Day 3: Today I smile because....

09/03/12

Day 3: Today I smile because....... I got to sleep in like a teenager. I slept until 2 in the afternoon, BLISSFUL uniterrupted sleep. It was AWESOME. Plus thanks to the holiday I got my hubby home for 4 straight days. That is the first time in over a year that we got to spend that many consecutive days in a row together. What made you smile today???

On a different note, as I had shared with you guys a few weeks ago in regards to my brother-in-law having a near fatal stroke, I'd like to update you all on his remarkable recovery.   

He went to the rehab center about a week ago and is bouncing back by leaps and bounds. He is shocking his doctors, his nurses and his therapists at his tenacity and his very quick miraculous recovery. His swallowing abilities are slow to recover, but he is able to eat applesauce now. His sense of humor has not waned since day 1, he is always cracking jokes.

This coming weekend after a family mass, we are all going to the rehab center to have a family meal. There are approximately 50 immediate family members living in NC.(We are all originally from the central NY area) That is my hubbby's siblings, their spouses, and nieces and nephews. It should be a good time.

My hubby is from a very large tight knit Irish family. He is one of 12 children and 87 grankids on his dad's side. In my childrens generation there are 250 great-grandkids. Every 5 years there is a family reunion consisting of around 500 family members who convene on the family farm for 3 days and 2 nights of pure fun. I always said I'd love to write a book. I think if I knew how to write a book I most definitely would. (If anyone has any tips on how to write a book, I'm all ears) 

The stories surrounding my hubby's family are heart-warming and hilarious. Come reunion time anyone who knows the family wants to be an honorary member just to attend the reunions. That is for another blog post. 

I hope you all enjoyed your day and found a reason to smile. Until tomorrow.....

God Bless,

Kimmie <3

Separate Egg Yolk with Plastic Bottle Trick | Steamy Kitchen Recipes

Separate Egg Yolk with Plastic Bottle Trick | Steamy Kitchen Recipes
Day 2:
Today I smile because.... I watched this really neat video I got in an email. It has a really neat way to seperate your egg yolk from the whites. Definitely worth a looky-loo. I hope you enjoy. 

Let me know what makes you smile today.

God Bless,
Kimmie<3

Today I Smile Because: Day 1

09/01/12
Today I smile because: I get to spend the entire day hanging out with my husband. Which with his current work schedule is a rarity. He is home only 2 days a week right now, and spends one of them pretty much asleep. His current job has him working 9p-7a in Rhode Island. He has been flying back and forth for almost 5 months. So his 1st day home he is wore out and has to catch up on his sleep. We will Take Gidget to her 2 hr Irish Dance class and go grab a bite to eat and spend uninterrupted kid time together. What will you smile about today??

Not our best , but every moment is a blessed and bonus moment!!!!

School"s in full swing

Well here we are again, a new and another new school year. With that brings full time Irish Dance lessons, 8 hours a week. FUN, FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!!A huge time commitment. My daughter qualified for the Southern Regional Oireachtas(Ore-ock-tas) Which is going to be her first major competition since starting dance. So she is throwing her self all in to do her best and make her Irish family  proud. I tell her we already are. I worry that my 12 yr old puts to much stress on herself to make others happy above herself. 
She has even expressed interest in returning to public school next year. I have at the very least convinced her to finish out Middle School (she's in 7th) and we will get so if she decides to go to public school, she will well above grade level and in all honors classes. Personally I hope she changes her mind between now and then. I hope that isn't too selfish on my part. 
I decided that maybe she needed to have more outside activities for school other than her dance, I have found a wonderful class to support our Nature Studies class,It is a Forensics Wildlife Course. Which sounds like a lot of fun. It is in the Reedy Creek Nature Park http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Documents/Get_Going_Guide/Reedy%20Creek.pdf ( Check out all the great stuff offered here) and I found a Speech and Debate class for her to take(not at Reedy Creek). They are both designed for the homeschool students. I am hoping that if I get her involved in more outside academic homeschool classes, she will want to continue to homeschool. I think she is just missing that social contact the kids get in public school. I'd really love some opinions on this matter. How have others handle this. I have only been doing homeschool a year, and we started so late into her school career. My ultimate goal is for my child to be happy. Since starting homeschool she has grown by leaps and bounds in her self- confidence, she is not crying at the end of every school day, she has blossomed. I'm also worried that she will be bored because she will have surpassed our states common core class requirements by the time she is ready for HS. I'm not sure I want her to return to public school. So I think just focus on the here and now and not 2 yrs from now.

Well I have decided on a theme for my 30 Days of Blogging for the month of September, and it would be awesome to get you all to join in. Maybe together we can all make the world a happier place. It's very simple; 30 Days: Today I smile because.... I believe that even on what seems our worst days we all can find one thing to smile about. So please check back daily to see what makes me smile and I hope you will all join me and get your other blogging Friends and FB friends to try and make the world a brighter place with all that will walk about smiling.  "Leave sadness to those in the world. We who work for god should be lighthearted"-St. Leonard of Port Maurice 

I chose this particular theme because it's very easy to get frustrated in those first few weeks of school and being able to smile will make bearing those moment just a tad easier.

I hope you are all off to a blessed and wonderful school year. I look forward to 30 Days of Smiles. I look forward to seeing what makes you all smile.

God Bless,
Kimmie<3

Smartphone pictures pose privacy risks

Art Journal Kits | Kits | Artterro

Art Journal Kits | Kits | Artterro, I purchased one of these kits for my 12 yr old as a starter kit for her Art Journaling experience. It is a wonderful first kit to use for her creative journaling expression. The book is sturdy, and comes in I believe 5 different colors. It includes 14 project ideas, 5 pages of 100% post- consumer handmade decrative papers, 6 pages of heavy weight paper in bright colors, 2 pocket folders for your scraps, and 25-100lb heavy artist weight paper for drawing and creating your Art Journal pages. I have even enclosed one page created by my daughter. 
Additional supplies and materials are suggested in the very beginning pages of this book. I bought my daughters on AMAZON, but there are other sites that carry this product as well. 
This is going to be a wonderful addition to our homeschooling curriculum for both Art and Creative Writing. Though this type of Journaling is more about the Art than the Writing, both can be incorporated.
This is going to be one of our giveaways when I get that all straightened around. I'm not sure if I am going to do the giveaway once I reach a certain number of hits on my blog, which is at around 3300 right now, or if I reach a certain # of followers, which is at 6, I think for being around 6 months old is not bad, especially considering my handicap when it comes to technology. 
I promise to keep everyone updated on how the giveaway will work and when I will have it. Like I mentioned in previous posts, I am wide open to suggestions.

Cover

Getting Started

Ideas for Journaling

Media Tools you Can Use

Types Of Media Tools

Doodles;Lines & Shapes

Drawing:Sketching,Shading&Line Quality

Things To Draw

Collage:Layers of Inspiration

Collaging in 4 Steps

Scavenger Hunt: Finding Materials Around the House to use in Collaging

Using Textures 

Paper for Collaging

Paper(front&back)

More Paper

More Paper

More paper

Heavy Cardstock

Heavy Cardstock

Cardstock

Cardstock

Papers for journaling on

1 Of my Daughters Designs

I encourage you all to check out the Art Journaling Kit Link, this is the one I am going to be adding into a giveaway at a date TBD. I am including some pics of what this journal looks like on the inside.  The possibilities are endless.

What a Loooooooong week it's been

I apologize to you all for my lack of enthusiasm on keeping up with regular blog posts as of late. I have not been feeling well. I had the crud for a week, I started to feel a bit better and then as I last posted my Brother-in-law suffered a life threatening stroke. 

As for an update on him, 1st his name is Thomas. We all call him Sir Tom. Tom is a man who is tenacious, and a force to be reckoned with. He is a family man, a hard worker and a man of loyalty. A man you want as a friend, and are proud to call family. He beats to his own drum. He should be coming out of ICU today. They will be placing a J-Tube into his stomach to provide nutrition because he can't swallow properly. They will be moving hime to Rehab by the end of the week. He now has a long road ahead. With support, prayer and determination he will hopefully make a full recovery.Only time and God will tell if he has any deficits from the stroke.

I have also been dealing with the world's worst toothache. I take Morphine 3x's a day for my back, and I am still having an incredible amount of pain from my tooth. I shutter to think how bad it would be otherwise. I need to go to the dentist, but don't have the time or money. I have to hope that with the antibiotic I am taking it will get better.

I have also been working on coming up with the contest for next month. I am open to some suggestions. I am also working on starting a crafting blog. Most of my crafts revolve around making Journals, Doodles and Zentagles, repurposing old books, and assortated paper crafting. I may decide to throw in my jewelry making as well. I have not decided completely on that though. 

Next to blog hopping my favorite homeschool blogs, I have found some really amazing craft blogs, and Zentangle blogs I absolutely enjoy. I came across one this morning that is having the coolest contest ever. The prize gets passed around and it is made better by each person who receives it. I put a link for anyone interested in checking it out. (Which I recommend) The link for the blog hosting the "Share the cup, Share the love" contest is; http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com. Check it out. I also put their blog button in my sidebar.

Well that's all for now. I will be back in a day or two to post again. I promise not to go a whole week without posting again. I hope you all are enjoying what is left of your summer.

God Bless,
Kimmie