Giving Thanks

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night . . ."

- Psalm 92:1-2

I love that last part - declaring God's lovingkindness in the morning and His faithfulness every night. What a good, practical idea to put into practice. Every morning before my feet hit the ground, to declare God's love, to remind myself how much I am loved by Him. And then, every night when my head hits the pillow, to recount God's faithfulness to me all throughout the day. Waking up giving thanks, going to sleep giving thanks - it is, indeed, good to give thanks to the LORD.

An Expectant Mind & Open Heart

(Photo by Eli)

"Each morning that you are privileged to awaken, no matter how ordinary your life, expect your mind to be wooed - by the beauty of nature, the voice of a friend, the words of a poet, the moving of God's Spirit. Expect it to be wooed to go higher, deeper, broader.

Wake every morning sensitive to the wooing, to the still small voice calling your brain to do any of the numerous things of which it is capable. Brush your teeth while telling yourself that you'll gain more understanding during the coming day, that you'll end the day with greater depth and breadth than when you started. Drink your coffee with gratitude that mental dullness and boredom are the exception rather than the rule for a mind in love with God. Expect that your attitude of expectancy will not go disappointed . . .

Imagine what God could do with the events of your life - whether extraordinary or ordinary - if you meet such ideas not only with an open heart toward God but with a willing and expectant mind."

-- From "Just Think - Nourish Your Mind to Feed Your Soul" by Nancy J. Nordenson

A Picture Ribbon

As our farmhouse is over 100 years old and has horsehair plaster walls, it definitely ISN'T conducive to putting nails in walls for decorations! Instead, this picture ribbon which hangs above our sofa is much lighter and easier on the walls. It's assembled with two lengths of wide ribbon, attached to the wall with several thumbtacks, and holds pretty magazine photos, artwork done by the boys or holiday decorations attached with clothespins. A nice alternative to holes in walls!

Lemon-Glazed Tea Cakes

A few weeks ago a young mom and her two little ones from our church came over for the morning to view our gardens and see the ducklings. For "elevensies," we snacked on lemonade and tea cakes. The tea cakes are very similar to sugar cakes with a lemon glaze (which you wouldn't have to put on). The recipe makes several dozen - I usually make up the entire recipe, bake about two dozen of the cakes at a time, then freeze the rest of the batter for later use.

Lemon-Glazed Tea Cakes (makes several dozen)
1 C. butter
1 3/4 C. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 C. plus 2 tabl. sour milk (put 1 tabl. of vinegar in a 1 C. measure then add the 3/4 C. plus 1 tabl. of milk)

Lemon Glaze for 2 dozen tea cakes: 1/3 C. 10X sugar with 1 tsp. lemon juice and enough milk to mix

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease mini-muffin pans. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to butter mixture alternately with sour milk, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into mini-muffin pan, filling 3/4 fill. Bake about 10 minutes - don't let the tops get brown, just the bottoms (slightly) or they will be too dry. Immediately remove tea cakes to rack to cool. In small bowl, combine 10X sugar, lemon juice and milk. Brush cakes with lemon glaze.

Fighter Verse 4

(Photo by Eli of Jemima)

Fighter Verse for weeks of 8/24 & 8/31 - Romans 12:10 - "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Elegance in Serving

"Elegance in serving may involve using fine, antique pieces, and certainly it is a good chance to use that vase or tea service you received from an elderly aunt. But such pieces are not essential for graciousness in serving food. Cloth napkins tied together with brightly colored ribbons, perhaps including a fresh flower; inexpensive, blue water glasses that bring out an obscure trace of blue in the tablecloth; a thin slice of lemon placed in the water glass for flavor and color; ice cubes made from fruit juice or frozen with a mint leaf inside; candles and flowers on the table; a Bible verse printed on a card and placed by each individual plate: such touches give variety and special meaning to a meal."

-- From "The Welcoming Hearth - Your Home Can Be a Safe Place of Warmth and Renewal" by Elizabeth R. Skoglund

Music for Your Homeschool

A simple and easy way to incorporate music into your homeschooling is to visit your local library. Most libraries have a selection of CDs of various types of music. Borrow a stack and play it in the background during meals to introduce your children to a variety of music. This week the boys have heard The Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, Perry Como, and George Winston who plays piano renditions of Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown music. (I even caught Eli dancing to Perry Como's crooning!)

Penn's Cave

While away we visited Penn's Cave in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. Penn's Cave gives 50-minute underground cavern tours by boat - which they've been doing for over 120 years! The caverns are beautiful and seeing them by boat gives it a neat dimension. It's amazing to realize that God has created beauty even UNDER the ground!

If you visit, make sure you take a sweater as the temperature is 52 degrees all year round. There is also a wildlife tour available (though a bit pricey). Make sure you get a good look at the beautiful old Penn's Cave Hotel on the property which boasts having Alexander Graham Bell as a guest. For more info., visit www.pennscave.com.

Apple Cupcakes

I found this fun idea for apple cupcakes at www.chasingcheerios.blogspot.com a few weeks ago. We've enjoyed these with our lunch several times now (even the one who doesn't care for fruit!). To make them: Cut an apple in half across the middle and core. Spread with peanut butter and add toppings - we used mini chocolate chips but you could use nuts, raisins, Teddy Grahams, etc. The first time these were made, I presented them in muffin liners which really makes them look like cupcakes. A fun and healthy addition for your lunchtime repertoire -

That Which is Needful

(Another photo from our recent mountain trip - taken from along the rail trail)

"Each year, we need to sit down before the Lord and seek His face to see what IS the ONE thing that is needful for each child? Obedience? Learning to read? Ministering to the heart? Writing his first essay? Play? Learn to cook? Understand multiplication? Learn to write? Learn to build? Attentiveness? Read more?

I have found through the years that God tends to place those real needs on my heart long before it becomes part of my schedule. I KNOW those weaknesses need a special place on the program. I know those needs that need special emphasis. How about you? Is there a need that appears to be blaring? What comes to your mind?

My friend, that is the ONE thing that is "needful." Let that be the focus each and every day! Keep that as your focus for this season. Then, listen to the Lord for the next thing that is needful for each child. As we keep ourselves restrained toward the vision that God has given us for our children and do the thing that is needful, we will simplify our schedule and lifestyle and as a result, we will get MUCH, MUCH more accomplished."

-- From "Homeschooling the Easy Way! Volume Two Reprint Book" by Cindy Rushton

Fighter Verses 3

After a week's vacation at the cabin, it's good to be home. The photo above is of an ox named Dunn that we saw at the Tioga County Fair. His picture reminded me of this week's memory verse!

Proverbs 29:1 - "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing."

Beauty in a Bottle

This lovely sunflower in a sparkling pear juice bottle was a gift from a friend. I love this idea of putting a flower into a fancy juice or soda bottle. It's great for a gift or just to add a sparkle of beauty to your home!

Revive Our Hearts

(Photo by Eli of a few of Jemima's 11 ducklings)

For those of you in my area, I would encourage you to tune in to 94.5 WDAC-FM to hear the "Revive Our Hearts" program by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. The show is from 2:30-3:00 each weekday afternoon and has been such an encouragement to my spiritual growth. I usually save my laundry or some other chore that can be done as I listen to this program each afternoon.

Miss DeMoss is a godly woman with a heart for mentoring other women - she has a soft and calming voice that never fails to proclaim truth and shower encouragement on those desiring to walk in the ways of God. Last week she had guest speakers who spoke on how to communicate Biblically with your husband. This week Miss DeMoss is doing a series on being a woman of discretion in various areas of life by looking at the wise and foolish women in Proverbs.

You can check out the "Revive Our Hearts" website at www.reviveourhearts.com for radio stations that carry the program in your area. There you can sign-up for encouraging daily devotions each morning that are short and to-the-point sent via e-mail. There is also a subscription to receive an e-mail that tells you what topics/speakers will be on the program for the day and some key quotes from the show.

A Heritage of Truth

(Photo by Eli)

"Giving our children a solid foundation of truth upon which to build their lives provides us wih the opportunity to influence our heritage for generations to come. It is not just our children who will benefit, but our grandchildren and the wider world as well. As our children catch a vision of righteousness in their own hearts, they will perpetuate truth wherever they go. Our wise mothering, in other words, is a way of providing our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, and our entire society with secure homes, loving parents, and most of all, with enduring hearts for Christ."

-- From "The Mission of Motherhood - Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity" by Sally Clarkson

From the "Big" Library

Our little country library down the road (literally 3 minutes from home) meets most of our book needs - especially since we can have most any book sent in to it from around the county and state libraries. However, a couple times a year the boys request a trip to the "big" library in the city - just to be able to browse through "fresh" shelves. Of course, I can't help browsing, too! This time I picked up a small pile of books on various domestic areas which I flip through in the odd moments of my day - while stirring a pot of something, waiting for the oven buzzer to go off, etc. Great for inspiration and fresh ideas - anything from the stack catch your fancy?