The Facebook Addict

Have you ever had something really funny happen-- maybe your kid comes out dressed in Granny's clothes and wig-- you snap a picture and laugh... and your first thought is to "facebook" the event? That's me. It's become a sickness, really.

Facebook wasn't always a lifestyle for me. It started as an occasional indulgence, a way to keep up with others, a quick opportunity to share snippets of our life with family and friends. But, like most things, feed it enough and it can take over, slowly clawing its way up the priority list. I became a "quick checker." You know, head past the computer to put clothes away, and do a "quick check." The problem, of course, is that all my "quick checks" added up to be a rather time-consuming problem.

I don't have anything against facebook itself. In fact, I just let my thirteen-year-old sign up for her own account. I've gotten back in touch with countless friends, and kept up with family members who are too far away to visit. There are some truly great things about the social network. I was simply over-using it, allowing it to take the time of other things in my life. For one, I had all but quit blogging.... and I love this here blog! It's a relaxing, more personal activity. Let's face it, though-- blogging isn't as instantaneously gratifying; There are no "likes" popping on on the posts.

Some folks relax with TV, I blog. But, seeing as how I'd "used up" my computer time during the day, I had other things to get done in the evening and, essentially, gave up my treasured relaxing time.

Now I'm back to seeking balance. Or, perhaps more accurately, I'm seeking the right things at the right time. There isn't a one-size-fits-all for time-management and priorities. I am not second-guessing anyone else's decisions; what's right for me may not be right for you. I simply know that I have become sidetracked and, frankly, I'd rather blog than shoot out numerous quips throughout the day. I've nearly facebooked away my ability to write more than a status-length paragraph!

And, so, I aim to write again. Hold me accountable (if I have a reader left in this wide world!)

Blog Purpose (and a post about spiders!)

Hey y'all, you're still with me, right? I've been commentless, but I skip and jump on because, after all, I'm doing this primarily for ME. You know my memory, right? I need to record these things. And I feel compelled to ...encourage? Inspire? Prompt you to enjoy things and have fun. Yeah, all of those things. So I'm hoping someone somewhere can take a little away from here with a smile or an idea.
Which brings me to the purpose of this here blog. It's always been kind-of an online journal/scrapbook...and occasionally a bit of a diary. My time is even busier these days, though, and I'm trying to use my minutes purposefully. I spend a lot of time on the computer in the evening as it is, getting ideas and plans, writing things up for the school week. And I've decided that I'm going to use this space for more of a craft/art sharing spot than anything else. I know, I know, that's pretty much what I do already. And I blog field trip ideas, etc, but my personal writing has become less commonplace. I have things to say, but feel more compelled to share what we DO. The irony is not lost on me. I'm writing paragraphs about how I'll be writing less. Yeah. {ahem} So. Welcome to our hands-on learning, art, craft, activity homeschool site.
If you want to keep up, feel free to follow on facebook (still under the former name of Sun-Kissed Scholars) using the tab on the right. Or follow our ideas and activities on Pinterest (again, on the right hand side.) There are a lot of art/activity/homeschool blogs out there. I'm just one person, doing what works for us, trying to balance life, spend time on the most important things, hoping it might help or inspire another!

Now, on to the spiders....!


The kids had an impromptu science lesson the other day on how spiders make webs. These pictures were taken in our front yard, of an argiope, or yellow and black garden spider.

Did you know...
"Spiders produce silk from their spinneret glands located at the tip of their abdomen. Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose – for example a trailed safety line, sticky silk for trapping prey or fine silk for wrapping it. Spiders use different gland types to produce different silks, and some spiders are capable of producing up to 8 different silks during their lifetime."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_web

This spider fought another one to the death. The boys were enthralled.

Even if you don't care for spiders, you have to admit, the colors are beautiful!

whoaaa

And, for anyone who had that last -unedited- unfinished- post sent to you, OOPS. That's what I get for trying to write, a little at a time, with kids still awake.

I'll finish it later. When they're ALL asleep.

link your email to blogger ID

Recently, it has come to my attention that lots of my replies have gone to a comment response stealer, noreply-comment@blogger.com.

If you would like people to be able to email you back after you leave a comment, here's how you change those settings... at least in Blogger.

Click on the Design link in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
Click on the Dashboard link in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
Click on Edit Profile, which is on the left hand side of the screen next to your picture.
This will take you to the Edit User Profile screen.

Look in the Privacy section.
Check the box that says, "Show my email address".
In the Identity section, enter in an email address.
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on Save Profile.

And there you have it. Interactive comments!

So if you think I've totally been ignoring your comments lately, it's not true... you just don't have your account set to receive responses!

supporting a good cause

I'd like you to meet Ashley.

Ashley is the oldest of six kids (four little brothers and a baby sister.) She is a seventeen year old, homeschooled senior, and blogs at Lens and Needle. Ashley's friends Bryan and Rachel Gumpy had their first baby on September 6, 2010. Baby Charlie was born ten weeks premature and lived three days. As you can imagine, Charlie’s medical bills and funeral expenses are high. Ashley is hosting a giveaway on her blog, to raise money for the Gumpys. You can donate any amount via the Paypal button on my sidebar and leave a comment on the giveaway post saying you’ve done so. All the monies will go to the Charles Benson Gumpy Memorial Fund. You can read about that at Pray for Charlie.

Please consider donating, to help with their expenses. The giveaway packages are fantastic! Hop over to her site to see what people are offering. My Fall "BOO" banner is in package 2. I'll post photos of the finished banners, when I get those uploaded in a day or so.

Above all, please lift Bryan and Rachel, and their families, in prayer.

Tweaking

I'm attempting to streamline things, and get the gadgets working more smoothly. If you're in a reader, then you're missing the sidebar change. Hop on over and follow. Networked blogs should run with less effort on my part, publishing to the fan page automatically. I was having trouble getting the syndication setting to work properly before. (If all you heard was blah, blah, blah-- fear not-- just "follow" and I'll take care of the rest.)

To clarify-- I'm talking about the Facebook gadgets. You don't need to undo anything you've already done; just click on the networked blogs follow, if you want to. :-)

Thank you, friends, for being such a huge support to me. Homeschooling, decor, and crafts are passions for me. I appreciate the inspiration that so many of you have given me, and I hope this blog might do a little inspiring in return. ((hugs))

Gift Swap

Yesterday I received my package for Morning Glories and Moonflowers gift swap.

It came from Michelle at Earthly Treasures.

Look at all the polka dots! A wonderful tablecloth with matching banana split bowls, long polka spoons and even dotted grocery and To-do lists! Such fun stuff! Thank you, Michelle!! We're already enjoying the presents!
I also found a great deal on search-and-find books at a thrift store yesterday!
Yeah for good deals, right when I need them!

We're gonna be blogging from the road soon!

Enjoying family and the great outdoors

I rarely go a week without posting, but life has gotten ridiculously busy. It's "fun busy" stuff, but I simply haven't had the energy to download pictures and post in the evenings.

You may be in for a flood of posts as soon as I have *time* to get the pictures on here and write about everything. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful outdoors as much as I am. Grow, garden, give, glean, glow!

New Look, Same Place.

Yes, it's still me. Just a new look. Playing with html coding, headers, colors.... it's all art, too.

Make yourself at home.

Now look down on the sidebar (waaaay down)... see it? Oh, yes, there it is: my own bloggie button created by ME. Yes, yes, I'm feelin' kinda proud of myself, even though it was easy. Just another step toward blog-self-reliance.

Creating anything makes me happy.

bloggie updates

I know I've been relatively quiet lately. There are so many things in life all the time to think about, write about, deal with, enjoy.

I've been coming to grips with the fact that I'm only in control of me. I can pray and be careful, but I can't absolutely control whether or not I have physical problems. I can do my best to be patient and kind to others, but I can't control how they perceive me. I'm not perfect, what can I say? And, even if I serve healthy foods to my kids, I can't actually make them swallow it, if they choose not to. This hasn't been a battle lately, but we've dealt with it in the past.

We've had some ups and downs lately. The best thing that has happened lately is our new-found church home. I just can't describe the peace and joy I feel now, being fed God's Word in a body of believers that is so open, kind, genuine. Emotional worship may fade. Programs come and go. But the Word of God stands firm and strong always. A church built on that cannot falter. I'm so happy to be there!!!! (I also love the music! A church that sings 2-3 heartfelt songs--without repeating the chorus 50x--and then they preach God's WORD-- WOW!)

Our family has been going through some health challenges lately. Not my kids, but my sisters... and maybe me, too. They tend to deal with these struggles better than I do. I believe, for the most part, that knowledge is power. So I look everything up: every medication, symptom, treatment option. Then I get thoroughly scared before I have the sense to turn it over to God and pray about it. Maybe I should start with prayer, huh? Something along the lines of "God, let me find what will be beneficial for me to know, and information that I should use."

Oh, and another UP is that Mothering Matters has started back up. I truly do love this ministry of women mentoring each other, gathering together to pray for and encourage each other. I was pretty intimidated about being a care group leader this year, but I'm hoping that my group will treat me with grace while I tried to lead the discussions. I'm not used to this, and I've never been a public speaking kind of gal! (My husband might disagree, heh.) Our theme is butterflies to represent transformation (courtesy of Mrs. Smiley,) so let me know if you have any craft/ food/ decor ideas that could go along with that theme!

On a side note, I painted all the doors in my house. Yes, I realize this is random news. Still, it's NEWS for me. Little Lad's door is green and blue striped. The Artist's is green with huge pink polka dots, Mine is green with white flowers, the bathroom door now has black branches painted on it. Pictures coming soon. I think painting is so therapeutic!!

the blog test

I guess it's time for the blog test again. Whenever I come across it on a friend's site, I always have to retest this Internet home. Just in case. So, the results are in:

Movie Reviews

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a compliment or what? Am I intelligent or just hard to understand? ;-) Depends on the post and the mood, I suppose. Maybe I should use smaller words?

When I first got married,my in-laws would constantly ask me why I "said things like that." Why say "cul-de-sac," instead of "dead-end." Well, because they mean two different things, and I do indeed live on a cul-de-sac.

I remember my step-father-in-law reading magazines and stopping at short intervals to ask about the meaning of the words. Cracked me up at the time, but then I realized that they were laughing behind my back, too! ;-) At least there were laughs all the way around.

Recently hubby's sister said that he is starting to talk like my family. He puffed out his chest a little and said, "Yep, I've come a long way from y'all, haven't I?"

what's with blogger??

Did I mess up my settings somehow? Or has blogger changed? My labels are not auto-completing anymore. And I don't have the "compose option" any more to switch colors and size. And what's with this URL Enclosure option?? I wasn't gone for long, so what has happpened to my internet home??

Maybe a break is due?

Two posts in one day

and just to say

that I may need a break

for my sanity's sake

Too much going on

Too much going wrong

Head just above water

Scared I may falter

There's so much to do

I'll never get through

all this work that I see

but I need to just be

focused on them

and focused on Him

so a break is in order

my posts may be shorter

and farther between

but if I'm not seen

I'll still try to read,

at least that I need

And if I won't write

my time is just tight

but I care for you all

my orders just tall

And when I come back

don't give me much flack

just let me slip in

where I've always been.

WendyJanelle and The Sun-Kissed Savages

It's me!-- My site just had another makeover! You know how I enjoy mixing things up and beautifying spaces.

I've had a few emails and comments, that people didn't recognize me.

I should have announced it! :-)

Nicknames

Fred and I were discussing nicknames today. I'd like to come up with one for each child, to use on the blogosphere. And, yes, we really discuss things like this when we go on walks!
So, anyway, we decided on The Artist, The Naturalist... and then we got stuck for the youngest two boys. I asked the kids what we should call Mr.T.
The Naturalist responds, "Call him the CRAZIEST!"
And then Fred pipes up, "No, we should call him the NUDIST."
Ha! That is pretty funny. The kid takes his clothes off whenever he gets the chance. Still, calling him the nudist on the internet probably isn't any safer than using his real name, is it?

A New Addiction

So sue me. I'm addicted to another blog. Can you blame me? I love to read, I love creativity, making things, staying connected to other moms. Not to mention neglecting laundry...yeah, I love that, too.
This site, The Nesting Place, is just soooooo awesome. Why? Because I am also a "lazy perfectionist." I'm willing to work hard, but not necessarily long. I do so much better with short-term goals. Walk every day for a week. aCheck. Eat healthy today. aCheck. Run a 5K in a year. x RRRR- Thumbs down. Can't do the long-term thing. I tend to sabotage myself at the first hint of inadequacy because I fear failure.

Yeah. I know this, yet it's soooo hard to overcome it and have enough faith in myself (really, faith in God, that He will be there when I do fail, and it doesn't matter how inadequate I am...
umm....soooo, on with the post.)

All that to say, this site has awesome crafting/ decorating ideas and they are quick and fairly easy! YEA! You won't have to sew! You won't have to go buy oodles of expensive anything. Just grab something on hand and make something awesome. Voila!

She even has a tutorial on Window Mistreatments. Oh, yeah, that's my kind of decorating.

No, I don't need an intervention yet. I'm still eating..still sleeping (well, as much as can be expected)...yes, still spending most of my time homeschooling and frog-caring. But I'm using these free night hours to read, design, plan, and CRAFT! Because I have several projects going at once and I don't want to discombobulate you, I'm going to post progress pictures on an added link, Wendy*s Art House. A great idea from Sara*s Art House, which I also LOVE. Visit and support these ladies.

Okay, and one more "just about me" thing. ;-)
I'm visual. I need sunshine. Bright colors are a must. That includes lipstick. And, since I'm a girl-y girl, I enjoy wearing vibrant colors & fancy things & having bright hair. :-) Really, color is important to me.

Red is awesome. Flame, passion, excitement, love, vibrance, life, explosion. I love RED. I also love black and white. What would COLOR be without the black and white to contrast? Do you understand why I decorate constantly, paint all the time, scrapbook insatiably, and yard-sale shop for anything interestinge. I'm visual. I feel better when I see pretty things. I feel better physically when I look better. Which is why I never-- and I mean, NEVER wear sweats. I do not own sweats. I. hate. sweats. Not on other people, but definitely on me. And, by gosh, if I'm gonna put on socks, they'd better be cute ones. Striped and polka dot knee-high socks are the best.

Okay, sorry, now I'm just rambling. Strange post, tired mommy at the end of the day. I'm full of ideas, excited to do things...the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak tonight. Thank You, God, for a new day tomorrow, with renewed energy! And tomorrow is Mothering Matters day--YEA! That means my cup will be filled to overflowing, and I can "flow out on" and encourage others. Where else can I be with, pray with so many other godly women? Thanking God for this wonderful ministry.

Blogging With a Purpose

Simply Stork has given me this blogger award, which I greatly appreciate! :-D

I would like to pass this award on to some friendly folks who I enjoy reading daily...they all have blogs that are not just time killers but are packed full of information as well as uplifting tips and trades.


Shelley at The Wood Between the Worlds...Shelley is so honest. I just love her. She makes me feel normal. There is no fakiness, no ulterior motive. She shares her struggles, her joys, and her convictions. If you need someone to cry with or someone to laugh with, see Shelley.

Jerri at The Dalrymple School Among Thorns...her site brings you through a day in the life of a homeschool family. Heart warming pictures and family activities..I always come away smiling :o)

October at I Was Just Thinking...she is always active for a cause. She tells it to you straight. Need some conviction? Some optimism? Some encouragment to make a difference? Visit Tob!

Ann-Marie at The Left-Handed Rabbit...She takes you around with her, and you learn about things as she learns about things...Her writing is incredibly entertaining, just hilarious. It's a wonderful place to visit.

Suzanne at Live Fully, Laugh Often, Love Always...Suzanne must have the funniest kids on the planet. I wonder where they get it from? Suzanne is one of the wittiest people I've ever met. Need a good laugh and some cheering up? Take a hop, skip, and jump over to her place!


The rules are:
1. Awarded parties must nominate five people who have not received the award.

2. The blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.

3. In their post about the award they need to link back to the original entry.

Thank you ladies for your wonderful sites and for bloggin with purpose...

almost midnight

Well, it's late. And I'm still up. And I have to get up early in the morning, be at church at 9am...stay until 12:30, run to the store, feed family, and help host two baby showers at 2pm. Soooo, I really ought to be in bed. But I thought I'd let you know that I'm still here. My internet connection has not failed me. I am just super busy and have been getting very little free time. The baby has decided to start going to bed late (as in 9pm or a bit after.) :-( That really stinks for me, since Trevor just stopped taking naps and he is now going to bed early (7:30). I thought I'd finally have my nights back. Ah, well. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

At any rate, I do have many things to blog about. So be watching for a new one shortly, maybe on Nutrition Stumbling Blocks, or Christmas Home Tours (this one would have lots of pictures), or More Random and Sleep-Deprived Updates.

I will leave you with a few pictures for now. I took these random shots last night while hostessing and then touring the homes:

Can I get away with yet another?

Okay people, let me get away with this once again. I read all of my friends blogs-- people who obviously can think coherently. I, on the other hand, seem to have a jumble of thoughts racing around like crazy, and I'm not particularly good at focusing for long on one subject. Makes homeschooling interesting, let me tell you! We do math (and art at the same time, if we're drawing 5 dinosaurs joining up with 3 pterodactyls to make 8 creatures altogether...) There's just too much to say and do and too little time!!

Anyhow, let me start off by saying that I came across a nifty blog critic thing-a-ma-jig on Ann-Marie's site. You just put in your blog address and it tells you what reading level your blog is. Mine is college level apparently. Interesting. Hmm... I guess that's a good thing? Maybe? Not sure how I'm supposed to feel about that, so I'm just throwing it out there. I hope you all can understand what I'm writing. Hee, hee.

In other news, tomorrow is the BIG DAY! 10 YEARS! I'm wearing that like a badge of honor. In this day and age, I think it's something to be proud of. Especially because we got married SO young, and I did some college and four kids through it. We've both grown so much-- actually we kinda grew up together (although I think I had a few more growth spurts in there, har har.) So I'm praying for an EASY cooperative school day with the kids, and a relaxing afternoon and evening. I'm gonna surprise hubby with a hair cut. He's the only guy I know who begs his wife to CUT her hair. Yes, he's strange like that. When we met my hair was short, red, and curly, so that's how he loves it. I'm not going to be I Love Lucy anymore, though. He can cope with my natural color. Anyway, we're going out on Thursday night, and I'm looking forward to it.

In photography news, I'm making some big plans (in my head, so far.) I want to make my own backdrops using velvet material and dowel rods. And, the really fun part, I want to buy neat-o costumes and have people dress the part for pictures! You know, like Silver Dollar City does. I can have salon girls, jailers, farmers, what have you. The whole idea of role playing just appeals to me. I never got over the whole princess dress-up fun of my teenager years... er, umm... I mean, elementary school... Sooo, anyway, if you come across some awesome costumes (say, at yard sales or thrift stores) that don't cost an absolute fortune, please let me know! I may end up making some, too. Any other creative ideas, please share them! I want to make a scrapbook/ portfolio, too... In my "free time," you know. ;-)

Plethora of 'puter pals

Okay, I had NO idea that so many people I know have their own blogs: myspace, facebook, cafemom, blogspot. How have I lived so long in the dark ages?? I've only had this blog for a few months, but the rest of the world has been at it for years.

Anyway, I now have an easy way to keep up with so many awesome people from MM, CHESS, FBC, and so forth. Check out my friends and family blog list for contacts that you might know, too. Encourage someone else by leaving a comment on their site. I know that I love to hear from my friends. :-)