Spring Chic Pics

My Blessings

Minute2WinIt

We had fun hosting Corynne & Anna's 13th birthday party.  The girls from their class came over for dinner, games, dancing, music jamming, and cake!  It was a fun evening!

A Birthday Surprise!

Dad is leaving tomorrow for Texas because his Granddad passed last weekend.  He is going to miss the big Minute-to-Win-It party on Friday night.  I decided at the last minute to try to pull together a little surprise family party for her tonight.  Problem--don't decide to do this at 3pm on a Wednesday night!  I continued with our jam packed Wednesday schedule and I texted my Awanas leader that I would be a little late but there in time to lead my little group!  I dropped the kids off at church, and I quickly ran to GiGi's cupcakes and hid them in the back of the car under all those tennis bags and swimming bags!

When we got home from church, I ordered the kids to shower, get ready for bed, and then we were having a quick family meeting in the living room.  While they were busy, I prepared the "treasure" hunt and gift!

 She thought this was her gift, but it was only a clue!

 The cupcakes were the first real gift she found!

 Then, she found the raquet she had been wanting for quite awhile!

 

 I cannot believe she is going to be 13 in 3 days! She is the sweetest gift God has given me--even sweeter than GiGi's Cupcakes!

Colleen visits the dentist

It was a big day today!  Colleen had her first dentist visit.  We have been talking about it for weeks.  We have played dentist office at home, and we have read books about going to the dentist.  Big brother and big sisters have tried to keep her excited!    And it WORKED!  

Colleen was so excited to get to go back with the big kids this time.  At our pediatric dentist office, the parent does not get to go back with the kids.  I was glad she had her siblings with her.  My 5 kids take up one side of the the office!  Yep, we had 1/2 of the office busy just on Vermillion kids!  I love this office because 5 kids in and out of the dentist office with cleanings just took 30 minutes.  That is not even enough time to catch a good nap in the waiting room!  

I gave the camera to the hygienist, and she took these great pictures for me!

And he shall take up his wings and fly...

Dr. M. A. Treadwell of Eastland

February 19, 2013

Dr. M.A. Treadwell of Eastland, TX, joined his Savior and God on February 18, 2013. Born in Bauxite, Arkansas, he was the only child of a Southern Baptist minister and his missionary wife. Dr. Treadwell met his best friend and future wife, Onita Cartlidge as children in Farmerville, LA when Dr. Treadwell’s father pastored a church there. Dr. Treadwell graduated from high school at age 16 and Rice University at age 19, and after marrying Mrs. Treadwell July 14, 1945, he graduated from the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston in 1946. He completed his internship and residency at Scott and White Hospital in Temple in 1949 and at age 26, was in charge of a surgical service in the United States Army Medical Corps in Japan.

Dr. Treadwell and his family moved to Eastland on October 1, 1951, when he purchased Dr. Caton’s army barracks clinic to do Family Practice and Surgery. When Mrs. Treadwell’s dad, Mr. Cartlidge, built the new clinic, Eastland Medical and Surgical Clinic, Dr. Treadwell donated the old clinic to Eastland High School for use as a band hall. Dr. Treadwell, Mrs. Treadwell and their three children have been active in school, church, medical and community life from 1951 until the present day. Dr. Treadwell was a city commissioner, a director of Eastland National Bank/First Financial Bank from 1955 to 1999, a member of the Board of Trustees at Hardin-Simmons University, and a Lifetime Member of the President’s Club at HSU. He practiced medicine in Eastland until his retirement in December, 2006. Dr. Treadwell was honored as a Charter Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (1955-2006) and as a Lifetime Member of the Texas Medical Association. Dr. Treadwell gave generously his time, his money, his abundant patience, and his many God-given talents to his family, his patients, his church, and his community. Dr. Treadwell led music at several Baptist churches in the county and was “famous” for playing his “musical saw” for community and church occasions. He was a Baptist deacon for many years, authored the book THE DISCIPLINE OF RAISING CHILDREN, and coached his children and grandchildren in tennis.

Dr. Treadwell is survived by his wife of 68 years, Onita Cartlidge Treadwell, his three children and their spouses, Dr. Terry and Sheryl Treadwell from Montgomery, AL, Randall and Janet Treadwell from Pearland, TX, Marsha Treadwell Vermillion from Eastland, TX, 8 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at Bethel Baptist Church in Eastland on Friday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m.

Pike Road Father-Daughter Dance

John Mark struggled to find a Father-Daughter Dance this year.  He started looking in late December!   Since we are no longer members at Wynlakes, that sweet dance was not an option this year.  I suggested the big YMCA dance, but it was on a weekend that he was on call.   Then a fellow homeschool mom posted on the homeschool link that she wanted to start a Father-Daughter Dance in Pike Road, but she needed help getting it started.  I quickly volunteered my decorating services to help her MAKE IT HAPPEN.  Mrs. Darlene Snipes and a gathering of moms pulled it off.  The first annual Pike Road Father-Daughter Dance was a success!

This was Colleen's first dance!  She loved dancing on the wooden floor.  She danced her little legs to exhaustion!

 Lyndsey is still Daddy's little girl.  She loved having her turn to dance with Daddy!

Lauren is at the age that we describe as "Daddy is my ticket into this dance, and that is all!"  Another words, the friend dancing is the most fun for the night!

 Corynne was pressured into going to the dance because Mom was working at it!  Good thing Mom convinced another Daddy-Daughter her age to come!  Thank you, Win and Anna!!!  She did have a good time dancing.  Hard to believe that this might be her last Father-Daughter Dance.  She is growing up to fast!!

The evening was so much fun.  The girls and Dad danced until the DJ left, and the DJ stayed an extra HOUR!!!  Just looking at these pictures makes my heart smile and tears flow!!!

State-by-State: New Hampshire

New Hampshire, originally one of the thirteen colonies, "created" the new nation by becoming the 9th state on June 21, 1788, meeting the requirement for nine states to ratify the Constitution!  The girls studied this state with the help of G is for Granite: A New Hampshire Alphabet and then completed their Scrapbook Page and Mini-Lapbook.

"N is for Newspaper

The oldest newspaper in all the land:

the New Hampshire Gazette

is published here yet.

Pick it up free on a local newsstand!"

-G is for Granite:  A New Hampshire Alphabet 

New Hampshire Scrapbook Page and Mini-Lapbook

The girls and I decided to make an Apple Tea Cake, recalling the apple orchards that were planted by the early settlers in New Hampshire.  Dad read the poem "After Apple Picking" which was written by American poet, Robert Frost in 1914.

"F is for Robert Frost

Frost is a poet of countryside things:

stone walls and hay rakes,

stoneboats and snowflakes,

orchards and woods where the ovenbird sings."

-G is for Granite:  A New Hampshire Alphabet 

New Hampshire Apple Tea Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• extra sugar
• nutmeg

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar and then add egg, beating well. 
2. Add flour, baking powder and salt, alternating with milk and mix until light and fluffy.  
3. Pour mixture into a greased and lined cake tin.  
4. Place apple slices decoratively on top of cake and sprinkle with the extra sugar and some nutmeg.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  (Ours took longer since we used a smaller pan, making the cake deeper.)
6. Remove from pan and cool on tray.  

What a week!

Even though I make the lesson plans, sometimes I really don't realize what is ending and beginning because we are just learning.  This was a BIG week for us!

Our Bible curriculum for this year covers Genesis-Judges.  We have fallen behind because we took a break from this study in December to study "The Jessie Tree".  We have also had a few weeks of no new material weeks and just reviewed all the stories we have studied so that we can accurately form a timeline.  Needless to say, we are not going to be able to finish through Judges.  I was beginning to wonder if we were going to finish Genesis.  Then Monday I realized that this weeks material took us to the end of Genesis!  WOW!  I felt a sense of accomplishment on Monday!!!  The girls enjoyed finishing our Patriarch lapbook, and I will post pictures of that soon.

I knew we were going to wrap up our Colonial Study this week.  We have been pressing hard to finish this unit for 2 weeks.  Yea!  It is complete, and the girls finished putting together their lapbooks today.  When we pulled out on the things we had made, the girls just kept saying that was a long time ago!  Ouch, that hurts!  Yes, some of it goes back to November when we started the Colonial Study.  We did celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in the middle of the unit!  Actually, the unit started with Jamestown but none of that was included in the lapbook!

We also started studying the brain this week in Science, and each new unit brings exciting new things to do and learn.

Now if we could get caught up on Cooking Through the USA we will be on a roll!  We are just 4 states behind.  That's not too bad????? But it will be 5 if we don't turn on the stove next week!

Valentine's Day

Each year I try to get a "Valentine Picture" of all the kids.  Nothing formal, just fun.  It is getting harder each year as the older ones are blowing & going!!!!  I quickly snapped these before Tyler left with some friends to go to the movies.  As you can see, I had one little clown!

We did finally get a good picture!  Silly kids are growing up too fast!

 After Tyler left, we made heart pizzas, chocolate dipped strawberries, and a strawberry jello pie for dinner!

The girls opened their gifts from Mom & Dad...

Confession Time

Many years ago in a ladies Bible study (maybe even my FBC-Temple years or it could have been BSF in the last 6 years--it all runs together in my mind), I was convicted of not giving others the opportunity to use the talents God gave them.  This conviction plays over in my mind everytime I choose to conquer the world on my own.  For my Type A personality, this happens quite often.  The bottom line is I love to plan, craft, create, and do.  Give me a party to plan, a team/class to organize, or a room to decorate and I will run with the task.  I have tried to delegate tasks over the years when others offer to help, but it is hard to let go!  Then things are not exactly as I pictured them in my head, so I am frustrated and disappointed.  Yes, I know I am a control-freak.  I know I can't do everything, but the SuperWoman in me wants perfection!

As we are moving into the spring school tennis season, I am looking at the 2 SEPARATE school tennis teams that my oldest kids will play on and wonder how this is going to work.  Last year, I stepped up and took over as the team mom for Tyler's school team which required a lot of time and work.  His school tennis coach--well, God loves him!  He is a good man, but the boys and parents sometimes wonder when he is going to get it together!!!!  Now, JM is coaching the NEW tennis team at Corynne's school.  I feel the need to keep him organized for this first season!  He is a great big picture organizer, but he does not do details.  A parent of one of the girls on Corynne's team offered to help--be the team mom.   I said, "that would be great."  Inside, the type A me was melting.  I reluctantly handed over the information yesterday afternoon.

WOW!  By noon today, this mom had typed up the team rooster, organized the team snacks, and was working on getting the group text set up for updates.  The amazing part is that I had a mental picture (as I always do) of how I wanted it to be done which I did not convey to her.  She read my mind...down to the statement she wrote by State Tournament on the snack schedule!  I love it when God shows me up!

"Haha, Misty!  I can use others to do a better job than you and I am faster!!!"-your heavenly Father.

State-by-State: South Carolina

"P is for Palmetto

our official state tree.

It's also a symbol on our flag,

respected by you and me."

-P is forPalmetto:  A South Carolina Alphabet

South Carolina Scrapbook Page (La) and Mini-Lapbook (Ly)

"E is for the Eastern tiger swallowtail,

a colorful butterfly to see.

Flying from flower to flower,

flitting and soaring, wild and carefree."

The girls and I chose to make these butterflies from HungryHappenings.com for lunch today.

They were so easy and the girls had so much fun "making" their lunch!

Since the first commercial tea farm in the United States was in Summerville, South Carolina, we also made some tea to go along with the Butterflies for lunch.

"Polly put the kettle on,

we'll all have tea.

South Carolina's favorite drink

Tea begins with T."

Super Bowl

We had our annual family Super Bowl Party.  Actually, party is a big word for just eating junk and watching a football game.  Oh, and Mom making us put on these jerseys because she needs her annual picture!!!  Colleen refused to put a jersey on, so Max wore her jersey!

Watching the Ravens play was so much fun.  We still feel a small connection to this team since we lived in Baltimore for a year, and one of our friends their was building the Ravens' new training facility.    We have good memories of walking on the Ravens field barefoot with friends our last night in Baltimore before moving back to Texas.