Organized School Books

Who's idea was it to organize all these books anyways? Oh yeah,
mine. ;0) Here are a few "before" picture of the bookshelves in our livingroom and schoolroom.

First, I stacked the books up in piles based on catergeries. Poetry, geography, history, storybooks, etc.


Schoolroom shelves.


We do have a lot of books. The Sonlight curriculum we use is very literature based and we find books at yardsales, resale stores, etc. Also, many of our books have been passed down by our extended family. I don't want you to think I go crazy every time I see a Barnes and Noble. ;0)


So, here are the "after" pictures. There is even a little space for more books which is always good! The top shelf holds my novels.



2nd shelf:
-Art books
-My childhood Bibles
-Old books given to me by my Grandma and my Beatrix Potter bookset.



3rd shelf:
-Large storybooks
-Missionary stories
-Bible stories and devotional books



4th shelf:
-Poetry
-Nature Study


Schoolroom shelves.



-History
-Geography
-Social Studies



-General Science
-Animal books



-Drawing books
-Activity books
-Magazines
-Craft books


I still need to fix up our fiction books. I didn't put the non-fiction books in alphabetical order, I organized them by size, large to small so it would be easy for the girls and Benjamin to put them back on the shelf. I promised Phillip I would organize these book the proper way though. :0)


My goal is for all of these books to stay semi-organized for the year, and then I'll do it all again!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Laura Ingalls' Ma used to say...

"Wash on Monday,
Iron on Tuesday,
Mend on Wednesday,
Churn on Thursday,
Clean on Friday,
Bake on Saturday,
Rest on Sunday."

It's the beginning of a new week! The girls and Benjamin are busy with their math and handwriting, then they are having a friend over over for a visit. I started organizing our books yesterday, so I'm hoping to make some more progress this afternoon.

It's going to be 104F degrees today! I thought I would bring some flowers inside to enjoy.


Here is one way we are keeping cool. Drinking lots of Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger Iced Tea.


This delightful blend of sweet raspberries and tangy hibiscus captures the taste of warm sumer mornings and bring back memories of berry-picking adventures that produced bushels of fruit and red-stained little fingers.
Found on the side of tea box.

Is it going to be hot at your house today?

A Fun Saturday

Yesterday we had a "spur of the moment, trip out to the country." Phillip's mom asked us if we wanted to visit a watergarden store north of here, and I was hoping to visit a couple of antique stores afterwards. I have lots of pictures to share so make your self comfortable and come along with me!

As soon as Grace heard the word "country" she put on her prairie girl outfit and then we were off!


The watergarden store was in a little town called Aubrey. It was a nice drive with pretty scenery and lots of horses to look at.

Papa and Grace.


A relaxing waterfall.


Benjamin liked the big waterfalls the best.


Emily and I tried to stay cool. By now it was almost 100F degrees!


The waterlilies didn't mind the sun though.






We didn't find any antique stores in Aubrey so we decided to drive east to a place called Old Town McKinney. There were plenty of old-fashioned shops and restaurants to visit.


Lots of charming storefronts and...


cozy spots to rest for awhile.


If you like antique stores, then this is the place for you! Phillip took this photo from way up on the second floor balcony. I was a little nervous up there with the old creaking wood floors so I enjoyed the bottom level more. :0) I did pick up a few treasures which I will save for a later post.


By now it was past lunchtime so we went to a little cafe called Spoons. The adults had omelets and salads, which were delicious.


It had been a couple hours since snack time, but I can assure you they made it until their sandwiches arrived. ;0)


After lunch we walked around and visited some more stores. On our way home we took a drive through the historic home district. Here are just a few of my favorites. You can click on the pictures to enlarge.

A beautiful willow tree shades this cozy Victorian home.




You can tell the homeowners put a lot of love and extra touches into their homes.




We saw this beauty from a distance and had to get a closer look.


It's an old Victorian home in the middle of renovations.


The detailed woodwork below the turret has been freshly painted.


Amazing detail work!


I saved my favorite one for last. Yellow is my favorite color and I think this little cottage is perfect. There is a white wicker hanging porch swing and draped over the wicker love seat is a patchwork quilt. Sigh.


Thank you for coming along with me!!

"Show and Tell Friday"

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!" Do you have 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! Share photos and if there's a story behind your special something, that's even better!

I have two childhood outfits to share with you today.

Back in 1978 when I was 2 years old, my Uncle Harry and Aunt Betty went to visit Scotland and they brought back this outfit for me.

A small kilt and white satin blouse.


A kilt pin.


Lace on the end of the sleeve.


Lace ruffles on the front of the blouse. Does anyone know the exact name of this?


Here I am in September of 1978. The baby is my sister, Jenny.



This next outfit is a dress, made for me by my Great Grandmother back in 1980. She must have been quite old, but still able to sew well.


A sweet starry sky fabric.


A few hand sewn stitches.


Delicate lace on the front of the dress.


Three tiny buttons on the back.


This photo was taken in 1981, when I was 5. In addition to a sister, I now had a baby brother!


Thank you for looking at my show and tell!




The Show and Tell Guidelines have changed. Please read them before participating!!

"Show and Tell Friday" Guidelines

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share and dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story behind your special item.

What is Show and Tell Friday?
Show and Tell involves showing something to an audience, and then telling them about it. Your show and tell must be something that you own, and is in your home or garden.

What items work well for Show and Tell Friday?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
-Childhood keepsakes
-Family heirlooms
-A collection you may have
-A piece of jewelry
-A special gift
-A favorite treasure
-Gardening pictures

What doesn't work well for Show and Tell Friday?
-Posts with no photos have no "Show." Please don't use them.
-Photos of events (trips, vacations, celebrations, etc.)
-Photos of things you are selling or planning to sell.
-Photos found on the internet, graphics or screenshots. Please use photos you take yourself.

There is no place like home is the original home of Show and Tell Friday. Please do not host your own.

Please do not feel that you have to participate every Friday.

How can I participate?
Once you've got your photo(s) and your story, it's easy as 1-2-3!

1 - Publish your "Show and Tell" on your blog, including a link back to There is No place like Home. If you don’t know the link code, email me and I will send it to you.

2 - Copy the link (or "permalink") from your post.

3 - Add it to Mr. Linky, along with your first name. I usually put Mr. Linky up on Friday at 12:00am Eastern time.

That's it! After that, you can start visiting all the other Show and Tell participants!