Nature Journal Making

We will be getting together with my Sister and Cousin once a week on Fridays for Nature/Science study. A little extra to give the kids a chance to get out and hang with there cousins and friends. :)
The kids are supposed to bring a Nature Journal so they can draw or journal whatever we happen to be studying that day. Our budget is super de duper tight right now so I decided we would just use paper on clipboards. So we did that last week, I even tied there pencils to the board with a string so they would not lose it.

Sadly they ended up being a tad too bulky and Mommy ended up carrying two of the boards by the end of the walk, plus the papers came out a bit to easy for rough little boys.

So week 2 and I decided to make some kind of homemade journal. So here is what I made.

The materials I used:
Cardboard pieces,
A drill to make the holes. :)
Paper and a paper cutter
Hole Punch
Glue Stick
Sugar and Cream cotton yarn (embroidery floss was too tight after it was tied and ripped the pages)
Duct Tape
Stickers

This was all items I already owned and I think they turned out really cute. Lets hope they hold up to some rough kidlets for some nature and science exploration.

Falling

I can feel the taste of Autumn in the air and in myself. I Love this season.

 So full of color and renewing. Everything sheds last years newness and settles into just being what God made it to be somehow.

 I feel myself taking things slower taking care of those little things that since January I have been putting off. I finally notice the unfinished mending, the cluttered laundry room floor and not only do I notice but take a few minutes to actually do something about it.

The house is still a turmoil, my mind still tells me it is far too imperfect to reflect God to others, myself still feels that bit of shame when someone stops by, but there is more Hope within me that I am who God made me to be and He Loves me.

 Why a new season is needed to remind me of that I will never know, but I am happy it always comes and renews me because I weary far too easily.

Today I rejoice

 Nature Friday with some cousins.

 The first day of school

The Long Break

In January my life was overfull and busy and I stopped writing. It seemed very much as if no one would wish to hear my thoughts at that moment. :) Pretty sure I was trying to avoid them myself. Life is still full and still busy and we keep moving forward and God keeps us on our feet when we sometimes feel like laying down.

We had to reroof the house this year or lose our insurance. We were so amazingly blessed to have family and friends come and donate time and sweat to help us. Our home is once more protected from the rains just as the Lord has quieted and protected my heart this year. Now we wait for the insurance to okay us once more.

Now we start the process of painting the house a little at a time and attempting to figure out a Household budget. The budget has been hard to build since we have had so many financial changes this year. It is time for us to get serious and somewhat drastic and that will take some serious prayer and trust in the Lord. It can be so hard when you have to say no to simple things and other people just do not always understand.

The kidlets need to start school soon, very soon. Am I prepared? How did I get a 6th grader? How will I teach 4 at the same time who are different levels? How will I work it into our work schedules? Once more I trust in the Lord and know that he will carry me through.

So I am back to writing, what that means? I do not know.

Snow Day

The snow made a small visit to Oregon. It did not stay long and it did not bring many of it's friends.

It caused smiles and giggles

Icy cold fingers

Hot chocolate and a pile of wet clothes

A bit of sibling play time

anticipation and excitement.

It really does not take very much to cause sheer delight in a child. :)

Thrifty Lego ornaments :)

The boys saw these in the Lego magazine we get for free in the mail. http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Holiday-Ornament-with-Green-Bricks-853346


I thought they would be cute on the tree they always have in there room but was no way going to spend 8$ for them. So I grabbed some plastic bulbs at Michaels for about 50 cents each on sale and we dug through the boys Legos to fill them. It's a win, win situation. We get some fun new ornaments for a bargain price and until Christmas the boys will have a few less Legos to clutter the floor with. hehehehe

Ballenger Family Nov 2011

So here we are, November already. Life has been busy and full in a blessed way. I have not been able to post as much as I intended too.
Justin is still prayerfully seeking employment. I am working part time at Michaels craft store.
Justin is covering homeschooling on the mornings that I work, often all 5 days. This has been a bit of a crazy adjustment but we are settling into it pretty well.
Thanksgiving is next week and this year has been so full of an overabundance of things to be Thankful for. God is so good to us.

I am Thankful for my Husband and the Love for the Lord that I see growing in him more and more each day.
I am Thankful for my children who grow more beautiful and teach me new things each day.
I am Thankful for amazing family and friends.
I am Thankful for coffee on cold mornings and Sweaters.
I am Thankful that no matter what happens Gods provision is so much more than we need.
I am Thankful that I get to work at a craft store. (Love crafts)
I am Thankful for our small group and the encouragement we share each week.
I am Thankful for MOPS and the opportunities it has given me to come out of my shell and share my love of crafting with others.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sewing Together Pocket Pillowcase

I had a group of mommas over again today and we sewed some Pocket Pillowcases together. I love that the kids get to run and play while we socialize and do a bit of sewing too. :) We have a mix of beginners and longtime sewers, we all help each other out.

Today I taught the girls how to make Pocket Pillowcases. The tutorial is from Vermillion Rules!

We added a felt letter to the pocket which I think gives them some extra charm. :)

Here are the cutting measurements for any of you girls who remember how to assemble and just want the measurements, Or go to the above link for the full instructions.


Cutting instructions:

• Cut two pieces, each 26" x 21" from the main fabric. These will be your main pillowcase pieces.(These can be a tad smaller if your fabric is narrower.)
• From the coordinating fabric, cut two pieces each 21" x 5 1/2" for the side border. ( Make these the same as the main piece- so if the main piece is smaller these need to match)
• Also from the coordinating fabric, cut a 11" x 9" piece for the pocket and two pieces for the flap each 11" x 4".

Here are a few pics of the ones I made for my littles.

If any of you out there try and sew one we would love to see pics. :)