Book Club!

Our first day of co-op classes went beautifully. I had to wake up early, which is not my favorite thing, but it was so worth it! The children were very excited to be part of a book club and they had so much to share.:) My older girls discussed The City of Ember. This is a wonderful book full of action, drama and mystery and we all enjoyed it- in fact we needed more time to discuss everything! My girls chose an occupation the way they did in Ember, by pulling a piece of paper marked with a job out of a bag! Can you imagine? They also solved a message with missing letters (like the letter in Ember) and enjoyed eating pineapple, which is only a distant memory in Ember. At the end they planted seeds as a sign of hope for the future of Ember.

My younger class discussed The Boxcar Children. This book was also a success! We talked about so many things and truly could have kept on going for hours! The children were so excited.:) We "packed" paper suitcases for a long journey, as if we were the Boxcar Children and enjoyed blueberries and cherries like the Boxcar Children.

Here is a glimpse at our day...

Here are my older girls... Working hard to solve the message.:)

I am really looking forward to next week when we will discuss Hatchet and Because of Winn Dixie (one of my favorites!).

Jingle Boo and other Treats..

Now in the SHOP....

The JINGLE BOO bracelet!

I am in love with the pumpkin jingle bells!

Oh my goodness! I have received so many wonderful goodies in the mail this week! This Christmas in September package is from my dear sister in England, Lindsay! She sent wonderful books for the girls and...

a Lucky Duck for me!

She also sent me the most unique necklace with a fossil inside! Amazing!

Jessica sent Mandy a lovely note along with the picture of a surfboard (that Mandy had requested) that she had designed and look at the card that Lindsay sent to me! The buttons are birdies!:) I love the card- so sweet! The seashell was for Katie and the little beach house was for Mandy. The beach houses are for rent when you stay all day. Lindsay told me they have a little table and chairs and a place to make tea. So charming! Thank you so much Lindsay and Jessica!

Then, look what flew my way! My darling buddy, Heather, sent me the most gorgeous POTTERY BARN crows! They put my $1 store crows to shame! Thank you so much, Heather! They have already made themselves at home, as you can see.:)

My fabulous friend, Val, was my partner in The Ghoulishly Glamorous Halloween Swap. She certainly spoiled me! A wonderful recipe book...

decorative cones, fancy towels, cupcake toppers, ghoulish gloves full of candy!

and my favorite- a Fall apron! Val- You know me so well!:)

Look at the fun plaque...

the cute little trick or treater plaque, pumpkin tassel, candy corn container, fun book and Mr. Crow to guard all of it!:) Check out the gorgeous glittered personalized pumpkins! I LOVE them! Thanks so much, Val!

I also received the sweetest package full of handmade cards from my wonderful friend, Lori! She is so talented! I told her she should open an etsy shop! Thank you so much, Lori!

Now I need to get busy on my swaps! Hope you all have the most wonderful weekend!:)

Nancy Drew- Help!

We love our home school co-op. Talk about the most wonderful group of people (besides all of you, of course.:)! This semester I will be teaching two classes- book clubs, if you will. I am so excited about this! I have always wanted to start a book club and now I get to choose all the books, activities and food- plus get paid to do it! Yippee!! I have everything ready for my younger group (7-10) but I am really excited about the older group, ages 11- 14. I have all girls signed up, which means I can spend a day on Nancy Drew! Yes! So, here's where I need your help. All ideas are most welcome. Which mystery should we read and why?

If I use your ideas for my class, I may have a little trinket to send your way. I'm good like that.:)

A Bit of This and That

I've been having fun making these...

for swaps!:) (This swap is going to Katie's partner in Denise's Halloween Kiddie Swap!)

I am in no way a spider lover, but this guy looks like he is ready for Halloween!:)

Stella is all ready for her trip to visit my friend Kimberly in California, but on her last day with us we had a few more adventures!

The girls shared the yummiest desert with Stella! Yep, that's chocolate and peanut butter (and ice cream and whipped topping...).

Stella came to watch Katie at gymnastics...

Stella also met some 1 day old baby ducks! They were just her size.:)

We even took Stella to a garage sale! Lindsay told me that they do not have garage sales in England so we thought we should show Stella so she could tell Lindsay and Jessica all about them. (These ladies at the sale were precious. They were so willing to let us take their picture and they wanted so badly to get the right setting for the picture, too.:) )

We will miss Stella but know that she will have such fun in California!

Mean Girls

I have never been a "mean girl". I have always reached out to others so that no one was excluded. It's just who I am.

Why is it that some girls put others down so they can raise themselves up?

Do men do this too?

Katie told me about a conversation that she had with a friend the other day. Mind you, these are 6 year old little girls...

Katie's friend- "My friend told me that I was fat. She said that SHE exercised every day so that she would be thin."

My Katie said, "I don't think you're fat. I think you're just the right size."

Katie's friend said, "I don't think you're fat either."

(Note- Katie's friend is darling and not a bit overweight. And even if she was, what gave that child the nerve to say such a thing???)
I am so glad to have met all of you "nice girls". I know that you're always there for me in case a "friend" of mine tells me I'm "fat".:)

Melrose Place, Mermaids and More

We watched this show every week. Loved it. Are you going to watch the new "Melrose Place"? (Sidney was our favorite and she's back! We did love to hate Kimberly but now she is on Desperate Housewives.) My all time favorite was "Homefront", though. Did anyone else love it as much as I did? It was a World War II soap opera type show. (My sweet husband liked it, too, so it wasn't too sappy- lol!) Anyone?

I received the sweetest package from my dear friend, Jill, the other day! Be still my heart! A gorgeous book on charm bracelets! Such eye candy and extremely inspiring. Thank you so much, Jill! :)

I cannot get over her lovely wrapping... Just beautiful...

Yes, I know it is September and I CANNOT wait for Fall, but who could say No! to these little mermaids??! Not me!:) Gotta love Gymboree.

This is the matching denim skort! The price was definitely right and did you know that Gymboree has a new Rewards Club? Sign up is FREE and you earn points for free merchandise...

The girls both got a pair of these cozy fellas tonight! You can find them at Stride Rite (up to size 5- for younger girlies) and JC Penney (starting at a size 6- for older girls). I got some for myself last year at TJ Maxx and they were soooo cozy. Wonder if they will have them again this year... (Note- If you get some be sure to spray them with Scotchguard before you wear them.)

I wanted to thank you so much for your sweet comments on my blog. You all are so dear to me- more than you could ever know.

She Did It!

When most little girls wanted to be Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, my little girl wanted to be Simba. (She HATES it when I tell people this.) The point that I want to make is that my Mandy has never wanted to be saved- she wanted to save others!:) I am not surprised that she has selected karate to be her sport of choice....

The other night she tested for her Green Belt with 1 Brown Tip. She excelled in forms, sparring, and defense moves, but the board breaking at the end of the test was in question. Well, I am here to tell you that she DID IT- on the FIRST try! Great job, Awesome Amanda! We are SO very proud of you...

Watching your child feel the thrill of accomplishment is the most amazing experience.:)