Home School Packing party

Operation Christmas Child

Yesterday my kids and I went over to a friends for a shoebox packing party.

Operation Christmas Child is an organization that has grown near and dear to my heart. The Home School group that I am involved in organizes filling shoeboxes that go to needy children all over the world. This year we packed 256 boxes.

Our goal each year is to have each box filled with many different things for the child. We start with “the Essentials” as one of the Mom’s mentioned. A pad of paper, crayons, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners, tooth brush and tooth paste, a bar of soap and wash cloth, possibly a hair bow or two in the girl boxes, a small bag of hard candy, a stuffed animal, and a piece of clothing (mitten, socks, scarf, hat), then we add in another toy or two.

These boxes go to children in the most needy parts of the world. We have heard that for most of the children these boxes will be the first gifts that they ever receive. Along with their boxes they receive a message about Jesus Christ and literature in their own language.

Each box costs about $7 to ship. While as a group we don’t always gather enough funds to ship the boxes we pack, there are other groups that gather more funds than they have boxes for. God works it all out in the end. He has provided donations and has gotten these boxes in the hands of just the right child time and time again.

We have heard about one child that received a box. She didn’t want to go to school that day because her shoes had broken and her dad couldn’t fix them. She went to school, they received their shoeboxes and inside her box was a pair of shoes that were her size, brand new, she had never had a pair of brand new shoes before.

If anyone wants to donate to ship a box please log unto samaritanspurse.org Or you can contact myself and I will make sure your money goes towards shipping a box.

If anyone would like to donate items to fill a box, let me know.

New online shop and baking day.

We had a busy day yesterday. In the end, I made 4 tutu’s, 2 MSU & 2 UofM. Grocery shopping was completed, and I started an online shop at artfire.com

It will take me a few days to tweak everything on Art Fire to get it how I would like. But they have a start up guide, and they are more integrated with google than Etsy. So I have to check it out.

Today I have to bake a bunch of cookies and ship out some orders. I am hoping to also get some pie filling made, and a few marshmallows.

Getting into the swing of fall/winter

I am trying to get back into blogging. We will see how it goes.

This week in our home school we are working on Genesis 43 thru the end. Learning to tell the time, and the solar system and start constellations. Although I prefer to learn the constellations outside at night when you can see them, I looked at the weather and we might have to put that off until next week.

I am working on using up my craft supplies. I don’t get much time to craft in the summer, I have to do my crafting November thru May. Yesterday I finished off 2 tutu’s, and have 2 more almost finished. I ran out of a few colors of tulle or they would be done. I have enough tulle for 4 more complete tutu’s, which I am hoping to get done today.

I also have stamping supplies, it is a new craft that I am interested in doing. Maybe I will get to work with those as well. I also need to work on my mending. I have a huge pile of shirts without buttons, and coats with broken zippers, along with some favorite toys that have holes in them.

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter weekend, and I hope all of my friends and family did too.

Friday we had our annual Egg Hunt. 650. Eggs. 15 Kids. Talk about fun. Good food. And plenty of laughs.

Saturday was market as normal for us. Then we had a birthday party. Anna cut her hair off.

Sunday Jed didn't feel good. Poor guy. He had been up half the night. Still he was a trooper and got up and went to church to help make breakfast. I got the kids ready and headed in myself. I stayed for the second service. We got to hear Jeffery Miller speak. He is a Messianic Jew and a wonderful speaker. We were blessed to have him. After that, we went to Jed's parents for lunch and an egg hunt.

Today is Monday so everything is going back to normal. Yipee.

Spring Clean Up Is Here!

It's clean up time around the farm! A sign that spring is here. The snow is gone and has uncovered all the winter uglies. Some things lost, some things stashed just outside the door because the snow was covering everything, others left out from last fall.

The front yard is cleaned, The chicken fencing is repaired. The apple crates are mostly put away. Loads of garbage picked up. Day one is complete.

Day two will be more pick up, along with a bonfire, just to get everything taken care of. I cannot wait. This year I am planning on adding a flower bed, actually moving one, and creating another.

We also need to get the plastic on the greenhouse and get that finished off. We are really starting on building our homestead to become self sufficient. I am glad that my husband shares that goal with me. Maybe not to the same extent, but in similar ways.

Tuesday - More craft show prep

Yesterday I cut out 5 half aprons, 2 pillowcase dresses, 3 crayon rolls, and lots of plastic bag holders and fabric gift bags.

Today I am hoping to get them all sewn together and do some more cutting.

My back is still very sore, and my nose is draining today, I think my headache will go away if I take some motrin. We will see. I definitely need to get lots done. I am also hoping to make some apple sauce or butter today, and marshmallows.

Wish me luck.

Monday, Finished some dresses yesterday

This week I am crafting up a storm. I am going to be at the Kalkaska Trout Festival Craft show this coming Saturday, and I don't have much stock. So I am working on stock.

Here is what I finished yesterday. I actually finished 4 dresses.

Two of them are Anna's the other two are going to an Etsy Friend, once I hem them up.

Today I am going to be working on some aprons. wish me lots of luck.