My dear friends & Family,

Midnightbrew is back up and running! My apologies for disappearing for a few months (5, to be exact!). Our move back to Virginia in October was much more labor-intensive and emotionally draining than we had ever expected it to be, oh enough with the excuses… the real truth is that I’m getting old and lazy!

I’d like to say that things have slowed down a bit, but with 5 kids, homeschooling, and all that goes with raising multiples and special needs children (blessings), I don’t think life ever does nor ever truly will “slow down” –however, things are definitely a bit more calm and structured in the past few weeks, evidenced by my being here to finally update this blog …and I’m really excited to see what the spring with its warmer weather holds for us. I find myself longing to sit in my wicker chair outside on the 120 year old porch soaking in the sunshine with my children, a laptop book, iced coffee, maybe even some knitting… aaaahhh. I can almost pretend it’s spring already!

Stay tuned… I will be posting pictures from our move, around our town, and all the lovely renovations hubby and my brother, Scott, have been working diligently on since October!

Have missed you all dearly…

Joyfully, Melanie

A typical summer day for the triplets! They love playing with the bubbles, as you can see – please excuse Savannah’s blue panties sticking out – what can I say… she’s 5, very independent, likes to dress herself!

I can’t believe that Fall will be here in less than a week. The kids have been having  fun with the leaves covering the ground, raking them into big piles and playing in them… Our family is very excited as Fall is our favorite season of the year… and this also means that our move date is quickly approaching. Exactly 2 weeks away from today!

A new season of our life that is sure to bring much joy, but undoubtedly sadness, as well. We are going to miss my mom and sisters something terrible, our pastor and his wife, not to mention the many wonderful friends we’ve made all over this beautiful state. Tennessee will always remain “our 2nd home”, and fortunately we will be less than a 10-hour drive away… so visits back here should a lot easier and more affordable. At least more so than our trips back West. Although we are just itching to squeeze in a cross country trip again sometime in the near future! It has been more than a couple years since we’ve seen the Grandma’s (late 70’s & 93 years old!), not to mention the Aunt’s, Uncles, cousins, and dear dear friends!

Anyhow, enjoy the few pics I’m sharing today. I hope each and every one of you is having a season full of joy  -laughter and love, building happy memories with your loved ones!!

We leave tomorrow for our weekend family retreat at the Courageous Kids Camp in Kentucky! A world class medical camping facility in the rolling hills of Scottsville, Kentucky providing a cost-free, safe, and fun camping experience for disabled children and their families. We are so thrilled and excited to have the opportunity to do something like this! Thank you, Jesus!!!

My sunflower’s only bloomed for a few weeks, but they were so lovely while they lasted! The kids loved them!

Savannah got carried away in mom’s container garden…  with the help of big brother (Jeremy), of course!

The 2nd set of baby bluebirds living in my fertilizer box, of all places!!

Joyfully,

Melanie

Tags: Cerebral Palsy, Homeschooling, Special Needs

So a few months ago I spent an evening sipping hot coffee at my computer while researching gluten-free living/recipes/etc – and somehow I stumbled upon this wonderful blog:

His Work in Progress written by an amazing woman, whom I can now call my dear friend and Sister in Christ, Terri!

I think I clicked on her site when I read something about homeschooling and gluten-free – I thought to myself “ah-ha!” now that sounds interesting and right up my alley. Sure enough… it was that and MUCH MORE! As I scrolled through her pages, I discovered more and more how much we shared in common – how similar our lives were!

Lo and behold our similarities didn’t just stop at our common interests and convictions! No, my friends… we both happened to have son’s (7 months apart) who could practically pass for TWINS!

Here they are… Jeremy’s & his new buddy, Levi:

We met Levi & his family for the first time tonight! You would have thought the boys had known each other their entire lives! I get the goosebumps just thinking about how well they clicked – and just how much they look alike!!

Talk about an exciting & fun evening for all…

…Although we are sad to be leaving TN and yet another amazing family, we know that this won’t be our last visit with them!! Jeremy is looking forward to his new online buddy and pen-pal to keep in touch with, and I’m thinking this may be just what we needed to kick start his handwriting program into gear once we get settled in VA!

Thanks for stopping by, friends, and please feel free to leave me a little note in the comments section!

Joyfully,

Melanie

Every once in a while someone will make some negative and ignorant comment about homeschooling that fires me up, and that’s just what happened tonight! I’m sharing a link to a great article about a report that dispels homeschooling myth’s, and subsequent discussion and comments: http://www.dakotavoice.com/2009/08/homeschooling-report/#comment-15628275

Here is my response:

I am happily homeschooling my 5 children, including triplets with special needs! Brian, I applaud both you and your wife for being so involved in the education of your children in public school. I do agree that it is vital to be dedicated and involved, regardless of which method of schooling you choose for your children, to ensure their success.

I do have to ask why you immediately assume that homeschooler’s are being sheltered from the world? They are not the ones confined to a school building, many in which now have high security/armed guards, chain linked fences, etc. – even in a small “safe” community like the one I live in, in West Tennessee.

I would have to argue that it seems the public schooled kids are the ones missing out on the world around them. As a homeschooling family, our opportunities to experience life in our society and the world around us in at our fingertips each and every day. We have the freedom to visit any museum we wish, zoo’s, parks, art galleries, field trips to local businesses, etc. Our children are exposed to things that I believe most kids in public school may miss out on, or have a limited exposure to, because of security, rigid schedules, and conflicting agenda with the school/teacher/staff.

If anything, I think an argument could be made for the fact that homeschooled children are actually a little more in tune and in touch with the realities of life around them, because they are actually the ones who have not been living a “sheltered, structured, and rigid” life within the walls of a traditional school building.

I respect your decision to send your children to public school, and I simply ask that you do the same of us who choose to homeschool. We are not a bunch of Little House On The Prairie families hiding out in our basements sheltering our children from the world around us. I would argue that the majority of homeschooling families are quite the opposite – we are living, learning, and enjoying life each and every day, freely, WITHOUT boundaries.

Regards,
Melanie

FOR TODAY… August 17, 2009

Outside my window…

Evening sky …darkness approaching. My favorite time of the day!

I am thinking…

about our upcoming move – trying not to stress about the many many things to get done between now and then!

I am thankful for…

My amazing hubby, who has held down the fort while I’ve been so sick these past couple of weeks! He is simply the best. There have been a couple days that I’ve hardly even been out of bed, and he takes care of everything from diapers, dishes, laundry, and even fixing a few meals!

From the kitchen…

Cooking some more sweet potatoes – making Mariah’s favorite puree – Sweet potatoes, syrup, brown sugar, and butter!

I am wearing…

A “coffee themed” Women of Joy t-shirt that I purchased at the Louisville conference this past Spring with my new sage colored “beyond yoga” capri pants (which fit me like “regular pants” since I’m so short, lol!) – a birthday treat to myself.  Nothing like a pair of yoga pants to make me feel like a new woman!!

I am creating…

Life has just been a bit too busy lately for any free knitting time, but I can’t wait to pull out the yarn and needles once I’m all settled in at the new (old) house!

I am going…

Nashville, Jackson, and possibly even Mackenzie, TN this week! Another busy week of cleanings, medical appt’s, and art classes for Jeremy.

I am reading…

A Beacon Of Joy, Finding Peace and Answers When Your Child Has Special Needs. Written by a dear friend, Sue T. Bastaja, R.Ph., J.D.

I am hoping…

to be over this awful virus soon! While I am feeling slightly better each day, I still have lots of fluid in my ears and the cough is still lingering on. I have not been this sick since Jeremy was a newborn! I do not handle being sick very well. It just throws my whole life off schedule, ugh!

I am hearing…

Savannah talking to daddy, the microwave beeping, a cell phone ringing…

Around the house…

lots of moving boxes!

One of my favorite things…

snuggling on the couch with my girls while we watch Annie, Little Women, The Sound of Music…

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Therapy for the triplets, cleaning a few houses, allergy testing for Savannah at Vanderbilt, cooking up a large batch of Amish meatballs (haven’t made them in forever – a family favorite!)

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

If you would like to join in the Simple Woman’s Daybook, you can find all the information you need here:

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Today I am sharing one of my favorite bread recipes…

Why is it my favorite you ask?

Well,

#1. I love it because it requires no kneading!

#2. It is done from start to finish in 2 1/2 hours

#3  It doesn’t heat my house up, which is especially important during the hot summer months here in TN!

Here it is!

The recipe comes from the classic “fix it and forget it” cookbook.

Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 8 servings (or 1 loaf)

2 cups warm reconstituted powdered milk (I use 16 oz of evaporated milk from a can, not powdered)

2 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup honey, brown sugar, or (my fav) sorghum

3/4 tsp salt

1 pkg (or 2.5 tsp’s) yeast

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups white flour

1 Mix together milk, oil, honey/sorghum, brown sugar, salt, yeast, and half the flour in electric mixer bowl. Beat with mixer for 2 mins. Add remaining flour. Mix well!

2. Place dough in well-greased bread or cake pan that will fit into your cooker. Cover with greased tin foil. Let stand for 5 mins. Place in slow cooker.

3. Cover cooker and bake on high for 2.5-3 hours. Remove pan and uncover. Let stand for 5 mins. Serve warm.

~~Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does! Blessings, everyone!!~~

Joyfully,

Melanie

Outside my window…

calm dark skies after a day of storms.

I am thinking…

about all the fun lapbooking and notebooking I want to enjoy with my kids this week!

I am thankful for…

God’s provisions and blessings, especially thankful that He makes a way for hubby and I to both be home raising our children together, while providing us just the income we need to make ends meet each month!

From the learning rooms…

notebooking & lapbooking pages and art – we are doing a study on the moon right now. Just finished learning about Bald Eagles, and we are 1/2 way through The Adventures of Happy Jack, and 15 days into our “The One Year Bible for Children”. The kids are loving it!

From the kitchen…

15 Bean Soup and Country Ham that I finally carved into! Yummy!

I am wearing…

black yoga pants (my fav) and a blue tye-dyed cotton t-shirt.

I am creating…

worked on the final part of a sweater I’m knitting today, but got very frustrated after ripping out rows 2 times in a row, grrrr!

I am going…

to catch up on my missed episode of Hero’s (gotta love Netflix online!) from last night. I fell asleep while dh & I were watching it, oops

I am reading…

lately…. The Bible & Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover’s Soul

I am hoping…

to lose another 11 pounds!

I am hearing…

some rather pleasant sounding music coming from hubby’s WoW game on his computer…

Around the house…

Spent some time cleaning hardwood floors and swept & mopped up the mud room for the first time in what feels like forever…  Ahhhh. I can enjoy walking barefoot in the house again

One of my favorite things…

watching the kids enjoy and lovingly care for their pets. This is Savannah with our first baby kitten. The kids named him “Tiger”. He is the sweetest most adorable thing ever!

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Gardening (if the storms & the rain ever stop!), knitting, trying out a few new recipes, and everything else that goes along with staying home and enjoying life with my family! Other than cleaning houses for a few days this week, church on Wed night and our small group meeting Thurs evening, it looks like it will be a fairly calm week with no dr’s appts or other obligations for a change. Finally a breather, it feels we’ve been going non-stop for the past month or so… so I’m loving this down-time!

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Yes, as you can see, I’m being partial to the kitty this week! I thought this picture was just too adorable not to share!

Joyfully,

~Melanie~

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Baked Lemon Garlic Tilapia

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp butter, melted

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp dried or fresh parsley flakes

pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Rinse tilapia under cool water, and pat dry with paper towels

3. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle with butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper.

4. Bake in preheated oven until the fish is white and flakes when pulled apart with fork, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!