Just Clowning Around...

I'm just clowning around...

I miss this blog...

My daughter's likes this blog the best.

So.... I'm thinking of clowning around here a bit more.

Feel free to help yourself to any of these cute clown images. Just right click and save:)

A Lovely View...

The Henry Ford Museum~ Dearborn, Michigan

Happy Birthday Alice May

Alice May

Born: December 28th 1925~

This is my mom at age 17, when she didn't shake or forget things. When she had energy and didn't need anyone to take care of her. When her body didn't hurt and she could sleep through the night.

Her birthday was Monday, she is now 84 years old. She has lived through the Depression, a few wars and some hard times. She was a rock through it all. She has always been a kind and loving mother to her six children and THE MOST awesome Grandmother! Autumn's favorite person in the whole world!

She lost my dad, one of my brothers and all but one of her 8 siblings.

She lives with us in a mother's-in-law apartment in the back of our house. I had to take her for her monthly blood test today, it was very cold and very hard on her. I worry all the time she'll slip and fall. She has before and it's so scary!

It's kind of strange how life is just like the seasons of the year.

Spring, when we are young and starting to sprout.

Summer, when we are strong and are in full bloom.

Autumn, when things are slowing down and changing colors.

Winter, when all is white and it's time to rest.

I know I'm in the season of Autumn at this moment in time. Slowing down and changing colors.

My mom, she's in winter...

I love this photo of her. Happy Birthday Mom and to many,many more!

~*~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~*~

Update on the layoff: We've made it through Christmas without the layoff, but starting next week my husband will be working 3 day weeks... which is much better than a layoff, but still is going to challenge our budget for sure! There is work at MSU coming up in the spring, we'll just hunker down until then. All is good.

A well needed break...

I'm taking a little break from this blog. Too many irons in the fire right now.
I will still be posting on our other blog The Purple Squirrel Homeschool, which is a journal of our homeschool and family stuff. Please feel free to pop in there and keep in touch.
This blog was pretty much made for me... stuff I like. But right now I need to focus all my energy on the family and keep the boat afloat. Oh yes, the link to the homeschool blog can be found on my sidebar. Hope to see you there and peace to all!

Throw us a bone!

Yay! A small glimmer of hope. My husband didn't get laid off as of yet. We are thinking there is maybe 3 weeks of work for him still. So it should be just before Christmas is my guess. Oh, Happy Holidays! Right now, we are grateful for each day of work... one day at a time.

This is Applejack, our dried apple head we made before Halloween.

He's about one inch big now. But he's still smiling!

A Bump in the road...

There's a bump in the road for our family... more like a hill really. My husband is getting laid off on Friday. He's a Union electrician. We've hung in this long and are thankful for that.

My mind is reeling right now, knowing unemployment checks will barely make the house payment let alone pay all the other bills and feed us. I've already cancelled all the extras that we're used too. My husband is quitting the bowling team and we will tighten our belts as best we can. Shop at the discount food stores...blech. Use the library for free entertainment.

I can't help thinking about winter (higher utility bills) and the Holidays fast approaching. Well that is just something I must not worry about now.

You know, we do live in the state with the highest unemployment rate... it really sucks here!

I just have to keep calm and upbeat for my kid's sake right now. I'll think of this as an adventure, a journey, part of life. What really p's me off is how hard I've always worked at paying bills on time and having good credit... I can see that all going down the toilet fast.

Oh well, we'll just keep on keeping on. Hopefully the internet will stay turned on... if I disappear you'll know why:)

Thanksgiving woes...

For the past few years we've been on a journey of seeking the truth. Being homeschoolers we have all the time we need to research the truth. Sometimes not an easy task to do! No more public school history B.S. for us! In doing so, we've learned many things about the beginning of this country, the true meaning of the holidays. It's getting harder and harder to just go with the traditional flow of things.

My husband being half Ojibiwa Indian and our children quarter blood. We have a hard time embracing a traditional Thanksgiving. Every time I hear the story of the pilgrims and the Natives happily sharing a Thanksgiving meal together I have to cringe. (no hard feelings toward anyone with bloodlines running way back to the first white settlers, it's all good.)
We celebrate a bit different. We do have the turkey with the trimmings...as it's my favorite meal of the year. And yes, I know there wasn't a smidgen of turkey on that first Thanksgiving table!
We celebrate it as a Ghost/Harvest Supper, honoring our past loved ones and being thankful for what the Great Father has been so gracious to give us during the past year.

Oh, did you know that November (gashkadino-giizis/freezing moon) is Native American month and November 27th is National Native American Day? I think we'll have our Ghost Supper on the 27th. which is a Friday.
Well, I wanted to give you a few links to the Native American Month proclamation from the President for 2009 and some posts on our homeschool blog from last year... but for some strange reason, (a blogger gremlin or a grumpy pilgrim spirit, I'm assuming.) I cannot link or paste anything on this post. Weird!