2022

Year in Review

Nate became a communing member of our church—on the eleventh anniversary of our visiting the church for the first time.

We got snowed in

I had a flat tire (and couldn’t get my lug nuts loosened)

We attended AHG meetings

Katie started her Stars & Stripes project

They got blind book ‘dates’ from the library

I went on a women’s retreat

An ‘80’s night at church

A backpacking trip for these guys

Lots of rope work to earn a badge

A trip to the Space and Rocket Center

For the older two

Work on Katie’s project

Geocaching

Winter camp

With the polar bear plunge—she’s in the water on the right 🥶

Our new Ellie-ton

More Stars & Stripes paperwork 

Her completed project

Passover

Ellie found a golden egg

And jumped with a friend

We celebrated Easter

Gabby hosted a book drive for a local ESL class and food pantry

We got a building permit

AHG’ers went camping

And Ellie earned her biking badge

The gals decided to dress up to run errands

They got strange looks and compliments

We had *another* flat tire

Our Tenderheart

 

Became an Explorer

Ellie worked on string art

Gabby went to pre-med camp

She learned a lot and made some great friends

Ellie made us dessert while blindfolded

Nate taught Ellie fire building

Katie got an important package—

her Stars & Stripes Award

I taught Ellie how to lattice a pie

These gals ran errands with me, so I took them for frozen yogurt

These guys went out west with Trail Life

To volunteer at a reservation,

Hike, and sight see

We celebrated that S&S award with a trail mix bar

Cake

And silliness

We visited our rock pile (no house yet)

Visited my parents

The three of us visited DC

It was fun, exhausting, educational, and hot!

I worked on a quilt

Katie went back to serve another week at her favorite camp, taking a break from nannying as the family was traveling that week

Ellie worked on PRAY: God & Family with a friend

A foundation

These guys changed a lightbulb in the stairway

Justin got a medical alert tattoo 

Katie got her senior photos taken

Gabby went to Night Ops

Katie began to really enjoy photography

Katie got her first real job

We worked on two other girls’ Stars & Stripes projects: an English language learner classroom above

Working on cleanup after a big day of making Christmas decorations for a domestic violence shelter

Katie using the drill press for the board to hold the snowmen sections for the decorations

Back to school

Reading

Learning

Experimenting

Studying

And silliness

Playing

My parents celebrated 50 years of marriage

We visited a farm

Gabby acted as Fanny Crosby for our little Pathfinders

We dog sat for friends

Nate’s night time chess game at a campout

A hard earned fire—started with only a magnifying glass

A new Harry Potter book

A driver’s permit

Lucy and Bellum hung out together

A trip to The Hermitage

AHG Campout

Wild child

Nate’s shelter at his campout

Halloween pumpkins

Caramel apples

Costumes

Thanksgiving dinner

Cocoa with whipped cream, peppermint, and blue sugar

Kids picture day

Date night

I replaced some hard drives

I drove to NKY and back in a day to see an I’ll friend

Ginger bread making

Nate earned his fourth Worthy Life Award (faith award in Trail Life). He previously earned at Fox, Hawk, and Mountain Lion.  This was for Navigator (middle school grades).

Celebratory Thai food dinner for Katie’s surprise graduation 

With ice cream after.

Driving practice continues for this one.

I took Nate to meet a friend to skate

We got pictures with Katie’s graduation gown.  She doesn’t wish to walk, so I let her pick whichever robes she wanted—pink it was!

We got some snow

The fellows ran in our -1* F weather

They got their Christmas Eve PJs after the Christmas Eve service

Listened to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

The stockings were hung

The packages

The fellows modeling some of their gifts before church

It’s been a busy year!!!

Gabby’s Short Story

Gabby was among a group of winners of a short story writing contest from Blimey Cow.  The fellows even sent her some feedback on her writing, which we both appreciated.

Here is her entry:

The Sock

Once upon a time, there was a man. He had a pair of socks, and they were his favorite thing in the world. He took good care of them and kept them clean. They were yellow, his favorite color! late one night he took his socks off and put them in the wash. through the night, he ran them through the dryer. The next morning, he opened up the dryer, and there was only one sock! So that day, he had to wear his shoes, with no socks. Gross. The shoes were orange, but they were no good without the yellow socks to set them off.

How could he go running with only one sock? relax in front of the tv? How could he even keep his feet warm? the sock, the sock, where had it gone? But what could he do? he couldn't take it, he had a plan! He would wear one sock, switching it from one foot to the other, every fifteen minutes. He grabbed his one yellow sock, and pulled it onto his foot, then went for his orange shoes.

But, what was that, at the end of his sock? it didn't seem to be just his right foot? Would it be his cat’s hairball? that wouldn't have been the first time that happened. he reached into the sock and pulled out...his other sock! He joyfully pulled on both his socks and lived in sock peace forever.

Accidental Graduation

Katie has been looking at some aesthetics programs over the past nine months to a year.  Our original plan had been dual enrollment, but after sitting on a waiting list since last May for the most economical school, we toured another school in mid-December.

She loved it.  However, they did not allow dual enrollment.  You had to present a diploma or GED.  I reached out to our homeschool umbrella to ask about blocking out just the second semester English credit (the only thing she needs to graduate) in the first two months of the year and graduating early.  I also noted we had completed a full book of Lightening Literature in the fall term, averaging a couple hours a day with all the readings, comprehension questions, and papers she wrote.

I got back an email that said, in short, “Congratulations to you both, input her grade as a full credit (their rules on credits are completing a textbook or a certain number of hours—our fall accomplished not just one, but both of those), she can graduate now.”

This news came on the last day of our planned semester with one (history) final to go and a packed day at work for her.  I told her she had the option to do whichever she wants—graduate in May with her friends or wrap it up now.  In a few hours, she decided surprise graduation it is.

Cap and gown are here.  Party planning has commenced.

Surprise and Congratulations, Katie!

You did it!

XXXIV: Outside

 

Some brick started going up this past week!  It looks more gray from this distance—what I was going for in my choice, but I can still see some red up close.  I only saw it from a distance (in photos and from the street).  I like it well on the outside of the house.  Hopefully I’ll like it inside when it is placed there.

Inside, we were hoping to see insulation and drywall, but not yet.  I did see the missing outlet had been placed and the bathroom vents were all in.  Those are one step closer to getting the walls in, so I was glad to see that.

XXXIII: Uh-oh

I went to meet another company about propane last week.  It was sooo muddy and rainy.

The brick has been delivered.  It looked more red than it did when I visited a nearby home with it back before Thanksgiving, but it is what it is at this point! 

This door is on the front, but should be on the back…

And this door should be on the front, and is on the back.

There is a crack at the bottom right of this window.

They should be out to fix these things once the weather clears….so.much.rain!

Birthday Season

Around here birthdays start in late September and end in mid-November (excepting Justin).

Ellie picked chocolate but with a crown shape.  She asked for raspberries to help decorate.

Katie chose a donut shaped cake this year with chocolate cake & icing with white chocolate ‘glaze’

Gabby chose a chocolate cake with a ketchup bottle decoration

Nate chose chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, stuffed with Reece’s Pieces