Menu Plan Monday (on Tues! 2/12/08)

I'm late with my menu plan. Last weeks plan ended up a draw pile. So many things came up to throw us off track. We're hoping this week will be an improvement.

Last night I entered a grocery store for the first time in months. We finally have a 2nd car again. Now, it's back to that drudgery that I have so enjoyed having the husband do for me. I wonder if he would still do it? Maybe if I cook him some really good breakfasts and dinners--and maybe throw in some homemade lunches for the office?

Breakfast
Wed-Johnny Cakes, sausage, clementines
Thur-Instant Granola, yogurt, bananas
Fri-Cinnamon Nutmeg French toast, oranges
Sat-Walnut Waffles, yogurt, apple slices
Sun-Orange Nut Muffins, sausage, pear slices

Lunch
Tue-Macaroni & Ham, baby carrots, strawberries
Wed-Raman Noodles w/Egg, peas, applesauce
Thur-Turkey/Cheese Quesadillas, Green Beans, clementines
Fri-Sunflower Seed Butter** & Jelly sandwiches (fresh homemade bread) carrots, applesauce
Sat-Texas Style Chili, cornbread, fruit
Sun-Leftovers

Dinner
Tue-Walnut and Rosemary Anglehair Pasta, Mixed Veggies, applesauce
Wed-Grandpa's Fish (which we didn't get to last week!), Broccoli, fruit salad
Thur-Spaghetti, garlic bread, corn, apples
Fri-Chicken and Prosciutto Roll-overs, green beans, pears
Sat-BBQ Pork Roast, cheesy mashed potatoes, applesauce
Sun-Leftovers

**In case you're wondering, Sunflower Seed Butter is in place of Peanut Butter because of son's peanut allergy. It is a GREAT substitute and relatively easy to find at the grocery stores now.

I'll try to post more recipes soon. In the mean time, let me know if anything looks good and I'll post the recipe!

Yeah. Right.

There is no excuse for this pathetic "dusting".

Where's my 9"??

We're Expecting!

We're finally expecting...SNOW!!! We are supposed to get up to 9" by noon tomorrow. Last time the forecasters tormented us with their predictions. I should probably not trust them, but I'm giving them this last, second chance. We're chanting our mantra.

Snow....snow....snow....snow...snow...

We.

Want.

Snow!

The next thing you see here will either include pictures of snow...or I'm leaving for Florida.

The Church Thing

Yesterday we did the church thing. For those of you who don't know, this has been a big struggle for us because the church we've been attending teaches more opinion than Bible. If we hadn't committed to teach an adult SS class, we'd be gone. Instead, we teach the class and have a home fellowship time with another family. But yesterday, we visited another church.

Husband has had ties to a Horizon Fellowship for years and we have good friends also involved in one. Well, it turns out there is one near us, so we went. Several very, VERY shocking things happened.

First off, we were greeted by two 12 year old boys at the door. They had SMILES on their faces. What is WRONG with those boys? They are homeschooled, of course!

Next, we were greeted by EVERYONE! It was so nice and I know for a fact that I have never been to a "public" church where this has happened. Husband commented afterward that not one person asked about his job. Asking about a man's job is what (he says) men do when they don't really want to talk to you, but have to.

THEN...we sat down for the praise and worship--actually we stood up--for an HOUR! They sang for an HOUR...ANNNNDDDDD they didn't sing songs about ME...ME...ME...They sang about God and heavenly things--even a HYMN, of all things! Absolutely astounding.

And it gets better. The teaching time was another HOUR. AND went OVER! AND did I mention it was BIBLE teaching AND that there were CHILDREN PRESENT! Can you hear the shocking sarcasm in my typing! I'm trying to be VERY CLEAR here!! Well, there's more.

We talked with the pastor and his wife after and I asked her if anyone homeschooled there. We didn't know about the 2 boys at the door yet. She replied that she did..."Oh, WE ALL DO!" She added. I like ta' had a heart attack right then and there. All the parents homeschool. Of course, it all made sense. The presence of children, the smiles on everyones faces. The proclaiming of God's Word and heavenly things.

Now I don't mean to imply that non-homeschoolers are not capable of these things. Please forgive me if that notion creeps out. It's just this seems like homeschooling NORMAL. These things are what I've come to know and believe in most Christ-centered homeschool families. We've had so much opposition to it at our "public" church. The pastor there actually told us that the most important thing to teach our children was how to talk to adults so that they can grow up and be successful. How sad is that?

So what propelled us (finally) out the door? Most protestants may not be aware that Lent is actually NOT in the Bible and has pagan origins. But more than their desire to "observe" it, they have decided to have a huge board put up with every families name so that they can record what you are "giving up" for Lent and then hold you accountable for it publicly. SOUNDS LIKE THE OPRAH SHOW TO ME! Ick. Well, I have pretty strong thoughts on all this and I'm trying not to pour them all out here and offend everyone who reads, but our desire is just for the things of God and Him alone. This other made-up religious stuff is just too made-up. God's "stuff" is good enough for me.

We are very happy we attended this other church and hope to go back really soon. It was such a blessing "giving up" my Sunday for true worship and true fellowship.

Our Comlete Week: 2/3/08-2/9/08

Our entire last week is a blur. We've been rather busy battling colds and the usual unexpected distractions. Here we are, I didn't get this posted, yet the week is done, none the less!

Daughter is almost through with her introduction and memorization of the first 29 phonograms in her Spell to Write and Read (SWR). She is loving it and doing so well at it! Flashbacks of her brother have crept in, though, as I've watched her mentally sprint, while physically lag. In other words, while she's been excelling in her learning, her pottying on the potty has taken a temporary set back. Accidents. I know this pattern, and it does help with the anxiety.

We tackled a bit of Samuel and King Saul this week for Judah Bible lesson (Year 3, Theme 3, Wk 1). Yes in deedy! The people wanted an earthly king. Isn't it amazing how even today we find ourselves looking to "officials" rather to the Lord. All the answers must be found in government, but can't possibly be solved in a relationship with God! Son tackled some tough questions like:

#1: Why did God give them (the grumbly, never-satisfied Israelites) what they wanted?
#2: Why didn't they realize they were volunteering for slavery?
#3: What would you being willing to give up to get your way, rather than God's?
#4: Why did they see men as heroes of battle, and not God?
#5: How do we learn to trust in the Lord for all our victories?

We are still going to work on this lesson, as we didn't quite get through it all. Bible lessons are never something we hurry!

Our math time is starting to get challenging and I believe we are coming to the end of our "practice" time. We are beginning to see some new concepts creap in and are ready to hit them head on. I'm going to really attempt to focus more on learning "together" and try to remember (Lord, help me!) to examine and include any Biblical principles that we see in the math. Since I'm a practical person, I've thought of writing a reminder across son's forehead, but alas...I don't think I'll go there!

I'll try to have a more complete update this coming weekend.

Mary Cassat

We've been needing a bit more motivation to get into studying particular artists. Now we have it! Check out what HomeschoolEStore is giving away this week! I'm very excited. They always have neat giveaways, but this one made my eyes light up. I know I'm going to also use this Artist Specials video from Devine Entertainment (these are usually at the library).

Kitchen Keeping

My kitchen has been getting pretty bad lately. It's one of those deals where you flea in terror when you look upon the mess. The idea that it can be avoided wars against the notion that it will take hours to be acceptable. Sometimes, we come home and I can hardly bare to look at it, taking comfort in any other place in the house. The fact that that particular room in the house is the central dumping ground for every member of the family, drives me to despair.

This morning I was checking in on a little blog reading and the person (Laura at 'I'm an Organized Junkie') who has had me thinking about all things "kitchen",(this is her "kitchen month") was sharing her notes from an author's interview on the Op*rah show (which I despise with a passion, but it isn't the author's fault!). She summed it up this way...

"The kitchen is the space that nourishes the family,

no one can have a healthy diet in a kitchen that is cluttered and messy."

Ouch. I realized then and there that all the objectives I've been striving for with healthier food and better habits were being defeated because of my inability to address the issues of our kitchen. Read the rest of her notes here.

The children and I sat down and began talking about stewardship, nutrition, and health. Both were very interested, but when we concluded our discussion with a tour of the kitchen, with new eyes, taking it seriously took on new meaning. My son asked me if we could write down some kitchen rules. Great idea! We talked about the difference between "cleaning" and "keeping": We felt "keeping" was being more in tune with Godly character. This is what we came up.

Ten Commandments of Kitchen Keeping:
1. Always clean up after yourself.
2. Think about others before yourself.
3. Always be on the look out for things that need "keeping".
4. Don't wait for later, when you have a moment now.
5. Never let the trash overflow.
6. When you don't know what to do with something, ask.
7. Be aware when you are making a mess.
8. Sweep everyday to keep the mice away.
9. Always treat the kitchen, as if you are expecting company for dinner.
10. The kitchen is NOT a dumping ground.

While this is all well and good, a list does not automatically change the situation. What we have succeeded at doing, however, is sharing our awareness of what needs to happen not only in the kitchen, but all over the house.

We dove right in---all three of us (the 4yo too!)--and began putting our kitchen to rights. Son was so motivated, he took on the task of organizing a couple of cupboards that he has been the primary mess maker in. He did a fine job, too!

It always seems to come down to character and habit. Both things I would like to work on a bit more. Teaching about character is great, but how much better to incorporate it into habit.

This all took me back to one of my favorite organizing books of all time, "Organizing from the Inside Out", by Julie Morgenstern. This is the book that teaches you to have things put away WHERE you use them. So we continued with a lot of organizing and cleaning! At one point, son began working on an adjoining room. When I asked him why he was in there, he said that room needed it too! That's my boy.

Raman Noodles with Egg

I'm very happy that something I tried (a great idea from my friend eeeemommy) actually worked! One of the last of the "processed" convenience foods I've been relying on is Raman noodles. The kids love them and I only use half the seasoning, if that. It was suggested that I drop a scrambled egg into the mix and let it cook with the noodles. I wasn't sure how this would work, but healthier is the objective here so I went for it.

I figured if it flopped I'd be out .27 cents so I wasn't too worried. Well, no complaints! The kids enjoyed it even more and I can breathe a sigh of relief that they had a little protein with their processed noodles! Oh boy. We didn't, however, throw the peas in (per my planned menu) this time. They just couldn't handle that WITH the new change! :) Bad, bad mommy!

When Things Get a Little Blurry

A few days ago I wrote about my glasses being broken. Well, a little electrical tape and I'm good till my replacements come, but glasses or no, when I stepped into the shower the other morning rather blurry eyed (in more ways than one!) I wasn't prepared for our little visitor.

As I saw him curled up in the corner I screamed and jumped out of the shower slamming the shower door and yelling for the husband. He came running while son went for a stick to kill "it" with. I was totally creaped out...totally nauseous. Yuck! Well, husband killed it and then calmly walked past me without a word. When I asked him why he wasn't getting it out, he told me...

"GET SOME GLASSES!"

So. I did. And then I "saw" it. The little hair-ball. As in, HAIR-BALL--with a tail, mind you. So I swore him to secrecy and he warned me about the wife who called "mouse". Well, it's just too good not to record for posterity. Nothing this exciting has happened around here for awhile! And just so my children will remember, they saw just how fast their mom could "move" when need be!

Review: "Away Goes Sally"

We just completed "Away Goes Sally", by Elizabeth Coatsworth. First published in 1934, this delightful start to a five-book series speaks of a pioneering spirit and extended family life in the 1800's.

This book was listed in our Truthquest guide (AHYSII) and I know I've seen the author on other lists. Probably, Jan Bloom's, since that's the list I use the most. It was not an easy book to find; definately retired from the libraries around here. However, Bethlehem Books has re-published it and others by the author, so I bought it new (a rare occurance for me!).

I wrote about the author's delightful use of poetry at the close of each chapter, here. It is a treat! But, I also wanted to share about another area that may concern readers. The consultation of a wit*ch for "fortune telling".

Usually when I'm reading aloud, I'm able to edit as the occassion may provide. I started to edit with this book, then having recently read about King Saul and his consultation with the Wit*ch of Endor, I thought son would be old enough for a lesson.

We talked about how very real and how very dangerous such things are. I shared about Saul, and the consequences of his sin. We talked about whether or not such a thing is ever acceptable, even as pretend. We talked about it's literary value; whether there was any, or whether it detracted from the best part of the story telling. For us, it definately detracted! It is especially confusing, in light of it, to then have the characters observe the Sabbath and a time of Bible reading.

We did enjoy the rest of the book, which (without giving too much away) has a family moving to Maine in a very unorthodox manner. The story is adorable and the characters are endearing. The story is a lighthearted approach to its subject matter, but appealing none the less. We haven't decided if we'll invest in the rest of the series as they are not cheap, but we wouldn't be opposed to them, if we came across them at a bargain.

I know that it's always helpful to know about these things before you open a book, or hand a book to a child. Here in our home, we are more particular than most, I'd say. There are just too many fabulous books to waste time on tripe.

Poetry as a Literary Device

Since we've been enjoying poetry with our Poem-A-Day readings, we've become very attracted to all things poetic. Recently, we finished several books that included poems as part of the stories. We've been charmed by this use of poetry in story telling.

In "Away Goes Sally" (more to come on this book), author Elizabeth Coatsworth includes a poem at the end of each chapter. There is a little something in each one that conncects to the story.

"When all the other leaves are gone

The brown oak leaves still linger on,

Their branches obstinately lifted

To frozen wind and snow deep-drifted.

But when the winter is well passed

The brown oak leaves drop down at last,

To let the little buds appear

No larger than a mouse's ear."

Another favorite is "Mr. Pipes Comes to America". Here, author Douglas Bond uses common and little known hymn lyrics to totally bring you to worship.

"O Father, deign these walls to bless;

Fill with Thy love their emptiness;

And let their door a gateway be

To lead us from ourselves to Thee."

--John Greenleaf Whittier

Mr. Bond also uses his immense knowledge of ancient hymns in his "Crown and Covenant" Series.

"The mighty Lord is on my side,

I will not be afraid;

For anything that man can do

I shall not be dismayed.

Thou art my God, I'll thee exalt;

My God I will thee praise.

Give thanks to God, for he is good;

His mercy lasts always."

Lastly, in our most recently completed Lamplighter, Norman MacLeod, in "The Golden Thread" treats us to "verses" that delight:

"In the darkest night, my child,

Canst thou see the Right, my child?

Forward then! God is near!

The Right will be light to thee,

Armour and might to thee;

Forward! And never fear!"

I think that it's only through adding poetry to our lives daily that we've become more attune to noticing these things in our regular reading. The kids are enjoying calling out "that's a poem!" It always brings a smile to our faces. :) Eventually, we'll try our hand at penning our own. One step at a time!

Menu Plan Monday

I really thought I was done posting for today, but remembered that I had promised myself to do this at least once! So here it is--our menu plan for the week!

Breakfast:
Mon-Almond Vanilla Oatmeal, bananas, juice.
Tue-Oatmeal Walnut Pancakes, all-natural sausage links, sliced pear
Wed-My fabulous home-made granola, clementines
Thur-Hearty Muffins, Scrambled eggs, bananas
Fri-Cinnamon/Nutmeg French Toast, fresh juice
Sat-Whole Grain waffles, sausages, bananas
Sun-whatever's fastest (we can't all be perfect!)

Lunch:
Mon-Mac N Cheese, green beans, applesauce
Tue-Turkey Chili Burgers (leftovers), carrots, apples
Wed-Raman Noodles w/egg, peas, pears
Thur-SunflowerSeed Butter & Jelly sandwiches, baggie salad, fruitabu (picnic)
Fri-Texas Chili, toast w/honey, apples
Sat-Pizza (leftovers; if not, plan B. Haven't gotten that far yet!)
Sun-Leftovers TBA!

Dinner:
Mon-Turkey Tacos w/rice & beans, pears
Tue-Grandpa's lake Fish!, Broccoli & clementines
Wed-Garlic Rosemary Chicken, green beans, whole grain rolls, apples
Thur-Pizza Express (takeout)
Fri-Sloppy Turkey Joes, Mixed Veggies, Fruit salad
Sat-Oh! Why can't I decide?! :(
Sun-BBQ Pork Roast, green beans, fruit leftovers

This post explains a little bit why I've listed breakfasts. I've been menu planning lunch and dinner for a few months. It really has made a difference for us!

For more Menu Plan Mondays, go here!

Establishing Your Days

Over the last few weeks as I've attempted to maintain some semblance of goal setting, I've begun what I humbly refer to as "Establishing My Days". Of course, whenever I say it, I immediately think of the beautiful scripture that tells us...

Psa 37:23

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

...and though my prayer is always that the Lord will establish my steps, as I look at the definition of "establish" I see...[Webster's 1828 Dictionary]

Establish
ESTAB'LISH, v.t. [L. stabilio; Heb. to set, fix, establish.]
1. To set and fix firmly or unalterably; to settle permanently.
I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant. Gen 17.
4. To settle or fix; to confirm; as, to establish a person, society or corporation, in possessions or privileges.
6. To settle or fix what is wavering, doubtful or weak; to confirm.
So were the churches established in the faith. Acts 16.
To the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in
holiness. l Thess.3.
7. To confirm; to fulfill; to make good.
Establish thy word to thy servant. Psa 119

First let me say, there is nothing quite like Webster's 1828 dictionary! Imagine a world where a languages basis is "established" using the Bible! (Note: Some definitions were not needed for this point and I added emphasis) But, I digress...

Ok. So, to set, fix, confirm, settle...permanently, to fulfillment...making good on it. I know. You're still wondering what I'm talking about which is "Establishing Your Days", OR deciding what you will do each day. In reality, this began when we went from a two to a one car household. Suddenly, I needed to plan more carefully when I would need the car; when I would be leaving the house.

For my own sanity, I needed to decide ahead of time--I needed to establish my days. I have found this has brought a great deal of rest to us as it makes many decisions for us in the day. Whether or not to begin something we can't finish. What to wear. Even how we will eat (if we'll be home, or need a picnic). Another side benefit is realizing how much we didn't need the car, as well as how much more we can get done if we stay home! This is all it is to start, then I can add "what" I'll do at home (like have a bake day, for instance):

Monday: Home

Tuesday: Library

Wednesday: Home

Thursday: Family Business trip

Friday: Small Group Night

William Blake Poem-A-Day (Updated!)

(Please see important update at the bottom.)

We've truly enjoyed our exposure to poetry since we added a Poem-A-Day, this year. I got the idea from various Charlotte Mason materials, as well as one of my favorite resources, Ambleside Online. While I'm certain we're not doing all we could in this area, we are doing all we can at this time. We make a poet card--8.5x11 with name and picture to hang in our school room, and a brief questionaire that son fills out when we complete that particular poet. We always start with a biography, and we chose at least one selection to memorize. Most importantly, we take our time. Just the exposure (like with our Art-A-Day) has really helped us to learn and experience new things. However brief the "glimpse", it stays with us all.

Currently we are reading many of the works of William Blake. Though we read one mini-biography about him, and plan to read more, he is not one of our favorites so far. We began with "Poetry for Young People: William Blake" and though I've loved other books in the series, the poems selected for this volume are mostly dark and un-pleasant, with not-so-nice character traits constantly looming and made to look acceptable. Supposedly, one of his influences was the Bible. He seems to throw around a strange perception of who he thought God was. I didn't care for it. Of course, that's just my very un-trained interpretation! The selections chosen by Ambleside, however, are of a different nature. It's sort of like seeing a light at the end of a longggg, dark tunnel! I appreciate the effort put forth for their free compilation.

If you haven't added Poetry or a Poem-A-Day yet, you might try it! It's not time consuming to prepare and how far you go with it is up to you!

Update: The other day I was reading a magazine entitled "Christian History and Biography". It was a special issue on Gnosticism. Guess who's mentioned? None other than William Blake! I did a bit more digging, and though I'm no grand researcher, it appears the guy was indeed a self-proclaimed Gnostic. Sick stuff, my friends! This explains so much and I regret having spent the time we did reading his stuff. I think from now on when I'm unfamiliar with the author, I'll dig and ask questions first!

Our Complete Week: 1/27/08-2/2/08

Many eons ago, I began a series of posts entitles "Our Complete "[Month]". I loved recording all the highlights from our month, but after awhile, I found it too hard to remember everything that I wasn't diligently recording. Slacker! Lately, I've re-discovered my passion for recording our homeschool journey and have been posting a weekly update. As I began to think about this past week, I realized I needed to #1..put the dates in my post so I could better track them, and #2, re-claim the 'ole "Complete" title which I always liked!

From the original "Complete" post, I wrote:
According to Webster's 1828 dictionary...
COMPLETE, a.
1. Having no deficiency; perfect. And ye are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. Col. 2.
2. Finished; ended; concluded; as, the edifice is complete. This course of vanity almost complete. In strict propriety, this word admits of no comparison; for that which is complete, cannot be more or less so.
COMPLETE, v.t.
1. To finish; to end; to perfect; as, to complete a bridge, or an edifice; to complete an education.
2. To fill to accomplish; as, to complete hopes or desires.
3. To fulfil; to accomplish; to perform; as, the prophecy of Daniel is completed.

So much is communicated in one word! We rarely think of the words we use--we just USE them, but this truly struck me!

Of course, our weeks are never truly "complete" in that we are never perfect, nor is our education finished, but they may be "complete" for such a time as this--for this "season". And that is what I strive for as I focus on the Lord, recount the day and all that He has "completed".

So our complete week included:
Starting the week in bed with the stomach flu. God had mercy on me yet again, and no other family members came down with the dreaded nasties. Since my normal planning and meditation day was "taken", I had to use Monday for it. Son did some of his "on your own" work, but we really didn't get much done in the way of learning.

Tuesday, we were back in the saddle and we began our regular, all-new, thoroughly updated, can't mess this one up even if I tried (I love pushing the limits!), schedule. So far, so good. The main point for the new schedule (for our lesson time) was to see daughter's learning time on paper and how it would match up with son's. I think I'm coming closer to figuring out the two student thing, but MAN is it more difficult than I thought. I really don't know how all you big-family moms do it. Two MAY be the end of me!

Learning-wise, daughter and I rowed (FIAR) "Another Celebrated Dancing Bear". Not really my favorite of the selections so far. The main character issue was supposed to be jealousy, but it also included whining, and feeling sorry for yourself. Who likes to read a story full of those things everyday?! But we did (dutiful little FIARers!). The book did have redeeming qualities of friendship and hospitality. Believe me, there was plenty to learn--just not pleasantly! There were so many character issues, we didn't do much with the Russian geography. Daughter is totally enthralled with the idea of the circus though, which is amazing considering it's not really about the circus; only mentions it. Being the fabulous homeschool mom that I am (harhar--try not to laugh too loud!), I did look up the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Baily Circus to see when it would next be near us. It'll be here on her birthday! So there you go!

I wrote earlier this week about the wonderful lessons we experienced with our Joshua Bible lesson. We ended the week comparing Joshua to Jesus--as in Joshua was a shadow of Jesus to come. Now this is what I'm talking about (from Chuck Missler and Koinonia House--thanks Missy!)--

It is interesting to notice the parallels in design between the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. Joshua's name is in Hebrew; in Greek it could be rendered "Jesus." Joshua's mission is to dispossess the usurpers from the Land on behalf of God's people; in Revelation, Jesus' mission is to dispossess the Planet Earth of the usurpers. Joshua initially sends ahead two witnesses. (We call them spies, but all they accomplished was getting a Gentile woman saved.) The two witnesses of Revelation Chapter 11 are a prominent element. Also we observe that in the initial attack on the Amorite capital of Jericho in the book of Joshua every rule of the Torah was violated: the Levites were exempt from military duties, yet they lead the procession. They were to do no work on Sabbath Day, yet here they march around Jericho once a day for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day! They are to keep silent until the final trumpet blast, etc. It is interesting that the Seven Trumpets in Revelation are introduced after a strange silence. It seems that in Revelation we have the final "Joshua," dispossessing the Planet Earth of its usurpers on behalf of God's people in a manner that is remarkably parallel.

Have I mentioned how much I love our Judah Bible Lessons. I guess technically, it's just God's Word that I love! Judah Bible Curriculum is just the outline we use. God provides us the "lessons"!! Thank you, Lord!

Most of the other topics we covered this week are sort of a blur. Because of the shortened week that only got shorter when we finished a bunch of our work on Thursday (and DIDN'T get a snow day on Friday), I'm kinda surprised to find myself at Saturday!

Unfortunately, my week ended with my glasses falling off, me stepping on them and breaking them while bending over to wipe my child's rear! That's always pleasant. Love spending hard earned money on my sight though. (Oh, brother!)

God blessed me this week with visits with several friends--the last visit being today. That does make the days a little sunnier in this very gloomy February! God also gave me the strength to get my bread baked, organize and re-do our school room and follow my menu plan. Whew!

Now! On to next week!