Powell Family: Part of what you missed of the Lego Cousin Club on our side of the screen...

On Friday we tried to have our first official "Lego Cousin Club" with the Powell's via Google chat or one other thing I can't remember the name of right now because it is to late to think to hard...Neither worked.  Long story short: we could see them but they couldn't see us....


So, Powell's, here is a little of what you missed and what we saw on our side of the screen.

 Jake was all set up and ready to show his cousins all the mini robots and the "mech" that could be transformed to work with the 4 original Ninjago Ninja's.

Jake was his normal adorable and psyched  self.  Love that we found a tough shirt for him.  That is what Aaron called red and navy blue shirts when he was a little boy. :)

 He had a whole army of mini robots. 

They even had clever names.  I think the guy with the black ball head was "bomb's away"  and he is a "swapable".  He can change the bottom part of himself out with another swapable to create a new robot.  The robot's name would then change to half it's original name and half the name of the robot he got a part from.

 And here is Ben explaining his very impressive, made right on the spot, awesome robot!  Great job Ben! :)

Saku I am soooooo sorrrrrry to tell you that the pictures I snapped of your robot minis and vehicles, with awesome (...what are those things that go on trucks that you pull stuff with...my mind has gone blank?!?!) towing capacity came out blurry.  They were very awesome! The fact that they pictures were blurry just remind me how you are always moving at top speed. :)

Sam your robotic vehicle is so coooool!  Jake is anxiously awaiting the time in his Robotic Engineering class that he gets to build something that is actually robotic.  They had to learn all about cams, and structure, and axles before they can break out the battery pack.  And for some reason I can't get these words to go next to your picture...so your picture is under the words!  Not sure why it does that...

That is what you missed on our end (and now the words are beside the picture and that is where they will stay!...).  I would say Jake could show you his stuff at the next Lego Cousins Club meeting, but I am sure a good deal of them are no longer together. Lego's are rearranged on a daily basis in our house. You remember the awesome set ya'll chipped in with Nee and Papa to get Jake a couple of years ago (a medievalish set with 2 buildings)? The blacksmith shop is still built, but the inside has currently been changed into a science lab. :)

 When is the next club meeting and what is our theme?  You guys pick this time. :)

The Countdown to a Homemade Christmas...

Christmas is five weeks from today...I was reminded by a friend's post on Facebook that I have only purchased one gift and 2 stocking stuffers...BUT then I remembered we have been working on some homemade gifts so we are a little farther along than I thought we were...but only slightly. 
Jake wanted to relearn how to crochet, which is perfect timing for helping me with some gifts.

 And he is helping with some painted projects...

Five weeks people!!!  I have got to get a move on!!!! 

The moments that make homeschooling worth it...

Jake pulled out a book, The Book of Man by William J. Bennett, and decided he was going to take notes while he reads it.  Totally his choice, when he could have been doing anything he wanted to do.

Note to self:  Remember this moment on those days when you hear the bus go by and you want to put Jake on it. 

Randomness: Abraham Lincoln, Sadie, Football, Painting, and Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend...

 We had a Abraham Lincoln and Gettysburg Address day and watched a documentary we have had for quit some time and never watched before.  November 19th is the perfect day to do it!  Lincoln was an amazing man.

This is love people.  Sadie is a lovey dovey girl.  Jake is her favorite boy.

 Football in the leaves.  I see a leaf blower getting a workout this weekend...

 Mixing Valspar "Perfect Storm" paint (thank you mom for the coupon for a free sample of paint from Lowe's) with plaster of paris to paint...

 ...our half painted, before plans changed, table!  I haven't taken the after yet.  I will get to that at some point.  I am kind of in love with the new look...

This is Jake's first snowboard that he used when he was just a little guy.  A friend of ours contacted us to ask Aaron what size snowboard his daughter would need. We discussed it and decided that we should pass ours on. 

   It was passed onto us and it was a great blessing.  Jake really wanted a snowboard and he read 100 books over the summer to earn it.  After he read them we wondered where we could get a deal and quick.  Friends of ours mentioned they had an old board that their son had outgrown and we could have it.  We added the cool bindings and stickers. :)

 Our friends asked if they could buy it and we told them no.  Jake said he didn't mind letting it go if the new owner would read 100 books to earn it too.  They agreed to the deal. :)

Good bye old friend!  Thanks for the memories and here's to the new ones you will make!   May you be passed on and on and on!

This post will give you gift card envy...

Last Saturday morning when I got out of bed (after sleeping in)  I came into the living room and my guys were watching cartoons.  I sat down on the couch and told them we had to do something.  We don't have a lot of extra money so we don't go and do very much....Which reminds me:  Aaron got a new job and starts it on Monday.  He will no longer have to use up $400+ a month on gas driving
almost an hour and half each way to work!!!  He will be about 25 minutes from home.  That alone is a raise-but he is getting a base salary raise, car allowance (I drive a '95 Jeep, Aaron drives a '97 Malibu...any day now we may need to use that car allowance.  We pray daily for our beloved, aged, paid off, vehicles), phone allowance (because he has to have a smart phone for work and we don't have smart phones since we are poor), and bonuses.  Aaron is so excited because he will be 50% in the office and 50% in the field....But all that could really be for a whole other post....Back to last Saturday....Sooo, I mentioned maybe driving the hour up the mountain and heading to our old favorite restaurant

 The Moose Cafe.  Aaron said he was thinking the same thing and we remembered that about 3 years ago Aaron had won a $300 gift card to the Biltmore Estates.  I got it out and called them to see if it expired (it didn't).   Aaron then said, "Okay let's go!".  My response was yelling out for joy and running into the bedroom to get dressed and ready to go.  Jake and Aaron were laughing at me for my very excited response. :)  I was so ready to go and do something!!!  The mountains were calling me and I had to go!  We missed the peak color season, but it still was so beautiful as we headed up, what Jake used to call,

 "our mountain".  We got off on our old exit (We lived in Fletcher and Mtn Home was the other direction), which was named just for me.  I loved my Fletcher Mtn Home. It was an adorable house, that now has a statue of the Virgin Mary in the front yard.  It is amazing how you hold onto only the positive memories.  I forgot just how close the houses were in our old neighborhood.  It felt slightly claustrophobic...I loved that house so much, but now I don't have to miss it so much.

 The Moose Cafe was of course delicious!  Biscuits as big as your head.  Apple butter and molasses right on the table.  Mason jars to drink out of (we do that at our house too).  It is really funny that it is named the Moose Cafe since there aren't any moose in NC. :) Aaron and Jake got fried chicken breasts.  I got meatloaf.  You get two vegetable sides.  I love that dumplin's are a vegetable side.  Gotta love the South!

 All that food for only $25.  Aaron was complaining about being full but that didn't stop him from eating ice cream at the Farmers Market that is right next to the Moose Cafe.

 After we left the Farmers Market, we headed over to the Biltmore.  We were so excited to get season passes and still have $64 left over on the gift card!! Turns out we only had to get season passes for Aaron and me.  Jake gets in free with our pass since he is under 16.  The couple in front of us in line were going to come back the next day (you have to have a reservation during the holiday season) and they spent $118 to go in one time!  We are so excited to have a season pass and be able to go whenever we want!

 There is so much to do at the Biltmore Estates.  We didn't think we were going to be able to go through the house but when we bought (with the gift card) the passes they told us there was an opening to go into the house at 4:45.  We had over two hours to explore and only made it through the Village and the Farm.  There is a little museum we are going to go back and see.  I feel a project on the Vanderbilt's coming on.  I told Jake we will just load up our books and go and do school in the Spring, in the gardens. 

 Jake wants to take a Segway tour.  There is so much to do there that we will have to research it all just so we won't miss anything!

 Doesn't this look like a great place to take a family Christmas picture?  We had a great time playing with the old toys they had.  Simple toys that would get this generation of gamers and techies off the couch and having fun!

 We were excited to be able to go into the house and it was a treat because when I called that morning they said we wouldn't be able to get in.  The house was decorated beautifully for Christmas.  The library was amazing!

 Aaron was pointing out particular mountains to Jake.  We hiked some of them when we lived in Asheville.  It was so beautiful.  We saw deer in the yard.  There was a couple standing near us that thought they weren't real. :)

 We didn't get back outside the house until it was dark, so next time I will have to take a picture of this area outside the house.  It is a large...for lack of the right term, walking garden.  Think Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle visit Pemberley.  That's what it reminded me of at least.  I know it is a different time period but it is easy to picture it as a Jane Austen novel.  I love it!

 It is a magical place this time of year!

 Best gift card ever....