Starting something new

Over the last year, I have been introduced to the idea of blogging. Here as of late, I have begun contemplating the advantages and disadvantages of such an endeavor. Perhaps the greatest advantage is to be able to journal/blog and be able to share it with family and friends, thus keeping everyone up to date on what is going on in our family. We'll see how it works.

We are actually planning on quite a few new things for this year to come. We are hoping to do some remodeling on the house this year - including painting the walls, replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, replacing the linoleum with tile, putting a second sink in the master bathroom, putting on gutters (why oh why isn't that something automatically added down here in the south?), and putting in an attic fan.

I'll be starting my garden up in the next couple months... we will be using square foot gardening again this year. I'm planning on six 4'x4' boxes, not to count my herbs I will be doing up on the patio. The plan is for everything to be organic, which is all we really eat anymore. I would really like to do some landscaping as well, but am not very good designing that kind of thing.

This year also holds a lot of sewing projects! My best friend is having her third baby, due in April, and I'm planning to make her some outfits. My kids and hubby have requested pajama pants. K is requesting a few dresses as well. I also need (lol - well want anyways) to make outfits for our family vacation this year.

This year we are headed up to Maryland in May for a wedding. On the way up, we will be staying with some dear friends in Virginia, and spend a day at Busch Gardens and a day at Colonial Williamsburg. Once we get to Maryland, we'll be going to Hershey Park, the DC Zoo, and the Baltimore Aquarium. We are also having a birthday party for W while we are up there. Busy busy busy!!!

Our home school curriculum will be changing drastically in the next couple of months. L will be using ACE kindergarten curriculum as his PreK4 program, starting within the next month. Next year he will be using ACE 1st grade curriculum as his kindergarten material. K is almost finished the first grade curriculum, so we will be using other materials to finish the year off with her. Thanks to some GREAT friends, I was pointed in the right direction and had the opportunity to play and plan :) I went "shopping" at Christian Book Store, Veritas Press, and Timberdoodle. K will be using the following to finish up first grade:
Math:
Singapore Math
Rainbow Rock
Science:
Stepping Into Science
English:
Shurley English I
History:
Child's History of the World
Art:
Drawing with Children
Readers/Reading/Language Arts:
Pathway Readers
On Yonder Mountain
Bible:
Celebrating Biblical Feasts

Hubby is headed out for another deployment in a few months, which I am sure will add another layer to our routine :) For the most part, though, the family continues to grow closer together. We are learning to use the resources God has blessed us with to provide for our needs, opposed to what the world offers us. We still dream of one day having a mini-farm with chickens, goats, horses, and perhaps a few cows. I'm hoping to learn to crochet and knit this year. Perhaps in the not so far off future, I'll learn to make my own soap as well. Time will tell :)

God bless you and your family as we begin this new year that we have been given to further the Kingdom of Heaven!