I originally wrote this ditty on how to organize one's eBooks and then a new bloggie pal asked if I would mind having her highlight it on her blog-well of course, I am honored!
So please take a moment and visit the Shining Dawn Books post (of my post) and then take some time to look around this awesome site! They have some unit studies called NaturExplorers that look really interesting. This is especially timely, because I want to really get some more nature studying in with the kids. I also see they offer up some useful ideas and books for nature study (and I have to second the Keeping a Nature Journal book recommendation-it is beautiful- and just so happens to be our main text for our co-op's nature study class!)
Thanks ladies~wish you lived closer, it would be so nice to meet ya, and hang out-seems our hopes and goals for homeschoolers is pretty much the same!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Mother's Day Gifts-Tea Cup Bird Feeders
I found this neat idea on my friend Heidi's blog, and just couldn't resist making a few for Mother's Day. I ended up making myself a couple too! Why not? So the only thing I tweaked was the post. I saw some metal rods right by where I was getting the copper caps at the hardware store, and knew that is what I wanted. They are zinc plated, smooth rods (1/2") and will do nicely for us. Then the hardest part of the craft mission-well, that was finding the darn tea cups! Now I have been seeing these big mugs all over the place and sure thing-when I wanted to actually buy some-I couldn't find any! Well, I did find a few but they were way too spency~ and I just about gave up. I spent an entire day hunting well over 7 or more stores to try to find them-I couldn't believe it~ but isn't that the way it goes? Then the Lord popped "donation store" into my head. So I gave the local Salvation Army a quick call and sure enough-they had several of them~! Whoop it up. So off I went and I had fun trying to mix and match cups to plates. Then I went back for another plate, similar to the house/maroon one because I couldn't get it out of my mind-and I knew it was perfect for my mom. [the blue polka dot one was what I originally wanted for her, I found out it was simply too heavy and I worry it will fall off, or the cap will pop off due to the weight. So, I have decided to use that one as a ground or deck hand railing feeder. In fact, I am giving my MIL the option between 2 (one being the blue polka dot one) b/cuz she has trouble with raccoons in her feeders, so this way she can just pull it in at night. Plus, there are not a lot of areas in her yard where a feeder on a pole could be seen (for her to enjoy watching the birds)...so that is where we are at with these.
I don't have a pic of my mom's here-it is similar but with a boat/bay theme (similar to the house one in the lower right of the pic) with a white cup.
The top one is what I originally thought for my MIL, the watermelon is for me. I just love the whimsical nature of it and am a big fan of watermelons (even tho I am not into the taste of em-I like the colors)
The top one is mine too (for the front yard) I just love it~ and I couldn't believe I found that cup which looks like it was made for it. The heavy weight champion of the group-ole Polka Dottie.
Thanks to Heidi for linking that project, as I was in a bad state of affairs trying to think of something original and unique to give the mums this year. I am planning on making a few more for birthday gifts....this is a very versatile gift!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Another Let's Get Real here post
Just a few things that I find so annoying and down right irritating:
1. Swallowing a sip of water, but having an explosion of air somehow get ahead of the liquid, to have the water go down so painfully that you feel like you swallowed an elephant.
2. People who mosey themselves up right in front of you, seeing quite well, that you were there first in line-to just whoosh by ya and claim the "next in line" spot. Almost as bad as those folks who do not know what "Personal Space" is...you know the ones...practically breathing down you neck as you are trying to swipe your goodies at the self-check out, looking all impatient like, to then being in your face as you try to make your payment. THOSE people (and gosh I hope you dear reader are not one of those, if you are-back off please).
3. Neighbors who think your backyard is their personal sidewalk to get to the other neighbor's yard. Esp. those who feel it necessary to walk but a mere 5 or less feet from the back of the house...several times a day. I do not like that I have to now go to (supposedly) these adults to lecture them on proper yard etiquette, and look like a crabby neighbor because we do not enjoy the invasion of our space. The rudeness now creates a difficult situation that somehow will make us the bad guys. Yes, after a whole summer/fall of that last year-I am speaking up. I am sorry, but we do not weed/feed/mow, and pay for a yard so you can stand there and have your chats, drag wagons and dogs and children back and forth and have you invade our privacy-esp. when we are trying to have a family dinner in peace. Ah-that felt good to unload.
4. Folks who simply cannot read a "No Soliciting" sign and understand I mean NO soliciting! I cannot tell you how many people I have leaving their flyers, or ringing the doorbell to sell us something we do not want! If we want it-we will find you...thank you very much.
5. Toilet chains that fall off continuously to render the toilet to a constant state of running-which costs us more money cuz we pay for water.
6. Fruit and veggies that look marvelous on the outside, but are bruised and or damaged to the point that I have to say-"great, there goes [such and such] dollars down the toilet [probably the one with the faulty chain]"
leaving us fruitless or veggieless for that situation and upset because we were unable to get our monies worth.
7. Carpal Tunnel in the hands, and fingers. Numbness and tingly digits are not what I consider exciting-esp. when I know I have lots of hands on activities to do.
8. Lady Bugs [which are really those impostors with the orange backs-where did all the red ones go?] that decide to stay in your home over the winter, free of charge-to either die or leave themselves scattered about...to then get sucked up the vacuum to stink. Or poo on your windows. Oh Ladybirds-fly away, fly away home.
9. Telemarketers. Need I say more?
10. Bats. Not that I am against these creatures in their natural settings-but I am so against them shacking up in our attic space, to scratch, squeak and leave a disaster up there. To torture our family with the threat of being swooped upon in our sleep [thankfully, they haven't broke thru] or to leave me with nightmares of having the biggest colony in the county up there. The cost it will take to now get rid of these home invaders, plus the cost of replacing the insulation up there because their poo and the fungus' it creates. Yes, just another day in the neighborhood.
So there you go-my ranting and raving for the month.
Now to be fair-I have to say that: I praise God...
1. Because I have clean drinking water to painfully swallow
2. I have enough money [barely lately but still] to be at the store making food purchases
3. My husband still has a job so that we still have a back yard
4. We have a doorbell/door solicitors can approach to sell their wares
5. We have a toilet to use, in a house that has water
6. We live in a country where there is a wide variety of fruits and veggies available from which to select from, due to the vast amount of free market [well at least for now] and transportation to provide such things
7. I have hands and fingers that work-let alone actually having them to begin with
8. That there are good bugs to eat the bad bugs and they look good doing it
9. That we have caller ID and a list of standard "no thanks" we can apply to those that slip past the caller ID
10. That there are bats that eat the pesky squitos and such that are most annoying of all. That we have an attic to even be concerned over when many a families no longer have a door mat-let alone an attic. [speaking of foreclosures, fires, natural disasters like in TN and so forth]
SO I guess it is up to me to decide if I will dwell on the negative aspects or remember the positives...it is fun to spew the frustration, but it is all done in jest. As annoying and overburdening these things can be-I praise GOD that we have them at all.
Have a blessed day and stay real folks-stay real.
1. Swallowing a sip of water, but having an explosion of air somehow get ahead of the liquid, to have the water go down so painfully that you feel like you swallowed an elephant.
2. People who mosey themselves up right in front of you, seeing quite well, that you were there first in line-to just whoosh by ya and claim the "next in line" spot. Almost as bad as those folks who do not know what "Personal Space" is...you know the ones...practically breathing down you neck as you are trying to swipe your goodies at the self-check out, looking all impatient like, to then being in your face as you try to make your payment. THOSE people (and gosh I hope you dear reader are not one of those, if you are-back off please).
3. Neighbors who think your backyard is their personal sidewalk to get to the other neighbor's yard. Esp. those who feel it necessary to walk but a mere 5 or less feet from the back of the house...several times a day. I do not like that I have to now go to (supposedly) these adults to lecture them on proper yard etiquette, and look like a crabby neighbor because we do not enjoy the invasion of our space. The rudeness now creates a difficult situation that somehow will make us the bad guys. Yes, after a whole summer/fall of that last year-I am speaking up. I am sorry, but we do not weed/feed/mow, and pay for a yard so you can stand there and have your chats, drag wagons and dogs and children back and forth and have you invade our privacy-esp. when we are trying to have a family dinner in peace. Ah-that felt good to unload.
4. Folks who simply cannot read a "No Soliciting" sign and understand I mean NO soliciting! I cannot tell you how many people I have leaving their flyers, or ringing the doorbell to sell us something we do not want! If we want it-we will find you...thank you very much.
5. Toilet chains that fall off continuously to render the toilet to a constant state of running-which costs us more money cuz we pay for water.
6. Fruit and veggies that look marvelous on the outside, but are bruised and or damaged to the point that I have to say-"great, there goes [such and such] dollars down the toilet [probably the one with the faulty chain]"
leaving us fruitless or veggieless for that situation and upset because we were unable to get our monies worth.
7. Carpal Tunnel in the hands, and fingers. Numbness and tingly digits are not what I consider exciting-esp. when I know I have lots of hands on activities to do.
8. Lady Bugs [which are really those impostors with the orange backs-where did all the red ones go?] that decide to stay in your home over the winter, free of charge-to either die or leave themselves scattered about...to then get sucked up the vacuum to stink. Or poo on your windows. Oh Ladybirds-fly away, fly away home.
9. Telemarketers. Need I say more?
10. Bats. Not that I am against these creatures in their natural settings-but I am so against them shacking up in our attic space, to scratch, squeak and leave a disaster up there. To torture our family with the threat of being swooped upon in our sleep [thankfully, they haven't broke thru] or to leave me with nightmares of having the biggest colony in the county up there. The cost it will take to now get rid of these home invaders, plus the cost of replacing the insulation up there because their poo and the fungus' it creates. Yes, just another day in the neighborhood.
So there you go-my ranting and raving for the month.
Now to be fair-I have to say that: I praise God...
1. Because I have clean drinking water to painfully swallow
2. I have enough money [barely lately but still] to be at the store making food purchases
3. My husband still has a job so that we still have a back yard
4. We have a doorbell/door solicitors can approach to sell their wares
5. We have a toilet to use, in a house that has water
6. We live in a country where there is a wide variety of fruits and veggies available from which to select from, due to the vast amount of free market [well at least for now] and transportation to provide such things
7. I have hands and fingers that work-let alone actually having them to begin with
8. That there are good bugs to eat the bad bugs and they look good doing it
9. That we have caller ID and a list of standard "no thanks" we can apply to those that slip past the caller ID
10. That there are bats that eat the pesky squitos and such that are most annoying of all. That we have an attic to even be concerned over when many a families no longer have a door mat-let alone an attic. [speaking of foreclosures, fires, natural disasters like in TN and so forth]
SO I guess it is up to me to decide if I will dwell on the negative aspects or remember the positives...it is fun to spew the frustration, but it is all done in jest. As annoying and overburdening these things can be-I praise GOD that we have them at all.
Have a blessed day and stay real folks-stay real.
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