Homeschool Summer Field Trip

During the summer here in Texas, normal temperatures are in the mid 90's. the weatherman said we were in a cold front last week at 91*. i think that spells it out.....it's HOT!

Keeping kids entertained can be difficult, when playtime outside is cut down drastically due to extreme temperatures. So every summer my sister and I try to find fun to do with the kids. It's nice when it can be educational too. Now that I'm homeschooling, I look at all activities differently. So when my sister Heather suggested we visit McKinney for the day, I was game.

McKinney, Texas has been named in the top 10 places to live three years in a row. The historic McKinney Square has been said to be the place to visit; due to its historic buildings, small town feel and charm, as well as great shops and restaurants. Adding to that charm, is Historic Chestnut Square Village.

http://www.chestnutsquare.org/

Chestnut Square Village is a collection of historic homes. This village was a dream of two ladies in the 1970's. Not unlike many historic neighborhoods across the country, old homes were being torn down or becoming so unkempt, they needed to be torn down. Seeing this happening in McKinney, these two ladies mortgaged their own homes, to save a couple historic ones. The rest as they say is "history"! Their dream came to fruition and flourished. {I sure hope I got the facts right! It's hard not to get distracted by the beautiful homes.}. There are several historic homes, general store, school house, and chapel.

Now the neighborhood around Chestnut Square is seeing revitalization too. Huge old trees line the hilly and winding streets. The neighborhood echoes a time gone by, of people sitting on their porches, sipping lemonade in the hot summer, watching children play under the shade of the trees and a time when everyone knew everyone. How could you not fall in love with Old McKinney, after an afternoon here?

Well, Tuesday we did just that....fell in love with all that Historic McKinney had to offer.

Chestnut Square offers all types of tours; private, group tours, haunted tours, and even Christmas Holiday tours, complete with docents dressed in period clothing and all the homes dressed for the Holidays. You can even rent some of the facilities for parties and weddings, including the historic Chapel.

We were fortunate enough to get a private tour, because no one else came in for a tour yesterday. We think it's because of the advertised heat. But, "psssst...it's air conditioned!". So, not only did we get a break from the heat, but we got a history lesson and plenty of time to ask as many questions as we wanted. So much of the tour, we were able to touch and feel and get really up close to the antiques on display. From antique wallpaper, children's clothing, wedding dresses and shoes, antique pianos, pump organs, china, etc. etc. stories of family relations to Jesse James, Civil War heroes, and the stories of the local Dr. and Blacksmith. We were so enthralled, we lost track of time and went over time by an hour. If that tells you anything...you won't be bored and the docents enjoy getting questions and nswering them. From ages 6-39, all were entertained. This tour also includes the largest collection of ice cream machines in the country, mascots Chester the cat, as including Collin & McKinney the miniature goats. The tour ended with us in Dixie's general store and bringing home some great souvenirs of times gone by.

I always tell my boys, and I'm sure I've parroted it on my blog a few million times too, you can't appreciate your present and future, unless you appreciate and know the past. Our local, state, and national history is so important. Historic villages such as Chestnut Square, not only preserve historic homes, but our local history. I was so glad Heather thought to visit Historic McKinney, and so were the kids. Having a wonderful lunch at Square Burger didn't hurt either.

If your in search of a fun & educational, family, school, or homeschool, field trip, Chestnut Square Village and Historic McKinney Square is a must! Be sure and block out enough time for the tour, lunch, shopping, gelato (smile) at Paciugo, and driving around drooling at the restored historic homes and those homes waiting to be lovingly restored.

Here are a few pictures from our tour...

These two I borrowed from their Facebook page...adorable and friendly Chester as well as the Dulaney house, both part of the tour.

Here are a few pictures showing the walls that still have fabric, most likely cheese cloth, that would have gone over the boards to protect the wallpaper from the house shifting. Some of the walls were made from the packing crates used in the move to Texas. The docent explained all of this to us. I was so fascinated with the walls.

 

 

Original oil lamps that have been converted to electric.

Children's clothing: It was dark in this room and the flash really washed these pictures out...but, I wanted to show them anyway. The detail of the mother-of-pearl buttons was so sweet on the boys black velvet outfit.

 

 

Calling cards...so sweet!

I loved this story..."Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite", was a saying from beds being made of rop ties. You had to keep them tight or you would end up on the floor with bugs and more specifically, bed bugs...YUK, but yet so interesting!

This old steamer trunk, in tact, just made me drool. I loved it! The lithographs were so beautiful.

 

The color....Oh the color! And of course a beautiful corner built in, in the great kitchen/hearth room.

Preston, reluctantly posing by the fireplace, so I could show the scale of this fireplace.....HUGE, and the beautiful original color.

My boys and my adorable niece and nephew, on the steps of one of the many homes and buildings.

Hopefully, this will inspire you to visit and appreciate your local history. Have fun in Summers last Hoorah, before school starts, and thank you for letting me share our summer homeschool field trip.

 

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Motivational Monday: Do you Worry?...Too Much?

Sometimes I feel like that's all I do...WORRY! Do I have everything for this coming school year?, Did I forget something?, Do we have an appointment I'm forgetting?, Did The kids take their vitamins?....Did I take mine?....ugh!! (I joke about the vitamins...all Moms out there know what I mean, it's all the little things that add up to one BIG worry!)

There is NOTHING life pressing, nothing critical, nothing devastating. So, why do I worry so much? What can I do to make myself stop worrying. Then, I realized it's the "pending".... Things pending, are things to be done, to be organized, to be cleaned, etc. etc. etc. drives me NUTS!!!

Then, I came across this on Pinterest. I am a huge believer in making your own destiny. Making your own happiness, even when times in my life it felt like there was no hope, I still had faith that with God's help and me DOING...I could get out of any sticky, awkward, or horrible situation life handed me. There was always hope!

I grew up Catholic and our family motto was "hand it over" as in, hand it over to God. Whatever your belief, sometimes we have to just let go, and believe in ourselves and if you believe in God, then also hand it over to God.

Yet, I still coped with heavy situations by worrying and planning, then more worrying and planning. But, when I saw this, it really hit home. We can't change the outcome!

However, through the toughest moments in my life, when there seemed to be NO hope, I knew I couldn't change the outcome, but with effort, I could change my future.

I wasn't a victim anymore! And, I was no longer a victim of my life circumstances!

So, now...fast forward, I have the best husband of 13+ years, two beautiful, loving, kind boys, a beautiful home, and wonderful friends and family. Why worry? Worrying is toxic. It turns into me not sleeping, constant frustration, dissatisfaction, and ultimately a state of unhappiness.

I decided I needed to stop worrying and take care of me!

I'm eating better, exercising, and trying to remind myself that "pending's" will get done, no matter how much I worry. Life will go on if I forget an appointment, kids vitamins, etc. etc.

Life goes on... So we might as well relax, take one day at a time and only worry about living a good, honest, loving life! The rest will fall into place.

Happy Motivational Monday! Have a good evening, relax, and stop worrying! Believe in yourself and remember, God is there........

 

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What Do You Do To Beat The Heat?

Well, I try to keep busy indoors! Unfortunately, having asthma and trying to stay healthy when it gets up to the high 90's into the 100's, like it does every year in Texas, it can be difficult.

I just try to get organizing done, clean out closets, prepare for school, and of course decorate!

Or...I could just take advice from Darby, and cool myself on the concrete floor!

On our leather ottoman for watching movies, I put out some roasted peanuts. My neighbor Marla had some peanuts in a darling glass jar along with a basket lined with a red gingham napkin, for the shells, on her patio. I usually have chestnuts or pecans during the Fall, but hadn't had peanuts in a long time. I had to copy and have them out for my boys. All 3 of them LOVE it! Thanks Marla for the inspiration!

My Mojito Mint plant is growing like crazy, and started to bloom. So I pinched of all the blooms, saved some leaves for Mojito's last night...OF COURSE!...and put the blooms in a little vase. I love how great it smells too. The Mojito was AWESOME! Helps cool you off too....wink!

I put some apples in a basket, instead of a bowl, on our kitchen table. I thought it felt more like Summer...Although, all I need to do is open the door for a second to know what season it is!

Also, I realized I may not have posted pictures of the kitchen dinette, since I moved the cigar box table behind the bench. It actually made it more comfortable to sit on the bench. Also, more functional for the head chair to move more freely. My poor guests kept bumping into the cigar box table. It was time to move it!

You may notice the birds are gone. Our guinea pig too. My asthma has become too severe to keep our mini zoo. I have to find a home for our cat, the biggest issue for my lungs. I am heartbroken. But, sometimes we have to do what is best for our health, even though it isn't easy. But for now Miss Scarlett our cat is here until we find her a good home. Darby can stay the Dr. Said because Westies are low to no shed and low to no dander. So thank goodness we can keep 1 pet!

I bought this great wicker tray with leather handles, on clearance for $12! It was from Save On Crafts. http://www.save-on-crafts.com/

They even had the dried cotton stalks for great prices. I was overwhelmed at all the neat stuff the had. I had to get the tray! And I LOVE it!! So it's on the dining table for now.

 

I added Glen's Father's Day gift, the magnifying glass, and the kids wasp-hive to our sofa table. They love having that kind of stuff around. I like it too, it's so amazing how these animals make paper-like combs.

I found this REAL orchid plant at Kroger yesterday for $7.99! I had to get it. Now I just hope I don't kill it. I still have my Mother's Day orchid alive...phew!

Have a great weekend and stay cool! I know the rest of the country is suffering from the heat too!

Happy Decorating!

 

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Inspirational Monday~ Happy 11th Birthday Landen

Our Mr. Landen is 11 Today! He is an inspiration to us every single day. He is kind to everyone and has such a giving heart. Landen is our adventurer, animal lover, and peacemaker. He reminds us to stop and enjoy life. He is, and always wil be, our Mr. Smiles!

 

"Happy Birthday To You Mr. Landen, and MANY More!"

Here is our message to you...

"Today You are YOU,

That is TRUER Than True!

There is NO ONE Alive,

That is YOUER Than YOU!"

~ Dr. Seuss

 

And a few more pictures to share...

It shows his love for family history, looking at an example of what his 5th great grandfather might have been on as a whaling captain. And his caring heart...sitting gently, reading a headstone from the 1700's, after telling me he felt sad for them, probably having no family left to visit....he placed wildflowers on as many graves as he could.

And finally, one from our own backyard...

Showing another example of how all animals, even wild ones, trust him. He caught a chipmunk in Colorado at age 3, and as you can see by the pictures here, they come in all shapes and sizes....And they all love him as we do!

Keep inspiring others, Keep finding adventure, Keep making us smile, and Have a Very Happy 11th Birthday Mr. Landen!!

Much Love,

Mom, Dad, & Preston

 

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Welcome to Cottonwood Academy!

After reading many homeschooling blogs, I realized I was one of the few homeschooling Moms, that didn't have a name for our homeschool. I tried to get inspiration and found that my neighbors named their's after the street they reside on, others, family names, funny names, and then someone wrote about a tree in your yard, that you like...

I have a great and wonderful tree that stretches over my back garden...a big, beautiful, Cottonwood tree!

So Cottonwood Academy was born!!

That meant I now had a great excuse to redo, reorganize, and refresh our school room.

I decided to take everything out except the big pieces and move the room around. I also wanted to lighten the room. It was still our old game room to me, that was Texas Ranch themed. I wanted it to feel like an old schoolhouse. Simplified, comfortable, and very efficient. I had a lot of work to do!

BEFORE:

After pictures below.....

The boys loved it, but, I realized quickly, there were things I would do differently this next year, than I did in our first year. During last year, I realized during our studies, that I forgot about literature we had that corresponded with our social studies/history, awesome science references and tools, etc. etc. simply because they weren't with our everyday materials.

It wasn't that the room was disorganized, it just wasn't organized by subject. I needed bookcases...many, many bookcases. I also needed a few more magazine organizers, paper organizers and boxes to organize flash cards, art supplies, etc.

Then, there were the "wants"! I wanted slipcovers for the dark furniture and to protect them too. I had a bunch of drop cloth left and decided to ask my amazingly talented friend, who did my outdoor cushions, to help me with this project too. Luckily, she agreed!

I became a slipcover addict! I slipcovered the bench, antique twin chairs, and arm chairs. I also had the arm chairs embroidered with an "H", for our last name, and make me two pillows with "Cottonwood Academy" on them. I was so excited to see it all come together.

Ok, ok....here are the pictures!

I put back up the cute roof that had fallen off years ago. I reattached it and REALLY secured it! Then, I painted the trim around the windows and door, to give that old fashioned schoolhouse feel. I painted over an old sign, and painted Cottonwood Academy Est. 2012. I also hung up an old bell, that I already had, above the sign to really give the schoolhouse look. Notice my dried cotton stalks, I just had to, they were so neat and it is "Cotton"wood Academy....

I took out the antique oriental rug and folded it in half and put it in the "schoolhouse". I also used a medallion I bought many years ago at Hobby Lobby, glued wooden letters I had painted white, to the medallion for a school emblem. I don't know why, but it is one of my favorite things in the room.

On the big desk/work table, I put up the Cursive Alphabet, trying to encourage them to continue writing in cursive, since school teaches it, but allows printing after. They REALLY needed the practice. So this helps as a silent reminder...

{I know... Most people type anyway...but to me, cursive writing should still be taught and used!}

I also put a desk lamp, pencil holder, and mini globe.

 

 

I took down the old dark green drapes and faux leather cornice piece. Then, I used an old board, leftover shelf brackets, leftover closet dowels, an old white sheet with no matching pieces, and made a shelf and window treatments. I ripped out pages of a water damaged book, twine, and leftover grey blue paint and made a fun bunting for over the window treatment with our new school-name initials. I displayed my antique school books, flags, and two of my favorite presidents framed prints.

The new desk under the window? This was born from, " I need another good sized desk and it should fit under the window.",....conversation with myself!

It's our bedroom armoire shelf that was under a bed, because the armoire houses a t.v.., and two matching side tables. Voila!...a desk is born! I was so excited it was the perfect fit under the window. And a random white chair I had, and a garage sale lamp = a perfect addition.

Our Cottonwood Academy pillows~

We decided our little Westie Darby was going to be our mascot. So when we found this Westie at Home Goods, it was a must have addition.

My new chairs! Well, they feel like new. I love how they turned out!

Thank you Angel for our slipcovers and pillows. You helped make our schoolroom so comfortable and pretty!

Our "new to us" bookcases. My amazing neighbor Daniela let me have first pick of all of her bookcases and organization supplies she was letting go of. I grabbed these two bookcases and one more for our art supplies. I also snagged these great clear plastic magazine organizers too, that I put blue construction paper in and made labels for from the graphic fairy laurel wreath. I added our school name and subject label. I framed all the U.S. documents and hung them up all over the room too.

The left bookshelf is Math and Science, and the right is Social Studies and History, as well as a few reference materials too.

 

I love our shell whale! He reminds me of our family history of whaling captains in the 1800's.

 

Inside the schoolhouse...

Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Finally all organized! The left middle shelf is all art paper, supplies and art books. The right middle shelf is notebook paper, graph paper, etc., flash cards, and school subject teaching tools.

All books organized by series and themes. Classics, mystery, etc.

I kept their prized fossil display on my old play cupboard. It actually works perfectly for fossil displays. But, I also left the tiny rocker by the fire. What you don't see very well in this picture, is two large pillows for relaxing while reading.

This is the opposite wall of the faux fireplace in the "schoolhouse". I use this for additional reference material and of course more books. But, even though the picture is not high quality....I wanted to show that I made more of the labels and put them on those cardboard magazine organizers from Ikea. It makes them look a tad better and I can easily reference everything, now that it is all organized and categorized.

Display of literature with a few items that might go with the theme of the book. This is the fun stuff, I love doing!

 

This is our art supply station. A lot of times, the boys needed easier access to these supplies, because they needed them in other subjects besides art.

I got this shelf below, for $2.00 at a garage sale this last April for my laundry room. Well, it wasn't the right size. So I hung onto it just in case I found a spot for it, and I did!! A perfect place for their art creations.

I had to hang up my Vincent Van Gogh quote and the picture I love of my Grandpa in the front row of his one room schoolhouse in Minnesota. I also added a couple art books. The one behind the landscapes book, was stuck in some art supplies of my Grandma's. She painted beautiful landscapes in oil. I hope the boys enjoy using her inspirations for their own art inspirations.

One more look.....

 

The map is actually attached to a pull UP old home movie screen. I have the world map attached too and I can flip them. I was so happy I had a proper way to display them. Behind the map easel, is the easel with the dry erase board. Really the only...and best spot for all in the room to see what we are doing on the board.

 

My "teacher armoire" redone. I took our metal Texas flag, turned it around and put it on the back wall of the armoire. Then, I added a much needed paper sorter, a GIANT apple for the teacher, my Laura Ingals Wilder letter and picture display, framed teacher poem, and the new awesome organizer I got out of my neighbor cleaning out her organization supplies...woohoo!

Next to it, on the wall you'll see their clipboards hung up for easy access and fun activities placed in the wall organizer. These are for when the boys finish their work, but we still have school left to do, and one sibling is not quite ready....this is their Mad Libs, and other creative fun busy work.

So......pheeeew! That's it!! That's what I've been working on. I hope you like it as much as we do. Maybe a few ideas to help organize your own school room too. This is a learning process for sure. Somehow I know it will change again; but, as I see it, it sure functions well and makes us happy.

I hope all of you are having a great summer. Even though I've been busy, it sure is nice to have time to relax when I want to!

Look for more pictures of the playroom and girls rooms from the other job I was doing. I go this week to finish it up. We still have a carpenter coming out for a couple things...but for the rest...it will be complete! I will post those next week.

I have to thank all the wonderful moms, family, and friends that helped support me and our new homeschooling adventure. We also didn't make this leap alone and without wonderful homeschooling moms to support and inspire us. So, a huge thank you to you ALL!

We can't wait to start the 2013-2014 School Year.

Until then, Happy Decorating!

 

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