Savoring the Shades of Women
• Jun. 12, 2009 - Theme Song
I have a new favorite theme song that just makes my heart burst forth with these words!! It is by third day with Lacey Mosley, “Born Again.” I love the words, “ Feels like I am born again, feels like I am moving, feels like I am breathing for the first time.” I posted it on Facebook or you can listen to it on You Tube. (Love You Tube!!) I feel that way in my life now. I can’t remember a time in my life where I have been so full of joy, peace, and hope. This zest for life inside of me is glorious. Colors are so much brighter, friendships so much more precious, and the little things incredibly rich!!
As I minister with women each day, I am reminded of where I was. God has brought me so far and He gets all the glory. What a beautiful life He has gifted to me!
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• Jun. 8, 2009 - Blessed Woman
What a wonderful week and weekend the kids and I have had. We spent a couple of days tent camping and pedaled 31 miles on our bicycles. What a blessed woman I am to have the privilege to sit around a campfire with my children. We had many insightful conversations about life while staring at our beautiful fire.
We came home to spend the day with our church family. I truly have fallen in love with this church and the people that fill its chairs. What an honor it is to get to facilitate a Sunday school class of such a diverse group of women. It gets harder and harder each Sunday to leave church. Last week, a group of us closed a Japanese restaurant. (It was dinner and a fabulous show by our chef.) This week, we spent the entire day together minus an hour and half nap period. HA! I think we have the market on the sweetest, most caring, and the funniest group of people. Wow!! The kids and I love our church family!!! |
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• May. 24, 2009 - Our Weekend
Our weekend visitors went home this afternoon. We loved having them here. I have always enjoyed entertaining friends. As always, we ate entirely too much but it is very satisfying to have full bellies. I bought two cantaloupes and my youngest nearly ate them single forkedly. My kids seem to thrive on fruits. I can’t keep enough pink lady apples in the refrigerator for them. It is hysterical to see our shopping cart loaded down with fruits and veggies.
God is indescribable. My love for Him continues to grow sweeter each day. I think that I can’t love Him anymore and then He blesses our family again and I feel the love deepening again. I am so humbled that He would allow me to continue homeschooling as a single mom. I am even more humbled when He gives me the responsibility to lead a group of ladies. They are simply wonderful and they are a blessing, each and every one of them.
Thank you Lord for all of your provisions and the relationships that you have given us, especially those that continue to grow and flourish despite the miles between us.
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• May. 21, 2009 - Fellowship
We have friends coming to visit this weekend from Illinois. We are so excited to see them and get in some non-stop visiting. It fascinates me that we can sit and talk for hours without wondering what to say. That must be a trait of women.
They will get to attend our church with us and meet a lot of our new friends. The old and new coming together, how fun! My son is getting all of his yard work done today so that the weekend is clear for playtime. We haven’t quite figured out all of the activities but eating a lot is one of our top priorities.
That makes me think of our church. I think they like to get together just to eat. It is amazing that we do not have a lot of overweight church members as often as we eat together. No other church that I have attended has enjoyed food and fellowship so much. I love it and I certainly love the people!!!! |
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• May. 14, 2009 - All about nothing
Today, I bought some yard games for the kids. The boys have been playing badminton and loving it. I wish I had thought of it before. Although with all of our rain, it probably wouldn’t have mattered. Last night, I listened to the sirens for what seemed like forever. It was merely a thunderstorm and NOT a tornado warning. I wondered why they would wake everyone up for just a thunderstorm. My oldest son is the only one that heard it with me. It is amazing that some people can sleep through anything. Two of my children are hard sleepers. I would love to have that ability, as I tend to wake up easily. |
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• May. 10, 2009 - A group of wonderful ladies
A few weeks ago, I began teaching a Ladies’ Only Sunday School Class on intimacy with Christ. Wow, what a wonderful group of ladies that I have been privileged to lead in discussion. I have been amazed at their intelligence, their pain, and their hearts. We have such a wide age range from 20 something to 70 something. These women are loving, encouraging, and teaching each other.
The Lord has been helping me to see how a healthy church should function and what my part in that is. At this time, I am learning to love women that have been strangers to me, and then instructing them in how to love each other. All members should love one another and work together. I am humbled at the gift the God has given me with such a delightful group of women.
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• Apr. 23, 2009 - Memoria Press
Famous Men of Rome by Cheryl Lowe and Leigh Lowe is a study to teach our children about the history of the Roman Empire through men such as Romulus, Horatius, Regulus, Caeser, Cicero, Nero, Titus, and many more. The text has beautifully illustrated pictures with glossy pages. The student book includes vocabulary words, facts they should know, comprehension questions, and activities. There are 25 lessons in addition to 5 review lessons.
Latina Christiana is a Latin curriculum designed for grades 3 and up. The teacher’s manual is a ring bound book, which is always a plus! It too has 30 lessons to round out a years’ worth of study to develop the child’s learning of Latin. Your student book works the child in vocabulary, systematic grammar, and sayings, with practice exercises to help them make it stick.
This particular curriculum did not work for our family, as my sons really don’t enjoy the study of Latin or the Roman men. When my daughter was in the elementary grades, I did try teaching Roman History as I do feel it is very important for our children to know. Looking back over the years, I can see many mistakes that I have made teaching my children. For us personally, it has been more productive for her to study Greece and Rome’s history during the high school years when her critical thinking skills are more developed. In this way, she really understands how Roman history has greatly impacted our world today. At that time she can put all of the information together and understand why a Biblical worldview is imperative.
I really feel that Memoria Press has a lot of wonderful curriculum to offer us homeschoolers. If God is guiding your family to Latin, Rome, Greece, Classical study or Christian Studies then visit Memoria Press to see what all this company has to offer. |
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• Apr. 23, 2009 - Tapestry of Grace
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Regarding this review, I am not even sure where to start, as there is so much information to give you. We are currently finishing up our 12th year of homeschooling. Homeschooling moms love to discuss what curriculum they are using and the disadvantages and advantages to it. Over the years, I have heard several of my friends who have used Tapestry of Grace and loved it. They had a large family and really liked the fact that the entire family was studying the same topics. This advantage created many opportunities for the family to discuss world history together, each child reporting what they had learned at their level. I always found that very appealing especially being a fan of history.
It was thrilling to receive TOG for a review and in the new Digital Edition format. They have been working hard to update all four years of curriculum into an easier format for all families and they have done an outstanding job.
TOG is a four-year unit study curriculum that is organized around world history. As I began looking through it, I was in awe of the planning process behind the scenes. Year 1 covers world history from the time of creation to the fall of Rome around 450 AD. The units are broken down into weeks and levels for each child. They don’t really stick to a grade or age level, which is helpful because most children really don’t fit into one grade level. Instead they call them lower and upper grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. The planning part for mom is minimal. You will want to read the teacher’s notes, decide what books you need to get from the library, choose your activities, and make sure you have the supplies on hand prior to starting your week. One huge advantage with Tapestry of Grace is the more independent children can become completely independent with this curriculum as they mature.
We have the unit study, Curtain Rises on Egypt: Gift of the Nile. It is a wonderful unit. When you are finished with this study, you will be surprised at what you will have learned. The book choices for your family are really fabulous as well covering your young and immature readers to the high school level. I love the choices for all but especially the high school level for my daughter as they are incorporating the Biblical Worldview into their reading. This is one of my passions and I feel it is extremely important for all kids to be able to reason and think from that standpoint.
My review really can’t cover what all TOG has to offer. You really just need to see it to believe it. They have graciously given you a sneak peek offer for three free weeks to give it a try. I think this is great because you can actually put it into work with your family before you buy to see if it is the right fit for you. The only down side that I could see was for moms who don’t like everything planned out for you. On the flip side though, this curriculum offers you way more options for you than you will be able to work through so you can easily pick and choose what will work for your kids. Go to http://lampstandbookshelf.com/ for the three-week free trial or to purchase your first year. |
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• Apr. 10, 2009 - Update
I am on so much medicine right now that I no longer feel any pain, just pressure. Praise the Lord. At this point in my life, I am grateful for traditional medicine. This medicine is messing with my GAPS diet and I am sure that I will need to start all over again, but as of last night, I just don’t care. I have been suffering with this since December and I think enough is enough. I have tried everything else that I can think of.
We believe it is a severe sinus infection in the sphenoid cavity. That cavity is located behind the eyes and below the brain and it has not ever drained. That means all of the gunk in there has just been putting pressure on the inside of my head which is why all of my teeth hurt, my ears hurt, my eyes felt like they were going to explode out of their sockets, and my head hurt all over. We did a cat scan today to confirm but the doctor agrees with my diagnosis. HA! (Internet is dangerous for me. I can find symptoms for any diagnosis.) It was either that or a brain tumor and he doesn’t believe that is the problem but we are ruling it out with the CT scan.
Because I haven’t felt well for a while, I have really been spending a lot of time with the Lord. I am doing the Experiencing God study with Henry Blackaby, which is amazing. I read his book this past summer and loved it. I am now doing the workbook and I am enjoying it even more.
The last few days and nights, I have been listening to David Wilkerson’s sermons from his website. It is World Challenge.org. You need permission to link to it so you will notice that I have not linked it here. I would encourage you to visit the site and listen to some of his sermons. He is really ministering to my friend and I. We seem to be addicted to them lately. I have noticed that he really speaks from his heart and seems to follow the Spirit’s leading. He isn’t your typical three-point sermon preacher.
I have spent several sleepless nights so I have really heard quite a few of the messages they offer. I just wanted to share that resource with you in hopes that it might lift one of you. My favorites are the ones on living by faith and giving God control but really they are all good. Hope you enjoy them.
Oh, I almost forgot that I wanted to share with you a major blessing that God has given me. It is my doctor and it is a really long but amazing story. He is a wonderful Christian man who is treating the kids and I free because we don’t have insurance. When I need something, I call him on his cell phone and then we meet somewhere. Today, we met in a lobby over his lunch hour. He will go down in my book (forever) as a Godly man. We have been so blessed to be surrounded by Godly men since we moved here!!!!
God really does provide for our every need. He never forsakes us, never leaves us, and He truly is trustworthy. He has tenderly cared for the children and I in so many miraculous ways that I am so ashamed that I have ever doubted Him. Please don’t ever doubt God, He is worth believing. All His promises will come to pass and all of His words are true.
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• Apr. 9, 2009 - Where I have been
I realize that some of you have still been checking in and wondering where I have been. I have had a headache that won't go away. Have had it since December. Some days, I can't think and some days I manage very well. I see a doctor tomorrow and am praying he will order a cat scan on my head. Please pray for an answer and healing. I have just about reached my limit.
When I stop feeling as if my eyeballs are going to explode out of their sockets, I will tell you about how God has taken care of me. He is truly an awesome God. |
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