Makeover Birthday Surprise!!!!

Last Thursday I celebrated my 39th birthday. Several months ago I had told Todd that all I wanted for my birthday was a clean bedroom. We have lived in our house for 7 years and our bedroom has always functioned as our bedroom and a storage room. Ugh! There wasn't even one picture hanging on the wall. It was a gloomy place. Todd began working on my "gift" right away going through many of his boxes of electronic stuff, old hobby stuff and cleaning each box out one by one. I re-organized one of our closets. A week before my birthday the room was cleaned out of all the stuff that didn't belong. A few days before my birthday, my good friend Lesa surprised me by telling me that on my birthday she was going to take me away for the day to the IKEA store in Orlando and my mom was coming with us. She had arranged for childcare for the kids and she'd see me bright and early on Thursday. I couldn't believe it! I've wanted to go to IKEA since it opened! Thursday morning came and my mom shows up at my house and announces that Lesa can't go. The repairman was coming to fix her freezer and she had to be there. I suggested canceling the trip but mom insisted we go. It had been a long time since we had enjoyed a day together, just the two of us. I kissed the kids goodbye as well as my dad who was the official care giver for the day and we headed off, stopping for breakfast at Cracker Barrel of course. Now, little did I know that when Todd had left for work that morning he really had gone off to Lowes and that he and friends of mine were waiting in the wings for the go ahead that I was gone so that they could come in and give me a room makeover. All day while mom and I were enjoying our day at IKEA my dear friends and family (Todd,Jared, Dad, Jessie, Lesa, Terri, Jen, Kyle and Curtis) were working like crazy painting and making over my room as well as the bathroom. Jen and Lesa helped the kids make a beautiful, mosaic bed tray for me. You can see it in some of the pics. When I got home around 6:30 that evening I picked up Jordan who is always so glad to see me when I've been gone and he pointed to my closed bedroom door and said, "You have to go in there." I opened my door to a beautiful room, and shouts of "Happy Birthday" from a room full of friends. I could not believe that I was looking at my room! Our friend Curtis who is an excellent photographer had been here all day filming and taking pictures of the whole thing as well as some great pics of the kids which he printed, framed and placed in the room. All day at IKEA I had picked up and then put back things for decorating room because I couldn't seem to make a final decision. I had told my mom, "Maybe when the room is completely painted I'll kind of have a better idea of what I want". I'm so glad I didn't get anything! The choices made by Todd and my friends were perfect! They are far too good to me! Looking back there were many strange little things said and done by my friends which were all part of their sneaky little surprise. My mom also received several calls on her cell phone as we got closer to home where she reported how far away we were. (smile) What a wonderful gift! I'm not referring to the room either, but instead the wonderful, God-given blessing of love and friendship that I have the privilege of sharing with these dear people. Thank you everyone for making my birthday unforgettable. Did I mention that they also had a wonderful dinner prepared for everyone and a birthday cake? You all are AWESOME!HAPPY BIRTHDAY!Friends watch as I get a tour.My beautiful bed tray. Do you see the heart?

Laughing at their stories of all the mishaps that happened during the day and the ways they had tricked me over the last month and a half!

Those beatiful pics of the kids I told you about. Thanks Curtis!Todd's special design in the room. Nice huh?

December Already!

I don't know why it is so hard for me to post regularly. Could it be that I have 5 children ages 2 - 15? That I homeschool? Am involved at church? Have lots of laundry to do all the time? Could be. Although most of the time I just don't think I have much to say that would be of any interest to anyone. I think that's the main thing that keeps me from posting regularly. Life around here is very normal, day-to-day stuff. Kids wanting to be fed, schoolwork, settling arguments, caring for animals, cleaning, and oh, did I mention the laundry?

I can hardly believe that seven months have passed since I started this blog. It was spring time. Everything was green, our garden was in and I had volunteer black-eyed susans coming up all over the place! Now, most everything is brown, except for a few splashes of orange, red and yellow sprinkled throughout the woods. I love each season and the changes that they bring.

Our garden now is only 3 boxes with cabbage, lettuce, brocolli and strawberries.
Even so, I am already looking forward with anticipation to the warming weather of spring and thinking of what we will plant when the time is right.

Juliana, Jacob and I have been doing a creation study about birds. We have so enjoyed seeing all the migratory birds that have been visiting our feeder each day to partake of the peanut butter suet called marvel meal that we make for them. Our conversations often turn towards a discussion of the greatness of God as we marvel at His wondrous feathered creations. Each one so unique and beautiful. I think it has been one of our favorite studies. (In case you are interested, it is Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day from Apologia curriculum.)

We have all had our first cold now. We can usually count on the first congestion to arrive by Thanksgiving and this year it did not disappoint us. I think the only one who was spared was Jacob. (how DID he mangage that?). That's one of the problems of sickness in large families. By the time it runs through everyone in the household you could have spent a month at home and have a desperate case of cabin fever! Thankfully, we are all better now and looking forward to the celebration of Christ's birth.
May the Lord richly bless all of you with the sweetness of knowing Him this season.

A Day at Busch Gardens

Several weeks ago when the weather was so nice I took the kids on a field trip down to Busch Gardens. Jordan had been asking for some time about going wanting to ride the choo-choo train and see the elephants. Juliana and Jacob were looking forward to seeing the birds since we have been doing a bird study together. Jessie was all about riding the roller coasters and Jared was just along for the ride. Some homeschool friends met us there and we enjoyed the day together.

While we were looking at the flamingo's one of them decided to start preening the kids hair. We had just been learing about preening in our bird study so this experience was very fun and interesting. Deven, Jordan's little friend who was with us thought the whole thing was hilarious! He laughed and laughed as the flamingo preened his sister Shaye's hair as well as Jacob and Juliana's.

We got to pet an inguana and ask questions about it. We had never seen a lizzard being walked on a leash before.

In addition to our day being educational, it was just plain fun as you can see from the pictures below.

Is that a Touch of Fall in the Air?

It seems it has become a tradition around here that we have a special dinner on the first day of Fall which gets us in the mood for setting out our fall decorations and looking forward to that first cool, crisp morning which lets you know that summer is officially over and the holidays are just around the bend. Last night we had this "fall dinner" which included roasted turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce, acorn squash, green beans, hot mulled cider and carrot cake for dessert. It was delicious!

The temperature even cooperated yesterday with an overcast sky, a few sprinkling of rain drops and a lovely breeze. I took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking a walk and looking for some of the changes which confirm that fall (in Florida) is on the way. The leaves on our Sycammore trees have begun their turn from green to yellow to rust. A small pile of leaves is beginning to form. I love to hear the fallen leaves blow across the yard and pile up at the bottom of our front porch. I walked to an area of our property where I seldom go only to discover a thicket full of end of summer wildflowers. Butterflies were everywhere and lots of crickets, though unseen, were making their presence known by their constant chatter.

I then made my way out to the chicken coop to check for eggs. Of late, I have had to remind hens that they work for me, not the other way around. Their egg production has been quite inconsistent and I was telling them they needed to kick it up a notch. They seemed unimpressed with my speech. Here is a picture of Rooster Boy and some of the Ladies. Isn't he just "to die for"? These ladies seem to think so.

From there I walked to the part of the yard where I spend most of my time. Todd found this garden pond at a yard sale a little over a year ago and picked it up for $30. It has brought us so much enjoyment. We love to sit out by the pond listening to the waterfall and watching the fish. In the evenings we enjoy watching spiders at work constructing their webs and frogs croaking as if to say, "any other frogs out there?" . There were frog eggs floating on the surface of the pond yesterday, evidence that a little frog romance had been going on out there the night before. :) Jacob especially will enjoy watching the transformation of those eggs into tadpoles and the tadpoles into frogs.

Eventually, the rain came and I reluctantly made my way inside. I had enjoyed my "first-day-of-fall walk" and seeing my Father's handiwork in the beauty of His creation.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008...
Outside My Window...I finally bought a new bag of sunflower seeds for the birdfeeder. So nice to see the birds back there again. How DID they know that I had refilled the feeder after all this time?
I am thinking... that I really shouldn't be sitting here typing this right now but rather getting to my "to-do" list but....I really want to post SOMETHING!
I am thankful for... words of encouragement. A youth leader yesterday told us some great things he had observed in our oldest son, Jared. (Note: if you work with kids, take time to tell their parents the great things you notice. I assure you, they'll be blessed by your words.)
From the kitchen... a chicken casserole and hopefully a yummy, homemade carrot cake
I am wearing... my bum around the house shorts and shirt
I am creating... boxes filled with stuff to go to the thrift store as I clean out a closet.
I am going... nowhere
I am reading... a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I can't tell you how many books I am half-way through right now.
I am hoping... to get some seeds started by the end of this week for fall planting.
I am hearing... Juliana, Jordan and Jacob are watching The Grinch
Around the house... that closet cleaning that I mentioned before
One of my favorite things... laughing with friends
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: closet cleanout and organization, removal of all items that are being given away (you know how they usually sit in that box by your door for a few weeks once you clean them out :( ), some baking, a meeting to plan some special church social events
Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Juliana is such a "ham", she is always making us laugh. Here she is with her funny teeth in.

I'm so glad to be able to participate with the others in this Notebook entry. You can visit The Simple Woman's blog
HERE!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 11, 2008
Outside My Window... I can't see out my window. The drapes are pulled closed to keep the heat out!
I am thinking... Of all of the items that I would like to get listed on Ebay today as well as the stuff I need to finish for school to start next week.
I am thankful for... my dear family
From the kitchen... something with chicken....and hopefully some time for some fresh baked cookies.
I am wearing... pajamas...still....at 12:11 in the afternoon
I am creating... Ebay listings
I am going... nowhere I hope
I am reading... lots of ads for used curriculum trying to pick up the rest of what I need at a great price!
I am hoping... that I won't have a headache like I did yesterday...ugh!
I am hearing...my kids watching a movie in my room while they snuggle in my bed
Around the house... laundry and school shelf organization
One of my favorite things... a good cup of coffee in the morning
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: a girl day with Juliana and some of her friends to go see Kit Kitredge: American Girl, Jacob having a friend sleep over to play and enjoy the pool then finish off the week with a trip to Adventure Island.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I'm so glad to be able to participate with the others in this Notebook entry. You can visit The Simple Woman's blog
HERE!

Long Time..No Post

It seems that it has been forever since I have sat down to post some of the new happenings here. Weeks ago I posted our excitement as well as disbelief over finding out that we were expecting our 6th child, due Valentine's Day 2009. Five weeks after writing that post I experienced a miscarriage at 10 weeks gestation. Of course we were all very sad. However,we are all doing very well now and are looking forward to the start of another homeschool year. Jared will be in the 10th grade (not possible!), Jessie finishing up middle school, Juliana in 4th, Jacob in 2nd and Jordan just finished potty training! YAY Jordan!!!!
We are working on getting our garden ready for it's fall planting. Our spring garden produced a lot of cukes, beans, black-eyed peas, tomatoes and tomatillos. I can't wait to see what our fall garden does as gardening seems to be a continual learning process. Will let you know how it goes!

Free Homeschool Seminar from the Comfort of Home

It has been a long time since I have sat down to post. I have missed it and hope to get back to not only posting regularly again soon, but checking the posts of blogging friends.
I wanted to let you all in on a great opportunity coming up this weekend to be encouraged in your homeschooling. Cindy Rushton is hosting virtual seminar that you can attend for free. http://www.cindyrushton.com/LGO2008.html Click on the link then sign up at the bottom of the page after you read about all of the great topics that will be discussed.
I have never been able to attend one of her virtual seminars but have heard great things about the encouragement she offers so I plan on making this my first one. Won't you join me?
Will let you know what I learn.

The End to a Busy Week

Whew! This has been one busy week! Juliana and Jacob have been at Kidz Camp all week along with Jared who is camp staff, in charge of games and then helping where needed.
On Monday I was a driver for a field trip to the ice-skating rink. Then Wednesday I was a driver and chaperone for a field trip to the zoo. Boy was it HOT!!! But everyone had a great time.
Kids are dropped off at the church each morning at 8:30 AM and picked up at 5:30 PM. Breakfast is served when they get there. This is one of Jacob's favorite parts of camp. Why do you ask? Is he a breakfast lover? Well, no, not exactly. You see at camp he can choose from Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Lucky Charms, etc....cereal that I will not buy. He comes home bragging about the amount of "junk cereal" he was able to consume that morning. :) He'll suffer from withdrawals next week I'm sure.
As soon as camp finishes this evening Juliana and Jacob will begin planning and saving for Kidz Camp next year. They LOVE it!!

An announcement that I can't believe I am making!!!!

YES THIS MAKES #6

YES, WE ARE STILL IN SHOCK! I'M ACTUALLY FEELING A BIT ILL, AND MORNING SICKNESS HASN'T SET IN YET

WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING ALL REASONABLE "J" NAME SUGGESTIONS

PAM - DO YOU HAVE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY?

KAREN....DON'T YOU SAY A WORD!!!!

YES...FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE ASKING...WE KNOW WHAT CAUSES THIS.....
SEE BELOW....

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
THE NEWEST SCOTT SHOULD MAKE HIS/HER WAY ONTO THE SCENE SOMETIME AFTER THE 17th of FEBRUARY, 2009
Love you all dear friends and family,
Todd and Tracee

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY June9, 2008...
Outside My Window... I can't see outside my window. I already have the drapes pulled closed. It's HOT out there!
I am thinking... of all the things I would like to accomplish today.
I am thankful for... having been able to take Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class. I LIKE having a working budget!
From the kitchen... chicken shish-kabobs, rice, garden green beans
I am wearing... pajamas
I am creating... some Ebay auctions, I hope
I am going... to the grocery store, post office, bank, Wal-mart and probably Target
I am reading... about the Charlotte Mason method of schooling
I am hoping... that Juliana feels better. She woke up complaining of a tummy ache.
I am hearing... Jacob's new Nintendo game. (Bwwwiiinngg...boink....doodoodooldledooo...wop...wop...wop...clink....boink....-you get the idea)
Around the house... laundry, dejunking in my bedroom (always the last room to get any attention), pulling out some homeschool things I want to list on Ebay.
One of my favorite things... afternoon thunderstorms, when the house gets real dark, the air smells of rain and it's a perfect time for snugglin' with your kidos....movie anyone?
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: still working on that chicken coop. That has kind of become my dad's and my project since hubby is busy working on the pool deck. Thanks dad!
Here is picture thought I am sharing... I am not even going to do this part this week. Can someone please tell me HOW you get a picture to be somewhere other than right at the top of your post?
I'm so glad to be able to participate with the others in this Notebook entry. You can visit The Simple Woman's blog
HERE!

Simple Woman's Day Book Entry

FOR TODAY ...
Outside My Window... I am watching the leaves of my sycamore tree flutter in the HOT, DRY breeze.
I am thinking... boy, would I love to have a thunderstorm this afternoon.
I am thankful for... air conditioning
From the kitchen...Juliana has been asking for some breaded, fried okra
I am wearing... pajamas....still
I am creating... a splash deck for our our pool...actually I'm assisting the creator. I am the official lumber getter, level holder, mark maker, water fetcher and all round encourager when creator husband gets frustrated with said construction project.
I am going... to Publix most likely
I am reading...deck plans (smile)
I am hoping... to make a lot of progress in the area of potty training this week
I am hearing... the air conditioner blowing out of the vent just over my head, Juliana yelling Jordan's name because he was about to drop his diaper in the toilet, and Jessie finally waking up...it's 10:32 am
Around the house... running the vacuum. Hubby needed to put a new plug on so it hasn't been run for a day or two
One of my favorite things... children giggling
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: have our official last day of school, see what still needs to be completed, make a list of summer projects, organize a stack of papers that have piled up.
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I'm so glad to be able to participate with the others in this Notebook entry. You can visit The Simple Woman's blog
HERE!

Our Memorial Day Weekend Project Part 2

I said that I would post some pictures of our filled pool. However, I did not realize that those photos haven't yet been downloaded to my computer and of course I don't have time for that right now. I have however posted pics of it being filled and then of Jordan getting to take a little ride in the "big digger" with his daddy. I wish you could have seen his face. He kept rolling his tongue around in his cheek as though if he were to smile as much as he wanted to, his face might crack.

This weekend we will be working on creating some decking and safety measures to keep baby out of the pool area unless we grant him permission. Right now we are using a step ladder that is moved away when not in use. As I'm sure you've determined on your own, this is NOT a good way to be getting in and out of the pool. Oi! Unfortunately, the cost of PT lumber has gone up considerably since we last did any sort of decking project so we want to be sure what we do is done well and done right so that we can enjoy it for many years.

Will keep you posted!

Our Memorial Day Weekend Project

Putting up a HUGE pool!!!!! Everyone picthed in and helped. Thanks everybody! I'll try to post the pictures in chronological order. Will post pics of the finished product tomorrow.

Pic 1: Daddy is showing Jacob how the level works.

Pic 2: Still leveling......

Pic 3: Unrolling a VERY heavy pool wall.

Pic 4: The wall is up!

Pic 5: Jared washes down the inside of the walls and levels and smooths out the pool bottom before the liner goes in.

The only thing these pictures don't show you is how DIRTY we all were. I still can hardly believe that we had the site leveled, the pool errected, the liner in and the pool filled in 48 hours. That's teamwork!

Lots to Say

This will probably be a somewhat long, but hopefully not rambling post as I was sick for about 48 hours and haven't had a chance to share the going ons of the Scott house for several days.
Jakey did pick our first ripe tomato the other day and we have since enjoyed 2 more by the way of BLT's. I did not however get a pic of him picking it though as my camera kept shutting off on me. Grrrr....I think the batteries need to be changed. Now that the first few have ripened so many more are beginning to blush at us. I see homemade salsa in our future!
The results of the gardening survey are in. With 11 people casting their vote, the majority of you said that no, you haven't ever grown a food garden, but would love to. Thanks to all of you who participated.
It has been so nice just walking out to the garden to get lettuce and tomato's for salad or our BLT's. Last night Jacob, my little assistant chef helped me in the kitchen making vegetable stir fry with pork and noodles, sushi and spring rolls. He cut veggies, toasted sesame seeds, fanned the sushi rice as we cooled it, made the spring rolls in the toaster oven and then set the table. I love working with him in the kitchen and he loves being there.
Our project for the Memorial Day weekend will be putting up a beautiful 27' round, top of the line, above ground pool that we just purchased off of craigslist.com yesterday. The owners had only used it 3 months before the husband was transferred. They have moved with it twice and now their back yard isn't big enough for it. The price was fantastic! It even came with a creepy crawly automatic cleaner! I will take and post pictures of the progress. This will be the 3rd used pool we have put up in our 18 years of marriage. We should be getting fairly good at it by now.
It is 8:08 am and Jordan (almost 2) is standing beside me already asking for a popscicle. He says, "pop-hee-hee". When I say,"No, popscicle" he says, "Oh man....". Cracks this mamma up every time. :)
In the midst of our joy and excitement over the Lord providing our family with a wonderful pool, our hearts have also been saddened for the family of Steven Curtis Chapman who lost their youngest adopted daughter on Wednesday night when their teenage son accidentally struck her with their SUV in the driveway. I cannot imagine their grief. Todd and I had the privilege of seeing him in concert the beginning of May and so much of the concert focused on how God had blessed the life of their family through the adoption of their 3 little girls from China. He talked about how their adoption experience is a constant reminder of what God has done for us in making us joint-heirs with Christ because we have been adopted as sons and daughters of the Living God. We will be praying for this family for comfort, especially for the son who was driving.
Lastly, if you have about 8 minutes I want to encourage you to watch the video titled "Absolutely Amazing" over on the right side of my page. See it over there? It was shared with me by a friend and I couldn't help but post it here for you to see. Your heart will be blessed and encouraged by it, I PROMISE!!!
I am so glad that it's Friday and a long holiday weekend is ahead of us. I never got to the berry picking this week but maybe I'll still be able to get some before the season comes to an end.
Have a great weekend everyone!

It's Raining!!!! :)

I am sitting here in my very dimly lit kitchen enjoying the darkness that has fallen over the house because guess what.......! IT IS RAINING!!!! THERE HAS EVEN BEEN SOME THUNDER!!!! It hasn't rained here since late March or early April. I wish it would do this all day. Everything has bee so dry and dusty. (Ooooo...there was more thunder:) ) My garden won't recognize this water source!
Speaking of the garden, today or tomorrow we should harvest our first ripe tomato. I will let Jacob do the honors and be sure to get a picture. He has had such a hard time being patient as they have been large and green for what seems like forever to him.
It is officially time for school to start. It is so hard for me to stay on track with finishing up our studies as the school year draws to a close. The garden is always calling to me as well as other projects that are needing to be done. Lord, help me stay on task. June 4th is just around the corner. I can make it!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside My Window . . .the bird feeder is very busy this morning. Chickadees, Tuffted Titmice, and Cardinals are having their breakfast.

I am thankful for... my husband who works so hard.

From the kitchen... some sort of chicken stir fry with fresh veggies from the garden and homemade sushi.

I am wearing... my pajamas.

I am going... hopefully nowhere, oh wait, no, I have to go to the post office.

I am reading... Square Foot Gardening and Let it Rot - A Guide to Composting

I am hoping...to have all of the laundry washed, folded and put away by the end of the day today

I am hearing... Jessie tell her sister Juliana that the song she is singing, she is singing incorrectly and the washing machine draining (3rd load this morning) and the dryer tumbling.

Around the house...as always, there is cleaning, straightening up to be done. Seven people and two dogs live here for goodness sake. Cleaning is a way of life around here!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week. . . go blackberry and blueberry picking, make some freezer jam, list things on Ebay, help hubby and dad build a coop for my chickens.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... it's at the top of this post. Still learning about this blogging/posting stuff and at this time I can't quite figure how to get my dirty, little-hotdog-eating-boy down here.

Unexpected Blessings

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have so kindly welcomed and encouraged me as a new blogger with your comments. A special thank you goes out to my friend Cora who so graciously introduced me to her blogging friends and has become my "go-to blogging guru". I appreciate your help.
In addition to the unexpected blessing of meeting new friends through my blog (I honestly didn't really think of that aspect when I started) I had the unexpected blessing of finding some peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos growing in my compost pile this morning. They were hiding under the cantaloupe and honeydew vines that have sprouted there. (I know this is NOT the intended purpose for a compost pile but since I already have a pile of usable compost ready, I have decided to let these volunteers do their thing). Anyway, I carefully lifted the little seedlings out of their dwelling place and transplanted them in their own little square in the garden. They may or may not do well, however, it was just a pleasant little surprise this morning to find them growing there. My husband jokingly said that maybe next year we should just spread compost piles everywhere, throw in our scraps and let nature do it's work. We even have potatoes growing in our pile!
Just as each little plant that I uncovered and moved this morning is special and unique, so are each of you who have stopped by my blog and left kind words. I look forward to discovering the special and unique things about each of you as I move around to your blogs.
Thanks for the welcome,
Tracee~mammaof5js

Gardening and Math?

This year we decided that due to rising food costs we were going to try our hand at gardening once again and this time we were going to invest the necessary time and money into the prep work so that our garden would, Lord willing, produce a harvest of veggies rather than weeds and an insect buffet as had happened in the past. We did lots of research and decided to go with the square foot method. So, for all you homeschoolers out there who are wanting to put in a spring garden while at the same time learning about not only botany but math, I encourage you to read on.

Square foot gardening is based on most beds being 4' x 4' giving you 16 sq. feet to work with. That right there is a small lesson in AREA.

After daddy built our boxes my 6 year old son and 8 year old daugter measured (there's a lesson) and marked of our boxes at one foot intervals all the way around. They then hammered in nails at each mark and used string to make a grid giving 16 squares to plant in. Here's where some practical math skills come into play. One box we planted full of bush beans and black-eyed peas. Here's a question:

If we plant 4 seeds in each square and there are 16 squares in this box, how many bean plants will this box hold?

More problems:

*4 squares are planted with cucmbers. If each plant produces 8 lbs. of cucumbers during the growing season, how many pounds will we have harvested?

One 4X4 box is planted with tomaotes. If each tomato plant produces 10 tomatoes, how many tomatoes will we have harvested?

I'm sure you are seeing my point. If your children like mine say things like, "Math is dumb. I'm never going to use this stuff....", it is easy to show them how practical math is for so many things.

We have also been doing the Exploring Creation through Botany study this year from Apologia Ministries. What great prep work for our gardening project. Back when we started the study we didn't have any plans to garden this spring. God is so good to have prepared us this way. We've been seeing what we learned about His glorious creation at work throughout the whole process.
Psalm 19 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."

I'd like to paraphrase and also say that "The plants and vegetation declare the glory of God: the flowers proclaim the works of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowlege. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world."

Getting the hang of this blogging stuff!

After lots of time spent on this today, I think I am finally getting the hang of how to do this. I even have music playing, are you impressed?We have been very busy around here this spring. March brought the celebration of Jacob's 7th birthday, our 18th anniversary and the work of putting in a garden. After lots of research online we decided to use the square foot gardening method. (Check out http://www.squarefootgardening.com/) It gives you lots of production in a small amount of space with the added benefits of very little weeding and prep work as well as the ability to be utilizing every square foot of garden space all season long.

Come April it was time to celebrate Jared's 15th birthday as well as help him get prepared to take the test for his learner's permit. (Yikes!) Our garden was beginning to finally look like one. Little green seedlings were poking there heads up through the soil. Blossoms, where one day fruit would appear were shining their bright faces. Each morning brought new joy for my two little gardeners and me as we walked around the garden looking at what God had grown overnight. Then it happened, the forecast called for an unseasonably late cold front. Temps here fell into the 30's overnight for 2 nights in a row! Thankfully our tender plants were spared much damage. Whew! We also got a new family member. Her name is Ebony and she came to us all the way from the Poynter farm in TN. Isn't she cute?

It is now May. We have celebrated Juliana's 9th birthday twice. Once at Adventure Island with friends and then again this past Sunday when we had a double celebration with family for her birthday and Mother's Day. Jared drove for the first time this past Sunday coming home from church. There were several times during the drive that I realized I was holding my breath and my stomach felt as if I had been doing crunches! The garden is beautiful! So far we have picked and enjoyed green beans, salad greens, cucumbers, onions and yellow squash. I expect our first ripe tomato within the next week. Jacob is beginning to think that the kind of tomatoes we are growing are GREEN tomatoes.

Learning to Blog

I wanted to find a way to allow friends and family to keep up with what is going on around here at the Scott house. After looking at many different sites and hearing all about the various options from my computer saavy daughter, I finally decided to go with a blog. This will allow me to post pics of us and what we're up to these days. Some of you may be beginning to forget what we look like, having not seen us for such a long time. I hope this will enable us to stay connected.