My Simply Eclectic Quilt

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Barb

I’ve never made a quilt exactly like the pattern before. I might use a pattern with scraps, or with precuts, or with yardage I bought specifically for that pattern. But when I discovered the pattern for Simply Eclectic, I had to have that quilt just as the designer intended it to look, which meant buying the exact fabrics she used (which she also designed).

Fortunately, the lovely indigo prints were available at Hancock’s of Paducah; I found the solids at Missouri Quilt Co. I also found a gray print from the designer’s line at H of P that I used for backing.

The only thing I did differently than the designer did was to quilt inside the solid-colored blocks, because after I finished quilting the top in straight lines, those beautiful solid squares looked like they needed something. So I echoed a few motifs from the indigo prints.

Photos don’t do the indigo fabrics justice; they’re so lovely. This quilt now lives on the back of my recliner, where I can see and touch it every day.

Another Argument for School Choice

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Barb

Dr. Walter E. Williams has the knack of distilling an important issue down to its essence, and this article of his is a great example of that.

He’s discussing school choice, and why government should not be involved in the allocation of funds to education. He makes it so easy to understand; can you tell I’m a big fan of his work?

The Garden is Blooming

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Barb

It’s been a chilly spring, and my seedlings aren’t doing that well. They sure don’t look happy. But Home Depot came to the rescue with their particularly lovely selection of $5 flower baskets. There are now six of them in my garden; what a difference it makes to have some color out there!

Today: Life Prep, Third Edition Now Available

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Barb

Today is the official publication date of the third edition of Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers!

I originally wrote this curriculum for my eldest daughter and used it for her and her brother when they were doing homeschool high school. It was first published in 2003. We added to it and used that second edition (2006) for our youngest daughter when she was a homeschooled teen.

Homeschooling parents continued to buy the curriculum all these years, but over time I started thinking about how it needed to be updated. Two years ago, I began that work, but a serious illness with hospitalization interrupted my efforts. Just about the time I began regaining my strength, my husband was hospitalized with the same illness. So we had some hurdles, but thank God we’re doing better and we were able to finish the third edition of Life Prep just in time for the June 1 publication date.

It’s a lot bigger now! There are six new projects:

Debt Penalty Project
Debt Calculator Project
Student Loan Project
Checking Account Project
Debit Card Project
Bank Safety Project

Other features of this updated and expanded edition include:

The new “Work or College?” section helps you determine if your teenager is “college material.” Given the tremendous increase in college costs over the past 14 years, you can’t afford to miss that section. Another new feature of that section shows you and your teen how to research potential careers to determine which ones are financially viable.
I’ve added two terrific books to the Reading List: The Treasure Principle and George Muller: Man of Faith and Miracles.
The Financial Freedom project has been updated to reflect current prices, and the Health Insurance Project has been updated with regards to the Affordable Care Act.
The curriculum gained 34 pages and now has color illustrations.

You can buy Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers, Third Edition direct from Cardamom Publishers; it’s also available at Rainbow Resource Center, Christian Book Distributors, Amazon, Barnes & Noble…anywhere books are sold!