Chelsea's 4H Sewing Project

This year my oldest is in 4H and she chose to do a sewing project! For the project she had to make a skirt. In June, her grandma came and took her fabric shopping! They had a lot of fun picking out fabrics and then headed back to grandmas to work on the skirt. There she showed her how to use the pattern, cut the fabric and pin it for sewing. They weren't able to finish that night but a week later they got together again to finish it up.

Along with the skirt Chelsea filled in a project book and answered questions about using a sewing

machine, practiced different stitches and learned about taking measurements and how to put together an outfit.

Here's her answers to the project review questions at the end of the book.

1.Describe what you made and the accessories you selected to acheive your total look.

I made a pink skirt with green flowers. I wore my favorite shirt with a pink bow on it to go with my skirt.

2. Write a brief summary of your project. What did you enjoy?

I liked using the sewing machine and the seam ripper! I had a lot of fun sewing with grandma!

3. Did everything work out as you had planned? Give an example of how you had to change your polans. Were you happy with the results?

I had a hard time pinning the pattern in place. Once I figured it out and now I'm good at pinning.

4. What are some things you learned that will help you in other areas of your life? How could the skills you learned with this project help you in the future?

I learned how to match outfits and sew!

Do your kids do 4H? Have they done a sewing project? Chelsea says it's fun! 

Photo courtesy of Portrait innovations.

Can't Decide?

Good morning! I pray you have a wonderful Monday!  You've been hearing about this from me for a week now and are probably tired of hearing it. BUT I don't want you to miss out. Maybe you're like me and saying 

" I want a few things from EACH bundle!"

 Here's where the fund part comes in. Browse the site, make a list of your must haves and then you can build your own bundle. You have two ways to do this. 

Dragons of the Bible Copywork Giveaway!

Today I have a great giveaway for you! If you have kiddos who love dragons like I do, they'll love this from Homeschool Encouragement. Dragons of the Bible Copywork, Coloring and Notebooking Pages! Here's a little bit about the prize for this giveaway.

"Did you know that dragons are mentioned in the Bible 22 times? Dragons of the Bible contains each of the 22 verses for copywork in lined manuscript, regular cursive, and regular print PLUS notebooking pages and coloring pages for each featured dragon graphic. The beautiful line art graphics are perfect for coloring as a reward for a job well done. The book totals 154 pages and is appropriate for ages  4-18."

You can find the giveaway at the bottom of this post but first a way that you can get this ebook yourself without having to win it. The dragons copywork is a part of the 4th to 6th grade bundle along with  thirteen other resources for your elementary student.

Take a look at the Elementary 4th - 6th Grade Bundle:

Extra! Extra! Have you seen these?

All week I've been showing you the great bundles available from the Build Your Bundle, Hoemschool Edition. I realized today though that I haven't even looked at the other products being offered at a great discount.  The "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition sale is going on for only a few more days. (ends July 28). Check out some of the great programs, classes and other products that are greatly discounted for this sale.

Just for Moms! Homeschoolers or Not

If you think the Build Your Bundle sale is ONLY for homeschoolers, think again! I had a good friend tell me yesterday that she took a look and found a lot of good stuff on there and she doesn't homeschool! While there are a few homeschool related books in the Mom bundle, most can be applicable for any of us though. Things like "Easy Peasy Chores," which looks amazing, "Home Work: Juggling Home, Work and School without Losing Your Balance" and "How to Build a Strong Christian Home, One Step at a Time."  Take a look at everything else that's in the mom bundle listed below. Don't forget the sale ends July 28th!`The best part? The mom's bundle is only $10! I had to double check when I first saw that because I thought it couldn't be right. That's a savings of 92%!  Ok enough from me, on to what's IN the bundle. Have fun shopping I know I do!

$118.19 ONLY $10.00 Save: 92% Save money, strengthen your marriage, and streamline your schedule using our Mom Bundle. Find the encouragement you need and the insight to speak to your child's heart (even that difficult child!). Whip your home into shape and train your children to do their chores effectively with Easy Peasy Chores. This bundle brims with useful tools to help you bring calm to the chaos. Get them all for just $10!

Save 87% on Charlotte Mason Curriculium

The "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition sale is going on for one week only (July 21-28)! There are so many wonderful products and amazing deals! We are highlighting the Charlotte Mason Bundle below. I've shared with you about some homeschool styles and this is one that I really enjoy and is incorporated into our My Father's World curriculum. Not sure what the Charlotte Mason way is? Stop over to Simply Charlotte Mason.com or get the bundle below which includes the book "The Charlotte Mason Way Explained" which alone is a retail of $6.99 and pretty much everything else you need from Write Through History to handwriting, science notebooking pages and more at a savings of 87%.

Take a look at the Charlotte Mason Bundle:

$377.35 ONLY $49.00 Save: 87% Amazing things await you in our Charlotte Mason Bundle! This bundle features a complete curriculum using the Charlotte Mason Methods for language arts, handwriting, and reading, a full geography curriculum, a plethora of resources for studying nature, artists, poetry, and a variety of "extras" just for mom! Learn all about Charlotte Mason and enjoy a special bonus (a $90 value all by itself)—the top 5 best selling G.A. Henty audio books from Jim Hodges Productions. This bundle is jam packed full of amazing resources your family will love!

A Great Tool for Teaching Character + More

A few months ago I won a copy of Character Badges from a giveaway and was quite excited. This program has two age levels. I got the older kiddos group since most of mine are 4.5 and up. What it consists of is charts for good behavior, poor behavior, badges for character traits and more.

Kids love earning stickers, awards, badges. You name it! This is such a fun way to teach kids the morals and character traits that are important as they grow up. Here's more info from the character badges site. 

"Character Badges can provide your child with the consistent motivation and accountability they need to cultivate good character. Unique badges are awarded to your child when they complete a series of good deeds. These badges are fun and colorful and are designed to challenge your child to practice the habits of good behavior.

Character Badges is a system consisting of three charts (the Obedience Chart, the Disobedience Chart, and the Consequence Chart), a series of specially designed badges, and a set of flash cards which work together to make character training fun and rewarding for both you and your child.

The chart system presents a visual representation of your child’s behavior for a specified period of time and can show you any areas that need attention. You may also assign consequences to specific acts of disobedience (and keep it all organized) in the hopes of helping your child better understand why what they did was wrong.

Character Badges is not intended to be the magic solution for instant obedience in your child. It’s simply a fun and creative way for you to reward them for good behavior and to teach the habits of good character with more consistency. If you feel your child training could benefit from both of these things, Character Badgescan produce amazing results in your child."

Guess what. Character badges are a part of the build your bundle sale and included in the k-3 bundle! So, instead of buying them for $9.99 you can get everything in the k-3 bundle which is shown below for under $40! Take a look at what all is included in the kindergarten to third grade bundle sale this week only!

For one week only - now through July 28th - get an amazing bundle FULL of curriculum for your early elementary students for just $39.00 - a 79% savings! The "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition sale has so many wonderful products and amazing deals! We are highlighting the Kindergarten - Third Grade Bundle below.

Take a look at the K-3 Bundle:

$187.13 ONLY $39.00 Save: 79% Teach your K-3 children basic skills and core truths through easily understandable lessons and hands-on activities. Our K-3 Bundle includes reading, math, science, handwriting, character training and Bible resources. Your children will experience life in 17th century America as they learn about the settlers and our 13 original colonies. You will have everything you need to savor these first days of discovery! This bundle includes a Cathy Duffy Top 100 Pick! Buy more & save more! Purchase 2 pre-assembled bundles and get the 3rd one 50% off! See site for details. Checkout the items in the K-3 Bundle:

Early Settlers in America - Retail $19.95 This FUN, NO PREP, 6-week unit study is appropriate for grades 2-12. You will voyage back in time to the founding of America and meet brave men and women of extraordinary faith, enjoy classic family read-alouds, create and maintain a simple history timeline, learn geography, research and make Early American crafts. Children will meet the Pilgrims and discover life in the 1600s, get to know some famous artists of the time, enjoy creative language assignments, and more! Click here to learn more! Creation Science a Study Guide to Creation - Retail $18.95 This series has been selected as the top 100 and now 101 Top Picks of Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. Read great books, demonstrate theories with activities and learn the joy of knowing our universe was created by an amazing God! This is written for all grade levels integrating all subjects. This includes outlines, activities, experiments, vocabulary, reading lists, math ideas, book reviews, reproducible sheets, and much more. This features a detailed teaching outline! Click here to learn more! Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten - Retail $10.00 What you will find in Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten? Along with fun activities children love, you will find tracing, cutting, phonics, site words, coloring, vocabulary, math, sign language, and more! Click here to learn more! Recommended for you and found at these prices only at the Build Your Bundle - Homeschool Edition Sale in the Premium Products Section: *Not included in the K-3 Bundle, available for purchase individually at 60% off. ABC's of Godly Children - Retail $15.99 The ABC's For Godly Children is a comprehensive, Bible Curriculum centered around teaching children ages 4-10 about the God they serve and how to have a heart like His. By using each letter of the alphabet a Bible lesson is presented in an understandable and interactive format to teach core truths concerning the Gospel, Godly Character, and Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Click here to learn more! Reading Lessons Through Literature Level 1 - Retail $25.00 Reading Lessons Through Literature is a pick-up and go Orton phonogram reading program organized around the stories in The Elson Readers. Like other Orton phonogram programs, it focuses on teaching reading through spelling. First children learn the basic phonograms. Then they begin writing their spelling words, analyzing them, and reading them for practice. And finally, they begin to read stories which include the words they've learned. RLTL teaches 75 basic phonograms. Level 1 includes instructional material, the spelling lists, and The Elson Readers Primer, so there are no additional readers to purchase. Click here to learn more! Asia: It's People and History - Retail $6.95 Is the land of Asia a mystery to your kids? Do they know who lives there? Do they know how to pray for them? Asia is home to more than fifty countries and territories and roughly three-fifths of the world's population. Could you use some help introducing your family to this vast land? This sixteen-week course presents a brief picture of six nations. Click here to learn more! Beginner Old Testament Part 1 Teacher/Student - Retail $28.00 Beginning at Creation, students will take an unforgettable stick figure journey through the Old Testament. Starting in the Garden of Eden your students will stick figure events to the Tower of Babel. This hands-on Bible study will show how God interacted with people from Adam to Noah. Your students will study the events chronologically from Creation to the building of the Tower of Babel. Contains: lesson notes, stick figure drawings, lesson goals & key points, memory verses, and review questions & answers. Click here to learn more! Write Through the Bible: Philippians 2:1-18, (ESV) - Retail $5.00 This is a full-year handwriting workbook using a D'Nealian Manuscript font. The text is Philippians 2:1-18 from the English Standard Version (ESV). Philippians 2:1-18 contains a theologically-rich poem, perhaps a hymn that was sung in the early church, about Christ's humility, death, and exaltation. In this text, Paul connects this profound doctrine to how we should treat one another as Christians. Click here to learn more! Meet Penny: Premium Membership - Retail $25.00 Lifetime membership for one person OR one family to all printables, powerpoint shows, and ebooks posted to Meet Penny valued at $3.99 and under. Click here to learn more! Botany in 8 Lessons - Retail $14.95 Botany in 8 Lessons is a complete curriculum designed for ages 8-14. Includes both student text and teacher's activity guide, along with an activity section of over 100 pages of supplemental games, crafts, and experiments. Labs include flower dissection, dissecting xylem tubes out of celery, experimenting with growing roots, testing soil pH, testing the strength of germinating seeds, looking at pollen grains, watching osmosis, and more. Also includes arts/crafts activities, lapbook templates, coloring pagesm and test. Click here to learn more! Character Badges - Retail $12.99 Character Badges is a system consisting of three charts (the Obedience Chart, the Disobedience Chart, and the Consequence Chart), a series of specially designed badges, and a set of flash cards which work together to make character training fun and rewarding for both you and your child. Click here to learn more! Math Mammoth Place Value 2 Students will study place value starting with three-digit numbers and move on to number lines, forming numbers and breaking them apart, skip counting, compare and order, rounding, bar graphs, and much more! Click here to learn more! Math Mammoth Add & Subtract 4 Covers addition and subtraction related topics: - mental addition and subtraction strategies; - adding and subtracting in columns; - some numerical patterns; - bar models in problem solving; - order of operations; - line graphs and bar graphs; - rounding and estimating; - money problems and discounts Click here to learn more!

BUY MORE & SAVE MORE!

*Lots of ways to save! When you purchase ANY 2 pre-assembled bundles you will get the 3rd pre-assembled bundle of equal or lesser value for 50% off! When you purchase ANY 2 "build your own" bundles you will get the 3rd "build your own" bundle of equal or lesser value for 50% off! Tell your friends about the "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition Sale using our referral system that is found on the top of the website! When 10 of your referrals visit our site using your unique link, we will give you a code to save 10% off your total purchase! *The B2G1 50% off offer applies to pre-assembled or "Build Your Own" Bundles only. Discount taken off the lowes priced bundle. See site for complete details and FAQ.

Prefer to pick and choose what you want?

Note: Post includes affiliate links. These do not change the price for you, only blesses my family with a small portion.

5 Things I've learned in My 10 Years of Marriage

Today is our 10th Anniversary! On July 17th, 2004, we got married in a small ceremony with just our siblings, grandparents, parents and pastor. We've had quite the ride over these past ten years but we've made it through stronger and happier than ever. To celebrate I have some tips for those of you in your early years of marriage.



1. Be Committed 

So many marriages fall apart when the honeymoon phase is over. Marriage takes work from both sides and as one of my best friends told me shortly after her wedding,

 "It's not like the movies!" 

Both of you need to be willing to do the work to make it through "for better or for worse" It may even take help from church family or pastors at times. We've been there and it's hard admitting when things are wrong. We've been told that we do a good job of hiding how bad things are and that's not always a good thing. If you're committed to making it work, you've got to find someone to talk to at times.


2. Spend Time Together

You've probably heard it before but I'll say it again, date your husband! We haven't had money to go out very often but almost every night we make time to spend a few hours together before heading to bed. If you don't have money to go out here's a few ideas for you.

1. Watch a movie
2. Play a game (one of our favorite things to do!) 
3. Cook together (we've made bacon and eggs close to midnight on a few occasions)
4. Do something HE enjoys ( a hard one I know!) 
5. Be silly! Have pillow fights, chase each other, tickle (my least favorite I must say!) 

3. Pray Together

I have to admit that this is one we haven't gotten into the habit of yet but we are being encouraged to do so by our assistant pastor and his wife. Praying together brings you together, lets you be united with God even if it's just for a couple of minutes at the end of a busy day.

4. Don't Listen to the World

A few years ago when my husband was going through several months of major depression I started listening to family and friends who were telling me to give up on my marriage. At one point I almost listened. Then one day I finally realized. God doesn't want me to give up on my marriage! I finally realized that I needed to do things God's way and stop listening to those around me although they meant well.


5. Remember Your Wedding Ring

I don't mean remember to put it on. I mean remember the meaning of it! When we got married our pastor pointed out that a ring has no end to it. I had never really thought of that before. Here is why he said that though. Marriage is supposed to be "until death do us part" There is NO end to it. As tough as times may get, that ring is always a reminder that marriage isn't supposed to end.


These past ten years of marriage have been quite the ride. I've heard that if you make it through the first ten, things get easier. Not that there won't be bumps in the road but we've learned a lot over these past years and I can't wait to see what God has in store for the years to come for our marriage. So far, four wonderful blessings have been given to us, a job that he loves, a house to live in that has plenty of space for us and a love between us that is stronger than ever!

Make your own free photo collage

What has marriage taught you? How long have you been married? 

Photo  credit(A), Credits(B)

Almost Here! Build Your Bundle Sale Homeschool Edition

The BIGGEST digital homeschooling curriculum sale EVER is coming! Mark your calendars! Save up to 92% on popular homeschooling curriculum! ONE WEEK ONLY - July 21-28, 2014! Click here to be reminded | Enter to win $100 towards your bundle purchase What is the "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition Sale?
The "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition is designed to contain the best educational digital products on the internet! Sprinkled throughout the bundles are well known publishers, including products on Cathy Duffy's Top 100 list! Unlike overwhelming bundle sales with nearly a hundred ebooks, the "Build Your Bundle" - Homeschool Edition is a brand new concept that will allow homeschoolers to pick and choose what they want to purchase ~ all at a MASSIVE discount of up to 90% off!
Take a Sneek Peek at Our Bundles:
	Tots & Preschoolers Bundle Teach your littlest ones about God's amazing creation and the value of virtue using our Tot & Preschool Bundle! This bundle gives you a complete Christ-centered preschool program, including age-appropriate character-building tools, a stick-figure Bible study, a creation-based coloring book, a handwriting curriculum, an independent activity guide (for those times when you need a moment to focus), and much more!
Kindergarten - 3rd Grade Bundle Teach your K-3 children basic skills and core truths through easily understandable lessons and hands-on activities. Our K-3 Bundle includes reading, math, science, handwriting, character training and Bible resources. Your children will experience life in 17th century America as they learn about the settlers and our 13 original colonies. You will have everything you need to savor these first days of discovery!
	Elementary: 4-6th Bundle Your 4th-6th graders will develop foundational skills and gain insight into the ancient world using the comprehensive collection of resources found in our 4th-6th Grade Bundle. This bundle features both a science curriculum and a creative writing course from Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 picks. You will get a popular curriculum that has a blend of history, geography, and art. Also included: Math, Bible, handwriting and copywork resources, writing guides, timeline cards, ancient history notebooking pages, creative writing for both boys and girls, and an editable weekly homeschool planner for Mom!
Middle School Bundle Your middle school students will tour the classical world and develop academic excellence using our Middle School Bundle. This bundle features a full language arts curriculum and two science curricula, one from Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 picks, as well as a complete geography and history curriculum, a popular history timeline/book of centuries, Renaissance and Reformation notebooking pages, a classical music curriculum and famous composers notebooking pages, and a creative writing collection that even “non-writers” will love!
	Bundle for High Schoolers Your high school students will develop academic mastery and intellectual maturity using our High School Bundle. This bundle features a New Testament Bible curriculum, an introduction to psychology, a full year of math curriculum, resources for world history and geography, philosophy, home economics, college prep, grammar, a creative writing collection that even "non-writers" will love, an anatomy science unit study from Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 picks, and more! You will receive enough materials for a full year of high school!
Charlotte Mason Bundle Amazing things await you in our Charlotte Mason Bundle! This bundle features a complete curriculum using the Charlotte Mason Methods for language arts, handwriting, and reading, a full geography curriculum, a plethora of resources for studying nature, artists, poetry, and a variety of "extras" just for mom! Learn all about Charlotte Mason and enjoy a special bonus (a $90 value all by itself) of great, classic audio books! This bundle is jam packed full of amazing resources your family will love!
	Bundle Just for Moms! Save money, strengthen your marriage, and streamline your schedule using our Mom Bundle. Find the encouragement you need and the insight to speak to your child’s heart (even that difficult child!). Whip your home into shape and train your children to do their chores effectively using a popular book "chores program". This bundle brims with useful tools to help you bring calm to the chaos. Get them all for just $10!
"Build Your Own" Bundles Our "Build Your Own" bundles offer you the opportunity to select a certain number of products with a retail price of $19.99 or less for up to 80% off! We have MANY items to choose from, including Cathy Duffy Top 100 Picks! When you purchase a combination of any 2 "Build Your Own" bundles, you will get the 3rd one at 50% off!
*Lots of ways to save! When you purchase ANY 2 pre-assembled bundles you will get the 3rd pre-assembled bundle of equal or lesser value for 50% off! When you purchase ANY 2 "build your own" bundles you will get the 3rd "build your own" bundle of equal or lesser value for 50% off! When the sale goes live on July 21st, tell your friends about it using our referral system that will be found on the top of the website! When 10 of your referrals visit our site using your unique link, we will give you a code to save 10% off your total purchase! The image will look like this: Now, if you are like me, you might forget about the sale when it gets here! We are prepared to send you a reminder email. Click here and enter your email in the "Remind Me" box and you will get an email the day the sale goes live! Pre-Sale Promotional Giveaway - Enter to win $100 towards the purchase of ANY of our individual or "build your own" bundles! Winner annouced the day the sale starts! CLICK HERE TO ENTER! Note: This post includes affiliate links. This does not effect the cost to you, only blesses my family with a small portion.