Pumpkin Love

In our home full of food lovers, the coming of fall means comfort food ie bring on the pumpkin! We love pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies and of course pumpkin pie. Our mama just saw a recipe for pumpkin pancakes...has anyone every tried them? They are next on our list.

 

This weekend we made one of our Timinski favourites: 

 

Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes

(adapted from Eating Well) 

You will need: 

3 cups of spelt flour

2 tsp of baking soda 

3/4 tsp of salt 

2 tsp of cinnamon 

1 tsp of allspice

1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp of ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar

1 15 ounce can of  unseasoned pumpkin puree

1/3 cup orange juice 

1/4 cup of canola oil 

1 tsp of vanilla 

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 350'F and line 2 cupcake trays 

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl 

3. Combine eggs, egg white and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until 

fluffy: 3-5 minutes. 

4.Add pumpkin, orange juice, oil and vanilla, beat until smooth. 

5.Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. 

6.Bake the cupcakes for 20-30 minutes until cake tester comes out clean, let cupcakes cool before icing. 

Yields 18 cupcakes

We like to ice ours with our favourite vegan white icing with a nutmeg twist: 

You will need:

1/2 cup of vegan margarine 

1/4 cup of shortening 

3-4 cups of icing sugar 

1 tsp of vanilla 

2-3 tbs of soya milk 

pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

How to do it:

1.Mix the margarine and shortening together until blended 

2. Slowly add icing sugar and blend. Add a tablespoon of milk. Blend again. 

3.Alternate icing sugar and soya milk until the icing is creamy and you have desired quantity 

4.Grate in a pinch of nutmeg and add vanilla. Mix again. 

 

Ice the cupcakes with a piping bag and decorate with cute sprinkles. 

Voila enjoy!
If you like this recipe, check out one of our absolute favourite cookbooks:

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday!

Brush those hair blues away!

Lately Miss Leah has been busy learning the arts of all things hair related. She even gave her first hair cut last week to our lovely and patient sister Elese. Way to go! : )

The benefit to all of us is not only great blowouts and updos, but Leah has also been sharing all her new hair knowledge! Wow turns out even with years of reading Glamour, there is still something more we can all learn about how to look after our hair.

 

The big 'new' piece of information is:

If you brush your hair the right way, you will have a radiant and luscious mane! 

We have a confession to make..sometimes in the rush of the day, or how we feel, or if we aren't leaving the house..we just don't brush our hair. We throw it up, tie it up, or go for the messy look...Or if we want a more wavy look, we finger comb it.  

At first we didn't think it was that big of a deal, sure ya we brush our hair and get out those tangles, etc. But really how great is it? 

Turns out brushing your hair is one of the best way, (next to a scalp massage and healthy diet : ))  in order to keep your hair healthy and radiant! It is SO amazing because:

1. It stimulates your blood circulation which helps bring more oxygen and nutrients to your hair

2. It cleanses and removes any garbage from products that stays in your hair 

3. It stimulates hormone and oil producing glands which helps the hair glands keep their own natural oils. 

Apparently hair loss is a result of this oil producing gland being out of whack, and Leah heard a story of a balding man who massaged his scalp to release these oils and guess his hair grew back! Kinda neat and gives hope to Charlotte who is worried that she will have thinned out hair as a little old lady. : ) 

4. A natural bristle brush is ideal, apparently boar bristles are the closest to the texture of human hair and the best to use.

The best way to brush your hair is: 

First:

Convince your partner/sister/mother/friend to give you a scalp massage : ) Apparently massaging your scalp a couple of times a day, really helps in keeping your mane nice and healthy. 

Second:

Bend over from the waist down. This position helps blood flow to your scalp, which helps hair growth etc. 

Third: Starting at the nape of your neck, brush your hair with slow strokes for 3-5 minutes. Brush the sides and crown all the way to your front hairline. 

Fourth: Stand up nice and straight and repeat the process, brushing your hair slowly. This helps the natural oil to coat and condition your hair. 

Who knew their was a science to brushing your hair? : ) There is a grain of truth to those girls brushing their hair a hundred strokes a night! 

Time to pull out the right brushes and get our manes nice and shiny! Perhaps one day our dream of looking like a Pantene Pro-V hair model will come true. Hahaha 

If you want to read more information and look for great products check out the article Leah read: here

How to keep your fingers stylish and warm...

Try a pair of cuffettes!
What are they? Cuffettes are a warm pair of fingerless gloves. A nice, warm woolly version. : )

Why do we love them?
They are great for this in between weather, as they keep your hands warm, but still not too toasty.
You can use your fingers for iphones, texting, gathering change, collecting bus pass, waving : )
Cuffettes are super for running, walking, etc as your hands warm up in mittens but not with these babies.

The best part is that cuffettes knit up easy and are a perfect gift! wink wink

To make Charlotte's grey cuffettes:

I made a simple ribbed pattern using grey Berroco Flicker, for Charlotte two years ago.
If you check out the pattern here, I just made a few variations.
I did K2 P2, made the cuffettes longer and used different wool.
Really the possibilities are endless, let your creative mind go. Experiment with wool, colours etc. The pair I am working on now are a tangerine colour with a brown stripe.



To make Renee's green cuffettes:





























Our mama is the lace knitter in our family, and made this pattern: Twiss and Weber Cuffettes See if you can spot the familiar lovely model!

Happy Fall knitting!

Book love

Books on the Brain 

If you have great eyes, you might have noticed a tiny new ad on our side bar. If you were captivated enough, or had enough time to waste today and scrolled down to the very very bottom of our blog, you would have seen a new banner, a new ad that starts with the letter A..yes friends we have now joined forces with Amazon. Our hope is that we can promote a few great books for you and perhaps entice you to click our Amazon links : ) Don't worry, we have discussed this at length and the Crazy Daisies have decided to only have Amazon links. No Belly Fat advert here.

In our home and hands, here are a four new books that we are reading and loving:

Vegan Secret Supper by Merida Anderson
A beautiful inspiration cookbook. We read the review of this Canadian chef in our local paper, and after reading her recipe for vegan creme brulee, we knew we had to buy this book. The photos are gorgeous, the recipes are unique and are definitely  on our list to make soon.
The only catch, vegan recipes like these take time and need some interesting ingredients. Take it from us, make sure you read through the recipe and make a list of what to buy before you feel like making it. : ) Late Saturday afternoon is not the best time to go find white sweet potatoes.

The Usborne Book of Art Projects and the Usborne Book of Art Ideas by Fiona Watt




 Charlotte is taking an Introduction to Watercolours at our local college. After two weeks she has discovered that her teacher is largely following these classic Usborne books. Every new technique Charlotte has already done as a child, because of this wonderful treasure trove of art ideas. If you are a homeschooling Mama or just a Mama looking for some art ideas, check these books out. They are full of easy art projects that teach basic fundamentals.

I Beat the Odds, from Homelessness to the Blind Side and Beyond by Michael Oher

The movie The Blind Side is one of our favourite family films. We didn't know this book existed until we found it on the Alberta curriculum for suggested grade 8 reading. This year we were looking to introducing our brother to read more non fiction, and thought this book would be perfect. So far it has been. Michael Oher takes the reader back to his childhood and explains how through different circumstances he was finally led to the school and family that would change his life. His story is an inspiration to everyone and is a great one to read and discuss social issues.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye by Rachel Joyce



This novel traces the journey of Harold Frye. An average retiree who until one day, has led a pretty ordinary life. After a letter arrives carrying unfortunate news, he makes a spur of the moment decision and decides to walk to his dying friend. His walk becomes a pilgrimage, one full of reflection and growth, and  all the while is set in picturesque England. This novel is making me dream of the Camino pilgrimage. : ) Perhaps though I just need to start small and walk to the city. Haha

Muffin Love

You should know one thing about us Crazy Daisies: we are carb lovers : ) We grew up on comfort food and absolutely love love love our Mama's baking. If you are curious about other muffin recipes, check out our recipe page : )

Last week we were at the Superstore and our younger brother wanted to buy the relatively new PC Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins .Well those muffin babies do look very tasty, they are also super expensive and a little bit high on the fat scale. For a 'healthy' product they are more a dessert and not a good choice snack. Our talented Mama managed to convince our bro that she could whip up even better muffins for him that very evening. And of course, she did. 

Save yourself some bucks and make these delicious muffins!

Carole's Even Better Double Chocolatey Muffins 

You will need:

1 and 1/2 cup of spelt flour or Gluten Free mix of your choice. We like Bob Mills 

1/2 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup of sifted good quality dark cocoa-it makes a HUGE difference, ie not Old Dutch

1/4 tsp of salt 

1 cup of mini dark chocolate chips 

1 egg

1 cup of organic soya milk

1/3 cup of melted organic coconut oil 

Preheat oven to 375'. Line or grease a muffin pan. 

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients and add chocolate chips 

Step 2: Combine egg, milk and butter and stir into flour mixture. Do not beat. 

Step 3: Bake for 20 min. 

Yields 1 dozen 

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday!

How to be a Denim Do and Woolly Wonderful : )

haha it's a cheesy blog title yes we know, but right now wool and denim has been our style of choice. The weather here in O-town has been much cooler these past few days and that means time to bring out the warmer clothes, including our woolly knitted items : )

If you are a magazine reader, you might notice that Fall weather fashion always includes plenty of denim. We love denim in all forms: from jackets to jeans, but sometimes you just can't wear it all together with your knitted items, (as lovely Leah demos) or you just might end up in Glamour's Donts.

How do we like to wear denim and wool?

1. With plenty of layers!
On Charlotte 'the upcoming Artist in residence' look 
Denim items: Large denim shirt from Old Navy, dark denim Calvin Klein jeans.
Wooly items: Goldy sweater, skinny turquoise scarf





























Charlotte layers up her gold sweater over a large denim shirt, which peaks out perfectly over her dark jeans.























































Not sure what to do with all your pearls? Layer them like she did over a thin woolly scarf.

2. Leggings and chunky socks!
On Leah 'the dreaming of England countryside' look




























Denim item: Gap denim dress,






























Woolly items: multi-coloured chunky socks and slouchy beret

Leah dresses down the denim dress with leggings and colourful socks. Does your grandmama knit you colourful socks? Have they been collecting dust in your drawer? Dust those babies off and pair them with leggings. We love the pop of colour with the subtle soft denim.

3. Wear different tones of denim
On Renee 'the wish I was in Vermont with all the farmers and hipsters' look 





























Denim items: GAP denim stripped shirt, GAP denim jean jacket, Calvin Klein jeans
Woolly items: earth toned headband, green mohair cuffets























































I love wearing denim and denim together! The way I like to put it together is to wear different tones. Break up the matchy matchy denim look, by wearing a lighter denim against a darker denim. Wearing a denim base, is a perfect canvas for your woollys to stand out!

So there you go. Pull out your handknitted woollys and have some fun. Play around with them until you get an outfit that makes you want to either knit, spin, or be silly : )

PS Charlotte was the creative genius behind pinning my brooch to the headband. If you are in need of dressing up a hat, headband etc. Find an old vintage brooch!

What about you? Are you a denim and wool fan?

DIY Jewelry Organizing Frames!

We don't know about you, but for us jewelry can be a bit of a problem in keeping nicely organized. We tend to throw ours in little boxes, hang up a few necklaces, use drawers etc..but really nothing has been working. I (Renee) have forgotten half the stuff I have because my jewelry drawer is a tad bit crowded. Lately I have been losing time trying to find that one piece that I know is in there somewhere...sound familiar?


Charlotte (thank you Lord for her arty little fingers) has found a pretty and -EASY!- way to display jewelry without breaking the bank!

You will need:

Empty Frame-Charlotte found hers from our local St. Vincent De Paul's and spray painted them white
Staple gun
Hammer and nail
Pretty lace doily or fabric


































How to do it:

Step 1: Cut either a piece of a large doily or a piece of fabric that stretches along the back of your frame, making sure they reach the flat wood on either side of the back.

Step 2: Staple your lace or fabric to your frame edge. Make sure you pull the lace/fabric nice and tight as you don't want it to sag under the weight of your jewelry

Step 3: Hang it on the wall using the hammer and nail. Voila! Hang your jewelry away!






























































Charlotte I know what I would like for my birthday coming up! *wink* wink*

We are grateful...

"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." G.K. Chesterton.

We are grateful for:

The opportunity to walk to a second hand shop and buy lots of leather jackets and old frames to use for art projects. Our little brother has become a leather craftsman and is coming up with the neatest leather pouches. 

We are grateful for:

Our harvested tomatoes and of course our beloved garlic! There is just nothing like growing your own produce. We are especially thankful to our friends who share their super gorgeous land with us! 

We are grateful for:

Celebrating with our friend this past weekend as he was ordained a Deacon! It was so beautiful and so special to witness a dear friend lay down his life for his faith. We all can't wait until his ordination to the priesthood, it's going to be a BIG celebration!! 

We are grateful for:

Our chef papa for making us a delicious dinner last weekend: Spelt penne pasta with roasted garden vegetables and homemade marina sauce, AND he made dessert!: ) Homemade cinnamon buns with frosting..whoa our dad is a superhero because he did all this complete with an injured arm! 

We are grateful for:

The saleslady at the dealership where I bought my new car! Yes the Crazy Daisies now have wheels! : )

I was nervous going into a buy car, worried about dealing with super-greasy-sleazy-salesman- but had the complete opposite experience! A super sweet, kind, non pressuring lady from Beijing helped with my purchase of our new McSteamy: A charcoal grey Toyota Prius C. We found after it was her first sale. : ) God is good and yahhooo Crazy Daisies Road Trip Time! 

We are grateful for:

Leah has entered the world of Hair Styling and now needs to practice! Yes blow outs and super straight hair are in our future! We are so incredibly grateful (and proud!) for her desire to enter into this new field! 

and of course..

We are grateful for:

The feedback we get from all you lovely reader friends. It makes this whole blog/creating/ process incredibly rewarding and kinda neat. We actually connected recently with one of our elementary teachers, after she discovered the blog.  It was so great to catch up! : )

What are you grateful for today? Share with us! xo

Our Mama's Roasted Tomato Soup

If you came to visit us this weekend, you would see sitting by the piano, green shopping bins full of tomatoes. Red tomatoes, green tomatoes, pink tomatoes, big ones, little ones, odd shaped..tomatoes are in the house!!!

In our garden we planted thirty tomato plants and this summer they did exceptionally well! We are very grateful, as they were a teensy bit neglected with all the wedding busyness and family life adventures.

Tomatoes from the garden taste OUT OF THIS WORLD in comparison to store bought and local tomatoes. There is something special in the taste of the juicy, just picked fruit, and we think perhaps it is the lack of pesticide, hormones or chemicals. We only wish our carrots would be as self sustainable as our tomatoes. Ah well maybe next year. 

What do we like to do with all our tomatoes?

Our mama makes The Best Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup, that tastes so thick and wonderful you just wonder if there is cream in it..but nope not even a drop ; ) 

Carole's Roasted Tomato Soup 

4-5 pounds of peeled tomatoes, sliced in half with stems removed * 

fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano and rosemary 

2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic bulb or 4-5 cloves chopped 

2 sweet large onions

3 stalks of celery diced

5 medium carrots, diced.
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into cubes

4 cups of vegetable stock 

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves chopped. 

2 tbsp of sugar

salt and pepper to add flavour.

Step 1. Preheat oven to 425 'F

Step 2 Place sliced tomatoes on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and chopped garlic. Place your sprigs of thyme,rosemary and fresh herbs on the tomatoes. If you don't have the fresh herbs, use dried. Sprinkle sugar and pop those tomatoes in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. 

Step 3. While your tomatoes are roasting, sauté celery, onions, sweet potato, carrots and cook until the veggies are soft (15 min or so) 

Step 4. When the tomatoes are done, add to the pot remove the sprigs of herbs, add the stock. 

Step 5. Simmer on low until the veggies are all tender, another 15-20 minutes. 

Step 6. Puree the soup with either with an immersion blender or a regular blender until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot, heat slowly and add your chopped basil, salt and pepper. 

Enjoy! 

Do you have a favourite tomato recipe? 

*To peel tomatoes, place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for 30 sec- to a minute. The skins will peel off

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday!

Wahooo Truly Charlotte is on ETSY!

Is it too early to think of Christmas shopping?
lol Our mama doesn't think so and her new goal is to get ahead start on it all this year, and proclaimed last night that she already has her first gift, and a few projects organized. Wow Go Mama! We are impressed!

Normally our Christmas shopping doesn't start until the week before, and then it's a crazy blitz of all night shopping. Super fun, but also stressful.

If you are looking to get a few gift ideas or just want to take a little peek, Truly Charlotte now has an ETSY SHOP! Wahoo time to celebrate! Check out the link on the right! : ) It's still new and she will be adding items daily, so check it regularly.

and are you an Etsy shopper?

We love Etsy and below are a few of The Crazy Daisies favourite Etsy shops:


Rob Ryan: A British Artist who makes the most beautiful cut outs! They are available by themselves as prints, screen printed on bags, cards, and more. We love love love how he uses paper and quotes!
Check him out.

MonogramMfg: You might have noticed Charlotte has a gold plated name necklace..I found one here, and had great service! Plus it wasn't super expensive, and the chain is really dainty.

Maisonette de Madness: Do you love vintage items like we do? Check out our friend's shop! She is a jewelry expert and has a super eye for the loveliest antique and vintage pieces of jewelry

Do you have a favourite Etsy Shop?
Share with us!

Quote love..Remembering Sept 11..

It's September 11. A day to remember those who were lost in the catastrophic event of the two Trade Towers, a day to pray for all the families, a day to stop and  pray for peace.

Wise words to read, say and remember, words that speak to our hearts today:

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Blessed Mother Theresa

"It is hope that gives life meaning. And hope is based on the prospect of being able one day to turn the actual world into a possible one that looks better." Francois Jacob

"The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart. The most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace." Carlos Santana

"Forgiveness is the name of love practiced among people who love poorly. The hard truth is that all people love poorly. We need to forgive and be forgiven every day, every hour increasingly. That is the great work of love among the fellowship of the weak that is the human family."
Henri J.M Nouwen

"For me and my family personally, September 11 was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection,tenderness, beauty, creativity and laughter." Deepak Chopra, M.D.

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait, you watch and work: You don't give up." Anne Lamont

Calvin:"You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place"
Hobbes: "That's why animals are so soft and huggy." Bill Watterson

"Out of difficulties grows miracles." Jean de la Breyere

"He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
St. Francis of Assisi

"For me each hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile." Elie Wiesel.

Fibrefest-and not the Fiber 1 kind

This past Saturday we traveled to the quaint little town of Almonte to visit Fibrefest, an annual festival celebrating wool, fleece, fabric and everything fibre related. Along with our mama and a  fellow artist friend, we explored, shopped and were very much inspired.

We told a few guy friends we were going to Fibrefest, and of course the question was fibre? like in Fiber 1? haha nope. Fibre as in the textile wonder kind : )

 

We thought we would share a few highlights and hopefully inspire you to check out a fibrefest in your area, or if you are in the area next year, come visit Almonte! It is a lovely town set around waterfalls and an old textile mill. Oh and also was the home of James Naismith the inventor of basketball. 

We definitely plan on returning and exploring Almonte further, as there was just so much beauty! 

The Crazy Daisies Fibrefest Favourites 

 

1. The lovely Alpacas from Victory Farm that greeted us outside. We loved their names: Willy Wonka and Butterscotch Ripple, and we loved how their farmer was right in the pen with them. We could have petted them for hours and hours and hours...they are just so cute and SOFT! Plus their funny hair and big brown eyes make you smile. 

 

2. The Vintage Clothing Fair where Charlotte found a whole lot of old wooden bobbins for a perfect price. We love them in jars, and love love the way the textile artist Noelle Hamlyn used them in her sparkly salted creations.

 and..how could we pass up on a vintage daisy necklace? We couldn't and thought it would look so cute against a cream coloured sweater...

 

3. We fell in love with the wool from Riverside Studio. The colours! The feeling! The muted greys! Love love love and can't wait to start knitting. Projects jumped out at us and we had to return to their booth twice. It's Christmas knitting time, right fellow yarn lovers? 

4. Smocking! We found the cutest pattern for a vintage looking baby nightie, complete with adorable smocking. The artist Judith Marquis showed us this lovely pattern and all the cute smocking ideas you can do with it! Check out her website if you are curious about smocking and heirloom sewing..so many great ideas! 

 Now it's time to learn..

5. Our absolute love was discovering the artist Noelle Hamlyn the featured artist tucked away at the back of the old textile mill. Noelle was there to chat with us all, and was so kind and unpretentious, you would never now she was so incredibly well known. We especially loved her beautiful jacket made entirely out of quilted and sewn teabags. If you have a second, check out her website...so much talent!!

ps. we also  loved the quote on the shop we found! Made our day! 

It's a Sundae on a Monday!

Ice cream has been a family favourite dessert all our lives. In the Dairy Eating Days, we loved walking to the local ice cream hut and having chocolate dipped cones. We also LOVED Dairy Queen and their hot fudge sundaes. When our tummies became sensitive and dairy was eliminated  we said goodbye to our ice cream and our sundaes. We thought you know sorbet is ok, so is gelato, the coconut ice cream is alright..but nothing compares to our memories of ice cream sundaes, chocolate dipped cones, chocolate hardening shell..mmmmm.

Last week Charlotte pulled a dream dessert together and those memories became our new reality! Yahoo!

She came up with:

Vegan, Chocolate Hardening Shell that is actually good for you and doesn't have lots of chemicals!! : )

If you have ever read the ingredients on the Hershey Hardening Shell, you will know that the list is long. Charlotte's version is two ingredients! 

Charlotte's Chocolate Hardening Shell

1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp of coconut oil 

Melt both ingredients in the microwave or on a double broiler. If using the microwave, pull it out after 25 sec and stir, if still chunky put it back in and melt away. 

Once it's melted, drizzle over your favourite ice cream! (We like chocolate coconut) and wait a few seconds and it will harden away! Enjoy! 

Our favourite sundae toppings:

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

Nutriwhip (or your whip of choice)

Fresh Berries 

Our Dark Fudge Sauce

Our Vegan Dark Chocolate Sauce

Charlotte's Chocolate Hardening Shell

And of course a Dark Chocolate Garnish :)

Yum! Have some fun and enjoy a sundae, on a Monday : ) 

A Friday Ritual

One photo without explanation. A moment captured- a time to be still, to breathe and remember.

Happy Friday!

Top Five Homeschooling Fave's

September brings the cooler weather, the change of season and the start of school. For us, that means homeschooling. Right now there is just one lucky duck at home, but in the past my mom has homeschooled five of us- all in different grades. The secret to keeping us all on task and willing to learn, was finding out how we learned. Some of us were more visual, other's like Miss Charlotte were hands on learners, etc. : )

If you are thinking of homeschooling, curious about it all, or need a few helpful links for your classroom, here are a few suggestions. Why re-invent the wheel when so much lovely resources are available!

Our Mama's Top Five Homeschooling Fave's

1. This Homeschool planner is a great tool and worth every penny of it's $4.00! It has day organizers, week at a glances, maps,  inspiring quotes and more.

2. Teaching Textbooks For years our mama has searched curriculums to find the right way to teach math, and loves this one. We use a combination of textbooks and dvds, but you can pick and choose what you like. Teaching textbooks is clear, easy and teaches through plenty of word problems.

3. Spelling Workout is a great tool to brush up on spelling. It is a series of thirty or so lessons that teach one list of words a week. Crossword puzzles, Fill in the Blanks, Sentence Completions are just some of the practice tools. It's a great supplement even if you don't homeschool : )

4. If you are homeschooling little ones and are looking for a way to incorporate art, we loved The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas. This book is a great art inspiration, as it is full of so many hands on projects. If art isn't your thing, that's okay too, because the Usborne folks break it all down step by step. Once we were older, our Mama signed us up at local art schools,  and put us in classes that interested us, like woodworking for out brother. She also hired art teachers to tutor us. Art was never something we outgrew. : )

5. Lastly a friend of ours, a fellow homeschooling mama just found out that her daughter India has two years left to live. A University research team is trying to find a cure and needs our help. Please check out: One Strong Girl, and keep India and her family in your thoughts and prayers. You can also check out her talented mama's blog: Fall on me, dear.



 And if you need a laugh, here's a few funnies for you: : ) lol Happy Thursday friends.































and one more for all you homeschooling mamas : )