Y’all know that our family loves to play games together. We can turn everything, from board games to ping pong, into a fierce but loving competition. And when we just have a short time together we like to do quick, fast paced challenges. Like they play on Minute to Win It on GSN! Have you seen that show?

The contestants have 60 seconds to complete a challenge using every day household items. We did it one year for our Christmas party and it was a huge hit. Our family likes to play them just anytime we are just hanging out. We enjoy the thrill when every.second.counts.

I decided to play a few the other night with my kids. Some of the younger ones and I pulled some materials together to see what we could come up with. We played three games….Yank Me, What a Racquet and Speed Eraser.

In Yank Me you have 60 seconds to stack four cups upside down with an index card between each cup, then yank the cards out causing the cups to stack as they fall. Once you get them all you win. Most of us could do this pretty easily.

In What a Racquet you have to get a gum ball to land in the very middle square of a tennis racquet. It was hard! If you try this I’d love to hear how it went! I was so tense when I did it I almost went all John MacEnroe. My daughter Hope got the closest of all of us….you can hear how excited we all were!

Our last game was Speed Eraser. You have to bounce pencils by their eraser on the table and get them to land in the cups. It was fun….even little Levi tried his hand at it.

Noah got the best score with 4 pencils in the cups.

It was a great way to spend an hour together! And we’re all looking forward to the new season of Minute to Win It coming out on Tuesday June 25 at 8/7c on GSN. There’s a new host, cutie pie speed skating champion Apolo Anton Ohno. We will get some new ideas for games to play together and, who knows, maybe a few of them will pop up in this year’s Christmas party.  For more information, connect with Minute to Win It on Facebook and Twitter and visit the GSN website. 

I’m giving away a $100 VISA gift card to one of you for answering this question: Which Minute to Win It game do you like the most, or if you haven’t played…which if the three we played would you like to try? Just leave a comment and you will be entered to win!

Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner  will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

 The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 6/18/13 – 7/17/13.

The post Minute to Win It Family Games! appeared first on The Pennington Point.

Today will be spent driving, driving then driving some more.  Thirteen hours and 28 minutes according to Mapquest and they probably didn’t take into consideration the frequent potty stops and Sonic emergencies we will face.

Three of the girls and I are headed to the OYAN Summer Workshop in Kansas.  These girls have been planning their outfits and packing the van since May in excitement of this week.  Writing sessions, fellowship, encouragement, adventure…..it is all waiting for us just a short 13 hours and 28 minutes from home.

Since memories of this same drive last year still haunt my cankles, I am planning to stop every couple of hours and walk around.  I have an internal radar that picks up every Target and Chick-fil-A and occasionally can sense if there is a Home Goods in the area.  Those will be our stopping destinations.  I can never get enough of Target’s Dollar Spot and if I have to I will scour every one between here and Kansas City.  Not that I need anything.  I just like to scour.

While the girls attend sessions I plan to wrap up my book and get it ready to send off to be edited.  I will have a hotel room to myself and I am going cold turkey from the outside world.  LOL!  I know, I know….it sounded as ridiculous to me as it did to you.  I will likely be sending out Instagrams and Tweets, but seriously, I am going to stay off of the phone and no mid-day episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show to distract me from my mission.

But don’t worry about missing me because I have some great posts scheduled for this week and on Friday I will be showing you what the girls wore all week.  The workshop has a camp-like atmosphere so that will be fun!  I won’t be showing you what I will be wearing this week because it can be summed up in two words.  Pa-jamas.

Next Tuesday (June 25) after I get home I will be doing a Facebook party with my friend Jill at Blessed Beyond a Doubt. We will be talking about a Bible curriculum we love by Deeper Roots Publications. The kids and I have REALLY enjoyed doing it together. You can click here to register.

Be sure to visit me on Facebook and Instagram!

The post On the Road Again! appeared first on The Pennington Point.

Trying to think of a way to make Father’s Day great for Dad is not easy.  But this year we came up with a few goodies that I know he’s gonna love.  I can’t tell you the big stuff because he may peek and see it here.  But I can show you a quick, simple idea I did with Elijah, my 10 year old.

A couple of weeks ago we made our Kids’ Summer Reading project with my beloved Cricut & the gorgeous vinyl that we love.  That project gave Elijah and I another idea that would be perfecto for Father’s Day!  Why not make Dad his very own book cover?!

We snuck one of Dad’s law school books from his office and Elijah chose a couple of the cartridges he wanted to use.  He planned it all out and I helped him cut.  He chose some “lawyer-ish” images for his book cover.

In about half an hour he had made a personal gift for Dad.

In addition to gifts, I’ve shared some other ideas for ways the kids can prepare their hearts for a special day for Dad over at Faith Gateway.  We’ve been praying for Dad and planning some big surprises.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the amazing Dads out there who work so hard to serve their families.  We are so grateful for you!

Follow me on Facebook for more fun ideas!

The post Make a Quick, Easy Father’s Day Gift appeared first on The Pennington Point.

This week I’m sharing a few of the simple outfits I have worn lately.  Nothing fancy or over the top.  Most days I just toss on a comfy skirt and cool top with my Birkenstocks and never look back.

These photos aren’t the best, but they’re real.  Just me on the porch taking a picture of myself with an iphone.  That seems odd, to be taking pictures of yourself every day, but I’ve done it all my life.  Not with an iphone, of course.  In high school I used my collapsible Polaroid to take pictures of myself in outfits I liked and tape them to the back of my closet door.  I didn’t want to forget them.  {freak}

I wore this one day to run errands in town then go out with my friends later.  It’s a very lightweight skirt, tank and little jacket.  Then I added red shoes and a red necklace.  I did that because….well….because I love those shoes and look for any opportunity to wear them.

This next little number is just from a stay-at-home kind of day.  Hot pink is a good color on me so when I am feeling down I like to wear it to lift my spirits.  The brown skirt is thin and cool and the little accessory is a piece of lace I just tied together in the back.

My last look is from a day of going to the city.  The jacket is the same on I was wearing in the top picture.  This pink top has little spaghetti straps so it is super cool.  Even though it is layers of ruffles, the fabric is so lightweight that it is great for summer.  I mix it with several other skirts and coverups too.

Really not much to my outfits this week.  Keeping simple skirts and lightweight tops around makes it easy to put together something cute in a flash.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out our Embracing Modesty Gallery to keep up with our whole year of modest outfits!

The post Embracing Modesty, No. 23 appeared first on The Pennington Point.

A few weeks ago there was a terrible smell in my bedroom.  I couldn’t tell what it was, maybe a dead animal in the wall maybe a teenager (Oh I’m kidding, they stink but not this bad).  It was so strong I couldn’t sleep, so I got up around midnight and looked for something to mask the stink.  I tried some essential oils, but they didn’t get rid of it completely.  I went into the kitchen and found an old scented candle, so I took it into my bedroom and lit it.  After about half an hour the sweet aroma was lulling me to sleep, so I blew it out and drifted off to dreamland.

The next day I lit the little candle again.  After all, if it’s good at night it would be great during the day, right?  Kind of a more is better philosophy.  And I liked it.  Everyone who came into my room would comment on the nice smell and I would reply, “Why thank you!  It’s my new perfume,” basically because I enjoy telling the same joke over and over.

Sadly my little candle only lasted a couple of days because it was old and didn’t have much life expectancy.  I decided I needed to find some new candles.  But I had a problem because I can’t use the ones from the super center or craft store.  They give me a headache.  I need quality people, quality.

I made a plan one morning to go out and scour the town looking for a really good candle.  Now here’s the part of this fascinating story you won’t believe.  That same day I got an email from a friend that lives here in town.  She told me that she and her husband recently bought a candle company!  Yes, it was a sign.  I need candles, she has candles.  What’s more obvious than that?!

I got some of their candles and they are absolutely lovely!  The company is called Circle E Candles and I am now completely obsessed with them.  They are hand poured and made from the finest ingredients.

Also Circle E Candles has monthly specials that are great deals.  This month one of the specials is a fragrance called Leather.  I’ll bet that goes over BIG here in Texas!  One of the others is called Peace, which I’m pretty sure I need a truck load of.

And then my friend, who I will now probably start stalking because, well, I liked her already and this puts it over the top, wanted to giveaway two of the 12 oz Circle E Candles to one of you!  You can even choose your own fragrances.  Just enter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And if you’re ever in Fredericksburg, TX be sure to stop by the Circle E Candles showroom.  It is stunning!

The post My New Candle Obsession appeared first on The Pennington Point.

It’s been a few weeks of endless activity around here.  I spent Saturday driving girls around to craft stores so they could find what they need to create some jewelry for their shop.  Then we ate Chick-fil-A and talked about our favorite suspense movies.

My kids love those kinds of movies.  I don’t.  In fact, I get so nervous during them that my bladder gets all tense and I keep going to the bathroom.  The kids will ask me, “Do you want us to pause it while you’re in there?!”  No please don’t!  I can’t take much more.  I will just come back out after everyone is safe and there are no space fights or police chases or….gulp….sharks.

Back to being busy, this week will be no different.  I have a TON of things to tell you about and I hope you don’t get tired of me.  If you do you can use that energy to feel sorry for my family since they can’t click on a little red X to stop listening.  My brain never turns off.  It’s a blessing.  And a curse.

I have so much going on that I decided I needed a better way to organize myself.  Besides this blog gig and homeschool and summer activities, I am still working toward getting more fit and losing weight.  I can organize a little with my iphone, but the information is in 12 different apps and I spend all my time looking for them.  So I decided to order an old fashioned kind of organizer from my friend Celia, who makes the most beautiful, well thought out planners.  I’ve been looking at them for a while, wondering if I needed to get something tangible that requires the use of a pen.  Remember those?  Black, pointy, can’t find them in your purse?

So I ordered and got my planner which has spaces for keeping up with not only regular appointments and plans, but also fitness and spiritual goals.  That is just what I needed.  Then Celia emailed me and said she’s like to offer a special discount to my readers for the month of June.  How nice of her!  So if you want a planner like mine hop over to Celia’s place, The Printed Planner, and get yourself one!

I will be telling you about a lot of my favorite products over the next couple of weeks.  I’ve had these all in the works for a while, trying to get you deals and discounts on some of my faves, but didn’t realize it would all kind of fall at the same time.  Oh well….it’s still great stuff and you will love it all just like I do.  I never recommend anything that I don’t really LOVE!

And if you missed it last week, go check out my interview with Becky at Organizing Made Fun where I share how we keep all of our pool toys organized and some of my tips for traveling with kids.  There’s one tip about traveling that has really gotten a lot of attention.  Here’s a hint:

Speaking of travel, I will be spending the rest of this week getting the girls and I ready to go to Kansas City next week for the One Year Adventure Novel Summer Workshop.  And I am also wrapping up the last couple of chapters on my ebook, so when I say I am busy….you should believe me.

Have a great week and don’t forget to stop back by and see what great deals I have to tell you about next!

Be sure to check out the ebook bundle, Natural Mothering, for some great resources!

The post Getting Myself Organized appeared first on The Pennington Point.

I really try to live life as naturally as possible and I am always looking for support and ideas.  It should be easy to live naturally.  You’d think things would just fall into place, but in today’s world it just isn’t that simple.

I haven’t talked much here about this part of my life, but we have birthed our children at home.  Yes, we are those crazies that use cloth diapers and don’t go to the doctor (unless there is an emergency of course!).  I am always keeping my eye out for new sources and information to make my potions and cure our ailments.

That’s why I have been looking forward to this ebook bundle coming out this week only, Natural Mothering.  It has 35 books in one bundle.  And the topics cover everything from pregnancy to natural health to depression.

For 1 week only, get a downloadable package of 35+ e-books specifically designed to encourage and equip mothers to nurture their families (and themselves!) naturally for just $29.97. Since these books together are worth more than $525, this is nearly a 95% discount!

Click to get your download of Natural Mothering now!

There are also more than a dozen coupon codes and FREE products worth nearly $200 included to help you on your natural living journey!

The eBooks:

Click here to read each author’s bio.

Natural Fertility and Pregnancy

Unbound Birth by Jennifer Yarbrough of Unbound Birth ($2.99)
Fearless Birth by Kristen Burgess of Natural Birth and Baby Care ($17)
Nourishing Foods for Labor and Childbirth (article reprint) by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($2.99)
My Pregnancy Journey by Mindy of Simply Designs ($9.99)

Fertilise Yourself by Natalie Kringoudis of Melbourne Natural Fertility ($19.95)
Eat Your Way to Parenthood by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35)
Protecting Your Fertility: The Dangers of Conventional Pest Control and Natural Safe Alternatives by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35)
The Awful Truth About Cleaning Products and Fertility Revealed by Gabriela Rosa, MScM, BHSc, ND of Natural Fertility Breakthrough ($35)

Natural Baby and Toddler Care

Breastfeeding Simply by Pinky McKay, ICBLC of PinkyMcKay.com ($25)
First Bites by Hilary Bernstein of Accidentally Green ($9.99)
Breast to Bib by Kate Tietje of Modern Alternative Mama ($8.95)
Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert by Erin Odom of The Humbled Homemaker ($9.95)
Creative Ways to Calm Your Baby by Justyn Lang of Creative Christian Mama ($6.99)
EC Simplified: Infant Potty Training Made Easy by Andrea Olson, MA of Go Diaper Free ($30)
oh, cr*p. potty training by Jamie Glowacki of oh cr*p. potty training ($15)

Natural Health and Healing

Therapeutic Parenting for Children Who Are Healing from Trauma by Tova Krause Grindlay, CPC of Parent and Family Coaching ($4.99)
Herbal Nurturing by Michele Augur of Frugal Granola ($8.95)
Herbal Remedies for Children During the Cold and Flu Season by Rosalee de la Forêt of Herbal Remedies Advice ($20)
Mother’s Little Herbal Helper and Home Remedies by Natalie Vickery of The Family Herbalist ($12.50)
Questions to Ask Your Dentist by Will and Susan Revak of OraWellness ($29)

Tips and Tricks to Remineralize and Repair Your Teeth by Ramiel Nagel of CureToothDecay.com ($12.95)
The Thinking Parent’s Guide to Vaccines by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($2.99)
Finding Balance with Attachment Parenting by Andrea Olson, MA of AndreaOlson.com ($17)
Pain Redeemed by Natasha Metzler of NatashaMetzler.com ($4.99)
The Curative Kitchen (updated version) by Susan Smith Jones, Ph.D. of SusanSmithJones.com ($19.95)
Rebuild From Depression: A Nutrient Guide, The Digital Abridged Version by Amanda Rose, Ph.D. of Traditional Foods ($12.95)

Teaching Our Children

Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen plus 1 month access to select Real Food Kids eCourse videos by Wardeh Harmon of GNOWFGLINS & Jami Delgado of Eat Nourishing ($30)
Kids in Training: Life lessons that will help lead to productive, responsible and grateful kids! by Rebecca Dulgarian of Blue Cricket Designs ($7.95)
Life According to Me by Stephanie Dulgarian of Somewhat Simple ($5.95)
The Family Dinner Project by Rebecca Dulgarian & Stephanie Dulgarian ($9.95)
Easy Peasy Chores: Homeschool Edition by Alina Joy Dubois of The Good Old Days Farm ($17.99)
Teaching Kids to Clean by Dana White of A Slob Comes Clean ($5)

Help for Busy Moms

Real {Fast} Food by Trina Holden of TrinaHolden.com ($6)
Crock On by Stacy Myers of Stacy Makes Cents ($5)
Creative Ways to Make Family Holiday Memories by Kit Singleton of Raising Small Souls ($25)

Non-Toxic and Natural Living

Natural Beauty Recipes by Katie of WellnessMama ($10)
Healthy Homemaking by Stephanie Langford of Keeper of the Home ($12.95)
Restocking the Pantry by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($9.99)
Accidentally Green by Hilary Bernstein of Accidentally Green ($2.99)
Clean, Naturally! by Kresha Faber of Nourishing Joy ($4.99)

The Bonus Resources

Once you have completed payment for the e-book bundle, you will get access not only to the books, but to FREE products and coupon codes for mothering products that will support you in your natural, non-toxic lifestyle.

There are a few extras that you can get with is no purchase required – just click here to get your freebies!

The Fine Print:

While you must purchase the Bundle by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Monday, June 17, you have until June 30, 2013 to download the books and redeem the bonuses. It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase by June 30, 2013. After that date, the books will no longer be available for download.

With proof of purchase, we can renew download links until June 30. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, deadlines to redeem your bonuses, and reading the books on your eReader device.

Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase. You may purchase multiple bundles in order to redeem a bonus offer more than once.

For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.

All bonus offers are the sole responsibility of the bonus sponsors to provide and are subject to availability.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Some Great Information About Natural Mothering appeared first on The Pennington Point.

This week we’re going to look at some of the quirkiness that goes on around here.  My teen girls like to experiment with their clothing and as long as they stay within the boundaries we have set for being modest I say go for it!  My motto: If you’re quirky and you know it clap your hands! {CLAP!} {CLAP!}

Patience likes to occasionally mix unexpected pieces together.  Like this skirt and top…they aren’t really the same style, but she tied it all together with a belt that she wears above her waist and a pair of plaid tennis shoes.  That green t-shirt is such a precious touch of color.

Most of their jewelry comes from their etsy shop, Little Women Sisters.  This adorable vintage key necklace is one of my favorites.  I love that they have their own shop.  It gives them a place to create and express themselves and make a little money.

Faith, my fashionista, likes to shake it up too. This grunge style top paired with a floral scarf is so her!  Not-so-perfect-yet-perfect.

She is also wearing one of the necklaces from Little Women Sisters!  They love these key necklaces (and so do I!).  But they have lots of other darling things in their shop.  I may just buy some of it for myself!

Now hang onto your hat for this next one.  I am not lying when I tell you that this is how the girls look about 1/3 of the time.  They come out in the morning in some crazy concoction of cuteness and whimsy and it just melts my quirky mamma’s heart.

They popped the lenses out of a pair of thrift store glasses and they wear them all of the time.  Her hair…well don’t ask me but I love the crazy librarian look so I like it!  That pink flower finishes it all off with a pow.

There you go.  It is possible to be a crazy, fun, modest teenager.  My girls play with their outfits every day.  Not all of their creations are a success, but as they get older they get better and better at it.  I will tell them sometimes why a combination works or doesn’t, to help them learn how to create these darling outfits.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out our Embracing Modesty Gallery to keep up with our whole year of modest outfits!

If you like this I would love for you to follow me on Facebook !

The post Embracing Modesty, No. 22 appeared first on The Pennington Point.

Welcome to my home!  A special hello to y’all visiting from Marianne at Songbird!

I am so, so, so glad you stopped by for my tour da casa.  Life here in the Texas Hill Country is sweet and simple.  Nothing fancy, but we love every bit of it!

We built this room ourselves on a wing and a prayer since we had no idea what we were doing.  Even though the room is small, I worked and worked until I found an arrangement that would give all 11 of us a place to sit comfortably.

I used to wish for an entryway, but then I decided that the porch could be my entryway.  Making the most of what I have is my favorite pastime. Below you can see a chair I painted and recovered, a clock I made from an abandoned bird cage stand and some lockers I painted to use for the kids’ school books.

All of our furniture is from flea markets and hand-me-downs.  I take what I find and remake it into what fits our home.  I’ll paint anything….like our piano!

Many of the small details in my home are from my etsy shop, Shop 24.

Just through the living room is the dining room/school room.

The black table is for eating and the white table is where we homeschool with the added benefit of having plenty of extra table space when we have guests for dinner…which is pretty often.

The long buffet behind the black table serves two purposes.  The kids can use it as a desk during the day and we can serve food from it at mealtime.  I try to get as many uses out of one thing as I can.

My big chalkboard wall is constantly changing.  I can draw anything on it depending on what mood I’m in….and I can be moody.  So it changes often.

Even though we don’t do sports (you wouldn’t want to see me do sports, I run like a chicken) I used a sports theme for the summer.  It makes us want to get outside and play!

The other side of the room is the school space.

I use the giant white board for school and to write a new Bible verse every day that we try to memorize.  I also sometimes write lists or chores on the board.  You can read more about how I keep my homeschool area organized!

Around the corner from the school area is our little study room.

I enclosed part of the porch to create this teeny room.  But don’t measure its usefulness by its size….we couldn’t do without it!  The kids can go in there to read or work on their computer or do some quiet school work.  They can close the door and concentrate.  Perfect!

And the letters on the wall are not supposed to be a word.  I’m just slowly gathering all of the kids’ first initials as I see them at flea markets.  It takes time to find nine vintage letters.

On the other side of the dining room is our kitchen.  We built the kitchen all by ourselves on a shoestring budget.  Two ranges, two microwaves, two fridges….it’s perfect for a large family!

In the picture below you can see my kids’ lunch area, my stained glass that came from an old church and my beige chalkboard wall (next to the electric range) where we keep a running grocery list.  Gotta stay organized!

If you go out the kitchen door you step onto a deck that leads to our pool.

It’s a simple, above ground pool.  My son and I built the deck and we built our own outdoor furniture so I can sit right there and work on the blog while the kids swim.

I love sitting out there.  What we lack in expensive luxury, we make up for in peace and tranquility.

Before we go back inside let’s walk around to the front of the house where we have an outdoor eating area, the “Pavilion.”  I found the old sign at a church bazaar and hung it there and the name stuck.  I put the eating area in the front because that’s where the evening shade is, and I am a shade kind of girl.  We eat out there as much as possible.

We had our 25th anniversary party out there a couple of years ago and it was a beautiful evening!

The rest of the house is bedrooms and bathrooms.  With 9 kids in a small house I have to get creative about bedroom spaces.  My 19 year old daughter sleeps in an enclosed porch area.  We made it to also serve as a guest room.

This girl is a bit of a minimalist.  All she wants is a cozy place to sit and some beach things around her and she’s happy.

Two of my boys share a little western themed room complete with horse in the barn that I painted myself. 

And two of my teen girls live in a finished out attic.

Even though they can only stand up in the middle, they are so happy to have their own space that they don’t care one bit.  And every single thing in this room was free except the wood we bought to build the shelves.  We found the headboards in someone’s trash and just painted them!

Below the girls’ attic bedroom is the master bedroom.  It’s my oasis on a hard day of homeschooling, laundry and painting furniture (which I am usually doing all at the same time).

I do most of my work in this room.  I sit in my recliner and work online after all of the kids are in bed.

My bathroom is another place I like to hide occasionally.

For some reason the kids don’t think to look for me there, so when I need a few minutes to myself I sneak in the bathroom with a book and a Diet Dr Pepper.

That’s it for my summer home tour.  It’s been great having you visit and I hope you’ll come back again soon!

Be sure to check out the other amazing home tours!  Next is Angie at The Country Chic Cottage for another look at a house in the country!

DAY 1 (June 3rd)

- – - – -

DAY 2 (June 4th)

- – - – -

DAY 3 (June 5th)

- – - – -

DAY 4 (June 6th)

1- Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality
2- Traci @ Beneath My Heart
3-Stacy @ Not Just a Housewife
4-Jen @ Jennifer Rizzo
5-Lindsay @ Makely Home
6-Sandra @ Sawdust Girl

DAY 5 (June 7th) – Link Party at The Shabby Creek Cottage

And don’t forget to follow me on Facebook!

The post My Summer Home Tour! appeared first on The Pennington Point.

We read so many school books during the year that it is a fun change for the kids to be able to do more pleasure reading over the summer.  I like to encourage reading as much as I can and one way is to keep good books around.  I’m a sucker for a book.  I scour sale racks and garage sales and thrift stores, anywhere I might find a hidden treasure.  We have shelves full of them!

So I told 2 of my boys, the 10 & 12 year old, to go find 5 books each from our shelves that they would like to read over the summer.  Then I will go buy them one more making six books that they will have a goal to read by the end of August.  They can read other books too, of course!  But these 6 will be something they set as a goal.

They gathered their books while I prepared a little project for them.  I used a stack of vinyl I got from Expressions Vinyl. I love their vinyl and I have tried a lot of different brands.  It is my favorite!

We cut brown book covers using the big roll from the hardware store that is for protecting your floors while you paint.  It’s inexpensive and a roll lasts us forever.

Then we got to work decorating their book covers.  They used scissors to cut vinyl shapes while my older daughter Faith cut out some die cut shapes the boys chose our on die cut machine.

Several of their books were about mice, so they wanted to use the little mouse on their book covers.

We used the transfer paper from Expressions Vinyl to make a star bookmark.  We used the non sticky side of the transfer paper and peeled off the back of the stars (their red glitter vinyl makes perfect stars) and stuck them to the paper.  Now, when the boys finish a book they can peel off the star and stick it to the book cover to mark it as “read.”

The boys are excited about reading these books and I am hoping it will lead to more reading later in the summer.  If they finish these early I am always glad to get out the vinyl again and make some more covers together.

And guess what!  Expressions Vinyl is giving one of you a $25 gift certificate.  You can use it to make summer reading book covers or try something new!  They have so many gorgeous products you will have a hard time choosing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AND that’s not all!  This Thursday night I will be hosting a Twitter party for Tommy Nelson.  We’ll be giving away books and talking about ideas for getting your kids to read over the summer!  It’s going to be great!  Come on and party with us at 8:00 PM CMT following the hashtag #TNSummerReading

Linking to: Teachers of Good Things

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