Pantry Re-organization

This is the bottom of our pantry we put a lot of our canisters of noodles and beans, oils and backing things down here. Also notice the cans, these are frequently used things that I try to keep a heavy stock of:chicken broth, refried beans, cream of mushroom soup and Bean with Bacon soup (dh's fav soup and so we always try to have lot of it) We also keep large cans of tomato soup for soup night at our house which in Sunday night.


This is a another area I keep our dry milk, potato flakes and condiments. I am kind of low on condiments but I stock up when on sale. During the summer when prices were so high we had enough bbq sauce to last us until Sept. My wacky prince uses bbq sauce on everything


This is the top half of the pantry, the blue boxes is mashed potato flakes that I got with angel food for a couple of months. Also there is tomato sauce that normally I don't but once again got it from Angel food. We have lots of beans and tomato products as we eat lots of tex mex things at our house. I normally keep enough diced tomatos, chicken broth and refried beans to make our favorite soup- Refried Bean Soup. We also try to keep enchilida sauce, green chilies and refried beans for our Bean Enchilida Casserole.

So there is a look at our pantry :)

End of November Update

Well we have had a difficult month-- but it will be over soon enough and then we can start anew with a shortest month of the year. YEAH! The queen continues to have some problems with budgeting her time between our homeschool work and her co-op course load. I think it is something she is starting to get the hang of, but she sometimes tends to dwell on the "stress" and does not do a quality job. So sigh I had to be the mean mom and come down hard on her she did horrible on her math last week, and her phone time had been substainly cut down on and will until she brings her grade up.

I have also made decision to swtich from TOG and get something that is not so teacher intensive for me, at this point I just don't have time to devote to it as I had in other years. So my oldest two are using Beautiful Feet Anicent History and my chef to be is going to be using History Odyssey. HO looks like a good fit for him but will require him to learn to outline, something that I really need to work with him on anyway. Beautiful Feet looks good for the older two and I think it will free up some of my time.

We once again signed up for Co-op, this coming semester I am teaching 3 classes again- can you tell I love to teach at co-op. I will be teaching a class in every grade level. I will teach Readers Theater (1st-3rd), Literature Quest (4th-6th) and the Hobbit (7th-12th). I really enjoy teaching more of the discussion literature classes and am amazed every semester by some of these homeschool students and their deep thoughts. This semester I will have my grandson in a class that is a first I am looking forward to that.

My kids classes look really well some of their first choices were filled up, we go to a BIG co-op but I think it will still be a good semester for them.

**Queen to Be**
Biology
Dance
Spanish
One Act Play

**Wacky Prince**
General Science
Spanish Made Fun
Architecture
Archery
Entomology

**Chef to Be**
Early Explorers
Whose Line is it?
Literature Quest
Adventure Down Under (My DIL is teaching this one)
Entomology

Wordless Wednesday

Week in Review Catch up

Well it has been a long time since I have updated but with co-op going I just don't have the time with keeping Queen to be on track. She is doing much better at keeping on top of things and is doing very well at planning out how to get the work done.

All the kids have now done the big switch from MUS to Saxon and boy I wish I would have just done it at the beginning of the year with everyone. The only problem is with Wacky Prince, he just does not seem to retain how to do certain things. So I think we are going to have to have a lesson in taking notes and remind him that that is not a sign of weakness. MUS definetly is a good fit in the younger grades but you know spending a year on fractions(or in our case 2 years) tend to make anyone loathe math.

The chef and the prince has switched from CQLA, I really liked the idea of cqla but the boys needed a little bit more review on grammatical concepts than they allowed so both boys have swtiched to Easy Grammar. This way we can do a strong spelling program, chef is still really struggling in that area so he is using Apples and Pears and wacky is reviewing his spelling rules with Apples Spelling Drills. Both boys also have a daily review program for english concepts and they both has new writing programs.

Tapestry has definetly taken on a light status here, we have had to switch our priorities especially with the queen to be. WE don't do as many projects or activities but we still do a lot of the reading and about 1/2 of the literature selections. I think we are trying to get over a little Fall Fever and it is just taking awhile. I finally sat the kids down and we have decided we definetly don't want to do school after May so we need to get better about doing school work on the weekend.

WEll that is a little update I hope to do better next week.

Homecoming

Here is our Homecoming pictures from last night. I love this one of her alone, sigh she looks so grown up.


This is great because her and Thumper are in their own world, they had totally forgotten anyone was in the room

Doesn't she look calm and collected in this picture? Well it because she completely wigged out about 20 min before, I mean any cool she had left was gone. I had seen her like that once before and the best part was my friend was there to see it too.

Dear Socially Challenged Duplex Mates,

I know your life must seem hard to you, and I know it is hard to believe that other people reside in this world for reasons other than serving you. But I would like to request that you follow some simple rules that your moms forgot to teach you. Honestly I should not have to teach you these, you both are older than I am and I feel most people should have realized the "unwritten" guideline by now but that apparently is not the case.

First if my outside light is not on and it is dark outside don't ring my doorbell, and if it is on and it is past 9pm don't ring my doorbell. I am sorry your wife has run off, she is not over here. I am sorry that is thundering and lightening outside and she has had enough so she has left. Also I am very sorry that your teen has lost her cellphone and you only have one car and your wife is out with the girls. Your emergency is not my emergency and maybe your teen does not value that phone as much as you do and should lose it.

Secondly, please stop collecting cats, although kittens are cute when they start numbering in the double digits they loose the cuteness. I am tired of hearing meowing kittys under my house, we have a cat and love it dearly but we only have ONE. Please close your garage door so not to collect more strays, strays have fleas and we don't like fleas. Don't assume every one else likes your cats and when you finally are forced to get rid of them 3 loads of cats is TOO MANY! It is your sign you have a cat addiction problem, when you open your door and cat urine can be smelled 5 feet away that is not pleasant.

Finally, please learn to not slam you door, honk you horn we have groceries or I am in the car waiting, and for gosh sakes buy your youngest daughter a second pair of pants. You may close your door without slaming I don't need to know your coming and goings. By slamming you make me cringe especially after 9pm when I am scared my peace is going to be distrubed. I am glad you have gone grocery shopping and are home but by honking the horn the whole neighborhood realizes you are home and honestly we don't care and especially if it is 7am and your dd will no come to car get out of the car and get her. An idea, take your dd cellphone the one she has lost and call and they can meet you at the curb therefore distubing NO ONE. I have lived here for 10months and have seen the same pair of pants on your daughter everyday that I have seen her. Please buy her another pair and if she has more than one have an intervention and make her wear something else. WE all know that the brown pair is her favorite but please change it, a nice pair of jeans would be nice.

I hope I have brought to your attention some ideas you might embrace. Remember the world does not revolve around you, other people live in this world and honestly don't give a darn about you. Honestly we don't all care about your daily life, just because I have pulled up and you are out feel free to not to talk and tell me your woes. I have my own problems and family and honestly don't care, go and talk with your wife, you children, or a cat that wonders by.

Signed,
your annoyed again neighbors

Muddy Waters

Absolutely wonderful video, it gave me chills.