Thanks everyone. Glad I asked because most sites say not to pre-wash, which I found strange because you have not even cut the squares yet, so this wouldn't even affect the fraying. I also found this wonderful site which has conversion charts. http://jubileehomespun.com/info/Quilt_Instructions.htm Sure Amy. I will post a picture. If anyone else does one please post. I would also love to see what everyone has come up with. Wishing we still had a Joann's Fabric.................

Our Local Newspaper sells huge end rolls for $2.00. I guess they have to reload, and are not able to use them till the end.

A tip is to plant a banana peel underneath each tomato plant, with soil between. Ruth and Jeff Bankers, Phoenix gardeners, say that each time they have tried this, their tomato plants have been covered with red fruit. Mikel speculates that the peels release ethylene gas, which typically ripens fruit faster. I have also seen in gardening books that hang banana peels on the tomato cages to speed up the ripening progress. You can also pick them and put them in a brown paper bag with a banana. You can fill the bag with as many tomatoes that will fit, and put in a banana. Good luck!!!!!!!!!! http://www.wikihow.com/Ripen-Green-Tomatoes Now if I could keep those little pesty bugs off of mine organically.

This looks like something I would like to do. Does anyone have a good book or website that they have used. I would like it to be as simple as possible. I do not really like a lot of instructions. Even though I would like to sew I become a nervous wreck having to read the pattern, so I have given up.

Good luck on whatever choice you make Jean. I just had to add I also feel overwhelmed at curriculum's that have so many books choices. I used MFW this year and the book basket drove me nuts. I felt that if I did not choose many of the books from it for each week we were not doing enough, and felt overwhelmed trying to decide which ones we should read. If you are the type of person who can do the spine and a few read alouds and not worry on all the extras it is great. Why do I stress over not doing enough??? Must be how I am hardwired. :willy_nilly: Ha, the year before I combined SOTW/with activity guide with MOH. What a disaster with all the book list. Enough for a complete nervous breakdown!!!:lol: We are trying Sonlight this year because they have the main spines and the book choices already made for me. Will it work??? I have no clue!!! I have also thought of Ambleside because the book list does not seem to overwhelm me, I think it is very doable. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in the stress of trying to find that perfect fit. Good luck

If it makes you feel any better it is the same here with my mil. She buys all the other grandchildren new school items except my children. My husband just shrugs and explains he is not close enough to them(mil/fil) for it to matter. Yet my children are the ones who do mil/fil's yard work (We do insist they get paid for this) and we get that can you fix this/that calls all the time. I think we get the most calls because most jobs started by the others neverrrrrr get finished. Last year at Christmas, I witnessed on accident them having the rest of their Christmas after we left. I had to come back in mil's house because I forgot something when I heard her say "Ok guys they're gone now lets "do" Christmas." I think it all comes down to that we have made our own way, we can provide for ourselves, and truly do not need their help. Parents tend to radiate to the children who are less independent. I think it makes them still feel needed??? Bottom line it is their loss. My children are expected to respect their grandparents, but not understand them. When they grow into adults then they can make their own decision on where the relationship goes from there. Needless to say my children and husband spend 10X more time with my parents.. I often hear him say that he is closer to my parents than he is to his own. I really had no solution, but I wanted you to know you are not alone.

Well, I had the best intentions!!:001_smile: I got the book had a hard time getting through the 1st few chapters, got the CD's from the library and sadly never finished it. When I took the CD's back the head librarian ask me how did I like them. I had to admit I could not finish. She just laughed and said it was one of the few books she could not finish either. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXhXDWzbqns After seeing this video a while back I would make sure I washed any items I planned to use. I would take my own cups and wash the coffee maker out well and clean any surface I plan to prepare my food on. Sorry, this just came to mind when I saw your post.

We do not take breaks so to speak in the summer because of the heat. We are in South Texas where some years it can get over 90 for months on end. My kids actually like year round school vs taking long breaks. We take off when the weather gets cool or spring comes around. We take small vacations on and off during the year. It also works better for our schedule and with my husbands shift work. I also think you have to figure out what works better for your family and go with it. Might not be what works for me, or the next person but after all it is homeschooling.;)

We use it with My Fathers world. They learn 2 words a week, they write all the info on a card. They review the sentences every other day. Then they review them on Friday. It takes about 5 minutes a day. My children never complain, they actually discuss the roots with me on a regular basis. It is easy, and I really don't teach it I just help them review. Not sure if how many they will remember at the end. I am going to do a review when we are done in a few weeks. I can post in a few weeks how much they actually retained.

I read this in Readers Digest this last month. I know what you are talking about my 14 year old boy is the same way. This is an article on driving and why 16 year old should not be behind the wheel. http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/dangerous-teen-drivers/article81417.html Here is the link to the whole article. I think every parent that has a teen that is going to drive soon should read it. Laughing....they don't cover paper towels and toilets..... Here is the part about how they are hardwired. 1. TEACH YOUR KIDS Part of the reason for teens' poor judgment is hardwired: The brain's prefrontal cortex-which handles tasks like controlling impulses-isn't fully formed. “Our brains get tons of input from multiple places,” says Flaura Winston, MD, scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. “Adults don't act on all those impulses; we sort them. But teens have a hard time doing this.” And they have a hard time understanding what's risky in a car. In a recent study, researchers surveyed 5,600 teens and found huge gaps in their knowledge.

The Teacher Manual/Edition just has the answers to the student textbook. (Now that I think about it the 1st grade TM does have teaching tips but I think after that you must purchase the Curriculum/lesson plan book) What you would want to purchase is the Arithmetic Curriculum and Lesson plan book. I always used them for the lower grades but stopped using them about 4th grade. I know some have said that the Curriculum book is not needed, but I feel it makes the program more complete. They give all types of teaching tips, shows the concept to be taught each day. I also feel that the Concept cards are a great addition to the program. HTH's

I know this may seem off-base but I store my items in coolers. They stack well and completely seal off to keep everything out including the heat from the garage. I leave all my items in their original packaging and either refold the bag and use clothes pins to keep it closed. I also use my sealing machine to re-seal some items. Just a thought..... Oh, I also use glass bottles(like old cracker jars)I found at Target. They are nice enough that I can display them on a tall metal rack that I have in the kitchen.

Was the can of paste a small one? This is great!!! Thank you

One important thing to remember is that if they do not like a specific item now, does not mean they will not develop a palate for it later. If often hear parents say "Oh they don't eat that" I think after the child hears that enough he believes he will never like it. I would never force my children to eat a specific item, but would make them available. I now have two children who will even eat brussel sprouts.

Excellent thoughts. Good luck on the goals you have set for yourself. Cindy in South Texas where it is just to hot to do anything but swim and surf the computer.

What surprises me is the price Sonlight cores are selling for on e-bay. You might as well buy new from Sonlight to support them. I really love buying new. I love the way the books look and smell. I pouted for days when hubby said, "how about buying used this year!!!" The core I wanted is $500.00...:ack2: Hum....no more "new" items from Academy for him!!!

HhAaaa!!! This is exactly what we had last night!!! Only with much less butter. I actually use Smart Start. MM Sandwiches

We are in South Texas our lots are 3/4 of a acre. For the most part we "Love" most of our neighbors and or friendly/some are like family. They have helped me in more ways than I have ever deserved. Drove me to hospital, cooked for me, helped me when hubby was working and something needed doing urgently. We borrow groceries from each other, help each other out doing small jobs, do house and pet sitting. Our children do things together. THEN>>>> We have some that you cannot get along with. 1. The couple that lives behind us. They are retired, never had children and gripe and complain about everything. They complain to other neighbors, speak ill of others children...ect...ect.. 2. Then we have the very next door neighbors. They are in their 50's...they have children that dump their grandchildren on them when they get a chance. Their 9 month old crawled over to our fence when the grandmother wasn't looking and a dog bit him. Well needless to say, even though they had no proof it was our dog...guess what? Our dog got 10 days quarantine $100.00 for a little blood blister to the childs skin. The animal control said that it could have been one of their dogs as well. Husband call them to see what had happened and they just giggled, replied nothing, everything was fine. Go figure!!! This is my big beef with them.....they let those little ones wander over to our driveway. I am sorry but I do not want to run over one of these little children because the grandparent is too busy to watch them. With all of this we try to be friendly but I cannot say we have a neighborly friendship. 3.Then there is the recluse SP?? across the street who has put up a barbed wire fence and milk jugs and walmart sacks to mark his property boundry. LOL, I can deal with this. For the most part it just gets giggles and questions from people who come to visit with us. I Just remind myself over and over, whispering it under my breath when trying to deal with them. "Love Thy Neighbor as thy self" Forgot to mention that there are some who live on my very street that don't even wave or speak. Most of us have been here 20 plus years. I think some people just like to be left alone and don't have time for even a brief bit of friendship.

Is Costco better than Sams? If so, would it be worth it to get a membership even if the nearest one is 1- 1/2 hours away. We always see one in San Antonio should we stop and check it out? Favorite: Target, Academy and E-bay

Wow,:D thanks for this info. I had no clue there was even a scale up there!!!:001_smile:

:D:lol::D:lol: This made me laugh. We are 40 min. from the coast between Houston and Corpus. I think we will be fine, just expecting rain and wind.

Next time there is a picnic planned suggest she brings the food. Would that be a subtle and kind hint?:lol:

Only in my wildest dreams would my boys ever be like this. But I can dream!!!!

Praying for this dear little girl and her family... We have a homeschool family here that the grandfather ran over his 4 year old grandson while leaving to pick-up his granddaughter. Logan is now in physical therapy. Here is Logan if you would also like to pray for him. He is such a beautiful little boy my heart is just breaking when I think what the future might hold for him. http://www.photoshow.com/watch/ws2Uu8AR