Week 5...Mom and Jo Jo

Home Life...

Last week we vacationed with Mom and Joe. Lots of laughs.

Road trip to the Coast.




First stop...the beach.

Presley loves racing the waves.

They almost got her.

This is Presley's "on your marks, get set" pose.  She was a little late this time.

Again, Presley's "on your marks, get set" pose...ahead of the wave here.

This picture says it all.

She's a beach girl!

  


Zoe was more into "building".

  


Here she is...my momma. She kept picking up the seaweed. Really gross. This was her "happy place" in LA.
After discussing Hollywood, Mom declares, "I don't put celebrities on pedestals, well, wait...maybe John Wayne..because he deserves it!" My mom is famous for her one-liners.

 


We found Joe's happy place.



Yes, we did!

   


 


After we got home the girls enjoyed Grandma. Everything looks fine here, but just wait...



See Presley look to the side-like with that little grin...wait for it...



Off with their heads!!!



 Although we had company, Zoe still finds time for her creations...



Zoe was very proud of this necklace. Truth be told...she made at least five of these necklaces this week. This one was the only one I captured on camera. Zoe's fine jewelry fashions never end...never. I'm not complaining. Afterall, she loans them to me to wear daily.



Breathtaking



She even had time to build a "hotel"



Her new inspiration... head-pieces



 I kind of feel guilty using these picture because I scolded her for cutting up ponytails and leaving trails of choking hazards for Sam. Fashion design is a hazardous hobby.



Sam made it through the week just fine. She loved cuddling with Grandma in her pjs.



Happy girl.



Home Cooking...

Bread

It all started with my mom telling me about a lady in Fort Pierre that sells fabulous bread out of her home. As she was mid-way through her story, I already had the flour and yeast out and was digging through my recipe binder. At this point, I pondered, "Why am I all of a sudden so anxious about making bread? Why do I want to make better bread than my new arch enemy of bread-making? Wait, I've never cared about my bread-making skills before, and wait, I'm pretty sure it's been like over a year since I even wanted to make bread."

So, I'm guessing my competitiveness kicked in, but either way, I had the dough rising in no time. My pride likes to surface every once in awhile and say "Hi. I'm still here to ruin your life." So after I identified the wrong motive to make bread, I decided to replace it with a better motive like...carbs are awesome, and proceed.

This is a no-knead recipe. It is really easy, just takes 12-18 hours of rising.I thought about blogging the recipe, but I'm too lazy. Let me know if you need it.

My recipe binder. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. Love it!



It was good. Watch out Fort Pierre Bread Lady!



Home Schooling...

Mark made these awesome movie menus. Presley has to say the letter, sound, and attempt to read the title of the movie before, as Mark would say, "We reach into our Dewey Decimel pantry movie shelf and give her a movie"
Ummm...Does that count as homeschooling? I think so.

Home Flash Back...

Presley danced to Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miners Daughter" while holding on to the oven door handle before she could walk. It is locked in my memory forever. She truly danced before she walked. Now, she is reading and singing before she can talk. Presley doesn't go by the world's rules. This picture made me think that. She amazes me.



Week 4

I am going to start this week's blog off with a little ditty. Get ready everybody. Put your 2Pac hat on. Imagine yourself on Euclid...and sing with me..

California...knows how to party. California...knows how to party. In the citaay...city of L.A... In the citaay...city of Compton. We keep it rockin...we keep it rockin.

That song was for my sister. She gets a song because she is special and one of my few readers. She sings the California part to me everytime she answers the phone. No "Hey Katie". Nope, just 2Pac lyrics. Well, I am keepin it rockin in California and I hope all you readers out there are keepin it rockin too.

Sorry about my intro; to most of you that is just mumbo jumbo.

Home Life...



California has its moments. Mark caught this one.



Presley got a new sword.

Presley in character.."Commodus from Gladiator"  I miss Joaquin Phenoix. I remain a loyal fan even though he appears to have gone nuts.

Senior Picture warm-up.

The frog will do when Sam can't find socks or a rag.

 num nums

I tried to give her a cracker instead.

cute

Home School...

I really should take this section out of my blog until I figure things out, but for accountability reasons, here goes...Homeschooling is a complete disaster. I am doing all the learning not Presley. Here is what I've learned this week..

• I am a control freak...serious. I do not want to be a control freak. Control freaks are scary people. But, I am learning to "let go" for obvious reasons like, I can't completely control Presley. I can only attempt to put information into her brain, but I can't make Presley connect the dots or talk or smile or have fun or like learning or like me (especially when I act freaky and say "What does a  B say?, What does a B say?, WHAT DOES A "B" SAY?)  Application: Stop being freaky.
• I don't need a homeschool room. Presley learns more at the kitchen table, on the floor, outside, anywhere, but in the homeschool room. She isn't ready for learning to be so formal. Application: Give Sam her room back.
• I should play with Presley. Crazy idea right?  While playing, she is more willing to receive information and actually talks much more than when I ask her to produce words. Application: Play with Presley. Teach and stop testing. 

More application to this week's homeschooling trainwreck..Be controlled by love instead of schedules, agendas, plans, curriculums, and activities. If I am grinding my teeth and ready to flip out, then my motive is not love. I know this because, love includes things like patience, gentleness, and self-control, and I believe it even has a bit to do with "not easily angered". Note to self...if eyes start bugging out of your head then your engine is using the wrong fuel.

I'll stop now, I'm sure this is common sense to most. Here are some homeschooling pics anyway...

Field trip lesson #1 Which one is the "ugly duckling"? Very important stuff.



Zoe builds her name while Presley pretends (for the 10th time) to need a rest.
Me, "Lets build your name Presley, come on! It will be so fun!" Presley, "na-nights"



Home Cooking...

Chicken Pasta



 Preheat oven to 375. Cut 2 chicken breasts in half. Drizzle breasts with olive oil. Season with some Italian seasoning. Never say Italian with the long i sound, only the short i sound.

The white stuff on the right is garlic. I didn't wipe off my knife.  Cook chicken for approx 30 min until done...don't undercook because chicken is disgusting...don't overcook because dry chicken is gross. Also, cook some penne pasta and set aside somewhere in this process.



 

 Saute garlic, onions, and peppers in extra virgin olive oil.



Add a can of diced tomatoes. Italian style if you have them.

 

Throw some marinated artichoke hearts and kalamata olives in the mix.

Give it a stir.

Cut your chicken like this

Add chicken and penne. Make sure everything is hot. Nobody likes cold pasta. Waa Laa. Chicken pasta.



Home Woody...

Woody suffered an injury this week. His head was pulled off.  Horror. We'll let you know how the gorilla glue works out. True horror.

Ariel had a tough week too. She was thrown from the car, but saved by Dad in the nick of time.



Home Flashback...

Little Peanut.