Training Our Daughter's to Be Keepers At Home

This is the title of the curriculum I bought for my eldest, now 26, daughter many moons ago.  We did several projects out of it, and even taught sewing classes years ago.  Now I am going through it again with my next two daughters on Thursdays.   We call it "girls club" as we meet with other young ladies on Thursday afternoons.  After co-op, I send out an e-mail to recap what we did, and for any homework purposes.  Also, if anyone missed, they can do the same things at home.   I thought I may also add these recaps to my blog on Thursdays or Fridays so that other women who may want to teach their daughter's the same way could join us on our journey from their own homes.  I'd love to hear how it's working for them, and if they have any suggestions.   So this is a LONG recap today of the last 4 weeks.  It will usually be much shorter in nature.   This is your invitation to join us via cyberspace every week to train our daughters to be keepers of the home.     If you are interested in the curriculum we are using, click here.   It's a great resource!

REVIEW WEEK 4
Sewing:  Practiced zig zag stitches, straight stitches, and seams.

Gardening:   Read about “your” weeds in Weeds and What they tell.  Summarize and record information.  Keep it in your notebook.  Relect on what “weeds” we’ve allowed to grow in our hearts.   Pray for GOD’s weeding job.

Cooking & Baking:   We discussed equipment and utensils..

We made scones.

Next week:   We will be making tortillas.

Bible
We read “Careless Gracie’s Lesson” and talked about taking care of the things the Lord blesses us with.

REVIEW WEEK 3

Sewing:  We talked about cutting skills and the sewing machine.  We located parts of the machine we are using.

Gardening:   Continue identifying weeds in your yard.

Cooking & Baking:   None this week.

Next week:   We will be making scones.  

Bible
We read “A Valuable Secret” and talked about finding a place for all our things and being a good steward of our time.

REVIEW WEEK 2

Thursday went well.   We didn't get to the sewing because it was Nicholas' birthday and we ended up eating and fellowshipping a bit.  We did do our Bible Study and baked banana bread.  Again another yummy recipe that I'll put below for your daughter if she wants to keep it on a recipe card.  

Homework:

Sewing:  Practice threading and knotting a needle.  On scrap material hand stitch and label the following stitches:  running stitch, slipstitch, overhand stitch, whipstitch and backstitch.  Next week we will be learning the sewing machine and practicing stitches.   I  few weeks you will be making a pillow case.   You will need one yard of cotton print or flannel fabric.  

Gardening:   Look at weeds in your potential garden area(s) and identify them.  make a list of what you found and where.   Gardeners job=create better growing conditions than in the wild:   *water available
*increase low nutrient levels of soil
*increase level of oxygen in clay soils
*select species and varieties of vegetables best adapted to climate, local pests, and diseases
"PATROL" garden-don't let weeds grow they're vigorous and will outgrow vegetables. 
Grasses rob soil of most available nutrients and compete for light.  Pull out roots and all.
*"Pernicious weeds" (regrow quickly or make huge quantity of seeds):  thistles can regrow rapidly after being hoed, morning glory, night shade.
*Other weeds:  compete for light with vegetable seeds

Cooking & Baking:   We discussed kitchen safety and food storage.

Banana Bread (one medium loaf....325 for 70 minutes)  

1.  Place in a large mixing bowl.   With a wire whisk blend in remaining liquid ingredients one at a time, in order listed:

1/4 c soft butter, unsalted preferred
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 c mashed banana
3/4 t vanilla extract


2.  Place flour & nuts in a medium mixing bowl.   Thoroughly blend in remaining ingredients with a mixing spoon:

3 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c chopped walnuts, optional
1/2 t cinnamon
1 T baking powder
1 t salt


3.  Blend dry ingredients into liquid ingredients with wire whisk just until mixed.  DO NOT OVERMIX!

4. With rubber scraper scoop batter into a greased loaf pan, cleaning sides of bowl well.

5.  Set pan in center of oven.  Bake 70 minutes or until a table knife inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

6.   Cool in pan for about 10 minutes.  Remove and cool thoroughly  on a wire cooling rack before slicing.

Next week:   We will be making scones.  

Reminder Susie:  4 T butter.

Bible
Remember from the story how Bessie treated Aunt Ruth and think how we can be kind to others.

REVIEW WEEK 1 

Today we did an overview of the curriculum to let everyone know what we will be doing.  The first year projects are as follow:  Godly Womanhood:  We read from "The Kings Daughter", Cooking:  Lunches & Snacks; Sewing:  Learning the basics, then sewing a pillowcase, hanging bulletin board, an oven mitt, an apron, a quillow, a totebag, a patchwork placemats and napkins; Gardening:  Basics; Knitting:  basic stitches, hooded scarf, shawl, mittens, and socks; and Greeting Card Making:  rubber stamps.

We read over the first story.  We made applesauce muffins.  They were delicious!  We discussd sewing equipment.  

Homework:   You will need a notebook to put all your notes, handouts, and practice stitches in.

Sewing:   Bring scrap material next week, a needle, and contrasting thread.  We will practice and label hand stitches.  We will then discuss cutting skills, and the sewing machine.

Gardening:  Order seed catalogs.  Here's a link for free catalogs:   http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/seed-catalog-time.   Borrow from library or a friend or buy:  "Square Foot Gardening" and read pages 1-14.

Cooking:  We discussed the ABCs of food preparation.  A.  Read recipe.  B.  Assemble Ingredients.  C.  Collect utensils  D  Preheat oven if necessary.  E:  Begin step 1  F.  Clean up  G.  Practice good safety & food storage habits.  

 

Lord of All, To Thee We Raise, This Our Hymn of Grateful Praise

 For the beauty of the earth, 
 for the glory of the skies, 
 for the love which from our birth 
 over and around us lies; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the beauty of each hour 
 of the day and of the night, 
 hill and vale, and tree and flower, 
 sun and moon, and stars of light; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the joy of ear and eye, 
 for the heart and mind's delight, 
 for the mystic harmony, 
 linking sense to sound and sight; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For the joy of human love, 
 brother, sister, parent, child, 
 friends on earth and friends above, 
 for all gentle thoughts and mild; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For thy church, that evermore 
 lifteth holy hands above, 
 offering up on every shore 
 her pure sacrifice of love; 
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

 For thyself, best Gift Divine, 
 to the world so freely given, 
 for that great, great love of thine, 
 peace on earth, and joy in heaven:  
 Lord of all, to thee we raise 
 this our hymn of grateful praise.

Free Books

Many of you may not know that I list free books on a facebook group called:  Big Happy Family Books.  I try to do every day, but sometimes it ends up just a few days a week.   I usually just list free things.  However, sometimes I will list a great deal.  Like today the three great deals I listed are below.  If you are interested in daily updates, feel free to join Big Happy Family Books group page on facebook.  Also, if you are ever trying to find a book, let me know.  I may have it.  I have over 1800 book titles on Amazon.   Hope everybody is having a wonderful Monday.

This is .99 cents.   Regularly $58.95!!   Click here to order.

This entire collection is only $1.99 today.  Check here if interested.

This is $1.99 today.   $26 is the regular print price!!  Click here if interested.

Also, if you are ever just cleaning off your shelves and getting rid of books, I love donations!!   Thanks so much for considering donating to our family.

You Might Just Need a Good Laugh or Chemobrain....It's Real!!

Sooooo, my valentine birthday girl wanted a sweet, little, kitty for her birthday.   I said not unless it's fixed.  It has it's shots.  It's free, and Daddy says yes.   Well the chances of all of those happening, especially the final option, was slim.   But somehow, her sweet little pleas got through that cat-disliking Daddy's heart, and he caved.   The hunt was on.   First I found on Craigslist 2 sweet 4 month old kitties with all the prior stipulations met.   I called.   They were gone.   Few days later, I found another cat 9 months old, fixed, up on shots.   I text on my 18 year old son's phone to see if it's still available, because mine was dead.  Later that evening we get a text back:  Yes.  I ask where they are located.   Hour or so later:  North Augusta.  By now, Nicholas is tired of trying to figure out these texts between his own, so he adds the number to the phone:  cat lady.   The next text then says:  recently divorced, have to get rid of some things like my cat.  I say "Sorry".   I realize if I was now on my own, I may not want a stranger to come to my home.   So, I suggest a shopping center in North Augusta to meet in the parking lot.   Rusty and I hop in the truck to get our new kitty for our sweet 8 year old, since that is all she wanted for her birthday.  On the way, Nicholas texts me to say the cat lady texted that she was on her way, and was in a green Ford.  

Well, the first thing that threw us off our game was that the cat lady was a man.   He came to the car and handed us this very, large cat and told us his name is Smoky.   I looked at it's face and decided it should be named Mr. Moustachio.   He put everything it owned in the vehicle as we were looking at the unusually, large, sweet kitten.   We asked about shots, and being fixed.   He said, of course.   Then the bomb dropped when he said, "thanks a lot.   It's hard to find a home for a NINE YEAR OLD cat".   Well, now our game is so off, that we both simultaneously say 9 YEARS OLD?   He says, yes, thanks again and drives off.

Sooo yea, I brought home my 8 year old birthday girl a cat that is older than her that happens to only like the boys and quiet.  It only sneaks out from under the bed at night.  Happy Birthday Emily.  By the way you can't name your new kitten, it's had the name Smoky for NINE YEARS.

P.S.  I'll add a picture to the post when it will let me be near it.

  

Homeschooling and Chemistry

When I began homeschooling, I figured when I got to the hard classes that I would just have to learn along sides my children when it got difficult.   Little did I know 25 years ago that one day I'd have eight children at different levels.    Two of my blessings have already graduated.   The next one to graduate is doing Chemistry this year.   I was still going through chemo the first part of the year, and I couldn't even keep anything straight on chemo.   Chemo brain is a real thing.   It messes up your memory like you wouldn't believe.   (I am going to, of course, continue to use this excuse, and not own up to it being my age!)  Now that my mind is undrugged and the Lord has healed me from cancer (can I hear a WOOO HOO?!), since after Christmas, I have been checking to see what the children got and didn't get in their sciences and other classes.   There are some things we have to work on to be sure they have really mastered it.  I made a whole year plan of work when I was sick.  Now some things did fall by the wayside.  But the things they had to do, they did pretty well.   Fortunately, we home school year round so anything they are even a bit behind we will finish up in summer for sure.   The trick now is for me to stay caught up on the different levels.  My "free time" is now reading Physical science and Chemistry books.    But that's okay, because we want to incorporate a lifestyle of learning in our children.  Therefore, if they see we are always willing to learn, perhaps they will be lifetime learners themselves.  

Below are the goals I told you we had in January.   We got to some, but not all.   We are still working on Titus.   Again, I think it's my slower mind that's having a hard time memorizing.   My 18 year old son has it and the rest of them have all of Chapter 1 through about verse 10 pretty well.   My now 4 year old (February birthday) can sing the Preamble to the Constitution along with the rest of the munchkins, and myself.  We have the morning Bible reading down to a science, but sometimes we only get 3-5 days of evening reading in.  We play catch up with for the days we missed so that we stay on schedule.  I marked through the finished stuff.    We didn't do all the reading schedule, but we read a lot of other books that were not listed.     If I have time tomorrow, I will list our January reading.

• Daily Bible reading with the family.   Old Testament at breakfast, Psalms/Proverbs at lunch, New Testament in the evening
• Memorize scriptures and catechisms (Titus 1 in January)
• Other memorization in January:  Preamble to the Constitution and Classical Conversations memory work
• Audio cds in January:   Dave Ramsey (from seminar I went to), Tour Guide Latin, Greathall productions "Sherlock Holmes", Focus on the Family Radio Theater Drama:  Les Miserables
• Gardening chores:  from a week by week in Georgia throughout the year website.
• Geography in January:   review States, capitals, and major features.
• Home chores in January:   touch up paint from painting in the fall, and pack up all supplies.
• Videos to watch in January:  Raising Godly Children; Culture Wars by Voddie Bauchum; Knights, Maidens, and Dragons; The Art of Breadmaking; Cells and Tissues, Principles of the Constitution
• Start back habits I had before I was ill:  homemade bread, yogurt, tortillas, etc.
• Personal Reading Goals in January:   "Tally Ho the Fox," by Herb Hodges, "Charlotte Mason Companion," by Androlea, "For the Family's Sake," by Shaeffer-Macauley, finish "Saving Leonardo," by Pearcy. 
• Family Reading Goals in January:  "Les Miserables," by Hugo, IBLP Oswald Chambers, IBLP How to Develop Attentiveness, Lamplighter's Buried in the Snow, American Adventure Series (4 books), reading "The Hobbit" with Michael (the olders already read)
• School reading  in January:   Plutarch's: Life of Pericles, Hymn Study:  "For all the Saints", Poetry younger "Linguistic development through Poetry Memorization", and Child's Garden of Verses, Poetry olders:  Edna St Vincent Millay, Composers:  Robert Schumann, Artist:  Charlotte Mason's Portrait Study:  Michelangelo
• Little's Bedtime books:  Missionary Stories with the Millers

Sunday Ponderings

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, 

that in nothing I shall be ashamed,

 but that with all boldness, as always, 

so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, 

whether it be by life, or by death.  

 For to me to live is Christ, 

and to die is gain.  Philippians 1:20-21

What a life verse this would be.    
According to my earnest expectation and hope   (what are my expectations and hopes?   Are they Christ centered or me centered? )
that in nothing I shall be ashamed (Do I live in a way that I have nothing to be ashamed?   Am I ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?)
But with all boldness, as always, (am I bold about my salvation in Jesus, always?)
so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body (am I magnifying the Lord like a telescope does -great, magnificent objects brought near or like a microscope which makes much of something small?   Lord may it be a telescope!)
whether it be by life, or by death (in all circumstances, even those I don't understand, do I glorify the Lord?)
For me to live is Christ (is my life permeated with Jesus?)
and to die is gain (do I look forward to my eternal home with great expectation?)

What It Means to Be A Christian Mom

This was the subject posed to me by another blogger at DoSmallThingsWithLove.com.  She challenged me with this when she wrote to me on my food blog. 

Here was my quick reply, although I could probably write for days on this subject.  

I would say at first I must of course be a Christian, a sinner saved by Grace who trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Once my identity is found in Him, all my other roles must be ran through the filter of His Word. For me, being a Christian Mom, means dying a lot of deaths to meet the needs of my children. I never realized how selfish I was until I had my first child. It means praying that He will enable my husband and I to train them to love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. The Lord has graciously blessed us with 8 children and 2 grandchildren. He has enabled me to home school for the last 22+years. My motivation for home schooling was to have more opportunities to train them for His glory, protect them from the world until they are grounded in Him, and selfishly enjoy them for myself because I always knew it would go fast. Little did I know how very, very fast it would fly. A Christian mother is a high calling from the Lord and I believe we should seek the Lord and ask Him for wisdom, strength, love, and grace each day to carry out this sacred duty He has given us. What a privilege! What a Savior!

What I didn't add in my comment is although I hope and pray for all my children to follow Him and love Him with all that they are, I know I am just a vessel; and that the Holy Spirit alone can convict a child of his/her need for the Savior.   My hope, of course, is that they will all pour out their lives for the Lord Jesus.  I pray that the Lord will use me as a Christian mom to point them to the Savior.   May we all live our lives for His glory.    As John Piper would say "to have a supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples."

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

After two weeks of reading, I finally finished Les Miserables.    My 13 year old daughter did it in 6 days!   I have been amazed at the depth of detail in which Hugo can describe a person, a scene, a situation, an idea, the battle of Waterloo, and unfortunately when I was tired even a 19th century sewer!     You cannot help but fall in love with Jean Valjean.    My husband works for a county jail and when I see picture of the people in the paper who get in trouble and go to jail (especially the young ones), I often think "that is somebody's child, brother or sister".    What got them to this point?   Like Jean Valjean, they could have had a difficult, neglectful childhood or a tragedy that scarred them.    We never really know.   And like Jean Valjean, nobody is beyond the reach of a loving Redeemer.    Of course, we could view him like Javert, who happened to remind me of the older brother in the prodigal son, who would never break a rule, or we can show love and mercy like Bienvenu did.  It saddened me that Javert's change of heart near the end didn't lead him to repentance and Hope, but to despair and death.

The thought of children running around starving was almost unimaginable to me.   They were treated like filthy, undeserving, animals.    The mercy and kindness that Jean shows to the poor reminded me of the verse James 1:27 that states "pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

Some of my favorite quotes:
“And remember, the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God.”

“A cannonball travels only two thousand miles an hour; light travels two hundred thousand miles a second. Such is the superiority of Jesus Christ over Napoleon.”

“As with stomachs, we should pity minds that do not eat.”

“Ecclesiastes names thee Almighty, the Maccabees name thee Creator, the Epistle to the Ephesians names thee Liberty, Baruch names thee Immensity, the Psalms name thee Wisdom and Truth, John names thee Light, the Book of Kings names thee Lord, Exodus names thee Providence, Leviticus Sanctity, Esdras Justice, creation names thee God, man names thee Father; but Solomon names thee Compassion, which is the most beautiful of all thy names.”

"Love is the foolishness of men, and the wisdom of God."

"Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise."

"Laughter is sunshine; it chases winter from the human face."

There are many more but I better end here.