Da Middles

     Recently, the kids were sent a fun package from their Aunt Cathy containing goodies for the family to enjoy. In the package was a new product I had not heard about- Da Middles. It's a cupcake mix that you bake, except there is a fun surprise in the middle- frosting filling! Yum!!!

     The girls knew they wanted to bake these during their Fall Break, so yesterday they made their treat! To make the cupcakes, it wasn't any more challenging than most cupcakes. They have a special little bag that contains the filling that you squeeze a bit into the center of the batter after filling the cupcake liner about a 1/3 of the way first, then spoon on some more batter on top of the filling.  The girls were excited to finally try their creation in the evening.

 Here is their finished product! Creamy yumminess. Reminds me of Hostess Cupcakes.

 Courtney excited to eat her Da Middle

 Lindsay ready for her first bite

 The girls had a bit of fun doing self portraits as I was putting JT down to bed when they took the photos

Both girls said the cupcakes were very moist and tasty. Thanks so much Aunt Cathy for the Fall Break Fun!

Volleyball

       Lindsay, Courtney, and the rest of the Lady Bucs JV team had their tournament recently. It was a day full of several volleyball games- some quite intense. After much hard work and effort, the Lady Bucs ended up placing 3rd in the tournament. Even though there were a few disappointment moments for them, all of the girls played great and have improved so much over the season. Volleyball is now over, but we are hoping to find some other leagues or camps for the girls to be involved in during the off season.

 Courtney and a few of her close friends Veronica and Britta

 Lindsay with her friend Monica

     Since I wanted to fully enjoy the games, I decided to take photos of the girls when they were warming up. Here are some action shots of the girls making some plays on the court.

 Bump!

 Set!

 Spike!

 Lady Bucs gathering for a pep talk from the Coach before the game

Team doing their little chant to get excited for the game. They pound their hands/feet on the floor, yell, and say 1,2,3 BUCS!!!

1st Visit Home

     Last weekend Sarah came home for her first visit after starting college. It was Family Weekend at Campbellsville and instead of us coming to her, she came to us :) John and JT drove up Friday afternoon and picked up Sarah after bowling practice.

     On Friday evening, Sarah hung out at home and we talked and caught up on life. It was nice to cuddle together under the blanket (it was cool that weekend) and have some girl talk.

     Saturday was a busy day as Lindsay and Courtney had an all day volleyball tournament. Sarah visited with her friend Emily, who was also in town visiting, while I went to the tournament. Later in the afternoon, Sarah joined me for the final few games. When then headed home and enjoyed playing outside with JT before dinner with Doug.

 My 4 little loves

 Lindsay and Sarah

 One of my FAVORITE recent photos

      For dinner we ate at Painturo's- a local Italian restaurant. As you can see, we grubbed on some pizza.

 Sarah and Doug reunited!!!

 I also wanted to take a few family photos after church on Sunday.

Apedaile girls

     Sarah stayed with us until early evening on Sunday. We discovered a fellow bowling teammate who is from Hendersonville was also home visiting over the weekend. She was kind enough to give Sarah a ride back to Campbellsville. Sarah will come home again in about 2 weeks when she has a 4 day Fall Break.

Correction

      

     This sweet face above let me know last night that I published incorrect information yesterday. I had stated that Sarah had scored a 95% on her Old Testament test last week. I was wrong.... Sarah actually scored a 98% on her test!!!! Sorry Carebear that I "cheated" you of 3% that you worked so hard for ;) Love you and hope everyone is even more impressed with your near perfect score on your test.

College Update

     As Sarah is nearing the halfway point of her first semester, I thought I'd give a little update on a few things that Sarah is involved in.

     First being classes- the main reason why she's at college :) Sarah is carrying 15 units this semester- pretty big load, but she chose wisely and she has a few more challenging courses along with some easier classes that are required. Last week, Sarah sent the photo below showing her current grade in her computer concepts class. I'd say she's doing pretty well.....

       
     Yes,  you are seeing correctly- that is 130% she has in that class!!! In that course, the students had to purchase software along with their book. The software has this tutorial program that they have the option of using. If the student uses the program, they receive extra credit and as Sarah explained, it just reinforces what the professor is teaching which is an added bonus. Clearly, the program use is paying off for Sarah!

     Also last week Sarah had her first major exam in college. It was for her Old Testament class. We Skyped a few times leading up to the exam as she "taught" me the information she was reviewing. The test sounded challenging in there was just fill in the blank, matching, and some maps to complete. No multiple choice or essays. You really had to know your information. Sarah studied hard, like she has for many years now in preparation. She found out the next day that she earned a 95% on that exam!!! I was so excited for Sarah that her hard work paid off!

     Sarah is doing equally well in her other courses and I pray that her grades continue to hold steady and she finishes her first semester.


     I also wanted  share another aspect of Sarah's college life that I was unfamiliar with as she headed to Campbellsville, but I am really impressed by. It's called First Class. It's a mandatory class that every incoming freshman has to take their first year at CU. In essence what it is, a Small Group of freshman(20 or so I believe) are assigned to a group and a fellow CU faculty member leads this group in discussions, assignments, and community service projects. Practical life/career skills are discussed, Christian values emphasized, and every week the entire freshman class attends a worship service together on campus.

     On Tuesday this week, Sarah sent me a good morning text, like she typically does, and let me know her grand plan for the day. Usually each day has a mixture of classes, work a few hours at her job, bowling practice everyday, and sometimes additional workouts for bowling. She's a busy young lady! Back to Tuesday- Sarah texted me saying "No Classes today because it's Repair Affair Day!" I thought maybe it was a day for students to get caught up on work or address poor grades/struggles with their counselor/professors. So I asked her, what that meant and Sarah explained that for those in First Class, all of their classes were cancelled for the day and their Small Groups were going to work in the community. Pretty cool, I thought helping these students give back to the community that is shaping them into hopefully well rounded adults.

     Sarah wasn't sure what their assignment was going to be, but they would be working from 8-3/4pm. She was very excited for the project and promised to send me a picture of what her group worked on. Later that evening, Sarah sent me this photo...

     Her group made this entire deck and stairs!!! I haven't had a chance to speak with Sarah because she is such a busy body, but I'm looking forward to hearing the story behind this project. I just feel so blessed that Sarah is attending Campbellsville and not only learning about academics, but also about being a contributing, giving individual to her community.

Shark Attack

     In Lindsay's Literature class, they are required to read 2 books and submit reports each 9 week grading period. The teacher has certain specific criteria for the books and they types of reports the students are responsible for. For this 9 week period, Lindsay had to read a biography and create a report that took an aspect from the book and expanded on that topic. How it was presented also had to represent the topic she was discussing. To top it off, each student had to present orally to the class their project.

     Lindsay chose to read Soul Surfer, the story of an outstanding teen surfer that was attacked by a great white shark and ended up losing a limb as result. Lindsay decided to expand her research on shark attacks for her presentation. She looked up many different aspects to shark attacks- prevention, locations of attacks, top 10 types of sharks that attack, among a few other facts.

     Lindsay they typed up her information and then drew a shark on poster board free handed for her display. I was quite impressed with her creativity and skill in drawing the shark. She outlined the shark in Sharpie and glued all of the facts on her board. Here are a few pictures of the finished product.

 When Sharks Attack!

Lindsay and her creation. She earned a 98% on this project- excellent work Lindsay!

Edible Plant Cell

     For a science assignment, Courtney had to make a 3-D plant or animal cell with all of the parts represented and labeled. She decided to make an edible plant cell made mainly out of a cake and different food products.

     She and John went to the store and selected many different products that resembled the shape, size of the individual parts of her cell. She made the entire project herself, right down to her little flags labeling her components. The best part for her (and her classmates) was after the project was graded, the students were allowed to eat and enjoy their hard work.

 Courtney and her plant cell

 White cake, lots of frosting (some colored for the cell membrane, wall, nucleus, and vacuole) Other items used- Mentos as Lysosomes, Mike & Ikes as Mitochondria....

  

 Two of my favorites- Uncooked Ramen noodles as Endoplasmic Reticulum and Mini Chocolate Chips as Ribosomes.

Fruit by the foot as Golgi Complex...

     Courtney hasn't received the grade back yet on her project, but I'm certain she earned a high grade. This shows that learning can be so much fun even in middle school!