Monday, August 8, 2011

Another Pictoral Post

 
At Grandma LaVonne's House


Upside Down Super Holt

See the Resemblance?

Big Gang of Grandkids
HHS Class of 1986 25th Reunion

Visiting Mawmaw

Play Doh Cakes

More Play Doh Cake
James & Yulisa

Ben After Work

Eating...

More eating...

Still more...


And more...

Still eating!

Skating Rink Fun

Posing

A Silly One in Every Bunch!

Four-Wheelin' Fun










Yes, Granddaddy took EVERYONE for a ride!

I even tried it! (I am a wimp!)
Super John in Metropolis, IL
Wonder Anna in Metropolis, IL


Super Dan in Metropolis, IL

Monday, July 25, 2011

What We've Been Doing: A Pictoral Post

Off to Camp!

It's an iPod, not a blood pressure cuff...

Baby Robins Under the Deck

Fun at Bay Lake

More Fun!

Happy Birthday Edwin!

Ouch! Baseball to the Face :(

Tasted better than they look!

This needs no explanation.
Fun Time with Friends


One More Ride

Snap!

John's First Zip

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Summertime and the Living is Easy...

You may have noticed I am taking a bit of a summer writing break.  We've been happily busy with summer life, so I have not spent a lot of time in front of the computer.  All is well here and there will be much to tell one of these days when I sit back down.

This a great time to mention that the easiest way I know of to keep up with an infrequent blogger is to set up a Google Reader account.  I know I wrote a blog post about this a long time ago, but I can't find it now! (Please leave a comment if you are more familiar with my blog than I am!)  But I am sure I linked to this great post on Molly Piper's blog, written by her husband Abraham, since that is where I learned how to set up my Google Reader account! 

Google Reader allows you to go to one page to keep up with all of your favorite blogs.  You can read the posts from there or click into the actual blog.  Either way you can see right away whether there is a new post (or not, in my case).  Easy peasy!  If you have included Life Is Different Here on your Google Reader, will you please leave a comment so I will know?  Thanks!

Thanks for checking in now and then.  I will eventually get back into blogging more, but for now I will concentrate on being a wife and mother of some busy kids. I hope you all enjoy summer as much as we do here.  It is one of the ways that life is different here in Minnesota - summer comes and goes in what seems like the blink of an eye.  We don't want to miss it!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Freedom Isn't Free

It's another cool and rainy summer morning.  Last week we declared a two week break from the end of our school year so we could enjoy summer a bit and, go figure, it's been cool and rainy almost ever since.  Not that we aren't enjoying the break from school; we are, and boy did we need it!
Dreaming of Summer
As a homeschooling family, we have really enjoyed the freedom that making our own schedule affords us.  The biggest example of this is that every year, beginning the week after Labor Day (You know, the week that all the schools start for the new school year, at least here in Minnesota where they haven't changed to a May-August plan...) we load the car and take a long drive to the Gulf Coast to spend 2 or 3 or 4 weeks with family in a beach house.  The rental prices are cheaper, the beach is uncrowded, the weather is still wonderful, and it's an altogether beautiful time for us.  As a result of this lovely family time, we usually do not begin our school year in earnest until sometime in October.

Fast forward to May or June.  Schools are winding down, and even our homeschooling friends are finishing up right on schedule.  And here we are, still chugging along like it is March or April.  This would be fine, except as everyone else has free time there begins to be fun things to do, like going swimming, summer camp, graduation parties; you know, things you do in the summer when there is no school.

We have managed to finish up quite a few subjects, but I can't really call it done yet.  We still have testing for the younger kids, too.  After the break we will put our heads down and finish up, hopefully in time to switch to our summer schedule by August.  We'll take some trips here and there and they will get off days then, so don't feel too sorry for the poor kids.  Then we will return to our happy beach place in September and be mostly free of school, except for the five (!) online classes that begin on the "normal" schedule...

Freedom isn't free; they may as well learn now.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

What's Cooking Thursday? Homemade Popsicles

Well, the blog seems to be going all recipes, all the time (or at least once a week).  That is still not my intention, but I have just been too busy to write much.  My commitment to What's Cooking Wednesday seems to be the only thing that brings me back here each week.  And I even missed that yesterday.  Sorry!  I am sure that when winter comes again I will settle back down.

Great news!  Summer has arrived, like it usually does.  It is hard to believe how quickly things change around here.  We had snow the first two days of May, just a month ago, and yet Monday it was 97 degrees.  Tuesday was a scorcher at 103.  Yes, you read that right!  It was hot!  But yesterday we settled back into the 70's and today started out at 50 and won't reach 70.  Easy come, easy go...

Despite my negligence, I did have a recipe for What's Cooking Wednesday this week, so I will call it What's Cooking Thursday this time.  I was inspired by the warm weather to make homemade popsicles for the kiddos, and they turned out well.  This is more of an idea than a recipe, since you could do whatever you want here.  I had absolutely no popsicle-making equipment (molds, sticks, etc.), but they still turned out yummy.  I think I will look into some popsicle molds soon, though, because it would make the whole thing even easier.

Yogurt Pops

Vanilla yogurt, 16 oz (or any flavor)
Frozen orange juice concentrate, about 1/2 can
2 bananas

Blend ingredients together in a blender.  Pour into small paper cups or popsicle molds.  I threw in some whole blueberries just for fun.  If using paper cups, set them on a cookie sheet before filling for easier carrying to the freezer.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Insert popsicle sticks through plastic into the middle of each cup, or cut plastic straws in half and use those, which is what I did.  Freeze for 4-8 hours, or overnight.  Tear off paper cups to serve.

Basically, you can make your favorite smoothie of any variety and freeze it to make popsicles.  Yum! You could also freeze your favorite juice.  These will be healthier and cheaper than most popsicles you could buy.  If you resort to freezing Kool-aid, though, you may as well buy the little freezer pops in the long plastic tubes, which will be much easier and probably just as cheap.