DIY Sharpie Pillows

Source: dearlillieblog.blogspot.com via Nicola on Pinterest

A Budget of Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens, An Anthology of English and American Christmas Tales, 1895

Unfortunately this book is no longer available via a PDF download at Google Books; however, you can read it on several devices. See the link for details; click on Read Book at the link. You can also read it online. I've switched the format to HTML, so you can right click on the image of the page to save individual pages to print or read later.

See here for contents and to read online, or save individual pages, or read via apps on your devices. Offered free at Google Books.

Free downloads at Project Gutenberg(just noticed this).

Mulch Autumn Leaves, Skip the Bags

Source: marylenalynx.blogspot.com via Kirsi *itKuPiLLI* on Pinterest

With all this nice weather we've been having, the past two days have been spent on leaf clean-up. Instead of bagging them, we rake and blow them into big piles and mow over. We've got a mulching mower which makes short work of the leaves, chopping them into little pieces. Much of this remains on the grass to sift down to the soil as natural fertilizer. The excess is raked into piles, and shoveled off into the beds for mulch. We end up doing this several times in the fall in order to catch all the leaves, and make sure the leaves are chopped small enough.

Reason for leaf mulching:

• Saves money on bags
  
• Add nutrients back to the soil(free fertilizer)
• Helps the soil retain moisture
• Insulates plants from the winter cold
• Environmentally friendly
  

Tips:

• Make sure your mower blade is sharp
• Lower blade to about 2.5 inches high
• Mow twice or thrice to thoroughly chop up leaves.

Here's a good link on how to compost your leaves over the winter.

Dollar Map Coloring Books

I found these map coloring books at the Dollar Tree today. I'll add pictures of some the inside pages once my camera is operational again. They are nicely detailed with pull out maps, flags, and highlights of each country/state. Picture and links are from Amazon.com:

Maps to Color and Learn Europe

Maps to Color and Learn United States

What's Important

Source: google.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Marjorie Pay Hinckley - “I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”

A Little Christmas Shopping

I ordered this last night for my daughter:

Inchimals by Fat Brain Toys

Product Description from Amazon:
Inchimals is a set of 12 beautifully crafted, and thoughtfully designed wooden blocks which measure from 1" in height (the tiny ladybug) to the 12 " tall towering giraffe. Children learn math and have fun at the same time by combining the Inchimal blocks with the 100 write-on and wipe-off math puzzles. Kids explore counting, number value and recognition, scale, fine motor skills, language, and imagination. For ages 3 years and up. It can also be used for adding and subtracting.

She'll think this is more game than learning. I hope it's a hit.

I also got her a Blocks & Marbles Maze Super Set for her marble collection. She already makes her own marble ball runs with stuff around the house, so I think she'll love this.

A Southern Classic Sauce: Mississippi Comeback Sauce

I've got to make this! See here for the recipe. This complex tasting creamy sauce is high calorie, built upon a mayonnaise base, but looks as if it would be delicious as a meat or vegetable sauce for occasional comfort meals.

Kitty Leisure Activities

Spoiled pets seen here:
Daily fish watching along with a short drink from the bowl by resident cat. Our betta fish hides in his castle from my daughter, but not the cat! There's a bit of cat watching from the other side of the glass as well.

DIY Extra Large Wall Magnet Board

Made from a oil drip pan found at automotive stores, or some Wallyworlds for about $10.00, more or less. See here for more information.

Easy Sew Girls' Ribbon Christmas Tree Top

Source: bjanebrewing.com via Cari on Pinterest

Vintage Children's Thanksgiving Poetry for Those in Colder Climates

THANKSGIVING DAY

Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.
Over the river and through the wood—
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.
Over the river and through the wood,
To have a first-rate play.
Hear the bells ring,
"Ting-a-ling-ding!"
Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!
Over the river and through the wood
Trot fast, my dapple-gray!
Spring over the ground,
Like a hunting-hound!
For this is Thanksgiving Day.
Over the river and through the wood,
And straight through the barn-yard gate
We seem to go
Extremely slow,—
It is so hard to wait!
Over the river and through the wood—
Now grandmother's cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun!
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie?
~ Lydia Maria Child

Free and in public domain: Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories The Young Folks Treasury, Volume 1

Over the River and Through the Woods free geography lesson(grades1-2).

Repost from 2007.

Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages

Here is a sampling:







Click here for printable and saveable pdf copies. They print out nicely.

HT to Betsy who has an ongoing list of Thanksgiving links on her blog.

Repost 2007.

Children's Thanksgiving Coloring Page

Right click on image to save and print.

Source: mostlypaperdolls.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

DIY Children's Futon

This was made from four pillows and three yards of fabric. See the blogspot link under the image for instructions. Openings can be left to remove pillows for washing. I think I'd use a velcro closure. I wonder if you could just sew together four pillow cases? Time to experiment.

Source: norestforthecreative.blogspot.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Dish Dryer Rack for File Folder Organization

Source: google.com via Elyse on Pinterest

Autumn Art Project for Children

This autumn scene was embellished with gold paint. See link under picture for tutorial. I ordered the Sargent Art Metallic Tempera set of six($4.25) from Blick for this project.

Source: deepspacesparkle.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Image is from the site tutorial.

Natural Tree Ornaments

I happened to see these(see below) rough cut amethyst and citrine ornaments online today, and chuckled because my daughter made something similar for our Christmas tree this year. She asked to put the tree up early, so it's up and decorated, and very pink(new this year). From her ribbon scrap basket she hung up her colored mineral collection(mostly quartz), gumballs(from a tree) rolled in glitter, shells, and sea glass. A roll of tape is gone - she used this to tape the stones to ribbon for hanging. It is very pretty. I am not going to add to it. I'll leave our ornaments in the attic this year.

Source: vivaterra.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Animal Bread

Making this tomorrow for "cooking class"(giggle)! We'll make regular bread dough and shape it. Poppy seeds will serve as eyes.

Source: Uploaded by user via Alexandra on Pinterest

Update:

My daughter shaped most of these today. There are snails, slugs, bear heads(as pictured above from original idea), and other shapes. Many were rolled in poppy seeds for spotted versions of the animals. I added extra oil to this recipe so that it would be easier to shape, and probably should have let it rise only once because it obscured the shapes, which I knew would happen to some extent. We'll do this again. It was fun even though my kitchen looks like a flour explosion.

Here's a student lesson at RedStarYeast.com on the science of yeast.

Clothes Pin Learning Fun for Young Children

I think this was done with a balsa wood frog cut-out glued to a clothespin. I'm going to make this with cardboard. I bet I could think of some other animals(or letter/number animals) to make with a clothes pin. Great idea with many possibilities.

Source: flickr.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Non-Traditional Kitchen Designs

It's nearing the time for a completely new kitchen. We did an update about ten years ago, but now the 40 year old cabinets have reached the end of their life. Actually, we could get a little more life out of them with another repaint, but the lowers are not level and the water runs to the back of the counters. For some reason, a kitchen full of wall-to-wall upper and lower cabinets seems like an outdated design and a bit confining to me. I haven't always felt like this, but I'm going to go with a non-traditional approach to re-designing the kitchen, and see where that leaves me. It's a bit of a risk, but I plan to do it on a budget, and we can always add cabinets and counters later.

I leaning toward stainless steel restaurant work tables with no cabinets, and no full size oven or range. We'll use induction range plates and an induction half stove. Here's my Pinterest pin board with the kitchen items I may choose; I'm adding possibilities as I find them.

Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup shortening (3/4 cup correct amount)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Recipe here.

I substituted 3/4 cup of apple sauce for the shortening, and one tablespoon of canola oil. They were gone quickly! I also added a bit of cardamon. Soft and delicious!

A Manual Can Opener That Lasts!

WMF Profi Plus Safety Can Opener


I've been using this bit of German engineering weekly for about six months now. I used to get so irritated with manual can openers not working properly or breaking after a month of use. This one has lasted, and it's easy on the hands. It took a while for me to get the hang of it because it opens the outside rim edge of the can, and has to be placed onto the can horizontally. It glides around the can without much effort leaving no sharp edges. It was a bit expensive, but the price was worth it for a reliable can opener. It opens those big 6.5 pound cans effortlessly. I picked this one after reading customer reviews of various can openers, doing a bit of research on Amazon.

DIY Dollhouse Bookcase

Source: style-files.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

I would love to make this for my daughter's room. Click on link(style-files.com) under picture for directions.

DIY Children's Tent

Source: ana-white.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

We are going to make this for my daughter, and give it to her on Christmas day. I'll be sure to post pictures. Click on ana-white.com under the image for the directions.

Switching Gears: Homeschooling with Public Library Resources

We've used Rod & Staff, Schoolaid, and a bit of Christian Light Education(Learning to Read) as our core curriculum since Kindergarten. They are very close in content to early to mid-20th century school books, and that appealed to us. They are also bargain priced and efficient(basics) without any frills. We've filled in learning with some great online resources, using free helps and public domain books and texts. In the eighth and last year of Rod & Staff schooling, my son is more than ready(antsy, really) to spread his wings and learn less formally. We are already looking ahead to the next school year, and this year we dropped the Rod & Staff eighth grade reading curriculum in favor of independent reading(with summaries and a vocabulary list) this year.

Next school year, we will be using only one prepared curriculum, and that will be Christian Light Education Math(Rod & Staff ends at grade eight); the rest we'll get from free online resources and the library. There are stacks and stacks of history and science books* at the library, more than enough to choose from for reading, books reports, and vocabulary lists. We go to the library every week, and I already have a section and titles in mind.

Rod and Staff English is advanced, so my son will be well versed in the formal rules of English at the end of this school year. He will be ready to focus on reading and writing. I remember reading only classics for ninth grade English, and writing report after report on them. I really learned to write and comprehend well that year, and the best part was that I was able to choose which classics to read. I chose mostly romantic classics written by Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, E. M. Forester, and Edith Wharton. We did nothing else but read, write, and keep vocabulary lists. It was a small overseas private school, so the teacher was able to get away with this. It is my best remembered and was my most enjoyable year of schooling. I'm planning to open up this possibility to my son as well - the ability to choose favorite classics or quality literature to spend the year with.

I'll be sharing these teen resources and our books here on my blog. Finishing up eighth grade will feel a bit like finishing up second grade, where you move from learning to read to reading to learn. It's like taking the training wheels off, and moving into the adult realm. How fast they grow, and what precious time we've spent learning together as a family. I love homeschooling!

*We'll begin Apologia science in the tenth grade.

Living Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus Books(and More)

Life with Fred Series for Math(Elementary - College)

Someone asked me if I knew of a living math series for algebra. Well, this is pretty close to living books for math. It's learning math with a humorous whimsical storyline. Review and curriculum here at Rainbow Resources. I've never tried this series, but it looks like a good solution for a child who enjoys quirky humor and suffers from math phobia.

Sample pages here:

Life of Fred Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology(PDF)

Living Book Reference Lists: Science Grades One - Eight

Classical:Grammar Stage Science Book List(grades 1-6) Compiled by Carol Richey This is a good starter list which I've used for library book searches. It's also good to use as a spine for finding similar books under topic areas using key words.

Charlotte Mason Living Books Curriculum(grades 1-8), good for reference.

From Donna Young - "A basic a skeleton outline of science topics. Use this as a study guide to look up resources in an encyclopedia or other reference books": See here, and here for a living science book list shared on a Donna Young forum.

Public domain science books shared by An Old Fashioned Education. Some texts are included; however, many are living books. See books broken down by grade level here.

Support for the Relaxed Homemaker

Home Living had a wonderful post recently for de-stressing your life as a homemaker. A relaxed homemaker can often find herself out of step with the rest of the world. Being an older keeper of the home, I relate particularly well to her slow living posts. I can never thank her enough for posting supportive and affirming posts on the benefit of an afternoon nap, or "taking to the bed", an old fashioned way to recharge and keep your body healthy when we let ourselves get run down.

She allows for printing of her posts as long as it's for personal use. A handy site is linked making posts print friendly, allowing you to delete sections, and save to a PDF.

If modern society leaves you feeling unsupported and inadequate, read Living Without Unnecessary Stress, and browse her other posts. Slow living is not about being lazy; it's about living smarter, and enjoying a quality of life that lingers, that you can savor and does not lead to indigestion of spirit and soul.

Easy Fun Little Pet

We've had this pretty orange betta since spring, and it's the sweetest little thing, always happy to see us walk by, or talk to it from above the bowl. I know he's looking for food, but he does seem to like us to pay attention to him. He also has preferences. I'm his favorite, and he runs and hides from my daughter who gets too carried away with her love.

He was just a few dollars at Wallyworld. The tank is a super large Wallyworld vase on clearance. All the other tank items were purchased there as well: a little heater, a simple pump, a bridge, large pebbles, and plants grown from bulbs. The pump is not completely necessary, but I like to think they are healthier with it. It's a bit strong for the tank, so I fold the tube in half(with packing tape) for just a little bubbles. The fish seems to like it. I purchased a small siphon off ebay which changes water in the tank in no time.


One thing I've learned with bettas is that they go not like those betta pellets. I buy the betta flakes which they eat up quickly.

Vintage 1920's Fashion Advice for Young Women

Interesting 1928 vintage fashion book, "Appropriate Clothes for the High School Girl":

Suggestions for the Stout Figure

A girl may not only improve the appearance of her face and head by the proper use of line but she may do wonders with her figure, as well, if she knows how to properly design her dresses. A dress wonderfully becoming to a slender sylphlike girl may become a tragedy on her plump classmate. Every girl should understand her physical make-up as thoroughly as she does her disposition, with its strong points and its weaknesses. She should know the kind of line she may wear successfully in her dresses, and the colors that are most becoming to her and the types of materials most suitable for her.

The stout girl should carefully avoid a design in a dress that is too cut-up or complicated. Tunics, unless long and scant, are unfortunate usually and the interest created by trimming about the waist line or elaborate belts should never be indulged in by the stout girl.

Length-producing lines should always be planned and light or colored collars should always be designed so that interest will not be created out towards the sides of the figure, creating width, but down the center front instead.

Contrasting shoes and stockings not only cut from the height of the figure but help to accent the feet and ankles of the wearer. The girl who wears white shoes with her dark dress states, by so doing, that she considers her feet well worth public consideration.

Contrasting materials for sleeves or elaborate cuffs or pockets will add width to any figure.

The designs in the accompanying illustration are most suitable for the older school girl when made up of wool or linen materials.

I may safely recommend this type of line in design for the girl of superfluous weight.

I always find these vintage fashion books interesting as they come from a time when my grandmothers were young girls. Both are passed away now, but the memories are saved in old pictures.

Download link here from Project Gutenberg.

This Week's Picture Book Library Picks

Two quality young children's picture book finds this week from our public library:

A bit like Aesop's Fables, The Lion and the Mouse, the Snail and the Whale book by Julia Donaldson is a cute story written in clever rhyming prose about an adventurous snail who meets a friendly whale willing to take him beyond his small world on a rock. After a trip around the world, the little snail finds a way to rescue the whale when they find themselves beached.


The Pea Blossom
A story about a pea, set in Beijing, China, who put his trust in faith. His purpose is revealed in the end upon the healing of a little girl with a chronic illness who miraculously heals after he blooms in front of her sick bed window. Although, not expressively mentioned, this book could easily be interpreted from a Christian standpoint of having faith, and letting God guide us to our life's purpose.

Review from Amazon:

K-Gr. 2. In this lovely retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Pea Blossom," five little peas wait impatiently in the sun to ripen. The first four peas have grand aspirations--one wishes to dine with the emperor; another plans to visit the moon--but the fifth and last little pea declares, "I shall go wherever it is that I am meant to." The fifth pea's destiny is to land on the windowsill of a gravely ill young girl, where it sprouts into a beautiful, blooming plant that brings about miraculous healing: "As the peas grew fat in their pods, so did the girl thrive and become healthy again." Choosing to set her version in Beijing, China, Poole illustrates her simple, elegant prose with watercolors on rice paper that are clearly reminiscent of Chinese paintings. The delicate, graceful scenes are imbued with just the right touch of whimsy; children will particularly enjoy the expressive faces of the anthropomorphic peas. A poignant read-aloud that will enhance any folktale collection. Jennifer Locke

Free original story by Hans Christan Anderson here. To print and/or save, simply right click on the images of the pages.

Paper Chain Craft Templates

Simple fun and free to print. See here.

Make a Large Decorative Driftwood Sailboat

Even though summer is almost over, these would still be fun to make if you have access to driftwood. It's on my list, and this is a great time to look for seaside driftwood, after the all the storms and hurricanes.

See here for post.

Organize Your Measuring Spoons and Cups

If you don't mind putting holes in your cabinet, this is a great idea to keep organized. I am always searching for my measuring spoons and cups.
Picture and idea from here. I might try this with that sticky picture hanger tape instead of screws

Store Sheets Neatly Away

Sheets folded and stuffed into the matching pillow case.

If I could get them to fit, this would be a great idea!

The 50 Best Websites of 2011

Time Magazine ran this article recently. Interesting educational choices:

Education

• Freerice
• Khan Academy
• Open Yale Courses
• Smarthistory
• Starfall
  

Read more here.

The only one I've used in the past is Starfall, which really is excellent. I haven't checked out the other sites in depth.