Jun. 21, 2009 - I love Goodwill! (Look under ribbon photo for ART BLOG link!!)
My Husband and I went to Goodwill last night and this is a bag of stuff I got for $5!!! Being completely O.C.D. about deals like this... I HAD to add up the things with prices on them and came to a grand total of $90! Can you believe it?? Just the buttons alone came to about $50!
Here's my fun stash in full:
And I love when God works in little unexpected ways! My friends and I have been making CRAYON ROLLS for our kids and for some fun giveaways on our homeschool art blog, the "WEDNESDAY GALLERY" ,and you need ribbon. Well, I had everything BUT ribbon so we ended up using some bias binding and sewing it to make a fake ribbon LOL. Well, not only did God bless me with ribbon... but He blessed me with CRAYON COLORED RIBBON!!! Thank you, Lord!!
AND of all the vintage steel crochet hooks I have of my Grandmother's (and I have a LOT!) these were 2 sizes I don't have!! I also got a couple stitch holder and a sewing gauge!
And buttons!! I have buttons galore now!!! What a great thing to have around when you love to sew AND when you have kids that love to do crafts!!! OOOOH I feel so blessed! Just wanted to share!
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Jun. 10, 2009 - Homemade Pizza Recipe (topping on this one is Grilled Chicken!)
I LOVE grilling. And not only do I love to actually grill food, I love how food looks after it's been grilled...
But I like the way it looks even better on homemade pizza dough...
Yes. I know. There is pepperoni on my "Grilled Chicken Pizza". That is for my one "could be a pepperoni eating vegetarian" son. He doesn't like meats like baked chicken, cooked hamburger, etc. BUT will eat gross McDonald's nuggets and things like sausage and pepperoni. I don't get it, but I don't mind either. Even if he is one of those "kinda vegetarian" people who don't eat beans, at least I know he LOVES peanut butter. He'll survive ;-)
Anyway. I used to make homemade pizza ALL the time but then at some point I got out of the groove. Well, after our little bread making lesson here and seeing my Niece share her pizza recipe, I got encouraged again. I had her run me through her recipe the other day and I've made it twice since!
I used to make one 100% whole wheat, but I like this much better! (and it's very flexible so the amounts aren't too specific~~ she does hers a little different. I kinda took my old recipe and used some of hers)
Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Dissolve honey or sugar in 3/4 c. water. (I use a couple teaspoons of sweetness, but don't measure, just blop it in!)
Add 1 packet yeast (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) and stir and let sit to get foamy.
Preheat oven a bit so it's warm and then shut it off. At this point you can also grease your pan. I use a large cookie sheet and grease it with olive oil.
Once foamy, PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES and then add up to 1/4 cup of olive oil to the yeast mixture. (the more the better!!) Now you can add some flax seed & spices. A few T. of flax is good (or more if you want) and my Niece loves onion powder and adds a bit of that along with my favorite...garlic powder! MMM I just sprinkle some on... probably like 1/4 to 1/2 t. if you measured it) Mix 1 cup of whole wheat flour into dough. Then add white flour until it forms a nice dough. Just stir in as much as you can, put the dough on floured surface and knead in more flour until it's nice and smooth.
Place in oiled bowl and roll around to get dough all coated. Cover with damp cloth and place in warm oven for about 20 minutes.
Punch down and knead just a little then flatten out onto pan. Add whatever you want for sauce, cheese and then the toppings.
Bake for 10- 15 minutes or so. I used some really fat mozarella my Husband bought (and loaded it!), so it took closer to the 15 minutes to cook. Even after the crust was all done, the cheese wasn't as browned as I like it, but it was still GOOOOOOD!
I served it up for lunch with some organic baby carrots... perfect.
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Jun. 3, 2009 - Check out this great ART BLOG!!!
My friend, Shipra, came up with a great idea for homeschoolers all over! She started the "Wednesday Gallery ~ an inspired artblog" and I'd like you to please help me to get the word out!
Each week there is a new word, which is to be used for inspiration, and the kids need to use their thinkers and get artsy!
This week's word is:
The new word is posted on Wednesdays along with the prior week's photos! One photo per child is submitted to shiprapanosian@gmail.com by Tuesday evening, along with the child's age, their "title" for their project, and art resources used to make the project. Feel free to also send links to any websites you may have used to get creative ideas!
Last week's word was "ROCK" and my kids had SO much fun deciding what they would do and then it was fun to see what they would name their final art photo! As soon as their photos were posted to the blog, they were SO excited to see them along with all of the other children's entries!!
Here are my oldest three children's entries:
"A" (age:6.5)
"Tiger Rock"
paint on a rock.
"Z" (age:8)
"rocks ROCK!"
she spelled "rock" with rocks, including her birthstone, amethyst.
and "C" (age:12)
"Rock Mountain"
photography and rocks from his art collection including flint and quartz.
This coming week there will be a contest and all photo entries for next Wednesday's post will be eligible to win! I don't think the contest has been posted yet, but know that if your child enters a photo for the blog, they will get a chance to win a prize! As a moderator of the group, I will be aiding with Shipra to offer other different contests here and there for fun!
Hope to see you at: (clickable photo)
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Jun. 2, 2009 - What are YOUR kids thinking about?
And not only what are they THINKING about . . . but what words do you hear coming out of their mouths due to their thoughts?? I know that the bible tells me that all children are foolish . . . but many of the things my children have done are a direct result of things we have allowed them to view; therefore putting negative thoughts into their heads.
Philippians 4:8 is the "whatsoever things" verse :) It is saying that "whatsoever things are" . . . "true", "honest", "just", "pure", "lovely", "of good report" and "if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things".
Again I ask you . . . "what are YOUR kids thinking about?" If you asked ME the same question, it would be tough for me to answer you without feeling horrible. Although I train my children up in the Lord & discipline them biblically,
I have had big struggles with what tends to come out of their mouths! I know to SOME people they may just view my children as "typical kids" with potty mouths, but I know for SURE that much of what I hear them say that is inappropriate comes from shows we have allowed them to view.
I have really been taking the verse from Philippians and analyzing some of the shows we've allowed in our home. To take it a step further (and to add to my guilt!!!!) I decided to search for many of the shows on "Plugged In" and view some of the crude language spoken in the movies.
After reading SOME of the things that are in these movies (ALL of which my children have viewed over the last few years) NOW I have a good knowledge as to why my kids have a hard time NOT saying "butt", "stupid", "idiot" etc.
Madagascar:
“Well, this sucks.” and “Your teeth are in my butt!”
Madagascar 2:
My kids get that song in their head "I like to move it move it, I like to shake it shake it" and move their bodies innappropriately when singing it!!
Night at the Museum:
"oh, thit." , There's one "a--", "dang" and "freakin",
Ice Age 2 - The Meltdown:
"A--" gets trotted out three times—in reference to a wild donkey, a mother exclaims "d--n!" while looking at—you guessed it—a natural dam made of ice, "stupid," "idiot," "moron", "crap," "butt"; talk of "pee" and vomit, and "shut up".
Cars:
"you idiot," "you fool" and "you moron."
Open Season:
"Butt" is said a few times. "Crap," "pee," "dang," "crud" and other mild but imitable words are also tossed in, along with lots of name-calling ("knuckle-dragger," "tree-hugger," "freak," "idiot," "smelliot," "whack-job," "loser").
Ratatouille: (listed on Netflix as ages 5-7)
"Shut up" and a smattering of mild insults ("idiot," "garbage boy")
Kung Fu Panda:
"idiot." , "fat butt, flabby arms and a ridiculous belly." , "I sucked more than ... anyone in the history of sucking."
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
"idiot," "jerk," "loser," "retard," "porker" and "stupid."
Shrek 2 and Shrek the third:
“Butt” is used a number of times, Puss In Boots calls Donkey an “ass”
Lobbed insults include "dork," "loser," "freak," "stupid," idiot," "fool," "moron" and "twit."
Nanny McPhee:
"Bum," "Bosoms," "Poop" and "Oglington Fartworthy", "shut up."
Toy Story and Toy Story 2:
"idiot," "stupid," "bozo," "dirt bag" and "creep"
"idiot" and "moron."
Spy Kids & Spy Kids 2
"Oh, shiitake mushrooms"
another "shiitake mushrooms" , "You are so full of shiitake mushrooms." "my butt," "poop," "kick his butt"
OK... I'll come out of the big hole I just dug to throw myself into and tell you what we plan on doing about this!
NO more shows or books will be allowed into our home that don't pass the Philippians4:8 test! Since we have a lot of videos and a gazillion books, it will take me a while to weed through them, but our goal is to only allow the kids to watch and read books that are truthful, innocently pure, teach a lesson, etc.
My oldest daughter, age 8, wrote a little story, the other day, on this long scroll of paper. To make a LONG story short, the title was "The Poop Boat". LOL Although I have laughed at how silly she is in her foolishness, I have also felt horrible that this has been allowed without seriously looking into how to stop it!
My middle son has quite a potty mouth too at times. He and my daughter get cracking up laughing over "butt" this and "butt" that and "poop" talk and all that "LOVELY" stuff.
My oldest child isn't as bad with potty talk, but I've heard some "stupid"s and name calling quite a bit.
My younger ones, of course, follow along with their older siblings. I just heard my little 3.5 year old earlier saying "you a butt crack". ARGH!!! Sometimes I can't believe it!! I know some children say a lot worse, but in our home, those are swear words! I hear my youngest daughter every now and then singing "I like to shake it, shake it" and then she'll shake her little behind and I have to tell her it is NOT appropriate!
Are you seeing a pattern here??? Although they WILL hear it from other kids, I just KNOW we are to blame for much of what they have on their minds, especially reading the things in the movies listed above!
Well, today I let the 2 little kids pick out a book to read before their nap. One of the books was "Alexander and the Wind-up Mouse". The book is about a mouse that sees a toy mouse and wishes it was a toy. The story ends up being about a lizard with powers that can turn you into whatever you wish as long as you have a purple pebble. In the end, the lizard turns the toy mouse into a real mouse. Through the book I saw the confusion especially in my youngest. He asked "do they really talk?" and "is he gonna be a real mouse?" and things like that. I even found myself skipping the word "magic" when it spoke about the lizard. After the book was done I said, "do you think that can really happen?" and they said "no" so I explained how silly the book was because no one but God has any power to change anything. That book is in the trash. Why donate it if it's not something I would want ANY kids to read. If other parents allow it, then they can just go and seek out the book themselves. I feel better just tossing it! If it's GARBAGE then it belongs IN the garbage!
OK...I'm stepping off my soap box now. I challenge you to read the verse and pray about what you let into your children's minds! God is so awesome!! I love it when His word speaks to my heart and I am willing to do His will. I know this is an area I have been stubborn about for a LONG time!
~~~ Thanks for letting me share a bit about my life and walk with my Lord!
:) Bridget
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Jun. 2, 2009 - Free Baby Footprint Dishcloth Pattern
This baby footprint dishcloth pattern was inspired by my love for my friend, Katherine, and her 4th daughter who was born and left to be with the Lord on the same day. Sweet Ophelia is in Jesus' arms, along with 3 of my babies who also went to be with the Lord before I could get to know them. I look forward to the day I get to meet them all!
"OPHELIA"
A dishcloth with sweet, delicate baby footprints in memory of a sweet, delicate little girl.
Ophelia Nichols went to be with Jesus on June 6, 2007.
Materials needed:
Cotton yarn, size 6 knitting needles, scissors, tapestry needle for weaving in ends.
Cast on 41 stitches.
Rows 1-4: (K1, P1) across to last stitch, K1.
Row 5: K1, P1, K to last 2, P1, K1.
Row 6: (and ALL even numbered rows including row 56) K1, P1, K1, P to last 3, K1, P1, K1.
Rows 7 & 9: K1, P1, K4, P29, K4, P1, K1.
Row 11: K1, P1, K4, P2, K25, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 13: K1, P1, K4, P2, K14, P2, K1, P1, K7, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 15: K1, P1, K4, P2, K14, P2, (K1, P1) x2, K5, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 17: K1, P1, K4, P2, K7, P1, K1, P2, K8, P1, K1, P1, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 19: K1, P1, K4, P2, K5, (P1, K1) x2, P2, K3, P5, K2, P1, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 21: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P1, K1, P1, K8, P6, K2, P1, K2, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 23: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P1, K2, P5, K3, P7, K1, P1, K2, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 25: K1, P1, K4, P2, K2, P1, K2, P6, K3, P9, K2, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 27: K1, P1, K4, P2, K2, P1, K1, P7, K4, P8, K2, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 29: K1, P1, K4, P2, K2, P9, K5, P6, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 31: K1, P1, K4, P2, K2, P8, K7, P5, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 33: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P6, K8, P5, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 35: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P5, K9, P5, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 37: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P5, K8, P6, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 39: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P5, K7, P7, K3, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 41: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P6, K7, P5, K4, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 43: K1, P1, K4, P2, K3, P7, K7, P3, K5, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 45: K1, P1, K4, P2, K4, P5, K16, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 47: K1, P1, K4, P2, K5, P3, K17, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Row 49: K1, P1, K4, P2, K25, P2, K4, P1, K1.
Rows 51 & 53: K1, P1, K4, P29, K4, P1, K1.
Row 55: K1, P1, knit to last 2, P1, K1.
Rows 57-60: (K1, P1) across to last stitch, K1.
Bind off.
© May 2009 Bridget Mckenzie
Please feel free to contact me with any questions about my pattern and PLEASE send me photos if you make my pattern so I can post them on my blog!! Thanks!!
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