Grace

A great story from  the book by Richard Paul Evans - p. 159. 

One Sunday a minister in a small, pious community decided to play hooky from church and go golfing instead. He was afraid of being caught, so he changed out of his Sunday clothes, put on sunglasses and a hat, and quietly slipped out the back door of the church. 

As he drove to the golf course, the voice of God spoke to him. God warned the minister that if he played golf on the Sabbath he'd be cursed. But the minister had made up his mind and went anyway. 

The minister got to his first hole and hit the ball. It sailed all the way to the green and bounced in for a hole-in-one.

"Incredible!" shouted the minister. 

He went to the next hole and hit another hole-in-one. 

"Fantastic!" cried the minister. 

The exact same thing happened on all eighteen holes. "A perfect game!" the minister shouted. As he carried his clubs back to his car he looked to heaven and said, "God, I thought you said you were going to curse me. Instead I shot the best game in history!" 

"Yes," replied God. "But who are you going to tell?" 

Grace

By Richard Paul Evans

This was the absolute best conversation in the book. Loved it. 

"We need school to learn socializing skills. 

What socializing skills has school taught you?

She had a point. The only social lesson I had learned at Granite (school) was that big dogs eat small dogs; a particularly disturbing lesson when you're a small dog."

p. 151

Grace

Grace by Richard Paul Evans

"They say that following the path of least resistance makes rivers, and men, crooked. I suppose that's why there's so many crooked rivers and men." p. 190

This really was an enjoyable book. I finished it is just about 2 or 3 days. Stayed up late one night as I got so caught up in the book. 

This story is actually about child abuse and how everyone looked away. No one would intervene to save Grace. Grace is the child that is abused but also it relates to the grace that we get as a free gift from God. And it is about forgiveness. 

"The truest grace is not to forgive, but to have never found fault." p. 302

art class - update

I wanted to post pictures of the final product that was produced in art class. We did find a way to mount it - my husband got some spray adhesive and mounted it on foam core board. Then we were able to hang that up on the wall. It looks really good. I have taken some pictures and hopefully they will show the 3-D depth to this project.

These two side views will hopefully show the 3-D depth of this project. They took poster board and cut it into strips. These were then mounted on to the back of the project so that it would be raised up. 

The concept of this project was that each person started out with a piece of tag board. (On my son's project he used light blue.) They were studying lines in this art class. So the art teacher talked them through drawing certain lines. They had to use lines to divide their paper in half both vertically and horizontally. Then they drew a set or two of parallel lines. They did some diagonal lines. Lastly they added some triangles inside of their parallel lines. The inside of the parallel lines was shaded with both black and white. 

Then, they took their wonderful creation and cut out some of the shapes by cutting on the lines. This was the hardest -- you should have seen the kids faces - you want me to cut my work apart. What??? Those pieces were then laid out in a collage fashion on another piece of tag board. On my son's piece he used red tag board. This was then cut out following the odd shape the design made. You can see the red border going around on my son's piece. 

This cut out shape was then mounted one more time on a final piece of tag board so that it was lifted up from the background creating a 3-D affect. He used red strips to lift the piece up - these were mounted on the back of the piece. And you can view the red from the sides. He used a slightly darker blue as his final background color. 

It is hard to describe in words but hopefully the pictures will help to make it clear. 

Good Movie

Generation Gap

This was kind of a neat old fashion movie with decent values on the Hallmark channel. 

This was one of the ending quotes from the movie. 

"Death leaves a heartache, 

no one can heal.

Love leaves a memory, 

no one can steal."

I do like the quote but think it missed the boat. Jesus can heal all wounds even death. For those that know Jesus, we can take comfort in the fact that we will see our loved ones again. They aren't gone for ever and death hasn't robbed us of them. We are but separated for a time until we are reunited again in heaven. And what a celebration that will be. Old friends, loved ones and most importantly - Jesus himself. For Jesus triumphed over death and He is the one that can heal. 

Still a good movie. Just had to add to that quote. Maybe it should say

Death leaves a heartache

that no one but Jesus can heal. 

Amen. 

Charlotte's Web

We went to see Charlotte's Web today. It was very well done but had an interesting twist to the play. The leading actress who played Charlotte was an Ojibwa Indian. She had a fabulous voice and was a very good actress. In the play they incorporated some Native American aspects and while it was very good, it is just not something that is in Charlotte's Web. They took a bit of creative license in adding this aspect to the play. It was well done, though. I did find myself questioning whether or not it was 'political correctness' at work - the remaking of a classic to fit the 'political correctness' of the day and making sure that certain nationalities feel part of the culture and are included. 

Still it was a good play. Great acting and the kids really enjoyed it. 

What I am reading

I have found another really good book and am enjoying it immensely. 

Title: God's Outrageous Claims 

Author: Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel used to be an atheist and having a Grandmother that was an atheist I can relate to where he was at when he was younger. The sad reality is that I will not see my Grandmother again as she never came to know Christ as her Lord and Savior. It saddens me greatly to know that and to think that there may be others in my family that are following in her foot steps. I pray that they are not and that they come to know Christ. 

Lee Strobel is fabulous. I just love his books. 

Quotes from the book:

"And I've found that when I think I can maneuver my way through ethical issues by the dim light of my own instincts, I inevitably take a fall. But when I let the wisdom, principles, and commands of Scripture shine into the situation, my options are much better illuminated." p. 67

"The trouble with the rat race.... is that even if you win, you're still a rat. But that doesn't have to be the case. God's outrageous claim is that you can survive the rat race without becoming a rat." p. 54

concerned

Our dearest JJ has his yearly doctor check up. He is now 5 and had to have a DPaT booster. He has had 4 of these already in his life. This is the first time though that he has had a reaction. It is still in the category of what the doctors call a 'mild' reaction. But it is worrisome. We are having him sleep in our bed tonight to make sure nothing happens overnight. He has a huge red welt and swelling at the injection site. It is about the size of a baseball and hot to the touch. He is not running a fever though. I gave him so motrin for the pain and swelling. Please pray for healing and that the reaction will not get worse.  

Great song

Quotes - Finding Noel

Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans

I really enjoyed this book. There were some awesome quotes in the book and I thought I would share a few of them. 

"Man's extremities are God's opportunities." p.7

"Be kind to everyone - you don't know what cross they're bearing and how sweet that kind word might ring." p.7

"Nothing heals the soul like chocolate. I just love chocolate. It's God's apology for broccoli." p.16

"And then one day I had this epiphany. I realized that being a parent was like being the Wizard of Oz. .... You know the part when Dorothy and her friends go to see the Wizard? This big, ominous head talks to them and they're all terrified. Then her dog.... 

"Toto", I said. 

Right. Toto pulls back the curtain and there's a little man behind it pulling levers and throwing switches. And he says into his microphone, 'Ignore the man behind the curtain.' I think that being a parent is like being the man behind the curtain. We pretend that we know what we're doing -- that we're omnipotent and all-knowing --- when the truth is we're just back behind the curtain throwing levers and switches, doing the best we can." p. 208-209

"I once read that love is like a rose: we fixate on the blossom, but it's the thorny stem that keeps it alive and aloft. I think marriage is like that. Like my father said, the things of greatest value are the things we fight for. And in the end, if we do it right, we value the stem far more than the blossom." p. 302

Casserole version of a Pot Pie

This is a casserole version of a pot pie. It was very good. 

2 cans Progresso Rich & Hearty creamy chicken wild rice soup

2 cups cooked chicken

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup red bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

sliced cheddar cheese

8 Pillsbury Grands Frozen Butter tasting Biscuits

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray inside of casserole dish with cooking spray. 

2. Heat soup, chicken, corn, peas, bell pepper and thyme to boiling, stirring frequently. 

3. Pour into casserole dish. 

4. Top with cheese slices

5. Place biscuits over cheese and spray biscuits with cooking spray

6. Bake 40 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and soup bubbles around edges

7. Cool 5 minutes before serving. 

Red Lentil soup

This was really wonderful. It is always great to have warm soup when there is just a tad of a chill in the air. Jt made home-aide bread to go with - he is great at making bread and I am not. He made a honey wheat. It was very good. 

Here is the recipe:

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, chopped (I used more)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. dried basil

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups of red lentils

4 cups of vegetable broth

4 cups of water

1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced

2 tbsp. vinegar

2 cups of ham - cut up. 

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook and stir until onion is tender. 

Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano and basil; cook for 2 minutes. 

Stir in lentils and add water, broth, tomatoes and ham. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper if desire. 

Very busy day

I had a very busy day and the next couple should be just as busy. The Faith Ink 7th Grade Retreat is coming up on Saturday and I am responsible for making sure all things come together. We had a Pastor cancel today --- we play a game called Stump the Pastor. Well, from 1 to 3 in the afternoon we are now pastor-less. This is not a good thing. Pray that we find a fill in. 

I got up - made dinner (yes first thing in the morning). I made a lentil soup. Turned out really good. Jt then made home-aide bread to go with. He always does a great job with the bread making. I will try to post the recipe for the soup tomorrow. It was very good. 

I did school with the two younger ones. JJ is now learning to read. He is doing well so far. Some days he seems into it and other days he just wants to get it over so he can go play. 

Then I headed into work for a few hours. Came back in time to put the soup on to reheat, run to the bank to get some $ for gas. Gas is down to $3.19 a gallon - that is the lowest we have seen in a very long time. I filled the tank. Needed the gas to get up to the hockey rink. 

Came home to eat dinner. We actually all came together for dinner and it was nice to have a home-aide, warm meal. After dinner, T ran to work and I ran the kids to hockey. The two oldest played. JJ and I did his math and phonics --- for awhile -- then he just wanted to play. I needed time to read Oliver Twist so I can discuss it intelligently with Jt. Jt is really enjoying the story --- impressive. We ended up at the rink all night. Didn't get home until 10:15 p.m. - kids had to shower and finally got them all in bed. T got home and they all had to get up to tell Dad about their day. Finally got them all back in bed. And I am exhausted. I am heading to bed also. Nite, nite. 

Fun morning

We went to a school time musical at a local college. It was called La Musgana and they played the traditional music of Spain. It was performed on original instruments such as bagpipes, wooden flutes, zanfona (hurdy-gurdy). They also played more contemporary instruments like the accordion, guitar, violin and clarinet. It was beautiful music but even more important the musicians were just so entertaining. They really were great with a kid audience and made it so enjoyable and fun. 

During one of the songs, two of the musicians came down from the stage and picked females from the audience to dance with. We sat in the very front row and guess who got picked to dance. Yep you guessed it - ME!!! My kids were just shocked. Their reaction was just priceless. As soon as I got back to my seat, my youngest looked at me and stated "he danced with you." Then he had to come cuddle on my lap as if to say 'this is my mom - hands off.' 

Then they asked for questions. Much to our surprise our youngest raised his hand but being only 5 it was hard to hear his question. So they invited him on stage and up he went. He wanted to share that he could play drums on his legs and proceeded to tap out a rhythm. My oldest was mortified because being 12 everything is embarrassing to him. He just hasn't realized that no one in the audience was laughing at our 5 year old - they all were thrilled and clapped for him. 12 year olds!!! It was just a fun morning. 

Go Brewers

The Brewers are still alive but need to win two more games to continue on. 

And our rival (the Cubs) - in the 7th inning are losing. They will be done if they lose this game.

GO BREWERS!!!!

Art class

This was a very neat class. The older kids (picture below) are being taught how do do a relief. In the picture above Jt is working on his project. They had their art work and turned it over so they could add strips of poster board on to the back. They used tabs to get the poster board to remain standing up. Then, this was adhered to a larger poster board. It really turned out wonderfully as the art work just appeared to pop. It created dimension to their 2-D pieces so they appeared 3-D. Now we are just challenged to find a way to frame it so it can be hung up on the wall at home. It is really a wonderful work of art. 

More pictures from Civil War school days

This first picture was actually my kids favorite station. This station -- the guys who set off the cannons - the big guns!!! JJ wanted to see them fire - but they only demonstrated how to fire - no firing on school days. They do set them off for the re-enactment over the weekend. 

This next picture shows the weapons and military uniforms by various divisions / units in the Civil War. One of the uniforms was from the navy. 

This is one typical type of punishment during the Civil War. Doesn't look like much fun. Don't laugh though or you will be in the box (see post below). 

Wade House - Civil War School Days

On Friday, September 26th, we went to the Wade House for their Civil War School Days. It was very well run. We rotated with our group through various stations. Only disappointment was we weren't able to see every station as they had so many. There just wasn't time. This is certainly something that we could come back to again next year as hopefully we would get scheduled to see the other stations. 

In these two pictures you can get an idea of punishment in the Civil War era. A soldier would be put in the pine box and left on the green in the sun. Our version of this now days is the sweatbox at the spa except I think our now days version is very expensive. A mom from our group got 'volunteered' to be the example. He said she laughed way too loud when her son got picked to demonstrate one of the punishments. So it was her turn. 

This station showed the kids about camp life and the food that they ate. 

This station showed the kids about the laundress. She is one of the camp followers but an essential part -- well at least from my perspective. Clean clothes are something I would find essential but not something that happened as frequently in the Civil War era as in our time.

My JJ really loved cleaning the clothes. I doubt this would be as much fun if we HAD to do it this way all the time. Wow what alot of work!!! So thankful for my washing machine. 

Virtual Co-op another update

The virtual co-op is going really well from many standpoints. We have had one issue. We are using WizIQ and apparently co-ops that used them last year had no issues. They have just exploded with growth and it seems that they are unable to keep up. Many co-ops have mentioned having sound issues and issues staying connected. 

We have also had sound issues and during one session the teacher got locked out of the session. She couldn't say anything, no one could hear her and she had no control to turn over speaking abilities to others. We like the whiteboard concept and we love having the area where the kids (and moms) can type to each other. That has been very helpful in having the kids get to know each other better. We also like the hands raising feature. With WizIQ the teacher can take away all permission to speak and the kids have to raise their hands to be called on. This does prevent everyone from talking over each other. It also prevents having one very smart child doing all the talking and answering everything. The teacher can make sure to call on others. We have a few kids that are shy and need a bit of encouragement to speak. While we don't want to put them on the spot by singling them out, we do try to encourage them and then if they raise their hands we try to be sure they get called on. That is a fabulous feature that we don't want to lose. 

So we have decided to use TeamSpeak for our sound and WizIQ for the visual (whiteboard, hand raising, and typing features). The moms have done a trial run but our first co-op is this coming Monday. I will post information on how it went. I am just relieved that I am not the guinea pig mom that has to do the first co-op with the new technology. We started looking at options the week before and then I was teaching. So glad it took some time to decided. 

And during my teaching time we only had one issue - my own son got kicked off. He (thankfully) is technology savvy that he was able to get back on. That was very good as I was the teacher and unable to help him at that moment. He did well fixing it on his own. 

That also has been a great aspect of the co-op -- both my son and I are learning all sorts of new technology and that has been most fun. Challenging at times but also very fun.