A Bedroom For Little Miss

i have been promising you photos
of my daughter's redone room
for, like

evah

and i'm so sorry
it has taken months to post these

i must confess
that we actually finished
Little Miss's room
during the Christmas break

however

when i tried to take photos
with my little point and shoot camera
nothing turned out

so i had to wait until
my new camera arrived in the mail

which it did this week

and then my pal April
from Holistic Homemaking
came over for ice cream
and a little dslr tutoring for moi

are you prepared
for some icky before photos?

i'm pretty sure

Little Miss herself

actually snapped these pics

but unfortunately

they do tell the tale

of a room badly in need of TLC

now

let's all cheer up a bit

whilst we look at the afters

shall we?

pink was the requested hue

for the walls

and i went for the palest shade

i could fine

so as to avoid that 'pepto' feel

these books and bobs

are lined up on the old mantel

here's a vintage typewriter

that Miss bought at a yard sale

with her own money

and uses to type up stories

and newspaper articles for her self-published paper

though lately

she's done less clackety-clack typing on this

and moved over to her very own blog

even

 the dollhouse family room

got a little rearranging

though i would like

to paint her furniture white

it was handed down 

from hubs' grandmother

and i don't think i'm allowed to (yet)

so there you have it

an ugly duckling room

transformed

into something very sweet

for my Little Miss

More Dreamy Bedroom Inspiration

in the 4 1/2 years
since we moved into our home
we have been     s l o w l y
redoing the bedrooms one by one

i have
of course
spent not a little time
gathering inspiration everywhere

we  finished Big's room
last summer

and Little Miss's room
(photos to come soon)
during the Christmas break

next on the block is
Sy and Toot's room

and then
finally

the master bedroom

which i wrote about last year
including some photos of
pretty bedrooms for inspiration

but since then
i've honed my idea board a bit
narrowing in on a simple
grey and white theme

our bedroom
is currently wallpapered
in giant pink cabbage roses
with 'complimentary' wallpaper on the

get ready for it

ceiling

oh yeah

and i cannot wait
to strip it all down
and create a space
that is light
soothing
and

not covered in giant pick cabbage roses

here are my nominees
in the best bedroom inspiration category
(can you tell i'm writing this
whilst watching the Oscars?)








 







and the winner is?

i don't know

why don't you choose?

Fridays Unfolded #55

welcome to the 55th edition of


are you
as excited as i am
to hear the return of little birds
singing and tweeting in the early mornings again?

ahh

the sun is shining
daffodils and hyacinths
are being to peep up through the winter soil

and i feel that age-old stirring in my bones
that beautiful Spring
is just around the corner

and with the change in seasons
comes the desire for many of us
to spiffy up our little nests
try new recipes
and whip out those dusty cans of spray paint

are you ready for some inspiration
in the form of last week's party features?

let's go


French & Sparrow took an underused closet
and transformed the space into the perfect pantry




Dixie Delights linked up some amazing
before and after shots of her lovely family room

before


and after


i would very much
like to sink my teeth
into a slice (or four) of this Banana Coconut Pumpkin Bread
from The Traveling Spoon



The NY Melrose Family got the urge to purge
and worked hard to change a cluttered closet
from this


to this


The Rickett Chronicles baked up some
buttery Pretzel Rolls for us to ogle



and finally
this Mama With a Dash of DIY Drama
created this cheeky and vintage race car-esque dresser


phew

i am starting to feel inspired
to get to work on my own domain!

there are always many more links
than i can feature here
but

did you know
that i like to highlight many of your posts
on the Stuff and Nonsense Facebook Page
and Twitter Page?

i sure do!
so if you're not yet a fan
click here and here to become one

if your post was featured today
be sure to grab a button
 

and now it's your turn
to show us what unfolded for you
this week
or last week
or
well
you get the idea

the rules are simple:

follow Stuff and Nonsense

via GFC and Linky Followers(and leave a comment so i can follow you back)

link up your recipe, sewing project, decor, craft, poem, essay, tutorial, etc.
whatever 'unfolded' for you this week

be sure to link back to your post and not just your url 
(by joining Fridays Unfolded you are giving me permission
to use your photos for features on Stuff and Nonsense, Facebook and Twitter)

visit a few of the other links and leave a comment
(it's just polite)

post my button on your blog
so others can join the fun

after you link up here
i would love for you to
visit my friday friends
and join their linky parties as well

     

happy linking!

this week's edition

of Fridays Unfolded

is sponsored by

a place where you can find

artisan crafted pieces like

 

 

My Home School Curriculum Picks

whenever i'm in the company of other homeschooling mums
the conversation inevitably meanders around to

curriculum

i get asked
a whole lot

what do you use for math?


what spelling curriculum to you use?


how do you teach reading to your kids?


and you can bet
i have asked those same questions
a fair few times myself

so even though
this school year is more than halfway finished

i thought i'd share with you
what curriculum we are currently using

our main unit curriculum
is My Father's World


this is our third year using MFW
and we absolutely love it

MFW incorporates
history
geography
bible
art
science
social studies
literature

into a flexible schedule

teaching everything from a historically accurate
and Christian worldview

they do all the work of lesson planning for you
but allow plenty of freedom in how you want to teach
(for instance
i don't use the Music stuff at all)

this year we are studying Rome to Reformation
(my very favorite historical time period so i'm loving it almost more than my children and they constantly roll their eyes at how excited i get reading aloud about the Black Death)

i cannot sing my praises loudly enough
to convey how much i adore MFW

if you want to know more click here

Math
my 3 younger kids
all use Developmental Mathematics

this is a mastery style of math
meaning
that each workbook teaches one concept
rather than the spiral method
which is constantly reviewing learned concepts
whilst introducing new ones

this math
fits my children's learning style
quite well

however
be warned

there is very little instruction
and no teacher's manual
so you must be comfortable
with explaining the assignments
all by your onsie

you can find out more here

in 7th grade
my kids switch to Math 7: A Teaching Textbook and Answer Key Student Workbook

i don't like math

were i to try and teach them
much above basic fractions
we would all be in heaps 'o trouble

so Math 7: A Teaching Textbook and Answer Key Student Workbook
works for us
because it is a cd rom course
that includes a whiteboard lecture format

problems worked on the computer

and keeps track of all assignments
and test scores

which means
no correcting or grading for me

holla

TT has a good informational website here
that includes demos and placement tests
to determine which level your child needs

Vocabulary/Spelling
we have used

Wordly Wise 3000 Grade 3 Student Book - 2nd Edition

for several years now
and it has worked
for developing reading comprehension
spelling
and vocabulary

Reading
my youngest
has spent this year
learning to read
by using

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

i have used this
with all 4 of my kids
and have a love/hate relationship with it

it has done it's job
and is so simple to use

but just between you and me
and the fence post
i would re-title it

Teach Your Child To Read In About 47 Lessons
Since By Halfway Through This Book You Will Be
Sick To Death Of It


just saying

for further comprehension
and reading fluidity
Toot is also using Explode the Code 1

Grammar
grammar is one of those subjects
that i do not teach  my kids until
they have achieved good reading and writing skills
(usually around 4th grade)

this year we have started using Winston Grammar Basic Complete Set

and it is a good
straightforward program
that the kids don't hate

Science
we do Science class at our home school co-op
and this year we are studying Physics

(more on the co-op later)

Art
i use a smattering of

God & The History of Art Volumes I & II Set (includes 35 Paint Cards and 36 Postcards)

which is used with MFW

i like it
but am just a little lazy
when it comes to teaching Art

Writing Composition
i enjoy teaching writing to my kids
and i don't use any formal curriculum for this

but rather
use subjects we are currently studying
to create writing assignments

occasionally i use writing prompts from

The Write Stuff Adventure: Exploring the Art of Writing

Bible/Memorization
MFW provides daily bible readings
which we use to begin class with prayer and devotions

additionally
we use their memory verses
(and sometimes add to them for longer passages)
for practicing memorization

Indepentant Reading
as soon as my kids are able
they being reading chapter books on their own
during quiet time after lunch

i help with choosing material
because i have good taste
and because i have a book list
that i have compiled
for them to use for reading ideas

we also read aloud
historical fiction books
that pertain to the periods we are studying

and let me take a moment to just say
that those times when my kids sit and listen
whilst i read aloud
form some of our most enjoyable moments
and favorite memories

if you don't already do this
you must start now

a great time for read-alouds
is lunch time
when the kids' mouths are full of food
and their attention is easy to keep

it also helps
if you do accents

lots and lots of accents

this year we have read


The Bronze Bow

Twice Freed (Freestyle Fiction 12 +)

The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape From The Tower Of London

and will soon start

The Door in the Wall (Books for Young Readers)

we round out our education
with subjects done with other families
at our home school co-op

every Monday
we meet to study a variety of subjects
always including Science

and others
such as

Creative Writing
Art
Art History
PE
Speech
Sign Language
Music/Drama
Sewing
Health/Safety

etc.

so there you have it

The Agnew Academy
curriculum list for the 2011-2012 school year

any questions?