ella sue

Homeschool Ins and Outs!

2014-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

So, I have questions about Homeschooling.

This weekend, JC and I had four different families ask us about homeschooling. The parents had questions regarding dealing with the school district, legal issues, and curriculum. I thought it would be easier to answer the questions here, and share with the parents who are very concerned about their children. Here goes:

1. Can the School District prosecute me for truancy for homeschooling?

Answer: In order to prosecute for truancy, the child needs to be between the ages of 7 and
16, and not enrolled in public, parochial, private, or homeschooling. In Missouri, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) states the parent will need to put in writing they are homeschool along with their address. If a parent of a child older than 7 wants to homeschool, they simply write a letter to the school before September 1st, or three days after taking the child out of public school. If you follow this simple rule, the school CANNOT prosecute you for truancy.

Here is the DESE website regarding Homeschooling in Missouri. It will answer many of your questions!

http://dese.mo.gov/governmental-affairs/home-schooling

2. Can the School District call Department of Family Services (DFS) if I begin Homeschooling my child?

Answer: Anyone can call DFS for any reason, that being said, DFS workers do not respond to calls unless a child is in danger. As far as I know, Missouri will not open a case due to Homeschooling. If anyone has a different story regarding DFS, please leave a comment.

3. Do I need to sign a paper from the School District saying I am Homeschooling?

Answer: If the School District has a specific policy (found in the school's policy book) of filling out and signing specific paperwork you will need to do so. However, very few schools have this policy in the official policy passed by the school board.

NOTE: I have been unable to find a policy in the Gainesville, MO School District Policy handbook stating a paper should be sign. If the School Board has not made a specific policy, it reverts back to DESE's requirements. DESE required a letter to the school stating you are Homeschooling your child, their age, date of birth, and your address.

4. Where do I start? What do I need to do to Homeschool my child?

Answer: DESE required parent's to keep records. Please look at the website above. You will need to keep lesson plans, samples of school work, and a record of hours a week completing curriculum.

There are tons of great Homeschooling Curriculum on the market. I will try to round up the various types reviewed in Blogland. I personally like A Beka, but you need to research and find the curriculum that fits your child's needs.

5. Do I need to purchase the entire curriculum for the grade level for my child?

Answer: I am going to wait and answer this question later on this week.

Please hang in there! Know you are not alone, there is a great deal of support for parents who Homeschool in our area. The school, or certain individuals, may try to bully or threaten you, but in Missouri you have the right to place your child in the best learning environment for them and your family. Feel free to ask questions, or contact me for morale support.

My Amazing Daughter's Gift to Others

2013-11-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Ella's Bookshelf

We have a new house, a smaller new house. My husband and I told Ella she could have something big she wanted for her birthday, and ask her friends to not bring gifts. She asked if we could have everyone bring something for kids who do not have anything. Wow!

After discussion, she decided she wanted people to bring books for children in foster care. So we are starting Ella's Bookshelf, we hope to continue throughout the year. We hope this helps to teach her about wants and needs, as well as giving to others. I am so proud of her! Those of you who are donating, please bring a new, unwrapped children or young adult book. Thank you for helping us teaching charity and grace to our daughter.

Giveaway! Free Tools, We love Free!

2013-07-13T17:31:00.002-07:00

The wonderful blog, The Handmade Home.net is giving away tools! I love watching my cute hubby using tools! So do you want tools, dumb question, I know. Go on over to thehandmadehome.net and enter! Good luck and let me know if you win (so I can be jealous).

July is PCOS Awareness Month

2013-07-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

What in the world is PCOS?

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is a condition that is different in every women, but it caused by cysits in the ovary. PCOS causes irregular periods, problems with blood sugar, and infertility. PCOS is the number one reason for infertility in women, including me.

I was diagnosed at the age of 21, which was good, I was able to educate myself regarding the disorder and how to help my body. I have cysts rupture about once a year, they hurt really bad, but we now know there is nothing that can be done but letting it happen (we learned this after a few trips to the ER with no help). I sit on a heating pad for a week and all is well.

I was very lucky to get pregnant, with the help of infertility medication, Clomid and Metformine. It was not so much fun, the mood swings, hot flashes, and cramps, but completely worth it to get our daughter. We think taking the medication, as well as other factors like Gestational Diabetes, and problems during the birth, made for a perfect storm causing my Occipital Neuropathy and Chronic Migraines.

There is not much in the way of a cure for PCOS, only dealing with the symptoms. The more aware people are of PCOS and what it is, the better the research and management of the disease. Even though PCOS is not life threatening, infertility is one of the most heart breaking experiences a women (and couple) can have! It is so hard, if you are dealing with infertility hang in there and reach out to others who understand what you are going through! July is PCOS Awareness Month, help get the word out!

Crochet to the Rescue!

2013-07-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

So since the last few weeks have been rough, too many headaches, I have been home. During the hours I feel okay, I have been crocheting. I have been working on a blanket for my wonderful little one.

This is a great pattern, because it is easy and can be done with little thought. I can just sit and work on the squares. I am making a bedspread for her Shabby Chic room, so lots of colors, and big. It will take me a while to finish, but I will keep updating progress. So far, I LOVE it!

Here is the pattern:

R1:Chain three, join with a slip stitch. Chain two (count as first dc), dc seven in the circle.

R2:Switch color, join anywhere. Chain two (count as first dc), dc in same stitch, two dc in next stitch, chain two, repeat around the circle for a total of 16 dc and 8 ch.

R3: Switch color, join in one of the two chain spaces. Chain two (count as first dc), one more dc in the chain two space. Dc in the next three stitches. Two dc in the two chain space, chain two, two more dcs in the two chain space. Repeat until you get back to the beginning, sl st in the first ch two dc.

R4: Switch color, join in one of the two chain spaces. Chain two (count as first dc), one more dc in the chain two space. Dc in the next six stitches. Two dc in the two chain space, chain two, two more dc in the two chain spaces. Repeat until you get back to the beginning, sl st in the first ch two dc.

R5: Switch color (I put white on R5, then joined all the squares with white), join in one of the two chain spaces. Chain two (count as first dc), one more dc in the chain two space. Dc in the next nine stitches. Two dc in the two chain space, chain two, two more dc in the two chain space. Repeat until you get to the beginning, sl st in the first ch two dc.

Work in all ends. I will post later this week how I join my squares. There are lots of different ways, I just have one way I like. Check back to see it.

If you make these squares, please post a link so I can see them!!!

Life, As I know it!

2013-06-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

So I have not blogged in a few weeks. I have had it rough, the headaches have been unbareable. I get Botox shots every twelve weeks, but they wear off. I am up for more shots in a few weeks, which means I will have a few more bad weeks. I think the Botox is working, I had a few good days; we were even able to go to Silver Dollar City a few times so far this summer. I am only two sets of shots into six treatments total, so I will see how it goes.

Those of you who are in chronic pain, or if you are a caregiver of someone in pain (a caregiver is anyone who listens to, help, or cares for someone), you know the patient will do almost anything to get relief from the pain. If you are lucky, you get a good pain management doctor. It is hard to find a good doctor to help you. Pain management is very misunderstood, we do not want to get high, or sell our pills, people with true Chronic Pain Disorders want some relief, ANY relief. Pain management does not take away all the pain, just allows the patient to have some relief.

I am finding pain mangement helps you survive, not function completely. I tried so hard to make it fit my "old" life, working full time. I am finally coming to the conclusion, I am disablied because of my pain. I think that may have been the first time I actually admitted that out loud. I will not have the life I once had.

So how do I function with this new life? I don't know, I am still figuring that out. I just know I don't want to be judged, disability has such a bad connotation. I want people to see me for me, a women struggling. But don't we all struggle? So why do we judge?

A Fun Modern Baby Blanket

2013-06-10T06:11:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make a great modern baby blanket for a friend that lives in Texas. Sadly enough her baby is a year old now, but it will make a great car and stroller blanket. I made the blanket using a cross stitch crochet pattern, added this amazing fabric, then put a boarder on with vintage cotton thread. Love the way it turned out. So here some eye candy (as one of my favorite blogger says, The Handmade Home):

Wedding on a Budget: Rule 1 Prioritize!

2013-06-07T13:17:00.005-07:00

Yes, I said wants not needs. All you really need to get married is the license and someone to sign it for you. But most of us have the privilege of having a wonderful wedding, and get all the wonderful things we want, or at least some of them, and being smart with your budget will get you even more of those wants.

I had a wonderful wedding, on a budget. The average wedding in our area, Southern Missouri is around $10,000 to $15,000. Now prices are lower here than in some parts of the country, but the principals of savings is the same everywhere.

The first thing you need to do is make a list of the things you want on your wedding day and put them in the order of importance.

Things I wanted on My Wedding Day

Pink Everywhere

Great Pictures

A Beautiful Dress

Reception at the Elfindale Mansion (dream of it for years!)

A stringed Quartet

Food at Reception, but not necessarily a sit down meal

Flowers but not all have to be fresh or arranged

Lots of Candles

Little girls dressed like Princesses (say more about this later)

Beautiful Invitations

When you decided what you want, and in what order, you can look at the money you have available for your wedding. I really wanted great pictures, but videography was not that important to me. I was willing to give that responsibility to friends. We are just now putting those together, but like I said, not my first priority. I really wanted a String Quartet and was willing to give up all fresh flowers for the chance to have the music. You may want fresh flowers everywhere, great, just decide what you want to spend your money on. The reception may be very important to you, but the ceremony, not as much. Thinking about these questions will help you decide where to spend your money.

A note: This is YOUR wedding, well you and your fiance, lol. You need to decide what you want, not a blogger, not your friend, and not your mother.

So after you decide what you want, you can decide how much money you are willing to spend on each. Here are some of the things we did to help cut costs:

1. Get a Little Help From Your Friends: We had friends help us with pictures, cake, food, decorating, making favors, invitations, and music. It saved us thousands of dollars; some friends did things for free and some gave us a great discount. Look at the talent of your friends, could they help, give discounts, or even barter.

2. Plan Ahead: You can really save money by planning along the way. We had friends and family saving us coupons for Hobby Lobby, Micheal's, and Jo-Ann's. It saved us hundreds of dollars buying supplies.

3. Do Your Homework: Look around and compare prices. I think most people do this, but we took it to a new level. We had friends help us call and be on the look out for prices.

4. DIY: Most of us love doing things ourselves. I made the bouquets, boutonnieres, hand corsages, programs, helped with the invitations my wonderful friend made (I just printed stuff), my veil, favors, and some of the decorations. Talk about saving money!

Pictures by Jones Photograph

Thrifty Finds Thursday

2013-06-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, most of us are not millionaires, and the few I know got there by being thrifty. So to save money I like to get creative with my wardrobe. I want to share some of the creative outfits I come up with from Thrift Store finds. I am hoping to share an outfit a week in this summer, so stay tuned!

My first outfit I wore to church Sunday with compliments. I took a dress (got the dress with a jacket for $3 at Goodwill) and a shirt (got for $1 at our local Thrift Store). My husband did not like the shirt when I showed it to him. When I put the outfit together, he asked me where I got the new shirt (he was with me when I bought it!). That shows how pieces can look completely different when paired with a new item.

So I put the shirt over the dress, added a belt (from a sweater I already had) and voila, a new outfit. A cute outfit for $4! Now that is a bargain. I bet you are saying, but I am fluffy (that is what my daughter calls me). I wear a size 22, and I often find items my size at Thrift Stores. It is usually easier to find things in my size because they group the Plus Size together. You have to hunt, dig, follow a treasure map, but you can usually find something good.

Stay tuned for next week Thrift Store Thursday!

Mama Bear Syndrome

2013-06-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever dealt with a bully? Either a child bully or an adult bully? What about when that bully tries to bully you, and it ultimately hurts your child?

This is what my husband and I are dealing with this week. A person at a local library is telling other people in town about a fine I have ($5 fine, not $500). [Side note: As soon as I discovered I had a fine, I planned to pay the next visit to the library the following week] I was upset she was telling others about my business, but I do not like to make a fuss and try to be a calm, loving, Christ example.

However, don't you love that word "however", today she made it about my daughter, saying if we did not take care of the fine she would be denied into a program for the summer. This is a public library, not a school program.

I then found out from several friends she has told them this information! I was okay to stay calm when it was about me, when it became about my baby, Mama Bear came out (as well as Papa Bear, you should see him right now!). I wrote an email to the supervisor and my husband left messages by phone.

I think we are doing what we should do, taking the proper channels. I have to admit, that is not what I want to do, I want to go in tomorrow and give her a wonderful piece of my mind. That is not the Christ thing to do, that is not the lady-like thing to do, yes I was raised to be a lady!

How are we suppose to act toward bullies? We teach our child to stand up to them, leave them alone, and tell a grown up. I feel going to the supervisor my make things worse, but isn't that what the bully wants us to think. I will be praying about this situation in depth, and trying to decide what we should do. Hopefully we will all learn a good lesson, and learn how to deal with bullies, which are in ever part of our lives.

I would love to hear what others do to deal with bullying and their children. Please tell me your story.

DIY Home Sweet Home

2013-06-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get organized. I found a wonderful blog which had wonderful printables. I will post pictures of my Home Organization Binder soon. Thanks Mrs. Jamie for the great stuff!!

Beauty of Summer!

2013-06-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am the last person you would think about when thinking of gardening. I hate to get dirty, or sweaty, or dirty. Gardening has never been my thing, but I love flowers, especially roses and sweet peas. Several years ago when we lived in the wonderful state of Louisiana (shout out to ya Cindy!) JC bought me a Garden Party Rose. It is a lovely cream color with pink tips, I love pink! We brought it with us when we moved to Missouri, and I was not sure if it would last in the Missouri winter. The bush gave me a few roses each year depending on the rain amounts. This year it has done the best yet, which may be a combo of rain and actually giving it some TLC. I have already got a half dozen flowers from it this season.

Ok, I know, not all of these flowers are roses. You are right, my hubby bought me a Peony plant for Mom's Day. We planted (as by we I mean JC) the plant near my rose bush. Flowers are such a pick me up, God got it right with these.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. The weather was nice and cool here so we had a great time in the yard and a visit to Baker's Creek (we are lucky, it is only a few miles away). More planting to come!

Yummy Pulled Pork Burritos Recipe

2013-06-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

My wonderful parents gave us some fresh pork. They process a cow and pig every year and share, great for us. I was rifling through the freezer (and saw a snake, yick, another post) and saw a Picnic Pork Roast. Now I was not sure what that was or how to fix such a wonderful piece of meat. So, of course, I Googled away. I found out Picnic Pork Roast is the shoulder of the hog and usually BBQ, smoked, or slow cooked to make it tender. This morning I put the roast in the crock pot and left it for the day. I added some Cajan seasoning, hickory smoked salt, and a little water. Eight hours later, voila, it was tender and delicious.

I put it in a tortilla shell with homemade ranch dressing (which I will talk about in a moment, thanks for waiting). I made microwave corn on the cob, a wonderful Pinterest recipe, and potato salad left over from grilling yesterday. It was very good, and so easy! We have plenty left for sandwich tomorrow. I am not sure I could make an easier meal, put in the crock pot and forget it.

Ranch Dressing: This is a variation of a recipe I found on Pinterest. I love it and it has around 200 calories for the entire jar!!

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (I like to use the Dip version, just my preference)
7 oz Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons Mayo
Milk to taste, depends on how thick you want the dressing

I put it in a Mason Jar and let my little one mix to her hearts content! I use it for everything, it is delicious!

Everyone have a great Tuesday! Happy Summer!

Beautiful Country Wedding

2013-05-26T19:02:00.001-07:00

We attended the wedding of a friend's daughter. It was a country outdoor wedding, even though hot, it was very nice. Here are some pics of the event.

The bride came in on a horse drawn carriage. The man was nice enough to give our little one a ride during the reception. She thought that was the best thing ever!

Handmade Wedding Gift

2013-05-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

I have a wedding today, a cute country outdoor wedding. So I wanted to give her a gift that fit the theme of her new house. Here is the pics of the cute present, if I say so myself.

I made a recipe book. I saw a similar one on Pinterest (don't we all LOVE Pinterest), so I thought I would make one. I think it turned out pretty cute!

I also made some cute washcloths in her kitchen colors. I love cotton crocheted washcloths, just a wonderful little luxury in your day. I saw a bag redo and thought I would try. I made the bag and card match, had everything out might as well use them, right.

I hopefully will get great pics of the wedding to share. I love making handmade!

Introducing a Wonderful Artist!

2012-01-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have interviewed some wonderful Artists on Etsy to share with everyone. Etsy is such a great place, if you have not been there yet. Etsy.com hosts thousands of wonderful Artisans that have amazing work.

Today I am introducing Amy D of PartsbyNC. Her shop is partsbync.etsy.com.

What type of craft do you enjoy doing?I like creating just about anything with my hands, but I get the most joy
from metals, be them steel of silver.

How long have you been doing this?I've been creating things my whole life, but I've only been making silver
jewelry for a little over 2 years now.

Tell me about your etsy store and what you sell there.I sell silver jewelry in my Etsy shop, but not the average jewelry one
would find on Etsy. My jewelry has an automotive/industrial feel to it.

What is one thing you could not live without.One thing I could not live without is running water. Boring i know but
most people take it for granted.

What is your favorite recipe and would you share it?One of my favorite recipes is for my psychotic burgers (the name makes
sense when you read the ingredients)
Granted I never measure anything but:
1 lb ground beef (not the lean stuff)
2 cups crushed potato chips
1 egg
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dries onions
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 tables spoon hamburger seasoning
A pinch each of salt and pepper (to taste)
Mix everything except half of the crushed potato chips in a bowl
Divide into 4 pieces (or however many depending on what size patty you
want) Shape into a thick patty
Coat the patties in the remaining potato chip crumbs right before you
place on hot grill
Grill until burger is done to your liking
Add cheese while hot and never forget to toast your buns

Thanks so much to Amy D for sharing her wonderful designs. Please stop by her shop and check her out!

Great companies Ran by Women

2011-12-07T21:03:00.000-08:00

I love to find companies ran by women. I also love when they have amazing products. This company was featured on a blog I read daily called The Handmade Home. The blogger has the best ideas for decorating. She also features varies companies on her blog. This was one for a give away this week. So you can go to The Handmade Home and sign up to win great products all week!

Check out Bliss and Tells website, she does great things!

Things I Love

2011-11-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

I do not like cleaning. I am not one of those women who love to clean. I envy them! I was cleaning the house yesterday, getting ready for the tree, and found a great use for a product I already use. I love Clorox Disinfectant Wipes! I use them all over the house. But while cleaning the kitchen yesterday, I discovered they work GREAT to clean my stove! I have a black stove that shows every streak. The wipes cleaned all the grease and left no streaks, the stove looked great. You bet I will be using this again!

What is your favorite cleaning product?

Birthday Dress

2011-11-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well the great thing about having a birthday so close to Halloween, is she gets a nice costume. We do not do much for Halloween, especially since we live in the country and have no guests besides my sister's children. We do go into town, but that is more so I can show off the costume I made. I know, but tell me I am the only one and I will feel bad.

This year the birthday party is princess themed so, the costume is Belle. I have never sewn a dress in my life and I started with a tiny one. I know they are much harder. Here are some pics in progress. I am almost done, need to put bows on the skirt and put the wrap around the shoulders. I picked up white tulle instead of yellow for the wrap, but she will not know the difference. I will post picks of her in it Tuesday.

What other Halloween costumes are out there? My friend Jenn was working on one for her son, maybe I can talk her into posting too.

Being Thankful.

2011-11-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

Of course, we are all thinking of all the things we are thankful for this week. But why do i need a week, or a holiday, to remind me to be thankful? I don't know if I am like anyone else, but I get so caught up in my daily life, I forget to thank God for all the things He gives me. Ella and I have formed such a bond the past few months, but I do not thank God for that bond, I pray I do not pull my hair out due to her independent additude.

A friend of mine, Leslie, is posting what she is thankful for every day of November on facebook. I LOVE that idea. It reminds me to be thankful every time I read her posts. It challenges me to be more grateful. My friend Julie gave me a Grateful journal several years ago and I used it at a time I was going through a great deal physically and mentally. It helped to think of one good thing that happened that day.

As wifes and mothers, it is very easy to get down about daily things. This holiday season, I am going to write one good thing that happened that day to help me be thankful for ever day. Please join me in giving God praise for His goodness!

Eph 1:16

Becoming a Titus 2:3 Women

2011-10-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴ Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5 NIV

I sometimes put verses in a way that I can pray them, that will specifically apply to me. Here is my version of the passage:

Likewise, teach me to be reverent in the way that I live, not to gossip or to be addicted to trashy tv or chocolate, but to teach what is good. Then I can help younger women (be in age or in the spirit) to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be structured and to enjoy their work at home, to be kind, and to really listen to their husbands and their ideas (because they have good ones), so that no one will slander or speak bad of the word of God. Oh, and please help me do all these things too, because I need the most help of all. Amen

I love this passage. I think it gives us a wonderful instruction guide of what we should do, even in the modern, everything electronic world. It is amazing to me how many women are looked down upon for staying at home and wanting to make a home for their families. I am new to all of this, having a career most of my adult life. I have to say it has taking some getting use to. When people ask me what I do I am starting to say, "I am a full time mom!" WITH GUSTO! They look at me funny, but it is probably the gusto part.

It is amazing the surveys and forms I fill out that do not even have housewife as an option. Our world does not value the wife and the duties that go along with it; I have never had a more difficult job. God made this job a top priority, speaking of it several times. Be proud to be a wife, take the job serious, and do it with pride. Encourage others as well, helping those that need it and learn from those that can give it, regardless of age.

Go in Peace.

hi

2011-10-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

hello! i am the mom of beautiful, very active ella sue. i am a stay at home mom, wife, and have never been more busy! I would love to share my love of preschoolers, homemaking, crafting, and faith with other wonderful women out there. Please join in on my thoughts of daily life.