School time fun!

School time fun!
This year in school we are studying Rome to the Reformation with My Father's World. We have enjoyed lots of projects this year, learning about arches, castles, and much more.

In the Roman unit, we built an arch out of pudding and jello boxes. Daddy helped the kids build this by trimming the boxes on one side, so they would be a wedge for the Roman arch. Here is what it looked like (we taped it together with masking tape...)

 In the next unit of the year, we talked a lot about English and European history, including the Crusades, knights and castles. There was a "Make A Castle" kit included with our curriculum this year. Daddy helped the kids make this one evening and they have been enjoying it ever since. They learned a lot about reading, following directions, cutting and gluing precisely. (Perfect job for my first-born husband!)

 It's been a fun year so far in history! We look forward to more cool projects to come!

Acts 17:25-27

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Joshua 23:3
You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you.

Psalm 98:2
The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

In the practice of frugality, I read several library books years ago, and wrote down various recipes for home cleaning. I have saved them in a yellow folder in my cookbook shelf, and pull them out when I need to make more! I like the idea of buying a few basic products and making them on my own. Here are several of the common ones I make...

Homemade Glass Cleaner
1 c. rubbing alcohol
1 c. water
1 Tbsp white vinegar

Place in spray bottle, shake. Great on chrome, mirrors, tiles too! You can add blue food coloring if you want.

OR

Window Cleaner (from Grocery Shrink)   Cost: 1 cent!
4 cups water
2 drops Joy dish detergent
1 drop blue food coloring

Mix in 32 spray bottle, shake to combine.

Dry carpet cleaner
2 cups baking soda
1/3 cup corn starch
1 Tbsp ground gloves

Store in jar with tight fitting lid. Shake and sprinkle on carpet, leave on overnight. Vacuum up next day.

Carpet Cleaner (non-greasy spills)
1/2 tsp dishwashing liquid
1 tbsp vinegar
1 cup warm water

Mix and blot on stain, rinse.

Disinfecting spray cleaner (from Grocery Shrink)    Cost: 59 cents!
This recipe is based on castille soap and an awesomely healthy cleaner. Just a touch of borax makes it disinfecting without becoming a toxin. You can change the scent by adding a few drops of essential oil, or by buying the castle soap that is already infused with essential oils.

1/4 cup vinegar (4 cents)
2 tsp borax (less than 1/2 cent)
1/4 cup liquid castille soap (Dr. Bronner's is the best brand, we like peppermint, any flavor will work.) (55 cents)
2 cups hot water
1 drop food coloring (optional)

Swirl all ingredients together in spray bottle. Shake before using.  Spray and wipe. Ideal for countertops, table tops, stove tops, high chair trays, etc.,

Soft Scrub
Works on greasy stuff, baked on around burners or around stove hood.

Make a paste with baking soda and hand washing dish detergent. Rub in a stiff brush or non-scratching pad. Rinse well.

Adding water to this to clean really dilutes the cleaning power. Save water for the end.

Toilet Cleaner  Cost: (from Grocery Shrink) 27 cents!
Add one cup borax to the toilet bowl and leave overnight. (Protect pets and babies from the toilet!) Swish with brush in morning and flush!

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You can read more about Grocery Shrink in this blog post here.  Some of the other cleaners are from The Complete Cheapskate by Mary Hunt.

I've found inexpensive spray bottles at the dollar store, but they don't always last. My favorite spray bottles are the old ones that my name brand glass cleaner/ disinfectant came in.

Do you have any homemade cleaning recipes that you make? Please feel free to share!


Psalm 18:20
The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalm 51:7
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

American Girl class: Caroline Week 2

American Girl class: Caroline Week 2
We had another fun class this week learning about Caroline! After discussing Caroline's Secret Message (book 2 in the series), we dove into our craft!

Our craft this week was Handkerchief Baby Bonnets. I had planned to do some knot-tying with natural cord from the craft store, as Caroline did in the first book with her father. But the bonnets took longer than I thought they would, so... maybe we'll tie knots next time!

I found the outline for easy bonnets here. For the bonnets, I found mens handkerchiefs at Target, 6 in a package. I took them out of the package and did the ironing ahead of time, so that was done. The girls had to sew a running stitch inside the lower CREASE (I did it wrong the first time, that is important!), then turn the ruffle up inside the bonnet and stitch it inside. Then they sewed two pink ribbons, made into bows, one on each side. It was a cute and fun craft, but took about 45 minutes! It really is a baby bonnet, not big enough for a girl and too big for a doll.

MY SAMPLE MADE AT HOME

We quickly snuck in our snack, which was Ginger Cake and Spiced Cider. You can find the cake recipe that we used here. The ginger cake was delicious-- one mom made it with icing, and one without. They were delicious both ways!

 The purple boxes on the tables are new trashcans! I finally got rid of my old paper gift bags, and found some collapsible, square boxes that will work great!

We will be discussing A Surprise for Caroline (book 3) next week and making another craft with handkerchiefs! I am enjoying the girls a lot! I hope they are enjoying it too!

2 Samuel 15:30
But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.

1 Corinthians 11:3-8
But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;