Life - Always Changing - New Traditions

How was your Easter? Did you celebrate? At home with family, or was it just another day to you?

I am a big fan of family traditions...but I also like making new traditions.

We have always had large family dinners on holidays, but this year, my husband was having some health issues, we're updating (I'm painting every room) our home so we can sell it and move home, and allergy season has kicked in big time this year.  So I asked hubby "would you mind if we just went out to eat this year?"  What a great new tradition!!!!  I should have done it years ago.

Amanda and her crew came over so Owen could get his basket from Poppa and Gramma, Chuck's brother and wife surprised us with a visit, and it was so nice to be able to just make coffee and then join the conversations instead of being chained in the kitchen.  We should have done this years ago.

One this I did miss, and have missed since we've moved south, was our annual shopping trip to 

The Broadway Market in downtown Buffalo, NY.

No good respecting Polish cook would get their Easter sausage and butter lambs anywhere else.

That I miss, and family.

So how was your weekend?  Any new traditions started at your house?

Be blessed,

Debbi

5 Things I'll Miss When We Move

As some of you may already know, we are planning to sell our home here in sunny warm NC and move back to not as sunny and warm NY to be closer to family.  I have tried for 16 years to get everyone to move down here....but I've been outnumbered. lol

So here is my list of 5 things I'll miss about North Carolina.

5) Kill Devils Hill and The Outer Banks

I absolutely loved the trips we have taken to The Outer Banks.  Walking the beach, floating the waves, and the shops are such fun.  Plus you're not too far from the wild horses of Corolla and in the opposite direction is Roanoke where you'll find lots of fun places to explore like the aquarium and botanical gardens.

4) Blowing Rock.

Closer to home is Blowing Rock, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  I can see the mountains from my front porch, but the trip up the mountain is so much fun.  The first stop is always at the rock....you'll get an amazing view if you are brave enough to walk out to the tip (I never have, lol).  Then into downtown to enjoy a great day of shopping and eating.

3) Emerald Hollow Mine

Right down the road from us is the little town of Hiddenite, home of the Emerald Hollow Mine.

It looks muddy, but it's a lot of fun, prospecting for gems.  

2) The NC Antique Trail

One of the things I love about the south is not only the lovely weather, but also the love of history.

Chuck and I always enjoyed jumping in the car and traveling the route to shop our favorite antique shops.

1) The Statesville Full Gospel Tabernacle

The place I will miss the most is my church.

It's not just our church..they are our family.

If you're in this area, and looking for a place to belong, to be loved, check us out.

So, what is your favorite spot in your neck of the woods?

Be blessed,

Debbi

Friday Family Night

I love Fridays, not just because it's the start of the weekend, but because we get to play.

I love playing games.  My siblings and I played games a lot growing up, especially board games on holidays, or snowed in the house days.  Which in Buffalo, were quite often. lol

This is a peek into our game cabinet.  As you can tell by the taped corners, we do have a few favorites.  And old ones.  I've also replaced quite a few over the years.

Aside from the tape around the Pictionary box, a favorite game of ours was..

Dark Tower.

As a young adult, we would get together, settle the kids down with toys, popcorn, and a movie, and all us parents would sit down to this amazing game.  It was so much fun, and back then, it was the height of tech savy, just like our...

Odyssey Game System

We played Jeopardy a lot, among others.  Most of the games we had for more than one player, which made them even more fun.

Today we play...

Wii.  Back when my kids were teenagers, we had a Nintendo, which seemed to cause so many arguments, and yelling "it's MY turn"..."I don't want to turn it off and (go to bed) (do my chores) (etc.), so when it broke, I secretly rejoiced.  About 10 years later, we broke down and bought a Wii when they first came out, BECAUSE the games required more than one person, and required people to interact.  Wii Sports and Mario Cart are by far our most played games.

I've searched for new games, but have yet to find anything really new that peaked my interest.

So, what is (or was) your favorite game?  

Be blessed,

Debbi

Dress Shopping With A Teen

Next Saturday is Hannah's Civil Air Patrol Banquet.

Her first ever formal dance.

And she needs a dress, and that's where the fun begins.

Hannah wants a dress like this...

and I'm like

ummmmmm. NO.

I want a dress like this...

and she's like

ummmmmm NO.

Then we will need to find shoes, and a bag, and jewelry.

My credit card is already crying.

Wish us luck. 

hahahaha

Be blessed,

Debbi

Where Did August Go?

Wow....

It's already the end of August and my last post is from the end of July....

where is the time going?

I remember as a child that time seemed to move so slowly, spending my days playing around and wishing for summer, then wishing for Christmas, then wishing for more.

Now it's like I'm just barely getting anything done.

My to-do list can go on forever, as soon as I knock one item off, 2 more get added.

Let's see...

local farmers market

local craft shows

new website

new blog look

new crafts to try

on-line classes to improve all of the above.

Then add in summer trips and vacations.

A 4 day church conference (of which I was on the planning committee)

An emergency last minute trip home for family.

And planning for a new year of homeschooling....high school level.

But I'm not complaining.

Because all this work just means I am alive.

I have the ability to get up, and move, and think, and do.

And I praise God for every hectic, crazy, exhausting day.

Now for a lighter touch...

This is Hannah's first day of school picture.

Be blessed,
Debbi

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

The Heros In My Family

What is happening to our world?  How did it get this messed up?  Looter and rioters destroying communities and families, and then blaming the police and government?  Then calling Bruce Jenner a hero?  Now, don't get mad, this is not about the government, or transgender-ism, or race.  It's about changing ourselves, and there by changing the world around us.  And acknowledging the real hero's in our world.  The police who defend the innocent, the firefighters who save those in trouble, and the soldier that defends our freedoms.  Including the freedom of peaceful protest.  Today I would like to honor my family hero's...my firefighters and soldiers.

Tyler and Krystal Alderman....my granddaughter and her husband who serve (and served) in the Navy.

Mikaele Anderson...my grandson in law serving in the Navy.

Nick Coniglio...my nephew who served in the National Guard, and now serves as a volunteer fireman right next to his father, my brother-in-law Felix Coniglio.

My step-son Carl Huntington...a volunteer firefighter, and his son, my grandson Austin who serves by his side.

Alec Huntington...my grandson who serves in the Army.

Chuck Huntington....my step-son who serves as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

Tim Haley...my nephew who serves as a paramedic and his son Jarrod Forsyth who served as a police officer, and just lost his life in a freak training exercise.

To you all...

thank you.

And now on a lighter side, a few weekends ago, we packed up our kids and traveled to New York for our nieces wedding.  We stayed with Chuckie, and he gave my Brandon a thrill of a lifetime.  He took him out for a ride in the fire truck!

He will talk about this....forever!

Who are you proud of?

Be blessed,

Debbi

My Little Girl Is Growing Up....Too Fast For This Momma

Today is my baby girl's 14th birthday!

Where did the time go?

I remember when she first moved in, she was only 5, cute as a button, an infectious giggle, and an attitude.....wow.....

Here's a little photo chronicle of her life with us.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

We love you!

Be blessed,

Debbi

A Book Review - Motivate Your Child by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller

As a mother of many children, of all types (bio-step-foster-adopted), I am always looking for support, encouragement, and advise.  So when the book "Motivate Your Child" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller because available for review, I grabbed it.

There are many pages of this book where I highlighted, stuck post it tabs, and wrote notes...it was that helpful to me.  One of my notes was from the chapter on discipline...how, and how much.  For a time out, I had always gone by 2 minutes per year of life, but this book talks not about obedience, but about there being a heart change in your child.  Which is much more desirable in a person.  So there is no time limit, but let the child work the issue out in their own hearts and time.  Then when they can understand what they did, and why they did it, they are better equipped to allow God to change their behaviors.  I like that!

There are 2 major sections in this book...
Moral Development In Children and
Spiritual Development In Children.

Now while there are 2 separate sections, so this book would be helpful to non-believers as well, I personally feel that separating the moral from the spiritual will still leave your child empty.  For our world to change, we need to change, and to help our children to change, thereby leaving a lasting legacy in our world today.  Let me share with you a great quote I saw the other day...
"Lasting change does not come only from laws and legislation, but from the hearts produced by spiritual revival."  Bobby Jindal
How true is that!  This book is a great first step in changing the world, starting in your own hearts and homes.

An added plus in this book is the interactive supportive website, The 414 Family Challenge, for those willing to take up "The Family Challenge" given in this book.  I have bookmarked it and can't wait to start implementing all I have learned between the pages of this book.

Here's some information on the authors.

Scott Turansky has been a pastor and missionary for more than 33 years and is an author of several books. In addition to pastoring full time, Scott also conducts parenting seminars on Saturdays around the United States (http://www.effectiveparenting.org/). He is the cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting (www.biblicalparenting.org) and has co-authored four books.

Joanne Miller is a pediatric nurse with 26 years of experience and the cofounder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting. She is the coauthor of seven parenting books.

So now I challenge you, be the start of something new in your home and family.  Pick up this book and embark on a new path today.

Be blessed,

Debbi

* While I received a free copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers, the opinions are completely my own.^

Homeschool Monday - Party At The Library

Last Monday we hosted a pizza party at our local library for our homeschool teen group.

It was a blast...as always.

First a little pizza and chips.  We love the Little Ceasers $5 pizza...you can't beat the price, and the kids always love pizza. :0)

Then I got them started on a good old fashioned game of Charades.

I had downloaded the game app from the Google store but that was such a waste.

The words were just stupid, so the kids just started to play Charades, free style.

It was hysterical!  The kids got laughing so hard, they were rolling.  I was almost worried that we would get kicked out of the library they got so loud!!!

And us moms?  Well, it's a good time to get together with each other.

We have all become good friends.

Learning is much more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Playing together, helping each other, making friends.

My favorite part of homeschooling.

I can't wait till our next get-together.

Be blessed,

Debbi

Carrying On Another Family Tradition

As y'all probably know by now, I love tradition.

When my kids were growing up, it was our family tradition to get everyone together to bake our Christmas cookies.  We used an old family recipe, and all my sisters and their kids, rolled, and cut and frosted everything in site.  We would have up to 17 people crowed in someone's house, and chaos usually ensued.  But boy was it fun!

So this year, I guilted asked Amanda to bring over Owen so we could continue the fun.  While there was only us...it was fun.

First it was the boys turn.  While I made the dough, and took the pictures, Amanda was in charge of rolling.  She can be a perfectionist, but she did well letting the boys make a bit of a mess. lol

Ahhhh...two perfectionist sisters working side by side.  You know I stayed out of this one. lol.  And while the girls were working....

...the boys were playing.  Owen would hold Brandon down while PeeWee licked his ear.  Who needs video games when you can have fun like this? haha

Now it's time for the frosting.

No, we don't get fancy with the frosting, mostly because we spent most of the time telling the boys not to eat the frosting. :0)

Time together...that's what we need more of...family traditions.

Share with me some of your family traditions that you try to keep alive.

Be blessed,

Debbi