Friday, February 8, 2013

3 in 30 update

Our Good Life

Wow, this accountability stuff really works, lol!  :-)

So, how do I do in my first week of the "3 in 30 challenge?"

For February, my goals are the following:

1) redo 20 blog posts- This week, I have managed to get back to May 28th completed.  Yay!  :-)


2) finish a vacation photo album (5-10 pics printed a day)- I printed 35 pictures and counting so far.  There is nothing like printing beach pictures when it is snowing outside!  :-)



3) finish crocheting blanket- I have finished a few more rows.  Getting there!  :-)



My blogging has suffered a bit the last couple of days (never did get Thursday's or Friday's posts out yet), but I pretty much am keeping up with my 3 in 30 goals so far!

Linking up with Aurie.  Come over and share how you are doing so far this week with your monthly goals.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Wordless Wednesday- February 6

Here are some photos depicting one of Kiddo #1's fun science experiments, Kiddo #3 reading me a book (don't you just love when they do that?), a couple of shots from bowling, Kiddo #4 latest masterpiece from sewing class (the polar bear) and a great online game Kiddo #2 was playing about whale migration.  It's been a productive and fun couple of days!  :-)







Linking up with: Judy H-J's ThoughtsMama to 4 BlessingsCreate with JoyNOBHMusings from a Stay at Home MomTina's Wordless Wednesday,Judy @ CoffeeJitters and Wordless Wednesday at Wordless and  Living Well WednesdayModest Mom Homemaking Wednesdays and Crafty SpicesLook What We Did and Do Small Things With Love and Wordless Wednesday Bloggers

Monday, February 4, 2013

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- February 5

Well, necessity perhaps is the mother of invention.

I set out on Friday to make Tater Tot Casserole. (click for the recipe)

I could have bet that I had more dry onion soup mix around.  Wrong.  Ok, I thought.  I'll just make my own from scratch.  Better than having that MSG and whatever else they put in it.  :-)  Now, back to the recipe for the Dry Onion Soup Mix.  First ingredient, bouillon.  Where's the bouillon?  lol.  Guess I'm making that from scratch, too.  So, this post has turned into recipes for both the homemade bouillon and dry onion soup mix.


Lisa's Homemade Bouillon
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. whole celery seeds
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. thyme

Lisa's Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix
4 teaspoons bouillon
8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. pepper

It was probably the best Tater Tot Casserole we've had.  :-)



And, a special thank you to Addicted to Recipes to featuring my Shipwreck Casserole and to Creative Mondays for featuring My Son's Chocolate Cake last week!  Wow!  :-)





Linking up with the Gathering SpotKids in the Kitchen, Tasty TuesdayTempt my Tummy TuesdayDomestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to RecipesHomemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Judy H-J's ThoughtsWisdom Wednesday , Favorite ThingsModest MomFull Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday Mom's Monday MingleMonday MingleCrafty SpicesBetter Mom,Create with JoyThursday's TreasuresTasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Memoir Monday- February 4

I am joining again with Chris for her weekly linkup called Memoir Monday.

"A memoir is not a factual recitation of history, though history is part of the story.  It's a recollection, a musing and merging of images, dreams, reflections moments in your life's journey."-- Linda Joy Myers

I liked that she continued to distinguish between a memoir and an autobiography.  An autobiography, she asserted, requires a great deal of fact and history and usually is written toward the end of one's life.  You would have to go to the courthouse and find out birth and death dates for family members.  A memoir, by contrast, is a compilation of memories, feelings, reflections, that can be done at any time during one's life journey.

That truly is what blogging is all about, isn't it?  :-)


So here is yet another segment in my memoir.......

Yesterday, after Church, the excitement began to grow for my kiddos.  They enjoy watching the Super Bowl each year.  We don't encourage a lot of TV watching (only things of an educational nature like Discovery/Science channel, Military channel, etc. and yes, local sports.  Philadelphia, although not super lucky in the championship department, is a very dedicated and devoted sports town!)

Before the Super Bowl, we turned on the 'Puppy Bowl' on Animal Planet.  It was cute, especially the half-time show, which featured kittens, since we are cat people.  :-)



Kiddo #2 wore the t-shirt that his Pop made him;


We used our team-themed plates and napkins and homemade decorations and got ready for some fun, family time together.




For the record, we did change the channel during the halftime show.  There is no reason why my children (or we adults, for that matter) have to watch someone screaming at the top of their lungs and laying on the floor gyrating in a very suggestive manner.  So, the kids put something else on for a few minutes.  :-)

I know I was looking forward to eating Kiddo #1's football cake.  Isn't it cool?  The recipe can be found in my Try a New Recipe Tuesday from last week.



So, blackout or no blackout, good commercials or ones where we have to turn our heads, we had a fun evening of tacos, snacks, cake and family.  And it ended with watching a postgame show where all of the players and coaches, whether on the winning or losing side, were gracious, praised the other team and thanked God.  It is nice for my children, especially my boys, to see grown men act with such good character.  That is what it is all about and what makes writing my "memoirs" such a joy.

May my children look upon this in the future and remember these events with much happiness and pride.


Linking up with:  On, in and around Mondays in addition to Wisdom WednesdayLiving Well WednesdayMom's Monday MingleMonday MingleModest MomCrazy Mama, Homemaking Wednesdays and Raising Mighty Arrows and Titus 2sday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Memoir Monday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Create with Joy

3 in 30 for February


I am joining for the first time with Aurie at Our Good Life, in linking up my goals for the month.  I have always set goals for myself, but with this linkup, I will now have accountability and a cheering section.  :-)

So, for February, I would like to accomplish:

1) Redo 20 more blog posts.  As many of you know, I had a problem with Blogger's Picasa Web album and every blog post I had done over the past 4 years had lost its photos.  :-(  So, it is a slow process putting them all back in.  I have done 7 months so far.




2) Finish a photo album.  I am trying to put family photos in albums.  I am currently working on our trip to Bethany Beach (and Assateague!) from September.  I want to print out 5-10 pictures a day so they will all be done and in the album by the end of the month.



3) Finish crocheting a blanket for family members who recently moved into a new home.  Thought it would make a nice housewarming present.  :-)

So, there it is, my first 3 in 30 post.  What are your goals for this month?

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Blog of the Year '2012' Award

Thank you SO much, Maria for this award!  I am truly honored that my little blog has been meaningful for you.  :-)


In turn, I am choosing the following bloggers to receive the award.  Each of these wonderful ladies and their written word have touched me in some way during 2012.  Their posts are inspiring and encouraging and I am grateful to call each one of them a friend.  Check them out and see for yourselves.

Nikki at Simply Striving
Cheryl at Say What?
and
Aurie at Our Good Life

Here are the rules:

1) Select the blog(s) you think deserve the "Blog of the Year 2012 Award."
2) Write a blog post listing the blog(s) you have chosen.  There is no minimum or maximum required.
3) Please include a link back to this page- http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/our-awards/blog-of-the-year-2012-award/ and include these 'rules' in your post.
4) Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them the award and share the 'rules" with them.
5) You can now also join our Facebook group- click 'like" on this page: 'Blog of the Year 2012 Award' FB group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience.
6) As a winner of this award- please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award- and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar...and start collecting stars....

Yes there are stars to collect......


Unlike other awards that you can only add to your blog once, this one is different!

When you begin, you will receive the '1 star' award-- and every time you are given the award by another blog, you can add an additional star.

There are a total of six stars to collect.  This means you can check out your favorite blogs-- and even if they have been given the award by someone else-- you can bestow it on them again and help them to reach the maximum of 6 stars.

Here are the six badges for you to collect-- you can either swap your badge for the next one each time you win the award, or proudly display each one.





Friday, February 1, 2013

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up February 1

Wow, it's February!  When did this happen?  :-)

Another fun and busy week here with the Kiddos.

Monday, the snow that had come down over the weekend got more snow and ice on top of it, so there was no sewing class or other outings, but the kiddos were happy to get outside and play in it a bit.  :-)


Monday was also my dad's birthday and my parents' wedding anniversary.  Kiddo #4 was so thrilled to give her Pop-Pop a pillow she had made him in sewing class (and hid very well from sight, lol)  I also posted my Memoir Monday post.  You can read it here.


Kiddo #1 made them a wonderful cake.  I shared the recipe on Tuesday.  There have been 50 other recipes shared so far.  Wow!  You can see Kiddo #1's recipe and all of the others here.



Tuesday was a day at the books.  The highlight of the day was Italian class, which the kiddos really enjoy.

Wednesday and Thursday were much the same with getting lots of work done.  The kiddos are really excelling at their studies, whether it be Chemistry with Kiddo #1, Kiddo #2's state studies, or Kiddo 3 or 4's science, history projects or literature.  I posted some random pictures of the week on my combo Wednesday/Thursday post that you can see here.


Here is Kiddo #3 enjoying his Science assignment.  Gotta love those hands-on notebooking journals!


This weekend, the kiddos want to prepare for watching the Super Bowl (and the Puppy Bowl, lol!) on Sunday.  Kiddo #1 is going to bake a football-shaped cake (I will post pics next week), and the others are planning out a "menu" of snacks and goodies.  Should be fun.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A quote or photo to share:
What would studying Zoology be without all of her animals "helping?"  :-)

Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's JournalWeekly Wrap-UpNOBHShow-Off FridayLearn and Link and It's a WrapFriendship Friday and Friday Connection