Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

The younger children had a surprise for me this morning. They had decorated for Thanksgiving and were so excited they didn't want me to come downstairs until they were finished.

Here is a close up of the sign.

Here we are, ready to dig in.

A picture from the other end of the table...to prove that I was here.

Jester baked the pies. He experimented with two different brands of pumpkin...using milk in one and evaporated milk in the other. Both had the same spices. One was definitely better than the other, but he couldn't remember which one was which after he pulled them from the oven. Oh well, maybe he can try again next year.

When no one was looking, Prince Charming helped himself to a little pie. He explained himself to us..."Well, you left it right at my level, and it looked so good, how could a little guy like me resist? What did you expect? Look, you didn't even have to cut it into bite size pieces for me." (In his language it sounded more like....Uggle blaggle fuggle maggle flaggle dwaggle duggle ug.)

I am thankful that I have little fingers in my house to destroy pies. I am thankful that my house is full of activity and so noisy that I have a hard time taking a nap during the day. I am thankful I have a husband who loves me, and extended family I can count on. I am thankful for our church fellowship and a Heavenly Father who loves me.

What are you thankful for?

My New Diamond

The King made it home from California.

I was ever so happy to have him home again.

One week without my love is just way too long.

He must have missed me too.

He brought me a diamond....

He knows I've been wanting a new diamond...in honor of our 20th wedding anniversary.

I'd always heard they do things big in Texas.

But Californians must think bigger.

This diamond is flawless...and colorless...and HUGE.

The thought was nice but I don't think I will be able to wear it.

I would have to pull my hand around in a wagon.

The best part is that he had it personalized.

Engraved on top is his name, the name of his company, and a dollar amount.

It's a shame to waste such a beautiful stone, but I think it will make a fine paperweight.

Next time I tell him I want a diamond, I'll be a little more specific.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Scribe!

You are a blessing to our family.

Your joyful spirit is contagious.

How did we get so lucky?

We love you!

Just For Daddy...

The King has been in California since Sunday and is missing the Royal Members of his family. So this is for you Daddy...from Prince Charming:

"We miss you and can't wait for you to come home. Make sure you buy Mommy one of those hooded San Diego sweatshirts again. Her old one is looking...old. Don't get her another pink one. And don't buy us any plastic toys that may be dangerous to our health."


"I have been a really good helper around here. I clean out the school cabinet for Mommy. Then she has to re-organize it. I think it is really funny to hear her groan when she sees all the stuff on the floor. See you tomorrow. I've been saving lots of kisses for you."

(Mommy wants you to know that she is saving some things for you too...a few of my messes. It's just to break you back in, and make you feel like a part of the family again.)

Prince Charming

Try This...

Can you find 30 books of the Bible in the paragraph below? A friend brought it over yesterday and I was obsessed. I went to bed last night with only one to find. I woke up once at 2:30 a.m. thinking about which book I could have missed. (Truly obsessed.) I finally went online this morning to find the one I missed. It was Ruth, but that's the only hint you are going to get from me! Go print it off at this site (for a more accurate placement of the words). Have fun and let me know how you do.

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

If you are stumped, click here for the solution.

What Sup? Vocabulary Fraud Exposed

We use Sequential Spelling in our Home School. The concept of this product is that spelling is taught by using word families (bat, bats, batted, batting). It really works. I am surprised at how well the boys are spelling after just a few weeks of using the program.

A tutorial was included for the first seven days. Here's an example: "The last word for today is spin. I would like to spin the wheel on Wheel of Fortune." spin. After day eight I was on my own. You may think that teaching spelling to a 4th and 5th grader is easy. Think again. Some days within the list of 25 words I give them, there may be a word or two unfamiliar to me.

When I come across these words, I have a hard time putting them into sentences. Rather than take the time to find my dictionary and the definitions, I revert back to what I learned in High School, to scam my way through. One particular day, a strange yet seemingly familiar word was listed. "Word number four is sup. What sup boys? sup." Squire and Scribe gave me a funny look, but didn't say anything...probably because they were fearful I would assign some dictionary work after spelling. After a few moments they both spelled the word accurately.

There was a second word on that list that had me stumped. Would I be able to hornswoggle them twice in one day? "Word number eighteen is flout. I hope you know what flout means. flout." They blankly stared at me. Neither one of them attempted to write the word. Finally Squire broke the silence, "You don't know what that means do you?" Pandora's box had been opened. Scribe grew increasingly confident as his brother confronted me and chimed in, "You didn't know what sup was either." I had been exposed. I was a vocabulary fraud.

I had no choice but to pull out my Webster's, look up the words, and try to redeem myself. "O.k., flout. When you flout, you are mocking or insulting someone. flout." They patiently waited as I flipped through the S pages of my dictionary. "When you sip liquid into your mouth, a little at at time, you sup. You also sup when you make or provide supper (the evening meal)." They were satisfied with the definitions and didn't question any of my other sentences as I made my way to the bottom of the list.

I learned a couple of valuable lessons that day. First, I need to make sure I am prepared for our spelling class. Now that I have been exposed as a vocabulary fraud, the boys will no longer be so easily conned. Secondly, it is best to not flout your children's intelligence by asking, "What sup?" Instead it would be better to ask them, "Hey boys, wanna help sup?"