November in Review

Here it is almost the fourth day of December already as I type. How ever did this week go by without me even thinking of my end of the month post??  Hang on tight, here we go!

You all know we live near Oatman, an old gold mining ghost town.  Oatman is right on Route 66, which has a cult following that I don't understand, and there are touristy-type businesses there -- leatherwear shops for motorcycle dudes (and dudesses), junk souvenir shops, old timey general store, etc.  Some you don't want your kids going into. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their honeymoon in the local motel, which now boasts a "real" ghost.  Behind Oatman is a big quartz rock called the Elephant's Tooth, which was a sure sign to those old gold and silver miners that there was "gold in them thar hills". (And there was!  Lots of it!  There probably still is.)

Down the hill from Oatman is the home of some good homeschooling friends.  They have all sorts of knowledge about fossils, rocks, dinosaur bones, and other interesting inanimate objects, and we were invited to come out and explore the desert floor for quartz crystals (probably the babies of the Elephant's Tooth) and other treasures. Wish I'd taken some photos of the crystals.  The "keepers" are cool -- clear hexagonal finger-like things.  Word has it that there are also opals and other gemstones, but we only know what they look like in their polished forms.  Gemstone identification books aren't too helpful that way.

The girls watched some Moody science DVD's.  (Please Mom?  They're educational!)  We aren't big on movies, but we have a select few: Picture Proverbs, The  Lone Ranger, and just recently, Time Changer.  That's a good one!  A long while ago I ordered the VHS format Moody science series from LES, because they were so cheap -- $2 each! -- I could not pass them up.  Even though we don't have a TV or a video-tape player.  Was that a dumb impulse buy or what?  Could you pass them up for that price?  These DVD's were on loan from a generous friend.

We were invited to a Pampered Chef party.  I coveted, but I didn't buy anything.  I had to go for two reasons: one, because I love my friend who held the party.  And two, because Amy loves anything to do with cooking!  She got to try her hand at making baklava.  It turned out soooo good!   Thanks, Sarah!

We acquired some tennis racquets and hit some balls.  (Look at that.  Try using two "cqu" words in the same sentence!  Am I a homeschooler or what?)

Amy got up at dawn to photograph the sunrise, and settled for the moon-set instead.

We ate some really good food!

The girls made some beautiful music.  Alison practices, but the rest of them don't.  Amy plays, but she doesn't practice.  I would say she fiddles around, but that would be a better pun for a violin player, hee hee.  Just think what she could do if she would work at it!  Actually, these are Alie's hands.  I don't have any pics of her this month.  She must have been busy with NaNo.

I sewed a wild nightie for Amy.

We played in the park with some fun cousins.

We had a fun family Thanksgiving with more cousins, and pasta in the park.  (It's a lot easier to do than a turkey!)   We got home on Thursday, but my turkey was still frozen.  So we had our own immediate family celebration on Friday.  We keep a book of remembrance, in which we write each year the things we are thankful for during the previous year.  My devotional reading that day had to do with the nine lepers who didn't return to thank the Lord Jesus for healing them, and I realized I am like them! I  sure do enjoy the blessings of the Lord, as I am sure those lepers enjoyed their new cleanness.  I even remember to mention them in our book.  But did I actually thank the Lord for those blessings?  Ah, yet another revelation of my own shortcomings.  Thanking God (literally) for his longsuffering.

Monocogman climbed the mountain.  Here is a little piece of his artwork.

Kind of makes me think of this:

Kind of creepy, don't you think?  *shudders*

Otherwise this month it was school as usual... on the days we did school... why don't I just officially declare myself an unschooler and be done with the pressure?  lol!  PlainJane introduced us to Your Business Math Series, which has been a very nice break in the math routine for my two hands-on kids.  We have a book store and a pet store, both of which are making a nice profit for their student owners.  Also, finally admitting to myself that I am NOT organized enough at this time in my life to put together my own first grade curriculum for Emily, I ordered math, reading, social studies, and science Light Units from CLP.  MUCH better.  She also acquired a new tutor, her big sister, Alison.  Emily has decided school is fun after all.  Thank the Lord for sweet big sisters and for CLP!

I was asked to write a review for SpellQuizzer, which I am currently testing on Emily.  She loves it.  That review will be forthcoming.

OH, one last thing, I figured out how to make lots of money blogging. I'll have to up the rate to about $5 an hour, though.  My kids have more money than I do.

Okay, all done with "November With Amy".  I'll have to highlight one of my other kids next time!

 O give thanks unto the LORD;
for he is good:
because his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 118:1