10.31.2007

Honors Algebra Fun

In honor of Sprittibee's Carnival of Homeschooling: Yearbook Edition as well as the upcoming 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards (nominations begin on November 5th), here's a little bunny trail back into high school.
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In my first year of high school (sophomore year, back when 9th grade was still in junior high), I was enrolled in an Honors Algebra class. Our teacher, Mr. A, was very serious about the fact that this was an “Honors” class. I mean, you could be forgiven if you didn’t bring a pencil in just a normal math class. But when you’re in HONORS Algebra that just didn’t fly.

Our class was held in a science lab. That meant that Mr. A had an office elsewhere and he arrived fresh to the classroom each morning, just as we did. My new friends and I decided that our super serious teacher needed some brevity injected into the day. So each morning, we’d get there before him, write something clever and witty on the board with chalk (like “Happy Friday!” with a big smiley face). Then we took ALL the chalk on the tray and buried it in this huge sandbox (they did classes on rocks and minerals in this room). It was like a big table with a box of sand on it, so you could dig around while standing). It was located in front of the room, next to the counter at which the teacher would stand.

Mr. A erased our morning’s chalk art each day and then looked around for a piece of chalk. Of course, none was to be found. He would get rather frustrated and go somewhere (where ever it is that teachers go for more chalk) and get more.

This went on for the most of the school year. Then one day Mr. A was standing in front of the chalk-filled sandbox, randomly dragging his hand through the sand. Suddenly, his fingers came upon a piece of chalk. There were a few of us on the far side of the room that held our breath. “Uh oh, the jig is up,” we thought. We were sure he’d find ALL that chalk. He picked it up, gave it a slightly perplexed look, and set it on the chalk tray. That was it. It never really sunk in any further. Whew! We all let out a big sigh of relief.

Yes, we continued to torture Mr. A with the brilliant morning chalkboard greeting and hidden chalk for the remainder of the year. We still received harsh remarks for showing up to an honors class without a pencil. And by the end of the year, I think we kind of got to him. I recall one day when he actually drew a little smiley face in the middle of a zero.

10.25.2007

Catching Up

I really want to get something posted, but feel at such a loss. Life has just gotten crazier and crazier by the moment. I shouldn't be surprised. In fact, it kind of reminds me of a post I did a couple of weeks ago last month called "Blindsided."

I know full well that whenever I'm on the path of God's will, the enemy will not be happy. That usually means he's going to crank up the heat and ramp up the attack. Sure enough, October has been one incredible month. And I don't really mean that in a good way.

sunset
Click on picture to see larger image

I'm very excited though, because this weekend is our ladies' retreat. I didn't attend last year, so I'm jazzed to go again this year. I'm very much in need of some downtime and recharging with the Lord.

I've also been going nuts with the women's ministry newsletter, but God sent a reprieve today - we're bumping the distribution date out by another week. Whew! That was a big load off my shoulders. I think I felt 50 pounds lighter walking out of church this morning, knowing that I could get back home to my kids.

Well, I'm off and running - kids to pick up, drop off, etc. The photo has nothing to do with the post, I just like it. I took it outside our church earlier this year.

If I'm not back before Sunday, have a very blessed weekend!

Where Am I?

I'm over at the HSBA site today. I may even be back here tonight.

10.22.2007

Juggling Jello Eggs

That's what it seems like lately. Last week my God in the Midst of Frenzy post was just the middle of it. I thought it would only be the first couple of weeks of October. . . plus one more . . . here I am in "yet another" week.

I was going to continue on this thought . . . but I decided that I don't want you to feel exhausted after reading some ad nauseum list (as if you don't probably have one of your own). Therefore, I will share something funny that I pulled out of my files.

Enjoy! :D


~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

YOU KNOW YOU LIVE IN COLORADO WHEN:

  1. You switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in one day.

  2. Your sense of direction is towards the mountains and away from the mountains.

  3. The bike on your car is worth more than your car.

  4. You take your out of town guests to Casa Bonita even though you wouldn't go there otherwise.

  5. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

  6. You think that sexy lingerie consists of tube socks and flannel PJs.

  7. You know all 4 seasons "almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction."

  8. You can never figure out why your out of town guests faint on a picnic in the mountains.

  9. You can drive over a 12,000 foot pass in 4 feet of snow, but can't get to work if there are 4 inches of snow.

  10. You know the 'correct' pronunciation of Buena Vista and Pueblo.

  11. Your car insurance costs more than your car.

  12. You have surge protectors on every outlet.

  13. April showers bring May blizzards.

  14. 'Timberline' is some place you have actually been.

  15. You know what a 'Rocky Mountain oyster' is.

  16. You know what a 'fourteener' is.

  17. Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning-rod.

  18. You know who Alferd Packer was.

  19. SPF 90 is not out of the question.

  20. People from other states breathe 5 times as often as you do.

  21. A sudden loss of cabin pressure is not a big deal.

  22. You think a red light means 3 more cars can go.

  23. "Where we're going, we don't need roads!!"

  24. You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight.

  25. Driving directions usually include 'Go over ____ Pass...'

  26. You've dressed in shorts, sandals, and a parka.

  27. You've gone skiing in July.

  28. You've gone sunbathing in January.

  29. You actually understand these jokes and send them to your friends.

10.20.2007

Photo Hunt 80: Practical

It's my first time venturing into the world of the PhotoHunt. But it looks like fun and I'm nothing, if not into fun and photos!


Practical - I love, love, love my headset that I use with my phone. First there was the freedom of cordlessness. But the headset frees me even further with handlessness. That means not only can I run around the house, outside, and nearly to the mailbox (loses reception) while chatting with family and friends, but I can also convo for hours without a kinked neck, doing tasks one-handed, and other such hinderances.

10.17.2007

What Day is That?

I was driving home today and while passing by Fast Food Row, I saw this curious entry at Captain D's:



SENOIR DAY??

Is this a new holiday that no one told me about? From what language does this word hail? And what does it have to do with fast fried fish? Does this affect me in any way? Should we study it and possibly even celebrate it in our homeschool? Do we need to make cards and send them to family and/or friends?

10.16.2007

Pom Poms Where?

My sister called this afternoon to tell me that she was just getting ready to leave the house to pick up her daughter from school. Of course, she had her 3 year old in tow. All they had to do was get out the door and get into the van.

If only it were that simple.

My sweet, adorable, little niece kindly let her mother know that she had a pom pom in her nose.

Sometimes our plans are delayed.

Naturally, the first course of action is to have her blow her nose. Nice try, but it didn't work.

So she laid her on the bed to determine if she could see the pom pom. Then she recalled hearing or reading that you can blow in one nostril and the air will blow through and out the other nostril. So she did. (darn, I missed a Kodak moment!)

It worked. Sort of. But when my niece felt something in her nose, she did what most children (and adults) would do - yep, she sniffed! Back up it went!

So she had to explain to her daughter that this time she was NOT to sniff when it was dislodged. Fortunately, try #2 was successful - completely.

I guess we all have our silly kids-putting-things-where-they-don't-belong stories! Or maybe even tales of our very own. So what's your best story?

Edited to add: my sister has since discovered that the thing she heard was to plug one nostril, blow through the mouth and the lodged item should shoot out the other nostril. It worked even though she did it differently. Personally, I like the idea of blowing in a mouth more than a nostril. But I am still disappointed that I won't have a picture for the scrapbook.

10.15.2007

Sprittibee & Kodak Printer Giveaway

Just call me Last Minute Lucy or Procrastinating Paula (apologies if your name really is Lucy or Paula). But here it is, my entry into the Fall Five Kodak Printer Give-Away at Sprittibee's Blog. Kodak & Sprittibee are giving away an EasyShare 5300 Printer!!

It would be so awesome to have a printer with reasonably priced (cheap, even) ink! We go through so much ink around here, between homeschooling, photographs, the newsletter, scrapbooking, and everything else. The odds are good but the other entries are great. So we'll see. :D

10.12.2007

Note to Self

For as often I think I don't accomplish much, I just had to put this into writing. Consider it my Note-to-Self that says, "YES, I do get things done." During the past three days, the following things happened:
    • Laundered 3 loads of sheets (for my massage therapist)

    • Cleaned the kitchen

    • Blogged a little

    • Closed my Pampered Chef party

    • Posted a devotion on HSBA

    • Paid some bills

    • Washed & dried clothes

    • Scheduled chiropractor appointments

    • Took son to band

    • Edited articles for women's ministry newsletter

    • Finished Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

    • Took care of sick hubby

    • Helped bake brownies

    • Took boys to bowling

    • Made spaghetti dinner for 5 kids

    • Baked chocolate chip cookies

    • Baked chocolate cake for hubby's birthday

    • Purchased fabric for little photo box

    • Set up a box for photographing son's clay creations

    • Took photos to sell son's clay creations

    • Catalogued clay creations

    • Picked up groceries

    • Took son & his friend to Bible study

    • Attended stamp club

    • Shopped for hubby's birthday

    • Received a crash course on Quark

    • Had Bible study at my house

    • Decorated hubby's birthday cake

    • Celebrated hubby's birthday


Of course, the usual things like sleeping, showering, brushing my teeth, making the boys get up, putting on shoes, etc. still took place. (Not that those are my only "usual" things. Ha! Ha!)

God in the Midst of Frenzy

The past couple of weeks have been absolutely insane. The past two days were the icing on the cake. Yesterday I was pretty sure it was the craziest day I've ever had - or maybe a close second. I won't go into details, because it's unlikely I can even remember it all. Now that I've reached the (almost) end of this day, my brain has pretty much checked out.

Yesterday, while I was running (okay, driving) back and forth across town, carrying anywhere from one to six children, a question kept popping into my scrambled brain. How do I stay focused on Christ and have a godly perspective when I'm running around in lunatic mode? I mean, I can have a pretty decent outlook when everything isn't whirling around me at light speed, even if it is a little hectic. I can remember to pray when I see someone who's been in an accident, or for someone who's weaving in and out of traffic (as well as the innocent bystanders - or are they bydrivers?). But when I'm going so fast I meet myself coming and going, how can I think upon the Lord?

I don't know that I have an answer. I can hardly keep up with myself and where I should go next or what I need to do. I actually used to live this way on a fairly regular basis. Praise God it's not my norm any more. But it does still happen occasionally. I no longer want to get to the end of a warp-speed day, only to find that God never entered my thoughts.

Maybe it's just a greater desire to draw closer to the Lord, to think about Him more, and be refined by Him more. There may not be an answer so much as the increased desire. God knows my heart and as my desires align with His, I believe that He'll bring them to fruition. Maybe just the fact that this thought was in my head at all is a sign that He's helping me learn to dwell upon Him in the midst of the frenzy.

10.10.2007

Wordless Wednesday - Donuts













For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

10.09.2007

Little Irritations

Do you ever feel that the circumstances of your life interfere with your plans? Do you believe that God has your life under His control? That would include circumstances. He may use circumstances we don’t like; those that are hard, painful, or even traumatic. Other times, they may just seem like small annoyances. But do you believe that God authors even these? Even the little irritations?

Yesterday I had a number of things I needed to work on. Regrouping for homeschool, adjusting the overall “life schedule,” editing articles for the newsletter, laundry, dishes, meal plans, along with myriad other little things.

I reached an impasse with the newsletter because I don’t know what software will be used. Without the framework I have no idea if I have enough articles, if they’re too long or too short, how much filler and photos I need, etc. I tried and tried to get the answer to this question. But the people who might know have been entirely unavailable.

Then it occurred to me that maybe God didn’t want me working on the newsletter at that moment. Maybe my focus needed to be homeschool and our schedule. Yes, the newsletter has deadlines. Such deadlines often cause me to get priorities out of sorts. Sometimes I work too much on one thing to the detriment of something more important. Like homeschool. It is my number one ministry in life right now. But it’s been relegated to the very flexible back burner recently. So I think that God was gently redirecting my path. In fact, if I remember correctly, He does say something like, “in all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6. My favorite redirection yesterday? He caused my computer to go to sleep right in the middle of responding to an email! Very funny!

So I put aside the newsletter and went to work on the life and homeschool schedule. I decided I should pay attention and not to wait for Him to have to crash my computer. He uses whatever means are necessary. For me, it was those little irritations that moved me onto the correct path.

10.07.2007

My Lonely Blog

If my blog were a child, I'd probably be in big trouble for neglect right about now. While I've been busy, it's not even that I've been SUPER DUPER busy. I did write a fairly rambling lengthy post yesterday, but didn't post it until tonight. By then, my perspective had changed a little.

Last night at church, our worship leader talked about how he'd been to a concert the night before (not a Christian group) and that while he'd enjoyed the show, he left there feeling somewhat empty. The songs and music were good, but without God, there really wasn't anything of substance there for him. He was so hungry to be in church this weekend, to worship God with the Body of Christ. In that, there is meaning, significance, and value. These are songs being sung in praise and worship to our Lord.

I realized that yesterday's post, while rambling around, talking about both nothing and everything, complete with YouTube videos was kind of like that. I enjoyed writing it. I had fun reminiscing with videos of music from my past. But really, it was empty. Not to say that all my posts are deep and insightful, or even full of godliness. Even though I felt lead not to post it, I did. I decided it wasn't all that harmful and besides, my poor blog child needed some fresh material. So I posted it tonight. Then the YouTube videos wouldn't load. Hmmm . . . maybe God was trying to tell me something. Something he'd already told me.

I know that in this life here on earth, not every thought, every decision, nor every action will be righteous, holy, or about furthering the kingdom of God. But I pray that each day I come a little closer to the goal. That I'm a little more Christ centered. A little more refined. So I'll start here, listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I may not always understand, but that's okay. God is faithful and true and I can always trust Him.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7-8

May I love God, love others, and bear fruit that lasts.

10.03.2007

Wordless Wednesday - The Cows












For more WW, go here.

10.02.2007

Fall Five Kodak Printer Give Away

There really are a lot of fun contests out in the blogosphere. This week, my sweet friend, Sprittibee is hosting an opportunity to win a Kodak EasyShare 5300 all-in-one printer. This is one of those really cool machines that have CHEAP INK! Yes, you heard that right, CHEAP INK!! The black cartridges are $9.99 and the color are $14.99! What a concept!! Sprittibee has one on her desk and says that it rocks.

Since it's such a big and cool prize, there is a little more to this than just leaving a comment. You have to actually get out and take some pictures, post your projects, and link back to the contest. Check it out quickly - there are only 2 weeks to complete your assignment.

We are SO in! I think the boys & I will have fun, fun, fun with this one!

10.01.2007

Homeschool Blog Awards

HSBA team member

I am excited to be a part of a new team of 15 ladies who are site contributors for the Homeschool Blog Awards. There will be daily posts with interesting tips, devotionals, stories, interviews with homeschool bloggers, blogging advice, articles, links, photos, information, product reviews, and more! We hope to make the site a hub of useful information and encouragement for the homeschooling community. We will be actively preparing for the 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards this fall, and hope to wrap them up by the end of the year.

Here’s what you can do to help:
  • Start writing down the names of homeschool bloggers that you would like to nominate for the awards

  • Grab the 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards button and post it on your own site, with a link to the HSBA website

  • Let us know about vendors that you would like to see donate prizes for the awards

  • Stop by and see what our writers are posting daily

  • Last, but not least - SPREAD THE WORD!


btw - credit for the writing of this goes to my teammate, Dawn, at My Home Sweet Home because I liked what she wrote . . . and I was having writer's block. LOL! Oh, she also gets credit for our HSBA button up there and over there. Nice work and thanks, Dawn!
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