Blessed

Today was a busy day in our home with lots of plans. I was expecting to be rushed and not get it all done like normal. We had so many places to go I almost dreaded waking up.
BUT...

I woke up this morning to find that I was being blessed today. :)

I woke to the sound of rain which is not normal for this area in middle August. I came out of my room expecting to have to wake my girls for school and instead found them already at their studies! Each were on their computers working away in complete silence. Ah bliss.

School was done by 10:30 which is a rare treat. The house was picked up and everyone showered by lunch so we were able to head out.

Stopped by Mardel's and the Teacher's Supply looking for a microscope and got a great deal at the Teacher's Supply on one. As we are leaving the girls are skipping to the SUV and excitedly proclaiming they like those stores BETTER than toy stores! Wow! What a difference in their likes!!

We had lunch out and then headed to Target.

Peanut is very tall and lanky so finding her clothes that are modest is hard. But today I was in luck as Target had great baby-doll shirts and school uniform capris on sale! I grabbed up a few to try on the girls and for once we had a very pleasant shopping trip. No fighting, begging, whining...it was awesome!

I thought back of years past shopping for clothes with them when they were in public school. We have always dressed them more modest than most but let them have their 'wild' looks. Crazy colors, patterns, and such... no Hannah or Miley stuff but definitely out there. This year there was a change. My girls were picking out the nice modest/classic clothing that made them look like little ladies instead of 's@xy tweens'... I never let them dress like that anyways.
I am quite happy with their new found style.

It was a good day full of unexpected blessings.

where is a cave I can hide in?

The last few weeks have been so hard in our home. My MIL visiting, the sudden trip up north, Hubby's boss getting ill, Hubby taking over for the boss and still doing his own work, lack of bids coming through at work, kids, house, me being 'ill'... just to name a few.

Sigh

Tonight I want to find a nice cave and hide in it. Just for a bit until I can rest up and feel better. We have been pulling back and trying to be home more, cutting out some outside activities, focusing on the kids' schooling and training, being with family and trying to get back in the Word. We really need to do that last part MORE.

There is no telling when our lives will be back to 'normal'. Maybe this is some of the new normal around here.

I know God will see us through.
Suffering is for our good and His glory!

a bit of me

I am the happy wife of my beloved "Sparky" since 1997 and we have been blessed with 2 daughters "Peanut" age 10, "Princess" age 8, and son "Bub" age 3... so far ;)

I am recovering from tubal ligation reversal surgery (Feb 23, 09) and feel so blessed that my body is WHOLE once again. Many of my PTLS symptoms are completely gone. Praise the Lord!! We now are fully accepting of any and all blessings God may have for us.

We are currently remodeling our home and I enjoy searching for frugal ideas to help us out.

I love painting murals, home schooling, refinishing furniture, cooking, reading, gardening, learning, decorating, studying God's Word, my church, family and friends who are becoming like family and so much more.

As a family we are 'new' Christians and constantly trying to seek Him and follow the Bible's leading. We are always learning ;)

Non Newtonian Fluid Experiment

What is needed

• Cornstarch (available at the grocery store)
• Water
• Bowl or dish

That's it!

---

What to Do

This is a very messy experiment - but it cleans up really easily. Go somewhere that you can make a bit of a mess, and do this:

• Take some cornstarch, and put some in the bowl.
• Add water, slowly. As you add the water, stir the water into the cornstarch. Don't use a spoon - use your hands to do this. This is part of the fun, and you will also be able to tell when you have put in enough water!

The key is to add just enough water so that the cornstarch and water mix will flow very, very slowly. Now you have something which is a very strange goo indeed.

Here are some things to try:

• Smack it! If you hit the mixture really hard, it might even break.
• Pour it from hand to hand. If you go slowly, it will pour freely.
• Roll it into a ball. If you keep rolling, you can roll it into a nice ball. Of course, as soon as you stop rolling, it will ooze and turn back into a puddle.
• Bounce it! If you get the right consistency, you can even bounce a ball of this goo!

What is Happening

The cornstarch is made up of long chains of atoms - a polymer. These chains can move past each other, but they take some time to do this. If you pour it slowly, it can flow like a liquid. If you try to force things and make the chains slide more quickly than they want to, they get entangled - and the mixture gets firmer. So if you push hard on it, it acts more like a solid.

The real explanation is actually a bit more complicated than this. But the exact workings of mixtures like this is something that is not all that well understood. Folks sometimes get upset when there is no really good answer for things in science, but really that's a good thing - if we already knew everything there was to know, there would be no reason to try new things - and what's the fun in that?

Other Things to Try

If you add different amounts of water, you can get mixtures that work very differently. You can also try different liquids. Corn syrup and cornstarch can make a mixture that will do weird things in the presence of static electricity, for instance.

Starbucks-style Frappuccino

makes 2 grande (16 oz each)

• 3 cups ice
• 1 1/2 Tbs. instant coffee - I use decaf. A good national brand tastes best, but even the cheap stuff will make you regret you ever paid $4 for a frap.
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup heavy cream - Not strictly necessary, but makes it even yummier. Try this at your own risk.

Blend til smooth and enjoy. Drink with a straw.

Remember to share, because this was 2 large servings.

options:

1. Mocha: add 2 Tbs. of unsweetened cocoa powder.
2. Java Chip: blend in chocolate chips
3. Caramel Macchiato: replace the sugar with a 1/3 cup of caramel sauce.
4. Get really fancy and top it with real whipped cream.
5. Try drinking it all yourself.

recipe by 'Life in a Shoe'

comfort from Scriptures

Phil 4:6-7
James 1:2-18
1 Thes 4
1 Thes 5:11
Psalm 46
Psalm 121
Psalm 130
Psalm 142
Eph 1:3-14
Hebrews 12:1-3
2 Tim 2:13

Easy no bake cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 3 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together the sugar, butter or margarine and the milk in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
2. Turn off heat and add in the pudding, oats and vanilla. Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. let set up

I changed this recipe! I added 4 cups of oats and only 1 3/4 sugar... very rich still needs glass of icey cold milk

makes 48 servings

making a Godly home

I am currently listening to a sermon series by Charity Ministries on making a Godly home and training up children for the Lord. This is something that we have failed at in our home. We are now reaping the fruit of our labor with our children and it is bitter fruit.

Hubby and I want godly children that are sold out to God and strong in their convictions. We desire children that bring honor to the family not shame and rejection because they are so out of control no one wants to be around us. We want our whole family to be the Christian love and life that draws people to Jesus because they see Him in us.

We have been consistently inconsistent. We have tried all the psycho-babble and have very confused children. We yelled, we withheld love, we whined, begged, pouted and bribed. WE the ADULTS acted more like spoiled children in our response to their behavior...we did every single thing we could thing to change THEM. We really should have been trying to change US first.

The Bible in a passage about King David calls the father to restore the relationship not the other way around. It shows hard David's heart was too hard to hear his son and the downfall that came of it.

We have done so much wrong and yet we did get one thing right...my children do desire the Lord... they just don't know to have Him in control of their whole heart, soul and mind.


No MORE.
We are planting new seeds. We will tend our little flowers and train them up the right way. We will reap a good harvest and the fruits will be pleasing to God.

We are learning God's way. We are changing US first. We through Christ will change ourselves and our children which will change our whole lives!