Remembering September 11, 2001

Can you remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001, when the twin towers were hit?


I was at home with my 1 1/2 year old, sitting in the living room watching the news. My husband was out of town on business. When I saw it on t.v., I did not believe what I was seeing. I am so worried that we will forget what happened that terrible day.

On Friday, September 9, the girls and I will have a day to reflect and remember what happened on September 11. 

We will be using the In the Hands of a Child September 11, 2001 Project Pack eBook (They will be offering it for just $1.00 between September 1 and September 11.) We will also be using some of these September 11 Notebooking Pages. 

Since, September 11 is on a Sunday, we will have a special day of remembrance with the entire family.

Who can be an American Heritge Girl?

Any girl, age 5-18 can be an American Heritage Girl.  Girls of all different backgrounds are welcome in AHG and are encouraged to join at any/every age!  You don't have to start as a Pathfinder (age 5) in order to gain the benefits from participating in the AHG Program.

AHG has a multi-level structure, which means that girls from all levels comprise ONE Troop and meet together as a single troop on the same night.  Badgework and certain activities are done within age appropriate groups (units). 

There are five level divisions in American Heritage Girls. Troops may offer all five levels, if there are girls and leaders available for each. However, it is common for new Troops to begin with only a few levels. Troops range in size from 12 – 100+ girls.

Pathfinder - Ages 5-6 and in Kindergarten
Girls earn necklace beads for attendance, participation and bible verse memorization while learning the four parts of the AHG Oath. They receive the Eliza Shirley Award for completion of this level.

Angel gets her Tenderheart badges (2010/2011 Year)

Tenderheart - Ages 6-9 and in grades 1-3
A Tenderheart earns Achievement Badges in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities or special events. They earn the Sacagawea Award for achieving the highest level of skill and service at this level. Service Stars are awarded for every 5 hours of community service.

Curly with her Explorer Leader (2010/2011)

Explorer - Ages 9-12 and in grades 4-6
An Explorer earns Achievement Badges in any of the six Frontiers of Skill and receives activity patches for participating in Troop activities and/or special events. They receive Service Stars for every 10 hours of community service. The Lewis and Clark Award is earned by those girls who achieve the highest level of skill and service in this age group. Explorers are allowed to participate in overnight camping events as well.

Pioneer - Ages 12-14 and in grades 7-8
A Pioneer continues to earn Achievement Badges, Service Stars and activity patches. The highest award level for Pioneers is the Harriet Tubman Award. These girls may also become Camp and Event Aides.  The Pioneer level is where girls really begin to show leadership skills by assisting their leaders with planning, organizing and staffing special events for AHG in the community or within their Troop.

Patriot - Ages 14-18 and in grades 9-12
The Patriot is the highest program level in AHG. These girls plan and carry out activities with Unit Leaders who function as “facilitators”, allowing girls to make decisions on a regular basis.  As with lower levels, they too earn Achievement Badges, Service Stars and activity patches. Since the girls are older, they are required to demonstrate the highest level of skill in all areas. The level award for the Patriots is the Dolley Madison Award.

Patriot level girls may go above and beyond to earn the highest award of the American Heritage Girls, The Stars an Stripes Award.  This is the most prestigious of awards, and requires a great deal of time, sacrifice and devotion to achieve this award.

I'm Hungry! What Are We Eating? Week of 8/29

Monday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)
Lunch: Grilled Cheese with Watermelon
Dinner: Eat out

Tuesday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)
Lunch: PBJ
Dinner: Philly Cheesesteak with Green Beans
 

Wednesday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)
Lunch: Ravioli
 Dinner:

Thursday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)
Lunch: Spaghetti with Sauce/Green Beans
Dinner: Beanie Weenies with Rice and Mixed Veggies

Friday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)
Lunch: Flavored Thai Noodles
Dinner: Hamburgers, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

Saturday

Breakfast: The girls get their own breakfast (Cereal/Milk, PBJ, Fruit, their choice)

Lunch: Leftover Spaghetti with Green Beans

Dinner: Soup and Sandwiches

Sunday

Breakfast: Hardees
Lunch: Riches' Bar B Q
Dinner: Dinner with Friends

The Southern Ten Commandments

1. Just one God. 

2. Put nothin' before God. 

3. Watch yer mouth . . .  

4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin'. 

5. Honor yer Ma & Pa. 

6. No killin'. 

7. No foolin' around with another feller's gal (or 'nother gal's feller). 

8. Don't take what ain't yorn. 

9. No tellin' tales or gossipin'. 

10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff. 

Now that's plain an' simple. And bless your little cotton pickin heart.

Wreaths Across America

"To be killed in war is not the worst that can happen. To be lost is not the worst that can happen... to be forgotten is the worst." 

-Pierre Claeyssens (1909-2003).

 Wreaths laid at the Jacksonville National Cemetery. December 2010
(c) dorothy Hemmingway

I pray we never forget the sacrifice our service men and women made for our country. 
Let's not forget these great men and women.

Last year, American Heritage Girls FL2345 solicited sponsors for wreaths and participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Jacksonville National Cemetery.

For the second year in a row, AHG FL2345 will participate with Wreaths Across America in this fundraiser/service project. 

 I personally feel very honored to be part of this very worthwhile endeavor. 


  Laying wreaths at the Jacksonville National Cemetery. December 2010
(c) dorothy Hemmingway

  

Not only do we get $5 for every wreath that is sponsored through us, 

we also volunteer to help lay the wreaths during the wreath laying ceremony 
on December 10, 12 noon, at the Jacksonville National Cemetery.
The ceremony is open to the public. 

Go to Wreaths Across America to see what they are all about. 

• Individual Wreath Sponsorship: 1 Wreath - $15.00
• Family Sponsorship: 4 Wreaths - $60.00
• Small Business Sponsorship: 10 Wreaths - $150.00
• Corporate Sponsorship: 100 Wreaths - $1500.00
• Patriot Pair (can only be ordered online): 2 Wreaths - $33.00

NOTE: Except for the Patriot Pair, you will not receive an actual wreath. You are sponsoring a wreath that will be placed on a gravemarker at the cemetery you have designated. We will be placing the wreaths at the Jacksonville National Cemetery.

When you order the Patriot Pair, one wreath will be sent to the home address of your choice and the other will be placed during the  annual wreath ceremonies. Shipping will not start until Nov. 17. 

To order online:

1. Go to Wreaths Across America and select sponsorship level.
2. Select a location to direct your sponsored wreath. We will be laying wreaths at the Jacksonville National Cemetery but you may choose any location on the list.
3. Select a specific group. This is Very Important: For us to get credit, you must select our group - State: FL Group: FLAHG2345  
4. Add to cart and pay. 

Audie Murphy: To Hell and Back

War at Home by Josh Groban

I will let this video stand on its own.

 

Pray for our military!

Our First Week of School . . .

Monday--We were supposed to go to a "Not Going to School" Celebration at Chuck E. Cheeses but my little one broke her arm and it was in a splint. Did not want her arm bumped so had to skip. Will be going having a makeup party later at Monkey Jungle Fun Time Pizza.

Tuesday--Delayed school until tomorrow. Going to Orthopedic Surgeon to get little one in a cast. She picked pink and red. She is with her two friends Hopper and D.B.J. (Donna Bear Jr.)

The cast tech asked her older sister if she would like to experience a little of what sister is experiencing with wearing a cast. Curly kept it on until supper time.

Wednesday--Started school yesterday. It went quite well. We actually finished all that was assigned without any drama which is saying something since I had the most horrific headache.

Thursday--Today we started kind of late (noon) but we still completed all our work by 4:30pm. Gotta love homeschooling. Love the fact that we can focus on learning and not all the filler stuff that so many kids/teachers have to endure in government school.

Angel has not been real thrilled with school. She is having a real hard time with her writing and I think I pushed her too much last year--too much writing in one sitting. So this year I broke (sorry, unintentional pun) up her writing into smaller chunks. Well that was the plan until she broke her arm.  Had to modify because she can not hold a pencil. Oh well, in four weeks maybe we will be able to start working on handwriting. Today, her favorite subjects are Math Detective and Balance Math.

Curly was able to do most of her work independently. Gotta love middle school. Word Roots and Life of Fred Math are her favorite subjects to day. She is very excited about school starting. Hope that enthusiasm continues.

See you next week.

Happy homeschooling.

Bizarre Stuff You Can Make In Your Kitchen

 This site is a museum of classic home science projects. It is not so much meant to be "how to" or educational, but more of a celebration of early to mid 20th century experimentation and pop science illustration.

American Heritage Girls FL 2345 First Meeting Date

TROOP FL2345

First meeting September 13 at 6:30pm.

goto American Heritage Girls to find location of a troop near your.

I'm Hungry! What Are We Eating? Week of 8/22

Monday: 

Breakfast-Cereal or Toast and Jam * Lunch-PBJ
Dinner-Chicken and Rice Noodles w/Green Beans 

Tuesday:
Breakfast-Cereal w/Milk * Lunch-Chicken Salad
Dinner-Soup and Sandwiches 

Wednesday:

Breakfast-Cheese Grits * Lunch-Thai Noodles
Dinner-Sloppy Joes w/ Mixed Veggies 

Thursday:

Breakfast-Bacon/Cheese Sandwiches * Lunch-Grilled Cheese
Dinner-Cheesy Pasta with Green Beans 

Friday:

Breakfast-Cereal with Milk * Lunch-Veggie Soup
Dinner-Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes with Green Beans

Saturday:

Breakfast-Eggs with Hash Browns * Lunch-Thai Noodles
Dinner-Lasagna

Sunday:

Breakfast-Hardees Biscuits * Lunch-Riches Bar-B-Q
Dinner-Simple Sandwiches

Catechism for Children by Paul Washer

Some of my favorite things . . .

• I know it sounds trite, but Jesus -- without Him nothing is worthwhile

• holding hands with my husband 
• hugs and kisses(especially from hubby and kids)
• a good sermon -- one that makes me go "Ouch! Amen."
• kids laughing
• visiting family 
• thunderstorms (especially at bedtime)
• cuddling
• my cat sitting on my lap
• talking to a good friend that I have not talked to in a while
• black and white movies (especially westerns)
• homeschooling my kids
• takeout pizza
• sushi
• NetFlix
• going to the library - alone
• hot dogs cooked over a campfire
• S'mores
• bread fresh from the oven 
• lapbooking

AHG Daddy/Daughter Dinner 2011

 

American Heritage Girls Daddy/Daughter Dinner - Feb. 14, 2011

We have not started our homeschooling year yet. I am finishing up my last three subjects--Home Ec, Character Studies and Geography. We will be starting on August 23.

Enjoy this beautiful sunrise and have a great week.

CameraSim: An Online SLR Camera Simulator

 

Online SLR Camera Simulator

The SLR controls:

Lighting

Lighting is the single biggest determinant of how your camera needs to be set.  With only a few exceptions, you can never have too much light.  Use this slider to experiment with different indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.

Distance

Use this slider to simulate how close or far you are in relation to the subject.

Focal length

Moving this slider is the same as zooming in and out with your lens.  A wide, zoomed out setting creates the greatest depth of field (more things are in focus) while zooming in creates a shallower depth-of-field (typically just the subject will be in focus).

Mode

The exposure modes of an SLR let you control one setting while the camera automatically adjusts the others.  In Shutter Priority mode, you to set the shutter speed while the camera sets the aperture/f-stop.  In Aperture Priority mode, you set the aperture/f-stop while the camera sets the shutter speed.  Manual mode is fully manual—you’re on your own!  Refer to the camera’s light meter to help get the proper exposure.  Although every real SLR camera has a "fully automatic" mode, there is not one here—what’s the fun in that?

ISO

ISO refers to how sensitive the “film” will be to the incoming light when the picture is snapped.  High ISO settings allow for faster shutter speeds in low light but introduce grain into the image.  Low ISO settings produce the cleanest image but require lots of light.  Generally, you will want to use the lowest ISO setting that your lighting will allow.

Aperture

Aperture, or f-stop, refers to how big the hole will be for the light to pass through when the shutter is open and the picture is snapped.  Lower f numbers correspond with larger holes.  The important thing to remember is this: the higher the f number, the more things in front of and behind the subject will be in focus, but the more light you will need.  The lower the f number, the more things in front of and behind the subject will be out of focus, and the less light you will need.

Shutter speed

Shutter speed is how long the shutter needs to be open, allowing light into the camera, to properly expose the image.  Fast shutter speeds allow you to “freeze” the action in a photo, but require lots of light.  Slower shutter speeds allow for shooting with less light but can cause motion blur in the image.
Happy simulating!

What is American Heritage Girls?

 

If you have girls ages 5-18, I would highly recommend American Heritage Girls.

So what is American Heritage Girls? 

From their website: "American Heritage Girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. The organization offers badge programs, service projects, girl leadership opportunities and outdoor experiences to its members. This program of character building has successfully served thousands of girls since its inception and will continue to do so long into the 21st century." 

From my girls: It is fun. I love getting the badges and doing service projects. 

If you would like more information about American Heritage Girls or would like to find a troop, check out their website.

If you live in Florida, there is a Facebook page for AHG.

I'm Hungry! What Are We Eating? Week of 8/15

Monday: 

Breakfast-Cheese Grits with Ham * Lunch-Beanie Weenies with Rice
Dinner-Beef Stroganoff with Green Beans

Tuesday:

Breakfast-Cereal w/Milk * Lunch-PBJ
Dinner-Grilled Cheese and Chips

Wednesday:

Breakfast-Eggs w/Hash Browns * Lunch-Beans with Rice
Dinner-with Friends

Thursday:

Breakfast-Bacon, Eggs and Grits * Lunch-??
Dinner-Country Boil

Friday:

Breakfast-Cereal with Milk * Lunch-Taco Town
Dinner-Draw Down Dinner with Family

Saturday:

Breakfast-Eggs with Hash Browns * Lunch-Hamburgers
Dinner-Beans with Rice

Sunday:

Breakfast-Hardees Biscuits * Lunch-Riches Bar-B-Q
Dinner-PBJ

Blog Schedule

MONDAY:

 I will post my weekly menu schedules. Hopefully, this will keep me on track with my cooking.

TUESDAY:

What are the girls doing in American Heritage Girls this week.

WEDNESDAY:

I have a lot of cool links for homeschooling, homemaking and more. Will post a new link every Wednesday.

THURSDAY:

What have we been doing this week in our homeschooling.

FRIDAY:

Videos from the internet.

SATURDAY:

Musings.

SUNDAY:

Christian video, blogs, sermons, etc.

The Weight of the Cross

Ambitious Start To Our School Year

I am going to start my home school year on August 23. Government school starts on the 22 and we are going to enjoy an "I am not going to school today" outing with friends. I have some ambitious plans for this year.

Curly is starting middle school -- I can't believe that she is going to be in the 6th grade. She will be doing between 4 to 6 hours of school a day (depending on how focused she is on any particular day).

Angel is going into 3rd grade. She is growing up so fast. She will be doing between 4 and 5 hours of work a day. 

In addition to their studies, both girls will participate in American Heritage Girls, an organization whose mission is to build women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. The girls can earn badges, do service projects, have leadership opportunities in the troop and participate in outdoor experiences.

Group Studies

Bible Study

Monday through Thursday: Studying/lapbooking/notebooking various verses in the Bible for the first part of the year and lapbooking a catechism study for the second half of the year. 

Friday: Picture Smart Bible (formerly Picture This!) to get an overview of the books of the Bible.

Science

Monday through Friday: The Lord God Made Them All"  Science Series Pt. 1-All Things Bright and Beautiful Online Course with Catie Frates (my one splurge) Modified for Angel

History 

Monday through Friday: History Revealed: Ancient Civilizations & the Bible and Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries Modified for Angel

Geography

Monday through Friday: Trail Guide to World Geography: Around the World in 80 Days Unit Study (did the first half of the book last year) first part on year and then U.S. State Study: Star Spangled States with a Lapbooking Component

Foreign Language 

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: La Clase Divertida

Home Economics

Wednesday and Friday: Future Christian Homemakers of America

Monday through Friday: Various chores around the house

Curly's Studies

Character Study

 Monday through Friday: Raising Maidens of Virtue

Math

Monday through Friday: Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra w/ Bioloy, Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra w/Economics  
Monday through Friday: Scratch Your Brain: Clever Math Ticklers 

Language Arts

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: Total Language Plus: Caddie Woodlawn, The Wheel on the School, The Twenty-One Balloons, A Christmas Carol

Monday through Friday: Word Roots Beginning and A1

Wednesday: Punctuation Puzzler

Monday through Friday: Analytical Grammar for 10 weeks and then bi-weekly for the rest of the year

Monday through Friday: poems from Harp and Laurel Wreath 

Tuesday and Friday: Spelling Power

Critical Thinking

Monday through Friday: Building Thinking Skills 3 Verbal

Monday and Wednesday: Red Herring Mysteries 2

Tuesday and Thursday: Mind Benders 4 and 5

Angel's Studies

Character Study 
Monday through Friday: Book of Virtues with lapbooking component

Math
Monday through Friday: CIMT-MEP (Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching-Methematics Enhancement Programme)
Join the Yahoo! Group mep-homeschoolers to get password to access some of the pages
Monday and Wednesday: Math Detectives Beginning
Tuesday and Thursday: Balance Math and More Level 1

Language Arts

Monday through Friday: Language Smarts Level D

Monday and Tuesday: Reading Detective Beginning

Monday through Friday: Explode the Code Books 4, 4 1/2, 5 and 5 1/2

Monday through Friday: Word Roots Beginning
Tuesday and Thursday: poems from Harp and Laurel Wreath

Critical Thinking

Monday through Friday: Building Thinking Skills 2
Tuesday and Thursday: Red Herring Mysteries 1
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: Mind Benders Book 3

Just to let you all know, I am not affiliated nor do I make any money by mentioning the above products. 

Going to try again. . .

I am going to try be consistent is writing my blog starting this home school year. Here's hoping.