Carnival of Homeschooling

Sorry, I forgot to announce that the new Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Judy Aron's blog, "Consent of the Governed".  Click on the widget to your left to go there.  Judy does a great job, and she has a very informative blog.  She's worth visiting even if you aren't interested in the COH!

First Day of School

We started the day with a bang!  I actually got up with the alarm (it helped alot that the resident mouse was at work early, trying to chew through the bedroom wall), stretched for a minute, and enlisted Alizona to do a very brisk two-mile walk.  We were shooting for 4 mph, and we almost made it.  That is a FAST pace!!  The other girls soon were up and at 'em, and by 8:30 we had all our personal devotions done, chores done, bodies clothed, and breakfast consumed!  What a great start!  We gathered in the living room for devotions (sometimes referred to as Ladies' Coffee Hour), where we read and discussed the interesting and sometimes mysterious blessings and prophecies of Genesis 49.  Then I read to the girls a chapter from History Stories for Children, on Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus. (Personally, I would have liked to have just a little bit more info on Alex the Great.  We looked him up on a timeline and then I had one of those "aha!" moments -- he is one of the Grecian emperors of whom Daniel prophesied, part of the image made of gold, silver, bronze [that was Greece] and clay mixed with iron.  Okay, so I'm a late bloomer in the classics.)  We parted with prayer and a plan for the day, and that was the END of the great start!  I won't fill you in on the rest of the school day!

Fast forward to late in the afternoon.  We finished the day by having each of the girls write in her "school journal" (something new here), one thing she learned in school today.  This way I learn from my kids, you see, what makes them tick. They sure aren't going to report on the things they don't care about.  They are required to write just one sentence, for example, "Today I learned that we live in the temperate zone, but we have an arid climate."  Something like that.  Everyone finished her schoolwork and had time to play, and I whipped together a light and quick supper of bran muffins, salad, and rice pudding (again). 

Can someone tell me how to do a search for a Yahoo group or other forum?  Just wondering if there is anyone out there discussing Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? 

I have heard a few promises of a better day tomorrow, with one of my own to add, Lamentations 3:22-25:

It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today ~ Monday, July 28, 2008

Outside My Window...at 5:30 this morning, when it was too early to turn on the computer the sun was just coming up over the mountains to our east.  It reminded me that Jesus is coming again... soon I hope.

I am thinking... We start school tomorrow, so today is our last big hoorah of the summer.

I am thankful for...my good health (at least that I know of) and for my husband who is always in love with me, even when I am unloveable.
 

From the kitchen...experimented with a slow-cooker rice pudding last week, and today the girls want to try a different recipe.  Alizona's banging around out there cooking some rice.

I am creating...nothing at the moment.  Many moons ago a friend gave us all the materials we need to make a darling crib quilt.  The blocks aren't all the same size, and we don't know what to do next, but guilt is motivating me to figure something out!

I am going...to the library for some "holds", a couple of books for Booklover, by Patricia Reilly Giff .

I am wearing...khaki skirt (what else), cream tank with denim shirt over. Bare feet.

I am reading...1 Kings, and Women in Ministry, by Mrs. Sargent.     

I am hoping... we get a good school routine down this year.

I am hearing...Booklover babbling in her "kitchen", and Carrotlover hollering for her sister through the heat vent "phone", lol.
 
Around the house ... finish last week's laundry and do something else worthwhile to earn my keep here.

One of my favorite things... hearing Emily singing out in church!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Well, school.  Grocery shopping, maybe a trip to the lake on Wednesday afternoon, church Thursday night, and our monthly nursing home service this coming Sunday afternoon.  Also need to start thinking about the next issue of our church ladies' newsletter.
And sometime this week, Alizona's last violin lesson, boo hoo!!! No, she is not quitting.  Her teacher is moving out of state.   Now what?

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

If you would like to join us in The Simple Woman's Daybook, please see our Hostess, Peggy for details.  You may also visit her for the Mr. Linky to others.

MOMS Exercise Challenge

Nothing to report here.  I'm still at it.  Almost didn't do my walk this morning, but I went and tortured myself anyway.  I have made an interesting observation, and that is when I have a partner, I never notice that my feet and legs are killing me.  But if I go alone, everything hurts and I am a clutz.  I feel like a big spaz out there, lol.  So I will be soliciting a partner more earnestly from here on out. My previous weight loss was a desert mirage. sigh.

The TV Lover's Psalm 23

The following little ditty is copied.  Contrary to the sentence under the title below, the majority of Christians do NOT believe most of this.  If they did, they wouldn't own a television.  They would keep far away from it. Can you get on your knees and earnestly thank God for that thing, and for the blessing it is on your life, how it helps you to grow in your walk with the Lord, and for the good character it is building in your children?  I didn't think so.  I couldn't either.

What the Bible Says About Television

(The version of Psalm 23 believed by most Christians today)

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want,

It makes me lie down on the sofa; it leads me away from the faith.

It destroys my soul; it leads me in the paths of fornication and violence for the sponsor’s sake.

Yea though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me, its cable and remote they comfort me.

It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of all my worldliness, it anoints my head with humanism and consumerism, my coveting runneth over.

Surely insignificance and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house watching TV forever.

Happy Friday

Do my little girls have the best daddy, or what?  Whenever I sense that my two littles are going to ask me to get into the pool with them (or even sit outside in the oven, watching them) I get a sense of dread that makes me want to run away.  Not Daddy.  Daddy's the best.  Daddy says, "Let's go swimming!"  Daddy's awesome.  Someone else here should try to be more like him.


Notice those nice bright Wholesomewear swimsuits?  They have kept their color this year, BUT.  They are completely. stretched. out.  I know what it is -- it's pool chemicals. So much for my chemistry degree. Remember the goggle-eating pool from a previous post?  It also eats swimsuits.  Now what? We have tried to make them last two seasons, but it's just not going to work this time.  I have quite a quandary for a mom of desert kids.  We just aren't going naked, that's all there is to it.  But we want to get wet and have fun, too! I would love to figure out how to design something similar to these suits, something that wouldn't cost an arm to make.  Well, that's one ramble for today... what else can I ramble about?

Emily and I had a good time looking at the map last night, after she told me she wants to take a train to Tanzania. Or China. LOL!  I showed her where Tanzania is, and she said, "Oh! We can't take a train there.  We would have to fly or take a boat!"  I am feeling pretty smug, knowing that my four-year-old has figured out what a map represents.  Her social studies requirement for the year has been met.

The rest of them were supposed to start school last Tuesday.  But, well, we just didn't feel up to it, and SURPRISE!! Daddy said we could put it off a week! (See, didn't I tell you our daddy is the greatest?!)  Now our target starting date is THIS Tuesday.  I am thinking about Shani's recent entry, in which she asked, "Does your high school student finish her work in under four hours?  Does your junior high student finish her work in under two hours?"  I will be able to say NO to the first question, but to the second I will have to say YES.  The junior high age child will skip through her school work as fast as possible, likely missing a few questions and taking all the shortcuts.  The highschool age student will be diligent but will also dawdle, so that will help her to fill up her four-plus hours.   No superachievers in this household, but then, look who they have for an example!  (And no, we aren't really counting hours, just talking about using our brains and accomplishing something in these energetic growing up years.)

This morning, while number 3, number 4, and Daddy were in the pool, number 1 and number 2 and I played with the microscopes we borrowed from the local high school.  Figured it was about time -- school starts soon, and we'll have to give them back!  We looked at red blood cells (mine), cheek cells (mine), a thin slice of carrot, and a very thin piece of onion skin.  I can't remember from my college days which of these things require dye to make a good, visible specimen.  Hmmm, my biology degree isn't helping me, either!  I think my brain is a big black hole of knowledge.  Stuff gets sucked into it, and then poof!  It just disappears!

Second child, the short-cut taker, made us a batch of slow-cooker rice pudding this afternoon, and we are waiting to see how it turns out.  Experimental recipe, of course.  That is so much more fun than making one that we KNOW turns out edible.  I have been asked to make my famous enchiladas for our church's men's meeting next Friday.  Aren't enchiladas, by definition, baked in a sauce?  These are baked topped with salsa.  I don't think that counts.  So we'll call them hot chicken and black bean roll-ups, how's that?  I think I'll post that recipe here -- they really are yummy.

Well, that was about five rambles, and I have met my minimum blogging requirement.  Time to go do something to earn my keep around here!  Have a great weekend, everyone.

Friends List Update

Just letting you all know I am going to be updating my friends list, removing people I have not heard from in a long time.  If I remove you, please don't cry! (I do know of a blogger who cried when her name was taken off another blogger's friends list, and honestly, I don't want to cause anyone that kind of grief!)If you don't see your blog on my list, and you still want to be "friends" (sounds like second grade, doesn't it??), please just leave me a comment and tell me so.
I admit it, I stole all my new smileys from your c-boxes!  We will no longer be stuck with boring ol' blue smileys on my c-box. So go ahead and leave me a chatty line or two.

Now.  Somebody tell me why there is a break before and after each emoticon...???

Carnival of Homeschooling

The Carnival of Homeschooling is now available via a dynamically updated widget!  To see the current Carnival or any previous one, just click on my widget.  It is temporarily located WAAAAAYYY down at the bottom of my right sidebar, but I promise that if Booklover ever finishes my three-column template I will move the widget up where it can more readily be seen.  Tiffany at Life on the Road made a "Herculean" effort to get the COH up this week, so go on over and give her some business.  

Are You Eternally Secure? or Insecure?? Re-Post

Recently in our family Bible time, my husband taught us about the Bible doctrine of election.  If you are one of the "elect", as the word is widely (mis)understood, then you would never worry about losing your salvation.  Elect is elect, right?  But there are better reasons not to fear losing your salvation.  While I am thinking about writing a post on election, here is one about eternal security.

(The following is a re-post from back in the days when I had a brain.  Sorry the formatting is messed up.  If I still had a brain, I could fix it.)

The doctrine of eternal security, or "once saved, always saved", is one that comes under fire often.  Many people trust Christ for their salvation, only to be told later that it is possible to lose it.  When the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary, the sinless blood he shed there was the payment for sins.  For all sins.  For everybody's sins.  For everybody's sins in the past, for all the sins that were committed on the day of Christ's death, and for all of the sins that would be committed in the future of humanity.  When Jesus died, your life was still many years in the future. And yet, his death paid the penalty for every one of your sins!  They were all covered at once. I can tell you that I KNOW I have been saved from ALL my sins (past, present, future), and I will give you some scripture that explains why.  But before I do that, think about these things:

~When Christ saved you, did he give you everlasting life or temporary life?

~Which one of your sins did Jesus NOT pay for when he was crucified for you?

~What kind of sin is bad enough to make you lose your salvation -- murder? Skipping church? Gossip? Unbelief? Adultery? Being depressed? (The Bible instructs us to rejoice, you know.)

~Where is the "peace that passeth all understanding", if every day I wake up fearing I might have lost my salvation?

~Once you "lose" it, how ever do you get it back (IF you can get it back)???  No one in the Bible was ever saved twice!!

~No one who teaches eternal INsecurity ever believes that they have lost it, or that they could lose it.

~No one who asks the Lord Jesus Christ to save their soul ever does so believing he might forsake them in the future.  That is not faith.  You have to be taught that you can lose it, and that teaching does not come from the Bible.


One of the reasons this heresy, that one can lose his salvation, is now so prevalent is that the newer Bible versions have removed the good words "justification", "redemption", and "propitiation" from the text.  These words have been substituted with other words or other phrases that do not give us any assurance that salvation, the free gift of God, is for eternity.  I will be quoting here from the King James Bible.  If you are not reading the KJB, I suggest you open your version, whatever it is, to the following references to see what you are missing.

Read:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,"
Romans 3:23-26

"Justified" is a judicial term that means one has been declared righteous. Although you were once guilty, the penalty for your has been paid in full.  You are no longer viewed by the Judge as guilty. Hooray!! Once a person has been justified, or declared righteous, he is never tried again for those crimes.

To be "redeemed" means to be bought back.  In the book of Romans, chapter 7, the apostle Paul says he was "alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and [he] died." Later in the chapter he says he was now carnal, "sold under sin". No longer spiritually alive, Paul had an terrible new master --sin! (See chapter 6.)  In order to be saved, he must be REDEEMED.  Bought back.  And he was!  The blood of Jesus Christ was the payment, praise God. There is no scriptural example of one who was once redeemed by the blood of Christ, and then sold back to sin again!

A "propitiation" is a price paid to appease one whose wrath has been incurred.  John 3 says of those who are lost (have not been eternally saved), "the wrath of God abideth on them." God the Father ordained that his own precious, sinless Son would be that payment. Isaiah 53:11 says, "He [God the Father] shall see the travail of his [Jesus Christ's] soul and shall be satisfied." When I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior from sin, I was accepting him as the only offering that I could present to God the Father for the forgiveness of my sins.  No other offering coming from me was good enough to appease the wrath of God!  Remember when Cain was too proud to ask Abel for a LAMB? He gave his own offering, not the one God ordained. The offering God ordained was the blood of an innocent lamb. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God!
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10
"The blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanseth us from ALL SIN." 1 John 1:7


There are two verses that people often use to teach that one can lose his salvation.  One of them is 2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:"  But look at the context.  The Bible is speaking here of denying Christ reign in our hearts and lives. If we deny him first place in our hearts, he will deny us reign in his kingdom! The Bible goes on to say, "If we [We who? We Christians!] believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."  It is God himself, and God alone, who does both the saving and the keeping.  You can read Galatians for more about that.  Whether or not we can do something to keep our salvation is the theme of that book!

The other verse people use to teach eternal insecurity is this one: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Hebrew 10:26,27  That's true -- there is no more sacrifice for sins. The sacrifice for sins was made ONCE AND FOR ALL (Hebrews 10:10) at Calvary .  God does chasten us for sin after we have been saved.  That is not to say that he condemns saved sinners to hell for their sins.  That's impossible.  (What would those sinners then, have been "saved" FROM??)  "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1,2

Although those two passages appear to be saying you could lose the salvation that God gave you for eternity, there are many MORE verses that very plainly say you can not.  Read and believe the following verses, which apply to all who have repented of their sins and received Christ Jesus:

John 10:28  We shall NEVER perish
John 10:29  No one is able to remove you from God's hand.
John 6: 37  God will in NO WISE cast out those that come to him.
John 6: 39  The responsibility for keeping us saved belongs to God, and Jesus Christ can lose nothing.
Johns 5:24 says the kind of life I now have is EVERLASTING.
Romans 8:38 says nothing can separate the saved from the love of God.
1 Peter 1:5 says we are kept by the power of God.
Jude 24  God is able to keep us from falling.
Philippians 1:6 says that the Lord will continue his good work in us until the day of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:13 says my salvation was sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8 says our salvation is the GIFT of God, and Romans 11:29 says the gifts and calling of God are without repentance -- that means he doesn't take them back!
There are many more verses in God's Word which assure us of our eternal salvation.

While it IS possible for the Christian to lose his assurance of salvation, his rewards, his joy, or his fellowship with the Lord, he cannot lose his salvation!

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 John 5:11,12  You either have the Son or you don't.  If you have the Son, you are saved. Forever. God has put this promise in writing for us, and that's the key.  If your final authority is the written word of God, you need never fear he will cast you away.  Believe the Book!

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23 

Help! Does Anyone Subscribe to BHG??

Hey everyone, while I was waiting at the doctor's office last week I copied a recipe for some different-sounding chocolate chip cookies out of a magazine. (I am pretty sure it was the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens...?)  And I can't believe I did this (why not -- I do this all the time!), but I promptly lost it!  The writer said her husband takes buckets of these cookies to work each week, and that this was the first time she had shared the recipe.  It looks pretty normal, except the instructions say to soak raisins in the egg and vanilla for an hour before mixing up the batter.  Someone help me out here.  I know there's a subscriber out there somewhere! Thank you ~ 

Mom's Best Playdough Recipe

Try this recipe for quick home-made playdough:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 T oil

Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium low heat, and stir constantly.  When the dough is stiff (it only takes a few minutes), turn it out on to your counter and knead until cooled.  You can add food coloring, or even a packet of KoolAid for color and scent! This soft "dough" will keep for several months if it is stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

The dough cleans up easily with soap and water, doesn't stain, and is nice and pliable. I love cheap stuff like this, that keeps little ones busy for a long time! 

Busy Day

This entry is for my most loyal fans, just a recap of the day.  Got up at 5:30 and went for my (almost) daily two-mile walk.  I can't believe I am still doing this, but it's getting to be a habit.

Then we went to the funeral of our oldest church member, a man who had (still has -- his wife is still with us) four generations of his family in our church.  What a blessing to see so many saved in one family, and what a heritage.  We tried to wear cool clothes and look dressy at the same time, but we weren't very successful.  Alizona and Booklover provided violin and flute music again, which was great, because you don't normally get "Oh How I Love Jesus", "In a Land Where We'll Never Grow Old", or "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" for music at a funeral home.   The preacher gave an excellent message on how to be confident of heaven, as our brother in the Lord was while he was living.  Most of the family who were present were lost people who believe it is a sin of presumption to say you know for sure you are going to heaven.  Can you imagine that?  Sounds to me like someone wants to control them with fear or something.  Imagine God leaving us to wonder about it until the moment we die.  How can a person ever have peace in this life that way??  The Bible says you can KNOW (present tense!), and the preacher did a good job of  showing that we can KNOW for sure, by God's Word, by his work (not ours), and by his way.  It was about a hundred and eleventeen degrees outside, and the funeral director was well prepared with a chest full of iced bottled water at the grave site.  Whew it was hot.  Even in my "cool" clothes, I could feel the sweat trickling down my chest and back.  Whoever invented nylons was inspired of the devil, I am sure of it.

When we got home I threw a roast in the slow-cooker so I wouldn't have to come up with supper at 4:30 pm, and I congratulated myself for my foresight.  Spent the afternoon pre-reading A Light in the Forest for Booklover.  Pretty good book, but I sure didn't like the way it ended!  So sad!

After supper we all decided we wanted to go along with Daddy to Lowe's.  Building stores are so fun, don't you think? Well, only if you go with a good idea and lots of money, that's what I think.   But the kids love the big car carts.  We were on the hunt for one of those electronic bug/rodent annoyers that keep them away from your house.  You plug it into the wall, and a signal runs through the electrical system and transmits a high-frequency noise that they can't stand.  (Kind of like shopping at WalMart and being forced to listen to whoever the latest stage god is.) We didn't find the kind we wanted, and we decided to look online.  All the reviews by pest control people said those contraptions don't work, and all the ones written by consumers said they are the best thing since mousetraps.  As an experienced consumer, I can tell you the good ones do work.  Ours conked out after, oh, maybe seven years, and soon after we unplugged it a rodent work crew took up residence in our bathroom wall.  They have spent hours remodeling in there in the middle of the night, keeping us awake with their hammering (probably more like chewing).  So we now have one of those gizmos on order, and that will be the last of the rodents and the occasional little bugs we get in the house.  It's way cheaper than a monthly service contract with Adieux or Baron or Bugbusters, and certainly a lot healthier for us than having chemicals sprayed in our human living area.

On the way home we stopped at Dollar Tree and managed to spend $7 on junk we didn't go there for, and we didn't find what we wanted in the first place!

Before we could go to Lowe's, Carrotlover had to have her hair combed out.  This is the one I was telling you about a little while ago, who gets dreadlocks overnight.  We had that problem solved for about three days, and then her hair rebelled again.  It is just impossible!!! Solution: scissors. Her long, straight, thick hair WAS about 2" above her waist, but now it is about 2" past her shoulders!!!  Thankfully she really likes it shorter, and I did not have to put to bed a crying little princess who was mourning the loss of her beautiful tresses.

And in other news, the toilet got stopped up tonight for about the thousandth time since we had our new sewer system put in, sigh... my DH is threatening to start "The Poop Blog", just so he can have a place to anonymously vent his frustrations over the naughty toilet.  

Great eGadget

My kids have a time limit on the computer, but we have soooo many excuses why we can't get off when it's time -- the timer stopped, I forgot to set it, I'm not done yet, etc.  After throwing away two El Cheapo wind-up Sunbeam kitchen timers, we discovered this: yTimer, a free, junk-free download from Spacejock.com. This is great!  yTimer has solved the broken timer problem!

With yTimer, you enter the amount of time 'til the bell (minutes, hours, or days), leave yourself a note reminding you what the timer's for, then blog or play away.  When your time's up, a nice loud, schoolish-sounding bell sounds (you can adjust the volume), then a little window pops up with your reminder. There are forty different simultaneous countdown timers, so you can set it to remind you to make a phone call at 8:00 a.m., stop your kids' blogging time (not yours, of course!), or even check your eBay auction!  It's pretty neat.  We like it.  (I especially like that eBay reminder feature, because I am so good at forgetting to bid at the last minute!)

Click on the link above, then click on the "download" link on the left.  It's a small file and a simple set-up.

Husband Tag

Shani at CelticMom did this tag tonight, and I thought it looked like a good opportunity to brag on my husband.

1. Who is your man?  My pastor and my best friend, Gary. 

2.  How long have you been together?  Married 20+ years.

3.  How long did you date?  We knew each other for six years before we were married. When we met we were religious but lost.  We dated about two and a half tumultuous years in college, then split up. When we found each other again about three years later, he had been saved, and he led me to Christ. Hooray!  He was a new man, and I was a new woman. We had about a six month engagement.

4.  How old is your man?  44

5.  Who eats more?  Oh, I must, certainly.  Just for "fun" (*rolls eyes*) we try to keep a 30 pound buffer between us, but I have closed in the gap a bit.   No, wait HE is closing the gap!  He has lost weight!

6.  Who said "I love you" first?  I did.  I was totally taken in by his athletic good looks and winsome ways.   We had so much fun together when we weren't fighting!

7.  Who is taller?  He is.

8.  Who sings better?  lol.  Can't answer that. 

9.  Who is smarter?  I am more "educated" but he is a lot wiser.

10.  Whose temper is worse?  Mine!  

11.  Who does the laundry?  Me. 

12.  Who takes out the garbage?  Either of us, or one of the kids!

13.  Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?  I do.

14.  Who pays the bills?  He does. I don't even know where the check book is.

15.  Who is better with computer?  I'm not sure.  Probably he is. But we're both dependent on the resident teen techie.

16.  Who mows the lawn?  What lawn?  We don't have grass.  Once in a while he will go out and do "yard work", which means he pulls two or three weeds that are poking through our gravel. 

17.  Who cooks dinner?  I do.  He can make pancakes, though.

18.  Who drives when you are together?  He does. Always. I have not pumped gas in so long I don't remember how anymore.

19.  Who pays when you go out?  He does.

20.  Who is most stubborn?  It's a tie.

21.  Who is the first to admit when they are wrong?  He usually is. Oh wait, then I am more stubborn, aren't I??

22.  Whose parents do you see the most?  Mine.  We're 200+ miles from mine and 2000 miles from his.

23.  Who kissed whom first?  Funny thing is, we dated for quite a while before the first kiss.  In fact, we actually discussed it long before it ever happened, lol.  He kissed me. 

24.  Who asked who out?  I asked him to go lap-swimming with me. LOL!! (He didn't get his athletic build from swimming, I can tell you that, hee hee!)

25.  Who proposed?  He did!  It was very romantic.  For those of you who know the area, Plainjane, we were on Interstate 35E, driving past the Eagan water tower. lol!

26.  Who is more sensitive?  I am.

27.  Who has more friends?  Neither of us has many friends, but since I am blogging here, I will have to say I do!

28.  Who has more siblings? We both have two.

29.  Who wears the pants in the family?  He definitely does. Both literally and figuratively.  He is Mr. Dominant in every area except the ones he doesn't want the responsibility for.  Like the kitchen or the laundry, lol!  Actually I am very grateful for this.  He keeps me on the straight and narrow.  He's a man I admire.

30.  How did you meet?  I took the seat in front of him in calculus class and said, "Hi."  He fell in love with me instantly, but it took him a while to realize it.

133rd Carnival of Homeschooling

The Carnival is up!  Here's Red Sea School with all the latest in homeschooling ideas, advice, and inspiration.

Bad Guys in Bathing Suits

This morning we decided to go play at the lake before the crowds all got there. As we were scurrying around looking for goggles and swim shoes and towels and etc, poor Emily came into my room with the saddest little face and asked me, "Mommy, did bad guys in swim suits come to our house last night and steal my goggles?" 
It seems we have a goggles-eating swimming pool.  This is the second pair that has disappeared after being left in the water all night.  Hmm... do you suppose I put too much chemical in the water?

Be Truly Converted

The following devotional thought is an emailed devotional from the Institute for Creation Research. In light of my previous post, it is timely and is well said (except for the Greek lesson -- you know I would leave that out. An old English dictionary is an amazing Bible study tool!)

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19)

To be "converted" can mean many things. The Greek word simply means to "turn" or "change directions." Christian conversion, however, refers to turning away from the whole world system and turning to God through Christ. Similarly, to "repent," in the Greek, means essentially to "think differently" and, in a Christian context, to change one's whole thought process from worldly reasoning to spiritual, as centered in Christ and the Scriptures. Genuine Christian repentance and conversion result in having one's "sins . . . blotted out" and thus true "times of refreshing" from the Lord.

But without real repentance and conversion, there is no salvation. Jesus said: ". . . except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5), and He also said: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

There are, sad to say, multitudes of men and women who think they are Christians, but are not. This is evidenced by the lack of real change in their thinking and living from the beliefs and practices of the world. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Christ Himself has warned that: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, . . . ? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matthew 7:22-23). Therefore, it behooves all who profess Christ to seriously review their personal belief and behavior in terms of their conformity to the world of men or to the Word of God. As Paul exhorted: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). HMM

Poor Jesus

I have said it before, and I will say it again -- part of educating my children is giving them a final authority (the Word of God) which teaches them to identify TRUTH and FALSEHOOD.  This is part of training them up "in the way they should go".  I am soooo thankful to have a Bible, to be able to read it, and to have the Holy Spirit, the author of the Book, himself, abiding within me!! 

Here is a good example of FALSEHOOD: this unbelievable article which my DH emailed to me.  How ridiculous. I feel very sad for the young man who took God's "body".  His church has turned on him.  He was trying to answer some questions of a friend who wanted to know more, presumably about "Christianity".  By the time this is over, the "Church" will have succeeded in turning away both him and his friend from religion.  But that is a good thing.  

This reminds me of the days of the book of Judges, when the Lord told Gideon to throw down the altar of Baal, to cut down the grove, and to offer unto the LORD a burnt offering using the wood of the grove for the fire (chapter 6:25-32).  When he did, the Baalites were ready for war!  They wanted blood!  "Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son [Gideon], that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it."  In the next verse, Gideon's father, Joash, answers them, "Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar."  Good point, huh?  If Baal is a god, let's see him defend his own honor.  If this wafer is, in fact, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ (it is not), is He so weak and helpless that he can't keep this young man from holding Him "hostage"??  What a pathetic savior.  And what a hopeless religion, a man-made system of do's and dont's with no true salvation from sins in it, no freedom from guilt, no eternal life. But, religion will defend its dogma -- not Bible truth -- to the death. (Read your history.)

Several years ago my friend's father spied a miniscule piece of wafer on the floor of the church where he attended occasionally.  He picked up the body of "Jesus" and gave it to the priest. That night he was rewarded with a vision of what he believed to be the female third of the Holy Trinity, thanking him for "rescuing" her dear son.  What a pathetic savior. And a man with no hope.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, was NOT a victim.  The Bible says he laid down his own life ON PURPOSE, to provide himself the sacrifice that would, once and for all, take away our sins.  He was NOT weak and pathetic! He does not abide in a piece of dough!  His body does not need to be rescued! Jesus Christ brought the world into existence with the word of his mouth.  "His hands formed the deep places of the earth."  Heaven is his throne and the earth is his footstool. The Lord Jesus Christ is the judge of all nations and of every man.  He is the Redeemer, the Rock, the King of Kings!  Religion has reduced God to a helpless little babe in a manger, weak and at the mercy of mankind.  This pathetic impostor "Jesus" is NOT the God of the Bible.

Our family's memory verse for last week was John 6:35, and what appropriate timing: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.  The Lord Jesus Christ has filled me up and satisfied me completely.  Since I met the Savior, I no longer thirst for that missing "something" that would make me complete.  I no longer wander from church to church or from doctrine to doctrine, looking for the one that will fulfill me. A zillion of my own good deeds could not fill that emptiness, neither could any church -- only the person of Jesus Christ could, through the complete forgiveness of my sins.  The soul of man longs for a right relationship with HIM, and our hearts are not eternally satisfied by any sort of religion.  I have not hungered or thirsted for anything spiritual since the day I met the Lord, just as he promised.

The young man in the linked article needs to know that the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, cares for him and wants to save him from his sins. My prayer is that he will somehow realize that religion has manipulated and deceived him all along.

Ready for School (Almost)

What is you-all's experience with music lessons?  Carrotlover thinks music is just NOT her thing, but IMHO, she is just overshadowed by two talented older sisters. She does have an ear.  I am afraid if we force her now, we will kill any desire to learn to play, ever.  On the other hand, we are only asking for 15 little minutes of her day to practice or just to play anything, before she can get on the computer. But this policy is being met with objections, loud and numerable . What do you think??

One mail-order item to go, and we will be ready to start the next school year.  In sweet compliance with my DH, we will be taking it real easy this year, so as to end the school year in about September of 2009.  I would rather be ahead than behind, but that does not figure in here.  And besides, what is behind?  Why am I married to the government school calendar?  I hate that! So here's our coursework for the year:

For Alizona (9th grade-ish)
Algebra I with Teaching Textbook
Biology with Apologia
Economics with What Ever Happened to Penny Candy + workbook
Bible Doctrines with Landmark's Freedom Baptist Curriculum
Baptist History with Dad's Sunday School class
Home Ec -- skills in the home as taught and assigned
Creative Writing -- authoring a book, plus blogging assignments and journal
Violin
Piano

For Booklover (7th grade-ish)
Bible with  The ABC's of Christian Growth
Pre-Algebra with Teaching Textbook
Science with Rod & Staff
Building Thinking Skills
Typing
Landmark's History and Geography, plus Seterra
Landmark's Literature
Home Ec as assigned
Journal and blogging
Piano
Flute

Carrotlover (4th grade-ish)
Landmark Math
Landmark Bible "Miracles of Jesus"
Science with Rod & Staff
History/Geography with Rod & Staff, plus Seterra
History Stories for Children -- read chapter of my choice, illustrate and write a        caption
Easy Grammar and Daily Grams
Penmanship
Vocab and Spelling (100 Vocabulary Words Kids Need to Know by 4th Grade)
Recorder or Piano or Violin, her choice, or skip it altogether
Art???

I just needed to write that down somewhere, and a blog is as good a place as any, especially since I haven't posted anything in a while.   (Did I do this already? I can't remember.)  The girls are convinced that they are going to have NO time to play, poor things!  We start this way each year, with a big ol' list of curriculum, and by the time the year is half over we have ditched some of it. So never fear, my dears, I'm just bluffing.  I'm sure we'll have our usual sort of year.

Yet Another TOS Planner!

Suzanne tipped me off to another TOS Planner giveaway, at Provers 22:6 Academy.  To enter three times, leave a comment at her blog, link to the contest, write an entry about how you will use the planner, and sign Mr Linky. Contest ends tonight!!  Hurry!

I am sort of a list person, but it would be great to have all my lists in one place, and a calendar and chore chart, to boot.  That planner has so much in it, I'm sure to be a new person when I figure out how to utilize it all!  I can just see the new me now: meal plans, lesson plans, field trip calendar, phone numbers (I don't own a cell phone!), to-do list, grocery list, EVERYTHING in one place! Please oh please let me win.

Carnival of Homeschooling

Amanda Dixon is hosting this week's Carnival of Homeschooling, with a very sweet and cool theme -- the ice cream parlor.  Entry topics include math help, tips for your brain, what to do about burn-out, read-alouds, free-range mothering, and lots, lots more!

For the archives, go here.
To see the upcoming COH schedule, go here.
To submit a post, go here.

Delightful Dusting

I'm not too sure how effective this method is, but it was fun!  (Turn up your volume.)

And no, they are not for hire!

Carnival of Homeschooling

This week's Carnival of Homeschooling is hosted by Beverly at about.com:homeschooling.  There are some good posts this week, so go over and check out this special 4th of July edition!  (I loved Amanda Dixon's post about whether or not she is going to college.  I dare you to ask her, lol!)

Planning The School Year

My dear husband and I were talking last night about our school year schedule. He thinks we ought to go to year-round school, with a five- or six-week break in the spring and fall, plus other breaks as needed.  Really, summer here is a waste of time.  We can't go out to play, nothing grows here so there's no point in spending time in a garden, and the children spend so much time pretending, that they forget reality is real.  It might be a good idea... but oh, do I hate structure.  Is that because it's one thing that I really need?  Would I thrive with structure? Am I just a big rebel?

I have never succeeded in making out a schedule or a daily planner or a lesson plan.  And you know what that means -- I don't get much done.  Ew, my skin crawls when I think about being bound by that sort of thing!  But could it be possible that I am like a wild child who needs to be reined in, one who fights against the rules but who would really be relieved to have some boundaries?  There was a time in my life (BC) when  I had so much structure that I didn't have any time to waste. Somewhere along the line I lost all that self-discipline, and I am a little bit worried that I am a lost cause.  But I would like to try and prove it, sort of like accepting a million dollars just to prove it wouldn't ruin me, you know?

So this is the point: The HSB Company Blog is giving away a Schoolhouse Planner, designed and written by Paul and Gena Suarez. This 250 page e-book has everything a homeschooler could possibly need or want to plan her moments, hours, days, weeks, months, or years!  This post is my contest entry.  (What will I do if I win?  Oh no...   Wait. I want to win, don't I? Or do I?)

EDIT:  I'm not sure what is going on here, maybe two of these planners are being given away?? Angela is giving one, and so is Dell.  Is it the same one?  Enter me in both contests!  (I think.)