Whew!  Life is like a merry-go-round, and I am about to be dizzier than a kookaburra on my way back down under!

We have been busier than bees getting our county fair projects finished and turned in.  Last year hubby said we had better get them done before the 11th hour.  Did we listen?  Well, yeah, of course!  But did we obey?  Nope.  Sorry honey, I know you are right.  I PROMISE we will do better next year!!!!

So the four kiddoes and I have been taking photos, painting, drawing, sewing, knitting, crocheting, beading and all other manner of craftiness.  Then came the cooking!  The kids baked cookies, candies, cakes, pies and made jelly. 

Amidst all the drama of getting everything done and having two kids sick we had to add just a tad bit more drama the night before drop off.  We had *thought* we had until noon on Friday to drop off our entries.  Then another mom called to ask us about it....so my daughter double checked and yikes, found out we had to be there before 10 a.m.  This is about an hours drive for us.  Ok, so we planned to get up at 7:00, pack the car etc., leave by 8:00.

Then the inevitable happened.  My oldest daughter still had a cake to bake and a pie to finish, and at about 10:30 p.m. that final night....she burned her left hand on the electric stove burner.  OUCH!

We submerged her hand in a tub of cold water with several drops of lavender essential oil (thanks to my other daughter's wonderful memory, she reminded me that it was good for burns) and she proceeded to bake her cake, roll out pie crust and get all her baking finished.  Finally, at around 1:00, when we figured we had better get to bed, she was in some pain and we decided to go to the E.R. and have it looked at and wrapped "professionally."  We did, and only one person asked us what we were doing up that hour baking.  LOL!

Anyway, she had a mummy hand for a few days but I am happy to report that it looks fabulous now, can't even see much of the burn at all.  (2nd degree)

And to top it all off, she won First Place, AND Grand Champion in her division for that pie she rolled out with one hand.

We went out to the fairgrounds that same evening (thinking it was opening night) but found out it wasn't!  The nice people at the art hall let us come in and take a quick peek at our ribbons....and we actually missed some of them that we found on Wednesday.  That was quite a surprise!  Anyway, here are a few more of our awards. 

My youngest daughter did this lovely "checkerboard" cable knit sampler. 

 Youngest son did a "trash to treasure" entry (recyclable project) and much to my surprise, got some nice ribbons! Its the little town square made out of old milk cartons etc.  Very creative!

 Next, this is a model my youngest daughter made.  She made most of these miniature elements and put them together with her little bear, "Red-Red."  She actually did the minute cable knitting on the toothpicks! 

 Here she is with her lovely giant watercolor pansy.  I thought it deserved a first place, but she only got a participation ribbon on this one.  Does she seem to care that it wasn't first?  From that smile, I'd say no!

My oldest daughter knit these socks.  They are made from her hand spun wool.  (She even cleaned and carded it too)  She made these for her Daddy to take when he goes hunting, but now she's not so sure she wants him to do that!  This is the second pair she has made, the first pair were white and she made them for herself.  I was so proud of her! 

Did you know how much math goes into knitting a pair of socks? 

 This is Essie's acrylic painting of a robin.  Pretty cute! 

 The little guy got a second place on his candy canes he made! 

 He also did a lovely watercolor and got a 3rd place ribbon. 

These are both watercolor paintings I did, one landscape (canoeing on Rampart Reservoir) and one nature (the columbine flower.)

 And this is a leather rounder that my oldest son did.  He had several projects that my photos didn't turn out well on, so I will try again and get them posted later!  I know he will be crushed not to have his picture in here several times.  You know how teenage boys are about that kind of stuff!

Ok, well, we worked on the farm on this day and my face shows it!  (Very tired and red from the heat.) But I was pleased with my ribbons on these three next to me, the two watercolors and the acrylic of the fall leaves.

The one of the candles there, I think that was a pastel.  Isn't it fabulous!? That person did a great job!  I think I need to try some pastel too....maybe next year!

 This is my oldest son's Red Velvet Cake.  He did well!  First Place!  I made the mistake of trying it at home, I HAD to after all.  But I paid the price with a three day migraine from the chocolate!  Was it worth it?  Um...sure, anything for YOU son!

This is the second year my oldest has won in her division, for photography.  The funny thing is that she says she's not a photographer.  She really isn't!  She would much rather be sewing, spinnning, crocheting, knitting or baking. But she sure got lucky these last two years.  :)

And this pencil sketch really surprised me!  I liked it, (It's my yougest daughters drawing) but I really didn't think it was ribbon worthy---even if I am the mom.  Those judges sure have good taste though!

I was really proud of my acrylic this year.  I know, pride goeth before the fall!  I thought it was a ton better than last years entry (which won first and grand)  ~ Ya just never know!

Well, that twern't all of them, but I need to find the rest of the photos.  Crazy computer sometimes hides things from me!  IT has a mind of its own!

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of our entries. Last year's can be found here.  And the year before that, here.

Be sure to let me know if you are posting any of your county or state fair entries.  I'd love to see them!

Nancy

It is always so good to be here!  Today is the final day that my kids and I are getting all of our county fair projects done--can you say a prayer or two for us?  It's a bit crazy areound here!

I hope you enjoyed our bird story.  The sweet little guy/gal has flown away, with prayers that it has gone with it's own kind and is being a bird at last.  I read quite a bit about imprinting, and was worried-but the Lord gently reminded me that He cares for that little bird.

A few days back, I got out a mirror and showed "Sherwood" that he was indeed a bird, and not a human.  It was so funny how he seemed to really see himself!  He cocked his head from side to side, studying what he was seeing.  Then Tuesday morning, when I went out and sat down in my favorite spot outside to read, he appeared --actually, he swooped in and landed on my lap.  After a few minutes I looked away, and back down, and he had given me the gift of a beetle, undigested.  (How, um, lovely!)  I got up to go clean up a little spot on my dress and set him up in the tree.  When I came back out he was gone.  We haven't seen him since, but are sure he is off doing what birds do.

I tried so hard to get advice from experts, but to no avail.  Several friends were very upset with me for even doing anything to help the little guy.  I know, there are pros and cons.  First, it is illegal to keep wild birds---but we never had him in a cage or penned up.  He enjoyed sleeping in our greenhouse at night, and when he was really tiny, he was in a box.  The kids dug up every earthworm from here to China and he had a very well rounded diet of those, plus mealworms, and he learned to find his own food rather quickly!  There are lots of sour cherry trees bearing right now in our neighborhood and he found those too, and feasted with his own kind.

After searching online for what to do with him, I found so many different opinions.  Since he was already removed from his parents care we decided to step in.  My kids learned so much, and just loved that little guy!  I had a time of uncertainty, but experience won out.  This is a memory they will always cherish!

If you haven't ever read Jean Craighead George's book, "A Tarantula in My Purse," check it out.  If the name scares you, just read the chapter called "The Robin in the Teacup."  You will be blessed!

Have a great day!

Nancy

We have had a wonderful experience over the last couple of weeks.  Sadly, a fledgling robin was removed from it's mother's watchful eye and care.  But happily, a surrogate (or two) stepped up to take care of the orphan.  With a mixture of fear and awe and hesitancy, we took on the task of care and feeding of a feathered friend.  Oh, we had many people tell us all the dangers etc., but we decided that we were committed to take this critter under our wing, so to speak.  Do you think "it" looks happy?

 In this photo, my daughter is working on a jigsaw puzzle while "Fuzzball-beep-Gretyl-Sherwood" is sitting on her head.  (We couldn't decide on a name, but for the most part I've just been calling it Angel."

After researching Turdus Migratorius, we found out that they can eat up to 70 earthworms a day.  Their parent birdies feed them about every 20 minutes while they are fledging.  So where did we get that many earthworms?  In our garden and under the compost pile, of course!

We called our local wildlife rehab organization but they don't take birds who aren't injured or sick.  The advice is of course, put it back where you found it.  But this little guy (or gal, not sure yet) was moved several t imes by some curious children (not mine) and the parents didn't come back to it after a day or so.  We decided to take matters into our own hands, like I said, with much fear and trepidation.

My youngest daughter has become it's surrogate mom.  She has spent HOURS cutting up earthworms for this lovely bird.  The bird adores her.  It has slept in our greenhouse several nights, and is now sleeping just like a birdie, outside in our neighbor's cherry tree.  We have enjoyed watching it fending for itself, although we have been supplementing it with meal worms and turning over rocks in the yard for it. 

The kids have even weighed it several times; so far it's holding out at about 2 ounces!

One of our neighbors had a surprise when he was out in his yard working and the dear little thing flew over and landed on his shoulder.  Has it lost it's fear of humans?  Yes, but I think there are many lessons in all of this. 

Finding Joy in God's Creation

Perseverance (it takes a lot of digging to feed hungry baby birds)

Trust (in your ability to know what to do)

Faith (that the Lord will help you, and that after the bird learns his independence he will remember you and  come back and visit...)

Those are just a few that came to mind.   Has this been a homeschool lesson?  You bet!  But not just a lesson in ornithology.  This has been a life lesson that has been such a blessing to us.  We know we probably won't have another experience like this one.  God uses little animals and birds to teach us so much about His love for us!

Isn't this the cutest thing you ever laid eyes on?

Blessings,

Nancy

Hey, this is so nice!  Christine bought a copy of my E-book, "Haircuts For Little Men," and she posted some awesome photos!  I love to see how these home haircuts turn out.  I have been so impressed with all of you who have sent me photos!!!

(Christine, you did great!!!!)

And since she was so kind, I told her she could give away a copy.  :) 

 So rush over to her blog here, and get in on the giveaway. 

 She's picking a winner today!  (Saturday, June 21)

Good Luck!

Nancy

(Check out the link on my sidebar, or go to my new website (still under construction) at www.nancybaetz.com for info on "Haircuts For Little Men."

Hi!

Hey, I just got home from a homeschool convention, and boy what a deep time of reflection it was!

There is really so much to talk about! 

 I got to hear a wonderful, soul searching, convicting talk by Norm Wakefield of Spirit of Elijah Ministries.  He's a pretty neat homeschooling Dad who reminded me of Peter Graves, I think that was his name.  You know, he was one of the actors on that old show "Mission Impossible."  Hmmmm....I wonder if there is some connection there, you see I caught one of his talks and it was called "What's a Mom to do with her teenage son."  That seems like an impossible mission to me on most days.  But not for the Lord of course.  With HIM, nothing is impossible!  It was good, good stuff. There is so much to consider in each stage of our development; both in our kids and ourselves!

I took my two oldest kids with me, and they heard Jay Wile speak.  They loved him!  My kids are totally into creation apologetics and they learned a lot from Mr. Wile.  They have been sharing it with me so much that I think I am changing the name of our homeschool from "Briarknoll Cottage" to "Punctuated Equilibrium Academy."  Doesn't that have a nice ring to it?

Next on the agenda was Lorrie Flem, who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time in person!  We have known each other and worked together on projects online for a few years now and we just finally met.  I was so happy!!!  She's an amazing lady and they had her speaking back to back, I think, FIVE times at the conference at least on one day - barely time to catch her breath in between.  But she is such a lady of composure and grace that she just took it all in stride and gave God the glory.  My kids and I had a great time meeting her family members that were there and spending time helping out at the TEACH booth.  It was great!

Oh, I managed to make a few of her talks too which were great!  "Teach So They Will Learn" was a very informative session on methods, pros and cons and resources.  She was so encouraging to me!  Our "non-method" is so misunderstood and hard to explain at times and Lorrie really spoke to my heart about what we do, or don't do with our kids.  Frankly, there was a common thread through each of the conferences that I attended, and only God can orchestrate such a thing.

For one of the opening sessions the speaker was Kris Klicka of HSLDA.  He was very instrumental in helping here in our lovely state as far as our legislation goes and we are so thankful to him for all he has done!  He is such a humble and content man, and loves the Lord with all of his heart.  I was completely touched by his testimony and all of his Godly encouragement. Please keep Kris and his family in your prayers, as well as HSLDA.

Three other ladies that were speaking that I was able to hear were Maggie Hogan, Mardy Freeman and Carol Barnier.  Maggie is another one of those gals that I have worked with online and blogged with and was SO thrilled to finally meet her!  She is great fun!  My only regret was sitting too far back in her session:  None of the chocolate she threw out into the group made it back to where I was.  Maggie, please work on that arm muscle, OK?  Or maybe I just better sit up front!  Actually, it was the squirt guns and bubbles that I would have loved to have instead of that old nasty chocolate...

When I was walking the vender hall I met Mardy Freeman and her husband and they noticed where I was from and said they had just celebrated their anniversary here!  So we got to talking and she was so sweet and radiant that I really wanted to hear her speak.   She has an amazing life story too, what a testimony to the Lord.  What a real live person.  She was great!  She talked on Character, and I gotta get her session on MP3 so I can listen again.  It was that good!

Carol Barnier is FUNNY!  I have loved seeing her sweet face alongside her articles in TOS, and it was so fun to hear her in person.  She has a son who sounds like a twin of one of mine, and her talk was about not missing the Gift that your child IS.  Basically the premise was that even if a child is very, um shall we say "challenging" in one way or another, that we need to see them through the eyes of God, and HE sees their potential down the road.  He knows the end product, and we need to look forward to that day and not get bogged down with the things that seem difficult.  We need to recognize those quirky things that drive US to distraction as distinct gifts that the Lord has placed there for a reason.  Anyway, it was awfully fun, and after missing several sessions due to not getting there soon enough for a seat---I kid you not, standing room only, over and over----I got to Carol Barnier's session EARLY and sat right up front and center!  I wasn't going to miss a thing! 

 Anyway, Carol is another one with an amazing testimony of God's grace and mercy in her life.  He is so good to use all of these gals (and guys) for His glory and for our encouragement.

Ok, lets see....we also got to see and hear the Colorado Wranglers and the Von Trapp Children!   That was a highlight and a delight!  It was all a great way to recharge and try to get a new strategy for the next season of our homeschooling journey. 

Be looking in an upcoming TEACH Magazine for some photos I took of Lorrie and some of her colleagues and friends encouraging each other at the conference.  I think truly a good time was had by all.

Homeschooling Is Life,

Nancy

p.s. thanks friends, for praying for us these last few weeks.  We appreciate it! 

Wow!  I tell you, sometimes it just seems like life goes crazy and tips the scale at nothing short of amazing! 

 Last week was the kick-off of the Ultimate Homeschool Expo and I tried my hardest to listen in to every one of the live conferences.  They were super!  The final conference "What Will They Remember" with Jill Novak was the sweetest ending to a completely enjoyable, uplifting and encouraging series of speakers.  Jill had us all in tears and feeling the Lord in a powerful way. 

 Thank you Cindy, for orchestrating it all for us.

Although the UHSE is done, it's not over.  You can STILL get a ticket for this event!  How can that be?  Well, all the chats and ALL the vendors and ALL the cool free stuff (tons of it!) are going to be on the website for eons to come and all you have to do is get your ticket NOW, before the price goes up.  Then you will have access to ALL the talks, all the goodies and you can't beat this deal - anywhere! 

 Here is some info straight from Cindy:  Even thought taping is over, it is Still going on and here is what it means for you:

·        You can access every session by downloadable audio for years to come (at YOUR convenience).

·        You can access a full library of ebooks, articles, studies, and printable pages.

It is NOT too late! So, grab your ticket today! Price will be the same $40 until July 1^st--then, it will be $99.95 for the entire UHSE 2008 Package. Save NOW! You will LOVE IT! Here is your link to order:

http://www.ultimatehomeschoolexpo.com/tickets.html

If that link does not work for you (for some reason the link does not show both the single and order with a friend options for some browsers--haven't figured that out yet! Ha!), then use this link:

http://www.ultimatehomeschoolexpo.com/UHSE2008.html

The speakers had some great door prize giveaways, and I enjoyed giving several copies of my eBook away.  (I will have that available at the special UHSE price until at least the end of this month, then I might have to go back up to my regular price so if you were THINKING that you wanted to learn how to cut your kiddo's hair...now is the time to purchase it.)

  One of the doorprizes was a copy of Tammy Cardwell's eBook, "A Homeschool that Handles the Hard Times; a Guide for Christian Homeschoolers."

(You can check out her website here.)

When I saw that Tammy was giving one away I jumped at the chance and zipped over to her blog and entered.  Lo and Behold, I was the winner!  I was elated!  When I downloaded my copy, much to my chagrin I discovered that I already had a copy of it!  I couldn't believe it, I felt so dumb but my goofiness is your gain.  First off, I re-read her book and was blown away at how it spoke to me!  I am sure I read it before, but I guess my circumstances right now were more ripe for hearing what she had to say.  It completely ministered to me and blessed my socks off.

So I had a little chat with Tammy, and she and I would like to bless YOUR socks off!  We decided to have a little giveaway of our own here. 

 Here is the deal: 

 You zip over to Tammy's blog and leave her a comment telling her that you saw the contest over here.  But you have to linger a bit, and read her blog.  That's the catch.  You have to spend a little time over there and then come back here and tell me what you read, and well, extrapolate a bit on it.  That's all.  You can handle that! 

And then by the end of next week, May 16th, we will each pick three of you to win a copy of her eBook!  Doesn't that sound super?

Head over to "A Cluttered Desk" and see what fun stuff you can find to read!  Then leave her a comment about my blog, and come back and tell me about hers, ok?

Blessings,

Nancy

Hi Friends!

It has been very different this week for us. You see, instead of my usual hustle and bustle with four very energetic kids all around me, it has been deathly quiet. Now, don't get me wrong; I can use a dose of quiet now and then. But sometimes it's a bit hard to get used to!

A dear friend of mine "kidnapped" all my kids for most of the week! She is a wonderful homeschooling mom...I mean former homeschooling mom. All her kids have flown the nest! She was feeling a bit lonely and wanted to borrow some kids. (Actually, she put them to WORK! Can you imagine that??) Well, she called me the second day they were there and said they were already DONE with several tasks that they set out to do...before 9:00 a.m. I was flabbergasted! (And proud of them too.)

While they were being well taken care of I had the pleasure of being interviewed Wednesday morning (early!) by Cindy Rushton! I have the delight of being a vendor in her Ultimate Homeschool Expo! She invited me to talk about my "Haircuts For Little Men" eBook, and it was so much fun. (Although I was barely awake and all that. LOL. It was quite a fun time though. Cindy, I'll talk with you anytime!)

Right now her preview chats are FREE! You can even go in to the conference room and listen to past chats which are amazing! It is right here: (CLICK HERE)

If you get the chance to listen to some of them, be sure to listen to Lynda Coats. She is a veteran homeschooling mom who gets you back to the Biblical basics found in Deuteronomy. (Teaching them when you sit, stand, walk etc. ALL the time!)  Many new homeschooling families can get confused with all the "options" we have now.  Get back to the basics, and I don't mean the 3 R's. (Actually the one "R" and the "W" and the "A"!  LOL!) I was completely blessed by her talk. Thank you Lynda!

Some other conferences you don't want to miss are coming up. (Get your ticket so you won't miss out!)  So many people who blog right here on HSB are going to be featured like Jill Novak AND her son Eric (HSB Tech Support!)

I hope you can all get in on the conferences. I have enjoyed just having the computer on and listening to some fantastic encouragement while I work around the house.

Click HERE to get your ticket!!

Happy Homeschooling, Unschooling, whatever your brand is called. :)

Nancy

HI friends! 

Wed, April 23, (Tomorrow!)  I have the pleasure of being interviewed by Cindy Rushton!  She is going to be asking me questions about my e-Book, "Haircuts For Little Men." 

 I am honored to be a vendor at her 2008 Ultimate Homeschool Expo which starts April 28th.  Right now, she is hosting FREE preview chats that you don't want to miss either!  I just can't say enough about how much fun these virtual conferences are.  You can listen right in the comfort of your home and even "do" things while you listen!  Last year I cleaned my entire office during the UHSE!  And it's just about time to do that again. 

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 23, at 7:00 a.m. (Mountain Time) I will be sipping coffee and trying my best to sound like I am coherent while I talk about why I wrote "Haircuts For Little Men," and why YOU need a copy of it!

   Here is the info!

Haircuts for Little Men

With Nancy Baetz from http://tinyurl.com/46oogm  

Wednesday April 23, 2008

8AM CST

Talk-Shoe Conference Room

     Join us online (requires a quick download--download early!):        

          http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=16750&cmd=tc

Cindy will be giving away some free e-books from me as door prizes, AND on top of that, my book is now at a special discount for the conference. 

Just WAIT until you hear how much money you can save by doing haircuts at home.  It is phenomenal!

Blessings,

(Please pray for me, for a successful interview!)

Nancy

Yes, it seems like lately all I have been posting about is contest, haircuts, more contests, more haircuts.  This cabin fever is nuts!  We can barely get outdoors because of global warming!  :)

Yesterday I worked out in the yard, it was beautiful out!  Today, it has done everything from rain, sleet, snow and back again.  Weird, weird weather.  (Weird = Normal here in this geometrically shaped state!)

Let's see; I haven't been doing much blogging lately, just too busy with the chickens, the kids, (not necessarily in that order) um, the computer giving me FITS, and sundry other craziness going on here. 

I am utterly bummed (someone please enlighten me if there is an updated word for that, ok?) that my friend from TN isn't going to come to my state homeschool convention this year as a representative for Rosetta Stone.  Can't believe that.  Shoot. That would have been worth the trip!  (Just joking, no reflection on the awesome conference.) 

In other news, we now have a permitted driver in the house.  Well, you know, in the car, except the car is broken down and I have to convince her that it wasn't  cursed by the Lord just so she can't scare the living daylights out of us...again.  :)  Heh, heh.  You know, she will NEVER read this blog because she has some kind of magnetic element to her physiology, and all she has to do is LOOK at a computer and it will blow a ...whatever computers blow.  (She is really good on the computer and has done some fabulous projects, but prefers stuff like spinning.  Not a lot of tech-support needed for her hobbies.)

Actually, as far as the driving is concerned, she is doing fabulous.  Only 40 more hours of daylight driving to go!  I personally have no recollection whatsoever of ever driving with my parents when I had my permit.  I must have blocked it from my memory.  Or it never happened.  Hmmmmm.  And the funny thing is that I did indeed pass my drivers test, and have over three decades of driving history to prove it and only accident to my name, knock on wood.  And, that was in someone elses car.  (Never, EVER borrow someone elses car when you have only been drving for 3 weeks.)  You can bet I am emphasizing THAT rule.  Never.  Ever.

Gee Whiz, this is about the worst rambling blog post ever.  I can't wait to get my brain back in gear and make some sense for you all!  We had some friends over for a visit and we got in the silliest conversation about this "stuff" we had back when we were kids called "Incrediblie Edibles" and "Creepul People" and something else about flowers...now I forgot.  :(  But the funny thing was the stuff it was made of was called "plasti-goop" and I had forgotten about that completely, but our dear friends reminded me and we all thought "What were our parents thinking!!??"  What was that stuff anyhow?

Memories~  Ha! Ha!  We conjured up all kinds of tidbits that were buried yet became "debrained" for whatever reason.  Isn't that crazy when you start remembering things that you haven't thought of in probably over 40 years?  Yup, I be that old.  This is dating me big time, but oh well.  My avatar hides the wrinkles well.  This other memory popped up of the time I wanted an EZ-Bake Oven for Christmas or something.  I didn't get one, I got something else.  That story is so silly, that I will HAVE To save it for my next rambling, meaningless mentally challenging blog entry.  I bet you will be holding your breath and losing sleep until I post again!

Happy Homeschooling~

Nancy

This is so exciting! 

Do you know what is so neat about creating something?  (Other than just for the sheer excitement of having created something?)  It is seeing it being passed on to others and watching THEM create! 

Last year I published my first e-Book, Haircuts For Little Men.  It is a primer on haircutting technique for Moms to learn to do at home!  It is a great way to save some money and learn a skill that can be used for generations! 

Well, let me tell you some wonderful news.  I have had some wonderful feedback and I hope you have been able to discover some of those posts here and there around the blogsphere. 

 Today, I want to share a blessing I received with you.  This is a letter  from a dear sweet mom named Joy. 

Hi, Nancy!

I recently bought your book Haircuts for Little Men and found it very helpful.  I have cut two of my sons' hair now and even my husband's (brave man!).

 

I was wondering if you had any tips for very thick wavy hair.  My 7-year-old son wants to keep his hair a little long but the problem with that is it gets so poofy.  I looked at thinning shears but they were $25 and I couldn't bring myself to invest in them.....  Do you think that's what he needs?

 

Also, my 3-year-old son has a cow lick in the front, at his forehead.  Any suggestions?  I know that I cut his hair evenly but then it looks uneven when it dries.  Do you try to leave it longer in that spot?

 

Thanks for your help and for writing a book that helps families be more efficient.

 

Blessings,

Joy

Just look at these  wonderful photos Joy took.  Joy bought a copy of my e-Book and promptly put it to work for herself!  She emailed me with a few questions about cowlicks and curls.  We talked about those things and several other things that I address in the book.  I want to tell you I am so proud of her! 

 Look at these handsome young boys!  Didn’t she do an awesome job?

Thank you so much, Joy, for sharing this with me!   It makes me very happy to see this tool being used!  You did a fantastic job for your first try at this method and I know you will just keep doing a wonderful job as you lovingly do haircuts at home!

Keep up the good work! 

*This just in!  Go check out "Momlady's Barbershop!"

Blessings,

Nancy

Author of "Haircuts For Little Men"

I guess I am.  Except for the one named "Courage,"  I guess they are pretty chicken.  Or is that pretty chickens?  Can you really call them pretty?  (I personally think they are beautiful!)

Anyway, this is a fun way to share them.  Photobucket has some really neat new features for enhancing your photos.  This is the "cartoon" feature.

Say hello to Peck, Freckles and Courage.  These are our latest homeschool project.  (Butterscotch didn't make it to the photo-shoot.)

In about another month or so, we should be collecting some very fresh eggs!

Happy Resurrection Sunday,

Nancy

This just added!  Mel over at workerette.com is having a great contest!  Here is what she has to say:

I just wanted to touch base quickly and let you know that I've got a SUPER contest running this week on both of my blogs: I'm giving away TWO free subscriptions to KIWI magazine.

If you're not already familiar with KIWI, you can check them out here: http://www.kiwimagonline.com.  I'm a huge fan, as some of you already know.  If you're interested in having another resource in your arsenal for "green" living and parenting, or if you know of someone who would benefit from something like this, please take a moment to enter and pass this along to friends or family who would enjoy it.

Here's where to enter:

http://momnmore.blogspot.com/2008/03/fantastic-contest-free-subscription-to.html

http://www.workerette.com/2008/03/contest_free_kiwi_magazine_sub.html

You can enter up to twice on each blog.  There are only two rules: the winner has to have a USA mailing addy and can't be a member of my family.  Otherwise it's a free for all - in a manner of speaking.  ;-)  I'd really appreciate you passing this along so others may benefit as well; most especially, I want folks to learn more about KIWI and ask their local booksellers for it!

Hoping this finds you safe and well.  If you enter: good luck!
Melonie

Visit my blogs:
Momma (and More) http://momnmore.blogspot.com
Workerette http://www.workerette.com

Thanks Mel!

 

My friend Jenefer is so cool.  She has the greatest blog titles, AND the best entries.  She is one real person, and laugh - she can make you laugh so hard you'll spit stuff out your nose. 

ANYWAY,

She's having a contest.  You better get in on it, it's a great one!!!!  Here is all the info you need to know.  OH, and Jen and Coie are going to be REPS for Rosetta Stone at some lucky homeschool conferences this summer.  Rosetta Stone, you are one lucky company to have those gals representing you. 

Here is how to enter the contest:

Rosetta Stone has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while -- next week they are unleashing a brand new curriculum, and you can WIN the *all new* Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3… FOR FREE! 

This is a $219 program (and believe me it's worth every penny!) and the winner gets to pick from any of these 14 languages: Spanish (Spain or Latin America), English (American or British), Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Irish, Hebrew, or Russian.

This will also include a headset with microphone, and students will participate in lifelike conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program.  Rosetta Stone still incorporates listening, reading and writing as well, in addition to speaking.  Many homeschoolers requested grammar and vocabulary exercises, and with Rosetta Stone Homeschool Version 3, they're included!  For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program and allow parents to easily enroll students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, and view and print reports. 

To win this most excellent program -- in the language of your choice -- copy these (blue) paragraphs and post it in (or as) your next blog post -- then to enter the contest, go to the original contest page HERE: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/JenIG/501132/  and leave a comment with the link showing where you blogged about it.  And please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post it.  And good luck!  The winner will be picked randomly on March 26, and will be notified thru the link they left to their blog pg.   And if you have more than one blog, you can post them and enter those separately for more chances to win.   Yay for free stuff!

Good Luck!

Nancy

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments.  Oh, I wish I could send you each a copy!! 

I'd like to congratulate TONYA!!

Thank you so much for entering the contest!  I know you will be blessed by the Girlhood Home Companion.

Nancy

Hey friends,

I will probably be choosing a winner for this contest at the end of the week.  Please leave a comment so you can get in the running!  You will be so glad you did.

Here is where to read about this lovely magazine, and enter the contest with a comment!

Oh, and be sure to read the comments--there is some additional info about the Girlhood there.

Blessings!

Nancy

Hello Friends!

Are you doing pretty well this week?  It is well here.  It seems busier than usual, but there hasn't been much change.  We woke up to snow and slick roads yesterday, but by noon it had melted off.  It is very cold.....brrrr!  I am just not much of a cold weather gal. 

I don't know about you, but my "to-do" list is a mile long!  My kids are so busy, and it's hard to keep on my toes with all they need to do and learn.  Oh, I don't teach them everthing though, they are becoming independent learners.  I just see myself as a "facilitator" most of the time.  However, my first born is a natural teacher and has been doing many fun things with her younger siblings.  Most days they do pretty well with that, sometimes it falls apart.  But we just try again another day.

I think I have talked before about my friend Jill, who is a homeschooling Mom with many of the same ideas and methods that we have here.  We are "kindred spirits."  If you have ever had the pleasure of hearing one of Jills conferences you have to agree with me that she has the sweetest voice you have ever heard!  I LOVE listening to Jill. 

Jill coined a term; "Project schooling."  It's a really neat way to describe the hands-on, familiy oriented type of learning she loves to do.  The whole family gets involved in different projects, and they learn so much along the way as they work together.

One of Jills projects is the Girlhood Home Companion.  Have you seen this magazine? 

It is a beauty.  I am not just saying that because I have contributed a few articles and photos to it.  I just love it.  Jill is an artist and an author and has created a feast for the eyes, and for the soul.  Very few magazines out there are truly beautiful.  I always loved Victoria magazine, do you remember that one?  I enjoyed the softness of the photos, the way they were composed; but there were a lot of advertisements I didn't like. And frankly, I can't remember ever reading one of the articles in Victoria!

 The Girlhood Home Companion has one thing in common with Victoria; beautiful feminine photography and artwork.  But that is where the similarity ends.  The Girlhood is different, for a different purpose entirely.  I don't just enjoy it because I love to look upon beautiful things.  My soul desires that which is good and beautiful and true.  These are the things I want to share with my daughters.

What is theGirlhood Home Companion about?  It's about this:

"During the Victorian era, when life moved at a much slower pace, there were distinct periods of development in a girl’s life: babyhood, childhood, girlhood, and womanhood. I have seen a marked difference between the girl my oldest daughter used to be, and the lovely woman she has become in Christ. One thing I firmly believe is that girlhood is a priceless training ground that should not be rushed. Make the Girlhood Home Companion a tradition in your home."
           
               Mrs. Jill Novak

You know, there just isn't a whole lot out there for our lovely young girls today, as far as media goes.  We want to bless them with something Godly to read, to learn from, and to read together with them. 

We desire to minister to our children, in all we do.  It is our desire to keep them safe in the world, but help them to not be of it.  The world we live in today is full of fast paced scenes of our children growing up way before their time.  But this brand of "growing up" is not God's plan for our girls.  We want them to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord.  We need to keep them in the Word, and not "of" the world.

I appreciate resources that help me do that.  Don't you?

Girlhood can be such a fleeting time; let us not squander it on empty words and images.  Fill it with wisdom, beautiful words and images, lessons and inspiration.  I know just the place where you can find those virtues; in the Girlhood Home Companion!

Please leave me a comment and let me know if you have ever had the blessing of seeing a copy of this lovely publication.  Let me know what you like best about it!  If you have never seen a copy, please check it out on the website.  Also, I would like to invite you to comment so I can put your name in a hat to win one free copy! 

Blessings!

Nancy Baetz

Can you be an unschooler and a Christian at the same time?  Can you be a radical unschooler and a Christian?  This is a question posed over on my friend Dana's blog recently.  There is some great discussion.  Go take a peek!   (I don't consider myself to be a radical unschooler.)

Dana asked me to put my .02 in, but I am still thinking about it.  I believe that as an unschooler (in the sense of non-institutional type learning experience) I am still a Christian first, unschooler second.  Or third, or whatever. 

 I believe that the Lord expects us to direct our children in the way they should go (their aptitudes) by what He has put in them (their talents) and through HIM, (the Theology without which any of this would have any validity.)  So to raise them without any input, direction or guidance of any form would be no less than neglectful.  How can you have a relationship with your children without having a................relation-ship with them?

God designed it, I didn't, I can't and I won't try to re-invent it.  I think I will just do my best to enjoy it, learn from it and trust Him for the outcome. 

Nancy

Hi Friends!

Do you ever sometimes mull stuff over again, and again, and again.....things that happened in your life but you really wished you could rewind, erase and start over again?  Stuff that you just can't get off of your mind?  I do.  I hope I'm not the only one who does.  Not that I would wish it on anyone, of course!  I just hope my brand of crazy is the generic brand. 

At any rate, I have been finding peace in the midst of the muddle, and love in the midst of the storm.  How?  Only through the Word.  Only through HIS word am I able to do this.  I hope you can find this truth too my friend!

Last week the kids and I had an impromptu lesson that really turned out to be a goodie.  We first read Psalm 8, and what stood out was the Excellence of the Name of the Lord, in all the earth.  From there, we got to discussing (once again) how we must get His Word into us, or we are sunk.  That is the bottom line.  Of course, we must have His Spirit in us, but I really think that having His Spirit, and His Word are pretty synonymous. 

So during our lesson, just for a fun visual, I wrote out "WORD"  and "WORLD" on a small white board, and we discussed what the obvious difference was; just one letter.  An "L." 

WORD

WORLD

 From there we got out our Webster's 1828 Dictionary, and a few more modern versions and we looked up words that begin with "L" that might in some way characterize a person who is in the World, but not in the Word.

  You can imagine that we came up with several wonderful examples.  I will wait and share them with you later....but I must say that we also came up with some humorous examples too.  You can use your imagination on that one.  (Humorous to us, but maybe not to say, certain political persuations....and some Hollywood characters too.)  At any rate, we had a very good time learning new words, talking about the differences between a Word-y person (God's Word) and a World-ly person. 

In the middle of the night (stuff hits me at that hour quite frequently) the Lord brought to my mind one "L" word that we hadn't thought of that encompassed ALL the other "L" words that we thought of.

Can you guess what it was?

Leave me a comment if you can guess.

Blessings Dear Friend! 

Praying that YOU find Love in the Storm today!

Nancy

p.s. Go to the front porch on Valentine's Day and check out my post. Warning; it's a re-blog from last year, but you won't go away disappointed!

Hello Friends!

Hope you are having a wonderful "Valentine's Week!" 

I have been so busy that I let the contest go on a bit longer than I planned!  I am sure glad though, it gave more of you time to get comments in!

I have enjoyed hearing from all of you and so has Heather.  Your comments have been such a blessing to both of us! 

Now, the envelope please........

And the winner of the Patchwork Heart "Soul Seeds" gift is Eyebright!   Congratulations!!!!  Please stop by her blog and tell her she is the winner, ok? 

 And Eyebright, just send me your mailing info at my email address; (nancybaetz at msn dot com) and I will get that info off to Heather.

Eyebright, I know you will enjoy the wonderful packet of encouragement from Heather at the Patchwork Heart.

Now, I wanted to pick a winner for my haircutting e-book.....and well, I decided that it was just too hard to pick one! 

 So, just for fun, and as my gift to you, I will be sending each of you a free copy.  :) 

Please email me with your email address also so I can get that download to you! 

If you get a chance and want to share your handiwork with me (after you do your fabulous haircuts on your handsome little men) just let me know, I would love to see your photos!  If you want to show us your results and are willing to post something on your blog, just let me know;  I will even give a freebie to the friend of your choosing as an additional "thank you!"

Thank you everyone,  for being such good sports and for making this contest so fun!

  Don't forget, Heather's creations make wonderful gifts for Mother's Day, birthdays, ANY days.  Her prices are so reasonable too.  I encourage you to shop with your fellow homeschoolers.  Let us support one another!

Blessings!

Nancy

My dear friend "down under," Belinda from Lifestyle Homeschooling bestowed me with a wonderful gift!  She gave me the Excellent Blog award. 

Thank you so much!

The "rules" say - "By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…"

I appreciate all the nice blog awards that have been given to me in the last year, unfortunately I haven't made time to keep up with them.  I keep telling myself I am going to try to post them, but it hasn't happened!  I want to acknowledge the givers as being very special to me and my blogging experience.  I am also going to have to work really hard to find only 10 of you out there who deserve the Excellent Blog Award too.  There are so many that deserve this pat on the back!!

Thanks for thinking of me.  :)

Nancy