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Loved the entries this week!  I enjoyed seeing the different takes on the theme tilt.  I hope if you haven't used this technique before, that now you will consider it.

Here are the two picks for this week:

1) Janet Rose



 This photo is stunning with the background of blue. I love this photo!  She did not tilt the photo, but played on her son's tilting of his head.  Clever take! 


2) The Missionary Mama





This close-up is very pretty.  I love the purple of the thistle and the beautiful bee perched on top.  She took a nice flower close-up and added some interest by tilting the photo.  Fun!

Thanks for playing, everyone!

I hope you will join us on Saturday, when the challenge will be:

Labels: Lens winners

I've mentioned before how much I identified with the character Bridget Jones (the book was even better than the movie...)  [and ok, beside the drinking/smoking/cussing/sleeping around- I am just like her!]
I alternate between wondering what the heck is wrong with me- to trying to fix it- to just going with it.

So.... here's what is going on with me:

• I have 3 people arriving from Holland sometime tomorrow, to stay for 2 weeks...and my house is really messy.  I homeschool 5 kids and I am worthless in house-hold matters- kind of messy.

• A family of 4 will be arriving on Saturday.  

• I had all weekend to do some deep cleaning, because Sky took the 2 littles with him to Northern Ca to put in a tank-less water heater for his brother.

• I cleaned out my homeschool closet [3 weeks ago] so I could sell some curriculum/ materials we are not using.  I took some photos of said materials to post. Then I left two huge piles on the floor of the family room. They are still there.

•  I had a new friend over yesterday afternoon for some painting time.  I used to paint before I was married, and keep meaning to pick it up again, but never really do.  So, my new friend paints and we decided to get together & schedule paint time- because I will never, ever get my paints out and sit down and do it otherwise.  The morning of, I was so tempted to cancel because I have all this housecleaning I should do!!  I kept our appointment, and I am really glad I did.  I had so much fun and have my hen painting 3/4 done!  I'm really glad, except I feel guilty that my house is still a mess...

So today should be my big push day for housecleaning,  I do seem to work best under extreme pressure. Um... I overslept, woke up at 8 and had to scramble to get Amie to VBS on time.  Went to grocery store on way back, went running walking, did a half-hour math with the kids and then hit shower.  Made lunch for kids, picked up Amie. It is now 2 o'oclock and instead of cleaning I am at Barnes & Nobles with kids.  Sky grounded Demi from movies & video games [thank you soooo very much, by the way] and so I had bored kids on my hands. Barnes & Nobles it is!

The rest of my day? I have to be at Irish dance with Amie & Meg by 4, so I will have to make dinner before I leave.  When I get back, Sky is taking me to an Angles game.  This? I can't resist, I haven't been to a game in a few years, usually he takes the kids.

I am praying my good luck will hold out, and my Dutch friends will not arrive till very, very late on Wednesday night.  We will be moving from company cleaning to Guerrilla housecleaning.  To wit, clean first the bedroom they will sleep in, then the guest bathroom, then the other parts of the house as I have time.

• The book I ordered;  Help yourself get everything done: and still have time to play 

I live a deliberately ironic life or perhaps a karmic one.      

other than all that, I only have to comment on Dr. Who...

River Song!!!  Just wow, the last episode was amazing.  Who knew? 

So, internets, I hope you are having a far more productive Summer so far than I am... :)

Labels: Jen's world

 Welcome to the LEarning Never Stops Photo Challenge.

This week's challenge is:


Sometimes an ordinary photo gets a little more 'oomph' from tilting the angle.  Give it a try!
Linky will close 8 pm Tuesday night, 2 winners will be chosen/displayed Tuesday night. 

Labels: Lens

 

Labels: family

Meg takes flight while practicing, Feis At the Fair '11

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

Here are the two winning photos this week for the theme *Summer Time!

1) The Toy Box Years



This photo makes me happy!  Love the bubbles, and I love how the dog looks like he is dancing.  There is so much energy and joy in this photo!


2) The Pelser Family



This photo, I love how he has a hand on his brother's shoulder- and the scene, a graduation- this will be played out several times in June- for sure a Summer happening :)


Thank you everyone for playing!

I hope you will come back on Saturday when the challenge will be: 

~Tilt

Labels: Lens winners

Welcome to the LEarning Never Stops Photo Challenge.

The theme this week is Summer Time!

Please link to your entry page, not your main blog page.  Photo sharing site entries are welcome.  Please be neighborly and visit 'round :) Linky will remain open an extra day, since I got the challenge up late, so the challenge will close 8 pm pacific time, on Tuesday.

Two winners will be announced/displayed on Tuesday night.  Can't wait to see what you've got to share!

Labels: Lens

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A love story by Ree Drummond - this is the story of small town girl lured by the bright lights/big city ~meets rural cowboy.  Most of us know Ree as PW from her blog Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and from her cookbook (and her awesome cooking section on her blog).

Much of this book was first shared in serial form on her blog, where I gladly read along.
Because I read it first on her blog, much of the story was not new to me, but I noticed it was presented better: there were some details added, and the section on the wedding and the following year were all new. 

So, if you don't know PW, this is the story of a small town girl, who dreams of living a grown-up, sophisticated city life.   After attending college in So. Ca, she makes a stop at home to regroup and plan her graduate school dreams of studying law in a big city such as Chicago.  What she doesn't plan for, though, is to meet a handsome, rugged cowboy in a bar one night.  Once he finally calls her, she is swept away into a whirlwind romance.  Will she give up her dreams of law school and city-living to be a rancher's wife?  We know the answer, but the book is fun- following along as it happens.

PW is smart, pretty, but best of all, self-depreciating.  She has no problem pointing out the comedy in her life, usually at her own expense.  Which is why, I think we like her.  I have to say, that I really laughed out loud several times while reading this. 

A fun read, and it's rumored that the movie rights have been sold. 
So, who should play Ree and Marlborough Man??

Labels: 52books/52weeks

We had some lovely entries this week, and some new bloggers joining us :)  As always, hard to choose just two...but here are the two photos that jumped out at me:

1) Light Trigger






2) The Pelser Family




Thanks for playing this week, everyone!
I hope you will join us next Saturday when the challenge will be:  

Summer time

Labels: Lens winners

Welcome to the LEarning Never Stops Photo Challenge.

Today we are sharing *A Moment. 

Link up to your photo capturing a moment you would like to remember.  Please link to your entry page, not your main blog page.  Photo sharing sites are welcome.  Try to visit around and be neighborly :)  Linky will close 10pm pacific time Monday and 2 winners will be chosen/displayed on Tuesday night.

Labels: Lens

Intellectually, I knew my children belonged to God, but this situation showed clearly that in reality, I still had a very tight hold on them.  There was a door I needed my heart to walk through...

I am writing today at the Moms of Boys Society about trusting in God's protection.
Click over to read the rest.

• Safely His -MOB Society 

Labels: guest posts, mothers of boys society

I was close to Amie's age when my love of reading took off.  Amie seems to have turned a corner, and is now devouring chapter books.  She started the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary and is now busy racing through the next ones.
I love, love, love seeing my children enjoy some of my own childhood friends.  

Every time I turn around, I find her curled up somewhere different, nose buried deep into a Ramona book.




Henry Higgins, Henry and Ribsy, Henry and the paper route,  Henry and the clubhouse

• Beezus and Ramona

• Ramona the Pest

• Ramona the Brave

• Ramona and her Father

• Ramona and her Mother

• Ramona Quimby age 8

• Ramona Forever

• Ramona's World

**Amie is 9, what books do your 8/9 year old girls love?  Any must reads?

Labels: reading basket

You're going to share some of that, right?

Labels: hens, Wordless Wednesday

We had some very sweet entries, I'm so glad you linked up with us!
Here are this week's winners:

1) Superwoman's Stunt Double



Dreamy indeed!  Oh how those newborn days seem like such a distant, dreamy memory!  She got the dreamy/sleepy/other-worldly-ness mood here.  I love, love the initial on the diaper <3

2) Our Peculiar Lives


The water looks so hazy and dreamy.  I love the vantage point of this.  I also like the processing on the photo.  Wonderful :)


Thanks for playing, bloggy-friends!

I hope you will join us on Saturday when the theme will be:

~A Moment~

Labels: Lens winners

Today was our 1st day of Summer homeschool.  Teddy was out for a week vacationing with his grandparents, so we took the week off, also.  Now that he is back, I started in on my Summer plans for learning.  First up:  Mad Dog Math.  This is a program for learning your Math facts.  We are working through the multiplication/division series, but an addition/subtraction series is also available.


I purchased the homeschool binder edition.  Also available is a homeschool computer program and then a School program- both binder and computer.  I kind of like paper and pens ;)

I set myself up for some angst when I first brought it home- and kept putting off opening it till I had a chunk of free time to sit and read through the instructions and time for photocopying the drills.   

Sheepish admission here...when I did pop it open (late at night during an asthma breathing machine episode for Demi..I figured, hey, I'm awake...!) I realized that no prep work/time/reading was needed.  I was happily disabused of that notion.  I didn't really need to make copies, either- the drills are intended to be worked with handy wipe- off protectors and a dry erase pen. :)

Today was our first day.  We spent the morning reviewing our 2 times tables, using the flashcards that came with the program and then I had the kids write them out a few times, and we chanted them.

Next came the timed drill.  Demi and Teddy made the 2 minute club, Amie had a bit of trouble, so she will be working with me tonight on them and then doing a slightly different 2 times drill tomorrow.

Tuesday, the kids will move on to the 2 division facts.


 A Full review coming soon after we have used the program a few weeks, promise!

*disclaimer: I purchased Mad Dog Math at a discount in exchange for my honest review here  -keeping it all so real and legal, blog friends ;)

Labels: curriculum, homeschool, Math

Welcome to the LEarning Never Stops Photo Challenge.  This week's challenge is:


 Here is a great tutorial on changing your digital photo to black & white

*Pixel Perfect: Rockin' black and white on a budget

Enter your photo that fits this theme into the linky below.  Please link up to your entry page, not your main blog page.  Photo site entries are welcome as well.  *please click your link to make sure it is working, if it is incorrect, let me know and I can fix it :)

Linky will close at 10 pm pacific time, Monday.  Two winners will be announced/ displayed on Tuesday night.

Can't wait to see what you've got!

Labels: Lens

Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton.  A very fun, British,chick-lit book.  Katy Carter is a school teacher secretly dreaming of finding true love and also secretly working on a steamy romance novel.  She thinks her life is on the fast-track finally, to happily ever after; engaged to the handsome hero of her dreams.  Problem, her fiance doesn't seem to like her much these days.  Katy is busy trying to please her fiance and squelch who she wants to be.  Her story takes a very decided turn after a very important dinner party she is supposed to host to impress her fiance's boss.  Problem: she is not a very good cook and not good at planning- enter her best guy friend to rescue her. Maybe.

This story had quite a few twists and turns, most of them very silly fun.  A few points were just out-and-out fantasy...but in a good way.  Yes, we would all love to bump into a gorgeous movie start and be asked to be his girlfriend for the tabloid's sake...not going to happen, really- but this book is so much fun that you sit back, watch it all unfold and enjoy the ride.

This book put a smile on my face, I couldn't put it down- wanting to see what crazy thing would happen next to Katy.  This one will go on my fav list.  Several adult situations, though pg I would say...and quite a bit adult language that would make it unsuitable for youngsters. 

You can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge here*

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I enjoyed seeing your sweet comfort photos!  Here are this week's winners!


1) Our Peculiar Lives

such sweetness!  This makes me all squishy inside and I remember holding my boy the same way. Lovely photo, lovely memories :)  I love the hat- it just adds to the awesomeness...


2) Janet Rose



Now this- makes me wish for a hammock!  Sweet, and oh my- the bright colors, love this photo!

thanks for playing!  I hope you will join us on Saturday when the challenge will be:

{Dreamy black & white}

Labels: Lens winners