"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." ~Anatole France
Exciting news! We're celebrating another graduation in our house. Approximately sixteen years since the first one and thirteen years since the last one. Almost a whole generation apart this time. Certainly a much different experience--with the former ceremonies being more buttoned down, and official; with a tassel and a diploma. I was a proud mama then, and I'm a proud mama now, but under completely different circumstances. About seven years ago, we veered away from traditional schooling and eased into a more relaxed lifestyle of learning at home, together as a family. There was no grand plan. We simply found ourselves at a cross-roads one day as our elementary school closed (due to lack of funds for safety repairs), and an opportunity to move rural suddenly came up. I knew families that home-schooled and always admired their resolute and self-sufficiency, but I really wasn't that confident myself, and didn't have a clue where to begin or even how to DO it. Given our circumstances though, we decided to try it for a year and go from there. I won't go into all the details, there are many, enough to fill a book, but eventually--we found our way. Thanks due in part, with a little help from our friends. Looking back, it's been an amazing journey for us all. And now that it has ended, in some respects, for one child, I wanted to commemorate this milestone in her life, in a way that would reflect that journey. So we did our own grad-photo shoot here in the garden recently and had announcements printed. I think they turned out exactly right. The quote at the top is on the upper inside flap, and the announcement details are inside too.
I used Zazzles, they have good product and fast turn-around, but I was a bit disappointed with their free shipping offer--it seems a box of 50 note cards falls under their criteria for 'over-sized' and does not qualify. No where on the website does it mention what constitutes "over-size". (So beware.) A $13 s/h charge was applied instead. Their customer service is prompt at responding, but only quoted the obscure "fine print" which still didn't explain how over-size orders are determined. Small details for sure, but still. Not. Good. Business. No one likes a 'bait and switch' tactic. Especially since I had spent four times the amount required to qualify for their "free shipping". Boo.
Making progress on the potpourri. Gathered these pretties yesterday from the backyard garden.
On a final note, thank you for the book orders! I'm wrapping them all up today (with a special surprise) and hope to get them mailed on Monday. Have a great weekend!
