The Little Things

Cowgirl's talk

2012-02-06T22:16:00.001-06:00

Cowgirl is great at art, science, and math. Her reading and language arts skills have been slower in coming; but she has made huge leaps and bounds, especially over the past 6 months. She has put a lot of effort into reading and this last Sunday we were able to visually see the improvements in a fun way. Cowgirl was asked to give a talk in primary. I guess I should also add that although she's very social, she doesn't like to be in front of a large group of people, yet. Here's the talk she gave. By herself. She only stumbled on one work, courage. I was so proud of her as she read it loud, clear, and slow. It was a wonderful Mommy moment that helped me feel like, "Yeah, she's getting it! The hard work is paying off!" We love you Cowgirl!!!!!

Remembering Jesus helps mechoose the right.

In Joshua 24:15 we read:"Choose you this day whom ye will serve; ... but as for me and my house,we will serve the Lord".

Every day I make choices. I choosewhat to wear, what to say, what to read and watch, and how to act. The abilityto make choices is a gift from Heavenly Father. It is called agency. Using ouragency is an important part of Heavenly Father's plan for me.

Heavenly Father will help me choosethe right. I am a child of God, and He wants me to return to live with Himagain. I can pray to Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere, and He will bless mewith courage to choose the right.

Jesus Christ will help me choose theright. He is "the way, the truth, and the life" and the perfectexample for me to follow. I will choose the right when I ask myself, "Whatwould Jesus want me to do?"

Remembering Jesus helps me choosethe right.

Charlie Brown Tree

2012-01-30T07:23:00.002-06:00

For years we've had a fake tree. Not something Mr. Bailey and I like to well. But hey, it's cheaper than buying a precut one. If we still lived in the Beehive state there is no doubt in my mind we would have a real tree cut from the Manti-La Sal or Bridger Rec areas. In our little community we have two local Christmas tree farms. We've never gone and decided it was time. So, this year we loaded up the kids on the Saturday after Thanksgiving-which coincidentally began a rather wet month for Texas. It was cold and we that day, but the experience was pretty fun for the kids. Unfortunately the trees were not in very good shape because we're deep in the heart of a Texas drought. They painted the trees to make them look greener than they were and they all looked rather dry and sparse. However, we were already there and decided we'd stick with the plan or cutting a tree. What we ended up with was a Charlie Brown tree for sure! By Christmas it was so dead that when we un-decorated it there were more pine needles left on the ground than the tree! And no, that is not an exaggeration!
The good thing was it did smell like pine for a few weeks and it was pretty small and easy to move so we could clean up the needles easily!

We ended up setting it on a stack of magazines to make it taller. It was decorated and re-decorated on a daily basis. Thank goodness for wood, metal, and fabric ornaments! The last pic is right after we took off the lights and took it outside. Next time, we'll take it outside and THEN take the lights off. We're learning!

Age is relative...or maybe irrelevant.

2012-01-30T07:14:00.000-06:00

Tex sometimes comes to very interesting conclusions. This week he's apparently decided that 18 is a really big number. He's very interested in how old people are as well. Here's a few tidbits of what I learned this week from my feisty five year old.

"An airplane costs $18, cause that's a lot of money. A farm costs $21, cause that's a REALLY lot of money."

And later...

Tex: "How old is your Grandma? My Grandma-great?"

Me: "How old do you think she is?"

Tex: "18 Hundred. And Grandpa-great is 'probly' 21 hundred."

-I am apparently about 18 81s. And Mr. Bailey is 18 21s.

Obviously, we need to keep working on his number sense. But hey, we've got time...he's only 5.

I have a dream

2012-01-20T12:15:00.004-06:00

This week we're talking about Martin Luther King. Naturally, we had a journal entry about dreams. This is what LM wrote.

Four dreams
I have a dream that it could snow in Texas. That way we could make snowmen, slide on the snow-covered hills of Bastrop, and play snowforts.
I have a dream that we could live in Wyoming, have a farm, no fire-ants, snow, four-wheelers, hundreds of acres, a forest, hills, and nearby family.
I have a dream that we could have hpets and a new baby sibling. I love babies, and pets are good. I would live in harmony.
I have a dream that I could be humble and be righteious, and repent.
Those are my dreams.

LM turns 11!

2011-12-31T08:49:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to LM! He turned 11 just last month! It's hard for me to believe that he is growing so old. His feet are now bigger than mine. I anticipate that this next year he'll pass me up. He's past my chin now. He is growing so quickly that the pants I bought for him in September are three inches too short in December! We love this little man so much and we're so happy he's part of our family!
10 Things about LM...
1. He loves food.
2. He eats a lot of food. Usually more than his Dad.
3. He loves to read.
4. He loves to write.
5. He plays piano and has a natural talent for music.
6. He is getting to be a good helper and is starting to realize that he is stronger than he previously thought.
7. He wants to be a scientist (something space), a meteorologist, or a park ranger.
8. His favorite color is blue.
9. His favorite subject is science.
10. He is a great big brother and is starting to babysit the younger kids for short periods of time. And he does a great job!

Family Birthday-12 years

2011-12-31T08:40:00.002-06:00

Another post I never got to this last year was celebrating our family birthday (our anniversary). We decided a while back to include our children in this celebration and call it our family birthday, as described in a previous post. Mr. Bailey and I still do something together, just the two of us. But we also do something as a family to celebrate the beginning of it all. This year we had had several visitors for the weeks prior to May 7. So when the time came, we were pretty tired! We made a trip to Galveston. We sat on the beach and did nothing. The kids played in the water and the sand. Mr. Bailey took them out in the water and played as well. I stayed close to shore with Curious and played with him. It was very relaxing. We ate dinner that night at a local Mexican restaurant and stayed at a hotel for the evening. We really enjoyed getting away for a few days and having nothing to do. If you haven't done it in a while, I highly suggest it. In fact, I think it's about time to do something similar again. Happy 12th Birthday family!

Tex turns 5!

2011-12-30T11:47:00.001-06:00

I have no idea why I didn't post on this, but it makes me sad! My little Tex turned 5 in April! Happy Birthday to you Tex! We love having you in our family! We had several friends over for a birthday party and I made a a shark cake. If you know me, you know this was rough. I have a phobia. But for Tex, anything! Here are some favorites at 5.
1. Ketchup is a food group. Tex eats it on everything!
2. Peanut Butter is also a food group.
3. Daddy walks on water.
4. Tools are the best toy ever, hands down.
5. When Tex grows up he wants to drive big trucks and be a Dad so he doesn't have to help clean-up (I will note here, that this is his perception, but Mr. Bailey does help, often!)
6. Trains, planes, and automobiles.
7. Following Cowgirl around as her sidekick.
8. Girls. Yep, he lets us know if he thinks they're pretty or not. Weird and I'm not sure how I feel about it sometimes. But, overall, it's pretty cute.
9. Music and dancing. He thinks his aunt, SMO, is a rockstar. And she is.
10. Playing at the park. One of his most favorite activities for sure!

Sweets for the sweet-Best Caramel Recipe!!! Ever!!!!

2011-12-14T07:35:00.000-06:00

Caramels
Another amazing recipe and super easy, although they are a bit time consuming. Grab your kindle and get out your wooden spoon. You'll need both! This is with my own little tweaks.

2 cups white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup evaporated milk
1 pint whipping cream
1 cup butter
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Line a 12x15 inch pan with parchment. Seriously do this. It is worth it.
In a large pot, combine sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, whipping cream, and butter. Monitor the heat of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) remove the pot from the heat. I took my thermometer out when it hit 220. I stirred and stirred, watching and waiting. When I thought it was ready I took a spoonful out and dropped it into some cold water. Then I checked it to see if it would roll into a small ball and keep it's form. I'm pretty sure I only cooked it to 240-245. However, we live at about 400 ft above sea level and I'm thinking this had something to do with it.
Stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and let the mixture cool completely. When cooled cut the Carmel into small squares and wrap them in wax paper for storage.


Let everyone take a turn for 10 minutes!

And while all of this stirring is going on, employ the children in throwing dinner together. Chicken breasts, cranberry sauce, Russian dressing, and onion soup mix. 350 for 50 minutes. Easy and tasty.

The best pecan pie. Ever.

2011-12-14T07:20:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving 2011

The weather was so nice that we rented a paint sprayer thing and we spent the day painting our fence. So we now have a mortgage and a white picket fence. What more could we ask for? ;)

This year for Thanksgiving we had a small group but I cooked for an army. Thank goodness I spent most of the Wednesday baking or we would have had turkey and potato flake potatoes. Things came together and we ate at 5:00. We were so tired from painting all day that after we ate we were happy just to go to bed. It was actually really nice. We cleaned up and hit the sack. But, this isn't what I want to share today. I want to share the most AMAZING pecan pie recipe.

BEST. PECAN. PIE. EVER.

1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until done.

I like to top mine with whole pecans so it looks nice. This pic doesn't show that. It was the first one I made. The second one I made was just as good but looked prettier with the pecans on top. I've made it was a deep dish frozen pie shell and a homemade crust. They were both fantastic.

Don't be intimidated by this pie. I don't know why I haven't made one before. It was easy and oh so yummy!
Here's the link for this delicious pie!

It may or may not help to have a little helper, like this guy. Maybe I'm bias.

Thanksgiving Unit Study

2011-11-15T17:07:00.001-06:00

I wanted to find a way for our family to study the Thanksgiving Holiday, Pilgrims, and other Thanksgiving themes together. I searched online and found a unit study that one family put together (unfortunately I cannot find the site today...if I find it I'll post it here for a reference!). I used several of her ideas and made a few tweaks to make this our own study. The littles have loved this unit study and are already asking if we'll be doing a Christmas unit study as well. We're having so much fun with this study that I've decided that's exactly what I'd like to do. Here is our study.

Thanksgiving Unit Study

Unit Themes

· Pilgrims: Mayflower, Mayflower Compact, PlymouthVillage, 1^st Thanksgiving

· Squanto and Native American Friends

· Give thanks to God

Resources

· Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims, Clyde RobertBulla (chapter book, RL 3)

· The First Thanksgiving, Garnet Jackson (Reader,RL 2)

· Cranberry Thanksgiving, Wende and Harry Devlin(Picture Book)

· Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving (Picture Book)

· Don’t Know Much About the Pilgrims, Kenneth C.Davis (Resource Book)

· The Thanksgiving Story, Alice Dalgliesh (PictureBook)

· How Many Days to America?, Eve Bunting (PictureBook)

· A History of US book 2, Joy Hakim (ResourceBook)

· Who Were the First North Americans?, Usborne(Resource Book)

· Samuel Eaton’s Day, Kate Waters (Picture Book)

· Draw Write Now Book 3, Marie Hablitzel and KimStitzer (Resource Book and Workbook)

· If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620, McGovern(Resource Book)

· If You Were at the First Thanksgiving, AnneKamma (Resource Book)

· Thank You, Sarah: the Woman Who SavedThanksgiving, Laurie Halse Anderson (Picture Book)

· Three Young Pilgrims, Cheryl Harness (PictureBook)

· New Friends in a New Land, Judith Bauer Stamper(Picture Book)

· Stranded at Plimoth Plantation 1626, Gary Bowen(Resource Book)

Online

Google Earth

· www.sidetrackedmoms.com/a-thanksgiving-memory/

· www.homeschoolpatriot.com/documents-mayflower.html

· http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/pilgrim-hats-661561/

· www.oklahomahomeschool.com/pilgrimCL.html

· http://www.focusonthefamily.com/popups/media_player.aspx?MediaId=%7B4DD2B68C-76E8-4FE8-8F86-74EC5E756BFF%7D

· http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/swedish-hard-tack/detail.aspx

Daily Blessing Tree

Print a daily blessing on a leaf and paste it to the Blessings Tree.

October 30

· Make a Thanksgiving Journal

o Fold in half 1 piece of cardstock and 12 sheetsof blank printer paper. Punch 2 holes down side and sue twine, yarn, or bradsto hold journal together.

o Decorate or draw on the cover. (Draw Write Nowbooks to help).

· Read Aloud If you Sailed on the Mayflower in1620 (p. 10-31).

· Thanksgiving Tree plan. Cut out leaves and makethe tree trunk. Hang in the house.

November 1

· Read aloud If you Sailed on the Mayflower in1620 (p. 32-43).

· Journal

o Draw the Mayflower (Draw Write Now, p. 54)

o Write If I Were Traveling to the New World IWould Take

· Find Holland, England, Plymouth, MA , and RhodeIsland on Google Earth.

· Discuss longitude and latitude, find the longitudeand latitude of Holland, Rhode Island, and Plymouth.

November 2

· Read aloud If you Sailed on the Mayflower in1620 (p. 44-72)

· Journal

o Draw Plymouth (Draw Write Now, p. 57)

o Write Three Ways My Life is Different From theLife of Pilgrim Boys and Girls

· Make a model of Plymouth

November 3

· Read aloud If You Sailed on the Mayflower in1620 (p. 73-80)

· Journal

o Draw Pilgrims (Draw Write Now, p. 50)

· Make Hardtack. Eat hardtack and jerky. Rope offcabin in Mayflower for kids to play in. Talk about how long the journey took.Would you get tired of the food? No privacy, quiet, or room?

November 4

· Read aloud The Mayflower Compact(Homeschoolpatriot.com)

· Journal

o Imagine you have arrived in a New World. Write aNew World Compact to create your new government. Where does your authority comefrom? Why are you in the New World? How will you create laws in the future?

November 7

· Read aloud Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Lifeof a Pilgrim Boy

· Journal

o Tell about one thing in Samuel Eaton’s life thatyou would like to do. Tell about one thing in Samuel Eaton’s life that you areglad is NOT in your life.

· Make Pilgrim Hats. Family Fun Website.

November 8

· Read aloud Squanto and the Miracle ofThanksgiving

· Journal

o Draw Squanto (Draw Write Now, p. 58)

o Write: How did Squanto help the Pilgrims?

November 9

· Read Joseph’s Story (Genesis 37: 12-36,39:1-45:28)

· Journal

o Write How is Squanto’s story like Joseph’sStory?

November 10

· Listen to The Legend of Squanto: An Unknown HeroWho Changed the Course of American History (Focus on the Family Radio Theatres2007, online)

· Journal

o Write Squanto was a hero because…

November 11

· Read The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving

· Journal

o Name three kinds of food the Pilgrims ate at thefirst Thanksgiving. Name three kinds of food we traditionally eat atThanksgiving. Are these the same or different?

· Make Hand and Foot Turkeys.

November 14

· Read Thanksgiving Poems (printed from online)

· Journal

o Write a poem about autumn, the Pilgrims, Squantoor celebrating Thanksgiving.

November 15

· Read Don’t Eat the Plates (Ch. 5 and 9 today)

· Journal

o Write Our Thanksgiving Fest. Who should weinvite? What should our menu be? Include recipes. What activities should be doother than eat? What decorations should we include? What will we give ourguests to take home?

November 16

· Read aloud New friends in a New Land

· Journal

o Copy “It is said that years after that firstcelebration the colonists placed 5 kernels of corn on their plates to remindthem of the hardships they endured. They gave thanks for the blessings eachkernel represented.

o Draw 5 kernels of corn.

November 17

· Read aloud 3 Young Pilgrims

· Journal

o “The first kernel of corn represented the beautyand bounty of autumn.”

o Draw an autumn picture.

November 18

· Read aloud Cranberry Thanksgiving

· Journal

o “The second kernel of corn represented thePilgrims love for one another. The third kernel represented the Pilgrims lovefor their families.”

o Draw a picture of friends we love and ourfamily.

November 21

· Read aloud Thank you, Sarah

· Journal

o “The fourth kernel represented the Pilgrimsfriendship with the Native Americans”.

o Draw a picture of Native Americans using DrawWrite Now.

November 22

· Read aloud Articles of Faith.

· Journal

o “The fifth kernel of corn represented thePilgrims’ freedom to worship God without fear”.

o Draw a picture of yourself worshipping God.

November 23

· Read aloud Lincoln’s 1863 ThanksgivingProclamation

o Journal

o Write your 2011Thanksgiving Proclamation.

November 24

· Happy Thanksgiving!

· Share the blessings tree and read our favoritethanksgiving book.

The Best (and fastest!) Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, Ever!

2011-10-07T07:35:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning was the semi-annual General Conference of our church. This means that instead of trekking into town for our meetings, we were able to listen to the Prophet of the world and the other leaders of our church. We were spiritually fed and received many great insights and ideas (personal revelations if you will) to act upon in the coming months. Some of my favorites included: President Uchtdorf, Forget Me Not, Neil L. Andersen, Children, Carl C. Cook, It is Better to Look Up, Elaine S. Dalton, Love Her Mother, President Thomas S. Monson, Stand in Holy Places, Tad R. Callister, The Book of Mormon--a Book from God.

Although the spiritual feast was abundant, we did have to find something to "feast" on in the house as well. I found this recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and tried it out. It was amazing! I hope you like it as much as me and mine. Don't let the size of the recipe scare you, I always do. This was easy, quick, and well worth it!

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls:
1 white or yellow cake mix (I had vanilla and used that, it was delish!)
2 T. yeast (2 packages)
1 t. salt
2 c. flour
3 c. flour

Filling:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
2-3 T. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar

1-Combine the first 4 ingredients. Add 2 1/4 c. hot water. Mix.
2-Add 3 C. flour and knead until well mixed.
3-Let rise until doubled.
4-Punch down and roll out into large rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick).

5-Mix the filling ingredients; spread over the dough.
6-Roll up and cut into 1 1/2 inch slices. Let rise until doubled.
7-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
8-Frost while still warm with powdered sugar frosting I've included one recipe below...)
9-Makes 18 rolls

Frosting:
1/4 c butter (softened)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 T. milk (add more if needed for right consistency)

Latter-day Homeschooling

2011-10-06T08:37:00.002-05:00

If you're an LDS homeschooling family you may enjoy reading the posts over at Latter-day Homeschooling. There are several different writers for the blog, representing many different styles and interests, all focusing on families and homeschooling topics/issues for the LDS family. I often turn to this blog to help me fill my "homeschooling well". You know. Those days that things are topsy turvy and you're just not sure if you're cut out to do this crazy job? And you feel sort of drained? Well, aside from turning to prayer and the scriptures, I find myself coming here and finding exactly what I need. It helps to fill that drained feeling. The posts are insightful, fun, informational, and though provoking. Check it out, you won't be sorry you did!

van Gogh, Homeschool Lesson

2011-10-05T15:28:00.000-05:00

We recently had a lesson on VanGogh. What a sad life he lived and it's unfortunate that he had such sadness and such great difficulty dealing with his pain. It's interesting to me that those who often suffer most are able to express themselves through a creative medium.

After talking about VanGogh, we made our own swirly pictures, reminiscent of The Starry Night.
We used acrylic paints mixed with glue to get a thicker paint. We painted on cardstock and used a fork and the end of a paintbrush to make everything swirl. I'm no artist, obviously, but this was fun and the kids have made several "swirly paintings" since that day.

Want more info? Check out Color with Leo. There you will find activities, bios, and paintings to study.

DIY-ing 2011-part 1

2011-10-04T15:48:00.001-05:00

Laminate Flooring
Thank goodness for friends who know what they're doing! We purchased some pretty laminate flooring (Golden Select, Walnut Color) from Sam's Club and intended to put it in last weekend. We've never done but figured we could try. With a little help from one of our friends we've got it figured out. I think we may be able to do this again. The floor turned out lovely and I'd love to add some more in our home. It was a little more difficult than I planned on. If I do this again I will not get a box with multiple sizes of planks. Sounded like a fun idea, indeed it was not. Next time we'll plan for a little more time, and yes, I need to get Mr. Bailey a table saw...it's just one of those things you need to have if you're going to try DIY-ing.

All the littles helped, although I didn't snap pics of Tex or Cowgirl. We need a new camera...bad.

Curious loved helping!

This was a pseudo before shot.


LM helped with much of the prep and actual laying of the floor.

Mr. Bailey and W

The finished toy room


I love the color!

Convos all over...

2011-10-04T15:22:00.000-05:00

Funny things shared by the littles recently.

LM to my Grandmother who had just parked the car in a handicap stall: "Grandma, I didn't know you were handicapped!" Said incredulously.
Me: (embarrassed chuckle and head shake...thinking, I want to hide, I want to hide!)
My sweet Grandma: (chuckles) Well I am! It's just because I'm old.

We have found a new love...Kid History. It is hilarious! We love it! What a fun way to keep your family stories alive and engaging for all generations. After watching one of our favorite episodes (watch here) Curious George overheard LM and I talking about LM's Geography class in the Homeschool Co-op. Curious George looked at us and said: "Fffaaaccct! Geography!" I was shocked to see what he has been processing! I'm glad it was something good!

Tex wrote on the board today. He turned to me and said "Mom, this is how they write in New Mexico, huh Mom." No clue why he thinks people from NM write differently than we do. Funny.

Cowgirl usually says some pretty big words. For example, today she told me:
"I think I have the technique down for stitching from watching you Mom.
I'll probably have to learn how to sew my own clothes because money is not worth much these days.

So I guess you should probably teach me how to stitch to see if my technique is right."

The Ultimate Test

2011-09-30T22:29:00.000-05:00

Last week I had an epiphany*. It started out simple enough. I was busy helping with my sister's wedding preparations. As I stood creating centerpieces and making boutonnieres, I found myself contemplating all the time I spend on things of worth and all the time I spend on things that really have no worth. I felt a little guilty. Mostly because I feel like there are so many worthwhile things that need to be done and I often find myself opting for the easier, more entertaining and less worthwhile things.

Some of the questions that rolled through my mind that day went something like this:

How much time do I spend preparing for something? Something important, something fickle, something life changing, something easy, something hard? What do I expect the outcome to be? Does my preparation (type and amount of) really influence the outcome?

Then I dug a little deeper...

What is my ultimate goal?
What am I preparing for?
Where is my focus?
How much preparation am I putting into that goal?
Am I preparing my children for that ultimate goal? How? What can I do differently? (Lots, by the way...)

In my moments of thought I've found myself returning to these questions. To me life is all about preparation. It isn't really "a test" as we often call it. Life is preparation for the test. How will we meet our Savior? Isn't that the ultimate question, the ultimate test? Will we meet Him and recognize His face? Will He know us?

I sometimes have misgivings about the choices I've made. As I study the lives of men and women in the scriptures (i.e Esther, Ruth, Nephi, Alma the Younger...) I'm reminded that the choices I make are either bringing me closer to or removing me from the Savior.

I am hopeful that during my preparation, here, in this life, I will make small and simple choices that will bring me closer to the Savior. This is my reminder. Right here. Right now.

* Update - If you can't laugh at yourself, you're dull! I put epitome instead of epiphany...my sweet Grandma brought it to my attention. Thanks Grandma! I knew what I meant, it just didn't come out that way. Why does that happen so often! :)