A Hat and Gloves

I had fun at a recent ladies' meeting where we were invited to wear a hat and gloves if we wished. I borrowed the hat and gloves from a friend.

I suppose I still like to play dress up.

Property of Mom

One of my birthday presents from the kids...and no, I didn't write it. My daughter did.

Another Fun Dance...

Last weekend we kicked up our heels at a dance our friends' church. Elise and I went "1940's"; John and Bethany are in their Regency outfits.

Stepping Back in Time

Last night we attended a homeschool Family Historical Ball, dressed in Regency period clothing (early 1800's)

Last weekend we attended Civil War Days, which included reenactors (one was in the movie Gettysburg!), and a town hall dance (which included the Virginia Reel!)

This 'n' That Photos

The start of the 13th year of our homeschool. My oldest student is in her room, where she does her studying.



A fox who kept hanging around.



My bicycle from when I was a child, all fixed up by a neighbor from KC who helped us load our moving truck. We couldn't fit my bike on the truck, so he offered to take it and work on it, since bikes are his hobby. I still remember going to the bike shop with my dad when I was about 11 years old. They don't make Schwinns as well as they used to, so I'm glad I held on to it. I put a lot of mileage on it when I was a kid, so it was fun to ride it again.



I spent about $1.50 on these petunias from Wal-mart. I never had much success growing them in KC, but I got my money's worth out of them this year!

Fun field trip

We recently went with some friends from church to the Gene Stratton-Porter Historical Site. The timing was great, since Elise has been working on a paper about the author. Years ago I read her book, A Girl of the Limberlost, but didn't know anything about her life. She published a number of books, including a number of non-fiction books about nature, complete with her own excellent illustrations. Several movies were based on her books, also. The site we visited included the home she designed using materials from the area. It was a refreshing step back in time!

More Photos

Here are a few photos from this spring:

Lindsay's 10th birthday, celebrating with friends. Love those smiles!



Stan bought me a lovely corsage for Mother's Day! When I saw this photo I realized how much John has grown.

A Day at Netherfield Hall

Last Saturday, I went to South Bend, IN with some friends to my first Regency Ball. The Regency Period was between 1790 and 1820, during the Jane Austen time period. The ball lasted from 11 a.m-3, and lunch was served there. My friends lent me the lovely dress I wore and Mom did my hair (she did a great job on it!) :)
I had a great time with friends; I really enjoyed the English Country style dancing. It was also fun to see all the different costumes worn there.

"My idea of good company...is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"...that is not good company, that is the best."
-Jane Austen (Persuasion)

Happy Birthday John!

We celebrated John's 12th birthday twice-once with a peanut butter cake at a church meal, and once with our friends who came over and had supper with us (this time it was chocolate cake!). John even got another chocolate cake from his Aunt Jean when we recently went to Kansas City! Lots of food for a growing boy, what more can you ask for?

Creation Museum

We recently had the privilege of going to the Creation Museum in Kentucky during their "Homeschool Days" (they offered a special rate). John's description: "Awesome!" Other kids' reactions: "Thank you, Mom, for taking us here!" The exhibits were very well done and informative. I highly recommend it!

We were also able to spend the night with our dear friends we met at the seminary last year, and now are living in Kentucky. I managed to keep this a secret from the younger two until we were done looking around the museum. Squeals of delight followed, and a wonderful time was had by all!

Fall

Fantastic!


Friends! (college roommates from KU at my house)



Fun! (hanging out with friends at a fall party)




Fairy! (complete with fairy dust, aka glitter)

A Trip to the Farm

We are very blessed that the children get to know their great-grandparents, my paternal grandparents, so well!


Lindsay giving Blackie the cat a ride!

Photos from the Sunflower State

Here are some photos from our recent trip to Kansas, as well an older photo my aunt and cousin recently sent me.


John driving the go cart that my grandpa built for my mom.


Elise giving Bethany a ride in my "Herbie"


Steph and Dana-I'm the short one in this photo


Steph and Dana-1981-Steph is the short one in this photo


Going full throttle (15 mph!)

Kicking Up Our Heels at the Country Dance

Breakfast at the Palmers

Our house at breakfast this morning:

Dad and Mom: tired due to staying up late to watch a movie.

Elise: tired from staying up late.

John: mild sore throat.

Lindsay: sore throat and asthma bothering her.

Bethany: asking lots of questions. "What is bran? Why do they take the bran out of flour? What does plain mean?"

Even better, Bethany is standing here laughing at my post and telling me to write "fine" after her name. And saying, "Do more questions!" I love being a mom. And having my husband on break from school. And finding the humor in the every day life. What good gifts from our Father in heaven.

Tornado and Togetherness

We recently had our first tornado warning since we moved to Indiana. Perhaps, more correctly, the first tornado warning that we were aware of, since we now have a weather radio (no sirens out here!). It was interesting to see what everyone took to the basement, "just in case."
Dad: Laptop, water bottles, and weather radio.
Mom: Blankets for kids to sit on, broom and dust pan (so kids would be willing to sit on the floor-our basement is more like a cellar!), purse with cell phones and MP3 player, radio with batteries.
Elise: Bert and Ernie (our parakeets), MP3 player, book, pillow.
John: pillow, and library books (he said he didn't want to pay for them if the tornado destroyed them).
Lindsay: pillow, all stuffed animals, and paper books that she has authored.
Bethany: pillow, and one stuffed animal (she looked at Lindsay's paper books).

Thankfully, no tornado touched down, but we did have 80 mph winds. Stan of course went upstairs a few times to check the weather, much to the chagrin of the younger kids. I got the basement somewhat swept up, and we had some good laughs as the kids bumped into each other while sharing the quilt spread on the floor. After the warning expired, Lindsay and Bethany slept on the living room floor because they were too scared to go to their own beds. It was a togetherness experience that reminded me of camping, which we haven't done since I was pregnant with Bethany. Maybe it is time to start looking for a tent!

Spring Ball 2010

Last Friday, I went with a friend to a spring ball, which was organized by a Christian homeschool group. It was lots of fun, and I had a blast getting to wear a formal prom gown. The theme was "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," from Wizard of Oz, so there were lots of rainbow/Oz themed decorations. It was a great evening. Here, I have posted some pictures of me in my dress. Mom did a great job on my hair! :)

Lord of the Rings

On Saturday, John and I went to a Lord of the Rings marathon with our friends at their church. We had a lot of fun! We watched all three Lord of the Rings in their extended editions. This was the very first time either of us had seen the extended editions. They were very good!

I really enjoy drawing, so I have posted some LOTR pictures.

Blessed

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. We had a great trip to Kansas City and McDonald, Kansas, to see my grandparents. We arrived in Kansas City just in time for the snowstorm, which made driving to church interesting.

At our annual Christmas Eve waffle party, we had 21 people. My mother-in-law jokingly said to my father-in-law, "Just look what we've done!" Quite a clan, once the kids, spouses, and grandchildren are all together! At my grandparents we were able to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children. We also had lots of time for dominoes, and our favorite card game, Pitch.

After spending time with extended family, and filling out the 2010 calendar with my family's ages for their next birthdays, I began thinking. The days fly by now, but someday, Lord willing, I will be looking back across my lifetime. One thing I know I will never regret is the time I have had with my children.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,...
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them. Psalm 127:3a, 4

We certainly are blessed, and we look forward to seeing our heritage grow up and expand. To God be all praise and glory!