Giveaway over at Berry Patch Creations!

One thing that I love to do is share the beautiful work of artists and craftsmen! My fellow homeschooling buddy and etsian Lisa over at The Berry Patch blog and Berry Patch Creations is an amazing photographer! I absolutely love her photos of New England. (When she titles a photo "Peaceful" it truly is!)

Lisa is giving away THREE - yep... THREE - of her beautiful photographs over on her blog! Each photo is 10 x 10, so we're talking some fabulous photo sizzle here! With the holidays coming up you'll be kicking yourself if you pass up this opportunity! Pop over, read a while, drool over the photos in her Etsy shop, and enter her giveaway. A gift for yourself or a gift for another. Either way it's sure to be a winner if you walk away with one of her fabulous pieces!

Did I mention that it was a GIVEAWAY!?!   :)

One of my favorites... Handmade Holidays!

I've mentioned that I'm a fiber addict. I love anything with yarn, thread, cloth... It's a joyous thing when I get to buy new materials. I love it! I'm also a huge fan of handmade items, especially for gifts. I understand that not all people enjoy sewing, but if you do you'll love this!

Sew, Mama, Sew! is a fantastic website! Their tutorials rock, their giveaways are the best, and their fabric is to die for. But, my favorite part is their Handmade Holidays series! Every November, just in time for the holidays, they highlight handmade items for a different person on your list. Today's lucky recipient just happens to be Moms and Grandmas! And, it's all free! Who doesn't like free stuff that helps you be creative?


Each day's entry is divided into sections:

Make It - You'll find tutorials for all sorts of gifts certain to thrill the recipient. Today they share monogrammed bags, pillows, and even a eyeglass case that the kids can make. Each day includes multiple gifts that are sure to ignite inspiration and help you check off that gift list a little bit faster. (They even suggest gorgeous fabrics for the projects!)

Buy It - You don't like to sew or don't have time? Check out their "Buy It" section for a great gift idea that fits with the theme.

Mix It - If you bake for friends and family (or even just yourself!) you won't want to miss this section. The recipes are fantastic, and they are perfect for brainstorming that holiday baking list.

Print It - Grab yourself some fun and free printables. Today's offering includes ornaments, gift card holders, and party favors!

Win It - Every day in November Sew, Mama, Sew! gives away books and gift certificates as part of the series! I've even found myself using this as a library wish list for myself!

Grab a cup of something warm and take a bit of "me" time. Check out the links to previous days below today's entry. Select "Handmade Holidays" in the category box at the upper right corner, and you can even see entries from previous years.

The Handmade Holidays continue throughout the month on the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog. Challenge yourself, and make something new!

Homeschooling with Google

This is one for the "who knew" category!

We're using a fantastic curriculum called Discovering Music. I adore this program! Professor Carol teaches music history and appreciation from a holistic perspective. The arts do not stand alone, isolated and independent. They are influenced by history, politics, culture, society. (I promise this isn't a just curriculum review!) I love this program because we are able to alter and supplement so that it has become our primary unit study. We are able to spin off history, art, language arts, and more simply by treating it as a unit study. My daughter is researching Thomas Edison today, and I've assigned her the task of creating a time line of his life as well as a circle of events showing things such as wars, discoveries, conflicts, etc that happened during or near Edison's lifetime. Being that she's now 13 I've started actually letting her do her own online research outside of my predetermined websites. (I know. Spooky, right?) She made the best discovery of her own today!

Did you know that Google now has a time line feature? Who knew?!

Play around for some fun:
1. Choose a topic and search Google as you normally would.
2. After you've received your search results head over to the left sidebar.
3. Locate the heading "Standard View."
4. You're there!

The time line feature is a wonderful way to highlight some of the important events associated with your main search term. By clicking on the highlighted date you can expand your search within a specific time frame. You can also choose to follow those links to learn more about each item listed. Fantastic!

Cut to the ShamWOW commercial... But wait. There's more!

If you click the "Wonder Wheel" link you'll be given a handy dandy, absoposolutely fantabulous graph of related items to chase! It's slightly dangerous and a little addictive if you are prone to three-hour rabbit trails like those of us who shall remain unnamed.

This just goes to prove that even after a decade of homeschooling one can still get excited about the little things. (Or that we're easily amused here. Either way works!)

Gratitude Challenge Day 3: My uncles

It's Day 3 in the 2010 Gratitude Challenge. In honor of my uncle's birthday I've decided that he (and his brother) are what I am thankful for today!

Growing up I had the opportunity to have my uncles in the house for many years. I had so much fun with them! Double Uncle Tickles. Nicknames like "Wart." Getting to ride horses when one unnamed uncle dated a lady with several. (I think that might have started my love for them!) Being told of stories such as my uncle "losing" me in the dorm when he just happened to use me as bait for the ladies. Dancing together. Finally some two women came by and stole them! What did they think they were doing... wanting to get married.... didn't they know that they were MY men? ;) Soon their own children followed, and I had to share the limelight. What a way to end a good run. (Kidding!)

My uncles were also there for me during all of times when having an uncle is perfect. Bullies at school. Heartbreak. My first marriage ending in divorce. They were my protectors and even when they were off having their own children all I had to do was to tell them that I wanted to talk. I never doubted their love for me.

I don't get to see them as I would like to these days.

The older of the two travels quite a bit for work. He's spending his birthday halfway around the world with co-workers on a business trip. I remember the conversations that I with him when I was baptized. He shared his faith with me in such a way that I was inspired. He has been my protector in many situations. He's my strong one. And, he also looks like Kenny Rogers (before Kenny's failed attempts at plastic surgery!) which has brought him lots of funny stories. Evidently they love Kenny Rogers in Malaysia. I definitely need to call him more.

The younger of the two is now in heaven after losing his battle with lung cancer earlier this year. He was the one that stayed up late talking to me when I went to college and was afraid. He got me in trouble with jokes that went a little too far. He was just as emotional as I am so he could understand why I was crying when others might not. He could fight with me like no one else. And he made us all laugh. A lot.

My life is changed because of them. I am who God made me to be, but I show evidence of my uncles' influence in every area of my life. I've been uncle-fied. And, I love it!

What (or who) are you thankful for today? Today I'm thankful for my uncles, Don and Roy. I love you guys!

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10 (NIV)

Gratitude Challenge Day 2: Do-overs and Good Samaritans

It's Day 2 in the 2010 Gratitude Challenge!

Today has been a wild day. It didn't really go as planned.

I woke up late. My schedule had to change due to my husband's schedule. (We're a one-car family.) My kid still doesn't feel well. I was a butter finger and dropped, chipped, and spilled way too many things when I was washing dishes. (Yep - dishwasher's broken so I'm doing it old school!) My wonderful husband was hurrying home to bring me the truck and ended up taking out the corner of the mailbox as well as the tail light.

It was truly a test of my attitude and outlook. It just didn't stop coming at me.

I was driving home after voting, and it hit me. I get a do-over! Just like it was back on the playground, we can re-do the whole thing! God has given us a fantastic thing in sleep. Not only do we get to rest and recover our body but we get to wake up to a brand new day with a brand new attitude. It doesn't matter what has happened today. Tomorrow is new! (This is also a fantastic reminder that we are given a new life in Christ... but I've promised myself that I wasn't going to get too wordy in my posts - not that you can tell in this long one!)

And, it gets even better.

It seems that after voting tonight I dropped my license in the parking lot. In the dark parking lot. Away from a light. During the last 30 minutes that the polls were open. I have no idea how they found it, but a good, kind, caring citizen turned it into the volunteers! I am so thankful. Granted, I had to stop cooking dinner for the fourth time to go get it before they left for the evening (told you it was that kind of day!), but it was a trip that I did gladly! 

This morning when I woke up I couldn't think of exactly what I wanted to write about today. Instead, I was given two blessings to share. Three if you count the fact that dinner actually tasted good after all the starts and stops. :)

What blessing did you receive today? Hop on over to My Homeschool Garden and join the challenge!

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4 (NIV)

Gratitude Challenge Day 1

It's the start of the 2010 Gratitude Challenge!

I was so excited about this challenge that I actually fell asleep thinking about all of the wonderful blessings we've received over the years. My family is my main blessing. My friends are another. Having God in my life is the biggest blessing of all. But, do you know what was the first blessing that I noticed this morning? Blankets. It's not that it is specifically cold out today. It's only 39* F as I write. Chilly yes, but not unbearable. But still, my blanket was my first blessing of the day. It's what it represents to me -

Home.

Family.

Comfort.

Warmth.

Safety.

We don't have an overwhelming homeless population in our metro area like some, though it does exist and to those individuals who are in that situation it must feel horribly overwhelming. We went through hard times when the economy took a rather unpleasant roller coaster ride, and we easily could have been in that situation had things been different. We did lose our home, but we gained another when we combined households with family. We could have easily gone off the rails. Instead, I was able to wake up this morning snuggled in my blanket with one of my pups. (My husband is an insanely early riser so he didn't get to be part of this particular moment of blessing!)

As I lay in bed this morning my thoughts weren't about having been blessed with material items or abundant bank accounts. It was that moment in time where the house was quiet, all were safe and healthy, and I knew where my family was that I felt blessed. Safe. Warm. Snuggled. Together.

It's not a fancy blessing, but it's one that I am cherishing every moment that I can.

So, grab a blanket and get snugly. Leave me a comment about the blessing today brought to your life (or even your favorite blanket!) Hop over to Garden of Learning to read some more posts on gratitude. It will definitely brighten your day as it has brightened mine. Starting your day with thankfulness is a wonderful thing.

"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30 (NIV)

A thankful heart...

Any VeggieTales fan knows the lesson that Madame Blueberry tried so hard to teach us. A thankful heart is a happy heart! It's also an easy place to start which is exactly what I need right now! I've been looking for a way to start blogging. It's the starting that is so very tricky for me. And then I saw this lovely entry over at The Berry Patch about Garden of Learning's 2010 Gratitude Challenge. It's a beautiful way to remind ourselves of the blessings that we've been given, and it's also a lovely way to start blogging in November!

The challenge is a simple one. Each day during November participants will share the reasons that they are thankful. Simple as that! It's like a big Thanksgiving table in cyber space, and I'm so excited! I've worked hard over the last few years on contentment. It seems to be a common theme in my life. It's a struggle that I've had to move through at times, and an accomplishment that I've enjoyed during others. The key for me has been to remember my blessings even during the tough moments.

Head over to Garden of Learning's blog by clicking the link above or the 2010 Gratitude Challenge button on the right side of the blog. -------->

With that we'll move from Madame Blueberry to Casting Crowns...