Better than rubies

New fabric & yes.....another tote bag

Here some eye candy......

The one on the left is from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party. Jennifer Paganelli's Bell Bottoms is the one on the right. I purchased both of these from Alison over at Starlit Nest. Love her shop.

And another bag. Exciting I know. They are easy to make and take so little time. Time is something I don't have alot of these days. This bag was a gift for another birthday friend. It was filled with art supplies of course.

Bringing Warmth Home

I wanted to pass this on....

Jean over at Bringing Warmth Home is asking knitters to make scarves, hats, mittens, etc for people of all ages who will be in need this winter. Check out her blog to get more information.

There are a lot of people in this country who depend on oil for their heat. I don't have to tell anyone that oil has become quite pricey. I am particularly concerned for the elderly who live on fixed incomes and have to choose what gets paid for.

Knitters of any skill level can participate. I am a basic knitter. Scarves are my specialty! As a matter of fact I just learned to cast off. :)  I've started one scarf and plan on making another.

Blessings,

Sara

First Popsicle

I meant to post a recipe, but the pictures are not loading very well. So I'll post something else instead. My little one had his first popsicle a few weeks back. Once he got the hang of it he loved it, but this was his initial reaction...

Let's stick it in my ear and see what happens.

Also, excuse me for my Homeschool Curriculum "brain dump". I didn't realize how long of a post that would be. I've been reading different books for the last couple weeks and my brain was consumed by every method out there.

I'm hoping to get some fabric in the mail today that I ordered from Starlit Nest.I've been ordering my fabric from her lately because she has alot of it and she sells cute vintage sewing items too.

Homeschool Curriculum

My middle one is four and she attended preschool last year. It was a wonderful experience for her. I was planning on putting her in preschool again this year, but for financial reasons we are unable too. I thought it was going to be this difficult decision. I'm actually looking forward to not having a tuition bill and having her at home for one more year.

I've been doing some homeschool curriculum research which is mind boggling. I didn't realize how much was out there. I did some online research but these two books were the most helpful. Homeschooling 101 and Homeschooling Methods. Both books are very encouraging and at the same time very open about different ways to teach. There is no cookie cutter learning when it come to homeschooling. I keep having to remind myself she is four and she is learning through play. I try to keep this in mind while researching different types of curriculum.

I would say I'm a middle of the road person when it come to homeschooling. It's a very personal decision for families to make. There is no right or wrong decision. My husband and I have come to notice that the Lord made our children very different from each other (imagine that). When it comes to learning styles our two oldest take very different approaches. Our little one is still a toddler...all that matters to him is that he fed, gets enough sleep, and is cuddled. :) Our oldest is by far the kinesthetic learner. He takes in information very well as long as he is moving or doing something with his hands. Our daughter (the four year old) can sit for long periods of time doing the one thing. She needs to be around people while she is doing activities. Introvert is not in her personality. I need to make sure she is still getting the social time she needs.

I ended up buying the Pre-K curriculum through Sonlight. I didn't buy the entire set just a few of the books. Most of the curriculum is based around literacy. Al ot of the books in the set I can check out at the library. I think we are going to take a very casual approach to the whole thing. I'll have the curriculum there to keep me accountable every day. At the same time it's still flexible enough that we can take a different approach if need be. If for example she is really interested in bugs we can dive into that for awhile.

Anyone home school? What kind of approach does your family use?

Oh and I forgot to give a shout out to Teresa's blog. She won The Creative Family book last week. I put her name but didn't give a link to her blog. Her blog is www.affectioknit.blogspot.com

Trying to keep cool and creative.

With crazy gas prices and living in a region where the humidity is ever present I choose to stay home more often. We do go out at least once during the day to do a quick errand or meet up with some friends for a visit. Most of our afternoons are spent at home with the a/c kicked on. Usually the afternoons involve art and if we are really blessed it won't be too hot so they can run around outside.

So here are some projects from this week courtesy of my the kids...

 My oldest was being "green" by reusing a water jug and making a kaleidoscope with paper dots.

I checked out Susan's Stikers book Young at Art at the library yesterday. I have to really throw out all my preconceived notions about art and creativity when reading her book. It's a great book. She mentioned that an eight to twelve month old can hold a crayon and attempt draw on paper. My little one is 15 months so we gave it a shot. With a big chunky crayon, paper, and a brother and sister cheering him on he delved into the world of art.

A little scribbling was done, but for the most part the crayon was in the mouth.

Here are some of my sewing accomplishments from the last couple of days. I can finally scratch these off my ever growing "sewing projects" list.

A simple tote bag and....

Some pencil/marker/crayon rolls for birthday friends.

Phew! Thanks for bearing with me. It felt good to get some projects done this week. It gets my mind off the impending move. Speaking of which I really need to start working on my "stuff to do before the move" list.

The winner is...

The winner of the book The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule is....

TERESA

Congrats! I'll email you today to get your information and send the book ASAP.

Note: I'm not sure how the random number generator works yet so I selected a name the old fashion way. I used post-it notes and a 15 month old to draw a name. I also had great pics of him drawing a name but I can't download pictures for some reason. I think Typepad is having some technical issues again.

 

 

Shall we have a giveaway?

We shall! I'll be doing a drawing for the book The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule.

Amanda is a wonderful writer and she gives a gentle voice to the power of creativity. I felt peace after reading this book. She is very encouraging and talks about numerous ways to bond with your family. It's been my go to book for activities this summer.

Please leave a comment on this post to enter a chance to win this book. The deadline for the drawing is Monday July 7th at midnight. Shambhala Publishing was kind enough to donate a copy of this book.

 

oh and......Happy Fourth of July!

Blog Break & Giveaway

I'm taking a short blog break for a few days or so. We are taking a vacation/house looking trip. Hopefully it will lean towards the vacation side. Our family really needs a change of scenery, even if it means loading up the van with three kids and driving seven hours away.

One important note....I'll be doing a give away beginning next Wednesday July 2nd. It's a book. I'll leave it that. It's a fabulous book though and I've read it twice.

Have a happy weekend!

Pastels & Watercolor

My crafty endeavors have taken a backseat lately since the kiddos are on summer break. I'm trying to keep a journal of ideas. By the time I get back to sewing I'll have volumes worth of stuff to try. Flickr doesn't help. There are some talented people out in picture land.

The kids are exploring new art mediums this summer. I picked up some pastels awhile back. I bought good quality because I'm on this kick about children having decent art supplies so they feel their work is worthy. Lori over at Camp Creek Press showed how you can draw with pastels and then paint over the drawing w/watercolor. My kids loved it. I loved watching them work.

My four year old did the one on the left. There is still a "pool" of watercolor on the paper. She is slightly obsessed with dipping the brush in the water each time she paints. I need to find the kids an art easel. Nothing fancy or new. I'd like to toss one outside and let them paint out there. Goodwill here I come.

New fabric line.

I was doing my daily morning blog reading when I came across Heather Bailey's. OH MY GOODNESS! Her new line is beyond words. It's eye candy. Go and check out her blog....she is also doing a give away.