The Sophia Chronicles...

Happy Girl Alert!

What a sweetie! She's feeling pretty good today and we're thankful.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Jon Manual...

Here is the garden that Jon's been working so hard on.

Farmer Jon...

So far, he's planted tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and peas. We also plan on putting in corn and beans and I may add a pepper plant or two.

Blessings,

Lisa

In a Strange Twist of Events...

We are less one child for the next week. Yes, folks, Evie has left the building.

Sophia's worried that she's next...

I don't know what my parents were thinking but they asked us yesterday if they could take her to Texas and Kansas with them and her cousin Briana. Of course, we didn't want to deprive them of time with their granddaughter so we said yes.

Now, I know that we have four more children but I have to say it's almost like they took them all.

Isaac certainly looks happy...

It's given Eric some extra time for serious father-son talks.

This here's a car, Daddy.

And it's given Eric some extra play time with our quiet guy...

Choo-choo...

The older kids are enjoying the time off also. Jon is finally planting the veggie garden and Allison is hiding in her room playing guitar. I'm taking it easy since I hurt my wrist on Thursday. It's feeling better today but I need it to be ALL better by Monday. Remember folks, the vacuum always wins.lololol

Blessings,

Lisa

Big Daddy and The Sophia Chronicles...

Here's Eric on Sophia duty...

Doesn't he look so happy that she's asleep?

Yep, this is the life...

We're hoping for a good night tonight.LOL Of course, she's already awake from this little nap and fussing beside me right now.(sigh)

Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

This girl is so big, she's graduated to the big bath tub.LOL What a sweetie!

If you all could pray for her and I, I would be so grateful. She's teething something fierce right now and we're going on three days of no sleep. I'm not sure I can go another day of no sleep.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Recipe...

Fried Rice from Miserly Meals...

2tbsp oil
3/4 cup diced onion (I used very little, maybe 1/8 of a cup very thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic, pressed (I used minced)
4 egg whites (I used 2 eggs)
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2tsp ground ginger ( I used fresh)
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

(I also added 2 cups leftover BBQ Chicken, diced, that had sauce on it.)

On medium heat, cook up the onion and garlic in the oil. Add peas and carrots, ginger, chicken, and soy sauce. Cook egg separately and set aside. Add in your rice to the meat and veggies, adjust seasonings. (I added more soy sauce) Add egg and serve.

This was sooooo good! I think the added BBQ sauce really added an authentic taste to this dish. I think I've found the secret to good fried rice....American BBQ sauce!LOL

Enjoy!

Lisa

Book Review...

Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill was a GREAT book! So good, in fact, that I've already requested the next two on Paperbackswap.LOL Debbie recommended a later one on her blog...http://www.follow-the-narrow-path.blogspot.com/ and so I decided I give her a try. Now, I can only read while feeding Sophia so my attention is somewhat divided but I really didn't know who did it, til the end. What a fun series.

Jane, the main character of the book, is a stay at home single mom whose best friend's maid is murdered. She sets out to solve this who done it so that they can feel safe in their neighborhood again. She and her friend get into lots of trouble.

There is some language in the book but otherwise, it was a fun read.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Epic of Isaac...

We've been working hard on potty training today. I am sooooo tired.LOL We had three successes and two misses. I thank God *daily* for my Little Green Machine. Poor, poor Allison. A big "miss" was on her bedroom floor.LOL I'm afraid that these little things will scare the poor dear into never wanting children.

I was pointing out how well he did today and Allison was not amused.LOL All she said was she really missed our tile floors in Miami. I'm glad that this little guy is getting better at this everyday and SOMEDAY he'll be completely potty trained.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Days of Our Genevieve...

My favorite phrase of the day goes to Genevieve. I overheard her in the great room while feeding Sophia.....

"Hey, Allison, look how heavy my brain is!"

Allison said, "Uh-huh, it's big alright."

*snort*

Blessings,

Lisa

My Menu for this week...

Dinner...

Chili-taco salad
Fried rice
Oriental Pepper Steak w/rice
Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, salad
Taco Lentil rice
Heavenly Chicken, salad
Tuna Noodle Casserole, salad


Blessings,

Lisa

Recipe...

California Porkchops are by far my favorite recipe for chops right now. I have a very stringent policy on recipes.LOL

1. They have to be easy. I don't have time for 300 ingredients or 50 different procedures just to get the end result. I'm lucky if I get 15 minutes in the kitchen at one time.lol

2. Everyone has to like it. I'm not a short order cook. It's o.k. if some kids don't like something every once in a while but if it happens too often, then I end up with hungry kids at bedtime or hungry kids at dawn. I don't like either.lol

3. I really like it if it's cheap. Need I say more?LOL

4. It must fill everyone up. It's even worse when I cook a meal, everyone eats like there's no tomorrow, and then are hungry about an hour later. It ends up costing me more than if I'd just served something expensive, like steak.LOL

5. Healthy is a priority but I guess I mean this from the old-fashioned view. All food groups must be represented, low fat is good but not always a standard, and I like for it to be made as natural as possible.

So here's the recipe....I got it from Tam on Xanga...

Crockpot California Pork Chops With Rice (I double this recipe)

4 bone-in pork loin chops (1" thick)
1 to 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine or chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Hot cooked rice

In a skillet, brown pork chops on both sides in oil; transfer to a crock pot. Add garlic to drippings; cook and stir for about 1 min. or until golden. Stir in soy sauce, wine or broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hrs. or until meat is tender. Remove chops. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker. Return chops to crock pot. Cover and cook for at least 30 min. or until slightly thickened. Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings


Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

Sophia has begun babbling! It is so cute to hear her begin to make noises other than crying or burping.lol She just squeals and gurgles and coos all day long. What a blessing to see her grow each day!

Sophia in her Sunday dress...

Sophia perched in her Bumbo seat...

Blessings,

Lisa

The Days of Our Genevieve...

Genevieve loves this program. These cards that she is looking through are the introduction to a sound or sound combo. Veritas Press uses real art to introduce each sound. We use crayons for her writing assignments because they are easier for her to hold. This program is so visually appealing and fun! She decorated a mask yesterday and will be making butter on Monday. Today she had a review of the three letters that she's learned so far and she did great! She had to write the letters from memory corresponding with a picture. She got them all correct and remembered how to write each letter. I'm very happy with this curriculum!

Where is that letter B?

Blessings,

Lisa

The Epic of Isaac...

This is how Isaac eats a banana...he peels one side and then eats it like a boat.lol He can play with mud and other disgusting things but doesn't like to get banana on his hands.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

A Lesson in Economics...

Allison decided to teach the littles about money. She was teaching them how to buy things with money. Notice, it was raining money in my house.LOL I must be pretty lucky to have money rain.

Here, she explains that you must have money to spend money...

Here, Evie is counting her money to see if she has enough for a pickle and sugar...

I'm blessed that Allison enjoys spending time with her little siblings. We were just talking the other day and realized that when Sophia is 15, Allison will be 30! ACK! Scary thought.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

Happy little girl!

Keeping an eye on those bigger siblings...

It's been raining and raining here! I am thankful but it's been keeping me off the computer because of the lightening. Yesterday, I didn't have most of my kids! My MIL took Evie early in the morning and brought her back around 2 and my Mom took the boys out to lunch and got back right before Evie. I had Allison and Sophia. It was a nice break.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Book Review...

Death on the Family Tree by Patricia Sprinkle was not what I was expecting. Can you hear my disappointment? It was dark and intense and not anything like the Southern Series. It's about a woman named Kat who celebrates her 46th birthday by herself and feels like she's fading away. She receives some boxes from the retirement home where her unrelated Aunt passed away and finds somethings that make her want to research her non-Aunt's family tree. What she finds is disturbing. This book is littered with a hugely liberal slant and much ranting. I was sorely disappointed.

I highly recommend reading a different book and not wasting your time with this one.

Blessings,

Lisa

A better view of my Lazy Susan Baby Thing otherwise known as The Lamaze Spin and Explore Baby Gym.LOL


Blessings,

Lisa

My Menu for this week...

I'm exhausted from the day's activities but I wanted to get this on-line before I lost my paper list and we ended up eating eggs all week.LOL The month long list was tiresome and I've decided a 3 week list with a week long of stand ins fits us better. I like to be spontaneous on occasion also.LOL Here's the week...

Hamburgers, fries, salad
Baked Chicken, rice, steamed veggies
Taco Stuff
California Porkchops, noodles, veggie tray
Spaghetti, salad, bread
Roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions, rolls
Soup and bread

The Preschool Rotation...part two

The next rotation for the day was Arts and Crafts...we decided on the messy act of Finger Painting...which turned into Body Art 101...

Evie from behind since we paint without shirts.lol

Isaac and his art...

I'm pretty sure from these photos you can guess what came next.LOL Water Play!

(While they were getting cleaned up, I started some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and fed the baby.)

After bath time, Evie did some Preschool Phonics, while Isaac had a rest time. We worked on the letter M...

Can you tell she's getting tired of the photos?LOL

Once Isaac was done resting for a few minutes, I had Jon take him outside for some fresh air...

Outside Rotation #1

Must make mess...

Are we having fun yet?

Now we've hit most of one rotation today and it's 4:30. Eric will do Story Time with the littles tonight for bedtime and I'm off to make dinner. It's been a pretty good day, just a few snags and scuffles but really good considering everyone and everything that needed done, got done. If the littles have trouble while I'm doing dinner, then I'll go to Play Set Rotation #2 for them and have them play quietly in the kitchen while I work. (separately if needed) Here is the current list of activities for them to choose from....

Play Set Rotation

Play Mobile, Legos, Blocks and cars, Games, Leap Pad, Play Clothes, Store, Kitchen, Puzzles, Puppets, Easy Bake Oven, Doll House, Nuts and Bolts, Marble Works, String Beads and Lace Ups, Feltboard, Train Set, and Kapla Blocks.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Preschool Rotation...

Keeping your little ones busy can be hard. Over the past year I've been working on a system that allows for me to get some work done, shower, and feed and spend time with the baby and still allow for the little ones to have fun and learn at their own pace. After many months of trial and error, this is what I've come up with.

We work on Rotations. We have a Play Set Rotation for our toy room toys, an Outside Rotation, an Arts and Crafts, a Story Time, a Computer Time, and a Preschool Time. Allison and I spent some time together listing all the different activities that we had inside and outside of the house for the littles to do in a given day. We went room to room searching out the different things that the littles play with. We also went through all the different activity books and such that we have in order to get more ideas. Once done, we started organizing them into the different catagories listed above. After we had many different ideas, we would pick one from each catagory going through each of the different areas until we had done one rotation. Here is our first rotation of today...(with my work in () ) I must note that we started this after breakfast and after they had gotten ready for the day. That took about an hour.LOL

Evie

1. Computer Time- First thing this morning, she put in a game from our collection called The Farm (while they worked on Rotation #1, I cleaned the great room, the little's bedroom, collected laundry, and took a shower)

While Evie played The Farm, I got Isaac started playing his first rotation...

Isaac

1.Play Set Rotation- Blocks and Cars...

Once the littles had some time apart we moved on to some Preschool Activities in hopes that they could work together...

Evie and Isaac Preschool Rotation #1- Mighty Minds and Math Manipulatives (I played with Sophia and kept a close eye on them.LOL)

You can't keep me out of the fun!

Around this time, my older kids came down from doing school. They had gotten up a 6:00am and finished their work by 10:30am. At this point, we broke for snack, lunch and some fun with the big kids. I put Sophia to sleep and talked to my sister in VA.

For lunch, Jon decided to poach some eggs for his Culinary Arts program...

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?

Now that we've had a big break, it's back to business. I'll post the second half of the day later...

Blessings,

Lisa

Book Review...

Guess Who's Coming to Die? is the lastest installment of the Throughly Southern Mysteries by Patricia Sprinkle. I really enjoyed this book. It was just as good as the first ones in this series and kept me reading way past my bedtime each night.LOL In this one, MacLaren joins an Investment Club on her husband's request and ends up smack dab into another murder. I had a few ideas as to who did it but didn't guess the right person until late in the book.

I really enjoy Sprinkle's books and am going to try her new book, Death on the Family Tree, next.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Epic of Isaac...

We had a scare with Isaac yesterday. He was outside with big brother and all the sudden started screaming. At first I was afraid that he hurt his hand or wrist. He was covered in dirt so I stuck him in the tub and started questioning Jon. Jon was confused because Isaac was just standing there when he started screaming. After I got him cleaned up, I noticed his thumb was swollen. It turns out he must have been stung by something, probably a wasp! I was kicking myself for putting him in hot water but by then it was too late. Luckily, he didn't get an allergic reaction but we're going to need to be careful now that he's been exposed to that sting. We have severe reactions to stings in our family. He seems no worse for wear this time.

It was so cute. Every time we'd ask to see his thumb, he'd stick his tongue. LOL

I'm so thankful that he's o.k.!

Blessings,

Lisa

Pictures from this morning...

Sophia and big sister having a talk...

Isaac being cute
Genevieve

Blessings,

Lisa

The Littles Running Amok...

Here's Isaac and Genevieve playing in the kitchen with noodles. They had a great time!


Here's my little cutie...love the hat!

Blessings,

Lisa

My Daily Ramblings...

Let's see. What's been going on around here.LOL

WELL, I've been trying to get some reading done so that I at least get something read before the Summer Challenge is over.LOL I've got a couple books started and I'm hopeful that I'll actually get them finished.

We've been dealing with the summer sickies. It looks like most are recovering. Allison, Sophia, and I have a lingering cough but we are getting better each day.

The house is a mess.LOL I've not been up to par and have been just trying to keep up, not make progress in the keeping of my home.

It's been RAINING!!! What a blessing! We need 50 more inches in order to make up for the drought. Hopefully, we won't get it all at once.lol The littles are getting cabin fever. It's either too hot to go outside or it's thunder and lightening. Poor dears. On a positive note, it's been getting me off the computer more.lol

Today, I was desperate so I got out a neat-sheet and spread it out on my kitchen floor, gave the kids bowls, spoons, and Rotini pasta and let them play. They had a great time and it only cost me 79 cents.LOL We also baked bread and a sandwich loaf. Evie also decided to make her own "recipe" that no one would touch with a ten-foot pole even though she kept telling everyone that I was good.LOL I promise you it wasn't.

Evie and I did some phonics today. She's really coming along. VP Phonics is beautiful and so eye-catching! It's like working with real art. I love the creative games and ideas that they have. Tomorrow we'll be painting with apples to go along with our learning the A sound. With in the next few days, she'll be on to the letter M. It is such a full and rich program that we haven't even picked up the other curricula since we started this. I'm very impressed and for a 13 year veteran of homeschooling to say that, it would have to be good.LOL (Not many know that I taught Allison to read before age 2. No I wasn't that great of a teacher, SHE was just really smart.lol)

I made those Donut muffins again today. I have to say that I'm addicted to them. I could eat them all and not even share.lol

Well, I guess that's my week so far. Not too exciting but it's our school year so that keeps us pretty close to home. The older kids are doing so well in their school work! What a blessing! We have several weeks behind us now and things are coming along nicely. We've even added subjects! Allison is taking spanish and Jon is using a wonderful book I found called x+y=dinner for Culinary Arts. It teaches all about cooking and he's been glued to that book. I wish I could remember where I stumbled into this book so I could give credit but it was just one of those following links from one web-site to another until I ended up finding it.LOL If it was one of you all, write me and I'll give you credit.

Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

My girls hamming it up for the camera...

Blessings,

Lisa

The Days of Our Genevieve...

I've been coming up with different titles for each of my children's doings and goings on. We have A Portrait of Allison, The Jon Manual, The Epic of Isaac, The Sophia Chronicles, and now with some brain storming with Allison, we've decided on The Days of Our Genevieve for Genevieve since she's like living with a human soap opera.LOL We tried many different titles before deciding on this one. We tried The Genevieve Opera, The Aftermath of Genevieve, The Comings and Goings of Genevieve, and many more.LOL

Well, that's enough wasting time. The baby calls...LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

A Portrait of Allison...

My poor, poor Allison. First she was allergic to metal. We thought she was just allergic to nickel or cheap metals, so we sprung for the "good" earings. Then maybe it was just cheap and anything gold. I can only wear silver so we decided to try that next. Well, that was a big NO. The earings have been left behind and we've been working on different kinds of fabrics and shells for necklaces and such. We knew that she's allergic to elastic in bathing suits, breaks out during the summer if she wears one too many days in a row but FABRIC? Well, for a few weeks now, she's been breaking out and it turns out she's allergic to the fabric necklaces.LOL We've been joking that if she's allergic to the fabric we'll have to dress her in deer skin or fig leaves so if you see someone sporting an outfit from the early 1400's or from early man and woman you'll know you've met my daughter.

Blessings,

Lisa

A View from my Window

Liz posted a challenge to post A View From Our Window and here's mine...

At first glance, I've got a great view! The pool, the kids, the beautiful new cover for my patio....of course, our neighbor's can be a little noisy. O.k., they couldn't be quieter unless they were dead. Oh, wait, they ARE dead! Yes, we live behind a cemetery. The view is peaceful and we don't have to worry about a strip mall being put in behind us.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Some of my menu is from last week. I was sick and improvised for some days...

Lunch

Ham Salad Sandwiches

Turkey Sandwiches

Ham Provolone Sandwich Loaf

Fish Sticks

Quesadillas

Dinner

BBQ Chicken, Rice, salad

Split Pea Soup, bread

Hamburgers and fries, salad

BBQ Chicken Pizza and salad

Taco Stuff

Hash, salad

Beans and rice, corn bread

Blessings,

Lisa

The Jon Manual...

Here is a report from Jon for History. He's done a great job!(I've tried getting it to post right but the format keeping messing up the paragraphs.)

Blessings,

Lisa

Metallurgy
by Jon Glasnapp

Metallurgy is the science of extracting and working with metals from ores. Metallurgy was founded by Tubal-Cain in pre-Flood times, it has many different styles, and some of them are: Casting, forging, rolling, extrusion, machining and sintering.

The method of forging is when metal is heated until it is red hot, and then it is pounded into the desired shape. The method of forging is much stronger than methods such as machining and casting because the grain flow in the metal is changed to the shape of the object. The method of machining employs the use of saws, drills, etc. To change the shape of a piece of metal, and is very important in mass production. The method of casting is also important in mass production. Casting is the process of melting a piece of metal and pouring it into a mould to get the desired shape. Rolling is the process of using large rollers to turn the metal into a thin sheet of the desired thickness. The process of extrusion is when red hot metal is pushed through a hole of a certain shape, for example, copper pipe for plumbing or titanium aircraft components. Sintering is the process of compressing a metal powder in a specifically shaped mould and heating the powders just below the melting point to create pure products of high strength and durability.

Some of the metals that can be made through the science of metallurgy are: bronze, iron, steel and gold. The process of making bronze requires both tin and copper melted together into an alloy to make bronze, bronze can also be made from copper and zinc which is better known as brass or it can be made from copper and aluminum which is for mostly industrial purposes. Bronze is better than iron in most applications, it does not corrode past the surface and is not as brittle. Brass is mainly used in decoration and extensively in the field of instruments; Brass is also used in pluming, electrical appliances and ammunition for rifles and pistols. Industrial bronze is stronger and less corrosive than other bronze alloys and that has led it to use as ship propellers, use in oil industries, seawater related uses and its gold-like color has led it to be used in some types of jewelry.

Iron is a metal that is extracted from ores and is almost never found in its pure form. Iron is the main component in steel and is very important in alloys, but not always in metallic alloys it is also used in iron-carbon alloys. Steel is an iron-carbon alloy with a very low percentage of carbon (about 0.02%) Steel is one of the most commonly used metals on the planet, although it is rarely found naturally. Iron and steel are used commonly in the making of roads and railroads; steel is used in the making of most modern structures, such as: The skeletons of skyscrapers and stadiums, roller coasters and is also used for personal/vehicle armor and surgical tools.

The process of metallurgy is very complicated, meaning it couldn’t happen at random. So with all the complications of metallurgy, I would love to see evolutionary man A.K.A. great, great, great, etc. “uncle Throg” figure without the help of the divine creator. With all this information it is quite obvious that none of this was just one big mistake like a monkey-man or “uncle Throg” accidentally dropping a rock of copper into a fire and discovering that they could make stuff with it, but that it was because of God created us as intelligent people.

The Sophia Chronicles...

Guess what we did yesterday...

Yep, the poor little girl got her first cold and was not a happy camper. Allison and I took turns all day and night yesterday until she finally fell asleep at 11:00 last night. Thanks to the prayers of everyone on SHS, she slept all night and woke up fever free this morning. What a blessing!

Lisa

The Epic of Isaac...

A Peter Pan moment...

We bought this thing during our desperate attempt to soothe Sophia during her colic stage. She hated it but Isaac really likes it.LOL Whenever he's upset, he climbs right in, turns it on, and lets it rock him back and forth. He's really too heavy for it but at least it's getting some use.lol

Blessings,

Lisa

The Epic of Isaac...

If you've been wondering what Isaac's been up to lately....

He's been working very hard in the yard.

This is what happens when you leave an older brother in charge of a younger brother.LOL

Blessings,

Lisa

Catching up...

I'm sure you all are wondering why I've gone to photos only...LOL. Well, I caught the Mother Of All Colds on Monday and have just barely been funtioning. I am slowly coming back to life and am thankful that Sophia hasn't caught this.

On a brighter note, I needed to go to Kohls today for some clothing for myself! I prayed last night, right before bed that I wouldn't spend more than $50 out of my bank account. I have a bad habit of spending a lot in this store. Well, after everything was all rung up, it totalled $50.02.LOL What a blessing! I've been losing so much weight that I didn't have ANY shorts that fit me any longer, I now have 3 new pair and I was able to buy some things for Sophia and Isaac. Allison spent her own money for some new tops and capris. It was not a fun outing but very productive! Nothing like taking 5 kids to a clothing store for things to get a little sticky.LOL I think my Mom, who went with us, was a little over whelmed.LOL I've decided to leave them home from now on. At least until Sophia is a little easier to manage. She pretty much screamed the whole time and I ended up brea$tfeeding her throughout the whole store. Not an easy feat when she's already 17 pounds.LOL I just wish they would behave better! I really don't know how to make that happen. (sigh)

I think the kids are going to go swimming today and Allison has her first Youth Bible study tonight so dinner will be early. Have a great evening!

Blessings,

Lisa

Review for SRC

I bought some back issues of this magazine on a whim. They seemed like they would be old fashioned and delightful to me! I didn't have a clue as to the actual worth of these until I received the first 5 issues in the mail. What a treat! They are extremely well written, have pertinent articles for today's times in them. I loved the first 5 issues so much that I've ordered the last four this week. Unfortunately, they are not going to be making any new ones but the author has her own blog that looks to be a real treasure. Here's her blog... http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?tab=weblogs&user=MrsCatherine&uid=246494196

And here's the magazine's website... http://www.makingithomemagazine.com/

Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

Here's the little sweetie enjoying her new toy...

Blessings,

Lisa

The Jon Manual...

Jon passed his first engineering challenge. Putting together this Baby Einstein bouncy thing.LOL He says that it was designed by a 40year old rocket scientist who was laid off and took this job instead.

Evie astounded by Jon's engineering prowess.

Team work.
Ah, success!

Good job, Jon!

Blessings,

Lisa

The Sophia Chronicles...

Here's Sophia's newest toy...the Lamaze Spin and Explore Gym. She really likes this although she gets tired easily.

Blessings,

Lisa