About Me

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WA, United States
I home school my kids, highly involved in my church, love to read, drink tea, and design tags.

Books I am reading now

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Verse of the Day

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I'm Thankful For......Today


Today I am thankful for a few things.  That is my post for today because of how extremely busy I am and also still in pain from kidney stone.
  • My camera: to catch fun times that we have together as a family, even if we are only at the store.
  • My Bible and books
  • Water: to help me flush this kidney stone
  • Friends: we're going camping with them for a much needed break
Now because I am so tired and have to get up so early to pack, I am heading out to lay down and veg before going to sleep.
 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Marvelous Monday!

I woke up bright and early this morning to get ready for this Marvelous Monday!  I just love Mondays.  I don't know if there is something wrong with me or what....but I do!  And today is a special Monday because the kids decided they want to start school early and early is today.  I have been preparing the teaching room and other things for school this morning.  We are all excited to start!
If you're a homeschooler, please jump over to my other blog and check out the new blog hop called Homeschool Happenings.  I am so excited about this and ready for it to take off and meet some other homeschool Moms and Students.
My blog is short today so I can get a move on our marvelous day!  Hope you have a Marvelous Monday also! 

The Ban Of High Fructose Corn Syrup In The U.S.: Why Ban HFCS?

The Ban Of High Fructose Corn Syrup In The U.S.: Why Ban HFCS?: " High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains MercuryAlmost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, w..."

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Homeschool Happenings: Introduction


Join up with a new blog hop for homeschoolers!  Students are teachers are welcome!  Click on the picture above to take you right to the post!!  Spread the word to other homeschoolers and meet fun new ways to teach and new blogging friends!

Kidney Stones

I am having kidney stone pains today.  I want to write a blog but I just don't have the energy.  And honestly, I doubt you all want to read about my whining.  I am hoping this counts as a blog for NaBloPoMo.  If not, I did blog earlier on my homeschool blog and here is the link for that.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Memoirs of a Geisha Disappointment


Tonight I was a little curious about the life of Geishas.  I picked up Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden to read last week and I was really enjoying it.  But then I learned that even though it is called a memoir, it is really a piece of fiction.  That is sadly disappointing to me.  
While I was googling "Geisha" tonight I saw an article about a real geisha.  Her name is Mineko Iwasaki.  I saw that she said the book Memoirs of a Geisha was  written very closely to her life.  The author, Arthur Golden, had interviewed her but was supposed to keep the identity a secret.  He let the cat out of the bag in his acknowledments though.  He claims his story is his own, she claims it is too close to hers to be his.
Now I don't want to finish reading the book.  I know that fiction books are just that, fiction.  But if you are going to write a fiction book that is based on something real like this, it should be more factual.  Mr. Golden has told untruths in this book, according to some people.  I like the story, but I don't like to wonder which facts are true or not I'm reading about.  
I will put this into the box for the garage sale goods and start reading the new book that I need to review.  Now to decided which one to start with first....

Friday, August 20, 2010

My Marriage

Good morning!  Today I am joining a marriage meme done by an author that I like.  Her name is Tricia Goyer and she is a Christian author.  I have read one of her books and I really liked it.  I have been following her on twitter and am friends with her on facebook for most of the year.  I love to follow her pictures and updates of their sweet little baby Alyssa and her older kids adventures back at home.
This morning Tricia has posted a marriage meme for us to join.  If you'd like to join in on this click here.  And by linking up with this meme you will be entered into a drawing to win copies of books called Generation NeXt Marriage and Generation NeXt Parenting on August 27.


  • How did you meet your husband? When I was 19 my parents had moved across the state.  I stayed here for a bit, then went back with them.  I had come back to visit my best friend and her boyfriend.  Greg was her boyfriends cousin and we met that night.
  • What did you first notice about him?   He was incredible sexy.
  • How long have you been married? We've been married for 12 years this November.
  • Share something you discovered about him after you were married that surprised you?  We weren't saved Christians when we got married and we had already been living together for a couple of years.  So I don't really remember what I learned after we were married.
  • What do you argue about the most?   Money.
  • What quality in him do you admire most?  How willing he is to help others.
  • What is the hardest part about being married?  Giving up the thought that I can do whatever I want because I am an adult.  Being married means working together and supporting each other. 
  • What’s the best part about being married?  The security.  I am so glad that I am not part of the dating world.  What a mess that is!
  • What has changed the most about you since you've been married?  I have become a saved Christian and learned many ways to be a good wife.  I try to implement those ways daily.
  • What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to other wives about creating a happy marriage?  I am going to sound very old fashioned here but this is what I truly believe.  To make a happy marriage a wife must look to the Lord and the Bible for how a wife needs to be.  Proverbs 31 is a great example to show what a woman's priority should be.  I think it is very important to follow God's laws and wishes for marriage to have a happy one.
  • What's the one peice of advice you'd give to your children about creating a happy marriage?  It's not all about you!

 

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Read-Aloud Thursday



I am currently reading books with both of my children.  I love reading with them.  It's so much fun and it's great to share something that I love so much with someone that I love so much!
Stinky and I are reading a Barbie book together.  With summer here we haven't been reading as much as we'd both like to though.  Um let's see, we are reading Barbie The Island Princess.  We have the movie and the kids like it.  It's a good one I think also.  This is a nice and easy chapter book for Sitnky to read with me.  She reads one page, I read the next.  
Bubba and I are reading The War of the Worlds condensed version for kids together.  I am not sure how much of this that he understands, but he loves the story.  So he must be getting some of it.  He drew a picture yesterday of one of the alien machines.  This is a great story and I really like it.  On my To Read Shelf is the whole version of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells.  I can't wait to read it!  

Friday's Fave Five

To join in on the fun for Friday's Fave Five click here!  


My favorite things from this past week have been:


1.  First week of school is planned: I have so much fun planning school and I am doing little by little so I still have lots to plan for the year.  Otherwise I will find other things to plan.  It is one of my spiritual gifts. 


2.  Back to School Scavenger Hunt: I created a scavenger hunt of things that they are going to be learning about this year.  They had found everything within 20 min max so I need to make it harder next time I suppose.


3.  Marjory, My Coffee Friend:  My friend from church has been my coffee savior lately while things have been tough for me.  She brought me coffee as a gift on Sunday and I was so excited!  It's the little things that make me happy!


4.  A Friend's Salvation:  I have been taking my friend Jessica to church with me.  Her daughter accepted Jesus as her savior this summer during VBS and her son did it last year during VBS.  Jessica talked with my Pastor and Asst. Pastor on Sunday about getting saved, getting baptized and becoming a member of the church.  Jessica did get saved and now all 3 of them are going through the process of becoming a member of the church and they will get baptized.

5.  New Free Books:  I got The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo from Tyndale books for free and I got What in the World is Going on? by Dr. David Jeremiah free from Booksneeze.com.  After I read these books I am expected to write a book review and post it on my blog and another website they give you to choose from.  After I am finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha, I will start with The Devil in Pew Number Seven first.






















Thursday Thunks

Welcome to the August 19th edition of Thursday Thunks!
(which we always seem to post on Wednesday)
Where we make you think a little bit before you blog!
We pick a subject, and your job is to interpret it anyway you want.
Write about it on your blog... simple as that.
Maybe you can interpret it as a picture - we don't care!

Please only leave a link if you have written a Thursday Thunks post.
Don't forget to go visit the other
participants' blogs.
Read and comment about all their Thursday Thunks responses!
That's what all this is about after all, isn't it?
We'll have so much fun and become lifelong friends....


The TT questions are brought to you by Berleen, the color of lightning bolts and the number 1.

A. If you see a tornado out your window, what do you do?

Well I think my first thoughts would be, how in the world do we have a tornado in the mountains?!  Then I would do the mad scramble to get the kids and cats into the...bathtub?  Is that what you do in a tornado?  I don't know.
B. A celebrity knocks on your door saying that their tour bus/limo/pedal bike broke down (you pick the transportation)... who is it and what do you do to help them?

Well if I got to choose, it would Joey McIntyre and I would do whatever to help him.  I would offer a phone, a ride, a place to sleep.....get your mind out of the gutters here, I am married!  I have an extra couch.
C. Brett is back on the Vikings - do you really give a crap?

I am going to assume that Brett is Brett Favre and no, I don't really give a crap.
D. What side of the bed do you think Bud sleeps on?

His side
E. Cookie Monster eats vegetables now. Is this ok with you? 

Only if he sings, "Veggies veggies veggies start with V"
F. All the TT's get together for coffee... which state do we meet in?

If we're meeting for coffee, let's meet in my state.  Washington is the state for coffee!  We can go to Starbucks or right next door to it is Starbucks!
G. Is the town you live in famous for anything? Infamous for anything? 

It seems that my town is not famous for anything.  How boring.  We do have a Starbucks though! 
H. Coffee flavored bubble gum - would you?

As much as I love coffee, that just sounds......gag-worthy
I. So Kimber lost her fight with a granite table.... what did you ever lose a fight with? 

I lost a fight with a baby gate once.  It tore my pink toe out of the socket last summer.  I showed that gate though, I threw it in the dumpster!
J. Have you ever slept beneath the stars?

Yes I have.  My sister and I spent the night at a friends' house once and we slept outside in her playhouse swingset.
K. School is starting up soon, or has for some, did you get a new pair of tennis shoes every year while you were in school? 

Yes we did get new shoes for school every year.  The ones I remember the most were my Punky Brewster tennis shoes that I got in the 4th or 5th grade.  Lots of people at school teased me, but I thought they were cool and didn't really care what others thought!  If you remember her shoes, they didn't match.  How weird was it to buy shoes that didn't match?  I loved them.
 
L. What two flavors do you love that you would never want to taste at the same time?

I wouldn't want to taste coffee and grape together.
M. If you could shave a quote into a lions fur, what would it say? 

Hmmm, I am not good at questions like this.  I would probably put something stupid on it like, "I was here" or something.
N. Did you ever accidentally walk in on your parents doing the nasty? Did you ever purposely walk in on them?

Oh ick!  One time I walked in on accident.  It scarred me for life.  NEVER on purpose!!  How sickening!
 

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Things I Need to do for Homeschool

I am  making a Back To School Scavenger Hunt for the kids.  I made the list of the items that they will need to search for.  Now I just want to divide up the list and specify a few things.  I am going to add a twist to it and some things they may have to actually "show" me, or "draw" me instead of "collecting" them for me.
In the process of writing that above, I forgot what the other thing was.  That is why I was writing them out.  Oh well.  Hopefully I'll remember later or tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Coming Soon...Spread the Word Homeschooling Moms!

I found a meme last year to join for homeschooling but the blog author gave it to another blog author to do and I never saw it again.  So I decided to try to start my own.  I want a weekly meme called Homeschool Happenins' so us Homeschooling Moms can post weekly about our adventures.  I am going to host this blog meme on my homeschooling blog called Teaching At Home in a Christian Way.  So if you don't already follow that blog and would like to and join the fun, please do!  Please tell your other Homeschool Moms that you know about it also.  I am in the process of making a button for it, so stay tuned!

Oops! I forgot!

Have you ever started something with all intentions to actually follow through with it, then life catches up with you and you get busy here and there and it dawns on you.....you forgot!?  Well I just did that.  I forgot that I was supposed to be doing the Summer Devotions Challenge 2010.  I still have read my devotions here and there, my Bible almost every day, but forgot about logging it and such.  Oh, and the such is memorizing Bible verses, which I am horrible at for some reason.  I remember bits and pieces of them all......
Anywhoo, I thought today I would share what I use for my devotions.  I do not read all of these books every day.  I like to have a variety to choose from or else I get bored.  
I always start with reading my Bible.  I read a chapter or two, even three sometimes.  I bought a new Bible a little over a year ago.  Before I bought it, I asked my Pastor at church which Bible he recommended. He recommended two Bibles that are study Bibles and are the truest Bibles published.  I don't remember what the other was, but the one I bought and the one he uses is the Ryrie Study Bible King James Version.  I ordered mine from Christianbooks.com and so I could order it more how I wanted it.  I got the fake leather, I believe, in Burgundy.  I included the finger indent labeled tabs on the sides for the books of the Bible and my name on the outside cover.  I fell in love with this Bible the minute I got it.  I love the study notes that included with it and I NEVER skip reading them.  You learn so much!  
The rest of the books that I use for devotions are kept in a basket right now.  I believe I am going to find something different to put them in though because that basket would work perfectly for my embroidery and cross-stitch patterns, floss, etc.  So I am not going to post a picture of it.  It's just a little picnic basket.  I include other things that I might want for my devotions in the basket also.  Such as pen, pencil, highlighter, and reference books for Bible verses.  
The Power of a Praying Parent Book of Prayers by Stormie Omartian is a great book to read a prayer from each morning.  I love this little prayer book.  I want to buy The Power of a Praying Wife Book of Prayers next!  I am not really eloquent at praying.  It works for me to use a written prayer.  Then the more of them I read, the better my prayers get....I'm hoping.  I know I don't need to strive for something that I'm not, especially in my prayers.  But this adds ideas for me to pray for also.  
For Bible verses on different topics I turn to my The Bible Promise Book published by Barbour Books.  I received this book as a gift when I was a member of Cafemom.com.  I designed tags for different groups there and most of the groups were Christian based only.  I was asked to be a guest designer for a Bible study group and this was the gift they sent me after doing it.  I was so surprised and grateful!  It has been one of the handiest books that I have.  There are lots of different topics in it, from Anger to Worship.
I bought a prayer journal not too long ago.  It is such a pretty book that I have yet to write in it!  I am afraid to mess up the beautiful pages by my messy handwriting.  Isn't that stupid?!  It's called Everyday Prayers Journal and it's also printed by Barbour Books.  This journal is separated by topics also.  There are a few pages for each topic with separate little prayers typed in to help guide and direct you.  I really should use this soon.
There is a book and study guide that I have included in my basket that is also by Stormie Omartian.  It's the Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Wife Prayer and Study GuideI read these books one chapter at a time.  I try to reflect upon them for a week.  If I miss a little bit of time, I will spend a week maybe reviewing and practicing techniques that I've already learned.  I believe if I would really implement these books like I need to things would be more blessed by the Lord for myself, husband and family.
Another book of devotions that I just recently bought and only read one chapter from so far is called The Coffee Mom's Devotional by Celeste Palermo.  This book is 30 devotions that are perfect for busy coffee loving moms.  I really like what I have glanced at and read so far.  But I want to work slowly through this book and practice the techniques that I learn in there also.
Hope for Each Day by Billy Graham is a devotional that I was given as a gift for Christmas this past year.  It has a devotion for each day of the year.  As I stated before, I do forget to read these, so I haven't read each day this year from this book.  But I will probably keep it forever, as long as I am alive and will probably read each day at one time or another.  These are short, easy to read and understand.
The last item inside my basket is a blank journal.  I use this to take notes in, or write down questions that I have.  Maybe I will see somewhere a book or a topic that I want to read, so I write that down.  It's just very handy to have it nearby.  
What do you have in your devotions basket?  If you don't have a basket, what do you have?  Link up with me below to share with others!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Grilled Paninis at Home


Tonight I needed to find a way to use up some ham lunch meat that we had left in the fridge that someone gave to us.  I love to get grilled paninis at Safeway and I happened upon a recipe in my cookbook for just that!  Was that lucky or what?
I got this recipe from Kraft Food & Family magazine which I used to get in the mail all of the time.  I haven't received one for quite a while....I wonder why.  But I didn't do it quite the way they suggested, so really, they only gave me the idea.  And I bet mine turned out better the way I did it!
Sourdough bread (1/2" thick)
Mayo
Ham lunchmeat
American cheese
I added spicy dijon mustard and turkey to mine.
Pre-heated George Foreman Grill or other sandwich griller machine
 
Spread butter on the underside of a piece of bread. On other side spread mayo, spicy dijon, and add cheese, turkey and ham.  Put the top piece of bread on and spread butter on the top, outside.  Put into grill.  It took about 5 minutes or so to grill, each one going faster than the next.  

There are many variations that you can do with this.  Bacon on it would be really good.  With another cheese, maybe Swiss.  Or Harvarti!  Mmmmm I'm getting hungry again!  
I don't usually blog about food, but I just had to share this recipe tonight.  It is so easy to get something really nummy!
 
 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Bringing My Friends To Christ

I am not one who will go door to door, or walk up to a stranger and strike up a conversation about Jesus.  If I have reason to assume that another person is a Christian, I will try to find some way to talk about Christ with them.  But evangelizing to total strangers for no reason is just not something I am comfortable with.  
What I am comfortable is bringing or inviting people to church that I already know has that curiosity of the hunger for Jesus Christ.  I have brought friends and children to church who then became saved, baptized, became a member of the church or frequently attended after I brought them.  I have had the pleasure of bringing 2 adults and 3 children to church with me and having seen all of them get saved.  I was personally there with both adults when it happened.  One of the children I was bringing invited a friend who also got saved.
What a glorious feeling to be bringing in a larger family for Christ!  It is pleasing to be able to honor Him in that way.  I am not proud of me, I am proud that He used me. 
Today I was there to witness an extremely close friend get saved and agree to join the church with her children!  Her children both already got saved, one during VBS last year and one during VBS this year.  I am so excited about this!   It is goose-bumping goodness!


Dear Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that you have used me to fulfill Your heavenly desires.  Without You, I could not have done this.  Lord, I pray that you fill those 3 new Christians with Your Holy Spirit and allow them to feel Your love.  I am so excited about this Jesus!  Who else can I bring to church?  Lord send more my way!  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Reorganization of My Household Notebook

The other day I was going through and reorganizing my household notebook.  I wanted to take out the stuff that I didn't need anymore and add a few new things in.  A couple of the things that I included this time are worth mentioning for those of you who like to get ideas for your own household notebooks.  
Since I am a homeschooler mom, I have lots of stickers for school.  But I usually forget to use them because they are put away on the shelf with the homeschool things.  I decided to take one of my 3-ring plastic sheet covers and slip all of the stickers in one of those.  That worked well!  Now I can keep the stickers with me easier because they are in my notebook.
The other handy thing that I added was the different book lists for different categories that I pick up at the library.  I did the same thing with those as with the stickers and it works wonderfully!
I also added a folder in my notebook for homeschool items suck as papers for scheduling, notes or my grading scale.  
After I buy some ink and paper for my printer, I will be adding a few new things into my household notebook. Until then....
No actually, I will be back tomorrow!  You won't get rid of me that easy!


Friday, August 13, 2010

Friday's Fave Five #100th Post

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FyIbQkXbLIc/TGTKvSTRW5I/AAAAAAAAFZo/TG_1VTf7Gc0/s1600/100th+post.jpg


This week is Friday's Fave Five 100th post!  This blog meme is hosted by Susanne at Living To Tell The Story.  Susanne writes a very nice blog and I love to read her posts!
Today she has asked that we do a little change for this list and instead of listing our favorite things over the past week, list our favorite things about doing this meme.  This is my 3rd time joining in on this one.



1.  FFF causes me to look back and think over my past week.  It causes me to look hard for something good if it was a bad week.  God is always going to send me little things that are good in the midst of the big bad things.
2.  FFF has led me to Susanne.  I don't know her, but she seems like a very caring and mature Christian woman.  I love to read her blog, I love the look of her blog and I just love her writing.
3.  FFF has brought a few new followers.  I am not going for a large amount, just some people that will actually read my blog and maybe get inspired or helped.  
4.  I like to be positive.  FFF encourages that!  It is nice to think about the positive things that have happened to myself over the week.  Or the things that made me stop and thank the Lord for whatHhe gave me.
5.  FFF has blessed me by reading some other people's blessings.  Sometimes when you read others words or what they are thankful for, it can give you a new perspective on something that is going on in your life.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Poisonous Plants


I found a list that I have with a table of poisonous plants.  Some of these plants I was not aware were poisonous!  I received this list from Pierce County Noxious Weed Control Board and the Pierce County Cooperative Extension Service.  It is by no means a complete list, but it includes plants that are common around this area of Pierce County.  Many of these plants you may find in your area or in your home.  It is certainly worth taking the time to glance at this and be prepared.

Plants Causing Dermatitis (skin disorders)
Calla Lilly, Cow Parsnip, Daffodil, Devils Club, Dog Fennel, Giant Hogweed, Iris, Leafy Spurge, Moleplant (Caper spurge), Motherwort, Petty Spurge, Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Primrose (obconia - green house introduced from Eurasia) Smartweed, Stinging Nettle, St. Johnswort, Wilde Carrot, Wild Ginger, Yellow Jessamine
* THESE PLANTS ARE DEADLY IN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS AND CAN CAUSE DEATH!

I will list the common name first, then the part of the plant that is poisonous.

Azalea, Leaves
Baneberry, Berries
Bleeding Heart, Root
Bluebonnets, Seed
Bracken Fern, Mature Plant
Buckeye (Horse Chestnut), Nut
Burning Bush, Leaves
Buttercup, Leaves
Castor-Bean Plant, Seeds
Cherry-Wild, Leaves (wilted)
Choke Cherry, Leaves and Seed
Christmas Rose, Leaves
Cowbane (Oxypolis Plant), Root
Daffodil, Bulb
Daphne (Mezereum), Berries
Death Camas (or Death Onion), All Parts
Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane), All Parts
Delphinium (Larkspur), Leaves
Lobelia, All parts
Lupin, Seed
Mock Oranges, Fruit
Monkshood, Root
Mt. Laurel, Any Part (uncooked)
Narcissus, Bulb
Nightshade (Bitter), Berries
Oleander, Leaves
Peach Tree, Leaves when steeped
*Poison Hemlock, All parts
Pokeweek, Roots
Potato, Sun Burned Portion
Red Elderberry, Scarlet Berries
Rhododendron, Any Part (uncooked)
Rhubarb, Leaves
Scotch Broom, Seed
Skimmia (Skimmia Japonica Thumb), Entire Plant
Spreading Dogbane, Entire Plant
Fall Crocus (Colchium), Bulb
Foxglove, Leaves
Giant Hogweed, Stems (sap)
Holly, Berries
Horsetail, Entire Plant
Iris, Underground Stem
Ivy, Leaves
Jerusalem Cherry (solanum-pseudo capsicum), Fruit or Yellow Cherry
Jimson Weed (Thorn Apple), Entire Plant
Laburnum, (Golden Chain), Seeds and Pods
Larkspur, Leaves
Lily-of-the-Valley, Entire Plant
Sweet Pea, Seeds and Stem
Tansy (Button), Leaves
Tansy Ragwort, Entire Plant
Tobacco, Leaves
Tomato, leaves
Tulip, Bulb (Uncooked)
Vetches, Seeds
*Water Hemlock, Roots
Yellow Jessamine, Nectar and Blossom
Yew, All Parts

Interesting list, no?  I was surprised by a few things I saw on there.  
 

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

It's All About Me!


It's all about me!  Now that is something that you don't hear me say.  Because it's never all about me.  But this blog post, it is!  Most of my followers know a few things about me that I repeat over and over or because I am constantly taking photos of them.  I am a Christian, I love to read books, I love to drink coffee and my favorite animals are cats and sheep.  But what are some of the unseen things about me that you as an online audience don't get to experience?
Well lets start with something simple, just me.  I am a pretty plain person.  I am not beautiful, but I also don't consider myself ugly.  I am simple.  T-shirts and jeans are usually my dress of choice.  I am definitely a jeans-wearing gal.  Levi's are the best!  I do like to be a little girly and dressy so I like to wear a nice pair of heels with my jeans, but mostly I wear good ole tennis shoes.  I am not a high maintenance lady.  I brush my hair when it's dry, I usually don't when it's wet.  I don't style my hair, but wear pony tails and braids.  I wear 2 rings every single day.  One is my wedding ring and the other is the promise ring that Greg got me.  Other jewelry I don't usually wear unless I am dressing up.  Oh, I do have a belly button ring but no one sees that but Greg and I, so I wear whatever ring I want.  I don't wear makeup very often.  Every now and then I wear it to church, usually when we perform or for special occasions.  
I like to decorate my house very simply and more of a country styled theme.  I don't care for modern deco and I don't like dark.  So I tend to stay with relaxing or bright colors and comfort.  My tastes are very basic.  I don't need flashy, extravagant, spendy, name brand, large or whatever else it is.  I do not decorate like my house is going to be in a magazine either.  It is surrounding myself with things that I love, things that are useful for myself and my family and making it easy for everyone that decorates my home.  
I am very easy to please.  The smallest gifts will make my day.  I'm always happy with paper, pens, pencils, stickers or markers.  I collect coffee mugs, sheep, cats, and school supplies.  Lol.  Seriously.  My favorite store is Borders near my house because when you walk in I can smell my two favorite things besides Jesus.  Coffee and pages of a brand new book.  Those are two pages that I just can't deny.  Inhale.........exhale.......ahhhhhhhhh  Those are definitely my favorite smells. 
So, who has any questions?  I have a couple of minutes left to take a few.  Who's first?

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

My Homeschooling Blog

If you'd like to keep up on my homeschooling more thoroughly than what I post here, go to my blog, Teaching At Home In A Christian Way.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Going Green

Today, right after I was done doing my devotions, I decided to look in the Bible for a blog topic.  My search started with the word green, for the NaBloPoMo theme for August.  What I found was particularly interesting to me, and I think even pertains to us in these days.
My small concordance had one verse in it for the word "green".  It referred me to Luke 22:31.
For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
That verse in itself made absolutely no sense to me.  So I backed up a few verses and read more from Luke 22, starting with verse 26:
And as they led him away, the laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. 
So now I know, this is Jesus' walk up to the cross.  I kept on reading:
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.  28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.  29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.  30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.  31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
My study Bible says that Jesus is referring to himself, the perfect Lamb of God as a green tree.  A green tree is a new tree, right?  A babe tree.  A baby is innocent.  Jesus was innocent and brought to the cross  to die in his innocence.  If they could do that to someone who was innocent, what would be done to those trees that are dry?  Who are the dry trees?  The Jews.  They had committed this heinous sin and mockery of our Lord Jesus, who was innocent.  Green.  Think of the sins that will befall them!  The horrors that they would see during the time of war.  

After this thought occurred to me, I prayed.  
Lord, please show me if this is a devotion that You want me to blog about.  If this is something that you want me to do, please allow Your words to flow from my fingertips.  In Jesus' name, Amen.
Here is where I tie this together with us.  Have you ever thought in our troublesome times that those who are not able to have kids may actually be the lucky ones?  Now think of this with me for a moment.  I am not saying that those of us with beautiful children that we love are not lucky because we all know that the Bible tells us that children are a gift from God.  My point is that myself and other parents that I have spoken to about this, agree that it is sad that we are bringing up children in such a horrible world.  The world just continues to get scarier and scarier.  More and more dangerous.  I imagine that there will be times when we will be so scared for the safety of our children, that we may be filled with sadness that we have brought them up during these times.  
But here is where we trust in the Lord.  For he is our Refuge, our Shelter, our Savior and Redeemer.  He will take care of us and He is always with us.  As we place our trust in Him, we do not have to look back with fear, sadness or regret that we have had children in this chaotic world.  We can be blessed with the knowledge that God granted us these children because He knows what is going on!  He has the plans, not us!  We MUST place our trust in Him to lead us, guide us, protect us and love us!  There is no other option as a Christian.  When you fear, you don't trust.  There is not room for both together in your heart.  Be strong in the Lord and raise your children to love Him and trust Him.
 

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Beyond Opinion Book Review by Ravi Zacharias



Reading Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias is not a book for light readers.  I am not a light reader, but this book was a little over my head.  I understand some of it, but it seems to be written in a different language and/or for highly educated individuals.  I was a little disappointed to learn that most of the book is not even written by Ravi Zacharias and there is nothing on the front cover that suggests there are other authors involved.  
The book is split up into 3 different areas.  The first is learning how to deal with questions that are difficult for Christians to answer.  This part covers atheism, Islam, youth and a few other areas that are challenging to Christians to discuss.  There were parts in this that I understood and will help me to witness to an atheist or a younger person.  It also touched upon the questions behind the questions for faith, doubts, morality, and evilness.  
The second section takes the questions a little more into the internalization of Christianity.  It talk about the trinity, spiritual transformation and denial.  
The third section of the book takes us into how we, as Christians, can be sure to live the life that we are supposed to live.  We are supposed to show the way by how we live our lives.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Saturday, August 7, 2010





Last night was a great Girls Night In for me!  I had a good friend come over and spend the night with me.  We got silly, we danced to NKOTB, we played a few wii games and a couple other fun things.  It was very relaxing for us.  Well, hopefully it was as relaxing for her as it was for me. 
It's nice to be able to slow down every once in a while and just hang out with someone.  It is good refreshment for a soul and attitude.
We did not get much sleep, but sleep can be sacrificed for a night for some girly fun.  I survived today and that is what I am most afraid of.  I am getting too old to skip out on sleep and usually the next day I pay for it.  I'm doing ok today though.
It may have a little something to do with taking a nap this afternoon....it wasn't a long nap, but I needed it.  After my nap I heard that my step-daughter was coming over for a quick visit.  I decided that since I have been so good about keeping up on my housework that I better do a few things today to keep up that appearance.  I washed dishes, we picked up the living room and bathroom and we're all grateful that we've been keeping this clean so there wasn't much to do.
Now I am sitting down with a cup of coffee and enjoying the almost quite in my house.  Everyone is outside visiting with my step-daughter, except for Kyle who is playing the wii.  That is mostly all I hear now.  I have a couple books to read and I still haven't been able to do my devotions for the day.  I can't forget to do those.  
Tomorrow is church and Sunday school.  I need to get my lesson all together tonight.  We don't have bell practice tomorrow because there are too many people gone.  But we are going to our friends' daughter's birthday party in the afternoon.  That should be fun.  And nummy with a BBQ!
I suppose I should sign out, this post seems to be pretty boring.  There is not a whole lot going on.  

I do have an issue that I have been giving a lot of thought to lately and I think I have pretty much figured out my solution.  Some people will not be happy with my decision, but that is too bad.  I need to do what is right for myself and my family.  And that means doing things that may anger or hurt others.  If you feel like praying for me, that would be greatly appreciated.  The Lord knows what my issue is.   

  

Friday, August 6, 2010

This Blog Brought to You by Friday Follow, Fridays Five Fave and The Color Green

Good morning Friday Followers and Friday's Fave 5 friends.  What better way is there to start a blogging morning out with those two?!  I have put a little twist on the Friday's Fave 5 this week though.  Instead of listing my favorite 5 things this past week, I am going to list my 5 favorite green things.  Because I am blogging every day this month for NaBloPoMo and the theme is GREEN so I thought I'd try to do that today.  

1.  Trees: I just love trees.  All sorts of trees.  They stand so tall and stately, a picture of how Jesus wants me to stand.  Strong and rooted, in His love.  Able to stand the storms and reach higher and higher for the Son.  My favorite trees are the ones that spread out like a canopy, their leaves covering me like a green blanket from nature.  God's fingers and hands, lightly sheltering me from the heat of the hot sun, or the pour of the rain.  Those trees make the perfect kind of play houses for kids also!


2.  Spinach: I am not a fan of salad, because I don't care for lettuce that is white, light green or watery.  But give me a bowl of fresh spinach greens and Mmmm mmmm good!!

3.  My blanket: I have a blanket that is a light green color to match the walls in my Living room.  I love fuzzy blankets, which this is.  And it is large so it is easy to wrap myself up in, nestle onto the couch and stay warm and cozy in it.  It is perfect for Summer evenings when all I need is a light covering and perfect on the cold Winter days when I want to be warm.  

4.  Frogs: Frogs are interesting little creatures.  I have done some reading on them and they are all differently weird.  lol  Frogs are just cute.  I love to catch them!  I also like the saying for FROG, Fully Rely On God.  And that's all I've got to say about that.  And of course, my favorite frog is Kermit!



5. Leaves:  I know that I mentioned trees already, but I really like leaves too.  Some of my favorite leaves are Hostas leaves.  They are so big, bold and beautiful.  To me, many leaves are more eye pleasing than flowers.  Big Maple leaves are fun to collect and do projects with or rake into a pile for the kids to jump into.  I also like traveling, crawling, clinging leaves like ivy.    


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