I hope y'all have had an enjoyable week. It has been a bit of a busy one for us. ;o) Yesterday, as I worked on some sewing, the younger ones enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here were the lil' girls exploring...
Will enjoyed riding his scooter...
And Ally enjoyed (yes, enjoyed) blowing the leaves in the front yard...
When she was finished, the younger ones, of course, had a wonderful time jumping into the pile of leaves. They, also, enjoyed throwing a couple of toys in the pile and then digging through the pile to find them, until they came across a spider, which took the fun out of it.
As they played in the leaves, Ally enjoyed resting and looking through a new cooking magazine...
Meanwhile, I worked at putting up our new wreaths along our front entryway...
Here they are at night...
Today we met some friends for lunch and they returned home with us for fellowship. As the children played, the mamas enjoyed more sewing. Sewing with someone is so enjoyable. ;o) I was able to complete all of our Christmas clothes. I even decided to make Will a vest to go with his bowtie. I, also, had to add ties to the girls' dresses, as they were a little big at first. Here are the younger ones' finished garments...
(you can click on the photo to enlarge it) I hope to get our photos taken this weekend, Lord willing.
The children and I have been enjoying our new read aloud this week, too. I appreciate the example of a godly family that the book portrays. I have found the children more compelled to do certain things since reading this. I have seen that they have been encouraged to be more kind, helpful, etc..., which has been a blessing.
I hope y'all enjoy your weekend.
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" ~ Hebrews 10:24
**Post from the Past** Due to busyness in and out of the home, physical tiredness, and a bit of writer's block, blogging/commenting/emailing is and likely will be just a little scarce this week. To break the bloggie silence, I thought I would re-post an 'oldie'. Hope y'all are enjoying your week.
Peace in Parenting
Parenting is an adventure. One that causes a rollercoaster ride of many emotions. From love, pride, happiness and joy, to sorrow, failure, fear, and hopelessness. In the midst of this adventure and all the emotions, our Heavenly Father desires for us to experience His peace. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ." ~ Philippians 4:7
How can we have that peace?
~ Plant ~ Plant God's Word in their heart. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16
Begin at birth. Moses, Timothy (2 Tim.3:15), Samuel (1 Sam.1), and Jesus (Luke 2:40) are Bible examples of the value of early childhood training. Numerous Scripture instructs parents to train and teach their children in the way of the Lord. (Prov.22:6; Is.28:9-10,54:13; Joel 1:3; Dueteronomy 6:6-13; Ps.34:11) Jesus says in John 21:15 that when we love Him, we feed His lambs. When we feed His lambs, "...our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; ...our daughters my be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Psalm 144:12
~ Prepare ~
As they grow older, they reach a point of crossing over. Crossing over from childhood to adulthood, steering from dependence to the direction of independence. They become too old for 'this' and not old enough for 'that'. While we remain an authority, we become more of an influence. This is a crucial time. We need to continue feeding them God's Word, and also need to teach them how to defend their faith. They need to know what they believe and why they believe it. Romans 14:5 says, "...let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." It is also a time to protect and provide. Protect ~ they are still under our umbrella of protection and we are responsible for what we allow them to be exposed to. Provide ~ we also need to provide them with opportunities to "live and learn". They can be allowed to make choices and face consequences while still being under our umbrella. This is a time our hearts can be blessed and broken...all in the same day. This requires patience and prayer.
~ Pray ~
We intercede for their lives when we pray for our children. Only God can change hearts, minds, and lives. Our Heavenly Father knows our thoughts, needs, and desires but He responds to our prayers. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." ~ John 14:13-14 We need to remember that our children are His children and He loves them and cares for them more than we are even capable of. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace..." ~ Hebrews 4:16 We need to pray specifically for our children. Nothing is too small or too big to bring before the Lord. We need to keep in mind that His plans for our children are different than our plans for them... "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." ~ Isaiah 55:8 We need to be vigilant... "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" ~ 1 Peter 5:8
We need to pray frequently... "Pray without ceasing." ~ 1 Thess. 5:17 and we need to pray fervently... "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."~ James 5:16
We do not need to fear (ex, they won't turn out right, etc...). 1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth our fear", but we can have the "...peace of God which passeth all understanding..." ~ Philippians 4:7
~ Patience ~ Just as all children physically grow at different times, the same is true with spiritual growth. Just because we do not see certain evidences in their lives or character, doesn't mean the Holy Spirit isn't working in their hearts. Only God knows the heart. "...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance but the LORD looketh on the heart" (1 Sam.16:7) His timing is not our timing. "He hath made everything beautiful in HIS time..." (Ecc. 3:11) Know that He is doing a good work in our children and He is faithful to complete it: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" ~ Phil.1:6 We also need to realize that He is wanting to use this 'adventure' in parenting to strengthen our faith and grow us, too. Raising children (little ones and older ones) truly does exercies our faith. James 1:3 says, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." Psalm 37:7 says, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him..."
May we trust Him and rest upon Him and have peace in parenting knowing that He is in control. "And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." ~ Deuteronomy 31:8
I hope y'all had a blessed Lord's Day yesterday. It was such a blessing being in the Lord's house, hearing His Precious Word preached. The Sunday school lesson and the a.m. sermon were such a blessing. In the evening service, we had a visiting evangelist. What the Lord laid on his heart was a little tough to hear but it was a wonderful admonition and blessing! One of the things he mentioned was serving God with our 'trinity' (our body, soul, and spirit). He spoke about how it can sometimes be easy to be 'spiritual' yet we tend to neglect giving our bodies to the Lord. He mentioned how many times, he'll hear of (believers) that take their lives (in su*cide) and how they will answer to Christ... how they prematurely shortened their time to serve Christ here on Earth. Then he proceeded to point out that we ought not to be so harsh on them because many of us are doing the same thing by the way we live, eat, etc... how through our eating habits, other habits, etc... we are prematurely shortening our days and that one day we, as well, will stand before Christ. It was a powerful message! Praise God!
After the service, Ally was very eager to enjoy our church's new grand piano!...
And, of course, we ladies were excited as well... ;o) Oh, what beautiful music it makes! ;o) And what a blessing it is that the Lord provided it for our church... for free! God is so Good!
Today was cloudy and rainy... one of those laid back kind of days. Early this morning, Carolynne and I went to her dentist appointment. Poor thing had to get a filling but she did so great. I was so proud of her and thankful for the answer to prayers. She (and Mommy) made it through. ;o)
This afternoon, the children and I worked together to get a box ready to ship to Daddy and his Marines. Pastor had given me 20 New Testament, marked edition, Bibles! What a blessing that was. I am so excited to be able to send them and so are the children! We prayed for the Marines that will receive them as we prepared them to put in the box. We are shipping these out in the name of our church. Here was our set up...
New Testament Bibles (marked edition), personal prayer list booklets, read the Bible in a year schedule (though we decided not to ship this because we were only sending New Testaments), and our church's new Christmas tracts, along with a favorite snack among Marines... Rice Krispy Treats. ;o)
Ally and I wrote inscriptions on the inside cover of the Bibles while Will put the prayer list booklet inside, along with a Christmas tract on the cover, then secured it with two rubber bands...
After the Bibles were prepared, I put them in the box, then Beth and Carolynne helped to put in the treats...
We topped it off with a little note and sealed the box...
We plan to ship it off tomorrow. Also this week, we hope to get together another box for Daddy and his Marines from us personally. We are sending giant stockings with goodies. ;o) We sure enjoyed preparing that box and pray the Lord will use it to lead those Marines to come to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
This evening, after supper, we were {finally} able to completely finish our book "Summer with the Moody's" and we even read the first chapter of our next one, "Autumn with the Moody's". ;o) The children were enjoying it very much, as was I.
Tomorrow we head to the post office, Lord willing, and in the evening we plan to make a visit to our "church grandpa". He has cancer (deemed terminal) and has been home, doing hospice, for a few weeks. He has been unable to make it to church and we miss him greatly, so we look forward to seeing him. He is such a loving and godly man, and, wow, what a soul winner for Christ!
I, also, hope to work on Beth's dress and Will's bowtie this week. I was able to complete Carolynne's Christmas dress over the weekend... And Ally was able to finish her dress, too! Only one dress and a bowtie to go and then we can do our family pictures. ;o)
Before I go, I just wanted to share Carolynne's 'family portrait' that she drew on the chalk board today. We aren't proportionally drawn but that's okay, she's three. ;o) I thought she did such a wonderful job, though. I just love when they draw people! (drawing from left to right) Carolynne, Will, Daddy, Ally, Mommy, Beth
I hope y'all are enjoying your week. ;o)
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20
I was surprised last week when I was told that I had been nominated for the 2007 Homeschool Blog Awards... As I scrolled through the lists, I discovered that I had been nominated in two different categories... The "Best Homeschool Mom Blog" and the "Best “Live What You Believe” Homeschool Blog".
Though the purpose of my blog is not to seek man's praise, it was an encouragement and blessing to me to know that some (at least three) find encouragement and, hopefully, a blessing here. Thank you to those that nominated me. I pray the Lord Jesus Christ is honored and glorified here, always. "...that in all things he might have the preeminence." ~ Colossians 1:18
Also, while scrolling, I noticed that Ally had been nominated for the "Best Teen Gal Blog". It blessed my heart to see that there are young girls (and, perhaps, adults) that find a blessing and encouragement visiting her. It is our prayer that the Lord will use her and that He will be honored and glorified as she stands for Christ in her youth. "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." ~ 1 Timothy 4:12
Thank you, again, to those that nominated. I thought this would, also, be a good opportunity to say thank you to all of you. I try to, often, mention it in return comments and return emails but I am compelled to say thank you, to all of you that have offered your prayers and your words of kindness and encouragement. The Lord uses them and they are such a blessing! Thank you so much!
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." ~ Proverbs 16:24
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine; For Thee all the follies of sin I resign; My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou: If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.
I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me, And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree; I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow: If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.
I'll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death, And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath; And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow; If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.
In mansions of glory and endless delight, I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright; I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow: If ever I love Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.
words: William R. Featherston; music: Adoniram J. Gordon photos from allposters.com
Click below to hear the midi: (You can stop this blog's background music by clicking the pause button in the sidebar)
"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." ~ Ephesians 6:24
I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We did. ;o) As I mentioned in a previous post, Wednesday evening, we had church service. During the service, we sang many songs of praise and thanksgiving and had some time of testimonies. It is always such a blessing to give praise and hear praise to the Lord! Pastor handed out a paper with the word "Thanksgiving" on it, written vertically, and he and the congregation offered words from Scripture and such to name things we were thankful for. It was a blessing to see the children participate. One of the things Ally shared was a verse and how she is thankful for the strength that God gives us. Will said he was thankful for our nation's liberty, God's Word and he, also, mentioned homeschool. ;o) Carolynne was thankful for Daddy and Uncle Steven, who are in Iraq. ;o) Beth, listening as Pastor said the letter, said she was thankful for apples when he said the letter 'a' and she did similar with other letters. I was tickled to see her naming things that started with those letters. ;o)
After the service, we had a Thanksgiving 'feast' and fellowship. Lots of delicious food and fellowship shared with the blessing of God's people. After eating, Ally wanted to play her guitar. Soon after she began, all of the children surrounded her to sing along. It was so precious to hear them all singing out! I was so delighted to see them all having such a wonderful time together. A little later, Pastor joined in on the fun. He played Ally's guitar while all the children sang more... It is such a blessing to have a pastor that loves children. He delights in being a pastor to the children as well as the adults and that truly is a blessing.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving morn, I started making phone calls to my family members. I am thankful we have good relationships and that we enjoy talking to each other. My sister was the last call I made. As I was talking to her, she was sharing how she had finger foods, decorations, and such all set out and she was anticipating our mama's and grandparents' arrival. As she was talking, it occured to me that, somehow, I had become a little more discouraged the past few weeks that I had realized (or wanted to admit) and remembered how much I did enjoy Thanksgiving Day, including the 'hospitality' of it all. So, with her encouragement, I got off the phone and was determined to have a mini feast for the children and I. I sent the younger ones out to collect acorns to make a centerpiece for the table....
They came in with lots of little acorns and, also, a wide variety of colorful leaves and a couple of pinecones, all of which we put in the basket and set on the table.
Beth helped to slice some cheese to put on a platter...
Carolynne put crackers on the platter as the cheese was being sliced...
Ally made the Oreo fluff...
When the food was prepared, Will and Ally set the table and we, eventually (after some brief company Ü) sat down to enjoy our feast together...
We enjoyed taking turns sharing some things that we are thankful for and took turns praying before we ate. It is such a blessing to hear my children pray!
After supper, dessert, seconds, etc... we cleaned up, put in our Christmas cds and put up our tree together. It was very enjoyable, though Daddy was missed. They often said, "Daddy would like this" and "Daddy would like that"... It was sweet to hear them.
After putting up our tree, we gathered in the living room to decorate our mini-tree with some special ornaments while reading the nativity story from Luke (and some in Matthew)...
As I read the Scriptures, the children and I put the special ornaments on the tree...
Afterwards, we sang "Away in a Manger"... It was a precious way to end our evening.
Today we slept in a bit, cleaned house, had lunch with friends, and just enjoyed one another. Here are a couple of photos of the children today... Carolynne and Beth coloring by the tree
Will playing a board game as Ally sews her dress for our upcoming family photos.
Tomorrow we have some friends and some out-of-town friends coming for a visit. We are excited about that. I, also, hope to sew up the lil' girls dresses so we can get our family photos done soon. ;o)
I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend, too!
"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious." ~ Psalm 66:1-2
"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever. To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever: The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever." ~ Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
"Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." ~ Revelation 7:12
Our week has been flying by, as I'm sure is true with many of y'all. This evening we have our midweek service. Afterwards, our church is having a Thanksgiving fellowship. We've spent much of the day preparing what we are bringing. Here is our contributing spread...
2 containers of 'doubled eggs' platter of mini Harvest Muffinswith drizzled icing a large dish of Homemade Ranch Mashed Potatoes 2 homemade pumpkin cheesecakes a layered cake with chocolate whipped frosting, with Psalm 118:1a on it (courtesy of Ally and her friend)
Tomorrow the children and I look forward to spending the day together quietly at home, with a less than traditional Thanksgiving meal, praising the Lord, giving thanks to Him, and possibly even getting out the tree. ;o)
This evening, however, we look forward to being in God's house with our church family. What a blessing that Thanksgiving is on Thursdays... How wonderful to spend the evening before worshipping Him, singing and speaking praises and thanksgiving to Him in unity!
Hope y'all enjoy your evening, as well.
"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." ~ Psalm 100
As Christians, it is our duty and privilege to give thanks and praise to the Lord continually. "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
One of the many blessings that I continually am thankful for is the blessing of home education our children.
It is such a blessed privilege to have the freedom to home educate our children in the way the Lord leads us. Our children alone are one of the greatest blessings. They are an heritage of the Lord, His reward, arrows in our quiver that we have the wonderful privilege and responsibility to prepare, focus, and aim toward the Lord Jesus Christ.(Ps.127)
We get to fulfill God's command to teach them diligently while we sit, walk, lie down, rise up... all day long!(Deut.6:5-7) Truly the Lord has blessed us greatly in the privilege to train up our children in the way they should go and the wonderful opportunity to see the fruit of our labors as they grow older and do not depart from what they have been taught. (Proverbs 22:6)
We get to see first-hand how the Lord answers our prayers for our children. We get to see them grow right before our eyes. We get to see them make mistakes and see the Holy Spirit work in their heart. We get to see them respond to the Holy Spirit and develop a love for the Lord.
Everyday is a day spent together as a family, learning together, growing together, loving and serving the Lord together. That is something to truly praise God for. One day the time will come when they are no longer in our home. They will have homes of their own. We will no longer have the time and moments that we have now to teach, train, admonish, and nuture them in the things of the Lord. Oh, may we cherish these moments and pour out thanksgiving and praise to God, from Whom all blessings flow.
"I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." ~ Psalm 34:1
Benefits in Homeschooling
~ Passing on our family values ~ All day, every day we get to point our children to the Lord Jesus Christ, demonstrate Christ's love, and the importance of living for Him. We get to lead and direct them in obedience to Him and show them the joy of serving Him.
~ Sheparding their hearts ~ We have the opportunity to better see the condition of our children's hearts, daily. Which enables us to train them and pray for them specifically.
~ Educating for Eternity ~ We have a wonderful opportunity to teach, admonish, and train them in spiritual Truths, leading them to the Saviour, shaping their character, preparing them for service that the Lord has for them, to live a righteous life that pleases our Heavenly Father, honors and glorifies Him, giving them a burden for souls, which has eternal value.
~ A tailor-made education ~ We have the opportunity to teach them according to their learning style, interests, etc... We can encourage and allow them to learn of their Creator and His presence in all things. We can encourage and allow them to learn of the things they are interested in and develop a real love for learning.
~ Academic Excellence ~ We have the opportunity to allow them to explore and research fully, enabling them for mastery in areas. They are able to soak in what the learn. Time is on our side as we are able to educate them all day, every day. They get to learn in 'real life'.
~ Flexibility and Variety ~ We have the opportunity to allow them and encourage them to pursue their interests. We have the freedom to choose the direction of their education, what tools to use, and the freedom to make changes when needed.
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." ~ Psalm 103:2
If you would like to share how you are thankful for the blessing of homeschooling and have posted your thoughts, please feel free to LEFT click on the graphic and save it to use on a post where you share. Please be sure to sign the Mr. Linky if you post something. I'd love to know about it. ;o)
"O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise." ~ Psalm 51:15
There are many military wives/families that have experienced (or will) dealing with deployments. Often times, it can be easy to become discouraged. Not that I am more experienced (there are plenty of wives that have done this more than I) and not that I have a fast-acting, "everything will be wonderful and easy" solution, but the following are some things that the Lord has shown me in dealing with deployments...
• Focus on HIM Keep Jesus Christ the focus. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." ~ Matthew 6:33
Be fervent in prayer. "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Keep a prayer journal. Instead of calling family and friends, call on your Heavenly Father, your Greatest Friend, "...that sticketh closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24)
Be committed to quiet time with Him. "... early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1) "With my whole heart have I sought thee..." (Psalm 119:10) Seize the opportunity to draw near to Him, to nurture a personal and intimate relationship with Him, to deepen your walk with Jesus Christ.
Take time to memorize Scripture, allowing what He says to change your heart and thinking, allowing His Word to comfort and encourage you, always. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart..." (Psalm 119:11) "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart." (Psalm 119:2)
• Focus on Husband
Continue to be his helpmeet "...I will make him an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18b)
Pray for him fervently. "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)
When communicating, be cheerful, sweet, and informative. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." (Proverbs 25:11)
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt..." (Colossians 4:6) Avoid complaining. Be calm when announcing 'bad news'. Write often, even if it's just a small note, but be sure to write occasional love letters, too. ;o) Send care packages. It doesn't always have to be a lot, just frequent, thoughtful packages, letting him know you're thinking of him.
Submit to and honor him. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord." (Colossians 3:18)
"..and the wife see that she reverence her husband." (Ephesians 5:33b)
Help him by being frugal. Avoid opposite gender friendships. Ask if he has particular things he desires for you to do or not to do, or particular ways to do things. Do what you can so that his heart can safely trust in you. "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her..." (Proverbs 31:11a)
• Focus on Heritage
"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD..." (Psalm 127:3a) Use this time to focus on the children. Be diligent and consistent in training them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
Work on character development, spiritual growth, first time obedience, habits, chores, life skills, etc... With hubby's permission, go tv free. Have special game nights, looking at photos, etc... Begin or continue family Bible time and prayer time. Focus on home educating. "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6:7)
• Focus on Home
"To be ...keepers at home..." ~ Titus 2:5
"She looketh well to the ways of her household..." ~ Proverbs 31:27a
Use this time to develop better home keeping habits. Read, research, and discover more ways to make your home a sweet, peaceful haven. Keep it clean and cozy. With hubby's permission, downsize and simply. Learn to make some new meals, desserts, etc... that he may like when he returns. Pick up a new hobby that can bless the family and the home. "She... worketh willingly with her hands." (Proverbs 31:13)
• Focus on House of God
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together..." (Hebrews 10:25a) Become and stay faithful in church. Aim to be in every service. Be involved and serve the Lord through the local church. "...being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10)
Get to know your church family more, let them get to know you more, and develop friendships with them. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2)
"Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee." (Psalm 84:4)
Deployments can be a time of blessings, spiritual growth, and so much more. If we just seize the opportunity, while trusting Heavenly Father.
It was cold and breezy with much needed rain today and it was one of those days that I could have stayed in my jammies with a hot cup of coffee. I did just that most of the morning as I made out our menu and grocery list. In the meantime, the children did copywork and coloring and Ally worked on her academics.
Then this afternoon, we braved the weather and went to a local health food store to buy a few things and then went to the commisary for our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip. Afterwards, we ran into the library to look for a specific something and, somehow, exited the library with a whole lot of other 'somethings'. lol The children were excited to have a few new books to read. Ally was thrilled to see her new math sitting at the front door. She is eager to begin her pre-calculus. ;o)
That was the bulk of our day today. Tomorrow, Lord willing and weather permitting, we will be having our homeschool park day. This is a day the children always look forward to, as do the mommies. Fellowshipping can be such a blessing. ;o)
I was thrilled and thankful to receive one of their ebooks as a prize and look forward to reading it. ;o)
The photo was taken by Ally... (this one is very similar to the one they chose but not exact) There were many wonderful photos submitted. We enjoyed looking through the slideshow they provided.
I hope y'all are enjoying your week!
"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." ~ Jeremiah 31:3
Our week continues to be somewhat slow but somehow busy at the same time. ;o) Yesterday we took Ally to the chiropractor, went to our local supercenter to pick up a few things, then to the music store to get a shoulder rest for Ally's violin. Then yesterday evening, after the younger ones were in bed, I was able to use our new sewing helpfuls...
A few have inquired how I liked them. Ally loves the new tools. I love being able to use the mat and the rotary cutter, however, I have found that I need to work around the weights, which isn't a big deal really, just an adjustment. I just have to be careful not to bump into the weights when cutting. I have really found the smaller cutter to be quite helpful in those curvier areas. ;o) (Thank you, Pam) I was glad to get both girls' dresses cut out and, since I was having fun with the rotary cutters, I decided to go ahead and cut my scraps of the material into different size quilt pieces for possible future use. ;o) Ally and I, also, learned another use for the weights (I don't know why I do this to myself)...
Word of advice... if you ever do this, be sure to have the 'pokey part' facing outward. LOL
Anyhoo... Today the children enjoyed doing some academics as I worked on getting some laundry done and a couple of "handyman" projects completed.
Will did some copywork and science, as well as reading a couple of history books...
The lil' girls sat at the table, too, and colored together...
Ally worked on her advanced chemistry, worldview, history, and violin. When I checked in on her, she was reading aloud a Shakespeare play for history (and literature), which she enjoys to do...
Later in the afternoon, the children enjoyed the beautiful weather by going outside to play...
As Ally played piano...
Meanwhile, I worked on those "handyman projects". First I finished putting blinds in the dining room window... (before...)
(after...)
Why it took me all year to get motivated to do this... I have no idea. I was so glad to get it done, though. It was no easy task either. Apparently, it's a lot harder to put the screws into the paneling (or whatever it's called) that's on the inside of the window frame. After, at least, three warped screws and the manual screwdriver (not to mention sore muscles) I finally finished! It was worth it, though. ;o)
Then, outside, I finally got around to putting up our retractable clothes line. (yea!)
I put it up between the side of the house and the big live oak tree...
Then hung Will's new suit items on it to dry... LOL... Guess I need to find those clothespins. ;o)
Ally helped her mama out by making supper... a ground turkey, rice, and green bean casserole. Mmmm. Then what a blessing it was to be in the Lord's house this evening!
I hope y'all are enjoying your week, too. ;o)
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" ~ Titus 2:13
