Recycled Paradise

Most of you that would be reading this have been to our house and have witnessed the "yard art" we used to have gracing our back yard.  Yes, I am referring to the lovely little Shasta trailer.  It was with mixed emotions that we sold it.  Mixed in that Mark wasn't so sure we should sell it, I was fairly sure we should have sold it the summer before.  See, Mixed!  Upon the trailers departure, my mind began to spin with ideas for this new land we had re-acquired.  But as I thought about it, I came up with a completely different idea.  Tristan was taking a drafting and technical drawing class after he expressed an interest in landscape architecture.  This seemed like the perfect test project for him to design.  Gavin liked the idea so much he wanted to take a whack at it as well.  Both boys set out to measure the plot and then transfer the dimensions on to graph paper and create a to scale drawing.  They had a budget of a $100 gift card to Lowes we received for Christmas, and $100 that we put in from the tax return.  The goal was to really stay in budget and still create something cool.   We ended up with two amazing ideas.  So I took a go at it and combined the creations and added a bit of "me" to it. 

Mark's mom was here for the weekend and from the basic fire pit and cobble stone beginnings we had in place, the vision took off.

  

The following pictures are where this project was at after our afternoon of work.  Remember this corner started out completely occupied by the trailer with the fire pit set out in front and no plants around  other than the ones in pots. 

Phase 2 was completed after the trailer was removed and we (Mark) rototilled the whole area up so we could dig a french drain for the fire pit, sink it down half way into the ground, flatten the area around it, and mound it on the out sides. 

Phase 3 was the mad dash to get the bricks in place around the pit in time for Tristan's party.

Phase 4 the day of work bringing the idea to life. 

Phase 5 still to come - the finishing touches.





Gavin took this from on top of the swing set to give the big picture.





White wrought iron chair - $5 from the auction, matching one still out front.



Bridge - free old motor pallet from Mark's old job and the 4x4's on the bridge are left overs from the swing set project. 





Bamboo fountain - Broken mother's day gift from a few years back. Large rocks, left over from the neighbors project, small rocks, left over from my brother-in-laws handyman business. 



The old flower box I have had and the bottom broke out but it is a perfect addition to this corner with old milk jug.



Most of the plants were propogated from others in the yard or old pots that I held over in the greenhouse.  We found three red mums on sale and added a few bulbs.  All of this came in under budget.  I keep finding the perfect little things to tie in out there.  Not sure where it will all end up.   We have decided that we need to add about 50 more bricks to the patio.  It gets pretty hot sittin next to a screamin Mark fire.  I will take some new pictures after we work on it and hopefully get most of it done.  We probably won't be able to swap the strawberry box and the wheel barrow around till after strawberry season.  And then, we'll have to take some in a few months when things really start growing.  We have several things in the green house that we started from seeds that the guys picked for this corner specifically.  The color theme is tropical.  Reds, oranges, yellows, white, and lots of textured greens.  Gavin bought me a sweet black grass for Mother's Day to sneak in there too.  So far, I think the new improved corner is a huge success.  Wait till you see the bridge completed.  The whole thing is very Survivor.  I was given some sweet old cork floats.  They fit in perfectly.  You should really come see it!



A Little Goes A Long Way...

Gavin and I went shopping recently with some of the money he has raised for his Haiti project. He discovered that a little bit of work would provide shirts, supplies, and shoes for many. At JCPenny's we asked if they would give any additional discount since the shirts were going to Haiti and they did. It was great! He got a huge stack of shirts for $45 ish. He was thrilled. Along with the shirts, he sends several pairs of crocs, tooth brushes and tooth paste, and bar soap. He isn't new to the heart of giving but something extra special about this gift is that his dad gets to deliver it. He isn't quite done with his shopping. He still has more money to buy supplies. His thanks to all who supported him by buying something yummy. We'll keep you posted on the delivery.

Daily Work Organized.

I realize I said I would get back to the notebook and planner concept several weeks ago, it's just that so many other things became "front burner issues". So, better late than never.

This little system has been a great tool for our family and the many others we have shared it with. Hopefully, you will find it useful for yours as well.

One of the really great things about home school, is that it is anywhere, everywhere, and anytime. This means doctors appointments, lessons, banks, meetings, you name it. Being able to take schoolwork with you is just part of the routine. This system allows you to take it all with you without taking it ALL with you. Even if you purpose to be primarily stay at home home schoolers, this system will have its advantages.

To get started you will need: a 3-hole punch, a large clip, possibly some hole reinforcement circles, dividers, the binder, and the planner.

It begins with the binder. I am a bit of a color coding nerd. Just ask anyone who knows me. Having four kids I found it easier to give them each their own color. In the binder you will need tabbed dividers for each subject your child is studying. It should look something like this.

For some of you this next step will feel very scary. Take a deep breath and repeat after me, "I can do this. It will be okay and I won't get in trouble." I want you to tear out a weeks worth or even two weeks worth of the worksheets for each subject and put them behind the correct tab.

Then you begin planning out the work and writing in the assignments. I usually do 2 weeks at a time. That way if we jump ahead I don't have too many changes to make. Likewise if we take extra time in an area. For the older kids, this is where the month at a glance becomes helpful. I use it to put in reminders of when they have tests, papers that are due, lessons and or appointments, or labs that need to be completed. This allows them to look ahead and begin planning their time accordingly. (in theory, these are pre-teens and teenagers we are talking about)

As you begin planning out your weeks, you may notice that Thursday is consistently a busy day away from home so your lesson plans for the day may be smaller like this example. You can see the math assignment and corresponding lesson.

The child will have most of the work they need right with them in their binders for two weeks out. You may need to bring along a reading book. Our older kids often have to bring along a textbook but, it still eliminates carrying all the work texts around. I have discovered another advantage to this system is that when it comes time to report in or create a transcript, you have all the information you need regarding what your child has covered quickly at your fingertips. By scheduling out your days, you are helping to create a routine of school for your children. Once established, this routine frees you up to be more hands on with the younger kids.

The clip is used simply to hold the at a glance month and the current week open. I am primarily using the month at a glance with my two older kids. The goal here is getting them comfortable with the idea of being responsible for commitments they have. I think it is important to teach them early on the value of their time as well as others. If they have committed to be somewhere for a lesson at 4 and then show up at 4:20, not only do they miss 20 mins. of their lesson which isn't very good stewardship of funds, but it doesn't honor the other persons time and obligations they may have. I am not talking about the occasional running late because you got caught at the train, behind the school bus parade, or your car got a flat tire. I think being good stewards of our time is just as important as being good stewards of our funds. They learn primarily by watching us so we have to try and set the example on this one.

When the kids have completed an assignment we mark it of with a highlighter. This allows me to easily see at a glance what work is completed and what things still need to be done. The paperwork gets turned in to a turn in box. It is collected here until the end of the month. At this time, I go through them all and type up my report. I have the older kids keep all their work in their binders until after a test so they can use it for studying.

If you have any questions or would like to see first hand what this looks like and how the kids use it on a day to day basis, please feel free to ask me any questions or give me a call. Good luck with it. It has been a great source of sanity for me.

To Haiti With Love - Part 2

Got Shoes? They Don't! Let's Share!!!

What do apples and zucchini, tennis shoes and Haiti have in common? Everything if your name is Gavin Mikkelson. He has been working hard at his fund raiser to buy shoes for the people of Haiti. He has made flyer's and distributed them. He has gone up and let people know, and he has been baking non-stop. I could very possibly retire from my job as head baker in our home except for one problem... I love to bake as much as Gavin.

It was an easy and natural fit for the girls and the dresses and this seems to be that fit for Gavin. I think it is super important for us to involve our kids in learning the needs of others and then responding to the need. I love that for Gavin this is a very natural gifting in his heart.

He has been making zucchini bread, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, banana bars, and apple pies just to name the current goods. His weekly list of available items changes every Sunday, however, I am pretty certain you could make a request and find he was more than willing to accommodate. His fee is donation only, and 100% of your donation goes towards the purchase of shoes (and possibly clothes) for our church team to take with them and distribute in December. Our family is donating the ingredients and other items required so that he can truly spend 100% on the gift.

This weeks choices are apple strudel bread, apple crisp muffins, apple pie, French apple custard, or apple crisp. He is also making cookies and pumpkin breads or muffins. All baked good are from scratch and having sampled one or two, let me tell you they are pretty great! If I were to recommend one to you this week, it would hands down be the apple crisp muffins. This is dessert in a cup!

Call or post a comment if you are interested in contributing to this cause and aquiring some breads or baked goods for your family. He will be holding his bake sale fundraiser from now til December, so think of holiday ideas you may like some additional baked goods for.

To Haiti With Love...

What Can I Give?

Even when we think we have very little and even less to give, there is almost always someone, somewhere, that is considerably worse off. I think that going without a few comfort items lately, has allowed our family to realize just how good we really do have it here. Not just one pair of jeans but four. Not just a t-shirt but 9 or 10. Dresses? 4 or 5 and shoes..... don't even get me started.

A friend of ours from church was telling me about these cute little dresses that she and her granddaughter were making to send to Africa for the little girls. From this outreach to Africa came the idea for our school project of Terin, Payton, and I making dresses for Haiti. Our church has a team heading there in late December to assist in some rebuilding projects as well as serving the community with a medical clinic. What a great opportunity for our girls to help in a real way that they can not only understand but participate in.

The project began Saturday with the lesson and a first personal practice dress. They learned how to measure and find the selvage edge. They practiced stitching straight on some scrap fabrics and folding it over and stitching it again.

They learned the lost art of ironing, (it's a hot appliance that flattens material, just in case) sewed hems, and made casings for elastic. Then each of the girls made their first gift dress.

They each had the opportunity to learn the unfortunate practice of seam ripping, which is as we were taught a very important thing to learn and practice because, it happens.

The girls, one in particular, were wiped out after 5 hours of standing to make their dresses. While we were fortunate enough to have three machines to work with, we had to work around the issue of the gathering height table. This required that we stood at the machines to sew.

The girls managed to complete 2 dresses each, and plan on finishing more before the trip. Be looking for updates and new dress embellishments. Terin has great ideas to spruce up this simple little dress.

We have challenged the boys to participate in this gift to Haiti. Their plan is fundraising to get money and possibly buy shoes to send down. They are still checking with the contact to find out if that is the need. Some of their ideas for this are selling baked good like zucchini bread, banana bread, and beer bread, and offering yard clean up services. Feel free to place your baked goods order right here on my blog (requests accepted :0) )and more importantly, pray for and encourage these kids as they develop this heart for others.

Time To Get Organized

If you have looked at a calendar lately, then you know that school starts again all too soon. As a home school family, we aren't always tied to the same start date, but I am guessing that time is rapidly approaching for you as well. If you are distracted enjoying that delicious river called "Denial" make sure you don't loose track of time at the big bend up ahead called " Last Minute Loop" If you create your supply list now for the upcoming year it will really end up saving quite a bit with all the back to school sales, not to mention all the time you will save during the year by having things purchased and planned out now.

Another thing I like to get done now for the fall is make sure all of my textbooks, tests and answer keys, science lab supplies, daily necessities, art supplies, and musical instruments are ready to go. Once all of these things are here, I can really get a good idea of what our school year will look like, or at least develop a plan for it and then be flexible when needed. There is something about having that plan in place that makes it so much easier to detour from it when that unexpected friend comes for a visit from Sacramento or your sister surprises you with a visit from Ketchikan. You can fill in where needed, drop what is unnecessary, and improvise when possible.

One of the things we have discovered to be an absolute for our kids grade 6-7 and below is what we fondly call "the box". This is a simple little school box that has all of the tools they would typically need during a given day. Our box list includes crayons, markers, 1 glue stick, about 5 sharpened pencils, erasers, scissors, a pen, a calculator, and possibly a highlighter pen. This box fits perfectly in their back packs and can be hauled anywhere we may race off to at a moments notice. This helps eliminate any excuses for being with out their supplies and puts the responsibility on them for keeping their boxes filled and ready to use.

Two additional necessities for my students are their lesson planners and their binders. Check back in next time to see how we use these two must haves. I will also offer suggestions on how to plan out your year or at least your first semester.

I know you may not want to but get off that river and start planning. It can actually be a lot of fun. Then you will be able to enjoy your last few weeks of summer without that looming over your head.