tea & honey...

sorry to have been so absent...
Colds can take their time or take out a whole rank in a big family. this past two weeks it seems to have been doing both in ours.

along with the cold that is making its rounds and putting the local stores out of lemons and toilet paper for noses i am still getting my feet under me this quarter at college.
with three 5 credit classes in my schedule this time...i have been asking myself what the heck i am doing.
with the economy though there isnt any other choices to be able to get my family on its feet financially though so college and all of the craziness it brings when you have a family and are the only adult in it..is it.

enough of that...lots of frost still happening here, so its cold.

zack and aliss have tried an online curriculum through the school district...i dont like it. i dont like the amount of work for the timeframe they have. they wont be retaining a bit of it. this is what a mom gets when she doubts herself...a whole lotta frustration and time wasted trying something else out.
i am now talking with other homeschool moms to get my creative juices flowing..i dont have money to buy new stuff so thats where the creativity comes in. lol! many others who have come before me schooled their kids on minimum money and so can i. :o) that was a pep talk to myself i think.

well, i am sure i have been random enough for you with all of the thoughts (not all of them really) running through my mind ...have a great weekend! stay away from people who cough

Lori xo

January picnic anyone?...

I am still going through photos of the weekend of warm weather. It was strange but thoroughly appreciated by everyone. My girls love to make food and Sophie jumped at the opportunity to have a picnic. There is a vacant field kiddy korner from us that the kids use whenever they don't want to use our yard.

On the menu was applesauce, grilled cheese (she makes them in the toaster oven) and something else in that last baggie but I cant figure out what it is.


Happy Monday to you!

Lori xo

waking up...

This past week has brought a ton of sun to us. The whole neighborhood is waking up from the winter hibernation. The temps are still a bit chilly but no-one is complaining. We have sure been taking full advantage of it here at my house.


Playing::
zack on his waveboard
Hannah pulling Aliss


Working::
The wood we bought seems to have dried out a bit so we have been doing some chopping. I can't say enough times how relieved I am to be able to get to the point past all of the Chiropractic, Physical Therapy and Massage to be able to take care of what needs to be taken care of around here. Granted, there is a lot of stretching afterward to ward off problems from the strain on my neck and back but---I did it!..and so did Aliss and Tessa. :o)Tessa wears some mighty fine shoes to chop wood huh? Ever the fashion queen. :o)


Resting::
Hope you find some play, work and rest in your weekend!
Lori xo

$5...

In December of 2007 we had a terrible storm in our area with hurricane force winds coupled with massive amount of rain, our area was declared a national emergency area with FEMA and all that comes with that.
Many historic buildings were ruined because of water damage and mold. One of the buildings is in our hometown. It has been a clothing and what not building for more years than I have been alive. A buyer has purchased it with plans to make it back into a grand hotel; I hope that they do.
boy, my floor needs a good stiff brush and murphy's oil soap-this weekend!

I told my kids about the shoes I had when I was young and it was the 70's. They were leather uppers that laced up and the bottoms were like a roller coaster without the loop de loops.

We found them! Aliss now wears the EXACT shoes (tan ones above)....I am giddy, giddy I say that my daughter is wearing the shoes I did when I was a girl. Sophie and Hannah also got shoes. Leather shoes for $5.

my word....

Hannah owns the ones in this picture. The minutes she saw them she said *oh mom!, they are perfect reporter shoes!*
That's my girl...the same one who loves to set up her antique typewriter and have a cup of coffee (mostly milk) to type out the news.

The owners 0f the building have been selling off furniture that decorated the old hotel rooms and odds and ends in getting ready for the new owners. There are many things that I would LOVE to have, one of them being the be-u-tiful metal bedframe for $199. Oh my gosh....well worth the price they put on it but out of mine.

I love it that my children share a piece of my childhood.
Lori xo

warning: don't read if you are a vegetarian

I am really enjoying my new stove/oven. Kinda glad the other one gave out, although I could have lived without using a toaster oven for 2 days, but we lived. Made a ham and rubbed brown sugar alllll over it too...


I even got to watch it through the oven window, where the above shot was taken...weeeeee!

mmmm...turned out so juicy.
Yesterday Sophie and I took some time to do some tlc to the stove too. I was taking off the drip pans and burners when she wandered in. She got right into the act...we cleaned the drip pans, lifted up the stove top and wiped under there clean, opened the oven up and wiped that all down too.
What a fine worker she is! I love having one of the kids working beside me. :o)

Lori xo

Late Christmas Goodness from Etsy...

I haven't had a chance to show some of the goodies that Tessa traded her handcrafts for to other Etsians yet and didn't want it to become June before I got a chance so here we go~

muddymoose has lip gloss in the slidey tins---have loved slidey tins since I was little
juicychristians made the most beautiful pendant...i love the colors and that it has writing on it.
mudhutt made a very cute ceramic plaque that Tes got a stand to put it on too.
DazzleDot's oatmeal soap..what great texture and smell.
my skin will be beautiful!

All of my children got me such thoughtful presents for Christmas but I wanted to give a shout out to these wonderful Etsy sellers for trading with my girl..(and to my girl for getting me such great gifts!) They make me proud to be a fellow Etsian.

Lori xo

Hello, i hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Life was busy but good here at my house. We spent some time doing some shopping (quite a bit of time is needed to keep food in the kitchen for the kids-i think they are all growing again).

watched silly kitties in what they think are their new condos
spent some time watching the neighborhood birds in the snow and then after the snow...we had some Oregon juncos, robins, starlings and chickadees..and of course always seagulls. lol
we got to be personal shoppers for my mom and stepdad for a special friend who lives local to us and deliver Christmas presents to him.
and just hang out with each other (i stole the giddy-up shirt and skirt set out of my shop for Sophie for Christmas--she loves it!) Hannah just had to have Sophie squeeze in the space shuttle with her..
i am back to college today and am really looking forward to the consistency of this new schedule in regards to how the day will run with the kids at home and Tessa's job. today was the first day and it went pretty smooth all around. We got a new stove today too since our old one bit the dust...we can actually see in the window to the oven and the light works too. oh joy!...

hoping your new year has brought with it all kinds of reasons to be thankful!
Lori xo