In the Storm

52gratitudes | 08

a lady in our small group has a pallet full of reams of paper and large sheets of plain white paper for art type projects. she's bring us more than even these reams and the small stack she brought us on sunday. i am so thankful for this. on a good day a box of 10 reams is $25 this is an amazing gift of thoughtfulness and comes at such a good time. while we still have several reams of paper from our last purchased case of paper we go through paper in our little homeschool like it's going out of style. i mean i've got to print basically two of everything. let me give a for instance: the boys' study guide for their literature assignment the hobbit; 28 pages long. each.

so thankful for those thoughful people who meet our needs right where we are at.

just an update.

i made this page for mel the other day and needed her journaling. she was super quick to respond so i was able to finalize this 2-page, 12x12 set of pages for their Europe album i'm making for them - as i get pictures. i'm so hoping they'll be super good about posting pictures so i can create a yummy album of their tour in germany.

the following two pages are the left side finalized and the right side. with journaling from mel.

i loved how she covered the story behind the day as well as the ups and downs (i.e. they didn't get in to the castle, but...). it just really tells the whole story. i love spur of the moment adventures (as well as planned adventures too) so i was excited how this was super spur of the moment and i love the idea of a picnic lunch.

off track here, but when hoosier man and i were on our date last friday we talked about the coming months as i get less and less hours of work and then i lose my job completely and the dwindling funds, and we were sharing that our dates would be different from say, dinner and a movie, and that we'd need to get creative and still keep our dates. when i mentioned a picnic dinner to hoosier man i got such a positive response that i was super encouraged that even though we won't have much money we'll still have our dates.

i'm excited for this album i'm beginning for the hurst's. i can't wait to fill it full. elizabeth's alaskan album hasn't seen many changes recently (read here: elizabeth, post more pictures!!!) and needs some updates too.

between project life and 52 scraplifts i'm pretty much documenting our entire life so i know i'll enjoy immensely documenting just a tad of mel and mark's life overseas, just as i am elizabeth's in alaska.

52 scraplifts | 10

when i complete my 52 scraplift challenge i will have 52 more scrapbook pages in my albums.

when i complete my 52 scraplift challenge i will like to believe that i have learned something more about graphic design.

when i complete my 52 scraplift challenge i will have 52 more memories recorded.

here is number 10 of my 52 scraplift challenge.

i have a manilla folder full of pages i'd like to scraplift for some reason or another. my note on the right hand side of this page says, 'love this - clean lines, lots of pics!' of course, it didn't hurt that christine stoneman of ontario, canada also scrapbooked her winter weekend.

i do like the clean lines and lots of pictures, but i also liked the title that goes across the page and i loved that very small, squiggley checked blue and white pattern paper. just being honest here.

what i did?

i mimicked the photos across the bottom of the page and the larger photo i made a 4x6 so i could fit slightly larger photos next to it. i kept the title across the page, copied the locations of pattern paper and cardstock as well as the journaling.

i very much like my title and the clean lines with a small use of patterned paper. i would call this scraplift a success.

original page is from a memory makers magazine circa january 2006.

project life insert...week 5

when i made the two-page project life spread for the week of the super bowl i had every intention of leaving out our small group gathering from those two-pages and adding in a 6x12-page insert. and then time got away.

i was going through pictures trying to consider which photos of late i wanted to tell a more complete story and to work on scraplifting some pages and i realized i'd not made that 6x12 page insert of our small group super bowl gathering.

i figured i'd better get it made while i'm thinking about it.

for the insert i found some printables online of the two opposing teams and then i added in 2x2 squares and 2x4 rectangles of photos of our small group. i had brought my camera and while i took a few i tagged one of the guys in our small group to pick up the camera and shoot some also which he gladly did.

then, i also realized i haven't completed january 31st day in the life. so that's coming sometime this week too.

traveling europe...the hurst's album

my sweet melanie and mark and their darlings' are in europe for a couple years. i told mel before they left if she'd post pictures on facebook i'd make scrapbook pages for them. here's the first one. hopefully, it'll move them to post alot of pages for an album of treasured memories.

 

miss them tremendously but i'll enjoy all the photos and a look-see into their lives. i'll make changes to title and journaling when i hear back from mel in regards. lots of great pictures too.

project life | week 07

this was a super fantastic week. valentines, date night, good good family time working together. weekends off definitely have their advantages. completed a diy, cleaned the oven, jeff took apart the dishwasher to clean it, super sensational sunsets.

i used my own project life 3x4 and 4x6 journal cards + cathy zielske journal cards and templates. i mimicked ali edwards technique tuesday stamp idea using her digital brushes instead and i stamped on a 4x6 card.

amidst less work, less money, life is super good! we find the really good stuff and latch on. our small group is awesome, our family time is grand, our date nights divine, we are more with each other.

cathy z's, a peek at our week served really well to journal the entire week and there is a bunch of room to say alot. i covered our date night in one of cathy's tiny templates too. on the right side i love how my 'stamping' turned out. i used a quote card also by elise blaha cripe.

i love, love, love project life.

hello monday | 08

hello monday.

hello LEGOS. at 15 1/2 we still love to play. after i gave the boys their freedom for a day they proceeded to drag downstairs a bunch of LEGOs for some play time.

hello day off from homeschool and boy scouts. yeah, it's president's day and most school kids are off so i've given the boys a day of just play.

hello blue skies. don't let the skies fool yeah. the air is brisk. just the way i like it though.

hello high falls state park. i absolutely can't wait to see what awaits us.

hello weekend family camping trip. i am so totally siked for this trip.

hello oil change. it's that time. plus, we've got a 3 hour drive both ways.

hello preparations. groceries for camping trip, lists for packing.

hello busy week of getting ready. homeschool, swimming, bible study, church, grocery shopping, list making, packing, blogging, playtime, lovin'

hello excited for this week and what is in store.

hello monday, new week ahead with new adventures, new memories to store up.

 

i'm linking with lisa.

pin + action | 06 front door mat

pin (p n) ac·tion (ak'sh n) v.

1. the act of pinning; and then making, crafting, copying, diying, the pin

source

early in my pinning days i'd seen this mat and thought, 'hey, i could make that for our front door!' and so it went every time i passed the mats in department stores i searched for a plain mat with nothing on it. about a month ago i was in walmart and saw one. i nabbed it! the other day i picked up stencils.

with black acrylic craft paint, a foam brush, and those stencils i made my mat. besides it being super crooked, and uncentered hoosier man and the boys like it - so it's going out our front door. we currently have a very old, very faded mat that we had purchased years and years ago when we were in virginia on a mission trip to equipping the saints. the mat says, ' well butter my bu*t and call me a biscuit, look whose here!' pretty cool!

but, then, so is hi. i'm mat.

i wasn't kiddin' about the crooked and off-centered but i'm gonna put it out anyway. not everything i pin and take action on is gonna' turn out perfect. i get that. but this one isn't bad enough to hide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40 recipes in a bowl | 05

this was a surprisingly good soup. i had hoped that we'd experience the taste of jalapeno poppers which happen to be one of our favorite, if not most favorite appetizer. while the flavor wasn't exact it had enough of the jalapeno, bacon, and cream cheese to recognize the yumminess of poppers. i modified several recipes i found so much so that i feel this one is mine.

there was just a hint of spicyness to the soup from any seeds i might have left on the jalapenos but i could see it being too spicy of many are left on in the chopping process. the boys think this soup is a keeper and really i can see us throwing this together again. for a more hardier soup i could see adding a couple potatoes too and may in fact try that next time. but as is i served it with a good stand alone - bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches.

go ahead try it! and enjoy!

sons of thunder academy...proposed homeschool curriculum 2013-2014

even though we still have several more months of this school year...we'll run well into june with a july break before beginning again in august for the beginning of our 10th grade year...i've already been thinking about the curriculum we'll need for the next school year. planning goes into each homeschool year. what classes will be available at our homeschool co-op and which of those will we sign the boys up for? what materials will be needed for those? will we need to supplement or will it suffice for a full credit? then, what will the boys still need at home to fulfill our states requirements to graduate. even though they won't 'officially' get handed a diploma (i'll be looking into signing us up with a homeschool co-op organization that assists with this) we must make sure john and jarrod have the necessary credits to put on a transcript.

last year, prior to their 9th grade year i mapped out a 4-year plan; what our homeschool would look like for each year to accumulate the required credits for transcripts.

For 9th grade this was our proposed list:

Spanish I (completed) (Switched on Schoolhouse)

Algebra I (1/2 way done) (Saxon)

Bible History (World History)

Art Drawing and Design

Spanish II (Switched on Schoolhouse)

Physical Science (Apologia)

Literature

    Sonlight Curriculum & Selected Readings, Wordly Wise 9, Easy Grammar 9

Bible – The Story (Lucado)

Geography (Part 1) Around the World in 180 Days

we pretty much followed the list except we didn't use Sonlight curriculum. Selected readings for Literature became one book after another with accompanied assignment (study guides, papers, etc.)

at the same time we'd planned out 10th-12th grade as well. this is the 10th grade proposed curriculum and i've already striked-through those i'm planing on changing:

Literature (Sonlight – Core 100), Wordly Wise 10, Easy Grammar 10)

Algebra II / Geometry (Saxon)

US History (Sonlight)

Biology w/ Lab (Apologia)

Bible: Precepts, Covenants; Beth Moore, James; and Beth Moore, Daniel

Institute for Excellence in Writing (US History-based writing lessons – Volume II)

Spanish III (Switched on Schoolhouse)

10th grade already is looking like some curriculum changes going on based on what is going to be offered at our homeschool co-op and what is not. i was hoping our spanish teacher would continue with spanish III but she would only have a couple students and they can't justify the class with only 2 students (yep, my boys) so we are moving on to Latin

Biology w/ LAB (Apologia) (Co-op) the boys have completed two years of using Apologia curriculum for science (human anatomy and physical science) so i'm pretty excited about their biology class

American History (Notgrass) (Co-op) their co-op teacher is super knowledgeable and has an extreme love of history. this high school american history class will be amazing.

Bible (David, Daniel, James, and Paul) (Co-op) the co-op teacher for bible is actually a lady that i've had bible studies with so i know the boys are going to sit under a great teacher for bible. not sure if she'll have a specific curriculum or use beth moore studies or what but i'm excited for this new co-op class

Drawing (Co-op) i've got to let them take their art

Latin (Book I & Book II; and Form Latin) even though the boys have their 'required' foriegn language requirements Latin will be of more service to them than just the language itself but assist them in biology (and other science classes they take), vocabulary, and anything to do with breaking down words.

Algebra II (Saxon)

Literature (Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings)

World Geography (Apologia) Part II

that is just a brief look-see at our proposed curriculum for the 2013-2014 school year. the boys are super excited i pulled the writing class from their curriculum but they will have to write for their literature class and american history class.

another change for us is that we are going to attempt to purchase only one text book for each class (as opposed to two of everything); some of the curriculum it will be necessary to purchase two but some we'll try with one textbook and see how that goes. it may mean i do more reading aloud to them, in particular their history and science assignments. but we'll see. two of everything will take our curriculum bill over 4-digits and i'm not sure we can afford that now that i'm not going to be working after losing my job.

it'll be interesting to see how this coming year actually plans out but i'm thinking we're going to be pretty well set.