Nicole's Nook

Love is the Greatest

2011-12-09T07:09:00.001-06:00

I have been slowly making my way through the book of 1 Corinthians. I wanted to be sure I fully understood and remembered what I read, instead of just reading through it quickly and not retaining any of it. This is one of those books I have avoided in the past, because, by reading through it quickly, I just end up getting bogged down and I don't remember a thing when I'm finished anyway so why bother. But I felt like God was telling me to give it another attempt, and so I began again.

1 Corinthians 13 is one of those chapters I have heard or read so many times I can nearly quote it for you. I caught myself beginning to read through it in a hurry, because, after all, I already know what it says. But I made myself slow down and read it verse by verse, line by line, word by word. And let me just say - WOW! God really showed me some things in that chapter. Here is what I learned.

1 John 4:8 says that God is love.

Love is patient and kind. God is patient and kind. Am I always patient and kind? Hmmm... Patient? Not even close. I am rarely patient with anyone. I move fast, and I expect everyone else to move at my pace. And if you don't, I get very impatient. When I am teaching my kids math, patience goes out the window. I become impatient and just want them to hurry up and "get it" so we can move on. Am I showing God's love in that area? Not a chance. How about being kind? Do I always show kindness to others? My kids? Back to that math lesson, and impatience and unkindness go hand in hand. Am I kind to people who are different from me? Those who are unkind to me? Rarely.

Love isn't jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Those four things really go together, and I find that I fail in all areas. When I see others who have things (material or spiritual) that I don't, I tend to become very jealous. Why couldn't God give ME those things? Why did He choose to waste those things on the likes of THEM? Jealousy is a great evil, let me tell you! And when that jealousy takes over, I find myself boasting, or bragging, about the things I CAN do, because I want to make sure everyone sees ME, ME, ME! Pride wells up inside of me, and I begin to think that I am better than I really am, and I forget the fact that the only good things in me are from Christ. Apart from that, there is no other good thing. And that pride also makes me think I am all together better than anyone else, especially the person or people of whom I was jealous in the first place. And boy does rudeness seem to find its way in there at that point. Jealousy, boasting, pride, and rudeness are things I find I struggle with on a regular basis.

Love doesn't demand its own way, but I sure do! I want my way or the highway. If others don't see things the way I do, well, they are just wrong and should really come around to my way of thinking. Really, why would anyone bother having any other thought than the one I have. I want things MY WAY, and when I don't get it, I can become very unkind and rude. Am I showing love in that way? I think not.

Love isn't irritable and doesn't keep a list of past wrongs. But so often, when my husband does something I feel is unjust, I get completely irritable, and my memory becomes very vivid. I can remember all the things he has done in the past that were unjust and how he never did anything about it and how he never changes and I am just not happy about all of it. Do I keep lists? You better believe it!

What God showed me in reading those few verses was that, even though I had read that chapter so many times and I knew the right things to do, I have some serious areas that need some work. So I began praying over these things and asking God to help me in each specific area. I want God to show me how to love with a God love - His love! I want Him to teach me how to be patient and kind with others in all situations. Every time I become jealous, I want Him to show me clearly my sin so I can repent. And whenever I feel the urge to boast about things I've done or am doing, and any time I feel like being rude to others, I am praying God will put a lock on my tongue and shut it down immediately. I want my attitude to be in the forefront of my mind, keeping a check on it, so as not to become irritable with people, my husband, or my kids. I want to burn those lists in my mind of things people have done to wrong me in the past. I pray that God will help me to start each day new and not remember wrongs from yesterday. Because really, if people kept lists of things I have done to wrong them, those lists would be very long. I am thankful for the grace and mercy God shows me by not remembering my past sins, so I should offer that same grace and mercy to others by not keeping lists of past wrongs.

When I read the Bible straight through and quickly, there are often things I miss, things God may want to show me that I was in too much of a hurry to see. But by slowing down and reading His Word more carefully, God showed me some things He wants to refine in me.

Don't think that, just because you have read something many times, you have it all figured out. And remember that just reading the Word isn't the ultimate goal here. Reading it in such a way as to understand it and digest it is better! Is there an area God is showing you that needs some work? Leave me a comment and share, and I will pray with you over it.

LEGO School Days

2011-12-08T15:40:00.001-06:00

There are some days that I seriously have good intentions where school is concerned. But sometimes my good intentions just don't turn out quite like I planned. Most of the time, things start heading south because "stuff" happens. "Stuff" being things like my phone won't stop ringing off the hook, or the baby is very cranky because of those huge molars coming in and wants to be held, or an unexpected visitor drops by and stays for awhile, or just the fact that I am so exhausted after doing other "stuff" that we take a much needed day off. But not this day!

On this school day, the reason my good intentions were not carried out was simply because my kids were teaching themselves. Yep. They all went in the school room after breakfast and sat down with some LEGO's. Since they were all being quiet, I wasn't about to disturb them!! I figured I'd call them a little later for school. But as I peeked my head in the room to check on them, I saw they were deep in thought building some really creative things.

Britches was busy trying to make a tower that had several gears inside that would turn a wheel and make the tower roll across the table. And Little Man was working out the details on a robot design that would do all my chores around the house! YAY for me! I am so thankful to have a son who thinks about things like that. Now if he will just really create a REAL ONE, well, I would really be happy about that!!

Alas, I am a terrible mother and forgot to take pictures of Britches' moving tower. GASP! I know! I know! I will do better in the future! BUT, I did remember to take pictures of Little Man's robot design - mainly because he wouldn't stop pestering me until I did! So here it is. The robot that will one day take over all my house cleaning duties.

This is the robot from different angles.

This is the dishwasher portion. The LEGO's in the white boxes represent my never ending load of dishes, and the two arms are what washes them. And the bottom picture shows the side view of the counter space where it will stack the clean dishes.

These are the laundry hands that will fold my laundry.

This is the trash arm that picks up trash around the house. You tie it onto the bars and it will throw it into the dumpster for you.

This is the broom that can sweep my house! Since I have a house with no carpet, this is a GREAT invention!

And for the few rugs I have in my house, there is a vacuum arm attachment.

And of course you need access to the control panel for programming your robot for specific tasks.

This robot has hoovering devices attached to the bottom.

And this is my little engineer with his invention.

Most days, we are very good about getting our normal schooling done, such as spelling and math. But some days, delight directed learning takes over and I step out of the way. And you know what? That's OK!

~For more information on delight directed learning, go check out Homeschool Oasis!

Christmas at Our House

2011-12-07T15:24:00.001-06:00

Well, the tree is finally up! YES, I am just now getting around to it! If there is one thing you should know about me, it is that I am a terrible procrastinator. There, I said it. I feel better now, and we can move on.

Actually, this year Brient asked me if I would wait an extra week after Thanksgiving to put up the decorations, because then he can enjoy them for just long enough without being sick of them. I know, I know! I can hear all of you out there telling me, "We have ours up BEFORE Thanksgiving and don't take it down until sometime well into January!" Yeah well, we are not that kind of family. If they stay out too long, we all get a little crazy, because it's all over the place and I'm just ready for order to be back in my home. So I graciously went with his suggestion and waited an extra week.

So this past Monday, we pulled everything out of the closet, brought it into the living room, and went to work. It was so great watching ALL FOUR of my kids helping with the tree! The baby is now three, so she is really old enough to help AND enjoy everything.

They wouldn't let me put the tree up myself, because all four of them wanted to have a part in putting in the branches.

I started putting garland around the tree, but Little Sister jumped in and took over. Then the other two got in on the wrapping of the tree, and I was completely out of the loop.

Each year, my job is to pass out the ornaments and their job is to decorate the tree. I pass them out, because I keep all of my ornaments in a big box and they get a little tangled up. Plus, I don't really want any fighting over who gets to put what on the tree. It's just easier that way. They loaded the tree with all their ornaments that we have made together over the last several years. If you look closely at my tree, you might see a handful of store bought ornaments, but most were made by my kids.

That girl loves her brother!

And here is our finished tree. Absolutely beautiful! And all done by them!

Britches had a great time going all over the house adding Christmas touches here and there.

While we were decorating the tree, Baby Girl kept sneaking in the living room grabbing ornaments and heading to her room. I finally went to see what she was doing. She told me she was decorating her room! Very lovely!

And Britches and Little Sister made the last gingerbread house to add to the decorations.

Our house is finally decorated for Christmas. I had a plan to help the kids so that it would look really nice. You know, ornaments perfectly spaced on the tree and things put in just the right place. But then I remembered, this is about them! So I just backed up and let them decorate however they wanted, and I just took the pictures. And it was fun! And they love it! And I couldn't be happier about our Christmas decorations this year!

Santa and the Reindeer - by Britches

2011-12-03T17:10:00.000-06:00

Britches had a writing assignment today. Being that it is near Christmas, her project was to write a short story about something lighthearted with a Christmas theme. That is actually quite a challenge for her, because, since she is so detail oriented, her stories usually end up being several pages long! But today, she did exactly what I asked. Here is her story.

Santa and the Reindeer

by Britches

Once upon a time, there lived a jolly old fellow with rosy red cheeks and a belly like jelly. His name was Santa Clause. This jolly old fellow lived in Greece, a land far from the North Pole.

Santa gave out presents every year to all the good girls and boys at exactly 9:00PM on December 24. On Christmas morning, all the children woke up to find presents under their Christmas tree.

But as the years went by, Santa decided he was getting too old to walk to every house in Greece. So he designed a sort of animal Olympics, and he invited every animal on the planet to join in. He designed the games to help himself pick the best animal to help deliver presents.

After the games, he tallied up the points. In third place, there was a horse. In second place, there was a moose. And in first place, there was a reindeer named Dasher.

But when Santa asked Dasher to help him, Dasher said, "It's too hot here!"

So that's how Santa started in Greece, and ended up in the North pole with a sleigh team made up of reindeer.

The End

Little Sister's Pictures

2011-12-02T15:23:00.001-06:00

A few days ago, Little Sister got hold of my camera. Look out world, she is taking pictures now! She cracked me up as she kept asking me all about how to use that thing.

I showed her how to turn it on, take a picture, and look at what you took. She was THRILLED! I made sure she had the strap around her neck, and I left her alone to take all the pictures of her lego creations that she wanted.

But when I came back later to check on her and see the pictures she had, this is what I found. Well, some of them anyway.

That little stinker! I fear she has a bit too much of her mother in her...

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-02T14:40:00.001-06:00

Last year, a few days after Christmas, I was in Wal-Mart and saw they had their gingerbread houses on sale for A DOLLAR!! So of course I bought two of them! One pack had five miniature houses included, and the other had one house with a Santa sleigh. My plan was to pull them out one day this summer when we were bored. But that never happened. So there they sat for months.

Ever since Thanksgiving had passed, the kids had all remembered those gingerbread houses sitting in the cabinet, and they had been begging me to pull them down and put them together. So today was the day! After the older kids finished up their school work, we cleared off the table and pulled those boxes down. The house was just filled with excitement and anticipation!

Each of the kids picked which house they wanted, we divided up the candies, and the fun began. I was in charge of the icing, because, well, that goes without saying. I did give Britches the other bag of icing, because I trust her. But I wouldn't trust the other three as far as I could throw them. After "gluing" them together, everybody had such fun decorating their own house! Even Baby Girl got in on the fun! I was quite shocked and glad that she didn't try to eat any of the house or candies, because those things smelled like they had been on the shelf for, well, the last year!

Here are the pictures of our fun and our finished projects!

This is my sweet Baby Girl decorating her triangle house and showing it off. She specifically wanted the "triangle". And when she saw me break out the camera, she said, "Mommy, take picture of me and my house!" She had so much fun doing this!

Little Sister had a great time decorating her house.

Little Man was very particular about his house, and even added sprinkle snow on the roof and a sprinkle sidewalk. The marshmallows around the house are snow.

And here is my Britches with her meticulously crafted house. She took the green leaf gumdrops and cut them into strips, so she could make the wreath above the door and icicles around the house. She is so patient to do that!

And here are all of our finished houses displayed on my hutch. Who needs the little miniature breakable houses when you've got such a fine array of gingerbread houses with which to decorate?

I hope you'll make some time this holiday season to do something FUN with your kids! Take a break from shopping and cooking and wrapping and whatever, and pull out a gingerbread house of your own or make some homemade ornaments or craft your own gifts for those you love. Christmas is more than just the act of opening presents on Christmas day. It's all the little things that you do leading up to the big day that are creating memories for you to cherish for a lifetime! Now go grab your kids and make some memories!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 24

2011-11-24T17:27:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is finally here! We have feasted all afternoon, and now the house is quiet - really quiet. So I have a moment to sit back and reflect on some things.

Today, I am thankful for a few different things. For starters, I am thankful for the fantastic day we had with family and friends! My parents and Brient's parents came for lunch, along with some great friends and their four boys who joined us. And later, my brother and his wife popped in for a while. It was a great day with great people, great food, and a great time!

I am also thinking today about how very thankful I am for Brient's job. At this exact time last year, we honestly weren't sure if Brient was going to have a job anymore, or if they were going to fire him once the buy-out of his previous employment was complete. We were stressed to the max and looking at a move about four hours further south to a crazy busy city that we knew very little about. But on this day last year, I chose to put all the job issues behind me and focus on being thankful for that one day. I chose to praise God for who He is, and not think about our uncertain circumstances. The following months had us wringing our hands with worry. I tell you, saying you have faith that God will take care of you and actually living it out is sometimes a challenge. But God DID come through - at the VERY LAST MINUTE! About two days before Brient would lose his job, something came open and he was able to stay on with this company. I learned through that time that God is NEVER late, but rarely early. THAT was a hard time. But today, I am so thankful that Brient was able to keep his job, and, though it has been rough at times, he still has this job that provides for our family in a way that allows me to stay home with our kids. We have never gone hungry, and for that, I am thankful.

And lastly, I am so thankful for the things I have learned during these last 24 days of The Gratitude Project 2011. Sometimes it can be really hard to find something for which to be thankful, especially when the day just isn't going right. But by purposely looking for the things in each day that I have to be thankful for, it has taught me that there really are blessings each day that God pours out on me, even if I have to look for them. It has taught me to be a positive thinking person, instead of thinking about all the bad things going on around me. And it has helped me to see how truly blessed I am.

Thank you, Jesus, for all the blessings you have poured out on my life. Thank you for your continued blessing even in the midst of difficult times. Thank you that you will never leave me, but will always be there for me.

"Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." ~1 Thessalonians 5:18

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 23

2011-11-23T20:25:00.001-06:00

The kids and I spent the whole day cleaning and getting things ready for the big day tomorrow. By the time supper time rolled around, I was starved! But tonight, Brient was cooking!! YAY!

A few days ago, Brient decided he'd like to try his hand at making supper for awhile. So I turned that job over to him, and he has been doing a great job for the last few nights. I am so thankful that he decided he'd like to help out in that area for awhile. Quite frankly, it is mentally exhausting trying to decide everything for everybody every day - including what we will eat for every meal. So the fact that he has taken that burden off of me is a blessing. We have eaten earlier each night and had some great dinners. It has left my evening free to finish up anything in the house that needs tending to. Last night, I painted the living room while he cooked! And we've both been able to sit back and relax each evening after supper, instead of me being in the kitchen cooking AND cleaning up all night. I'm thankful for him helping out, and I'm thankful that I had sense enough to LET HIM!

Tomorrow is the big day! I am thankful for all the people who will be coming to my house to share Thanksgiving with us, for the great food we will be eating, and the great fun we will all have together.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 22

2011-11-22T21:56:00.001-06:00

Today, I am very thankful for my chiropractor and the ladies that work with him! I went to see those lovely people today, and I was reminded how great they are!

About two months ago, I started going to see him. After eleven years of carrying four kids on the same hip, my back and hips were pretty out of whack. I wasn't sure where to go, but a friend recommended this guy. I knew nothing about him, but I decided to give him a shot. I was so glad that I did!

After going for a few months, I am feeling tremendously better! Not completely better, because, after all, I do still have four kids that I run after and a baby that I still hold, so I end up with tension in my neck and a sore back. But overall, I am feeling so much better.

I am thankful for how kind he is, how he doesn't rush me in and out, and how he genuinely wants to help me feel better. I am thankful for the sweet ladies that work in his office. I don't know that I have ever dealt with such great people in an office. And I am especially thankful for Barbara, my massage therapist, who has taken GREAT care of me for the last few months. I have seen her every week for a massage, and honestly, I am not sure what I am going to do without her when the Dr. decides I am better and don't need to come anymore. But I'm not thinking about that right now!

Today, I took them all some of my yummy homemade bread - one for each of them - to go with their Thanksgiving meal and to say "thank you" for all they have done to help me during my treatment. I wanted to show them in a real, tangible way how much I appreciate them.

What are you thankful for today? How are you SHOWING your thankfulness in an outward way?

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 21

2011-11-21T21:04:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving is only three days away. The kids and I have spent the day cleaning house and getting things prepared for the big event.

Little Sister and I sat together this morning and colored lots of Thanksgiving pictures - a turkey, pumpkin, and cornucopia with plenty of fruit. She asked me if I would like to color with her, and I just couldn't pass up that fun with my girl! She had a chance to practice her cutting and gluing skills, too, when she got the pictures ready and glued them to some colored construction paper. I was very thankful that she loves me enough to want me to sit and color with her. She is the sweetest girl!

And I was very thankful today for my two oldest who are old enough to help me with the clean up job. We still have a little ways to go, but with their help, we have made a lot of progress.

So today, I guess the things I am most thankful for are the sweet babies God has given me the honor of raising for Him. I am so thankful for my four kiddos, and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything - even though I sometimes might consider it when the baby is especially cranky!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 20

2011-11-20T20:34:00.001-06:00

Today is Sunday. I was so thankful that, after being out of children's church for the last two weeks, I was able to be with my regular kids and spend some time teaching them about thankfulness today. We talked about how to give thanks with our mouths. That means TELLING people how thankful we are!! And yay for me, that's what I've been doing all month, so this lesson was a great fit right now.

And tonight, I was thankful that we went to the church wide Thanksgiving feast! I was thankful for the opportunity to visit with some great people who I go to church with but don't always have the chance to see and talk to, because I am usually in the back with the kids. I am so very thankful for the friends I have at this church. Pretty much all of the churches I have ever been to, I have only had Sunday morning relationships with the people. We spoke politely on Sunday's, but then never talked again during the week. But this church is different. I love hanging out with these people during the week, on the weekends, at parties, and at eating times at church. These people are family - my family.

It was a great day! It was one for which I am very thankful.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 19

2011-11-19T20:07:00.001-06:00

Today has been a long day. I got to bed late last night, we have been going all day, and I am really tired tonight. I had planned a lovely family day for all of us today, but it didn't turn out exactly as I had it play out in my mind. I was a little let down about that fact. So tonight is one of those nights I'm having to really look at my day and think about what I am thankful for. So let me think...

I am grateful that God provided a day when my husband was off work and we were able to be together with all four of our kiddos. That isn't something that happens all the time. So when we are able to all be together, I treasure those days.

God created the most beautiful fall day for us to be out enjoying. The weather was not too cold nor too hot, and the breeze was blowing just right.

I am thankful that God gave us a safe trip to and from town, and kept us safe as we drove around town. It gets crazy out on the roads around the holidays, and I am always thankful when I make it where I'm heading and back home again in one piece.

Brient and I spent a little while today looking at some Airstream RV's online today, and just enjoyed dreaming together. Our plan is to sell his tractor and then buy one of those silver beauties! I was thankful for some time to just sit back and have some fun looking together.

Oh yes, and we went to buy a gallon of paint to spruce up our living room. I was thankful that all six of us had fun picking a color, and that we all AGREED! THAT was amazing! And I am thankful that my honey has decided he wants to take up my idea of painting the living room, because I will be able to get my new splash of color without having to do all the work by myself!! YAY!

And tonight, I will be very thankful when four kiddos make their way to bed. I am very thankful tonight that, when I get ready to call it a night, I will have a warm bed with a good pillow on which to lay my head. And I am thankful for a warm house in which to live.

Even though the day didn't quite go as I had planned, when I really think about it, there are still so many things I have for which to be thankful. Sometimes I have to really look, but the blessings of God are always there. And in truth, they are too numerous to even count.

What are you thankful for today??

Called to Minister - Part 2

2011-11-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

*Before you read any further, be sure to read Called to Minister - Part 1!*

So my story picks up where I left off a few days ago. It was Friday morning, and we had pulled out of our driveway heading west. We had borrowed Brient's parent's camper to stay in, so we had to drive a little slower and it took us a full two hours to get where we were headed. But right around lunch time, we pulled into our home-away-from-home for the weekend. It took us about 20 minutes to set up camp, and we headed back out for lunch.

After lunch, Brient called the pastor of the church where we would be working to see if anyone was there at the moment to let us in. He said there was, and we were welcome to come on. So we got to the church around 1:30 and began our set-up for the weekend. I had swiped all the things I needed from my children's room at my church, and we had to bring it all in. I had no idea that it would take nearly the entire afternoon to get it all together and ready. We were blessed to be able to use the youth room for the weekend, and for that, we were so thankful. Everything was finally ready, and then all I had left to do was sit back and breathe for a few minutes before kids started arriving.

The revival didn't start until 7:00, but about 6:30 the kids began pouring in. I found out earlier in the day that this church runs a bus ministry and brings in kids from all over, so I wasn't exactly sure what kind of kids I would be seeing. It didn't take me long to realize that these were not the same kind of kids I usually teach. These kids were hungry. They were hungry for love and affection, hungry for some boundaries and stability in their lives, and hungry for God's Word. I made my rounds and started meeting all the kids. One thing I try to do with every kid I meet is to put my arm around them and give them a squeeze as I introduce myself. All of these kids just loved the attention!

Before we got started, Jon (the youth pastor) started passing out some bracelets for each of the kids. You know the ones I'm talking about. They were the bracelets with the colored beads on them that tell the message of salvation through the colors. A little girl came up to me right away and asked me what that bracelet was for. For a split second, I was a little shocked, because I haven't had a kid ask me that in so long. But then just as quickly, I remembered that was the exact reason God had sent me there. And so I began to share the message of salvation with her in a way that she could very easily understand. At that moment, she just thought it was pretty cool and went off to play. But that was OK. I knew God would take care of it from there. I had done my part.

The night got started, and the kids were so excited to be there! They had so much fun playing the games and singing the songs. Generally, praise and worship time is a struggle for me, because the kids in my children's church hate it! HATE IT! (Still can't quite figure out why. It remains a mystery to me.) But these kids LOVED singing and dancing and praising God! They loved coming up on stage with me. And when we had sung three or four songs, they were still begging to sing more - even though I was completely out of breath!!

The theme of our weekend was "Be Like Jesus." I wanted to share with them some of the things Jesus did, so we could see HOW to be like him. So that first night, we talked about how Jesus healed the man's hand on the Sabbath, because He cared more about people than He cared about rules. I made sure to tell them how much Jesus cares about each one of them, because I really doubt there are too many people in those kids' lives who do care about them.

When the evening was nearly over, I had Brient play a slower song, and I had prayer time with them. I asked if any of them wanted to ask Jesus into their hearts, and I told them how to go about doing that. I told them that, if they had prayed that prayer, to be sure to come see me after services, because I wanted to pray with them. At the end of the night, FIVE KIDS found me to tell me they asked Jesus into their hearts - and one of them was the little girl I had shared the message of salvation with at the beginning of the night!! YAY GOD!

When the night was over, we went out to eat with some people from the church. It was loads of fun, but we were so tired! We got back to our camper and crashed at about 11:30 that night.

The next day, we played around town a bit, did a little shopping, took Little Sister to Build-A-Bear to spend a birthday gift card, and went to a hands-on science museum. Then we headed back to the church to get ready for the evening.

I had been in a mindset of prayer the whole day (yes, you CAN have a prayerful attitude even at a children's museum and while shopping!), and I just really sensed that God was telling me to change my lesson for the night. So I stepped out in faith and switched gears.

That night, the kids had just as much fun and excitement as the night before! They were anticipating what was to come. My lesson that night was about when Jesus told Nicodemus that the only way to see the Kingdom of Heaven was to be born again on the inside. When it came time for prayer, we had several kids who came up to pray. I was really thankful that my friend, Emilee, had come with her dad to the revival, and that she wanted to help out, because she was great praying with the kids! No new kids got saved, but we had quite a few that wanted to pray about something.

We made it back to our camper around 11:00 that night. Whew! I was glad that it would be time change that evening, because that meant an extra hour of sleep the next morning!

Sunday morning, we headed to church for the morning service. The kids got to do a song that we had learned in front of the whole church that morning, and they were really excited about that!

My lesson that morning was about Jesus and Zacchaeus, and how it didn't matter how bad Zacchaeus had been, Jesus still forgave him when he truly repented. I told them that sometimes we need to really tell Jesus we are sorry for things we have done, and sometimes we need to be like Jesus and forgive others who have done wrong against us. Sometimes that can be really hard! When it came time to pray with them, I gave them the chance to come and pray at the front, and it was such a blessing seeing all those kids pouring their heart out to Jesus! I could look at those kids and tell you there were people in their lives who had wronged them and who they needed to forgive. My heart just broke for them.

That evening, we played review games to make sure they remembered all the lessons we had learned. They had a great time playing. But by that point, Brient and I were worn out, and the kids were pretty much worn out, too.

After the service was over, we jumped in the truck and started on our two hour drive home. We pulled in to our driveway at midnight that night. We were all quite exhausted!

Here are some things that I learned from that weekend.
1. There really are kids out there who have really bad home lives, bad situations, and no one to love them. There were children every single service who came in crying because they were hungry. Their stomach hurt, because it needed food in it! There were kids there every service who came sick, because their moms knew that the church bus would come and pick them up and get them out of their hair for a few hours, so the moms didn't care. I had to take care of quite a few sick kids that weekend. But I didn't care. They are why God sent me there - to minister to THEM! So I loved on them anyway, and I just prayed and trusted God to take care of my health.
2. Ministry can be hard work, but it is more than made up for in the rewards you get from Almighty God! We were so pooped by the end of the weekend, we could barely get going Monday morning. In fact, it took me nearly all week to get my energy back and get it in one direction again. But my heart is light knowing that I made an eternal difference in those kids lives!
3. I need to always pay attention to God, and if He tells me to change my plan, He has a better one in mind. I was so thankful that I listened to God telling me to change my lesson for the second night. Those kids really needed to hear the message of how to get to Heaven. Because when I left there, all they would have is what I taught them. And I really wanted them to remember THAT! They don't need me to get saved. They only need to know how. So for the kids who didn't ask Jesus into their heart while I was there, that's OK. God will still work on them long after that revival is over. And I taught them what they need to know to do that. So listen to God if He changes the plan!
4. When I ask God to send me out to work for Him, when I am willing, He will answer and He will use me! I was so thankful for the things He did through me that weekend, and for the things He did in my own heart!
5. God made me EXACTLY the way I am for His specific purpose! He did not make a mistake when He made me with a gypsy spirit. He did not make me this way just to torment me by keeping me in one place for my entire life, even though some days it feels like I will never go anywhere. He gave me the energy that I have and the desire in my heart to GO so that I can be of use to Him. And I know that, when He says I am ready, He will send me again.

I am so thankful that my God allowed me to be used to do His good work that weekend. I am so thankful that He allowed me to get outside of the walls that I generally find myself in, and go outside of my comfort zone to reach kids who were unlike most that I am called to minister to. And I am thankful for the ongoing call He has put on my life at my own church to minister to the kids there that need teaching and training. I serve a BIG GOD, and He has a BIG PLAN for my life. I can't wait to see where He takes me next!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 18

2011-11-18T17:10:00.001-06:00

Today, I am in a mad rush to get out of the house. So this is going to be quick! But the thing for which I am thankful today is the fact that I am on my way out the door for a GIRLS NIGHT OUT with my friend, Marci! YAY! Being able to get out of the house for some girl time without four kids is a rare thing around here. So I am so thankful to my hubby who is watching his children tonight in order for me to be able to go out and have a little fun! I think I'm going to owe him a guy's night out soon!

Called to Minister - Part 1

2011-11-17T17:44:00.003-06:00

I am a gypsy at heart. I am rarely happy being in one place for too long. Before long, I start to get antsy and just need to DO something and GO somewhere! Believe me, it is no fun living with me when I get like this, because I just completely wear everybody out with my whining about the need to MOVE! I don't mean like moving houses. I mean like getting up and GOING somewhere to do something! I have been this way since I was a kid. Always had my bags packed and ready to go to the next adventure. (For those of you who share my gypsy spirit, you will know what I'm talking about here. For the rest of you, I don't really expect you to get it. But keep reading anyway!)

Unfortunately for me, my husband does not share the same gypsy blood as I, and, quite frankly, I start to really wear on his nerves after awhile. He is perfectly happy staying put in one place for his entire life. In fact, he has moved more times in the last 14 years of being married to me than he ever has in his life. So this is usually a big issue with us.

In fact, it got so bad a few weeks ago that I was just wringing my hands together and had such a heavy burden on my heart that I just didn't know what to do. So I did the only thing I knew TO do. I cried out to God in my anguish. I began praying and seeking God. My heart cried out wanting to know why in the world He would make me with such a desire in my heart and then not allow me to go and do and move. I told God in my utter despair that I needed Him to show me in a tangible way why I was made like this and show me what He would have me do with this desire He put in my heart, or to completely take this spirit away from me. I just couldn't keep living like this, wanting to GO and having a husband who wanted to stay put. I also told God that I didn't just want Him to tell ME what I was to be doing with this spirit in me, but I wanted Him to confirm it to me through my husband. And so I prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and waited.

The coolest part was, I didn't have to wait long. I just LOVE it when God answers in a quick way. Generally, it is a very long process, with Him working things out inside of me while I learn to be patient and wait. But thankfully, not this time! Within about two days of praying and seeking God for direction, He answered - in a BIG way!

I got a call from this guy, Scott. I had never actually met Scott before that phone call, but I did know his wife. I had met her at camp over the summer. Scott was calling on behalf of his church, and they were looking for someone to come teach the kids at their church during their upcoming revival. They had heard about what we did with the kids at camp over the summer, and they thought we might be available. The pastor wanted to give all of their church workers a chance to sit in on the revival, so they needed someone from outside to come in to take care of the kids. Honestly, my first thought was, "There is no way Brient is going to go for this." The church is, after all, two hours away from our house. No, that's not really that far, but I still didn't expect him to want to go. So I told Scott I'd think about it, talk to Brient, and get back with him.

So I waited until a good time to talk to Brient (as in, I waited until the commercial came on), and I told him why Scott had called. He sat listening while I told him all the details. And when I finished, he looked at me and said, "Well, I think God just gave us an open door. I don't think we can do anything else BUT go through it." WOW! Is that direction WITH confirmation or WHAT!?

I was so thrilled I just could barely contain myself! For the next two weeks, I wrote out my lessons and got all my games together. We borrowed Brient's parent's camper, and got all of our things packed and ready to go. And when the weekend came, we pulled out of our driveway and headed West - to the next adventure God was calling us to.

For a really long time, I just couldn't understand what God was doing in me. I couldn't understand or put my finger on why I was made as I am. But when I needed some answers, I went to The One with ALL the answers. I asked God to give me direction and to confirm it through my husband, and boy did He ever answer. God didn't just tell me what was in store for my future, but He SENT ME somewhere to do work for Him. And he told Brient the plan, too. I was completely thrilled to be able to sit back and just watch as God moved and worked and revealed things. And I know - I KNOW - that He has even more things in store for us in the future!

In a few days, I'll write the rest of this story, and I'll tell you all about the ministry that went on during that revival. It was THRILLING! But then again, God is ALWAYS thrilling!

*Be sure to check out Called to Minister - Part 2*

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 17

2011-11-17T17:44:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite times of each day is meal time. I LOVE sitting down to a meal as a family. But alas, meal times at my house are rarely what I envision. Generally, there is chaos at my table, with at least one spill to clean up, some little one needing second helpings, the baby needing to go potty while I'm in the middle of a bite, or food that I left cooking on the stove that ends up burnt. ACK!

But tonight, ah yes tonight, dinner at my house was exactly as I had hoped. We all sat around the table eating our meal, everyone was smiling and laughing and talking, the baby was GOOD for a change, and we all just had a great time of enjoying being together. Tonight, I am thankful for having all of my family around my table, for the food God has given us to eat, and for the great time of fellowship we all had together.

Tomorrow may bring chaos once again to my dinner table, but for tonight - ah yes tonight...

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 16

2011-11-16T21:23:00.001-06:00

For the last few days, I haven't felt all that hot. I've been going to a chiropractor for a few months now to try to line out my back and hips after having four kids on the same hip for the last 11 years. And for a few days now, the nerves in my back are just SCREAMING! Apparently, I'm getting close to having it all straightened out and my nerves don't like it, so they are rebelling. Anyway...

Since I haven't felt up to much, because I don't feel like walking or sitting or anything else, Brient has stepped up and taken care of things for me. Last night, he cooked supper. The night before, he took care of baths for the little ones. And tonight, he fed everyone and gave the little ones piggy back rides to bed. ~sigh~ He's so handsome when he does stuff like that!

So today, and really for the last few days, I am thankful for my sweet, wonderful husband who takes care of me when I don't feel well, and who loves me even when I'm grumpy when I don't feel well. I'm thankful that he's not a lazy man, but helps out around here, because, after all, it is his house, too. And I'm thankful for a man who is a good daddy and doesn't mind taking care of his kids. There are a lot of men out there who don't help AT ALL with their kids, but just let the wife do everything. I'm thankful for a man who realizes that they are his responsibility, too, and doesn't mind doing his part. Love that guy!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 15

2011-11-15T15:59:00.001-06:00

This morning, I woke to cloudy skies and very mild temperatures. I kept expecting it to rain all day, but so far it hasn't happened. But this morning, since it was so pleasant outside, the kids had some time to get outdoors and play on the new jungle gym their daddy made for them last month.

I am so thankful for the beautiful fall weather we have had lately. I am thankful for a husband who is not afraid to work and get dirty, and did a great job building that play set (from his own design) for his kids. And I am thankful that we are able to homeschool, so, on days like today, my kids can get out and play in the fresh air instead of sitting in a room at a desk and having only a few minutes outside during recess.

God has blessed my family beyond what I can say. And on days that I am frazzled and worn out and would really like to just sit down and feel sorry for myself, I only need to really look around me at all that my God has done and all that He has provided. Then I remember how blessed I really am.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 14

2011-11-14T20:17:00.001-06:00

I heard a song today as I was driving to town. It's a song I have heard many times before, but I've just never really slowed down enough to hear the words. But today, I really listened. And I let the words of that song really sink in to my head and my heart.

Today, I am reminded of how thankful I am for my God's forgiveness. God has a way of forgiving that I just can't comprehend.

There are things I have done in this life that I wish I could go back and re-do, things that have hurt my Maker, sins against Almighty God. I feel as Paul did when he wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15 that he was the worst of sinners. And I can honestly say that Paul speaks truth in Romans 7:18 when he says there is no good thing that lives in the flesh. God has absolutely no reason whatsoever to love me and forgive me for the wrongs that I have committed, and yet He DOES love me and He DOES forgive me when I repent of those sins and ask His forgiveness. That is simply amazing to me.

This song that I heard today sums it up perfectly. Here are the words to the song, so you can really look at it and let it sink in before listening to it.

Forgiven

by Sanctus Real

Well the past is playing with my head
And failure knocks me down again
I’m reminded of the wrong
That I have said and done
And that devil just wont let me forget.

In this life
I know what I’ve been
But here in your arms
I know what I am.

I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven.

My mistakes are running through my mind
And I’ll relive my days, in the middle of the night
When I struggle with my pain, wrestle with my pride
Sometimes I feel alone, and I cry.

In this life
I know what I’ve been
But here in your arms
I know what I am.

I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven.

When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere
When I don’t measure up to much in this life
Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ ‘cause

I’m forgiven
I’m forgiven
And I don’t have to carry
The weight of who I’ve been
Cause I’m forgiven.

My favorite part of that song (besides the chorus) is the part that says, "In this life, I know what I've been. But here in Your arms, I know what I am."

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness. Without it, I would be completely lost and hopeless. Thank you, God, for forgiving me, even though I don't deserve Your forgiveness. Thank you that I don't have to carry that heavy weight of who I once was, and that my past does not define or determine who I am now and will be in You.

And the Winner Is....

2011-11-14T17:45:00.001-06:00

Congratulations go out to my good friend, Jessie, who is the winner of my blog give-away! Up for grabs was a year subscription to an AMAZING children's ministry magazine, K Magazine. Jessie will be getting her first issue in the mail soon, and I just KNOW she is going to LOVE it!

And for all of you sitting there reading this looking very forlorn about the fact that your name was not drawn, fear not! You, too, can have your very own subscription to K Magazine just by heading over to the KidzMatter site and signing up. The cost is less than $20 a year, and it is the BEST investment you will ever make in your children's ministry!

Thanks to all who joined in the fun! I can't wait to hold another giveaway!

The Gratutude Project 2011 - Day 13

2011-11-13T20:51:00.001-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for today. Where to start? I suppose at the beginning.

This morning, I awakened to a quiet house and had a few moments alone with my God. I'm so thankful for those moments, and I am so thankful that He never sleeps and is ready and willing to meet me at any time of the day or night.

We all headed to church this morning. I was very thankful for our friend and helper, Gary, who stepped in to teach children's church this morning so Brient and I could go to "Big Church". I honestly can't remember the last time I heard an adult sermon on a Sunday morning, and I was really excited to be able to do so this morning!

I am thankful for a preacher who preaches what God lays on his heart, even if it hurts. I am thankful for his tender heart. And I am thankful for the genuine person he is and the ministry in which he is involved. I have said this so many times, but I just can't say it enough. I have never in my entire life had a preacher such as the one I sit under now. He is REAL! And he is on my level. And he loves God and he loves people. I am very thankful for him.

After church, we went out to our local "hole in the wall" pizza joint for lunch with friends. I was very thankful for the food and the fellowship! And afterwards, Brient took the kids home while I went BY MYSELF to get groceries!! That is such a rare occasion when you have 4 kids, and I was so thankful to my hubby for allowing me that time! He's a great husband and a great daddy! Not every guy would brave taking 4 kids by themselves. But he is such a great daddy and doesn't mind one bit!

And I was thankful that I had the chance to go back to church tonight for our singing service. I just LOVE when we have singing night! I grew up singing old hymns, and I love singing them in church.

There are so many things today for which I am thankful. God is so good! And tonight, I will be thankful to lay my head on my lovely pillow, because, after such a busy day, I am quite exhausted!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 12

2011-11-12T19:38:00.001-06:00

Our homeschool group hosts an annual Thanksgiving feast and fun day at our local park, and it is open to any members of the group who wish to come. During the feast, we have a great spread of food brought by all attending, and there are all sorts of games for the kids to participate in. And this year, there was even a homeschool family who brought their instruments and played some great music during the feast! This was our first year to attend. Yep. I've been a member of this group for about 7 years now, and this is the first one of these shindigs I've ever been to. And it was so FUN!

Our daddy person even got to come with us, which made it even more fun. He and I took turns keeping an eye on Baby Girl, because, as soon as you blink she is GONE!! So we each had some time to visit with other homeschooling moms and dads, while the kids had a ton of fun playing with all their friends.

Today, I am thankful for a homeschool community that meets regularly to enjoy some good fellowship with one another. I am thankful for like-minded people who understand where I'm coming from. I am thankful for people I can talk with and they can empathize with me. And I am thankful for people who understand my reasoning for homeschooling without looking at me like I'm a complete crazy person for not shipping my kids off to public school like everyone else.

I am thankful that God provides the friends that we need at exactly the right time.

And I was equally thankful that God provided such an amazing day for going to the park. The weather was perfect. Not too cold and not too hot. The wind blew some, but not so much that it was unbearable. And the beauty all around was just amazing. The trees had all turned a gorgeous shade of orange, yellow, and red. I just LOVE the colors of fall!! Thank you, God, for a gorgeous day!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 11

2011-11-11T18:59:00.001-06:00

Today is November 11, 2011 - 11/11/11. How cool is that?! It also happens to be a national holiday. Today is Veteran's Day. This is the day when we honor all men and women who have served in our country's military, either currently or in the past. Without these people defending our freedom, our country would not be where we are today.

I have three people specifically for whom I am very grateful. First, I am thankful for my granddaddy, Floyd Kelley. Second, I am thankful for my other granddaddy, Glen Felkel. Both served their country proudly, and I adore them both! And third, I am thankful for my late brother-in-law, Wade Neeley II, who passed away due to effects of serving his country during the Gulf War. These men are all heroes in my book, and I love them all!

So on this Veteran's Day 2011, I am very thankful for the people who keep my country free, so that I am able to live my life however I may choose, and I may serve my God however I wish. A BIG THANK YOU to all the veterans, both past and present.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 10

2011-11-10T21:45:00.001-06:00

My grandmother asked me the other day if I would meet her this morning and help her with something she needed to get done. I, of course, told her I would! So the kids and I spent the morning seeing her and my sweet granddaddy.

Today, I am so very thankful for both of my grandparents. They live about 5 minutes up the road from me, so I am able to see them often. I am thankful for that.

For the last several weeks, my grandparents have been so sweet to keep my kids about once a week, so I could go to town to the chiropractor. It was something I needed to do, but, with 4 kids in tow, I simply wasn't able to do. But they helped me out so that I could do that.

I am thankful for all that I have learned from both of them over the course of my life. They have both been such a big part of my life, and I am who I am today because of the influence of them.

God has been so good to allow me to have these great people for such a long time. And for every day that I get to spend with them, and for every hug and kiss on the cheek I get from them, I am truly grateful.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 9

2011-11-09T19:23:00.002-06:00

Today, the kids and I went to our homeschool co-op. We go every Wednesday, and we all really enjoy it. Today, I am thankful that Brient and I decided to join co-op. For a very long time, I had a very bad opinion of co-op, and really didn't care a thing in the world about joining. But I am so thankful for my sweet friend, Juliann, who encouraged me to give it a try, because, well, we are really glad we joined! Each week, the kids get to see some great homeschool friends, which is a really good thing seeing as how they don't see kids each day like they would if they were in public or private school. This gives them some really needed interaction with kids their age. And I am so very, very thankful for all the great mama friends I have made! These ladies are just great, and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have friends like them. I am so thankful for all of them!! God is so good to give me and my kids friends like these!

K Magazine Review and Blog Giveaway Time!!

2011-11-09T19:11:00.003-06:00

Children's ministry is something I am very passionate about. God called me to this ministry many years ago, but it has only been in the last two years that I have actually submitted to that calling and begun working as a children's minister. For awhile, I just sort of went on what I knew - things I had been taught as a child and things I had seen other children's ministers teach. But there came a point last year where I knew I was becoming stagnant in my children's church. I knew I needed to go beyond what I already knew, beyond my own thinking, and branch out to see what other resources and ideas were available.

A dear friend of mine, Larry (who happens to be the youth pastor at my church), suggested that I purchase a subscription to a children's ministry magazine. He told me about the magazines he gets that are geared for youth ministry, and thought I might benefit from something similar. So I looked online to see what was out there. There are so many things that one can find online that it can actually be a little overwhelming. Adding that to the fact that many of the ideas people are using are out of date and not nearly as effective for this generation of children, after all that searching, I didn't really come up with much. Then I looked for children's ministry magazines. There are only a hand full out there, and they each cost roughly $20 for a yearly subscription. I couldn't afford to get them all, so I had to pick.

The magazine that stuck out the most was called K Magazine, and is put out by Kidz Matter. I will admit, the title didn't look that interesting. But the more I thought about it and looked at some of the things they had in this thing, the more sure I was that this was the one I needed. It wasn't until I got my first issue that I was ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN this was the magazine that was going to provide me with the resources I needed to move me forward in children's ministry.

The theme of my first issue was "Leadership." That was something I had been trying to get some direction on, but didn't really know where to start. The articles were so helpful, and I have read most of them several times. I have plans to pass that issue on to others working in children's ministry in my church, but so far I can't come to part with it. I just keep picking it up and re-reading it!

The article that I enjoyed the most was titled "Full Steam Ahead," and was written by Tina Houser. Mrs. Houser talks about the power of momentum in your children's ministry, and how to go about fueling that momentum so that it is like a train that can't be stopped. She showed the importance of declaring your vision and sticking with it, jumping right into things rather than slowly getting into the race, and pouncing on opportunities that land in your lap. Being a step ahead of the game helps you to keep moving, instead of just coasting along in your ministry. She shows how to multiply your effectiveness by increasing your mass (people who work in children's ministry with you), how to set up wins for your team, the importance of plowing through obstacles that stand in your way, how to go public with what you are doing with your group, and the necessity of continually evaluating what and how you are doing. She hit the nail right on the head with that lesson on momentum.

Each issue is packed with so many great articles, it is hard to put the magazine down once I get started reading! And the articles are written by very experienced children's ministers such as Tina Houser, Roger Fields, Ryan Frank, Jim Wideman, Greg Baird, and so many more! You get great articles from experts in the field of children's ministry, ideas for ways to add some excitement to your lessons, decor, and overall ministry, encouragement for when you feel like things aren't going just right or like you're not making a difference, and loads of information on curriculum and products out there just for you! I am looking forward to the next issue, because the theme is "Creativity in Ministry." I need all the help I can get in that area! It's going to be a great issue!

If you want to check out this AMAZING magazine, along with plenty of other children's ministry resources, take a look at their web site! Or you can give these lovely people a call toll free at 877-568-2437. You will get to talk to an actual PERSON, and they are all very friendly! For $19.95, you get six completely PACKED issues!

BUT, I am so EXCITED to tell you that I am GIVING AWAY a full year subscription for my blog giveaway today! The good folks at Kidz Matter have graciously provided me with this prize, and one of my followers is going to win it! You are definitely going to want this prize! I promise!!

Here's how to enter. First, you MUST be a follower on my blog. So if you haven't clicked the "Join This Site" button on the right, go do that now. GO! GO! GO!! If you are a follower through another site, such as Google Reader, you need to leave me a comment and let me know. Everyone who FOLLOWS my blog gets entered automatically! YAY!!

If you would like to have an additional entry, here's what to do. Leave me a comment telling me why you want to win this prize, and/or if you would keep it or give it to someone else. Hey, I know all of you lovely people aren't children's ministers like me, and might not actually use something like this. But remember, kids ministry is a HUGE thing to God, and you could definitely pass this on to whomever has the privilege of being in charge of this ministry in your church! So whether you keep it or give it away matters not. You still REALLY want to win this!!

And for one more additional entry, post a link to this blog post on Facebook or Twitter telling all your friends about my prize giveaway! Then you need to come back here and leave me a comment letting me know where you posted the link.

Be sure to leave me your e-mail address in your comment, so I can contact you if your name is drawn.

So there you have it. You have three ways to enter. The contest will run until Monday, November 14, so you all will have plenty of time to enter.

This magazine has been so helpful to me in my children's ministry, and I just can't WAIT to give away a subscription to one of you!! And if you just can't wait until Monday, or if you want to go purchase a copy for someone else, head on over there to the Kidz Matter website and pick up a subscription. You will NOT be sorry!!

*And a BIG THANK YOU to Hip Homeschool Moms for letting me post my giveaway to their site!! Go check them out!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 8

2011-11-08T21:17:00.000-06:00

Tonight, as I sit down to think of the things for which I am thankful, I hear the rain as the wind blows it against the outside of my window. It has been such a long, hot, dry summer here in the Deep South, and now that fall is finally here, we are getting a slight reprieve. So right now, I am very, very thankful for the downpour that God is sending on my house. Yes, there are some severe weather threats out right now, but I am trusting in my God to protect us from whatever weather He sends. And in the meantime, I will be sitting back for the rest of the evening listening to the lovely sound of wet outside and will be remembering how thankful I am that God has sent that rain!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Days 4, 5, 6, and 7

2011-11-07T15:47:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm behind here. But I have a VERY good reason for missing a few days posts on The Gratitude Project. Brient and I have been out of town since Friday doing kids ministry at a church during their revival. It was AWESOME!! So now I have a moment to think, and I can sit down and play catch up on the things for which I am thankful.

Day 4: Friday morning, Brient, the kids, and I pulled out of our driveway heading to a town about two hours away. They called us a few weeks ago asking if we would come do children's ministry at their church during their revival for this weekend, and we were THRILLED to be going! In a day or so, after I have rested a bit, I will give you a good idea about all the ministry that went on there this weekend! But for Friday's Gratitude Project, I was thankful for several things. I was thankful that we made it safely to our destination. We pulled my in-law's camper to stay in, and I was very grateful they let us borrow it. The church where we were ministering was very gracious and took us out for supper Friday night, and I was thankful! I was really thankful for all the kids that came to our program! And most importantly, Friday night I was SO THANKFUL for the FIVE kids who gave their lives to Jesus! YAY GOD!

Day 5: On Saturday, I woke up thankful for a great nights sleep in the RV park. The five of us went shopping around town a bit, and I was thankful for some time with my girls at Build-A-Bear Workshop. After shopping, we went to a hands-on children's science museum. My friend met us there, because she said she had season passes and could get us in FREE!! I was VERY thankful for her going out of her way to do that for us! And I was thankful she brought her son back up there to play with us, because Little Man just LOVES to play with him! I was thankful that, while thinking on my lesson for the night, I was open to the Spirit leading me to change my game plan at the last minute. Instead of my original lesson, I listened to God and changed to a lesson on how to be born again on the inside. And I was thankful for each kid that came Saturday night to hear that message God had for them. My friend, Ray, and his daughter, Emilee, came over for the revival that evening. I was ESPECIALLY thankful that Emilee asked if she could hang out with us and help us out!! I seriously had been praying about how we were going to pray with that many kids, when it was just myself and Brient. God sent her at the perfect time, and it was such a blessing seeing her pray with the kids that needed prayer.

Day 6: On Sunday morning at around eight o'clock, my sweet Baby Girl turned THREE! WOW! Where did the time go? I was a little disappointed that she wasn't there with us so we could celebrate her special day. But I was thinking how thankful I was that her Mamaw and Papaw had kept her for the weekend, and I knew she was going to have a blast with them! I am so thankful that God gave me that sweet girl, even though she does wear me out more than the other three combined! I was thankful that morning, also, that we had the chance to take the kids from that church up on stage during the service to sing a song, so the church could see a little of what we had been doing all weekend. It's always good to be seen by the congregation, so people don't forget about you back there or think you are just babysitting their kids. I was thankful that we had some new kiddos in children's church that morning, and thankful that we had such a great time of learning. It was awesome to see so many kids come down front to just pray about some things. LOVE seeing kids talk to God! I was thankful that the church took us out to eat lunch after church, because I was so tired after the long weekend that I really didn't want to cook in the camper. We spent the afternoon at some friends' house, and I was thankful for a chance to run away with my friend for a while to go do some shopping. We took Britches, too, because she loves shopping! And last night, I was thankful for a great time with the kids, some great hugs to end the weekend and say good-bye, supper before we left, and a safe trip home back to my own bed!

This weekend was FILLED with things for which to be thankful. This weekend in itself was an answer to some prayers that I have been offering up for quite awhile now, and that was something for which to be thankful! In a day or so, I'll sit down and actually tell you all the goings-on from this weekend. But for right now, for this 7th day, I am thankful to have my baby back home with us, and to be able to spend this day resting up from the amazing weekend of ministry! And you know what?? I can't wait to do it all again!!

Gluten Free Living - Day 5

2011-11-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

Well today was just lousy! Today is the day I decided I really don't like this whole gluten free living thing.

This morning, I made some very delicious homemade bread, which smelled up my entire house and was calling to me, and I couldn't take a single bite. All of it will be for my family. I am more than happy to make it for them, but I would at least like to be able to have a slice of it, thank you very much! I tried to make my own gluten free sourdough bread, but that was a total disaster. Dismal failure! Hopefully it can be redeemed when I try to make some gluten free "cornbread" dressing with it in a few weeks. (Believe me when I say, though, I will have a pan of REGULAR cornbread dressing just in case the gluten free batch is terrible!)

And then when it was time for lunch, and I made the girls some very delicious PB&J on regular bread, I had the thought to make one for me. Then I remembered, I CAN'T!

I was doing OK with all of that, until it came time for supper. I was reheating the last of those yummy delicious veggie enchiladas I made a few days ago, because, since we are leaving in the morning and will be gone all weekend, I was trying to finish off what was left in the fridge. They were looking all nice, hot, and bubbly reheating in the oven. And then, when I pulled them out and was just about ready to serve them onto my plate, I realized they are made with FLOUR TORTILLAS, which means they have gluten in them. UGH!

And I was just plain not happy when I baked the last of the homemade sugar cookie dough that I had been keeping in the freezer for the kids. As I smelled their delicious yumminess from my oven, I thought back to all that flour that I had added to the recipe.

So I have spent most of my day today thinking about all the foods I CAN'T have because EVERYTHING seems to be made with flour! But my sweet friend, Marci, told me she was going out of town and would be heading by a Whole Foods Market near where she would be staying, and she told me she would pick me up anything I might would like. Well, since we don't have a Whole Foods near where I live (sad, yes, I know), I really have no idea what they offer. So I told her to just surprise me and pick me up a loaf of gluten free bread and a box of gluten free crackers. I have no idea what she's going to come back with, but I am anxious to try it.

I can seriously tell a difference in the way my stomach feels. No more pain or heaviness or anything like that this week since I have eaten gluten free. So I really believe I may have found the root cause of my stomach issues. That's a GREAT thing! But it's a LOUSY thing that one of my FAVORITE THINGS in the whole world to eat is the cause of my problems. But at least now I know I have a choice. I can stay away from what ails me, or I can eat it and pay the consequences. But I have a choice. At least now I know.

And for tonight, well, let's just say I am VERY glad that they make gluten free chocolate/chocolate chip rice cakes! I have made a severe dent in them tonight. And at this moment, I am attempting to reclaim the last bit of today by slowly savoring a Hershey's chocolate bar. Yep, that's gluten free, too! So I guess the whole day isn't a total loss.

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 3

2011-11-03T10:55:00.001-05:00

Today, I am thankful for my dear sweet new friend, Marci! She and I met up within this last year and started to really get to know each other, and I just LOVE HER!! I think she and I are like soul sisters, and we must have just been separated at birth or something. OK, except for the fact that I am 4'10" and she is like 5'10"! Yeah, we look pretty crazy together, but WHO CARES?!

So besides the fact that I am very thankful for her dear friendship, I am today especially thankful for her sharing spirit! A week or so ago, Marci shared some of her sourdough bread starter and recipe with me. YUMM-O! So I have been busy this morning making up a batch of sourdough bread for the weekend!

This recipe takes a LONG time, because sourdough takes longer to rise than regular yeast bread. So I mixed it up yesterday morning, put it in the pans last night to rise overnight, re-punched them down and re-divided them this morning because they overflowed the bread pans (yeah, it looked like lava coming out of a volcano!), let them re-rise (wasn't supposed to have to re-do all of that!!), and popped them in the oven. As they were baking, I was thinking a very kind thought about Marci!

This weekend, we will be heading out of town, and I plan to slice all these loaves and take them with us. I pulled out three lovely loaves from the oven, two regular sized and one about half that size, and they will make wonderful sandwiches for my family. (No, I'm not planning to eat any - darn it! - because they are loaded with gluten, and I, quite frankly, have enjoyed NOT having a stomach ache this week because of staying away from gluten! But I will be drooling as I watch the rest of them devour that bread!) I'm planning to take one loaf to share with a friend who we will be meeting up with, as well.

So today, I am very, very thankful for the friend that God put in my life at just the right time! Marci is just so much FUN, and I could hang out with her traveling in an RV all over the country side and never look back! Go check out Marci's blog to see how much fun she and her family have together, and you'll see some of the reasons why I love her so much!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 2

2011-11-02T21:07:00.001-05:00

Today I am reminded how thankful I am for Divine Appointments. I don't believe in luck or chance, but I believe that God is completely orchestrating every aspect of life - even down to the details.

I went with my four kids to Wal-Mart this afternoon. It was late in the day, and I usually try to make my trips to that mad-house in the early morning in order to avoid the after work crowd. I went in for dog food only, but true to form, I came to the register with a buggy full of "things". OK, so they are things we will actually use! I grabbed some Almond Milk, 2 bags of gluten free chips (AKA Tostitos Scoops!), some Thanksgiving plates and napkins (paper, of course!), and some very small pumpkins that were on sale to go on my Thanksgiving table. The point is, I ALWAYS come out with more than I planned. What can I say? Everybody has their faults.

So we finally made our way to the check out line, and a gentleman pulled up behind me in the motorized cart. His cart was completely loaded down and he was pulling a buggy behind him that was even more filled than the cart. As he began talking, my heart immediately went out to him. He told me that, when he got home with all those groceries, he had kids and grandkids who would bring boxes over and load up food to take home with them. He said they rarely came to visit him, but only came over to get food or other things he had that they wanted. And he said, "That's just the way it is." He went on to tell me about how he raised his nine kids alone, because his wife had left him because he worked all the time trying to be somebody and didn't spend enough time with them. And he told me of the poor choices in a husband his daughters had made. As he talked, I could see tears forming in his eyes. And at one point, a few tears even rolled down his face. This was a man who had lived a long life and had no idea that things could actually be better than that. He had lived a hard life, and he told me that, if he could do it over again, he would do so many things differently.

Well, it was finally my turn in line. My two oldest helped me unload my buggy, as they always do. Generally, I have to tell them to stop fighting over who is going to help put the things on the conveyor belt! But tonight, they worked together beautifully. And when they finished, I called them over close to me, so as not to let anyone else hear. I told them that, while I was loading our things back in the buggy and paying, I wanted them to begin unloading his cart for him. He was old and tired, and I could tell he was already worn out from shopping. Both of them went right to work without any hesitation or questioning. When I got ready to pay, I looked up and saw the look on the man's face. He didn't really know what to do. Little Sister, my third, asked if she could get out of the buggy, because she wanted to help unload his buggy, too! So I lifted her out, and she went straight to work. When I was able, I went to help, too. Between the four of us, we had his buggy and cart unloaded, and all he needed to do was pay. I discreetly asked the girl working there if she could call over someone to help him take his goods to his vehicle and load them, and she did that very happily.

When we got ready to leave, I went and gave him a big hug and told him I hoped he had a great night. He looked up at me and thanked me, and the kids and I watched him roll away.

The kids and I headed to our van and loaded up. Once inside, I told them how very, very proud I was of them. I explained to them that this man had no idea of what real love was, and they just showed him a God love in a very real, tangible way. This man had lived a hard life. He was worn down from the disappointments that had come his way. And he knew he was going home just to face it again. But for tonight, for a few moments at the check-out register in Wal-Mart, this man got a glimpse of a God type love. We didn't know him, and we will probably never see him again. But I believe God had that Divine Appointment set up tonight, so that this dear man would be able to see in a real, tangible way that love for others does exist. To simply tell this man I hoped things got better for him would have been pointless. To wish him well and tell him to have a good night would have been ridiculous. Nothing I could have SAID would have spoken nearly as loudly as what my kids DID for him. They showed love. Unconditional love. Love for a complete stranger. Love for their neighbor.

And as for my kids, well, tonight they learned an amazing lesson in SHOWING God's love for others. How often in our small world do they have an opportunity to put into action the love for others that we instill in each of them? God provided that learning time for them. This is something I should think they will not soon forget.

So tonight, I am so very, very thankful for God's Divine Appointments in my life and in the life of my kids. I am so thankful He chose to use us and gave us the chance to serve Him through helping this man. And I am so thankful that He took me to Wal-Mart at an odd time and allowed me to stay longer than I had planned, all so that I would end up in line at just the right time to meet this dear soul whom God wanted us to love on. I am so thankful that God's timing is beyond any of my understanding, and it is greater than I could ever imagine.

I didn't write this so that people who praise what we have done. I am not looking for a pat on the back or any other thing such as that. The reason I tell you all of these things is because of this. First, I want you to see that you don't need to be a missionary in some foreign world to be used of Christ. You don't need a degree to share the gospel. Second, realize that I was NOT preaching to this man! I rarely said anything, but just let him talk. You don't have to be in a "church" setting or be a minister to be able to share the love of God with others. You can win people over more by your actions than anything you could say to them. And third, there are hurting people all around you. Look up from your own buggy and see the fields white with harvest! Is there someone you can help today? Someone you can share God's love with in a REAL, TANGIBLE way? Ask God to put someone in your path whom you can speak love and healing to today in the name of Jesus. And then come share your story of God's Divine Appointments in your life!

Gluten Free Living - Day 3

2011-11-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

I decided that I really need some gluten free crackers if I'm going to survive this way of eating. Since opting for vegetarianism, I have been loading up on great dips, like hummus, and salsas. But what is one to do with NO CRACKERS?? So last night, I started looking online for a good cracker recipe - gluten free. And here is what I came up with.

I found a cracker that looked absolutely delicious in the picture. It had ingredients that I had on hand (OK, the NEW ingredients that I bought the other night. It's not like they are just things I keep on hand every day.), and I liked all the seasonings that went in it. So I whipped up a batch. The recipe said to press them onto your tray, and use a knife to score the crackers (that means to cut lines through them so they are actual crackers when you're finished), and then bake them in the oven for like 15 minutes. Sounded easy enough. Only problem was, when I got ready to pick them up off of my baking stone, they started to break. So I had a few actual crackers, but most were just broken into small pieces. Now, I will say that the flavor was great! I loved how that part turned out, and I decided that I will definitely be able to use these as croutons on my next salad. But as far as dipping, well, I just don't think that's going to happen. I did eat pinto bean soup today for lunch, and they held up pretty well when I put the beans on top. Still though, they weren't quite what I was hoping for.

All in all, I really liked the flavor. But I don't think I will be making these again. I just don't eat croutons on my salad enough to worry with making this recipe just for that reason. Later I'll see if I can find a different recipe that might turn out a better cracker that doesn't crumble when I try to lift it off the pan.

So day 3 of gluten free eating went really well. Looking forward to tomorrow and whatever awaits me in my kitchen!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 1

2011-11-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of November. Where did the year go, I would just like to know! It seems like the scorching heat from a summer in the Deep South has finally given way to some cooler Autumn breezes before I could even blink my eyes. One day it was hot, and the next morning I woke up to a sweater and some hot chocolate. Ahhh, such is life where I live. Anyways...

Since this marks the first day of November, it also begins this year's Gratitude Project. Here's the quick run-down of the project. For the next 25 days leading up to Thanksgiving, I will spend some time each day reflecting on the things for which I am truly grateful. I will be purposefully grateful, which means that, even on days when I really don't feel like I have anything for which to give thanks, I will FIND the blessings in life and give thanks. And each day, I will blog about those things in my life for which I am most thankful. In an effort not to completely duplicate what I shared last year (because my priorities are pretty much the same - God, family, friends, anything else), I will be looking for the not-so-obvious things in my day that God has blessed me with! And so, here we go.

The thing for which I am thankful today are these two sweet little girls I have who are crawling all over me showing me the hot dog pieces in their mouths! Some days, I just feel like they are completely in the way, and I just need a break! But when I really think about it, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Both Little Sister and Baby Girl just make me smile so many times in a day. My day would be so boring without them. So today, I am thankful for the two of them. :0)

Baby Girl said, "Look me, Mommy! I exercisin'."

Little Sister couldn't be outdone by Baby Girl's exercising, so she had to do a "trick".

I encourage you, for the next 25 days, to take the challenge and join in The Gratitude Project! You can show your thanks via social networking (Facebook or Twitter), blog post, giving someone a call on the phone, shooting someone an e-mail, or even send a card in the mail. And if you feel so inclined, leave me a comment each day telling me what you are thankful for, so I can share in YOUR Gratitude Project!

And a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU to my friend, Ray, who started the project last year. If not for his challenge, I would very likely be going through this month with hardly a thought to being thankful, except for on Thanksgiving Day specifically.

Gluten Free Living - Day 2

2011-10-31T20:07:00.000-05:00

Today I had planned to go and visit with my sweet friend, Marci. I LOVE this gal! She and I are like soul sista's! We are both free-spirit, hippie, gypsy girls, and I think we could both travel the world together and never look back. So I was very excited about going to her house and enjoying lunch with her and the four boys. Then I remembered - I'm not eating BREAD! ACK! So I told Marci I would be bringing my own lunch, because I certainly didn't expect her to try to cater to me and my crazy stomach.

So last night, I stayed up a little late looking up gluten free bread recipes, and I came across some really great looking ones. I finally found one that I had most of the ingredients for - from the bags of "flour" that I had bought grocery shopping the night before. And for what I didn't have, I looked online to find a suitable substitute, which I DID have! (YAY for Google! I just LOVE the info I can find on the Internet!) Before I went to bed last night, I mixed up all the dry ingredients so I could have a jump on my bread making this morning before going for my visit. When I woke this morning, I went straight to my kitchen to finish up making my bread. All I can say is - WOW! It smelled WONDERFUL! I finally realized what it is that I love about bread baking in my house. It's the YEAST! It smells sooooo wonderful! I even topped this bread with some sesame seeds to give it a good texture and to make it look and taste more "real". I wrapped it up, and I was off to visit my friend.

Before lunch, I pulled out my electric knife and sliced it into sandwich sized pieces. Marci, Britches, and I were ready to try it. We all three took a bite and - well, it was... different. We decided it would be much better slathered in butter, so of course that's what we did! Bread without butter is just crazy! It was really pretty good with the butter on it.

For lunch, though, I had mixed up peanut butter and homemade muscadine jelly, and that's what went in my sandwich. I must say, with PB&J, that was a really delicious bread! And I am thinking it's going to be really great as French toast, toast and jelly, or just warmed with butter as a side for my left over potato soup tonight.

There are several other recipes I plan to try in the near future, but not until I finish this loaf. All in all, though, this recipe is a keeper. I really liked the way it rose, just like my normal yeast bread. It had a great texture. There was no soy flour in it, so it didn't have any funky taste I didn't like. And it held up well for my sandwich. I'm pretty sure I will be making this one again.
This really was a lot easier to make than my regular yeast bread, too, because you only mix everything once, put it in the loaf pan, and let it rise. There is no kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting.

If you are playing around with the idea of gluten free foods, here is the recipe - just to try. Remember, you don't have to commit to anything just by making something like this. Call it a science experiment, and be prepared to throw it out if you hate it. You don't have to be married to it forever. Just give it a try! I did substitute a few items, since I didn't have the other items readily available. I swapped the tapioca or potato starch for corn starch. Instead of millet flour, I used brown rice flour. And instead of xanthan gum, I used an equal amount of milled flax seed. I did use the 2 whipped egg whites, and it did work well.

So if you DO give this recipe a try, leave me a comment and tell me how it went for you. Tell me what you liked or didn't like about it.

And now, I'm heading off to reheat some left over yummy cheesy potato soup for supper! Can't wait to try it with my new BREAD!

The Great Awakening

2011-10-31T16:05:00.000-05:00

Music is a key to my soul. Music says things that I can't think to say, but echo the cry of my heart. This song is one such piece of music. The Great Awakening by Leeland is a simple yet amazing song that tells exactly what I feel. Here are the words of the song.

One man wakes, awakens another
Second one wakes his next door brother
Three awake can rouse a town
And turn the whole place upside down
Many awake will cause such a fuss

It finally awakes all of us
One man wakes with dawn in his eyes
Surely then it multiplies
Surely then it multiplies

One thing I desire in this life is to be the one who awakens in a child the knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ. And then for that child to awaken his friend to the love of Jesus. Then for those two children to each share Jesus with another and another and another, until it turns the whole place upside down. And it will multiply on and on and on. I love to see a child wake "with dawn in his eyes" when he finally comes to understand the deep, deep love that Jesus Christ has for him. I want to be the one to share that with children. It is the deep desire of my heart.

Check out this amazing song.

Gluten Free Living - First Attempt

2011-10-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

The more I research the different symptoms I have with my stomach, the more I am leaning toward gluten as being the final culprit in my long attempt to settle my tummy issues once and for all. So far, I have cut out all meat and pretty much all dairy (except for the occasional sprinkle of cheese on my bowl of potato soup!), and I have severely limited my caffeine and sugar intake. So my next step in finding out what all the doctors haven't been able to tell me is to try going gluten free - for awhile anyway.

This week, the plan is to eat completely gluten free in an attempt to give my tummy a break, try to pinpoint if that is indeed the case of my tummy problems, and to see if one actually CAN live without gluten. As I have said before, I don't mind giving up meat one bit, because I've never really been just crazy about the taste anyway. But homemade bread, on the other hand, is a different story all together! When I make a loaf and the smells begin to fill my entire house, I just long for the moment when it emerges from the oven and I can cut off that first heel slice, slather it in butter, and chow down! I love bread with my winter soups and with my everyday lunch sandwiches. We have biscuits with supper on occasion, and I sometimes fix toast with our breakfast. Several times each week, I make waffles and muffins for breakfast. I LOVE chocolate/chocolate chip/banana muffins made with half white and half whole wheat flour! The smell is intoxicating! And a homemade waffle slathered in peanut butter and drizzled with honey is just fantastic!

I have no idea how I am going to make it this week without eating these delicious foods! Bread is a comfort food to me, and it's a good filler. If I'm still a little hungry after eating, a slice of toast to finish off the meal usually does the trick. Plus, I have been making homemade cookies with the kids lately, and of course I want to try one when they are finished cooking! So I am not really sure how I am going to be able to resist the temptation. But I am going to try my best!

Last night we went grocery shopping. So in addition to all my veggie foods, I stopped by the gluten free section to see what was offered. I have never really given much more than a glance at those shelves up to this point, but last night I just stood there and looked at each and every item. I couldn't buy one of everything, and didn't really want to, for that matter. If they tasted terrible, I didn't want to waste a ton of money on things that would end up being thrown away. So I chose two packages of noodles, a few bags of different types of flour (brown rice and sorghum), a bag of gluten free oats, and one package of mixed flours that will make some yummy french bread. Hoping that bread looks as good in person as it does on the box! So I am now set for the week.

I started on this first attempt today. I call this my first attempt, because it seems that everything I try, as far as my diet goes, takes a few tries before I fully commit to it. I'm hoping that won't be the case with this, but I'm leaving myself a way out just in case! This morning for breakfast, I had cereal. That's pretty normal for me. But when we went shopping last night, I picked up a few boxes of Chex cereal, because most of their cereal is labeled gluten free. YAY for cereal! Topped with some delicious rice milk, I was set. For lunch, I made a crock pot full of cheesy potato soup. By the time we got home from church, it had the house smelling GOOD! This is generally a meal I would LOVE to have a slice of homemade bread with, because cheesy potato soup just SCREAMS "Eat me with bread!" BUT, I resisted. I ladled out a bowl for me and added some vegan cheese to it, topped it with a little veggie "sausage" (from Morningstar Foods), and I had a great lunch! I was actually glad I skipped the bread, because, after eating a whole bowl of that filling goodness, I was stuffed! But my tummy didn't hurt after eating, which is unusual. For supper tonight, I am making quinoa stuffed bell peppers. I'm using the recipe on the quinoa box, and it looks very yummy. It's vegan and gluten free, so we have a win-win meal here! And I'm planning to broil some fish for the rest of my bunch. All in all today, my tummy feels much better. No gluten for just one day has made a difference. I am hoping that, by the end of a week, I will be able to tell a tremendous difference!

My attempt will be to blog about my week at least every few days to tell things like how I feel, if I can see any changes, the different types of foods I am choosing, and anything else that comes up. Also, I'll let you know how those gluten free pastas really taste, and if the french bread turns out great or if it's a bomb! If you have any great gluten free cracker or bread recipes, PLEASE leave me a comment and include the recipe! I need all the help I can get right now.

It's Official

2011-10-29T14:07:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally decided to take the plunge. For several years now, I have been toying around with this idea, but never could seem to commit to anything. But I finally decided it's time. I am now officially going vegetarian! YAY for me!!

So why in the world would I do this? I have several reasons. But the one most prevalent is my stomach. I guess for about the last 3-4 years I have just had one stomach problem after another. My belly constantly HURT! I did TONS of research, and I realized that meat and dairy products are some of the most problem causing foods. One of the reasons meat can give you so much trouble is the simple fact that it doesn't digest well in your stomach. It just sits there for days before it passes out of you. Which means for me, it was sitting there causing my stomach to hurt for days. And every time I would eat more meat, it just compounded the problem. The thing, for me at least, about dairy is the protein that is found in cows milk. There is just an amazing number of people who have a milk protein allergy, and I happen to be one of them. Every time I would eat a bowl of cereal or chow down on some delicious dutch chocolate ice cream, the protein in the dairy would just make my tummy SCREAM! Once I gave up eating red meat and dairy products, my tummy was feeling much better - but not completely. About 2 months ago I decided to try going without any chicken to see if the complete absence of meat would make a difference, instead of just doing without the red meat. Now, my tummy is even BETTER!! (Oh and just so you know, pork is just as bad, only I don't eat it anyway because it tastes like DIRT to me. Probably because the little porkers live in it all the time!)

So here I am. No meat and no dairy, and I feel worlds better!! In truth, I am working towards a complete vegan diet, but as of right now, I'm not there yet. There are 2 main things keeping me from saying I am a vegan. The first is the fact that I still eat eggs. I get my eggs from my daddy, who happens to treat his hens like royalty. So I know these gals aren't being mistreated just so I can have an egg from them. And the second thing is that I am not giving up honey. I happen to be very good friends with my bee keeper (she and I have been friends since high school), and I know for a fact that she takes really great care of her hives. So I know eating her honey is perfectly great for me. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE the stuff, and it is quite medicinal, so I don't plan to stop with it. Those are 2 things that vegans don't consume, so I guess I'll just have to say I'm sticking with being a vegetarian. Oh and I also occasionally still sprinkle some cheese on my food. Vegan cheese is expensive, so I just don't use it often. But occasionally I just really want some cheese on top of my baked potato or soup!

And what am I supposed to eat?? Oh my goodness, there is a world of great food out there! When you eat mainly a meat centered diet, you seem to limit the "extra" foods you are willing to try. You just pull into the first fast food restaurant you come to and order the same thing - burger and fries - and you think that's all there is. Well let me tell you, there is so much more to life and eating than burgers and fries!

One of my favorite websites is Vegetarian Times. If you spend only a few minutes perusing their site, you will find a plethora of yumminess that you just must try! Even the most die hard meat eater will want to sample some of the dishes, if only as a side dish. Believe me, I didn't start out with eating like this completely. Everything I tried was considered a side dish, because I felt like, if it bombed, at least we had our other food to eat. But now I find myself making more and more great veggie dishes, and they are now my main course. And oh the variety!

A book that I read recently was The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. That is one AMAZING book, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone thinking of a change in lifestyle where your diet is concerned, or if you're just curious about why anyone would choose to live a veggie lifestyle. You can also check out her website - The Kind Life - for more recipes, info, and anything else you may be wondering.

Also, vegetarian items are showing up more and more in grocery stores everywhere! I can get vegetarian meat from Morningstar Farms that is just fantastic! They have the greatest veggie burgers that are so full of flavors and variety. Meat pretty much has one flavor, but not these tasty veggie burgers! I buy Rice Dream rice milk and Almond Breeze almond milk to drink, both of which are at my local Wal-Mart. Both of these companies sell some of the greatest dairy free ice cream, too!! YAY for ice cream!

So I say all that to say, I am really excited about my new vegetarian diet! It's still a work in progress. The rest of my family is not going this route with me, and that's OK. I still cook plenty of meat for them. So all of you meat eaters out there, don't worry! You don't need to invite my husband and kids over for supper. I'm still feeding them! But I will say that veggies are becoming the bigger part of our meals, and meat is taking a back seat for everybody. And as long as I keep cooking really tasty foods, no one is complaining!

One more change I am heading toward but haven't reached as of yet is a gluten free diet. Even after cutting so much from my diet, I still find I have stomach aches often. Even though my tummy feels worlds different from when I ate meat and dairy, it still isn't enough. I have too much to do in this life to be held back because of feeling lousy. So I am leaning towards going gluten free. But for right now, I'm sticking with the newest changes I have made and just getting used to them for awhile. It's a process. Good health and changing a lifestyle of bad habits doesn't happen overnight. It takes time. This change has taken a long time. But here I am now, and I am feeling all the better for it!

Have you made any lifestyle changes where your eating is concerned? Have a great vegetarian or gluten free recipe you want to share to help me out here? Leave me a comment and tell me all about it!

As Silver Refined Book Review

2011-10-18T17:24:00.000-05:00

Recently, I started reading a new book, As Silver Refined, by Kay Arthur. Here are my thoughts on it.

As Silver Refined, by Kay Arthur, is a very well written, very well researched book. I think Arthur put a lot of great information in this text regarding how to deal with difficulties and disappointments that come in life from a Godly perspective. I loved the way she talked about the Deadly D's that can cause one who experiences disappointments in life to spiral downward into despair and depression if you don't see those disappointments through the eyes of God. I especially liked the fact that she included a complete bible study at the end of the book for anyone wanting to dig deeper into the Word of God to discover more truths.

The downside to this book is probably just my personal preference here. But I got a little bogged down by all the many scripture references she used. I personally would have rather she had taken one or two scriptures per chapter or even per page and based her thoughts around that, instead of numerous verses. But as I said, that is just a personal preference. I tend to get bogged down easily with too many words going in what appears to be different directions.

One of my favorite quotes from Mrs. Arthur's book was found very near the beginning. She said, "Christianity doesn't exempt us from pain, from disappointment, from the hardships of this life. Nor does it demand that we deny or hide our pain or our disappointments. But it does give us One who promises a purpose, an end, and a benefit in it all."

This book came at a time in my life when I greatly needed to be reminded of the fact that, though pain and hardships come my way, God has not forgotten me, He is not asleep on the job, and He has a plan for me. He does care about me, and He is forming me and shaping me, through difficult circumstances, into His likeness.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever been disappointed, let down, discouraged, or in any other way hurt in this life, and have questioned why God would "let this happen." It is a great book that is very well written.

Ecuadorian Cooking Day!

2011-10-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

This week in our homeschool, the kids and I have been visiting Ecuador! I know some of you are probably thinking, "I thought you were doing that MONTHS ago." Yes, it was in the plan to do this unit over the summer, but, well - welcome to my homeschool. Something ALWAYS happens, and things ALWAYS get pushed back. And this summer was no different. There were so many "things" that happened, I just didn't get to studying this country with the kids. But, here we are at last! And let me tell you, this country is AMAZING!

We learned so many things about Ecuador. The kids loved the videos we watched about the Galapagos Islands, and they did a great job sketching some of the animals on the islands. We talked about the government system in Ecuador, which is a democracy like ours. And then we talked about the many different governments all over the world. The kids decided that a democracy was the best way to go. We watched a soccer match on YouTube, because soccer is their main sport. The kids filled in a map of South America and also colored a picture of the flag of the country. But the thing we all loved was making bread babies!

Bread babies are nothing more than homemade bread shaped into the form of a baby. But it is something that these people use to celebrate one of their major holidays, El Dia de los Difuntos - The Ecuadorian Day of the Ancestors. This is a day where they remember family members who have gone on before them. And to celebrate, families take a meal out to the grave yard to eat on top of the grave of their family member. Bread babies are one of the foods they take.

So of course, the kids and I HAD to make bread babies! We just LOVE cooking day when we are studying a new country! Here is the recipe:

1 Pkg. active dry yeast
3/4 C warm milk (115 degrees F)
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 C flour
1 tsp. salt
2 lg. eggs
1/2 C butter melted
Mix together the yeast, milk, and sugar and let stand for 10 min. until it is nice and bubbly. Add the salt, eggs, and melted butter and mix well. Add the flour, mix well, and knead in the bowl a few times. Lift the dough, pour a little oil in the bowl, and then roll the dough around to get it coated well in the oil. This keeps it from sticking to the bowl while rising. Let rise for about an hour or until double in size.
Once the dough is ready, punch it down. Divide it equally among your kiddos so no one's bread baby is bigger than the others and no one fights over the dough. Let everyone have fun shaping it into the shape of a baby. Encourage them to be CREATIVE with their babies! You can even tint some of the dough, if you like, to use for decorations on your baby. Also, you can add cream cheese, jelly, or jam in your dough for a treat when you eat it. All you do for that is flatten the dough, put your filling in the middle, and pull the dough up around it.
When everyone has their babies like they want them, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake them for about 15 min. or until golden brown. Once they are cooked, you can add more decorations with icing if you like.

Here is our fun day!

My gang getting their dough shaped.

My sweet Britches made her baby have pigtails in her hair. She added raisins for the eyes and buttons, and she put cream cheese and jelly in the body.

Little Man added raisins on the body of his, and put in cream cheese and jelly for the filling.

Little Sister decided to make an Angel baby, so hers has wings. She added jelly inside of each wing, and put raisins for the eyes, nose, and mouth. She had a blast with the sticky dough. She is my "messy" girl.

Even Baby Girl got to get in on this fun. She stuck raisins all in her dough and rolled it up in a ball. Of course, then she picked it up off the baking stone and reshaped and reshaped and reshaped it. She just had fun shaping it.

These are the finished Bread Babies. The ball on top of Little Sister's Angel is the halo. She said she needed that round circle thing on top of her head. We sat the babies aside to rise for about an hour.

While we waited on the finished babies, Baby Girl finished off her raisins.

This smelled sooooo good while it was baking. And when we pulled them out of the oven, this is what they looked like. Everybody got their own baby to eat, and that was lunch. Yes, that was all we had for lunch. But it was really delicious!

I have to say, after spending a week in Ecuador via the Internet, I really want to go visit that country. I want to walk through the Amazon Rainforest and see all the fabulous green everywhere. I wouldn't even care about the rain every day. I just want to GO! But then, at this point in my life, I'm ready to go anywhere and everywhere! And now that you know what Bread Babies are, go try them for yourself. Have some fun making these with your own kids. And then come back here and tell me all about the experience. You will love it, I promise!

Cleaning Day

2011-10-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

Today is cleaning day. It's not that I really just wanted to clean, but I finally realized it was TIME to clean. I am at this moment in my day taking a break from the cleaning to catch my breath. I have spent most of the morning sweeping and mopping my front bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. We'll see if I make it to all the other rooms in the house. I decided that, after potty training a baby AND a new dog, it was about time for my yearly mopping of the house.

I can hear you laughing at that last comment, but let me assure you, I am quite serious. I mop my house about once a year, if that much. Actually, last year, I think Brient mopped for me. "Why only once a year?" you might be wondering??

A few years ago, I had 4 children, one of whom was a baby and another a toddler. There were just not enough hours in the day to finish everything I NEEDED to get done, let alone all the things I WANTED to get done. So I finally decided that a few things just had to go. I sat down and made a list in my head of all the things I was doing, and then I started eliminating things. I had to make some choices of what MUST stay (like food, clean clothes, and changing the baby's diapers) and what could be let go. Mopping fell on the list of things that I didn't just HAVE to do.

My kids are the most important thing in my life right now - THE "job" that God has called me to. I decided that I wanted to spend more time with them, instead of spending an entire day each week mopping my house. YES, it takes me an entire day. My whole house is linoleum, with only my bedroom having carpet. That means I have to spend a day with the kids cleaning up all the toys off of the floor, sweeping the entire house, and then coming back over the entire house with the mop. WAY too much time here. And yes, I do have them help me. They LOVE to mop, and would probably do it every day if I'd let them. BUT, when I get out the mop water, it's like an invitation for the baby to come play. So I just don't bother.

Now, before you start talking bad about me and my cleaning habits, let's think about this for a minute. First of all, it's not like I NEVER clean. If the kids spill a drink, it gets cleaned up with a wet rag. If the dog has an accident on the floor, the Clorox wipes come out. The second thing is this: what about people with carpet? For all of you people with carpet in your house, how often do you actually CLEAN that? Sure, if you get a spill on it, you clean up that spot. And yes, you probably vacuum once a week. But how often do you pull out (or rent) the steam cleaner to really CLEAN that carpet? ONCE A YEAR! So, in truth, I'm not really much different than you, now am I?

And for all of you who have been feeling badly that you just don't keep your house clean enough, feel encouraged. I can probably pretty safely say that you still clean more than me!

And remember this: your house will still be there when the kids are grown and gone. You can spend every day cleaning then if you want to. But for now, keep your priorities in the right order. Your kids are the most important job you have right now. They will be grown soon enough.

Sidewalk Prophets - You Love Me Anyway

2011-09-06T13:55:00.000-05:00

Sweet Potato Chili

2011-09-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

Since the weather has cooled off - slightly - it has made me start getting the itch to break out my crock pot to make some yummy delicious concoction! I wanted to share with you what I made yesterday. But I cannot take the credit for this delicious vegan dish. I found the recipe for sweet potato chili over at Stephanie O'Dea's website. She has a TON of great recipes, so I encourage you to head on over (after you finish reading this, of course) to see what yummy things she has to share with you!

Sweet Potato Chili

2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2-inch chunks
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a green bell pepper)
1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (I didn't use any, because I don't keep that in my cabinet)
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice

Use a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Chop everything up. Put everything in the crock pot. Pour in the water and orange juice. Put the lid on it and cook for 6-8 hours, or until your sweet potatoes are tender. And that's IT! VERY simple!!

This recipe is DELICIOUS, and it is CHEAP! I highly recommend you trying it! When this was cooking yesterday, there was just something about smelling this delicious dish while enjoying looking outside at the beautiful rain. They just seemed to go together. And when it was finally cooked, and when it was finally able to ladle up a bowl of this yummy goodness, it was heavenly!

Now, go make your own crock pot full of this delicious vegan chili, and then, while it's cooking, head over to Stephanie's page to check out more great recipes! And after you finish eating, be sure to come back here and tell me how heavenly you thought this chili was!

What a Beautiful Rainy Day

2011-09-04T19:30:00.002-05:00

This summer in the Deep South has been horrendous! We have broken a record for the most days of temps over 100 degrees. But for the last several days, with the hurricane season in full swing, we have had a fantastic reprieve from the scorching heat!

Yesterday, we woke up to a lovely drizzling rain and clouds covering the sky. Considering the fact that the sun has been beating down on us for the last three months non-stop with a vengeance, the rain and clouds were a welcome sight! This morning, the rain was still coming down slowly but steadily. But by mid-morning, it had stopped and been replaced by a fantastic breeze! The temperatures were in the mid-70's, and the day shaped up to be quite beautiful!

So my hubby broke out the hammock that he picked up a few weeks ago at a garage sale for TWO DOLLARS, and hung it outside between two perfect trees! We headed outside with the kids and just enjoyed some family time in the hammock. We all enjoyed it so much, because we have been cooped up inside for much of the summer due to the heat, and especially the last few days while the kids had a stomach virus. We all needed to get out and enjoy some fresh air. I was so thankful that God gave us such a beautiful, cloudy, breezy, cool, amazing day to enjoy!

LEGO School: Working Together

2011-08-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

This year of schooling is so different for me for several reasons. For any of you who know me personally, you know I am NOT a planner - AT ALL!! I don't keep a schedule, I never EVER keep records of ANYTHING, and I have no idea what we are doing from one day to the next. I know some of you are picking your jaw up off the ground at this point, but to be perfectly honest, it has worked beautifully for me for years!! We are prime examples of unschooling and I LOVE it!! But this year, I have decided to actually lay down a plan (GASP!) and attempt to accomplish more than we have in the past. Hey, even I can admit when something isn't working anymore and when I need to go at it from a different angle - even if it does make me start to hyperventilate just thinking about it. And so far (surprise, surprise!!), my days have gone a bit smoother and a little less stressed because of all the work I put into planning over the summer. (Of course, I am still a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda girl, and that daily schedule could still be scrapped at any given moment if something else came up!)

The other thing different in this year is that I attempted to set an overall theme for each of my kids' schooling. That way, I can look at every activity we are doing and see if it lines up with our theme or if it can be related back to that theme. And if it doesn't, I can seriously look at whatever it is and decide if I want to include it this year or wait for another year. There are so many great ideas out there, there is no way I can do them all! So this was a way, at least in my mind, to narrow down my list of things that I would take on my plate for each of my kids.

Britches' theme this year is "Books Can Take You Anywhere." This girl is definitely my reader, and if I don't watch her, she will curl up on the couch and sit quietly reading ALL DAY! She prefers a book to TV or video games, which I think is fantastic! So I told her that, this year, I want her to start focusing her book choices on topics that tell about a famous person, a historical fiction, maybe a famous scientist, or some geographic location. Oh I'm not completely choosing all of her books for her, but I wanted her to start including some of the "better" choices of books out there. I am ready for her to start picking something besides the "How to Make Crafts" books she usually gets. Besides, she already knows them all by heart. Time to move on!

Little Man is NOT a lover of books AT ALL, and I am hard pressed to get him to read anything more than his comic books or the instructions for his newest Wii game or other video game. To find him picking a book to read just for pleasure, well, that just doesn't happen. He is my hands-on learner, and as long as his hands are moving, his brain is working. So his theme for this year is "LEGO's". When I told him that, he was THRILLED! Especially since that is one of his most favorite things in the whole world! And when I went online to see what things could be taught using LEGO's, I was THRILLED to see that you can teach basically ANYTHING!!

Today's LEGO assignment was all about cooperation. Their challenge was to work together to build a library. But the rules were that each one had to place one brick on the base plate at a time, alternating turns. And the big thing was, they couldn't talk to each other! So they were to build a library one brick at a time, not knowing where the other person would put the next brick, not being able to communicate to decide on how it was to be built, and simply work together to get it finished. I told them that it must have a desk for the lady to check out the books, a children's room, a room for videos, and an adult section. This is what they came up with.

Here are my 2 architects with their finished library.

Front view of the library.

And the rear view of the library.

The checkout desk.

Two guys researching and finding books on the computers.

This kid is sitting in the children's room watching a DVD on the television, and the books and DVD's are all shelved under the T.V.

This man is taking a book from the shelf.

This lady is sitting in the adult section on a couch with a lamp and the bookshelves to the side of her. Little Man was telling me about her, and I said, "She's a knight." "Actually, mama, she's a space police, but whatever." ~Oh excuse me. My mistake!

When they showed me their finished project, I was very impressed. I told them, "See, I told you it wouldn't be as hard as you thought with not being able to talk to each other." They both smiled and told me, "Well, we were using our hands to talk." Little stinkers!

Social Networking

2011-08-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

I have been on Facebook for about two years now, and I have to say, it has been a life saver where mommy social interaction is concerned. Everyone always says they think homeschoolers aren't socialized, but I would offer to you that MOMMY'S don't have enough socialization!! I joined Facebook at a time in my life when I needed to hear during the day from other mom's who were in the same stage of life and situations as I. I needed a support group to call on when I was having "one of those days" with my kids. And boy did I get it! I have loved every minute of connecting with my friends and getting more deeply in touch with them, their kids, and their lives. Only problem is, Facebook is very addicting.

Nearly two years ago, I gave up drinking coffee, because it had become an addiction in my life. I prayed for a long time over that one, and I finally realized that I didn't want anything controlling my life in that way except God Almighty. (Yes, coffee addictions CAN and DO control your life! But that's for another day and another story...) But the more I have thought and prayed over this, I realize that I have let another addiction creep into my life. Social networking has become such an idol in my life that I can't seem to get anything done in my day with out thinking about and wondering about what everyone is doing in THEIR homes! It has become such an addiction that I am not only checking it to see what help, support, and advice other mom's can give me, but I am now just sitting starting at a screen waiting to see what everyone is going to post that they are up to in their day. It has taken first place in my life where GOD should have been!

This has become such a problem that I can't even seem to sit down to a meal with my kids and focus on THEM without just itching to go see what everyone has posted. Every time I walk past my computer, I click on the "refresh" button to see if there is anything new. I find school related "reasons" to head to my computer all throughout the day so I can check if anything new is happening. And at night, when I SHOULD be spending some quality time with my hubby, I find myself distracted and heading often to my computer to see everyone's day coming to an end. I am spending more time with my FRIENDS than I am with my FAMILY! It is RIDICULOUS!

I continue to wonder why it is that I can't seem to accomplish all the things that I want to do because of lack of time. When I sit down and really look at it, though, it isn't a lack of time but a misuse of time. I haven't taken time to blog or write any articles to send in for magazines. My house is NEVER clean! My kids don't get the benefit of my time undivided and given to them. I am always telling them, "Just a minute. I have to finish reading this." Meals are rarely together on time, because I'm usually in a mad rush at the end of the day just to decide what we will have. I have just been a bad steward of the time that God has given me, plain and simple.

The Bible says not to make any idol for yourselves. Idols come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. They can be in the form of TV, food, exercise, or even in the shape of Facebook. How many idols are in your life? How many things are you giving your time to? What things in your life and family are suffering because of your idol worship? And a bigger question: Are you going to keep those idols?

As for me, I am taking a weekend break from social networking. I need some time to refocus my priorities, putting God at the very top of my list and my husband and children right after Him. I seriously need to find balance in my life right now, and getting rid of idols and addictions is at the top of my "to-do" list to make that happen! I don't want to ever let any THING in this life control me, what I do, what I think, and how I act, except for my God and Savior! He is the ONLY ONE I want to have in control of me. How about you??

Science with the Little Ones

2011-08-23T21:44:00.001-05:00

Well, school is officially underway at our house. We started on Monday, and have had two very successful first days! It feels kind of odd, really, because I'm doing things a bit differently this year, and I'm still trying to get used to it. But so far, I think I like it.

For starters, we NEVER start school this early. Mostly my reasoning for this is just to prove the point that we don't have to follow the same schedule as the public school system. Generally, I don't start back until the first part of September. But this year, we will be heading to the beach for a few days right after Labor Day, so that was going to cut into some of my start up time. I decided to just get a jump on things and get in a few weeks of work before we go. Then I won't feel guilty about skipping town for a few days. I have wanted to take my kids to the beach for a few years now, and it looks like this is FINALLY the year it will happen. I envision spending some lazy time on the beach picking up seashells, building sand castles, playing in the salty ocean water, and reading Night of the Moonjellies to my kids on the beach one night as the tide comes in. We shall see if that all plays out as well in real life as it does in my head.

The other thing that is different is the fact that I actually planned quite a bit of our school ahead of time for this year. I have NEVER done this in the past. I always just plan as we go, and for years, this way has worked beautifully. But I am finding out that, the more kids you have, the more organized and planned out you need to be. So I spent TONS of time over the last month planning out different things, so that our year would go much more smoothly. And so far, even though it feels different and a little weird, I think I like it. I can see in just these last two days how all that hard work planning has saved me time and frustration in our school work.

I just had to share with you some of the school that Little Sister and I did today.

At the end of last year's co-op, she came home with a little Styrofoam cup filled with dirt and two sunflower seeds planted in it. Honestly, I didn't really expect it to grow. I was really shocked when both plants came up and actually lived! So when they got big enough, we took them outside to our garden and planted them. One died pretty quickly, but the other kept growing and growing, and eventually had a beautiful sunflower on display! Little Sister was THRILLED to see her flower in full bloom. However, in the Deep South this year we have had scorching temperatures, so her beautiful flower didn't last nearly as long as we would have liked. It was just too hot. So for the last month or two, I have had a dead sunflower out in my garden, right next to all the other dead things that the heat had killed.

Today, while I was outside cleaning out a small portion of the mess of a garden I have, I came across her dead flower. I was about to just yank it up to throw it out, but I realized that, even though it didn't last long as a flower, it had still made seeds! Britches snipped the head off and took it inside for me. I told Little Sister that she and I were going to examine it later after she woke up from her nap. (That was partly just a ploy to talk her into laying down for awhile, since she now thinks that, since she's five, she's too old for a nap!)

This afternoon when she woke up, Little Sister came and asked me if it was time to examine her flower. So we sat down at the table, and I showed her how, even though it was dead, God had made so many more seeds in it that we could plant and grow more flowers! She was so excited as she picked all the seeds out of the head. We looked at them and talked about how many there were. And I showed her which ones were developed enough to actually grow a new plant and which ones weren't. And then I gave her a bag to put her seeds in, so we could put them with all my other seeds for when it got time to plant again next spring. And then I was done. I headed off to fix supper.

She finally asked me, "Mama, I thought we were going to examine my flower." I looked at her and said, "Ummm, we did examine your flower. That's what we just did at the table." "No, we're supposed to use that thing to look at it really close." "You mean the microscope?" "YEAH!! That's it! We need to look at it under the microscope!"

Oh my goodness, I hadn't even given a thought to pulling down the microscope for my five year old! Never crossed my mind. But to her, she knew that examining something was way more than just looking at and counting some seeds. You had to use the microscope! So I pulled it down, and we started examining. We looked at the dirt and the dead leaves and the dead whatever the other stuff was, and she was having a blast. And while we were looking, Baby Girl came in and asked if she could "help, too". So the three of us did some really cool science today, and that wasn't even on my "schedule."

Sometimes the most fun and most educational things come when you aren't really "planning" for them. I am so thankful that our homeschool is so flexible, and that my kids are allowed to have that natural curiosity that wants to know about things.

Fear or Faith? You decide...

2011-08-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

How many times do we live in fear? Fear of what may happen? Fear of what has happened? Fear of things you can just imagine happening? So often, we let fear creep in an overtake us. We live in a constant state of dread with a black cloud hanging right over our heads and enveloping us to the point we cannot see straight.

The problem with this is that, when we live wrapped up in our fears, we are of no use to God Almighty. We are so busy fearing things, we can't be effective in the work He has for us. The bible says, "For God did NOT give us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7)

FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH!!

The thing about fear and faith is this. Fear says there are too many bad things going on or that could go on that you just can't deal with. Faith doesn't eliminate fear. There are still REAL fears out there! My husband has a legitimate fear of always having a job that pays well and offers good insurance. With a son who has diabetes and requires insulin to LIVE, insurance is a must. We simply couldn't afford it without insurance. But faith says that, no matter how big the fear, my God is BIGGER than that fear and He's got this! And faith says that, even if the worst happens in any situation, God is STILL IN CONTROL and has a PLAN for whatever comes our way! It's OK to have fear. The problem comes when we try to hang on to that fear and we let it overtake us. It takes faith to hand it over to an Almighty, Able, Capable God and allow Him to work in whatever way He chooses, believing He is still God and still knows best. It's hard to have faith when we know we might get hurt. But God will ALWAYS catch you! He will let you crawl right up into His lap and cry on His shoulder. And He will NEVER let you fall.

What fears are you holding onto today? What things do you need to give to God in faith, believing He can handle anything that we give Him? When you give your fears over to God and allow Him to work out those fears in His way, He will begin to open doors for you to join Him in His work, and He will show you things you can't even begin to imagine!

"Now all glory to God, who is ABLE, through His MIGHTY POWER at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20

A.W.O.L.

2011-08-17T07:09:00.001-05:00

So it's been nearly two months since I last posted something on my blog. I know some of you are thinking I have gone AWOL, when, in fact... OK, yeah, I guess maybe I have gone AWOL. But I have good reasons! There have been kids to play with, camps to attend, vacations to plan, children's church to teach, and a plethora of other "things" going on, too numerous to mention.

During the month of July, Brient and I went to 4th and 5th grade camp where I taught Bible lessons three times each day and then led praise and worship each night. It was an AMAZING week of sharing God's love with some great kids! And then at the end of July, we went back to camp meeting to teach the children's program at night for all the kids who were there. It was so much FUN!! But by the time all the planning and all the doing was done, I was POOPED!! Stick-a-fork-in-me kinda done!

Also during the summer, I have been working on a game plan for our beach vacation!! We are going in September, and I couldn't be more excited! My mom is going with us, and we are THRILLED! The kids have wanted to see the REAL beach, because they tell me that the man-made beach at the lake is not the real thing. Agreed. So I want to take them to see the real waves and smell the real salty air and swim in the real ocean! OK, well, we're really going to the Gulf, but who's keeping track anyway, really?

And I have spent many, MANY hours working on my plan for our homeschooling this year. Usually, I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl, but last year, that just didn't work so well for me. I felt like I was always frazzled and in a panic and rush. So this year, I am going out of my norm and actually - GASP - planning. YIKES! Can't believe I even said the word! Usually, the mere thought of planning our school year makes my heart start racing and my blood pressure go up. But I have been praying over this and reminding myself that God is a God of order and I am created in His image. Still praying over all of it. It's a work in progress.

We are also participating in our homeschool co-op again this year. I offered to teach the same 2 American Girl classes I taught last year, which means I have been spending a fair amount of time planning what we will do in each of those classes. Those are still coming together. In truth, those classes have been at the BOTTOM of my list of things to plan. But I am determined to have at least the first entire semester planned before we start. By the end of last year, I was pulling things together for my class the night before co-op, and THAT was stressful! I REALLY want to avoid that again this year, so I am still working on our lessons.

So my entire summer has been spent planning - planning for church, planning for 2 camps, planning vacation, planning for co-op, and planning our next school year. Quite frankly, I am SICK of planning, and I'm just ready to be DONE! I am ready to just get on with everything already!! But because of how wrapped up my brain has been, I have been totally UNinspired to write ANYTHING for my blog this summer. UGH! Hopefully more great things to come soon... (when I finish all this planning!)

Fresh Start Ministry Service Opportunity

2011-06-30T19:58:00.001-05:00

Mark 9:35 says, “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” Ministry, in its simplest form, is the act of serving. The Bible calls each of Christ’s followers to be ministers – ministers to the lost, the poor, the helpless, the widows, and anyone else the Father puts in our path. Ministry is not something done only by the pastor, youth pastor, or children’s pastor, but a command for all Christians.

Located in Winnsboro, LA you will find Fresh Start Ministry. This is a drug and alcohol recovery center with 38 men currently enrolled in the program. Their focus is not only on educating an addict of his or her addictions, but teaching them how to get free and stay free for the rest of their lives. During the seven-month recovery program, male residents learn to deal with the root of their addictions from a Christian perspective. The people of Fresh Start Ministry are sharing the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ with men who had no hope. They are ministering to them right where they are.

A team is currently being formed to periodically make visits to the facility and join in the ministry work there. Team leaders are Kelly Weatherford and Debbie Simmons. These ladies are looking for Godly men who are willing to be a friend and mentor to these recovering addicts, many of whom are new Christians. It doesn’t matter if you think you aren’t well equipped for this type of ministry. God only asks that we are willing to serve Him in whatever way He sees fit. If you are a man of God who would be willing to give a few hours of your time every few months, you are needed.

There will be two opportunities for you to see first-hand the good that is being done through Fresh Start Ministry. On Saturday, July 16, there will be a fish fry for the men in the program. It will be a time to visit with and minister to them. Many of these men just need a friend, someone who will be a Godly voice telling them that they are indeed loved and wanted by Father God. And on Saturday, July 23, the ministry’s annual banquet and benefit auction will be held. If you would like to get a glimpse of the work being done here and get a better idea of how you can be of use to them, give Kelly or Debbie a call and let them know you would like to attend one or both events with their team. By attending, you would not be making any commitment, but would simply be allowed the time to fellowship with the men at the center so as to get a better idea of whether or not this would indeed be the place for you to serve.

Jesus said if anyone wants to be first, he must be the servant of all. It isn’t always easy. It isn’t always fun. Being a servant means being willing to befriend even the lowest of people, the ones you wouldn’t think to hang out with, the ones hard to get along with. But if you are willing to step out in faith and give of your time to serve those around you, God will take the small, pitiful amount that you have to offer Him, and He will multiply it a hundred-fold. He will pour out blessings beyond what you could ever imagine.

Have you been looking for an area of service to plug into? Have you felt the calling to ministry, but just weren’t sure where God was leading you? Prayerfully consider if this may be the place God wants you to serve.

If you feel God calling you to this ministry, or if you are just curious and would like more information, give these ladies a call. Kelly can be reached at 348-8841, or Debbie at 381-4650.

Matthew 10:5-7

2011-06-28T07:31:00.001-05:00

Matthew 10:5-7 says, "Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: 'Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel - God's lost sheep. Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'"

Those verses really struck me this morning.

The last several weeks, I have been really struggling over a burden God has placed on me - the burden of how the church, the Christians, are conforming so much to this world that you can barely tell any difference. Children and youth are listening to music that isn't only not God honoring, but is down right evil. Music artists like Eminem and Lady Gaga are promoting music that is completely of the devil. Not to mention the fact that Lady Gaga has publicly said that she just really likes to take all her clothes off at her concerts. And parents know this and still allow their kids to listen to it. Kids and adults alike are engrossed in all the latest Twilight or Harry Potter sagas, which are nothing but witchcraft, sorcery, and other evils, and is completely against the Word of God. And when you flip through channels on TV in the evenings, each station is full up on a good helping of sex, money, drugs, thugs, killings, and numerous other things. Even the commercials are advertising pornography, as I have to turn the channel when the Victoria's Secret ads come on. It is everywhere, and today's Christian is not only accepting it, but condoning it and participating in it! What is really saddening me is the fact that I have come across several - SEVERAL - preachers who condone these things. I am so burdened over this.

I have been wrestling over what God would have me to do with this burden. And this morning, when I read those words, it gave me at least a portion of my answer. Jesus told his disciples/apostles to go out and minister, but not to the lost and sinful people (at least not yet), but to the ones who were already supposedly of Him. The people who were already chosen by God to be a people set apart for Himself were His highest priority. He sent them out to teach the ones that were His, but had strayed so far away that you couldn't even tell they belonged to Him anymore.

And so it was that God showed me a part of what I am to be doing right now. God has called me to take a stand. God has commanded me to speak out against these evils. He is sending me not to the lost and unsaved, but to the Christians who have strayed from His commands. I have been digging my heels in for several weeks, because, quite frankly, I don't want this assignment. I really don't like for people to be upset with me, and I'd rather not rock the boat, but just fly under the radar. Live and let live. Be quiet and let everyone just do their own thing. But He has called me to service. And I am His instrument. And so I will go out wherever He sends me, allowing Him to use me in whatever way He sees fit and doing whatever job He gives me, no matter how difficult it may be.

Father God is hurting for His church, HIS PEOPLE! He is jealous for YOU! He longs for His Christians to REPENT and turn away from the evil that this world is offering. Stop accepting the things of this world as OK. They are NOT OK! The Bible clearly teaches that God HATES these things, and that those who participate in them will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Here are just a few of the verses God has shown me lately:

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there. For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you. But you must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things. ~Deuteronomy 18:10-13

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.~Ephesians 5:1-11

For those of you who do feel the same as I, I give you a challenge. WAKE UP! STAND UP! SPEAK UP! When you sit by and listen to things going on in the church and don't say anything, YOU ARE CONDONING IT! By not speaking out against these things, you are in fact saying that you are OK with it and that it is acceptable for a Christian to do these things. Speak out for Christ! Take a stand for Him and His Word! And then come back and tell me all the great things Christ did through your obedience!

Hello... Anybody out there??

2011-06-24T17:29:00.000-05:00

So I've been wondering just how many of you are actually out there reading my blog. I have been writing this thing for about 2 years now, and, while it is mainly for myself to get my thoughts out of my head to make more room for other things, I still would like to think that there are a few people out there reading and getting something out of my nonsense. So in an effort to get to know my readers (should it turn out that I actually have readers!) a little better, please leave me a comment telling me a few things.

First, tell me your name. It doesn't have to be your full name - first names will do fine.

Next, tell me how you found me. Do you know me personally, or did you just find me somehow in cyberspace?

And last, tell me something really interesting, unique, funny, or even plain boring about yourself. I just want to know something about you.

Be sure to leave your comment under this post, so I will be able to see everyone together. Come on people. Don't leave me hangin' here.

Lovable Labels BlogHer’ 11 Getaway Contest: My Greatest Accomplishment

2011-06-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

All throughout my high school years, I dreamed of becoming an author of some great piece of literature. Creative writing was my favorite subject, and I had great plans to head off to college right after graduation to pursue a degree in English Literature. I could imagine myself in the future looking at my book on a shelf in a book store with people gathered around waiting to purchase it, because it was one of those books that was on the “must read” list of classic works. Much to my surprise, that was not the path in which God led me.

A few weeks before my high school graduation was to take place, God showed me that His plan for my future was not to include college, but that He wanted me to get a job and prepare for the day when I would have children of my own. He showed me that His plan was for me to have the greatest job in the world – that of a stay-at-home mom. So when high school was no more, I passed up my dream of becoming a writer and I went to work.

Soon, I met a guy who thought I was pretty great, and I thought the same of him, so we married. A few years later, I became pregnant with our first baby, so, following the plan God gave me years before, I quit my job and planned to stay home with this new little one. Little did I realize that this was to be the hardest job I had ever tried to tackle.

Four babies later, our house is full to the brim. Being a stay-at-home mom is still the hardest job I have ever worked. Add to that the fact that God told me that I was to homeschool my kiddos, and my days are non-stop, go, go, go. We stay busy doing all sorts of great things together, and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. Still, I have never forgotten my love for writing.

Two years ago, being very upset after working in my garden and finding my tomatoes had nearly all been eaten by a green-horned tomato worm, I started my blog simply because I needed a place to rant over this horrible creature that was destroying my hard work. From that rant, I started writing every few days, and I soon remembered how much I enjoyed sitting down with just my thoughts. I began writing more and more, and, with every blog post I typed, my creative juices began flowing faster and faster.

So last year, on a whim really, I decided to take a chance and send in one of my blog posts to a magazine and just see where it took me. Much to my absolute surprise, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine wrote me back the next day to tell me they would like to publish my work. I was thrilled! So I began sending in more articles to different magazines, many of which have accepted my work. And just last week, The Homeschool Handbook Magazine printed my article first in their magazine! It has been a steady stream of things I have written being accepted for print in some really great magazines!

What occurred to me is this. All those years ago, when God told me to stay home with my children and be a great mommy to them, I thought I was giving up my dream of writing. For nearly ten years, I faithfully obeyed what He had called me to do. And now, not only do I have four great kids that I love being home with, God has brought me back around to my other love. He has allowed me to have back the dream I once held. And not only has He given me back the dream He had once asked of me, He has blessed my writing and allowed it to reach many, many people.

What I have learned is that, every time I am faithful in the things God asks of me, He returns it to me one-hundred fold. During this last year, God has closed doors I thought would always be open, and He has opened more doors that I ever could have imagined. I have no education beyond high-school. I have no degrees or any other schooling. But I have what God has given me. He has given me something to say, and I say it. He gives me words, and I speak them. I speak them loud. I speak them boldly. And through my writing, I am accomplishing great things for His sake.

~ This blog post was written as part of a contest through Lovable Labels. Be sure to go and check them out!

Finding Math in Art

2011-06-04T22:33:00.000-05:00

Over this summer, I have decided to put a halt on all our unit studies. We all need a break from them! So I decided that, for the summer, we would spend all of our school time focusing on our math. Math is one of those things that really needs to be done, but I kind of let it slide to the wayside during all the hustle and bustle of last year. So we are spending the summer catching up. And I have to say, I am completely amazed at how quickly my kids are progressing! It is amazing what a little age on a kid will do for you. I am convinced that the school books suggest teaching concepts to kids when their little brains just aren't ready to grasp them. But since we put math aside for a big chunk of last year, my kids had time to mature and grow in their thinking and understanding skills, and I have just been blown away at how quickly we are moving through all of this stuff!

A few days ago, I was attempting to teach Britches about prime and composite numbers and factors. For those of you who don't know that (and that would be ME had I not just read the lesson!), prime numbers are numbers that only have 2 factors that can be multiplied together to equal that number. For example, the number 2. The only two numbers you can multiply together to get the number 2 are the numbers 1 and 2 - 1X2=2. Composite numbers are numbers that have more than just two factors that can equal that number. For example, the number 4. The factors for 4 are 1, 2, and 4 - 1X4=4 & 2X2=4. So composite numbers are many numbers that can be used to make the same number.

Anyway, I was teaching this to Britches, and she, of course, picked up on it right away and just went to town with the concept. She understood how it worked, so she easily figured out all the prime numbers and composite numbers. Well, Little Man was across the table doing some art. He is my very kinesthetic learner, which means he learns as he's doing something, touching something, drawing something. He listens better if some part of his body is in motion. So since he was working on his art, I just focused on talking to Britches, but I knew he was listening. Sure enough, before long he put in his two cents worth. He said, "Hey! If prime numbers are the ones that are the #1 best numbers and aren't made up of any other numbers, then the colors blue, yellow, and red must be prime colors! There is math in art!" I looked at him for a second, because, quite honestly, I had to think about that a bit. But as I sat there pondering his statement, it made perfect sense! Those three colors are called the PRIMARY colors! They are the #1 best main colors. You don't mix any colors to make those three, and all other colors come from a combination of those. "YES! You are absolutely right! There IS math in art! Illustrate it for me." So I had him grab his color pencils and show me on his paper the primary colors (prime colors) and the secondary colors (composite colors), and he wrote at the top of his page what they were. That page got filed in his math binder with his other worksheets.And Britches decided to pull out her paints and do the same thing, starting with prime colors and mixing them into composite colors.

The greatest thing to me, though, is the fact that Little Man made the connection! He understood the concept and could readily relate it to something he was interested in. Once he understood that, he went to work figuring out all the prime numbers, too. And by presenting it the way I did, and him relating it to his art, it took all of about 5 minutes to teach that lesson. WOOHOO! On to the next thing...

Psalm 37

2011-05-31T06:57:00.000-05:00

¹ Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
² For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

³ Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
⁴ Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.

⁵ Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
⁶ He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still in the presence of the Lord,
      and wait patiently for him to act.
   Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
      or fret about their wicked schemes.

⁸ Stop being angry!
      Turn from your rage!
   Do not lose your temper—
      it only leads to harm.
⁹ For the wicked will be destroyed,
      but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

²³ The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

²⁷ Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
²⁸ For the Lord loves justice,
and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever.

Hello, my name is...

2011-05-30T17:37:00.001-05:00

Hello. My name is Nicole, and I am a recovering coffeeaholic. It has been one year and five months since my last cup-o-joe, but every day I still long for a cup. Each day, when I crack open the can of Folgers for my hubby, I sit there for a moment and just take in the smell of those lovely ground coffee beans. And I must say, it was especially hard today when I headed out to my garden with a huge bag of used Starbucks coffee grounds and dug my hand deep down into the black loveliness to sprinkle it onto the ground around my plants. The smell was strong and inviting. And when I got down on my hands and knees to pull weeds, those same coffee grounds were right there giving off their aroma.

It is so hard when there is something in your life that you love so greatly and long for so deeply that it takes hold of you and puts roots way down deep into your soul. That's called "making an idol". Idols don't come only in the form of little fat half-naked bald men, you know. They come in all shapes, sizes, and forms. For some people, television becomes their idol. For others, money. And still others, something as simple as food or books. It is pride, gluttony, self-centeredness, greed, a love of possessions, and just plain rebellion toward God. In whatever form you like to take your idol, the Bible says it is still SIN. And God hates sin!

So even though many people tell me all the time, "It's only coffee. It's not going to hurt if you have a cup now and then," I still know in my heart that I am not ready to pick it back up again. When something still calls to me the way that idol does, I know the devil is just sitting there waiting for me to give in so he can grab hold of me again. And I refuse to let anything, besides God Almighty, have control over my life. Period.

Whew! I'm glad to get that off of my chest. I feel better now.

Ten Things About Me

2011-05-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

Since only a handful of you know me personally, and the rest of you lovely folks only know me by way of technology, I thought I would take a moment and tell you a few things about myself, so we can become better acquainted. So here are ten things you may or may not know about me.

1. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. When I was five years old at my first ever church camp, I asked Jesus into my heart, and I have never looked back. Through many people and events, my walk with Him has deepened over the years, and I have a very sweet, special love affair with my Creator.

2. I am married to the man of my dreams, Brient. He is in no way perfect, and there are many days I tell him such. But I cannot imagine spending this life on Earth with anyone else.

3. My four children are my favorite kids ever. They are my delight and my joy, though, at times, they are my biggest trial and aggravation. But I am so thrilled that God thought enough of me to give these kids to Brient and I to care for while they walk this journey of life.

4. My favorite afternoon snack (and morning snack, for that matter) is chai tea. Chai is the perfect blend of spices, and not all brands have the blend quite the same. The ones with black pepper and star anise are definitely superior to the rest, as they add just the right amount of "bite" to your cup. My favorite brands are Celestial Seasonings, Tazo, and Full Circle organic. So if any of you would like to send me a box, I will be more than happy to send you my address so you can ship it!

5. I am a recovering coffee-a-holic. Last January, I knew God was telling me to give up anything that was an addiction for me, and that pointed straight to the four to six cups of coffee each day that I was drinking. In truth, I feel like an alcoholic (or at least what I have heard they feel like), in that, every time I smell coffee, I still crave a cup. And even though people tell me it's OK to drink it in moderation, I know in my heart of hearts, if I ever take another sip of coffee, I will be addicted to it again. Once I start, I won't be able to stop. And I refuse to let any addictions rule over me!

6. I am 4' 10 1/2" tall. That has bothered me my entire life, because you would not believe how many people felt it was their job to make names for me regarding my height and pick on me throughout school. To this day, I have people come straight up to me and say, "Wow, you're short!" Duh! And it is amazing the number of people who will come and prop their arm on top of my head just to make a point of how tall they are and that I'm not. When I take my kids to town for groceries, the cashier nearly always tells me, "Well I thought you were one of the kids!" I HATE THAT!! But a few weeks ago, Brient said something to me that just really made it all come together. One Sunday morning, as I was getting ready for church (we teach children's church), he said, "You know, God made you exactly like you were supposed to be. He made you short for a reason. Because of your size, you connect with these kids at church. They love you. You were meant to teach them. God made you to teach kids from the beginning." The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. Had God made me any different, I would not have the same connection I do with kids. Because I am the same size as them, they can look me straight in the eyes and talk to me. I don't tower over them. They feel safe talking to me because I'm on their level. So, even though I still HATE the short jokes and comments, I have finally come to understand that God made no mistake when He created me the height that I am. It was all part of his perfect plan.

7. My favorite colors are blue, yellow, and green. Blue reminds me of the sky. Yellow represents the bright sun. And green is the color of the grass, trees, and plants. My favorite place to be is outside where those colors are all around me.

8. My dream job is to be a taste tester at the Blue Bunny ice cream factory! I've always wanted to do that ever since I saw the commercial of that woman chopping the bucket in half to ensure there were ripples of chocolate all the way through. My next dream job would be to work with Ms. Betty B., our favorite librarian! She is so much fun, and I would just love to hang out with her and laugh and play all day long! But the truth of it is, I don't really ever want another job outside of my home, because I hate working on someone else's time schedule. If it is beautiful outside, I want the freedom to get out and enjoy it, rather than being stuck inside doing work inside of walls.

9. I am a gypsy at heart. I could move every 2 years, and I would LOVE it! I don't think I would ever get tired of the excitement. But alas, the fact that I married a man who has absolutely no desire to move around the world exploring and looking for adventure, and the fact that such a lifestyle would cost way more money that I have, I am stuck in the same town I grew up in, and I will probably be here until the day I die. ~sigh~

10. My least favorite way to spend my time is cleaning house. Several years ago, I looked at the household jobs that I was doing, and I cut out everything but what was absolutely necessary. Since I homeschool my kids, there is only so much time I have to do everything in my house, and I would much rather spend that time learning with them! So every few weeks, I take a day or two and go over the whole house to ensure that it is clean again. But after that, we go back to living and enjoying our time together, and we don't focus on a spotless house. Besides, you can't keep an entirely clean house with a two year old. So the point here is, if you want to come to my house, either call first so the kids and I can make a path for you to get in, or be sure to come right after my heavy cleaning day! And be encouraged! Your house WILL survive if it is not mopped! Trust me on this one!

So now you know a little more about me. Leave me a comment and tell me one thing I do not know about you. I would love to know a little more about each of you who read my blog! You are all very special to me!

The Lord is My Portion

2011-05-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

I have been reading for the past several weeks from the Old Testament book of Joshua. This book starts out in such an amazing way, as God is basically telling Joshua, "Get up! Go take the land! I will NOT fail you or abandon you!!" I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the things God asked of the Israelites, and how, no matter how big the task, God Himself helped them overcome.

This morning, I was reading about the land that Joshua and the Israelites had conquered and how it was divided between the different tribes. Some tribes were given land many years before by Moses, and that land lay east of the Jordan River. The other tribes were given all the land west of the Jordan River as their inheritance from the land they had taken from the Canaanites. There was enough land to divide between all the tribes. Well, all that is but one.

The tribe of Levi was the only tribe that did not get any of the land. OK, they were given a few small towns "to live in with surrounding pasture lands for their livestock and all their possessions (Joshua 14:4b)," but that was it. Why did everyone else get all the land, and these poor people got completely left out?

The tribe of Levi made up the priests. The priests were the ones who took care of the temple, carried the Ark of the Covenant, and did any other priestly things that God may ask of them. God had told them many years before that they would be taken care of by Him and Him alone. They were allowed to eat some of the foods that were offered as sacrifices, and God would provide everything else they needed.

Joshua 13:33 says, "But Moses gave no allotment of land to the tribe of Levi, for the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised that He Himself would be their allotment." WOW! To me, that is just amazing! Instead of land for their inheritance and security, God had promised them something so much bigger. He gave them everything He had. He was their portion. He was their allotment. He would be their inheritance and provide for their security. He would be their EVERYTHING! Out of all the land that Joshua and his army captured and divided between the tribes, and it was a LOT of land, the tribe of Levi was given the biggest blessing. I can think of nothing better than having God Almighty as your allotment!

Do you ever feel like everyone else is getting all the tangible blessings? Do you see everyone else prospering and gaining "things"? Do you sometimes think that it just isn't fair that God is handing over everything to everyone but you? Well let me encourage you, friend. Because, as a child of God, HE is your portion! God Almighty, the Creator of the universe, loves you so much that He wants to be your portion. He wants to supply all your needs in His way and in His timing.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." ~Matthew 6:25-33(NLT)

So today, when you look around at all you have, or the lack thereof, just remember this: The LORD God Almighty will be your portion. And that portion is far better than anything else in this life you could ever acquire!

The Schoolhouse Expo is HERE!!

2011-05-16T11:18:00.000-05:00

I am so excited, because today is the first day of the Schoolhouse Expo!! I have been waiting for a few months for this online conference, and I am so thrilled that it is finally here! A few days ago, the powers-that-be posted the schedule for the Expo, and I have already downloaded my copy and highlighted the speakers that I particularly am looking forward to hearing.

The first speaker today that I just can't wait to hear is Jessica Hulcy. She is the writer of the KONOS curriculum with which we started out our homeschooling. I have deviated from it some, because I learned how to write my own unit studies. But I always enjoy coming back to this particular curriculum. I am very excited to hear what she has to say today. This next school year, I am planning to go back to KONOS as our main focus, because it is so easy, flexible, and FUN!! You can check out the KONOS website to see all that she offers, and let me tell you, it is a LOT!

Also, I am really excited about all the door prizes that will be given away all week long. There is a long list of great things that are up for grabs, and I sure hope I win something! I rarely win anything, so I will be very surprised if I do. But one can still hope. You can see all the great prizes being offered on the Schoolhouse Expo website.

The Expo is completely sold out, so I hope you already have your ticket! But if you do not have a ticket for the live online conference, despair not! You can still purchase the mp3 version, which will be available in just a few weeks. It will have all the same great seminars, and you can listen to them over and over. Also, if you aren't able to finish a session, you can just pause it and pick up where you left off when you have time. I LOVE that about the mp3 version! So go grab a copy now!

If you are planning to attend the live Schoolhouse Expo this week, I would love to know about it. Leave me a comment here to let me know you are attending, and tell me which speaker you are most looking forward to hearing. The ones I am most looking forward to are Jessica Hulcy (KONOS), Carol Topp (micro-businesses for teenagers), Carol Barnier (What Are You THINKING - Learning Styles and Beyond), Maggie and Tyler Hogan (Mind Your Own Business - Home Based Entrepreneurship), Dianne Craft (Right brain child strategies), and then, of course, the Door Prize EXTRAVAGANZA at the end of the conference on Friday!! Your turn. Leave me a comment and tell me who you most want to hear.

Selling Through Currclick

2011-04-30T16:56:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I announced that my first ever unit study offering, Ecuador, was ready to be sold to YOU! I am so excited, because today, I set up my account through Currclick to sell my new Ecuador unit! Through Currclick, I will be able to offer my unit study, as well as any future studies I write, to a much bigger audience than through my blog alone.

So from this point out, any future unit studies that I write will be announced here on my blog, and I will provide the link to the Currclick page where you can download the unit immediately after paying.

I have always loved buying through Currclick, because they have such a wide variety of products to choose from, and you can quickly and easily download your material. There is no waiting on the mailman to bring a book to your house, and there is no need to find a place to store said book once you are finished. You just download your material to your computer and print off what you will need to work with your kids. And besides just stuff for your homeschool, they also offer great e-books for mom to give help and encouragement in the areas of teaching your kids and staying sane while doing it! You can also sign up for lots of LIVE classes that they offer. My kids have taken several LIVE classes, and they have loved them. Britches' first live class was based on the American Girl book, Happy Birthday Felicity. She had printouts that I stuck in a folder for her to do, she read the chapters in the book, there were crafts she put together herself, and there was even an online chat community that she took part in. It was GREAT! And when you go to the Currclick site, you can find a page full of FREE products to download, as well as a free product each week. Click on my link to the right to see everything they offer.

And if you'd like to go see MY listing for my Ecuador unit, check it out here!

Hopefully, I will have some time soon to start writing more units. If you have a unit that you would like to see offered, leave me a comment telling me what you have in mind. I would LOVE to hear your suggestions!

The Schoolhouse Expo

2011-04-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

Last week, I had the privilege of sitting in on the Schoolhouse Expo pre-show! I was FANTASTIC! I was particularly excited about the pre-show, because Tricia Goyer was up first and was planning to talk about how to improve your writing skills and earn money from home with your writing. Well, that was right up my alley! And it was SO worth listening to!

The other speaker I particularly enjoyed was Dianne Craft. I had never heard her speak, so I didn't know what to expect. But soon after she began, I could tell I was really going to enjoy listening to her. For starters, she was HILARIOUS! But the more I listened, the more I realized that this was actually something I needed to hear. She was speaking about teaching the right brained child. Well, I had never really thought about my kids as being left brained or right brained. Didn't really know what that meant. But the more she talked, the more I realized that my son is a right brained kid, and that is why I sometimes have difficulty teaching him certain things. He needs to visualize things, instead of just being told something. Truth be told, I am COMPLETELY a right brained person, so you would think I should click perfectly with my son. But there are times that, even though I know I don't learn best by looking at a white page, I just don't know any other way to communicate a concept to him than the way I was taught. (I fully believe that most public school teachers are teaching to left brain kids!)

Dianne spent nearly an hour talking about ways to help a right brained child understand and retain information you present to them by making things more visual. You can check out her web site to get more information and to see her book, Teaching the Right Brained Child. By the time she was finished with her hour of talk, I was armed with all sorts of great ideas to help teach my son in a better way that he could understand. I am especially excited about her suggestions for learning vocabulary words!

The Schoolhouse Expo is coming up in just a few weeks, and I am THRILLED that Dianne Craft will be speaking again! There are several speakers I look forward to hearing, but I am especially looking forward to hearing her! And she announced during the pre-show that she will be speaking at the Expo about teaching MATH to the right brained child! YAY HOORAY! Math is a KILLER for me to teach Little Man, and it's equally hard for him to grasp. So I just cannot wait to hear her suggestions that I am sure will help us enjoy learning that subject a little more.

The other topics I am so excited to hear are the ones regarding working from home. I am always looking for some good, legitimate advice on making money from home. And I don't mean by selling something or making phone calls. But there are several speakers who will be talking about home-based entrepreneurship, using social media to grow your home business, and micro-businesses for teens. I can't wait to hear what these speakers have to share!

If you haven't gotten your ticket to the Schoolhouse Expo yet, well, you're too late!! All the tickets for the live conference have been sold. But worry not! You still have a chance to hear Dianne, along with many, MANY other amazing speakers and amazing topics. You can still purchase the Expo to Go, and it is only $19.95!! You get all of the conference in an MP3 format, and with that, you can listen to it at your convenience and even go back and listen again if you like!! Be sure to look in the Vendor Hall, too, when you go to purchase your Expo to Go. You will find some amazing resources that you may be interested in for your homeschool. And if you purchase from any of the vendors, please be sure to tell them "Thanks" for sponsoring the Schoolhouse Expo!

The Schoolhouse Expo is only a few weeks away, and I can hardly wait! Will I see you there??

Ecuador Unit Study On Sale Now!!

2011-04-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

When my oldest two children were 3 and 4, we did our first unit study. For about a month, we followed a missionary, Ms. Karen, as she traveled to China. The kids and I prayed for Ms. Karen, marked on a map all the places she traveled while she was there, cooked Chinese meals, learned all about pandas, made colored rice art - there was so much that we did, I can't even tell you all of it! My son prayed for Ms. Karen for YEARS after that experience. I have never forgotten what an impact that study had on my children. And ever since that time, I have hoped that God would bring another missionary along that we may follow again.

There are some missionaries that attend the church we now go to. They are Mr. Karvin and Ms. Sandy Adams. When I read in our bulletin a few months ago that they would be traveling to Ecuador this summer on a mission trip, I was very excited! I asked the kids if they would like to adopt the Adams' as "our missionaries", and pray for them while they are on their trip and follow their journey. The kids were just as excited as I was.

The plan is that, while we are praying for them and following their journey on a map, we will also learn everything we can about the country of Ecuador. So I began pulling all my information together so I would be ready to teach my kids. As I was gathering all my information, I had a thought. There are several people who have told me they would love to just be able to teach their kids the way I do. (Truthfully, I think that's kind of funny!) So I decided that, while I was putting everything together for my kids, I would write down everything, so I could offer OUR unit study to YOU!

If you would be interested in learning about the AMAZING country of Ecuador, think about going there with us - through some great books and other resources, of course! Follow along with our missionaries when they head to Ecuador later this summer.

The price for this unit study is $9.95. After I receive your payment, I will send you instructions on how to download the unit. Through this study, you will learn, with your children, about the rich culture of Ecuador, along with lessons about the food, customs, government, and people of the country. Also, your children will learn about the Adams', their work in Ecuador, the churches they have helped to build, and past mission work in this country. Your children will learn what it means to be a missionary and the importance of mission work. This unit study can be used for multiple age levels, and you will find craft options for younger children, research options for older children, and much, much more! This unit study is meant to cover approximately two weeks worth of learning, but it could be easily cut down to one week for your younger children, or extended beyond two weeks for your older children.

Payment Options: I can accept payment through Paypal. My Paypal email is brientneeley@bellsouth.net. Simply send your payment with a note saying you are purchasing the Ecuador unit study. Shoot me an e-mail to receive your download information upon sending your payment. Paypal does, however, charge a fee for all transactions made. So, if you would prefer to pay with a personal check, e-mail me and I will send you my physical address. After I receive your check, I will send you the download information.

So for all of you who think you would like to homeschool your children like I do, here is your chance. My children and I will be studying through this same unit study as we follow our missionaries' journey to reach the people of Ecuador for Christ. We would love to have you travel with us!

Check out what some other homeschool moms had to say about "Ecuador":

"I was in desperate need of something to excite my 13 year old son about school again, so when asked to review this unit study, I couldn't have been more excited. It was so easy, because all of the resources are listed for you. We enjoyed watching the video links and trying some of the Ecuadorian recipes. This unit study has plenty of activities no matter your child's age, and it was also a great jumping off place for us to go deeper into the culture and history of this wonderful place. Thanks so much, Nicole, for letting us try it. In Matthew's words, it was way more interesting than he thought it would be." ~Terri L.

"My thoughts on the Ecuador unit are that it is fantastic! Michael is doing 6th grade work, and Annalee is doing 4th grade work, and they both really enjoyed learning about Ecuador. They both loved the videos. Bella (3) even loved the videos. We thought they were appropriate and entertaining. All of the links and videos worked great. It was challenging to both of the kids. It kept both of their attention.

My overall opinion is that the unit study was great. We would purchase this unit study and more. Annalee stated that it was much more fun than using her workbooks! She said she would love to visit Ecuador after watching the videos. I learned a lot going through the unit study with them. I had no idea children in Ecuador usually only went to school for 9 years. We really enjoyed it! I cannot think of anything that should be added or taken away. We really enjoyed everything about the unit." ~Jessie T.

Easter Egg Dying - The Old Fashioned Way

2011-04-25T14:52:00.000-05:00

So, is there anyone else out there, besides me, who still likes to boil eggs to dye at Easter? I know that, if you go to an Easter egg hunt, it really isn't practical to boil several hundred eggs to go hide in the grass. Besides the fact that kids don't really want an actual EGG to eat as their prize, but would much rather have CANDY, if you miss any of the eggs, there will be a TERRIBLE stench within just a few days, and you are guaranteed to find any that were left. But at home, my kids and I still LOVE to sit around the table and color our eggs whatever beautiful colors we can imagine.

This year, Baby Girl was old enough to join in on the fun. She is two now, so I knew it would still be a crazy MESS, but I also knew there was no way we could leave her out. She already thinks she's as big as the other three, and if she saw them having fun and she wasn't allowed to participate - well, let's just say it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. So I made sure NOT to let the other kids do the eggs until after Baby Girl's nap.

We all gathered around the table with our three dozen boiled eggs, vinegar, and food coloring. YES, I boiled three dozen eggs! I would have boiled four dozen, but the man that I buy from didn't have that many white eggs. So we had to settle with only nine eggs per kid. Trust me, if you ever try to dye eggs with four kids and have to explain to them why they can only have THREE eggs each, you'll won't be laughing at me anymore. You'll understand then!

All three of the older kids knew what to do, and Britches and Little Man went to work dying their eggs just perfectly - well, sort of. I was trying to help Little Sister, but I was too busy trying to make sure Baby Girl didn't drink the colored vinegar water or dump the cups everywhere, so I was glad Little Sister caught on pretty well and was able to handle hers alone. Baby Girl LOVED putting her egg in the spoon, dropping it (with a splash) into the dye, and immediately pulling it back out to see the new color. She squealed with delight over each egg. It was the greatest sound in the world. And even Britches and Little Man quit with their eggs for awhile just to watch her excitement and listen to her squeals and laughter! They both told me this year's egg dying was the best time they had ever had.

My sweet Baby Girl had so much fun dying her eggs, and everything else!

Two sweet sisters, aka partners in crime!

Baby Girl was just too excited to worry with pulling the eggs out with the spoon. She would pull some of them up with the spoon and then grab them with her hands, and then for the rest, she just reached her hand down into the cup to get her egg.

Little Sister is hugging her egg. Yeah, that was a mess.

She was very proud of her eggs!

Little Man was actually PATIENT this year, and left his eggs in the dye longer. So they actually came out really great colors!

And when Britches finished, she said, "Look mama. It's Roy G. Biv. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet." (That would be the colors of the rainbow, in case you didn't know.) She amazes me with the things she comes up with!

We had the best time together dying eggs! I was so glad I set aside time to do that with them. This is a tradition in our house each year. I would encourage you, if you don't already, go beyond the plastic candy-filled eggs, and make some memories of your own with your kids over a few mugs of egg dye. And if you did dye eggs with your kids this year, I would LOVE to hear about it! Leave me a comment and share all the fun your family had!

I Will Follow

2011-04-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

God has given me a great desire this year simply to follow Him. I know that, as Christians, we are following Him, but that's not exactly what I mean. I have been a Christian nearly all my life, and I have always tried to serve Christ and obey what He asks of me. But lately, it's different.

At the beginning of January, I began praying fervently that God would take me to a place with Him that I have never been. I prayed that God would show me His face clearer than I have ever seen. And I prayed that God would allow me to be used by Him more than He has ever used me. I have prayed for those things for four months now, and let me tell you, I can SEE Him working! And I praise Him for it!

The biggest desire of my heart right now is to simply go wherever my Savior is going and join in the work he is doing. I don't care about recognition from others. I simply want to be used by the Master.

I love this song, and it describes very well my heart. My prayer is that you, too, will seek the face of God Almighty, and that He will place in your heart, just as he has in mine, a deep burning desire to follow Him wherever He goes.

Where you go, I'll go

Where you stay, I'll stay

When you move, I'll move

I will follow...

All your ways are good

All your ways are sure

I will trust in you alone

Higher than my side

High above my life

I will trust in you alone

Where you go, I'll go

Where you stay, I'll stay

When you move, I'll move

I will follow you

Who you love, I'll love

How you serve I'll serve

If this life I lose, I will follow you

I will follow you

Light unto the world

Light unto my life

I will live for you alone

You're the one I seek

Knowing I will find

All I need in you alone, in you alone

In you there's life everlasting

In you there's freedom for my soul

In you there joy, unending joy

and I will follow.

Too Much Free Time?

2011-04-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest things about homeschooling is the fact that it doesn't take all day to do it. And if some homeschooler tells you that they take a full day to complete their work all day, they are either lying to you or doing WAY more than is necessary. There are several reasons you can figure on getting finished early. One is the fact that you don't have to check roll in the mornings. There are no potty breaks for 30 kids that you have to wait on. There is no hour long bus ride in the morning and afternoon taking your time. The list can go on and on.

In our day, we generally get up, eat a nice, slow breakfast, spend awhile getting dressed and doing morning chores, and then we all end up at the table (or outside, depending on what we are doing for school that day). We spend a little time doing whatever school I have lined up for them, and then we are free. We spend the rest of the day taking care of chores around the house or yard, and the kids are allowed large chunks of free time to use most any way they like.

During their free time, I do limit TV and video games, so they aren't just spending their time mindlessly. I give them plenty of options that, besides being fun, are very educational. They are allowed time to read, paint, watch educational shows like PBS Kids, play educational games on the computer, play outside, build forts, plant in the garden, ride their bikes, and all sorts of other fun free-time activities.

During Britches' free time for the last few months, she has been creating miniatures. Miniatures are like doll houses - furniture, house, dishes, whatever. Neither of my older kids have ever liked having something handed to them already made, but would prefer to create their own play things. So she has been in her room in much of her spare time working on her doll clothes and furniture. I just had to show you a little of what she has done.

This is a bed she made for one of her girls out of craft sticks. The mattress she is laying on is made from her potholder loom.

This girl got a real doll pillow, but Britches made her bed out of an old sock I was about to throw away. You would not believe how thrilled she was when I told her she could have the sock.

She made a bench with a padded footstool for her girls to sit on.

A friend of hers from church gave her the bathtub and potty, but she made the sink out of cardboard and the towel and rug out of an old towel.

This is the dressing room, complete with posters on the door.

And coming out of the dressing room, the girl gets to show off the blouse, skirt, and scarf that Britches made for her. (The hair needs a little work.)

The girls have their own bookshelf with books waiting to be read.

Two chairs for them to sit on while reading their books.

And there is even a place for her puppies to play.

Britches did not make this all at one time, and I did not tell her to put this together. She has come up with it on her own over the last few months during her free time.

Little Man is very likely going to be a engineer someday. He sees a problem and goes to work finding a solution. Yesterday, I told them to help me by picking up all the toys in the living room. Britches said it would sure be nice if we had a robot or something to do it for us. And Little Man came up with the great idea to put a dozer feature on the front of his motorized car. Then his car could do all the clean-up for him. Too bad I made him help pick up the toys BEFORE he was allowed to go build his addition to his car.

After designing and building the attachment, he spread a few toys on the floor and tested the dozer feature to see if it would work. He decided that it would work on small items, but nothing too big. But he figured it worked well enough to get him out of toy pick-up next time.

He decided to modify it and make car armor. Not really sure why he thinks it needs armor around our house. Hmmm...

And then he built a shovel attachment, so that, after all the toys were pushed into a pile by the dozer, he could pick them up and let the car carry them back to where they belonged.

I have to say, he took longer designing the parts to his car to help him cut down on his work than he did on actually picking up toys. But that's not the point. The point here is that he used his IMAGINATION and some pretty good building skills to design something on his own. This is not a project I told him to do, and I didn't take over and show him how he needed to design his car. This was in his free time where he was allowed to be creative.

In your home, are your children allowed plenty of free, unstructured time where they are allowed to be creative and use their imaginations? Are they allowed plenty of time outside to run and use their muscles and just be kids? Some of the best learning is done when, after your kid sees something they think is cool, they use their own brains to come up with something great to play and do. Try cutting out of school early one day to allow a large chunk of free time, and just see where it leads your child. And then leave me a comment telling me all about it!

Time Alone with God

2011-04-22T07:13:00.001-05:00

For years now, I have struggled with finding time to read my Bible and pray. It would be one thing if my kids weren't with me all day. Then, I might could make some time at lunch or some other quiet time of the day. But since we choose to homeschool our four kiddos, that means there is precious little quiet time in any day.

In January of this year, though, I decided to begin getting up early, before the craziness of the day began, so I could have some time alone with God. I have been doing this every morning since. This has done two things. First, it allows me some time that should be quiet, so I can concentrate on my Bible reading and some good prayer time alone with God. The other thing I am doing by having my quiet time in the morning is giving God the first of each of my days. Before I check my computer, before I start working on breakfast, before the chores and schooling of the day begin, I give God the very first of my day. It is my offering to Him. And by doing so, it sets the course for my entire day so that it runs more smoothly and is more centered on God.

Well, even good intentions have their problems. Most mornings have gone exactly as I planned, and I have been thrilled to spend some alone time with God. But there have been a few mornings that I just cannot get my eyes to focus on the words I'm reading, and I can't get my brain to wake up enough to comprehend those words. And then, there have been a few mornings that, no matter how early I wake, shortly after I start reading, I hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hall, and I'll have a two or five year old snuggled up with me. So I close my Bible and hope for another time during the day to sit down and finish my reading. Rarely does another time present itself.

Yesterday, I was reading about how Jesus got up early to talk to his Father. In Mark 1:35-37, it says:

"Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later, Simon and the others went out to find Him. When they found Him, they said, 'Everyone is looking for You.'"

If you read the few verses before that, it talks about what Jesus was doing the night before. He didn't hit the sack early so He could be ready to go in the morning. No, He was up late teaching people and healing them. And then the next morning, He got up before anyone else so He could sneak out and have a few quiet moments with God the Father.

When I read these verses, I was very encouraged to know that, truly, Jesus DID experience everything we experience, so He is able to understand our troubles. I am sure, being fully human, that Jesus probably had to rub His eyes a few times to make them see clearly in the early morning light. I'm pretty certain He was tired from the long night of ministry the night before. I am sure He was tempted to just go "rest" by a tree for just a few more minutes instead of praying, especially since it may be the only quiet time He had all day. And to make things more difficult, He, too, had people hunting Him down and cutting His quiet time short. Simon and the others were looking for Him. I can imagine them saying, "What are you doing? Everyone is looking for you. They need to be fed (spiritually). Aren't you coming?" Sounds just like my mornings when the little ones come in - "I'm hungry mama. Aren't you coming to fix me breakfast?"

So though it may be hard to get up before everyone else, and even though I occasionally have little distractions even in those early hours of the morning, I am so thankful to know I am not alone in this. Jesus Christ experienced the same struggles I face in trying to find time with the Father - and He overcame.

Be sure to set aside some time with God each day. Your time doesn't have to be the same time as mine. Whatever moments of the day that work best for you is when you should set aside to seek Him. There will be distractions, and there will be days when it just doesn't get done. But it WILL be worth the effort you put into it!

Nothing More Than You Can Handle

2011-04-19T08:33:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this is a saying everywhere, or just here in the Deep South. But often, you will hear people say, "Don't worry about it. God said He'd never give you more than you can bear." In truth, I used to believe that saying myself. And quite frankly, it made me completely mad.

If God said He would never give me more than I could bear, then why did He keep putting more and more on me? More struggle? More heartache? More pain? Less and less and less sleep? I knew what everyone had told me, but my thought was that God either didn't really know how much I could handle (because I was quite near my breaking point), or He just didn't care. I had that mindset for years.

But recently, I was reading my morning devotions and I came across the ACTUAL verse in my bible where it talks about not having more than we can bear. And do you know what it said? First, let me tell you what it did NOT say. It did not say that God would never give us more than we could bear. Period. You can find the verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13. It says:

"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

The bible says that God will not put on us more TEMPTATION than we can bear, but that, when we are tempted, He will ALWAYS provide a way out. To me, that doesn't sound a thing like the old saying I've always heard. I just LOVE the way people take the Bible and change it around to fit what their itching ears want to hear!

All our lives, we are taught that God loves us and won't give us more than we can handle. But that, my friends, is a load of CRAP! God ALWAYS allows us to have more than we could bear. Otherwise, why would we need Him? If we could handle this life on our own, what use would He be to us? And more importantly, if we could do the work of salvation (which is WAY more than we can bear), why would we ever need a Savior?

God will always allow you to have more on your plate than you can handle. God will always allow you to be stretched and pulled and prodded beyond what you think you are capable of. But it is not without reason. God gives us more than we can humanly handle, because, through those times, He shows us how strong we really can be. But more importantly, through those times, He shows US just how strong HE really IS!!

We serve a God who is Mighty beyond what you or I can imagine. If we could do everything in this life in our own strength, we would never have the chance to see with our own eyes just how MIGHTY and AWESOME God really is!

If only I had realized the TRUE meaning of that verse a LONG time ago. Instead of feeling like God just didn't care about me and had abandoned me with all that He was putting on me, I would have turned to Him and looked for His strength. But I just kept thinking, "Any day now, He's going to stop adding to my load." I wish, how I SO wish, I could go back and do those years over.

So the next time you find yourself overwhelmed, overextended, pressed from all sides, and burdened beyond what you can carry, remember that God WANTS to show off for you! He WANTS to come to your rescue and show you just how strong He really is. He wants to throw open the doors of Heaven and bless you. You just need to look to Him and trust Him to do all that He is capable and ready to do.

And the next time you hear somebody tell you, "God will never give you more than you can handle," go tell them to re-read their bible before trying to quote it.

Nicole's First Flight!

2011-04-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in everyone's life when you must stop running from your fears and just face them head on. For quite some time now, God has been gently pushing me to step out in faith and face a great fear I have had all my life.

I have never in my life stepped foot on an airplane, and I never have had any desire to do so. But recently, while working through the Beth Moore bible study, Believing God, God showed me an area of my life that needed a little attention. This particular bible study is about having faith, real and active faith, in God. You know, the kind of faith that puts on hands and feet and gets moving. As I was studying and trying to understand the direction God wanted me to go, I realized there was something standing in the way. FEAR! Not fear of God's direction, but a fear that I wouldn't be able to accept the calling He may ask of me because of other fears that held a tight grip on my life.

There is a reason I have never flown. Actually, there is a LONG list of reasons. They are (in no particular order):
1. fear of heights
2. fear of wide open spaces
3. fear of closed in spaces
4. fear of a pilot I've never met who may or may not really be all that qualified to fly a large aircraft, and there's really no knowing if he's awake or asleep in there or if he's DRIVING DRUNK! (Yes, I have seen that on the news!)
5. fear of the germs that everyone on the plane near me will be breathing on me which is destined to land me some terrible illness
6. fear of crashing into the mountain up ahead (or a building)

That's all I can think of right now, but you get the idea. The list is LONG and BIG!! But the fact is, with all these fears gripping my core being, there is no way I can fully be used of God to do anything He asks of me.

One terrible thought I had was that God may someday ask me to go to another country (or even to the other side of our country), where I would need to fly, and I would simply have to tell Him, "I'm sorry God. I can't do that job. I don't fly." That sounds easy enough to do. But let me tell you, I have had enough experience arguing with God that I KNOW He will ALWAYS WIN! Which means, He would very politely tell me, "I really don't care if you don't fly. Go." So I decided that I really needed to overcome this fear before He really DID ask me to do something big, so at least I would be prepared.

Something that God gave me through this bible study is that living in fear is the OPPOSITE of living in faith! I cannot say I am living in complete faith when I am allowing the devil to convince me that there are things I have to fear.

*LIVING IN FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF LIVING IN FAITH*

I decided I was just going to have to face those fears and get up in a plane. Thankfully, I have a dear, dear friend, Linda, who's husband, Bob, happens to be a pilot. He owns 2 small planes, so I asked Linda if he would be willing to take me up for a quick flight. All plans were made, and all we had to wait for was a good day - and a day that he wasn't working his regular job. That took nearly a month. But let me tell you, through this last month, I have prayed through this fear of flying like you would not believe. I have used verses to guide my prayers. Some of the ones I prayed were:

~"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

~"You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head." Psalm 139:5

~"This is My command - BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! DO NOT BE AFRAID or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

~"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

You better know I prayed through all of those verses! God showed me that I was NOT to live in fear, but to TRUST Him. He showed me that, no matter where I am, He goes before me and behind me and had His hand right on top of my head. I can't get away from Him. I am commanded to be strong and courageous, because He is always with me. And I prayed that God would uphold that plane (and me) with His right hand! (Yes, I know there are scientific reasons that a plane stays in the air, but scientific reasons can go wrong. I prayed for GOD to hold me up!)

When Bob called me and said that it looked like a good time to fly, I was all prayed up and wasn't even nervous! OK, maybe slightly. But only nervous, and NOT fearful! I was actually excited! Little Man and Brient wanted to fly with me, but the girls opted to stay on the ground and play with Linda's kids.

We got out to the plane, and, well, here are all the pictures of my fun ride!!

The very cool red plane we flew in.

My side-kick and I.

My fearless pilot and co-pilot. I think I was more worried about the two of them sitting up front together than the plane ride!

Truly it was a beautiful view from 2500ft. in the air!

And after we landed, my side-kick wanted to take more pictures. So here are some for my scrapbook!

It was really an amazing morning. I was so very thankful to Bob for taking this fraidy cat up for a ride in his plane. I was thankful that he took time out of his day to help me overcome a lifelong fear. And I was so thankful to my sweet friend, Linda who watched my girls while I was up in the air. My girls had a blast with Linda's kids.

Here are our beautiful girls.

So now I am ready. I have tackled my fears of flying, and now I am set if God ever asks me to fly somewhere to do His work. I know there will be other things that will come up in my life that will need to be met head on, and I am ready. If I can overcome this, I can overcome anything!

"Everywhere You go, I wanna go. Will you take me with You?

Everywhere You lead, I wanna be by Your side.

Everyone You love, I wanna love just like You love me.

Everywhere you go, I wanna go there with You."

~Third Day

It's All About ME!!

2011-04-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

It's not very often that I just get really selfish and decide everything is going to be about me. It's not really that easy to do when you have four kids anyway. Even when I do want to be selfish, my two year old is more! But today, it was ALL ABOUT ME!

For the last several MONTHS now, we have been going non-stop, run-run-run, go-go-go, and I have barely been able to catch my breath. Everything we have done has been LOADS of fun, and most of it has been with and for the kids and is in some way homeschool related. Also, I have been alternating between homeschooling and church duties at a rate of speed that would make your head swirl!

When I woke up this morning, I was immediately tired just thinking about the non-stop pace of the week ahead of me. Because we do children's church on Sunday mornings, and yesterday was Little Sister's birthday, we barely slowed down long enough to grab a bite to eat. So I never got my day of rest for the week. Which meant, this morning only brought about a tired mama who was dreading the days to come.

I made an executive decision (since I AM the chief executive officer of my homeschool!), and told the kids that we were skipping out on the last 4H meeting of the year. No one was really devastated, which really kind of shocked me. Britches was feeling a bit poorly due to all the lovely pollen we have this time of year in the Deep South, and she really didn't want to go. And Little Man said he didn't really care one way or the other. FABULOUS! So for at least today, the plan was to stay home and REST!

Well, it didn't turn out to be exactly a "rest" day, but it did turn out to be a "relaxing" day. We spent most of the morning outside enjoying the overcast day and the gusty breezes coming through the yard. I sat in my swing with my cup of hot tea in hand, which turned into a second cup of hot tea, and I watched the kids playing on their new hand-me-down trampoline. The weather was so nice.

That started my itch to get out into my garden. So I grabbed the nearest shovel, and I went to work. We stopped for lunch, and it was just in the nick of time, too. The bottom fell right out of the sky, and we had a great downpour. But I already had it in my mind that I was going to get my okra seeds in the ground! Who cares about a little thunderstorm anyway, right? I headed right back out the door as soon as I had finished lunch, prayed that God would hold back the rain for just five minutes, and started putting my seeds in the ground. God must have been looking down at me laughing, because He sent the rains even harder than before! But by golly, my okra is PLANTED!

After lunch, and after the rain had slowed down a bit, Little Sister decided she would like to go outside to try out her new umbrella that she got for her birthday yesterday. She found her pink and black water boots, grabbed her umbrella, and headed out. I figured, I was already wet, so I went out with her to keep working in my garden. All together today, I got all of my tomato seedlings planted, okra seeds and popcorn seeds in the ground, and my basil out of the greenhouse and transplanted into the garden. Also, as I was turning under some of my raised beds with my shovel, I noticed about twenty or so tomato seedlings that had sprouted on their own. I just LOVE it when God shows me up with gardening. He IS, after all, the Master Gardener! So I carefully dug them up and moved them to my tomato bed.

When I was too tired to do any more outside, I brought Little Sister in for a bath, and I headed to clean up as well. After a bit of housework (a VERY LITTLE bit!), I got antsy to go back out to my greenhouse and start some more seeds. A bug destroyed about half of my seedlings a few weeks ago, and I had needed to get out there and replant. So I had some quiet time in my greenhouse doing one of my favorite things - starting seeds.

And then, after supper, all the kids were watching PBS Kids and playing in the school room, so I decided to take advantage of the few moments to myself and jump on my treadmill. I walked and jogged only a mile, but that mile felt GREAT!

All of these things are things I have wanted to do for myself lately. I have longed to be out in my garden, to sneak away to my greenhouse, to sit back with several cups of hot tea, and to start walking on my treadmill again. But because of our terribly hectic schedule these days, I have just put my wants on the back-burner. But not today. Today was ALL ABOUT ME! I did some things that I enjoy doing, but haven't had time to do lately. I did some things that are relaxing to me! I just enjoyed my quiet day at home with my kids. Sometimes, you just really need to recharge, and today did that for me. It was bliss!

My Favorite Homeschooling Help!

2011-04-04T17:07:00.000-05:00

What is the one thing you would consider your most valuable asset when you are facing the challenge of homeschooling your children? Is there something you just don't think you could live without in your homeschool?

I often have people ask me similar questions. They want to know what it is that I have that makes my homeschool run so well. They want to know what I have, so they can go out and get it. My answer is very simple. Go get a library card.

When my oldest two were 1 and 2 years old, we started visiting our library. Every Thursday, we went to story time with Ms. Betty B., and each week they learned how to sit, listen, and learn from a book. Ms. Betty B. made it so fun for them, and they just couldn't wait to go again the next week. This WAS their school when they were young. She read a story, dressed up and played pretend with them, did a flannel graph story, taught them their numbers and letters, and just had some FUN with them! She is one of the most energetic and fun people I know! We kept that story time schedule until they were 5 and 6 years old. And I can honestly say, some of the best memories I have with my kids include story time with Ms. Betty.

But when they got to the age that I was ready to start doing some schooling with them, and about the time Little Sister was born, we had a shift in our routine. We weren't able to go to story time anymore like we used to. But that didn't mean we didn't regularly visit the library. We headed up there about once every other week to pick up the books we needed for our unit study that we were presently working on, and each time, we'd be sure to spend some time visiting Ms. Betty. And she was always there with a smile and ready to help me find anything I needed!

What I have learned is this. If you are a homeschooler, there is no more valuable thing to you than a great librarian! Ms. Betty has been there to teach my kids in story time (the younger two go now), and when they were too old for that, Ms. Betty has been there to help me find any resources I needed to help us in our homeschooling. This lady is always smiling and cheerful, and she makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world at that moment. All of my children adore her. And each of them know that, if you have trouble finding anything, you can go straight to Ms. Betty and she will find whatever you need. She has even helped me to find books from out-of-town libraries and has had them sent in for me just for one special lesson we were doing. Little Sister, my 5 year old, used to head straight in and start playing with the puzzles, and she always wanted Ms. Betty to put them together with her. And Ms. Betty always did.

I cannot imagine being able to homeschool the way I do if I did not have the support and the help of a great librarian. And what is more, we have spent so much time at the library with Ms. Betty that she is no longer just our librarian, but she is our dear friend. We all love her very much! In fact, when Little Man and I ran The Race for the Cure last September, he was thrilled to know she would be there, because he wanted to give her a hug and show her his new running shoes! My kids wish she lived next door to us, because they would just love to see her every day. She is now part of our family.

So if you want to know my advice on how to make your homeschool work well, here it is. Get a library card, and make friends with your librarian. I have no idea where we would be today without the help of our wonderful friend and librarian, Ms. Betty!

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-04-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, my son is a Type 1 diabetic. We found out three years ago, and we have made it a part of life and are dealing with it. This is a completely manageable disease, and I am thankful that none of my kids have anything worse. All I need is some good counting skills, a little sense in what we eat, and a good doctor to write the prescriptions I need for Little Man. Sounds easy enough, right? You would think!

All of those things have been fairly easy to come by, except the part about the doctor. When Little Man was first diagnosed, we were referred to a doctor who practices about two hours away from us. "Ummm, can't we get anything closer?" I asked our pediatrician. "Nope. He's it." WHAT?? What do you mean, "He's it."? That made no sense to me. There are doctors on every street of our town - OK, practically every street. Why did I have to drive two hours to see this guy.

Apparently, pediatric endocrinologists are hard to come by. They are few and far between in my state. The doctor we saw was the nearest one to us. So we began making the drive, and we did so every three months for two years. BUT, yay hooray, a new lady doctor came to a town that was a little closer to us, so we switched to her to save a little time in driving and money in eating out.

We LOVED this new doctor, because, not only was she about thirty minutes closer, she had nice office staff and her practice was in a small building with the parking lot right in front of the door. Yeah, I know, that doesn't really sound too thrilling to all of you. But, with our last doctor who had his office inside of a hospital, we had to park several blocks away and make the trek inside through rain, shine, heat, cold, and traffic to see him. So a parking lot right in front of the small building was certainly on my list of things I liked about this new doctor.

We have seen her for a year now, and we really like her. She has been very helpful, and she is always very nice. But go figure, she's moving! When I found out last week that she would be moving to another state, I was very disappointed. Her reason for going? You can't make a profit in pediatric endocrinology in this state. Figures.

So now, I am looking to make the drive back to our old doctor again who is two hours away, if he hasn't got so many patients now that he can't take us. If that is the case, We're looking at a minimum of two and a half hours for a drive every three months to go see a completely new doctor. Now, I know most of you are probably thinking, "So just make a day of it. It's only every three months." But if you have never made that drive over and over and over and over again, and if you have never paid for the gas to go four times a year, and if you've never accounted for the meal that you will be eating out every trip (because an appointment that far away always means you will be there around a meal time), and if you've not thought about the full day that it takes you away from a job or, in my case, my other kids and homeschooling, you really can't understand what a burden this is. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. We'd just make a day of it and make it fun. But after you have made that trip so many times, and you realize there is no end anywhere in sight (because an adult doctor won't take him until he's at least 13), it becomes a great burden. I was not looking forward to jumping back in that boat again.

What really gets me is this. Why is it that, in every other field of medicine, there seem to be so many doctors that you can take your pick from the ones available? Why is it that colleges are filled to the brim with upcoming doctors and nurses of every kind ready to tackle heart disease, cancer, brain tumors, back pain, general practices, and everything else in between? Why is it that I can find a doctor for any other problem I or my kids or husband may have, including pediatric issues, except when it comes to a pediatric endocrinologist? Why is everyone lined up to be every other kind of doctor except a pediatric endocrinologist?

I know my son is not the only Type 1 diabetic around. And the endocrine system is made up of WAY more than just the pancreas, the problems of which cause diabetes. I just do not understand what it is about this field of medicine that makes upcoming doctors steer clear of this field. I cannot understand why, in my state, we have only a hand full of these doctors, and most are more than five hours from me.

So now, I am back to the drawing board. I will be calling tomorrow to try to get an appointment with our previous doctor, and I am just praying that he will take us back again.

So the lesson to learn here is this: If any of your kids are interested in going into medicine, you should really encourage them to become a pediatric endocrinologist. They would be guaranteed to have a full patient load immediately. There is a great, great need for more of these doctors.

Made to Worship

2011-04-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

For the past ten weeks, I have been engrossed in a Beth Moore Bible study, Believing God. It has been amazing. I cannot even begin to tell you all the things God has shown me through this study. I wish I had kept a journal from the very beginning to remember all the lessons I learned, the miracles He has done and shown me, the blessings He has poured out - everything.

In one of the lessons, she talked about how, even though God has forgiven us of the sins in our past, we still wear our shame so that everyone can see. Sometimes we even cover it up, but we are still wearing the shame. In order for us not to still feel the weight of that past sin, we must allow God to circumcise our hearts. In doing that, He will cut away the guilt and shame, and He will leave the mark of His cutting. It will hurt, but it will be a remembrance of what He has done for us and we can walk out in faith knowing that we are whole and we are His. Very thought provoking.

She made a comment about how, often times, we sing our worship songs in church or wherever, and they are slow and drawn out, and they tend to make us feel as though we are "swaying back and forth wallowing in our own self loathing." When she said that, I got a very vivid picture of most Christian's today. We sing all these slow songs that seem so depressing, and, even though we are thanking God for salvation, we seem to still be worshiping in a "poor, terrible me" attitude.

In my opinion, if we are bearing the mark of the circumcision of the heart, we should be jumping up and down praising God for delivering us from the pit that we were in! We should be rejoicing publicly over all He has saved us from. And we should be excited about where He will bring us next! The time for "woe is me" songs has passed! I am a child of the Living God, forgiven, bearing the marks of the circumcision of the heart, and expectantly waiting to see where my God will use me next. I have great reason to REJOICE!

When I think of the worship I want to offer my Savior, I think of something more like this.

Expedition Israel

2011-04-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

One of the many, many reasons I homeschool is because I want the freedom to openly and actively teach my kids God's Word whenever and however I may choose. But often I find that I get so focused on whatever it is we are studying, I tend to forget to incorporate our most important school book - The Bible. I have a friend who has told me that she seems to focus mainly on the Bible, and she feels she is probably not devoting enough time to other key subjects. Well, I am the complete opposite! I have gotten much better lately with including Bible in each of our units, especially since we have started using Download N Go pre-made units. Each of these units, written by Amanda Bennett (Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett), is packed FULL of scriptures, God truths, and so much more. I LOVE that about these units!!

But, I wanted to do a little more in depth Bible study with my kids by way of our schooling. Seems that if I want to get anything done with them, I'd better do it under the cover of "school work", because once we put the lapbooks away, the learning part of their brains checks out! So I really thought that the best way to learn the Bible was simply to do a unit study about the Bible.

About that time, Download N Go had just released one of their new unit studies called Expedition Israel. PERFECT! And what great timing, too!! I downloaded the unit to my computer, printed out only the pages we were going to use, and we were set. It was that easy!

Expedition Israel takes you on a virtual tour of the Holy Lands. Oh my! I have always wondered about the Promised Land and what made it so special. When we started on our journey, we began making our way through the different cities and places where my Savior lived and walked and taught.

We visited places like the Jordan River, the place where Naaman was healed of leprosy and where John the Baptist baptized Jesus and many others. We took a close look at the Dead Sea and learned that, even though nothing can live in it, it is still useful. And we visited many of the major cities of Israel, learning the history of each place.

We saw animals in that country that I never realized were there. The unit had, already included, videos that we could watch to see the types of monkeys that Solomon received as a gift every 3 years, the type of bear and lion that David fought with his bare hands, and many others!

The kids and I took a close look at the terrain in that land, and we decided that, when Mary and Joseph made their way to Bethlehem to register, they crossed some hard land. It was not the nice, happy little donkey ride that most children's books portray. It was hard. It was rugged. It was LONG! And we learned, too, that they made this trip EVERY YEAR after that to celebrate the Passover in Jeruselam. I imagine that was an even longer trip with kids! ("Are we there yet?")

Here are some of the pages you can look for in this unit, but there are so many, many more!

Each day has a particular focus. They are:

Day 1: Where on Earth Is Israel?
Day 2: Some of the Special Places in Israel
Day 3: A Bit of History
Day 4: Cool Things to Know About Israel
Day 5: Fun and Games in Israel

To be perfectly honest, this unit is so packed full of information, videos, experiments, and other activities, we aren't completely finished yet. I wanted to take our time and fully experience this land, so we are not rushing through any of it. This lesson could easily turn into a 3-4 week project!

The thing I have enjoyed most about this unit is the fact that my kids are getting excited about looking up stories in their OWN BIBLES!

**Let me just interject a little something here. Parents, if your kids do not have a Bible, GET THEM ONE! Your child needs their OWN Bible, and in a translation that is easily understood. I don't care if you think the King James Version is the only good version out there. If your child can't read it and UNDERSTAND IT, it is useless to them. OK, I'm off my soap box now.

Back to the Bibles. I didn't just read or tell my kids each of the stories in our lessons. I asked them to go get their Bibles and look it up for themselves. I don't want them to ever take my word for it that it's in the Bible. They need to know how to go look it up for themselves, and then let God speak to them through His Word. So I really, really enjoyed watching them find the verses and then read the stories out loud for all of us to hear.

One of my other favorite things, and this is pretty much with all our units that we do, is when we had our Jewish meal night! One afternoon, we all sat around the computer trying to decide which recipes we wanted to try. After we made out our grocery list, we went to pick up what we needed. We found our food ideas all on this one great web site! It's always so much fun to bring a different culture's foods into our home and on our table. I LOVE showing the kids how differently people of other countries eat! And I love the excitement that comes along with trying out those recipes. Most of these foods we had never even heard of, but it was so much fun trying them out and tasting what the people of Israel enjoy regularly. When you do your lessons with your kids, be sure not to miss this really exciting part. Don't skip out on "food night" just because you don't want to take the time or because you're afraid of trying something new. Besides, this is a great way to get prepared for different foods should God ever call you or your kids to a foreign mission field!

And I also loved the experiments we did to get an idea of the saltiness of the Dead Sea.

We learned that the egg and apple take less salt to make them float due to their shape. But it took MUCH more salt to float the marble and rock. We talked all about how the sun evaporates the water from the Dead Sea leaving behind so much salt. And we decided that, if it took THAT much salt for a marble and a rock, the Dead Sea must have a TON of salt to hold up a person!

This lesson has been fantastic so far, and we still have several more days that we will be enjoying this study! I don't want to rush through the Promised Land, but I want to go slowly and savor all the stories of old, the places in which Jesus walked, and everything else that this land has to offer.

If you have ever thought to take your kids on a trip through God's Word, I would highly recommend starting with Expedition Israel! It is a GREAT place to start growing in your kids a love of God's people, His Promised Land, His Word, and so much more. And let me tell you, for the price of $7.95, that sure beats the price of a plane ticket! I always love taking my kids all over the world through books and Internet resources. I would have neither time nor money to physically go to all these places, but with a book or my laptop, the world is just waiting to be explored!

Be sure to hop on over to some of the other great blogs and read all about what other homeschoolers think of Expedition Israel. And then, hop on over to Amanda Bennett's website and pick up a copy for yourself. Then pack your virtual bags and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!

~I was given a copy of Expedition Israel in exchange for my honest review of this product. I received no other compensation.

Things Learned from the Garden

2011-03-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

It's always amazing to me how much havoc the winter brings on my lovely garden beds. OK, so maybe it's not completely Old Man Winter's fault, so much as the fact that I just don't want to get out in my garden when it's cold and wet and dreary. So generally, my garden gets completely neglected during the few cold months we have here in the South. But, with the first signs of spring making their way to my house, I have made my way out of doors to begin piecing together what is left of my garden after all the leaves and ice and weeds have had their fun.

It certainly helps having raised beds for gardening, because I am not nearly as limited in my time. I don't have to wait for the ground to dry out before tilling. And I don't have to wait for the first free weekend my husband has to pull out said tiller and actually do the work for me. But even with raised beds, weeds have a way of finding themselves smack dab in the middle of my garden, putting down deep roots and making themselves at home.

So before taking the shovel to my dirt to turn it under and loosen it up, I set to work pulling out all those weeds that were multiplying in my garden. I got down on my hands and knees and yanked out each one. I have learned that, if you leave even a little of the root, it will find whatever strength it has left and will come back even stronger. The only way to get rid of a weed is to pull it out by the roots.

Weeds start out small, sometimes even inconspicuous. They put down their small roots and begin to grow. If you leave them for any length of time, their roots become strong and run deep. Some of these weeds produce some of the most beautiful flowers, making you think they might just belong right where they are. After all, they aren't hurting anything, and they are even pleasing to look at. But before you know it, that one small, inconspicuous weed will turn to many, and they can and will take over your entire garden, sucking all the good, vital nutrients from the soil that your healthy plants so desperately need.

Weeds are just like sin. Most start out very small, sometimes even inconspicuous. But if we allow it to put down roots in our lives, it will begin to grow and multiply. Often, our sins look very lovely. Otherwise, why would we do them? And every time we allow it control in our lives, the roots of those sins grow stronger and deeper. They begin to take over every part of us, sucking out all the good, and leaving us with little else to offer The Master.

Just like all those weeds have got to be pulled out of my garden, the sin in our lives has to be yanked out to make room for all the good that He has for us. We need the Master Gardener to go through our hearts and get rid of anything not producing good fruit of Him. And He doesn't just pull from the top. He reaches WAY DOWN and yanks out those sins by the roots!

Do you have some "weeds" that need to be pulled? Are they so small you hardly notice them, or have they multiplied so that there is no more room for any other good things? Are you ready to produce something good for Almighty God? Then get ready to be yanked on, because, in order to serve Him, there can be nothing else in the soil of your life standing in His way. You cannot be effective for Christ when you still have "little weeds" in your life. Are you ready to be yanked?

The Schoolhouse EXPO Coming Soon!!

2011-03-28T20:34:00.000-05:00

Things are gearing up getting ready for the upcoming Schoolhouse Expo, and I just wanted to take a moment to remind you of all the excitement in store for you!

About 2 weeks ago, the Schoolhouse Expo hosted its first pre-show. I had a previous commitment, so I was unable to attend the pre-show, but I have heard there were some pretty amazing speakers there. And to think, that was only the pre-show!!

Well, you and I are in luck, because there will be another pre-show coming up on Tuesday, April 12! YAY! Since the Expo is still a few months away, this is just a little teaser to wet your appetite.

The Expo, including the pre-shows, are packed full of great information on homeschooling, learning styles of different kids, handling stress as a mom and homeschool teacher, working a home business, balancing school and family life, and so much more! You will be encouraged and inspired as a homeschool mom to keep going in your journey, and you will glean new ideas from seasoned homeschool families to help you along the way.

You can purchase a ticket to the Schoolhouse Expo for just $39, and it comes with a TON of FREE GIFTS! And who doesn't like FREE?? And if you hurry and get your ticket to the Expo, you'll be able to check out the next pre-show on April 12! You are really going to enjoy these shows, and the best part is, you can enjoy them in your PAJAMAS!! Since it is an online conference, nobody will care if you look good or if you bring your cup of coffee in with you. Listen to as much or as little as you are able. And don't worry if you miss your favorite speaker, because your purchased ticket includes the free MP3 version that you can download to listen to again and again. The MP3 version will be available a few weeks after the Expo. So you really have nothing to lose here!

I for one will have my calendar marked for the 12th of April, because I don't want to miss the next Expo pre-show! I hope you will all be able to join me!

Nicole's Nook

Love is the Greatest

LEGO School Days

Christmas at Our House

Santa and the Reindeer - by Britches

Little Sister's Pictures

Gingerbread Houses

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 24

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 23

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 22

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 21

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 20

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 19

Called to Minister - Part 2

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 18

Called to Minister - Part 1

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 17

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 16

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 15

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 14

And the Winner Is....

The Gratutude Project 2011 - Day 13

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 12

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 11

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 10

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 9

K Magazine Review and Blog Giveaway Time!!

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 8

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Days 4, 5, 6, and 7

Gluten Free Living - Day 5

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 3

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 2

Gluten Free Living - Day 3

The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 1

Gluten Free Living - Day 2

The Great Awakening

Gluten Free Living - First Attempt

**It's Official**

As Silver Refined Book Review

Ecuadorian Cooking Day!

Cleaning Day

Sidewalk Prophets - You Love Me Anyway

Sweet Potato Chili

What a Beautiful Rainy Day

LEGO School: Working Together

Social Networking

Science with the Little Ones

Fear or Faith? You decide...

A.W.O.L.

Fresh Start Ministry Service Opportunity

Matthew 10:5-7

Hello... Anybody out there??

Lovable Labels BlogHer’ 11 Getaway Contest: My Greatest Accomplishment

Finding Math in Art

Psalm 37

Hello, my name is...

Ten Things About Me

The Lord is My Portion

The Schoolhouse Expo is HERE!!

Selling Through Currclick

The Schoolhouse Expo

Ecuador Unit Study On Sale Now!!

Easter Egg Dying - The Old Fashioned Way

I Will Follow

Too Much Free Time?

Time Alone with God

Nothing More Than You Can Handle

Nicole's First Flight!

It's All About ME!!

My Favorite Homeschooling Help!

Back to the Drawing Board

Made to Worship

Expedition Israel

Things Learned from the Garden

The Schoolhouse EXPO Coming Soon!!

It's Official