Thursday, February 28, 2008

Serendipity Scrapbooks

Well, this is one of my favorite places to shop...definitely my favorite spot for scrapbooking supplies! My good friend Kristen owns this online store and she has the coolest products available. One of the newer things she has that I want to order are these little chipboard albums...there are a few designs(like a game controller) or you can choose a word book...she has some like All Star or Woof, OR you can custom order a book....like someone's name...which is nice for those of us with names you don't see often.
One of my favorite new items is called Glimmer Mist...this is a spray that has some color and some shimmer in it all in one...Looks beautiful! We may even try spraying it onto our AWANA Grand Prix cars for that metallic kind of look. Check it out....I have a link to the pink, but she carries a few different colors...I am really liking the Sea Glass and Lily Pad too!

http://shop.serendipityscrapbooks.com/scrapbook-supplies/mytatteredangelsglimmermistpinktaffy.html

Speaking of scrapbooking, while it is a great hobby and a creative outlet for me, I also use it as a way to document the milestones in our children's everyday lives as well as their spiritual lives. I haven't had a chance to do the layouts yet from my son's 13th birthday, but that was a fun Milestone in his life that we celebrated for a week...each day had some special little activity or gift, with bigger things happening on his actual birthday and for the parties we did. One thing that I am particularly looking forward to documenting was a surprise party for Joshua at our church...while that was a fun thing, the thing I am most looking forward to documenting is the letters I asked for some godly men to write to Joshua offering their advice and suggestions for walking a life of faith and remaining close to Christ...these are such a precious treasure, each one as unique as the man who wrote it. I hope he will look back on these and that they will be an anchor to him throughout the ups and downs of life.
Grace and Peace to you!

C~



Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Scrapbook Challenge & Pride and Prejudice

Well, this week, I received a link to this amazing challenge that I think I am going to try...scrapbook your daily life for a month. I think this is a great way to get perspective on your life and to remember those things that you would otherwise forget (especially many years from now!). What was your daily routine, what extra things were happening, what were your faith struggles, etc... I would like to challenge you to try it too...
Here's the link:
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com:80/my_weblog/2008/02/can-you-tell-li.html

Let me know what you think...

Pride and Prejudice...I think this is my all time favorite movie...the best version in my opinion is the BBC version and you have a difficult time beliving that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle are NOT Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett...I am not sure if I have ever seen anything else they have been in and I think it would be odd to see them play someone else...Speaking of that...are there any actors like that for you...either in a good or bad way...I have a couple...Christopher Walken played a bad guy (really creepy) on a movie I saw (can't remember which one)....I have a hard time seeing him in a good role now...like Sarah, Plain and Tall...Ralph Fiennes is another after Schindler's List...
Well, that's it for today...Have a great day!
C~

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day & President's Day

I hope you are all celebrating this special day with your loved ones. I am not sure why, but I have been thinking of an old friend who passed away several years ago. When she died, I realized that I had never told her how much she meant to me and how precious she was. I'll never forget when I was pregnant with my daughter...before we ever knew "it" was a "She"...Laura said, well, I am making you an afghan...and it's pink...she just seemed to KNOW...I look at that blanket and think of her. I would like to challenge you to tell your friends and family that you love them...tell them often...you never know when they will leave us. It was a little weird for me to tell my friends that I loved them at first...I wasn't really raised that way...but each time got a little easier...and I do not want to have any regrets.


This weekend, we have a hockey tournament...Our Goalie Man, Josiah will be defending his net for the Blades...he is a PeeWee and BELIEVE ME, his brothers ENJOY calling him a PeeWee...all the levels seem to have strange names...I am not sure where they came from, but SQUIRT, MITE, BANTAM, MIDGET and PEEWEE...
Anyway, a weekend of hockey means a weekend away from the computer! I hope you all have a great four day OR three day weekend! And for all of you retail friends...I've been there and done that and we all REALLY APPRECIATE A GOOD SALE!

Go Blades~!

C~

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

We The People

Homeschooling has been such a journey of discovery for ME, the teacher...I have learned SO many things that I had never learned before. As I delve into these topics, I keep coming back to the thought...I can't believe I never learned this before.
As I am preparing for an overview government class for our co-op, I am learning principles of government and UNDERSTANDING our Constitution...it is an incredibly fascinating study, that maybe only experience can put into words. Digging into the reasoning of the day, rather than just accepting at face value what someone tells you. I cannot remember much about what we learned about the Constitution in High School, but I remember playing the stock market in class. Something this foundational to our identity as a nation should perhaps be treated a little more than cursory...I wonder how many of our nation's students (much less adults) really understand our Constitution...well, I can tell you 10 students who will have much more of an understanding than they did before...at least, I hope they will...
On the same note, but on a different vein, I just finished a really good book...The Lady of Arlington. It is about Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee (I believe that is correct, but we all know her better as Mrs. Robert E. Lee. What a fascinating life. I love to read biographies, but this has to be one of my favorites. I was really struck by her in so many ways. One thing that I found interesting what HOW many important lives of the day were woven into her life...being a descendant of a sort from George Washington... historical figures weave in and out througout the tapestry of her life, up to one of the the last names mentioned of historical importance...Woodrow Wilson. Dining with the President, a President visiting there house, mention of Lewis & Clark, of course all the many from the Civil War...One life...I suppose it helps to be situated in the area of our political seat...and the loss of her home, her beloved Arlington to watch it become a national cemetary...so much I never knew before.
I only wish that my children would have a great desire to be learning all of their lives.
We'll talk again soon! Sorry it's been so long...I have been sick.
C~

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Titus 2:3-5

Well, I am at that point of my life where I am becoming one of those...one of the older women...it is so stinkin' depressing for many reasons...
One, I am not ready to be one of those...one of those women who can give great, godly advice...I feel like I am the one who needs it...boy with all the times I do something stupid or say the wrong thing, live in a way that glorifies me and not God...boy, I've got some growing up to do...
Two, I am not ready to be "older"...even though the older you get, the older old is, I'm still not as young as I used to be and that stinks too! All those things I wish I would have done or that I wish I had NOT done...
Three, even though the years say I am older, my heart says, "That's not true." I feel much younger than I am and find it hard to believe that I have reached this so quickly...a few weeks ago, I had a kind of a shock...I was thinking about something in my life and I thought, "That was 30 years ago...then I had a horrifying thought..."How is it possible that I could be thinking of an event that happened thirty years ago?" A wake up call like having a bucket of cold water thrown on you when you're in a dead sleep.
But God...
(I love those two little words....)
But God has a purpose and a plan for everything...I don't have to have it all figured out or say things just so...He can give me His wisdom. I can still laugh and play and have great joy in the presence of the Lord...Older doesn't mean a loss of all joy. Youth may be fleeing me faster than my brains, but with it comes something gained...experience... and hopefully...more trust, more peace, more faith...
Now, if only the look in my mind and the look in the mirror could match up! Now, THAT would be a miracle.
C~

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Crazy Busy and Petroleum

Well, Wednesdays are my crazy busy days right now...we leave at 9:30 am and get home around 9:30 pm. so I am gearing up to be gone all day. Josiah also has an All-Star practice that got scheduled at the last minute, so my husband and I need to co-ordinate the hand-off. I wonder how good for us this lifestyle is...I just have one day of it, but I am exhautsed at the end of the day and long for the comforts of HOME. I know when I am busy, I have less time for being in God's Word, for Being still and knowing that He is God, for being patient and kind to my children, for coming up with a spontaneous and fun project for us all to do together, for making a nutritious and hopefully delicious meal for my family (MAJOR rabbit trail here...sorry, this is the way my brain works: I put some chicken thighs in the crock pot yesterday with some A-1 and teriyaki sauce...when it was done, I put the thighs on a baking sheet and basted them with the sauce and baked them off...we loved them...if you don't like A-1, you could just use all teriyaki sauce......I told you I am not a great cook, so I need all the help I can get...let me know what you think if you try it!), keeping up on the laundry (Always a chore with a family of seven), and any other number of things that need to be done...I am so glad the HE restores my soul and that my cup runs over!
Okay, I gotta get my buns movin', so just a quick word about Petroleum...in what I was looking at, Petroleum may be a contributing factor in breast cancer...I didn't read through everything, but several posts said that...also, I found a place that sells a natural product like it called Winter's Breeze or something close to that...it is expensive, but if it works and is safer, I am sold. I bought it through http://www.beeyoutiful.com/ . I'll let you know what I think next time I need it.

C~

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Like only a 6 yo can...

Grace wrote us all letters this morning. She is in Kindergarten and does not read yet. I will post her letters first and then the translations...these are priceless

Dad
i luve uo alot
ad I hop uo luve coffee

Elijah
I luve uo alot
I luve uo
ad Elijah
yo mab yow du luve God

De Mom
I luve uo alot
ad Dad
I luve uo alot

Josia
Josia
I luve uo alot
fi uo git hrwk
we kn si it

Jo
I luve uo alot
ay lik to pa wih Ahne
I hop uo fel bit i h mrne
gnit

David
I luve uo alot
a uo luve cffee

Grace
Uo luve cffee
ad Dad luve mey alot

Okay, now the translations

Daddy,
I love you and I hope you love coffee

Elijah
I love you alot. I love you and Elijah you maybe you do love God.

Dear Mom,
I love you alot. And Daddy I love you alot.

Josiah
Josiah
I love you alot. If you get hurt, we can ice it.

Joshua,
I love you alot. You like to play with Anthony. I hope you feel better in the morning. Goodnight.

David,
I love you alot and you love coffee

Grace,
You love coffee and Daddy loves me alot.

Vicks Vapor Rub

Have you all seen that email about putting Vick's Vapor Rub on your feet? Well, I am here to tell you...it works!
Now I am not a medicine kinda gal, but when I am coughing, I need relief...so I tried it...this is not the first time, but I thought I'd write about it today.
So you rub Vick's Vapor Rub all over your feet, put socks on and sleep like a baby.
Now there are some who have pointed out to me that Petroleum is not something you want to be using, so I am hoping to find a healthier alternative...and I am not sure about the merits of the healthiness comparison between cough syrup and Vicks, but I am happy and well rested this morning thanks to Vicks...
Maybe I'll check into the dangers of petroleum and post that later...
But...Vick's...on the feet...really does work!

Talk to you soon!
Carrie

Monday, February 4, 2008

Amazing Grace....

Amazing Grace...How Sweet the Sound...
These words transform me into a place of praise and wonder.
Love for the God of the Universe...
Joy Unspeakable...
Peace...

Welcome to my blog...a place for the happenings of the day and the thoughts of a scattered mind! Hopefully, a place for an encouraging word. I hope to learn quite a bit about making this more of a homey place...a place to grab your coffee or tea and chat...like neighbors used to do over their fences. I am sure that I will not be able to visit alot...you have your things to do and I have mine, but when we do come together, I hope it will be time well spent.
Let me introduce myself...
I am Carrie...married to Dana for 16 years. We have five children who fill our days with laughter, love, joy, some frustration and alot of teachable moments. We have chosen to homeschool and pray that God will help us to walk faithfully down that path, being good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us. We have not been given a super abundance of patience and are not naturally gifted and creative teachers...but we have a firm conviction for our family and follow this path of sacrifice for such a short time...time sure flies when measured by growing children!
I love to read and preparing for school keeps me busy! I cannot tell you HOW thankful I am for the public library. I also enjoy scrapbooking (alot) and sewing (some)...there is not much time for these activities through the course of a day though.
Our children, four boys and one girl, range in age from 2-14...I am sure you will get to know them over time...
Introduce yourself when you have time! Time for me to go...we'll chat soon!
C~