Dec. 10, 2009 - Daily Word
After reading the news, this Scripture came to my mind:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus....
----I Timothy 2:1-5
To which I offer a hearty, "Amen!"
Dec. 10, 2009 - Christmas Vacation Is Here!
Let the choirs sing, bells ring out, merry shouts fill the air and listen to the all around happy noise-making of kids and mom and dad as we welcome Christmas Vacation! Yippee! Yippee! It's here! It's here! Bring on the party, the hot cocoa, the Chrismas carols, the mistletoe, the cards and even the fruitcakes!
We've got our Christmas movies ready to watch, we're playing our favorite Christmas recording, [Judy Collins at Biltmore], and I'm thinking about pulling out a couple of old recipes---Mamaw's apple stack cake and one for peppermint cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust.
Hmmm, in that case I'd better add one more "bring on..."-----elastic waist pants!!!!LOL!!!!
Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!!!!!
Dec. 11, 2009 - Planning for Kirsten
Now that I have my posts written about Josefina I can start thinking about Kirsten! We won't start meeting again for American Girl until January. But, I am determined to have everything planned out and prepped before we start this time!
So here is the plan!
Crafts:
1. Patchwork Pillow
2. Bunny Pincushion
3. Quilted Potholder
4. Yarn Doll
5. chromatrope toy and Geography Notebook Pages
6. Midsummers Wreath
Ongoing craft:
Braided Rugs
Snack:
1. Swedish Meatballs
2. Swedish Crackers with Lingonberry Jam
3. Swedish Rice Porridge (Skansk Grot)
4. Rye Bread and homemade butter. (Have girls make the butter in a jar.)
5. Potato Soup
6. Pepparkakor Cookies
Whew, so there is the plan! Now for the shopping and cutting and prepping. Then I am ready to go!
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Dec. 10, 2009 - American Girl Club Josefina Weeks 4, 5 and 6
The hard part about trying to post about the last 3 weeks of Josefina 6 weeks after we finished the study is I CAN'T REMEMBER what we did! LOL I have been SO busy with unpacking, homeschooling, Thanksgiving and Christmas I just keep putting off posting about the end of Josefina. So I finally went back and flipped through the pictures I took and this is what it looks like we did the last 3 weeks of club! I am not going to try to put it all in order. It's all just too blurry!
There was one activity we did that I know the girls really liked. I think it's in book 4 where they take the blankets they have woven to the market and sell them. I wanted the girls to get an idea what it was like to have to trade on the barter system. So I brought a bunch off odd things to represent other things and had them trade. We broke the girls up into 4 groups. One group had paper cups that represented sheep. One group had paper napkins that represented blankets. One group had a mix of things. Mirrors, jewelry, crafts. (Whatever I had in my craft cupboard!) and the last group had money. The girls had to go around and trade with each other and try to get a good "deal". They had to decide how many blankets a sheep was worth and how many craft items were worth a blanket. Etc. The object was to end up with something from each group. After the finished we talked about their experience. Was it easier for the group that had money? (I had gotten some BIG coins at the dollar store designed to be hung on a schoolroom wall.) How did they decide the value of the different items? It was interesting to see their thoughts and hear their ideas.
The crafts we did for the last 3 weeks of Josefina were:
coiled pots, whisk brooms and memory books We also made geography notebooks and weavings.
Coiled Pot
These are made with air dry clay. Super simple. Just make coils and roll them into a pot! These were lots of fun. I also provided glass beads for the girls to decorate their pots with.
Whisk Broom
For this craft I cut up the larger brooms I got at the dollar store to make the smaller ones! LOL Our finished brooms were the type of brooms (right side) that Josefina would have used not only to sweep the floor but to comb her hair too! The girls had fun combing each others hair when they finished these.
Memory Book
In one of the books when Josefina's aunt comes to visit she tells them about the memory book she keeps to help her remember their mama who died a year earlier. To make our book we used brown craft paper for the cover. The girls colored a picture on it and then we crumpled them up to make them look old. We folded over white paper for the inside and held it all together with yarn.
Here are the girls coloring their memory books.
The Geography Notebooks are something we did the same night we made the brooms.
Since the brooms took about 2 minutes to make we had extra time. So I printed out a map to mark where Josefina lived and then some worksheets about New Mexico. We will add pages for each of the girls as we study them.
Weaving was an ongoing project we worked on a little every night. Not only did the girls work on their cardboard weavings, but I also had a small lap loom for them to try out.
My daughter giving the lap loom a try.
The lap loom was a hit!
The girls had a lot of fun with the cardboard weavings too.
My daughters finished project now hangs proudly in our new schoolroom!
So that is what I remember about Josefina! LOL I have learned my lesson for sure, I have to blog as I go! If only there was more time in the day!
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
To read all my American Girl posts click HERE.
Dec. 10, 2009 - Games for Happy Birthday Jesus Party
Here are the games we will be playing at our Happy Birthday Jesus party on Friday!
Bingo...
I made custom cards here: http://print-bingo.com
Top Game
This one I printed out here: http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/freeChristmasLesson.html
To play you pass the top around the circle, each person taking a turn spinning it. When it is your turn to spin you get to pick up the word that the top stops on. The object to to get all 4 words...CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL. I printed out the Bible verse to remind them that Immanuel means "God with us." The first person to get all 4 words yells out GOD WITH US!
We have 40 kids signed up for the party. So we will have them in 4 groups of 10. They will travel through 4 stations. At two stations they will make ornaments and at two they will play a game.
We are looking forward to it! This is a fun way to remember that "Jesus is the reason for the season!"
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Dec. 9, 2009 - History In the Backyard
You know, when you are a homeschool mom, you learn to capitalize on those unexpected teachable moments. Especially if you love history. When signs started cropping up around our neighborhood advertising "Civil War Trails of Tennessee," I knew we'd be having some carschool very soon. But I never expected what we found.
The road we live on ends at a lake--we are very close to its end. Across this lake is a cemetery. This particular road is quite long, too, being a main thoroughfare from a small town to a larger one. Not one of the towns along it, though, give the road it's name. Did there used to be a town by the name of our road? We've often idly wondered, but never took time to research it.
The answer came on our trip to follow the Civil War signs. Literally in our backyard, under the lake, there was once a town. It prospered as a river stop before the Civil War, but lost prosperity as the railroad bypassed it in the late 1800s. What was left of it--18 buildings-- was torn down when TVA cleared land in preparation for flooding it behind a new dam. .
What is really interesting is it's most famous visitor in December, 1863.
From the Civil War Trails display across the lake from the house in an old cemetery, we've learned that our sleepy little corner was once visited by two opposing Generals. In the middle of the Civil War, Confederate General Longstreet came north to attack Knoxville. Unable to cross here, he crossed at Loudon. In hot pursuit came General William Tecumseh Sherman and his forces. The river was too deep and cold for his marching men. True to form, he had several buildings torn down to make a bridge for his men and crossed successfully. We've also learned that he and his army made camp nearby at a place now known as National Campgound, and quite possibly came across what is now our property.
At any rate, our American history studies have come alive like never before. We're hoping to visit a couple of small museums soon. We've also cultivated the friendship of a very knowledgeable lady from church who is a lifelong resident of this community. If we learn any more "history in our backyard" lessons, I'll post them here, too.
Ah, I LOVE homeschooling!
Dec. 9, 2009 - Ornaments
Friday we are having a Happy Birthday Jesus party with our homeschool group. The kids will be making 2 Christmas ornaments at the party. Here are the samples that my kiddos and I made yesterday.
Angel Ornament
The directions to make the angel above are here:
http://www.christiancrafters.com/craft_angel_clip.html
(I used a little piece of silver pipe cleaner for the halo on my version.)
Candy Cane Ornament
Here is what is written on the Candy Cane one.
The Candy Cane
“J” is for Jesus the one and only son of God whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. He came as an act of love to save us from our sins.
The white base color of the candy cane reminds us that he was pure and completely without sin.
The red stripes remind us of the blood He shed to save us from our sins.
The candy is bent into a cane to remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Turn it over and it becomes a "J" for Jesus!
A simple piece of candy, yet it is so much more. A reminder of our Lord and Saviour!
:^)
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Dec. 8, 2009 - In Full Swing!
Here we are, wrapping up a semester in homeschool, scheduling 2 of three reconstructive surgeries for my Dad, hip deep in faxes, remodeling, phone calls, address labels [for the Christmas cards], and all I can think about is hubby's upcoming vacation!
After scrounging and being stingy with his vacation and sick days all year in order to make sure he could take off work to be with our children while I help my Dad, we somehow ended the year with a BUNCH of days to take off. They can't be carried over, so we have a Christmas Break with Daddy home!
My husband has already laid the law down--NO SCHOOL while he is off. So, we are trying to wrap up some studies before next week. I'm in the middle of scheduling surgeries, appointments [at least eleven in two different cities] , sick leave, and staring at my Christmas cards for family and friends. Whew, at least the envelopes are labeled--thanks to my early gift of a printer/fax machine/scanner/etc.
And my coat[s]-of -many colors dining room? Well, I've been wavering between tans, sagey greens, and country blues for a long time. So when I went to the paint store with hubby, we made our choice. RED! Boy oh boy, is our dining room red. It will be finished by Saturday. I'm still in shock over such a vivid color. It will take some getting used to.
Hubby is preaching Sunday morning at a friend's church, and then both children's plays will be Sunday night. The deacons will be serving dinner to widows at church Thursday night --all I need is to get a couple of desserts together. We bought ingredients yesterday, and I can bake them Thursday morning.
Sound hectic? Yes. But by next week all our "stuff" should be done. All the parties from church are over [couldn't go, we were sick], the Christmas plays will be done, only one family get-together after that, and just some cookies to bake for Sunday School. Then, we will have two weeks with hubby to play, decorate the tree, visit friends, and celebrate. Oh, and take lots and lots of pictures! We are looking forward to some family time to dwell on the reason for the season--JESUS!
Hmm, I've got to post about finding out about the underwater town just a stone's throw from our backyard. And how General Sherman marched through it. How's that for a cliffhanger?
Dec. 8, 2009 - Our New Schoolroom
Well after a little over 8 weeks in the new house we are pretty much unpacked. The downstairs is done and we are living in every inch of it! So I thought I would share with you our latest and greatest schoolroom!
This is the main sitting area in the schoolroom. I look forward to many hours of couch time here with my littles reading our Sonlight!
This is my favorite new addition to the schoolroom. I LOVE this painting which I wanted to buy 2 years ago for our other house but I didn't have room for it. A friend had bought it 2 years ago but no longer had room for it so I managed to talk her out of it. :^) On the shelf below the picture are souvenirs from our travels all over the USA. We have had a lot of fun putting it together and look forward to adding a lot more trinkets in the future.
Here is our wall of beloved books and our school table.
The big open space in the middle of the room is my favorite space! Lots of room to get down on the floor and work on things. A true blessing!
And if we need even more space we can spread into the entry way too. The whole space is 18' X 18'. It is wonderful! I still can't believe it is ours!
While I am showing the schoolroom I might as well show you the rest of the downstairs too. This is the family room.
And the family room from the other direction.
This is the dining area and the kitchen. (Laundry room and pantry is off the kitchen through the door by the fridge. The hall leads back to the schoolroom.)
As you can see we have all our treasures unpacked and on display. I guess you can tell I LOVE STUFF! LOL (Except moving it! YIKES! That is a job!)
You can see pictures of our last 2 schoolrooms HERE.
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin
Sunday, December 6, 2009 - Maintaining excitement throughout THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
QUESTION: "Amy, how do you maintain excitement for 12 days of Christmas Shmily time? I tried it last year and frankly it was hard! Hubby was feeling special but honestly I just wanted to be left alone and sleep. Help me get mentally straightened out to try again!" - JessicaI have to be honest... I struggle EVERY year with this whole thing, to some extent. Now, don't get me wrong, it's so much better than it used to be BEFORE I started the "12 days of Christmas" with my hubby... but that doesn't mean it doesn't go off without some trials, and I honestly believe that the more women that I tell about the 12 days of Christmas in order to bless their marriages... well, do you think that satan is just gonna sit back and watch my marriage flourish? Absolutely not!
I honestly hesitated this year when I realized when THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS was going to be and when the baby was due... I am literally due the day before I normally start this whole thing (which is my hubby's birthday) and so not only did I realize I was going to have the "normal" struggles of prior years... but having a baby at some point before the 12 days is up certainly means I'm gonna need to get a LITTLE... uh... creative... Not only will hormones be in full swing... but I will have a new little one "sucking the life out of me" (I nurse my babies) and that can be draining as well.
But the more I thought about "canceling" the whole thing... the more I knew I needed to do it... not just for my sweet Beloved... but because I needed to look forward to it as well. I needed to remind myself of all those reasons I fell in love with my husband... and the many more that I've fallen in love with since then.
I think we all know that by doing this... we certainly are blessing our husbands and our marriages... but I realized how I've really taken the whole thing for granted by thinking that I'm doing my husband some great big favor... when, in reality... I am equally blessed by these very special 12 days each year. By focusing on the good things about my husband, I "fall in love" all over again with the man I married... but there is still more...
I GET to serve my husband more intentionally then I normally do. Sure, I wash his clothes, make meals for him (although I don't know if he'd say that's a blessing or not considering the cook HE is), make sure his closet is full of clothing that fits and shoes to wear... but I can so easily fall into the routine of being his wife, that I forget the privilege of being so much more... a servant who acts out of love, expecting nothing in return... THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS makes me focus on my husband's wants, needs, and desires more than ever before and I find myself truly loving making him smile. It's no longer about what he's done for me... what I might get in return... or why he isn't do this or that... my focus is not on ME... and honestly women, that's right where God wants me as a wife all the time.
So, while I know 12 days IS hard to keep the excitement alive... I want to challenge you to really focus on your husband and not yourself... push yourself to go a little further when you feel like throwing in the towel... go the distance because in the end... it will not only be your husband that will be blessed... but you as well.
FYI: I made a booklet to encourage your husband for 30 weeks... in it there are a few things that might help you to stay focused on your hubby as you prepare for the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS... and to help you stay that way throughout. You can find the booklet by clicking the following link: 30-week Husband Encouragement Challenge.
