Salmon Fishing in The Yemen

I was contacted to do a post about an upcoming movie release. I usually keep up with new movie releases but somehow I missed this one. From reading a bit about it and watching the trailer I am sure this will be on my watch list!

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen: From the beloved director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes the inspirational comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. A visionary sheik (Amr Waked) has a big dream - to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Emily Blunt) to turn his dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on for its potential as a 'good will' story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Texas Chicken Chowder

Recently my sister sent me a recipe for White Chicken Chili. It sounds so yummy but I didn't have all the ingredients. I ended up improvising with what I already had in the pantry and made up a yummy dish I have named:

Texas Chicken Chowder

1lb cooked chicken cut up
1 can nacho cheese
1 can cr. chicken soup
2 cups cooked rice
2 cans beans (I used one can pinto and one can of black beans)
1/2-1 cup milk or broth
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp taco/chili seasoning (or more if you like it hot)

Mix it all together in a pot and heat on medium until bubbly. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado slices, jalapenos, tortilla chips, etc.

If you end up trying it out let me know what you think of it! Thanks!

Linking up to:

I've been Tagged!

Lisa over at Ramblings of The Cool Chick tagged me!

Post these rules.
1. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
*No stuff in the tagging section about "you are tagged if you are reading this." Legitimately tag 11 people!!

1. Eleven Random Things about me... (was having a hard time deciding what to say about myself so I just used the questions that I came up with for the next round of bloggers that I tag).

- What celebrity do you think you look most like? I would have to say either Jennifer Gardner or Rachel Ray
- What is your favorite bible verse OR book of the bible? Jeremiah 29:11
- Who could you not live without? I automatically started going down the list of my family and was about to pick my hubby but truly I would have no life without my savior Jesus.
- If you could live anywhere for a year (money is no object) where would it be? There are so many places I'd love to go, to live... but I think I'd choose Italy... or Greece... or Hawaii... ;-)
- What Disney princess are you most like? I used to think Belle, but I kind of think Rapunzel now. Tangled is my new favorite Disney movie.
- What is your proudest moment? Giving birth to my daughter at home with my loved ones around.
- What is your least favorite food?
- Name one food you could never give up: at the risk of being a stereotypical girl - CHOCOLATE!
- If you had to choose just one hobby/interest to pursue - what would it be? This would be terribly difficult for me. I have a lot of interests: photography, scrapbooking, crafts, sewing... I think I'd have to choose photography. Though I'm really thankful that I don't actually have to choose just one!
- Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year? I'd rather think of it as goal setting. ;-)
- What is your favorite quality about yourself? I am a caretaker. I love my friends and family with great passion and I do my best to be there for them however I can.


2. Answer the Questions the tagger set for you...

1. Who do you admire most and why?
my grandfather - he was a POW in WWII
2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
teacher
3. What is your favorite beverage?
cherry coke
4. Dogs or Cats?
cats all the way
5. What is your least favorite exercise to do?
um... running - I have a horrible mental picture of what I think I look like when I run... its probably exaggerated but I can't get it out of my head.
6. What is one thing you have done that you aren't proud of?
occasionally when my kids are screaming I scream back. bad mommy. :-(
7. If you could do 3 things on your bucket list tomorrow, what would they be?
travel somewhere tropical, skinny dip, make love on the beach.
8. If you could go on a trip anywhere, where would you go?
Italy
9. What is your favorite book?
currently The Hunger Games trilogy
10. What is your favorite candy bar?
Snickers
11. If you could tell someone from your past one thing, what would you say?
I would ask my childhood friend why we grew apart.

3. Make up 11 new questions for the bloggers you tag...

- What celebrity do you think you look most like?
- What is your favorite bible verse OR book of the bible?
- Who could you not live without?
- If you could live anywhere for a year (money is no object) where would it be?
- What Disney princess are you most like?
- What is your proudest moment?
- What is your least favorite food?
- Name one food you could never give up:
- If you had to choose just one hobby/interest to pursue - what would it be?
- Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year?
- What is your favorite quality about yourself?

4. I tagged:
http://whitsworld-whitney.blogspot.com/
http://www.forgetfulone.com/
http://funandfaithful.blogspot.com/
http://missmoe-thesearethedaysofmylife.blogspot.com/
http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/
http://jnavara-homeschoolchronicles.blogspot.com/
http://www.vwbblog.com/
http://nine-ninety-one.blogspot.com/
http://midsummermeanderings.blogspot.com/
http://moldingmindshomeschool.blogspot.com/
http://ladybug-chronicles.blogspot.com/

Homeschool-Mom-Swap

Awhile back The Homeschool Post organized a swap especially for homeschool moms. My partner Whit of Whit's World and I have a lot in common, more than just similar blog names! She has two boys that keep her busy and is just starting out homeschooling her oldest this year.

Here is a pix of the swap package that I put together for Whit. I am a bargain shopper and a DIYer so I was able to pack a lot of punch. I included:
a copy of 1/2 Price Living by Ellie Kay - to help stay money smart in this tough economy
a mom's pocket planner - to keep her crazy schedule organized
Restaurant.com certificate - so she can go on a date w/ her hubby!
some purple lip gloss and nail polish - to pamper herself a little bit
yummy chocolatey treats - cause who doesn't need a little chocolate fix once in awhile?
an apron & wreath that I made especially for her - because I know she loves the color purple!
And for her boys I slipped in some animal stickers and a science experiment book.

I really hope that Whit enjoyed the package as much as I enjoyed putting it together. I am enjoying getting to know her through our emails and her blog posts. Stop by Whit's World and say "hi" sometime!

Just a short time after I sent Whit her package she had some health problems. I think its been a difficult time for her and her family. She has been unable to reciprocate with a swap package for me. At first I was kind of pretty disappointed. Its a swap, there is supposed be gifts exchanged, not just one sent - right? But the more I thought and prayed about it I reminded myself that a gift should be given without the expectation of a gift being returned. Regardless of whether she was able to return the gift, I was blessed by sharing my gift with her. It was so much fun for me to put the package together for Whit. I hope she was as blessed by it as I was in giving it. I pray for God's blessings to be showered on Whit and her family.


Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Corinthians 9:7

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

Hearts at Home

This is the year. My year to finally attend a Hearts at Home conference! I have been pregnant or nursing (with minimal gaps) for basically the past seven years. And the closest conference to us is always near or close to the same weekend as my church's lady's retreat. I've always been conflicted about which to choose. Well, I'm going for it! I can hardly explain my excitement. Does that sound nerdy?



Some of the featured speakers this year are: Michelle Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting and Dr. Juli Slattery of Focus on the Family Ministries, and The Fly Lady . Gathering with thousands of moms, Hearts at Home main sessions are high energy opportunities to laugh and learn. Through drama, music, and speakers who understand the real challenges of motherhood, you'll find your vision refreshed, your heart full, and your perspective transformed. Main sessions will take place at the beginning of your conference day and immediately following your workshop breakouts.

Here is a clip from a previous Hearts at Home conference:


I am sure that I am not the only one who can relate to that skit! ;-)

What is Pinterest?

I think there might still be a few of you who are wondering what exactly Pinterest is. Well... it is a virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" websites or blog posts for you to refer back to later. You can pin onto categorized boards to keep your pins organized. This is a great tool for keeping track of websites or blog posts that you know you'll want/need to use later. I love it. I have found it helpful on many occasions. I have boards for cooking, crafts, style, etc. Here is a sampling of what my Pinterest boards are like:

My Creative Homeschool Ideas Board has stuff like this in it:

Paint Chip Word Maker

30 (educational) webSites for Kids who Finish Early


I have a few recipe boards. One is: Good Eats - Breakfasts - I love finding recipes online!

Egg and Spinach Mini-quiches


I have tons of things pinned in: Sweet Sewing Ideas

20 Great Baby Gear Sewing Tutorials


** Warning this site is addictive. There are tons of great ideas on here. But if you are not careful you'll end up spending more time pinning than crafting or cooking or... you get the picture. ;-)

CURRENTLY

Right this minute I am:

1. Listening: to two of my kiddos fighting naptime. Not in a bad way, just jabbering away to themselves. Cute!

2. Eating: the last bit of popcorn from my lunch. Have I mentioned lately how much I love popcorn? A lot!

3. Drinking: well... actually nothing. I know, I'm terrible. I've been failing miserably at drinking my 8 glasses of water a day... gonna go get one now!

4. Wearing: One of my favorite sweaters (blue v-neck from Old Navy), jeans... ponytail... its mommy-chic. ;-)

5. Feeling: teetering toward depressed. Christine had a First Steps evaluation this morning. And while the therapists were nice as can be, these things always remind me of all the things that my kid cannot do and it puts me in a funk. :-P

6. Weather: its sunny and chilly, but still somewhat unseasonably warm for January in the midwest.

7. Wanting: a break from reality.

8. Needing: a break from reality. ;-) but seriously.

9. Thinking: about my chipped fingernails.

10. Enjoying: the three scrapbook pages I completed yesterday. Haven't scrapped in awhile and forgot how much I love it. And totally need to catch up! I got pix piling up!

**got this idea from a Pinterest Pin. Love it!

Nate

School is going well. I really like the way the curriculum we are using is structured. However, sometimes I feel like it is moving a little slowly. I'm torn between following the assigned tasks/chapters/worksheets/etc, and wanting to move things along so Nate is not bored. Up til now we have basically stuck to the program but Nate has done a lot of additional reading and other educational activities. I'm hoping that the next year is a little more challenging for him. We'll see. I'm not opposed to switching to another curriculum if that is what Nate needs. But I want to give this one a fair try first.

As I mentioned, Nate has been reading up a storm. He got a few second hand books and devoured them! They were abridged versions of Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and Moby Dick. Nate read them in just a few days. We have been getting back into the habit of going to the library again which has helped him to find new books to read too. He has also gotten into the Franny K Stein books, the Bailey School Kids series and of course he still loves the Magic Treehouse Books. He loves anything with an adventure or a mystery to solve. It is so great to see his love of reading and learning grow.
I read an article online: School ADD isn't Homeschool ADD. And while I am not ready to try to get Nate diagnosed as ADD or anything else, he is a very curious and energetic kid. Because I was home educated I do not have a public school experience of my own to pull from. Its possible that he would be fine in public school. But more than likely someone with Nate's level of energy and precociousness would end up with a similar outcome as the boy in the article (teacher recommending ADD medication). I am confident that he will thrive more in the flexible educational environment here at home than he would in the structured public school system. As always I am constantly seeking God's blessing and guidance with both our child rearing and education decisions. If at any time Isaac and I feel God leading us to put Nate into the public school system we would certainly do so. But for now we are confident that we are on the right path.

Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.