6/26 update!

I'll be picking a contest winner next Friday, July 3rd, so hurry up and leave me a comment for a free ebook!  Also, the price break is only for the next 48 hours.  :)

N.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are enjoying this season?  It is LOVELY out this morning.  I decided to come in a do a quick post for you all.  My youngest son begged me to cut his hair this week, so he would be nice and cool for his boy scout campout.  He has a TON of hair, (gets that from his dad's side of the family) and it is very thick and hot.  So I got out my scissors and spray bottle and we headed outside for an "al Fresco" haircut!

I've been trying to upload a photo...having technical difficulties this morning.  But not to worry!  Just imagine a really cute little boy with a handsome haircut!

I bet there are a lot of little boys needed one of these right now!  And I know that many of us are having to conserve our funds--but, I decided that for a little while I'd slash the price of my haircutting ebook, just for YOU!  Haircuts For Little Men is now only $7.99!!  Take advantage of it right here.  You can go to my website, NancyBaetz.com and read all about it.  I've got testimonies on there, etc.  You can also "Google" it  (when did Google become a verb?) and read what others have posted on their sites.  The response has been postive!

So there you go.  Learn how to do that haircut today!  It is SO easy and you'll do great.  If you'd like to try it out for free, just leave me a comment here and I will put your name in a hat for a freebie!  Also, if you are really hurting financially, are a minister of the Gospel in any capacity, let me know.  I'll send you one gratis!

Please do me a favor, and blog about this contest ok?  And if YOU would like to have a giveaway, I'd be happy to let you do that too.  Just ask!

God Bless,

Nancy---off to enjoy the kids and the flower garden!

I couldn't figure out why my site meter kept telling me that a constant contact page was visiting me, repeatedly.  So I investigated and found that Molly Green over at Econobusters was sending readers my way for a free homeschool Mom Poem!  I wrote that waaaaay back in 2006.  Time Flies, or Fly's...flies. Tempus Fugit!  Whatever!

I'm so glad it was shared.  I recently told Gena that it was one of my top hits, that crazy wonderful poem.

Anyhow, it really isn't in the best format for printing out so I decided to make a nice PDF for you all to enjoy.  Here ya go.  Homeschool Mom's Poem.   That link will take you to my page at Lulu.com, and the poem is free to download.  Let me know if you have any trouble doing that!

Printing hint:  Just print the first page.  :)

I hope it encourages your heart today!

Blessings,

Nancy

Have you ever made Hollyhock dolls? 

 I can't even remember who taught us how to do these, it may have been my mother-in-law, "Nana" as we all call her.  I guess I'll have to double check with my kids, they remember everything!

At any rate, for the last couple of years I've had this video (we just finished creating) about how to make these cute hollyhock dolls, stuck in my computer!  We'll, I'm happy to say it is finally "unstuck" and will soon be on sale over at Remembrance Press!

I personally think it turned out pretty cute, although a very close friend and video critic said it is "no National Geographic."  Haha!  I'll keep her identity secret for the time being, but we weren't trying to emulate NG, for sure. 

Now, the reason it was stuck in the computer for so long was because of several factors:

A.  My brain was stuck for two years.

B.  My brain has been overloaded...for longer than two years.

C. I Can't remember the other reasons.

(However, I did come up with a really good reason for the use of the word "whatchamacallit" this week!  I was driving with my kids and having a conversation, however, I couldn't think of the right words to say and began to say "whatchamacallit" at will.  Then it dawned on me why my Mom used to use that word at regular intervals while I was a youngster.  She used it rather often.  :)

So there you have it!  As to what that has to do with the Hollyhock video, we may never know.  But what I do know is that "Making Hollyhock Dolls and Other Flower Friends" is a lovely little homeschool production that you are going to LOVE! 

This half hour video teaches you all about making flower dolls.  It has lovely classical music in the background.  It also has numerous quotes and information about flowers that you will love. Of course, this is my unbiased opinion! 

Furthermore, the photos are lovely, the flowers are beautiful, my daughter did a great job on her part and even though the video will not win any awards at the San Antonio Christian Film Fest, I assure you that it should win an award for the longest project ever stuck in a homeschool Mom's computer.  One thing we did *not* do was include a "bloopers" section.  We figured that there were enough of those in the video already.  :)

You can order it through Remembrance Press!  But if the order page isn't up yet, just send me an email and I'll have them get to it A.S.A.P. It sells for $14.95 plus postage. 

Blessings!

Nancy

Homeschooling Is Life!

Nancy Baetz (at) msn (dot) com

P.S., the companion eBook is in production also.  Hopefully before the year 2012 it will be available!

Neat.

And Simple.

That is what I want my life/home/everything to be; neat and simple.  Unfortunately, I'm a compulsive pack-rat and bibliophile.  My house is always overflowing with things that I think I need, and think I will use some day...etc.  Homeschoolers have a disadvantage in the "stuff" area of life.  We use our stuff! We think we need every wonderful thing that comes our way, and our kids are little creative mass-producers!  We have STUFF, and more stuff.  Whew!

I'm on a mailing list for a great blog called Neat and Simple.

Ariane Benefit  (isn't that a great name?) has a company that majors in helping people overcome the clutter in their lives.  She has a great sounding class coming up.  It might be just what you need!

You can get on her mailing list, join a group that helps people with creativity disorders (ha! my words, not hers) to get things organized,  cleaned up, uncluttered and help those lives stay changed! 

 It is one thing to get things fixed up, if you know what I mean.  It is another thing to change habits and keep them that way.

Ariane also has some awesome ebooks that she gives away gratis!  Now, mind you, she is not "geared" specifically for homeschoolers, but hey, we need a little help too, don't we?

A lotta help, me thinks!

Blessings,

Nancy

p.s. gotta give a quick plug here:  Haircuts For Little Men is still at a discounted price right now.  Go check it out!  It will be back up to regular price soon.

And please, disregard the ads above the header...I'm still trying to get rid of those.  Long story.  :(

Get right over to this wonderful blog!  They are having a super contest/giveaway.  A thousand thank-you's to the dear soul that turned me on to "Little House In The Suburbs!"

Click Here for the contest!

Nancy

How are you doing?  Are you enjoying your new found skill of cutting hair at home?  I certainly hope so!  Even though we hear how bad everything is all around us, we can be provident people, and take good care of the things in our care; the most important things! It is my prayer that each of you is a blessing to your kids and vice-versa!  We all need each other, don’t we?

Well, not to belabor the point of this letter any longer,

 I just wanted to ask you a favor.  (I won’t be bombarding you with emails just because you have been a customer.) However, I am looking for some photos to share with prospective customers.  Have you taken any shots of your sweet little men with their new haircuts?  I’d love to see them, and with your permission, share them in a sample download of my Ebook.  

I’d be more than happy to give you the credit for your photo, or if you prefer, just keep the names anonymous.  (Nobody has to know who these little darlings are, but if you want to let them know then by all means.)

  Please either send me a photo or two, or if you have a link online, I’d be happy with that too.

“Haircuts” is doing pretty well, but I think there are folks out there still that don’t know about it.  Help me help them save a little money and learn a new skill, won’t you?  Please pass it on if you have been pleased with your results from using “Haircuts For Little Men!” 

Also, if you know someone who really can’t afford to buy a copy of “Haircuts For Little Men,” but could use the help, please send them my way.  Any Pastor’s, Missionaries, or Military Families you may know who would benefit from my book; please tell them to get in touch with me. Or just send me their email address, and I will send them a free copy right away.

Now, don’t forget to send me some photos!  I can’t wait to see them.  Your comments and suggestions are always welcome too.

Thank you so much!!

Sincerely,

Nancy Baetz

Author of “Haircuts For Little Men”

www.nancybaetz.com

www.homeschoolblogger.com/byhisgraceincolorado

nancybaetz@msn.com

Have you and your kids read about Snowflake Bentley?  He is one of my favorites!  A real inspiration!  There are some wonderful children's books written about him.  

Well, a few years back I started trying to photograph snowflakes myself.  I got some wonderful shots and you can find links for them on my sidebar. 

This morning brought a wonderful flakey snow to our neck of the neighborhood and when my eldest daughter greeted me she said "Mom, you need to go out and take photos of the snowflakes on the chickens!"  So I got all dressed in warmer clothes, hat, mittens etc., and grabbed my camera. 

The dog followed me outside and she was quickly covered with lots of beautiful well defined snowflakes.  Unfortunately she wouldn't sit still for me, and the chickens had decided to stay in their coop.  No luck.  I actually haven't had much luck taking macro photos with my "new" camera, (Christmas 07 gift from hubby) but I have been determined to get some more snowflake photos! 

It was really cold out, but I took a scrap of black velour out and set it on a saw-horse.  It quickly began to collect lovely delicate, intricate snowflakes.  I tried to get some shots and was very quickly frustrated.  So I stomped in the house, got grumpy and decided I had better go back to school.

After a cup of coffee and a cooling off period, I got out my user guide and figured out the macro.  Then I tried again.  Not much luck.  Then I remembered I had a filter (8X) macro for my old non-digital camera.  I taped it on and went back out.  Some success!

After breakfast I put the whole kit-n-kaboodle on the tripod and tried again.  I am pretty excited about these flakes!  I think you will be blessed.

The rainbow streaks on these are from the sun coming in at an angle~ 

Isn't God just so amazing?? 

If you've done anything special with snowflakes, please let me know!  There are so many great things you can do; make paper snowflakes, woven snowflakes, online snowflakes etc.  Hope you'll share!

Here is a previous photo. 

~and one here too!

~and make your own snowflakes online.  Caution; very addictive!

Nancy

photos © Nancy K. Baetz 2009

Hey there!

A friend called me up this morning and said "Did you see the news last night?"  I immediately thought something major had happened and I missed it!  Scary! 

Anyway, she proceeded to tell me that a local news program had featured a gal who wrote a haircutting book (DVD actually) and at first she thought it was about me.  (That was so sweet of you, Paula!) 

She told me that after they did a short interview, then they did a "rebuttal" interview from a few salon professionals, and they were horrified that people were cutting hair AT HOME!  They said it was DANGEROUS!  One gal said jokingly, that she might even put a sign up on her salon door that said "We Fix Home Haircuts!"

LOL! 

Well, I actually went to the news website and saw the clip. Here it is if you want to see it!

OK, first of all, although yes, to be a professional in this area you do have to complete many, many hours of schooling.  It was 1500 hours when I went, a long, long time ago. 

 Eons ago. 

 I can hardly remember back that far...but I digress. 

There are many familes out there who do home haircuts and haven't had any training at all.  It really isn't  Rocket Surgery, as I like to say.  Most any Mom or Dad is capable of doing home haircuts.  And just to prove it,  you can go to my website, www.nancybaetz.com and find some links and reviews that different gals and guys have sent to me.  You see,  a couple of years back I wrote a little e-Book called "Haircuts For Little Men."   It is a simple tutorial to teach you the basics of cutting hair at home.  You won't become a professional salon hair-stylist with my book.  (BTW, here is an alternative link for you, that describes it a bit more in detail.  Go HERE. )

That is not the point of it. 

You will however, learn a valuable, money saving skill to use on your own family.  We all need to find ways to save a little money, right?

You know, when I went to beauty college, I had my hair permed, colored, cut, doodled with and it never looked really great.  I was a guinea pig for all the other students, and vice-versa.  Then when I got out in to the wonderful world of salons, the same thing happened.  I have had my hair fried by perms more than once.  I personally hate to have my hair messed with!  I have to grit my teeth and pray hard when my kids want to brush it and put bows and stuff in it.  A lesson in patience and perseverance it is.  I haven't been to a salon since I worked in one.  That's a long, long time ago.  (Oops, already said that!)

So, I won't be teaching anyone how to do perms, coloring, highlighting or even how to use an electric trimmer/razor thingy to buzz cut your kids hair.  You are on your OWN there.  It can be done, but that is not my line.  I just like to help you learn to cut your kids hair at home.  Simple, easy and fun!  But dangerous?  Well, don't run with the scissors.  And be careful with squirmy little ones.  And, the most important thing to remember is that everyone's hair has a mind of its own.  Mistakes do happen, but are we homeschoolers trying to impress the world with our hairstyles?  Methinks not!  And if you make a little boo-boo?  Heaven's to Betsy!  Hair grows out,  and I suppose you could always go check out that salon that fixes home-made haircuts!

Or Not! 

Well, you just keep on learning those new self-sufficiency skills.  DIY is really big these days.  (Do-It-Yourself!) 

So just for fun, here is the contest!

 If you'd like to win a free copy of "Haircuts For Little Men,"  leave me a comment and tell me all about your home haircutting experiences, or some other happy little haircutting memory you have.  I'd love to hear them! 

AND please do this:  I need to be able to contact you!  If you have a blog somewhere other than HSB, just put your blog address in the spot where it says "Anonymous."  You can do that!  And please sign your name.  If you leave me your email address, disguise it so the webbots won't get ya.  :)  Thanks!

Oh, and a hearty THANK YOU to my friend Mel over at "The Prepared Family!" Stop by and tell her hello and check out her blog.  I am so honored to be her link of the month!   (She's quite a blogger and writes a ton, so click both of the links or you won't find me there.  LOL!

Nancy

 For us, I think the answer is yes! 

We've been at this for quite a while now, and realistically, this may not work for you; but that is O.K.

Way back when, I did a lot of talking to prospective homeschoolers.  I tended  to try to convince people that *they* are truly the experts with their own children.  (Not that we can't learn from other folks, of course!)  But many parents are very quick to let someone else raise their kids because "that's the way we've always done it." 

 But I never felt comfortable in that rut. 

There are some days when I don't feel comfortable in my own rut either, but it's my rut.  :)

Now that I am done waxing philosophical I will show you some of the projects my kids have been doing!  In a minute though. 

Mind you, I have very little to do with these things other than facilitate.  I allow them to take the time to do these things, help them with materials and take them someplace they might need to go.  Other than that, I am a hands-off kind of Mom. 

 Otherwise, I'd be the proverbial cook-of-too-many that spoiled the broth.  I tend to be that way.  Not always, but my nature isn't to nurture, it is to ________________.  Hmmm, can't come up with the right word there. (One that means "be negative and throw a wrench into the works." )

Too true!  It goes against my very grain to be positive, encouraging and all that jazz.  But now, if I get "ME" out of the way, and let the Lord work in my children's minds and hearts and imaginations, and through me...then we are cooking with gas, so to speak.

So without further adieu, here are some fun things to see: 

 My 12 year old daughter made this lovely flannel shirt for a friend of hers.  She made up the pattern, these are her first button holes and I think she did great!  Her friend loved it too. 

Next is a Daddy project!  His first attempt at a chain saw bear.  I love it!  And my 14 year old son made the sign with his wood burner. 

 Here is a close-up of my youngest daughter spinning.  She is very good at this!  In fact she has been working with both of her brothers and THEY are doing great, actually super-great on the spinning wheel. 

Will wonders never cease?

 This is some of her hand dyed - hand spun yarn.  The funny thing here is that she was giving this skein away in a "swap" at a spinning day we went to.  Her older sister loved it so much she wanted her to keep it.  So I went and took photos of it for posterity; then guess who got her sister's bag in the swap? 

Isn't that serendipity?

 Here my oldest daughter is plying, on the left, and my youngest is spinning on the right.  I thought this was a fun shot through an Ashford traditional spinning wheel. 

 And this is Harry.  He is giving us some beautiful fiber to spin!  He is an English Angora, and what a wonderful Homeschool/Life project this is!  We hope to have some opportunities real soon for a field trip where some kids can meet the bunnies and find out about fiber pets.

 Well, I intended to post some more pictures, but am out of time for this evening.  I do want to say however that *I* now feel as though I can spin!  My girls have tried to teach me but I haven't had the patience.  (They had a wonderful teacher, another homeschool Mom.)  I took up the drop spindle on Saturday and viola', I did a great job!  I was so proud of it, and my daughters both were amazed. 

 I told them I learned it by osmosis!  (They both said "huh?")

Guess I better have them look that up!

Blessings to you all,

Nancy

Homeschooling is Our Life!

     When my kiddos were little I used to attend a MOPS group.  This was one awesome group!  They treated you like queens, had wonderful speakers, delicious treats and while our little ones were being cared for by great ladies and their helpers we enjoyed all those luxuries.  On top of those, they had crafts for us to do.  It was wonderful to be able to get out for the morning, have the kids well taken care of while the Mommie's visited, feasted, were uplifted and got to create something to bring home!  Ahhh, those were the days...

I've been trying to get some pictures up here for VintageGirl's Homemade Christmas, but alas, I am just not there yet.  Every year I tell myself around October that I want to get some Christmas "things" done.  But it just doesn't happen.  My kids have made things, but I am just pulled in too many directions and end up with not a lot to show for it. 

We have been cleaning like mad here (today my hubby vacuumed the ceiling for me--I kid you not!) and the kids asked me where the Thanksgiving decorations were.  Well, "Probably in the crawl space" was my reply.  I don't think we've had them out for the last two years, just couldn't find them. So we went "down" to the storage area and lo and behold, the kids found the box!  These are some of the crafts I made during my days at MOPS. 

 The pumpkins are made with fabric, wire, silk leaves, cinnamon sticks and raffia.  Oh, and newspaper.  I think we cut out big circles of fabric then we threaded the wire through, almost like sewing, and then pulled that to close up the "ball" --then we stuffed newspaper in it.  After you get the shape you want, you pull the wire tight and close it up.  Then you hot glue a stem and some leaves on top, add some raffia and cinnamon sticks and then wrap the leftover wire around a pencil to make "tendrils." 

 'Viola!  Cute Pumpkin decorations!

The little Pilgrims are made from upside-down mini terracotta pots.  The heads are wooden balls and then the clothing is all made from felt.  Somewhere I have those patterns...somewhere...maybe in the crawl space?  Oh, the hair is made from that doll hair stuff you can buy.  I think these are adorable!

When I was growing up we had little candles that were a pilgrim boy and girl and a big old Tom turkey that were on our table every Thanksgiving.  Mom had a wicker cornucopia too...

The Pilgrim lady is made of paper that looks like cornhusks.  She was pretty hard to make, and actually this craft was a bit more complex than what we usually did, so I think we had to get help on her.  We all did get to sorta help.  This was several years ago, so I don't remember too well.  But isn't she a sweetie? 

I hope you are enjoying this week with your family.  We really love this time of the year and I always learn something new about the Pilgrims. 

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,

Nancy