What Not to do With an American Girl Doll

If you know me well, I am frugal and cheap!  I typically don't spend big sums of money on much, not to mention toys.  I will however, pay for classic toys or gadgets my girls will really use for a LONG time.  That said, we have quite a few American Girl Dolls.  My Ry is a baby doll girl.  She's outgrowing it, but she still plays with her first doll we bought her at age 2. And yes, the Hubs about died when I ordered Bitty Baby and all her glory for a mere $90.  Six years later, she still plays with her beloved Bitty.

Chloe isn't quite as in love with dolls, but she did play with them for quite some time. Now she's moved on to technological toys and the dolls aren't loved on quite as they used to be.

Back to dolls.  Grandma Beth bought Chloe her first American Girl at age 6. The beautiful Nicky doll came with brown hair and pretty curls.  Now what do you think the first thing a 6 year old does with a doll with curls?  She brushes said curls!  And Nicky was never the same.  Sweet Nicky had ruined hair by week 2.  Note to all mommas:  do not buy curly haired dolls that cost lots of money!

Five years later we decided to send Nicky to the doll hospital to have her hair fixed (a.k.a. a new head put on her little body).  It had a price tag of a mere $49 including shipping and luckily we had a gift card from some surveys that we partook in!  Score.

But we couldn't just send Nicky to the hospital with out having a little fun.  I told the girls to "go at it" and do whatever they'd like to Nicky's head.  Armed with scissors and markers, they did just that!

Now here's what NOT to do with an American Girl Doll:

I assure you that Nicky came back from the hospital looking perfectly healthy and cleaned up!  I'll leave you with proof that they really do work miracles at that hospital:

And by the way, the associate that had to package up dear Nicky told us to not be surprised if she ended up in a magazine ad for the doll hospital! Apparently even they had seen nothing like her! hee hee!

Room Re-do

Last year we spoofed up Chloe's room with a little paint, some inexpensive bedding and a couple diy projects all with her Christmas money.  She begged me to flip her room around and going against what I thought looked best, I said yes.

 

Well, a year later her room still bothered me.  I hated the fact that the bed was right next to the door and that it was not the focal point of her tiny room when you peered through the door.  You see, when we moved here nearly 6 years ago, I intended on my girls sharing a room as they did in FL.  However, when their beds arrived from the moving truck, I realized that their new room was too small for 2 beds.  Yikes! So with little $$$ to spend (we had just spent $4400 on a new engine for the beloved volvo day of closing...erg), I reluctantly purchased Target bedding and we got her a full sized bed that would double as a guest room when needed.  I have never really liked her room.  Ry's room was cutesy PBK from floor to ceiling and I adored it.

Anyhoo, a few weeks ago, I decided enough was enough and I enlisted the help of C's friend to flip her room around.  Once we maneuvered her bed which required removing EVERYTHING out of her room, I was instantly in love with the set up.

Amazingly, I was able to reuse many of the holes in her walls as I rehung the mirror, memo board and shelf.  Then I dreamed up a little diy monogrammed board that involved the Hubs and his architectural expertise.  I now must say that though the color scheme isn't my favorite, I do love her room.  Finally it feels sweet, simple and a little grown up.

In case you're wondering, C picked out the bedding...there's a quilt we aren't using anymore so she just has a down comforter.  The curtains were free from Bestie S and the bedskirt is a set of curtains sewn over top an old bedskirt.  The matelasse shams were $2 at a thrift store.  The monogrammed board was designed by me and crafted mostly by the Hubs.  Birdcages are actually Christmas felt decorations spray painted black and also free from Bestie S along with the black shelf.  Bookcase is PBK from years ago along with the baskets.  The pin board hanging on the opposite wall is crafted by me out of an old window, insulation board and cheap fabric.  Oh and the pink chair which does not fit in this room was free from C's friend.  I think the only things we actually purchased were the shams which were bed in a bag from Home Goods, the zebra blanket, and a few crafty supplies. Oh, and the paint was behr...probably the most expensive thing in this room! Everything else we either have had for years, or was gifted! 

Creative Arts Camp

I was looking for some photos recently and stumbled across some that were from a camp that the girls participated in this summer.  They attended a creative arts camp at a local church that I was so impressed with. This was their 3rd year attending this church's camp, but this year the program was entirely different.

It was such a blessing to find something that was not only super cheap, but included dance, art, photography, and music.  It also lasted nearly all day and centered around the famous Bible story, Jonah and the Whale western style.  The week concluded with a musical that every camper played a part in.

It's so hard these days to find summer activities for the girls that fit our budget.  And it's even more rare to find a camp that offers so many activities centered around teaching the Gospel. 

Ry and her BFF

Chloe left front..blue plaid

Ry in the front left red plaid

 The girls had a fabulous week learning new skills, meeting new friends, and sharing God's love.  It was bitter sweet at the end, knowing that my sweet C had just completed her last summer of all things kids camps and VBS since next summer as a 6th grader she would be too old (sniff sniff).

 

This One's for the Hubs

Ok, my sweet Hubs sent me these pictures a few weeks ago.  Or maybe it was a few months ago and I have failed to post them.  Bad, bad, bad!  He's always so encouraging when it comes to my blog that I figured I should find those pictures and post them for him.

This is Papap and I mentioned him here.  He was determined to see the inside of the girls' treehouse and partake in the fun!  Now how many 88 year old men do you know that can climb into a treehouse?  Meme had a fit as he climbed the small ladder up into it and I think the Hubs was praying Papap didn't fall!

I told you he's an active one!

Eighty-Three & Eighty-Eight

Y'all should know by now that any post titled with a number is either about a birthday or anniversary.  I'm so original, aren't I?

Over the last month we've celebrated the birthdays of both the Hubs' grandparents.  Meme turned 83 and Papap turned 88.  It's such a blessing for the girls to have 2 sets of great grandparents to love on them.

Meme and Papap live just down the road and they are sweet as pie and it's hard to believe that they are in their eighties with as active as they are.  Papap still climbs ladders and attempts to mow the lawn even though the Hubs does it for him.  Crazy, he is!  And Meme keeps the cleanest house ever!  Still gets on her hands and knees to clean those floors.  A woman after my own heart. 

They both light up when we come for a visit and they love my girls to pieces.  Makes me smile to see my sweet girls loving on their great grandparents.

We enjoyed celebrating both their special days with old fashioned cake and ice cream fun.

Aren't they the sweetest couple ever?  Married 66 years this September.  They are such an amazing  example of what God intended marriage to be.  True love and dedication despite all circumstances.  I'm so thankful for that legacy.

Happy Birthday Meme & Papap!

xo

Lori

False Teachings

This weekend I was excited to finally get a nice chat in with my sweet friend A.  She's a pastor's wife, my bible study leader, has a daughter C's age, and most importantly a friend I'm so blessed to have grown closer to.  We were chatting about life and began discussing bible study and the possibility of her moving on to teach youth. As I began to be saddened at the thought of her no longer teaching, she began to discuss something that God would later use to stir my heart.

She discussed a blog she had been reading for awhile and why she stopped.  It's a blog that at first she thought was funny, encouraging, and written by a strong Christian.  Then she started reading some posts that made her question the writer's faith. A has been to seminary and knows her stuff!  She began to read more things that the author was writing that were contradictory to what the Bible teaches.  And the scary thing is, people we know were taking this woman's writings at face value and as biblical truth.

We talked about how easily it is to fall victim to false teachings because as Christians we've become ignorant as to what we really believe.  Many times we rely on our pastor's Sunday morning teachings and then never open the bible again until the next week. We fail to really study God's word and seek understanding.

I became curious as to what this blog A was discussing was all about.  I googled said blog and read away.  This woman was sweet and tender hearted.  She was compassionate.  She was funny and kind.  She was also doing some amazing things to help those in need.  She loved Jesus. But, she was leading people astray in her words.  As soon as I read the words that said she didn't believe that those that didn't trust in Jesus would go to hell.  I knew that she was wrong.  The entire basis of Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus and accepting him as your savior.  All the good deeds in the world won't make up for not having that relationship.  Any church goer knows John 3:16, "God sent his one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  I kept reading and became sad for this sweet woman.  Sad that she had obviously, in all her research, missed the point.  And even sadder that thousands of women and men were missing it too.

That evening I felt God stirring in my heart. I felt convicted that, I too, have failed to seek truth daily.  When I'm involved in a study, I dive in and crave the word.  Then when things get hectic, I allow "stuff" to fill my day and push God's truth to the side.  I don't ever want church to be a ritual.  I want Jesus to always be my best friend.  I want to know more and more about my God and his story. I want my girls to see that their momma craves God's word and makes it a priority daily.  I want to be able to quickly identify something that goes against what I know to be true and also be able to prove it.

I'm so thankful that we have a God of grace.  A God that continues to seek me even when I don't seek him.  And I'm so blessed to have dear friends that God has given me that share wisdom and knowledge all while pointing me to Jesus.

I'm blessed indeed!

xo

Lori

A Crazy Week

It has be a crazy week around here as we continue adjusting to our new school schedule.  The girls have been fabulous at getting their work completed with little direction.

The tricky part has been me teaching history.  And can I say I am totally failing?  Yes.  I'm a horrible history teacher and I'm not sure what we're going to do.  Typically I'm so tired by the time we get to it, that I have zero energy to make up lessons.  And, I guess it would've helped if I had actually purchased teacher manuals.

It also doesn't help that the curriculum I purchased for C from ebay doesn't match the book I bought also on ebay.  I think I've mentioned that I hate buying books on ebay. 

Hopefully next week will go better in the area of history and I'll figure out what to do. 

Oh, did I mention that I somehow got thrush?  Yea, the stuff that babies get.  Why, I have no idea and I'm sure you really wanted to know that!

On a positive note, I got my hair cut and colored which always makes me feel better! 

Hope y'all had a great week!

xo

Lori

Cloudy with a Chance of Rain

If you live in or near Atlanta, you know how unpredictable the weather is.  And there's a saying here that goes something like this, "if you don't like the weather today, don't worry, it'll change tomorrow."  Not sure who told me that, but I've heard it more than once!

The forecast Friday night was cloudy with a 30% chance of rain.  That usually means, it's not going to rain.  With that in mind, the girls and the Hubs decided to have their first ever sleepover in the treehouse.  Ry had made a huge pile of blankets, sleeping bags, and about 8 pillows in preparation for the big night.

I, in case you were wondering, was NOT participating in the sleepover.  Besides, there wasn't enough room.  Darn!

At about 9pm they all headed outside, made all the beds, and got comfy.  I decided to sleep on the couch just in case someone needed me.  I'm not quite sure why, since the Hubs insisted I lock all the doors and set the house alarm.  I mean seriously?  He was in a tree, I was in a house.  I love that man!

I awoke at 1am to thunder, lightening and rain.  Lots of rain.  And the radar showed strong storms lasting maybe an hour.  So much for 30% chance of rain.  I covered my family in prayer and then texted the Hubs to make sure all was well.

Needless to say, the girls were quite frightened and some rain was coming inside.  However, they weathered the storm and stayed out all night.  I was so proud of my girls!  They came in the house full of energy and wide awake at 7:30 am talking of their adventurous sleepover. How they all ended up on Daddy's twin air mattress, that their beds were hard, that the rain got Daddy wet and how funny it was!

I'm pretty sure that they'll be exhausted tonight and it just might take the Hubs a few days to recover.  But it was all worth it!  Seeing those sweet faces all excited was such a great start to my day.

xo

Lori

Deactivated!

It has been 10 days since I deactivated my facebook account.  Yes, I went rogue and left the #1 social networking site.  It was hard.  I'm not gonna lie.  And, I miss it.  So  why deactivate?

Well, lots of reasons really.  I was inspired by a friend, but mainly I needed to focus.  Focus my time on things more meaningful and worthwhile than stalking my friends.  I mean seriously, if we're honest, that's what we do right?  It's not like I'm reading bible lessons on facebook, or learning how to teach my girls righteousness.  I'm not serving my husband, nor my family while reading about my friend whom I haven't seen in 15 years and her vacations.  It does me no good to see something and then stew about what I just read.  And I really don't need to be buying anything from the awesome facebook online garage sale!
 
Now no, facebook isn't the devil and it can be used for great things. I loved seeing my bestie's kiddos and reading some interesting articles that were shared.  I used it as a way to share my blog and keep up with some distant family.  And I enjoyed some of the humor my friends displayed on their walls. But, there wasn't enough good in it for me to balance how much time I spent.  It was an addiction and it had to go!

It's my conviction.  Mine alone.Don't worry cause I'm not judging my 100 something friends that I've left hanging.  But, I felt the tug of God on my heart saying, let it go for now.  Ya know that verse in the Bible that says:

 ^"If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." 
Matthew 5:29

 Well, facebook was the eye in this case.  And in case you're missing the point and taking me too seriously in using this verse, I don't think facebook will cause me to go to hell.  I have salvation by trusting in Jesus alone and facebook won't cause me to lose that!

Facebook was causing me to stumble and I have felt God stirring in my heart.  Deactivating facebook was my way of making room.  Making room for God to move.  Making room for God to work on me. 

I'm not planning to give it up forever. Maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months.  I'm not sure, but for now if you search for me on facebook, I won't exist!  And that's perfectly fine with me!

Wordless Wednesday...Yep That's My Dryer

Back to School, Part 2

Yesterday I posted about school starting in our house!  Woo hoo!  We are back in session and today was part 2.  We had our first day back at school, Cornerstone, and we were all excited to see old friends and make new ones.

Chloe, 6th grade

Rylie, 3rd grade

Staying true to family tradition, the Hubs went in late to work in order to drive the girls to school.  Just another reason I'm in love with that man!  He has walked the girls into school since day one of Chloe's Kindergarten class...both of them.  It's important for him to be there and they love it.  Of course he typically makes a stop at McDonald's for some type of morning treat to make it extra special.
 
The day for the girls was fabulous.  They truly enjoyed making new friends, getting to know their teachers and seeing friends they've missed this summer.

Chloe is taking yearbook this year and she was excited for that class to begin.  Rylie is finally old enough to cheer for the school, so of course she's elated!  She came home chanting cheers for a good hour.

As for me, it was super crazy busy!  I barely had time to breathe, but I enjoyed every minute....well, almost.  Taking out lunch trash was not fun, but chatting with a new friend made it all the better!  Other than that, it was a pleasure showing the new girls the ropes and meeting some of our new kiddos.
 
I was reminded how amazing our journey has been the last few years.  How thankful I am that we got to this place.  God has blessed us through this sweet school and I look forward to him shaping and refining us!

xo

Lori

Back to School 2012-2013, Part 1

It cracks me up to think it's like 100 degrees outside and we're calling it the end of summer!  Ummm, hello, it is still summer and yes, we're going to back to school!

Today the girls and I had our first day of school and luckily it was a light load of lesson plans.  In fact, Ry had nothing on hers so we started a History lesson and worked on handwriting.  She finished up by organizing her books, backpack and binder.

Chloe on the other hand had lessons in all subjects, but they were light.  Yipee!  We dove into math, earthquakes in science, and a simple spelling lesson.  She also organized her binder and backpack.

I'm so thankful for the quiet day to catch up on some housework before the madness begins.  We all will head off to school tomorrow.  I'm excited to be working as a 4th grade assistant again this year on our Cornerstone days (tues/thurs).  The women I'll be serving alongside of seem like amazing Christian girls and I'm blessed!

Praying you all have a great start to the school year as well!

xo

Lori

So What Are We Teaching?

Updated: 8/6: I realized that when I cut/paste their book list it didn't format correctly.  I've retyped and hopefully it will make more sense!  Also, all tests are taken at school, not home!

I've had some mommas ask me what curriculum we're using for school.  It's funny because I had to think about it since I get a list from the school and then we just order, order, order and order some more!  I can honestly say that it's my least favorite part of school. 

It consumes hours of time and I cringe at every shipping charge.  And no, I can't order it all on one site.  And no, I rarely use ebay.  Ebay drives me insane and I only use it if I need a book I can't order new due to it being part of a package deal. 

So, here's what we're using:

Chloe

ENGLISH:      Grammar 6, Tests, Bob Jones
Spelling Workout F, Modern Press
Reading Books:     Wilfred Grenfell: Fishter of Men, Nate Saint: On a Wing and a Prayer, Letters from Rifka, Twenty One Balloons, Exploring the Titanic, The Cay, Snow Treasures, A Wrinkle in Time
        

Math: Abeka 6

Science: Bob Jones

History: New World History and Geography, Abeka

Rylie

English:  Shurley Grammar
Spelling Workout C
Zaner Bloser Handwriting and Handwriting without Tears
Read and Think 3 Skill Sheets, Abeka

Reading: Gladys Alylward: Daring to Trust, Stone Fox, Leif the Lucky, Misty of Chinocoteague, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, The Sword and the Tree

Math: Abeka 3

Science: Level 3 Science, A Purposeful Design

History: Story of the World
                                                                

             

I will be instructing History on my own, but am using what the school will be teaching just to make things easier.  For Chloe, I ordered an older edition for history on ebay to save costs.

 For reading, the girls will be assigned reading books (listed above) at school.  We'll read at home and typically they have a packet to fill out on each book as well as a project and test.

All tests are taken at school so the math tests and drills are kept at school for integrity purposes.

I honestly have hardly cracked a book and some are still in route.  We begin August 7th and we're all excited and ready.  With one year under our belt, I'm feeling a little more confident this year and can't wait to see what God has in store! 

Treehouse Face Lift

Remember the tree house that the Hubs recently built?  Well, the girls have finally started putting their personal touches onto it.  Remember, I've given them free reign on decorating the INSIDE of the tree house.

They used their own money and purchased "oops" paint at Home Depot in purple and they scored free paint from Bestie S in a bright blue.  They even purchased the brushes and supplies themselves.

Smart little Ry enlisted the help of a friend for the first round of painting.  And then we finished the rest up this past weekend as a family.  I'm so proud of their hard work and determination in making this little space their own. 

The best part, was the decorating.  We scoured the house for a few things to hang on the walls and help girl-i-fy the room.  They have lots of plans to add other details such as blankets and pillows, bins of various toys and more pictures for the ceiling.  We're even searching for a dust buster so that they can vacuum their carpet and clean out the little spider webs.

Grandpa built a little table and Ry painted it.  Yep, just like her momma.  She got paint everywhere!

doesn't she look thrilled?

in case you're wondering, the stripes took forever!

notice the idog.  Yep, every kid has an idog in their treehouse, right?

Memories are all ready being made in their little house and the Hubs couldn't be prouder!