Homeschooling in a Small Space

The home school classroom. Pinterest is loaded with them. Colorful and inspiring. Organized and tranquil. Classic. Trendy. Fun. They come in many different forms. What happens though when you don't have a large space to educate in?

We have always had our classroom in another room. First it was in our dining room which opened into a living room. We pushed the table into the middle and made a nice little space. We later moved it into our room which had a large space for an office. It made for a pretty decent size classroom.

Upon moving into our new house we have laid out plans for converting the third portion of our garage into an awesome classroom/office for the hubby and I. We had every intention of doing it before the beginning of the school year but then there were additional expenses on the house, our car broke down and we needed a new(ish) one. You know, life happened.

So here we are, in a new house, with no where to do school. For many, this is the case. We don't have an extra room designated as a classroom. This year, we are the kitchen table classroom family. I think many of you are too.

This causes a little problem for us. We do family dinners around the table every night. We cannot have school books lining the table. So, we worked out a solution that is still somewhat aesthetically pleasing (since it is in the center of our home) while still being really functional.

By simply moving the table up against the divider in the room we were given enough space to create what we call the command center. The table positioning is not conventional or entirely ideal but it works.

Luckily the cut out above was already decorated in school type items because I love me some globes. We didn't have to fork out extra money that we don't have in order to make it look school like.

We recently inherited this beautiful tea cart from my husbands equally beautiful grandma. It is the perfect piece for organizing our little ones assignments. Again, not the conventional use of a tea cart but we love it and think grandma would be proud of it's new use.

On top, the things we need daily. A crate-style filing system with our charts, worksheets and such. A vintage case holds all of our flashcards and some other manipulatives. The cute wire drawers holds the daily work that the kids need me for...to go along with the workbox drawers that sit next to the tea cart. Before we start the day, I will put what will be needed in there so that the kids have easy access to their work. Then of course some vintage rulers and lots of crayons to make the space look a little more fun and inviting.

The middle section is simply things that we use on occasion. Big Books and fun little lessons.

In the cabinets, all the additional curriculum. The stuff that we aren't using for the day. We will also store library books and current unfinished projects in this area.

Off to the side is a vintage vanity which is my little station. All of my lesson plans, calendars and some supplies. This is the no touch area. Only for parents/teachers. Mostly because the art supplies are hidden in there and I do not want colored walls. Chalkboard up above for teaching the kiddos on.

I would love to balance the space out with a filing cabinet on the other side of the tea cart with the workbox system. I am currently on the hunt for one that won't break the bank. Thinking old chipped up filing cabinet that I can paint the facings poppy colors. This will hold all of the important stuff. Like grades, tests, and forms from our PSP. I will probably also throw in non-school or semi-school stuff like Nixon's medical/ABA/OT/everything else stuff.

So that is our little space. Now the kids can do school at the kitchen table without taking over meal times. I hope this inspired you to not be held back by your small classroom spaces like I initially was.

7 DIY Backyard Projects

Hi, my name is Kristen and I am a DIY-aholic. I'm the type of person that will be working on one HUGE project, like, let's say a kitchen remodel and will already be thinking about my next fix  project.

The kitchen is so close to being done, minus the countertops that we just ordered and I can't wait to show y'all what we have done. However, my backyard is crying out to me. Begging me to spend just a little time on it.

Since the kitchen is kind of important, I cannot just abandon it. I can, however, day dream about what we will do with our disaster of a yard. A yard that has so much potential. 

Want to dream with me? I've compiled a list of projects that I love. It is by no means a fancy organized list that is great for weighing options or planning for a specific project. Remember, I have craft ADD, I don't stick to themes easily. Ha!  Make sure to go to the actual blogs and check them out and not just look at the pictures. Give the people who created them some love!

1. Outdoor Day Bed

Okay, seriously? A spot to lay down and read while the kids play outside. Or to snuggle a kid who just fell off the slide...because honestly, that happens on the regular. 

2. Colorful DIY bench

I love the idea of a bright and fun space with a built in sandbox. This bench would be the perfect little accent. As well as a spot for the kids to kick off their shoes before diving in and then tracking sand through the house.

3. Garden Fireplace with Bench

Living in California, it is pretty much 10-12 months of summer each year. A built into the ground fireplace just makes sense to me.

4. Raised Garden Bed

The idea of a garden makes me happy. The idea of my younger kids digging up my precious herbs and spices makes me not as happy. I love the idea of some of my stuff being up and out of the reach of baby fingers. Plus, I mean, this is stinkin' cute, am I right?

5. Pallet Walkway

For all of the veggies I intend to plant, we will need a walkway to avoid stepping all over our goodies. I am not a huge fan of the stone walks. I think they are really pretty but just don't fit our style. Pallets? They fit our style. Pallet wood here, pallet wood there, pallet wood everywhere! I love it so.

6. Porch Headboard swing

Okay, stop it now! I didn't even think I wanted a swing in the yard until I saw this. Now I need one. So funky and fun and inviting. If anyone sees a fantastic headboard like this, on the cheap, let me know. I want this now! 

7. Hot tub Pergola

Okay, so this is the one I'm bugging the husband about. I want a hot tub. They are not cheap but I want one so bad. If I convince the husband that we can swing it, someway, somehow...I will then convince him to build this with me and maybe a little deck for it to sit on. He will happily oblige, he loves DIY as much as I do. 

So there we have it. A few of the projects that I am dying to get to. What would you add to my list, I have a big yard to make over. I need suggestions.

Simple Summer Bucket List

Summer is here!!! No more filling our days with homeschooling and ABA therapies. We have time to breathe. As much as we can while remodeling a kitchen that is. It is time for fun and adventure! 

I had big grand plans for a fun summer bucket list but as the days went by, the idea kind of became more impractical. Next summer when we are fully settled we will have a cute bucket list. This year, the theme is simplicity but the activities are awesome!

For the list itself, I picked up some cork board tiles, post it notes and cork board tacks. I had a bunch of colored sharpies at home...because I {heart} sharpies. We then hung it on the wall in the play room because that is where we spend most of our time. Simple, simple, simple.

Last night we sat down as a family and wrote down the fun things we want to do this summer. So many fun ideas, hopefully we can accomplish most of them. The best part about a list is getting to check stuff off, am I right?

This is what made it to the list:

1. Craft Day

2. Girls Day Out

3. The Museum

4. VBS

5. Bake Together

6. Park Playdate

7. Play as a Family

8. Have a Picnic

9. Go Swimming

10. Sensory Friendly Movie

11. Pajama Day @ Home

12. Look at the Stars

13.Go to a jumping place

14. Pick Flowers

15. Water Gun War

16. Angels Game

17. Go Shopping

18. Water Play at Citrus Park

19. Pajama-Rama at the Library

20. The Zoo

21. Outdoor Movie

22, Beach Day

23. Go on a Hike

24. Chuck-E-Cheese

25. Messy twister (post coming soon)

26. Have a sleepover

27. Aquarium

We are so excited to start checking things off our list. What would make it onto your summer bucket list?

Gone Glamping

While we are on the topic of parties, we might as well just get all the way caught up. The last one in our strand of birthdays is Rhiannon. By time her birthday came and went I was so happy that Little Man's birthday is separated by a little bit of time. Though we did go simple on this one...in terms of work and effort.



When discussing the theme, I will give you one guess on what my 6 year old girl came up with. If you guessed Frozen...well obvs! When I pointed out to her that the last 5 parties we had gone to were the same. exact. thing. She was willing to change it up a bit. Oh how I appreciate my daughters willingness to change it up a bit.

After lots of thought, the girly girl came to me with the idea of Glamping "you know, like glamour camping mom...it's camping but for girls like me". Up until this point, I was under the illusion she was turning 6 but apparently some time in the past year she jumped to 16. The girl growing up makes me so sad but the theme, yeah, I was thrilled.

Since things had have been non-stop and this was the third birthday in 4 months, I was uber thankful for Target's awesome decor. I made a few garlands and pom balls but for the most part, I was able to get the look we wanted and still have it mostly store bought. Thank you Target!!!

Food was basic, with pigs in a blanket and lots of sweets. And cake of course. The girl decided that I needed to make her cake with a Nutella butter cream. It was actually pretty yummy. I may have to do that again.

Since we had so much time to kill with it being a sleepover, we had more activities than I usually do. First, I decided an anxiety attack was in order so we did a craft...with paint and glitter. I deserve an award or to be admitted, not sure which.

Next up were a couple minute to win it games.

Then s'mores. On a vintage couch because Hello! It's glamping!

We laid out a bunch of tumbling mats, covered them with sheets and called it a giant bed. Boom! Glamping party done!

Talon Turns Four- Super Hero Style

Only one month after Corbin's birthday, it's time for Talon's. When it came to his party, this boy had so much input. Especially when it came to the food haha.




The party itself was a Super hero theme. We went extremely simple on decor and focused on the favors (capes) and the game. 

Our one game we played was a hit. Super hero training and challenge. We put together a mini obstacle course for the kids. Speed test, laser beam challenge, spidey senses web spray, and a hulk smash. The kids insisted on more and more turns. It was a blast.

Last up was the cake. After Corbin's big cake, Talon was set on three tiers with his favorite characters. Since he also wanted cupcakes, I was able to sell him on 2 with a big topper. First tier was the skyline with bat symbol and the next was a wolverine layer with his claws slashing the cake. On top we had a fondant hulk fist popping out. The boy was thrilled.

Now that it is over, Talon cannot stop talking about his next birthday. Let's not rush it baby boy!

Daytime Smokey Eye

Last week I introduced the idea of Make-Up Mondays on Instagram and Facebook and y'all went crazy. I have been receiving e-mails, messages and comments for sometime asking for info on what make-up I'm wearing or tips on how to achieve the looks. I had no clue though just how serious you guys were. With a inbox full of requests, here I am launching it.

Let me start by saying, I am not a pro. Like not even close. I don't know proper technique or terminology. If you are looking for that, there are lots of beauty blogs on YouTube, I'd be happy to help you find one that fits what you are looking for. That being said, everything I am doing, you CAN do.

So our first tutorial? My take on the Daytime Smokey Eye. By far the most requested look by all y'all.

Here is the finished look. You can also see it in more detail in that shot up above the video. Totally something you could all rock. Is there another look that you are dying to try?

Don't mind my crazy lady hair, it's hot in this house. I was not ready to pump hot hair at myself in order to dry the mane.

What is your go to look?

Heart Throb top

**It's Valentine's Week here at Vessel Handmade. 5 Days of holiday themed posts. We'll have tutorials, recipes, decor and DIY. So follow along and fall in love. All projects and recipes will be linked at the bottom of each blog as they are posted.**

Okay, let me preface this by saying that I love celebrating love and being spoiled with gifts as much as the next girl. Here's my beef with Valentine's Day though. We are fooled into thinking if we don't go out on that day and buy a meal that some restaurant jacked up the price on then clearly we will die alone.

The fear of dying alone sends the masses to all of the places that I want to go. Obvs. This puts a wrench in this impatient girls plans. I mean seriously, I only get a babysitter for so long and then i spend it all waiting for tables and lines. What's up with that Valentine's Day?

Seriously though, the title doesn't lie. This post really is about a shirt. I just needed to say all of that to get to the point that hubby and I often chose a different night of the week to celebrate. But the hype of Valentines Day means that even though I am married and have 4 children, the fact that I wait a day to celebrate will ultimately fast track me to spinsterhood. 

So on Valentine's Day I make it about the kids. We celebrate. At home. All decked out. Hearts everywhere. Mama needs a Valentine outfit but not a little black dress and come get me heels.

Playing Card Garland

**It's Valentine's Week here at Vessel Handmade. 5 Days of holiday themed posts. We'll have tutorials, recipes, decor and DIY. So follow along and fall in love. All projects and recipes will be linked at the bottom of each blog as they are posted.**

When it comes to decorating, I am a huge fan of garlands. Rag garlands, pennant banners, doilies, burlap...I love it all.

This valentines day I wanted a fun garland, something different. My love of garlands means that I've already hit most of the styles. I had to think outside the box a little bit. 

I've seen a ton of projects made with paint chips that I'm too chicken to do. As much as I want to, I can't convince myself go in and grab chips. I'd be guilt ridden for days. The concept however, took my brain to playing cards.

This was the end result:

Chevron Quilt {Part 1}

It has been so long since I started planning Rhiannon's bedroom. We decided that instead of doing a theme we would just go for all out girly. I made the mistake of letting her choose the color scheme. I mean,I love the colors she chose but to find coordinating fabrics was quite the challenge. After looking for hours I eventually just took her to the store with me and let her pick some of her favorites.

We decided on a few fabrics from Moda, the Sophie by Chez Moi collection, I love the whole scheme that she chose. We coordinated with a few different solid colors. I knew from the get go that I wanted her to have a Chevron quilt. I'm a little upset with Chevron... don't bring it up to my husband it is a touchy subject in our house, as in he teases me constantly.

My original plan was to do one post of the whole process of the quilt, with some sort of tutorial for you. However, it's been a work in progress for months since things have been so chaotic. I decided just to break it up. Today's post will show you the first few steps and we will eventually link all of the post together to show you step-by-step how to create the quilt.

I started by cutting squares of each fabric at 8 inches. Once cut, I laid them face to face. Solid colored fabric to printed fabric facing right sides together.

Once you have your pieces facing right side together measure the very center and put a line a quarter inch in on each side. These lines will be where you are actually placing your seam. Once your seams are there you can cut straight down the center from corner to corner. This will give you a triangle open your triangle, making a square and press the seams open.

These squares are your quilt blocks. Easy Peasy. A couple minutes and one block is complete.

Once you have all of your blocks created you will flip-flop them, for lack of a better definition, making your entire quilt. I think looking at it would be the best way to figure this out since I can't quite figure out how to word it. Basically you are flipping in and making larger triangles. Which then turn in to dips and peaks of your zig zag or Chevron. See what I mean? I just cant put it into words. Haha.

***Don't forget to snip the little tails off of your blocks before piecing. These images were taken before I did that.***

This is where I will be leaving you off this week. It should take you long enough to do this part anyways depending on the size of your quilt. Rhiannon's quilt will end up being a twin to full-sized quilt.

The next post and the next step of this quilt will be to sew up your quilt top and piece your quilt back, because really no one wants a solid back, right? I will see you hopefully next week with the completed top!

{Part 2} 

{Part 3}

A Father's Day Surprise

Here on the blog, I talk a whole lot about my kids but you don't hear much about my husband. I should fix that.

Steven is an amazing man of God, a loving husband and a phenomenal father. Never have I met a man who comes so close to meeting the mark. No one is perfect but most days I am left wondering where he could possibly improve. Do they really come any better than this? Doubtful.

This man is such an amazing example of our Heavenly Father, not only to our children but to me as well. The love of God shines through him. So, this father's day, I want to make sure he knows just how amazing he is. To see himself and his role, the way we do.

 I saw this post on 30 Day Handmade and loved the idea of giving a gift every hour. So I borrowed that idea and paired it up with an idea I had of a gift to represent things about Steven.

With the help of some mommy friends, I came up with a list of words that described a Godly man, I chose ones that could describe my hubby.

Found scripture to back up each word. And purchased gifts for each word. Some gifts simple, like a payday bar for our provider. And some larger, like a new study bible for the spiritual head of our home.

  

I wrapped them up. Added a tag with the hour to open and the scripture. I left off the word to describe him because I want him to be a little confused with the randomness.

At the end of the day, with his last gift, Steven will get a card that lists the word that went with each hour/gift. And of course a thank you note for not only all he does for us but for who is.

What are you giving your husband or dad this year? Have any fun ideas up your sleeves?