It’s a leather wastebasket! He made it for a rancher who loves to hunt. Two sides are the deer hide diamonds (rancher’s brand has a diamond around it) and the other two sides my dh carved into the leather himself–copying from pictures of this rancher’s prized deer trophies. The customer didn’t want it dyed…so what you’re seeing is leather–pure and natural.

Ironically, the hand-lacing took as much time, possibly more, than the leather carving. He’s not sure he’ll ever take on a wastebasket project again, but we were happy with how it turned out!

A young mother sat at the end of the last pew, in a church filled with wedding guests. In her lap, a nine month old baby girl squirmed, threatening to destroy the peaceful decadance of the sacred occasion. Alone in a sea of strangers, there to witness her childhood friend’s special moment, the young mother began to wish she hadn’t come. Where does one retreat, in a strange church, with an unruly baby, when every ear is craning to hear the maiden whisper of emotion filled vows?

At the reception later, she planned to stick it out through the receiving line so her friend at least knew she’d made the journey to be with her, when an older woman behind her in the long line tugged playfully at her baby’s foot.

“Is this your only child?”

“Yes, she is.” The mother turned, and recognized the older woman as one who had spoken to their MOPs group about homeschooling. Quickly she re-introduced herself to the tall blonde, and in turn was treated to meeting each of the woman’s teenage daughters.  

“Where do you live now?” The older woman asked, resuming their initial socializing.

The line of guests moved along, and the two women chatted like old friends. The young mom went from feeling lost, to deciding to stay longer. Soon a dark-haired toddler tumbled to the floor, landing at her high heels.

“This is Clarissa.” Sheila, the older woman, stooped to steady the little one and help her on her way.

The younger mom’s arms ached from corraling her own youngster the past two hours. She watched curiously as Clarissa’s mom reclaimed her little girl and thanked Sheila.

Surprise heated her face when Sheila beckoned her to come over.

“Mary, do you know Kim yet?” she asked, her kind smile smoothing over any initial discomfort between the two young moms. “Kim is a stay at home mom, out in the country just like you, and Clarissa is only three months older than your little girl. Best of all, you gals only live maybe fifteen minutes from each other.” Leaning forward, she rescued the nine month old from her exhausted mother and departed with her, saying over her shoulder, “I think you two are the answer to each other’s prayers.”

***

And come to find out, we were. Kim had been praying fervently for a heart-to-heart friend, someone who shared her values and had children the same ages as hers. Right there in the line, with the friendship only five minutes old, she confided to me that she was expecting her second baby and hadn’t told anyone but her husband yet. Our bond forged, we planned a playdate for our little girls and we’ve been great friends ever since. We started homeschooling together; we attended Taste of Home cooking shows together; we’ve canned pickles and peach lemonade together, in her kitchen and mine, at night and during the day; we’ve bemoaned our shabby back porches together and brainstormed parenting issues for many phone hours together; we’ve welcomed each other’s new babies with casseroles and home made baby wipes…and best of all, out of all our acquaintances with kids the same ages as ours, we couldn’t pick any children we’d rather have our own hang out with.

Isn’t God good?

We parents have the great responsibility of protecting our children by choosing appropriate playmates and families with which to form lasting bonds.

Are you feeling alone, wishing you had another mom who loved the Lord as you do, someone to sharpen and grown alongside as you raise your children together? If you have young children and haven’t yet found another family at your pace in life, I encourage you to pray about it. Give the desire of your heart over to the King of Kings. Don’t you think He wants to pair us up with godly friends, so together we can spur ever onward and let His glory be made known?

Maybe there’s another mom out there, waiting around in a wedding line of strangers, and a future God’s got all mapped out just waiting for you both to discover…

First, I don’t believe all the hype propagandized out there about homeschooled kids lacking social skills. In every area of involvement that we’ve had with non-home educated children, 4H for example, my kids have passed the “friendly” test with both the adults and the kids. What’s more, my oldest (only one in 4H) has never been inhibited about speaking or singing in front of groups. The truth is, social and anti-social kids exist in both arenas. Personality and life experiences combine to create confidence or reticence.  

My husband’s uncle recently told me his brother’s take on the socialization argument. This man and his wife homeschool their children, and firmly agree that their kids aren’t socialized to the world’s standards.

They aren’t drinking, smoking and having sex–

With that said though, I do want to emphasize the importance of providing a social outlet for your homeschooled children. What a boost it is to be a part of a home school co-op, or to have weekly plans with another homeschooling family. Even participating at the library’s story hour, or in a church club, such as Awanas, provides an energizing much needed to keep everything from deteriorating to ho-hum status. Just as science, history, music lessons, etc all deserve a place in your children’s weekly lesson plan, so should “social life”. Think about it this way, what is the real appeal of public school to most homeschooled children? The socializing! So provide it for your kids from a young age, and they’ll never see it as a “lack” in their educational experience.

More soon on the topic of friendships and young children…

Nowadays, it seems we all know someone with Celiac or Sprue Disease, aka, gluten allergies. My husband is in line for it, genetically. His mother has it, so that ups his chances by ten percent, from what I gather.

Recently I came across a recipe for an interchangeable flour mix for people who can’t tolerate gluten. Here it is for you to use or pass along…

Best Flour Mix (from the Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy by Bette Hagman)

• 2 parts white rice flour
• 2/3 part potato starch flour
• 1/3 part tapioca flour

Make a large batch of this flour mixture to keep in a canister for ready use when flour is needed in a recipe. In a pinch, quinoa flour works well on its own. Try white or brown rice flours, garbanzo flour, and may others if you want to experiment and see what works best for you.

How many of you know someone with this allergy?

Do you have internet access and a printer? Then you’re set!

This morning I’ve been printing off math worksheets to aid me in teaching my second grader about rounding and estimating numbers to the nearest hundreds. Googling “skip-counting” and “number charts” and “rounding to nearest hundreds” led me to a mountain of information! Along the way I also found some great worksheets for practicing Roman Numerals…and an incredible number chart generator which allows you to input your numbers (I created one for skip-counting by 500’s, starting at 1,000 and going to 50,000), and an interactive number chart that uses a flash 5 plug-in to allow your child to color whichever squares you want them to learn in their skip-counting journey.

In November and December, when I was teaching a unit on Creative Writing to our co-op’s 4-6th graders, I relied heavily on the internet for my worksheets on hyperbole, alliteration, metaphors, similies, imagery, idioms, onomatopoeia, etc. I also found many story starter helpers, and other middle school writing resources.

Last week, when searching for fun stuff about the Pony Express, I stumbled on this site featuring many worksheets having to do with the westward expansion…which is right on for our 4th grade history lessons.

My three year old is loving these traceable number worksheets that I’m using to reinforce her Professor B math. At the same site there are printable alphabet worksheets for preschoolers–and it’s more than just tracing. They first trace, then freehand, then color the number or alphabet letter being taught, and then complete an activity at the bottom of the page. Exciting! My little one always wants to do her “math”!

Want to know how to play the trumpet, or free online guitar lessons? How about beginning crochet, or how to grow herbs on your windowsill?

It’s easy to see how the internet makes supplementing your child’s education a breeze, and with the teacher helps out there…any subject is detailed, outlined, and available…right at our fingertips!

Translated: Anyone can homeschool! And anyone, no matter what age, can learn new things.

What are your favorite internet helps? I’d love us to share together in the comments!

As you can tell from the title and cover, this chick lit from Susan May Warren promises plenty of unexpected drama! I thoroughly enjoyed my armchair tour of Russia and can’t wait to read another of Susan’s novels!

Here’s a teaser from the author:

Russia?Not again. Josey’s finally living the good life - she’s got the man, the (almost-perfect) wedding, the two-story Cape-Cod house of her dreams. That is until her man drags her back to Moscow! Josey knows she has the guts to follow her own dreams across the world, but she’s not so sure she can play the perfect wife while her husband chases after his. Josey’s set on having the perfect life…even in a world without hot water, decent take-out and size-two leather fashion. But can she find the courage to tell her man the secret that will change their lives forever?

From author Susan May Warren: I can’t help but be amazed at the gifts God has delighted me with - a wonderful husband, four amazing children, and the opportunity to write for Him.

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember - I won my first book writing contest in first grade! Over the years, writing has become, for me, a way to praise God and see Him at work in my life.

Although I have a degree in Mass Communications from the University of MN, my real writing experience started when I penned the The Warren Report - a bi-monthly newsletter that detailed our ministry highlights.

Living in Russia meant I never lacked for great material - and those experiences naturally spilled out first into devotionals and magazine articles and finally into my first published story, “Measure of a Man,” in the Tyndale/HeartQuest, Chance Encounters of the Heart anthology.

I grew up in Wayzata, a suburb of Minneapolis, and became an avid camper from an early age. My favorite fir-lined spot is the north shore of Minnesota - it’s where I met my husband, honeymooned and dreamed of living. The north woods easily became the foundation for my first series, The Deep Haven series. Based on a little tourist town along the shores of Lake Superior. I have to admit - I’m terribly jealous of Mona, the heroine of my first full-length book, Happily Ever After, a Christy Award Finalist published in 2004 with Tyndale/Heartquest.

Our family moved home from the mission field in June 2004 — and now we live in the beautiful town I’d always dreamed of! God has amazed me anew with His provision, and blessings — and allowed me a season when I can write full time for Him.

Buy Chill Out, Josey…

Read the first chapter…

Check out other books by Susan…

Visit Susan on the web and at her blog…

And…

A Pregnancy Story Contest! The contest is open to all you bloggers and readers! Details: Submit your funniest/craziest/most embarrassing PREGNANCY STORY and be entered to win a Super Fabulous, Ultra Deluxe Chill Out, Mom SPA BASKET! Here is the link to the Contest page on Susan’s website: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/joseycontest.html (**note, this contest is exclusively for her blog tour, chances are there will be another contest going on for her general audience…feel free to enter both contests. By submitting your story, Susan will know which contest you are entering!)

Don’t you love a brand new year? A reason to reflect upon life meanings, and God’s work, and the year ahead that He’s graciously allowed us to see and anticipate?

I’m so thankful for the past being the past, amen? That God has brought me through the valleys, has proven His watchcare over me and my loved ones, and I can face whatever 2008 brings with Him by my side. The awesome thing is, in looking back, any dark valleys are gone. I see only the mountaintops. My memories are awash with His presence, His provision, and His promises.

So my personal hopes for this coming year have a lot to do with appreciating where God has me, and what He’s given me to do with my life. I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky woman normally, but each year I learn there is a whole lot more to happiness than I ever knew. Like being content no matter what happens. And going the step further to rejoice, even if the day He’s made for me is full of disappointments. Like the line in Facing the Giants, “If we win, we’ll praise Him, and if we lose, we’ll praise Him.” It’s not really about me and my happiness, but cultivating a constant of joy is a great gift to me, to my loved ones, and to the King of Kings.

I’m not just waxing spiritual poetry here. It is possible to praise God through illnesses, through unpaid bills, broken promises, and put-off dreams. I’ve done it. I’ve also wept, cowered, and raged against the wretchedness of it all and it didn’t get me anywhere. Believe me, clinging to God’s promises gives a peace and hope that is indescribable. Don’t miss out on it the next time chaos pays a call. Be open to it and whatever God can teach you through it. Don’t shoulder the loads of life alone–they’ll come crashing down on you. It may seem crazy to thank Him for the hardships, but I dare you to do it and watch Him at work in you.

So let’s all be doing what we love, and loving what we do. Be it ever so humble, or ever so challenging…it’s what we’ve got, and we’ve much to be thankful for!

A New Year’s Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!
Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,
But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;
Not by making your path easy,
But by making you sturdy to travel any path;
Not by taking hardships from you,
But by taking fear from your heart;
Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,
But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;
Not by making your life always pleasant,
But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,
and by making you anxious to be there to help.
God’s love, peace, hope and joy to you for the year ahead.

2007…some random memories:

hubby’s new job~ began building new deck~moving my blog to its own .com~ MAMA’s videos and teaching responsibility to my girls ~ attending writing conferences-meeting famous authors- making lifelong friends~ Thursdays with Deborah ~ good-byes ~ parent’s 50th wedding anniversary bash ~ first niece’s wedding~ Black Hill’s vacation~ summer Sunday school ~ lake birthday parties ~ VBS~ tubing ~ hours of fun collage~ Bible studies and lunches with my parents ~ Thursday night home groups with friends ~ creative writing classes with the homeschool co-op kids~ middle daughter’s trumpet purchase ~ oldest’s puppy sales ~ youngest’s number huntings ~ tie-dying ~ cake decorating ~ discovering free books/book reviews ~ Vick’s Vapor Rub on feet for curing night-time coughing ~ scrabble games ~ family camp ~ hubby and sword drills ~ canning~ the “Lord Most High is Awesome” party ~ hellos ~ Awana contests ~ playing pitch with b&sil ~ brown rice and hamburgers Italiano ~ baking-soda/vinegar shampoo experiments ~ meeting nephew’s fiance ~ electrical power outages ~ grandparent slumber party ~ hurts and healings both on the blog and in real life ~ Ecclesiastes ~ sewing with Andrea ~ fall bonfires ~ homemade snow globes ~ a Christmas movie with my sister ~ a Christmas box of goodies from a bloggie friend~ another from a niece ~ Pampered Chef gadgets and utensils ~ grandparent’s 60th anniversary party ~ toddler outgrowing her crib ~ oldest preferring adult company at family get-togethers ~ middle’s inch long splinter-foot-cyst fiasco ~ jury duty ~ Professor B on CD-Rom (yes!! finally!) ~ helping hubby work calves ~ mentoring ~ having “the talk” ~ good health ~ friends ~ family ~ faith~ blessings~ and all of you name by precious name…

What will you remember about 2007?