A Sunny Place

The Ultimate Time Saving Planner!

When you purchase a planner, what do you look for?  User friendly?  Comprehensive? Suitable to your needs?  When is the last time you opened your calendar and it told you what to have for supper (without you writing it in).  Well, this planner practically does this (almost).  The Schoolhouse Planner has most everything you need to organize your school day, school year, and your home.  It includes a variety of articles on various topics & links for holiday resources when you want to spice up your school.  As any planner should have it offers different organizational sheets, probably more than you ever thought about!!  It is a PDF format but it allows you to click and type in the information  you wish to add, which I appreciate since I type much faster than I write!  

Whatever information you might be searching for – you probably have it here in The Schoolhouse Planner!  Need to know the capital of Sri-Lanka? It’s here!  As you cover this same topic you lean over your recipe and wonder how many cups of batter to fill your 9x13 – flip a few pages and you’ll find it!  Did you misplace your periodic table of elements?  Look no further it’s here too!  I’m mentioning these to show you – I’m not kidding – this planner includes it all!   It also includes so many helpful articles that will be relevant to almost any homeschooler, no matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned home educator.    I know you are probably wondering how much shelf space this will take up!  The answer is – not much!   Print out only the forms you want to have handy in your master control binder and keep the rest tucked away until they are needed.  You won’t even have difficulty finding them – it’s on your PC!   There are curriculum planning sheets, record logs for homeschoolers who live in almost every area, field trip records, evaluation forms, report cards, nature journal pages, or lab report sheets.   Home management logs/sheets complete the last portion of the planner.  Your home should run smoothly if you use these! See the link below, purchase a Schoolhouse Planner and see for yourself what a time saving tool this can be!

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2499

The Friendliest Homeschool Magazine yet!

Have your run out of nooks and crannies to store those wonderful back issues of The Old Schoolhouse magazine?  Yet… you don’t want to give up your subscription and stop getting these valuable resources to your front door… what do you do?!?  You subscribe to the digital issue!  It is $16.95 a year and you get it delivered to …. Your desktop! It is organizer friendly, convenience, & pocket friendly! How much better is that?!  You can view the pages and at a 1 page screen view they are as clear as the magazine sitting in your lap.  You may bookmark a page you like.  Have you ever remembered an article and tried thumbing through your copy to find a particular item? Well, you can thumbprint the pages and view them laid out for a quick reference to what you were looking for, and best of all – you save it – right here in your PC and you don’t have to worry about finding another little spot to file them away in! It’s that easy and organized!  As you peruse the magazine filled with wonderful ads you may see a company that you find interest in. Previously you made a mental note to look them up later and possibly forgot – now you can just click on the ad and it takes you directly to their site, it’s that easy!  It’s shopper friendly! Have you ever misplaced your issue and had to search the whole house through – not anymore with the digital issue – it’s absent-minder friendly! Perhaps you might be reading this and aren’t familiar with this magazine I mention.  The Old Schoolhouse magazine is the only homeschool magazine I currently receive – I’ve tested free copies of several different publishers – but this one stuck out as the best resource!  It was encouraging, helpful, & full of information I could use!   Now the digital subscription option makes it even more valuable to you!  Sign up today, if you haven’t already!

http://www.theoldschoolhousestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=66_60&products_id=2330

The Perfect Little Schoolhouse

Before this desk stood three rows of new, boughten seats.  Their smooth honey-colored finish matched the teacher’s desk.  The ends of the outside rows were tight against the walls… Laura stood a moment in the doorway, looking at the fresh, bright expensive room.  Then going to her desk she set her dinner pail on the floor beneath it and hung her sunbonnet on the nail in the wall. 

A small clock stood ticking beside the big dictionary; its hands stood at nine o-clock.  It must have been wound last night, Laura thought.  Nothing could be more complete and perfect than this beautiful little schoolhouse. 

She heard children’s voices at the door, and she went to call her pupils in.* 

This verbal picture is the nostalgic image that the new school year tends to conjure up in my mind.  The fresh clean books, bright new notebooks, new pencils, colorful crayons, and a freshened perspective.  As I pull these things out I think back on the old time one room school houses.  They are similar to what we try to model in our homes today when we school our children.  Yes, we may choose varying styles (classical, Charlotte Mason, eclectic, etc) but overall we are striving to give our children an education that suits their capabilities. 

During one room days a child was seated with his classmates by what reading level he’d achieved—not by what age he was.  The children mixed with varying ages at the playground because the entire school could range from 3 children to 20.  Children learned to socialize in a mixed environment each having responsibilities to help care for the schoolroom.  This likens to our homeschools today. 

Can we look at our little school house and reflect as Laura did, “Nothing could be more complete and perfect than this schoolhouse!”  Oh.. We aren’t perfect, our children’s attitudes may not always be perfect, our house most certainly isn’t perfect, the books and notebooks won’t look perfect for long.  But yet we are made new, every morning, through Christ Jesus!  By His grace through repentance we are made perfect. 

May we reflect this grace and attitude towards our children as we arise and start each new school day!  As a recovering perfectionist this is often difficult for me to remember!  The outside may not appear perfect, but it is the inside that matters, and that my friends is what we are educating!

 *Taken from These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Camping & Friends & yellow Paint!

We did a "day camping" today! :0) That's what we kept telling our kids.  we got up early and painted our kitchen, opened the windows and headed down to our local Christian church camp for their Family Campout!  Someday I want to go for the whole weekend and camp it!! :0)  They have church services, swimming, wagon rides, etc.  A good number of people from our SS class heads down. So we headed down for the day after painting the new yellow kitchen (I'm so excited about that) and just hung out! It was so relaxing, the kids played - we just sat in chairs - I took the kids swimming for a while, rode bikes, took our son on two wagon rides since he loves tractors and even sat behind the tractor breathing in the diesel exhaust so he could see the tractor close up as we rode!  He even fell asleep in the truck on th way home - our children RARELY sleep in the vehicle! Ever since babes they DO NOT sleep in vehicles contrary to what most people claim as the ultimate way to put your child to sleep! They have always preferred their own beds (like their mama!)

Anyway - what a blessing friends are! What a blessing to have my husband so wondefully help me paint my kitchen a golden bright yellow!  What wonderful weather it was today for such a fun day!  Now the kids are in bed (bathed even), we are tired and so hungry - so we {{well, hubby is... I'll be home with the kids we wouldn't leave them alone}} are sneaking out and buying ourselves pizza!  the last time we did this was almost two years ago on Christmas Eve! Kind of like a date! Ibetter go shower off the sunscreen and get cozy for a warm delicious pizza and hit the hay and prepare for church service tomorrow, always an encouragement to my soul!!!

{{I didn't proof this - pardon any typos...}}

Blessings!

Purity Balls...

I recently read through an article about Purity Balls. Have you ever heard of them? I hadn't, but I like the idea! There is a beautiful ball at a nice hotel  or somewhere - men dress up and take their daughters at suited up in beautiful gowns! Everything is very elegant and the fathers also make commitment to their daughters  to be their protectors and protect their own purity as well as their daughters!  I think it's beautiful - have any of you any experience with such an event? 

ws

Tomatoes, canning & musings!

Not all of these red beauties came from my garden (in fact {sheepish grin} most did NOT).  My kind MIL made my spaguetti sauce for me and brought it to me all ready to can!  I did my own pizza sauce and I tried something new today.... sausage!  My DH loves sausage (in fact - everyone in my family except me does!)   I have a bushel of pears I picked up today, green peppers that need chopped and frozen in the fridge - more tomatoes that need picked and 3 more bushel on order next week that I'll pick up at an Amish place nearby!  Plus I have more sausage in the fridge that needs canned!!

DH is painting trim in the kitchen/dining room.  We purchased this place 3 yrs ago and the whole place was plain beige.  I had color in our old house, and I have missed color on the wall!  You can tell - because the first color of choice is yellow for my kitchen! A nice cheery color!  yeah!! What fun!

Anyway - I better not stay on here long while DH is working away -have a blessed evening!!

Update on Glenda

Another letter from dearest Glenda.

They have decided to remove her kidney completely this coming week in a surgery, it's function is close to nothing, and the doctors feel that it is best for her considering all her health complications.

Her garden has not done very well this year.

She has finally made some direction with the health insurance and the bill she has to pay is still large - but not as before.

Please continue to keep this precious family in prayer as they struggle through this!!

ws

Burnt Mouth/Tongue Syndrome - have you had it?

I ended up with Thrush 2 1/2 months ago - my mouth was very sore by the time I went to the doctor. I was prescribed medicine and got through it and not all my symptoms went.  The sensation that my tongue was burnt (always felt that way even though I hadn't) wouldn't seem to go away. It would feel better and then come back strong.  Sometime my whole mouth felt a burning sensation!  There did not seem to be any rhyme or reason to it! My doctor kept telling me to give my mouth more time to heal.  After a long time passed - then I went in he told me he had no idea what I had - but didn't think it was thrush anymore so take another 3 weeks and then call him if it didn't change.  So we are now moving into the 3rd month and I finally started doing more research and ran across some things.

I started applyling tea tree oil in my mouth 3 times a day after I brushed after a meal.  I tried hard to stay away from most carbs (only some whole grain) and most sugars and all refined.  I have fudged a few times, but I have tried to be good overall.  I have also been praying, because this does make life and cooking a little more difficult.  I tend to be a sensory cooker. I don't often use recipes and having my taste affected (I had a metallic taste in my mouth and some things my taste buds were actually altered and they did not taste normal or good to me!) really affected how I cook. 

I could eat no fresh fruit without it zinging or burning my tongue!  The feeling in the tip of my tongue was very dulled.  Last week I distinctly remember feeling water move across my tongue when I drank some cold water and realizing I hadn't felt that for a very long time!  I was very excited! :)

So I have pleaded with my Father for healing - so that I can still benefit and use the food we have here for our family and not incur great expenses to feed a weird diet.  I want to be a good steward of what we have and try to feed our family a healthy diet overall. 

I applied the tea tree oil and tried to cut back my diet. I am going on almost 2 weeks where I can say my mouth feels mostly normal!  I even ate fresh garden tomatoes on my sandwich tonight.

I have to fight the urge not to rub my tongue on the roof of my mouth (when your mouth is sore - you get into weird habits that come without being conscious of them) and has felt pretty good an other than the tea tree oil - the bitter taste I believe is gone! Thanks be to God!!! 

Have any of you ever dealt with this? 

Have a wonderful day!

Twas our first day of school and it went quite well!

It was our first day of school today! :0)  And overall it went well.  The girls prevailed with pleasant attitudes and even excitement (my oldest enjoys the "fun" parts - but not always the workbooks parts!)  My 2 1/2 yr old did not proceed without interruption -but he did quite well overall -and I was thankful! 

We use AOP Horizons for our Phonics, Spelling, Penmanship, & Math.  We use Sonlight for the rest!  Our Sonlight time is everyone's favorite time!  I sit on the couch with a daughter on either side snuggled up against me!  During read aloud time they almost always beg for 1 more chapter!! :0)

It took a while to get through our morning, but the first week is always not as smooth as when we can fall into the routine better, the girls know what to expect on their new subjects, etc.  It will add some extra time to work on Penmanship and Spelling this year.  I really would like them to have a good base so that it will help them later on in this whole Language Arts area!!

I really do enjoy it though!  Even though it makes the rest of the day busier with my trying to scramble to get housework, etc done,I do enjoy having as part of our day! (but of course it is the beginning of the year!)

Blessings!

wendy

Please Leave a comment or encouragement for Glenda....

Leave a comment or encouragement for Glenda - i f you don't have time to snail mail her - I will print them all off and mail them to her for you!!! :0)

Thank you for taking the time to do this - she needs encouragement right now!!!

{{Leave below - since I don't have direct access to her blog}}

wendy

UPDATE FROM GLENDA!!!!!!!!!!

Please pray for Glenda & send her a note!  -- here it is in Glenda's own words:

"As far as how things are going I am still in a lot of pain. I keep fighting infection after infection.  My kidney is working at less than 20% and will never work at more than that, the doctors have cancelled and rescheduled  the visit for my operation.  We finally have dates --I go the 18th of the month for the perc (?)tube to be put in my side and kidney, then on the 27th they will go in and start removing the stone little bit at a time, this is a long process.  The stone is getting bigger.  I didn't think it was possible yet it is.  I do ok for a few days here and there and then I am back on the couch running high fevers, hurting all over.  No matter what I am still going to church.  It takes a lot out of me, but is worth it!

As far as our needs we are ok.  God is keeping things going. I clean homes, 2 now,,we lost the third due to me not being able to clean weekly.  Some times alI I can do is drive there and the children clean.  These homes are only every two weeks so it's not that often.  James and Steven work with men from the church now and then.  So that also helps.  We have cut all bills down to only what we have to, to live on. It's not easy but we can live and that's all that matters!

Right now I am fighting with the insurance company, they are doing everything they can to get out of paying the medical billls.  Right now I just keep praying and calling!  It's scary!

The garden did not do so well.  I think it was the heat!

{Homeschool} - We started back last week. I told the children I had to get things going. We needed a schedule!  So far they love their books!

Let everyone know that I miss them all! I think of them daily and one day I will be back online!

God Bless!

Glenda Gay"

I heard from Glenda!!!

I sent Glenda a note and a SASE and she wrote me a letter and I can post it with a note to you all too!  I will try to get to that later today in more detail - so check back!  But for now... She is still battling infections.... waiting for her surgery..... her houses to clean have dwindled due to her physical inability to clean them.... they have cut their expenses to as minimal as possible!

I will try to fill int he details later today for those of you that follow Glenda.  If you have time - please drop her a line! Since she can't hear from you through her blog - she feels cut off somewhat... and wonders how you are.  She posted her address on her blog - so check it out - and drop her a line if you can, please!!!  I know we don't snail mail much any more - but she needs encouragement!!! :0)

Blessings to you!

wendy

Update on Glenda!

Check out Sweetie's latest blog to see a brief update on Glenda! She didn't title it as that - so in case you hadn't noticed - you might see it now!!!

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/ajoyfulplace/106424

ws

Do you ever feel tired?

Do you ever feel tired?  I am tired right now - I feel as though I've been tired forever.... I've been dealing with some fatigue (and another issue that my doctor isn't sure what it is - but has my lymph nodes slightly enlarged - my tongue zings whenever I eat fresh fruit, and then feels burnt for several days after...) anyway. 

Then VBS - and didn't get to bed until late each night, to be awoken by my 2 yr old at 6 AM- then Friday night - full moon - left the oldest sleepwalking (and then I stayed awake to make sure she wouldn't do  it again) just as I was to drift off again - she began whimpering and crying.  FInally after she was settled - the 2 yr old was whimpering - then crying.... finally at 4 AM I fell asleep - then on Sunday I had one of the worst headaches I've felt in years!  So it has left me tired..... plus hubby has been snoring more and keeping me awake...  So for some reason it feels as though it's been a long time since I felt alive alert awake and enthusiastic!   sigh.....

I'm finishing up blueberry jam right now - supper is in the crock pot - I need to fold one of my beginning several loads of laundry coming off the dryer... and hopefully get to bed early tonight!

BTW - I am not complaining - really - there are others - such as Glenda facing much worse - I'm just stating the facts and Lord willing, this too ALL shall pass.  Someday I'd like to enjoy fresh fruit again! :0)

ws

16 inches of hair...

Canning Season is upon us!!

Canning season is upon us!  My canner is on the blink- so fortunately  I have my mom's - but processing 2 bushel of beans today with one canner has taken some time!  There are probably 3 more cannerloads snapped and in the fridge - I probably will need to finish them tomorrow afternoon.  I generally try not to on Sunday - but I may need to.  But that will be our big main green bean push. I have 30 qt from last year - since I did over 80 qt last year - so that should be enough.  If we get some free - I may do more - but not any huge quantity! :0)

We did order a large canner today - because I generally am doing larger quantities and it should help. They were on sale at Lehman's - it should fit 14 qt!  I have never used that large of a canner!!

Other than that - doing up berries and frozen things!

blessings!

wendy

It rained in our basement...

Our almost 7 yr old daughter ran inside to wash her hands.  About 30 min later  I went in to get a drink of water (we were installing a garage door opener).  I thought I heard water running, so I went on the search.  I opened the bathroom door to see the faucet on FULL blast - the sink was overflowing - the floor was a huge puddle, the inside of the cabinet was a huge puddle - I began to mop up and called for my daughters - I sent them for towels and then to check the basement - after their report I headed down to see a HUGE puddle on our basment floor - the couch nearby - soaked, carpet -partially soaked - water madly dripping down along 2 different rafters because so much was coming down it couldn't all drip in one place - also dripping out of an electrical connection box!  I placed a bucket under the worst drip and began to clean up the mess...

Then later I discovered my son had colored on all the piano keys (yes, every  single white key) while I had been in the shower - and we also had to call PC because he decided to use my cleaning toothbrush that was in the laundry room in his mouth and used CLorox bleach pen as his toothpaste (bleh.....!)  I was helping his older sister get dressed to go somewhere....

So life  continues to be interesting at our house - hence why I don't post very often...

Heirloom Seed Swap?? Anyone interested?

All this talk of the loss of heirloom seeds, do you know of a good source?

Would anyone be interested in organizing or participating in a seed swap/purchase?  Also a tutorial on how to process the seeds? 

I officially tried heirloom seeds for the first time this year and had moderate success.  The green peppers and tomatoes did NOT turn out - but the rest seem to be doing well so far (other than my carrots - 2nd year in a row they did not come up.  Our local green house actually saves their own seeds from year to year on many of their products and plants and sells them.  He was telling me about a special process his wife has to extract and preserve her special tomato seeds.

Thanks.

wendy

We have been spoiled by our gas prices and still are...

I know there is a lot of talk about the HIGH cost of gas, and it is - it's really pinching our lifestyles as a whole. I grew up in a country where prices were high and peoples income was much lower than ours ($500 a year) and so very FEW people had vehicles and if they had a vehicle, they generally had just ONE!  In our whole church there were probably 3 or 4 cars that parked out front of the 200  that attended.  People didn't have cars, they used the PUBLIC transporation system and they did not travel about from town to town - they went to the corner market to get their produce daily and few things to eat that they could afford.  They rode the bus to work or downtown to shop if they needed to go that far.  People set up markets  and sold their wares, handmade and whatnot.  The main produce/meat market was a stuffy stinky place with no refrigeration in tropical weather.  Milk came in by car- a jeep would drive up and holler "LECHE!"  (milk) - you were waiting and you ran out with your container and they dipped the still warm milk out of the pail and ladled the raw warm milk in and you ran in and scalded it or pasteurized it for the protection of the health of you family. 

I heard something on the news this morning in Belgium the price is something like $3 per liter of gasoline, try the math on that one (a liter is much less than a gallon). We are still paying "low" prices.  We've just been SO spoiled to gad about when we please, and own a couple vehicles. 

It is somewhat unsettling to see the prices rising.  Those of us with limited income will have to continue to adjust our living and cut whatever we can and reevaulate the way we live.  But there are still so many so far worse off than us, so I am thankful for what we have, and where we are able to live.

May we count our blessings, even as the prices continue to rise... 

Would you share pressure cooker recipes, please?

We just purchased  a pressure cooker and I would like to find some tried and true normal recipes (rice, beans, and some meat dishes) - if you would be willing to share.

thanks!!!!

wendy