A Schoolroom Ready For The School Year!

I have scrubbed walls and desks and got some organizing done as well. The schoolroom is pretty much ready for school to start! :) (Please excuse the place under the chalkboard...I got wallpaper scraping *happy* and now it is just plain ugly there...LOL)

It's a small room and it is a strange shape...so it is hard to get things to all fit well in there...but I am so thankful for a wonderful place to hold our homeschooling. :) I would like to purchase a cupboard or two (with doors on them) to keep things in and then take the other shelves out...but I make do with what I have, gratefully! :)

And a pic of the other side of the room:

And...just because it is so so cute to me....the other day...Jaxson was so exhausted that he tucked himself into bed all on his own and fell asleep in a matter of minutes during naptime. You know a kiddo is tired when they tuck themselves in to sleep!


Thanks for visiting! Hope you are having an enjoyable week! :)

If I wasn't sitting here typing this.....

.....I'd be doing a jig! As you snicker to yourself and think I am crazy...let me explain why! ;o) I just finished up getting all our homeschooling objectives written down. Now all I need to do is type it, print it and then get my affidavit notarized and then take it all to the school! Yippee!!!! I am not sure about the laws in other states...but here in PA, you have to have this stuff in by August 1st. Well....*teehee* (I blush as I write this) I sorta forgot about having to get this all in. Thankfully, another homeschooling mama and I were talking last night during my break at VBS Sports camp and she mentioned it! I about fell over! Whew! I am so so glad she reminded me! So I am happy I have the hardest part done...which is getting it all written out! YAY!!!

AND....thank you all so much for your input and such on my previous post about curriculums! I finally ordered everything last night! I just decided that the choices were never going to get easier and I just needed to make a decision and trust that God would be leading me the right way for the curriculums I chose for each child.

For Xavier, I got the My Father's World Kgarten curriculum. I like the pace of it for him and I think it will be a good thing to start out with. I just got the "complete" package...not the deluxe. :) Also....so far...since this is only my second year homeschooling...I don't get a bunch of different curric. and pick and choose. Like using one for math and another for language etc. I just buy the whole bundle so I know I am getting the right stuff. I supplement more in with workbooks I pick up at teacher's store etc. But for now...I am still getting familiar with the different curric. :)


For Madelyn, I decided on the Abeka 2nd grade kit. I just got the child kit. They also have a parent kit that has lesson plans and such...but it is another $100! I think I will be good at making up my own lesson plans. That way I can go at Madelyn's pace...not the book's. :)

I had been looking at Christian Light Education materials for Madelyn. Everything looked like it would be really good. But because it is from a Mennonite company...of which I have nothing against...I was a little wary because I do not agree with all of the beliefs that they have. I was not sure if or how any of their doctrine would be incorporated so I wasn't sure about it. But I must admit...it does look like a super curriculum! :) Has anyone ever tried it before?

Well, off I go...I have lots to get done today before I need to head to VBS sports camp again tonight. Hope you are all having a fantastic week!!!!! :o)

Homeschool Curric. Question...& More!

Hey all you homeschoolin' mamas! I need your input! I used My Father's World for Madelyn's 1st grade year...and I totally enjoyed it...but I was wondering what curriculum you all used and if you liked it? All thoughts on this are much appreciated! I want to order curriculum soon! I just met another homeschooling mama that lives not too far from me, actually, and she uses Abeka and really likes it for her grade school daughter. I need to get curriculum for Madelyn (2nd grade) and X (Kgarten) for this coming school year and I was just going to go with My Father's World again...but other info from homeschooling families would be sooo wonderful before I actually order!

Also....if you don't have the email option on with your comments to I can reply to your comments...could you leave your email address too? That way, if I need to, I could kindly bother ask you more or discuss it more if need be. :) Thank you so so much for readin this and sharing with me. I really love to hear others' methods and ideas!!!!


Thank you for all the well wishes! I am feeling much much better and just dealing with a minor sore throat now! :) I appreciate all your kind thoughts, prayers and comments! Madelyn has a dentist appt. tomorrow morning at 9am for a cleaning and to discuss about that tooth that is growing in the wrong place that I mentioned in THIS post. This dentist (a pediatric dentist that is totally worth the drive) is over an hour away...so Madelyn and I will be up bright and early tomorrow! My MIL is keeping the boys overnight for me! Isn't that kind? I will pick them up as soon as we get home tomorrow! I pray that they are well behaved for her! ;)

We had VBS sports camp tonight and it goes on all week. As I said before, I am the head cheerleading coach. We had 12 young girls there tonight. I think it went well...but wow...I am so exhausted! Things are very busy! Hope you all have a fabulous week!!!! :o)

Musings of a sick mama......

You may be wondering "Why oh why is Katy changing this blog so often?"...well...although I do love to be creative and this is one way for me to do it...honestly...lately, I have been trying to remove things that could be causing that horrible spam thing that kept coming up for me. I was trying to take things out to see if they were the spammer. Then as I got to changing...I had to make things look "right". I just can't stand the spam that was coming up on my blog! That's awfully sneaky and malicious of a company to do that...don't you think? I have tried and tried and still...just can't figure out what is doing that to my site. I am so bummed. If anyone has any ideas....please share with me...I would love to figure this out!





In other news...I have been sick the past couple of days. I thought it was strep...(and it is hard for me to believe it isn't..as my throat is still sooo full and hurting so much)..but I went to my doctor yesterday afternoon and they did a culture and said it wasn't strep. It must just be a virus. I had (not sure if I still have it or not) a fever. I have been fighting body aches and a headache all yesterday and through the night. Luckily...those seem to be gone. Now I am just dealing with a sore throat and tired body...trying to heal itself from a stinker of a virus. I think it was the same one the kids had previously. I just need to heal quickly...as our VBS sports camp starts tomorrow evening! (I am the cheerleading coach for it!).


I am so blessed for my mom though....she kept the kids for me yesterday when I went to the dr and while Chris was at work. Then she took them to her house so I could rest and Chris picked them up later. Then this evening...her and my dad took them to the local fair where there is a rodeo going on this evening. I wish I could have gone..it sounds like a good time. Chris has started feeling a bit icky too....I am hoping he doesn't have this virus...but there is a good chance he does. I guess we will see.

Oh...on a good note....today is day 4 of me eating healthier and all is going well! :) Even being sick...I have made good decisions on what I have eaten!!! Woohoo! I am totally thankful that through prayer...I have the strength to do this...to God be all the glory! ;o)

Green Beans & Grape Jelly

Yummmmmy! Last night for supper...we had these green beans with the roast I made. Oh my goodness...they were fantastic. (Of course they were snapped before I cooked them!) There is nothing like fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies! I am so thankful for the abundance! :) I just boiled them for a super long time...and they came out perfect!

Also, yesterday, I tried my hand at making grape jelly. I have never done it before...so I got out the recipe from the SurJel box and set to making it...using canned grape juice my MIL had made from her fresh grapes she has growing at her house!

Instead of canning it....my MIL shared this trick with me....you turn them over for at least 10 minutes after filling and sealing them. I waited about half an hour and then flipped them back over...and voila...they sealed! :)

It seems to have turned out fantastic! I haven't tried any yet...but they seemed to have jelled well in the jars so I think they will be good! And you can't beat juice from homegrown grapes either! ;o)


And, while I was stirring the grape juice with the surjel and then later the sugar...(you have to stir constantly)...Xavier took my camera (without permission....little stinkpot) and snapped this pic of Ruthie....

I was none too thrilled....however the picture did turn out cute of her. Look at her...doesn't she live such a hard life? ;)

I woke up in the wee hours this morning with a charlie horse in my calf. It is still pretty tender. I am fighting a bit of a sore throat too...and a smidge of a headache. I don't mean to complain...but goodness...I feel like I am falling apart today! I have lots to do...but hopefully some relaxing will be squeezed in...where I can read or knit....or maybe read with the kiddies! :)

Hope you all have an enjoyable day and weekend! Thank you for dropping by! :o)

"The Earth laughs in flowers."....

The title of this post is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Isn't it so true? I totally wish I could have fresh cut flowers on my table all the time! Each one a beautiful color and scent....they just make the room come alive! These flowers are from Madelyn's birthday tea party...last Monday! They are still doing soooo well! I am completely loving every second they can decorate my home!

But there is something even better than those beautiful flowers I have pictured above.....that is homemade flowers! In the pic below....these are *roses* sweetly thought up and made by Madelyn :). Aren't they great? I was so thrilled when she gave me one. (The pink one she graciously gave to *me*!)

What a desolate place would be a world without a flower!
It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome.
Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our starts
the flowers of the heaven.
- A.J. Balfour

Pictured above are new additions to behind my stove (as you can see in the pic below as well). The plate I got at a yard sale for $1. And the teapot is a gift from my mom and also is the teapot we used at Madelyn's tea party. :)

And a pic of the other side of my stove...just for fun.....

Today was grocery day. I have decided to buckle down and start eating right. Time to get extra weight off...and also time to realize that overeating and eating the wrong things is just as bad as smoking or drinking too much. It makes you unhealthy and is truly not the way I want things. I have eaten so well today and plan to continue to for the rest of my life. :)

This evening after supper was cleaned up...we went down to weed at the garden with my mother in law! And guess what? We had a bunch of green beans ready (which we weren't expecting)! So we picked them and my MIL let me have them...I will cook them up for supper the next couple nights! They will be fantastic!!! Yippee!!! I also plan on making some grape jelly tomorrow! A full but fun and enjoyable day planned for tomorrow...home with my kids <3 and working on things I enjoy!!! :)
I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow!!! I am so thankful you stopped by. It means so much that people (many of which don't even know me) stop by to read and sometimes even comment. :) Happy Thursday!!!

One Thing I Hate About Computers...

is spyware, adware and the likes. It's so frustrating. I get them deleted off...and WHAM...another one shows up! I have one coming up on my blog...and I keep having to go back to the main page. I am not sure if it is my computer or my site? Anyone else having an issue at all? If so, I truly apologize. It is definitely not my goal to have annoying ads take over my site whenever they want to.

On a seperate note...Madelyn and Jaxson weren't feeling well yesterday...fevers and super lethargic...Madelyn even started walking around in a daze and talking nonsense. Luckily, both are 100% back to normal today....their bouncy cheery (and energetic) selves! :) X was like this a day last week and that is where I think they got it from. Luckily...it wasn't anything severe. :) I am truly thankful. I know many mothers whose children are sick right now with the flu or something like it! I am keeping those children (and moms) in my prayers right now...and I hope you will too. Nothing worse than for your child to be sick!

And....yes...I did it again. I know...it must get so annoying...but today is a super rainy day here in PA and I just sat down and started fiddling with one thing on my blog...and voila...I changed many things instead! :) Thanks for accepting my blog changes and still choosing to come back and visit! hehe!

Now I am off to change sheets, do some laundry and such. Hopefully...if the kiddos get their rooms cleaned like I want...then we will be able to read together or watch a movie later! :) Hoping you're having a wonderful Tuesday....rain or shine! ;O)

A Smile Increases Your Face Value!

Friday night...we went down to the Teen Center to watch our church's youth pastor's band play! They do such a fantastic job and have such a heart for God! They play alot of praise and worship that we all could sing along with! :)

The kids had fun watching, singing, dancing etc. Notice how sweaty Jaxson is below? Hehe....

And Madelyn had a good time....her and her cheesy smile..lol....

Unfortunately...our yard sale at my mom's was rained out on Friday and Saturday....so we will have another yard sale in a few weeks....this time here at my house which is on the other side of town! :)

Yesterday...after a nice time at church, then home for egg salad sandwiches for lunch, then a nap....we went to the horse pulls at our local county fair! Admission was free that night....so it was nice to be able to go without paying an arm and a leg! haha!


The horses were absolutely beautiful and amazing!

The boys had fun watching and enjoying some lemonade! Yum!


Miss Madelyn....look how long her hair is getting!!! I love it!

Yesterday was also my parents' 29th wedding anniversary!! :) They spent the evening with all of us at the fair! After the horse pulls...we went to all the animal barns and checked out the horses, pigs, sheep, goats, bunnies, chickens and cows! There was once sweet little dwarf goat...oh my goodness....soooooo cute...I tried to convince Chris I *needed* a sweet little dwarf goat...but he didn't budge.

Today will I will be focusing on cleaning....I have lots of laundry to do and other cleaning around my home that needs done! :) Tonight...at the county fair....is the demo derby. My kids absolutely *love* the demo derby...and my parents are going to take them! :) I know they will have such a blast....although at the moment...Madelyn says she isn't feeling too well...so we will see how she feels later.

Well...I could probably sit and type a book for you all to read right now...lol...but I need to go. Putting off my cleaning isn't helping me any! ;o) Plus I have chickens to feed and eggs to wash!!! Always lots to do! :) Hope you all have a fantastic start to your week and thanks so much for dropping by!

A Sneak Peek....

OK...so I don't show pics of the addition on our house much. We do things as we have the money...and we are working on the outside of our home first...getting it all sided etc. Our addition has been a makeshift shed for us....it's dry and protected in there...so it started to accumulate "stuff"....do you see where I am going with this?

Well....I am thrilled to report that since getting the stuff for yardsale out....plus doing a lot of cleaning and rearranging...I have got about half the room looking ALOT better! Wooohoooo! ;)
In the pic above...it will actually someday be a mud/laundry room....which will then lead into the rest of the room which will be our living room. We also store all the siding that Chris is putting on the house in this room...(of which you cannot see). We bought all the siding at once so we got assured to get all the same color etc. So we store it in the addition where it is protected.

I should have taken a before pic so you could really understand how CLEAN this is now...but alas...that would have been WAY tooooo embarrassing!!! ;) But trust me....this is AWESOME! :)


And....what is exciting about meatloaf? Nothing....*unless* you cook them it in super cool mini loaf pans!!!
They cooked so much faster and they were so cute in those lil pans...hehe! One of the pans of meatloaf is leftover and I will pack it in Chris's lunch this morning! Yummy!

See....I truly get excited over such little things ;). Today....it is off to work at the yardsale again at my mom's. Praying it doesn't storm like predictions are forecasting *biting nails*! I just want to get stuff sold asap! :)

I'm also getting ready to be a cheerleading "coach" at our church's VBS Sports Camp Style! :) We did this last year and it was a great hit with the kids! This year will be similar...but with a different theme! :) Fun stuff! :o)

Well off I go! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! So glad you took the time to visit with me!

From My Home <3

Looking outside our front door...this is our view....

You may be wondering why I shared that. The simple answer is because I like it :). I find joy in simple things like that! I can just stand at my front door and look out and smile! :) Is it humungously gorgeous? Not really...but is it simple and sweet?....yes! :) I love it!

Madelyn and Xavier had a fun "indoor" picnic yesterday. At lunchtime...it was just too hot for them to be outside in the sun...so they enjoyed a picnic inside the school room! :)


Jaxson and his blankie :o) .....

From time to time, I add or subtract or just move things around in my home when decorating. I love to share those things when I do them! :) Hope you don't mind! Even when I change small things....it makes things look totally different to me!

Below is a high chair my mom gave me! Isn't it absolutely fantastic??? I *love* it! :) I've got a raggedy ann warmin' it's seat! :)

In this corner of my dining room....most things stayed the same...I did move a few things though and added that berry swag across the top front of the desk. YUM....I love berry swags and wreaths! :) hehe!

A simple little thing....such a sweet look!

And...I absolutely *had* to share this. While picking up the other day...I found this paper on the floor that I am assuming Madelyn wrote.... if it is hard to read....I will type it out clearer for you....
"We will love God with all our hearts and all our souls. God will love us too. A heart is red, a violet is purple, a daisy is white and rain is blue." ~Madelyn

Hehe...isn't that too sweet? When I found it....I almost threw it out as just another random floating piece of paper in our home. I am so so glad I didn't. This is definitely a keeper. Maybe even something to frame and hang up! ;)

We have been having a yard sale at my mom's. They are an awful lot of work! WOWZA! But it is going pretty well. The yard sale continues tomorrow and Saturday as well. We are so thankful for good weather! Although it has been a bit humid...there is a nice breeze which helps a TON! :) If you are local...you should definitely stop out! We'd love to see ya!

Hope you are all having a good end to your week! It's almost Friday! Woooohooo! Thanks for stopping by.