Thy Word

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine's party 2012!

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

We had our homeschool Valentine's Day party at our church this past Monday. We had a great time getting together with friends, playing games, and sharing lunch. We also exchanged Valentines, decorated cookies and enjoyed fellowship! Thanks for coming, friends!

Enjoy the pics!

Playing Conversation Heart Bingo!

Exchanging Valentines...

Looking at Valentines...

We decorated Heart shaped cookies....

The girls loved chatting and decorating!

And this is what the boys were doing!

The whole group at the end!

Friendship Riddles

2012-02-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

These are some riddles that we used when I taught Pre-K classes at a local preschool. The teacher that I worked with always had clever ideas like this, to get kids to think of rhyming words and words that would fit in a sentence, as beginning reading tactics. She would write these on strips and put them in a sentence strip board. She would outline one word in a color, and that was the color the kids needed to rhyme with... I will highlight it below in red. The italicized words in parenthesis are not included for the children, only for you as teacher! You could use these with your own kids or if you're a teacher, at school!

Riddle 1
Some food in on the table
A friend is standing back.
You walk up to her and say
Let's go share our _________. (snack)

Riddle 2
Looking sad and lonely
Your friend sits on the rug.
Since you want to cheer him up
You offer him a __________. (hug)

Riddle 3
You have two robots in your hand
You see a watching boy.
Now you could play alone or say,
"I'd like to share this __________." (toy)

Riddle 4
A girl is sitting in a two-seat swing
looking sad and blue.
You think, "I'd like to be her friend."
You say, "I'll swing with __________." (you)

Riddle 5
You really wish that doll was yours,
Now help your friends to learn.
Would it be best to grab, or say
"Could I please have a __________?" (turn)

Riddle 6
Just one more time, think hard and say
the words to answer this:
To show you are a friend you can
Give your friend a __________. (kiss)

I really enjoy getting my kids to think in this creative way, and also gets them to think about ways to be a friend, which is great around Valentine's Day! We can talk about these things with our children, to teach them kindness and love!

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. "Ephesians 4:32

Music Monday: All About Love

2012-02-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, one of my favorite artists made a CD of love songs for his wife. He even covered the song "500 Miles (I'm gonna Be)" by Bare Naked Ladies. He has a variety of songs, from the questioning song, "How Do I Love Her?" to the sweet ballad, "I Will Be Here", which Joshua sung at our wedding! It is one of my favorite CDs to enjoy each February! This song is a jamming, upbeat song, and I hope you'll take a listen to it!

All About Love- Steven Curtis Chapman
You can listen to this song on YouTube here.

We've got CDs, tapes and videos, radios and TV shows
Conferences, retreats and seminars
We've got books and magazines to read on everything from A to Z
And a web to surf from anywhere we are
But I hope with all this information buzzing through our brains
That we will not let our hearts forget the most important thing is

Love love love love love ...it's all about
Love love love love love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
It's all about love

Now they're fighting in the Middle East and they're fighting down on 7th street
And there are fights in my own house on given days
It's like something's lurking deep inside that can't seem to be satisfied
But life was not meant to be lived this way
'Cause it's true for every man and woman, every boy and girl
That our only hope for living here together in this world is ...

Love love love love love ...it's all about
Love love love love love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love

This is the reason we were made
To know the love of our creator
And to give the love He's given us away
Yeah, the Maker and the Father and the God of everything
He says to ...

Love love love ... He says love love love
Love love love ... 'cause after all it's all about love
God says ...

Love love love love love ...it's all about
Love love love love love
Everything else comes down to this
Nothing any higher on the list than love
'cause after all it's all about love

Lyrics found here.

Stir-Fry Ham with Raisins recipe

2012-02-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love a good stir-fry? A little Oriental food is one area that I tend to neglect in my menu planning, but when I do slip it in, it is a taste-sensation and surprise!

This recipe is from our church cookbook, and an older woman in church submitted this recipe. It sounds a bit unusual, but I really like the combination of sweet, crunchy and salty.

Stir-Fry Ham with Raisins

1 large onion, cut in wedges
2 large stalks celery
1 small green pepper, cut in chunks
1/2 lb. ham (cut in fingers)
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange peel
Rice

Cook ham quickly in hot oil until it begins to brown. Add vegetables and raisins. Cook, stirring about 5 minutes. Add cornstarch mixed with soy sauce, juice and peel. Cook, stirring until sauce clears and thickens, and veggies are crisp tender. Serve over rice. Serves 4. *May use turkey ham.

When I did this recently, I didn't have orange juice, so I juiced an orange, and it worked well. I also didn't have cornstarch (where did it go?!) so I omitted it, and the recipe still tasted wonderful.

Let me know if you try it, I'd love to hear your review!

American Girl class: Addy Week 3

2012-02-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

We had another fun Addy class this Tuesday!

We made Shadow Puppets, from a pattern I found in Addy's Craft Book. We traced, cut them and decorated them. Then each girl got three dowels to hold them, one on each arm and one in the center. I bought 36" lengths of 1/8' dowels, and my hubby helped me trim them each into thirds, so they were all about 12" in length. Then we taped them onto the body parts. I also gave the girls each three mini-brads (found in the scrapbook section of the craft store). They punched holes and put the brads in to make joints, and hold the arms together. The dolls were decorated with colored pencils. I thought about trying to decorate them with fabric and ribbons, but I was worried that would take too much time. It took more time than I thought with the girls just coloring them! The girls were even giving them names...They turned out cute!

tracing the dolls...

coloring the dolls and putting in brads...

All done!

For snack we had Sweet Potato Pudding-- it was yummy! You can find the recipe here. Almost all of the girls really liked this snack. It reminded me of Thanksgiving, but a little sweeter than what I usually make!

We also"made" fleece scarves. Each girl got one length of 42" X 6" piece of fleece. They didn't require much work, only trimming the ends into fringe and tying the fringe (if they wanted). Addy saw a red scarf in the book that she wanted for her mother, so this is similar to that! It seemed fitting to have a new red cozy scarf right before Valentine's Day!

Trimming their scarves...

The 2:00 class...

tracing and cutting their dolls...

Coloring her doll with her own markers!

Taping on the dowels...

Cutting the scarves....

It was quite the enjoyable day! We didn't get to work on our braided rugs, with the two crafts. I don't know that we'll have time next week either!

We are now halfway done with Addy already. I'm glad the girls have been enjoying the books. :-D

Wordless Wednesday: Amaryllis

2012-02-08T09:16:00.008-07:00

For Christmas this past year, a fellow pastor and his wife gave us a lovely amaryllis bulb kit, to bloom this winter. Little did I know how quickly it would bloom, and how much it would brighten my kitchen and my winter!

I began to take photos of it, since it has just been amazing to watch grow. Literally, we can watch it grow! I will water it, come back 2 hours later and it has changed-- a new shoot popping out, a stem longer than before, a bloom opened more, or another bloom beginning!

Here are some photos of our amaryllis and it's growth... Enjoy!

JANUARY 18, EVENING

JANUARY 20, NOON

JANUARY 22, 9 AM

JANUARY 23, 2 PM

JANUARY 30, LATE EVENING

JANUARY 31, 6 PM

FEBRUARY 1, 10 PM

The transformation is amazing, isn't it?

It reminds me of these verses...

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27 (NIV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27

Creative Names...

2012-02-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

My older daughter Rebekah was quite creative when she was 3 or 4 and naming her bears and dolls. We had a "Baby Susie" for years, but one day she got a new bear from her favorite babysitter. I asked her what she was going to name it, and without hesitation, she responded, "Jeff." And Jeff it was!

My 2nd daughter Mallory inherited a lot of Rebekah's already named stuffed animals and bears. She received a doll for Christmas 2010 and it was already named Olivia. Last week she was showing me a little stiffed dog she had gotten this past Christmas. "What's it's name?" I asked her. "Olivia." I responded, "You already have an Olivia, you should name it something else..." "Nope, I like Olivia." Then a little while later, she informed me that she had decided to call that doggie, "Cupcake." Oh, cute!

My youngest, Bethany is not so creative when it comes to naming dolls and animals. Rebekah gave the two younger girls several stuffed animals last week, and they have been non-creatively naming them. The Beanie Baby lamb = Lambie. The Beanie Baby pig= "Piggie". The different sized Elmos are "Big Elmo" and "Little Elmo." She has a purple bear that she calls "Beary Bear." :-D

She had a green stuffed smaller bear last week. She said, "Mom, what should I name it?" "Hmm, I like Shamrock..." I told her. She didn't say anything to me about it, but looked directly at her sister and said, "Shall we call it Mallory or Bethany?" Lol- guess she didn't like my name choice! Later in the day, she decided to call it "Cute Bear." Not very descriptive, but that is what stuck...

She has several dogs that she likes and carries around during the day. They are all called... "Doggie!" One of them she was recently nursing! Here is it's picture...

Yep, she was nursing the yellow xylophone dog! It still makes me giggle. Maybe she will become more creative before she becomes a mother! :-D

My children are precious to me and to God...

"Jesus took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.'" Mark 9:36-38 (NIV)

Proverbs for Parenting

2012-02-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

We have been reading the Proverbs during homeschool each morning, and I am amazed how relevant that they are to our lives daily. I was reminded recently of these proverbs for parenting, which I have posted on my fridge. A friend of mine gave me this list years ago and I have really liked it. I agree with God's word and its teachings! There is so much wisdom found in the Bible. It is always a source of guidance for me. I hope it is for you too!

PROVERBS FOR PARENTING

Hear, my son your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Prov. 1:8

Teach your children My words and commands, to understand what is right and just, and knowledge and under-standing will guard you. Prov. 2:1-11

Do not despise the Lord’s discipline, for the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father does with the son in whom he delights. Prov 3:11, 12

Hear your parent’s instructions, do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you. Do not swerve to the right or the left, but turn your feet from evil. Prov 4:1-27

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him, while there is still hope. Prov 13:24, 19:18

The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him. Prov 20:7

A child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right. Prov 20:11

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Prov 22:6

Foolishness is bound up in a child’s heart, but the rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Prov 22:15

Pay attention and listen to the words of the wise, and apply them to your heart. Put your trust in the LORD, teach true and reliable words, and give sound answers to those who ask you. Prov 22:17-21

The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. Prov 29:15

Discipline your son, and he will bring you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Prov 29:17

The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out and eaten by the birds.

Prov 30:17

GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE IN PROVERBS:

Laziness, industry and hard work: Prov 6:6-11, 13:4, 18:9

Fearing the Lord: Prov 9:10-12, 14:26, 27

Controlling the tongue: Prov 10:19, 21:23

Generosity: Prov 11:25, 14:21

Listening to counsel: Prov 12:15, 13:1, 15:22

Choosing friends: Prov 13:20, 22:24, 25, 23:17-21

Lying and honesry: Prov 14:5, 19:9

Temper and anger: Prov 14:17, 14:29

Pride: Prov 16:18, 18:12

Listening to the Word: Prov 16:20, 19:16, 28:9

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

___________________________________________________
So there is my list... now print it and put it on your fridge, to remind you that God's word is relevant to your daily parenting adventures!

Peanuts! {kindergarten}

2012-02-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today in our homeschool kindergarten, we are in P week. We talked about peanuts and peanut butter today. We read this peanuts to peanut butter book, which I love because it has real pictures for illustrations:

Then we made our own peanut butter! It really is quite easy... all you need is:
1 cup of peanuts, shelled;
about 1 Tbsp of oil,
1/8-1 tsp of salt (optional)
You can taste it and add a little sugar or honey if you want. Most commercially sold peanut butter has sugar in it. Then we put it all in a blender and blended it for 2-4 minutes... LOUD!

The girls loved tasting it and we decided it was better than what we buy! We put the crunchy peanut butter we made onto graham crackers so we could eat it. I'm sure we'll have PB & J sandwiches later!

Mallory also glued peanuts to a big P on a piece of paper:

We talked about George Washington Carver and how he discovered over 300 uses for peanuts-- including shaving cream and shampoo! You can read more about him here.

We also emailed a survey to our family, asking which type of peanut butter did they prefer--
chunky/crunchy, creamy, both or neither? We will calculate the results at the end of the week.

We also sung some songs and poems about Peanut Butter including...

Peanut, Peanut Butter and Jelly

Found a Peanut (but not the whole song, it has loads of verses!)

Peanut sat on a Railroad Track

You can check out the Kididdles site to find more children's songs and poems!

It was a fun, sticky and delicious way to mix science and crafts as we talk about the letter P!

American Girl class: Addy Week 2

2012-02-02T09:09:00.001-07:00

We had another fun Addy class this week!

Our craft originally was scheduled to be an appliqué pillow. We had done a pillow last semester, and I was afraid it would take too long in our classes. I changed it to be a wall-hanging, with an option of the girls turning it into a pillow at home (if they folded it and stuffed it with cotton balls or batting.)

I gave each girl one piece of medium blue felt. Then I bought three other colors of felt: red, yellow and green. I thought the girls could make hearts, flowers, stars and leaves on them. I cut each piece of felt (except blue) into quarters. Then each girl got three colors in 1/4 pieces. I passed out tracers of hearts, flowers, leaves, stars and a few others-- of varying sizes-- with pencils and scissors.

After the girls traced the hearts/shapes, they cut them out and hand-sewed them onto the blue felt. They turned out great! Some girls even did their first initial, a crown or a little pattern on them. I told the girls that they could fold over the top and put a dowel through a sewn pocket, and hang with a ribbon if they wanted. I was glad that I didn't try to do more with them, because this appliqué activity took over 45 minutes! A few girls finished earlier, and they helped me clean up!

Hand-sewing diligently...

Chatting and sewing...

Our snack was a little rushed, but we had black-eyed peas and buttermilk biscuits. You can find the recipes here and here. The black-eyed peas were not a big hit, but the girls all tried them! The moms bought honey and butter for the biscuits, and the girls liked them!

Eating snack and finishing our work...

The 2:00 class...

Eating snack...

Sewing so diligently! Trying to finish up-- sorry for the rush!

I had hoped to have time to begin our braided rugs, which is our weekly on-going project, but we ran out of time! The girls had fun making their wall-hangings. Several had the idea that they would use them as a doll blanket!

They make me laugh and smile each week in the little things they say and do.

In our 2:00 class, a little sister (that was there helping with her mom) swallowed her loose tooth! It is quite exciting!

I enjoy these classes a lot and pray for the girls each week. They are a blessing to me and to each other!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas card pics

2012-02-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

(Well... almost wordless!)

These pictures were taken this past month, before we took the Christmas decorations down...

The folded, traditional Christmas cards...

The photo cards on our Christmas tree bulletin board
(you can barely see some green in the top and right corner)

Which cards were more popular this past year? PHOTO cards! We love getting both kind of cards, but since I am a crafter, I really enjoy stamped cards, which are fewer and further between... Oh well...

We love hearing from all of our family and friends at Christmas!

Curly hair products {that I use}

2012-01-31T09:05:00.002-07:00

Some of you may remember this post that I wrote about curly hair before...well, I lost that Curly Girl book. I loaned it to a friend that moved away. I went back onto Amazon.com and ordered myself a new copy. Of course, they didn't have the old edition, but a fancy new edition with DVD. I ordered it and have been enjoying it with my daughter.

My daughter has a wonderful, amazingly smart friend that has curly/wavy hair. We decided to buy the new Curly Girl edition for her friend for Christmas (actually I suggested it, and my daughter paid for it with her baby-sitting $ !) Her friend has been enjoying it, and I thought I would post about what products I used, so she could have a little help on good curly hair products to buy.

These are not the only curly hair products that are good for hair, but these are good ones that I use and like. I have read the labels thoroughly (or so I think!) and haven't found anything harmful according to the Curly Girl book. My sister is also a Curly Girl" and she uses different products than I do. I know she used to use Biolage, which are wonderful but expensive. I'm not sure what she currently purchases and uses on her curly hair.

ALOE VERA GEL
BY FRUIT OF THE EARTH (FOTE)

My favorite gel is light and clear, so it is fine to use on hair. It even states on the back of the bottle to try it in your hair! It contains NO alcohol (which is a drying agent) and no fragrance. I like that is natural too! Hint: I've found it most often at Wal-mart, on the bottom shelf in the lotions aisle. It is about $3 a bottle, and in the summer they offer larger bottles with pumps- so watch for them, they're so much nicer to use!

JASON RESTORATIVE BIOTIN
PURE NATURAL SHAMPOO

This is a wonderfully light cleansing shampoo, which has NO parabens, SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) and no Phthlates, which are all listed in the Curly Girl book as bad for curly hair. (I think SLS is bad for humans altogether, as it is a floor cleaner!) My hair feels very light and clean after I use it, and I mostly scrub it into my scalp. Oh-- and I wrote the company from their website, and they sent me 2 $1 off coupons! Gotta love that! I found this in the Natural products section in our local supermarket.

HYDRATING TEATREE MINT CONDITIONER
by Organix

I've found this affordable hydrating conditioner by Organix, and I like it. My hair really soaks it up! A cousin recommended this conditioner to me, as he uses it.

I reallllly like another one called "Root Awakening" by John Freida, but it is a little costly. I am waiting for it to go on sale again, and then maybe I'll buy it. Root Awakening is a little costly, but it made my hair feel very light and airy.

GARNIER FRUCTIS
FORTIFYING CONDITIONER
SLEEK & SHINE

This is the conditioner that I have used the most often in the past few years. It is good, maybe not the best, but this is what I buy for my daughter. It states that it is for Frizzy, Dry Unmanageable Hair, and it is moisturizing. It is a very good lower cost alternative.

GARNIER FRUCTIS STYLE
CURL SHAPING SPRAY GEL

This is one of my staple products that I use everyday in accompaniment with the FOTE gel. It is a good finishing spray, helps tame a few extra frizzes and bring out more curl. I can tell when I've put too much in, but I like the hold and definition that it gives.

What curly hair products do you use, that you can recommend to me? I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts!

Music Monday: "Your Heart"

2012-01-30T09:10:00.002-07:00

I like a lot of Christian musicians, and one of them that I enjoy listening to is Chris Tomlin. I recently purchased a compilation album called, "Music Inspired by The Story". All of the songs on the CD are based on a character in the Bible, to go along with a book by Max Lucado (a Christian author that I sometimes enjoy!) I have been LOVING the whole CD! It is filled with meaningful, picturesque lyrics and a variety of music types, as well as many different singers lending their voices to the project. You can read more about The Story music here. You may have heard a song on the radio from this CD, called "I'm with You" sung by Amy Grant and Nichole Nordeman. I enjoy that song too, since I enjoy Amy and Nichole as Christian music artists.

The lyrics (for all songs) were written by Nichole Nordeman and this song is sung by Chris Tomlin. "Your Heart" is the song about King David. The chorus is based on this verse:

Acts 13:22 (NIV)

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

Below are the lyrics to this powerful song. I hope you'll take a minute to listen to it, following the link below the lyrics.

Your Heart- Chris TomlinIt never was about the oil dripping from my head
I never did dream beyond the pastures I could tend
It never was about the praise, not about the street parade
I didn’t really need a crowd when Goliath fell down

I never meant to woo a king with simple shepherd songs
Or hide away inside a cave, safe from danger’s arms
I never meant to wear a crown, or try to bring armies down
It never was about me and who I hoped to be

At the end of the day, I wanna hear people say
My heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart
When the world looks at me, let them agree
That my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

I never thought I would be much more than Jesse’s kin
Who would ever dream a king would come from Bethlehem?
I know that I’ve crashed and burned, lives have been overturned
But You redeem everything, yeah, even me

At the end of the day, I want to hear people say
That my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart
When the world looks at me, I pray all they see
Is my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

Five little stones, or a royal robe
Shepherd or king doesn’t mean a thing
At the end of the day

At the end of the day, I wanna hear people say
That my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart
Unashamed I will dance, In Your name, lift my hands
‘Til my heart looks like Your heart, my heart looks like Your heart

Chris Tomlin / Nordeman/Bernie Herms (arr.)

You can listen to the song here.

Easy Crock Pot Roast- Recipe

2012-01-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I recently tried from AllRecipes.com, and I liked it! It really was easy and smelled SOOO good! I tweaked it a little to fit what I had, and I would definitely make it again!

Easy Pot Roast (made in the slow cooker)

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 hours

Serves: 6

Bubbling pot of deliciousness!

Ingredients

3 pounds beef roast (I used a rump roast, but any cut will do)
6 potatoes (I had 3, so that's what I used)
1 1/2 cups baby carrots
1 yellow onion (I used white)
2 stalks celery
3 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup water

Directions

Cut up potatoes, onions, and celery in to fairly large chunks and place in a slow cooker. Put roast on top of vegetables. Place 3 bouillon cubes randomly on top of roast and pour in water.
Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours.

Here is another crock pot beef roast recipe you can check out!

Met me know if you try it, I'd love to hear your review!

American Girl class: Addy Week 1

2012-01-26T09:01:00.003-07:00

Our American Girl classes began again this week after our Christmas break. Our co-op is offering some new classes, so I have some new girls in my classes that I am looking forward to getting to know! Over the break, I was busy reading the Addy books and getting ready for the American Girl class. I enjoyed the books! The topics are somewhat sensitive (slavery, Civil War era, segregation, etc.,) so as a parent you may need to temper what your child is ready to hear and learn. I will try to be gentle, but slavery was real and it is an important part of our history to understand.

In book 1, Meet Addy, she flees the life of slavery by running away with her mother. It is a great story, and I know I cheered for Addy & Momma during the whole book! Here are some highlights from our first week of Addy:

Our craft was a cowrie shell necklace and a kerchief. We used an overhand knot to tie the shell onto the 20" black cord. Then we tied a regular knot to slide them over the girls' heads. They were quick to make, but I think the girls enjoyed making them!

Girls showing off their cowrie shell necklaces...

Just like the one Addy had, which was her great-grandmother's!

Before we ate snack, we talked about what we had for breakfast and lunch that day. Was it the same thing? No, it was different for all of us. We all couldn't imagine having to eat only cornmeal mush for breakfast and dinner each day. We discussed how Addy may not have eaten lunch, because they didn't have anything to eat... The girls did like the fried cornbread that we had, but the mush, not so much!

We had cornmeal mush for snack, since that is what Addy ate in our book. You can find the recipe here.

We did our geography notebooks, with pages on North Carolina, Pennsylvania and the United States map.

(see links below to print)

For the kerchief, I gave each girl one 18" X 20" piece of fabric. Then I showed them how to tie the opposite corners so it was a little sack. Addy has a kerchief like this on the cover of the first book, ours was a little smaller. In her kerchief, Addy kept her necklace, half-dime, a drinking gourd, and maybe food.

When I asked the girls to show me their necklaces, several pulled them out of their kerchiefs!

Cuties!

You can find the geography pages here:
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, United States-- we found the state she first lived in (N.C.) and also found the state she travelled to (Penn.), and we discussed which states she may have travelled through on her journey with her Momma. Here are two more pages about Philadelphia that the girls can print and color on their own:
Liberty Bell dot-to-dot
Independence Hall coloring page

I als read several pages out of Welcome to Addy's World, about slavery and we discussed the "Underground Railroad" and what that term meant. I wanted to read another book, but we ran out of time!

It was a fun day and I am looking forward to Addy Week 2!

Favorite family picture

2012-01-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law recently posted her favorite family picture, and I loved it. I love that picture of my hubby and his family. You can see that picture and post here.

I had to find and scan my family picture that is my favorite. We've had other lovely family pictures, but none as funny as this one. So I will dip back into history for this picture and story.

Here is the story behind this fabulous picture:

Our family hosted a foreign exchange student from Germany when I was in 7th grade. Her name is (and we still hear from her!) Bettina. We didn't have too many photo places in our smallish Colorado town, at least that were economical for our large family. With Bettina, we had six kids for the year. We enjoyed it, but realized there are some things that are just not easy...

When Kmart advertised that they were having a temporary photo studio set up, with deals on the pictures, our family decided to go for it. So we dressed up in our Sunday best and traipsed down to our local Kmart on Saturday. Well, so did half of our town on that day. We waited in line. A long line. We waited and waited. My younger brother and sister were about two and four at the time. We all got tired of waiting and antsy. We got tired and frustrated. We made friends in that line with other Kmart photo customers. I remember waiting for TWO hours.

We finally got to the front of the line, our information all ready to go, and then... we found out a little piece of news. Not good news. Frustrating news. They couldn't move the camera, so they weren't really ready for a large family. Oh no, um, ok... let's do the picture anyway. We waited all this time.

A few snaps later, this is the gem that we got:

I love the non-smile on my Dad's and younger sister's faces, love the 80's hair-styles that we had, love the big glasses, love that we are all crammed in the frame together, some faces closer than others. It makes me smile to see this picture. It makes me laugh out loud.

So let that be a lesson to you, when they can't move the camera for your family picture, you may just end up with a funny picture and a great family memory!

Owl paper bag puppet {Kindergarten craft}

2012-01-24T09:13:00.001-07:00

In our homeschool kindergarten this past week, we had O week. We read Owl Moon and Owl Babies, two favorite books that we own about owls. We discussed when owls are awake (nocturnal), what they eat, (mice, small birds, etc.,), where they live, and looked at the variety of owls in our bird book.

To enhance our learning, we also made a paper bag owl puppet. It was fun and easy!

Click on the image to open a new window, and you can print it. It is approx. 4 inches square.

First, I copied the owl face, then my daughter cut it out and colored the owl face.

Then we tore some strips of brown construction paper. You could also use tan or white construction paper for this. We talked about how owls have feathers, and our paper looked like feathers - a little bit.

My daughter glued the owl face onto the bag bottom, where she put her hand to move it up and down.

Then we glued the "feathers" onto the lower part of the bag. Then my daughter wore her puppet for a little...

Here is a picture of my daughter with her owl puppet.

It was a fun day to learn about owls!

Winter banner

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I made this WINTER banner or garland, and I really like it! It is sparkly, blue, white and glittery. I like the white and blue, and the contrast it has against my fireplace.

A fun, glittery star/ snowflake on my banner!

Materials:
*Star/ snowflake chipboard shapes (Mine were from Stampin' Up!, you may be able to find some at a craft store)- I used 7 pieces.
*Circle punch or Circle cutter- 2 1/2" circles (6)
*White card stock
*Blue craft ink pad (not dye-based)
*Silver cord
*Build-a-brad, snowflake stamps (optional)
*Rhinestone brads
*Crystal Effects (to make drops/ dots on white)
*Clear beads, to dangle from bottom of each letter, 6 head pins
*Glitter
*Large alphabet stamp set
*Small Hole punch
*Dry emboss snowflake brass set (optional)

One-half of the banner

Directions:

1. Punch out all snowflakes from chipboard that you will use.

2. Stamp them in blue and white craft ink, allow to dry. I embossed mine, and added glitter before they dried.

3. Cut white card stock circles, and stamp W I N T E R on them in blue craft ink. Allow to dry.

4. Punch holes in the top (2) and bottom (1) center of each circle. Dry emboss snowflakes on circles if desired.

5. Add Crystal Effects and/or glitter to the white circles. Allow to dry.

6. Punch holes in chipboard pieces, so they can hang between letters.

7. Make a hook in the top of each head pin, string one clear bead on each pin, and place through hole on each letter.

8. Add snowflake built brads or rhinestone brads to some of the chipboard pieces.

8. String silver cord through each chipboard piece, letters, and knot the ends. Hang on your fireplace and admire your handiwork!

Showing the head pin and dangling bead...

Showing the embossed snowflake and the Crystal Effects dots...

Left side

Middle

Right side

I know there are lots of steps, but it was fun, and really not too hard. The hardest part for me was waiting for it to dry! ;-D

Let me know if you make one like this, I'd love to see pictures!

Here is my fall CD banner that I made. Here and here are other banners or garlands that I've made.

Left-handed

2012-01-20T09:13:00.003-07:00

Sorry, no recipe today, cooking all the same old things... I'll try to be more inspired with a new recipe soon!

_______________________________________________________________

There are some lines in our favorite movie, The Princess Bride...

Inigo says, "I admit it, you are better than me." (while in sword battle)

The Man in Black says, Then why are you smiling? to Inigo Montoya.

"There is something you do not know about me..." Inigo says.

"And what is that?" the man says.

"I am not left-handed!" Inigo says.

"Neither am I", says the Man in Black.

I however, am left-handed. It is not an easy thing to be in this right-hand biased world. Here is an example:

We have this mug in our house. If you hold the lovely holiday mug in your right-hand, you can see the Rudolph. If you hold it in your left hand, you will not see him.

PROOF of the BIAS!

Here are some of my favorite quotes about being left-handed...

Then right half of the brain controls the left half of the body. This means that only left-handed people are in their right mind.

God made everyone right-handed, only the truly gifted overcome it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did you know that there is a day just for Left-handers? August 13, celebrate your right to be left-handed.

Find more info here: http://www.lefthandersday.com/

Here are some little know fascinating facts about lefties, also from the above website.

Most left-handers draw figures facing to the right.

There is a high tendency in twins for one to be left-handed

Stuttering and dyslexia occur more often in left-handers (particularly if they are forced to change their writing hand as a child, like King of England George VI).

Left-handers adjust more readily to seeing underwater.

Left-handers excel particularly in tennis, baseball, swimming and fencing

Left-handers usually reach puberty 4 to 5 months after right-handers

4 of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed

1 in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed - 250% more than the normal level.

Left-handers are generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative and multi-talented than right handers - based on discussions among members of the Left-Handers Club! :)

I am in good company in my family, as my dad and my son are also left-handed. If you are in my kitchen, now you will know why things are set up differently...

Apples lap book

2012-01-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here is another lap book that we made several years ago, but it was one of our favorites! We got this lap book as a freebie from Live and Learn Press, and it is still free-- five years later! It is slightly different from the one we have, some of the drawings and graphics, but overall it is very similar. I hope you enjoy seeing our pictures, and will go and get this great freebie for yourself!

Front cover:

We printed with apples and paint, and made an apple acrostic,

which says:

Apples are...

Amazing

Pretty

Plentiful

Lava Colered (my daughter's spelling!)

Excellent for you

Inside front left cover:

-Parts of an apple

-Things you can do with apples

Left flap open:

Did you know...? We wrote facts about apples that we found, such as...

"Did you know... that the apple blossom is the state flower of Michigan?"

Middle of left folder:

-Prediction results- how many seeds will be in my apple-

She guessed 5, and there were actually 8.

-Find the apples word search (types of apples)

-Johnny Appleseed booklet, with a mini-biography of John Chapman.

-Apple sayings- Such as an apple a day...- then we explained them in our own words.

-Varieties of Apples- Macintosh, Pippin, etc.,- She cut and colored them the actual colors.

Right flap of left folder:

-An apple tree through the seasons- We colored each one and discussed them.

Left flap of right folder:

-Apple fractions- one whole equals... two halves, etc.,

Middle of right folder:

-Mr. Applehead and faces in an index card pocket

-My Apple Seed Counting Book

-Apple Tree dot-to-dot

-An apple tree with life cycle order

Right flap of right folder:

-Apple patterns

-Apple baskets, with correct number of apples in each basket

Right flap closed:

-Our applesauce recipe, written by my daughter

-A photo of my daughter making applesauce

-Ingredients in an apple (or applesauce narration- your child can narrate how it's made!)

Back cover: Collect the apples game, rules, pieces and spinner.

We decorated the folder with apple stickers that we had, apples we colored, apple sayings, and other apples in the freebie. It was very interesting to make, and we learned quite a lot! Let me know if you try it and what you think. Thanks, Live and Learn Press for a great lap book!

Wordless Wednesday: sleepover

2012-01-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, almost wordless!

Here is a photo of a recent photo of her first sleepover that my 5-year-old daughter had with her cousin. Cute girls and their dollies all ready for bed! Enjoy the pic!

It seems I haven't taken too many snapshots lately, I may need to work on that this week!

Embarrassed...

2012-01-17T09:11:00.002-07:00

I have been blessed in many ways. I have a wonderful family, and amazing husband, four fabulous kids, and much, much more. But I have not been so blessed in the bosom department. There is a reason one of my friends in high school called me, "the boobless wonder." It's not quite that bad, but I do like undergarments that provide me with a little extra. My cups runneth over when I was pregnant, and I was so thankful that I could nurse my babies, all four of them. The same friend from the above quote gave me some fabulous brassieres when I got married. She also advised me with some other undergarments which I purchased at a large women's lingerie store in our local mall.

The bra in this discussion was called a "water bra". It was supposedly filled with water and made to look more realistic or natural. I purchased two, a white one and a black one. I wore the white one more frequently, because the black one was somewhat scratchy. I wore these bras often during our first 5-7 years of our marriage. I don't dispose of my bras too often, they usually have more than one hole before I get rid of them.

One Sunday afternoon in early Spring, my father-in-law, who lives in our town, paid our little family a visit. I was wearing the said white bra under one of my new shirts that I had received for my birthday. We were relaxing, chatting, watching TV, playing with our daughter and son at the time, Rebekah and Caleb.

I began to feel something wet on my shirt. I just thought I had spilled something, since I am not the most coordinated person in the world. But the spot didn't dry like fabric usually dries here in the west, quickly. In fact it seemed to get bigger... ? Weird.

Then it dawned on me that it wasn't just a wet spot, but it was oily. I knew I didn't spill oil on myself. I got to thinking. Where could this spot have come from? Hmmm... then I figured out it was from my BRA! My bra must have had a hole in it, and it was leaking out onto my shirt!

And my father-in-law was there! He probably wondered why I had a spot on my shirt and didn't say anything. What a nice guy, but still... I was quite embarrassed and am embarrassed just thinking about it today!

I know, not a horribly emBRAssing moment, but it was enough for me to never buy a water bra again! I take my padded undergarment cushions in another form! It was tough to get the oil out of that shirt though!

http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

MLK, Jr. lapbook {repost}/paper dolls {how to}

2012-01-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

This is a repost of a lap book that I posted about last year.

You can find the lap book here.

Today we are also reading books about MLK Jr. again, and making paper dolls/people in kindergarten. A few of my mom friends think this is too hard for them, but I assure you it really is easy. It is fun to color kids holding hands, and living together, like Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about.

Here are some rough directions how to cut your paper.

First take one sheet of 8 1/2 X 11" white printer paper. Fold it like a hot dog (short side), accordion fold, like this:

Next, trim off the extra edge, and trim a square out of the bottom.

Cut up the side, leaving one part on the fold connected. Trim out a rectangle for the arm, and then a circle for the head.

Go around the head, and trim the other side so that it is symmetrical, with an arm, angle for the skirt, and leaving one small part connected, then unfold them.

They should be all connected like this:

GIRLS

BOYS- a triangle for the legs.

You can even tape them together if you want, so they will be a longer line of ten children. Then let your child color them with crayons or colored pencils!

If you can cut paper snowflakes, you can make these! Enjoy!

Ham Pasta Bake

2012-01-13T09:09:00.002-07:00

I discovered this easy week-night recipe last Spring. You can find the original recipe/ directions on Econobsuters blog here.

The brands that I use...

Ham Pasta Bake
1 pound chopped cooked ham
1 box penne pasta, cooked according to package directions (I use whole-grain pasta)
1 jar Ragu Alfredo sauce (originally called for Classico Alfredo sauce with roasted red peppers)
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
1 small bag frozen peas, cooked (optional)

Mix pasta and pasta sauce together after pasta is done cooking and drained. Add ham & peas to mix, stirring thoroughly. Top with cheese, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. You can cover it with foil for the first 15 minutes, then remove the foil, baking for another 5 minutes so the cheese will be crispy and brown. Serve with veggies or salad.

YUM! It is family -approved!

It really is quite easy, and a nice way to use up leftover ham from Christmas or Easter. I've even frozen bags of chopped ham to use later in this recipe. It will also work with different kinds of pasta, such as bow-ties, wagon wheels, small shells, etc., It is versatile and great on a busy week night! It is also a great meal to have when ham and/or pasta is on sale!

If you try this recipe, let me know your review! Do you have a favorite easy recipe for week-night dinners?I'd love for you to share it in the comments.

Snowman Earrings!

2012-01-12T09:17:00.001-07:00

Here is a festive pair of earrings that you can make and wear in December AND January! I saw these somewhere two years ago and loved them. I have a snowman collection at home, so I knew they'd be a fun thing to add to my festive jewelry.

To make them, you'll need:

two square black beads

two flat round black beads

six pearls (real or faux), two sizes

two flat silver beads

pair of earring wires

wire or head pins

My pretties kit from Stampin' Up!

String of square black beads from a local bead store...

Directions:

Thread two pearl beads onto head pin.

Thread flat silver bead, then smaller pearl.

Thread flat black bead and top with square bead.

Curl and crimp top of head pin onto earring wire.

Repeat for second earring.

Simple, easy and cute!

Let me know if you have any questions or don't understand my directions.

Paper Bag Penguin craft {Kindergarten}

2012-01-11T16:39:00.004-07:00

Here is another craft that we did this week in our homeschool kindergarten. I assisted in a classroom before I student taught at a local school (when I was a newlywed!) and this is a craft we made. The teacher called it "Make Something Time", when the kids used their small motor skills, practicing writing, cutting, tracing, gluing, etc.,

Materials:
White paper lunch bag
Black, orange construction paper
one piece of newspaper
two white hole reinforcers per student
stapler, staples
Book- The Penguin Who Hated the Cold by Barbara Brenner (Walt Disney pub.)
*Note- this book was also published as The Penguin That Hated the Cold. Hopefully you can find it!

Directions:
1. Read and discuss penguin story, if it was fiction (not true) or non-fiction (true).
2. "This penguin will be able to stand up, so first we need to make the penguin body". Give paper bag to child.
3. "Open the paper bag by putting your hand in, being careful not to rip the bag, and opening your fist into the bag". (Demonstrate)
4. "Now we will put newspaper into the bag to fill up his body. Take your piece of newspaper and roll it into a ball" (not too tight, but not too loosely.) Demonstrate.
5. Roll bag top over (non-seam side showing) and staple two-three times.
6. Pass out black construction paper, allow children to trace the penguin shape (or you can have it traced for them ahead of time-- use a white crayon.) Cut out penguin.

The penguin shape to trace

7. Teacher cuts out nose piece with sharp scissors.
8. Add white hole reinforcers for eyes, two for each child, placing above mouth on black paper.
9. Staple black body piece to filled white bag in four places (top 2 x, sides-one each).

Feet patterns to trace and cut

10. Allow child to trace feet patterns on orange construction paper and cut out.
11. Glue feet onto bag bottom so they go away from body (demonstrate).

All done- cute!

Now you have a penguin to decorate your school room for winter! We used this craft this week during our snow/ winter theme week. We also looked at penguin pictures online.

The Mitten story and fun!

2012-01-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

Recently, in our homeschool kindergarten, we read one of my favorite books. I love all of Jan Brett's books, and actually got to see her once when she came to the bookstore in our hometown! She discussed how she illustrated her book, "Honey, Honey, Lion!" She showed us how to draw a lion. She explained that her illustrations take a long time, and just one inch takes an hour! I've been in deep admiration of her work and illustrations ever since!

We love Jan Brett's book, The Mitten. When I taught kindergarten and preschool, this was a favorite book of the teachers and the children to read in winter. I made a mitten out of yellow felt to go with one story that I had, and put velcro on the sides, leaving the edge open (see design below). Then I colored and laminated the characters to place inside the mitten as we tell the story. When the mitten explodes, you can rip the velcro apart and send the animals flying! The kids loved it and we retold the story several times...

My kindergartener enjoying retelling the story..

The big yellow mitten!

The mitten open showing the velcro sewed on...

Here is Jan Brett's website with downloadable Mitten line drawings.

Here are some Mitten postcards you can download and print.

Here is a pattern to crosstich the Mitten design!

Here are some Jan Brett bookmarks you print. Her website has lots of great printables!

Enchanted Learning has lots of great printables for the Mitten here.
Here are some lesson plan links for the Mitten.

Here is another version of the Mitten story that you can print. Find another version to print here.

Here is another website with great printables on it.

I hope these ideas help you enjoy this story in a new way with your child!

Music Monday: "Faithful God"

2012-01-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

I heard this song today and really liked one line in particular, because it relates to my blog theme.

It is called "Faithful God" by Laura Story, and it is on her new "Blessings" CD.

Here are the lyrics:

May the grace that sought my heart on that first day
Be the grace that binds my heart to stay
May the truth that opened up my eyes on that first time
Be the thoughts on my mind that never go away

For You are a lamp to my feet
A light to my path (emphasis mine)
You're the hand that's holding me

Faithful God, every promise kept
Every need You've met, Faithful God
All I am and all I'll ever be
Is all because You love faithfully
Faithful God

May the love that caught my heart to set it free
Be the love that others see in me
And may this hope that's reaches to the depths of human need
Be the song that I sing in joy and suffering

For you are the love that never leaves
The friend that won't deceive
You're the one sure thing

Faithful God, every promise kept
Every need You've met, Faithful God
All I am and all I'll ever be
Is all because You love faithfully
Faithful God

How deep, how wide the love
That pierced His side, the love
Redemption's mine, O Love that will not let me go

How deep the love (How deep, how wide the love)
How deep the love (That pierced His side, the love)
Redemption's mine, O Love that will not let me go

How deep, how wide the love
That pierced His side, the love
Redemption's mine, O Love that will not let me go

Faithful God, every promise kept
Every need You've met, Faithful God
All I am and all I'll ever be
Is all because You love faithfully
Faithful God
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/l/laura_story/faithful_god.html ]

I'm so glad that God is faithful to me! His love is deep and wide... her way of exalting God is just beautiful here.
You can hear the song on YouTube here.

Epiphany

2012-01-06T09:05:00.004-07:00

Today is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. I am sure to be quite busy today, because we'll celebrate Epiphany by putting away all of our Christmas decor. It is enjoyable to have all of the festive cards, wreaths and the ornaments up, but it will be nice (and a relief!) to have everything be neat and clean in our home again.

Here is my post from last year all about Epiphany:

http://thywordisalamptomyfeet.blogspot.com/2011/01/celebrating-epiphany.html

I hope you'll take time to remember the Three Kings and celebrate Epiphany in your own way today!
Happy Three Kings!

But we will leave out the snowmen and snowflake decos...

Memory Box

2012-01-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Several years ago we were given a Memory Box as a Christmas gift. What is a Memory Box? It is a place that you keep little scraps to remember events in the year. For instance, we kept movie tickets, recital programs, wedding flower petals, baby shower invitations, and more. Then on New Years Eve or New Years Day, you take each item out of the box and review them, remembering the past year's events and happenings. We love it!

The box sits on our fireplace

It is entertaining to see what ends up in the box. This year we had about eight chicken feathers. We did get new chickens a few times this past year, but why eight feathers? Not sure... we do have little children that put odd items in the box, though...

A closer shot of the front of box

Box open and full!

Contents of box spread out..

We enjoyed remembering movies that we saw-- as a couple, as a family, with friends. We reviewed programs from spring and fall choir recitals, various shows, ballets, musicians that we heard, trips we went on, remembering VBS and the fun in the summer. It was a great year- 2011, and it was a good family time to recall the highlights!

We've given boxes to friends and family as gifts, and we placed a paper inside with directions on what it is, what to keep inside and how to use the box. It is a big hit! We've found that our oldest daughter remembers to place items in the box the most often. I tend to forget about it, so I am glad she puts something in it! But she puts a lot inside! :-D

If you decide to try this fun family idea at your house, I'd love to hear about it!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas highlights

2012-01-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous Christmas at home and visiting nearby family. The time went too fast, but we have treasured memories! Enjoy the pics...

2011 Highlights

2012-01-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have had a wonderful 2011, and I can hardly believe it is over! The older I get, the faster the years go by!

Here are some highlights (in no particular order) from our 2011:
(Some of these highlights were in our Christmas letter, but not all!)

Fun Memorial Day trip to Montrose

Caleb's room got painted by Nana

Spring Break to Denver/Meeting our new nephew & cousin

Fun times at VBS this summer

Caleb lost more teeth (you don't wanna see pics!)

Caleb had his first ski trip with Dad

Six more chickens - two cochins

Caleb's baseball

New dishes- Fiestaware!

We tore down wallpaper and painted our hallway this summer!

Camping with family

Mallory- 2nd from left

Swim lessons (older 3 kids)

Caleb- near mid/ top in water

Rebekah backstroking!

Rebekah's recitals

Outdoor movies on our own big screen!

Extended Family visits

Mallory began homeschool Kindergarten

Halloween fun- Kids dressed as: Neon girl, Phineas (from Phineas and Ferb), Isabella (from P & F), and a Red m & m.

Joshua officiated his first wedding in July!

Great new family photos taken by our friend in August...

Kids growing... turned 12, 9, 5 and 3 this year!

Our 15th anniversary- time flies!

What a great year 2011 was- hope 2012 is wonderful too!

Music Monday: New Year's Day

2012-01-02T09:14:00.000-07:00

Even though today is January 2, we are still celebrating the New Year today. There is a great song that is several years old called "New Year's Day" by Carolyn Arends. We had seen her in concert many years ago with Rich Mullins and we really enjoyed her and her music. This song is from her "Seize the Day and Other Stories" CD. I hope you enjoy this song!

You can find out more about her at her site.

You can listen to this song here.

I buy a lot of diaries
Fill them full of good intentions
Each and every New Year's Eve
I make myself a list
All the things I'm gonna change
Until January 2nd
So this time I'm making one promise

Chorus:
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day

I believe it's possible
I believe in new beginnings
'Cause I believe in Christmas Day
And Easter morning too
And I'm convinced it's doable
'Cause I believe in second chances
Just the way that I believe in you

Chorus:
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day
This could start a revolution
Every day is...

One more chance to start all over
One more chance to change and grow
One more chance to grab a hold of grace
And never let it go

Chorus:
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day
This will be my resolution
Every day is New Year's Day

( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/carolyn-arends-lyrics/new-year_s-day-lyrics.html )

I love this Bible verse and how it relates to this song:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

I like this song because it reminds me that I need to resolve to change each and every day, not just the first few days in January. I can start over any day of the year! I'm thankful that our God is a God of second chances! When I screw up and come back to him through it, he forgives, over and over again! What a great God we serve!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

I am taking time off from my blog for the next week, as we will be traveling to visit family. I hope you all have time to spend with family, enjoy some new things, and focus on Jesus this Christmas! It is HIS birthday after all!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Mini-middles recipe

2011-12-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

This is one of my very favorite Christmas cookies ever. I married the son of a baker, and with this son that I married, came his mom's fabulous cookbook! :-D What a bonus! I had all of the recipes that he knew and loved so I could bake and cook them after we married, and I have... many, many times.

I have a vivid memory of visiting my husband's family in their home at Christmas when we were dating. I stopped by their cozy little home on my way home to college. I remember his younger sister, Morgan was putting various cookies in baggies with labels and sending them to her boyfriend at the time...(later to be her husband!) The treats all had such cute names, like "Ting-a-lings", "Mini-middles", "Melting Moments"and "Mexican wedding cakes". There was quite a variety of cookies too! :-D

Here is a recipe from my mom-in-law's cookbook, a delicious buttery cookie that I bake every Christmas!

You might need a little helper to make these with you...

Mini-Middles
1/2 cup butter, soft
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 T vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

(I usually double the above recipe, since this one only makes about 2 dozen cookies.)

The buttery dough...

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Shape dough into balls and hide a few (6-8) chocolate chips in center of dough and pinch closed.

Hiding the chocolate chips in the dough... like a secret treasure!

Place cookies 1 inch apart on un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until light brown. Remove from sheet and cool. Dip top in powdered sugar. YUM! (TIP-don't leave them in too long, or they'll get too hard! I learned the hard way!)

Hidden treasure... ready to go in the oven!

All baked and dipped in powdered sugar...

See the chocolate hidden on the inside-- what a scrumptious surprise!

If you decide to make these cookies, let me know your review! I'd love to hear your comments!

New Bunk Beds!

2011-12-22T09:11:00.008-07:00

For my youngest daughter's birthday, we also set up the bunk beds in our little girls' room. We had them set up in our old house for the older two kids, but haven't had them set up here yet. We thought the youngest, Bethany was too young to be able to crawl into the big bed, until now!

They were so excited when we set them up, and have loved sleeping in them. Our five-year-old likes sleeping on the top bunk, and is glad that she still has "her bed". It was a little stressful for a bit when she thought she'd need to give her bed to her sister... No, it's still your bed. Yes, you'll still have your bed to sleep in, you'll just need to climb a ladder to get into it! She thought that was pretty cool!

We had to get a new mattress for it, since we only had three twin mattresses. I found one on Craigslist and my hubby picked it up. It's in great shape! We also bought a support board for the under side. It is great to have set up in their room, and makes their room so much more spacious-- without the toddler bed! We gave the toddler bed to some friends, who were happy to have it for their little girl!

Here are some pics of the excited girls:

They were really posing for me...

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Tree decorating

2011-12-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

(Well, almost wordless!)

We decorated our Christmas tree a few weeks ago and I never posted pictures of it!

Here is our oldest daughter decorating our little tree in the bay window, that can be seen in through the front windows of the house...

See the leg lamp on the right of the tree? :-D
It's a major award!

All set up, love that the lights are already on it!

No pics of putting on the ornaments... it's a frenzied time!

Add caption

Our youngest daughter "helped" Daddy put the star on the tree this year! You can't really see the crowded areas of ornaments near the bottom, placed by the 3 and 5 year olds... :-D

I love looking at it, curling up under a fleece blanket, sipping peppermint tea in the glow of the tree...

Reminds me of Jesus, His gift of life and death on a tree! What a huge blessing! I hope you know and enjoy that blessing this CHRISTmas!

Psalm 96:12
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Galatians 3:13
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,

for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Christmas crafts- {Kindergarten}

2011-12-20T09:02:00.002-07:00

I have posted before about our homeschooling kindergarten, and the crafts we've made for holidays. We've been having fun making crafts for Christmas this year, so I thought I'd post about a few of them that we've made. If you need something to keep your kids busy this week while they are home from school, you might try a few of these crafts!

1. Paper Chains

These are relatively simple to make, all you need is red and green construction paper and a stapler. I cut the paper into strips about 1" wide. I cut three pages of each color, and had plenty of paper for a long chain! The kids like to help thread the strips and staple them. They're a kid-friendly decoration on our tree each year!

2: Laced Stocking

This is one from my kindergarten teaching days. We just traced the hook shape onto two pieces of red construction paper, punched holes while holding the two papers together, and she laced them with a piece of white yarn. Then we wrote her name on it, and added a cotton ball to the top.

3. Oh Christmas Tree

A friend gave me this pattern. All you need is to copy the pattern onto green construction paper, cut it out and glue it into a tree. It is good cutting practice for any kindergartener! We also discussed the song and the German version, O Tannenbaum, on the day that we made this tree. We read books about Christmas trees too!

Click on the picture and it should be full size for you to print!

4. Jingle Bell Bracelets

These are simple: take three pipe cleaners in red, green and white (one each color.) Thread a jingle bell onto each color, and wind the three colors together, twisting into a circle. They can wear it as a bracelet or place as an ornament on the tree. Shown in the photo above are the three that my kindergarteners made over the years. The yellow is my son's, I guess we couldn't find any Christmas colored pipe cleaners that year!

The next craft we got from this book, Crafts for Christmas, by Kathy Ross. We found it at our local library.

5. Matchbox wrapped ornament

Take a small box, such as a matchbox or jewelry box. Have your child help you wrap it in Christmas-themed wrapping paper. Tie a bow around the box, and then thread a piece of ribbon or yarn through the top to hang on your tree!

A funny story about this ornament... my older daughter made this same ornament in kindergarten. This daughter pictured above, Mallory unwrapped Rebekah's ornament when she was age 3, to see what was inside! Imagine her disappointment when it was empty! :-D So we had to finally re-wrap that matchbox this year.

6. Paper Plate angel

This craft is also found in the above book. You'll have to see the book for the directions, since they are a little detailed. I love hanging my daughter Rebekah's angel each year from kindergarten! (below)

Enjoy! It's fun to make crafts at Christmas! It's also fun to hang them each year...

Emmanuel (song)

2011-12-19T09:17:00.001-07:00

I recently discovered a new song by one of my favorite artists, which was released a few years ago. I have posted about songs by Laura Story before (here and here), and this one is one of my new favorites! I love her meaningful lyrics, her sweet voice, and her sincere devotion to our God.

You can listen to and download this song on iTunes here.

Emmanuel

Author:

Laura Story

Lyrics:

Once in royal David’s city

stood a lowly cattle shed,

where a mother laid her baby

in a manger bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little child.

Chorus:

Emmanuel

The promise kept

Its longing of my heart for God in flesh

Through this child, all earth is blessed

Emmanuel

He came down to earth from heaven,

who is God and Lord of all,

and his shelter was a stable,

and his cradle was a stall;

with the poor, the scorned, the lowly,

lived on earth our Savior holy.

Bridge:

Our answered prayer

Our faith’s reward

Redemption’s near

Redemption’s here

Alt Chorus:

Emmanuel

We will rejoice

We will worship you, our Savior and our Lord

We will join creation’s voice

Emmanuel

Three soup recipes!

2011-12-16T09:12:00.001-07:00

We had a birthday party recently, and we made three great soups that were each delicious! So in this colder time of year, here are some yummy soups to warm your mouth and belly!

The first one is from Allrecipes.com, called Sunday Gumbo. We don't usually cook with okra here, and it is unusual for us to buy shrimp. This tasty soup included both, and was nearly gone after our gathering! (It was gone before I got a picture of it, sorry!)

Sunday Gumbo

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage links, sliced

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups frozen sliced okra

Directions

In a Dutch oven, (we did it on the stove in a pot) brown sausage and chicken in oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the drippings, saute red pepper, onion and celery until tender. Stir in the seasonings; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice and sausage mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in tomatoes, shrimp and okra; cook for 10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally.

______________________________________________

This second soup (below) was also popular, given to me by my mom, found in her Guideposts magazine, which she has received for years. She likes to give them to me when she is done reading them, and I enjoy

the encouraging stories about the way God works.

Warmhearted White Bean Chili

Need a comforting soup recipe? Cozy up to this twist on red bean chili!

By Brad Schlossman, Fargo, North Dakota

As appeared in
Brad Schlossman, CEO of the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, North Dakota, shares the recipe his wife added to the project. When a mall food court came up with a creative way to help feed a food bank, many families contributed their favorite recipes to the cause.

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth (2 15-oz cans)

2 15-ounce cans white beans (rinse them first and they won't make you gassy)

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped

½ cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 4-ounce cans green chiles

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded cheese for garnish

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in stockpot except cheese. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for ½ to 1 hour, or longer. (We made it in a crockpot on low for about 4 hours)

2. Garnish with cheese and serve.

Serves 6

______________________________________
The third one was also from my mom, and she found it in her CrockPot cookbook.

The Best Beef Stew
Makes 9 servings
prep time: 20 minutes, Cook time: 8-12 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high

Potatoes and beef= YUM!!

1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" pieces
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 potatoes (I did 6 for our larger group)
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped leek (I omitted this)
4 ribs celery, sliced
1 can chicken broth (1/2-1 cup, depending on how soupy you want it)
3 gloves garlic, minced (we left them whole)
1 tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp water

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Add beef, shake bag to coat beef. Place beef in bottom of Crock Pot. Add tomatoes with juice, potatoes, sausage, leek, onion, celery, broth, garlic and thyme. Stir well.

Cover, cook on low for 8 hours or on High for 4-6 hours. One hour before serving, turn slow cooker to High. (I forgot to do this and the potatoes were a tad crunchy.) Whisk together 2 Tbsp flour and water in a small bowl, stir into slow cooker (to make gravy, which we didn't really want). Cover, cook until thicker.

This was a nice soup to be able to prepare the night before, and leave in the fridge overnight. Then I put the beef in the CrockPot with the veggies, and turned it on in the morning. It smelled soooo good all day!

Thrifty Thursday: Kids' gifts...

2011-12-15T09:01:00.002-07:00

What kind of gift do you give your child who has a birthday in December? Your youngest child who already has plenty of toys? In the time of year when we try not to overspend, and shopping can be a daily event? Something homemade and crafty, that's what!

My youngest daughter, Bethany has a birthday on December 7. Being the youngest, she already has lots of clothes, tights, dresses, toys, games, puzzles... so it is a challenge to find something new and different for her.

This year we made her an Elmo shirt that we printed on our home printer, with iron-on transfer paper. We'd made one when our older daughter was two, and it was a short-sleeve shirt. All I could find at Walmart in her size was a turtleneck, so that's what she got!

Wearing her I <3 Elmo shirt

I also made her a tutu out of tulle, and elastic. I found the basic pattern/ tutorial here. I found the tulle by the yard at Walmart for less than $1 a yard. I bought three yards and elastic for the dress-up skirt.

I found this website which has great, inexpensive gift ideas for kids. I cut up some dollar store sponges for her to stack, line up, and pattern and enjoy during our homeschool time.

I also got her a fun ice cube tray at Goodwill, like I saw used on this website for school time. I already have some pom-poms that she uses for sorting into an egg carton. I also already had some bamboo tongs which we use for saving our fingers while extracting extra hot toast from the toaster oven.

I love inexpensive ideas that will keep them busy when I need them to be busy, don't take up a lot of space, and are fun to make! Maybe this will give you some ideas for a little special person in your life!

But don't go too crazy getting ideas from the above websites, I will be using some of the homemade gift ideas for Christmas gifts (:-D)... but that's another blog post!

Here are some of my favorite Bible verses related to gifts to leave with you:

James 1:17

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Matthew 7:11

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Wordful Wednesday: Ornaments

2011-12-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

I am going to highlight a few ornaments from our tree that we have made, or were made by friends and given to us. They are all ornaments that you can make with your children. I love cross-stitching ornaments, but that is not the easiest thing for kids to do, and it can take a little more time. SO here are four easy ornaments to create...

My wreath ornament given to me
from a preschooler 16 years ago!

This ornament would be easy, simple and quick to make as a gift for a teacher, friend or neighbor. You would need:
-a green puzzle (maybe from Goodwill)
-hot glue gun
-red thin ribbon.

Directions:
You just glue and stack the puzzle pieces, and add ribbon to the back( hanger) and front (bow). I bet your children could even make it, with the supplies and parental supervision for the glue gun!
____________________________________________
Another one was inspired by a book that I read by Marilyn Boyer, talking about keeping Christmas Christ-centered, and making ornaments with your kids. This is one that she described making, and I really like it. I just typed Luke 2:11 into my word-processing program, and changed it to a calligraphy type (I can do some calligraphy, but not this perfectly!) Then I printed the verse on vanilla card stock, and tore the edges. I punched a hole in the corner. Then I very carefully burned the edges with a candle. You have to be careful because you can burn more than you want! I wanted to give it an antique edge, so that's why I burned the edge. I think I did three of them until I didn't burn too much! : / After I was done burning the edge, I attached a piece of hemp twine through the punched hole.

____________________________________________________
Several years ago, my family visited Chicago in December. I have family there, and when we had a free day, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry. In December each year, the museum has trees decorated from around the world. They are so amazing, and such a variety! If you are ever nearby in December, it is well-worth the trip! One of the trees (I think it was Denmark) had lots of red heart ornaments on it. Here is some information about the trees and ornaments on them.

For this ornament, I took a piece of wood that was heart-shaped, drilled a hole in it, and painted it red with acrylic paint. I attached some red ribbon. It is so striking on the tree, red against the green-- a perfect contrast! I am sure you could find wooden hearts at the craft store, or you could cut red paper and punch a hole in it, too.

___________________________________________________
This final ornament is another one that we saw on a tree at the Museum of Science and Industry. It was also striking because it was crisp, clean and WHITE! My daughter drew an eye on the other side, even though I told her not to... I'm not sure where we got this pattern, but there are two similar patterns below. I didn't want there to be wings on it, so we didn't insert wings. We punched a hole near the top and inserted clear fishing line, or cord. It is an easy one for kids to make! Just print on card stock, cut out and punch a hole!

A beautiful white dove, a symbol of peace!

Here is one printable dove pattern: http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/detail/?id=30515

There is another dove pattern here.

I hope you've been inspired to be crafty and find a fun new ornament to create with your child for your own tree. It is a fun activity for kids to do to stay busy while they wait for Christmas to come!

"Today in the town of David,
a Savior has been born to you;
He is Christ the Lord."
Luke 2:11

Ladybug rocks

2011-12-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

I wore red a lot this past week. Why? you ask... Well, it was L week in our kindergarten in homeschool. Ok... You know, Love= red, hearts... Christmas was starting...=Red. And we discussed ladybugs! I wore my two (yes, I own two pair) of ladybug socks. (See my post about silly socks here.)

A sample from previous kindergarteners...

One of the activities that I have done with my kindergarteners during L week, after reading books and discussing ladybugs, we go outside and find a few smooth, oval rocks. Then we get out our acrylic paints and paint them RED! After letting them dry for about an hour, we add the black details in.

As an added stressor, my almost three year old wanted to paint too. So we got out the smocks and got ready for a mess. And a MESS it was! Oh my-- no spilled paint, but it was all over the hands, table, brushes, chairs, a little on the floor, on the sinks, on the shirt under the smock... sigh. It's all cleaned up now and back to normal!

Here are some pictures of their amazing works of art:

My two-year-old painting...

My kindergartener painting...

Such diligent work requires your tongue in your cheek...

A dry red rock...

2 year old's beautiful creations...

My 5 year old's ladybug rock...

We will use them as doorstops and paperweights around our house. And just in case you didn't believe me... here they are...

Ladybug socks! :-D

Music Monday: Dynamite song...

2011-12-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my take on one of our kids' favorite songs, which they sing around the house quite often...

On the left are the real lyrics, on the right are my slant on what they mean to me as I train! Since we have potty training our youngest daughter, Bethany for almost a year, that is what they relate to for me... silly, I know...

Dynamite Lyrics (version by Mike Tompkins, originally done by Taio Cruz)

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes (Is this girl gonna figure out this process?)
Saying AYO!
Gotta let go! (Just let it go, baby girl, let the pee out!)
I wanna celebrate and live my life (without changing diapers 3-4 times a day forever!)
Saying AYO!
Baby, let's go! (Go, baby girl, go!)

I came to dance, dance, dance, dance (because she's done with diapers!)
I hit the floor (to change her again!)
'Cause that's my, plans, plans, plans, plans (that's the problem, it's MY plans!)
I'm wearing all my favorite   (and she peed through her diaper on them again!)
Brands, brands, brands, brands   (Hanes, Gerber, Dora panties)
Give me space for both my hands, hands, hands, hands (no hands in the potty!)
Ye, ye
Cause it goes on and on and on (the diapers and the changing...)
And it goes on and on and on (again and again and again!)

Yeah!

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes (in frustration!)
Saying AYO!
Gotta let go! (Just let the pee out, relax, girlie!)
I wanna celebrate and live my life (sans diapers)
Saying AYO!
Baby, let's go! (go without diapers, please!)

'Cause we gon' rock this club   (the potty club!)
We gon' go all night (with no diaper, but maybe a pull-up!)
We gon' light it up (if our potty had lights when you peed...)
Like it's dynamite! (sometimes there's an explosion in there...)
'Cause I told you once (please try to go...)
Now I told you twice (try again please!)
We gon' light it up (turn the bathroom light on!)
Like it's dynamite! (it's bright sometimes!)

I came to move, move, move, move (hurry, run!)
Get out the way me and my crew, crew, crew, crew (or brood going into the bathroom!)
I'm in the club so I'm gonna do, do, do, do (I know how to go, watch Mommy!)
Just whatever I came here to do, do, do, do (on the potty!)

Yea, yea

Cause it goes on and on and on (this potty train...)
And it goes on and on and on (goes on forever, well, seems like it!)

Yeah!

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes (I'm getting desperate)
Saying AYO! (I'll try nearly anything!)
Gotta let go! (relax, sit down and try!)
I wanna celebrate and live my life (without buying diapers!)
Saying AYO!
Baby, let's go! (just GO!)

'Cause we gon' rock this club (come join the potty club, baby!)

We gon' go all night (without a diaper!)
We gon' light it up (turn the light off when you're done!)
Like it's dynamite!
'Cause I told you once (turn it off!)
Now I told you twice (please!)
We gon' light it up (You can turn on the light this time!)
Like it's dynamite! (You're dy-no-MITE, girly!)

I'm gonna take it all like, (all the pee out...)
I'm gonna be the last one standing, (I'll stand outside the stall and wait for you...)
I'm alone and all I (alone in the potty? Can that happen?)
I'm gonna be the last one landing (landing your bottom on the seat!)
'Cause I, I, I Believe it (I know you can do it, girl!)
And I, I, I
I just want it all, I just want it all (all done with diapers)
I'm gonna put my hands in the air (hooray! You did it!)
Hands in the air (You get a treat!)
Put your hands in the air (help her celebrate her success!)

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes (and pray for divine help!)
Saying AYO!
Gotta let go! (God, help her figure this process out!)
I wanna celebrate and live my life (I want to move on, is it too much to ask?)
Saying AYO!
Baby, let's go! (to the potty, now!)

'Cause we gon' rock this club (big girl club)
We gon' go all night (someday...)
We gon' light it up (the bathroom)
Like it's dynamite! (with your successes!)
'Cause I told you once (you need to go potty?)
Now I told you twice (How about we try?)
We gon' light it up
Like it's dynamite! (You can do it, baby girl!)

You must watch this version on YouTube here. It's our favorite, we've watched it at least 25 times, and it has clean lyrics. The guy who sings it , Mike Tompkins is amazing-- he makes all of the synth, snare, bass,

piano, etc., with just his mouth!

You can see what it means at my sister-in-law's house here. They're the wonderful folks that turned our kids on to this song...

Green Chile Burritos

2011-12-09T09:15:00.004-07:00

As I was making this dish the other night, the kids were asking me what was for dinner.

"Burritos", I told them.

"What?!" Mallory said. "I don't know what that is, Mom..."

"Well, it's like tacos, but baked in the oven. It has meat, rice, beans, cheese, all things you like."

"Oooh, yum, yummy, yum! That sounds good, Mom!" Mallory said. Then the silly girl proceeded to eat nearly nothing!

This is a scrumptious recipe that I got from my sister-in-law. I don't *think* she's posted it on her blog...
My hubby stopped by their house recently and she was making these for dinner. He asked for them, and I remembered how much I liked them too.

Ready to load up...

Green Chile Burritos
15 oz can refried beans
1 lb ground beef or turkey
cooked rice (I make 1 1/2 cups measured dry)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
chopped olives
grated cheese
6-8 tortillas
15 oz can Green Chile sauce

Loaded and ready to bake!

Spray 8" square baking dish with oil spray. Put 1/4" of the sauce in the bottom of the pan to coat. Fill and roll tortillas with beans, rice, beef/onion cooked mixture, olives and cheese. Place into baking dish and cover with green chile sauce. Add cheese to the top, and top with sprayed foil (or it will stick to the sauce/cheese). Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, unless all ingredients are pre-cooked, then bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy with sour cream and salsa! YUM!

And they're really good as leftovers the next day, too!

American Girl class: Kirsten week 6

2011-12-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

This week was our last American Girl class of this year! We had a fun time and I will miss the girls during our Christmas break!

We made Woven heart ornaments this week instead of another hand sewing project. I have a friend who is part Swedish that loaned me several Swedish items, including horses and straw ornaments/ wall-hangings, and she told me that these ornaments are Swedish. We tried them in class today, and some of the girls thought they were "really, really hard" to make. They were a little challenging, but we enjoyed them anyway! You can find a pattern for them here. I used red and white felt with a pink ribbon (leftover from my stash) instead of construction paper. The paper may have been easier!

I read a book called "Annika's Secret Wish" by Beverly Lewis, about children from Sweden celebrating a meal on Christmas Eve and a sacrificial gift. It is a wonderful book that I heartedly recommend to everyone! The illustrations by Pamela Quirin are realistic and just beautiful!

We had "Pepparkakor cookies", which are Swedish, similar to a gingersnap. I found the recipe here. One of the moms made them star/ snowflake shapes and that was neat!

One mom helping with the baskets...

Eating her cookie, all finished with her heart...

Three sweet girls with their heart baskets...

The 2:00 class worked on the same basket ornaments and had the cookies too. The girls really liked the cookies!

The girls worked on their braided rugs...

Class was almost done...

We also worked on our Braided Rugs, but we did not finish them. We will work on them more during our study of Addy next semester. For the girls that will not be taking the class next semester, I gave them their supplies to take home.

Working so intently on her rug...

I am looking forward to our class next semester, when we will study Addy and Samantha! I am going to miss all the hugs and smiles that they give me each week-- the love is so rewarding!

Wordless Wednesday: Bethany's party!

2011-12-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

(Well, almost wordless!) Here are some photo highlights from Bethany's birthday party this past weekend:

Beffy all bundled for the parade of lights!

Daddy held her up high so she could see!

Cute Elmo shirt!

A pile of Elmo books and movies!

Cute stuffed Elmo...

A fluttery dress with wings!

Mom baked the cake, Dad made the frosting, Nana decorated it!

Getting ready to light the candles...

Yum-- eating cake and ice cream with friends!

It was a fabulous party, and our sweet girl had a great time! We can hardly believe she is already three?!

Children's Bibles

2011-12-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

Many years ago at our MOPS group, an "older" mom came and spoke about leaving a Christian legacy for your children. She told her story of raising three girls and showed several Bibles that were well-used and well-loved in their home and lives. I really appreciated her sharing about this subject at the time, since I had one young daughter. Bibles sure have changed since I was younger, I had a King James Bible with a few pictures for a while, then I had this one, The Children's Living Bible with pictures by Frances Hook:

I will show some of our favorites, and hope you will find a new one for your child to delve into God's precious Word, which is so simple and so deep at the same time!

This first Bible was a gift from a "Grandma" in our Bible Study group when our daughter was born. It is falling apart and held together by packing tape in more than one place. It is called The Baby Bible Storybook, by Robin Currie (who adapted the stories) and Cindy Adams (ill.)

We also liked Baby Bible Stories About Jesus [Hardcover] by Robin Currie

And More Baby Bible Stories, also by Robin Currie. See how well-loved our copies are? After four kids, they should be!

Baby's First Bible (The First Bible Collection) by Colin MacLean and Moira MacLean

The above Bibles are all board books, with cartoony pictures, but the next one is more realistic, not so cartoonish.

Another Bible that my preschoolers liked is called, "My First Bible (in Pictures)", by Kenneth N. Taylor. This Bible had short stories for a variety of characters and lovely drawings inside.

My older preschoolers like the Beginners Bible, although it does not have all of the Bible stories in it. When kids begin to read, we really liked getting them their own Bible. We like the NIRV, or the New International Reader's Version, which had shorter sentences and easy to understand words.

I love these verses from Deuteronomy 11: 18-21: Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ²⁰ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, ²¹ so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Maybe one of these Bibles will help your child know God in a more intimate way-- isn't that so very important?

Christmas music

2011-12-05T09:11:00.001-07:00

Last year, I blogged about this song which I discovered and was a new favorite christmas song for me. I tend to like songs that are "new" to me, and not a traditional Christmas song. I get tired of hearing the same 25 songs sung each December by anyone and everyone, and played on every radio station and speaker everywhere I go. There are a few songs that I do not tire of hearing each year, and I didn't know much about them until we got married...

My hubby when we got married really liked Harry Connick, Jr.'s Christmas cd and Bing Crosby's Christmas cd. I was more into Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, so he broadened my horizons, so to say. Well, we have listened to those two CD's every year at Christmas, especially when we decorate the house and tree. We also listen to Manheim Steamroller, which has about 20 instrumental albums just for Christmas!

Harry Connick Jr. has a fun way of jazzing up an old Christmas song, and making it fun to listen to. That's what his whole toe-tapping CD titled, "When My Heart Finds Christmas" is full of... just grand, fantastic trumpet & piano filled music. There are some classic favorites, such as Sleigh Ride, The Little Drummer Boy, Ave Maria, WHat Child is This?, and O Holy Night. We really like the title track When My Heart Finds Christmas, I Pray on Christmas, and the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, which just makes us want to march. There are some amusing secular songs too-- (It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

You can see a video of Harry performing this song (below) here.

Here are the lyrics for "I Pray on Christmas":
I pray on ChristmasThat the Lord will see me throughI pray on ChristmasHe'll show me what to do
I pray on ChristmasHe'll help me understandAnd I pray on ChristmasHe'll take me by the hand
I pray on ChristmasThat the sick will soon be strongI pray on ChristmasThe Lord will hear my song
I pray on ChristmasThat God will lead the wayAnd I pray on ChristmasHe'll get me through another day
I pray on ChristmasI pray on ChristmasI pray on ChristmasHe'll get me through another day
I pray on ChristmasAll our problems gonna be worked outI pray on ChristmasGod'll show us what love's about
I pray on ChristmasTo do your will each dayAnd I pray on ChristmasThat I'll be with you in heaven some day
I pray on ChristmasOh, the sick will soon be strongI pray on ChristmasThe Lord will hear my song
I pray on ChristmasThat God will lead the wayAnd I pray I really pray on ChristmasHe'll get me through another dayHe'll get me through another day...

Read more: HARRY CONNICK, JR. - I PRAY ON CHRISTMAS LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-pray-on-christmas-lyrics-harry-connick-jr.html#ixzz1fRcDcL5Y
Copied from MetroLyrics.com

According to Wikipedia, this CD was recorded with a 70 piece orchestra and a 42 voice choir! It sounds like grand, fabulous fun. I hope you will take time in this busy season to enjoy it!

Pizza Faces

2011-12-02T09:11:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have seen this recipe in the Parade magazine in August, as I did. I thought it would be fun to try, and it was delicious entertainment for our whole family!

Veggie Pizza Faces
Ingredients:
4 whole-wheat pita rounds (6 inch pitas work best)
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp ranch dressing
1 cup fresh, pre sliced vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions and broccoli
1/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
Pepperoni, ham-- optional

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place the pitas on a nonstick baking sheet.
3. Spread 2 Tbsp pizza sauce on each, sprinkle with cheese.
4. Using the dressing as "glue", arrange the vegetables on the pitas to look like silly faces.
5. Bake the pizza faces for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese melts.

A few other options for this recipe:

-We used pepperoni and ham pieces when we made it, to add more meat & protein.
-We also used marinara/ pizza sauce instead of ranch dressing, since our daughter is sensitive to dairy.
-You can use English muffins instead of pitas.
-Great way to get kids to eat their veggies!

American Girl class: Kirsten Week 5

2011-12-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful class this week of American Girls! We discussed the book, Kirsten Saves the Day!, which is book 5 in the series. We talked about bees and honey, we should have had honey on something... Oh well!

The sample potholder that I made...

For craft, we made Quilted Potholders. One of the amazing moms volunteered to make all 21 potholders! I enjoy sewing, but it was SO nice to not need to stress over that big project! The potholders were blank in the middle, so the girls sewed a design in the middle of the potholder, and a ribbon on the side. One of the girls remarked, "We sure do a lot of sewing in Kirsten..." Yep, true, it's a good thing to learn, though.

The 1:00 class working on their potholders...

Not sure why the girl on the right looks worried... Hmm...

This gal made a block shape on her potholder!

The 2:00 class working on their potholders...

Sisters diligently hand-sewing...

Stitching, eating soup, stitching...

This cute little brother was "helping" his big sister...

All done, a lovely heart on the potholder and in the girl! :-D

More stitching... was harder for the younger girls...

Almost done! Braiding her rug on the left...

We had potato soup for snack. Most of the girls liked it a lot! The recipe can be found here.

We worked on our braided rugs again! We will be sewing them together next week in class. I can hardly believe the semester is almost over!

Thy Word

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine's party 2012!

Friendship Riddles

Music Monday: All About Love

Stir-Fry Ham with Raisins recipe

American Girl class: Addy Week 3

Wordless Wednesday: Amaryllis

It reminds me of these verses...

Creative Names...

Proverbs for Parenting

Peanuts! {kindergarten}

American Girl class: Addy Week 2

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas card pics

Curly hair products {that I use}

Music Monday: "Your Heart"

Acts 13:22 (NIV)

Easy Crock Pot Roast- Recipe

Directions

American Girl class: Addy Week 1

Favorite family picture

Owl paper bag puppet {Kindergarten craft}

Winter banner

Left-handed

Apples lap book

Wordless Wednesday: sleepover

Embarrassed...

MLK, Jr. lapbook {repost}/paper dolls {how to}

Ham Pasta Bake

Snowman Earrings!

Paper Bag Penguin craft {Kindergarten}

The Mitten story and fun!

Music Monday: "Faithful God"

Epiphany

Memory Box

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas highlights

*2011 Highlights*

Music Monday: New Year's Day

Merry Christmas!

Mini-middles recipe

New Bunk Beds!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Tree decorating

Christmas crafts- {Kindergarten}

Emmanuel (song)

Emmanuel

Three soup recipes!

Directions

Warmhearted White Bean Chili

Thrifty Thursday: Kids' gifts...

James 1:17

Wordful Wednesday: Ornaments

Ladybug rocks

Music Monday: Dynamite song...

Green Chile Burritos

American Girl class: Kirsten week 6

Wordless Wednesday: Bethany's party!

Children's Bibles

Christmas music

Pizza Faces

American Girl class: Kirsten Week 5

2011 Highlights