Still Learning...

The Spelling Bee

2012-01-27T11:52:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow Cameron will compete in the 2012 Scripps Howard Spelling Bee at the Highlands Latin School here in Louisville. The winner of this bee will go to the district bee in March, and the winner of that bee will go on to the national spelling bee in the spring.

Cameron has already made me proud. He has studied so hard and I'm so excited to see him up on the stage tomorrow. This will be his third year in a row...the first without Caleb. The spelling bee is only for grades 3-8. But Caleb has done a lot to help his brother "train" for the bee. And I've learned quite a bit by helping Cameron, so I'm sure Caleb has too!

These are tough words! He was spelling - linguistically - vehemence - astrophysicist - circumlocution, and the word that Matt couldn't even pronounce - dramaturgy. Thankfully we have dictionary.com and that robot lady to say the words for us! Cameron has also relied on the pink Vitamin Water named "Focus"... He's drank a lot of that lately.

Making the decision to compete in a spelling be is a pretty big accomplishment for any child. A child with ADHD and Aspergers Syndrome... I think is a little bigger. (wink) It has been exhausting and emotionally draining for this mom, but it's something that he wants to do. (Believe me, there were days I begged him to sit this year out!) But he's doing it...I'm a proud bee mom!!

And I'll be so relieved tomorrow afternoon... Whew!

Cobbler for Dinner

2012-01-24T20:49:00.006-05:00

When I was 18, I worked at a truck stop. I worked in the "diner" part as a prep-cook. I interviewed for the grill-cook, but was told I didn't have enough experience. I told them, "I've been cookin' since I was old enough to stand on a chair to see over the counter top!" But they were right...I needed to start slow. It was an incredibly busy place.

As a prep-cook, I made the salads, made the yeast rolls, and made the cobblers... Had I not started out where I did, I would not know how to place the tomatoes and cucumbers perfectly on the lettuce, know exactly when the dough had proofed, or been able to make my dinner for tonight...

Blackberry Cobbler for dinner with a side of Vanilla Ice Cream...mmm! I can't even tell you how many of these cobblers that I made while I worked there. Peach, Blackberry, Blueberry...whatever I had. And still to this day if the fruit is there, a cobbler can be made.

Tonight, Matt had a late meeting and the boys ate early... So I whipped up a Blackberry Cobbler and I was a happy camper! The following is the recipe I used at the truck stop, although tonight I split the recipe in half and it turned out beautifully...only took about 35 minutes to bake.

Truck Stop Cobbler

1 stick Butter

1 cup Sugar (a little more to sprinkle on top)

1 cup Self-Rising Flour

1 cup Milk

2 cups Blackberries

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Spray a non-stick spray into a baking dish. Rinse and dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter, evenly.

Sprinkle about ¼ cup sugar over the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. And if you're boring, eat this warm...if you're not, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. ~A day without sugar is a sad day...

*Note: To make your own self-rising flour, mix 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.

Our First Field Trip...

2010-10-04T11:15:00.010-04:00

This was after our 2 mile/400 step tour... Whew!

So sitting at Steak and Shake last night, my dear hubby mentions that all the blogs that he subscribes to have not posted in a while... That would include me.

I'm not sure where September went... but hello, good-bye! September was a learning month for me. It took the entire month to get used to this new life I have. You know, the wife, homeschool mom, church planter, children's director, teacher of Ruth, cute baby watcher life... But it's all coming together. Everything is falling into place. I'm learning that lesson that I have taught my boys for years, "Take one thing at a time"...

So here at Four Hills Christian Academy, we took our first field trip for the 2010-2011 school year... Mammoth Cave! It was really nice to see the boys reaction to everything we saw. It really is an amazing place. Cameron loves history, so he was on his best behavior. (He didn't want to miss a thing.)

We try to take some kind of field trip each month. It gives the boys something to look forward too, and gives this momma a break! It also gives us stuff to talk about... I usually have our entire year of field trips planned, but I'm still working on that! There are so many places that you can visit that are close to home!

So our October field trip has been planned... We're heading to the Newport Aquarium! I just hope I can blog again before this month ends. (You know, to keep my hubby happy...)

I haven't posted a recipe in a while... I haven't made anything in a while that didn't come out of box! But this one reminds me of cooler weather and maybe, just maybe I'll make some this week!

Stacy's Candied Pecans

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
2 1/2 cups of Pecans
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt (I like sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray one baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. (About one minute.) In a separate bowl, mix together sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool completely on wax paper before packing them up to retain crunchiness. :)

One Week Down

2010-09-06T10:25:00.003-04:00

Today is the first day of our second week of school. We've decided to work today, after all it is Labor Day! :) Actually, we have our first field trip of the year planned for tomorrow. We're going to Mammoth Cave. So we're working today, so we can play tomorrow!

Our first week of school was draining, but I know we will get back in the swing of things soon. We are doing a new online curriculum and that always takes a little bit to navigate and get to know the site. But my boys are very "tech-savvy" and it was momma that needed the help! :)

The online stuff is perfect for us. I watch a baby two days a week (a very cute and kissable one, I may add) and being able to log on anywhere and see how the boys are doing is very convenient. Matt is here on those days to help give instruction, but sometimes they just need things explained in a different way. And I can sign in wherever I am, and see the exact lesson and assignment that they are on!

I'm still a little concerned with how I will balance homeschool and church planting. Last week, I felt like I had given more attention to church than I did my children. That kind of guilt is heavy... I know I was called here to plant this church and if I don't do certain things, well...they just don't get done. But, my boys must always come before my ministry... So, I'm still working on this one.

"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid." ~John 14:27

Ready to Learn...

2010-08-22T10:29:00.007-04:00

I feel like I'll be doing a lot of learning this year...

I've never planted a church while I homeschool.

Four Hills Church has been gathering for weekly services for 12 weeks. I have never been so busy in those 12 weeks. Sundays feel like they just come too quickly now. And I just hope that this is something that I can learn to balance.

We have a personal calendar, church calender, and homeschool calendar. By themselves... not bad, but putting them together - seems very overwhelming! I keep saying, "As soon as school starts, things will settle down." (And then I smile... when has my life ever been "settled"?)

This is our "practice" week. We start school on August 30th, but I will try to get the boys used to getting up and eating breakfast in the AM... :)

We are also starting a new curriculum... Monarch is an online curriculum that is brand new this year, and we couldn't be more excited to get started!! http://www.aophomeschooling.com/monarch/

Cameron was very excited... and not for the reason I thought it would be. He said, "Using an online curriculum is being very green!" And I'll be glad to not have to grade 12 different workbooks! So maybe this was the best year to introduce Monarch. :)

"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can... You'll be glad you did." -Sarah Caldwell

Confession of a Planter's Wife

2010-07-27T21:14:00.006-04:00

This was a pretty rough weekend for me. I have no idea why... We just finished our eighth week of being a "church" with weekly services and all that. And this weekend I stood there in our rent free building and thought, this is too hard and I why did I say yes?

Planting a church from scratch is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done. I've even questioned why in the world we moved from a placed we loved and left some of the best friends we'd ever had... We left abundant comfort and security in exchange for struggle, doubt, and uncertainty.

But a year ago when we said yes, I knew all of that. I knew that it would take every penny in our savings to move here. I knew that purchases that we "wanted" would turn into ones that we "needed". And I knew that sharing a building was going to be hard work... I knew that "setting up" and "tearing down" would be new terms in my vocabulary... My weekly vocabulary.

So what's my deal? If I knew all of this, why am I surprised? Listen, I know I have a lot to be thankful for. This would be a huge blog if I listed everything that I was thankful for, but...

Sometimes us gals need a good cry! :)

I just wanted to write this to let other planting wives know that it's ok to feel "blah" now and then. Even if you have no idea why. Even when you have so much to be thankful for... It's ok.

I'm thankful for my husband. And I'm thankful that he's here to show me the whole picture, when all I can see is bits and pieces. I'm thankful that we can dream together. I'm thankful that I can be honest with him and he takes time to encourage me. I'm thankful that my calling is as strong as his.

In the book My Husband Wants to be a Church Planter...So What Will That Make Me? It says that - 92 percent of planter wives say that even though church planting requires sacrifices, it is worth the cost!

So, I'm wondering...at what point were these wives asked that?
-I'm sure it was longer than 8 weeks in...

"God sees your tears. Cry them, wipe them, feel them, but don't let them stop you." ~Kelly Minter

The Belle and My Boys

2010-07-20T23:22:00.006-04:00

My boys on the Belle of Louisville

Today my family attended "Homeschool Day" on the Belle of Louisville. I had not been on the Belle in years and the boys had not been at all. We learned tons of history, which is something that Cameron loves! He will absorb all the info he can, then tell you what he knows, as if he's a steamboat historian.

I spent the majority of the cruise with Cameron. Caleb's allergies have been acting up and Matt sat there "sea sick"... on the Ohio River. And I'll just leave it at that. I've made fun of him enough, for one day. Next year, I think dad will stay home. ;)

Over 400 people were aboard the boat today. And just like in life, there are many types of people, as well as home educators. This was the largest event that we had ever attended, so it was nice to see so many people from all over the state.

So again tonight, I sit here and feel very blessed to be able to do what I love. I know that the thought of homeschool is not for everyone, but it works for us. This fall, will begin our 5th year as a homeschool family... And I couldn't be more thankful!

"Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else."
~ Sir James Barrie

I Do Because I Love...

2010-07-09T21:51:00.005-04:00

This is my guy a couple of years ago...

Today was my "guy time" with Caleb. It was supposed to be on Monday, but we moved it to today. I knew what Caleb wanted to do...Eat at Cici's Pizza Buffet. And it's not because of the awesome pizza, believe me. There is an arcade game there and Caleb went there today to "master" it.

As we pulled in, I immediately wanted to turn around. Right there in the window was a huge, blue "B". Restaurants here are graded. And I've always said that there are too many restaurants with an "A" to ever eat at a "B". But there I was with my guy, and that's exactly where he was headed...

So I went and I ate. I guess it wasn't too bad. I sat there with because I love spending time with Caleb. One of these days, (and it will be here too soon) Caleb will have better things to do than eat at a restaurant with his mom. And for today, he wanted to spend the afternoon with his mom...at a "B" restaurant. I'll take it.

Oh, and that arcade game, it only took two dollars. He beat the game and got 3rd place on the leader board.

Today was a good day...

My "Guy Time"...

2010-06-27T10:34:00.002-04:00

A few years ago I started my "guy time"...I'm not sure that's the exact term we use, but it's what it is. Once a month, I would take each of my boys by themselves on a special outing. It might be lunch, or just a trip to their favorite store.

I would take Caleb out on the 5th of the month, (the day he was born) and Cameron on the 22nd, (the day he was born). Unfortunately, the life of a church planter caused us to put this tradition on hold for a while. I told the boys that we would start it back up in June...so we did! :)

My day with Caleb was something I'd never really done before...shop for clothes. In previous years, I would buy clothes while I was out and put them on his bed. He's never been picky, (he's still not) but I thought it was time that he get to pick out what he likes. (Especially since he's too big for the "Boy's Department"!)

We went over to The Summit and started our adventure...I loved sitting there waiting for him to come out with new outfits on. It's amazing how much older he looked wearing things from the Men's Department. Ahhh!! The Men's Department?!?!?

Cameron's time was last week...we went to The Louisville Zoo. But before we even made it there, we stopped at Cameron's favorite place... Krispy Kreme. Of course, we went early enough to get a hot and fresh one. (Or one dozen, whatever.) It's something that's hard to even describe!

At first, we were listening to the radio...but then I turned it off. I was sitting in the car with my buddy and this was no time to listen to music. I wanted to know what was on his mind... He makes me laugh so many times a day and I needed to laugh.

He talks, I laugh. He likes to ask questions about when I was little and LOVES to hear about my Atari 7800. He loves to hear me talk about Ms. Pac Man, Pole Position, and Food Fight...(my three favorite games). If you've ever talked to Cameron... he's probably asked you what your favorite game was, and he'll remember what you say, so that he can talk about it next time he sees you.

He didn't get to see the Komodo Dragon. (His absolute favorite at the zoo...) But he did get to see the baby giraffe named Crosby, so he was satisfied. He found a Japanese Crane, named Yoshi. It caught his eye and ran over there...there was no way I could have read that sign! We were too far away...but he saw "Yoshi", that was all it took. I loved hearing about the things that he read and the things that he learned.

I love these times. I would love to do it more often, but for now I look forward to my "guy time". I hope they do too...

Just thinking...

2010-06-23T12:45:00.004-04:00

Summer fun...Typical "hometown tourist"!!

I don't understand why I don't blog more. Lord knows, I have stuff to say! I think about the things I do everyday and wonder why I can't sit down and put my thoughts down. I take time to make my bed everyday. I definitely have a cup coffee everyday. I kiss my husband everyday. I teach my children everyday...even on the weekends or the summer, I find something to teach them. I pray everyday. (Remember I'm married to the guy that asked me to take this "not boring" journey with him!)

But still, I let this little part slip away. I enjoy writing. I like putting down my thoughts. I love going back and reading older posts to see where I've been. But I guess lately "life" has been keeping me busy. I remember when I first moved back to Kentucky, I literally had nothing on my calendar...and I thought one of these days it will fill up again!

We are out of school for the summer...we all said a big "Hooray!" as we were eating breakfast on that day. They requested donuts and I obliged. (Fried dough covered in powered sugar...how bad can that be?)

My boys have had a great school year. I am so proud of them... Caleb is getting older and we talk more and more about his future. I love to hear about what he wants in life. And Cameron still insists he's going to "Home College" when he gets older, so I won't be lonely. They are both the best gift that I could possibly have asked for.

I received their test scores from the standardized test that I give them every year. You know that test... "Please use a #2 pencil and color in the circle making sure it is heavy and dark, erasing any stray marks." I had to repeat that many times. I am so proud of them...They both scored way above the "national average"...what ever that means. It's not something that I have to do, I do it more for myself.

Caleb will be attending an "Engineering Camp" next week at the University of Louisville. It's for 7th and 8th graders that may be interested in a career of engineering. I'm not sure that Caleb has any idea what he wants to be "when he grows up." (But it's something he's interested in and I'm excited that he's going.)
Matt and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary in May. In some ways it feel like it just couldn't be that long and in other ways I feel like saying. "It's only been 15 years?" I am in love with Matt more than the day I married him...if that is even possible.

We launched Four Hills Church on June 6th...We now have weekly services at 5:00 every Sunday evening. I remember moving here, thinking that it was so far away. I love this adventure that we're on...I love the way God continues to bless our people. It blesses me to hear the awesome things that God continues to do in their lives.

And I am still learning...learning to be the best mom I can. I'm still learning to be the best wife I can. I'm still learning that God wants to bless me. And that God wants me to do something significant with my life.

With God's help, I can do it.
With God's blessing, I will do it.

A Little Prayer...

2010-04-19T10:12:00.007-04:00

I love to read. Although, I'm not fiction reader...(unless it's an amazing piece of work by Caleb or Cameron). But there are two books that I am always reading. I'll throw some Church Planting or Homeschool books in now and then, but there are two staples on my table, and here's one:

The Power of a Praying Wife
by Stormie Omartian

This poor, beat up, old book....I have read it front to back, inside and out for over ten years. I had always prayed for Matt, but never so much as when we entered the life of full-time ministry. Now after I've about memorized this book, I will just look through the contents and pick a topic that may be heavy on my heart or just something I feel I should pray about.

This morning I chose, Chapter 9...His Purpose

"Lord, I pray that Matt will hear the call You have on his life. Help him to realize who he is in Christ and give him certainty that he was created for a high purpose. May the eyes of his understanding be enlightened so that he will know what is the hope of Your calling.

Lord, I know when you call us, You also enable us. Enable him to walk worthy of his calling and become the man of God you made him to be. Continue to remind him of what you've called him to do and don't let him get side tracked with things that are unessential to Your purpose. Strike down discouragement so that it will not defeat him. Lift his eyes above the circumstances of the moment so he can see the purpose for which You created him. Give him patience to wait for Your perfect timing. I pray that the desires of this heart will not be in conflict with the desires of Yours...."

I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful to get to live the "not-boring" life that God called us to experience. And even when we have no idea what's next, I'm thankful that we seek Him together.

*I believe that this is such an easy and important read. If you are a wife...this book is a must. (Right along with the old B-I-B-L-E!)*

My Boys...

2010-03-22T11:01:00.007-04:00

I love my boys. I love that for the last four years, their education has taken place here at home. I love that they were excited when we said, "We're moving...and we're planting a church." I love that they are for the most part "polite gentlemen". I love that they can't go to sleep until we pray. I love that they still give their mom a kiss before bed. I love that they can make their own meals, but I also love how their eyes light up when I say I'm making their favorite!

You see, I had fairly ordinary childhood. (Same for Matt...) Our parents worked, we went to school, and Sundays were set aside for church. You pretty much knew and expected what was going to happen next. In other words...There were very few surprises.

Our boys are first generation PK's (Pastor's Kids)...and right now they are PK's that are planting. Back in June of last year, I only knew two things about planting a church. #1 - It was probably going to be the hardest thing I've ever done (so far)...and #2 - We only had one family waiting to help us. And I remember what Caleb said, "Well, we have 4 adults and 5 children. I'm in the Youth Group, Cameron is in the Children's Dept., and the triplets are in Nursery." He already had that all planned out, and he was confident.

Now that we have started our Preview Services and we are inching closer to our "Launch", Caleb asked a question, "What if this whole planting thing doesn't work out?" (Now it's my turn to be confident.)

Our boys haven't had the normal "childhood". Have you ever been standing in a hotel lobby waiting to check in, looking at the indoor swimming pool and just as they swipe your card you get a call that there has been a death in the church and you leave that very moment? Have you ever been told, "Well, you should know better...you're the Pastor's son?" Have you ever had your feelings hurt because someone said something mean about your parents and you can't understand why a Christian would act that way?"

Now, even the boys will agree that for every negative part of being a PK there's two or three positives...I just want Caleb and Cameron to know how much I love them and that I know what sacrifices they have made. (Even if they don't.)

This was a long, rough, busy, but very good weekend for the Monyhans. Caleb and Cameron gave up an entire Saturday to walk neighborhoods, help clean and set up the church, and pretty much whatever else we asked of them. Sunday was more of the same.

But something happened this weekend...Caleb got in trouble because his dad had asked him to do something and then I asked him immediately after that to do something else. (Not knowing that Matt had already given him a job.) So he did one, but got in trouble before he had a chance to get the other job done.

After apologizing to Caleb, I realized that we're not perfect parents and that sometimes we ask too much of our boys. I hope that one day they will look back and be proud of the hard work that it's taken to plant Four Hills Church. But until then, I think they are due a "Caleb and Cameron Appreciation Day"!

Happy "Green Day"...

2010-03-17T15:46:00.004-04:00

Here's a picture of our treats from today...

So much has gone on in the past month...too much to type. But here's a quick recap:

Valentine's weekend was great...I love and am loved by my guys! I hope that Caleb and Cameron treat their future wives (...as in one wife each, please) as well as their dad treats me!

We held our first Preview Services for Four Hills Church. I love our church and the team, that makes everything we do possible.

I had two dates ALONE with Matt...in one month! It was so nice...no talks about work...church...or the kids. (It's easier said than done!)

The boys had a dentist appointment...as usual Caleb has no cavities, Cameron on the other hand...poor buddy. And the thing is, Cameron is a MUCH better brusher. He's having a tooth "extracted" on Friday. He doesn't know what that means...yet. :(

Working, planning, and buying tons of eggs for our Community Easter Egg Hunt. Our Outreach Directors have great ideas and we're blessed to have them.

My niece turned 5! I love being able to attend family stuff again. But I've really missed my New Jersey family lately...

And speaking of my NJ family. We received a call Saturday evening that there had been a gas explosion in the church that we ministered at in New Jersey. Fire destroyed the kitchen, fellowship hall, classrooms, well...let's just say it's really bad. They will be meeting in a couple of different places for a while. It's very sad to see pictures...I'm sure it's even worse to see it in person. I woke up Sunday, thinking it was a dream. My heart still breaks for them.

In four days we will be holding our second of four monthly Preview Services for our church. I remember thinking last month that it seemed forever before we would be doing this again and now it's here...

It's just been six months since we moved back. I remember "graduating" from Church Planters BootCamp thinking there was NO way we'd get everything done it time. And if it were all up to Matt and Stacy, we wouldn't be this far. Prayer, God, and a great team...have brought us through.

So it's St. Patrick's day...wear your green and love your family! :)

Here's what we made today:

Leprechaun Hat Cookies

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/leprechaun-hat-cookies/c64027b8-9c4f-4e5d-9557-827cc7f89b00

100 days down...

2010-02-02T11:42:00.004-05:00

Today is the 100th day of school for Caleb and Cameron. It's not that big of a deal for my boys. They just know that it means they are even closer to the end of the year. We are a homeschool family that takes the summer off!! I've heard other families day, "Well, they won't always get an entire summer off..." and I say, "Yeah, and they won't always be children either.."

My children will one day grow up and move on with their life. And my prayer is that they remember what we have taught them and what they have accomplished being "homeschool dudes"! :) My boys have made so proud. I am proud to be their teacher. I am proud to be their mom. They always seem to make me smile, but this past weekend...I was BEAMING!!

We found out about the spelling bee for homeschool families several months after most. We had less than a month to get ready. It was rough. The first day that the boys saw the words, they both knew it wasn't going to be easy. They worked very hard. (And still got the other subjects done, as well!)

Cameron placed 4th in the 5/6th grade division. He got through 5 rounds and missed the 6th word...his only request was that he not miss the first word. He did great. Caleb placed 2nd in the 7/8th grade division and moved on to the "Spell-Off" with the rest of the finalist. He received a medal and wore all day. They both did excellent. Just the fact that they went was enough for me!

And the best part of the day...they both can't wait for next year!

I've been asked many times, "Do you need a degree to homeschool?" or "Do you feel like you're qualified to teach your children?" Those types questions really make me think. Sometimes, it does cause me to question our decision...sometimes.

Homeschool is like parenting. Every family is different. Every child is different. I don't think there is one way to parent and there is not one way to educate your child. In Genesis 1:27 it says "God created man in his own image, in the image of God, He created him; male and female He created them." And we all know that Jesus was a great teacher, so I'll just let you make your own conclusion... ;)

So in this family, that means that I'll teach my children everything from tying their shoes, to conjugating verbs, to baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

...And I'll love every minute!

~Lord, sometimes I get tired of defending our decision to homeschool. Help me to seek Your wisdom. Help me to respond in love to those who do not understand the blessings found in homeschooling. Help me to convey that just because we homeschool, does not mean that we are right and they are wrong. (And more importantly...that they are right and we are wrong.) In Your Name, I pray...Amen.

Sharing a Lesson...

2010-01-19T15:04:00.008-05:00

As much as I love being a "stay at homeschool mom" my lessons learned recently have been from church planting. It's so different than anything I could have imagined and I guess you really can't know what it's all about until you decide to say "yes".

Here lately I've thought of myself as a pretty patient and flexible person. Of course, not in my early years of marriage. Matt has helped me with that. When we were first married, I had an agenda for every waking hour of the day. Matt hated Saturdays...I already had the day planned out. There weren't many days that I would just sit and "chill"...I wasn't wired that way. I'm not sure what it was, but I always felt secure if I knew what was next and what I could check off my list.

And then...full-time ministry came along. Being a PW (pastor's wife)...You'll go crazy if you aren't flexible. It's been a hard lesson for our boys to learn. Even vacations and days off had a disclaimer: "We'll go, as long as nothing comes up at church."

Thankfully, Caleb and Cameron have adjusted well. I've never heard them say, "I wish dad wasn't a pastor". Even when our plans get pushed back. They are troopers and I'm very proud. They are great PK's.

So with us being in the ministry for well over 10 years, I thought this planting thing was "in the bag". I read all types of books. I went to Church Planter's BootCamp. I prayed and I planned.

My lesson: I'm not as flexible as I thought I was. I'm really trying. I just have this problem...When I have a plan and it's supposed to go this way, but circumstances take it another way...Well, I have a problem with the "bending".

God is helping me. Why?? Because I asked Him. God needs me to be flexible. God needs me to be my husbands biggest cheerleader. God needs me to keep a clear focus of why I'm here.

Andy Stanley said, "Flexibility is knowing the difference between your vision and your plans. Don't mistake your plans for your vision. Plans change...but your vision remains the same."

I have gone through some encouraging times and some not so encouraging times since moving here. And I know that it's all part of the "learning to bend" process. And I pray that I continue to learn...

"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT)

Happy New Year's...Eve

2009-12-31T22:04:00.003-05:00

What a year! If you had told me at the beginning of this year that I'd be living back in Kentucky and I'd be a church planter, well I would have just said that you were crazy!! This has been a year full of every emotion there is...

But, I wanted to quickly share a little of my devotion reading for today, as it is getting late I need to get ready to watch that ball drop! ;)

December 31st

As this year draws to a close, receive My peace. This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour Myself into your neediness. My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match. I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own. I created you as a jar of clay, set apart for sacred use. I want you to be filled with My very Being, permeated through and through with Peace.

Thank Me for My peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings. Whisper My Name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work it's way through your entire being.
(From "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young)

As life-changing as this year has been, I still need His Peace. And as I begin this new year and the feeling of the unknown, I'll need His Peace even more. I hope you start this year with being surrounded His Peace.

It's about the best place you could ever be!

I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. ~John 14:27 (NLT)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T11:27:00.006-05:00

~I found a picture of the boys - Christmas 2002

For the first time in 33 years, I'll be staying home the entire day for Christmas. Right now, I think it's awesome...I'll have to let you know later how awesome it really was. I was thinking, "Not only am I home for Christmas...I get to stay home." Everyone from both side of the family will be coming to our house. My side - in the morning, Matt's side - in the evening. (We'll see how it all works out! :)

I'm feeling blessed. Our church plant (Four Hills AG) was voted in as an "official church". We're moving along with plans and it's really exciting to see already where we've come. We didn't move here to be closer to family, we didn't move here so that Matt could be a Pastor/Garment Restoration guy, and we sure didn't move here so that I could pay half-price for a gallon of milk! (All of which are huge blessings....) We moved here to plant a church. Everything else that happens is a bonus! But I must keep that in mind...sometimes my focus shifts.
Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward - to Jesus. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back. ~Philippians 3:13-14 (The Message)

Although, many sacrifices have been made in our family, I love my God. I love my family and I love my life. (I may write about the early days of planting one day, but not today.)

So this Christmas, wherever you are in life, take a moment and thank Jesus for coming here and doing some "not so fun stuff" himself. I'm thankful that he was born...to die for me.

~Talk about a sacrifice!

Ok, this is my ALL time favorite Christmas recipe. It makes the house smell wonderful they are so good! :)

Stacy's Southern Candied Pecans

1 egg white
1 Tablespoon of water
1 1/2 cups of Pecan Halves
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (only use 1/4 of tsp, if using table salt)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Wisk egg white and water together for about a minute until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Toss pecans in the egg white mixture and coat. Then place pecans in the sugar mixture and coat. Lay the pecans evenly out on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour...stir pecans every 15 minutes.

Cool completely before packing up...Enjoy! :)

2009-12-10T13:40:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Unfortunately, I was pretty sick. So I don't remember much about those few days. Something about a decongestant and memory loss...I am glad to be back in KY. Although, I do slightly remember watching a little bit of the Macy's Parade wishing I were back there. (Only for the fun stuff!)

Caleb is now 13 and Matt is now 34. Birthdays too, have come and gone. Now I get a short "breather" before the Christmas festivities begin. (A very short breather...) I never really cared much about how crazy busy we were in December, because I knew I could always count on January to be nice and slow...

Not this January! This is a new beginning for our family and our church plant Four Hills! And what better way to "ring in the new year", by having our first church work day. We will be working on January 1st. We'll be painting, and building, and doing whatever is needed to get our building ready for our community. So I guess this may just be our busiest January, ever!

Homeschool is going great as well! I'm getting Caleb and Cameron ready for the Scripps-Howard Spelling Bee at the end of January. This will the first year that the boys will participate. We've still got work to do! :)

Recipe Time:

I bought these Lemon Tea Cakes at a farmers market a while back...I found the recipe and I'll never buy them again!

Lemon Tea Cakes

1 box of Yellow Cake Mix

1 small box of Lemon Pudding (Do not prepare)

4 eggs

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients. This dough is thick, not like cake batter. Place in greased muffin tins (I used paper cups, they were eaiser to take out!) and bake about 13 minutes. Cool for about 3 minutes and carefully take the cakes out. While still warm, glaze the tops. The glaze will soak into the cakes and I like to glaze them again. Let the glaze set and dry before putting them in an air-tight container.

Glaze:

3 cups of powdered sugar

Zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1 lemon

1 1/2 tbs of water

1 1/2 tbs of vegetable oil

An Attitude of Thankfulness...

2009-11-18T11:11:00.002-05:00

As I sit here...I have three sick guys. Two have sore throats, and my little guy has pink eye...again. Cameron gets pink eye at least 5 or 6 times a year. So by my count, this should be it for the year! :)

I'm thankful that I'm well, and pray I stay that way!!

The boys are learning the culture and manners of the Pilgrims. They learned that often during meals, children would stand and eat while adults sat. The children would share and eat off the same plate. Most people at that time had lice and fleas, and it was very bad manners to scratch at the table.

I think they are very thankful they weren't born back then...I am too! :)
I'm also thankful that I have the freedom to teach our children at home. I'm thankful that I have the choice.

I've had a bummer of week...I think it's a combination of missing friends and the HUGE change that we've gone through in the past couple of months. It's been more difficult than I thought. I'm not sure what I expected. Leaving my "normal life" and planting a church - it's not really a situation that I could have prepared myself for.

I'm thankful for the Four Hills Launch Team. I'm thankful for new friends, for old friends and the opportunity to meet with this group every week to plan and pray.

I just want my boys to have an attitude of thankfulness. I need to be an example for them...even when things aren't going according to MY plan. It's hard to remember that...but I figured that I have to practice it, all the time.

"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with one another. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ - The Message - have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way." ~Colossians 3:15-17 (The Message)

Field Trip Time!!

2009-11-04T10:47:00.008-05:00

Tuesdays have always been dad's day off. And more importantly, field trip days! But making the decision to leave NJ and plant a church, we must leave more than just our "comfortable life" behind.

Tuesday was our family day! We all looked forward to it. Getting up and having a "family breakfast" and then deciding what we were going to do...That was the best! Our trips to The Crayola Factory, Hersey's Chocolate World, Liberty Science Center, (Statue of Liberty) The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT and many others were always done on Tuesdays...with dad.

(And Matt's favorite...anything we did in NYC)

Now that Matt is bi-vocational, (meaning he works a job outside of being a pastor) field trip days are going to have to be just me and the boys for a while. Of course that doesn't mean that dad would have to miss out on everything. The big "day trips" would be saved for Saturdays!! :)

One of the best things about homeschool, is that we can go to places during the day (and beat the weekend crowds). Which means more time for actual learning.

I've learned that most places like museums, aquariums, and other places like that have "Homeschool Days" which means big savings for us!! :)

So as we get used to this new chapter, we will also plan some exciting field trips and enjoy this time together...So where to go first???

*Recipe time* - One of our favorite dinners is "breakfast for dinner"... I asked Cameron today what recipe I should post and he said, "My favorite...Sausage Balls!" So this recipe is dedicated to Cam! :) It's great for kids to make and mine do a great job!

Sausage Balls

1 pound of breakfast sausage

2 Cups of shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups of baking mix (Bisquick)

Now get your "clean" hands ready to get dirty! :) By hand, mix the cheese and sausage together and slowly mix the Bisquick in a 1/2 cup at a time.

Roll into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes...and eat them warm!!

I packed for nothing...

2009-10-23T18:03:00.004-04:00

I should be in the Cincinnati area right now at the CPR Conference. (Church Planting and Revitalization). But, instead I'm sitting in my home office that smells like smoke.

Last night, a nest of wasps "woke" up from the warm weather and decided to come into our living room from the fireplace...I killed about 20. (Sorry wasps...) So we lit a fire in the fireplace to "smoke out" anything else that had decided to make it's home up there. I hate fires...if I can't flip a switch then I don't want a fire in the fireplace. It's stinks....real bad. But no more wasps...

I was doing laundry last night and packing for our trip. The spin cycle decided to stop working on the washer...so I thought I better just go to bed and try again this morning.

I haven't blogged in a while, because I've been sick. I just can't seem to kick this...I lived in New Jersey for three years and I only got sick maybe twice....I guess I gotta get used to this Kentucky weather!

So as bad as I felt this morning, I had so much to do before we left to take the boys to my parents and off to the conference....Matt took our car to put gas in it. And on the way home...he gets a flat tire. So my loving husband is putting the spare tire on in the rain, in his dress clothes trying not to get grease on anything. (And he wore a white dress shirt this morning.)

Matt finally gets back, leaves in the company car to do a few things at the office and I load up the boys to go sit at Big O Tires while the tire is replaced...we're still gonna make it. We'll arrive at the conference late...But we are troopers and we can do it!!

Then I get call..."I've been hit in the company car."

Matt was sitting at a red light and a lady hits Matt and two other cars and a semi-truck!! Thankfully no one was hurt...but we're not going make it to the conference, at least not tonight. The last session of the evening has already started.

Hopefully, we can make it to the three sessions in the morning...but who knows now. I can't make any promises...

I am thankful. In every situation, God protected us. I'm not sure the reasons why all these things happened today. We are church planters and we were on our way to a church planting conference....

In all things, I trust You...

A Beautiful Fall Monday...

2009-10-12T11:59:00.015-04:00

Ahh...this is the life! ;) I'm sitting on the couch on this chilly fall day (a cup of blueberry coffee in hand) with my buddy Cam working on Math. He's so smart...

Apparently, I live in a county with a great public school system. I know because I'm told this at least twice a week! I hear this from people that live here, people that used to live, and people that "know people". ;) And I'm sure that Oldham County Schools are really good. When I tell people that I just moved here, they automatically assume it was because of the school system...

There's only one problem...We are a homeschool family. And we like it that way.

I just met one of our neighbors and she told me, "I'm not too sure about the whole homeschool thing, there seems to be too much freedom."

Exactly! :)

For the past few weeks, I've been getting really discouraged. I live in a new place, I don't know the area very well...yet, and Matt was working some really weird hours. (The joys of church planting!!) That meant that I couldn't really get involved with a co-op. (I'm hoping to get involved with a co-op soon!!)

~And every person that found out that we homeschool gave me that "look".

I used to get really defensive, but I don't anymore. When people ask me, "How in the world can you be with your children...all day?" I just smile and say, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. And that includes homeschool."

~But, as I always say, it's not for everyone...but for us, it works!!

I met another homeschool family this weekend. They are also in the ministry and they have a 5th and 7th grader...just like us! I firmly believe that God placed us in their path...I needed some encouragement yesterday and Danielle did that for me! :)

Thank you Lord, for those little reminders that You are here....

Now, back to Math...What??? It's a beautiful fall day...let's get outta here!! The world is OUR classroom...

Month One

2009-09-30T10:45:00.005-04:00

~I have to admit, these aren't pretty...but very good!!

So this week marks one month that I have been an "official church planter". And living back here in KY....

Here are some of things I'm having to get used to:

~First of all, I have to pump my own gas!!!! Wow, that wasn't hard to get used to in NJ. I also miss that guy in Dover that would hand me my card after he pumped my gas and would say, "Thank you, Madame."

~Last night I bought the boys some jeans...I had to pay a sales tax on them!!! It used to be so nice going in to a store and paying exactly what was on the price tag...none of this 6% stuff!!

~Matt no longer works right next door. (This is a HUGE transition, we only have the one car...)

~I miss my NJ family, like crazy!!! :-(

Ok, to be fair...I love being able to see family and KY friends more often. I love that I only paid $1.75 for a gallon of milk yesterday. Well, most everything is cheaper here. :-) And I love how total strangers talk to you like their best friends!

And most of all I love the feeling that I know...God called me here to plant a church in Crestwood. (Even on those days that I ask, "What in the world am I doing?")

There is one thing that I didn't learn from BootCamp, that other planters may be going through...I came from a large church where we were working full-time. Now, if you've ever been in ministry, you know that you always need to do more than you've been asked to do. So, I was not only in Youth Ministry, but I was involved in Nursery/Children's Ministry, Music Ministry, and Hospitality Ministry. And I LOVED being busy...I loved my calendar being full. I loved knowing what was next on the list....

Right now, I'm..... well, not so busy. I mean, we have been talking and meeting with people, and spending time at our facility where we're planting. And our first Four Hills Bible Study on Sunday...and I couldn't be more excited!! :) But, starting something from scratch is a little more difficult than I had envisioned. I know soon, I'll be back to a full calendar. And maybe I need to use this "down-time" to prepare myself for the real work yet to come!

"But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." ~Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)

No Bake Cookies (Very easy...just like my mamaw used to make!)

~2 cups sugar ~4 tablespoons cocoa ~1 stick butter ~1/2 cup milk ~1 cup peanut butter ~1 tablespoon vanilla ~2 1/2 cups oatmeal ~Waxed paper

In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute (NOT A SECOND LONGER) take off heat, then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the tablespoonfuls, until cooled and hardened. Tip - start the minute countdown once it starts a rolling boil and make sure your wax paper is ready. It starts to harden quickly after the oats are added! :)

BootCamp 101

2009-09-13T15:48:00.003-04:00

Yeah, yeah, what can I say? Matt's always been better at this blogging thing...

So let's see...I moved to KY on September 1st. Some great friends came and helped us move. We stayed at the nastiest hotel in Ohio called the Tallyho-tel. The sheets had cigarette burns in them so I slept on top of the sheets and fully clothed. :) There were graffiti tags on the back of the bathroom door...no one walked around in their bare feet! Our first adventure as church planters...and it was great!

We only had five days to unload the moving truck and unpack as many boxes as we could before loading the car and heading to "Church Planting BootCamp". The boys stayed with my mom and dad and off to Carlinville, IL we went.

BootCamp is a week long strategic planning event that prepares the "planters" for the early stages and eventual maturing of a church. We learned to recruit and mobilize workers, communicate vision, and be a strategic planner. (from the church multiplication website) I also learned that I can't play racquetball ball and that a sprained ankle hurts much more the next morning.

We really had a great time. We met people that were going through a lot of the same things as we were. It was cool to hear their stories and to get feedback on what we were doing. I really had to come out of my "comfort zone"...playing games and making sculptures with play-doh was part of the learning process. And those things will stay with me!

(I'm not sure that the boys missed us much, but knowing we had a surprise for them from our trip, made them jump in the car a little quicker!)

So now we're back in the "Bluegrass State" and trying to put to use all that we learned. It was a bit overwhelming at times. But I still have that confidence that God gave me when He first called us to leave NJ and plant a church.

If God wanted someone else to plant a church in Crestwood, KY...He would have. So here I am...let's get movin'!!

What a Way to Go Out...

2009-08-24T16:44:00.003-04:00

Last night, as I was sitting with my teens, I realized that my days of being a youth pastor are almost over. For the last 10 years, my husband and I have partnered together to work with students to raise up young women and men of faith. But as of August 31st, my youth leading days will come to an end.

Now, don't get me wrong...We're planting a church from scratch. It's not like I won't ever be working with teens again. (I have one of my own!) But after this week, the "full-time youth pastoring chapter" of my life will be over...

I can't begin to tell you how each student has blessed my life. Even looking back, to see how teens that are now adults still serve the Lord, makes me smile! :)

Last night, for our last official youth service, we held a "foot washing service". Laugh if you want...I wasn't sure of this crazy idea that my husband had come with either! But what a powerful time it was. We were able to serve and pray for each individual student, for their individual needs. And let me just tell you when we got to our son, the flood gates of tears broke!

I wanted to serve those students. I wanted to pray with them. I wanted them to know that they had blessed me beyond measure. It's been a complete privilege to have been able to be a part of their lives. I love each one of them and I'm proud to hand them over to the next couple. I know these students will continue to bless their new leaders and continue to serve others.

Besides, it's what Jesus did. And I want to be like Jesus. :)

Taking a Break

2009-08-21T10:03:00.005-04:00

(My guys on the boardwalk at Pt. Pleasant Beach, NJ)

Not much to blog about lately...wake up, coffee, pack, go to sleep. That's pretty much been our lives for the last couple of weeks. I'm living in a state of disarray. I like to live in somewhat of an order and right now my life is far from it. As I look around the room I'm in right now, I see - flat boxes, packed boxes, and half packed ones. And much more to be packed. I'm on my second "mega-big roll" of packing tape.

I did make it to the beach though...Tuesday we just took a break. It was a great family day. Just us four, with no plan and no agenda. We laughed and laughed until we cried...I love my guys. It was a great way to end our time here in New Jersey.

I need to get back to work...9 days to go. I'm looking forward to the day where my decor doesn't include cardboard boxes....

(No recipe, not doing much cooking myself right now.)

A Different Kind of Countdown...

2009-08-03T16:51:00.004-04:00

(The boys today at our "lunch date"!)

Day 2 without the hubs...He's on a short term mission's trip with some of the high school students. He'll be gone for 7 days (another countdown). This will be the longest we have ever been away from each other in 15 years. (Since I've known him.) I do miss him like crazy, but I have a lot of things to do. Actually more things than I realize.

There are four main things I need to accomplish this week. #1 - Have my "planning" lunch with the boys. (That was done today.) #2 - Catch up on some require reading for Church Planter's Boot Camp in September. #3 - There is a wedding this Saturday, and lots to do for that. But most of all...#4 - Pack, Pack, Pack, and then pack some more!

So all that will keep me busy. I absolutely loved having lunch with my boys today...It was a "working lunch". We planned out the 2009-2010 school year, along with special studies and field trips. Caleb had really been looking forward to this and I'm glad he's got a say in his education.

The homeschool laws for Kentucky are not that much different than what I was already doing in New Jersey. Your homeschool in KY is considered a private school. (You must give your school a name.) Which is pretty cool. So today during our planning lunch we talked about what we should name our school. We haven't totally decided yet, we wanted dad's input too! :)

So I must get some work done (whistle while I work??)...I need to learn to whistle. ;-)

The Countdown

2009-07-28T13:08:00.009-04:00

The Monyhan family went to Kentucky last week to spend our "vacation". Well, Caleb and Cameron went on vacation. The grown-ups had work to do! We did manage to sneak in a couple of days at the lake to relax, but the main reasons for our visit were, meetings, finding a home, and allow Matt to make some job connections. All were done successfully!

So, now I know where these boxes are actually going!! And we are counting down the days....moving day! Today, we have 34 days until we pull out of New Jersey. I still have mixed emotions. I have loved living here in New Jersey. I do love the people here. Honestly, it's like leaving family members. When you move so far away from your family, you tend to make sure you surround yourself with people "like family".

So we are trying to do a few of things that we love to do before we move. Sunday, we spent the afternoon in New York City. Tomorrow we are spending ALL day at Six Flags Great Adventure for some unbelievable coasters (and I've ridden my share). And, I'm sure we will make it to the beach in the next few weeks. (My personal favorite!)

I was looking over our new website for the church plant this morning, (it's not up yet...) and I clicked on the "team members" and beside our picture said "Matt and Stacy Monyhan (Planters). And I guess it just kinda hit me, seeing it there in front of me...I am a church planter. (There's no turning back now!) But I guess what really sunk in, was it didn't say "Planter and Planter's Wife". I don't know, it just felt different.

Don't worry, I am still honored to be a Pastor's wife. I treasure that. And even if I do get credentialed one day, you'll never have to call me Pastor Stacy...(that's Sister Monyhan to you. :) But I have always been asked what it's like to be a Pastor's wife. I just think it's cool to know that I'm not a Church Planter's wife...I'm a wife, that happens to be a Church Planter!

Recipe Time!! :)

California BLT
(If you think you don't like Avocados...please give them a try in this sandwich. And the lemon juice makes it tops!!!)

6-8 slices of bacon
4 slices white bread
Mayonnaise
Lettuce leaves
1 ripe Hass avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 ripe tomato, sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking wire rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon on the rack in a single layer. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. (After I started doing my bacon this way, I have never used the top of the stove again!!)

(If you like your bread toasted) - Place the bread slices on a sheet pan and toast them for 5 minutes. Turn the slices and toast for 1 more minute, until all the bread is evenly and lightly browned. Don't walk to far away...

Peel the avocado and slice it 1/2-inch thick. Toss the avocado slices gently with the lemon juice, and set aside.

Arrange your BLT like you would normally do, just add the avocados. Enjoy!

Yummy!

2009-07-10T13:42:00.000-04:00

Caleb asked for donuts this morning...since starting to homeschool over three years ago, that is one of the things I enjoy most. I love being able to make breakfast for the boys. Having to wake up, get them dressed, make lunches, make sure they had their "stuff" and trying to make sure they had something on their stomach, was tough!

Being older now, they have more responsibilities about doing things on their own. But I always hated the feeling of sending them to school wondering if in an hour, would they be hungry??

I don't make them a huge breakfast every morning, and now that summer is here, they have had their share of cereal and pop tarts....but it's something that I love to do.

I have had many questions about whether we were going to continue to homeschool when we moved back to Kentucky this fall. And the answer is...yes! From the very beginning, I've always said that we would reevaluate things at the end of each year and take it one year at a time.

And besides, we love it! :)

Oh, here are the donuts...it's so easy, it's embarrassing!

Chocolate Glazed Donuts

1 can of the cheapest, smallest biscuits you can find

1/4 cup of chocolate icing (I use cake icing)

Some times, I'll cut a hole in the middle, but this time I just left it the way it came out of the biscuit can. They are easier to fill this way, if you want...

I put about an inch of oil in a pan and heat it to about 350 degrees. And just fry and flip! I drain them and dip them in the icing. (I put the icing in the microwave for about 45 seconds and melt it to make a glaze.)

So easy...and delicious! :) And I can make 10 for literally 50 cents!

...Just A Reminder

2009-07-08T11:24:00.000-04:00

I really started packing last week. I have begun the never ending "wrap, pack, tape, and stack". Everything is off the walls and the living room and dining room look empty. It's not sad look, though...

There are moments that I think, "Here I am packing all these boxes and I have no idea where these boxes are going."

People keep coming up to me telling me how awesome it is for Matt and I to be taking such a huge step of faith. How they wished they had our faith. They say how lucky the boys are to grow up in our household and witness our faith first-hand.

Well, I feel like I'm getting ready to jump off a cliff. And I'm not sure if it's a big cliff or a little one. (It looks huge from where I'm standing.) And if I survive the jump, what is at the bottom? Who is at the bottom? Will someone be there to catch me, or will I have to dust the dirt off? Who in their right mind would jump, without knowing what was below???

You see, I know, that I know, that I know, that God has called us to pack up everything we own, and totally trust him. I know this because, I have felt a sense confidence that I can't explain. (Notice I said "felt".) Today is one of those days..."Are you sure, God?"..."Are we just crazy?"

I guess, today I just needed to look back in my devotional on the day I began to feel that overwhelming sense of confidence. I guess we can all use a "reminder"....

March 30th
I AM TAKING CARE OF YOU. Trust Me at all times. Trust Me in all circumstances. Trust Me with all your heart. When you are weary and everything seems to be going wrong, you can still utter these four words, "I trust you, Jesus." By doing so, you release matters into My Control, and you fall back into the security of My everlasting arms.

Before you arise from your bed in the morning, I have already arranged the events of your day. Every day provides many opportunities for you to learn My ways and grow closer to Me. Signs of My Presence brighten even the dullest day when you have eyes that really see. Search for Me as a hidden treasure. I will be found by you.

~from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young

So maybe this is just for me today, or maybe someone else needed to this too. Either way, "God, give me the confidence I need for this "leap"... and help it not to waiver."

I trust you, Jesus...

Today was the day....

2009-06-27T20:19:00.000-04:00

This will be short. I promise.

I'm very sick and I've been at a water park all day.

But today I got home and read this "headline" on foxnews.com: "Pastor Welcomes Gun Owners to Bring Their Handguns to Church"

Full article here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529276,00.html?test=latestnews

I'm embarrassed to say I'm from Kentucky, at least today. I just sat here and shook my head as I read the article...

And I'm moving back....isn't it ironic...dontcha think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought...it figures

Sorry, I love that song....I feel much better.

Kentucky Bound...

2009-06-15T09:27:00.000-04:00

My plan was to wake up this morning and blog about the news that was announced yesterday...

I woke up, and Matt beat me to it. But, the thing is...we feel and believe the same way. So you can just read his blog...

http://mattmonyhan.com/2009/06/14/the-cat-and-the-bag/

I will say, I am very sad to be leaving New Jersey. It took me a while to feel "at home", but now it is my home. Home is not where you were born and it's not where you've lived the longest. To me, home is where you feel loved. And for the last three years, New Jersey has definitely been my home....

Summer Movies...so far.

2009-06-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is how I rate a movie...it's very simple:

1. How early in the movie did I look at the time?
2. Could I have waited to rent the Blu-ray?

I'm not going to review the movies I've seen so far. I don't really think about it too much. I either liked it or I didn't. I don't analyze movies or look for hidden meanings. I watch them...that's it.

Movies I have seen so far this summer:

~X-Men Origins: Wolverine
~Star Trek
~Night @ the Museum (Battle of the Smithsonian)
~Up (3D)

I frequent www.rottentomatoes.com quite often. And I almost always disagree with them. The percentage is either way too high...or way too low. But after looking up the four movies I've seen so far...I pretty much agree. (About 80%) Since we're talking percentages...

"Wolverine" received a 36%...I thought it was a bit low...but the movie, in no way was great. It was entertaining...I mean, after all it is Hugh Jackman.

"Star Trek" received a 95%...a bit high. I'm in no way a "trekkie"...I'm not even sure what that is. But for someone who knew very little (and I mean VERY little) about the it, I understood it. And I'm a huge "Heroes" fan. So it was cool to see Zachary Quint playing someone other than Sylar lately, so that was entertaining.

"Night At the Museum 2" received a 44%....again, a bit low in my opinion. But anything my boys enjoy should at least get a passing grade!

"Up" received a 98%...the highest of all scores. And this one I totally agree with. (It had nothing to do with the fact that I cried over a 3D animated movie!!!)

We'll see more movies throughout the summer. I'm sure Matt is looking forward to GI Joe. That's something that was around when he was young.

I'm still waiting for something that I could get really excited about. Something that brings me back....a full-length movie of something near and dear....

...."Jem and the Holograms", maybe??

Come on sing along....you know it.

"Jem... Jem is excitement! Oh, Jem... Jem is adventure! Oh... Glamour and glitter,
Fashion and fame! Jem...
Jem is truly outrageous! (Truly, truly, truly outrageous) Woo ooo Jem...
Jem the music's contagious (outrageous)
Jem is my name (No one else is the same) Jem is my name...Jem!"

Schools Out!!

2009-06-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Ahh...the first Monday of summer vacation....Even if I didn't watch one of cutest baby girls in the world, I wouldn't be able to sleep in. I think this comes with age...I remember early in our marriage, sleeping in together on Saturdays till noon. (It was short lived...Caleb came pretty quick.) We would sleep in because we were still up in the wee-hours of the morning. Now I have to struggle to make it through the 10:00 news.

I had no problems turning 30....creeping up on 35 is what I'm struggling with.

I miss those early days in our ministry, when people thought that I was in the youth group...you know, the one I was responsible for???

But, this is not about me and my struggle with age....This is about NO MORE SCHOOL!!!!

This has been a wonderful school year. I know that this is in part because we were able to get Cameron's ADHD diagnosed and treated. He loves to learn now. And he loves to tell you about what he's learned. I could not believe how he just flew through his work.

Caleb did wonderful as well. He knows more than I did in middle school. (He probably knows more than I did going into high school.) It still blows me away that he will be 13 at the end of year. I have a 5th grader and 7th grader now!!

We will soon be going out for our "Summer Business Lunch". That is when we will sit down at a nice restaurant (nicer than McDonald's) and go over next year. We use a curriculum, but the great thing about homeschool, is that you can learn about whatever you are interested in. So for an hour or so we will sit down and talk about specific things that the boys will want to learn about. We'll sit there with our pad and paper and "brainstorm".

Lesson #.... whatever - I've learned that the more you involve your children in the lesson planning, the more excited they are about learning.

For example - There was nothing in they boys curriculum about "How Chocolate is Made". Which is fine, but we came up with our own lesson plans about where chocolate comes from, how it starts out as a bean and ends up a chip. We read and made recipes with different forms of chocolate. At the end of the month we took a field trip to "Chocolate World" in Hershey, PA.
(How bad can that be...)

I'm excited about what ideas my boys will come up with at our meeting...as happy as I am right now that summer is here, I really get excited about the new school year. Good-bye to one more year.

2009-2010....here we come!

Chocolate Waffles
(I have an old recipe that I used to use, but the Bisquick takes out a few steps!)

1 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients and don't for get to heat your waffle iron! Follow directions from your waffle maker. Mine suggests using 1/2 cup of batter, which is perfect! These are good by themselves or....

~with a scoop of ice cream
~raspberry sauce
~chocolate syrup
~peanut butter and bananas
~marshmallow cream
~or our favorite (the way I fixed them on Mother's Day) strawberries and chocolate whipped cream

Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions...

2009-06-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

I read...a lot. Just not "fiction" books. I can't explain why, it's just not my thing. Matt on the other hand, can and will read anything with words.

But I was reading a book last week. (It's my third time with this specific book.) Each time I've read it, something new jumps out that I've overlooked.

So, I read a question last week that I must have read at least two times before...

"Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?"

Now, I'm sure I've read that and thought, "Of course...I'm a stay @ homeschool mom and pastor's wife." Believe me, I HAVE STORIES....but those stories are about other people and the crazy things that my boys come up with.

What about me? What am I doing that others could tell stories about...(Keeping it nice, of course.)

So this time, I read the same question, but in a different way:

"Stacy, are you living a safe life? Are you living a life where you know, without a doubt what the next day will bring?"

My answers: Yes and yes.

Now, that's not always a bad thing. But...

"Too many of us pray as if God's primary objective is to keep us from getting scared. But the goal of life is not the elimination of fear. The goal, is to muster the moral courage to chase lions.
At some point in your life you have to make a choice between fear and boredom."
~Mark Batterson

Hmmm....how about this one:

"You're afraid? So what. Everybody's afraid. Fear is the common ground of humanity. The question you must wrestle to the ground is, will I allow my fear to bind me to mediocrity?"
~Andy Stanley

Great...I know the answers to my questions, but it's the answers I'm uncomfortable with.

Maybe I'll check out a few those "fiction" books...

A Late Mother's Day Update...

2009-05-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

~This picture is the yummy Chocolate Waffle I made for my guys...(With my new waffle maker :o)

So I figured if I didn’t blog soon, I’d be right back where I was last month...

My Mother’s Day was simply amazing. I honestly could not have asked for a better day. It was very relaxing and my guys where precious. (Cameron played in the Bell Choir at church...)

They fixed me brunch and I was not allowed in the kitchen. Now, one thing you must understand. . . I love my kitchen and all that is in there. So it absolutely killed me not to get in there to help.

But Caleb kept me busy by serving me an “appetizer”...fresh strawberries with chocolate whipped cream. Ahh...they know me so well. (Feed me and I will not bother them.)

My gift this year was a new waffle iron, and few small things to go with that. When I told people what I had received, they had a strange look on their faces. Don’t worry...I gave them a few things to choose from. And they all happened to be things I could used in my kitchen. Did I mention that I love my kitchen and all that is in it?

After brunch we headed to the driving range and hit golf balls. My little guys are pretty good. They really enjoyed going...I loved being with them.

I think that’s one of the biggest blessing of moving up here. On days that most people are having a “get together” with their family...It’s just us four. Now, don’t go and feel sorry for us. This has given us the chance to be the closest family we could ever be.

~It is truly a wonderful blessing...

It Can't Be...

2009-04-29T10:01:00.000-04:00

Say it ain't so! Is April really over, already?? This homeschooling, ministry family had a jammed pack month. And as I look over the month of May on my calendar, it's only gonna get even more crazy...I wouldn't have it any other way.

We started at the Pinewood Derby for Cameron. This was the first year Caleb didn't participate, as he is in the youth group now. Cameron's car came in 25th out of 57 cars...not too bad. Although, now that we have started Rechurch, we really have no Saturdays anymore. So, we had to leave the car races early. It's really hard to try to explain that to a 9 year old.

Next, we started to prepare for my in-laws visit! We just couldn't wait!! It was a wonderful time...even if they had to take breaks to talk to their realtor about the offers on their house...and in the end they sold it! After much prayer...thank you Jesus. They are moving in a couple of weeks. I would love to be able to help them move. But driving 16 hours to help, just isn't in the schedule. Now that we live so far way, it really makes me appreciate the years we only lived four hours away. And how it was nothing to just jump in the car to visit for a few days....

Easter was beautiful. We spent the afternoon at the shore...(aka the beach). It was a chilly, yet gorgeous day. You can't complain when you're only an hour from the ocean. It didn't matter that we were in sweatshirts and gloves...

Our trips into NYC are still exciting. It never gets old. We took the boys to the Museum of Natural History. It was amazing. There's just no way you can get through four floors in one day! That day totally made me appreciate one of the reasons we homeschool. As I looked around, there were hundreds of students there on field trips. The chaperone's were rushing them around and of course they weren't listening....for the most part it was chaos. But we were able to take our time and read and learn and talk...and by 1:00 the museum was pretty empty. The boys were able to ask questions and Matt was able to be the teacher for the day...it was a nice day.

Cameron turned 10!!!! I now have both boys in double-digits! I really don't feel old. We had our children very early in our marriage... :o) Since moving to New Jersey, we have let the boys plan "their day". We don't have family up here to invite over, but a few still send gifts so a week or so before his birthday, I collect them and put them away until his big day, that way he has all his gifts on one day. So after all the fun of the day, he gets to come home and eat cake and ice cream and open his gifts and cards. And I can't forget to mention our church family. They are crazy about our boys and never seem to forget them....

If I have a weekend like the last one....I think I aged five years over the course of two days. Fine Arts was Saturday. We left at 6:30 am and drove two hours and watched the competitions. We left at 2:00 and drove two hours to get home. I had just enough time to come home and change before Rechurch. Actually, I was 7 minutes late for praise practice...I finally sat down to eat my sushi at 8:30...I was so tired, I remember it hurting to chew....

Sunday was Youth Sunday!! The entire service was directed and orchestrated by teenagers. I sat there with the biggest smile on my face for both services...just like they were my own. And this year, one of my own was on the stage...Caleb plays guitar for the band. After church we went to a cook-out for the drama team and again got back just in time to set for Velocity. By 8:00 Sunday, I had been going for 26 hours....with sleep in the middle of course! :o)

And we ended this very crazy busy month by watching the movie "Earth" yesterday. It was amazing...at 33 Matt and I were both sitting in the theater asking each other, "Did you know that?" I encourage everyone to see this one...

Whew...I need to blog more often. :o)

Caleb and My News Addiction

2009-03-27T10:24:00.000-04:00

I first want to congratulate my college student!! She called to let me know that her presentation on homeschooling went great and I am so proud of her!

I'm a big news watcher. In my house, in the morning, you can find me listening to MSNBC, CNN, or Fox News. I also have email alerts sent to me from www.foxnews.com. I've always be interested in the news and currents events.

My mother-in-law once told me that she could never watch the news around Matt, because everything freaked him out. Me on the other hand...I'd sit and watch the local and national news with my dad every night. I can remember being sad when I heard bad things on the news, but I don't ever remember feeling threatened or frightened that it could happen to me.

Now, I'm feeling my mother-in-law's pain. Caleb freaks out about everything and I mean everything he sees on TV. For example, last year around Caleb's birthday there was something on the news about a threat being called in about the subway system in NYC. Even the mayor said, "We don't believe this to be a credible threat, so don't cancel your plans." Well, we always go into the city for Caleb's birthday...guess who made us drive into the city?? Yep, he almost had us change plans.

Cameron on the other hand, watches the news with me and wants to have in-depth conversations about it. He's a pretty good thinker...and ends up saying the most thought provoking things.

So honestly, I try to curb my news obsession. These days I just read news headlines on the internet. But, last week I happened to turn it on the news and they were talking about how much $$$ we owe China. The title was "US: Owned by China?" I tried to turn it before Caleb caught wind of it...Too late. He said, "If China owns us, will they make us be their slaves?" And Matt says, (thinking he's making it better) "Oh, no...we have bigger guns!" Not a good thing to say to an already freaked out 12 year old!

And forget about the news on the economy and recession. He's a huge worry wart! Although, this has been a chance for Matt and I to teach on faith and how God supplies our need. It's truly awesome to be able to tell Caleb that most churches are reporting 15-20% decrease in giving and we're up 10%...in this area? In this economy?

Everyday in the news, money is thrown around like it's just peanuts. It's hard to wrap your mind around the huge numbers that our government seems to be giving away. And so Monday's math lesson happened to be about large numbers. (billion all the way to decillion.) To better help the boys grasp the meaning of billion, I told them that counting one number per second, it would take more than thirty years to count to one billion.

Now, in my mind I'm thinking about money and trying to teach them how much money a billion really is...then Caleb said, "So mom, you're about a billion seconds old?" Yes I am...nice, Caleb. I should have seen that coming.

Wanda Lucille Maddox 1926-2009

2009-03-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

A week ago today, I was still on my 13 1/2 hour trip back to Kentucky. Last Wednesday morning, my dad called to let me know that my Mamaw had passed away. She had been in a nursing home for several years and was in a lot of pain. So, knowing she was finally with Jesus, made me happy.

My Mamaw was the most precious person I've ever known. I never heard anything negative come out of her mouth. I'm sure she had her moments, but not around me. I spent many, many weekends at their house and have so many good memories.

I loved sitting in the yard on the green "glider" helping her break beans. We canned so many beans... It was my job to listen as each can "popped". If you know anything about canning, you'll know what I'm talking about. Picking strawberries and making jam....hand churning our own ice cream, playing in the sand box, putting on "shows" with my cousins, riding the tractor with my papaw. My mamaw had the best smile...even with her teeth out! :o)

She was about the best cook I'd ever met. I think my love of the kitchen and food came directly from her. You never left her house hungry.

Christmas was when she really went all out. All the cookies and homemade candies. She always let me help. Never mind the fact that I was totally in her way. She didn't see it like that.

Every time I spent the night over at her house, the following morning, I'd see her at the kitchen table reading her bible. And I mean ALWAYS. She always had a song in heart. I never left her house without a kiss and her saying that she was praying for me. And I believed it.

We would sit and watch PTL together. And you better not ever say a bad word about Tammy Faye Bakker...my mamaw would put you in your place! :o) Oh, and she loved Richard Simmons. You couldn't say anything bad about him either!

I do miss the times we spent together. But, I'm so happy to have memories of her. I know that she's so happy now. To be with the Jesus that I witnessed her serving for so many years, is simply amazing.

My mother-in-law sent this to me today. I loved it! I'm not sure who it's by, but it just seems to fit.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT..

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said,

'Doctor, I am afraid to die.

Tell me what lies on the other side.'

Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know.'

'You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?'

The doctor was holding the handle of the door;

On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,

And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room

And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said,

'Did you notice my dog?

He's never been in this room before.

He didn't know what was inside.

He knew nothing except that his master was here,

And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.

I know little of what is on the other side of death,

But I do know one thing...

I know my Master is there and that is enough.'

Readers Are Leaders

2009-02-11T10:31:00.001-05:00

I have this poster hanging up in our classroom:

8 Ways To Become A Great Reader:

Read every day.
Read out loud with someone else.
Read about things that you like.
Take a book where ever you go.
Read everything you can, menus, signs, magazines...I love to read cookbooks!!
Talk about what you've read.
Keep a log of what you've read.
Be proud of your reading accomplishments!

Even though my boys are 12 and 9, they still love to sit and listen to me read them a good book. Sometimes we take turns, but sometimes it's nice to just sit back and let them listen.

But, there will be no reading aloud today...it's 55 degrees outside! We're going out to enjoy this little peek of Spring! (It won't last long!)

My Interview

2009-02-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, I was interviewed by a college student about my experiences as a Homeschool Mom. I thought I'd post it today.

Stacy (age 33)

What are some main reasons you chose homeschool over public schools?

I had always wanted to homeschool, but when our oldest son was 5, it just wasn’t feasible at the time. I've always read and researched about homeschooling, and before making the final decision, I came to the conclusion that this was the best decision for our family. When the opportunity finally presented itself, I went for it and never looked back! My children can learn quicker, if they wish or if I feel they need more time on a specific subject, we can spend more time on it.

There are as many reason to homeschool as there are homeschoolers! Every family has there own reasons. Because school is where our children spend the most of their time (at least while they’re awake) we wanted to be the main influence in our boys lives. I wanted our children to love learning and not “because we have too”.

And look at this list of “former homeschoolers”...

ARTISTS:
Leonardo da Vinci
Claude Monet
John Singleton Copley
Andrew Wyeth
Jamie Wyeth

COMPOSERS:
Irving Berlin
Anton Bruckner
Felix Mendelssohn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Francis Poulenc

EDUCATORS:
Frederick Terman (Stanford University President)
William Samuel Johnson (Columbia University President)
Frank Vandiver (Texas A&M University President)
John Witherspoon (Princeton University President)

GENERALS:
Stonewall Jackson
Robert E. Lee
Douglas MacArthur
George Patton

INVENTORS:
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Cyrus McCormick
Wright Brothers: Orville and Wilbur Wright

PRESIDENTS:
John Quincy Adams
William Henry Harrison
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
James Madison
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
John Tyler
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson

SCIENTISTS:
George Washington Carver
Pierre Curie
Albert Einstein
Blaise Pascal
Booker T. Washington

STATESMEN:
Konrad Adenauer
Winston Churchill
Benjamin Franklin
Patrick Henry
William Penn
Henry Clay

U.S SUPPREME COURT JUDGES:
John Jay
John Marshall
John Rutledge

WRITERS:
Hans Christian Andersen
Pearl S. Buck
Agatha Christie
Charles Dickens
Bret Harte
C.S. Lewis
Sean O'Casey
George Bernard Shaw
Mark Twain
Mercy Warren
Daniel Webster
Phillis Wheatley

OTHERS:
Ansel Adams (Photographer)
Clara Barton (Started the Red Cross)
John Burroughs (Naturalist)
Andrew Carnegie (Industrialist)
Charles Chaplin (Actor)
George Rogers Clark - (Explorer)
Noel Coward (Playwright)
John Paul Jones (Father of the American Navy)
Sandra Day O'Connor
Tamara McKinney (World Cup Skier)
John Stuart Mill (Economist)
Charles Louis Montesquieu (Philosopher)
Florence Nightingale (Nurse)
Sally Ride (Astronaut)
Bill Ridell (Newspaperman)
George Rogers Clark (Explorer)
Will Rogers (Humorist)
Jim Ryan (World Runner)
Albert Schweitzer (Physician)

How many more reasons do I need? My boys love reading about famous people who were homeschooled!

If Thomas Edison was around today, he would probably be diagnosed with ADD. He left public school after only three months because his mind wouldn’t stop wandering. His mom homeschooled him after that, and he credited her with the success of his education: “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”

After my youngest heard that, he said, “Mommy he had what I have!” You can’t get more encouraging than that!

What are some of the benefits to homeschooling?

Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility! My husband is a pastor, so our schedule is anything but “normal”. We pretty much stay on a regular schedule, but if travel plans come up, I don’t have to worry that my children are missing out. If I know that the boys need a day or two off, we will work through the days that public schools have off. Oh, and snow days...what are snow days??

Our family has grown closer since we chose to homeschool. My children are not just brothers, but are friends. I love to see them help each other, and they get along!! It’s been a true blessing.

Are there any disadvantages to homeschooling?

Well, when we first started telling people what our plans were, we were met with much hesitation. But, if you really seek out the “truths and myths”, you will learn whether or not homeschool will work for your family. The one on one attention that I can provide is wonderful. I would never tell a family that this is the “only way to go” in providing your child with an excellent education. I have tried both public schools and now homeschool, and this is the one that works for us!

Of course, it’s not all roses and daises!! There are days that wish I could send them off with their backpacks and pick them up at 3:00! But those are the days that we switch the day around, try something new, or just take a break!

Oh, and I have to be the “lunch lady”... that’s not always fun! It took me a while to get used to fixing three meals a day for my guys, but now Caleb is a great help in the kitchen!

How did you go about finding the right curriculum?

I’m not sure I have! I have homeschooled the boys for three years and I have used three different curriculum sets! We always cover the basics: Bible, Math, Language/Spelling, History, Science, and Health. The boys play sports, and we are very good members at the local YMCA. Caleb has a guitar lesson once a week. And the of course, church is a staple around here, so we stay busy.

This year I chose a curriculum set for Caleb (6th grade) and Cameron (4th grade) that I am really pleased with. In homeschooling, it’s all about trial and error. Unfortunately, there no one way to homeschool. There are several popular methods, but you must decide what is best for you and your individual child. What works for Caleb, may not work for Cameron. (And it usually doesn’t!)

Now on to the boys:

What do you like about being homeschooled?

Caleb (age 12)
You don’t have to get up really early, even though my mom still keeps us on a schedule. I like to work at my own pace. That means if I want to go ahead in something I can, and I don’t have to wait for a whole class to move along. My day is not as long, so when I’m finished I can do things that I’m really interested in, like playing my guitar.

Cameron (age 9)
Well, I don’t have to walk to school anymore when it’s cold or rainy outside. When my daddy has off on Tuesdays we get to go on field trips.

What don’t you like about homeschool?

Caleb - I don’t like when the public schools are out for snow days. We still have to work. Even when I’m sick and I would normally stay home, I still have to do my lessons.

Cameron - Sometimes if I start school late, I have to finish school after dinner.

Would you ever like to go back to public school?

Caleb - I’m not really sure. It’s fun being homeschooled. Right now, I don’t have a reason to go to a public school.

Cameron - No, I like homeschool. It makes me love school!

That's a Wrap!

2009-01-31T11:53:00.000-05:00

My thinking is...If I can blog three times a month, I'll be happy.

Now on to my lessons....

I learned last night that if you follow a recipe exactly, that you'll create something heavenly. (Recipe to follow, of course!)

I've learned that if I don't write something down immediately, it will be gone forever...or until I'm awaken at 4 am and I don't have the strength to move.

This has been the busiest month, I think in my family's lives. I say family because my children live here too, and know the stress and the craziness that we've endured. Unfortunately, they feel it too. It's hard being PK's...I hope one day they'll understand.

I'm being interviewed tomorrow by a college student about homeschooling. My brain is on over load...I'm sure it will be an interesting interview. She also wants to interview our boys...that will be even more interesting.

The recipe is forever long, so I'll post it now. My tips...read it a few times before starting. Get out everything you need and measure it before hand. Check things off as you do them. I usually don't attempt something this time consuming...but believe me you will be rewarded.

It was sent to me by a friend and she found it here: http://dozenflours.com/2008/05/sugar-shock-friday-chocolate-swoon-bars.html

(The photo I posted is a sample of my creation...Enjoy! :o)

Chocolate Swoon Bars

2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla butter nut extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 12 ounce bag milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9"x13" baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder together and mix well with a fork. Set aside.

If you have a stand mixer, have the metal bowl and paddle attachment ready to go. If you're using a hand mixture, get your mixer ready to go. Set up a metal or glass head proof bowl and have a towel or oven mit close by.

In another small bowl, mix the eggs and extract together as so as to break the yolks. Set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and butter together, stirring constantly until the mixture becomes very think and starts to bubble. Once it starts to bubble, continue stirring constantly, scrapping the sides and bottom of the pan for an additional three minutes or so. Do not increase the heat. (Note: you're not looking for a caramel here, but you want the mixture to almost be to the point where the sugar is dissolved, but not quite).

Remove the pan from the heat and continue to mix by hand for about a minute. Pour the hot mixture into the metal stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed for three minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes, stopping once a minute to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. By now the mixture should still be warm, but not molten.

Return the speed back to medium and slowly add the egg/extract mixture. Add a little at a time to avoid the egg scrambling. The batter should get very shiny and turn a pretty shade of light brown. Continue mixing until all the egg is incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Add the flour in two batches, mixing until it's just incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 30 seconds on low until the chocolate is combined. The chocolate will melt and that's okay.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove it from the oven and scatter a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. You may need to add more chocolate chips to fill in any bald areas.

Let cool completely and cut into bars.

Our New President

2009-01-21T11:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the 44th President of the United States was sworn in. I have to admit, in my 33 years on this earth...I've never watched an Inauguration, ever. Matt said he watched one in High School. (I'm sure I was supposed to, but I probably ditched that day.) And best of all, I watched it with my favorite homeschool dudes. Surprisingly, they sat very eager to see it all.

Their interest was more with the President's daughters. Where will they go to school? Do they have their own room? Is there a Chef that cooks for them every night? How old will they be in four years? I finally said, "Guys, I know there are two of them and there are two of you...but I think they are little young for you." ~wink, wink :o) The "girl talk" always seems to get the boys back on track....(although, they are two of the cutest girls!)

We (yes, I said "we") learned that President Obama is the 5th youngest President. The third President from Illinois. He used the same Bible that President Lincoln used to be sworn in. And what I thought was the coolest, he and the First Lady (or Mom-in-Chief) walked out and said good-bye to former President Bush and his wife, former First Lady, Laura Bush. As they boarded the helicopter, former President Bush shook Michelle's hand and I could read his lips when he said, "This will be the time of your life, I promise." What respect and class they have...both couples.

So now that all the fuss is over, back to grading Cameron's math test while giving Caleb his spelling test. Just a side note: Two of Caleb's spelling words...bombardier and boatswain. Now, I'm not sure he'll ever use these words...but he knows them and now so do I! :o)

Still learning...

No recipe today. Dealing with church stuff...it's keeping me busy!

Back to School

2009-01-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

Moments after posting my last blog, Matt got a phone call that some really good friends of ours had just lost their dad. I'm sure that New Years Eve will forever be different for this family. And even though, the memorial service is over and all the family has gone home, I will still remember them in my thoughts and prayers.

Wow, what a month! I knew that the moment we returned to New Jersey, we would be busy. And now I'm sitting here with January already half over! (It also happens to be my birthday!) Thankfully, I'm not one that dreads birthdays. And I'm not one who makes a big fuss about them either.

We started back to school on Jan. 5th. I thought it would be a slow start, but really, the boys know what is expected of them and they are doing great! Although, Caleb started on the Civilization of Greece right off the bat and that made both of our brains hurt!

We went to see Cameron's neurologist yesterday. I don't think many of his ADHD patients are homeschooled. He kept questioning about the curriculum, testing, why we had chosen this was to educate our children, and even wanted to know about the boys exercise. And since this is our third year teaching the boys at home, I had an answer for each question. I don't get offended anymore when people have questions. At first, I wanted to say, "It's none of your business." But the majority of people are just interested.

Caleb sat there the whole time and was reading his science book on the Human Body. We were getting ready to leave and the doctor asked if he could see Caleb's book. He looked through it for a few seconds and then started to quiz Caleb on the human brain. (He is a neurologist, after all.) Caleb answered each question correctly, and without hesitation. I was very proud! :o)

I am proud of both of our boys. After a two week Christmas break, Cameron comes back and spells each of his words correctly. Even the tough ones that I think are way above a 4th grade level. Do I see a Spelling Bee champ in the future??

So there are just a few thoughts...

I'm still learning...How to be a wife, a pastor's wife, a mom, and a homeschool mom!

Recipe Time!! I've always though that bread pudding sounded gross. Oh, not anymore!! I had some Hawaiian Bread left over from my spinach dip. So I took something I was about to throw out and made something pretty amazing!!

Bread Pudding with Streusel Topping

2 beaten eggs

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of half-n-half

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 cups of day old Hawaiian Bread

1/3 cups of dried cranberries

In a bowl beat together everything, except bread and dried cranberries. Set bowl aside. In a small baking dish (maybe 1.5 quart size) toss together bread and cranberries. Poor egg mixture over bread and cranberries.

For Streusel topping: Mix together 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 2 tbs of butter until crumbly.

Crumble the topping on pudding before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool slightly, and enjoy warm.

It reminds me of the best french toast ever! :o)

Cutting it close...Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T22:11:00.000-05:00

I've been on my Christmas vacation for a week and I've wanted to do one last blog for 2008... I'm finally here. I sure am cutting it close! It's December 31, 2008 and it's 10:25 pm. I'm sitting here watching the Time Square special, waiting for the ball to drop.

I have a lot to say, I guess...but all that stuff will have to wait.

I've been so blessed this year. I can't thank Jesus enough!

This upcoming year will be crazy busy, but I'm excited to get it started! I guess I need to get home first. I'll be New Jersey bound in 2 days and counting...

So, Happy New Year!! I'll have to continue this one in 2009! :o)

My Lesson

2008-11-30T16:09:00.001-05:00

Not everything I do is about homeschool. Even though, I firmly believe that everything you do, one can learn from...

Today we went to a Nursing Home with our Youth Group to hand out little gifts and sing Christmas Carols. It's rainy and just yucky out today. Plus, I have a headache. So needless to say...I didn't really want to go.

So after church ended today, we made an announcement that everyone that was going needed to meet in the back. Over 30 kids made their way back. My first thought, I don't' have enough pizza. My second though...Matt you can handle this, I'd rather go home.

What a nasty attitude I had! The kids were so eager to fill the bags and sign Christmas cards. As I looked at those kids working together, it was then that I decided that this day was not about me, the weather, or my headache.

Once we arrived, we split up into three groups, so that we could cover three floors of the home. As the students came back they couldn't wait to tell me stories of the people they met. Some sang along with us, some just sat and smiled and a couple, well their eyes just filled with tears. It was precious to see the residents so appreciative of our off-key singing. And it was precious to see the students so excited to do something so selfless.

I worked in a Nursing Home in high school, so I know that there were residents today that didn't even have a single visitor throughout this Thanksgiving weekend. It was nice to see them smile.

And again, this may not have much to do with homeschool...but I learn something today....serve, even if you don't feel like it.

Now that I'm out of my funk...Recipe Time!!!! :o)

I've been making these pecans for several functions lately and they've been a hit!

Southern Candied Pecans

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

1 1/2 cups of Pecans

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt (I like sea salt)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray one baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy. (About one minute.) In a separate bowl, mix together sugars, salt, and cinnamon. Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat the nuts evenly. Remove the nuts, and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated. Spread the nuts out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Cool completely on wax paper before packing them up to retain crunchiness.

That's a wrap...Novemember!

2008-11-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

This time of year just flies by. Every weekend is packed with something. And it only gets better as December rolls around....

Last night, we put up our Christmas tree and all the other festive decorations. How exciting. I just sat on couch last night and caught myself in a daze as I looked at the lights on the tree.

Our Thanksgiving was one of the BEST that we've had in long time. We met up with a fellow transplanted family and laughed until our ribs hurt. What wonderful people God has sent into our lives since moving here. I needed Thursday...more than they'll ever know.

Now don't get me wrong...I missed my family. And it really makes me feels bad when I have family members saying that they are "Praying us back." I feel bad because I know how much they miss us, but I also feel bad because, that's not a prayer that really needs to be said. How do tell someone you love that, "We are home and we love it here?"

I know God has many plans for our future. And part of those plans may include packing up and moving to our next "home state". But I am a firm believer in the cheesy statement, "Bloom where you are planted." Wherever God "plants" me for the moment...I will be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him. And if he uproots me and "plants" me elsewhere, I will be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him.

So what does this have to do with "still learning"?? Well, as a homeschool mom of "pastor's kids", I feel it our job to teach that very statement, cheesy or not. I've learned a lot in the ten years of being in the ministry and even more since homeschooling my boys. I will always teach them that no matter where you are, God is using you for great things. (Even if you are 12 hours away from mom and dad.)

And more importantly, I think that God may be getting MY heart ready....Caleb has told us that he believes that God is calling him to be a missionary.....just don't tell my dad! :o)

November 4, 2008

2008-11-05T10:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was an exciting day in the Monyhan house. As a homeschool mom, it was my pleasure to teach the electoral process. Of course I’d still teach my children this, regardless if they were in school, but this week, I’ve been able to really spend quality time on teaching the boys things that we believe are important.

We started the day with a blank Electoral Map of the United States. As the polls closed last night, they began to color in the map. (On this historic day, I let the boys stay up...) I taught how many votes each state has, and how many votes the candidate needed to win.

We also learned why we vote on Tuesday in November. Of course Matt didn’t know, so it was neat as the boys explained the history of why vote on this particular day. The boys are very excited to learn all about the history and the process.

Caleb and Cameron will remember the day that the first African-American was elected as President of the United States. I’m glad that my kids were part of this day and that I had the opportunity teach them. What an exciting day!!

Although, I am sorry and somewhat shocked about how some Christians are reacting. (Including my own family.) Regardless of who you wanted to win, the election is over...the people have spoken. I will pray for protection and wisdom, as I have for all Presidents!!

I’ve decided to give them one day to get their feelings out, without me sounding preachy to them. After tomorrow, please don’t call me or email me anything that isn’t encouraging to OUR new President.

I’m excited to see what God has in store for us!

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.

Romans 13:1-2 (NLT)

Second Field Trip

2008-10-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow we are off to the Pumpkin Patch to pick the perfect "Monyhan Pumpkin". Before homeschooling was introduced into our lives, we'd just pick one up at the supermarket. This way is a fun way!! :o) I'm just hoping the rains holds off.....there's nothing worse than trudging through the mud and tracking it into my car!!!

But this will be the only day to go (as a family). Matt's off tomorrow, and Halloween is Friday! We're cutting it pretty close. Yes, we celebrate Halloween. And I'm not even gonna jump on that debate. Fine if you do, fine if you don't.

The boys are reading more than ever this year. Books that they actually pick out. I still have to say, "Time to find a quiet place to read." But at least they're doing it without complaining! I'd love for them to one day say, "I can't come right now Mom, I'm to the best part of this book!" Oh, well....maybe someday! :o)

The Monyhan Update...it's a long one!

2008-10-02T13:05:00.001-04:00

Wow, what can I say?? I had a great Summer Vacation, as you can see by my "non-posts". I have so much to say, but never get the chance to sit down and say it. I have very good intentions, but I'm a mom and all that jazz. That's really not a good excuse, but it's the best one I have for the moment.

We went back to KY for a week in July.....hated it. Let's just say that we'll keep KY as a Christmas visit and leave it at that.

The boys did well in their Summer Bridge Program. Not a lot was lost in that brain of theirs this summer. So as school began, there was not much that we had to review.

Now that we've been in school for almost one month now, we've finally got back in the swing of things. We changed curriculum....again - We are doing LifePac by Alpha Omega Publications. I seem to like this one ok. One of these days, I'll find something that "knocks my socks off"!! Yeah, right....who am I kidding?? I've know families that have homeschooled for 10 years and have used something new each year. I'm just thankful that God has given me the opportunity to take on this challenge.

Looking back, when I first started to homeschool Caleb and Cameron....I never thought that it would become such an awesome part of my life. It's truly a blessing!!

Oh, back to updates....this may be one long blog! :o)

Cameron was diagnosed with both Scoliosis and ADHD this summer. He started a medication for his focusing issues, or lack there of in July. What a difference this has made. I was never a huge encourager for medicating children, but once I heard the facts and saw the results....This has been a blessing to the Monyhan household! Matt and I both wrote blogs about this. Matt's is on his word press account and mine is on MySpace.

Back in May of this year Cameron was diagnosed with Scoliosis. He had a 14 degree curve in his spine. A 14 degree curve is not serious, unless you are under the age of 12. Since Cameron is only 9, we along with the doctor were concern. Especially since there is really no family history. And he has not gone through his "growing spurt", so the doctor was concerned that once he went through his "spurt" that it would probably progressively get worse. Hopefully, it would remain at 14 degrees and he would not have to wear a back brace.

He said that he "very much doubted that the curve would ever reduce". "The curve would either stay the same or progress." (The doctor's words....)
I remember telling my sister, "Well, he must not know my God!"

So every four months until he was an adult, Cameron would have to go through a series of X-rays and they would compare them to the last ones taken. I was concerned about what would happened to Cameron after he was exposed to X-rays three times a year for the next ten years or so.

Well, last week was his second of what I thought was a long road of visits to Denville Diagnostics. So, after much anticipation, I finally got that call.

Cameron's curvature is now measured at 5 degrees!!! God reduced the curve 9 degrees! I could tell that the doctor was quite stunned. I'm not sure if he could believe the results himself.

The doctor said that it is VERY unusual for there to be a reduction of this much, especially in this short amount of time and without treatment.These were his exact words....."This is an awesome finding!"Cameron doesn't have to go back now until May of next year!

Caleb is doing great. He's now officially in the "youth group". And I guess this year is even more special to Matt and I because we're not only Caleb's parents, but also his youth pastors. Now if I can only discern between the two.

I will try not to be his "mom" on Sunday nights. This is a new chapter in a an already huge book of my life. In some ways I wish that Caleb had a "youth pastor" of his own....but I feel blessed that I get the opportunity to play this role too!

And so far, Caleb doesn't mind. Like I said, he's been in the youth group almost his entire life. It's not that big of a change. He says he likes it, because he gets to know things first about what's going on before anyone else.....little booger! :o)

Ahh, let's see....My parents were up in August. We went to the Bronx Zoo. If you get a chance...YOU SHOULD GO! That's a great field trip!

My sister had her second son (Matthew Ryan) on August 25th. I thought I could wait until Christmas to see that precious baby, but I just couldn't! So I loaded up the boys and we left on September 5th to surprise my sister. Did I mention that we live 12 hours away from my family?? I drove by myself, all the way in one day, with my boys in tow! I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I don't think I could do it again....But I can say that I definitely did it!! :o)

We took out first "Official Field Trip" of the 2008-2009 school year this week. We went to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. And we did learn a lot! :o) We also ate a lot too!

So as I leave you, I've tried and written many recipes this summer but here's one that I made and I loved!! Matt was sick on this day, so I almost ate the whole thing by myself!! (BTW - I made it for dinner!)

Orzo Frittata

1/2 cup orzo pasta
5 eggs
1/2 cup of grated white cheddar cheese (I use Havarti Cheese, when I have it.)
1/4 cup sour cream
4 scallions, chopped
2 tbs chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup diced red bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, ricotta, and sour cream and stir until the eggs are beaten and the ingredients are combined. Add the cooked orzo, scallions, parsley, red bell peppers, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish or glass pie plate. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes.

Enjoy..it's yummy!

Monkey Bread

2008-06-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

The boys finished school about two weeks ago. The public schools up here still have about two weeks to go. Anyway, the boys started their Summer Bridge Workbooks this week. It's a workbook to get Cameron ready for 4th grade and Caleb ready for 6th grade. Most of it is review, but some of it they'll actually have to learn. If they sit down and actually do it...it will only take them 15 minutes a day and that's NOT everyday. There are 15 activities for June, 20 activities for July and 15 activities for August.

Caleb is fine with this workbook....Cameron, not so much.

After each set of activities they will get a special prize....at the beginning of each month there is a contract that both the child and parent sign and you write down what the reward will be for each month. The month is the Crayola 3D Activity Set.

So this morning since they've both done well this week, I thought I would let the boys make something special for breakfast and they both like to help me in the kitchen. So today we would make "Monkey Bread". But I couldn't call it that. Unfortunately, my boys are very picky and just the name of something would turn them away.

Caleb HATES bread.

And thanks to Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom....Cameron hates monkeys. (Remember the monkey brains for dessert?)

So I set up everything and put them work and I told them they could name this dish.

They did a great job cutting and dipping the biscuits...they were working together!! ~Whoo-hoo!!!

Caleb named it a Cinna-Loaf and Cameron named it Cinna-Buddies. So they asked me what I would name it. I said, 'What if we called it Monkey Bread....because it's the shape of bread and we pull it apart and eat it with our hands like monkeys."

They both thought that was a dorky name.......

Recipe for Monkey Bread or Cinna-Loaf or Cinna-Buddies:

1 can of the cheap biscuits ( The smallest ones work best)

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of Cinnamon

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and sprinkle the brown sugar on the bottom of the pan.

Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Cut each biscuit into four pieces. Dip each piece in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Place the pieces in the loaf pan on top the brown sugar.

You will have to stack the pieces, that's fine. Continue to dip until you used all the small pieces of biscuits.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15-17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then turn over on a large plate. The brown sugar that was placed in the bottom is now the glaze for the top!

~Enjoy! (The boys just about finished the whole thing by themselves!)

It's about that time.....

2008-05-21T11:12:00.001-04:00

We have begun week # 36. This is our last week of "school". Of course, we'll be doing lots of learning over the next few months, but this is the time of year that my children long for. We are leaving for our first vacation trip in 5 days. We're heading to Niagara Falls, Canada. I started packing today, and we are very excited!

Friday will be the boys last day at The Grace Academy. We will be doing another curriculum for the 2008-2009 school year. On the last day, the boys must type and send in a report from each of their 6 courses about what they learned, what they liked best, and what they wished they had covered.

So I thought I'd do the same. I guess you could call this "What the 2007-2008 School Year Taught Stacy":

1. I learned that a curriculum that is done 95% over the Internet is not right for this family. I believe that a mixture of both will be our saving grace.

2. I learned that MY child may learn quicker than yours.....I also learned that they may learn slower. And that's OK with me. If your 3rd grader knows all the states and their capitols...Congratulations.

3. I learned that it's OK to work when the public schools have a "snow day". It's also OK NOT to work if I say it's "National Sunshine Day."

4. I learned that homeschool families get 20% off of their "educational" purchases at Borders.

5. I learned that it's OK to get up and get fully dressed before school. I also learned that when it's 10 degrees outside, it must be Pajama Day!

6. I learned that we can learn lessons from everything we do during the day, that includes: at home, the grocery store, and even the Morris County Clerk's Office!

7. I learned that the library has tons of book, that I don't have to buy!! WE LOVE THE LIBRARY!

8. I learned that my children are GREAT and my family is closer than ever before. The best thing in the world is to see my 11 year old teaching my 9 year old how to draw. Now, that's cool!

9. I learned that some things are not as important as others. Will what I am worried about matter in 5 years? In 2 years? Next week? What is important to me one day, may be at the bottom of the list the next day.

10. I learned that I have never said "Tomorrow is a new day!", more than I have this school year!

God is good and He is faithful. He gives me the strength each day to teach my boys. And He gives them the strength each day to teach me!! :o)

Recipe time!

Easy Cupcakes

1 box of Cake Mix (I love Chocolate or Devil's Food)
1 12oz Can of Diet Coke (Or Diet Pepsi)
(I'm not kidding....that's it)

Mix both ingredients together with a mixer for about 2 minutes and fill the muffin tins lined with cupcake liners until about 3/4 full. You can usually go by the package directions for bake time, but start checking about 5 minutes before...they sometimes bake up quicker. Then icing and eat. Sometimes I'll omit the icing and use low-fat cool whip. ~YUM!

You can try different cake flavors and sodas! My personal favorite is Strawberry Cake Mix with Diet Big Red Soda. Then put Strawberry Cool Whip on top. It's pretty much amazing! :o)

This is what I've learned......

2008-04-09T11:24:00.000-04:00

I have learned that as soon as the temperature reaches 50 and tree outside my window starts to bud, I no longer want to stay inside. That means I am no longer here blogging.

We are on week 30 of school and we have 6 more weeks to go. I know some homeschoolers that take longer breaks during the year and work right through the summer......NOT US! We started a little earlier than public schools here, and the only real break the the boys had was a week during Christmas when we went back to Kentucky for a visit. I'm not giving them a spring break either. The don't mind though.......they're getting out almost 4 weeks before the public school.

We're leaving for Canada at the end of May and we'll be finished by then......summer here we come!

This is the time of year when even I get tired of school. I looked at Cameron today during Social Studies and said, "You know, Mom's not really into this today." So we both took a break. He playing the Wii right now and I'm doing this. Of course if we want to stay on schedule, we'll need to get back to studying......but not right now. Our brains need a breather!! :o)

I just got a call that Caleb's guitar teacher will be here to give Caleb a make up lesson, so I need to pick up the house a little bit..........ok. He usually takes his lessons a the studio, but he had to make up a lesson so he's coming over here today.

Our Easter went well. We did our annual trip the shore (aka the beach) the day before. I can say annual now since we've taken that trip two years in a row! This year was MUCH nicer than last year and this year Easter was early!! The boys rode rides and we bought enough tickets for the entire summer! Then after church on Sunday we went over to Eric and Grace's for dinner. It is so nice to have someone cook for you once and while!! We had a great time just talking.

And as soon as Easter is over I feel like it should immediately turn to Spring and be 65 everyday with the sun shinning and birds singing.....but we all know that "April showers bring May flowers!" I was reminded of that by my 8 year old last week when we had three days of rain and clouds!!

I'm so proud of the boys and the work that they've done this year. Now don't get me wrong, I can say that now that we've caught up and aren't stuck inside all day. There were days that it was cold and snowy or rainy that I thought "I'm totally sending them back to school next year." But those are thoughts that I quickly get over. I'll never regret removing them from public school. I have grown so close to my boys and "oh the stories I can tell!" But more importantly I have grown up a little myself. I've gain so much confidence in myself and hopefully Caleb and Cameron can see that too. I hope it rubs off on them! :o) I've also grown closer to God in all of this too! You have to when you when you're a "stay at home/homeschooling mom that simultaneously watches a 5 month old while teaching, cooking, cleaning and living life"! :o) I enjoy everyday. Now that's not to say, at the end of one of those days I may very well collapse on the couch and not move.....but it keeps me busy! I'm not the perfect mom, but that's where God comes in and reminds me that everything will be alright.

Oh sure, there are pros and cons for everything you do in life. And this is no exception. I could sit here and make a list of "the good, the bad, and the ugly" and probably quickly talk myself into sending them back. But you know........I absolutely love it! We love it!

Now I know you have no idea how long this has taken me to write. I started this at 10:30 am while Caleb was finishing his work, Cameron was taking his "wii break" and Jaelynn was asleep. It's now 1:45 pm and although I have more to say......this is my life and I better get back to it! :o)

I have a super easy recipe that I will post the FIRST thing in the morning!!

My lesson

2008-03-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

Wow. I said I was going to be better at blogging. As you can see, I'm not. I have really good intentions, but when it all comes down to it ..... I just have a lot to do.

I am now doing childcare for friend. The baby is almost 4 months old. She's a really good baby so it doesn't interfere with school. She's either sleeping or sitting in her swing watching the boys learn. (I'm sure she's learning right along with them!)

My children are homeschooling through The Grace Academy. And I must confess that today I lost my temper with them. (The school, not my boys.) Caleb took a very difficult math exam today and it was graded by a computer. It said that he got a 56%. Poor Caleb was shocked! (Me too!) As I looked at the test I saw that a lot of the questions that were marked wrong were the computer's mistake. Apparently computer's aren't perfect.

So I sent them a "not so nice" email. I just told them that a test this big should have been graded by an actual person.

Well, I heard back from them almost immediately. They said that it was their mistake and Caleb's grade is an 84%. Much better. I felt a little guilty for my email.

So I repented. I should have been nicer. I would have gotten the same outcome. I may have ruined some person day and for that I'm sorry.

I guess that's my lesson for today.

*Please Note: I will not say that I will try harder to blog more often. I will say that I will blog when I learn something.....cause I'm still learning! :o)

Recipe Time!!! This is a "go to" meal in my house all the time!!

Chicken Pot Pie

2 cooked chicken breast cut into chunks
1 can of mixed veggies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tsp of Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper

Topping
1 cup of Bisquick
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk

Mix the first 6 ingredients together and place in a 2 quart baking dish.
Mix together the "topping". This will be very wet. Pour over chicken mixture and spread evenly. Before I bake it I sprinkle a little more pepper over the crust. (Don't stir it in.)

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes! Enjoy with a tossed salad! ~Yum!

Mom's taking a sick day.

2008-02-13T13:19:00.000-05:00

Do we really get to "take" sick days? Well, I'm going to try my best. It's yucky outside, the public schools have been cancelled, and they've already cancelled church for tonight.

It seems like the perfect day for a sick day. So after this post, I will plant myself on the couch and stay there until.....well, until it's time to fix dinner or something.

The boys are already well on their way with school and they can fix their own lunch. I've always looked forward to the day when my boys were old enough to do some things on their own. And I'm cashing in on that today.
I'm taking a break.

A much needed one.

On a side note: I've cooked every night this week (that's not why I need a break) :o)
I took one meat (chicken) and made two different meals from it. And you know if I were not about to faint, that I would post them. I will....just not today.

Happy Wednesday! :o)

It's been a while now....

2008-02-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Wow! I try so hard to be good at the "blogging thing", but as you can see.....I'm not. I have learned a few things though.

#1 - I learned that if you clean your entire classroom and get it organized that you and your children will be excited about going in there. There were days after a long week that we didn't clean it and get it ready for Monday, so that when Monday rolled around we were Like "Umm, let's do school in another room.

#2 - I learned that I shouldn't compare my children with any one else's children. There are some 8 year old homeschooled children that are just learning to read and some 8 year olds are doing freshmen Algebra.....my eight year old is just right and he's writing his name in cursive beautifully! :o)

#3 - I learned that I am so glad that I don't have to be bothered with "public school drama". I sat at Caleb's basketball practice and listened to two moms complain about the teacher, then the principle, and then how they wished their 5th graders didn't have 2 hours of homework per night! I'M FREE FROM ALL THAT!

And last but not least....#4 - I learned that sometimes you must put the boys to bed early when your husband is out eating wings with guys and you have the night to yourself!!! Then I learned that if you put 1/2 cup of peanut butter in your pancake batter (melt the peanut butter first in the microwave) and then make your pancakes the way you always would.......then here's the best part......Melt grape jam or jelly in the microwave and use that as your syrup!!

Yes, and I'm not embarrassed to say that I ate that for dinner while Matt was out with the guys and the boys went to bed early.....it was like a vacation!! :o)

So I can say that I'll try harder to blog more, but.........

Salsa Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 envelope of Taco Seasoning
1 16 oz jar of Black Bean and Corn Salsa (Wal-Mart "Sam's Choice" make a great one!)
3/4 cup of water (sometimes I omit the water and add more salsa, if I buy the 26 oz jar)

Put it all in a crockpot and cook those babies until the chicken falls apart and you can barely pick it up! I usally cook it 2 hours on high and about 3-4 hours on low.

Take out the chiken and finish breaking up the pieces with a fork and then put it back in the crockpot.

I make Mexican rice with mine or put it flour tortillas with cheese or sometimes I just eat it straight out of the crockpot! ~Enjoy!

What week.....and then another one begins!

2008-01-27T15:50:00.000-05:00

I guess that just about says it all. It was long week and then before you know it another one begins.

Monday - Well, besides Caleb's guitar practice it was pretty low key.

Tuesday - We went to the Liberty Science Center for a field trip day and it was really cool. At one point we were "testing" the Curtain Wall for Skyscrapers and hurricane force winds and rain were being blown at us. It was a simulator to test how buildings would hold up in case on a hurricane. The 100 mph winds and rain were pretty intense we were covered head to toe with ponchos and goggles.

Wednesday and Thursday - The boys worked really hard and I'm proud of both of them.

Friday - Caleb starts out on Monday with a practice (guitar) and ends the week with a practice (basketball).

Saturday - Caleb's game day. He had a make-up game on Thursday, and after each game the guys are awarded stars for their jerseys.....Thursday he got the "Chirst-likeness" star and yesterday received the "Best Sportsmanship" star. He was really pleased and so were we.

Hopefully Cameron will take an interest in SOMETHING besides his Nintendo DS Lite!!!!

And for today......I had nursery for the first time in a million years! :o) It was nice being with the little ones for day. And a day is ALL I needed. Now off to youth, which is kind of like the nursery sometimes.......

I want to add a couple of recipes I tested this week, but it will have to wait. Hopefully, I'll get back on here before next weekend......here's hoping!

Fridays are here again....

2008-01-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

Wow, it's been a week and the boys have finally finished the second quarter. Which means they are half-way finished. I've heard of homeschooling families having the mid-year blues, but today I'm sort of excited just to be finished.

But I do know what they mean....I'd call it the mid-winter blues. It's too cold to do anything. You are stuck inside the house. And you start to wonder if you'll be able to get everything finished in time, or at least everything you wanted to get finished. I've always thought that I work better under pressure. With most things I believe that to be true, not so in homeschooling. I guess because I've got others to consider.

So I try to not let the boys know when I'm stressed or overworked, they feel it too. I'm sure my feeling that we should be "ahead" or maybe we're "behind" can really worry them.

But that's the great thing about homeschool....we are neither to far ahead nor way behind! Working at our own pace means just that. Although, I do try to keep the boys on the same page. I'd hate for one to start summer vacation while one was still working.

Here are my tips for beating the "mid-winter blues" :

1. Go play in the snow! If you have no snow, please have some of ours. :o)

2. Take a field trip! Just get out of the house. Remember you can make almost any trip educational.

3. Take more breaks! Do math and then play a game, read a book and then let the kids help make cookies. Just change your pace!

More than anything, don't throw in the towel and don't beat yourself up about what you didn't get accomplished today. There's always tomorrow, or the next day.....or the next day!

I made this Sunday night after church and man did it hit the spot! So here's my recipe for today:

Shrimp and Pesto w/ Whole Grain Pasta

1 pound of cleaned (raw) shrimp (I like to leave the tails on, but that's just me)
1/2 pound of whole grain pasta
1/4 cup of pesto

Place pasta in boiling water. (Salt the water before putting in pasta.)
Saute shrimp in olive oil in a large pan until just pink and add pesto and mix together well.
Add cooked pasta right to the pan with shrimp and toss. If it looks a little dry add some of the hot pasta water.

Recipe for Pesto:

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (Pine nuts are pretty pricey, so I've used pistachio nuts instead)
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup of olive oil

Place first five ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend. Slowly stream in your olive oil until it makes a paste.

And you know what?? Classico brand makes a delicious pesto, so you can always just buy it!

Fridays Are Great!

2008-01-11T14:37:00.000-05:00

I've always looked forward to Fridays....who doesn't?? I also look forward to Tuesdays, because it happens to be Matt's day off and it's nice to have him around the house. That is also the day we do most of our field trips.

Last year we went to the The P.T. Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut. A lot of times we'll read a book and then go see the movie. This year we went to the Crayola Factory, and course we had to go the pumpkin patch in the fall. We went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Yes, we learned about the history of the parade before we went. You can almost make any trip educational! Even a trip to the grocery. :o)

But Friday is what I'm excited about today! It's the day when I know that our brains will get a rest. Not that we ever stop learning, but it's more laid back.

We have a separate room for school. It is our "school room". The boys don't normally go in there unless it's a school day or they need to use the computer for something. We tried the "have school at the kitchen table" thing, it just didn't work for us. I am very fortunate that we have a room that is made just for school. That way everything is in one room and we don't have to put stuff out of sight when we don't want to think about school.

On Fridays I do clean up that room so that it's neat and ready for Monday morning. So I suppose that is what I should be doing now........

No recipe today. Caleb has basketball practice and we have our small group meeting at the house tonight. So I guess there's no need to leave a recipe for pizza rolls! :o)

Just Plain Sick

2008-01-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

Homeschooling after a break is for the birds! We took a two week break, not bad. Although, getting back to normal has taken about two weeks!

It doesn't help that I am feeling a "little under the weather". No, let's just face it....I'm just plain sick! Thankfully, Caleb is at the age that he's starting to be self-taught. Not that I get to stay in bed all day, but it helps not being summoned every ten minutes.

Okay, I'll admit it. On days when my throat is sore. every muscle in my body aches, and I can't seen straight........I'd like to just send them off to school and have a day that I could stay in bed. That's not bad to say. That just happens to be one of the few cons about homeschooling. Believe me, there are many more pros than cons.

I don't feel like this every day....thank God!! So most days are great.

Caleb is finished for the day and Cameron is watching "Between the Lions". It 's a wonderful show about reading and phonics. It's nice for Cameron to learn from someone other than me or his brother. It also gives us both a break!

So because of Prayer Week at church and not feeling well, there hasn't been a lot cooking in my kitchen this week. Thankfully there's canned soup and Shop Rite had it on sale this week. And you know what?? I'm proud to say that we had french toast and sausage for dinner one night! It's okay to shake things up sometimes. It keeps my kids on their toes! My favorite time to eat breakfast foods are at night!

So here's my recipe for french toast. It's a no brainer, but I do add a unique twist.

Stacy's French Toast

6 slices of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl Bread
2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
1 tbs of sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon or when I have it, pumpkin pie spice

Mix eggs, milk, creamer, sugar, and cinnamon together until frothy.
Dip one piece of bread in at a time and saute in a pan with butter or a non-stick spray.
Grill until both sides are golden brown and serve with your favorite syrup. (Or if you're like me, what was on sale!)

Makes a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Now don't go calling the dentist. It's not a meal to serve daily, but it's nice to surprise the kiddos every once in a while and you won't even have to fight over whether or not there going to eat it!! That's an argument I'll pass on!

A cold day!

2008-01-03T16:54:00.000-05:00

School went a little better today. I can't say that I learned anything....well, I did meet a friend for lunch today. Taking a break right in the middle of the day makes me a better homeschool mom and all around mom, that's for sure!

This morning, it was 4 degrees! That's right, I won't even tell you what the wind chill was. So this is the time of year when we can get a lot of "school work" done. This is also the time of year when those board games the boys got for Christmas come in REAL handy!

I've got to say, since taking the homeschool plunge, my boys get along better than ever. (I pray they do everyday!) Granted, they never really fought, but I couldn't really say they were "friends" either.

These days I love to hear them play and laugh together. Now I don't live in the town called Perfect, so there are days when they need to take a break from each other. That's why I came up with the "Monthly Birthday Lunch". Each month on the day the boys were born, I take them out to lunch (by themselves) so that each get a special day out to eat at their favorite restaurant. Matt comes home for lunch that day and whoever is not with me get to spend time with dad. They love and look forward to to their special days. (So do I!)

Well, the timer's going off for dinner tonight. No recipe tonight....just roasted a pork tenderloin and some veggies.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T18:41:00.000-05:00

As we start this new year, I thought I'd start a new blog that is just for my thoughts on homeschool. I have grown so much in the two years that I have homeschooled my boys. If for no other reason than for me to look back, I'd like to keep track of my thoughts.

I have started about 5 or 6 different journals that I'll write in for about a week or two and then...nothing. So since most of our homeschool is done on the computer, I thought this was an easier way.

I am so excited when it come to a new year. Wipe my slate clean!! This is a new year for me! God has so richly blessed us, that I can't wait to see what he has for us this year. I make no "New Years Resolutions" I just want to be the best wife, mom, and mentor that I can be for the people around me.

The boys had a rough start to school today. (so did I) We took a two week break and it's just taking a little time to get back in the swing of things. We'll get back! We can't just dive into like we were before Christmas.

As I wake up each day I only ask a few things.....I want to spend some time with the Lord, I'd like to take a shower, and I want my kitchen clean. These of course are what I want for me.

Of course I want my children to learn and to get along and maybe even take a shower! :o) But each day, if I can just get those first three things accomplished...I'll feel great.

My time with Jesus is never at the same time everyday...yet. But my boys are old enough now that I can say "go play", mom needs a minute! The shower thing is just a given! And I would like for my entire house to be spotless, but I'll just settle for the kitchen.

I spend a lot time in the kitchen. Remember, being a homeschool mom means fixing three meals a day. I love to cook! So that's where I like to be.

So we didn't get to Math today, but there's always tomorrow. We did play an extremely LONG game of Monopoly on Monday, so we did get some math in!

As for the rest of the day: Eggplant Parmesan for dinner and I think we'll even go to the movies tonight!

Stacy's Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1 tablespoon
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
All-purpose flour for dredging
1 large egg, beaten 2 tablespoons of milk
2 cups of any brand of Marinara Sauce
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the bitter juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.
Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.

In a large plate, pour out the bread crumbs.
Place the flour in another plate or bowl. In the third plate or bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dredge an eggplant slice in the flour, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.

Fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/2 of the marinara sauce and arrange the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with the other 1/2 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately!