Gracious Women

God has allowed my daughters and me to be surrounded by gracious women. We do not realize this privilege until someone comes into our lives who has a less than gracious spirit. This happened to us several weeks ago and it was shocking. The incident was not a big deal, but it caused us to see how truly blessed we are not deal with this particular trait on a regular basis. Many people in the world deal with it on a daily basis. It is an expected part of life.

A gracious stranger entered my life today. I made my first sell on E-bay. I set up the transaction with fear and trepidation due to the novelty of the situation. Last night, as the bidding time was ending, I realized I made an error on the description of the 3rd grade math book I was selling. I mistakenly wrote that the book was in new condition. It was in very good, used condition, but definitely not new. Try as I may, I could not figure out how to change the description 2 hours before the bidding was to end. I was horrified!

When the bidding was over, I sent the invoice, along with an explanation of my mistake and what I hoped would be a satisfactory compensation for the error. The gracious stranger wrote me a very kind note and a counter offer which turned out to be less in her favor but was how she wanted it to be handled. When I went to bed last night, I had decided to never sell on E-bay again. Today, I have changed my mind. I will sell to kind, homeschooling moms. I will have to write on the description, "Only gracious folk are permitted to bid!" The gracious stranger made my day brighter and my burden lighter. Is this not what all Christian women should see as their mission? Is this not what we should be training our daughters and sons to be as they are salt and light in a dark world. The gracious spirit shines.

To those of you who visit my blog and are the gracious women in our lives, we thank and bless God for you.

Happy Sweet 16 Caroline

Today is Caroline's 16th birthday! Life has been a lot like Caroline this past week- a whirlwind of fun. We have loved the times of fellowship and fun with friends during Caroline's birthday week. But, being home alone tonight gives us time to remember those family moments, 16 years ago, when we had a beautiful new baby and dreams of her future days with us. When Caroline was born, she had a one-year-old sister with whom she would be sharing a bedroom for years to come. As a matter-of-fact, she and her sister are moving their bedroom furniture around tonight to make room for the 16th birthday traditional gift, a hope chest.

What does Caroline have to put into her hope chest:


~ 2 silver serving pieces from Nanny


~ A Fenton candle holder from Aunt Mary Carolyn


~ A recipe collection book being filled with favorite recipes from family and friends


~ A copy of The Hidden Art of Homemaking from Mom


~ Pieces of taffeta and lace from Nanny's wedding dress


~A wrapped present from Daddy that is to be opened on her wedding day. This gift is a visual reminder of the precious gift she is. (This was a result of a father/daughter Bible study based on the book, The Three Weavers- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

Happy Birthday Caroline! We are proud to have a lovely daughter like you. It is a joy to watch you mature and grow in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Strawberry Picking Day

We're seeing red today. What can you do with 60lbs. of strawberries?

12 quarts of jam, 12 quarts put in the freezer, a pie, and a bowl in the refrigerator for eating.

60lbs. of strawberries were used up very quickly.

Narration Alternatives

Mrs. Happy Housewife has some narration alternatives for those of us who are Charlotte Mason "wannabes." http://www.mrshappyhousewife.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=769&Itemid=123

Sweet 16 Picnic: Lightning and Thunder and Rain....Oh My!!

It started out as a normal birthday party. Sure, the number grew to 70 people with teenagers, siblings and parents, but we just kept adding food.

Volleyball, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, water balloon volleyball
S'mores, nachos, tons of Chex mix, icies, etc...


The birthday girl

Water balloon volleyball

People huddled under the shelter when the storm hit. Lightning hit a tree very close by and God protected us.

It was a birthday party to remember. Our homeschooling circle seems to be having some really exciting, weather related parties. I think we are now having a competition to see who can throw a party with the most memorable scare.

Caroline had a great time with all of her friends and of course they all want to know when we can meet to do it again. I need at least a week to recover! Caroline's actually turns 16 in one week and she is asking when she can get her driver's permit!

Anniversary Addition

Yellow roses!!!! My absolute favorite!!!!

23 Years Together

My husband is a romantic. He has learned over the years how to make events special for me. However, I make things confusing for him! What was special to me 3 years ago may not be this year. I do love our anniversary and that has not changed. We don't need to have a long weekend away to celebrate, just a few hours is OK. I have to laugh about how we celebrated this year:

~ We were so busy on the 16th that Tom took the day off on the 15th to celebrate.

~ We went to breakfast at a fun little diner.

~ I took the kids to their last soccer day while Tom stayed home to paint kitchen molding (YEAH!)

~ We ate dinner at Burger King

~ We ran errands to pick up items for Caroline's 16th birthday party

~We went to the movies to see Oceans 13. We rarely go to the movies so this was a treat. Please don't ask me why I love the Oceans movies. It's not explainable :)

~Finally,there were several funny, sweet cards during the day

"We're still having fun and you're still the one"

AHHH Summer !!!!!

Pizza in the treehouse

The Fruit of the Spirit is.......Faithfulness (Gal. 5:22)

We were challenged last week in our mother/daughter Bible study on the traits of a faithful woman. Here is what Elizabeth George says in her book, A Young Woman's Walk With God:

The marks of faithfulness-

~She follows through.....on what she has to do.

~She comes through.....no matter what.

~She delivers the goods.....whether a returned item or a school paper.

~She shows up.....even early so others won't worry.

~She keeps her word.....her yes means yes and her no means no (James 5:12).

~She keeps her commitments and appointments......you won't find her canceling.

~She successfully transacts business......carrying out any instructions given to her.

~She is regular at church.....and doesn't neglect worship.

~She is devoted to duty......just as Jesus was when He came to do His Father's will (John 4:34).

What faithful, productive women of God we would be if we cultivated this fruit of the the spirit.

Just for Fun

What My Mother Taught Me

1.My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .

" If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION."

You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.

" If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC."

Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .

" If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

" Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.

" Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.

" Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.

" Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.

" You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

" This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .

" I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

13. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION .

" Stop acting like your father!"

14. My mother taught me about ENVY.

" There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents
like you do."

15. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

" Just wait until we get home."

16. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .

" You are going to get it when you get home!"

17. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.

" If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

18. My mother taught me ESP.

" Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

19. My mother taught me HUMOR.

" When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

20. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.

" If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

21. My mother taught me GENETICS.

" You're just like your father."

22. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.

" Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

23. My mother taught me WISDOM.

" When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

24. My mother taught me about JUSTICE.

" One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you"

Finished!

Who is happier, student or teacher?

I'm a Stay-At-Home Mom and I'm Supposed to Stay Home

Our CRAZY week is over!!!!

The homeschool convention was a wonderful time of learning, buying, renewing of friendships, and making new friends. But the New York State Fairgrounds was not a pleasant place to be when it was 89 degrees outside and you had a long walk on steamy pavement to another building. Our family's assignment this year was to be the host of the one building that was air conditioned. YEAH!!!

So now we are home and enjoying a cool, rainy day. Time to get back to being a cook and baker.

New Sour Dough Bread Recipe

Meatballs. Some for supper and some frozen for upcoming dinners