Wordless Wednesday

A trout lily on Mt. Hope

Mark's one match "Little House" campfire

"When the space was clear of grass, Pa laid a handful of dry grass in its center.
From the creek bottoms he brought an armful of twigs and dead wood.

He laid small twigs and larger twigs and then the wood on the handful of dry grass, and he lighted the grass.

The fire crackled merrily inside the ring of bare ground that it couldn't get out of."

from Little House on the Prairie

"Dad, did you hear that?"

A Carnation Rainbow

Our liquid rainbow in jars.

I just love how this looks!
Add white carnations.
Wait about a week, and voia!!
A carnation rainbow (I wish our orange came out orange---but we are happy!)

Makes My Monday--Heading West!!

Can you tell what we are beginning to study?

Yep, we're "heading west" this week!

Wishing ourselves happy trails and happy learning.

Join us with sharing "Makes My Monday" at Twinfatuation.

Looking at the sky on Friday

Luke (4) yelled when we were outside yesterday, "Look at that jet!! Take its picture!!"

I did-and I love the results!

Check out more sky photos at CrazyWorkingMom.

Forget Me Not--a book review

Forget Me Not--by Vicki Hinze


A mother who cannot face her future.
THEIR ELUSIVE ENEMIES TOOK EVERYTHING. NOW THEY WANT MORE.

Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family.

Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace.

The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?


Vicki Hinze is an award-winning author of twenty-three novels, three nonfiction books, and hundreds of articles. Selected for Who’s Who in America in 2004 as a writer and educator, Hinze is active in Romance Writers of America and serves as a Vice President on the International Thriller Writers Board of Directors. Vicki lives in Florida with her artist husband, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. Visit www.vickihinze.com to learn more about Vicki’s books, blogs, and writing programs.

I just loved this book---it kept me up for quite a few nights in a row when I would say to myself, "I am going to read just one more page!"

This page turner is for anyone who loves a mystery!

Forget Me Not was provided to me at no charge from Waterbrook Multnomah.

Wordless Wednesday: Making Rainbows

Sunshine + Crayons + Magnifying Glasses = Fun!!

After I discovered Grace and Mark with magnifying glasses outside trying to set leaves on fire, I channeled their enegry (and the sun's energy) into a art/science project.

The temperature was only in the 50's today, but the sun was strong enough to melt some crayons.
We usually do this activity on rocks, but since we have't collected smooth Lake Ontario rocks yet this year, I resorted to giving the kids paper, knowing full well the excitement the anticipated smoke would cause.

I just love the shadow in this photo.

Yes, this is my only grater---my favorite grater---an exceptionally wonderful grater---but it gave its life in the name of homeschooling fun. (But, I do believe there is a chance that if I put it in the oven at about 200 degrees, the crayon with melt and be able to be wiped right off)

Again, I love this shadow!!

YES!!! Luke melted some crayon and made some smoke--- a 4 year old's idea of perfect science class!!

Say cheese, Kim!!

To what she said.....

I have to fully agree!!
Go check it out.

Makes My Monday--Kimmy's latest trick

This past week, Amy taught Kimmy to snap her fingers.

This past week, Amy taught Kimmy to cross her eyes.

Kimmy now has an amazing trick to thrill her many audiences!

This definitely Makes My Monday!!! Check our more posts at Twinfatuation!

Egg--xperiment is underway--The Naked Egg-Day 4

Our previous posts can be found here:

Day 1

Day 2

All the egg shell has dissolved as of day 4.
Look at how much vinegar is now inside our egg!!

I don't think the membrane could have stretched much farther.

Amy decided to see what was in the egg.

Surprise!!! It was an egg!

This is the remaining egg membrane.
This is a simple easy, fun experiment with great results. Give it a try!

Egg--xperiment is underway--The Naked Egg-Day 2

This is day 2 of the "dissolve the shell off a raw egg with vinegar" experiment, and I have to say, I am very impressed.

Per the instructions, we replaced the vinegar with fresh vinegar today after 24 hours of soaking.

We could see through the jar that "something" was definitely happening.

I believe the shell is completely gone, even though I read that it will take about 5 days.

You can see above the remnants that brushed off with Mark's fingers as he held it.
It feels soft and very smushy, but that membrane appears to be quite strong.
We could actually see the yolk tip from one side of the egg to the other.
Gracie replaced the vinegar and we will let it sit for a few more days to see if there are anymore changes.
You can see our Day-1 post here.

This Little Prayer of Mine

"I know you're up in heaven, God,

and can hear my voice from there.

I'm just a little child.

Will you answer my short prayer?"

So begins this delightful book that affirms God's readiness to answer our prayers, no matter what our age.

With engaging rhymes and beautiful illustrations, This LIttle Prayer of Mine assures children that God is always near--watching, listening, and eager to respond to their requests. They'll also learn that prayer isn't just about asking for things, but about sharing their feelings of sadness and uncertainty as well as of thanksgiving and joy.

Most important, This Little Prayer of Mine reminds children--and those who love them--that they can trust God to tenderly care for them, no mater what the future holds.

My kids have really been enjoying this book. The illustratons kept the littles looking through the book even after we were done reading it aloud. It also helped to teach the older kids about how many different kinds of prayer there is. They learning that prayer is not only about asking for things from God, but also about saying "thank you" for our God has givin us.

I highly recommend this book!

This review book was provided with no charge from Waterbrook Multnomah. If you would like to know more about This Little Prayer of Mine, make sure to visit RandomHouse.com.

Egg--xperiment is underway--The Naked Egg-Day 1

In honor of all the Easter eggs around here, we have begun the exciting experiment of making a "naked egg".

The first step of this experiment is to cover a raw egg with white vinegar. The vinegar will begin to dissolve the egg shell almost immediately.
We were very surprised to see little pits in the shells within an hour.
After 24 hours we will replace the vinegar with fresh vinegar, then we will let the egg sit for 5 days.
At the conclusion of that time, hopefully we will have a "naked egg".
We will surely let you know what happens!!
I couldn't resist adding this picture to our experiment post.
She kept saying she smelled something---I guess she found it!!

Happy Sweet 16, Amy!!

I can't believe my little Amy is 16 years old!! How did that happen?

Her and Laura were always the "little girls"!

Becky made her a beautiful cake. Thanks so much, Becky!

The weather co-operated, and we were able to have a campfire and s'mores--an Amy favorite.

I am not really sure what Kimmy is thinking here?

Just look at this perfectly perfect afternoon!

The Three Muskateers and a little tag-a-long.

Laura and Sadie

Kimmy even invited the neighbors over to celebrate with her big sister.

We love you, Amy!! You have become a beautiful young women--inside and out!!