Prairie Pinafores...

Recently, I was able to sew up two pinafores
for my two nieces, who love Little House on the Prairie,
and wanted to share the finished projects...







They were not difficult to make.
The pattern was a 'costume'
that included a prairie dress pattern,
which I hope to make one of these days. ;o)


"She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands. "
~ Proverbs 31:13

Sharing Snapshots...

Life has been so busy that I haven't had much time
to do any "meaty" blogging.
It seems my posts have been short
and only pics lately but that is the season of my life right now.
And though I'm not able to share all the details of our days,
all the things the Lord is teaching me, and more,
I am thankful for the memories we are making
and the growth He is doing in all of us.

Today we are working on some of our educational goals
but had a few moments to share some pics from last Friday
while we enjoyed our day at the park.
I hope y'all are enjoying your week!



Enjoying a climb.
We just loved the beautiful tree in the background!



Swinging along



Preparing for photos



Boyhood thrills



Learning moments at the park with a friend



Gathering sticks



Playing out the story of Elijah when he wet the altar
and called upon God to bring forth rain.
It was a blessing to see them acting out Bible Truths!

And signs of spring were all around us...








"I will praise the name of God with a song,
and will magnify him with thanksgiving." ~ Psalm 69:30

Simple Woman's Daybook...

For today... April 6, 2009


Outside my window...
the sky is blue, the sun is hiding behind the clouds,
the wind is blowing, and rain is forecasted to come


I am thinking...
about what a blessing our Crucifixion Sunday
music service was yesterday


I am thankful for...
God loving me so much that He gave
His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,
to come and die for me
so that I can live with Him eternally!


From the learning rooms...
continuing our Proverbs study,
studying history in Exodus,
studying the country of Israel
and "adopting" a missionary to pray for there,
continue our science/nature study read aloud,
and continue with our other seatwork.


From the kitchen...
a blessing (cleaning) is needed from the weekend
On the menu:
M ~ Taco Rice Taco Bake
T ~ Italian Chicken & pasta
W ~ Creamy Wild Rice Soup
Th ~ Chicken & Zucchini Casserole
F ~ Sourdough Pizza


I am wearing...
white, floral print square neck dress


I am creating...
alterations on whitle regency dress and pelisse;
new dress for myself and my sister


I am reading...
my KJ Bible through in a year,
currently in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Luke;
and in the process of choosing a new book to read


I am hoping (praying)...
the Lord continues his work in
the family members/friends I've been praying for


I am hearing...
Beth play with cuisenaire rods,
Will sniffling as he reads in the reading room,
and noises from the monitors
reminding me there are a couple of sleepyheads
that need to be awakened. ;o)


Around the house...
a blessing (cleaning) is needed from the weekend


One of my favorite things...
being in God's house, worshipping with fellow believers,
focusing on the what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross,
singing songs of praise, worship, and thanksgiving to Him.


A few plans for the rest of the week...
focus on learning, training, and keeping our home;
go to piano lessons that our eldest teaches;
visit and fellowship with friends; sew as am able;
work on the cd that our eldest and I are making;
work on senior picures and getting invitations;
go through lots of old photos to make a photo board
for our eldest's upcoming graduation;
and attend our midweek service at church.


Here is picture thought I am sharing...

"But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
~ Romans 5:8

Praise God for what He did for us on the cross...
for saving a sinner like me!

Our Haven at Home Happenings...

It's been another eventful week of
homeschooling, errand running, homekeeping,
training, learning, living... the blessings of life.

Just sharing some snapshots of our week...

We were blessed with beautiful weather on Monday
and the children were able to finish an Ancient Egypt craft.
They enjoyed painting their projects
and adding the final touches to it out-of-doors..








Their finished craft... serpent-headed throwing sticks...


{top to bottom: Carolynne's, Beth's, Will's}
In Ancient Egypt they were used for killing birds
but they will only be using them for target practice
and slithering around the house. ;o)

We, also, took advantage of the nice day
and took our trampoline down to dispose of it.
I was quite a few years old and just not safe anymore
so it had to go...
Ally helped take down the net...


And everyone helped carry the pieces to the curb for pickup...





It was a time of enjoyment for us to work outdoors.

Suzie enjoyed watching...


While working outside, the lil' girls discovered
some of their toys that had been left out.
They enjoyed taking them into the bathroom
to clean them so they could return them to their toybox...

... anything to play in water. ;o)

We, also, focused on learning this week.
I worked with the lil' girls in phonics and Language Arts.
We began a science/nature study read aloud
about spring and summer in North Carolina forests,
we continued with our Proverbs studies,
began reading Exodus in History,
and the children worked on their seatwork.


Will working on his math


Ally working on her Advanced Biology



Working on illustrations and coloring pages

Below are a few samples of
the younger children's illustrations this week...
{the samples can be clicked on to enlarge}

Moses in the River Illustrations...

The children's illustrations of when Moses' mother
set him in an ark to send him down the river to save his life
from Pharoah's orders to kill all the baby Hebrew boys. (Exodus 2)

Moses in Midian Illustrations...

The children's illustrations of Moses, after fleeing Egypt,
arriving at a well in Midian where seven daughters
of a Midian priest "run into trouble" with local shepherds.
Moses helps the daughters and gives them water from the well.

We discussed the pattern in Moses' character,
how he sought to help the beaten Hebrew slave in Egypt
(though the outcome was not good)
and how he helped these daughters in Midian
from mistreatment and injustice.


From our Proverbs study... Proverbs 1:20 Illustrations...

The children's illustrations of Proverbs 1:10...
"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."
The picture depicts a young man (on the right) facing
the temptation/pressure to do wrong by others (on the left).
The speech bubbles of the young men on the left:
"Hey, Come do this "bad thing" with us! It'll be fun!"
"Yeah! Come on! Let's do it!"
The young man on the right, holding His Bible
(which represents his desire to do right), says,
"No. It's not fun to do wrong."
Simple. Profound. Truth.


The rest of the week we ran errands
(trip to the commisary, taking the van in for some work,
running to the post office, etc...), worked around the house,
enjoyed fellowship with friends,
attended our midweek Bible and prayer service, etc...
The younger children decided to wear
their colonial clothes on Wednesday.
They enjoyed wearing them and it was fun to see them
in their clothes from our Williamsburg trip two years ago...



Tomorrow we hope to go to our homeschool park day,
Lord willing and if the rain takes the day off. ;o)
While there we hope to get a few snapshots
for possible senior pictures for Ally.
The graduation date is sneaking up on us quickly. ;o)

I hope y'all have had a good week!



"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah."
~ Psalm 68:19

Simple Woman's Daybook...

For today... March 30, 2009


Outside my window...
the sky is a clear, bright blue


I am thinking...
that the extra sleep this morning
was a wonderful blessing


I am thankful for...
Jesus Christ saving a wretch like me,
for His forgiveness and lovingkindness


From the learning rooms...
continue with our Proverbs study,
begin our reading in Exodus for history,
begin our study of Israel,
and other miscellaneous seatwork


From the kitchen...
dishes from the weekend wait to be washed,
the kitchen needs a good blessing {cleaning}
On the menu...
M ~ Wet burritos
T ~ Chicken and green bean packets
W ~ Lasagna
Th ~ Stir fry and brown rice
F ~ Sourdough Pizza


I am wearing...
round neck dress with purple and white floral pattern


I am creating...
the finishing touches
on my white regency dress and pelisse (need to hem),
new square neck dress for myself
and one for my sister


I am reading...
Numbers, Psalms, and Luke {KJB};
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God (almost done);
God's Ideal Woman


I am hoping (praying)...
for family and friends with spiritual needs;
revival in my heart, in my family,
in our church, and in our country


I am hearing...
the children playing games at the table


Around the house...
a house blessing (cleaning) is needed


One of my favorite things...
singing praises to my Wonderful Lord


A few plans for the rest of the week...
trip to the commissary, visit with friends,
sew as I am able, attend our midweek service,
go to our homeschool group's park day,
spend the week enjoying the children
and learning right along with them


Here is picture thought I am sharing...

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" ~ Titus 2:13

Oh, how I look forward to Christ's return!!
As the song says,
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see,
When I look upon His face,
The One Who saved me by His grace.
When He takes me by the hand
and leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be!


"He which testifieth these things saith,
Surely I come quickly. Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
~ Revelation 22:20

Haven at Home Happenings...

Another week has seemed to breeze by.
We didn't, perhaps, get all accomplished
as I would have liked but rather than focus
on what we didn't do, I rather praise God
for what we were able to do.
I had a few moments this morning
and just wanted to share a few snapshots
of our week at our haven at home...


Sunday morning, Will played his first offertory
in his Sunday school class...

He chose "No Not One"...
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! no, not one!
None else could heal all our soul's diseases,
No, not one! no, not one!
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! no, not one!

It was a blessing to hear him play for the Lord
and I'm so glad we have a Friend like Jesus.

The rest of our week was fairly casual,
with learning time here and there, running errands,
keeping our home, and just enjoying our time together...

Coloring early in the morning...







Piano lessons with sister...



Gleaning wisdom from God's Word...



Practicing keeper at home skills and blessing the family...



Painting an Ancient Egypt craft...

Serpent-headed throwing sticks...
used in Ancient Egypt to kill birds
but we won't be using them for that purpose. ;o)

Suzie enjoying a toy...

LOL

Also this week, we ordered Ally's graduation cap and gown,
which was a bittersweet event.
It's sometimes hard to believe how fast they grow!

Today we look forward to spending the day with friends.
I hope to finish sewing a prairie pinafore for my nieces
and, perhaps, work on the regency dress.
We, also, look forward to making a few homeschool plans
while enjoying the fellowship of friends.
I hope y'all have enjoyed your week, as well,
and have a wonderful weekend.



"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
~ 2 Corinthians 9:15