Stepping into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck

What an interesting book! The focus is about healing and trusting God after a traumatic incident. The main character is a chaplain's wife. She obviously does have a belief in God and does know God. She is at a gas station convenient store when it gets held up. Two people are shot to death in front of her and she is spared because the gun itself jams as the robber takes aim at her. A very traumatic event and she withdraws from the world. She finds it difficult to go out and has panic attacks every time she does go out. Normal, everyday activities become incredibly difficult. And she has a hard time trusting in God - where was He during this? And why didn't God prevent it from happening?

She sinks into a depression that she fears she will never crawl out of and finally decides she must force herself to do tasks -- or she will lose her battle with the depression. She begins keeping a notebook and keeping lists. Then she comes up with a plan to do one nice thing for someone each day. When she is filled with panic about the outside world the nice thing is sometimes an emailed note of appreciation or a note of encouragement on a blog.

While this book's focus is depression that results due to being involved in a major crime (a post traumatic), I really could relate to the depression aspect. I experienced it in a much milder form than the book describes after having my miscarriage. It is like being in a black hole and it takes a while to feel like you have the ability, energy and fortitude to crawl back up and out of the hole. For me and for this main character in the book, it was only with God's help that we were able to get out of the hole. I really believe He pushed, pulled and shoved me up and out of the hole.

I am reading another book - Where is God? Both these books speak to the aspect of finding God in difficult times and also while going through those times feeling somewhat like He left. Where is God is just a great title because at one point or another we all end up walking along or crossing a bridge or dealing with a crisis and wonder - where is He? Why did He leave me? Why isn't he fixing this? Isn't that really what the famous footprints poem is about - except that the author has already reached the realization that there is only one set of footprints because God is carrying him/her. It is during trying times that we can feel like we are all alone and it is important to find ways to reach out to God - so that we can feel His presence and know He is there - it is so very important to find ways to stay connect to God.

Anyway - I will blog more about the Where is God book later. I just wanted to share about Stepping into the Sunlight. Excellent book - and I highly recommend it.

Oh this is my middle son

My husband found this fantastic quote from Thomas Edison and after reading it we both just said - that is JL for sure!

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."

JL is our child that ALWAYS has junk stashed in his room, in his pockets, on his desk. He picks up old nails, pieces of wire, bottle caps (thing I would define as junk) and he brings them home to guard as treasures. I am always pulling things out of the washer and dryer (because some treasures don't make it out of the pockets prior to entering the wash) --- and I wonder what would possess the child to bother to pick this up and drag it home in his pockets.

Now I realize I have an Edison in the making!!

Black Bean Soup with Sausage

I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great. We really loved it.

2 cans black beans

6 cups of water

4 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of chopped onion

2 cups of chopped celery

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used only 1/8 t. - and it was more bland - I like it this way - if you really like it spicier - then add the full 1/2 t.)

8 oz. fully cooked Polish sausage cut up

Throw everything in to the slow cooker except the Polish sausage. Cook several hours on high. If you are going to cook it all day - then put it on medium or low.

Just prior to eating add the polish sausage and cook for about 1/2 hour more.

This is really good with hot brown rice. I made the rice and put it in the bowls first. Then added the soup. Plus we found that croutons were wonderful in the soup. They added some nice flavor.

EAA Museum

We had a fantastic field trip to the EAA Museum. Our family is studying the 1900's this year. The boys love the 20th century because they love the war stuff. The EAA Museum has many WWII planes.

The big yellow and black thing is an example of the bombs that were dropped on Japan.

After a tour of the museum we broke up into a younger kids group and an older kids group. The older kids got to design, cut out and build a balsa glider plane. The students loved this.

Below is my youngest making his paper airplane. They had a class to talk about how to fold and make the planes. Then they got to 'test' their planes to see how well they flew.

Below is the 'testing'! The kids really got into this aspect!

Here is JJ testing to see how far his plane will fly. Believe it or not his flew the farthest of all the planes - 42 feet. Isn't that something! Great fun!

Tour of Sonex Airplane

One of the things that I really think is important for the kids to see businesses - how things are made and assembled. We had a great tour of Sonex - and they make experimental airplanes - they actually make the kits and sell the kits. The customer buys the kits and assembles the plane themselves. It is a very affordable plane. This was really one of our better tours. The owner gave us the tour and you could just tell that flying and planes were his passion. It is obviously his love and he just really, really enjoyed sharing.

Below is the building where they have all their parts that are used to build the planes.

Below is the gas tank.

Below you can see two of their buildings. They are in hangers on the edge of one of the smaller airports in the state. The time when this airport gets really busy is one week in the summer during the EAA fly in. Planes (and people) come from all over the world to the EAA. It is an amazing sight to see!

Nature Center - Winter Sensory class

As our class finished up, our naturalist took us inside and let us see an example of an animal that hibernates. And yes this is my youngest with a snake around his neck! Very brave of him. One other boy and one other mom (that was me!) was willing to hold the snake this way. The rest of the class preferred to watch the action and not really be part of the action!

Nature Center - Winter Sensory class

We went to the local nature center. They do a great job with their educational programs. They rehabilitate injured birds and ones that can't be released back into the wild are used in their educational programs. This is a barred owl. He was amazingly beautiful. It was really great to be able to see one so close.

After the indoor portion of the program, they went outside to check out wildlife in its natural setting. It was just a beautiful day. The snow allowed for plenty of opportunities to see animal tracks.

Doesn't that look cold, cold, cold. Icy cold. That is the beach we were standing on. Doesn't look very beachy - now does it.

We climbed a tower to look around and get a bird's view of things. My youngest went up about 3/4 of the way and decided he was far enough. He was willing to stick around long enough to pose but then he fled down to the ground!

Below is a man made replica of what an eagle's nest looks like. I guess I just never realized how strong and powerful eagles are -- check out the size of the wood used. I asked if the eagles would really be able to fly with wood this large - and they said - oh absolutely. The only thing that this replica has that a real nest wouldn't is that it is tied together with twine. Birds wouldn't do that but as humans (not having the bird's skill and expertise in nest building) they cheated and used twine!

Art class - Portrait

We are extremely blessed to have a local college that will do art instruction / classes for our homeschool group. We love the amazing projects that they come up with. This one is on portraits and each student started with a cardboard oval. She talked about dimensions. It was really great learning. They used modeling clay to shape the nose, mouth, eyes, eyebrows and hair.

Below is my youngest one's - he recently got glasses and made sure to add that to his portrait.

This is my middle son and he loves suckers - - it is a bit hard to see but his portrait face has a lollypop sucker on a stick - sticking out of his mouth. So much like him!! It is fun to see each student's individuality come out in the projects!

Zoo class Animal Senses

My youngest son had a class at the zoo. It covered various animals and how they utilize their senses. Plus she had the kids participate by using that same sense - for example when they were discussing taste each student closed their eyes and she put a marshmellow in their hands - they were to not look but put it in their mouths. (Most kids looked - at this age there is NO WAY they are going to put some unidentified item it their mouth - it could be a pea or a carrot or worse squash or zucchini! Oh no!!)

She had them put their hands out to 'feel' / touch the items she was bringing around - one was a feather and the other was fur of an animal.



In all the zoo classes they always get to have a craft that goes over the concepts learned. Here the students glued on the animals to the picture of the senses that was discussed.

Plain Perfect

by Beth Wiseman

I just really enjoyed this book. Lillian's grandparents are Amish but because her mother left the community, Lillian is not raised Amish. Her life has not been good and she decides to visit her grandparents. She wants to give being Amish a try so she can gain the peacefulness that they seem to possess in their lives. The Amish know it is not being Amish that gives one peace but having a relationship with God and allowing God to work in their lives that leads to peace.

It is a very good book and it made me think of the 'worldly things and influences' that I have in my life that prevent me from hearing God and communing with God. What prevents me from really listening and spending time with God, who cared so much for us that he sent His son to die for us. What amazing love that is!

This book also speaks to forgiveness and how we as humans are not perfect in our attempts to forgive. Yet, by leaning on God we can learn to more fully trust in him and learn to forgive those that have wronged us. We can turn those hurts over to God and let him take care of them. He can heal us and also it is up to Him to carry out justice - because He is a just and loving God.

This is incredible.

The NO Complaining Rule

He lists three techniques or tools for changing from being a complainer to a NO complainer.

(From page 49 in the book)

1) The BUT ....... Positive Technique.

This one is basically turning the negative thought into a positive one.

Oh no the car won't start, but ....... at least I have a car!

Everyone complains and when in the middle of that complaint - you realize I am being negative - then add a positive thought to finish it off and turn it around.

2) Focus on the "Get to" instead of the "Have to"

This one I have seen in action and it can be such a powerful testimony to God. A good friend of ours from our bible study has recently been diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. It has spread beyond the 'woman area'. She has been give 2 to 5 years to live. She is an amazing witness for Christ. Everything for her right now is the 'I get to'! Instead of it being I have to drive my daughter to school, she is at the point of 'I am so grateful to be alive and am thrilled I am here to be able to drive her to school. I get the privilege of driving her and it is an honor.' It is sad that it takes most of us some live changing event to realize that we don't have to do anything, but that we get to do these tasks. We should be thankful we have the legs to walk and get to walk the dog, we have the arms/hands and get to make dinner, we have our sight and get to drive, etc. How often we forget that we should be thankful instead of grumbling and complaining.

3) Turn complaints into solutions.

This one shows that complaints can be productive. A company doesn't want a bunch of yes men and women. It won't be successful. It takes that person who can say - oh dear - did you think about this? These are justifiable complaints that solve problems and fix issues. First a problem must be identified and "the complaint moves you toward a solution. Every complaint represents an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive."

Three very simple tools that we can all use to change from being a complainer / whiner to being more positive. To have positive thought and positive actions with those thoughts.

I have actually been thinking of instituting the No complaining rule in our house. My boys aren't big whiners so I don't really feel like we have alot of complaining. Still we do have those negative thoughts that could be turned around. I know my husband looked outside this morning and said - oh no, it snowed. This could easily be turned into 'oh no, it snowed, but doesn't it look pretty. It made the world look all white and pure again. How beautiful is that!' I know he was just thinking of having to drive in it! :)

The NO Complaining Rule

He talks about why people complain. There are two main reasons "why people complain:

1) because they were fearful and helpless and

2) because it had become a habit" p. 39

I think it is so true. Some people are the glass is always empty kind of people. They are the Eeyores of life. There is always a cloud raining on their parade. They will complain about anything and everything. My Mother always used to say that if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. In other words, don't let complaining become a habit. Don't complain for the sake of complaining. Don't complain just to hear your own voice. Sometimes the silence is better.

I think I can understand the ones that complain out of fear and helplessness. It is the worry of job loss, worry of how to make ends meet, the worry of providing for your family --- and these are justifiable things. It is easy to complain when there are budget cuts, lay offs and setbacks. The real thing to focus in on is ----- will complaining solve anything? Will it help you to keep your job? Will it help the economy to turn around so that budget restraints aren't present? And the answer is no! Complaining won't solve the problems, it won't turn things around, it won't change the situation.

So then aren't we just wasting our breath and energy complaining! Why not put that energy into something positive - like the job hunt! That will solve the problem. Use the energy for construction instead of destruction, for building instead of destroying, for building up instead of tearing down!

The NO Complaining Rule

I thought I would make this review into a couple posts instead of one long one - shorter bits to take in. Hopefully, then my readers will stay with me on this subject!

One of the truths that Hope discovers is that "what we need the most we resist the most" p. 25. Wow, isn't that the truth. Many of us realize we need God but don't we also resist God, resist His help, resist His ways! We want to do things our way and then wonder why things don't work out. We want our prayers answered in our timing, the way we demand. We often don't ask God what He wants, what direction should we take?

Yet, God is amazingly patient. He gently guides us along and patiently waits for us to stop resisting. Sometimes though when we resist too much or too strongly, He has to more forcefully correct us. Those times can be painful but it is also in those times we can grow the most. It is when we can see God's hand in our lives, guiding us, leading us, protecting us, caring and loving us. For he has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us.

What we need the most we resist the most - don't you just see that fully in the world today. It is evident to me, looking at today's culture how much God is needed and how much God is being resisted. God is no longer welcome in our schools, in our government, in our public buildings, etc. We are resisting Him, pushing Him away. And the further we push Him away, the more our culture deteriorates. And the more our culture deteriorates the more we really need Him.

The NO Complaining Rule

I probably haven't said it before - but I work part time at our church in our confirmation program. Our church is fairly large and we have roughly 400 students going through confirmation classes. I am the administrator - kind of a behind the scenes person - that just helps make things flow. I like the behind the scenes part. And my gift from God is organization. It is a good fit. Plus the hours are extremely flexible which makes it workable with homeschooling. And the extra bit of income in this economy is always helpful.

We have quarterly in-service staff meetings. This upcoming one is rather interesting. We have been asked to read the book, The NO Complaining Rule by Jon Gordon and come prepared to discuss it. We are not being asked to read it because there are problems at the church but because it is just a book with great ideas for creating a positive environment at the workplace - and who doesn't want that! Mostly, I find that working at the church is always positive. God's light just shines there and I really haven't had bad days at work. I think it is good to stay focused on the positives. These are tough economic times and with that our church can only spend what it takes in - therefore when times are tough - giving is down and budgets need to be cut. This can be a negative or handled in a very positive and enriching way. We did have to let some staff members go and I think this book is coming at a wonderful time - to be sure we are focusing in on the positives.

I really like what he has to say. First he talks about how important a simple smile can be to brighten the day of others. No one can frown in the face of a smile! It can change a negative to a positive. One of the main characters in the book has had a very rough year and used to always smile. Now she walks by people and never notices them. She is only focused on her life, her problems, her issues. She forgot one of God's commandments, 'love thy neighbor as thyself'. But to love thy neighbor, first one has to notice their neighbor. When we are so busy wallowing in self pity, we sometimes don't notice others often have it worse.

A great line from the book is when he is recounting the show with Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Snoopy is sad he was not invited to the Thanksgiving meal and then he realized, "It could be worse. I could have been born a turkey."

We all could have been the turkey but God put us in the perfect place, in the perfect time for our own growth. We may not see it as perfect but nothing God does is to harm us but for our benefit. And as long as that is our focus we will see that we aren't the turkeys. Isn't life grand - we aren't the turkeys!!

Win Rosette Stone

Surround your family with language. By taking them there!

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Link to Heart of the Matter