bits & pieces: october 11, 2010

Playful Pumpkins
These are too cute!!! Use your left over fabric to sew up some cute little pumpkins to decorate for autumn/fall.

Dress Shirt To Apron Tutorial
While these are mostly for little kids, check out the link and BEAUTIFUL apron at the END of the post for a most cute one for Mommy! :D

Games!
A list of great games for you and hubby!

Hell's Best Kept Secret
I had never thought about evangelizing this way before. I did not read the article, but just watched the movie. It is about half way down.

Current Web Readings

Biblical Worldview - What it is and what it is not
This is a good read!

Worldview in A Nutshell

Chores for children
Good Read!

What Moves Us
A good read about the importance of speech and debate.

Books: Parent: Already Gone

I just finished reading the book ALREADY GONE by Ken Ham.

Every one needs to read this book.

Children are leaving the church in droves and homeschoolers are not exempt. And they are not leaving in college, when a lot of the churches believe they are. They are leaving as early as high school and even middle school.

Why is this important? Why does it matter?

Well for one, it shows that we are doing something wrong as a church and as parents. We are separating God and His word from every day life.

It comes down to believing the word of God or not. If one does not believe in Genesis (the first book in the Bible), how can one believe the rest.

Parents will avoid teaching their children about Santa because they want to be truthful with their children. If they lie saying Santa is real, then why would the child believe the parent when they tell them Jesus is real. I can understand that argument.

But then why would those same parents portray Noah as a "story." A cute little man with a cute little boat with cute little animals coming two by two (which is not Biblically accurate, but that is for another time). Noah is taught as a story rather than historical fact. Nothing is mentioned of the condemnation of the rest of mankind - the screaming and begging for their lives as they drowned.

The same can be said of Moses, Abraham and other historical figures in the Bible. Most of the time they are portrayed as stories rather than historical fact. What are the books in your house telling your children? Are they helping to perpetuate what they are learning in Sunday school - cute little stories about the people in the Bible? Or are they showing the Bible as something that is true and historically accurate? Science and history back up the Bible. Are you to your children?

There cannot be a differentiation between every day life and spiritual life. If you believe the Bible to be true, then they should meld into one.

This book is a real eye opener. What he is saying should not be dismissed.

Current Web Readings

Five Romantic Dates at Home
These are SOOOOO simple yet SO WONDERFUL!!! And VERY romantic. Remember you don't have to give your husband this list, pick one and make a plan to do it for HIM!

Me, Me and My Healthcare
good read from The Truth Project

When God Leaves No Footprints In The Sand

Srawberry Almond Bars
GAPS friendly AND Nourishing Traditions and YUMMY LOOKING TOO!

The Yellow Prison Bus and the Future of American Healthcare
a MUST read by Voddie Baucham.

In Spite of Me

I was driving to the store today and was thinking about all that my children did today.

They had their faults. MM said she hated her sister (so she served her sister by doing her chores today). JJ yelled and screamed trying to get his way (which he did not). EE and AA both did things today that were disappointing as far as their behavior goes.

But then I thought of all the wonderful things they did today. AA was a GREAT helper. She made lunch for the girls, got JJ a snack, and helped put JJ to bed so I could go out grocery shopping tonight. :D MM changed her attitude and apologized, sincerely and was happy to serve her sister and did her best. JJ, when told he needed to use his words instead of just screaming went and vocalized his frustrations! :D And EE talked to JJ about how God gave Mommy charge over him and she disciplines him because we don't want him to grow up and be a mean, nasty old boy - and he didn't want to be that when he grew up, now did he??

And I just had to cry. God is doing a work in my children in spite of all my faults. And I am so thankful!

And just to show me that He is there for me too, He showed Himself to me. Before I left the house, JJ had asked me to make sure I bought him sunbutter. I wrote it down on my list and left. At the grocery store, I checked my list several times and was certain (it being a short list) that I had everything on it. When I was leaving the store, I was not able to go down the isle I had originally planed because it was blocked, so I had to go down the next isle. Which just so happened to be the isle with sunbutter in it. So I was able to be a woman of my word and bring sunbutter home to my son.

I am so thankful to God for His goodness and faithfulness!

Current Web Readings

Battlefield For Our Mind and Heart
WONDERFUL read!

The Godly Home
What I am currently listening to.

Months Worth of Probiotics for Price of Cabbage
With JJ's new GAPS diet, we will be making our own sauerkraut. I love how she uses ROCKS in hers! I can't WAIT for her to get a Facebook page!

Watch This
This is a recent episode of the Glenn Beck show on how public schools and colleges are indoctrinating our children. This is a good watch. HT: Israel Wayne

Ressurection Lapbook

Current Web Readings

Curriculum Pilgrims Progress
A free 12 week curriculum.

A Godly Grief
VERY well written article on grief.

Simple and Deliberate
This blog is one woman and her amazing journey through widowhood. I went all the way back to her husband's illness (Nov 2007) and have read through his death and her grief. It is pretty neat to see that she was here in CO meeting with the Chappa's (as they are new friends of ours). I can only bear to read a few posts at a time. I am currently in June 2008. I can only pray that when tragedy strikes me or my family, I have the faith and strength of this precious woman of God.

Lapbooking Templates

Homeschool Year Begun
Scroll down to the bottom of this post (on one of my fav blogs) for a GREAT idea for helping your child with phonics!!

Scripture Songs
It is rare to find songs put to Scripture that are not lame. These songs are BEAUTIFUL! And most wonderful of all, they are free!! This video is a sample of his music:

Current Web Readings

Do You Love Chinese Food?
Health recipes for Chinese food. YES!!

Prayers
What a simple and yet wonderful idea to comfort a grieving family. A new widow was given a beeper, a prayer beeper, after her husband died. Every time someone prayed, they would call the beeper. What a comfort it was to know that thousands of prayers were being lifted up for her, for her 6 children.

Handbook of Nature Study: Outdoor Hour Challenge Update For New Series Starting Sept 18
AWESOME site. I cannot wait for the new Series!

Go Fossil Hunting
I love the Staycation Blog!! I wish they updated way more often than they do. This idea was a GREAT one!!

2009 Graceful Envelope Contest
These are BEAUTIFUL!! What a fun thing to do next year!

Our Homeschooling Plan (Sept-Nov 2009)

While we do homeschool year round, we have taken off a pretty huge chunk of time (ever since visiting family in Branson and then going onto Kentucky just because we had never been). :D So we plan to start back next Monday and the kids are pretty excited!

I am taking this week to plan out the next semester. We take off from formal schooling from Thanksgiving through New Years. That is so we do not feel so overwhelmed during a most overwhelming season. But of course the children are still learning! We read Christmas stories and watch Christmas movies. We bake Christmas cookies and have Christmas teas. And we play in the snow! We make snow angels and snowmen.

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know that I am a VERY relaxed home schooler. I truly believe that most of our best learning is done through experiencing life rather than sitting behind a desk reading about it. I like what a friend of mine said. She doesn't use the word homeschooling, but home discipleship (as we are to train up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord). Another friend uses home educate.

Both are of the same mindset that I am. We do not homeschool to do school at home, but rather to instill in our children the values and lessons that they will need in their future life. To love and serve God with all their heart (as one friend put it "Fill 'em with so much of God's word that if you cut them, they bleed it") and to know skills (like reading and writing and math) that are things every person should know and are necessarily in life.

Here are the actual books we will be using this semester for teaching Bible/Character. Of course we are doing other subjects! :D But I know the materials for teaching those are subjective to each parent and each child! :D Not that teaching the Bible isn't. :D But teaching other subjects have PLENTY of curriculum out there with reviews. Teaching Biblical worldview has so few. So with that in mind...

Leading Little Ones To God - I absolutely love and admire Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I heard her mention this book on her radio show one day. She was talking about the importance of this book in her childhood. "My parents used this resource in our family devotions when I was a little girl; it was the means God used to bring me to faith in Christ as a four-year-old child on May 14, 1963. This book is a great way to introduce your children to the basic biblical doctrines of God, man, and salvation. It includes short Bible stories, hymns, and questions for children to answer." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Truth and Grace Memory Book 1 - Instilling a Biblical worldview in my kids was not a very important thing to me. That is until I read Voddie Baucham's books and heard him speak. Now it is super high on my list! This book is AWESOME! You start at age 2 (yes, we will be playing catch-up) and, with all three books, move up through senior year in high school. Each year has you memorizing questions and answers from the Westminster Catechism, foundational Bible verses and hymns.

Susan Hunt's Big Truths for Little Kids - Growing up Catholic, hearing the word "catechism" brought up really bad memories. Now that I was a Christian, I wanted my kids to have a personal relationship with the Lord and NOT a rote relationship. As I grew in my walk with the Lord, I met ladies whom I greatly admired. Their children had a deep understanding of God and His word. Something that I did not have. They all had one thing in common - the children had gone through the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I put that thought on the back burner, but when I heard Voddie Bacuham talk about it, he related it like this. We do rote with our children all the time. Whenever you ask your child a question, and they respond with an answer you taught them - that is a catechism. I had mentioned before a book called Training Heart, Teaching Minds that also goes through the catechism. That book really is for OLDER children. This book, Susan's book, is for YOUNGER children. A word of warning about this book. It does focus a bit on how non-Christian's sin without having the Christian children realize that they are sinners too. But that is just a great opportunity to discuss with your children the importance of looking to the cross and not being legalistic. :D

21 Rules of this House - while there is a book for this (which we have, but only because I found a used book in AWESOME condition for a buck at a garage sale), you do not need the book. The web site I gave has all 21 rules. We go through one a week, catechism style (LOL!). We have already done up to number 6 and I will tell you that these are GREAT! When a child is breaking a rule we have already learned, I can point to the rule (what is rule number 3?) and the child will change their behavior!! I know that with the other books I am using, the Scriptural reference for the rule will be hidden in their heart.

CHEC - Teaching Your Children to Stand Alone

Teaching Your Children to Stand Alone

Speaker: Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler

Make wise choices about what your children are involved in.

Transfer the Bible to your child by using the Bible to set authority.

**BE CAREFUL NOT TO BE A CONTROLLING SPIRIT!**

Who will control your life? God or you?

Even if you are under Christian authority (like instead of public school you are in a Christian school), you are under "Christian control" and it is not God's control.

Slowly wean control so they can be free.

Two CD's to listen to would be _Letting Children Fly the Coop_ and _Letting Children Stand Alone_.

Age of accountability? 20 years Numbers 1:3, 18-45

Teach them how to reason Biblically and how to find answers in the Bible.

Trust them and stand by them.

Train how overcome.

While others are bowing at anything and refusing to stand alone, Shadrach, Meschac and Abendigo refused to bow down and were willing to stand alone.

Teach your children the consequences of wrong stand.

Discern and discriminate.

CHEC - The Making or Breaking of a Leader

The Making or Breaking of a Leader - What's The Missing Link??

Speaker: Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler

Everything you do leaves a mark on your children.

When a man who carved a lion out of a rock was asked "how did you get a lion out of that rock?" he answered "I chipped away everything that was not a lion."

The rock of course would be screaming out STOOOOPPPPP! NOOOOOOO!!! if it could.

We are all chipped away/chipped on as God refines us.

CHARACTER! Integrity vs. Reputation

if I am the best at something, in the end, what does it matter? (reputation

Integrity is internal ... reputation is external

Integrity is what you believe ... reputation is what you live

Integrity is your face ... reputation is your photograph (not sure what that meant, should have taken better notes)

Integrity is what God knows about you ... reputation is what people think of you.

Stainglass....

Integrity is beauty seen light within ... reputation is beauty seen light from out

In the Bible:

Balaam - lacks character

Jezebel lacks character

Delilah lacks character

Absolom

saul

Ecc 10:1

Once you lose character, you cannot gain it back.

Training, discipline and God's word - how to get character

it comes through prayer, fasting, discipline ...

blameless, upright, fears God, turns from evil - JOB

Reading good books; discerning movies - this is good ... that is bad; repenting yourself in front of the children.

How can you give to your children what you have not overcome??

He shared a VERY powerful story about how he used to be a liar. He grew up learning to lie. And he had to overcome it. He had prayed and prayed and then the Lord put him in a situation where they were late for church. He was speeding and a cop pulled him over.

When the officer approached him and asked him if he knew why he had been pulled over, Little Bear answered "Yes I was speeding and I would like my ticket."

The officer, astounded, put his hand on his gun and told Little Bear to get out of the car. While Little Bear did promptly. With his hand still on his gun, the officer told Little Bear to move to the back of the car and then over to the side of the road ... which Little Bear did (please understand Little Bear told this so much better and funnier than I am). The officer then went on to say that Little Bear's license plate sticker was expired. Little Bear apologized saying that he did not realize since all his stickers are at different months and he would get it taken care of.

The police officer then realized that his driver's license had a different address on it than the one he said he lived at. Little Bear explained that his birthday was coming up when he was supposed to renew his license and he was just going to get the address changed at that time as they were currently building their house and had only been living in it for three months.

The officer then told him to stay there and went and talked to Little Bear's wife. He came back and said "you lied to me." Little Bear said "No, officer, I did not lie to you. Everything I told you has been the truth." The officer and Little Bear went back and forth "you lied to me" ... "no I did not." Finally, Little Bear said "Officer, how did I lie to you?" The officer replied that his wife said they had been in the house for 5 months not three.

Little Bear said "Officer, I am under a lot of stress right now and said the first number that came into my head, as we have not been there very long, but I promise you, with God as my witness I have not lied to you. I want you to give me every ticket you can think of. Give me the ticket for speeding, for the license plate and for the driver's license .. I want them all."

The officer laughed and said "I'm not gonna give you any ticket."

The Lord tested Little Bear that day, and a few times more, but Little Bear had been set free from a lying spirit.

CHEC - WARNING! Public Schools Are Not For Christians

WARNING! Public Schools Are Not For Christians

Speaker: Richard "Little Bear" Wheeler

This was AWESOME! Because everyone in there was already homeschooling, Little Bear changed the talk a little bit. The insight was AMAZING!

The problem with public school is that the parents are not involved so they don't know what is going on in the lives of their children and what evil is being slipped in.

Who's authority do we want our children to be under? Who is to be the authority in their life? The teacher? The TV? No, PARENTS are!

Public school is not just not Christian, it is aggressively anti-Christian. (He then gave examples of some things that are happening in schools today.) When he was going to school, in December, you got a Christmas Holiday (this was the time off from school - Christ Celebration of a Holy Day). Then it became Christmas Break. Now it is Winter Break. Christ has been totally removed from it. The winter programs are very new ageish, including chanting and sitting in groups according to astrological signs.

Most people use the excuse of "well I (you) went to public school, and you turned out OK." But how much BETTER we would have been if we had not gone to public school!

The Bible says the fool says in his heart that there is no God. And the public school system says there is no God. So when you send your kids to public school, you are sending them to be educated by fools!

In the old cowboy movies, you see a shoot out. One man always says "I'm going for it, cover me!" Then he would go for it and his partner would stand up and pow pow pow pow pow! He would shoot and protect... cover the man who went for it. When you send your child to public school, they are not covered.

The most important thing you can give your child is a love of God.

Don't get stressed out - turn their hearts to the Lord.

We need to teach our children to be self-governing Christians. Teach them to goto the Bible to govern themselves.

Read the book of Acts. Study the book of Acts. The last church will be like the first church.

Current Web Readings

Yardsale Treasure Map
This is GREAT!! It will plan out a route for you to hit garage sales near you! Helps save on gas because you make a full circle! WOW!!! :D

The True Vine by Andrew Murray
First, if you have not read anything by Andrew Murray, you are missing out. Secondly, this 31 day devotional (which can be done in less than 5 minutes a day!) is a very in depth study of John 15:1-16. I actually have a copy of this book (gotten off PaperBack Swap for free). But this link goes to a free online copy that you can print out if yo wish, or just read on the computer.

God's Littler Princess Ballet
OH how I wished I lived closer!!! If you have a daughter and live near here, you should check it out!

Free Homemaking Lessons
SWEET! HT: The Old Schoolhouse Magazine on FaceBook

Free Biblical Word Fill-In Puzzles
I LOVE these and they are so hard to find!!! Here are some BIBLICAL ones you can print out and take on vacation this summer!

Speaking of summer...
Entry Fee Waived to National Parks for three weekends during the summer. HT: The Homeschool For Free FaceBook page (don't miss out on the freebies! Join the Homeschool For Free FaceBook page!!!)

I Am ... joyful

I look awfully washed out in this photo. But I am feeling REALLY sick right now, so maybe I AM that pastey white. LOL!!!

More often than not you will catch me laughing. I will admit that there are times when I look at circumstances around me instead of on things above, and that makes me cranky and moody and just a horrible person to be around. I sadly take it out on the kids and my husband.

How come it is so EASY to hurt those we love? We put on a totally different face around others. Or we just withdrawal. We use the "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" when dealing with others, but with those we are closest to, we feel we have the right to be forward with them and use "honesty" as the guise by which we say mean and hurtful things.

But I am choosing to look at the positive. :D While I do have those bad and nasty times, more often than not, I am smiling, laughing, or making someone else laugh. There is SO MUCH to take JOY in: God's creation, His Son, my husband, my children, my family, my friends ... one cannot HELP but feel blessed and happy.

Why do we chose to focus on the negative? It doesn't glorify God. And it certainly does not make one feel any better.

And not only that, but what kind of example does it set to others when we are to be examples of Christ? "Well if that person is negative and putting themselves down all the time, I don't WANT to be a Christian!" Christ died to set us FREE. Why do we keep ourselves in bondage to negative thoughts rather than taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus?

God never said it was easy nor a one time thing. We are to renew our minds DAILY! We are bombarded with media and past teachings/images. DAILY we are to take up our cross. DAILY we are to renew our minds. EVERY thought to be in obedience. FREEDOM.

I know the times I am most happy are the times when I AM focusing on the positive. And isn't focusing on the positive the same as renewing our mind? Taking every thought captive? :D

My beloved was reading a blog that put it like this:

You and your day are on a scale. On one side are all the accomplishments you have done. Everything you have done right. Everything that went right. On the other side is everything you didn't accomplish that you feel guilty about. Everything that went wrong. And everything you messed up on.

At the end of the day, the side which has the most on it will determine how you feel about the day. If you accomplished more and had more things go right, you will feel happy and joyful. However, if you had more things go wrong and had an unproductive day, you will not feel joyful.

I have noticed that when I think back on the days recently where I felt it was a great day, I notice that is true. It wasn't perfect, but I accomplished more on those days than on days where I felt that I was a failure - days where nothing seemed to go right.

So again, I choose to renew my mind. Yes, I am a sinner. Yes, I have my (many many many) faults. But I tend to have more smiles and joy and laughter that weigh my joyful side to be stronger. :) Renewing my mind, taking thoughts captive to obedience to Jesus, not to mention DOING things (there really is something about having idle hands that drains joy!) and I am joyful. It is a mystery to me how to be joyful, how I can be joyful in God. But it is a fruit of the Spirit that we can cultivate. And I am so thankful for the lessons He has taught me. Now I pray for the strength and ability to keep them applied daily! :D

Proverbs??

I went into the children's room to tuck them in for the night and read the catechism of the day with them (we just restarted this again, so it is still new). As I opened up the Bible, EE said "Proverbs?"

I knew that she was thinking that I was going to read the Proverbs of the day (you know, where you read the Proverbs that corresponds to the date, Proverbs 21 on the 21st and so on). And I had several thoughts at once:

1) I came in here to read and work on the catechism with you and that is what we are going to do.
2) If I read the Proverbs of the day AND try to do this, it will be too much for you girls and no one will pay attention to the catechism and we will be a day off.
3) If I try to read both, I do not have enough time and will be in here too long and not get JJ down too.

So I skipped the Proverbs of the day, which honestly I have not read to them in a long time (about a month or two).

So I am sitting here in bed listening to Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I love her and her books and her broadcast - so godly. Anyways, she is interviewing Randy Alcorn and his book The Treasure Principle (which by the way as of this writing has 6 copies available on for free on PaperBack Swap - it had seven, but I just ordered my copy). :D

Anyways, he is talking about where your treasure in, there your heart is also. So if you want a more godly life, spend more time giving to God of your time, your money, your possessions, of yourself.

And I was totally convicted. I started thinking about what sort of example am I setting for my children? Am I showing them how important time in God's word is? Am I showing them how to cultivate a personal relationship with them?

The daily reading of the Proverbs is important to my daughter. When I was reading it daily, I noticed she was in the word at lot more herself. She was reading and UNDERLING and CIRCLING meaningful passages in her Bible. She was cultivating a personal relationship with Jesus.

It amazes me how sometimes what seems so little to us in HUGE in the lives of our children. Especially as they are growing in their walk with the Lord.

I Am ... Fun????

With me being a no Mom and all, I can be quite uptight at times. TOO often if you ask me.

And it saddens me. There is no joy like that of seeing your children happy. Of hearing laughter and knowing your children have joy. I don't hear it nearly as often as I would like. I really need to lighten up!!

I think to the Disney version of Pollyanna. I love how Pollyanna approached the pastor, who had was always preaching hellfire and damnation, and shared with him about joy. There are 800 texts that talk about joy, and if the Lord took care to mention it that many times, He must want us to be joyful. "The glad texts" are what her father called them.

Well, I am not quite sure how many times truly the Bible tells us to be glad or joyful, but I do know that it is a lot. And I do know that He WANTS for us to be joyful, and to enjoy Him and His creation.

For the past two days, with me working on being a yes Mom more, and working on being more joyful, I have heard my children laughing more. I see them smiling more. And I have heard them say "Mom, you make things fun." Things I heard on occasion before, are now becoming everyday sayings!

My children notice a difference in me, and it is a good thing. And I am trying. I am trying SO HARD and I fall so short so many times. It is so EASY to lose my patience, and with that goes my joy too.

I am reminded of how when my kids do something wrong, I always remind them that we are all sinners and fall short. It is EASY to do the selfish and sinful thing - we don't have to TRY to. But we do have to try to do the selfless thing and glorify God with our thoughts, words and actions. I apologize to my kids often and it seems I am always asking their forgiveness. I am so thankful they are so quick to forgive (though they do not as easily forget - but that is another subject). :D

And I notice, in working on joy, and being a yes Mom, that I am spending more time WITH my kids. They love spending time with me. And I love spending time with them. I think I sometimes get so caught up in other things, sadly, that I lose time WITH them. Oh how SHORT and precious is that time!!!

I don't like goofiness. I don't think it glorifies God. God never intended for us to be fools. But I do like being fun. Fun hats, fun noses, fun jokes... finding joy in the little mundane things. It brings a family closer. And I love it!

I AM ... A book lover/collector/reader

I cannot get enough of BOOKS!! My poor husband! Our house is overflowing with books. I just do not have enough bookshelves for all the BOOKS I have (nor do I have the time to READ all the books, but that does not stop me from collecting them). *hint hint honey, PLEASE build me that library bookcase you and I talked about when we first moved into the house hint hint*

This is the chair I got at a garage sale for only $18 when they were wanting $30. This chair was MADE for me! LOL!! I love to sit in it. And I LOVE to read. I will admit that I really do not like to waste my time on fictional books. I rarely read them anymore. But this one, Stepping Heavenward by Elisabeth Printess, is WONDERFUL! It is the diary of a young girl who just turned 16. And it travels with her through her life, marriage, kids (and that is as far as I have read). It encourages me in my walk with the Lord. THOSE are the kind of fictional books I like to read. Books that make a better person BECAUSE I read them.

And I have NOT found many books that are fictional that have that outcome (if you know of any PLEASE let me know!).

So most of the books I read are non-fiction. How to be a better wife... a better mother .. take better pictures... homeschool the kids.. raise Godly kids... well YOU get the idea. :)

But in all that reading, it does me no good without application. I realized that long ago, but tend to need REMINDERS every now and then. To be DOERS of the word, not just hearers.

George Muller decided early on in his walk with the Lord that he needed to stop reading books about the Bible and JUST read the Bible. There really is everything in there for us. And yet, I find little time to read it. But I can find plenty of time to read a book about the Bible (or specifically about a certain TOPIC within the Bible - like parenting, being a helpmeet, etc.). Is that because the Bible is difficult to understand?

I was listening to a local radio station the other day. He was talking about how he and his now wife used to live apart when they were dating/engaged. And by apart, I mean states apart. So they would write to each other. Every day he would get a letter, he looked forward to getting the letter, and would be standing at the mailbox when the mailman arrived. When we was reading her letters, he didn't need to look up words in the Greek or Hebrew dictionary. He KNEW what she meant. And none of it bored him. He loved hearing about her Aunt and cousin second removed. He loved all the begots. He loved every word of her letter, no matter what she said.

God's word is a love letter to US. To ME. To my children. We should love the begots. We should look forward to reading it with the same anticipation we look forward to reading a love letter from our spouse. We ... **I** need to fall in love with my Savior again. And savor His words ... His love for me. And I need to be a doer of the word and not just a hearer.

Current Web Readings

How to Afford Eating Real Food
I could not agree more with this wonderful post! It amazes me how many people say they cannot afford to eat healthy/organic/real food but spend money on things like manicures. :) I usually save money buying organic compared to buying conventional.

I thought I had some good tips for saving at the farmer's market! Here are some GOOD ones that I had not thought of before.

Are Canned Foods Necessary For Emergencies?
I must admit that I hate canned foods. They are so unhealthy for you. And they leach unhealthy chemicals into the food. We are going to do our best to can our own (in glass canned jars, not the metal ones from the store). I liked what this article had to say, as well as the link in it for the freezer stock. :) GREAT stuff!

Learning Hymns
Unless your kids are singing hymns, you have no idea the joy that wells up within your heart when you hear your two year old singing "I'll Fly Away" or "Nothing But The Blood." What I just LOVE about hymns (and something that is missing with most all today's "Christian" music, is that there is a focus on God, not on self. Most songs today focus on self or feeling good. Hymns focus on the Lord and our walking in Him.

Staycation Ideas
LOVE LOVE LOVE this site! Whether you are staying home (or local) for a vacation OR just want some FUN ideas for family nights THIS is THE site!!

FREEBIE - booklet on prayer for preschoolers

This book is GREAT! VERY easy to understand and share with your children AND it has a prayer pocket craft. Grab it while it is free!!! :D

Yes, you do have to be a member to download it, but membership is free!!

Current Web Readings

This is kinda short this week. It is so much easier for me to just click "Share of Facebook" when i find a good link! LOL!!! So I have a TON of links on my FB page.

God's Devine Order
A good reminder.

Are Your Kids Hearing God's Voice?
This was a good conviction. We will be working on this this week.

Affliction
a wonderful and timely reminder of how to handle affliction.

Daily Paul
I never would have thought myself a supporter of Ron Paul. I was a HUGE Huckabee fan during the last election. But there is a passion for truth stirred up inside of me. A passion for America to return back to what our forefathers desired for this country and it's people. Read on...

Berkey Water Bottle
I SOOOOOO want one of these for every member in the family!

How To Cure A Sugar Fiend
I can't WAIT to make that breakfast for my daughters!