Full Life

I just wanted to share a few reasons why I haven't been Blogging lately...the photos say it best

The Kids first Drive-In Movie...we had to drive an hour and a half to get to it...but we had a blast.  We took a picnic dinner relaxed and watched Despicable Me 2...very funny by the way.  We didn't stay for RIPD of course.  The Swan Drive-In Theatre took me back quite a few years.  If your in Blue Ridge Georgia check it out.

Tent camping at Vogel State Park Georgia...giggles and laughter, not to mention getting soaked in the rain (we decided to just go with it and sing in the rain) is what we did all weekend long.  Vogel is one of my favorite places to camp.  It is just west of Blairsville Georgia and near Brasstown Bald the highest point in Georgia.

A trip to the Etowah Indian mounds...you didn't think I would let the Summer slip by without throwing in something educational.  Shhh...don't tell the kids they were learning something. Not to mention all the stairs we climbed on the three mounds.  The Mounds are in Cartersville Georgia and have picnic tables out front but our favorite place to picnic is down by the river under the trees.

We also Monkeyed around at Zoo Atlanta...this was educational too.  We got in for free by watching a video at the Library.  How cool is that? You can also take a cooler in here.

So please forgive me for being lax on my blog...but they are the light of my life and I want to bask in it all I can.

Home School Gardening

On your Mark...Get Set...Plant!

Well the garden beds we built last year are getting this Years Spring crops in.

 Each of us has chosen something different.  Alex and I want to learn all we can about each vegetable so we decided to pick one climber and one non-climber.  So we can get to know each vegetable intimately and know its likes and dislikes as well as planting and harvesting time.

 Trinity on the other hand likes her flowers, so she opted for a cut flower garden with as many different flower seeds she could get.  So last falls seed collecting really helped her out.

As Alex and I were preparing our soil in early spring...one thing led to another and a bet was placed as who would have the most lush garden.  The winner doesn't have to do any fall clean-up in the garden...and it seems a lunch at our favorite diner got in the bet somehow.
Well, may the best gardener win.

Cleaning a Waldorf Cloth Doll

I have had the honor of making my children's first dolls. Far from perfect but still well loved. In fact loved till they were dirty. After so much work going into them I was afraid of cleaning them. I had done spot cleaning, which led to a different type of stain. I searched and searched for what to do, but found nothing. So I took a chance and bathed them in a sink of water...I know very scary. But the results were excellent and I wanted to share.

Sammy and Alaska

Doll Bath
1. Fill Kitchen Sink about two inches deep with warm water (about the temperature you would bathe a baby in)
2. Add two Tablespoons of Prell Shampoo and swish water till bubbly.
3. Dip the dolls body parts in the water till very wet including face. (The dolls limbs felt heavy with water)
4. Gently squeeze doll over the sink (soapy bubbles will come out) dip again if needed. I also rubbed the very dirty hands but tried to maintain the dolls shape as I did so.
5. Wrapped the doll in a towel and continue to squeeze and rub gently on extra dirty spots. This is a good time to hand them over to there Mamas and Papas for some extra squeezing.
6. Lay them out in full sun all day long turning them half way through.

My dolls kept there shape and felt soft...there skin looked brand new. The wool inside didn't felt and kept its shape.

Adopt A US Soldier

WE LOVE OUR US SOLDIERS

Hey all...we are so excited the kids and I have have adopted a Soldier overseas.  We thought long and hard about it.  I researched several sites that aid and support our troops.  It only took about three days after I choose Adopt A US Soldier to get our Soldier address.  In this day and age we can e-mail each other, though at times they are unable to e-mail back.  But it is suggested that snail mail be sent as well and care packages.
This has been a great lesson for the kids on several levels.  First to be giving and compassionate and second we did a geography lesson on where he is now and where he is from in the United States.  They also have to learn how to keep secrets, though we can tell others we Adopted a soldier we cannot tell too much about him to keep him safe.
The Kids are having a fun time figuring out what to put in the box we are sending him.  We compiled a list from the Internet of people who have shipped or who have received care packages.  We hope he will feel the love and care we put into it.

 

Girl Day - Nail Art

Trinity and I love nail polish the more fun and funky the better!  Every week we are trying something new.

Trinity chose red, white and a glittery silver for this braided design, quick and fun!

Mine is a few days old (dishes, house cleaning and scrubbing the bathroom) but they still look really good. 

We Love being girls and doing girly things together!

GBBC 2013 Bird Lovers

Red Tailed Hawk

THE Great Back Yard Bird Count (GBBC) Is Back and bigger than ever. It has gone global. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about the Audbone Socity has teemed up with the Corneal Lab of Ornotholgy to do a bird study that is now world wide.

Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird

We did our first bird count in 2003 when Alex was 5, sitting on the kitchen counter (my birdfeeder was right outside that window then) eating cheese sandwiches.  I thought it was going to be hard counting and entering in the data on-line.  But it was easy and so much fun. 





                                                                     Male Eastern Bluebirds



In all the years we have been doing the count I have yet to purchase a field guide.  I found I could get far more information than I could afford, by just going to my library and taking home 4 or 5 different field guides, and spend my money on more bird feed.

 

My Christmas gift to the birds

 This wound up being a great way to have fun, do some nature science and enjoy the lovely winged creatures we share our home with. I know this sounds and looks like an infomertian but there is no way I can earn off something that is free.  We just enjoy it so much I have to share this every year. 

Click on Owl to go to the GBBC



How To Stash All The Decorations

Well its time to make the seasonal change once again in the school room...we are saying goodbye for now to the winter tissue paper scene, wax paper folded stars and all the cut snowflakes.  But they all are in great condition and we can get a few more years out of them.
I have tried several ways to store them but nothing works as well as laying them between my mattresses.  Its dark so they don't fade, its flat and the weight of the mattress presses them out looking nice and crisp for next year.  I also keep all my poster board there as well.

As for my mobiles they get hung on a hanger, with a trash bag tied over them and put in the front coat closet where no one go's.  

The rest of the gnomes, fairy's and such get put in plastic bags (I use old bread bags and such) then into a bin in the bottom of the coat closet.  This keeps everything near by and handy and out of a damp basement.

Ant Farm On The Cheap

We are doing a little science project that should be a whole lotta fun...ANT FARM!

But when I went online to order my mouth dropped open and all the cash in my wallet started to disinigrate!
First stop: Carolina
Ant farm kit: With ants, poster, booklet and plastic farm thingy was $26.95 OK not too bad.
Freight and Handleing: $19.95
Tax: $3.28
This put my total at $50.18! OMG for a plastic ant farm are they crazy!

OK, being a frugal Mom I started shopping around.
Next Stop: Uncle Miltons
Plastic farm thingy: $14.99 that's much better
The ants were separate: $6.00
Still around $20.
Then the shipping and handling was $15.00
There went my total to $35.99
Still allot for some ants and a plastic container.

I knew I could still do better, and I remembered that Hobby Lobby carries science kits and had a 40% off coupon I could print off.

Armed with my coupon I bought the Uncle Miltons farm for $9.00 (original price)
When I got home and opened the box I found a coupon code inside for the ants from the same Uncle Miltons I went to earlier.  All I had to pay was the $5.00 shipping charge.

In total I paid $14.00  CHA CHING!