Tuesday, August 07, 2012

New School Year

http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/4th-annual-not-back-to-school-blog-hop/  So I am linking up to the 4th annual Not back To School Blog Hop!   Getting ready for the upcoming school year always makes me happy.  Giddy even!    I enjoy so much the new planner that I make every year, how the Lord provides curriculum every year, and just enjoying my children!  I think that is one of the main reasons that I Homeschool them.  I just enjoy them!  



  


Above is the planner pages that I have been working on.  Still a work in progress.  This year I will be using Teaching Textbooks for math...3rd grade, 7th grade, 9th grade and 11th grade...
We were given a wonderful unit study program called A New World of Adventure.  It is fourth through eighth grade.  Last year was fun...

My oldest daughter will be doing Far Above Rubies that is ninth through twelfth  grade.
My oldest son will be continuing in S. O. S.  the Lord has provided so much already through so many wonderful christian friends.  The items that we aren't able to use will be going to our church homeschool library.  Of course the Holy Bible is a most integral part of our Homeschooling!  Praise the Lord for His Holy Word!


Maybe a little Home Ec too!

We will be trying something very new to us this year, 4H!
There will be a photography class....so of course the oldest girl must do it!

And every Friday Art class with one of our favorite people in the world!
We love you Blair!

I wonder if I am missing anything?  

Getting the school room ready!
On your mark...
Get ready...
Set....
Go!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Camera Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Here is something that My Dear Daughter and I could really use...especially with the new endeavor that I am embarking on...

I am now a Close To My Heart Consultant!  Yikes!

After much prayer and talking with my husband and some friends...It has happened and I will
be making scrapbooks, Faithbooking, cards, projects, gifts, and Lapbooks!

So  a new camera would be lovely!  And Helpful!

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Nook & Cranny Craft Room Update

Boy am I excited!


My husband blessed me with 3 small white book shelves...and the craft room is almost complete!


Over the summer I hope to have a counter top of sorts over the three bookshelves and then the work place will be done.


I just am so thankful for it.  It is neat and orderly and cute!




Now the girls and I can create, sew, and learn more neat things to share with our friends and family.
I also use this craft room to school my twin daughters.  It is an atmosphere that is pleasing to the eye and has a large window to view the squirrels and birds outdoors.  


This is my favorite corner of the room!  I love using the foam boards for cloth organization.  I purchase them at Dollar Tree and my sweet husband cuts them to size for me with his box cutter.


A sweet couple in our church gave us this nice dresser and I use it to hide my junk organize cloth and paint brushes, brads, craft supplies and paper etc.  We bought the table when we first were married.  Now we use it for school and cutting patterns, and card making.


 A large cork board for inspirational pins...Although I do use Pinterest online!   I found the dress form at a thrift store for $9.00!  The organizer that spins is a sweet gift from my sister in law!  I just love her!


Last but not least, our little corner...You should have seen me trying to fit this little table in that corner.  I couldn't move the entertainment center(too heavy), and I needed 3 inches...just 3 inches!  Even cattycornering proved to be hard...there may be a slight bough in the wall....eek.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

File and Fun and an answer for Dawn

We have had quite a few months around here!  Our family has been sick with sinus infections, bronchitis, strep, and Pneumonia...


Now that we are mended...we are getting back on track.   We are currently working on the Middle Ages.  While we were sick we were able to watch...Worst Jobs In History-The Middle Ages and Ivanhoe from the A&E version.   Very informative!


Finding out that we only have 5 more weeks of school left has put me in a tizzy!  I wanted to be done with The Renaissance and into the Age of Exploration before the end of the year!  Swiss Family Robinson makes for a great summer unit study!


But to answer Dawn of By Sun and Candlelight...She asks:  "What's in Yer File Folder This Week?"


I have some worksheets for the twin girls...and a science ditto of the older kiddos.  I wish I would have taken pictures of Middle Ages Pages that I have...phooey!




At the end of our unit study we will be having a Feast with a movie made by children.  We were going to do Robin Hood...but my husband had a better idea!
Luke 14:16-24  The Parable of the Great Supper!
They will act it out in Medieval attire with Medieval recipes if we are able.  I wrote on my sticky note Acts I, II, and III.  Maybe it can be a three act play.  We shall see.
Here is the Bible my husband bought for me when he worked for Barnes & Noble long ago!  It has illustrations from The Vatican Library.  Very appropriate for our Middle Ages unit!
We usually use this Bible in the Church's Christmas Float every year.  The size of it makes it very visible to the spectators as our sweet Papa Jim reads it aloud.
It is enormous!  And heavy!
I will try to keep you updated on the progress of this wonderful Parable that Jesus shared.  So glad that He found me on the" streets and lanes", "the highways and hedges" and compelled me to come to the Great Supper! 
 Looking forward to finishing this week with some learning and gratitude to our Lord and Savior!
I love it that we can share homeschooling ideas, family love, friendships, and our Faith...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Out with the Old

I am so excited!  New to me furniture!


My husband is so sweet!  We were able to purchase a couch and loveseat from Craigslist and give our old set to our Youth Pastor and his sweet wife!


So here it is...pics of the new to me and us couches!


 I am still working on wall hangings and decor for the wall above the love seat.
 The gingham color is called liberty brick.  It  matches my Ceri Blum plates and cups...I just am so glad for how well it all turned out!  This was a very pleasant transaction.  I have been sick with a bad head/sinus cold.  But soon I will up and puttering around getting the house looking cute again. 
How about some gingham?  My husband really loves them and kiddos are getting use to the "new" rules of the couches.  

Friday, January 27, 2012

little BIG Family

I will be linking up with  Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling  today.  GO and check her sweet blog out!
Our Homeschooling Schedule varies...Wake up, make breakfast and lunch and iron my husband's shirt.  He leaves for work and I sit and pray, read the Bible and check emails.  The children begin to awaken and one by one are greeted by the family pup.  Each one heats their homemade bagels or toast, get coffee or tea.  They read their Bibles and I do a little phonics and math with the twin 8 year olds.  The olders do math and the oldest does S.O.S. Switched On Schoolhouse.  


Lunch is around noon or so.  Usually "so".


And we resume our unit study with 5 out of 6 children at the square table.  Care Rooms at around 3:30pm.
And Daddy arrives at around 4pm.


Here is our Chore Chart...
I am not sure if you can really see the little family members, but there they are on the left.
I use to be a very overwhelmed mommy for a long while.  4 years ago I found a site called Flylady.net.    And it helped a lot!  Anyway, I don’t like to admit it but…
When I was young and married and only had two children, I actually called my mom and asked her to come over to sit on my couch and tell me what to do!  I would start my day off with, standing in the middle of my living room and not know where to start.  Really.  And that is why I called her.
Well, that didn’t last long.  


Then I was to have a set of twin boys.  Now what was I to do?  Four children!  I was completely overwhelmed and my husband sold our home and we had to move in with my parents and then in with his all before the boys were 6 months old! Yikes!  It was crazy!  I couldn’t see which end was up much less keep anything clean or organized!  When the boys turned four, I was pregnant with our last set of twins.  Now what?  I can only say that contentment is such a gift from the Lord!  Because that is what got me through…Now the girls are 8 and about 4 years ago, I sat down in a creative mood and ended up with the chore chart pictured above.  I assigned everyone a "care room" except Daddy.  He helps out where ever.  But the children and I have a care room a week.  I want them to CARE for the room they have been assigned and every time they go through it during the course of the day it would be nice if they look for things out of place.  I change their Care Rooms every Monday.


  The care rooms are:  The Living Room, the School Room, the Circle Table Room(parlor), the Guest Bathroom, Wash Room, and the Kitchen.
I get the Kitchen every week and have our son who has asthma help out in their more because he really shouldn't do dusting and vacuuming....yes, it's that bad.
Every morning after the morning routine(wash,comb, brush teeth, eat breakfast) I tell the children to do their care rooms.  It usually only takes 5 minutes to go look and straighten pillows, throw trash away, put away stray  toys, sweep, or vacuum, depending on what room is given.  And then every afternoon before Daddy comes home they do the care rooms again.
Now, you may have noticed the Shared Chores on the top right of the picture.  That has to do with after dinner chores.  It is called Shared Chores because they "share" in doing them.  They do complain about it from time to time.  But Daddy is on the lookout for that.  While they put away leftovers, clear the plates, cups, forks, and glasses, and also load the dishwasher, Daddy and I have our little date time in the corner of our living room.   Share Chairs is what we call them.
The kitchen is just to the right of this photo...But we have since moved the chairs to a better corner.  I might try to share that photo soon.
 So this is our little BIG family!!


”Holy

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Christmas and Crazyness...

Okay...  Christmas snuck up on us this year!  Maybe it is because I am getting older, or maybe because time is actually moving faster!
 I shared a booth with http://www.etsy.com/people/faithintoart Blair!  Just love her!
 She has some really neat art that she hand draws and colors with some amazing markers, and of course her amazing talent!
 I made(sewed) some covered dish carriers, and aprons in a jar and some other odds and ends.

This is supposed to be an apron in a jar.

 Here is my table...Decked with my Ninja clips and other fun stuff.  I sold just enough to cover my part in the festival and buy a Mcdonald's Big Mac!  Yikes!






 This large box came from a sweet girl in Texas!  Can you ever guess what was in it?  A real life Tumbleweed!
 Here are our stockings that I made about 10 years ago!  
 Not the best picture of me and my honey, but it will do for now.
 My husband always reads the Christmas story from Luke before we do gifts.  Even if we have heard it 5 times during the season...I think the birth of Christ the Lord should be read year round!  Praise the Lord for His Holy Word!
 We finally got a tree from Mr. Jones' Tree Farm a week before Christmas.
 Here are some of the boys playing their new Trouble game with R2 D2.  Dad is trying to be Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Funny.
The girls are playing with their new jeep and Target Dolls!


So the next week I was to make a wedding cake for a very sweet couple in our church.  And my friend and I did get the cakes made with fondant and ready for the big day, when one of my children got a bad cold that sent him to the hospital by ambulance.


 So glad he is finally home and better...getting better!   He has asthma. So, the cold attacked his lungs.  Praise the Lord he is home now and doing well.  The rest of us caught the cold.  My husband stayed in the hospital with our little froggy man until they released him on Monday!
 While I was being a "Mom" and staying home to take care of the little ones who were sick, I started preparing the Boy's room so when little Froggy man came home it would be allergen free and easy to maintain.  So off came his top bunk...
 There is less room now, but it will be easier to change sheets and vacuum the lint and dust!  I even sewed new curtains!  Later that night I came down with the cold...eeek.  I felt like someone was sitting on my chest!  Cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze.


My dear friend Becky(who taught me how to make wedding cakes) and her husband finished the cake for the sweet couple in our church and I was able to continue with what the Lord had lined up for our family at this time.
Red velvet cake with homemade butter cream frosting and homemade fondant.  Thank you Becky and Chuck!


So here is to a very Happy New Year in the Lord Jesus, who has brought us through all things and guided, provided, and supplied all our needs.