Father's Day

While Daryn had been gone for two weeks for work in Hawai'i, the kids planned what to do for him for Father's Day. They made some cards, and then had a difficult time deciding what to do for a gift. We put our heads together and decided we'd give him the gift of golfing. He really enjoys golfing, but since coming here and because of work, has not had the chance to go out and golf in a couple years. Although not a quite game with his friends, it was an afternoon spent as a family.
We blindfolded him so he couldn't see where we were going, and he even wore his headphones and listened to music so the kids wouldn't give the secret away. However, he's too smart for us! He knew where we were before he took the blindfold off. I should have taken the time to twist and turn and take a while to get there, but I didn't ... we live and learn.


All set to start out. We did 9 holes instead of 18. Daryn, Ian, Ethan, and Amber golfed. Evyn caddied for Daryn and I took pictures.
Daryn gives Amber a lesson on how to hit the ball.
Ethan applies the knowledge he learned a couple weekends ago on his Arrow Patrol outing. (He and his fellow patrol members went out and earned their golfing merit badge.)
Ian tried to strong-arm his hits. The afternoon was a lesson on how to let the club do the job.
Daryn's out of golfing shape. He started to get the strokes down as we neared the 9th hole.
A little lesson on the putting green for the kids.
Back at home, Amber designed a cake just for the occasion. For her AHG Cake Decorating badge she had to cut a cake into a shape and use a tip for icing. So, we did a deep round pan, she made a chocolate cake and then cut it into a square. We used a glass to make the hole, and then she started putting on the green stars for the golfing green.
Nice and even, no straight lines. However, our frosting consistency wasn't the greatest. But, it hardened well and was tasty.
The finished cake, complete with a dark chocolate molded golf ball from our favorite candy store.
Happy Father's Day!

Summer at Hogwarts - Herbology Class

How do you get four kids motivated throughout the summer? Find something they really like and combine it with every day activities and you get a summer of fun!

We all very much enjoy J.K. Rowling's series about Harry Potter and all his adventures at Hogwarts. We can't afford to send the kids away to someone else's Hogwarts Summer Camp ... so we are making our own!

We came up with the first class fairly easily ... Herbology. It was time to get the garden in. Each child has their own raised bed with their choices of veggies to be planted. Some have more than one, some share one with another. They will be responsible for their bin or bins. They will earn house points for the work they do on their bins, and other bins if they desire.

June 6 started Herbology class. Summer Camp doesn't really start until June 13.

The beds have been prepped, and planting commenced.

Evyn adds the finishing touch on his bin ... a lone marigold. His raised bed has lettuce and spinach. He'll do a second planting in a couple weeks.

Amber was very meticulous with her carrot seeds. She didn't want to waste any by having to pull them up when thinning, so she planted individual seeds and "pre-thinned." Her carrots of choice? Multi-colored! (Since the planting, Dad has asked for a bin of straight orange carrots. They will be planted shortly.)

Ian planted a variety of peppers and a couple cucumbers, along with some pollinators ... marigolds. Here he is watering the herb bed. He added in some mint.

Ethan planted pumpkin seeds, and a cantaloupe. We aren't sure we'll get much from this lone plant, as it's not the best environment like it was in Nevada.

Ian and Evyn work together to replant parsley. So far it remains quite wilted looking. We aren't sure it will come back. It's visiting with the potatoes this year.

First day's planting completed. (What you don't see is the next day's planting of corn.)

Happy Herbology Students!

Last Pirates Performance

Finding our inner Pirate!

Tuesday, the 24th, was our Jazz Band concert. Ian played several trumpet solos. Thursday was the Advanced Band Concert (although, I think we are now just going to be Concert Band).
Our Jazz rhythm section. On bass in the back: Blake and Matthew. On piano and drum set in the middle: George and Micah. Sitting to the right is our trombonist, Caleb, and on the left (in front of George) is our other drummer, Aaron (Jennifer's youngest son). They are just jamming here prior to the concert.

Back row, left to right on trumpet: Lydia, Michaela, Ian, Hannah; on flute left to right: Victoria, Amanda, Rebekah, and me. Front row trombonists: Kayla and Caleb.
Our little jazz ensemble with Jennifer Richards at the helm.
"Keep those bells up!" Common phrase thrown to the back row!
Ian getting ready for his solo in Basin Street Blues.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Ethan, Amber, and Evyn were helping to prep the goodies for after the concert. Ethan's in the refrigerator ... I can only hope it had something to do with the punch.
Amber and Ethan set up the yummy treats.
Final touches from the kitchen help.
The hungry masses emerge after the Jazz concert.

* * * The Concert Band and Homeschool Strings concert * * *

Looks as though Evyn's already bored with the concert. His parts do get more interesting as the night goes on!
Horns ... see Ethan? He's next to Bonnie Mathews, who has been their music theory teacher all year. Evyn's in back with the crash cymbals.
Here's our ragtag choir. We had a fair group of kids who started out not being able to carry a tune with a bucket this year, and four of them were ours! She whipped them all into shape and we had a very nice sound at the end of the year. Most of the boys went into this with dread and really disliked the class. However, by the end of the concert, Ian and Evyn said they wanted to do it again next year! Bonus!

Second half of our concert. A glimpse of the flute section (see Amber through the harp?), and you can just see Evyn in the back with the other percussionists.

The highlight of our concert season has been the culminating effects of the Homeschool Band and Homeschool Strings. The entire year we have rehearsed apart with an occasional meet up of some band members at a strings rehearsal or some strings at a band rehearsal. Only last week did we have the groups completely together to rehearse. Our piece? A compilation of Pirates of the Caribbean. What an amazing group effort! We ended up with a standing ovation. You couldn't ask for anything better, to say the least!

Ethan found his inner pirate ... he's all set to play!
This is nearly everyone. Some more to the left and right, and they are mostly the strings.

When I can, I'll add in some of the videos so you can see and hear everyone in action!


* * * Edited * * *

Try this link. It's our first try to get it up. Remember, the camera is on this side of the strings ... the whole things sounded amazing if you were sitting in the middle of the entire group (like where the flutes sit). That many strings tends to over power a tiny band. We are working on getting a high resolution rendition ... but this is it for now. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L8E_ZlLmzw

Stitch Markers for Breast Cancer Awareness

Every Tuesday a group of ladies meet at Debbie Macomber's A Good Yarn Shop. We have affectionately become the Titty Tuesday Ladies. We meet from 4-6 p.m. and we make knitted or crocheted breast prosthesis for women who have had breast cancer and have had single or double mastectomies. We don't sell the knitted boobies, we give them away. We've had donations of yarn and money to keep it going, and it's so encouraging when women come in to "try one one" and walk away with the happiest looks on their faces.
Next week is the Relay for Life cancer walk. Our little group is going to have a table with a basket or two of our textile breasts. They are in all sorts of shapes and colors in very soft cotton yarn. I had suggested making stitch markers and then the brainstorming began. Instead of using the traditional copyrighted symbol of the pink looped ribbon, we took one of our pinkest balls of yarn and a pair of pointy sticks (double pointed needles) and shot our own version.

Then I took that photo, manipulated it, cropped it, and printed it on Shrinky Dink material, purchased jewelry findings and beads, and set to work. I made 110 stitch markers for our little cause and they will go up for "donation only" at the shop and at the Relay for Life. All proceeds will go toward Breast Cancer research and finding a cure.
This is my first batch. Amber so very kindly began helping me. I would attach our Shrinky Dink art and then she'd string on the beads, and then I'd finish up by putting on the rings.

This is our second batch. They include stitch markers for crocheters and for those who use larger needles.

It really was rewarding working on these. At the time I was doing it, I had just gone in for my own mammogram and then had received a call from the radiologist saying they'd seen several things on the original exam and wanted me back in for digital and ultrasound images. Much to my relief, everything is fine and what I have are cysts. I feel a huge burden off my shoulders, and when working on these little stitch markers had much compassion for all the women who have not been as lucky as I was this time.

Ian's Study Buddy

Ian was doing his morning KONOS studies when Joule hopped up and snuggled in. She stayed for quite a while. She generally spends her morning curled up next to Ian on the floor, or in Evyn's arms at the classroom table.

This was taken a few days after the above photos. We came through the room and saw her sitting with her head on Ian's books. Ian has the photo on his laptop with the tagline : Homework Gets Me Down. I thought it looked like she had school work burnout!

Easter Sunday

Easter Bunny made a visit and left chocolates and some carrots. The egg carton in the center holds our Resurrection Eggs. We went through the eggs and the Easter story about 11:30 when we ate our Hot Cross Buns (see photo below).

Kids enter to discover their filled baskets.

Digging to the bottom of the basket.


They each received a container of colored bubbles with wand. It's supposed to be washable. There are green and blue dots on our deck still ... even after the rain. Hmmmmm .....

The hunt was on ... who could find the most eggs this year. Ian won ... he seemed to have a sixth sense about where they were hidden. This is what Ethan's discovered so far.

Amber scoured the classroom.

See Ian's hoard?

Evyn found his fair share.

Amber's egg hunting results.

Evyn found one in the laptop ... of all places! It's a wee bit squished, don't you think?

These are my fantastic Hot Cross Buns. They came out wonderfully! They are large and airy. I didn't have candied orange peel, so I used the candied fruit I purchased in December for fruit cake, which I never made.

They were as good as they look. Yes, there are currants in there, too. Yum!
Our beautiful ham. It was delicious!