mommy's helper

I love when Elliott helps me sew.  I think she does too...

our daily bread

Recently we've been making this bread at home, and I thought I'd share it with you in case anyone else was interested in giving it a try.  I'm no pastry chef, and I've never kneaded a loaf of bread in my life.  I'm loving this recipe because it's simple, doesn't require endless kneading and punching, and makes enough in one batch to make 3 loaves (bake one, keep the remaining dough in the fridge until you're ready to make another - it keeps for several days).  

I also like that while it's 100% whole wheat (and preservative-free), it has milk and honey in it, so it tastes good, too.  Now, if any of my friends out there make their own apple butter, I'd love you to send some my way to spread on this toast!!  

Here's where you can find a link to the recipe (and some other quick, make-in-bulk bread dough recipes, too):  Fresh Baked Bread

wyatt's back to school splash bash

Wyatt has a winter birthday (which we were out of the country for last year), and he's always wanted to have a pool party.  So we told him this summer he could have a Back to School Bash.  We invited some awesome people and trekked out to Sean's parents' house, where everyone had a great time!  I really didn't do a great job taking pictures (too busy talking, I guess), but here are a few from the day.

A few kids hanging in the pool (this had to be the emptiest the pool was all day - it seemed like most of the time they were swimming on top of each other).

Some of the boys playing football (which is probably why the pool was empty when I took the picture above).

Big kids standing around texting (of course).

Elliott lounging around.

Emma riding a Gator (goooooo Gators!!  Her dad was thrilled that she loved it so much.)

Moms hanging around.

The swimming pool cake.

The man of the hour.

Thanks to all our friends for joining us!  What a fun way to kick off the school year!

right now...

Today is a birthday.  When I was younger I spent these days thinking of how things would be on birthdays to come.  I'm not yet old enough to spend this day looking back on how things were on birthdays in the past.  So, today I'm looking around me and giving thanks for where I am right now.

Right now I am:

:: enjoying the beautiful birthday flowers pictured above.

:: grateful for a loving husband who thinks I'm way more awesome than I really am.  And tells me so.  All the time.

:: amazed by the recent growth - physically, but most important emotionally and spiritually - of my 12-year-old.  I couldn't be more proud of how compassionate, sensitive, thoughtful and kind he is.  I learn from him every day.  [I love you Kellen!]

:: giggling at an exploit of my 9-year-old.  As usual.  He takes life head-on with energy and fire, and always a smile.  He makes everyone around him laugh because he isn't afraid to laugh at himself.  [I love you, too, Wyatt!]

::  wishing so hard that my 2-year-old wasn't getting so big so fast.  Her spirit is one-of-a-kind, and can only be described with one word:  joyful.  She's convinced the world is hers, and she loves everything about it.  [Elliott, you are my joy.]

:: counting myself lucky to have some incredible and true friends (some of whom are actually family - you hear me sisters-in-law).  You make my life easier, and a whole lot more fun.

::  blessed beyond measure by a great big God who loves little ole me.  Seriously blows my mind.

:: on pins and needles for the start of football season!  (hey - it couldn't all be sap!)

Hope you're loving your right now as much as I am mine....

our littlest pupil

Probably the most common question I get from people who are curious about our homeschool (besides, "are you crazy?") is "what does Elliott do all day?"  I snapped a couple shots of her the other day while we were doing school:

Peekaboo!!

She hangs around the classroom with us, most often dressed as a butterfly or princess or ballerina.  She "reads" books and practices her "writing" - usually on paper or her whiteboard, but not always.  (I don't remember Kellen or Wyatt ever writing on the walls, so I guess she's making up for both of them.)  She persuades her brothers to break from their work for "coffee" parties with her (smart girl, doesn't have tea parties).  In general, she has herself a good time.  No one who knows Elliott is surprised by that - she has fun no matter where she is or what she's doing.  Wish everyone enjoyed life as much as that little girl!

the "one half" skirt

We all have our own ways of procrastinating.  Most of us - at least the normal ones - would much rather idle away on facebook, peruse our favorite blogs or watch TV than do laundry or dishes.  My time-wasters are watching football (college usually, but after an 8-month drought I'll take whatever I can get) and crafting/sewing.

Last night when I should've been folding laundry, I combined my 2 favorite time drains and ended up with what I call the One Half skirt - as in, it took me one half of a football game* to make.  I found the idea here for what they called "Lazy Day" skirts, and since I had this fabric and ribbon lying around, I decided to give it a try. 

There's no gathering or pattern involved - just a simple elastic waist band and a ribbon hem.  I can tell this kind of skirt is going to be a favorite for me and Miss Priss both - when she put it on this morning, she said (in her "voice of awe" usually reserved for all things princess) "mommy it's byoooful."  Yep, we may make another tonight before dinner.  

*A football game in which Tim Tebow made his NFL debut and scored his first NFL touchdown.  Go Timmy!!!

first day of school

I already posted that Wednesday was our first day of school, but, since peeps are always asking me what a homeschool day "looks" like, I thought I'd update with a few photos.

Kellen and Wyatt are stoked about their new laptops for doing work. 

The first day of school is always "pajama day."  Awe, who am I kidding?  Half our school days are pajama days. 

Elliott was helping me teach from her mini whiteboard.  She was in a very butterfly-ish mood that day.

I have to show you some of the classroom revisions I'm so stoked about.  Come on girls - which of us hasn't complained about the boring, fashionless options available for office supplies?  My friend Amye wrote a very thoughtful article once for DICTA (the Knoxville Bar Association's monthly mag) in which she decried the lack of choices, and how the pale manila folder doesn't do favors for any girl's complexion.  Well, ladies, Hobby Lobby heard our cries.

You can't really see them all in these pics, but I got notepads, an accordian file, file folders, a notecard holder (which actually holds our curriculum CDs), cork board push pins and even a coffee cup, and they all coordinate with the fabric I bought (also at Hobby Lobby) to make the table cloth.  I used some matching dot ribbon to cover the ugly aluminum trim around our big whiteboard and to trim our cork bulletin board.   Add 2 tubes of coordinating acrylic paint to give some new life to Elliott's old whiteboard easel and for our school letters, and voila, our classroom makeover!

Three cheers for GCDS!

GCDS2.0

It's been an action-packed 24-hours for this prego.  We started yesterday with an early morning ultrasound.  Then we took in a midday movie with some super cool peeps, Kellen's sometimes-twin Alex and his mom and sister.  (Warning:  if you're going to see Charlie St. Cloud, take tissues.  I had already read the book, knew exactly what to expect, and bawled like a baby anyway.  Thanks for the tissue pack, Beth!)  I finished off the day with late night coffee with my BFF and didn't get in bed til almost midnight!  

Cramming so much fun in one day can only mean one thing - summer's closing and school's firing up.  True enough - today is the first day of school at GCDS!

We're really excited about GCDS2.0.  We've revamped the classroom, gotten new interactive curriculum, and ordered these T-shirts, which we love.  I mean, you gotta show a little school spirit, right?  Here's what the back looks like:

A little tongue in cheek, but perfect for this bunch of learning-loving hillbillies.  (Oh we're hillbillies, all right.  Just ask my family in other parts of the country.)  

What was that?  Think I heard the school bell - off we go! 

it's a ....

I can't believe it was almost 3 years ago that we started this blog, to announce that Kellen and Wyatt were going to have a baby sister.  Remember that post?  Turns out Kellen and Wyatt were totally right about their little sister being SOOOOO spoiled.  Can't believe they saw that coming...

Anyway - now for today's very de ja vu-ey post!!! 

Number 4

is

a

BABY BROTHER!!!

Yes, I know - I just put a picture of our little guy's manhood on display for the whole world wide web.  Sorry, #4!  These gender pictures crack me up - the ultrasound tech always puts an arrow on the image.  I guess that's to make sure you know what you're looking at.  Not that there's any guessing involved here.  #4 is definitely a boy, and we can't wait to meet him!

ONE MORE MONTH!!!

This is the time of year that drives me nuts:  the SEC coaches meetings and media days are in the past, and there's nothing to do but wait for the football season to start.  Normally, I would at least have the first couple days of fall practice to look forward to, but since the Gators are closing all practices this fall (which start tomorrow), I've got no choice but to wait for the season opener on September 4th to see the 2010 Gators.

So, since we have nothing to do but wait - let's talk football fashion!  We're people of tradition, and we tend to wear the same thing on football game days all season long (unless we lose a game - in which case we set those clothes on fire).  I've got some of the family ready for the year, but not all of us.  Elliott's covered, thanks to this adorable dress her Aunt Sara made for her:

The embroidery says "Gator Girl Elliott" in case you couldn't make it out.  When it gets colder, we'll add a long sleeve shirt and tights underneath, but she's basically good to go for the season.  For me, I'm trying to decide between this:

and this:

(looks JUST like me, doesn't she?)

Wyatt has worn a new #15 Tebow jersey each year for 3 years, and I guess old habits are hard to break.  We know, we know, "He's gone.  Let it go."  But we couldn't help ourselves, and we bought Wyatt this:

I figure he can wear it to the Swamp, because it's still orange and blue after all.

Sean has a lucky Nike golf shirt - which is the same style Urban wears - and I'm sure he'll wear that again this year (now that his "hey Kiffin" smack talk shirts are useless), but I don't know what to do about Kellen.  He's had several styles of Gator golf shirts:  solid blue, blue/white striped.  Maybe this year he can go with orange.  Or who knows, maybe we'll get REALLY crazy and he won't even wear a golf shirt!  All I know is the countdown is on, and we can't WAIT to be in the Swamp a month from today!!!

still more sleepover guests!

Last week my brother Robert and his wife Wendy came to Knoxville for a visit, along with my nieces and nephew, Sarah, Lee and Emma Grace.  To say they kept us busy is the understatement of all time - but we had a blast boating, hiking, and spending a day at Splash Country.  

Their first day here we headed up to the lake to spend the day tubing and cliff jumping.   Robert and Sean decided to take the big cliff (which we think is about 60 feet).  

That little black/blue dot in the picture is Robert.  Need to see it close-up?  I think you should (the picture of his face is truly worth a 1,000 words).

The kids had a lot of fun, too!  Here's my niece, Sarah, posing for the camera.

My pictures of Lee are all action shots because, like my boys, he wouldn't stop having fun long enough for me to take a picture.

And Emma Grace's pictures all feature Elliott, since the two were rarely apart.

The kids (including the grown up ones) did a lot of tubing, rope swinging and cliff jumping.  I captured some of the action, including Robert's awesome wipeout!

A couple notes about the video - when Lee was tubing, the screens were still up from an afternoon shower - sorry about that.  And I didn't get any video of Sarah on the tube because Elliott was requiring my attention at the time - which is too bad because she went on a heck of a ride and had a GREAT wipeout at the end.  Trust me, you hate that you missed it.  

And speaking of great wipeouts, I had a bunch of pictures and video which I took with my phone of the hike we all took the next day to Grotto Falls.  Sadly though, when I set my phone down on a FLAT rock to take some pictures with Robert and Wendy's camera, my phone had a little wipeout of its own.  As my friend Darsi put it, the poor thing had an unsuccessful water landing - but she's now living the high life in a Smoky Mountain stream.  May she rest in peace.  The hike was great, even if it did turn out to be 6.8 miles (no easy feat when you're carrying a 2-year-old on your back and another tyke in your uterus)!

Robert and Wendy were kind enough to give the prego a day off after the hike (to take Elliott to the doctor for swimmers' ear), but they weren't about to rest for a day.  They took Kellen and Wyatt and their 3 kiddos to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge (which my boys are STILL talking about - they made us watch Titanic the movie yesterday!), and for a round of Old MacDonald miniature golf.   We all headed back up to the mountains again the following day for a FULL day at Splash Country.  Those Kanes sure know how to make the most of their vacation!!!  And we definitely enjoyed having them here.  Hope to see you guys again soon!