Monday's Musings...

Happy Monday!
I hope y'all had a blessed Lord's Day.
We had "Second Coming Sunday" at our church
and it was such a blessing to sing songs,
listen to God's Word being preached,
and focusing on His return!
Oh, what a day that will be!!


This morning, the children and I
continued our Bible time and began Genesis 3.
We read aloud, worked on our key Scripture for the week,
had discussion, had vocab study, did prayer letters,
and illustrated what happened between Cain and Abel.



Later in the morning, we had friends visit.
We enjoyed fellowshipping and even enjoyed a visit
to one of our local dollar stores! ooooh
We were able to find quite a few things,
as we were putting together a lab kit
for our upcoming science. ;o)
It was half the price to get the items ourselves
and we found almost all that we needed there!
We were rejoicing in God's goodness in providing!

Later in the afternoon, after returning home,
the younger ones were eager to use
their new bug containers and headed outside
to see what they could find...



They were able to find an ant to put in the jar
and spent time observing it
(though it didn't do much but lay on its back and wiggle its legs!).
The, also, found a 'love bug' and a few sticks. ;o)
They enjoyed themselves, though.

Tomorrow will be a little busy for us,
as I have a scary dentist appointment
and Ally is teaching piano in the afternoon.
I hope that y'all have a wonderful day,
counting your many blessings! ;o)


"I will sing unto the LORD,
because he hath dealt bountifully with me."
~ Psalm 13:6

Blogiversary Thank You...

Thank you all, so much,
for your kind, sweet, and encouraging comments
on our blogiversary giveaway post.
What a blessing it was to hear from so many!
I have very much enjoyed "meeting"
and getting to know people via blogging
(and so many kindred spirits, too!).
What a blessing it has been to get to know others,
encourage one another and pray for one another!
Fellowship is so sweet (even if it's online!).


This morning, Will drew a name for our giveaway. ;o)
...Something about putting your hand in a jar
that is filled with folded papers...
I'm not sure what the allure is
but he is always a willing servant
when it comes to drawing out a name. ;o)

The selected name was...


Ashleigh of Heart and Home ;o)
Congratulations! I pray the items are a blessing to you.

She just recently parted with her beloved,
as he headed to "the sandbox".
She is a fellow Marine wife
and is keeping the home fires burning
as her beloved is away.
What a blessing your prayers
and an encouraging word would be. ;o)


Thank you, again, to all that participated/commented.
Your comments were such a blessing!


"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,
sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."
~ Proverbs 16:24

Friday's Fillings...

Yesterday was another beautiful day here.
We spent the morning with Daddy
and after he headed to work,
we decided to go to the beach with friends.
Our visit was short lived
but we did enjoy our brief time there.
Here are a few photos of the children while we were there...














Will humored us (as well as himself) as he
put his toy knights through the ocean gauntlet...

With each crashing wave,
the poor knights were washed into a foamy abyss.
He and Beth were tickled at this
and it delighted me to see them so delighted! ;o)

After leaving the beach, we headed home for fellowship
and Friday night pizza.
The older girls made the pizza, which was a sweet blessing!
The younger ones found pleasure in playing dress up...


We're not quite sure what Carolynne was dressing up as,
perhaps one of her pretty grandmas. ;o)
Either way, we thought she was cute.



Beth was a beautiful, spring butterfly!



Will was a musketeer, ready to defend his sisters. ;o)

It was a beautiful day!

This morning we went to church for a baptism service.
Two young people were following the Lord in baptism
and it was such a blessing to see.
I always get teary-eyed when watching a baptism.
What a JOY it is to see people make decisions for Christ
and seeing them follow Him!

Today Dad and Will went to Pastor's
to help with some work he and his son was doing.
The girls and I worked at beautifying our home. ;o)
Now I'm off to spend the evening with my beloved.

I hope y'all have a blessed Lord's Day!



(photo of two pelicans from the beach yesterday)

Thursday's Things...

Today was a beautiful day,
much of which the children spent outdoors.
We continued our study in Genesis 3.
During our Bible study, we were comparing
spiritual warfare vs physical warfare.
We sure enjoyed digging into God's Word,
learning the Truths about our spiritual warfare!
Later, the children did miscellaneous things,
mostly played outside on the trampoline
(amazing how they can do that for so long!).

Will spent some time working on the R*ubick's Cube.
Daddy has been teaching him a few "tricks"
and he has spent a lot of time practicing...


Ally spent most of the day working in her
Advanced Chemistry and was excited about an experiment.
She got to make slime...

It's funny how homemade slime can entertain so many!

Daddy came home for lunch today
and he had the afternoon off
(since he has a "mandatory function" this evening).
We enjoyed spending the afternoon with him.
It was precious to see him playing on the floor
with the younger ones...


Later in the afternoon, he had to return to work
but it was worth seeing him in his "pickle suit"
(Marine Corps terminology)...

This uniform comes out on rare occasions
and I'm always glad to see it. ;o)


Ah, one of the perks of being a Marine wife...


I love it!!


Hope y'all have enjoyed your day! ;o)


"I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD,
and the praises of the LORD,
according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us,
and the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies,
and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."
~ Isaiah 63:7

It's Been a Year!

A year ago today...
I made our move to Blogger official.
I had opened our account here long before that
but spent a year blogging elsewhere,
then traveled a bit,
and finally landed here to plant roots.
That root planting was one year ago.

To celebrate our year here, we're having a little fun...



Since this day kinda snuck up on me
(I just discovered it today!),
I'm not quite sure, at this time,
what the item(s) will be that will be given away,
so I'll add that info in later. ;o)

To participate in our giveaway...

*Just leave a comment on this post. ;o)

**If you have a blog,
please feel free to share our event
(you can use the above graphic, if you'd like)
and we'll add your entry in twice. ;o)

Either way, I would be delighted to hear from those that visit!

The giveaway will end
Saturday, March 29 at midnight.
We'll announce the winner
(randomly selected by one of our children)
on Monday, March 31st.

I hope to hear from you!


Edited to add:

Below are the giveaway items:



Hardbound Thomas Kindkade "Sunrise" journal;
Psalm 9:10 bookmark;
Support Our Troops car magnet (we had to throw that in there!);
house cookie cutter (going along with our haven at home theme);
and a potholder of spring-like colors,
crocheted by our daughter, Ally. ;o)



"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine..."
~ Proverbs 17:22

Monday Musings...

Happy Monday!
I hope y'all enjoyed your weekend
as you celebrated the Lord's resurrection!

Daddy has the day off but travelled to SC
to visit our old house, see the condition of it, etc...
as we plan to put it on the market, again, soon.

So today we began week 3 of our "new thing"
that we've been doing in our homeschool.
(I hope to share more about it soon)
This week, we are in Genesis 3.
We read aloud this morning, had discussion,
and the younger ones illustrated our key verse (v.1).
The older ones, also, continued with their prayer letters.
Here they were at work today...


Carolynne working on her illustration



Beth working on her illustration



Will working on his vocabulary study



Ally working on her prayer letter

It was a "homeschool in your jammies" morning,
except for Will, who got dressed all the way to shoes. ;o)

Here were the illustrations the younger ones did...
(you can click on it to see it enlarged)


(Their illustrations refer to how the serpent tempted Eve)

This afternoon includes fellowship and supper
with friends, which is always a blessing!

I hope y'all have a happy Monday!


"Thou hast put gladness in my heart..."
~ Psalm 4:7

Friday's Fillings...

We've had a busy week but have enjoyed it!
Below are some photos from our day yesterday.

Actually, here's one from Thursday evening...
The younger ones were being sled dogs,
using names and situations from the book
"The Call of the Wild" that Will read recently...

It was a delight to see their creativity!


Friday morning we met together for Bible time
before we headed to our homeschool park day...


We were thankful for this park day
because it had been quite a while since our last one
(due to inclement weather and going north for a couple of weeks).
We were thrilled the Lord blessed us
with a beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors!
(so thrilled that I took an abundance of photos! ;o)


Beth and Carolynne excitedly running off to enjoy themselves.


Playing on the 'big' slide




Many of the girls from our group were gathered
around these blossoms, picking and enjoying them. ;o)



Will swingin' (and, obviously, happy about it, too!) ;o)


He, also, got to play a some football.


Ally and her friend filled the park with music and singing...

There were a few people at the park that were not
part of our homeschool group and it was a blessing to see
how the girls were still bold in singing aloud, enjoying it,
and giving praise to the Lord!

After our park day, we went to lunch with some friends.
We sat outside at the picnic tables, enjoying the day
and enjoying feathered company...

This little fellow was at the table next to us.
There were many sparrows there
and they were not shy about getting near us.
It tickled the children to have them be so close!

While we were there, the manager (also our assistant pastor)
came out to talk with the children and gave them
some cow masks to take home.
The children found multiple uses for them, including this one...

LOL

We, also, visited with his wife and two brothers
which work there, as well.
The children were thrilled when they were given
a free ice cream cone, which they gladly accepted...














Before leaving, the children posed for a pic...


Then they all mooooved to the van,
as we herded the cattle home. ;o)

Our day didn't end there...
When we arrived home, the children got an in-home field trip!
Courtesy of Uncle Sam, we got a new refrigerator
that has an ice maker (way to go, Honey!).
The maintenance man came to add the water line
(from the bathroom sink, which is on
the other side of the wall from our fridge)
and he invited the children to watch and learn...
and they were very eager to...


Watching him drill a hole through the wall, under the sink,
while listening to him explain what he was doing.


Will helping to pull the line through the wall.


Learning how the hose is hooked to the fridge
and how it will work once it is finished.


Looking under the sink at the clamp (thingy)
that he connected to the waterline.

It was quite an educational lesson!
They thanked him for letting them watch and learn
and they were quickly off to play!

Our friends stayed for sourdough pizza and fellowship.
As the mamas were making the pizzas,
Daddy was given an invitation by Beth
and the children were pleasantly surprised by his answer...







And he even threw in a "bonus"...

LOL

Here were the children in the evening,
after playing outdoors all day...






It was a great, fun-filled day!
It was a blessing to be outdoors,
enjoying God's marvellous creation
and fellowshipping with friends!
I hope y'all enjoyed your day, too!


"This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it."
~ Psalm 118:24

Wedding Vows from the Bible...

This week, during our learning and Bible time,
we were studying in Genesis 2.
Going along with studying the first marriage,
the children and I spent time focusing on wedding vows.
Our activity was to write the wedding vows
but I thought it was a good idea to
write the wedding vows using God's Word.
So we used the concordance, along with our Bibles,
and wrote down what God says about the duties
of husbands and of wives.
Then we put our notes together,
in the form of wedding vows.
Here are samples of Ally and Will's work...
They are not written for the purpose of penmanship
and they are not, by any means, an exhaustive list
of what God expects/commands in marriage.
It is, however, what we pulled out from God's Word
and used during this time we spent together.
(you can click on the photos to see them enlarged)


Will's copy of the man's wedding vows



Ally's copy of the wedding vows


I, ( wife ) , will submit to and reverence my husband,
as unto the Lord.
I will be a help meet for him,
as God designed.
I will cleave to my husband until death.

I, (husband) , will love my wife,
as Christ loves the church.
I will give honour to her, as the weaker vessel,
and be not bitter against her.
I will be the head of my wife,
as Christ is the head of the church.
I will cleave to my wife until death.

I will suffer long, be kind, envy not,
vaunt not myself, will not be puffed up.
I will not behave myself unseemly, not seek my own,
not be easily provoked, and will think no evil.
I will rejoice not in iniquity, but will rejoice in truth.
I will bear all things, believe all things,
hope all things, endure all things.

(references from Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8;
Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1-7)


What a blessing it was to teach
these Truths to our children
and to learn and discuss how to apply them.
What a reminder it was for me, as well!

I was, also, blessed by Ally's insight...
She noted how God showed us in His Word
that He designed someone specifically
for the man that He created,
and she noted how God still does that today...
God has a specific, particular someone
that is His will for each of us!
That Truth was an encouragement to her
and a blessed reminder!

What a blessing and treause God's Word is!


"The statutes of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes...
"More to be desired are they than gold,
yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."
~ Psalm 19:8, 10

"Thy word is very pure:
therefore thy servant loveth it."
~ Psalm 119:140

"Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away."
~ Luke 21:33

Midweek Musings...

Our week has been going very well.
It has been such a blessing
implementing new things in our homeschool/Bible time.
This week we have been studying Genesis 2.
Again, it has been a blessing studying, digging deeper into,
gaining a better understanding and learning to apply
God's glorious Truths!
It, also, thrills and blesses my heart
to see the children become real thinkers...
they are learning/practicing to defend their faith.
Hearing their thoughts (from the youngest to the oldest)
has been such a blessing to hear!

Here are the younger ones outlines
from our study this week...


(top to bottom, left to right: Carolynne, Beth, Will)
I drew the outline for the lil' girls and they colored it
and Will illustrated his own.

Here is one sample of their copywork this week,
using our key Scripture...


(top to bottom, left to right...)
Carolynne traced my dotted letters,
Beth copied from the dry erase board,
and Will copied from his Bible.

Also, this week, we were able to spend some time with friends.
Ally and her friend enjoyed singing together...
(what a delight that is to hear, too!)


The younger ones enjoyed playing outdoors,
making all kinds of 'yard soup'...



Noone, of course, actually tasted the soup (that we know of). ;o)

Today, Lord willing, in addition to our daily things,
we will be travelling to the commisary
to pick up some 'overdue' groceries. ;o)
(Though we may be met by rain... it's a dark, blustery day today...
but as Pastor says, and has us sing, "There is sunshine in my soul today")

I hope y'all enjoy your day!


"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
~ 2 Corinthians 4:6

An Help Meet...

help ~ aid; assistance; that which gives assistance;
strength or means furnished towards promoting an object;
he or that which contributes to advance a purpose; servant

meet ~ fit; suitable; proper; qualified; convenient;
adapted, as to a use or purpose


"...I will make him an help meet for him."
~ Genesis 2:18

More Haven Happenings...

Things seem to be unusually busy around here
and my blog shows it by its inconsistent posts,
delay in responding to emails, etc...
But it has been a good busy.
We have been practicing our diligence
in our discipling, training, academics, etc...
I've been implementing some new things
into our days, which has been taking some extra time,
but anything that has eternal value
is worthy of putting the time and effort into. ;o)

After our busy week, we enjoyed some leisurely moments. ;o)
The weather was beautiful this past week
and Daddy was able to take his motorcycle to work.
He surprised the younger ones with his motorcycle appearance,
one day after work, and they were amused...


They were so amused that they, too,
wanted to try on Daddy's motorcycle gear...


Carolynne


Beth


Will


On Friday, we had friends over for sourdough pizza night.
The children had fun washing all of the vehicles
that were in front of our house...
It was pizza and car wash day!





On Saturday, Daddy and Will had a father/son outing,
which I will shamelessly share photos of... ;o)













They had such fun together and it sure blessed my heart!

It was a blessing, too, to be in the Lord's house on Sunday!
This Sunday was Crucifixion Sunday at our church.
We focused on Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross.
We, also, had the Lord's Supper,
which is always such a special, precious time!

Yesterday we continued with our Bible time and academics,
in addition to running a few errands.
When Daddy arrived home,
he brought Mommy these beauties...

And he took her out for supper and shopping!
We had a good time together
(It had been a loooong time since we'd been able to do that).
We enjoyed each others company
and we were able to talk with one another
and smooth out a few "wrinkles"
(it can be a real challenge to adjust after a long deployment).
It was a blessing to spend time alone together.

Today we're continuing on with our discipleship time,
along with our academics,
and going to Ally's piano lessons that she teaches.
I hope to respond to emails and comments soon
and thank you so much for understanding. ;o)

I hope y'all have a good day and week!


"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope
and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."
~ Lamentations 3:22-26

Our Haven Happenings...

Things seem to be at a busy pace this week,
which is a good thing.
We've been trying to keep busy and faithful
at implementing some things into our school day.
I still have, yet, to get on a timed routine
but it does not concern me much
as long as we are accomplishing some goals. ;o)
(and we have been... praise the Lord!)

We have been digging into Genesis 1 this week
(in addition to reading a Psalm each morning)...

(This is Bible time one morning this week.)

We have enjoyed doing our copywork, vocabulary,
memory work, and other miscellaneous studies
from God's Word.
We've been using our dictionary and concordance, too,
which has been a fun blessing!
It has, also, been a blessing seeing the older ones
write their thoughts and pen prayer letters to the Lord.

Here is a sample of the younger ones copywork...


Here is a collage of the illustraions we did
for the days of creation...

(top to bottom, left to right: Carolynne, Beth, Will, Mom)

We've, also, been working on our academics.
Here are the younger ones working on
their other 'homeschool work'...

Will was highlighting important facts in Math
and Beth and Carolynne were having fun with letter sounds.

Here was Ally finishing up an experiment in the kitchen...



Yesterday we left the house to visit with friends
that had returned from a long vacation
and to go to piano lessons that Ally teaches.
I was glad for the trip, as I was able to get
a few photos of the trees that are blooming...

I believe they are Dogwoods(Bradford Pears). If not, I'd love to know. ;o)
(Thank you, ladies, for letting me know!)



Today, in the afternoon, our friends came for a visit.
The mamas sat, discussing our school plans,
while enjoying a yummy snack (well, lunch, really)...

(Yum! This is a dip that a friend introduced me to quite a while ago.
I thought I hated sour cream until I tried this dip! Mmm!)
It was fun to sit and brainstorm together
while enjoying a delicious treat and sipping ice tea.

The younger children enjoyed a picnic lunch outside...

They spent most of the afternoon outdoors,
enjoying the beautiful weather.

The older ones did Bible study together
and enjoyed going through copies of Birds and Blooms...


It's been an enjoyable and productive week,
though I've been struggling with the time change. ;o)
We look forward to being in God's house this evening.
What a wonderful oasis it is in this dry and thristy land!

I hope y'all are enjoying your week, too!


"For his merciful kindness is great toward us:
and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.
Praise ye the LORD."
~Psalm 117:2

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable."
~ Psalm 145:3

Weekend's Ways...

Happy Monday!
I hope y'all had a good weekend.
This weekend, we had a guest visit
and the children were excited.
Uncle Steven returned home from Iraq about a month ago
and he was able to stop by on Saturday!

Here were Beth, Will, and Daddy with him
as they were having a Rubik's Cube Race
(the Rubik's cube is a big thing in our home)...


Carolynne was being a bit shy while he visited...

So she spent most of her time in the dining room
with Ally, as she was sewing.

Ally was working on her first apron
(two of them, actually. One for her and a friend)...


After our visit, the children were found
doing miscellaneous things...


Carolynne was playing with puzzles.


Beth was copying the words from all of the cards
that belong to our Boggle Jr. game.


Will was working on his latest masterpiece...
An American flag on a sunny day with birds in the sky.


Ally enjoyed working with photos.

Here is a photo of a mourning dove that she had taken...



Here is photo of one that I took during one of the
blustery days we were having.
It was all puffed up and its feathers
were ruffled from the wind...

It was cute! God's creation always fascinates us!


Sunday was a wonderful day in the Lord's house.
In Sunday School, we were admonished to remember
that we tend to have false confidence in ourselves...
we plan our days, say we will do this or that, etc...
and how this is done in our pride
and that we really do not know what tomorrow will bring
and we need to trust Someone Who does.
I, also, appreciated a statement about
how we should be single-minded... on God...
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you."
~ Matthew 6:33
and our Heavenly Father will take care of the rest.

In the morning service,
Pastor spoke about why we should be striving for the mastery.
He only got to three points out of ten, so far,
but it was a real blessing!
He reminded how a Christian should not feel
that their life is meaningless because we DO have a purpose.
The three points he touched on about
why we should be striving for the mastery were...
because...

1. God is real
How is our faith?
"But without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him."
~ Hebrews 11:6
We were challenged to examine
whether or not our lives show that
we do believe God is real
or do just our lips profess it.
One day we will stand before
the Real God and face real judgement.

2. God's Word is real
"But have renounced the hidden things
of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,
nor handling the word of God deceitfully;
but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
~ 2 Corinthians 4:2
God's Word isn't an option.
It is God speaking to us.
His Word IS our Authority.
He has the right to tell His creation what to do.
Can we say that we are doing EVERYTHING in His Word?
Of course not...
But are we striving to?

3. Salvation is real
"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation.
He that is our God is the God of salvation;
and unto GOD the Lord
belong the issues from death."
~ Psalm 68:19-20
He is the God of our salvation.
He gave me my salvation.
He IS my Savior.


The evening service was a blessing, as well!
And it went along with our "Striving for the Mastery" theme.
He began by telling us of certain monks in Japan that
take the challenge to run 1,000 marathons within 7 years!
(a total of almost 27,000 miles in rough, mountainous terrain)
He further explained some of the very difficult things
that these monks would have to do...
lack of food, water, sleep, exhaustion, fight off animals, etc...
praying 100,000 prayers in about a week of fasting,
among many other things.
He, also, mentioned how other religions
go through strict regimens of training
and sacrifice their time and, ultimately, their lives
to kill what they believe to be infidels...
Wicked and wrong, yes,
but they do it because of their faith in their religion.

Then Pastor led us to Romans 12:1-2,
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
What does our "religion" motivate us to do?
What sacrifices do we make?
What sacrifices are we willing to make for the One, True God?
What kind of living sacrifice before God are we?

What ought our living sacrifice to be?
... DOING the will of God
(see the above verse),
pushing everything out of the way
that hinders us from doing the will of God.
We cannot do the will of God
if we are tied to this world and the things in it,
which is why he tells us
"... be not conformed to this world...".

So many people sacrifice SO much for their FALSE religion...
when I think of all they sacrifice, their disciplined lives,
and how they are so devoted to their religion,
I am ashamed at how little I do
for my Savior, my One, True, and Only God.
The Holy Spirit dealt strongly with me
and I am so thankful for it.

What a blessing it is to have a church home,
where a pastor does not just "tickle our ears",
but he preaches, boldly, the True Word of God.
"For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables."
~ 2 Timothy 4:3-4



Before I go, I'll share a few pics from our Sunday afternoon...

The girls relaxing with me on the chair
(Beth was starting to make a face at the camera).



Carolynne doing Daddy's hair as he rested.



Beth doing Daddy's hair, too.
(Her smile in this pic reminds me so much of her baby pics!)



Will practicing the techniques of the Rubik's cube
that Daddy taught him.


The lil' girls doing a piano duet together.


I hope y'all had a good weekend, too,
and that your day in the Lord's house was a blessed one.
May the Lord revive our hearts.


"Let us search and try our ways,
and turn again to the LORD."
~ Lamentations 3:40

"It is the spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you,
they are spirit, and they are life."
~ John 6:63

Have I Done My Best for Jesus?

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv'ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.


(Chorus)
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?



The hours that I have wasted are so many,
The hours I've spent for Christ so few;
Because of all my lack of love for Jesus,
I wonder if His heart is breaking too.


(Chorus)
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?



I wonder, have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone?
I might have helped a wand'rer to the Saviour,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown.


(Chorus)
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?



No longer will I stay within the valley -
I'll climb to mountain heights above;
The world is dying now for want of someone
To tell them of the Saviour's matchless love.


(Chorus)
How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?

words: Edwin Young; music: Harry E. Storrs
from Soul Stirring Songs and Hymns


Click below to hear the midi:

(You can stop this blog's background music
by clicking the pause button in the sidebar)
OR you can click HERE to hear it.

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
beseech you that ye walk worthy
of the vocation wherewith ye are called"
~ Ephesians 4:1

Friday's Fillings...

Today we had planned to go to our homeschool park day,
however, we were rained out.
It rained the majority of our day.
Though it was wet and cloudy, the sound of the rain
was relaxing, along with the smell of it and the cool breeze.
And we still enjoyed God's creation from our window...



Gathering of Goldfinches



Rain on the Window


Before our Bible time, I found the children
having their own personal time with the Lord...



Carolynne sharing the Gospel with her floppy-eared pals



Beth "reading" to her spotted friend



Will singing praises after his quiet time with God

Ally, too, was having her quiet time but I didn't interupt. ;o)

Afterwards, we had our Bible time,
reading John 4 about how Jesus healed the nobleman's son,
then the children illustrated the story.
Later, Will and Ally worked on their academics
while Beth and Carolynne drew and played.

I worked a bit in the house and spent some time working here.
Later in the day, I found the younger children
in the living room playing a game
that they had "invented" for rainy day fun...

Toilet paper golf...

They were rolling the ball from across the room
towards the roll of toilet paper.
Then they would "putt" it by dropping it in the tube.
lol I smiled (and chuckled) at their creativity
and their amusement with the game. ;o)

We were blessed with Daddy arriving home
just a little bit early this evening!
We were about to begin rolling out sourdough
for our Friday pizza when the power shut off.
Since Daddy had to run to the auto store,
he decided to take us all out to supper...
at Olive Garden... yum!
We were seated at one of the tables
that are in their own little room.
It was almost like having supper at home
at our dining room table.
We had a lovely time!

When we arrived home, the power had been turned back on
(about 45 minutes before) and we were glad.
We wrapped up the evening with hugs and kisses
and tucked the younger ones into bed.
Ally helped Daddy change the windshield wipers on his truck
and is heading to bed soon.
Daddy and I are looking forward to the close of the evening
and a good night's sleep...
especially since we were up late last night
playing a game of Rummy 'til after 2am!
It was just like recruiting duty! lol

I hope y'all enjoyed your day
and hope you have a great weekend!

Since I didn't have any photos of Ally to share,
I'll share a couple of photos that she took yesterday...



Mockingbird on our rooftop



I spy, Nutkin Squirrel
(This is one brave squirrel, folks!)


"For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof."
~ 1 Corinthians 10:26

Pardon the Dust...

I will be playing around with the template
of our Haven at Home,
as I try the "upgrades" that blogger offers.
Thank you for your patience
as we dust and rearrange the furniture. ;o)


UPDATE:
After a few hours, I have completed our cleaning.
Perhaps you may notice that
I must not be very good at cleaning,
seeing that it looks much like it did before. ;o)
But I did manage to switch to the new template
where I can now use the widgets.
In addition, I changed the font in my header,
went to one sidebar instead of two
which led to a few other, minor changes
in the sidebar that I have now.
In addition,
(which is the main reason I did this switch)
you can now see at the bottom of our blog
the option to view Older Posts,
which will take you to the next page
without having to utilize the archives. ;o)

Still the same look, just a little different.
Thank you for hanging in there
if you happened to visit during our cleaning. ;o)

Thursday's Things...

Thank you to those that were praying for us.
The children felt much better yesterday
and we were able to make it to the last day of
our KJ Bible Conference, which was a blessing!

Today we were able to accomplish a bit of 'school',
though not on a time schedule. ;o)
In addition to schoolwork,
Ally felt well enough to blow the leaves in the yard!
She enjoys doing that when she is able
and we enjoy letting her. ;o)

It was a beautiful day here,
so the children spent much of their time outdoors.
It was good for them to be in the fresh air.
I was able to get some laundry done,
do some work with Will,
have Bible time with the children,
email the grocery list to my beloved,
go through some 'vintage' patterns
that I was given, among other things.


Below is a narration
that Will did today for History.
He read the entire book
"Saint Patrick: Pioneer Missionary to Ireland"
and then narrated some of what he recalled
to me as I typed it for him.
After we printed it out, he signed it
and decided a verse needed to be added.
He chose the verse and copied it.
You can click on the photo to enlarge it.




Now I'm off to finish up some laundry
and cook supper before Daddy arrives.
Hope y'all enjoy your evening. ;o)


"For God is my King of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth."
~ Psalm 74:12

Monday's Musings, Tuesday's Tidbits, and Welcomed Interruptions...

I certainly had wonderful intentions,
as I mentioned yesterday,
to get "on track" this week with our, ahem,
sequence of events for our days
(a.k.a. s-c-h-e-d-u-l-e).

Though not quite in the order I had planned,
we did manage to get much accomplished
on Monday (praise the Lord!).
At breakfast, we had Bible time together,
practiced memorizing a verse for the week
("He must increase, but I must decrease."
~ John 3:30), and illustrating it.
Here were the younger ones
working on their illustrations
(Ally had already gone upstairs
to begin her work before this pic)...


Ally finished much of her work,
including Chemistry and History.
Will and I were able to do Science
(a chapter in our Burgess' Bird Book
and the usage of the field guide),
History (read all of "The Courage of Sarah Noble"),
worked on Language and Math.
I was even able to work with the lil' girls,
doing picture studies and narrations.

In addition, we enjoyed and marvelled
at God's creation in our backyard...


tufted titmouse


house finch


American goldfinches


mourning dove


and, yes, Nutkin Squirrel, again. ;o)

Here was Carolynne showing us,
what appears to be, part of a nest
that, likely, fell out of our tree
(due to the blustery days we've been having)...


All in all, it was a very productive day on Monday,
though not quite on the time schedule I had planned
(but that was okay).


Today, however, we woke up quite a bit later
and, also, discovered that Ally and Will were
quite 'under the weather'.
Ally was feeling very yucky,
in addition to having a very sore throat,
and Will was feeling yucky, as well,
and had an elevated temp.
So Mama consulted with Daddy via phone
then proceeded to cancel piano lessons
and inform church we wouldn't
be there this evening for our KJ Conference.

Ally and Will took naps around 1:30
and, both, slept until around 5:30!
I was a little surprised but they sure needed it.





While they slept, Beth and Carolynne played quietly.
Here they were taking turns drawing...

Carolynne


Beth

They, also, helped Mama make some bread...




Here was Carolynne's photo of Mama...

LOL

After stirring dough with Mama,
they celebrated outside on the trampoline. ;o)

When Daddy arrived home, we enjoyed supper
(chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese) with him.
After supper, Daddy left for church
and, shortly after, the little ones headed to bed.
Now I'm off to spend a little time with Ally
before she heads to sweet slumber, too.

Lord willing, when health is restored,
we will, again, begin our 'routine'
but I do praise the Lord for interruptions.
Though Monday was a productive day,
today was a day of much needed rest
and recuperation, in addition, to
enjoying the blessing of home and family.
He knows just what we need!

I hope y'all enjoyed your day. ;o)


"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable."
~ Psalm 145:3

Happy Monday!

Good Morning!
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend
and had a blessed Lord's Day.
Yesterday our church began its
KJ Bible Conference,
which has been a real blessing so far!
It will continue until Wednesday
and we look forward to being in the Lord's house,
under some great preaching this week. ;o)
In addition to the great preaching,
last night the visiting preacher
sang a wonderful (and hilarious) song
regarding evolution that I hope to share later.

Today, Lord willing, we will be focusing
on something that resembles a "schedule".
Back in December (I think) I was able to
draw up our new schedule
but have been unable to implement it
so we hope to focus on that today. ;o)

Before I go, Here are a few photos
from our weekend...



Ally playing the piano as the lil' girls look at books



Daddy and Will working together to fix the gazebo
(which last week's wind had broken)



Carolynne and Beth working on "school"
as Mommy was, too.
(Note the paperwork in the background
and the stack of books in the forefront)



Ally reading words to songs she was playing



Daddy teaching Will about nuts, bolts
and other miscellaneous hardware.



Will prepping the hardward for Daddy.



Beth and Carolynne playing



Will reading our old Rod and Staff Health book
about the harmful effects of nicotine, caffine, etc...


More dress up with Beth and Carolynne...

Wearing Wal-m*rt vest's from Papa Carl...
(or Papa Carlo, as they say)



Here are a few photos from our backyard,
taken by Will...


A view of our bright sun



Our personal Nutkin Squirrel


The birds were very lively this weekend, too.
Lots of sparrows, mourning doves, house finches,
tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, blue jays.
They were singing of springtime!

We had a few of these little fellows in our yard, too,
but are unsure of what they are.
Their beaks look very similar to cardinals
but we haven't been able to research it just yet.
If you know what it is, we'd love to know, too. ;o)



Hope y'all have a happy Monday!


"The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come..."
Song of Solomon 2:12