American Girl class: Molly Week 5

We had a fun class in American Girls this week! In our book, Molly Saves the Day, (book 5 in the series) Molly and her friends go to Summer Camp. We discussed our book and then we made craft- something that Molly might have made at camp-- a sit-upon!

See the cute little cones? 

For this craft, I gave each girl a 26" square of vinyl with flannel backing. I found some fun zebra striped vinyl at Hobby Lobby. The girls folded their square around a few sections of newspaper, and sealed it up with fun pink zebra striped duct tape! I explained that they could take it and sit on it at the park or in the grass, and their bottoms would stay dry! Most of the girls were confused at first, but thought it would be nice once we completed it-- and sat on it right away!

The colored cones in the 2:00 class...

For snack, we had Ice Cream Cones-- several of the girls said it was the best snack ever! But then they liked the Boston Brown bread and the lemon tart too... One mom brought mini-cones, they were so cute! Each girl had two of those cones with ice cream in it. For the other class, the mom brought colored cones--pink, green and brown! I didn't even know they had such a thing! It was a snack that Molly and her friends had at camp after the Color war was done.

After snack, I had thought about trying to play Capture the Flag, but the weather was chilly since it is February. It had snowed that morning, so I decided not to play outside. I decided to play a game that might be played at camp-- the Alphabet game! I began the game with this sentence, and the girls all had to repeat it... "I am going to camp, and in my suitcase I am going to pack... an aardvark." Then the next girl had to add something with B. The next girl had to say the sentence, the A word, the B word and a C word of her choice (i.e., clothes.) We went around the room with this game and made it all the way to Z before class ended! It was a fun game, the girls helped each other and giggled some too! Our suitcase would have to have been huge!

Playing our Alphabet game...

It was a delightful class day! One of the girls told me, "You're the best teacher in the world... of this class!" HA! It made me chuckle the rest of the day!

We have only one more week of Molly left before we start to discuss JULIE!


Genesis 32:2

When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

Exodus 19:17

Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Joshua 6:14

So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

Wordless Wednesday: New chicks!

Last Monday, my hubby had an extra day off for President's Day. We took advantage of his extra day off to drive south to get some new chicks! We had recently had an incident with a big black dog getting into our chicken pen and coop and killing two of our chickens. (One died that day and one a few days later. :-(   Poor things!) So we were down to four chickens. We really wanted to have more, so we went to the same place that we went to two years ago, a guy we found on Craigslist.

We ended up with eight new chicks, and they are all so cute! The kids had quite a discussion on the way there and back in naming them. Bethany wanted all Avengers names, since that is her current phase! But Mallory wouldn't have it, since they are all girls. We conceded and let her have one, so we do have a "Captain America." :-D

 At the chicken house, the man had over 1500 chicks! This one was sleeping so sweetly...

 This tiny guy was the owner's granddaughter's chick, it is a bantam, won't get real big. So cute! We did choose one of them!

 Pretty feathers shining in the light...

 Black girls!

At home, in our box here is our bantam, named Lizzie (I think after the character in Cars.)

Other names we ended up with are: Cocoa (for one that will lay a brown egg), Providence (she is a Rhode Island Red), Penny (or Pennsylvania, since it was President's Day!, Remington, Splash (she will lay blue/ green eggs) and Clarice. We had a Clarice before, but Mallory really liked that name. We have one that will be black with silver wings, one that will have a brown stripe, and a few breeds we've had before. They are eating, sleeping and cheeping a lot! It will fun to watch them grow!



Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Luke 13:34

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

James 3:6-8

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person,sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Pain in the... back

When I was in middle school, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is the S-curvature of the back. I did lots of physical therapy then, and had to relearn how to sleep (not on my front.) A few years later, I was diagnosed with kyphosis, which is the hump in the upper back. I wish so badly that I could go back to my growing years and learn to sit up straight. I wish I could have learned to stand up well, and have good posture. I deal with back pain each and every day.

When I was in college, getting less sleep than I probably should have, and studying a lot, I began to have pain in my shoulders. I was given a few exercises, and they did help some. I learned then that exercise and good sleep helps my pains be lessened.

I do not enjoy my back pain, needless to say. I feel like I am constantly stretching. I do get exercise in the winter by using our wii. I feel better when I can get some stress out by walking. I know I have lazy tendencies, and I know I tend to be sedentary. I love to sit and read a good book or play a word game! I try to sit up, I really do. But old habits die hard. I try to have good posture. It always cracks me up when the wii tells me that I have good posture. It can't see me in reality!

I'm not writing this to complain, just to share. My pain comes and goes, it's not always in the same place for too long. I'll have a spot on my low back hurt for a few days, then the kink works out and it feels fine. When my shoulders or back hurt too bad, I take ibuprofen and use the heating pad or ice. Those measures usually seem to help over a few days. I know that if it were in the same place for too long, I'd need to contact my doctor and have my back looked at for real problems. I'm thankful that my hubby gives a great back rub too!

My dad has had back surgery and so has one of my brothers. I wonder if someday I'll have surgery too. I hope to avoid it as long as I can. My dad suffers from kyphosis and so did his mother. I know I'm in good company in my family, as there are others who understand what I am going through!

I wonder if this is the "thorn in my flesh" that the Lord has given me to bring me closer to Him. Paul discusses this in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 12. I too have pleaded that this pain would be taken away from me. I consider it a weakness so that in God I can be strong. I am still coming to the point where I am delighting in my back pain. God isn't finished with me yet. I am still being molded into His image...

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

So if you have a child beginning puberty, please for my sake encourage them to stand up straight, and not slouch in their chairs. Help them to have good posture, and maybe avoid some back pain that I deal with.

Music Monday: "Lay Me Down"

I have been enjoying Chris Tomlin's new CD "Burning Lights" these past few weeks. I've listened to it several times, and can't say which song is my favorite. I posted a few weeks ago about "Whom Shall I Fear?" I've still been enjoying that song too. I like this song because of the idea that I need to lay down my life and give it back to Him. It truly all is God's, isn't it? I do belong to God alone. He can take my life and let it shine. I just have to allow Him to work in me. I really like the bridge-- "It will be my JOY to say, Your will, Your way..." That is how I want my life to be, and it's a great song to sing all day!

Chris Tomlin - Lay Me Down Lyrics

Verse 1:
With this heart open wide
From the depths from the heights
I will bring a sacrifice
With these hands lifted high
Here my song here my cry
I will bring a sacrifice
I will bring a sacrifice

Chorus:
I lay me down
I’m not my own
I belong to you alone
Lay me down
Lay me down
Hand on my heart
This much is true
There’s no life apart from you
Lay me down
Lay me down
Oh oh oh
Lay me down
Lay me down

Verse 2:
Letting go of my pride
Giving up all my rights
Take this life and let it shine
Take this life and let it shine

Chorus

Bridge:
It will be my joy to say
Your will
Your way
It will be my joy to say
Your will
Your way
always
(x3)

Chorus
(x2)

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/chris-tomlin/lay-me-down-lyrics/#LjcYAwHfxHzvCGCQ.99 


You can listen to this song on YouTube here.

John 10:17-18

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

1 Peter 4:2
As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

1 John 2:17
The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Recipe: Mocha Punch

This is a recipe that I got from a MOPS mom friend years ago, and we made it recently. It is very yummy! I thought you might all enjoy this delicious dessert punch sometime too!

Stirring the hot coffee, mixing in the sugar & chocolate mix...


Mocha Punch
Boil  1 1/2 quarts water. Add 1/4 cup instant coffee, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup chocolate drink mix. Stir and chill overnight. 30 minutes before serving, add ice cream in scoops, whipped cream and shaved Hershey bar. Serve in mugs. YUM!

*Can be DECAF...

I made it with non-instant decaf, just brewed two pots of decaf for this, but we were serving 14 people. If you are serving 6 or so, there's no need to double the recipe.

 With the chocolate grated on the top... yum!

Enjoy! Let me know if you make this recipe, I'd love to hear your review!

Leviticus 20:24

But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

Isaiah 55:1

[ Invitation to the Thirsty ] “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Hebrews 5:12-14

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

American Girl class: Molly week 4

We had another fun American Girl class this week! We discussed Book 4 in the Molly series, Happy Birthday, Molly! After we discussed the book, we made princess crowns. I gave each girl a 12 X 20" piece of foam, and gave them tracers which I found here. I printed the template and traced them onto card stock. Each girl traced the template two times (back to back) to make a crown. I also gave them jewels and glue to decorate the crowns. Then I had them poke two small holes in the bottom corners with the tip of a scissors, and gave them a 12-15" piece of 1/2" inch piece of elastic. They put the elastic through the holes and tied a knot. If the elastic was too long, they could trim it down a little.

 Tracing and cutting the crowns...

 So pretty!

 Another pretty crown with swirled designs!

 Our snack...
 
After craft, we had margarine tea sandwiches, lemon tart and peppermint tea for snack. One of the moms found the recipe for lemon tart online, and here it is:

Lemon Tart

¾ cup butter, room temp

½ cup white sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Pinch salt

1 ¾ c flour

1. Combine butter, ½ cup sugar, vanilla and salt in mixer. Add flour to make smooth dough. Press into 9” pan.

2. Refrigerate 30 minutes. 

3. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:

1 ½ cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp lemon zest

½ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup flour

1 tsp powdered sugar

1. Whisk sugar, eggs, zest, juice and ½ cup flour until smooth. Pour lemon filling into crust. 
2. Cover edges to prevent burning. 
3. Bake tart until set, about 20 minutes. 
4. Cool completely and dust with powdered sugar.

Most of the girls liked it! It seemed like they either loved it or hated it! It was funny to hear the variety of opinions... They crack me up!

The 2:00 class...

 Cute crowns!

After snack, I read a story from the Welcome to Molly's World book. We discussed birthdays in the 1940's, and play things. They liked hearing that Molly played with jump ropes, like some of them do. We had talked about jump ropes from clotheslines in our Addy books too! 

It was another fun class day!

Psalm 103:3-5

...who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 149:4
For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.

Revelation 4:4
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine's Day party 2013

(Well, almost wordless!)

We had our 4th annual Valentine's Day party at our church with fellow homeschoolers this past week. We had a great time playing together, (love when the kids organize their own games!), played Conversation Heart Bingo, ate a yummy lunch and traded Valentines. The kids had lots of fun being together, and had plenty of sweets. I think a great time was had by all!

 Bethany checking out the food before lunch...

 Playing Bingo...

 Reading Valentines from friends...

Reading Valentines...

Sweet friends!

Thanks to my daughter Rebekah for taking the pictures!


John 13:34-35
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

1 John 4:7
[ God’s Love and Ours ] Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

More Jesus, less Mommy

A while back, a writer's prompt gal that I subscribe to had the idea to write about what is on your dresser. The idea of writing and showing that never really appealed to me. I feel like my dresser is nothing special. It contains pictures of my kids with me when they were babies, a photo of me and my best friend several years ago, a necklace in a case from my grandmother, jewelry boxes, baskets, Bible verses on a pair of rings, the current read-aloud book we are reading, and more.

I like that my dresser has a mirror on it so I can check my make-up and hair before I head downstairs for the day. But my favorite thing on my dresser is a card that my daughter Mallory wrote for me when she was in kindergarten last year. It was during J week, when she learned to write the word Jesus. The card simply says: "JESUS MOMMY". I've kept it on my dresser to remind me-- that is all I need. I don't need perfect and pretty clothes, I don't need to be young and beautiful, I don't need a spotless house, lots of money or a super-amazing hubby (although mine is pretty amazing!). All I truly need is JESUS.

On this card I keep a nail that I received at our Good Friday service last year. It is a daily reminder of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for me. He died and suffered for MY sin. So humbling... What am I doing today to serve Him? I know some things that I do in life are for me to get noticed. But that is not to be my main intent, my goal is that GOD is glorified in what I do.

I want all that I do to be done to the LORD. I want to consider God's desires and please Him. I want to serve Him loyally and faithfully right where God has placed me-- as a homeschooling, MOPS attending, nursery working, American Girl class teaching wife and mother. He has given me so many opportunities to show Him off. I know that I what I need to do-- have more Jesus and less Mommy in my days.


*Some thoughts taken from Sunday's sermon in our church.

2 Samuel 23:15-17

¹⁵ David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ¹⁷ “Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 Corinthians 6:11

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Music Monday: "Kiss of Heaven"

Many of you may know Darlene Zschech as famous for her song, "Shout to the Lord." I love that song,  and I love most of her music. This song is upbeat and I love its message that I can live a new life each day because Christ has set me free. He is my dream-maker, my giver, my king. I love to enjoy His presence. 

Kiss of Heaven- by Darlene Zschech

I am walking a new walk
Never be the same again
Dancing a new dance
In your holy spirit reign
Your breath is overwhelming
And set My spirit free

Living a new life
Underneath the morning star
Dawning the new ways
In the shadow of your love
Your love is immeasurable
To deep to comprehend

Whoa!

Chorus:

My Jesus dream maker
My Jesus my giver
I'm living under the Kiss Of Heaven
And I'll never ever be the same again

Singing a new song
In the presence of my king
Giving Him my heart
That is all that I can bring
You lit a fire inside of me
That I thought will never burn again

[Chorus]

I'm living in the embrace of heaven
And I'll never ever be the same again

I thank you My Father
for all you've done alone
and you're going to do
My back behind me
You before me
I'll press on for more

I'm living in the embrace of heaven
And I'll never ever be the same again

[Chorus 2x]

I'll never ever be the same again

My Jesus I surrender
My Jesus yours forever
I'm living in the embrace of heaven
And I'll never ever be the same again
[Chorus]

Read more at http://www.lyrics.com/kiss-of-heaven-lyrics-darlene-zschech.html#J5L1wG3imhCqJTlO.99 


You can listen to this song on YouTube here.


Luke 3:22

and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Philippians 4:4-5

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

American Girl Class: Molly Week 3

This week in our American Girl class, we discussed Molly's Surprise, book three in our series. After we discussed our book, we made our craft which was the pipe cleaner ornament as found on p. 62. It was pretty easy for most of the girls. I didn't give them all Christmas colored pipe cleaners, so they could use the ornament to decorate their room if they wanted. They just bent the pipe cleaners into a star type shape. We bent one pipe cleaner around our finger as a hanger.

Then we had snack which was Cinnamon Sticky Buns, as Molly ate in the book. The girls really liked them! One of the moms made the rolls from scratch, and one of the moms used pre made rolls for the recipe. There were several recipes online, I recommended this one here.

The cinnamon sticky bun... yum!

One girl hung hers on her bag-- :-D

After our snack, I taught the girls how to address an envelope (p. 12) and then we wrote a letter to their Dads. Molly does this in the first chapter of the book, and I thought it would be a good thing to teach the girls. I think in this day and age of emails, texts and phone calls, letters and letter-writing is getting to be a lost art. I think it is still important for students to learn to write a letter. 

 Girls writing letters to their dads...

 Since we don't have a whiteboard in our room, I brought a small one from home that I could hang on the wall with a tack. This worked well, and the girls could look at how to spell our town's name. I also have a list of their addresses which was very useful this class time!

 Some of the girls put some nice detail into their letters, and others had a harder time writing much. I am sure their Dads will enjoy the letters. I put stamps on them when I got home, and hope they will go out in the mail soon. Most of the girls wrote Valentine's day greetings since our class was just before Valentine's Day this year.

Here is the 2:00 class...

Here is my sample of what I wrote on my white board...

It was another fun class day... the time went by quickly! I had thought about singing "Joy to the World" but we ran out of time! I hope the Dads enjoy their letters!


2 Corinthians 3:2
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.

2 Corinthians 3:3
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Hebrews 13:22
Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.

Time-Warp Wednesday: Valentine...

This Time-Warp Wednesday features a photo of my sweet Rebekah in 2005, when she creatively made me a Valentine message on the kitchen table!

I love her smile!

1 John 4:7-12

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us,we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Devotional for kids

When I was younger, my parents were pretty good about doing devotionals with us after dinner. One of the main devotional books that was used was called, "Little Visits with God"by Allan Hart Jahsmann and Martin P. Simon. All five of us kids remember evenings at the dinner table, before the dishes were done, listening to our Dad reading stories from the book.

After I was married and became a mother, it was the devotional book that I wanted to buy for my own family. I found the book, in a new edition, with some of the names changed (not 1970's names anymore!) but the same timeless stories of putting the Bible into practice in daily life. Each "little visit" includes a Bible verse, several paragraphs in story form of a devotion which relates to kids' lives, questions to encourage participation, suggested Scripture readings and a short prayer.

I like the book because the devotionals are related to every day life-- what kids say and think, teaches them about sin and how to avoid it, what God can do, how to treat others, about God's characteristics, about why Jesus died and what His sacrifice means to us.

We haven't used it too much recently, but I think we need to pull it out and use it with our younger kids again too. I think we went through it with our older daughter but that was several years ago. The book is a bargain at only $10, but it is a valuable tool in our "parenting toolbox". I hope maybe you will find a copy to read with your own kids!


Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to yourchildren and to their children after them.

Deuteronomy 11:19
Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Psalm 34:11
Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Music Monday: "There is Joy in the Lord"

This past Wednesday, I was having a rough day. I had overslept, so I didn't get a shower. We were all moving slowly, and it was just one of those days. I asked the Lord to help me find joy in the day, and He gave me this song! I hummed this song throughout most of the day. It was a very good reminder of where my joy and hope comes from-- THE Lord! Later in the day, one of the kids said, "Something smells good." Caleb said, "It's Mom." It was so sweet, especially since I hadn't showered! I love when we are down, the Lord can give us a song, or He will give us some sweet comment to make our day!
I hope you are finding joy in Him today...

*I did meet Cheri Keaggy once when she came to a conference in a local town and sang. I just can't find the picture! She was a sweet gal!*


There is Joy in the Lord by Cheri Keaggy

There is joy in the Lord,
There is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him
There's a fountain that flows like a river from heaven
Abounding in love to my soul

All blessing and honor are his
All glory and power are His
Let all wisdom and strength
Be the Lord's in this place
Let all glory be given to Him

There is joy in the Lord, there is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him
There's a fountain I know every time I am near it
My heart overflows to the Lord
[From: http://www.elyrics.net ]

You can listen to this song on YouTube here.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

1 Thessalonians 2:19

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of ourLord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?