A Warm Fall Weekend

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We had a wonderful weekend, did you all?

It started warm here – unseasonably so!

My amazing husband took Friday off work, JUST to be with US!!

We planned on me doing my early morning grocery run still, and at the last minute Blake came with me.

I could get used to that!

An early morning date, a chauffeur, and help with the grocery run!!

We spent the rest of Friday at home doing things here and there.

Late in the afternoon I received an e-mail from our adoption agency asking for Tate’s five-year post-adoption report that was due back in July.

Oooopppssss.

I had actually thought of this report early one morning at Family Camp when I was laying awake listening the the rain!

I even typed “check on China reports” in my TO DO list on my phone right away!

Obviously I did not check on them!

Well, there was an e-mail notification glitch on our adoption agency’s end, which is why we never received the reminder to do our report.

I spend some time Friday afternoon frantically working to get that report done!

Saturday’s are for work, usually and mostly.

Saturday morning we worked fast and hard inside and outside because we had a plan for the afternoon on such a warm day!

We headed to a park about 45 minutes away for a picnic lunch and 18 holes of disc golf.

It was FUN!

Great exercise!

And VERY BUGGY.

I have the welts all over my neck still this morning to prove that!

After a couple of hours at the park, we headed for ice cream for the kiddos and Starbucks for the chauffeurs!

We had one tired girlie and a sweet brother who carried her!

When we got back home, I got after that report again and finished it!!

YAY!

After church yesterday we had our favorites over and spent the WHOLE day just BEING.

It was SO needed by this Mama and NaiNai, and it made me SO happy!!

I only took one photo, but Addie Mae took some!

We had a delicious meal and chocolate espresso cheesecake (grain-free and dairy-free!!) for dessert!

I KNOW.

In full disclosure I ate a second piece before bed last night!

I also might have been sung to as these crazy ones I call my favorites think it is okay to celebrate how old I am.

We spent the rest of the day inside and outside and sipping cider and snacking and chatting and dreaming and just BEING.

Try it!

It was life-giving!

A front came through yesterday afternoon and that warm day is long gone!

Hopefully so are those bugs!!

Now we are cold, rainy, breezy, and….cold!

LOVING IT!!

The change of seasons is the best!

I can’t wait to make more cider for read aloud this afternoon and pile under blankets too!

Someone is stingy with turning the heat on – yes, it’s me!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend wherever you are and that you are enjoying the season change too!

Blessings on your week ahead!

School Days

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I declared the day after we arrived home from Family Camp a “no school, catch up on rest” day.

Everyone but my trio headed off to work as normal, but I let the littles sleep until they woke on their own!

Pretty much this girl’s dream morning!

She is our late Kate.

I managed to wash, dry, fold and put away 13 loads of laundry that day.

Family Camp laundry wins the prize for the worst laundry of the year!

Last Tuesday we got back into our school rhythm, and added a few more things that we had not done yet in August.

It also was Chad’s first day of school!!

The giant that he is!

Chad started his junior year last week.

I sat with Chad that morning before going to teach the younger ones and we went over his books and his assignment pages.

He is doing the My Father’s World curriculum, ABeka Math, and Apologia Biology.

The 11th grade My Father’s World curriculum includes a Bible study, U.S. History to 1877, Government, and American Literature.

He was excited to get started and told me many times he was happy to be home with us.

I was happy TOOOOO!!

Chad will still be working part-time this year as well.

We start our day with a group Bible time, where we sing, memorize Bible verses, do a devotional and pray together.

Everyone has a personal Bible time as well, earlier in the morning.

My trio and I head back to the school room after that to do Math and Language.

I also add some cursive practice at that time for Tate and Eliza!

Chad works on his own, but he and I meet once a day right after lunch.

Next up for my trio is our My Father’s World study of Countries and Cultures.

This My Father’s World curriculum includes a Bible study, Geography, Science that relates to the country we are studying, art and music.

We do a lot of reading and a lot of projects!

Just what we like!

One day we read about an ichneumon wasp and had to look for a video about them.

SO interesting!!

Even though it made my stomach turn!

Lane is doing his Science on his own, but I meet with these two cuties to read their Science book to them.

Then they do an illustration and narration about what we read.

Having them do an illustration and narration over the years has been one of the biggest blessings as far as their learning, remembering and comprehension go!

Lunch time is always a group effort.

My motto is ALWAYS, always, always cook ONCE and eat TWICE.

I could never keep up otherwise!

Leftover soup is a great lunch!

After lunch we have a time of read aloud.

We are still reading The Tales of the Kingdom Triology.

It keeps us on the edge of our seats!

Or maybe I should say the edge of the bed!

My trio likes to cuddle on the bed while I read – except someone wasn’t allowed to the day he brought hot cocoa to read aloud time.

In case you are wondering about that cuddly school mascot, we have two of them.

I don’t think they pay any attention though and are clearly not learning a thing!

Spelling rounds out our day.

We have used the Spelling Power book since I started homeschooling 21 years ago!

It takes five minutes a day per child and WORKS!

The late afternoon is full of all kinds of things.

One afternoon last week Lane took his entire bike apart on the driveway to fix it and fix it he did.

Then soon I see him with a book – they love to read!

Chad also spent one afternoon last week hunting over at his big sis’s farm.

As for me, the days fly by…

but I still absolutely LOVE this little life of mine teaching my kiddos!

I have a list a mile long by the time school is over for the day.

Thankful I have great helpers!!

And a hot cup of cocoa to jump start the late afternoon!

I would say our school year is off to a great start!

We have a rhythm that is working, praise the Lord!

Can’t wait to see what the Lord brings for this year ahead here at Twin Oaks!

Blake and I have some lofty goals…and we are prayerfully working to implement them!

Excited about it all!!

Moschel Academy, you are a dream of mine come true!!

Fall Is Here

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The temperatures are not quite as cold as the week that we spent at Family Camp, but fall is definitely here!

Do you love when the seasons change too?

Fall is a beautiful season of the year!

There are perks to having a daughter work at a bulk food store that also has green houses.

Every year she decorates our porch for summer and then again for fall!

I love the grasses she added this year.

Isn’t it inviting and so pretty?

Fall means a change in the menu plan here at Twin Oaks.

Soup season is upon us!

I am one of those strange ones who actually craves soup!

I have been enjoying cooking and baking again since we have been home from Family Camp.

Did those photos make you hungry like they did me?

I made some spice donuts one afternoon.

Or not.

Sometimes I think I should leave all the baking up to Addie Mae!

The kiddos ate those donuts anyway, but this cute one said, “Not the best thing you have made in your century, Mom.”

Noted!

I am feeling my century, just in case you are wondering!!

Addie Mae’s baking looks like this –

Vast contrast, I am aware!

That pie was SO yummy!

You can find the recipe on Addie’s blog right HERE.

Addie also brought home some spaghetti squash.

YUM!

They are so easy to cook in the insta pot!

We are still keeping our salad box full for fall and winter.

Salad is a staple here!

Veggies do your body good.

I have a pile of green peppers in our freezer from our garden and from a neighbor who blessed us with more.

They are SO easy to use!

I just ran them under warm water for a minute and they were thawed and ready to chop just like they were fresh.

Of course cooking and baking mean grocery shopping.

It is dark now when I leave on my grocery run!

Every week is a one cart puzzle – but especially so after you missed a week due to vacation!

I was looking for gluten-free and dairy-free tortellini to make tortellini soup at the store last Friday.

I could not find any, but I found these!

They get a THUMBS UP.

We went back to Family Camp Thursday night to visit some friends who were attending week 2!

It was FANTASTIC! Even though Blake and I only got three hours of sleep that night!

I got a new cutting board while we were there too, from a young budding entrepenuer.

Isn’t it beautiful? (It’s the larger one!)

We also attended a concert Saturday night about one hour from home that our dear friends were doing.

My face hurt the next morning from smiling so much!!

This is the only photo I have from there, thanks to Addie.

Thank you Addie!

Yesterday afternoon Grant put some ribs in his smoker.

I am glad no one was here to watch us gobble those ribs up!

He made mine separate so they were safe for me and they were SO GOOD!

Our dogs are actually very obedient, for everyone but one person.

Any guesses who spoils them?

Last night we took a long walk.

It has been a very long time since we have done that, all eight of us.

I hope we will purpose it more often this fall, but everyone is still working long hours.

In case you still can’t see how much we loved Family Camp, an updated jar showed up in the school room the day we got home!

Family Camp kicks off fall for us each year!

The temperatures this week are LOVELY!!

We are enjoying school, new menus, cooler temperatures, and fall very much!!

Hope you all are too!!

Family Camp 2020

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Another year of Family Camp has come and gone!

We signed up many months ago and the anticipation had been building…we were so excited for camp!

My crew had been watching the weather closely the week before camp, and much to our dismay it was NOT looking good.

It did not deter us, but we did have to scramble to make sure everyone had warm things to wear that fit them!

The day we left for camp it was literally pouring rain and 48 degrees.

We were so thankful we had a house on wheels!

And that it had a good heater!

We arrived at camp at 3 p.m. last Tuesday.

Soon after the guys got us all set up we had visitors!

Our favorites came to camp this year too!!!

They were camping in a camper next to ours!

The grand babies called our camper “NaiNai’s house,” which made me smile very big.

They loved to come and play at NaiNai’s house!

We also brought dear friends with us to camp this year.

I am so thankful they joined us.

It made the week SO MUCH BETTER!

As usual, we took all of our own food.

Tuesday night I made a baked yam bar.

It was yummy and warmed our freezing cold bones!

After Chapel that evening, I brought the littles back to the camper for some hot cocoa and read aloud time before bed!

The older kiddos always stayed out later playing volleyball and spending time with their friends in the gym.

The mornings found a routine quickly!

I tiptoed over all of the sleeping bodies, got myself ready, and then had something warm to drink while spending some time in my Bible.

Bible time with a flashlight worked great!

I would get everyone moving and while they headed to the lodge to get ready I would make breakfast.

I always let the littles wake on their own and they would stay with me!

There was a lot of food that went through that tiny kitchen!

Speaking of food – this is one of my favorite photos!

One afternoon we made s’mores for snack – inside the camper – because RAIN.

This shows my son-in-law to a tee.

He is always serving others and always having a blast while doing so!

He is a KEEPER!

Family Camp is run by three families.

They organize Chapel time in the morning and evening, and also a mother/daughter and father/son time in the morning.

Chapel time is filled with singing, scripture memorization, teaching, skits, and music from different talented families who share their talent with us!

IT IS ALWAYS AMAZING.

It rained non-stop ALL week until Saturday at 2 p.m.

We had two breaks in the rain before Saturday, and we used those breaks to the fullest!

Camp watched the radar too and made sure the schedule got changed so we could be outside when the rain stopped!

Everyone from my crew wanted to ride the horses.

So we did!!

It was FANTASTIC!

These guys took a trail ride.

The littles got to have riding lessons!

How cute is THIS?!!

On Saturday they planned our annual game of Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge for the afternoon after the rain stopped.

It is like a giant game of capture the flag!

The big kids played!

Grant even came and joined us at camp on Saturday!

We were SO happy he was there!!

While that game was going on, the little guys played on the playground and jumped on the trampoline.

Pay attention! To the photo of Eliza jumping! There is some blue sky peeking through there!

We spent a lot of time in that gym!

There was a game room too.

And bunnies to love on!

The littles participated in a coloring contest and Eliza got third place!

Her picture is the one by her shoulder.

I do not have photos of SO many things.

The constant games of volleyball, the people who shared in teachings and music, the guys when they went trap shooting, our friends…I wish I did!

We have attended Family Camp since 2011, making this our tenth year.

Three years of those ten we just visited for one day, but the other seven we stayed the entire week.

IT IS THAT GOOD!

Iron sharpening iron!!

Blake and I both had very vulnerable, deep conversations with dear friends – friends who challenge us and encourage us and stand by us in love and prayer.

We feel refreshed, energized, encouraged, challenged, and on a spiritual “high.”

But as the speaker said on the last morning, once we are home is when the “rubber meets the road.”

YES.

ALL that we heard and learned needs to be APPLIED.

Blake and I are purposing that very thing, and I see some kiddos doing the same thing too.

To every single person who made Family Camp 2020 possible, thank you and bless you!

You are helping us press on in this race!!

To not grow weary!

But to run OUR VERY BEST all for the glory of the Lord!!

We have already started our collection jar to save our money for next year!!

We can’t wait till next time, Lord willing!!!!

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