The Heart of Friendship

Over the summer C and a friend had the opportunity to grow closer to one of the Grace missionary kids. C and her friends thoroughly enjoy playing with their American Girl dolls. Our sweet MK friend has loved them too, yet hasn't had the blessing of owning one....until our girls stuck their heads together.
A few months ago, while at the thrift store, we came across an AG doll. It had been loved previously yet had the unfortunate adventure of visiting a child's beauty salon where most of the hair had been "cut & styled". We bought the doll with the intention of finding someone, someday, who would enjoy her as much as C enjoys her dolls.
When C and her friend found out that our MK had always wanted a doll, they pooled their money to have the doll's head replaced with the intention of giving it to their sweet new friend. Three weeks ago we took an excursion to the AG store in LA where we dropped off the doll at the hospital. It would take two to three weeks for the doll to arrive. We found out the missionaries leave this Saturday. Would the doll arrive in time? We prayed. We watched. We waited.
Last Tuesday I called the AG hospital to see where the doll was at in the repair process. It hadn't even been added to the system! I called again on Friday. Sometime between Tuesday and Friday the doll had arrived at the hospital, had the necessary repairs and been shipped out. It arrived this morning.
To avoid the possibility of missing our MK we surprised her this afternoon with "Unbirthday" gifts.
She opened the giant box and found the new Elizabeth. She then opened two smaller boxes, each containing an outfit....Elizabeth needed clothes of course!
It was such a joy to watch our friend become speechless. She had no idea what the girls were planning and is so excited that she has something to take home with her. Elizabeth will never have traveled this far before. The girls are already making plans for when our dear missionaries come back next summer.

A speechless friend

It was a pleasure to watch the sweet girls consider someone else as more important than themselves. They willingly, sacrificially, and happily gave their own money to give a friend love. That is priceless....

Fast friends....can't wait to see each other again next year!

Preparations for Race Time

"Let us run with endurance the race set before us"

 

Hebrews 12:1 calls us to run with endurance. To accomplish the endurance portion the runner must be prepared and conditioned before the race ever begins. As the school year quickly approaches the verse comes to mind consistently. Lists have been prepared and the backpacks, writing implements, books, lunchboxes, and clothes are quickly checked off the list. Do we add spiritual preparations to that list? Do we fill them with truth, give them every opportunity to understand the Creator and their own position before God?  Are we equipping them with the necessary tools to stand within the raging waters of peer pressure, idolatry, political correctness, and hatred toward God? Are we giving them the mindset to do "All to the glory of God"?

I love that Hebrews reminds us that the run is in present tense. It is constant. It is continual. I love that endurance is how the running takes place.

"Endure: to support without breaking or yielding to force or pressure"

Are we preparing our students to run without yielding to force or pressure? Are we prepared to run without yielding?

As I prepare for the race that begins next week my desire is to endure throughout this race.

I want to: teach with consistency

                remain excited about the topics we study.

                be prepared for each strand

                help my students understand that personal investment will bring ownership

                remember that others are watching and witness is important.

               

A Man of Fortune

I just finished reading the book Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. I began the reading with reluctant duty yet finished it with an encouraged heart and another addition to my favorites category.
Yates weaves historical facts from the life of Amos Fortune into a lovely piece of literature.
While many view this literary piece as an opportunity to see the successes of a slave turned free man during the colonial period I unexpectedly found another more valuable thread.
During Amos' early life as a slave he was led to the Lord by the Quaker family who purchased him. What was unexpected and remarkable were his views on the white families he interacted with and the mindset he maintained regarding his own responsibilities to God and toward others. While many encouraged and endeavored to show obedience through the command of "slaves be obedient to your masters." from Ephesians 6, Amos focused more on "Bear one another's burdens..." from Galatians 6. He loved the family he worked for, sought to be a help, and I believe, loved them. Several times he was offered his freedom yet he turned it down. Once he gained his freedom, he worked heartily for the Lord and viewed his worship as a daily task requiring his attention rather than a Sunday only experience. His hard work, integrity, and love for his community gained him a deep respect from everyone. I found myself wishing to know more about this kind man who viewed his service to God of primary importance. It is wonderful to think that we will meet in glory.

More Beauty & the Beast

The girls had an absolute blast throughout production week. We will do another production in the future...

 

 

The flatware entertained

 

R.I.P.

Christopher the Christmas Bunny was a joy and pleasure to have as part of our backyard family. His fluffy tail, sneaky antics with the chickens, and friendly behavior will be greatly missed.

Beauty & the Beast E.S.C.A.P.E.

Primping for the performance

Our four lovely villagers



Sometimes girls just wanna have fun.....

while the flatware's entertaining....

 

 

 

 

Months of practice culminates in 3 days of performances. Lots of fun with friends and family.

Memory Masters Beach Day

After working to learn over 400 facts it was time to have some fun.

Ballet Dance Recital

Cute as little buttons.

Walk like an Egyptian

This week our Classical Conversations Essentials goups hosted a 'Walk Through History' for all the families. A few weeks back the students were given a research essay on a famous person from Ancient Times . They had the opportunity to dress up as the individual and present information they learned. The other students then toured the time line where they heard about everyone from Hatshepsut to Marco Polo, asked questions, and received a treat.

The students did a remarkable job on their characters. Each worked creativly on an outfit, some had displays, others props.

Progress on the Kitchen

More changes happened in the kitchen. We now have countertops.

Faucet, sink and dishwasher coming soon.

What to do with a 3 year old

Miss J turned 3. She and her little friends were quite entertaining.

Protozoa Beverage

My Gentleman & I journeyed to Anaheim to choose the counter tops for the kitchen. While driving home we stopped off in Little Saigon and ate lunch at a small kitchen inside the local market. After the scrumptious meal, of course we took a field trip through the store. One of the many fascinating items was this lovely beverage which we quickly renamed the Protozoa Drink.

We had to buy one to try. It is reminiscent of the aftertaste one gets with Fruit Loop cereal.

A thrift store find

There is a wonderful thrift store not far from church. I love to visit as often as possible. A few weeks ago I found a nice, piece made from solid wood. Not something that is often found in this day of laminates and vaneers.

 

after a little sanding, 2 cans of paint, and new hardware it came out rather nice.

Pinterest Possibilities ~ Candle out of an Orange

According to Pinterest and Youtube you can make an emergency candle out of an orange. All you need is
- an Orange
- a knife
- matches
- oil

After following the directions on the Youtube video I lit my candle.  Amazingly, it worked! But I noticed that it didn't work for long. The oil gets sucked up the 'wick' and burns off quickly.

In case of emergency - Have candles.

Pinterest Possibilities - Laundry Detergent

Last Thanksgiving we bought a new washer and dryer set. After seeing the recipe for Laundry soap on pinterest, I thought I would give it a try. If it didn't work out - I would have $23 in cleaning mix to use on other things.

The recipe is as follows:

 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot)

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle. (this is optional, I added it into mine because I have pretty messy kids and the cleaner the better)

You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store.

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 Tablespoons.**

It took a bit of hunting to find the items. The Zoat soap I found at Home Depot like it was suggested, but spent $2 instead of $1. Months later I noticed that the 99cent stores carry it. The Arm & Hammer Washing Soda I had to purchase thru Amazon.

I followed the directions and placed the contents in a decorative jar I bought at Walmart for $10. Now, over 365 days later this is what is left of the $26.78 I spent on laundry soap.....

The clothes come out clean. I haven't had any difficulties with stains not coming out well, clothes fading faster, or other issues that others have faced.

Christmas came early

C. has been wanting a bunny for several years. This year we decided to give her one. We hunted for one that didn't cost a small fortune. We didn't want one that was pure bred, show quality, $100 cuteness. We found a sweet, little black bunny on craigslist.

We couldn't keep the bunny a secret for long. He wasn't happy staying cooped up in a box.

Presenting Christopher the Christmas bunny

Christmas Decor

This year the Christmas decorating got off to a late start. Between school, rain (couldn't hunt down a tree in rain!), colds, etc, the decorations didn't go up till mid December. But, as is always the case, the Lord knew what was planned. The local thrift store had a very nice, very expensive faux tree for my special price: cheap! We bit the bullet and entered the current trendy group of faux tree owners. I have resisted for so long since I don't like the way the fake trees look. I like the hunt that comes with bringing home a recently deceased tree. I like their smell. I like the way they look. What I don't like is the $60+ you have to spend to continue this yearly tradition. The cost can't be justified anymore.
Since the fire we haven't found many ornaments to create a new collection. Call me picky, but I like having ornaments with theme, meaning, and sentimentality. I found a website that offered beautiful paper chains created from sheet music. I loved it. I didn't care for the price: $36 for two strands, each nine feet long. Since I had sheet music for organs - something I won't ever play - I put it to use....and made my own. It even happened to be German Christmas music with English translations.