BFS #18: Youthful Dreams

"I thought this week we could write something fun or just take a look back at our lives and what we wanted to do when we were so young!"

Hey, I just did this a few weeks ago at our Bible Study group.  That just makes it easy, I guess.

My earliest memory of what I wanted to do/be when I was a grown-up was when I was eight  or nine years old.  I knew that when I grew up I wanted to have three of four boys and then a little girl at the end. 

When I was a teenager, I loved my high school Physiology class and so had visions of study and research in this field.

When I was grown-up, I became a Mommy and EVERYTHING changed!

Now, I am a homeschooling mother of four — three boys and one little girl.  I never imagined that I would homeschool — I had never even heard of homeschooling until my sister-in-law started to homeschool my niece.   Now I cannot imagine any other way to raise children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD than to teach them at home and instruct them when they rise up, and when they lay down, and as we walk by the way. 

What a wonderful, graceful, and merciful God we have!

To see others dreams @ Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

This post originally published @ Homeschooling.com/ButterandHoney

BFS #16: Shopping Spree

 

"This week you are given $1000 PRETEND online spending money! The rules are simple for this assignment. Using ANY online store…write out a shopping list of what you would buy!  You can even post pictures of the items.  These things should be things for YOURself ONLY!"

Wow!  I started to do this assignment, really I did.  But as I was thinking of what I might buy with $1,000, the thought kept coming into my head of how much stuff we have that we need to get rid of!  Truly, I am blessed beyond measure and instead of buying new things, I need to be a good steward of what I already have; which really means that I need to quit hoarding so many things for "some day" and start cleaning out so that my home is an organized place of peace, and not taken over with clutter and junk that constantly needs servicing.  I want a home that serves me, not me serve IT!

So, no shopping spree here.  How about a selling spree?  What if I could sel all of my extra stuff and donate the money to Gospel Link for the support of National Pastors!  Now, that would be a Blessing!!

To see what others did for their Shopping Spree @ Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

This post originally published @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterandHoney

BFS #15: Button Tales

This assignment is to tell about our buttons.  I don’t have any sad or funny stories about my button collection, just the buttons and the very sweet way that I got them.

I actually have a pretty good size collection of buttons, although I collected none of them myself.  They were all a gift from two older ladies in the church. 

One of them, Miss Bea who had been a widow for many years, was cleaning out her house in order to move into a retirement center.  She was having a yard sale, "Come, come over," she said.  So we went.  As I recall my daughter got a sweet handmade cloth rabbit with an apron, I got some kitchen utensils and a purple Pyrex casserole dish, and the boys got a few games.  We stayed to chat and help, and after a bit Miss Bea asks if I sew.  Of course I do.  So she immediately gets up and heads over to a pile — reaching out, she brought forth a large parmesan cheese container filled with buttons.  "Then would you like these?"  All shapes and sizes of buttons are in there, and the best part is that she said some of the buttons were her mothers’ buttons.  Of course I gladly accepted this gift, given with graciousness and joy and received with honor and thanksgiving.   When I got home and looked through the jar, I marveled at the resourcefulness and thrift of the women who clipped buttons and snaps off of old, worn clothing while thinking ahead to the day when a few pennies would be saved by using them again.  Several of the larger buttons still had cloth attached to them and I sat and imagined the elegant or utilitarian coat that at one time held these buttons.  Did the hand that fastened this button do so getting ready for church one Sunday morning just after reaching out and fixing a stray hair or two from a child’s head?   The life and stories that the buttons could tell were endless.

The second set of buttons I received were from Miss Betty, another widow who no longer sewed, in two tins, very old, and full to the brim.

I have all of these in their original containers still, because I think that the containers add so much to their story and their charm.  One day, when I am blessed with inquisitive grandchildren, I may put them all in a large jar to be viewed and sorted and counted and enjoyed.  But I’ll remember to tell about Miss Bea and Miss Betty, and their mothers and their families from which all these treasures came.

For more Button Tales at Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

This post originally published @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterandHoney

Let Everything That Hath Breath Praise The Lord

These past few weeks we have been regularly reading the Bible together, the children and I.  Proverbs in the morning, Old Testament history during school, reading through Galatians & Ephesians one chapter at a time in the afternoons, as well as a character study a few times a week.   

Also, with the setting up of our new bookcases, I was able to get some great little books out of my room and on the new shelves where the children can have easy access to them.   One of those little books is called Little Pillows, or Good Night Thoughts for Little Ones.  Its an old reprint from Keepers of the Faith and DS3 has been reading it, one very small story at a time, before going to sleep at night.

The story tonight started with the verse I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions.  Isaiah 43:25
After he had read, he called me in to pray with him.  As I was sitting at his side, asking him what he would like to pray about, the  LORD spoke to my heart and I knew that he was going to ask about being saved.   We had such a great conversation, my sweet sunshine boy and I, late at night, in the dark, with quiet and stillness surrounding us.  And then we prayed.  His child-like voice spoke words that were coming from his heart as tears flowed from his eyes.  I prayed and cried, and then he prayed more. 

Now I am rejoicing that my dear son desires the LORD Jesus Christ as his Saviour, desires to have his sins blotted out and his life made new, desires to obey and serve.

Join with me in my rejoicing, and also join with me in prayer for this child, who at 12 is starting on a new path.  Pray that his feet would be firmly established in following Christ, that his heart would be well-watered with the Word and this seed would grow deep, strong roots, and that is ears would be quick to listen and his feet quick to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking within him.

This post originally published @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterandHoney

BFS #14: Love Letter To Jesus

Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly; While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest stillis high; Hide me, O my Savior hide, till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, O leave my not alone, still support and comfort me; All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defensless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind; Just and holy is Thy name, I am all unrighteousness; Vile and full of sin I am, Thou are full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within;  Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity.

Jesus, Lover of My Soul, written by Charles Wesley

For more Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

This post originally published @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterandHoney

BFS # 13: Meet My Bible

This assignment is about my Bible.  Or more particularly:

1. How old is your Bible?    My current Bible is only about three years old.
2. Why did you chose this Bible?     It is a King James Version which I chose specifically after doing much reading about the different Bible versions.   I will no longer use any other kind of Bible.
3. Do you highlight/mark passages in your Bible?      Yes, I highlight and marks passages in my Bible.  I used to have a friend who said she never wrote in hers, that it was a book and she was taught to never write in books – but for me the Bible  the Word of God, living and active.  Just as the Holy Spirit continually opens my eyes to new understanding in its’ pages, that discovery is recorded in those same pages.
4. If so, what is your system for marking passages?       At different times I will do word studies and so will go through and mark similar/applicable passages in the same color.  For example, every verse that mentions wisdom is underlined in blue.  A word study that I did on desire and its synonyms covet, lust, imagination, and delight, are marked with differing symbols in red and orange.
5. Do you have notebooks to record things?     No, I do not use a notebook.
6. If so, how many and what do you record?   See above.   
7. Where is your favorite spot to read your Bible?     I most like to READ it, no matter where that may be.  Probably my most cherished time is in bed at night – I meditate on the scriptures and a hymn from my hymnbook before going to sleep.  Another favorite would be in the early morning snuggled in the corner of the couch while I read and look out my window.
8. Are there any special thoughts about your Bible you want to share?   Special thoughts?  Only that I wish I read it more and listened more to the Holy Spirit’s prompting in my heart to obey it.  More, I want more of it.  More of its truth, more of its peace, more of Christ.  And to impart that desire for more into my children so that they seek it as gold and find the treasure within to the saving of their souls.   

For more responses to this assignment from Blogger Friend School, visit HERE.

This post was originally published @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterandHoney

Developing Individuality in Children

"Keeping in mind that individuality is inborn within each person, how then do we develop individuality in our children?  One of the most important benefits of minimal socialization outside of the home is daily opportunity for the child to explore and develop the gifts within himself.  Daily, uninterrupted grace-based routine at home cannot be surpassed for a quality educational environment which has been arranged for individual family members.  The frequent complaint of boredom usually results from children who do not spend enough time at home with purpose and direction.
Parents need to be careful to provide many creative, stimulating outlets for the children so that their lives truly become centered in the home.  Deception enters in when we think we are denying our children’s needs by remaining at home, but when, on the contrary, a pattern of indulgence has been allowed to take root.  It is healthy for preadolescent children to remain in a happy, purposeful, environment that does not continually experience disruption.  In this way they become strong in who they are and have the opportunity to acquire purpose at a young age."
Taken from The Science, Art, and Tools of Learning by Marilyn Howshall

How true have I found this to be in our own homeschooling experience and what can I do to foster this in my children?
I know that when we have a plan for the day and when each child has an interest or an activity they are pursuing on their own, they are more content and our home is peaceful.   Purpose and direction really seem to be key here. 
"Parents need to be careful to provide many creative, stimulating outlets for the children so that their lives truly become centered in the home. "  When I first read that I thought she was speaking of stimulating outlets OUTSIDE the home – speaking against activities outside of the home.  But, yes, when I re-read I understood that she was reinforcing the idea that our children need to be creative and stimulated at home in order for them to desire being at home and that there is value in the home for them.   I can so see the other side of this – if the child is only creative or stimulated or challenged – feels a purpose – outside of the home, whether as part of a class or an organized sport, a friendship or project, then he returns to the home where there is only an empty routine of school books and chores, how much will he desire to leave the home once again to return to that excitement of discovery or direction that the outside activity offered him?   This child will grow to be the man or woman who constantly seeks to be out of the home for one reason or another, still seeking after that feeling that only comes when they are out and busy.  Instead, how much better is it when we find our fulfillment inside of the home;  where home is seen as providing purpose and direction, and then the things we do outside of the home, whether as service projects or ministry or fellowship, are all an overflowing from what is happening inside of the home instead of a substitute for being home.
How much I need the LORD’s direction in seeing each of my children as individuals and encouraging them in each of their unique ways and interests; allowing them the freedom to grow in their own way, within the safety, security, structure of our home.

This was originally posted @ Homeschoolblogger.com/ButterAndHoney on July 26, 2008

My Angel Turned 21 - or - Where Did the Time Go?

I was going to say that I can't believe my Angel is 21 years old - but I can.  I've been here for these past 21 years, watching him grow, and every birthday brought with it the same thought;  "I can't believe he's going to be ___ !"  Whether it was 5, or 7, or 12, or 16, or 18, or now 21 it's always been the same.  Disbelief that my sweet, smiling baby could really be that old.

The whole trouble, I think, is that I can remember so clearly almost everything about his birth and baby days.  You see, our second son wasn't born until my Angel was 7 1/2 years old, so he was my whole focus for those years.


Do you see that bright little face?  Can you almost hear the sweet squeals of delight?  I can, just like yesterday.  And joy fills my heart as tears fill my eyes. 

I received my copy of the NATHHAN News Spring/Summer 2007 this week and was so touched by one of the contributions.   It was nearing Valentine's Day and there was to be a dance at son's Adult Day Program Center.  He wanted to know if Mom would please come to the dance.  Of course!    Mom had asked son if he had a sweetheart and he admitted, while giggling, that he did!  On the day of the dance, Mom arrived at the Center.  She enjoyed watching her son with all of his friends, while trying to guess which of the ladies was his "sweetheart."  On the last song, mother and son took to the dance floor while Anne Murray's  "Could I Have This Dance?" played.   To quote her own words - "He and I stepped on to the dance floor, he slipped his arm around my waist and held my hand.  We swayed to the music, my eyes welling up with tears as I listened to the lyrics . . . . I'll always remember the song they were playing the first time we danced and I knew, as we swayed to the music and held to each other, I fell in love with you . . . .  My thoughts floated back in time to when I first held him in my arms as a little baby boy.  I fell in love and knew that my life would never be the same.  I reflected upon all the growing years between then and now, remembering all the love, the daily care, the assistance that has been required to bring my son into adulthood.  I thought of all the continued care that he will need every day for the rest of his life.  And as the words of the song asked for a lifetime commitment, my heart burst with love for my son, knowing that we would be dancing this dance for a long, long time."   The song ended, the dance ended and Mom and son got into the car to drive home.    Mom asked which of the ladies was his sweetheart?  He laughed and said "You are my sweetie!"


Well, MY Sweetie has grown into a very handsome man now.  But if you look closely, you can still see the bright little face with the light in his eyes.   The squeals of delight that filled my ears have grown a little deeper, and if possible, more enthusiastic!  And even though the rings of baby fat are gone, he fits perfectly in my arms and has filled my heart to overflowing. 

I'm looking forward to the NEXT 21 years!


This post originally published @ HenandChicks.typepad.com

All About Attitude

I can't think of a good introduction sentence for this post.

And that is pretty typical of the way my life has been going lately.  Ever since we were finished with our work at the Fair, and my mothers party, I still have not felt settled or peaceful.   Our days have been filled with cleaning and chores yet my home is still out of control, clutter-wise.    But that's really just part of the reason.  My biggest issue has been dealing with attitude, namely a wrong attitude,  and I'm most sorry to say that it's my own. 

I've had lots of ideas for posts and pictures to share, cleaning projects and some decorating, family announcements and vacation plans, but knowing that my heart is not right towards my duties at home I didn't feel I should continue blogging as if all was well.  My focus and my heart need to be on my home and the people in it. 

I had the thought in my head today that all would be well once I am able to get control of this feeling, this attitude.   But almost as soon as that thought entered my head, the next thought was that that's my problem.  I have tried to take control and I will not have peace until I am able to give up control.  Give up control to the one who is truly in control - my Father in heaven.

I'm in a deep personal "valley", so to speak, and am looking forward to climbing and feeling the sunshine on my face and in my heart once more.
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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having you loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.      Ephesians 6:10-17

This post originally published @ HenandChicks.typepad.com

Birthday Adventures

Daughter is officially 9 years old now.  What a great time we had yesterday!  Grandma came up on the train with her buddy Miss L.  (Grandma and Miss L come up for each child's birthday.)  Daughter wanted to go to the Zoo for her birthday - so I had to think of a zoo that was near the train and that we could visit in the time allowed -- and Voila!  Micke Grove fit the bill perfectly.

So we drove for a bit - picked up Grandma and Miss L at a semi-distant station - and off we were on our adventure!



We saw several species of lemurs, some birds and bats, sea lions, baboons, tamarins, a mountain lion, chinese alligator, beautiful scarlet ibis', turtles and tortoises, and several pudus!



















After a cool water break, we walked over to the Japanese Garden and strolled through it before lunch.  The children had a great time seeing the huge Koi, and finding many crawdads in the ponds which they could cross on large, flat stones.  (Although the ones we saw were smaller and beautifully colored red like all the ones found in our fabulous Delta region!)

Off to lunch we went - and then back to the park where we explored the Historical Museum for our remaining time.  It was great - very interesting - and lots of fun!  We came home with some treasures from the "mercantile" -- I found an adorable set of metal measuring spoons (I'll have to take a picture of them and post it later), the children got some little wood kits, a nail puzzle, a kazoo, and two "twig crayons". 

Grandma got the best deal of all -- she bought a set of three Lovely bowls for only $20.00.  They were ivory colored nesting bowls and had a beautifulflower/scrollwork design on the upper rim.  We were all stunned at the price and decided that one of us HAD to buy them.  ;-)

Then it was time to get Grandma and Miss L back to the station -- the train was delayed a bit, but they were finally safely on board and headed for home.  It was a great day!