Welcome to my Blog....a little piece of my crazy world!

My name is Alicia Giess and I am thrilled to be able to share a little part of my life with you, i.e. my passions such as my family and friends, my faith and my scrapbooking hobby.

About Me

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God has blessed me with a wonderful, loving husband and four beautiful children. I love my life and am so thankful for how much I have been blessed.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Algebra, Science, History....oh my!

I confess! In December when we started struggling with the decision of whether we should home school our children, I was so torn. How can I homeschool my children when I also have to work full-time? Can I really be directly responsible for my kids' education? Is this the best decision for our family? Will my children resent me for pulling them out of their school environment that they have loved since they were 4 years old? Mike and I prayed...we discussed our options ad nauseum....and we searched for any other open door that God might even have just cracked open a bit. Finally, when the decision was made, I was at peace. Anyone who knows me understands just how important education is to me. I take education seriously and I don't want my kids to just get by. I expect superior work from my children. I demand their best in anything they do. I have now been my kids' Learning Coach for 10 weeks, and I am amazed at (1) how independent they have become with their learning; (2) how the homeschooling experience is preparing them for college; and (3) how much this new learning environment in our home has drawn us even closer as a family. Frankly, this might have been the best decision we have made as a family since we took the television out of our home 8 years ago. Has homeschooling been easy? No way! There have been times when I have had to leave my house and take a drive so I didn't kill someone. There have been times when I've cried myself to sleep at night wondering if we really did what was best for them. I have become even more passionate about education in the last 6 months or so and that is good. Though, there is something very satisfying when Chase is understanding his Algebra 2 by going over his textbook and learning the concept on his own. It is very rewarding to see Candace spend a week learning about Pearl Harbor, writing a 10 page research paper, and then receiving a 96 on it. It is fun helping Cara with her lab assignments in the evening, whether it be making sand erode in a plastic container, or labeling all the volcanoes on the earth with beans. An even bigger benefit to this experience is that my kids are spending precious, immeasurable time together and creating memories that will last a lifetime. And, last night, I sat down with Chase (since he was the one that seem to give up the most from being pulled out of his school - Class President, Valedictorian, time with his girlfriend :) ) and asked him if he is enjoying this homeschooling venture. He said he likes it and there is no doubt he is doing well with straight A's. His guidance counsellor actually called him a couple of weeks ago and congratulated him for his good grades and asked him to take a survey while she tried to get to know him better.
In conclusion, when I was just a child, I picked this verse as my life verse: Isaiah 43:2 - "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." I do not know if the last few months have been just a "water", a "river", or a "fire" in my life, but I know that God has blessed us and given us such sweet peace with our decision to do what we believe is best for our children. God is good and He is faithful, and I am thankful to all of you who have supported me with your sweet emails and comments.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

New products at Scrapbook.com/Scrapjazz.com

I played with some new My Little Shoebox, Bo Bunny, My Minds Eye and Kaisercraft this month. I just love opening up boxes of new product! Come on over to scrapbook.com and scrapjazz.com and check out all the new products added almost daily.

Monday, March 19, 2012

My Creative Scrapbook's sketch contest


Do you like to work with sketches? My Creative Scrapbook's sketch site is offering a fabulous prize package this month with a really fun sketch. This is my take on the sketch. I love how all the design team members interpreted the sketch to fit their individual styles. Here's the sketch and the prize package: http://mycreativesketches.blogspot.com/ . Come on over to play!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Pardon me as I ramble....

Raising teenagers is hard! Sometimes (and they might say most of the time), I expect too much out of my teenagers. I expect them to always make wise choices and way-too-adult decisions. I expect them to be grown up about responsibilities and I forget that they are learning, that they are growing, that they are maturing. I want them to be always perfect, and they simply are not!
Lately, Candace and I have been butting heads, not seeing eye-t0-eye on the way she is handling her new venture: homeschooling. I expect her to be like I was when I was a kid, when the truth is, she is much more like her father, fun-loving, good natured, and less serious about her studies. I am intense. She is not! Last night, after we had a day where I scolded and yelled too much, and she ignored me way more than she should, her father took away her Ipod, indefinitely. All heck broke out in the house for too much of the evening. Then something happened that changed the whole mood in the house, and I took this as a serious lesson and learning experience for Mom. Candace (and Cara too - who also got her Ipod taken away) came downstairs dressed in all black and appearing very Gothic. She was really just being light-hearted about what had happened and didn't even know that she was opening my eyes. My not-so-perfect daughter really is a sweet, loving, young lady who listens to sermons on-line every night before she goes to bed. She spreads joy and cheer in every environment she enters. Candace has never been rebellious and caused her parents shame. Yes, she forgets to do her history and even puts off taking her French quizzes, but she's not sneaking around at night with boys, or dressing evil or promiscuous. She loves her Savior and craves the things of God. Just last night, I received an email from a friend who invited us to the baptism on Sunday of a teenager on Candace's soccer team that accepted Christ because Candace invited her to a youth activity. God works through teenagers that love Him. The comparison photos above made it real clear to me that God has given me a sweet daughter whom I love with all my heart. I need to tell her that more often...I need to praise her more...I need to accept her for her inadequacies because in the big scheme of things, Candace really does have a sweet heart.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

More main kit pages....

I love working with Pam's kits at My Creative Scrapbook. I was able to complete 7 pages this month from this fabulous main kit. I'd love for you to come on over to mycreativescrapbook.com and sign up to receive one of the kits Pam has to offer. You will love working with them, and the design team does such a wonderful job of creating tons of inspiration each and every month. It's a friendly community too. I'm always giddy when I open up a My Creative Scrapbook box.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

My Creative Scrapbook's Creative kit


Aren't these papers gorgeous? I love how much texture Little Yellow Bicycle has on their papers. If you'd like to sign up to receive gorgeous kits every month and create beautiful pages without much effort, come on over to mycreativescrapbook.com for details on how you can receive Pam's beautiful kits.

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Main kit from My Creative Scrapbook

I had so much fun with the main kit this month. I could not believe how many goodies were included in the kit. Come on over to mycreativescrapbook.com for details on how you can sign up and start receiving these fabulous kits. You will not regret it!