This morning in my twilight moments of sleep and wakefullness, I had an epiphany.  I have been looking for a symbol that would mean something to my family.  I really want to make a family crest.  My husband and I are working on a brand for his inventions, so everything he does will have his "brand" burned into it.  I wanted it to be something special - something that when our family looked at it, we knew what our family stood for.  That's why I was so excited, and yet want to slap my head like in the old V8 commercials.  It was staring at me for almost a year!

We're bridge builders!  Through example and friendship, or just being ourselves, somehow we build a bridge that enables others to see that what seemed hard and possibly impossible really isn't.  Maybe it's not such a compliment, but perhaps people look at us and say, "If they can do it, ANYONE can do it".  Our kids aren't weird, we aren't overly protective (although I was at first), and we have a good time.  We look after one another, we care about what goes into our children's minds, they all talk intelligently, even with raging hormones!  We build the bridge and invite people to cross, but never force.  It is their choice.

I really liked the pictures of the footbridge because it symbolized to me that bridges don't have to be big or fancy.  Bridges come in all shapes and sizes, and they all proform the same function - to help people get to the other side.  Our bridges come in a variety of functions too.  Not just helping people choose leadership education, but in missionary work, helping the lost return to the fold, choosing to homeschool, choosing emotional wellness, getting over generational issues, bridging the gap between our ancestors and our posterity, and a whole myraid of other things that through just talking about the things the Lord has put in my path that I have gotten an email, a phone call, or even someone showing up at my door saying, "Thank you - that has made a difference in my life."  I have never expected to make a difference in other lives, I just do what I feel is best for my family, and share just incase someone else might not have heard....  So I hope none of this sounds concieted.  Because I really am humbled when people contact me like that.

My husband through blessings has been told he is a seed planter.  I have tried to get into that imagery - I just can't.  Planting seeds doesn't excite me - it never has, even when I've planted gardens.  When I thought of bridge building though, it excited me.  Maybe because Grandpa was a bridge builder in WWII - gave me kind of a connection with him.  I'm going to talk to Redbeard about making our brand a bridge - nothing fancy, just  some simple lines.  I think it's cool. 

 Now, this is an "organic" list, meaning, it's always changing and progressing.  This is a part of my Master Plan.  Yes, I've left some off.  There are some classics I personally don't like, so I don't anticipate reading them out loud.  And there are some on here that you might scratch your head and say, "That's a classic?"  Yep - in my house it is.  These aren't in any particular order either - that's too much work for me.  ;)  Also, many of these can be found on Project Gutenburg - I've given direct links to some, but It would be better for you to just go over there and find them yourself, like Andrew Lang, who's Fairy Books are too numerous to direct link for me.  Just because I don't have a direct link doesn't mean it isn't available.  The Andy Adams Books were a little harder to find - I direct linked those.  The dark pink with lines under them are the linked books - the bright pink are just highlighted so they are easier to see.  Oh, and some, although further advanced reading than Core and Love of Learning (like the Jules Verne books) are there to be read to the kids and discussed.

Something else interesting about Gutenberg, while I have not linked to them, some of these books are available to download in AUDIO form - so you can listen to them being read instead of reading it yourself.  Many people like this form (I have been known to do it on occassion), so I wanted to make sure you knew that option might be open to you.  If you have a hard time finding a title (Like I wanted Pinnocchio) - type in the author - sometimes it won't come up because you didn't type in "The Adventures of Pinnocchio" or maybe it didn't have a "The" in it...  so don't do one search and figure it's not there.

Before I get started, I want to share WHY I even find out about Gutenberg - why not just go buy it, or get it from the library?  Some I do - but I also know the power of a budget - and I don't believe children's educations should be stifled just because the pocketbook is lean, or the library decided to get abridged versions.  Many of these can't be found in the library.  That's why I love the online resource.  Some I read off the computer - some I print in spurts.  It's all up to me - and I like that - total freedom of choice!  Also, the advantage for YOU is that you can download whatever suits your fancy, right now, and see if it is something that might appeal to YOUR classics list.  :)  Oh - and I have also listed some of MY classic picture books - I think beautiful picture books are just as important for Core Phasers.  So those are included too.

Also, I was trying to be careful with copyrighted info.  If I have linked to a site I shouldn't have, please let me know.  I don't know all the ins and outs but I am a law abiding person - I have no wish to break the law.  I think the only thing that worries me is when I go to foreign websites .  Which, there is only one or two of those on here.  :)

The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit ~ Beatrix Potter (Many collections and individual tales found on Project Gutenberg site)

Filcka, Ricka, Dicka series ~ Maj Lindman

All The Frances Books, ie: Bread and Jam For Frances, A Bargain For Frances, etc. ~ Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban

A Children's Garden Book of Verses  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

How Much is a Million ~ David M. Schwartz

Various Fairy Books ~ Andrew Lang (ie: The Blue Fairy Book, The Yellow Fairy Book, The Brown Fairy Book - Do author search on Gutenberg and you'll find them all)

The Works of A.A. Milne (ie:  The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh - some stories on Gutenberg but no Winnie the Pooh)

A Lighthouse in the Attic ~ Shel Silverstein (and others poetry books of his)

The Giving Tree ~ Shel Silverstein

The Velveteen Rabbit ~ Margery Williams

McBroom Series ie:  McBroom's Zoo, McBroom Tells the Truth ~ Sid Fleischman, Robert Frankenberg, Kurt Werth, and Walter Lorraine

Raggedy Andy Stories ~ Johnny Gruelle

Madeline  (series) ~ Ludwig Bemelmans

Leo the Late Bloomer ~ Robert Kraus

Harold and the Purple Crayon ~ Crocket Johnson

A Bear Called Paddington  (series) ~ Michael Bond

The Story of Ferdinand ~ Munro Leaf

Selected Poems of Christina Rossetti (some are morbid and not suitable for children)

Corduroy ~ Don Freeman

The Hundred Dresses ~ Eleanor Estes and Louis Slobodkin

Anderson's Fairy Tales Andersen's Fairy Tales ~ Hans Christian Andersen (a fun site for kids to play using these:  Andersen Fairy Tales

 Mother Goose: The Original Volland Edition ~ Eulalie Osgood Grover (This link takes you to the scanned in pages where you can see the beautiful illustrations - I can't decide which version of Mother Goose I like better, so I'm putting them both down.)

The Real Mother Goose The Real Mother Goose (The black and white checkered one - the gutenberg shows a different cover - but this is the same one)

The Real Mother Goose Book of American Rhymes (Blue and white checkered - printed by Scholastic.  Has great ones like Hushabye, Mr. Nobody, This Old Man, The Owl and The Pussycat, The Mouse Who Lived on a Hill, etc.)

The Language of Flowers ~Kate Greenaway (You can also find her Mother Goose Coloring Book for sale - she has also illustrated some really fun books)

Miss Suzy ~ Miriam Young and Arnold Lobel

The Little Engine that Could ~ Watty Piper 

Caps for Sale ~ Esphyr Slobodkina

Heckedy Peg ~ Audrey Wood and Don Wood

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel ~ Virginia Lee Burton

A Bakers Dozen by the One and Only  Dr. Suess ~ Dr. Suess (This collection is great, and has historical facts and commentary in it for Adults to enjoy)

Harry the Dirty Dog series ~ Gene Zion

Curious George series ~ HA Rey

Favorite Uncle Remus ~ Joel Chandler Harris (Some stories can be found HERE

The Princess and the Curdie ~ George MacDonald

The Quangle-Wangle's Hat ~ Edward Lear (The site I linked to has lots more on Edward Lear and his nonsense poems - All his poetry is on my list)

Little Black Sambo ~ Helen Bannman (Ok - some background here.  My Grandma taught an almost all black school in Oklahoma and she read this one to them over and over, so I grew up with it, and I've read it to my kids, and they love it.  I think illustrations are an important part of this story though.  There is an illustrated version of this story I absolutely love - and so do my children - it is illustrated by Christopher Bing.  However, the link takes you to the original story and illustrations, plus other stories written by Helen Bannerman in case you're curious - but I think the woman was seriously disturbed - I don't read them to my kids.  Esp. that kettle head one - ick!.  They also have the Three Billy Goats Gruff on the website, which is a classic.)

Ride a Cock-Horse and Other Rhymes and Stories ~ Randolph Caldecott (The link is not to this book, just two of the rhymes.  Gutenberg has several of Caldecott's work - if you want the suggested book, you can find it on Amazon.)

The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan ~ WB Laughead

Perrault's Complete Fairy Tales ~ Charles Perrault

Old Yeller ~ Fred Gipson

Smoky ~ Will James (This was published in 1926 and is still under copyright - you'll have to buy this gem to read it!)

The Story of Dr. Dolittle ~Hugh Lofting

The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle ~ Hugh Lofting

Just So Stories ~ Rudyard Kipling (I must tell you my fave is The Beginning of the Armadillos - my parents had a black and white illustrated with some floresant colors in it - good ole 70's! - when I was growing up and I STILL to this day wish I could find a copy.  These are just fanstasic!)

Jungle Book  ~ Rudyard Kipling

Kim  ~ Rudyard Kipling

Captain Courageous  ~ Ruyard Kipling

Stalky & Co. Stalky & Co. ~ Ruyard Kipling

The Water-Babies ~ Charles Kingsley

Lightfoot the Deer Lightfoot the Deer ~ Thorton W. Burgess (My mother had copies from her childhood she read to us, and I have continued the tradition - ALL Burgess books are fabulous for young children!)

Buster Bear ~ Thorton W. Burgess

Jimmy Skunk ~ Thorton W. Burgess

Paddy Beaver ~ Thorton W. Burgess

Reddy Fox ~ Thorton W. Burgess

Check out other title on Gutenberg - he is also the author of The Burgess Animal Book for Children and The Burgess Bird Book for Children which teaches about animal/bird behavior.

Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Verses ~ Hilaire Belloc (There is some of his stuff online, but not enough to link to)

The Arabian Nights ~ Husian Haddawy (Not avaiable online - the most authentic version of the stories - make sure you get vol. 2 as well!)

Arabian Nights No. II ~ Husian Haddawy

Little House Series ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder (Not online but easily found in libraries - I personally like the older version illustrations - I hear they're changing the look and possibly the text?  Make sure it's Laura's version, not someone else's!)

Heidi ~ Johanna Spryi

The Virginian ~ Owen Wister

Little Lord Fauntleroy ~ Frances Hodgeson Burnett

The Secret Garden ~ Frances Hodgeson Burnett

Black Beauty  ~ Anna Sewell

The Black Stallion ~ Walter Farley

Abraham Lincoln Gets His Chance ~ Frances Cavanah

The Yearling ~ Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Adam of the Road ~ Elizabeth Janet Gray 

The Wonderfu Wizard of Oz ~ L. Frank Baum

The Little Britches Series ~ Ralph Moody (Sorry - this is not online!  Get one book at a time - it is SO worth it!)

SELECTED Grimm's Fairy Tales (I have to select.  Some of their stuff is quite gross, and too much for me to read, let alone reading it to my children - you can find these on Gutenberg very easily)

The Aesop for Children  ~ Aesop (This is beautifully illustrated)

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths ~ Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire

The Poems of Robert Frost

Tales from Shakespeare   ~Charles and Mary Lamb (for an intro to little children - eventually they'll read the real deal like Athena)

The Adventures of Pinnocchio ~ Carlo Collodi

Peter Pan ~ J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens ~ J.M. Barrie (I think my link to Peter Pan allows you to choose Peter Pan or Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens)

Chronicles of Narnia ~ CS Lewis (easily found at the library)

Sarah, Plain and Tall ~ Patricia MacLachlan

The Courage of Sarah Noble ~ Alice Dalgliesh

Flower Fables ~ Louisa May Alcott

Rose In Bloom ~ Louisa May Alcott

Under the Liliacs  ~ Louisa May Alcott

Little Women ~ Louisa May Alcott

Little Men ~ Louisa May Alcott

Jo's Boys ~ Louisa May Alcott

Eight Cousins ~ Louisa May Alcott

An Old Fashioned Girl ~ Louisa May Alcott

Moods ~ Louisa May Alcott (this is found on the University of Virginia Website - scroll down to begin text.  You can see scanned pics of original book if you like!)

Jack and Jill ~ Louisa May Alcott

Hospital Sketches ~ Louisa May Alcott

Robin Hood ~ Henry Gilbert (One of my faves - Redbeard just told me last night as he tossed it back to me how much he enjoyed it too!)

Tales of King Arthur and the Round Table ~ Hudson Talbott

Tales of King Arthur:  The Sword and the Stone ~ Hudson Talbott

The Adventures of Robin Hood ~ Howard Pyle

Otto of the Silver Hand ~ Howard Pyle

The Log of a Cowboy ~ Andy Adams (If you like this one there are other Andy Adams books available

 HERE - there are also quite a few on Gutenberg as well - I didn't notice if they were the same ones)

Andy Adam's Campfire Tales ~ Andy Adams (not available online)

The Ranch on the Beaver ~ Andy Adams (not available online, but the sequel to the Wells Brothers which is found on the above link)

 A Little Mother to the Others ~ L.T. Meade

Bad Little Hannah ~ L.T. Meade (sasly, I can't find this online, but it is SO GOOD.  You can find several L.T. Meade books on Gutenberg though.  Luckily, I own two very OLD copies of this one!)

At the Foot of the Rainbow ~ Gene Straton Porter  (There are many titles - I'm just going to name a few)

Freckles ~ Gene Straton Porter

Laddie: A True Blue Story ~ Gene Straton Porter

The Girl of the Limberlost ~ Gene Straton Porter

A Daughter of the Land   ~ Gene Straton Porter

Michael O'Halloran ~ Gene Straton Porter

Tanglewood Tales ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Treasure Island    ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Kidnapped  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

The Silverado Squatters ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

The Princess and the Goblin  ~ George MacDonald

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe  ~ Daniel Defoe

Swiss Family Robinson ~ Johann Wyss

 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ~ Jules Verne

The Mysterious Island ~ Jules Verne

Around the World in 80 Days ~ Jules Verne

From the Earth to the Moon and Round the Moon  ~ Jules Verne

Journey to the Center of the Earth  ~ Jules Verne

The Boy Knight ~ GA Henty

Knight of the White Cross ~ GA Henty

Okay - too many GA Henty books to write.  Gutenberg has a bunch of them, and here are some other sites to try out - there are NINETY NINE in all!!!!

http://www.henty.com/  (these are to buy - in print or CD format)

http://www.jimhodgesaudiobooks.com/ (This is the Jim Hodges Audio Books for sale - very well done!)

http://www.classicreader.com/author.php/aut.186/

http://www.online-literature.com/ga-henty/

 (End of GA Henty Links) Titles to look for besides the ones above (they come HIGHLY recommended):

The Cat of Bubastes

Beric the Briton

A Tale of the Western Plains

The Dash for Khartoum

Bonnie Prince Charlie

In Freedom's Cause

Under Drake's Flag

Facing Death

With Wolfe in Canada

Wulf the Saxon

Winning His Spurs

The Young Carthaginian

For the Temple

The Lion of the North

St. Batholomew's Eve

By Pike and Dyke

With Lee in Virginia

The Lion of St. Mark

In the Reign of Terror

Won by the Sword

:)

Evangeline ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Song of Hiawatha ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Story of a Bad Boy ~ Thomas Bailey Aldrich

The Prince and the Pauper ~ Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ~ Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ~ Mark Twain

A Christmas Carol ~ Charles Dickens

The Life of Our Lord ~ Charles Dickens (I can't believe I found this one for free online!  Not on Gutenberg either!)

Oliver Twist ~ Charles Dickens

Cricket on the Hearth ~ Charles Dickens

David Copperfield ~ Charles Dickens (I have a picture book version of this and Great Expectations that Iris LOVES - the words aren't watered down - they took special pains to use Dicken's words but cut the story down to a picture book size - we only get through 2 pgs (4 on a good day) a night, but these are actually her favorites.  I look forward to her being old enough to enjoy the real deal!)

The Last of the Mohicans     ~ James Fenimore Cooper  (A website of interest is the James Fenimore Cooper Website    - it has links to hard to find texts online as well as gutenberg, so you might check there.  Also, Cooper's book The Ways of the Hour is available for download with Adobe or Microsoft HERE.  The cost is under $5, so if you're interested, this might be an option for you.)

The Pathfinder ~ James Fenimore Cooper

The Wind and Wing ~James Fenimore Cooper

The Deerslayer ~ James Fenimore Cooper

The Pilot ~ James Fenimore Cooper

The Two Admirals ~ James Fenimore Cooper

The Prairie ~ James Fenimore Cooper

The Chainbearer ~ James Fenimore Cooper

Hans Brinker ~ Mary Maples Dodges

Tarzan of the Apes ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs (Ok - there are a ton of Tarzan books - do an author search on Gutenburg - I'm only going to list a few)

The Return of Tarzan ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Beasts of Tarzan  The Beasts of Tarzan ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Son of Tarzan ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

Apache Devil   ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

 Westward Ho! ~ Charles Kingsley

Sketchbook ~ Washington Irving

Pollyanna ~ Eleanor H. Porter

Pollyana Grows Up ~ Eleanor H. Porter

Penrod ~ Booth Tarkington

Johnny Tremain ~ Esther Forbes (this pdf file is complete with study guide, questions, activities and such - so might be good for a unit study!  Or, just read the book.  hehe)

Carry on Mr. Bowditch ~ Jean Lee Lantham  (several free study guides online, but I didn't find the text)

The Golden Goblet ~ Eloise Jarvis McGraw (again, several study guides, no text)

Two Years Before the Mast ~ Richard Henry Dana

Main-Travelled Roads ~ Hamlin Garlin

Son of the Middle Border ~ Hamlin Garlin (This link takes you to a site that you have to join, but they have a FREE TRIAL - so that might be an option - otherwise, you'll have to buy it to read it, which, isn't a BAD thing!)

Mr. Midshipman Easy  ~ Fredrick Maryat

 Charlotte's Web ~ EB White

Stuart Little ~ EB White

The Trumpet of the Swan ~ EB White

Sounder ~ William H Armstrong

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm ~ Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Anne of Green Gables  ~ LM Montgomery (full series all available on gutenberg)

Elsie Dinsmore ~ Martha Finley (full series all available on gutenberg)

That's it for now.  Maybe I'll get it completed this afternoon.  Check back.  :)  Maybe I'll even be adventureous and put this in some sort of order - I have a guide that I could put it in "grade" order...   kinda depends on the kids.  :)  I'm going ahead and posting so you can look over what I have so far.   And you know what, I think I'm going to have to make up a seperate list of "Classic Poems", because listing them here like this is not working for me!  Maybe a "Texasblu's Favorite Poems for Children List" or something like that...

Also, like I said above this is an ever growing and changing list.  If you would like to suggest a book, please email me or leave me a comment and I'll check it out!  And remember - this is a CHILDREN'S list - up through middle school (Core and Love of Learning).  High School (which I consider Practice Scholar & Transition Scholar) are listed in my adult classics list, which I have yet to post.  But it'll get there.  :)  Ohh, and please remember - my list is NOT your list.  I only post it so you can start thinking of what you want on YOUR list.  *grin*

Here are some books I  haven't had suggested to me, but may take their place with others:

Indian Fairy Book ~ Cornelius Mathews

Poor Little Rich Girl ~ Eleanor Gates

Poor Little Rich Boy ~ Eleanor Gates

In fact, I went over to the GWC Bookstore to see what they had, and I was so excited to see so many of mine were over there!  I had no idea!  :)

I know I promised to share my master plan.  I have been so busy, it has been hard to find time to type it into the computer.  I should have some time on Sunday and Monday though, so I'll be posting some stuff on here very soon.  :)

I must admit, as much as I hate being structured, I LOVE having a master plan to refer back to.  When we were talking in the Basic Training class, it came up that unless you refer back to your master plan, it doesn't do any good to write one!  There is one lady in our class that her master plan is phenomenal!  She blows everyone away with her planning skills, but she reminds us all the time that this is her MATER PLAN - just a guide, not something she religiously follows everyday.

I've got to go get ready to go (we have a wedding we're headed to) - have a great day everyone!

"The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by; this you will become."  ~  James Allen, As A Man Thinketh

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."  ~ Thoreau

 One of the most powerful activities I did in the Basic Training Course I took was the vision activity.  They told us to go to a quiet spot and think about where we saw our homeschool going - up to 6 hours if it took that long.  This was very powerful for me - no matter what else is going on, that vision stays my course, even to the point of adjusting it when I need to.  Since this is a homeschooling blog, I'll share with you my vision...  but please realize that this excercise would be good for all walks of life - financial, career, family, spousal relationship, your own education, food storage, etc.  Not all visions are "visual" like mine - some come in the form of ideas running through people heads - that's how Redbeard's was.  I just happen to be a visual person.

Alright, here's my vision.  I thought I had shared this before, but it's not in my archives, so I must have shared it with the family and just thought I had stuck it on here.  This vision took place while I was pregnant with the twins, and before we had the ultrasound to let us know it WAS twins.  They are 20 mos. now...  my how time flys!  The vision:

The White Room  (takes place in the next 7-10 yrs.):

I saw Iris lounging on a couch in a beautiful white room (spotless), wearing a lace dress and reading a thick, old book.  Athena and Venus were standing toward the back of the room, chatting casually, Athena in the garb of a sister missionary, and Venus in a workout outift.  Behind them were glass walls that overlooked a beautiful valley.

In walked Orion and Mercury, playing and poking at one another like brothers do.  They were nicely dressed in button down shirts, Orion in blue and Mercury in green.  I could hear other children, but could not see them, but the noises made were happy, comradrie noises.  Then Redbeard and I walked in, and the children rushed to us in excitment.  Everyone was talking all at once, but there was no feeling of being overwhelmed.  Instead, we felt easy and comfortable as we were surrounded by our children and each took a turn to tell us whatever it was they wanted. 

Since then, I have found that relationships, communication, clean home, and good grooming to be the top of the core phasers priorities, although I still work on that lot with my Love of learning child and my practice scholar (who is beginning to morph again - I've so got to reread that scholar phase article!)  That may seem pretty basic, but before I was wishy washy trying to fit in EVERYTHING - I focus on these now and the other stuff seems to either fall into place or simply not matter.

I am feeling the need to do this again - for another area of my life.  Should be interesting.  Have you ever sought a vision for your family?  What do you think of James Allen and Thoreau's quotes?

Well, I'm back to this.  One of the things that thwarted me was that I didn't have everything in one place.   So I have solved that.

I bought a blue binder.  I have been printing off all the recipes I want them to learn to make.  I type what I need to into the computer so those can be printed off as well.  Then I put the checklist at the front of each divider.  As they make these meals, I check them off.  They'll still get the rewards, but it's all in one place, so I don't have to remember where the recipe is.  Eliminates a lot of frustration.  :)

I have these catagories:

Soups

Salads

Breads

Main Course

Breakfast

Desserts

Cakes and Frostings

Yes - Cakes and Frostings get their own section.  :)  So far, this has been working really well for us.

There are some skills I want my kids to have as they get older.  It really disturbs me to see how many college kids (and some older) have no idea how to cook, sew a button on, change a tire, etc.  I call these, "Adult Skills".  I have one for Baking, Cooking, Sewing, Car Skills, Financial, etc.  Each skill, once mastered by "practicing", is passed off when all requirements are met and Mom and Dad are satisfied.  The reward is something that is related to the class - like the baking class's reward is a cookbook.  Here's the requirements for passing (please note:  I am aware that this is not the best typing job - converting from word perfect to homeschool blogger ain't easy!  AND... take heart - lots of healthy recipes will be used in these treats... so they aren't all "bad", and it's just a sample.  You ought to see the coioking class - but they get a full pots & pans set when they finish!):

Being the Best Baker:  Athena

Breads

___  Banana Bread                           ___  Pretzels

___  Wheat Bread                             ___  Breadsticks

___  White Bread                              ___  Cornbread

___  No Knead Rolls                         ___  bread #1 

___  Dinner Rolls                              ___  bread #2

___  Tortillas                                     ___  bread #3

___  Pumpkin Bread                          ___  bread #4

___  Zucchini Bread                           ___ Oatmeal Bread

___  Poppy Seed Bread                      ___ French Bread

                                                                   Soup Bowls

Breakfast Baking

___  Bagels                                        ___  Biscuits

___  Doughnuts                                 ___  French Toast

___  muffin #1                                   ___ other #1 

___  muffin #2                                   ___ other #2

___  muffin #3                                   ___ other #3

___  Harvest Muffins                         ___ Granola

___  pancake #1                                ___ Cinnamon Rolls

___  pancake #2                                ___  scone #1 

___  pancake #3                                ___  scone #2

___  waffle #1                                    ___  scone #3 

___  waffle #2  

Pies

___  Lemon Meringue  ___  Key Lime            ___  Pecan

___  Pumpkin              ___  Banana Cream   ___ other #1

___ Chocolate              ___  Apple                 ___ other #2

___  Peanut Butter       ___  Peach or Cherry

Cakes

___  Lemon Glazed Bundt Cake      ___  cupcakes #1

___  Soda Pop Cake                       ___  cupcakes #2

___  Chocolate Cake                       ___  cupcakes #3

___  Birthday Cake #1                    ___ cupcakes #4

___  Birthday Cake #2                    ___ Jell-O cake

___  Birthday Cake #3                    ___ Filled or layered cake

___  Texas Sheet Cake                    ___  100% from scratch

___ Blueberry Swirl Cake                ___ Dump Cake

 Cookies

___  Molasses                                 ___  Sandwich Cookies

___  Peanut Butter                           ___  Christmas #1

___  Toll House Pan Choc. Chip      ___  Christmas #2

___  Chocolate Chip                        ___ Choc  PB Chip

___  Grandma’s Sugar Cookies        ___ cookie #1 

___  Sugar Cookies w/frosting           ___ cookie #2

___  Snickerdoodles                         ___ cookie #3

___  Oatmeal                                   ___ Gingerbread House

___  Lemon                                      ___ Biscotti

___ Pumpkin Choc. Chip

Bars

___  Brownies                                    ___  Granola Bar       

___  Blondies                                     ___  Lemon Bars

___  Granola Ba                                ___  bar #1

___ Lemon Bars                                 ___  bar #2

Treats

___  Cream Puffs                       ___  Treat from food storage

___  Rice Krispie Treats             ___  other #1 

___ Bread Pudding                    ___ other #2  

___ Rice Pudding                       ___ Crackers of choice

___ Cobbler- your choice                   (such as wheat thins)

___ Graham Crackers                 ___  Cracker of choice

When you have baked all these with good reviews and without any help, Mom & Dad will buy you a cookbook of your choice, with the understanding that it be along the lines of Betty Crocker or the Joy of Cooking.

_______________                  __________________________

    Athena                                  Mom and Dad

 _______________                  _________________________

    Dated                                    Dated

I finally figured it out!  I was making my school planner for the year (just some simple things in a notebook kept organized by cardstock), I wanted to print up our homeschool name on them.  So I sat back and just let my mind go.

And I thought, what is really our mission here?  What am I trying to accomplish by homeschooling?  What is it that inspires me to keep going?  (I tried names that went with our location like "Rocky Mtn. Home School" or using our last name or something - just didn't feel right.)  My mind drfted to "Zion's Camp"... and then it hit me.  Here is my mission statement:

Seeking our divine roles here on Earth

to return to Heavenly Father with honor,

and more talents than given.

It is perfect for us.  My main goal/mission is to seek out each child's mission in life - the things that they are driven to do for a higher purpose.  Some people are just meant to be doctors... some dancers... some aviation pilots...  some mechanics.  Does this sound weird to you?

There is a favorite line in one of my favorite movies I'd like to share with you that illustrates this point.  This is from The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellen:

Sir Percy is giving Chauvelin a hard time about his dress code.  He says "Your tailors have betrayed you!"  Chauvelin sneers and says "We pride ourselves on our French Tailors".  Sir Percy observes the sad state of his cothing, then says "Would serve you best to send your tailors to the  guillotine"  Chauvelin rebuttles "We shall exhort our tailors and send our king instead."  Now here is the line I love so much...  Sir Percy states, "Then the tailors will be exhorted, and no one will make the clothes.  So much for French fashion."

Do you see?  Just as in the church, there are no insignificant jobs/careers...  could you imagine our world today without mechanics?  Or how about secertaries?  Flight attendants?  Etc.  We need them all...

In the America's past, the majority recieved a good, quality, leadership education, no matter what you did.  This is what I want for my children.  If they feel driven to become a mechanic, I have no problem with that - I just want to make sure they are a well educated mechanic!  I want them to learn that if something doesn't come easy, they can practice and practice and practice until it becomes easy.  The "don't quit" syndrome.  Sometimes what is required isn't easy at all... but we must endure to the end.  :)

So, our school name is:  The Divine Missions Academy.

Catchy, don't you think?