Technology doesn't make our lives easier!

I completely skipped November and I have no pictures to post for anything that may have happened last month.  I am officially a full time teacher and it just takes up any speck of spare time I may have had before I began this home schooling adventure.  It has been entirely worth it to have Daniel learning at home and getting a much better education than the public schools could ever offer.  They are just too overcrowded and too committed to politics rather than teaching children. 
Alan and I got a new video camera and are excited to be able to use it.  We have learned that with new technology comes new ways to manipulate it and more time needed to further edit and crop to turn every memory into a Hollywood production.  I have fallen so far behind on my blog scrapbook I don't know when I will come up with the time to finish last years let alone this years book.  Oh well, what I do accomplish is wonderful and fun to look at.  I figure when I am in my 70's and my grandchildren are getting married, I will finally get around to finishing all of the scrapbooks I have planned.  Perhaps by then, I will be able to simply plug into my brain and it will all happen instantly. 
Daniel just asked me what booty is.  He is reading "The Swiss Family Robinson" for literature.  He has a bad habit of asking me what things are without qualifying the source.  It makes for a startled mom wondering what on earth he has learned now.
The annual Christmas letter is hanging over my head and I can't think of anything interesting to say.  In our day of instant messaging and all access, what could I possibly say that everyone doesn't already know?  I'll think of something. 

Jacob was recently inducted formally into the Junior National Honor Society.  He is doing so well in school.  We are so proud of him.  He has also joined a wrestling club at school to learn all about wrestling.  I don't know if he is going to stay with it but he seems to be enjoying himself currently.  He reports each week that he got his butt kicked less tonight than last time so he feels he is improving rapidly.  He really wants to participate in a match but we are trying to convince him to get a little bit better before embarking on that challenge. 

 

Daniel has been doing very well in school.  This week there was a school wide gingerbread house contest so he decided to enter.  We planned out his design, created a template, made dough and proceeded to create.  It was great fun to make!

 

Daniel got a little bit tired of standing there holding the walls so they would dry.  It is the hardest part of the gingerbread house project.  

We made a castle.  It is filled with little minions celebrating and creepy little soldiers guarding their party.  Sarah was very helpful putting all the candy on too and their efforts were rewarded at the competition.  Daniel placed in the Peppermint category and was thrilled to have won a  new hot chocolate mug.  Sarah was denied a mug because she wasn't there to accept the award and so we got her one too.  It was a fun event and we now have a gingerbread castle adorning our table for Christmas!

Sarah was in her school's Christmas play and played the part of "Glitzy the Snowflake".  It was a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and she did a wonderful job singing her part with the other snowflakes.  It was so much fun to see her perform and she really loved participating in the play. 

It was required to get ice cream following the play but by this time, Sarah was pretty tired and done with all of the adoration.  I love my little snowflake!
Thanksgiving was wonderful this year.  We had Nick and Andrea and Kent and Bekka and their families up for the day.  The food turned out better than I could have imagined.  I made a maple butter with marjoram roasted turkey stuffed with stuffing created from home baked bread and my own homemade stock.  I was able to create a meal without opening one can or using any pre-made foods from the grocery store.  It was very satisfying and I look forward to creating an equally yummy Christmas dinner.