simple Analogy

Balloon Postcards

Carving:  Balloon

Stamping:  Watercolor paper

Punching:  Heart     Rounding:  Edges

Sending: Postcards

Research Happens

At the same time that the boys are in the middle of their yearly research papers (of which I am very much a part since I am their teacher), I'm in the middle of a research project of my own...

I'm in the planning stage of adding a little seating area in the nursery at church.  Since I don't have a pinterest account (dumb old pinterest requires a facebook/twitter account to join - I'm bitter) wanna see what I love? 

source

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And pull it all together with this.

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As you can see, this is World Market heavy!  I did all the research online to save myself time and gas then hit the brick and mortar store to "kick the tires" a little.  I could spend hours there just looking around.  So inspiring!  Of course my eyes are a little bit bigger than my budget, but hey - start with the main pieces (couch and chair) and add the rest as the budget allows.  That's my plan. 

If you sign up for their email you'll get a 10% off coupon!!!

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Oh, and just in case you need help with bibliography pages, try Bibme.  I'm tellin' ya - kid's these days have all the good stuff!

During Tebow Time

Yes, we are truly Tebow fans.  We appreciate his testimony and his athletic ability.  Sadly, our Tebow watching days are over until the football season starts up again in the fall.

While I am a fan, it's hard for me to watch hours of football.  So during the last playoff game, I brought out my sketchbook and watercolors.  I didn't have a plan... just started sketching.  

My mom was sitting on the couch behind me during the game, and it was nice to hear her comments as this painting progressed.  

She wants this one.  So since it is destined to be her Valentine's present, I subtly added a few hearts on a few petals.  Now all it needs is a mat and frame.  Oh and I guess to be official, it should have a signature.  Now if only my signature had a little more flair...

Little Bit of Randomness

Every now and then I like to read some random.  And every now and then it's fun to write some random.  So here we go...

* If you have to drop a glass bowl on the kitchen floor, it's a good idea to have it entirely filled with the cheesy contents for lasagna.  When it breaks, the glass doesn't splinter into a million pieces.  It gets weighed down under the plop of heavy cheese and stays within a reasonable radius.

* If you need more cheese for your lasagne, the Walgreens around the corner carries cottage cheese.  Just check the date!

* If you want something fun to do, try the Instagram app.  (That cute little picture up there was altered using it!)

* If your washing machine starts making sci-fi music sounding noises, I hate to tell you, but it's probably gonna need to be replaced.

*  If you want to read up on sewing with knits, Made by Rae is the place to be.  Knitereview is going on right now.

* If you want a picture of what homeschool looks like on a cold day, I'll tell you:  everyone on the couches in the living room, with mugs of hot cocoa, under blankets, learning about the War of the Roses.

* If you need a boost of vitamin C, the oranges are particularly good this year.  At least the batch I got.

*  If your iphone is looking a little drab, try this or even this!

* If you need a very sentimental gift for your sister, try cinnamon sticks.  One of my new favorites.

*If your hair stylist breaks her foot to smithereens, you can get by a couple months without a haircut by wearing your hair up or in a pony tail.  It's been a long ponytail winter!

NOOK

Continuation of last time...

I went with Barnes & Noble's Nook Simple Touch for my reader. 

Why Simple Touch?  I didn't need a fancy-schmancy-do-everything tablet.  I just wanted it for reading.

What do I like about it?

1.  Small size.  Perfect for tucking into my bag for on the go reading.

2.  Touch features.   At the time when I was making my decision on which reader to buy (October-ish), Amazon only had the old keyboard Kindle.  I definitely like the touch technology.

3.  Not backlit.  It's really easy on my eyes.  Plus they say that you sleep better if you're not looking at backlit screens before you go to bed, which is when I do a lot of reading.

4.  Lightweight.  Since I do like to read in bed, the lightness of the Nook is perfect.  My arm doesn't get tired of holding it up like a book, and I don't have to keep the pages open!!!  (Go ahead.  Say it.  "LAZY!")

5.  Convenient.  When I need another good read or the boys need a new book for school, we just search and most of the time it's there.

6.  Free books.  I like to read a lot of the classics and older books of which many are offered for free.

7.  Lower cost.  We needed to buy a book for Landon for school the other day.  Hard copy $10.  Nook version $1.  Yes, I'll share!

 8.  Support.  I can take it to a brick and mortar Barnes & Noble for any help I need.  I like that!  And their people are really friendly.

What do I wish was a little bit better?

1.  Searches.  I guess I'm just used to searching Amazon, which is super intuitive.  Barnes & Noble takes a little bit more work.

2.  Some of the older books (before 1900's) have some flaws.  When they scan the books, some of the letters and symbols get mixed up.  Sometimes a word will be misspelled or even look like gibberish.  Most of the time I am able to read through the mistakes, but there are some that are terribly flawed.  The other day I downloaded a free version of Great Expectations.  Gobbledygook!  I couldn't even read it.  [Delete]  Guess I'll buy another version later.  I understand that the book was offered for free, but you'd think they'd at least proofread them before offering them!

And there's my two cents... 

Throughout the year I'll be updating the READING tab underneath my banner, so check back often to see what's on the bookshelf!

2011 Reading List

***Warning - Really long post with no pictures!  Hee hee!***

Oh, hi there!  Totally took a little blog break there.  Christmas and New Year's was so filled with fun and family that I totally missed the "Hello 2012" rigmarole that most of the other blogs are doing right now and which you're probably tired of by now anyway.  It's good to be different, right?  So instead of jumping through that hoop, lets talk books.

Another year gone by, another list of books rated by me... 

Rating Key:   

Loved (!)   Enjoyed (*)   OK (/)    Didn't enjoy (-)   Hated (#)     

In His Steps by Charles Sheldon  (*)

Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin  (/)

Six Months to Live by Lurlene McDaniels - A blast from the past:  as in I read this when I was in junior high!  (/)  But when I was in Jr. High it was a (!!!)

Gladys Aylward:  The Little Woman by Gladys Aylward  (*)

The Case of the Dinosaur Birds by John Erickson  (*)

The Case of the Dancing Cowboy by John Erickson  (*)

Ten Boys Who Changed the World by Irene Howat  (/)

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers  (*)

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis  (*)  I listened to the audio version, but I'd recommend going hardcopy!  This is a book that engages your mind, and there were some places where I would have wanted to re-read and think about it a little before moving on.

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan  (/)

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis  (*)

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis  (*)

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott  (*)

True Devotion by Dee Henderson  (/)

The Tempest by William Shakespeare  (-)

The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Lord Tennyson  (/)

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young  (*)

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken  (*)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Anne of Windy Poplars by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Anne's House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery  (!!!!)  Love those manse children!

Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery  (!)

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation translated by Seamus Heaney  (*  believe it or not!) 

 The Bible Smuggler by Louise A. Vernon (-)

Ink on His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon  (-)

God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew  (!!!)  Couldn't put it down.

John and Betty Stam:  Missionary Martyr by Vance Christie  (*)

Stick to the Raft by Mrs. George Gladstone  (/)

Design*Sponge at Home by Grace Bonny  (!)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare  (*)

Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz  (*)

***** Move to an new era... e-reading*****

D. L. Moody A Worker In Souls  by Gamaliel Bradford  (/)

Lessons From the Life and Death of D. L. Moody by R. A. Torrey  (/)

Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French  (/)

Mystery of History Vol. 2 by Linda Lacour Hobar  (*)

How To Pray by R. A. Torrey  (/)

The Life and Times of John Wycliffe:  Morning Star of the Reformation  (*)

My Mates and I by Mrs. O. F. Walton  (/)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens  (*)

A few friends have asked me if I like e-reading as well as hard copy reading.  To tell the truth, I didn't know if I'd like it as well.  But after several months of e-reading, I can say I love it.  This post is long enough, so next time we'll talk about which reader I use, why I picked it, and why I love it.

Happy New Year!  And happy reading!

Christmas Card

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, "Fear not:  for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you;  yea shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."    -Luke 2:6-14

 

Wishing you joy this Christmas season and a happy New Year!

And This Is What I Did With My Pinecones...

Adorned my new chicken wire frame bulletin board.  LOVE IT!  (Staple chicken wire to the back of a frame with a staple gun, then put some wide foam tape over the jaggedy edges so they won't tear up your wall.)

Spruced up an old wreath whose berries are starting to loose their luster.  It'll make it through the season.

Really, I'd like to hang these all over my house, but that'll have to be next year!  It's time to bake and clean.

December Kid's Craft Along: Got Pinecones?

I bet you thought I'd forgotten about our craft along project for December.  Well no, I've just been too busy to put it together.  Usually posted on the first of the month, this one is slipping in just before Christmas.

Ok, so you have a ton of nieces and nephews that will be visiting for the holidays, and everyone is tired of decorating gingerbread houses.  What do you do to keep them busy and have fun at the same time?  Gather pinecones.  Actually if you gather some pinecones beforehand and do a little prep work, they'll be ready to roll when the kid's arrive.

Supplies:  pinecones, 18-20 gauge wire, paint, fabric or ribbon, hot glue gun, glue sticks

Approximate cost:  Less than $5

Directions:  Pinecone Swags from Family Fun

My nieces and nephews aren't going to be around for Christmas this year, so I'll be doing this with all the preschool children at church Christmas morning.  I made our ribbon (tore fabric into one inch strips) and glued the hangers onto the pinecones ahead of time.  All they have to do is paint...

Suggestions:

• Make sure children wear a paint shirt/smock over their clothes.  Acrylic paint will not wash out.
• An adult will need to do the gluing!

• Add a little glitter to your pinecone while the paint is wet for a little bit of sparkle.
• Use this idea to make individual pinecone ornaments.
• Write the year on the fabric/ribbon hanger.

• Hang these on the door, on the Christmas tree, on the stairs, in a window, on a bulletin board...  pretty much anywhere!

If you try your hand at these, I'd love to see your creations.  Upload pictures to the Kid's Craft Along Flickr group!

Gift Wrap: Ruffles Are For Girls

Since my house is dominated by everything male, I really wanted to fluff up the gifts for my mom, sister, and niece.  That means lots of ruffles!

Making ruffles is very easy!  Just follow this tutorial for machine gathered ruffles without a ruffling foot.  I tore the edges of my fabric so that it would have a little fray, then went to town making lots of ruffles.

#1  For this present, the ruffle is about 3-4 inches wide.  Layer two ruffles on top of each other that go over the top of the box and down each side about an inch.

 

Then tear two strips of fabric (unruffled) that are about 2 inches wide, fold each strip in half, and sew one of the folded edges to each end of your ruffle.  Tie around your box and add a tag backed with burlap.

#2  This next present used a long ruffle about an inch wide.  Cut a piece of felt into a circle the size you want your flower to be. 

 

Start gluing the ruffle in a circle starting on the outside edge of your felt, and working in toward the middle overlapping the ruffle edge a little.  When you get to the middle, snip the excess ruffle off and glue the edge.

#3  For this one, use lots of long ruffles. 

Using a hot glue gun to adhere the ruffles in small sections, work a scroll pattern over the top and sides of your box.  It takes a bit of time, but it turns out full of ruffly texture.

This is not a detailed tutorial, so if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments.  I'll answer them there.