Although I loved the gesture, in the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘Oh my!’ I tried not to show it on my face as I accepted the gift. I am thinking of burying all the candy under my bed where it will be a pain to get to if the urge for junk arises. Now, none of this would be going through my mind if it were just a box of chocolates, but these baskets were full and there is still more that did not fit in the baskets.

The kids and I didn’t bake sugar cookies because we got hooked on pound cake. I made four loaves in the past week! And to top it off, I even baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. WHAT WAS I THINKING!! I am still trying to figure that one out.

We did go out to eat as a family since Don was off from work and he so kindly suggested I not cook that day.

We ended the evening by running some errands before going home and watching an episode of Emily of New Moon before going to bed.

So how did your Valentine’s Day go?

Blessings,

The Preamble to the Constitution copywork comes in both ruled and primary lines.

It is also in two formats:

1) with room to copy the whole selection at once
2) copy it line by line.

Enjoy,

It includes:

• both primary and ruled lines
• ‘in my own words’ section where the scripture can be summarized in the student’s own words
• life application where the student can write out how he/she will apply this chapter to their lives
• index cards of the chapter broken down for easier memorization
• poster where the student’s name can be inserted. Hang it as a reminder of what love is and how we are to portray it.

1 Corinthians 13 - Primary Lines (58)
1 Corinthians 13 - Ruled Lines (33)
1 Corinthians 13 - Index Cards (35)
1 Corinthians 13 - Poster (36)

Enjoy,

So, I told the kids this week we were going to have ‘periods’ like they do in public school. So I set the timer for an allotted time and once it went off, they had a five minute potty and stretch break. Then we proceeded to the next topic.

I even used the dreaded saying of my science teacher in high school.

If I can hear you talking, you are talking too loud.

I then put their name up on the white board, and if they got three checks after it, it meant they had to ‘stay after school’ and do more work. They ‘earned’ a check by being disrespectful in anyway to anyone.

If they did not finish all their work in the allotted time, then they were to finish it during free time and into the evening.

So how did it go?

It went SO smooth. I also noticed that Donnie kept on track and didn’t dawdle. He also didn’t complain about doing anything. Go figure. MaryEllen did better on her math, only missing one. Usually she misses up to 3-5 in a math lesson. I think it is because of all the distractions going on. The silence did wonders for her.

If it continues to go well, we might keep this up beyond this week.

Here are some pictures.

During history, we read about The Rosetta Stone. The kids also added this clip to their notebook.
The Rosetta Stone Clip (2)

We started our Super Charged Science Course (e-science). I’ve been wanting to get this going, but it kept getting put on the back burner. It was finally great to get going with it.

Extra Stuff

We actually had time for art. MaryEllen used her painting set she got for Christmas and Donnie began a program I bought a few months back called KidCoder. Since he enjoys the computer and I want to move him away from games, I told him he can use the computer if he is going to use it to learn something. We read through the first few chapters today and learned to move around the program.

MaryEllen painted a picture of Toothless.

We went outside for a while. MaryEllen drew, Donnie ran from me and Sunbeam relaxed.

I like this picture even though her eyes are closed.

Donnie hiding from me behind a tree. I got this one as he was peeking.

The ant hill I almost stepped into while trying to get a picture of Donnie behind the tree. I am just glad I saw it before I disturbed them.

Sunbeam relaxing. She enjoys the kids’ company when they are outside. She even sits next to the screen door when we are inside. I think it makes her feel close to us.

All in all, our day went well. I didn’t get much done around the house, but luckily I was all caught up with housework.

Let’s just hope the week continues this way.

Blessings,

These mugs by far have been one of our favorite Christmas gifts this year. After having to give the kittens up, I brainstormed on a personalized gift to get for the kids. I thought of a calendar, maybe a mouse pad, or a framed picture. All these were good, but the one that won, was the mug. I think it won because of the time of year it was, winter. This time of year, we like to drink hot cocoa or decaf coffee, and the mugs with the kids’ favorite kitten would make it perfect.

Donnie’s favorite kitten was Hissy. He was the largest kitten of the bunch weighing about 6-8 oz. if I remember correctly. He was black with grey sprinkled throughout and white. I called him, Mr. Serious. He just had that look. He was the main kitten that would bolt out of the door when we opened it. When Sunbeam, their mom, brought them to us, this adorable kitten hissed at the kids the most, so they named him Hissy.

MaryEllen’s favorite kitten was Little Miss. Her name started out as Little Miss Playful, because the kids thought she was the most playful of the bunch. She was also the only girl. We shortened her name when we took the kittens to the vet. Little Miss was black, grey, and had brown sprinkled throughout, mostly on her face.

We started out with these two as mugs, but after receiving them, decided to order more for the remainder of the kittens. We did have to get rid of a few mugs to add these to the cabinet. The kids’ transformer mugs from last year are now pencil holders as is Suzy Q, which I had for decades…literally.

Blessings,

She did use it on her birthday, which fell on a study day.

I don’t mind altering it for those of you who might want it to say something different. Let me know, and I can change the heading.

I was thinking maybe it should have said, Happy Birthday.

Some might not want to give the day off. lol!

Let me know, it won’t be a problem.

Birthday Coupon - Girl (19)
Birthday Coupon - Boy (21)

Enjoy,

Since Don worked on Monday, her actual birthday, we celebrated on Saturday. It was Don’s only day off, so we went into town to do a few errands and grocery shop. We decided to make it a day and took the kids out to lunch at the Dwarf House/Chic-Fil-A. We had never been to the Dwarf House, so it was a treat in itself. Needless to say, we enjoyed our meal.

After our yummy meal, we headed to Barnes and Noble with a quick stop to drop off my glasses to be fixed. The nose piece fell off a few weeks ago. Luckily I still have my old pair which still serves its purpose.

The kids love Barnes and Noble! We browsed the kid section, the art and drawing area, and the bargain area. We left with a few books.

After picking up my glasses, we headed to the grocery store and then home.

The kids unloaded the car while I put the groceries up.

For MaryEllen’s birthday dinner, we had homemade hamburgers and french fries. Not the healthiest, but we enjoy burgers at home. Don grilled the patties while I fried the potatoes and sliced up the condiments.

Before dessert, MaryEllen picked out our movie to watch, How to Train Your Dragon. About half way through, we stopped it so we could sing to her, eat cake and ice cream and she could open her gifts.

MaryEllen made her own birthday cake the night before. She also decorated it…a drawing of Toothless’ head. She decided on chocolate cake this year which is a change from our traditional white cake.

Donnie bought her some My Little Pony dolls which she opened on her birthday date. We bought her a Graphic Drawing Tablet so she can draw straight on the computer. She was surprised and excited. We also got her a couple of CD’s, Karen Peck & New River:Ephesians One, and The Perrys:Look No Further.
.

After gifts, we finished MaryEllen’s favorite movie. Here are some pictures that she drew of Toothless. It think Toothless is her second favorite thing to draw, horses being her first.

It was a great birthday and we are still enjoying the yummy cake. The tablet takes some getting use to, but I am excited to fiddle with it too.

Blessings,

Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Although not an official holiday, many like to make it a special day. I enjoy making a batch of sugar cookies, heart shaped of course, and frosting them in Valentine’s Day colors. The kids also enjoy a small box of chocolates from Target or Walmart.

Below is an article from Tawra from Living On A Dime. It has some great ideas. Don’t forget to pick up your free Valentine’s Day Ebook too.

Valentine’s Day On A Dime
by Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Using a little imagination, you can make your Valentine’s day a little more fun and a lot less expensive. If you want to add a little personalized romance or if you don’t have the time or money to buy all the pre-made things in the store, here are some ideas to help you make the day special.

For The Kids:

• My mom always made a great but inexpensive Valentine’s Day treat for us. She would take construction paper and cut a big heart out of it. (About 8×10 inches). She would staple the edges together and write our names and an I love you on the outside. Then she would fill the heart with candy, purchased on clearance after Christmas. It was very inexpensive but we loved it!
• Have a Valentine’s Day treasure hunt. Leave little notes around with the last one leading back to the kitchen table with a heart full of candy.
• Leave sticks of red gum in their Valentine’s Day cards.

For The Lunches

• Make heart shaped Valentine’s cookies. Cut the kids (or hubby’s) sandwiches with a heart shaped cookie cutter. Add a few Valentine’s chocolates and put a note in red with a big heart on their napkin.
• Serve anything red for the day. Serve red Jello, red pudding, red apples, toast with strawberry jelly, tomato soup, red applesauce, red Kool-aid, strawberry milk, or red frosted cookies. Use powered food coloring from the cake store to get the deepest shade of red. Serving all red things at a meal will really have wow factor even if it is something as inexpensive as red jello and tomato soup.
• Make red heart shaped cupcakes. Make cupcakes as usual but place a marble down the side of the muffin tin between the muffin tin and each cupcake cup. This will make heart shaped cupcakes.
• Make hearts out of chocolate chips in each of your pancakes.

Things To Do With Or For Your Honey

• Mail your pre-addressed and stamped Valentines to Loveland, Colorado and they will postmark them and mail them for you. Send them to: Postmaster, Valentine Re-mailing, 446 E. 29th St., Loveland, CO 80538
• Make a treasure hunt for your spouse. Start by mailing or e-mailing him the first clue. Then leave clues all over the house, yard, car or his office telling him where to find the next clue. End the hunt by making a picnic in the back yard or going to a park for a picnic. Use your imagination and have fun. The simple things are the ones people remember.
• Go to a bookstore together and enjoy the silence and browse. Get a cup of coffee and make a date of it.
• Celebrate Valentine’s Day AFTER Valentine’s day. Everything is half off.
• Mail a love letter to your hubby’s work.
• Send your spouse a sexy email message.
• Leave “Why I love you” message all over the house. Buy a package of the cheap Valentines. Leave a message on each one and hide them all over the house for your honey. They will get to enjoy the gift for months!
• Use lipstick to make hearts and love notes on the rear view mirror, car windows, bathroom mirror or windows of the house. Leave a kiss on his napkin for lunch or dinner.
• Make a bunch of hearts out of construction paper. Put a love note on each one. Paste them all over the front door or car before your hubby or kids come home from work.
• If you don’t have money to go out, have a picnic on the floor. Use some candles and lay a soft blanket on the floor. Put on some soft music and have a romantic Valentine’s dinner on the floor. Use some white Christmas lights for additional romantic lighting!

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com

I have never won so many before!!

“Cynce,” that is ME.

Can you tell I am excited?

I joined Swagbucks back in August when a local lady I met told me about it. She explained how she would earn free gift cards that her family would use to eat out free. Intriguing, I thought. So, now I am swagging.

Well, I better get back to work and studies. I just needed to do a quick search for some html code.

It seems I am always redecorating my blog or changing the layout. I have done it again. It has been over a year…so pretty good.

My daughter was so kind as to draw me some bunnies for my blog design. I am a sucker for cute bunny rabbits. I especially like the flop eared rabbits.

The bears are nice too, but I always wished they were bunnies. The coffee theme is so comforting and inviting and I do enjoy a nice cup of coffee often, especially on these cold winter days.

When my daughter showed me the bunnies, I thought they were just so cute. I love them!!

I scanned them into the computer and colored them with Photoshop Elements. Nothing professional, but I love them all the same.

The new blog colors? Another favorite of mine, mint chocolate chip! Mmm, yum! I think the minty green and brown go nicely together.

So, I am enjoying the new look of my blog.