7 Quick Takes -lost and found edition

~1~

Well, hulllooo lovelies!  (I just said that in my head in a Queen of England accent/voice)  Yes, I have to tell you all this fantastic story about how I lost and then found my blog....okay, too far-fetched?  I'll change it to the story about how taking care of my grandparents, getting ready for homeschool/ school, caring for my kids and lying to myself and thinking I would deep clean and organize my house - all got in the way of me having time to blog.  There, I said it.

I missed you all!!  (that part was said with a shriek!) I miss blogging and sharing photos and rambling.

~2~

Josie spent the Summer painting a huge 30 foot mural for her fencing studio.  This was her very first mural.  It was very, very exciting. And also a lot of driving to-and-fro.  Towards the end, it got a little crazy, they were having a big community event and the Mayor and lots of people were going to be there, so we needed to have the wall done.  Yeah, I'm impressed with it- and I'm totally unbiased.  Totally.

~3~

Okay here is the finished wall.  And yeah, I'm still gushing...

~4~

I already mentioned that Josie was accepted into a performing arts highschool?  Yes, gushing again.  She is doing great, I was wondering how it would all go, with being homeschooled her whole school career so far, and add in the fact that the school runs till 5:00 4 days a week- yeah, it was a big adjustment for her and for us, but she seems to be thriving and loving it there.

~5~

Things are going better with my grandparents. Grandma is better and back home.  Things with grandfather are not so good, he is confused mentally, we had adult protective services out and they determined that he is in a sort of middle-ground, not impaired enough to be declared incompetent, but impaired enough to cause problems.  We have been looking into putting him on medicaid and wow, the whole thing is extremely confusing.  Even with my pretty-good internet research skills, I still don't know if they would qualify.  We are looking into hiring an elder care attorney to help us with the medicaid stuff.  I'm frustrated that it is so complicated.

~6~

We did the family-fair-thing.  It's tradition!!  Sky, Josie and Amie all had art entered.  Sky's was woodworking (of course)

It's tradition, and we are mostly there for the food.  {truth}

~7~

Meg was just accepted into the police explorer's program.  We are so proud that she is so gung-ho with initiative.  When she first announced her interest in a local urban force, the first thing out of my mouth was "oh sweetie, but what about Irvine?"  (Irvine is like one of the top safest cities)....turns out, it is still all about horses with Meg and the reason she is interested in the area she chose. I try not to think about it all too hard.  She is taking a full load at community college, we are really proud at how hard she is working and how diligent she is.  And yeah, she did dye half her hair blue with purple tips...

So friends, how was your Summer?

*Conversion Diary hosts 7 Quick Things every Friday, hop on over :)

Quick takes- what I did on Summer Vacation edition

Summer vacation came and went. Wow, it's already time to start the new homeschool year! But first, a quick wrap-up of my fleeting vacation...

~1~

We did a bit of this, but not as much as I had promised.  I am vowing to go often now that school is back in session. A perk of homeschooling is hitting the beach when the crowds are gone!  I plan to make up for not going as often as I planned this Summer.

~2~

Our Bible conference -with foreign guests (who stayed a extra two weeks) and the U.S. National Fencing Championships all happened at the same time.  I survived. Barely.  I will forever bless the dear Korean sister who took over the cooking for her family. They were happy (Korean food!) and I was happy, because I really didn't know if I was coming or going!  Here's a clip of Josie in fencing action (and me being loud sideline mom in the background-and no, Josie is not her real name.)

 ~3~

Bible conference and Josie's fencing tournament collided with my mother becoming severely ill and then dying.  It all happened so quick it still takes my breath away.  I wrote, when she first was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver that I wasn't sad- but angry and detached.  I was wrong, there are no words really, to describe the horror and pain of watching your mother suffering.  I lost my mother way too young, and despite our lack of a close relationship- or maybe because of that lack, losing her left a big, gaping, jagged hole.  This will be forever my Summer of regret.

~4~

Meg had a couple of these.  Irish feis time is a lot of fun.  Great photo opportunities!

I've discovered the video capabilities on my iphone, here's a short clip of Meg in action at her last feis:

~5~

Sky took time off work to attend a week-long wood marquetry class.  I can best describe it as making designs with inlays of wood. He has done two complete projects, and I can't wait to share a photo- I do have to wait though, because one of them is a gift, so I can't spill the beans yet. Grumble.

~6~

The Orange County fair is a family tradition. Lately, we've had several family members enter art into the competitions. This year, Sky entered one of his horse jewelry boxes, Josie entered a dragon painting(and won a blue ribbon!) and Amie entered 3 paintings into the children's competition and won one blue and two red ribbons.  It was a good showing for the {Home} gang :)

(I won't bore you with more photos, but if you follow me on instagram, you will see them there. )

How was your Summer?  I hope it was a good one, full of lovely, summery memories

<3

7 Quick Takes Friday happens every week, you can join up over at Conversion Diary

USA Fencing National Championships -a proud mama moment

The 2012 USA Fencing National Championships ~ Josie's introduction to big-time saber fencing tournaments.  It was mom's introduction, too.  I like to call it, sink or swim style...

I figure, nothing says, "Who loves you baby?" like a ginormous convention center full of fencing bouts when you don't really know much about the sport...Mama was game, this earns me more visits in the nursing home someday, right??

We really were that green.  Thankfully, her coach found us at her very first match- it really was providential because she did her first bout, lost and I would have walked away...not knowing she had like 5 or 6 more to do and then they tally up the averages.  -And then they post the next bouts you move on to, and so on...It would have been bad if we'd walked away to go eat nachos or something...**Josie is the one facing the camera with the mask on...

These photos probably look all alike to you, but really, I remember each match.  It was exciting and terrifying, all at the same time.   **Josie is the one on the right with the fantastic lunge there...it's like a perfect yoga move there, poetry in motion.  (excuse me while I do some mom-gushing)

The day was a mix of excitement, worry, confusion and waiting.  We really did not know what we were doing.  It was a learning experience for us, but in a good way for Josie- I think it pushed her skills up a notch.

The next big tournament?  We'll be ready.

~and we will buy a wheeled equipment bag...no kidding, her fencing equipment is really, really heavy! 

Weapons check -Wordless Wednesday

You know your day is going to be awesome when it begins, bright and early with a weapons check! -This was from Josie's big national fencing tournament July 4th weekend.

Sadness

Hello Bloggy-friends, so much going on here this week, I'm not sure of where to start...

This is our annual week-long Bible conference with our church, we have a family from Korea staying with us.  The Bible conference is a big time-commitment, and having foreign guests who need transporting/ hosting adds to it.  We so love getting to know other believers though, it is always worth it.

Josie is in our first big fencing tournament - it is the National Championships and just happens to be in a neighboring city.  She has to be there for 3 different days.  Of course it is this week...!

Now for the sadness.  I don't like to air family drama here, mostly because I don't want to hurt loved ones by venting my side of the story.  I haven't said anything about the person who hurts me the most in this life - and not because she would read it here, she has never read my blog and she never will because she is not interested in me or my family.  She's not interested in my sister either, or my sister's cute/clever/amusing kids.  She is not really interested in anyone but herself and she set my sister and I to fend for ourselves emotionally and physically as soon as we were [mostly] capable.

She's my mother and this week she was hospitalized with cirrhosis of the liver.  She lives over an hour away, so the driving is added on top of my crazy week.

{The sadness}

I'm not really sad.  I'm resigned, a bit angry with her for putting her loved ones through this, angry at her for wasting her life.  Sadness though, I walled myself off [long ago] from feeling much in relation to her because it was too painful and pointless.  I told someone at the Bible conference today about it all, and this friend prayed for me and my mom and this person was crying.  Me...dry-eyed, even as I told her about it.  I was an emotional wreck when Sky's dad was dying, but empty about my mom.

This is the sadness, that she shut me out and I had to shut her out.

Friends, if you could pray for her.  This would have to be a big miracle- which I do believe God hands-out...but I also believe in free-will.  My mother was sitting in a hospital bed, wasted away to about 80lbs, having blood pumped out of her stomach, not allowed to have water and too weak to hold a cup to her mouth for ice-chips...and she kept asking us to get her a "drink".  I truly do not think she will live many months once she gets out of the hospital.  Prayers for her family as we are manipulated and abused as she detoxes, and prayers for her soul are needed.

thank you,

-Jenn

7 Quick Takes, but on Sunday

~1~
The week that was -this week started off with a very sick homeschool mom. Teddy was home sick, also- so no school on Monday. By Tuesday, my asthma meds were kicking in, so I was again, on the job.

~2~
We had an awards ceremony for our Classical Conversations Group Tuesday night, a very sweet ending to our year. I had one memory master in my class, what a delight to see and hear all they had accomplished!

~3~

Josie had an electric-sabre mini tournament in her class. Even though I am merely her proud mama, I do have to say that she dominated! She won the tournament!

~4~
We are having beautiful weather here in So. California. I took the homeschool crew to the library for books, videos and books on tape. I heart books on tape! After the library, we walked around the local antique district to enjoy the beautiful day.

~5~
The end destination I had in mind was the cupcake shop. I had heard that cupcake shops usually have $1 mini-cupcakes, just right for kids. Uh, no mini cupcakes at this shop...
$3 cupcakes X 5 kids = ouch!

~6~
The three littles opted for frozen yogurt instead. Brought back some 80's memories for me.
They were all about the toppings, of course.

~7~
Meg had her last orchestra concert of the year, and her very last concert with this group- she is now outside of the grade range for the group. Great concert, but a bit sad, too.

Friday Quick Takes on Saturday April 3

~1~
We were off for Spring Break last week here at Home. We started off with a bang, and went to the local bagel shop for breakfast. They have a student discount deal on Mondays, but Teddy's tutor is here on Monday mornings so we don't get to partake of this delight.
This Monday, we did. :)

~2~
We had some big plans to hit the beach this Spring Break, but then a bunch of clouds rolled in and threatened rain, so no beach. It threatened on Tuesday and Wednesday and then rained Wednesday night. Bummer.

~3~
We did manage two Barnes & Nobles runs, so all was not lost this week. Then again, we are often found at Barnes & Nobles, so maybe it wasn't that special.
But- I didn't make them all share hot chocolate, so yes, it was special.

~4~
Josie was hooked up to the electronic scoring board for saber (fencing) class. I've been calling it electric saber, but I really don't know what you call it, it just sounds more exciting that way. Not as dangerous as it sounds...the board just scores hits. It did not look like this photo here,
*Tim Moorehouse cool fencing pic of the day...but wouldn't that be cool if it did?

~5~
Emma the labradoodle had her 1 year birthday on April's fools day. She is an April Fools puppy.
..Baby, baby, so glad that you are mine!!!

~6~
sickness in the house, Demi is on the nebulizer for asthma and I've got something too. Sore throat, sinus headache and that tickly-bronchitis type cough. There goes my big plans to do some major Spring Cleaning and homeschool organizing/planning this week...
okay, who am I kidding, I wouldn't have done it anyway!...now I just have a legit excuse.

~7~
I think I am finally getting twitter...it's kind of cool.

Friday Quick Posts is a weekly meme hosted over at Conversion Diary.

7 Quick Takes Friday, Feb. 19

7 Quick Takes Friday is hosted over at Conversion Diary.

~1~
Started walking again daily, in the mornings. I had decided that I didn't deserve to, if I wasn't ready to start school bright and early. Then I decided I was fat.
Walking it is.

~2~
Sky told me to go ahead and order the camera bag I was drooling over.
I had just talked myself out of it, after all, it wasn't a need...but then Sky thought I should, so I did it!

~3~
Did the usual round of lessons this week; Violin and Orchestra for Meg, Fencing for Josie, Irish Dance for Meg, Hockey for Demi & Amie, Art for Demi, Amie & Josie. Tennis for Josie.
Whew!

~4~
filled my bird feeder again. I love birds! I had neglected the bird feeders for many, many months. It's nice to see the birds visiting again!

~5~
We did a trial version of Aleks math to supplement our Math-U-See program. I am glad we did the trial, because after a few hours of using it, Demi and Amie were unhappy with it. Decision made to stick with Flashkids workbooks for supplemental work. I liked the testing, the pie graph and that Aleks is tied to State Standards, so I am going to keep it for Josie and Meg. (p.s.-if you look into Aleks, there is a 30 day free trial, google for the code)

~6~
I am seriously considering going to this blogging conference. I don't like to do things without Sky, though..so this is a hard decision to make. It's far enough away I will have to fly, so it will be too expensive for two of us to go, specially since he would just be hanging out...

~7~
Had a really productive homeschool day today. After the bulk of our work was done, we headed over to Rubio's for lunch and then to the skateboard park for p.e. We came home and then did social studies, lituature reading and reading. A good day!