Spring Break?

I'm just curious to see how many of you are one spring break this week? We who homeschool get to choose our breaks, so we aren't breaking this week. I just want to keep on trucking so we can get done and enjoy the nice temps in May. We may take a break before then, if we feel the need, but right now we're doing fine. If you are on spring break this week, enjoy! If not, leave me a comment telling why you aren't or if you are waiting for another time period.

Thanks!

B-A-D DAY? Try this one on for size!

Mrs. Dalrymple and the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

Yep. That's what I said. Thanks for the line, Judith Viorst.
Have you ever bought paint? A gallon of paint? Did you trust that the paint-mixer-man put the lid on correctly (you know, pounded it with the rubber mallet)? Only to find out a couple miles down the road that he had merely pressed it on with his hands, then forgotten to hammer it in? Yes. It really happened. TO ME. Why me? Argh. Lavender paint. ALL OVER MY VAN!!! COVERING MY LEATHER SEATS!!! After trying to clean some of it up (read: scooping it from the seat into the can) while picking my older 2 girls up from sewing class, a friend said that I definitely needed to call the store (WM) and let them know what had happened. She suggested I call right away. There was a good chance I would not be able to get this paint all out. It was an ENTIRE gallon, ya know. It didn't turn completely on it's side, but tilted, so there was about 1/4 of the paint left in the can. Maybe if I had set it in the floor, instead of in the back seat, it wouldn't have tipped at all. It's not like I was driving crazy or anything.
So, I called WM. The VERY NICE MANAGER said if I could bring the van back up there they would clean it out for me. I weighed it for about 10 seconds, then agreed. I thought, "Many WM workers can clean this up faster and easier than I can at home by myself. And besides....it was the fault of an employee, and not my personal mistake."

I took the van back up there and 3 managers (including the store manager) proceeded to clean the paint out of my van. They took the seats out and worked and worked (in their white shirts and ties, mind you). It was going to take a long time, so they offered us a ride home. I felt bad enough as it was about the managers having to clean the paint out of the van, so I had my mom come get the girls and I. They are still working on it. I'm going to pick it up tonight, then drive it back in the morning, since I have to work anyway, and they are going to work on it some more. So far, it seems like it will all come out. The floor is the main concern, because no matter how much paint they seem to soak up, there is always more. Right now I'm glad I have leather seats. Can you imagine if they were cloth? Ugh. We have a really incredible team of employees at our local WM. I cannot say enough good about them. I realize they were probably worried about a law suit or something, but I would never seek such revenge. I'm just not a real vengeful person. They really are going above and beyond to make it right. I did receive another gallon of paint and more soda (since the box was soaked with paint). Other than that, the groceries actually made it out fine. I guess this was because I put all the groceries in the very back, but had set the pop and paint in the back seat, so as not to smash any of the produce.

Did I mention I got paint on my nice Nike's? And my jeans? The Ballerina got it on her jeans and shirt, too. Does anyone know of something good to get it out? LUCKILY, it was a water-based paint.

Do you feel better about your day now?


I think I'll move to Australia.

;0)

The Name Game

Okay. So we have a funky last name. I like it. It's long, and sometimes a pain to write out. I have to spell it out for people wherever I go. It's okay though. I've seen it misspelled just about every way possible.....or so I thought.

Today, my dear husband comes home after having to purchase a new transmission for his truck (do NOT get me started!) and proceeds to show me his sale bill. Oh. My. Goodness.
You have got to be kidding me!

HOW on EARTH do you go from Dalrymple to DOLLARNIPPLE???!!!!

I kid you not. I have NEVER seen or heard such an insane spelling of our name. It was just so funny that I had to share! I hope you get a good laugh to start off your weekend! :0)

Jerri

The Finished Table

Remember the table I painted? Well, it is my 13 yr. old daughter's, so a friend and I decoupaged it. (My friend didn't know what decoupaging was, so what better way to explain? We just dug right in!)

She came up with the letters and little pieces across the top. A BEAUTIFUL touch! :0)

Now, this table is in my hall. That is because we are currently painting my daughter's room. I'll have to take another pic once we finish her room (halfway there!). It will look even better against her freshly painted walls. ;0)

Side of the table. The other side is similar. For some reason, the colors didn't come out as bright and pretty as they actually are.

Front view.

Top view.

She loves it!!!!

AWESOME Giveaway!!!!!!!

My friend, Lori, over at Just Pure Lovely, is doing an INCREDIBLE giveaway from CarolinaPad. I mean, this is by far one of the BEST giveaways I have ever seen!!! (Especially for those of us trying to get organized, yet make things pretty as well!) So, click here to go to her post and enter. She is giving us 4 different ways to enter, so you can get your name in the hat 4 times!!!

What are you waiting for??? Get on over there and enter!!!! :0)

FINALE!!!

Well.............. Here we go! It's not completely finished, but the parts that aren't will either not be noticeable, or may take a while. While putting the room "back together" I decided I want a different end table, to paint the coffee table, and to either paint the entertainment center or get a different one (hubby built this one). I also decided that I'm going to take Mrs. Savage's advice and hang some fabric over those aged mirrors. I HATE those mirrors. Unfortunately, when we went to take them off the wall, we discovered they are GLUED to the sheet rock. We would have had to break the mirrors to get them off, and then possibly replace the sheet rock, or at least re-mud, tape, and sand it down. Ugh. So.... I left them. Regrettably.

Isn't he a sweetie? This is the most cleaning he's done in a LOOOOOOOOOONG TIME!!!
I don't know HOW many times we swept this floor today....more than I can count!

I just noticed that my lamp no longer matches. Hmph. Well, at least it wasn't expensive (read: yard sale find). :0)

This is the corner where my "happy" table is.

The pic below is a before picture, taken before ANY of this got started.

....and after!

Another before...........

......and after!

One last before......

.......tada!

I'm not really sure about the window mistreatments. My hubby REALLY likes them, though. I need something "westerny" to tie around them. Hmmmmm........
You can't see it very well, but I used upholstery tacks in the shape of stars that are "rustic" for the tops of the curtains.
My hubby said he is going to get the baseboard trim down this weekend.....I hope it happens!!! ;0)

Well.....I have a throbbing headache and am off to bed!
Thanks for peaking in on my little (H-U-G-E) journey. I have many more projects to attack, but they aren't nearly as big (or as daunting!).

Sincerely,

Jerri

SNEAK PEAK!!!!

Okay, I just COULD NOT WAIT to post a pic or two!! You'll just have to forgive the mess that you may see. The floor needs swept VERY badly!!!
I LOVE this wall. I think we are going to center the family pic above the mantle.

This is my peace inducing, happy feeling table. Now.....I just need to train my kids to QUIT placing things here that don't belong!!!! (like library books!)

This is something I worked on last week. I think setting on the floor, leaning against the wall, does not do it the justice it deserves, but couldn't help but snap a pic of it. It's an old window pane that I was given and, well, I just played with it and had fun. I can change things out at any time, so it can change with season or just whimsy! :0) I plan on centering this along our long yellow wall. I'll post a pic of it once it's hung.

Well....back to work! I'm up way too late, but there's SO much I want to get done!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Work, Work, And A Little Fun To Boot

I've been working a lot lately, but had today off....YAY!!! I miss Sunday Worship, although I have been attending Sunday School.
Somehow, I did manage to get a few fun crafts and such in this week (it was the BEAUTIFUL weather that motivated me!).
I made some cards (sorry, no pics!), did a LOT of painting (so much closer to having the living room done....maybe this week I'll finish!!!!!!), and re-vamped a lamp, a nic-nak shelf, and my daughter's night stand.
Here's a quick glimpse.....

The Night Stand was very old and I'm not even sure what color you would have called it. I got it at a yard sale for a buck. It has really pretty knobs for the drawers, but of course, I took them off to paint it.

We are going to try some decoupaging with it, too.

This is the before pic of the nic/nak shelf. I liked it just the way it was, but after painting I wanted to add some black accents to the living room. Instead of buying more junk, I looked around for what I could paint/change.

I just laid it on the couch to get a pic, since the walls aren't quite ready for stuff to go back up on them yet. I may add a little decoupage to this as well.....we'll see how the end table goes, LOL!

Here is the before pic of the lamp. It's a fine lamp and the color was fine before I painted the L-room yellow and tomatoe red. I've had this lamp for about 12 years and it was a Christmas gift from my sister. At least now I am keeping it instead of replacing it. All new decor for the price of a can of spray paint. :0) That's my kind of remodeling!
I have to give credit where credit is due, however. Mrs. Savage and the Nester have inspired many of us in the blog world to work with what we have to recreate our homes in ways that make us happy. I love their motto and have adopted it for myself, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!" Yes.....I can live with that!

Before.....
.......and after!
So what do you think? My living room is still a disaster since I'm not done painting. I need one more coat on one wall and then have to do the wall-divider trim that goes around the room. Then there's the "oopsies" to go back and clean up. When all that is finished, hopefully my wonderful husband will put the trim down around the wood floors we installed, um......a year ago? LOL!!! You know I'll post the pics when it's complete. :0)

Have a great week!

Happy Birthday, Junior!!!!

Happy Birthday, Jaslyn!

My baby turned 6 today.

I love you baby girl!

Even the Giant Is Not Immune

By now most of you will have heard about Wal-Mart's 700-800 person lay-off. It is dreadful, truly. I am praying for all the families that this lay-off will affect. Can you imagine the security of performing a job for such a seemingly secure company for up to 13 years and in one morning it all comes crashing down around you? I fear for some of these folk's mental/emotional mindsets. That is such a huge number to add to an already scarce market. The competition will be fierce. Fortunately, most of those employees of WM have nice degrees that may give them a step ahead. I hope you will join me in praying for these families affected with this huge lay-off. No one is completely untouchable, obviously. That is something we can all learn. I have held faith that my husband's job was more secure than most because he does, indeed, work for Wal-Mart. Obviously assumptions should not be made about anyone or any particular job. He does work on the Wal-Mart trucks, and the trucks must keep running in order for the stores to stay in business, but no one is irreplaceable. I think of all the institutions that sometimes lay off long term employees that are making higher wages, only to bring in bottom of the barrel new hires a few months later. It's so sad. I think everyone in our area knows someone who has been affected by recent economizing/downsizing of companies. We actually know several. So, as we have always done, we will continue thanking God for the blessing of my husband's job, which he loves most of the time, and pray for continuance, as well as pray for those who are now asking themselves what is next.

Sincerely,

Jerri

Winter Wonderland? I THINK NOT!!!

Well, like the other 150,000+ people in Northwest Arkansas, we spent the last 24 hours without power. Yay. Sense my sarcasm? Nah, not me! :0D

So...here are a few pics taken from a couple days before and then some taken during the outage. We DO have a fire place to keep warm by....that is a huge blessing as so many people do not have an alternate heat source and even gas heat requires electricity to run. We still don't have water....(not sure where it is frozen at b/c we emptied the lines of all water when the electric went out in hopes to avoid frozen and/or busted pipes). I also consider myself pretty innovative when it comes to redneck survival tactics. I actually cooked a hot meal over the fire in our fireplace. I like cast iron skillets, and those are versatile enough to lay (literally) right on the burning logs/hot coals. The only thing was that I'm not so wise in cooking HEALTHY meals this way. Maybe chicken breast, but as those were frozen rock solid, that didn't seem to be an option. Instead, we had sausage, made-from-scratch biscuits, gravy, and pork-n-beans. (by the time the biscuits and gravy were done, the sausages were getting cold and we didn't want to wait on eggs, so just heated up the beans....dear hubby's idea-we had his sister and her husband here so needed to stretch the meal a bit further) It was really rather tasty. AND we didn't catch anything on fire, lol!

Without further ado....the pics.

Someone had to keep us laughing! Before you think J's sis is TOTALLY crazy, these are those LED tea light candles. No real flames, although the flash from the camera made it look that way. I took one without the flash, but it was just too dark.

Fine dining by candlelight

Hey! You can see my "Tomato Red" wall in the background....we don't have stuff back on the walls, yet, though. Also, to the left is my yellow wall.

Junior just being Junior

Coloring by candlelight while waiting on dinner

Chestnuts (I mean sausage) roasting on an open fire......

Ah....this is the ice, yesterday before noon....before the lights went out. Yep. That's about an inch on the power lines. We received another inch+ over the evening and nighttime hours.

These are VERY tall trees....normally.

Close-up of our Wedding Tree

This was taken last Sat. I actually had a day where I was able to get some things accomplished at home like painting, laundry, etc. J said we just HAD to go see these eagles down the road. Well, when we got there they were gone, so we stopped off at this dried up creek bed and played/froze! It was fun, though! Here are just a few pics we took....

The above is J and Junior kicking around some Arkansas sand (aka silt...very fine and pretty!)

The girls in their "cave" LOL!

J gives a science lesson on the ages of some of the dirt layers. The girls are fascinated....for a minute! :0)

We found a few REAL caves, although didn't go exploring....this one appears to belong to a LARGE animal, which I don't care to disturb!!!

This is a trip we took to a local nursing home last week with our 4H group. The kids had made crocheted hangers and cards, and handed out baggies of chex mix. It was a WONDERFUL time and genuine connections were made by the girls. We are looking into the "Adopt a Grandparent" program.

These lovely ladies didn't want to play cards but INSISTED on WATCHING a card game....so the ballerina and her friend aimed to please!

Junior gave out LOTS of hugs....some people requested seconds, LOL! We realized how much hugging our family does on a daily basis, yet these folks may go weeks/months with one single hug. What a priceless and effortless gift to give.

Trying to enjoy some warmer weather with friends a couple of days before the ice storm came in.

Poor Dash got caught with no shoes!

So. Those of you who endured/are enduring the ice storm....what did you do? If nothing else, I pray you are all staying warm!!!


Blessings,

Jerri

Stewardship

Stewardship is the accountability of what one is entrusted with.

I've been pondering for quite some time the term stewardship. We've all heard this word in sermons/Bible studies, etc., but what does it really involve? How we handle our finances? Our material possessions? Our time? Is that all? What if there is more? I came to the realization that when God required us to be good stewards of ALL THAT HE'S GIVEN US, He didn't really put a limit on what that involves. It isn't just one specific thing, or even a handful of specific things, but ALL THINGS. I believe He is leading me to focus on a particular few this year, and so my "theme" for the year is STEWARDSHIP. Last year's theme was SIMPLIFY and I felt that with God's help and by listening to the Spirit's heeding, I have actually accomplished that and learned what it truly means. It means that even though it's hard to say no to some things and even though I really want to do this or that or allow my children to pick up a certain extra activity, I must consider the cost to my family life/time, my marriage, my time with God, and my mental, emotional, and physical well-being as well as that of my children and husband. Sometimes you just HAVE to say NO....then walk away and don't look back. I feel like I have learned that this will be an ongoing lesson. By focusing on it for so long, though, I am much more aware and don't spout off the "Yes!" that used to slide off the tongue so easily.

The particular few things that I feel led to focus on my stewardship skills with are my health, my time (especially that spent with my family), and my home. As I mentioned in a previous post, it's not a "Weight loss resolution" but a call to be healthier and reflect that to my children. Our bodies are a gift from God....a loan, if you will. If Jesus knocked on your door and asked you to take care of His very special, delicate glass rose (or whatever you need to imagine to get the point), how would you handle it? You already know! That thing would be wrapped in the finest tissue and shrink wrap and cleaned daily, maybe several times a day, and be the best cared for item/thing you ever came across. There would be no limit to what I would do to take care of something that Jesus personally entrusted me with. Well, isn't that what my body is? A gift/loan that God has entrusted me with? If I can't be a good steward of my body, then how can He trust me with anything more? So. I am conscious now. I have, in the past, been a very healthy and health conscious person...exercising daily and always active. When/where/why that changed isn't really important I suppose and is really hard to pinpoint anyway. I can make up a thousand excuses and even if they are all totally understandable, they are still just that- excuses.

My time. Time is so elusive for me. I always feel like there can never be enough hours in the day. I've often thought that I would ask God when we get to heaven why He chose to make a day only 24 hours....it just isn't enough! Or is it? I needed to re-examine what was taking up so much of my time. All good, understandable things, but where would they rank with God? How important are they to Him? Are they holy? Pure?

Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

This is something I have striven (yes, that is actually a word!) to teach my girls for many years. So, that being said....I have ruled out a lot of computer time, and although I'm not much of one for t.v., I even managed to weed some of that out, too. Do I have "enough" time now? It doesn't always feel like it. But that's when I feel a warm breeze come over me, my shoulders relax, and I hear God telling me to sit back a moment and enjoy life, my children, and all the beauty that surrounds me. It's His gift to me....created to delight me, a love gift. It seriously feels like a warm hug straight from the Father.

My home. Oh geesh. Once upon a time I was a perfectionist, OCD if you will, and now it seems I'm the extreme opposite. When my oldest daughter was 7 and having difficulty at school because of her "perfectionism" (quote from the teacher) I realized what I had unintentionally projected upon my children. A life of chains...the bondage of feeling like everything you do must be perfect or it doesn't count. I didn't want that for them, so I learned to loosen up and tried to teach her that as well, before she got too much older. She's 13 now, and if you looked at her room, you may never believe me! LOL
I know there's a happy medium between perfectionism and total chaos. I found it via flylady once. Her methods really do work. Why I got away from it, I can't really pinpoint, but I did. I don't like scheduling our time according to the hour of the clock. The reason for that is that when my schedule says we are supposed to be doing something at 9am, and at 8:59 the kids aren't changing gears, I get REALLY FRUSTRATED, and that affects all of us. It sets a bad tone for the rest of the day. I wanna be happy. I want a home that is full of comfort, joy, peace, happiness, the love of the Lord and people. That can't happen in the midst of frustration. I prefer "routine" vs. "schedule" although I do feel it is important for my children to learn good work ethics, so we do have set times to get up and around...more blocked than "every 15 minutes" or whatever.

So....if I take too long to reply to an email, or my posts are few and far between for a while, you know why. I'm following God's leading. I'm searching His word. I'm reinstating my morning routine, good health habits, and stopping to smell the roses that are my children as they grow up so quickly, and the husband of my youth, as we grow old(er) together. :0)

Thank you to all that have been posting about trying to get their schedules or routines back in order. It really is very helpful to know that I'm not alone in some of these struggles. Guess what? YOU are not alone, either! LOL

I pray that all of us find a semblance of harmony this year, despite what is taking place this Tuesday. (When I googled this link, the first option was on mtv.com.....OH MY!)

So much to blog about, so little time....

I know, I know. I've been MIA for a while. Rest assured, it's not because I wanted to take time away from blogging. I'm constantly thinking of things I need/want to blog about and have taken tons of pictures to post, but I just can't find the time!! From New Year's resolutions, to creating 4-H journals, to the fact that I now share this computer with 3 daughters and a husband who have suddenly taken an interest in the online world, to....well, everything else!

I've painted the accent wall(s) in my living room. I went for a tomato red, but it's mostly orange. I'm going to try and see if I can have the paint tinted a bit more red and go over it again. After I'm satisfied with it I'll take pics and post them.

I did something this year that I NEVER do. I made resolutions.

1. To be healthier (as opposed to most "lose weight" resolutions)

2. To be more organized

3. To be a better homeschool mother and wife

Now...I've done these things in the past (although not as resolutions) and been successful, so I KNOW that I can do it. My problem is motivation. Every time I jump back on the health bandwagon I lose more and more motivation. It seems to get harder to stick with. I used to be proud of the fact that my family ate healthier than most and that I was fit. Fit is the farthest word from what would describe me now.
I exercised yesterday for the first time in, um.....A LONG STINKIN' TIME!!!! I hurt. My stomach hurt last night and I think it was simply because I used muscles that have been dormant for a year or two. I hate the roller coaster ride. Seriously. I'm 31 and beginning to wonder if I'm destined to spend my life on this horrible roller coaster. My weight has teetered up and down for 11-12 years now, ranging anywhere from 97lbs. to 145. (and that doesn't include pregnancy weights) Maybe this go round will be better. My aim is now good health and not a certain weight or size. I'll have to work hard not to focus on those 2 things, though.

Organization....if my home were more organized and to stay that way, I might actually feel more like exercising. When I'm putting off cleaning duties in order to exercise I just get mad at myself for not being able to get it all done in a day.

All that dissatisfaction leads to a grumpy mama/wife. No one likes that. I've realized recently that the laughter in our home has become an endangered species. That's no way to raise a family!!! So, I feel it's up to me to change the mood of our home. Like they say, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Wish me luck in my endeavors and pray for me if you will.

At this point I think I will just bypass trying to catch up on posts that I've missed like Christmas and New Years, etc. I'll just pick up and go from here and hope that's okay with you all! :0)

Water. Agua. H2O.

Ahhh.....can you hear it? Feel it? Taste it? Mmmmmm....
You just don't know how much water you use and how bad you need it until you don't have it. Running water is something not to be taken for granted!!! I've always heard that if you have running water (indoor plumbing) that you are rich compared to the rest of the world. I know it's hard to believe that many people don't have indoor plumbing.
We have been hauling water in for cooking, cleaning, drinking, hygiene, and flushing potties. We have been taking showers at my parents house. This HAS NOT been fun!!! (not the parents part, but just being without water in general) Being stuck at home because of icy weather is okay with me, as long as I can get something done. No water makes that difficult. No laundry, no dishes, no cleaning the bathrooms, etc.
So, yesterday afternoon, since the temp finally rose above freezing, hubby got out to work on the well only to discover that the filter housing was busted. So, expensive as that was, we replaced it. (Most of the time I HATE, I mean ABHOR credit cards, but in this case I sure was glad we have one!) One other problem.....turned the water on and the shut off valve had busted also. Grrrr. Hubby replaced that this morning with some spare parts he had (thank goodness!). We now have water and he is supposed to replace the points on the well this afternoon (which we purchased A LONG TIME AGO, but somehow they never got put on....). YAAAAYY! Now....dear hubby expected us to jump up and down cheering for daddy when the water came back on. That's not really the reaction he got. Sure, we thanked him and we expressed how glad we were to have it back on. I think he was a little bumfuzzled as to why we weren't more excited. Let's do the math.
Family of 5, 3 meals a day, plus snacks=lots, TONS of dirty dishes to catch up on.

Family of 5=5 pairs of clothes daily, plus pajamas, towels, wash clothes, etc. to be caught up on (not to mention we were behind on the laundry already!). (might I add here that we wore layers of clothing to keep warm, so there were even more extras!)

So. My 3 girls and I who are the keepers of the home (laundry, dishes, and cleaning) know that having the water turned back on means warm water to wash hands with, brush teeth, and take baths (not to mention flush the potty) but it also means time to give the house a thorough run down....which might take days! LOL

We really are glad to have water back!!! May you NEVER have to experience life without it, but learn from us that it is a convenience not to be taken for granted!!! :0)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Colors and A New Spin on "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

A Plethora of Popcorn....

Well, what else should one do? No water....STILL, leaves us with time to follow a few of our Advent activities. I have to highly recommend our book we are using called "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel. I love Lisa Whelchel. She is so down-to-earth and "real." She has written many great books, some of my favs being "Creative Correction," "Taking Care of the ME in Mommy," and "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling." Each of these books have helped me in my parenting and homeschool endeavors and I would recommend them to ANY mom!

Anyway.... There are many activities, but we pick and choose. This is the first year we have actually done more than 1, LOL! I like this simplified Christmas that we are practicing. It gives us more time to concentrate and ponder the real reason and meaning of this wonderful celebration.

So in talking about Christmas Colors and why they are red, green, and white (you'll just have to read it yourself...don't want to give too much away!) we decided on making green popcorn. The best part of the experience (for me) was the interest in the idea of home made popcorn from my girls. I brought the bag home and they looked at it, and with questions in their voices, asked, "Yellow Popping Corn??? What's that?" Oh, how I laughed!!! I guess I haven't made any this way in a long, long, looonng while. So they watched intently while I made it...ya know, the old-fashioned way...in a pot with some oil. I shared with them how this was the only way we had popcorn when I was a kid. Just when was microwave popcorn invented??? I don't even remember. I don't think I bought it until I had the ballerina (she's 13, remember!). Wow. That makes me feel old. I feared they wouldn't like the blandness of it. I made some extra, let them taste it plain, which they made "hmm" noises to, then added some salt, let them taste test, then added some melted butter, to which they fell in love with! They asked if it was cheaper to make it home made (trying to convince me it needs made this way every time). Well, with microwave popcorn being so cheap, I don't really know if it's cheaper. I haven't done the math. Does anyone know???

So, with the other 16 cups of popcorn we followed the recipe which makes a sort of candied popcorn. It's pretty yummy! We chose green to color it, but next time I think we'll do red.

Junior and Roo chomping down!

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
In her book, Lisa also talks about different Christmas songs and carols (and helps kids understand the difference!). It's so wonderful! I learn right along with the kids most of the time. (my home school mommy friends will agree that this is quite common for us!)

Legend says that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written to help parents teach their children the true meaning of Christmas in England during the 300 years that it was illegal to be a member of the Catholic Church. The words are a 'secret code' that I'm going to crack for you, so that you may share it with your kids, or simply learn something new! :0)


"My True Love" represents God, who gives all the gifts listed in the song.
"A partridge in a pear tree" is Jesus, who gave His life on a tree (the cross).
"Two turtle doves" symbolize the Old and New Testaments.
"Three french hens" are faith, hope, and love.
"Four calling birds" speak of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
"Five golden rings" correspond to the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch.
"Six geese a-laying" stand for the six days of creation.
"Seven swans a-swimming" are the seven gifts of the Spirit (Romans 12:6-8).
"Eight maids a-milking" point to the eight beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10).
"Nine ladies dancing" signify the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
"Ten lords a-leaping" represent the ten commandments.
"Eleven pipers piping" are the eleven faithful disciples. And finally......
"Twelve drummers drumming" call to mind the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed.


That's quite a bit learned about the Bible in a very unique song! I don't think I will ever forget that. We created a game (suggested in the book) to help us remember each symbol. Cool, eh? :0)

P.S. I have NO idea why the print is SO large on this post....I tried to make it smaller, but blogger won't let me!!! Grrr...

*All words in purple are from "The ADVENTure of Christmas" by Lisa Whelchel.