Harvest of Rubies

Words for Wednesdays

I know better than to start a highly-recommended book at 10 PM, but that's when the house is quiet, and so this month, I cracked open Tessa Afshar's book, Harvest of Rubies, after the kids were fast asleep, and I didn't put it down until I read the last page in the wee morning hours. It was well-written, gripping, and very inspirational.It even brought a few tears.

When Janet Parshall commented on her program that it was a historical fiction novel based on a cousin of Nehemiah, I ordered it right away. I love books like that. :) 

I want to read it again with highlighter in hand. I don’t want to forget anytime soon the lesson of the grapevine. How often do I hold onto the pruned branch, wanting that life back? I might find an image of a grapevine and frame it for my home.

If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, you’ll have to read it for yourself. One element that I really enjoyed was that the heroine wasn’t perfect. She struggles with things common to all of us. I’m sure that if I were to meet her today, she’d have uneven fingernails, a stain on her shirt, and she might have misplaced her glasses… a little like me. A little like all of us.

It's Raining Books!

Teaching Tuesdays

Books, books, books! We take a literature approach to history, which means I scour half.com, paperbackswap.com, and amazon.com’s used books to find deals on all the books we’ll read during the school year. The ordering has been completed for fall 2012, and now it’s like Christmas almost every day when the mail comes with one book or another. Our mail lady just told me that I needed a bigger mailbox.

For us, the literature approach is the best way my kids learn. At the end of last school year, I asked them to write at least 3 sentences on over 30 topics from our study of American History. It was eye-opening that the events and people that they read historical fiction or biographies on were the easiest for them to recall. When my 8 YO daughter got to Danielle Boone, she wrote four complete paragraphs. She loved that book and couldn’t narrow down what she wanted to say. To me, she gained much more from a good book than a simple paragraph in a text about him.

Of course, the downside to a literature approach is that you can’t possibly read a good book about everything – there just isn’t time! That’s why this year, we’re going to use Mystery of History as our spine and then supplement with literature. I'm also excited about some of the quizzes and activities that will be able to help us review the information.

I’m already flipping through the pages of our new books, eagerly anticipating the adventures that they hold. I’ll post on here our family favorites.

To the other home school moms out there: What does school planning look like at your house?

When Cleaning is Frightening

Mommy Mondays

Cleaning can be a very frightening task. Trust me, I know.

While calmly wiping down the bathtub last week, I pushed away the shower curtain to find something brown staring at me. Not even sure of what it was, I screamed, dropping my cleaning supplies and jumping back. Another quick glance showed it was a frog, so I dashed away, screaming out my oldest daughter’s name. She’s a brave girl. She could handle this problem.

She probably thought the bathroom was on fire, the way I hauled her to the location of the critter. When she saw that it was a frog, she got all ewwy-gooey on me. “Awww, a frog! It’s so cute!” And my 3 YO son was full of excitement. “A baby frog!”

Shivering with disgust, I said, “Please get it out of here,” which they did, to play with it in the backyard. (After I took a picture, of course.)

My daughter knows I mildly tolerate animals and bugs for her sake. She asked, “You mean, you don’t even like frogs?” 

I replied, “I don’t like anything that moves.” 

“Not even me?” she asked while batting her long eyelashes at me, using the sarcasm she got from her father. 

I gave her a gentle shove and clarified, “Only humans.”

There are animal lovers in the world, and I’m glad I have one in my home. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I imagine myself calling her home from college to rescue her mom from a frog. She’s such a blessing. 

As long as her pets are kept outside.

"A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal." Proverbs 12:10a

New Look, New Themes!

Hi! My blog has a new look, and with the cosmetic change comes an attempt at theme-days for my posts. I guess you could say I'm going to attempt to organize my random thought processes into nice and neat categories.

Here's how it will work:

Mommy Mondays: The subject matter will be all things related to mothering! Funny things my kids say, favorite recipes, tips and tricks - and anything else I can throw into this category.

Teacher Tuesdays: As a home schooling teacher, I'll add links I like, books we've loved, and other home school goodies.

Words for Wednesdays: I love books! Here I'll post reviews of books I've read recently and possibly even interviews with other authors.

Thoughtful Thursdays: Theology, inspirational quotes, song lyrics, personal reflections.

Foto Friday: Professional or candid, these will be fun pictures I've taken that I can't wait to share.



We'll see how long this lasts, but I thought I'd give it a go. Thanks for joining me on the ride!

20 Seconds

Thirsty?

Last weekend, I was at a conference where one of the speakers (Warren Barfield) described a scene where 600 families all fought for one small stream of water. They'd walk two hours through hot, dusty sand, literally fight to fill up their buckets, and then lug that life-giving liquid home to their families. They did this every-single-day.

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I have mentally grumbled at the slowness of my refrigerator to give me water. I have to stand there practically forever to wait for it to fill up. Sometimes I check my email or respond to a text while I wait.

So after hearing that story, I went home and counted how long it took to fill up a very large glass.

20 Seconds

That's how long it takes my refrigerator to fill up a large glass of water.

20 Seconds

I am a spoiled, ungrateful human being.

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Have you seen the You Tube video "Top 100 First World Problems" yet? He includes things like "my microwave doesn't quit beeping until I open the door," "I need to use 2 remotes to turn on the TV," "bad cell phone reception," and "the internet is slow."

I showed it to my kids, and we began compiling a list of "Top 100 Problems of First World Kids." They included things like "I lost my Webkinz password" and "I don't like any of the four cereals we have."

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When I filled up my glass today, I took a moment to thank God for those 20 seconds, and the reminder to practice thankfulness in all of life.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

~*~

Paul Tripp's Tweets

I recently cleaned up my Twitter feed. I'm no longer following over 1000 people. I now follow only 118. This was a huge accomplishment, and now my feed is filled with inspirational quotes, with an occasional sports reference thrown in now and then that I ignore.

I had to share a few by author Paul Tripp. (@PaulTripp)  He did a series for a few days on how our sins preach to us a false gospel.

Grab a cup of coffee and take your time through these. They are definitely more meaty than your average tweet.

False Gospel by Paul Tripp

• Does envy preach to you a false gospel that tells you that God hasn't been as faithful and good to you as he's been to others?
• Does legalism preach to you a false gospel of performance that seeks security in what you do rather than what Christ has done for you?
• Does impatience preach to you a false gospel of urgency that keeps you from the blessing of resting in God's perfect timing?
• Does selfishness preach to you a false gospel of entitlement that causes you to turn blessings into demands?
• Does discouragement preach to you a false gospel that forgets that your future has already been written into the pages of God's book?
• Does idolatry preach to you a false gospel that looks to something in the creation for what the Messiah alone can give?
• Does vengeance preach to you a false gospel that focuses more on what someone did to you than on what God did for you?
• Does bitterness preach to you a false gospel of God's injustice, telling you that others have been given what you deserve?
• Does pride preach to you a false gospel of self-righteousness that keeps you from seeking the grace you so desperately need?
• Does doubt preach to you a false gospel of timidity that robs you of your courage and causes you to question what is secure in Christ?
• Does pride preach to you a false gospel that tells you you're righteous and able on your own, not needing God's forgiving, enabling grace?
• Does fear preach to you a false gospel that tells you you're alone and left to the resources of your own wisdom and strength?

The Building Blocks of Easter

My good friend Michelle shared an idea her kids had to model the Easter story with Legos. You can see this, as well as other great suggestions for Easter, at her website, Joyful Heart. My kids were inspired, and after reading through the gospel narratives, here are our five scenes:

 The last supper. Can you guess who Judas is?

Mark 14:22-26
 ²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
 ²³ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
   ²⁴ “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”
 ²⁶ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 The Garden Prayer

Mark 14:35
 ³⁵ Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. ³⁶ “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

 Judas betrays Jesus and the disciples flee.

Mark 14:43-50 
⁴³ Just as he was speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders.
 ⁴⁴ Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” ⁴⁵ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. ⁴⁶ The men seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
   ⁴⁸ “Am I leading a rebellion,” said Jesus, “that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” ⁵⁰ Then everyone deserted him and fled.

The Crucifixion

Mark 15:37-39
 ³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. ³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

 

The Empty Tomb

 Matthew 28:1-10

 ¹ After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

 ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

 ⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

 ⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”