I need more information please!

Blogging I find is quite fun! but I do not have enough blogging technical knowledge to make the kind of blog and blog posts that I like to see.

So today I took a trip to the library and got some answers.



 While I am not a fan of Dummies books--I guess their information is right on, but I am not into the name--Dummies--the name has implications I am just not comfortable with--any how...now armed with some new knowledge I will hopefully be supplying this blog with prettier posts and flashy technology--one can hope :o)

Home School find!

I like to search the web for interesting ideas and crafts to do with the kids for school and am ready to share one of my finds now :o)

So a while back I found a very cute blog (Home School creations) that has very fun preschool printables for free! I have even subscribed to her blog in google reader (don't you just love google reader--if you don't know what I am talking about you should! check it out www.google.com/reader

so today while reading up my reader posts I saw she had posted a new bird preschool pack on her blog.

This preschool pack is a collaboration with another lady named Carisa.  I am not familiar with her work but I have printed her pack and will check it out...but looks cute so far!

I am very familiar with Jolanthe's stuff and we (me and Sophie especially) love it!

Last week we did the robot preschool pack and it was full of fun learning activities--even though she is a girl Sophie was tickled to do the robot stuff. Roger was in on the action too, even though he is way beyond preschool work, but it was nice to allow him to delve in and have fun!

My strategy for these packs is this.
1. I print out all the pages in the pack (unfortunately right now I just have a black and white printer so the ones that deal with color have to be hand colored (great coloring practice!)
2. I divide the pages into groups based their ability to be combined then place wrong sides together .
3. I place the pages into a laminating envelope and heat set it. this gives a double sided page. Some pages will not work this way, those I keep separate and laminate in a page on its own.
4. once the pages are laminated I hand over to Sophie and arm her with a bunch of dry erase pens and she goes to town!

for now we have the Robot pack printed and laminated and in use:

Roger oversees as Sophie practices her penmanship skills on a Robot activity page

soon we will have the bird pack going, so exciting! check it out and let me know what you think!

What's the number?

Today the kids and I are working on some number fun. We have created a nice chart for filling in number of various languages.

They already know how to say these numbers, now they need to spell them and this little worksheet is going to do the trick!

on one side we have the cardinal numbers listed and the answers to what's the number for each of the languages we are currently interested in.

On the back is a chart for filling in to aid memorization.

I printed out the two pages and have laminated them wrongs sides together. We use dry erase pens --just love these things! :o) to write and rewrite our numbers.

Page one:

Cardinal Number	English	Latin	Roman	German	French	Spanish
1	One	Unus	I	Eins	Un	Uno
2	Two	Duo	II	Zwei	Deux	Dos
3	Three	Tres	III	Drei	Trios	Tres
4	Four	Quattuor	IV	vier	Quatre	Cuatro
5	Five	Quinque	V	Fünf	Cinq	Cinco
6	Six	Sex	VI	Sechs	Six	Sies
7	Seven	Septem	VII	Sieben	Sept	Siete
8	Eight	Octo	VIII	Acht	Huit	Ocho
9	Nine	Novem	IX	Neun	Neuf	Nueve
10	ten	decem	X	zehn	dix	Diez

Cardinal numbers: counting numbers. Answers how many?

Ordinal numbers: tells in what order. First, second, third, etc.

Nominal numbers: don’t show number of or order. They are numbers we use to identigy things. A telephone number, a jersey number (sports) a zip code.

Page 2:

Cardinal number	Language:_____________________________________

Hope you enjoy this homeschool source!

Super Mario Guys here we go!

My sons, like many boys of their generation just love, love, love anything Mario Brothers related.

So a few nights ago I was online just surfing and observing looking for inspiration when I ran into this most awesome site that has free Super Mario Brothers cross-stitch patterns :o)

The featuring blog is so interestingly titled Gatchastitch--and if you know me personally you know what an interesting coincidence this name is!

anywho--I printed out my patterns and went to the cross-stitch bucket and pulled out most of the necessary colors. Do you believe I still do not have EVERY color DMC carries, ha, me neither! shocking!

My youngest sons favorite right now is Luigi so that is where I started. I cross-stitched the night away until I had my image almost done. will need to go shopping to finish.

I had the cross-stitch done and thought OK so now what to do with this adorable little sprite???

well one of my favorite classic quilt squares right now is the sawtooth square. I decided to pair my sons favorite guy with my favorite block we have this beauty:

let'sa go! Luigi is in the race!

I did have to make some unhappy adjustments. I needed my Aida cloth to be 4.5 inches, but I had on hand only 4 inch squares (cut for a Christmas ornament project that never got done) so I have made do with what is on hand adding the cloth border to the adia cloth to increase its size to 4.5 inch square.

I will post a tutorial on making this sawtooth block soon! must take some pictures!

All in all I love the result. I have the Mario cross-stitch done (have some missing floss there too -ugh!) and have cut the sawtooth pieces and as soon as I am awake tomorrow that one will be all sewn up and added to this post!

updated April 7, 2011: ok  as promised I am updating and adding that most awesome pic of the completed Mario cross-stitch within the red sawtooth block:

Mario is my pal!

Oh and yes, I am planning on using appropriate color fabric too. Meaning that Luigi is always wearing green so you see the outside of the sawtooth is green.

His brother Mario is always in red, so the outside sawtooth fabric will be red.

Next up will be Toad, and he is always in white with red poka dots--this may prove to be a tricky find, but if I can't find it, white muslin and red fabric paint will help me make my own!

Right now my inspiration has only taken me to making the guys and gals into the simple quilt square where we go from here in still in that making....

updates to come--this is so exciting!!!

My need for a BOM has been appeased!

I don't know why it is but I feel as if I just NEED to have a block of the month (BOM) project going.

The reality is I don't NEED it at all! I give myself plenty of opportunity to be creative and crafty and get stuff done. I guess it is the joiner in me that loves to do things on a schedule and know that there is something fun coming next month!

All this leads me to my newest (began in January actually) BOM for this year.

I found this particular BOM while surfing the web and devouring all the neat-O sewing blogs. Over at Little Miss Shabby I found the cutest BOM!

And I am hooked!

My version of the January block

If you want to sew along start here to get the supply list and images to print to make one for yourself, but below are my rules for this quilt.

So what I did, don't remember if this is the rule given on the site, but I selected 20 different fat quarters of fabric and cut them into 2.5 inch strips then cut those into 20-- 2.5 squares.

My personal rule is that each block will have the same random selection of the same 20 squares and that the floss colors will some how complement those pieces but not every block will have the same exact floss colors.

also the center block will be the same blue cotton fabric for each of the 12 month blocks. a re-use fabric from when Emma was Mary for All Saints Day at Church.

My version of the February block

I just loved the February block--maybe because it is my birth month and that is special or just the lovely love these two birdies are giving :o)

March is so rainbow-luscious!

this pic shows the 2.5 squares off well. again, no one fabric is ever repeated per month but the same 20 squares will be used each month in a random order. seems that some keep popping up next to each other, guess i just like some together ;o)

My April block all done up!

I am also sewing up the blank block the month before I need it.

So right now I have these 4 months done and am about to go pick up all the pre-cut pieces for next months and sew it up so that come the first all I have to do is print the embroidery image, tape that to a sunny window and trace (I use a #2 pencil--I know there are other ways but I don't mind the graphite--it'll wash and wear out eventually--and I am making this for me--not for competition or for sale).

What I love about this BOM is that the links are available on the first of each month. I know that is the general rule with BOM, but some blogs/websites have posted late and that is ok--I get that we all have busy lives, but I am so excited for the 1st of the month to come and a late block makes for a sad, sad sewer!

let me know what you think! happy sewing!!!!!