Day 7: Today I smile because.....

09/07
Day 7: Today I smile because..... I got to watch my daughter perform her Irish Dancing with some of the dancers from her dance school at St. Ann's Catholic Church International Festival in Rock Hill, SC. She did a phenominal job, as did all the dancers. They performed in front of about 200 people. 
The shows are always fun because it allows us as parents to get to watch other dancers perform that we don't always get a chance to see dance.
The only downfall was the terrible heat and humidity. It makes it a bit rough for the dancers. They all did an amazing job and the crowd just loved them.

Our dog Bruiser even had a SMILE today.

 So that's what made me smile today, what made you smile???

Day 6: Today I smile because....

09/06/12
Today I smile because... I learned how to make beautiful "Affirmation Tiles" I learned that we are not alone in feeling the bite of the green-eyed monster from time to time. I got a blog post from jenniebellie.com today, and Jenniebellie was talking about being filled with negativity and finding a way to squash it. This was accomplished by crafting beautiful affirmation tiles and making a board in which to put the tiles. It is a way to reverse the negativity one might be feeling an turn it into a positive. Check out her blog post @ http://jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com/2012/09/negativity-flipping-affirmation-tile.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JennibellieStudio+%28Jennibellie+Studio%29.

So what made you smile today??? 

God Bless,
Kimmie <3

Day 5: Today I smile because.....

09/05/12

Day 5: Today I smile because.... of a new journaling project I am working on.

 I follow a blog call "Lil Blue Boo". The author of this blog is Talented, Beautiful, Courageous, Strong and INSPIRING. She is currently doing "The Lil Journal Project" Each day she shares a prompt, and then tells her readers what the prompt inspires for her. Her followers are Journaling right alongside her.

I have been studying, reading, researching all about Art Journaling, techniques, making handmade journals, and the whole of what Art Journaling is. I have tried to keep a hand written journal it seems my whole life. Trying to spill my thought and feelings onto paper. I am TERRIBLE at it. Then about 2 months ago I discovered Art Journaling. It lit a fire in me I hadn't felt in a long time. My only obstacle to keeping an art journal.... I am not very artistic. I am creative, I love crafting, but I can not draw, paint, or make a stick figure.

 Enter a personal challenge... I need to learn to draw, to become artistic. BAHAHAHAHA.... me artistic, yeah right. Well I have been keeping a journal of sorts for the last 2 months, it is full of notes, ideas, technique's, examples, artist supplies, etc. I have discovered and begun following some really amazing blogs of some very talented artists. I have also been building a ready supply of paints, glues, papers, stamps, inks, markers, pencils, well you get the idea. I have even been collecting a steady supply of recycled material in which to create the ideas swimming in my head. 

To jump start my new journey and kind of pressure myself so I don't get so frustrated and throw in the towel, I joined "The Sketchbook Challenge 2013" @ http://www.arthousecoop.com I had to pay to participate, I even paid the extra to have my sketchbook digitized. Please check it out. It really is a neat project. The idea that my sketchbook will become part of something so much bigger than me intrigued me. I have to admit, I am intimidated. Most of the participants are amazing, gifted artists. I have a few pages done which I will post pics of in the next week or so.

I really encourage you all to check out Ashley @ http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/09/the-lil-journal-project-day-1.html . Besides this cool journaling project, she has a some great content. She also shares her story on her blog about her courageous battle with Cancer. 

So today I smile because I am enjoying my new Journaling project. What made you smile today???

God Bless,
Kimmie <3

Day 4: Today I smile because...

09/04/12
Day 4: Today I smile because..... I got to spend some quality time with my daughter Bridget, a.k.a. Gidget in the car going back and forth to dance class not once but twice today. Tuesday's she has 2 dance classes, one in the AM, which is dedicated to homeschool students, and then her regular dance class in the evening.
The dance studio is 35 miles from my house, so we got to really spend quality time talking and laughing. I relish these moments because the "CAR Conversations" are on unlimited topics, and "What is said in the car, stays in the car". 
Although tonights trip was greeted with a torrential downpour. You could not see the cars 3 feet in front of you. It was a kinda scary. With God's watchful eye, we arrived there safely. 
What made you smile today????
God Bless,
Kimmie <3

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

Change of Plans

08/14/12

Hi all, I am here to apaologize for the lack of activity on my part. I had stated in July that when August started I was going to be hosting a 30 day challenge and a giveaway. I still have every intention of following through with this, but I have to postone until September, possibly October.
The month started out with my entire house suffering the ills of a terrible Summer cold virus. Bridget had it the worst, and in the height of her cold, with strep and and an ear infection, she had a dance competition. I'll tell you, what a little trooper. Most adults would have said NO WAY, called in sick, backed out of the event, but she strapped on her ghillies and danced her tail off. She competed in her first ever Champion level dance and placec 7th out of 23. Which is outstanding.
Also, my husband brother, who he is very close, they work together, collapsed in his yard. Turns out he has a very serious bleed on his Pons, which is in the area of his brain stem. They had to intubate him and put him in a medically induced coma, which for the first 24 hrs they brought him out every hour to check his neurological function. He was flown to CMC main, which is the highest level Trauma center in the Charlotte region.
They were finally able to extubate him around 12 hrs ago. His blood pressure which was 215 has come down and is stabalizing. Though he is stable the doctors said he is not out of the woods yet, because of the area in which the blled has occurred, they can not intervene surgically. So now we have to wait to see if the bleeding will stop on it's own, and the body reabsorb the excess blood naturally. In the mean time, all we can do is pray. Which there has been lots of.
My husband is one of 87 grandkids on his father's side of the family. They have an online network run by their uncle that gets info out faster than CNN. So a family prayer circle was started almost immediately. I also asked for a pray of intercession at littleflower.org via St.Therese of Lisieux. Plus aking for God's divine intervention on my brother-in-laws behalf. 
Besides being a son, a brother, and a husband, he has 5 children and 6 granchildren. When we received word of what happened, within hours, my mother & father in law were on a plane to NC, his siblings and nieces and nephews that live in NC, were at the hospital all supporting one another and his immediate family.
 I am in awe of how quickly my husbands family comes together in a crisis. It's inspiring. They lean on each other, ask for help, they laugh and they cry, they tell stories to bring laughter, they remind us of how important it is to smile and laugh at life and rejoice in the life of a loved one.
In all of this my 12 year old daughter Bridget, who by the way was in total panic mode, she asked me did I truly believe that praying and asking others to pray for my brother in law would really help? First I stopped and though, WOW, very deep question for a 12 yr old, but I told her that I without a doubt or reservation believed that YES I do believe in the power of prayer. I explained to her that if we didn't believe, and without our faith in God what would be the point to any of it? What would be the point of loving one another, what would be the point of valuing life, valuing ourselves and one another. I explained to her that faith is what allows us to believe that by living in GOD's word we will all get to go to a better place one day, that one day we get to walk by his side. I also explained to her that medicine can only take man so far, it is with faith and prayer that God intervenes and creates Miracles. Which so far my brother in law is. He has defied all the odds. Even the Dr said that they can not believe how he has survived this incident as well as he has.
I'm not sure that I totally explained to my daughter as well as I should, or if I was should have explained it different, but in a time of crisis, we don't always think things out. 
I'd love any advice in helping explain better to my daughter. Right now, I need to keep her feeling safe, and not being afraid that she will lose her uncle. I also ask that you help our family pray, because yes I do believe in the power of pray. I believe there are strength in numbers.
Well I thank you for listening, and I will definitely keep everyone updated on my brother in laws condition. I do hope that this finds you all well.

God Bless,
Kimmie

Not Back to School Blog Hop

2012-2013 CURRICULUM

This is our first official full year off homeschooling. Seeing that we started 3 almost 4 months into the last school year, we spent the last few months "DE"schooling" and trying different types of curriculum, exploring different websites, and methods of homeschooling trying to find a groove. For our first official year we will keep some things and toss others. We have however decided we wanted a Catholic influence on what we do. 
Now because we like most homeschool families, are on a tight budget. The one thing I quickly discovered is how very expensive homeschooling can be if one is not careful. So with lots of research and some ingenuity we have come up with what we think is a pretty solid curriculum for our daughter.
The foundation of our homeschool will be based on Charlotte Mason principles using materamabilis.org. They have a very defined scope & sequence for every grade and age level. I took their s&s and purchased books from a yahoo group called Cathswap, which is a forum where parents can buy Catholic curriculum based on the different Catholic homeschool curricula, such as Seton, Catholic Heritage Curriculum, Our Lady of Victory, and Mother of Devine Grace to name a few. Most of what I purchased for core classes is Seton based.

For Math we are going to use ALEKS this year, http://www.aleks.com. Bridget has some gaps in her mathematical concepts missed in public school, because she tests on level on the state testing, these concepts have been overlooked. Though as she is progressing into Pre-Algebra it is evident critical concepts are missing. This program will focus on the what she doesn't yet grasp and close those gaps. This will be the biggest expense for this school year. The program is $179.00/yr, but does have a month to month payment plan.
We will also be using Wordly Wise 3000 for Vocabulary and Spelling. Bridget will be using the 9th grade level books because she works well above grade level in this area, so this is like an honors course for her. She started the books 2 weeks ago and is sailing right through. We purchased ours on www.heartsathomestore.com with a $50.00 gift certificate we won through Jolanthe at http://www.homeschoolcreations.net. Thanks Jolanthe.

For our Religious studies will will be using books on Saints and Catholicism purchased on Cathswap, and we are also using The Child Training Bible. Growing up Catholic we don't learn the bible from cover to cover, but my daughter wants to read, learn and understand the bible, and I can't teach her if I don't know. I think that the Child Training Bible is a great solution to that. Plus she will get character lessons while learning.

In addition to the History For Young Catholics, we are going to learn about the American Government in honor of this years election using notebooking and lapbooking. We will also do a whole unit study on Greece and Ancient Greece.

We will be using Maps workbooks for Geography. We will also use notebookingpages.com to do studies on the places she learns about in the workbooks.

In addition to English & Reading For Young Catholics, Bridget will use 365 writing writing prompts to work on her creative writing, and doing Lapbooks and Notebooking projects to increase her writing skills and her grammar skills.

Also in keeping with Charlotte Mason principles, we will do Nature studies, Music and Art appreciation. I created a Nature Journal for Bridget and myself using recycled and repurposed materials. I will do a blog entry at a later date on the Nature Journals, because they are really pretty cool. I just need to finish the tutorials. I found some great blogs and websites to support the Art & Music appreciation, harmonyoffinearts.com, classicsforkids.com, and harmonyartmom.blogspot.com. These studies will also include notebooking and lapbooking. I also purchased Home Educator's TUTOR, which is a CD that embodies the Classical and Charlotte Mason principles. 

The only thing I have decided to hold off doing this year is Latin. For Foriegn Language Bridget wants to do Spanish which we are using Rosetta Stone, and she will also be learning Gaelic this year. She will continue her Irish Dancing for her Physical Ed requirement.
For Science we are doing Chemistry. I found a really great website that has a wonderful and complete program, and it's absolutely FREE, its http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com. It has teacher and student materials, multi-media, and test. I'm pretty excited about it.
Well I think that about covers it for our curriculum this year. I'm looking forward to it. I hope you all have a wonderful and fufilling school year. 

God Bless,
Kimmie

Getting Geared up for School

7/27/12


Hi folks, how is every one's summer so far?? Mine is going by too fast, as usual. I have been working on so many things, well that is between spending time at the Dr's office.
I found out I need yet another surgery(#12) I need my gallbladder out. After the last few surgeries I endured this will be a piece of cake. 
    Gidget was practicing for an upcoming Feis in Savannah,Ga and twisted her ankle. Luckily it was mild and she was off her crutches in a week and is back to dancing. 

Then both my feet swelled out of nowhere and I was scared half to death. Luckily nothing major there either. Slightly anemic was all they found in my blood work. So why my feet swelled is a mystery. Being a nurse for 22 years I know what normally can be the cause of things such as swollen feet, and the reasons are pretty frightening. They say knowledge is power, I say knowledge can be over-rated and cause unsubstantiated and unnecessary fear. 
   I have also been working on getting all my ducks in a row for the quickly approaching school year. My goal has been to keep it cheap as possible. We love notebooking/lapbooking and wanted to find a curriculum that would support these methods. I also wanted to incorporate more of my Catholic upbringing and beliefs into our curriculum. Lastly, I want a strong and visual style Math program and a good Vocabulary program. I also want a strong bible teaching program. For that I bought The Child Training bible from http://www.childtrainingbible.com/, which I am really excited about. Growing up as a Catholic, bible study wasn't something that was taught. I really want my daughter to learn the bible, but how can I teach her something I don't know?? This was an answer to my prayers. The program is inexpensive, $9.00. Mindy,(along with her husband), is the women who developed this program to teach her own children on applying everyday issues such as anger, jealousy, disobedience, etc and tells you exactly what bible passages to read that apply to any given issue or problem. They took all the hard work out of it and made it easy for us to in turn teach our children. Everything is color coded on laminated east to read and follow cards. I have listed the link, but also have the blog button on my sidebar.I have to say this is one of the things I'll be most excited to teach(and learn) in the upcoming school year. 
   For Math we will be using ALEKS, though not really that cheap, is definitely condusive to the visual learner. I love that this program focuses on what the child doen't yet grasp so as to close the gaps in thei concepts. I posted a huge article on ALEKS under my curriculum tab. Check it out. 
    For vocabulary will use Worldly Wise 3000. With thanks to Jolanth from Homeschool Creations, http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/ I won a $50.00 gift certificate toward curriculum at https://heartsathomestore.com/. I bought Worldly Wise 3000 for Gidget. I actually bought 2 grades ahead for her. She is starting 7th grade, the 6th grade WW wasn't challenging enough for her, so we are going to use WW 9th grade to challenge her. Gidget loves this program and has already started the books, so far so good. We will also be doing Reading 7, Art 7, English 7, and History 7 For Young Catholics all purchased on Cath Swap for under $50.00. I also found some great books on Saints, St.Joseph's Catechism, an a new bible at our local Habitat for Humanities Re-Store. 
     I am going follow Mater Amabilis scope & sequence this year @ http://materamabilis.org/ma/, which is strongly routed in Charlotte Mason style methods. Though we take a very relaxed, layed back approach to school,I definitely challenge Gidget to think outside the box and challenge herself as much as possible. I want her to have fun in whatever she learns, this way she always wants to learn even more.I am just not one for following a strictly scheduled day. On Sunday evenings we plan out the week and as long as the list is complete by that Friday, I try and give Gidget as much independence as possible. I am however there to help her with any of her needs, to help her understand the more difficult material, etc. I am very excited to give the Charlotte Mason method a try this year, and will be posting regularly on how it is working. 
    I think one of the newest things we will be doing that we are most excited about is we will be doing weekly Nature Studies. We will actually take school outside for a few hours. God gave us this beautiful world to enjoy, so we will be slowing down this year to smell his scent through the flowers, listen to his songs through the birds and other animals, feel God's breath through the wind in the trees, and documenting everything about it through pictures, drawings and actually pressing flowers, leaves and yes even weeds. We are even making our own Nature Study journal kit from odds and ends we find around the house. Making our own Nature Journal Kit was inspired by Jenniebellie an artist whose blog I follow and have mentioned on my blog before. You can check out her tutorial on making a travel journal kit which is so much fun to watch. This is what we will be using to make our own nature journals. I strongly recommend checking out this tutorial. Jenniebellie will have you wanting to create one for yourself and your children.
http://jennibelliestudio.blogspot.com/2012/07/homemade-all-in-one-journal-travel-kit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JennibellieStudio+%28Jennibellie+Studio%29.
Lastly, I am still working on my quest for "ALL THINGS AMERICAN". I just purchased a book off Amazon called "A Year without "Made In China" by Sara Bongiorni. She went on the ultimate quest and she and her family embarked on a yearlong boycott of any product made in China.  I plan on a 30 day challenge in August for changing my family's way of life and spending and to be more conscious of where the products they buy come from. I'll be boycotting all non USA made products. I will also pose a challenge to my readers, however many that be, (Being a very young blog I'm working on my numbers), and besides the challenge I will be having a contest that will have some prizes for some lucky readers. Look for the details to be posted on August 1st, the first day of the challenge. I an also still working on starting my own craft blog. I think of all the projects I have going this is my most challenging of all. I am excited and terrified all at the same time at the prospect of the whole thing. I am however determined to make it work.With all that said I will say farewell for the time being. Hoping this finds you and yours well.


God Bless,
Kimmie

Homemade Laundry Deterergent& Fabric Softener

FABRIC SOFTENER


3 c Distilled Vinegar
2 c hair conditioner(your choice)
6 c HOT water
Mix well, add to your old softener bottle.
Shake before using.



I bought the V05 when CVS had it on sale for 0.66, I got 12 bottles for $7.92. It will take 2 gallons of distilled vinegar @ $3.49 a bottle for a total of $6.98 to make a 1 year supply of fabric softener. Grand total $14.90 for the year. That is a savings of over $200 a year on fabric softener.   
My family hasn't noticed a difference. I will never buy softener again. Now you will smell a slight vinegar odor when the clothes are wet, but that disappears during drying. 



LAUNDRY DETERGENT



1 box Borax
1 box A&H Super Washing Powder
1 bob Baking Soda
1 bar Fels Naptha or Zote Soap(Grated use medium grate)
1 sm bottle Purex or Downey Crystals
 1/2-2/3 container lg Oxy-Clean


Mix together store in airtight container. Use 1/2 in your wash.

I don't know how many of you read my article on American made products, but I really am making attempt to stick to as many USA made products that I can. So for scent I will use an essential oil from the Home Economist, or I will read on how to make something myself. I will get back to you on this.
I also think that this was more expensive to make. This batch cost about $20.00, but as you can see by the picture it made a whole lot of detergent, and it requires a 1/2 c for a large load. By dropping the oxy and the purex it will dramatically cut the cost of this recipe.
I'd love to hear from you if you make your own , if you have a different recipe, I'd also love to hear back from you when you try this. I definitely recommend trying. Your wallet will thank you. 

Ingredients

          

Mixed Powders

Medium Grate of the Fels Naptha

Hoping this finds you and yours well.

God Bless,

Kimmie

America Made Products

  Lately I have been spending a great deal of time getting curriculum together for the upcoming school year, I have been doing a summer bridge program with my dd to keep her Math, Reading, and Vocabulary skills up so when she starts her 7th grade curriculum we can jump right in without much review. 
  I have also been busy researching for anything I can find on the world of journaling, art journaling, and craft making. I love crafting, I have always dabbled in some form of crafting all my life. Though I have never really mastered anyone paticular craft, I have always enjoyed creating. One thing I have never really dabbled in is Art. I can't draw a straight line, but when I discovered Art Journaling I was mesmerized by it's beauty, the colors, the freedom of putting feelings on paper through Art. It's just a beautiful thing. 
  I have also been making handmade journals, I repurpose old books, making journals from scratch recycling ceral boxes, or any food box for that matter, I use composition notebooks, cardstock, basically anything paper. I have been giving them as a "just because" gift to my daughter's, to their friends, a few of the girls at my daughters dance school who just graduated high school, and now I am stock piling for the holidays. 
  With all that, I have not been paying attention to the outside world. So when my husband returned home from being out of town all week working and told me how our US Olympic teams will be wearing outfits made in China it not only peeved me, it got me doing research of a different nature, products made soley in the USA. Wow was I surprised at all I found in just an hour or two of searching the web. I was surprised to find how few brand name products I actually recognized. I was also shocked to find how few food products are actually made in the US. I also found some great products they are still USA made, I made a Pinterest board with all the great products I did find, I am going to include some links of sites that have all USA made products. 
  I saw a video posted from a segment on The Today Show that I google+'d. It was about one mom's quest to find products made soley in the USA. She gave some surprising statistics, like in 1960 only 1 in 10 products came from outside the USA, today 6 in 10 come from outside the USA. That if every american spent an extra $5.00 on a USA made product vs. buying a similar cheaper product made outside the US, it would produce some 200,000+ jobs for the American worker. 
  I plan on making some product switch-a-roo's in my own house to support the American worker, some procucts we already have and use, like Redwing Boots, my hubby buys a pair every year for work. Carhartt, another product hubby wears for work, they also make some really great men's and boy's clothing for everyday wear. Kitchen Aid, they are a bit pricey, but will last a lifetime. I got one from my hubby as a Christmas gift about 10 yrs ago, it broke after about 11 months, the company replaced it for free. I am swtching my toothbrush and dental floss to POH products,, they can be ordered online floss is $3.00 and brushes $1.00, check out their website @
http://www.buypoh.com/toothbrushes.html. Here are some more links to check out;
America Made Products, a directory with more than 500 you can trust, American Made in the USA, American Made Clothing, Furniture, Toys, Jewelry, Quality Products from the USA
http://www.americansworking.com/
http://www.unionlabel.com/
http://www.madeinusaproductsstore.com/
http://www.madeinusa.org/
Also please stop by and check out my STILL MADE IN AMERICA Pinterest board;
http://pinterest.com/kimmiesroom/still-made-in-america/
I would also love to hear from all of you on what you think about this topic. Please send me products not on my board, or your favorite products that are American made. 
I will be doing more installments on this topic,I will not only discuss just products made in America, I will also be doing a 30 day challenge for August, to make one change a day in  to switch over to American made products. I will also be posting a contest; details to follow later, on showing your patriotic side and supporting the American worker. I would like for everyone to share this on your blogs, tell your friends. Let's make a change together to bring America back to it's roots. I am really looking forward to doing this, and would really love to hear from you all. Until the next installment, I hope you and yours are well.


God Bless,
Kimmie

Crafting/Artist Blogs I follow

Well after many many frustrated attempts, I finally figured out how to post the photos in my sidebar of some really great blogs I follow. These blogs are hosted by some very gifted Crafter/Artist's. They have great tutorials, and awesome projects. Both of these lovely women are hosting giveaways for followers of their blogs to win some really great stuff.
 If you are looking for some ideas, or some inspiration, these girls have it by the boat load. I love their stuff.
 I found one of the blogs while doing a google search, and discvered the other with a link from the 1st blog. Both are FANTASTIC. I encourage you to check them out.
 I have to add, that both Lee & Debbie are looking for faithful followers, not someone who joins just to try and win and then never goes back.
 These blogs are "The Crafty Cutting of Wiccababe" @ http://wiccababe.blogspot.co.uk,  
and "Crafty Loops" @ http://craftyloops.blogspot.com. Stop by and say hello, if you do, please use my link to  let them know how you found them. I'd really appreciate it. Well I'd love to hear what you think about their blogs, please feel free to post a comment. Thanks so much!!


God Bless,
Kimmie
http://craftyloops.blogspot.com
http://wiccababe.blogspot.co.uk

A New Journey

7/08/12
   I'm working on a little somethin', well not so little, but I do have a goal I am working towards. Besides loving being a homeschool mom, and loving, (though very frustrated) blogging. I have lots to learn about blogging, but I love the whole idea that blogging is. I love that I can reach out to others via their blog or via my own.
  I remember when blogging first came about. I have a friend who jumped on the blog band wagon from the start. I remember her commenting that she had to update her blog for her family up in Pa. to read. I asked her,"what is a blog?" She then proceeded to try and explain it. She said basically it is an internet diary that you put stuff on such as pictures, recipes, stories, poems, whatever you want and others read it. I remember thinking why, what a waste of time. HAHAHAHA...... fast forward 10 or so years and look at what blogging has become. It is a way of life now. 
   There are blogs for anything one can think of, written by people from all walks of life, from anywhere in the world that you can plug into the information super highway, written by people in just about every age group. Blogging is a way of life, it is how we learn to make a pie, what is the best source for curriculum, where we can learn about different religions, how to paint a picture, how to change a tire, where to eat when you travel through Europe. People are blogging on anything and everything.
    Now my favorite blogs to follow or visit are blogs having to do with family, homeschooling, religious studies, budgeting, and the vast world of arts and crafts. I especially love crafting blogs that have to do with journaling, art journaling(different from journaling), doodling, mixed media crafting, paper crafts, and repurpose and recycle crafting. I am a huge crafter. Enter my new journey.
   I am currently working on building my supplies, and have started making journals, learning how to "art" journal, and work with mixed mediums to create something beautiful. I have always loved to crotchet, cross-stitch, and make jewelry. I am now taking those skills and growing them. I have been spending relentless hours scouring blogs and the internet to hone my skills and develope new ones. My goal is by summers end to start a crafting journal as well. Which scares me quite a bit. I am barely able to figure out what I am doing here.
    I didn't know how patient you have to be to blog, content, html, followers, it's not as easy as one would think. Though with patience, practice and prayer, I hope to be able to achieve my goals. I have so many talented, smart, funny, beautiful women to be insired by, women who will usually do anything they can to help, who will give advice, words of encouragement, and even pray for you. That is simply amazing.
   So I am working on building tutorials, projects, patience, and I am trying to figure out a really fun and cool name for my crafting blog. I am even considering having a contest to "Name that Blog". Now that would be fun. I am going to follow up with a list of blogs that I love to frequent for inspiration in both my work and toward meeting my goals in my "New Journey".


God Bless,
Kimmie

7/07/12

While purusing Pinterest I clicked on a link, that led me to a link, that led me to a link, that led me here, to Barnes & Noble. They are have a Summer reading program that will allow kids to earn a free book. So I copied it and wanted to share it. Also if you bring in proof of being a registered Homeschool, the verification is the info your state sends you verifying your school, show it at the checkout, you will get a little form to fill out, then you get a card that gives you 20% off all purchases at B & N. That applies to sales and Clearance as well I believe.

  So now Gidget is excited to earn her FREE book. Here is the info I copied;

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading

A Free Book, Summer Reading Kit and More

Kids Earn a Free Book!

Here Is How:

Step 1.

Step 2.

Step 3.

Read any 8 books and record them in the Reading Journal
(PDF).
Bring the completed Reading Journal to your local B&N store.
Find a Store.
Choose a FREE BOOK from our selection on the Reading Journal list at the store... Enjoy reading!

So what are you waiting for?? Get your kiddos to reading and earning their FREE book.

GOD BLESS,

KIMMIE