Homeschool FUN MckLinky Blog Hop

Post your favorite photo week for MckLinky Blog Hop! This one is a favorite because we homeschool and my dd was having science fun! She likes homeschooling because she always gets to participate in every activity! She is the perfect homeschooler!
Thanks for hopping in! PLEASE leave a comment and I'll hop back to you! Thanks!

Win Weird Unsocializied Homeschool T-Shirts

THIS ENTIRE POST IS from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschooler BLOG! Click on button to get all the details.

Question: What does every weird, unsocialized homeschool family need? Why, t-shirts to announce your weirdness to the world, of course! Have you seen the homeschool shirts at Homeschool Boutique? They're awesome! My two personal favorites are:



I think I like them so much because they combine my love of computer/bloggy/Twitter stuff and my love of homeschooling. Want to win one? How about a whole family of shirts?

You can and it doesn't have to be one of the two pictured shirts. Tracy, of Homeschool Boutique, has graciously agreed to give one lucky winner their choice of a family of t-shirts from the Homeschool Boutique website.

Want to know how to win? CLICK THE BUTTON and find out the details!!!!!

This contest is open to U.S. residents only. It will run until approximately 6:00 PM (EST) on Monday, July 6, 2009. The winner will be chosen at random and announced on my blog on Tuesday, July 7, 2009. The winner will receive a "family" of homeschooling shirts -- one for each member of your family (up to five shirts). The winner will have three days to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Try an online class at Educator for Free!

My blog friend, Lisa, over at

is hosting a giveaway from

She just recently graduated from college in December with a 3.89 GPA in Psychology and Business Management.

She states on her blog "Not that unusual, but I did it at age 42, with 2 kids & a household to maintain. (Yes, my boys & hubby still expected me to cook and clean - there is no rest for Moms.) Since graduating in December I've been going crazy. I need to learn new things. Are you like that? My brain needs exercise."

THIS Blog post has been copied OFF OF HER BLOG

She was was recently approached by Educator.com, an online scholastic education series about doing a review and decided to check it out. Although this site is great for your high school student to get help with Chemistry, Algebra 1, Calculus BC, Calculus AB, Biology, and other subjects, it is also a great resource for the non-traditional student returning to school.A large amount of the videos and learning tools are free, but you can opt for a monthly subscription ($20) or annual subscription ($200) that opens up a whole new database of interactive learning tools. The professors that teach the classes are all educated with advanced degrees and in many cases already teach at various colleges. For example: Dr. Harold Goldwhite (Ph.D and B.A.) and Dr. Massoud Ghyam (Ed.D) from the University of Southern California have lecture videos here.

Now, not everyone is interested in learning new subjects - but most of us are moms and dads who have children in school. This tool could be your life saver. I know when my son asks me a question about Chemistry I'm lost. With Educator.com I don't have to answer those tough questions anymore. I can refer him to the website and he can get his questions answered by someone who knows. He can watch an interactive video explaining the how/what/why and I don't have to spend hours on the internet trying to understand it in order to explain it to him.

The Giveaway: 3 people will win! Each will get a 3-months access to Educator. So please click on the button and go visit for your chance to win!!!!



This giveaway will end July 15th at 11:59 pm EST. Winners will be determined by Random.org and will have 48 hours to send contact information to lisa(dot)samples@gmail.com. It is mandatory to leave your email address in your first comment because I need to be able to contact you.

Disclosure: This review was paid for by Educator.com.

The Homeschool Messenger Blog hoppin' Friday!

Welcome to The Homeschool Messenger! !

I'm mom of 3 tween/teens. We are a busy family and love to learn and have fun! I love to post on activities we do at our homeschool. This is where I keep educational and homeschool links! Go check out my other blog, Scraps of Life. I have a book giveaway going on right now!

Thanks for stopping in! Come back soon! I have 4 big projects that will be starting related to Online Classes!

Sign in and let me know your linky number so I can visit! Have fun checking out the other blogs! Check out Scraps of life #226 and go see #141 and tell Lisa HI! I got Mr. Linky from visiting her blog today!

WINNER of Katie and Kimble Giveaway!

Comment #43 via Random.org which was Anna!

The Vaagen 6

Thanks all for playing! Please don't forget to check out KatieandKimbleblog.com to still get a copy of the book! Very worth your money and support!

Are there positive aspects of Youth Sports???

TwitterMoms just put out a post asking us if "As a parent, how do you encourage and reinforce the positive aspects of youth sports?" This question is being sponsored by Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports. I'm a mom of 3 girls. The twins started playing soccer when they were 3 and 4 years old. It was a non competitive team. The goal (so to speak) was to learn to play the game. To my husband and I that was what was important to us. Not seeing who you could score more against but to really learn to be a team player. They played soccer on and off in elementary school. When they said "we don't want to play anymore" and the season was over then we let them be done. As their parent I knew if their heart was not in it then they would not do their best. That is what we ask them to do in everything they try.... "Do your best."


Our youngest has finally settled into TaeKwonDo. She is also very non competitive. TKD has allowed her to get exercise, work with others, develop a skill and take responsibility for her learning. She has to "do her best" and she wants to do her best.

We started homeschooling 3 years ago. During these past few years of not being in the school system we have found that we have more flexibility in choosing sports and activities for them that offer more than the hard core competitive drive. They have been taught to learn the sport that they are playing. They have been exposed to numerous sports. When they want to try something new then we try it. So hula hooping, bowling, tennis, golfing, soccer, swimming,etc As with everything they do we want them to "Do your best".

Twitter moms and ResponsibleSports is running this contest. They want you to blog about "Are their positive aspects of Youth Sports?" The contest officially ends July 7. All participating bloggers will be contacted by a representative from Liberty Mutual the week of July 13.

Prizes:
• 20 bloggers to post about positive aspects of youth sports and include a link to ResponsibleSports.com will be randomly selected to receive a $15 pre-paid AMEX gift card
• The blogger with the most comments will receive a $50 gift card
• The blogger who generates the most Twitter discussion using the hashtag #responsiblesports will receive a $100 gift card (Twitter discussion is defined as tweeting questions, comments, thoughts on the topic of positive aspects of youth sports).

About the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports Program:
Created by Liberty Mutual in partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey and the Amateur Softball Association, the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program provides resources for parents and coaches at www.responsiblesports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport. The online community incorporates blogs, videos, and best practices on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice. Parents and coaches also can complete coursework on positive sports mentoring that offers best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.

Healthy Pantry Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies

My dear daughter, Anna, (almost 15) made cookies for her dad for Father's Day! He loves oatmeal cookies. Instead of using the tried and true Grandma B's recipe, she used The Healthy Pantry's Whole Grain Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix. This Kit is one of their bestsellers.

Guess what? After eating them we have to agree! This is our 3rd kit. I'm still amazed at how healthy these pre packed product kits are for you! They Healthy Pantry states this claim, "We do the "prep" and provide wholesome, nutritious, and tasty ingredients to mix with an item or two from your fridge. Enjoy a delicious, fresh & healthy dinner in just 10 minutes." They have lived up to this statement in everything that we have made.


The packaging is usually very clear in instructions. Anna found a few errors in this labeling! I'm sure The Healthy Pantry knows about them but just in case they don't this is what she found out.

• According to our label, we were to provide 6 T of butter yet in the instructions it stated to add 12 T of butter. She added the 12 T.
• Also according to label we were to provide one egg and the instructions also stated to mix in one egg. The problem was when she was reading the nutritional label it stated 2 eggs. So she added 2 eggs.
  

• The only other problem was the applesauce. The Kit included the 1 container of applesauce. The instructions stated to use "1/2 cup of applesauce" and so she wasn't sure if that meant half of what was provided or actual 1/2 cup measurement. She did measure out the container and it was over 1/2 cup but not quiet a 1 cup. She used the entire container.
  

The richness of the Turbinado sugar was wonderful!

Accordingly to Wikipedia:
"Turbinado sugar, is made from sugar cane extract. It is produced by crushing freshly cut sugar cane; the juice obtained is evaporated by heat, then crystallized. The crystals are spun in a centrifuge, or turbine (thus the name), to remove excess moisture, resulting in the characteristic large, light brown crystals. It is similar in appearance to brown sugarbut paler, with larger crystals, and in general the two can be exchanged freely in recipes. Turbinado sugar differs from refined white sugar in that it is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane....In the U.S., most turbinado sugar is produced in Hawaii and is often sold as an organic product. The popular Hawaiian product sold in the U.S. is produced on Maui and marketed under the name brand "Sugar in the Raw."Other dry ingredients included Rolled Oats, 100% Whole Wheat Flour, Flax Seed Meal, Sea Salt, Baking Powder and Nutmeg.
The Healthy Pantry states this about their ingredients "It also has fewer calories per teaspoon, and when combined with our whole grains significantly reduces the sugar rush which is always followed by a crash! And because we use a 100% whole grain wheat flour and nutritious rolled oats, the higher fiber in these cookies will tide you over until your next meal as well as provide other digestive benefits. The Whole grain benefits with nearly 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein and Flax seeds for Omega-3 fatty acids to protect against heart disease, promote bone health, control high blood pressure, and balance hormones."

These by far are the best cookies I have eaten that were not from our own recipe. They recipe included raisins. Anna did not add the raisins but added chocolate chips!!! We like to eat raisins but just not cooked. I wondered if carob chocolate chips could be an option with the kit? I don't personally bake with them but I know people who do. They were very yummy and moist. Best bet would be to put them in an air tight container when they have fully cooled.

The next morning I caught Anna eating them for breakfast. She said "but mom they are oatmeal and are healthy!" I totally agreed and ate one myself!

Please go check out The Healthy Pantry. They just came out with 5 more kits. We are wanting to try the Mac and Cheese and Chicken Tenders with Cheese and Shells. For more of our Healthy Pantry reviews please visit my other blog, Scraps of Life, and check out Gourmet Turkey Asian Burgers and Wild Salmon Patties with Quinoa!

Site Warming with ResourcefulMommy on The Online Mom

Are you concerned about your children surfing the internet? Do your children know more about the internet than you? NO? Well have you ever heard of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Stumble, Digg, Technorati, etc? How about Wiki, sexting, LOLcat, hot spot, interface, ipn, pos, youtube and tweet? Chances are your teens know what these things are and you don't!



According to ResourcefulMommy "Online codes for everything. Heck, even my children's kids meal toys from fast food restaurants come with a code. Technology's infiltration of all things has occurred, so it's our job as parents to stay on top of what is happening in this brave new world. There are tons of sites to be found to learn about protecting your tween online and even sites that tell you about interesting new technology for kids. "

ResourcefulMommy is having a Site Warming Party tonight (Friday June 19th) to introduce her viewers to, The Online Mom: Tech Tools for Parents! I had fun surfing around there today! Amy at ResourcefulMommy interviewed Monica Vila of The Online Mom about her site and posted this on her site--

"No matter the economic landscape, there remains one constant - good parents will put nothing above the well-being of their child. A parent's role is to nurture, protect, teach, and empower their child as they grow and explore the world. For today's parents, that means learning about and embracing technology.

Kids are attracted to and at ease with technology, while parents are left to marvel at how quickly kids pick up technology and seem to grasp it immediately. Parents are often racing to keep up with the latest thing - IM'ing, Facebook, Twittering, Wii - but what does it all mean?

The Online Mom bridges the gap between what kids know and what parents need to know to stay head in the ever-evolving world of technology. We are a one-stop, interactive organization providing clear information, product reviews and advice about the technology our kids interact with on a daily basis - from cell phones to internet to gaming systems. Whether online or in person at a grassroots level, we help parents understand what is right for their family, what is safe and hot to use technology resources to help their kids thrive in a digital culture."

The Online Mom is a website, an online newsletter, a forum for discussion, a network of certified experts, and a community devoted to promoting a healthy understanding and appreciation for the positive role technology can play in a child's life."
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Join us tonight with ResourcefulMommy @Resourcefulmom from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. eastern as we tweet using the hashtag #theonlinemom with @theonlinemom herself! Have your questions ready about anything from educational computer games to protecting your teens from sexting.

And don't forget the prizes...

FIFTY people will win a copy of Gold's Gym Cardio Workout for Wii. It is a great exercise routine giving a complete body workout and providing a personal trainer to help keep you motivated. It's cardio, boxing, and strength...AND lots of fun! You have the option to use the Wii balance board with this program, but it is not required.





So go check out The Resourceful Mommy and RSVP for the party!!! Tweet ya there! I"ll be tweeting as @susieqtpies (normally i'm @susieqtpie)

Book Review and Giveaway! Katie & Kimble

My 10 year old daughter read Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish by Linda Thieman. This is Book 2 in an ongoing series. The first book was Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story. Click HERE to read my review on that book. The author disclosed a secret on my last giveaway about the next book in the series that she is currently writing-

Katie & Kimble: The Golden Door

"In the third book, Katie & Kimble: The Golden Door, which I am in the process of writing right now, I am introducing a 10-year-old boy named Danny Garcia. Danny is full of life and a real people person (and he's quite a reader with a huge interest in ghosts!), and he soon becomes friends with Katie's whole family. Starting with the third book, Danny and his little brother and their dog will be in all of the books."
Author Linda Thieman

BOOK 2 kept my daughter's inquisitive attention from the get go! It started with a mysterious coupon found in a cereal box stating that it is "good for one wish." I always LOVED getting the goodie in the cereal box as a kid! The catch, however, is that the wish is good for only two days. If not used, the wish will no longer exist. Katie and Kimble must decide and agree on one wish! As a mom of 3 girls, I know that it isn't easy to come up with a quick mutual decision! Once they thought it through they did come up with the perfect one! What is it that they wish for and how will it forever change the girls' lives as well as Katie's family's life? You'll have to read the book to find out!!! I'm not a spoiler!

Go to The Katie and Kimble blog to find out more! You will discover the activity corner, interactive Katie, video, color and activity sheets as well as other fun surprises!!!

NOW ON TO THE GIVEAWAY! The author has one autographed book for me to giveaway to YOU!

This is for Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!

TO Enter:

1- Answer question "If I had one free wish it would be....." and leave contact information.

Extra changes to win:

1- Go to Katie and Kimble blog and come back and tell me something you learned.
2- Go to my other blog and enter The Febreze Giveaway. Come back here and tell me you did. (5 chances)
3- Follow Katie and Kimble blog RSS feed (5 chances)
4- Follow me on twitter as @susieqtpie and tweet contest (2 chances)
5- Follow author on twitter as @LindaThieman
6-Refer a friend to the giveaway. IF they comment to win, let me know by leaving a comment for an extra entry!
7- Follow my other blog.

Leave a separate comment with each entry!

Contest runs June 16th-27th. If you are the winner you will have 48 hours to contact me. IF not i'll redraw! Good luck!

Launch of Schwinnjoyride.com and win a bike!

I'm so freaking out that Resourceful Mommy is having a Site Warming party of SchwinnJoyRide.com I am in a desperate need of a bike! I want to become fit by learning about bike fitness!!! We can't go bike riding as a family because I'm the one without a bike! I would love to blog our adventures!

According to Resourceful Mommy, the new site is Schwinn Joyride: The Ultimate Resource for Two-Wheeled Family Adventure. Users will be able to:

• Create a biking journal


• Check out the featured bike of the month

• Read blog articles about topics ranging from when to remove training wheels to deciding when your child is ready for a bike


• Find great trails for a short family bike hike or a long bike vacation


• Watch videos and read tips on how to teach your child to ride a bike


• Learn about bike gear from helmets to all the bells and whistles (literally!)


• Utilize biking safety checklists


• Discover the importance of proper bicycle maintenance


• Become fit by learning about fitness through biking

Be sure to follow our special guests for the night:

- @LoriHeimerl Lori's Twitter profile describes her as a "Single Mom, Cool Girlfriend, Bike Marketing Diva." Let her know any questions you have about what Schwinn Joyride can do for your family!

- @Kim Orlando Kim is the founder of the popular site, Traveling Mom.

Join us as we tweet about Family Biking - bring your questions, your stories, and your tips!

THREE winners will each receive one (1) Women's Beach Cruiser Bike from Schwinn, each worth more than $150!

This contest is open to all U.S. residents age 18 years or older. Winners entries will be verified before prize is fulfilled. One bicycle will be awarded during the event. The contest for bikes 2 and 3 runs from 11:59 p.m. Thursday, June 11th until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, June 16th.

http://resourcefulmommy.blogspot.com/2009/06/sitewarming-for-schwinnjoyride-friday.html is the site to RSVP!

Diane Birch Discover and Donate

Wow listen up! This is straight from Diane Birch website:

"Discover the critically acclaimed debut album from new artist Diane Birch. Donate $1 to charity. Automatically.

S-Curve Records and Diane Birch are proud to present Discover & Donate. You discover Diane Birch’s soulful debut album, Bible Belt,then you choose one of six charities to receive a $1 donation from your purchase.

PLUS, who ever raises the most money for charity through their widget by June 23, 2009, will win a FREE PRIVATE PERFORMANCE in the winner’s hometown!! (We’ll even throw in a few refreshments.) More albums sold means more money donated. How cool is that? Want to start sharing?"

So what do you need to do? Go to http://www.dianebirch.com/charity/ , choose a widget and post to your blog, website or social networking page! Let your friends know about Diane Birch and Discover & Donate! $1 per album sold from clicks on your widget will go to your charity in your name! How sweet is that????

So to make this an even sweeter deal for the Charities and Diane Birch, Amy over at ResourcefulMommy is having one of her "awesome" Twitter Site Warming Parties this Friday for Diane Birch!! Any tweet with the hashtag #music4good between noon eastern Friday and 10 p.m. eastern Friday is automatically entered to win the Shuffle and gift cards.

See you there! Come find me on TWITTER as susieqtpie !!!!!!

Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story WINNER

CONGRATS to K!

Random.org picked Result: 10 which was K. Congrats and I'll send you an email and twitter! She will have 48 hrs to contact me and if not I'll redraw! Thanks and again stay tuned for more reviews and giveaways! I will have another A Ghost Story to giveaway too! Don't forget my other blog which also has giveaways Scraps of Life

Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story Review & Giveaway!

Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story is the first book in the Katie & Kimble Series. This series is geared toward a reading level 3 and ages 7-10. It is 106 pages of pure fictional fun! Don't let the Ghost Story title keep your young ones from reading the book. It isn't a scary book! Katie moves to a new town with her family and discovers a kindred spirit! She goes on a quest that is engaging and heartfelt!

My 10 year old homeschooled daughter, Emily, loved the book! She is an avid reader who devours 5 books at a time. She was excited to read the book and then explore The Katie and Kimble blog. Very few fictional books link you to a blog! What a great opportunity for the Author, Linda Thieman, to get her readers eager to explore and do more with Katie and Kimble. Emily loves the interaction with sound bites! How fun to go here the Kimble Kimble chant, Graceful Ghost and even see the Katie and Kimble video that uses graphics from the book!

As a homeschool mom I love the blog! There is a section for Teachers and Homeschoolers! In the section you have access to free materials and activity packets for each book! The author, Linda Thieman is a former English/Language teacher from Sioux City, Iowa. The material that she created corresponds to the first two books in the Series. They are guided by the standards set for third grade reading skills in Iowa school systems. The books are priced right too! They are $5.95 or $2.48 for instant download! So not only are the books affordable you are given full access to the blog with free activities, free chapter downloads, handouts, color sheets, etc. On top of that the site is kid friendly and kid safe!

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Time for a Giveaway! Our dear Author wants you to have an autographed copy of her book!

Enter To Win It:

One lucky readers will win autographed copies of Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story.

How to Enter:

Visit the Katie & Kimble Blog and have a look around. Then come back here and make a comment on something from her blog. Deadline is May 29th. US entries only. Winners will be selected by Random.org. If by chance you don't win don't worry I will give you another chance in a few weeks!!!

Want extra chances to win?

5 chances-Follow the RSS feed at KatieandKimbleblog.com

1 chance- Follow my blog

1 chance-Follow the Author on twitter as @LindaThieman

1 chance-Follow my other blog, Scraps of Life

1 chance-Follow me on Twitter . I'm @susieqtpie

1 chance- Stumble it - leave ID in comments

1 chance- Technorati it - leave ID in comments

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I"ve given you 11 chances to win!!! Please make sure that you leave a comment for each chance in my comments to get credit!

Rosetta Stone Homeschool Latin Program

Rosetta Stone is the fastest way to learn a language and has been the #1 foreign language curriculum among homeschoolers for a while — and you can WIN the *all new* version 3 Rosetta Stone Homeschool LATIN program… FOR FREE! This is the first year you can get Latin in the brand new Version III update.

This is a $259 program (and believe me it’s worth every penny!)

This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever! Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress- I love that!), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

To win this most excellent Latin program copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR link to the contest from your facebook page and/OR email the information to your homeschool support group – Then go to the original page http://Jeneralities.com and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post. And good luck!

Kaplan Discount certificates!

Hey Blog friends!

I was a host for the Kaplan House Party. What a fun idea! I won a Free Course for a Kaplan SAT or ACT Classroom or SAT Live Online Course. We are going to try it out in the fall. I have extra 15% and 10% discount certificates valid through April 25, 2010 The certificate is for the percent off f a Kaplan PSAT, SAT or ACT Classroom Course, Live Online Course, Small Group Tutoring, Premier Tutoring, or Admissins Consulting Package.

If you think you could use one of these certificates please leave a message below. I'll leave this open until I give out all the certificates. Kaplan offers specials on the classes. Right now they have a Prep over the summer savings of $300.

Art Time!

BrainPop's Swine Flu Movie

BrainPop has the best educational videos! We love watching and learning. As the parent educator, I love the quiz provided at the end of each video! Go Tim and Moby!!!

Go sign up for their Free Trial offer! You won't regret it!

SpellQuizzer GIVEAWAY!

Do you want to improve your child's spelling test scores? How about more than just improving a score? I know as a parent of three school aged children I want them to do more than just study for a high score! I want them to enjoy learning!
We used the SpellQuizzer software to assist our 5th grader in practicing her word list. I recorded her spelling list into the SpellQuizzer. She was then able to practice her words on her own. She enjoyed the independence it gave her in studying! This allowed me to work with her sister on another subject. You can record the words and SpellQuizzer plays them back! It became a game for her and she was excited to practice and learn! I found that this made it more of a learning game vs. a learning chore!
SpellQuizzer allows you to download a free 30 day trial!! I love trying something before buying! Don't you? SpellQuizzer wants you to try out their product! One lucky reader will WIN the software, SpellQuizzer!

Participants -

...must provide an email in the first comment, email me directly with an email address or have email accessible from their profile. Winner has 48 hours from posting/notification to respond. If winner cannot be contacted, I will move on to the second random selection.

Sometime on May 12, 2009, one winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) from all valid comments left.

How to enter:

For the first entry -

(1) Visit the SpellQuizzer website.

(2) Come back here and tell me about something you learned that you can do using the software.

If you want to increase your chances of winning, here are some options to earn additional entries -

1) Go to my other blog and read the post on Kiss Me Mothers Day Gift Pack & MOM IT FORWARD . Leave a comment there about which product you would love to try in the Kiss Me Gift pack. Come back here and leave a comment that you did that! (3 entries)

2) Buy a Kiss Me Mother's Day Gift Pack. Come back here and leave a link to that order! (5 entries)

3) Follow my blog (1 entry)

4)Go follow my Scraps Of Life Blog. Come back here and post that you did that! (1 entry)

5)Blog and link back here about My SpellQuizzer giveaway or Kiss Me Mother's Day Gift Pack. Come back here and post that you did that! (3 entries)

6) Follow me on twitter (@susieqtpie) and tweet this contest. You can do this once a day for a new entry. (1 entry)

7)Share this post via one of the following: Technorati, Digg, Stumble or Facebook. Leave a comment with which ONE you did and come back and post a link or your your ID for that service. (1 entry)

8)Download the 30 day trial of SpellQuizzer and link back here with a comment. (5 entries)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

SHOW & TELL Time

There comes a time in your life where a family member will embarrass you. I feel the time has come to embarrass Anna. ( I'm not trying to embarrass her but I'm sure the public attention will do just... sorry Anna) She is my almost 15 year old, beautiful, timid, random, non stop talking rambler, who does have a lot to say! She is great to have along on car rides when you need someone to keep you awake. When Anna has little to say then I know that she is up to something.

So it was just that, up to something that inspired me to blog about her. The Children's Place and TwitterMoms have teamed up to create a fun contest for moms to show off their kid’s style. (I could win a $50 gift certificate to The Children’s Place just for entering!)
This is perfect timing for me because, Anna, just made her own dress for Easter.
Anna had some sewing lessons last fall by a dear member of our Church. We bought her a sewing machine and dear Maggie taught her how to use it. Then about a year ago, Anna took a 4H sewing class on how to make PJ bottoms. She did great and they turned out really neat! That was the last time she had out her sewing machine. The dear machine has been in her closet, hiding and calling out to Anna to bring her out to play with her for a year.

Last Tuesday Anna secretly brought out the little machine to play! Her door was shut and no one was allow to enter. Everyone wanted to enter to see what was going on! She let her twin, Naomi, in on what was happening. Naomi shared with us that all was well and she was "making something" and wanted to surprise us! Anna did let me in on what was going on. She was making something but didn't want me to know or see just in case it didn't turn out the way she wanted.
So after a few days of everyone trying to get into her room, Anna appeared to me in a beautiful dress! This momma had tears in her eyes and joy in her heart! (Just for the record I can cry at most anything...happy, sad yep that is me) She explained to me how she made the dress. She also said that it wasn't "perfect yet" and showed me whatelse she needed to finish. What amazed me the most about this dress is that she just took her knowledge and created something new. She didn't have a pattern. She didn't go out and buy any for this dress. She used what she had on hand. She just let her little self create! What a joy when you can do just that!

By Saturday night she was just that! Finished and ready to go to Church on Easter Sunday wearing her new creation! I bragged and told friends to go see Anna and her new dress. She showed it off timidly.
I did ask Anna if she was going to go into Fashion Design. I don't think that she will but she can create an orginal anytime she pleases! We are her family and are all very proud of her!