Thursday, August 28, 2014

Preparing for Marie-Grace and Cecile

This fall semester I am preparing to teach about another new set of American Girls! They are Marie-Grace and Cecile, and they are living in New Orleans. Marie-Grace is partly French and speaks French sometimes with her father. Cecile is a person of color, but not a slave in that time period. It will be a fun series! I am not into French things at all, so I will be learning alongside the girls! I am looking forward to our first class beginning next week!


Marie-Grace Gardner & Cecile Rey, girls from New Orleans (1853)

Book 1: Meet Marie-Grace   9/2/2014
Intro to New Orleans, map; French words, Geography notebooks 
Craft: decorate masks 
Snack: Beignets, fruit

Book 2: Meet Cecile 9/9/2014
Slaves vs. people of color; show parasol; dance video
Craft: (fairy wings?)
Snack: French toast & peach compote

Book 3: Marie-Grace and the Orphans 9/16/2014
Sing lullaby
Craft: Doll baby blanket (hand-sew)
Snack: Peppermint stick, crisp cookie

Book 4: Cecile’s Gift 9/23/2014
Read poetry, act out play (Little Red Riding Hood)
Craft: Draw self-portrait
Snack: Tea cakes

Book 5: Marie-Grace Makes a Difference 9/30/2014
Show Handkerchief, sing
Craft: Tignon head wrap
Snack: figs, baguette, lemonade

Book 6: Troubles for Cecile 10/7/2014
Read poetry, listen to harp music
Craft: Lace crown OR Cameo necklace

Snack: crepes
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Exodus 2:7-9
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.


Matthew 9:24-26

(Jesus) said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

First week of school/ A week

Sorry I haven't posted yet this week... I've been battling a sinus infection and getting into the swing of things with the new school year! Enjoy the post! 

Last week was our first week of homeschool for this fall, and my kindergartener's first week of kindergarten! She was SO excited to do school, she woke me up early the first two days!
She has been doing very well, and loving all that we do! 
 Apple float and sink in the sink...
 Learning to write her name the "school way"...
 Coloring an apple tree before she put apples (fingerprints) on the tree...

Here she was after she played the Apples and Bananas game.

Bethany had an A shaped sandwich (yes, I have alphabet cookie cutters). I didn't get a picture of that, but I did get one of Mallory's M shaped sandwich that we made for her! (3rd grade)
It was a very fun week! This week is B week, so we will show our photos of that another time...



Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings... (David asking God)

Proverbs 7:2
Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. (God speaking)

Zechariah 2:8
For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye—

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Command center update!

This summer has been very full of organizing! It is one of my favorite things to do, and I like the rewarding feeling of a new look, something old gone, and the accomplished feeling that comes with organizing. This summer I have gotten rid of many cookbooks (I just don't USE them!), reorganized my recipe box/ pared it down, reorganized some cupboards and more. 

One of the main areas that I reorganized is our calendar/ command center. I had the wall calendar on the side of a cabinet before, and I moved it next to the fridge. It is easier to see for everyone in the family. 
Some of my more diligent readers may remember that in the beginning of 2013, I posted about getting rid of my calendar planner. It was then that a found a week at a glance calendar that I liked. (link found in that post). I used the same week at a glance planner and printed it onto a magnet sheet! Now it is on my fridge instead of on the table near my chair at the kitchen table.

On Pinterest I found this pin and printed the magnets that are included. She had many that we will use, and some we will not (vet for animals, gymnastics, tennis match, etc.,) but many that we will use-- play date, family event, special event, girls' night, doctor appointment, dentist appointment and birthday party. She even had a page with some blank labels. I printed those on magnetic sheets as well, and wrote some of my own to customize it (baseball game/ practice, and other events we do often.) I stamped the date numbers onto magnets and trimmed them. So below is my new weekly calendar! (I have another one for the school year.) I have a small mints box on top of the refrigerator with the extra magnets in it.
After visiting our family's home on our recent trip, they had a magnetic pen/ pencil holder. I found one in the school supply aisle (along with locker curtains, a locker disco ball and a locker chandelier...???!) It had a mirror on the front which I took out. It has a spot in the back, behind the pens for other things. I placed a party invitation in there. I also clipped other cards and library book receipts onto magnetic clips nearby the calendar. 
I love it! It will be fun to have a new, freshly organized space for my command center!

What about you? Do you have a 'command center', where you keep important things? I'd love to hear all about it!


1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.


1 Corinthians 14:40
"But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

2014 School year favorites

This is a fun tradition in our house, part of our first day back-to-school experience. We did this last year, You can see them here:  20132012, 2011. It is fun to see how the three kids have grown and changed! This year my youngest will be starting kindergarten in homeschool. It will be my first year homeschooling FOUR kids at once!

I used my fancy InstaFrame app to make these pics again.
Enjoy the pics!
BETHANY- KINDERGARTEN
MALLORY-THIRD GRADE
CALEB-SIXTH GRADE (MIDDLE SCHOOL?!)
REBEKAH-TENTH GRADE (SOPHOMORE)


Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.  After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.  After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[f]  But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.  And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Box Day! 2014

There is a day that homeschoolers get very excited about: Box day! It is a mixture of the first day of school, school supply shopping excitement and new grade jitters rolled into one. It is the day when the previously ordered curriculum arrives by UPS or FedEx!
Caleb and I opened the box together and enjoyed looking at all the NEW books for him and for Mallory. We are using the My Father's World curriculum again, with Caleb in grade 6 and Mallory in grade three! WOW! This year our main theme will be "Exploration to 1850."

Our oldest daughter Rebekah will be in 10th grade this year, and she was excited to get her own box and review what she would be learning this year! It will be another great year of homeschooling for us!

You can see last year's "Box Day" post here.

Philippians 1:1-6, 27
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.


and verse 27 : Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.


Our homeschool theme verse:


Ephesians 6:17
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Denver trip memories-2014- Day 6

On the last day of our trip, we took the "long way" home. We went the scenic route! We drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, which is just gorgeous! It made for a long day, but we loved the views of the mountains. If you've never been there, it was well worth the trip!
This is one of the more famous mountains in the park, called Longs Peak.
While driving up Trail Ridge Road, we thought this was a cool view of the road ahead of us. We loved being up so high, above the "tree line" in the alpine tundra. Even though the sky was cloudy, the views were awesome!
I'm not sure of the name of this lake, but the kids and Joshua put their feet in the COLD water. Can you see them on the right edge of the lake?
Another view of the lake. We just loved the setting! So peaceful...
On the way down towards Granby, I just loved the sun on these mountains...
WOW! Thank you Lord for the beauty of the earth You have made!
"I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and earth!" (Psalm 121:1-2)



1 Kings 19:10-13
The Lord Appears to Elijah


And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Denver trip memories-2014- Day 5

On Friday, we went to tour Celestial Seasonings in Boulder. We had a great time there, it was very interesting. 
 In the lobby, they had a dress made from tea bag wrappers, with shoes and a hat too!
 They have the original artwork for their boxes. This one is retired, one of my sit-in-law's old favorites, Almond Sunset. She is still not happy about the retirement of her favorite C.S. tea.
 The chair had this tea cup on it...
 The table, with some of our samples from the tasting room on it.
 Ready for the tour, wearing lovely hair nets... my favorite part was the peppermint room. It smelled SO good! I could've stayed there all day... Caleb didn't like it though.
 The kids after the tour...
 The sticker we got...
 That afternoon we walked Pearl Street in Boulder, and then went to my sister's house for dinner. She read a book to the kids.
 Caleb liked his cousin's sunglasses!
 That night, we went to Lakeside Amusement Park with my sister, her family, my brother and his girlfriend. We had a great time there, and only got a little nauseous. Well, some more than others!
 Joshua and Jenni (my brother's GF) went on this ride together. They went up, up, up...
 And once they got to the top, they came down in about 3 seconds! Woo- no thank you!
We did go on a rocking' roller coaster called the Cyclone. We even got my chicken sister to go! I either laughed or screamed the whole time! I forgot how much I like roller coasters...
Here are my two girls on the merry-go-round... they went more than once! They had a great section of kiddie rides too. There was something for everyone to do there. But there were no maps! The kids did great, even though we were out until 11 p.m. that night. There were only a FEW tears.


Have you ever been to an amusement park? Do you like roller coasters? If so, which ones? I'd love to read your comments!


Isaiah 30:16
You said, ‘No, we will flee on horses.’ Therefore you will flee! You said, ‘We will ride off on swift horses.’ Therefore your pursuers will be swift!


Isaiah 58:14
then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Denver trip memories-2014- Day 4

 On Thursday, we went to Water World! Water World is a huge water park with lots of pools, wave pools, water slides, water rides, water everything! We had a total blast there with cousins, and my sister-in-law AND brother-in-law were able to come. He got the day off work--hooray! The bummer that happened while we were there is that it rained in the middle of the day for about an hour. Since lightning was seen, we were not allowed to swim. It worked out that it was lunch time, so we found cover and hung out! Then the lines were smaller after the rain. Thank you, Lord!


 Our kids ready to go in...
That's a big bike for a little girl!
 Daddy and Bethany playing in the wave pool...
Here is our group at the end of the day...
And only Bethany and Daddy ended up a little sunburned... forgot to reapply sunscreen on them. Oops!
Do you have a water park near you? Have you ever been to water world? If not, I really recommend it the next time you're in Denver! There is something to do there for the whole family, and every age group!


John 5:1-15
The Healing at the Pool

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Denver trip memories-2014- Day 3

On the 3rd day of our trip, we went to the History Colorado museum. My sister and her kids came with us, it was fun to see them for a few hours. We had a picnic lunch there together in the cafe. It was a great day!
This sign was inside the entrance hall of the museum. If you've never visited Colorado, this is the sign that is on the borders (roads) of the state!
There were A to Z section all about Denver, so Caleb and his cousin tried on these barrels like the barrel man that was at Denver Broncos games for over 30 years! 
Bethany tried on the barrel too. The sign said the man only wore the barrel (nothing under it!), socks, shoes and a hat. One game was -40 degrees! BRRR!!
There was a sign about Casa Bonita, which is a cheesy Mexican restaurant in Denver, that has been there for many years. They do have the best sopapillas though!
There was a "county store" where the kids could gather eggs from "chickens" and trade them into the store. They got 23¢ for a dozen. :-D They mostly liked gathering and putting them into the holes...
Bethany was "painting" pottery in the Native American section. There was a large section about Mesa Verde, complete with dioramas, which is nearby my hometown. It was a great day, very easy to tour in four hours or so! We did buy a few small items from the gift shop too...

What about you? Have you ever been to a/your state history museum?


Genesis 26:3-4
Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 
I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,

Acts 17:26
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

1 Corinthians 10:1
[ Warnings From Israel’s History ] For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Denver trip memories-2014- Day 2

On Tuesday, we went on a hike with our family, which makes us a group of 11 people (my bro-in-law had to work.) We went to a place called Chataqua park and hiked with 8 kids. It was a challenging hike. It seemed if we weren't in the sun we were climbing some steep hills or boulders. The kids were troopers, stuck with it, and we almost made it to the top! We hiked about 2 hours, and they did well, even Bethany, our 5-year-old with short legs!
 We stopped and had some snacks while sitting on some rocks. We accidentally fed the birds & squirrels too!
 The pretty view from one of our stopping points. About the time I took this picture, Bethany fell and skinned her knee. She learned a lesson about watching where she was going instead of watching the scenery! Oops!
 Here is our crew on the way up. My sissy got this one taken on her camera.
Later that evening, ready for bed. My sis-in-law reading to the four youngest girls! Love it!!



Genesis 22:2
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Genesis 22:14
So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On themountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Deuteronomy 10:4
The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lordgave them to me.

Psalm 24:3
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

Mark 9:2
[ The Transfiguration ] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
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