Happy Birthday, Dora!

Today my sweet Dora is SEVEN! What do you do when your baby turns seven? Don't answer that...


Dora had a FABULOUS Princess Party. Everyone wore their Princess Gowns and came prepared to get the Full Princess Beauty Treatment! Dora's sisters planned and set up the whole thing, complete with nail station, hair station and make-up station! The Queen-to-Be helped pamper the guests as well!

The Finished Products - Beeeeautiful!! Thanks, Sweet Sisters!

Here the girls are working on their Party Favors. Rather than a bag of junk, I bought these cute Door Hangers at Hobby Lobby, and pre-painted the girls' names on them. They decorated them with jewels and wooden Princess crowns. They turned out so cute!

Here are a few of the finished Door Hangers. Aren't they so precious?

Aah, the Barbie cake. The ultimate Princess Confection.I also bought these plastic champagne flutes at Hobby Lobby, in the Wedding department. They really added a Fancy Schmancy touch to the party, and the girls LOVED them!

Just in case you ever wondered what a half-eaten Barbie cake looks like. And, yes, her legs are wrapped in Saran Wrap.

MY SWEET DORA.....

Dora is a precious little girl, teetering just on the edge of Little Girl and Big Girl. She still says things like, "Valentime" that you just hate to correct, knowing it won't last much longer. She loves to dress up, and she loves to spin. Much like the rest of us, she sings all the time. I love to hear the songs that come from the Joyful Heart of a Child.

Dora loves her big sisters and brother, and looks up to them so much. She sometimes has a hard time being the youngest, as she wants to do great things! Very driven and dedicated, Dora will one day change the world for Christ. She told me at dinner tonight, "I love this dinner, Mama, but I love Jesus more than anything else!" She is learning to love her God with all her heart, soul, mind and strength.

Dora is a gift, a blessing, to our family. We thank the Lord for the gift of training her to follow Him! Happy Birthday, Dora Bear!

Superbowl Commercial

NBC rejected this commercial from its Superbowl lineup. I think it's fantastic.

Happy Australia Day!

Happy Australia Day!

"Australia Day, also known as Anniversary Day and Foundation Day[1], is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, the unfurling of the British flag at Sydney Cove and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.[2]" (from Wikipedia)

We aren't Australian, but I am co-teaching a class about Australia this semester, so we are rather immersed in Australia right now. My kids were excited to learn that today was a holiday, and attempted in vain to get out of doing schoolwork for the day. :0)

The picture above is Sydney Harbour. You may recognize the Sydney Opera House, the funny looking building right on the water. It's really an amazing piece of architecture!

You Disney-ites will recognize this harbour from Finding Nemo. You know, they spend most of the movie looking for "P52 Wallaby Way, Sydney." When they get to Sydney, it is in this harbour.

Co-op Starts Tomorrow!

We are so excited! I am teaching Adventures Down Under, a class about Australia, to 1st -3rd graders and then to 4th-6th graders. I am also helping with a gymnastics class and preschool. Here's a list of what the kids are taking:

Baloo:
Auto Maintenance, Flag Football, Dance (Prom Prep), Web Design, Literature: The Hobbit

Padme:
Dance, Mosaics, Mary Englebreit crafts, Performance Ensemble (choir), Volleyball
*Note: She was supposed to take a science - how did I miss that? I generally require the kids to take a P.E. and a science each semester. She is doing Creation Science at home, though, so I guess it's okay. Can you tell this is my artsy kid?

Wendy:
Mosaics, Early Explorers, Schoolyard Games, Lego Creations, Adventures Down Under
*Note: Adventures Down Under counts as a science in my book. I'm teaching it. We're doing lots of science-y stuff.

Lil Yoda:
Mosaics, Dance, Body & Bones, Circus Fitness, Nature Journaling

Angel:
Cartwheels & More, Dance, Modern Works of Art, Lego Creations, March into Spring

Dora:
Cartwheels & More, Dance, Schoolyard Games, Lego Creations, Adventures Down Under

It's going to be a great semester!

Soup's On!

I have always had a disinclination towards soup. I don't know what it is, really. Maybe because I live in an area with many January days, like today, with temperatures in the seventies. We do have cold weather here in North Texas, but the few below-freezing days we have, like Monday of this week, are often followed by a 40 degree swing the next day, like Tuesday of this week, resulting in a sunny 70ish afternoon. Since the cold weather doesn't usually last long, we never really ate much soup growing up. It just wasn't needed. I know many find it warm and comforting, but I just don't get it.



That said, I have designated Tuesday and Thursday nights as Soup Nights, for two main reasons. First, we don't get home on those nights until around 8:00 and I grew weary of packing "dinners" to eat at the gymnastics facility where we spend Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Packing food for seven people, twice a week, isn't as fun as it sounds and rarely measures up to my nutrition standards. Second, soup feeds a lot of people for a small price. We have a lot of people. And we like small prices. So I decided to like soup. And, after much concerted mental effort, I have succeeded.



One problem. I have spent the past Three Decades Plus, disliking soup. It seems to be pretty easy to make a decent soup. I like that part - lots of room for error. However, I'd like to make some really great soups


So . . . please post your recipe for your favorite, really great, soup! I'm open to creative ideas as well as Old Favorites. But, remember, it must be really great. You get extra points if it's really, really great. Let's get those ideas flowing, Tuesday's only four days away!

Prestonwood Choir Personalities

Christmas Carols

Dora's versions:

"Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.
Round your vermin, mother and child.
Holy infany, tender and mild.
Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace."

"O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphal..."

(OK, triumphal could be a word. But it's not.)

Man, I love this kid!