Gratefulness...a habit?

Do you find it hard to be grateful sometimes? I get stuck in a rut of wishing for things or worrying about things and kind of forget to be grateful...Trying to be more mindful about that and find things to be grateful for every day. I'm thinking (hoping!) that if I mindfully do this every day for a few weeks maybe it will become a habit (?)  What do you think? I know some people keep a gratitude journal (or used to keep one? Is this still a thing?) Maybe I should try that, but for now I'm just going to try to mindfully thank God for several things throughout every day as an exercise...hopefully turning it into a habit!

1 Thessalonians 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Making an easy backyard campfire ring

We moved into a new house this spring and one of the things we can do here is make a backyard campfire! So much family fun.

We wanted to make a ring to contain the ashes and fire, so we made a quick and easy one...for FREE!  

Here's what we did:

1) find someone giving away bricks/pavers for free (thank you marketplace!) and get yourself some bricks!

2) level out a spot in your backyard where you intend to make the fire circle.

3) lay bricks down flat to make a little floor area

4) lay one layer of bricks on top of that floor in the outline of a circle

5) lay another layer on top, offsetting the bricks

6) repeat with as many layers as you'd like

7) enjoy your campfire!! :) 

My son actually made ours...it was SOOOO easy and we have been enjoying it immensely!

(DEFINITELY find out about your local regulations about backyard fires....don't want to do anything illegal!)

Another campfire hint is to have a 5-gallon bucket of water nearby in case you need to put the fire out (or be sure you have a water source)

Be responsible about your fire...don't let it get out of hand--be cautious of when you make the fire (wind/dry conditions may cause you to wait for better conditions) etc. Basically be a responsible human!

  

Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915 by Rebecca Locklear -- my REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Are you interested in the history of our country? You might like to check out this very interesting curriculum created by Rebecca Locklear called Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities.  Although I have been to a lot of different maritime museums, I do not believe I had ever heard of the US Life-Saving Service before, so I was definitely interested to get to take a look at this resource.

The version we had to review is an e-book, a .pdf download which was easy to open and read. My 15-year old daughter was going through this as a little sideline to her history studies, and both she and I really enjoyed reading through it!

In the prologue, Rebecca Locklear shares her personal connection to the US Life-Saving Service, which makes her stories even more interesting!

This is really a curriculum that you can use throughout multiple class meetings. We are a homeschool family, and we found that many of the activities were really more meant for a larger group (at least more than one student!) but frankly, the content was just so interesting that we both just wanted to read through it in its entirety right away!

She wanted to try out some of the music that was included in the curriculum!

As you go through this curriculum you get the feeling that you are in a museum, reading stories and bits of information interspersed with photos and graphics which enhance your understanding of the topic. The U.S. Lifesaving Service encompassed both coasts of the US and was kind of a precursor to the Coast Guard; it ended in the beginning of the 20th century.  The book is filled with amazing stories of life as a member of the life-saving service. I am just floored to read about and think about the feats of strength and bravery that these men exhibited. Have you ever been to the ocean? Can you even imagine ROWING a boat through those waves to get to a stranded vessel or to help others who were seemingly hopeless? Wow. 

The photos included in the e-book are museum-worthy,
they really add to the understanding and enjoyment of the narrative.

The book is set up in the format of four separate units, focusing on "Life at the Station House," "Working Together," "The Culture of Character," and "Relevance Today."  There is text to read, illustrations to view, activities to complete (lots and lots of activities!), questions for discussion, and more.  There are many many interesting stories. It does not feel like a text book, but really feels like a written version of a museum.

There are skits and music and group activities; a
rts & crafts; creative writing; public speaking; and more!!
SO, SO MANY GREAT ACTIVITIES!

It is like a ready-made co-op course!  I can really imagine using this to offer a year-long class at a homeschool co-op or at a history museum. It would be great for a 4-H Club or Boy or Girl Scouts, or some type of explorer club or camp. It is very versatile and honestly, I LOVED it!! :) 

We took a trip a few summers ago to Chatham, MA on Cape Cod and this really made the book even more real to us. We could just picture the environment that these men worked in. Have you ever read the book or seen the movie The Finest Hours ?  You will definitely enjoy this e-book, then. 

I really enjoyed this e-book, and so did my daughter. I was wishing that we were connected to a co-op or that I was still a 4-H leader, because I would totally have used this in a group setting. I definitely recommend this resource to groups!  It is super-easy to use, everything is laid out for you, and it is a very interesting part of our nation's maritime history. It can definitely be used for a wide range of students (and it's really interesting for adults, as well!)

Here's what my daughter said about this: I really liked this ebook. I learned a lot about the US Life Saving Service. I learned about what it was, what they did, etc. There were many stations along the coasts, and they would patrol and watch for ships in danger. They would rescue crews from boats that had run aground or were in harm's way. They would practice drills everyday, so when the time came, they were very efficient, and knew what they were doing. I really like this book! It was easy to read, and enjoyable!

There are lots and lots of ideas for extensions as well--and a long list of research topics for further investigation. You can visit the author's website and sign up to receive emails as well at RebeccaLocklear.com  It's just an all-around great product, I am happy to recommend  Exploring the U.S. Life-Saving Service 1878-1915: 17 Student Workshops with 120 Activities to you! To read other reviewers' thoughts on this resource (and some on another resource by the same author regarding the Mayflower), please click on the link below!

Fixing caned canoe seats

I used to do a bit of caning (no, that's not a typo for canning haha, though I do that as well!) --as in I used to have a bunch of chairs with caned seats and they needed re-doing, so I learned how to do it and did them! I also fixed the caned seats of all of my relatives who needed fixing as well :) 

That was about ten years ago. I haven't done any because none needed to be done! So, needless to say, I kind of forgot how to do it. 

This summer upon our first canoe excursion, my husband noticed that his canoe seat (which is caned) was coming apart--so instead of purchasing new seats, I revisisted my caning practice! 

In case you are not familiar with doing caned seats, there are two types--in one, the piece of furniture has holes drilled all arond and you are basically weaving the thin strips of cane material. The other type (the SUPER EASY type) just uses an already-woven piece of cane material and a piece of spline to press it into a groove around the seat edge (kind of like re-doing a screen door). 

The canoe seats were the easy type (yay!) and so I bought some pressed cane materials and spline online (and a few wooden wedges) and got to work. The toughest part, really, was removing the old glue and seat materials from the groove. Once that was cleaned out I could just trim, press, and insert the spline. You soak the materials in water, so they're all flexible when you use them and easy to work with. When you're done, they shrink up a bit to be nice and taut.  

.

If you have a caning project to do, I'd encourage you to give it a try! It is really not hard once you try! There are tons of instructions available online as well as in book/booklet form, and materials are readily available online.

ARTistic Pursuits High School art program -- my REVIEW

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not very art-y. I love art, I appreciate art, I do like creating art, but I am not really one for great historical art appreciation and I feel that I am greatly lacking in traditional art skill expressions (like drawing, painting, etc). Second to that, my children are in high school, and with art not "required" for our high school curricula (we DO include music, don't get crazy on me!), it tends to fall a bit back burner when compared to science and math. I have had the opportunity to review and use in our homeschool programs a few art curricula lately, and this latest one, ARTistic Pursuits High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition really appeals to us. It is a spiral bound book from Artistic Pursuits Inc. that students can work through, with the schedule of one lesson (broken into two one-hour lessons for high schoolers) per week.

The lessons include technique and discussions of different elements of art and how they make a more effective piece of art or more clear communication of what the artist wishes to communicate. There are historical/fine arts type examples and explanations of different techniques, how they fit into art-historical contexts, different artists who use/used different styles, and more. Each lesson gives the student an assignment to allow them to practice one of the skills or techniques which is being taught in the lesson. There are quotes which enhance the student's art experiences. It's quite easy to read and interesting! Often there is a "student gallery" example of a student's art work which goes along with the lesson.

The student gallery is nice, as it is great to see
what other students have drawn, a
nd makes the creating of the student's own art
a little less intimidating! :) 

The lessons are written very clearly and the illustrations enhance the narrative.

Okay, so I already told you up top that we like this art program :) I'm going to give you some reasons for that statement! My 15 year old daughter was the student to use this program in our family. The very first thing that stood out to her was that she was treated as a high schooler. Many art programs begin by addressing the student as if they have never taken an art course before, or even never held a pencil before! Now, we are not artists here, but that does tend to annoy a bit :) So this program was a hit from the start!

The student is making drawings all along, using the different techniques which are taught in each lesson. We really liked the focus on the light and dark lines and using those to draw different parts of a picture. The students had opportunities to draw things from around the house as well as to illustrate things.

obviously...scissors :) 

Illustration of the "St. George and the Dragon" story

"squirrel"

There are great tips and quotes and little information bits throughout each lesson, from seemingly-obvious reminders like don't let your pencils fall, it will break the graphite; to detailed objectives, such as this one in the texture chapter, "Objectives: to understand firsthand how experiencing an object allows the artist to know it in deeper, non-visual ways. The student should notice details beyond what was formerly noticed."

Great-grandpa!
The photo on the left is the one she used
to create this awesome drawing!

Okay, so I've been saving for last my daughter's most proud accomplishment thus far. There are several lessons which have the student draw a face. I'm guessing that you have said before, as she said also, "I just can't draw faces!" Well...she followed along and drew a picture of her great-grandfather from a picture--and later that day she showed it to her dad, without telling him who it is, and asked him who he thought it looked like, and he said, right away, "That's my grandpa!" So that was pretty gratifying for her and encouraging her to do more art with this great high school art program book from Artistic Pursuits. They actually have many other art courses, not just this high school one, and there are other reviews from different levels of the course linked to the graphic below. I'd recommend you click on the graphic and check out some other reviews of this course and think about using it in your homeschool for next year!

Salad twist -- Tzatziki easy recipe

Yummmm my new thing is eating salad but instead of salad dressing  putting tzatziki on it! I'm not sure if it's any healthier but is definitely delicious!!!!!  My homemade tzatziki is probably not like any authentic stuff or anything,  maybe I should just call it tzatziki inspired :) Here's my recipe...chop up a cucumber pretty finely in the food processor and then drain out the liquid pretty good; add a cup or cup and a half of plain Greek yogurt,  add a lot of minced garlic (like 2 Tbsp? ), and a little salt and pepper. Blend it so it's not quite smooth. And that's it!!!! So delicious.