Yet another "catch up" post!!!

It appears I keep forgetting that I have a blog!!! Getting out of the routine of blogging, not enough sleep, day-to-day busyness, ease of Facebook.....yeah, blogging gets left by the wayside! But I want to keep my blog, so I'm going to try (yet again!) and get back into it!!!

So....Bella still had not learned her multiplication tables (she's in 4th grade), so a couple of weeks ago I took advantage of a four day weekend to really work hard with Bella and hammer these into her brain. We spent all four days doing this, and she learned them COLD!!!

Looks good, right?? 

But watch this! 

So yeah, apparently the animals on the cards helped her learn the facts, but got in the way of knowing them without the pictures!!! NO CLUE how this works in her brain, but basically it means we have to start all over again. *sobs* And let me tell you, it's much, much slower going with "plain" flashcards. The pictures have two animals on each card, but nothing on the animals themselves to "help" with the answer. I took these videos to show Bella's teacher that she HAD learned them, and that she WAS working hard, but that we had run into an unexpected problem.

Her response? Bella must have ADHD. Seriously??? Different children learn in different ways! Bella is obviously a very visual person, and having the pictures helped her learn them. It's just that it's now become a sort of crutch as she doesn't know them without the pictures. We just can't seem to catch a break in getting any good teachers overseas!!!! It's just so much easier to just smack her with a "label" than to work with her to teach her. So I guess it falls to me, as usual.

I'm seriously considering home schooling Bella next year. As it is I'm already teaching her every day in the afternoons now, plus she has about an hour's worth of homework every day and that makes for some longggg days for her. So it's back to the drawing board on the old math facts. Hopefully I'll be posting a video SOON where she knows them all cold...without the pictures!!! Prayers gratefully accepted!

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The weekend of Jan 25-26, we finally got our first real snow! Bella was over the moon!!!!! She and Thomas built a snowman on Saturday, and then we got more snow overnight.

The snow is covering up his buttons, lol!

Look! Blue skies!!! It's a miracle!

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Bella looked particularly cute before school on the 28th, so I snapped a couple of photos! This amazing mustache scarf was a present from Cat (thanks, love!!). She sent one to me too and we love 'em!

Goofball!

Love this kid!!!

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In crafting news...

I had forgotten to post this going away card I made.

Sort of simple, but I like how it turned out.
(She was moving to Texas, lol!)

This is a card I made for Deanna.
Lots and lots of new toys used for this!! :D

This was for a YouTube friend.

I've decided to do the local Spring Craft Fair (and hoping it turns out better for me!!!), so I'll be posting items I'll be selling as I make them! The show is on April 5th, but I'm NOT going to procrastinate this time. I want to have lots of different things to offer, as you just never know what will be "hot" or "not", lol!

Ladybug candy holder! Perhaps used in Easter baskets???

Mini paper birdhouses! I've done two so far.

Lots of detail on these, and they take forever to make!!!

I'll make more in different colors, but not too many in case they don't sell!

Card in a box!!

Front view

Left side

Right side

Card folds FLAT to go into an envelope!!

I'm hoping to make up a bunch of these! This one was Copic colored which takes a while, so will try different things on the next ones I make.

This morning's sunrise...

I think it's going to be the usual cloudy, cold, gloomy day over here...but at least it started out gorgeous, lol! So, that's all the stuff I've got on my hard drive. I guess time will tell if I manage to stay on top of things, huh?? Somehow I have to keep all the usual housework going while I craft for the fair, AND teach Bella her math facts, And, And, And.....

And I need a vacation, lol!