May the Lord Find Us Faithful...

A song that has been on my mind
and in my heart this week
(and that we're singing as a ladies' group tomorrow).
I pray the words are a blessing.


May the Lord Find Us Faithful



God has not given us the spirit of fear,
But has given us the strength to obey.
With power and sound mind, with love, the unfailing kind,
Oh, be not ashamed of His way.

May the Lord find us faithful,
May His Word be our banner held high.
May the Lord find us faithful,
Ev'ry day tho' we live, tho' we die.



No man that seeketh after things of this life,
Is a soldier, who passes the test.
Be faithful, be working, be running, be serving,
Be searching His Word for His best.

May the Lord find us faithful,
May His Word be our banner held high.
May the Lord find us faithful,
Ev'ry day tho' we live, tho' we die.



Living or dying may honor be Thine.
From this wretched life, You loved and forgave.
A life that is on fire, be only our hearts desire.
Be faithful from now to the grave.

May the Lord find us faithful,
May His Word be our banner held high.
May the Lord find us faithful,
Ev'ry day tho' we live, tho' we die.

by Mac Lynch


"Moreover it is required in stewards,
that a man be found faithful."
1 Corinthians 4:2

"His lord said unto him,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
~ Matthew 25:21

Fall Back Into HomeSchool Giveaway...

**IF YOU VISITED WHEN WE FIRST POSTED...
PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE EDIT BELOW**



Near this time last year,
we had Fall Back Into HomeSchool Giveaway.
That time has come around, again,
as most are preparing to
begin/continue their homeschool journey.
In addition, we are anticipating the arrival of fall.
I just LOVE that time of year!
Cool... cozy... crunchy... autumn! Ah!

I think this giveaway is tending to have
more of an autumn theme than a homeschooling one,
but I thought it would be fun anyway. ;o)

You will see a pattern in these bundles,
as all of them involve tea.
I recently came across Scripture Tea,
an online company that carries tea bags (& etc...)
that have King James Scripture tags on them!
I just loved this idea!

**EDITED (Thurs, August 28th) TO ADD**

After sampling a few of these tasty teas,
I discovered that NOT all of the tags
contain King James Scripture.

Each tea bag is individually wrapped
and there is no way of knowing which Scripture is on the tag
until after you open the package.
On all of their boxes, only KJ is shown,
which led me to assume (my fault) that they were all King James.
This is NOT the case.
This may or may not affect some,
but I did feel it important to mention.

The giveaway continues, as planned.
However, I may decide to open
some of the tea bag packages (individually wrapped in plastic)
to check the Scripture and replace them with King James tags.
I do apologize for the misunderstanding
and hasty assumption on my part.)
** END OF EDIT **

I ordered a box or two and they, also,
added a few freebies to contribute to our giveaway!

We're giving away three bundles!



Bundle #1: The HomeSchool Bundle


A spiral bound note sketch book
A padded cover daily planner
A Proverbs 31:30 bookmark
A variety sampler bag of tea ~
includes 12 Scripture tea bags
(3 each of Raspberry, White Plum, Apricot, & Chai)
& 12 Scripture sugar packets



Bundle #2: The Homemaking Bundle


The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
A Proverbs 31:30 bookmark
A variety sampler bag of tea ~
includes 12 Scripture tea bags
(3 each of Raspberry, White Plum, Apricot, & Chai)
& 12 Scripture sugar packets



Bundle #3: The All Tea Bundle


A box of Chai Green Tea
A Proverbs 31:30 bookmark (not pictured)
A variety sampler bag of tea ~
includes 12 Scripture tea bags
(Raspberry, White Plum & Apricot)
12 Scripture sugar packets
2 cinnamon sticks
Recipe for a Chai Tea Latte



To Participate:

#1 ~ Leave a comment in this post
and which bundle(s) you would like.


#2 ~ Make a post on your blog
with a link to this giveaway.
You are more than welcome
to use the giveaway graphic at the top of this post.
Don't forget to leave me your blog address. ;o)
**If you do not have a blog,
please leave your email address in your comment**


**The giveaway will end
next Saturday, September 6 at 10:00pm.

*Winners will be randomly selected
and announced Monday, September 8th.


Happy Homeschooling (if you're a homeschooler)!
Happy Anticipation of Fall (if you're anticipating)!
Happy Tea Drinking (if you drink tea)!

Swinging Delight...

Others' Wordless Wednesdays here

I just love their expressions of delight!

Out With the Old...

It's that time of year...
Out with the old,
in with the new.


I took some time
to go through
our bookshelves,
and have listed
a few of them
HERE on ebay
to make room for
this upcoming year.



The anticipation of new books (& new-to-me books)
is always exciting!

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Simple Woman's Daybook...

Being up so early and having a little time to spare,
I thought it would be fun to participate...


For Today...

Outside my Window...
the sun is still sleeping, street lights are glowing,
and crickets are singing

I am thinking...
of what I will do today

{edited to add}
From the learning rooms...
books and papers wait to be organized,
home learning plan sheets wait to be filled,
our Scripture verse and hymn remain
on the dry erase board for a daily visual
in aiding our memorization,
our new schedule hangs on the wall,
awaiting implementation

I am thankful for...
God's Perfect Word, prayer,
and early mornings with my beloved

From the kitchen...
the aroma of freshly brewed coffee
invites me to have another cup

I am wearing...
my recently made indigo linen square neck dress
with a pale pink contrasting band

I am reading...
the book of Judges and Psalm 119

I am hoping...
my beloved has a good day at work

I am hearing...
a symphony of crickets
and 'white noise' from our monitor,
which confirms that the children are still sleeping (5:30am)

I am creating...
another regency gown

Around the house...
it's quiet and still, as everyone else is still sleeping,
though soon they will awake and we will
gradually implement parts of our new schedule,
in addition to bless our home

One of my favorite things...
being greeted in the morning
with 'sugars' and hugs as the children awaken

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
lots of sewing, gradual schedule implementation,
piano lesson outing, midweek prayer service,
reading aloud, meditate on God's Word, smile ;o)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


What a treasure His Word is!

Friday Felicity...

What can bring felicity to a Friday?
Many things, I'm sure!
One of those things that did for me today...



...is finishing the regency gown I've been working on!
I've only made one in the past
and it was quite a few years ago.



What a delight it was to see it through
and enjoy the finished product!

Hope y'all enjoyed your day!

A Time to Rest... Still...

Thank you to those that have prayed for me this past week.
I am feeling alright, though a cough still lingers,
and am trying to rest as I am able
(which can be particularly challenging, as my personality, in general,
goes against the reality of resting, though I'm fond of the idea of it,
and with a husband, four children, a dog, a household to run,
and many et ceteras, the idea of rest scarcely becomes a reality,
as I'm sure many of you can relate Ü ).

I have been able to accomplish a few things, however,
that didn't require much physical energy.
I was glad to finish a dress for myself this week
and I was able to tweak our schedule
(which is often in a 'tweaking state')
and get it hung on the wall for our daily, visible reminder.
I was, also, able to get some Scripture cards
hung on my wall, which I've been desiring to do for a long time.
I've spent time with the children
and have enjoyed their thoughtfulness this week,
in addition, to 'extra' sugars and snuggles. ;o)

I did get a couple of 'energy spurts', too,
and was able to conquer Mount Washmore(!!!),
reorganize the pantry and the cabinets in the kitchen,
and declutter and move the furniture in the lil' girls' room.

It has been a full week for us. ;o)
I look forward to taking it easy today,
as we have no outside engagements
and nothing, partiularly, pressing to do at home.
I hope to do a bit of homeschool with the children,
read our Daniil book, and read aloud more with Ally.

I hope that y'all are enjoying your week, as well.
Thank you, again, for the kind words that were left
and for your prayers. They are a blessing!


"Yet the LORD will command
his lovingkindness in the daytime,
and in the night his song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life."
~ Psalm 42:8

A Time to Rest...

After a few days of feeling 'out-of-sorts',
experiencing some physical ailments,
and a visit with the doctor this afternoon,
I am taking a couple of days off
to rest and recover from bronchitis/pneumonia.

Your prayers are most welcomed
and greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoy your week.


"And he said unto them,
Come ye yourselves apart
into a desert place,
and rest a while..."
~ Mark 6:31

Modified Baseball ...

Hours of fun...

with this "bat and ball" ...

Wordless Wednesdays and/or Wordless Wednesdays


I just love the creativity of children!

A Special Thank You...

Just a little "Thank you" to Michelle
for her thoughtfullness in passing this along to me...



Thank you, Michelle!
It was such a blessing to be thought of!


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

It's a New Week...

Last week has come and gone and a new week has begun!
We kept busy last week with VBS.
It was a blessing to have visitors, including our own neighbors!
The children were challenged, learned Bible truths
and had ones they already knew reinforced,
and they had lots of fun, as did the adults. ;o)

Here were a few photos...
(pics are a little grainy)


Ally and I at the registration table
(Ahem, those are dinosaur hats we are wearing.
The 2, 3, and 4 year olds kindly let us borrow them for the photo.)


Carolynne doing a craft in her class


Beth working on a craft in her class


Will working on a craft in his class


Ally reading A Virtuous Woman by Clarence Sexton
as we wait to deliver snacks to the rooms

Ally made the snacks for VBS all week.
Here is what she made one of those nights...


She had a lot of fun making those
and the children (adults, too) had a lot of fun eating them!

On Saturday, my beloved and I celebrated our anniversary.
We didn't do much that would be considered romantic
but we did enjoy our day together with the children.
We are thankful for the years the Lord has given us
and for what He has done in our marriage. ;o)

Yesterday was a wonderful day in the Lord's house.
In Sunday School, we are beginning a new series
(after being in the book of James for over a year Ü )
on studying God's Word.
It has already been a challenge and a blessing!
Pastor's sermon, in the evening, was about forgiveness.
What an admonition it was and a blessing to hear!
I hope y'all had a blessed Lord's day, too!

Today we plan to resume our homeschool work,
in addition to keeping our home and other things.
I hope to tweak our sequence of events (a.k.a schedule)
and get a final draft of our resources
for this upcoming homeschool year.
Speaking of this upcoming homeschool year...
a fellow homeschooling mama is having a giveaway.
Visit HERE to check it out.


I hope y'all enjoy your Monday and have a good week!



"I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness:
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high."
~ Psalm 7:17

Hello, again...

Things sure haven't slowed down for us
and I've neglected my blog terribly
but it has been a worthwhile absence
as I have been spending time with my family
and allowing the Lord to carry me through
some spiritual growing pains, which, as I obey Him,
not only benefit me but my family, as well.
I'm so thankful that He is Faithful in growing,
teaching, shaping, changing, and leading us.
What a blessing it is when we listen and obey!

On the homefront, we have kept busy
and will continue to this week as we are having VBS at church.
But before I jump deep into our day,
I wanted to share a few pics from last week...

On Friday, we had our homeschool park day.
It is always such a delight to see how the children
just love to be out-of-doors...
(you can click on all of these photos to enlarge)






Friday was, also, our weekly sourdough pizza night
with an added special event...



Will was very excited to hit the double digits!
For me, however, birthdays are always so bittersweet.
It's such a joy to see him growing
physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually
but to see that baby, little boy, only son
changing into a young man, tugs on my heart strings.

For his birthday, he wanted the complete works
of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.
He was tickled when he saw that he got them...

I am ever amazed, thankful, and delighted
at his intense interest and love for reading.

He received another gift in great anticipation...


He taught himself how to ride a bike earlier this year
and had been using a free (ahem, girl's) bike (without complaint)
as he continued practicing and mastering
the art of riding a bike...
so he was surprised when he saw
he got a new "man's" bike...


He was eager to get it "on the road"
and was delighted to reach new speeds...


The lil' girls enjoyed riding along with him...





Before I go, I can't forget to mention
our new family member, Suzie.
She has been filling her days with fun
and continues to adjust quite well...


I often wonder what she contemplates
as she stares out the window...
mostly, I believe, she plots how to get the cat
that lives across the street but I like to think
that she reaches deeper levels of thinking, too. LOL

All of that thinking, of course, would make one hungry
and there's nothing like giving in to peanut butter pleasures...

lol

I hope all of you are enjoying your summer.
I do hope to, one of these days, respond to comments
and sure do appreciate your understanding. ;o)

Enjoy the rest of your week!


"... that in all things he might have the preeminence."
~ Colossians 1:18