Annie Banannie's Day

We participate in a writing hybrid class with our homeschooling group.  Hybrid classes are ones in which one of the mom's prepares lessons and we can complete them as we wish.  There is a share day for those who wish to participate.  This has been our first year trying out hybrid classes.  Some classes charge a small fee and others are free.  It is truly up to the family as to what works best for them.  This class uses the key concepts of Brave Writer in each of the activities.  For Anna's group, they were to take photos of their day and then write a story about their day.  It has been so much fun!  The mother purchased a blank book (can be found at Star Beacon for very cheap!) so the children can feel like actual authors.  Here is a sampling of some of the pictures we took for Anna's book which she has titled: Annie Banannie's Day.

The Mystery Madness Never Ends Here

My girls LOVE these precious friends of ours and always have some unique activity planned for them when they come to visit.  This time it was a Mystery!  Okay, a lot of the activities are mysteries...but on this particular night we upped the anty with a special visitor, Dorothy Fuller from London, England!  The girls knew these precious friends were coming so used every spare moment in their day to plan the mystery.  It was complete with clues, treasure boxes, Oh!  I should mention that they "tea stained" those clues too, and all kinds of other details.  It was a total hit and hoot to say the least!  This foursome is always solving mysteries, whether as Jack & Annie or the Boxcar Children.  It is such a delight to see children using their imagination, which is sparked from incredible literature, to play and have fun! 

Thankful...

I am praising the Lord for his unending kindness!  On Thursday, one of the worst days of our school year as of yet, you saw my post about how crazy I felt.  I had dreams about the yellow bus.  Yes, it happens.  Good thing I don't believe in dreams or take them serioiusly....ever!  Anywho, the Lord is so kind and faithful because here is what I read during my quiet time yesterday....

Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)

⁷ But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Oh yes Dear Jesus...I needed these words. 

I believe bad days just make the normal days all the sweeter and the good days incredible!  I hope I am quick to remember that next time so I don't lose myself in my very own pity party.  Bad days also remind us how lost we are without Him.  Bad days also grow us.  None of us like bad days because we hate to feel as though we are suffering. 

So yesterday was amazing!  School got completed without a hitch and we even had time for a couple of experiments.  We then went off to our writing class in the afternoon which was AMAZING (Hello friends who homeschool and teach...check out BRAVE WRITER aka WRITER'S JUNGLE!!!  Seriously love!!)  We then had the opportunity to hang with some of our most favorite friends, which included a visit to the pet store, McDonald's for ice cream and coffee, and then a trip to Walmart to get the final goodies for our 4H Retro Movie Night!  We had homemade pizzas, sweet treats savory treats and watched classics like Andy Griffith, Little Rascals, and Beverly Hillbillies.  So fun! 

So, please forgive my ranting on Thursday.

Daily Dying to Flesh

It is a struggle and most days I feel as though I am losing this battle.  I wouldn't trade homeschooling the girls for the world.  I genuinely mean that...but there are so many things that just get under my skin and begin to drive me 100% insane!  Like the constant state of disaster I feel my house is in.  I will be honest, I hadn't actually mop, mopped the kitchen floor in quite awhile.  Gross but true.  I had spot-cleaned but not an overall clean.  Anyhow, I had the opportunity on Tuesday night when my precious parents took the girls to town for dinner and I stayed behind.  It felt invigorating to get the floor mopped, pantry put back in order, truly do a deep clean on their bathroom, actually put the laundry away...all the while trying to ignore the 100 million other things that need down around here.  Nothing cuts me deeper right now than to hear my sweet husband say something about our house being unorganized or unruly.  OUCH!!  I keep telling myself that the house doesn't matter...all the details in the house come second to last in comparison with schooling the girls.  But the fact of the matter is that I feel insane when it feels like I have no control over this place.  Yesterday, after feeling such a sense of accomplishment over the floors, I noticed coffee spilled all over the kitchen, broken spaghetti noodles laying all over thanks to a little one helping me last night with dinner, and the fresh tablecloth a total wreck with crumbs.  It is like nails on a chalkboard to me.  People who can keep a tidy house WITH children at home 24/7...YOU AMAZE ME!  Course, I don't believe it!  Anywho, I don't mean to air my dirty laundry per se, it is just sometimes it really gets the better of me.  Mothering, being a wife, and teaching are the hardest jobs.  Add in there any kind of blows life sends your way and it just seems to compound and snowball. 

I pray that my eyes will be fixed on Christ and I will be focused on HIS GLORY...not my house, not my desires, not my complaints, not my worries, not my schedule, not my time, not ME! 

Well HELLO!!

Um...JULY!  Seriously!  I can't hardly believe it truly has been that long since I have posted anything.  It was a totally CRAZY summer and one that was full of so much joy and anticipation that it nearly left me exhausted.  I will confess, I was really struggling with the thoughts of starting school because of the summer we had, but God is faithful and many people began to pray.  We have been soooo blessed this year and I am thankful for each and every day I have to teach and watch my girls learn.  I am selfish and never want it to end....  We will see though what the Lord has in store for us as His ways are not always our ways.  With all that said, I am just going to try and dump some pictures on here so whoever you may be has some ideas of what we have been up to.  :) 

Yeah...the girls got ahold of the camera...meaning you never know what you are going to find.  I will say though that we LOVE Dr. Quinn.  Last year for Christmas we got the entire set, all 6 seasons.  It has taken us an entire year to get through.  PERFECT entertainment for days when we are sick and just an episode for downtime in the evening. 

 Right now we are studying Mexico and of course Mexico = making our own pinatas!

Okay, so this has been one of my most art projects we have done EVER!  We studied the artist Hundertwasser.  I love his art and I love that my girls can use his art to inspire their own creative spirits!

I had to get in on the action too because it was soooo much fun!  What you can't tell from these photos is that we selected a scripture that has to do with nature.  We created our design with that scripture as our vision.  We then wrote the scripture into the final piece.  They are so stunning and I can't wait to frame and display them in our home.

Another artist we have studied this year was Frida Kahlo.  She was definitely a strange bird.  We had great chats about her lack of understanding or knowing Christ.  Amazing!  Anyhow, with the study of Frida we tackled PORTRAITS!  Seriously, I can't hardly believe that I taught a group of 11 precious girls how to draw Ms. Kahlo.  These are from my "practice" session where I go through the process with the girls the day before class.

 Finished project!  You can see we threw a little Jackson Pollack in to the mix as well!

 

Beauty for Ashes

I know I have posted this before...but it just grips my heart, especially when I see the Lord working in the most powerful ways right before my very eyes, waking the dead and giving them life.  The wonders of my Lord are all around me, and to be a witness of His ability to bring restoration to what seemed like a hopeless situation is something that truly makes me in awe of Him every time.  He is the author and perfector of my faith!  I believe this to my core and am so thankful!

Heavy Heart

Okay...so my heart is very heavy.  There are some dear people around me dealing with some heavy things.  Girls, if the Lord would so lead you to pray for these sisters please do so.  Just pray for His will and His glory in these situations.  Some of these situations are making me have to deal with what I believe and it is hard to sort out what the world says, what could just be a watered down "American Christian" response, and what is truly Biblical.  In the meantime, I am clinging to the Word and am so thankful for the encouraging and healing power of music!  I love Pandora!  I love that my husband set it up that I can plug my computer into the system so it doesn't sound so 'canned.'  I love my husband and his tender heart and constant compassion as I struggle with my heavy heart. 

ThAnKfUl!

The past two weeks I have been overwhelmed by the brokenness and hopelessness of this world for those without Christ.  Satan is lurking and ready to devour those who don't walk in the Light.  More than that though, as he continues to lead them into deeper darkness, he is using them to try and shake and destroy the faith of God's chosen.  My heart is broken.  However, I am so thankful for the hope we have in Christ.  We aren't living for this life...which is hard to accept because we all desire the comforts and pleasures this life on earth seems to offer.  Yet, these comforts and pleasures fail to measure up to the richness of Heaven. 

Dear sisters in Christ,
Let's keep our eyes fixed on Christ and the goal set before us! 
Let's remain faithful to the One who is faithful to us!
Let's not let our eyes stray to the comforts of our homes or things.
Let's not let our hearts dwell on things that will waste away, never truly satisfying us.
Let's rejoice in EVERYTHING, and again be quick to REJOICE!
Let's be quick to fill every moment and thought with Christ!

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. ~ Phil 1:9-11

Joyful Noise

I love this!  Listen to the lyrics...INCREDIBLE!!

Broke

Well, yes, these days we are all feeling pretty broke and it isn't looking like there is much hope for a change of pace; however, I am broke for an entirely different reason and it is a GOOD one at that!  My little Kate has her heart on a typewriter.  She wants one really bad.  She and I looked online at Craigslist this morning and found a general ballpark figure to be about $50.  (I am REALLY glad we started here!  You'll see why later!)  She ran off to count her money, as did her sister since she wants one too of course, and while Anna had plenty, Kate was short about $15.  (Anna is a SAVER and Kate is my SPENDER!)  Anywho, I told them I would make them a deal.  I would make a list of jobs they could do today and there would be two pay options...one for a job that was "OK" done and one for a job that made me say "Incredible!"  I also told them I was the boss and had the flexibility to adjust their pay accordingly, which could mean an increase or decrease.  Here is what was on the list...(first price is for "OK" job and second for "Incredible" job!)

The Lazy Susan Cupboard......$1.00 / $2.00
Organize the movie cabinet downstairs....$2.50 / $5.00
Organize the movie cabinet upstairs...$2.50 / $5.00
Wipe down the inside of fridge in garage...$0.50 / $1.00
Clean out the van....$2.00 / $4.00
Clean out the truck....$2.00 / $4.00
   This included all trash, cleaning the windows inside & out, organization of things that should remain inside, fill up napkins & misc. in glove boxes, and wiping down dashboard and cupholders!
Windows....$0.25 / $0.50 per window
Wipe down the inside of fridge & freezer inside...$1.00 / $3.00
Organize tupperware cupboard....$0.50 / $1.00
Sweep off front porch & cobwebs.....$1.50 / $3.00
Organize shoe tub/toys in garage....$0.50 / $1.00

Girls...let me tell you....they got it all done!!  Everything!  They did it with EXCELLENCE and felt proud of the money they earned and the new skills learned.  Plus, I have all kinds of little chores completed that just never seem to quite get accomplished.  I docked pay $0.50 if the worker had unnecessary tears for dramatic purposes solely or a poor attitude (which did happen by the way!).  I explained to them what an "OK" would be, an "Incredible" would be, and then what it would mean to "take it to the bank baby!"  They both earned extra money on some jobs because they voluntarily took it to the next level.   For example, on the lazy susan job, Kate filled all my baking necessities (flour, sugar, etc.) and then combined bottles of canola oil, etc. Seriously! LOVE IT!!  We blared the Pandora and had smiles all day (for the most part!).  These are not their ordinary chores so they learned all kinds of new skills along the way.  They both earned about $20 and are now able to get a typewriter. 

While they worked, I did too!  I got the hallway closet all reorganized, as well as four cupboards, the garage shelves tidied up, and laundry done all while still helping them as needed!

Okay, so why am I glad we looked at Craigslist first?  Well, Scott suggested we also look on Ebay.  Well lucky them...we found some great deals on vintage typewriters for LESS than Craigslist, even with the shipping!  Seriously!  What a great day! However, I know they would not have been so motivated had we found these great deals ahead of time.  Working towards a goal is really good for kids.   



PS:  We also talked about what they would need to tithe from their earnings.  :)

For My Good

Another one of my new favorites...Thanks Trip Lee! 



Yes...we love us some SOLID Gospel-filled hip hop!  If you have girlies, check out V. Rose.  She is out of this world!  I am talking pure smoking awesomeness!  This is one of my faves from her...

Immortal, Invisible

This is one of my favorite songs!  I can't help but become truly worshipful in the moment, regardless of what is going on around me, when this song plays on either the radio or Pandora. 

Immortal, You are not are like a man
That you change Your mind
Or change Your plan
Invisible, our human eyes can't see
The Depths of Your majesty

You're the God of forever and ever amen
The alpha, omega, beginning and end
We sing Hallelujah
We worship in awe
Immortal, invisible God
Immortal, You are not bound by death
You're the living God, my very breath
Invisible You are not bound by space
But Your glory is filling this place
Yes Your glory is filling this place

You're the God of forever and ever amen
The alpha, omega, beginning and end
We sing Hallelujah
We worship in awe
Immortal, invisible God
Immortal yet You once died for me,
To pay my debt to set me free
Invisible You will not always be
Cause You’re coming to reign as our king
And the saints will fall down at Your feet

You're the God of forever and ever amen
The alpha, omega, beginning and end
We sing Hallelujah
We worship in awe
Immortal, invisible God
We sing Hallelujah
We worship in awe
Immortal, invisible God
Immortal, invisible God

Feb 21 ~

"When I see a little infant caressing its mother, would you have me to say to it, 'You selfish child, how dare you pretend to caress your mother in that way?  You are quite unable to appreciate her character; you love her merely because she loves you, treats you kindly?"

"You are as yet but a babe in Christ," Dr. Cabot continued.  "You love your God and Savior because He first loved you.  The time will come when the character of your love will become changed into one which sees and feels the beauty and the perfection of its object; and if you could be assured that He no longer looked on you with favor, you would still cling to Him with devoted affection."
~ Stepping Heavenward, E. Prentis

New books...

We have received many of our new books.  I am really excited about reading them this summer, or at least perusing them.  They looks amazing!  The girls have already plunged into the Nature Readers and excitedly reporting back to me their findings!  I have perused the "This Country of Ours" and "George Washington's World" and they both look so way cool!  If you are interested in the books by H. E. Marshall I have read many reviews that recommend getting them from "Yesterday's Classics" as the publisher.  I was really excited to get the "George Washington's World" book because it is old and has a card catalog pocket inside the front cover dating from 1964.  These kinds of things excite me!  How cool!

Stepping Heavenward

by E. Prentiss

HIGHLY Recommend!!

Snow

I was going through some of my old photos and found these and I had to smile.  Today feels like fall.  We were at my nephew's birthday party and I would have loved a cup of hot chocolate!  In fact, I made the girls leave early because I began to feel the "cold" in my bones.  Anywho, these cute pictures are from this winter when the girls were "walking" their bunnies in the snow.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

I will rejoice and thank the Lord for a cold, damp day in June.  It feels like fall and my head feels like it is fall too.  I will rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice!

Rejoice

It is very easy for me to fall off the edge into a pit of despair.  HA!  For realz!  However, I have been working through Philippians and it has been such an encouragement to my heart and soul and mind.  I am trying to remember Philippians 4:4 at all times: "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, I will say it again, Rejoice!"  Kate emailed one of our good friends from Mali to ask him questions about being in ministry for her Awana project.  One of her questions was, What is your favorite Bible verses?  This was his verse and I was initally really surprised.  Then, as I thought about it more, it really made me think, especially in light of the difficulties facing the country right now, let alone what every day life is like in Mali.  I thought if that was his favorite verse, then I need to make sure I am meditating on it more.  If he can rejoice in the midst of dirt, rubble, and poor conditions, then I need to rejoice in my air conditioned, American "Miller" version of clean home.  We oftentimes get sidetracked by focusing on our circumstances instead of on CHRIST, who has conquered death and deserves our REJOICING every day, every hour, every minute.  I need to make sure I have a proper response to the trials of this life, no matter how big or how small.  Please today, find reasons to REJOICE!  If you can't find a single one, remember that the Lord Christ has AUTHORED and is working to PERFECT your faith!  That is definitely TWO reasons to rejoice!

Roller Skates & Rollerblades

This year at the prompting of my good friend Jacque, we went to homeschool skates.  We tried a couple of different locations but definitely had a favorite.  Anywho, it took Kate a few sessions to totally get comfortable and the hang of what to do.  She was much more inclined to letting Jacque teach her than good ol' mom.  Anna did fantabulous from the start and even on the first day ventured out on her own.  Unfortunately, one time her skates were super duper fast and that set her back to wanting me to always be beside her.  Yeah...you heard me right!  Me.on.roller.skates!  I did it!  My mom and dad used to take us rollerskating all the time when we were little.  I used to skate also at youth retreats.  I know.  It's scary!  Even more scary since I am older.  But I prevailed, not falling down once!  Nothing short of a miracle for sure! 

So this year they wanted to spend their birthday money on rollerskates; however, their dad and I talked them into rollerblades.  They were really nervous but now are old pros!  I thought the rollerblades would be more versatile given our paved road and the asphalt streets at Beulah this summer.  They love them and now want to try and conquer ice skating this coming winter.  Whew!  I can't keep up with these girls!
 

A Boy

Today we invited a 12 year old boy (little man) over to the house.  His blood runs "farmer" through and through.  We have about 7 acres of land and have been trying to think creatively on how we can be better stewards of this land.  Scott has been chatting with this "little man" the past couple of weeks at church.  So today he came over to give us some 'ideas'.  He is a really sweet kid.  His dad was killed in a racing accident a few years ago and his mom works at Honda.  He spends a lot of time with his grandpa who is an organic farmer!  Anywho, it has been so neat to watch Scott spend time with this "little man".  I can tell this little guy really is excited to bestow Scott with all of his knowledge! 

New Rooms = Math in Action

I have been taking a math course to keep my teacher's license currrent.  It has been super easy yet fun and exciting at the same time.  I am always amazed by people who truly "get math."  I am more into reading and words, not numbers.  I would love the girls to have my instructor as their math teacher.  She is an amazing teacher, very creative and fun!  The course has challenged me to try and make math more hands-on, fun, interactive, and real life.  I have the perfect opportunity to do so and I need to make it happen.  My first stab at it happened as we began to think about the girls' new rooms.  Since my MIL moved out, the girls would have their own rooms for the first time. 

The girls used the tape measure to find the dimensions of the furniture.

They also measured all the walls, windows, closets, and doorways.

They recorded all the measurements.

I had to do the conversions because that would be just way too advanced for them at this point but I did explain to them what I was doing.  Once I figured it out, they used colored pencils to show the dimensions of the furniture and plotted out the room on graph paper.

The girls could then cut out the "furniture" and arrange it in their "rooms" to get ideas of how they could rearrange their rooms and furniture.  It was a lot of fun!