This years homeschool curriculum for my oldest

I am super excited about the upcoming school year with my kiddos.  I finally feel good and am ready to take on the school year with all cylinders pumping.  As some know I am a Lupus fighter but also have Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis and yes I am only 33 years old.  But anyways in the past I have not been feeling well but this year I feel good and cannot wait to hit the ground running.  I have just recently learned about this curriculum through a very dear friend who also uses it for her children.  https://www.abekaacademy.org/

 

Happy 2013-2014 school year!!!

You can also find a lot of great homeschool resources on my Pinterest page drop by and check it out you may find what you need and there are many other HS resources all over Pinterest. Have fun! http://pinterest.com/izzyb79/homeschool/ 

 

Pool towel clothesline...

I was in need for a clothesline for my pool towels and swimsuits this summer but here in Oklahoma it is very windy and I was not quite interested in digging holes and pour concrete. But if I was to put up a free standing line it would blow over. So this is what I came up with. We have a wood privacy fence and its not in the best shape and I knew we would be replacing it soon so whatever I was to do would have to be removable. So here's what I did, I went to the pluming department at Lowes.  

I attached a plumbing flange to the fence posts. 

I screwed in the adapter. Make sure you have the correct sizes. 

I then slipped on the elbow again check you sizes. And I did this on both ends. 

 Then I attached the PVC pipe in the same size as the elbow. But once I did this I knew I would have to attached anther flange to the middle. So to do this I found the middle of the pipe attached a flange, fitting, extension (which was oh a cutting from the PVC pipe to the correct length), and then attached the T fitting. I also had to cut the PVC pipe to make room for the T joint fitting.

Which looks like this. 

Ta da! I have a clothesline that can be removed. 

Way too long...

It has been way too long since I have posted so I will be putting up some posts today.  I hope everyone is doing well.

http://madeinusachallenge.com/2012/a-new-years-resolution-for-america-buy-made-in-usa/

Great giveaway http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Aleenes-Decoupage-Product-Assortment

So do you bake as much as I do? If so check this out...

We are a family of five and three of us are growing children, lol and this means I do a LOT of baking but when I bake it usually only last a day or two so I either make larger batches or bake more often. This means I have to stock up on my baking supplies or buy in bulk depending on the price or if there was a sale.

Flour and sugar are easy to buy in bulk but when you buy such a large amount you are then faced with "what do I do to keep it fresh and keep the bugs and critters out".  I finally found the solution to my problem, a 5 gallon bucket.  These are cheap (about $3), they are air tight, and they stack nicely out of the way.

Make sure you wash and dry them well before you add your flour and/or sugar or you will have another problem on your hands.  Seal them up tight and don't forget to label them and put the date that you opened them on the label to insure they stay fresh.

One 20lb bag of sugar filled the bucket about 3/4 full so there was plenty of room.  If you do not like the idea of putting your flour and/or sugar in these buckets alone you could leave them in the bags and just put the bag down in the bucket or you could use a flour sack to line the bucket first.  I have had no problems with placing it directly in the bucket.  No plastic taste and no moisture from humidity getting in.  The only thing I would do differently is the lids, I find these lids to be quite hard for me to get them on and off so I will be replacing mine with Gamma Seal lids soon.  You can see what these are at the bottom of the blog.  Thanks for stopping by :) E.

 

I think it's time for some nap time crafting...

My wonderful hubby got me a Kindle Fire for my Valentines Day and Anniversary gift and since both are on the same day he can get away with getting me one gift for both occasions if he wanted to but he has yet to catch on to that, maybe I should tell him. Na, lol! Anywho back to my crafting, I am going to be making a leather case for my new Kindle since I cannot stand paying what they want for a simple case. I have a bunch of dark pink leather that my mom gave me. When we lived in Germany she went to some factory and asked them for their scraps and they gave her a bunch and now I have inherited the box of leather, woohoo!!! Thanks mom! So, to the drawing board I go. Pictures to be posted once I begin.

new pencil skirt

With all of these new meds I am taking to control my R.A. and Lupus I have put on some weight and fast so my clothing does not fit lol.  So a few weeks ago I designed a new pencil skirt for myself and it turned out great.  The next one I make I will make a few tweaks to the pattern but other than that I LOVED it.  Please ignore my size but enjoy the skirt, hope you like it.

I have been busy....

I have not be on here is a long while :) I was busy getting a psychology degree and raising three children, but I am back!  I recently purchased some (lots) of vintage patterns and I cannot wait to get started on them.  The other day I wanted something new to wear but since I live in South Texas it is crazy hot here so I needed something lightweight and cute.  So I whipped up a cotton skit during nape time, I love projects that can be made super fast.

What do you think???  LOL after taking this picture I realized that my 3-year old smeared something all over my mirror.  Oh well such is life!

A natural alternative to Bug spray

I receive an email today from one of my favorite blog sites Bloom, Bake & Create, it was for Lemon Balm Lavender Bugs Off Spray.  This sounds like a great natural alternative to Off Bug spray.  I cannot wait to make up a batch, here is the instruction on how to make it.  I have not tested it yet and these pictures and the information are all from Lyndah@Bloom, Bake & Create

Lemon Balm Lavender Bugs Off Spray  Print This Post

lemon balm – enough to fill up a quart jar

lavender – cup or so

apple cider vinegar – enough to cover all of the herbs

Crush with fingers the fresh lemon balm and stuff into quart jar. Add lavender. Cover with apple cider vinegar. Shake or stir every day for 7 days. Strain and pour into a spray bottle. Store in cool, dark place. Should be good for the season.

Some substitutions: catnip, lemon grass, eucalyptus, lemon eucalyptus, lemon thyme, mountain mint, and jewelweed.

Ingredients for Lemon Balm Lavender Bugs Off Spray

I harvested a bowl of lemon balm which I crushed and stuffed into my quart jar. I added some of my Grosso lavender from last year’s harvest. Then they were covered with apple cider vinegar.

Shake or stir every day for 7 days. Then strain out the herbs. I used a knee-hi stocking. My old supply of them from dress up days sure come in handy.

Straining herbs

Now pour this strained liquid into a spray bottle.

Pouring into spray bottle

And there you have your Lemon Balm Lavender Bugs Off Spray.

Lemon Balm Lavender Bugs Off Spray

Thanks again Lyndah@Bloom, Bake & Create

Help please!!!

I am trying to figure out how to put a button on my blog (for my blog) and I almost have it but it is still not correct.  If any bloggers out there know how to do this can you please help me, THANK YOU!!!

Tonight is Friday Night Sew In Join us!

Here's the link for the Friday night sew in, I so excited this sounds like so much fun.  Come join the fun.

http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/2011/05/friday-night-sew-in-for-may-20th.html

Gracie's new Izzy & Ivy hat

Well, I finally finished my 3-year old's hat. I bought two Izzy & Ivy hat patterns awhile back this one was Sally Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore sun hat.  I have been waiting till I had the time to sit down and figure this one out and I am glad I waited because I have to say this was the most difficult pattern to follow.  With spelling errors and too much information on the area that did not need that much instruction and not enough information on the area that could really use a better step by step and even some more pictures.  This little hat took me three days to finish and let me tell you I have been sewing for a long time and creating my own patterns.  I do not I get stumped by patterns hardly ever and if I do I can easily figure it out after a short amount of time.  This hat turned out really cute but I do have to say after being stuck on one step for two days I skipped their instructions and did it my own way and I am glad I did because I was able to skip so many unnecessary steps.  I will make this hat again but I rewrote the instructions so I would remember how I put it together.  Next is to try to make the Izzy & Ivy Jack 'n Jill hat, one for my oldest daughter and one for my son (the Jack part of the pattern).

The girls Easter dress

I did not realize that I did not post the finish pictures of my girls Easter dresses or skirts that is.

Hello from my phone

sweepstakes

http://www.recipelion.com/sweeps/Cuisinart-Giveaway

Tip of the day...

Like to garden or just have a few plants around?  Do you have a coffee machine that uses K-cup?  Or a friend who does?  Try this, take the foil off of the top, fill it full of soil, stick 2-3 seeds in the soil, and water.  The hole in the bottom is perfect for drainage.  This is a perfect way to recycle and reuse something that you already have in your home. 

Serging day :)

I have been down for the last few days with allergies but today I am back to sewing or for right now I guess I am serging.  I have a stack of 8 flounces and several other pieces that need their ends and bottom edges to be serged and that is the good thing about this pattern I do not have to hem any of it. YAY!!!  So I have a movie on and a fudge brownie sundae to keep me company.  :)

Here is my 3 thread rolled hem 

If any of you have serged before you know how much it vibrates at full speed, well I was trucking along watching my seams and not pay much attention to things around me that I didn't notice my glass rods (for flameworking) getting ready to attack me.  So now I will watch everything around me. :)

Here is my yummy fudge brownie sundae

My pile of rolled edge flounces, now to working on the other pieces. 

I just learned about these today, I can't wait to get some.

Today I am a surgeon

I am re-attaching puppy dog heads today. I do not know how these stuffed animal heads always come off but here I am again stitching them up. :)