Ok don't get to excited! Now that I have your attention!

I just wanted you to know that we are in the process of moving our

blog over to blogspot. Our new blog is located at www.LightsOnTheLake.blogspot.com

I have toyed with the idea of moving over the past year. But of course I did not want to

have to pack it all up. If anyone has ever blogged before you know why.

I have many archived entries here, and of course we have spent over 2 years here.

So I have so many records and blog entries. I hope to be able to move over many of them.

A couple reasons why we are moving:

1. Blogspot offers a very nice search field. So if you want to find something on our new blog it is

as easy as typing it in the search field.

2. The Entries are organized much better and easier to keep up with.

3. You can upload photos directly to the blog. Right now I spend alot of time uploading

to photobucket and then downloading to hsblogger.

I do have to admit that we have enjoyed our stay here. Homeschool blogger has been good to us and provided for our needs while we have been here. It is just that our needs have changed.

We hope to see you at our new site.

I have also moved our Little Hands Website over to blogspot as well.

You can now find us here.

Everyone loves free curriculum don't they! Read on to find out more about some great giveaways.

 Tristan over at Our Busy Homeschool currently has 7 giveaways. You can visit her blog to find out more and enter by clicking here.

Maureen over at Spell Out Loud also has a giveaway for Sequential Spelling.

Coffee and Conversation is having a also giving away a copy of Spell Quizzer software.

Well we start our homeschooling schedule this coming Monday August 4th. We will school for 7 weeks and then take 2 weeks off. For our first week back, I wanted to do something really fun and out of the ordinary. So I thought we would do an Ice Cream Unit. There is a great FREE Literature Based Unit and Lapbook at Homeschool Share. We will be learning about the history of ice cream. The process, pastuerization, dairy cows, and also making some of our own concoctions.

Then for the next 6 weeks we will be using Apologia's Zoology 1 -Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day as our spine. Now It really isn't a spine book, but we will use this as our base and do unit studies from FIAR and HSS around what we are studying.

I don't have the order all figured out yet, but here are some of the units we plan to do alongside our Aplogia study.

Here are some of the resources I will be using:

Apologia Zoology Yahoo group.-They have other members that are currently using this curriculum along with notebook pages and schedules.

I also plan to use the mini books for Apologia Zoology 1. They can be obtained on Notebooking to Learn yahoo group.

There is also a notebook cover page on The Notebooking Nook yahoo group.

Truman's Aunt Farm -FIAR also using parts of the free ant lapbook.

The Bee Tree-FIAR

When Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples Ears

Honey Bee Lapbook

Eric Carle Insect Study

A Pocketful of Cricket

Butterfly Unit and lapbook

Dragonfly Study and Lapbook

Praying Mantis Animal Unit Study and Lapbook

And I will also be using theInsect Connections page at HSS. They connect studies for you.

I belive these units will keep us busy all semester. So whatever we do not get to in the first 7 weeks, we will do in the last half of the first semester. I hope to finish up flying insects before Thanksgiving.

Well I got exciting news! I was one of the Back To School Contest winners. I teamed up with Maureen at Spell Out Loud. We did a unit study on Christmas Around the World.  (Look under Multi Age units).

Maureen made up the lapbook components while I researched several countries. We also had other people contribute research and I compiled the information and added where necessary. You can see more about the unit here on her blog.

We took first place in the Tag Team category.

This is a great unit to learn more about the customs of different cultures and countries around the world. We included songs, traditions, oranaments they make, recipes etc. I plan to use the unit this December to launch our Galloping the Globe study in the Winter/Spring semester.

I won a Time Traveler of my choice, a Learning Grammar through literature pack and A Jim Weiss CD.

Each year I take a sampling of the kids work and put it in a folder. (Believe me I have a whole lot more than this.) WIth all the lapbooks we do and our memory albums and each child has an art portfolio too.

But this serves as a sampler of all their work. This way we can see the progression year to year.

I just use an inexpensive folder. I laminated a picture of her with the grade underneath and glued it to the front of the folder. It came out really nice. (And didn't cost much.)

Along with re-organizing the schoolroom, I also reorganized my scrapbook area. 

This lime green shelf my dh painted and put up for me. (Using left over paint from the dining room-if you can believe it.) Those neat little storage boxes came from Dollar General $3.00 each.

I keep paper scraps in them.

This is a good view of my scrapbook area. (The table can be used for inviting others over for crops.) Here is my stamp station and paper storage.

 I decided to label the drawers just to make it easier to find everything.

I put my stamp sets in this cabinet.

I am really excited about the fact that now I can actually locate what I am looking for!

I decided to take advantage of Big Lot's 20% sale the other night. I bought 2 bookshelves. I know you are probably wondering why I am putting them together... Well I wanted them done today! (And wasn't willing to wait for dh to get to them.)

Here they are up with stuff organized on them.

Of course this made me realize the wall was now unbalanced because of the short bookcase on the opposite side of the school cabinet. So I went back and bought a third shelf!

Inside the supply cabinet is pretty neat now.

The other book shelves, white board and animal classification board. More storage in the dresser. (I know it isn't real attractive, but it stores a ton of stuff, so it is being used for now.) On the closet door I added a clear shoe organizer for supplies. I bought this pretty little storage container at big lots too. It was the perfect size for our Science Experiments in a Bag and you can just raise the lid to pull one out.  

I numbered the work drawers.

This is ds's workdrawers and his curriculum is on the shelves around his set.

(So I can easily pull stuff for him each day. Here is dd's drawers and her curriculum is on this shelf. The storage containers on the right hold various things. One has our music curriculum (Pianimals) another I keep curriculum magazines in and another is for curriculum we are not quite ready for yet. I got these from ABC Distributing a few years back for around $7.95 for the whole set! I wish I could find them again!

I also got these canvas storage bins at Big Lots. I just made tags to label the contents. The white hanging shelf also came from Big Lots, and I went back today to get more and they were gone! Sigh

This was one of my projects to get done this summer.

 I made these frames with my cricut for my son's room.

Well I must admit that the highlight of our day, was at the end of the day. We were driving on one of the roads just inside the Smoky Mountain National Park and we came across this. 

This picture gives you a better idea how close this bear was! There is the side mirror. Of course that was on Lisa's side of the van...Since had I been driving it would have been a closed window with a bear that close! 

Here the mamma bear decides to cross the road in front of us!  I think they need bear crossing signs! 

The next class we attended for the Jr .Ranger program was the Let's Be a Scientist class at Sugarlands Visitor Center.

We learned about insects and how they affect the environment. We used screens to catch falling bugs off trees. A shaker box, and these cool suck em up thingies.

Libby holding a millipede.  

                                                          Getting a closer look at what we found. 

For lunch we stopped at Cades Cove picnic area. After eating the kids waded in the water. Well they did more than wade, and I guess we should have been prepared for swimming.

But they eventually dried out!  

  A cool looking dragon fly! I love the neon green!

Today we went and did some Jr. Ranger classes in the Smoky Mountains. This is always a delightful time in our summers.

The first class we attended was Extreme Explorers at Elkmont. We looked for clues to see what animals we might could identify were there currently or had been previously.

We learned to look for tracks, scat, and other signs for animals.

We Identified a bird nest. (A very shallow one.) So we need to look this type up. An Animal Track The lovely creek there.

Hard to see, but they are water spiders.

Termite Holes

Cool looking Fungi A large Toadstool Small orange fungi A wild looking tree Very large woodpecker holes. The ranger said they were from a Pileated Woodpecker? We gotta look that up too!

A recent conversation (at the store check out) with Peyton reguarding Michael Jackson. (yesterday)

Peyton: "Look Mom! These magazines say Michael Jackson died. Look it says, "Who Killed Michael Jackson and who will get his kids?"

Me: "yeah"

Peyton: "Man he is all over these magazines, man, when he died he got famous."

Me: no response. Lol

Then earlier today:

I decide it is time for my kids to understand who Michael Jackson is. Since they are hearing it and seeing it everywhere. So I pull up youtube to show him a few videos/songs. I find "Beat It, "

Peyton says "Who is that?"

I (not understanding the question) say "Michael Jackson."

Peyton says "that's not Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson is white."

LOL

Well our robins hatched into cute little birds. Here they are only hours after they hatched.

My SIL and nephew stopped overnight recently. She went to see my brother who is working in another state. It was great to get to visit with  My nephew, Nathaniel is 15 months old. He is so incredibly cute.

I taught the kids how to shuck corn. So now this cuts down on my work at dinner time. They have gotten really good at it.

I never saw corn cooked this way until I visited someone from Tennessee. You cook the corn in milk and let it evaporate and then add a little more. You continue this for about 20 minutes until it gets to a slight sticky consistency. (I usually add a little organic sugar just to sweeten it a bit.)

Here is a robin's nest the kids found while tree climbing yesterday. Great time for a nature study.

And I just got 2 great books on Nature. I bought them at BPS. Now I usually won't spend this kind of money on books, but I love these.

And this one too: More Fun with Nature

The red book here features a mini book inside called

Birds, Nests and Eggs

Both of these books are comprised of many little books.

After each segment there is a craft activity or experiment, and scrapbook pages

so you can add your own pictures.

This next year I hope to do one nature study every 6 weeks.

Then in the Spring we may do a couple months just on nature studies.

We had some work done to our deck. One of the main problems with the deck was that in order to get to the bottom deck or back yard, you had to exit the deck through the carport and walk around. The only other way was through the house.

The old deck 

Another big issue was that underneath it always stayed filthy from the rains. So we really never got to enjoy this area. Any furniture would be covered with pine needles and dirt.

The addition to deck as seen from the carport.  The deck was actually enlarged to a full rectangle and then the perch was added for the stairs. I wish I had a picture of this area before.

Yes you can see the new wood and old wood. We have alot of staining to do this fall. 

The stairs. 

View from the back. We plan to cover the ground around it all with rock later.  So all the area surrounding the deck the stairs and flower beds will all be rock. (Making dirt obsolete.)  

Then I plan to plant some nice plants and fountain grasses etc. in the area. And we will bring the furniture from upstairs down under here. Oh and we will be pressure washing that chimney too.

"We "meaning my dear husband.

As you can see it is covered. So now this area will be free of rain etc. (We still have a few more sheets of this vinyl stuff to add and need to do some caulking. ) We will also be adding a gutter. So my cushions on my patio chairs will stay dry and I don't have to take them in every day.  

I'm excited about getting it all finished, getting some new furniture upstairs and

us really being able to enjoy this space. (Isn't it funny now how rooms, porches and patios are now referred to as "spaces".  I think I watch too much HGTV.

Now doesn't that back area by the brick wall just seem to be calling out for a hot tub?

I think so too..

A couple weeks ago I threw together a quick garage sell. I noticed my neighbor had stuff laid out the night before. So I did a fast scramble for a few items. I did pretty well and made $85.00 in just a few morning hours.

DD also sold a couple toy sets and made $45.00. That evening we went to Build A Bear with friends

and this is how she spent the money. An added blessing was that she has a $10.00 off coupon.

                                      It doesn't make any noise but she did get it this cool Ipod so it could listen to tunes. 

  She also bought Beremy a small friend for it. 

Here she is with all her Buid A Bears. She has the original Heart Hugs bear, then she got the Spring Blossoms Bear, and this is the Summer Rainbow Bear. She wants to get the fall and Winter bears too.

Now before you think she is really spoiled. You have to know that she sold a lot of toys to get these.

Here is what she gave up (and I no longer have cluttering up my basement.)

A Play kitchen, with alot of food, dishes and shopping cart.

A huge Doll House with all accessories.

A small doll house with people and accessories.

A My Little Pony Butterfly Island with many ponies a case and accessories.

A My LIttle Pet Shop with critters and accessories.

She still has the My Little Pony Castle with many ponies and accesssories that we

plan to advertise soon.

So all these toys/ all that room, and now just 5 little bears! I am all for it!