Gifts for a Friend

Hello everyone! I wanted to share with you some Keepsake Envelope Folders that I made this past weekend. They are very quick and easy to put together.


Basically you take 3-5 envelopes and stick them together, creating pockets for holding special things.


The fun part is decorating the front of the envelope.


There are so many pretty papers and stickers available now that most of the work is already done!




The back of the envelope.


Wrapped up with ribbon and ready to be filled.


Phillip and I are friends with a couple who are moving back to Florida for a few months and then will be heading to Uganda, Africa for three years. They will be working on translating the Bible for a small remote people group called the Ik. Before they can start on the translating though, they will need to figure out exactly what language they speak!

I wanted to give my friend a going away gift, but it had to be small and not one more thing for her to pack. I decided to give her one of the Keepsake Envelopes with hopefully some useful things tucked inside.

A small vintage hankie and a card with my address and phone number.


Various hot teas.


Lastly, a little spending money for their road trip to Florida. I suggested she share a little of it with her husband. ;0)


Thank you for looking at my Keepsake Envelopes! If you would like to make some of your own you can find the instructions at Martha Stewart.com

Happy Monday!

***Updated with new pictures down below!!!***


How do you feel about legos? I'm not liking them so much right
now. ;0)


Phillip's sister lives in California and will be visiting us for a few days. Getting these legos cleaned up and Benjamin's room turned into a "guest room" is at the top of my to-do list today!

****************************************************************

It sounds like many of you are familiar with legos, especially stepping on them in the middle of the night!

Here are a few "after" pictures. Since really huge messes can be overwhelming for kids, I cleaned up the legos. Gena mentioned using a dustpan and that's exactly what I used!

I also dusted, vacuumed, and put clean sheets and a comforter on the bed.


Benjamin made sure that Aunt Abby will have a teddy bear to sleep with at night.


An embroidered place mat on the night stand.




We are taking a short lego break now. :0)

Welcome August!

This last month of summer can seem especially long so I thought I would share these ideas to help make it more enjoyable.

~If you have a beach sojourn this month, try to enjoy it at different times: an early morning browse to collect shells before the crowds come, a late afternoon visit to fly kites after they've left. Save one evening for a moonlight walk. If you are not alone, hold hands.


~Rediscover the books you loved as a child. Head off to a library and wander into the children's section. Recall those moments of contentment curled up with a good book. What was it? Little Women? Black Beauty? Anne of Green Gables? Nancy Drew? Little House on the Prairie?

~Lie in a hammock while you get reacquainted with your favorite stories.


~When was the last time you stargazed? One clear summer's evening lie on a big blanket in your backyard with a good bottle of wine or sparkling cider, cheese, biscuits, and fresh fruit. Look up into the night sky. Find a star to wish upon.


~Look for the moon while you are out there. The next full one will be on August 28.


~Be sure to spend some time enjoying the last of the pretty flowers.


~If it is really hot outside, bring some of the blooms indoors.



Here are some more fun and unique ways to celebrate August...

August 2 ~ National Ice Cream Day (We missed this, but I think any day is good for ice cream!)
August 4 ~ National Mustard Day
August 8 ~ Admit You're Happy Day
August 10 ~ Lazy Day
August 18 ~ Watermelon Day


~August~

Deep in the wood I made a house
Where no one knew the way;
I carpeted the floor with moss,
And there I loved to play.

I heard the bubbling of the brook;
At times an acorn fell,
And far away a robin sang
Deep in the lonely dell.

I set a rock with acorn cups,
So quietly I played
A rabbit hopped across the moss
And did not seem afraid

That night before I went to bed
I at my window stood,
And thought how dark my house must be
Down in the lonesome wood.
~K. Pyle

Ideas from Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach
Pictures can be found at www.art.com

Feel free to share what you do to enjoy these hot summer days!

"Show and Tell Friday"

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have a something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, an antique find. Your show and tell can be old or new. Use your imagination and dig through those old boxes in your closet if you have to! Feel free to share pictures and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

My show and tell this week is this crystal bowl, which was a wedding gift from my Grandma. My Grandparents have always been very careful with their money, and so receiving this Mikasa bowl was a special surprise.




For years I thought the beautiful pattern etched on the bottom was of grapes and leaves, but after looking more closely, I'm thinking it is some kind of flower.


I just don't know what kind!


I don't get the bowl out very often, but when I do, I like to use it as a centerpiece on my kitchen table.
Today, I have used lemons and sprigs of tiny pink flowers.


Thank you for looking at my show and tell!


If you would like to join in for Show and Tell, here are the guidelines:

***Post your "Show and Tell" on your blog, copy the post link, come over here and add it to Mr. Linky. Please do not use Mr. Linky unless you have a Show and Tell or the link will be deleted.

***Link back here so that others can share and read through all the links. If you don't know how to do this, email me and I will send you the link code.

***Please do not host your own "Show and Tell Friday" at your blog. I'd appreciate it if you keep There's No Place Like Home as the only home of Show and Tell Friday.

Homeschool Open House!

I originally wrote this post for Tiany's Homeschool Open House. Randi from I Have To Say invited me to join in for Back To Homeschool Week that she is hosting. If you are stopping by from her place, welcome!!


Welcome to Homeschool Open House 2007 hosted by Tiany at Less Of Me~More Of Him!


~Introduction~

I thought I would begin by telling you a little about our family. My husband Phillip is the oldest of 7 children and was homeschooled from 6th grade through high school. I'm the oldest of 6 children and was homeschooled from 2nd grade through 11th grade.

Our oldest, Grace, is 9 years old and is starting 4th grade. Emily is 8 and starting 3rd grade. Benjamin is 6 and starting 1st grade.

Here they are, ready to begin the open house!



~Our Schoolroom~

We have converted our formal dining room into our schoolroom. While doing our "tablework" I sit on the far left, Benjamin sits beside me, and Emily at the end of the table.


Grace sits at her desk which is right behind me.


For our history, science, and read-alouds, we all sit together in the livingroom.



~Curriculum~

We have used the Sonlight curriculum for the past 5 years and are very happy with it. Grace and Emily are only 16 months apart and are able to do a lot of the same work. We also use various other books-whatever looks good!

The #1 homeschool book that I recommend is Charlotte Mason Companion-Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola.


Two more of my favorite books are Educating a Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson and Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. This book has wonderful book lists for picture books and read-alouds.


Helpful links:
Charlottemason.com
Karen Andreola Articles
Ambleside

~Schedules~

We usually homeschool year round, doing lighter work in the summer. We took most of the month of June off and will take several weeks off in October for a vacation so we will be hard at work during August and September.

As far as a daily schedule goes our goal is to start by 9:00am. (When this doesn't happen, we work later into the afternoon).

We start our day around the living room coffee table with the following...
-The Lord's Prayer
-Pray aloud time
-Bible reading
-Pledge of allegiance
-Sing "America, the Beautiful"
-Sing a hymn
-Memory verse memorization

Then we all go into the schoolroom for...
-Handwriting
-Language Arts activities
-Math

The rest of the morning is spent on...
-Reading lessons
-History
-Geography
-Science

We read our "read-alouds" after lunch.

~Organization Tips~

My favorite organizer for all our school papers is this Rotating Desk Organizer. We just call it the "Big Spinny Thing" though. :0) We have used it every day for the past 1 1/2 years.

Each of the four sides have compartments for papers and books. In the middle are hanging file folders and room for more books.


Each corner has a section for pencils, scissors, etc. It is easy to pick up and take into the livingroom for our reading time.


Our workbooks our kept in these plastic holders.


The girls and Benjamin each have their own clipboard where I keep blank worksheets.


Once finished, they go into the hanging files labeled with their name and T.B.F. (to be filed).


Once I get around to cleaning the files (sometimes they get really full!), the papers then go into 3 ring binders. Each binder is used for a year.

Helpful links:
Donna Young's free forms and planners
Chart Jungle free printables

Now I would like to share a few of my favorite things with you!

-Nature journals~

Here are a few of my favorite books on Nature Journaling:

-Wild Days - Creating Discovery Journals by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe
-Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Leslie and Charles Roth
-Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
-Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola



Various pages of our nature journals


A Cedar Waxwing


Bluejay and Cardinal feathers


Pressed leaves from our garden and leaf rubbings


Helpful links:
-More detailed information about our Nature Journals.

~Lapbooks~

What is a lapbook? It is a file folder, refolded with a "shutter-fold" and filled with mini books and flaps. It can be filled with information on any topic you choose.

I discovered lapbooks many years ago when the girls and Benjamin were too young to help. My goal for this coming year is to have them make their own books.

I made one for each of the girls and Benjamin. Here is Emily's book:


Inside are flaps and mini books for personal information such as full name, address and phone number. Seasons, days of the weeks, months of the year, poems, prayers, a hymn, Bible verses, the pledge of allegiance, names and calls of common birds, and names of common wildflowers.




A Lapbook on Manners


Inside is information on:
-Little things you can do to help the whole family
-Being a good friend
-Being a good sport
-Mealtime manners
-How to apologize


How to take tea


I have also made a lapbook on flowers and...


the life cycle of a butterfly.


Helpful links:
Cindy Rushton's Lapbooks
How to Begin Lapbooking
Pictures of Lapbooks

The wonderful hostess of Homeschool Open House 2007 is Tiany from Less Of Me~More of Him. Be sure to visit her to read about other homeschoolers and also for information if you want to join in the fun!

Thank you for hosting the Back to Homeschool week, Randi!

If you have any questions about what I've shared or you want to see more pictures, please let me know in the comments!