Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Easter 2014

We had a great Easter this year. This time of year always gets very full, with baseball and church events, and end of the year concerts. We decorated eggs late, but better late than never! We also posed in the backyard after church for our annual photos. Enjoy!
 Bethany and Mallory dunking some eggs...
 Rebekah's getting hers dipped too...
Caleb getting creative...
 The kids
 The whole family in front of the blossoming apple tree...
 Trying not to squint!
Just my hubby and me... :-D



Matthew 28:5-7

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Luke 24:1-3

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

American Girl class: Josefina#2 Week 6

Yesterday was our last Josefina class and our last American Girl class for the semester. The girls and I have really enjoyed studying Josefina and her time in history (1824). After we reviewed book six in the series, Changes for Josefina, we read several pages from Welcome to Josefina's World. I read the pages discussing Courtship and Marriage, and Community Celebrations.

We then began our craft. I gave each of the girls a folded piece of brown kraft paper, measuring 9" X 12". They each got five pieces of white printer paper, which they folded in half for the inside of their memory book. The girls decorated the front of their book with crayons. After it was colored, they took the brown paper and crumbled it up to make it look old/ leather-like. When they were ready, with the book pages inside the cover, I hole punched it two times near the edge of the booklet. They put a piece of red yarn through the holes (any color would be ok), and tied a bow. Then the memory book was finished!

We had homemade bread for snack, since that is what Josefina was learning to make in the book. I didn't bring butter or honey for the bread, but that would've been a nice addition. (Actually our bread was store bought french bread, but worked fine!) Most of the girls enjoyed the bread, even though it was plain.
After snack, we worked on finishing our weaving projects. The girls did a little more weaving, and we took it off of the cardboard looms, according to these directions. You'll need to scroll down to the lower part of the page, to the heading "What the Children Do." The girls did a great job working on their weaving. Some of the "rugs" were smaller than others, depending on how much class time they really worked on it. My daughter took hers home and is finishing it today. (age 7)

It was a wonderful class, filled with smiles, hugs and thank yous. I even got a bouquet of tulips and birthday painting from one of the students. (My birthday is tomorrow!) I will miss these sweet girls and look forward to seeing some/ most of them in the fall!

 The 2:00 class...



 All done! Lots of blue! (Like the tardis!)
 Nice job!

I hope all of my girls and their families have a great summer! I've loved having classes with each and every one of you!


Deuteronomy 28:58
If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God—

Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

John 20:30
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Music Monday: "When the Crazy Kicks in"

This song is a new song on Francesca Battistelli's new CD, If We're Honest. It is a very catchy tune, and a song that I REALLY can identify with... I need my time with God, a moment to focus on Him before the busy, full days get going. This week is going to be full of crazy, busy days and I need to remember to begin the day right, with God. I'm so thankful for God's help this week and for my hubby's help too. There is no way that I could get everyone where they need to go by myself! (Choir practices, rehearsals, classes, performances, appointments and baseball games!) 



"When The Crazy Kicks In" by Francesca Battistelli

Here I go tiptoeing to the kitchen
And don't you know, crash goes the coffee cup
My only chance to be still and listen
Lord, don't let, don't let the kids wake up
A little time with You, the only way to get me through the day


[Chorus:]
Oh, come meet me in this moment
Before it all gets going
These plates start to spin
When the crazy kicks in
A circus of distractions
It's just about to happen
I'll be ready when
When the crazy kicks in



Pushed and pulled by a thousand expectations
And all the roles that I'm supposed to play
To hit the ground, running's a temptation
But I have learned this lesson the hard way
A little time with You, the only way to get me through the day



[Chorus]



You got me, where You want me, even through the highs and lows
You know me, and You hold me, and You show me that You'll never let me [9x] go



[Chorus]


You can listen to this fun song on YouTube here.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.


Matthew 11:28-29
 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

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.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

American Girl class: Josefina #2 Week 5

This week in American Girl class, after discussing Book 5 in the series, Josefina Saves the Day, we read from Welcome to Josefina's World. We read pages about the Camino Real, trading and the Santa Fe Market. After the reading, we began our simple craft.

This craft is another one from Josefina's Craft Book. It is fairly easy, using an inexpensive corn broom from Wal-mart. I cut the broom apart, and the girls each used a small pile to tie into their own broom. We tied the whisk broom with a rubber band (which Josefina didn't have) and a piece of jute cord. I showed the girls how to fan out the broom for use. We discussed how they may have also used a broom like this for combing their hair too!

After our simple and easy craft, we had snack. The snack this week was fruit turnovers, you can find an easy recipe here. One of the moms told me that she quadrupled the recipe so there would be enough for 10-12 turnovers. She also brought lavender lemonade for snack-- yum! The girls loved the fruit turnovers, and one girl said, "I wish I could eat one every day!" :-D


Since our craft was quick and easy, the girls had more time to work on their cardboard loom. They are getting closer to finishing them. A few girls told me they were finished, but when I scrunched it up with a popsicle stick, they saw they had more room to weave! We will finish the weaving next week in our last class for the semester. One of the girls tried to convince me that I should hold a local American Girl camp this summer! I told her I would think about it... it does sound like fun!



 The 2:00 class weaving and chatting...

The class always goes by quickly, as does the semester! Only one more class left... :-(


Isaiah 14:23
“I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.

Amos 5:6
Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire; it will devour them, and Bethel will have no one to quench it.

Luke 15:8
[ The Parable of the Lost Coin ] “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp,sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Christian concert!

My oldest daughter and I drove an hour out-of-town a few weeks ago to attend a Christian concert, featuring the bands All Things New, Sanctus Real and Francesca Battestelli. We had a BLAST, and here are some of our photos from the fun time we shared together!

 Francesca singing...
 I love her banter with the other band members, the stories she told and learning more about her and her band. Always fun to see LIVE music!
At the concert, we pre-ordered her new CD, and it came in the mail this week! It made my whole day to get it, and we've listened to it a bunch since then! I know I'll post some new blog songs from this CD!


1 Chronicles 15:22
Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.


Isaiah 35:9-10
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Colossians 3:16
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Friday, April 11, 2014

My FAMILY sign

Today I made a sign that has been in my head for a while now. I saw something similar somewhere (Pinterest?) a few years ago and looked at letters in the craft store, and found them to be too costly for me. About a month ago, I went to a thrift store that I've never visited before. When I was there, I found these letters for sale, I think they were ONE dollar for all! SOLD! I took them home where they sat in the garage until I could get to them. I explained to my hubby what I wanted to do... and waited.

Then today I had a day at home. As a stay-at-home mom, I am out and about a lot. This week was the beginning of baseball season (for on that next week!) and we went to two baseball games in addition to the usual busyness. I really enjoyed my time this afternoon to craft! The kids were happily playing outside and so I took the time to work on this sign. I found the letters on the long workbench in the garage. 
 I have an older friend who loves to craft. She told me once that she decided after a few years that if she had a craft that she wanted done, she needed to learn to use her husband's tools. So her husband taught her to use everything-- several types of saws, sanders, etc., I don't intend to do that much, but I decided not to wait for my busy husband to help me. I can do it! I don't want to be a dumb cluck who doesn't know how to use any tool around the house. I'm so glad I did it!


The letters were already painted, and I liked the color. They are actually roughly painted blue. Last summer, my brother-in-law brought over some old fence posts for us to use. We used some to redo our chicken coop, but there was a bunch leftover. I chose one fencepost for this project. I sawed it where I wanted, sanded it some (but left it mostly rough) and measured it. I wanted to place the letters an equal distance apart. My post was about 30 inches long. I figured two inches on each end. I placed the letters around one-and-a-half inches apart. I nailed them onto the board with short nails (but not so short that they wouldn't go through the letter and into the board.) I placed two nails into each letter so they wouldn't rotate on the board. I put two picture hangers on the back of the board and it was ready to be hung!

I waited for my hubby to get home, especially since I wanted to hang it above the stairwell where we already had pictures hung. He gladly helped me hang it and I think I'm going to love it! Another craft project complete-- hooray!

Now what to do next...? 


Genesis 6:9
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Proverbs 31:15
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.

Acts 10:2
He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

American Girl class: Josefina #2 Week 4

This week in American Girl class, we discussed book four in the Josefina series, Happy Birthday, Josefina. After we talked about the book, we began  our craft. The craft for this week was coiled clay pots. I bought air dry clay at the craft store, and I bought two blocks, one for each class. One block was just right for 7-8 girls. This craft is another one from Josefina's Craft Book.



I n preparation for the class, I put vinyl tablecloths on the tables. I was glad I did, it made for easier clean-up. I also had cups of water for the girls to dip their fingers in, and knives for them to cut with. The girls mostly liked the craft. Some of the pots got a little wobbly toward the top, but we worked on reinforcing them. The girls took them home and they should dry in a few days. They can use them to keep earrings or something small in!

For snack this week, we had hot mint tea and sweet Biscochitos cookies. You can find the recipe here. One of the moms made them without cookie cutters and the other used cookie cutters. They were delicious! Josefina had these cookies and hot mint tea with her Tia Magdelena in the book we read.
 The girls also had time to work on their weaving looms. The small rugs are coming along nicely. I enjoy seeing the patterns and colors the girls use in their weaving.
 One of the moms had a lap loom at home that she bought to show the girls. It was neat to see! We also felt an authentic sheepskin and looked at their homemade doll.
 The 2:00 class...
 Getting started rolling and coiling the "snakes"...


 A finished pot, it looks great!

Weaving and giggling with friends...

We only have two more weeks left of class for the semester! I am going to miss these girls and their smiles and laughter each week.


Lamentations 4:2
How the precious children of Zion, once worth their weight in gold, are now considered as pots of clay, the work of a potter’s hands!

Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Romans 9:21
Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Thursday, April 3, 2014

American Girl class: Josefina#2: Week 3

Our American Girl class was fun this week, albeit a bit unusual. As I arrived for classes, I quickly realized that my usual classroom was under painting construction. We were moved to a new room, which was fine, just different. As we dug into things, I realized I forgot the yarn bucket that we use for weaving. Sigh. However, the day still turned out well.

After we discussed Josefina's Surprise (book 3), we began our craft of hair combs. I gave each girl two hair combs (I found them at Safeway), a bunch of adhesive glue dots, and beads or rhinestones to put on them. Last time I did this craft, we used hot glue and the beads fell off eventually. I am hoping the beads stay on better with the glue dots!


The mom forgot snack, but when I texted her, she found some hot chocolate with cinnamon in the kitchen. It worked out fine! The girls mostly enjoyed the cinnamon in the hot chocolate, and were a little disappointed that we didn't have something to eat too. (I'm starving!" Sorry..., you're ok!)

While we waited for snack, I passed out the weaving boards but without much yarn, the girls didn't work on them much. OOPS! Instead, we read several pages from Welcome to Josefina's World. We read a little about Las Posadas and discussed that a little more. I also read about the dolls and toys they had (like the doll Nina in our book). I also read the story about the Weeping Woman.

Then we played a game where the girls closed their eyes (and covered them to be sure) and I put a bead in one girl's hand. Then the other girls chanted, "Where is the bead hiding, who has the bead? with a Native American phrase that I quickly found online. They guessed until the bead was found. Then we closed eyes and did it again. It was fun and a great way to pass the last few minutes.

Before the 2nd class, I found some yarn in the supplies at the church, and used a little for the class. The colors were different, but the girls still got to work on their weaving project.
 The 2:00 class...
 So pretty!
 Weaving and snacking...


Thanks, girls for putting up with my forgetfulness! Hopefully I'll remember all of my supplies next week! (BTW, the whole day ended up being that way... Ugh.) God has a strange way of showing us our need of Him! I felt He helped me so the day wasn't a total wreck!


Leviticus 10:6
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire.

Isaiah 19:9
Those who work with combed flax will despair, the weavers of fine linen will lose hope.

Luke 12:7
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
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