Category: General

Today marks our 2nd Sunday with Nana and Pompo here. After church we went to Sizzle for some lunch and then drove to Cabela’s, to look for a new coat for Isabel and me. Didn’t get anything for Isabel but I got a lovely yellow water-resistant jacket.

Earlier in the week Isabel received her Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa. Since she wore it to church today, I thought I would take a few photos with Nana and Pompo by the tree in the living room.

She got compliments on her new outfit all day.
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

I love this photo.

Love this photo too!

This one is a keeper too!

Now it’s time for a game of “Sequence” before bed… actually she just watched us play…

Well, sort of! “Sequence” chips for eyes!

Tonight after dinner and just before Isabel went to bed, she and Nana made gingerbread men. Enjoy!

Rolling out the dough.
Nana working on getting just the right thickness.

Pressing the cutter into the dough.
Not to hard though!

Getting the extra dough off the cut out gingerbread men.

All arranged on the pan and ready to go…

Into the oven to bake.

We decorated them a few days later (see this post here).

We finally decided on a color of drapes in the front room! It only took us 7 years of living in our house to figure it out but we are very happy with the results. Let us know what you think! Enjoy…

We purchased the lighter blue/green drapes at Bed Bath & Beyond and the darker chocolate drapes at JCPenney and it all started with a pillow we both decided we really liked!

Before: we just had our wood white blinds.

Before: not very good at keeping cold air out and not a “warm” room to sit in.

First Stage: the rods are up for the back drape and Gino’s able to hang two of the panels.

Close-up of the blue/green panel on the left window.
The aluminium rod is a bay window rod that is connected all the way around.

Second Stage: all the back blue/green panels are hung.
A bit of a gap between the larger window and the 2 smaller windows but it’ll be hidden.

Third Stage: front metal rods installed along with front chocolate colored drapes.
Looking good!

Close-up of blue/green drape with chocolate diamond drape.
(they need to be pressed!)
Love it!

… and the pillow that started it all!
Gorgeous!

Last weekend while we were at Walmart, Isabel decided that she wanted to spend some of her money on some new modeling clay. She said her old clay was getting hard to work with and it was time for some new! We told her that was a great idea, since she loves making all kinds of things with it!

This weekend she wanted to get her new dough out and make something… She started out making her normal cakes and cupcakes like she usually does, then she told me, she was going to make a surprise…

She told me I couldn’t take a picture of what she was making until she was finished.

She made a gingerbread girl holding a candy cane!
She spent over 2 hours working on this one creation!

Tonight Isabel said she wanted to show me how to do “ballet“…

She had shown me earlier how to do it but this time she drew some pictures to help me know how to do it… Enjoy!

There are 5 steps and all of them except the last one have additional steps to do.
I just love the drawings that went with each step!!

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Step 1 (4 steps):
1. Stand with arms curved above your head.
2. Stand on tip-toes.
3. Raise left leg out to side.
4. Twirl (spin in a circle).

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Step 2 (3 steps):
1. Stand with right foot in front of left foot.
2. Curve right arm (close to body).
3. Raise left arm straight out from side.
(no twirling!)

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Step 3 (4 steps):
1. Stand.
2. Raise left leg straight out from side (not out front!)
3. Raise right arm straight out from side.
4. Raise (rest) left arm on raised left leg.
(again no twirling!)

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Step 4 (3 steps):
1. Stand with arms curved above head.
2. Raise left foot to right knee (to make a number 4).
3. Twirl (spin in a circle)!

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Step 5: Bow!

Today is Thankful Thursday!

Thankful Thursday is P.E. with Mrs. S and computer lab with Mrs. T but since today is Chapel day and only a 1/2 day of school both of those activities were cancelled today.
(I learned later from Isabel that she did go to computer lab; they took 5 AR tests!)

Veteran’s Day is Sunday and with school being closed Monday in observation of it. Today is our Veteran’s Day Special Chapel with guest speaker Pastor Huntsman (and Veteran too).

Happy Veteran’s Day!
The kids were asked to wear red, white, and blue Chapel wear.

During Chapel today, they sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic and America the Beautiful. They didn’t get up on stage but it did sound lovely with everyone singing together. Pastor Huntsman told the story of a soldier in the Civil War and afterward told the kids that any time they see a Veteran they need to tell them thank you. It sounded like a great Chapel and I’m sorry that I missed it.

Most of the kids that go to our school have 1 or both parents in the military. I know of one little girl that is in the 4’s class who’s father won’t be home until after she’s in kindergarten! One girl last year received a call from her father in Afghanistan, it was her birthday that day and he called to tell her that he loved her and missed her and to wish her happy birthday!

Happy Veteran’s Day and Thank you so very much!!!

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In class they colored and created a Veteran’s Day booklet…

The front cover.

Inside page.

Inside page.

Last page.
Always remember the fallen…

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With the week being so short Isabel was worried this morning that she didn’t know her verse well enough.
She practiced all the way to school and got it right!

Isabel didn’t really tell me what this picture was about but I thought that it was amazing. She isn’t one for coloring anymore but when she does and puts her heart into it, her work turns out beautifully!

“We will listen and obey.” Deuteronomy 5:27 

The class also worked on their Grandparents Day Chapel (which is next Tuesday) invitations.

The Grandparents Chapel will feature a special song sung by both first grade classes.
Afterward there will be a reception for grandparents and grandkids.

Grandma and Grandpa sent Isabel some money for new slippers…

She went with slipper boots.

She says, “they put her feet into a toaster” and they are “really soft”.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the new slipper boots and money for lunches.

Today Gino carved Isabel’s pumpkin for her after she drew what she wanted on it…

The front is a smiley (scar-face) face.

She had wanted to do polka-dots on the sides but the pumpkin is to small for that.
So Dad made a bowling ball.

The back is a cross.
This year she drew a much bigger cross then last year.

This side looks more like a face then a bowling ball.

After Gino carved out the pumpkin we saved the seeds and roasted them in the oven. They were (are) yummy good (and to think, last year we just threw them all away)!!