About Me
Jimmie, at Work on a Collage
Making collages goes way back for me, and this blog is merely an extension of that. My mother used to open up a brown paper grocery bag for a working surface, give me a shallow dish of white glue, and set me loose with fabric scraps, dry beans, buttons, glitter, dry pasta, sequins, paper, and rickrack. Here I am, still creating but now online with an assortment of ideas, photos, words, and feelings.
I’m a homeschooling mom of one child –Emma, who is thirteen. We lived in China for eight years (when Sprite was 3-11), so she’s always been homeschooled although she was a daycare child at the mere age of 8 weeks. So I’ve lived both sides — a working mom with a child in daycare and now a stay at home, homeschooling mom. This blog is my 17th anniversary gift from my husband, and I named it my collage because it’s a hodgepodge of things that are important to me — family, China, homeschooling, faith, traveling, photography, and creativity.
I have chosen a Charlotte Mason (CM) style of education. I’m not a purist by any means, but I think that the CM label gives a general idea of where I stand on home education. I emphasize living books, notebooking (lapbooks in earlier years), and the arts.
I appreciate my readers for the kind encouragement they offer me. Although I may not answer each comment, I do value each and every one. Feel free to comment on an “old post.” Comments are never closed.
My hope is that as you read the posts here you are encouraged in turn with practical ideas and free printables.
Jimmie, Hubby, and Sprite
You can contact me via email or by commenting here at the blog.
If your question is requires an in-depth answer,consider my consulting services where we can talk in detail about your specific homeschool circumstances.
If you want to read more from me, I have an “online empire” including these spots:
- Heart of the Matter Online
- The Notebooking Fairy
- Squidoo
- Hubpages
- Wizzley
- In a Nutshell blog by AboutOne
Hi and welcome! I'm Jimmie and this is my online collage of our Charlotte Mason homeschool. Taking just a little more time to document our learning shortens the learning curve for other busy homeschool moms.
Feel free to browse around my posts and freebies. My aim is to bless each reader with something useful. 
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
jimmie,
is that you?!? i was hunting around for lapbooks for father’s day and saw your pic on a comment on another website! (erin reynolds morel and i just got back from a homeschooling conference in orlando where we fell in love with lapbooks.)
7 years with sprite in china. . .WOW! amazing to find you like this on here
love to hear from you,
~jennifer
Jimmie,
Your various pages (Squidoo, Flickr, hslaunch) are all interesting, but as you say, this one is easiest to navigate. I am intrigued by you and your life. After two previous exchange programs in England and Poland, I studied in China my last semester of college in 1989. In fact, I was there during Tiananmen Square but in Nanjing not Beijing. What fascinates me is that we are both home schooling our children and currently live abroad, although I am in Europe.
I have looked at lapbooks before but found only references to pre-k subjects. After looking at your exhibits and others’ I can see now how it could be greatly useful to an older child, especially a creative one. We are starting timelines this year in our studies and hope to bring a lot of your ideas into our daily lives. You make it seem effortless and organized.
The markets in China are great. I also have some good photos of beautiful chinese women juxtaposed to hanging goat heads. Love it! Also cuddly, plump puppies ready for sale (remember this was 1989 and I think it was Guangzhou).
I don’t know how you have the time, but I am happy to encourage more posts and ideas. Thank you very much for giving an old, somewhat jaded, home schooling mom a new excitement about the prospects for the new year. Drue
Oh, I’m so glad you stopped by my blog and commented so I could find your blog. What an interesting story! I’m looking forward to reading more!
Hi Jimmie,
I LOVE your new collage! I grabbed the code and linked you to my new blog: http://connieshouse.typepad.com/
This structure makes it so much easier to share our ideas about the many interests we both enjoy so much. I love what you’ve done with this space; and look forward to reading more…
I learn so much just by following in your very clever footsteps!
: )
JIMMIE!!!
I found you again! YIPPPPPEEEEE!!!!! I just googled “lapbooking Jimmie” and I found you! My laptop crashed and burned a while back and it’s not been the same since. I lost almost everything, including your email, address, etc and it’s been on my list to “find” you again.
Send me an email when you can so I can get your address and I’ll fill you in on what’s happening with us. We hope to see you soon!!
Hi Jimmie! I just want to thank you for your blog. I have found a lot of ideas and inspiration in the way you homeschool. I also homeschool one daughter who is 10 and she is very visual. We have been struggling and pushing through Abeka Curriculum which is not working for us at all. Thanks for all the ideas!! I will certainly be using a lot of them.
)
Hi. We are also going to China this year. And I am planning to homeschool my kids. I would like to ask you which curriculum you are using. Thanks.
Hi Jimmie,
I used to follow you on Squidoo, and I’m so happy to have found your blog from a link on WriteShop’s blog. It’s really nice, and I’m adding you to the list of favorite blogs on my website.
Hi Jimmie! I just want to thank you for your blog. I have found a lot of ideas and inspiration in the way you homeschool. I also homeschool one daughter who is 10 and she is very visual. We have been struggling and pushing through Abeka Curriculum which is not working for us at all. Thanks for all the ideas!! I will certainly be using a lot of them. )
+1
I am James McDermott. My wife Cindy and I have been blessed by God with 13 children. We also homeschool and believe in purity in the courtship process. Above all, we are Christians. We recently started a website called Christian family meeting place (www.christianfamilymeetingplace.com). Many who hold our views are isolated and are looking for online fellowship, personal fellowship, churches, and even spouses. I am inviting you to register. It is free. If you’re not interested, that is perfectly fine. May God bless you in all you do for Him. – In the Vine, Jim for Cindy and the rest
P.S. We also publish SALT Magazine. If you would like to check us out go to http://www.saltmagazine.com
Greetings,
If you’re interested in homeschooling, courtship, quiverfull issues, child-raising, politics, and spiritual inspiration, try a free, no obligation issue of SALT Magazine. If you haven’t tried SALT yet, all we need is a name and mailing address to send you a free issue. Or, you can check out our website (saltmagazine.com) and sign up for a free issue online.
– In the Vine, Jim & Cindy
I’m just venturing into homeschooling with our girls and happened across your blog.
Michelle
Hi Jimmie!
I love your blog… you are always a great inspiration!
I just nominated you and your blog for the Versatile Blogger award!
I love your site– Congrats!
http://www.intentionalmom.com/the-versatile-blogger-award-take-2