Grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit back, relax and join me and my family on our journey through homeschooling and life in general. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 3 Oct 2008 06:25:00 -0500 Fri, 3 Oct 2008 06:25:00 -0500   To visit more Show N Tell Friday posts, please head on over to Canadagirl's blog!  Just wanted to share some of the bounty I saw while vacationing with my parents in Southern California.   Here is just one of my mom's tomato plants. My mom had several varieties of tomatos to pick from.  They were so delicious.  Nothing like a homegrown tomato! One of my parents neighbors gave us some of their avocados from their tree.  I sure miss having my own avocado tree! Thes were no tiny avocados like at the store - here is one I am holding.  It was huge!  And so delilicous too! Here are some of my mom's beautiful roses that grace her front yard.  They also are as fragrant as they are gorgeous. One of the fragrances I miss most about living in California is the smell of Jasmine - what a heavenly fragrance it has! Last, but not least, is their sweet cat.  Notice that she has an extra toe on each foot.  Hence her name, Mittens. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/599332/ Fri, 3 Oct 2008 06:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/599332/   I love the seasons!  So many wonderful things to look forward to with each one.  It's funny how a switch seems to have been gone off Monday, the first day of Autumn - all of a sudden, the mornings and evenings have a chill in the air.   I can't wait for the beautiful display the trees have waiting for us in just a few weeks.  I love getting out my fall decorations of pumpkins, leaves, the scarecrow that I made and acorns galore.  Soon I'll have my new fall template up to help celebrate the season. Happy Fall! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595252/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:39:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595252/   To visit more Show N Tell Friday posts, please head on over to Canadagirl's blog!  It's blueberry picking time! My look at all those blueberries! Don't these look sumptous and tasty! What a beautiful view!  You can see why the Smoky Mountains are called by that name. We each got a bucket full! Scenes along the trail. We had a wonderful time with friends of ours who came up to go blueberry picking with us.  We were blessed with a beautiful day along with an abundance of God's bounty in blueberries.  Wonder what all we'll make with our harvest? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595235/ Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595235/ Hello Blogging World!  Where have I been?  Well, after we got back from a month long vacation visiting my parents in California (had a great time!), we immediately closed on our new home (yeah!).  We then begin painting some of the rooms and basically did a few other things, all the while moving our stuff over bit by bit.  Then came the big moving day with the help of a friend.  The hardest part of the move was taking everything down from a third floor apartment (those stairs about killed me with my already bad knees!).  During this whole process of painting and moving, I broke out with a massive case of hives - one big welt from my head to my knees.  Of course it started on a holiday weekend (Labor Day), and would really start to act up around 10:30 at night and progressively get worse by morning - no sleep for several nights, as I was to busy itching and being otherwise miserable.  Each day would get worse - I ended up in Urgent care 3 times in 4 days!   I was on quite a few medications, including Prednisone and they made me feel pretty weird too.  The hives have gone away now, thank the Lord!  We are still settling in, and now have two storage units of other furniture and stuff to move over here.  But luckily, we can take our time in doing that.   We also got off to a late start with school, so I was stressing about that too.  Wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't just starting out a new school year.  But, that's the nice thing about homeschooling - the flexibility. Hopefully, I can now get back more in the swing of things and back to my blogging.   I'll be making my rounds soon to your blogging pages, so see you soon! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595023/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/595023/ Hello Everyone!  Sorry I haven't been blogging lately - I'm still having fun on my month long vaction visiting my parents in Southern California.  I also can't put in my pictures from their computer, so will have to wait till I get back.  Hope everyone is having a great summer!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/571209/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/571209/   To visit more Show N Tell Friday posts, please head on over to Canadagirl's blog!  To celebrate all the birthdays last week, we headed to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  This was a surprise for my daughter who thought that we were going on a long hike for dad's birthday.  We even brought along backpacks to make it look legit.  Our first stop after arriving was dropping our dog off at Doggywood!  Yes, even dogs can have fun at amusement parks! They have a quaint little chapel where they actually hold church services on Sunday's. We enjoyed some great Bluegrass music.  The Kratt Brothers (Chris & Martin) from Zoboomafoo did a great entertaining show.  That is a real snake and baby zebra. We took a 5 mile train ride with a real steam engine. The next two pictures are of the Tennessee Tornado - a 70 mph ride with three big loops.  Mama stayed on the ground for this one.   A cute display using plant pots to make plant pot people. A cute sign on the old schoolhouse - times have sure changes! The old-fashioned ice cream parlor. We had a great time in the great Smokey Mountains at Dollywood!  There are many great rides - my favorite was the wooden rollercoaster, "Thunderhead" (unfortunately I was too busy enjoying it to take a picture!), many great shows, old-time craftsman and a great atmosphere! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/564271/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/564271/    For great Wordless Wednesday posts, or to participate yourself, check out Tiany's blog! My daughter and I made it to California yesterday!  Yea!  A month of fun in the sun.  Here are some pictures of the beautiful Ventura, California area. The gorgeous coast!   The Ventura Pier. I sure miss these beautiful Bouganvillia bushes - such vibrant colors! Downtown Ventura. Have a great week!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/564238/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:44:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/564238/ Check out this great new publication! Thanks to Amongst the Oaks where I saw this great idea!  Go to Flicker to make your own publication!  This was really fun to do! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/561244/ Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/561244/ For July 14, 2008 Outside my window....A beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze blowing and 70 degrees out at about 10 a.m. I am thinking....Will I get it all done this week?  We have three birthdays, and my daughter and I will be leaving next Monday to visit family for a month in California - so packing and getting everything set up for my husband while we are gone. I am thankful for....My family, my husband's job that was so long in coming and is extra precious now, that we get to visit my parents next week, and our friends. From the kitchen....Today is spaghetti and meatballs!  Wanted it kid friendly since my daughter is having a friend over tonight. I am wearing....Khaki capis, green shirt and sandals - need to be ready for the higher temps later today. I am creating....A new altered book and making an instructional e-book to go along with it.  I'll have to put it on hold during our vacation time though. I am going....to CALIFORNIA!  Next monday we leave, and it's definetly on my mind all week.  We'll be staying with my parents and I'll also get to visit my mother-in-law and friends. I am reading....Now that's a loaded answer!  I have probably six or more books I've been reading.  Here's the ones I've been reading the most - 1.  "What the Dog Did" - a funny recollection of a family's beagle exploits.  2.  "Loving God with all Your Mind" by Elizabeth George  3.  "Fat is not Your Fate" - and interesting book on weight loss taking into account that we all lose and gain for different reasons according to our body type. I am hoping....For a wonderful birthday week for all in our family - hubby, daughter and dog. I am hearing....My washing machine go "klunk de klunk de klunk".  The washer and dryer were a freebie, so no complaints really.  In fact, after dragging my laundry to the laundromat for a couple of years, I am so thankful for them, klunk do klunk or not. Around the house....All is pretty quiet (except for the washer).  Daughter is still trying to wake up. One of my favorite things....The excitement and thrill of getting ready to leave on a much anticipated vaction. A few plans for the rest of the week....Celebrate our three birthdays, wrap presents, make cards, pack, run last minute errands, make a list for my husband to follow while we are gone -  he has to take care of the dog and gerbil which he's not used to. Here is a picture thought I am sharing....My husband and my sweet daughter born 13 years ago this week.  Happy Birthday! Please go to The Simple Woman's Daybook to check out more wonderful entries! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/560562/ Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/560562/ We have quite the busy week of birthdays this week!  We will be celebrating 3 birthdays!  Hubby's, daughter's and the dog. Here's my three precious birthday ones!  Happy Birthday my loved ones! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/560533/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:45:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/560533/ This last weekend we went to our own "Hundred Acre (well, not quite) Woods" in the Appalachian Mountains.  Since we bought this property a year and a half ago, it just totally amazes me.  Last year we didn't get to experience it fully due to a late frost that killed a lot of buds, so this year has been a wonderful surprise.  Luckily we don't live far from it, so we make it out there about once a week.  God has created such wonders, and I am amazed at how our little corner of the world changes from week to week - it seems every week something new is blooming and making itself known.  For me, I feel so much more energized after being out in His creation, seeing the delights He has mastered around every corner - the thrill of seeing a deer in our woods (even though we see many, each is a delight), seeing the markings a bear has left, hearing the birds joyous chorus, finding out that we have an abundance of rasberry bushes, the view of the distant mountains, the gentle babbling of the brook, and the soft fragrant breeze.  Yes this is truly paradise, and it is indeed our "Blessing Hill". Here are a few of the delights found this last weekend. Our view of the mountains.  I never get tired of the view.  I believe this is an Eastern Box Turtle.  We saw two of these guys today.  One was digging a little hole. Some dainty and graceful Queen Anne's Lace. Some delicious blackberries!  They're not at their peak yet, but we still had a nice little snack. Some beautiful Black-Eyed Susan's. Isn't God's handiwork wonderful!  Have a blessed day! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/558141/ Tue, 8 Jul 2008 09:22:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/558141/ Check out this great new Home and Homeschool planner!  Angela at Homeschooling and Loving it is giving away a copy of the Schoolhouse Planner to one lucky recipient.   She did a great review of this product - she loved it!  This planner has everything a homemaker and homeschooling mom needs - all in one place.  So don't miss out, go over to Angela at Homeschooling and Loving it and enter the contest today. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/557502/ Mon, 7 Jul 2008 06:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/557502/ I found this fun quiz on Jenn's site. They sure got it right for me!  How about you?   You Should Live in the Country You are laid back, calm, and good at entertaining yourself. You don't need an expensive big city to keep you busy. You'll take the peaceful life over the stressful life any day of the week. Where Should You Live? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555450/ Sat, 5 Jul 2008 09:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555450/   Wow!  Check out this fantastic planner put out by our favorite TOS Schoolhouse Magazine.  This planner includes everything you will need for your homeschool year - school and home.  There isn't another planner out there like it.  They have taken all of your suggestions and ideas and compiled it into one fantastic planner, so that everything you need to plan in your life can be in one place, making your busy life a little simpler Click here to get a sneak peek!  Here is a sample of what's included: Introducing The Schoolhouse Planner~ everything you need to plan both your school and your home!   Not only is the planner digital and interactive, but in it you can expect to find: •           Calendars in various forms – yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily •           Lists of holidays and places to record special days in your family •           Planners for your homeschool – in various styles to meet your individual needs •           Pages for both long-term and short-term homeschooling goals •           Curriculum planning forms •           Evaluation forms and test score recording sheets •           A through-the-Bible in a (school) year schedule •           Forms for recording Bible memory and other memory work •           Logs for recording books read, movies and documentaries viewed, etc. •           A field trip planning form and recording log •           A sample science lab sheet and nature study sheets •           A place to record extracurricular activities •           Outside classes, co-op, and support group information and recording sheets •           Household planning forms •           Daily, weekly, and monthly household schedule charts •           Grocery, menu-planning, and food logs •           Various budget and financial planning forms •           Garden planning sheets •           An appliance and electronics inventory sheet •           Vacation planning ideas •           Address and telephone records   And more….. •           12 “homeschool must-know” items, one for each month of the year •           12 essays from some of our favorite authors in the homeschool community – you absolutely won’t want to miss these! •           24 easy main-dish recipes from some top homeschoolers around the nation •           Forms that are appropriate for preschool – graduation •           A 12-year planning form, so that you can plan your child’s school career from beginning to end! •           2-page monthly calendar with BIG blocks with lots of room for writing in details each day Click here to check it out!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555405/ Thu, 3 Jul 2008 07:24:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555405/ For great Wordless Wednesday posts, or to participate yourself, check out Tiany's blog! In honor of the 4th of July (can you believe it's already here), I've pulled out some pictures of our trip to Mount Rushmore. No picture can do this justice.  It is so much more majestic in person.  A great place to visit if you haven't ever been there. One of the highlights of this trip was meeting Don "Nick" Clifford, one of the original carvers on Mount Rushmore.  Quite a fascinating man.  I believe he's the only original worker that is still alive.  He was there signing a book he wrote about his experiences in helping to carve this masterpiece. While there we also saw this beautiful mountain goat grazing along the road.  These guys are hard to find, so we felt very blessed to come across one so unexpectedly.   Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!         http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555106/ Wed, 2 Jul 2008 06:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/555106/   To visit more Show N Tell Friday posts, please head on over to Canadagirl's blog!  I wanted to share an Altered Book project I had been working on.  An Altered Book is a hardback book that has been altered by adding collage, scrapbook papers, stickers, paint, paint accents, three-dimensional items, photographs, memorabilia, drawers and niches for treasures.  Usually it's based on a theme or event, but can be anything that you want it to be.  No rules!  Just whatever suits your fancy.  I had so much fun working on the project, that I was a little sad when it was over.  I'm already getting ready to start my next one! This is the cover of a book I made for a friend with the theme of "God's Gifts to us".  I just used an old hardback book that still had a good spine and painted the covers and added my embellishments. This is the inside front cover.  I added a little note inside the pocket that I had made, added scrapbook paper and stickers.  Here is a page with a painted background, the windows open...   To reveal a saying.   I made several niches on this page - one with the ladybug in it, one with the lavender and one with the bottle of sand. Close-up of the niche of shells and bottle of sand. The niche where I placed the lavender.   Since this book was for a friend, I made it very personal with things I knew she enjoyed and that we enjoyed together. Here I added some lace and a teacup in a tiny niche.     I copied the back of a very old postcard and included it. Here's the book looking down at the pages, notice the small drawer - it actually works.  This book is not meant to lie flat, but be filled with fun and memories making it a little pudgy. I put a key in the drawer with a little saying (not shown). Hope you have enjoyed one my latest projects.  This was one of my favorite projects to do, it was so much fun!  I'm thinking of writing an E-book with step by step instructions on how to do a project like this.  What do you think?  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/552941/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/552941/ For more great Menu Monday's, please visit Tiany's site! My daughter is back from camp - had a great time!  Got a lot done, but of course not as much as intended.  We've had a couple of great blessings from God in the past couple of weeks, and these have kept me busy also.  First blessing - God gave us a great second car.  A friend told us about it, he was originally going to buy it, and when he decided he wasn't going to buy it we jumped at the chance.  It was very inexpensive and had only 56,000 miles on it.  A 97 year old woman was moving to a retirement home and was selling everything.  It is in really good shape (just needs a couple of things done to it).  We've had only one car for several years, so it will be so nice to be able to get out a bit more and nice that we can get more involved with the many homeschooling activies around here.   The second blessing is the new home we bought.  It will be so nice to have a place of our own again.  God brought this to us as we were waiting to hear back from another place we were trying to get (it was a bankruptcy and they were taking a lot of time making decisions - it had been over a month and they still hadn't  decided to take our offer).   The one we bought was on the next street and in a better location and in perfect condition with all appliances included, not to mention almost the same price as the fixer-upper (the other one needed new floors, paint and all appliances).  God is so good! To Do: Clean out the new (to us) car Continue working on scrapbooking album Continue reading for continuing education Get ice maker fixed Continue catching up with blog friends Give dog a bath Start working on altered book Start sewing project Devotions:  Continue with The Genesis Record (study through Genesis) and reading Psalms Meals: Monday - Tacos Tuesday - Ham, potatoes, carrots Wednesday - Eat at baseball game Thursday - Walnut salad with chicken Friday - Goulash, garlic bread, salad Have a great week!   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/551556/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/551556/ Hello!   Hope you are having a great day!  I hope you like my new summer blog look.  It's not quite done yet - had a lot of internet problems while doing it yesterday and I gave up.  Hopefully I can get it all finished today.  The picture at the top was taken in Mackinac Island at a little Bed & Breakfast.  Mackinac Island, Michigan is a great summer destination - no cars allowed on the island, only horses and bicycles dot the quaint victorian streets. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/549247/ Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:15:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/549247/ For more great Menu Plan Monday's, check out Tiany's site!   My daughter is off to camp this week.  I know she will have a wonderful time.   She was so excited to go and see the friends she had met last year, plus her best friend was able to go this year.  Time for mom to get all those  long forgotten projects out and tackle them.  Here's a list of what I want to accomplish this week. Wash all the comforters Get ice maker fixed Order school books Get out sewing machine and get it working again Start altered book project Make summer themed wreath Work on scrapbook album Blog makeover for summer look Catch up with blog friends Birthday gift for friend Drop off clothes to Salvation Army Wash chair cushions Continue reading book for continuing education Wash dog Meals:  Since it's just hubby and I, we are going to eat lite this week.  Devotions:  Continue with Genesis Record and reading Psalms http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/548446/ Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:24:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/548446/ Check out Canadagirl's for more Show N Tell Friday's! I thought since a lot posted on pets last week, I would include mine this week.  After all, they are a part of the family too. Here's our little dog, Sammy - such a character.  Loves to run and play, and loves to be on a schedule.  He's a little upset that my daughter (he's really her dog) is staying up later now that it's summer.  He really likes his 9:30 bedtime.   He loves all his multitude of toys, and plays with them all.  When I put them all in a basket I have for them, he then will take each one out, one at a time, and plays with them.   Here's our gerbil, Skittles.  He's really fun to watch, and he too likes a strict schedule.  He spends his mornings cleaning and re-decorating his cage (moving piles, fluffing up his nest, sweeping, etc.).  In the evening he likes to exercise on his wheel while we are watching TV.  He usually then sleeps all through the night.  He loves his little treats and comes running when you say the word "treat". I couldn't include pets without including my precious dog Barney.  Although he is no longer with us, he was a big part of our lives.   He was just a year older than my daughter, so they grew up together.  He was very patient and tolerant of toddler ways, and he never met anyone he didn't like.  One of his favorite places to go was the vets (can you believe that).  He had to go more than the average dog because he developed epilepsy (seizures) when he was 5 years old.  He loved his stuffed animals and always had to have something in his mouth (luckily he never tore any of our stuff up).   His devotedness, love and friendliness won over everyone and he is still very much missed.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/547011/ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:51:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/blessinghill/547011/