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Showing posts from November, 2012

Crew Review: Vocal Coach Singer

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What’s a mother to do when her music loving, choir participating daughter wants voice lessons in addition to her piano lessons but there’s no money in the budget for a singing tutor? If the mother in question is like me, then she’s going to be blessed to be introduced to Vocal Coach and the Vocal Coach Singer program.  Here’s a description from the website: “Vocal Coach Singer is the most complete instructional singing system available with the equivalent of over $2,000 worth of personal coaching time. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, Vocal Coach Singer teaches and builds upon the fundamentals essential to an accomplished singing voice. From posture to performance our tested and proven techniques will help you deliver your songs with consistency and confidence!” Boobear, my oldest, is 17.  I begged the Schoolhouse Review for the opportunity to review this product specifically for BooBear.  She is a senior in high school and plans to major in music at college starting

Holiday Cooking

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With Thanksgiving just two weeks and 2 days away my family has begun to list suggestions for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Supergirl, my developmentally disabled daughter has a strong opinion of what needs to be served for Thanksgiving: Pickles, carrots (carrots???), cranberries, and stuffing.  “Lots of stuffing,” she tells me, “because it’s my favorite.” Today is Day 2  of the Preparing for the Holidays Blog Hop hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  Today’s topic:  Cooking, of course! First let’s chat about Thanksgiving.  We have a nearly set menu for Thanksgiving: a combo of traditions from his family, my family, and traditions we’ve started as our family. We start our Thanksgiving morning with some type of breakfast roll: Cinnamon, Carmel, or some variation.  I’d love to brag about how they are homemade and made from freshly ground wheat but they’re not.  They come from a can.  We only make them once a year so I don’t worry too much about cost or how incredibly unhealthy they are.

Decorating: Not Just for Christmas

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Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is  2 1/2  weeks away and Christmas is just around the corner.  Many people are preparing for the holidays or at least thinking about preparing for the holidays.  The Schoolhouse Review Crew is hosting a 5 Day Blog Hop:  Preparing for the Holidays: Day 1 is Decorating.   I don’t just want to talk about Decorating for Christmas because I don’t just celebrate Christmas.  I celebrate Thanksgiving, St Nicholas Day, Christmas,  New Year’s Day, and Theophany.  Grab a cup of hot cocoa, or spiced cider, or hot tea, something that puts you in the mood for fall/winter festivities as we take a stroll through my decorating traditions from late October though January 6. For me the start of the decorating season begins a day or two or three before Halloween.  As I said in a previous post , I don’t really decorate for Halloween.  I do, however, like to decorate for fall.  I love the colors and I love the harvest theme.  But it’s a process.   I start by putting out t

Molly Crew Review: You CAN Sew from Modesty Matters

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For years and years , I have thought that sewing is not my thing.  I’ve wanted to sew; I’ve wanted to teach my daughters how to sew.  My sewing class in 7th grade was a disaster for me, and my costume design class in college for my theater degree?  Well let’s just say they didn’t let me near a machine during practicum.  I have managed to learn a few skills but sewing continued to intimidate me until the Schoolhouse Review introduced me to You Can Sew! published by Modesty Matters . The text and the DVD instructions work together to create a complete 12 week beginning sewing course.  In addition to the text and instructional dvds, the course includes : Materials List ~ This handy list details out what you materials you need for the course, some items include a basic sewing machine, the manual for the machine, scrap fabric, sewing notions, and more. I found this list very helpful! Syllabus/Outline ~ This overview lists the Topic, Skill, Classwork and Home Work/Follow-up for e

Thankful Thursday ~ November 1st

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I am thankful for the rain.   I loved having so much sun in September and most of October (we had something like 82 days of sunshine.  I’m sure that is some kind of record for us here in the rainy part of the Pacific Northwest.)  The grass that was all brown and dead looking is now starting to become green again.  I am thankful that my husband has been off work for most of this week.  I wasn’t thrilled at first when he announced “oh I forgot to tell you. I have some use or lose leave so I’m taking off next week.”   But it has been a blessing.  We were able to get some errands done and he’s been around to help me through a difficult personal crisis.  And he makes the bestest scrambled eggs in the whole world and he made scrambled eggs for me this week. I am thankful for the creativity of my daughters.  I’m thankful for the relationship that they have with each other.  Yes, they fight.  Yes, the fighting drives me crazy but when it matters they willingly step up and work together.  The