I found a giveway - check it out!

I know it has been so long since I have posted.  Life has been so busy with my home school, my new granddaughter, and my pre-schoolers!!

I did find a fun giveway so I wanted to let you know about it....

Here is the link to the page:

http://roomforatleastonemore.com/2012/09/30/giveaway-time/

And here is a link to the store the blogger has called Teachers Pay Teachers:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ldimom

Worth a look....Thanks for stopping by!  I've missed having time to blog - but I'll be back!

Ashley

Hubby's handwork! A brand new - made from recycled items - compost bin...

My husband has a knack at keeping things going just a little longer or using parts from something that has completely quit working to make something new.  Ok...so sometimes I guess you could say I don't always appreciate the way my husband can re-invent things.  Sometimes, I just want a new one!!!  But - with our budget, we just can't get a new one.  Sometimes his handwork means he can start it, but this 'used to be city-girl' just can't seem to make it work!  I tend to just want to cart it to the curb if it isn't functioning properly (like push a button and it works) - I am great with recycling - but I want to take it somewhere and let someone else deal with what to do with it!

However - we have had televisions that operated long past their years - if you only knew just where to touch the buttons to make the required function happen (I once put a strip of masking tape under the buttons to detail the instructions to a novice user).  He has fashioned planters benches, a rabbit hutch, dog pens, a playground fort, an art room, a dog door, toy boxes, shelves, and literally dozens of other things out of retired items.

Over the years - I've been developing a love for growing things.  I really enjoy the taste of home grown veggies and fruits (and the price).  I've learned that composting is so essential to fertile soil, and really minimizes what I dump into the trash.  I've even tested herbs grown in store bought potting soil and herbs grown in compost and seen an amazing difference in plants health and size!  However, our compost storage options have left me begging for improvement.  We started in an old boat shell - but I quickly complained that, though it contained the compost well, it was difficult to turn the compost in the awkward shape of the boat (in a word: back-breaking).  Then we started keeping it in old barrels, cut in 1/2,  but this too was not "easy" enough for me!  Remember - I was born a city girl - and hard labor is just not my favorite thing!  Not to mention, I babysit, home school, and volunteer with church, co-op, and our school district, so I tend to be short on time.  Well - now - he has come up with a design that I am really excited about!!  I told him he get's the hubby of the year award.

He has fashioned a compost bin from the following items:

1.) 4 casters
2.) A big sturdy piece of wood (casters bolted to this) and some boards for support under that
3.) An empty 55 gallon plastic barrel (sits on the casters)
4.) 2 hinges
5.) A slide hasp
6.) Some pipe insulation
7.) And - an old steering wheel

Take a look at this bin:

This is the opening:

And here is my sweet daughter, who has the daily chore of emptying our compost bucket, and is truly excited about the steering wheel feature he added for her to turn the bin!

I am loving this new invention!  I am so excited because now we can easily turn the compost - and I love easy!!  I am also loving that now I can place a small container under the bin, tilt it down, and retrieve the fertile compost soil when I am ready to use it!  No more digging it out of barrels! 

Now....what to grow....where will I plant my next garden...I'm thinking herb garden....rose garden....wildflower bed....strawberry pots....veggies....hmmm...

Honey?  I think I need you to make another bin just like this one!

First mother's day with my granddaughter!

I can hardly believe it's been almost 3 months since I met my grandaughter for the first time!  So sweet, so tiny, so perfect in every way!  Being a mom has been an indescribable blessing in my life.  Nothing could have ever prepared me for the way I felt for my children when they were first laid in my arms.  Then those first illnesses, bumps, scrapes, and bruises; who knew how strong you had to be to love them so much!  But it didn't stop there - there was first day of school, then there was elation when I realized I could keep them home to teach them.  There was my worry when they went to friends.  The worry got worse when they came home late.  Seeing them drive is really tough too - and then to watch them graduate - huge sigh - I can hardly hold back the tears.

Now...I have even more of a blessing.  One of those great kids has given me something I could have never expected to be so sweet.  It's like being a mom all over again, but different.  I just can't describe the joy I get when they drive up and bring her in.  When I pull back her little blanket to see her sweet face peeking out from her carseat.  When she smiles, when she coos, when she cries - that protective mommy inside me is now a protective grandmommy!

It's an amazing time when you become a grandparent - that little sweetheart is so special to me.  And - since I still have two kiddos who are in elementary school - it just adds to the joy to see them so thrilled with their tiny little niece.  They love to hold her and coo at her and it is truly precious to be a part of such a sweet experience as my children are now aunts & uncles too!

Happy mother's day to all moms, daughters, and grandmothers!  God has so richly blessed us everyday!

"I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 4

Spring....in January?!

What a crazy winter it has been.  After a dreadfully hot summer, and an awful drought; winter has been so mild.  Yesterday was gorgeous, made me think of springtime.  Each evening when I walk outside there is a chorus of frogs everywhere.  Yesterday, while we worked in our school room, we were given a concert from a song bird perched in the tree next to the window.  It was so beautiful.  And yesterday evening, while I prepared dinner, the kids went with dad to walk the dogs.  As they came to the creek they found the most beautiful blooms!  Who would have thought these would be blooming in January?  Though my cell phone does them absolutely no justice, these truly are delicate, pretty blooms.  I can't help but take a moment to think of artist, that is our God!

I have no idea if winter has finished with Texas yet or not, but for now it sure feels like spring.

The Simple Things....Backyard Fun!

It has been terribly long since I have posted and for that I apologize.  I have been so busy with schoolwork and toddlers I babysit as well as a few other things I am trying to take care of (not to mention being a wife and keeping the house)!  Organization has been a big thing...I reached one of those points where the 'stuff' was really frustrating me - I'm sure you know how things tend to pile up and then it seems like every free space in your home is crammed with more than it should be. 

We have been cruising along with My Fathers' World 1st & CTG and I'll try to be better about getting some pics and posting more on what we are doing...I think posting something every week on my curriculum is unrealistic for me.  (Lately - posting every week has been unrealistic!) 

What I wanted to post today is really simply the best toy every invented.  Before I show you, let me begin with a few statements that many of you can probably relate to.  Things have been so rocky financially lately...raises weren't given for my husband again this year and I find myself cutting everywhere I can to make ends meet in this trying economy.  The kids have been fine with birthdays trimmed back even further and of course we told them Christmas will be even smaller this year.  Funny thing is that they really haven't complained - they really seem more content with less.  Not that they really have less with 4 older siblings...anything they want has been handed down and that includes plenty of great Legos, blocks, and PC or video games and board games...toys and games are in plentiful supply...too plentiful, thus the need for me to really spend time cleaning the past few weeks!  However - in spite of all they stuff they have to do when our schoolwork is finished the funny thing is that the toys they enjoy the most came from my husbands work and they were free!  I have most of the neighborhood playing with these new 'toys' every afternoon!  Take a look...

He brought home these wonderful plastic barrels...lightweight enough that two 10 year old boys can hurl them over the fence and display their machuvism...but sturdy enough to be walked on, ridden on, and rolled over!  They line them in rows and try to walk on them or the they each take a barrel and try to walk independently to see who can stay on the longest.  I can not believe the countless hours they have played with these barrels, sometimes well after dark.  It's amazing that  many times the funnest things in life are free!

Moments from MFW...Study of Egypt 9/19-9/23/11

WEEK 5 - Creation to the Greeks, Mummies and Pyramids:

We have really been enjoying our study of Egypt in it's earliest history.  We are learning the books of the Old Testament and during this week we are also studying mummies and pyramids.  My historian is loving this study!  He is especially interested in all of the efforts kings took to preserve their bodies.  Several times both of my children commented on how important they thought they were from the size of their tombs, and how little humility seemed to be a part of Egyptian life for a pharaoh!

We enjoyed a science project, which we began this week, but will continue watching in the weeks to come.  This was done to expand on our study of how well the Egyptian people preserved the bodies of the dead in order to avoid mold and decay.

First...we took three slices of bread.  Then we labeled three baggies "plain", "antibiotic ointment", and "toast".  We put one slice of bread in the "plain" baggie, without doing anything to it.  We spread antibiotic ointment on another slice and slid it into the appropriate baggie.  The last slice was toasted and slid into it's baggie as well.  All baggies were sealed and we placed them on the hutch to watch daily for several weeks.  My children made a hypthesis in their science journals according to what they believe will happen to each slice of bread.  Here are the slices of bread and my daughter's science journal:

Their favorite activity, by far, was building a pyramid.  I was really surprised at how much they enjoyed this activity, since they wanted to just build them out of the paper patterns rather than out of another medium.  My little girl really enjoyed decorating the walls of her pyramids with images she thought might have been found inside.  My son preferred to draw the bricks on his for a realistic effect; however he stowed a surprise inside.  Prior to "sealing" his tomb, he cut a small pharaoh out of paper and colored him inside his sarcophagus.  He placed him inside the pyramid where he had drawn the chambers into the walls.  Then he sealed the pyramid to "protect" his tiny king from robbers.  He really enjoyed knowing he had secretly stowed a pharaoh in his pyramid.  Here is a photo of the pyramids after they were completed:

Currently, we are in week 6; learning about Job, Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Hagar, and Ishmael.  Hopefully we won't be as terribly delayed in posting about week 6 as we were in week 5!  We have been pretty busy.  We are reading through Tanglewoods' Secret and very much enjoying this beautiful story and how it depicts salvation for a child.  My son began construction on a Lego ziggurat this evening, just for fun!  What fun it is to see them enjoying about the history they are learning about during the weekly study!

Practical Help in Tough Times! Laundry detergent - easy & VERY inexpensive!

This economy has been really tough on many of us and I have been seeking ways to cut expenses everywhere I can.  However, sometimes making something from scratch is so difficult that it is hard to do regularly.  In addition, I have found that many items people use to make at home to save money, such as clothes, are now more expensive...I am shocked at the price of fabric and polyfill lately (not that I'm much of a seamstress..but I have tried)!!!  However, I found a very easy to make laundry detergent that is truly cheaper than the commercial brands.  I would never have guessed you could make a good product that is much less than buying the store brand, but this really is just that.  It doesn't have the strong fragrance of store brands, but this seems to be a good thing as several people in my family have very sensitive skin.  This is truly simple to make...I did this in less than 30 minutes and it was simple.  Here is the recipe:

First...you need 3 ingredients, plus water, and a large bucket with a lid to store it in, that will hold at least 2 gallons.

Here are the ingredients you need:

1/3 - 1/2 bar* (about 2 to 2-3/4 ounces) of a 5.5 ounce bar of laundry bar soap (usually Zote or Fels Naptha) I found a 5.5 ounce bar of Fels Naptha & a 14.1 ounce bar of Zote...I only used 1/3 of the bar of Zote (a little over 4 ounces, but not quite 5 ounces) & made a double batch, about 4 gallons of detergent.  (*UPDATE:  11/10/2011 - I have been using 1/2 bar of the 5.5 ounce bar.  It seems to get the clothes a little fresher - and they didn't seem as clean with 1/3 bar.)

1/2 cup washing soda (Arm & Hammer - but not baking soda, this is in laundry detergent aisle, it is called washing soda)

1/2 cup Borax

Here is a picture of these ingredients:

One store carried Zote, so I tried it first, but then another store carried Fels Naptha, so I bought it to try the next time.  The Zote smells very much like Ivory soap.  The Fels Naptha has a little more fragrance to it, both smell nice, but not over-powering.  This is the Fels Naptha:

Here is what you do:

1.) Grate the soap (I grated it in seconds in my food processer).
2.) Put the grated soap in a pot with 6 cups water and heat until it melts.
3.) Add the watshing soda and the Borax and stir until they dissolve.  Remove from heat.
4.) Pour 4 cups of hot water into the bucket.
5.) Add the soap mixture to the water in the bucket and stir.
6.) Add 1 gallon, plus 6 cups of water  (22 cups in all on this last addition) to the bucket and stir.
7.) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  It looks a little funny; like a watery gel, but it works!  It still works even if yours doesn't gel up as well, and I've noticed mine seems to gel better as it sits over time.
8.) After 24 hours it is ready.  You will want to stir it occasionally.  Use about 1/2 cup per load, slightly more for really dirty, smelly clothes.

Now for the savings...this is incredible compared to the price of commercial laundry soaps!  I recently paid $11.97 for 100 ounces.  Here is my cost breakdown:

I figured high...since prices are different everywhere.  I paid $3.76 for Borax, $2.88 for Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, & $0.97 cents for Fels Naptha / Zote.  I rounded these up to $4.00, $3.00 & $1.00.

A 55 ounce box of Borax yields nineteen 1/2 cup portions for about $0.21 cents per 1/2 cup!
A 76 ounce box of A&H washing soda yields a little over thirteen 1/2 cup portions for about $0.23 cents per 1/2 cup!
A 5.5 ounce bar of Fels Naptha cut in 1/3 is about $0.33 cents per portion (the Zote was even cheaper since I paid less than $1.00 for a 14.1 ounce bar!  (**UPDATE:  11/10/11 - I'm changing the calculation to 0.50 cents per portion since I have decided that 1/2 bar of Fels Naptha works better.)

Therefore for the cost of these added together, without calculating the cost of my water, is:

.21 + .23 + .33 = $0.77 cents for 2 gallons of detergent!
or
**.21 + .23 + .50 = .94 cents for 2 gallons of detergent if you use 1/2 bar of Fels Naptha @ approx $1.00 per bar (UPDATED 11/10/11 due to finding that 1/2 bar works better for our clothes)

That is seriously less than the commercial brand...and it really does work - and it really was easy to make.  I cannot imagine how much money I could have retained if I had been doing this for years...so I choose not to think of that - but I will think of how much money I can save from now on!!!

Enjoy your next laundry day!