The blog of a stay-at-home daughter striving to be all that God wants her to be and relying on His grace and power each and every day. What will you find here? A mixture of articles on topics close to my heart such as virtuous girlhood and the pursuit of godliness as well as devotionals, interesting quotes, book reviews, recipes, photos, and posts about my daily life. I pray God’s blessings upon all who visit, that you will be edified and encouraged by what you read. Don’t forget to leave me a comment to tell me you dropped by!
Another week has come and gone. It’s been a busy one.
I once had an English professor who said, “You will only write until the pain of not writing is greater than the pain of writing.” It’s so true. I just barely made my deadlines this week for my various articles, newsletters, etc.
BUT, it’s Saturday night, and they’re all done, so tomorrow I can have a restful day without anything weighing on my mind. Praise the Lord.
Just a note on this Saturday night to say have a blessed Lord’s Day tomorrow! I’ll be returning comments on Monday. If you want to see what I’ve been up to lately, you can check out my Food Blog.
TTFN, ta-ta for now. :-)
It’s Thursday. *Hearts* Thursday is my favorite day of the week because that means I have two whole glorious free days at home before I have to go to work again. On Fridays I have the thought looming over my head that the next day will be a long day in the office, but Thursdays I feel free.
I woke up this morning in the middle of a dream when my alarm clock went off at 6. Ugh. My stack of books next to my bed reminded me that I am WAY behind in reading for book club, which is TONIGHT, so I guess I had better get up and get a move on. Devotions this morning was very convicting, and I’ll leave it at that.
After taking a shower I decided to turn on my computer and start writing next week’s post for my column on the HSB Front Porch. I did a little bit of work on it, and then went downstairs to have a nectarine. I ate it outside in the garden. There is just something about fresh, early morning air that makes me feel at peace. I watched the sun rise up over our house, then I went back in.
Next I did some more computer stuff. When I felt hungry again, I made oatmeal which included: oats, oat bran, soymilk, ground flaxseed, lots of cinnamon, 1 tsp. maple flavoring (smells just like old fashioned maple donughnuts, which I used to love, but can’t have anymore), and agave nectar. I heated up some Bing cherries and had those on top.
As I assembled breakfast, I thought about the long list of things on my to-do list for today. What to do first? I don’t know! I need to go dump my brain. Be back later.
This afternoon I worked on this week’s issue of Grace Notes (my free, weekly ezine). I am sooo excited because I fixed up a brand new template for it. It looks purty! (If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so in my right sidebar. Then you can see it and tell me what you think!)
During a break I had some soy ice cream with a piece of vegan chocolate pound cake. The AC was on in our house, so by then I felt cool enough to go outside and check on the plants.
Thankfully nothing needed watering yet. When I examined the larkspur, I noticed a big ole snail in the middle of the row, so I scooped him up with a little shovel and threw him out. For days now I have seen snail slime in the dirt next to those flowers, but haven’t been able to find any snails … until today. Today I had victory.
When I was little my grandparents used to let us scoop snails in their backyard to get rid of them. We thought that was fun. I always used tongs and a garbage bag, and even at that young age I remember how satisfying it felt to get rid of them all.
I’ve never had a special affinity to snails.
This morning my eyes opened at 5:20 exactly. Ugh. Too early. I shut them again, and they reopened at 6:15. Okay, that’s better. I sat up and did devotions with Chambers. Today’s verse was Joshua 24:15. Coincidentally, I’ve been studying Joshua in Balancing the Sword for the past few weeks.
I got up and got ready for the day. When I walked past the thermostat in the hallway, I noticed it said 75 degrees. It’s going to be another hot one today.
For breakfast I had oat bran again. After washing my dishes I went back upstairs, cleaned the bathroom counter, and got on my computer.
When I checked my email, I was delighted to find a message saying my new Ebook had officially been listed for sale in The Old Schoolhouse store! That made me happy. :-)
Since the air was warm already, I decided to go out and sit in the garden to work on more of my Balancing the Sword study. It was so peaceful. I think a cricket is living in our strawberry patch, because I heard him chirping away, as usual.
Around 10 AM I left to go do some errands - to the bank and library. A week or so ago I received my jury duty check in the mail that I needed to deposit. I also had a few library books due. My usual time for going to the library is after lunch, but I figured I’d go in the morning today before it got too hot. Good decision.
When I returned home I had a cold, juicy peach to hold me over till lunch. Then I worked on updating my 2008 reading list. I had gotten behind in recording the books I’ve read this year, so it’s good to be mostly caught up again. One more thing checked off my to-do list.
For lunch I made a big salad with Romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumber, grapes, and raisins. Ack! I just realized I forgot the tomato! My last one from the Farmer’s Market is sitting on the kitchen counter. Boo. How disappointing.
This afternoon the girls my sister babysits will be coming over for awhile. It feels like we haven’t seen them in so long.
Well, I will leave you with a picture of the corn in our garden. It’s time for me to go brave the heat to water!
What two words do homeschooling families fear the most? High school. The four years of school after junior high intimidate many parents of teenagers. Because homeschoolers don’t have the guidance of public or private school administrators (which is not necessarily a bad thing), many parents suffer sleepless nights worrying about how to give their child a quality education without messing up future chances of success in college and beyond. True, the work done in high school carries more weight in the eyes of colleges than the work done in elementary school, but high school shouldn’t be something to fear.
While your teens are in high school, you as a parent are afforded a unique opportunity to guide and direct their interests and talents into areas that they may want to pursue for the rest of their lives. You’ve watched them grow up; you’ve been with them every step of the way; you’ve homeschooled them because you care. Now, while they’re in high school, you have the chance to continue walking alongside them to prepare them for their future success in the real world.
The decision of what a student should do after graduating is one that requires much thought and planning. Many homeschooling families aren’t thrilled about the idea of sending their kids off to college far away, and with good reason. Life at a dorm isn’t the ideal living situation for young Christian students who’ve been under the guidance and authority of their mom and dad all their lives. Because you’ve kept them at home to school them yourself, family bonding and relationship building is important to you. Your family has taken the time to get to know each other well. As a parent, you know your child better than anyone. Who better to give them counsel and advice about what options they should consider pursuing?
If your highschooler is interested in earning a college degree after high school, then consider looking into distance learning. The smooth transition from high school to distance learning is attractive to many homeschoolers who like working at their own pace and studying on their own. Homeschoolers who have developed good study skills will be more likely to succeed as independent learners doing college-level work.
In high school, homeschool students interested in distance learning might want to consider taking one or more CLEP tests to earn college credit. Even if they don’t pass, the experience will be invaluable to them, as they learn how to prepare for credit-by-examination tests. If they do pass, that will just be more credits under their belt and less time they’ll have to spend on study once they finish high school.
The high school years shouldn’t be something to fear. Consider them a unique opportunity to guide your student on the road to graduation. Consider them a time of preparation for college and preparation for God’s calling on their lives.
Amanda Suryan is a homeschool graduate and former distance learning student. She has an amazing mini-course called, “Five Reasons Why You Should Consider Becoming a Distance Learner!” To claim your FREE copy, visit: http://www.DistanceLearnerSite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amanda_Suryan
© Amanda Suryan, 2008
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Do you ever wish there was an easy way for you to de-stress when life gets too crazy? What about capturing those special events in your life in words before they disappear from your memory forever? And how about remembering the way God works in your life so you can pass down a testimony to future generations?
Enter: The habit of journaling.
Journaling encompasses all of the above. It’s a way to record God’s faithfulness in your life and a way to capture special memories that you don’t want to forget. It’s also a way to get to know yourself better, to focus your thoughts, to dream and set goals, and to work out your emotions on paper, freeing your mind from worries that may be weighing you down.
I’ve been keeping a journal since I was in elementary school. It helps keep me sane! You don’t know how useful it’s been for me to be able to go back and look at my old journals to remember when things happened in our family. It’s so neat to see how God has worked in my life over the years.
If you want to start this habit yourself, but aren’t sure how to get started, or if you’re looking for some new ideas for what to write about, let me recommend something to you:
Christian author and speaker, Alyssa Avant, of Beauty By Design Ministries has written a 30 Day Journaling Guide to help you implement this habit in your life. If you have trouble thinking of things to write about or if you want to start a new habit, I’d encourage you to check out this book!
Why not take a step of faith to start this practice and see where God leads you? Don’t let one more day slip by out of your memory forever… check out the 30 Day Journaling Guide today!
This morning I woke up at 5:59 and turned my alarm off right before it was scheduled to go off at 6. Perfect timing. I sat up in bed and did devotions with My Utmost for His Highest. Today’s entry was about going through the straight gate (Matt. 7:13-14). Very good - as usual!
When finished, I got up, made my bed, and took a shower. After puttering about in my room (read Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard for more info about the discipline of “puttering”), I went downstairs for breakfast. What to have today? I decided on a bowl of my new oat bran. Plain Jane with no mix-ins or toppings. Just smooth, comforting creaminess. It reminds me of the kind of food that my favorite fictional characters would eat for breakfast - you know, like something Marilla would make Anne Shirley eat every day.
After eating, I washed my pot and wooden spoon, emptied the dishwasher, and loaded it with last night’s dessert dishes that didn’t fit in the last load. Then I went back to my room to check my email and do a blog post.
Around 8:00 I went outside to check on my plants. The sun had come out through the fog already. It seems hazy today though and my eyes are watery. There must be more fires blowing smoke our way. Anyway, everything looks beautiful. We have some purple blossoms on the morning glories already and the Four O’ Clocks are in full bloom.
Last night after dinner my family and I rode bikes over to the row of blackberry vines near our house. This was the first time this year we had checked on them, and surprisingly we found a few handfuls of ripe ones! So for 2nd Breakfast today I made a bowl of oatmeal topped with warm berries. Tasted just like Whoshee’s ollalie berry pie. (Well, almost.)
Next I took my notebook outside to the garden and started working on the next article for my e-zine, Grace Notes. When I needed a break, I took out the dead bachelor buttons in the flower garden. It was like getting rid of old friends. :-( I will miss them. Must plant more soon. They were so pretty last year.
Time to get back to writing. Have a good Monday!
We had a fun time with our safe and sane fireworks last night! Although the weather turned really windy and cold right before it got dark, so we had trouble keeping our sparklers lit. But other than that things went smoothly. The Lord protected our house from being burned down by the illegal fireworks all our neighbors shot off. ;-)
Here I am in a cloud of smoke!
The rest of the fam:
Nothin’ like a box of explosives for entertainment. :-)
It’s getting late - time for me to get ready for bed. I have a new book from the library I’m anxious to dive into. Have a good Sunday tomorrow!
Happy Fourth of July!
This morning I woke up a few minutes after 5. I rolled myself out of bed, got my laptop and brought it back to bed with me. Underneath my warm covers, I managed to up the price of my Ebook, just like I said I would. It’s a tad hard to type in the dark when you can’t see the keyboard, but somehow I managed.
After finishing that task, I added my latest article about distance learning to my autoresponder, typed up a couple follow up emails for all of my Ebook purchasers, and waded through the emails in my inbox.
Around 6:15 I got out of bed and looked out the window. Foggy gray sky. Boo. I took a shower and went down for breakfast – oatmeal today with Elsie Dinsmore. I emptied the dishwasher and washed my dishes. When I came back upstairs, I did a little Ebook marketing. Then it was time to get ready to go.
At 9 AM Mom and I left to go food shopping across the bay. So fun. We found a lot of good stuff including…
Fresh salmon burgers (for dinner tonight!)
Corn on the cob
A berry pie (for dessert for my family)
Cantaloupe
Blueberries
Strawberries
Bananas
Peaches
Oat bran
Plain soy yogurt
Blueberry flax muffins (GF & DF)
Rice cheese (DF)
Veganaise
Shrimp (from the prepared foods section)
Lemon vanilla oatmeal bites (DF)
Ginger cookies (GF & DF)
A single serving carob brownie (GF & DF)
Cinnamon bread
Clif Kids Z-bars (peanut butter and honey graham)
Corn tamales (GF & DF)
Tapioca flour hamburger buns (GF)
Tofu
Short grain sushi rice
Gluten-free pasta
Cornbread muffin mix (GF & DF)
Amy’s tamale pies (GF & DF)
Carob powder
When we got back, I had shrimp for lunch. Yummy. The rest of the afternoon so far has been uneventful. I’ve done some work in the yard, continued reading a couple books I’m in the middle of, and done things on the computer. Mom made homemade vanilla ice cream which reminded me of Ruthie, our dog who died last year. She used to lick the ice.
That’s all for now. Fireworks tonight!
A Touch of Grace
