A Facebook Family Reunion

I'd be the first to admit the social network phenomenon, Facebook, can drain away a day's productive work time and entice the user into the obsessive nature of posting and checking status updates.  I have also realized there can be positive aspects of Facebook. 

Growing up in an military family, I've made and lost many friends over the years.  Facebook has allowed me to find these friends and reconnect.  I've been able to reconnect my mom with some of her long lost friends by finding their children on Facebook.  Occasionally, I find an acquaintance who is in a similar life situation (homeschool mom, Christian, etc.) and we develop a friendship based on our common interests.  It also allows me to quickly update family and friends in a concise manner.  I know it's not as personal as a phone call, but sadly, some days all I have is a couple minutes.

All of this leads to the latest of my Facebook great moments.  A story.

Long, long ago in a land far, far away lived a dysfunctional American family.  In this family were a group of young cousins.  These young cousins gathered at their grandparents' house and played.  They made a couple memories together.  Suddenly, one day they were gone.  Never to be seen again. 

Over 40 years passed.  There names had been changed.  The memories faded.  Life continued on, but for one girl the memory of these lost cousins would not fade away. 

As a young girl, growing up she would lay in bed awake praying for every member of her family by name, wondering where they might be, hoping they would one day meet again.  As she got older, sadly her hope began to fade.  She quit praying for the miracle that they would one day be part of her life.  She quit praying for them by name.  She got on with life just like everyone else.  Time passed.  She thought of them maybe a couple times a year, but there were no faces to the names, no hope of finding them.  Just an empty void.

Facebook enters the scene.  The girl begins to think about family and friends lost over the years and these cousins come to mind.  She wondered if they'd be on Facebook.  But how would she find people with different last name than their given name?  Think, think, think.  At one time she knew their new last name.  Like a gift from God, she remembered.  That night, about eight months ago, she took a chance.  What did she have to lose?  She had already lost these precious family members.  Completing a name search on Facebook she found all three of her long lost cousins.  She looked at their photos.  They looked familiar. They have a family resemblance.  She sent them messages letting them know they were her long losts. 

Two of the three responded.  First reactions: shock, surprise, anger.  Defenses were up.  They had a new life.  What did they need from this girl they knew nothing about?  She brought back bad memories for them.  Time doesn't heal all wounds, but maybe these cousins could have a friendship restored.  There were no promises other than to be a "Facebook Friend."  That was good enough for the girl.  She had found them. 

The months passed and they messaged her they'd like to meet.  Joy.  The meeting was planned.  What would happen?  Would they like her?  She wasn't worried.  She knew the situation was in God's hands.  He was the architect of this gathering.  He would bridge the lost years and rebuild the relationship.

They met at Disneyland.  Perfect.  Safe.  There would be entertainment if the conversation dragged.  It didn't.  The air was filled with stories, lost history, and current events.  Slowly the defenses were let down and the laughter took over. 

They spent three days together.  The cousins and kids got to know each other.  Another brother came to join the reunion.  Laughter erupted all evening. 

Prayers were answered.  These three cousins have been reunited.  They will not be separated.  One cousin commented on the 40 years lost, "What a waste."  Yes.  Time lost without family is very sad, but time will no longer be lost or wasted.

I thank God that He restores relationships.  I am blessed to have these two men and their families in my life.

Day 1- I'm not sure he's too sure about this whole thing

Cousin, his wife, and me

Cousin Littles

The Long Lost Family

Sweet times

Great People!

Capt. Humorous

Cousins

The kids with Capt. Humorous

Celebrating Birthdays

This year I told the kids we weren't going to go crazy with birthdays.  In the past, I've planned, organized, and stressed about elaborate parties that make for great memories, but leave me overwhelmed and the kids are left expecting bigger and better the following year.  When one birthday is over they seem to immediately begin talking about the next one.  It's not that I don't want to celebrate my sweet, precious children, I just don't want to add additional stress and expectation. 

Birthdays used to be a gathering of friends, a couple games, cake and ice cream and gifts.  We'd get dressed up to go to the party have an afternoon of fun with friends and then go home.  I think moms were expected to bake a cake, plan a couple games, namely pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and that was it.  You knew you hit a big time party if there was a pinata.

Nowadays, the gamut of parties fills internet websites.  I've known moms who created and painted barnyard scenes from huge cardboard boxes, hired professional entertainers, and built castle backdrops for princess parties.  I've created versions of television game shows for the kids to participate in, enlisted friends to help in pampering for spa parties, and the list goes on. 

Ususally, I have a lot of energy for the first family birthday in April, but run out of steam for our last June birthday.  My precious June birthday boy.  He has great birthdays, but they're usually to movies and then maybe a pool party.  They are more of the low key parties with a lot of fun, but not as much planning and preparation.  He's never complained.

This past week we celebrated the first of the family birthdays.  We do have an outing planned later in the month with friends.  It's kind of a big deal, so I'm not sure how well I'm sticking to my new plan, but...

On the day of the birthday, we greeted our girlie with much celebration!  She had been counting down daily for about the last fifty days.  She's our countdown girl.  Countdown to everything.  Now that the "official" day has past, she's counting down to her party with friends.  Then we'll begin counting down to Easter, then to other family birthdays.  The good news is she always keeps me on my toes and she is the one if the family who ALWAYS knows what the date is.

The boys woke up and made her a buttermilk pancake breakfast.  Love those boys!  Blessing their sister...AWESOME!  After breakfast we headed out to Barnes & Noble.  Kids who love to read, love books for their birthday.  And moms who love to read LOVE to wander around the kid section at Barnes & Noble checking out what is new.  We had a Groupon to spend and an Educator's Discount Card so the kids found many wonderful books.  (Note: if you're a homeschool family, parents qualify as educators and can get the discount- well worth it!).

Kids can also sign up for Kids' Club.  It's free and there are special rewards.

Our book purchases

Here's the collection of books we brought home.  My sweet husband reads to the kids every night and has read them the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull.  This is the last and most recent book that they haven't read yet.  I don't know about this series, but my sweetheart and the boys have enjoyed it.  The boys also found and autographed book by Brandon Mull from the new series Beyonders.  They were so excited!  My kids, so excited about getting an autographed book!  Love it!  We also purchased Book One from The Cronus Chronicles The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursu, Hank Zipzer The World's Greatest Underachiever Niagara Falls, or Does It? by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (Newbery Honor book to go along with our Civil War study), The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester, Book One of Warriors Series Into the Wild by Erin Hunter, and lastly for the Birthday Girl, her pick was Athena the Brain by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams from the Goddess Girls Series.

After purchasing the books we strolled over to Starbuck's.  When my Grandma was visiting four months ago, she introduced the kids to a Carmel Frappacino with extra carmel and whipped cream.  Our girl has wanted one ever since.  So, for a late morning treat she was able to purchase her decaf fancy Starbuck's drink.  And when the barista heard it was her birthday he offered it to us at no charge.  Blessings!

waiting...

After our Starbuck's treat and a little schooling she chose to enjoy her birthday lunch at In-N-Out. 

She finished her day off with a softball game.  It was a full day and I think she felt the love.

Civil War- Books, Books, Books

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is having the opportunity to casually read books that I missed out on as a child/young adult.  Being under pressure to read for a book report or a test is not the same as curling up on the sofa and leisurely soaking up the characters and setting of a well-written novel or taking in the beautiful illustrations of a children's book.  When we are focused on a unit study, I try to gather many books about the era including picture books, biographies, historical novels, and fiction.  We also have to look for books that are suitable and enjoyable for the wide range of children in our family.

This morning we read Abe's Honest Words The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport and Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  It was a beautiful picture book with thoughtful quotes from our 16th President.  We had a little four year old friend join us for our early morning studies.  We introduced her to Abe, showed her his face on the penny and planted our "Abe Lincoln" tomato seeds so she could take home her own little memento of our morning together.

After our little friend left, we picked up where we left off in our Harriet Tubman biography.  I've had this book since I was a very young girl and have NEVER read it.  We're learning so much about Harriet.  She was a bold, strong young girl with a purpose in life.  One of my favorite lines from the book was following a tragic event in her life.  After being hit in the head with a two pound weight and enduring months of painful recovery she realized, "...she had fought against slavery and survived.  She was no longer only a piece of property, like the horses and cows who dumbly did Master's bidding.  While still a slave in form, she was in spirit a human being and a free woman." 

Another book the kids enjoy is from the "You Wouldn't Want to Be...." series.  We began reading them last year when doing our Revolutionary War study.  Currently we have, You Wouldn't Want to Be a Civil War Soldier- A War You'd Rather Not Fight by Thomas Ratliff.  These books are fun, similar to a comic with colorful illustrations by David Antram.  There's actually quite a bit of great information in them.  These books invite children in to read them.  Each section is short, humorous and educational.

Some other books we've read during this study include:

Amos Fortune- Freeman by Yates
Frederick Douglas Fights for Freedom by Margaret Davidson

Dave The Potter- Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill

The Beatitudes from Slavery to Civil Rights by Carole Boston Weatherford

Lincoln Tells a Joke by Kathleen Krull and Paul Brewer

Lincoln- A Photobiography by Russell Freedman

Bull Run by Paul Fleischman

Abraham Lincoln by Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation by Pat Sherman

My America- My Brother’s Keeper Virginia’s Diary Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1863 by Mary Pope Osborne

One resource I use while studying history is A Patriot's History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen.  It's a pretty hefty book with tremendous detail.  Throughout our study, I try to learn as much background including major events as possible and share the highlights with the kids.  The focus has to be to glean the highlights so as not to bore them to tears.

I'm finding  there are so many great book, so little time.  We'll do what we can.

Bright Ideas for Dishes

As you may or may not know I'm moonlight as an ebay seller.  It's not that I have tons of time, but I have a desire to field trip and buy something new every once in awhile and found this is one way to earn a couple extra dollars.  Tonight as I was perusing Pioneer Woman's website checking out the recipe and photos of her brother's tacos, I noticed the plate holding the tacos.  Hey, I think I have that dish in my stacks of plates.  Could it be Terra Cotta Rope by Target Home?  (I'm getting pretty good at pattern identification).  Maybe if I had some creativity, I could borrow a decorative plate from my collection, and photograph food on plates that would coordinate with the food.  But that would take a lot of time.  I'd have to wash the plate, set up the food, and then hope for good lighting.  I'm terrible at finding the right lighting.  Now I'm wondering where does Pioneer Woman store all these plates for her wonderful photographs?  Who's schooling her kids while she's taking all these great shots?  Who's cleaning up the messes so the dirty dishes aren't stacked up in the background?  Being that creative must be exhausting?  Or, she must have a TON of space and a lot of help.  Hmmm...maybe she'll one day buy just the right dish to display the latest and greatest enchilada recipe.  So far, I don't think I've ever shipped anything to Oklahoma.  Maybe next month.

Civil War- Everywhere

It's funny how when you're pregnant suddenly everyone you see is pregnant, or when you get a new car suddenly everyone has the same type of car.  Maybe the occurrences aren't any greater, but the awareness is heightened.  The same has happened for me with our Civil War study. 

I went to our local garden store in search of lima beans for a science experiment and what did I find in the tomato seed section?  Tomato seeds called, "Abraham Lincoln!"  How cool is that?  So tomorrow on the school agenda we'll plant our Abraham Lincolns" and see what happens.

Civil War Study- Johnnycakes

This year we've been focusing our history studies on The Civil War.  Last year we studied The Discovery of America, the Colonial Period and the Revolutionary War so next on the list of major American events was the Civil War.  Sometimes I feel the pressure to reinvent the homeschool wheel of unit studies, but have found many great resources online and at our local library.  I'm consistently looking for ideas to incorporate into our schooling making it not only educational, but fun and interesting.  In all too many classrooms, history is presented in a way that is forgettable, uneventful and just plain boring.  On the contrary, history is amazingly interesting and so applicable to our lives today.

One resource I found for beginning a Civil War study is from Our Homeschooling Expedition .  I don't incorporate or do every activity listed, but glean what would help us out or supplement our current study. 

Yesterday we made Johnnycakes.  We found the recipe in Exploring History through Simple Recipes Civil War Cooking The Union by Susan Dosier.  We found the book at our local library.  Apparently, people in the New World have eaten Johnnycakes since the 1600's.  They are very popular in the Northeastern United States.  We revised the recipe a bit.  Here's what we did.

To make Johnnycakes you need:

1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups ground yellow cornmeal (we used Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, optional
1/2-1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons butter, for griddle
molasses or syrup and butter for serving

1.  Bring water to boil in the saucepan.  Pour water over cornmeal
2.  Add salt, sugar, and 1/2 cup milk in bowl.  Stir well.  Continue to add additional milk and additional water if necessary until batter has consistency thicker than normal pancake batter, but can be spread in pan to make cakes.
3.  Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet or you can use a griddle.  Cook over medium heat 4-5 minutes on each side.  Cook until edges are lightly browned.  Turn gently with spatula.
4.  We served sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, but the book recommends molasses, or syrup.  Enjoy!

When I made the recipe as directed the batter seemed very thick like this.  I think you need to thin it out with more water or milk to receive the desired consistency.

I LOVE this cast iron pan.  A necessity for every kitchen.  Make sure you buy the one made in USA.  The others are no good.



Yummy Johnnycakes.  Ours were thicker than those pictured in the book.  Very good!  And filling!

They turn out great on a griddle too!  Enjoy!



Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Today after a busy schooling morning we decided to make Apple Cinnamon Rolls.  Fresh baked apple bread is such a great fall treat, but I couldn't resist trying out this recipe.

6-6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 pkgs. instant dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 cup butter, divided 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup
1 1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 t. plus 1/4 t. cinnamon
3/4 cup apple butter (I used applesauce)
2 cups apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup powdered sugar
1-3 T. apple juice

Combine 3 cups of the flour and yeast; set aside. In a saucepan, mix milk, sugar, 1/4 cup butter and salt until warm and butter begins to melt; stir into flour mixture (make sure milk mixture has cooled enough so as not to kill yeast). Add egg and beat on low for on minute. Increase speed to high for 3 minutes. Blend as much of the remaining flour as you can with a spoon. On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough of the remaining flour until dough is smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides. Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until double in size. Mix brown sugar, remaining butter and 2 t. cinnamon; Stir in apple butter (or applesauce) and chopped apple; set aside. When dough has risen, punch down and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and let rest 10 minutes. Roll each section of dough into a 16"X12" rectangle and top with half of the apple filling. Roll up each half of dough, jelly-roll style, beginning with the short end. Cut each roll into 6 slices and place, cut side down on a greased 13"X9" pan. Let rise until double then bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Blend powdered sugar, remaining cinnamon and one tablespoon of apple juice; add more apple juice, one teaspoon at a time until icing is desired consistency. Drizzle over rolls. Makes 12 large rolls.

The Dough

Dough topped with brown sugar mixture

The Roll-Up

Rising

Fresh out of the oven

Ready to eat!

A WOW of a Day!

Sometimes, friends say I exhaust them.  I try not to take it personally, it's just the way we roll.  It's not that I'm an energy drainer, but the pace at which we live life can be a bit faster and more spontaneous than many people prefer.  Fortunately, I married a man that moves at the same pace and we've produced offspring who take after their parents. 

This week I discovered Ree Drummond, a.k.a. Pioneer Woman, was going to be at a local Barnes and Noble for a book signing.  Occasionally, I follow her blog as she is a fellow homeschooler, baker, cook, photographer, writer, etc.  I can identify with the first three things and when I grow up I'd like to follow in her footsteps as a photographer and a writer.  I admire what she's developed from the small beginnings of a blog.  It amazes me.  I'm not quite sure how she does it all.  She must have help...like Martha.  Martha's still one of my top faves, but Pioneer Woman seems to be a more down to earth, mud on the boots, adjusting-the-lingerie-in-public type of homeschool girlie who might be a little like a hair-in-a-pony messy kitchen girlie like me.  Martha's world is just what I dream of...someday.  It's all so perfect and beautiful.  It's really a Good Thing!  (Please no chastising me because I want to be Martha.  For me it's kind of like my kids dreaming of having a super-power.  My son wants to fly, and I want to be Martha).

Anyway, back to Pioneer Woman.  The evening before the event, I called Barnes and Noble for details.  I soon learned it was a "wristband" event.  Ugh!  This meant I'd have to drive about an hour, with the kids in the early morning, to hopefully get the wristband, then drive home only to drive back in the evening for the book signing.  I have a lot of energy, but I just didn't feel I had it in me to make the trek.

The next morning, after a cup of coffee and a discussion with the kids, we decided to just head out to B and N and enjoy the morning.  If I got a wristband I got a wristband.  If they were out ,we'd just have a treat, wander around the Farmer's Market and then head home.  Simple and casual. 

Beautiful Day

When we showed up to B and N we walked right up to the counter, got the wristband labeled "A" and left. So simple! Okay, first item checked off the list.

Got the wristband!

Off to the Farmer's Market.  I love this place!

The Grove

After the Farmer's Market we headed out walk a bit more so the kids could enjoy their slushie treats.  Then we noticed some filming activity.  We walked up and saw they were filming that evening's episode of EXTRA with Mario Lopez.  Fun! I snapped a couple pics of Mario and we stood watching the bustle of activity involved in filming.

Mario Lopez

While we were standing around watching, the organizer-type guy motioned for us to fill in the background.  He told us to "Move in, move in."  I looked at the kids and started giggling.  They returned with puzzled glances.  I then told them, "I think we're going to be on TV."  The next thing I knew, a gal told me to stand right next to Mario and that we were going to have a conversation.  I asked him what we were going to talk about and he said, "I'll tell you."  He was so nice and made everyone feel at ease.  The kids were place next to him also.  Our youngest was so excited about her television debut! 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we don't have cable, so I asked friends and/or family to DVR the episode for us.  It looks like it may be months, but one day we'll be able to see it.  Apparently, we were on about four times.

As we were leaving, our youngest told me how much she loved being in front of the camera.  So cute!

After our 15 seconds of fame we headed home for the daily routine activities.  We were all excited about our surprise EXTRA event and the kids were busily calling grandparents, aunts, and friends letting them know to watch.

Late in the afternoon I headed back to B and N for the book signing.  Traffic was minimal and I made it in good time.  I was directed upstairs and placed in the "A" line.  I was nearly at the front of the line. 

Waiting for Ree to show up

The signing area

Just after 6:00pm Ree showed up.  She looked almost like what I expected.  She seemed different than her pictures in real-life.  She was so sweet and gracious.  Some gals had waited all day, and somehow I was in front of them.  Funny how that works out.  Anyway, when my turn came, rather than have someone else take the pic I opted for my famous self-portrait that I do with friends.  I know she's not a "real" friend, but when you follow someone on-line you kind of feel like they're a friend.  I think of my mom when she used to refer to her friends Jim (Dr. James Dobson) and Chuck (Chuck Swindoll) like they were her good buddies.  I guess when you listen to or read about someone you begin to feel like you know them. 

I told Ree we homeschooled also and we compared ages of kids.  It was a short meeting, but it was worth the craziness of the busy day.  I guess this is one more day lived to the fullest!

Ree signing other books

Ree and Me

The Book

Super Bowl XLV 2011

We don't have cable.  We thought it would be a good idea.  Cutting cable saves a few extra dollars in the monthly budget.  And, I read The Plug-In Drug over the last year.  It was definitely not one of my favorite books.  I committed to read it, and persevered.  Granted, I would usually only read 1-2 pages per day, so let's say, it took me about 200 days to finish it (and those were not consecutive days).  That's pretty pitiful and downright sad, but I just couldn't get into a book that found it appalling that a child would want to watch Electric Company.  Oooooo....Yikes!  Or perhaps Flintstones.  I think the book needs to be updated.  These days there's a lot more on TV/cable and most parents would be grateful for a little Electric Company.  Remember B...AT, Bat, C...At, Cat, etc.?  Okay, if you don't maybe you can find it somewhere online. 

Anyway, I already know watching a bunch of television isn't great.  Kids who don't watch hours of television might do more interactive things, like play games with each other.  Furthermore, moms who love FOX News might have to check the news in the morning, and then not worry about the troubles of the world for the rest of the day.  Lastly, husbands who don't have access to television may not be able to watch soccer highlights.  My sweetheart loves his soccer.  These are all good things in moderation, but we were just feeling they might have been interrupting some of our quality family time.

Well, since cutting the TV IV out of our home life, our kids do play more games together.  In fact they'd love to play board games all day.  We're all reading much more and we have extra time for activities, exercise, sports, piano, and the like.

Now, don't think we're proud or cool over this little experiment.  We still have televisions in our house.  Unlike the days mentioned in The Plug-In Drug, we don't have an antennae that might blow over in a wind storm thus inhibiting television viewing.  We also don't have televisions that break down for that matter.  I'm not going to throw out a perfectly good flat screen.  I'm not crazy!  We still access Netflix through the Wii.  We're not anti-gaming, but we limit them considerably.  We do watch movies.  Friday night, movie night is one of the best nights at our house.  We have traditions.  I'm not going to throw that baby out with the bath water.  And, our kids have now found an appreciation for The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy.  That makes me smile for some reason.

So, for the most part, the benefits have far outweighed the negatives for cable-free home life.  There are, however, a few exceptions.  Super Bowl.  This year as Super Bowl XLV rolled around we had no plans for watching.  I guess we could have huddled around a computer to try to catch it, but that wouldn't have been much fun.  So, what to do when you live in Southern California and you don't have a way to watch the Super Bowl?  Go to Downtown Disney and watch it at ESPN Zone!  I think that's a perfect way to make lemonade out of lemons.

So, here's my sweetheart and boys hanging out in front of ESPN ZONE watching the game on the BIG SCREENS! I must admit I'm not so much a football girlie. So, my girlie and I went to Sephora for a bit and made it back for the fun, energy boosting half-time show.

Rainforest Cafe in the background

Notice the beautiful glow on my cheek bone?  Or perhaps the highlight on my browbone?  Thank you Sephora!

Downtown Disney

Fergie and the half-time show....Boom Boom Pow!

The wait to eat inside was CRAZY, but we had a good time hanging out with the other sports fans outside.

My Kind of Celebrity



Our Family with Fred Thompson