"Taylor" Made Home School

Jun. 3, 2008

Long Time!

It has been a long time since I did an entry. We have had a very good school year. We enjoyed it. We joined a new ISP. It has been a wonderful move. DD learned so much from those dedicated mothers. I also met some really creative ladies and dare I say friends.

I have just finished up our last report card of the year. I am going to be mailing it soon. I have been real please at the effort that DD has put into her work. She brought up some grades and just did a great job.

I have already bought our curriculum for the next year. It is the same that we used this year. It worked real well for us. I have looked for something that fit us. Of course I had to tweek it a little. ;-) Next year, I hope< will run smoother. But I know that life happens and that it will not be smooth all the time. I just mean school wise.

Well not much going on here. Just staying busy with mom this week. She flew in last Tue. and is leaving on Sat. I am not looking foward to that day. I wlll miss her.

Tina Kay

Harmony Hollow

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Dec. 14, 2007

These past few weeks of school have been more pleasant. I am really enjoying it. And so has dd. Today was just great. She did her math, English (test) and reading without grumbling. She also did a good clean job on her papers. It went real smoothly. I hope this nice patch stays for awhile. I know that we will have rough patches. But I think everything that she has been learning just finally sunk in. And she understands. We had a great talk about the things she was learning in English this morning. She explained things really well. What a relief it is when you know that they are learning what you are teaching them.

We have been busy getting ready for the gift giving this year. It is so hard buying gifts for people you barely know. This would be for hubby's side of the family. My side just gives to the kids. But his side thinks that the adults should have gifts at 50 bucks a pop. Yes the put a price tag on it. But I am struggling with doing this with a cheerful heart. This year is better than the past years. I am coming around to doing this to the glory of God. I want them to see Christ through us. So I really do want to do this with a sincere smile instead of my forced I cannot believe I am here one. :-) I need a better attitude.

Here is a Christmas Meme If you like them. It was fun doing it. Have a great day!

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Dec. 1, 2007

School....

Posted in Daily Life

has been going great! There are days that still are difficult. But my dd grades have come up she now only has 1...yes 1 B grade on her report. (the rest are better) I am shocked! She has sure worked hard on raising up her grades. Her goal is to have straight A's by the semester. Now I have never put emphasis on her having straight A's. I always told her she needed to do her best, since her work is to glorify God. Well she got into her little head that straight A's are the way to do it. And there you have it. I am so blessed to have this little one. She sure teaches me a lot. Now when I grumble about things, she reminds me to do it to the glory of God. Those are the things that I like thrown back in my face. LOL

Well I hope you all have a great weekend!

1 Corinthians 10:31

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

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Nov. 14, 2007

Slow day!

Posted in Daily Life

Today is going by slowly. I have a huge headache and it won't go away. School went fine. Everything got done in a timely fashion. Well except for math. That subject never goes smoothly. lol I have two days of bible study to do. I forgot to do one yesterday and tomorrow is going to be my first ladies biblestudy. I cannot wait. I need to be renewed and encouraged. Hopefully I will get that. But the Lord knows what my needs are and He is providing.

I need to get my grades in order they are due tomorrow. It is a good thing that co-ops are tomorrow. I couldn't get them done fast enough. I was not planning on such a strange trip. Though I am noticing that it is getting harder to plan things and keep it that way. So many things come up. It is hard determining which ones are the most important. I am still learning to say "NO!" lol

Time to go. May the Lord hold you and keep you!

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Nov. 13, 2007

Schooling

Posted in Daily Life

My wonderful hubby is home today. He is working on the only vehicle that runs........uhh, it used too. We are hoping this will be finished today. Meanwhile I am trying to get dd to do her work. That is always a chore when daddy is around. But so far all is great.

All Posters

Yesterday, was just frustrating. She got two subjects done. That is it. This is not acceptable. I think she is testing me and I am not too sure how to handle it. She saw no tv yesterday and played no DS. She did clean her room (but that is not a punishment). I took away the two things she likes to do the most. Other than seeing her friends. But we aren't doing that this week. I have tried to make it as exciting as possible, but I refuse to stand on my head. LOL I didn't want this to sound like I am complaining. I just do not know how to get her motivated. My dd is smart. I think I am needing to rework my strategy.

Well we are trying hard to get back to the "norm" , after our two weeks of vacation. God is good and he has never let me down. So I will just lean on Him. I hope you all have a great day!

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Nov. 10, 2007

A Historical Snippet

Posted in Interesting Stuff

Frocks with Room to Grow in
For Our Growing Girls

The Modern Priscilla
February 1925

From eight to twelve our little girls shoot up like daffodils in the spring rains. Sometimes it seems as though they are all arms, legs, angles and awkwardness- that they outgrow their frocks before you can finish them. But if we choose their clothes wisely and well, most of the difficulties ascribed to the â€œdifficult ageâ€ can be happily overcome.

Garments properly cut with ample fullness and large armholes, roomy and soft in line, eliminate the angles and can be worn until they are worn out because there is no â€œfittingâ€ problem to them. When clothes are comfortable, simple, pretty, but inconspicuous, the girl herself gains poise and freedom from self consciousness that does much to eliminate the awkwardness.

Every one of these practical dresses has been planned to do all that clothes can do for the growing girl. Moreover, all of the dresses are about as easy to make and to launder as a pillow slip.

Bluebell, a two-material frock, 25-4-14, for the lass of about twelve summers is ideal for school and vacation wear. It is equally good made up in an excellent quality, non-crush, fast-color dress linen, or in a less expensive sun and tub proof cotton with a linen-like finish. The body of the dress is a deep Copen blue, the applied hem, collar, and bottom of sleeve, a cool Nile green. Where the hem is applied and the green section joined to the sleeve, the embroidery is effectively placed with green stitchery worked on the blue and blue on the green material. This embroidery is as easy to do as cross-stitch. It is nothing more nor less than running stitch, worked in one direction and then back again filling in the spaces on the return row, so that the result is a continuous line of stitches. (See detail of embroidery.) A simple band of this stitch worked in green follows the line of the long raglan shoulder seams.

The neck finish is the regulation sport type with a green collar and facing for the opening at the front. Eyelets are worked in green at each side of the opening and are laced with cords made of twisted threads of the green embroidery cotton. Little tassels for ends of cord are made of the same thread. It is well to reinforce the bottom of the slash with a few stitches of buttonholing in green. The sleeve is slightly full and gathered into blue bands at the wrists. A girdle may be worn with this frock, or it may be left to hang straight from the shoulders if the unbroken line is more becoming.

Iris is as fresh and crispy cool as spring itself, and is made of lavender and white checked gingham with chambray trims of lavender and yellow. Nothing could be easier to make. There are just two seams and the most abbreviated kimono sleeves, and the dress is simply gathered into a binding at the neck with a shore placket opening at the back. The chambray bands on the sleeves and the wide applied hem on the skirt, as well as the neck band, are all set on with piping of yellow. The appliquÃ© trim is easy to do and really smart. There is a patch of the lavender chambray with a patch of yellow applied to it as the detail illustrates. Cut out the patches 1/4 inch beyond the stamped lines, turn in to the lines and whip down. Apply the yellow patch to the lavender before applying the latter to the dress.

Rosemary is quite ready for her eighth birthday party in her rose pink voile cross-stitched in white and French blue. Note the new bertha, a style feature most becoming to â€œangles.â€ The making up consists of seaming at sides, binding armholes with self material (the dress is sleeveless), gathering the two sections of the bertha and neck of dress and binding with voile. Narrow hems on the bertha are blanket stitched with white.

Work cross-stitch border on hem on â€œwrong sideâ€ of material. Turn tiny hem on edge of skirt material and blanket stitch over it. Then turn up deep skirt hem on right side of dress and hem invisibly under blanket stitching. This brings the embroidery on the outside of the hem and makes it easy to let down the skirt.

Narcissus is a little peasant frock of fine white cotton Canton crepe bedecked with red and black cross-stitch. Raglan shoulder seams are finished to give a corded effect. Turn in the edges of armscye and sleeve and bring together, then overcast with long stitches of black. Bindings of self material around neck and slash at front of dress, and around sleeve, plackets, above cuffs, as well as lower edge of cuff itself are overcast with long stitches of black, first in one direction and then in the other to give a cross-stitch effect. Ties of twisted strands of black cotton with tassels are used at neck and to tie cuffs.

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Nov. 9, 2007

I am back!

Posted in Daily Life

I am back from our excursion. I have been gone for 3 weeks. It was supposed to be 2. We had a great time together and it was a good time for Madison to give her service to one in need. She sure needs to learn that when people are in need we are to help them. Something I need to work on with her. I think she is a typical child in not wanting to do things like that. But at the same time she is very helpful and full of love towards others. I don't get her sometimes. lol

When I got up there my mom had her second chemo the next day. She did really well. It was great. Then about a week later she got to feeling really ill. She didn't tell me the extent of it until the night before her Dr.'s appointment. I will leave out the details, but the Dr. took one look at her and decided to admit her to the hospital. Now, all this is taking place the day before I have to leave So I decided to stay another week. I am so glad I did. That night the Dr.'s didn't know if she was going to make it through the night. Turns out she has an infection in her lower intestines. (Of all the places!) It is a really rare form of gang green ( I know I must have spelled that wrong). Needless to say the only thing that got her through to this day is all the prayers of her church group, my family and countless others. She is getting better slowly everyday seems to be an improvement. Her Dr.s are surprised in her progress. Praise God, for her heeling! We give him all the glory.

I hope this post finds all of you well! Bye for now.

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Oct. 16, 2007

October has been full!

Posted in Daily Life

I have finally organized EVERY room in my house! Yippee! I am so thrilled to have this done. I have been so overwhelmed with this project for the past year that I really didn't get anything done. That was just frustrating. So this is done just in time for me to leave for Idaho, to help my mother out while she is having her 2nd round with chemo. I leave tomorrow. I cannot wait to get up there and see everyone.

During the time of organizing my home, a friend and I got together to do a unit study on the Medival period. That was so much fun. We made swords, helmets, learned about the armour of God and had a Medival feast fit for a king. We also had the fathers involved and had the kids perform a skit for them between courses. That is such a great memory.

So I am off to finish up with the laundry and picking up the house. Have a great two weeks. Hopefully I will have pictures to show you. If not I will just do my regular journal.

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"We are called to be women. The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that He wants me to be." Elisabeth Elliot