Update on the Dead Body!

Read the first post if you haven't already.


Update:
Upon posting about this on facebook and getting feedback and (hindsight) advice from my friends, we have determined that there WAS a dead body, and the "surveyors" had to keep up their deception so we wouldn't suspect anything.
And the police were here to set up a sting, but when the surveyors got here, my son and I walked out and ruined it.
But a couple of weeks later, the surveyors came back!  We figured they thought the coast was clear!  We hid inside and pretended no one was home.  We purposely didn't look out the windows so that we wouldn't be witnesses.
Since it has been 3 more weeks, and they haven't been back, we've concluded they're not coming back because they did indeed do away with the body.
Whew!  So relieved.  I could not stand being the Witness Protection Program!  I like the name Marty, and no way I could give up homeschooling and blogging.
They'd find us in no time!

P.S.  Should I delete the facebook post?  hee hee! =D


sMiLeS,

"Anonymous" Strikes Again!

Strange people.  This cracks me up so much!!!  =D
Leaving comments like this:

" MK2227 can easily chronograph should be a rectangle shaped example absolutely 36mm tall moreover 10mm deep completed in some older plated metal obtaining wine pigmented dial based times quartz routine. The type of get pleasure from speaks of grace even so also can nice looking overall given that it's Or even more sub-dials towards two or more, 5 but six o-clock, luminous kiddy hands, each dark fabric little keep tabs on and moreover uncommon strengthen numbers. The afternoon has been revealed at only Nine 50. An important spring window clear protects a person's face. An individual associated with the specialist products in regards to this get stands out as a purses brushed buckskin bracelet your contraptions occasions everywhere in the arm offering up the application a bit of a ring face. Some sort of sub-dial over at Eight o-clock highlights"

This comment was on a recipe! (Easy Sticky Breakfast Buns)
Sounds like it was written using Mad Libs, hahaha! (Play here)

I read this in my inbox and said, "Seriously???  Again???"
Oh, My, Word!  This made me laugh so much.  I get strange stuff like this all the time and delete it/mark as Spam.  I get that English may not be a first language for some people, but most of these comments can't even begin to "fit" the post they've commented on!
I almost published the original commentor for the ridiculousness of it, but there were web links, so I didn't.

And of course it was Anonymous.
And always on the most current/top post on the blog.


Dying laughing over here,

Orange Sticky Buns and Cinnamon Sticky Buns

My girls were in a wedding recently...

Mine are the 2 on the left, then my niece, and a best friend.  =)

sMiLeS,

COMPLETE or FINISHED? (Which do you want to be?)

No English dictionary has been able to explain the difference between the two words "complete" and "finished" in a way that is easy to understand.
Some people say there is no difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED, but there is:
When you marry the right one, you are COMPLETE.
And when you marry the wrong one, you are FINISHED.

This is so hilarious, right?  =)
Most jokes that we can actually relate to are hilarious, and sometimes sad but true, or funny but true, etc.

My oldest daughter taught at a girls' camp recently, and one thing she said was to work toward being the right one and not just looking for the right one.
The other person out there is looking for the right one too, and if you're not being that person, you may miss out.
And you grow into it too (or out of it!), so you can't wait until the last minute!  Because you may one day find that right person... but by then you may not be the kind of man/woman they are looking for.  =(

You will only ever be COMPLETE with Jesus.
If you're not reading your Bible, start with one chapter a day in Proverbs.  Today is the 21st, so you can read Proverbs 21.  The Bible is a mirror to examine ourselves.  Gradually you will begin to see areas you need to change.  If you really get close to HIM, it will be easier to change them.
After reading through Proverbs multiple times, I'm still finding things to help me each day!  =)

sMiLeS,

A Dead Body! (lol)

Earlier this morning, the dog starts barking and we look outside to see 2 police cars parked up here at the top of our driveway... parked like they were talking to one another.
Now our driveway is ¼ mile away from the road, and no one ever comes up here.  And I’m wondering if they just needed to talk, they could have parked out at the end of the driveway.  So I'm getting on my shoes to go innocently ask, “Is there anything I can help you with?” when they drive off.
Okay...  so I still know nothing about that.
...........
Then about an hour ago, one of the kids says, "Mama, someone is outside digging!"
And my mind thinks, "a dead body!"  (lol)
So I look outside, and sure enough, there's a man digging next to the driveway.  On the side away from the house, next to the woods.
Then as I'm getting my shoes on, one of the girls tells me another man came out of the woods, and that both men have machetes!  So I tell my six-foot son JohnDavid to get his shoes on  too, because I'm making sure he goes with me.  And I take my cell phone.
Turns out they were surveyors, and some land next to ours is being sold.  They were digging and hacking in the edge of the woods on the opposite side of our driveway, looking for the pin that marked the corners of the two tracts of land that are adjacent to ours.  And of course they needed machetes.  No other way one could get through some parts of these woods!
Turns out my MIL and FIL know the man whose land it is, and I'm sure my hubby does too.
Anyway, I told the men about the "dead body," and they laughed.  =)
Still don't know why the police were here, though...  I should stay alert, hmmm?  =D


sMiLeS,



►Read update here.

Oh, Sleep... How do I love thee?

sMiLeS,

Apologia General Science, Module 15, The Human Lymphatic, Endocrine, and Urinary Systems

►Videos, etc. for M15

The kids did not find this module all that appealing.
I had no interesting games. =(
It was nearing the end of the year, and they all had spring fever.
It was about body systems that, frankly, few teenagers think about.

Some teenagers don't even know what a lymphatic system or an endocrine system is.  They knew about the urinary system, but didn't really care to absorb into their minds the vast knowledge I had to convey.  (lol, about as vast as a pea, haha)


Kidney System
As usual, I went straight to an experiment to try to get them interested, and then previewed other parts of the chapter.  (I usually do things out of order anyway, haha)
You may know that your kidneys are filters.  They clean blood and blood plasma.
But they only clean out chemicals that are not dangerous yet!  They aren't dangerous until they reach certain levels.  So their levels in the blood need to be monitored and maintained.

We did Experiment 15.2, A Model of Kidney Function
Very simple: tea bag, coffee filter, boiling water, you get the idea.

Boiled water poured over loose tea grains (no longer in the tea bag) 

Using a coffee filter in a funnel to strain out the tea grains

The first thing kidneys do to blood is filter out any large chemicals.

Folded paper towel, more filtering.

The water and tea ALL will go through the paper towel, but not all will end up in the glass.

Nephrons filter the water and chemicals in water out of the blood.  Then they put some of 

the water and chemicals back into the blood, and the rest will be sent out the ureter as urine.

Learning the path of blood and urine, etc. is a little complicated, so we spent some time discussing it and learning the terminology.  They listen pretty good since they know there will be questions later... and chocolate!
Not really a game, but they paid attention so they could get chocolatey goodness.  =)



Lymphatic System
In contrast to the kidneys (which clean blood and blood plasma), the lymph nodes clean... lymph!
You have probably had swollen lymph nodes before, but what is lymph?
(That's what the kids said.)

There is a clear fluid that is in between the body's cells, that leaks in and out of capillaries and in and out of cells, carrying out the exchange of oxygen and CO2 between the cells and the blood.
This fluid needs to be cleaned before it can return to the blood, and the lymphatic system does this.
This fluid is called interstitial fluid, but while in the network called the lymphatic system, it is called lymph.
The cleaning sites along the lymphatic system are called lymph nodes.
(See image)

I won't go into it here since you can read about it in your textbook or google it to learn more, but a lymph node has quite a job.



Endocrine System
I'm sure you've heard of hormones.  But what do they do?
Hormones send chemicals to cells, causing them to change their behavior in a specific way.
There are several kinds of endocrine glands.  (see image)
The hypothalamus has several jobs, including controlling the pituitary gland.  The pituitary gland is only the size of a pea, but controls other glands, and is often called the "master endocrine gland."
There is also the thyroid gland which affects the basal metabolic rate.
Adrenal glands, through a complicated series of one thing causing another to happen, are responsible for the production of adrenaline.
The pancreas is a digestive gland and an endocrine gland, and makes insulin.


These body systems are all rather complicated, and I don't know of one that isn't!
I can't imagine how someone can believe in evolution.  We NEED all these body processes to work correctly, and if they don't work correctly at birth, there are immediate problems.
How can someone say we evolved to be how we are today?
We wouldn't even live long enough to bear offspring!
I'm glad I know Who the Creator is!  =)


sMiLeS,

Apologia General Science, Module 14, The Human Respiratory and Circulatory Systems

►Videos and Resources for M14

Breathe!  Just breathe.
Isn't that wonderful?
Without conscious thought (except now you're probably thinking about it), we breathe and exchange carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen every moment of every day for our entire life.
How many breaths do you think you could have in a lifetime?
WikiAnswers says it could be 672,768,000!!!
Time how many breaths you take in one minute and figure it out!

We did this experiment to see how many cups of air our lungs can hold.
Experiment 14.2, The Capacity of Your Lungs

Abigail blowing ALL the air out, and her brother Caleb holding the jug still

Each one had their own length of aquarium tubing (about 2 feet each), and we filled up one jug while another was being blown into.  This helped speed things up a bit.
They filled the sink halfway with water, and filled the jug all the way up and put on the lid, then removed it once the jug was upside down in the water.  Keeping the opening down in the water, and the tubing just inside the jug (needed extra hands for all this, so usually another student held the jug still), they blew and blew and blew to see how much could be blown out with one long breath.
There are 16 cups in a gallon, so we measured what water was left and subtracted from 16.
Caleb and Abigail were able to blow all the air out of the jug, and JohnDavid was able to blow just a bit longer!
Courtney and Bethany blew almost all of it out (within 1/3-1/2 a cup), but Rebekah had a cold and only blew out about 12 cups of air.

Purple lungs!

Experiment 14.3, A Model of Your Lungs
I also made a model of lungs for them to observe.
Which didn't take very long, haha.
(Observe sounds better than look at, lol.  And yep, I do know that isn't even correct grammar.  But around here, we'd never say, "at which to look."  Could you imagine?)  =D
It looks pitiful, but it worked okay, lol.
I blew up the balloon to get it stretched, then when they pulled on the baggie (diaphragm), giving more room for the lungs, the balloon (lungs) inflated.
When you relax your diaphragm, it pushes air out of the lungs.
Yes, relax.
When you breathe out, the diaphragm is relaxed.
When you breathe in and hold it, you will feel more that you are holding a muscle in place.


In our lungs are bronchial tubes that branch and end in tiny sacs called alveoli. (see image, source)
These alveoli are covered with capillaries, like spider webs all along the surface.  These capillaries are the ends of branched out arteries.  They have branched many times, and now have such thin walls that they allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
They also allow nutrients to get into your system!  Did you ever wonder how the nutrients from food get to the parts of the body where needed?  They travel in the blood!
These capillaries cover the aveoli so that when you breathe in, the red blood cells in the capillaries that cover the aveoli collect the oxygen to carry to all the other cells in the body.  Oxygenated blood flows in arteries away from the heart to all parts of the body.
If blood flows away from the heart, it is traveling in an artery.

As blood cells distribute oxygen to all your cells, they also pick up carbon dioxide that is a waste product.  The blood is now DEoxygenated, and will travel back to the heart and lungs.  When blood flows toward the heart, it is traveling in a vein.
As the blood cells travel past the aveoli, they drop off carbon dioxide, which is then breathed out, and pick up fresh oxygen that has just been breathed in.  This is a constant process as a constant stream of red blood cells travel through the capillaries on the aveoli.  The capillaries are so thin, the blood cells travel through them in single file.

Blood carries gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide), nutrients, and wastes to the parts of the body where they need to go.  But the oxygen and carbon dioxide must be carried by a blood cell.

Kids like games, so after my preview lecture of Module 14, discussions, and lung experiments, we played this until class was over.
(Links to game and instructions, as well as the printable seen in the pic can be found at the Video link at the top of this post.)

Rather than using a spinner to move the playing pieces, I asked questions from the lesson.  If they got it right, their team went 20 spaces.  (I knew this was going to take a long time!)  If they needed a tiny hint, they went 15 spaces.  More of a hint, 10 spaces.  Teammates weren't allowed to give hints, only me.
I gave hints because (1) this was new material, and (2) I wanted them to think a little more, rather than just telling the correct answer because they didn't know it.
They knew questions would be repeated so they paid pretty good attention!
There were red blood cells for the oxygen and carbon dioxide to travel on, but the nutrients and waste products could jump right into the blood stream to travel to their designated spots.
►The first team to get all their oxygen and food to the cells, all the waste to the kidneys, and all the carbon dioxide to the lungs would win the game.

I was keeping individual points (2, 3, or 4 per question) because I knew we wouldn't be finished in time, and it would be hard to figure who won with pieces all over the board, some in their spots, and some partway there.  The team that won got candy, and the high scorer got extra.  =)

They had a really fun time.  I allowed them to look at the notes they had made in class on the backs of their heart model printouts, and I had a few things written on the dry-erase board that I left up.
The purpose of the game was to familiarize them with the direction of blood flow, and that blood cells are what carries various things, and where they go.
The questions further re-enforced other things we were learning in the module.

Close up:
All arteries flow away from the heart.
All veins flow to the heart.
     You can see the path of blood (starting with the deoxygenated blood, returning to the heart):
Vena cava (a vein), right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary artery (not labeled, purple), lungs (where the dots are; drop off CO2, get more oxygen), pulmonary vein (not labeled, red), left atrium, left ventricle, back to the body through the aorta (an artery).

You can see that just for a moment, deoxygenated blood can travel through an artery when it is traveling away from the heart to the lungs.  Then oxygenated blood travels through a vein when it is traveling from the lungs back to the heart.
These are the exceptions to arteries carrying oxygenated blood, and veins carrying deoxygenated blood.  Arteries and veins are not distinguished by what kind of blood they carry, but whether they are traveling to or from the heart.


Fun, fun! =)

sMiLeS,

Diaper Cake

 Beautiful isn't it? 

My mother-in-law and I made it.  I can't remember how many diapers we used - it was over eight years ago, but I'll explain it the best I can.

~We used white diapers, not patterned.

~I know we used size 2 diapers.  That way the mother could wait a little while before taking it apart.

~We opened the diapers and wound them around length-ways.  I used a piece of masking tape to attach one overlapping diaper to the next, since I didn't think that would stick to the diaper as much and ruin it.  Seems like I stuck the tape to my skirt first to reduce the stickiness.  We did this until the last layer, where the tape would be seen, then I think we used a loop of inside-out tape under the edge of the diapers.  Prob only 4 or 5 diapers on that last row.

~We used ribbon on the top and bottom edges on the bottom and middle levels, and this helped the last layer of diapers stay put.


Here's what we used as decorations:

• about 3 dozen rosebuds (different shades) already fastened to thin wire.  These we bent the sharp ends over and pushed between the last 2 layers of diapers on each level, and bunched 3 together at the top.
• Small strings of beads, looped over the rosebuds, and hung in a U shape
• Beaded, lacy ribbon around the top and bottom edges of each level.  This helped the hanging beads stay in place.  I'm sure we used tiny bits of tape here under the ribbon, too.
• Extra lace that was wider, that we pushed under the edge of the bottom level, and affixed to the $1 store pan with small pieces of tape
• pair of black shiny shoes
• comb and brush set tied with ribbon
• $1.00 wrapped in ribbon
• lacy socks
• pink toothbrush tied with ribbon
• fork and spoon set tied with ribbon
• translucent pale pink teether
• several light pink hairbows at the base of the top level
• tiny doll for the topper

~In the top level of the cake, we folded the diapers in half length-ways, because the regular width of the diaper was too tall.

We started with the bottom level, and kept wrapping until we got it nearly the size of the pan.  It's a silver pizza pan, and you can barely see it under the edge of the lace.

Then we did the middle until we got it to size, then the top.

~It's good if you have a slim dowel rod or something to go down through the middle to keep the levels lined up, and so the top ones won't fall off. 

~We positioned the doll topper and shoes as the main accessories, then filled in the other pieces by carefully pushing between the layers of diapers.

We probably used a little tape to keep the socks, shoes, and the doll topper in place.

~Remember, your accessories need to have a little color.  The white socks have a little dark mauve in the lace.  You can have everything lacy and dainty, or go more colorful, or more boyish. 

The Mom-to-be that received it said she was going to have a hard time taking it apart!
This was definitely not a quick project, but it was worth it.
I just L♥VE this picture! ♥♥

sMiLeS,

2 New Tabs!

See top right of blog -- "Fun Stuff" and "The GOOD Stuff!!!"  =)


sMiLeS,

Thanksgiving Bandits

What 2 fun girls do with the Thanksgiving napkins while they're supposed to be folding them. =D

    (Only posting this 7 months late!)

sMiLeS,

Whew! The drivers in Holland these days! (lol)

I have no idea....

View Larger Map

Use the controls to pan around and see the car at different angles.
sMiLeS,

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

You may not know that my real name is Mary!  "Marty" is just a nickname, but it is what I've gone by all my life, and when I got married, the preacher who had known me for practically all my life could not remember my given name.  So I whispered it to him, lol.

So, how does my garden grow?

When you have a garden, do you pull only a few weeds, or do you try to get them all?
Sometimes we just pull off the top part of the weed so that it looks better, but the roots are still there.
If you don't get them all, what happens pretty quickly?
If you want good fruit, you need to get rid of the weeds.

It's the same way in our life.  If we get rid of some sin, but not all, it will cause problems.
We tend to think if we get rid of a "big" sin, then whatever we are still doing is not as bad.  Maybe it is small in the eyes of others, but God wants us to get rid of it all.

In Numbers 33, the LORD told the children of Israel to take possession of Canaan.  He told them to "drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places."  (v. 52)
And then read v. 55-56.
55.  But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your side, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
56.  Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

If we get rid of some sin, but not all, we are still sinning.
It's just like someone spitting in your drink.  It's just a little spit.  But who'd want to drink that?
God doesn't want just some of our life.  He wants our life.
What are you holding on to?




I Will Give My Life

V.1 I will give my life unto the Lord, I will give myself unto His word. All that He has granted unto me shall be His own. (!)  He is Oh, so worthy of the best, I will serve through His own righteousness.  All the Glory give to Jesus' name and His alone.

V.2 I will give my heart unto the Lord, I will give my hopes for God to fill. All that I desire, all my dreams, shall be His own. He is Oh, so worthy of this rest, I will wait through His own righteousness.  All the Glory give to Jesus' name and His alone.

V.3 I will give my lips unto His praise, I will fix my eyes upon His gaze. All my reverence, all that I adore, shall be His own. He is Oh, so worthy to be blessed, I will worship His own righteousness. All the Glory give to Jesus' name and His alone.

V.4 I will give my life unto the Lord,
                              I will give my heart unto the Lord,
I will give myself unto His word.
                      I will give my hope for God to fill.
All that He has granted unto me shall be His own.
                       All that I desire... shall be His own.
He is, Oh, so worthy of the best,
                    He is, Oh, so worthy of this rest,
I will serve through His .............................own righteousness. 
                               I will wait through His own righteousness.
All the Glory give to Jesus Name………….….and His alone.
                     All the Glory give to Jesus Name …..….lone.
 Tag: All the Glory give to Jesus Christ the Lord and Him alone.

sMiLeS,

♥Keep the Heart

I first heard a lady named Mrs. Francie Taylor speak at a Ladies' Conference in April of this year.  She only spoke 2 times during the conference, but both times were such a blessing!  Down to earth, practical teaching -- I just loved her teaching!  And I know it is God through her, but He uses us to the extent we let Him, right?  I am so glad she's letting Him use her to speak to other ladies!
Her website is ♥KeeptheHeart.com.  She also has an Ask the Teacher section and a blog section.  She writes some really helpful and encouraging articles.
And she's also on facebook.  I love reading her short words of wisdom each day.  A real blessing!
This is one thing she posted today:

Ask yourself on a regular basis, "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" Motives matter. When we're doing things for the right reasons, the Lord will be magnified. When we're doing things to impress others or to earn praise, our motives are misdirected. Scratch below the surface of a dissatisfied life and you'll often find a problem with motives.
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Col. 3:23-24)

She uses this verse as her motto:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

I just wanted to share this with my readers!

sMiLeS,

Happy 4th!

   `°º·¤.¸¯`°º·¤.¸¯`°º·¤.¸ ♥ ¸.¤·º°´¯ ¸.¤·º°´¯ ¸.¤·º°
~~~¤-¤- Happy 4th of July!!! -¤-¤~~~
   ¤·º°´¯ ¸.¤·º°´¯ ¸.¤·º°´¯ ♥ ¯`°º·¤. ¸¯`°º·¤. ¸¯`°







sMiLeS,

Avoiding Temptation

Proverbs 4:13-15, KJV
13.  Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14.  Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15.  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

Verse 14 says, "go not in the way of evil men."  Don't even be there!  There are many verses in proverbs that talk about the company you keep.  Proverbs 1:10-16
That last verse (in chapter 4 above) means to do a 180, and don't even walk by temptation!
Don't discuss it.  Don't consider it.  Don't click on it just to see what it is!  Don't give it a second thought, for the moment you do, you are treading dangerous ground.
Proverbs 7:8 talks about a young man who walks by "her" corner...  And sadly, verse 26 (of chapter 7) is true. =(
None of us are immune.

Proverbs 4:23-27, KJV
23.  Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out if it are the issues of life.
24.  Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25.  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27.  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Keep your heart! ♥

sMiLeS,