From Russell Family Management Binder

 

Last night  I had the pleasure of teaching a freezer cooking class at Bethany Baptist.  I did our usual talk about freezer cooking, then demonstrated an actual freezer session by making 6 Chicken Pot Pies, which were given as door prizes. 

This class had such a precious group of ladies- they all seemed very close to one another.  I felt like a member of the family.  Anne Mary, my 9 year old and cooking assistant was shocked.  At food time (and these ladies serve a BIG dinner at their meetings) she was urged to go to the front of the line because she was a guest!  She has never, ever been at the front of a food line.  Usually when there is a buffet, we are here at our home where the children are taught to show respect and preference to guests.  At our home church, generally they are taught not to eat until the mothers (hostesses) have eaten, or until invited to do so by the hostess.  I asked her how it felt to go first in line and she said, "Great!"

I am excited to be invited back there in January to do our talk:  Chaos to Order. 

Today is Friday- Piano Day and the day Anne Mary and David get to go to Woodland Baptist for enrichment classes.  David seems to be completely well after his missed day last Friday and I am certainly glad because he really missed his time with Mrs. Enix.

 

 

Looking back over the plans for the last several days I have realized that I have not gone back and shared how the days ACTUALLY went.  Starting with last Friday- when David got up, he was too sick to go to his special school day, so our day was completely reorganized and I ended up at the pediatrician with him.

Yesterday was supposed to be my chance to get c aught up on all my paperwork, and I only got a little of it accomplished.  The day before Duncan got hurt playing racquetball and I dropped all my plans and drove down to the gym downtown to pick him p.

Today (Thursday) is supposed to be a heavy school day for us- no outside activities or classes, but my mom decided to come into town to visit.

Why am I sharing this with you?  Because these changes, adjustments and interuptions happen in everyone's life.  I could sit and be discouraged and lament at the unfinished items, projects, and changed plans.  But here is the unique calling of a Christian mother.  My children have no idea that our plans were changed.  Well, some of them they do- but these adjustments and changes were not upsetting.  They are just accepted as the Lord's plan for the day, and we keep moving forward.

When we get too set in our plans and have a hard time accepting changes and adjustments, it creates undue stress on the entire family.  But as the mother setting the mood for the entire family, handling these with grace and joy will make all the difference in how your weeks, months and years go by.

So what kind of surprises are in store for you today?  A sick little one?  Morning sickness?  Spilled milk (4 times in one day)?  A surprise visit from a friend?  A great sale on Turkey that makes you drop your plans and run to the nearest grocery?  It is OKAY, friend, when life throws little changes your way.  Handling them with dignity, grace and joy will make all the difference in your day.

Today  Sarah takes classes at CEC http://www.christianconsortium.org/  There she takes Middle School Robotics with Rebecca Cecil, Advanced Chess with Andrew Porter and Saxon Math 7/6, also with Mr. Porter.  She loves her days at CEC. 

 

From Russell Family Management Binder

At home today I am having an Office Day.  I have some speaking engagements coming up, some http://www.homemaking911.com business to tend to, and some tax filings to tend to.  Tomorrow night I have a speaking engagement to teach Freezer Cooking 911 to a group of ladies at a church in Indiana, so when I go to pick Sarah up at 3:30 I will combine the trip with a stop at Sam's club to get a few things I need for the class. We will be giving away 6 pot pies as door prizes that the ladies will get to help me make.  Won't that be fun?

 A friend of mine just called to tell me that pork chops are on sale for 99 cents a pound at Krogers. She is going to pick me up three packs if she gets by there today. Pork is not a favorite meat of mine, but I will use it for bulk cooking. It is one of Duncan's favorites. :)

This year once again we hosted an Operation Christmas Child Box party at our house.  We did not have as many girls this year- I think it was my choice of nights.  last year we had it on a weekend, and this year we had it on a Tuesday night.

We had a simple kid-friendly menu of chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, applesauce and peas.  We also had kool-aid and cake. 

Here are some pictures at the end with the girls and David and the boxes they assembled.

 

 

From 2009-11-10

From 2009-11-10

OK, these muffins just came out of the oven.  These are dense muffins.  I only used half the honey called for in the recipe, but I think I could have added a little more.  They are delicious, just not as sweet as a traditional banana nut muffin. 

 

From 2009-11-09

From Russell Family Management Binder

Today is Monday and time for another kitchen day.  What this means is that my "extra time" and chore time today will be spent in the kitchen.  I will organize the pantry, straighten cabinets, wipe things that have been missed by the girls during their normal kitchen chores, and doing some cooking.  I have already started bright and early by starting last night.  I decided to try Sue Gregg's Blender Banana Muffins which you actually put into the blender the night before.  Then in the morning you add the egg and baking soda/powder and salt.  This is the first time I have made these.  I should add that I have a VitaMix a kind of super duper blender.  I seriously doubt if a regular blender could have handled this batter.  They are cooking now, and they smell great, so I hope the taste is just as good. 

From Russell Family Management Binder

Now, often the children will help me on Kitchen Day, but on this particular one, I amactually having them do a Laundry Day instead.  For some reason, the laundry is behind- so I wil have them set a timer every hour and they will stop, switch, fold and put away another load until all the laundry in the house is clean and put away.  When not doing laundry, they will work on their school work.

David has a "Pa day" today.  My father - in - law is coming to pick him up to spend the day, then they will come home in time for a bean soup dinner.  I actually made the bean soup last night so that dinner would be ready for today.  I used the "Quick Soak" method so that I could start and finish the soup in just under 3 hours, and it is delicious!

 

Our Fridays are quite different from all the other days.

We usually start our day with a quick breakast.  Then, we head off to piano.  Both Sarah and Anne Mary take lessons from Dr. Hannah Hall, who also happens to be the best chiropractor in Louisville.  They girls LOVE piano.  I did manage to run by the music store yesterday and pick up their new music books.  Yeah!

David goes in for a quick 5 minute lesson, then he and I run whatever errands we can fit into the remaining 55 minutes.  Sometimes this means the bank or UPS store or a quick trip to the grocery.  Today it will be a trip to a local store to get a few more boxes for our big book sale tomorrow.  I also hope to stop at the UPS store to mail my packages of SuperMom I owe to several customers- my shipment came yestrday and I already need to order again.

After piano, I pick everyone up, hand everyone a healthy snack from the snack bag and a small sized bottled water.  Then I drop Anne Mary and David off for an enrichment program they take here.

Anne Mary(9) takes:  French, Journalism, Chess and Knitting.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  David (4)takes only three classes:  Reading readiness, Music and Movement, and Art.  I was not intending to sign him up for anything, but then I found out that my sweet friend (and often cooking buddy) Kathy Enix was teaching and I knew he had to take those classes.  Now, he tells me he wishes everyday was a Friday. (I ony cried a little)

After I get them to their classrooms, Sarah and I go to lunch someplace a little nicer than fast food.  One week we went to Homemade Pie and Icecream Kitchen (They have a deli!!!).  Once we went to Mark's feed store.  I usually just pickk a place once we are out.  She and I chat about life, discuss any personal or private things and talk about the week in general.  it is about the only one-on-one time she gets alone with mom and I really treasure this day.  After that, we head to a library where I do her one-on-one tutering.  This includes spelling, answering any math questions she has that Mr. Porter has not covered, reading, and anything else where she actually needs mom.  This is almost her only tutoring time, too.  unless a question comes up in her math (which I try to address right away) she works fairly independently for the rest of the week.

We then pick up David and have one hour before we have to pick up Anne Mary so Sarah will often take him to the playground and swing and climb with him for most of it.

Anne Mary reports that she loves her classes, but is usually quite tired by French class- so I really need to work on getting her to bed earlier, or insisting she eats a little more in the morning.  She is my only child who does not like breakfast, and it is all she can do most days just to put down a couple of crackers until lunch.  Does anyone else have this problem?  The rest of my children EAT teir breakfast, if you know what I mean.

By the time all this is done, I get home around 4.  We work on chores and dinner until Daddy gets home.

Last night I planned to do spaghtti but at the last minute decided to make a venison roast in the crockpot.  I took a small roast (2 lbs) and covered it with barbecue sauce and let it cook all afternoon.  The roast strted frozen so I cooked it on high. Once it was finished cooking, I took the roast and fork shredded it and served it on some buns I took out of the freezer to thaw at the same time as I removed the roast.  We had baked beans and brocolli for our side dishes.  Dinner turned out fine.  There were NO leftovers of the roast.

So, today we will have spaghetti and meatballs and greenbeans.  I went ahead and set out the water, pasta, collander, green beans, pans, and even pulled 15 meatballs out of the freezer to add to the sauce at cooking time.  I know I will be exhausted at the end of the day, so doing all that in the morning while my energy is so high makes dinnertime so much easier.

Now, off to the shower and then to start waking the little sleepy heads.  

Happy Homemaking!

Malia 

From Homemaking 911

Today is town day.  This is the day I run errands that I cannot figure out any way to avoid.  I say the ones I cannot avoid because I used to do a lot of running.  It really hurt my ability to keep up with the house and homeschooling and all the other things I juggle, so I started eliminating excessive trips outside the home.  Now, a couple of years later, I really prefer to be at home.  Quite a change from the days when I LOVED running around.  I actually prayed a couple of years ago to be more content at home.  The Lord did answer that prayer.

Anyway- here is my town day list for today:
-Post office
-Bank (must deposit a check)
-Book Club- Our girls' book club is at 12:30, so the girls need to finish their projects for Beautiful Girlhood, the book we read this month.
-Music Store- the girls are moving out of their current music books and are ready for the next level.  THey have piano lessons on Friday and I cannot put this off any longer.
-UPS Store - to ship packages for our Amazon business
-Stop at Goodwill to see if I can find some full sized sheets.  Someone is giving us a full sized bed for David, and we do not have any sheets of this size.
Walmart- Need boxes for a book sale I am having this weekend and I am going to see if they have any 40 Cent per pound turkeys left.

Since we will be out quite a bit, the girls will bring along school work that can be completed in the car such as Latin, History, French, Bible, and Knitting. 

Also, I need to pack some snacks because NO MATTER HOW MUCH I feed them, when they see golden arches, they call cry "hungry."

Oh, I almost forgot that at 3:00 today I have an OB appointment.  I think I will take David in the room with me because he really wants to hear the baby's "Heart beep" as he puts it.

Now that I think about it, I may not get through everything on this list- there is a lot on it and with Book club and the appointment, time will be limited.

We will have Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner because they are quick and easy to make.  I know I will be tired at the end of this day!

That was very simple to do!  YEAH!  The only thing I do not know how to do is to get my old profile picture back.  I am sure it is saved here somewhere, so maybe I can get Duncan to fix it tonight.  The one I put up there temporarily is a great pic, but too small to see anything.

I have a few minutes while everyone is still asleep, so i am going to bite the bullet and try to change my blog format.  If everything goes haywire, I have come to say, "I'm OK with that."  I am so ready for a new look.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.  Cross your fingers for me- or hide and watch in horror as I ruin the thing!

I love the idea of blogging more about our day-to-day homeschool life so I asked myself this morning why I do not do it more.  The homeschoolblogger platform makes posting messages simple and easy.  I enjoy the topic, and could never run out of things to share.  However, I simply do not like the design of this blog.  I do not know why, but the colors kind of get on my nerves.  I do not like the sidebars.  I would like to have a better design, but I simply do not know how to do it.  I know there are a bunch of easy templates to use, but if I switch, what happens to all the formatting?  Will the colors be right?  Will it wipe out my info? 

I really have no idea. 

So, that is why I do not blog on homeschooling more- even though it should be fairly easy and fun.  (sigh).

Ok, Christina's Wedding is fast approaching.  We are less than one month away.

• We have the dress and it is at the dry cleaners (Highland Cleaners) for bustling.
• Still need to buy/rent/borrow a full slip (at least 4 inches thick) as the one we thought might work will not, so we are going to keep checking.
• Her engagment pictures have been taken- Susan Speece of www.personalizedimpression.com did these and they are fabulous!
• The photographer will be Bill Klein Photagraphy.  We like his pictures and Christina and Jonathan liked him when they met.
  
• Reception:  Old Medical Center Building
• Wedding:  Duncan Memorial Chapel
• Officient:  Steve Yeager, and elder in our Home Church Fellowship
• Music for the ceremony- Dr. Hannah Hall (our family chiropractor, and an amazing musician- she also teaches my three younger children piano)  We love her.
• Food for the reception:  we are self-catering and some of the ladies from our church are bringing food.  My friends Jill and Vici have agreed to "run the show" food-wise, so I can rest easy that it will be fine.
• Vici is loaning us her beautiful silver for the reception.
• An amazing lady, Terri from the local homeschool group has assembled all the flowers for us.  She and Christina chose the flowers a few weeks ago.  This was such a blessing to Christina who planned to make them all herself.  This was so much stress taken away, you would not believe it. 
  
• Terri's family is going to be our "clean-up crew" after the wedding as we have to completely clean the room upon completion and I could not stand the idea of being worried about that the day of the wedding.
  
• Food for the reception: Veggies and Fruit trays, cheese, cheeseballs and crackers, meatballs, spiral little sandwich things, shrimp dip, punch and cake.
• A friend of Jonathan's family is providing the cake, which they bride and groom chose.
  
• The rehearsal dinner is going to be at O'Charley's, pending final discussion with the manager to make sure all details are agreed upon.
• Lois, Morgan, and Johnnie Elise threw an amazing "Kitchen Shower" for Christina where she was truly blessed with a great time, and many kitchen necessitites.
• I am trying to WIN a Brand New Washer and Dryer for them through my blog HERE: http://www.homemaking911.com/2009/09/18/where-is-the-heart-of-your-home/ - all you have to do to help them win is leave a comment over there!
  
• Less than one month away now!

Last night I did a freezer cooking evening with my friend, Jessica.  She just had a new baby, so I did it in the evening when her husband could be home with the "littles" and she could still be there to nurse baby at feeding time.

We made:

Baked Ziti

Cheesy Chicken Bundles

Grilled Sesame Chicken

Chicken Pot Pies

It took us 2.5 hours.  We made 19 meals each (total 38 meals) for a cost of about $4.15 per meal.  This is $4.15 for a meal for the ENTIRE family, not per serving.   Not bad for an evening spent chatting with a friend!  (Oh- and for a small part of that time, she did stop and nurse her new little angel.) 

Tonight's menu:  Cheesy Chicken Bundles and Baked Potatoes.  YUM!

Today in book club, the girls discussed the book:  The Borrowers.  This was a very cute book- easy reading for our girls- it made for some fabulous projects. 

We had around 20 girls there, and a nice number of new girls.  This looks to be a fun year!

Next month we are reading:  Little House in the Big Woods and the following month we will read Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola.  I can't wait!

Happy Homemaking!

Malia

Lots of folks are asking how the wedding plans are going- We have just a few short weeks to plan and execute the whole thing. 

So far, we have the location:  Duncan Memorial

Reception:  The Old Medical School Building downtown

Catering:  Our church friends are offering to do horsdevours- served on our darling Vici's beautiful silver.

Flowers- probably making these ourselves

Music- Anne Mary is playing one or two piano songs for the procession before the Bride enters.  I think I know who is doing the rest of the wedding music, but I am not sure if it is yet confirmed.

Sparkling grape juice for the "toast" for the Bride and Groom is being offered by Great lakes Helicopter company in Michigan

Limo for ride from the wedding to reception- still up in the air

Dress- purchased and is BEAUTIFUL- it is at Highland cleaners right now for "Bustling"
Still have not decided who to have do the cleaning/pressing.

Invitations- Ordered today at Quantum Graphics

Photographer- still up in the air- the two we would have picked are out of town that day.

Minister- still not known

I have a gently used copy of:

The Educated Child (Hardcover) by:  William Bennett

The Educated Child: A Parent's Guide from Preschool Through Eighth Grade Summary:

If you care about the education of a child, you need this book. Comprehensive and easy to use, it will inform, empower, and encourage you.

New this book is $30.00.  I would like $13.00 for it.  If you are intrested, send me an email through my site:  Http://www.homemaking911.com.

If you live in town you can pick it up, but if you want it shipped it will be $4.00 for shipping.

Have a great homeschool day!

 

Just as William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtues has helped millions of Americans teach young people about character, The Educated Child delivers what you need to take control. With coauthors Chester E. Finn, Jr., and John T. E. Cribb, Jr., former Secretary of Education Bennett provides the indispensable guide.

Championing a clear "back-to-basics" curriculum that will resonate with parents and teachers tired of fads and jargon, The Educated Child supplies an educational road map from earliest childhood to the threshold of high school. It gives parents hundreds of practical suggestions for helping each child succeed while showing what to look for in a good school and what to watch out for in a weak one.

The Educated Child places you squarely at the center of your young one's academic career and takes a no-nonsense view of your responsibilities. It empowers you as mothers and fathers, enabling you to reclaim what has been appropriated by "experts" and the education establishment. It out-lines questions you will want to ask, then explains the answers -- or non-answers -- you will be given. No longer will you feel powerless before the education "system." The tools and advice in this guide put the power where it belongs -- in the hands of those who know and love their children best.

Using excerpts from E. D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge Sequence, The Educated Child sets forth a state-of-the art curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade that you can use to monitor what is and isn't being taught in your school. It outlines how you can help teachers ensure that your child masters the most important skills and knowledge. It takes on today's education controversies from phonics to school choice, from outcomes-based education to teaching values, from the education of gifted children...

In highschool I always wished I could make my own locker combination.  Instead I had some random number I had to memorize.  Believe it or not, all these years later I can still remember my high school locker combination.  32-12-29.  Really.  That's it. 

Now, with homeschooled children, why would I need combination locks?  Well, think about the trips to the gym, the co-ops, and my oldest is in college.  She can use the lockers there for her books and gym needs.  I think picking your own combination is a beautiful thing.

Just in time for back-to-school, Master Lock is introducing brand new technology with two new families of patented combination locks – the 1500iD Speed Dial™ Set-Your-Own Combination Lock and the 1590D Set-Your-Own Combination Lock - that were designed with students’ unique learning styles in mind:

- The Speed Dial Set-Your-Own Combination Lock opens on up-down-left-right directional movements, instead of the traditional rotary dial, and can be customized with letters, shapes or numbers, depending on how students most easily remember their combination
- The Set-Your-Own Combination Lock is a traditional rotary dial for students more comfortable with that method, but with a new reset feature that allows them to choose their own combination using, letters, numbers or both

Both locks are more secure than traditional padlocks (which moms love!), are faster for students to access between classes and come in vibrant color choices (which kids love!).

In addition to keeping kids’ text books and gym clothes safe, Master Lock is also helping kids keep their secrets safe and secure online with the “Master Lock Secret Vault” Facebook application. After installing the application, participants have a chance to win a cash prize in the “Master Lock $5,000 Secure Your Future Sweepstakes.”

My husband and I have always wanted to do a mission trip together, but with four children, work, and our usually very tight budget, it seems like going away on a trip for missions together has always been just out of our reach.  Well, several months ago we heard that touched Twice was going to Harlan KY (4 hours from here) to do a Touched Twice Clinic in Appalachia Ky.  When we heard the date, just a few days before our 18th Wedding Anniversary, we knew this was going to be the trip for us!  We books my dear mother to come from Michigan to keep the children, and we committed to the trip.

We have done T2 Clinics in Louisville on several occasions.  Basically here is how a clinic goes:

A local church starts blanketing an area with flyers for the FREE Health clinic in the weeks leading up to the event.  Then, on the day of the clinic, doctors, nurses, eye doctors, dentists, hair dressers, photographers, and just regular folks like us show up to serve.

As the guests enter, they are paired with an "advocate."  The advocate sits with the client and helps them determine what services they would like to receive.  All services are completely free. 

As the client is taken from one area of the clinic  to another, the advocate looks for opportunities to share Christ with the client.  Also, every step along the way, the nurses, doctors, hairdressers, etc, all have impromptu opportunities to pray with the guest, to share their testimonies, and to love on the guest, all in the name of Christ. 

On the day of the clinic, the client may leave with their medications (no narcotics are kept on clinic site), family photos, a new haircut, dental work completed, new glasses, a belly full from a hot meal, sacks of groceries and toiletries, a physical, and counseling of various sorts.  They may also have a referral for a doc  for follow up treatment at no cost to them as well.  Each clinic is a little varied based on the community and the desires of the hosting church.

In Harlan, we had a full clinic.  Medical needs were met.  Eye glasses were ordered.  Mamograms, pap smears, toiletry bags, haircuts, family photos, a hot meal- all provided for these families living in poverty in an area so close to us.

As Duncan and I drove to the clinic, we got to enjoy the beautiful scenery on our way through the mountains.

From Touched Twice Clinis

When we arrived we had a huge surprise. We thought we were going to be staying in a tent, and on the way we received a call that the Cumberland Church of God was going to host us. Pastor Wilcox and his congregation greeted us joyfully and lead us to our accomadations. They were more than we felt we deserved. The room was beautiful, clean, and very welcoming. It had an adjoining bathroom with a shower, and they permitted us to use the fellowship hall kitchen, which was amazing. At that point, we nearly cried. Here we had come from Louisville to "rough it"and serve fora few days, and instead this community was embracing us and offering us much more than we ever imagined. Duncan lounging in "our" room. Isn't it lovely?

From Touched Twice Clinis

Here is the beautiful Kitchen on loan to us during our stay:

From Touched Twice Clinis

The next day we attended volunteer training

From Touched Twice Clinis

The Toiletry Bags collected by churches all over:

From Touched Twice Clinis

From Touched Twice Clinis

Anointing of the volunteers the night before the clinic, asking that they go forth and share the gospel. Yes, this room is FULL of volunteers who came to serve in the name of Jesus.

From Touched Twice Clinis

Volunteers: States---------------10 Zip Codes------------189 Churches-------------160 Denominations—--------38 Total # Vol-----------668 Clinic volunteers all gearing up for clients:

From Touched Twice Clinis

Each color shirt means something. They are used as a code for other workers to know who can help with different issues. That is Duncan in the Blue shirt. Handsome, isn't he? Volunteers sorting medications for the onsite pharmacy.

From Touched Twice Clinis

For a variety of reasons, I did not take lots of pics during the clinic. I wanted all the guests to feel completely comfortable and not worry that people were taking pictures of them. Also, for privacy reasons, it seems like taking pictures may violate their privacy, but there was one young man who I specifically asked if I could take his picture. I do not know much about him, but he and Duncan had a good time talking. One evening, after the clinic we visited a ministry called Club 180 and Josh was there, so he and Duncan struck up some games of pool. I specifically asked him if I could have permission to take his picture and share it on my blog, and he said yes. I really wanted to take his picture because I wanted the children to get to see the really amazing looking guy with rainbow Mohawk hair and tattoos play pool with their straight laced daddy. Josh was a neat young man and we feel privileged to get to meet him. Duncan visited with him far more than I did.

From Touched Twice Clinis

From Touched Twice Clinis

From Touched Twice Clinis

That evening in Club 180 we also got to hear a couple of great worship bands. Sound quality is terrible on this:

From Touched Twice Clinis

Again, bad sound quality:

From Touched Twice Clinis

Those of you who know us well realize this is not our usual style of worship, but these bands were reaching the youth of Harlan with the gospel message in their "own language." The youth that come to Cafe 180 are discipled and loved by the workers there. Amazingly before we even went on this trip, Christina and Duncan were doing "Experiencing God" and on one of the weeks they interviewed a gentlemen working in Harlan with the youth and who runs Cafe 180. We got to meet him and serve alongside him at the clinic, and then felt very joyful in God giving us the opportunity to be there and see the Cafe first hand. As for the clinic, there were 700 Guests served. 20 accepted Christ. The final evening of the clinic we had the opportunity to sit down and talk to the pastor of the lovely congregation that hosted us. The Pastor and his wife seems very interested in talking with us, and the next day we stayed and attended church with their congregation. Duncan was given the opportunity to speak to the congregation and he shared with them our hope that the local community could put aside their denominational boundaries and just begin serving with all their hearts in Jesus' name and to let the barrier walls between the churches come tumbling down. Afterward, pastor, his wife and another wonderful couple invited us to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. It was YUMMY and the conversation was hilarious. Duncan and pastor went turn after turn sharing jokes that kept the rest of us in stitches for most of the meal. When we left, we felt certain that the Lord was calling us to go back for a visit in the near future to serve in some small way, so who knows where that will lead. To find out more about touched twice, visit their site: www.touchedtwice.org Happy Homemaking! Malia Russell

My husband and I learned about an upcoming touched Twice Clinic (more coming in a future post) taking place in Harlan, KY- about 4 hours from us via car.  For quick basics- it is a mission oriented trip where the guests who come to be served come to have their physical needs met by a team of doctors, nurses, photographers, hair dressers, food preparers, etc who are all Christian who come to serve in the name of Jesus.  This is a very short description, and I will share more later.  But this post is about Sarah's Birthday Party.

Instead of having her friends over to shower her with gifts, Sarah asked that each girl bring toiletry items and bags to give as gifts to some of the teen girls who came through the clinic.

Additionally, we would be styling hair, putting on mail polish, etc for fun.  We also took before and after pics of each girl.  However, half the pictures were taken on my daughter's professional camera and she has it at work with her, so I cannot access those pics.  But these should give you some ideas of how the party went.

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

One girl's dad is a firefighter, so they arrived via Fire Truck. This caused much excitement.

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

The Birthday Girl's "Before" picture

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

Anne Mary with two friends sitting on either side.

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

Filling the bags...

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

From Sarah's Touched Twice Birthday Party

Now.....here is where our bags ended up....in a room with hundreds of other bags like them. Now, just waiting for clients.

From Touched Twice Clinis

Last year, you may recall that Anne Mary had an "Operation Christmas Child" Birthday party where we did a similar thing, but made shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child Instead. My girls love to have birthday parties (cake, balloons, presents, being the center of attention for a day)- who doesn't? But our family certainly is not in need of anything compared to those we can serve. By asking for contributions to charity and building a birthday party around it, the girls get to have all the fun and none of the wastefulness. To find out more about "Touched Twice" you can see our future blogpost telling about the clinic and their website: http://www.touchedtwice.org/ Happy Homemaking! Malia Russell