If you have read tens of thousands of books, the spirit of learning will flow from your brush as you write. ~ Chinese poem http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:32:00 -0500 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:32:00 -0500 Hello all, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve decided it’s time for me to stop blogging. I wasn’t sure if I’d like it when I first started, but I thought I’d try it anyway, and I’ve decided it isn’t my "thing" as one might say. I’ve had fun and "meet" a few really nice people, but I am bored of it. So, with that said, Goodbye and God bless. ~ Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/562400/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/562400/ This is the original piece I did for some gave all. I wrote it almost two years ago as a school assignment and I've never posted it before. If you had turned on the TV on June 21, 2007 you would have heard controversy over the war in Iraq, problems with Israel, and stories covering the 2008 presidential election,. You would not however, have heard about Operation enduring Freedom, taking place in Afghanistan. This is a war that most people have forgotten. But Anna Marie Perrot has not forgotten it. And she never will. That is because her husband, Sergeant Dustin Perrot died on June 21, 2007 after an IED exploded near his vehicle while he was on patrol in Miri, Afghanistan. He was a paratrooper in the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He received the Bronze Star medal, the Meritorious Service medal and the Army Achievement medal. He graduated from Chancellor High School in 2003 and joined the army in 2004. His family, friends, and fellow service members had nothing but good things to say about him. His family said that they were proud of him, and that “people were always drawn to his kindness:” His commander stated that “he was the kind of leader who infused others with motivation.” and that he was “ the sort of person with whom it was impossible not to share a smile.” Many of his friends said that he was brave, charismatic and selfless. Thank you, Sergeant Dustin Perrot for your service and your sacrifice. Our thanks and prayers go out to your family as will. You fought overseas in a forgotten war, and gave your life for a cause may Americans do not believe in. while listening to politicians debate the Middle East, I will remember you and the life you gave for your country. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/556829/ Fri, 4 Jul 2008 11:04:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/556829/   My apologizes, dear readers, for abandoning you so long. Computer time at my house has been cut short as everyone (mostly me) was spending way to much time on there. But when I checked up on my blog this morning and saw I hadn’t written since the 17th, I simply had to write something so you would know I was still here. After that note of apology, I have some very sad news to share with you. I’m not sure if any of you are aware of it, but a certain site has been hacked and all of it’s work deleted. This was not just the work of one person, but hundreds of people, myself included, wrote for them. Some gave all wasn’t just a site were you could read what other’s had written, it was a place to honor those who gave their lives for our freedom. I understand hating war, war kills people, but it was those very people we were trying to honor. Deleting the memory of thousands of soldiers isn't something any true American would do. Miss Sandy is asking all of her readers to post something on July 4th in support of our troops. I will be posting my original some gave all piece on July 4th, and hopefully something new as well. I ask all of you to join me in support of our troops, the ones who keep America what it is. Blessings ~ Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/554963/ Tue, 1 Jul 2008 10:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/554963/ India, Turkey, Ethiopia - Three countries on three continents. Different people, different cultures and different governments. Yet all three are tied together by a common thread. Every day in each of these countries Christians are being persecuted. Their homes are burned, their animals slaughtered and their bodies beaten. These are not the only places were Christians are being persecuted. As far away as Indonesia and as close as Colombia, Christians are facing fierce opposition from all sides. The worst part of it- These are all countries were Christianity is legal. It is hard to describe the feeling I get when I look up from school work or playing around on my iPod and seeing the map from Voice of the Martyrs on my wall; and then remembering that the red and yellow spots are people. Different countries on different continents. Different people, cultures and governments . But we’re all tied together by a common thread- our faith in Christ. Each month, twice a month, I blog about the work Voice of the Martyrs is doing to help persecuted Christians around the world. Every time I sit down to write for them I try to come up with something different, as not to repeat myself. But I need to repeat myself, I need to write this and remember those dots are people. Sometimes we forget there are people on the other side of the world. People who we cannot communicate with; people we cannot touch or see. People who look to us and can only dream about our blessings. People we forget to pray for because we didn’t have the time. Often I forget to make the time to pray. But we must make the time- get up early, stay up late, put off science tests and French lessons. I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of this but lives depend on it. This isn’t a topic for debate or something we can simply “care” about. Right now, all around the globe, Christians are dying because we aren’t doing anything about it. All we have to do is open our mouths in protest and believe God will help them. We protest against peanut butter sandwiches and doing someone else’s chores everyday so why not this? Pray, believe, and let God do His job. That’s all there is to it. ~ Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/549037/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:58:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/549037/ Yesterday my Mom, sister and I all went to the craft store to get yarn for some crochet projects we are working on. Mine is a beautiful crochet dress from interweave crochet magazine's spring issue. I am working on the top at the moment, which is worked in single crochet and as soon as I finish that I will start on the bottom which is a shell stitch. Here is what the dress will (hopefully) look like when I'm finished- Mine is in the same color, so of course it will look very similar, but I'll post a picture of it when it's finished so you can see my work. Blessings, Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/546315/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/546315/ When I woke up yesterday morning, I realized I don’t really care about the environment as people today think I should, and I’m okay with that. I have for sometime now, been trying to write a paper about the subject in order to educate myself on the issues and facts surrounding the environment.  However, in my studies I have come to the conclusion that yes, the earth is a beautiful thing and we should take care of it for that reason, but those who say the earth is going to fall to pieces have been fooled by bad science, political propaganda and a society that has fallen under the spell of advertising to the point that they no longer think for themselves. So, I am setting aside that paper for the simple reason that I have better things to do with my time than listen to a bunch of red herrings, ad hominems and arguments stemming from emotion rather than fact. Instead, I am using one of the advantages of being self taught, the ability to change the subject of my paper without anyone caring, and writing about the fine arts, something that is more important to me than the hole in the ozone layer or fish that aren’t laying as many eggs this year. I must confess my new paper may not be posted this week, though it very well could be as I am so enthusiastic about it that I was able to sit down and write out my outline in five minutes. This Saturday is the official last day of the 2007 – 2008 season of dance, though I start the 2008-2009 season next Monday. We are, of course, going through the make sure you have everything-absolutely don’t be late for dress rehearsal- don’t push yourself hard this week-phase of dance which can get hectic but the end result is always rewarding.  Blessings ~ Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/542408/ Tue, 3 Jun 2008 15:13:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/542408/ My sister and I are working through a study of Proverbs 31 and one our assignments this week is to visit those in prison. As we are both under 18 and not allowed to actually visit those in prison, we didn’t know what we were supposed to do. That was until I asked my mom what she thought we should do, and I must say I should have thought of it myself. Voice of the Martyrs has a section on their website where you can write to people who have been imprisoned for their faith if Christ.  My mom recommended that we send some of these letters and I invite you to do the same. It’s not hard, you just click on what you want the letter to say and it puts in the box in both English and the language of the prisoner you have chosen, then you print it out and mail it to the address they give you.   These letters encourage them in their time of trouble, and get the Word of God to them when they need it most. if you would like to send one you can learn more about it here.  ~ Elise http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/538579/ Tue, 27 May 2008 09:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/538579/                   Congratulations on your graduation Eyebright, high school is fun; but now you are free to move on to bigger and better things. Your blog is always good, whatever you post about; and you're always readly to share what you've learned with the rest of us. May the Lord bless you in all that you do.  ~ Elise Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.         Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:  but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.   Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. ~ Prov. 31:29-31 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/537352/ Sat, 24 May 2008 10:43:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/537352/ I'm learning to do fouetté turns in ballet class. Right now I can barely do one, but my teacher says by the end of the summer I should be able to do five or six in a row. Not many, but it's a start.  In the dance of the Black Swan in Swan Lake you have to be able to do 32 fouettés; I only wish I were that good.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/535272/ Tue, 20 May 2008 16:08:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/535272/ An unintended blogging vacation that is.  I didn’t mean to stop posting all of a sudden after posting everyday for two straight weeks; but somehow it happened. So here is all the new stuff I'm doing that I can think of at the moment. The paper I mentioned I was writing has to be finished by the end of this week, so I have been reading and taking notes till my hand cramps or I run out of pencil lead. I’ve learned a lot about the state of the environment; but most of it can be summed up in one sentence- If I were stupid life would be a whole lot easier. But I’m not stupid, so I have to weed through a lot of bad science and political propaganda to get to the real issues. I am also redoing my icons for the summer, but it doesn’t look the way I want it to; and I will have to change it again.  One of these days, I’m going to learn how to make templates for myself, but for now copy and paste seems to work and I’m okay with that.   Yes ladies and gentlemen, I have seen Prince Caspian and I think it is quite good, and I look forward to watching it again when we get the DVD. I purchased the soundtrack last night, and it is highly recommended as well. I like Susan much better in this one and it is a shame that she can’t go back to Narnia because she is my favorite character in this film; though I think it was her archery skills that did it for me. Well, that catches you up on every thing I’ve been up to and I promise to post my regular schedule this week, including my essay when it’s finished.  ~ Elise  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/534568/ Mon, 19 May 2008 12:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/thespiritoflearning/534568/