Creative Homemaker

I've begun. I've jumped in with both feet first into the swirling mass of books, pencils and kids. I'm desperately trying to keep my nose above water. Teaching 4 children with 4 different grades isn't turning out as easy as I had hoped. The girls usually finish their assignments and have to wait for me to assign the next item. I'm constantly interrupted while teaching new concepts to the boys either by Boo trying my patience, or one of the girls wondering what they can do next. I know there must be an easier way. I've had friends who have home schooled 10 children at a time, each one in a different grade level. I'm not Super Woman. I've got to get more organized so that I'm not constantly feeling like I'm just at the surface of the water ready to go under at any moment. On a positive note, I'm loving having my children around me and being able to tell them and teach them things during each moment throughout the day. Those moments when I catch...

Ok. I'm homeschooling. If I were born in a different time, I'd love to be Lucille Ball, June Cleaver, Ethel Merman or Vivien Leigh. I'm a country girl living in the city. But, oh, to be as cool as her. These are absolutley gorgeous! Take a peek. You might need a tissue.

I'm getting sort of excited. I have an inner need to organize and label things. I bought another shelf from WallyWorld and Ace and I put it together. Miss Busy and I moved the scrap booking cupboard over and scooted things to make the new bookshelf fit. I pulled out my Dymo and made everyone a space on the new shelf. If I'm organized, I think I am more likely to maintain a schedule and we won't fritter away our school year. I'd love to just "play" all year and pretend that the kids are learning life skills, but for me, we need to maintain just as much of a schedule as if we were going to school. I have decided we will have school in the diningroom, so that if there are still dirty dishes on the kitchen counter there will be nothing preventing school from starting. Then once things are going a bit then I can get back to the dishes while the kids are working. I'm counting on Chels and Miss Busy to help me with the younger boys, reading, and assisting them wi...

I'm taking a big step. I'm venturing into unknown and for me, uncharted territory. I'm joining the ranks of homeschooling moms. Crazy, I know. Twenty years ago, when my husband decide to join the military I wasn't really exited about those changes in my life. But I've gotten use to the idea. And we do this life pretty well. We have adjusted and we have grown. Then 15 years ago, when my husband started talking about going to seminary, I was scared. I didn't think I could live up to the demands of a pastor's wife. I didn't think my, then only one child could behave the way a pastor's child should. But we've made it through that hurdle too. Then when my husband started talking about becoming a Chaplain. I REALLY didn't like that idea. I had known a chaplain's wife who (to me, on the outside) seemed too perfect. She had perky hair, she taught Bible studies, she had perfect children. That wasn't me. I couldn't possibly man...

Just finished another UFO. This one really was the oldest one I had. I thought that the pinwheel quilt was older, but after reviewing dates, I discovered that this one was started in 1991, this was my second quilt. The first was a needle turn applique, (what was I thinking?) quilt in a queen size to fit on my bed. My tumbler quilt was laid out on my mother's family room floor while my husband was in basic training back in 1991. I lived with my parents while he was away. I cut out the shapes with a template and scissors and sewed one row at a time and laid it back down on the floor. There are so much faster methods now! I wanted a gradient style quilt that sort of faded from pinks, to blues and then greens. I don't know if I had enough pieces to really accomplish this, but in my early unskilled years as a quilter, I don't think I did too badly. I decided to quit a little paisley in each dark tumbler and stitched 1/4 away from the seam on the light colored squares. If I had...

My newest grand niece was born last month. I've been working on this little baby quilt for a while and it was done the day she arrived, but her Mommy and Daddy didn't know what to call her. Once they decided her name, I was on to another project, and had a hard time getting it out again to make the label. But now it's done, label embroidered, and stitched on. I hope she likes it. It's made completely from vintage sheets and one dust ruffle, (the chocolate brown stripe.) I quilted it in a "waterfall" design, from top to bottom. And no, this one wasn't in my UFO list. Some things just take precedence.