I'm Here!

I haven't posted in several days because my daughter and I have both been battling illness.  I hope to have the CountryMart match-ups posted this afternoon sometime.  Thanks for your patience!!!

Think Big ~ Start Small

There's nothing like seeing the project you've developed take wings and fly.  It's even more blissful when it's your own child who is soaring! 

As I announced in this post, we now have two bloggers living in our household.  My daughter launched her first blog, ContinuousDelights, about four months ago, and it was an instant success.  Her blog design and site traffic alone have proven that she has the ability to make connections and influence readers.  She now regularly participates in blog tours for several authors and successful publishing houses!

Blogging about Christian fiction, writing book reviews, and hosting book giveaways has brought Carman such joy that, a few weeks ago, after a moment of inspiration, she introduced her second blog, ChristianBookGiveaways, which will soon surpass the original blog in both readers and site traffic!

As an educator, it is my desire to inspire my daughter to find her voice and blog from her heart. In under four months, my daughter has achieved a level of success that I have not accomplished in almost two years of blogging! I have passed the baton, and she has run with it!

I'm overwhelmed at the maturity and diligence she has shown in launching and maintaining her websites, but I also realize that I have taken her about as far as I have knowledge.  She needs a better teacher!

To that end, I'm excited to announce that, because they believe in inspiring people to Think Big,  Steaz Tea is hosting a contest through Facebook, in which one lucky winner will be chosen to receive a free conference pass to Blissdom'10 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

As the Blissdom website explains:

Blissdom is the premiere conference for women who find and express their bliss by publishing online. Blissdom ‘10, our third conference, is a welcoming oasis in the ever-changing blogging world. Speakers and panels featuring the best blogging, public relations and social media pros will be gathering to mentor new and old friends alike.

Attending Blissdom would empower her with the tools and education needed to take that next step on the path to making her vision a success, and inspire creativity to dream what is impossible and then take the steps to see that vision become reality.  To attend the conference together would be such an honor!

Like the founders of the Blissdom event, Steaz Tea understands that using creativity, direction and passion big dreams can be achieved!

 We're dreaming big here, and making good plans!

We hope to be blogging from Nashville in about a month!  In the meantime, if you're a blogger who wants to enter the contest, here's the link for contest info, but you need to hurry because the entry deadline is January 7, 2010.

Finishing Strong

The year's end is approaching quickly.  I recently attended two seminars (which accounts for my lack of posting!) and in both, I have been inspired to both start new projects and to finish current ones.  My goals for this week are to continue my posts on the homeschool classroom, to begin my Finishing List for 2009 and to begin my preparations for the holidays.

Looking over the calendar, the next few weeks will be very busy, and now more than ever, it will be important to be organized and prepared for what is ahead.  Otherwise, I will not make any traction.

Rather than enter this hectic time of year in a state of panic, I am choosing the ways of peace.  I refuse to jump on the wheel with all the rats in their own race!  Instead, I will run the race, with patience, that He has set before me, for I am looking unto Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of my faith.  (See, finishing is of Him!)

I am committed to continue schooling on a daily basis, even when "life" wants to creep in and push school work to the side.  I know it must be done.  We are making good progress and will complete what our hands have found to do.

I will take the time to prepare nourishing, hot, homemade meals for my family and we will eat them at the family altar, the dinner table.  I will spend time doing that which I enjoy, and what is precious and important.  I will be inspired and I will inspire.  And I will complete what I have begun.

My baby has a baby ~ sort of!

My daughter has a little secret.  She's a voracious reader! 

Recently, she's become the owner of a new blog, A Sequence of Continuous Delights, which reviews Christian Fiction and announces new releases from her favorite authors.  She's done a beautiful job of putting her blog together, and is planning her first give~away very soon.

If you are interested in this genre of literature, stop by and check out the blog, and tell her that her mom sent you!  If you are interested in her give~aways, be sure to sign up as a follower so you will get the updates on when the contest begins!  I'm sure she will be doing many give~aways, author interviews, and other interesting things in the coming weeks.

I'm so blessed to see God using her and growing her into a young woman who will live for Him. 

((((((Love you, sweetie!))))))

Saying yes to Baby!

There's no reason to say no to a little fun with galvanized buckets and the water hose while cleaning off the backporch! We had fun today, AND got some much needed sprucing of the nest accomplished at the same time! And, we enjoyed the hummers while we were out, too!

A Moment for Moms

Home is where the heart is. Home is where we learn to
work and get along. Home is where we are nourished physically, mentally
and spiritually.

The germ of the oak is nourished and protected by the
substance of the acorn until it is strong enough to draw its food directly from
the earth, and to withstand the tempest and the scorching sun.

When the
mother shades the windows of the nursery, she but unconsciously imitates the
Creator of her child, who through the institution of home has shut from his
feeble and nascent mind the flashing colors of the too brilliant world.

Our Home, The Key to a Nobler Life by C. E. Sargent A. M.
There are many exciting years ahead for my children. Now is not the time for the brilliance of the world.
It’s time to stay home.

Click here to read more from The Lazy Organizer...

Cozy up!

Another great garage sale find, a golden wheat quilt and sham have made their way into my home and into the heart of my teen. She's so pleased to have another silky soft blanket to layer on the bed.

For another precious blanket story, visit That Family. You won't be sorry.

Another assignment completed!

Have you ever noticed that God brings people into your lives for a season? I had that this spring, in this form of this little angel. She's a Princess Baby from my church, the child of friends with whom we fellowship in our local congregation. She's been my shadow for four months, while her mother was wrapping up a career and transitioning to life as a stay at home mom.

It's been an adventure, since my youngest is 17, and we're not used to having a baby around the house. Still, we all took it in stride, and have thoroughly enjoyed this semester of "early childhood development." We've learned to use baby signs, to be patient and persistent, and to be disciplined when we wanted to spoil. **Ahem**


Having Baby inspired me to slow down and enjoy my backyard and the birds.

We watched them often, and enjoyed taking pictures of the different species.

She made us all smile.

We enjoyed walks around the neighborhood and picking flowers and playing in the dirt, all in our nice clothes! (Don't tell mom!)

I will miss seeing this smile in the mornings, and getting little cuddles and hugs throughout the day, but I know that Baby belongs with mom, and that mom is best for her as well. I'm rejoicing in the idea that another mom is able to stay at home and care for her little ones!

My Favorite Passover Tablescape

I love to decorate my home with meaningful objects, teaching objects, and pictures that are worth a thousand words. This basket is full of little, woolie lambs, and to see more, click here.

Of all the tablescapes I've seen for Passover and the Holy Days of Unleavened Bread, this is one of my favorites.

And, the blog is great, too!

Simple Party Favor Boxes

This is a first for me, doing a how~to for Kelli's Paper Crafting Wednesday, so please allow me grace! I welcome all the new visitors to my blog as well, and invite you to take a look around!

I created these favor boxes for a Bunco Bash we did recently, and I've used them at Christmas as well. They are handy and simple to make.

You will need a piece of 8.5 by 11 inch cardstock for each box.

Assemble the tools you will need for the project. I use a scrapbook cutter with 12" straight edge, and an embossing tool or crochet hook to score the paper. You could also use a knitting needle or any other scoring tool.

To begin, score each paper (widthwise) at the following measurements: 9.5, 6.25, 4.75, 1.5. Turn the paper lenthwise and score each side at 1.5, as shown in the next photo.

I keep this template before me as a reference. I score the papers one at a time.

When I have scored several, I stack them, making sure the scoring lines all match.

Next, I attach binder clips to the stack, (I usually stack 5 or so), and clip the side lines as shown. There are only two corners that are clipped on the lenthwise score, and when those are clipped, that edge becomes the front flap of the box.

Next, round the corners with a corner~rounding tool, and then begin folding all the score lines to prep the box for taping.
When all the edges are folded, the 1.5 inch squares are secured on the inside of the longer flaps using glue or tape. I prefer to use tape if I'm adding edible treats to the package, to avoid contamination with glue residue.

Next, line the box with tissue paper or wax paper, and fill with your favorite treats. We like making treats for our guests, so homemade cookies and candies are usually our gifts of choice.

The pink boxes with black and white ribbons were our girl~gifts for the birthday party, but we've also done "brown paper packages tied up with strings" using cardboard inspired cardstock. They were a hit at Christmas, filled with chocolate~dipped peppermint sticks and no~bake fudgy treats.

Bunco Bash!

I was blessed to host a Bunco Birthday for my dd17 on Sunday. She wanted a simple party, since last year's was a huge event including a food fight! So we borrowed tables and chairs, and crammed 20 people (from ages 14 to 73!) into our tiny house.

The night before, we made up party favor boxes by scoring and folding cardstock. We filled them with tissue paper and sweet treats, then secured them with ribbons from an estate sale!

We set up two simple tables by the front door, one for our party favors and one for gifts.

We attended another birthday party the Friday before, and they gave us the balloons from that party, along with streamers and an abundance of food, so we didn't have to make much besides the cakes.

DD17 used cardstock to make the table markers.

We had chocolate oatmeal "dice" cake with cocoa buttercream frosting, and we cut marshmallows to use for the pips. We put a one and a seven on two different cakes. The cake with the strawberries was the "one to grow on", and it has a tea~light candle that we used for DD to make a wish and blow out.

We had snacks and played two rounds of bunco, then cut the cake. Afterwards, we played two more rounds then awarded the bunco prizes and opened gifts. Everyone was so generous, and DD felt very blessed.

Walking on Sunshine

I haven't had much time yet to walk this Spring. We have about 6 weeks left of regular school and we must finish strong, so I'm focused on encouraging forward movement in the classroom!

That being said, I did sneak away for a walk with the toddler I'm sitting with three days a week. I have a nice stroller, so she sat and I walked. We both enjoyed the sunshine and pretty flowers in the neighborhood.

I wish we had been able to catch these in better light; the colors were beautiful.

Some little family will probably be moving into this house soon. I like the license plate roof.

I'm hoping to get the bunco birthday pictures posted a little later. It was a big hit.

Most egg-cellent!

Oh, why didn't I keep those silly plastic eggs? I could have had this, or this, or this. I guess I'll be hunting eggs at the Goodwill tomorrow!

Black and White Bunco Birthday!

My dear daughter is turning 17 in a few weeks, and we decided on a themed party ~ Bunco! I surprised her with these homemade invitations, and they were so simple!

I started with dice from our Yatzee game, then used an anniversary card I received in January for the background. I took the pictures using the flower setting for close~ups, and arranged the dice to show 17 spots. It was so easy, and took just a few minutes. I also used the Walgreens code from this weeks ad, and got the prints for 17 cents each.

Isn't that a funny coincidence?

I'm planning on making a dice themed birthday cake, our favorite cocoa oatmeal cake, which has already been requested. I might make dice cookies too, if I have the time. The birthday gifts have been purchased, so I'm pretty much set. I'll post all the pictures after the party.

Making Treasures

I've been so inspired by The Pleasures of Homemaking that I'm attempting to incorporate toile here and there throughout my house and my life. I took the time to make my DD22 a copy of her favorite recipes from my heirloom cookbook for a birthday gift this week.

I used a black binder, sheet protectors for the dividers and scrapbook paper to cover the outside and the dividers as shown above. I also made her a card using white cardstock, the same toile paper from her cookbook and some ribbon from an estate sale. The card can be incorporated into the cookbook with scrapbook stickers so she will always remember the year she received the cookbook.

I purchased this silver frame at Goodwill for $2.00 and used some of the same toile paper to add a touch of the black and white to my kitchen, using the "Beauty of the House is Order" vintage quote. I hung a black and white checked valance in place of my winter green curtains. I also spray painted an oak frame and printed this darling silhouette. Then I cut it, and matted it with the toile. I love the way this grouping turned out. When my daughter was over for her birthday dinner, she commented on liking the print. I was glad I had chosen to include one in her cookbook.

I'm praying I inspire both my daughters to be more domestic. It's so difficult to keep a marriage together when the mother does not keep or care for the home and children. I love my family. I love my children. I love my life.

Inspired by The Pleasures of Homemaking: free

"Inspire" sign found at Goodwill: $2


Inspiring my daughters to be keepers at home: priceless

On raising children...

...hhummph... Turns out, I'm now one of the older mothers, so I'm fielding some questions from younger moms needing advice. Here's one to which I replied recently.

HELP!

I'm looking for ways to deal with adhd.. We are thinking that our youngest may be adhd. Wewill not go to the doctor to find out,because then they would put her on meds, and we really don't want to dothat.

What I'm asking, I guess, is how do I deal with this child, and she is now required to sit with us in church on Sunday night... And I've heard from other people that what is normal to us is not normal to them...

I'm wondering if any of you have any ideas about what to do with her in the evening (services). Unless she is sleeping, she drives me insane. I've done the coloring thing, that lasts about 10 minutes. I'm thinking of getting a squishy ball or something, but she might end up throwing it across the church and hitting someone.. Any suggestions would be helpful...

Here are my thoughts:

First, don't sit at the front of the church! LOL As much as that just sounds like common sense, I didn't get that when my girls were little. (How embarassing!) You might find a back pew with a "cry room" close by where she can be taken if you need to speak to her privately.

Second, she will eventually need to learn to sit quietly, or to at least BE quiet and occupied in the pew. We had that problem with one of our daughters, and I can tell you that it was a challenge for me. Remember, though, that even though you may crave sitting in church and hearing the Word, it's your responsibility to train the children God has given to you and your husband. You both can, and must be actively involved with her in the training process!

I took a "quiet bag" to church for my younger ones, and got the idea from Doorposts. They had some great suggestions on what to put inside, like fabric dolls, felt boards and characters, the coloring stuff (washable, of course), and small **quiet** games and puzzles with few pieces that can be played quietly. I also spent alot of time holding her, stroking her hair or back, or rubbing her fingers.

I always felt condemned that my daughter wasn't "listening" because she was active in the pew, but it turns out that her brain was active and needed to be active to retain information. We're all that way to some extent; alot of us have just been conditioned to sit quietly (which means some of us have tuned our brain into other things and won't retain a single piece of the information being presented). Fortunately, our spirits never sleep or slumber, and that Word is getting in whether we know it our not! One proof of that statement is my daughter today. She got it, and she's living it in many ways. Even when I thought she wasn't listening, she was getting it.

Don't feel condemned that your girl is not the cookie cutter, sit quietly type. That also doesn't mean that you don't have to train her to control herself in services, but there's a healthy balance! Make sure you child has plenty of opportunity before evening service to run, play and be active. This will help "burn off" some of the energy before the service begins!

The most important thing is to cast this care on your Father, because, before you are a wife or a mother, YOU ARE HIS DAUGHTER! He cares so much for you, and for your children. He'll help you, and show you exactly what you need to do.

Take a few minutes right now to release this to Him, and ask Him to help you, and to show you the way of escape from this frustration. Pressure to act hastily and frustration are from the enemy. Let's not give him any ground, and take back the ground he thinks he has in your life, and in your daughters!

Love you Sister!