• Jul. 2, 2009
Wall Art

We still haven't gotten our new painting.  (It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow.)  In the meantime, I wanted something new on the walls.  I started by taking down what was already up.  It had been up for 5 years or more and I was tired of looking at it.  We lived with completely blank walls for a couple of weeks while I decided what I wanted to do.

Since we bought the painting, I decided to take some colors from that.  It has a turqoise color, brown, and white.  My walls are cabbage green.  :-)  We were at Wal-Mart one night and a shower curtain caught my eye.  I stared at ir for a few minutes while John went on ahead and then decided to buy it.  So yes, I have a shower curtain hanging on my wall.   I have actually been reading a lot about fabric walls and I thought they were very cool.

You know what?  I really like it.  I tacked it up there with thumb tacks for a few days just to make sure.  John is not as crazy about it.  He thinks it will look better if we do the whole wall.  I don't know.  That seems like a lot more work....

On a different wall, I bought a canvas at the art store and made 'art' with scrapbooking papers and Mod Podge.  I also bought some little flower decorations in glass bottles that were on clearance.  Michael's had glass rock type things on sale also, so I bought a few.  Itook the flowers and put them in plastic bags for later use, then used the glass bottles for my rocks.  Here's what I ended up with.

Both walls together cost less than $30, which is quite a bit less than what I spent on our "Tropical Night" painting that still has not met my wall.  And I still have leftovers that I can use for something else!

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• Jul. 2, 2009
Mother's Day Ottoman

I absolutely love our new furniture, but there is one thing about our old set that I really missed- the ottoman.  At the end of almost every day, I would sit in the chair and think about how much I missed being able to put my feet up.  I may have mentioned it aloud a few times as well. 

So, for Mother's Day, John made me this great ottoman that doubles as storage.  I'm using it to hold school stuff.  Imagine that.  And yes, I'm aware that I am painfully behind in my blog updating.  Sorry about that.

Anyway, here is a pic of my gorgeous new ottoman.

Lovely, isn't it?  The fabric matches the chair and couch very well.  Here it is opened up.

Yup, that should hold a LOT of goodies!

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• Jun. 12, 2009
Bible Memory

In 2 weeks time, Taylor will be trying for her yellow belt.  Hoorah!  Before then she has to finish 3 Bible studies and work on her 5 verses to memorize.  She had actually memorized 2 already, but they are both about love and she needs to memorize a verse for each move.  Well, 5 moves anyway.  After she turns 12 or 13, she's expected to memorize a LOT more verses before she can advance.

Here are her verses she's working on. (NIV)

Love (This is the Fruit for the white belt.  In normal karate it's called Kata.)- 1 Corinthians 13:4    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Don't Set Foot (This is a jump to avoid a low hit or kick.)- Proverbs 4:14   Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.

Enter the Ark (This is a forward roll to put distance between you and the opponent.)- Genesis 7:7    And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

Freedom (This is a foundation.) 2 Corintians 3:17    Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Belt of Truth and Shields of Faith (Two kinds of blocks)  Ephesians 6:14    Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place

I made index cards (color) with the verses typed out on them.  They are placed at stategic locations (bathroom, Taylor's room, front door, and hall).  Before she can go through any of these rooms, she has to recite the verse and reference.  In a couple of days I'll just have the reference and she'll have to remember the verse.  Then I'll just have the move, and she'll need to know the verse and reference.

I also made little puzzles with the verses for her to practice putting in order.  Hopefully she'll remember them easily!

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• Jun. 12, 2009
An Art Update

Last night, John called the people who painted the artwork. They were very accomadating.  I was worried that she would say that our painting WAS the one on the website when it clearly was not, but she didn't.  She said that when she paints something that she feels sure that people will like, that she goes ahead and paints a few of them.  So obviously they are not all alike.  What they are going to do is pay for this painting to be shipped back to them and then she will paint us one that is exactly like the one online.  So the only thing we are really out is more time to wait for this next painting.  I can live with that.

Now I DO think that this should be specified on the website.  We were not buying a recreation, but the exact painting in the picture.  It would save a lot of headache I'm sure.  But at least it's taken care of now and as an added bonus, she will be painting on canvas that is even larger than the current one.  That will be nice.

All's well that ends well!

I'll post a picture when we get it on the wall.

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• Jun. 11, 2009
An Artwork Quandary

Before the van broke down, I had spent about a week looking for some really nice original art for the big wall in our living room.  John and I found one that we both liked, so we bought it.  On the website, it said that the painting was available immediately and would ship within 24 hours.  They also had paintings for sale that were labeled as 'Similar painting to be recreated'.  These would ship in 3 days.  Well, we bought one of the available immediately paintings (for a good chunk of change I might add).  They emailed us that night, but the painting didn't ship for more than 5 days.  When I emailed about it, they said they were out of the boxes used for shipping and that it would leave on Monday.  It didn't go out until Wednesday.  We just got it today. 

The painting is very similar to the one we bought, but it is not the painting we bought.  We don't like it as well because of the shape of the tree and such. Are we within our rights to ask for our money back?  I hate to be a prude, but we bought the painting on the screen, not a recreation.  There were several other of their paintings that we may have bought eventually as well, but probably will not now. 

What would you do??

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• Jun. 10, 2009
2009-2010 School Schedule

OK, I think this will be Taylor's final school schedule for next year. 

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• Jun. 10, 2009
Simple Skirt Pattern

OK, I'm just a beginner, but this was easy even for me.  I was thinking about how making clothes was supposed to be cheaper than buying them, but it wasn't always because patterns and fabric can be quite expensive.  Then I found this website where you can make your own pattern and everything.

http://www.lovetosew.com/patternmakingflaredskirt.htm

So, the pattern was free (and easy), I could make the skirt as long as I liked, and I used a tablecloth I had bought on clearance a year ago.  So total cost was... NOTHING!

Luckily, I had written down Taylor's measurements already.  I just needed the skirt length- which I measured her for while she was sleeping.   The whole thing took less than 2 hours including making the pattern and cleaning up.  I did it all during little guy's morning nap.

Simple and comfortable!

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• May. 22, 2009
Update

I thought I'd write a quick update on why I haven't posted in so long.  I hope you haven't missed me too terribly.  :-) 

First of all, we have a new foster son!  He is 18 months old and a sweetie pie.  Sorry, I'm not allowed to post any pictures of him, but he is adorable.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  He's been keeping me on my toes.  It's amazing what a difference a couple of years makes.  I had gotten used to Isaac getting bigger and now we had to baby proof again.  Little guy was scared to death of the drill when we installed cabinet locks.  He plays with a toy drill that he just loves, but runs in fear of the big drill even when it's not being used.  Go figure.  We were going to put the magnetic cabinet locks on, but they were CRAZY expensive.  $20 for 4 locks. 

Aside from little guy here, we have also been busy finishing up school.  Taylor took her yearly test yesterday, so now we are officially on summer break.  Hurray!!  I'm surprised you couldn't hear her shouting across the country, she was so glad to be done.

Well, that's all the update I have time for now!

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• May. 22, 2009
Planning Pages

I just added some more free downloads to my homeschool launch page.  These are scheduling pages using the Prairie Primer and a couple of general planning pages also.

Enjoy!

http://www.hslaunch.com/mypage/profile/7873

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• May. 1, 2009
My day

Lots to do today...Our 3 kids we do respite for once a month are coming today.   My kitchen is a mess, my room is even messier, but hey, at least I got all the laundry finished.  I washed all the bedding that we own yesterday; which is quite a bit for 5 beds, plus extras. :-)  I've got to go to the grocery store- which means I need to look at the sales papers and make a list.  I've got 23 books due at the library and 2 that are overdue, so I need to round them all up and take them in.  AND, the big used book sale is Monday, so I need to finish going through my books and put prices on all of them.

Sometimes, I have to remind myself to just do the next thing.  When I think of everything all at once I get very overwhelmed.  I am so grateful that I have a beautiful family that I can do things for and take care of.  Today is a day I need to run through my many blessings instead of my to do list.

I sure hope this rain stops (al least until bedtime).  5 kids plus two adults in our less than 1000 sq ft home is likely to cause some tension.  The kids need to be able to run around.  Outside preferably.  I've got 3 skirts that someone gave Taylor that are WAY too short for her to wear, so the girls and I are going to turn them into pocketbooks while John takes the boys to the Home Depot Kids Workshop tomorrow.  That'll give us something to do if the rain continues.

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• Apr. 27, 2009
Limericks!

I borrowed a book from the library called A Child Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll.  From that book we learned a little about the history of limericks and how to make them.  There was also several example limericks given.  Some are quite funny!

Anyway, I chose to do limericks today because we've never really delved into writing poetry before and I thought these might be simple and fun.  I was right!  Taylor was not too enthused at first, until she read some of the samples.  The her creative juices got flowing.  Here's a picture of her very first limerick.

It says:

There once was a man with a very large belly.
Who had a wife whose name was Telly.
Telly tried to make the belly skinny.
She gave up and gave him a penny.
So instead, he got sticky with jelly.

Cute, isn't it?  In case your wondering, the big purple blob is his big belly smeared with grape jelly and the gray things surrounding it are his arms which must wrap the belly in order to hold it up.

Then I made one up.  Please don't laugh at my picture.

Here is the other limerick Taylor wrote.  She didn't make a notebooking page for this one.

There was a cat.  His name is Kitty.
But I had a dog. He bit the kitty.
The kitty cried for help.
The dog let out a yelp.
Then on the dog I had pity.

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• Apr. 23, 2009
Monet-Impressionism

I wanted to add some art appreciation to our school line-up, but I didn't want to make a big ordeal out of it or add any stress to my life.  So I decided to put some pictures by famous artists on the kids bathroom walls.  What else is there to do while sitting on the potty? 

I decided to do one artist a month.  I found copies of the paintings online in the public domain, put them in a document along with a summary about the author.  Then you just take it to Kinko's and have them print it out on cardstock.  Laminate and hang it on the wall.  That's easy enough, right?

If I see any interest, I'll post some others that I've done.

Click the picture for the download.

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• Apr. 23, 2009
Words to Remember

This morning Isaac asked me if he could have a chocolate kiss.  I told him I would think about it after the living room was clean. 

He then said, “Momma, if your thinkin’ says no, will I still get to have one?”

That reminds me of another funny thing he said to me about a month ago at church.  I took the time to write it down because it was so cute.

“Y-E-S.  That spells I want hot chocolate!”

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• Apr. 21, 2009
My Turn for a Sewing Frenzy

The girls sewing their pillows really put me in the mood to try my hand at sewing again.  Previous to now, I've sewn an apron for Taylor at Christmas 2 years ago and last spring I made Taylor a pair of capri pants.  The apron was pretty pathetic honestly and the pants were quite crooked. but wearable.

This time I decided to try a shirt- hoping it would be easier.  On the positive side, I am understanding all the patterns and sewing lingo MUCH better than I did 2 years ago and I didn't end up in tears because I couldn't figure out what to to.  On the other side of the coin, this shirt took me 2 full days to make and I still had to rip out more seams than I care to count AND I couldn't figure out how to put the sleeves on properly.  I ended up just leaving them off.  The shirt still looks rather nice though.

Look!  I learned to do pleats!

I've got some leftover fabric.  I think I'm going to make her a bandana to go with it.  Goodness knows she needs something to cover up that unruly head of hair!  I also found a pattern for a jean skirt I might make as well.

http://www.simplicity.com/index.cfm?page=section/classroom/sewprojects/jeanskirt09/Jeanskirt09.cfm

Here's the pattern I used.  I took different parts and put them together.  I really love these shirts.  The length is great!  I'm sure I'll be making more of them.  I wouldn't recommend the mini dresses though.  Yikes!  Those things are SHORT.

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• Apr. 21, 2009
Star Pillows

In our area, Hancock Fabrics had a sale last week where all the simplicity patterns were $1 each.  I took the girls and we bought about 7 patterns including one that has patterns for several different pillows.  I figured that would be a good one to do while my sister was visiting for spring break.  They decided to make a star pillow with a picture frame. 

I found a nice pink fabric in the scrap bin that would work for the frame so I told them to choose whatever fabric they wanted for the pillow as long as it would match the frame.  Tiff chose a green and pink striped pattern and Taylor chose a seersucker Easter print.

Here are some pics of the girls learning how to sew a pillow.  It was their first experience following a pattern from beginning to end.  I helped Taylor a good bit, but Tiff did it all by herself.

Pinning the pattern on the fabric

Cutting it out

Hand sewing the frame

Let me tell you, the frame was TOUGH!  If I'd known it would be as hard as it was, we would have just used some ribbon.  Yikes!  Don't you just love the look though?

Sewing the plastic onto the frame

This was the first part where they got to use the sewing machine.  Tiffany was very nervous, but within a couple minutes she really got the hang of it.  Taylor already loves to use the machine.

Sewing the frame onto the pillow front

Taylor's triumphant shout when her frame was finally attached to her pillow.  They had been working about 8 hours over the course of 2 days by now, so this was a real milestone.  This step is still only as far as Taylor has gone.  She needed a break.

Pinning top and bottom together for the final sew

Tiff's final product after 12 hours of labor. 

Great job Tiffany!  I'm really proud of you!!

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• Apr. 14, 2009
Lapbooking Class Download

I've uploaded a file for a lapbooking class that I'm giving for the moms in my co-op.  This might be handy to you if you are doing a class also or if you would just like to learn more about the basics of lapbooking.  Just click the picture sample and it should take you to the file.  Let me know if you have any trouble.

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• Apr. 14, 2009
Math Update

If you follow my blog at all, you probably know about our math struggles.  We have used a TON of math programs trying to find something that works.  We finally settled on Bob Jones math for a while, but now it's moving into division and I don't feel like Taylor is ready for that.  Honestly, she understands the concepts pretty well, and she has place value down pat.  You can't trip her up- I've tried.

The problem is that she is still so S-L-O-W at her computation.  It would take her literally 5 minutes to do two simple 7+4 or 8-2 type problems.  She understands the concept of multiplication and can figure out the answer to every problem up till the sevens because she has learned skip counting up to her 6's.  But she in no way has the facts memorized.

Right now in my house I have Bob Jones math grades 1,2,3, and 4.  I also have Miquon Math (the whole set), an absolute TON of math manipulatives and various books and games, and most recently I have also bought Mastering Mathmatics.  I probably have more that I've forgotten about.  That is some pretty big bucks spent on math products.

Like I said, my most recent purchase was Mastering Mathematics.  For the week prior to getting it in the mail, I had been doing Miquon starting all the way back at the beginning with the Orange book.  Let me tell you, math has been GREAT!  I'm hearing things like, "Math is the best!  It's my favorite!" or "I love math!"  There are giggles and laughs instead of tears.  She is going through 9-12 pages a day.  I'm setting a timer for 30 minutes and having her do as many pages as she can in that time.  I catch her stopping the timer because she wants to do more.  Is this the same girl??

I am seriously considering letting her finish the series.  When we tried it in 1st grade, she HATED it.  I really liked it, which is why I've kept it these years.  A lot of it is review, but it does cover advanced concepts.  The very first book has some multiplying and dividing.  It seems to me to be right on her level.  Some of the problems challenge her and a lot make her really think, but it's not so hard that she is frustrated.  Isn't that where the learning level should be?  I'm just stressing a bit because it's considered "1st grade level."  John thinks we should stick with what's working.  I don't know why I let these things bug me.  After all, one reason we homeschool at all is so that we're able to tailor a curriculum to meet Taylor's needs and not try to make her fit somebody else's mold.  I guess I just need to know that I'm doing the right thing and that she IS learning.  I need to be reminded sometimes that academics is just one slice of the pie and not the complete product we're working toward.  OK, maybe I just reminded myself.  It can be really helpful to put your thoughts down in writing.

Thanks for journeying through my mind with me!

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• Apr. 8, 2009
Spelling Downloads

Here are two pages I made with ideas to use for Taylor in spelling.  The first sheet is for my use.  It's the 'plan' so to speak.  The 2nd page I printed out on colored paper for Taylor to use when it was time for her to study her words.  You should be able to click on the picture and it will take you to the download page. 

I'm just experimenting right now- trying to find what works best.  Thanks for your patience!

Here's the student sheet.

Remember, Taylor is a right brain learner, so some of these steps that may seem unneccesary to others are crucial to her.

Hmm, these pictures seem really big to me.  Do you think I should make them smaller or do you like the preview before you download?

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