Taking a Vacation

I will return hopefully to post next Monday. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a fun weekend!

James 1:12-17

12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Time Flies

The days have been strangely busy after a few weeks of calm. I can't believe it's nearly Saturday!

Gross!!!

No wonder the sink would not drain!

Harvest Blessing Snack

This is adapted from something I pulled off the Internet years ago; thanks to Barbara E. for the initial idea. We added both whole bags of Bugles and pretzels to stretch it and made 20 of these to give to friends.

Ingredients:
2 cups Bugles Brand Corn Snacks
2 cups Pretzels
1 cup Candy Corn and/or Corn Nuts Brand Snack
1 cup Dried or Candy Fruits
1 cup Peanuts and/or Sunflower Seeds

Each ingredient in this snack mix symbolizes something associated with the Harvest Season (Thanksgiving):
Bugles--a cornucopia, a horn of plenty
Pretzels--arms folded in thanks and prayer
Candy Corn--During the first winter, the pilgrims were each allotted only 5 kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce
Dried Fruits--Thanksgiving in the celebration of the harvest.
Sunflower Seeds--Seeds represent the potential of a bounteous harvest for the next season if they are planted and well-tended.

I John 1:7-9

These are the verses Emily is working on this week:
7. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sewing Projects

I dug the fabric bags and box out of the closet and came up with enough material to make four pairs of shorts for Emily next summer. Tracy cut them out for me, and I sewed them together as far as I could. I am now out of thread except for a tiny bit of black (enough to do one patch on someone's knee) so am out of the business for a while. Hee hee hee I'll have to turn my thinking to some Thanksgiving projects for the kids.

List of Accomplishments

1. Two beds made with fresh sheets
2. LOTS of dishes done (of course, those add quickly with a large family)
3. Strawberry shakes made and eaten :)
4. Most of the school work for the day
5. A game of Scattergories
6. A game of Rummikub
7. A big Lego house made
8. Arrangements for a friend next Friday
9. Pictures ordered for grandparents

That's not a total list, but it's a wide variety of things that were done around here today. Everyone is doing well.

Bouncing off the Walls

I won't mention any names as I type, but Someone took a late nap so is up and ready to go for the night. :)

Library Books

Here's our library "bounty" for today. We spent time in town this afternoon and evening. Mike fixed the threshold at the church building, and we did lots of errands--including finding rollerblades for Tracy and Aaron for $1.00 for each pair. We made garlic bread and pizza and baked them at the church building for supper.

Galatians 1:1-5

1. Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),
2. and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:
3. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4. who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5. to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Another Day

Today we:
1. Did school work
2. Went to a violin lesson
3. Ate lunch
4. Took a nap (well, a couple of us) :)
5. Waited for Mike to come home
6. Ate supper
7. Went to bed (I'm on my way now.)
Good night!

Five-Cent Treats

I got a 19-cent cake mix from our grocery store a couple weeks ago so threw it together with some free eggs we were given and leftover sprinkles and frosting from Aaron's birthday cake.

Wild and Wacky

We were messing around with the camera last night, and it appears that Tracy was the only one who did not join the "fun." :)

Psalm 150:1-6

1. Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament!
2. Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp!
4. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5. Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Ten Financial Principles

Inspired by a friend's post, I'd like to add my two-cents from a seminar I attended sponsored by "The Village."

1. Financial problems are usually behavior problems rather than money problems.

2. If you continue doing what you have been doing, you will continue getting what you have been getting.

3. Nothing (no-thing) is worth the relationship.

4. If your money is going toward something you value, then you will usually feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. But if your money is going toward something you do not value, then you will usually experience a sense of frustration and futility.

5. We know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

6. You can never get enough of what you don't need, because what you don't need can never satisfy you.

7. Financial freedom is more often the result of decreased spending than increased income.

8. Be grateful for what you have.

9. The best things in life are free.

10. The value of an individual should never be equated with an individual's net worth.

Summersault

We got the biggest laugh out of this last night.

Another Day

Today was rainy, and we have a huge "lake" in our front yard. We live in the bog so our yard swells with water, but I think this is the largest I have seen that.

The home school class went well this morning. I forgot to take the camera along--presentations are always wonderful by this family--and they had "yummy" snacks.

Mike's on his last night of work for the week. Hopefully we can keep quiet in the morning so he can sleep tomorrow. He never gets enough sleep on nights but such is life with a big family.

My Next Project

This is what I will work on until it's time to wake the children. We have several discs that don't get used, but for the most part, the majority of these discs are used within a month's time. Now to teach Laura how to put them away...(It's great fun pulling them out of the slots.) :)



Today we have a home school class in town about Old Fort Niagara. Here's the run-down:

This is the Oldest fort in the Great Lake Basin and where the Battle of 1812 was fought. With the original structures still standing from the 1700's, this Fort has been held by three different countries. It also has on display one of the oldest US flags in existence, measuring 24 feet by 28 feet. From the construction of the buildings, to the battle plans, Niagara has many unique qualities that we think you will find very interesting and worth your time.

We have a short documentary to watch at the class, which is well made and gives you a good idea of what life was like during that time. We will also be giving out information packets to each of the families to take home, that will incude "Old Fort Niagara, an Illustrated History", a replica of both the "United States Constitution" and the "Declaration of Independence", on parchment paper. There will also be some prizes for "good listeners" and for the quiz, as well as doorprizes including the books; "A History and Guide to Old Fort Niagara", "Sailors of 1812 - Memoirs and Letters of Naval Officers on Lake Ontario", "Soldiers of 1814 - American Enlisted Memiors of the Niagara Campaign, and a couple Fort Niagara T-Shirts.

Matthew 18:1-11

1. At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2. Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3. and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4. "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6. "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7. "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
8. "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.
9. "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
10. "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
11. "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Pencil Paradise

I've been getting tired of not being able to find a sharp pencil for school work so decided to start out my Thursday with a "pencil sharpening party." Every-so-often Tracy and I will do this. Pencils seem to disappear around our house, and I usually find a lot of them when I go through Aaron's and Jason's room. Here's my "loot;" we'll see how long they last. :)

Still Alive

I am still around; I haven't had anything spectacular to write about lately. Everyone is doing well.

Editing my Post

I didn't say Emily and Melissa were feeling better, did I? They both just threw up again! :(

Helpful Girl

After I got home from shopping last Wednesday, Laura was trying to help even though things were too heavy for her.

We have a black spot on the camera; it appears to be on the inside though. Nothing I do will get rid of it unless I zoom in very far.

We had a sick Emily and Melissa in the night. They are better today though not totally back to normal.