All About Ashley

Ashley Made the Front Page!

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:15:00 +0000

The Windham newspaper ran an article about Ashley and her Blessing Bracelets.

Ashley's grandmother (in CA) makes the bracelets and sends them to Ashley to sell since Grandma really has no way to sell them herself. She calls them "Blessing Bracelets" in memory of her late brother, Edward C. Goetschel, Jr. (who died at the young age of 47). He was a chef and left no kids or wife to honor him. His passion for food was the inspiration for donating the money to a food bank. Grandma is also a recipient of a local food bank in CA and the Blessing Bracelets is her way of "giving back".

We ask for a donation of $3 for the bracelets. The first day she started selling them at church she sold all the bracelets she had in one day and made $40 for the food bank.

At our first visit to the food bank, she was able to donate $50. She really enjoyed her visit to the food bank and really wants to go back and volunteer. We made arrangements for her to help out on December 16th. She will bringing more money to donate when she goes to volunteer on the 16th.

Read the entire article "8 year-old runs own fundraiser to benefit Gray Food Pantry":

http://www.independentpub.com/story.asp?artId=1323442106

Open Farm Day

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:21:00 +0000

The 21st annual Maine Open Farm Day will be held on Sunday July 25,2010, as more than 100 Maine farms across the state open their doors to the public.

Ashley will be visiting a few farms to see what farm life is all about. She is looking forward to watching farm activities and demonstrations from milking to felting; pet farm animals, picking berries, touring barns and going on a hay ride.

There will be farm-raised products for sale, displays to see and samples to taste. Oh what fun!

Click here to find a downloadable document that lists all participating farms

Kids Workshops at Home Depot

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:26:00 +0000

Ashley absolutely loves the the kids workshops at Home Depot!

These workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit.

The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Plus, it is a fun time for quality one-on-one time for parents with their children. Not to mention, the items make great home-made gifts!

In addition to the project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron (similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons) and an achievement pin. Ashley loves collecting them!

Spreading Kindness

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:09:00 +0000

Recently we were at a petting zoo at a local fair where Ashley was feeding the baby animals. As she raced back from the 25-cent grain dispenser with another handful of grain, she noticed a little girl that didn't have any grain to feed the animals. The little girl pleaded to her mother, "Please Mommy, why can't I have some grain to feed the animals". "Honey, we have no money to buy grain", the mother explained to the disappointed child.

Without hesitation, Ashley walked up to the mother and asked if it would be okay if she shared some of her grain with the little girl. Touched by her gesture, the mother agreed. The little girl beamed with excitement as Ashley gave the entire handful of grain to the little girl.

The mother was so touched. She turned to me and told me what Ashley had just done. Of course, I had already seen the act of kindness that my daughter had just demonstrated. I walked over to her and hugged her and told her that she made me very proud.

This wonderful demonstration of kindness inspired me to teach a special lesson at Sunday School on how we treat other people and the amazing difference paying it forward can make. I asked each of the children to draw a picture of something kind that they have done for another person. I also challenged them to look for opportunities this week to spread kindness.

We created a display on the wall for everyone to see entitled, "Spreading Kindness - Our Kids Are Making a Difference too". Each week we will continue to put the pictures up on the wall for everyone to see.

Building a Fairy House

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Along the coast of Maine, there is an island that you can go walking on that has fairy houses in the woods along the walking path. Recently we went for a walk on the island looking for fairy houses. As we walked, we saw an occassional fairy house here and there. We gather special items along the way so that we could build our own fairy house... bark, sticks, rocks, acorns and flowers.

Finally we came to a clearing in the woods, where we found dozens and dozens of fairy houses, every shape and size. It was such an amzing sight! They were built with all different types of materials. Some were in the trees, others on the ground, some near bushes, some at the base of a tree. They were spread through out the tall pine trees as far as the eye could see. It was incredible!

We found a fallen log with a hollowed out section that made a perfect protected spot for our little fairy house. We propped sticks together and covered them with large peices of bark. Ashley gathered leaves, seaweed and a shell to fill acorns with and created a table and sitting stone for the fairies. We also made a little circle of rocks with nicely stacked sticks for a little fire ring. We finshed off our fairy house by lining the outer edges with flowers in hopes that the fairies would find it welcoming.

What a great way to spend one of the last days of summer!

Learning About Ladybugs

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Ashley learned all about ladybugs when we bought a tub of them to release in our yard. We bought them at a local greenhouse.

Ladybugs are actually predators that feed on a variety of insects including aphids, moth eggs, mites, scales, thrips, leafhoppers, mealybugs and other slow-moving insects.

Early evening is the best time to release ladybugs. So, we waited until dusk to release them into their new home.

Now we are anxious for them start doing their job!

Opening Night for Oklahoma

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Opening night for Ashley's first play, Oklahoma, was last week!

It was truly amazing to see Ashley perform in front of audience! During rehearsals she did very well. She always remembered her cues and was always where she needed to be. But once she got in front of an audience, she took it to a whole new level. She was so animated and reacted to the lines of other characters with such energy and enthusiasm! Her facial expressions were incredible. It was as if she had been doing this for years!

The rehearsals have been a wonderful experience for her. She has learned so much about what goes into a play production... costumes, set design, make-up, dress rehearsal, being backstage and, of course, opening night.

Ashley was so excited to perform in front of an audience. She was nervous and excited. But, she did fabulous. After each show, she had people telling her that she stole the show whenever she was on stage.

It has truly been a wonderful experience!!!

Ashley's First Play

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Several weeks ago Ashley auditioned at a local theater for her first play, Oklahoma. She got up on stage and sang her solo and did a great job. Then she went through the dance audition with all the adults and teenagers and kept up quite well.

A few weeks later we got the news that she had been cast as the youngest member of the "towns people" (which is what she had auditioned for). When she found out, she was excited, yet nervous, to go to rehearsals. But after the first night, she decided that she really likes rehearsals. She loves being on stage and is so disappointed every time rehearsal is over!

What a great experience for her and a wonderful way to build her confidence of being on stage!

Fun Butterfly Craft

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sat, 16 May 2009 23:39:00 +0000

We have been planning fun crafts for Ashley's Fairy Birthday party and found a great butterfly craft that is easy to do!

You will need:

~ Scissors

~ Ruler

~ Scrapbook paper

~ Pipe cleaners

Instructions:

1. For each butterfly, cut two 2 1/2-inch squares from scrapbook paper. Trim the left and right sides of the squares to round them, as shown.

2. Accordion-fold each of the squares to create two sets of wings.

3. For the butterfly's body, cut a pipe cleaner in half. Fold one of the halves into a V-shape, as shown, and twist the ends together a few times just above the bend to create an abdomen (it should be about an inch long).

4. Sandwich both sets of wings between the pipe cleaner ends above the abdomen, and twist the ends a couple more times to hold them snugly in place.

5. Use your fingers to pull the wings open a bit, and then curl the tips of the pipe cleaner to shape antennae.

A Heart-Warming Experience

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:39:00 +0000

A little over a week ago we met a family that was facing the possibility of being homeless. They had experienced some difficult times and couldn't seem to get "a break". The father is currently out of work and the mother is disabled. The children are 18 months and 10 years old.

We knew that I could help them. First, we helped them find an affordable place to live. Then the next Sunday, we stood up in church and asked for help. The family had next to nothing. They had no furniture, no beds to sleep on, no table to eat at, no couch to sit on and no television to watch. So, we asked my congregation friends for "any household items that you are no longer using".

We received an overwhelming response! Some people went shopping for the family and bought them some basic household items. Some people chipped in money. Some people brought in household items that they were no longer using.

We had people calling me that weren't even from my church. They had heard about the family from members of my church. We had one person contact me and invite me to walk through an estate that they needed to empty and simply told me to "take whatever they need".

When we brought over the first truck load of items, the 10 year old girl was so excited! She went running into the apartment to get her mother.

When we walked into the empty apartment, it didn't even look like they had moved in yet (and yet they had). By the time we left, the apartment looked a little more like home. We were able to provide them with dressers and beds, a couch, a television, linens, dishes, kitchen appliances, books, pots and pans and much, much more.

It was truly one of the most heart-warming experiences we have had in a long time. It is amazing what a difference we can make in someone's life when everybody just chips in a little.

It truly is a good life!

Ashley Meets a Real Author

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 21:53:00 +0000

One of our local libraries recently sponsored a special "Shape Capers" event with a local Maine author/illustrator, Cathryn Falwell.

"Shape Capers" is one of Falwell’s children’s books. The event included a treasure hunt crafts, games, movement, music making, and all kinds of fun activities focused on "shape making fun".

Ashley had a great time participating in all of the activities. But, she was especially excited about meeting the lady who actually wrote children’s books that we have at home.

Of course, Cathryn Falwell signed one of Ashley’s books with a personalized little note to her. Ashley was thrilled!

Falwell's books are all written with a lesson in mind… counting, telling time, perseverance, team work, dealing with new siblings, etc. The illustrations in her books are wonderful - they all done in cut-paper collage. We have really enjoyed her books.

Be sure to check out her website. She also has some fun activities for kids (which are also included in each of her books).

Please Vote For Us!!!

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 03:28:00 +0000

We need your votes!!!

Every week 60 different artisans face off in 12 different categories in the Artisans Challenge to see who has the best handmade item.

Our very own "Delicate Purple Flowers" book clip from our online store is in the challenge!

Please vote before April 6th!!!

Go to Blockhead Radio to vote today!

Have Fun Learning How Chocolate is Made

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:37:00 +0000

The Hershey's Chocolate Tour Ride in Hershey, PA is a FREE tour and a wonderful way to learn about where chocolate comes from.

Once you board the indoor trolley, the ride takes you through a simulated HERSHEY'S Chocolate Factory that shows you the entire chocolate-making process. From harvesting the cocoa beans in the tropical rain forest where cocao beans grow to wrapping you favorite sweet treats. You can even smell the chocolate as the cocoa beans make their way through the mock manufacturing process.

It is truly a fun and informative ride that makes learning about the chocolate-making process very easy. Ashley even wanted to go on it a second time and had lots of questions!

After the ride, Ashley became an official chocolatier at HERSHEY'S Kissworks attraction where she got to package her very own HERSHEY'S KISSES chocolates. She even had her picture taken for her very own badge as an official chocolatier!

What a fun way to learn about how chocolate is made! And it's FREE!

Come Join the Fun!!!

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:54:00 +0000

It's Party Time!!!

** The Ultimate Blog Party 2009 **

Be sure to check it out!!!

March 20th - 27th!!!

Be sure to register to win one of the many great prizes!!!

You could win these earrings from our very own online store, Acorn Accessories!!!

If you want to win these earrings (or any pair of earrings from Acorn Accessories), be sure to blog about them (INTL 63)!!!

Learn for FREE in D.C.

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:56:00 +0000

What better place to expose your child to US History than our very own Washington DC? Not only is a wonderful way to learn about our history, but admission to everything is FREE!!!

While we were in Washington DC, Ashley got to see where the President lives, the Capital Building, Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, among many other important buildings. At each of the stops we discussed the history and significance of each building/memorial.

We also visited many of the museums, which are also FREE. Ashley learned about space and flight in the National Air and Space Museum. Along with many other exhibits, she got to see the Apollo 11 Command Module and got to go into the cockpits of aircraft and spacecraft exhibits. She also learned about the Wright brothers' historic flights and got to see the Wright Flyer, the world's first successful airplane.

Ashley’s favorite museum was the National Museum of Natural History. We could have spent all day in this museum alone. Ashley is fascinated with dinosaurs and just loved seeing the exhibits. She finally got to appreciate the actual size of the dinosaurs, which you really cannot grasp looking at a book. Ashley also got to explore a living butterfly house (not free) where butterflies sat right on her finger! She also got to see some amazing gems and minerals, many prehistoric animals and some interesting reptiles and amphibians.

I have also learned that the Smithsonian offers some wonderful lesson plans and web-based activities online at http://www.mnh.si.edu/education. Be sure to check it out!

What a great resource for homeschoolers!

Fun wih Seaglass

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:00:00 +0000

One of Ashley’s favorite outdoor activities is walking along the beach looking for sea glass with Mama. We often go to the beach looking for sea glass and then go for a hike along the big rocks. When we have lots of energy, we hike all the way out to the lighthouse.

Sometimes we take the ferry out to one of the islands and walk along the beach on the island. We make an entire afternoon out of the ferry ride out to the island, the walk along the beach and then the ferry ride back. We have quite the collection of sea glass from the coast of Maine in green russet brown and white.

Ashley was so excited to see some of the charms we could make from sea glass. We take wire and wrap it around the sea glass. Ashley helps pick out which pieces of sea glass we should use and helps choose a charm.

She loved seeing pictures of our sea glass masterpieces in our online store.

Whenever we sell one, we put half of our profts into her savings account. She loves going to the bank and making a deposit (don't we all).

It is great fun taking one of our favorite past times of collecting sea glass and showing her how we can turn the sea glass into wonderful jewelry. It gave Ashley a whole new appreciation of sea glass.

You can check out some of our other designs in our online store, Acorn Accessories.

Let's Get Creative with Beads

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Ashley loves to go to the bead store to pick out new beads! The bead store has hundreds of different beads to choose from. She loves to find new beads! Every time we go, there is something new.

We use the beads to make jewelry and accessories for our online store.

Ashley is very good at helping come up with new desgins. She is very creative!

For special occassions she gives some of her creations as special gifts, which is always extra special to the person that is receiving it.

Haven's Candy Factory Tour

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Ashley went to a special tour at Haven’s Candy Factory. It was so much fun!

We started out by putting nets over our hair before entering the factory. In the first room they were coating popcorn with caramel for caramel corn. We got to pack our own bags of caramel corn to take home with us.

In the next room of the factory we got to see how they created chocolate in molds. Ashley got to take a turn filling the molds with the chocolate by squeezing the handle.

Then we got to cover our own treats (pretzels, Oreo cookies, wafers, and orange creams) with chocolate. We took our treats and lined them up on the conveyer belt. We watched them go through the machine that covers the treats in chocolate. Then we each got to decorate our treats with sprinkles before they continued down the conveyer to the cooler.

In the final room, Ashley got to try twisting taffy into wrappers. After the girls showed her how to "roll and twist" a couple of times, she tried it on her own. She very neatly folded the wrapper around the taffy, folding over each end (not twisting), and then somehow convinced the girls that she needed tape to hold the ends.

We had a great time touring the candy factory. It was a lot of fun!

Never Too Young For Guitar Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Ashley wanted to learn how to play the guitar so bad. But, at 5 years old, it is not easy (although not impossible) to find a teacher that is willing to teach at such a young age.

It seems as though it was meant to be when we met a great teacher that was more than willing to take Ashley on as a student.

His learning approach to playing the guitar makes it so easy for a young child to learn. Each of the strings have a color assigned to it. The strings are easy to remember with a fun phrase that he uses... "Elmo Always Dances Goofy Before Ernie".

In just a couple months time, she is able to play three songs and three chords. It is not easy to get her to practice at this age. But she loves the lessons and loves jammin' on her guitar.

Check out the video at the bottom of our blog to hear her own personal version of "Happy Birthday" for Gramma.

What a Difference Swim Lessons Make!

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Local colleges are a wonderful resource! You may not realize it, but they frequently offer some great activities for kids.

One of the many activities we take advantage of at one of our local colleges is swimming lessons. They even have lessons for babies!

Ashley did not have a lot of confidence in the water. So, swimming lessons seemed like a good idea.

When she started out, she had some "catching up" to do compared to the other kids in her class. But after just a couple weeks, she was consistently out-swimming everyone in her class. By the time she reaches the edge of the pool, all the other kids are a half a pool length behind her.

Swim lessons have made a big difference for Ashley. She loves going and is always dissapppointed when it is time to leave!

Fun with Legos

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:59:00 +0000

Our local library is a wonderful resource when it comes to fun activities for kids. Of course, the library offers your typical story time for various ages. But it also offers some other great activities throughout the year.

One of Ashley's favorite activities that is currently offered by our local library is "Fun with Legos". The library allows local homeschoolers to use the library once a week to get together and enjoy Legos together.

Bring your own, share with others and enjoy some fun times being creative together. It is great fun for kids!

Ashley hadn't really shown much interest in Legos until she started going to the library to share the fun with some fellow homeschool friends. This fun activity has taken Legos to a whole new level of fun for her.

Factory Tour at Stonewall Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:47:00 +0000

Ashley recently had an opportunity to visit Stonewall Kitchen for a factory tour!

A friendly staff member shared her years of knowledge with us as she guided us through the each of the departments that "make it all happen". When we went in to view the production line in operation, Ashley got to wear a special hair net and white coat, just like the workers.

It was interesting to learn about the manufacturing process. Each of the production area has a sign identifying what the machine does... filling, capping, cooling, labeling, testing and quality control.

After the tour, we got to sample products from the store’s demonstration kitchen. Yum!!!

We often look for opportunities to visit places that offer factory tours. It is educational and fun!

Horseback Riding Lessons at Any Age

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:24:00 +0000

We were really lucky to find a local stable that would allow Ashley to take horseback riding lessons at the age of four.

Her first (8) lessons were a series of classes that provided an introduction to horsemanship (in addition to riding lessons), including learning how to be safe around horses and how to care for horses.

This is now her second year of lessons now and they focus more on riding. She has learned a lot and really loves going!

Most importantly the lessons have taught the responsibility of taking care of horses. Ashley would love to have her own horse someday. By taking lessons that expose her to the care of horses, it is preparing her for the huge responsibility down the road.

Free Workshops at Home Depot

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Did you know that Home Depot offers free workshops for kids?

The first Saturday of each month, our local Home Depot offers a class where kids can learn how to build things. They give each child an orange Home Depot smock with their name on it. For each activity the child participates in, they get a new pin for their smock.

Ashley loves going to these workshops! After each class, she likes to walk through the store pretending that she works there.

So far, she has made some really nice gifts for people that she got to make at these great work shops. She has built a memory box with a sliding top, a tool box (for art supplies or small tools), a football rack, a bug catcher and a plant holder (for seedlings). Of course, some of these projects she chose to keep for herself.

Of course, she typically needs help with the projects; but it is always a "joint effort" and a great way for Ashley to learn how things are made.

She really enjoys it and is always quite proud of the new items she gets to make.

Ashley Learns How to Make a Hoola-Hoop

noreply@blogger.com (All About Ashley) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:47:00 +0000

Have you ever made your own custom hoola-hoop?

Ashley went to a class where she learned how to make her very own hoola-hoop, custom-made just for her height.

Made from black plastic garden tubing, first they measured the size that would be best for her. Then they used tubing connectors to connect the ends together.

They heated up the tubing with a hair dryer to make the plastic shrink tightly around the connectors.

Once the hoop itself was complete, Ashley got to decorate her hoop with colorful electrical tape, wrapping it around and around and around.

After making her custom hoola-hoop, she even got a lesson on how to use it!

What a great idea that was tons of fun!!!