Our Plant Markers

Riley and I braved the chill today to make our own plant markers. I sure did miss the sun, it was supposed to make it to 68 today but it was more like 61!   Very cold after all this warm weather we have had. If you notice the pictures below, Riley was dressed for that warmer weather, he got cold fast!

I had a clay pot that cracked the other day so it was perfect to use for this project. We got our hammer, pliers and wire cutters, wire hangers and our permanent markers. I showed Riley how big I needed the pieces of the clay pot and showed him how to gently tap the pot so it would crack. He grabbed that hammer and just started banging away!! 

Ha!  No, I'm kidding!  He did a great job, he gently tapped the pot and each subsequent piece that needed to be broken.  He turned the hammer over and used the claw to get the crack going if he needed to.

Using a coat hanger, we cut pieces of wire and used our pliers to bend the pieces in a pretty, curly manner.   Riley wrote the names of the plants on the clay pieces.  We then stuck the pieces of clay in between the curls of the wire, to hold them in place.  Riley would carry them outside and stick them in front of the appropriate plants.

 This is one of my favorite pots of herbs, it has Greek Oregano, Lemon Thyme and Fern Leaf Dill.  The plant markers were very easy to make and I think they look cute!  Riley was not too thrilled when he found out he had to help me make plant markers, but when I told him he could use a hammer and pliers, he got excited and was ready to go!  Imagine that!  :-)  Here is the link with the instructions and materials needed at Teaching Good Things.  Have Fun!!

Great Idea to Mark Your Plants

Tonight I was looking at the different comments in the Gardening nook at the Homeschool Lounge, seeing what  new ideas and suggestions were posted.  I came across an idea to mark your plants that I thought was really cute and also something that Riley could possibly help me with, so I thought I would pass it on to you!  Click on this link to Teaching Good Things to see if it might work for you!  I'll will post pictures when we are done.

Am I a Passive Listener or an Effective Doer (or a Purposeful Listener)?

James 1:21-25

 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. 

I need to meditate on His word, prayerfully.  God speaks to me when I am ready to hear Him.  I need to Listen with a submissive spirit, Listen expectantly, Listen intently, Listen carefully, with purpose, Listen prayerfully.  

Wednesday's Walk - T-ball Memories

I am going back to the Spring of 2007, Riley was 5 years old and we signed him up for T-ball.  What a BIG deal it was too!  He got a new glove, cleats and the uniform was just too cute!  It almost swallowed him up!

See, look how big his pants are!  Precious!

Practices were fun meeting all the other parents and boys.  We had a great coach.  He really worked on sportsmanship, playing fair, teaching the boys to work together and show each other respect.  When the games were over he would ask each boy to say something good about another team mate that they may have done during the game.  He really taught the boys how to build each other up. What an awesome thing to teach 5 year old boys.

I'll tell you though, these were some of the best games to watch!  At the first game, Coach introduced each boy and in the background was playing the song, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!..."  they were so excited!  In the beginning, it was so funny to watch them run in the wrong direction after they hit the ball, or throw it to the wrong person.  There was a spot in Right Field that by the end of the season had a deep hole where the boys who played that position would stand in it and dig when they were bored.  Riley was one of them!  But to see them hit the ball and run to first base, then eventually home and feel that sense of excitement for them doing so well!  And to those little boys, snack time at the end of the game was the best part of it all!  What a great time!

It has been a good experience for us to be involved with T-ball and baseball.  We have been so blessed to have some awesome coaches that were good Christian men who taught Riley some good values.

I am so thankful that Riley has stuck with it over the last 3 1/2 years.  It has given him confidence and taught him sportsmanship and how to work with his teammates and help his team play well.   It hasn't been easy, he isn't one of these boys that sports just comes easy, at least baseball anyways.  Last spring he got one hit during the games, he was so discouraged.  Thankfully after some coaxing he decided to play this year and he is so glad he did.  He has been hitting better and working on fielding better.  We'll see what next spring holds because soccer runs a close race with baseball...but for now looking back at T-ball is a wonderful memory of such a precious little boy who could run fast and had a lot of fun!!  My how things change!

Taken by one of the other parents at last weeks game.

A Good Lesson in 'Shop'

I am writing this with half a functioning brain right now...Mom and my sister and I arrived home at 2:30 this morning.  So this will be short and I can't be held accountable if I don't make sense right now.  You haven't even seen all the typos I'm mamking (see? :-)) making.

Chris and Riley had two good days of school.  They worked hard Tuesday getting stuff done and even worked ahead so they could have more time to devote to their birdhouse they were making.  So Wednesday they finished up their assignments and  reviewed some and created this beautiful little birdhouse.  This was part of our lesson on birds from the Apologia Zoology:  Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day.  Riley was so excited!  He learned when to use screws instead of nails, he used a drill, and hammer.  He measured each piece and helped mark them so Chris could make the cuts.  This afternoon after our coop classes Riley and I stained the birdhouse a nice cherry color.  Tomorrow morning he and I will mount the latch to keep the door closed and mount the house on the fence.  Riley was so proud of his little house.  Hopefully soon we will have some new residents in our little house they made!

So they survived the two days without me.  I knew they would.  :-)  Riley had a game Tuesday night which I missed.  He did a great job!  He had two good hits in the outfield and scored a run!  Way to go my little slugger, way to keep trying!  After having a season last year of no hits at all during a game, it is so refreshing to see him get to run the bases.  I sure did miss my two guys and was ready to be home, I'm glad I don't have to leave them often!

It was good to be with family during the last couple of days but my prayers go out for my aunt who laid her husband to rest Wednesday.  He was 87.  It was a beautiful Military service and the Chaplain did a wonderful interpretation of the 23rd Psalm and what the Shepherds responsibility is and how we can apply this to our lives right now.  Wonderful.

Have a blessed night all, I am beat and headed to bed!  Till next time, God Bless!

Busy Little Bees

My goodness have we been busy!! Between school, finishing up scouts for the year, baseball and trying to get my garden going, there hasn't been a lot of down time indoors! I suppose that is a good thing but it's been hard to find the time to post something.

We had two nights this week when the temps got in the 30's but otherwise the weather has been gorgeous! We've had the windows open most of the time listening to the birds, smelling the fresh smell of spring! It's been great!

One day last week during our school time Riley was really having a hard time focusing on school. Each time the phone rang, or the doorbell rang, he would sneak outside to ride his scooter or just go run with Lady! What a stinker! By the end of the week he was missing some electronic game time because trying to get school done was a battle but I don't think he really "missed" it. He spent any free time he had outside! Another day he FINALLY made it outside just in time to see Lady pounce on a grasshopper. That inspired him to try to catch one himself which he did!

 Lady's grasshopper went through the fence! 

 

Of course we had baseball practice and a couple of games so that makes for a busy week. Saturday we had our Annual Pack 8 Fishing rodeo, Riley didn't catch a fish but he sure had fun trying. Some good friends went with us and it was a good time of fishing and fellowshipping!

 Did you get 'em?  Nope.

It has definitely been busy but it has been good!  Now we start a new week...Tuesday and Wednesday I will be at a funeral so Chris and Riley are handling school!  I think they can handle it, but I have to admit, I'm anxious to see how things go and what Chris thinks when I get home!  :-)  I have everything all planned out so there shouldn't be any question as to what to do...

It was a blessed day in the Lords  house today.  It was good to worship and I had a couple of reminders where my eyes should be...on Christ!  Not on myself and my circumstances but Christ.  When I have my eyes on Him all the circumstances work themselves out!  I so needed those reminders as I recover from one busy week and go into another one!  I hope you all have a blessed week and enjoy this beautiful weather!