Our Crazy Cat

A couple of years ago I thought it would be fun to get another cat...it has been about a year since our beloved Critter had passed and I was thinking it would be nice to have a little fur ball around again. I asked Scott about it and he was quick to answer no way. He did not want the clean up of a litter box, clawing of furniture and all the other work that comes with cat ownership. So, with definitive no, I felt it was safe to go ahead and bug him now and then about getting one. To be honest, as much fun as I had in my head to get one, a large part of me also thought about the work of it all. So began my campaign, with the knowledge that the answer was a flat no, it was fun to dream and bug him about having a new pet. (It was a safe way to go...I could have the fun of dreaming but all the while knowing I was not really committing to anything!)

It was December on a Saturday night, we were driving home from services, Scott leans over and asks me a question, which I did not hear clearly, thinking he asked if I wanted to go and grab some food on the way home I said "Sure!". YAY! I don't have to cook!! HA! Well, to my utter surprise we pull up to the pet store! WHAT??!! I didn't say a word. We got out and went in looking at the cats, my brain is flying over the conversation we just had in the car....didn't he say go out to eat? Or did he say let's go get a CAT??!! SERIOUSLY? But he said no!? He can't just change his mind..I was having fun! (I should learn a lesson from things like this....let's all pray that I will, K?)

So, with that, we acquired Shaggy the cat. Easily the funniest cat we have ever owned. This one has some character, and is not shy about showing it. I have often tried to capture video of him playing with the dog, but it seems he always stops when he sees the camera rolling. So, I caught a break...and here it is. For whatever reason, he loves to torture Kayli, one of his favorite things to do. But on the other side of that, he loves her dearly. Whenever he comes in from outside, he gives her bumps and rubs and let's her do a full sniff down on him before he commences cleaning or pestering for food.

Thankfully this cat is fully entertaining, Lord knows we have spent enough on his furry little butt (literally). It's his way of paying his way around here! Oh, and we just plain love him. Enjoy the video!

New Monic Books - Vocabulary Cartoons

A few weeks ago I received notice that one of my upcoming review products was going to be a book called New Monics - I'm not sure I completely understood how you would learn vocabulary through cartoons, but I was anxious to give it a try!

When this book showed up in the mail, it was just a little before dinner time. I had been out running errands, so when we got in the house, I really had things to do, the book was opened and left sitting there until we sat down to dinner. I pulled the book over and started looking through it, I was completely delighted! Shortly after I showed off a couple of pages it was being passed around the table from kids to parents, everyone having a giggle and enjoying the short stories and hilarious cartoons!

That next day I was heading out to visit with some of my homeschool mommy friends and decided to bring this little gem along to see what they thought. Same thing! The book was passed about, giggles here and there and overall rave reviews!

So, I will tell you, I have not often seen a vocabulary book being passed around with laughter, usually it looks something more like reading an obituary. This was a great and most welcome surprise! Vocabulary Cartoons by New Monic Books is very well done! Engaging stories, cartoons that truly give you a giggle and best of all, it works! I gave the book to my 15 year old son to read through the first set of words, about 15 minutes later I sat down with him to go over the review section for those words and HE KNEW THEM ALL! And enjoyed the time he spent learning them. WOW! That is effective in my opinion! So, this little SAT vocabulary prep book delivers what it advertises, "Learn Hundreds of SAT words with easy memory techniques". And the technique is so simple! If you can read a comic strip, you can learn what this book has to teach you!

This 345 page book is designed for jr high and high school students grades 7-12. It is broken up into 29 sections each one learning 10 words. I would highly recommend this book to any student who enjoys a good laugh and I am really looking forward to continued use of this book in our homeschool day. You can find this book and a wide variety more for all age ranges from New Monic Books at http://www.vocabularycartoons.com/home/. This is a great investment at just $12.95, it is a book everyone in the house will enjoy!


Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

In His Word Wednesday

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

At the beginning of each school year the kids and I make up a cover sheet for our binders. For them it is either something that they are "in to" at the time, or it could reflect our course of study. For me, I try to put something inspiration, a bit of help on there as a reminder that I can do this whole homeschooling thing and as a reminder that my kids are doing great and flourishing at home. (Secret for all of you who don't know: we homeschool moms have freak out moments where we wonder if we are really just screwing our kids up or if what we are doing is good....our imperfections are all too frequently highlighted when trying to teach our children at home.) So, for this year I chose to put the Shema on the cover of my binder. Having a high school aged son can be a bit overwhelming and I wanted to be reminded daily of what my goal is in our education, God first, worldly education second. The Shema sums that up so beautifully, our reminder of the order of our priorities, loving God and loving others.

I also decided to put the verse from Proverbs on my binder, about raising your child in the way they should go. Great verse, so simple and to the point. As I looked around on the internet, I found some commentary on this verse by Rashi, ancient Jewish commentator, which I also believed summed up beautifully the other side of this verse that is often overlooked. He said: "Train a child: according to what you teach a child and train him in matters, either for good or bad, even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it." What a great reminder, not only am I to be teaching my children the word of God and living by it, but I need to also be watchful about the negative things I may be inadvertently training them in. Ouch. Well said, and such a great reminder for me each day as I set an example to them as not only their teacher but also as their mother who needs this reminder that they are learning even when I am not meaning to teach them.

In His Word Wednesday

This is a re-post from Rabbi Daniel Lapins Blog. You can find his blog here: Rabbi Daniel Lapin

I have always found the connection in Hebrew between words and bees to be quite interesting. There are many implications that can be made from this connection and I really enjoyed how Rabbi Daniel Lapin shared this particular experience. May all of our words be sweet as honey and pleasing to our King!

To Bee or Not to Bee

Have you ever had the experience of blithely saying something and then, as the words left your lips, instantly regretting them and wishing you could take them back? Unless you’ve been obeying a vow of silence for years, I know the answer. We’ve all had intense remorse over something that would have been better unsaid. It just happened again to me.

I appeared on the Glenn Beck television show this past Friday. Among many other questions, he asked how I relate to atheists. On the spot, I referred to atheists as parasites. Needless to say, I instantly knew that what I meant wasn’t going to be what people heard. But with the rapid tempo of television, we were already on the next topic with no opportunity to elaborate or retract.

With one word, I casually insulted who knows how many potential friends who were now gone forever. Men and women who pay their taxes, serve in the military, and support their communities were instantly dismissed as parasites. In retrospect, there are so many true, good and kind words I could have said. Instead, I stung.

In almost every interaction, we each have the opportunity to use words that soothe and sweeten. We can say things that build connections and nurture relationships. By being careless, literally by not caring enough, we can so easily use words that stab and sting.

Hebrew emphasizes this dual nature of words, their ability to sweeten or sting by using one word for both ‘bees’ and ‘word’: DeVaRiM - words and DeVoRiM - bees. In Hebrew Scripture vowels do not appear, so though the words are pronounced slightly differently, they are exactly the same.

In fact, the Hebrew name for the fifth of the Five Books of Moses, Deuteronomy, is actually Words, from its opening verse --“These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel…..”

At the end of Deuternonomy’s first chapter, we find the word DeVaRiM or bees used:

And the Emorites who live in the mountains came out

to confront you and they chased you as bees do…

(Deuteronomy 1:44)

By employing exactly the same word for bees and words, the Lord’s language teaches us that just as bees can both sweeten with their honey and sting with their barbs, so words can do exactly the same thing.

Though I am not excusing my mistake, what was I thinking? I was remembering the following words from the sermon given by Reverend George Docherty in February, 1954.

"This age has thrown up a new kind of man-we call him a ‘secular’. He does not believe in God, not because he is a wicked man but because he is dialectically honest… These men, and many I have known, are fine in character and in their obligations as citizens and good neighbors, quite excellent. But they really are ‘spiritual parasites’ and I mean no term of abuse in this. I’m simply classifying them…These excellent ethical seculars are living upon the accumulated spiritual capital of Judeo-Christian civilization and at the same time, deny the God who revealed the divine principles upon which the ethics of this country grow…"

These words, which persuaded President Eisenhower to add the words “Under God” to America’s Pledge of Allegiance, echoed in my mind, but trying to convey them in a 10 second television sound bite was not a good idea. All I did was hurt people and jeopardize relationships.

Success in both life and business comes from relationships and being careful about words is a vital part of nurturing relationships. It takes deliberate and purposeful practice to monitor the words we use; in this case I failed.

a very late in His Word Wednesday!

So, I know it's not Wednesday, not even close...but I wanted to write this down, more for myself than anything else. This weeks Torah portion is Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8, this portion covers many things that would be wonderful to dig into deeper however as I was reading and going over the Hoshana Rabbah (parsha KiTavo) commentary, something really jumped out at me.

The discussion is on verse 26:11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.

This whole section is about tithing. Traditionally when we think about tithing it is taught, if you give and sow you will reap blessings. And sadly, I feel that far too often the emphasis is on what WE will receive, rather than on what we can give. Now, when I read this passage about giving joyfully today and looked at the commentary, this is what jumped out to me. "Bringing one's tithes and offering to YHVH is to be a joyful event since it is a reflection of our gratitude to him for abundantly blessing us." This is the reverse of what is traditionally taught about tithing. We are not giving so we can receive but rather we are giving to show our GRATITUDE to Him who blessed us first! WOW! That is RIGHT ON! He did bless us first, anything we give back was not of our own hands, but of His gracious love alone. Deut 10:14 "Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it."Anything we give, already belongs to Him to begin with.

So, when you are ready to give an offering to the Lord, do it with rejoicing in your heart, thanking Him for what He has already blessed you with and not thinking about how He will bless you in return, He already has! Amein!

In His Word Wednesday

FINALLY!
Things have been so busy around here I have neglected my posts on Hebraic studies.

So here is the word for today:

		Amen (אמן amen, Strong's #543): World wide this is the most famous of all Hebrew words. But, do we know what it means? This word comes from the root aman [str:539], pronounced ah-mahn, and means to be firmly planted in place such as can be seen Isaiah 22:23 which speaks of a "nail fastened to a secure place." The noun form, amen, pronounced ah-mehn, is used in the Biblical text by persons who are affirming a statement. In other words, they are saying I am firmly agreeing with what has been said. The next time we say amen, let's think about what we are agreeing to.

I believe his last statement is incredibly important. Today we hear this word thrown around like a high five. However when we pronounce it we are confirming whatever is being said as our own faith, and we need to make sure we are in agreement with the statement before we shout out an amen to it. Can I get an amen?? ;0)

A blessed life

What a summer! So, here are a few updates.....


A sweet day, helping our friend Char move. We are truly blessed with an amazing spiritual family...God is good! And now, Char is settled in her new place, I need to get over there soon and see it!

Jordans buddy Peter had his 13th bday at the Museum of Flight, here are a few of us in the group in the elevator with a nifty mirror ceiling, I HAD to take a picture of us! How cool is that??!!

Atira floating in space, what a showoff! ;0)

Jordan checking out the controls....
And the staff at Red Robin sings Happy Birthday to the teen!
Moving along....Atira and her friends had a wonderful time jumping on the trampoline in the liquid sunshine of Seattle! Silly wabbits!
And we cannot forget the River Lot! I don't have many pictures of it because I am usually just enjoying the company and beauty of the day, but I did capture this moment of the girls playing in the sand. Love the river lot, I know my children will grow up having very fond memories of these years and spending time with their friends here. What a blessing the Wilcox family has been to share this with us! ♥

Nothing quite like family memories....beautiful, heartwarming, touching. And isn't it bonding when a niece and her uncle are so close...in looks? (Or incredibly weird....and a bit disturbing?)




Happy 15th Birthday Jordan! What a fun and HOT day! The boys gathered up at our house, loaded up all their ammo and weaponry and headed off to the woods and shot up some amazing targets that Grampa Curt made! A few hours later, they all arrived home, safe and happy having had a wonderful day. I think this was an ideal bday celebration for Jordan. He and his buddy talked long into the night about the adventure, and both of these boys are not big talkers. So, for them to spend, hours chatting...it must have been some kind of day! So, tomorrow is Jordans actual bday, we will be celebrating by taking him out shopping (with his bday money) to pick up some much desired items he has had on his list. He is a thoroughly happy and very spoiled 15 year old young man. Praise God for such an amazing son....we are truly blessed!

TOS Homeschool Planner

ONE STOP SHOP! Calling all Homeschool Mommies! I would love to share with you about the shiny new 2010 TOS Homeschool Planner!

The planners beautiful sleek design will have all of your homeschool mommy friends just oohing and ahhing over it's incredible design, innovative features and ease of use! :)

As homeschool families, we have a LOT on our plate! We are truly super parents in many ways! We plan for many things throughout the day, a homeschool schedule, cleaning routines, chores, meals, shopping etc etc etc. You KNOW the list goes on and on! Wouldn't be wonderful to have a little help for many of these areas, helping you to have a more organized home?

HELP IS ON THE WAY! The 2010 TOS Homeschool Planner has a bit of everything you could imagine and a whole lot more than you probably would have hoped for!


Need a recipe, it's in there, need a form for planning your day, it's in there, need some biblical inspiration, ITS IN THERE! Thank the Lord! Whether you are looking for forms, recipes or just some inspiration for your homeschool day, it is all in there! The incredible number of topics covered by this 614 page planner just boggle the mind! Incredibly creative ideas and completely tuned into a the homeschool family lifestyle. Just what the mommy ordered!

***********************All of this for the low, low price of just $39.00!********************

BUT WAIT! There's more! You will receive your addition of the 2010 planner via PDF Download, so you will be able to hop in and play after your payment is processed! WOW!

Time is running out, school will be starting very soon! Click on our link to head on over to our ordering page where we have a website standing by to take your order and learn about more of the features offered in this amazing product!

Personally, I used the 2009 TOS Planner all last year, and it was a wonderful addition to my homeschool organization. One of my favorite features was being able to get into a form and type the information I wanted into it and print it out all done! My records look so wonderfully neat and organized, makes this homeschool mommy quite happy! :)

I hope you take a moment to check out the 2010 planner, I think you will be quite surprised and happy with the amazing content of this sleek new planner for the upcoming school year! Help keep your brain nice, shiny and bright by getting organized through This Old Schoolhouse and the 2010 Planner.

And the fine print....This posting is done with the intent to sell a product. Now, wasn't that fun and cheezy? ;0)

Math Tutor DVD Series

Math is certainly not my strongest subject. So I am always on the hunt for someone or something to help my children understand and be able to use math concepts better than I can. So, it was quite appropriate that one of my review items was for math and better yet, it is on DVD, which means I can sit back and be a student right along side my children!

I received two DVD's in the mail for review, one is "The Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1" (2 DVD's, 5 hours of video) and the second is "The Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor" (3 DVD's, 8 hours of video). *yawn*. Well, that is what went through my mind, especially when I saw that second one. However, I am trying to keep a joyful appearance as I want my children to love math....not tolerate it like I do. Funny thing is, my pre homeschool mommy days, I was a banker and mortgage loan officer! Both careers were completely math oriented! Crazy, huh? Oh, and I would say I do have some mad skills when it comes to percents, such as how much is this super cute top when it is on sale at 30% off? ZING BAM! I have the answer! I don't need a calculator or a lesson on how to do that kind of math....but the stuff my son is getting into? Lord help me.

So, we began our journey into the Math Tutor DVD using the first series, Pre-Algebra Tutor Volume 1. First let me say, couldn't be easier to use, pop it in and choose your lesson, hit play, sit back and relax...literally. He does not want you distracted by taking notes etc, just watch the lesson. The backdrops are simple and not distracting, this all about the math. Simple white board in the background for writing equations and the teacher showing you what is going on.

The lessons progress covering basic topics of pre-algebra, preparing your child for this new language they will be encountering (and for you math challenged parents like myself), giving you some tools when you begin tackling this new phase of math.

For my family this was perfect timing as I am using this as an end of summer review before we get back into a regular schedule. As much as I long to continue some of the basics through summer, I rarely achieve that goal, and not wanting to break my summer routine ;0) we kind of dropped math sometime in June...so, this has been wonderful for refreshing all those lessons we have not visited in some time.



Now, I would like to move this review on to the Texas Instruments TI-83/TI/84 Calculator Tutor DVD set. UGH, that was a mouthful.

Let's get the basics first, this set covers the TI83/84 and plus versions of this calculator. You will receive 3 DVD's in this series including 8 hours of instruction (for one calculator!!??!!) Seriously, your gonna need it.

So, my son and I sat down over french toast and hot cocoa to watch this particular series. Notice, comfort food when approaching what could be a scary topic...also creating "sweet" connections between math and food....don't know if it will work, but it helped me! :) So, we sat back and began this series. I have to say with all of my math insecurities, this series is done very well. I felt like I could follow along with the instructions, even though I had no idea what he was talking about most of the time (in regards to the equations I mean, these, were way over our heads). On the screen you see on the left a computer image of the calculator that he is interacting with and on the right is a computer image of the screen of said calculator. He walks you through step by step, showing you what the buttons do, how to do some equations and even teaching you that it is not the calculator that gets good grades, but the brain working the calculator. The teacher, is warm, friendly and makes the series easy to watch.

So, overall I would say this is an excellent series. My son is ready for the upcoming school year in math having done this review. And I look forward to being able to truly utilize the calculator series when the time comes that my son is in that level of math. These will definitely be staying on our shelves to use as reference, I am thankful I had the opportunity to review these...and that is saying a lot from this math fearing mama!

Great products at a good price - you can find either The Pre-Algebra series or the TI Calculator series at Mathtutordvd.com for just $26.99 plus shipping. Check out their variety of other math DVD series as well, we were very happy with the two made available to us for review.


Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Family Fun

What a week. It has been filled with all kinds of adventure. This picture is a nice highlight of our day. Having Scott's family in town we decided it would be nice to take a day and spend it on beautiful Whidbey Island. Starting with a ride across the ferry, driving up to Coupeville and eating a magnificent lunch at the Knead and Feed which we topped off with an amazing marioberry pie, we landed ourselves at Deception Pass. Those few who are daring decided to walk across the bridge....those of us far less daring decided to wait and pray for them and enjoy the view on solid ground. :)

When we gathered back together we made our way to a beautiful park on the water and hiked up to the top of a huge rock...where you see us gathered for a family photo at the top. The views from up here are quite incredible. A bit of all the beauty of Washington is summed up when looking around from here, mountains, water, inlets and trees. Breathtaking. The day finished off with a crockpot dinner (thank the Lord I had the inspiration for that before we left!), and a fun night spent all together. Whew, it has been quite a week, and the memories we made are so sweet!

Armor of God

Ephesians 6:17 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The idea of God's word being compared to a sword is not a new revelation: Isaiah 49:2 He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver. I think Revelation 1:16 sheds some interesting light on this passage as well: In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. Hosea 6:5 Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.


Interestingly the mouth and the sword are connected in all these passages. The word "word" here is not logos as it is usually translated in the Greek, but rather rhema (RAYma). What is the difference? It seems from the bit I have studied this that the two words can be used interchangeably. However there also appears to be a subtle distinction....this word, rhema, has within it the idea of the spoken words of God,differing from the written. I have found it interesting that in some bibles the words of Yeshua are highlighted in red....how come in the Tanakh (old testament) God's words are not also highlighted the same way? Can you imagine HOW MUCH of our bibles would be covered in red lettering? From the very beginning all things were being created and are being created by the living words that are uttered from His mouth! Including His word and that includes His Torah! The interconnectedness between God, His Word and His Son are beyond our comprehension. However I love the passage of poetry from John where we are given a glimpse of His majesty: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. God, His Word and His Son, all shedding light on the darkeness...Genesis 1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light; and there was light." Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. When Yeshua returns, He is coming as righteous judge, King and Ruler of this creation, what will He rule and judge by? The living words of God. It is by these same words that we can learn how to wield a righteous sword to discern between those things that are apart of the tree of life and those things that are apart of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And of course I have to close this study with Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edges word, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints nad marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Be bathed in the living waters that are found in His word - the entire book - drink in the Words that were uttered from His mouth in the beginning and be filled with His precious gift of life!
Shalom aleichem! שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם
Peace Be Upon You!

Travelkits Review

The Old Schoolhouse Ebook: Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others

Road trips, what an amazing way to make family memories! They can be a complete blessing, but also require patience and some careful planning to have the troops peaceful and happy when they arrive at their destination. Travel Kits: A Simple Way to Bless Others Ebook is completely packed with great ideas, suggestions and wonderful photographs to help you make a gift that will help the trip be a much more enjoyable experience for everyone!

Inside this 93 page Ebook you will find ideas for everyone you know! These wonderful boxes, bags, name your container of choice, are filled with gifts to keep everyone entertained as you are on your way. There are suggestions for everyone from infants to adults. If you are one who would love to create things like this but feel you do not have enough imagination to come up with the ideas on your own, this book is for you! Author, Donna Rees, has thought of everything for filling up these containers to delight your family and friends when you bless them with this gift before they leave for their next adventure! The color photographs will help you visualize what your gift basket should look like, how you can coordinate the ribbons or paper so as to identify the recipients of the gift. She even suggests ideas on WHEN to open these gifts! Such as, "hear a certain song or advertisement on the radio" or "stop for gasoline".

And additional idea I really enjoyed was "blessing boxes". These are boxes filled with biblical encouragement and inspiration for someone who may be going away for an extended period or embarking on a difficult task. What a gift of love this would be!

As much as I enjoyed this book and it's creative ideas, which I am sure to use in the future, I did have a few things that I found well...a bit different. For instance, one thing the author repeated as a suggestion when creating these baskets for your family or others was utilizing the library. From what I was understanding she was suggesting that we check out books and wrap them up as a "gift" for the recipient. Seriously? I am not going to give someone a gift that they have to make sure they keep nice and neat, in addition they can't lose it or they are going to have my library fines to pay! ;0) So, I would have to say, this suggestion might be fine for getting inspiration for additional ideas, but as for me, I will not be checking out library books to temporarily give to others as apart of their basket. I think I will stick with giving gifts I have purchase and not borrowed...it just sounds like trouble for me! :)

My only other issue with this was the use of pill boxes. It is suggested to give out pill boxes filled with candies and other treats, personally I find that a dangerous idea, children should never associate pill boxes with something they can eat, especially candy, since it is so easy for them to overindulge in it. She did use one for putting beads into, and I thought was a much better, creative idea for them...but never for food.

With that said, overall, I found this book to be very informative (perhaps for the creative soul, maybe a bit too informative) and I really did enjoy it and feel very inspired. I will also add, my children who were peeking over my shoulder and reading along with me from time to time, were so excited that we are going on a road trip this summer and they are thinking this would be a GREAT idea to have these for the trip! Don't tell...but I will probably do a little something up for them as a surprise, after all I am completely prepared with ideas now!

I do hope you will take a look at this book for your next trip or to bless others around you!
Blessings and Shalom,
Tina

For more reviews of this product please check out the TOS Blog.

Ebook download $12.45
Travel Kits

Disclaimer: I am a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew. As such I have received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion and review of this product. I have not received any additional compensation for my review.

Seriously? WOW!

Beautiful Blogger Award

WOW! So my sweet friend ♥Denise♥ has given me the Beautiful Blogger award! I was so completely surprised that I did not realize that is what she meant by her email! How silly of me! I was happy for her and her achievement and completely agree with her receiving it, however it never entered my mind for a moment that I would be the recipient of one! (So apparently I owe Denise a big ole' cup o chai tea now...ya know, the big payoff!) ;0)

Now according to the rules, the recipients of this award must complete the following tasks:

1) Add a link and note of thanks to the person giving the award
2) Pass the award on to the bloggers whose blogs you love (15 tops)
3) Share 7 things about yourself

So, seven things about me? Who cares?? But here goes!

1. I love, love, love to DANCE! I have been blessed to coordinate and teach Messianic dance and look forward to my time worshiping before Him in the dance. (However I don't think this was a big secret...but it is still something about me!)

2. I love foreign languages, but always quit them when it comes to grammar. I stink at the grammar. Currently I am learning Hebrew....and struggling with the GRAMMAR! ACK! (so for the count, I have studied Sign Language, Spanish and Hebrew...and I am currently still working on English, but that's only because I have to since I homeschool my kids)

3. My favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry's Phish Food. By it for me and you will be my BFF. (At least until the pint is gone, oh, and don't expect me to share.)

4. I love to bake. A lot. But then I eat it.

5. I workout every weekday. Please refer to numbers 3 & 4 above. I also have workout ADD. I need to change up my workouts all the time or I get bored very easily.

6. I'm allergic to turkey. I know it's weird but true.

7. The Bible is truly my favorite book to read, every time I open it's pages new gems come flying out at me and put me in total awe of the God I serve. It is just an incredible gem full of facets and layers that I never knew existed before about 7 years ago...so glad He healed my blindness and has shown me the beauty in His amazing Word!

Ok, so I am now supposed to pass the fun along..the thing is...Denise stole all my favorites and awarded them the Beautiful Blogging Award already! But that is a good thing...I am still getting to know a lot of these awesome mommy bloggers and it has been a joy. So, perhaps when I have had a chance to get to know some of these blogs a bit better I will pass this along later!

I'm a nerd part II

WOO HOO!! Ok, so after being diligent in cutting my coupons and matching them up with sales, I am really seeing that this CAN be beneficial to our budget! So, what have I learned so far? Well, I have found out that there is a learning curve to this whole thing. I have also learned that this is not free money or a get rich quick scam. It takes work. I spoke with a very sweet lady this weekend about her experience and she said that she considers it her part time job. I can see why. You have to be careful to balance this with life and not chase after every possible deal that comes your way. Buy smart, by what you use, not what you think you might use. Don't waste your money on something unless of course it is FREE! Stockpile. That is the essential vocab word to learn, you must stockpile. My kids have already picked up this lingo and say it now! The idea is, catch a great deal and buy as much as you can and set it aside, you never want to pay retail for anything! So, here are some of my finds for this week that I am particularly happy about....
So here is the breakdown...
Barilla pasta, bought two boxes for a total of $1.40 for BOTH
Bulls Eye BBQ Sauce - total 25 cents
Butter in tub - 49 cents
Tortillas - 59 cents
3 pack of socks - I made 12 cents before tax - CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??
Almond breeze - 99 cents bought 4 at this amazing price
Pretzels - 50 cents
packs of gum - 50 cents each
Popcorn $1 for both boxes

Not bad huh? So everything you see here cost about $5.60 before tax...wow.
And not only that, but this was fun to do...feels like a game! I also left some of my coupons around the store for other shoppers on things that were getting close to expiring and I was not going to use. That was kind of fun too. Ok, gotta go...must find more coupons! ;) Kidding! Gonna go get my jammies on and enjoy a quiet evening with my family!

Armor of God

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The helmet of salvation, the scriptures literally say "the helmet of Yeshua", this particular quote is taken from Isaiah 59:17 where it says "He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle." Yeshua is acting here as high priest and judge when read in the context of the chapter. As such He was set apart and holy to the Lord. Exodus 28:36-38 "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.' "You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban. "It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. We are to have a literal "renewing of our minds" in our walk with God. Daily, as we read His word, come before Him in prayer we should be sacrificing our ways of thinking and renewing our thoughts to His ways. And as we grow closer to Him and more familiar with His ways, we should be developing a discerning mind, one which can decipher between truth and deception. We should be daily becoming more holy to the Lord...holy, consecrated, set apart for His purpose and work. Yeshua also wore a helmet of salvation, for us, He wore a crown of thorns as He performed the ultimate act of obedience and submission to His Father on our behalf. So, when we spiritually put on the helmet of salvation, see upon your forehead that you are Holy to the Lord, you are set apart for a purpose and you have a divine calling to walk out as you are shod with the Gospel of Shalom.

Hebrews 7:23-25 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.




The sword of the Spirit will be continued next week. I pray His teachings and ways are in your mind today as you seek to grow closer to Him!

Bathing Suit Moments

So, after hunting around last year for a more modest bathing suit, I found a pattern for a very cute, however a bit frumpish style. I made it last year and we liked it, Atira alternated between that suit and a pair of board shorts and rash guard shirt, which is also very cute and modest as well. However this year, Atira and I decided to reinvent our pattern and create something new and fun with it...losing the frump factor.


This is what we came up with! Thanks to my sweet friend Chloe and her fabulous surging machine (as well as her incredible skills), we made what I think is quite a cute little suit! What I love about this style is that Atira can wear it out and about, as well as for swimming or playing in the yard, at the beach or river. We split the original pattern which was a dress and leggings into a pair of leggings with the skirt attached (which she can shorten or lengthen but scrunching the waist and then a more tunic style top. What you cannot see is the fabulous fabric! It is full of pink sparkles, she says she looks like a salmon...very cute.

So, Chloe and I plan on making a few more of these for the other girls in our lives and continue to work on bumping up the fun hip look while still maintaining this wonderful level of modesty!

This was such a super fun project, I am really looking forward to working on them again. And who knows...perhaps we make a few extra to see if we can make a few dollars on the side!

In His Word Wednesday

		YHWH (יהוה YHWH, Strong's #3068): Virtually all translations from Judaism and Christianity use "the LORD" for the Hebrew name of God - YHWH. The original pronunciation of the name can never be determined with complete accuracy but in Hebraic thought it is the meaning of a name that is more important than its pronunciation. The Hebrew YHWH is the verb hawah meaning "to exist" with the prefix y meaning "he." Therefore, the word YHWH means "he exists." YHWH is the one who exists every where every time.

What I love about looking at the Bible from the ancient Hebrew language is how the scriptures open up in a very dynamic way. Our English language is just not sufficient to convey the deeper meanings of the text. The Bible is truly a diamond, with many facets and when you get out your jewelers loop to examine it more closely you are abundantly blessed with the beautiful rich gems found within it's pages. I hope you enjoy taking a deeper look at God's name, He Exists and I am so thankful for the opportunity to get to know Him more intimately!

In the Moment

This morning I woke up thinking....thinking about the root canal on the schedule for today. It was a quiet morning, my house was warm, my kids were sleeping away and my husband was by my side. It should have been a wonderfully blissful morning. I should have been enjoying the memories of the night before, a night spent with good, sweet and loving friends. A night filled with great food, fun conversations and the beauty of fireworks. A night of watching happy children running around having a blast...literally! But instead, I lay there thinking about what was coming up for me this afternoon. It frustrated me. My thoughts led me to my blog...the blog I named "In the Moment". I named it that for a reason, I named it that as a goal and a reminder. I want to live in the moment, I want my life to focus on the positive good things and not have those sweet times tainted with thoughts of negative things, like I was doing this morning. I have come a long way in my life, learning to live in the moment, but I have times when I get stuck living in a moment that has not yet come or that has already past. The Lord reminds us to not worry about tomorrow and it is a reminder I needed today. I am thankful for His word and His promises to care for me and be with me during the difficult times. And I want to learn to be obedient during those times in between and enjoy the good moments He has also given me! So, for now, I am off to enjoy some good moments with my family, for tomorrow will worry about itself!

My Beautiful Girl

I decided with the many events we have planned during July I better get some things out of the way, one of those was haircuts for Atira and myself. Yesterday we were at my salon and the wonderful gal who does my hair had time to take Atira...what a blessing! This is the cut she received and I just LOVE it! She looks absolutely beautiful....dontcha think? :) Atira thinks it makes her look a bit like Patty Duke..which by the way, she is loving that show. Cracks me up, my kids adore I Love Lucy too (and honestly so do I!). So, now the boy is next on the "chopping block". But he will just get a trim on those incredible curls he is developing!

WAFFLE WAFFLE WAFFLE!

Delish, huh?! For probably years now Scott has wanted a waffle maker. This past Sunday, Fathers Day, we were watching QVC and they had on this fabo waffle maker, you know the kind, they are in all the hotels with breakfast bars. Since I had not purchased him anything for dad's day, I popped up, went online ordered this baby up and printed off the receipt handing it to him with "Happy Fathers Day" written across the front. He was very happy and very excited. So, the wait began. We were all given strict instructions to keep our paws off his new waffle maker when it shows up while he is at work. Of course for the kids and I that is the ultimate challenge. He might as well have begged us to touch it all up and get it greasy and used up before he gets his first chance to use it! Well, as it turns out, it showed up minutes before he walked in the door (and minutes after I walked out it). So, while I was out and about, I receive a picture text showing his shiny, gleaming new waffle maker sitting on the counter. Since dinner was done for this particular day it was quickly voted that waffles would be for dinner the very next night. And so it was! These are shots of Scott using his beautiful waffle maker, he really did enjoy himself. We had quite a variety of toppings from strawberries to bananas and of course syrup. On the side (in case you are wondering) are the fabulous and way too fatty beef sausages from walmart..of all places! It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for this weekend...more WAFFLES! :)