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Monday Meanderings
2007-11-26 17:23:00
1) HOMESCHOOL -- I need to work on our science and some extra's that I've been putting off... also, some Christmas crafts for presents to be our art class.. hey, it counts :-) 2) FELLOWSHIP/BIBLE -- I need to print out all of my verses for the Advent. We will finish up some reading in the Old Testament "double" books this week. 3) HOME CLEANING --Monday : laundry -- I worked on this on Saturday so I only have 2 loads of towels and 1 load of delicates to wash. I plan on taking the extra time to go through our clothes that the children have grown too small for and putting them in a bag to take to the Navy Relief Thrift ShopTuesday: vacuum, dust, bathroomsWednesday: windows Thursday: good scrub of kitchen; floor mopping Friday: vacuum, dust, bathrooms  4) HOMEMAKING --  Get out the Christmas Decorations!!Weekly dinner plan: Monday: fried catfish, mac n cheese, steamed carrotsTuesday: beef roll, mashed potatoes, green beansWednesday: pizza (easy for AWANA)Thursday: Chicken w...
More About: Erin

Great Toys for Christmas -- American made
2007-11-26 16:36:00
Wooden American Toy Bundle from Craftsbury Kids $60.00(2 toy set)...click on the picture to go to the website...Roy Toy Log Cabin SetStill made in Maine, just as it was in the 1930s, this Roy Toy log cabin set has 140+ pieces, so kids can create lots of their own designs. All pieces are 100% hand cut wood. The red wooden gables and green roof planks are stained with non-toxic food safe dyes, that are of course lead-free. An American classic! Comes with building instructions. The Little Engine That Could Train SetFeatured on ABC & NBCLooking for a toy train set that's child safe and made in the USA? We love Watty Piper's classic story around here, so we were thrilled to find this Little Engine That Could train set. This wonderful made in the USA toy is compatible with Thomas and Brio sets. Includes the engine, three cars, and red caboose.This is crafted just like traditional toys were made in the past, so you can bet it will last!Classic Toys ...
More About: Christmas , Great , Made

Woman Aborts Child To Help Save the Planet
2007-11-25 20:51:00
"Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet," says Toni, 35."Every person who is born uses more food, more water, more land, more fossil fuels, more trees and produces more rubbish, more pollution, more greenhouse gases, and adds to the problem of over-population."While most parents view their children as the ultimate miracle of nature, Toni seems to see them as a sinister threat to the future...And further down the article --..."I've never doubted that I made the right decision. Ed and I married in September 2002, and have a much nicer lifestyle as a result of not having children."We love walking and hiking, and we often go away for weekends."Every year, we also take a nice holiday - we've just come back from South Africa."We feel we can have one long-haul flight a year, as we are vegan and childless, thereby greatly reducing our carbon footprint and combating over-populat...
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Kutless -- You Are My Strong Tower
2007-11-25 16:48:00
  
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positive attitude
2007-11-25 01:22:00
Today has been just a rather lazy day. The children took the opportunity to go spend some time at the youth center here on base with friends they don't get a good chance to play with anymore that they aren't going to school together. We don't allow our children in people's houses we don't know. Many of their friends parents have the same rule. It was chilly here with the winds kicking up quite a bit so the youth center is a good safe place for them to catch up with friends and not be stuck outside. My husband has been catching up with some friends online and watching football. I have been doing laundry and baking cakes. When the children weren't out with friends stretching their strings of imagination, they were inside helping me do some general clean up a bit as well. I also tried to do some reading. It is my goal to finish Passionate Housewives tonight or tomorrow afternoon. I pick it up and read several passages and put it back down to do other things. That's just the way ...
More About: Positive Attitude , Attitude , Positive

Pay it Forward Gift Exchange
2007-11-23 22:45:00
While over at Farmhouse Style back  WAY earlier this month, I signed up to participate in the Pay It Forward ~ Gift Exchange . In exchange for receiving a handmade gift from Rhonda, I agree to make and give a handmade item to 3 people who want to join in the exchange. Here's how it works:I will send a handmade gift to the first three people who leave a comment on my blog, requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don't know what the gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. If anyone is interested in joining me, I will send a handmade gift to the first three to leave a comment with their promise to pay it forward.Tags: Pay it forward Gift exchange
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Did your Thanksgiving resemble this????
2007-11-23 22:29:00
LOL.... I hope not :-)
More About: Thanksgiving , Hank

Some coupons, freebies, and sale items from my affiliates
2007-11-23 14:41:00
Who doesn't like a great deal, right? And since it is black Friday and everyone is shopping galore (except me...LOL), I thought I'd find some freebies my affiliates are offering and put them here. There are some coupons, and sale items listed, too!!FREE  Free Baby Shower Basics e-bookFREE  Free printable bridal shower invitationsCOUPON  $5 off first purchase (Books for Christians)COUPON  $10 off $200 purchase (Books for Christians ... anyone buying books for Christmas??)COUPON  Kiyonna Clothing -- Take $20 off orders of $150 or more (I love their clothes!) coupon code HOLIDAY20FREE  Creative Writing 1 -- a free download from Homeschool E-store (a $25 value)SALE  Birth of Jesus Bible Study -- on sale for  $6.95SALE  Christmas Unit Study -- on sale for $10.95FREE Check in after 9 a.m. this morning for some Black Friday freebies!!!SALE  Buy a subscription for yourself to Old Schoolhouse Magazine and get a second subscription for...
More About: Freebies , Coupons , Sale , Affiliates , Items

Some recipe helps...
2007-11-22 21:22:00
Back in October I participated in Overwhelmed With Joy's Holiday Cooking Blogger Style recipe exchange. There were over 110 entries and so now is a great time to go check it out and see if you can find some great recipes. Maybe you can even find a few to handle some holiday leftovers :-)Today was pretty easy for me. I was tasked with bringing all the deserts to the dinner. My daughter and I made all the crusts from scratch as well as the pumpkin pie but we utilized some home-made simple techniques too. It's nice to use store bought goods as well as a bit of homecooking to make things easier. We made an apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cake, cranberry loaf, and pumpkin loaf. We do have a turkey but are still debating whether to fix it tomorrow or Saturday for a family dinner. We are just taking it easy and enjoying each other :-) I hope you all are too! Oh, and let the guys do the dishes ;-)
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Happy Thanksgiving
2007-11-22 15:46:00
We wish to give thanks for all our friends and family and hope you have a truly blessed Thanksgiving ! Enjoy this special time with whoever you may be spending it with. God bless!!Psalm 100:1-5 A Psalm. For giving thanks.1 Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth.2 Worship the Lord with gladness;come before him with joyful songs.3 Know that the Lord is God.It is he who made us, and we are his;we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgivingand his courts with praise;give thanks to him and praise his name.5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;his faithfulness continues through all generations.President Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving ProclamationBy the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, other...
More About: Happy , Hank

Another YIPPEE!!!
2007-11-21 19:41:00
My children were bored and so they took the stash of goods out and sold several pieces of jewelry this morning. PLUS, several people are coming by the house  later this afternoon to pay for some purchases so that is extra money right when we need it. Like I said yesterday, the goodness of God is immeasurable!! WOOHOO!! This was never intentionally going to be a business. It was only going to be fun stuff for my daugher and I to do together but I guess if we can earn some money off of it, then that is great too..Also, I got enough votes to be nominated for the Best Encourager at the Homeschool Blog Awards!! YEAH!! In the words of my dear friend Elvis, Thank you, thank you very much :-)

YIPPEEE!!!
2007-11-21 16:04:00
It's official! We are on the outbound roster (AGAIN..long story) and definitely have orders to Cherry Point, North Carolina! YEAH!! At least we actually have time to pack this time...LOL. We must report no later than 1 May 2008. I'm so excited to be going somewhere with the ocean and mountains. We are praying over our home already and trusting God to provide one we can afford to buy!

Weblink Wednesday -- Shaping the Values of Youth
2007-11-21 13:23:00
Yesterday my friend Valerie posted in my chat box asking if I had a link to share with Weblink Wednesday , a meme she started. I haven't ever participated before but I thought it would be fun so here I am. I am interested in many things and so my links I use for homeschooling aren't maybe your typical links that are specifically geared up towards only homeschoolers but because of my deep love of history, accompanied with my deep love of books, we use lots of unusual sites at times for looking things up. I hope you find this link helpful!! My link for this week is Shaping the Values of Youth : Sunday School Books in 19th Century America. Between the years of 1999 to 2001, the Library of Congress/ Ameritech National Digital Library Competition provided a grant to digitally scan for an electronic archive Sunday School books that were written in the 1800's. These works are online for teachers and scholars (the best of those are parents, of course) to use and you can view ...

Wordless Wednesday -- HONK HONK
2007-11-21 13:13:00
My parents pond had a few extra visitors this past summer to help entertain my children!!Click here to check our my husbands wordless wednesday!Click here to check out the WW HQ!Tags: Wordless Wednesday

The Goodness of God... tithe, or teeth, or both?
2007-11-20 21:31:00
This payday has been a real crunch for us. We literally only had enough money for our tithe, the shoeboxes we promised God we would do this year, our car insurance (set up to pay several months at a time and it just happened to be this month), and only a little leftover that needed to go as much as possible towards food. We bought lots of food last payday but none of the normal turkey day stuff plus we needed to replenish regular items like bread and milk, etc..Our youngest came to me a few weeks ago and said "My tooth hurts" and when I looked he had a big gaping hole in it. The initial appointment led to finding more cavities and so forth plus that one is so damaged it needs a crown, or if they pull it, then he would need a spacer. Either way, big bucks. We have dental insurance but we still have to pay for much of it.  All of the children have their own work to be done but we found out his dental work alone was going to cost us $300 out of pocket. We honestly had a choic...
More About: Teeth , Goodness , The Go , The G

Accurate Accounts of the First Thanksgiving Meal
2007-11-20 17:30:00
In our studies we have found two accurate accounts of what actually was eaten the first Thanksgiving Harvest. The first was a letter that Edward Winslow sent back to family in England about that same year of 1621. The second was an accounting by William Bradford, but his came 20 years later. Many of the foods available then were as follows:deer, wild turkey and other fowl (waterfowl, as well), nuts, fruits and berries, vegetables, indian corn (this is not the kind to make popcorn), fish, honey, maple syrup from the trees they tapped, cheese, eggs, barley (though they used it mostly for making beer), seafood, onions, garlic, flax, and some small quantities of butter (but in order to stay on budget leaving England they sold most of their butter and all of their olive oil), and herbs and spices and seeds they brought with them from Englandour harvest being gotten in, our governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a speciall manner rejoyce together, after we had gathere...
More About: Meal , Hank

some readings from today...
2007-11-19 23:36:00
It never fails that no sooner do you walk through one door that another one will open. Some times those doors are good ( ie paying off bills this year and being able to finally afford a new van) and some are bad (ie having to shell out close to $700 in dental bills during the holidays) but that is life. There is good and there is bad in every situation. How we handle it is all a personal choice. We can wallow in self pity and moan and groan. Sometimes we even choose to start blaming God for all our worldly trials and tribulations and take our eyes off of Him as the defender and protector of our lives. Or, we can choose to look to God to carry us in those times of need. Valerie gave me a perfect gift today. It was an "I'm thankful for your Friendship" award. It was spot on and the timing could not have been better. I had literally just been reading some verses about encouragement and she just plopped on over with her own bit of encouragement for me. I want to share some of ...
More About: Readings , Today

I've been tagged...
2007-11-19 22:00:00
I have been tagged by... Nikki at Angels of Heart*Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.*Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. *Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. *Let each person know that they¿ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. soooo....here it is, random and/or weird facts about moi! Ok here I go... 7 things about me...1. I have a heart for missions. I went on a trip to the Philippines as a Pharmacy tech and God gave me such an awesome experience with the language and the people.. I completely believe it was a miracle! I also this year participated on a mission team to Poland as the Prayer Coordinator here at home. I wanted to go really bad but I knew right away that God was telling me not to go but to stretch myself in the coordinator position and to learn and be open to all aspects He may call me to do. I went on my first prayer walk during that time. My husband and I are prayi...
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Monday Meanderings
2007-11-19 17:45:00
1) HOMESCHOOL -- special emphasis this week on Thanksgiving; Victoria's Habeas Corpus paper must be postmarked by tomorrow... I'm so glad the Constitution class is finished! 2) FELLOWSHIP/BIBLE -- we have been lazy in our family worship time during the weeks we were doing art classes and the Constitution class in the evenings.. we need to get back on track with this 3) HOME CLEANING --Monday : laundry -- found a system that works: hampers for dirty clothes and baskets for each person for putting their own clothes away. WOO HOO! I really hate folded laundry piles just sitting around :-)Tuesday: vacuum, dust, bathroomsWednesday: windows Thursday: good scrub of kitchen; floor mopping  nothing today!! Friday: vacuum, dust, bathrooms  nothing today!! 4) HOMEMAKING Weekly dinner plan: Monday: spaghettiTuesday: fried catfishWednesday: beef rollThursday: TURKEY..yum yumFriday: leftovers .. maybe a turkey cranberry wreathSaturday: probably leftovers again .. maybe turkey tetrazinniSunday:  ...
More About: Erin

Military Family Blog Carnival (or meme?)
2007-11-19 17:05:00
Being part of the Military Family makes me thankful for...time my spouse has been at home is more than the time in my children's years that he has been away ...having a honeymoon experience everytime my husband returns from deployment...the time spent with extended family is even more special because it is sometimes few and far between...a roof over our head ...free medical care...work center Thanksgiving dinners...opportunities to travel...opportunities to witness the hand of God working in other countries and places...and last but not least, the growth in my own life in Christ because of the military family life experiences we've had... many have been hard but they all served their purpose to draw me closer to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!These are just a few of the things that I'm thankful for within the military family community. Please visit An Army Wife's Life to view more participants.Tags: Military Family Blog Carnival
More About: Meme

I hope you like the new theme...
2007-11-19 11:48:00
I really wanted to try and wait until after Thursday to do a wintry look but I was having fun playing so I just went ahead and changed things around. I really miss snow and so that's why I went with this look. Hope fully it's not too much white for ya :-) We haven't seen snow for any decent amount of time unless we've traveled to visit family. The last place we lived that actually got snow on a regular basis was Omaha and we left there when our now almost 16 year old daughter was only about 13 months old. My husband only has to work a day and a half this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. We are thankful to have this time to share with each other. As a military family, we've spent many holidays, birthdays, anniversaries apart. Just a little more than two years ago, my husband was on a ship bound for Iraq when the tsunami struck Indonesia. That was a sad holiday season for us and I am so thankful he is home this year!!  Starting in December I will be doing a verse a day fr...
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testing new design stuff
2007-11-19 08:07:00
I am playing around with css and getting frustrated... again... This is just a test of the emergency blog design system... and the blockquote function... it is really not a pretty site with angelfire coding in blogs but I'm trying cause I like the way it looks... Now, back to regular blogging...I will beat this..... I will...I will... I will.....ROFL
More About: Design , Testing , Stuff

Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger
2007-11-19 02:31:00
"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."Our Pastors sermon this morning was on this passage in James (1:19-21). We always need to be readily available and listening to what people are saying. If we are slow in our hearing, many times we will either completely misunderstand what was said, or just not hear it at all. I know I fall so short on this. How many times do I  misunderstand what my husband, my children, my friends, or anyone else for that matter,  are saying to me because I wasn't paying quick enough attention to them? Or even worse, how many times have my feathers been ruffled because I thought I heard something I didn't? That always inevitably leads to me not being slow to speak or slow to anger. Then, not ...
More About: Hear , Quick , Anger , Speak , Slow

The Comment Blob Monster
2007-11-17 16:12:00
I am finding more and more often lately that my comments like to multiply themselves and it irritates me when angelfire messes that up. Anyway, I changed the comment setting to add the image verification to see if that might help. If you hit the submit button, and you still get a pop up screen that is blank, just close that and the comment box. Most times it has posted the comment anyway and is just have a "bad comment box" day. If all else fails, forget the comment box and just leave me something in the chat box :-)
More About: Monster , Comment , Mons

Wise Owl Award
2007-11-17 13:14:00
My sister in law, Kristine aka MamaArcher, tagged me with this award earlier this week. Heidi Hyde from Hydes Like Us created this award and it is for those who mentor and encourage new bloggers entering into the world we like to call blog land I've had to think if I still know anyone from that far back that I could award it to. I have been blogging off and on for almost 4 years now and I really only started because my IRL friend Daren said I should...LOL. If I could find his new and/or updated blog now, I would definitely award it to him! The funny thing about Daren and I were we talked all the time in blog land but when we would see each other in person we'd get a hello out and that was about it. Neither of us were big talkers. Who knew?!Another person I want to award this to is Nikki, not because of her mentorship when I first started blogging, but because she's encouraged me so much with Train Up A Child Thursday. This meme doesn't have 50 subscribers (actually we have two.....
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A good question to ask...
2007-11-17 11:31:00
When the headmistress of the church kitchen asks you if you can cook a turkey, or TWO, for the single Marine/ AWC college football team Thanksgiving Dinner this coming Saturday, make sure you ask yourself "Will two turkeys fit in my oven?"WHEW, MADE IT!!! But, just barely :-) I now have 45 pounds of turkey slow cooking in a scrumptous 280 degree oven and I can smell it already. I love to cook turkey low and slow because you can baste it every hour and when it is done it just falls apart and is so juicy. The first year I did this was by accident and luckily it was my first turkey. We have never had a dry turkey in our house. Of course, I get to go to bed early and then get up at 2 in the morning to start working on it but WOW! I absolutely love the smells that come with the holidays!! Now, I'm off to finish reading Passionate Housewives Desperate for God!! I actually have the quiet time to do that now :-)Tags: Single Marine, AWC College Football Team, Cooking Turkeys, Pass...
More About: Question , Good

Elyse Mae Designs
2007-11-16 22:36:00
My daughter and I (thus the name) worked really hard on some jewelry to sell at the craft fair with our homeschool group. We have quite a few stretch bracelets and earrings left so I thought we'd add them here just in time for Christmas shopping :-)  Please take a look at the photos in the album. You can leave comments there or email me if you want to purchase anything. Shipping will be determined by where you live and I'd love it if you could pay with paypal.  Orders will be shipped in padded envelopes and, if received by 1:30 p.m., will be shipped same day and orders after 1:30 p.m. will be shipped next day. Thanks for taking a look!!Click here to go to Elyse Mae Designs ***please note some of the colors are off because of the flash (?? at least I'm guessing that combined with the light in my kitchen was what happened) and I will be more than happy to open the packages up and take a clearer picture for you if you want. I did put a good description of colors with each piece.***T...

Why do people have to be so critical of homeschooling?
2007-11-16 15:13:00
I am so tired of being asked what we are going to do about school in North Carolina. Why, homeschool, of course! We have given the public school /charter school /DOD school enough chances to fail our kids, especially Caleb, I'd think so why even try it anymore? Yes, yes, yes. I know the schools HAVE to provide for Caleb's special needs and I just have to fuss enough but really I'm tired of fussing with them till I'm red in the face and hoarse of voice and it not mattering anyway. The truth is, we are happy in homeschooling. No, we don't do book stuff that is repetitive and boring every single day. That doesn't work for my kids, again especially Caleb. But we do lots of hands on school that makes the learning REAL life! I thought back over the last year of our lives and tried to compare what school was before to what it is now. There is no contest. I really shouldn't be surprised considering we've homeschooled several times before but always been willing to "try" sc...
More About: People , Homeschooling , Critical , Critic

My first two eBooks are ready!!!
2007-11-16 06:24:00
WOO HOO!! I'm so happy to get these put together and out for anyone who needs them. I'm still working on the main letter book but I saved it for last as it has the most pages in it. They are very basic but I know they kept my youngest busy while helping him learn so they served their purpose for us. These books are free for you to use with your children/ grandchildren/ preschooler/ kindergarten whoever you need it for. Please don't print them off and sell them ;-) A friend recommended that I produce a laminated version and sell them as a kit with markers so I'm looking into whether that might be a worthwhile venture but the ebooks are free. I hope they are helpful to someone at least. If you have any problems with viewing the pdf's just email me and I'll send them to you through email. The first one is the My Color Crayons. You can either print as is as often as needed or you can color the crayons in and laminate them and use a dry erase marker to have your child practice with...
More About: Ebooks , Ready

I have a confession to make...
2007-11-15 22:15:00
I'm a crafter wannabe. However, I'm not very good at any one thing. I get bored easily. I love mixing colors and patterns. I love trying new things. I just like trying it all... scrapbooking, painting, sewing, needlecraft, wood stuff and so on. I love to try it all. I just get so BORED! It's hard for me to finish a project. Which makes me very proud when I do! We aren't buying Christmas this year but we do have some things we are making. I think I have enough time to finish... YIKES!!Worse than that, though, is that my daughter and I have become Project Runway junkies. I first told my daughter I wanted her to watch it so she could try and get a real life view of the fashion world because she has a good eye for design and has always talked about it. We ooh and aah over colors and fabrics and like to guess before hand if Tim Gunn is going to say it's blah or safe or scary or truly fashionable. Of course, some things that are considered fashionable we both stick our fingers down o...
More About: Confession , Make , Fess