Welcome to our
Haven at Home!
We are a conservative,
Christian, military,
homeschooling family.
This is our little place
where we share our journey
of tending to our 'sheep'
as we home educate
and raise our children
for our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:13-14
I hope y'all had a blessed Lord's Day. It is always a blessing to us to be in the Lord's house! Pastor's message was about striving for the mastery... "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." 1 Corinthians 9:25
He related our Christian walk as that to an Olympic race. We, as believers, are in a "race" and just as someone that trains for an Olympic race lives, eats, breathes for that race, so ought we for ours. What we do, eat, say, think on, how we live, go about our day, etc... effects how we run our race. We should be striving (working hard) for the mastery! They do it for a corruptible crown, we for an incorruptible. We should be 100% for God!
We shouldn't be taking spiritual "vacations". If we aren't moving forward, we are backsliding. We ought to be running the course that the Lord has set before us! Our race is not over until we stop breathing... "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~ Hebrews 12:1-2
What a blessing it was! We, also, partook in the Lord's supper, which is always such a precious time and blessing. My heart was overflowing!
And if that wasn't enough, the Lord continued in the evening service. We had our "All Youth Service" where the young people led the service. The young man that did the preaching talked about how we ought not to be satisfied with what the Lord has done in the past... Meaning there is much more to be done. He talked about how he had seen people saved, lives changed, etc... as God used him but that we cannot become satisfied with that and not allow God to use us to do more. That we need to continue pressing toward the mark... "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:13-14
He admonished us that when we get to Heaven, enjoying its splendor and seeing our Savior's face, there will still be many others suffering an eternity in Hell. We may become self-satisfied on Earth but, in Heaven, will we be able to say, "I did ALL I could. I did my BEST for Jesus"? The Holy Spirit convicted hearts and set a challenge before us!
In addition to the great preaching, we had some wonderful special music from our youth. The children's choir sang "Joy to the World"...
It's such a blessing working with them!
Ally played an offeratory on the piano as Will took up the offering...
Also, Ally and her friend sang a song for special music... (Ally lost her guitar pick at the beginning. lol)
Afterwards, we had a fellowship! Complete with pizza and brownies! Mmmm!
It was, truly, a blessed Lord's Day!
"I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD." ~ Psalm 122:1
Kelli is hosting this "New Year Fun" and I thought it would be fun to participate.
Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month.
It sure was difficult to choose the photos! Here are mine:
~ January ~ Yesterday we saw my beloved off to Iraq.
(receiving Daddy Dolls from Daddy before he goes)
~ February ~ Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and to look well to thy herd."~ Proverbs 27:23 I love relating this Scripture to my role as a mother!
(photo from Daddy holding a picture that Will drew)
~ March ~ A few weeks ago we ordered a pattern from Common Sense Patterns for a new dress for Ally.
(the children and I sitting in a church pew during our trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Historic Jamestown)
~ April ~ When your child has been too weak to play much piano but she has a good day and decides to play around with a few pieces, what's a mama to do?? Record it (without her knowing, of course)!
(enjoying our visit from Gramma)
~ May ~ Okay, I guess that should be the other way around... A new hair cut and a new blog look.
(reading names on Memorial Day)
~ June ~ I am taking a somewhat unexpected bloggie break for the next day or so.
(Ally baiting her own fishing hook for the 1st time)
~ July ~ Below is the song that Ally and I sang this morning for our Independence Sunday service... Bring Back the Glory...
~ September ~ Oh, for Okri... Where I grew up, in the south and in the countryside, my grandparents had a decent size garden.
(visit to the ocean during a tropical storm)
~ October ~ I recently received an email from a mama that was distraught over difficulties she is having at home, particularly with a young, school age child.
(singing the Birthday Song to Beth with Ally's violin)
I hope y'all had a blessed Christmas. Thank you all for the Christmas wishes, kind words, and prayers. On Christmas Eve, we went caroling with friends and it was such a blessing. We were received with such excitement and they accepted Gospel tracts afterwards. We hope to go caroling every year!
On Christmas Day, we had a lovely time together at home. In the morning, we read Luke 2 together then we did our stockings and gifts. In the afternoon, we had friends visit and we enjoyed supper and fellowship together, Christmas Day Sourdough Pizza. ;o) We enjoyed talking on the phone to distant family, too, especially Daddy!
I thought I'd share a few of my "favorite faces" photos from Christmas morn...
lol ;o) I love their excitement!
Here is a tree skirt that Ally crocheted for me. I was showing it off as a shawl, however. She did such a beautiful job!
We were thrilled when we got to talk to Daddy!
We sure can't wait till he comes home! Speaking of that... this upcoming week (or two), we plan to tackle our entire house to get it ready for our Marine! ;o) Though I can't disclose exactly when he'll be coming, it's soon enough to get the house ready for him! The children and I, also, plan to start making signs soon. We are all getting very excited!
So if I am a bit quiet the next couple of weeks, it's because we're busy preparing for a long, anticipated reunion! ;o)
I hope y'all have enjoyed your Christmas week and that you enjoy your weekend!
"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
I'll be taking the next few days off from blogging as the children and I spend some relaxed time together, focusing on the Reason for this season. I pray you all have a blessed and Christ-centered Christmas.
This afternoon, the children and I went for a visit and took a basket of these to an older lady from our church and her sister. Since they were cutouts, we were able to sample them! ;o) And they are a new family favorite! We cut them out in holiday shapes...
Then packaged them up to present them...
Shaped Cheese Scones
2 C unbleached flour 2 TBS sugar 3 tsp baking powder (aluminum free) 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp of garlic powder 1 1/2 C shredded cheddar, mozzerella, or pepper jack cheese 1 egg 1/2 C fat free sour cream 1/4 canola oil 3 TBS milk
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and garlic powder into a bowl. Stir in cheese. In a separate bowl, combine egg, sour cream, oil and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; stir in egg mixture just until moistened. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead gently 10-12 times. Pat out to 1/3 inch thickness. Cut with shaped cutters. Place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 11-15 minutes or till golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack. Serve warm and enjoy!
It seems our happenings here at home have picked up rather than slowed down lately. I have decided to set our new schedule aside for this week and, likely, most of next week as we are celebrating the Christmas season. We have spent the week running errands, baking, visiting, and mailing packages out. It has been a good busy. Over the weekend, Ally and I were able to finish our family dvd (an annual tradition we began last year). We were glad to get it finished and send it off to family, along with some baked goods. We, also, enjoyed watching it together as a family, as we watched and reminised about this past year. I'll be a blubbering, tissue-using mess when the children are all grown and gone and I sit to watch these dvds... I already get teary eyed watching them. Family/children are so precious!
This past Sunday evening, our church had its "All Church Christmas Program". Since we are a smaller sized church, pastor decided to include all of us in a cantata-type service. It was a joy to sing together, listen to the narration, and the special music.
Beth and Carolynne watching Pastor pick at his guitar before the service.
Will and one of the pastor's sons at the piano before the service.
Ally and Pastor practicing their duet.
Here is a video of their violin/guitar duet...
It was a blessing to see Ally serving the Lord this way. I'm proud of her and how she has been practicing diligently in teaching herself how to play the past three months.
Also, on Sunday evening the children's choir sang. It is a blessing, too, to see the young children singing for the Lord...
I hope y'all are enjoying your week. I really do hope to respond to comments and emails soon. Thank you so much for understanding. ;o)
Before I go, here are a few shots of the girls being a bit silly this week...
Wow! All week and no post! We surely have been keeping busy. Following our new "sequence of events" went pretty well (for the first three days) even though we began about an hour later that I had initially intended but I was okay with that. ;o) I think the new schedule will, for the most part, work well with us. I'll just need to 'work well' with it. ;o)
Thursday was a 'hope so' baking day and a 'work on our annual photo dvd' day until we discovered that we were completely out of flour and milk and our dvd creator software was being violent by chopping off too many heads in our photos so, instead, we opted for a day out (and borrow software from a friend).
Today we had our homeschool field trip. We were all excited to visit one of our state's aquariums. (Warning: LOTS of photos ahead!)
Our trip began with a sea turtle demonstration...
Beth and Carolynne trying on 'turtle hands'.
We were all excited to see and feel the real sea turtle...
After the presentation, we explored the aquarium. Here a few photos of what we saw...
look closely for the sea horses
"lawnspur", as Beth and Carolynne say. (a.k.a. lobster)
We, also, enjoyed a presentation in the shark/fish tank. One of the divers answered questions as she stood among the sharks and fish. The children were all fascinated, as were the mamas. ;o)
One of the favorite parts for all of us were the touch tanks. Everyone loved watching and feeling the sting rays...
It was a lost cause to try to peel Ally away from her new favorite friends, the sting rays...
So the rest of us, also, enjoyed seeing and touching the horseshoe and hermit crabs...
Seeing these familiar "faces", though, did cause us to reminise about our beachschooling days that we had before we moved. So we were glad to see those familiar "faces". ;o)
Another favorite at the aquarium was watching the river otters search for and eat their food...
The lil' girls enjoyed looking at the model of how the baby sea turtles make it to the ocean...
They were, also, brave enough to get close to this fellow...
And so was Will... but he must have gotten too close...
Another favorite (I know, lots of favorites Ü) was seeing the moon jellies...
Also, the lionfish and eels (eek!)...
lol
I sure love this kind of learning together...
After we toured the aquarium, we all went for a nature walk on the provided natural trail...
It was so delightful hearing the children sing and march!
After the walk, we sat at the picnic tables for fellowship and the children got to run and play...
On the way home, the children and I stopped at a couple of antique stores (I hope to share my finds in my next post).
Lest you think the ride home was dull...
LOL...
We did have a wonderful time! I'm expecting the children will sleep well tonight after all of the excitement this day held.
Before I go, I thought I'd share a few last photos from our trip to the aquarium... Have a great weekend!
It's been quite some time since I've been able to participate with Kelli's Show & Tell. Since I made a stop at a couple of shops today, I thought I would share a few of the things that I was able to bring home. ;o)
(you can click to see larger) a rocking chair pin cushion and spool holder; a rolling pin rack; a cast iron cookbook holder; a 1928 pocket-size copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island"; and a 1955 copy of Lousia May Alcott's "Eight Cousins". ;o) I look forward to using these new found treasures. Ally is already using the cookbook holder this evening as she bakes Snickdoodles for upcoming gifts. ;o)
Something else that I was able to bring home were cement stepping stones with the Marine Corps emblem on them...
I hope y'all had a blessed Lord's Day yesterday. We did and enjoyed our Pig Pickin', as well. After the fellowship, a lady that was visiting accepted Jesus Christ as her Saviour and now there's a new name written down in Glory! What a blessing that is!
After eating, we enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship with our church family. The children were marching around, singing "Away in a Manger"...
Ally enjoyed playing the piano and the violin. Then she and Pastor practiced for an upcoming instrumental offeratory duet...
After the evening service, we got some coffee and a snack with some special friends. It was a blessing to have two separate people come up to us to ask about our families. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak to them, give them a tract, and invite them to church. ;o) On the way home, the children and I drove around looking at the holiday lights.
Even though we arrived home late, we still got up this morning to begin our day with our new "sequence of events" (a.k.a. schedule). Even though we woke up an hour late, we still jumped right in. The new routine was met with a little resistance, by the children and myself, due to some lack of sleep but soon we were on our way and we had a very productive day (even though I still have dishes piled in the sink due to all the cooking/baking over the weekend... and this is after already doing lots of dishes today and Mount Washmore still lives in the laundry room after doing quite a few loads. phew! We'll tackle more of that tomorrow, though).
I was glad to hear comments from the children of how they like doing things this way. ;o) Some of our events today...
Will searching in the field guide for phoebes and least flycatchers after reading a chapter with me from The Burgess Bird Book.
Ally, comfortably, enjoying her history as she reads about the Crusades and persecution of the Jews.
Beth and Carolynne being read to by Daddy using their Daddy read along cd.
Ally serenading all of the neighborhood with joyous hymns and Christmas carols.
Will working on spelling with the Phonetic Zoo.
Language Lessons with Beth. (She drew such a cute picture of a rooster that went along with our picture study!)
Carolynne doing pages from her workbook. She loves to color!
Enjoying the beautiful outdoors...
An afternoon snack... the snowman cake ;o)
It was a challenging and tiring day but is was worth it! We still enjoyed many relaxed moments. I look forward to catching some Zzzzz's tonight and waking in the morning to begin, again. In the afternoon, Ally has a chiropractor appointment and she is teaching a piano lesson and we look forward to those, too. ;o)
I hope y'all have started your week out well, too!
"Let all things be done decently and in order." ~ 1 Corinthians 14:40
"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." ~ Colossians 3:17
Wow! Our week has flown by! Somehow the week got away from me and I didn't even post. ;o) We've been spending the week doing a variety of miscellaneous things... grocery shopping, Christmas shopping, trips to the post office, library, etc... getting our home cleaning caught up to prepare to begin our 'schedule' next week, spending quality time together, among other things that slip my mind. When weeks fly by... it is okay with us... that just means the time that Daddy will be home is getting closer and closer! (really excited, inner and some outer giggles!)
Here are a few tidbits from our week...
Beth and Carolynne were tickled when they found a 'How to Draw...' book. They eagerly worked on their masterpieces, which I thought were so precious ...
Will has enjoyed a lot of reading this week and working on his math...
Ally worked on some of her academics, a sewing project, and, of course, her music (which we love to hear)...
On Friday, we had a homeschool park day. It was a bit chilly but the children were glad to be outdoors to play...
LOL
Also, Friday afternoon, we had our "Friday Friends" over. The mamas enjoy fellowshipping as the children play. Interestingly, I caught Ally and her friend reading on the couch. It wasn't the fact that they were reading aloud together... it was the book they were reading... It was a BOB book. If you aren't familiar with BOB books, they are early phonetic readers. I got them out recently to begin using with Beth and the older girls saw them sitting there and just couldn't resist. lol
This morning, we headed to the church to help decorate for tomorrow's special service...
Afterwards, we ran a couple of errands and came home. This evening, after putting the younger ones to bed, we began working on our food for tomorrow's fellowship... Ally working on the 'doubled' eggs and her friend helping with dough for Challah.
Frosting the snowman cake for the girls.
Can't forget the hat...
Braiding the Challah bread...
Adding the "snow" to the snowman...
Working in the kitchen together...
The girls and their finished Snowman Cake...
Our finished Challah... oooh... the house smells delicious! We sure look forward to our Pig Pickin' tomorrow. ;o)
Monday we begin our 'schedule', Lord willing, but I do hope to find some time to respond to comments. ;o)
I hope y'all have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow! I sure am thankful we have a Heavenly Father that hears and answers our prayers! He's been showing me some very obviousanswers to some specific prayers lately. What a joyous blessing it has been! God is so Good!
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." ~ Jeremiah 33:3
"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." ~ Psalm 34:8
I hope y'all had a good weekend, a blessed Lord's Day, and a good beginning of the week. ;o)
Sunday is always a wonderful day for us. Being in the Lord's house is always so encouraging, convicting, and refreshing. This Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. We have never participated in Advent before. I did not grow up with this tradition and had never heard of it until a few years ago. I think finding more and more ways to keep our focus on Jesus Christ at Christmas time is a wonderful (and necessary) thing to do so this year, I decided to do it with the children. Reading Jodi's post was especially helpful. The children and I went out to gather the supplies. (It's amazing what you can find at a dollar store) Below is our Advent 'wreath'...
We enjoyed lighting the first candle on Sunday, reading prophesy Scriptures of Jesus' birth, having discussion, and singing "O Come, O Come Emmamuel". I was delighted to see how the children responded.
Monday we loaded in the van and headed to friends' house for fellowship and so the mommies could do some 'paperwork'... Before I share what we were doing, I should share this brief preface... In our read aloud time, we have been reading the second book in the Moody series, "Autumn with the Moody's". In this book, the family has resumed their homeschool because, after all, it is fall. As they are falling back into their homeschooling, we (very clearly and often) see that they follow a schedule (after all, the author's parents are the creators of a very well-known scheduling system among homeschoolers).
As I was reading this book aloud (and all about their scheduled days)... well, first, I should mention that it is well-known, by many who know me, that I am a relaxed homeschooler. This was a gradual process, much of it due to having babies/toddlers in the house, plus I LOVE the relaxed, natural way of learning. But, I confess, that in that relaxed-ness I was/am given to laziness at times. With this freedom in relaxed (and sometimes lazy) homeschooling, I have avoided a 'schedule' (cringed at the word), feeling it would stifle our relaxed, natural way of learning (plus, again, I confess, I just didn't want to be held accountable to it).
That brings me back to our read aloud... I was reading aloud to the children on Friday evening. The author mentioned how their homeschool was beginning and how they had a schedule to follow. (poke by the Holy Spirit, though I allowed it to pass by quickly) Also, in our reading, we saw how the mother was ill, due to pregnancy, and the family was gathered at the breakfast table with Dad as he went over the schedule with the children. (poke... poke... poke... the Holy Spirit convictedand inaudibly said, "You know, your beloved would like this... having his home in order, a little more structured, having a little 'extra' (visible) assurance that things are getting accomplished at home. He is, after all, a Marine... think of how his work is in order, structured, detailed, disciplined, etc...)
I continued reading aloud, as these thoughts remained, though hushed a bit. As I was reading, I thought of my son, who is very much like his daddy, and how he would, probably, love this idea and would thrive on it very well. I even made a comment to a friend on Saturday that I was just waiting for Will to say something about getting a schedule. Guess what happened Saturday night as I was putting Will to bed, tucking him in...?
"Mom, I think we should have a schedule, too. You know, like in our book we're reading? So we know when to brush our teeth, floss, do our school work, play..."
"Well, honey, why don't you pray about that?"
With a serious, a little confused, face and a respectful tone, "But I don't want to pray about it. I just want you to do it."
(Big poke by the Holy Spirit) I looked at this young man and said, "Honey, pray for mama, then. I will pray, too"
I kissed him good-night, walked downstairs, wrestling with my thoughts. The Holy Spirit used my son to 'seal the deal'. It wasn't that Will didn't want to pray, he just knew that I was the one that was responsible to put a schedule together and put it into action. He knew that he could pray about it, but he knew the responsibility to make it happen was with Mama. I'm sure he prayed, as did I.
Back to Monday... We arrived at friends' house. The children enjoyed playing together and the mamas enjoyed fellowshipping as they worked amidst all of the papers, pens, sticky tack, and MOTH books that covered the table as they worked diligently together to create schedules for their families.
As I was, prayerfully, putting the schedule together, the Lord was giving me peace and I was even getting a little excited. He helped me see that the children will, overall, respond very well to it... knowing what they are doing and when. And He helped me see that the children will, also, hold me accountable, which can be a good thing. ;o) He gave me peace. It is not a strenuous schedule and I know that I, prayerfully, will not be a slave to it but, at this season in my life, it will be a blessing to have as a tool to guide us through our day.
Here is a shot of our new schedule (over 5 years old with newly adjusted time slots and two new children included Ü)...
I praise the Lord that He is always faithful in convicting me, changing me, molding me, teaching me, guiding me, enabling me.
"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." ~ Psalm 89:1
I just wanted to say a special thank you to Megan for thinking of me with this award.
Your words were such a blessing to me. I am thankful the Lord allowed us to meet and that we are able to get to know one another and support and pray for one another as Marine wives. ;o) Thank you, Megan.
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." ~ Proverbs 16:24
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