An ocean scene art lesson in all blue. All Blue: A Chalk Pastels Tutorial! Nana has been excited about sharing a different type of chalk pastel. A lesson all one color – shades of blue! All Blue: A Chalk Pastels Tutorial First, we all looked at the many shades of blue and chose colors. We […]
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BEECH Mini Conference
I’ve said it over and over again since the weekend. My head is full of ideas. My heart is full of friendship. Full. Yes. I enjoyed a weekend full of the blessings of the friendships I found with these like-minded Christian, homeschool, blogging women. photo credit ~ Jenn Last Thursday, I got in the car […]
Growing Gratitude
“He calls me smart and big and tall!” ~ six-year-old “He builds me a train track.” ~ four-year-old A couple of weeks ago, when Doorposts shared Encouraging a Thankful Heart, we sat around the table at lunch time and listed what my husband does for our family. How he blesses us: Gets money for the […]
Pursued and Loved!
We are early in the adoption process. We have felt led to adopt for years but recently felt like God gave us the “green light” to start the process! We are planning on adopting through our State via a private agency. We want to adopt a child under the age of four. A child has […]
Batch Cooking Biscuits at $5 Dinners
Few things in my stretching-the-budget and filling-tummies career have made as big a difference as biscuits. Do you remember how much the canned variety costs? Oh, I dearly love the convenience. But I don’t like paying for it. Especially when I have to get so many cans to feed the seven of us. And that’s […]
Homeschool Makeover: Around the Couch
If you are like us, a great deal of homeschooling takes place on the family room couch. Read alouds, math lessons, diagramming English sentences, literature and more. We’ve found more practical solutions in our continued homeschool makeover. First off, the Pottery Barn book rack. This we’ve had for a decade. And it has served us […]
Nature Study Through the Holidays eBook Review and Giveaway
“Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit it formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care […]
Tapestry of Grace: Italy Salt Dough Map, Artist Display Board and More
Hands on geography is a super fun way to learn. Earlier in the school year we created an imaginary land, each child contributing to the map as we reviewed mountain ranges, peninsulas, tributaries and more. As we got further into our Renaissance studies, one of our geography assignments was to make a salt dough map […]
The Ws of Winter Nature Study
We’ve been contemplating the Ws of winter nature study. These bits of nature study we enjoyed here and there over the last two weeks. Some spontaneous, some purposeful. The Ws of Winter Nature Study Weather: a wide range of temps from spring-like to the arctic blast of this past weekend. We had lows in the […]
You Are Invited to a BEECH Twitter Party
Dear friends on Twitter, Please consider this your personal invitation to join the BEECH Twitter party! For fun and prizes: homeschool planners homeschool curriculum blogging guides a complete blog design package I will be in Florida at the BEECH mini-conference later this week. I’ll be tweeting along with some wonderful ladies there. Won’t you join […]
Hands that show…
Rest… Writing practice… Learning… Play… Helping hands… Caring… Gentleness… and generations of hands… Great-grandmother’s hands of love holding generations… What do your hands say? Counting the gifts of all we can do with our hands… hugs, pats artwork and pictures made by little hands at church handmade Valentines showing lots of love love notes written […]
Fast Food for Slow Sundays: Macaroni Spaghetti
Sometimes the simplest is the best and most filling for Sunday. Like spaghetti! Try some elbow macaroni to dress it up a bit. (This was Nana’s idea one Sunday). Add a side of garlic bread. Maybe a salad. Just boil your noodles up the day before. If you’ve cooked your ground turkey or ground beef […]
Homeschool Makeover: The Most Used Bookcase
Former, wonderful, overflowing and overused bookcase in our most central location. My husband and I have been blessed with hand-me-down furniture. There is just an abundance of pieces on my side of the family. And, in the almost seventeen years of our marriage, this furniture has served us well. However, never, in the past, has […]