It is getting to be the time of year where homeschooling moms everywhere start preparing for the coming school year. I have gotten my planner and have been plotting out the fall and winter portions of our homeschool. We do cross categorical thematic units and so there is a lot of planning up front, but it is also a lot of fun!
I have found some neat additions to our homeschool this year. I found a great article on Calendar Math. When Sam was in school, he loved Calendar time! I have already purchased our calendar blank and he has been carrying it around singing, "Sunday and a Monday, Tuesday and a Wednesday, Thursday and a Friday, and then there's Saturday. Days of the week (ch-ch)! Days of the week (ch-ch)! Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (ch-ch)!" :o) I plan on utilizing our calendar for some serious math and science learning and also for adding a sense of routine to our day.
Here are some of the great websites for thematic unit inspiration and teaching tips:
*~> The Virtual Vine <~*
K-2 Thematic Units
Welcome to Mrs. Nelson's Class
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Christmas in July?
I am already making plans for all the gifts I want to make for Christmas. I have to plan this far in advance because I enjoying working on a crochet or sewing project at a relaxed pace. There is nothing worse than trying to furiously crochet several projects to completion the week before Christmas. Not only that, but it is murder on my hands. I have tendonitis in a couple of my fingers, so I have to be careful about sewing and crocheting too much.
Right now I am working on a project for myself. It is the Bows and Arrows poncho by Dot. (You can see the pattern at Crochet bythehook ) Instead of working the poncho in the round, I am going to work back and forth and make it into a cape/shawl instead. When I am done I will add either a button and buttonhole at the neck or ties. I think it is going to work out just fine. I am still pretty new at adapting patterns, so it is always interesting to see what happens when I start messing around with one.
I also am considering some larger crochet projects for gifts as well. I have some shawl patterns that I would love to try out. Such as this:Do Your Worsted: Hot Shawlcolate, and this: Romance One-ball Half-moon Shawl. I might, instead of starting a new pattern, make a couple of the Seraphina shawls. I made one last winter in cream colored Homespun and I love it! (See pic.) You can find the pattern here: Work With Me!
My in-laws and my mom have all requested scarves. I made my father in law a scarf last Christmas with a slit in it to pull the tail through so you don't have to tie it. He wore it so much that he literally wore it out! It was my own invention and I have some ideas on how to improve the design. My mother in law wants one like his and my mom just wants a thick scarf made from Homespun or chenille.
But before I start any new projects, I must complete the one I am working on now and I also have one more dress to sew that is for this season. :o) I will post some pics of the dresses I have made this summer and also some pics of the cape I am working on once I complete it. Blessings!
Right now I am working on a project for myself. It is the Bows and Arrows poncho by Dot. (You can see the pattern at Crochet bythehook ) Instead of working the poncho in the round, I am going to work back and forth and make it into a cape/shawl instead. When I am done I will add either a button and buttonhole at the neck or ties. I think it is going to work out just fine. I am still pretty new at adapting patterns, so it is always interesting to see what happens when I start messing around with one.
I also am considering some larger crochet projects for gifts as well. I have some shawl patterns that I would love to try out. Such as this:Do Your Worsted: Hot Shawlcolate, and this: Romance One-ball Half-moon Shawl. I might, instead of starting a new pattern, make a couple of the Seraphina shawls. I made one last winter in cream colored Homespun and I love it! (See pic.) You can find the pattern here: Work With Me!
My in-laws and my mom have all requested scarves. I made my father in law a scarf last Christmas with a slit in it to pull the tail through so you don't have to tie it. He wore it so much that he literally wore it out! It was my own invention and I have some ideas on how to improve the design. My mother in law wants one like his and my mom just wants a thick scarf made from Homespun or chenille.
But before I start any new projects, I must complete the one I am working on now and I also have one more dress to sew that is for this season. :o) I will post some pics of the dresses I have made this summer and also some pics of the cape I am working on once I complete it. Blessings!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Chicken Enchiladas
Today I am going to post a recipe that is my mother-in-law's favorite thing that I make. We eat lunch with my husband's family every Sunday after church. She always cooks a big meal and I occasionally bring something to contribute as well. Last week I asked her what I could bring and that I would be happy to make a main dish. This is what she picked. I made these up last night, doubling the recipe, and put them in the freezer for Sunday.
Jana's Chicken Enchiladas
3 leg quarters
1 can diced green chiles
1 tsp garlic salt
1 pkg shredded Mexican cheese blend, or Mild Cheddar
1 large can green chile enchilada sauce
1 small container light sour cream
10 taco size flour tortillas
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil chicken leg quarters in water until done. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Set chicken aside to cool.
3. When chicken is cool, skin and take meat off of bones. Cut meat into bite sized pieces.
4. Put chicken in a large bowl, add green chiles and two handfuls of cheese to the chicken and mix well. (Just use your clean hands for this.) Season with salt, pepper , and garlic salt.
5. Pour a small amount of the green enchilada sauce into a 13x9 inch pan. (This will keep the enchiladas from sticking.)
6. Take a small handful of the chicken mixture and spread it into a line along one end of a tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly. Put the finished enchilada into the prepared pan. Repeat using remaining tortillas.
7. Take the remaining green enchilada sauce and pour into a bowl with the sour cream. Beat together with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Thin sauce slightly with reserved chicken broth. (You might not need it all. The sauce without the broth will be thick because of the sour cream. You want your sauce to be the same texture as the green sauce before you added the sour cream.)
8. Pour sauce over enchiladas and cover with remaining shredded cheese.
9. Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.
Jana's Chicken Enchiladas
3 leg quarters
1 can diced green chiles
1 tsp garlic salt
1 pkg shredded Mexican cheese blend, or Mild Cheddar
1 large can green chile enchilada sauce
1 small container light sour cream
10 taco size flour tortillas
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil chicken leg quarters in water until done. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Set chicken aside to cool.
3. When chicken is cool, skin and take meat off of bones. Cut meat into bite sized pieces.
4. Put chicken in a large bowl, add green chiles and two handfuls of cheese to the chicken and mix well. (Just use your clean hands for this.) Season with salt, pepper , and garlic salt.
5. Pour a small amount of the green enchilada sauce into a 13x9 inch pan. (This will keep the enchiladas from sticking.)
6. Take a small handful of the chicken mixture and spread it into a line along one end of a tortilla. Roll tortilla tightly. Put the finished enchilada into the prepared pan. Repeat using remaining tortillas.
7. Take the remaining green enchilada sauce and pour into a bowl with the sour cream. Beat together with an electric mixer or whisk until smooth. Thin sauce slightly with reserved chicken broth. (You might not need it all. The sauce without the broth will be thick because of the sour cream. You want your sauce to be the same texture as the green sauce before you added the sour cream.)
8. Pour sauce over enchiladas and cover with remaining shredded cheese.
9. Cover pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Submission and the Christian Wife, Part 3
The Heart of the Matter
"Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." --Ephesians 5:22-24
Before we get to the heart of the matter, a disclaimer: I am not some sort of super-wife or super-Christian. I am far from it. Anyone who knows me can attest to that!
It is simply my heart's desire to be the kind of woman, wife and mother that God wants me to be. If you are a Christian, your desire, I am sure, is no different. So, now to the heart....
Paul, in his exhortation for wives to submit to their husbands did not give "5 steps to submission" or a play-by-play as to how to be a submissive wife. There are many reasons for this. Mainly, if we had a step by step how to, then we would rely on ourselves instead of the power of the Holy Spirit to do this thing that we ought to do. Because of this, I cannot tell you what submission to your husband should look like in detail. I CAN tell you that submission is not just an action, but also a matter of the heart. If we are going through the motions of "letting our husbands have their way" and yet in our hearts we are bitter, resentful rebels, what good does the outward obedience actually do? The Lord desires our hearts to beat in obedience to his word. Outward display does nothing to make us right before God.
If this passage from Ephesians disturbs you; if Paul's admonition to submit to your husband causes a gut reaction of anger and rebellion, then you need to be on your face before God. Submission goes against the grain. We cannot do it on our own. Our hearts cannot change without the power of God being made manifest in our lives. Trust in the Lord and cling to Him, for he CAN do it!
Submitting to my husband is not always easy; but the rewards I have reaped from it have been worth every struggle. Grappling with God on the issue of submission has drawn me closer to Him and has taught me how much I desperately NEED Him to work in my life. We all desperately need more of the Lord.
One final note: If you are reading this, and you are in an abusive relationship, then PLEASE seek help. Find a safe place to go. Abuse can cloud your thinking to the point where you feel that if you only submitted more or did this or that, then the abuse would not happen. That simply is not true. If you attend a church, talk to a trustworthy and mature believer and ask for help. Submission should never be a shield for abuse.
"Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." --Ephesians 5:22-24
Before we get to the heart of the matter, a disclaimer: I am not some sort of super-wife or super-Christian. I am far from it. Anyone who knows me can attest to that!
It is simply my heart's desire to be the kind of woman, wife and mother that God wants me to be. If you are a Christian, your desire, I am sure, is no different. So, now to the heart....
Paul, in his exhortation for wives to submit to their husbands did not give "5 steps to submission" or a play-by-play as to how to be a submissive wife. There are many reasons for this. Mainly, if we had a step by step how to, then we would rely on ourselves instead of the power of the Holy Spirit to do this thing that we ought to do. Because of this, I cannot tell you what submission to your husband should look like in detail. I CAN tell you that submission is not just an action, but also a matter of the heart. If we are going through the motions of "letting our husbands have their way" and yet in our hearts we are bitter, resentful rebels, what good does the outward obedience actually do? The Lord desires our hearts to beat in obedience to his word. Outward display does nothing to make us right before God.
If this passage from Ephesians disturbs you; if Paul's admonition to submit to your husband causes a gut reaction of anger and rebellion, then you need to be on your face before God. Submission goes against the grain. We cannot do it on our own. Our hearts cannot change without the power of God being made manifest in our lives. Trust in the Lord and cling to Him, for he CAN do it!
Submitting to my husband is not always easy; but the rewards I have reaped from it have been worth every struggle. Grappling with God on the issue of submission has drawn me closer to Him and has taught me how much I desperately NEED Him to work in my life. We all desperately need more of the Lord.
One final note: If you are reading this, and you are in an abusive relationship, then PLEASE seek help. Find a safe place to go. Abuse can cloud your thinking to the point where you feel that if you only submitted more or did this or that, then the abuse would not happen. That simply is not true. If you attend a church, talk to a trustworthy and mature believer and ask for help. Submission should never be a shield for abuse.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Submission and the Christian Wife, Part 2
"Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." --Ephesians 5:22-24
When do we submit ?
An interesting thing to note from this passage is what it does not say. We are not told that we are to submit to our husbands only when he is being the spiritual leader of our home or only when his idea is better, or only if he is smarter than us! There is not qualifier to our command to submit!
You might wonder if your husband's unbelief would be a reason not to submit.
"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." --1 Peter 3:1-2
This means we should submit even when our husbands do not believe. A wife nagging her unbelieving husband about church attendance, reading the Bible or about his eternal damnation might actually strengthen the wall of resistance around his heart. Conversely, loving and serving him in reverence and purity might just cause him to wonder about this Jesus who has so transformed his wife.
We are to submit to our husbands in everything. That does not mean that we cannot share our thoughts about family issues or what movie to watch or anything at all. It means that we let our husbands know that we support them and will back their decision even if it means sacrificing our desires. Ultimately, the final decision is THEIRS to make. If we want them to be the leaders of our home, then we need to LET them be the leaders! A situation that you feel MUST be handled YOUR WAY might in the end turn out even better doing it HIS way.
But what if submitting to his decision on an issue turns out badly? This is where we get the opportunity to build our husbands up in love. Rally behind him. Encourage him. Never say I told you so! The worst thing a wife can do is throw her husband's mistakes in his face. Manipulation and pushing your own agenda is emasculating and demeaning to your husband. Let him be a man. Make sure he knows that you support him no matter what.
I often hear women say they wish their husbands would take the lead in their home. Do you really? Frankly, many women who say this would chafe at the idea of submitting. These women have been in charge and have done things their way without answering to anyone. They feel in control and powerful. They say that they want a leader, but I think that their complaints are just a way of placing themselves above their husbands. It doesn't ring true to how they live their lives.
You might be thinking, "But my husband is not capable of leading our home. He can't handle the responsibility." Really? Our husbands need to know that we believe they are capable of leading and that we will support them in their role. Perhaps your belief that your husband can't lead is a roadblock to his becoming the leader God wants him to be? If you feel this way, commit your husband to the Lord and ask the Lord to change YOUR HEART.
After being "in charge" for so long, submission can seem scary. Letting go is hard, but if you want to be a woman after God's own heart, if you are committed to being the wife God wants you to be...let go! You might be surprised in the changes God can make in your husband, your family and, first and foremost, YOU!
Tune in tomorrow for Part 3: The Heart of the Matter...
When do we submit ?
An interesting thing to note from this passage is what it does not say. We are not told that we are to submit to our husbands only when he is being the spiritual leader of our home or only when his idea is better, or only if he is smarter than us! There is not qualifier to our command to submit!
You might wonder if your husband's unbelief would be a reason not to submit.
"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." --1 Peter 3:1-2
This means we should submit even when our husbands do not believe. A wife nagging her unbelieving husband about church attendance, reading the Bible or about his eternal damnation might actually strengthen the wall of resistance around his heart. Conversely, loving and serving him in reverence and purity might just cause him to wonder about this Jesus who has so transformed his wife.
We are to submit to our husbands in everything. That does not mean that we cannot share our thoughts about family issues or what movie to watch or anything at all. It means that we let our husbands know that we support them and will back their decision even if it means sacrificing our desires. Ultimately, the final decision is THEIRS to make. If we want them to be the leaders of our home, then we need to LET them be the leaders! A situation that you feel MUST be handled YOUR WAY might in the end turn out even better doing it HIS way.
But what if submitting to his decision on an issue turns out badly? This is where we get the opportunity to build our husbands up in love. Rally behind him. Encourage him. Never say I told you so! The worst thing a wife can do is throw her husband's mistakes in his face. Manipulation and pushing your own agenda is emasculating and demeaning to your husband. Let him be a man. Make sure he knows that you support him no matter what.
I often hear women say they wish their husbands would take the lead in their home. Do you really? Frankly, many women who say this would chafe at the idea of submitting. These women have been in charge and have done things their way without answering to anyone. They feel in control and powerful. They say that they want a leader, but I think that their complaints are just a way of placing themselves above their husbands. It doesn't ring true to how they live their lives.
You might be thinking, "But my husband is not capable of leading our home. He can't handle the responsibility." Really? Our husbands need to know that we believe they are capable of leading and that we will support them in their role. Perhaps your belief that your husband can't lead is a roadblock to his becoming the leader God wants him to be? If you feel this way, commit your husband to the Lord and ask the Lord to change YOUR HEART.
After being "in charge" for so long, submission can seem scary. Letting go is hard, but if you want to be a woman after God's own heart, if you are committed to being the wife God wants you to be...let go! You might be surprised in the changes God can make in your husband, your family and, first and foremost, YOU!
Tune in tomorrow for Part 3: The Heart of the Matter...
Submission and the Christian Wife, Part 1
"Wives submit to your husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." --Ephesians 5:22-24
What exactly is submission?
The Greek word translated submit is the word hupotasso which means to " surrender one's rights or will." The idea is of willfully putting others above ourselves.
Putting our husbands above ourselves is a reflection of our obedience to Christ. (We are to submit to him as unto the Lord, v.22) We are a picture of the church and our husbands are a picture of Christ. (We are to submit as the church submits to Christ, v.24) We have the opportunity to show the world a picture of how Christ loves us and how we love him. This is a powerful symbol. A marriage where the husband is being Christ to his wife and the wife is being submissive to her husband is a beautiful and holy thing. But what about when our husbands are NOT being Christ in our family? Are we free to take the reins if he is not capable of leading?
Tune in tomorrow when we look at When Do We Submit...
What exactly is submission?
The Greek word translated submit is the word hupotasso which means to " surrender one's rights or will." The idea is of willfully putting others above ourselves.
Putting our husbands above ourselves is a reflection of our obedience to Christ. (We are to submit to him as unto the Lord, v.22) We are a picture of the church and our husbands are a picture of Christ. (We are to submit as the church submits to Christ, v.24) We have the opportunity to show the world a picture of how Christ loves us and how we love him. This is a powerful symbol. A marriage where the husband is being Christ to his wife and the wife is being submissive to her husband is a beautiful and holy thing. But what about when our husbands are NOT being Christ in our family? Are we free to take the reins if he is not capable of leading?
Tune in tomorrow when we look at When Do We Submit...
Sunday, July 8, 2007
A Week of Blogs!
It has been a whole WEEK since I posted anything! Bear with me. :o) I am on a mission to organize my time more effectively. Summer tends to put my family in a whirlwind and chaos reigns sometimes for weeks at a time. Well, I have had enough. Time to roll up my sleeves and get some much needed structure.
With that in mind, I am taking part in Keeping the Home's Homekeeping Binder University (HBU)! (You can find more information about this at www.keepingthehome.com) Right now I am still fine tuning my morning routine, but am going to put my afternoon routine in place this week. Posting to my blog is included in my afternoon routine, so you will be able to gauge how well I am keeping on track by whether there is a new blog everyday this coming week. :o)
I hope that you all have had an excellent and instructive Lord's Day. I was blessed with wonderful Bible teaching today as well as sweet fellowship with my family.
With that in mind, I am taking part in Keeping the Home's Homekeeping Binder University (HBU)! (You can find more information about this at www.keepingthehome.com) Right now I am still fine tuning my morning routine, but am going to put my afternoon routine in place this week. Posting to my blog is included in my afternoon routine, so you will be able to gauge how well I am keeping on track by whether there is a new blog everyday this coming week. :o)
I hope that you all have had an excellent and instructive Lord's Day. I was blessed with wonderful Bible teaching today as well as sweet fellowship with my family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)