Thanksgiving - becomes "Thanksliving"!

I have been reading a book called "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voscamp given to me by a dear friend. I won't give too much away for those that have not read it yet, but it is such a wonderful book. Ann paints a beautiful picture with her poetic words of her journey to finding joy in the midst of suffering. Someone dares her to make a list of 1000 things she is thankful for and she accepts the challenge and so her book is born. It has inspired me to look at the things I have been blessed with instead of focusing on what I don't have or wish I had.
I am so blessed to have my faith that gives me hope of an eternal future. I am so blessed by my husband and all of my children. I am so blessed to have the worlds most amazing, incredible, giving, loving friends in the whole wide world! I am blessed to always have had a roof over my head, food in my tummy and clothes on my back. And so much more!

All of these gifts I have been given have ignited a passion in me to give back. I got my family involved and I will admit they all were reluctant at first but while they were doing each of the activities I saw something wonderful happen! They were smiling and having a great time, and they said they were actually more blessed to bless others! Wow! Is this the same family that grumbled just a few hours ago?


 This is a picture of my girls at Feed My Starving Children. An organization that sends dried packaged food to hungry children all over the world. This day was SO much fun! They play fun music and the time goes by SO fast! This organization is so organized too! They have little groups of assembly lines so that the packaging is very efficient. We were able to pack enough food to feed 105 children for a year that day! My girls did the weighing and they rocked! They went quickly but carefully following all the instructions and not once did they complain that they were tired! I want to sign up for 2 shifts next year:) Shhh, don't tell my family ;) lol

 We also did Operation Christmas Child. This organization sends shoebox sized packages to children around the world who will not receive anything for Christmas. I just LOVE this idea. Christmas is my favorite time of year. Everything about it excites me, but most of all because it reminds me of the greatest gift of all that was given, Jesus. So to share His love, we decided to fill up a box for a boy (in honor of Nathan). So the girls used their keys that they earned from church to buy a few things for the box and we went to the dollar tree for the rest. It was so special to see my family coming together to find special things for this little boy. With the toys the girls bought, things we had at home in our treasure bag and dollar tree items we ended up with enough to fill 2 boxes! So we decided to fill one for a girl also.

One of the ladies I had met that worked for OCC told me about when she went to deliver these gifts to an orphanage in Russia and the children were so happy because they all had their own toothbrush. About 20 kids were having to all share one toothbrush! I told my husband,"That is just not right! That is just not sanitary! They each need their own toothbrush." So the toothbrushes were the first things to go in the box:)

 This was what we put in the girls box: Webkinz, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hair ponies, bar of soap, stationary set, bouncy ball, bandaids, sucker and a card from us that said Merry Christmas.

This is what we put in the boys box: Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, socks, soap, bandaids, hotwheels car, flying airplane, bouncy ball, plastic drinking cup and a card from us with our family picture wishing him a Merry Christmas.

We also sang Christmas carols for the children at Shriners Hospital, and sang carols as we rang the Salvation army bell. I wish I had pictures of those to post since the girls looked so cute, I will try to remember to do that next time. :)

Nathan's 11th Birthday

Every year on my son, Nathan's birthday we go out to the cemetery, bring flowers, write notes on balloons and send them up to heaven. This year a precious friend of mine offered to host a celebration of his life at her home and what a blessing that was! After the cemetery we went back to her home, sang hymns, ate yummy food, sang "Happy Birthday", and had cake. It was an emotional day but a good day also. Just to look around and see my family and extended family of friends celebrating and singing happy birthday to my son really touched my heart. These are the people whose children would have been friends with Nathan and would have grown up together. Some people may not have been as supportive to participate in this with us, but I have some of the best friends in the world and am so grateful for each and every one. It really helped to have others to be with on this day. It helped take some of the burden away and gave so much comfort.

Amazing Missionaries!

My children & I were blessed to get to meet the missionary pilot & his wife who took over in Equador after Nate Saint & Jim Elliot & the other missionary men were killed. I was so inspired by these missionaries who were willing to give up their lives to show God's love to people who had never known that kind of love. I was even more inspired by the missionaries families willingness to not only forgive the Indians, but also to befriend them & have a relationship with them. Such a powerful example of forgiveness!

This is a picture of the five missionaries that went into the jungles of South America to show the love of God to the Auca Indians who knew nothing but killing and being killed.

If you have not heard the story, I encourage you to check out these resources:

I have seen all three of these DVDs & they are all very moving. "The End of the Spear" is a Film based on the story of what happened between the Aucas and the Missionaries. Though not everything in the movie is true. "Through the Gates of Splendor" is a documentary by Elisabeth "Betty" Elliot ( Missionary Jim Elliot's widow). "Beyond the Gates of Splendor is a documentary by Steve Saint ( Misssionary pilot Nate Saint's son). I highly recommend these three videos for anyone interested in learning more about the story. (Viewer discretion is advised for ages 13 & under.)

For younger children I recommend watching this movie to begin with until they are old enough to handle the others:

This is an animated movie of the missionary story that begins when the five boys were in school. My kids watched this and said it was not scary at all :) It also has a cd-rom that includes a pdf printable activity book with comprehension questions.
Our whole family enjoyed this one!

Now that our missionary theme is over, we will be moving onto another topic. But I am sure this story of love, sacrifice & forgiveness will live in our hearts & not be forgotten.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."--Jim Elliot

A Dolphin Tale - Review

Dolphin Tale is inspired by the amazing true story of a brave dolphin and the compassionate strangers who banded together to save her life. Swimming free, a young dolphin is caught in a crab trap, severely damaging her tail. She is rescued and transported to the Clearwater Marine Hospital, where she is named Winter. But her fight for survival has just begun. Without a tail, Winter's prognosis is dire. It will take the expertise of a dedicated marine biologist, the ingenuity of a brilliant prosthetics doctor, and the unwavering devotion of a young boy to bring about a groundbreaking miracle-a miracle that might not only save Winter but could also help scores of people around the world. 

I organized a homeschool "fieldtrip" group to go & see this movie & thanks to the Homeschool Movie Club & Warner Bros. we were sent official Dolphin Tale merchandise for our group!  It was a really great family movie, very touching & inspiring. It is so great to be able to go & see a family-friendly movie with no violence, nudity or foul language. This movie will be added to our library eventually:)


This is picture of my girls right after seeing the movie with the merchandise:

Room Reorganization

Another school year is in full swing & I decided to reorganize the kids room & our homeschool room. We do not have a lot of space, but I did my best to get everything on the proper shelves and put away somewhat neatly. This is the girl's room. The white shelf to the left has two shelves for books & the bottom is a toy chest. I got this at my Aunt's thrift store in Modesto. The little table & chairs in front of the window is from IKEA. The cubby shelves are from Target & my husband screwed two of them together to secure them. The armoire on the right is from Craigslist. The bed is a daybed my friend G let our family have-Thank you G-you are such a blessing!:)

This is a very small loft that we are using for our homeschool room. It is more like a storage room than a room we can really work in, but we are thankful for the space. The two shelving units & the desk are from IKEA & work great in this small space.

What do all of your homeschool rooms look like?

See the Light Shine- Art Program

Impassioned to teach children Biblical truths in a fun and unique way, See The Light founder (Pat Holt) set out to develop a children’s art education DVD series that was compelling enough for today’s child and affordable for today’s parents and educators. Featuring art teacher and master artist, Pat Knepley, the ART CLASS DVD series (9-disk set; 36 lessons) integrates progressive art tutorials with art history appreciation and Biblical truths. Along with their personal instructor, Pat, children will learn step-by-step how to draw without the necessity of a workbook or expensive art supplies. Finally, parents do not have to be art experts to teach their children art instruction and appreciation!

I came across this program & decided to try it. After the first DVD of lessons-we were hooked! I thought because I don't know how to teach art it would be best to have them taught by someone else & who better than a master artist with a Biblical perspective on DVD format at a price I could afford! It was a win-win. So I popped in the video thinking I can get some work done while the kids do their art, but I found myself drawn to the video wanting to actually participate with my children. This is a WONDERFUL program & I HIGHLY recommend it!:)

We also purchased:

The Easter Story - Crossmaker  (16 minutes)

Dominic, the son of a carpenter, finds himself drawn into the unforgettable trial of the man called Jesus. Share in this amazing adventure that takes Dominic from Christ’s crucifixion to a place of redemption, and a face-to-face meeting with the risen Christ.  See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann draws her stunning interpretation of the Easter story.

Art Lessons - 

GLORY!  See The Light artist Heidi Shorts teaches the art of Creative Lettering (28 minutes)

He is Not Here! He is Risen! See the Light Master Art Teacher Pat Knepley leads budding young artists in a step-by step drawing lesson using chalk pastels. Plus, create your own black light reveal! (32 minutes)

Three Crosses on a Hill See the Light’s Jim Pence gives a water color tutorial as young artists discover The Joy of Art. (25 minutes)

Bonus Features!

- Revel in original contemporary music performed by “Breathing Room” recording artists Jan Roper and Kevin Dukes while watching Gloria Kohlmann draw her remarkable art expression of the Easter story.

- Watch and Hear the Plan of Salvation, clearly and creatively presented as you have never seen it. (7 minutes)

- Hear See The Light chalk artist Gloria Kohlmann’s commentary as you watch the Easter scene being created.

- Meet the See The Light team.



When you are done drawing with the Crayola extreme colored pencils, you put the black light up to your drawing & IT GLOWS! It is SO cool!
This is my finished creative lettering with the black light on (this picture doesn't do it justice to how beautiful it really looks in person):

Check them out at:
http://www.seethelightshine.com/

July 26th in Tahoe

It has been 7 years this day that we said, " Goodbye" to our son, Nathan. Every year on July 26th we have made it a tradition to leave town & do something together as a family. This year we went to Tahoe. God provided a wonderful place for us to stay & activities for us & it was so nice & relaxing. This was the view from our cabin:

Attempting Archery

 Ehrman Mansion, Sugar Pine Point State Park

 Fun at the Beach

 A momma duck & her babies walked right up to the girls. The girls were so excited:)

500 Pound bear my husband saw crossing Donner Pass Rd! So bummed I missed it!

It was a fun & relaxing trip. I feel blessed & refreshed. Of course there were some hard times too. My husband & I thinking about our son, crying & missing him. He will forever be our son & we will forever miss him.
But one really neat thing that I feel was a gift was the butterflies that were around our family during this trip. Butterflies have a special meaning to us because they symbolize new life. So everytime we see a butterfly it reminds us of Nathan. Outside the balcony everyday were butterflies flying around in circles at the sliding glass door. Then when went to the beach, One flew right up to my face & grazed my face. It was so neat. I think it was a kiss from Nathan (or maybe God:). Just a sign that He loves us & is here with us. Then I opened up my Jesus Calling devotional later that day & this is what it said:

"As you listen to birds calling to one another, hear also My love-call to you. I speak to you continually; through sights, sounds, thoughts, impressions, Scripture. There is no limit to the variety of ways I can communicate with you. Your part is to be attentive to my messages in whatever form they come. When you set out to find Me in  a day, you discover that the world is vibrantly alive with My Presence. You can find me not only in beauty & birdcalls (& butterflies) but also in tragedy & faces filled with grief. I can take the deepest sorrow & weave it into a pattern for good."

So encouraging! Just what I needed that day!:)

 

Power Foods Recipes- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

On a family night out to B & N I found this amazing cookbook with whole food recipes. I was not able to get it that day, but just about every single recipe in this cookbook I wanted to try, so I saved & came back to get it later.
I have really been passionate about finding healthy whole food recipes. If it is gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or raw I am very interested in trying it. Although, it does need to still taste good ;)

My hubby & I do our grocery shopping bi-weekly, so I used this cookbook to meal plan for 2 weeks & I feel healthier already!

This is one of the things I made with this cookbook:

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

This was my first time roasting my own peppers. It is super easy & you don't have to worry about preservatives or any other added ingredients. I adjusted this recipe a little.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

3 red bell peppers

2 cups of garbanzo beans (I used the dried ones & then cooked them with water in my crockpot for 3 hours)

whole wheat pita, toasted

1 garlic clove

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 cup of vegetable broth

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

2 tsp grapeseed oil, plus more for drizzling

salt & pepper to taste

Wash peppers & place them in a rimmed pan & drizzle oil over top. Place in a 400 degree oven & roast until blackened all over. Turning when needed. Take out of the oven &

transfer peppers to a bowl with a lid & let sit & steam for 15 min. Using paper towel, rub of skins, & then remove stems, seeds & ribs.

Place peppers in food processor. Add beans, garlic, vinegar, oil, lemon juice, paprika, cumin. Blend. Stir in salt & pepper.

Serve with toasted whole wheat pita & carrot sticks.

Peter Pan Party

This was a "Peter Pan" themed party I threw for my daughters 4th birthday. I bought white poster board & drew the word "Neverland" & an arrow & then had it laminated & hung it on the fence.

When party guests arrived, they were greeted by Captain Hook (my husband) & Mrs. Smee (me). N was a little Peter Pan & C was Wendy. Each guest got a treasure box (for the boys) or a Tinkerbell fairy box (for the girls).

The treasure box had an eye patch, gold coins, a telescope & some Peter Pan themed stickers. 

The fairy box had little jewelry, Tinkerbell stickers & some face glitter.

 I got most of these items from http://www.birthdayexpress.com/

Food: Pirate's Booty, Fruit kabobs in sand (raw sugar)...etc. It was all named according to the theme.

 I had my husband go around & ring the doorbell & leave a box that had a note written on a map that was from Peter Pan that said, "Dear friends, I am off on another adventure & I need your help! I have left you clues to locate where I have hidden my most valuable treasures. Please find it before Captain Hook does! 

~Your friend,

Peter Pan " 

My daughter, C, is holding the map up in this picture.

I had more maps just like this one with clues hidden around the yard. Each one would have a clue to the next one & when they finally found the treasure box, it was full of jewels, gold coins..etc. 

I bought a Tinkerbell doll & had this bakery http://www.cakecastlebakery.com/index.html    make the cake & put her in it. Then C got to keep the doll as a gift (after she was cleaned of course:)

They did an amazing job! This was such a beautiful cake & it was delicious! I am not usually a fan of fondant, but theirs was SO good!

 Definately a great party!

Vintage Baby Shower

This is a baby shower I did for my cousin. It was a vintage / shabby chic / Martha Stewart inspired theme. We set the tables with pretty lace linens & used my tea cups & decorated the tables with wooden blocks that were decoupaged with vintage cards. I also added little bears here & there because their last name is "Barrett" & my cousins husband is a vet. To honor the grandfather who was a fireman, but had passed away, I placed little vintage fireman bears around. We placed the mom & dad's baby pictures on each table with a fun little fact about each one. Then we hung our Gpa's old vintage baby clothes & some vintage baby clothes I had found at an antique store & dyed with tea onto clothes pins.

When the guests arrived, they were given an option of buying a raffle ticket (with the proceeds going to the baby's college fund) for a gift basket of pampering goodies.
Then they could guess how many marbles were in a jar & win a prize if they were the closest.
Then they went over to the "Create the Baby Face" game that I had set up. I enlarged baby pictures of the mom & dad & laminated them, then cut the eyes, nose, mouth & chin out in strips. The guests could go & rearrange the faces to create a new face of what the baby might look like. This one had no prize, it was just for fun. It was funny to see all of the combinations people came up with.

Then we played Baby Pictionary with cards I created that had words on them related to baby. I think the funniest one was epidural. :)


I wanted to personalize the cake so instead of the traditional cake I had the bakery make it look like wooden blocks with letters, pictures & symbols that were meaningful to the mom & dad.

One of the dishes I made was "Blueberry Stuffed French Toast" which seemed to be a big hit. It was such a beautiful day & a beautiful party.

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients:
12 slices of French bread or sourdough bread thin sliced (6 slices cut up into cubes)
2 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
1 cup of blueberries
12 eggs
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg For the sauce
1 cup of sugar
2 Tbsps of cornstarch
1 cup of water
1 cup of blueberries
1 Tbsp butter
Arrange the bread in a buttered 13" x 9" pan
cut the cream cheese into squares and place over bread
sprinkle the blueberries over the cheese
arrange the bread cubes over the top of the blueberries
In a large bowl mix the eggs, syrup, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg whisk well
pour the mixture over the bread mixture
chill the mixture overnight
Bake the mixture at 350 degrees for about an hour or till it is puffed and golden brown
Sauce
In a small sauce pan mix the water, sugar, cornstarch over moderately high heat until it is thickened, then add the blueberries. Simmer for about ten minutes or till blueberries burst then pour over French toast.
Serves 6 - 8

A Miracle Worker!

The Wet-Stop3 enuresis alarm teaches nighttime dryness using an alarm attached to the pajamas near the ear and a moisture sensor held onto ordinary close-fitting cloth underwear. The alarm is attached using a magnet that holds the unit onto the neck of the shirt.
The moisture sensor is threaded under the child's shirt and is secured to tight fitting cotton underwear using the quick-clip jaw sensor. The sensor is attached to the outside of the child's underwear where they would first wet.
The Wet-Stop3 alarm reacts to moisture, teaching the child to stop the flow of urine. When the alarm senses wetness, it alternates on intermittent sound sequence and pulsed vibration when the sound/vibration mode is activated. Sound only or pulsed vibration only can also be selected.


I know this is a common issue that is rarely talked about. But I just had to share what this product has done for our family. Our daughter used to have to wear pull-ups every night & as some of you can relate, that can be very costly. Her pediatrician recommended this to us & said that it worked for his son. So we decided to give it a try, since nothing else we tried was working. In about a months time, she was trained to get up & go potty instead of wetting the bed & now she doesn't need to wear pullups! She has been dry now for a couple of months & doesn't even need the alarm anymore!  If this has been an issue for your child, I highly recommend giving this a try.

http://www.bedwettingstore.com/WET-STOP3-Bedwetting-Alarm-with-Sound-Vibration.html

You can also find it on Amazon

Medieval Lapbook

This is the lapbook that we did for our study of the Middle Ages. The components in this lapbook are a combination of activity books from Rainbow Resource , Homeschool Share , & the internet.

We also listened to The Story of the World (Vol 2) that covers the Middle Ages. It worked really well to listen to that while the kids worked on their lapbook.

 

A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview, by Marcia Brim

Surprisingly, many children raised in Christian homes have a weak understanding of the character and nature of God, and the significance of man as His special creation. As a result, our children are growing up with a weak biblical worldview, and a lack of understanding as to why God matters in every aspect of life.

Marcia Brim of Brimwood Press presents biblical truths in a two-day, seven-hour class geared for the thoughtful young person who enjoys hands-on learning, discussion and interaction with other students. Students will listen to instruction, participate in small group activities, use 3-D glasses, build “Worldview Boxes”, listen to and discuss good literature, and create worldview bar graphs.
This class examines non-Christian ideas common in our culture. Then it gives students tools for comparing and contrasting these conflicting ideas to Christianity. This method not only has value in evangelism, but it sheds enormous clarity on Christian truth. 

I have attended this class myself & can tell you first hand how amazing it was & how it has deepened my faith in my beliefs & helped me to understand the differences between the worldviews. 

For those that are not able to take her class, you can purchase "A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview" 

materials on her website & teach your children at home. She also has a variety of other products & curriculum for sale on her website.  I HIGHLY recommend checking out her products! Her weblink is below:

Marcia Brim is a wife and mother of three. Since 2004, Marcia Brim and her husband have owned and operated Brimwood Press providing worldview, history and theological resources to homeschool families across the country. Marcia has 13 years of homeschool experience and a degree in theology from Multnomah Bible College. Her passion is to equip parents and students to be salt and light in a lost world.

FOR MORE INFO VISIT: http://www.brimwoodpress.com/

Bean & Black Quinoa Salad

Thank you to my friend L for introducing this to me!  I was a little hesitant at first with the black quinoa, but I like to try new things, so I gave it a shot. This is so yummy! I modified her recipe a little, this is how I made it:

1 cup of dried lentils
1 cup of dried black beans
1 cup of dried garbanzo beans

Put all dried beans in a crockpot. Fill with water & cook on high for about 3 hours. You can also do this the night before.


1/2 of chopped red onion
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper

Dressing:
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/3 cup of grapeseed oil
salt & pepper to taste
Wisk together & pour over cooked beans & veggies. Set in fridge so that flavors absorb together.

Meanwhile cook 1 cup of black quinoa with 1 1/2 cups of water uncovered until all liquid absorbs. Serve bean salad on top of cooked quinoa with tortilla chips-so healthy & so yummy!