leaving this afternoon for a youth retreat in the mountains. They should have a great weekend -- lots of music, speakers, and activities, plus snow tubing on Saturday afternoon. They'll get back on Sunday.

In the meantime, tonight My Boy and I have to go set up for the third (and final) practice tournament for Speech and Debate. That tournament runs all day tomorrow. I am going to take my camera (just like I did at all the others) and I'm really going to try to take some pictures this time. If I do, I'll post them Sunday.

Hope your weekend is full of rest and fun, and happy times together with the ones you love.

Simple Woman's Daybook for February 3, 2009

FOR TODAY (February 3)...
Outside my window... The sun is shining! The water is bright with the reflection of the sun, and the flag by the shoreline is waving in the breeze.

I am thinking... about plans for that new website I mentioned a few weeks ago. I've gotten started on it, and can't wait to launch it! But it's been taking a lot of time, so I haven't been posting here as often as I should.

I am thankful for... having My Man back home after 2 weeks away on a mission trip.

From the learning rooms... we're trying to get a lot done today. Tuesdays & Wednesdays are our only days without outside classes and co-ops, so we have to really make them count.

From the kitchen... Nothing's cooking right now. We went to Denny's for breakfast this morning -- they are giving away free Grand Slam breakfasts until 2:00!

I am wearing... blue jeans, a navy turtleneck, a grey wool v-neck pullover, and lime green running shoes.

I am creating... nothing really right now, but I almost always have a pair of socks on the needles ;-)

I am going... no where else today. See above regarding Tuesdays and making them count schoolwise!

I am reading... Wives and Daughters, by Elizabeth Gaskell. I saw the miniseries last week while My Man was away (really good BBC historical drama) and wanted to read the book now!

I am hoping... that spring will arrive early this year.

I am hearing... the footsteps of my kids upstairs while on a "short" break. Aha! Here comes someone now -- I hear their footsteps on the stairs!

Around the house... the house is pretty clean and straightened right now, since we had a few of My Boy's friends over for the Super Bowl. I wish it would stay like this!

One of my favorite things... is seeing deer run across the road as we drive to and from our home.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Nothing out of the ordinary for the week, but then on Saturday we have our last practice tournament for Speech & Debate. As Facilities Director, it's a long day for me (as well as all the other folks who put this show on!) I'm kind of glad this is the last one for awhile.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



This is a photo of My Boy participating at a youth leadership conference he attended last week. It was sponsored by the Leadership Institute, a national group promoting conservative political action among high school and college students. There were about 45 kids at the conference last week. In this photo, they are in break-out sessions devising a solution for a hypothetical problem they were assigned.

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