• Thankful for things like a toilet that overflowed and took 8 towels to soak up the water which leaked into the vent and down into the basement.

• Thankful for the orange juice spilled all over the floor 5 minutes later.

• Looking for daily inspiration AND some copywork for the kids?  Sign up over at Verse of the Day and get a daily Bible verse delivered to your inbox!  I get them, print them off and my kids practice writing skills plus Bible memory work to boot.  Right here:  VOTD.org.

• My son got a kite for Christmas and is dying to use it!  However, April is National Kite Flying month, and maybe it will be warm enough by then to stand outside and catch some wind!  Check out this kite website:  Beginner's Guide to Kites.

• Thinking about raising some chickens this year?  Better have your kids research the local laws for you!  We are still enjoying the wonderful eggs that our four hens, Butterscotch, Peck,  Courage and oh no!  I can't remember the fourth one's name.  Oh man!   Help me out somebody! City Chicken Laws.

• Do your kids love cowboys as much as mine do?  Here is a great article all about chuck wagons!  Every cowboy on the trail has to eat, ya know!  All About Chuck Wagons.

• When I can't find something I need, I just look it up online.  Unit studies, calendars, ANYTHING printable!  Here is a little place for some freebies to print. 

• Now, you could get lost on this last one---the top 100 Educational  Websites just picked by Homeschool.com. 

Good bye old year! 

As usual, I'm incredulous about the time passing so quickly.  Equally baffled by the fact that I haven't blogged in several weeks.  Oh, it's not that I don't have a hundred clever posts swirling around in my head (right) but more likely a hundred "have to do's" swirling around me constantly IRL.

In the past two months I've had a 20th Wedding Anniversary, Graduated a homeschooler, had a child reach 18 years of age, celebrated Thanksgiving, Celebrated Christmas, and am now getting ready to mourn the passing of a really great year! 

I'm hoping to get some great links and photos up for you here, although it takes awhile to get those up.  I still love my blog---just haven't taken the time to update it much.  I do however have a facebook page, you should be able to find me and ask me to be your friend.  Then you can have quick access to my updates and photos!  Life just goes by so fast when you have four teenagers---I have to beat them off the computer with my cane in order to check my email.  Kidding.

I hope you all have had a great year, despite the economy, the government, terrorists, layoffs, divorces and nasty neighbors!  Did I miss anything?  It is my prayer that you have a prosperous new year, full of homeschooling excitement, marital bliss, answered prayer, and a life lived in a way that is pleasing to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Be sure to come back and visit me here at Homeschooling Is Life!  I may have to mull over some resolutions about blogging more regularly.  :)

Nancy

This past weekend, two of my girls got to be part of a recreation called "Bethlehem Revisited" at a local church. It's fairly elaborate, starting with your "journey" to Bethlehem for the Roman census.

(These camels even gave rides in the afternoons.)

Nearing Bethlehem, we got to hear the angel announcing Christ's birth.

Just outside of Bethlehem, this man was begging for alms.

I forgot to take a picture of the Roman guards at the gate of Bethlehem, registering all entrants for the census.

Inside Bethlehem were shops of all kinds.

Here, Fairywings kneads dough at the bread shop.

Anony sold food in another shop.

There were candles, jewelry, baskets, clothing, pottery, rugs, weavers, artists--a plethora of potential purchases.

Bethlehem had a well, a tax collector, and a contingent of prominent Roman noblemen (and women).

But of course, best of all, Bethlehem had a stable with Mary, Joseph, and a newborn baby, destined to be our Savior.

The girls had a great time being involved with this and hope to do it again next year.

Lessons I learned from my dad:

My dad was all about hard work and duty, doing well what you know you’re supposed to do before relaxing. Through his example, he built within each of us a strong work ethic and a stoic, uncomplaining attitude.

As he grew older, his emphasis became more on the eternal and soaking up spiritual truths. Our phone conversations when I was an adult usually centered around something he was studying on his own or learning in a Bible class. I realized that spiritual growth was ongoing as my dad imparted new spiritual lessons to me and I heard his heart for each of his children and grandchildren to spend eternity with God.

Memories:

My dad loved to read aloud, and he was pretty good at it. I remember being regaled with Thurber’s “The Night the Bed Fell,” Twain’s “The Frog Jumping Contest of Calaveras County,” and Ralph Moody’s “Little Britches” series. Typically, he would read these to us right after supper. He took such pleasure in sharing his favorite poems and stories.

As a young teenager, I remember my dad crying after watching a video by James Dobson. He regretted not spending more time with my brothers and me and realized we would not be at home with him much longer. As a result, he offered to take us to the park to play. Now, we were all a little old for that, but I thought, “Hey, I’d better take what I can get while it’s being offered.” And we laughed and played at the park—climbing, sliding, chasing, and swinging. I’m glad I didn’t miss that memory.

I remember one particular summer vacation when I was a teen. My dad used some of the time with us to study through the book of Nehemiah. In a chapter on rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, he particularly emphasized the passages that speak of people building that part of the wall next to their homes. He wanted us to understand how much more care they would have taken in making the wall strong, since a weakness at that point would have allowed the enemy to breach the wall right next to their homes.

As my dad matured, I think he understood more clearly that the Enemy was seeking to destroy his home and that prayer, Bible study, and right fellowship with his family would fortify the protection around it. He did pray for his children and grandchildren, that they would each come to know the Lord.

Growing up, I wasn’t always as understanding and respectful of my father as I should have been. Thankfully, he didn’t hold that against me, but loved me anyway, often expressing his pride in the woman I had become. I’m thankful for the many memories I have of my dad through the years, and I look forward to making many more with him when I one day join him in eternity.