DPP :: Day Four ~ Christmas Crafting At The Home Ed Group

Since Benedict was still not fit for venturing forth, Pip and I showed our faces at the fortnightly meeting held in a church hall not far from our home.  She's a confident gal that lass of mine and had great fun partaking in all that was on offer:

 A mini centre piece.

 Mixing Magic ~ adding some oats.

 A dash of sugar and some yellow and pink sparkles.

 All mixed and waiting to be bagged.

 The finished product and the decorated gift tag reads:

MAGIC REINDEER FOOD:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night,

The moon will make it sparkle bright,

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam,

This will guide them to your home.

She also enjoyed making a Christmas card and playing den's with some of the other younger kids.  I appreciated some adult home ed based conversation with another mum!  The group thankfully is well attended and their is a healthy mix across the ages right through from primary to post secondary.  The kids interact well and as is often in home ed circles age is not a barrier to inclusion.

After the meeting Pip and I made our way to Sainsburys and we were able to pick up some bargain Christmas presents.  Her reward was a bag of gluten free pretzels to share with mummy and Benedict.  Here she is eating and smiling with Benedict!  He took a break from helping with the cooking to pose for a photograph which was promptly messaged to a dear friend who was on his way to a meeting in London.  Their cheeky faces made his day!

Yarn Along :: Organising :: Life Skills

I'm joining Ginny and others for the weekly yarn along.  Pip's cardigan is finished minus the buttons, they'll be sewn on later today.  There was plenty of leftover purple wool so I'm knitting myself this hat.  I love the art deco inspiration and the contrast in colours on the original pattern.

 

 

 

I'm reading this book:

 

 

 

Whoops!  Wonky photograph but I can't be bothered to edit!

 

 

I've found some renewed enthusiasm for photography.  I'm currently working my way through a 31 day crash course in DSLR's and at the same time road testing Adobe Lightroom 4 on a 30 day trial.  Both are challenging for the little grey cells, especially lightroom ... it can take weeks of constant use to accomplish even the basics!

 

 

On the organisation front, I tidied the links on my side bar as the whole place had become a disorganised mess and  I've given myself a strict talking to regarding the homeschooling. I spent the morning bookmarking interactive sites for Benedict during the forthcoming weeks, as I would like him to develop the knack of independent study for part of the day.  I also had the wobbles (yet again!) regarding Pip and school but keep coming back to home being the best place, with outside activities thrown in as she gets older.  So right now I'm at peace with the whole thing ... however I can't guarantee it will remain that way! 

 

 

Benedict worked with Shein this morning.  He's built up a good rapport with her and he's making steady progress in his maths.  She also has the added bonus of a cat called Oz that comes and sits on his knee and Cartoon Network as a reward once he's finished for the morning!  Once home he made the lunch, washed, dried and put away the pots.  He also tidied his room, emptied the tumble drier and loaded the machine with another wash.  These are valuable life skills and he'll also have the added bonus of earning another badge for cubs.

 

 



Sorting and Folding.

 

 

 

"What on earth are these? Girly underwear?  Yuck!"

 

 

 

"I'd much rather fold these, my own pants!"

 

 

 

"Watch out! Watch out! There's a snakey sock about!!"

 

Catholic Woman's Almanac

Jenny over on this site Suscipio kindly asked if I would like to join in the Monday Almanac as a way of pondering prayerfully the week ahead, so here goes:

Moments of gratitude:

• A tidier garden thanks to our friend and gardener John.  He is now back working after a long period of ill health and boy have we missed him.
• Snippets of actual peace and quiet around the home - the silence was deafening!
• Thankful for internet technology and PDF whereupon a knitting pattern can be printed and in the knitting bag within minutes.
• Thankful for homeopathic medicines and the occasional dose of Calpol.

Beauty in the ordinary:

A clean house thanks to my friend and neighbour, some knitting on the needles and a part finished sewing project which needs to be finished soon as it's a present.

From the kitchen:

Trying to implement some of the menu planning and kitchen ideas courtesy of http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.co.uk/ Aunty Leila is a mine of information and I love visiting her site for support and encouragement.

Praying:

I'm attempting to join in with Elizabeth Foss in asking St Anne for guidance and support during this forthcoming year.  Emma and Kathryn share hers and St Joachim's feast day as their birthday.

Meditating:

On the rosary prayers which are an account of Our Lord's life.  I've been remiss in saying these prayers and they are such a lovely meditation.

Reading:

Sharing Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome with Benedict.

I am reading "Saint Gianna Beretta Molla - A Woman's Life"

Pinned:

A whole load of things as I've just joined this site, all I need to do now is implement some of them!

Looking Ahead:

This is our last official week of "home school" and I had all sorts of things planned but sickness has taken over for the time being, so only time will tell whether any of my plans come to fruition.

Captured:

Pip determined to read.

A boy at the end of the cub hike.