Watch a Great Movie for Free!

Movies are great fun to watch for relaxing entertainment.  It's even better when they are free! 

Here's one you won't want to miss.  Emma, originally written by Jane Austen, has now been released by PBS Masterpiece Theatre.  You can watch it free online until March 9, 2010.  Click HERE for the link.

Here's my daughter, Julia's review of the movie:  "I watched it and I must say, I was more impressed than I expected I'd be. I love the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma, but there are many things about this new version that captivated me. :) I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the lines from the movie are actually taken straight from the book, and how little the screenwriters changed the plot, characters, and situations. The timing of everything is extremely close to how everything happens in the book. All this I love! :D I like the newer Harriet much better. At first I wasn't sure about Mr. Knightley, but I absolutely loved him by the time the movie was done.

Frank Churchill is much more like I would have imagined him to be... the ages of the actors seem to be closer to the actual book... Unfortunately, I didn't think Romola Garai acted quite well-bred and elegant enough for the part of Miss Woodhouse, and does a few things that I don't think Emma would have done... (i.e, bursting into Mr. Knightley's library, making a short electrifying statement, and immediately running back out) And Miss Bates was not quite as 'bates-y' as I would have liked. Overall though, this is a very well-done, satisfying Jane Austen Movie. "


So grab a bowl of popcorn or maybe some hot chocolate, get comfy, and enjoy a great MOVIE.

Have fun!

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Homeschool Freebie of the Day

This website is a gold mine of great books and information.  (The above picture is just one of their giveaways.)  Often the format is audio as well as PDF documents.  This free resource is wonderful for all children.  Even us older ones can enjoy and learn from the daily free items that are given away on this site.   Take a minute and check it out.  You'll be glad that you did!

Ever learning,

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Free Mitten Tutorial

Winter is still here but maybe the mittens have disappeared.  If this has happened to you, just grab an old sweater and make some more!

These sweater mittens are easy and fun to make. 

Step 1.  Get an unused sweater.  If it is wool, felt it first.  Wash in warm water and dry.  This will shrink it up.  If it cashmere, you don't have to felt it.  I found this cashmere sweater at a thrift store. 

Step 2. Make a pattern.  Trace around your hand onto a piece of paper. Make sure you include the seam allowance.  Remember the seam allowance is turned to the inside, so make room in the thumb for it and your thumb.  Use cardstock if you want a durable pattern. 

Step 3.  Turn the sweater inside out.  Lay the pattern on the sweater so the cuff of the mitten is at the bottom of the body of the sweater.  That way the cuff is already finished.  Cut out around the pattern.  That makes the 2 pieces of one mitten.  Do this again, so you have 2 sets. 

Step 4.  Sew around the mitten.  Clip close to the seam between the thumb and the main part of the mitten.  Turn to the right side and you are done!

Try making some out of fleece.  I had some scraps of fleece so I made some mittens for my sons.  Be sure to add some to the wrist if you use fleece.  It doesn't stretch like a sweater and you need room to get your hand in it. 

Let me know if you make some mittens.  I'd love to see your creations!

Happy sewing,

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Freebie of the Day: Free Math Workheets

This website is just wonderful!  Easy to use and very detailed, this website is a treasure for practice worksheets for math.  You can choose from basic math all the way up to pre-algebra.  It provide the answer key on a separate piece of paper so it's a snap to correct. 

Be sure to bookmark this site for your free math sheets.

Happy computing,

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Freebie of the Day: Free Books!

One of the best kept secrets is Project Gutenberg.   This site offers over 30,000 books that are in e-book form.  They carry high quality items: Their books were previously published on paper by bona fide publishers and digitized with the help of thousands of volunteers.


All their ebooks can be easily downloaded: Choose between ePub, Mobipocket, HTML and simple text formats.   Their books are free in the United States because their copyright has expired. They may not be free in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright laws of their countries before downloading or redistributing the ebooks.

There is no fee or registration required to use the site.  You have the option to donate if you wish. 

My son loves to read the G. A. Henty books.  They can be difficult to find or expensive to purchase.  We have found most if not all of Henty's books here.  We download the book and then burned it to CD so my son can read it on his laptop.  You could also read it from the computer to which you downloaded it. 

To Save: Click on the title of the book.  On that page, right click on the "main site" on the HTML line and then click "save target as"  Choose a file to save it in and click save.  That's it!

I have also used this site to preview a book I was planning to buy.  Easy and quick.  Search by author.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this freebie tip.  Any questions?  Just drop me a line.  Let me know if you also like Project Gutenberg.

Blessings,

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