We are having fun baking around here this week.  We started off with our favorite Christmas cookie, Chocolate Surprise Cookies.

CHOCOLATE SURPRISE COOKIES

(bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees ~ makes about 8 dozen)

Purchase

8 dozen Hersheys Chocolate Kisses

Cream Together

1 1/2 cup of butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

Beat In

2 eggs

4 teas vanilla

1 teas almond extract

Add and Mix Thoroughly

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teas baking powder

1/2 tea salt

1 cup very finely chopped blanched almonds

Refrigerate dough to make it less sticky.  Form balls around each kiss so kiss is completely enclosed.  The thinner the dough on each kiss, the more kisses can be covered.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet until starting to turn light golden color.  Let cool -- These taste better that way.

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We made a DOUBLE batch (200 kisses) so that there would be plenty left over for Christmas gifts.

First the kids counted out 200 kisses using a tallying system.

Then the kids peeled the foil off the kisses.

Next we creamed the butter and sugars.

Next the kids chopped the blanched almonds.

Then they took a break for a sensory moment.  Ahhh...feel the blanched almonds.

Now we mixed in the rest of the flour and such.  This was about the time Mommy realized that she really did not have a big enough bowl for a double batch and she really NEEDS a Kitchen Aid mixer.  The kids started getting really messy, and the dog started waiting for flying food to land at her feet.

After giving up on the mixer and Mommy mixing the dough with her hands, it looked like this.

The kids rolled kisses into dough and put them on a baking sheet.

Yummy loveliness!  You can dress them up with some frosting and sprinkles if you wish.

Blessings,

Dawn

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Here's my Jon Deer.
Christmas shopping at the Bass Pro Shop Carter-style.

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MON: Grilled chicken, Tater tots, Broccoli

TUE: Crockpot BBQ pork, Rice, Salad

WED: Urban Garlic Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus

THU:  Spanish Rice, Salad

FRI: South African Slow Cooked Boboties, Bread, Fruit

SAT:  Eat Out

SUN: Leftovers

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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

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During the homeschooling journey, one will come across many times of stress, pressure and doubts.  The journey is full of waves knocking us to and fro as we try to maneuver our way down the path of educating our children.  It is always important  to have God's  Word  in our heart.  When we are in the middle of a storm, though, life is more manageable when we have His Word embedded in our heart.  When we can cite His Words that bolster us up and incite courage into our very being, this makes the going a bit more bearable.  His Word becomes our anchor as we are being tossed every which way by the waves of life.  His Word  calms our spirit and clears the emotional fog.

I have been in need of that anchor in the last few months as I have been dealing with health issues.  These issues and the ensuing effects have caused me to doubt myself and my ability to educate my children.  I have even gotten so far as to seriously consider putting them in school after the Christmas break.  I feel like I have let my children down.  Not only am I not giving them a Classical Education but it might also be debated whether I am giving them any kind of education at all.

Those are the words that I mutter to myself when I sink into that bad place.  That dark, suffocating place that does not abide in hope.  I don't like that place so I combat it by turning to God's Word.  I read His Word and commit it to my spirit, so that when the darkness starts to enfold me, I can hold it off by the light of His Word.  

When I am at this place, there are quite a few scriptures that wards off the darkness.  Here are a few  that I have relied on in the last few months.

For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.  Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.  Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of  truth.  (Ps. 31:3-5)

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.  (Ps. 31:24)

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness .  (Isaiah  41:10)

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.  (Ps. 5:3) 

I am so thankful for God's Word that I can cling to as my anchor through this rough time.  In clinging to His Word, I am assured that He will lead me to higher and drier ground  in time. 

Julia lives on the Canadian Prairies with her husband, homeschooling their 3 children (10,8,6) and is attempting to give them a Classical Education.  You can read more at her blog.

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Most of these ideas have to do with Bible verses, but the possibilities are endless!  Do you have ideas on how to creatively display scripture throughout your home?  Please share!

• Quilted Bible Cover ~ Although the Lord doesn't care whether our Bibles have a nifty cover, it's still a fun thing to make and use!  Not to mention it can be very handy for holding paper and pen for sermon notes.
• Stenciled Bible Verses ~ I saw this done at a church once, and the result was pretty and charming.  Get some lettering stencils, choose an appropriate verse, color, and wall, and get painting!  You could also stencil your verse on other things.
• Another way to burn verses into your memory, almost literally, is to burn them onto a piece of wood using a woodburning tool.  This technique is also called pyrography.  It produces a simple, yet lovely, effect if you merely write out your verse in plain letters with your woodburning iron, and then decorate it with pressed flowers.
• Still another way to display your favorite verses would be to print or write them out on a piece of paper, decorate it, frame it, and then hang it on your wall.  You could also choose to use counted cross-stitch to embroider your verse. 
  

Miss Eyebright enjoys crafts of all kinds, especially knitting.  You can find her blogging at Defective Compositions.

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99 Ways to Build Job Security (ISBN-13:978-0-307-45840-7) by Gary Nowinski, veteran in corporate management and downsizing.  Introduces key strategies to help employees keep their jobs during economic cutbacks. 

My review: This is a great little book that is very helpful for anybody who has a job or is looking for a job.  The 99 ways are fit into 7 chapters/topics which are: Behavior and Attitude, Education and Training, Communication, Appearance and Grooming, Soft Skills, Improving Presentation Skills, and Thoughts and Actions to Avoid.  I am pleased to see that each chapter begins with a Bible verse and each chapter ends with a summary which helps us remember what we just read :).  The author offers valuable advice and insights that are in line with the Scripture.  I plan to give this book as a gift to my brother.

The Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group introduces 99…times six…practical and up-to-date ways to help families flourish despite present economic challenges, priced at just $5.99 per book (WaterBrook Press, July 21, 2009). These books are not only timely, but also inexpensive enough to fit into everyone’s tightening budget.  Other titles in this series include:

99 Ways to Entertain Your Family for Free

99 Ways to Stretch Your Home Budget

99 Ways to Increase Your Income

99 Ways to Fight Worry and Stress

99 Bible Promises for Tough Times.

Written for families and individuals who are hoping to not only survive but thrive, during tough times. These value-packed, applicable resources offer relevant and reliable insights to endure the current economic downturn, and are sure to appeal to families in all stages of life.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------Just because the economy is suffering doesn’t mean relationships have to suffer, too. The Value Non-Fiction Line (September 15, 2009) offers insightful books on love, marriage, relationships and personal growth. At just $6.99, WaterBrook Press is offering readers on the most limited budgets, valuable resources to help them grow and succeed in their personal lives. Titles include: More Than A Match, Fool Proofing Your Life, How to Acts Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong, and What Women Don't Know and Men Don't Tell You. 

What Women Don’t Know and Men Don’t Tell You (ISBN: 978-0-307-45850-6)

by Michelle McKinney Hammond, best-selling author, speaker, singer and co-host, with Joel A. Brooks, Jr., senior pastor of Christian Life Center, clears up misperceptions, providing women with the information they need to succeed in a lasting male-female relationship, both while waiting and after the wait is over.

My Review: I would recommend this book to any single woman.  The authors share 14 rules of finding lasting love.  These rules are wise, healthy, practical, important, and supported by Biblical principles.  I like the fact that the authors make sure women realize that they can only be whole/complete/fulfilled by God alone, not any man or any relationship.  The authors also encourage women to wait for God's best, not to settle for less.  At the end of each chapter, you will find questions that help you think and hopefully, apply what you learn.

Both books were provided for review by WaterBrookMultnomah.

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