Top Ten Posts for the Week Ending 12-26-2015

Top Ten Posts for the Week Ending 12-26-2015

This week, the top 10 posts cover a wide range of topics from homeschool, to sewing, to computer software, kitchen tools, recipes, and toys.

Without further ado, here is the list for the week ending 12-26-2015. The articles are in order of popularity.

Top 10 Posts in Order of Popularity

1. Independent Living Skills High School Homeschool Course  When I taught my son in high school, each semester we had an Independent Living Skills class. I loved it, though he didn't care for it at the time. He learned to clean house. He learned to use a broom, vacuum cleaner, mop, and more. Eventually, he had responsibility to do half the housework each week, and all his own laundry.
2. Make Barbie Clothes for Your Favorite Little Girl's Barbie  Little girls who love to play with Barbie dolls also love to have lots of clothes for their dolls. It takes a little time, but doesn't require a lot of fabric to make Barbie clothes using Fashion Doll Clothes for 11-1/2" Doll patterns. In fact, most of these clothes can be made of fabric scraps or remnants.
3. Using Microsoft Office 365 and OneDrive  Linda recently wrote a blog post about using the free Microsoft OneDrive program. If you can't get your hands on Office 365, I would whole-heartedly recommend using the free OneDrive program, but I am a huge fan of the Office 365 program.  I enjoy its features like Microsoft Word, the ability to add plug-ins in Word, and the ability to use the documents I created in other  Microsoft programs from OneDrive.
4. Tea for One Teapot and Cup  The first tea for one set I ever had was given to me by my mother for a birthday gift. At the time, I thought it was a strange gift, but soon learned to love and enjoy it. As the only one in my home who drinks tea regularly, I found it ideal for making just enough tea for me with no waste.
5. Tools For Your Homeschool High School Student  Homeschool equipment doesn't have to cost you the farm. I recommend just a few basics to start, then you can add what you need as needed. The basics include a digital camera that has a video function, a graphing calculator for math, finance, and economics courses, a printer with a scanner and CD printer, and extra ink cartridges for the printer.
6. Word Tips and Tricks: Aligning Images in Microsoft Word  Recently, someone asked me how to do a simple technique in Microsoft Word. She knew I have taught Microsoft Office college courses since August of 2004. When I explained how to do the steps to get the results she wanted, she recommended that I occasionally add a post on this blog on how to do a technique in Word. So, for a while, I will be adding Word tips and tricks, as well as tips for using the other Microsoft Office applications at least once a week.
7. Should Home School Students Get All A's?  One advantage home school students have over public and private school students is that they have time to really learn the material. There is no rush to move into the next chapter or lesson until the current lesson is well-learned. When students do not learn the material well, especially in courses that build on previous lessons, such as math, the student will not have the foundation to understand later courses. I am sure my son became quite tired of hearing me tell him, "Do the assignment again," but these days, he tells his own students the same thing.
8. A Pastry Cutter Makes Pastries and Breads Lighter and Flakier  The pastry cutter, also called a pastry blender, makes baking so much easier! I learned how to use a pastry cutter in home economics class (I won't say how many years ago!). For me, it was a revelation. So, what is a pastry blender? A pastry blender is a tool used to cut butter or shortening into flour or other dry ingredients. For years, I had used two knives to cut butter and shortening into flour for biscuits, pie crusts, and muffins. The pastry cutter is so much better, since it can be done one-handed, uses a rocking motion instead of a scissoring motion with two blades, and cuts the butter or shortening into much smaller grains in the flour mixture.
9. Low-carb Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna Recipe  Eggplants, also known as aubergines, are a species of nightshade plant, so those with nightshade allergies should avoid them. For the rest of us, there are some really delicious recipes to use with eggplant, including the Low-carb Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna Recipe below. My eggplant lasagna dishes have been received very well. I hope you enjoy the following recipe.
10. Wood Rocking Horses: A Toy Loved by Multigenerations of Kids   When my oldest granddaughter was two years old, Santa brought her a wood rocking horse. She was so cute riding her horse with a play cell phone at her ear. She rocked and talked for hours! Rocking horses are just as much fun for kids today as they were for kids of past generations. I remember playing on these wooden steeds when I was a small child and the fun they were. My kids loved riding them, too. While children have ridden stick horses for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, the rocking horse is believed to have been developed during the 17th century following the invention of the bow rocker.

Christmas 2015

Monopoly Board Game

Our Christmas was great. We missed seeing family and friends who are far away, but we did call them all and talk for a while.

Rather than go the traditional Christmas meal and spend hours in the kitchen, we opted to go for homemade pizza, and my son decided to bake up some banana pies. The banana pie was similar in texture to a pumpkin pie. It was sweet, but not too sweet. Everyone loved them. I will be sharing the recipe for the pie some time next week.

My youngest grandson had a new Monopoly Board Game
and all seven of us played for hours and hours. He was one of the last four players at the end of the game.Spending time with family is one of the best parts of holidays this time of year.


I hope your Christmas celebration was great, too! Thank you for reading!