Happy latest happening all in one post...Halloween, School Icecream, Favorites, and Baby picuture... I am all about being economical with my time...

There is one extra neighborhood boy in the picture. Can you guess?
The First Halloween dressing. Don't we love the many Halloween parties...church, school,(that's why I homeschool), and the official Hallowed Holiday. The second dressing will be tomorrow night. I love dressing up but the candy could do with out. I would rather collect laundry soap, toilet paper, or cans of soup this year.


Here is a picture of Landon doing his vocabulary! Creativity is a must during school!


This was Ice Cream Sundae Night! We celebrated the starting of a new school year a little late. Better late than never!




Here is the latest picture of Nevae...She is getting big. In the 97th percentile.



And my woodstove....my second love. What do I love about it....First, I love to watch Mr. Apache man chop the wood. (Erman will kill me when he reads this). When he is throwing the ax over his shoulder and he has a drip of sweat dripping down his forehead. And of course he always smells good. Next time I'll post that picture.

I Am Queen!

I figured out how to be treated like the royal queen. I have never felt so much attention in one day. Each of my kids were wonderful and so excited for me. My mom came out and Erman catered to my every need, as usual.
I did it!! I graduated!! Try explaining that to a three year old.



It was long day. First, we went to the awards ceremony. I recieved the Arnold Fletcher Award. That is the gold rope you will see in my pictures. That meant I was an extra special graduate!! ahh, it feel so good to be special...

Kaylin was so excited. Her excitment just bubbles out of her! She is fun girl to have on a special day.


Kaylin asked, "so, mom, does this mean you don't have to read anymore book, ever again...?"
Isaac was my personal photographer.
Jaida was little mother and helped with Nevea.


A
nd Erman is the best Husband. He supported me through six long years of running off to the library as soon as he walked in the door. He watched a lot of TV by him lonesome self. And worked his schedule around my tests and cleaned up a lot more than the norm. And He even had to put the kids to bed many nights. This whole experience has made us closer and I know that he will support whatever my heart desires.

The day was very long and by time the College photographer found me to take a picture for my local paper I was pretty wan looking. (She contacted me and wanted to put an add in the paper about me!) Here is her article:


--Jessica Ivins can tell you all about a full plate. The stay-at-home mother of four and one foster child has an always-room-for-more mentality. "I home school my children and we raise seeing-eye dogs for The Seeing Eye in Moorestown, N.J.," said Ivins. "I had attended college for one year and took a 10-year hiatus when my children became a priority," recalled Ivins, who rekindled her academic goal at Thomas Edison State College in 2002. "My husband, ____________, who routinely works more than 50-hours a week pitched in readily while I went to the library to study or take exams."




On Oct. 11, Ivins will be conferred a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the Soldiers and Sailors War Memorial in Trenton, N.J. "I plan now to pursue my Master's degree in library science and follow my dream to write a book. For now, my degree will help me to be an even better instructor for my children...

I'm going to be out-of-the office Monday and Tuesday of the coming week but will be checking my e-mail from home.



I am still excited about it, but does this mean I have to work? No! I am staying home teaching my kids. I am just taking it day by day and year by year. I will eventually go back to school. (When I pay off this student loan ) Maybe, college prices or government funding will change in a couple of years. The debate mentioned the crazy prices of college and I would have to agree. Who knows, maybe I will finally get real about my dream: to write a best seller.

Homemade Goat Cheese: Home Ec. 101

Kaylin loves goat cheese and crackers. We made homemade goat cheese and crackers. It was good. I let them taste the goat milk before we made it and Kaylin thought it was very gross. It is a bit more salty.

Goat Cheese:

one quart of goat milk

1/2 t. cider vinegar

Warm in a saucepan to 206 degrees. The milk will rapidly coagulate. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Then drain the curd into a cheesecloth. Place curds in bowl. Mix a tablespoon of butter and pinch of baking soda into the curd. Mix. We added fresh oregano and Santa Maria seasoning.

Homemade spelt crackers

1 cup flour
1/2 c. spelt flour
pinch of baking soda
olive oil.
poppy seeds
sesame seeds

Slowly add olive oil just until it forms a ball of dough. Work the dough or give it to the kids to play with for a few minutes, until softened. Spread out on parchment paper very thin!! As thin as possible. Brush with water and add sesame seeds, poppy seeds. Bake at 350 until done, 5-7 min.

Delicious. Jaida loved it. I loved the crackers. Kaylin was not so sure...