LazyDay Expressions

School Time

It's SORT OF the first day of school for us here. We took a few weeks off for the nice weather here in Alaska and are now picking back up where we left off in our curriculum we started in June.

Do you like our homeschool logo? We love eagles and one of the biggest reasons we're homeschooling is due to our Christian faith.......hence the design for our logo. We love it and will be ordering hooded sweatshirts with the logo in the near future. GO TEAM TRAIL!! {smile}

Our days are filled with 2nd grade fun and Preschool fun. The girls are doing really well in their work and have already made lots of progress.

Either tomorrow or Friday I will post about all the resources we are using for each grade.

Monday's Pin-It Madness: Week 1

Okay, so is everyone ready for the very first edition of Monday's Pin-It Madness here on LazyDay Expressions? Woot!

These are my TOP 10 FAVORITE pins from the previous week (in no particular order of course).

Scroll through and see all the inspiration:

1) For my cute Katie who is sad about her short hair right now :(

{source}

2) Homeschooling is on the mind of late. This would be great to have for each girl while they sit at the table and do their written work.

{source}

3) DIY Scratch Paper - a whole lot cheaper than purchasing it and it looks great.

{source}

4) Great art time coloring pages

{source}

5) Just looking at this jar of goodies puts a smile on my face. Not just for beginners!!!

{source}

6) I'm of the mind that one can never have too many totes (well, unless they're staying in a travel trailer........minor details)

{source}

7) I'm always on the lookout for a cute menu planner. Love this one.

{source}

8) One of my very favorite color combinations - AND, it's upcycled, Yay!

{source}

9) This one totally reminded me of my mom. Been missing her a lot lately.

{source}

10) This has Alexis's name written ALL OVER IT!

{source}

Can't wait to see what fun things show up on Pinterest this week. Looking forward to it.

My Favorite Pictures From Last Week

There is only so much to do around the Hyder, AK and Stewart, BC area. Consequently, we spend quite a few afternoons at the Municipal Playground in Stewart. They really enjoy it and it's also a really good spot for cute photos. Love it! My favorite pictures this week were all taken there.

Cute Cute Cute Cute

I really like how these turned out. Hopefully I can get a good picture of Alexis soon. She didn't quite get the whole solo picture thing this time. Too many distractions to focus on looking at the camera.

We'll see if this week's pictures will be as good :)

Giveaway Winners!!!

Congratulations!

to our Mystery Crafty Bundle Giveaway Winners...

First Five Entry Winners

Tammy V

Natalie J

Sarah M

Kaitlin B

Tanya B

Random Drawing Winner

AddiBrae

Your Bundle is on its way!!!

Happy Crafting!

Last Chance - Giveaway Ends Midnight 8/25

LAST DAY TO ENTER

Subscribe via email or rss feeds to

LazyDay Expressions

(rss feeds at top of page; email on right - scroll down)

Bear Visit.....Again

Now we know why Suzie was growling early in the morning. We got another visit from our local wildlife. It was even sweet enough to decorate the truck for us.

Whenever we run Anthony some lunch, I usually just have the girls eat their lunch in the truck on our way. Makes it easier - two things at once, AND they usually stay relatively quiet since they're concentrating on their food. The trick is to get them to remember to grab all their garbage and leftovers when we get back to the trailer. Apparently, this is a skill that is extremely difficult to master......we've been working on it for months now {smile}.

I guess these "cuddly" creatures (actually, they're more like giant raccoons)just LOVE the smell of a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Well, I can't blame them, they are pretty delicious. Poor thing wasn't able to get to it though. He decorated our truck with mud trying to get in, but to no avail. Dejected, he wandered off to see if he could find anything substantial at the dump.

It is quite interesting to wake up to find your truck has been mauled yet again. However, beside very muddy, there was no damage - so we're thankful for that. Just another day in the Hyder life.

Watercolor Interpretation of Hyder by Kaitlyn

Do you remember the picture I posted of what we see outside our travel trailer window? If not, check out this post.

Well, while the girls were visiting the Rogers (good friends of ours) in Stewart BC, Mrs. Rogers brought out some paints for the kids to use. Kaitlyn decided that she was going to paint what she saw from our trailer. I asked her about it and below is the answer that she gave.

Click on the image to get a better view

"This is God in the sky and Jesus in the sky and that's the Holy Spirit. And there is real grass. I feel good when I look at it. Mrs. Rogers helped me. The sky is blue. This is what I see from our trailer."

I was blown away by it. How wonderful that what she sees when she looks out is God (in whatever form or way she sees that in her mind). It made me think......Do I look for God in the everyday? Would he show up in my watercolors if I were to paint something? The answer to both of these should be yes - but too often it is "no." Thank you Katie for showing Mommy the proper view.

Looking For A Good DSLR Tutorial?

Are you like me and have this great camera but are rather clueless to all the buttons, functions, and menus that it offers?

Do your eyes glaze over when you open up your photo editing program because you know you could do so much with your picture if you just knew how all the options worked?

You're in luck! Shoot Fly Shoot is offering AMAZING video training classes to help you take, and edit, pictures like a professional. Hop on over and check it out!

You'll learn all about

Exposure

ISO

Aperture

Shutter Speed

Metering

Lenses

Equipment

Interior Photography

Portrait Photography

Product Photography

Landscape Photography

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember to enter the "Mystery Crafty Bundle" Giveaway!
(Ends 8/25)

Mud Fun and Giveaway Reminder

This is the view we have from our travel trailer here in Hyder. And, as usual, the picture just doesn't quite do it justice. We've been here nine weeks now and I'm still taken back by the scenery. Everywhere you look it's just gorgeous. Of course you have to actually take time to look up from what you're doing to notice it though. I tend to forget that sometimes. But, this week I've been more purposeful in enjoying what's around me.
We'll be finding out soon if we're destined to head to Petersburg, AK at the end of this month, or if we'll be enjoying Hyder for the rest of the construction season. The hubby is kind of hoping we can just stay here. It's always a hassle to get everything together and move to a different location, especially if that relocation means a ferry ride. Did I mention that the girls HATE ferries. Yes, well, more about that later.

If I have done my post correctly, you should be able to click on the image to get a better view. It's more impressive in it's original size :)
Earlier today the girls, the dog, and I went down to the dock to enjoy the fun one can have when the tide is out. We call it our "Tide Flat Fun." And boy did they have fun.

Can you see that mud in front of where the boat is? That "glowing" playland just waiting for little toes to run across.

This was actually the cleanest part of the trip. I was going to post a picture of the aftermath but Alexis (the oldest) requested that I not put that one in. Something about being embarrassed :). I thought that didn't hit until age 11 or 12. Oh well. But, I'm sure you can get a pretty good idea of how little of their natural skin color was showing by the end. Especially since they pretended that they were seals for a good 20 minutes.
Fun day for the girls and fun day for Mommy. We'll see how laundry day goes tomorrow :).
Remember to sign up for the "Mystery Crafty Bundle" giveaway that ends 8/25.
Yvonne

More Back To School Crafty Inspiration AND Giveaway Reminder

I am in complete awe of all the wonderful, fun, and crafty ideas that are circulating on the web right now for the Back-to-School season. What great fun! Personally, I have a hard time choosing between all my favorites and want to do every single one. Of course, being a homeschooler some are more practical than others, but sometimes it's tempting to make one of those cute items for a teacher and send it along with a friend's kid to school - seriously....I've got it that bad.

Check out some of the amazing ideas that have popped up this week:

Back to School Countdown by A Pumpkin & A Princess

DIY Homework Station by Uncommon Designs Online

Striped Notebook by Ardor

Report Cards File by Just Being Judy

Decorated Pencils by Martha Stewart

Count The Days by Spoonful

Clipboard Organizer by Our Big Earth

FREE PRINTABLES ALERT!!!

First Day of School Lunch Printables by Bloom Designs Online

First Day of School Interviews For Kids by Positively Splendid

Lunch Labels by Martha Stewart

TEACHER GIFTS

Back To The Grind by JonohBonah

Crayon Initial by Raising Memories

Don't forget to sign up for the Mystery Crafty Bundle Giveaway that ends 8/25..

Yvonne

Linky Party Over at Serenity Now

I don't know about you, but I love myself a good linky party. Hop on over to Serenity Now to check out all the crafty goodness going on. You won't regret it - there's something for everyone. Yay! Just click the button and you'll be on your way.

Yvonne

First Crafty Goodness Giveaway

Who wants to be the FIRST to receive a mystery crafty bundle in the mail?

All you have to do is sign up to follow LazyDay Expressions via email or reader.
Make sure to leave a comment to let me know.
(rss feed tab located at very top of page)

The first 5 people who sign up will automatically "win" a mystery bundle.
That's right - INSTANT WIN!!!!

As my little ones say...
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

For those of you who miss the first five spots, don't worry. Everyone else will be entered to win a mystery bundle as well.
Woot! Woot!

Just leave a comment that you're a follower.

Note: This giveaway will end on August 25th
SO HURRY!!!

Yvonne

Learning to Blog

Beautiful Alaska

We're having the stay-inside weather in Hyder, AK today. The cloud cover is so low that the planes will not fly through. Hence, no mail or groceries today (sigh). However, it does make for a nice day to browse the web and look at things I've been wanting to check out.

For example, I have been wanting to learn how to do some different things on this blog and so I started snooping around and found a bucket-load of information and tutorials. One of the things that I was interested in was how to put a button on here that allowed a reader to follow me on pinterest if their heart so desired :). I found the answer at BloggerSentral. I LOVE that you can just copy and paste and........BAM! There it is.

(go ahead.....click it....you know you want to)

Makes me want to do the HAPPY DANCE!

There is so much I need to learn about how to tweak and customize my little chunk of the net. I'll probably be so excited that I've figured something out that I'll want to post everything about it. The Pinterest button thing was baby step number 1. So cool :).

Yvonne

Back to School for the Homeschooler

Have you seen all the "Back to School" ads, ideas, themes, parties, etc. swarming the web right now? I have to admit, it completely caught me by surprise this year. Being in Alaska for the construction season and feeling a bit "out of the loop" anyways, I got that deflated feeling when all my lovely blog ladies that I faithfully read started churning out the "Back to School" season items. I thought, "What!? Is it seriously that time again? Oh no - I haven't even started preparing." Oh well. Guess I'll get started now :).

As a homeschooling mom, I know that it can be difficult sometimes to get into the "Back to School" spirit, especially if you're a year-round schooler like us. So, go ahead, throw a PARTY! See how it will rejuvenate the spirit and add some fun to the mix. The kids will love it.

You can go all out and do a whole theme. This one from catchmyparty.com is really cute for the mom who loves to do creative foods and tablescapes.

Back to School Party from CATCHMYPARTY.COM

You don't even have to get super fancy. You can do a simple tablescape with construction paper, and other supplies on hand. The kids will think it's great. Watch their eyes light up when they realize something special is going on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/s_ripperton/2792590619/

And what about all those cute ideas for teacher gifts? I have seen so many that are just too fun to pass up. I say, why not make something special and unique for your kids' teacher this year, even if that teacher is YOU. Or should I say, BECAUSE that teacher is you. I know that, for me, having a new gadget, organizer, personalized notebook, etc. really gives me an attitude boost and makes things more fun/interesting.

..........

Mini Modpodge Clipboard from MARTA WRITES

Menu Planner Spiral Notebook from ARTSY-FARTSY MAMA

Desk Organizer from HOME CELEBRATION

Personalized Calendar w/Journaling Page by SCHOOL SUPPLY DANCE

The same goes for the kids too. Have you seen how excited they get over something new, even if it's just a new box of crayons? How about some of these fun ideas to get the kids excited about a new year (or just for fun if you school year-round)?

Desk Caddy from GINGER SNAP CRAFTS

Beadboard Supply Caddy from THE CRAFTING CHICKS

Pencil Case from BY NIGHT

Reading Nook from THE LAWRENCE GIRLS

Flip-Down Wall Art Desk from ANA WHITE

Organizer Board from BUSY AT HOME

Just looking at all these ideas has me excited for OUR "Back to School" celebration. So get your crafty-mama hat on and start planning that party :). And, if you're one of those whose kids are all gone, why not create a little something for the grand-babies who are schooling. It'll just add one more thing to your "why I'm a totally awesome grandma" list :).

Yvonne