Thursday, September 28, 2006
Homeschool room/ office



Here is where most of the studying and computer work is accomplished. It has been wonderful to have a room just for school! I had no other place but this room to place the "diner" table from my Cincinnati kitchen, but it has been handy for projects and extra space. I had plans of redoing these walls yellow but was so tired of painting by the time I did the 1,200 coats of orange (Pardon my exaggeration!), that every fiber in my body was resistant to the thought of changing this room - even if the walls are white. They were in excellent condition, so I decided to leave them plain old white. Sometimes you have to choose your "decorating battles."

  posted at 10:38 AM  
  2 comments



Tonto & Lone Ranger

Here they are! The Lone Ranger is on the right, and his sidekick is on the left.
They race around this house as fast as the Lone Ranger, and they have captured every "bad guy" in the vicinity!

  posted at 10:28 AM  
  1 comments



Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Make me cry!

This week, Seth told me the sweetest thing a boy can say to his Mommy. "When I grow up and Daddy dies (That is not the sweet part!), I am going to marry you." I let him know that between now and then he would find a girl that he will like a lot more than Mommy. At this point, he is not very convinced, and I do not mind him thinking that way for awhile. It is nice to be at the top of some people's list. :-)

  posted at 11:53 PM  
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Kindergarten is done!




Here are a few pictures from the party we had before our move. It was a fun and memorable event for Seth. We displayed his studies, snapshots from the year, had him read, quote twenty-six Bible verses including references and play the piano. Seth and I performed our first public duet, and I was so worried he would mess up that I did! (No comments, Mr Leib! :-)

  posted at 11:24 PM  
  1 comments



Monday, September 25, 2006
My spot

I finally found it! "My spot" is a peaceful place on the shores of Lake Robinson. We live 15-20 minutes from here. This will be my place to recoup and meditate when I get a chance to be alone. Isn't it gorgeous?! It makes me think of the hymn - This Is My Father's World.

  posted at 7:11 PM  
  2 comments



Art class


Monday is art day, so we made fall garlands out of foam pieces. The shapes we used were turkey, leaf, acorn and squirrel. We were in the process of hanging Seth's on the front door when he let go of his end. He had the "privilege" of restringing his.

  posted at 6:55 PM  
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Troy's birthday



September 23 was Troy's 29th birthday, and we enjoyed a family picnic together. I grabbed some pizza, fresh veggies and chips for the "festivities" and headed to Lake Robinson. Isn't it beautiful?! I brought some bread so the boys could feed the fish, and they finished the evening by tossing as many rocks as time would allow. When we arrived home, the boys and I presented Troy with a chocolate cake topped with homemade icing. (You can laugh if you wish; I am a musician not a cake decorator! :-) This is better looking than the first time I tried to decorate a cake. Let us just say that on that cake, I had to turn the musical notes into bicycles! Nathan Dahler was at our house and when I showed him the cake, we both doubled over with laughter!!! It is good to be able to laugh at yourself!) Back to this cake, it tastes delicious, and that is what counts. (Yes, there are only six candles because I did not want to put twenty-nine on the cake.) Hope you had a nice day, Honey!

  posted at 4:21 PM  
  3 comments



Sunday, September 24, 2006
Chalkboard paint


I made a wonderful discovery - at least for me it was. Chalkboard paint!!! I was so excited to paint my own chalkboard on a wall in the homeschool room. If I ever want to do away with it, I just have to grab new paint and roll over it! It has been a great tool to use in school. The only problem is that it looked so cute I painted another on a different wall. (That one is for notes and reminders.) Maybe I should have painted the bottom half of the boys' room with this - they could write on the walls! I was so enthused I thought I would paint the front of two kitchen cabinets. It would be great for writing a shopping list, menu or recipe. HALT!!!! Troy was not "wondering" about that idea. I think it was closer to panic. "Since there is a good possiblity we may not be in this house for many years, let's not do anything that drastic." How "drastic" can chalkboard paint be?! :-) Sigh. My "real" kitchen - the permanent one that I get when Troy is done with grad school - will have two chalkboard cabinets. (Just thought you would like to know.)

  posted at 4:35 PM  
  2 comments



First duet

On our last Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, we surprised the congregation by having the boys do their first public duet. Ethan is not the least bit afraid of a crowd, so he thrived and jived. When the song ended, he asked, "Can we do dat again?" The whole thing was cute and amusing, and I am sure Grandma Castle would have cried. :-)

  posted at 4:24 PM  
  1 comments



Friday, September 22, 2006
I am cured of ever



painting with "bold" colors. (At least for a few years anyway.) Out of my list of selections, the boys chose a "basketball bathroom." The next logical step is to go for basketball colored walls. Oops, you are "wondering," aren't you?! :-) I found all kinds of "sporty" and denim things to use. I especially love the chalkboard; it is great for writing notes and instructions. Okay, back to the walls - I grabbed the cheapest basketball colored paint at Lowes. (You should have seen the face of the woman in line next to me! She was "wondering." In fact, she even voiced an opinion about the color. Never mind her. I was making a few boys happy.) The paint gal was telling me I should use a primer. (Sure, you are trying to get me to spend more money.) No primer on the walls for me. I painted the first coat. I then did a second coat. Now I am rethinking the primer decision. I begrudgingly paint a third coat before the walls look nice. I decided to do a "technique" on one wall to make it look like the center of the clock, so it only needed one coat. Otherwise I would have run out of paint. I was already tired of painting by the time I was done with the first room! For the bedroom, I marched back to Lowes, exlpained what happened and did not buy the cheap stuff. The new paint was as thick as oil. I was a good girl and started with primer. Whew! This will be a one coat of orange paint job. Cough. Choke. I sadly painted a second coat of orange following the primer and first orange coat. I begrudgingly painted a third coat of orange and made my blisters worse. A total of four coats reside on the boys' bedroom walls. Grrr. So much for KILZ.

  posted at 11:40 PM  
  4 comments



Boys' bedroom



Here are the weekend pictures I promised. Aunt Joan will love this room. Her famous quote, "Orange is the bestest color in the world." The handprints on the wall belong to the boys, and Seth helped paint the verse. In case you are "wondering," I tried to make it look like a child's handwriting. I love the way it looks.

  posted at 11:33 PM  
  3 comments



Rarely a dull moment -

at our house! With boys like Seth and Ethan, I never know what to expect. Parents, be cautious about letting your children watch a documentary on tsunamis. You can imagine the mental picture I had when Seth came out of the bathroom tonight and announced that he had been the "wave that shook the world." (Yikes!) I then announced that he could be the boy that cleaned up the wave, and he was quick to inform me that it was too much for his towel. Yup, it took several towels. Earlier today while Seth and I were diligently working on studies, Ethan took advantage of the cleaning supplies and paper towels. He sprayed, sprayed and sprayed (Did I mention he sprayed?) multi-purpose cleaner all over the coffee table, VCR and his head. I have no idea why he included his head, but I am very thankful for Melaleuca's chemical free cleaners! With all the cleaner abounding in the living room, he needed the whole roll of towels, and I was greeted with an "Ahoy, Mate" as he spied me through the paper towel roll when I rounded the corner.
Enjoy the stories. . .I will always have more. Of course, we also have pre-blog happenings I could mention. You know the breaking a dozen eggs on the kitchen floor, driving cars through toilet bowl water, putting game pieces in with the fish, Ethan sticking his bare foot in a paint tray, feeding "Cheezits" in a fan and watching them get chopped up and fly across a room. . . We are making lots of memories!

  posted at 10:43 PM  
  3 comments



Contest

To all my blogger friends, you need to check out bluebirdblogs to see some artistic talent! Susie has some of the most beautiful and creative work I have seen. Best of all, you can enter to win a free custom template!!!!! I am taking a long shot at this since the only thing I ever have won was a two liter of pop! :-) The only reason I got that was because I accidentally drew my own name! Back to the contest. . .visit http://bluebirdblogs.blogspot.com/ for details on how to enter your own blog. Do it quickly; entries are only accepted until 11:59 EST on Friday the 22nd of September!


  posted at 12:16 AM  
  0 comments



Thursday, September 21, 2006
"First day in the first grade" (clap-clap)
August 23 was our first day of homeschool this year. We are having lots of fun, and Seth has loved all 22 days so far. His daily subjects are arithmetic, phonics, penmanship, Letters and Sounds, Language 1, spelling and piano/music. Each day we have a Bible story, Scripture verse review, hymn study, phonics words, and he reads two books. Four days a week he has arithmetic speed drills which are one of his favorites. Once a week things are art on Monday, library trip on Tuesday, history on Wednesday, science on Thursday and physical education on Friday. (Who said homeschool had to be boring?!!!)

  posted at 11:38 PM  
  0 comments



So sweet. . .
This happened months ago, but I had to include it. Ethan drew a picture of me holding a flower because he loved me.

  posted at 11:19 PM  
  0 comments



Wednesday, September 20, 2006
My Masterpieces

I had to put a close-up of the hardest decorating task I have attempted. I bought two thrift store dressers for $15 each, and they were a nasty brown color. To make a long story short, I painted, wallpapered and covered with poly. (The wallpaper is French calligraphy. My cousin, MC Moroney, read my dressers and assured me there was nothing vile on them. You never know with those French people.) The work was tedious at times, but I am so happy with the result. You are not "wondering" are you?! Neither did Troy. :-) He was amazed! One last thing, I have a family member who has two little dressers that would match these. . . You are not allowed to pitch them at any point in your life. Ahem! I still have enough wallpaper to do them, too. I am not pointing fingers, but you know who you are, Kathy Moroney. :-)

  posted at 8:53 PM  
  3 comments



My Cincinnati kitchen



This was my "Mom's Diner," and I had so much fun with it. Of all the places I have lived, it was my favorite kitchen. I love the little diner table I bought through eBay! I would put on my apron and serve. . . I miss the red and yellow walls. I never grew tired of them! I also loved all the wall shelves; they were so handy. Make sure you read the sign I made. (It is above the stove.) Another disclaimer - it is really bugging me that I did not straighten the towel. Whew! I feel better now that I have said that. Sigh. . .

  posted at 8:40 PM  
  0 comments





Next up - bathroom and living room. I should have included the "Aztec symbols" (as I called them) that I painted along the top of the wall. You are again wondering, correct?! It was different, and I like to be different. Do not feel badly; you were not the first person to "wonder." Troy was. :-) It took a long time for those paintings/markings to grow on him.

  posted at 8:28 PM  
  0 comments



Our Cincinnati home


Here are two pics of the "Yellow Room" as we called it. It served as dining room on one side and computer/play area on the opposite.

  posted at 8:22 PM  
  0 comments



Our Cincinnati home




Some of you have been curious as to what our last home was like. Here are a few snapshots for your enjoyment. This set has our bedrooms.

  posted at 10:24 AM  
  0 comments



Tuesday, September 19, 2006
"Kids' Planet"




This park is located several miles from our house, and the boys love being here. I do, too. It's free. :-) It is the most incredible park I have ever seen! These pictures do not even cover the entire place. I will have to snap more later.

  posted at 11:46 PM  
  0 comments



Moving can be hard on a body!

This was taken a day or two after we moved here. It cracked me up to see Ethan all stretched out like this.

  posted at 11:42 PM  
  0 comments




This is what you get when you tell Ethan to "paint with water." This picture redefines dripping wet!

  posted at 11:35 PM  
  0 comments



My kind Hubby

Last Monday, Ethan surprised me with the revelation that he had the dreaded flu bug. Consequently I also ended up with a dose of it! By mid-Wednesday I had to call Troy and moan that I needed help. The kids were outside in the rain, and I had no strength to take care of them. (Can you imagine boys wanting to be outside in the rain?!) Troy kindly called the pharmacy and told them he would not be there, picked up some supper, brought me these flowers and did a wonderful job of taking care of me. Thanks, Honey!

  posted at 11:26 PM  
  0 comments



Our first housing catastrophe


While we were "attacking" the jungle in our backyard, a rock "attacked" our patio door. Lovely! It kept making crackling noises for days, and Ernesto's winds finally sent it crashing to the ground. I am still cleaning up this window!

  posted at 6:19 PM  
  0 comments



queen of the castle

Name:
Martha C


To all my family and friends, this blog was commenced as a way to keep you informed during my frequent communication lapses. Enjoy reading of our life in this far, far away land called "the South."

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