Isn't this just the sweetest picture?

In the Classroom

We finished "Across Five Aprils" last week and that has led to a review of the Civil War. We have several wonderful children's books on the subject and we have rented again a video from the library that was informative. With Hannah and Jacob being avid readers and Abby being an auditory (and often visual) learner, it is important to cover all the bases when teaching this subject!

Hannah felt that "Across Five Aprils" started out slow and the first two chapters did not seem to be sparking any interest. However, by the middle of the book things were off and running and we were all sad to come to the end of the book. I think our study of the Civil War will be more meaningful now that we have "met" the Creighton family and read through their experience of the war.

This is our last week of school, with testing coming on Friday. We pick up again in earnest in late July/early August, with various projects throughout the summer months. We've had a great school year and we are looking forward to the summer break!

Psalm 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat-
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are the sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

It's a Boy!

Beautiful baby Jackson! Welcome to the world! Congratulations Jon and Christy!

Spring Returns

Modeling a New Dress

The pattern and fabric

I need to get another white button for the back and then it will look balanced

Here is the finished dress from the vintage 1950's children's pattern. Hope loves it as the skirt is SO full and swirls around her as she twirls. The dress was easy to sew and the most time consuming part was marking where to sew all the rick rack! The pattern is a size or two on the big side for her, but I can just move the buttons when she grows and the dress should last for at least two summers!

Waiting...

Today we are waiting by the phone for the call to tell us if we have a new niece or nephew. Every time the phone rings we all jump up! We are praying for a safe delivery and a healthy and happy baby and mommy!

Words I never thought I'd say (and said last night)-

"Abby, put your book down and go to sleep!"

Praise the Lord! What an answer to prayer!

(Abby has dyslexia and has struggled terribly with reading)

O Spring, Where Art Thou?

A view from the front yard

The biggest drifts are right by the garage, of course

Wearing a new dress for the first time

Ready for church

Parental Job Description- For Jon and Christy

POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!

Travel expenses not reimbursed.

Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.

Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

Article by Annette Clifford, Florida Today

Courtesy of Mommy Life

Feeding the neighbor's horse

Sketching the birds in our yard

Happy to play outside

Bunny love

This Week in Pictures

A much needed haircut was given by mom

A great interest in schoolwork from a motivated student (that would be the one in the pink dress)

A new book in group reading time. Who knew the Civil War wasn't just about slavery? :)

Ten new baby bunnies - one week old. Good thing they all have homes to go to (and it's not ours!)

Two fun finds at the antique store- white linens!

A filling dinner on a cold and rainy night. Turkey pot pie and salad.

A New Dress

Playing with our new point-and-shoot camera

Picture dark because Jacob keeps putting his hand over the flash

Hannah took this as it began snowing this afternoon

Another Hannah picture

Flowers my husband brought home for me yesterday. They were from a meeting he went to and the person who "won" them forgot to take them. So now they grace my kitchen table.

Movie Review- Amazing Grace

By Hannah

One of the most important men in England during and after the American Revolution was a man named William Wilberforce. A member of Parliament and leader of the English slave trade abolition movement he remained an influential but relatively unknown person in history. That is until the movie Amazing Grace. The film, directed by Micheal Apted and starring Ioan Gruffield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney and Romola Garai, is not about the famous hymn or it's writer John Newton, but rather about God's amazing grace and hand in an issue that consumed the lives of all who fought to end it.

The film has a few problematic issues, some swearing and a little bit of cleavage due to period costumes, but the objectionable content is minimal, and nothing to really worry about.

The story of William Wilberforce's almost two decade long quest to abolish the slave trade in England is compelling and well done in its movie form. The acting, costumes, sets, music and screenplay are all first rate. The green hills of England, ships, cities, churches and large houses were very beautiful to look at and the costumes were lovely as well. (Being a costume fanatic, I always pay attention to the clothes.)

The story is original and quite moving. I saw the movie in the theater and after the film ended there was silence from the audience. I haven't been to many movies, but the end of the other movies which I watched in the theater were quite full of talk and noise. Silence can be a good thing, I hope the others in the theater were as moved as I was.

The film chronicles the life of William Wilberforce, starting with his journey to Bath, England, in search of peace and quiet. Very ill and stressed, plagued by both crippling stomach pains and numerous failures to pass a bill in the House of Commons abolishing the slave trade, William stays in Bath at his cousin's house for some time. Thinking that falling in love might bring back some happiness into William's life, William's cousin and his cousin's wife introduce him to Barbara Spooner, a young woman also passionate in her stand against the slave trade. The introduction doesn't happen as planned, but William and Barbara's second meeting goes better. Barbara persuades William to tell her about his work in Parliament, and through a series of flashbacks William tells her about his friends, particularly about his good friends William Pitt the Younger who aspires to become the youngest Prime Minister in English history, a former slave named Oloudaqh Equiano who teaches William about the evils of slavery, and about the other important events in William's life fifteen years prior to their narration retelling by William Wilberforce.

William and Barbara spend quite a bit of time together and their relationship soon progresses to marriage. Over the next few years William continues to push for the passing of an anti-slavery bill. It takes nearly two decades and a lot of cleverness, it costs William his youth and health, but Wilberforce eventually succeeds in his lifelong quest.

As I sat in the theater I thought to myself, 'Why can't I have this feeling of joy every day?' Indeed this movie does leave you with a joyful feeling and the feeling that your two and a half hours were well spent. I recommend this movie to everyone and I hope that many more people will go to see this amazing film in the days and weeks to come.

A bit of a departure...

May I encourage you to go over to Holly's site at "Seeking Faithfulness". She has written a powerful post on Domestic Violence in the Christian home.

Below is an excerpt from Holly's post:

“Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God if Israel, “and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.”

I will say that God hates it when a man mishandles his wife or children. He is a God of justice. (Job 11:14; Job 19:7; Psalm 33:5) He desires for a man to love his wife more than he loves his own body. I believe that he grieves when one of us physically abuses another. (Colossians 3:19, Ephesisans 5:25; 5:28)

So many times in the Christian blog world, we focus on the woman’s role in a marriage – and rightly so. But we do so to the neglect of what is a man’s role. A man is to love his wife, sacrificially. He is to love her as Christ loves the church. He is to honor her, tenderly consider her, be compassionate to her, not harsh with her.

A man of God loves his wife – and he who loves someone does not physically harm them. Children suffer in abusive marriages. I know, because I was raised in one.

http://seekingfaithfulness.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/spousal-abuse-in-a-christian-home/#comments

Here is the direct link to her post. She has other posts from today that are on the top of the page.

Also, as my Dad wished me to clarify, the entire section above is a quote from Holly's blog. The abusive home referenced was Holly's, not mine. I am grateful that the home that I grew up in was not abusive in any way. (Does that clear things up, Dad?)

House projects

The window trim before

New window trim

Brian has now redone all the window trim in the upstairs windows. He now will redo the baseboard and hopefully put up crown molding as well. We were hoping to get to the painting last week but the weather turned cold just as the trim was completed. Looks like we'll be living with unfinished trim for a while longer.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

4 (10) russet potatoes, sliced (I use the food processor)
1/2 (1) onion, sliced into rings and then slice the rings in halves or fourths
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons (1/3 cup plus 3T) butter
3 tablespoons (1/3 cup plus 2T) flour
1/2 teaspoon (1 1/4 teaspoon) salt
2 cups (5 cups) milk
1 1/2 cups (3 3/4 cups) shredded Cheddar cheese

The measurements in parenthesis are for 10 servings; the first are for four servings. I always make lots.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the casserole dish (I need to use 2-3 dishes when I make the large amount). Top with the onions slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.

Enjoy! I have made this for the past two Easters and everyone seems to really like it. I wish I had taken a picture of it before we dashed out the door on Easter! It looked nice in my red casserole dishes.

Pictures from Easter

Easter

Abby in the dress she sewed. She even embroidered the sash for an extra touch.

Handsome Jacob

Hannah in the dress she sewed.

Getting ready for Easter dinner- making deviled eggs

The price of beauty

History of the Easter Egg:

To keep a Christian perspective of Easter in your home, please note the following research that can help you explain the history of the Easter egg to your children.

The earliest Christian history of the Eater egg tradition is found approximately 50 years after Jesus’ resurrection. Bright red-colored eggs were simply exchanged as gifts as a symbol of continuing life and Christ’s resurrection. The red color was an intentional Christian tradition commemorating the blood of Christ. The red Easter eggs in Christian history were originally used when two friends met on Easter day. They two friends would know to tap their eggs together and one would greet the other with the words, “Christ is Risen!” and the other would respond, “Christ is Risen Indeed!” Then the eggs were eaten in fellowship.

In the Reformation years, the church instituted the custom of breaking the Lenten fast with hard-boiled eggs. The eggs were brought to the Easter morning service, and the priest blessed them saying, “Lord, bless these eggs as a wholesome substance, eaten in thankfulness on account of the resurrection of our Lord.”

Our main focus must always be that our children meet Jesus in a personal way. If an Easter egg will bring Jesus alive to a child as a symbolic illustration, we should rejoice in the revelation of Jesus and his Resurrection to our children!

Barbara over at Mommy Life posted this article on the history of Easter Eggs. She also had a wonderful article on why Easter has been celebrated by the wearing of new clothes. Barbara wrote that new clothes are a symbol of the new heavenly garments we will wear when we get to heaven. As I have sewed our Easter things, I have thought of this and it has helped me in getting my heart ready to celebrate the Resurrection!

More pillowcases!

After cutting out my Easter dress and a dress for Hope, I had just enough fabric left over for pillowcases. I told my husband that it was o.k. for him to use such girly pillowcases since he had been married for so long. He attributes his strange dreams last night to the pink cases, but I don't buy it for a minute!

Abby's Quilt

Abby finished her quilt last week. She quilted it all by hand and spent many hours recently in her quest to complete it by Easter. As you can see from the picture, there was a LOT of quilting involved. When she was planning her quilt, I advised her not to choose such elaborate quilting designs, but she insisted that is what she wanted. A short while into it, she understood what I was talking about (!). But she persevered and is now sleeping under her very own quilt. I am so proud of her since she has struggled with "perseverance" in the past, but is now growing in maturity in this area. Good job, Abby! (Click on the pictures to see the full size and details)