tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56871535748986673312024-02-18T22:52:50.951-05:00Life on Planet CaddickKrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14702189702630359143noreply@blogger.comBlogger422125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-34006889906276728712017-06-02T12:11:00.000-04:002017-06-02T12:11:00.103-04:006 months downWell, we are six months into 2017 - I can't believe it!<br />
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Zach has finished his sophomore year. I've started saving for all those "senior things" because I know that will be here before I know it. He did very well and I'm proud of him for taking on brick and mortar after so many years of homeschooling. That kid is pretty awesome.<br />
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Some of my most recent crochet projects:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOxwIvVZsS4yAa5UXHldLQAgQWuOVuFnYitqQOY1tHWkJe-nYBoRXpQniq08q-Nvw5Hi4LLyphrFgvq93-IhEVvQq13lB6Ky8jc7IE-QcAYQaHStfve9_Duvi5u50hsEGITk6_oijErbw/s1600/IMG_1770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOxwIvVZsS4yAa5UXHldLQAgQWuOVuFnYitqQOY1tHWkJe-nYBoRXpQniq08q-Nvw5Hi4LLyphrFgvq93-IhEVvQq13lB6Ky8jc7IE-QcAYQaHStfve9_Duvi5u50hsEGITk6_oijErbw/s320/IMG_1770.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temperature blanket for here in SC.<br />This is only part of it - I think part of April and May.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHUzNS8Rvqo7QbAfz3iY5tNGpN268zaXZax4LfCvXCer_bNOemin61ecyjmI0o8kI1fPVacqWoLY_xa5Ho2xP4TMwZVeNAmqXa0weDXqmMRXeKyJxSgdq_-uodo-rMDUTVB1iJMc9Y2S0/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHUzNS8Rvqo7QbAfz3iY5tNGpN268zaXZax4LfCvXCer_bNOemin61ecyjmI0o8kI1fPVacqWoLY_xa5Ho2xP4TMwZVeNAmqXa0weDXqmMRXeKyJxSgdq_-uodo-rMDUTVB1iJMc9Y2S0/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temperature blanket for my niece and her wife.<br />This one is for the first year they were married.<br />Currently it is a very late anniversary present (and not done!) </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cIDAGKvn7_0Ci_N8hzGBse_3h-GNYGcE5S3b-u3xyCt6-1ugJ7VRakan2cxRoHan5cJqi0BfxwiD1BT0fwGbOpw0cObXjCDFSHyQo0XmWx3GY3N4pqR-OKEUDlI49kDwc5BN2t1p6ZpM/s1600/IMG_1800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9cIDAGKvn7_0Ci_N8hzGBse_3h-GNYGcE5S3b-u3xyCt6-1ugJ7VRakan2cxRoHan5cJqi0BfxwiD1BT0fwGbOpw0cObXjCDFSHyQo0XmWx3GY3N4pqR-OKEUDlI49kDwc5BN2t1p6ZpM/s320/IMG_1800.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something for me - a shawl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloumiDwkFgp4bh14dcZ6yjmKK0fvOJL4Jdb4tkf4bFqNJyRgfoyhHDlS5RLmJhTCd9Lu4_wfo5_ufheccTJ3R81vuI__FQMwzGo8QoR1gMSuKNM5MEbsEtyKBzqSvUR4eOHG4O3SmGrde/s1600/IMG_1797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjloumiDwkFgp4bh14dcZ6yjmKK0fvOJL4Jdb4tkf4bFqNJyRgfoyhHDlS5RLmJhTCd9Lu4_wfo5_ufheccTJ3R81vuI__FQMwzGo8QoR1gMSuKNM5MEbsEtyKBzqSvUR4eOHG4O3SmGrde/s320/IMG_1797.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something else for me - a wrap<br />It's hard to tell but this yarn is metallic<br />(so it's pretty sparkly!)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxGsegPHcXM4sggb-WUgdcwJ0LM0QHDDCwUkUsyRrph4No2wJTlE2PQaePmWO8POzaiSK0XpkPr-6_sc7J8JY2nmVaOMD1bm9IARB8Cp54jhv8fDr7umrTSXGrDN0DsU3_P7JYo878TDO/s1600/IMG_1760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxGsegPHcXM4sggb-WUgdcwJ0LM0QHDDCwUkUsyRrph4No2wJTlE2PQaePmWO8POzaiSK0XpkPr-6_sc7J8JY2nmVaOMD1bm9IARB8Cp54jhv8fDr7umrTSXGrDN0DsU3_P7JYo878TDO/s320/IMG_1760.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first attempt at a crochet sun hat<br />It turned out too big!!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Another thing I've been doing since mid April is virtual challenges/races. I found a site called <a href="https://race.yes.fit/" target="_blank">Yes.Fit</a> and I really love it! I've completed three challenges since I started:<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0Mkf1WQhEuEgw7j3ZyHNImj-MJ9nhaT8_7dQNTJnclgNpgKbLLrgAm8GxGWJCWSDaHxV7XRnajczkh97sEFj9bn6wTKJbyOoLaCMS2DJp-ZoWLLoQc08h8JyddvS-3sFR5Gcs5zpmT-f/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0Mkf1WQhEuEgw7j3ZyHNImj-MJ9nhaT8_7dQNTJnclgNpgKbLLrgAm8GxGWJCWSDaHxV7XRnajczkh97sEFj9bn6wTKJbyOoLaCMS2DJp-ZoWLLoQc08h8JyddvS-3sFR5Gcs5zpmT-f/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam - 15.4 miles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYl372jPDhlT5Jov61eTjK3EOUIVCyaylqOdH0iD6w4L7beJyd3o5t65w7lYll4UO55D38Q67gl30KrFVEDTO587q54Ku8TlWFoUxs-m35g7IsCzfyP3CisEJovozdYKp7os_5f28bRS6/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYl372jPDhlT5Jov61eTjK3EOUIVCyaylqOdH0iD6w4L7beJyd3o5t65w7lYll4UO55D38Q67gl30KrFVEDTO587q54Ku8TlWFoUxs-m35g7IsCzfyP3CisEJovozdYKp7os_5f28bRS6/s320/IMG_1788.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Etna - 27.6 miles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2a0KM1twMaHaWrRO2PxU-H0Y-ir-mNAUEhelFVJYKK_5uZ6Z5Njq0d0KeqlAof9tEduehjAJHoXx988LS0m-ewVTljr8JUW77P5cb80xahCGfwMkaBaaqGUGEgQ3iySAmnxnFCwq2HfM/s1600/IMG_1803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2a0KM1twMaHaWrRO2PxU-H0Y-ir-mNAUEhelFVJYKK_5uZ6Z5Njq0d0KeqlAof9tEduehjAJHoXx988LS0m-ewVTljr8JUW77P5cb80xahCGfwMkaBaaqGUGEgQ3iySAmnxnFCwq2HfM/s320/IMG_1803.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial Day 2017 - 27.9 miles</td></tr>
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Currently I'm working on Kruger National Park (117 miles).</div>
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I also found a couple other sites <a href="http://www.willrunforbling.com/" target="_blank">Will Run for Bling</a> - where I'm working on the 100 Days of Summer 200 Mile Challenge (16.8 miles done so far!); and <a href="http://www.moonjoggers.com/events/" target="_blank">Moon Joggers</a> where I have signed up for a few races: 4 for the 4th of July; Total Eclipse of the Sun Run; and Ugly Sweater 5K (or 10K - I have until December to decide).</div>
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Let's just be clear here - I don't run any of these things. It's all walking. Most days I walk with a good friend of mine, and some days I walk with Zach. Sometimes it's just me and my music =) but I'm excited to earn the medals and not have to accomplish stuff with lightening speed. Because let's face it folks, lightening speed is not my thing!!</div>
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I may work up the courage to do a live 5K sometime soon. </div>
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So, that's it for now. Be good to each other.<br /><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-79282058995896382962016-12-22T11:40:00.000-05:002016-12-22T11:40:47.243-05:00Almost ChristmasIt's almost Christmas!! I've been much less Ebenezer this year (or at least tried!). For the first time in my long, long life I get to enjoy a REAL Christmas Tree! So very excited.<br />
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Zach is on Christmas break. Of course he gets a cold - but at least he's not missing school! This boy always gets sick around Christmas. I guess it's just who he is.<br />
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I've finished a few more crochet projects in the last couple weeks. First up, the blanket that turned into the mess from hell. You don't even have to look closely to realize how screwed up this ended up. And although it was initially accepted by it's recipient, it has since been rejected as being "too narrow". So it's currently in use by Erik.<br />
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Also completed - Christmas hat #2<br />
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A messy bun beanie<br />
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A cozy for my french press<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a terrible picture - sorry</td></tr>
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and finally, a scrubby for cleaning. Cotton on one side and scrubby yarn on the other.<br />
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That's it! I've started a very big blanket project and will post updates as progress is made. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and great 2017.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-45645611886403934002016-12-05T12:08:00.000-05:002016-12-05T12:08:13.685-05:00What Have I Been Doing?From August to December. Once again I have to get better about doing this! It's not like I haven't been doing anything though!<div>
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First, Zach is rocking Sophomore year. He did go back to brick and mortar school this year. His grades have been great and he seems to have adjusted very well. I'm learning how to be a morning person again - it's hard!</div>
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I've been trying to be crafty and creative these last few months. These things are usually fails because my mom's creative gene skipped me completely 😔. I guess it is what it is, you know what I mean? That hasn't stopped me from trying though!! Here are some things I've done in the last few months.</div>
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Painting! I've taken three classes at a local place called <a href="http://www.sipngogh.com/" target="_blank">Sip n Gogh</a>. It is really fun, and honestly, they make it hard to screw things up! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirR-N0yjGk7a8Hqu1qQhJT9n0ISJ0oHOhQ9sBALwYfb5IEsYTzNv1CI4ja7a5_29nwQxjXxmAUK8JuYrEtVs3lfpgNpc7UMMOIv_vgtUHW7hqWNPd6giEfA2xKAlSQIdTnTV8gM8jMEss/s1600/IMG_1460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirR-N0yjGk7a8Hqu1qQhJT9n0ISJ0oHOhQ9sBALwYfb5IEsYTzNv1CI4ja7a5_29nwQxjXxmAUK8JuYrEtVs3lfpgNpc7UMMOIv_vgtUHW7hqWNPd6giEfA2xKAlSQIdTnTV8gM8jMEss/s320/IMG_1460.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my painting of Swan Lake. A local attraction.<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJIvz39Ui1FIxeb2JcZmV0KsWdePSuXTJ6Z4BxnUPEe9jE_CIEmaQ-Y1O-C-yBhhcPiu5ubyEfo8vR56Xqj8g7R3Gp87dPecaaW7LWfFMhrgDARaPu8qXaZI3VspTvcTwU840EShVQJQ3/s1600/IMG_1516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJIvz39Ui1FIxeb2JcZmV0KsWdePSuXTJ6Z4BxnUPEe9jE_CIEmaQ-Y1O-C-yBhhcPiu5ubyEfo8vR56Xqj8g7R3Gp87dPecaaW7LWfFMhrgDARaPu8qXaZI3VspTvcTwU840EShVQJQ3/s320/IMG_1516.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Channeling my inner Van Gogh</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOACb7cjwnKFWErBunYCGW-3FexGdhgeI6c_nGvHCOL8fPNTXsSJUFxbMHFCmekQGdn5F-IEGufATM83wyJ281wp_giULBmaa1xHp0hEcedKeBCwEUgsA9hpgm8nia-gPQIUqa15V6MnIf/s1600/IMG_1528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOACb7cjwnKFWErBunYCGW-3FexGdhgeI6c_nGvHCOL8fPNTXsSJUFxbMHFCmekQGdn5F-IEGufATM83wyJ281wp_giULBmaa1xHp0hEcedKeBCwEUgsA9hpgm8nia-gPQIUqa15V6MnIf/s320/IMG_1528.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this one for my niece! I painted it in<br />the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.</td></tr>
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I've not limited myself to painting either. Nope - I'm also teaching myself how to crochet. This one can be particularly frustrating sometimes. I've tried my hand at several things. Some turn out good and others are just a mess. But I refuse to give up! I will get the hang of it!!</div>
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The first thing I tried was a soap saver. I found the pattern at <a href="http://www.thepaintedhinge.com/2013/03/29/simple-soap-saver-free-crochet-pattern/" target="_blank">The Painted Hinge</a> and thought "I can do that". And I did - here is the result.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlpGb5nFgQ457fhWeRiV50JdDP5aEbKZaxAGI0AiU81lGPMIfrX7DjMCohM0t45iLSYCPgUOFedGTSEKpY01gZ5DPE7OmEPTj03p7vXHGqtdB9zejZIFFFTtfXQyYnfaMQHu8SJMSjFRv/s1600/IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlpGb5nFgQ457fhWeRiV50JdDP5aEbKZaxAGI0AiU81lGPMIfrX7DjMCohM0t45iLSYCPgUOFedGTSEKpY01gZ5DPE7OmEPTj03p7vXHGqtdB9zejZIFFFTtfXQyYnfaMQHu8SJMSjFRv/s320/IMG_1508.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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But, Zach found this one didn't lather well and was too scratchy. So I made one out of cotton. It wasn't scratchy, but still didn't lather enough. Then I made one out of this scrubby type yarn. Good lather, but a little scratchy. *sigh* So, I'm still trying to figure out how to make these work for us.</div>
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I also wanted to make a blanket. So, I found this <a href="http://www.freepatterns.com/detail.html?code=FC01677&cat_id=298" target="_blank">pattern</a> and decided to give it a go. I chose to do it in variegated yarn though, instead of switching colors. I believe I will never make anything that has squares that need to be put together ever again. This has turned into such a mess. Right now I'm still sewing all these squares together and none of them are the same size. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDPeu-0Wgb5gjGia916YYzQN52YvpvSIa3X72AAvAYTPtLIltgH6HggrwjOndtK5nylbBPtzn1XG6PCLxeeu-ICUBn1EtUUWdM0JlrNKhe88hfAiGCgDDbUfzKxbta67Gn3KoxqV1wdJD/s1600/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDPeu-0Wgb5gjGia916YYzQN52YvpvSIa3X72AAvAYTPtLIltgH6HggrwjOndtK5nylbBPtzn1XG6PCLxeeu-ICUBn1EtUUWdM0JlrNKhe88hfAiGCgDDbUfzKxbta67Gn3KoxqV1wdJD/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So to cure some frustration I decided to try a <a href="http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW2256.pdf" target="_blank">Christmas hat</a>! Yep, I sure did. And it came out pretty good. Not perfect - but good. I made it green because that is Zach's preferred color. Now I've also stared a red one for Erik. I hope I can get it done by Christmas!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCLRKs9IT1xm2IhH8X4cXfPJGANdbf5QpRxcRivBj-Rlz1ubxf_EQXpandE_7tOfcAJ3EALZvQCa1ELj2Xz4uxK4wXWzMeXZKKqfN6fCfKYewW0cxZnQCVu0edX63b-LcOOuNxsrXbjl3/s1600/IMG_1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCLRKs9IT1xm2IhH8X4cXfPJGANdbf5QpRxcRivBj-Rlz1ubxf_EQXpandE_7tOfcAJ3EALZvQCa1ELj2Xz4uxK4wXWzMeXZKKqfN6fCfKYewW0cxZnQCVu0edX63b-LcOOuNxsrXbjl3/s320/IMG_1557.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I also cured a little bit of frustration by making some not really square granny squares. They say these are easy but mine always end up wonky and weird. Erik and I are using them as coasters, after all, I did only make two!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOOJusyI6cDTr071M-Cn78MphHlZJQ53cQUM9ZqOg3yljKIxHbuxDP0QnC8E8u4_i2zNxXNtWHvcha5cLRrfacJATzG7JRrIl4itjUmAg8BN_KVBtZV0PZRvSXD8_E9-OOyC75IA2UuzX/s1600/IMG_1574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOOJusyI6cDTr071M-Cn78MphHlZJQ53cQUM9ZqOg3yljKIxHbuxDP0QnC8E8u4_i2zNxXNtWHvcha5cLRrfacJATzG7JRrIl4itjUmAg8BN_KVBtZV0PZRvSXD8_E9-OOyC75IA2UuzX/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This picture is sideways.<br />Yeah, I don't know how to fix that.</td></tr>
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And because I'm a glutton for making non square squares, I also tried a dishcloth. I cannot for the life of me remember where I got this pattern from, so I apologize for not linking it. </div>
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So there you go - what I've been doing the last few months!! Stay tuned to see what else I can confuse myself with!!</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until next time, een fijne dag verder! </span></h2>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-52807317774687207842016-08-24T14:19:00.000-04:002016-08-24T14:19:28.711-04:00Too LongWell good day to everyone!<br />
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It's been a helluva long time since I've posted anything. Unless you count the post that I was testing from my phone. I'm not, but should - then I wouldn't seem like such a slacker girl.<br />
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Thought I'd give you all quick update. Wedding - awesome! Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Zion National Park - incredible! Seeing my family again - absolutely fabulous!!<br />
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So I do have pictures, but don't have a ton of time right this minute to post them (all). That's because soon I'll be leaving to go pick up the Z-Man. Yes, he decided to go to brick and mortar high school this year, so now I'm the chauffeur - especially since I had him put in a school that we aren't zoned for. He's only been attending for a little over a week, and so far seems to like it. I'm not liking the mornings!! I will never be a morning person. You can make me get up and function, but I will never like it. Anyway, he's a big Sophomore this year. *sigh* Time goes too fast.<br />
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We are in the process of doing some house rearranging. 10 years is a long time to live in one place - seriously - so it's time to shake things up a little bit. Besides, Zach really only has a few years left, so I thought moving stuff around now would make it seem less like we were taking over his space as soon as he moves out! =)<br />
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So for now, that's a quick and dirty from SC.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-12490737856559141162016-08-24T13:20:00.000-04:002016-08-24T13:21:09.125-04:00TestingI'm just testing doing blogger while mobile. You may or may not ever see this message again! :)
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<br>Sent from my iPhoneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-85509288338572168032016-05-02T15:53:00.001-04:002016-05-02T15:54:31.653-04:00It's May!!May 2016. Big month around here. My niece is getting married! Yay! I'm so happy for her. This means I get to see my family again, for a good reason instead of a crappy one. Also, we have three family members graduating from high school this month. Crazy that these kids grow up so damn fast.<br />
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The last time we were all together was July 2006, for my sisters funeral. I got to see my sister in June 2012 in Michigan, when our dad passed. I do have one niece that I saw not only in June of 2012, but also last year in May. That visit was a few hours long and I finally got to meet all three of her kids and hubby. So, now we get to all get together and celebrate something awesome. I can't wait! Bonus happy - hubby is giving her away. He is immensely honored that she asked him to do the honors.<br />
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After the wedding and a side trip to the Grand Canyon, Zach has to do his end of course testing for school. We are almost done with his first full year of South Carolina Connections Academy. He's enjoyed it, and while at times it's been stressful and confusing (there is definitely a learning curve!), overall it's been a good experience. However, Mr. Little Man has asked to go to "regular" high school starting next year. I'm torn on this for sure - the school system in our our town is subpar, but I can't deny him the "high school experience" he's searching for. Honestly, I hated high school. Hubby didn't, so it could be a toss up for the boy. I made him a deal that he has to commit for the full year (like we did with Connections). So, we'll see how all that plays out.<br />
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In March, Erik and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. We got married in Salt Lake City, which is where we're going to be for nieces wedding. Kind of like returning to the scene of the crime!!<br />
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So, here are a couple pictures for you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKWA_ICFilOwzOfuBCqLNZpyEnGECqD6sBIbWh-jcezkunMSj4AOnu4YoS8klF9xdZ-12LDyZfGQXpNf3SBUoeBdSfBYPQ6eAlfrn1cOzHUNFH6riw4yUhR5MM640IOxjZNLF5Rndtu96/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKWA_ICFilOwzOfuBCqLNZpyEnGECqD6sBIbWh-jcezkunMSj4AOnu4YoS8klF9xdZ-12LDyZfGQXpNf3SBUoeBdSfBYPQ6eAlfrn1cOzHUNFH6riw4yUhR5MM640IOxjZNLF5Rndtu96/s320/IMG_0962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my bestest! First time we've seen in other in 10 years.<br />
Yes, that's apparently a theme.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqe7rN64HXk1uHxa4kvMKTfK456efm1iHYSb1E4vbl-1Xf8JJDuQDkdIm7eiDzllTBeUtbAqfkLOZ9JQXuVdUFP7XlwF3AStb5lukC0jy5A6s6uDrg5lmcvcTZPZhEh7JcWkzTr_CV0a8/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqe7rN64HXk1uHxa4kvMKTfK456efm1iHYSb1E4vbl-1Xf8JJDuQDkdIm7eiDzllTBeUtbAqfkLOZ9JQXuVdUFP7XlwF3AStb5lukC0jy5A6s6uDrg5lmcvcTZPZhEh7JcWkzTr_CV0a8/s320/IMG_0951.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday bowling.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-1559286579856343472016-04-28T18:48:00.000-04:002016-04-28T18:48:55.273-04:00DIY's Gone WrongMost of my DIY's are homemade cleaners. I'm not crafty or creative, but I like trying to find better (less expensive) ways to clean without throwing a bunch of chemicals in my septic system.<br />
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Believe me, I've had more than my fair share of 'terrific' homemade cleaners that for whatever reason I didn't like, or didn't work the way I would have wanted (or imagined). It's frustrating because not only did I spend time doing it, I also spent money on the ingredients. We don't have a bunch of money thrown on our bed that we roll around in every night. Know what I'm saying? <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fail #1 - Homemade Powder Laundry Soap</b></span><br />
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I went with powder for two reasons - #1 I don't have a place to store a 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap and #2 I didn't want to mess with cooking anything. This seemed to work, but in the end our clothes always smelled not quite clean. So I have a very large amount of this borax, washing soda, and some kind of laundry soap bar still hanging around the house. So, today, I threw some in the toilet. It worked. Maybe I could dissolve it and throw it in an old shampoo bottle or something so I can squirt it instead of using the powder that won't stick to the sides. Something to put on the back burner for now. I think I'll use it for this purpose though. I mean why buy more crap if it works?<br />
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Since I made this I found a smaller recipe for liquid soap that I've made and like. I make my own soap bars and the cooking part doesn't bother me. Kind of fun.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fail #2 - Dishwasher Tabs</b></span><br />
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The first fail was they didn't stay in tablet form. The second was they really didn't work in my situation. We do have hard water here, so that may be the problem. But once again, now I have a lot of powdery ingredients taking up precious space. I repurposed a parmesan cheese shaker and am using it like Comet. I used it in my kitchen sink the other night and it works well enough for me to use the remainder as scouring powder.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fail #3 - Shampoo Bars</b></span><br />
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You can read all about my shampoo bar fail <a href="http://www.lifeonplanetcaddick.com/2015/10/shampoo-bars.html" target="_blank">here</a>. There isn't much recovery needed from this fail though. I still have awesome smelling bars of soap that I can use. Since I made these at 8% superfat, and they are loaded with tea tree oil they will become the bar of soap that sits on my kitchen sink. A loss for my hair equals a win for my hands!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fail #4 - Sweetened Condensed Milk & Homemade Creamer</b></span><br />
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A two for the price of one fail! I stepped into the world of trying to make homemade sweetened condensed milk, and then homemade creamer (of my own design). You can read about my process <a href="http://lifeonplanetcaddick.blogspot.com/2015/10/homemade-sweetened-condensed-dark.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Sadly, when something like this goes wrong it's a total loss. Down the drain & in the garbage it goes. It will not stop me from attempting this again though!<br />
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So, what do you do with your DIY/homemade fails? Does that stop you from trying again?<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-91825159017205925262015-10-10T14:30:00.000-04:002015-10-10T14:30:00.302-04:00Homemade Sweetened Condensed Dark Chocolate MilkI like making my own coffee creamer. I get most of the recipes from <a href="http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/homemade-coffee-creamer-over-20-flavor-varieties/" target="_blank">Mrs Happy Homemaker</a> and so far the only one I've been disappointed in is the chocolate one. It's just not chocolatey enough for me. The one thing all these recipes call for is a can of sweetened condensed milk. That I don't usually keep on hand. So when the mood strikes me to make say Almond Joy creamer I can't. Because if I run to the store for sweetened condensed milk, I'm just going to pick up the Almond Joy creamer. You know what I'm saying here?<br />
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So making sweetened condensed milk seemed like a good idea - time intensive, but mostly down time. Just stirring and watching. So I searched for a recipe that uses almond milk. We've recently switched to almond milk, we like it better. Of course there's one out there and I found it <a href="http://www.foodiefiasco.com/homemade-healthy-sweetened-condensed-milk/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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But I like chocolate. And hello...remember - not chocolatey enough? So why can't I make chocolate sweetened condensed milk? Why not? Hey, I'm willing to try anything once (or twice if I think it's just a minor tweak). So using these ingredients:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-xeNPnziscqVIkxg4BbXzaJxrumRsXImWI-0KGD4e8Y3RyldBH1G6rFFYBWZ793EzLlD4rd9vycKkwdV3zoien_KwPerho7MXxUbX8osEQRkGOZ7SKFjR6a-Ma5IKgnLTkuELge0qYbO/s1600/IMG_0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-xeNPnziscqVIkxg4BbXzaJxrumRsXImWI-0KGD4e8Y3RyldBH1G6rFFYBWZ793EzLlD4rd9vycKkwdV3zoien_KwPerho7MXxUbX8osEQRkGOZ7SKFjR6a-Ma5IKgnLTkuELge0qYbO/s320/IMG_0693.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I tried my hand at making some dark chocolate sweetened condensed milk. I changed the sugar quantity from the original recipe to 1/2 cup and subbed 1/4 cup of the dark chocolate chips for rest.<br />
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After I got it all heated up it looked like this:<br />
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And, by the way, smelled really good. Even the Z_man said it smelled good and he doesn't like chocolate. Or milk. How this child is mine, I'll never know. But I digress.<br />
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I was über cautious with the whole cooking thing. Maybe too cautious, but I have an electric stove and those things don't reduce heat very quickly. But I did cook it down to about half. But it never thickened up like I thought it would.<br />
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So, working on the premise of "sauce will thicken as it stands" I left it in the measuring cup for a while. I mean, I had to get to room temperature anyway - might as well see if it helps the cause. I had to whisk it about every 10 minutes or so because the chocolate wanted to separate.<br />
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It never did thicken but I plunged ahead anyway. I added 3 tbsp of dark chocolate syrup and some vanilla and started shaking away trying to get everything mixed together.<br />
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It did go together fine and the next morning I tried it out. Gross. It had a weird aftertaste, which could have come from using the almond milk, or reducing the amount of sugar. Who knows? Maybe there was too much chocolate (I'm pretty sure this isn't a thing though!). Ahh well, live and learn.<br />
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I have used recipes on the site before and they were winners. They also used canned sweetened condensed milk, so honestly, this is where I'm pretty sure I went wrong. I'm willing to give it another shot though. I think I will just buy a small amount of regular milk and forgo the almond milk the next go round though.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-65559032625962534392015-10-08T13:43:00.001-04:002015-10-08T13:43:56.422-04:00Shampoo BarsI think we all know about my love of making soap. So I figured why not try my hand at shampoo bars? If it didn't work out, I can always use them as regular soap so I'm not losing anything by trying.<br />
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I followed recipe #2 found at <a href="http://www.skinandsoulcompany.com/shampoo_bar_recipes.html" target="_blank">Skin + Soul</a>. I picked this one simply because I already had all the necessary ingredients. That's some deep research there. =) Once the bars were cured (almost) long enough to use I embarked on my experiment.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Week One:</span><br />
I started out following 'standard' hair detox rules. Don't wash every day, use a mixture of ACV (apple cider vinegar) and (distilled) water to rinse. This mixture started off as a 50/50. But people, I live in the south - and it's humid here. Yes, even in September. And I sweat. A lot. So, whenever I'd start to sweat all I could smell was vinegar. Not pleasant. So I added more water to this and diluted it down to about a ratio of 1 to 4.<br />
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And I continued. My hair looked crappy every other day. Folks, I'm growing out a Ginnifer Goodwin pixie cut. I can't cover up my bad hair days. By the end of week one my hair felt weird - a little gummy? Not sure how to explain it - but not right. Determined to give it a fair shot I moved into week two.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Week Two:</span><br />
I decided to try something new. No ACV rinse after I shampoo. But, when I reached mid week my hair felt like straw. So on a no wash day, I did the rinse. Honestly, I still can't stand the smell. There has got to be another solution for that.<br />
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My hair looks and feels dry as the Mojave. So I've begun to investigate other natural shampoos. I've seen a beer recipe and a honey recipe. I'm willing to give either of those a shot at this point. I also still have some regular shampoo and conditioner and honestly, they are looking mighty fine right about now!<br />
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I will keep plugging away though. One more week and I might cave or I might see if there's something else I can try.<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Week Three:</span><br />
Stick a fork in me. I caved and used my regular shampoo and conditioner. To be able to actually run a comb through my hair again was divine! But now, my hair is falling out again. This didn't happen with the bar. So, I'm thinking I might find a more conditioning recipe and give it another shot. With a rose water rinse though. I definitely cannot handle the ACV rinse!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">What I learned:</span><br />
I love trying new and different things. I had a blast making the shampoo bars and even seeing how my hair reacted. I'm pretty sure there is a solution for me out there. I'm probably going to wait until my hair is long enough to put up before I try again though. I really need a way to cover the bad days and transition period.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-58581556929833598912015-09-09T12:29:00.000-04:002015-09-09T12:29:37.034-04:00Southern 500I attended my first NASCAR race this past weekend. The Southern 500 at Darlington. Y'all it was a blast!<br />
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I've had trouble finding a driver to throw my support behind in the NASCAR world - Mark Martin retired, Marcus Ambrose went back home, which left me with no driver. So, looking for someone without some form of Mark in their name, and from the USA I decided on Kyle Larson. I decided he was young enough to stick around for a while and I didn't feel like I was jumping on anyones band wagon.<br />
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This is what his car looked like at this throw back weekend.<br />
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Sorry, every picture was taken on my phone with a sun glare - so yeah, they could have been better. =)<br />
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Here's a couple of my boys<br />
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And our seats - right at the start finish line<br />
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Guys, this was blast. Definitely something I want to do again. But, as always, there are lessons to be learned.<br />
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1. They let you bring in a cooler, and you should. Water is $4 a bottle. Gag. Also snacks can go in this cooler. Fries - also $4 for a little cup.<br />
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2. Kyle Busch fans act exactly like Kyle Busch. They are pretty much a-holes and self centered. I'm making a shirt next time with Kyle Busch's face on it with a big red X through his face. These people are jerks. Great fan base you've got there 'Rowdy'.<br />
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3. People hate Jimmie Johnson. Really. Hate. Him. My husband is a Jimmie Johnson fan (ok Chad Knaus, really), and he's a good guy. I don't know JJ personally, but he seems like a pretty decent guy. So I'm not sure why all the hate. Except maybe losers hate winners.<br />
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4. Darlington is a cell phone dead spot. At least for my phone. I tried to live tweet the antics of a Kevin Harvick fan who was sitting in front me. It was going to be funny because it started with him eating hummus. I don't have anything against hummus (or Kevin Harvick) but lets face it - not exactly track food. But he was smart enough to bring his own snacks, so good on him.<br />
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5. The crowd really does lose it when the introduce Dale Earnhardt Jr. Seriously. All they said was "driving the Valvoline" and the crowd goes nuts. You better know who the heck they're talking about if you're not a Jr. fan.<br />
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6. You will leave covered in I don't know what. Grit of some sort. Tire grit?<br />
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If you're a NASCAR fan I highly recommend hitting up a race near you. Just cross your fingers that you're not sitting near any Kyle Busch fans.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-53287680185540162752015-08-14T13:34:00.001-04:002015-08-14T13:34:27.905-04:00Summer Round UpMonday my baby will officially be in high school. I'll officially have no control over his lessons. He's excited. I'm losing my mind. I'll definitely keep everyone updated but for now I'm going to overload you with pictures of what we've been doing to enjoy the last of our summer.<br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">May</span></div>
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Shortly after our return from the World of Disney one of my nieces and her family arrived in FL. She must really love her old auntie and uncle. This is the first time I've seen her since 2006 and the first time I've met her hubby and kids. Only a year until the next visit though - we will all be getting together for a wedding! =)</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">June</span></div>
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June found us back in Myrtle Beach for the SC firefighters conference. Of course Erik had to work Friday night so Zach and I spent some time at the aquarium and then wandered around and hung out until Erik was done. It was a long day, but incredibly fun. </div>
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And any trip to Myrtle would not be complete without a round of putt-putt! This time Erik got to join us! My dad was looking out for me that day because I actually won! Thanks for the helping hand Daddy!<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-large;">July</span></div>
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July is celebration month around this place. Independence Day, my birthday, Erik's birthday. We really did the fireworks up right this year!</div>
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My honey bought me a cake and finally broke down and realized I'm a princess. Yep - he hooked me up with a tiara! My girls hooked me up with some awesome presents too. Red velvet cake and coffee stuff! They know me too well.....</div>
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I got Erik tickets to Darlington - we have to wait until September to enjoy those though. I did wish him a happy birthday in his native tongue though.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">August</span></div>
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Well August isn't quite over yet. We started with a going away party for one of my girls. The Air Force is moving them to Italy. They leave Monday. Right now they're homeless and hunkering down with us. She has a little tiny dog - who I've become very attached to in last few weeks. =) I'll probably let them take her with them. I'm glad they get to start a new adventure, but sad because I choose my friends carefully - and she's 1/4 of our little group. =( </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She really hates this picture but I don't care!<br />It's my blog!! </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-43231995834572662632015-07-06T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-06T08:00:12.685-04:00High School is ComingHard to believe that this looker is starting high school in August.<br />
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Yep, no longer my little baby boy - now he's all growing up and stuff. Any ideas on how to stop that? Anyone? Well, if you think of something let me know!<br />
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Now, when he started talking about getting a high school experience I freaked. Then I thought, well, ok. Let's learn about the school he would go to. During the weeks of my sleuthing I learned 1. His high school is the worst in the district for passing those tests I don't agree with. 2. Gang violence is very common (three lockdowns in the two weeks I was investigating - one involved a gun). 3. Both the parents and students seem to be ok with these situations. All of these factors made the whole idea seem stupid. But...<br />
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Let's face it, I was already struggling with his math (and it's pre algebra), so I also knew something was going to have to change this year. So he's getting his experience without the gangs, guns, and apathy. In August Zach will be attending Connections Academy. This is an online public school option here. He's completely enrolled and is excited about being around other kids (even in the virtual world). They have a couple clubs he's very interested in joining too.<br />
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Deciding things is hard. Especially when you've been making all the education decisions. I hope we are doing the right thing. I told him he had to finish the whole year before he decides if it's not for him. We shall see.....<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-70711014700168723142015-07-01T01:22:00.001-04:002015-07-01T01:22:36.473-04:00DisneyWorld<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMu3z8GuVkbztPdxD7Ju9tsrtikD6gzmJAmLSv0D2sHGpZSHfrUyGzYAWsy1ygu5ARszJ0MPw32XtLf5b1-CrFrK7Hs-Cx3Oylo6UNUcSBrXU95mTUCT0LfcSfzfApp_x_z-HlqZCA8Ni/s1600/PhotoPass_Visiting_Magic_Kingdom_Park_7322635817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMu3z8GuVkbztPdxD7Ju9tsrtikD6gzmJAmLSv0D2sHGpZSHfrUyGzYAWsy1ygu5ARszJ0MPw32XtLf5b1-CrFrK7Hs-Cx3Oylo6UNUcSBrXU95mTUCT0LfcSfzfApp_x_z-HlqZCA8Ni/s320/PhotoPass_Visiting_Magic_Kingdom_Park_7322635817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's been a long time since we've visited the main mouse at his Florida home. About three years. Last time we went Zach was shorter than me, he wasn't a teenager, and it was much cooler! This time we made the trip in May instead of February. Big difference. While I really enjoyed the one day we spent at Blizzard Beach I don't know if it was worth roasting the rest of the days.<br />
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This time we got to stay at Bay Lake Towers. People, it's right across the street from the Magic Kingdom! We asked for theme park view and enjoyed the fireworks every single night sans crowds and screaming kids. Awesome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUplsLatpnD185jYNkq6rz0lIDrVOQnnQbJlMQCheq3b11MniciTnpkC_7iFJT8nxWRm3GXjjt2m6JZvaJEtJeH7WMlrWrDtP9xO3cDB79u3UFO5Pj0-8IwYKr1iQ8IzuwqhrjnnFrCjZE/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUplsLatpnD185jYNkq6rz0lIDrVOQnnQbJlMQCheq3b11MniciTnpkC_7iFJT8nxWRm3GXjjt2m6JZvaJEtJeH7WMlrWrDtP9xO3cDB79u3UFO5Pj0-8IwYKr1iQ8IzuwqhrjnnFrCjZE/s320/IMG_0310.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our balcony. </td></tr>
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We were also there during the Epcot flower and garden show. This year I got to see so many cool topiaries. Some of my favorite characters in bush form. Yep, you can't beat that!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JQym60ozFYo5cVYO7_hvWYppSHcmNpsI8hShR-yPiT_X23c1BVbtsQByIgvNQ7jXZKKIUigxY_xqTgM26Q8Ghc_nPuF8RH_f5KrsIuCsXpZwYE4AzLI9cGNSMveNA7NqNB_ceR9xUzDw/s1600/IMG_0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JQym60ozFYo5cVYO7_hvWYppSHcmNpsI8hShR-yPiT_X23c1BVbtsQByIgvNQ7jXZKKIUigxY_xqTgM26Q8Ghc_nPuF8RH_f5KrsIuCsXpZwYE4AzLI9cGNSMveNA7NqNB_ceR9xUzDw/s320/IMG_0335.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phineas & Ferb topiaries!</td></tr>
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The new Fantasyland was open. And I made the boys ride the Ariel ride. She's so my girl, I had to! I didn't get my nails painted this Ariel color to NOT go on the ride!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkbF-cm3TRCEPL4TQf9QoYgOyTjcaqaMBIHfJcEAN5G2wjnbrnln0SX5uaVPw7eB1sM22s8RRBJ1VUaXojDGb4iNKyOMC_rxQQoCzNEd1siVZR24hRh8kIu3nWKrWd6ruum541dvdmwNV/s1600/IMG_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkbF-cm3TRCEPL4TQf9QoYgOyTjcaqaMBIHfJcEAN5G2wjnbrnln0SX5uaVPw7eB1sM22s8RRBJ1VUaXojDGb4iNKyOMC_rxQQoCzNEd1siVZR24hRh8kIu3nWKrWd6ruum541dvdmwNV/s320/IMG_0300.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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We had a great time and I took way to many pictures to post here. I suppose I could, but between the photo pass and what I took on my phone, there are tons! So, I'll share some of my favorites from the Photo Pass group.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUY1k2T5eYBuLcXFS8Ndg6FrJm8PZOJiSim1hlHJWPDUFv2_lZ2azJNU2wdQhuNoUjLW22hCvJYjYJtULM16Ld_h_wNpv6EXJTdJ3ZmiG9Rpcj45jEXwYWI7B9aEZR7kOb3GJlbi7v_Ee4/s1600/MK_ENTR_7305820696.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUY1k2T5eYBuLcXFS8Ndg6FrJm8PZOJiSim1hlHJWPDUFv2_lZ2azJNU2wdQhuNoUjLW22hCvJYjYJtULM16Ld_h_wNpv6EXJTdJ3ZmiG9Rpcj45jEXwYWI7B9aEZR7kOb3GJlbi7v_Ee4/s320/MK_ENTR_7305820696.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the entrance</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJeCJyoxy3vtp6t8DtpXT2ESGeeTjdKQL66U_zN_plW-Qd3_gQIqtqYTMZG38IFEO6-ecPOsLYDpufZxsyqc-DYUD8YaqudUAbVF59L_SWrW8VZe7swsQzoquGrjnSFQ2or5T_W-Q96Ca/s1600/MK_HAUNTEDMANSIONEXIT_7305629056.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJeCJyoxy3vtp6t8DtpXT2ESGeeTjdKQL66U_zN_plW-Qd3_gQIqtqYTMZG38IFEO6-ecPOsLYDpufZxsyqc-DYUD8YaqudUAbVF59L_SWrW8VZe7swsQzoquGrjnSFQ2or5T_W-Q96Ca/s320/MK_HAUNTEDMANSIONEXIT_7305629056.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haunted Mansion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxCkyqWtI3A9DRncgsk7K1LwmKMkClnR4rnKAY7LRmzhUEZK1IXOJkg9x_AjWCpnvReGttfANNSbHfzgbWljfP5Rd8hyBw7IB2nZoEX24xqplCPgiRqIwrW0PQKd6spDmu30QWktSXWUx/s1600/MK_MINETRAIN_7305560891.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxCkyqWtI3A9DRncgsk7K1LwmKMkClnR4rnKAY7LRmzhUEZK1IXOJkg9x_AjWCpnvReGttfANNSbHfzgbWljfP5Rd8hyBw7IB2nZoEX24xqplCPgiRqIwrW0PQKd6spDmu30QWktSXWUx/s320/MK_MINETRAIN_7305560891.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 Dwarfs Mine Cart - AWESOME!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqxsckXxD0zXxxJpKGvPzqSxOhiCl3Y3sUiV5ojeWnvpeNsvEdj0JNjMeEfsSLwUgo_65_gOiNSctMcRU66EbGkmih5h5aM2Tz5iwi0gjLVUtu67dAt65vdNXGdfWVHP7xGWaVUPKgOu4/s1600/MK_PLAZAGARDENWESTLAWN_7305132552.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqxsckXxD0zXxxJpKGvPzqSxOhiCl3Y3sUiV5ojeWnvpeNsvEdj0JNjMeEfsSLwUgo_65_gOiNSctMcRU66EbGkmih5h5aM2Tz5iwi0gjLVUtu67dAt65vdNXGdfWVHP7xGWaVUPKgOu4/s320/MK_PLAZAGARDENWESTLAWN_7305132552.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEPCTEnkFPhTkASRiZL8PPf9qAH7GTQEx6V2UAuiKut4RcnzlClBTPSHNPg35tRRMSu_joY5oq_-u1vXPL0r0bYZgoQokrr0LPb9Bs-yCHHu3SGXwgnykL90e1O9B1cGCL2N5Cd8t4uTa/s1600/MK_SPLASH_7306129742.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEPCTEnkFPhTkASRiZL8PPf9qAH7GTQEx6V2UAuiKut4RcnzlClBTPSHNPg35tRRMSu_joY5oq_-u1vXPL0r0bYZgoQokrr0LPb9Bs-yCHHu3SGXwgnykL90e1O9B1cGCL2N5Cd8t4uTa/s320/MK_SPLASH_7306129742.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zach's favorite - Splash Mountain</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0oZNqHjjzwFWQUOWGQI6z2lmZUxNRofm4AT-iTP2oBgPDnvZilF_zOCzQeCWkHRAQN_DUoVpn1VgDKwJUh5WcM5Hjlf8YeX_Gp2NV2rzX8fxcqC3Ya11N9bDXQCrRrilAOB4kJ1FCaPV/s1600/EPCOT_ECENTR3_7306545954.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0oZNqHjjzwFWQUOWGQI6z2lmZUxNRofm4AT-iTP2oBgPDnvZilF_zOCzQeCWkHRAQN_DUoVpn1VgDKwJUh5WcM5Hjlf8YeX_Gp2NV2rzX8fxcqC3Ya11N9bDXQCrRrilAOB4kJ1FCaPV/s320/EPCOT_ECENTR3_7306545954.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epcot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjb1jLc__iesl5B69xJr-Jl2qRAaf1ino3TPRvOgKbtG6s0NhY_RpmcfOPvD-bb6UJhxm0tJZqZO-SfDDI2T3xbdEcFIBiHsr3Xk00cPBmE0BPDwaerMMTV6bm6SoZMQfldVucoc7trNP/s1600/EPCOT_ECENTR4_7307249340.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjb1jLc__iesl5B69xJr-Jl2qRAaf1ino3TPRvOgKbtG6s0NhY_RpmcfOPvD-bb6UJhxm0tJZqZO-SfDDI2T3xbdEcFIBiHsr3Xk00cPBmE0BPDwaerMMTV6bm6SoZMQfldVucoc7trNP/s320/EPCOT_ECENTR4_7307249340.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epcot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgWP2BliqaLdXw65hc_999ukiePkIgaTUZvF9fa52ZDuAyldkpzziOVYObLNFupqkIIvG9w5CggkQ99bO9ALSPeuWfWiJVHG5vP5ZCM0OXwLtoas2UstKJbkppZGMCngWFnhLvjCamzsq/s1600/EPCOT_WRLDSHW1_7307032634.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSgWP2BliqaLdXw65hc_999ukiePkIgaTUZvF9fa52ZDuAyldkpzziOVYObLNFupqkIIvG9w5CggkQ99bO9ALSPeuWfWiJVHG5vP5ZCM0OXwLtoas2UstKJbkppZGMCngWFnhLvjCamzsq/s320/EPCOT_WRLDSHW1_7307032634.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epcot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1i_muB867UeEQTBiJAC2QxE8cMVwzdC2U5lreA4HMB_AfNuElGaeK1R4OTvdcLvGmgsN31wnt36EKi1jYYKOr56PtfQz_JGbYHFMothrr4mvq7crHwnKzjxBHXTHX2rRnlhekwVpl_p8/s1600/AK_BRDGTOP_7309075038.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1i_muB867UeEQTBiJAC2QxE8cMVwzdC2U5lreA4HMB_AfNuElGaeK1R4OTvdcLvGmgsN31wnt36EKi1jYYKOr56PtfQz_JGbYHFMothrr4mvq7crHwnKzjxBHXTHX2rRnlhekwVpl_p8/s320/AK_BRDGTOP_7309075038.jpeg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal Kingdom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwApDBU6Ii8OJN5tLQWo_NWRB6A5RP0CYItboU0htbM2gNBsKF8vuqf1on3-1YXGidaBPjTT93V3HF9feEWIAy21DkLFlWcCp7O1UBBTXiZXKwZbMl4zT5-KEDy8ghINEnpPGVtBUh3Ru/s1600/AK_BRDGTOP_7309075040.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwApDBU6Ii8OJN5tLQWo_NWRB6A5RP0CYItboU0htbM2gNBsKF8vuqf1on3-1YXGidaBPjTT93V3HF9feEWIAy21DkLFlWcCp7O1UBBTXiZXKwZbMl4zT5-KEDy8ghINEnpPGVtBUh3Ru/s320/AK_BRDGTOP_7309075040.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal Kingdom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzp8C5KoBNtTfRKgfGq74uQ9CwRCV76EGtisRbKDgddjIttQUa8Kyipbg_SvEQxMh-zawLTxOJj1I0HTTjKOz2uKkpqxHqtvH-nMaMb9cOw45bIB3F6CuH0oqDS6fH6o-X94hKjQka_YL/s1600/STUDIO_STDENTR2_7310076681.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzp8C5KoBNtTfRKgfGq74uQ9CwRCV76EGtisRbKDgddjIttQUa8Kyipbg_SvEQxMh-zawLTxOJj1I0HTTjKOz2uKkpqxHqtvH-nMaMb9cOw45bIB3F6CuH0oqDS6fH6o-X94hKjQka_YL/s320/STUDIO_STDENTR2_7310076681.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollywood Studios</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower of Terror - in the back row on the left!</td></tr>
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As usual, we had a great time. Next time, we go when it's much cooler though!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-2968361292038201882015-07-01T00:32:00.000-04:002015-07-01T00:32:06.834-04:00Deluge coming!I've been so bad about blogging, and there has been so much going on lately. Not just here on our planet, but everywhere.<br />
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So, I'm working on many blog posts. Family trips, school plans, how I feel about national news (which I usually stay away from), and pretty much randomness. Random is what I do best, so why mess with a good thing? =)<br />
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Because I have so much writing to do I will leave you now. But I will give you some random pictures to hold you over until I'm back with all the goodies! These are all from either Monday Mugging or Thank Coffee it's Friday (TCIF) which I try to participate in every week. I'm running out of mugs though (wink wink)!<br />
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This one happens to be hubby's!</div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-20150995448828863842015-04-01T14:00:00.000-04:002015-04-01T14:00:55.261-04:00Green Tea Soap<div style="text-align: left;">
So, I ventured back into the kitchen to make some more soap. I'm sharing because I want to remember exactly what I did - yay for all of you!</div>
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First of all, I don't make pretty soap. That's because I hot process in an old crock pot. It's kind of hard to make swirls and fancy things when the soap usually ends up gloppy. I've tried, I've failed, I've decided it's not worth it. Since I make soap just for us, it doesn't have to look good - it just has to work good. =)<br />
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I like to use things other than just plain distilled water when I make my lye solution. I've made soap using coffee, and pumpkin ale. I don't know why I like using different liquids as bases, but it makes it fun for me (plus I get to say I made Spiced Pumpkin Ale Soap - sounds fancy!). This time I brewed some mixed berry green tea.<br />
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Also, I made up a new recipe because I was running low on some oil. I never use fancy expensive oil because I like to be able to just grab more when I run to the store. I think the "fanciest" oil in this line up is the castor oil. And yes, I used lard. This particular recipe is not for the vegans.<br />
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To go with my mixed berry green tea I chose <a href="http://www.brambleberry.com/Summer-Fling-Fragrance-Oil-P3940.aspx" target="_blank">Summer Fling</a> fragrance oil from <a href="http://www.brambleberry.com/" target="_blank">Brambleberry</a>. This is my soap, so yeah, I went with a scent I consider a little 'girly'.<br />
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Before mixing my lye into the tea I added two teaspoons (since I was making two pounds of soap) into the tea. I've read various discussions online that this will help make hot process soap less gloppy.<br />
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I also tend to have a problem with over cooking my soap so I watched it very carefully this time. I spun my crock (since it cooks unevenly) and stirred it down at 30 minutes.<br />
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At 45 minutes I checked it again and did the tongue 'zap' test. It was done and looked like this.<br />
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Some more stirring, cooling it down below the flashpoint of the FO I choose. Then threw it in the mold. It was a little more loose than normal - not sure if this was because of the sugar or the not over cooking. Probably will have to make sure I watch it closer from now on either way.<br />
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When I say it was smoother, it still can't be poured, like cold process soap. There will still be no fancy swirls in my soap - but it was much easier to spread, level, and tamp than usual. I will probably stick with using the sugar.<br />
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I've had to learn to not mess with it once it's in the mold. This is so hard for me because I want to pull it out and mess with it right away. I set an alarm on my phone to wait 24 hours to un-mold. Patience is not my strong suit - this is why I make hot process soap folks!<br />
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It came out of the mold still sticky. Now I have to set my alarm again - 24 more hours and I'll cut it. I've learned to wait the extra 24 hours because it makes the loaf a little bit harder and (to me) easier to cut. It probably would harden up quicker if I cut it right away. I usually have a couple weeks of lead time before I run out of soap, so I force myself to wait.<br />
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No fancy soap cutter here. Nope - I just use this cutting board with 1" markings and do my best to cut each slice at the 1" mark.<br />
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As you can see, I don't always do the best job - but I get close. Now I'll usually just let them sit out like this until I need a bar - then I put them all away. The longer they sit out the harder they become which means they'll last longer in the shower. But - these can be used right now. As a matter of fact, I could have cut a bar as soon as it came out of the mold and used it. It's real soap.<br />
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Nice a bubbly - no dishwashing soap or anything added to this - just ran some warm water into the crock pot. No, I'll never make fancy swirled soap. No, I'll never own a soap making business. It is, however something I really enjoy doing and as long as my boys enjoy using it, something I'll continue to do.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-40516320525204348572015-03-28T21:47:00.000-04:002015-03-28T21:47:23.589-04:002015 Fly ByNot really a whole year of updates, but at least two months! When did I get so bad at blogging? Who knows. But we did do some stuff in February (I mean stuff where I actually took pictures!).<br />
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First we celebrated the 14th birthday of this guy right here. What? Yep, he used to be this adorable blonde haired blue eyed cuddly cutie pie. He's still pretty awesome, but I don't think that I'm allowed to say he's a cuddly cutie pie anymore. Am I? Teenage boy rules - I don't know them!</div>
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He wanted to go bowling, so we did. On his birthday (a Tuesday), in the middle of the day. Yep, homeschooling really does rock!</div>
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Goofballs, one and all...</div>
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This here is our little homeschool group. The all boys club!</div>
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Then we went to Georgia, where I was able to snap a couple pictures of my niece.</div>
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Apparently I caught her just being a teenage girl - but I don't know those rules either!</div>
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Shhh she's sleeping</div>
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Forward on to March! Well, March has been pretty non exciting. Let's face it - you can't do exciting things every single month. I make no excuses!<br />
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I finally finished my washing machine hunt, deciding on this one</div>
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And then I taught the boy how to use it.</div>
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Because I'm tired of doing all the laundry up in this house! </div>
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Erik and I celebrated 19 years married.</div>
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Yes, 19! He's awesome.</div>
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And finally, my baby sister found this picture and shared it with me. It's a little trip down memory lane of '80's fashion, hair, and goodness knows what else!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-74741314839546459072015-02-02T13:53:00.000-05:002015-02-02T13:53:11.203-05:00February Already?Wow, I can see 2015 is going to zoom by! I hate how much faster time moves as you get older. So, I guess I'll do a January recap for y'all.<br />
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Zach got baptized! </div>
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We had our first non-Caddick</div>
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as a guest for pizza night.</div>
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My almost 14 year old still has</div>
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the smallest feet I've ever seen.</div>
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We started the hunt for a new</div>
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washer. No, I still haven't decided!</div>
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So many choices - way too confusing...</div>
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Had to break out a scarf.</div>
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Bean counting for a science experiment.</div>
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The experiment took less time than</div>
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sorting all the beans!</div>
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I either have to start taking more pictures or we need to more things around here. Happy February y'all!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-87051497867384067252015-01-01T13:53:00.000-05:002015-01-01T13:53:38.034-05:00A New Year<br />
2015 is here. The year itself really isn't important - but it made me think.<br />
<br />
Zach will start high school this year.<br />
I'll be 7 years retired.<br />
9 years in the same place. <i>The.same.place.</i><br />
<br />
2014 was a good year. So here is a little recap.<br />
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We had a little winter weather.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
We went to Myrtle Beach.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_oJ1l-MafSpWs-s4dDPzG54lsfHKRS6TJjt7_d7ylej8WmjvL6XzY912ctN-RUSjp7L3sE2NWyQHu_iKKr93vZ01BW_LUsvwte4KEF8BpUL1ewQTE6aTE5OjNL4fAcLobCGS_097NFiv/s1600/IMG_1149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_oJ1l-MafSpWs-s4dDPzG54lsfHKRS6TJjt7_d7ylej8WmjvL6XzY912ctN-RUSjp7L3sE2NWyQHu_iKKr93vZ01BW_LUsvwte4KEF8BpUL1ewQTE6aTE5OjNL4fAcLobCGS_097NFiv/s1600/IMG_1149.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We went to the zoo.</div>
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Hilton Head!</div>
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Learned to make soap.</div>
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Got to take lots of together pictures.</div>
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Started attending church.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMirywvkj_bjRAdovst7D21eFMkd3TKh1VUnfY_rD0at_ftzqeXUMXyPHEag6ibfcNT6oh38Vtl7OA7APtHMpv8EBvkvDD1mFMaUxiIlI847EkqO0Dm_ebVsfYcyCN6X_iSMfjMd0vxCHc/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMirywvkj_bjRAdovst7D21eFMkd3TKh1VUnfY_rD0at_ftzqeXUMXyPHEag6ibfcNT6oh38Vtl7OA7APtHMpv8EBvkvDD1mFMaUxiIlI847EkqO0Dm_ebVsfYcyCN6X_iSMfjMd0vxCHc/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Crazy shirts were purchased.</div>
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Zach got taller than me.</div>
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We did a lot of goofing off.</div>
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I got baptized.</div>
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We rang in 2015.</div>
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Can't wait to see what this year brings!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-61726390108702646522014-12-02T01:17:00.000-05:002014-12-02T01:17:24.598-05:00{Happy December!}So today I get a call from a credit card company. A phone call they received seemed suspicious and please could I call them. OK, I can do that. But first - online to my account - yipes! Do people really order that much stuff from Grub Hub? Oh, and what is Grub Hub? So I call company X back - and my December starts off beautifully. I wrote a lot during the duration of the calls. Yes, several, because I had to call them back. Below, you'll find all my notes to myself while waiting on hold, being giving the run around, and trying to figure out how someone who seemed suspicious was able to change information. Sadly, I never got answers to those questions. I'm withholding the name of the card company.<br />
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~ XX cards - sucks<br />
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~ A phone call triggered a fraud yet you let someone set up a payment? Greedy much??<br />
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~ "Advisor Assisted" when all other payments show "internet"<br />
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~ Question their security - they get highly emotional. Run around. 2 hours on phone. Suddenly worried about calls dropping. Wish I could reach through the phone.<br />
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~ Frustration...Just answer my questions PLEASE...<br />
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~ New payoff plan. XX FIRST so we can cancel these stupid @ss cards and never have to deal with them again. EVER!!<br />
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~ Note to self - no matter how good the deal seems do not get another XX cc.<br />
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~ Someone is "playing a joke?" REALLY?<br />
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~ How 'bout you take <b><u>some shred</u></b> of responsibility for f*cking it up?<br />
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~ Between security (3X), payment department (2X), and "customer service" (4X) - still no answers. UGH and UGH some more.<br />
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~ <u>I'm</u> <u>so</u> <u>done</u>.<br />
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~ Now I have to pay a $25 stop payment at my bank?? For something I didn't do? More & more <u>UGH</u>!<br />
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Pretty easy to guess my December started out less than stellar. I guess it can only get better from here!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-47461280025522602642014-11-20T00:36:00.000-05:002014-11-20T00:38:03.564-05:00{Laundry Soap}I've tried homemade laundry soap before. The powdered version. Because I wash in cold I had lots of trouble with it working well. I've always wanted to try the liquid version, but I don't have a proper laundry room (read - no space to store 5 gallons of laundry soap) so I've been buying my 'free of scents' brand and thought I was doomed to pay high prices forever.<br />
<br />
Then I found this article on <a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-pure-coconut-oil-soap-for-cleansing-and-laundry/" target="_blank">Mommypotamus</a> and it spoke to my newfound love of soap making. So I held onto this recipe for months, hunting for the perfect sized detergent recipe for a family of three. Finally I found one, so I got to start. I followed this laundry soap (1% superfat) recipe exactly - and my bars came out hard, white, and beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiAFqy4CAPbF7fLbN3lVTAleugMhCCBz0_MvfC_25WlvuOC-NNzSz46bEKQJiHuKBrtsEHTNeDJiYqDc0G5-aT7z5BsDQ-OOgN8ReRVsil0QulfuSJzD0w_At0r77PmH0LrAaDxzn7OJi/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiAFqy4CAPbF7fLbN3lVTAleugMhCCBz0_MvfC_25WlvuOC-NNzSz46bEKQJiHuKBrtsEHTNeDJiYqDc0G5-aT7z5BsDQ-OOgN8ReRVsil0QulfuSJzD0w_At0r77PmH0LrAaDxzn7OJi/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks good enough to eat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first time using my new loaf mold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmiy9zsGnfkPFwxO-W2DfRQtlQWPj9rdYWusYjUTp26HbtT8CdCku6pwvzYUsxgSX31rbkGemed5bFPhTaLscneEYlrq6O2z8jkDP3RgAirhFkthJO5MJhdljS-7pjFSN06rQZNIkMTsq/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmiy9zsGnfkPFwxO-W2DfRQtlQWPj9rdYWusYjUTp26HbtT8CdCku6pwvzYUsxgSX31rbkGemed5bFPhTaLscneEYlrq6O2z8jkDP3RgAirhFkthJO5MJhdljS-7pjFSN06rQZNIkMTsq/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, my cutting skills still need work<br />
but aren't these pretty?</td></tr>
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Then I found <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-make-homemade-liquid-laundry-detergent.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for a smaller batch of liquid laundry soap. I grated up a bar of beautiful white soap (it kind of made me sad)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIY0sPAQvymHWAdex2FUtPimrheYqjoteryHxstD70dVqgBjlfxauCDBZDqh-HnGS4aBlEh9achyphenhyphengLrwtsGCqtbR5Vz09gyWV52XvG0-erAhyw_iUF8S1NQdqFw1ZCyQr0U2Ow43cX_9T/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIY0sPAQvymHWAdex2FUtPimrheYqjoteryHxstD70dVqgBjlfxauCDBZDqh-HnGS4aBlEh9achyphenhyphengLrwtsGCqtbR5Vz09gyWV52XvG0-erAhyw_iUF8S1NQdqFw1ZCyQr0U2Ow43cX_9T/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And tried to follow the directions here as best I could. I was a little short on the liter of water (my pot wasn't quite big enough). But everything seemed to work out fine. I did divert in the fact that I didn't add more water when I put it in the containers. This wasn't a very good idea as now it's really thick. I mean really thick. I guess I can always add water now? But I'm going to try and keep it thick and goopy.<br />
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I've only used it one time so far, and everything seems clean. Smells pretty good (ok, it doesn't smell like anything really - I don't add scent). We'll have to see how I like it later on down the road. Also I didn't use 1/2 cup like the recipe says - I only used about 1/4 cup. Like I said, really thick. And not at all borax-y smelling like my powered stuff.<br />
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I'm hoping I hit on the perfect laundry solution.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/281/9BE88BF2041C458DC4A1E307A0FA397A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-25903733439702472302014-11-20T00:15:00.000-05:002015-01-04T13:14:11.108-05:00{Craft Day (aka 'mom time'}My homeschooling friends are pretty much in the same boat as me. We are all homeschooling boys, and at least one in each house is a teenager. I know we all love our boys very much, but I know we all need time with other moms, to talk about mom things. You've all been there - you get what I'm saying.<br /><br />So, as an ode to my family's love of all things tie-dye, I planned a tie-dye party. Yep, all boys, all thinking "lame" and other assorted things. And dang it, I don't know if they had fun, but the moms had a blast chatting and enjoying one of our last perfect days here in SC.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-7vIMPLehMlgUjJJ5GvlkeG86pYA-FSsd6cJ7wByajohypGzSf-EaYQef_1ym4GBv7wGaEHJ7U_CRj2_YGJBqjZCaGOB2UUYEak63Dd4hhAsgJ_pCdYS11JunKML8NRB6Jay9pJ8vAYS/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-7vIMPLehMlgUjJJ5GvlkeG86pYA-FSsd6cJ7wByajohypGzSf-EaYQef_1ym4GBv7wGaEHJ7U_CRj2_YGJBqjZCaGOB2UUYEak63Dd4hhAsgJ_pCdYS11JunKML8NRB6Jay9pJ8vAYS/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many colors were chosen.<br />Most of the 'girly' colors are left!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZsdZTRuGupGL3k0kwEhlKU-irUrF6m0DkO74lxbVnonMHm6Er5uh3Ots6DQ9nrXmJN0gqYEH_XGFrobufhXpuOAIWf4spiNZ5pHeW8wO7VDXDgA6YFGiMYrdcjq2MmXFnFexQ6ki9F2z/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZsdZTRuGupGL3k0kwEhlKU-irUrF6m0DkO74lxbVnonMHm6Er5uh3Ots6DQ9nrXmJN0gqYEH_XGFrobufhXpuOAIWf4spiNZ5pHeW8wO7VDXDgA6YFGiMYrdcjq2MmXFnFexQ6ki9F2z/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was about 70* and not humid.<br />Perfect day.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxcWHHShyphenhyphenQFZyIMwmzur8k0IcljPjATQtrXK5JRd40vsrzOVi1Z-1g0Ise0D_TDqHsiHus6aaDNPAeUfKYxbrCdps3JrJJKydB1ha3zQFsXf-q865hhwtzUuXslJQYn754iORrFNaVXlf/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxcWHHShyphenhyphenQFZyIMwmzur8k0IcljPjATQtrXK5JRd40vsrzOVi1Z-1g0Ise0D_TDqHsiHus6aaDNPAeUfKYxbrCdps3JrJJKydB1ha3zQFsXf-q865hhwtzUuXslJQYn754iORrFNaVXlf/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not looking very thrilled but playing<br />along anyway. What good boys!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJ57wLNcic6EFVJms3bsoQuTnTXVnyk9jOjVju1uyf7jidF_bROL-Jhfa6DE7p-QWCfz_Vii8S-tOQZm6U02ZOKwESPhXbXjK-CQg6PU8Pv3UxhNneyMBseJRfRZfQ9eBQ8FsdJ_8F2Qe/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJ57wLNcic6EFVJms3bsoQuTnTXVnyk9jOjVju1uyf7jidF_bROL-Jhfa6DE7p-QWCfz_Vii8S-tOQZm6U02ZOKwESPhXbXjK-CQg6PU8Pv3UxhNneyMBseJRfRZfQ9eBQ8FsdJ_8F2Qe/s1600/IMG_1282.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's enjoying himself at least!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16lFJbXwQ_ySWjA5OfBoGlKUuZ8fWlS2TChyF6NTY9eqQ2vwf5SvhC7BzeTE3EIiH10hTGZLNGGnvwAe6iErNsY_CRKv450Q_bzWLo_9RGcZy2m9oRYMugSV_bu27r-sF7fB0fq6vZOXH/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16lFJbXwQ_ySWjA5OfBoGlKUuZ8fWlS2TChyF6NTY9eqQ2vwf5SvhC7BzeTE3EIiH10hTGZLNGGnvwAe6iErNsY_CRKv450Q_bzWLo_9RGcZy2m9oRYMugSV_bu27r-sF7fB0fq6vZOXH/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My completed shirt</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1UbWOiSaonDvoL84YdZPu5HEMdjYYTf-qpnGKV-afH-GrUpRiMMs8xG3m-iWSgkUBgGK_6L4kcQsYiT4r84QWLqWIbcZN7Kn8DjznUAcLaI6hZ_LT-0waWR_8B_p8Z5KgQIv_VVNzA2H/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1UbWOiSaonDvoL84YdZPu5HEMdjYYTf-qpnGKV-afH-GrUpRiMMs8xG3m-iWSgkUBgGK_6L4kcQsYiT4r84QWLqWIbcZN7Kn8DjznUAcLaI6hZ_LT-0waWR_8B_p8Z5KgQIv_VVNzA2H/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shirt I made for hubby</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FmT1n6Axrh-NCbdLlic07yQGp5NCV-Kj0hGJgZSQ01vNeoQdfckPUeeOXaQf8eB-lHGV2GgOJ-JAWJLK-d3F0ByoEJ1PU8bc9ijPVcdXVE4tahwWYhZ1zOkJC7dxOKRj6Kufz3SY2TJa/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FmT1n6Axrh-NCbdLlic07yQGp5NCV-Kj0hGJgZSQ01vNeoQdfckPUeeOXaQf8eB-lHGV2GgOJ-JAWJLK-d3F0ByoEJ1PU8bc9ijPVcdXVE4tahwWYhZ1zOkJC7dxOKRj6Kufz3SY2TJa/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zach's completed shirt<br />(our first attempt at a swirl)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/58/2F639270AADD67A2B3D992560E90D8EC.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-33955983010011595392014-11-08T00:06:00.000-05:002015-01-04T13:14:11.149-05:00Learning to RelaxToday we had a good time doing school. I know I should be able to say that every day - but the fact is, that's not always the case. Recent events have made me try to be a little more fun and a little less witchy (with a b) during school though.<br /><br />We've been lucky enough to have some beautiful weather lately so today we ventured out to do a science lab on predator and prey. I thought this was going to be super lame and almost skipped it - but Zach ended up enjoying it very much. The object: to catch as much (uncooked) pasta you could in 30 seconds using different tools as the predator. We used chopsticks, bamboo tongs, a fork, a knife, a spoon, tweezers, and a small cookie scoop. He didn't even mind writing his hypothesis and analysis. Always a plus for us. I can't get my pictures to upload though - so sorry. Too bad, my shadow was super skinny and looked pretty darn good!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Today we also talked a little about King Cyrus of Persia. When I said King Cyrus my son says "Like Miley Cyrus?" and I said "Yep - he twerked his way across Babylonia and beat everyone." Not what he was expecting. I lost him for a few minutes while he literally rolled around laughing. Nice to surprise the teenager every now and then! I can guarantee he will always remember who King Cyrus is though.<br /><br />Last week he discovered this You Tube channel called ASAP Science. It's filled with very short (about 2 minute) blurbs about science with lots of white board action. He loved it, so we spent our science time one day watching a ton of those.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />We also have some fun planned for next week. I'm trying my best to learn to relax and just enjoy the time we have together.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/58/2F639270AADD67A2B3D992560E90D8EC.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-89879410065829711732014-11-07T00:02:00.003-05:002014-11-07T00:02:45.657-05:00{I Still Love Cascade}I've tried homemade dishwasher soap. Many variations. Many. I really wanted to love it (and make it, and save some money) but the reality is it's not going to happen.<br />
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No matter what combination I try, with or without borax, citric acid, baking or washing soda, I just can't get behind it. Every recipe has left my dishes cloudy and not very clean (and I always pre-rinse). *sigh*<br />
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So, when I'm in the store I beeline for the Cascade Platinum. I know - chemicals, bad, blah, blah - I get that. But I also get dishes that don't need to be run through the dishwasher twice. Or washed by hand after they come out of the dishwasher.<br />
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While I'm confessing chemical laden products I still use I may as well admit I'm still a Dawn user too. Nothing beats it - nothing.<br />
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I want to use more natural cleaning products. Sometimes I do. But they have to work or for me it's not worth the effort. Or the cost savings. Let's face it, washing dishes twice isn't saving me anything in the end.<br />
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I envy everyone who loves their "chemical free homemade products that save a ton of money." But for me it's hit or miss. Lately a lot of misses.<br />
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*I have not been contacted by the makers of Dawn or Cascade - I've not been paid to say "these products are great." I just think they are, and I tend to speak my mind!*<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-49054224678136995202014-10-25T01:18:00.000-04:002014-10-25T01:18:44.144-04:00{C-61}Yep, it's become my job to taunt my friends with a Christmas Countdown this year. 61 days guys!! So close - how are y'all doing in preparing?<br />
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My husband & son are the decorators. I'm a scrooge - I wouldn't even put up a tree if given the choice. But I'm not, so I do.<br />
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What I do love is buying stuff for my boys and seeing them love what they've unwrapped. So far each boy has one present stashed away in the house (quit looking Erik - and no Zach doesn't know where it is either! Jeez - men!). I have several good ideas this year for each of them. Sometimes I'm not sneaky enough to pull them off. But I think I should be able to this year. Fingers crossed!!<br />
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They always say I'm too hard to buy for so I'm putting my list right here in black and white. A new coffee pot (one that makes a pot or a single cup), an apron (because when I cook I end up wearing what I'm making), and an iPhone 6 plus. See only three little things! =) Yep, my needs are small.<br />
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In three weeks I start my journey into the world of college (again) but this time my end goal is different. I'm nervous as heck!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5687153574898667331.post-37452595396897543562014-10-25T00:48:00.000-04:002015-01-04T13:14:11.166-05:00Our Year So FarWe've been plugging along fairly well in our school year. Once we made the science change things have been going pretty smoothly.<br /><br />We've chucked the Sonlight reading schedule. Not the books - just the order. I know it seems rather weird to be reading stuff out of order, but so far it's been working out just fine. Our current read is <b>Operation Yes </b>which is about a school of military kids (Air Force even!) who have parents that deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. A subject close to our hearts here. This actually ties to the history we're reading about (the Persian Empire). It's easy for him to see that even though the names of players change - things in that region of the world have been pretty much the same for thousands of years. So I'm good with letting him pick our reading schedule.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure he's been playing me for a fool in math for a long time now. He lets little slips happen where I know he understands, then tries to back pedal. Um, the gigs up sucker (for both of us!). He likes having me around when he does his work, so I'll sit with him and read (or do productive things - like search the internet) and he's very fine.<br /><br />His writing is getting better. Not his handwriting (still looks like hieroglyphics) but the whole putting stuff together. I've actually become hands off on that too. I think the Sonlight is helping with that too. We write at least a paragraph every week. Should he be writing more? Maybe. But he's doing the work alone. Another thing that's helped is I quit being a witch about it. Yes, I said it - when it comes to writing I can be super degrading and picky. Now when he's stumped I say things like "Dude, (yes, I actually call him dude) you are so freakin' smart - I know it's not your favorite subject (or thing to do), but I know you can do a great job. Just settle down and do it." I also remove myself from the room he's working in. He'll ask me about every.single.sentence. if I'm in the same room. He has to finish and then we proofread and edit when he's done. Now if we could make it legible we'd be sweet!<br /><br />Now the end of 2014 is approaching and we have to start making High School decisions. This mama's not quite ready for that...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54491/58/2F639270AADD67A2B3D992560E90D8EC.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614735272352716849noreply@blogger.com0