Sketch Tuesday: Arms!

Sketch Tuesday's assignment: Draw something with arms. We're getting into this now...I just wish my iPhone took better pictures!

I loved watching this picture of Ginger's develop. The sketching, the inking, the colored pencil...the text was added via Photoshop Elements.

Momo decided last minute to draw something. I was expecting something cuter.

My sketch is a realistic one...


Only I participated in last week's Snow Sport sketch.


If your family participates, let me know!

A dragon, an elf and wolves

My girls and I decided to participate in Sketch Tuesday's Brr! It's Cold! Assignment this week.

Frost Dragon, by Momo


Snow Elf, by Ginger


Timber Wolves, by Lee

Arizona Morning, a poem by me

Arizona Morning

The sky is blue, the leaves are green.
The air is deliciously cool.

Now that it's fall, put on your shoes!
Let's go to the park before school.

While walking at the park this morning, I composed this poem in my head. It isn't easy to write good poetry while aerobic walking to songs like Josh Weldon's "Big Time Rocker" or "Sunny Days" by Jars of Clay. But it sure feels good!

Out of the House Schedule

I like being at home. I'm a home birthing, homeschooling, stay-at-home mom. Still, I seem to be out of the house a lot these days. I was sharing with my mom about what we did last week and it sounded SO busy. I decided to make a little chart. It looks better on paper.

Green is morning activities, blue is afternoon activities, and red is evening activities. Basically we're on a 2 week rotating schedule. One busy week, one not-so-busy week. I like that.

I feel our out-of-the house schedule is full but manageable. We're certainly doing a lot more then last year!

To use an analogy, this amount of activity is like a 3/4 full cup of water. Safe enough for a preschooler to carry to the table, but if they drop it -- big mess to clean up!

Five in a Row Art: How to Make an Apple Pie...

This weeks Five in a Row book is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World. Instead of writing reports, we're all going to do apple art in different media each day! We started with painting. I said "We're going to paint apples!" And Beanie age 3 took me literally. The apples go in age order from the left Lee (that's me!), Ginger 13, Momo 11, ds 8, ds 6, and Beanie 3.

Last week it was history reports...my 13 stayed up until after midnight on Friday night doing hers. Not making it perfect or beautiful but just getting the words on paper. Not worth taking a picture of, that's for sure! And how like her mother all through school! On a positive note, she did not hesitate to stand up in front of the family to read it (like last week)!

Reports: Five in a Row, Papa Piccolo

We just finished our 4th Five in a Row book, Papa Piccolo! Dad sat in on the first reading of the book and decided all the children should write a report on something about cats or Venice.
Ginger (13) wrote about Siamese cats and Momo (11) wrote about the Egyptian Mau. Momo drew a picture on the back of her report (see below).


My 8yo ds (current nickname Honda) did his on gondoliers. I did assist him in arranging his sentences into 2 focused paragraphs. My 6yo ds (current nickname Bakura) copied a sentence I typed out. I drew the cat picture and he & Momo colored it together.

This week Dad assigned a report on anything we've covered in Story of the World 2 (we're on Chapter 11). No one has picked a topic yet...but it is only Tuesday.

The Study (before pictures)

Since I last posted, I have

1. Been washing my hair with baking soda. I love it! No conditioner needed and my hair is so soft!
2. Lost 12 lbs through SparkPeople. If you're a member, let me know! I'm 5wolfcubs there also.
3. Had a large portion of the interior of my house painted a light, neutral color. It turned out beautiful. Plus I love how I've rearrange the furniture.

However, emptying several rooms into one while painting has left a serious problem in The Study.

Care for the tour?

Standing in the doorway -- the closet is blocked by boxes of new blinds waiting to be installed (on Friday). The futon is covered in boxes, the floor is covered in boxes... Boxes of what? Stuff. Stuff with a capital S.


Looking to the left we see the rest of the futon, but not the rest of the Stuff. Oh, no, there is more.


In front of my lovely IKEA cabinet is more Stuff. The cabinet is fairly full also, but it all neat & orderly inside.


And last we come to the desk of Momo (age 11, 6th grade).

Where are the rest of her books? Why they are on the kitchen table waiting to be checked by the teacher...who is apparently on a blogging break.

So, what am I going to do with all the Stuff? And where did it all come from?!

Sometimes I even impress myself!

98 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Thanks, Lisa, for sharing this! 

Poems for the broken hearted

I came across some Psalms and poems I had copied during a time of great grief years ago. I'm putting my 3 favorite here.  Maybe you know someone who needs to hear one today.

My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me
I do not choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Oftimes he weaveth sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget he sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

- Author Unknown


I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow
And ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me!

-- Robert Browning Hamilton


A Confederate Soldier's Prayer
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for but got everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

You get what you ask for

Okay, you don't always get what you ask for...but if you don't ask, it is certainly less likely that you'll get what you want.

The other night my husband told me I'd spent two times as much as he did last month on the credit card.  And if he hadn't bought a piece of software, his only charges would have been gas.  So I asked to see what I'd spent (I normally don't do this...I don't like seeing all those charges).  In looking over the list and at the history, I discovered that I had 3 ALEKS (online math) charges, even though we'd only used it one month.  

I'd thought that signing up monthly billing meant that I'd pay by the month, not I'd be automatically billed every month.  Apparently, I didn't read the fine print.   I had chosen not to cancel the account because when you do, all records are wiped...and I'd been hoping we might use ALEKS over the summer, picking up where we left off, since my dd enjoyed it as review. But yesterday, I cancelled the account and complained by in my "exit survey" and in an email to customer support that it wasn't clear that monthly billing and automatic billing were the same thing.

And, this is the important part of this post, I requested a refund.  I didn't just complain (as I so often due when dealing with a company).  I stated exactly what outcome I wanted.  And guess what?  I'm getting a refund for those two months!  I did have to call customer support, explaining my situation and my request again.  But I'm getting a refund for the months we didn't use.  

I'm impressed, both with myself for actually doing this, and with ALEKS for giving me the refund.  My husband is also impressed with me for making the phone call...he knows how much I dislike do that sort of thing. 

So remember, don't just complain...tell the other party what you want.  They can say no, they can counter offer, or they can say yes!