Waldorf Salad

I love Waldorf Salad, but I have never made it. I just normally ask my Mom to make it for me, but this past Sunday I was really hungry for it and my Mom wasn't here. So I called my Mom and she gave me some vague idea of how to make it. There is a picture below of the end result! It was absolutely delicious!

Happy 10th Birthday, Samuel!

We had a very busy day. Jeff worked five hours today while the kids and I went to a few garage sales. Then we drove over to meet Jeff after he got off work so that we might drop off his car for repair.

Last Saturday on our way to home school convention, Jeff's car met with a deer. In meeting with that deer, Jeff's car received over $5,000 worth of damage. So his car will be in the shop for the next several weeks.

After dropping off his car, we went to On the Border for lunch to celebrate Samuel's 10th birthday! We had a delicious meal! Then we did a little shopping before coming home. I finished picking up a couple of small things for Samuel's birthday.

After we got home, Jeff gave the kids soccer goals which they promptly put together so they could play soccer. I didn't even think to take pictures.

Our time away from home got to be so long that Sam and I went to Marsh Bakery and picked up a cake for his birthday. It is chocolate with whipped icing. Yum!

Samuel wanted Caramel-Fudge Chocolate Cake but was satisfied with a bakery cake with the promise of the aforementioned cake within the next week.

Samuel - Age 10

Boys will be boys!

Samuel and his two sisters!

A Hammer!

An Animal Caller - quite noisy!

Samuel checking out his new SAS Survival Guide!

I am so tired, I am falling asleep while trying to finish this post. I can only hope that what I have written makes sense!

Homeschool Convention

I thoroughly enjoyed Midwest Homeschool Convention this year. On Thursday, my sister Holly and I drove to Cincinnati for the evening. It was the first time my sister had ever been to a homeschool convention and it was my third time to be back at the convention in Cincinnati. We enjoyed our short time together. She was unable to go the next day due to not having anyone to watch her kids. So Jeff and I went on both Friday and Saturday.


On Thursday my in-laws drove in from Kansas so that they could watch our kids on Friday and Saturday enabling Jeff and I to go alone. Thank you both so much for doing that for us.


I gleaned many helpful nuggets from the sessions I attended that will enable me to pull together curricula for yet another school year. In one session, the speaker laid out overall goals for the entire 12 years of schooling a child that helped me to see why we are doing what we are doing. I am a big picture person so this was very helpful for me.

Easter 2009

We spent Easter weekend with my Mom and two of my sisters - Holly and Heidi. It has been many years since I spent Easter with either of them. I really don't remember the last time I would have spent Easter with them. Below are a few pictures from our weekend together. We missed our two sisters that weren't able to be there.

All five children!

Our three boys

And two girls!

Curtis

Samuel

Alex

Briana

Julissa

The kids with their Easter baskets.

My sister Holly and her husband Tim.

Tim and Holly's five children.

My sister Heidi and her husband Mike.

I also got to meet two fellow bloggers: Nancy of The Burcaw Bunch and Barb of The Sannes News. Thank you both for taking time to come and introduce yourselves while I was visiting in your part of the country. I really enjoyed meeting both of you.

Visitors on the Front Lawn

Today as we were sitting at the dining room table working on schoolwork, we happened to look at the window and see two mallard ducks walking across the front lawn. By the time I got my camera and got out the door, they had crossed the street and were in the neighbor's front lawn.


Daddy Duck

Mama Duck

There they go!

Another sign of spring!

Daffodils

To an Early Daffodil
by Amy Lowell

Thou yellow trumpeter of laggard Spring!
Thou herald of rich Summer's myriad flowers!
The climbing sun with new recovered powers
Does warm thee into being, through the ring
Of rich, brown earth he woos thee, makes thee fling
Thy green shoots up, inheriting the dowers
Of bending sky and sudden, sweeping showers,
Till ripe and blossoming thou art a thing
To make all nature glad, thou art so gay;
To fill the lonely with a joy untold;
Nodding at every gust of wind to-day,
To-morrow jewelled with raindrops. Always bold
To stand erect, full in the dazzling play
Of April's sun, for thou hast caught his gold.

A Beautiful Spring Day!

The boys enjoyed playing out in the creek and the woods behind our house today. It is a beautiful 72 degrees outside.

Alex guiding his boat with Sam looking on.

A path through the woods that has been worn by many a child's feet.

An old fallen tree.

The river bed

Signs of Spring!

It looks like spring is finally on its way for which I am very thankful. I have been more anxious for spring this year than I ever remember being before. It was also wonderful switching our clocks ahead because it provides more daylight in the evening. Yeah!


New buds on our maple tree.

Fun in the Shade

Briana and Julissa

Briana holding "Diana Barry"

Julissa holding "Diana Barry"

I am not sure what happened to Anne Shirley. She must have been left indoors today.