Enchanting Home Life

2011-12-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

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"I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes around worrying about are of no importance whatsoever." ~Isak Dinesen

Does that include shopping for Christmas Presents! Maybe I need to focus more on the beauty of the season, I did tell the children Im going to take a day and go shopping and just get what ever I want for them. That really sounds kind of fun. Taking time to think about each kid and what they might like and then just not worrying about whether it is on there wish list or not or worry if the store still has what ever it is they are longing for. I really do want to take the anxiety out of Christmas gift shopping. It was hitting me today one of the things they wanted I cant find and I dont want to pay the inflated price for the limited addition. It just to Crazy, and I could feel that anxiety setting in. So that is how I came up with my plan, I am still hoping they wont be too disappointed.

Mary Star Path

2011-12-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

One of the things I thought would be fun as we focused on Mary for our Nativity this week was to make the star path from the book All Year Round. I have been wanting to make one for a while. So Im so excited to have finally done it.

Here is my Mary I had a lot of fun crocheting her and then giving her wool roving for hair. I just love wool roving.

This is her star journey to the stable. Each star is numbered with the day of the week up to Christmas Day and that is when she will reach the stable. She is geting closer every day. I still need to make a little baby Jesus for her to hold when she arrives at the stable.

2011-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

google images

Mary

Reminds us that we need to find a moment to

ponder the events of that sacred night in Bethlehem
In that moment we celebrate the miracle of Christ's birth, and

the gift that Heaven gave.

~Emily Freeman

New Tradition

2011-11-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

I bought this book and have so been enjoying it! Im looking forward to sharing it with my family this Christmas season. She has seven traditions that you can share with your family to help them think about the true meaning of this time of year. The first tradition begins with Mary and it so neat because one of the things she does is she just puts out the different nativity characters one at a time to help build the suspense and help bring the focus to Jesus. So Mary comes first and her Tradition is Pondering. To ponder what she was thinking that amazing night when the little baby Jesus was born. She suggests making hearts for the Christmas tree or heart cookies to eat that night when you share Marys experience with your family. One thing I was thinking I would like to do is create Mary's star path from the book All Year Round by Ann Druitt and Christine Fynes-Clinton and Marije Rowling . Isnt this time of year just so fun!!! Yea I love it!!! Have a Happy Day!!!

Cherishing

2011-11-28T06:41:00.000-08:00

sunserf.tumbir.com pinterest
It could be argued that creativity is a form of prayer,a form of thankfulness and recognition of all we have to be thankful for, walking in this world. ~ Julia Cameron

Im so excited to start this day! First it is my youngest daughters birthday! Then I have a bunch of creative ideas roaming around in my head just begging to get out. So Im looking forward to start working on them! Yea happy day!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T07:15:00.000-08:00

Don't be unduly concerned about anything: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ~ Philippians 4:6

2011-11-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Learn the craft of knowing how to open your heart and to turn on your creativity. There's a light inside of you. ~Judith Jamison

This quote make me want to try and paint again. I can see the picture inside of my head. Right now its more of a feeling but oh to bring it to life.

2011-11-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

                                                                                                  google images

              Its not Joy that makes us Grateful,
             It is Gratitude that makes us Joyful!
                                                                 ~ Pinterest

2011-11-21T12:36:00.000-08:00

   " Gratitude is the food of love-and it is the fruit of love as well."
                                                              ~ Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards
                 Rich brought these home to me and it was such a suprise. I do so love flowers it was fun to   spend time arranging them!!! One of those moments to cherish. : )

2011-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

"I think these difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes around worrying about are of no importance whatsoever." ~Isak Dinesen

Another idea for way to cherish everyday this season is a gratitude tree. We did one a few years back and it has been fun looking over the leaves and seeing what the children were thankful for back then. Here are a few pictures of the one we are working on this year. I recieved a new camera so exciting, but Im still learning how to take pictures with it so they arent that great, but it will give an idea of what our tree looks like this year. We have also started adding to our visual center of thanksgiving. : )

"Attitude of Gratitude"

2011-11-17T05:37:00.000-08:00

I found this really neat idea from the book LightPost for Living The art of choosing a Joyful Life byThomas Kinkade. He suggests creating a visual center for all the things you are grateful for.
"Simply hang a big bulletin board in your family room and fill it with reminders of everything you have to thankful for. Add pictures of your family and pets. Tack on mementos from trips or cards from people who care about you. If the brilliance of autumn leaves make you joyful, add a few leaves to your board. If you love the funny papers pin up some cartoons that make you laugh. The point is to fill a visual center with reminders of the blessings in your life."
"If you prefer, you can set up a small table or bench and fill it with favorite things-a jar of sand from your favorite beach ,a sweet-scented candle,some framed photographs etc."
I thought this was such a fun idea I have a bulletin board in our dinning room, Im thinking maybe I will put a shelf under it and then we can also put little treasures we find that represent the blessings in our lives.

Now all we need to do is start adding things to our board and shelf. : )

2011-11-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

Thomas Kinkade

"Thankfulness can reduce stress in your life by making you more content with who you are and what you have. If you make a habit of accepting every circumstance gratefully and assuming there is a purpose in it, you'll be relieved from the worry and anxiety that go with being resentful and dissatisfied." ~Thomas Kinkade

What an amazing thought,who would have known that having a grateful heart could relieve stress. I like the idea of accepting the circumstances that you might fine your self in. Sometimes that can be so hard but it seems that if I could do that it would open my heart up and I would be able to relax and simply enjoy this journey of life. It seems alot of times that I cant change my circumstances but I can change my perspective about them. Today I am going to try and be grateful for the crazy in my life and create moments to cherish.

Oh Happy Day!

2011-11-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

Thomas Kinkade

"Gratitude is not precisely the same thing as optimism. It's more the attitude that makes optimism possible. It is essentially a habit of thinking, away of understanding who we are and what happens in our lives."~Thomas Kinkade

I am finding the more I strive to look at life with a grateful heart the happier I am and the more content I feel with the circumstances I have in my life. Instead of hating having to get up early to take my boys to early morning seminary finding that I love seeing the sunrise and having time to write in my morning pages. I am finding that gratitude is helping me cherish the moments of my life.

2011-11-11T04:24:00.000-08:00

blog.cellardoormagazine.co.uk

"Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it." ~Bonnie D Parkin

2011-11-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

image found on Pinterest

A Grateful Heart

2011-11-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

google image

"A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation of the development of such virtures as prayer,faith,courage,contentment,happiness,love,and well-being."

~Elder James E Faust

I really like the idea of finding inner contentment being at peace in what ever situation I may be in. Having a sense of happiness, being able to express love, and having a feeling of well being. Wow to think that just having a grateful heart and an attitude of gratitude could create all of that. So what could I do today to cherish these thought and apply them into my life? I think I will make time to write in my Evening Pages. My evening pages is a journal I started to write in. Its all the lovely thought and events that happened during the day. I find it so easy to focus on the negitive things or the things I didnt get done so a lot of the time I go to bed feeling discouraged. So I decided to focus on the good and the positive because every day has it ups and downs in it. I have been feeling that to truly cherish my days I need to focus on the positive. I havnt been doing it as consistently as I would like so tonight Ill get back to writing and cherishing the beautiful events of the day.

Blessings

2011-11-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

google images

"Hold fast to the blessings which God has provided for you. Yours in not the task to gain them, they are here, yours is the part of cherishing them." ~Pres.J Reuben Clark

Counting my blessings: Warm home, Sunshine, Beautiful autumn leaves, Sweaters, Children who can make breakfast, : ), Laughter, Hope, Running water, Electricity, Washing machine, Wonderful uplifting books, Music,Time...

Cherishing the Day

2011-11-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

google images

"Gratitude,and recognizing gratitude,can have a powerful effect on our whole lives. When we feel grateful, we feel full-full of love, full of inspiration, full of ideas, and full of creative spirit." ~Amanda Blake Soule

Today to cherish my day I did some cleaning. It feels so good to have tidy up from the weekend. Im always amazed at how fast the house can become dirty. I also was able to get some pants fixed for my sweetheart and a shirt ironed. I am so grateful for a home, a vacumn to clean with, and sweet children that pitched in and helped. : ) It is looking better.

Cherishing the Day

2011-11-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

google images

"Gratitude, is the heart's memory."
~French proverb

Cherishing the Day

2011-11-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

image from google

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past,brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

I am so grateful for Autumn it always helps me to start slowing down and rethinking what is really important. What kind of life do I want to be living, how can I reach my dreams, and be the kind of person I want to be. Time is flying by so fast, I want to savor the moments I have with my family and friends to cherish each day. Our lives are so very precious, how I want to let go of all the negative and stressful and simply relax and enjoy this journey called life.

Cherishig the Day

2011-11-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

Jane Rowley pastels

... "to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven." Thomas S. Monson

One way I have found to try and have gratitude ever with me is to write in a gratitude journal. It has been such a blessing in my life. The amazing thing is how it helps in changing my perspective and when things seem so hard and nothing is going the way I had hoped and planned taking the time to write in that little gratitude journal helps me realize what is really important, and how many blessing I have been recieveing. My perspective is changed and my attitude becomes one of hope and joy. Instead of lack I find my life is filled with abundance. Perhaps we can make a heaven on earth. : )

Cherishing the Day

2011-11-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

Shenandoah Valley picture from http://www.bestweekends.com/overview.php?dest=CHARLOTTESVILLE

"Very few people realize that the power of metamorphasing the ordinary lies within each of us. One way to bring about this magic is through the art of appreciation." Frugal Luuries~Tracy McBride

Echidnas Dancing on The Roof Tops

2011-10-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

Echidnas Dancing on The Roof Tops
My daughter has caught the blogging bug and she has started her own blog at the link above. Its been fun following her posts, she loves to draw anime and its fun seeing her posts about her art work.

The Power of Words

2011-06-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Beauty of The Mind

2011-03-02T13:04:00.001-08:00

One of the places I would like to start beautifying is my mind. Its amazing to me how little dark thoughts and negative feelings can come creeping into the corners of my mind and before I know it they have come in and started having a party with out me realizing it. Which then begins to affect how I feel about myself and my own dear world. It can all look so dark and cloudy so quickly.

So one of the tools I've been using is my Morning pages. Morning pages are a wonderful tool I found in the book the Artist Way by Julia Cameron. Its were you write down every thing in your head when you first get up in the morning. Write it all out the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Its amazing how after doing it consistently you find yourself figuring out problems, encouraging yourself and finding ways to keep going. I've also decided to start what I call my Evening pages and what I'm doing with them is recording all the good things that happened in the day. Write down the things that I'm grateful for. Even if its been a super challenging day, I'm sure there is one thing to be grateful for if not two. : ) Perhaps I could find a lovely quote to ponder on so that I'm filling my mind with something beautiful. If everything else fails I believe I will simply write "Stay Calm,and Carry On"

I made my journals from the composition books you can get at Wal-Mart. The best time to get a really good deal on them is when they are having there back to school sales, they were only 25 cents last school year. Then I go looking through my favorite magazines and find pictures that inspire me. Then paste them on. After I have the pictures looking just the way I want them I cover my journals with contact paper to help them last longer. Ta da! I then have my own personalized journals.

A House of Belonging

2011-02-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

Image From Victoria Mag.

In the coming years we shall need all the charm,aplomb and philosophy we can get. It will be the task of women to keep the world from despond, to keep the prettier gestures of good living going with meager materials...We will not fail in any crisis to come. To the extent of our ability we will keep the torch of civilized home-life burning. We will create beauty with whatever materials are at hand. We will fan the embers of kindness in a brute-stricken world...We will heal and hold to our hearts the wounded, the young, the needy. It is a great privilege to be a woman today. ~ Margery Wilson 1928

Changes

2011-02-21T10:13:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to write and share that I am wanting to revamp my blog. To have it become more of a journal a resource for me to keep all the cool things I find on the internet and to organize my thoughts. For Homeschooling and also for a desire I have to explore how to Create a House or Home of Belonging and is there a difference? I think there maybe. I would like to also explore writings from Women Writers of the Thirties and Forties how did they create their homes. Is it possible to make a home with nothing.

Just some thoughts I have been having and would like to explore more of. Im hoping you will join me on this new adventure and I did want to let you know I am hoping to make some Changes.

Beauty

2011-01-28T13:07:00.001-08:00

I have decided my word of the year is going to be beauty. I'm hoping if I am striving to create a beautiful surrounding then order and tidiness will follow : ) One of the first places I would like to start beautifying is my thoughts. I want to chase away any negative thoughts that still want to lurk in the corners of my mind. One of my favorite authors to help with this process is Norman Vincent Peale he has written a lovely old book called the Power of Positive Thinking. It is really very charming and I'm finding it to be a wonderful resource. I like all of the books I've found by him.
I've also decided to create a picture of my word of the year so I wont forget! : )

I would love to hear about your word of the year and how it is effecting your life.
I'm hoping to post each month of an experience I have been doing with my word of the year. : )

Word of the Year

2011-01-18T08:19:00.001-08:00

I found this article through

Courageous Beings Blog - Karen Kindrick has some wonderful information that she shares through her blog and news letters here:http://karenkindrick.typepad.com/courageousbeingshomeschoo/

I really found this one to be so inspiring and have decided to create a word of the year myself. : )

"How to Make 2011 Your BEST Year Yet"
by Christine Kane

The regulars at the gym were joking about it early in December.
"Have a good workout now," they said. "Cuz you know what it's gonna be like in about three weeks!"
That's because all the folks who have made their New Year's Resolutions will show up. They'll stick around for a while. Then, around Valentine's Day, the regulars get to have their old gym back.
The hosts of a satellite radio talk show were discussing the most common New Year's Resolutions and the average success rate. Among the most common were Get Organized, Be More Spiritual, Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, and Spend More time with Family.
I don't know about you, but this kind of To-Do List approach to life-transformation does NOT inspire me. And it doesn't surprise me that the success rates were low.
Why Resolutions Don't Work
The reason most resolutions don't work is that they address only one level of your life.
The DO level.
It's the DO-HAVE-BE model.
It goes like this: "I will DO this thing." (i.e., Lose weight) "So I can HAVE this other thing" (Self-Esteem) and I can BE this thing. (Confident.)
The average New Year's Resolution doesn't address the core of the issue:
The "BE" level.
The best order for creating positive change in your life is the BE-DO-HAVE model. This means you start from the BE level. When you begin changing on the BE level of your life, then the DO level and the HAVE level follow more easily.
When you start only on the DO level, then the blocks on the BE level will often become the obstacles you can't overcome.
How to Tap into the True Power of your Intention
Several years ago, my friend Kathy and I decided that, instead of making resolutions, we would pick a word that would guide us throughout the year. It would be our touchstone. It would remind us of living our lives at the BE level.
This didn't mean that we didn't take action. It meant that our actions were inspired from the BE level. In fact, I took more action than ever with this new approach!
For several years now, I've blogged about this inspiring way to begin the year. The response has been huge. So have the success rates! I regularly hear from people who have created big changes in their lives because they focused on one word.
How to Choose A Word
Look through the list below. Get quiet and listen to your Wise Self. Pick a word.
Then, hold that word in your mind throughout the year, and let your word guide you to take action.
Here's an example:
Let's say you're one of the many people who would normally choose "Get Organized." You're tired of chaos and clutter. So, you think, "I need to get organized. That'll be my Resolution."
But then you read this article. You decide to try this new approach.
You sit with your clutter. You spend a few days pondering words. You realize in an "Ah-Ha!" moment that you hold on to lots of things. You're scared to let go.
So you choose the word "Release" because it inspires you in a bigger way than "Get organized."
So, every time you approach your clutter you remind yourself of that word. "Release," you say softly. You start to let the clutter go.
Eventually, you realize that you're still holding on to lots more than just physical clutter. You realize that you hold onto resentment at old relationships. "Release," you remind yourself.
You realize that holding on is affecting your diet and health. "Release" applies to some of the extra weight you've gained as well. Throughout the year, you can see clearly how much you hold on. "Release" is your touchstone. It grows you throughout the year. It becomes your guiding force, not your harsh standard.
Your clutter became your teacher simply because you shifted your intent towards it. This wouldn't have happened if you'd opted only to "Get Organized."
What word to choose?
Many people know immediately which word resonates with them. For others, a little contemplation is required.
As you read through the list of words, see if one stands out. It's tempting to choose four or five, believing that you can do it all! (Or that you're so messed up, you can't possibly narrow the mess down to one!) I recommend that if you can't choose just one, choose no more than two.
One is ideal. It gives you focus. If you master that one word, you can choose another one in June.
Compassion
Delight
Generosity

Effortlessness
Wealth
Gratitude
Abundance

Creativity
Willingness
Change
Growth
Freedom
Mastery
Kindness
Health
Presence

Acceptance
Courage
Confidence
Self-Love
Action
Forgiveness

Forgive
Release
Trust
Knowing
Patience
Friendship
Fun
Grace
Laughter
Love
Expansion
Exploration
Adventure
Openness
Discipline
Awe
Awareness
Risk
Gentleness
Choice
Spirit

Prayerfulness

Power
Allow
Artfulness
Attention
Beauty
Joy
Focus
Ritual
Heal
Order
Clarity
Pioneer
Peace
Laziness
No
Yes
Deliberateness
Commitment
Savor
Integrity
Listen

Note: Click here to download a powerful journal writing tool that I created. It's called The Word-of-the-Year Discovery Tool. Give yourself the gift of connecting your hand to your heart and write about what you want to create in the coming year. This tool works! I promise!

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Winter: Time for Reading

2011-01-16T22:01:00.001-08:00

There is something so wonderful about curling up with a really good book. One of my fondest memories is of my mother reading to us on those cold winter evenings. The fun thing for me now is to build a fire in our woodstove and then watch the orange flames dance around during our own story time.

Even if you don't have a fireplace or a woodstove it can be fun to light candles and stringing up white Christmas tree lights they can add a bit of magic to your evening story time ritual.

I've decided to have January be the month of light. So I've been seeing how many ways I can bring light into our evenings.

I would like to share with you some of the fun books we have been reading this Month:

For my two teenage boys~ The Lonesome Gods by Louis Lamour

Then my eleven year old girl~ Little Maid of Virginia by Alice Turner Curtis. Very sweet little book we read it together and thoroughly enjoyed.

For my eight year old boy~Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne

The magic tree house books have become a family classic. We have been reading them since the older boys were younger. Its fun to now share them with Loch.

Then for my three year old~Everything but the Horse by Holly Hobbie

very endearing and charming artwork it is going to be one of our classics : )

2011-01-02T13:33:00.001-08:00

Happy New year!!!!

December Planning Pages

2010-12-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

Happy December first!!! Wow were has this year gone. It really has just flown by. If you would like to get the Calender page for December you can find it under the section to the left under labels. Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!!!!!

November planning pages

2010-10-31T13:53:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share that the November Calender page can be found under Label and then Calender Pages.

Hope you are having a wonderful Autumn.

Jane

October Planning Pages

2010-09-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

The October calender page can be found to the right of the blog under labels, under the calender page section. Im amazed at how fast this year has been going by. Its so hard to believe that tomorrow is going to be October first. We are having a wonderful rain storm today it has been such a dry, dry summer. So the rain is such a wonderful sight. I hope you have a very wonderful autumn.

New September Planning Pages

2010-09-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

Im so glad fall is on it way!!! Its been a long and hot summer for us. Im looking forward to all the wonderful festivals and holidays that are just around the corner. : ) I hope you have a very wonderful autumn season!!!

New August Planning Pages

2010-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hope you have had a wonderful summer. Its amazing that school time is right around the corner. Have a wonderful Month.

Planning Pages for July

2010-06-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the July planning pages. Hope you enjoy them!
Jane

Summer

2010-06-29T19:56:00.001-07:00

Summer~
Living books~ I would like to share with the children.
Little House Series, we have read the first two.
Bill Bergeson and the white Rose rescue. By Astrid Lindgren
There are some other books by Lindgren that really looks good. I would like to find them to share with children. Like Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously or Bill Bergson Master Detective. I was thinking my boys might really enjoy them.
Another good one would be~
Amazon Adventure By Willard Price

Now I just need to find a time to actually start reading to them : )

June Planning Pages

2010-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy these new June calendar pages, and that you have a wonderful month!

May Planning Pages

2010-05-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

Im so amazed that its May already this year is just flying. Hope you are having a wonderful Spring!!!!

April Planning Pages

2010-04-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have decided to take the year off these planning pages, Im just going to add it on by hand : ) to my own copies that I make. That is so I dont have to go back and change them every year. I hope every one is having a wonderful spring. I keep thinking of all the different post I would like to write and then I just dont seem to get a chance to sit down and write them. Then so much time pass and I dont even want to write about my original ideas.

Planning Pages for March

2010-03-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

I decided to go ahead and put these up again on my blog and this time I do believe we are now in the right year. Thank You T-Bird for sharing with me that the year was off. Im so sorry its been so hard to find and get these. I printed some of for myself and didnt even notice that it was 2009. I am just to tired. : )

March Planning Pages

2010-03-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share that the March Planning Pages can be found under the Labels on the right hand side of the blog. Look under planning pages and then scroll all the way down to the very buttom of the page. I was a little worried they were missing but they are the very last pages. If you have any questions just let me know and Ill be glad to help you. : ) Happy Spring!!!

New Discovery

2010-03-01T10:38:00.000-08:00

I just found this site Latter-day Homeschoolers. It looks like its going to have a lot of wonderful resources to explore. Im looking forward to curling up and reading all the different posts. They are having a give away and one of the items is an e-book called Discover the Joys of Easter I was just looking at the book and it looks really neat. Discover the Joys of Easter has some wonderful looking recipes of foods from other countries and what they make for their Easter Celebrations. I also liked how it talked about the passover, I was just reading about that with the children for our family devotional. I am really thinking about getting this e-book. I love books about Celebrations and it really looks like a good one with lots of meaningful activities!!! It really looks like a great site.

Sorry I havent written for such a long time. A whole month has gone by. We have been buried under so much snow I have just felt like a slug longing for spring. : )

Journey North

2010-01-31T11:49:00.001-08:00

I found a wonderful website. Over at At Home Science blog she had a post about Journey North A Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change. They are having a Mystery Class and it really sounds like a lot of fun. I'm going to try it out and I'm hoping the kids will join me. : ) So far my oldest is on board. Here is a link to Kris's blog where she has some wonderful ideas to prepare for the class http://athomescience.blogspot.com/ also here is the link to the Journey North Home page. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/mclass/

I just found out about the Mystery Class yesterday it will be beginning tomorrow Feb. 1 and its free!!! Yea I always feel so grateful when I find wonderful resource that are free.

I am really excited to try this activity and look forward to doing some more from this great site.

2010-01-17T17:46:00.001-08:00

"It does mean that once we have a heart's desire we should act on it. It is that action, that moving out in faith, that moves mountains" Julia Cameron

Walking in This World

Technorati Tags: Quotes&Thoughts

The New Year and Great Books

2010-01-17T17:23:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to write for a while now but it has been so hard to find the time. I love this time of year for being able to start a New Beginning, (I could live without the cold though) : ) Being able to set goals to help me reach my dreams and help me become a better mother and person all around. That is at least what I hope for at the beginning of January. : )
One of the books that I have started reading this year is Walking in This World by Julia Cameron. She is such an amazing writer and I have enjoyed all the books I have read by her.

One of my dreams has been to live a more creative life and to feel confident with what I do. As I have read the Artist's Way and Vein of Gold, which she also wrote, I have really come to feel better about myself as an artist.
An amazing experience I have had as I read her books was to realize that what I thought I wanted and what I thought my dreams were, were not really what I truly wanted. As I went deeper by doing the different activities and tools that she shares in her books I have been able to peel back the layers of what I thought the world or others thought should be my dreams. For example I have always wanted to be an artist, but I thought I needed to be an exceptional "watercolorist" but I'm realizing I love textiles: yarns, and material, etc. I still love to use watercolors but I don't need to be exceptional. : )
The one thing I'm coming away with as I begin this new year is the need to believe in myself -- to believe that I can accomplish my goals and that I can reach my dreams. It is possible. Maybe at times it seems too hard by myself but I need to believe that I'm not alone and that Our Heavenly Father cares and will help me along this journey. I don't have to do it all by myself but simply do my very best.
If this can apply to me I know it applies to every one else. We are not alone as we make this journey through life -- we can have help in reaching our dreams and accomplishing our goal.

March Calender

2009-12-27T13:20:00.000-08:00

The Rest of Feb. Planning Pages

2009-12-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

More Calender Pages : )

2009-12-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

As I was looking through the Planning Pages I realized that I had only done one page for February. So I decided to do up the other pages to for February. : )

The Rest of Jan. Planning Pages

2009-12-27T11:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

New Calendar Pages for January

2009-12-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that you will have a very Happy New Year!!! Hope you enjoy the planning pages for January! I think that I finally have all the months done, Yea!!! You should be able to get all the different month now so you can plan ahead bettter : ). Just go to Labels and look under Calender Pages and also Planning Pages. Im still working on getting them all under the labels and I probably will change some of the pictures through the year. I do hope you enjoy them.
Your Friend,
Jane ; )

Great New Online Magazine

2009-12-20T13:00:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to share a wonderful online magazine that I discovered! Over at Syrendell blog they were sharing a give a way that was happening at Rhythm of the Home blog. Rhythm of the Home online magazine is up and going, it is really beautiful! I have been enjoying the articles and also they have some wonderful photos very uplifting and inspiring! Its always so fun to find others who share similar interest. There are some really neat ideas for the Holidays and how to live them more simply. : ) You'll have to go and check it out if you haven't already!
Hope you enjoy! http://rhythmofthehome.com/

Favorite Christmas Poem

2009-12-19T19:46:00.001-08:00

What can I give him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd

I would bring a lamb,

If I was a wise man

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him,

Give my Heart.

I hope that every one is have a wonderful month and enjoying the beautiful Christmas season. I have so been enjoying reading everyone's blogs what talented and creative people, truly inspiring!

Happy Holidays!!!

December Planning Pages

2009-12-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

Im so sorry it has taken me so long to get these up : ( I have had some sick children and time just flew by.
But I hope that you will be able to use them and its not to late. Have a very wonderful Holiday!

Your Friend,

Jane

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T05:38:00.001-08:00

Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

May you have a day full of gratitude and Joy!

Little bit of Scotland

2009-11-23T17:32:00.001-08:00

Dear Challee has been studying Scotland and for one of her activities she wanted to make shortbread cookies. They turned out really lovely and I thought I would share them with you.

Here is the recipe we used:

Scottish Shortbread

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups of flour

2 table spoons of milk

strawberry jam

Cream softened butter and sugar together till they are blended completely. Then add the flour. Our dough was very dry and crumbly. Start adding the milk and knead it into the dough keep adding the milk till the dough start to form a ball. You might need a little more then two table spoons but you don't want to add to much. Just enough to make it so you will be able to roll the dough out. Roll out your dough to about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Between a 1/4 of an inch and 1/2. Then Challee used our fall leaf and acorn cookie cutters to cut out the shortbread. I have a set that has different sizes in it and so we used the big ones first and then the smaller ones next. Cutting a whole right in the middle of our first cookie leaf. Then we gentle spooned in the strawberry jam. Bake them at 375 for about 10 minutes. Take out when just turning golden brown around the edges.

November planning pages

2009-10-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am making a label list on my blogs sidebar. Im hoping that it will make it easier for you to find the different planning pages. I hope that will be helpful! Happy planning I hope all of you that use these pages have a wonderful month, and even if you dont : ) That your November is truely filled with joy!

The Letter H

2009-10-30T10:11:00.001-07:00

These are the letter cards I made for H following the story of
The Hut by the Bro. Grimm. I make them out of index card using my pastel chalks. Then I cover them with contact paper so little ones can use them over and over again with out getting chalk dust on them and every thing else. : ) On the back of the letter H some of the 3 letter words I put on it were hut, hat, how, hug, hill and hi even though its not a three letter word. : )
Also here is our little verse for the letter H. My second son helped me come up with this verse for my youngest son. I got the idea of having a verse from a couple of places, A Path of Discovery by Eric L. Fairman, and School as a Journey both wonderful books. So no more ado here is our verse : )
The heroes came upon the hobbits home in the hill.
Finding none,and losing hope.
They venture to find the hobbits before the hideous , horrible
half Troll, humiliates them with his horrifying humor.
On this haunting Halloween Eve.
I wonder how hard this will be for Loch to say? : )

Happy Halloween

2009-10-28T11:32:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited to share with you a project I've been working on. When I was a little girl my mom would crochet these adorable little dolls. I just loved them! Well I'm so excited to share that I am now able to crochet the same little dolls. Its taken me along time to finally learn how to crochet. I'm left handed. : ) But I have finally succeeded.

I can now create one of these dolls for my own daughters. I have been experimenting with different yarns and its amazing what just a little different wait of yarn will give you.

these patterns are over thirty years old but they reminded me so much of the Waldorf dolls that I like so much.

Hope you have a very wonderful Halloween and a

Happy Autumn!

Provident Living

2009-10-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

I found this really neat website on living very frugally. I thought I would share it with you. : ) Its The Prudent Homemaker, her site is so beautiful. She makes it look like fun.
Im going to put a button to the website on my side bar, I hope you find some great ideas : ) I have tried some of the fall recipes and have enjoyed them!

Tweaking

2009-10-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

My wonderful plans for first grade with my Little Son have ended up needing some tweaking. : ) I was so excited to get started but after the first couple of weeks he just wasn't enjoying it.
So I went back over my plans and decided that I would include more of the Thomas Jefferson Education principles to our day and see if that would help him.
We still start with a circle time where we recite our morning verse and he has it memorized now. It is so fun to hear him share it all on his own. We do say it together but its fun to know that he can say it by himself. Then we still recite a couple of other poems together that have to do with the season.
What I have changed is: After devotional I head down with the three younger kids and we have Kidschool. Which is a time that I share with them something I have been learning about. For this month it has been drawing with block crayons, Scotland, Forest habitats, English grammar, and Waldorf Math. Each day I share one of these areas with them.
Then we separate into our individual studies. I start out helping my Little Son with his reading lesson. I had to change the story from the little garden flower because dear Little Son didn't like the idea of the children living home and going away from there mother. So I changed it to a knight who is going on a Quest for the King. The King has wanted to learn to read but doesn't know how. There is an evil sorcerer who took all the knowledge away in hopes of being able to gain control of the kingdom. So our Knight Sir George the Brave, decides that he will go on this quest to find all the different letters and the knowledge of being able to read. He is hoping to also be able to learn how to read along the way. : )
So I will read a fairy tale with him about one of the letters that we are working on. The stories are collected by the knight on his travels and it is usually given to him by one of the characters from the story. When the dwarf, or whichever character it might be at the time, gets to the end of the story he hands the knight a special card which has the letter on it. The knight just has to figure out which letter it is.

I made these on index cards. I have one with a picture on it and then another one with the letter on it that I hide somewhere in the room for dear Little Son to find.

On the back of the swan picture I have written the word swan and on the back of the letter card I write as many three letter words as I can think of that start with the letter S. We try and go over these words together every day.
Then the next day I will have him tell me about the story we shared the day before and then I will share a little verse that the knight makes up to help him remember the letter and the sound that the letter makes.
A sneaky old snake slithered along the ground. As he slid through the swamp he heard a small sound. He rounded the bend and, to his surprise, he received a grand prize. Six singing slugs and a symphony of snails.
They are a bit silly but he really has been enjoying them. We made a journal for him and I try to have him write something in it each day -- either about his day or I will have him copy a line down from our little verse. He really likes working in his math workbook, which blows my mind. What I would like to do is have him do his workbook some days and then on other days have him work on Waldorf based math with me.
Well, that is what our days have turned into -- more or less. I feel so grateful for the freedom to be able to make the changes I need to fit this to his personality. I wanted to share this because it seems that real life happens and its okay!!! Many times plan B might end up being even better in the long run. : )

Our First Grade Adventure

2009-09-10T07:09:00.001-07:00

Here is an insight into what our first grade day is looking like so far. : ) After Breakfast we spend some time getting our beds made and getting dressed for that day. Then we gather together in the living room to have our Devotional time-circle time. Circle time for the younger children we are learning the Morning Verse:

The Sun with loving Light

Makes bright for me each day.

The soul with Spirit Power,

Gives Strength unto my limbs.

In Sunlight Shining clear,

I reverence O God,

The strength of human kind
Which Thou so graciously

Hast planted in my Soul,

That I, with all my might

May love to work and learn.

From Thee comes Light and Strength

To Thee rise Love and Thanks.

By Rudolf Steiner

I also share with them an autumn poem after we have worked on reciting together or morning verse. Then my first grader and I head to another room were we read together our story for the day. This week we read Mt. Simeli together for our study of the letter M.

I drew this to share with him while we read our story together then he drew his picture after the story. I also then have him write the letter we are working on. The next day after our story I have him tell me about the story we read the day before and then have him write a sentence about our story.
I also wanted to share with you, for this story I made him some special blocks to go with our story of Mt. Simeli.

I was inspired by the element stacking blocks you can get at the Waldorf Educational stores. This is our mountain stacking blocks and it does have a little door in it. Its hard to tell in the picture though it will pop out. Loch had fun using it during our story : ) One of my goals for making it was to have Loch help sand it and paint it. So that is something he can work on after his lessons are over.
After we read together, and Loch has done his writing we go out for a walk around the block. This has been so wonderful for him. He is a really active boy and it is really hard for him to stay focused for long periods of time. So getting out and having some fresh air and exercise has been very helpful. Im trying to teach him out to jump rope, I think next week will try hopscotch. I also have the book active math that Im going to try out with him.
After we have spent time outside we come in and work on math. We are using a mix of A Journey Through Waldorf Math and Knights of Knowledge Math program. After he has done his lessons he is free to go and play independently or with his little sister while I work with the other children. That is pretty much how his day is looking so far.

Weekly Planning Pages

2009-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some more planning pages I hope this will help. I will put up the daily ones toward the end of each month. But I thought it would help having the weekly pages sooner : ) I also wanted to add that I have put a Label Tab at the top of the side bar so if you are wanting to just get to the Planning Pages it should be easier to find them : )

First Day of School

2009-09-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

We are back in the swing of things. It was an amazingly cool day its like the weather knew it was time for school to start and the temperature dropped down into the low 70. Which is my kind of weather : ) I love to wear long sleeves shirts and a sweater. The leaves have started changing also on some of the trees it has seemed to happen all to fast though.
The day went amazing well considering I didn't get very much sleep last night. All my planning paid off. : )
We started the Morning off with devotional after breakfast. I would like to include some seasonal poems for the little ones more. Challee and the older boys were able to work independently on their different reading projects. While I went to work with Loch on his school projects, and I had gotten some wooden blocks out for Emma to play with, she did really well she was either playing with the blocks or drawing with the other children so it worked out!
Here is a picture of Challee's Drawing and Summary of her book she is reading for History:

Loch and I had a good first day together he wasnt to sure he wanted to start back up doing school but we kept it short and he did really well. I read with him the story from The Little Garden curriculum for First Grade and then we did our form drawing. After that we went outside and practiced jumping rope and counting the rocks around my flower garden : ) It really seemed to help having that outside break because he didnt have any trouble coming in and doing some writing which he usually hates. Here is the picture he drew:

While Challee was finishing up here drawing and summary. I worked with Taylor on his math. We are using Making Math Meaningful and we were trying to figure out how to count using number bases. We worked in the eight base and it was really challenging but when we were all done Taylor shared that he had really enjoyed our math lesson. That it was the first time he had actally enjoyed doing math. So Im excited to have him continue using that math program. : ) Challenging but rather fun. : ) I could feel my brain trying to expand : ) It was working hard to understand number bases and actually taylor was helping me learn it.

So over all it went really well. Im actually looking forward to tomorrow : ) and the adventure will have together : )

Our Fourth Grade Curriculum for September

2009-09-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

We are using the curriculum from The Little Garden Flower for fourth grade. We did tweak it just a little, as I was reading the main story she has that runs through the whole curriculum it inspired me to study the countries our Ancesters came from with Challee this year. To read the legends and myths from these different countries. So September looks like this:

Local History for Geography & History : )
We live in Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley so I found the neatest book at the Library called
A Valley and a Song The Story of the Shenandoah River
Im also hoping to squeeze in The Blue Hill Meadows in also and maybe A Little Maid of Virginia : )
We will also go and visit some of the neat Historical Sites around the area for this month. Im really looking forward to it.
Science:
We will be studying animals
We are using Charles Kovacs The Human Being and the Animal World
I also found this wonderful article called On the Animal Teaching in the Fourth and Fifth classes by L. Francis Edmunds it was really helpful and I have shared some of his ideas to day in our study of the human form.
We are going to study the animals around our area first, and then the animals from each country we visit this year in our studies.
Math:
I am going to be using mostly the Noble Knights of Knowledge math program and also the math curriculum from the Little Flower Garden.
Writing:
Im going to have Challee keep a journal and write summaries for each chapter she reads in her history books.
Handiwork:
We are going to be learning how to knit and crochet this coming semester. I sent for the book about Mary Frances Learns to Knit and Crochet. Im really looking forward to reading this with Challee. Untill the book comes Im teaching her how to use the niffity knitting loom I have. She decided to make a hat for Emma. : )
I still need to find a grammar program I might go ahead and use one I already have.
Im not sure if this will help any one but it give you an idea of how we will be doing fourth grade this year
Im going try and get the older boys schedule on here to and also my youngest son who is starting first grade this year.

Birthday fun

2009-08-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share a bag I made for my oldest daughters birthday.
I got the idea from the book The creative family How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Soule
What a great little book it is just chalked full of wonderful ideas, and I really enjoy the way she writes. She talks about creating an Artist travel bag and so I thought that would be really fun to do for Challee for her Birthday.
Front
All the decorative pieces I crocheted, the flowers on top and the motif on the front and even the trim on the back. It was fun to have it actually work : )
Back
Here are the thing that I put into it.
One of the things that I would like to do with this blog is share ideas that I find on ways that are creative but thrifty, really focusing on living more green : ) One of the things I shared with my daughter is the Dairy of an Edwardian Lady and its a copy that I have had for years but thought it would be fun to pass down now to Challee. I also had the colored pencils already I hadn't really used them at all so they were like new. The smallest set is soft pastels and then the next set is watercolor paints.
That is one thing I really enjoyed about Amanda's book she had such creative ideas for using what you have around you. A great read I highly recommend it : )
Amanda has another book out to called:

It looks really good! I'm really looking forward to getting that one two!!!

2009-08-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here are the next calender pages!

2009-08-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the planning pages for September and I will go ahead and post the October and November calender pages also. It might take me a little bit to get all the planning pages up but Ill work on it : )

2009-08-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have really enjoyed this summer!!! The weather has been beautiful, but it has gone by so fast.
I am looking forward to starting school back up again. September is such a fun month, Michealmas day and then the beginning of Fall, also my youngest sons birthday happens this ins September. Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year! I have been thinking about also adding October planning pages. Would that be helpful? It wouldn't be a problem I have the design that I want to put on the October pages. I have been thinking about doing it for myself and if it would be helpful to others I can post them up this month to. I might could even do November also, at lest the three month calender pages. Let me know what would be best for you. I hope that all of you had a wonderful Summer and are excited to start back into this wonderful school year : )
Jane

2009-07-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here are the August planning pages. It is amazing to me how fast this summer is going by! I have started working really hard on planning for our next school year. Im really excited about it!! Im hoping the kids will enjoy it : ) I probably wont be posting very much here on my blog. I actually havent posted as much as I wanted to this summer. Time just seem to fly by. Then by the time I sit down to post something it seems like such old news. Have a wonderful rest of the summer!!!!

Musical Fairy

2009-07-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

Im excited to share with you a new adventure I will be trying. I have finally opened an Esty shop. My first item is this Fairy that my daughter created. I took this sweet Fairy and transferred her onto some cotton muslin and embroidered her. Here are some pictures of how she turned out.

I really love the Klutz book on beginning embroidery for children it is such a great book for anyone, wanting to learn how to do hand embroidery. One of the things I love about it is it shows the author’s work. Through out the book it is illustrated with pictures that have been embroidered. So cute and when I first saw the book it reminded me of my daughter’s drawings. So I had originally gotten it for her. : )

I have another Music Fairy in the works that Im hoping to get posted soon. But it has been interesting to see how each one takes on their own look. It has been a fun experience to share with my daughter.

If you would like to stop by and have a look at our new little store you will find us at :

http://ForestMelody.etsy.com

Days of Discovery

2009-07-10T18:59:00.001-07:00

Weaving:

We are trying something a little different this summer with what we are calling Days of Discovery : ) I have been wanting to try weaving with the children ever since I saw a lovely article in the spring Living Crafts magazine.

Our Days of Discovery will explore all the fun ideas that I've been wanting to share with the children (including weaving). : ) I loved how in the magazine they showed children using cardboard as their loom. So here are our attempts. : )

Challee wanted to decorate her loom.

Here is one of her projects in progress. There are also signs of little sister handy work in the back ground. Emma had been helping me water flowers earlier. : ) Its funny how I didn't even notice the water until I put the pictures on the computer.

This one is Challee’s finished project. : )

I'm looking forward to trying this again. It was a lot of fun. Maybe next time I'll try using some natural materials.

2009-07-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I found this quote about the Earth laughing in flowers a long time ago, but now that I'm using it on these planning pages I can't find its source. If any one knows, I would love to find out and put it on these pages. I have felt so grateful for the kind response that I have recieved from my posts. It can be really challenging to share things that I create -- it's kind of like exposing your soul and what if other don't like it? Then sometimes I'm just not sure if they are good enough, but as I have read others' blogs I truly have been inspired and encouraged to go ahead and share my artwork (heart) with others. Creating my designs (for my planning pages and other things) has been a real source of joy for me and I want to share that I do not mind if they are used to bring others joy. My only request is that you share that the design came from me : )

Thanks!

The Fairies visit

2009-06-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

The fairies came and it looks like they had a wonderful time! Our fairy house just doesn’t look the same : ) There must have been some rambunctious fairies visiting.

They did leave behind some treasures so I'm hoping they had a grand time.

(I had a lot of fun making these for the girls. I wasn't sure if I could knit a pony but it didn't turn out to bad for a first attempt. I got the pattern from the book Toymaking with children by Freya Jaffke. I also had some wool roving which became the girl : ) )

They also left a bag of candy which Challee shared with the boys. They were pretty happy about that. : ) Now its time to curl up and do some reading with the children. I think perhaps we will read The Flowers Festival by Elsa Beskow and then I found this book called Legends From Fairyland By Holmes Lee.

Have a wonderful Day!

Fairy House

2009-06-23T17:34:00.001-07:00

Challee and I had a grand time building a fairy house this week. Here is the beginning of our work.

I thought it was so neat how the light shined on the spot where we were working.

Then we went to work putting up the wall and roof.

I kind of liked it before we put the bark on.

(This is our front entrance)

Time for the fun part decorating! We are hoping to have a magical fairy party at our place on Wednesday. Perhaps the fairies will have a grand ball and come dressed in there finest.

Here is a side view of our house with the walk way leading up to the front entrance way.

(Here is the back view of our fairy house)

Hopefully they wont mind that it’s close to our house but it just seemed like the perfect spot. Happy Mid Summers Eve or Fairy Day. : )

Fairy Day

2009-06-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to celebrate Fairy Day! Come and enjoy the magic with us! Share with us the fun adventures that you will be having on this day! Here's a great Web site to help in your celebration preparation's http://www.fairyday.com/index.html. Have fun!

Education

2009-06-20T17:23:00.001-07:00

Norman Rockwell

We must not offer children understanding merely for their ears, but we must communicate from

Soul to Soul.

Rudolf Steiner

Watermelons

2009-06-17T17:49:00.001-07:00

This week Ancient Hearth sent me (Jane) a Watermelon Award. Sweet!

I accept and reciprocate by sharing six things that make me happy

1. Family – The sound of children’s laughter, little hugs from tiny arms, reading and sharing books together and listening to my older boys tell me all their wonderful ideas. Sharing grand adventures together as a family.

2. My Dear Husband -He truly is my Sunshine.

3. Nature – I love trees, flowers, rain, and the seasons. The Dogwoods blooming stirs my very soul. But then comes Autumn and I'm sure that's my favorite time of the year -- with all the magical colors.

4. Being Creative – I am learning how to knit and crochet. It is so fun! I also love to embroider and work with watercolors. Working with my hands brings me so much joy.

5. Homeschooling- Over the years this has become very dear to my heart. It is so wonderful to be able to spend this precious time with my children. It is going by so fast. I love learning how to do it better too : )

6. Reading- I love to curl up with a good book, and enter into a land of enchantment. A lot of times, though, it is a book on Waldorf Education or something about home education. I tend to have a hard time putting the other kinds of books down. The all-nighters are getting to hard on me. ; )

In turn, I nominate these six, refreshing mamas (in no particular order):

The Magic Onion Has the cutest little fairy folk visiting her blog and such a sweet Etsy store. I really enjoy reading her posts.

Beth over at Road to Joy She is very creative and has lovely ideas of ways she spends time with her family.

Black Cool Homeschooling Blog has some wonderful ideas, I so enjoy reading her post. Its so fun to see the positive effects of homeschooling and the results in other families.

Breezy over at A Bowl of Moss & Pebble has enchanting art work that she sales at her Etsy shop. I love to go and look at all her drawings they are truly enchanting.

At the Gnome Hollow Play Garden- they have some very inspiring ideas. Its a Waldorf-inspired Summer Parent/Child Program. They are so creative.

The Sweetest Things- has some lovely ways to add a little bit of sugar to your day : )

I would love to hear what makes you happy, but please don't feel obligated. There is much love to go around; pass the melons!

Morning Routine

2009-06-16T09:20:00.001-07:00

Mornings

Lovely sweet mornings the time when are souls can commune with heaven.

At lest that is the dream, of waking refreshed ready to start another fabulous day full of adventure and discovery with dear children that we love. : )

Then there is Reality where you have been up early, early in the morning with a little one who had a bad cough. Or you just didnt get to bed soon enough to get all the sleep you needed or maybe its just hard to get a good diet going so you can feel refreshed.

All of these thing seem to come into play with my dream of getting up early and having time to myself.

But I am finding if I really put forth the effort and set that as truly something of great value to me, it is starting to happen more often then not.

My morning unfolds with writing down all the thoughts that pop into my head this is known as Morning Pages. Taken from Julia Cameron in her books, the Artist Way and The Vein of Gold.

Then a walk through the woods, and then some study time before I need to get breakfast going for the children. Im finding I feel more at peace and positive about my day if I will work on these activities. The first helps me get rid of any negative thoughts that might be lurking in the corners of my mind, then the walk helps me fill my mind with lovely images and needed fresh air and exercise.

There is something so healing and nurturing being out doors and out among nature early in the morning or any time really.

Then the third activity of study helps me to fill my mind with wonderful positive thoughts that will help me throughout the rest of my day.

I think it is so important that we do find time to feed our hearts and minds with beauty that we can be a source of hope and strength to those around us and especially to our families. The world has such a way of pulling on us. Always striving to make things that are of little importance seem so vital. It can be very hard to keep focused on what is of real importance to us. But I’m finding carving out this time in the morning to be well worth the struggles it takes to achieve it.

More Planning Pages for June

2009-05-30T14:20:00.001-07:00

Here are the planning pages for June, It has been fun knowing that there are others using these. It has been helping me stay a little more on track as the year goes by. : ) Usually by June all goals set in January has long been forgottened or completely left behind. So it has been ever so helpful for me!!! Im still behind but I havent given up on those goals and Im working along on them. Thanks for all the lovely comments they have been so encouraging! Hope this month planning pages are useful! Have a very Lovely Day!

Planning Pages for June

2009-05-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sheep and Wool Festival

2009-05-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

We had a fun adventure going to the sheep and wool festival. We were really amazed at the amount of people that was there. It was a rainy sort of morning when we got there. But by the time we left it had cleared up and the people had increased. : )

It was really neat to see how many different kinds of sheep there are and how each bred of sheep has a little different kind of wool. It was really a fun experience. The children had fun patting the little lambs, and little Emmy, our youngest was practicing a baby lamb sound all the way home. It was so cute.

My oldest daughter really wanted to get a souvenir, which turned into a whole other story. But I bought some wool roving and when we got home and after she had gotten a better perspective. We had fun making a little felt horse. Im hoping to put it on a pin for her as soon as I find my pin backs. : )

I also found some really lovely yarn I wanted to share with you Im looking so forward to making something out of them.

May Planning Pages

2009-05-01T15:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some more planning pages. Hope you enjoy them!

May Calender Page

2009-05-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Wow I cant believe how fast April went by. Here is the May planning pages, sorry that I didnt get them up earlier. I was waiting for the dogwoods to bloom but I waited a little to long. : )

Spring Walk

2009-04-28T17:40:00.001-07:00

We have discovered a wonderful place to go on hikes. There is a Civil War Battle site near us and they have created wonderful trails and markers that share what happened during the 3rd battle of Winchester VA. It is so sad in many ways to think of those poor men struggling so. What an awful experience. But oh how lovely it is now, its hard to imagine a war having ever taken place there.

They do have some nice resting places along the way which we did take advantage of. We are in need of some wonderful sunshine and exercise!

Here are my dear five children.

I am really looking forward to going back to this stretch of the trail and seeing what it will look like when all the leaves are out on the trees.

I thought this little picture turned out so cute of our littlest sweetheart. I just had to share it.

I also enjoyed this lovely home that you can see from the trail. They have a Marker sharing that it was built during the Revolutionary war by British and Hessen war prisoners. It is really a lovely home.

Oh how I love spring and the beautiful spring blossoms that are all a bloom!!!

2009-04-16T19:05:00.001-07:00

Picture by Marjolien Bastin

"When your home is to your soul’s liking, you’ll find something to sing about more often."

Shelter for the Spirit How to make your home a Haven in a Hectic World By Victoria Moran

Happy Easter Day

2009-04-12T16:23:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone is having a very wonderful day. Going on our second head we have finished our Egg Doll! : ) Challee had fun drawing on her face and then designing her clothes. My job was to bring the sketches into fruition.

Happy Easter

A special Easter doll made from an egg.

2009-04-12T15:49:00.001-07:00

My oldest Daughter was looking through the Handy Book for Girls and found instructions for making an egg doll. In the book they just made a head and decorated it but Challee wanted to give her doll a body. So we decided we would try. : )

First we blew out the inside of our egg by poking holes at both ends of the egg with a needle. We stuck a thin piece of wire through our egg and twisted it at the top so it wouldn’t be able to slide back through. Then for the arms we covered a pipe cleaner with embroidery floss and then wrapped it over our wire.

Challee used some of my watercolor pencils to add a little skin color to her face by lightly coloring her with orange and then using a brush and water to go back over it. Then she drew on the face with a really fine black pen. We then added wool roving as hair and just hot glued it on. For her body we used some stuffing and then needle felted it so it would stick together and form her body. Our next goal is to give her some clothes for Easter. : ) I thought that I would go ahead and post what we had done so far. It’s amazing what you can do with a simple egg : ) I am interested to see how long she lasts.

2009-03-31T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here is another Planning Page,
I decided to redue this one and have the week start with Sunday : ) When I tried to use it with Monday as the starting day it was just to confusing to me. : ) I hope this hasnt been a problem for anyone.

2009-03-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am hoping this will help me on my adventure to become more organized. Cooking for my family is such a challenge, but Im finding if I have a plan, then when five o’clock rolls around its not so overwhelming for me. I hope you enjoy it also : )

A Spring Garden

2009-03-24T11:49:00.001-07:00

My Miss Challee had a wonderful time on the first day of Spring creating these moss gardens with her Grandfather. My parents were here from Missouri visiting with us for a couple of days. It was so fun to have them come.

This one is Challee’s Garden

and here is Grandpa’s : )

To build your own moss garden you just need a firm base, they used a slab of rock and a piece of wood. Then you go and collect some different kinds of moss that you might have in your yard, and other natural items to decorate with. When your done putting it all together just sprinkle with some water. I have been having Challee sprinkle her gardens with water everyday or so. Its probably best to do in the morning time especially during the summer months. Over at Five Orange Potatoes blog she has a wonderful activity that Im excited to share with the children. She created a terrarium with moss. They were studying the carbon cycle. Its a wonderful post. Hope you enjoy and if you make some gardens share with us how they turn out we would love to see them!

Rhythms

2009-03-24T11:18:00.001-07:00

I was so excited to find the Gnome radio show . I have added their widget to the side bar of this blog. I hope you enjoy stopping by and listening to Melissa’s radio show. Melissa Nielsen from the Little Flower Garden has been discussing how important it is for us to create rhythms in our day. Which fits so well with what I have been pondering on lately. Its been fun listening to what she has to share, she has some wonderful thoughts and ideas.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to help motivate myself to do better with setting up better routines to our days and evenings and then sticking to them : ) Evenings tend to be my hardest time of the day. Im just so tired, and that is when I long to be alone and have time for myself. I keep telling myself if I would just stick with a routine I could have that time after the children were in bed. Then the time changes and we all want to stay up with the sun. : ) So it is a bit of a struggle at our house. But Im learning and finding wonderful things Im hoping to pass along.

Do you find your routine changing with the different seasons? Is there a certain time of day that is harder for you to stick with your routine? What are some ways that you bring the joy of Spring into your daily schedules? Hope to hear from you, I so enjoy reading all of your blogs they are so encouraging. I am really looking forward to your thoughts on this! : )

Spring

2009-03-24T10:44:00.001-07:00

Come and let us seek together
Springtime lore of daffodils,
Giving to the golden weather
Greeting on the sun-warm hills.

L.M. Montgomery

I am so excited to have spring really here. We have been longing for her company. It time to start planting my flower and vegetable seeds! Yea! it Spring!!!!! We were able to catch a photo of the Spring Fairy as she went through our part of the Country : )

April Planning Pages

2009-03-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

I had fun making these little drawings. I hope you enjoy them! It is so wonderful to have spring on its way!

Number Book

2009-03-04T17:08:00.001-08:00

I have been enjoying reading the Math book written by Melissa from A Journey Through Waldorf Homeschooling. At the very beginning she starts by sharing riddles that help to introduce the numbers. My little guy doesn't like to draw so I thought I would make him a number book using the riddles from the math book. Here are the pictures I have done so far. I have been having fun trying out my pastel chalks that I received for my birthday. They add a different texture to the picture. After each number is done I have been placing them in sheet protectors and then I'm going to put them in a binder so he will have his own number book. I'm hoping that as he sees me doing these drawing that it will inspire him to want to make some of his own. : )

We'll see.

Doesn't she seem surprised : ) The riddle from Melissa's book talks of being one of three and my little guy happens to be one of three boys. So we changed the riddle just a bit to fit him.

This is my picture of the four elements. The older boys were joking, wondering where the people were. They thought that fire needed to be watched over so it didn't go out of control. : )

Confession

2009-03-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the lovely comments. I am a bit embarrassed though-the house in the picture isnt really mine : ) I was going for aethetics and that was just so lovely. It reminded me of a lovely spring day or early summer which I am so longing for. I found it on a free picture clips. We are actually nestled in the woods here in the ridge country of Shenandoah Valley. The trees are bare and forlorn looking everything is just crying out for spring to come and and stay. She has been teasing us but not staying a round. Just popping in and visiting for a couple of days and then dashing off again. Sorry for the miss lead.

Evenings

2009-02-27T10:05:00.001-08:00

Evenings are a magical time of the day. In the Far East it is believed that how you spend your evenings will set the tone for the next day.

How can we create a relaxing, peaceful and inspiring evening with our family?

“Just as there is a reassuring rhythm in nature, so should a comforting sense of rhythm be restored in the home through daily rituals.” -Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions

Winter changes into Spring and Summer to Fall and Fall back again to Winter -- the cycle forming a complete circle that embraces us.

So creating Order and Structure helps to nurture us and hold us up. Think of the basic things you want to have happen in your evenings. Keep it simple. Then write it all down so you won't forget. That's what I have to do. : )

Now to add the Spice!

Winter:

After a quick tidy up of about 20 minutes in the main rooms, snuggle in front of your fireplace and read on your own or with your children . If you don’t have a fireplace, lighting candles works too. : )

My children love to have me warm there favorite stuffed animal or blanket in the dryer before heading off to bed. They so enjoy the warmth as they crawl into bed.

Sweet Dream Potion: Warm milk, a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, and just enough honey to make it sweet. Then warm it up in the microwave 'til warm but not too hot. Its also nice for the little ones if they have a cold. Just remember not to give honey to children under one year. I also wouldn’t give this to them every night, just when they need a little extra help.

Here are just a few ideas to help in starting creating an encanted evening.

I would love to hear what some of the things are that you do to help create a special moments in the evening time?

2009-02-27T10:02:00.001-08:00

March Planning Pages

2009-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here are the pages for March. I hope you enjoy them!
I have also add a weekly schedule sheet with this set.