Posted By Canadagirl in
Tightwad Tuesday
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Save In Piggybacking
In all the changes that I have made this year I have been learning the importance of "piggybacking". Piggybacking is when you butt one thing after the other and save because it is already heated up. For example... to dry one load of laundry after the other and save because the dryer is already heated up. Another way I have piggybacked my savings is when I roast my coffee beans. I roast what I need for that week...one batch after the other. A third way that I can think of right off the bat is piggybacking while baking or cooking with the oven. Get the biggest bang for your buck by baking several things together and right after the other. In the winter time it is also a nice way to raise the temperature a little in your house. I guess you can say it is like multi-tasking your energy use and save. 
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Now to join in the fun of Tightwad Tuesday....
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Link your TWT post click on MckLinky and give exact the URL of your post. (each Tuesday that you join in on the fun)
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example of a URL ...
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Canadagirl/693425/
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Now go ahead link and read and comment on all these other's wonderful TWT's.
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Lets save our pennies, nickles, dimes, and dollars together !
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"There are only a few big ways to save money but there are many small ways ....that all adds up."
Posted By FaithfulGrace in
Quiet Time Thoughts
Today I am grateful for.....
~Answered prayer...I have been praying about something for a long time. This weekend I finally got the fact that I was standing in the way of God answering my prayer in His way. I kept trying to fix/solve the problem. Within hours of surrendering it to the Lord, He answered my prayer in a great way.
~Great husbands.....my is the best!
~Grandparents....We had a fun time with Grandparents at our Keeper's Grandparents luncheon.
~My dog Belle....She is such a great dog and she likes me best!
Sleeping on my leg.
Poor dear, Grace dressed her up!
Posted By Steve Walden in
Connecting with God
In a former life that I now dimly remember, I occasionally got free music as a sales associate for The Ark Bookstore in Denver. Normally, the samples were of new, relatively unknown groups that their label was trying to push. There was the rare exception, however, and those were moments that made the low wages and long hours almost worth it. Chief among those moments was when our Sparrow representative stopped by with a pre-release copy of Steve Taylor's 1993 album, Squint. It was the last—so far—studio album that Taylor would release, capping a decade-long career in the Christian music industry. Most folks don't know who Steve Taylor is. However, most Christians have likely heard the Newsboys' song, Shine, which Steve produced and wrote the lyrics to. In fact, Steve's partnership with the Newsboys is what most credit them for their success.
Steve's music has had a huge impact on my life. Songs like Hero, Meltdown, On The Fritz and so many others fed my spirit when I faced religious hypocrisy and pretentious spirituality at a young age where I needed truth and solidarity. Truth confronts, but it also comforts. One of the best examples is in the song, "Curses," where the chorus (echoing Psalm 37:25) repeats,
Never have I seen the righteous forsaken
Never abandoned in the floodlands
Never have I seen their children out begging
Never have I seen them slip through your hands
This simple refrain would echo in my mind every time I faced worries about making mortgage or buying groceries. It remains a reminder that not only is God faithful, but that I am not the first of his children to encounter financial difficulty.
There is something else about the chorus. In this modern,"lower-middle class" lifestyle, I tend to forget the meaning of floodlands. Today, modern civilization has flood control. Rivers that used to rage and ravage towns and cities are now harnessed and regulated by dams and reservoirs. The floodlands were areas that were normally dry but prone to extensive inundation. As a result, no one who could afford to build would build in such an area. They tended to be vast areas with thick undergrowth crisscrossed by a myriad of foot trails. The only inhabitants were the poorest of the poor, vagrants living a nomadic lifestyle and eating hand-to-mouth. If a river were to flood, they would be among the first victims, sometimes the only victims. Being abandoned in the floodlands would never be by choice. It would be the last stop before dying.
God is always mindful of our situation. He never lets us slip through His hands. We make mistakes, but He
never does. Also, notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that we would never see the floodlands, or walk through them. He may have us pass through the floodlands for any number of reasons, not the least of which would be to reach out to those are also in desperate need. Yet here is the one thing that brings me such comfort: we will never be abandoned! We have a God who carries us through the fiercest storms and the highest waves. Most importantly, when it's all over, we get to go home with Him. That's worth any trek we might face here on earth.
Just in case one thinks I'm blowing smoke, I'll offer a subjective proof, one of many small miracles God has done for me and my family. Two weeks ago, my mind turned to Christmas. It dawned on me that we might not make mortgage, let alone have the ability to purchase gifts this year for my children. Rather than fret, I told God about it and asked Him to please provide Christmas gifts for my kids. Later that week, I got a call from our church saying that a family wanted to bless a family in need with Christmas presents and asked if I would be interested. "Are you kidding? I was just praying about that this week!" I told them. Needless to say, everyone was blessed at how God worked the whole thing. He usually isn't so blatant and obvious. God uses subtle and practical ways for us most of the time. But once in awhile he offers us unmistakable signs that He's there. With God, we are never abandoned.
Posted By Julie in
Our Family, Our Lives
Contest Giveaway #3
Beeyoutiful's Tea Tree Oil
To enter just tell me about your favorite pet!
Was it a dog, cat, horse, hamster?
Do you still have her/him?
Entries taken until Wednesday night and I'll announce the winner on Thursday.
Please leave me a way to get in touch with you if you win.
Our sweet little kitty, Raider, is now living in NC with my best friend. She has a new name, Bella.
We miss her a lot. I want to know what she is doing and if she misses us.
HI RAIDER, I MEAN BELLA!!
I hope you live 20 long years and give my favorite friend lots of love and company.
WE MISS YOU!
Posted By SuperAngel in
The Daily Life at The Daily Planet
Samuel and Me
Isn't he just so handsome?! I'm taken yet again! :) He is so very precious and I am just so happy to have another baby brother to love and hold! :D I know that picture isn't enough, so here is more:
I'm In Love
Little Samuel
Isn't he the CUTEST?!
©AmandaDixon2009
Posted By Deborah D in
School Room
I'm watching my youngest son right now trying to juggle three little bags of skittles. The look on his face alone is priceless. I love cheap thrills.
Hesitantly, I thought I would start to fill in the gap of the last few months of silence. I guess I struggle with going that long and not blogging. Part of the time I wrestle with a terrible bout of "writers block" lately. While the rest of the time, I'm just trying to
find the time to sit down to do it. I hate that. Especially because it's something that I love doing so much. I find it aggravating to
want to pen my thoughts....and then not being able to collect the words to write. I don't know if anyone else finds themselves in that same boat. I'd really appreciate any suggestions on the subject.
At any rate, our new school year is out the gate and rounding the first corner, so to speak. Back in September I found a great online program for organizing, scheduling, and planning the school calendar. It's at
Homeschool Skedtrack. It took some time to get the courses and schedules entered. On a daily basis, it takes a little time to approve and update the work the kids have done. But, you can maintain grades and your school year calendar, and run reports as well. It's been a great way to lay out the lesson plans for the courses that I'm putting together on my own. I really love it. Each day we can print off the day's work for each child and that gives them something to manage their work a little more independently. They like being able to check things off. With a 9th grader this year, I'm looking forward to just being able to print off a transcript and report card from the tip of my fingers.
For curriculum, we have some "old faithfuls" and a few new additions, all as follows...
- Bible ~ All 3 are doing Kay Arthur's How to Study the Bible ~ for kids to begin with.
- Math ~ Math-u-See's Geometry for Bri, Pre-Alg for Sis and Zeta for Con
- Science ~ Apologia's General Science for Sis, Biology for Bri and Creation Science Botany for Con
- Grammar ~ Our Mother's Tongue
- Writing ~ IEW American History Vol. 1
- History ~ Beautiful Feet Early American and World History (literature-based) and American Heritage Series DVD's
- Basic Maps and Geography ~
- Literature ~ a broad look and discussion of different types of literature (Shakespeare, short plays, songs, classics, etc.)
- Art and Music Appreciation ~ I have designed a schedule using the Usborne Book of Art the Usborne Book of Art Skills and the Usborne Introduction to Music. One 2-hour class each week.
- Keyboarding ~ Mavis Beacon CD-Rom
- Guitar Lessons
