Turning Four and Having Fun! {A Race Car Birthday Party}

This past Saturday our firstborn son turned four! We braved Chuck-E-Cheese's on a Saturday (we're crazy, I know) and we had a great time with our family and friends!

I LOVE celebrating my children on their birthdays! We usually celebrate at home, but this year my son requested going to CEC and playing games. His favorite part is winning tickets and buying prizes at the end of his visit. He played his little heart out - jumping up and down and making noise as he gave each game his all. What a boy!

 Jo and Daddy playing games together!

When one of my kid's birthday is near, we talk about what theme or colors they would like their party to be. Once they give me a theme, I get to let my creativity soar. I really enjoy saving money, using scrapbook paper in various ways, and making a colorful party. It's a blast to personalize each party and make sweet memories with our children. A few themes that we have come up with in the past are: Ladybug, Royal Princess, Minnie Mouse, Construction Site, Flower Garden, Barnyard, Charlotte's Web, and Zoo Animals (at the zoo).

Party memories from years past

Opening our home is fun, but not having to clean (before and after the party), make food to serve and decorate everything this time around was SO nice.

Taking our own decorations and cake to CEC was a great way to save money. We even took a bunch of coupons with us and all our guests got to use them to purchase food items and extra tokens (after the ones we doled out were spent). Everything that I decorated with at CEC fit into one bag! We arrived 30 minutes before the appointed party time and snagged 4 tables in a central location.

I cut my tablecloths down to size, placed the cake, rice crispy pops, bubble favors, balloons and plates out to add to the race car theme and we were ready to PARTY!

Clean up was a cinch as well. I picked up the extra goodies and then threw away used plates and the disposable table cloths. What a breeze!

Here are a few more pictures of the party. What a wonderful (and very noisy) way to celebrate our son and have fun together!

 "We're going crazy and you are coming with us!"

 

Grandpa was in his element :)

 Let the sugar high begin!

 

This was J's first taste of a rice crispy treat.

He couldn't wait to try his "granola bar"... ha!

 We keep them caged for everyone's safety (jk)

 After looking and looking online for cakes with the #4 and race cars,

I decided to try my hand at it. I was pleased with the outcome, and it tasted pretty good too!

 Cake and ice cream time!

 Keeping the sugar coming!

 So excited to receive $4 from Grammy and Grandpa.

And what does he want to buy with his birthday money??? A new "big, fluffy pillow"!

 Cars, cars and more cars! Lovin' it all!

 Oh, and planes  :)

(Even though I stuck to the race car theme, Jo had been talking about his "cars and planes" birthday party over the past couple weeks. I did buy him a new Dusty the plane shirt to wear at his party. And when he opened this gift, it was freea HIT!)

 Ready to count up those tickets and buy some prizes!

  My girl and her prize lolly pop. Oh my!

 We are so thankful for both sets of grandparents who live near us and pour so much into our children's lives. Despite busy schedules and working night shifts, they all came to the party to celebrate with us!

 Mimi and Pops with Jo. Such great blessings in our lives!

Praise God for His goodness to us. Josiah is a precious gift! He is kind-hearted, loving, and thoughtful.  He is healthy and growing bigger each day (he will prove it by having you look at the size of his feet :). We thank the Lord for his life!

 Four years have passed so quickly!

"We wait and watch with great expectation to see all that the Lord has in store for you, son. You are a joy and a delight to our hearts and we know that you bless your Father God's heart too."

Have a blessed week dear friends,

I'm linked up with a group of wonderful bloggers over at:

Homeschool: Fall 2014

Here we are! Four weeks in to our 2014-2015 school year and having lots of fun!

My little girl, who's not so little anymore, is blazing her way through Classical Conversations and mastering the memory work very well. She LOVES to review her work through the week and is very "determined" (in her own words) to work through her hand writing and math workbooks.This fall we are using Handwriting Without Tears to get our handwriting off to a good start, Bob Books for learning to read and math workbooks from Target and Dollar Tree to master writing our numbers and learning simple math.

Here's what our first few weeks of school have looked like:

 First day of CC - ready to join our learning community!

Drew attends class with Mo and I, and Jo usually has a "Daddy Day" or visits with his grandparents :) We look forward to Josiah joining our CC class next year. He will almost be 5 by then and ready to join in the fun, I'm sure. 

 We love Mo's tutor and all the fun kids in her class.

Art time!
 
 Each week they are introduced to 7 new pieces of information (English, Math, Science, History, Latin, their Timeline, and Geography), do a science project and art project together as a class, and each child gives a presentation (a lot like show and tell).

We then take the memory work home to master it!

 Our little tutor in the making... and her little brother  :o)

 

A Pilgrim girl who just stepped off the Mayflower.
 
Moriah LOVES to draw pictures, so we expound on our history and science sentences by having her draw an illustration for each subject each week. We also read books from our local library on the subjects we are learning and sometimes find short videos on YouTube that correlate as well!

Sailing the Mayflower through the ocean to land in Plymouth, Massachusetts!

We also make the most of scheduling our own school days by 

going on family field trips and CC community field trips a couple times a month!

Up close and personal with a lion at the Dallas Zoo.

Just last week we enjoyed a tour of a local Fire Station and 

afterwards a picnic lunch at a park! We had fun visiting with friends 

and getting to know our CC community families better.

I love to see my children excited to learn new things, grow in God and make new friends. What a blessing it is to have our CC community for accountability and invested friendships.

Through it all, whether a difficult or surprisingly easy school day, we are learning to love one another, practice kindness and to lean on the Lord for strength.  I praise God for His great provision and direction for us this year and look forward to what the rest of the school year holds!

"But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Here's to a wonderful school year - however that looks for you and your family.

God bless you abundantly!

I'm linked up with: 

DIY Tri-Fold White Board {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

Thoughtful Momma Monday

As we dive into the world of Classical Conversations this week (Wow! Already?!), I wanted to be prepared to substitute for any CC class that may need me. In my online searching, I came across this excellent idea for creating a tri-fold whiteboard.

I can use it at home to review our weekly memory work, and if called upon, I can write the week's work on it and tote it to our CC campus to tutor a class! I'm very excited to be prepared and ready to help out.

This Do-it-yourself project can be traced back to the Kids Activities Blog and Suzanne Shares blog. Both Rachel and Suzanne are great examples and an encouragement to my heart in our own home school journey - especially when it comes to using Classical Conversations' method and curriculum.

I think he was more excited to sit on the kitchen table than about writing on his new lapboard :)

While making my tri-fold whiteboards, I found that I needed a bit more clarity than what was offered on either site mentioned above. So I thought I'd snap pictures along the way and share them with you! I hope this helps you out a bit.


DIY Tri-Fold Whiteboard Instructions 
(Makes 2 tri-fold whiteboards and 4 lapboards)

Tools and Supplies Needed:

• Scissors
• A pen or pencil
• One 4x8 Tileboard
• One roll of duck tape (or a variety for fun looks)

 

You can tell I have a little girl in the house :)

Just to give you an idea of the board I purchased for this project.

I purchased my tileboard from our local Home Depot for $15 and I had fun duck tape on hand, but picked up two new rolls for my boards at $3 each. My total bill for 2 tri-fold whiteboards and 4 lapboards came to $21! That breaks down to about $2 for each lapboard and $6.50 for each tri-fold board!


Here's how to have your new best friend (aka store clerk) at your local hardware store rip the tileboard for you:

1. Have them first cut one foot off, straight across the bottom of the board (blue line). This leaves you with a 3x8 foot piece to cut the tri-fold pieces from. The bottom piece that is 1x8' will become your 4 lap boards. 
2. Cut the larger board at, 2 feet, 2 feet, one foot, one foot, and one foot - leaving one last foot. (red lines).
3. Lastly cut the long, thin board by one-foot increments, creating 4 lap boards that are 1x2' each (green lines).

Board Assembly Directions:

Gather up your materials on a level surface - a large table or on the floor. 

 Tape around the outside edge of each board, leaving the insides (that will be taped together) alone.

(the only edge missing boarder tape is the edge closest to me)

To get a great look around the edges - cut your piece of tape about an inch longer on each side of the edge of the board you are working on. 

Press the tape to the back of the board, keeping half of the tape hanging off the edge.

Fold the tape up and gently press it against the very thin edge of the board.

 Fold tape over to the front of the board and press out any bubbles that occur. 

Smooth to the edges and trim any excess off the sides.

 Turn the boards over, keeping the taped edges on the outsides. 

Place your pen or pencil between the center board and a side wing and stick a 

piece of tape next to it to keep the gap in place.

Slide the pen down to the other end and stick a piece of tape there as well.

Remove the pen and tape over the gap, creating the wing effect!

After gaping and taping both wings, turn the entire board over carefully 

and tape down the gap on the front side!

And TADA!!! Your tri-fold whiteboard is ready to go!

 

To make the small lapboards, just tape a boarder around the entire board and hand them out. Your kids will love to draw for large amounts of time and practice writing on them. It's a good idea to give them their own whiteboard pens and a rag to erase that they can keep in a basket nearby. 

My three-almost-four-year-old is learning not to press the life out of whiteboard markers, so having his own set keeps mine fresh to use for school :)

 I would love to hear any ideas you come up with when either creating or using your tri-fold whiteboards. 

And remember, you will have 2 boards -  one to use in your home, and one to bless a friend with! 

Who can you bless today?

 Enjoy and God bless!

Award Winning Apple Pie Recipe

One memorable summer of my childhood, my family was planning to visit our local county fair. Before we headed out to enjoy the sights and sounds that come with a fair, my father had the great thought of my mother entering her apple pie into the pie contest. I think he had to convince her to enter it, as she wouldn't have done so on her own. We all knew that Mom's pies were the best we ever had and that she would do well in the contest.

The day of the contest, Momma took her apple pie to the display table and filled out her registration card. We left it there to enjoy all the fair had to offer and when we returned to the contest area later in the day, we were all in for a pleasant surprise. Mom's apple pie had won third place!

There was her pie, half eaten by the judges and along side it stood a beautiful basket full of fruit - her third place prize! We were all so happy for her and so proud of her pie-making skills. We knew that she had it in her. After a fun day at the fair, we headed home with hearts full of joy and a basket full of fruit. (Maybe another pie in the making :)



Here is a wonderful, simple apple pie recipe that my mother passed down to me. If pies haven't been easy for you to make in the past or you have no experience at all, try this recipe out! You can do it!

Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

1 cup cold butter (2 sticks of the real thing)

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

5 - 10 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

1. Measure flour into a medium bowl. Mix in salt (if needed).
2. Cut butter into pieces as you add it to the bowl, then mix into flour using pasty cutter until crumbly.
3. Add ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork, until the dough sticks together.
4. Form a rectangle log with your hands and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 20 min or longer (overnight is fine, this dough freezes well too).

Before rolling out the dough, you will cut the rectangle log in half - to make a top and bottom crust.

***A few pie crust tips***

• The less you mix and handle the dough, the better. The less you handle it, the flakier it will be!
•  Before rolling the dough, take the log of dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 min or so, just to take the chill off. The goal is to have cold dough, but not rock hard dough.
• When rolling it out, use a well-floured surface. If the edges of the circle break apart, piece them together like a puzzle. It doesn't have to be perfect to look and taste great!
• If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

In order that the pie crust can sit in the fridge a while before rolling it out, here is the order in which I found it best to make a pie:

1. Mix dough and place in fridge
2. Create pie filling and set aside
3. Turn on oven to correct temp.
4. Roll out dough and place in pie plate
5. Pour filling into the plate
6. Cover with top crust (if called for)
7. Place in the oven to bake!

Award Winning Apple Pie

(adapted from The New Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients:

1 recipe for double pie crust (above)

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (I like to use a mixture of half sweet apples and half tart apples - like Golden Delicious and Granny Smith )

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. Prepare crust as directed in recipe above and place it in the fridge.
2. Peel, core and slice your apples and place in a large bowl
3. Add to the bowl sugar, flour, and spices. Gently toss to coat.
4. Turn on oven to 375*. Roll out dough and line the bottom of pie plate with one pastry circle. Transfer apple mixture to pie plate.
5. Cut 5 or 6 small pieces of butter and place on top of pie filling.  
6. Place the second pastry circle on top of pie and pinch edges to seal, trim off the bottom of the edges as needed. Cut slits in top crust (in the shape of a letter if you would like).
7. If desired, brush top of pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
8. To prevent over-browning, cover edges of the pie (just the crust) with strips of foil.
9. Bake for 40 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20 minutes or until fruit is tender and filling is bubbling up through the pastry slits. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Don't let making your own pie crust from scratch scare you. Once you make it and enjoy it, you won't want to ever return to store bought crust. This is a wonderful dessert to share with friends, served with a cup of tea or coffee (or a scoop of vanilla ice cream).


I pray that your home is filled with love, peace, joy and the sweet scent of apple pie!


Blessings,

A Few Tips for Great Deviled Eggs!

To make great deviled eggs, first you need great hard boiled eggs! Here is a great "recipe" for hard boiled eggs that will be useful this Easter, or any time you want to whip these babies up. Deviled eggs make a great snack, appetizer or picnic addition. They are high in protein, vitamin B12 and Vitamin E and oh so tasty!

Perfect Hard-boiled Eggs

• Place eggs in bottom of medium pan.
• Fill pan with cold water until tops of eggs are covered.
• Turn burner on High.
• When water reaches a rolling boil, cover pan with lid and turn off the heat - leaving the pot on the hot burner.
• Set your timer for 15 minutes, starting once you turn the heat off.
• Once 15 minutes are up, set your pan in the sink and run cold water over eggs. Adding some ice to the pan will help cool the eggs down even faster.
• After eggs are cool, peel and rinse each egg. Then they are ready to cut in half and dress up a bit!

Simple Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 12 Hard boiled eggs
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• Hefty squirt of yellow mustard
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cut eggs in half length-wise and empty yolk into small bowl.
•  Arrange egg whites on a platter or place in an air-tight Tupperware container.
• Add mayo and mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper (go light on the salt, as mustard is very salty on its own).
• Mash well with a fork until most lumps are gone. (if mixture seems dry, add more mayo)
• Taste the filling to see if anything needs to be added. Adjust if needed.
• Scoop yolk filling into a plastic sandwich bag, filling up a bottom corner first.
• Snip corner of sandwich bag and pipe into egg white boats. Enjoy!

 

Ready to roll!

 Love the color of egg yolks our hens lay! Full of nutrients!

 Sandwich bag and scissors - your best egg-filling friends!

 Placing the bag over your hand like a glove will help reduce the mess 

while filling it with the yolk mixture.

Focus on one corner and squeeze out the air before sealing the bag.

It's a lot like frosting a cake or cookies!

 Snip the corner off - not too small (to allow for little chunks to get out), yet not too big either.

 Arrange your egg whites for filling... you don't want to have to move 

the already filled eggs if you don't have to!

Squeeze the yolk in, swirling as you go.

When finished, toss the bag and clean-up is done!

I hope you enjoy sharing these tasty eggs with your family this spring. Here is a thought to leave you with today...

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17 NKJV

Blessings,