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Nov. 28, 2009
Weekly Wrapup
Posted By Mom of Three Little Ladies and one Little Blessing Boy
 From the Heart:
Thanksgiving came and went. It was a good change of pace, but frankly all the free-time is leaving me a bit stir-crazy. I am a task-oriented person. I like to be with people, but if there isn't meaningful conversation happening or games or something, I kinda want to find some somewhere. I've found myself alone with the kids for a lot of the past 3 days (as usual), except when we were actually celebrating Thankgiving, and not having a schedule of, you got it, tasks, we've all been a bit off of our norm.
Snow Crystal roped some of the staff and students into playing Life.
Little Critter and Bubbies got Tom to play Ring Around the Roses.
Little Critter and Mountain Princess built towers to throw blocks at to knock down.
Time for dinner!
I had a couple of minor revelations today. One is that I need to think more in terms of my husband's and my calling as a couple and as a family, and not focus entirely on what my gifts/callings/passions are.
We had a "Christmas Before Thanksgiving" party last Saturday. It is an early Christmas for the outreach team. It was fun, but crowded!
Little Critter got his hair cut off. It changes his looks so much!
In the School Room:
We only did school 3 days this week, and right now it seems really long ago!
On the Mission Field:
The students looked at their spiritual gifts this week, and are looking toward their outreach at the end of this coming week. This week they will be preparing for outreach all week.
In the Literary Scene:
I am reading Brock and Bodie Thoene's second book in the Galway Series Of Men and of Angels.
Feeding on His Faithfulness,
Carol
If you would like to join me in this theme, just write up your own weekly summary, using mine or your own categories. Then sign the Mr. Linky below. I'd love to read your weekly summaries too! I hope to post mine on each Friday or Saturday. At the latest it will be on Sunday. If you get yours done before I do, just leave your link in my cbox or comments from the week before. Be sure and check last week's Mr. Linky for any new ones who posted before I did! It is a great way to meet new people.
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Nov. 27, 2009
Thank God For Dirty Dishes
Posted By jaminacema
Thank God For Dirty Dishes
Thank God for dirty dishes; They have a tale to tell.
While others may go hungry, We're eating very well.
With home, health, and happiness,
I shouldn't want to fuss;
By the stack of evidence, God's been very good to us.
Author Unknown
My mom reminded me of this poem yesterday when I was less than enthusiastic about cleaning up the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner. My paternal Grandmother has this hanging in her kitchen when I was a child. I think I will type it up and frame it for my kitchen too!
Happy Homeschooling,
Jamin |
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Thursday, November 26, 2009
~25 Days of Gratitude~
Today I am grateful for...
~^~An enjoyable Thanksgiving day filled with a loving family, yummy food and sunshine!
~^~Financial provision, God has greatly blessed our family and we want for nothing.
~^~The blessings of a relaxing weekend, alone with my beloved. The girls are enjoying a fun weekend with their Grandparents.
~^~Looking forward to Black Friday shopping.
I am blessed beyond measure!
Wishing you and your family a Blessed Thanksgiving. |
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Nov. 25, 2009
Making Soap
First you start by measuring the lye. To make soap, you'll need a digital scale. This one probably isn't the best. It's very hard to read the display when we put the big pot on it. Just thought I'd share that with you, in case any of you are looking for a good digital scale.
 Put a lid on the lye and set it to the side. Lye is dangerous stuff. Respect the lye.
Next you measure out all of the oils. This recipe called for shea butter, olive oil, and lard.
 See how my pot almost covers the scale? That's what made things hard. The nice thing was the little zero button that allows you to measure one ingredient, zero the scale, and then continue measuring and adding other ingredients all in that one pot.
 My friend suggested that we add the solids before the liquids. It's important to measure the ingredients exactly. Soapmaking is a very delicate chemical process.
Put these oils on the stove at a low heat to melt. Stir as needed. Keep an eye on the temperature once it's all melted.
Now it's time for the excitement. Make sure that you're wearing your safety goggles & gloves and have some ventilation where you're working.
 Gently pour the lye into your pitcher of water. It heats up to 200* immediately and stinks. Stay clear of the fumes. Stirring heats the water and you will need to get the temperature down per your recipe so avoid stirring.
 You really need to have two thermometers. One for the lye mixture and another for the oils. You can perhaps wipe them clean as you go back and forth, but it's a lot to keep an eye on. You're trying to get both mixtures at the same temperature: cooling the lye mixture and heating up the oils. Tricky stuff.
 But oh, sweet mercy, when the temperatures are in sync, you get to pour the lye mixture into the oils and that's when the magic starts to happen. Your heart will race and you'll find yourself thinking, "I'm doing it. I'm really making soap!"
I was so excited, I couldn't even take a good picture.
 Now you get to add the yummy fragrance oils. Mix gently and carefully with the stick blender paying close attention to the consistency. You're waiting for it to get to the elusive "trace" that soapers talk about. Trace is when it's kind of like pudding and when you dribble the soap across the pot, it leaves a faint line.
If you close one eye and squint your eyes, you might be able to see what I'm talking about in this pic. Don't hold your breath though.
I was thinking about making soap, not taking pictures.
 Once it's at that perfect consistency, you can pour it into the molds. You can just use regular boxes lined with wax paper or store-bought molds.
 See how ours isn't perfectly smooth? That's how you can tell it is homemade. Ha ha!
Maybe we let it get too thick.
Can any of you soapers let me know?
This recipe has to cure for 3 weeks. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
It smells sooooo good.
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Nov. 25, 2009
Thanksgiving Ramblings...
This Thanksgiving it will have been 15 years since I met my husband. Three moves and four children later, countless cats, goldfish and a dog we're so thankful for all God has done in our lives.
This year I'm especially thankful for my test results. All of my biopsies came back benign. My tummy is swollen and I have four incisions that look dandy about now. But I got to keep lots of organs I could have potentially lost. God was so gracious to me. I'm amazed at the prayer, the love from others, and His work in my body and life.
We won't be traveling this Thanksgiving and sweet friends were kind enough to invite us to dinner so I'm not cooking either. Yippee!
Our oldest son has begun basketball. Something I never imagined would happen. He's such a football fanatic! But I'm glad he's broadening his horizons where sports are concerned.
My mom bought him basketball shoes for his birthday (which is Christmas Day). The child is wearing a men's 8 now. What happened to my 6lb 13oz baby boy?
Running sprints. He's a fast one!
Baby girl, who loves the camera, gave me a few poses while we watched practice. These pictures capture her personality to a "T".
She is the spitting image of me. God bless her heart!
Pray for me, will ya?
Tomorrow is a sunny 60 degree day. Perfect Thanksgiving weather!
Our middle son has begun art lessons. He's quite the talented little artist and I love knowing he can go from football to art without batting an eye!
From our family to yours...Have a great Thanksgiving! God is good! |
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
~25 Days of Gratitude~
Today I am grateful for....
~the blessing of remembering past Thanksgivings, so many great memories at my Grandmother's home in Traer, Iowa.
~my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ dying on the cross for my sins. There is no greater love.
~the hope of eternity spent in a far better place then this, no more sorrows or tears.
~health, I am so thankful God's healing power and the health that He gives!
~humiity, sometimes I have to have a swift kick in the seat, but He humbles me.
~a relaxing day and a doctor's office visit that wasn't painful.
I am blessed beyond measure!
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Nov. 26, 2009
Today I Am Thankful For...
Posted By jaminacema
This month I decided to write down one thing each day that I am thankful for. It has been an interesting experience. What I have learned is that the "things" I am most thankful for are not "things" at all. They are mostly people, relationships and blessings. Here is the bulk of my list. Some are more private things that I didn't want to share with the whole world. :^)
Today I am thankful for my family. What a wonderful husband and children I have been blessed with.
Today I am thankful for my dog Elvis. He is so loving and devoted to me. A consistent reminder of how I want to love God and others.
Today I am thankful for freedom. God bless all the veterans past and present who have sacrificed to give us freedom. God bless America!
Today I am thankful for our church home. Wow, what an awesome church home God has blessed us with! A place where we can serve, as well as be served. A place for friendship, encouragement and deep commitment to spreading God's Word.
Today I am thankful for homeschooling. What a blessing homeschooling has been to our family! I know that the time and energy I have invested in my kids will pay back dividends their entire lives!
Today I am thankful for all my homeschool mom friends. Each of you have encouraged, supported and loved me on my homeschool journey. You are each a blessing to me!
Today I am thankful for my husbands job. He enjoys the work and the people he works with. The kids and I enjoy that he has nights and weekends off. (Something we missed A LOT the 6 years at his last job.) It's a winning combination for a happy home!
Today I am thankful for AWANA. Our family has been involved in AWANA for 13 years, in 3 States at 7 churches. Each and every one has been a place that has brought us closer to God. Over the years we have hid His Word in our hearts, made friends and found a place to serve others through AWANA. What a blessing!
Today I am thankful for my new house! It's been 6 weeks since we got the keys and 4 weeks since we spent our first night here and it totally feels like home. :^)
Today I am thankful for my job at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. I get paid to write, which is a dream come true for me. I get to write about homeschooling, which I love. I get to work my own hours, from home, with my kids underfoot. It's a win-win!
Today I am thankful for our new homeschool parent support ministry at church. My friend and I started it this year. I have been so blessed to get to know and grow with so many great homeschool parents. I am especially thankful for my friend who is my ministry partner in both Awana and the new homeschool group. She is an amazing blessing to me!
Today I am thankful for our friends M, A, I and C. It has been so great having "old" friends in a new place! Getting to be close to our "nephews" has been wonderful! I am so glad to have adopted family close by. :^)
Today I am thankful that my mom taught me to sew when I was young. I love to sew. Sewing relaxes me. Being able to save money making or fixing things instead of buying new has been a great blessing to our family over the years. :^)
Today I am Thankful that my mom arrives this afternoon to spend Thanksgiving week with us. I have some excited kids on my hands!
Today I am thankful for my parents and my sister. :^)
Today I am thankful for my "PAMily". You know who you are! ;^)
Today I am thankful for my blog. It is a blessing to me as a creative outlet as well as a place to connect with other homeschoolers all over the world.
Today I am thankful for my American Girls! (And their mom's.) American Girl Club has been such a blessing to me. I look forward to learning American history with my girls for a long time to come!
Today I am thankful for John 3:16! "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son that whoever believes in Him will no perish but have ever lasting life." The ultimate free gift!
I pray that each and every one of you have an equally wonderful list of blessings!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Jamin
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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Post from the Past: Thanking God for Our Thorns
Posted By Amy Verlennich
One of my all time favorite stories I love to read each Thanksgiving... it's worth the read... and please feel free to share what thorns you'll be thankful for this Thanksgiving!
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Post from the Past: Things to do for Thanksgiving
Posted By Amy Verlennich
Nov. 24, 2009
Simple Woman's Daybook
Posted By Mom of Three Little Ladies and one Little Blessing Boy
For Today, Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Outside My Window...
Cold and sunny with a snow-covered ground.
I'm thinking...
We really need to increase our monthly support.
From the learning rooms...
The older girls are getting so much better at doing their work on their own. I have to be more diligent to check their work and do thier follow-up questions or narration.
I am thankful for...
Our suburban is bought and our insurance is paid up for six months. Also that we have siblings that pitch in and gift us with money when things are tight...
From the kitchen...
Tonight is Sunday Oven-fried Chicken - made gluten-free of course, with salad, mashed potatoes, and a veggie.
I am wearing...
Corduroy, off-white long-sleeved blouse with rose colored flowers, blue jeans, white socks. My hair is pulled back in a braid.
One of my favorite things...
Hearing from a faraway friend, and making plans for bigger and better things.
I am reading...
Of Men and Of Angels by Brock and Brodie Thoene
I am hoping...
That we can raise our monthly support to 100% of our needs.
I am creating...
Dreams of a better tomorrow.
I am hearing...
Music from the television in the basement. The kids are watching Tiny Heroes on video.
Around the house ...
I think all the kids are in the basement watching the movie. Soon we need to do spelling with the two oldest girls to finish school, and start supper.
I am going...
nowhere for the holidays.
A few plans for the rest of the week...
School tomorrow, then off on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving. Will be celebrating the holiday with the community here and my immediate family.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
(coming soon)
caption.
I hope you enjoyed your peek into our mountain haven! Come again!
Feeding on His Faithfulness,
Carol
If you would like to join us in The Simple Woman's Daybook, please see our Hostess, Peggy for details. You may also visit her for the Mr. Linky to many other Simple Women.
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