7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 120)

1
This week concludes our May Photography Challenge.  To have a photography assignment daily, and in a variety of areas has been most instructional.  I believe all participants have had a lot of fun and improved their photography skills.  Now I'm wondering what next? I'm considering joining Elisa Loves in her weekly Nature Walk and then Chareen mentioned the DPS Weekly Photo Challenge, I know I'm keen to continue learning and improving my photography skills.


2  
PC took a few days off work this week to complete laying the deck, we were keen to be done! Whilst we didn't quite make that goal, we are close. Once the deck is completed a whole slew of tasks flows on from there.  One character building trait you develop when home owner building is Patience.

3
My dear friend Jen has very generously gathered much of her planning notes and incredible suggestions all into one easy 'go to' website'!  You really need to check it out!!  Booklists, Elementary, Middle School and High it is all there!

4
On Sunday PC and I celebrated our 20th Engagement Anniversary, yes, PC did indeed propose on Pentecost Sunday:)  20 years did indeed seem rather significant, a rather large 'slice of life' together.  Truly I believe it is by the Grace of God that we 'found one another', He had it all under control.

5
Last week I was bold and shared my feelings about word verification.   A number of readers inquired as to how to switch it off. Quick Tutorial, select Design (top of page), then select Settings (left side- all this is in new blogger) click on Posts and Comments, see "Word Verification?" Select No and save.  Done:)

6
Well I'm still trying to find a balance between directed learning and natural learning, structure and autonomy. It appears to me to be a constant see-saw between the two, a continual balancing act.

7
Our regional library's photographic contest has ended and alas I didn't win an ereader.  However I still have high hopes that I might win the prize at the shopping centre, faithfully each week I fill out forms.  Wouldn't it be exciting if I actually did win a brand new car!  After all somebody has to win and it just might be me:)

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Photography Challenge Showcase - Week 4

Thank you for joining us over the past three weeks as we've undertaken to complete the May Photography Challenge.  It has been most enjoyable and I believe we have all learnt alot, I know the quality of my own pictures has improved and I've enjoyed seeing what you have produced.  I hear rumbles to the effect that you'd like to continue to improve your photography skills, I know I'm hooked in improving this art.  Sharing our final week.





Day 22: A photo of sibling love

Day 23: A photo of friendship

Day 24: A photo of smiles

Day 25: A photo that touches your heart
Always thrilled to find the children reading.  Changed camera setting to natural lighting.

Day 26: A photo that makes me laugh
Skyping Big Sister, reaching out, touching.  So funny, so beautiful.

Day 27: A photo of the bush (suburbia, beach, city)

Taken from our house paddock looking down over our property. My first successful photo in landscape mode

Day 28: A photo of candlelight 
My first time trying to photograph candlelight, I had to play with the settings a bit. Ended up with setting on 'night' for best result.

Day 29: A photo of hands
Very interesting challenge, tried a variety of settings, the best shot for these 3 year old hands was on 'baby mode'.  This caught the soft skin tones.    

Day 30: A photo of play   

                                                     


Day 31: A photo of love
Working all week, building a home for his family in his 'spare time' equals love. xx{{}}

Nature Walk (1)

Joining Elisa Loves in a Nature Walk

Standing on my verandah

I see two roos sizing each other up

Deciding who is King of the Bush

Mock fighting for the title

Using tails for balance

Kicking and clawing

We realise anew how blessed we are to live in the bush.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 119)

1
Bass has mastered a new skill, a rather scary skill.  He continually climbs onto the table despite the fact that he can not even walk! He pulls the chair out, clambers up and onto the table.  In an effort to dissuade this behaviour we tried removing the chairs from under the table and lining them along the wall.  This was of little use however as he just pushes the chair across the room to the table and climbs up still. It is all rather exhausting trying to stop him.

2
A friend was bold enough to share that she dislikes comment verification, I'm going to join her in saying, "me too!"  It takes up time to fill in those irritating words that I have to tilt and peer at. If you have comment verification and I leave a comment consider it a high honour indeed!  Whilst talking blogging irritations, I also dislike not being able to read blogs in full in my google reader. In fact I only have one blog in my reader that I can't read in full in feedly, I've unsubscribed from all others for this reason.  Please take pity on me and consider changing your settings, pretty please:)

3
We were uncertain about changing clarinet teachers for Carpenter but we took a leap, changed and are very happy.  Sometimes though excellence comes with a higher price tag, but hopefully this translates to faster progress as well as the correct tutelage.

4
Despite the lack of enthusiasm for our spelling time, one son does admit that he can see it making a difference in his spelling ability, I agree, it certainly is!

5
Our younger two soccer players competed in a Carnival last weekend and it was most positive for our reluctant player:) He grew in confidence with the game, got to know his fellow team mates and is declaring soccer to be fun!!!  Believe me this is massive:):)

6
During dinner I was discoursing with my family about worms, specifically worms in tequila, for some reason this was not something they were aware of!  However they disputed my morsel of knowledge so I  researched and discovered that worms in tequila is a myth.


7
I was discussing with a friend an interesting post on hanging washing.  Our talk morphed into just what our own foibles are, 'cause this is rather a passionate topic you know, in fact the first fight PC & I had when newly married was about this very topic. My pattern is to hang the big items on the outside line, the smaller items on the inside lines and the underwear on the inmost lines.  However I don't work from the outside in or the inside out, I move about dependent as to what item I pluck from the basket.  My friend however has a most impressive system, as her clothes emerge from the washing machine they are shaken and sorted into piles; pants, shirts, socks and so forth, much easier for to hang, inside of the line to the out is her system. So what is your system?

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Versatile Blogger Award

My friend Becky at Academy of the Good Shepherd has awarded me 'The Versatile Blogger Award'.  It's always a surprise to be awarded an award. a lovely surprise:)  Glad to know I must talk about something other than books and building;)  Thank you Becky.

Rules for the Versatile Blogger are:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them. 
• Tell your readers 7 things about yourself. 
• Give this award to 15 recently discovered bloggers. 
• Contact those bloggers and let them in on the news.

1. I always wanted curly hair, alas my hair is dead straight.
2. I've travelled within Australia a bit but never internationally.
3. I had to explain to my three year old what a 'popper' was the other day, how sad is that? What a deprived childhood;)
4. I eat alot of vegetables raw or semi-raw.
5. We're a blue or green eyed family here, no brown eyes.
6. I grew up on tank water, I'm real good at water conservation.
7. When I grow up I'm going to be a librarian, but then you already knew that:)

Now the fun part, helping you discover some great blogs, some aren't really recent discoveries but I want you to discover them:) 'Sides I'd like to know what they are reading.

1. Elisa Loves
2. Everyday Snapshots
3. My Symphony
4. Take Up and Read
5. Tending Our Lord's Garden
6. Learning Alongside
7. loving to learn
8. Marigold Cottage
9. Feather on a Breeze
10.Not Enough Butter 
11.Count it All Joy
12. Sweet Blue Sky Days
13. Jimmie's Collage
14. Fisher Academy International
15. Wellness Mama

Writing Elsewhere Today

Today I'm honoured to be featured at Learning Alongside in April's running 'Interview with a Home Educator series.'

April posed some real reflective questions such as; Why did you choose to home educate your children?  Do you follow a particular learning style/philosophy? Has there been any major obstacle you have had to overcome to pursue homeschooling? and What is one piece of advice that you would give to a new homeschooling parent?

 If you haven't already discovered my answers to these do pop on over, and be sure to read the previous interviews with other Aussie bloggers.   A great way to find more Aussie home ed bloggers, best of all April has more interviews to come.

Photography Challenge Showcase - Week 3

Join us each Monday in May as we endeavour to have fun whilst striving to improve our photography skills with a challenge. This week we have focused on Days 15-21, next Monday we'll be sharing Days 22-28. Many thanks to our four dedicated participants who've joined us for the past two week's showcase:)

Day 15: A photo of wildlife
Okay a cheat here, took this in January, looking back  I can see the quality of my photography has improved, and how not using a tripod in this pic has created a slight blur. 









16: A photo of flowers












Day 17: A photo of trees
The tree assignment was much harder than I anticipated, trying to fit gums in, I just couldn't do them justice.









Day 18: A photo of something rustic











Day 19: A photo after dark











Day 20: A photo of one of your favourite places to be. 
Another shot that doesn't receive justice. Our home, built by us, slowly becoming one home.












Day 21: A photo of daily life
True reality in all its messy glory:)

Happy 17th Birthday Carpenter

Happy 17th Birthday Carpenter:){{}}

You have grown into a fine young man, a son to be proud of.

We have watched with delight as you have grown in maturity, poise and confidence over the last year.  We wait in anticipation to see what adventures life will bring for you during the next year.

Loving you so very much{{{}}}

*To enlighten all re the previous tennis shot, you were the victor of the match ... and more modest.

Photography Challenge Showcase - Week 2

Join us each Monday in May as we endeavour to have fun whilst striving to improve our photography skills with a challenge. This week we have focused on Days 8-14, next Monday we'll be sharing Days 15-21  Many thanks to those who joined in last week's showcase, in particular Chareen who joined in whilst on her 'Safari' in South Africa!
 

Day 8: A photo that involves landscape 
Taken at sunrise









Day 9: A photo of the sunset
Taken from a moving car












Day 10: A photo of the person you love












Day 11: A photo that has a colour scheme
Okay an old photo, however it displays a great photo tip, keep to three colours with a large group of people.










  Day 12: A photo playing with shadows
I set this to 'baby mode' for softer skin tone











Day 13: A photo that incorporates motion Couldn't choose so I've shared both,













however the baby moved my tripod here, hence the blurriness.  All photos were taken with a tripod except for days 9 & 11.

Day 14: A photo with clouds
Taken at sunrise

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 118)

1
Today a couple of dear friends, my daughter, baby and I headed north to a local book sale. It has been ages since we've been to a booksale, arriving at opening time was a great decision as was taking cloth bags (plastic bags break when you overfill;).  With the cost set at $6 a bag and children's books free!!! we were guaranteed to find some bargains.  We came home with five huge bags full of gorgeous picture books as well as a number of other treasures.  My best find of the day was an OOP Vision book, but the absolute BEST find of the day was discovered by friend Rebecca.  Never will I forget the picture of Rebecca as she lets out this gasp, grasps a book to her chest with arms wrapped around, twirling in circles as she hyperventilates and gasps , "oh, oh, oh".  The mad book searchers for two tables distance all come to a standstill and watch her.  "A good find?" they ask.  The book??  John of Sydney Cove by Doris Chadwick, complete with a perfect dust jacket!!!!  The price?  0c, children's books are free!!  Yep, this book that is fetching $200, Reb nabs for 0c!!  I LOVE these books.  Lucky for Reb I already had this book or I may just have committed a crime for it.  The dust jacket is gorgeous, I made her promise faithfully to cover it in plastic.  Jeanne are you reading this!!??

2
I was touched this week by this beautiful story of sisterly love.  A gift made for a 'big sister's' wedding, by the younger sister.

3
Last week I asked for advice regards the 'most important skills to graduate with', the advice was; Faith, essay writing, logic, maths, computer skills and time management.  Thank you so much for your guidance, plans have been written up and all advice incorporated.

4
A couple of readers have enquired as to why sometimes my comments appear as a pop up window and other times the whole page reloads.  The answer is, sometimes I enable threaded comments which means the whole page has to reboot to view the comments.  So mostly I disable threaded comments as I prefer pop up windows.

5
Fe asked last Friday for the link to the hair cutting youtubes we watched.  How to cut your man's hair was our favourite, the other one I watched sent me to sleep.  Thanks to the youtube I feel I have managed the best shaping thus far:)  Still have a couple of other areas I want to improve on.

6
Princess has begun piano lessons and we are considering a digital piano, our upright has a number of jammed keys.  We visited our local music store and I fell in love with the Kawai, now I'm spoilt, I must have a Kawai, the problem, they are slightly over the price bracket:(

7
I've spent time this week pondering and reflecting upon just what studies are the most important to focus upon, for all ages.  Furthermore, how to translate my reflections into the practical.  Planning on coming back in a few weeks and sharing further.

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