Cheaper by the (Half) Dozen

Weston's Second Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:25:00 +0000

We can't believe that Weston is two already! He loved the "golf" on his cake (he says "golf" all the time, trying to get someone to take him for a ride on the golf cart!).

Sampling the frosting . . . all over the cake!

Weston and his new tricycle are inseparable!

Happy Veteran's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:57:00 +0000

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

Happy Veteran's Day to a true hero!

Love,

Wes, Judy, Brandon, Devin, Kaylee, Keaton, Collin, and Weston

Weston--18 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Weston's Easter Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Easter Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Announcing. . .

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I'm pleased to announce the opening of Frugal at Home, a blog designed to share strategies for saving and earning money at home. I hope you can take a moment to drop by--I'd love to have you join me!

Those Blue Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Happy Birthday, Kaylee!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:07:00 +0000

On February 16, Kaylee celebrated her tenth birthday. In our family, girls are very special--after all, they are very rare! But Kaylee is extra special, just because she is ours. . .

Kaylee is the perfect "mother's helper." In fact, I have no idea how I ever took care of babies and managed the household without her! She gets up early with Weston every morning, so I can get a little bit of uninterrupted sleep. (It's so cute to see him reach for her, and wave bye-bye to me!) Then throughout the day, she cheerfully helps with the baby while I take a few minutes to do all those things that moms do. In addition to being my helper, Kaylee is an A+ student, and also takes time to correspond with her ever-growing list of pen-pals. We love you, Kaylee!

Big Brother, Little Brother

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Brandon and Weston listening to Odyssey

It's so neat to see the older kids spending time with Weston. I would be totally lost without my helpers!

Weston's First Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:28:00 +0000

I know we're a month past Christmas already, but I just had to share a few pictures of Weston's first Christmas. It's always nice to have a baby in the house, but it's especially fun at Christmas time!

Weston on Christmas morning

Weston has loved the sound of crackling paper ever since he was tiny, and Christmas morning was no exception. He enjoyed the wrapping paper at least as much as the gifts that were inside!

We thought he looked so adorable in his Christmas outfit!

Weston and Kaylee
Every baby should have a big sister!

Keaton's birthday--8 years old!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 03:29:00 +0000

On December 29, 2008, Keaton celebrated his eighth birthday. Eight years old already! Keaton, otherwise known in our household as "The Gingerbread Man," is a very special part of our family. He can often be found reading in bed until nearly midnight, and recently surprised us by reading a large portion of a "young adult fiction" book from the library. He is a proud big brother, often taking a few minutes to carry Weston around the house while I'm busy. And of course, being part gingerbread man, Keaton is an exceptionally fast runner, as well! We love you, Keaton!

Collin's birthday--6 years old!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:57:00 +0000

On December 27, 2008, Collin celebrated his sixth birthday. He is a very special little boy! He is very thoughtful and caring, taking time to do things that he knows will make Mom and Dad happy. He knows just how to make Weston smile, and helps to keep him entertained while I'm busy teaching. We can't imagine life without his non-stop energy and his mischievous grin! We love you, Collin!

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Almost done!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:00:00 +0000

I'm sure you will all be relieved to know that I'm just about done with my blog makeover! As some of you have noticed, I have spent several weeks trying out different colors, layouts, headers, etc. . . and I'm pretty sure that some of you were rolling your eyes at all the strange things I tried!

This was my first time to work with HTML, and I found it to be a fun challenge. I definitely learned a LOT, and I'll probably be tweaking a few more things over the next few weeks. This was also my first opportunity to try my hand at designing my own blog header. I don't have Photoshop, so I had to work with my design in Scrapbook Flair software, then crop it in Kodak Easyshare--and I lost count of how many times I went through that process before settling on the design I'm using now! (All design elements, including the page background, are "freebies" from Scrapbook Flair.)

Weston--6 months

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:33:00 +0000

Reading Time

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0000

As a homeschooling mom, I'm proud to have a houseful of kids that LOVE to read! We visit our local library at least every two weeks and sign out a hefty stack of books. Even then, I hear, "Mom, I've read all my books--when can we go back to the library?"

Given the number of books we sign out, it's no wonder that I dread to hear the word "overdue." Thankfully, I recently discovered Library Elf, a free service that emails me a few days before our books are due. What a great idea! You can check it out here if you are interested.

Happy 13th Birthday, Brandon!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:03:00 +0000

We absolutely cannot believe that Brandon is 13 years old already! Where has the time gone? We are very proud of him! He is a hard worker, always ready to take on "extra" chores when we need help. . . has good money sense and has saved up to help buy his gun for hunting season this year. . . is thoughtful of others. . . is generous. . . is my "coupon" buddy, working as a team with me to snag the deals. . . and a diligent, hard-working student. We love you, Brandon!

Our special little boy!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Weston--5 1/2 months

Tasty Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:28:00 +0000

Mock Reese's Bars

1 pkg. (1/3 box) graham crackers, finely crushed
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks margarine, melted
1 1/4 c. milk chocolate chips

Mix first four ingredients together and press into 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips; spread over top of bars like icing. Cool. Cut into squares with sharp knife. Keep refrigerated.

Now it's your turn! Link to a favorite recipe on your own blog, or leave your recipe in a comment below.

Wordless Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:07:00 +0000

"Hey, Grandpa. . ."

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:40:00 +0000

". . . are they doing any hiring at the Flying J?"

Weston--5 months old!

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:01:00 +0000

Our American History Timeline

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Timelines are such a nifty learning tool, helping students form a mental picture of history as one continuous story. I made this version to accompany our study of American history this year. Here's how:

First, I purchased a tri-fold display board, available in several sizes at Walmart and other stores (just like the ones you may have used for science fair projects during your own school days).

Next, I determined how many "rows" I needed to plan for, and divided the board accordingly. Since I wanted to include only events from American history, I started with A.D. 1000 and ended with A.D. 2000. For the sake of clarity, I designed each row to represent 100 years EXCEPT for the first row, which covers the period from 1000 to 1600--those early years have only a few significant events to record.

Then, using a fine-point permanent marker, I made the lines and marked them in 10-year increments. Finally, I covered the board with clear contact paper for durability.

This timeline stands alone or lies flat during use, then simply folds up and stores away out of sight. It's a terrific and inexpensive addition to our American history program!

Tasty Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Judy) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Well, it's Tasty Tuesday again! Please feel free to share a recipe on your blog, and then link it here through Mr. Linky. And if you don't have a blog, you're welcome to leave a recipe in the "comments" section. I'm looking forward to hearing from a few more friends and family members this week!

Here's my recipe for today:

Hobo Dinners

2 lb. lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
6 large onion slices
6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced like fries
6 med/lg carrots, cut into sticks

Lay out 6 large rectangles of aluminum foil. Shape meat into 6 patties; place on foil. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Place a large slice of onion on each meat pattie; layer carrots and potatoes on top of onion. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Bring up the sides of the foil and fold down; fold up ends tightly to seal. Place on baking tray. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with ketchup.

These really are yummy--when all the kids like something, I know I've found a winner!

Now it's your turn--take a minute to share one of your faves with all of us!