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Showing posts with label The Wednesday Five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wednesday Five. Show all posts
I just looked back in the blog archives and saw that I apparently haven't shared a Wednesday Five post in almost a year! That is unacceptable, because these posts are so simple to put together. They give me a simple chance to share some good finds, or a bit of encouragement, without having to sit down and outline a more intensive article-type post. I am making a goal of sharing one of these every other week over this homeschool year (or at least once a month?), and this is the first installment!
A Quote
"For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."
-C. S. Lewis
I share this quote because if you replace the "pipe in their teeth" with "a cup of tea on the table", this perfectly describes my own experience with trying to read more Puritan books. I have been more moved, inspired, and convicted by the Puritans than any modern devotional book I've ever read, and whenever my devotional time starts to feel dry, I pick up a selection from my little stack, and it's a breath of fresh air. Highly recommend reading the Puritans if you never have - currently I'm reading Contentment, Prosperity, And God's Glory by Jeremiah Burroughs, and I think it would be a great choice for dabbling in Puritan writings, especially as Americans (as we are pretty wealthy compared to much of the world).
A Recommendation
I recommend you try making evaporated milk ice cream. I first came across this concept on a random recipe forum, when a commenter explained a traditional Mexican guava ice cream recipe. You don't need a churn, you don't need any fancy ice cream equipment, and the first time I made it last year I didn't even have guava, so I substituted orange juice concentrate. It turned out so yummy, like an orange creamsicle, and my kids have brought it up so many times since then.
I finally got around to making another batch recently, with raspberries this time, and it was delicious. For a very rough, basic idea of the process, you refrigerate an unopened can of evaporated milk until it is very cold, then you whip it up with a hand mixer, add sugar and some sort of fruit puree, and then freeze it. I can't find the original recipe I used (like I said, it was literally just typed in a comment on a forum I've long forgotten), but I'll try to type up an actual recipe to share soon.
A Bit Of Nature
I have to re-share a couple more wildflower pictures. This was the most glorious bit of nature from our summer!
A Book
I've been reading alot of books that were “just okay” lately, so I don't have any firm recommendations in the book category. I did recently start one called The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay, set in East Germany during the Cold War, and so far it’s promising! I will share a reading round-up at the end of September, so keep any eye out for that to see how it turns out.
A Moment Of Happiness
Autumn is approaching, and as I reflect on our summer, I am all too aware that I have a limited number of free summers left with my kids. Every year I feel pressure to squeeze in as much fun as we can and make alot of memories while we have them, especially in the warmer months.
Unfortunately, prices have gone up for practically everything (if you haven't noticed), and between that and several home appliance repairs, our wallet was feeling a little thin. It was necessary to change my expectations for what kind of summer memories we could make this year, because the memory-making part is not optional.
To save money, we recently changed our idea for a day trip to a mountain town festival and swapped our plans for a more local hike. It turned out to be just beautiful. The day was sunny and unusually warm for the mountains, we walked along a completely deserted trail. We saw so many flowers, we enjoyed a snack under a bristlecone pine, and we made plans to come back soon on a day when we could walk a little farther. On the out, we ran into some horseback riders, and my sweet, social kids had such a sophisticated little conversation with them as they stroked the horses' necks and gave them treats.
It was a whole afternoon of simple, satisfying enjoyment, for only a few bucks of gas. In leaner times, I might have to let go of some of my ideas, but that doesn't mean I have to let go of making good memories with my family. Good memories don't have to cost a thing.
Regardless of the state of your wallets, I hope you too are finding ways to make good memories with your loved ones as we tumble into the fall.
It has been quite some time since I shared a Wednesday Five. They are such easy posts to put together, and easy is what I need right now, so I'm going to try to share these more often.
A Quote
"Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure is lost to the Christian church. With it's recovery will come unexpected power."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I read this quote in a book I read recently about Psalm-singing, which will be in a book round-up post later this week. I've been incorporating psalm-singing with the kids into Bible time with the kids this summer, and it's been so sweet to learn to sing the Psalter together.
A Book
I just started "A Biblical Case For Cessationism" by Tom Pennington, and I can already tell it's going to be thorough and helpful. You can watch his talk about Cessationism from the Strange Fire conference a while back to get something of a preview, since in the book he's fleshing out alot of the arguments he made in that message.
For a fiction book, I finally started "Homecoming" by Kate Morton. Her books always feel perfect for the fall to me. A little bit of homeyness, and little bit of mystery. I'm sure a full review is coming if I ever catch up on sharing books.
A Bit Of Nature
We visited the Botanic Gardens last week, and there were so many pretty plants. It was the perfect time to catch the flowers before things start to die off in the fall. These are some sort of crabapple, apparently.
A Recommendation
I am going to recommend this with an abundance of caution, but if you have long-ish hair, and you are getting a bit sick of it or feel like your hair is boring, this is for you. I have been feeling bored with my hair for a while, and was considering going back to a bob, but I was hesitant because I do like to be able to pull my hair up sometimes. I wasn't sure what to do about it beside going to my hairdresser and asking what she thought, but a hair appointment is also just not in my budget right now. Then one night, I stumbled across this video on Youtube comparing a wolf cut with a butterfly cut, and a wild hair (ha!) must have struck me, because I decided to give myself a butterfly cut. The worse that could happen is that I'd have to schedule that hair appointment sooner than planned. I followed this tutorial.
I'm going to qualify this by saying that I do have some experience cutting my own hair, so I felt pretty comfortable taking the risk of trying this out, because I knew I could probably salvage it into a nice bob if the cut went wrong. But that said, the tutorial worked perfectly. It added lovely, bouncy layers into my hair that look great when I curl them, and my hair has been feeling pretty glamorous ever since.
A Moment Of Happiness
My girls spent some time at their grandma's house for my 8 year old's birthday recently. When they arrived home, my 5 (almost 6) year old ran up to the door shouting "Mama, Mama!" I hurried over to greet her, and she threw her arms around me, sighed, and said "Ah, you're so comfy." I'm not sure if that would be a compliment from anyone else than my children, but from her it just made my day.
Happy Spring!
It's been a difficult start to spring for our family because my grandfather passed away three weeks ago. I don't want to write alot about it here, but that's what's been going on. He was a wonderful grandpa, and I miss him very much.
It's felt weird to write anything on here with so much sadness the last few weeks. I'm just going to ease back in with a Wednesday Five today.
A Quote
"This is strength - this is peace - to feel, in entering on every day, that all it's duties and trials have been committed to the Lord Jesus - that, come what may, He will use us for His glory and our own real good!"
-John Paton
A Book
I've been slowly working my way through several larger books, so I haven't read as many books this month. I did, however, order a new one called 32 Christians Who Changed Their World by Glenn S. Sunshine. This one looked interesting to me because it's supposed to be short biographies about more ordinary Christians in history that made an impact.
I've also started reading the Sacketts Series by Louis L'amour. It's a nice time to be starting this series, because my grandpa read many Louis L'amour books over the years and it reminds me of him.
A Bit Of Nature
We honestly have not been out in nature much this spring so far, but the sunrise this morning was so interesting...there is moisture in the air, and instead of a blazing sky, it was as if all the air outside had turned a luminous pink.
A Recommendation
If you are reading this before Thursday, I want to recommend that you sign up for this three-day, online webinar from Generations curriculum - they are giving away a free PDF resource to all the live Zoom attenders each day! Yesterday I got this book for free, which is a resource I was thinking about buying for my second grader next year. I'm looking forward to seeing what the freebies are today! (Also note, the Generations website has a deal to get a free read aloud - usually $15-20 - with every order of any amount! I might have taken advantage of that deal yesterday too.)
For a really random recommendation, also check out this mascara, which has long been my favorite and was an asset this month - it really stretches out my lashes and makes them look so long! I prefer the waterproof kind - I can confirm it doesn't run at all.
A Moment Of Happiness
My moments of happiness this month are all related to losing my grandpa - from getting time to reminisce about him with my family while looking through old photos, to Derek giving grandpa a touching tribute at his memorial, to all my friends who have sent such comforting texts and notes or just checked up on me when they knew I was grieving. I've felt very cared for all around this month.
A Quote
"It is very difficult to be resigned, left alone, and in sorrowful circumstance; but feeling immovably assured that my God and Father was too wise and loving to err in anything He does or permits, I looked up to the Lord for help and struggled on in His work. I do not pretend to see through the mystery of such visitations - wherein God calls away the young, the promising, and those sorely needed for His service here; but this I do know and feel, that, in the light of such dispensations, it becomes us all to love and serve our blessed Lord Jesus so that we may be ready at His call for death and Eternity."
-John G. Paton, written after his young wife's death on the mission field
You get a bonus book recommendation with this first quote, because I have to point you to John Paton's autobiography - he was a missionary to cannibals in the South Pacific, and his book is so interesting and edifying!
A Book
Another book I'm reading in my morning time is The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. In our modern world, some women would surely be offended by some of the things she writes, but as far as biblical advice for being a better wife, I don't think I've read a better book. I've been convicted in some way by every chapter so far.
A Bit Of Nature
I'm including this scene from our weekend snowmobiling with my parents recently. Snowmobiling is such a nice way to get outside in the winter! We zoomed around in this winter wonderland in 9 degrees Fahrenheit, but when you're having fun it doesn't feel so cold.
A Recommendation
The kids got some oven-bake clay for Christmas, and they've been having fun making little creations...then I remembered seeing videos about making earrings out of polymer clay, and I got rather sucked in yesterday. I like the earrings on this channel, and this channel explains more. Somehow the process of making these earrings is really fascinating to watch! I kind of want to buy some of my own clay and try it out now.
I'll also include one other recommendation that I threw out there on Instagram the other day - G3 ministries is addressing The Chosen in some of their articles and podcast recently, and I think they make some really good points. Unpopular Opinion: I've been skeptical about The Chosen, because I don't like the premise of putting words in Jesus's mouth that He's not recorded as saying in Scripture for the sake of entertainment (or any other reason, but entertainment seems a particularly frivolous reason). But G3 has a whole other angle, and it's given me alot to think about.
A Moment Of Happiness
On a whim, after seeing a post on Instagram (dratted Instagram! I still have a tolerate-hate relationship with it), I purchased a disco ball. Yes, a disco ball. I saw a post with twirling spots of light sparkling in someone's living room, and I guess I was inspired. I almost immediately regretted ordering it - what was I thinking? It was only $15, but still.
It arrived, and I was determined that I would send it right back to Amazon. But I was still curious about what it would look like in the sun. So before I determined to send it back, I pulled it out of the box, and held it up in front of the sunshine string in from the window.
Immediately the room was filled with flashes of light, dancing on the floors and walls, and I knew right then we'd be keeping it. The kids were fascinated as soon as they saw it, and whenever it stilled they climbed on the chair to give it another twirl. One of my kids was sprawled out on the floor, finishing his language arts work, but every now and then he'd just pause, and look at the ceiling with a peaceful smile on his face.
Was it a frivolous $15? Yes. We can live without a disco ball, of all things. But has it added some sparkle and life to these long winter days? It has, and I'm not sorry I bought it. Seeing the bits of happiness on my kids' faces these humdrum school days was worth it.
A Quote
"True wishes proceed from humility, a realization that the fulfillment of human desires depends on God's Will and Divine Providence and not entirely on willpower or hard work."
-The Mysteries Of Life In Children's Literature, Mitchell Kalpakgian
A Book
I just listened to In The House Of Tom Bombadil by C. R. Wiley on Canon+, and I have to say, it shifted my whole view of Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry. I never thought too deeply into his character in The Fellowship Of The Ring before, but I have to say, now I have a desire to re-read the book and figure out everything I missed the first couple times. Tom Bombadil can potentially represent so many things, it's pretty fascinating. Highly recommend if you're a Lord Of The Rings fan.
A Bit of Nature
A Recommendation
Since we're in the middle of fall and all things pumpkin, I'm recommending International Delight Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer. It has to be International Delight. I read on a blog once that it is the best pumpkin-flavored creamer, and I truly think they got that right.
A Moment Of Happiness
Last weekend we went to a corn maze and pumpkin patch as a family. We had a fun time, and we topped off our outing by letting the kids pick out their own mini pumpkins to decorate their room. My four year old asked if her baby pumpkin would rot, and I said that it might, but it would probably last until after Thanksgiving.
About an hour later, she asked me repeatedly when Thanksgiving was, and I answered her and didn't think much of it.
Fast forward a few hours, and right before bedtime she comes into my room sobbing. She lays her head down on my lap, wailing, and declares, "Mama, I don't want my baby pumpkin anymore, because I don't want to see it get all ROTTED!! You can have it. It will rot and you'll be able to see all it's CUTS!! I'm just so SAD that my baby pumpkin is going to ROT!!!" (Exclamation points signify extra wails thrown in there).
I reassured her multiple times that it would take a long time for it to rot, but she wouldn't have any of it. I tried not to laugh so many times, and we finally agreed that Baby Pumpkin would sleep in my room each night, and I'd check it each morning for any sign of rot before she looked at it. I still want to laugh when I think about it, because she was truly distressed about her pumpkin rotting, and it was so pathetically cute.
A Quote
"In Christian circles there is constant talk about free salvation. It is free, thank God. But it is only free to us. God paid a great price for it. Jesus paid with His blood. It is free to us because someone else paid a great deal.
And this is why we do not work out our salvation by never doing anything that might be hard or difficult to us. We imitate Christ, and we make sacrifices for others. We do things that are hard, that cost us much, because we want our gifts to be free to others.
So imitate Christ in your giving. Do it daily, do it in as many little ways as you possibly can. Find a way to imitate Him in the folding of the laundry, in the stocking of the fridge, in the picking up of other peoples' socks. And then decide consciously that you're giving this meal, this clean room, this cheerful Christmas - that you are giving it all freely.
And much later, maybe thirty years later, you would like to see your children turn a profuit on it. You would like to see your kids taking what they were freely given and turning it into still more free giving. This is because God's story is never little. He works in generations, in lifetimes, and He wants us to do the same."
-Rachel Jankovic, Fit To Burst
I loved this quote when I read it in the context of giving freely to my children and being generous to them in various ways as we start school this fall. It was such an encouragement to me!
A Book
I've been reading a bunch of books at once, as per usual, but I just started Skeletons On The Zahara by Dean King, which is about this harrowing survival story of two men in the 1800's who were kidnapped, made slaves, and forced to travel across the desert. I also read Land Of Hope by Wilfred M McClay this morning, because I bought it a while back because I wanted to re-study American history, and then forgot about it until now.
A Bit Of Nature
The last of the summer columbines.
A Recommendation
I recently dug a Lemoncello La Croix out of the back of my pantry, and now I have declared that no one else in my household can drink them. The four remaining cans are MINE. It's a lemon-y vanilla flavor, and for some reason it really hit the spot.
A Moment Of Happiness
I took my four year old grocery shopping this past week, and she wanted to ride in the basket of the cart. I know they say not to do that, but whatever, this is America, we do what we want! She tried to stand up as I was walking toward the shelf to grab something, and I advised her to sit back down. As I turned to look at her plopping back down into the cart, she looked at me with her wide brown eyes, and asked "How did you KNOW I was standing up?" I declared that I had eyes in the back of my head, and her eyes got even wider, and she said "You do?" I, feeling a little mischievous, nodded my head and said "All mamas do."
I foolishly assumed she knew I was joking, but she was overheard by my husband later informing her siblings that Mom has eyes in the back of her head, and then trying to exercise her own back-of-head-sight skills. He texted me the story as I was leaving the gym, and I laughed to myself all the way home!
Disclaimer: After that I did clearly explain to her that I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but I am not quite sure she believes me.
A Quote
'Which blow breaks the stone?' he asked. Then, pointing with his whip, he said 'Thee must never say, thee must never even let thyself think, "I won that soul for Christ." It is the first blow, and the last, and every one in between.'
-The "Dear Old Man", to Amy Carmichael; A Chance To Die
A Book
At the risk of being redundant, I'm going to mention the same book from which I took today's quote, A Chance To Die by Elisabeth Elliot, a biography of Amy Carmichael. This has been a fascinating book to read because I didn't know that many details of Carmichael's life. I also didn't realize how great of a writer Elisabeth Elliot was - this is the first book of hers I've read. It has given me so much to think about, and I imagine it will be mentioned in many upcoming posts, so I won't go into it too much here. But if you want to sharpen your own focus on Christ, this book holds so much inspiration.
A Bit Of Nature
It has snowed once every week or two in January, which is ideal in my book. There is always a bit of snow on the ground right now, and I enjoy that so much. Winter isn't nearly as beautiful without long-lasting snow. Every morning, as the sun comes up over the mountains in front of our house, it shines this bright golden lights, and it glints off the crystals of snow and frost that are clinging to the trees. It's like a little glimpse of Heaven to start the day.
A Recommendation
Today I'm going to recommend Kay Arthur's Precepts Bible studies. If you ever get a chance to do one of these studies, jump at it! One of my friends at church leads a Precepts study each year, and I decided to try to work it into my schedule for this spring. We are doing the study on Colossians and Philemon, and we have only done the first week of lessons so far - our meeting yesterday was cancelled due to a snowstorm, so I haven't even seen the videos that go along with the study. But just this one week of study has been so rich and meaningful so far. What I love about the study is how the entire thing is focused on getting you deep into the text of the book, guiding you through the observation process - there is no fluff here. Many women's Bible studies end up being surface level, but this one is a deep dive, and I'm loving it. It's the Bible study guide I've always wanted.
A Moment Of Happiness
I find that when I think back to "moments of happiness", my mind always goes to quiet moments at home, and we have unfortunately had few of those in the opening weeks of 2022. I don't have a specific moment that stands out to me this time, just snatches of family life that are flashing into my brain - hearing Gwen singing a hymn from her room upstairs; catching Georgie asleep on the floor next to my bed in the morning and picking her up to snuggle under the covers for minute; watching the Clarice play an elaborate "cops and robbers" game on her "bouncy car", dressed up in a police uniform and all; wondering wear the boys are, and then opening their bedroom door to see them deeply focused on building Legos; picking up bits of popcorn that fall between the couch cushions while Derek and I watch a movie while the fire crackers in the woodstove. We've been out of the house too much this month, and it's made me realize again how valuable our home moments are.
A Quote
"Feast, Christian, feast! You have a right to feast. Go to the house of feasting tomorrow! Celebrate your Savior's birth. Do not be ashamed to be glad - you have a right to be happy. Solomon says 'Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works. Let your garments be always white and let your head lack no ointment.' - ' Religion never was designed, To make our pleasure less.' Remember that your Master ate bread and honey. Go your way, rejoice tomorrow, but, in your feasting, think of the Man in Bethlehem - let Him have a place in your hearts, give Him the glory, think of the virgin who conceived Him - but think, most of all, of the Man born, the Child given! I finish by again saying - A Happy Christmas To You All!"
-Charles Spurgeon
Ever since reading this last year in this book, this quote comes to mind when I am anticipating Christmas festivities, especially the part about having every right to be happy. We have every right and reason to celebrate, don't we? We can approach the throne of God with full confidence, knowing He has credited to us the righteousness of Jesus - and it all started with Jesus's birth, God made flesh for us. There is happiness to be found there, in pondering the great truths of His works on our behalf - more happiness than in all the trappings of Christmas!
A Book
Oh, don't ask me about books right now - I'm stuck in the biggest reading rut I've had for years. I've started probably ten books in the last couple months, and nothing is sticking! The only books that are getting read consistently are the ones I read with my devotions, so I'll just mention Worship by John MacArthur. Our church has introduced a "staff recommends" library this year, and there are some good picks in there, so I've been trying to choose one of the recommended books to read after I read my Bible in the mornings. I love the way MacArthur presents worship as something that we do in every aspect of our life - it's not about singing only. One more quote!
"Rather we have been redeemed so that God may receive worship - so that our lives may glorify Him...The sole purpose of our being in heaven is that we might worship God rightly and forever. We, along with the redeemed of all ages, are saved to that glorious and unending end."
-John MacArthur, Worship
We also started our advent with the kids, and we've been reading through Jotham's Journey, which my aunt surprised us with in the mail! It could be a little scary for young or sensitive kids, but my kids have been really riveted to find out if Jotham will be reunited with his family. Each chapter, meant to be read each day of Advent, also ends with an advent devotional that ties in with the story. It's been a really fun addition to our advent time!
A Bit Of Nature
As I came to this prompt and looked through my phone for some nature pictures, I realized how little we have been out in nature this last month! It would be a good time to be outside, because it's been unseasonably warm out. But in a way, I think that's putting a damper on nature exploration for me right now. I want some snow! If I wanted 60 degree weather in December, I'd move to Florida with the rest of the country. We actually need some snow to prevent wildfires next year too, so I hope we get some moisture soon. One advantage to the warm weather is that our yearly Christmas light adventure was much less complicated, and that's the last time we were in nature, so some light-covered nature pictures will have to do.
A Recommendation
I really have to recommend Pam Barnhill's morning time plans. At first I thought they wouldn't be worth the money, but I tried one out, and oh my goodness, they are so rich. Her full morning time plans are especially meaty, and they tie concepts together in different ways by coming at a theme with math, art, music, books, etc. I request the books from the library, and the rest of the activities are usually links to free activities or videos online that go with whatever we are learning about. All the work is done, I just open up the document and follow the plans, and it's added so much enjoyment to our homeschool this fall! I actually joined her membership, because I loved the one set of plans we tried so much, and I'm so looking forward to working through many of the plans in years to come. If you want to try out a mini version of her plans, the Christmas Around The World morning time explorations are free right now. I would say they are good for elementary and up (it might be trickier to use with preschool and kindergarten).
A Moment Of Happiness
My happy moment goes back again to when we went to a local "trail of lights" this last weekend for my dad's 60th birthday. As I mentioned, this year has been weirdly warm outside, so we didn't even need to bundle up in snow clothes like we usually do. We walked through all the lights, and the cousins ran and played, and Georgie kept making her cute four-year-old quips, and I was just so thankful to be able to do something like that with family. Then we all went for pie at a restaurant after the lights, and gave my dad presents, and laughed when the restaurant hostess brought out a pan for the "birthday spanking" (we didn't actually subject my dad to that, but it was funny). It was a lighthearted and cheering evening, a perfect night of just being together.
A Quote
"As we read the lives of men and women who have been strategically used by Christ in building His kingdom, we note that the names of those through whom they were brought to faith in Jesus Christ are often forgotten or lost. But their significance is incalculable. God delights to use the hidden and the forgotten. This is, surely, a tremendous encouragement to people like us who live our Christian lives in relative obscurity. We do not expect to find our names in any church history book. And yet, it may be that someone to whom we are kind because we love Jesus will be taken up and extraordinarily used by God to build the church of Jesus Christ. Faithfulness is far more significant than fame when Jesus is building His church."
-Sinclair Ferguson, In The Year Of Our Lord
A Book
I’ve been reading a homeschool book this week called Education: Does God Have An Opinion? By Israel Wayne. I know the title sounds really aggressive, but I’m finding that the book isn’t as harsh as the title sounds. I just started Part Two of the book, and I have a feeling this is where the homeschool gold will be - the author is breaking down each school subject and discussing how it can be taught from a Christian worldview, and how we can point our students back to Christ through every area of study. It’s already given me so much to think about!
A Bit Of Nature
We went on a a nature hike with our good friends last week, and there were so many pretty leaves everywhere!
A Recommendation
I’m going to highly recommend the pumpkin donuts at Dunkin Donuts this week. I snagged one yesterday (there were only two left), and I must say, they do pumpkin donuts right. They're not sickly sweet, but has just the right amount of pumpkin.
A Moment Of Happiness
Yesterday I took my big kids to soccer practice. If you read my post yesterday, you know it was a cold day. I sat huddled in my chair, watching the kids chase the ball around the field, while I drank my coffee and worked on this post. The leaves are finally starting to change in town, splashes of yellow and red against the dark grey of the skies, with the mountains in the background. Even though the air was so brisk and my fingers were almost immediately cold, I have to say, I really enjoyed it all - the shouts of kids in the background, the water trickling in the drains, the smell of wet grass and leaves, and red noses when my kids finished up their practice. What can I say, I’m a cold weather person.
A Quote
"Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, and therefore to lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning, and seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself to prayer in secret to seek it of Him."
-Harvard 1646 Rules and Precepts
One of the speakers at our homeschool conference this year shared this quote, and I loved it so much that I wrote it down and I've been reminding myself of it as the school year approaches. I hope and pray this for my kids in our homeschool journey, that they would recognize and know that the main end of their lives and studies is to know Christ! Can you believe this quote was a statement from Harvard? How far they have strayed from their original purpose.
A Bit Of Nature
Look at my little herb garden in our tiny greenhouse on our front porch. The herbs are thriving out there, much more than I thought they would! As of this writing, my lavender and my basil are flowering. I've never seen flowering basil before.
A Recommendation And A Book
I'm combining these two categories today, because I thought I'd walk you through my morning routine, which is where most of my recommendations are coming from today.
After I get the kids’ oatmeal made, I light a couple candles and then head out to the porch for my morning quiet time. During the school year I would try to squeeze my quiet time in before breakfast, but it's still summer around here. Weirdly, my Afternoon Alfresco Yankee Candle and this candle smell really amazing when burned together.
First I try to catch up on my "To The Word" reading plan. This is a reading plan put out by Canon Press to read over the course of the school year, and I've done it a couple times now, but I’m just now finishing last year’s plan. It's about 5-7 chapters a day, but I've come to realize it's more doable than I think, and it's cool to go through the whole Bible in less than a year and see the whole context of Scripture! The next reading plan will be starting soon, and I believe it will be here.
However, I'm not totally sure if I'll participate in the next challenge, or if I'll take a little time this school year to dive further into one book of the Bible. I'd like to finish studying Hebrews, and then maybe pick a new book. This little guide for studying any single book of the Bible looks great, and I am thinking I will take the questions from it and write them into my own study notebook.
Next, I started Face To Face: Praying The Scriptures For Intimate Worship by Kenneth Boa. This is prayer guide book that gives you Scriptures you can pray each day in several categories: adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, thanksgiving, and a closing prayer. Prayer is something I have struggled with for years - I get so distracted! Having this little guide to help me focus on meaningful prayer was really a refreshment today, and I'm looking forward to incorporating it into my morning devotion time.
Finally, after I've gone through all my Bible and prayer routines, I read a Christian encouragement book or two if I have time. I find that it's a nice way to lead into my day, especially if it's Bible-focused and practical. Right now I'm reading Pitchin' A Fit: Overcoming Angry And Stressed Out Parenting by Israel and Brook Wayne, and Teaching From Rest by Sarah MacKenzie (both are very good).
A Moment Of Happiness
I've had so many moments of happiness in the last couple days, it's hard to pick just one. We went on a visit to my grandparents’ mountain cabin last weekend, and had a grand time playing cards, fishing, and visiting. We went swimming with my mom and sister last night, and enjoyed a great waterslide that made me laugh when Derek and I went down it together! Yesterday my little girls made me chuckle with their game of "Queen and Servant" (exactly what it sounds like), which entertained them for hours. And this morning, as I was sitting in the cool air for my quiet time, watching the kids explore the yard and jump on the trampoline together, I just felt really blessed. A lot of crazy things are happening in the world, but this is a season where I'm pulling in and focusing on those closest to me, and I'm finding there is so much to be grateful for in the midst of the chaos.
A Quote
“As for the notion of some lost golden age, it is truly very hard for any competent historian to be nostalgic. What past times were better than the present? An era before antibiotics when childbirth or even minor cuts might lead to septicemia and death? The great days of the 19th century when the church was culturally powerful and marriage was between one man and one woman for life, but little children worked in factories and swept chimneys? Perhaps the Great Depression? The Second World War? The era of Vietnam? Every age has had its darkness and its dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them.”
-Carl Trueman, The Rise And Triumph Of The Modern Self
A Book
The book I'm working on right this moment is called Call Me American by Abdi Nor Iftin. It's an immigrant story, about a man that came from Somalia. I'm only a little bit into it, but I just feel like it's going to be good. I love reading immigrant stories from people who have escaped difficult circumstances in their homeland - so many of them have an appreciation for the blessings of freedom in America that a lot of Americans-by-birth take for granted. I think this is going to be one of those uplifting immigrant stories, and I'm here for it.
A Bit Of Sparklers
Excuse me for sharing sparkler pictures instead of nature this week - we had way too much fun last weekend with our ridiculous stash of sparklers! We had probably 20-30 boxes of sparklers that we had somehow gathered over the years, and we used most of them in one night when my family came to visit on the 4th.
A Recommendation
This section is going to be a little long!
I've got an interesting recommendation today, and it's from a podcast I listen to occasionally called "Sheologians". In the latest episode they were discussing gossip, and as I feel there is a definite dearth of Christian resources on gossip, I clicked on it. The actual discussion starts around 20 minutes, but basically what they are doing is taking the Westminter Larger Catechism question surrounding the 9th commandment to help explain what qualifies as gossip or "bearing false witness" against someone. It's a lot more than you might think! I was so convicted by so many of their points. If you want to get the gist, you can read the relevant Larger Catechism passage here (Questions 144 and 145). How many of us think about gossip like this? How many of us recognize the sin of lying in the way we are thinking about others? My mind was kind of blown to be honest.
On a related note, their episode from a while back on forgiveness also gave me a ton to think about. They discuss that "therapeutic forgiveness"(the idea that forgiveness is for myself, not the other person), is actually not the biblical model of forgiveness. They argue that forgiveness in scripture is a transactional thing - a person is repentant toward the person they wronged, and the other person then gives them forgiveness, and it's followed by reconciliation. I take a little bit of issue with the way they expressed certain things, but they explained their points more fully later in the episode, so listen to the whole thing. I love the distinction that forgiveness isn't just some internal feeling, it's an external process that happens between two people that ultimately results in reconciliation in some way. I think we've lost that idea by making forgiveness only something that happens within someone's heart.
Like I said, I'm still mulling it over, but if you want some spiritual meat to chew on, give these episodes a try.
A Moment Of Happiness
A met up with a friend last night that I haven't seen in over a year - for no other reason than that we are both very busy moms of big families, and we were just slacking. What I love about this friend is how there is no awkwardness over the fact that we haven't seen each other in so long - I just send a text saying, "hey, let's get dinner together", she says "I'd love that!", and we make it happen. It's rare to find those friends that you can connect with easily even when it's been a long time between visits, and it was so refreshing to catch up with her over ridiculously large bowls of pasta.
How is everyone's week going? Are you getting back into swing of things after the long weekend?
A Quote
“He must have forgotten that in the mind of a boy, a warning isn’t much different from an invitation.”
-Andrew Peterson, On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness
(My boys, throwing snow in the air this last weekend.)
A Book
Since I just quoted it, let’s talk about the first book in the Wingfeather Saga! I read this book over the weekend, while it was snowing, and I loved it. We are introduced to the Igiby family, and their lives under the oppression of the Fangs of Dang, which are reptilian creatures that took over the land of Aerweair many years ago. Janner is the oldest, tasked with watching over his two younger siblings as they cause all kinds of trouble...until suddenly their quiet life falls apart and they realize there is much more to their family’s history than they thought. What makes this book is the completely quirky history of Aerweair, and the funny footnotes throughout. I am very anxious to read the next book in the series!
A Bit Of Nature
A snowy sunrise, the morning after we got two feet of snow (it doesn't look it because the snow didn't stick to the trees, but there was a lot of snow). One of these days I’ll put some effort into geting a different view for my “bit of nature”, but for now you get these shots from my porch. It’s cold out there!
A Recommendation
Since I only get to these posts every couple weeks, I hope you don’t mind if I include more than one recommendation.
First, I must reiterate my longstanding recommendation to update your pajamas every six months or so. Let’s be honest, after about six months to a year, most pajama sets start to look...grungy? Ill-fitting? Stretched out? They just don't look fresh anymore, and there is nothing like a fresh pair of pajamas! It makes me feel like I look cute in the evenings for Derek. He probably doesn’t care, but I think he deserves to not always see me in ratty pajamas (or maybe I deserve to not let him always see me in ratty pajamas).
(My newest pjs/lounge set, these were only $15 at Sam's.)
Next, I want to recommend this documentary on the life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones (free on Prime right now). I didn't know much about Martyn Lloyd-Jones before, and I was so inspired by his zeal and commitment to preaching the Word. We could use more of that today.
And finally, go watch this video from Matt Walsh, in response to a “Dear Abby” letter from a man who is disappointed that his wife wants to be a stay-at-home mom and thinks less of her for it (which, sorry-not-sorry, is so ridiculous to me). I loved Walsh’s point about the difference between phoning it in as a parent and parenting ambitiously. I agree that parenting is a highly worthy area in which to pour ambition.
A Moment Of Happiness
(Gwen, building a snowman.)
I realized on Wednesday that I had not given my children proper instruction on how to build a really good snowman. I struggled into my too-small snow clothes and went outside to demonstrate for Wyatt. Before I knew it, all the kids were outside requesting repeat demonstrations, and 30 minutes later a snowman representation of our family sat in the backyard.
Time well spent.
A Quote
"Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!"
2 Chronicles 14:11
When I was trying to come up with a quote today, this quote from one of the kings of Judah, Asa, came to mind. King Asa started off so well - he prayed this prayer and the Lord gave him success in the battle, and then encouraged him later that the Lord would be with him if Asa kept relying on the Lord. And Asa did, for quite a while, removing idols and making a covenant to seek the Lord with all his heart.
But later, he forgot Who the help of Israel was, and he turned to the king of Syria as an ally instead of the Lord. Asa didn't seek the Lord but only physicians when his health went south. I don't think it was the act of making an alliance or using physicians that was sinful, but it's the fact the his heart was not loyal to the Lord at all, and that's why he went seeking help elsewhere (2 Chron. 16:9).
That was a sobering thing for me to read about this morning, on a personal note. I think it's worth considering in our own lives, whether we have loyal hearts to the Lord and seek Him first before turning to outside help or the wisdom of men.
I also thought it was interesting how growing older doesn't always mean growing wiser - in this instance, I'd rather be like the young Asa.
A Book
I'm going to mention a few books this week that have been enjoyable for my kids lately. First, Little Sure Shot is an easy-to-read book about Annie Oakley which I read when I was a kid. I gave Gwen a copy a couple weeks ago - she tore through it and subsequently announced that Annie Oakley is her favorite girl in history now. We've been on an Annie Oakley kick ever since!
We also have renewed our commitment to How To Teach your Children Shakespeare in morning time this week, and I was shocked to discover that even though we haven't picked this book up in two months, my kids could still recite the portion of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" that we had previously memorized. We worked through more of the story of the play today, and it inspired some drawings of Tatania the fairy queen.
Also, anybody else stocking up on Dr. Seuss books this week? Guys. This you-know-what culture is complete madness. BUY PHYSICAL COPIES OF BOOKS. People were right to be suspicious of e-readers when they first came out.
A Bit Of Nature
A Recommendation
I wanted to point you all to this Easter unit study, which is on sale this week. I try to incorporate some activities and books throughout the year that will be fun for my preschoolers, and the Gentle + Classical preschool unit studies have been sweet. We used their Christmas study which inspired the Night Tree project, and I am excited to try the projects in this resource for the month leading up to Easter. I'm not a very crafty mom, so I need inspiration if any craft projects are going to happen around here.
A Moment Of Happiness
We had Wyatt's birthday party last week, which as I mentioned was a nerf war party. The way we structured it was similar to capture the flag, only in the house, with nerf guns. As you can imagine, it was chaotic, but overall very fun!
My moment of happiness came when I noticed Georgie (3 years old), walking around with her little single-dart shooter, pointing it at her Uncle Ben. She pulled the tiny trigger, and announced in the sweetest voice - "I got you, Uncle Ben! Come on, let's go to da jail." It cracked me up how even Georgie got into the game in her adorable little way.
A Quote
"Anyone inclined to believe that some dark force beyond human comprehension intervened again and again to make the Great War long and ruinous would have no difficulty in finding evidence to support such a thesis."
-G. J. Meyer, A World Undone
This quote really stood out to me as I was reading my current World War 1 book this week, because I have thought this very thing. When you start learning more about World War 1, it's amazing just how many seemingly little things went wrong, and how all those little things conspired together to make this huge disaster that is WW1. It makes you think.
A Book
A lot of book bloggers/booktubers will share a monthly "TBR" (to be read) list for the upcoming month, but I decided a while ago that I will not be one of those people. Not only do I need to feel free to change up my TBR if one of the books isn't working for me, but I watched an interesting video a while back that suggested people who share their goals with others have a false sense of accomplishment and tend to not follow through as well. I don't know if that's true, but either way, you probably won't see many TBR posts here. However, I will give you a little sneak peek at one of the books that is in my stack for February - I've barely started it, but I plan on focusing on it for the next week.
I don't love the title (it seems a little...sacriligious?) but I am very interested in reading more about frugality and such this year. Mainly because I'm trying to become more frugal myself and save more money in 2021. If you have any further frugality book suggestions for me, I'm all ears!
A Bit Of Nature
I'm going with a classic sunrise photo this morning. Usually during the weekdays I wake up sometime between 6 and 7, but I may or may not make it in time for the sunrise. However, the last few weeks we have had beautiful sunrises that shine red light on the walls in my bedroom, as if it were a signal to make sure I don't miss it.
A Recommendation
I'm going to use this section to give a little shoutout to a new blog friend, Veronica from Nurturing Connections Homeschool. She and I connected on alternative social media in the beginning of January when we discovered we both gave up Instagram. She is getting back to sharing on a blog instead, and I've been enjoying the rich posts she shares. I especially resonated with this one called "Dear Facebook, It's Time To Let You Go". Head over to her blog and say hi! People who are trying to revive a blogging habit need comment encouragement!
A Moment Of Happiness
I've had a lot of happy moments lately as I've been hanging out with the kids and noticing the little quirky things they do. They are still so little. I find that as my kids keep growing bigger, and I start to expect them to do more things for themselves, I still need to keep perspective of just how young and cute they are right now. In a year, I'll look back on the photos of today, and my heart will ache at how much they've grown. So I'm trying to enjoy their smallness, their sweet childhood joys, before they slip away.
In particular, Wyatt is turning 10 years old this week, and I can hardly believe I'll have child in the double digits. A few years ago he was asking me if he could have a pet, like a fish, and in a reckless moment I said to check back with me when he was 10. Well, the year has arrived, and he did not forget, so today we are leaving for Awana early so we can make a stop at the pet store for a beta fish. He came down this morning already dressed in his Awana clothes, bouncing around. "Mom, today's the day! Today I get my fish!" His happiness is filling the house this morning, and it's contagious.
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