Yarn

Today we went to the Woolie Ewe yarn store. This organic, 100% cotton yarn was my favorite. Hopefully I will be able to make something beautiful with it. Wish me luck!

Grandma Kelly

Grandma Kelly made a special trip to Plano today. She wanted to personally deliver Christmas gifts to our family (illness delayed their previously scheduled visit). Grandma Kelly is a knitter. She knitted a hat and five scarves for Renee and five outfits for Emma's American Girl doll (UT cheerleader, jogging suit, super soft robe, purple sundress and a red evening gown...all with matching shoes!). I am SO impressed with her work! All five of us know how lucky we are to have her in our lives; we know she loves us all very much!

SPCA

Emma works on saving up donations for the SPCA all year long. Today she took approximately 30 boxes (the cats like hiding in them), a huge stack of paper bags (the cats like hiding in these as well), paper towels, newspapers and $20.00 in cash. Matt called me to tell me about a lab/boxer female he thought was really cute. Once again, we are lucky to make it home without a new pet.

Mall Time

Renee and her friend spent hours wandering around the mall this evening. At one point they decided to ride the carousel. Renee's friend said, "We're homeschoolers. We're supposed to do this sort of thing." Then Renee said, "Yes, people expect us to be socially inept." Funny girls!

"Invitation to the Dance" Badge

At the Girl Scout meeting today, the girls were working on a Dance badge. Each girl had to choreograph and perform a dance of their choice. Renee did a short belly dance to "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift. Of course, I thought she did a beautiful job.

Polish

The girls love fingernail polish! They did not get that from me! Renee painted hearts on her nails and Emma said her style is more "abstract".

Little Messages

Over the years, all three of my children have left many sweet, little messages throughout the house for me to find. This one is from Emma. She taped it to my nightstand when I was in another room. I accidentally smudged her "I love you".

Hearts

Cameron and I made these hearts 10 years ago. Emma was a newborn (napping in her cradle) and Renee was not yet 3 (playing nearby). We melted colored, beeswax shavings between two sheets of wax paper. Using heart shaped cookie cutters, we traced the shapes on the wax paper, then cut them out. They hung in the kitchen window of our first home. Yesterday, Renee hung them over the kitchen table. Every year I see them, I am reminded of the cold, beautiful, winter day they were made.

Friends

After dinner, some of us went to see a movie. The movie was mediocre but the company was exceptional. I adore my friends.

The Aftermath

My house has yet to recover. It was a fun party and totally worth the disaster. I think Emma had fun!

The Party

The girls are playing the game "Human Knot". It was funny to watch! I was a little late posting this picture as my Friday photo so it showed up as Saturday (it's 3:30 am).

Philosophy for Kids

I love how Kathy weaves philosophy into the Druidawn discussions. The white board highlights some of the topics for today's class. Renee and Emma both want to start a philosophy club now.

Robotics Presentation

Renee and a few other members of her Robotics team gave a presentation at the library this evening to promote robotics in our community. They did a great job! Even Emma was convinced to join the SAIL Robotics team.

The Aquarium

A swarm of homeschoolers, older teens and infants included, spent the afternoon at the Dallas World Aquarium. Here are just a few of them. (I got permission from their parents to post this picture.)

Drama

This picture was taken after drama class. I got some really cute action shots of both of the girls, but there are other kids in the photos (I try not to post pics of other children without their parent's approval; I want to avoid drama).

Busy Week Ahead

If this week doesn't kill me, it will most certainly make me tired.

Emma's 10th Birthday

I think the birthday girl had a great day! The girls made this birthday cake; lemon cake with cream cheese frosting...homemade. It was fantastic!

Polka Dot Party Prep

Emma's 10th birthday is tomorrow, but her party with friends won't be until next Friday. The girls and I worked on party favors today.

Welcome to Costco.

While at Costco this evening, all three of my kids stopped dead in their tracks to gasp and ogle over the Rock Band storage ottoman.

Bubbles!

(Cameron said it best) Nine year old + dishwasher + wrong detergent = bubble explosion! This photo doesn't show the worst of it. This was after we cleaned up most of the bubbles.

Counting the Days

Somebody is about to have a birthday! I like to put out some of the presents a couple of days early to build up the anticipation.

More Fun in the Snow!

The girls had some more fun in the snow today!

Fun in the Snow!

It snowed in Plano! Renee didn't stay outside very long, but Matt and Emma were out for hours. They weren't sure if they should name this large pile of snow Mt. Woolley or the Matterhorn (Matt + horn...as in longhorn; get it?).

Arthur

Arthur is still funny, even when you're almost 10.

First Day of Cookie Sales

Girl Scout cookie sales started today!

One of My Favorite Things

Beautiful!

Yum!

Renee made potato bake for dinner tonight. It was delicious! Cameron used to make this same recipe when he was her age.

My Buddy

I sure do love my dog!

Shopping

Renee and I made these produce bags. We used them while shopping at Whole Foods this evening.

Storing Christmas

Joy to the World! The Christmas stuff has been put away!

Just Past Midnight 2011

The girls and their friend went cRaZy with the poppers!