• Jul. 10, 2008
Family Driven Faith Update

I have posted about this book before but I finally finished reading it and I wanted to give a fuller review.

Vodie Baucham will challenge you in this book.  It is not for someone who is looking for just a light, inspirational book on how to have a godly family.  This book will make you take a hard look at everything you do and what the Bible says about it.  And that is the key thing.  Vodie does not just give you his opinion about how to raise a family, he take you straight to the word and leaves you to wrestle with the truth of the word.

I have read many books that left me saying, "Yes, Amen, I agree with that."  But few have made me think and ponder like this one did.  I encourage you to read it, but I warn you, you will be challenged.  He tackles everything from parenting, activities, education, church, family worship; You name it, it is addressed.  And it is addressed with scripture.  You will not be able to walk away from this book saying, "Well, those are his opinions", you will have to face what the word of God says about each issue.  So read it, but be prepared.

Shannon

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• Jul. 8, 2008
Currently Reading

I am currently reading Gary Gilley's book, "This Little Church Went to Market".  The subtitle pretty well sums up the book, 'Is the modern church reaching out or selling out?'

Gilley takes a hard look at the 'market driven church' movement and what it is doing to the gospel.  It is a great (and short) read that will have you thinking.

Shannon

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• Jul. 8, 2008
A day at the playground and a dirty face!

Recently we took the kids to the playground.  It was a beautiful day and they had a great time.  The only downside was Timothy taking off his new sandals that we inadvertently left there, never to be seen again.

We even had some upside down fun!

A couple days later we were at Daddy's softball game.  It had been very dry for quite a while and the field and areal around the bleachers was exceedingly dusty.  Well, what would be more fun for a 3 1/2 year old boy?  On top of just having the dirt to play in he had even brought along some Bob the Builder toys.  He sat in the dirt for a full hour and played.  (This time included making 'dirt angels' and picking up dirt and dropping it on his head.)  This is the 'after' face.

Shannon

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• Jul. 8, 2008
Independence Day

What a great day we had on the 4th of July!  We spent the afternoon with several other couples and their children (the adults were outnumbered but that was okay since the kids didn't mutiny or anything!)  We ate too much of course but had a great time of fellowship and the kids got to play with some sparklers and firecrackers.

I was super excited about the fireworks show that we went to that night because my new camera has a fireworks setting that I had learned how to use at the last camera class I went to.  I had my tripod and was set and ready to go.  Well, what I forgot is that a longer exposure time on the camera eats the batteries pretty quickly and 3 shots into the night I was out of juice!  So frustrating.  I hadn't even gotten aimed at the right part of the sky yet!  Oh well, there's always next year I guess!

Shannon

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• Jul. 7, 2008
Please Visit my Sister's Site

If you live in the greater St. Louis, MO area you should really check out my sister's site at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/kreationsbykelly.  Or you can always view it by clicking on Kreations by Kelly in my sidebar.

She is a very talented artist who has just begun her own mural painting company.  Even if you don't live in the area you should still check it out just to see the cool pictures.

Shannon

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• Jun. 22, 2008
A prayer for times of trial

There are times when trials press hard on our lives and we find exactly how strong our faith is.  God, in His goodness and mercy, uses these times of trial to teach us to depend on him more fully.  This song is a beautiful heart cry from one whose desire is to be 'conformed into the likeness of His son' (Rom. 8:29) through the trials of life.

Shannon

Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer                   By Margaret Becker

Jesus, draw me ever nearer, as I wander through the storm.  You have called me to this passage, and I'll follow, though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith.  And at the end of my hearts testing, with your likeness let me wake.

Jesus, guide me through the tempest, keep my spirit staid and sure.  And when the midnight meets the morning, let me love you even more.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith.  And at the end of my hearts testing, with your likeness let me wake.

Let the treasures of the trial, form within me as I go.  And at the end of this long passage, let me leave them at your throne.

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith.  And at the end of my hearts testing, with your likeness let me wake.

 

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• Jun. 7, 2008
Picture Updates

Well, I finally got some pictures in my slideshow that I have wanted to put there for a while.  One is a picture of Sarah with her two paintings that she entered in the art show this year.  The one that won is the picture on the right of the yellow crocuses with the purple and green background. 

The other two pictures are ones my mom took of the children's musical.  Sarah is wearing the lab coat and playing "nurse Zelda".

The new pictures are the final 3 in the rotation after the Florida pictures.

Shannon

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• Jun. 6, 2008
Sewing adventure

Well, I tried something I had never tried before last week.  I sewed a swimming suit for my daughter.  I must admit to being terrified at the very prospect of this before I started but it turned out that the hardest part was getting the material.  Very few places sell 4-way stretch lycra material but after going to some fabric stores with no luck I finally found it on-line.  Here are some pictures of it. 

I got the pattern for this suit at Biblical Womanhood .  (Just click on modest clothing in the sidebar, then modest swimwear in the next sidebar.)  The suit is two pieces so it is easy to get in and out of but the top is long enough that it comes down over (or can be tucked into) the skirt.  The skirt has shorts sewn in under it as well and the shorts and skirt can be lengthened or shortened to your liking. 

Aside from the thread on my machine breaking repeatedly when I was sewing in elastic the suit was relatively easy to make.  I had never before sewn on stretch material and was surprised at how well it turned out.  If anyone can tell me what to do about thread breaking I would appreciate it.  I assume it has to do with tension but I didn't know wether to turn the dial up or down.   

Anyway, I had found it so hard to find a suit that was comfortable, modest, that my daughter would like and that was in our price range that I was thrilled with this one.  One thing I had noticed with suits that you can find in stores or catalogs that have the more modest bottom part of the suits was that the neckline would still be somewhat low.  I liked the fact that this one also had a higher neckline so there are no worries anywhere! 

Have a swimming good summer!

Shannon

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• Jun. 6, 2008
Family Driven Faith

I am currently reading a book by Vodie Bocham entitled Family Driven Faith.

 

I am not finished with it yet but I really wanted to let people know about this book.  It is a fantastic call to rise up to the biblical call of being a family.  We have relegated our faith to the periphery of our lives and yet we expect that when our kids are grown and leave home they will be solid men and women of God.  Vodie Bocham steps all over the toes of things we allow to take pre-eminence in our lives above God and His word.

Warning:  Do not read this book unless you are ready to be covicted.

Shannon

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• Jun. 5, 2008
More Critters!

We have had much rain in these parts lately and no free days that were dry enough to cut the grass.  (Well the front yard had been cut once but that was it.)  Needless to say, the Amazon rainforests had nothing on us.  Timmy couldn't go out in the back or we would lose him, and he is a tall 3 1/2 year old!

Well, Wednesday was the day.  Jay pulled out the lawn mower (I really thought he would need a brush hog!) and mowed all day long.  In the process, however, he found some new residents for the aquarium.  The first time he knocked on the door he told Sarah to bring out a jar and this is what she brought back in. 

We call him Chubby!  The next knock at the door had the same request and this time a new creature.

Okay, I know there is a terrible smudge on the aquarium but this picture cracks me up.  It makes me want to put a caption on it that says, "Let me tell you how I can save you 15% or more on auto insurance."

The next two times Jay knocked on the door Sarah picked up the jar before even finding out what he wanted and sure enough, in came two more lizards.

So we currently have an aquarium full of amphibians (reptiles?) at our house.  And many prayers that those lizards don't find a way to crawl up and out of the top of the aquarium!

Shannon

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• Jun. 3, 2008
Livin' Inside Out!

Well the musical was a fantastic success!  The kids did a marvelous job!  It is so fun to see the result of all their hard work.  (And to see them stand still for the first time...ever!  It is a supernatural phenomenon I think, but kids who have never before been able to stand in one spot for more than 10 seconds at a time can suddenly stand still and even smile for 30 minutes when they have an audience!)

Our musical was titled Livin' Inside Out In An Upside Down World.  The message was about what it means to follow Christ in a fallen world, the fact that what God calls us to looks inside out and upside down compared to the ways of the world.  I just love it when you can find a program with fun kids music that can even convict the hearts of the adults who listen.  It was an excellent message.

And of course, it was made extra special to our family because of Sarah's part.  She had kept it a virtual secret from her dad.  He knew that she had a part and was singing but he didn't know what songs (except one small part she had in a song that we had done in church before).  How we kept him from ever hearing her sing for 5 months is beyond me but we did, and he was surprised.

It was a great time.  Everyone Sarah had invited got to come so that made it even sweeter.  Then we took all of yesterday off to veg' out!  Somehow I managed to read The Hobbit in its entirety and Sarah got over 100 pages into The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring.  Actually, I guess she didn't veg' out all that much because this is a whole new level of reading for her.  Tolkein wrote a little more heady stuff than most children's authors of today so she is using lots of brain power to read it!  She has decided she wants to watch the movies.  I have always told her that she has to read the books before she can watch the movies so she dug in.  She needed a little encouragement through the first two chapters (and we are talking long chapters, she is used to 8-10 page chapters, not 18-30 page chapters!) but once the story grabbed her she started chugging along.  It looks like we will have to find a 3 hour block to watch the first movie this weekend!

Enjoy you day and remember to "live upright in this upside down world!"

Shannon

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• May. 31, 2008
Musical Weekend

Well, after 5 months of hard work the big weekend is finally here.  I am currently sitting in a local bread shop trying to regroup after a night of very little sleep before our final practice. 

The children's choir musical is Sunday night.  The kids have worked long and hard and despite many nights when I thought we wouldn't all make it to this day alive, here we are!

I am so excited to see it finally come to fruition!  There is this excitement  at the beginning when you first find the music and it has the perfect combination of fun and a great message.  Then comes the work...and you begin to forget what a great program it is.  Now that the time has finally come I am so happy that others are finally going to get to see and hear the words to the wonderful songs the kids will be singing!

Then of course there is the parental pride issue!   Sarah is making her big debut this time.  She of course has participated in our musicals in the past but this time she has a major role and several solos!  Needless to say we are really excited about that!

Well, I am beginning to wake up now so I had better seize the moment and go set up our practice.

Enjoy your weekend!

Shannon

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• May. 20, 2008
Prince Caspian

Well, the much awaited second installment to the Chronicles of Narnia movie is finally out and we could not wait to go see it.  We are huge Narnia fans in our household.  We absolutely loved the first movie and have been eagerly anticipating this one.  After seeing it last night, I must leave a mixed review.

First of all I will explain our situation coming into the movie.  My daughter and I have read and re-read and listened to the audio book version of all of the Narnia books.  We love them and we know them.  My husband has 'listened' somewhat distractedly to the audio books so while he has a rough idea of the series he by no means "knows" the intricasies of the story lines.  Thus, the mixed review.

I will start with my husbands point of view.  He loved it.  He thought it was well done, action packed and brought out the subtler Christian themes of God being in control no matter what the circumstances look like and the fact that when we seek Him, He will be found by us.  He gave it 5 stars.

Sarah and I however gave it more like 3 stars.  Both of us said, first thing when the lights came up, "They left out all the best parts!"  Truly, if you know the book you will feel that way.  So much of the character development was left out that there were characters, like Caspian's nurse, who weren't even part of the movie.  Now this wasn't necessarily vital to the plot of the movie, but there was a LOT missing.  I really want to see the movie again with that in mind because it was a good movie, well done and with great effects.  But I was driven to distraction playing all of the parts of the book that were missing in my mind to catch up with where the movie was.

All that being said, here is my recommendation.  If you have not read the book yet, DO NOT DO SO BEFORE SEEING THE MOVIE.  Please go see the movie first.  But be sure to read the book after that so you can get the full story and the full effect of the Christian message in it.  If you have already read the book...well, just know it is not going to be the same.  Anticipate that and just sit back and enjoy the show.  I think if I had known ahead of time how much different it would be that I would have enjoyed it more.

And some fun facts, keep in mind the age range of the 4 main characters.  Lucy is at the stage where her teeth kept falling out during the filming so that they had to make false teeth for her to wear!  And Edmund grew so much during filming that they had to keep re making his costumes.

Enjoy the show.

Shannon

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• May. 17, 2008
OUCH!!!!!!!

You know it is never a good sign when your child runs into the house past you yelling, "Mom!  I fell face first on the concrete!"  Sarah was riding her scooter this evening and managed to fall on her face, literally.  Not a scratch or bruise anywhere else.  Here is a picture.

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• May. 16, 2008
Little Critters

Ah, spring has sprung, finally!  And with spring comes critters.  Now I am not talking bugs but slightly larger critters and my daughters desire to care for them.  So, when she found a turtle in the middle of the road that only had 3 legs and 1 stump out came the aquarium and in went the turtle.  We think it is probably best for creatures to stay where God put them so we only had the turtle for a few days and then put it right back where we found it but it was fun while it lasted.  We named it 'Gimpy'.  We had never watched a turtle eat before.  It was a noisy salad eater!  Here are a couple pictures.

And digging in the garden she found a ring neck snake.  Needless to say this one did not stay in the aquarium any longer than it took to get the pictures.

Our home is now critter free again!  Till the next sunny day...

Shannon

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• May. 15, 2008
Grocery Shopping

Today I spent $101 on groceries.  Okay, before you stop reading and think to yourself I will never again listen to what this person says about ways to save money let me explain. 

First of all I have not been grocery shopping in 2 weeks, therefore if you divide that $101 over 3 weeks that is only $34 each week.  But even better than that, aside from milk I won't need to shop for the next 3 weeks either!  Now, I thought that was pretty good but just look at what I got for my money!  I had to take 2 pictures because I couldn't get it to fit in one.

That is 2 gallons of milk, 9 boxes of Hamburger Helper ($1 each), 10 boxes of Barilla Pasta ($.80 each!) 3 boxes of Pop Tarts (3/$5), 2 Boxes Fruit Snacks, 2 boxes french toaster sticks, (okay, my kids got away with some sale stuff!) 5 cans diced tomatoes ($.50 each), 4 boxes Pillsbury Brownies($.89 each!), 4 bags sugar (4/$5), 9 lbs. frozen chicken (6 lbs tenders @ 1.66 lb, 3 lbs breasts @ 1.84 lb), 1- 3lb chuck roast @ 2.17 lb, 6 lbs ground beef @ 1.49 lb, bananas, potatoes, coffemate (free), 2 cartons Blue Bunny Icecream (2/$6), and 2 boxes of Electrasol diswasher detergent!  I don't even want to think about what all of that would have cost if I had not hit the sales and had coupons.  I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to stock up on all that meat and pasta!  I now can't fit any more into my freezer or pantry!

Shannon

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• May. 15, 2008
Freebies

I have posted about freebies before but without pictures.  So, lest some of you are still unbelievers I thought I would show you my last couple weeks of freebies.  Remember you can click on the Money Saving Mom link in my sidebar and go sign up for these free samples yourself.  Just look at all her freebies posts to find the links!

In the first picture is Sheer Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner samples, Dove Shampoo and Conditioner samples, 2 perfume samples, Head and Shoulders Shampoo & Conditioner samples, Salonpas Heat patch samples, P&G coupons, Gold bond coupons, makeup samples, huggies diapers and baby wash, trial sizes Gillette body wash, trial size Dove Shampoo and Conditioner, Aveeno samples, Glidden Tree samples and Stevia samples.

In the bottom picture are Nutra Sweet samples, Olay regenerist samples, Hamburger Helper Samples, True Lemon Samples, Curel samples, Good Nights sleep pants samples, and Loreal Skin Genesis samples.

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• May. 14, 2008
New Links

For the past few months I have been checking out some on-line survey companies.  After weeding through piles and piles of e-mails I have finallly come up with the ones that are my favorite.  These sites will not make you hundreds of dollars a month, but they will make you money without having to spend any money.  I will give a brief description of each below.

The best of these sites is This Site is for Real (please use button on side bar to check it out.)  This site will send you e-mails with 4-5 links in them.  Usually 3 of the links will say earn $.30 next to them.  You simply click through the 'survey', they are always the same, don't agree to sign up for anything (when it says you must click yes to at least one offer do not fear, it will let you decline it on the next page) and at the end of the survey it will credit your account.  They automatically send you a check every month as long as you have acumualted $10.  I have made between $12 and $20 each month for the last 3 months doing this.

The next site is Inbox Dollars (please use link in sidebar to check it out).  This site will send you e-mails each day and all you have to do is click on them to be rewarded.  You earn $.03-$.05 for each e-mail you read.  This isn't big money but it adds up.  You have to have $30 in your account before you can cash out.  I am up to $20 after 3 months of e-mails.

The final site is Tik Tik Cash (you can also access this in the link section of my sidebar).  The set up on this site is much the same as Inbox Dollars.  The only difference is that you have to have $100 in your account before you can cash out the first time then $50 after that.  That might seem like a lot but seriously, all you have to do is click on an e-mail to earn the money!

All of these sites have other opportunities to make more money but I have opted to just take the slow and steady route.  These are also not going to jam up your inbox.  You will get e-mails everyday but unlike other sites they will not have 100 other sites e-mailing you and the e-mails you do get will earn you money.

Have fun getting paid!

Shannon

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• May. 10, 2008
A beautiful day!

Sometimes a day is just so pretty you just have to take notice of it.  This was one of those days.  We were actually a little afraid that it would not turn out so good.  All week long we had planned a day of fun activities with friends which was to include a picnic and kite flying in the park.  We had rain Monday - Friday!

Well it turns out that we had the perfect window of opportunity for a day at the park!  The guys went to hit some baseballs at the park while the girls (and Timmy) went to a local pottery place and painted some ceramics.  Then we all met at the park for a picnic and kite flying.  Thanks to our friends (and God providing the perfect wind conditions) we had our first ever kite flying experience.  Never before had any of us gotten a kite to fly and this morning the kites were practically flying themselves!  It was a lot of fun.

Tonight.....well, tonight it is raining again.  But as we listen to the raindrops we dream of a very fun day with friends in the sunshine!

Shannon

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• May. 8, 2008
Great Curriculum Website

I got a great tip about a website today while I was at my homeschool groups used curriculum sale.  It is called Homeschool Classifieds .  I will put a permanent link in my side bar.  I have always used E-bay to sell my used curriculum before but I always hated losing that listing and selling percentage!    Well, on Homeschool Classifieds you can buy and sell with no fees!  How great is that?  And they have a huge listing of items so go and check it out.  And if you haven't signed up for Revolution Money Exchange yet be sure to click on the button at the top of my blog and sign up.  For starters you get the $25 bucks just for signing up, then you can go over to Homeschool Classifieds and use your newly found $25 to buy some of next years curriculum!  Can't get a better deal than free money and cheap books!  

Because I didn't do to well selling my books at the curriculum fair today, (apparently there are no up and coming 5th graders in my group) I have already listed some things on the site.  I went to the sale with a total of 5 books in my hands, I didn't even have to carry them in a box.  I ended up selling one book and buying about 20!   Oh well, they were books to read for the kids and for me and while I only made $5 today on my one book I sold, I only spent around $7 on the books I bought so I guess I did alright.

Shannon

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