The Baby Boy Quilt

 So here it is, very patriotic!  The babe's father served in the Navy so my honey thought a patriotic theme would be nice.  I was worried about it being too busy but I think the red border calmed it down.

 

 You can see the backing in this photo.   I tied the quilt with a star machine stitch.  I don't hand tie anymore, too tedious.  I used blue embroidery thread for the top and bobbin thread.

Whenever I make my own design I end up messing up the corners.  See how I cut off the tips when I sewed the border on?  I need to remember to look up how to calculate the triangles so I don't do that next time.

I think I'm going to go with a simpler quilt for the baby girl.  Just squares and not set on point.  I might start cutting it out today. 

Whining

I don't want to blog.  I have blogger's block,(Oh, wait, there's a comma and more commas) or I'm just lazy.  I finished one baby quilt so I will post pictures after it comes out of the drier.  I don't want to start cutting the other quilt out!  I'm sleepy.

My husband has been working weekends which means I have been getting a lot done around the house but now I'm feeling burn out.  I'm trying to take it easy today.  I haven't accomplished much at all.  I may go watch a movie or read a book.  I wish I could find something interesting to write about.

I fear my blog is going to be taken over by homeschooling.  Our homeschool is fairly boring so I don't really want that to happen.  My garden is uninspiring right now so I don't want to write about that either.

My photo folder is messed up and I can't remember how to fix it.  It doesn't show thumbnails of pictures anymore just a stupid orange flower for every picture.  I've had this problem before and my husband(who usually knows all things computer) didn't know how to fix it so I have to find the solution somewhere deep inside the murky mass of my brain.  I think I need more chocolate!

I have written this whole post without one comma.  I don't like commas.  I doubt my ability to use them properly so I try to avoid them.  I'm sure I make many grave comma errors.  I really should look into a solution to this problem.  I'm supposed to be able to teach my children to write!

Whenever I spell check, the word homeschool comes out as wrong.  Get with it world!  We can spell homeschool anyway we want to 'cause we made it up!

And that is the end of this whining silly session.  Quilt photos to come soon, I hope!

52 Books Week 44

60. Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter.  I didn't like this one very much.  I have one more of her books but I don't know if I'll read it.

61. Michelangelo Life, Letters and Poetry selected and translated by George Bull

62. From Bondage to Freedom by Emma Leslie.  Liked, review coming in late September.

63. Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz.  I'm a dork, I like to read, I liked this book and it made me laugh a few times.

From Our Homeschool This Week: Schedule

I thought I would share our basic schedule with you this week.  So here goes.

Wake up 7-7:30ish(I am not a morning person and this is early for me)
B-fast, quick pick up

8:30(if we are on time) walk for 15-20 minutes.  We visit the horses down the street or go by the acequia to throw rocks in the water and visit the puppies on the way home. 

9-12 School
Nathan, Hannah, and Elijah each babysit for one hour instead of school in the morning. 
Here is how our time works out for the 10, 8, and 6 year olds.
Flashcards 30 mins, spelling 15 mins, quiet reading 30+ mins, Handwriting, grammar or writing, and notebook page fills in the rest of the time.

12-1:30 Lunch break
We make lunch, eat and then go outside 'till 1:30.  I work on the garden they mostly play.

1:30-2:00 or 3:00 School/David naps
Another session of flashcards, quiet reading, and I read to them.  Weds we do a drawing lesson instead.

3:30 Snack time

End of school 'till dinner, which happens around 5:30/6, they play, do chores, clean up their bedrooms and their areas. 

I read, blog, write, sew, exercise, work on chores, start dinner, work outside. 

Dinner

After dinner is more play, chores, and general relaxing.  In the cooler months I have them read again for another 30 minutes.  Sometimes they will get to watch a movie or TV show. 

8:30 Bedtime for the child peeps.

9:30 Hopefully I am in bed getting ready to go to sleep. 

I'm sorry about the lack of pictures.  I haven't taken that many this month. 

Late August Garden

I've been cleaning out the plants that weren't doing well and planting the empty spaces with winter crops.  Most of my tomatoes are gone.  They weren't producing and had started drying up.

I'm not going to be planting the winter garden area this year.  We weren't able to get topsoil in time.  I am planting taller plants around the edges of the regular garden with shorter things in between so I can put plastic over the top to protect the veggies when it gets cold.

I harvested some beets and carrots which I fermented to eat later.  I froze some of the carrot tops to throw in soups.  The guinea pigs got the beet greens and the rest of the carrot tops.

We found about 10 ears of corn to cook and eat.  I have been drying herbs to save for the winter.

We have a new batch of chicks.  They hatched about two weeks ago.

We made a little pen in the chicken yard to keep them all together until they are bigger.  After they have moved into the coop with the other chickens I am going to lock the rooster up in the pen.

Our poor hens have bare backs and I would like their feathers to grow back before winter.

After the hens look better I will let him visit them once in awhile. 

I am looking forward to the cooler weather of fall when I will be able to get more outside work done.

How is your garden doing?

Isn't Homeschooling Expensive?

No, not really, unless you want it to be.  Look at how people were taught in the past.  They had books, paper, and something to write with.  That's all you really need.  Have a library near by?  You don't even have to buy books!

Here are some ways we afford our homeschool-

*Break down the cost over a few years.  You don't have to buy everything at once!  Just start with the basics and add the extras later.

*Add what you need as you need it throughout the year instead of making one huge purchase in August.  You may even realize you don't need everything you had on your list.

*Buy great books from thrift stores, used on amazon, join paperbackswap, shop library sales, and garage sales.

*Use ebay for things like Saxon math.

*Put needs and extras on your Christmas and Birthday lists.

*Find a sponsor.  I like to remind the children of who bought them something when they get to use it.

*Put the word out.  You'd be amazed at some of the things people want to find a good home for.

*Use the library.  We spent very little money the first year I started using my own version of a Charlotte Mason curriculum.  I bought a guide book to help me choose books on different topics and then checked them out from the library.  We read together, the boys narrated, and kept notebooks for each subject. 

So for a bare bones curriculum you would need-
*Library card
*Math program
*Paper and pencils

Use your imagination and focus on the 3R's. 

To read other ideas visit the Blog Cruise.

Free Online Resources

Swagbucks- How I'm Earning Money For Our Homeschool

 Click here to join.

Anyone want to help me out and join swag bucks?  Please click above to get started and then we can both search and win.

I use my swagbucks to buy $5.00 amazon gift cards which I then use to buy books and extras for our homeschool.  If you search the web through the swagbucks search bar each day your swagbucks will add up quickly.  You can also take a poll every day for one swag buck and if you sign up for the trusted surveys you will win 1-10 bucks just for checking your survey page.  I usually search in the morning when I turn the computer on, at lunch break, and in the afternoon and win each time.  When people sign up through your link you will earn swagbucks each time they search and win and then the points really add up. 

Make sure you download the search bar and sign in to use it!  You can stay logged in.  Then when you want to search click on ways to earn and then choose search and you will start winning swagbucks.  

Last month I redeemed five gift cards to buy drawing supplies for my students.  And the month before that I bought a reference book that we needed for world history.  It does work!  There are many other prizes you can claim besides gift cards, so check it out. 


If you have any questions please ask in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them.  Thanks!

Schoolhouse Expo, Register Now!

It's back to homeschool time and registration is open for the online Schoolhouse Expo, October 4-8. It's five days of top homeschool speakers, fellowship, and fun door prizes.

Save $5 per ticket! Register between August 16 and midnight August 22, and you'll pay only $19.99. Plus you'll receive over $200 in free E-Books.

You'll be inspired by speakers including: Zan Tyler, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright,Carol Barnier, Diana Waring, Todd Wilson, Davis Carman, Kim Kautzer, Lee Binz, and many more!

A special teen track is planned--the entire family will definitely want to listen to these special sessions. We've also planned a special focus on a topic that touches every homeschool--writing. Plus, an array of other topics that will inform and inspire you throughout your homeschooling years.

Don't forget, MP3 copies of each session comes with your LIVE event ticket.

Two special preconference shows on August 24 and September 21 with Dr. 
Jay Wile, Jeannie Fulbright, and Kim Kautzer!

Register starting 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 16.

The theme this fall is "Celebrate Homeschooling!" We're going to celebrate the unique blessings of homeschooling, the beginning of another school year, our families, and the freedom to tailor our children's education to best meet their needs.

If you cannot make the Live event,  then the October Expo To Go is just your ticket! You'll reserve MP3s from all of the workshops. This week only, pay just $14.95!

You can visit either of these links to get more information.
http://www.SchoolhouseExpo.com
or
http://bit.ly/aWHFiL

*I am receiving the expo to go in exchange for this ad.*

Book Review: Captured By Grace by Dr. David Jeremiah

Captured By Grace, No One Is Beyond the Reach of a Loving God by Dr. David Jeremiah

This book describes the similar journeys Paul and John Newton took to become believers and how dramatically their lives were changed when they began to serve God.  Dr. David Jeremiah takes you step by step through the journey from salvation to the end of life and how grace changes you along the way.  Each chapter has a Moments of Grace section which gives you homework to help you live out what you have just learned.

Chapter 5 The Comforting Provision of Grace was my favorite chapter.  It teaches you about Romans 5:1-11, explaining the seven wonders of grace.  He gives you a visual cue for each wonder to help you remember it.  For example, the picture for Romans 5:11, we also rejoice in God, is a trumpet.

This book brought comfort to my soul and showed me some changes I need to make in my walk with Christ.  This is definitely a read again and again book!

I would recommend this journey to and through grace for the newest believer, the long time believer and everyone in between.  I didn't have much of an understanding of what grace was and didn't even know what I was missing until I read this book. 

Some of the key points that I took from this book are:

*I should focus more on what I have in Jesus instead of what I don't have.

*We stand in grace, nothing can separate us from God's love.

*We celebrate the future we have in Christ.

*Through trials we are transformed into the image of Christ.

*We go from tribulation to perseverance to character to hope.

Overall this was an uplifting and insightful book to read.

I received a free copy of this book to review from Book sneeze and the opinion I shared is my own.

TOS Schoolhouse Planner: The Mother of All Planners!

Are you tired of wasting time looking for just the right homeschool form?  Do you spend hours online searching?  Have you ever searched through all of the planners at the teacher supply store only to find one or two forms in each book that you like and need?  Have you had to resort to making your own forms on the computer?

Well, no more!  The mother of all homeschool planners is here to save you time and money!  It has almost any form you could think of for your school or home.  Need a daily schedule, high school course of study form, or even a convention planner?  It's in there!  Would you like a chore chart for the kids with pictures to show your non-readers what to do?  You got it!  Plan a vacation, keep track of your pet's health, and map out your garden with this awesome planner.  Just as you don't stop homeschooling when you leave the schoolroom or dining table this planner doesn't stop working 'till you've organized every area of your life!

A special section is included with every planner.  It has articles, info sheets, and recipes to try for every month of the year to keep you motivated and full of fresh new ideas.  It will give you that extra spring in your step each month to help you do your best.

TOS Schoolhouse Planner at 614 pages truly is the mother of all planners, a planner for your school and your house!

To buy from TOS Magazine's Schoolhouse Store:

E-Book The 2010 Schoolhouse planner $39.00

The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner on CD $44.00

***Receive 12 free e-books with purchase through August 15th***

#Disclaimer#
As an independent contractor for the TOS Homeschool Crew I received the planner to use.  This is an advertisement written for the Old Schoolhouse which is also an entry in an ad writing competition. 
*And, yes, I really do love this planner!*

52 Books Week 42

58. The Best of the Old Farmer's Almanac, the First 200 Years edited by Judson Hale

59. Captured by Grace by Dr. David Jeremiah

Chatter

This is one of my favorite baby photos ever.  This is David, he is almost two now.  He is my last baby(our plan, but you know how that works) and greatest frowner. I wish I could pick that little baby up and kiss his chunky cheeks and wipe those milk bubbles away.  Mmm, babies are yummy!

I realized the other day that I've been teaching our homeschool for almost 14 years and I have at least 14 years to go!  I didn't realize when we started this journey that I would make a career out of it!  Who knew that we would have 8 children. 

I'm surprised that I'm not more annoyed by the thief who stole my hubby's laptop.  My husband is taking college classes online so that is why he has the laptop.  Thankfully, he is on the last few weeks of his last class.  Well, then he has to CLEP out of a few more so he'll probably need to use the computer to study.  That means I'll have to SHARE "my" computer.  This could get interesting. 

We have a second fridge to store our food since we are a family of 10 and one fridge isn't enough.  Well, guess what, the second fridge decided to die today.  Isn't that typical?  The good news is that the thing is from the 80s at the earliest so our electric bill should go down.  The bad news is that we will have to buy another fridge.  The more frugal we try to be the more things come up to block us from that path!  I'm not complaining.  I know way worse things could have happened. 

I will say that I am happy I have been reading a book for review this week as it has helped me to stay focused on what is most important.  It is "Captured by Grace".  I am really enjoying this book and learning a lot.  I will be sharing a review soon.

My husband has to work at his second job this weekend so I'm going to try to get a baby quilt sewn for the next door neighbor's new baby girl.  I think I'm going to go crazy with lots of pink, purple, and soft colors.  I'll show you pics if I get it finished.  It will probably just be simple squares and I will tie it instead of quilting.  I don't know how to machine quilt and quilting by hand takes too long so I always tie baby quilts. 

TTFN! 

Grrrrr!!!!!

Someone broke into my husband's truck this morning and stole his laptop and backpack which had his cell phone, wallet, etc inside.  Oh, and the thief was polite enough to break the window for us.  My husband just started a second job to supplement our income and he was at that second job when it happened.  This is the second laptop to be stolen from him.  He says he will not buy another one.  The guy was caught on the surveillance tape so hopefully he will be caught.  We are waiting for word from our insurance on whether or not they will cover what was stolen.  One step forward and a big leap back! 

State Of The Homeschool: Free Resources We Use

As promised I will give you links to some of the freebies we use for our homeschool.

*Learning games:
A website(owl and mouse) with games to help your children learn their states and capitals.  They also have other games and resources so check out the home page.

Spellingcity.com.  This website lets you type in a spelling list for your child to learn and then it teaches them, lets them play games with the words and tests their comprehension.

Name the presidents game.  We were addicted to this one for awhile.  They have other games also but you will probably want to preview them for your students.

*Free curriculum:
Ambleside online.  This is a Charlotte Mason based curriculum.  They have plans for each year with links to free resources.  I like to look for good books here.

An Old Fashioned Education.  She has weekly plans ready to go and almost everything she uses is available for free on the web.  There are lots of great resources here for any subject you are teaching.  She has a list of topics down the left side of the website.  I found many interesting books for my own personal reading. 

*Planning:
Donna Young.  Lots of free resources here, not just planners.

*Grammar:
KISS.  This one takes a bit of reading to figure out.  It has free workbooks to print out with directions on how to teach grammar.

*Nature study.  Anna Comstock's "Handbook" is available free to download.  I bought this book back in the 90s and have been using it off and on since.  It is a great resource if you are keeping nature journals with your students.

*Math
Worksheets. 

*High school resources:
World History.

SAT vocabulary.  This site has word lists for middle school through high school.  Each unit has several tests for the student to take to learn the words.

Practice tests.  Free tests to help your students prepare for the SAT, ACT, etc.

That's it for now.  If I find anything else that we really like I will share it with you.

Not Back To School Blog Hop: Schoolroom Week

Well, since I finally have a schoolroom I thought I would participate in the blog hop.  Click below to visit other bloggers in their schoolrooms/schoolplaces.
 

If you want to see our room in better detail click here.  These are pics of our room in use.

This is the office which is used for computer work.  It's really the dining room but you know my family of 10 wouldn't be able to fit in here for dinner.  We are slooooowwwwwlllllyyyyy renovating our home so ignore some of the funkiness, please.

So here's the computer desk.  Elijah is helping me with a review by checking out spellingcity.com.  We have a tape player in here so the little ones can listen to music while we are working.

I store some of our materials in this dresser.  It has all of our drawing supplies on top for easy access.  Hopefully the baby will not realize what is up there or I may have to move them!

And now I've turned the corner into the schoolroom.  I'm sharing my desk with my first grader until we find a school desk for her.  You can see Nathan back there by the map, that is our junior high.  Um, excuse my camera angle.

Hannah is working on flashcards at her desk.  Elijah moved his desk way over to the other side of the room so he could stay out of trouble.  Each child has a shelf in the bookcase to store their books.  I only have the things we need right now in here so we can stay organized.  I have a big bookcase in the entry and that is where we keep all of our other books. 

And that is it.  Well, actually, the high school is in the dining room, boys' bedroom and the living room.  And the preschooler and toddler are missing because it was nap time.  Thanks for visiting!

Onion Harvest

I went out to harvest the onions after lunch and some of the children helped. 

They had a lot of fun pulling the onions up.

David didn't understand that we were only pulling onions and started going for the tomatoes.

Here's the pile before I put them in the carport where the dog can't get to them.

David went to check out the grapes and wanted me to take a picture of one.  He's not supposed to be eating them yet but it is difficult to make him understand that.

Show me the onions!

I'm so happy to have some kind of harvest!  I picked enough green beans a few nights ago for one person to enjoy.  I've been pulling up weeds, allysum, and dying tomatoes to make room for our fall crops.  I hope to begin planting tomorrow. 

52 Books Week 41

That's my oldest daughter when she was almost two and a half.  Isn't she cute?  I want to take her back in time for a few hours.

I finished one whole book this week.  I'm almost finished with one or two other books but didn't make it in time. 

57. Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang book review and free first chapter

Isa loves Edward.  She sneaks back into Belgium in 1916 during WWI to try to convince him and his family to flee to safety with her.  Edward refuses to leave so Isa decides to stay.  She helps him work on an underground newspaper which brings hope to the citizens of German occupied Brussels.

Isa has loved Edward since she was a little girl.  His mother often took care of her while her wealthy parents were busy traveling and entertaining and loves her as her own.  Isa wants Edward to see her as the young lady she has grown into and to return her love.  When things get rough she stands strong through her faith in God.

This book was an interesting mix of romance, World War I history, and Christian principles.  I enjoyed reading it.  You are taken through the faith walks of four very different characters in the book.  It always amazes me to see how we can draw our strength from God to face unbelievable situations.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and the opinions I express are my own.
 
Free First Chapter to Enjoy

State Of The Homeschool: Toddler Time

My toddler has been into everything lately.  He is also very loud and distracting in the schoolroom.  Tuesday I decided we needed to keep him out of the schoolroom during the morning.  I remembered something Mr. Robinson wrote about in his course of study.  He had the older children take turns babysitting the youngest child while everyone else worked.  So that is what we are doing.  My 12, 10, and 8 year old children will each have one hour to play with him while everyone else is working.  This is working out really well so far.  The baby seems happier also! 

He is not a toddler but my sixteen year old will not be going back to NMMI this year so I have another High School student.  He will be following almost the same plan for his junior year as his older brother is using for his senior year. 

Next week I will get the free resources that I use for school linked up!

Summer And Winter Garden News

I think I'll just combine the weekly updates on the summer and winter gardens for now.  I'm not sure if my new winter area will be ready for winter planting so I might just use the big garden as I pull out the old plants.  We spread some unfinished compost over the sand in the winter garden.  When we get some topsoil we will cover the compost with that and then plant.  I'm thinking about starting some of the winter seeds inside and then planting them out when we have more room. 

I need to prune this crepe myrtle into a better shape.  I want it to be shorter and rounder.  The pink blossoms fall from the tree onto the grass and remind me of a fiesta. 

I wanted to show you a picture of my morning glory arbor but it is still two pillars of pink standing next to the sidewalk. 

I am officially giving you permission to let weeds grow in your garden.  Weeds are better for your soil than leaving it bare. The roots will loosen and add fertility to the soil. 

You should try to pull them or mow them down before they go to seed.  You don't want all of those seeds to spread out and rest 'till next year when they will give you a huge crop of new weeds.  I let some of the weeds grow and then harvest them for the chickens.

The flowers in the pictures above are allysum.  I like to use this plant as a ground cover in sunny areas.  They help to improve the soil and are easy to pull up when you don't want them anymore.  After I pull them I shake the plants over any spots where I want new plants.  They don't need anything more than some water to sprout and the seeds you spread in the fall will sprout in the spring. 

See my pathetic petunia?  Every flower that opens is quickly eaten by something.  Oh, well, at least that is the only thing being eaten out there. 

So how does your garden grow?  I think of that rhyme at least once a week when I am out gardening.  I feel so contrary sometimes and I love to garden, but my name is not Mary.  If it was I would be worried!

One Of Our Favorite Places To Eat

I wanted to treat the children to some fun while sticking to our strict budget.  So early in the day I had them help me make some potato salad and carrot salad.  Then we started a fire and roasted hot dogs. 

We invited the piggies to join us.  They enjoyed their super fresh meal of grass.  They are under the dish racks from our broken dishwasher.  This seemed like a great way to keep them safe outside until we realized they could squeeze through the bars. 

Our indoor kitty was outside like usual so he joined us.  I don't think he was very happy that we didn't share a hot dog with him.

It had been a hot day but as we sat down to eat it started to sprinkle and that was just enough to cool us off.  We made it through dinner and roasted peeps for dessert before the rain started falling hard enough for us to go inside.

It was a nice end to our week.