Emma's Graduation!!

 Our oldest daughter graduated last night.  We had planned a party at the park - rented a shelter and everything - and it was COLD yesterday!  So we commandeered the food pantry and set out to make it as nice as possible....as nice as it's possible to fix up what used to be a garage. ;)

 Decorations were silver, black and purple.  With diploma accents.  And books.  You know, because Emma's all about books.  The books are actually a set she was supposed to read before she was finished with high school, but I needed to have the party before my sister's kids head to OK to spend the summer with their dad, so she didn't quite finish these books.  Perhaps she will someday...

 The cupcake stand was a donation to the food pantry.  The lady who donated it said it was a fruit stand (maybe used in a small store near the register to hold a few apples and bananas?  Seems I've seen one like that before), but I spray painted it silver and added a couple bows and it became a cupcake stand. ;)

Anna said it looked like Halloween with black, purple, silver and green icing on the cupcakes. ;)  They tasted good, though, which is what matters with cupcakes.

Her Daddy made the name cut-out for her, and we bought balloons to tie to it.  $8 for 3 balloons!  Should have gone to Dollar Tree... ;)  I think all-together for the decorations we spend a little over $50. 

 There she is - our Graduate!

Her and her Daddy, and the all-important diploma!  (Shout-out for Homeschool Diploma - Beautiful diploma and Super Quick shipping!)

 GIFTS!!!  I found a tassel keychain with '13 at Hobby Lobby. 

She had a good night, I believe.  I am so proud of her. 

Mother's Day 2013

Emma sent me this on facebook today - my favourite Mother's Day gift!

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! :DD I love you so so so so much! You have always supported me and been there for me when I needed you, and I can't tell you how much that means. I am thankful for everything you've done for me and so blessed to have you as my mother. Kids have a terrible habit of complaining about their parents and resenting them and their role... But I have never been anything but grateful for your presence in my life. You are cool, and incredible, and brilliant, and beautiful. And, although, the 'swooping' is embarrassing (You know what I'm talking about!) I have never been anything but proud to know you. I hope you have a wonderful day!!! ~Your Loving Daughter, Emma"

 
I'm saving it here and there and all over the place...I'll probably print it out, too.  I don't want to forget to see myself as she sees me. :)

Homeschooling in 2013

Homeschooling has changed so much since we first started - you know, a million years ago. ;)

Tonight, I picked up a little bag of Holy Land souvenirs we bought at the used curriculum sale last year and said to Anna that we really should look through it since we've had it a year and hadn't even opened it to see what we'd bought.  It was an interesting little packet, mostly tiny bags of things stapled to cards that told about each item, where they were from, what they are used for and so on.  We began with a large sheet of papyrus paper.  Well, of course we already knew the basics, but we didn't know exactly *how* it was made - so we went to youtube to find out.  She's hard to understand, but we caught the important parts. ;)  Next up - flax.  How DO they turn a plant like that into thread?  Back to youtube again!  No one talks, but we understood better. ;)  Oh, and look!  A hackle (heckling tool) looks like the flower frog I found at the Salvation Army thrift store!  I wonder if it's really a hackle, or really a flower frog?  (Google couldn't, or wouldn't, tell us.)  If we *could* use it as a hackle, could we buy some flax to try to make our own thread?  Off to ebay!  :)  I couldn't find flax to buy, but we can buy flax seeds, and attempt to grow our own. 

So we're just a few cards into the bag, and already we've been all over the place online.  Back in the day, as they say, we could have wondered, perhaps pulled the set of encyclopedias out to look things up, but there would have been no way to find videos of it !  Try to explain scutching without being able to see what is being done.  Difficult, no? 
Homeschooling in 2013 is worlds easier than homeschooling in 2000 was - and not just because my kids are older.