photos from my first show

Here are a few pictures from the first that I was in. So far, the experience has been a blast, except for the getting pelted with hail the size of golf balls and fearing death last weekend. I LOVE showing my jewelry off! I'm so proud of the pieces that I've made and enjoy making jewelry more than I thought I'd enjoy anything. Gwyn was such a great help and we had a lot of fun, except the hail part. Craig even got in on the action at the Siloam show. He LOVED it, I tell ya! ;-) Here is Craig's grandma and his uncle that stopped by for a few minutes.

Gibson has been reading up a storm!

He's read through several of the Henry and Mudge books, Frog and Toad, Poppleton, and now we are on the Billy and Blaze series.

He drug his feet on the last one, I think because it can't be read in a day.

Now that he's finished it, he wants a horse, and a dog that he'll name Rex, just like the book.

So cute!

Braden and Ethan are reading Story of the World 2 Middle Ages for history, along with the Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World.  Ethan is reading the unabridged 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and The Long March:  The Choctaws Gift to Irish Famine Relief by Mary-Louise Fitzpatrick.  Braden is reading Black Potatoes:  The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Bartoletti and Bulfinches Mythology:  The Age of Fable by Robert Graves.

Ethan is a few weeks into Saxon 65.

He's just breezing through math these days~

Braden is about a week and a half from finishing up Saxon 76 and then he's moving into Prealgebra.

He is amazingly excited about it, and seems to be telling everyone that he talks to that he's 'about to start prealgebra'.

It's a big deal, right!?????

We are on lesson 7 in Latina Christiana I.  Their latin vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and I'm so very proud of them!

Braden started Classical Writing today.

You can read about it here:

classical writing 101

School has been interesting for the last month and a half.

I kept out 1/10th of my schoolbooks and literature, which has been a challenge.

I completely forgot that we schooled through the summer, which means that we're finishing up everything about now.

I've had to repurchase a few things that I have in storage, but don't have a clue where or how to get to them.

I wake up at night, hearing my father-in-law ask me, "This box says homeschool books.  Do you need it?", to which I replied MANY times, "I don't think so.  I kept out everything that we'll need for the next few months."

Of course, this dialogue took place in the VERY back of the storage room, up against the wall where there is no way to access any of the boxes. ;-)

I desperately wanted to keep out ALL of my books, but there is absolutely no way that there is room for them at mom and dad's.

They graciously let me keep one of my bookcases in their bedroom, for some of my books and then we have some of the boys schoolbooks and their daily work on another shelf in the garage.

Did I mention that I have a thing for books?????????

Gibson wanted me to read him a book before bedtime.  He chose Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.  We curled up in my bed, he laid his head on my chest and we began to read the first chapter.  It was absolutely precious.  I looked down as I finished the last page, and Gib was fast asleep in my arms.  Creamy skin and dark lashes, fast asleep.  My heart was so full of love for this little guy that it could have burst.  I am so thankful for all of those wonderful moments I will cherish forever.  Time goes by so quickly.......

Good night~

And we wait.....

Okay, it's been 25 days since we closed on our house.  We've been living with my mom and dad, invading their space and taking over their life.  It's starting to wear me out.  And I know it's got to be grinding on mom and dad's nerves.  Not only have we taken over their space, but we homeschool.  So their house is now a school house from 9-3 every day.  It's a laundromat for ALL of the daytime hours.  The washer and dryer are running all. Day. Long.  I kid you not.  Did I mention that some little guy is hungry 20 hours out of the day?  Craig has had VERY little work.  Next to nothing, actually.  Thank GOD for unemployment!  We are waiting on a callback for an interview that he had last week.  Patience is becoming a life lesson for us.   We waited in August, knowing that AIG was going to be laying off.  We waited to be laid off in November.  We waited for our house to sell.  And, miraculously, it did.  God has been there, through all of the waiting. His timing is too slow for our liking, but it's just right for His purposes.  I honestly don't know how anyone could go through this without Him.  And so thankful that we have such supportive and loving family and friends!  We have been so blessed throughout all of this.  And we know that we are one of the many families that are going through this right now.  God is good all the time~  

Life is full right now~

So, we've had Christmas, New Years, sold our house, then Braden's birthday, now packing, and more packing, so that we can move out tomorrow.

It's been an adventure, to say the least!

I'll post pictures as soon as we get moved.

It's been nuts, and poor Braden had a stomach virus for his birthday, so we are going to re-celebrate it after the move.

Gib has completed Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Yeah~~~~~~~~

He is beyond excited.

I'm so proud of him!

We are using Explode the Code 1.5 and the McGuffeys primer set next.

He took the first spelling test, to see if he was ready to do it, and he made 100%.