Presley Academy

A Few Other Random Pics

2010-05-26T09:22:00.004-04:00

We went a little south to scout out a spot for camping. We have a trip planned soon with our pastors and their girls. Yay! Should be fun.

Our camping trip: we went south of Hagerstown, MD to a state park

From our camping trip:

Roasting hot dogs

The fire ring....trying to get it going

My guys outside getting rid of a tree that was damaged this past winter by the blizzards.

Jenna is getting really good at her little tricycle.

We were recently invaded .........and all the boys had a great time.
Is this awesome, or what???????

Fun, Fun, Fun! Nate is sooo funny :)

Doesn't Dylan look like a dude at the little princess lap desk??? If you look behind him, you will also notice that Nate is playing with the doggie stroller--both are Jenna's birthday presents. :)

Us :)

More pics

2010-05-26T09:10:00.005-04:00

The first post seemed to get hung up, so this is the second go at it. I always forget that this uploader loads in opposite order, so you can tell that the sparklers were at the end of the evening and this entire set goes in reverse :)

Jenna's 4th Birthday

2010-05-26T09:01:00.003-04:00

Day at the Park with Just the Littles

2010-04-30T21:35:00.006-04:00

In no particular order.....

The Beginnings of Our Garden

2010-04-14T22:28:00.004-04:00

This is our cherry tree in bloom on Easter....but they've all fallen off now.
Our first square foot garden box. There are 2 boxes with lettuce in them and some vidalia onion. These were transplants we purchased. Our seeds were just planted a week ago and have not emerged yet.

This was how it began, though. As you can tell, I don't actually know in which order my photos are posting.

These are the kids' square foot boxes. Jenna has a cabbage. Dana has a green pepper. And both boys have strawberry plants.

Easter Pics

2010-04-14T22:13:00.004-04:00

These two don't look very excited, but I had to grab them while I could to get a quick pic.

Looking for one of the last few eggs....

This was actually supposed to be the " and they're off....." pic.

Not-back-to-school art lesson

2010-01-08T00:14:00.001-05:00

Just some art fun in our school room...that we can now WALK in!!

My sewing partner

2010-01-08T00:03:00.003-05:00

Dana worked sooo hard on Wednesday helping me clean out our landfill...er, uh... sewing room! It's in a rough-in type area but it's great! She has her little setup and I have mine and we have plenty of space for working.

And, we have a view! This window looks out at ground level into the backyard. Yes, that is still leftover snow from the "blizzard".

And we've finally both been able to enjoy the fruits of our labor ! :)

Dana's setup

This is for Kimmie

2009-12-25T13:08:00.000-05:00

This is for you, aunt Kimmie......Nate--asleep in front of the dryer :)
He fell asleep while waiting for his gloves to dry so he could run out and play in the snow again.

more Christmas pics

2009-12-25T12:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning

2009-12-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

Damon carried on the tradition of serving cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning....

Then, there were stockings

and other presents

more snow fun

2009-12-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

on the trek back up the hill....

This kinda shows how long of a path they went on...This is Dana at the end.

and it snowed some more....

2009-12-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

The kids sledding down a hill at a local park

Dana lost her disc going down on this one

Let it snow some more....

2009-12-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

This is Cha-Cha's potty path to get down to the stairs and off the deck...Damon shoveled the deck steps for her, too.

This is our picnic table in a higher ground area of the yard.

Let it snow!

2009-12-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

Dana in the front yard after the big snow

It's pretty high on Dylan, too.

Here's a good look at it.....

And Damon WALKING up to the drive-up ATM machine :)

The guys doing push-ups

2009-12-19T13:45:00.001-05:00

Dylan working on his muscles.

Damon working on his muscles.

Could it be a white Christmas???

2009-12-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

The Carousel at Dulles Towne Center

2009-12-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

More recent pics

2009-12-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

More help with cooking....

2009-12-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Jenna makes her own lunch

2009-12-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

When she hears some rustling around in the kitchen, Jenna can often be heard asking, "Momma, can I cook with you?" She into being the lunch helper, too. This day, she made her own lunch and was sooooo proud!

Random pics

2009-12-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

Jenna

2009-12-06T17:26:00.000-05:00

Here, she is changing her baby's diaper :) Sooo cute!

2009-12-06T17:24:00.000-05:00

Another view...."up" from where we are....there is another ridge of houses, if you look closely, you can see a few rooftops. It's a beautiful view, especially with the snow !

There's always gotta be a sweet treat involved....the kids, making homemade hot chocolate after being out in the snow.

2009-12-06T17:21:00.000-05:00

The boys caught in the neighbor's snow, since it was untouched :)

Jenna eating snow for the first time. It was clean, btw.

The view from "up" where we live down to the little farm below.

2009-12-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

Let it Snow!

2009-12-06T17:18:00.000-05:00

We ended up with 8 inches!

A few of the touches of Christmas around our house

2009-12-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

This wreath is filled with ornaments that represent children's books that we use as a part of our homeschool curriculum. We have participated in an ornament exchange for 2 yrs so far, and have saved our ornaments to continue to use.

Lots of fun decorating for Christmas!

2009-12-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

Then, comes Christmas

2009-12-06T17:11:00.000-05:00

Fall/Thanksgiving

2009-12-06T17:09:00.000-05:00

Fall is one of my favorite times of year! And of course,
Thanksgiving comes with that :)

Thanksgiving Prep

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

Volleyball ends...

2009-12-06T17:04:00.000-05:00

It is really, really hard to get a decent pic inside the gym. Lighting and location are both an issue.
Dana did great at volleyball. She became a very good server.

Dana's party

2009-12-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

Dana was embarrassed while we were singing to her....and we have been doing it for TEN years!!!

more goofing at Dana's party

2009-12-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

Ooops! I left one kid off..

2009-11-10T19:31:00.000-05:00

Presley/Lister clans

2009-11-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

Pics of a recent visit from some friends...they have 5 BOYS!!!!!
This was the beginning of a hoedown...

Then it got really serious!

Dana enjoyed the baby...

The rest of the crew did a lot of this....

Dylan is 8!!

2009-11-01T18:42:00.000-05:00

Dylan's 8th Birthday continued

2009-11-01T18:40:00.000-05:00

Random cuteness

2009-10-27T09:31:00.000-04:00

Just some random pics of this little cutie!!

How can you resist all these curls????

Volleyball

2009-10-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

For some reason, we cannot get a good lighted pic of anything inside this gym. But, you can see that she is playing!
She's turning out to be a really good server. In their 2nd game, she made 3 points! Yay!

This was a "from the side" shot of her while they were doing team pics :)

School Zone

2009-10-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

A few cute spots in our redone school room:

Nathan's desk / calendar / weather chart

Dylan's spot...you can't see it, but these stickers are Cars characters/emblems.

Dana's zone...speaks for itself

Jenna's is pretty cute, too.

Our First Ballet

2009-10-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

Today, we went to see Virginia Youth Ballet perform Hansel and Gretel.
What a treat!! It was great!! They all did well, even the boys liked it :)
The pics are not the greatest, as we were way too far to the side of the stage, but couldn't help it because the house was packed.

Flag Footbal is catching on....

2009-10-09T13:01:00.000-04:00

This is a pic that Damon snapped while they were together for their formal pic.

Impromptu game including a few neighbors, as well as a little girl power!

Natha - 6th birthday

2009-10-09T12:57:00.000-04:00

We always give the birthday child their choice on their birthday....Nathan always chooses Chuck E. Cheese's. :) So, we were there again..... it seems like just yesterday we went there for his 5th birthday, doesn't it?

Nate's bday cake

2009-09-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

Pics of his party still to come...these are of his cake :)

Football practice :)

2009-09-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

Dana and Jenna cooking it up in the kitchen

2009-09-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

Dana looooves to take goofy pics of herself....I just thought I'd actually post one instead of deleting it for her! :)

Flag Football

2009-09-25T10:31:00.000-04:00

It is hard to get a good pic from as far away as we are during the game....but at least you can see that he IS playing :)

Harper's Ferry, WV

2009-09-25T10:13:00.000-04:00

This pic (I think) was standing on the bank of the Shenandoah River, where it meets with the Potomac River and this mountain across the bridge is actually in Maryland.

Harper's Ferry

2009-09-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

Harper's Ferry, cont'd

2009-09-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me should look where I am standing and know that it is a MIRACLE that I survived and SMILED!!!

Where oh where is my hair lady????

2009-09-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

OK Kimmie, you see where my hair is now......help me out....what do do with it???? Yes, I am serious. I am putting you on the spot on my blog. I wanna know what do do with it. You know that funky cowlick in the back? And how it grows thicker in some spots....well, it's starting to look unruly again. So, tell me what to do with it.

Soccer with Nate

2009-09-10T11:42:00.000-04:00

Nathan is playing soccer season! Yay!! He loves it and is doing very well :)
It is only skils practice at his age. But next year, he will be playing on a team:)

The entire time is parent interactive, so when he can, Damon does it and I run interference with the others :)
There will be a time or two that I will have to do it, but I won't be posting that--it won't be nearly as cute! :)

School is in full swing here

2009-09-07T15:26:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share a few of the things we are up to in school, even though we've been is session for several weeks already.

This is part of our history timeline. We study history chronologically, using The Mystery of History . This year, we are studying the early church and middle ages. This is something that I only have vague memories of studying, so I am learning a LOT along with the crew.

Nathan is beginning to read simple stories. He is half way through his reading book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He is also learning beginning math concepts as well as using the calendar and will soon begin a weather chart.

We ALL will be constantly reviewing grammar skills. This will be our leaved woodland, when everyone is done decorating each tree with it's leaves :)

Each tree is labeled for a different part of speech . Everyone will be taking leaves, directed to work on adding leaves to the different trees with examples of each part of speech and soon, I will post our artwork!

Just a peek into some of the things we are working on.....I might post another item or two, we'll see.

Afternoon snooze

2009-09-07T15:16:00.000-04:00

Caught this shot of Jenna snoozing this afternoon. Love it. She is sooo sweet.

Yes, this is a picture of a picture. But, I couldn't help but notice how much everyone has changed since this was taken. This was winter 2005 and I was pregnant with Jenna at the time.

And then, there's the girls

2009-09-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

Caught this pic of the girls one day, doing their chores. Dana and Jenna wiping out the fridge/freezer.

Jenna, after Dana dressed her up and did her hair up in pigtails and tutu! She is sooo cute :) She looooves her Dana, too. She hates when Dana is gone .

The fruit of our labor :) We went out to the apple orchard today and picked an entire bushel of apples. Planning on a few fall goodies and having some around just for snacking. They go fast here. Mom, there will be some in the mail to you on Tuesday! :) Love you!

Dylan lately

2009-09-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

Dylan is turning 8 soon and he has a new hobby....he loves, I mean LOVES to cut the grass. He has begged Damon to let him and Damon has finally given in, as long has he supervises. Dylan does a great job, too!!!
Also, notice the lone tomato plant in the background in pic2. That came up b/c I started a decomp area back there and now we have a tomato bush growing and several cantaloupe vines with fruit!!!

Just a quick pic of Damon and Dylan throwing football in the park...Dylan is playing flag football this fall and is soo excited about it!

A few more from the campout :)

2009-09-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

A few more pics from the campout mentioned previously...I forget that these posts are going in opposite directions..so forgive the
"backwards" order here.
Also, it is not pictured here, but there were S'mores involved and they were mighty yummy :)

Sound experiment and camping trip

2009-09-05T20:51:00.000-04:00

This is of Dana and Dylan doing an experiment on sound waves. They have plastic wrap over a bowl with rice on top. They "bang" the cookie sheet without touching the bowl and observe the movement of the rice caused by sound waves.

This was the beginning of a campout we did in our back yard. We are hoping to do the "real thing" soon....so this was a test. They all stayed out there the whole night and we all actually slept. I stayed, too, but my back was screaming in the a.m. :)

Random pics found on the camera

2009-09-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

The one camera that gets little use held these treasures...some are even almost a year old :)

Happy Birthday Brooke!

2009-08-21T01:05:00.000-04:00

Here is a pic of my newest cake...... and proof that Damon really did try his hand at it, too!! Actually, he did the soccer ball inlay details.

One more shot of each one...

2009-08-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

Can you guess what's going on here? (Hint: I did not take this picture :) )

Odds n Ends

2009-08-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

These top two were inside the caverns, as well.

Our two girlies at the pool recently.

Skyline Caverns

2009-08-20T16:48:00.000-04:00

A few pics from underground at Skyline Caverns

Eruption!

2009-08-20T16:45:00.000-04:00

This week in world history, we studied about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the buried city of Pompeii. And, of course, included is the traditional volcano experiment with baking soda and vinegar... and of course a 3 yr old to oversee the whole thing!!

Girls' Tea Party

2009-08-20T16:42:00.000-04:00

This was just a few days ago..the girls having a tea party together. Aunt Kimmie...do you recognize the tutu??

To GA and back

2009-07-07T17:14:00.000-04:00

This was my "Welcome Back to the South" sign :)

I LOVE this pic of us.....

Trying to find something good about being up there.......

From left: Kimmie, 25, Terri, 30, and Me..34.
The ONLY pic of the three of us together this trip.

Nothing particular..

2009-06-11T21:26:00.000-04:00

Caught these two recently..yes the pic is taken through the window with screen, so as not to disturb :)

The plants (and weeds and grass) have enjoyed all the rain. Isn't this beautiful ?

She IS a Daddy's girl..that's all I can say.

We have a 3 yr old!

2009-05-26T15:17:00.000-04:00

Jenna giggled all the way through everyone singing "Happy Birthday"! She just loved it. It was wonderful !

She still looks sooo little blowing out that big 3 candle :)

An ordinary school day:)

2009-05-17T22:23:00.000-04:00

Evidence that the kids got a hold of my camera:)

2009-05-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Easter dress

2009-04-13T18:18:00.000-04:00

Pictures of the crew this easter. They were all beautiful!!!

Bird identification

2009-04-13T18:13:00.000-04:00

Do you happen to know what these are? They were on our cherry blossom tree this a.m.

Dana's been a-sewin'!!

2009-03-29T14:47:00.000-04:00

And she's doing great!!! This is her Easter dress and she did it by herself. She looks sooo cute and should be very proud, doncha think???

We haven't forgoten our blog..

2009-03-29T14:43:00.000-04:00

We've just been a little sidetracked :)

Dylan lost 3 teeth in 2 days.

Jenna loves to join us during school time..doesn't she look HAPPY!??

Can you figure out what does NOT go with the salad that Dana is attacking?

Anyone who knows Nathan, knows what he's laying in front of (for those who don't--why, it's the Gamecube!!)

Just some pics of us....

2009-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

In our recent snow studies, we learned about hibernating animals.....and we ourselves found a cozy spot and hibernated, too!

This is my favorite little helper!!

This was a no-makeup morning, before Damon went to work....but he never takes a bad picture!

School Boards

2009-02-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

This is a glimpse of our not-always-organized school.
This is a magnetic white board and the clips came from a school supply store-I use them to clip their copywork, writing sheets, grammar worksheets, or any other items they'll need for the day's work so that they don't have to ask and I don't have to search!:) They LOVE checking the boxes off! And often, I hear "Mom, can you pleeeeeeze do my _______ with me?". That is music to my ears, even though I know they just want to get done and check their boxes :)

Where it says "chalkboard", that sends them to the chalkboard, where I might have something they need review or practice on, just something short to keep them practicing. It could be math problems, a quick grammar exercise, or words to look up to practic dictionary skills. But, it's quick stuff.

Winter Bird Investigation

2009-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

The kids took part in a local homeschool group class on winter birds. They learned about different characteristics of them, played games, and made natural birdfeeders. It took a few days, but we have finally seen a few little birds pecking at them :)

SuperBowl

2009-02-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

We are not totally cracked up about he SuperBowl this year. I don't know anything at all about the game of football. The boys ARE excited, and Dana is just going with it. Damon was required to watch it at work, in order to help keep eyes on the cable system. I wrongly assumed the guys at work would be totally hyped up over this and began diligently working to make them what I thought was going to be a spectacular cake for the event. Then, I called to double check that all were going to be Steelers fans.........WRONG. No one was interested in the SuperBowl at all!!!!!!! So, I just finished up the cake, half heartedly, since no one was really over the top about the whole thing. Here it is:

And this was my little helper!!

She is really, really good at it!!

What a difference a year makes!

2009-02-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

I opened my photo thingee to post some recent pics of our goings on and it came up to this date last year. In the first week of February last year, our lives were sooo drastically different!!! Damon was on a plane headed for Qatar, for his "R&R" break, still on the other side of the world. It's crazy to think of. This time last year, the kids and I were finally figuring out how to live in our unusual life situation. It was beginning to feel like we could handle it for the remainder of the tour....and we did, we survived...but what a difference a year makes!!!

Dylan--Wrestling

2009-01-25T16:18:00.000-05:00

This winter, Dylan chose wrestling for his sport. He's been learning some basic moves and did very well on his first practice

It is a snow day today!

2009-01-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

More Sweet Stuff

2009-01-19T00:43:00.001-05:00

I have been up to more cake making fun! This was my first shot at a cake with fondant. I did the marbelized look by not blending the red food coloring completely. I really like that part of it. I'm not sure if I'm crazy about the rest of the cake, but it's OK for a first shot at working with new material. I have always considered myself an artist in the medium of fabric, never sugar. This is a whole new ballgame for me. It has been fun to experiment with and I like it so far. The possibilities are endless and you get nearly instant results.

His Mercy is New

2008-12-30T21:37:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful that His mercy IS new everyday! But, I'm really sharing a great little spot on the web, if you're a homeschooler :) Candace has a new blog. I'm a frequent flyer at her old blog and I'm sure her new spot is even better! She's got reviews of new homeschool products, an eclectic stash of creative ideas for the younger crowd and all of her posts are very encouraging as a Christian homeschooling mom.

A New Kind of Fun

2008-12-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have a new sewing room waiting for me downstairs, only a few things left to do in it.
Meanwhile, I have been learning a new hobby. It is sooo fun!!! These are my 3rd and 4th "real"
cakes that I've decorated myself. I made these both for neighbors who've bought and moved in within
the last week. So, they're 'welcome to the neighborhood' type cakes.
Let me know what you think! Constructive criticism welcome:)

2008-12-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Morning

2008-12-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas morning festivities always start out with cinnamon rolls for breakfast. :)
Then, we move to the living room and get down to the business of unwrapping gifts.
Here are a few shots of the kiddos doing just that. We enjoyed having Christmas
together at home. We visited my family in GA a few wks ago and had a wonderful time
there. This was our first Christmas in our new home! Yay! Also, we were
thrilled to have Damon home for Christmas this year.

Visiting Home

2008-12-17T08:13:00.001-05:00

First set of pics from the visit to GA

Somehow, Aunt Frances' face was partially blocked :) but it's hard to get everyone doing the right thing at the right time:)

Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipe

2008-12-05T08:26:00.002-05:00

My friend Jennifer Unsell is doing a Christmas Cookie Recipe Exchange on her blog this year.
I love baking, but I love eating what I've baked, too. So, we've only made one batch of cookies this year so far. We made these because the kids can roll and cut these themselves. They love to slather on the icing, sprinkles, and all that good stuff.

Roll Out Butter Cookies

3 c. flour
2 eggs
1 c sugar
2 sticks butter (set out but not all the way room temp)

Cut butter into flour. In separate bowl, beat eggs and slowly add sugar. Blend egg mixture into flour. Roll onto well floured surface..not too thin, though :) Cut cookies and place on greased cookie sheet or ungreased stone. Bake at 375 for 6-8 min. They may look undone, but you don't want them to brown. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1 lb powdered sugar
1/2 stick butter flavor crisco
1/4 c milk
1 Tb vanilla
1 Tb butter
food coloring

Mix ingredients well. Separate into small bowls and add food coloring to each one. Frost and decorate cookies as desired.

Fun at the Park

2008-12-01T13:53:00.003-05:00

The kids and I recently went out with a neighbor for a day of fun at the park. She's the one who has the cool camera- so this is what we got.

A Favorite Daddy Pastime

2008-11-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

This basket ride is a continuation of a tradition in the Presley house :) He has always pushed the kids around in laundry baskets.

In this one, Dana and Jenna have Damon worn out!

Little Helper

2008-11-28T14:08:00.000-05:00

I was trying a new bread recipe and Jenna asked to "help". Here she is with her custom apron I made her for last Christmas. She's still soo tiny but she has changed so much compared to here. She did a great job helping AND the bread turned out great!

Just Seems WRONG

2008-11-28T13:34:00.001-05:00

Okay, can you figure out what's wrong (and the same about) these two pics? Ironically, they were on different days/meals and different children..and UNsolicited.

I just don't think that buffalo sauce belongs on the table at Thanksgiving...anyone else??

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:53:00.000-05:00

Pictures here

The day before

2008-11-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

The kids had a great time helping make some of the goodies for Thanksgiving. Dana did the chocolate chess pie. Dylan did the pumpkin pie. And Nate did the veggie dip. They all followed their respective recipes and everything turned out quite YUMMY!!

Pilgrim conversations

2008-11-27T08:00:00.005-05:00

In our recent Thanksgiving study, we made these puppets with moveable arms and legs. They are soo cute.
Overheard:
after coming home from shopping,
papa pilgrim: come on, let's go sit criss-cross applesauce (because of the moveable parts)
mama pilgrim: I can't because I have to go wash dishes and do my knitting
papa pilgrim: I'll help with the dishes, you go knit on the couch

later.....

mama pilgrim: I really need to organize this house
papa pilgrim: Yes! I agree.

Can you guess who I overheard????? Leave your guess in comments :)

That's my kinda man!!!! He agrees to do dishes AND agrees to let me organize without a fuss!!!

Pilgrim sighting

2008-11-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

I always loved these crafts as a kid....

Science--Helen Keller

2008-11-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

In our Five in a Row studies, Dana is reading and studying through the biography of Helen Keller. She really enjoyed studying the eye's "camera". Here is a pic of one activity: her own model of the eye, complete with the optic nerve in the back. This was her own creation. I just gave her lots of supplies and told her to go for it. :)

Great Faces

2008-11-24T11:43:00.000-05:00