My Adventure Creating Skirts!

I have recently started wearing skirts.  It was something that was on my heart for quite some time now, and when I finally gave it over to the Lord, it was quite an easy transition.  I then moved on to our daughter's closets.  Sweetcheeks was more than happy to start wearing more skirts.  She loves looking girly and wearing skirts.  I had found a few skirts at a thrift store, and one on clearance at Kohl's. 

Then I found this book.....

...and figured out I could sew my own skirts.

This is a great book to create simple skirts (even some not so simple!).  I consider myself to be a beginner at sewing yet, and the directions were so easy to understand.  I whipped up a couple of skirts for Sweetcheeks in just a few hours.  Mind you, they are definately not designer skirts, but she loves them, and I was happy to create them!

Here are the 2 skirts I created for Sweetcheeks!

And...

I made myself a couple of skirts also, but haven't taken pics of them yet. 

It was so easy to create these skirts, and I really had a lot of fun doing it as well.  I am finding that I really enjoy sewing and am looking forward to creating more for myself and our girls.  It is very difficult to find modest skirts (or ones that go beyond the knee), especially for Stinkerbelle. 

I'm so glad that my grandma took the time years ago to plant a seed in my mind about her love of sewing.  I remember her teaching me back then how to do simple stitches and it all came back to me as I created these skirts.   I have found I just love sitting at the sewing machine.

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~August 29, 2011
Outside my window... sunny and looking like another great day
I am thinking...how nice it would be to get rid of this headache!
From the learning room...starting the school year on Thursday!
I am thankful for...good friends and other families who have walked the autism journey before us
From the kitchen...french toast and sausages
I am wearing...brown paisley skirt and pink shirt
I am creating...just idea's right now
I am going...to work on Septembers budget and really stick to it!
 I am reading... Bible, Fruitfull Famillies by Howard Bean (a worship devotional we want to start with our family)
I am praying...still for contentment (really struggling here), a friend with cancer,  for those dealing with weather problems
I am hearing...clock chiming, otherwise just the birds outside
Around the house...today's laundry finished (but not yet put away!), working on living room today
One of my favorite things...comfort food....chocolate anyone!
A few plans for the rest of the week...Volleyball for Stinkerbelle, school starting on Thursday, praying for some good family time this coming extended weekend!
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Sweetcheeks with her new glasses!

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

School year 2011~2012

UGH!!  It just seems too early to be writing about the next school year.  This summer has just flown by (as it always does!) and I just don't want to give in and admit that fall is just around the corner.  

Our school year is going to be a bit crazy this year.  We enrolled Spud in public school.  He was just having too many problems to continue at our local Christian school.  I really wanted to start homeschooling him this year, but both his psychologist and psychiatrist thought that would not be a good idea at this time.  We need to trust their opinions, so he will be starting public school on Sept. 1.  A new experience for our family.



Sweetcheeks working on a project from Rod and Staff books last winter


Sweetcheeks will continue with her books for schooling.  We are not jumping heavily into homeschooling her yet.  She just turned 5 this month, so we are opting to hold her back a year as far as the school system regulates.  That is the beauty of homeschooling.  We can opt to "hold her back", but if we feel she is ready to begin something we can just start teaching it.  I am excited to begin her homeschooling journey as she is the first child I will homeschool from the beginning.  We started the ABC series with Rod and Staff books last semester, so she will just pick up where she left off.  I LOVE this series!!  It is just simply teaching letters, shapes, and numbers...but in a way that is fun and engaging for little ones.  She is always asking to "do school" and she can't wait until homeschooling begins again!

Sport will have an exciting year as well.  I mixed things up a bit as far as his curriculum goes.  Last year I just ordered a whole curriculum from one company, and although we did like most of it, there were some things both he and I struggled with.  Here is what he will be studying this year...

Bible and Language arts:  Christian Light Education
Science:  Apologia Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Psyiology
Spelling:  Spelling Workout
History and Art:  Notgrass America the Beautiful and Learn to Draw
Music:  Guitar Lessons
Math:  Rod and Staff

He is excited about Science as he will get to do some experiments.  I am super excited about Notgrass' America the Beautiful.  It is an awesome set of books that tells about America's history from the year 1000 until today.  Hubby and I have read much of the books and have found it very interesting.  Mom will be learning some new things (or more likely forgotten things) alongside him this year.  We are going to start on Sept 1 and I'm excited to complete a full year of homeschooling!

Stinkerbelle will continue at the Christian school for her first year of high school.  She started on August 24 and is looking forward to the whole high school experience.  While I really wanted to homeschool her also, hubby and I decided that she could continue going to the school she has always attended.  She had no interest in homeschooling.  I am still struggling with this, but I have been (slowly) letting it go.  We're continuing to hold this in prayer, and maybe we will homeschool in the future.

And we can't forget Sunshine.  He has some learning to do this year also!  We will be potty training him soon.  This is something else I'm struggling with right now.  When he is potty trained, we will not have a child in diapers in the house.  That hasn't happened in 7 years.  He is the first child I have used cloth diapers on, so I really won't miss the diaper pail or cleaning diapers!  I mourn the passing of each stage with our kids, although I still enjoy the next stage.  Our baby is growing up so fast it's hard to believe sometimes. 

So that's our school year in a nutshell.  My greatest desire is that each of our children grow closer to the Lord this year, and closer to each other as well.  I also want to remember to enjoy teaching at home, and enjoy our children.

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Volleyball 2011

We started the volleyball season last night with Stinkerbelle's first game as a high schooler.  They won all three games!  It was a great way to start out the season.  I must admit that I love volleyball, so I really enjoy seeing her play.  Here's a few pics from the game.  (Sorry for the blurriness in some of them.  My old camera had a setting for action pictures, this camera doesn't seem to have that and it makes it hard to take pics of moving targets.)

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Frugal Living~Body Wash for Less

I love to use body wash when I am taking a shower.  There are so many scents out to choose from.  But they can be so expensive.  Around here they range from $5-$8 EACH!  Sometimes I can get them for just over a dollar if I have a good coupon and they are on sale.  But I am not going to pay full price for them.

I recently found a way to get a great smelling body wash much cheaper!  I use shampoo!  I can get a large bottle of Suave shampoo for around a dollar~almost free if I have a coupon and use it along with a sale!  Suave has many floral scents to choose from.  I just put a little bit on a washcloth and lather it up.  It makes a good lather, has a good scent, and leaves me feeling clean.

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY~August 22, 2011
Outside my window... sunny and looking like a great day
I am thinking...how nice it is to get back into blogging
From the learning room...all materials ordered and most received (post on that later).   We'll start on Sept 1
I am thankful for...visiting with our sister and niece last week!~they were visiting from Michigan
From the kitchen...Ravioli, salad, the last of the green beans from the garden
I am wearing...jean skirt and pale pink shirt
I am creating...just idea's right now~I've got to add some material to one of Stinkerbelle's skirts~they just don't make them long enough for modesty :( 
I am going...to go get milk and eggs this morning
 I am reading... Bible
I am praying...for a great school year, and contentment
I am hearing...dishwasher running, kiddo's playing together in a bedroom
Around the house...trying to use Kim Brenneman's suggestions of doing one room a day~ today is living room (and laundry of course!)
One of my favorite things...family time
A few plans for the rest of the week...Stinkerbelle starts high school on Wednesday, eye doctor appointments, and a couple of Stinkerbelle's volleyball games
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

the last of the beans from the garden!

Thanks for stopping by!  For more daybooks, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.  Have a great week!

Blessings,

The Weekend Is Here!

Have a Great Weekend!!

Blessings,





Summer Fun!

We've been busy enjoying ourselves outside lately.  Here's a few things we've been up to!



playing with a caterpillar



lots of swinging



We love bon-fires during the summer~~complete with roasted marshmellows!

This boy HATES to wears his shoes!!

Playing games

more swinging

best friends **smile**

cooling off with popsicles

chalk drawings ;)

enjoying each other

I love this picture!

just being silly (yes, I know ...now the shorts are also missing!)

God's greatness

her future calling???

summer storms

I hope you've been enjoying your summer!


Blessings,

Back to Blogging...

I'm back at the keyboard again.  I have no great excuse for not blogging the past 6 weeks.  Our computer did end up with a virus and it took a couple of weeks to "get it well" again!  But other than that, I have just been enjoying some lazy time off with our family.  School will again start soon, and the busyness that comes with that will all be back. 

I have been keeping up with several of the blogs that I enjoy.  I have also found that many of the blogs that I enjoy are going private and only allowing certain followers to read it.  This has been very dissapointing to me.  I am not a big "commentor" on many blogs, but I still love to read so many of them.  I do know that several of my favorites have been dealing with negativity from commentors.  This has not been something I have had to deal with, but can understand how that would affect what is written about.

I just want to say that if you have a blog remember that it is YOUR blog.  You can do with it what you want.  You can say what is on your heart.  I have learned so much from reading other blogs.  I have found great recipes, child training tips, Bible studies, marriage help, crafts, and autism help.  I have had to face some problem areas in my life as the Lord works through your blogs to change that area in my own life.  And I have found some great friends through blogging.  These are all the reasons I started blogging and have been enjoying it.

Praying that you have a great day!

Blessings,