Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Shout for 
Joy
 to the Lord, all the earth.

    Worship the LORD with gladness;
    come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD HE IS GOD.
    It is He who made us, and we are His;
    we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
    and His courts with praise;
   
 give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the LORD is good 

and his love endures forever;
    His faithfulness continues through all generations.


Psalm 100



Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Favorite Thanksgiving books (for kids)

Several years ago, I was in a Scholastic book club for homeschoolers. I liked it because I was able to get inexpensive books for our homeschool library. Some of the books that I ordered back then where some Thanksgiving books that we still read to our kids today.
This book, I'm Thankful Each Day, is a cute board book with rhyming text encouraging children to be thankful each day, not just at Thanksgiving. That is a good attitude to foster in all children (and adults too)-- our days are filled with blessings!


This book begins with, "Thanks for Thanksgiving, for turkey and pie..." and is filled with rich illustrations including many facets of a child's life-- school, music, outdoors, games, animals, dress-up and more. The text is poetic and the book is quite relatable to children.

 This book is one that was read to me as a child, and we read it in homeschool with FIAR (Five In A Row curriculum). I enjoy the illustrations, alliteration and mystery in the book. We like to make Cranberry Bread around the holidays too!
 This book is a fun book because Mrs. Moose wants a turkey for Thanksgiving, and Mr. Moose sets out to find one. The turkey is of course hiding, and there is a surprise for the turkey when he comes! It is a very cute story and the faces on the animals have so much expression!

This is a great book which has some pictures but a good explanation about what happened at the first Thanksgiving in the 1600's. It discusses the voyage, the first year in Plymouth, shows the houses they made, tools they used, how they met Squanto and more. The first Thanksgiving in America last three whole days! The Pilgrims had much to be thankful for, and we do too!

I'm sure you could find these books at the library. Do you have any Thanksgiving books that your children enjoy? I'd love to hear about them!


Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Ezra 3:11
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Thankful poem

Thankful poem
These are a few of the many things I am thankful for this year...

photo by Rebekah N
God blesses and He gives
All things so we can live
Family, friends, fun and laughter
Homes, food, time together

Sunshine, bees and flowers
Singing birds fill the hours
Long, sunny summer days (&)
Cozy, snuggling winter phase

Books, football, music too
Baseball, school and movies
A free country to worship God
Soldiers, flags and patriots

Dishes, jewelry, crafts and fun
Raking leaves, running in the sun
Rainy days, playing games
Animals, walks, new babes

Phone calls from sweet friends
His great blessings never end
He cares for our every need
When we give hearts He leads

Beauty is in and all around (us)
Beauty from God abounds
Jesus died for all you see,
Jesus died for you and me.

-An original poem by Jill N.,  11/24/13
---------------------------------
I do not consider myself a writer, but I hope you enjoyed my little poem!


Ephesians 1:3
[ Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ ] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.

Mark 15:39
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Thursday, November 21, 2013

American Girl class: Felicity2 week 5

This week in our American Girl class we discussed Felicity Saves the Day, the 5th book in the Felicity series. After we talked about the book, we made our craft of quill pens. I got this craft idea from Felicity's Craft Book, and followed those directions. I also brought my own box of calligraphy inks, pens and sample writing. The girls enjoyed trying to write with a quill pen and ink like Felicity might have done. I brought our copy from home of the Bill of Rights to show them what writing looked like then. We all agreed it would have been a lot harder and taken lots of time to write that big document!

 After we made quill pens, we had snack. Our snack this week was chicken salad (with crackers) and cranberry apple punch. The girls mostly enjoyed it!

Here is the basic recipe that we used...(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 teaspoon salt-free herb and spice blend
  • 1 cup mayonnaise

  • Combine the chicken, celery, spice blend and mayonnaise. Mix all together; more or less mayonnaise can be added, depending on your preference. Voila, your summer salad is ready to serve!

  •                 
 After snack, we worked on our cross-stitch bookmarks again. A few more of the girls finished one letter! They'll get to take them home after our last class.

 The 2:00 class...
 Writing with quill pens and ink...

 Working diligently on the bookmarks...

It was another great class! We have one more class left before Christmas break! (And next week off for Thanksgiving!) I'll miss the girls next week!


James 1:1-4

 Count it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

My Favorites: Purse items

I've been thinking lately about things I like. It may be fun to share some of them and see what my readers think, or what we have in common. So here are some of my favorites...

 This is my current favorite lip balm-- EOS lemon drop. I am not big into fruity tasting or smelly lip balms, but I do like this citrusy one.  I am picky about lip balms!

 These are my favorite purse-- Miche bags with a black base and colored shells. I can change the shell easily to match my outfit, and not need to change my whole purse. My two favorite shells are red and green. (They are a little pricy, but my hubby bought them on ebay and gave them to me for Christmas!)


 This is my favorite purse tool, my mini Swiss army knife. I am amazed how much I use it. When we go to a restaurant, I often trim my preschooler's straw with the mini scissors. It is nice to cut off price tags (the plastic part) too, especially when kids are desperate to wear a new item! (I think I got this in my stocking for Christmas!)

This is a favorite lip gloss, I keep it in my purse. It is Blistex Silk and Shine, and I have gone through more than one tube of it. It doesn't have any color, but it does have SPF 15 in it. It really is silky & shiny! One of my friends, Kim uses this too, and recommended it to me. She loves lip gloss, and I'm so glad she told me about it!

That's all for today. What are some of your favorite purse items that you use often?

If you want to read more of my favorites, you can check out this blog post.

And this is one of my favorite passages from Isaiah...

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Year of the Lord’s Favor

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.

(emphasis mine)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Music Monday: "Take Another Step"

This is another song off of my favorite artist Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD. I like the message of this song. I think many of us have been in a place when we just didn't know what to do next. Sometimes I think following God's will means taking another step. God can direct us as we go, not if we sit in fear. We can be paralyzed and afraid to move, but God wants us to trust Him and go. That is a great lesson for all of us to learn, whether we are going through a storm in life or not. Just trust God. Take another step. He will guide. He can help us to once again walk sure and steady.


"Take Another Step" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Well the band was playing, the flags were waving
And there you were
In the middle of a sunny day parade
The crowds were cheering, the sky was clear
Not a worry in the world
Marching on sure and steady, strong and straight
Take another step and another step and another step

Then the lightning flashed the thunder crashed
And suddenly
It began to rain and everybody ran
Then the sky went black as midnight
And you couldn’t see
Paralyzed by what you just can’t understand
And now here you are
You’re afraid to move
You don’t know where to go
You don’t know what to do

Take another step, take another step
When the road ahead is dark
And you don’t know where to go
Take another step, take another step
Trust God and take another step
And another step and another step
Take another step and another step and another step

We walk by faith and not by sight we know it’s true
We say it and sing it and love the way it sounds
But none of us can even begin to truly understand
What it really means ‘til all the lights go out
And there we are nothing to hold on to
But the promises God’s made to me and you

Take another step, take another step
When the road ahead is dark
And you don’t know where to go
Take another step, take another step
Trust God and take another step

If there’s an ocean in front of you
You know what you’ve gotta do
Take another step and another step
Maybe He’ll turn the water into land
And maybe He’ll take your hand and say
Let’s take a walk on the waves
Will you trust Me either way
And take another step
Take another step

Take another step
Take another step
Trust God and take another step
Take another step
When the road ahead is dark
And you don’t know where to go
Take another step
Take another step
Trust God and take another step
And another step and another step
Take another step and another step and another step
Take another step and another step and another step
Take another step and another step and another step

================================

You can listen to this song on YouTube here.


Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 31:14
But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put theirtrust in him.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we live by faith, not by sight.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

American Girl class: Felicity#2 Week 4

We had a great Felicity class this week!

After we discussed Happy Birthday, Felicity!, we made clothespin dolls! The girls really enjoyed this craft, and it took longer than I thought it would. I found directions online here and used them relatively closely. I gave the girls each two round-head clothespins, and three pieces of fabric- one for the girls' dress, and two for the boy's shirt & pants. They colored the faces, hair and shoes with Sharpie markers. Before class, my husband helped me drill a 1/8" hole under the "neck" of the clothespin, so we could put a 3 1/2" piece of pipe cleaner in it for the arms. It worked great! Then the girls could turn up the ends for the dolls' hands. All of the little dolls turned out so cute!



I forgot my camera this week, but the moms took some pictures and sent them to me... Thanks!



Working on their dolls...





We had Colonial Apple Pie for snack. I found the recipe online Here. The girls really liked it!

We also worked more on our cross-stitch bookmarks in our extra time, it was only for the last 15-20 minutes of the class (in the 2:00 class). They are getting better at their stitching and I am loving seeing the girls work at it!

We only have two more weeks left in our class- it's going by so quickly! It's been lots of fun! Next week will be quill pens... I think!


Genesis 3:21
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Job 40:10
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

Psalm 132:9
May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy.’”

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Caleb's 11th Birthday!

(Well, almost wordless!)

We had a fun Lego themed 11th birthday party for our son Caleb this past weekend. His actual birthday was a few days before, and he got a few gifts that day-- including a new football from Mom and Dad, and a Broncos beanie hat from his cousins.
 Here is Daddy starting to make his lego cake...
 Caleb's cool Lego cake that Dad, Mom and Rebekah helped with...
 We had some friends and family for pizza, salad, gifts, cake & ice cream...
 Grandma and Grandpa gave him a new Manning jersey that he was so excited about!

Then he finally got his #11 pancakes on Saturday! It was fun to celebrate for several days. Our boy is growing up!
He is a blessing from God to our family! We pray he will continue to grow in God's grace, wisdom and stature this year! (Luke 2:52) Thank you Lord, for the blessing of Caleb and his life!


Proverbs 23:19
Listen, my son, and be wise, and set your heart on the right path...

Proverbs 3:1-3
My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.

Mark 1:10-11
Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Monday, November 11, 2013

Music Monday: "God of Every Story"

This is a new song that I've been hearing on the radio and got it for free this past week through an email. I love Laura Story, listening to her music and I've blogged about it before. We all have our own story which is part of who we are and God knows it, He authored that story! God does hear when we call, we can trust Him in our daily lives. What a blessing to call on our faithful God, knowing He is there and He cares for you and me! Enjoy the song!

LAURA STORY - GOD OF EVERY STORY LYRICS

Amy she lives down the street
And her husband left her just last week.
She feels like giving up,
But she's holding on to hope.

John lost his job six months ago.
He's got a wife, three kids at home.
Doesn't know what to do,
He's praying for a breakthrough.

Some wanna raise a fist up high,
Blame all the hard things on the Father in the sky,
But He hears when we call.
We can trust him through it all.

He's the God of every story,
He sees each tear that falls.
We may not understand but one thing is certain.
He is faithful, He's a faithful God.

Jordan's had a lifetime of hard days
And all the pills won't take the pain away,
But before he hits the ground
He see Mercy reaching down.

He's the God of every story,
He sees each tear that falls.
We may not understand but one thing is certain.
He is faithful, He's a faithful God.

His ways are holier
Than we could ever comprehend.
When our world is shaking,
He holds us in the palm of His hand.

Young Martin is thankful he's alive;
The doctors said he might not survive.
That was seven years ago...
What a miracle.

And now there's this new baby girl
And with one breath she's changed our whole world.
Some say she looks like dad,
But she looks like grace to me.
Your grace to me.

You're the God of every story,
You see each tear that falls.
We may not understand but one thing is certain.
You are faithful, You are faithful.

You're the God of every story,
No matter what I'm going through.
I may not understand, You are God and I am just a man.
Yeah I'm forever trusting in Your plan.
One thing is certain
You are faithful, You're faithful God.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

You can listen to this song on YouTube here.

(For those who don't know, the verse about Martin is her husband, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor 7 years ago. Now they have a little girl!)


Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Psalm 86:15
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13
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.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

American Girl class Felicity2: Week 3

We had a fun American Girl class this week discussing Felicity's Surprise, the 3rd book in the series. After we discussed the book, we began our craft. We made "Tussie- Mussies" which are like a small flower bouquet. You can find directions online here. Our pattern was from Felicity's Craft Book and was a simpler version. I gave each girl a piece of cream colored lace (about 9" square), one foot of blue and one pink ribbon and a fake rose. I forgot to bring perfume to "scent" the rose, but maybe they could do that at home. It was an easy craft!

After we made the craft, we practiced curtsying (found directions here), looked at photos of Colonial Williamsburg today and had snack. The snack was supposed to be Shrewsbury cakes, but we had sugar cookies, which were great too! You can find the recipe for Shrewsbury cakes here (cut-out sugar cookies) just like they made in our book!

Next, we began our on-going project, which is a cross-stitch bookmark. I purchased some Aida cloth fabric from Wal-mart, trimmed it to size (3" X 8") and used Fray-stop on the edges. I gave a basic explanation on how to cross-stitch and each girl began! A few weeks ago, I had each girl tell me their initials and I made patterns at home using our Numbers program on my computer. Each bookmark had two hearts, one on either side of the initials. The girls found the middle of their fabric and middle of their pattern (I helped with that!). We worked on the bookmarks for about 20 minutes this week and will work on them the next three weeks! Most of the girls got part or all of one letter done! It was fun to watch them begin to figure it out. Several said they can't wait to work on it again next week!


I didn't get any pictures of the 2:00 class this week, which I realized as I was cleaning up the class. Sorry girls! But I only got three pictures of the first class! It was an "all- hands-on-deck" kind of class. In the first class, I had three mom helpers and in the 2nd I had one for 1/2 the class, and another came in for the cross-stitching part. I love seeing the moms helping the girls, even if they grumble about threading needles! :-D

 I did love getting this sweet note from one of the girls in the 2nd class. Made my day! I love teaching these girls. One of the moms said maybe she'd try cross-stitching again after my explanation! Wow!

I am looking forward to our class next week and making clothespin dolls!


Genesis 16:10
The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

Genesis 32:12
But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

Psalm 49:18-19
 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—
and people praise you when you prosper—
they will join those who have gone before them,
who will never again see the light of life.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween 2013

(Well, almost wordless!)
We had another fun Halloween this past week. The kids had a great time dressing up (I did too, in my nurse's scrubs-- SO comfy!) and at our church's harvest party. The kids can go around our large gymnasium, play games, and collect candy. The youth kids and retired folks help run the booths. I enjoy chatting with friends and seeing all of the costumes! Here are ours, in case you missed them!

 Daddy made pumpkin pancakes that morning-- shaped like pumpkins with green stems and chocolate chips! YUM!
 Bethany's butter looked like a nose! ;-D
 Caleb (age 10 3/4) was Peyton Manning.
 Mallory (age 7) was a black cat.
 My hubby was Clark Kent. :-D
 Our oldest daughter was Hermione Granger from Harry Potter.
 Our youngest wanted to be Thor. I found costume ideas on Pinterest to help, and she got her wish! She was a very cute Thor too!
 Here's the group all together, eager to play! (The older two worked at the booths!)
 Bethany getting an explanation how to throw a dart to break a balloon.
Thor and our friend's boy as Iron Man-- so cool!


Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 John 2:14
I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Ephesians 6:13-15

 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Craft: Miche Bag elastic

I own several Miche bag shells for my classic handbag. They attach to the handbag sides with magnets. While the overall idea works well, I've had several of my shells detach because I catch the top edge of the shell and it falls off. Well, I have a fix for that!

Supplies: 5 inches (or a little less) of black 3/4" or 1" elastic for each side, black thread, a needle and scissors. 
I trimmed this piece while sewing it on after I cut it!
Directions: Put your elastic about 1/2" away from the edge of the top and side of the bag. You want to be sure that the magnet still works on the top corner of the bag. 
Sew the elastic on the bag, being careful to only go through the top layer of the liner fabric. Hand stitch the elastic on one side, then the other of the Miche shell.
 Done with one of the edges...

 You'll sew one of these onto both sides of your Miche shell, and put the snap around the elastic, to secure it even more. (This shell was actually sewn on a little too far in, but you get the overall idea!)

Voila! The shell is fixed and should not come off so easily from the handbag! Enjoy!

Genesis 43:11
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.

1 Samuel 17:49
Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

Job 14:17
My offenses will be sealed up in a bag; you will cover over my sin.
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