Homeschool Monday - Cadet Airman 1st Class Huntington!

Many homeschool families take the summer off, but we decided to just scale back a bit.

We're sneaking in some "learning" with the fun of our local Civil Air Patrol.

Last fall we allowed Hannah to join CAPs so she would have opportunities to not only get out and meet new people, but to learn self-discipline. You can read about it here...on our Homeschool Daze page.  Well, we are so proud that she has promoted twice already, and is on her way to getting her rocketry badge.  Last Thursday she promoted again to Cadet Airman 1st Class, 

and because she had participated in robotics before, they put her in charge of leading the teams to build some robots last week.  She got frustrated trying to get the older cadets to listen to her, but overall she did great.

That was Thursday, then on Friday they mustered out to Camp Butner for summer encampment...

FOR 10 WHOLE DAYS!

She's taking classes in Wilderness First Aid, and she will receive training on gun safety, and shooting an M-13.  She flopped back and forth between excitement and terror for the past 3 weeks, but she went....

that's Hannah marching wearing the red glasses.

I got a call from her early this morning....crying and ready to quit.  :(

After she calmed down we talked and she told me how she had her first flight yesterday, and even got the chance to control the plane.  I reminded her that the first few days would be the hardest, and now the rest of the week will fly by...between flying and first aid and the rifle range, before she knows it...it will be Sunday, and graduation.

I have to tell you, encouraging her to stay was soooo hard!  I was ready to jump in my car, in my pajamas, to go get her and wrap her in my arms and just protect her from the hard parts of life.  But I know that this will ultimately be good for her.  For her self-esteem, self-discipline, and independence.  Our dream for our daughter is that she becomes a leader, not a follower.

Enjoy the video of her promotion....and if you have children, homeschooled or not, consider enrolling them in ROTC or The Civil Air Patrol.  You will not regret it.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Hannah's gone to camp

Yesterday we dropped Hannah off at Camp Harrison for a week of fun and new friends.  At least I hope so.

It's a camp run by the YMCA and it is beautiful!  Here's a few pics I took when we drove around and took a tour.  We only took a few pictures, the camp was so large.  I wanted to get photos of the teepees, but we could not get to it in our car, and Chuck's leg was bothering him so we didn't want to walk.

This is part of the lake...it was hugh!  Hannah loves to swim and when she saw that slide, she got a big smile on her face.  

This is the chapel.  It sits at the top of a hill overlooking the lake, very beautiful and very serene.  It's open inside, and looks like a wonderful place to commune with God.

This is the challenge course that Hannah signed up for....it looks like something out of a military boot camp. LOL.  Hannah got excited when she first saw it, then she got a little scared when she saw just how big and high it is.  And her Dad took one look and was ready to lock her back into the car and take her home to protect her. hahaha.

Look at those dark clouds that started to move in....it's suppose to rain most of the week, so she will quickly learn what a wet horse smells like.  I'm praying for more sunny days.  There is just so much there for them to do, I don't want her to miss a thing.

When it was time to leave we drove her back to her cabin.  She started to cry and held onto me so tightly...and it felt good.  If you have ever had to live with a child that was neglected as a baby, and thereby developed attachment issues, you would know what a big deal that hug was to me. :-)

Here's the official camp video...yeah, she's not that excited about mucking stalls, but she loved shopping for new boots and a cool cowgirl hat.

I've discovered on the camp website, where I can get pictures everyday...

so I'll keep you updated on the fun.

Have you ever gone to camp?  Or sent your kids to camp?  Share a story in the comments and we'll pretend we're all sitting around the campfire together. :-)

Be blessed,

Debbi

The power of Love - A YBC storytime tale

Welcome back to YankeeBurrowCreations Storytime.  Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and let's see where my imagination takes us today.  When you're done reading, click on the picture links to see what cool handmade items I found to accompany my story, that are also available for purchase.

The Power of Love - chapter 1



window view

I sit quietly, staring out the window, seeing, yet not seeing.  I am heading to a meeting, a place, where I don't want to go.  My chest hurts, my heart hurts.  I am not ready for this, but then again, I would probably never be ready for this.  My name is Faith, and my story is not an easy one.  But stories of the heart never really are easy, are they?  You see, I have a daughter, one I love with all my heart, but she is not "really" my daughter, she was born to another woman who could not love her, so my Father gave her to me to love.  If I knew then the pain I would have endured these past years, would I still have adopted?  I'm not so sure.



matching hats

Hope came to us when she was only 5, scared and angry, and wanting so desperately to belong.  And I was thrilled to be a mom again, even after so many years.  Foolishly I thought to myself, I've already raised children, I can do this again.  I wish there had been a manual, because Hope was unlike any of my other children.  On the outside, a precious beautiful little girl, with a dimple in her one cheek, and a giggle that made everyone around her giggle too.  I loved to just pick her up and snuggle with her, but she never did. After a moment she would hit me, or elbow me, or kick me, then jump off my lap. The pain of her abuse, and the secrets of her past, she kept tightly sealed inside.  But only for so long, then came the explosions!  Anger, fear, hate, spewing forth at the slightest provocation.  How could I help her? Did I help her?  All I know is I loved her.

 

love forever sign

           I rest my forehead against the cool window and sigh.  Several years have past since those days, some good, some not so good.  But we muddled through, and found some semblance of a relationship.  Celebrated all the milestones together, birthdays, holidays, graduation.  Then she left, not off to college, but off to "find herself".  I did not understand then, and I still don't understand.  But I hugged her, prayed for her, and let her go.  There have been a few phone calls and letters over the past 2 years, but the last phone call was different.  Hope's voice was different, lighter somehow.  So here I sit, in a plane, flying towards my daughter.  What is my Father up to now, I wonder?  I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.  And remember, every item I have shared as part of my story is available for purchase, just click on the links below the pictures.  And come back next week and meet Hope.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Hannah's robotics competition

Hey! What did you do today?  I spent the day with around 100 5th graders in a metal building, watching the Irdell/Statesville School district Robotics Competition!  It was loud, and yep, I got a headache, but it was worth it.  Hannah's school had 2 teams entered (the smallest there) and their team MW3 won 1st place in their division.  So let me share them with you.

This next one is Hannah's team, the Terminators.

 And here is Hannah with her teacher and her robot.

As the only girl on her team...she makes a mother proud!

Debbi

a relaxing Thursday.

Amanda and I did something today that we haven't done in a very long time...we took the day off!  No kids, no work, no laptops.  Just her and I and the open road.  Ok, I admit, I took along a crochet scarf to work on while she was driving, but that's not "real" work, lol.  Amanda found a dresser she liked on facebook, so we went on a search to Curiosity in Blowing Rock, NC.  First we got a little lost, but getting lost in Blowing Rock is fun....this summer it will be time for another trip to walk the Main Street to see all the new shops.  Anyway, the shop Curiosity has some really neat items there, and next door to it was another neat shop, The Incredible Toy Company....that totally deserves another trip after payday.  I am one of those people that prefer educational board games.  Then my wonderful daughter treated me to lunch at Applebees, their 2 for $20 made it a great deal, we were stuffed.  During this time together we just talked and laughed.  It's great when your daughter is also your friend!
But now it's back to work, I jumped on a Blog/Fanpage Hop hosted by Theresa at Chatter from Texas, so if you're looking for some new blogs to follow, or are looking for new followers yourself, join me there.

 

I've put a permanent link to this Thursdays Get Together on my linky-party tab, so you can come on over anytime.  And I'll see you all tomorrow.

Luv ya's,

Debbi

 

We love our cats

I have almost always had a cat in my life, and my children (especially Amanda) has inherited my love of all things feline.  Right now she has a grey tabby named Droopy.  He's named that because he is probably the laziest of cats in history.  Droopy is now up in age and very ill, he can't keep food down, and is nothing but bones, but still loves to just sit and be loved.  So, because I know that the end is near for Droopy, and will be hard for Amanda, let me share some of my favorite pictures of Droopy from when he was young and healthy.  And when you read this, please say a little prayer for Amanda, because if you have ever loved a pet, you'll understand.

"Look, out the window, should I chase that bird?"

"Naaaaah."

No box, or basket, was safe from Droopy.  He could sleep anywhere at anytime.  Stuff still in the box?  So what, he'd climb in anyway.

 Ok, is that ham I smell?"  He would wait till he thought we weren't looking, then slip his paw up and steal from the plate.

Now go hug and pet your pet.  All they desire is your attention, and what they give in return can make all your problems just disappear.

Debbi

The Huntington Christmas 2011

Whew! Now that the last 2 weeks are behind me, it's my turn to just sit and relax and enjoy the Christmas aftermath, lol.  So let me share just a few of the MANY pictures I took.

Here's our girl Hannah (on the left).  She got an e-notebook for a gift, so this was the last we saw of her till dinner. heehee.  And on the right is our other girl Amanda.  She was not feeling well, too many hours at Walmart for the past 3 weeks (plus the cold bug) finally caught up with her.  On Christmas Day! Yuck!

Notice the pretty place setting.  I bought a place setting for 4 new at a store years ago, but then I found the rest at one thrift store in NC and one thrift store in NY.  And the glasses came from a little antique shop in town.  The man on the left is Amanda's hubby Brandon, Chuck is on the end, and then there's my cousin Susie and hubby Gary. 

After dinner, Hannah took the kids to the boys room to play.  (I blurred the edges because I can't show to faces of our foster children).  Hannah had set a headlamp to strobe, and they were taking turns singing and dancing.  And yes, jumping on the bed.  Stupid Santa put candy in their stockings, hahahaha.

Speaking of a sugar rush, holidays are the only time my kids can get away without "cleaning" their plate, and still getting dessert.  Now this is how to eat a cupcake!  Owen likes to eat anything frosted from the top to the bottom.  When he was done, I had green frosting on the chair, tablecloth, and me!

Poor Pee Wee, after a day of being carried, and stepped on, (that's why I carried him), snuck food too, stole food from, and generally played till he dropped.  That was exactly how I felt by the end of the day.  The kids woke us up at 7am, and we finally went to bed at 1am.

I would like to leave you with a little video of Owen(of course) playing the drum set we got him as a gift.  Funny how mom and dad forgot to take it with them when they went home. hmmmmm.

I pray everyone recovers from the holiday madness and remembers to enjoy their many blessings, and get ready for an amazing New Year!

Debbi

Saturday Shopping Link Up - Giving Thanks

All righty, we are now into the month of November, and like I was saying yesterday, let's slow down and enjoy this season before rushing headlong into Christmas.  I know that I will be putting up my outside Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, but I will NOT turn them on until the day after Thanksgiving.  Which is the designated day to go tree hunting.  Amanda wants to start a new tradition, we are all going to pile in our cars and drive up the mountain to a tree farm (not the local tree stand), complete with hay rides and hot cocoa.  Chuck is good with that, as long as he doesn't have to hike into the woods and cut the tree down himself.  We used to do this a very long time ago when my children were very little, and it was such fun, despite the below zero temperatures and snow (it was Buffalo, NY after all).  So before we start our linky party, let's see what I found to share...

Oh my, talk about family memory flashbacks...this is sooooo my mom.  She was a wonderful redhead artist who loved the color orange, and she would have loved these cloth napkins from rearchitect.  No traditional fall colors for her, oh no, she had a bit of orange on everything.  And I do mean everything.  Mom went home in 2000, and I miss her so much that orange has become my favorite color.  I hated it as a teen, but I am drawn to it as if by a magnet now that I'm....well, no longer a teen, heehee.

And since this has turned into a memory post as well as a party post, I was happy to have found this embroidered hand towel by quiltsbydebbie.  You see, my oldest sister, (and my second mother) Kathy helped my mom care for me, since I was the youngest of 6.  I was told that Kathy just claimed me for herself from the day I was born.  Now, Kathy is with mom.  She lost her battle with breast cancer at the too young age of 50, in 2001.  This towel is special because as much as mom loved orange, Kathy was crazy over racoons.  And I do mean crazy, lol.

OK, enough melancholy memories, now to perk things up, I think I'll grab this very cute dog collar from RogueCollars for my Pee Wee.  After all, even our pets deserve to join us in our celebrations, :~D

Ok, now it's your turn....time to search your shops/blogs/whatevers and link up what makes you thankful.  And invite all your friends, snacks and drinks are on me!

Debbi

introducing....the newest member of our family

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,  The fruit of the womb is a reward.
 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,  So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
   Psalm 127:3-5
Children’s children are the crown of old men,  And the glory of children is their father. 
   Proverbs 17:6

Our beautiful granddaughter Shannon Anderson and her husband Mikaele increased our family by one on 8/26/11 at 5:26pm.  He weighed a healthy 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 21 inches long.  Isn't he just handsome?  Of course I'm a little bit biased. lol. 

  It seems to strange that little Shannon is now a mommy. It seems like just yesterday that her and her sister Krystal were spending nights at our house, running around screaming (thanks to poppa jumping out at them from behind closed doors). One time he actually asked my "why do they have to scream so much?" Well, duh! hahaha. I love the look on Christian's face. Yes, that's his name, since I forgot to mention it before. Christian James Lee Anderson. Such a fine and strong name.   He has a touch of red

hair, just like his mother, and grandmother.  Actually Shannon has more than a touch.  On my next trip down memory lane, I'll share pictures of Shannon, and the rest of the grandkids.  Oh, and that's not Shannon sleeping with the baby...it's gramma!  There's is nothing like cuddling a new baby to bring you peace.  Great-Poppa and Great-Mamaw loves you Christian James Lee and can't wait to get down so we can see you, and kiss your cheeks, and just spoil you rotten. <3

visit with Uncle BooBoo

Since I have nothing listed in my shop that expires this week, I thought I would share with you my visit with my brother and his family.  I would have to say that when we were little, Boo and I were not exactly close (unless we were trying to kill each other).  When we got older and started having families, we became very close and spent almost every weekend together.  Then life changes, our dad died, I got a divorce and then remarried, and our kids grew up.  I moved out of state.  Then mom died, and our older sister died.  It seemed like the only time we saw each other in the past 20 years was at funerals and weddings.  But that finally started to change last summer.  Chuck and I were in NY (for a wedding) and we spent a whole afternoon with Boo and Brenda.  And it was nice.  A few weeks ago, Boo and Brenda and their 2 grandsons stopped for a visit on their way to SC.  We spent a whole day (and half of the next day) together.  And it was fun.  Here let me show you.  First we went to Mt. Airy NC.  Since we were still kids in the 60's we grew up loving shows like Mayberry RFD.  So what visit to NC is complete without a stop at Andy Griffith's home town.  Since I took soooo many pictures, I decided to collage them.  So from left to right and top to bottom we have...

All the kids, Aaron - Brandon - Hannah - Anthony - Witney in front of a welcome sign.  Anthony and Aaron getting a hair cut at Floyds barbershop.  The barbershop window.  A picture of Sheriff Taylor in his patrol car.  My wonderful and handsome hubby, Chuck.  The patrol car again.  Boo and his grandsons Anthony and Aaron with the Sheriff.  Anthony at lunch.  Owen at lunch.  Yes that is a harness on him, and the best child invention EVER.  When my kids were little I used an actual dog leash on Joshua, lol.  And don't comment me about it being mean or abusive.  I think keeping our strong willed children safe is more important than their "self-esteem".  Besides, I told him to stop barking, hahaha.  And last at lunch we have Brandon, Brenda, Boo, Aaron and Owen.  After lunch we drove back towards my house and I took them to the Hiddenite Emerald Mine to pan for gems.

First up, when we got there, Owen "discovered" the tame wild ducks.  He tried so hard to catch one.  But he learned that if he just sat down, they came to him.  Then when he was outnumbered he started to get a little nervous :) Hannah and Witney both managed to catch one.  But I was firm and said no when the "please mommy can we keep one" started.  The ducks were bigger than my dog, hahaha.  Then Hannah picked up a baby duck for Owen to pet.  I love the smile on his face.  This has become one of my favorite pictures.  Then I gave the camera to Brenda to take pictures, but she only took pictures of my crew with my camera, silly girl.  Yep, that's me with Owen at the bottom.  Consider yourselves lucky, I hate having my picture taken, which is why I hold onto the camera.  Then it was off to Chuck's favorite restaurant, Golden Corral.  We go there so much, the wait staff knows us by name!

Amanda and Brandon worked all day, but they were able to meet us for dinner.  The cute lady in white is Holly, one of our favorite waitresses.  On Tuesday, when we usually go on kids night, she works the floor.  But as a baker, she makes one mean bread pudding!!! yum yum.  Now what visit is complete without a family photo.

My big brother Boo, his wonderful wife Brenda, my Amanda and Hannah, then the twins, Anthony and Aaron.  Owen was not too happy with the sun, heehee.  In case you're wondering, Boo's given name is Walter, but we called him Butch growing up.  When the kids were little they couldn't say Butch, so it became Uncle Boo.  I like it (and him) and that must be why I now call my Owen my booboo.  Thanks for reading thru this very long post.  Now don't wait 20 years, go tell your brother (or sister) I love you.
Debbi

Besteam feature on Turquoise Angels

Joni Walker and her daughter Rebecca Finch is the mother/daughter team behind Turquoise Angels, a great Etsy shop filled with goodies for little girls. They have just recently moved, so they are busy busy busy.  I don't envy them, I hate packing and unpacking.  I told my husband that if we ever move again, we are selling our house fully furnished, and buying a house fully furnished. lol.  This team works together to create wonderful tutu's, and clips for little girls.  Here's a peek at their creations.

First up is this Italian Princess Petti Tutu. What pretty colors!  Joni and Rebecca take great care when creating these tutu's.  Quality made, these tutu's were made for fun, and your little girl will surely have fun playing dress up it this.

And how's this for a hair clip?  Their Patriotic French Clip Hair Bow is hand tied and the ends are heat sealed to prevent fraying.  They have a total of 68 hair bows, so if you only wear red, white, and blue in July, check out all the rest.  You will definitely find any style, pattern, or color you need to complete any outfit.

And for that extra special member of your family...there are tutu's for them too.  This Pumpkin Orange Doggy Tutu is just tootoo cute.  (Sorry, had to throw that pun in)  If your little girls best friend is her doggy, they can get matching tutu's. heehee.  Turquoise Angels is now taking orders for flower girl dresses, and have tulle of all colors handy to match your special color theme.  Plus all their tutu's are custom made so be prepared for a 2 week turnaround between placing your order and shipment.

You can keep up with Joni and Rebecca by reading their blog, or follow them on facebook.  So click on any link above and start your holiday shopping early!

Debbi

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