My Blog = My Life: book

I know I said I wasn't going to write on WW4F until I got back from England, but I had a few extra minutes so I thought I'd discuss an interesting phenomenon that I've seen take place since the end of May/beginning of June. It seems that summer has changed my best time to post on Single Dad Laughing in a big way.

One way that I have gauged what time is best for posting is how many of my friends are currently available on Facebook chat. Since I started using this as one of my measurements, 8 AM MST has been just as good a time as any other, and often better than any other time.

The last few weeks though, I haven't been watching it too closely and my traffic has been dropping even though I've been posting at the same time I usually do. I was surprised when I realized this, and so I started looking at different traffic influencers to see where things might be causing the dropping. What was the first thing I noticed?
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The amount of actual living space in our house is quite small, and since our kids prefer to play near Mommy (and I prefer to keep them within ear shot so I can break up squabbles), storing our toys in the main living area, adjacent to the kitchen, proved to be both wise and aesthetically pleasing! It's hard to tell at first glance, but between the baker's table and our bookshelf, 90% of the toys in our home are stored away.

My favorite feature of the baker's table (which doubles as an end table for the couch), is the swooping drawer. Designed to store large bags of flour and sugar, the deep sections are perfect for storing bulkier toys like trucks, teddies, and balls. Above the deep drawer is a smaller pull-out which we use to store puzzles and flat-laying games.

Inside our bookshelf cupboards are four bins I picked up from the Dollar Store. They keep the smaller, most used toys organized. One bin is for dolls and their accessories, the second is for toy food and play kitchen utensils, the third bin stores Mr. Potato Head parts, and the fourth stores Mega blocks.

The bin solution has been an excellent tool for teaching our two-year-old to clean up after herself. When she's tired of playing with dolls and wants to build a tower out of Mega Blocks instead, she first has to put away all of her dolly things and slide the bin back onto the shelf. She's learning that "When we take something out, we put it back."

The great thing about using small bins for storage is that it makes the cleaning-up process seem less daunting to a child. Even our 1 year-old can hold his attention long enough to finish putting all the Mega Blocks into a bin! A few of the bigger toys (a plastic shopping cart, doll carrier, and a ride-on toy) are stored in their bedroom closets and can be pulled out upon request.

Once in a while someone will comment on how few toys we have in our home. I like to think that we have enough. Space issues aside, our children really don't care for playing with "real" toys all that much. They prefer to play in the sandbox, or with everyday items like spoons, boxes, canning jar rings, blankets, and hats. Keeping toys to a minimum does several good things:

1. It increases our children's imagination and creativity. Do you know how many different ways you can use a box?!
2. It minimizes their entitlement mentality. We have never taken our children toy shopping or picked one up while they were with us. Hence, I can easily go shopping at Wal-mart without them begging for another teddy bear or a new ball. The more we have, the more we want.
3. It reduces the clutter in our home. Less cleaning, more room to play with the toys they already have.
4. Slim picking with toys creates many opportunities to teach sharing, as a wise Mom said on our Facebook page.
5. Fewer toys teaches our children that work can be fun! With less toys to distract them, we can spend more time doing constructive things together like making dinner, washing the car, or weeding the garden.

How's the toy situation in your home? Have you found a good method for keeping it all organized? I'd love to hear your solutions and advice!

Hi ya peeps! It's time once again for Flea Market Finds!!!!
Actually I seriously wondered if I was going to have anything to share with ya this week. I wasn't in much of a shopping mood (Yes HE-double hockey sticks did possibly freeze over *winks*) but I did venture out to my local Goodwill and hit PAY DIRT!! Sometimes when it rains it pours... champagne! *winks*
Let me start with a story about my favorite find (and not a bargain) from ebay. A few years ago (2009) I spied this french mirrored plateau from the seller Nouveaurose and fell in love! Alas someone else was willing to spend more than I, and I missed out... *sniffle sniffle*

Weeeelll I was perusing ebay as I am wont to do occasionally *winks* when I ran across an almost identical plateau from the ebay seller flea hound who always has the most charming statuary for sale... but I digress...
I hit that "Buy It Now" button so fast my finger got whiplash lol! And now it's mine all mine!! Doing the Happy Dance!! La La La La La!!
What do you think? Doesn't it look almost identical to the white one from nouveaurose? Do you think I should paint mine too? I'm wondering if it would bring out more of the detail? A lovely thing to ponder...

Then (as if that wasn't fab enuff *winks*) there I was at the Goodwill scoping about, when across the room I spied out of the corner of my eye a large PAINTING, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the price... wait for it... $8.99!!! I've seen mediocre prints there that were priced higher than that! I had three ladies stop to ask me if they could look at it before I made it to the check out lol!

The lady featured in the painting pushing the baby had a slice in her poor head so somebody gave this up. YAY!!

Isn't she pretty?

And a darling puppy too!

Then I found some rosy linens for $3.99 ea. Left to right is Rachel Ashwell, a vintage duvet cover and two different Ralph Lauren rose patterned sheets, as well as a funny handmade victorian style doll for my etsy store.

These cute lucite earrings in pastel colors were $2.99.

And lastly this book titled "Angels In The Air" by Ania Molchlinska for $3.99. The angels easily pushout to form mobiles. If you love angels and cherubs this book is full of some beautiful ones. You can pick it up on Amazon for almost the same price I paid HERE.

I HEART the Goodwill!!
That's all for this week. I hope you'll come back next week for more flea market finds. I'd love to hear from you! So please leave me a comment and I'll do the same. *winks* Vanna
I'm joining my friend Sherry at No Minimalist Here for:

The French Cupboard for:

My sweet friend Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Cindy at My Romantic Home for:

I have longed and searched for the elusive duchesse brisée (Or broken Duchess) a type of French chair/chaise combination for years! There's just something so romantic and well... French that grabbed my heart and won't let go. I'm Duchesse obsessed!
What is it about this chaise divided into two or three parts that makes it sooooo much more expensive then almost any other type of chaise? And why do I always fall in love with the durned most expensive things?!! *winks* I keep hoping I'll somehow run into one at an auction or estate sale and nobody else will want it (Yeah I'm realistic like that!) so I'll be able to pick one up without selling a kidney or body organ of some sort lol!
Won't you come join me for a tour of some of my beautiful favorites?
Translated from french:
'a duchesse brisée'
the 'duchesse' was at first in three parts,
two 'gondola type' chairs of different depth and height,
combined seats end to end, with a 'labouret' between them.
still detachable to be used at two seats, with a footstool.
the later rococo merged these into a single piece,
France, 1740 ca.

Hmmm I didn't know that center section was called a "labouret" Good to know huh?
OK lets start with one of my favorites. Isn't it gorgeous?! I don't even mind one bit that the silk is shredding on the end. It only adds to it's patina and charm.

This one is very Hollywood glam of the 1940's don'tcha think?

Or how about something in a two parter? I could curl up right there with a good book and visions (delusions) of french chateaux floating in my head. Couldn't you? *winks*

I adore this moth eaten looking green velvet!

Or perhaps something in Louis XVI cane? Just needs some pillows!

Or dreamy blue with squishy down cushions? *swoons*

Tattered from a chateaux?... Yes please!!

Or one that's cool in crewel? Perfect in this chinoiserie room.

Or how about one with a more closed back? And sooo pretty in pink too!

I adore them all!
But until I find that needle in a haystack duchesse... Dare to dream and *fingers crossed* I'll just have to be happy with my french chaise (here draped in tambour lace) And continue to buy the occasional lottery ticket. *winks*

And my fauteuil with ottoman from craigslist.

Do you have a dream piece that you obsess over? One that's almost impossible to obtain? I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a comment and I'll visit you and do the same *winks* Or perhaps you have a duchesse just layin' around that you want to be rid of? I'm your gal! Thanks for dreaming with me for a minute or two! Vanna

Home school conventions and curriculum fairs are full of them: stressed-out homeschooling moms in search of the "perfect" curriculum. Anxious faces suggest meandering through the crowded hallways and sifting through myriads of material is no easy task. Moms stop other moms to ask, "What curriculum do you use?", hoping to discover the link to a successful school year.

What am I really asking when I implore another homeschooling mother about her curriculum choice? Because in all honesty, the curriculum she uses with her children probably won't help me with mine.

Giving myself the benefit of the doubt, perhaps her child does learn the same way as my child. Maybe that's why I'm curious. Maybe I really am looking for the most effective way to teach my child their ABC's and 123's.

Or maybe, I'm liking the way her kids are turning out and want my kids to turn out like that too.

It's silly isn't it? That I can think the key to a successful home school lies in a brand of textbooks. It's silly that I can stress over curriculum as if my choice will make my child turn out okay. I can put more thought into how they're going to learn the comparably insignificant three R's when my focus ought to be teaching them about our ruin in Adam, redemption in Jesus, and the renewing of our hearts and lives by the Holy Spirit.

What an awful lot of unnecessary pressure we put ourselves under, when ultimately, it's the grace and power of a super-natural God that is absolutely necessary to make any home school successful!

In the end, it matters not whether Johnny learns to read. Reading won't get him into Heaven. Neither will his ability to write, compute numbers, or dissect a frog.

"If you try to give people knowledge, and you haven't trained them in character, based on faith, they will become intellectual reprobates." - Doug Phillips
In the end, what matters is my child's salvation. This is not something that can be found in a curriculum, worksheet, or activity binder. I can't give them a page of multiple choice questions and give them a passing grade. I can't do anything to make their salvation happen.

Hallelujah!

From beginning to end, salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, applying the atonement Jesus paid for with His blood to sinners who God loved for no reason in ourselves (Hebrews 7:25).

This is what gives me hope as a home school mom. The God who can save my child is the same God who takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but desires everyone to come to repentance (Ezekiel 33:11). He is the same God who promised that those who seek Him shall find Him (Proverbs 8: 17). And these promises are certain because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrew 13:8).

Therefore, as a homeschooling mom, I ought to be pouring my energies, sweat, and tears not into curriculum, but into familiarizing my children with the Bible because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

Don't get me wrong. We ought to do due diligence in choosing curriculum that corresponds to the individual needs of our children. But if it's not working, don't sweat it. There is one thing needful in a child's education, and that is to sit at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:42).

Start your day in God's Word. Choose curriculum that is Word-centered. Pray for the salvation of your children. Present them with the Gospel as you sit in your house, walk along the road, when you tuck them in bed at night, and when you get up (Deuteronomy 5: 6,7).

Go forward and home school in hope. The salvation of your child does not hinge on your curriculum choice; it rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ who has freely offered Himself in the Gospel.

Linking to: Raising Homemakers,, Deep Roots At Home, Wise Woman, Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, Walking Redeemed, A Mama's Stoary

To all of my awesome, faithful compadres... I haven't been able to get anything new out on WW4F since Tuesday as I've been trying to get on top of the aftermath of the launch of my new book The Real Dad Rules.

I promise next week I'll have some great stuff for you! Until then, everybody have an awesome weekend full of rainbows, blue jays, and kettle corn. Or whatever else makes you happy...

Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing

Every once in a while you get really stretched as a blogger, and it's a good thing. Like this past week, for example, when a dear reader wrote me a letter that nearly broke my heart.

A homeschooling mother of six who loves the role God has given her, she finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Illness has left her husband unable to provide financially for his family and with unsupportive relatives and a church that scoffs at their decision to leave their fertility in the hands of the Lord, they are struggling not just to pay the bills, but to keep the mouths of their hungry children fed.

This dear mother shares the convictions I expressed in The Cost of Being A Stay-at-Home Mom and would love nothing more than to raise her children in the way she believes God calls her too. However, after waiting on the Lord for his direction, they see no other alternative than for her to work outside the home in order to provide basic necessities like food and clothing for their family.

Their desire is to live for Christ in every area of their lives; she wrote me wondering how the possibility of her being employed outside the home jives with Scripture.

A few questions that would help shape my answer include:

• How permanent is your husband's condition?
• Is your husband able to home school your children?
• Can you work from home (Proverbs 31)?
• Is there a church in the area that takes God's institution of the diaconate more seriously than the one you attend now?
• Is there any possibility of moving to a cheaper home, city, or state?
• How old are your children? Are they able to contribute at all to the family income or engage in a family business?
• You said you don't have any support from your relatives; is there a close friend or an older mentor who would be willing to help out with a loan (Leviticus 25:35-37)?
• It sounds like you've already cut every corner you can think of, but just in case, is there any way you can live on less? One vehicle instead of two? Sell unused toys and clothes on consignment? Hang your laundry on the line instead of using the dryer, etc.?

The story of Deborah in the book of Judges is one such example. Contrary to popular opinion, Deborah's leadership role as a prophetess is not an excuse or a reason for women of our day to do the same. There is no question she performed her job well or that God blessed it and ultimately used Deborah's actions to bring men back into leadership. But it was to Israel's great shame that God had to raise up a woman to support the men and warn them of their cowardice.
When God puts a godly person in a position where they are forced to act in a way that seemingly contradicts the rest of Scripture, someone else must always bear the punishment, guilt, fault, or shame (i.e. Hosea). In Deborah's case, it was the wimpy Israelite men of whom there was not found one with the courage to take the responsibility and lead.

In the case of the dear mother who wrote me earlier this week, I believe the shame lies with her unsupportive relatives and church. She is being forced outside of the home because her family and church have forsaken their biblical responsibilities (1 Timothy 5:8; 16; Leviticus 25:35-37; Proverbs 19:17; Psalm 112:5).

God instituted the diaconate so that the needs of the poor, of whom He said would always be with us (Mark 14:7), would be met. I never like suggesting that a family leave a church but if they are not cared for to such a degree that a mother of six children must leave her sacred responsibilities to keep her family from going hungry, it may be time to find a body of believers that recognize the importance of a mother's influence in the home and will joyfully make the sacrifices necessary so it can happen (James 1:27).

Unless her husband's condition improves and he is able once again to "bring home the bacon," or her church and family step up to the plate and in biblical love take care of those among them who are hurting, I believe this dear lady is not at all acting inappropriately in a situation that is less than ideal.

We serve a big God. Just as He was able to bless Deborah's efforts and restore Israel, so He can bless this mother, her husband, and children far above what we could even ask or think (Ephesians 3:20,21) during her temporary time of outside employment.

Linking to: Time-Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies, Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Wise Woman, Raising Arrows, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts for Home, The Better Mom, A Mama's Story

... continued from yesterday. Read Part 1 here.
Currently, we're teaching our 2-year-old to memorize the Proverbs. Proverbs for Parenting | A Topical Guide for Child Raising From The Book of Proverbs compiled by Barbara Decker has proved to be a handy tool as each of the proverbs are organized into their respective categories.

If Charity is having a particularly difficult week with anger and temper-tantrums, we can flip to the anger section and choose a few verses from there to work on. If she's habitually stalling when we ask her to do something, we'll turn to the chapter on obedience. If she's having a hard time finding something nice to say to her brother, we'll memorize a verse on kindness.

There's nothing difficult or scientific about our method for memorization. For the most part, it's a simple process of "repeat after me." This past week, we memorized Proverbs 16:6: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
1. First, I'll read the verse through and explain any words she might not understand: iniquity, purged, depart.
2. Then I'll say the first phrase and ask her to repeat it back to me. I do this several times over with each section of the verse. That way, it gets ingrained in my memory as well as hers!
Mommy: "By mercy and truth... "
Charity: "By mercy and truth... "
Mommy: "Iniquity is purged... "
Charity: "Iniquity is purged... "
3. Once I think she's familiar with the phrases, we start combining them, two at a time:
Mommy: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged... "
Charity: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged... "
Mommy: "..and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
Charity: "... and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
4. Next, I leave out key words, and give her the opportunity to fill them in:
"By ________ and _______, _________ is ________: and _____ the _________ of the _______, men __________ from ______. Proverbs ____ : ____."
5. Once she's done the above a few time, we're down to just a few prompts until she can say it on her own:
"By _____________, iniqu... _______________; and ________________, men ____________________. _________ ___ : ___."
The whole process takes less than 15 minutes. I'll randomly review the verse with her several times throughout each day of the week until she can rattle it off and we move onto the next one. A few other things we've found helpful to aid in Scripture memorization are:

• Music. We sing a Psalm from our Church's Psalter with her before bed time. It's so fun when she picks it up and is able to sing along with us or recognizes it in a Church service!
• Regular Review. We try not to forget about a verse once we've moved on to a new one. To keep it fresh in her memory, we'll say the first word of a verse she knows when we're in the car or at dinner, and she'll finish the rest.
• Consistency. I find this to be the hardest part of all, especially if my morning is rushed by a tight schedule. However, if Charity's kept in the memorizing mode, it becomes easier for her to catch on. Once she recognizes it as part of our daily routine, she becomes the one who reminds me: "Mommy? Can we do the 'merry heart is good like medicine' one?"

The Round-up:

• Food - 3 out of 5
• Decor - 3.5 out of 5
• Service - 3 out of 5
• Overall - 9.5 out of 15

________________________________________________

Several months ago a food-loving group was created on Facebook. Its name was the "Cathedral Village Needs a Cheap Breakfast Place", or something like that. It seems that the Village just hadn't been the same since the Quality Tea Room shut down several years back.

I quickly joined the group, as did several hundred other Regina folks (What did we ever do before Facebook groups became the new face of activism, by the way?).
The Facebook fan page continued to grow, many of its members calling for a cheap plate of hash browns and bacon... like now.

Well, some wishes do come true.

The Mercury Cafe and Grill opened its doors in April. The place seemed to spring up overnight on the corner of 13th and Robinson streets in a spot that has housed numerous other restaurants.

The Mercury is a diner, no doubt about that. From the bright red vinyl booths to the formica and chrome tables, stepping into The Mercury is like stepping back 50 or 60 years in time. The Mercury is also under the same ownership as Regina's well-loved Novia Cafe, another all-out diner. This is a good thing -- who better to start a new diner than the folks who run one of the city's oldest and best?

I've been to The Mercury twice now, once for breakfast and once for supper. It's hard to find the right word to describe both experiences. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't horrible either. Perhaps satisfactory is the right word.

Weekend breakfast bustles and hustles in The Mercury. If you're not there by 11 on a Sunday, you're going to wait in line for awhile. Granted, The Mercury could easily jam a few more tables into the dining room in order to shave some time off the waiting game.

Your choices for breakfast are classic standbys: bacon and eggs; hash browns; pancakes; an omelette. You get the picture. Now, is it cheap? That depends on your definition of cheap. Most items run around the $8-9 mark, plus the cost of coffee and/or juice. I've had cheaper, but I've also had more expensive.

Service can be a little disorganized, but hopefully the servers work that out amongst themselves as the restaurant irons out the operating wrinkles. We had to wait 30 minutes for any food to hit the table at breakfast, almost enough to push us to the breaking point, but not quite. Fortunately, our waitress took good care of us in the meantime.

Now let's talk about supper for a moment. Once again, there are few surprises on the evening menu. Nachos; chicken wings; chicken fingers; burgers; clubhouse sandwiches; and grilled cheese are a few of the choices.

We ordered up a plate of nachos to get things started. With a $10 price tag, we pictured a nice platter of cheesy chips and veggies. We couldn't have been more wrong. A dinner plate with a puny pile of nachos on it was what we got. Even worse: the scarce bits of cheese on the chips were overcooked and rubbery. Epic fail, my friends. Epic fail.

Next up: the burgers. Now this is where the action is at. Tender homemade beef patties are smooshed between fresh buns with all the fixins. I went for the Mushroom Swiss. Big Willie had The Mercury Burger (two patties with fried onions, mushrooms, shaved ham, Swiss and cheddar cheese). All burgers come with a side. We went for the french fries and they were done to perfection.

Big Poppa (my dad) went for the open-faced Hot Turkey Sandwich... which came with hot chicken, oddly enough. But he got past that.

All in all, The Mercury offers up decent food in a comfortable room. The motto seems to be: come as you are, eat what you will. Now if they'd only fine-tune the nachos and up the portion size for most of the breakfast menu, we might have a sure-fire winner on our hands.

(no website)

It's a well known fact that a child's ability to remember things is second to none. The capacity to soak up their influences is the motivating factor behind our government's resolve to get them into the classroom at an increasingly young age. Once they're out from underneath their parent's control, the state has a no-holds-barred approach to indoctrinating our children with immorality and socialistic propaganda. This explains why the 4-year-olds in our province are going to school and being taught to question their gender, and why books like Heather has Two Mommies is perfectly acceptable story-time material.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was truth and righteousness our government was so concerned about instilling into our children. But then, if it was really God's Word the government looked to as their moral compass, they probably wouldn't be so quick to snatch the future of the nation away from their parents as soon as possible. Proverbs 22:6 was written to Dads and Moms; it is our duty to train up our children in the way that they should go, not the state's.

This reason, coupled with the desire to see our children's salvation and a life-time of blessing from the Lord, ought to make Scripture memorization and biblical instruction fundamental to the everyday life of a Christian family (Psalm 119: 9-11; Deuteronomy 6: 6,7; 1 Peter 3:15). If our children learn to abide by God's principles and commandments concerning marriage, economics, and life in general, they will become the leaders in a society that is craving for morality, prosperity, and stability.

What we think are the basics of life (i.e. arriving to a job on time and sober) are becoming extinct in a culture that's lost its way. This give a distinct advantage to the child who has learned to abide by God's formula for a happy and peaceful life:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates, day and night." Psalm 1:1,2"He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20"... His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1: 3,4If we want to give our children a good life, we must give them God's Word. It is the key to salvation and the pattern for success. No amount of toys, allowance money, clothes, or candy can produce righteousness or an outstanding member of society. We cannot save our children; that is an act of God's grace alone. But we can hide God's Word in their hearts and take comfort in knowing that it will never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

I could just cry. My newest post disappeared in all the blogger madness. Friday the 13th... go figure!! So for those that left me comments thank you! I really appreciated them. Did any of you lose posts also?
Well here goes again...
I wanted to share some of my dream sofas with you. There are LOTS of pictures because I have LOTS of favorite sofas and these barely scratch the surface. Won't you join me for a minute (or ten *winks*) and dream along with me?
Warning in advance... I don't like much that's shiny bright. I really prefer a time worn well loved patina. So if modern and sleek is your thing? This isn't for you... Just sayin'
OK let me start with this piece of deliciousness! Part chaise part sofa. Can't you imagine this with some large down aubusson pillows? I think I could lounge here all day! Maybe I could get my hubby to feed me some grapes? LOL!

This is my own living room sofa and I really do love it. It has its original silk upholstery from the 1920's and the cushions are pure down. It looks great until you sit on it and then it looks a flat mess.

I'd trade it in a red hot minute for this one from Rubylane (11k on sale HERE) *gulps and *drools*... Not a pretty sight! LOL! Me not the sofa!

Or this wonderful corbeille style. Corbeille translates to basket in French.

Isn't this one gorgeous?

This one has room for lots of friends!

I love the grand decay of this one

I really love high backed sofas and the enclosed safe feeling they provide. One of the sofa styles that lends itself to this wonderfully is the knole sofa or settee. The knole dates from 17th century England as is named for Knole House in Kent. It was originally used as a type of throne. Both the sides and back are equal in height and each end is tied on the top with ropes which fold down to create a lounge of sorts. Honestly I'm not sure what this is all about? But it is cool don'tcha think?

Many years ago I fell in love with the knole sofa in Rose Tarlow's living room. It had the perfect patina. Just the right amount of wear and tear and it didn't hurt that it was chinoiserie in style either *winks*

Weeeellll eventually Ms. Tarlow decided to let it go and it turned up on 1st dibbs. Alas it was not to be in my home because at 13k (If I remember correctly) it wasn't in my price point *sighs* Isn't it fab? Maybe a little too shabby for some, but I LOVE it!!

This one would make a nice alternative.

I love the antique 17th century tapestry on this one.

This is a set of knole sofas in Sidney Poitier's living room. Just gorgeous!

And this one in pink is adorable!

I finally managed after years of searching to find my own lil' pink knole sofa. It's from the 1920's and also has down filled cushions. I found it in a local antique store for $300. I'm thinking of adding some fringe to the bottom. Do you think I should? This one is a keeper!

Here's where it ties at the top.

And changing direction a little I'm also wild for french daybeds! Are you? I immediately fell in love with this smooshy wooshy perfect daybed that belongs to Joni's (Cote de Texas) sister in law's sister (Did you catch that? LOL!) I don't usually love blue but I'd redecorate my entire living room for this one!

Love this Louis XVI style.

And this one.Those little bolster pillows make me weak in the knees every time!

And I also love this Louis XV style...

This is my own antique Louis XV daybed. I purchased it without really thinking about where it might go in my house? I had visions of lounging upon it in front of a sunny window with a good book. Usually this devil may care strategy works for me but not this time *sighs* There just isn't room (Or enough sunny windows!) So off to etsy it will go. An expensive mistake.

Hand carved details.

I found this similar one in gray at the Paris Apartment Boutique that I love!

I'm also mad for the smaller corbeille settees! Each one wraps itself around you like a nice hug!

Tatty but darling.

Beautiful in aubusson.

Lovely in salmon.

Luscious in silk.

I'll just have to be happy for now with my little $60ish funky green velvet settee (in my home gym) from craigslist. At least until that money tree in my backyard starts to grow. *winks*

I'm also crazy for the English chesterfield. This one is my dream come true! Perfectly aged and worn leather from the 19th century.

And this one is mine. In this delusion *winks* I had an English library with a roaring fire and floor to ceiling leather books... But again in reality not the space *sighs* And the scale was all wrong for what I actually DO have. So off to craigslist it goes.

And yet another dream piece run amok. I love this french iron crib/daybed! Don't the textiles just make it in this shot?

And my own very similar iron daybed. I bought it as an outdoor sofa for my side deck but it really isn't sturdy enough for multiple people to sit on. Especially in my family where some people tend to be + sized *winks* So off to etsy it goes.

So some of the dream pieces I've managed to aquire turned out to be lifelong keepers and others not quite so dreamy after all. Have you experienced this? Longing for a certain piece for years and years only to find that the reality didn't meet your expectations? Or surpassed them? I'd love to hear your stories! Meanwhile I'm going to keep on dreaming... You never know what you'll find at the next garage sale *winks* Vanna
I'm joining my friend Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Cindy at My Romantic Home for:

Sherry at No Minimalist Here for:

Jill at The French Country Cupboard for:

And my dear friend Laurie at Bargain Hunting And Chatting With Laurie for:

Today, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Losing blog followers is a part of blogging, and it’s going to happen to you. A lot. Don’t get frustrated about it and don’t panic when it happens.
It’s called attrition.
There is no doubt that most bloggers work hard to gain a following. Almost every blogger who's trying to build a following watches their subscriber and follower counts on a daily (or hourly, or minutely) basis, no matter how big their blog gets. They know when new people follow and they know when their numbers drop.
I remember when I started Single Dad Laughing and my Facebook Page still had around 200 followers. I remember watching that number, excited every time it went up one or two, and I remember how devastated I was the couple of times that I saw it drop one or two. I took it personally, wondering what I did that drove those people away, wondering what I did that wasn’t good enough for them, and wondering if there was any way to get them back. I spent a lot of time worrying about it, tracking down people who I noticed stopped following, and asking them for feedback to gain insight, etc. It took a while for me to realize that some people just stop following, and there’s nothing I can do about it, there’s nothing I necessarily did wrong, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it from happening in the future.
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We learned how to make these raw energy bites in a Goodness Me! whole food cooking class. I still have a hard time believing they're good for you. Usually anything I get cravings for is unhealthy, but I find myself wanting these things all. the. time. They're right up there with chocolate. Charity fondly calls them "Timbits" (you might have to be Canadian to get that).
If you've committed to eating healthy (good for you!), Snicker Snackers are a guilt-free indulgence for when the urge to eat something rich is just too strong.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup seasame seeds
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa or carob powder
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Combine ingredients in blender. Roll into small balls (refrigerate mixture for 1/2 an hour if it's too soft). Store in an air-tight container and keep refrigerated.

If you love whole food recipes, you'll love the Cottage Mama's eBooks written by Kristy Howard. The Cottage Mama Plans Her Menu is a favorite in our house with 29 healthy, tasty, budget-friendly recipes and a 2-week menu plan. You can download it here for $3.00.

One of the greatest debates in the blogging world is whether or not the Alexa Rank of your blog matters.

When I started Single Dad Laughing, I had no idea what the Alexa Rank even was or why it was important. Today we'll discuss what it is and we'll also discuss whether you should worry about it or not. Today's post is a little long, but hopefully it's simple and thorough. And believe me, it's important.

The Alexa Rank (which can be viewed for any website at www.alexa.com) is a number assigned to almost every domain on the web. The number assigned to your domain simply tells how your website compares to every other website in the world. The lower the ranking, the more popular the website. For example, Google.com is the world's most visited domain, so it has an Alexa Ranking of 1. Facebook is the second most visited, so it has an Alexa Ranking of 2. As of writing this, Single Dad Laughing has an Alexa Ranking of around 62,000. That means (if it were exact) 61,999 websites currently register more daily traffic than mine does. We'll talk more about what that means in a minute. First, let's talk about how Alexa.com assigns that number.
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One bite of this flavor-packed salad and you'll understand why Goodness Me cooking instructor Sandy Pomeroy named it Sensational Salad! A plate or two of this, and you're well on your way to 5-10 servings of vegetables per day. I've tweaked the recipe to suit our taste, but the original came from her.

Sensational Salad

• 4 cups organic salad mix (choose one with lots of different leaf varieties)
• 1 cup cauliflower florets, finely chopped
• 1/2 cucumber, quartered horizontally, then chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 carrot, grated
• 1 cup kale, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup flax oil
• 1 tsp. Herbamare
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlice, finely chopped

After several months of collaborating with ten fellow homeschooling mamas from around America (yes, I'm the lone Canadian contributor to this eBook!) Homeschooling Day By Day, a 40-chapter thriving guide for mothers is finally here!

Homeschooling Day By Day
$4.99 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:

KINDLE version:

If you've ever wished for a homeschooling manual- or better yet, a mentor- you will love Homeschooling Day by Day. It is the spilling over of hearts into words from eleven mothers who, like you, are in the trenches raising and educating their children at home.

Some are at the beginning of our journeys (such as yours truly), three of us are second-generation homeschoolers (also including yours truly!), some have very large families (seven kids or more), and some are homeschooling children with special needs.
All of us are passionate about the opportunity to teach our own children. No one has a teaching degree and yet we all homeschool because we believe the One who has called us to this momentous task is able to provide the wisdom and grace to be able instruct the children He has given us day by day.

Don't buy Homeschooling Day by Day if you want to be told that homeschooling is easy or if you've already got this thing licked.

This book is for homeschooling mamas who struggle, grow weary, wonder if they're doing enough or if they're pushing too hard, worry that they're in over their head, deal with criticism, or desire plenty of practical advice and helpful hints to make this glorious calling worth the life-changing road it's bound to take you down.

Table of Contents:

Part One: The Heart Of Homeschooling

1} The Worst Homeschool Year Ever
2} Debunking Super Mom
3} Homeschooling Heroism
4} How Pride Hurts Homeschoolers
5} Facing The Mirrors
6} Your Greatest Critic
7} Teaching Without Words
8} Embracing The “Want To”
9} The Most Important “R”
10} God's Word: The Heart Of Home Education

Part Two: Challenges Of Homeschooling

11} On Getting It All Done
12} Can I Homeschool For Free?
13} Homeschooling & Dyslexia
14} Homeschooling A Child On The Autism Spectrum
15} Homeschooling The Strong-Willed Child
16} Homeschooling & Working From Home
17} Homeschooling While Working A Full Time Job

Part Three: Seasons Of Homeschooling

18} Balancing Multiple Ages
19} Homeschooling Teenagers
20} Preschoolers: Q&A
21} Obedience Training
22} Seasons Of Survival

Part Four: Homeschooling Foundations

23} Traditional Homeschooling
24} The Classical Method Of Homeschooling
25} The Unit Study Method
26} The Charlotte Mason Method
27} Eclectic Homeschooling
28} Other Homeschooling Methods
29} Learning Styles
30} Covering All The Bases
31} Making Homeschool Fun
32} Six Ways To Simplify Curriculum

Part Five: Tools For Successful Homeschooling
33} Keeping First Things First
34} Steps To Prioritizing
35} Mama's Schedule Fiasco
36} Building A Homeschool Routine That Works For You
37} Menu Planning Helps
38} How To Create Lesson Plans
39} Creating & Working Toward Goals
40} What It All Looks Like In Reality

Homeschooling Day by Day covers the following topics in a down-to-earth style:

• Homeschooling methods

• Learning styles

• Homeschooling children with learning disabilities

• Homeschooling teenagers

• Homeschooling preschoolers

• Managing multiple grade levels

• Dealing with criticism and insecurity

• How to handle bad attitudes and expectations

• Lesson planning

• How to keep up with housework, meals, your marriage and so much more!

Homeschooling Day By Day eBook: $4.99 PDF version

KINDLE version:

It is our prayer that Homeschooling Day by Day will equip, empower, and encourage you to give homeschooling a chance for the very first time or bring fresh vision and refreshment for those who are in the thick of it.

The Wise Mom, The Praying Mom, The Single Mom, The Stepmom, The Working Mom, The Healthy Mom, The Work at Home Mom, The Modest Mom, The Stressed Mom, The Homeschooling Mom, The Special Needs Mom, The Mom Who Desires More Children, The Weary Mom...

The Pursuit of Motherhood 153 pages $7.99 $3.99

We Moms are a varied bunch, but we all have one thing in common: we have children to raise. Children, given to us from the hand of God, to raise for His honor and glory.
Motherhood can be overwhelming (for me, anyway). Our boys, how do we raise them to be real men in a world that confuses chivalry with chauvinism? And our daughters, is preparing them to be homemakers setting them up for disappointment?
Breast or bottle? What if you can't breastfeed? Cloth or disposables? Work from home, away from home, or not at all? Homeschool, private school, or public school? Birth control or Quiverfull?
So many questions. So many decisions. So little time; that's why we wrote The Pursuit of Motherhood.
The goal of The Pursuit of Motherhood is to sift through the sideline issues and encourage Moms in every situation to pursue mothering their children with all their heart, keeping God at the center of all their endeavors. "The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:3-5 (emphasis mine) The Pursuit of Motherhood is authored by 17 Moms including Kelly Crawford from Generation Cedar, June Fuentes from A Wise Woman, Jacqueline Franks from Deep Roots At Home, Melanie Young from Raising Real Men, and yours truly.
We share in common a love for the Lord and a love for our families, however imperfect. We sincerely desire the same for you and pray that this eBook will give you an uncommon vision for motherhood an the tools to restore its glory within your own home.

The Pursuit of Motherhood 153 pages $7.99 $3.99

Table of Contents

1. The Praying Mother
2. Mothering Through the Little Years
3. The Working Mom
4. The Healthy Mom
5. The Work at Home Mom
6. Infertility, Part I: Primary and Secondary Infertility
7. Infertility, Part II: The Empty Womb and Adoption
8. The Modest Mom
9. Breastfeeding and Child Attachment
10. The Weary Mom, Part I
11. The Weary Mom, Part II
12. The Homeschooling Mother
13. Mothering a Child with Special Needs
14. Raising Real Men
15. Raising Homemakers
16. Be Fruitful and Multiply
17. Biblical Motherhood
18. Leaving a Legacy

153 pages $7.99 $3.99

1777 New England Primer Cursive & Manuscript Printable Alphabet Sets $2.99 each
While preparing for our daughter's first official year of "school," I found myself searching for cursive worksheets and came up empty handed. I decided to create my own and since then, I’ve had dozens of requests from other Moms to compile them into a printable set. What follows is a set of the English alphabet in cursive, combined with rhymes for each letter from the 1777 New England Primer and plenty of dotted lines to aid in practice.

Our goal for our children from the beginning has been to stress the importance of character and personal salvation in their education. Hence, I’ve included 26 Scripture passages to correspond with each letter of the alphabet. These verses, combined with the biblical ditties from the 1777 Primer used by the Puritans help enforce the Gospel message in the tender hearts of our children while they learn to write. A: In Adam's Fall, we sinned all. B: Heaven to find, the Biblemind. C: Christ crucified, for sinners died. The first half of the book includes printables for individual uppercase and lowercase cursive letters. In the second half, the letters are attached to help teach the flowing pattern of cursive script. I recommend printing out the entire book and laminating the pages if you wish to reuse them with an erasable marker.

1777 New England Primer Cursive Printable Set | 64 pages
$2.99

... and here is the Manuscript version, complete with the same 26 Scripture passages to correspond with each letter of the alphabet, biblical ditties from the 1777 Primer used by the Puritans, and plenty of dotted lines for practice!

1777 New England Primer Manuscript Printable Set:
$2.99

What Customers Are Saying About The 1777 New England Alphabet Printables:
"This is beautifully put together- an excellent resource! Thank you for all the work you put into it!" - Sandy Tritt

"I was so happy to see you offer this wonderful resource. My daughter needed extra help in math last school year,by the school giving her the extra help they removed her from her cursive class. We were assured all year they would help her to catch up. It sadly never happened. I have been looking for something that would work with how she learns. This book is perfect! I plan on using it daily until school starts and then working with her on the weekends. Again, Thank you!" - Beautiful House Life

"My 3 yo saw me downloading this and asked, "Mommy is that for me for school?" When I told her yes, she was SO excited and wanted to start NOW... so thank you for making one little girl extremely happy today!!" - Ruthanne McFarlane

"I got a copy and I am so excited! I'm going to print and laminate here in a little bit and then I'm going to take it over to Staples and have it bound so its super easy for my little one to keep together YAY! Cant wait for the manuscript version! Thanks, Jacinda, for all your hard work! I tried to figure something like this out awhile back to save money and I'm just too challenged in that area... what a blessing!" - Sommer Alvarez

"Thanks! I love it! I'm sure my daughter will enjoy learning cursive with these pages." - Andrea C.

A Reader's Cursive Primer all put together!
1 Week of Fall Activities & Printables for Preschoolers

As part of our study on "Fall" this year with our 4 year-old, I created a "package" entitled 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers to go along with our theme. It is free to anyone who wishes to use it! If you'd to see how we used these printables in our home, you take a peek into our Fall-themed week here. Print or Download here. Table of Contents Sugar Cookies (to use with cookie cutters) ___pg. 4
Autumn Fires Poetry Memorization___pg. 5
Autumn Treasure Hunt___pg. 6
Leaf Prints with Crayons___pg. 8
Thankful Tree___pg. 9
Painted Pumpkin Faces___pg. 10
Corn Husk Dolls___pg. 11
Apple Twigs___pg. 12
10 Frugal Fall Field Trip Ideas___pg. 13
Fall Reading Suggestions for Preschoolers___pg. 14
If you’re interested in receiving more printables like this in the future, you may wish to subscribe via email, or follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google +.

The idea that a mother's place is in the home is no longer a popular one - not even within the Church. That said, most God-fearing mothers who choose a career over staying at home are not necessarily motivated by selfish desires, but by a culture which seems to leave them with no choice. It just doesn't make sense when an extra income would surely be more beneficial for their children in the long run... wouldn't it?

Scene #1: Perhaps a couple recognizes their young children are extraordinarily gifted and bright. University is certainly within their future. The parents want to give each of them the gift of a good, post-secondary education but know that's not possible on the husband's income alone. So Mom searches through the Yellow Pages and begins working from 8am-4pm - for the good of her children.Scene #2: Or maybe, as was the case with one of my grandmothers, a mother grew up in a very poor family and was never able to enjoy the kind of material wealth that seemed common place for everyone else. She doesn't want her children to know the pain of doing without and so works hard to bring in a paycheck that will cover trendy clothes, restaurant meals, and the latest technological gadgets that all the other kids on the block seem to have.Scene #3: Perhaps it's the cost of Christian schooling that forces a mother to work outside the home. It breaks her heart to drop her 10-month-old off at her sister-in-law's each morning, but she quickly reminds herself that the value of a Christian education is worth the temporary sacrifice.
The mother in each one of these examples has made her decision, perhaps with the support of her husband, based on "common sense." To the human mind, (especially the one that has been affected by years of feminism, liberal rhetoric, and publicly funded Marxism) it's perfectly logical to submit ourselves to "expert" opinion and abandon our kids while they're young in order to give them what they really need when they are older.

However, one very important detail is missing from each of these scenarios. Did you catch it?

A mother and father may arrive at the decision for her to work outside the home together after much consideration. Perhaps they even commit Mom's new job to the Lord in prayer. Maybe the children are made aware of the new changes and everyone agrees that this is what is best for their family. But through all the deliberations, the Bible remains on the shelf, and no one stops to ask, "What would God want Mom to do?"
"'The Lord told me,' is no substitute for 'the Bible says.'" - Voddie BauchamI am not suggesting that no woman can ever have a career, that parents shouldn't send their child to university or pay for their tuition (that's a topic for another day), give them good gifts, make every effort to provide them with a Christian education, or that a mother can't supplement the family income (if I believed that, I wouldn't have this blog or have written my two eBooks, How To Design Your Own Blog and How To Grow Your Blog And Manage Your Home).

I'm asking you, dear mother, to examine where God considers your presence most important. There are several parental responsibilities required of us that are difficult or impossible to perform if we are physically away from our children:

• Availability - morning, noon, and night (Deuteronomy 6:7)
• Training (Proverbs 22:6)
• Discipline (Proverbs 29:15-17)
• Teaching the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:10)
• Nurturing (Titus 2:4)

• Does my absence mean someone else will care for my children?

• How long will they be under another's care each day?

• Is this the person I want to raise and influence my child in my place?

• How many surrogate mothers will be involved over the years?

• What impact will that have?

• Does my job sap my energies so that I am tired and pressured and unable to give them quality time?

• Are my creativity, my wit, and my best efforts spent outside my family?

• Do they get only the leftovers?

The biblical solution involves a radical reform in our thinking. Christians must operate on the premise that pure and undefiled religion requires individual benevolence towards widows (James 1:27), families must take responsibility and look after their own (1 Timothy 5:8, 16), and the local church (whose diaconal ministry would be well funded if we tithed more than 2%) is called to care for those who are truly widows (1 Timothy 5: 3-16).

Mom, your job is so eternally important, that God ensured there would be a way for you to minister through full-time motherhood. The right thing to do is not often the easiest thing to do. Staying at home to raise your children will cost you. It may require painful sacrifices, tighter budgets, and perhaps even swallowing our pride enough to accept the aid available to us. But I believe it can be done and that the reward you receive will be eternally worth it.

If financial concerns are keeping you back from staying home with your children, here are some articles and books to help and encourage you.
Articles

• Saving Money In Your Baby's First Year
• Income-Earning Ideas
• We Couldn't Afford Children - Glad We Didn't Have To
• You CAN Stay Home - Earning Money From Home

• Money Saving Mom by Crystal Paine
• Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn
• America's Cheapest Family by Annette Economides
• Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman

When it comes to personal blogging, I've done a lot of experimenting, and at the end of the day I'm convinced of one thing. Every blog should offer these five ways for their followers to follow along. Facebook, Twitter, Email, RSS Feed, and Blogger. Less than that, you're losing potential followers. More than that is simply unnecessary with the exception of YouTube if you also have a YouTube channel.

I've had a lot of followers write in and ask me how to put the buttons that I use on Single Dad Laughing and Will Work 4 Followers onto their own blogs. And until now, you couldn't because they were buttons that I made custom for my blog. They are by far the most effective subscriber grabbers I've tried (and I've experimented with many methods). And, since I'm not a button hog, I've put together several variations that you can easily put onto your own blog. Doing so is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
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