Think Back Thursday ~ Relaxing

Today's Theme

Relaxing/Peaceful

(whatever that means to you: a place, people, time of day, vacations, whatever...)

The Place:

Winterthur

Enchanted Woods

The bench swings

The People:

Family and a Close Friend

Time of Day/Year:

varied

05-19-2007 

Our very first time at Winterthur hubby and I sat in the swings, this became my very favorite spot at Winterthur.... my very favorite relaxing spot on the earth right now.

03-22-2008

 Rachel

 04-12-09

Me
Soaking up some sun, wish I could lay here all day.

 03-21-2010

 Christopher and I
I love my family.

 Hubby and I

 Rachel

 Rachel and her daddy

Christopher took these videos with my camera

04-11-2010

I left this photo large so please click on the photo so you can enjoy it in all it's splendor.

This is my all time favorite photo of I ever took at Winterthur and it just happens to be of my favorite spot.

 06-30-2010

Rachel

07-30-2010

My friend Becky and I

We have been friends since fall 1975 when I started going to Christian school. That was 9th grade. That is a loooong friendship. She is a missionary in Mexico so we only see her every few years.

I hope you enjoyed my photos.

I sure do miss relaxing at Winterthur.

We had to let our membership lapse because of hubby being out of work.

Someday we pray we can get a membership again.

October Themes:

 10/4 Landscape

10/11 Something or Someone in Motion

10/18 Railroad / Train / Train Tracks

10/25 Autumn

Here are the Rules for participating:

The purpose of Think Back Thursday is to link up a photo post about something from the past. You can reach back all the way to your childhood and bravely post pictures of you in your wild clothes and hair styles or post something from last year and tell us about it. I'm not picky. Hey, even yesterday was the past... LOL My posts will mostly be about events that happened prior to blogging, as a way to share those things with the world.

• It can be about you, about your kids, about your parents, whomever. You can include video, I will not exclude video alone posts, but I prefer them along with photos, as this is a photo meme. I am doing a weekly theme now. That should help narrow it down from the myriad of photos we all have. For ideas check out the other posts in my label Think Back Thursday. 
• Link up below. Please use a permalink that sends readers directly to the correct post. If you are not sure what that is click the word permalink for an explanation. 
• Mention my blog and offer a link back. This is a requirement to take part and a kind gesture to me your hostess as well as your readers--they will know where to join in the fun, too. You can put the Think Back Thursday button on your site and in your post. You will find it on my right sidebar. Please use it to link to my site, to spread the word about my meme. Using the button will help others know how to find me and how to join. Tell others to click on the button in your post to find us here.
• Leave me a comment. First so that you can let me know what you think of my pictures and secondly so that I will know a new post has been linked up and I can come visit your blog and comment on your photos. 

Join me!


all content on my blog is ©

Think Back Thursday ~ Future Themes, tomorrow and October themes

Tomorrow

Relaxing/Peaceful

(whatever that means to you: a place, people, time of day, vacations, whatever...)

October Themes:

 10/4 Landscape

10/11 Something or Someone in Motion

10/18 Railroad / Train / Train Tracks

10/25 Autumn

all content on my blog is ©

Blogging through the Alphabet ~ C and D

C is for Complete

 I love the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a project and it looks good. This bib was recently finished and sent to my future first great-great nephew for a baby shower they are having for him in North Carolina. Those family members that live farther away made or bought gifts and sent them down. I hope we get photos of the party when the parents open the gifts and I hope they enjoy this bib I made. I don't have the money to buy stuff right now and was excited when I checked my stash and found this blank baby bib. I also had waste canvas so I attached the waste canvas and stitched away. God is good, he knew this day would come and had me purchase this bib a long time back, years ago, just for this occasion. I am thankful it is Completed and came out so well. Thank you Lord for this provision.

D is for Devotions and Donuts

This was my setup this morning. My dd Jessica bought us donuts as a treat before she and my other daughter go to Texas for 22 days. I will miss them... anyway back to my devotions. From left to right in front there is my Nook, my journal, my devotional check-off sheet and my donut. Behind them are: the dvd I watched this morning and the Resolution for Women book I am reading; you can see the dvd on the computer screen in the background. 

On my Nook my hubby added Android to a micro-SD card. On the Android I have a Free Bible app that I like and use most every day. I have been using the ESV version of the Bible lately and like it a lot. 

Here is a jpg of the Devotional check-off sheet I made and use daily.

 

My weekly goals include spiritual goals. I read the Bible, read a Godly book, pray and listen to music. Sometimes I listen to music from my YouTube lists, sometimes I listen to the MP3's my hubby put on my computer from CD's we own, and sometimes I put in a Gaither video like I did today.

If you want to join in on Blogging through the Alphabet click the button at the very top of the page.

all content on my blog is ©

Goal Planning Monday ~ Week 87

 Time to write some goals and strive to accomplish them this coming week??

Join us by clicking on the button above...
after you read my goals.

Goal Planning Monday has a new home - the banner above will take you to the new home for Goal Planning Monday @ Real Life Unscripted even though it says it is @ mamamanuscripts. I changed the link to send you to the new place.

Pretty good week though I am disappointed in myself. I wanted to be able to post Done on ALL my goals and I didn't. I also didn't read as much as I wanted to. But, it was a pretty good week. I did exercise and that was one of the things I didn't want to skip again, so that is good.

My Goals from last week and how I did:

Spiritual Goals  

1. Devotions daily -  Reading I Timothy. Partly Done - I was doing so well and then yesterday I didn't do my devotions first thing in the morning and then never went back and did them later. I am very disappointed in myself for this, especially since it was Sunday and we did not go to church because we don't have the gas money to go. I was also going to download some of the messages from my pastor that we have missed and listen to one yesterday and I didn't do that either.
   
2. Read The Resolution for Women and apply it to my life. The applying takes more time than the reading. Partly Done - all but yesterday.
3. Listen to Godly Music Daily. Partly Done - all but yesterday.
4. Pray daily. Done
5. Read some of My Utmost for His Highest before bed at night. Done - hubby and I are making progress, we got to August and are doing 3 devotionals a night until we catch up.

Homeschool Goals

1. Complete all of school. That means getting Christopher to do all 12 workboxes every day. The only way to do that is to make sure he brings his computer to my bedroom each evening so he has to do all his work and have me check it before he gets his laptop back. Done
2. Log Christopher's work into the log DAILY. Partly Done- I never did log in Friday's work. I will get that done today along with today's work.

Blog Goals   

1. Comment on the ladies blogs that link up to Goal Planning Monday. Done - I commented on our hostesses blog @ Real Life Unscripted, at  Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break and at Through the Calm and Through the Storm
2. Post reminders to my friends/blog readers about Think Back Thursday on Wed., on Facebook groups especially. Remind them of this week's theme and future themes as well so they can work ahead. Done
3. Post Think Back Thursday. Done
4. Comment on each person's post that links up for Think Back Thursday. Done
5. Post letter C for Blogging Through the Alphabet and comment on some blogs that link up. Not Done - I want to post C and D today.
6. Write a post that is NOT linked to a meme. Done - Posted about hubby and my Dinner In.
   

Personal/Other Goals

1. Turn off the computer between 9 and 9:30. Get back to getting to bed earlier. Done
2. Read. More. Done - I think I read more than last week but still not as much as I would have liked. If I don't get a move on I will not be getting 4 books done this month. I have only read 2 so far.
3. Exercise at least 1 or 2 times. My lower back has been hurting me as well as my knees. I need to exercise. I need to loose weight but that is hard with our financial situation. Exercise, however is something I can and should still do. Done- I exercised 2 times. Once was Sat. and I was really sore on Sunday. I beat my high score on rhythm boxing advanced.
4. Work on a craft of some kind... scrapbook, digital scrapbook, cross-stitch... Done
5. Start working on Christmas gifts and ornaments (I make an ornament for each person in my immediate family each year for Christmas). Done
6. Work on a brand new writing project. An idea for a picture book for children. Will be an e-book, at least to start. I will write it, hubby, hopefully, will illustrate it. Not Done
7. Romantic dinner in our bedroom for hubby and I. Afterward we will watch a movie in our bedroom and/or play a game. I will need to clean up the "stuff" in front of the closet and then later set up the card table and decorate. I am looking forward to this. Hubby and I have not been able to afford to go out and do anything, so this is time for us to spend together and better than nothing. Done - and I wrote a post about it and posted photos.

For this week that is 14 Done, 4 Partly Done, and 2 Not Done. 


My goals for this coming week:

Spiritual Goals  

1. 
2. Devotions daily -  Reading I Timothy.
3. Read The Resolution for Women and apply it to my life. The applying takes more time than the reading.
4. Listen to Godly Music Daily.
5. Pray daily.
6. Read some of My Utmost for His Highest before bed at night. 

Homeschool Goals

1. Complete all of school. That means getting Christopher to do all 12 workboxes every day. The only way to do that is to make sure he brings his computer to my bedroom each evening so he has to do all his work and have me check it before he gets his laptop back.
2. Log Christopher's work into the log DAILY. 

Blog Goals   

1. Comment on the ladies blogs that link up to Goal Planning Monday.
2. Post reminders to my friends/blog readers about Think Back Thursday on Wed., on Facebook groups especially. Remind them of this week's theme and future themes as well so they can work ahead.
3. Post Think Back Thursday.
4. Comment on each person's post that links up for Think Back Thursday.
5. Post letter C for Blogging Through the Alphabet and comment on some blogs that link up.
6. Write a post that is NOT linked to a meme.

Personal/Other Goals

1. Turn off the computer between 9 and 9:30. Get back to getting to bed earlier.
2. Read. More.
3. Exercise at least 1 or 2 times. My lower back has been hurting me as well as my knees. I need to exercise. I need to loose weight but that is hard with our financial situation. Exercise, however is something I can and should still do. 
4. Work on a craft of some kind... scrapbook, digital scrapbook, cross-stitch...
5. Start working on Christmas gifts and ornaments (I make an ornament for each person in my immediate family each year for Christmas).
6. Work on a brand new writing project. An idea for a picture book for children. Will be an e-book, at least to start. I will write it, hubby, hopefully, will illustrate it. 
7. Romantic dinner in our bedroom for hubby and I. Afterward we will watch a movie in our bedroom and/or play a game. I will need to clean up the "stuff" in front of the closet and then later set up the card table and decorate. I am looking forward to this. Hubby and I have not been able to afford to go out and do anything, so this is time for us to spend together and better than nothing.

1. Post reminders to my friends/blog readers about Think Back Thursday on Wed., on Facebook groups especially. Remind them of this week's theme and future themes as well so they can work ahead.
2. Post Think Back Thursday.
3. Comment on each person's post that links up for Think Back Thursday.
4. Post letter C and D for Blogging Through the Alphabet and comment on some blogs that link up.
5. Write a post that is NOT linked to a meme.

Personal/Other Goals

1. Turn off the computer between 9 and 9:30. Get back to getting to bed earlier.
2. Read. More.
3. Exercise at least 1 or 2 times. My lower back has been hurting me as well as my knees. I need to exercise. I need to loose weight but that is hard with our financial situation. Exercise, however is something I can and should still do. 
4. Work on Christmas gifts and ornaments (I make an ornament for each person in my immediate family each year for Christmas) and this year because we don't have any money to spend on Christmas I am making each person a gift, probably cross stitch or plastic canvas since I have the supplies I need to do those.
5. Work on a brand new writing project. An idea for a picture book for children. Will be an e-book, at least to start. I will write it, hubby, hopefully, will illustrate it. 
6. Log books in to book collector. I need to get the tubs out of our bedroom so hubby and I have more space.

That's my goals for this week!! Do you have any goals? You should. You will get a lot more done if you think about what you want to accomplish with your week. Post your goals and link up. The button at the top will take you to the meme and you can join up with us.

all content on my blog is ©

Think Back Thursday ~ Back To School

Today's Theme

 Back to School 

(photos from this year, some other year, a bunch of years put together; of you, your kids, back to school supplies; whatever you want)

Today I will be walking through our years of homeschooling.
We started homeschool the fall of 1991.
So we have been homeschooling for 21 years now.
My, I thought these ending days were eons away and yet now, looking back, the time has flown by.
I hope you enjoy this look back.

Most years I have chosen just ONE photo. This was extremely hard.
Some years I could not choose just one, but I think I did pretty well.

1991- Rachel was 5 and Jessica was 2.

This is Linvilla Orchard in the autumn.

1992 - The end of our first year of homeschooling.
I tried to hard to make homeschooling like "regular" school.
I have a teaching degree and this was a detriment for us in the beginning.
I was too much a teacher and not enough a mom.
We did every page every assignment. I even set up part of our living room like a classroom.
It was hard. Rachel hated me and school a LOT that year.
But, it was a learning experience and we survived.

Adorable!

Rachel in blue Jessica in pink

1993 - Philadelphia Zoo field trip
Jessica on left, Rachel on right

1994 - Mammoth Cave field trip while visiting my brother in Kentucky.

Left to right - Jessica [first year homeschooling], Rachel, my nephew Matt in back, my mom, me (holding Nathan 4mos. old)

1995 - Pizza Hut field trip with our co-op - Jessica

1996 - Part of homeschooling is keeping the little ones that are not homeschooling busy.

Nathan loved this easel, just his size. He could be in the same room as us and busy doing something.

Art and holding crayons are also good skills for pre-schoolers to learn.

Nathan carried that spoon around all the time. He often used it as a bat.

1997 - Homeschool Geography Fair
as you can see we did Greece
Jessica on left, Rachel on right

1998 - Homeschool group Civil War Reenactment

1999 - Making Applesauce as a family,
everyone took a turn smooshing the apples except Christopher.
Nathan wore his backpack all.the.time.
Nathan's first year homeschooling - Kindergarten 1999-2000
We went to an orchard and picked apples the day before.

2000 - Love this picture.

Big brother reading to little brother, 

one of the pleasures of homeschooling after teaching a child to read.

2001 - field trip to Wiliamsburg, VA.

2002 field trip with friends to a state park

Christopher's in K now.

2003 - field trip to Antietam (we also did Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg on this trip)

Rachel's Graduation Spring 2004
What a celebration. Homeschooled all the way through, 13 years of hard work for her and I. It can be done homeschool mom's. Persevere. Enjoy the days. The end will come all too soon.

First day of school 2004
Left to right, back - Me, Jessica, Rachel;
front - Nathan, Christopher

Had to include this funny one... my kids idea! LOL

2005 - Shakespeare in the backyard
We met with homeschool friends in a friends backyard and took parts and read one of Shakespeare's plays. We did this 3 times I think. It was a fun way to study and read Shakespeare.

2006 - Philadelphia Zoo

2007 - Singing as a family at the Tri-State Homeschool Talent Night

left to right - Court (hubby), Christopher, Rachel, Jessica, Nathan, Me

Had to include one photo of us at Winterthur, one of our fav. places to visit.
This was also 2007.
Me, Court, Rachel, Nathan, Christopher (Jessica is taking the photo)

Jessica's Graduation Summer 2007

2008 - Game day for school, this is Pilgrim's Progress
We did game day for school many times over the years of homeschooling.

2009 - "Knex for Science - Physics class

2010 - Science class and a TOS review item, 

4 kinds of Yuck at Buckets of Fun: 

Snowy Yuck, Saucy Yuck, Sticky Yuck, and Chunky Yuck

2010 - Home and Life Management - Christopher painting

2011 - Longwood Gardens, had to include this also. We sooo enjoyed our year's membership.

NGA 2011
A chance for the kids to give back to the community. 

This is something we look forward to every year.

We are very disappointed we probably won't go this year because of our $$ problems.

This is an organization my mom worked with.

If you want more information on what we did for NGA check out one or both of these links.

Debbies Digest: Blast From The Past ~ NGA 2010
Debbies Digest: Blast From the Past - Volunteering at NGA

2012 - Nathan's Sr. Photos
(taken by Jessica and scrapbooked by me with My Memories software)

Nathan's graduation - we gave him his diploma in a family ceremony, just us at home, and then had an open house for friends and family.

2012 - My one and only student, Christopher

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, I did.
I can't wait to see what you have share.

Future Themes:

Sept. 27 - Relaxing/Peaceful

(whatever that means to you: a place, people, time of day, vacations, whatever...)

Time to work on next month's themes. I did not get time to do this yet. I will definitely have them posted next Wed. when I do the reminders. 

Any theme ideas for me??  

A theme you saw in your pictures when you were browsing looking for other things that you think would be good for us all to do? Leave me a comment.

Here are the Rules for participating:
The purpose of Think Back Thursday is to link up a photo post about something from the past. You can reach back all the way to your childhood and bravely post pictures of you in your wild clothes and hair styles or post something from last year and tell us about it. I'm not picky. Hey, even yesterday was the past... LOL My posts will mostly be about events that happened prior to blogging, as a way to share those things with the world.

• It can be about you, about your kids, about your parents, whomever. You can include video, I will not exclude video alone posts, but I prefer them along with photos, as this is a photo meme. I am doing a weekly theme now. That should help narrow it down from the myriad of photos we all have. For ideas check out the other posts in my label Think Back Thursday. 
• Link up below. Please use a permalink that sends readers directly to the correct post. If you are not sure what that is click the word permalink for an explanation. 
• Mention my blog and offer a link back. This is a requirement to take part and a kind gesture to me your hostess as well as your readers--they will know where to join in the fun, too. You can put the Think Back Thursday button on your site and in your post. You will find it on my right sidebar. Please use it to link to my site, to spread the word about my meme. Using the button will help others know how to find me and how to join. Tell others to click on the button in your post to find us here.
• Leave me a comment. First so that you can let me know what you think of my pictures and secondly so that I will know a new post has been linked up and I can come visit your blog and comment on your photos. 

Join me!


all content on my blog is ©