September’s Inventive Idea . . . Homeschool Scrapbooking

I know that many of you have already discovered the joy of scrapbooking. I also know that many of you will agree that scrapbooking is fun and personal and, no matter how messy or how much your colors clash, there’s no such thing as a bad scrapbook. Combining your pictures, your mementos, and your personal flair – scrapbooking is all about you and your family, making it a great project for moms and kids to work on together. So, of course, homeschooling and scrapbooking go hand-in-hand!

Where to get your materials

I’m always looking for the inexpensive way to do anything – especially when scrapbooking. Scrapbooking has become a huge industry and everyone is trying to sell you the cutest, sweetest scrapbooking materials . . . that will drain your wallet quickly! Don’t fall for it! Here are some tips for scrapbooking on a budget:

• Recycle Materials Hold on to wrapping paper or pretty shopping bags or anything that looks like it might be fun in a scrapbook. One mom’s trash is another mom’s scrapbooking treasure!



• Garage Sales I’m sure you already know that garage sales can be great sources for old pens or crayons or never-used packs of construction paper. But, using your scrapbook eye, you can also find pretty paper scraps, old prints, post cards, or even scraps of fabric that you can chop up into scrapbook material. Don’t forget the remnant section of the fabric store for another great source of scrapbook fabric.



• Pictures, Pictures, Pictures Scrapbooks are supposed to be creative ways to frame your memories and photos, so be sure to have lots of pictures to choose from. Plus, if you scrapbook these pictures, you won’t end up with boxes of never-looked-at photos in your attic – you’ll actually enjoy your photos and share them with your family.



• Mementos The best materials are items that mean something to you. Looking through scrapbooking catalogs might tempt you to think that you need the pretty pre-made photo frames or that your scrapbook just won’t be complete without that flowery page border, but look at it this way: when you’re looking through your scrapbook years from now and see a border made up of dried, pressed flowers that you picked one afternoon with your daughter, won’t it be so much more special?



• Stay Organized Get yourself a large plastic container and label it “scrapbook materials.” Whenever you find anything scrapbook-possible, throw it in the box. This will keep your house neat and organized and will also give you the incentive to recycle all of those old scraps of paper in to your scrapbook because you’ll have an immediate place to put them. Check out Kristi's Ten Steps for Back-to-School Bliss for more ideas on cleaning and organizing your life.



• Homeschool Don’t forget that the point of your homeschool scrapbook is to show off what your child has accomplished! Take pictures of your daughter working on that huge science project, of your son winning the state spelling bee; include copies of your child’s perfect-scoring math test or beautiful art project. Use your scrapbook as a way to commemorate your child’s accomplishments!

A Word of Warning!

If you want to ensure your scrapbook will stand the test of time and be around for your children's children's children, then only use acid free materials! You can still scour high adn low for them at thrift stores, garage sales and Ebay, but they will not be as easy to find or as inexpensive. However, when comparing the cost just remember that an acid free scrapbook will last generations longer than one made from regular material. Don't get me wrong your scrapbook made from regular everyday material will last lonf enough for your grandchildren to enjoy, but maybe not great-great grand children.

How you can use your scrapbook

• It’s a Yearbook! Who says you need to go to public school in order to get a yearbook? Take lots of pictures of your kids working, playing, and homeschooling! Take your camera to the park, the museum, soccer game, where ever. These pictures will be your scrapbook’s foundation and will turn your scrapbook into a personal yearbook. And remember how you used to go through your yearbook and count how many times your picture appeared on the pages? Well, your kids will have a whole yearbook devoted entirely to them!



• It’s a Progress Report! Family members unsure about homeschool? Do they pester you about your decision to homeschool? Do they ever ask you, “Well, what do you do all day, anyway?” Now you have a very nice, very visual way to show them exactly what you’ve been up to all year! (check out Making the Case for Homeschool for more tips on dealing with homeschool skeptics)



• It’s a Goal Setter! After you’ve completed your scrapbook and titled it “Justin’s Homeschool, Year 2003,” you’ll have a great way to look back on your son’s progress for the year, see if you met your goals, and design your goals for next year!

September’s Creative Cookery. . . Quick Quiche

Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe.

     This recipe is great because it’s virtually impossible to mess up! It’s also an innovative way to use leftovers and can feed a family of four or five easily.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Pre-made dough (I like Pillsbury, but any other brand will do)
4 eggs, beat
3 Tb milk or cream
¼ cup bread crumbs (optional)
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry powder (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese (I like sharp cheddar, but any combination of cheese works great)
1 ½ cups of your choice of veggies, meat, or whatever for filling, chopped

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350°.



2. Place the dough in a greased pie dish. Prick the dough with a fork. You can crimp the edge of your crust with the tines of the fork or use your fingers to flute the edge.



3. Mix eggs, milk, bread crumbs, and ¾ cup cheese in a bowl. Stir in paprika, garlic powder, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.



4. Here’s where the fun starts. Choose veggies or leftovers to put in your quiche. Left over ham or bacon works great. My family also loves cubed Spam in their quiche. Tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, olives, or onions are all great additions, too. Of course, not all at the same time! Pick over your pantry and refrigerator to see what you have and try to choose fillings that will compliment each other; kids love to help pick out the fillings. If you are using broccoli, it’s a good idea to boil or steam it before you add it to the quiche; onions should be sautéed.
   
   Once you’ve chosen your fillings, arrange them in the pie dish. You can be creative and lay everything out in a pattern, or you can just throw everything in the dish. If you have an herb garden, fresh basil or parsley tastes wonderful in a quiche and you don’t even need to cut them up. Just lay individual leaves on top of your filling and they’ll bake their flavor right into your quiche and look pretty, too.



5. Pour the egg mixture over your quiche fillings. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cheese on top.



6. Bake your quiche for 45 minutes or until the egg is cooked through.



7. Serve with a simple tossed salad. This meal is quick, is a great way to use up leftovers in the refrigerator, and is also a wonderful protein-rich meal for your family.