Christmas Week

Kathryn and Dad at our family Christmas party

We love living in Clio again!

Debbi came to stay with us for a bit too. We are having lots of fun.

Christmas was nice.

The boyz and I had family Christmas a week early at Dad and Judys because Dave and Deanna and the kids were going to Florida for the holidays. We had a delicious dinner and lots of fun chatting and sharing gifts.

Abby had puppies on the 23rd of December. It was quite exciting and they are so incredibly cute! We named them Christmas/winter names. Angel, Belle, Holly, Jesus (pronunciation hay-soos), MerryMary, and Noelle.

The boyz spent the real Christmas with their dad. Debbi and I went to Dad and Judy's on Christmas day. We took food over and Judy and Debbi made a wonderful lunch then we spent the day relaxing and chatting.

We spent the week relaxing and enjoying family and friends.

The boyz came home from their visit with their father today. It is good to have them back.

Goo-Goo Stix and More!

The boyz are visiting their dad this weekend and I am spending the weekend in Onaway helping my friend run her thrift store and Goo-Goo Stix stand in Onaway.
She is making Goo-Goo Stix, fruit kabobs, and fried pickles.
Goo-Goo Stix are a deep fried donut topped with your choice of chocolate, caramel, strawberries, and/or whipped topping. Wow! I will probably have to wear my fat pants after this weekend.

Fireworks!

We had a lot of fun at the beach. On the way home we stopped at McDonald's for a quick burger and a potty break and discovered fireworks across the street. We stayed to watch. Bonus!

Sunset Silhouttes 5

taking a walk

Sunset Silhouttes 4

running boy

Sunset Silhouttes 3

Kids goofing around.

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Sunset Silhouettes 2

boys throwing rocks

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sunset silhouettes 1

The children running

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Sunset

Bye Bye Birds

and chased them away.
Poor birdies.

Birds!

The kids baited the birds with chips and waited...

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Bash

More Sand Creations

Curt did most of the work on this fort. Toward the end of its creation he enlisted Zacs help.
I think everyone, including kids we didn't know, helped create the canal that brings the water to the castle and fort.

Sand Creations

Lil' K made this awesome sand castle. She has a super cool pile of spheres on the right. Neat!

Birds Like Bread!

Bash dropped a piece of flat bread. We didn't want the birds hanging out with us so he picked it up and threw it away from us.
He wasn't thinking and threw it near another family's area so he had to chase them away after they devoured the bread.

Cheeseburger Bus 4

The front of the bus.

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Cheeseburger Bus 3

The other side of the bus.

Cheeseburger Bus 2

The back of the bus.

The Cheeseburger Mini Bus 1

Caseville is the home of the annual Cheeseburger Festival. They have a large school bus painted in this theme. I'm sure I have pics of this somewhere on this blog. I don't remember seeing this mini bus tho. Of course we had to stop to take pictures!

Time For Lunch!

Bash and flat bread.

Beach Feet

We went to Caseville for the day. It was a fun adventure as always!
I often take a pic of my foot (or feet) peeking into a great view of places we visit, sort of like the traveling gnome. My friend suggested that this trips "beach feet" picture could be of everyones feet. The kids were having so much fun I couldn't bring myself to ask them to pose for a scenic view of all our feet so this trips "beach feet" is lacking a view. But what it lacks in view it makes up for in fun...and feet. LOL
When we attempted to take the photo we couldn't get our cameras high enough to capture all of our feet. Someone suggested that we all "put our left foot in" for this photo. We fit perfectly in the frame! And we look great too! LOL

Ouch!

A piece of grass flew in Bash's eye while he was mowing the lawn, actually attempting to mow the lawn, but that's a different story.
This piece of grass may look tiny on my finger but it is huge in ones eye. It was stuck in there for over an hour. We could not get it out and I thought I was going to have to take him to the ER to get it removed.
I kept flushing it with bottled water and it eventually went to the inner corner of his eye & I was able to get it out.
Thank GOD!

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My New Frizzie!

I got an original Frizzie for my birthday. My mom has been making them, and I have been admiring them.
What is a Frizzie? It is an original, one-of-a-kind work of art. Each creation even has it's own name. (Mine is called "Naughty"...I wonder if my parents are trying to tell me something. Just kidding. LOL) The Frizzie begins with a re-purposed and felted colorful wool sweater and ends as a fabulous one-of-a-kind bag (purse, backpack, clutch...) with colorful lining and pockets inside, and a coordinating flower(the flower is called something else but I can't remember what), and beautiful beaded fringe and trim on the outside.
My Frizzie Bag is blue, one of my favorite colors. :)
I love it!

For more Frizzie Bag info go to:
www.frizziebags.etsy.com

Gene Simmons Military Tribute

My Little Sweeties

Mercy and Abby

?? Mystery Spider ??

Zac and I noticed this bright yellow (with red markings on its sides) spider in our driveway.
Can you say Ewwww!?!
Thank God it was tiny so I wasn't TOO creeped out.
It was quite beautiful and quickly attracted the attention of Sierra. She tried to eat it but we shooed her away so I could get a photo.
I've never seen a bright yellow spider before. Zac is sure it was poisenous because he believes that many poisenous creatures are brightly colored to warn potential predators.
I could not find this spider in my spider book. If you know what kind it is please leave a comment because we are curious to know. Thanks!

Blair's Egg Stash

It was quite comical to watch both girls hustle to the opposite side of the yard this morning after Zac let them out of their night time enclosure.
They don't nrmally run off in such a rush. We assumed they wanted to get into the sunshine and off the dewy grass.
When Zac walked around the yard he found them bickering about the space where we found Sierra's egg stash, except it is not just Sierra's stash. It is also Blair's. They have both been laying their eggs there!
Both hens wanted to lay an egg in the same place at the same time. Too funny! They figured it out and a short while later Zac added 2 fresh eggs to our egg carton.
He also made scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yummmm!

Sierra's Egg Stash

Zac accidentally discovered Sierra's stash of seventeen eggs!
She was nestled between a shed and an old steel bedframe that had grass and weeds growing tall enough to make her feel sheltered. (we had to pull everything back to get the picture)
She usually laid her eggs in a small crate which is inside the enclosure we keep her and Blaire in at night to protect them from predators. (They free range during the day.) Blaire usually laid her eggs in the garage.
We assumed they stopped laying because they were stressed after we took them to a friends house when we went to Kansas and they just hadn't fully recovered. We continued to keep an eye out for eggs around the yard.
Now we have to find Blair's egg stash. There are a lot of potential hiding places for nests out here in the woods.

'Be Roman Tic'

Can you guess what movie this quote is from?
"Be Roman Tic."

A hint:
The prince reads aloud from his Royal Guidebook,
"Chapter 4. How A Prince Must Behave At Ball"
"#1. Smile at Maidens."
The prince smiles at the maidens and they giggle.
"#2. Look heroic."
The prince flexes his muscles for the maidens and they giggle.
"#3. Be Roman Tic."
Huh? The prince looks at the book again and reads,
"Be Roman Tic??"
The prince appears puzzled, looks at the book again, and reads aloud,
"Be romantic!!"
Aha! He gets it.

Do you know it yet?

The movie is....(drum roll please).....Happily Never After!

Zac and I can't stop laughing (and quoting) that line!...."Be Roman Tic"

Global Academy: A Little More Info

Global Academy runs 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are no days off. The researchers are required to communicate with their mentor every day and turn in a minimum of two projects each week. They have access to a teacher 24/7. The researchers also have access to other researchers. Global academy recently opened channels to other researchers in the UK and Australia! The researchers are supplied with awesome computers loaded with tons of neat software and a great digital camera which become theirs when they earn their diploma.
Bash has never attended school before. I expect the transition to be quite smooth because we have always learned in a similar manner, except this will be a little more directed (with the goal being to complete specific proficiencies rather than learning for pure enjoyment) and formal (presenting an essay, speech, poster, powerpoint or any other possible form of communication you can imagine to the mentor rather than an informal conversation with mom).

Bash Has Been Accepted To Global Academy!

Bash was accepted to Clio's Global Academy. We are very excited that he can participate in this unique school.
The young people are researchers rather than students. The researchers create their own projects rather than work through someone elses prepared curriculum.
The state of Michigan no longer requires students to spend a certain number of hours in a classroom to earn credit. Instead the students are required to show proficiency in many specific areas within each subject to earn credit.
Global Academy lists every proficiency within every subject. The list shows which proficiencies have been completed and which have not. The researchers have 24/7 access to this list so they always know what they still have to complete. The researchers are encouraged to complete the proficiencies in whatever way they want. They are actually creating their own lessons and curriculum using their personal interests and preferred learning styles.
To be continued...

Chicken Dog

Our chicken, Sierra, thinks she is one of the dogs. Today she was even sharing a dish of dog food with them! It is so comical to see the dogs and a chicken playing chase with Zac. She literally runs around with the dogs like she is part of their pack. Zac can call her and she will go to him just like the dogs do.

I Miss You 2

Since Shayna and I often exchange pics of what we are doing at the moment, I grabbed my water bottle and wrote "I Miss you!" and took a picture and sent it back. I probably should have taken a photo of myself carrying my dogs leash and frantically searching for my naughty run away dog. (he came back home on his own after trying to entice us into a game of tag...that little stinker!) It's not nearly as pretty as the beach but it's where I was at the moment. I miss her!

I Miss You!

Shayna sent this photo via text message today. We often send pics to each other of ourselves doing whatever we are doing at the moment. It could be hanging at the beach, the library, driving/riding in the car, getting groceries, waiting in line for a movie, watching tv at home...pretty much anything. I think this is the first picture message she has sent. I love it!

Looking Up 3

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Looking Up 2

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A Different Perspective

Looking Up

The Arch

The Bottom of the Arch

Looking Down

The family, looking down at the city from the top of the arch.

Being Cool At The Fountain

Bash isn't into smiling and being cute for the camera, so I had to try to be as cool as he is....but coolness is not a trait I posess. I managed to look sort of grouchy so it's all good.

At The Fountain

Bash and me at the fountain. That green roofed building and the arch are aligned with the fountain. Too neat! I love this pic. I wish I mirrored Bash's posture, then the pic would be really awesome.
The edge of the fountain angles in and is quite smooth. For a second I thought I might fall in. LOL That wouldn't be too big a deal except that water is an unnatural shade of blue. Eww.

Pretty Roof

The same green round roofed building from the street.

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View From the Top #5

There is a neat fountain on the other side of the building with the greenish round roof.

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View From The Top #4

Another view of the stadium.

View From The Top #3

What a great view of the stadium. The streets were filled with happy people of all ages heading to the baseball game and wearing their team colors. Fun!

View From The Top #2

Another awesome shadow of the arch.

View From The Top #1

Awesome shadow of the arch!

Welcome To The Top

The sign at the top of the arch. Well...I thought it was funny.

Riding The Tram

Me, in the tram. Fun!

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Bash Riding In The Tram

To get to the top f the arch one must take a ride in a tram that runs up and down the inside of the arch. Each tram has 5 seats and is fairly small. I was sort of scared to take the ride because I hated it when I was young, but Bash really wanted to go. Thankfully the ride was smoother so I didn't feel quite as queesy and the tram had brighter lighting so I didn't feel as claustrophobic. I still did not enjoy the ride but it wasn't a bad experience at all and the view at the top was beautiful so it was worth it.

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