Going Solar

We do, after all, live in Arizona. So why not go solar, the old-fashioned way, and hang out our clothes to dry!

We're using some electrical cable that Danny said we could use until we have an opportunity to obtain a bonafide clothes line.  Imagine my satisfaction when son Daniel was in the throws of his funny but irritatingly incessant comedy routine: I simply held up a pair of his little underwear and said, "Look, these are going to be hung up on a clothes line. Now I can either do that in the front yard or the back yard!" My remarks were followed by Bethany's beautiful laugh and comment on how clever that was of me. And that, my friends is the rest of the story.

Simply put, this is my kind of diagram. It's interactive and informative, and of high interest within our household. Wycliffe Bible Translators has provided this link on their Facebook page to demonstrate the journey of translating a Bible into a given language.




This fits so well in our study of countries and cultures with My Father's World (which, I might add, we are thoroughly enjoying!).

Part of our cultural studies include biographies of missionaries published by YWAM publishers, written by Geoff and Janet Benge.  These stories have stirred up our interest and love for learning of their lives abroad, and the God-details that fit so well together as He leads us through the events of every day life.

We'll end up taking longer than prescribed to complete our study because we took some time off from Geography to complete our co-op responsibilities as well as my Homeschool Group co-director role duties. But, we've decided not to skip or chintz ourselves from the joy of learning about the world God made and the heart He has for the people He's created.

It could be said that we as a family  are experiencing our own "Road to Transformation." In summary, that's my kind of schooling!

Making Lemonade

After spotting the most loved and well-worn teddy bear in her bed during a walk about, a heart-weary momma says to the cutest boy on the planet {who is behind a closed door running the bath water}: "Seems to me a small teddy bear has reserved his spot in my bed for the evening!" Cute boy giggles and says, "Yes, please!" Heart-weary momma on a proverbial lemonade run after a lemony-sort of day says in a most official sounding voice, "Accepted!" Cute boy replies, "Thank you!!!"

With Danny's piloting and an overnight stay in Philadelphia, said mom with lemony-sort of day nearly behind her decides to allow youngest to overnight in his parent's quarters. That's always a special treat to Daniel. May I always have the strength to ask God for creative ways to show love to the very one who has tried my soul. How I love our two.

What I'd Be Missing Out On

Everyonce in awhile I stop myself in my own tracks and ask myself, "If I weren't homeschooling, what would I be missing out on right now?" Today, I had one of those times where the question answered itself before I realized I'd even asked it.

I love candles and had decided to light not one, not two, but three candles. My son, age 9, who loves candles also, (and loves to light them) asked if he could light a candle. "Yes," was my reply. That was it. That was the instant that I was reminded, "If I weren't homeschooling, I would've missed that moment with Daniel." Is it a big deal? Is lighting a candle a big deal? No, not really. But.....we wouldn't have had that minute together. It would have been a period of time, although brief, that we would've missed out on. I'm not willing to give those moments up. There's waaaay too much conversation, too much precious living and loving that I would miss out on, that WE would miss out on. Homeschooling is the "layered look" of the Christian life, family living, and academics, that when combined, embodies who we are. It creates the setting for memories that seem unimportant, but can become everything! I believe that each moment does indeed count for eternity. The repercussions of our calling and decision to homeschool is designed by God to have a lasting impact for many, many generations, and I take it seriously for that reason.

Today we'll be watching this video for homeschool co-op on grinding corn.


And this one:

And these will be our snacks as we celebrate Agriculture and Industry on Arizona's 100th Birthday.


Here's the link for the recipe: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/cacti-cakes-941605/

Sorry in Advance

I'm apologizing in advance for this: http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/10/40-crock-pot-slow-cooker-dessert-candy.html

Where you can try out some slow-cooker desserts like this!

Pictured is the Butterscotch Cake. Hello!!!

Under the Table and Dreaming is a website I enjoy perusing and looking about at their bursts of creativity. I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

Where Will You Spend the Night Next

Bethany and Daniel, I love listening to you play. Bethany, you drag out your animals of all sizes, and Daniel, you move your Lego men and your control station into Bethany's room, and then the dialogue (or monologue) begins. It's complete with accents, international travel, and high drama! I love listening to you play. The first night you spent the night in the Czech Republic. Of course, you also traveled to Serbia, and your children complained about having to eat smoked salmon again, not to mention the fact that none of you speak German! The part I also like is that you know how to make Daniel laugh, and every now and then you both laugh it out together. I wonder where you will spend the night next!!!