a party … decorations … and graduation
June 2, 2009
Saturday was the day that we celebrated Breezy’s homeschool graduation with a graduation open house where family and friends gathered to congratulate her.
There was, of course, plenty of preparation involved. But it was all a joy to know that it was for that dear sister of mine.
{me decorating the tree by Breezy}
When the majority of the food was prepared, I had the wonderful privilege of making the decorations. The decorations were garlands of triangles and rectangles that Maggie and I hung on the branches and around the trunk of our large oak tree.
{straw around the tree}
We borrowed straw from our granny to place around the tree as extra sitting places.
{garlands in the tree by Breezy}
I believe that Saturday was the most festive our yard has ever looked. Simply charming!
{family & friends by Maggie}
There were many who visited and congratulated Breezy, both those who were near and those who were far. It was so good to fellowship with one another!
{two pretty ladies}
{around the tree}
{Momma, Breezy, & Daddy}
The Lord has greatly blessed me with such a wonderful father, mother, and sister!
Breezy, I am so thankful to have such a wonderful sister — you mean more to me than you can know! Your friendship has blessed me greatly and I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for your future, dear one! I love you!
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily,
as for the Lord rather than for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive
the reward of the inheritance.
It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Colossians 3:23-24
Funny how things change.
May 30, 2009
{Maggie & Emily Rose}
We knew it was coming, but I suppose that it has come a bit quicker than we expected.
We are growing up. Our lives are changing.
Today was Breezy’s homeschool graduation open house. It was a lovely party and I will write more about it later, as well as post pictures. In the meantime, you should read this post by my dear cousin (who I think of as my second sister).
We have a beautiful future to look forward to, but it can be hard to say farewell to the past.
The Lord is forever good and faithful. Praise His holy name!
“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.”
Psalm 113:1-4
Today’s post . . .
March 26, 2009
. . . can be read over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee!
Sarah Mae asked my sister and I to write posts about being homeschooled, and we happily obliged. We have been homeschooling for 11 years now, and they have been eleven wonderful years which we have seen the Lord’s mighty hand working in our lives and bringing us closer together as a family.
So, with no further a due, click here to read my post (title: Homeschooling is our lifestyle . . .) about of our wonderful home educating experience! By the way, my sister’s post is also featured today at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee (Momma also wrote an article which was posted yesterday).
P.S. If you’ve just arrived from Sarah Mae’s blog, you might consider joining in on snippets of my inspirations by joining here!
A FREE Gift for You!
November 17, 2008
For all those who like to plan ahead, I have made a special gift. It is also for those who may not always plan ahead, but really like cute calendars.
Monthly Calendar (2-Page Spread Layout)
The past few weeks I have been working on calendar spreads. Each month is a 2-Page spread, with a box for each date. There is a column on the left side of the left page with room for extra notes.
They will fit perfectly into a three-ring binder, especially since I left room for the holes made by the hole punch. They are made to lay side by side.
The calendars are perfect for remembering birthdays and anniversaries, writing out meal menus, and planning out your everyday life!
These calendars are download-able in two different files. One file is for November 2008 to December 2008, and the other is for January 2009 through December 2009.
I made it just in time for you to use it for your holiday planning and then for the whole next year!
Excited? Click here for information on downloading!
Photogenic Summer
September 24, 2008
At the Homeschool Post (previously named Home School Blog Awards), Jocelyn has started a meme called Homeschool Memoirs. Each Wednesday, she writes an assignment for us to post about. This week’s assignment is to post photos of your summer.
When we bought our first digtal camera, we began to take 2x more pictures than we had before with our film camera. Than we got another one – a better one – and took even more photos each week.
Now, we that we have a DSLR camera, we take even more than ever before. The nice thing about digital cameras – you can take as many as you want, and it doesn’t cost you anything. That’s the fun part. The un-fun part is when you have 500 pictures to go through every week and delete the ones you don’t need.
But it is all worth it to have all our pictures on the computer where they’re easy to find and look at.
So, below are some pictures from our summer with brief explanations beneath each one. Oh, and at top-right is a picture of a spider web with dew during a foggy morning.
Sewing . . . I began to sew a dress in the above material to make sure a pattern would work right before I used the actual material I wanted the dress made out of. I still have yet to finish the practice, let alone start the real one. Handiwork is very enjoyable to me, and it is nice to see the fruit of my labors.
Corn . . . we shucked corn. What a delightful grain it is! God is so good! He created so many delicious fruits and vegetables (though of the latter I do not enjoy very many)! We also brought in a small crop of strawberries from our strawberry patch.
Dirt . . . I gardened and took care of my sweet little chickens and hens. At this point they still need a lot of care, and I’ll have to weed them again sometime, because the babies are being overgrown with weeds. Hopefully I’ll get it done pretty soon when it gets a little cooler outside.
Mrs. Brown . . . I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the lovely Mrs. Brown at the UC&F conference in August. She was a great encouragement to me, and a godly lady. I would love to be just like her when I am her age, she is just so very sweet. Her love for her Savior and family was very apparent as we visited with her.
Crafts . . . made several. Since I did a weekly post at the HSB Backyard on crafts, I had to make one each week. Here are links to some of the crafts I made: Notebook (pictured above), Little Portrait Book, Whimsical Button Bouquet, and Memories.
Grape Jelly . . . momma made homemade grape jelly. I got to photograph the whole process. Hopefully in the upcoming week I will post about it with step-by-step instructions on how to make “vintage” style grape jelly (meaning, not FDA approved).
Bently . . . our newly acquired little furry friend. Bently Scribbles came to us in August and he is a very good little dog. He is fitting in very well now, though it was a bit difficult at first. You can read more about him here.
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And those are few of the things I have done this summer! Oh, I forgot one . . .
Church Picnics . . . and I leave you with this picture of a beautiful little sweetheart!
One Year Adventure Novel
September 10, 2008
This year we are taking an adventure. Many a time I have started a novel, and never quite made it to page three. My problem has always been that I think of a great beginning, but then I really don’t know where the story goes after that, usually too many ideas or not enough.
Since Breezy and I would both like to write an adventure novel, we purchased a program that would better help us to plan and complete our novels.
We started the curriculum last week – The One Year Adventure Novel by Daniel Schwabauer.
The author and teacher of the program is entertaining and the lessons have a great soundtrack. There are 72 lessons, and we are to do about three per week. They are not trying, and nor are they frustrating. He simply starts you at the beginning and sets up a few limitations, and uses examples from classic literature and old films. One thing he shows you is that “Boundaries inspire creativity – not hinder it.”
To prove the statement above, here are two assignments:
1. In sixty seconds, write a paragraph about anything you want.
2. In sixty seconds, write a paragraph in which the narrator describes his first blast-off in a rocket ship.
Which was easier? Most likely the one that was more specific and had boundaries in which to write about. In this way, the author gives several boundaries with which to inspire and create a believable story.
So far I am really enjoying it, and it only seems to get more interesting as it goes. I have had a difficult time coming up with the story, but I believe that I may have come up with the synopsis. If you don’t have any ideas as to what your novel will be about, Mr. Schwabauer gives several ideas for the synopsis.
Would you like to write an adventure novel? You can visit the website here, check out a couple sample lessons here, and even request a free DVD with samples here.
Are you using a new curriculum this year? You can post about it on your blog, and sign Mr. Linky here.
Daily School Schedule . . . still tweaking
September 3, 2008
Since my last post about homeschooling, our agenda has changed a bit. Some curricula have been finished, and others taken their place. Here is our daily schedule, which we are still tweaking to get all the bugs out.
AM:
7:00-8:00 : Showers
8:00-9:00 : Bible | Breakfast | PolishedCornerstones
9:00-10:15 : CopyCan | DayBook | Vocabulary | Geometry | SATQ
10:15-11:00 : OneYearAdventureNovel
11:00-11:50 : BiologyNOON:
11:50-1:15 : Lunch | CleanUpPM:
1:15-2:30 : History
2:30-evening : GraphicDesign | Photography | Music | Literature | Health
For the weekly schedule, we are using the Daily Docket (from simplemom.net). This form has a great layout and is nicely organized. If you are wondering what curricula we are using for these subjects, they should be listed in my post about our agenda.
For this coming year, I pray that it will be God glorifying, and His name praised in all that we do.
new school year
August 9, 2008
On July 28, we started the new school year. I knew I missed it, but didn’t realize how much until we started. The schedule is working pretty well. Here are the subjects that I’m studying this year:
• Polished Cornerstones
Right now we’re studying A Self-Disciplined Woman (Pro. 31:17; 1 Cor. 9:25-27; James 1:19-20).
• Geometry (Math-U-See)
This curriculum explains each lesson to where it is easily understood and enjoyed.
• Essay Intensive (Institute for Excellence in Writing)
Learning how to write an impressive essay from Andrew Pudewa.
• Biology (Apologia)
I’m hoping to get this finished by the end of the school year.
• History (Tapestry of Grace)
We are finishing up Year 4 of Tapestry and then we are going to study Year 1. It is a very thorough curriculum that covers world history, church history, literature, geography, and several other subjects.
• Health
Leftover from last year, and I should be able to finish it in a few weeks.
• HTML
Right now working on our church’s website in Dreamweaver.
• Graphic Design
Using Adobe programs: Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Violin
I’m hoping to get a new teacher this year.
• Literature
We use the list from Tapestry of Grace, the books are usually written by someone living at the time or are about the time we’re studying.
“I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.” – Psalm 119:15-16
We have now been homeschooling for 11 years. I am so very thankful to God for calling us to homeschool, it was never in our plan, but the Lord has seen fit to teach us through it and bring us closer as a family.
While living the life my Lord has blessed me with, I am at home with my family enjoying being a daughter, homemaker and artist. My highest goal is to give glory to God and enjoy Him forever. It is He that has saved me with His amazing grace and is continually molding me; to Him I owe everything. Read more . . .
