Spring has sprung

Spring is definitely here in all its glory. Things are blooming and my car is a lighter shade of green thanks to the dusting of pollen all over it. Oh, and I am sneezing, my throat is sore and my eyes are swollen and red (which makes me look like I've been crying although I haven't been) thanks to all that light green pollen. I went to the doctor today to have all of my allergy prescriptions refilled. I hope it helps. That way I can be outside and enjoy all the beautiful pink and purple and white trees that are literally bursting or dripping (depending on the variety of tree) with flowers. I love it!

This was taken on the road to our house. Yes, it is gravel. This makes my dad crazy! The road was supposed to be paved at some point but so far it hasn't been. In addition to those purple trees there are tons of honeysuckle bushes all along the side of the road. During the summer it smells gorgeous down here!

My Tie-One-On apron!

Becca told me I had to finish it! I cut out the pieces at her house during
Spring Break but my Janome was being all weird so I brought it home and sewed it up on my Singer. I finished it a few weeks late but still in time to send it in for the Tie One On theme: Spend No $$$!

I used a Simplicity pattern that I bought a few months ago and used some fabric that I bought awhile back and I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I have made aprons without a pattern before and I like this one much better. The pattern I bought had several other apron patterns too and I might make a few of those also.

There is nothing like an apron to make you want to be in the kitchen. I had about 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave for school and I thought to myself, "I can get those done before I have to leave for school! And I'll wear my apron to keep from getting wet!" And I did! Only I was late for school because it took me longer than 10 minutes. Oh well.

New Blog Finds!

Who new that my co-worker had a blog since November and I never knew about it? Vicki does an incredible job at stamping and paper-crafting and has a blog to show all the great work she does. Check it out if you enjoy that sort of thing!

• The Briar Patch

New Arrivals

Arrival number 1: Spring...boy oh boy am I glad for warmer weather!

My niece, Olive Evangeline. Isn't she adorable? We certainly adore her!

This fellow is named Jude. He is an Havanese. I believe they are in the same family as the Bichon Frise. At 4 and a half months old he is only 4 lbs. A nice change from our 140 lb Newfoundlands!
And last, but not least, my cousins from Massachusetts arrived today to visit us. It was the first time they met Olive and the first time we met Cheyenne, my cousin's daughter. Hopefully we will get a chance to visit each other again soon!

She's here!

My beautiful niece, Olive Evangeline, arrived on Wednesday morning (yes, April Fools day) at 12:50 AM. She weighed 8 lbs, 3 oz, and was 20 in long. I was there for the whole thing. It was quite an honor!

Just watching her be born was so cool. I think my dental assisting background helped me out a little bit. In the way that I am more comfortable in more intense situations and seeing people get shots and in pain and bleeding doesn't make me woozy or panicky. But yeah, I was so proud of my sister. She was great through the whole thing. Very focused. Especially after she got the epidural! :) But even before then she did very well.

Watching Olive be born I can only say there is definitely a God, our Creator, who designed women to be able to carry a baby so perfectly and who made my BEAUTIFUL (!) niece. She doesn't even have a cone-head! My sister was SO close to having to have a C-section because of some complications, but in the end she was able to deliver naturally. She is exhausted and she lost a lot of blood, but both Mommy and baby (and Daddy too!) are doing well and they are going to stay with us this weekend. I'm so glad I'll be on spring break. It will be great to get to spend some time with them.

I'm so tired, but I'm really glad it's over and now we can get to know this newest member of the family and watch her grow. It's very exciting.

Yes, I was a homeschooler. And I'm proud of it! (This was so funny, I had to share!)

[ x] Own/have owned a denim jumper
[x ] You were at least 13 when you got your first "trendy" haircut
[x] Everything in your closet at some time was referred to as modest
[x] You do/have tucked things in that shouldn't be tucked in
[ ] You have been a member of at least 3 co-ops
[x] You were a true 16 and never been kissed
[x] Your mom drives a van of some sort.
[ ] You have at least one childhood picture where you, your mom, and all you siblings matched
[ ] You are/were/will be a PSEO Student
[x] At some point in your life you were more comfortable with adults than kids your own age
[x] Have studied ways to defend your beliefs, debate, and/or create laws
[x] Used uber conservative ABecka curriculum

TOTAL SO FAR- 9

[x] You use big words that most adults could not use in conversation
[ x] You can use the words sublime, epiphany, and cognizant correctly
[ ] You have a favorite word. AMAZING!!!
[ ] You have an understanding of Latin root words and how to use them (huh?)
[x] People from the outside world are referred to as "public schoolers"
[x] You or one of your siblings knits.well? maybe not
[x ] You laugh at the decline in literacy in America
[x] You score constantly higher than "public schoolers" on standardized tests.
[x] You have no concept of cafeteria food
[ ] Family vacations are/ can be referred to as "Field Trips"
[ x] Traveling on said vacations have included stopping at historical site markers along the way
[x] You have never been in a public elementary school, middle school, or high school during regular school hours
[ ] You have gone to or been involved in a homeschool convention... more then should be allowed.

TOTAL SO FAR- 18

[x] You read books on a regular basis
[ ] You have taken part in a political protest
[ ] You were a Pride and Prejudice fan before the movie
[ x] You were a Lord of the Rings fan prior to the movie
[x] You were a Chronicles of Narnia fan before the movie
[x] You speak a language other than English (if you count sign language...I can't speak Spanish to save my life!)
[x ] You dream of dating characters from books instead of celebrities. (I have fallen in love with book characters...I hate celebrities!)

TOTAL SO FAR- 23

It has been assumed that you:....
[ ] Have won many spelling bees
[x] Have no social life
[x ] Have no friends of the opposite gender
[ ] Are extremely inept
[x] Only listen to classical music
[ x] Play piano or the violin (and it's true I might add!)
[x] Do not own a pair of trendy jeans.
[x] Have no knowledge of drugs or alcohol
[x] Don't date, only court.
[x] Have never been to a "party"
[x] Know no other beliefs other than what your family believes



TOTAL SO FAR- 32

You have been asked more than 10 times in your life:
[] If you wear pajamas to school
[ ] If you get perfect grades because your mom grades you
[x ] If your mom teaches you or if somebody else's mom does
[x] How do you meet people
[x] Why you aren't in school
[x ] If you get days off whenever you want
[] If you're going to be home schooled through college
[] If you have a big family
[x ] What your parents are protecting you from
[ ] To quote something famous
[ ] For the answer, because supposedly homeschoolers always have all the answers


TOTAL SO FAR- 37


You have "rebelled" by:
[x ] Listening to "worldly music"
[ ] Wearing black fingernail polish
[ ] Wearing tight clothes or letting your midriff show or showing off what color of boxers you are wearing
[ x] Watching a *gasp* PG-13 movie
[ ] Breaking dress code
[ ] Listening to music with a beat
[ ] Dancing. Especially dances that involve contact for longer than 2 seconds. With somebody of the opposite gender. Scandalous!!!


TOTAL : 39

1-10 You're not really a homeschooler...you just do school at home
11-21 You're a homeschooler, but not what the world expects
22-32 You're a homeschooler(I knew it!)
33-? You probably wouldn't have facebook to begin with...but congrats you're the stereotypical homeschooler

Tag your homeschool friends and see what they are!