Reed, Party of 6

365 Project-34/2012

2012-02-03T09:20:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project-33/2012

2012-02-03T09:19:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project-32/2012

2012-02-03T09:18:00.000-06:00

Christi

70 degrees in January

2012-01-31T22:36:00.000-06:00

You may not be aware, but I live in KCMO; that usually means that winter is cold and wet. Thus far this winter we have experienced no measurable snow and very few truly cold days, can count the really cold ones on one hand. Today is was near 70 degrees and scattered clouds, a very nice Spring day. I decided to get off the trails and photograph from some angles that I never have. Lot's of pics ahead, so beware.

First off, you almost never see these guys out until Spring and then they are everywhere. He was the only one we saw today, I think he might have been really confused.

I really loved the look of this tree and the sky behind it was absolutely gorgeous.

The cattails were in full seed and very fun looking.

Usually, my pics come from this bridge. I decided to wander around into the brush and take a photo from another perspective. I love it.

Shades of bright yellow in an otherwise drab landscape.

I think these are old railway ties thrown into a pile out in the field but I'm not sure. What I was sure of is that I thought that they were supercool. I liked the original but the sepia is really cool too.

This is that same pile and it's what makes me question if these are railroad ties, it kind of looks like a doorway; but it could just be part of a railroad crossing. Who knows, that's what makes it cool.

Christi

365 Project-30/2012

2012-01-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-29/2012

2012-01-30T22:06:00.000-06:00

Entertaining ourselves at the dog park.

Christi

365 Project-28/2012

2012-01-30T22:04:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project-27/2012

2012-01-30T22:03:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-26/2012

2012-01-27T00:40:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-25/2012

2012-01-25T22:14:00.000-06:00

I just love this last one, it looked like the entrance to Wonderland, I was waiting for a rabbit to run by me with a pocket watch.

Christi

365 Project-24/2012

2012-01-25T22:12:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project-23/2012

2012-01-25T22:11:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project-22/2012

2012-01-22T22:41:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-21/2012

2012-01-22T22:38:00.000-06:00

Christi

Blue Springs Lake Spillway

2012-01-22T22:35:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-16/2012

2012-01-22T22:30:00.002-06:00

Christi

365 Project 14/15-2012

2012-01-15T23:11:00.000-06:00

Sunset pics are SOOC, the sky was really that gorgeous.

This one of Sissy was taken with CJ's new smartphone, isn't she beautiful.

Christi

Winter arrived!

2012-01-12T23:00:00.000-06:00

Fortunately or unfortunately, they were right; winter arrived. By last evening the winds had shifted and the snow started falling. We went from near 50 to around 14 with a 30 mile per hour wind, making the feel like around 0 degrees. When you have a puppy the walks aren't optional, he expects his walk no matter what!! We walked and literally froze our butts off, but he loved every second.

The wind was so crazy that the lake couldn't freeze, but these really neat ice pops formed on the weeds around the edge of the lake. I had left my camera in the car and decided that I needed a picture and walked all of the way back to get it, glad I did; these pics are fun and probably not something I'll see again.

Christi

365 Project-10-11/2012

2012-01-12T22:52:00.000-06:00

Out Geocaching right before the weather is supposed to turn ugly. It is supposed to drop from the near fifty it was today to somewhere around 15. We'll see!!!

Took this one on the 10th, loving the sun flare in this one.

Christi

365 Project-9/2012

2012-01-09T14:59:00.002-06:00

365 Project-8/2012

2012-01-09T14:58:00.002-06:00

365 Project-7/2012

2012-01-07T23:28:00.000-06:00

Christi

365 Project-6/2012

2012-01-06T15:27:00.000-06:00

On the puppy walk today I came across this bathtub in the woods. I loved how it looked so worn and completely out of place. Near the tub were all these rocks covered in beautifully verdant moss, the ground was very wet with what looked like an underground stream.

Christi

365 Project-5/2012

2012-01-05T23:12:00.000-06:00

(5/2012)

365 Project-4/2012

2012-01-04T22:49:00.000-06:00

None of my shots today turned out. Either the focus was slightly off or the kid looked a little stoned, but none were even suitable to even upload to my computer. Unfortunately or fortunately that means y'all get to see the pics we took on our Christmas day walk. Gorgeous day, not winter weather; but still gorgeous.

(4/2012)

Christi

Baking Bread and other Resolutions

2012-01-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

I have decided to make a few different resolutions this year. Many are the same ones I make every year and I am telling myself, "This is definitely the year that I will follow through!" Others, I've never made before but feel pretty passionately about.

1) Get my family on a budget and keep it! Included in this will be pay down debt and clean up medical bills that I've incurred recently.

2) Start consistently eating at home. I'm hoping to do this through stocking the freezer with meals using OAMC ideas and using Fix, Freeze and Feast; one of my favorite cookbooks. If I have a meal ready to go or meat already marinated, I am much more likely to take something out and use it. The kids have always enjoyed have homemade burritos and homemade waffles in the freezer, lunch and breakfast ready in minutes.

3) I want to make all of my families bread products, from sandwich bread to rolls, hamburger buns to pita bread. I have found many cookbooks and websites to help me do this. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day is one of the cookbooks that I've gotten from the library and am really enjoying reading. I have also found a few fun websites but Little House on the Prairie Living has been the most recent one that has caught my attention.

I made bread today using this recipe here. I substituted 1/2 wheat flour in, probably should have added some Vital Wheat gluten to help it rise a little more, but it still tastes great!

4) Get my pictures printed out and actually hang some of them. I have none of my own photographs in my home....NONE. How crazy is that? I love the pictures I take, they may not all be technically correct or even close to technically correct, but who really cares! I need to get a lot of them framed and hung.

5) Of course, the ever present resolution, LOSE WEIGHT! I am very unhappy with my body shape and have a very negative body image. I weigh more now than I ever have, I mean ever; even 9 months pregnant. I weigh 181 lbs and am not happy about it. I intend to exercise more, including the daily 2 mile walks we take with Ginseng and eat healthier. I hope to drink more water, but I am not making that a resolution; I hate water.

Here's a couple of pics that I took today. I know everyone is probably tired of pics of the dog, but he's so darn cute; I just can't resist.

How silly is this little girl, the hat just begged for a sepia treatment.

Christi

Trying out Tiltshift

2012-01-03T00:19:00.000-06:00

I had never heard of tiltshift before, but I stumbled over it at a photography site and decided to try it. I went to this site and uploaded a photo I had taken from the top of the St. Louis Arch, according to the site the type of picture I had was perfect for tiltshift and I totally agree. I think the effect made the picture totally cool and very fun. It takes your photo and makes it look like a miniature, pretty awesome, huh???

Go ahead and click on them, the difference is very cool; I love it.

Christi

365 Project-2/2012

2012-01-02T23:49:00.001-06:00

Christi

Happy New Year!!!

2012-01-01T18:20:00.000-06:00

We spent an absolutely beautiful New Year's day doing our favorite thing, enjoying nature and playing at the dog park. I had my camera on hand (of course) and snapped some great pics of the kids and the puppy. Be prepared, excessive cuteness ahead!!!!!!

(1/366)

How cute is this little girl?? I love how the wind is ruffling her hair and the sun is highlighting the two of them.

Sitting on a log over the creek, they actually got the puppy to walk across the log.

Ginseng loves to lay between CJ's feet at the dog park, he'll run out occasionally to bark and play and then right back to safety. He's so very fierce!

A boy and his dog exploring. Love, love, love it.

On the way home, worn out from a long walk and a lot of puppy play.

Christi

Another Walk in the Park!

2011-12-08T22:18:00.001-06:00

Christi

Nature shots

2011-12-04T23:37:00.000-06:00

Christi

Nature shots

2011-12-03T01:39:00.001-06:00

As I've already stated, we have a new puppy. Taking Ginseng for walks is a great excuse for me to get out and use the walking trails in my area. I have been snapping a bunch of shots of the weeds and plants around the trails, here are a few of what I consider the best ones.

Christi

Quite possibly the best dog in the world!

2011-12-01T23:07:00.000-06:00

We have a new puppy. I really wasn't wanting a dog, my kids have never shown themselves to be great pet owners and I just didn't want to deal with it. Chris and the kids decided that they really wanted one anyway and my wonderful SIL happens to breed Toy Aussies and was willing to gift us one. So we are now the proud owners of a 2.8 lb Toy Aussie we named Ginseng.

Ginseng is already essentially housebroken at 9 weeks old. He is crate trained and sleeps through the night without crying and wimpering. We walk him and he stays right with us and responds to commands. I may not have wanted him, but I must admit that I am absolutely in love with this baby! He is beyond gorgeous with his one blue eye and one brown eye, he is so soft and cuddly and he has almost convinced me that he should be able to sleep in my bed. I barely let Chris sleep in my bed, much less the puppy!

Our whole family is smitten! Look at that face, how could you resist.

Leaves in the rain

2011-12-01T22:55:00.000-06:00

Fall colors at the Zoo

2011-11-06T22:51:00.003-06:00

Christi

Fall Leaves!

2011-11-05T23:22:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love this time of year. We are having an unusually beautiful Autumn in the KC area, it is really gorgeous.

Christi

Editing to B&W

2011-11-05T02:26:00.000-05:00

I've been practicing with editing my images. I really like how this one turned out, I think it makes his freckles 'POP'.

Christi

Silhouettes

2011-10-27T22:20:00.002-05:00

I have been working on silhouette images. I think these turned out pretty good.

Christi

Refocused or redirected---Not really sure which???

2011-10-27T21:58:00.000-05:00

I've finished the final review that I needed to do for TOS Crew and I'm moving on. I'm not sure where I'm moving to, not sure what my focus should be. I started this blog to share my homeschooling journey and to chronicle our days. Koty is my only homeschooled child now and he works very independently of me. I'm not saying he doesn't need me, but he kinda doesn't need me; he's very self-motivated. So, honestly there isn't much to blog about there.

I have also very much used this blog to share my photography, not sure if there is much of an audience for that; but I'm not sure that I care. I love to share my pics with family and friends and this is kind of my only outlet for that.

Another direction that I've been considering but haven't quite wrapped my mind around yet is my health and a lifestyle/diet change. I have been having multiple health problems surrounding my gastrointestinal system, they can't seem to figure out what is wrong but the prevailing theory is Pancreatitis and Gastritis. My liver functions are a little wonky and they are retesting those but don't seem to have a plan other than to encourage me to quit drinking and to stop taking Tylenol products. I honestly don't drink, never have; and Tylenol is not high on my list of pain relievers. I've been thinking about looking into holistic methods of treating Pancreatitis and IBS and sharing those plans here.

As I type this, I'm thinking that I'll share it all. Like it or hate it, this is me. I have a very full, sometimes boring, sometimes exciting life and I love to share it through photos. I bake for my families restaurants and would love to share any recipes and ideas that I have to improve my health. I homeschool one 14 yr. old crazy man and help two elementary students through their homework and would love to share their triumphs and successes with y'all. I have a high school student who is growing into an awesome young man, he's a 2nd degree black belt, studying Brazilian Ju Jitsu and just got accepted onto the wrestling team; sharing him with y'all is both a joy and a pleasure.

So, I guess that's it. I don't really have a focus or a direction. I'm going to share it all and hope that my family continues to share our daily lives through this blog. I promise to blog more and I promise to share more about our day to day.

Christi

Cooper and Me-Book Review

2011-10-20T01:12:00.001-05:00

I recently received "Cooper and Me" written by Monique and Alexa Peters to review. When asked to review this book, the only thing I knew about it was that it was written by a child and her mother.

Upon receiving this book, I felt compelled to share it with my little people, who have very recently begun attending public school. The very real fear of attending school for the first time and dealing with this fear in a positive, empowering way is the focus of this book. We loved it, the book is engaging and beautifully illustrated. I was shocked to learn that Alexa Peters 11 years old not only co-wrote the book with her mother, but also did the illustrations, inspiring to say the least.

This is more than just a book about a girl and her best friend, it's a life lesson about dealing with separation and trying new things. "Cooper and Me" is bigger than a book, there is a theme song, coloring pages and Alexa even has a blog; head over here to see what "Cooper and Me" is all about! There are more of Cooper's adventures coming and I look forward to see what Alexa and Cooper have in store for us!

Christi

( I received this book free of charge for the purpose of writing this review. I received no other compensation and was not required to write a positive review.)

Visual Latin-TOS Review

2011-10-20T00:24:00.002-05:00

OK, I admit it, I did everything I could to avoid foreign language as a student; both in high school and college. I just didn't have a passion or see a purpose for it and I can't honestly say that I had a teacher that inspired anything in me. I have struggled with the need to teach my homeschooler foreign language, we have tried multiple times to begin a language program and have ended up dropping it, it just didn't inspire us. We have tried Spanish through a very popular program and a Latin program that everyone raved about....boring. If you can't inspire some sort of desire to learn in your student you have nothing but an uphill battle ahead of you.

Visual Latin is a very different approach to teaching a seemingly complicated language. Dwane Thomas, the teacher of Visual Latin, is a breath of fresh air in an extraordinarily difficult subject. His approach to teaching the lessons is so engaging and refreshing that you find yourself looking forward to the next lesson. I love the approach of 'hear it, see it, speak it, think it', it just makes sense and really drills it without feeling like its drilling it. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's how we felt; we learned more in the first few lessons of Visual Latin than we did in all of the other language programs we tried... put together.

The other thing that is really unique about this program is Dwane himself, this guy loves his subject and literally infects you with his enthusiasm. We received the first 10 lessons of Visual Latin 1 and were simply blown away by the quality of the DVD production and the PDF worksheets available on the website to supplement the lessons. In addition if you are seeking to have this class fulfill credit for your high school student, they also offer online extension classes to increase the difficulty of the material and fulfill the requirements for high school credit.

Let's get down to the brass tacks of it all. $80 for the full 1 year Visual Latin 1 program (30 Lessons) is beyond a great bargain, it is Awesome!!!! The PDF worksheets are free, as are many resources on the Visual Latin website. The extension classes which I find particularly intriguing are a bargain at $115 for a 16-class course, there are other expenses involved in this (the book) but I still find it be a great bargain for what is essentially a private Latin tutor for your student.

Don't take my word for how awesome this program is, head over here to see what others thought of Visual Latin and be sure to head to their website and check it out for yourself. You are able to download 6 free lessons to check out the quality of the product. I really think that if your goal is to have your student enjoy learning a foreign language, you'll love this program.

Christi

(Visual Latin Lessons 1-10 was provided to me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew. I received no other compensation and was not required to write a positive review.)