homeschooling ~ the younger years

Our Home school

Debbie Penington

Stretch, shower, coffee, the Word, good morning hugs...

 ...dawn yawns into morning

sharp pencils, books, smiles, questions; why?  how?...

          ...morning studies to noontime

p.b.j. faces, tumbles, naps, chores, daddy, dinner...

          ...afternoon giggles to evening

  

charlotte's web, cuddles, prayers, good night hugs...

          ...evening yawns into twilight

rest from today, dreams for tomorrow...

          ...the dark hours snore.

Blessings,  Debbie

inspiration by default

What does a dreamy girl who always loved dolls do when she is 15 and still loves her dolls?

Last Wednesday we tore out of the house to drive the half hour to sewing class.  Not only were we having a hard time getting out of the house, but we still needed to pick up a friend who needed a ride out.  Upon starting the engine I was immediately frustrated to find that whoever drove my van last had left me in sorry shape for fuel.  The gas light was on!  Long story short, we were late.

Once there, Erin laid out her washed, ironed, and slightly damp (did I mention we were having a hard time that morning)  fabric.  Time to pin on the pattern pieces.  Pattern?  "Mom, did you grab my pattern"?  No.

She wasn't going to be able to cut out her skirt today.  We brought extra fabric so she decided to make a skirt for her doll.  Teacher said that she could show her how to do a wrap around skirt.  Great!  Scissors?  "Mom, do you have my scissors"?   no.

"That's O.K., she can use mine"...

We're still not done yet if you can imagine.  Cute doll skirt is all cut out.  There is actually going to be time to sew.  "Mom, did you grab the sewing machine pedal"?  no. 

The bright side to this story (there is a bright side) is that daughter came home with a cute addition to the doll's wardrobe.  And yesterday, her teacher brought in her doll with it's amazing handmade wardrobe for 'show and tell'.  So,  Erin came home, set up the machine and began designing.  Her first attempt since the years when she and her cousin wrapped fabric around the dolls sarong style and called them Indians.

It was almost midnight when I sent her to bed.  What kind of home school mom would halt this crazy creative passion?  Me?  No!  

Thanks for the inspiration Sarah, and the patience...

I am joining Natural Suburbia's Creative Friday

Blessings,  Debbie

a finished knit and a memory

It's finished!  

And I like it so much I'm making another!

I'm reading my old journal...

Monday, November 5, 2001

Last night Erin came crawling up to me panting like a dog.  I pet her head and told her she was a good dog. I put out my hand and asked her to shake.  She placed her 'paw' in my hand, began shaking it and said, "I'm pleased to make your appointments"~

Joining Ginny's yarn along

Blessings,  Debbie

spring is springing

In the Spring I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.  Mark Twain

nice looking place ya got there...

It's definitely, finally happening.  Spring is springing.  Yesterday, Cory gave our grass her first haircut of the season.  Audrey reacquainted herself with the trampoline.  And Erin gave the bunny pen a good spring cleaning.

As I write this I'm watching the leaves shiver at the window, obviously a bit breezy.  And the temperature gauge reads 35 degrees...really? 

Well, that's spring. 

Blessings,  Debbie

grandpa

 How blessed we are to have grandpa nearby! 

 Is there anything quite like a grandpa? 

Who else can turn an ordinary deck of cards into 'tricky' entertainment?

When the kids were younger, he pulled quarters out of their ears! 

They didn't understand why they couldn't just ask grandpa when they needed money. 

Weren't they instant ATM's in his proficient hands?

Sometimes I'm tempted to send them over to play again.  Just enough for a gallon of milk...

Love you dad!

Blessings, Debbie

simple abundance

spectator to the happenings

Although we live simply,  we are smart enough to know how blessed we are.  Though our income places us at poverty level, our eyes and brains tell us that we are not.  We budget, and make good choices when it comes to purchases.  Our needs are meager and we know how to maximize what we have.  Thrift stores in the winter and garage sales in the summer provide entertainment (truly a modern day treasure hunt), as well as our furniture, clothing, tools, toys, fertilizer, spices, books, games, plants, art supplies, sports equipment, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures.......  If you are patient you will find it.

notice the shorts and Ts!  the first  (and only) day like this  we've had~
it was delicious!

My husband and son hunt elk, deer, and antelope (dependent on the draw).  A couple of years ago my husband was wooed by his friend to a new found love, salmon fishing.  We will benefit from a few laying hens for the first time this year.

local organics

We also frequent the local canned food warehouse where if you pay attention to labels you will be feeding your family very well for pennies on the dollar.  I even find well known brand organics.  Our home is the local drop for a food co-op that  brings bulk whole foods right to our side yard where we unload the supplies from the semi, sort the boxes into piles by customer name, place frozen items in coolers, and tape invoices to the top of the piles for the members to identify at pick up.

sorted into piles for ease of pick up

In the summer, we tend a vegetable garden.  It's a good size for our family but as every gardener knows, no garden is ever big enough.  We add a little more every year.  This year we will take a friend up on his offer of some space (in his huge garden) to grow our potatoes and squash.

My industrious husband is hard working and non-complaining.  Therefore we never pay someone else to do work for us.  Never.  Larry is our plumber, electrician, mechanic, contractor, landscaper, painter, arborist...

those who are smart show up while the muscle is unpacking the semi ~
they get free delivery to their car

I lied.  We do pay doctors but we only go for emergencies (of which thankfully we haven't had many).  We try to eat well, and use natural remedies.  We believe antibiotics are overused and we use them only as a very last resort.  We very rarely need them.

a moments break while the delivery driver brings out the chilled and frozen

These are just some of the bigger things we do to save money and live simply.  When you think this way, you naturally do more.

We encourage our children to be generous as we strive to be generous.  It's only by giving that you realize how very much you have.  As a dear friend reminds us often, it's God's money anyway.  He's just letting us use it for the moment and redirecting it through us.  Rejoice today as you give some away, generously because you are rich...   

Blessings,  Debbie

a Word to ponder

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, 

but with humility comes wisdom.
Proverbs 11:2

Understand that this humiliation was inflicted by the hands of my daughter~I would never do such a thing!



linking with Spiritual Sundays
Blessings,  Debbie