Happy Halloween!!

 Hope you have a "Super" Halloween!!!

Public School Parents Guide to Homeschool Parents by Kris

We are a first year homeschooling family, and when we began to share that decision with family, friends, brief acquaintances and those random people in the grocery store that want to know how old your kids are and when they start school, where they will go...etc. Many conversations went something like this...
Person: Your kids are getting so big! How old are they?
Me: William is 5, Cade 3 and Brennan 2
Person: Oh William will start Kinder in the fall?
Me: Yes, he is so excited.
Person: Oh, do you know his teacher yet, what campus will he be on?
Me: We are going to be homeschooling.
Person: Oh.......(insert strange awkwardness here).....
Me: Yes we are really excited... (enter change of subject here)

I didn't change the subject because I was ashamed, or because I didn't want to talk about school. We are so happy with our decision, but I just wasn't sure what to say, so many people are uncomfortable about the subject. Which is why I loved the following article... It is a must read for all parents... Home school and public school alike. Just a sound understanding to help us both through the "awkward silence".


Public School Parents' Guide to Home school Parents  By Kris


A must Read, so true!!

Last Minute , Budget Friendly, Halloween Costumes

Well, as I have mentioned before I am all about simplicity...especially when it comes to Halloween costumes! I love love love to make costumes every year and until this year we have succeeded with that. I know with fall comes busier schedules and not a lot of time. Here are a few costumes you can throw together in about the same amount of time as going to buy those super expensive costumes at the store, but these are budget friendly, so simple, and so cute!!

Puppy Dogs  To be a puppy dog, I took solid shirts and glued patches of fuzzy fabric all over, For the ears, I stitched two "beagle" ears out of the same fabric onto a solid toboggan (the boys still wear these all the time), the Collar is just a ribbon tied around his neck.  An eyeliner eye patch, nose, and whiskers... and you have a cute and cuddly costume, that your kid will actually wear. This can also be done on a sweatshirt or hoodie if you live in a cooler climate.

Pirates: To Make a Pirate costume. We stuck with the basics. We did purchase two eye patches and a few pirate hats for the boys, but they didn't last the night (waste of money). Some old pants, cut to look ragged at the bottom, and an old white shirt with the collar and bottom hem cut out and sleeves ragged. a few yards of red and white striped fabric, was more than enough for "do-rags", belts and a wrap for me. We made guns and knives from a box . What's a pirate without a weapon? Eyeliner beards and a few temporary tattoos.... AArrrgggg!!!

Baseball Theme: I am a fan of homemade costumes, this was probably one of the easiest and cutest costumes so far...  We were everything baseball. Pic your local ball team for easy finds on shirts and hats.
The Fan: completed with a team t-shirt, and red hair.
The Coach: Team shirt, whistle, and clipboard 
The Player: team shirt, ball cap, black eye, and glove 
The Ball: A white shirt, in this case a onesie, with laces drawn on with a red fabric marker.

Sorry for the sideways pic... but isn't this the cutest ball you have ever seen? Complete with bald head! So Kissable!!

This year the boys are using their super hero dress up clothes, but Michael and I will be
Super Mom: Made with a beauty sash, with iron on letters "Super Mom" a mask of fabric and eye holes to match. Be creative with your powers. I will be using an oven mitt as a shield, and a pair of tongs and whisk as my weapons of choice. I may stick a cleaning rag in my back pocket to clean up the messes too. And of course I will be wearing pearls. :) he he.
Super Dad: Super Dad will be sporting a super man shirt and a fabric mask with the word "Dad" on the side in Iron on letters. Complete the look with a utility belt of grilling tools, wipes, and band aids. 


 I do hope this has given you a few good ideas, or at least inspired you to keep it simple, make your costumes comfy and enjoy the time with family and friends. 

Happy Columbus Day

The boys at the Nina

So Columbus day was like two weeks ago... October 11th. But I didn't get a chance to post any pics of our fun outing until now. We are fortunate to have replicas of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria here in our city. We took advantage of Columbus Day and headed out to the ships.  I can't even imagine going a mile into the Gulf in a ship like this, however Columbus and his crew traveled across the entire Atlantic ocean, No thank you!

What a blessed nation we live in to have the freedom we do. Just stop and think about the history of our great nation for a minute. One day a long time ago, God put it in a man's heart to try something new. Something daring, and something that most people thought was idiotic.... God has a plan, I don't understand it, that is for sure, but I can't deny God's guiding hand in America's history or mine.

Thank the Lord for Christopher Columbus, and for the freedom you have provided to our current generation through so many that have come before us.

Shake the Nation Album Release!!!

The Release of Shake the Nation's first Album, is HERE!!!

If you don't know who Shake the Nation is, just wait.. you will. This band has totally embraced God's will in their life and I, along with our entire church family, have witnessed the great things He is doing with their open hearts and musical gifts. Please consider ordering their album today and know that by doing so you are not only gaining a great uplifting, life changing album, but also helping to "Shake" up our great Nation and  reach people for Christ!

Shake the Nation Homepage







My personal Favorite:  Satisfy!!!  Check it out!

Menu Plan Monday and My Freezer

I have a confession... Please don't judge... You promise?  Ok, here it goes....... I am in love with my freezer!!!  There I said it, It's out in the open.  Glad to see you are still here.:)  I freeze everything!!For example, that left over wine from dinner a month ago, freezer.  The half onion from that casserole, freezer.  The bananas that were starting to turn a little too brown, freezer. I could go on and on... but I think you get the idea. I have found that my obsession with baggies and the freezer have come in quite handy.

Every so often I find myself in a budget pickle. There seem to be more days in the month than money in the wallet; That girls is where the challenge begins!  I find some sort of accomplishment when feeding my family with a good freezer clean out, $25 dollars, and a whole lot of cooking imagination.  I have to admit, there have been some creations that didn't turn out so good, but for the most part I have found success. Good, healthy, filling meals, and a clean freezer!! So this week is one of those times... You may look at the menu and think... RANDOM!! But rest assured, you are not alone, that is probably what my family will be thinking too.  Menu Planning is so fun!! :) Hope you find inspiration to turn to your freezer too!! You never know what you might find... and I mean that in a good way; not a creepy something is lurking in the depths, kind of way! :)  Make sure to leave a comment with the creation you found in your freezer.

Enjoy!!

Everything in purple is something I already have on hand... aka in the freezer or pantry! :)

Monday:
Stuffed Bell Peppers and Salad

Tuesday:
Baked Ham and Pineapple, Green Beans, and Rolls

Wednesday: Trunk or Treat
Leftovers

Thursday:
Chili , veggie dippers, and Grilled Smoked Gouda Sandwiches

Friday: Family Movie Night
Homemade Pizza, Popcorn, fruit cocktail

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday: Halloween Small Group (Here)
Mummies (pigs in a blanket), Spooky Snickers Cake, Almond Bark Popcorn, Pumpkin Juice (orange kool-aid), and Tea

This will be my first attempt at Snickers Cake, but I'm thinking it is going to be a must... Click the link to see the recipe!!

What creation did you find in your freezer?

Back to Basics with Meatballs

A friend of mine emailed earlier this week asking for my meatball recipe. So I thought if I was sharing I might as well share for all to see.  I have to say first, it's pretty basic; but you are guaranteed good moist, meatballs to add to any dish, home style or Italian.

Homemade Meatballs

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 1 1/4 c. of bread crumbs or old fashioned oats
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs

1. Heat Oven to 400 Degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together, I find it is easiest to use my hands.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a greased jelly roll pan or (2)9x13 pans
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Until center is no longer pink and juices run clear.

*sometimes I add 1/2 c of grated cheddar cheese and 1/4 c of grated Parmesan cheese  Depending on what I'm serving with.


These are great to add to any pasta dish or with mushroom gravy and rice, YUMMY!!! Try them at your next family movie night! What do you serve with your meatballs?