July 23, 2008
Wordless Wednesday: Whale
Not a picture, an illustration. I love to draw. Been doodling ever since I was in diapers. This little guy is on an index card on my wall of inspiration above the desk. I call him whaley. Cuz I'm so creative like that. I've thought about doing a postcard art swap, but I'm so busy that I have to tell the artist in me to "shut her trap" regularly. No time, no time. Just time for the occasional index card cartoon.
Sorry, I lied. This Wednesday wasn't wordless after all. But it wasn't a fish story. Whales are mammals. My son's sketch of a whale is much more realistic. We did them at co-op art class a month ago.
Well, I'm off to bed at thirty-after midnight. I'll be dreaming of yesterday's breakfast... sorry that I don't have the leftovers to make it again.
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July 22, 2008
Bargain Finds for Back to School
I visited Target the other day and stumbled across some awesome finds. My buddy Cindy had told me they had flashcards for the states. That was what I originally went for. I got two boxes (one was completely out of order and missing a few states so I'll have to go back and exchange it). Not only did they have the states, but they also had presidents and landmarks (famous places around the world - with vivid photos!). There were cute things for little preschool and early elementary kids, too. They had board books and a flip book of the states, spiral bound notebooks, other school supplies, stickers, and a VERY CUTE mini plastic globe that now is sitting on my bookshelf in our underwater map-themed school room. I also got a star shaped scrapbook hole-punch (they had hearts and other shapes, too). Most everything is a dollar. You can't beat that!
Also a great find was the pink owl duffel bag for $2.50 that we used as a gift bag for a birthday party. Great for toting library books, sleepover supplies or even car schooling! For under 15$ we were able to get a Hello Kitty clearance outfit (skirt and tank top), a notebook and highlighters for school, a set of stickers, and the pink duffel bag and some tissue paper to wrap it up in! I think our birthday girl enjoyed her super-cheap Target present.
I love collecting swap gifts for later, too. The dollar bins at Target are great places for stocking up. That reminds me... I need to get over there and close the swap for July and August. Head over and sign up today if you haven't already. I'll be emailing out your questionnaire soon!
Happy bargain hunting for back to school!
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July 21, 2008
S.O.S.
Monday. Another week beginning to "run right over me". I'm meeting myself coming and going. There are nearly a thousand emails for me to sort and figure out in both of my in-boxes (that makes 2,000). The other two email accounts haven't been checked in weeks (I have four). I'm sitting here in my pretty new office with piles of filing folders and papers strewn across the floor waiting to be organized into file cabinets. I have a doctor's appointment for me and my son at 3:20pm (we were up coughing all night). I need to get the insurance planned out for my son's front tooth crown this week (in case you didn't notice the missing half of a tooth in his lovely snarl)... and give him a blood test for sugar levels in the past three months. Oh, and the bills have to be paid today or the auto insurance will be canceled. No pressure, right?
I wish there was a way to just stop the world and get caught up. Or maybe a magic medicine cabinet genie that could dispense narcotic cough syrup... so I wouldn't have to go to the doctor (save gas and time) when I'm this busy.
So if you think of it, pray for my sanity. I'm feeling quite buried at the moment, and don't have enough energy to get everything done. Blame it on the cold and cough meds. It is easy to say "This Too Shall Pass"... but when you are sitting in front of a to-do list as long as the Great Wall of China, 'passing' becomes more of a medical term associated with hemorrhoids or kidney stones.
Ooops. Did I say that?
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July 18, 2008
The Underwater School Room
I'm swimming in color and loving our new space. Everyone added a little idea to create a patchwork masterpiece. Remember what it used to look like? It is a far cry from boring now!
From top to bottom, left to right - what I heart about our new room:
1. A close up of my quilted cork-board strip with memorabilia hanging from pins... and the fishing line with some favorite things clipped in a row across my desk. The fishing line is anchored on each side by two rusty iron stars that have been living in my garage for far too long!
2. The path to the master bedroom is now clear of obstacles and the quilted artwork on the wall brings the teal paint and red filing cabinets to the unpainted side of the room. It really pulls the whole decorative theme together.
3. The fabrics we picked were in many of my favorite colors; bright and lively. The best part about them is that they were gifts from a good friend. Our family and hers enjoyed staying up together until wee morning hours arranging them to find the perfect layout.
4. Our state quarter map now has a themed room to surround it. Maps and quilts are very much alike. Colorful spots all blending together to make a unique creation. Colorful people make them great.
5. The laminated maps won't fall off the walls any more! Now they are glued and nailed on - and have their own crown-molding frames. I had to erase Easter Island, though... some things (like electricity) are more important than unsolved mysteries of the past.
6. My new desktop reflects the colorful mood I'm in. Apple blossoms from my visit to Indiana last April fill the monitor now. There are plenty of things in my little office lagoon to smile about.
7. The maps are easy to get to - just under the half wall that leads from the stairs to our bedroom. The blue walls are a lovely canvass for my school room favorites.
8. My desk is anchored by the neglected file cabinets that have been in our garage for a year (and in storage for two years prior to that). I don't know what to do with myself now that I'll have all that filing space again! My piles are the next project on my plate. Check out that blogging station! I'm swimming in glee.
9. Minga likes her new perch atop one of my favorite IKEA blankets. The maps, my love of quilts, and the bold colors of this soft woven throw were the inspiration behind our paint color and quilt swatches. You can see the tan couch behind kitty dearest - a gift from a super friend, also. Now we have a place to relax and read, play x-box, watch movies or educational videos, do school work, or sleep!
This room serves many purposes, and now we can all enjoy it as a work of art. I am totally beat after our three full days of hard labor, but it was a labor of love. I hope to do it again some time in the future. The rest of the house is jealous.
Sprittibee's Decorating Advice:
1. Don't wait until you are about to move out. Do it now so you can enjoy it. Don't make the mistake I made with our last paint job (that we only got to enjoy for a week or so before selling our house).
2. Find an inspiration piece (a map, a quilt, a blanket, some artwork, etc.) and look through home decor magazines and books to find an idea to build on.
3. Allow your kids to share ideas. We were considering painting my desk white until I decided on using a greenish throw blanket to cover my white desk table and Morgan suggested using one of the antique brown and red dining chairs. Even kids can help bring the room together. Her chair idea made the entire corner look natural.
4. Ask friends to help (or better yet - offer to help THEM). The fun when you do it together is worth every bit of the back ache.
5. Stick with colors and things that you love.
6. Let your own style show through.
7. Ammie (my gifted, quilting decorator pal) says, "be willing to edit" - sometimes more is too much. I was really going crazy towards the end - letting my enthusiasm get the best of me.
Have a great weekend... and be sure to link your project here in my comments section if you are so inspired that you start one after seeing this!
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July 17, 2008
Yesterday Was All a Wash
We created our own "Oasis" in the upstairs game room turned school room. That was the paint color's name (we got it at Wal-Mart) that we did our color-wash with. A fitting name for a tropical turquoise blue. I still have it on my feet and fingers, but there's only one tiny spot on the carpet. And I'm still married today since my husband hasn't seen it yet. He comes home tomorrow. Need prayers.
The furniture is still in stacks in the middle of the room, and there is much housework to get done before said husband returns. These kinds of surprises need to be tempered with home-baked cookies, favorite hot meals waiting when the door opens, and a clean house to return to! Thankfully, at least my mother and the kids love it. The jury is still out with me. I haven't ever been much of a "blue" person. Funny that everyone I love is a blue-lover. This particular teal happens to be my mother's favorite color... and is almost the same color as my husband's dreamy eyes.
My buddy Ammie and her talented photographer daughter helped me do most of the painting. The younger girls got in on the lower wall action as well. Ammie's eldest took the pictures in this post. She's a hip teenager with an artistic flare. I warned Ammie that if my husband arrived and hated the walls I was going to blame her for the entire event. She's not scared. She likes living on the edge.
So what do you think of my ocean of blue? How would you like to do your homework, read, play x-box, blog, and watch movies in this multi-purpose teal-flavored family room?
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July 16, 2008
Shhhhh!!!! Don't Tell My Husband.
I've been a busy bee. I told you I had some projects I was working on this week, right? Well one of them involves a can of teal paint and the relocation of furniture. My bedroom-bound computer is migrating to the school room when the walls dry. Someone is going to be very surprised when they come home from their trip this week! That's what happens when you leave a woman alone at home for a week!
In the mean time, please visit Dawn's blog and the HSBA where you can now participate to win tickets to the HOTM conference.
Or stop in at the man interesting blogs in my feevy links on the sidebar in here...
I may be out of pocket with my aching painter's arms and unplugged computer for the next day or so. Check back in here for an AFTER photo of the school room when the project is complete! I'm so excited I can hardly wait to crack open that paint can!
Anyone have any tips for colorwashing?
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Buzz Words: Homeschooling, project, home, Organizing, painting, decorating, Homeschool, home decor, Getting Things Done, teal, design, husband, walls, house, summer, life, personal, home school, declutter
In the mean time, please visit Dawn's blog and the HSBA where you can now participate to win tickets to the HOTM conference.
Or stop in at the man interesting blogs in my feevy links on the sidebar in here...
I may be out of pocket with my aching painter's arms and unplugged computer for the next day or so. Check back in here for an AFTER photo of the school room when the project is complete! I'm so excited I can hardly wait to crack open that paint can!
Anyone have any tips for colorwashing?
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July 14, 2008
Ticket Winners... and Monday Mind-Mush
Here are the winners of the free HOTM i-conference tickets from my Bee and Peach contest:
Spookie's Spot
Christy
MommyP4
Those are the ladies that actually posted about it and used my graphics. Thanks girls! Be sure to let your readers know when you post about your win that they can still get free tickets to the conference (now that the price has gone up) if they watch the HSBA and Dawn's blog faithfully in the next week or so. I think Dawn is giving away up to six more tickets and HSBA is giving away five. Hop over to those sites and bookmark them now so you won't miss the announcement post!
Now about my lazy Monday...
We were gone from last Thursday to yesterday, so we are unpacking and doing laundry today (and doing 'school-lite'). After getting in at 10pm and getting so little sleep over the past few days our brains have turned into mud-puddles. I actually visited two states in the past 4 days, riding along with traveling buddies in a spur-of-the-moment trip. Daddypoo is traveling for work this week. We're missing him; but glad for the time to get the house in order before our guests arrive this weekend. I've got several projects I'm working on to keep me busy. I'll showcase one of them once it is finished (it's a chore chart we are making ourselves). Maybe I'll get a chance to post about that long list of stuff I mentioned Saturday night, too? I'll be crossing it off as I go!
Hope you have a fabulous week... and if you are in want of some super links, Mrs. Dixon and Amy B have published some perfectly wonderful lists to keep you reading all day long!
See you tomorrow!
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July 12, 2008
Weekend Drivel and Saving America's Economy
We're listening to Lemon Jelly at a hotel... planning the abstract for an energy plan to release us from the evil clutches of foreign oil. Yep. I know the answer. But I'm not sharing it without some demands met by big government, cowgirls and boys. I want a life's supply of chocolate and no income tax for my entire family line. A few billion dollars might be nice, too.
If you are interested in America's economy and the oil crisis, hop over to Sen. Cornyn's blog. He's running a week of "Energy Independence Days" on his public blog headquarters. I like his spunk. If only I could have his ear for a moment - maybe I could talk some sense into congress. One can hope big things.
What else... oh, yes... we've taken quite a bit of pictures on our trip (like the one above). Smiles and laughs. Pizza and trips to the creek. Cousin Ty even stepped on a snake and lived to tell about it!
I know you have been waiting forever to see who won those free tickets to the HOTM Conference from my earlier contest. I have chosen some winners. Not like you guys gave me much of a choice since I have more tickets to give away than people who entered. So I'm passing on my free passes to Dawn, my Georgia Peach, so she can give them away on her blog. So if you didn't win, hop over to My Home Sweet Home and be watching for her give-away. The HSBA is going to run a give-away, too. We're just generous like that. And who would want to miss hearing Dawn and my Southern accents? Or hearing Andrew Pudewa speak? Heavy on the Andrew Pudewa. Because he's like - a REAL homeschool speaker... who won the best homeschool speaker of the year TWICE (hat tip to TOS magazine).
I'm full of plugs tonight. I know. I had time (for a change) to sit down and actually READ my Spring 2008 TOS magazine this month. BOY, that article on "Is Your Homeschool Ready to Collapse" by Diane Wheeler was lifechanging. I admonish you to pick up a copy and keep that article handy in your dayplanner. I know that's where it will be for me from now on. The rest of the magazine wasn't too shabby, either. Thanks for the encouragement, TOS!
I have so many things rolling around in my brain to post about.
- Who won my HOTM tickets
- My neglected Field Trip Foto Friday series
- A post about scope and sequence
- Menu Plan Monday (if I'm home by then)
- Parental Rights
- A review of some U.S. Constitution curriclum
- A review of some art software we love
- A link to an article about religion and homeschooling
- My long tardy but not forgotten tags by Dawn and Sheila
- The last part of my 2006-7 homeschool series
- The rest of our Michigan Robofest Mega-Field Trip
- The final pictures of those groovy weavings the kids made in art class
- My new photo meme
- Lots of links to Holy Experience because she's such Christian inspiration
- The Carrot Cake Recipe you've been waiting on at GM
Speaking of GM (Gathering Manna)... go check out my daughter's first self-made culinary masterpiece: a cake. Photos are at the site. She's such a sweetie.
I should be home Sunday night, but you just never know. These Texas roads are stretched thin across such a large state and I'm prone to detours and I'm riding with friends. The Lone Star sky has been such a lovely shade of blue these last few days. It is hard to imagine that the world has so many problems when gazing up at the puffy clouds drifting by. Thank the Lord for beautiful sunsets and sunrises despite our imperfections and lack of contemplation and praise. He is merciful and good.
'See' you when I 'see' you.
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July 11, 2008
July & August Swap at HSBA is OPEN!!!
Join us for some gifting fun at the HSBA. We're swapping homeschool supplies, neat stuff and possibly chocolate. YES - I SAID CHOCOLATE. Who cares if it comes in the mail in liquid form. That's the price of summer, baby.
See my past swaps at the tag below... and hop over to the HSBA July & August Swap post to sign up and get in on the fun.
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July 10, 2008
July Edition of HOTM - Why Homeschool?, Part 2
My current series at HOTM has been about homeschooling... more particularly the reasons why we chose to homeschool. Stop over there and read about it and be sure to visit all the other inspiring articles as well. With time to reflect in the summer, it is good to reflect on the big picture.
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