What does Toe Jam & Kudzu have in common?

I love going into little mountain shops. The store was right in the middle of "Thomas land." This was a slice of small town life. Home decor, garden decor, Jams, Jellies, toys, jewelry, homemade candles, crafts and novelties.
What does Toe Jam & Kudzu have in common?

Both are turned into jelly.
The Toe Jam (a man had to name this one) is made with Tangerines, oranges & Elderberry juice. So glad that it wasn't made from gunk. Kudzu Blossom is made from the Kudzu blossom's juice. They both taste great.

Gone Fishin'

While in the mountains, we rented a pontoon boat & went fishing on the lake. What a treat.

We found a place for only $20 an hour. What a deal!!!

I felt sorry for Tony. It seemed like all he did was change out bait for the kids. They picked one bait and then wanted something different just a few minutes later. He was very patient with them.

Will drove the boat for most of the day. He felt like a man. :)

Mama & Faith enjoying the day.

Collin & Tony's feet.
I want to hold on to the memories of the kids being small/young.
Time has flown by so fast & will continue to do so.

We didn't catch anything while we were out on the boat. After we docked the boat, the boys threw in their line & caught 4 small fish.

Tony put the fish on a stringer to keep until we left.
Faith pulled it up and was so trilled that "she caught" the fish.

Fishing has become a new family favorite. Will & Collin have now learned how to bait their hook & take the fish off. Now, maybe Tony can fish a little too.

Our Homeschool Mission Statement

When we first started to homeschool, we made a mission statement for our school. This it to remind us why & what we are to do.

Our Homeschool Mission Statement

We are dedicated to bringing Biblical truth to Will, Collin & Faith in a clear and simple manner, in order to help them grow up to live lives that glorify God.

As our world constantly changes, we will continually challenge ourselves to maintain biblical standards, instill Christian character, and preserve traditional family values so that they will become the godly leaders of tomorrow.

Our purpose in homeschooling is to raise children who are godly and spiritually wise as well as skillful and knowledgeable in every area that will be useful to them as they serve and glorify the Lord in their future lives, families, and ministries to others.

In our homeschool we believe that learning is a lifelong adventure. As shepherds of Will, Collin & Faith’s education, we will love, train, teach, correct, and encourage them to wonder, to explore, to imagine, to create, and to learn- while having fun. May we be zealous in every way to encourage this ability in our children.

We believe that every one of us has special talents, and that the talents of each of us help all of us. We believe that success means doing our best, being our best &, most importantly, putting Jesus Christ first in our lives.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-8

All Aboard

This is our 7th year spending The Day Out With Thomas. We started going when Will was 2 years old. Unfortunately, this will probably be our last. The kids had a good time, but they are starting to out grow him. Faith was still excited.

Faith getting a temporary Thomas tattoo.

Will enjoying the slide.

Collin at the train museum.

Riding on Thomas.


As we were leaving to go home, we were able to catch one last glimpse of Thomas to say goodbye.

On the Road Again

We had a grand time this weekend in the mountains. It was a short visit, but a much needed little break. Before we left town, we stopped at the drive- thru at McDonald's for breakfast. The man in front of us paid for our meal. I don't think that he realized there were 5 of us in the van. What a blessing!

Faith & I had been looking forward to going to a wonderful tea house that we went to last year. To our dismay, it closed down shortly after our last year's visit. Tony asked a sweet lady at The Arcade on Main about it. When she found out that we left early just for the tea house, she said that Faith is going to have a tea party. She called Rosanne of Rosanne's Bears & More to set up a tea party for us. These ladies pulled together the best little girl's tea party. The restaurant next door, Mike's on Main, supplied the food & added a complementary brownie ice-cream. Another one of God's little blessings.

They brought lots of teddy bears to be our guests.

Thank you Mrs. Rosanne.

Our first night, Tony started a fire for us. This year, the weather was unusually hot for the mountains. The fire was fun, but not very cozy. We made S Mores. Check out Will's new invention. Roasting marshmallows with a fishing rod. Surprisingly, it did not melt the line.

Everyone settling in for a long summer's nap.

Ginger Trip

I am so thankful that my mom told me about Ginger Trip. When I was younger, I could ride on any ride, read while riding in a car & spin around on a tree swing without getting the least bit dizzy. Now, I can't even look at someone spinning around without feeling sick.

After taking Ginger Trip I was able to:

:Crochet while riding to the mountains:

:Write in my journal while in going around the curvy mountains:

:Enjoy riding in the boat. Even the rocky waves from other boats didn't make me sick:

Wordless Wednesday

Have tree~ will climb.

The Zoo & Drive-In Movies

While the boys went to Music camp (a few weeks ago), Faith & I had a fun day at the zoo. We went to our favorite restaurant & the manager gave us free zoo passes. So wonderful to see how the Lord provided.

:Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?:

:Choo- Choo:

So much fun feeding Ginger the giraffe. Faith asked if we could call her Tinkerbell instead.

We had to keep coming back to this crazy milking cow 14 times. Faith loved it.

Faith had to pose with every animal statue in the zoo. 17 (that we found). Such a ham.

***************************

We had a blast at the drive - in theater. It was so much fun.

We took chairs, food & games to play while we waited for the movie.

This is the way to go. It's so much cheaper than the traditional movie theater (even for just one movie). If you want to stay up real late, you can watch 2 movies for the price of one. The kids can move around & talk without you worrying about them bothering other people. So many magnificent memories.

H2 Oh!

:Will:

:Faith doing a belly flop:

One of my boys doing a head stand (they both were doing them. I forgot whose feet these are)

:Fancy Face ~ Faith:

:Hey from down under:

Celebration of America

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

We had a wonderful time celebrating the 4th of July.

Collin & Will went to a music camp at another Baptist church in the area for a week. They performed "Joseph, From the Pit to the Palace" on Friday night.

Before the play, the boys and a group of children played a few patriotic songs using boomwhackers.

:Will's speaking part:

:Collin's Solo:

******************************

Saturday afternoon, Tony was invited to play 3 solos with an Orchestra that was performing on the lake for a concert and firework show.

We enjoyed playing Uno Attack and Farkle while waiting for the concert & show:

Collin & Faith dug and dug to get this huge rock out of the ground.
They didn't give up until they succeeded.

We met lots of sweet people as we waited for the concert to begin.


:Tony playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic:

We were treated to a beautiful display fireworks.

Faith was plum tuckered out after the show.

**************************

Sunday morning, Collin, Will & all the camp kids were asked to sing for the Sunday morning service at RHBC.

Our children's choir did a wonderful job singing "I Like the Sound of America," Sunday night. Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner & fellowship with our church family.

Faith, Laural & Campball playing foosball in the church gym.

Luke, Collin & Will playing foosball against the girls.

God has blessed America so much. I am so thankful to live in a country where we can worship our Lord freely. America is not perfect, but it is still the best place on earth to live.