Tuesday, August 31, 2010

That Monday Feeling

Even the camera had to be plugged in after I took the picture. I wish my body's batteries would recharge as easily as those of my social appliances! :)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Take Ten in '10, Week 35 Reading Schedule

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Bible Reading Schedule for August 30 - September 5, 2010

Monday, August 30th
Isaiah 55, 56
Proverbs 30

Tuesday, August 31st
Isaiah 57, 58
Proverbs 31

Wednesday, September 1st
Isaiah 59, 60
Psalm 1, 2

Thursday, September 2nd
Isaiah 61, 62
Psalm 3, 4

Friday, September 3rd
Isaiah 63, 64
Psalm 5, 6

Saturday, September 4th
Isaiah 65, 66
Psalm 7, 8

Sunday, September 5th
No reading. Complete any that were missed.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Field Trip Friday, Continued

Part 2:

This seemed to be the appropriate time to segue into our visit to the Korean War Memorial in June.


Those who came close to losing their freedom never forgot the Heroes who came to their defense.

Field Trip Friday (A combo pack!)

Part 1:

We took Pastor Dad's Daddy to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Museum yesterday. We had a lovely time eating lunch together and shopping at the B/X, although I'm not sure it was wise for us to take the Bear into a place that has discounted prices on electronics! His papaw promised to go back with him if the Bear ever saves enough money to make such purchases. Today he was just content to get some new earbuds for his iPod.

The educational portion of this field trip came a bit later when we stopped by the museum. My father-in-law is a Korean War veteran who rarely speaks of his service, and for good reason. He was destined to be wounded and evacuated. That's about all we know. Or should I say, knew.



Here are the three generations of men who let me tag along while they discussed the features of various warplanes:



When we walked into the World War 2 display my father-in-law was unexpectedly startled by the B-29 "Superfortress" we encountered. He said he once had a bad experience when a B-29 pilot saw movement on a hill in Korea and mistook him and his buddies for the enemy. He was in the army and at that time the U. S. Army and the Air Force were literally not on the same wavelength when it came to radio communications. Someone finally managed to get a message through to call off the airstrike before my father-in-law and the rest were hit. He said he could see the pilot sitting in the cockpit much like the mannequin of today, only higher, of course.


The particular B-29 we encountered in the museum was The Bockscar that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. At that moment the three of us who heard my father-in-law's wartime memory looked like a verbal bombshell had just been dropped on us! We stared at each other with our mouths and eyes wide open. He came close to being killed by friendly fire!


There were a few other pieces of information gleaned today. Perhaps it is important to the man who spent most of his life trying to forget his wartime experiences that the rest of us do not.


May we learn our lesson well.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Thankful Thursday

There's so much to be thankful for this week and yet I have one certain something on my mind. I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it. Almost too embarrassed. It might sound silly,but I assure you that it is not.

I'm thankful that I found the little teeny-tiny cord for my laptop's cooling pad.

I just heard you snicker.

I don't care. I'm just so happy to have the teeny-tiny cord back after it was misplaced in the "stuff" when we left camp a month ago. We've looked at church and home for that silly little thing many times since!

I've got one of those cooling pads with a unique little cord that connects the pad to the computer. I couldn't order a replacement from the company because evidenty everyone else that owns this cooling pad model has also either misplaced or broken their connector cord and the company website says it is out of stock. I suspect what that really means is "discontinued."

We were at the office supply store today so I looked to see if they sold the cord separately. They don't. But they did have the identical cooling pad on sale for $25 which was marked down from the normal$40 price.

I gulped. Then I prayed. I asked the Lord to help me find the little cord so that I wouldn't be required to buy a whole new unit. I decided that if I didn't find it by the end of the week I would go to the office supply store to buy a new cooling pad while it was still on sale.

And guess what?! I wasn't in the church office longer than a few minutes when my prayer was answered!

I've worked in that office every week for the last month and have looked in that same location every week for the last month but never found that cord! Today I prayed and the cord was located.

Coincidence?

I don't think so. :)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Not Exactly "Fieldtrip Friday"

Is Saturday close enough?That's when we went canoeing with a group of our friends:

We launched our flotilla.
Some went by canoe and some by kayak
And some just went side-to-side .  Again.  (Guess who!)  :)
But all got to witness an awesome sight! A Bald Eagle! This is the first time I've ever seen one outside of captivity. What a beautiful sight!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Take Ten in '10, Week 34 Reading Schedule

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Bible Reading Schedule for August 23-29, 2010

Monday, August 23rd
Isaiah 43, 44
Proverbs 23

Tuesday, August 24th
Isaiah 45, 46
Proverbs 24

Wednesday, August 25th
Isaiah 47, 48
Proverbs 25

Thursday, August 26th
Isaiah 49, 50
Proverbs 26, 27

Friday, August 27th
Isaiah 51, 52
Proverbs 28

Saturday, August 28th
Isaiah 53, 54
Proverbs 29

Sunday, August 29th
No reading.  Complete any that were missed.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Playing The Game of Telephone

Did you ever play the game of Telephone when you were growing up? It was also called Gossip and for good reason.

The object of the game is to let a rumor progress by whispering it from person-to-person and comparing the one at the end with the one that was started. The rumor that originated is usually barely recognizable by the time several people pass it along.

We play this game often but we call ita Prayer Chain. Just kidding. Sort of.

That isn't really what I wanted to share anyway. Some of our family recently got to play a confusing version of Telephone.

The Bear went with friends to see the Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins, perform in another city. Lisa called later that same evening and asked if it was true that The Bear had gotten Tim Hawkin's autograph. I didn't know anything about it and wondered how she possessed such knowledge living almost 3,000 miles away like she does!

She said that The Bear had sent a text to Dan several hours earlier. At first we were both insulted that he'd sent his brother-in-law this news but not his mother or sister. But when we each checked our respective cell phones we found that our batteries needed recharging. We'd received the message but could not access it.

Lisa also told me that Dan told her that The Bear had told him that Mr. Hawkins autographed his back. Now we were really puzzled! What was the meaning of this?

We felt sure that the signature must be on a shirt and not his actual back which would be subject to moisture from - you know - a shower at best, and perspiration at worst!

After I got off the phone with Lisa I checked my cell to see if the battery had acquired enough juice to send the Bear a text. It did, so I asked, "Shirt or Skin?"



Too bad that Mr. Hawkins neglected to reference his "favorite verse" under it!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

It Pays To Declutter

Look what I found this week while sorting through greeting card envelopes that had been saved so that I could check for any changes in addresses:



Examine the receipt carefully and you will see that the date proves that I had envelopes tucked away from two Christmases ago. Last year was not a good year for updating the address book, okay? So cut me some slack already.

Just kidding! No one could be more appalled than I was about this little detail, although I must admit that I recovered from my red-faced moment quickly once I discovered this little gem.

After all, initially I was just ecstatic to get the file drawer organized, but when this gift card tumbled out unexpectedly I thought the payoff to be especially sweet.

How sweet, you ask?

Oh, say, in the amount of $50.00!

Su-weet!

The card did not expire. I checked. Twice. First by reading the fine print on the back and second by taking the family out to eat as a reward for their joint cooperation in organizing our abode.

And there's enough sweetness left for one more visit. So, guys (specifically that would be Pastor Dad and the Bear, although no genuine offers of help will be refused), give me one more day with lots of oomph expended resulting in lots of trash expelled and you will be rewarded with another visit "down on the farm" compliments of Giver Unknown.

Ah! Sounds wonderful! And doesn't that snow on the front of the card look refreshing right about now, too? :)

Take Ten in '10, Week 33 Reading Schedule

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Schedule for August 16 - 22, 2010

Monday, August 16th
Isaiah 29, 30
Proverbs 15, 16

Tuesday, August 17th
Isaiah 31-33
Proverbs 17

Wednesday, August 18th
Isaiah 34-36
Proverbs 18

Thursday, August 19th
Isaiah 37, 38
Proverbs 19, 20

Friday, August 20th
Isaiah 39, 40
Proverbs 21

Saturday, August 21st
Isaiah 41, 42
Proverbs 22

Sunday, August 22nd
No reading scheduled today. Finish any that were missed.

Friday, August 13, 2010

The Blackberry Decided to Cooperate


Field Trip Friday

Blame it on operator error or equipment malfunction. Whatever. Either way, there will be no pictures today. Which is a shame, too, because we had a really nice time on our field trip(s) to the Creation Museum this week.

We made 2 trips there. The first one was Tuesday and it was supposed to be an extended family outing. Okay, that didn't happen (not naming any names here because you already know who you are; and that means all of you), but Pastor Dad, little Fen, and I went anyway.



[First picture that you won't see because we can't get it uploaded from Pastor Dad's Blackberry. Hmph.]
This is Fen "feeding" the animals at the petting zoo. Actually, he was quite content to let his Grandad feed the animals. He wasn't sure he wanted his hands anywhere near those large mouths! Can't say that I blame him.

Since it was such a hot day we only stayed outside for a few minutes. Once inside we attended a concert by Buddy Davis. We stayed in the back since Fen isn't quite ready to sit in a theater (or anywhere for that matter!) for about an hour. Instead, he amused the other stroller-toting families and wheelchair-bound folks in the accessible area with his interpretive dance routine. It was a mixture of free-spirit and hoedown. I mean Fen's dance, not the music, although the two weren't so dissimilar. We bought Fen a CD so that he can practice his moves at home.


[Second photo that you will not see because it is pitch-black]
Really. It is pitch-black. This would be a photo of us, the night-sky, and the telescopes in the parking lot at Answers in Genesis.


We went back last night for an after-hour event called Stargazer's Night. It is a shame that we couldn't take pictures because the night sky was beautiful. There were a few wispy clouds that occasionally came between the planets, star clusters, and nebula that were sighted in one of the three telescopes, but the meteor shower overhead provided enough of a display to keep us all occupied while the equipment was being adjusted elsewhere. It was a pleasant evening and it was spent with the very nice Dr. Jason Lisle and his assistants who patiently answered every question.


Pastor Dad, the Bear, and I drove away quoting Psalm 19: 1 - The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Thankful Thursday 8/12/10


I am very thankful for the plentiful harvest of fresh fruits and vegetables. Thanks also to those who have shared your seasonal bounty with us. I will be making fresh salsa and peach cobbler later today and making mention of you in my prayers as I do so.

Our own tomatoes will be ready for picking soon. This year, thanks to the cicada netting that my dad put around our little garden, we will be the ones enjoying the fruits of our labor instead of giving the squirrels and raccoons that honor.

For what are you thankful today?

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Take Ten in '10, Week 32 Reading Schedule

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Schedule for August 9 - 15, 2010

Monday, August 9th
Isaiah 14, 15
Proverbs 6, 7

Tuesday, August 10th
Isaiah 16-18
Proverbs 8

Wednesday, August 11th
Isaiah 19-21
Proverbs 9

Thursday, August 12th
Isaiah 22, 23
Proverbs 10, 11

Friday, August 13th
Isaiah 24-26
Proverbs 12

Saturday, August 14th
Isaiah 27-28
Proverbs 13, 14

Sunday, August 15th
No reading scheduled today. Finish any that were missed.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Thankful Thursday

I'm making an effort to count my blessings. It should be easy to do but some weeks it really does seem like more of an effort than what it should be. So in honor of counting my blessings I've declared today to be Thankful Thursday and it might be a permanent feature here.

We'll see. No promises.

So what am I thankful for on this Thursday?






Why, the Dog Days of Summer, of course! What did you think I meant?

Oh, and air conditioning, too. Definitely air conditioning!

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

(Rejoice! Comments have been enabled once more! Please leave one telling me what you are thankful for and why.) :)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

To Lisa:

I read your email and I sense your fear and frustration. I even tried to reply to it but couldn't get the message to send. It just kept disappearing. And you have no cellphone so I can't text my reply either. Therefore I'm trying a different approach to reach you.

I wish I knew what to do to fix the situation or know the words to say to make it right. But what can I say?

Only this. I've heard Nicole C. Mullens, Jaci Velasquez, and you sing a certain song that touches my heart everytime I hear it. This is especially true when I hear you sing it because you are my favorite female songbird. And while I suspect the others believe in the power of prayer I know for certain that you do.

I want you to know that when I read over these lyrics it is your voice I hear singing it. And I want you to know that I'm still on my knees on your behalf, too.

There are days when I feel
The best of me is ready to begin.
Then there're days when I feel
I'm letting go and soaring on the wind.
'Cause I've learned in laughter or in pain
How to survive.

I get on my knees,
I get on my knees;
There I am before the love that changes me.
See I don't know how, but there's pow'r
When I'm on my knees.

I can be in a crowd
Or by myself, in almost anywhere
When I feel there's a need
To talk with God;
He is Emmanuel.
When I close my eyes no darkness there,
There's only light.

I get on my knees,
I get on my knees;
There I am before the love that changes me.
See I don't know how, but there's pow'r
In the blue skies, in the midnight
When I'm on my knees.

I get on my knees,
I get on my knees;
There I am before the love that changes me.
See I don't know how, but there's pow'r
When I'm on my oh, when I'm on my,When I'm on my knees.
(Written by David Mullen, Nicole Coleman-Mullen, Michael Ochs )

Take comfort because " . . . My GOD shall supply all your need according to HIS riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS." (Philippians 4:19) I am positive that this verse means a heavenly home but have no reason to doubt that the God who can provide for your eternal abode will meet every need for your earthly home, too.

I love you! (And tell Dan that this means "ditto" for him too.) :)

Mom

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

What Was On the Agenda Today

I checked the agenda when I got up this morning. The thing that was originally planned for today looked like it might also be overruled by the Lord:

The forecast called for rain. But it didn't come!

The sickness bug was still with me when I went to bed last night. But it was gone and I could breathe again!

So the Bear and I packed up the gear - which meant grabbing our swimsuits and a beach towel - and went swimming at my parents' pool!

I'm guessing that the Lord didn't really want me cleaning flower beds and a junk room yesterday but that He did want me going swimming today.

There's some faulty logic and theology in that sentence but I think we can agree that all good gifts come down from our Heavenly Father. This day was one of those gifts!

Monday, August 2, 2010

The 10th Grade Curriculum

I can hardly believe we've been homeschooling for 25 years! In some ways it seems like it has been f-o-r-e-v-e-r and yet, in some ways, it seems like the journey is just beginning.

One of the reasons that each year seems like a new adventure is because we are constantly making adjustments to our curriculum. I find it necessary to tailor the curriculum around the learning style of the student and the dynamics of the family unit, and those are ever-fluid conditions. In the early years I was naive enough to believe that what worked for Child #1 would work all the way through Child #4. Silly me! What we bought for Child#1 didn't even adapt well to the needs of Child #2!

Even though Child #4 is the only student left in our homeschool and he is in high school, we are still making adjustments. I'm especially conscious of the fact that this is a boy young man whose education needs to be adequate for pursuing training toward a chosen career. We did not slack in our daughters' educations, by any means, but I especially feel the pressure of preparing him for his future.

I've pushed Child #4 a bit hard, but evidently not so hard as to discourage him. Just last week he came to us and announced that he is ready to begin this year's math course now in order to take as much time as necessary to master the material and not just finish the course. Once I found the tongue I'd lost in my moment of stunned silence, I gladly agreed.

And so, even though we've yet to order all the books, we have begun the math course already. Here is a list of the subjects we intend to cover this year:
  1. Advanced Mathematics (Saxon)
  2. Chemistry (Apologia)
  3. English (Institute for Excellence in Writing) - Components include Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization, Student Writing Intensive - C, and Excellence in Literature Content Guides for Self-Directed Study: American Literature
  4. Spanish (Rosetta Stone and a private tutor)
  5. Economics (Bob Jones University Press)
  6. Physical education will consist of tae kwon do classes, team basketball, and playing golf

It promises to be a busy, but exciting year!

(This post is part of the "Not Back to School Blog Hop: Curriculum Week" hosted by Heart of the Matter found here)

Working Out the Bugs

Complications: when bugs are thrown into the plans. I am currently working to exterminate bugs from my plans.

For one thing, I'm very hopeful that we can raise funds for worthy ministries, but I keep coming up with instances of "oh, yeah, just one more clarification!"

Here is the latest: Karabeth Baptist Homeschool is committed to sending the designated ministry a minimum pledge of $20. The maximum still stands at $100 based upon the number of comments received but KBH will send $20 whether anyone else participates or not.

For another, did you see this morning's Ministry MATTERS post? I hope not. And if so, I apologize.

I hardly recognized it! The formatting was all wrong and the text unreadable in places. It was written and scheduled days ago. My only explanation is that sometimes - and somehow - the formatting goes "loopy" in cyberspace while awaiting showtime.

I can't promise that there won't be more bugs, but that's all I've noticed concerning Ministry MATTERS matters.

* * *

I've got other bugs to exterminate. Most of our summer obligations have been completed but there is much to be done before we resume our fall routine. (I didn't say "go back to school" because it is hard to go back to something you never left.)

No birthdays, or camp, or VBS, or LTIA, or trips scheduled this week. Even Mr. "Fen"tastic: my shadow, my little mover-and-shaker, my grandson won't be with me this week.

A complete week void of usual routine!

In anticipation, I planned some projects. The flower beds are in serious need of attention. And there are closets and a junk room to clean. I scheduled appointments for things that have been neglected.

So guess what? I got hit with a bug. The energy level went down as the fever went up. I'm on the mend but I no longer have the "oomph" needed to just get 'er done. The normal everyday stuff has been an effort today.

I am reminded of James 4:14-15, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that."

So, Lord, you've got my attention. I don't know what your will is for this week but here's my agenda. You write your plans on the pages. At least Yours won't have any bugs!

Ministry MATTERS in August 2010!

When visiting this blog one must notice the Word of God on the page. It can be found in the heading, the sidebar, and in some of the posts. There is even a Bible reading schedule published each Saturday. Why? Because reading the Bible is important!

As such, it seems appropriate to begin this new endeavor with a ministry devoted to the Bible. Bearing Precious Seed in Milford, Ohio is the Ministry MATTERS pledge recipient for this month.

Bearing Precious Seed is one local church's ministry whose outreach is universal. Started in 1973 as a mission of the First Baptist Church of Milford, Ohio this ministry is devoted to the printing and distribution of Bibles, New Testaments, and the books of John and Romans. They work with translators to provide missionaries with Bibles written in the native dialects of their field.

The Bearing Precious Seed website contains a chart of what they produced through April 2010. It shows that 5,713,950 scriptures were produced in that time in Burmese, Cebuano, English, French, Ilonggo, Russian, French Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Tagalog languages. Since the figure represents only the first four months of 2010, one can only imagine what the total must be as of today!

Bearing Precious Seed recently sent representatives to the World Cup in South Africa. Here is a testimony (taken from Facebook, but found on their website) of the reception the Bible portions received:

"Testimony from the World Cup Scripture Distribution
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 10:30am
The 2010 World Cup project was definitely a global project. Those who gave and labored as well as those who received the Scriptures were a diverse group that spanned the globe. More than forty Seedline churches labored together in the assembly of the more than one million John and Romans. Forty-five South African churches were involved in the distribution of the Bibles. I was able to see people from all parts of the world receive the Word of God.During one game in particular in Johannesburg we were practically mobbed by the nearly one hundred thousand fans exiting the stadium. As the soccer fans began to exit the stadium we were soon surrounded by thousands of people, many of which were trying to get one of the Bibles. We were soon overwhelmed and began making our way down the street and away from the stadium. We were followed for a quarter of a mile and practically chased down the street as we were frantically passing out as many Scriptures as possible. In less than thirty minutes we had distributed more than ten thousand John and Romans.Not only were we involved in the mass distribution of Scriptures but there was also alot of one on one evangelism. I saw American missionaries, national pastors, South African church members, and American visitors all lead different people to the Lord. I was greatly impacted by many things that I saw when I was in South Africa. The biggest impact on my life personally was being reminded of what God's people can accomplish in His power when we work together. No matter where our citizenship is, or what color our skin is, we are all to be involved in the Great Commission.Phil TaylorBPS Seedline representative"


Won't you join me in pledging a contribution to this ministry? You may make a donation online at their website or send it via mail to their address:
Bearing Precious Seed
1369 Woodville Pike
Milford, OH45150

Leave a comment stating your pledge amount and you will be entered to participate in the drawing on this blog at noon on August 30th. (See here for the rules of participation. **See below also.)
This month's prize consists of 2 books (pictures below):

My Soul Thirsts for God is a collection of devotions on selected psalms. The writers of the Our Daily Bread devotionals have compiled 92 meditations on some of the most beloved portions of scripture.

Choosing a Bible, by Leland Ryken explains the differences between literal translations, dynamic equivalent translations, and paraphrases of the Bible and tells which versions fall under each heading. This is a very good, understandable book for explaining the philosophies behind Bible translations.

Clarifications and suggestions:
*If you do not wish to be contacted by this or any of the highlighted ministries, but wish to contribute, make your donation as anonymous as possible such as sending a money order. This option would negate declaring the gift as a charitable donation.

**For the purposes of the monthly drawing, the winner will have until noon the following Wednesday (48 hours total) to make contact with Karabeth Baptist Homeschool to arrange delivery of prize. If deadline is not met, a new winner will be announced.

***Karabeth Baptist Homeschool believes organizations selected for Ministry MATTERS are worthy of monetary support, but in no way does this imply agreement with everything said or done by the chosen organization or its assigns. Neither the blogger nor any member of her family work for the chosen ministry or receive funds or gifts from it.