Reflections in the Window

Happy Homemaker Monday

2012-01-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

The Weather...

We finally had snow!! 4 inches last night in about an hour.

On My Reading Pile...

Bible

Made to Crave

Inductive Bible Study (for college)

Intro to Missions (for college)

On My TV...

Wind at My Back~Season 1

Cranford

On The Menu For This Week...

Monday~Pot Roast

Tuesday~Chicken n Biscuits

Wednesday~Pork Chops

Thursday~Farmer's Market Stew (from a review cookbook)

Friday~Buttermilk Chicken (from a review cookbook)

On My To Do List...

Homework

Go through some boxes of books

Clean windows

What I Am Sewing, Crocheting, or Creating...

Nothing much right now. I may change this to what I would like to be creating.

The Homeschool Room...

Katrina~

she has been learning more this semester about keeping a home. We have been watching the Homestead Blessings DVDs. She has a part-time babysitting job. She really wants to be a nanny after graduation next year.

Hannah~

She has been reading from McGuffey's readers.

Writing in her journal.

Andrew~

He has been diving into how things work. The other day he made a plow for his bike.

Looking Around The House...

Dog sleeping on the couch. Hubby taking tests for his college work. Pressure cooker cooking our roast for supper. Kids chatting among themselves.

From The Camera...

Something Fun To Share...

I have 8 classes left to complete my degree!!

On My Prayer List...

My Mom, she had a TIA (mini stroke)

Bible Verse or Devotional...

Psalm 31:24

"Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart,

All you who hope in the Lord."

I am taking part in Happy Homemaker Monday, hosted by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2012-01-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Weather...

Today they are calling for high winds, thunderstorms and rain. Very odd for January here in NY.

On my Reading Pile...

Bible

Fresh Brewed Life

Made to Crave

Sheltered

On my TV...

Wind at my Back takes place in Canada during the great depression.

On the menu for this week...

Monday- Chicken

Tuesday-Beef

Wednesday-Pork

Thursday-Taco Salad

Friday-Meat Loaf

Saturday-Lasagna

On my To Do list...

Laundry

My coursework

Kids schooling

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating...

Since my classes have started up again I have no time for "fun" stuff.

Looking around the house...

Piles of laundry to put away

Kids reading their Bibles

Dog sleeping

Wind blowing the branches on the tree

From the camera...

View from our hotel room. The snow kept us from venturing out into Albany to explore the city. But we did venture out to Chilis for dinner a couple nights. This was the first time we had ever been there.

Something fun to share...

Matt and I are pretty certain of where God wants us to serve in full-time ministry. I'll share more in a few months.

On my prayer list...

Our church and the AWANA program we are starting.

Bible verse, Devotional...

2 Timothy 2:15

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Thanks to Diary of a SAHM for hosting this.

January 2012 Soup Swap~~Alphabet Soup

2012-01-18T13:50:00.000-05:00

My kids have always loved Alphabet Soup. We are trying to do a way with "Convince" foods. So I started searching for a recipe for our kids favorite soup. After finding a few, changing this and that, I came up with this one.

HEY Milk & Honey Mommy....no meat in this one!! Well unless you count the bouillon cube.

Alphabet Soup

3 beef bouillon cubes

3 cups of hot water

1 bottle of V-8 juice

1 bag of mixed veggies...I used a large bag

8 ounces of uncooked alphabet pasta

6 cups water

salt and pepper (optional)

Dissolve bouillon cubes in hot water. Place all ingredients in your normal soup pan. Add bouillon and water mixture. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the pasta is done.

This soup is almost as quick to make as it is to open the can and heat up. You can add so much to this soup! YUM!!

I'm linking up once again for Soup Swap. You can go on over to Milk & Honey Mommy to join in.

Cooking Thursday~~Sally Lunn Bread

2012-01-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

About this time each year I start longing for the living history museum we go to near us. Being able to leave this fast paced world and step back to the 1800's. One way I can keep the museum around us year round is through the food. So this week I'm sharing with you one of the recipes they make often at the museum.

Sally Lunn Bread

1 cup milk

1 pkg. dry yeast

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

Heat the milk to almost boiling. Let it cool until it is lukewarm and add the yeast. Cream the butter and sugar until well incorporated. Then add the eggs and beat well. Add flour and salt. Mix well. Cover and let rise until it is doubled in size. Punch down and stir again. Put into a bunt pan or spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

This bread is SO good. Buttery and light that melts in your mouth.

TOS Review~~Maestro Classics

2012-01-12T20:22:00.000-05:00

Maestro Classics are "Stories in music" CD's for children ages 5-12 played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Some of the titles available are: Peter and the Wolf, The Soldiers Tale, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, My Name is Handel:The Story of Water Music, Casey at Bat and many more.

Each CD has almost an hour of playing time. There are 7 tracks on the CD's.

These CD's sell for $16.98 or for a MP3 download for $9.98 on the Maestro Classics' website. Also on the website you will find Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides to help you teach a full unit to your children. Everything from math to Language arts included. Each CD comes with a very colorful program booklet.

As a member of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Review Crew we were sent "The Story of Swan Lake" for review.

Our first thoughts about this CD was WOW! The cover artwork is truly beautiful. I found myself really taking in the pictures.

The CD has 7 tracks on it:

The Story of Swan Lake

Tchaikovsky's Life

Speed Metal Swan

About the Music

Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet

Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform

Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet "Sing Along"

When we first got the CD we popped it into the CD player and had a listen. Oh how beautiful. Our daughter Hannah loves classical music. She listens to it all the time. She also loves the ballet. So for her this was an easy review.

Hannah

We learned about the music. The CD is such a great learning tool. The conductor teaches us about the different types of music used in a ballet. How to listen to the tempo of the music to depict what the person is doing. This really helped us all learn more about ballet. It's not just people dancing on the stage...they are acting out a story without words.

Andrew

Andrew enjoys listening to the classical music. Especially after the conductor described the different things within the music to help us "hear" the emotions. It has really opened up our minds about classical music and the ballet. Perhaps a field trip is in our near future.

Katrina

Katrina loves music. She wasn't really too fond of classical music....until this review! She said she never knew there was so much to this "stuff". Her favorite track was "Speed Metal Swan". It is a "rocked" up version of Tchaikovsky's. It's described as a "heavy metal version of the main theme."

I have found myself putting this CD in while I'm doing some housework. I have really enjoyed this review. I love that they combined education with entertainment.

You can go on over to The Crew Blog to see what my crew mates are saying about this review.

***I was given this CD as a member of TOS Review Crew free in exchange for my honest review.***

January Soup Swap~~Beef Enchilada Soup

2012-01-11T20:58:00.000-05:00

Beef Enchilada Soup

1 pound ground beef

1 onion chopped

2 green bell peppers chopped

2 cans tomato sauce

2 cans enchilada sauce

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can corn (drained)

1 can diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups shredded cheese (pepper jack is great in this)

Cook ground beef with onion and peppers until no longer pink.

Add sauces, beans, corn and tomatoes. Add cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes.

Add cheese stir until melted. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream or extra cheese.

Again this week I'm joining Milk & Honey Mommy for the Soup Swap.

TOS Crew Review~~Z-Guides to the Movies

2012-01-09T21:33:00.000-05:00

Zeezok Publishing has been providing materials to homeschoolers since 1993. They have currently added the Z-Guides to the Movies.

So what exactly is a Z-Guide?

Z-Guides are a wonderful way to add movies to your curriculum. They have dozens of guides available. Each guide falls within a specific time in history.

Each guide includes:

a topic overview

movie synopsis

10 activities

bonus activities

family discussion

additional resources

Almost all of the movies can be found on Netflix or in your local library. Z-Guides are meant to be used along with your current history program. It is recommended that your students complete 2 activities per day. At that pace it should take one week to complete. You can read more about the Z-Guides HERE.

You can view a sample of the guide HERE.

Z-Guides sell for $12.99 on their website either as a download or on CD shipped. You can even purchase a license to use the Z-Guide in a co-op or classroom for $49.99.

They are currently working on adding new Z-Guide titles. They plan on adding one or two each month to help fill in the timeline.

The movie we chose to use was.....

Johnny Tremain

I printed each of our children one copy and put in a binder. This way they had all their papers in one location.

Johnny Tremain was the only book I remember enjoying in High School. So I was thrilled to see this one on the list. I was pretty familiar with it.

We watched the movie all the way through the first time. The kids had their papers in front of them. They retained much more information from the movie then they would of without the questions. I really enjoyed the conversations that came about from watching this movie. In reality you could turn this into a whole unit study. Taking a day or two on each activity. Which is what I think we will do with the next Z-Guide we get.

They are really paying attention to the movie not just watching it.

These guides are great for children who like our daughter have some learning disabilities. She needs to use all her senses to learn, see-touch-hear and yes sometimes taste. She was able to recall much of the information from the movie about the different events portrayed.

Same for our oldest daughter. She learns best using all her senses. I did not get any sighs or aw Mom's while we did this review! I love that!

My husband and I have a strict policy in our house. There is to be NO talk about TV or movies at the supper table. So when my husband asked the kids to tell him about their day they all had a blank stare on their faces. They were not sure how to answer him. (HA HA) We made the exception to the rule during this review.

Here is our Z-Guide wish list:

The Ten Commandments

Adventures of Robin Hood

Flyboys

Kit Kittredge

(I hope they do more of the American Girl movies)

Go on over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to see other reviews of Z-Guides.

***As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were given a free download of this product for review purposes.***

Happy Homemaker Monday

2012-01-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

The Weather...

Very mild for this time of the year. We are expected to be around 42 degrees today.

On my Reading Pile...

"Fresh -Brewed Life" By Nicole Johnson

"Sheltered" by Sheila Walsh

On my TV...

Dowton Abbey

On the Menu for this Week...

I've been sick and have not made a menu up. This week will consist of a lot of chicken soup.

On my To Do list...

Laundry

Get Better!

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating...

Cup Cozies

Pillow cases

Bags made from old jeans

Looking around the house...

Signs of us being sick.

From the Camera...

I love the look on her face. Such joy!

Something fun to share...

Next Saturday Hubby and I are headed east for a training conference. Thursday thru Sunday!

On my Prayer list...

Our travels next weekend (pray for no snow)

My sister who had eye surgery

Our homeschool

Bible verse, Devotional...

"Faith is not making religious sounding noises in the day time. It is asking your inmost self questions at night-and getting up and going to work." ~~Mary Jean Irion (from "Fresh- Brewed Life")

Join us for Happy Homemaker Monday at Diary of a SAHM.

Homeschool Mother's Journal

2012-01-07T10:14:00.000-05:00

In my life this week...

Chaos, unmotivated, just overall trials. This was the first year we actually took a break at Christmas time. We had a nice groove going until then. I'm not sure the break was worth it. Satan has been attacking us and I refuse to let him win!!

I had to step back and re-evaluate why we homeschool in the first place. Our daughter's have learning disabilities. It doesn't mean they can't learn, it just means they learn differently and at a different pace then all other children. Which doesn't work in a public school setting. At least it didn't for us. They were forced into a box with children that learned at the "normal" rate. If there is such a thing. We were told by the school that our daughter would never learn unless she was medicated. What?! Up until that point God had been prompting me to start homeschooling. It wasn't until we found our other daughter in the corner playing because the teachers didn't know how to "deal" with her. Ok I finally got the message.

But through all of our homeschooling years, I have fallen in love with my children. If that makes any sense. I have really had the opportunity to get to know my children. So my prayer for the upcoming year is...Lord help me to remember why I'm homeschooling my children. Please put the joy back into teaching them Your ways.

In our homeschool this week...

Trying to get back into a schedule. It has been really hard getting back to it after a break. But this week I am determined to make a schedule, plan and chore list and stick to it!! Mainly because my college course start up again in 2 weeks.

I also have to remember God made each of us in His own way. I have to stop comparing my children to others out there. Stop trying to keep up with the "Jones" family. (No I am not trying to keep up with them just a made up family). I'm sure we have all done it. Having a child with learning disabilities I think I might do it a bit more. Especially when all we hear is criticism from people. We are always hearing how smart so-in-so is. This is mainly within the family. Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel. Like I said at the beginning....I feel as if I'm at the center of chaos.

Questions/thoughts I have...

Psalm 121:5-6

"The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night."

A photo, video, link or quote to share...

Boy I sure love these 3!!

I'm linking up with the Homeschool Chick for the Homeschool Mother's Journal.

Garlic-Lemon Chicken in the Pressure Cooker

2012-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

Last year for my birthday my husband got me a pressure cooker. It's a 3-in-1 cooker...slow cooker, pressure cooker and steamer all in one. I love it!! Especially on a day like today. I took the chicken out of the freezer yesterday to thaw. Checked it this morning...still frozen. GRRRR! So out comes my kitchen saver. I love this baby!!

A while ago I got "The Easy Pressure Cooker Cookbook". This book is full of wonderful recipes. This is one I changed around a bit for us.

Garlic-Lemon Chicken

3 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds chicken parts bone-in

4 garlic cloves minced

pinch of red pepper flakes (I used Cayenne)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I used the bottled kind)

Brown the chicken in the pressure cooker with the oil until nice and brown. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano. Cook for about 1 minute. Watch carefully...you do not want the garlic to burn. Add lemon juice and chicken stock to the pot. Place chicken in and seal with the lid. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.

Let the pressure come down naturally and then remove the lid. Remove the chicken. Bring the sauce to a boil and thicken anyway you wish. I use rice flour and water. Boil until thick.

I tell you this was SO good!! Next time I will use boneless skinless chicken. It would be great on a salad!!

I love my pressure cooker. Even from a frozen state the chicken was done all the way and very juicy. Kids said, "and it wasn't dry". LOL! Best part of this machine, is it's electric....so I don't have to stand at the stove and watch.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2012-01-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

This really looks like fun. So I thought I'd give it a try.

What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Change

Exciting

God-Honoring (is that one word? LOL)

Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?

Love it! I like it as Scampi, fried, sauteed, just about anyway I can get it.

Is your house de-Christmased? If so, when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

Yes!! We put our Christmas decorations up the day after Thanksgiving, so when the day after Christmas rolls around I'm so ready for it all to go!

Do you like to watch scary movies?

I do not like horror movies, but do like mystery type of movies.

ice skating~sledding~ skiing~snowboarding...of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?

Sledding...although since my back injury I have not been able to do much of it.

Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.

Yes. When we lived on the farm I had many places to hide out. Most of which were trees. When we moved to the village we had a nice shed out back that I use to sit in. My sister's and I use to play "Little House on the Prairie" in it.

What's a place or space that motivates you?

We have a living history museum near us that we visit often. Seeing how they lived back in the 1800's really motivates me in many areas. Housekeeping, gardening ect.

Insert your own random thought here.

This is a stove from the museum I was talking about. It always reminds me to keep things simple. We are so spoiled now-a-days. Yet all we do is complain about what we do not have.

I'm linking up with From the Side of the Pond for this meme.

TOS Review~~REAL Homeschool Spanish

2012-01-04T19:43:00.000-05:00

Curriculum: R(Relax) E(Enjoy) A(Aspire) L(Learn) Homeschool Spanish.

Price: $49.95 Download or $89.95 Hard Copy.

Age/Grade Level: Anyone can and will benefit from using this program.

WHAT IS IT?:

REAL Homeschool Spanish teaches your children and you the parent how to learn Spanish together in a fun and effective way. The curriculum comes with a planning guide and daily planning chart which shows you how to integrate language learning into your family's everyday life.

Each unit is made up of vocabulary clusters with easy phrases to present the materials. There are 33 vocabulary clusters and 15 idea sections with 3-4 pages of activities.

REAL Homeschool Spanish believes that a relaxed environment encourages positive language learning. You are encouraged to work at your own pace through this curriculum. A person learns a foreign language best through conversation.

OUR THOUGHTS:

We loved this!! Not only our children but us as well. My favorite part of this program...we can work at our own pace and not feel as if we have to rush through just to finish.

For review purposes we were sent a download of:

Activity Book

Activity Book Audio

Answer Key

Book

Book Audio

Black and White copy of Book

Daily Curriculum Guide

In the book there is a weekly planning schedule that you fill in. Your family might have to take more than one week to learn certain words...which was the case for our family. We started out with greetings. This was pretty easy since we already knew some of these. Through out the book you see little audio symbols that tell you to go check out the audio portion. I like the audio because sometimes I just can not remember how to pronounce something. With the audio we can play and replay it until we are able to speak it.

The activity book was full of great worksheets. These worksheets go right along with the book. Because of the digital format if I need to print them again I can. There are fun puzzle sheets included in the activity book. Since my husband and I are learning right along with the kids we had fun doing these as well.

Not only did we learn a lot, but we had fun!! No stress involved in learning another language. The kids are excited to write in Spanish to our Compassion Child.

You can see Samples of the curriculum HERE to try for yourself.

Go on over to the crew blog and read what the others are saying.

2012 Soup Swap~~Stuffed Pepper Soup

2012-01-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

I love soup, in all shapes and sizes. For me it is the ultimate comfort food. So I was very excited when fellow Crew mate over at Milk & Honey Mommy said she was doing a soup swap.

I posted this last year, but it is our favorite soup!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

2 Pounds Ground Beef

2 Cups Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 Cup Chopped Onion

2 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce

2 Cups Cooked Long Grain White Rice

2 Beef Bouillon Cube

1/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, brown beef with peppers and onion. Add remaining ingredients, except rice and bring to a boil. Add rice reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes

or until rice is tender.

We like this soup more like a stew so I add more rice then what is called for. I've also done this in the crockpot. Just cook up the beef along with the peppers and onions. Add everything to the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until rice is done.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2012-01-02T10:50:00.000-05:00

The Weather...

We have a winter weather advisory today. We could see 6-8 inches of snow today. So far this winter it's been just a dusting here and there.

On My Reading Pile...

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew--my sister in law got this book for me. I love it!! Now that we live in the village I need to be more creative with gardening.

On My TV...

Downton Abbey

Braumwell

Little Men

On The Menu For this Week...

Next week I'll have the full weekly menu. I am horrible at doing this. One of my 2012 goals.

On My To Do List...

Sort through all the homeschooling books.

What I Am Creating...

A settled home

Looking Around the House...

I'm still seeing boxes everywhere. Driving me crazy!!

From The Camera...

Hannah with her new snuggie!

Something Fun To Share...

I am mailing a special package to someone.

On My Prayer List...

Our church,

our children

My schooling (I'm entering the home stretch!!)

Hubby's schooling

Bible Verse, Devotional...

Psalm 58:4

"In God (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not fear.

What can flesh do to me?"

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

A visit to our new home...

2011-12-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

This is what you see when you come into our home.

I've been meaning to write this post for sometime, but never got around to it. Moving and settling into a new home is hard work. So last night I finally got around to cleaning and then immediately taking pictures!! Won't you sit a spell and visit?

First we have our dinning room. It's got a green marble wall paper.

This is almost the view walking in the front door. It's kind of diagonal looking in.

Now we will enter into the kitchen.

The color on the wall is a sponged peach. I love the brightness of it.

My little bakers rack to store more stuff.

My favorite feature in the kitchen is all the counter space!!

Now if you need to use the powder room. I love the purple. I just need to find some extras to go in there. Any ideas?

I'm thinking about some lilac pictures.

Now we can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in our living room.

We have on the wall above the doorway..."As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

I love our big picture window. I tried keeping plants there, but the dog seems to think it is his spot.

So there you go. A nice quick tour of our new home. We are slowly getting settled. I'm looking forward to getting into the kitchen to whip up some goodies.

I pray everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Goals for 2012...both Heart and Home

2011-12-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. I know we did. It was by far one of the best ones we have ever had. For the first time since we've been married we were able to bless others. Usually we are the ones being blessed this time of year. If you continue to be obedient to God He will bring your though.

I recently joined a Facebook group called Devotional for the Disorganized. Perfect title for me. I use to be so organized!! Recently I've had so many things in the air at the same time many of my duties fell to the wayside. So in addition to the devotional the moderators will be issuing weekly challenges. This will all begin on January 1. She gave us an early challenge.

Our challenge is to list 5 goals regarding our home and personal goals. I was then invited to join another Facebook group A Journey to Becoming a Proverbs 31 Wife. This was exactly what I wanted my goals to reflect for the upcoming year!!

So now onto the challenge.

List 10 goals for my home and role as a Proverbs 31 wife.

Biblical Womanhood Goals:

Be more diligent in my quiet times.
Be more attentive to my husband.
Allow God to lead me. Not myself. Listen to Him.
Have a more quiet, meek spirit.
Stay positive, even in the midst of trials.

Household Goals:

Be more organized. Declutter.
Keep a schedule for cleaning.
Finish the kids rooms. (Complete the small projects)
Do not put off things. DO them as soon as possible.
Do not take on more than I can handle.

This coming year is going to be a good one!

Looking Ahead...

2011-12-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

The Christmas rush is over. Well we have 2 more parties, but for me these are very low key. We do not need to do much for them. As I sit here and think back to this year one word comes to mind.....CHANGE. If you have been a reader for any length of time you know this year had a lot of them for us.

First of all in February we left our church to start a new one. We were very happy at our previous church. We loved everyone there. But God was calling us to step out of that comfort zone. We knew God wanted us to start something in our town, but for whatever reason we never did. Then one evening while at a church planting banquet we met 2 men. They were praying about starting a church in our town. These men were not from our town, nor did they know anyone here. Matt and I just looked at each other with mouths open when we heard them. OK Lord here we are! I can't say that it was easy from then on out. It was not. So many times I wanted to run right back to that comfortable little pew at Faith Baptist Church. Everything about our church was new (nothing was established). I did not know where I "fit" in. I didn't know where to serve, or even how to serve. I had never been taught by a inexperienced pastor.

I'd love to say it has gotten easier for me...but it hasn't. I still struggle. But our "baby" church is doing great things in our town. I am now leading music...another big step of faith for me. God has used that to peel off yet another layer. Matt is leading the youth ministry. We are set to begin AWANA(Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) on February 4.

Philippians 2:4

"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

One thing is for certain, all of the above change has taught me to lean on God more than any other human. Humans will let me down. But God will always be there to hold me up.

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths."

It's when I start leading myself I go astray. I'm letting God direct my path from now on. Oh it's easier said than done. So let's just say I'm working on this one. I'd be lying if I said, I always let God lead me.

The other main change that happened this year was our move. This is yet another thing God had been prompting us to do. Yet again, we did not immediately do as He wanted us to do. We moved from the country into the village. I can't say there is anymore traffic then what we were use to. But there are neighbors on all sides of our house. Matt also moved for the first time in his life. The house we lived in was the only home Matt had known. After many hours and days of prayer, we knew God wanted us to move.

Now that we are settled, our house has become a place of refuge for kids in the community. Many of the kids that come here, I know their families. But there are a couple who come here because they said they like it when someone pays attention to them. We have also been able to bless a young man(pictured above) who does not get Christmas presents. That broke my heart when he told me. We were blessed to have him spend Christmas with us. If for no other reason we know God placed us here for this young man. Monday he also spent the day with us, cleaning our other house to get ready to show. He is an amazing young man, God has big plans for him.

So after the year we have had, I know 2012 will be a good one. I'm going to embrace the changes that come our way. I'm looking at each of them as a blessing instead of a curse. Learn from them and grow from them. As difficult as it is...the blessings for being obedient are greater.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Being that there are only a few days before Christmas my "I'm loving" list is pretty long. But I'll do my best to shorten it.

Here is what I'm loving....

Quiet evenings, being able to read my Bible.

I'm really loving this man...

He is such an amazing man! Not only does he work hard each day for our family at his job, but he is also going to school full-time preparing for full-time ministry. He is a big part of our church, as he is now developing a youth ministry. I rarely hear him complain about all that is on his plate.

Our children are such a blessing!

Our oldest Katrina, has such a heart for serving others. She will graduate next year and wants to go onto Bible College...probably Liberty University. :-)

Our daughter Hannah! She is so full of compassion for others. She is the first in our family to stop and pray for someone in need.

Our son is the analytical one. He is such a thinker!! He has so many interests I loose track. But one thing is for certain he loves the Lord!! He is going to be a firefighter when he grows up. I say is, because this is all he's talked about since he was 2.

I am also loving our new home!

It really is a blessing to have room to move around in. We all have our own space here. We are able to study in peace and quiet.

Last but not least...

I'm loving all things Christmas!!

The soft glow of Christmas lights in the evening. We try and not get all wrapped up in the commercialization of Christmas. But I do get wrapped up in all the decorations!

So what are you loving this Wednesday? I'm linking up with This Kind of Love.

Muddy Buddies

2011-12-19T21:41:00.001-05:00

One of my daughter Katrina's favorite "snacks" is Muddy Buddies. So since I have a nice break from my classes I thought this would be a perfect time to make these. My daughter Hannah was my kitchen assistant today.

Muddy Buddies

9 Cups Chex cereal

1 Cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal and place in a large bowl...set aside.

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir. Microwave for 30 seconds longer or until melted. Stir in vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir to coat all pieces well. Add powdered sugar and stir until completely coated. Spread out on waxed paper for a few minutes. Store in an airtight containter.

This stuff is SO good. I had to hide it so hubby can have some later. LOL! ENJOY!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-12-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

Weather in my neck of the woods...

Very mild for this time of the year. We were in the mid 40's today.

Things that make me happy...

Much needed break from school.

Book(s) I'm reading...

Bible

Prescott Pioneer Series

Some new cooking magazines I got from the Library.

What I'm enjoying on TV...

Christmas shows

On the menu for dinner...

We had pork chops, rice and peas

On my To Do list...

Finish Christmas planning

Christmas Day menu

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon...

Hannah and I made "Muddy Buddies" this afternoon.

In the craft basket...

Sadly there is nothing in this basket at the moment.

Looking forward to this week...

Christmas!!

Tips and Tricks...

Making things from scratch is not only cheaper....but much better for your health. It really does not take that much longer.

My favorite Blog post...

This one from Homemaking on the Homestead.

New discovered blog...

Nothing new this week.

Favorite picture...

This was our Yuletide guide. We go each year to the living history tour. It was cold. But we visited 8 warm cozy buildings. If you are in the Rochester area you HAVE to visit this museum.

Lesson learned...

When planning your Christmas activities, relax. Do not let stress ruin your time with family.

On my mind...

Selling our old house. We listed it today. But have SO much work to do....but it's going to have to wait.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

Psalm 56:4

"In God (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not fear.

What can flesh do to me?"

To see other Happy Homemaker Posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

Fractazmic!! By I See Cards

2011-12-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

Our children have struggled with math concepts. Well mostly our daughters. Our son loves math. Math is something I struggle with as well....mostly in how to teach it. I have found that when our children can see, touch and really experience math concepts they learn much better. Well look no further if you are looking for a fun way to teach them the concept of fractions. I See Cards has a really great game called Fractazmic!

Fractazmic is a card game that helps you teach the concept of fractions to your children. When they think they are playing games instead of learning they will do better. SHHH don't tell them they are still "doing school" while playing this game.

The deck is divided into three different suits by colors, the 16ths are red, the 12ths are blue, and the 10ths are green. There are 60 cards total in the deck. Cards can be arranged and combined in a number of ways to make 1.

The object of this game is to create as many "hands" as possible before another player runs out of cards. A hand is cards added up to equal a whole or 1. You play until someone no longer has any cards left. The winner is the person with the most "hands".

Fractazmic cards are available for $6.95 at their website, I See Cards.com.

On their website you can even download a 30 page guide to playing the various card games.

This game was so much fun even our dog Charlie wanted in on the action!!

Go on over to the Crew Blog to see what my other crew mates are saying.

***I was sent a deck of cards free as a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew, in exchange for my honest review.***

A Dream Unfolding (Prescott Pioneers Book 1)

2011-12-15T14:38:00.000-05:00

When I got this book in the mail I just sat and ooooed and ahhhed over the cover. You know the kind...beautiful and captivating. It's no secret I love everything that has to do with the pioneers and their way of life.

This book is the first in a series (I'll be reviewing the other 2 soon). I had a hard time putting this one down. I was really drawn into the story of Hannah and Will. So many aspects of the story I can relate too. One being we moved into a new house. My husband had never moved before, the house we did live in was built by his parents. Although our move was not nearly as challenging or dangerous as Will's, it was still a time of adjustment. If you love books that take place in the 1800's this one is for you!!

The Prescott Pioneers series is written by Karen Baney. She and her husband live in Arizona with their dogs. You can read more about her on her website HERE.

I was sent this book free in exchange for my honest review.

Truth & Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls

2011-12-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

Truth & Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls is a new devotional for girls between the ages of 9-12. This devotional challenges girls to discover how exciting God's Word can be. It is so easy for girls of this age (well any age) to completely ignore reading the Bible. I know for my girls, I've heard them say, "I don't understand it." or "It is boring". Honestly I remember thinking that myself about the Bible when I was young.

Girls will be pleasantly surprised at how the Bible will come alive with this devotional. They will soon come to realize that spending time with God will teach them many things.

This devotional was written by Ann-Margret Hovsepian. She resides in Montreal, Canada. She has written a few devotionals and published more than 210 articles in Canada and the US.

(Side note.....Montreal, Canada is on my MUST visit list!)

We loved this devotional! Our girls loved the cover. It has a lot of color and pictures of things that pre-teen girls enjoy. Each devotional is short enough that it will hold your child's attention, but yet meaty enough for your child to get a lot out of it. My favorite part of the study is the journaling. I'm having our daughter's write their answers to the questions on each page. It really helps them remember what they learned. Another thing I liked was that the kids had to actually open their Bibles to the passage of the day. I am a firm believer that our kids need to learn their way around the Bible. They will not do that without opening it up.

If you have been looking for a great devotional for your pre-teen daughter, this one is for you! You can purchase the book HERE.

***Thank you to Audra Jennings from B&B Media Group for giving me this copy free in exchange for my honest review.***

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-12-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

Weather in my neck of the woods...

Finally winter like!! We had snow for the first time this year. Not much but enough for us to make our annual gingerbread!

Things that make me happy...

Being home with my family.

Book I'm reading...

Bible

Little Women

A few for review

What I'm enjoying on TV...

Christmas shows: Elf, Home Alone, A Christmas Story ect.

On the menu for dinner...

Chicken and Biscuits

On my To Do list...

Finish Christmas shopping

Make Christmas dinner list.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon...

Toasted Pecan Cinnamon Rolls--which I got from my current issue of Proverbs 31 Magazine.

In the craft basket...

Christmas Cards

Looking forward to this week...

Finishing up my schooling!! I'm looking forward to having a break. Only 3 weeks...but I'll take it!

AND our annual Yuletide in the Country candle light tour at the museum. I SO love this.

Tips and tricks...

Baking soda is not just for baking! You can use it for everything. Pour a little in the drain 1/4 cup in the drain per week to keep clogs away.

My favorite blog post...

I am completely 100% addicted to Pinterest!! This is where I found homemade butterfingers with the secret ingredient of candy corn...Que the drool!! I just wish I had seen it about a month ago.

New discovered blog...

Mom with Heart--fellow The Old Schoolhouse review crew mate! Go on over and check her blog out. It just launched.

Favorite photo...

Each of our ornaments on the tree tells a story. This is the ornament we got our second year of marriage. Each year at our annual Yuletide Tour at the Genesee Country Village and Museum we get one.

Lesson learned this past week...

Stop trying to be perfect. I put way too much on myself. I want perfection, I want to be the perfect wife, mother and student. But I've come to realize I will never be perfect! There was only one perfect person who walked this earth...Jesus!

"We've all measured ourselves against our ideals-and come up short. If you know what it feels like to be stuck in a cycle of failure at home, you're not alone."--Jennifer Tubbiolo in an article in Proverbs 31 magazine.

On my mind...

Our upcoming AWANA ministry at church. If you have never heard of this, click on the link and read about it. It is a wonderful program!!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

2 Corinthians 12:9a

"...My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

I'm linking up with Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker.

Molly Saves! in the Powder Room

2011-12-12T17:54:00.000-05:00

This issue was another favorite of mine! I think I say that each month. We went from a house with a very small bathroom to a house with 2 nice size bathrooms. It takes a lot more time to clean both of them. I have to admit...until now I concentrate mainly on the downstairs bathroom. This issue has many many...did I say many? Helpful hints and tips, check lists, recipes for cleaning products, nice labels for those cleaning products.

Our upstairs bathroom...aka the kids bathroom usually looks like a tornado went through it. Drives me crazy!

Upstairs Bathroom

But with the great printable forms you will find in this issue, I can get our children involved in cleaning up their mess. I'm really trying hard not to criticize them for the way they clean. I usually just say, "forget it I will finish". I know they will not learn unless they do it. So I put together a cleaning basket full of homemade cleaners.

Our downstairs bathroom.

In the "Tightwad Training Camp" section there is a recipe for homemade detangler. Who knew that it was SO easy to make this!!

You can read about all of these and more for only $4.95 at The Old Schoolhouse Store. But wait there's more! Why pay that when you can become a "Molly Member" for only $3.95 per month. You not only get the current issue of Molly Saves! but you get a bunch of free things throughout the month.

***I was given a free copy of Molly Saves! in exchange for my honest review.***

Crockpot Enchilada Casserole

2011-12-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

This is one of those recipes that you can alter to fit your families likes. I've made this many times. Sometimes I add corn to it, black olives or a can of black beans.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

2 small tomatoes diced

1 small onion, cut into pieces

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 can tomato paste

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

9 or more corn tortillas (depends on your slow cooker size)

To make the sauce, place tomatoes, onion, and garlic in the blender. You may need to add some water to the blender, it all depends on your tomatoes. Blend until smooth. Then add to a saucepan. To that add cayenne pepper, salt and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and simmer 5-10 minutes. Place a few of the tortillas on the bottom of the slow cooker. Spoon some of the ground beef, then sauce, then cheddar cheese. Repeat layers until all items are used. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

I'm linking up with Sandra for Slow Cooking Thursday over at Diary of a SAHM.

Old Fashioned Sponge Candy

2011-11-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

This is the easiest candy to make! It is my Dad's favorite candy. But it is so expensive to purchase in the stores.

Old Fashioned Sponge Candy

1 Cup sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup (I used light)

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon baking soda

1 bag of chocolate chips

Heat sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar to a boil in 2 quart pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

Boil without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 300F.

Remove pan from the heat; stir in baking soda quickly and mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture in ungreased 13 x 9 baking pan. Do not spread out.

Let cool and break into pieces. Coat with melted chocolate.

I did coat a few of the candy completely in chocolate.

But since I don't really care for chocolate, I only did half this way. This makes a lot of candy. ENJOY!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-11-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

The weather in my neck of the woods...

Cold and rainy! A nice day to just stay in.

Things that make me happy...

Scents of Christmas.

Book I'm reading...

Bible

"Made to Crave"

"Fresh-Brewed Life" by Nicole Johnson

What I'm enjoying on TV...

Some favorite Christmas movies

On the menu for dinner...

Something with turkey...surprised?!

On my To Do List...

Finish my coursework lessons.

Quarterly Reports

Laundry

Mop and vacuum floors

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon...

I took left over turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce placed it on bread and grilled it. YUM!

In the craft basket...

I have not had time for this.

Looking forward to this week...

Hometown Holiday celebration. Our church is marching in the parade and we will be having some fun activities at our church.

Tips and Tricks...

When storing your Christmas decorations place a drier sheet in the box. This will repel unwanted critters and keep everything smelling fresh.

My favorite blog post this week...

A Day of Country Crafts

New discovered blog...

Scratch-Made Wife

Favorite photo...

This was a garland we made at the craft day. There is just something about being at the museum that really makes me relax and let all the worries go.

Lesson learned the past few days...

Eating processed foods will eventually make you sick. My recent health issues are because of that very thing.

On my mind...

Hearing from my doctor today regarding my test results. The not knowing is a struggle for me!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

Psalm 119:145-149

"I cry out with my whole heart;

Hear me, O Lord!

I will keep Your statutes.

I cry out to You;

Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies,

I rise before the dawning of the morning,

And cry for help;

I hope in Your word,

My eyes are awake through the night watches,

That I may meditate on Your word,

Hear my voice according to Your

lovingkindness;

O Lord, revive me according to Your justice."

To see other Happy Homemaker posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

A day of country crafts!

2011-11-26T18:55:00.002-05:00

Each year my mom and I go to the Genesee Country Village & Museum for their annual Christmas Craft day. This year they changed it up a bit, I liked most of it. We had a good time.

We made...or attempted to make:

Photo Credit

Our first station was making paper stars. I loved the way these looked!! But my fingers just did not let me fold the paper the way it was supposed to be folded.

I am bound and determined to make these stars. I love them. I know once I do it they will be easy.

I felt so bad for our "teacher". No one showed her how to make these stars and was expected to teach us. I thought she did a great job!! AND she smiled through the whole thing.

Next we made my favorite!! Scented Sachet bags. There was rosemary, pine, cinnamon, dried orange peels and rose hips in them. As well as a couple of drops of essential oil. OH my does this smell good!!

Another favorite was stringing cranberries, walnuts and bay leaves. This smells SO good as well. I have it hung up in the kitchen.

While we were stringing these up we thought of other combinations we might do. Orange peels, apples, cinnamon sticks....oh my the list goes on and on.

Next we made clove studded oranges. I didn't take pictures of the during process because it was too sticky! Last year we covered the whole orange in cloves. This was much easier!!

Next we made an orange basket out of an orange peel. I filled mine with cinnamon, and cloves when we got home. Smells Divine!

After completing the crafts some of the village houses were open for us to see winter preparations.

Preparing chestnuts to be roasted.

My mom got to try her hand at roasting chestnuts.

They were showing us how they sewed the winter clothing. Made out of wool.

Here we were able to see sausage making and taste homemade applesauce. The sausage making kind of grossed me out. When I say they made it fresh....I mean they made it fresh! Next picture is NOT for the weak stomachs!

Fresh sausage...eventually will be ham, and bacon.

Here this young man is splitting wood. I think he is making fence posts.

I now leave you with my favorite picture of the day. This basket of knitting. In a few weeks we will be going on our yearly Yuletide Tour. I'm SO looking forward to this. I absolutely love the Genesee Country Village & Museum. But if you've been a reader for any length of time you already know that!!

The only suggestion I have to make for this craft day is...do not try and cram 50 plus people into a small building. We had no room to move, we were shoulder to shoulder.

Decorating has begun!

2011-11-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

We have always made it a tradition to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. This year was no different. We are ALL very excited for Christmas this year. Perhaps it's the new house, or maybe we are all just in a really good place Spiritually! I think it's a combination of both! I will continue to add to our decorations over the next couple of days. I want to start collecting gingerbread men for the kitchen! I could even leave them up longer.

We all get involved! It's such a fun family time.

Katrina carefully placing the fragile ones on the tree.

Andrew is very particular on where he places the ornaments. It's the perfectionist in him.

Hannah is our Christmas girl. She loves everything about Christmas!! She helps us keep the joy during this time. She is always smiling!

Now it's time to pose in front of the tree. Katrina.

Hannah.

Andrew.

Got to love our hats! I wanted to look more like an elf! LOL!

And of course Charlie! Don't you just want to give him a squeeze?!

A very difficult week...

2011-11-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

On November 10th, I started experiencing the worst pain in my abdomen I had felt since having kids. I started going back and forth on what it could be. I stayed home from church on that night with a heating pad on my stomach. I continued having pain for over a week when I finally decided it was time to go get it taken care of.

My doctor is very thorough so she sent me for blood work and an ultrasound. A few of the possible things I had were appendicitis, ovarian cysts (which I knew I had), and possibly cancer. I had an ultrasound that showed spots on my kidney, something "abnormal" on my liver. They could not get me in for another ultrasound until the end of the week. I was still in a lot of pain during this time, but they didn't want to give me anything until they knew what was wrong with me. I tried not to worry and rest in the fact that God is the best physician I know! Well Friday finally came, I did not sleep the night before. The ultrasound went well, of course she could not tell me much. Well by 3:00 pm my doctor had called me with the results. Diverticulitis! I had heard this term before. Our pastor's wife has it as well. Funny thing is that our Pastor had told us it sounded a lot like what his wife has and I should go on a liquid died. He told us that at my first onset of pain. Lesson learned....listen to your Pastor!!

My white blood count was very high so they put me on an antibiotic as well.

Ok so now what. I spent the whole evening Friday researching what diverticulitis was exactly. Not pretty, in any form. It's basically little pockets that have formed in the large intestine that traps stuff. It's caused from years of eating junk! So we purged the cupboards this weekend. We are trusting in God to provide the extra funds needed to eat the things I have to.

I started searching Scripture to see what God had to say about our bodies. He really has a lot to say!! I started with 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Ouch! This got me to thinking, have I been honoring God with my body? I mean I quit smoking, I do not drink...so I was taking care of it. Right?! Not really! I was putting "foreign" things into my body in the form of food. I'm talking about processed, boxed, and full of extra "stuff" so it can sit on the shelf for a year foods. A diet of these kinds of foods has literally started eating away at my digestive system.

Making our food from scratch is not that hard! I've posted on this very blog how easy it is to make your own Cream of...Soup. But my laziness got the best of me! It was easier to just go to the store and purchase a can of it to use. Homemade macaroni and cheese is not that hard to make. It does not take that long either.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." I know this verse is talking about doing away with the actions and attitudes that were leading them astray. But if I'm feeding my body junk I am not going to be able to serve God in the way He wants me to. Life is full of choices, not only the choice to follow God and accept Christ, but the daily choices we make in life. Food has become my comfort. When I'm happy, sad, stressed, or upset I turn to food. When in reality I need to turn to God!!

I am re-reading "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst. In chapter 17 she is talking about choices. "We were created to be God's representatives as we live out loud the message of God in our daily lives. But I'll be honest, the last thing I feel like doing when I'm living in a defeated state with my food issues is to reach out to other people."

I struggle with food! But I love it! I will attempt to document my transformation with my new food lifestyle. It will not be easy. I've been on a liquid diet since Friday. My body is not happy! Yes Praise God! the pains are gone. But I have a headache that is fierce. I tend to get grumpy when I don't get what I want when it comes to food. I'm being real honest here! I would appreciate prayers for me and my family.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-11-21T09:39:00.000-05:00

Weather in my neck of the woods...

Pretty mild for this time of the year. We have not had our "typical" snowfall yet for this time of the year. Our children are not happy about that...neither is my Dad for that matter. You see each year when we get our first ground covering of snow we make gingerbread. Enough said! :-)

Things that make me happy...

The soft glow of candles and soon Christmas tree lights!!

Book I'm Reading...

Bible

A few books on healthy cooking

Made to Crave

What I'm enjoying on TV...

I'm watching Phineas and Ferb with my son Andrew. I really think this show is cute...there I said it! I can't complain...he watched "Love Comes Softly" with me this weekend.

On the menu for dinner...

I'm not really sure. I can't eat solid foods yet. But I'll probably make something with hamburger for my family.

On my To Do list...

Finish preparing for Thanksgiving.

Decorate for Christmas!! YEA!

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon...

Cowboy Spaghetti

In the craft basket...

Same as last week. I was way too sick.

Looking forward to this week...

Thanksgiving. This is the first year we have stayed home. It will be just the 5 of us. I am very excited about it...first time I've ever cooked a whole Thanksgiving meal.

Tips and Tricks...

When it comes to Christmas shopping, start early and buy a little bit here and there. BUT stick to your list. Remember it's not all about the gifts we get, but the gift that God gave us...Christ!

My favorite blog post this week...

Tutorial on making your own book at McGuffey's World.

New Discovered Blog...

McGuffey's World. I love love love old books. Our daughter Hannah loves the McGuffey books. She has one of them and just reads it over and over.

Favorite picture...

I SO enjoyed my time at Women of Faith. Most of all I was able to share it with my daughter Katrina. She had a ball. Here she is enjoying Mary Mary. Sorry about the blur...she was getting her groove on!

Lesson Learned this past few days...

The typical "all-American" diet is really not good for a person's body. We rely way too much on processed foods. They are destroying our bodies!! I'm finishing up a post on my recent diagnosis that really opened my eyes to this.

Praying for...

The changes we have to make here to the way we eat.

Thanksgiving

Our community and ways we can minister to those in need.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

I've been searching scripture about the body. God has a lot to say about how we treat our bodies. When we accept Christ our body becomes a temple. I started thinking wow I'm really not caring for this temple. The stuff I was putting in it really is not how God designed it to work.

To see other Happy Homemakers visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

TOS Review~~Read Naturally

2011-11-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

Read Naturally was founded by a Special Education teacher Candyce Ihnot and her husband Tom. Their program is based on a unique system to help struggling readers.

The program we got to review was the One Minute Reader. This program is used to help children with their reading fluency. First a child reads the story alone out loud, then with the CD, then alone again. Then when they feel confident they read it out loud to an adult. At the end of the story there is a very short quiz to test the memory recall. One Minute Reader has six different levels, you can go to their website and view samples to see what is best for your child.

You can purchase the One Minute Reader starter kit for $24.95, which includes one book, audio CD, timer, pencil, and instructional DVD.

OUR THOUGHTS:

We got the One Minute Reader starter kit Level 1.

We also received the Level 3 Disasters (book and CD) to review.

I really wish I would of heard of this product when we first started homeschooling! The stories interesting enough to hold the attention of my kids, but not too long where they get board with them.

For review purposes we had Hannah use this. She has auditory processing disorder and really struggles in remembering what she reads. The fact that she can hear, see it and touch it really has helped her.

She did not get upset when the timer went off and time was up. She learned to take her time and read through the story. As the weeks went on she picked up the pace. It was really amazing seeing how well this worked...right before my eyes. It was the best Christmas present I could of received.

If your child struggles with reading, remembering what they read, or how fast they read this is for you! We are defiantly sold!!

To see what other TOS Review crew members are saying go HERE.

As a part of TOS Homeschool review crew we received the above products free in exchange for my honest review.

TOS Review~~Mammoth Math

2011-11-17T19:23:00.000-05:00

Math Mammoth offers inexpensive yet high quality math worksheets for grades 1-8. Books are available as print or for download. The directions are very easy to understand for the student. All books are written by Maria Miller. Her goal with each of the series of books is for the student to fully understand the concepts presented. The books are self teaching and require little preparation of the parent.

As a part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew we were given a choice of one of five:

The Blue Series-

This series is on a specific topic such as addition, subtraction, place value and so on.

The download version is $2.00-$7.00. Print edition is available.

The Light Blue Series-

This is a mastery based full elementary curriculum for grades 1-6.

Each year curriculum is $34.00 for the download version. Print versions are also available.

The Golden Series-

This series is best used for review purposes. It contains worksheets on with no instruction.

Complete grade collection is $12.00-$14.50

The Green Series-

This series is organized by topic for grades 3-7. Workbooks are on varying topics such as geometry, integers, statistics, or measuring.

Each individual topic is $2.50-$9.00

OUR THOUGHTS:

We chose The Green Series on measuring. This worked out great for our family. While we were working with one child the other ones could be reviewing their measurement skills. They covered everything from length, weight, capacity, estimating, systems, word problems, temperature and time.

There are some days when our kids just want to work on worksheets. These are great for that. Especially when it gets close to the end of the year testing.

My middle daughter Hannah has trouble learning her math facts. The worksheets have been great for her because it is only one sheet. It will not overwhelm her, also it is not full of colored pictures that distract her.

I also love that the grade level is not written on the pages. So many time Hannah gets so down because she is only at a certain level in Math which is not her grade level. Thank you Math Mammoth and Maria Miller for giving our children the confidence they need to do well in Math!!

To see what my other crew mates are saying visit The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog HERE.

As a part of TOS homeschool review crew we were given a free download of Mammoth Math for review purposes.

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Squash Apple Soup

2011-11-17T14:06:00.000-05:00

My mom and I had this at a craft day we went to. I LOVE this soup! It's perfect with left over squash from Thanksgiving.

Squash Apple Soup

4 1/2 cups cooked butternut squash mashed

1 box chicken stock

1 granny smith apple, peeled cored and chopped

2 Tablespoons minced onion

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Optional: curry 1/4 teaspoon or more.

Place in slow cooker, cover. Cook on high for 2 hours. Then in a blender (carefully!!) or handheld blender puree.

You can add heavy cream to it at the very end before serving. But I never have. The curry adds another depth of flavor to it. YUM!

TOS Review~~VocabCafe

2011-11-15T19:45:00.000-05:00

VocabCafe is a new series of books written for teens. Each book has an exciting story with about 300 SAT vocabulary words written right in the story. Each word is printed in bold and italics to stand out. The word is also defined at the bottom of the page.

The books contain no foul language, inappropriate materials or sorcery. Although I.M. for Murder does have some material that might be upsetting for some children. Parents use discretion when using this book with your children.

College Prep Genius is having a sale going on right now. You can get all four books for the cost of three. For $38.85 you can get:

IM for Murder
Operation High school
Planet Exile
Summer of St Nick

You can also purchase each book individually for $12.95.

OUR THOUGHTS:

We have always struggled with our kids to do their vocabulary words. BUT when you put them inside of a very interesting story they will learn them! We loved them! What I liked the best was that the definitions were right at the bottom of the page. They are especially great for those that have trouble with story recall. Before reading the story we went over the new words. We practiced them and learned how to say them. I even went one step further and had them write the words out three times each. My kids learn best if they hear, see, and write it.

See what my other crew mates are saying go HERE.

***As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we received 4 books free in exchange for my honest review.***

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-11-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

The Weather in my Neck of the Woods...

Very mild and more like spring than late fall.

Things that make me Happy...

Being home

Book I'm Reading...

Bible

Stumbling into Grace by Lisa Harper

Fresh Brewed Life by Nicole Johnson

What I'm Enjoying on TV...

We are starting to watch some of our holiday favorites.

On the Menu for Dinner...

Spaghetti with Sausage

On My To Do List...

Finish organizing stuff

Get ready for the Pampered Chef party Saturday!!

New Recipe I tried or want to try Soon...

Garlic Twists from My Crowded Kitchen

In the Craft Basket...

Some crochet projects...I love my college classes, but I'm ready to be done so I have more time to do things I enjoy.

Looking forward to this week...

Pampered Chef party

Tips and Tricks...

Really have nothing

My favorite blog post this week...

My Women of Faith post

New discovered blog...

My Crowded Kitchen...I have been searching for blogs that talk about gardening in Urban settings. I came across this one the other day.

Favorite Photo...

My girls!

Lesson Learned the past few days...

I've been reading some of the Compassion bloggers posts about their time in Ecuador. I came to realize most of us really have no idea what it's like to live in poverty. Some of the people they have talked to live in a very small brick or stone "hut". We may not have the money each week to buy the kind of food I would like to make...but at least we have food! Read this post by Ann Voskamp and you will be forever changed!

On my mind...

People of Ecuador. It seems God has been opening my eyes more to the people of that country. It seems to be in my thoughts and prayers so often now. We are excited to be hosting a missionary family that is headed to Ecuador soon!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

Proverbs 16:9

"A man's heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps."

Sometimes we need to just step back and let God lead.

To see other Happy Homemaker posts visit Sandra at Diary of a SAHM.

Molly Saves! in the Laundry Room

2011-11-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

When I first opened this issue of Molly Saves! my first thought was "well I don't have a laundry room. My washer and dryer are in the basement." But as I dove into this issue I was plesantly surprised. Just like all the other issues....don't let the "in the Laundry Room" fool you into thinking it is NOT for you! This issue is packed full of information!

Each issue of Molly Saves! is packed full of money saving tips to fit any area of your life. From the "This N That" calendar to "Something old to new" there is something that will interest everyone.

My daughter has really stared to love cooking. So every month I let her go at it with the Molly menu. We print the shopping list and away she goes. We live close to the grocery store so she can walk. It really makes her feel a little more independent. She is also learning about planning meals right down to how much it will cost. That is a life skill everyone needs.

She made the Chicken Cacciatore..but with boneless skinless chicken. It was SO GOOD!!

The thing that I loved best in this issue and will use f.o.r.e.v.e.r is the stain removal chart. I have printed it and placed it in a plastic sleeve next to the washer.

For only $4.95 you get everything in this issue and so many more articles. But wait theres more...(I've always wanted to say that) for only $3.95/month you can become a Molly Member where not only do you get the current issue of Molly Saves! but you get many more goodies during the month. This month we got a free e-book, printable laundry sign, and many other laundry goodies! Not only that but we got many Thanksgiving printables.

**I was given a Molly Membership in exchange for my honest review.**

TOS ReviewBower BooksThe Person I Marry

2011-11-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a book comes a long that is just so touching, heartwarming and a must have for everyone with children. This is how I feel about our latest review, The Person I Marry by Gary and Jan Bower. This book is so beautifully written it is simply breath-taking. On each of the 30 plus pages there are qualities written in the background of what a person should be looking for in the person they marry. I love that! Our children are almost all teenagers, so we talk a little more about future spouses. Taking each one of these qualities and doing a complete study of it is what we are going to start doing. I also plan on taking each of these qualities and putting it into a scrapbook for each of my children.

This book is also a great gift idea. Wedding, baby shower, bridal shower ect. This books gives you the "something to think about".

It is very important to me that my children not make the same mistakes I have in the past. This book is a good start to making sure that does not happen. I loved this book. I can not wait to get the hardcover version. We are planning on purchasing one for each of our children to put away for that special day.

Quote I liked from the book:

"Who needs a person that's charming and flirty? I prefer someone who's hands can get dirty..."

BOOK INFORMATION:

Purchase for $11.99 on Bower Books website.

32 page hardcover with beautiful illustrations

Gary and Jan Bower have written other books as well they are:

What Do Heroes Wear?

There's a Party in Heaven

The Jingle in my Pocket

Go HERE and see what my fellow crew mates have to say about this book.

**I received a digital copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review.**

Blogger is giving me trouble in loading pictures. I will post pictures tomorrow.

Women of Faith Weekend

2011-11-08T15:17:00.000-05:00

Like I mentioned last week, I was attending the Women of Faith Imagine event. Well the weekend came and went. It has taken me a few days to digest everything I learned. I took so many notes it filled up half of a notebook!

I was given 2 tickets from Booksneeze and Women of Faith for this event. It was not a difficult choice in who I was going to take....my 17 year old daughter Katrina.

It was not only a time of Spiritual strengthening, but also a time for mother-daughter bonding. I planned a whole weekend for us, including a hotel stay. We laughed, cried, prayed and walked away spiritually renewed!

Come along with me and I'll help you "Imagine" what it was like to be at this event.

We arrived a little early on Friday morning so we had to wait outdoors. It was nice to chat with other women of faith!

The Women of Faith worship team was phenomenal!! Their voices blended into one.

This is our host, Lori Robertson. One of the reoccurring things I noticed throughout the whole weekend was the genuineness of each person that was involved with Women of Faith.

First we heard from Sheila Walsh.

She stopped and gave us a nice little pose! Here is what I got from her portion of the event:

God has made amazing promises to us. It's up to us to learn what they are! (Proverbs 4:1)
No matter how much I change God's Word will forever stay the same.
Learn to thank God in the storm. Not after the storm.
Submit to the refiners fire: God wants us more like Christ. In order to shape iron they must heat it up.
See yourself as a daughter of the King...not as what you do...wife, mother, doctor, lawyer ect.
What if all my baggage was visible to everyone that could see me. All the unforgiven, hurt, bitterness ect.

She then closed her portion with a beautiful song! I had NO idea she could sing. Such a sweet voice from and equally sweet lady!

Next up on the stage was Dr. Henry Cloud...yes! there was a man there. He is a clinical psychologist. But don't let that fool you! I could of sat there all day listening to him speak. Here is some of what I learned from him:

God is always moving us. Do not get comfortable where you are at.
God has wired us for a life of giving.
You can not take your "Egypt" with you. Let go of things!
"Weeping during the night brings you joy in the morning."
We have to let go of things to let God take us on that next step of the journey.
The root of happiness is connectedness.

We were also blessed with musical acts. Mary Mary was a duo I had never heard of. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them.

They got their name "Mary Mary" from the 2 Mary's from the Bible. They are actually sisters, Tina and Elizabeth.

Natalie Grant performed as well. I was familiar with her. She has such a sweet voice, and a sweet disposition to match. She is very humble.

We heard from Nicole Johnson. WOW just about sums it all up! Her first time on the stage she did the "Hat" skit where she is acting out the different rolls women have, Mom, Worker, Chef, Psychologist, Lover, Chauffeur and accountant. But during the last session she came out on stage as herself. She humbled herself to share very personal things about her life. Here are some things I learned:

Criticism is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Anger is hard to admit. We would rather lie and say everything is ok.
Anger comes back in many forms.
Anger is a signal or a "check engine" soon light.
Broken pieces..."Bring your trash to God and He will give you a treasure." Think of stain glass, pieces of broken glass used to create something beautiful.
We are to model Christ and His behavior.

Next up was Angie Smith, fellow blogger and wife to Todd Smith of Selah.

If you have never read her story you really need to visit her blog and read it. I linked to it above. But be forewarned...you will need tissues!! Here is what I got from her:

We can hold onto others or hold onto Jesus.
Are you going to trust in what you can see and feel or are you going to trust in Jesus.
No matter what your background is, you CAN be a women of faith.
If you take your eyes off of Jesus you will start to sink.

We were also entertained by Ken Davis...sorry I was laughing way too much to take any pictures. It was the first time I ever had the pleasure of hearing him. He was hysterical!

We also heard from Lisa Harper. No speaker has ever touched me in the way Lisa Harper did for me. She talked about many things from her past. Much of which I could relate to. I was brought to tears listening to her. It has brought up to the surface many things I have tried to forget. God used Lisa and Women of Faith to bring this stuff up for me to finally give to Him to help me deal with.

Am I afraid to trust? Am I afraid to open my heart to another?
The Bible is a love story about a Prince who fell in love with a messy bride.
We need to be involved with the unlovable.
With God you can get rid of that "dragon" of shame.
You will struggle in your life. Jesus will help me through the struggles. (John 16:33-34)

The greatest moment of this weekend is when I looked over at my daughter and saw this:

Her face is filled with God Joy!! All the tears and hurt that came to the surface for me were wiped away when I saw her precious face!!

If you have never attended a Women of Faith event you really must!! You will laugh, cry and be refreshed during the 2 day event. I can not say enough about Women of Faith. This might have been my first time attending one but it most certainly will not be my last!! As a matter of fact I am going to be a group leader for next year's event here in Rochester, NY!

As I was finishing up this post I got a phone call from my daughter because of her experience at Women of Faith she went to see our Pastor. She rededicated her life to Christ!!!! This is by far the GREATEST thing that came out of our experience.

Thank You from the bottom of this mother's heart Booksneeze and Women of Faith for this opportunity to attend the event!!

**I was given 2 free tickets from Booksneeze and Women of Faith in exchange for my honest review.**

TOS Review~~First Form Latin

2011-11-03T23:43:00.000-04:00

As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we had the opportunity to review products from Memoria Press. This company was founded in 1993 by Cheryl Lowe.

We were sent First Form Latin to use and review.

The basic curriculum which sells for $55 contains:

Student Text

Student Workbook

Pronunciation CD

Teacher's Manual

Book of Quizzes

Tests

The First Form Latin Plus which sells for $115 contains:

Everything listed above plus:

Flashcards

DVD's

You can go and view sample pages from Lesson 8:

All purchases come with a 60 day money back guarantee, and any CD or DVD that stops working can be replaced.

OUR THOUGHTS:

There is a lot to this curriculum, BUT, it is not hard to teach. I loved the ease of the lessons. There are usually only a couple of pages for the students to complete. Trust me when I say, you do not need to know Latin to teach this curriculum! This product is very complete. I loved that the emphasis is on learning not just memorizing.

***I received this product free as a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew in exchange for my honest review.***

Gratitude Challenge~~Day 3

2011-11-03T17:58:00.000-04:00

Today and everyday for that matter I am thankful for my amazing husband! He is the most handsome, hardworking, caring, loving, and most importantly....Loves God and serving Him.

Recently it has been a blessing to see him come out of his shell and start serving in huge ways. He has really hit the ground running. He is starting up an AWANA program at our church! He not only works full-time, he is also a full time student at Liberty University Online. He only has a few class left there, then it's onto seminary.

This Saturday will be our 6th anniversary.

Our fearless Co-Crew leader is hosting this great challenge. Go on over and jump on board with the challenge!

Women of Faith 2011~~Girls weekend!!

2011-11-02T15:40:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted to go to one of these events. But many things kept me from going. Mainly it always seemed we just did not have the extra money to afford it. Also, one big factor that kept me from going is it always falls on the weekend of our anniversary here. So when Booksneeze had said they were going to be picking bloggers to attend for FREE I was all over it!! After ~~begging~~ asking my husband if it would be OK for me to go, I quickly ran and filled out the entry form. I waited a few weeks, then after I had given up on the possibility of being picked when I got the email!! WOOHOO!

I just can not wait. I was given 2 tickets. It was really not hard to choose who I was going to take. My daughter who is 17years old. Our relationship is good...but like any Mom with a 17 year old knows....it can be very bumpy at times. So I have planned a whole weekend just for the two of us. We are staying in a hotel and attending the conference! I'm even surprising her with dinner out to one of her favorite restaurants between sessions.

So here is the line up of people we will have the honor of hearing:

Sheila Walsh

Luci Swindoll

Lisa Harper

Nicole Johnson

Angie Smith

Ken Davis

Natalie Grant

Mary Mary

WOW what a line up!! I am so excited to see God work in big ways this weekend. I'm familiar with everyone on the list except for Mary Mary. I went and looked them up and found out that my daughter will like them. I'm looking forward to everyone of the speakers...but I'm more anxious to hear Angie Smith...my friend Terese interviewed her recently and I was moved by that. I'm disappointed that Sandi Patty will not be there this year. I have ALWAYS wanted to see her!

So check back on Sunday or Monday when I have the event post up. I plan on taking alot of pictures. Soooo just be forewarned! Have a great weekend everyone!!

2011 Gratitude Challenge~~Day 2

2011-11-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

DAY 2

I have been writing my list of things that I'm thankful for, but the one I had planned for today will be tomorrow. Today I'm thankful for ALL the men and women who give up their time to help others. I'm talking about Volunteer Firefighters and EMS personnel. I'm thankful for the ones who are paid, but volunteers have an extra special spot in my life.

Last night a family lost their home in a fire. When that siren goes off I always say a prayer for my friends who are running out of their homes to run into danger. Thank you guys!

TOS Review~~Excellence in Literature

2011-11-01T20:11:00.000-04:00

The best part about being on The Review Crew is getting products that you would never have otherwise thought of getting for your family. I've seen this product around but we never got it. Everyday Education has a lot of great products written by Janice Campbell for homeschooling for each season of life. You can visit her blog Taking Time for Things That Matter for great information.

Excellence in Literature was created as a college prep course. This is probably why we never thought to get it. My oldest daughter's have learning disabilities that have them below their "grade" level. So for whatever reason I usually skip over the ones that say "college" in them. That will NEVER happen again. You have to step outside of your comfort zone from time to time. Your children will really amaze you!

The book is broken up into 9 units. Your child will start off with short stories and then go onto other classics like:

"Around the World in 80 Days" by Jules Verne

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

"Treasure Island" by Robert Lewis Stevenson

"Animal Farm" by George Orwell

"The Tempest" by William Shakespeare

and many more.

The cost of a print book is $29 plus shipping.

The cost of an ebook is $27 with instant access to the book.

OUR THOUGHTS:

Getting my children to read is like pulling teeth. They just do not like it. But this really helped them pick up books they might not have enjoyed. We started out with reading them aloud all of us. But eventually they started picking up the books on their own. They could not wait to see what was going to happen. Especially Andrew when he was reading "Around the World in 80 Days". Then when I shared with the kids that their assignments were going to involve writing...oh boy. Next to reading this was the other thing they all dread. But they picked up the pencils and away they went. I was very proud of them. Especially my daughter Hannah. She really struggles with writing. She enjoys it the most of our children. But she has a hard time doing it. She really blew me away with how far she has come with her writing!! It really does this Mother's heart good to see that successful face she makes.

This is a great product. Please don't make the same mistakes I have made when choosing a curriculum. Read everything you can about something before deciding if it's for you or not. Contact the publisher/writer. They are usually more than willing to help you. Excellence in Literature is an amazing product that will push your child...but not push them so far they give up.

To see what my other crew mates are saying about this go HERE.

***As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was sent this product free in exchange for my honest review.***

2011 Gratitude Challenge~~Day 1

2011-11-01T13:26:00.000-04:00

Brenda over at My Homeschool Garden is hosting a Gratitude Challenge. I am excited to take the time and reflect on the things in my life God has given me. Sadly I let "life" cloud my view of God's goodness many times.

So for today I am so thankful that God sent His only Son to die for me! Did you see that He gave His Son so that I might have eternal life. But the best part...He did it for you as well. It's a free gift...all you have to do is take it! Thank you Lord for all you have done and continue to do in my life!

Ephesians 2:8

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

TOS Review~~Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks

2011-10-30T17:11:00.000-04:00

As a part of The Old Schoolhouse's Homeschool Review Crew we were sent Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks book and DVD of Fire Safety Songs published by Marshall Publishing Inc.

This book and DVD can be purchased HERE for $29.95.

This product was by far a favorite of our son, Andrew! Why....he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. Oh I stand corrected...he just told me he WILL be a firefighter when he grows up.

Photo Credit: Batavia Daily News

The above picture is not my son. :-)

The book was full of great information about firefighting. It has everything from the protective clothing to recipes. Andrew and I are excited to get into the kitchen and make some of the things listed in this book. You will get a great overview of firefighting equipment as well. Notice in the picture below...although it's upside down...Andrew made his own SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus)

Andrew eats, breaths and lives to be a firefighter. This is my son, words of advise...do not leave the grill when he is around. :-)

We have enjoyed looking through and learning about all the trucks involved in the fire company. When we see one out and about we start discussing what that truck does. Because I am a former member of the fire service I remember what the function of the trucks are. But it was great to have the little refresher.

The DVD had a number of catchy songs. I still hear my son singing these songs....ok yes I do as well. Some might say they are "cheesy" but go in and get your inner child...you will soon find yourself singing right along. They are very catchy!

In the back of the book are wonderful websites for you to further explore information about the fire service. We have enjoyed looking at these.

If you go HERE to Marshall Publishing's website. Not only do they publish the Firefighting book and DVD, they also have Monster Trucks, Jets and Planes, Trains and many more.

You can visit TOS Homeschool Review Crew's blog and see what my other crew mates are saying as well about this.

***As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were sent the Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks book and DVD free in exchange for my honest review.***

TOS Homeschool Crew Review~~Say Anything

2011-10-28T00:22:00.000-04:00

NorthStar Games has a number of family and party games are designed to bring families closer. As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were sent the game Say Anything Family edition. This game is a simple game to play and lots of fun!! This game is geared toward ages 8 and up. You can play with 3-6 players.

Here is how you play:

One player chooses a card and reads the question. Our question was "What doesn't taste better with ketchup?"

Everyone but the person reading the question writes their answer on the dry-erase boards that are included. The person who reads the question also...secretly chooses their favorite answer. Then the other players place their tokens on the card they think will be the answer picked as the favorite.

Each player gets points according to what was picked. The most any player can score in one round is 3.

This game is a lot of fun and really starts a lot of cool conversations. I look forward to playing this game again and again. Bring back family game night with these really nice games from NorthStar Games. It is so refreshing to play a game that does not have a ton of rules to go along with it, where you are too tired to play the game after learning how.

The price starts at 19.99 and can be found at places like Target, Amazon.com and we even found it at Borders Bookstore.

**As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were sent this game free in exchange for our honest review.**

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Cajun-Style Chicken

2011-10-27T14:34:00.000-04:00

We love chicken wings here. Well we love the flavor of them here! There just isn't a lot for your dollar when you buy chicken wings. So I usually take the chicken wing sauce and cook boneless skinless chicken breasts in it.

Now this is S.P.I.C.Y! You can alter it to your liking.

Cajun-Style Buffalo Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces

1 bottle of spicy BBQ Sauce

1/2 - 1 tsp red cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon onion flakes

3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

4 Tablespoons chicken wing sauce

Add all ingredients except chicken mix well. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. YUM!!

You can also do this with whole boneless skinless chicken breasts. After they are done cooking you can shred them and put on totillas with all the fixings.

I'm hooking up with Diary of a SAHM for Slow Cooking Thursday. Come on over and join in on the fun.

TOS Homeschool Crew Review~~Wits and Wagers Family

2011-10-25T23:48:00.000-04:00

As a part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew we were blessed with the opportunity to review this very cool game. Wits and Wagers Family is for everyone! The game, which is from Northstar Games, is very simple to play, without a lot of rules and regulations.

You can play this game with 3-10 people ages 8 and up. There are 300 different trivia questions. You pick a card and read the question. My daughter and I played this game just the 2 of us...for the pictures. It worked ok playing with just 2.

Each player writes down their answer on their dry-erase answer boards.

THEN you take your very cute "Meeples" and place it next to your answer. But if you think someone else's answer is right place a "Meeple" on their answer.

The winning answer is the one closest without going over. There are three ways to earn points. You get one point for answering exactly right. You get one point for placing a small "Meeple" on the right/closest to the answer board. You get two points for placing your large "Meeple" on the right/closest answer board.

We were just starting the game here but the first player to 15 wins the game.

This game is a great game for families! It's also that game you will go to when you have people over. Kids and adults alike will love this game. I can not say enough great things about this game. What better way to bring your family together then a nice friendly game. It's time to bring back the family game night.

This will make a wonderful Christmas gift.

Go on over to the Northstar Games website and get yourself one for $15.23.

You can find Northstar Games on Facebook.

You can go HERE and see what my other crew mates are saying about this game.

**As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was sent this game free in exchange for my honest review.**

Canning Jar Potpourri Warmer

2011-10-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

The weather is getting cold here in NY. So when that happens I start to get into the holiday mode. This time of year is my favorite! Thanksgiving, CHRISTmas and New Years. Each day I realize more and more how much I have to be thankful for. My family is amazing. My husband works so hard to provide for our family. The list goes on and on.

When it's cold outside I love the soft glow of candles. But it is not always possible to have a candle going. Or if you are like me...I will sometimes forget to blow out the candle. Last year at a ladies craft day at church my Mom demonstrated how to make the jar above. I have a ton of canning jars that I can not use anymore for canning. So I thought I'd make one of the above jars to give away at CHRISTmas and just because gifts.

So here you go:

Gather your supplies. Jar, CHRISTmas lights, potpourri, doily.

Start by pouring some of the potpourri into the jar.

Then start placing the lights into the jar. Add more potpourri into the jar in layers. Alternate until the jar is full.

I also use a wooden spoon to gently push the potpourri into the jar. It also helps to arrange the lights.

Place the doily over the top of the jar with the cord sticking out. I just put the cord through one of the holes. Place the screw band on to hold doily in place. Add a ribbon if you like. I love the soft glow of the lights. I have one in each room of the house. These last for so long.

Seeing these jars lit up is so warm and welcoming to me.

Pressure Canning 101

2011-10-23T16:03:00.000-04:00

This past spring we found a great deal on a pressure canner. I've been wanting one for so long....but frankly I was afraid of them. I had heard many stories of the canners exploding. So for years I secretly wished for one, but never wanted to get one because of my fear. This year we took the plunge and bought one.

Introducing the Presto 16 Quart Pressure Canner. So I'll give you a little tutorial on my first time using this. I did not get pictures of every step, but I'm sure you will get the just of it.

Step 1...Put your EMS friends on stand-by! No really I did make sure my EMS friends were within the district. :-) You can never be too careful. Safety first. :-)

Step 2...Put an experienced canner on the speed dial. Mine was Rebecca of Foodie with Family.

Step 3...Prepare the food you want to can. I kept it simple for my first time. I made applesauce.

Step 4...Place applesauce into hot jars and seal with lid and screw band.

Step 5...Pour boiling water into your pressure canner. There are lines on the inside of the canner to tell you how much to add. Easy! Place the jars into the canner and put the top on. I found that there is only one way you can put the top on.

Step 6...put the fire on high and bring the pressure up in the canner. When the steam starts coming out of the top place your weight on the top. It will start dancing around. Feel free to boogie with it!! Once it starts dancing adjust the fire so that it is dancing a slow jig not a fast one. Now start timing it according to what you are canning. 5 pounds of pressure for 10 minutes was what I did for the applesauce.

Step 7...let the canner reduce pressure on it's own. Just turn off the stove and let it sit. Remove the lid away from you. Take the jars out of the canner and place them on a towel to cool. Make sure they do not touch.

I have no idea why I was ever afraid of the pressure canners. The new models of pressure canners are not your grandma's canners!! I'm completely hooked!! Next week I'm going to make soup, and apple pie filling. I might even do pumpkin as well. YEA!!

TOS Review~Educating the WholeHearted Child

2011-10-22T22:03:00.001-04:00

Everyday I start my day in the Word. The Bible is my instruction book in life and in our homeschool.

Each day I'm always asking God, "Am I doing this right?" Meaning teaching the children the right way. As a part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Review Crew we were sent "Educating the WholeHearted Child" written by Clay Clarkson with Sally Clarkson. I have heard so many good things about this book, but for whatever reason we never bought it.

When it arrived in the mail I was in awe of it!! I never realized how big it was. It is a B.I.G. book....376 pages!

Now after my time with God in the morning, I immediately open this book. Sometimes we just need that reassurance we are doing things right. As I read through the book I felt as if I was sitting with a longtime friend sharing stories of home and homeschooling. The book is broken into 4 different sections.

Section 1: HOME

This section has everything to do with your home. "Learning to be at Home with Christ" was one of my favorites. This included our physical home and our homeschool.

Section 2: LEARNING

This section showed me really how to understand my children. Oh I know my children but sometimes I just do not understand them.

Section 3: METHODS

This section starts out with the study of the Bible. Then going into how to teach children. I think this quote from the book sums it all up for this section. "Building a strong roof of discretionary learning over their life throughout their childhood can give them a developing confidence in who they are as they enter adolescence. That roof will help hold everything together."

Section 4: LIVING

So many times I find myself comparing our children to "The Jones'" children. I then become frustrated over what our children are not doing. God used this section of the book to hit me right between the eyes. "In the end, the measure of your success in homeschooling will not be how well your children perform on achievement tests but how faithful you have been to trust God for His grace and strength in the process of discipline and educating them." I had been placing way too much into their test scores. If I just step back and "Faithfully trust God" and "Trust God's faithfulness" we all will succeed!

At the end of the book you will find a "Postscript" where you find a bunch more information. As well as a section with forms you can copy and use.

Sometimes we just need to hear you are doing this right. I wish I had bought this book when we first started homeschooling 6 years ago. I highly recommend every homeschool family buy this book. This is not a book you can borrow to just read through. You must take it section by section, piece by piece. Eventually your book will look like this:

I love the wide margins through out the book. With not only great quotes from many different people, but this book is L.O.A.D.E.D with Scripture. Love that!! So as I mentioned at the beginning, I have been using this book along with my daily quiet times. I chose a different color pen to underline the verses in my Bible. So when I needed the Scripture they will stand out to me.

When I found the Scripture in the book, I put brackets around it. Then went to my Bible and underlined it.

So as you can see this is not a book you can just read. You need to absorb it. I have learned so much from it and I look forward to finishing it. Then starting it again...it is that good.

You can purchase the book for $22.00 through their website, Apologia Education Ministries. You can also see the Table of Contents HERE. You can also download a complete chapter HERE.

**As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I received this book free, in exchange for my honest review.**

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Apple Cider Pork

2011-10-20T11:49:00.000-04:00

Nothing says fall like apple cider! Here in NY you can find it everywhere. I have just become a fan of meats cooked with fruit. OH the possibilities!! Especially apples and pork. This one is SO good!

Apple Cider Pork and Vegetables

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

6 ounces dried fruit mix

1 medium onion diced or sliced

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 1/2 pound boneless pork roast diced (I've also used boneless pork chops)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons oil

1 cup apple cider

Place the sweet potatoes, fruit mix, onion, bay leaf, salt, pepper and rosemary in slow cooker.

Dredge pork in flour and brown in oil. Place in slow cooker on top. Add cider to skillet you used to brown the pork, scrape all the bits off the bottom of the skillet. Pour over pork. Cover and cook 6-8 hours.

I'm linking up with Sandra over at Diary of a SAHM for Slow Cooking Thursday.

TOS Review~~E-Mealz

2011-10-19T23:36:00.000-04:00

WHAT IS IT?:

E-Mealz solves the What's for dinner questions! Founded in 2003 by Jane DeLaney, wife of an associate Pastor and mother to 4. E-Mealz was formed out of the frustration Jane was feeling over the difficulty of pulling dinner together for her own family. Her sister Jenny Cochran came along side of her to develop what we know today.

HOW IT WORKS?:

A three-month subscription costs $15.00. You may change meal plans once during the three months should you find that the menu you picked does not work for you.

It's as simple as 1-2-3! After you register, you have over 6 different plans. A new menu comes out each week. You print and go. Come home, cook and enjoy!

You can see below all of the different plans that are offered.

OUR THOUGHTS:

Planning our meals is something I've never gotten the hang of. For whatever reason, it's something I just never did....Until now!! Although I do not have to plan at all. This meal plan website is the best thing since sliced bread!! The meal plan we picked was the meal plan from Aldi's. But we did use the change option. We found that the "Any Store" meal plan was for us. I especially loved this because I could print the menu and grocery shopping list. I put the menu on the refrigerator and gave the shopping list to my husband! He did the shopping. L.O.V.E it!!

The recipes are listed right on the menu. So I hung it on the refrigerator ready for supper time. The recipes were so easy AND delicious. We did not have a meal we did not like. Not only do you get the plan for the main dish, but side dishes as well!

One day we had this:

Chicken and Cannellini Soup (couldn't find cannellini beans so we used kidney beans)

Another day we had this:

Portabella Pot Roast

We also had this:

Hamburger Pizzas

Like I said before...we had nothing we didn't like. All the recipes are very quick and easy to make. Even for beginner cooks. I am hooked on this! This has taken a big weight off my shoulders. I use to have all day to plan on what we were going to have for supper...then my husband's hours changed at work. He now works afternoons and we eat our big meal at noon. This does not give me a lot of time to plan. This has solved this problem. Thank you E-Mealz! It is SO worth the money!!

As a part of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I was given a 3 month subscription free in exchange for my honest review.

TOS Review~~Always Icecream

2011-10-19T11:02:00.001-04:00

WHAT IS IS?:

Always Icecream

An online virtual world for girls ages 7-12. The cost is $4.99 per month or 29.99 per year. You can even get a lifetime membership for $99.99.

Below are a few screen shots:

This program has something for everyone. Your child will learn basic math, advanced math, language arts, science, geography, history, music, art, foreign language and computer skills and if you want you can add religious education.

Your child has to do the lessons in order to earn the scoops in order to build their homes in the virtual world.

OUR THOUGHTS:

Our daughter loved this! What I love about it was she could not build her home or decorate things until she was done with the lessons and earned the scoops. We do not school normally on Friday but she would always ask to do school. That is a success in my book. When a child asks to do school that is a success in my book.

When she worked hard at her lessons she was rewarded. She learned not only educational but that hard work pays off.

To see other reviews you can view them HERE.

**As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew we recieved a membership to Always Icecream free in exchange for my honest review.**

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-10-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

Weather in my neck of the woods...

Very autumn like. I had to break out the sweaters...LOVE IT!

Things that make me happy...

Fall! Apples, pumpkins and squash oh my.

Book(s) I'm Reading...

Bible

"Power of a Praying Wife Devotional" (review)

"A Dream Unfolding" (review)

"Brokenness"

What I'm enjoying on TV...

nothing much...news right now

On the menu for dinner...

We had the best few meals due to a great review that is coming up soon. Today we had Pizza Burgers. YUM!

On my To Do List...

Take 2 Exams for my classes.

Laundry

Finish going through the closets

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon...

Pizza Burgers...These were SO good. Review coming soon.

In the Craft Basket...

Still getting things organized. But getting closer to getting my little corner of the den.

Looking forward to this week...

Getting our apples to make applesauce! YUM!!

Tips and Tricks...

No tips or tricks this week. It is really difficult to type this up with kids asking me questions. LOL!

My Favorite Blog post this Week...

This is one I found this week, but it is an older one. Again it is on All Things Delicious. It is called...Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring...OH MY! Is this good...and easy!

New Discovered Blog...

All Things Delicious

Favorite Picture...

Last Monday we had a horrible day here! My daughter snapped this picture of my other daughter praying.

Lesson learned the Past few days...

This week was full of emotional stress. It seemed to encompass our whole life. Everyone knew it was satan...but still we all fell into the trap he had set. Now we are onto healing and coming together. We are sad over the events that happened this past week, but God is SO good. We are in a better place. God brings us through things for HIS glory...good and bad.

On my Mind...

Our Church

My sister who is currently in the hospital with some sort of infection.

Family Members

Upcoming holidays...SO excited for our church to be a part of the town CHRISTmas celebration.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

Psalm 56:5-7

"All day they twist my words;

All their thoughts are against me for evil.

They gather together,

They hide, they mark my steps,

When they lie in wait for my life.

Shall they escape by iniquity?

In anger cast down the peoples,

O God!"

To see other Happy Homemaker Posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

Review~~Molly Saves! In the Dining Room

2011-10-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

This issue really excited me! In our new home we have a dining room. In this issue you will find a ton of money saving decorating ideas. A favorite of mine was the "Make a Perfect Gravy". Now there is a story behind why I loved this article. When I was a teenager my Mom was leaving for the evening and put me in charge of making the gravy for supper. BUT she left the instructions with my sister on how to make the gravy. It was on the back of the french onion soup mix. Easy right?! You'd think so. I got to work on my task in making gravy. Packet of french onion soup (check), sauce pan (check), chicken stock (check), sour cream (check). WHAT?! you don't put sour cream in your gravy. I know I was shocked also...but my Mom 's gravy was always the best. So I got to work in cooking the gravy...and cooking...and cooking. Before too long I could not move the spoon in the pan. It stood straight up in the pan. I turned off the heat and left it...my job here was done! LOL! Needless to say Dad ordered pizza that night.

Another thing I loved about this issue was the cute craft links you can make for the upcoming fall holidays. These are one that we will be making with my kids....

We are spending Thanksgiving here this year.

Not only will you get the fun decorating links in this issue, but you will also get recipes, printable calendar pages, but fun ways to decorate your dining table. You will also learn how to reuse your candle pieces and turn them into new candles! Where else can you get all this and more for under $5.00?

You can purchase the October 2011 issue of Molly Saves! In the Dining Room for $4.95. But for only $3.95/month you can become a Molly Member. Where not only do you get the current month's issue but you get a lot of extra member only ebooks and links.

***I was given the current issue free in exchange for my honest review.***

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Nachos

2011-10-13T14:56:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit

I got this recipe from a jar of Old El Paso salsa. Love it!! Sometimes my husband likes something to snack on when he gets home from work. These are perfect because I can leave the slow cooker on warm until he gets here. YUM!!

Spicy Chicken Nachos

1 block of Velveeta with jalapenos

3/4 cup salsa

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

1-2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed

1 container of sour cream

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 tablespoons of green onions chopped

Tortilla chips

Spray slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add cheese, salsa, black beans and chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once after 1 hour.

Stir in sour cream, red bell pepper, and onions. Increase heat setting to high and cook 45 minutes longer or until hot.

Serve with tortilla chips. You can leave this on warm for 2 more hours.

I am linking up with Sandra over at Diary of a SAHM for Slow Cooking Thursday.

TOS Review~~Scruble Cube

2011-10-12T10:02:00.000-04:00

Do you like Scrabble? How about the Rubik's Cube? What do you get when they both collide?

WHAT IS IT?

If you can spell you can play Scruble Cube! This cube has 96 letter pegs on the cube. This game can be used for fun or academic...but don't tell your children when they play it they are learning.

It is suggested to be played with ages 8+, but it can be used with younger children. The Scruble Cube can be purchased through their website or at Barnes and Nobles which retails at $24.95.

HOW TO PLAY:

There are different ways to play. The instruction sheet gives you 2 options with instructions. Player one makes a word consisting of 3 or more letters. Each letter on the cube has a point value, you then add up the points. You do not need to build upon the word player one completed. You can do so for extra points.

You can choose to use the included timer or just let the player take their turn.

OUR THOUGHTS:

We enjoyed this cube! It is a perfect size to fit inside of a bag for a great game on the go. We took it to the doctor's office with us. You know how long your wait can be there. We did not keep time or score, but the kids with their spelling lists in hand sat for a long time playing this.

My son even broke it out when he had friends over. I loved hearing from them "this game is cool!" I often hear kids say they can not stand spelling. This cube makes learning spelling fun. They have no idea they are still learning by playing this game.

We enjoyed this game, as did my children's friends. This will defiantly have a place on our game shelf. You can see what my other crew mates have to say about this as well HERE.

***As a member of TOS Homeschool Review Crew I received this free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.***

Making Your Home a Haven Challenge Week 1

2011-10-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

Since we have moved I have felt so overwhelmed with all there is to do to feel settled. When I saw this challenge on a fellow TOS Crewmate's Blog I thought this is PERFECT timing. So here we go!

This is hosted by Women Living Well. I can't wait to go through this. I am starting late...but better late than never.

Here is this week's challenge:

Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home. I will be starting mine in the morning! But you can start yours at dinner time. Do what makes sense for your family. I will be placing mine in the kitchen – the main hub of my home. Each time the candle catches your eye, say a prayer for peace in your home.

Each week we will have a challenge. She also has given me something to really think and pray about. On her blog post she asks if we are like one of two women. We are asked to compare the two women and see what our home is like.

HOME #1 the woman:

The woman of the home is distant.

The woman of the home is distracted.

The woman of the home is crabby.

The woman of the home is discontent.

The woman of the home does not pray.

OR am I more like:

HOME #2 the woman:

The woman of the home is engaged.

The woman of the home is wise with her time management.

The woman of the home has a pleasant demeanor.

The woman of the home is content.

The woman of the home prays.

Oh I would love to say that I'm just like the woman in home #2. But I'd be lying! I am not always engaged in the goings on in my home. I tend to get so wrapped up in what I HAVE to do I forget to do what I should be doing.

Proverbs 14:1

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

So the challenge says to light a candle and pray each time you see the flicker of the candle. I have a candle in the kitchen and a lighted potpourri pot in the living room. Same little twinkle.

It's not too late to take the Making Your Home a Haven Challenge. Go on over and visit Courtney at Women Living Well blog.

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Past Posts

2011-10-06T12:31:00.000-04:00

Since we are still trying to get settled here, I did not have any new recipes to share. So I thought I'd go back into the "vault" and find some of my favorites.

Potato Soup

Pizza Fondue

Tapioca Pudding

Hopefully next week I will have everything settled and be back in the kitchen. Go on over to Sandra's blog Diary of a SAHM to see other recipes.

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-10-03T18:36:00.000-04:00

Weather in my neck of the woods...

Very fall like. I love this time of year.

Things that make me happy...

Fall!! Apples, pumpkins, cold days, crisp evenings.

Book I'm reading...

Bible...almost done reading through in 90 Days!!

Homespun Hospitality

What I'm enjoying on TV...

Nothing much really.

On the menu for dinner...

Pork Roast, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots

On my To Do List...

Get ready for Andrew's birthday party

Gather things for our yard sale

New Recipe I tried or want to try...

Many things with apples. One I found is Crumb Topped Apple Slab.

In the craft basket...

I'm going to finally start scrapbooking again with a good friend.

Looking forward to this week...

Ladies Bible Study

Andrew's birthday party.

Tips and tricks...

Encouragement goes a long way!

My favorite blog post this week...

No blog reading.

New Discovered blog...

Sorry nothing new.

Favorite Picture...

We were honored to be witnesses to our friend's adopting their son. Such a joy!!

Lesson Learned...

Take things one day at a time!

On my mind...

Lots! We went to see the movie Courageous this weekend and were blown away!! If you have not seen this movie...you have to do so.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses...

Joshua 24:15

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

To see other Happy Homemaking posts visit Diary of a SAHM.

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Homeschool Mother's Journal

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

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A very difficult week...

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TOS Review~~VocabCafe

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TOS Review~~First Form Latin

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Women of Faith 2011~~Girls weekend!!

2011 Gratitude Challenge~~Day 2

TOS Review~~Excellence in Literature

2011 Gratitude Challenge~~Day 1

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TOS Homeschool Crew Review~~Say Anything

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Cajun-Style Chicken

TOS Homeschool Crew Review~~Wits and Wagers Family

Canning Jar Potpourri Warmer

Pressure Canning 101

TOS Review~Educating the WholeHearted Child

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Apple Cider Pork

TOS Review~~E-Mealz

TOS Review~~Always Icecream

Happy Homemaker Monday

Review~~Molly Saves! In the Dining Room

Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Nachos

TOS Review~~Scruble Cube

Making Your Home a Haven Challenge Week 1

Slow Cooking Thursday~~Past Posts

Happy Homemaker Monday

TOS ReviewBower BooksThe Person I Marry