My new niece Chloe!!!!

So glad he is now our president!!!

Cyber-scrapping with Lisa - this is my first layout of the night!

Grant Recipients!

I am thrilled to say that we have been chosen as participants in the Picturing America program. We'll be receiving 40 laminated images of great American art to use in our studies. It is kind of funny to see Esme's Homeschooling Adventure listed as a grant recipient on the website! One requirement to receive the grant is that we use it with a group, so for Fall I'll be working on a way to do some kind of program that we can invite our local homeschoolers to attend.

This is the second grant we've gotten since we started homeschooling in Fall of 2007. The other was two huge boxes of legos from Lego Systems, with the condition that we would then donate them to the public library.

I am very grateful for organizations that see the value in awarding grants to homeschoolers as well as schools and libraries. We will use the prints we are about to receive to their fullest, and share them with as many other families as possible!

R.I.P. Number Six! Patrick McGoohan died today at age 80. Full story here.

Made these wind chimes to sell at our church fair - three flower pots decoupaged and strung together. Tried to do classic summer colors.

Working on ATCs right now....here are some from my first and second series. Happy New Year everyone!

This was one of my favorite gifts to give this year. It is a magnetic board with two clips that I made for my best friend's mom, Carol. Carol loves to get homemade gifts, especially ones that include pics of her granddaughters. This was a pizza pan from Dollar Tree, and the clips are from Dollar Tree as well.

Made this project for my sister-in-law's baby shower. The little baby face is a photo of my grandmother that I copied. I altered a clementine box and layered it with tissue for the wrapping.

Physical Education and Homeschooling

Esme got to come visit me briefly in the gym at school this week before my students arrived. I showed her some of the relay activities I have the kids do, and let her bounce balls and shoot hoops, and played catch with her with a koosh ball. She loved it! She says she wants to make her playroom into a gym!

Physical Education for Homeschoolers is naturally very different. It's easy to plan a variety of team games for classes of 18 to 25. Esme has and will play team sports through local leagues - she has done two seasons of soccer, swimming lessons, etc. We also try to include lots of physical activities in our weekly lesson plans. A couple weeks ago I bought this book to help give me some ideas, and learn about the different body systems that each activity strengthens. It is written by a man who was both a homeschooler and a gym teacher.

Someone from the local homeschooling message board was kind enough to give us a gently used pair of child-sized cross country skis this past week and Esme got to try them out for the first time last night. She skied down to the mailbox so I could drop the Christmas cards in. It was slow-going at first - she doesn't have poles yet so she fell down quite a bit, but she loved it and got pretty good at it by the time we got back home. She skied all around the yard today while Ethan shoveled our walks. We're looking foward to being able to take her to Mount Tom or some other park with lots of open space so she can ski all around.

It's been a difficult couple of weeks around here. Family member in and out of the hospital, others not well, car trying to die, friend evacuated first for carbon monoxide, then for flooding, problems at school that in my mind shouldn't be, awkwardness other places, more family problems, a burned up toaster oven, my scanner bulb burned out and can't be replaced, etc. My stress level has been building up and every little thing makes me want to cry!

However, at the same time, I have many things to be grateful for. Tonight is Ethan's last night of double shifts, and the extra money should enable us to pay off our new water tank. A good friend offered to make sure that we get a good new used car. My family and friends have generously said they will watch Esme so that I can work this week. And in a few short days, I will be on vacation with my sweet husband for twelve whole days! Hooray! Plus I will be able to have my family over for Christmas dinner, always a delight and I am soooo grateful that I get to do this.

Yes things have seemed not quite right around here since sometime in September, but perhaps that means things are about to get better. I am preparing a list of resolutions and goals for the New Year. I am challenging myself to be more creative and more focused on what I really want to do. I am planning on more time at home with my family - I realized last week how much they need me, and was reminded that the reason I took this job was to have the flexibility to be here for them. I want more time for my friends too, especially the ones who support homeschooling and who encourage me to be creative. I feel like I am about to burst with ideas, in 2009 I plan to express more of them!

I hope everyone is happy and well, and that everyone and anyone reading has a wonderful holiday!

We have a winner! I let Esme choose a random number on her chart and IamDerby is the winner! Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments and compliments - they were so appreciated! Hope everyone is having a wonderful December!

You've seen my projects, now win a kit to do some of your own!! I received the complete line of Love Letters products from Little Yellow Bicycle and would like to share the love. Leave a comment about the line or any of my projects to be entered into a drawing to win the page kit (shown here) and a little extra surprise from me. I will let Esme draw a winner Friday evening.

Mini Album and Fold-Up Folio from the Love Letters line by Little Yellow Bicycle

I love our church. Growing up and for the last few years I've gone to churches that held Sunday School during the service. Our new church has played with the schedule several times during their search for a new rector, but I think they've finally got it right. We start every week with a Sing. There are tons of musicians - people playing guitars, usually someone on flute and someone on piano, plus lots of kids playing percussion, etc. We usually sing a variety of songs, ranging from kids songs to traditional hymns. We do rounds and sing antiphons. It is so fun! It is in a smaller space so just a few people make it feel full. Next we move on to Sunday School, and while my daughter is learning Bible stories and church traditions, I get to go to adult classes. So far I've learned about the history of Christianity in our area, Religion and Politics, and much more. Then I grab my daughter and we head over to the service, which since our new Rector arrived, has been fairly traditional, which I also like. I have also been lucky enough to meet several very creative, likable people there, and feel very included and appreciated. The new rector is wonderful too, and that seems like the icing on the cake. I feel home.

Got the photos from my brother's wedding last year and couldn't wait to start scrapping them! Almost everything here is LYB Love Letters!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week Esme reviewed her Math lessons, read some Bob Books, practiced her Dr. Seuss books, and learned about the first Thanksgiving. Esme seemed fascinated to learn about a time when people didn't have all the modern conveniences we have today.

This is my next project using the Little Yellow Bicycle Love Letters line - a special album for my husband for Christmas!