This afternoon, Pete had to go have at TB test read ( for work and school) so he took us to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Yamamotos.  It’s one of those Japanese steakhouse type restaurants except that they don’t grill the food in front of you.  We have Misakis where they do that, but last time we were there my plate was nasty.  I asked for another one and it was even nastier…ack!  I was able to scratch some of the grey crud off of the plate!  That’s the kind of thing that can ruin a meal, ya know?  Bit I digress….Yamamotos is yummy and they serve food on plates that appear to be clean.

One of my favorite parts of the meal is the shrimp sauce aka pink sauce.  I swear, I could just suck it out of the dispenser bottle the server leaves on the table but that would probably be frowned upon. Instead I put it on my salad and all over my rice, carrots, shrimp and chicken meal.  Folks, if you’ve never had this stuff you are missing out on something quite spectacular!  Just ask Ritchie!

My need for shrimp sauce is filled  by eating it at the restaurant, but for those who need it daily, here are some links to recipes!

The Recipe Link 

All Recipes 

Benihana Shrimp Sauce  

Look who showed up on our front porch this morning…and I mean literally, on our front porch! We’ve named him Oliver and he is the absolute sweetest, melt in your arms dog that I’ve ever seen.

Tomorrow we’re going to go around the neighborhood and check to see if he actually belongs to someone. We are hoping that he is one of those many “drop off” animals we get in our neighborhood ever so often. I think we will also hang a sign in the grocery store and maybe a few other places. What’s the exact etiquette on things like this?? I really don’t know.

So, hopefully, we can keep him! It will be nice to have another dog around here. We enjoyed Milo and miss him a lot…

So I have been thinking lately that the time has come…the time has come to cover my happy floral print couch with a new slipcover. Really, I should have known it was time when I moved it into the den and saw how horrid it looked with my drapes. Another hint would be that we are having to use a bedsheet to cover the base cushions because the fabric is torn!

Oh happy floral couch! How I hate to cover all your happiness, but I have found a few Domestications coupons and I can cover you at a discount…I know it hurts but just know that I know that under my brand new slipcover that matches nicely with my drapes, there are happy flowers!

I’ll miss you happy floral couch…

*earning for learning*

One of the things I love about living in East Tennessee is that we have quite a few lovely mountains and rolling hills.  I have found that lately, as I’m coming back into our little town, that the hills are just beautiful and even more stunning when a storm is coming in and the sun rays are shining at just the right places.  I am a little ashamed that I’ve lived here almost fifteen years and am just now noticing their splendor!  I guess I am  maturing….

Jake took this photo from the side of the main road coming back into town.

As I was visiting over at Allsorts yesterday, I happened to see the post “Red and White and Cute Allover” and it reminded me that I do not have anything planned for advent this year!  I am completely bummed…how in the world did this holiday season sneak up on me like this??

Anyway, I’ve gathered several advent ideas that I thought were nice and I wanted to share them with you.  Maybe I just need to head out to the fabric store and buy some felt and create these little dandies quickly…I think I could make this happen if I work smart!

ARTChix Studio has the complete instructions for making this calendar you see above.

This one is nice and looks fairly simple to make. I love that it is white and I have just the coffee can I can use. Thanks to Celebrating Christmas, we have the instuctions!

Naturelich has a great “neutral” advent calendar. I like the natural colors…very nice! I also like the angle at which this photo is taken. Neat!

Most of you all probably know that my husband, Pete, is in nursing school right now at our local university. In fact, he’s taking a huge Pharmacology test right now! He usually e-mails me and gives me a thumbs up or down and he hasn’t done that yet….so I’m quite curious to hear how it went.
If you had told us ten years ago that Pete would be pursuing his RN and that I would be doing the same after he finishes school, I would have thought you were nuts! After our “Gus Journey” though, we have both felt called to go into that field. We were treated so well by Gus’ nursing staff and we want to do the same for others. It’s a way we can give back.

What I didn’t realize was how in demand nurses really are and how easy it is to get scholarship monies for Nursing School. It’s incredible…if you have ever thought about getting your LPN or RN, be sure to check with your local hospitals to see if they have a tuition reimbursement program or scholarships. There’s a lot of resources for “nurse wannabes” out there! You just need to do some asking…it really is that easy!!

*saving for a laptop for Up the Hill Academy!*

TT header by Write From Karen

I love words and I thoroughly enjoy discovering their origin. Here’s a list of Latin phrases that I’ve chosen from The Homeschoolers Book of Lists. I’ve heard a few of these, but there are some that are new to me. Enjoy!

Latin Phrases

1. persona grata - a welcomed person
2. ad nauseum - to a sickening degree
3. mea culpa - my fault
4. prima facie - clear and evident
5. tempus fugit - time flies
6. veni, vedi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered
7. vox populi - the voice of the people
8. modus operandi - method of operation
9. cogito ergo sum - I think, therefore I am
10. bona fide - in good faith
11. e pluribus unum - one from many
12. quid pro quo - something for something
13. sine qua non - indispensable

I stink when it comes to picking out the most perfect Christmas (or even birthday!) gift for someone. Pete is soooo much better at the whole shopping thing. It’s not that I don’t like to be out shopping. That would be nuts, right? What it boils down to is that I have no idea which gifts are cool and which gifts are complete crud!

Fortunately, for people like me, there are sites and blogs that will help us out. ShoppingAddicted.com is just that type of blog! When you visit this easy to navigate (and read!) blog, you’ll find both product and store reviews. I especially like the techy product reviews because that is exactly the area in which I seem to pick out the cruddy gifts! Maybe one day I will discover my inner techy person and I will understand it all….until then, I’ll have to depend on someone else! Lol!

*saving for laptop for Up the Hill Academy!*

I wanted to share with you all the neatest little book I’ve just read. It’s titled The Shepherds’ Prayer: A Christmas Novel and it was written by Richard Barry. This book is a perfect addition to my Christmas books collection!

The story is about a young man who sets out to discover his heritage. Since he had been orphaned as a baby, he had no idea who his parents were, what the circumstances surrounding his situation were…he knew nothing about where he came from and this bothered him. The only clue he had was a few lines written on the lambskin blanket that was found with him.

He travels to Bethlehem where he receives little help from the people in the town. Most of the people do not want to talk to him. Eventually, he goes to talk to the band of shepherd that he has heard about from one man who does help a little bit. He has been forewarned though that these men were rough and really not the kind of people you should be around.

When he gets there, he discovers that these men are just the opposite of what he has expected. A lot happens as he spends a little bit of time with these men! He discovers his heritage and something else exciting happens….you’ll have to read the book to find that part out though!

I just thought this was a wonderful little book for the Christmas season and I plan on reading it to the kids during school. I love the shepherds viewpoint of what happened when Jesus was born and I think my kids will also!

Read the first two chapters online!

This happens every year right about this time. I take our perfectly rolled balls of Christmas tree lights out of the attic and I check to see if they still work. Of course, only a few strands are still alive and we have to head off to Walmart to grab some more. What kills me though is tossing all these dead strands away.

I decided to do some searching online to see what creative uses others have come up with and I’ve found next to nothing. I am in shock because I just knew someone out there would have devised some kind of clever contraption or piece of jewelry…something. I did find several really helpful suggestions though…I could use them as night lights, put them in a ficus tree for ambiance, make a wreath….all those are great for strands that are still living.

Just when I thought there was no hope for finding those clever repurposing ideas, I came across Jon’s ideas at World Environmental Organization! Just let me say, Nik is ecstatic that I’m gonna let him strip a rope light down to make “beads”, snowflakish ornaments and twist ties! Wooo Hooo!! Now, we’re talkin’!

For those of you who don’t really want to jump into the adventure of taking apart dead Christmas lights, there are other options. You can just toss them but then you would be adding to a landfill and that’s not nice. You could toss them back into storage but that just creates clutter. You could also send them into HolidayLEDs because they are offering a free recycling program for these dead lights!

Speaking of LED lights, I think these might be a good way for us to go for next Christmas. These lights are a little more expensive than your average ol‘ strands down at Walmart, but I think they are probably worth the extra little bit. Just the fact that they use less energy is a plus! I also like that they last quite a bit longer than the incandescent lights that I have sitting here on my desk waiting to be repurposed! I will really have to start doing some price checking here and there and see where I can get the best deal!

Be sure to stop back by and see what we create with our strands…or at least come back and see the colossal mess we’ve created!

*saving money for a laptop for Up the Hill Academy!*

Those of you who know me well know that I am one of those “list makers”. Oh yes friends, my heart starts to pitter-patter with excitement and anticipation when I see a list. Even a “to-do” list brings me joy! Lol!

So, with that being said, you can imagine how thrilled I was to get the opportunity to review The Homeschoolers Book of Lists by Sonya Haskins. Even before I cracked this “fat book” open, I knew I would be in bliss for on the front cover I read the following: “More than 250 Lists, Charts, and Facts to Make Planning Easier and Faster!”. Breathe, Jenny, breathe….not only are there a bunch of lists, but these lists are gonna make things easier and faster for me! Seriously folks, this book means business!

see…it really is a “fat book”!

Just the first day of having this book I used it three different times. Once to figure out which day God created the sky (I know, shameful!), another time to figure out when Hatshepsut lived and finally to find out the exact date when Neil Armstrong first planted his foot on the moon. I could have looked all these things up online, but when I go that route, I tend to get sidetracked and you all know what I mean…don’t act like you’ve never gotten sucked into the net! Lol! I can already tell this book is going to be a much better reference tool for me than the internet.

Not only are there lists for historical dates, but there are lists that cover science, language arts, religion, great people, languages, quotes and more. There is also a great section of organizational and reference lists for teachers, parents, and students. And are you sitting down?? In the back of the book there is a pocket and in that pocket is a cd that holds all the lists! Printable lists, folks…now, really, isn’t that great! No more typing or copying and pasting book lists and such into my word processor in order to create a checklist. Sonya Haskins…I love you!!

I’m thinking that The Homeschoolers Book of Lists would be a perfect Christmas gift…well really, a gift for any occasion! In fact, I’m going to go as far as saying that I think every homeschool family should have this book. So, if you don’t own it yet, do yourself a favor and give yourself an early Christmas present…because you are worth it! Lol!

As my cleat-cladded Jake was running through our home this afternoon, I noticed how horrible our hardwood floors look. Not because I have a very active pre-teen who has the ability to tear down and demolish most anything he touches but because of all the crazy wild furniture scootin’ we do around this place! Really, our dining room/school room looks great until you look down and see all the scratches. I don’t even know why I was stressed to see Jake traipsing through with his cleats. Maybe the little pings and dings the shoes caused would’ve added some character to the floor and I could have told everyone that the floor looked that way on purpose. You know, kinda like a new form of “rustic”!

And you don’t even want me to discuss our decrepit kitchen floor. I know it has to be at least 100 years old! Not really, but it’s not a pretty site. It drives me crazy because I can mop…and mop…and mop…and mop and the stinkin’ floor still looks dirty. Hear my heart here, I’m thankful that God has given us floors, but these floors really need to be “flipped” if you know what I mean! Lol!

We can’t replace the hardwood floors right now and what I want for my kitchen is probably never going to happen unless I were to sell a child. Since I happen to like my children, area rugs would be a much better solution. I think two would be nice to start with: one for the dining area and one for the kitchen. Do I dare put a rug in the kitchen though? Do any of you all have area rugs in your kitchen?? I’m a little concerned about food being spilled and stepped on and smooshed into the carpet…because you do know that pre-teens sometimes forget to pick up food that they have just dropped on the floor, right?

Maybe I should invest in one of those floors that has the drain in the middle so I could just use the water hose to clean up….hmmmm…my mind is flyin’ now folks!

This is one of the rugs I like for the kitchen. I’ve been leaning toward using more green so I think this rug would be nice.

I’ve decided to move my Link Love posts from Friday to Monday. I have the hardest time getting much of anything posted on Fridays, so hopefully this plan will work much better. I’ve missed my Link Love posting!

This week’s links are from MyBlogLog community and recent visitors:

Casey, over at Irreverent, Barefoot Ragamuffins, had me completely cracked up with her post “Come for the Boobs, Stay for the Posts“…very funny!

Kymberlyn, from the awesome My Education Junction, shares a Nature Study Journal Page! If you haven’t visited this blog you are missing out. Kymberlyn has some of the best printables!

Over at It’s a Dog’s Life, I found a neat photo of little Eddy and Leo. The post is about a dog show and how Eddy and Leo did well!

Marco Richter shares with us some great tips in his post “Things to do Before Hitting Publish“. Marco’s blog is certainly one I will be visiting often…I need all the tips I can get!

Enjoy!

Head on over to Wired for Noise for the current edition of the Carnival of SAHMs!  I have enjoyed visiting all the blogs in this edition…all were new to me and I love it when I discover new-to-me blogs.  Neat!

I was reading though my past journal entries over at Gus’ Caringbridge site and I came across an entry written on the first Thanksgiving after his death in 2006. I still feel the same way except that maybe I am even more thankful than I was last year. I will continue to miss him, but as each day passes by I realize even more how this child pointed to God the entire time he was here. I am challenged and inspired by his memory…and that makes me thankful!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2006 05:16 AM, CST

Here it is… the day before Thanksgiving. I certainly do have a lot to be thankful for this year! Of course, you know that I miss Gus in such a deep way that I can’t even explain in words but what is much stronger is my joy that he is resting and at peace… for that I am thankful. I am thankful that God has given me very sweet images of Heaven and has (and still is) encouraging me to imagine eternity. I am thankful that God has given me peace about Him taking Gus Home. I know there are some people who walk away from an experience like the one we have had with Gus full of bitterness. I am thankful that I do not have to wander through all that heaviness. I am thankful that I got to meet Gus and that I got to serve him. He was a true delight! And on that note, I am thankful also for my other delightful children who I continue to serve. I am thankful for the honor bestowed upon me as “Mommy”. And of course, I am thankful for the calling to be Pete’s wife! What an honor it is to be part of this family!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There are some books that you read and shortly thereafter, forget. And then there are some books that just stick with you and remind you of how fortunate you are and how immature you are to complain about the little things in life that bug you…First They Killed My Father is one of those books.

At the beginning of the book, Loung Ung is five years old and the Pol Pot Regime has just taken over Cambodia. Her family is forced to leave their home and pretend to be a farming family in order to remain safe…they had to do this because her father was a target of the Khmer Rouge. Through the book, they are in and out of camps and just experience horrible conditions and of course, Loung Ung experiences the death of many people, including her father and sister. I can’t even begin to imagine how Loung Ung’s mom felt during this time….knowing you need to protect your children but not having the means of doing so. And then realizing that the only way to save them is to send them away. Can you imagine?? It just makes me sick that people have to endure this kind of thing, ya know?

Eventually, Loung Ung makes it out of Cambodia and to the US where she now lives. Her story is incredible…she is truly courageous and has become an activist for the people who have survived the Khmer Rouge period. This book chronicles her life during this terrible time.

I read this book a few years ago and still, even yet, there are parts of it that just haunt me. One thing in the book that I can’t forget is how hungry Luong Ung and her family were….even to the point where they were thrilled to get a few grains of rice. This rice was savored. I think about that when I am eating at a Chinese buffet and I have a big mound of rice on my plate. I realize then how much I take things for granted…things like basic sustenance. Of course, there are other things that Loung Ung writes about too that I found disturbing, but the rice has really embedded itself into my brain.

I am going to be adding her second book, Lucky Child , to my 2008 reading list. I encourage you to read these books and to visit her wonderful website too. I appreciate her sharing her story with us…

This past semester I taught the pre-school science class at our local homeschool co-op. We did a lot of nature drawings, a few experiments and a lot of reading! One of the books I read to my group of wiggledy kids was Lost in the Woods by Carl R Sams II and Jean Stoick. This is one of the sweetest books I’ve ever read. The story is about a baby deer who appears, to the other animals in the woods, to be lost. What you find out though is that the mother has left the fawn alone in order to protect it from harm.

The photos are extraordinary and were very captivating to my 4 year old kids. In fact, they were completely still and almost mesmerized by this book! I was thrilled to discover that there is a dvd that corresponds with the book…and it is even better!! The voice-overs on the animals are fantastic and hilarious! I have the viewing of this dvd scheduled for the first class of our second semester. I’m really excited about his because I know the kids will love to hear the animals talk…who doesn’t like that, right?!

Not only is there Lost in the Woods, but there are several other titles as well and each is just as good. I’m also looking forward to seeing the Stranger in the Woods dvd that corresponds with the book of the same title.

These books and dvds are just amazing and I hope that you all get a chance to see them! I have added all of these books to my wishlist for our home library because I really do think they are that superb!

Be sure to check out this trailer for the Lost in the Woods movie…cute!!!

When Pete and I first started dating, he was driving a Honda Accord. He really took good care of his “baby” and you can imagine the shock and awe he experienced when I dumped my huge sweet tea in the back seat…accidentally. I swear it really was an accident! My mom was sitting beside me and we bumped into each other. It was not pretty!

Since then, we have had quite a few different cars. In fact, here recently, Pete has started looking for another car. What do you think he has mentioned?? Yep, Honda Cars… specifically an Accord. I guess he just never got over that car! Lol!

I know that he has gone online during his work breaks and has been looking up Honda Car Prices. And there have even been mailings sent to him from local car dealers telling him to call them for Honda Car Quotes!

Hmmmm….really, the man needs an Accord, ya know?!

This is a photo of Gus getting ready to go on a “tour” of the house. Every afternoon, after I would take him off all of his pumps (for TPN, meds and food), Belle would load him up in her baby doll stroller and push him around the house. He was tiny…tiny enough to fit in a play stroller! This is one of my favorite photos because he’s sporting that little crooked smile. He loved to be in that stroller and Belle loved to push him around in it. Can I just say….I miss that kid something fierce….

I thoroughly enjoyed making these little magnets and thought I would share some links with you all so you could make your own also! These would make great gifts or stocking stuffers. I have used a catalog from Anthropologie and I think the paper was just perfect for this project. I also like that I was able to recycle something and turn it into something quite nifty. My glass marbles were purchased at or local Dollar Tree and the rest of the supplies were bought at Walmart. Overall, it’s an easy and inexpensive little craft!

The best tutorial I have found for making these neat little magnets is over at not martha.

Have fun!

When I was pregnant with Gus, I had a favorite pillow that I loved to use because it was a feather pillow. I didn’t sleep with my head on it, instead I put it between my knees. Not too terribly supportive, but I absolutely loved…well, I loved it most of the time. There were those times that the little ends of the feather quill would poke through and that was highly irritating!

Earlier today I was reading about a Feather Pillow Insert that was made with a two layer fabric system which prevented all the poking through of the little quills. Perfect! Now, these inserts are not sleeping pillows, but they are inserts for decorative pillows. In all honesty, I did not realize that there was such a “creature”. My parents have been making customs drapes, bedspreads and decorative pillows for years and I had no idea that you could get a Feather Pillow Form as an insert. I’m sure they know, but I guess I never even thought about it, ya know? Anyway, I think decorative feather pillows would be just wonderful! So much more comfy and snuggly than the old foamy inserts.

I am just thrilled to have found this site because I have a decorative Christmas pillow that I need to buy an Insert pillow for…I was going to try to talk Mom and Dad out of a form from their stash, but now that I know about these feather pillow forms, I just don’t think those foamy ones will do! Lol!!

I did read on the site that most crafters (that would be me!) like to buy forms that are just a bit larger than the pillow itself. That’s good advice that I didn’t know! Of course, there are quite a few different shapes and fills to choose from so I’m sure they will have just the perfect insert.

Want to know something even better? This company offers free shipping with purchases being delivered in the US!! Neat!!

After spending several months debating on whether or not I should start a freezer meal exchange group (inspired by the Freezer Chicks), I finally jumped in and did it! I invited five other gals to join me…all but one accepted the invitation and last week we had our first exchange. That’s our lovely group at the top: from L to R: Heidi, Kristen, Laurie, Me, and Sonya.

I fixed Chicken A La King…a recipe I found at Mom’s Budget. It was very good…I think I might rename it Christmas Chicken though because of the red pimentos and the green peppers.

The other gals brought the following:

Spaghetti Pie

Quiche in a Bag

Burritos

Loaded Potato Soup

So far, we’ve eaten the burritos and they were probably the best I have ever eaten! For some reason, I don’t have a copy of that recipe though so I will have to share it later. It’s worth the wait, folks!

Our next exchange is planned for December 10th. We have room for one more person so if you are in the area and you want to join us let me know!

I wish I were a writer. Sure I’m participating in NaNoWriMo, but that does not make me a writer at all. That just makes me an insane person who needs to dump her mind of all these ideas floating around!

Unlike me, there are people out there who are not so chaotic in their thinking and they are able to actually mesh and meld everything together to create a most wonderful story. The best new author you never heard of, T.Lloyd Winetsky, is one of those people and he has written an interesting novel.

Grey Pine, Mr. Winetsky’s second novel is set during May 1980, during the Mount Saint Helen’s eruption. The main character, Phillip Stark, is a young science teacher who is using the natural disaster to do some experimenting. His attempts to do this end up thwarted though because of all that is going on in the community and within himself. He has health problems, a bad father and girlfriend and troublesome neighbors. All these things work against him as he tries to regain control of his life. Don’t you hate when that happens? Lol!

Grey Pine is a novel you need to read. It sounds like it will be very interesting and since I have been doing some reading about Mount Saint Helen lately, I think this will be a great read for me. Neat!

Read free excerpts of Grey Pine today!

*sponsored*

photo source: The Epoch Times

I love the interesting things I find while I’m surfing around visiting blogs! A few days ago I came across a video over at Vegan Momma’s and I will have to be honest, this video was creepy! Even though the creepiness factor was high for me, I still found myself quite pulled in. Here’s the video….

Read the rest of this entry »

We always buy a new Christmas themed book at the beginning of the holiday season. You see, we have this nifty little Christmas library that we’ve been building over the years. It is supposed to come out only at Christmas time, but I’m afraid that I never got it up to the attic and stored away last year…sooooo…I can see the collection over there on the bookshelf right now. The goal is to bring these books out only once a year so that they remain “special”. We try to read through them, but, in all honesty, it is hard because of all the rushing around. Hopefully, this year we can slow down enough to snuggle up and read some of our books aloud. After all, that was the plan along! lol!

Here are some books I’m considering right now:

Belle has asked for a “grocery store” for Christmas…I’m glad we’ve quickly moved on from wanting Aqua Dots! I thought it would be wonderful for her to have some “real” looking foods but when I did some shopping, I found that these foods were sky-high. Think, think, think, Jenny….aha! I remember seeing crocheted cupcakes out there while surfing so I went looking for them and found these cute donuts instead!

I decided to purchase a pattern from Pepperberry Crochet’s etsy shop. I used some scrap yarn I had and worked up this little donut this evening. Really, folks, this pattern was very easy to follow and there were photos included which is always nice. Of course, I am going to use more natural donut colors and I will also be adding sprinkles on top…bugle beads maybe?

I just absolutely love this! Now I need to find a sturdy box for them….any ideas?

Well, it figures…the only thing that Belle has asked for as a Christmas present is Aqua Dots and since they turn into the date rape drug when ingested, I don’t think she will be getting them! (I’m pretty certain that she would not actually eat them but you never know in this family!)

She told me that she didn’t care what else she got just as long as she got Aqua Dots. Every time the ad comes on tv, she yells for me to come and see the beloved Aqua Dots. I have about broken my leg running through the house trying to see what she is freaking out about…is she hurt, has she gotten herself stuck in the hide-a-bed, has she severed her right arm?? No….the Aqua Dots are on tv!

Really, folks, this ain’t gonna be pretty…..

progress meter from Writertopia

I have not made my NaNoWriMo announcement over here yet because…well, because I just flat out forgot to! So, I jump in now to give you an update on my progress so far.

This is my second year participating in NaNoWriMo and I am having a blast just like I knew I would! I love to see where my characters go and where the plot goes…I love to just start writing with a basic plot and dump my mind every day. I wish I had the courage to share some of what I’ve written but I just don’t. Maybe one day I’ll be brave and share. Until then you’ll just have to be ok with hearing a few of the things that have happened to my characters in today’s writing.

• My main character told her husband about the baby.

• The MC’s husband has talked the MC into coming to the Old Country to sit in on his cooking class. The Old Country is actually an assisted living facility which freaks the MC out because old people make her nervous.

• One of the ladies at the cooking class asks the MC’s husband about his mirepoix which concerns the MC because she thinks the worst, ya know. MC discovers that mirepoix is the mix of celery, carrots and onions that are used in stocks and soups and is embarrassed.

And that my friends, gave me around 5000 words for today! I think that’s the biggest catch-up I’ve ever accomplished. My daily goal is way less than that but I’ve not been able to write the past couple of days.

Also, there are probably a gazillion mistakes and typos in this post and that’s because I’ve turned off my “inner editor” for this month…so overlook any mess ups, ‘k?

Of course, we all know that King Tut became king of Egypt at a very young age…only seven years old! What I didn’t realize though was that he had been raised in Amenhotep IV’s home. Now remember, Amenhotep IV had changed his name to Akhenaten because he worshipped only Aten. Because of his great love for Aten, he gave Tut the name Tutankhaten. When Tut became king, he changed his name to Tutankhamen—ah ha!—now that’s the name I recognize! This name change was to honor Amun the “King of gods”. Tut helped make sure that Akhenaten’s name was removed from all records and that the Egyptian people were free to worship many gods.

King Tut did not rule for long because he died when he was seventeen. He was not buried in a pyramid but instead, he was buried in a cave in the Valley of the Kings.

In 1922, almost three thousand years after his burial, King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter. Supposedly there was a curse on the tomb! Yowsie!

UPDATE: I wrote this post a few days ago in preparation for our study today so this info had not been released yet. What timing!

There are a gazillion links, movies, books, etc on King Tut. Here are a few of my favorites:

King Tut Mask Coloring Page

Virtual Tomb

Nat Geo King Tut Page

Mahalo Tut Wiki

Read the rest of this entry »

Amenhotep IV was married to Nefertiti and had inherited the throne from his father. Like all other pharaohs before him, he was polytheistic which means he worshipped many gods.

However, somewhere along the line, he replaced all the different gods with just one god, Aten. Not only did he vow to worship only Aten, but he demanded that all the Egyptians did the same. He was so thoroughly devoted to Aten that he changed his name to Akhenaten which meant “worshipper of Aten”.

As soon as Amenhotep IV died, the Egyptians returned to worshipping the many different gods. They were so angry at Amenhotep IV for making them worship Aten that they erased him ( Amenhotep IV) from their records!

Amenhotep IV links:

Biography by Megaera Lorenz

The Heretic King

St. Louis Unversity..Akhenaten page