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Homeschooling Adventures at the Maxwell's
Saturday, May 10, 2008
CRAFT CORNER - Mosaic Tile Table Top
The craft project I just finished is a tile mosaic table top. It was something I’d wanted to do for a long time and finally had the opportunity when this particular table was given to me by a cousin. The green color scheme on the table didn’t work with anything else we had so I decided to try my hand at doing the tile work.
I browsed through the idea books that I could find at the library and got the basic tips I needed to make my ideas workable. Here is the list of equipment that you will need for this project.
MATERIALS NEEDED
Table or other flat surface
Sharpie marker
Design idea
Wall tiles in your choice of colors
Hammer
Newspapers
Mastic (tile adhesive)
Grout mix kit in your choice of color
Rubber grouting trowel
Tile nippers
First give the surface you will be covering a good cleaning and allow to dry completely. Take your marker and draw the design you want to make. Since this was my first project, I chose to go with only two colors and a bold/large design. For this design, I took a small salad plate upside down on the table and drew around it in four places. I then took the marker and drew wavy lines going from edge to edge to make it look like loops of ribbon.
The tile will need to be broken and that is why you must choose the thinner wall tiles versus the thicker floor tiles. I was surprised by the lack of color choices available at my local Lowe’s and Home Depot stores, just the white, black and cream/natural colors were carried. I already had the blue tiles as we removed them from the counter backsplash in the kitchen during a recent remodel project in there. The amount of tiles you will need will be determined by the size of the surface you plan to cover. Since most tiles measure 4” x 4”, you can take a measurement of your table and see about how many would cover it if you left them intact. You may end up with a few more than you need, but that’s better than not enough. Begin by laying the tile in-between several layers of newspapers then smack with a hammer a few times to get it broken then dump them into a box that is large enough to easily sort through the pieces. Use one box for each color tile.
Start with the main design by merely laying the tiles on the table until you like the way they fit together. Leave small gaps between the tiles for the grout, then adhere these pieces first using the mastic and some sort of spatula; I used a large popsicle/craft stick. After you get the main part done, start with the remaining ones. I started with the tiles in the middle of the circles then worked around them like I was outlining them. After you are happy with so many, adhere them with mastic and keep working with the rest. After doing the outline then I started around the edge of the table. Once all the tile was used that had been broken with the hammer you’ll need to use the tile nippers to get the pieces in just the right size and shape to fill in all the little gaps.
Let all this dry for about 24 hours or whatever it says on the mastic container. Look over the tile and make sure no mastic is sticking up over the tiles and not mastic is smeared on the tops of any. It’s easy to clean up and easier when it is totally dry. Mix up the grout according to the manufactures directions, the kit should come with everything you need except for the rubber trowel. I actually forgot to buy that trowel and used the fake credit cards that come in the junk mail and they worked wonderfully and just tossed when finished. Do this in a well ventilated place, and wear the gloves that come in the kit. Also, since the tile is now in smaller pieces, plan on using about 3 times the amount of grout the container says you will need for a wall the same size. After you’ve applied the grout, let set for 20 to 30 minutes then using the kit’s sponge, and a bucket of water mixed with a splash of vinegar, use some elbow grease and get the grout off the top of the tiles before it dries hard as cement.
That’s it, you now have a finished mosaic tile table top that you did yourself! |
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Saturday, May 3, 2008
Memory Quilt Craft
This is my first submission as the new Craft Writer for Homeschool Blogger. I'm very excited and so thrilled I was chosen. I hope the crafts I submit are for things others would enjoy doing as much as I did. Looking over previous Craft Writer submissions, I realize this is more time-consuming than the others. I will be submitting this sort of craft along with others geared more for children.
This craft was actually very easy, however it does take some advance planning. It is a memory quilt and I've made one for each of my three children. The one in the pictures belongs to my oldest son and was the only one not currently on a bed.
Materials needed:
35-70 pieces of your childrens outgrown clothes
1 book measuring about 7.75" x 9" (or you can make a cardboard template about this size)
1 Sharpie marker - black or other dark color
Sewing machine and thread
Quilt batting for full size quilt
Flat sheet, full size, white cotton or flannel
Yarn, one skein, your choice of color
Large needle for sewing with yarn
First, collect your child's most loved and/or memorable clothing as they outgrow it. I did this by keeping a small basket in my closet and as I'd do laundy I'd just toss the items I wanted to save into it. After enough was saved then I grabbed the clothes and spread them out on the table, and using the storybook and a Sharpie marker, I drew a rectangle on each article of clothing - fronts and backs. The book I used measures 7.75 in. x 9 in., but anything near that size will work, I just liked the book as it was sturdy and a good size to use in baby sleepers. Cut them all out. Don't worry about the marks still on the fabric as those edges will be in the seems and won't show when it's finished.
Fo the quilt shown, I used 70 squares of fabric for a finished quilt of 10 squares across by 7 squares down. Okay, rectangles NOT squares but you know what I mean! Arrange the pieces so that no matching pieces are touching and begin sewing them in rows either long edges together or short ones. If doing long edges, sew 10 together - if doing short then just 7. After the rows are sewn together, then sew the strips together. This basic quilt-top goes together fairly quickly. NOTE - if you want to add some embellishments, such as a pair of the teeny infant socks, do it on contasting piece of plain fabric (like from back of a shirt) and do it before sewing the squares together. Remember to give yourself some room for the seam allowances.
On a large flat surface lay out the flat sheet - right side down. Layer on it the quilt batting, smoothing as you work. On top of that lay the quilt top - right side up. Thread the large needle with several feet of yarn and begin in the center of the quilt top and working out, make a running stitch in the center of each square and in all the corners where the meet. Make sure you are going through all three layers as you stitch. As you run out of yarn, just reload the needle and keep working until all squares and corners are done. Go back with your scissors and snip the yarn in the middles and then knot them all. So now all the layers are secured.
Trim just the quilt batting so that it's edges match up with the quilt-tops edges. On the backing, trim it so that you leave about 2 inches more all around than the top, this will be your binding. After all the trimming is finished, the binding is made very simply by taking the raw edge, folding it in half then folding it again around the front of the quilt, being careful not to make it pucker. Sew it all around with your sewing machine and you have just make a beautiful memory quilt for your child.
I hope you enjoyed this craft idea and if you decide to make one yourself, please leave me a comment, I'd love hearing from you. Leave me a comment even if you don't plan on making this, I just go crazy for comments!!
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Meet The New Craft Writer For The HSB Company Blog
Can you believe it!? I've just been made the new Craft Writer for the HSB Front Porch. I'm so excited, I can't wait to get started. I have so many ideas for crafts that I'm going to have a hard time deciding what to do first. I have one major project underway right now, so this may be the inspiration I need to get it finished.
The posts will be both on this blog and on the HSB Company Blog/Craft Corner.
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Saturday, April 12, 2008
Why I Like The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
I enjoy this magazine because it is written by those in trenches, so to speak. It is always far more helpful and reassuring to receive tried and true advice and insight. I love the ads too, always full of wholesome tools that can be used to enhance your homeschooling experience. This is one magazine I will continue to subscribe to for many years. |
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Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo Contest
The HSB Front Porch is having a contest and you can win a $50 gift certificate just for blogging about The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo before midnight April 30, 2008. Subscribe now to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and receive 25 BONUS gifts valued at over $550! The Winter Promo sold out, don't miss out on the free gifts this time!
They are also giving away a $150 gift certificate to the Schoolhouse Store. All print subscribers (new or renewing) between April 3 - 30, 2008 will be automatically entered into a drawing. No purchase neccessary to win. To enter without subscribing, please send a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and email address to:
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Spring Promo Contest
PO BOX 8426
Gray, TN 37615
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Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Great School Days
Why is it that I'm always worried that we aren't doing "enough" for school? I do this every year, then as I'm assembling their portfolios, I'm always amazed at how much we've done!
Our day today was pretty full with our schooling and I still didn't get everything covered that I'd wanted, but it still was a good one. When I calculated up on the calendar that we only have about 8 solid weeks of school left before I send in their portfolios I got a little shock!! We normally do formal schoolwork 3 days a week, the other two being "life lessons" meaning participating in activities in the real world. So I found a blank lesson planning chart and made one for each kid and one for me.
On theirs I have categories for Math, Reading, Writing/Penmanship, Spelling, and Language Arts. In each of these blocks I have written specific pages or lessons they are to cover for the day and week. It is up to them how they do it as long as the entire page is complete by the end of the week. On the one I have for me, I have those subjects and anything I want to cover with them in addition to assisting with their assignments, like reading a punctuation book for Language Arts. I write those things down and check them off as they are done.
In addition to those 5 subjects, I also have written down assignments for Health, Science, Social Studies/History. These 3 subjects we are going to do as a group and some with have individual follow up assignments. For instance, Science today was working on the Undersea University kit we purchased from Scholastic, and History was reading more in "To Be A Slave." Unfortunately, we got so into the oceanography book that we wound up not covering what I wanted to in Health. Oh, well, I still have it written on my chart so it will get covered this week sometime.
The reason we normally do school just the three days is so we can have other interactions on the other two. On Wednesday's we meet with other homeschoolers and either do field trips or just let the kids hang out while the parent's discuss homeschooling topics or just chat. On Fridays are the days we do our errands and cleaning of rooms. We do the bank, post office, groceries, and most importantly the library. However, I'm going to make sure that any work written on their charts that are not completed must be finished before leaving the house on Friday. Usually I've been letting them hold it over until the next week, but we really need to focus on getting it done for the portfolios.
I like the portfolio option that we are able to utilize, but I'm thinking I might try testing again next year. I haven't done the best at keeping records this year so testing would definitely not be making me stress out like I am right now. However, the portfolios keep the kids from stressing out like testing would. Oh, well, we'll see how the reviews come back to determine what our assessments will be for next year. |
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Some Recipes I've Tried Recently
When I made my last shopping list, I went through my mountain of recipes that I've pulled from magazines or printed from the internet. Here are the ones I've made so far, they were all hits!
MINISTRONE SOUP
2 T olive oil
4 cups cleaned and thinly sliced leeks (white part only)
1 cup thickly sliced carots
1 cup thickly sliced celery
1 cup thickly sliced zucchini
6 cups chicken broth
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
1 t salt
½ t pepper
½ cup small pasta shapes
1 cup green beans (1 inch pieces)
1 cup spinach leaves
½ cup fresh or frozen peas
½ cup rinsed and drained canned chickpeas
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a large stockpot over medium heat, add the oil. Sauté the leeks until softened, stirring frequently. Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the broth, tomatoes and their juice, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook at least 5 minutes. Add the pasta and green beans and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, add the spinach, peas, and chickpeas and simmer for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top each serving with some of the Parmesan cheese.
SUPER SLOPPY JOES
2 pounds ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
¼ cup chopped green peppers
1 2/3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
½ t garlic salt
¼ t ground mustard
¼ t paprika
8 to 10 hamburger buns, split
In a dutch oven over medium heat, cook beef, onion, celery and green pepper until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender; drain. Add the next nine ingredients; mix well. Simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon ½ cup meat mixture onto each bun. Yield 8 to 10 servings.
PIZZA DIPPERS
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 t Italian seasoning
½ t garlic powder
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
your favorite chopped pizza toppings, such as tomatoes, red or green peppers, canned mushrooms, pepperoni, or cooked sausage
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, then stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Mix well. Spoon the mixture into six 6 ounce ramekins, then sprinkle each one with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake until the dips are heated through and the tops are lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish each dish with the chopped pizza toppings. Serve warm with breaksticks, crackers, or pita chips. Serves 6.
OVEN ROASTED MARINATED FLANK STEAK
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce
6 green onions – chopped (reserve half for garnish)
2 cloves garlic
½ t black pepper
1 ½ pounds flank steak
Mix all ingredients (except beef) in a large, plastic zipper topped bag. Stab the beef all over the place and then place the beef in the bag and refrigerate overnight. Mush it around in the bag first. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place a baking pan (about a 13 x 9 inch one) in the bottom third of the oven and allow the pan to heat up for 10 minutes. Then add the meat to the hot pan, including the marinade. For medium rare roast the flank steak for about 7 minutes. Turn it and then roast for 7 minutes more. Slice thinly and serve with chopped green onions over the top.
CHEESY TWICE-BAKED POTATOES
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed well
6 slices turkey bacon
2 T butter
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar
2 scallions, chopped
Microwave potatoes until cooked through, first piercing with a fork all over. Put butter and milk in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. With hands covered to protect from heat, cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Place potato flesh in a medium bowl and break up with a fork; set aside potato skins. Add milk mixture, salt, pepper, ¾ cup cheese and scallions to bowl with potato flesh and mix well. Stir in bacon. Divide potato mixture among potato skins. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Broil potatoes until tops are crist and bubbling and mixture is heated through, about 4 minutes.
RAVIOLI LASAGNA
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
2 bags (13 oz. each) frozen square cheese ravioli, thawed
1 ½ cups shredded Italian cheese blend
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-in. square baking dish and a sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Put pasta sauce in a bowl; stir in ½ cup water. Spread 1 cup sauce in dish. Top with 20 ravioli (or 1/3 of total) flat sides up and just touching each other. Spread with ¾ cup sauce; sprinkle with ½ cup cheese. Repeat layers two more times. Cover tightly with foil, sprayed side down. Bake on a sheet of foil (to catch any drips) 1 hour or until bubble around edges. Uncover and bake 5 minutes until cheese is barely golden.
CREAM SCONES WITH RASPBERRIES
¾ cup all purpose flour
3 T sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
2 ½ t baking powder
½ t fine salt
6 T cold butter, cut into ½” cubes
¼ cup frozen raspberries, thawed
2 T finely grated orange zest
1 large egg
¼ heavy cream, plus additional for brushing
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour with the 3 T sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Toss the butter with the flour mixture to coat, and using fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles course meal. Add the raspberries, orange zest, and toss. Beat egg and cream in another bowl and stir into flour mixture to make a shaggy loose dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat in a 6” round. Cut into 8 wedges and put on the baking sheet leaving a few inches between each. Brush tops with heavy cream, and sprinkly with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
QUICKER COMFORTING CHICKEN
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ cup baby carrots
2 T butter
1 can (15 oz.) small whole potatoes, drained and rinsed
1 cup whipping cream
1 T dried parsley flakes
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
In a large skillet or dutch oven, cook chicken, onions, and carrots in butter until chicken is lightly browned. Add potatoes. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Add the cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Yield: 4 servings.
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Friday, January 25, 2008
Card from my Secret Sister
I got a beautiful handwritten notecard from my Secret Sister this week. It was so nice that I read it to my children. My 14 year old son declared it stupid and my 7 year old daughter said it was lovely and how she wishes she could have a Secret Sister too.
Thank you so much for thinking of me, it means a lot. |
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Friday, January 25, 2008
My Wedding Cake - Blast From the Past!
My cousin that made my cake for our wedding reception called today to see if I could email her a pic of it. This was 16 years ago and my wedding album is the second scrapbook album that I completed. Come to think of it, I think it was the last one I completed too! LOL. Since I uploaded the pic to photbucket, I thought I'd share it on here too. I may have left it to large a file, if so I'll edit it.
I just scanned the entire scrapbook entry. My what sloppy handwriting I used! I also hate how the glue shows through the vellum. But the cake was lovely and delish! It was three flavors, spice cake in the middle tiers (my fav), chocolate on one side and white on the other. Everyone at the reception all said they enjoyed the variety of cake, they said they'd never had anything but white at weddings. What can I say, I like to be different!! |
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Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Need To Start School Earlier
Here lately, it seems like we are getting a late start with our schoolwork. It's my fault, too. By the time we all get ready to go with it, everyone is hungry for lunch! I have written down the most beautiful, organized schedules for us to adhere to and things will go wonderfully for those days I use them. Then I slack off into the old ways and we get back into our bad habits/routines.
I 've been reading some back issues of several different types of homeschooling magazines and one in particular has given me great ideas on organizing my life and the way we homeschool. I can't wait to implement some of them. It is similar to the Flylady system of the control journal, but in this case you make a seperate binder for each area you are wanting to address. Instead of using a 3 ring binder for each, I'll be using some of the multitude of portfolio folders I bought at the back to school sales this past fall. I'll put in about 5 or so clear plastic top-loading sheet protectors then fill them with the papers I need.
Here are some examples of what I plan on doing with a few of the folders:
TEACHER PLANNER: I'm going to print out the forms I like from www.donnayoung.org and have sections for Goals, Curriculum info (either what we are using or what I want to check into), section for each child, routine events (like clubs and extra classes), menu ideas (breakfast and lunch), monthly kids cook day menu plans.
STUDENT DAYBOOK: fill with weeks worth of assignments, each subject in own divider check off lists, list for tracking reading, movies, games, etc.
FIELD TRIP INFO: brochures, contact info., all planning notes.
CORRESPONDENCE: pen pal letters, stationery, envelopes, stamps, return address labels, stamps, etc.
HEALTH RECORDS: one section per family member.
RECIPES: frequently used favorites.
YARD AND GARDEN: record of planting, empty seed packets, seasonal checklists, photo records of plant growth, gardens, etc., landscape plans, price quotes.
PERSONAL: journals, goals, planning, thankful lists, prayer lists, page to jot down funny/memorable moments, entertaining guests (when, what served, allergies, preferences).
There are some other ones I want to do too, but these are the ones I plan on doing first. |
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