Being a lover of art, I was exciting to review The Master and His Apprentice: Art History from a Christian Perspective from The Master and His Apprentice. 

Deciding to do five lessons and write my review, my plans changed when I fell in love with the textbook and read almost all of it. I'm still reading and plan on finishing it. 

Why? 

Wow! The Master and His Apprentice is awesome! Readable, engaging, and full of information and insight I have never heard before. 

By the time I finished reading the introduction, I was already planning a homeschool co-op class using the curriculum. 

You see, the book jumps right into how we are made in the image of the most amazing, magnificent, glorious Creator that ever existed! We see His artwork all around us! We drink in His beauty, glory, and splendor. We create art because we are made in His image! Wow! I'm excited!

I used this course myself and plan to teach it as a homeschool co-op course in the future, so I went through it as a student, but also looking to use the material to teach others. ​

Pike's Peak is one tall mountain! 

My daughter Julianna was taking a semester off work to attend Ellerslie, a Bible college out in Colorado. I decided to fly out with her a few days early so we could see a little of Colorado. 

"Let's go to Pike's Peak!" she suggested. 

"Hiking?" I asked, shuddering inside. People do hike up and down Pike's Peak, you know. 

"No, not hiking," she laughed. "They have a little railroad." 

Little railroad, as in tiny railroad, tiny tracks, and big tall mountain? 

I was nervous, so I went online to research and discovered: 

• The Mountain is Over 14,000 Feet Above Sea Level
• It is Located in Pike's National Forest, West of Colorado Springs
• Was Named about Zebulon Montgomery Pike who Explored the Southwest United States
• When Gold Was Discovered in Denver, it was called Pike's Peak
• The Denver Gold Rush's Slogan was "Pike's Peak or Bust!"
• In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the poem "America the Beautiful from a Summit near the Top of Pike's Peak
• You can see Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wyoming from the Top
• You Can Bike, Hike, Drive, or Ride the Cogs Railroad to the Top​

My friend Gracie helped me to review Hake/Saxon Grammar & Writing 3 from Hake Publishing.

To be honest, she wasn't too excited at first. Grammar? Who enjoys grammar? However, when we started digging into the  lesson, she enjoyed it! She was more enthusiastic about later lessons.

Let me tell you about Hake/Saxon Grammar & Writing 3.

I received three books: a grammar workbook, a writing workbook, and a teacher's manual. 

We did all of lesson one in both workbooks in a half hour. Now keep in mind that this was Gracie's first introduction to real grammar instruction. 

The teacher's manual is very detailed and perfect for any mom who needs step-by-step help in teaching the lesson. Gracie's mom looked through the teachers manual while Gracie and I worked on the lessons. She liked it!

Even if you don't have the teacher's manual, you will not have any problem teaching this material. The workbooks are user-friendly for Mom and student.

We want to grow in our adventure with Jesus and move forward in our faith.

So how do we do that?

Here is something easy to remember that will help you move forward and not backward: Gaze & Graze, but don’t Glaze.

I talk to so many people who want to grow closer to Jesus. They feel like Jesus is so distant and they wonder how they can draw close.

I promise you that walking with Jesus isn’t complicated. After all, Jesus just walked up to people and said, “Follow Me!”

And they did!

So, if you are one of those people who want to move closer to Jesus and know Him, I encourage you to Gaze & Graze, but don’t Glaze.

This is what helps me to stay focused on Jesus and move forward in my walk with Christ.

What do I mean?
​
​Let me explain. 

ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. has an amazing new art curriculum, Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary Full Video Lesson Grade K-3. We got to try it out in our house. 

The book, part of the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray, is beautifully illustrated of course, since this is an art curriculum! A hardbound book with two DVDs inside a plastic cover inside the book, the pages are clearly marked out so that a parent like me can use it. I love that each lesson covers an element of art such as line, shape, form, texture, color, and more. Introducing little ones to this concept early on is such a great idea! The masterpieces included in the book are wholesome works of art that children will enjoy. 

Now, let me confess right away: I used this curriculum with a fourth grader and older siblings hopped in to help. 

When my young friend Gracie came over to help me review Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary Full Video Lesson Grade K-3, my house was full of kids who wanted to play a game. They were upset that Gracie had to watch this video. But, she loved the video and soon the living room was full of watchers. The lessons we watched together were amazing. I loved the way the teacher walked through everything, demonstrating everything perfectly. The kids quoted from the video as we were working, remembering things the teacher said. 

Notice I said kids! Some of the older kids joined in for lesson one. We sketched an object by focusing on LINE, an element of art, and using lines to outline the shapes of our object. Next we colored in using watercolor colored pencils because we didn't have watercolor crayons. Then, using a paint brush, we added water to turn colored pencil coloring into a painting. Super fun!

Traveling to Europe was always an unrealistic dream to me.

I dreamed of castles, cathedrals, and picturesque landscapes. All that history! 

When I received a small inheritance, I put some money aside to live that dream. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to get to Europe and how many great deals are available. 

Here's how we got to Europe on a shoestring budget. 

First, we made a list of all the places we wanted to see on our trips. We also made a list of "nice to see, but not necessary places." 

We mapped those places out using maps and travel guides. One of my favorite travel guide series is the DK Travel Guides. I have 8 of them!

Then, we started looking for deals. Not for a week or two, but over months, keeping in mind dates that we were available to go.

​We also covered our trip in prayer, asking the Lord for deals, His perfect timing, and more. 

My daughter Julianna and I looked at hundreds of tours before we found the tour we went on when we traveled to Italy. It was all-inclusive for one week and we were blown away at how cheap it was. When we were there, we found the accommodations were beautiful. It was definitely a good find!

The secret is to look so much that you can recognize a good deal when it comes and snatch it up.. 

Here are some places I like to check out for great vacation prices. 

Travel Zoo
Groupon
Gate 1 Travel
Trafalgar
Sherman's Travel