The Legend of Thousand Hills Farm

Discount schoolbooks

She is having a sale this week, July 15th-22nd, with free shipping on orders over $25. It is nice to support a homeschool family too! She also has some great specials on things too. I am thinking about getting this Young Mans Handbook with a free fishing set

Check out all the sales by clicking on the link above!

Book Review: Bic's Baptism

This little book is a short story that talks about the details of baptism in a simple, easy to understand way for young Christians. It is written for ages 4-8 and has color pictures on every page. Bic has become a Christian and when he is at church, he witnesses a baptism. It starts him asking questions, he wonders what was in the water and  thinks about how he should be baptized.  He feels very nervous about it and listens to more sermons on baptism, which  he is glad to learn that baptism does not save him, so maybe he does not have to do it. He learns though the reason for baptism and the symbols behind it, but he still feels nervous. He was afraid the pastor might drop him and gets more nervous. He wisely seeks out an older person to talk to about his fears, where he encourages him and prays with him. God helps Bic and he is able to be baptized.

This short story is a great way to explain to children the symbolism of baptism, how o conquer fear of things and learning to follow the Lord. It would be a fun lesson to do in a Sunday school class or in your own home classroom. (It details baptism by immersion)

It is available from Little Light Press www.littlelightpress.com
It is 32 pages long, color pictures in an easy to read style, and retails for $12.95

Life has sort of been a blur.....

I babysat for the last two days, we went to the local beach, which sort of has dirt mixed with sand, but more sand towards the water, where I did not want to sit.  My baby I was watching was having a hard day, so I was jumping, bouncing and cajoling her most of the while. One of my sisters took her and she loves to make babies make funny faces and got her happy for awhile and gave me a break. She did much better today though! It was a little overcast, but the boys had so much fun. They loved it! The water was so clear and nice too.

This morning, I went shopping and yesterday got a few things. I went to the produce place and was surprised, pleasantly as they had some great deals. I got  some apples that were a little soft, but not bad, just not crunchy, for .35 a pound. Cucumbers, zucchini, green peppers, lemons were all 2/$1. I got some plums too cheap, watermelon for .10 a pound. Bags of  the peas that you can eat the shell were $1  a bag, grown on the Hutterite colony and stuff like that! Anyhow, it was fun and nice to have some veggies and fruit!!

Menu for the week:
Wednesday: Chef Salad for me, watermelon, boiled eggs, turkey ham and crackers, finger jello and veggies and dip
Thursday: Pigs in a blanket, salad
Friday:  Tator Tot casserole - Green beans
Saturday: Beef Fajitas- spanish rice
Sunday:  BBQ chicken legs jello salad, pasta salad
Monday: Chicken noodle soup- bread (I know it is not a typical summer dish, but P. has been asking for it)
Tuesday: Beef and Broccoli stir fry- rice

My garden is growing, I have several little cucumbers that I may be able to harvest soon! I am excited! My camera though I am afraid is broken, so I am going to have to check finances to get a new one as there has been alot of thing I have been missing taking pictures of.

So, life has been busy, life has been good, and God is blessing us with many good things.  tomorrow I am going to work on organizing the basement. I am trying to go slowly through the rooms. My closet is pretty much done and the little boys room and the two upstairs bathrooms. The hardest is saved for last!

Greetings from Minnesota!

Teach Magazine Summer 2008

One thing I love about TEACH is it is not something that makes you feel like you can never attain. Instead  you feel like, "Others have been there too and here is what i can do to fix the problem!" This issue, the theme was "The Art of homemaking", which was the title of one of my favorite books growing up!

Probably my favorite article was in the "Swinging on the back porch" article, by Marilyn Boyer  (a mother of 14, lest you think she does not know what she is talking about!) She speaks about how mothering is a full time job, it is not easy,  and we cannot do it all ourselves. Lately, I have felt this many times, the sort of panic when you realize that you cannot do it all!  She talks about how to train your children to help you and to be their coach.
She starts with something simple, like shoes, which is something frustrates me. If everyone has 2-3 pairs of shoes and there are 6 of us that is 18 shoes laying around!  Removing clutter, making lists, and finding time for bible study are all part of this article. It is so good, I am going to re-read it and start implementing it! I figure a mom of 14, well, it has to have worked for her by now!

In A apple a day, there was tips on homemade beauty, including a Peppermint polish for your feet! I am so excited to try this as it says it really helps your feet and is all natural stuff that is not expensive to buy to make it! There is a recipe for vanilla Body butter and bath salts too! It is written by Jessie Hawkins at Vintage Remedies.

Anyhow, I am blessed again to get this magazine and I hope that some of you check it out and subscribe! it is like a breath of fresh air in your mailbox!

If you subscribe too for two years you get a bunch of free gifts too!
www.teachmagazine.com

3 Weeks to Go!

With only 3 weeks until Due Date we have been busy busy busy. I am wanting (I know, every pregnant woman wants this) to have the house in tip top shape for after Andrew is born. Our garden is doing ok, dispite the masive morning glory problem we have, and so I am planning (Lord willing) to be putting up food soon after he comes! EKK! Thats a lot going on! :D

The weekend after we went to see Mom and Mandi, we had a family camp out with Aaron's mom's parents and her siblings, Aaron sister and her family and us. Its so nice to get together with family. I dont know if many people can say this, but I feel like I am part of his family. I am so blessed. Clara and Flora had so much fun with the cousions and all the loves and hugs from loving family memebers.

Tomorrow we are making our last trip into town (planned) before Andrew. Time to stock up on things like TP, paper plates and such, so we dont run out after......because I WONT feel like running into town just to shop..UG! hehe!

Keep in eye out for an post when he is born!

Pictures from the camp out:

Love,

Amber

Hannah heading out!

Being thankful for where you are placed

This is a harder lesson to learn sometimes. I think we think of it often as in our daily lives, food, clothes, houses etc. which is true, but also I think sometimes it can be where we have been placed in our life.

Our purpose in life may have been decided for us by the actions of others, like our parents, our spouses, our children even, yet can we say that in whatever state we are in, we can be content?

Many of us have life circumstances that we would rather live without it. A spouse that is ill, children who have problems, relatives that cause issues, it may be that our parents have made decisions that will effect us for the rest of our lives. I read a story about a family with Fragile X syndrome, which is passed down from person to person. How would we feel if we realized this was a "gift" our parents gave us?  Would we be bitter?

I have had some difficult things to deal with that happened. I have had to look at them as facts, they are things that will not or cannot be changed. Through this I  have a choice, I can look at it and be frightened to death. I can sit and think of all the scenarios that could happen in the future, or I can enjoy each and every day to the fullest now. I can be bitter I was handed this. I can blame myself for decisions I made, my parents made or other people made and be bitter and grumpy about it and be miserable the whole while.

I could sit inside and wonder why, but instead  I choose to look at what has come out of it that is good. Through some of the circumstances in my life, I have been able to connect with people, I would not have been able to before. I have been able to minister to others because of my pain, I understand theirs.   I knew as a small child, that God had called me to be a missionary, but I did not realize His plan was not to be a missionary in the sense that I expected, but that God had a special mission field planned for me that did not involve heroism, great laud and fame. Instead, it is the mission field of something that may never be noticed, sacrifices that people may never see because they are ones that are within.

  Some of the sacrifice is never being able to ever speak of things that have happened to most people, but instead being qualified to listen to others pain. It is  bearing a burden that if you did tell, you wonder if people would believe you as when you have hinted at it, the reactions were mixed. You bear the silent pain of wondering if your children will suffer from the same things, you wonder why some people cannot comprehend it and allow it to continue.

But through it all you make a choice "I have learned that in whatever state I am in, to therefore be content!!" Paul suffered so much if you read the verses above this, he knew pain, suffering, beatings, imprisonment, stonings, loss of friends, people not understanding him, all those things. Yet, he was content and kept pressing on to the high calling and sacrificing himself for the name of Christ.

I wonder are we willing to sacrifice all for the name of Christ? Are we willing to  lay everything down and be servants to others and deny ourselves for those in our family, our friends and those that come through our lives? That may mean something different for everyone! For one of us, it may mean changing diapers, and for another it may mean loving one of our siblings who is hard to love. For another it may mean caring for someone  with an illness, a spouse with depression, a job loss,  financial problems and others.

Whatever your state is, I will pray that along with me, you will take the challenge to be content! "For Godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

Celebrate with us! :-)

OUR PHONE NUMBER HAD A TYPO WHEN I FIRST POSTED - PLEASE NOTE THE CORRECTED NUMBER NOW. 

It's party time!!! Noah will be turning two years old (!!!) on August 10, and we think that is cause for a celebration.  There were plenty of times over the last year and half that we though we might never see this milestone, so we are pulling out all of the stops to celebrate.  We are inviting everyone who loves Noah (that means all of our church members and ALL of you!) to celebrate with us on Saturday, August 9.  The celebration will be from 1 - 5 PM at our church, Calvary Chapel of Greenwood.  (

Writeshop Primary

I just sold those schoolbooks, so I am excited to be able to buy this and use it this year!

If you would like to see it go to www.writeshop.com

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