Books From the Shelf

These are the books I am reading currently:

Red Moon Rising- This book chronicles the beginning stages of the 24-7 Prayer Movement in the UK and now globally. It has been an interesting book. The author is very humble about his part in this movement and emphasizes how God's hand has moved in various people's lives bringing them together as the 24-7 Movement as developed.

Believing God by Beth Moore. I am re-reading this book because I did not finish it the first time. This book emphasizes the difference between having faith in God and believing God. She has 5 faith statements she goes through in the book. "God is who He says He is; God can do what He says He can do; I am who God says I am; I can do all things through Christ; God's Word is alive and active in me." I am on the second statement in my reading. It has been important for me to go through this book again because I am at a point of real testing in our situation. Lately, I have been overwelmed with depression and anxiety over my husband's work schedule. Last week I prayed and just asked the Lord to help me to trust in Him more. I was filled with such a peace last week and this weekend. We all need to be reminded of God's sovereignty in our lives when we are committed to Him.

Does Anyone Here Know God? by Gladys Hunt. This is a worn paperback filled with short stories of women from all walks of life who came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. This is my second maybe third time reading this book. I love it, it seems new everytime I read it. The testimonies of these women are more than just inspirational reading. It reminds us that God has a purpose for our lives and as I said earlier we just have to commit to Him leaving our future in His hands.

This Week in School- January 21-25

(my camera is acting up, so forgive the blurry pictures)

I am hoping to write a weekly summary at the end of every week for what we have been working on in school. Don't feel like you have to read this whole thing. This is more for me than for anyone else. Also, this is not everything we do just a summary.

Our verse this week: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother", which is the first commandment with promise, "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." Ephesians 6:1-3

Reading- Tera started The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. She has read through all the reading textbooks I have collected over the years, so now I am starting her on "real books" She read 13 chapters this week. Daniel finished up his reading program this week, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Days. I was skeptical because this system did not work at all for Tera, but I pulled it out at the beginning of the school year for Daniel. It worked awesome for him. Today was the 100th Day, he was so excited. He will begin reading Dr. Seuss type books next week.

Math- Tera reviewed this week- she finished up a unit on measurement and also is working on her multiplication facts. We downloaded an awesome game-Timez Attack. The basic version is free and we hope to buy the whole program this summer. It teaches multiplication through a video game. It has helped her tremendously. Daniel has been working on 0-20 in order and identifying missing numbers. We did an activity today- measuring yellow and blue water to make green water. As you can see by the picture, they pretended the water was a hazardous material.

Science- We have been studying Weather. The last few weeks we have read, studied and done online activities. We have also been charted our daily weather on a graph. This week as you can see by the above pictures, we started a lapbook on weather. (This is a file folder that the kids put together that chronicles the different things they have learned). We will finish these next week. We have defined storms, listed the colors of the rainbow, decorated the outside with a season collage and colored trees according to the season.

Social Studies- The kids were interested in learning about the Revolutionary War so for the last few weeks we have been reading various books on the subject. This week we read several books from the Graphic Library series- (a comic book type history book with facts and dialogue)-George Washington, The Winter at Valley Forge, The Boston Tea Party, Patrick Henry, and The Star Spangled Banner (the War of 1812). We also read two Rookie Biography books- Benjamin Franklin- A Man With Many Jobs and Martin Luther King, Jr.- A Young Man With a Dream. We started The American Revolution (Landmark Books) but it is very comprehensive and will take us a little longer to get through. It is awesome to see the kids remember major figures and events of a time period just through reading.

We usually do poetry reading everyday and review our composers and artists we are studying, but this week that didn't happen. We have had an interesting week emotionally. All of us have been tired and irritable at some point in time. We also took a snow day in the middle of the week and still managed to get done. Tonight I have planned some 100 days of school activities for the kids to celebrate Daniel finishing his first reading book. That's our week in review.

Some Christmas Pics

The kids watching the train Nana and Grandpa Ron gave us going around the presents. They are dying to jump in and start opening but we make them eat breakfast first. (That is why the long face on Tera)

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

Sorry no picture again. We've been digging in before I remember to take a picture. But this is a recipe I made up and it turned out really good. Tera said "This is good, for something you just made up." My mom gave me the idea a couple of weeks ago about having a chicken, rice and cheese casserole. I took that idea and came up with this.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

4 cups cooked rice (I added a tomato chicken bouillon while it cooked)
2 cups cooked chicken shredded
2 cans Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese Condensed Soup
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can petite diced tomatoes
Taco Sauce/Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Cook rice according to directions with tomato bouillon
2. Combine rice, chicken, soup, black beans, corn, and tomatoes in a greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish.
3. Top with Taco Sauce and shredded cheese
4. Bake at 375 degrees until bubbly.

This makes a whole lot and would be good for a large crowd or for a potluck.

Serve with tortilla chips.

This recipe got everyone's approval. I made it up the night before so the texture was a little dry, so we just added a little salsa or taco sauce on our individual plates.

Awesome Crab and Artichoke Dip

The other night after the kids went to bed, I got the munchies. I was in the mood for something they wouldn't like to eat. We have supper together every night. I do not cater to my kids, but you are always respectful to things you know are not too weird. Well, I was in the mood for something the kids would think was weird. The last time I was in Food Lion, they had crab meat on sale for $1 a package. I snagged one and put it in the freezer. I had a small can of artichoke hearts in the pantry and we found this recipe on Kanimi's (the crab meat company) site. This is a modified version of their recipe. It was awesome. I mean awesome.

Here it is:

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 garlic cloves or 2 Tbsp
1/2 Tbsp lime juice ( I used more)
1 7 ounce can of artichoke hearts chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese ( they said swiss, we used pizza cheese)
1 8 ounce package of crab meat broken apart
Top with sprinkle of bread crumbs and a little Old Bay Spice

Combine all ingredients and heat until bubbly.

Trying to Work out a System

No, I didn't forget again that I have a blog and I am not ready to give up blogging. I am trying to work out in my head a system that will work well for me. I am thinking maybe theme oriented days of the weeks. So that way I won't be at a loss over what to blog about and I will be more regular about it. I am thinking some themes might be-recipes, homeschooling, devotional thoughts. Anybody have any ideas? Feel free to leave a comment, thanks.

Advent Days 15-20

Day 15- Ornaments- There were two old ornaments that we passed down to me from my Dad that were my grandmother's. We talked about family and traditions. We have a tradition that we select the kids an ornament each year and then date it. We also get an ornament that has the same number of figures that are in our family. The ones from when we first got married have two figures- then when Tera was born it went to three and now we get an ornament (or try sometimes I just do not have the funds to do it) with four figures in them. We have one with four snowmen in it with our names on the snowballs that a friend gave us. We also have a Veggie Tales one. It's a trip down memory lane every year we decorate our tree.

Day 16-Straw- I use raffia and then we place the straw around the creche we have set up next to the Advent Calendar

Day 17- Wise Men- I took a very pretty Wise Men Greeting Card and cut it into parts to make two bookmarks for the kids.

Day 18- Gold I usually put a gold bow or gold money in the doors

Day 19- Myrhh- Since myrhh was a spice, I put some allspice or Chinese Five Spice in a ziploc bag for the kids to smell.

Day 20- Frankincence- My husband has some anointing oil that is frankincence scented. So I put some on cotton balls and place in a ziploc bag.

Not as Strong as We Think We Are

Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have progressed past certain temptations or issues only to realize we are not as strong to resist as we thought we were. I have struggled with media for a long time-years. At several points in our marriage, we have gotten rid of our TV and at the present have not had "commercial" TV (i.e. regular television with antenna or cable) in our home for over 7 years. We do watch videos but are very careful about what we watch as well as what our kids watch. Here's the clincher- YOUTUBE. What I wouldn't watch on TV, I fell prey to watching on YOUTUBE. I spent three hours watching The Biggest Loser- Australia version. This indicates a problem. I am not saying it is a bad show but I recognized I was letting myself watch something that if it had been a video-I would not allow it in my house because of the language. The good part is that I recognized myself slipping back into bad habits within 2 days whereas in the past it would have went on a whole lot longer than that. I also have a tendency to check news-a lot. Is it really necessary that I know Britney Spears paints her toenails purple or where her latest tattoo is? Do I need to know about some convicted dude winning the lottery only to violate his parole? The answer is no but once I started checking legitimate news, this is where I ended up. So here was my solution. I used my computer for accountability. I used my parental filter and blocked myself from those sites that caused me trouble. I still can get past it if I needed to but that screen that pops up reminds me to think carefully about where I am going on the net. Here's the kicker a couple of days after my husband did the same thing without me even suggesting it for him. He felt he was spending too much time on the computer taking him away from things he enjoys more. I think that is awesome. I am looking at this whole thing as such a positive thing. We both are growing closer to the Lord and closer together. It is so cool how God can deal with you both about something separately and how we can encourage each other.

Advent Days 5-14

Day 5: Angel Hebrews 13:1-2 The kids hung angel ornaments on our tree.

Day 6: Gifts- Matthew 2:10-11. We talked about how Jesus is the Unspeakable Gift. We wrapped an empty box and in the advent calendar the kids found bows to place on the top of the present. The tag says To: Me From: God

Day 7: St. Nicholas Philippians 2:1-11 I put a little Santa ornament in the calendar to hang on the tree. We told the stories of the real St. Nicholas.

Day 8: Christmas Tree: Luke 2:52, 2 Peter 3:17-18 Again, there was a Christmas tree ornament. We talked about how trees grow, how we need to grow as Christians, and how do we do that.

Day 9: Red- There were red spice drops in the calendar. Red symbolizes the sacrifice Jesus made for us by humbling Himself and coming to earth to suffer for our sakes.

Day 10: Shepherd's Staff- Psalm 23:1-5 Two pipe cleaner candy cane ornaments and two peppermints. I also gave the kids two legend of the candy cane note pads.

Day 11: Candle Matthew 5;14-16 John 8:12. There were two yellow birthday candles in the box. We discussed how Jesus was the light of the world and how we also need to let our light shine before men.

Day 12: Poinsettia Matthew 6:28-30 I put in two silk poinsettia flowers. We read the Legend of the Poinsettia.

Day 13: The Three Trees- I had cards and coins with this legend on them from Oriental Trading. We read those and then read the story book The Legend of the Three Trees. We discussed how even though the trees did not see their dreams realized in the way they envisioned- God knows best.

Day 14: Green I put in green spice drops. We were suppose to discuss how green symbolizes everlasting life but now that I think about it I am not sure that we ever did that today. Oh well.

Star Ornaments- Recycle those old Christmas Cards

The ornaments pictured below are a beautiful and great way to reuse Christmas cards. These would be good for Sunday School or Children's Church crafts. My kids made these with a little help.

Here are the easy directions:

1. Find a star template and cut out two poster board stars.

2. Cut irregular pieces from Christmas cards.

3. Glue the pieces to the poster board stars. It's okay if they overlap each other and you also want them to overlap the edges of the star. Pick a prominent picture to go in the middle of the star that will be on top.

4. Trim the edges of the star.

5. Glue the two stars together so that the points are not lined up. You want to see all the points.

6. Edge with glitter.

7. Punch hole in top and string them up. Use as an ornament or decoration.

Advent Calendar Days 1-4

Our star ornaments



I am recording this so I'll remember next year what we did.

Day 1- Advent Wreath. I am using a tealight candle for the Christ candle in our miniature Advent wreath. So Daniel opened the door and placed it in the middle of the wreath. Tera put the 3 purple and 1 pink Candle in the Advent Wreath.

Day 2- Bells. We made bell necklaces for the kids to wear. We talked about how the priests in the old testament would wear bells on the hem of their robes so the people would hear them as they made sacrifices for their sins. We talked about how Jesus came once and for all as the sacrifice for our sins. (there was a picture but I just accidently deleted it, sorry-will post next time)

Day 3-Lambs. I use cotton balls instead of wool. Tera and Daniel held the cotton pieces as we read Max Lucado's The Crippled Lamb. Since we are studying the Names of Jesus, we started with Immanuel-God with Us. The kids were supposed to draw a picture of what that meant to them. Tera drew a heart with a stick figure Jesus in it.

Day 4- Stars. The Advent Calendar had two star ornaments for them to hang on the tree. We talked about how Jesus is the Bright and Morning Star (Revelations 22:16). We made star cookies and star ornaments.

Remember me, I'm the woman who forgot she had a blog

It's been a while. Just a quick update. We are getting ready for my husband to officially start his job. He goes to orientation next week and it feels very anti-climatic. He has had to work since April with a temp agency. Then 3 months ago he got in the temp to hire 90 day program. Then he works another 90 days starting Monday before getting most of his benefits. So everytime we feel like we should celebrate there is another hoop to jump through first. But anyway, we are excited and relieved we do not have to pinch pennies so tightly soon.

We started Advent on Saturday night. Our family has its own advent wreath this year, I picked up at Hallmark last year after Christmas- 75% off. We also have one of those Advent Calendars with the doors you open. I found this one at a Goodwill a couple of Christmases ago for less than $10. I'll be looking for one after Christmas this year so when we are dead and gone, our children won't fight over the one but both will get one. I put things in each door that go with the Christmas story and we pull them out every day. We are also doing a unit study on the Names of Jesus. It has been fun so far. I will post somethings we are doing right now to remember the real reason of Christmas.