About Me

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Arkansas, United States
We're just trying to live life to the fullest and learn something new every day while loving every minute we have with each other in the biggest way possible. We call it Goffin' it!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

County Fair Winners 2012

The Garland County Fair was held this past week in Hot Springs, AR, and Julia, Kendall and Quentin entered several pieces of art, as well as, terrariums to be judged.  We went to check out  the entries on Friday and, to our surprise, there were quite a few blue ribbons ready to head home to Goffland after the fair.  Julia's terrarium actually won the Grand Champion prize and the Master Gardener Special Award so she got a big, fat $50.00 check!  Needless to say, she was elated!  Kendall was a little bummed that he didn't win a Grand Champion ribbon, but when we went to pick up their entries, Kendall found out several of his entries would be moving on to the District judging.  Boy, was he pumped!  District winners move on to the State Fair in October in Little Rock.  Quentin and Julia, also, had several items move on to District judging, so this was quite a fair year at Goffland!  Here's a few pics of their work.

Julia receiving the Mastergardener Special Award and $50 check

Julia's Grand Champion terrarium


Kendall's Blue Ribbon terrarium

Julia's painting

Quentin's drawing

Julia's splatter painting

Julia's acrylic lighthouse painting

Julia's clay sculpture

Kendall's ram knife edge painting in the style of Coubert

Quentin's drawing

Quentin's drawing (This is my favorite!)

The silver canon is Kendall's made all of recyclable materials.

Kendall's embellished art

Above and below are more of Quentin's drawings


Julia's abstract painting

Julia's splatter art

Quentin's dragon mosaic

Julia's mosaic.  It's hard to see, but it has her name in the middle.

Kendall's dragon mosaic

Julia's Cityscape mosaic

Julia's woodburning art

Julia's Survival Bracelet

Kendall's Survival Necklace

Julia's collage

Kendall's Seashell Collection
 

Monday, September 3, 2012

Fabulous Fibonaccis!

So, the kids and I are taking a class called MathArt which teaches you to see and appreciate the math in art and nature. Sounds cool...or so I thought, when after the first class I was thinking, "Was that English she was speaking?"  I thought I had just walked out of my first college philosophy class!  "Wow!  Are my kids smart," I'm thinking because I just couldn't get it.  Thanks to Mark's partner, Dave, being a constant reminder to me to, "Just google it," I spent awhile searching for understanding into the deep mystery of Fibonacci Numbers, The Golden Ration, Lucas Numbers, patterns, sequencing and more.  I came upon this fabulous video on YouTube by Vi Hart and I just had to share it.  She's absolutely fabulous and you're going to want to watch it again immediately because it's really fun and by the end you realize you're starting to actually see the light shed on the Fibonacci mystery!  Enjoy!


Oh, and tell me you aren't just dying to draw a pinecone or flower and count spirals right after this!

If you loved it and want to learn more, try Part 2:


Thursday, August 30, 2012

National Homeschool Book Award

The Only Readers' Choice Book Award Just for Homeschoolers!
Does your homeschool family love books?  Do you especially love kids' books that explore characters learning and growing through experiences outside the traditional classroom setting?  Do you feel like your family offers a unique perspective on books because you are homeschoolers?

Let your voice be heard!!

Join other homeschoolers taking part in the National Homeschool Book Award!  This is a readers' choice award created by a group of book-loving homeschool moms to recognize and celebrate current juvenile fiction that resonates with kids learning at home.  Let's make our collective voice of homeschooling readers heard in the U.S. and around the world. We want to encourage authors to continue to write great books that speak to us!


THE BOOKS
The 2011-12 nominees are: 

  • The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
  • My Name is Mina by David Almond
  • Selling Hope by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
  • Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Sounds great! How do I get involved?
It is free and easy to get involved - just read the four books and place your vote for your favorite in October! We announce the winner and next round of nominees the first week in November.  In between, there will be opportunities to learn more about the books and their authors through kid-friendly blog posts that feature information on topics in the books and ideas for activities you can do together to enrich your reading, including tips on how to start a National Homeschool Book Award book club in your own community.


*NEW* Online Class
Also, coming in the 2012-13 cycle, we will be leading a cross-curricular, multi-age online class Mondays, January through April to really dig deeper into the books! Join us for what is sure to be an amazing time exploring great topics related to these wonderful books. Registration opens November 5th. Stop by the website and sign up for blog and news updates to stay in the loop!

http://www.nationalhomeschoolbookaward.com

You can also find us on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/nationalhomeschoolbookaward

There is still time to read the books and vote for your favorite this year! Voting is open October 1st-31st, so grab the books and dive in.

Join us for a great year of reading and learning together!

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Congratulations, Alpha!

A Team's Alpha squad scored a personal high of 218/250. Congratulations Grant, Peter, James, Benjemin and Bryan! Grant scored a personal best of 49/50, Peter scored a personal best of 47/50, Bryan scored a personal best of 44/50, Benjemin scored a personal best of 40/50 and James scored a personal best of 38/50. Congratulations, Alpha!

Mark coached them up well!

AYSSP Tournament

This weekend we've been up and out early for our shooting teams' first tournament. A Team's juniors, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta shot first in the tournament yesterday and did a great job all around. Bravo shot 85, just 2 points under their team best, and when we left they were holding top spot. Charlie and Delta members shot well and several shooters shot personal bests. Congratulations to all our shooters!

Alpha, our senior team, will shoot today. The last two practices have been rigorous and these boys have really stepped it up and bonded as a team. I'll keep you posted with the results soon!

Mark and I have loved working with all these kids! They are all good kids and we're glad we've been able to get to know them and their parents better.

Next year we plan to shoot more tournaments throughout the year to give the teams more experience and practice. It's amazing to watch the progress made in just three short months! The kids are loving, not only shooting, but the friendships formed and grown. Mark and I are loving the way this sport includes the entire family!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Back in Our Happy Place

On top of the mountains,
Chilly and blue,
The Goff clan rejoices
As they take in the view.

We each have a favorite,
Place in our heart,
Of travels and adventures,
But right from the start.

Our hearts were knit,
Together with love,
For this majestic sport,
Whizzing downhill from above.

Who is the fastest,
Well, Grant wins that prize,
But Julia can jump,
Nearly sky high.

Kendall is graceful,
As in circles he spins,
While Quentin zips past,
And backwards he spins.

Mark is a jet,
I'm clean-up crew,
Every once in a while,
I have to pick up a few.

 But falls and spills,
Are part of the fun,
Thank you, Lord, for the joy,
Of such family fun!

Mother's Day

Today, in church, a video ran celebrating moms with crayon "kiddie" pics accompanying nice sayings about moms.  Some of the sayings were things such as:

You taught me how to love.
You wiped all my tears.
You always encouraged me.
You were always patient with me.
You were there for me.
etc...

As I was watching and thinking how nice it was, I began to think about the people around me.  I don't know them all, or even most, but what I do know is that with 300-500 people sitting around me, there is not only likely, but most definitely, several sitting in there who can't relate to that video.

Several souls never nurtured during childhood.
Several bodies never bandaged and kissed.
Several egos never encouraged.
Several hearts never comforted and made to feel loved.
Several with needs never met even by their own mothers.

What does a video like that mean to them?  Do they believe those things are possible?  Are they able to break this cycle and lovingly parent their own children today?

Where do these people learn to be patient?
To be loving?
To feel secure?
To comfort and care?
How do you learn to comfort, encourage, love?

This is no overnight lesson.  It takes years to learn these traits through examples.  My heart goes out to those who missed out on being mothered.  But never, for a moment, doubt the fact that our great God, healer of hearts, can and will heal the wounds created by the neglectful behavior of earthly men and women.  He can not only heal the wounds, but teach us to love like Jesus loved.  There's no need to pass that neglectful legacy on.  Seek Christ and ask Him to heal your wounds.

Breckenridge 2012

Breckenridge 2012