Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~September 27, 2011 
Outside my window... cool, cloudy....leaves are falling off tree's...fall is coming!
I am thinking...about ways hubby and I can communicate better
From the learning room...Sweetcheeks has a limited week due to several appointments, Sport gets more work on decimals, learning about the skeletal system, lots of Bible reading.  He gets a light week this week also due to the appointments.
I am thankful for...forgiveness...from my children, hubby, friends, and most importantly the Lord!
From the kitchen...taco's
I am wearing...brown skirt and white sweater
I am creating...hot pads that are going to be Christmas gifts (Shhh...don't tell!)
I am going...to get a tooth pulled tomorrow!!
I am reading... Bible, I want to get back to our read aloud in the evenings~we were reading the Little House series~how I love that series
I am praying...for our daughter's upcoming surgery, friends who are adopting a baby, and our niece and nephew who are expecting baby #2
I am hearing...radio and children outside playing
Around the house...peanut butter cookies in the oven right now, laundry almost finished nothing else doing today
One of my favorite things...baby sounds~oh how I miss that in my house!
A few plans for the rest of the week...getting a tooth pulled tomorrow (it was cancelled last week), Stinkerbelle's last volleyball game on Thursday, and my dad's 60th birthday party on Saturday!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

gives a whole new meaning to "getting into the Word"!

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

How our Christmas is Free!

This is the beginning of my posts sharing with you how we are "purchasing" our Christmas gifts this year for FREE!  I set out a couple of years ago to try to save money on gifts and spend more time reflecting on the TRUE reason for Christmas.  This is our journey...

I have been earning money for over two years just by reading e-mails. This is the easiest money I think I have ever earned!

Before you start this, I would suggest opening an e-mail account just for reading e-mails. There are many free e-mail options for you~ Google, hotmail, or yahoo just to name a few.  You can get many e-mails some days, and I was glad that I had it coming to a different e-mail account than to our personal account. I check the e-mails every couple of days or so. It really doesn't take up that much of your time, but I like to sit when I have time and just go through a bunch of them. You will recieve a $5 bonus just for signing up. For every e-mail that you read, you will recieve 2¢. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it really adds up. I probably get between 3-5 e-mails a day--again, I know that doesn't sound like much, but at the end of the month you have made a few dollars for doing almost nothing!  Each e-mail has a link to different companies, and if you are interested in the offers, you will also get money added to your account from Inbox Dollars just for participating.

There are also other ways of making money with Inbox Dollars. They have surveys you can participate in. Each survey will usually earn you between 25¢ and $1.00. They may take between 5-20 minutes to complete. The more surveys you participate in, the more invitations for surveys you will receive. I don't always qualify for every survey, but it doesn't hurt to try. You can also earn money by shopping at certain retailers and earning a percentage of your purchases.

The latest addition to their website is watching short video's (commercials) for money.  The video's are usually 15-30 seconds and are usually worth between 2 and 5 cents.  They also have coupons that you can print out and earn 10cents for each coupon redeemed. (Yay for coupons!) 

You can also download their toolbar and get paid for your searches.  Instead of using Yahoo or Bing search engines, you use their search engine (which, by the way, is powered by Yahoo).  You can get up to 5cents daily for searches.  That is $1.50 per month just by using the search engine!

After you have reached $30, you can request a check from Inbox Dollars.  The first check is usually processed after about 30 days, but after that you will have reached Gold Level status and can receive your checks after 1-2 weeks.  I have gotten many checks from Inbox Dollars, and have never had a problem with them.  Save a few of those checks and you have a great start on gifts!

Why not give it a try?  What do you have to loose?  Nothing, but you can gain a few extra dollars every month!  This is just my small way of contributing to our family's funds. 

Blessings, 

While it is my intent to share with you what works for our family, please know that some of the companies I share about I may receive an incentive from.  This does not change my opinion of these companies, only because I have been using them for a long time and I know and trust how they work.  I just want to share with you what works for me!

Braces!

Yesterday both Stinkerbelle and Sport had braces put on their teeth.  They were both a little sore this morning, but nothing a little Ibuprofen couldn't handle!  They are a little upset about the list of foods that they can no longer eat~~No caramel or anything sticky, no soda, no gum, nothing hard.....It's going to be a fun couple of years!  Here's the before and after pics....I can hardly wait to see them in a couple of years!

before....

after...

before...

after...

ooooh sorry about the evil looking eyes!

I'm off to have my own dental work done this afternoon.  Mine isn't to wonderful either....I'm getting a tooth pulled.  YUCK!  Have a great weekend!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~September 19, 2011 
Outside my window... raining and dreary looking (although we really do need the rain)
I am thinking...about Stinkerbelle's upcoming surgery in 2 weeks.  As it gets nearer I find myself getting more nervous
From the learning room...learning about apples for Sweetcheeks, Sport is learning more about decimals, about cell structure, Indian tribes, and more fun with nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives (fun is a term only I use with Language Arts!!)
I am thankful for...God's provisions.  In the past few weeks, we have been very grateful to receive produce from some overflowing gardens, and some clothes for our children.
From the kitchen...chili tonight, it's just what you need when it is rainy and chilly.  I can't wait!
I am wearing...brown paisley skirt and pink shirt
I am creating...an apron for Sweetcheeks (she calls it her cooking dress!)  She loves to help in the kitchen and wanted an apron after I made myself one.
I am going...to work on the living room today~it is such a mess!
 I am reading... Bible, Fruitfull Famillies by Howard Bean (a worship devotional we want to start with our family)
I am praying...for our daughter's upcoming surgery, and for Spud~he will have a hard time dealing with some of the changes that will happen that week.
I am hearing...lego's~believe me they have a sound! And a radio
Around the house...again, the living room is in desperate need of attention, making brownies, need to get working on October's menu and lesson plans
One of my favorite things...my warm socks on a cool day
A few plans for the rest of the week...Volleyball game tonight, Stinkerbelle and Sport get braces on Thursday, and then enjoying the weekend!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Thanks for stopping by.  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!!

Blessings,

For A Good Laugh...

We picked up this book at the library this week. 

The title is Chickens May Not Cross The Road and Other Crazy (but true) Laws by Kathi Linz.  We spent the morning laughing at some of these crazy laws.  Our favorites are Policemen ARE allowed to bite a dog if they think it will calm the dog down (Paulding, Ohio), A pickle is not to be sold unless it bounces (Connecticut State Law), Riding an ugly horse is illegal (Wilbur, Washington), If anyone is caught stealing soap, he must wash himself with it until he uses it up (Movave County, Arizona).  

We all agreed that someone in this family would like this one to be law around here.... You must have a doctor's prescription to take a bath (Boston, Massachusetts).  We can say with a fair amount of certainty that said child would NEVER go to the doctor again!! 

While this one was funny, it really became funny to us when Sport read that it is law in Oklahoma State.  How is fishing for whales even a problem in Oklahoma?  How did this even become a law?  At least it made for a good laugh!

If your looking for a good laugh, head to the library and check out this book!

Blessings,

Our Labor Day Weekend

I know I'm a week late, but I wanted to share a little from our Labor Day weekend.  Hubby had a three day weekend (which is ALWAYS nice!), and Stinkerbelle didn't have volleyball, so we got to spend some time together as a family.  We didn't do much on Saturday, but did have a bon~fire that evening.  It was a little chilly, and started sprinkling after we got the fire started, but it was still good!

The kids found a Cicada and wanted to keep him in a plastic container.  He was released a short while later (To his great pleasure, I'm sure!) 

 Stinkerbelle thought it was just to cold to be outside, even by the fire, and read a book!

 On the way inside, we found this frog jumping around!

Monday we went near a lake to take a walk around some paths they had.  Then we drove past our state capital, went out for a late lunch, came home and finished up some outside projects.  The weather was a little chilly, but it was nice to just take the day casually. 

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~September 7, 2011 
Outside my window... sunny, 70 degrees today, beautiful looking day...fall is on it's way!
I am thinking...about some changes in routine I need to make
From the learning room...off to a good start.  Still lots of review, but I am liking that a lot of Sport's work is independent
I am thankful for...date nite with my hubby last weekend, and family time during the long weekend
From the kitchen...egg and ham quiche, and muffins
I am wearing...black skirt and pink shirt
I am creating...just idea's right now
I am going...to make tomato juice from the few remaining tomato's from the garden
 I am reading... Bible, Fruitfull Famillies by Howard Bean (a worship devotional we want to start with our family)
I am praying...for guidance in training our children~a job that is always needed
I am hearing...dishwasher, kids outside playing with a neighbor
Around the house...school books everywhere (time for organization!), and totes in several rooms~we are changing out summer clothes for fall/winter
One of my favorite things...warm fuzzy pj's and a cup of hot chocolate
A few plans for the rest of the week...Volleyball game on Thursday, a couple of doctor appointments, and enjoying a nice weekend!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

some fun with the kids this weekend

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

When You Give A Kid A Camera.....

Sunday night Sweetcheeks came running to the house saying yelling "Mom, Mom, come quick, there is a rainbow and GIVE ME THE CAMERA RIGHT NOW!!"  After Hubby and I stopped laughing, we gave her the camera and went out to see the rainbow (it was so faint we hardly could see it!).  When I checked the pictures she had taken, I found she had taken more than just the rainbow.  She even changed the settings on the camera~although I'm pretty sure that was an accident!  Here is her photography debut!!

Can you see the rainbow?  It is very faint, but if you look hard you'll see it.

I always wondered what a bugs eye view would be!

love this one!

the city in the sandbox

another bugs eye view!

our kitty Whiskers by our wood pile

playing and having fun

I thought she did a pretty good job.  Maybe photography is in her future?!

Have a great day!

Blessings,

First Day of School!

Yesterday we had our first official day of school.  It went much better than I thought it would.  It was almost 90 degrees outside yesterday and the sunshine was calling us saying "summer isn't over yet!!".  But we kept at it, and even got done sooner than I expected.  We started with Bible readiing and a prayer over our school year, and ended with Math for Sport.  Luckily math was mostly review, so it wasn't very painful!  He will really enjoy the map book that goes along with our Social Studies.  He would much rather do art than almost anything else! 

I am excited to see how this year goes, and I am really looking forward to seeing how Sweetcheeks grows this year.  We are working on her letters and numbers, and right now we're working on more vs. less.  She was having a bit of difficulty with it until we used some things she could understand.... "would you rather have 4 M&M's or 7 M&M's?  Suddenly she understood the concept!!  It was quite funny!  She gets to do lots of coloring which is something she also enjoys doing!

Yes, I know baby Moses' face is purple.  When I asked her about it, she just simply said, "that is how he looked!"

We are thinking about what we want our Bible verse for the year to be.  We want our year to be productive, but also to grow in the Lord.  I'll keep you updated.

Have a great weekend!

Blessings,