I stumbled across these yummy snacks by accident.  I had found a recipe online that said to put Nutella and marshmallow cream on a graham cracker.  Now I will tell you I LOVE NUTELLA!  If you have never tried this it is found in the peanut butter isle at the grocery store.  It is a mixture of hazelnut butter and chocolate.  Can it get better than that? 

Anyway, in my hurry to try this, I came home to find that I had no graham crackers.  YIKES!  So I made a substitution out of desperation and it was a wonderful result.

 1 club cracker

spread with nutella

top with a spread of marshmallow cream

There is something about the buttery, salty goodness of the club cracker that makes this taste like a bite of pie.  A delicious, yummy, creamy, smooth, mouthwatering taste of pie.  Originally I also was thinking  “Wow…one or two of these crackers is so much more low cal than a piece of pie.  Well, 25 crackers later…….maybe not so lo cal

This week we will be starting a Little House on the Prairie Co-op.  We will be using the Prairie Primer and the Little Primer to guide us on our Pioneer way.  We had a kick-off field trip for the co-op last week with a trip to the zoo.  The zoo had an educational program called Little Zoo on the Prairie where they talk about the animals commonly found on the prairie.  We talked about ones they ate, the sounds of the animals you would hear depending on what part of the prairie  you are on.  We had a great time and learned so much.  We have a zoo pass and have been many times, we have never been a part of this program before and it was great!

 This is Reagan petting a huge bunny who had to be at least 25 pounds. 

They talked about houses being made of sod and what sod was.  They they passed around some sod for the kids to feel how heavy it was.

She then talked about what you might find digging up the sod and passed around a snake (yuck yuck yuck)

When talking about animal sounds you might hear on the prairie, she pulled out an owl.

After the presentation, we went out and made lunch pails like Laura and Mary used to carry to school.  We made the using a coffee can and braiding jute for the handles.  We also have a small square of fabric that will go on top of the lunch that can be used as a placemat or napkin.

We had a great time and can’t wait for co-op this week!

My daughter turned 18 today.  She has grown into a beautiful and talented girl.  She is such a great dancer and performer and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!

Click on the picture above to visit Peggy’s place to see more daybooks or join in on the fun!

FOR TODAY

Outside My Window… the sun is shining brightly after a weekend of rain.  It going to be a really hot day.

I am thinking… doing a deep cleaning on my house today so that I have a really clean house to start the week.

I am thankful for… a job where I can get all my hours in two days per week and therefore I have more time at home, can homeschool and still have health insurance.

From the kitchen…breakfast is done and my oldest daughter is hemming pants for the newest show she is in.  She does theater and her newest musical “Seusical” starts this week.

I am wearing…ummmm…my pajamas.

I am creating…school plans.  It seems to be an endless process.  What are ya’ll doing for school this year?

I am going…to be taking my youngest daughter to another free summer movie this week.  Last week was Charlotte’s Web and this week is Mr. Magoriam’s Magical Emporiam.  We had a great time and is was free, free, free.

I am reading…a lot of various information on marriage, being a Godly wife, a better mother.  I have found some great blogs out there with wonderful information on them.  What blogs do you love to read?

I am hoping…to get a bunch accomplished this week without feeling overwhelmed.   

I am hearing…the cartoons on TV, the sound of sissors cutting as my daughter works next to me on the pants.

Around the house…I see some laundry that needs to be folded.

One of my favorite things…birds.  We have recently gotten a birdfeeder and I love watching the different birds come in.  I enjoy figuring out what type of bird they are. 

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Spending time doing fun things with my youngest and getting my oldest ready for her musical.

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

My youngest helping me in the yard.

In celebration of the upcoming online conference, Tamara at Training Hearts is giving away free tickets to attend online.  Please go enter now…it ends today!

In Heart of the Matter Online’s
(http://heartofthematteronline.com/) quest to bring you the absolute best home school resource online, they have listened to your requests and are providing you with a fun filled online adventure! On July 30th through August 3rd, they will be hosting Heart of the Matter Online’s first annual Virtual Homeschool Conference! They will be providing the attendees with motivational speakers, video tutorials, free products, question and answer sessions, and a vendor hall - all ONLINE! Just log on and listen live during that time or log in at your convenience and download the audios.
This conference will be less like a “seminar” and more like a bunch of close friends in a chat room. Just wait till you see what some of your favorite home school personalities (http://www.hotmconference.com/2008/03/2008-speakers.html) have done to educate and entertain you! At the end you will join in to chat with them, ask questions, and they will answer.

{Click on graphic above to get the Early Bird Special!}

To ensure your spot in the conference room and to take advantage of the early bird special. Simply, visit the Heart of the Matter Online Conference (http://www.hotmconference.com) site and click the “pay now” button. At $19.95 these prices won’t last long! This $19.95 includes a fabulous $30 package from Currclick: curriculum in a click! Currclick (formerly HomeschoolEstore) is the largest one-stop shop for electronic lapbooks, affordable curriculum, and homeschooling resources

Click on the picture above to visit Peggy’s place to see more daybooks or join in on the fun!

FOR TODAY

Outside My Window… my marigolds are blooming!

I am thinking… about what I will be fixing for dinner tonight.

I am thankful for… a wonderful husband and three great children.  And when the heat is like it has been here recently, I am thankful for air conditioning.

From the kitchen…breakfast cookies that I am trying for the first time.

I am wearing…scrubs, it is my day to work.

I am creating…a new planner that I read about here.  It is the first time that I have found something that I think will actually work for me.

I am going…home soon to be with my children.  I only have to work half a day and that makes it all worth it!

I am reading…A Rose at the Door by Deborah Bedford.  I have recently run across her and really love her books.

I am hoping…that I can get more organized and keep up with all I need to be doing.  I have failed terribly at this in the past and I am hoping that this time I will be able to do it. 

I am hearing…quiet, nothing but quiet as it is still in the wee hours of the morning.  I love the quiet!

Around the house…as I look around, I see barbi’s, barbi’s barbi’s.  I think that just perhaps I am being invaded by barbi!

One of my favorite things…Sonic Route 44 coke with extra ice.  This is such a treat for me!  I love to get this in the mornings and it will last me all day long.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: A little spring cleaning in the closet areas.  I will be taking my youngest to the zoo and then later in the week to a free summer movie day at a local theater.  My flower beds need tended to and my bird feeders need attention.  I love yard work, so this will be fun!  I will begin planning for the new school year soon.  My year will consist mainly of FIAR and homeschool share.  I need to plan these out and then also see what I will be adding to this!

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

We went to the lake camping a couple of weeks ago and there was a castle there that they had converted into a nature museum.  This was looking out onto the lake from the first level.

We added to our family this last week. Please meet Sammy. He is 1/2 long haired dacshand and 1/2 westland terrier. I love him but I must say that he is one of those dogs that is so ugly, it is cute. Below are some Sammy pictures. He is laying in my backyard flowerbed in my flowers for goodness sake! All of that work for smashed flowers! Gotta love em’.

Homeschool share has a great new theme unit that fits right in with the month of July being ice cream month!

You can go HERE to see this unit. 

It looks like a bunch of fun with some great ice cream activities.   Mmmmmm do I LOVE ice cream.  There is even a recipe to make ice cream in a Ziploc baggie!    You know what the best part is???  It is totally FREE.  Yes, you heard me right…FREE.  They have a bunch of great lapbooks and so many great activities to go along with many, many books.  Go check it out.

We will be doing this one for sure.

Other than going to the nature center(see post below) we hung out, went swimming, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.  It was a fun time!