Scrapbook Software Discount-Limited Time offer!

Hey Scrappers, Or Digi scrapper wanna be's. There is a great-time limited deal going on right now. So this is an awesome time to buy if you have been thinking about it for a while.

The people over at MyMemories.com love me, so every Person who buys MyMemories Suite Software using my STM promo code during this Special Limited Time Offer is eligible to receive a One Year RAKStar Membership - free!! That's a free HUGE Digital Scrapbooking kit... every month - and it's MyMemories Suite compatible, so it's like getting a free software content upgrade every month!! Valued at $247.35!!!

Here's how it works: You can purchase at www.mymemories.com use this code -STMMMS55432 for a $10.00 off discount. Then email me a copy of the receipt. Receipt must be dated between (February 24, 2012 - March 31, 2012). Then I will send you a gift certificate code to get your free RAKStar Membership-free!

Here is the link to see some of the items the RakStar members have received in the past.

You can download the software directly , no waiting on a cd to arrive.

Here is one of the latest quickpages I made. It is a page that is already made and is free on MyMemories.com  So I just downloaded it and added in my photos and date.

Digi Scrapping

Here are some Digital pages I have made recently.

These pages were to put in Lexi’s 4H project book to show the things she has done this year.

Moon and Sunrise

Last night I caught a weird effect. I was shooting the moon, and picked up something else. I asked around on the DPS forum. Some people say it might have been lens glare. Another source said perhaps Mars.

 

This morning’s Sunrise.

4H Scrapages

I made a couple scrap pages to put in Lexi's explorer folder. She has to turn it in in April. She has worked really hard on completing the book and projects. I wanted to include some pictures in the book of her hard work.

Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!

In honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday & the release of the new movie based on The Lorax, Homeschool Share is having a drawing contest. Children up to the age of 10 are allowed to participate. So Lexi decided to enter. She drew a picture of the Once-ler. We don't have the book so we watched the reading of it on Youtube.

Here is her drawing.

Mandarin Lessons

We have been taking Mandarin lessons now for a couple weeks. We have made some flash cards,
learned how to do a little writing, learned colors, numbers, and how to say
"Where are you from , and I am from Tennessee."

This is a picture of our instructor Isaac. Here he is using Phase 10 cards to help us learn how to say numbers.

Teaching the kids Chinese Chess. The peices, a general, 2 majors ,2 elephants, 2 horses, 2 cars, 2 canons, 5 soldiers.

Time Travelers

Time Travelers in one of our activities within our 4H club. We learn History and do different research projects. The kids had an assignment to research a famous Tennessean, and create a scrap page from one of their quotes. They were also to do one other famous person in history. Yesterday the kids had these presentations to make.

Lexi chose Benjamin Banneky-since she is reading a book this week on him. The quote was: “Evil communication corrupts good manners, I hope to live to hear that good communication corrupts bad manners.”

Her famous Tennessean was Miley Cyrus-the quote: “It is important to ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing, and what purpose it serves in the big picture.”

Peyton’s famous Tennessean was Mack Brown-Head football coach of the Texas Longhorns Football Team. He was born in TN. The quote:” If one guy is playing bad I can replace him, If 3 are playing bad-I have to replace you.” Speaking to his staff.

Weekly Wrap Up

 

This past weekend was the end of the kids Upward Basket Ball games. They had a presentation Saturday night. They brought in one of the Harlem Globetrotters, he did some tricks for the kids and gave his testimony. It was a lot of fun. Here are two pages I made for each of the kids.

We have resumed our America unit after taking a week off last week. Our read aloud is “The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed. Peyton is reading “Amos Fortune”, Lexi is reading “What are you Figuring Now?” A bout Benjamin Banneker. 

Peyton finished up Fractions today and scored a 95 on his final exam. He will begin Decimals (Life of Fred, and Key to Decimals tomorrow.) He will interchange them daily.

Lexi is still working on long division with Kumon grade 4.

They are both still studying JBQ and have another meet coming up in March.

Peyton is still working on Greek level 2, after finishing 2 levels of Latin.

We all began Mandarin (Chinese) lessons today. We had an opportunity from a Grad student who is working on getting his hours in teaching –so he offered to give us free Mandarin lessons. I thought it was a great opportunity for us. Today we had our first lesson and he used Uno cards to teach us, colors, numbers, and how to say Hi, Goodbye, Thank You and Sorry. (We have to keep practicing each day.) Our next lesson is Monday so I hope he feels that we respect his time and energy.

I got a new software this week-A photo editing software. It is something I really wanted but really never thought I would buy b/c it lists for $299.00 and I really wasn’t willing to spend that kind of money on just a hobby. A week ago they put Lightroom 3 on sale for $69.00 so  I ordered it. They are coming out with LR4 this summer.

Anyway, I have been spending some time this week  trying to learn how to use it.  Here is the first picture I played with. I used a painterly preset I found online. It takes an image and gives it a painted effect.

   This is the actual image I took last fall.

This is the image with the painted effect added. I would really love to take a painting class someday. But I don’t have time right now to add another hobby. Once I get real comfortable with LR3 and PSE9, then I may look into taking a class.

Oh and I also began reading “The Hunger Games”. Tomorrow night is our traditional crop night for scrapbooking. I will probably spend most of the time watching Youtube tutorials on LR and PSE and organizing my photos.

A Beautiful Day

This is an old post from back in Early February. Anyway I just now saw that I never posted it.. LOL

We took a little time to go walk one of the trails at a nearby park this week. I really wanted to get out in nature (outside of our yard, and neighborhood) and try to snap a few pics for an upcoming photography assignment. Anyway, here are the pics I took of the kids. I will post again on the assignment topic since I took so many pictures.

Playing in the stream.

Looking at patterns in nature. A tree that has fallen creating a diagonal line.

A cropped image of Peyton with the lake in background. This is one of those where Lexi had a goofy smile, so she got edited out. LOL

Musing Mondays

Matthew 11

Jesus and John the Baptist

¹ After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.^[a]

² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[b] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

As I quickly glanced at Facebook posts this morning, this thought came to me. (The story of John the Baptist.) We know he was a great man, Jesus loved him dearly. In fact in this passage, Jesus goes on to say that among those born of women there is none greater than John the Baptist.

John, here is  imprisoned, he is about to be beheaded. Herod’s step daughter has requested (as her reward for dancing), John’s head on a platter. (Gruesome.)

John, begins to doubt, he begins to stumble. (I can only imagine his thoughts,) If you are the one, you have the power, yet you won’t free me? Surely, if you were the Messiah, you would not let me suffer this. (I have my own theology-about how the Christ should act. ( He doesn’t think this out loud, but it is a subconscious thought.) Are you really the one? Have I been mistaken? Should we look for another?  Where is the God that acts like I think he should?

John stumbles, Jesus says “blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 

It isn’t easy, when we suffer trials. I remember going through some trials years ago, wondering why.

  “Why, do I have to suffer? Lord, you have the power to heal me, you have the power to change this. Why do I have to go down this road?”  I wish today I could tell you I now know why, but I don’t. I just know that as I went down that road –He was with me. He loved me every step of the way. I can’t even say that I think the trial really strengthened me, or even brought me closer to God. I do know that no matter what, He is God, and he loves me dearly. (No matter what I see-what circumstance may arise, no matter what feelings I have, His love for me is unchangeable.)

“Sometimes he calms the storm, other times he calms his child”. (I love this chorus of this song.)

May we be blessed today-and not stumble.

Weekly Update

Since we took the week off, I can't really call it a wrap up. So just an update.

This past week we worked around the house, and just enjoyed a slower pace. The kids caught up on some reading. Lexi worked on her 4H Explorer's book. I got my new computer and worked on getting pics, files etc. transferred over. I just need to get my wireless printer installed now.

Friday night the kids had their last Upward BB games. Saturday night was the final presentation night. One of the Harlem Globetrotters visited, he was alot of fun, the kids got to spin the ball on their fingers.

Tomorrow we begin our last 11 week unit for this year. So I will update more later in the week.

Wordless Wednesday

Peyton during his Upward game this past Saturday.

This icicle formed over the weekend. 18 inches long.

The Valentine's Day bear.

The roses Gary gave me for V-Day.

Sunday's Speed Scrap, a page on Lexi's Upward Game

Weekly wrap up

This week we continued our read aloud-Caddie Woodlawn. We actually finished the book Thursday. So Friday we will begin reading Moccasin Trail.

The kids continued on with their regular studies in Math, Language Lessons, Greek etc.

We had a field trip Tuesday to a local nursery.

We only have 2 more weeks of Upward Games so it will be a nice break once we are finished.

Next week we are taking off-Winter Break. We have to keep reading though-or it will set us behind. We begin our last 11 week unit the following week. I really want to get another book in as well-The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed. So I will have to see, we may have to delay our new unit another week.

Wordless Wednesday

Living Stones -This is a succulent plant similar to the cactus.

It blooms in late summer. I like the patterns on it.

Daffodils taken with my new 50MM lens, my mother sent it to me for my upcoming Birthday.

A friendly neighborhood dog dropped in to play with Dixie for a little while.

Dixie loved having a puppy for company.

A picture of the kids. Taken with my new lens.

Chloe (the neighborhood dog) up close, lovely patterns.

Also taken with my new lens.

Our dog, Dixie, who stays in bed even after the humans get up.

4-H Greenhouse Field Trip

Today we went on a field trip with our 4H group to a large area greenhouse. There were so many types of plants, trees, flowers etc. I had to snap some pictures since my assignment this wee for DPS was repetition and patterns in nature.

They actually sent each family home with one of these daffodil planters.

This is called a pitcher plant. The little pitchers at the bottom hold water and capture insects.

This was probably one of my favorites there. A polka dot plant.

I brought 2 of these home for my planters in my dining room, along with some english ivy. I really like the patterns on this plant too. (And it doesn't require a lot, so works for me.)

I brought home this pretty purple cabbage too.