Red on Black--Stroke of Genius

Random Fun

11/13/2014

EJ has been having fun lately...Check it out!

He made an airplane for a website, but when I asked where to upload the photo, they deleted my question. So I'll upload it to my own website! The name of his plane is "Super Foot" and it can sail for 38 feet, 1 inch, and 1 centimeter. Now isn't that a creative way to express it?

Clay baskets

10/5/2014

Last week I subbed for 3rd and 4th grade for two days. It went smoothly, and I know EJ had a good time. These fourth graders are the same kids I taught in kindergarten! I had 8 in kindergarten, and now these are the only three left (and EJ makes 4).

Up, Up, and Away!

9/6/2014

Last week we went to a one-day conference in Huntsville. It was about getting ideas and excitement to spread pro-life-ness and end the baby killing once and for all. I did get some good ideas (which I will be exploring soon), and we met some people and just had an overall good time. Another family we met, the dad has the same name as my husband, and the son has the same name as my son--first and middle names! The other "EJ" is two years older, but both are homeschooled and were immediate fast friends. They didn't separate the entire evening!

Goin' on a trip, in style!

9/4/2014

Every night, we put EJ to bed. He turns his lamp on and reads for a while, then at some point before midnight, I turn his light off, snuggle with him, and he goes to sleep. Most nights, we talk about the day, what we would do differently, what we want to do again. Sometimes we'll tell stories, from memories to wild dragon-and-princess tales.

Tomorrow we are going on a trip. It is two hours, we will stay one night, and then two hours back home. Seriously nothing to get too worked up about. But it inspired tonight's "snuggle talk": I'm going on a trip, and I'm going to pack...

Homemade Laundry Detergent

7/14/2014

Here is the recipe I used. I don't remember where I got it, because I searched multiple sites. 2 cups soap (like Fels Naptha or similar), 1 cup washing soda, and 1 cup borax. All three can be found at select Walmarts in the laundry detergent aisle.

Life, part 2

7/13/2014

The last Sunday in June, we went down to a sister church about 2 hours away. The pastor and his family are in my children's book I just wrote, so I needed to take some pictures of them as my illustrations.

For the evening service, we drove up to my sister-in-law's church in Georgia.

The next day I flew to Oregon to collect my sister and her kids to bring them back for a visit. (I flew out of Atlanta--cheaper that way. My flight was delayed and I ended up sitting in the airport for 4 hours, missed my connection and had to get a later flight, so I got to OR at 11:30 pm instead of 6 pm.)

Busy as a Bee

7/8/2014

There is a reason I haven't posted in over two weeks, I promise. Here's a slice of what's been going on the past month-ish:

"We paid for it, might as well use it!"

Trip to Montgomery. Our hotel and the conference where we had a booth.

The booth across from us had math stuff.

A local park we visited. It was HOT.

Homemade Fabric Softener, pt 2

6/23/2014

I have been wanting to try making my own laundry soap for a while now. I looked on pinterest and a million people have a million recipes. I felt a little overwhelmed, but then last month I ran out of fabric softener so I made a small batch of my own. I used what I had on hand, and the recipe itself turned out fine, but I learned some things to do differently next time. Well, this is next time. I buckled down and picked a simple ratio recipe, and I stuck to it!

Picnic at the Park

6/16/2014

I fixed and finished the picnic blanket from last week (that I still need to write about), and I wanted to use it! So for a very late lunch, we packed up and went to a nearby park by the airport.

9 years is a long time

6/11/2014

Nine years ago (I can't even believe it's been THAT LONG!!!) I married the smartest, most caring man I'd ever met. He has always been there for me, through thick and thin (which one is the bad times? I never can tell, but I think I got it). He knows my love of my "native country" and enjoys all things Japan with me. He encourages my writing and crafting. I love him, and as you can see, he loves me too! (See the 9 he drew with the Japanese gummies?)