tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47476040843027883042024-02-20T11:23:07.454-05:00Seasons of LearningLife is full of seasons. . .always changing. . . presenting us with splendid new opportunities to learn, laugh and live luminously! There's joy in the journey, you come too!*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-25437752702675236872014-01-17T12:38:00.001-05:002014-01-17T12:38:06.681-05:00Hello!Is anyone still here? :) I am going to be working on resurrecting my blog and wanted to say "hey" to anyone still lingering! Give me a shout and share a link to your blog! I won't be posting daily or anything but plan to aim for at least twice a month lol!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxgTYx5vIy2Uww3MSwfDMC3IjBV_p38Sf77EmFlhADhutZojxMs55Yv53Be4rjnTF5-nCg_LVywKOzZ9jnjyk6rc0nvJbE834w7hTphl_ar7YmfYjjG0XhHb0FrYI40Kiyc8E6j_LsEM/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxgTYx5vIy2Uww3MSwfDMC3IjBV_p38Sf77EmFlhADhutZojxMs55Yv53Be4rjnTF5-nCg_LVywKOzZ9jnjyk6rc0nvJbE834w7hTphl_ar7YmfYjjG0XhHb0FrYI40Kiyc8E6j_LsEM/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>
<br />*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-57994844272753139272012-09-18T13:34:00.002-04:002012-09-18T13:34:33.183-04:00Our Morning BoardI really like to do something to start our day off "together"...so this year we are using what I call "our morning board". This is not a memory board necessarily, although I do hope they will remember what we cover together, it's not my goal for this. I wanted this board to be one of exposure - exposure to ideas, people, places, events, etc. <br />
<br />
For this project I used:<br />
Large tri-fold foam board<br />
photo/paper sleeves of various sizes<br />
Scotch Double Stick Tape (3-Pk)<br />
<br />
We use the CC Science Cards, English From the Roots Up Cards, Veritas History & Bible Cards, Masterpiece Art Cards, Abeka Geography Cards, Story of America Cards, and other ones I created for scripture, history, misc. (Oh, and the character trait cards I got somewhere online, but I can't remember where - if you know send me a link to share please!)<br />
<br />
The only issue I had was not wanting to pull some of the two-sided cards out each day, so I make copies of the backside for reference and keep them in a binder to refer to each morning.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXshJxdgJzck2lWWwr692Tffm2bZsT-5CUbX3oGidnxBVLC-LNL9EIRcsP39jHd6CVZ1VldVH_YtUI8m5H5QUBN1LpMnRBNWKWFNzBAKZVtKAVks3tCPKXVG8u2CBkiKGtgtvUahoCpAo/s1600/IMG_7274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXshJxdgJzck2lWWwr692Tffm2bZsT-5CUbX3oGidnxBVLC-LNL9EIRcsP39jHd6CVZ1VldVH_YtUI8m5H5QUBN1LpMnRBNWKWFNzBAKZVtKAVks3tCPKXVG8u2CBkiKGtgtvUahoCpAo/s400/IMG_7274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuREKvgsDGJwLBS9r-bOFB_HQ2CV4aQx-2V_REheEX_VjBqa1iCU2vM6u2WS4zmo9JDMsBqvIM_YC3z4aQ0VWiwFoeqaVeiYGGPAlY-G8xhxpMd1mmbRSgaNnYnW9dByuAQMUfIYLlGDg/s1600/IMG_7277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuREKvgsDGJwLBS9r-bOFB_HQ2CV4aQx-2V_REheEX_VjBqa1iCU2vM6u2WS4zmo9JDMsBqvIM_YC3z4aQ0VWiwFoeqaVeiYGGPAlY-G8xhxpMd1mmbRSgaNnYnW9dByuAQMUfIYLlGDg/s400/IMG_7277.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzGaRR1OxVcVWo6LFKKNcsCvbCklWS5NO7tgmCHNSkt3WibZotaVO2DfI_PhJlAeKujqyQDKrpiGzq43k0TpzfN8UxfITsl_CoDGY006ZQgRdacNXMdGGGpDi5ye4FPTWNThL2BQY9IQ/s1600/IMG_7278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBzGaRR1OxVcVWo6LFKKNcsCvbCklWS5NO7tgmCHNSkt3WibZotaVO2DfI_PhJlAeKujqyQDKrpiGzq43k0TpzfN8UxfITsl_CoDGY006ZQgRdacNXMdGGGpDi5ye4FPTWNThL2BQY9IQ/s400/IMG_7278.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaf4hdFrFcmD6DM-a0FOtdBezayJ6JjWkDimFAlu2U8Qs8x1joMzMBSovSnWnStB0VMi_6N4FskNoo7tefKpX4bmOlhwJwOKz-g7FDeIcwS4XhqnQ3FIUaeRLaLarWqvr-XnWQOs1dt4/s1600/IMG_7279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaf4hdFrFcmD6DM-a0FOtdBezayJ6JjWkDimFAlu2U8Qs8x1joMzMBSovSnWnStB0VMi_6N4FskNoo7tefKpX4bmOlhwJwOKz-g7FDeIcwS4XhqnQ3FIUaeRLaLarWqvr-XnWQOs1dt4/s400/IMG_7279.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkqzoFN_RkWqNA2-SHmGee3AIYu9mdcstcoLU4kAixeU5jrIlJGfzVrx0tEjiHpryFBtgvSvaHLC_u0DpRzz5oG1gKExwJOtbarwWlD6-Bp5JQGYHBqie4UGVhZEILIAF7_QnSF7fSXQ/s1600/IMG_7280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkqzoFN_RkWqNA2-SHmGee3AIYu9mdcstcoLU4kAixeU5jrIlJGfzVrx0tEjiHpryFBtgvSvaHLC_u0DpRzz5oG1gKExwJOtbarwWlD6-Bp5JQGYHBqie4UGVhZEILIAF7_QnSF7fSXQ/s400/IMG_7280.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Below is our adaptation of the CM Motto that we start the day with! <b><i>I am, I can, I ought, I will. </i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2824VPWHKfbRlExtHKU0FmX8-6n2lx2APP00G_n4vrSkHdHlG5IvKq0vOqEFiMObmrQl99-qEZxWNUO0k9htiTm9H9v5INTHuyPvtu0TzVtdP7Lozw6oV3hArbZvO43EDM4SpjQRphM/s1600/IMG_7284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2824VPWHKfbRlExtHKU0FmX8-6n2lx2APP00G_n4vrSkHdHlG5IvKq0vOqEFiMObmrQl99-qEZxWNUO0k9htiTm9H9v5INTHuyPvtu0TzVtdP7Lozw6oV3hArbZvO43EDM4SpjQRphM/s400/IMG_7284.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqdyvolEdBMpQv6SuAI5TZP92rJK0RUn8w5IMBYkRQFGbhSxdu69O6cmi3YNYXWEyCcgW4Im5kaPoAdSqpJ0WX4H-p1rJDQVHdl2u2_vw45Urkewvm-Vx7m90zsDCgohrsT5UyLVHV8/s1600/IMG_7283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsRqdyvolEdBMpQv6SuAI5TZP92rJK0RUn8w5IMBYkRQFGbhSxdu69O6cmi3YNYXWEyCcgW4Im5kaPoAdSqpJ0WX4H-p1rJDQVHdl2u2_vw45Urkewvm-Vx7m90zsDCgohrsT5UyLVHV8/s400/IMG_7283.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Questions or suggestions, let me know!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m69azfbD9rHv7ixUMqmjlnuseEXRUviyTgDvixe0AXHSGaIpFQmlIReB3qgHwsmjSqGeF9gxrXaqTdlNtnWl7x02EgIZdd2MtbckwD_ckx7tbjtd-bCZiapGisORF8YQg7haZ7qeObY/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m69azfbD9rHv7ixUMqmjlnuseEXRUviyTgDvixe0AXHSGaIpFQmlIReB3qgHwsmjSqGeF9gxrXaqTdlNtnWl7x02EgIZdd2MtbckwD_ckx7tbjtd-bCZiapGisORF8YQg7haZ7qeObY/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-18728852715863936192012-09-18T12:54:00.001-04:002012-09-18T12:54:20.645-04:00Homeschool Trivia Game<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Wow! I can't believe it's been a year since I posted last. Time goes by in the blink of an eye, doesn't it?! We've started the new school year and it is going well so far! I'm happy with our curriculum choices and have made progress on my to-do list...so I'll share some of our new things as I try to get the ole' blog updated here.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">The first thing is our Homeschool Trivia Board! Basic Trivia - select a category, answer the question, earn the amount listed. (the star at the bottom is the "you bet" option). Some of the categories I have come up with are listed below, but I am open to suggestions!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">For this project I used:</span></i></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Large Tri-fold foam board</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Smead Self-Adhesive Poly Pockets (Amazon)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Wausau Colored Cardstock</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">White 3x5 Index Cards</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Learning Resources Answer Buzzers (Amazon)</span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_931139574"></span><span id="goog_931139575"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbQjhcsNfWQSu8YQ4p85RGERUjXT6UW-PGQ9ZXdqLWUKxD-vh4ONAx-wJDu-E-56X06J4VIrVc0J9rRCPh5meixdWOF2XsD-0JheIRW0K7AAulL6oZN6mHo6Z-TDrQkYw8Rl94Dofd9c/s1600/IMG_7285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbQjhcsNfWQSu8YQ4p85RGERUjXT6UW-PGQ9ZXdqLWUKxD-vh4ONAx-wJDu-E-56X06J4VIrVc0J9rRCPh5meixdWOF2XsD-0JheIRW0K7AAulL6oZN6mHo6Z-TDrQkYw8Rl94Dofd9c/s400/IMG_7285.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3UylBr7zMMCYNBg4pTG5qbLHTPK2z0gAXVrmJiuiEAxq9m5Htv3Ir3OwzBJ404BvfOSyEB9JqvfHxEBF-GPFwpjAodsx_0CxYn2LXxiKattWVF3k_FkPrhfoj93utdR0Gy7h6Hcuvbs/s1600/IMG_7286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3UylBr7zMMCYNBg4pTG5qbLHTPK2z0gAXVrmJiuiEAxq9m5Htv3Ir3OwzBJ404BvfOSyEB9JqvfHxEBF-GPFwpjAodsx_0CxYn2LXxiKattWVF3k_FkPrhfoj93utdR0Gy7h6Hcuvbs/s400/IMG_7286.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">In the News</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Name that date</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Literature Analysis (terms)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">This week (very general - anything we might have learned)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Life Skills</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Character Traits</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">In The Word</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Writing - IEW Style</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Name that book</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Poetry</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Who's the author?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Which War?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">American History</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">World History</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Map Skills</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Science</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Geography</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Grammar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Roots</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Famous People</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Famous Places</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Who's the Artist?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Who said it?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Fill in the blank</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Bible</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Math</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Brain Quest (random questions from the cards)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Presidents</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">States and Capitals</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Classic Literature</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">We use our game board on Friday for review and fun!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VPKirQ5Lmyc36lIS0h1XHOePWiO6S-hrFMp4VLEcDvcljWcHwTKpTy_JwVjgsuM1VX8Z67gvUZXTD8RYcKmgUkrXwCevyVi6Ye2NadueD-icqkryDAWvyd6FKZNXCyko51GTQFgeurg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VPKirQ5Lmyc36lIS0h1XHOePWiO6S-hrFMp4VLEcDvcljWcHwTKpTy_JwVjgsuM1VX8Z67gvUZXTD8RYcKmgUkrXwCevyVi6Ye2NadueD-icqkryDAWvyd6FKZNXCyko51GTQFgeurg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-59851041914535118382011-09-20T00:16:00.000-04:002011-09-20T00:16:26.726-04:00A Little Stress Relief...It's been a crazy, long, hot summer...spent all last year planning...yet somehow the new year still snuck up on me. My mom was diagnosed with cancer and kidney failure and has just started dialysis...not doing so well right now. Baby is getting big...my 8 yo is going on 25...school is off to a slow start...and thankfully vacation is just around the corner!<br />
<br />
Whoever said the days are long but the years are short was a very wise individual.<br />
<br />
Now with all that in mind I think I'm meandering through a midlife crisis. Got to thinking about a bucket list...you know the things you've always wanted to do, but haven't yet...so my little sis and I took some time to hit the gun range this weekend, relieve some stress, and knock an item off that list :) The most fun I've had in a while! First time out, first time shooting...my only goal was to actually hit the target...I think I did alright.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FdcdtZAPUug3vDwpz5cJReIxbNNUuwivloNhOMAlrc5cN5IKhbbi9ig7fhBqxgvL3UASPzmaOerH_mfRiGxjt7Lk35Uq96NRxI7oG03t8H6exccHJXDEi3nkcAcpcnESEjRrqgVhR38/s1600/IMG_4982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FdcdtZAPUug3vDwpz5cJReIxbNNUuwivloNhOMAlrc5cN5IKhbbi9ig7fhBqxgvL3UASPzmaOerH_mfRiGxjt7Lk35Uq96NRxI7oG03t8H6exccHJXDEi3nkcAcpcnESEjRrqgVhR38/s400/IMG_4982.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Many other changes around here...painted the kitchen, made new curtains, lost 25 lbs (with more to go), switched from PC to an IMac and so on. Mostly good changes...amidst the not so good ones that I can't control. Such is life.<br />
<br />
Fall is here...time to slow down, relax, and enjoy some chili :)<br />
<br />
Happy Homeschooling!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oOaqxldUQsXhikrY8zmlE9CCzK3KIN_TGfP3l8-hGj6W-vqALkbVS3ebGZMpvGqDARYgF-pigzIQPPihpBRuDhani9JIWnOVRLJB54poq399tepPEpmdl92POfBpYVrESOcI3AoVn9k/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-oOaqxldUQsXhikrY8zmlE9CCzK3KIN_TGfP3l8-hGj6W-vqALkbVS3ebGZMpvGqDARYgF-pigzIQPPihpBRuDhani9JIWnOVRLJB54poq399tepPEpmdl92POfBpYVrESOcI3AoVn9k/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-29647398252133881332011-07-11T18:02:00.001-04:002011-07-12T11:36:28.723-04:00OH HAPPY DAY!My precious girl first learning that her "wish" to visit the Harry Potter theme park at Universal was going to be granted! What a blessing to see her so happy and excited - LOVE THIS! She has suffered from a refractory seizure disorder for several years and has had a heck of a time. Please keep praying for her!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxHJ-InrRFutAs7xEtMdAM3MHKBkLqQTl_F2SgWfgRFqGdNfuu3zpZCWWF02nKjI5CFjBSv4fdhPrAdSDlc8Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5qDLQdlo1r6vjz7MDJVrENPCAOXjcehaGC1iQ5DkvrZEJNcGeVZZAXIEyhgl5n_rrNk5odkTuwdm-R6axHYvhnCiF94pqAzugbk_77oFnRRnAHU_F8YQjQiCzcqLSUsYqnaLfHJTi6w/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5qDLQdlo1r6vjz7MDJVrENPCAOXjcehaGC1iQ5DkvrZEJNcGeVZZAXIEyhgl5n_rrNk5odkTuwdm-R6axHYvhnCiF94pqAzugbk_77oFnRRnAHU_F8YQjQiCzcqLSUsYqnaLfHJTi6w/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-56438113205425272372011-06-14T16:18:00.003-04:002012-09-18T14:12:36.230-04:00Bookcase BlissIs it possible to be in love with wood? Wait just a minute before you answer. Now....close your eyes and fashion it into a wall-to-wall bookcase and ask yourself again ;-)<br />
<br />
It has been a very long time since we've made any changes or embarked on any redecorating around the house. In fact, we had hoped to move into something a bit bigger, but that isn't in the cards right now, so in making the best of what we have and where we are, I finally got the urge and burst of energy needed to spur me forward into a few "around the house" projects.<br />
<br />
The first project took several weeks and a lot of work for dh, but it is finally complete and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! Here's the story of how it all began: <br />
<br />
I had this neat metal bookcase (like the ones you'd see at the library) and I didn't have adequate room to maneuver it around and wanted something that would fit my needs better...thus I was able to negotiate the selling of it in exchange for another custom built bookshelf from dh. That was a pretty good deal in my book, but it gets even better -- as we somehow made a grand leap from a standard bookshelf to a wall-to-wall bookcase! I'm still bewildered as to how that happened quite so effortlessly, but I'm counting it a blessing and you certainly won't hear any complaints from me! <br />
<br />
To get started I Googled a few pics, found one I liked, drew up some plans, (yes, I got the easy part here!) and then dh went to work. The results are below...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadG0k25f8myo8GTSuZPsZmNWNrR33XhUkiHGW_wZiGWwfl09_oasks9tUZ-LdbSr5oMFVsawi37Yi1NSY-VD4rLyWLAI9-jIZbr2mqKDym0NFah60tr5x5HwMZpKEnq6HZDLbk21y54s/s1600/IMG_4175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadG0k25f8myo8GTSuZPsZmNWNrR33XhUkiHGW_wZiGWwfl09_oasks9tUZ-LdbSr5oMFVsawi37Yi1NSY-VD4rLyWLAI9-jIZbr2mqKDym0NFah60tr5x5HwMZpKEnq6HZDLbk21y54s/s320/IMG_4175.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The plans!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXa4RBocjWF30mbDg1BHiTUtIvw-bB2giZjk2nRtybE4j4OWowK80Ii6FIHpUUG98km2-906FMeY-KR44cIPi85EkjaRFz7ENfvGS3_Ii7wtPy0gTjreC2C1iBM4FiBHTI73x-12wyk/s1600/IMG_4015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzXa4RBocjWF30mbDg1BHiTUtIvw-bB2giZjk2nRtybE4j4OWowK80Ii6FIHpUUG98km2-906FMeY-KR44cIPi85EkjaRFz7ENfvGS3_Ii7wtPy0gTjreC2C1iBM4FiBHTI73x-12wyk/s320/IMG_4015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Setting the base with pre-built cabinets.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9ZJqKeWEiKdscp8fIq2-HD1azQbkwvQsMdlHgPzBUrKkig2-e6C0KfnjJYl-otaCWeaTbAJdUwpxd-RoT2z0PcX1ZYfpJhmFBpmtlzavENzKGThXxAOilPylaf7WUMrYnqgtCIrBRhc/s1600/Bookcase+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH9ZJqKeWEiKdscp8fIq2-HD1azQbkwvQsMdlHgPzBUrKkig2-e6C0KfnjJYl-otaCWeaTbAJdUwpxd-RoT2z0PcX1ZYfpJhmFBpmtlzavENzKGThXxAOilPylaf7WUMrYnqgtCIrBRhc/s320/Bookcase+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Building upward. We used the wall for the backside to save cost.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljj3dOf_KNYaPPR8Bp9DIT_N3IwbqNbgomb55KbnHiNrYjpLLGaNpdT96pnGQLCuVMC-O-TQ0i-OgGAcw9ACw00Cyd6sPTBA3fUjVYJcTnBUklDJxElSYyC5_NSHR4tp_KDRoFivVZh0/s1600/Bookcase+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljj3dOf_KNYaPPR8Bp9DIT_N3IwbqNbgomb55KbnHiNrYjpLLGaNpdT96pnGQLCuVMC-O-TQ0i-OgGAcw9ACw00Cyd6sPTBA3fUjVYJcTnBUklDJxElSYyC5_NSHR4tp_KDRoFivVZh0/s320/Bookcase+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cabinet fronts removed for ease of painting. </div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQtGhRcuVouwDiNAobiD9-7MibmB9bCrL_7mwXdh9_yRxSn8U7e79oTWBfI5z9mJ7NdUYtTRHbWoYrKRxs7Km7u-cR2shxVsm9JtWoMQxoVFrb_dN5MZAl3TfynKvI3e4-oWjnvortFk/s1600/Bookcase+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_thh13f="100" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQtGhRcuVouwDiNAobiD9-7MibmB9bCrL_7mwXdh9_yRxSn8U7e79oTWBfI5z9mJ7NdUYtTRHbWoYrKRxs7Km7u-cR2shxVsm9JtWoMQxoVFrb_dN5MZAl3TfynKvI3e4-oWjnvortFk/s400/Bookcase+5.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Absolutely Gorgeous!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It holds SO much stuff and cleared up some desperately needed space in our living room. Next, we added some new picture frames, a couple fresh couch pillows to brighten things up, and it feels like new.<br />
<br />
I am thrilled with how it turned out and only wish we'd done it years ago! <br />
<br />
One project down....and on to the next. We have limited funds for remaining projects and still have a septic tank and dry well to have filled in, so it will be budget conscious means of making things "new" - removing wallpaper, painting, countertop replacment, etc. Fun, fun! Gotta run with it when the mood strikes, hee-hee!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrzrWrNEclU6Rum2fEnpJMVdwVumVtm2KgKENTcmY0clLIfStNNuHHz_NHkBwU4exCXP1m5OjnwEAkns7uvQW0S0_0uBn6_Uc-jvdzdAKeL7SRYqW5__y8D4D3_wsgsKZDUGiUN3jNCs/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrzrWrNEclU6Rum2fEnpJMVdwVumVtm2KgKENTcmY0clLIfStNNuHHz_NHkBwU4exCXP1m5OjnwEAkns7uvQW0S0_0uBn6_Uc-jvdzdAKeL7SRYqW5__y8D4D3_wsgsKZDUGiUN3jNCs/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" t8="true" /></a>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-63887570238524984122011-04-20T15:06:00.003-04:002011-04-20T23:22:57.642-04:00A Simple Prayer<div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord magnify the beauty of your wonderful creation</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your splendor, the view is dull</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord comfort me when I am hurting</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your solace the pain is overwhelming</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord humble me when I think too highly of myself</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without you I am nothing</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord lead and direct my path in all things</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your guidance I am lost</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord fill me with faith when all seems in vain</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without that conviction, despair haunts me</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord grant me wisdom in the day to day of life</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without it, my perception is skewed</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord shower me with new mercies each day</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your grace, forgiveness evades me</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord liberate me from the tendency to judge others</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without compassion, chains confine me</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord remind me that I am here for a purpose</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for wtihout that understanding I wonder aimlessly</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord let your Word be comprehensible to me</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your clarity, my vision is impaired</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord raise me above the depths of my circumstances</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your promises, reality engulfs me</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord release me from the limits I place upon myself</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your sovereignty I stumble and fall</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord remind me that someday there will be no more tears</span></div><div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without that knowledge this world is insufferable</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">Lord dwell steadfast in my heart, mind, and soul</span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">for without your presence I am empty</span><br />
<br />
</div></div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">The sun rises, the sun sets. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">The days are long, but the years are short.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;">More of you, less of me!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J6shN4wVCu3DSV6oDZtYaLHE8mZ0gMLXhZfNqoKbmqhhPxpCTjmu9SzxloHZgwJYdbjtLjaEv9Dpi4-jOoz3cOTSz-raoDpefZDFREZVEfWaaSt6TyPvYKUnnlVW2SWhj1TKdMIYgp8/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J6shN4wVCu3DSV6oDZtYaLHE8mZ0gMLXhZfNqoKbmqhhPxpCTjmu9SzxloHZgwJYdbjtLjaEv9Dpi4-jOoz3cOTSz-raoDpefZDFREZVEfWaaSt6TyPvYKUnnlVW2SWhj1TKdMIYgp8/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-14006116008400900092011-04-17T18:28:00.005-04:002011-04-17T21:40:24.678-04:00Altogether Beautiful<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Ten Tiny Toes</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnT0vuDqJGahIAzYXhEDikW995Y8WFtZHDnNfjrVOSUUpyY10onxqVwYpWE1INMwJ-Ilp8O6U_Ynacsoj7Ks-r188pQR51gdDEe1gFz6iWqRf71NF6l909UOFQK0QFeF9-pOc0NQqAfg/s1600/Ten+Tiny+Toes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnT0vuDqJGahIAzYXhEDikW995Y8WFtZHDnNfjrVOSUUpyY10onxqVwYpWE1INMwJ-Ilp8O6U_Ynacsoj7Ks-r188pQR51gdDEe1gFz6iWqRf71NF6l909UOFQK0QFeF9-pOc0NQqAfg/s400/Ten+Tiny+Toes.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Hearing the words "I lub you Mommie!" </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Sitting in the presence of 4 generations of family </span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Watching the birds mingle in the trees and hearing them sing</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. The pink blooms on my dogwood tree</span><span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX0X-Nsv2wuK3sW9cyQ4I2nk9tbHiC1jzd2-Mex8kgod8a8qcYeyDmlT9VZJtUtJ2pNGgLpQPQSgALAW0358UbYrGX1IJ2deo3P_Gbu_1bR2CjnA83HB26OoymmgwQnqKezzYtLCaMQI/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCX0X-Nsv2wuK3sW9cyQ4I2nk9tbHiC1jzd2-Mex8kgod8a8qcYeyDmlT9VZJtUtJ2pNGgLpQPQSgALAW0358UbYrGX1IJ2deo3P_Gbu_1bR2CjnA83HB26OoymmgwQnqKezzYtLCaMQI/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></span></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-2248760777697758762011-04-16T17:52:00.000-04:002011-04-16T17:52:10.166-04:00Puzzled? The Pieces Falling Into PlacePUZZLED?<br />
The Pieces Falling into Place<br />
by David Quine (shared with permission)<br />
<br />
Jigsaw puzzles were part of my earliest childhood. It seems that every Christmas our family received a new puzzle and it wasn't long before the card table became a puzzle table. We would spend hours searching for just the right pieces. At first we looked for the easiest ones -- the four corners and edge pieces. But then the work began as we compared pieces in search for just the right one. We were always looking for patterns -- patterns in shape and color. Eventually, all the pieces would fall into place and the picture on the box would emerge onto our card table. I didn't realize how important these yearly puzzles were in my life until I started writing this article. I have always been a person who looks for patterns among things that appear on the surface to have no pattern. Searching for how the pieces of life's puzzle fits together is who I am. Some puzzles are concrete like a jigsaw puzzle, but others are not -- they are abstract. Those are the harder puzzles to fit together.<br />
<br />
There is a puzzle I have been thinking about for the past 15 years. It has to do with the emergence of Classical Education into Christian education. It was first seen in the starting of Classical schools and then more recently a flood of classical curriculum and classical co-ops within homeschooling itself. As the author of World Views of the Western World and Starting Points and home school speaker, many years ago I was asked to present a series of lectures at a "Classical Education" convention. However, several weeks after the invitation was given I was told that my materials were not acceptable and I would not be allowed to present after all. At the time I thought this a little puzzling, but let it slide.<br />
<br />
But now I understand what is happening. About a month ago the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. Where do I start? For me there are four pieces to this puzzle and each piece relates to a particular person: Dr. Peter Enns, Dr. Susan Wise Bauer, the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer, and finally, Josh McDowell. All four of these people are considered influential Christian thinkers and teachers. Let's look at each puzzle piece -- analyzing its color and shape to see how they all might fit together. I will put them into the order in which they came to my mind - although we could actually start with any piece.<br />
<br />
Puzzle Piece Number 1: Dr. Susan Wise Bauer<br />
In her very popular history series, The Story of the World, Dr. Bauer subtitled her book: History for the Classical Child. Have you ever asked yourself this question: "Is the Classical child a Christian child?" I think this is a legitimate question. In fact, I think it is the pivotal question. When this textbook first became available I was puzzled by the opening chapter: The Earliest People. As I read the first and then the second paragraphs, I was puzzled.There was no mention of the people I was accustomed to thinking of as the earliest people. Where was Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, and where was Noah? They were no where to be found. The first person mentioned is "Tarak . a seven-year-old nomad who lives with her family - almost seven thousand years ago." And then where was the God of the Bible? He wasn't there either -- not until several chapters later. We are first introduced to the gods Ra and Orisis and others. It was puzzling to me.<br />
<br />
Puzzle Piece Number 2: Josh McDowell<br />
In a presentation given in March of this year Josh McDowell talked about the 5 Core Beliefs of Christianity:<br />
<br />
1 - The Reliability of Scripture,<br />
2 - The Deity of Christ,<br />
3 - Truth<br />
4 - The Resurrection, and <br />
5 - Salvation through Faith<br />
<br />
We agree that these five beliefs are at the core of Christianity. In fact, they are the foundation of the curriculum we have written. Our curriculum is considered an apologetic approach to learning where the student learns not only what we as Christians belief, but why we believe what we believe and then how to communicate these ideas to those in our culture. We teach students how to dialogue from a Pre-suppositional Apologetic (Francis Schaeffer and others), from an Evidential Apologetic (Josh McDowell and others) and from a Moral Apologetic (CS Lewis and others).<br />
<br />
I was shocked by the statistics that Josh gave at this conference regarding the lack of belief in these 5 Core Beliefs among evangelical born again young people in the church today. His research study has revealed that less than 4% of evangelical born again young people hold all five of these beliefs as true! Less than 4%! That is shocking.<br />
<br />
Puzzle Piece Number 3: Dr. Peter Enns<br />
Dr. Enns was a new piece to my puzzle and perhaps the key to putting all the others together. He is a Christian author, teacher, and writer. I hope that I am able to clearly articulate his piece in the puzzle. It was his association with Dr. Bauer that makes his piece so significant and understandable. He is the author of many articles and several books. The one which is the most important for this discussion is Inspiration and Incarnation. The subtitle to this work is Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament. This book has caused quite a stir among evangelical theologians and is worthy of your time to read. His thoughts are very important. Please stay with me through this part. To understand what Dr Enns is saying let me share excerpts from a letter written by Dr. Wayne Grudem (2008) to Dr. Peter Lillback, President of Westminster Seminary, Philadelphia, regarding Dr. Enns, who was at that time a professor at Westminster Seminary:<br />
<br />
I find the book (Inspiration and Incarnation) to be deeply troubling, for the following reasons:<br />
<br />
Enns repeatedly delights in presenting interpretations of the Bible that make it appear more problematic and more filled with unresolved and irresolvable problems than it really is (pp. 72, 79, 92, etc.). He insists on translation options that make Scripture internally contradictory with itself (pp. 92-93), or simply false (pp. 54, 98). He repeats the same kind of anti-inerrancy rhetoric that I heard at Fuller in the 1970s, characterizing belief in the Bible's complete truthfulness as "defensive" or as coming close to "intellectual dishonesty" or as simply "preconceived notions" (pp. 14, 107, 108), but speaking of views that take the Bible as contradictory as "creative," "refreshing," and "listening to how the Bible itself behaves" (pp. 15, 66; see also 73, 108). He frequently represents conservative evangelical scholarship as unreliable and untrustworthy (at least pre-Enns), but, remarkably, he impugns conservative scholarship not by documented quotations but by using undocumented, straw-man arguments (pp. 47, 49, etc.). The overall result of this approach will be to lead readers to distrust both the Bible and much evangelical Old Testament scholarship.<br />
<br />
He implies that he thinks there is no difference in the truthfulness we should ascribe to the Bible and to ancient Akkadian stories: "How can we say logically that the biblical stories are true and the Akkadian stories are false when they both look so very much alike?" (p. 40). It apparently does not occur to him that believing the Bible to be the Word of God (as I thought Westminster faculty we expected to do) is a very good reason for saying that the Bible is true, and the Akkadian flood stories are unreliable. He fails even to consider the possibility of God's special revelation to Moses, and of his providential guidance and protection of the truthfulness of the records, so that the Bible's stories of creation and the flood are absolutely truthful, historical and reliable. He gives no indication here that he thinks God was any more involved in the biblical accounts than in the Akkadian myths.<br />
<br />
He says that "what makes Genesis different from its Ancient Near Eastern counterparts is that it begins to make the point to Abraham and his seed that the God they are bound to . . . is different from the gods around them" (p. 53). But this is in the context of discussing the category of "myth" (which he opposes to "historical," p. 49), and so the implication seems to be that truthfulness or historical accuracy of the account is not something that makes Genesis different from other Ancient Near Eastern creation myths.<br />
<br />
He says that "Genesis - as other stories of the ancient world - thus portrays the world as a flat disk with a dome above" (p. 54). But what is a reader to do with this? We know today that that view is false: the world is not a flat disk. But I do not see how readers then can avoid the implication that they should not believe what Genesis tells them about the world. Genesis according to Enns is simply untrue.<br />
<br />
He claims that Hebrew (or an earlier version of written Hebrew) may not have even existed at "the end of the second millennium B.C." (p. 51), and thus implies a chronology that makes it impossible for Moses (died 1400 or perhaps 1180 B.C.) to have written the Hebrew words of Genesis - Deuteronomy (p. 52).<br />
<br />
This was the missing piece to my puzzle. I had never seen the connection before. This explains why Dr. Bauer's history series, Story of the World, doesn't include the first eleven chapters of the Bible! What happens to each of the 5 Core Beliefs of Christianity within Dr. Enns framework of theology? Do we maintain the reliability of the Scripture and Truth? What about the other three aspects of these core beliefs? <br />
<br />
Puzzle Piece Number 4: Dr. Francis Schaeffer<br />
The final piece of this puzzle explains what we can expect to happen regarding these 5 Core Beliefs of Christianity.<br />
<br />
I remembered Dr. Schaeffer writing about the Reliability of Scripture and Truth in his book No Final Conflict, but what did he say? I began reading. He explained that the watershed issue of our generation would be the Reliability of Scripture and Truth and then eventually the other three core beliefs. <br />
<br />
"It is my conviction that the crucial area of discussion for evangelicalism in the next years will be the Scripture. At stake is whether evangelicalism will remain evangelical. The issue is whether the Bible is God's verbalized communication to men giving propositional truth where it touches the cosmos and history, or whether it is only in some sense "revelational" where it touches matters of religion. The early chapters of Genesis relate to this discussion, but ultimately the question is not (and cannot be) confined to them: the whole Bible is involved." (Francis A. Schaeffer, No Final Conflict, Introduction)<br />
<br />
"We must say that if evangelicals are to be evangelicals, we must not compromise our view of Scripture. There is no use in evangelicalism seeming to get larger and larger, if at the same time appreciable parts of evangelicalism are getting soft at that which is the central core -- namely, the Scriptures.. <br />
<br />
<br />
"We must say most lovingly but clearly: evangelicalism is not consistently evangelical unless there is a line drawn between those who take a full view of Scripture and those who do not.<br />
(Francis A. Schaeffer, No Final Conflict, Ch. 1<br />
<br />
The neo-orthodox position is that the Bible contains mistakes in the areas of history and science, but we are to believe it anyway in the religious areas, that somehow a "religious word" breaks forth from it. The result is that religious things become "truth" inside of one's head -- just as the drug experience or the Eastern religious experience is "truth" inside of one's head.<br />
<br />
"Further, it means that the next generation of Christians will have the ground completely swept from under them. It is my observation that those who are taught a weakened view of the book of Genesis by their professors almost always carry it further into the whole Bible and are left really shaken as far as any real basis for their Christianity is concerned. And there is a reason for being shaken, for there is no reason to keep what the Bible says religiously if we have put it in an upper story and thrown away that of which the Bible speaks when it touches history and the cosmos.<br />
(Francis A. Schaeffer, No Final Conflict, Ch. 2)<br />
<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
This is not always easily detected. Think with me for one more moment. Our core beliefs are being undermined in the very curriculum we are using with our children by our own hands! Puzzle Piece #1 omits the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Puzzle Piece #3 gives a theological basis for making that decision, because how can we know for certain that the Genesis story of Creation and the Flood are any more reliable than these other accounts. Puzzle Piece #2 gives a report on state of the evangelical born again young people in our churches. Puzzle Piece #4 explains what is really at stake! When you reject what the Bible says regarding history (including the first eleven chapters of the Genesis) and the cosmos, there is really nothing left. Do you see how all the pieces fit together?<br />
<br />
Before we return to my original question, Is the Classical child a Christian child?, let me introduce you to a new magazine entitled IOTA published by The Youth Classics Institute. It "is a new Classically-themed magazine for elementary school students! It aims to introduce Classics and Latin in a fun, informative, and engaging way, and its content is designed and written to fit in with curricula on the ancient Greeks and Romans. Each full-color issue is approximately 25 pages and explores a god, a monster, a historical person, an object from the ancient Greco-Roman world, and Latin words. Students will enjoy the exciting stories, multitude of pictures, interactive games, and varied activities!"<br />
<br />
We are encouraged to follow the link to see sample pages of their new magazine for elementary school children. On their web site we are introduced to Demeter, a goddess of classical Greece and Rome. Because she is the goddess of grain and harvest she is seen featured on a cereal box in living color. The lesson explains her importance to farming and the need to worship her. The child is told that the worship of Demeter has its origin in the mysterious worship of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Then the student is asked to complete several activities: 1 - Draw her picture; 2 - Create a new Cereal Box cover featuring Demeter; 3 - Write a speech as if you were Demeter encouraging your worshippers to care for Mother Earth; and 4 - learn the Latin names for several items.<br />
<br />
When it comes to a classical education, would there be a more informed voice than Plato who started the first Academy?<br />
<br />
The beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed and the desired impression more readily taken.<br />
<br />
Harmless? Hmmm. Although I can't imagine any Christian family using such material, I am sure it will seep into our curriculum halls before long because the door has now been opened. Will we walk through it or will we close the door? May I rephrase my original question, "Can a Christian child be a Classical child?"<br />
<br />
The LORD bless you, and keep you; <br />
The LORD make His face shine on you,<br />
And be gracious to you; <br />
The LORD lift up His countenance on you,<br />
And give you peace.<br />
Numbers 6:24-26*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-35097896603924102412011-03-31T12:27:00.001-04:002011-03-31T17:19:51.175-04:00History Through the Ages Timeline Figures - Giveaway Winner!<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is the day! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>And the winner is. . . </em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stefanie F.<br />
feyerfamhs(at)yahoo(dot)com</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana;">(ETA: winner was selected by use of random.org) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana;">Thanks to each of you who stopped by and took time to read my review and be part of this giveaway. It has been my pleasure to share about these wonderful resources with you!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana;">Stay tuned, I'll be doing more wonderful giveaways each quarter of this year including a complete set of the Charlotte Mason Original Series! Want to stay updated? Sign-up to "follow" my blog!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Verdana;">Blessings,</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6k2MiMoWfF0DQoP29buk2h86q6yi22oyxbncWiWkKU2HtjvCXLpFBfwbVCCF4kUdAUZTevW77RUINZ5dx2773CKs7nRbssXb83ODzZj5i_2rCnuz9U4SRjOGBRDbx0tAgeaE4rEQ4q8/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6k2MiMoWfF0DQoP29buk2h86q6yi22oyxbncWiWkKU2HtjvCXLpFBfwbVCCF4kUdAUZTevW77RUINZ5dx2773CKs7nRbssXb83ODzZj5i_2rCnuz9U4SRjOGBRDbx0tAgeaE4rEQ4q8/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-33321705976088603522011-03-23T20:32:00.004-04:002011-03-23T22:56:36.029-04:00Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right!<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who would have ever expected so much drama and bickering among leaders in the homeschool community? I sure wouldn't have, and certainly not at the level of disgrace that this situation has risen too so quickly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As of yesterday, the Midwest Convention has uninvited Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Ken-Ham-Issue-Public-Statement.pdf">http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Ken-Ham-Issue-Public-Statement.pdf</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/03/22/kicked-out-homeschool-conferences?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AIGDaily+%28Answers+in+Genesis+Daily+Articles%29&utm_content=FaceBook">http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2011/03/22/kicked-out-homeschool-conferences?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AIGDaily+%28Answers+in+Genesis+Daily+Articles%29&utm_content=FaceBook</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Wow, what a shame!</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First let me acknowledge that my understanding and comprehension of this situation is limited to the tittle-tattle that has taken place online and been made so public. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In that regard, I am very disappointed in the way each party has approached this situation. The gossip and public discourse is unbecoming to each as an individual and to each as a "leader" in the homeschooling community - and while I am </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">fully aware that these folks certainly have the right to share and voice whatever they choose to on their blogs, forums, FB pages, etc., I can't help but wish someone would have reminded them that along with the right to freedom of speech . . .they also "have the right to remain silent!" </span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In reading the statements by B. Dean and K. Ham that I've linked above, both perspectives seem divisive and intended to stir the attendees into taking sides. . .and the accusatory comments by both parties intertwined with finger-pointing scripture is disheartening on many levels. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there are the blog posts below by Susan Wise Bauer and Jay Wile that incriminate and accuse as well, which no doubt played a role in the current situation and uninvite. . .</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Susan Bauer</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/the-raving-writer/life-on-the-border/">http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/the-raving-writer/life-on-the-border/</a></span></div><div><div></div><div><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jay Wile</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blog.drwile.com/?p=4602">http://blog.drwile.com/?p=4602</a></span></div><br />
<br />
<div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A great deal of "he said", "she said" and an unfortunate situation all the way around. Nobody wins here!</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Furthermore, the way the conference hosts handled themselves in this matter was uncouth and dishonorable. Mr. Ham had been an invited speaker, thus if he had made statements that created concern and needed to be addressed, it should have been done professionally and with discretion. Perhaps a few emails to Mr. Dean (conference host and organizer) expressing dismay might be in order. . .</span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:bdean@midwesthomeschoolconvention.com">bdean@midwesthomeschoolconvention.com</a></span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lastly, while I respect Susan Wise Bauer and her right to run her board as she sees fit, her seemingly one-sided pot stirring among her supporters did not strike me as necessary or appropriate, particularly considering the subsequent deletion of posts and threads when things got heated or opinions differed, i.e., support for Ham, disagreement with the Midwest decision. (Yes, some select dissensions remain, but the censorship is palpable.)</span></div><div></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span> <br />
<div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To compound this imbalance of perspectives, still up for reading one can find. . . the thread and link to Susan Bauer's posts on the issue, along with the thread and link on Jay Wile's post - neither of which are much different than Ham's. And of course, let's not omit the very lengthy thread which she herself started on the scuffle topic, which remains "closed" for further discussion while ever-so-available for your reading pleasure as it contains plenty of ill remarks regarding Mr.Ham as well as her encouragement for folks to support Midwest's decision to uninvite him. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Palpable. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't think it'd be off the mark to state that it's just wrong to impose bias dialogue in this manner particularly after initiating the topic. I mean, c'mon, if you're going to stir the pot. . .</span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="color: black;"></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In closing, the matter is simply sad all the way around. No one is more wrong than another, and as they saying goes. . .two wrongs don't make a right. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As leaders in the homeschool community, all parties involved should have conducted themselves with more integrity and tact before unleashing the storm of words that has ensued. </span></div><br />
<br />
<div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana;">Praying for resolution. </span></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqE8UkMbH1sXLswIFGr5WZXyyNECmlDN4G2wn41Cwivn1ecIrgMM3HbmbKNJc8vzDxn8G9LA7H8bNcyWuln2imbXyhOpMwyVqkc40dJeJtqqexZ6Zzir3PFToW-l-Tk575M1xNmv7G3Y/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqE8UkMbH1sXLswIFGr5WZXyyNECmlDN4G2wn41Cwivn1ecIrgMM3HbmbKNJc8vzDxn8G9LA7H8bNcyWuln2imbXyhOpMwyVqkc40dJeJtqqexZ6Zzir3PFToW-l-Tk575M1xNmv7G3Y/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div><div></div></div><div><div></div></div></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-70409823727984169992011-03-09T17:01:00.001-05:002011-03-09T17:26:50.331-05:00Review - History Through the Ages Timeline Figures and Resources<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Utilizing a timeline adds a unique visual touch to history studies. It is a wonderfully useful adjunct that allows one to glimpse the "big picture" when it comes to chronology and relevancy of all that has past. A timeline can help us remember important dates, events, people, empires, architectural developments, presidential offices and more, while also allowing us to see some of the connections or relationships between these things. What was going on in the world when Shakespeare was writing comedies, tragedies and poetry? Who was President during WWII? Who was living and what was going on when Jesus was crucified? What classic authors lived at the same time? What else was going on during the Industrial Revolution? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">History is fascinating. Creating and using a timeline can help make it fun too! Thus, I want to share some of my absolute favorites resources from </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homeschool in the Woods</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that we have used with success and joy in our homeschool. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, there are the </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pre-printed sets</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of wall size timeline figures. These come in four individual packs that cover the various time periods from Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, Napoleon to Now, and of course, America's History. These sets correspond well with many of the popular history curriculum's! They come pre-printed on card stock, ready for your wall size timeline. Each pack includes a color-coded bar line to assist you in placement and visual distinction of specific time periods. Fantastic for those with adequate available wall space, but you can also use these in many other creative ways as well. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv82sY9dzDn5i83KrnlOjVKEnG6htVTWYDnhWg9H6_JIeRyFeyheM9d-R-zaDf6BmxqUvlqx6Fg-xjNp3jOaZMyIntlw8zhcUCZG11JET_V9l6RIyuv3QRgyW10A7I2fxCPSdGoCeaGgA/s1600/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+Preprinted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="245" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv82sY9dzDn5i83KrnlOjVKEnG6htVTWYDnhWg9H6_JIeRyFeyheM9d-R-zaDf6BmxqUvlqx6Fg-xjNp3jOaZMyIntlw8zhcUCZG11JET_V9l6RIyuv3QRgyW10A7I2fxCPSdGoCeaGgA/s400/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+Preprinted.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second, and a top favorite of mine, is the </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Timeline Figures CD</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0UkujoXZaimlZNiDtwt1WDdIhwJmY3Ig0djqCrVZXg3zNd1H7D2rXbfWZeji0FMAz6rB51F8h-1iGakX2vWohDOsoNNSkPGxCrM7LYuxwwfzjlktNfZ3wKexKJ4zjfURlRuQzHpmSAc/s1600/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+CDfrontWithMarble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0UkujoXZaimlZNiDtwt1WDdIhwJmY3Ig0djqCrVZXg3zNd1H7D2rXbfWZeji0FMAz6rB51F8h-1iGakX2vWohDOsoNNSkPGxCrM7LYuxwwfzjlktNfZ3wKexKJ4zjfURlRuQzHpmSAc/s320/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+CDfrontWithMarble.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This awesome 2-CD set is all-inclusive and gives you the freedom and convenience to print over 1,260+ timeline figures in a size and manner to suit whatever undertaking or design you desire - notebooking pages, coloring pages, cards for games, wall timelines, notebook timelines, history fair projects, science fair projects, topic specific studies, and much more. The images are sorted into over 30 helpful categories, i.e., chronological, alphabetical, topical, authors and literary works, presidents, wars, ancient wonders of the world, explorers, composers, scientists, artists, and more - allowing you to easily find and print just the precise ones you are looking for. Your creativity is the ONLY limit when it comes to this fantastic multipurpose resource! </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_rKnG0rNmU77H5GGKYLChmmqHgJxazX7Wfu_RxoLPgB49p1CqrhRSOnBC3PG-BjMDxc-S7ruJoOwNjtbOrNmIBK7i2UJIHEicGSKlrQKzoi49559thvrBtTYiKNHtDBd8S9fvc1UBWI/s1600/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_rKnG0rNmU77H5GGKYLChmmqHgJxazX7Wfu_RxoLPgB49p1CqrhRSOnBC3PG-BjMDxc-S7ruJoOwNjtbOrNmIBK7i2UJIHEicGSKlrQKzoi49559thvrBtTYiKNHtDBd8S9fvc1UBWI/s640/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+2.jpg" width="488" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SAMPLE NOTEBOOK PAGE I CREATED WITH CD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you check out <a href="http://seasonsoflearning.blogspot.com/2010/09/walk-thru-history-project-2010.html">this archived post</a>, you'll see the history fair project we created using several figures from the CD as well.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jYIBtdi6AJahOLI0z19pXkc59kB8wX73M3oyhKj814To0-XjouWT0aznJayt9HwYWL0Qj79h_N5HJc46rYVEAZQtLfYzb6rjeDF1-pJqzKBFX0d3plKdMHKxu4nJxOE-1bT0qyt1C50/s1600/Walk+Thru+History+1+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jYIBtdi6AJahOLI0z19pXkc59kB8wX73M3oyhKj814To0-XjouWT0aznJayt9HwYWL0Qj79h_N5HJc46rYVEAZQtLfYzb6rjeDF1-pJqzKBFX0d3plKdMHKxu4nJxOE-1bT0qyt1C50/s400/Walk+Thru+History+1+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Third, comes the </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/RecordofTime.htm"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">History Through the Ages "Record of Time" Notebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. This hardback, beautifully bound, spiral style notebook, filled with thick, durable, lined pages dating from 5,000 BC to 2,025 AD, is a great resource for organizing and creating a keepsake quality notebook type timeline. I've seen many timeline books - some blank, some boring, some flimsy - but this one stands above them all in every aspect! And if you're like me and think you might struggle with exactly where to "place" all those delightful figures within the book, be sure to check out the ever-so-helpful </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/SuggestedPlacementGuide.htm"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">suggested placement guide</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI0DmAQ8KzmEfethJ5UsblWlxUPj8JRNrDc-70Rf1RZBoD267Ader5ECofxnxxBKLJvHlG_NUxR0K42OiZga6wmRIfVzhythK7yYhBVjhXGbVebnUF8ZydFPbnqDeerOfq_Kit4Tvk60/s1600/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="290" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI0DmAQ8KzmEfethJ5UsblWlxUPj8JRNrDc-70Rf1RZBoD267Ader5ECofxnxxBKLJvHlG_NUxR0K42OiZga6wmRIfVzhythK7yYhBVjhXGbVebnUF8ZydFPbnqDeerOfq_Kit4Tvk60/s400/Homeschool+in+the+Woods+1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE7eYtyuFxiONKE50lhEMj6sWZyJe5u2YpC2rzWGj-IrrxE_hxvbnvBApHszM2xK4L1ZlYyd5kUUNfKMlRzMoKgLIJwJ4fwzqRy4iPhXd0Jc8PWIHNieKUlxdNgW4-8a_jU63_VwogBk/s1600/Homeschool+in+the+woods+SuggestedPlacementGuide-Spr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE7eYtyuFxiONKE50lhEMj6sWZyJe5u2YpC2rzWGj-IrrxE_hxvbnvBApHszM2xK4L1ZlYyd5kUUNfKMlRzMoKgLIJwJ4fwzqRy4iPhXd0Jc8PWIHNieKUlxdNgW4-8a_jU63_VwogBk/s400/Homeschool+in+the+woods+SuggestedPlacementGuide-Spr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>SIDE NOTE:</em> To my excitement, as I was preparing this post and gathering the links to share, I noticed that there is also a new "Record of Time" Timeline Notebook on CD that was not available when I originally purchased my items. . .so. . . I was wondering, dreaming, thinking. . .w<em>ho wants to buy this for me? LOL! :) </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last, but not least, be sure to check out the abundance of timeline and timeline related tips and ideas that are to be found on the </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TimelineHelps/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Homeschool in the Woods</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> website. This alone is worth grabbing some tea and settling down at your computer for a while. It's a literal timeline gold mine! Click this link for </span><a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/NewFigures-Sampler.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">free timeline figure samples</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and visit <a href="http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/freebies/">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> see many other freebies from Homeschool in the Woods! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, just one last thought. . .I've seen a few posts and chatter about these resources being too expensive, but from my perspective fwiw, as with certain other items I've selected for our children's education, I've found them versatile, high in quality, and worth the investment! </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">~ BONUS ** FREEBIE ** GIVEAWAY! ~ </span></strong> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As an added bonus and gift to my readers and followers here at Seasons of Learning, I'll be holding a drawing on March 31, 2011 for a FREE set of the <strong>Creation to Christ</strong> pre-printed wall size timelines figures! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post! (Please make sure that I can reach you, because if I can't contact you - you can't win!) </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7aCD_o4SEv5F6YC01hoWC3sG8jD3mYH3qq7DMfF6VEtSq5DDSnbCuxxuXRf3oHJKr4qn1K6UOKaPEMBoAarEyGD0XYUXH8hhfUev5z8s_a3z1zFUaY7dJQYfPzCl6UG9X7CPPZ_wWWs/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii7aCD_o4SEv5F6YC01hoWC3sG8jD3mYH3qq7DMfF6VEtSq5DDSnbCuxxuXRf3oHJKr4qn1K6UOKaPEMBoAarEyGD0XYUXH8hhfUev5z8s_a3z1zFUaY7dJQYfPzCl6UG9X7CPPZ_wWWs/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com135tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-84568447668452725722011-03-03T13:25:00.003-05:002011-03-03T13:40:50.274-05:00Shhh. . .Don't Speak<div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Suffer alone and in silence,</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We won't ask, you don't tell</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short simple lessons</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Women learn all too well</span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not feeling so cheerful?</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kindly keep it all in</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No life is perfect</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remain quiet and grin</span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hence not a bleak word</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Clean house? Yes, you may</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your feelings? How trifling!</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carry on with your day</span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's that you say? No. Delete. Delete. Delete. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oops! I meant "<em>all is well".</em> </span><br />
<br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesson learned? Shhh. . . Don't speak. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XZ7HDf4Lt8MZ9fH4q_rdAew0tWtqWgObKqzZneAxovM-nWJTAZZzOighr9PQDA2eALa4ZgeKJoTgiym7zWkJzOvIRfVgkC-7U5HYFf8NwTD6-1a8koVCEcRAyY09mXV0AH0nL783dR0/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XZ7HDf4Lt8MZ9fH4q_rdAew0tWtqWgObKqzZneAxovM-nWJTAZZzOighr9PQDA2eALa4ZgeKJoTgiym7zWkJzOvIRfVgkC-7U5HYFf8NwTD6-1a8koVCEcRAyY09mXV0AH0nL783dR0/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-42311890134081690372011-02-22T16:21:00.004-05:002011-02-22T21:38:48.712-05:00Oh Baby! - Arrival, Journey, Updates :)<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This post has been a couple weeks in the making, so please bear with me if it's disjointed or in dire need of editing. Before I could finish typing and sharing one thing, the next popped up. . .so here's a quick attempt to get it all in and posted today. . .</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">As you can see it's been a while since I've posted, as the last few weeks of my pregnancy had me completely exhausted and I did little more than absolutely necessary during this time, but I'm delighted to share that we were recently blessed (a bit early) with the newest addition to our family! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having had four normal deliveries, this time around definitely created its own special memories!</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weekend started out fairly typical. . .we went out for dinner on Friday, came home and hung out together. Later as we were getting little man ready for bed, I walked into his room to gather pajama's when I unexpectedly stumbled on his Spidey trike and found myself looking at the floor through tears! I had fallen rather hard, but landed on my hands and knees, so I wasn't too worried about injury to the baby. Plus, I had always read that a fall of this nature rarely caused injury or problems for baby or Mama and once I confirmed this in my "What to Expect" book, I felt reasonably comfortable that all would be fine. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next day, I was very sore and begun having pain in my upper abdomen. For some reason, I decided to step on the scale to discover that I had gained 13 lbs since my previous OB visit only 12 days prior, thus suddenly doubling my weight gain for the entire pregnancy! Since I had been sick the week before and had barely eaten, I knew this wasn't right. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Concern grew and I decided to visit labor and delivery triage on Saturday evening. They suspected possible preeclampsia. . .checked urine, blood pressure, ran some labs to check liver enzymes, etc. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">protein in urine - trace</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">blood pressure - up when they checked it upon arrival, but went back down before leaving </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">swelling - I had a good amount of swelling in hands and feet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">labs - all was fine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">monitoring - fine with adequate movement </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dilation and thinning - none</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We returned home feeling reassured that all was well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had continuing pain in my abdomen on Sunday, which the nurse had thought could be a combination of muscle soreness from fall along with a large baby pushing from inside. Having had large babies before, this seemed a reasonable consideration. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 5:30 that evening, I had bloody show. Within a hour, regular contractions that were picking up pace. As the contractions continued and grew stronger, we prepared to head out to the hospital. (It was Superbowl Sunday after all and I didn't want to arrive too early and be sent back home!) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I checked in with the on-call OB at around 8:07, then I decided to lay down briefly to see if the contractions would subside. They did not. Shortly thereafter, around 8:30, I had a contraction and felt an unbelievably painful "pop" or "rupture" in my lower abdomen. Assuming it was my water, I got up to check. The blood began to gush and I found myself bleeding profusely and continuously. Dh immediately called 911. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything went crazy from there. I was scared beyond words, but tried hard to pull it together after seeing the fearful faces of my girls and hearing them crying hysterically. I screamed for Mom (also not good at hiding her fear) to go out and keep the kids in the other room so that they wouldn't see the blood everywhere or the pitiful scene that had taken over our bathroom! Seeing their fear only exasperated mine and I wanted so desperately not to scare them more and vice versa.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I remember dh pacing back and forth in front on the bathroom door, speaking with 911 while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, and saying things like "boot string", "safety pin", "they said don't sit on the toilet", "no, I don't see a head yet". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those are words I won't ever forget! :-) . . .<em>and never want to hear again</em>, lol! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EMS arrived and I was wheeled out to the ambulance. Mom doesn't get around too well and didn't have time to get in and go with me and dh had to drive and bring the children, so I went on and was transported to the local hospital alone. Not the hospital of my choice mind you, which made me all the more anxious, but the EMT insisted on one, while I repeatedly insisted on another - - a battle I lost as I was obviously not in a position to carry on a debate, but anywho back to what matters. . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arriving at the hospital, I was rushed into the trauma unit, where I estimate 20+ individuals we waiting. I think it must have been a combination ER Trauma Unit/Classroom, not sure, not familiar with this hospital's normal emergency staff to patient ratio :) but at that point I didn't care about the audience. Modesty was out the window, I was scared for my life and the life of my unborn baby - and that was priority one. I had lost a lot of blood and contractions were coming hard. I had dilated to 4cm and effaced 75% upon arrival, with the potential for an emergency c-section being discussed as a possible necessity. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They immediately did an ultrasound and I faintly remember the doctor saying the baby was doing okay. My mind must have been nearly numb by then, as the words were so unexpected, so wonderful, so encouraging. . .it took me a few minutes to process them and realize that WE both might be okay! </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Further evaluation determined that my placenta had abrupted, but I continued making rapid progress toward delivery and the baby was doing okay, so o</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nce everything was stabilized, I was moved to another room, where prepping for delivery continued. (For someone normally terrified of needles and such, I can tell you, not one IV, lab stick, catheter, or stick otherwise, caused me any amount of discomfort. Okay, the morphine helped I'm sure. . .but even so. . .we were moving toward delivery and things were feeling a bit more optimistic at this point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moving to a labor and delivery room, the anesthesiologists arrived, providing much needed pain relief none too soon. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was exhausted from the sheer adrenaline of it all. What seemed like the longest night of my life actually covered the span of just a few short hours. Within a very short time, I was 9cm and fully effaced, minutes later. . .ready to push! Having arrived at the hospital somewhere around 9:00 or so, our precious baby was delivered at 12:07am. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ava Katherine blessed us with her presence nearly five weeks early weighing 6 lbs 14 oz. Being a late term preemie, her breathing was a bit labored and precautions were taken to ensure it stabilized. She spent several hours being monitored in the nursery before we got to spend quality time with her. The NICU nurse came in and shared some concerns over the large amount of blood in her stool, letting us know they were running tests to see if it was her blood or mine, as that would factor into to any next steps they needed to take. Fortunately, it turned out that she had swallowed a large amount of my blood and that it would continue to pass through her stool without any problems. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ahhh. . .the precious gift of life. The joy of our new blessing. Returning home to my family. Thank you Lord. Thank you. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xckeVILRT8k1Pps29pn0pnABpebljrQF4XSl0opzL_IUu-4AW6FyjnkWUxnO_LesAmsjg2v8awP0bRVdiDtq6JvnsCH-9TPvxoSawbY40gFWYt0zU4VvbHXDEbUrcT3U6SnF2vxHhKs/s1600/IMG_3285_1+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xckeVILRT8k1Pps29pn0pnABpebljrQF4XSl0opzL_IUu-4AW6FyjnkWUxnO_LesAmsjg2v8awP0bRVdiDtq6JvnsCH-9TPvxoSawbY40gFWYt0zU4VvbHXDEbUrcT3U6SnF2vxHhKs/s400/IMG_3285_1+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Continuing our journey. . .Thursday, our second night home, I awoke with heart palpitations and leg pain. Worried about clotting, we returned to the ER. No clots were found, anxiety still most certainly present from the traumatic delivery, but all was well otherwise. They did incidentally find a nodule on my thyroid that I needed to have checked out further, so I had that u/s yesterday and am still waiting for an update. Ugh.</span></div><br />
<div><span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday, Ava went for a checkup and was found to have jaundice, so she spent some time at home under phototherapy. Her levels went down, and we discontinued the light. </span></span></div><div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Monday (Valentine's), she was very lethargic and not nursing more than a minute or two . . .by the time my dh got home from work, she could not be roused or awakened no matter what we tried.<br />
<br />
I called the nurse on call at our pediatrician's office (quite frantic by this point) and was instructed to take her to the ER. The nurse called to let them know we were on our way and they took Ava straight back to the trauma room and immediately started an IV and began assessing her and running various tests (CT, Chest x-ray, spinal tap, labs, blood & urine cultures, etc.) During this time of waiting and testing, she was still basically unresponsive (even with all the needle sticks) and began to have brief moments where she would stop breathing. <br />
<br />
Ava was moved to PICU around 3:30 am. PICU took very good care of her, watched her diligently, and kept her on IV fluids, as they began an aggressive course of treatment to cover all realms of potentially dangerous issues. (As it was explained to us, they don't wait for the cultures and all the labs to come back because so many things can go from bad to worse very quickly with infants and little ones)<br />
<br />
Early results ruled out Influenza A, Influenza B, RSV, Group B Strep, Herpes, and many other viruses, but still no answers. . .so. . .as it sometimes works in medicine. . .by process of elimination, consideration of symptoms, and a slightly elevated WBC in her CSF, they suspected that she could possibly have meningitis of some type. <br />
<br />
We continued to wait for the cultures to grow and other tests results to come in, and one by one, they worst of the worst possibilities and all other tests that were done came back negative. Cultures (urine, blood, CSF) grew nothing. <br />
<br />
Thus, viral meningitis was determined to be the culprit. <br />
<br />
Over the few days of our stay she continued to have periods where she was difficult to rouse and feed, but her breathing steadied and remained so, her color began to look better, and she began to wake up more on her own for feedings. Praise the Lord! <br />
<br />
Getting her to nurse and stay awake for nursing is still proving a challenge at times<span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span>, but she is making progress and seems to be doing much better. <br />
<br />
We came home from the hospital this last Thursday evening and are continuing to care for her. . .covering her with kisses and prayers and waking and ensuring that she continues to nurse regularly :) <br />
<br />
God bless each of you who have prayed for baby Ava and our family! My heart is humbled and grateful to know so many of you brought our baby and family before the Lord in prayer! She is just precious to us and loved immensely!!</span></span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, to share a bit of this in pictures. . .</span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstebquexqr6cAja_bUMO5uXwqFh_KSIZUaIK26_YpZBOY53gborapjQMYu-_mVorezZyQla_B1c8G0i_T6wWL336iu7bICaBNJubeooj3AyHItrw5_w0tAaHj-mAvXtJClsd-ixJTomo/s1600/IMG_3257+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstebquexqr6cAja_bUMO5uXwqFh_KSIZUaIK26_YpZBOY53gborapjQMYu-_mVorezZyQla_B1c8G0i_T6wWL336iu7bICaBNJubeooj3AyHItrw5_w0tAaHj-mAvXtJClsd-ixJTomo/s400/IMG_3257+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8Q2bNQptB6u1Dawg8sic1dOkrZ6t2dAljD11Kgkio6_pByJf1ScKyf5_7064KoRXsBpa_ifPk0pHlM18OdLIkYN52cWSv-HDj-OKGC54T1frOx7nmg0kt4B_wULFtRv2-wqOXEOCRIg/s1600/IMG_3259+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8Q2bNQptB6u1Dawg8sic1dOkrZ6t2dAljD11Kgkio6_pByJf1ScKyf5_7064KoRXsBpa_ifPk0pHlM18OdLIkYN52cWSv-HDj-OKGC54T1frOx7nmg0kt4B_wULFtRv2-wqOXEOCRIg/s400/IMG_3259+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWMy5BPKiAN6AkbDumh42N__9_l6OWyiF0GGfL5EffKQ4O781DBo63-VYlFEOOUvhcEk7ZPepUceF7KI0SNmufldXyzB6l85Zb6fwibM8lcMEpZ6KWltsw1EfnsaiMsg3QYG5Y0pKU7o/s1600/IMG_3364+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWMy5BPKiAN6AkbDumh42N__9_l6OWyiF0GGfL5EffKQ4O781DBo63-VYlFEOOUvhcEk7ZPepUceF7KI0SNmufldXyzB6l85Zb6fwibM8lcMEpZ6KWltsw1EfnsaiMsg3QYG5Y0pKU7o/s400/IMG_3364+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6yFz1kK8nB4AHVFZ4G_EMWJ3UXShGvw5R4A1I4lEUOfmdaDUjbTTbfVQdCMTGw8bIcGeqG0UvH_l0FgL4NZtI5ZjcPdZ6yZdk7mLhpVtYibg1h7mqxLmgLm79xsPn0zdmzMmAYBr0Qk/s1600/IMG_3360+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6yFz1kK8nB4AHVFZ4G_EMWJ3UXShGvw5R4A1I4lEUOfmdaDUjbTTbfVQdCMTGw8bIcGeqG0UvH_l0FgL4NZtI5ZjcPdZ6yZdk7mLhpVtYibg1h7mqxLmgLm79xsPn0zdmzMmAYBr0Qk/s400/IMG_3360+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL_QcFqoE_jaCMpb63yvOBi5F7Eoevy3tV_gaopvs0KQLFzIIQMD2uAE_COr64p55HpmomUEw5GtZmhnmALMO8uC9tJYjMQLCWp8wQ4D7vFFj8I2Vm2letD6txWJYdQy8-taSZERSDMQ/s1600/IMG_3403+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL_QcFqoE_jaCMpb63yvOBi5F7Eoevy3tV_gaopvs0KQLFzIIQMD2uAE_COr64p55HpmomUEw5GtZmhnmALMO8uC9tJYjMQLCWp8wQ4D7vFFj8I2Vm2letD6txWJYdQy8-taSZERSDMQ/s400/IMG_3403+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGC5dLMQgVXjMDcna9Fr7_570shoqU-SgFSH92LK70p9TvUfuz__HMblrViM28A2zDI8vIJikrBXNQeBqHOeJXDTL538cewzDlIs5cRtK3btXdrKwU0dHrMgmjmkH9N0yZcOoJxEedJF4/s1600/IMG_3401+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGC5dLMQgVXjMDcna9Fr7_570shoqU-SgFSH92LK70p9TvUfuz__HMblrViM28A2zDI8vIJikrBXNQeBqHOeJXDTL538cewzDlIs5cRtK3btXdrKwU0dHrMgmjmkH9N0yZcOoJxEedJF4/s400/IMG_3401+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZlU6yS0DFhLaOWPB2i1nQNA3Np9Mlh4k8PxCOjXaN5PbyrnKn0c-5A1HTVz4Rx9nONFi-zmydMRLz6FD81-RKZAzMbalcCHRWXKtgXZLMHib_yiUUQ5vcZbC3-OExFQEAhyphenhyphenTStoMuoE/s1600/IMG_3379+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZlU6yS0DFhLaOWPB2i1nQNA3Np9Mlh4k8PxCOjXaN5PbyrnKn0c-5A1HTVz4Rx9nONFi-zmydMRLz6FD81-RKZAzMbalcCHRWXKtgXZLMHib_yiUUQ5vcZbC3-OExFQEAhyphenhyphenTStoMuoE/s400/IMG_3379+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light Therapy for Jaundice</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhAenpiSaIhdEZE1LT2HARIemhNapYxHbw5HMEnoHpiuRGYqxV-t686xtmC6R2eBQ2P70JgE6npTQLveKy4Ye28eGwAxTx1Vo_bi41MpDtcdJGf0EgII133qEurznCbdnyy2vBCJgMHM/s1600/IMG_3404+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhAenpiSaIhdEZE1LT2HARIemhNapYxHbw5HMEnoHpiuRGYqxV-t686xtmC6R2eBQ2P70JgE6npTQLveKy4Ye28eGwAxTx1Vo_bi41MpDtcdJGf0EgII133qEurznCbdnyy2vBCJgMHM/s400/IMG_3404+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so tiny in Daddy's hands</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL1qAFESpQe0k67qS8bsnlBQzwLb_wslafJz2kTbmOvzuIg8LwSwGzc5QLlgHhvx9UfYEzuC4_8-NalfxrjcH0mJ-NftBnIjxZ8JmZonxux3RXEsTpqW_taU03WoBcl8TEi1wKw6Seb4/s1600/IMG_3411+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL1qAFESpQe0k67qS8bsnlBQzwLb_wslafJz2kTbmOvzuIg8LwSwGzc5QLlgHhvx9UfYEzuC4_8-NalfxrjcH0mJ-NftBnIjxZ8JmZonxux3RXEsTpqW_taU03WoBcl8TEi1wKw6Seb4/s400/IMG_3411+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bKBgSiSClrbFOEl4_3noYUNkagtH1GnvFTPilNPr1BtM6LXeaY_E8uw1dNVa50mpSZaPtq8kQENAO4jpBIJVSMw50uyyXzGoL12yoggYERLP8SwOOkhITFdysAdFpYhyphenhyphenfc3_PD2LBiw/s1600/IMG_3388+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4bKBgSiSClrbFOEl4_3noYUNkagtH1GnvFTPilNPr1BtM6LXeaY_E8uw1dNVa50mpSZaPtq8kQENAO4jpBIJVSMw50uyyXzGoL12yoggYERLP8SwOOkhITFdysAdFpYhyphenhyphenfc3_PD2LBiw/s400/IMG_3388+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittcGshGTl5iue3E19kz5sHci2Lbd25uw73qxvTroGbpXmeO5JSEnPmWdwkBbaBQb-gTlg2kOtQCMcXNifxAM_tSpFwvX5uDfaJS7SGhfauim-myVVIQu-GvaCRNwdGDjhH_kSvNsQI-s/s1600/IMG_3387+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittcGshGTl5iue3E19kz5sHci2Lbd25uw73qxvTroGbpXmeO5JSEnPmWdwkBbaBQb-gTlg2kOtQCMcXNifxAM_tSpFwvX5uDfaJS7SGhfauim-myVVIQu-GvaCRNwdGDjhH_kSvNsQI-s/s400/IMG_3387+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptHR8xcxndxJg2zUuM0P8Y3-mDEYIACB4ngU1b1zLPbrp4QXM0C1LydMt7x6ZZRmgGsKBUPavd5FxJrMlL308VXU96HchrqnGeUrHY8t5eg2DHnLO_xlQWoiHt0QqVzcQAi_vboWKlYw/s1600/IMG_3448+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptHR8xcxndxJg2zUuM0P8Y3-mDEYIACB4ngU1b1zLPbrp4QXM0C1LydMt7x6ZZRmgGsKBUPavd5FxJrMlL308VXU96HchrqnGeUrHY8t5eg2DHnLO_xlQWoiHt0QqVzcQAi_vboWKlYw/s400/IMG_3448+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3zdSibnKshOrCIeVX83v-FhNxRgUiuF0-o1dRk4-mJV6mr2Invqx1tCzdQTAVXEfUf1Vv9x1bNrZc4avv4rKIFgRhxEqPioKJ51CHFmc1U_9O47e0gQ8AdpwM1_ia8illKIUvJVQUXM/s1600/IMG_3440+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3zdSibnKshOrCIeVX83v-FhNxRgUiuF0-o1dRk4-mJV6mr2Invqx1tCzdQTAVXEfUf1Vv9x1bNrZc4avv4rKIFgRhxEqPioKJ51CHFmc1U_9O47e0gQ8AdpwM1_ia8illKIUvJVQUXM/s400/IMG_3440+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCFstgSsxLAb-GVtYVWV2GlBudwECoKHbIykeFCZ2LIe4auNuKnae6NGC_8WqntDJM-oShZ3sV_WXGMwzeTJ_kdgH3Ys5vkH9S3-5EQIm90H0Eidxm0m89F_C5NkykfTSES8MKv8VSbY/s1600/IMG_3450+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCFstgSsxLAb-GVtYVWV2GlBudwECoKHbIykeFCZ2LIe4auNuKnae6NGC_8WqntDJM-oShZ3sV_WXGMwzeTJ_kdgH3Ys5vkH9S3-5EQIm90H0Eidxm0m89F_C5NkykfTSES8MKv8VSbY/s400/IMG_3450+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zcuId7lNiTWNOM-zkCfVvcA8vgJgcXCXVuBODaPCdiz3UNv7L6dg7uz8vZwPnIlfvj13HX6O2FMwDrUmJamXApGF0pwQNC68zRq3E_-l01AJgOoM83ZKnmU_tB3q1iF-2XaMiAHqwOA/s1600/IMG_3464+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zcuId7lNiTWNOM-zkCfVvcA8vgJgcXCXVuBODaPCdiz3UNv7L6dg7uz8vZwPnIlfvj13HX6O2FMwDrUmJamXApGF0pwQNC68zRq3E_-l01AJgOoM83ZKnmU_tB3q1iF-2XaMiAHqwOA/s400/IMG_3464+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we celebrated a birthday during Ava's hospital stay, big sis got both of their names on it and added baby booties for baby :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzQK6n7n_SXaRw5TqhMGMs5Iv_iTdNFSTo0GKTYl42dzrZDhu6Qzl0tifQMbvYy11quhTamIDYHdk8TkCHatAndT_Xge2dCtPyyZ_i5_5duLBjSMggXi6XimAG5s2ykGRlP9qMEGwcLY/s1600/IMG_3357+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqzQK6n7n_SXaRw5TqhMGMs5Iv_iTdNFSTo0GKTYl42dzrZDhu6Qzl0tifQMbvYy11quhTamIDYHdk8TkCHatAndT_Xge2dCtPyyZ_i5_5duLBjSMggXi6XimAG5s2ykGRlP9qMEGwcLY/s400/IMG_3357+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJTXxKkSKNfSTsko6Y6tUMSq1QYLYkda3kY2IByeAkPqxwVU7yb4q7VdYTu8LBl-O_XYXpiQcA02Z-qJncPw0-FwOycgFvAZDPBjZwdE57JoFO6aTLhJQwL5QUgNI4UrUestkfz7eOGo/s1600/IMG_3362+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJTXxKkSKNfSTsko6Y6tUMSq1QYLYkda3kY2IByeAkPqxwVU7yb4q7VdYTu8LBl-O_XYXpiQcA02Z-qJncPw0-FwOycgFvAZDPBjZwdE57JoFO6aTLhJQwL5QUgNI4UrUestkfz7eOGo/s400/IMG_3362+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SHf3CamdP3SSBQyD4kEJsMspznDSbPh7C0c7qICj-caRHAgyN-_oXxM8-8kZWUyVqmTt8EVBHI0WnYEWfBQRwO7SFpe3E-Knt_7KM7g1DPouQ2LnvLK0sLc9GbFFDzI2OfF1R-5vOHw/s1600/IMG_3361+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SHf3CamdP3SSBQyD4kEJsMspznDSbPh7C0c7qICj-caRHAgyN-_oXxM8-8kZWUyVqmTt8EVBHI0WnYEWfBQRwO7SFpe3E-Knt_7KM7g1DPouQ2LnvLK0sLc9GbFFDzI2OfF1R-5vOHw/s400/IMG_3361+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, pumping milk :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-eggr6xX3PxsHa_1BHN5iYGldANU289C7YGrAQETmVw7JdNiZoWXeMt_-nWJRpX30OllNQq6J32A4Gzd8O8IHpfNoILVz9gHXyS-ulLZEE5P3C3F8HXhzyRK8YxOVrwxzA1pj6L_KQE/s1600/IMG_3480+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI-eggr6xX3PxsHa_1BHN5iYGldANU289C7YGrAQETmVw7JdNiZoWXeMt_-nWJRpX30OllNQq6J32A4Gzd8O8IHpfNoILVz9gHXyS-ulLZEE5P3C3F8HXhzyRK8YxOVrwxzA1pj6L_KQE/s320/IMG_3480+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnenqKQN5mZ1wSr3b2cpNdajr16iQTZOkNHtu0R_9o6egRVzVhVgQbdivZgQMuvYo8Fh12c6ObRx-2F5yQEfwNhxj2URPdoUtZ0GpWI85_Z1t47L50Kli3fTeeu_BrQ8uaS6-b5DlcMQ/s1600/IMG_3506+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnenqKQN5mZ1wSr3b2cpNdajr16iQTZOkNHtu0R_9o6egRVzVhVgQbdivZgQMuvYo8Fh12c6ObRx-2F5yQEfwNhxj2URPdoUtZ0GpWI85_Z1t47L50Kli3fTeeu_BrQ8uaS6-b5DlcMQ/s400/IMG_3506+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEF0di2JMi5GZdR2RCJPBFUl-FGCCQU5jT_-WIye1kUYXkvmxG1TCl0XTfWpzNo1zNPpTc3n-d3dW5CXVEKl52Q_tddpoQVnlq_o9Q8nH-Wa-ly203PpJ5hWKlVuRw4_284_4FFm_N-o/s1600/IMG_3553+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibEF0di2JMi5GZdR2RCJPBFUl-FGCCQU5jT_-WIye1kUYXkvmxG1TCl0XTfWpzNo1zNPpTc3n-d3dW5CXVEKl52Q_tddpoQVnlq_o9Q8nH-Wa-ly203PpJ5hWKlVuRw4_284_4FFm_N-o/s400/IMG_3553+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">first bath. . .that woke her up :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9brgzfRtC8MSyJcwW9u136i7rDZOZaxk_CXIWbQfzVE0H-Khh3HhkgG8ic9LyZzrcX4bLCFgahGqFsG9yw1rJkE9JmHy7mrH2Kj5ih4Io-7ZNOy12QnHGvOX68pJt0i57W-XuLPipS4s/s1600/IMG_3558+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9brgzfRtC8MSyJcwW9u136i7rDZOZaxk_CXIWbQfzVE0H-Khh3HhkgG8ic9LyZzrcX4bLCFgahGqFsG9yw1rJkE9JmHy7mrH2Kj5ih4Io-7ZNOy12QnHGvOX68pJt0i57W-XuLPipS4s/s400/IMG_3558+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjt8LJ-7bmJNMXcI5xfY8SpbH1DmvBo58r624Zi6UWGfuQodK886yNhDBMuSll-zET3xUXJ_2L2sxA-Ygc0ZtHBl4pBbIUNAtfRBsyAFjwknhZEWfwwst3JmW0g7vf-lxpJL_AZQ-xYg/s1600/IMG_3574+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjt8LJ-7bmJNMXcI5xfY8SpbH1DmvBo58r624Zi6UWGfuQodK886yNhDBMuSll-zET3xUXJ_2L2sxA-Ygc0ZtHBl4pBbIUNAtfRBsyAFjwknhZEWfwwst3JmW0g7vf-lxpJL_AZQ-xYg/s400/IMG_3574+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IOz1qJgFv2qVUVbZf5yBNfCjp29IUUcf7dzriR0fSKcITHNJE9eJ34Gsk7TR093_gAoAF5gVRDyYblpIBA8SC46Jmp_Xm_BCvmH-0JuTZ7D_HaLc8OqZ-o_XyjjNtZ3gRxrIOzQqwnk/s1600/IMG_3490+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3IOz1qJgFv2qVUVbZf5yBNfCjp29IUUcf7dzriR0fSKcITHNJE9eJ34Gsk7TR093_gAoAF5gVRDyYblpIBA8SC46Jmp_Xm_BCvmH-0JuTZ7D_HaLc8OqZ-o_XyjjNtZ3gRxrIOzQqwnk/s400/IMG_3490+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmbQV0nLmTuRRv3j1N5vxqE2NTUeE_-t1D3xtKyuTcXOssxZq10t7cH6AmFD11lM3KQr7OsuYRrqUy9UDwfVbjz548QlVDbQULnIGBVlpvG4zAeDXZ1W-lNyfgGbKAy9u8GEw6Tdy0Uc/s1600/IMG_3494+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmbQV0nLmTuRRv3j1N5vxqE2NTUeE_-t1D3xtKyuTcXOssxZq10t7cH6AmFD11lM3KQr7OsuYRrqUy9UDwfVbjz548QlVDbQULnIGBVlpvG4zAeDXZ1W-lNyfgGbKAy9u8GEw6Tdy0Uc/s400/IMG_3494+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And in closing, I want to express my heartfelt and deepest thanks to my dear sister Sheila and friend Michelle for keeping our friends and family updated and requesting prayer for our baby girl and our family. . .and to my Mom. . .whose help we couldn't have done without! Your love and support has meant more to me than you can imagine. </span></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_ZTeC1YdTwTxSzhhOTM1kqs7rPp6srUboKTe0J47d3Np-H6pgxsmaOjuM0J3b4Ln7cjc3Qrt1TcBB0wkuT7uGp2Uq5W_7Jl3EXgdq7miBjEZjO7lKTGMz-h6aUG490kYUul23i9W_mg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_ZTeC1YdTwTxSzhhOTM1kqs7rPp6srUboKTe0J47d3Np-H6pgxsmaOjuM0J3b4Ln7cjc3Qrt1TcBB0wkuT7uGp2Uq5W_7Jl3EXgdq7miBjEZjO7lKTGMz-h6aUG490kYUul23i9W_mg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-56186300618019204622010-12-07T16:36:00.007-05:002010-12-07T16:51:55.516-05:00Just Enough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBl6RBEsG2fFhLaLHLmww6jNLYoaUB-2hEtX8wHKg8lSngTs57SKombmtWWFyj37WK5HTKcl0ik1yjZY_BYpdl_K8Cu8Ms8XbLFolk_c2TUH_Us3EAA0HQHYvikOaWKxWg4Wor6TKywY/s1600/Tree+of+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBl6RBEsG2fFhLaLHLmww6jNLYoaUB-2hEtX8wHKg8lSngTs57SKombmtWWFyj37WK5HTKcl0ik1yjZY_BYpdl_K8Cu8Ms8XbLFolk_c2TUH_Us3EAA0HQHYvikOaWKxWg4Wor6TKywY/s200/Tree+of+Life.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>There have been many times in my life where I have fretted over a circumstance, situation, or future that I ultimately have little control over. Life happens, storms hit, and often figuring out how to adjust or manage can be overwhelming and leave me indulging in self-pity and depression. Yet, as I reflect on God's goodness and mercy, I am continually awed by His provision of "just enough" in our day to day living and times of specific need. <br />
<br />
When we began our journey to find and purchase a home. . .He provided just enough.<br />
<br />
When we went from two incomes to one many moons ago. . .He provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When my father committed suicide and left me wondering where God was. . .He provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When the towers fell and the world seemed to be crumbling before me. . .He provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When our daughter's learning difficulties brought new challenges. . .He provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When we've had more week or month left than paycheck. . .He's provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When we've worried over our dd's Epilepsy and how to pay for her meds. . .He's provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When medical expenses have overwhelmed us. . .He's provided just enough.<br />
<br />
When the cupboards have been empty and we've wondered how we'll get groceries. . .He's provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When my heart ached from miscarrying. . .He provided just enough. <br />
<br />
When holidays come around and we have no idea how were going to do Christmas. . .He provides just enough. <br />
<br />
When I grow discouraged and feel defeated. . .He provides just enough. <br />
<br />
When my faith is weak, when I can't see any hope. . .He provides just enough. <br />
<br />
"Just enough" comes in many forms. . .comfort, friendship, a smile from one of my children, encouragement, fresh air, rest, His Word, strength to carry on, simple Christmas lists, opportunity, direction, motivation, humility, charity, sunshine, a song, a phone call, an email, and so on. Yes, many, many forms, yet consistently. . .<br />
<br />
<em>. . .just enough. </em><br />
<br />
<em>. . .just in time.</em><br />
<br />
<em>. . .just the perfect measure to remind me who's in control. </em><br />
<br />
Ever grateful for His faithful provision of "just enough". <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGvW5FTw5fogGRgrRcjs_M-XNRUq_4-fuO51vURIx0rzdM2ayeDjVfuy8H7CKdHoKgQaRZgyiAZzZ3_-h3VEp0t5HZWDPj2enRh2r9jrZJ73wp3_oE0jq8kxxLB0ZDoz6pXz7ieErWqI/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGvW5FTw5fogGRgrRcjs_M-XNRUq_4-fuO51vURIx0rzdM2ayeDjVfuy8H7CKdHoKgQaRZgyiAZzZ3_-h3VEp0t5HZWDPj2enRh2r9jrZJ73wp3_oE0jq8kxxLB0ZDoz6pXz7ieErWqI/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7<br />
<br />
". . .Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." ~ John 16:33<br />
<br />
"Great is His faithfullness, His mercies begin afresh each day." ~ Lamentations 3:23*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-10495748877644777112010-12-06T21:05:00.001-05:002010-12-06T21:18:44.892-05:00Coming Along. . .26 weeks and counting!Yes, I LOVE, ADORE, CHERISH the end results of this process called pregancy, and I am SO, overwhelmingly grateful for my precious ones, but the "getting there" is. . .ugh, argh, ick. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Among my many ailments. . .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>"morning", no make that ALL DAY sickness that last for many weeks - <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;">constantly nauseated or vomiting and have NO energy (ZERO, ZILCH!!)</span></span> and once I vomit up something, I can't eat it again for years! <br />
<br />
my palate becomes very quirkly, NOTHING tastes right<br />
<br />
if I brush my teeth, I either throw up or have to rinse with warm salt water to try and get rid of the toothpaste taste<br />
<br />
can't stand the smell of anything! (perfume, deodorant, cleaners, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, even foundation, etc.)<br />
<br />
alternate between a cold sweat and a "whoa is it hot in here?" sweat<br />
<br />
terrible heartburn and indigestion<br />
<br />
dry bleeding nasal passages oddly combined and alternating with overproductive mucus causing me to constantly need a garbage can and roll of toilet paper handy. Yes, gross, I know! (A spitting, snotty woman is not attractive.)<br />
<br />
can't stand to wear make-up or lipstick during the first 5-6 months, I finally found pure tasteless, odorless petroleum to keep my lips from rampant dryness!<br />
<br />
insomnia - even in the early months, I wake up and stay awake for countless hours in the night.<br />
<br />
general "I feel awful" on a daily basis<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And at this point, my hips and arms go numb at night, which brings me to the aerobic tasks of frequently rolling over! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then last, but not least, just learned I have gestational diabetes again :(</div><br />
I'm sure there are many more things that are alluding me at the moment, but of course, I can't remember much when I'm pregnant either!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No, I don't need any cheese to go with my whine, LOL! This too shall pass :)</div><br />
So, all that to share a pic and news that. . .things are coming along and looking just "beachy" (as in beached whale) here at 26 weeks. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Did I mention. . .I've had a couple of 10 lb babies? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi600IK1EOqHz0K0CqU-2ldgo_kL8ppr97fhyphenhyphenS5CfPJkoROQXZLAIziZc4CvWu3c1I-1OGgNXARDUwW3d0uh-_bfnkPJxROVrO3BnpHoAtZtLVivbhdxfmr57RVyS6I6JdcWwsk26iCJEA/s1600/5+at+26+weeks+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi600IK1EOqHz0K0CqU-2ldgo_kL8ppr97fhyphenhyphenS5CfPJkoROQXZLAIziZc4CvWu3c1I-1OGgNXARDUwW3d0uh-_bfnkPJxROVrO3BnpHoAtZtLVivbhdxfmr57RVyS6I6JdcWwsk26iCJEA/s400/5+at+26+weeks+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8n7tCaExkg7raALHtrZKMHaSoEajLurO6Jjx37Y-mQYxKfDyDkjicuXrWngABEvz2bKpqwhwJfieGULDR376JFy3jYvI28n_VZclYHSbU3DXRA1usdpbC_X4CnwpIMzlN_VYnE4wlJc/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8n7tCaExkg7raALHtrZKMHaSoEajLurO6Jjx37Y-mQYxKfDyDkjicuXrWngABEvz2bKpqwhwJfieGULDR376JFy3jYvI28n_VZclYHSbU3DXRA1usdpbC_X4CnwpIMzlN_VYnE4wlJc/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-12281510099870789542010-11-27T10:46:00.001-05:002010-11-27T10:51:31.464-05:00My Review: Preparing to Homeschool High School DVD 2nd EditionYou will find that I'm selective in sharing reviews and don't promote or write reviews of products that I don't absolutely believe in. Yet, when I find one with inherent value and worth, I simply can't help looking for ways to shout it from the rooftop! This is one of those times. . . <br />
<br />
What parent hasn't questioned their ability to homeschool through highschool and wondered how doing so would impact their child's ability to get into and succeed in college? It can be a frightening undertaking!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thehomescholar.com/preparing-to-homeschool-high-school-dvd.php">Preparing to Homeschool Highschool</a> takes the fear factor out of the equation! Nearly 4 hours and 18 pages of notes later, this DVD delivered exceptional information, encouragement, and empowerment for tackling those high school years! <br />
<br />
Lee warmly invites you to grab a cup of coffee or tea as you sit down with her DVD, but I want to enthusiastically add a plea that you also grab a pen and notepad because this presentation is so chock full of information that you'll want to take copious notes from the moment you click "play". <br />
<br />
Lee Binz, a.k.a The HomeScholar, skillfully leads you to tackle and release the fears of homeschooling, gear up and prepare with strategies of success, invest in your weaknesses, learn to choose curriculum wisely, and walks you step-by-step through the stages of planning, understanding the typical requirements of each subject, the do's and don't of record keeping and giving grades, the basics of transcripts and determining credits, and helps you make sense of those scary highschool and college tests (PSAT-NMSQT, PSAT, SAT, ACT, CLEP, AP). <br />
<br />
It is an amazing amount of information, presented in a manner that is easy to understand, leaving you confident that you can do absolutely do this! <br />
<br />
As the saying goes "Failing to plan, is planning to fail!". Don't let those highschool years find you clueless and unprepared. This outstanding DVD is a great asset for any homeschool parent who is ready to meet the challenge and embrace the privilege of homeschooling through highschool! <br />
<br />
Highschool IS coming. . .will YOU be ready? <br />
<br />
Find *Preparing to Homeschool Highschool* along with many of Lee's other helpful resources by visiting her website <a href="http://www.thehomescholar.com/">The Homescholar</a>! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIXuBeTQtd0NadN0X6P50dWRKJp8VIbm0DvYkNG3nwcfJIuUIbJfrZ7kD1FnbHRC4X44a01xHCG0ktFbJSvQhWKUpu7zbHcd5ND7LCghqcjQFDxkqRqlIiQMp3WCrFogP_bnqzJYyvTc/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIXuBeTQtd0NadN0X6P50dWRKJp8VIbm0DvYkNG3nwcfJIuUIbJfrZ7kD1FnbHRC4X44a01xHCG0ktFbJSvQhWKUpu7zbHcd5ND7LCghqcjQFDxkqRqlIiQMp3WCrFogP_bnqzJYyvTc/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-84947711591996446532010-11-18T09:56:00.001-05:002010-11-18T10:00:47.993-05:00Guest Post - Welcome Joyce Herzog!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Today's guest is speaker and author, Joyce Herzog. Joyce's passion is helping people learn the way they learn best! You can visit her on the web <a href="http://www.joyceherzog.info/Joyce_Herzog/Welcome.html">here</a> to learn more about what she has to offer including <u>Learning Without Labels</u>, <u>Luke's Lists</u>, <u>Timeless Teaching Tips</u> and more!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>~ Goals and Goal Setting ~</strong></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">A parent recently wrote, “We seem to bounce around and never feel we have accomplished anything. Can you help?” Here is my answer: You have already taken the first steps toward a solution. You have recognized that there is a problem, verbalized it, and asked for help. I’m impressed. From here on, it gets easier. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">One of the best motivators is seeing progress. It is impossible to see progress unless you set achievable and measurable goals. Not every skill can be so charted, but it is important to chart some goals in order to see movement. Without such goals, it is more likely that learning will be unfocused and unrecognized. That often leads to a feelings you are experiencing of being stalled and ineffective.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">You are feeling a need for some structure in your life and homeschool. That doesn’t mean that you should switch to a regulated curriculum or begin to bring school home. On the contrary, such a major jump would probably be so restrictive that you would bounce back in reaction. It’s better to just set some long term and short term goals.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In the academic areas, get a scope and sequence from a reputable curriculum publisher (or look at my own <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.joyceherzog.info/Joyce_Herzog/Teacher_Helps.html">Luke’s School List</a>)</i>. This is a list of skills or concepts covered, usually grade level by grade level, listed in order presented. It is available at no cost from most curriculum publishers. World Book Encyclopedia also publishes one online. There are also books which give an idea of what can be taught at each grade level - or what must be covered in the elementary grades, middle school ages and high schools. Though I personally resist too much restriction by age and grade level since God made each of us so unique, I have also written a mini-book on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.joyceherzog.info/Joyce_Herzog/Teacher_Helps.html">SIMPLIFIED Homeschool and Recordkeeping</a> </i>which contains a scope and sequence for kindergarten through sixth grade. Use one of these as a guide to choose some topics to approach in the coming months. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">It is not always possible to determine ahead how long the study of a given topic will take, but it is helpful to have a sequence so that you can be gathering materials for future studies when you notice them. Keep a drawer or a file cabinet ready to organize these finds so they’ll be ready when you are. Keep note also of library books which address the topic, questions that come up that you’ll want to research, and articles you come across in magazines or on the internet. Jot down ideas for possible field trips. I find that sometimes under pressure, these ideas remain hidden in the vast recesses of my brain, but when I least need them they are jumping out, ready for attention. Keep future topics in the front of your mind and jot down the ideas as you find them and file them immediately. They will start you thinking in the right direction long before deadlines threaten.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also helpful to involve the children in goal setting. Ask their opinion when choosing topics, methods of study, and the manner of showing effort and progress. Be willing to </span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">compromise where possible, but remember that you are ultimately the one held responsible for their education.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">In a given study, make a list of skills to be mastered, facts to be memorized, jobs to be done, or books to be read. Turn the list into a chart ready to date, mark off, or award a </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">sticker when the job is done or the skill is mastered. Seeing the chart fill up is very </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">rewarding and keeps efforts directed. Do allow diversions when they are important; just add them to the chart so you can still see progress and direction. The important thing is to structure a way to document accomplishments. You might make a chart per month, per quarter, per semester or even per year… Probably for most of us monthly or quarterly is best.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Another way to see progress is to have the children make an informal record of their present level of development, and repeat the same activity every three to six months. I often had my children list ten words they could spell, write a story or paragraph and make up and solve one problem for each aspect of math they were familiar with (addition, subtraction, decimals, money, fractions, etc.). This gave me a running record of their handwriting, spelling, and math and, indirectly, their reading level as well. Perhaps a better evaluation of their reading would be to have them list three of the best books they have read since the last time they did this. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Be sure they put their name and date on this paper!</b> Keep them in sequential order, most recent on top, in a section of the child’s portfolio and refer to them occasionally. You will be amazed at how easy it is to see maturation and skill in this simple way.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some progress can be best recorded through taking photos. Photograph large projects, presentations, and field trips. Then have the children enter the photos in an album and add captions. These will be great for recordkeeping, reminiscing and sharing with interested friends and relatives. Writing captions provides meaningful opportunity for practicing handwriting, improving spelling, and formulating thoughts into sentences and paragraphs. And it’s more fun than an assignment for the sake of an assignment.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Setting goals and posting them in front of you keeps you directed and goal oriented. I find sticky notes invaluable for keeping current goals in the front of my mind. I love to write “DONE” on top of goals, and even enjoy discarding the stickies when I complete all the tasks on them. You might prefer to date the stickies and keep them in your child’s portfolio. Whatever way you choose, the key is to keep goals in the front of your mind so that they do not become neglected and forgotten before they are finished. No one finishes everything he starts, but you can always make improvements by setting goals, keeping them in front of you, and charting progress on a regular basis.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times;">© 2010 by Joyce Herzog. Used with permission. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8BIhFsrjrmCsmkVl26wOcwMlE3U9f26KJNdm73gBY7_yHL-u80rBLea1AAyfWYqjbTqtVhArZfUyfkv2oYWNPhisHt_z_pj3JnxCY4oHQumG5LIswwjkXqmJs2C-bs-tJMw6tc1xsv4/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8BIhFsrjrmCsmkVl26wOcwMlE3U9f26KJNdm73gBY7_yHL-u80rBLea1AAyfWYqjbTqtVhArZfUyfkv2oYWNPhisHt_z_pj3JnxCY4oHQumG5LIswwjkXqmJs2C-bs-tJMw6tc1xsv4/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-9830919456656523112010-11-17T14:27:00.000-05:002010-11-17T14:27:30.884-05:00Guest Post - Welcome Lee Binz!Our guest today is Lee Binz, aka <a href="http://www.thehomescholar.com/">The HomeScholar</a>. If you don't know who she is YET, then I am delighted to have the pleasure of introducing her to you! Lee has graduated 2 sons from homeschool and both are successfully attending the colleges of their choice with scholarships. Lee is a wealth of information and support for homeschooling during the high school years and I know you will find her sharing encouraging and empowering! <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;"><strong>Homeschool Highschool: Four Years - Four Goals</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #783f04;">It can be overwhelming. After years of happily homeschooling young children, parents look at high school</span> and suddenly panic. Record keeping, transcripts, courses, credits, and tests! Those things are challenging, I'll admit, but they really aren't a matter of life and death. They are just discrete, manageable tasks that you can complete one at a time. When you strip away all the fluff and meringue, you are really left with just one major goal each year. There are only four key goals in the four years of high school.</span><br />
<h2 style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFrL8rqMNwkhP3huKZ20sNYhQP9Ta5h4BZPLA3tfrKZBpfK8MPcU1uhpAxWSuse9Fcoqk0yXdUQf7h_ju_6Qnm9jbcUqonw_n4pQx1YSSVIQI_S24oEiYoIzVpA-_AyMNJyAoNef9LbI/s1600/mom-studying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #783f04;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFrL8rqMNwkhP3huKZ20sNYhQP9Ta5h4BZPLA3tfrKZBpfK8MPcU1uhpAxWSuse9Fcoqk0yXdUQf7h_ju_6Qnm9jbcUqonw_n4pQx1YSSVIQI_S24oEiYoIzVpA-_AyMNJyAoNef9LbI/s1600/mom-studying.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Freshman Year: Think about College</span></h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During freshman year, all you have to do is think about college. Students vary, and teens will often change their minds. College seems like a long way off, too! But when you begin high school thinking about college, then life for the next four years will be much easier. College preparation allows for maximum flexibility. No matter how many times your child changes career plans, you will be ready for anything. Thinking about college can help if your child goes to college, of course. However, if your child does not go to college, no harm is done. You simply end up with a well educated adult, ready to take on the world.<br />
<br />
Think about college by learning how to homeschool high school. Take classes and read books that will help you learn about course selection and record keeping. Begin to talk with your child about college preparation. Focus on core subjects like reading, writing, math, history and science. Teach your child at their level and they will be very well prepared in 4 years. Don't worry about the past or the future, but today keep doing what works. Seek help and guidance if you need it.</span><br />
<h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sophomore Year: Prepare for College</span></h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sophomore year is the time to prepare for college. Your homeschool should still remain the same warm and loving learning environment it has always been. Preparing does not mean transforming your happy homeschool into a military academy or Socratic classroom. Instead, the best preparation will occur when you continue to use what has worked for you in the past. Move forward with the curriculum that has been working, and make adjustments with the problems you identify. Keep forward momentum with confidence.<br />
<br />
Within the context of your family school, prepare for college by taking two specific steps in sophomore year. First, begin a foreign language if you haven’t already. Colleges like to see two or three years of a single foreign language in high school. For homeschoolers, it may be a source of great fear, and some put it off. Prepare for college by making sure you begin a foreign language in sophomore year. Second, prepare for college by taking the PSAT for fun. This is the first college admission assessment test, and it will help your child prepare for college. The PSAT will put your students name in front of colleges that want homeschoolers! It’s a thrill to receive mail from a college, and can encourage parent and student alike. </span><br />
<h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Junior Year: Find a College</span></h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The focal point of junior year is finding some colleges where you want to apply. Although you could quickly choose by throwing darts on a map or only looking only close by, I don’t advise it. Sure, you've chosen a college, but it could be a disastrous choice. An unsuitable college and a mismatch with your family values is a very expensive mistake. Instead, choose colleges with a step-by-step approach. <br />
<br />
To achieve your goal of finding a handful of appropriate colleges, the first step is to go to a college fair. Similar to a homeschool convention, it’s a quick and easy way to learn a lot about many colleges in a short amount of time. Step two is taking the PSAT in October of junior year. Step three is taking time to visit colleges during the year, so you can eliminate poor choices from your list. The fourth step is taking the SAT or ACT in the spring, which can help you determine the right college fit academically and financially. </span><br />
<h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Senior Year: Apply for College</span></h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During senior year, the main goal is completing college applications. Applying early for college can improve your chance of admission and financial aid. Just like Tax Day on April 15th, college application deadlines are immovable, inflexible, and have financial consequences. In addition, applying for college is not at all like applying for a job at McDonalds! It takes a lot of time, and there is a lot of work involved.<br />
<br />
Applying for college will require long and thoughtful essays. Letters of recommendation will take time to acquire, even from willing and helpful writers. The application itself is quite complex and takes a while to complete. Each application must include your homeschool records: a transcript, possibly a reading list, and perhaps course descriptions as well. For best results with maximum financial aid, apply early and often. Apply for a handful of acceptable colleges, carefully watching deadlines and following the fine print. Applying for college doesn’t end with admission. It continues with additional correspondence regarding financial aid. It’s a prolonged task, but worth the effort. </span><br />
<h2><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dramatic Changes</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmVpXmXUJvlLGkO1DJ3eU1vn6E4IH8r7blEBFI6UyctA4_DmDmIblOYdyXO3x6cmcXF9ql-XkpxVN5wjY8dmsBhShJfwkUrU7oNbJAlO1Yj8OgWtZOsj-tpTUxk4DV65clPSKMset1ps/s1600/college-visit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmVpXmXUJvlLGkO1DJ3eU1vn6E4IH8r7blEBFI6UyctA4_DmDmIblOYdyXO3x6cmcXF9ql-XkpxVN5wjY8dmsBhShJfwkUrU7oNbJAlO1Yj8OgWtZOsj-tpTUxk4DV65clPSKMset1ps/s1600/college-visit.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Each year of high school your child will mature by leaps and bounds. As a newborn is dramatically different from a four year old, it is also true that a freshman will barely resemble a high school senior. Children grow up so fast, and mature very quickly over the four years of high school. Be prepared for anything, so your children can attend a college that will meet their family and career goals. Focus on the one goal for each year of high school. Don’t get lost in the details, and don’t worry about the future, just focus on the task at hand. <br />
<br />
Freshmen think about college, sophomores plan for college, juniors find a college and seniors apply to college. Have a great year THIS year. Next year you can work on the next goal, but for now just focus on the one step before you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Copyright © 2010 The HomeScholar (</span><a href="http://www.thehomescholar.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">www.TheHomeScholar.com</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">). Text may be reprinted without permission if used in full, including the bio box (below) and this copyright, except for use in a book or other publication for rent or sale.<br />
<br />
Lee Binz, The HomeScholar helps parents </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">homeschool for high school</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and is a leading </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/parent-training.php"><span style="font-size: x-small;">internet home school</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> resource helping parents </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/gold-care.php"><span style="font-size: x-small;">homeschool to college</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">. You can find Lee online at </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.TheHomeScholar.com</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ8QpXKuQhSxE_WMrlERh8pm-sual-UTb-4cdDjhDW6Y20cEykNRdaDv_awpbFVccmA4TDxxQ9GyM7vhcWIcCEiD3elREq_SOWu1bTw907p5eqNUxshX6yRIAIlYWufjLoeMFdKESoMA/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHJ8QpXKuQhSxE_WMrlERh8pm-sual-UTb-4cdDjhDW6Y20cEykNRdaDv_awpbFVccmA4TDxxQ9GyM7vhcWIcCEiD3elREq_SOWu1bTw907p5eqNUxshX6yRIAIlYWufjLoeMFdKESoMA/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">P.S.<em> Be sure to check back next week to read my detailed review of Lee's DVD - "Preparing to Homeschool Highschool".</em> </div><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-90026863543523786542010-11-16T16:20:00.000-05:002010-11-16T16:20:06.311-05:00Guest Post - Welcome Malia Russell!Today's guest is Malia Russell, mother of 5, homeschooler for a decade, and director of Homemaking 911. <br />
<br />
I had the pleasure of attending Malia's *Marriage 911* Workshop a while back, and was encouraged by her gentle, truthful sharing in this area, thus I am delighted to have her share this blessing with you as well!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium;">~ Marriage 911 – A Workshop for Women ~</span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: medium;">12 Principles to Redeem Your Marriage</span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For years our marriage limped along- some good times, some bad times and some downright terrible times. About ten years ago I suddenly became aware that what I thought about marriage was unbiblical and flat out damaging. Through reading the Bible, mentoring and prayer, I realized I had responsibilities as a godly wife. By doing these things,whether or not I really felt like it, and whether or not my husband was doing anything different, I would lead a life pleasing to the Lord. As an amazing bonus, the power of the Holy Spirit has completely transformed our marriage into one of mutual respect, love, passion, and a genuine friendship. I recently shared the following workshop at a local conference and am pleased to offer it absolutely free to Tina's readers. There is no catch, no newsletter sign-up required, and no cost to you. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You can download this workshop from our store at the following link:</span></strong><a href="http://store.homemaking911.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=44" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://store.homemaking911.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=44</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>When you check out, use the coupon code:</strong> SOL911</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><em>*Offer is good one month from today!* </em></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is my prayer that this workshop will be a blessing to you and your family.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy Homemaking!<br />
Malia Russell</span></div><a href="http://www.homemaking911.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.homemaking911.com</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit Malia at her website - <a href="http://www.homemaking911.com/">Homemaking 911</a> for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator. Be sure to check out some of her other great resources while you are there!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnlS8zEI0P6OVIFWqIuqmjzlkB7DkbqYB9b6G0ElF0MtO7WFCighs-17FYSdfkzAoUcPXh0k3OFP9OxmNsW_BXPT3DG3c7y3eeWrECvtSWfFOwsaieTivngxNu5ydssPDr4drvzl-1ak/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnlS8zEI0P6OVIFWqIuqmjzlkB7DkbqYB9b6G0ElF0MtO7WFCighs-17FYSdfkzAoUcPXh0k3OFP9OxmNsW_BXPT3DG3c7y3eeWrECvtSWfFOwsaieTivngxNu5ydssPDr4drvzl-1ak/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-18334971450861278932010-11-15T09:37:00.000-05:002010-11-15T09:37:37.844-05:00Guest Post - Welcome Susan Lemons!My first guest this week is Susan Lemons, author of <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/homepreschool-beyond-comprehensive-guide-early-education/susan-lemons/9781886930292/pd/930292?item_code=WW&netp_id=762803&event=ESRCN&view=details">Homepreschool and Beyond</a>. Susan, a homeschool mother of four, brings to you a wealth of information on homeschooling in the early years with a focus on relationship, routine, readiness, and reading aloud. Today she delivers a practical dose of wisdom on maintaining balance as Moms. . .<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;">Goals for the Balanced Mom ~</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is a list of goals I am going to post on my fridge this year. I hope they will help me become a more balanced mom. Maybe they'll help you, too. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Relationships come first. I'm going to work on building stronger relationships between my children and the Lord; myself and the Lord; my children and myself, as well as between siblings. (Make the main thing the main thing.) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Character: I'm going to help my children develop Godly character and habits through example, training, reading, and discussion. Specific goals: I want to emphasize loving others, being considerate of others (the Golden Rule), working cheerfully, and consistent obedience. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Routine: Settling in to a simple daily routine of what comes next will help me accomplish my daily goals and keep me sane. I'm going to work at being more consistent and sticking to all my routines this year, including my homemaking routines. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Readiness: I am going to observe my children carefully, watching for signs of readiness and emerging skills/abilities. I want to encourage without pushing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Reading aloud: This year I want to double the amount of time we spend reading aloud. We are going to read chapter books after lunch, and before bed. Books on my reading list: Charlotte's Web, Mouse and the Motorcycle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, A House Inside Out, Mr. Popper's Penguins, My Father's Dragon, Misty of Chincoteague, Encyclopedia Brown, various animal books written by Thorton Burgess, Kildee House, and more. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. The fun stuff: This year I want to make sure to allow enough time for play, art, music, science play/experiments, and the other "fun stuff". My goals are to provide art for my children at least two days a week, learning games three days a week, and music five days a week. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Play: I'm going to make sure my children get plenty of outside play---everyday, if possible. I'll encourage their play by playing with them and by providing play props (cardboard boxes to make a city, sidewalk chalk, bouncy balls, jump ropes, etc.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Nature: I’m going to spend more time outside doing nature study with my kids. We'll start in our own backyard with the book, One Small Square: Backyard, and then move out from there. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Academic goals: Our general academic goals include continuing to grow a simple a base of knowledge about the world; reviewing past concepts learned; developing a large vocabulary; lengthening their attention spans, and mastering the three R’s.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Friday School: Friday school is going to be special and different from the other days of the week at our house. Fridays are set aside for life skills (housework), field trips, park days, nature walks, messy art projects, socializing (having friends over to play or do school projects together), and so on. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">11. Eternal perspective: I aim to keep an eternal perspective, remembering that there is NOTHING more important I could be doing with my time right now than staying at home and teaching my children. I will remind myself that what I am doing has eternal implications.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If the Lord tarries, our "daily grind" may have implications for hundreds of years to come. Even if the Lord comes back soon (which I fully expect), our lives will have influenced other eternal souls (our children.) May He find our lives pleasing to Him. May He see that our children know Him. I hope to be able to stand before the Lord someday, unashamed of what I have taught my children--through word and through deed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved. Used with permission. You can read and learn more by visiting Susan at her blog </span><a href="http://susanlemons.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Homepreschool and Beyond</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhN31Vfb-cSFVBp17tJaBPomzqThBnmz90kcKSWq_ri4GmAIB0QusL244ZaQKRph8h-kO8Ny5mTbLZ9cO8ZFlFbOcdw1WYnfFopfWztot8gwTdCB-dRig7NkcszIWUzACE8nYpn4wIl4/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHhN31Vfb-cSFVBp17tJaBPomzqThBnmz90kcKSWq_ri4GmAIB0QusL244ZaQKRph8h-kO8Ny5mTbLZ9cO8ZFlFbOcdw1WYnfFopfWztot8gwTdCB-dRig7NkcszIWUzACE8nYpn4wIl4/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-84767703839851727472010-11-14T17:07:00.000-05:002010-11-14T17:08:27.060-05:00Guest Week at Seasons of Learning!<span style="color: #990000;">This week I am excited to be hosting a special "Guest Week" here at Seasons of Learning! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;">I have invited a select few of my favorite authors and/or speakers to share a guest post here for my readers in hopes of blessing you by way of encouraging and helpful, relevant information for the homeschooling family!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;">We'll have topics covering preschool to highschool and everything in between. So be sure to check back each day to see who'll be sharing their passion and expertise with us! </span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kalQH-9RNlCpGKLKTxHl6jc6DUQhHjIKVGhBflx1tvUFU49G8mpaIiOWToyn8a3D6mrVCKSBHEqxD0Gb5QiB-qQL0UsOEhnZrSWxrfyx6CjgVVFy3rh-YBgFIzbm7u1rUeo6dmoL-Lk/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kalQH-9RNlCpGKLKTxHl6jc6DUQhHjIKVGhBflx1tvUFU49G8mpaIiOWToyn8a3D6mrVCKSBHEqxD0Gb5QiB-qQL0UsOEhnZrSWxrfyx6CjgVVFy3rh-YBgFIzbm7u1rUeo6dmoL-Lk/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-38968543771451243392010-11-12T13:24:00.002-05:002010-11-13T12:56:13.558-05:00Wedding Day!Yep, "wedding day" for one of my own precious children! My oldest "baby" was married in October!<em> (and of course, I would have undoubtedly had pictures up <strong>much sooner</strong> but blogger and my dial-up have become incompatible, argh!) </em><br />
<br />
But back to the joyful event. . .It's hard to believe she is all grown up and has a family of her own now. Seems like just yesterday, I held her in my arms for the first time. Sniff, sniff. . .<br />
<br />
Aside from a slight bit of rain that prevented us from getting any outdoor photos on the beautiful landscape of the church, it was a blessed, perfect day. Dd strived for well-done wedding on a reasonable budget and planned every detail down to table settings, candles, and every decoration elsewhere. She chose wonderfully for catering, cake, dj, photographer, etc. It was a huge undertaking and she managed it flawlessly. <br />
<br />
Well, I could continue to babble on, but as they say "a picture is worth a thousand words", so I thought I just share a couple. . .or perhaps, a select few <strong><em>more </em></strong>than a couple! <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVRaZHgmlBbtB43diIuhkHMBOsIM8HUBNNqRXKsVTM50kdceM9vVKv-10vuhLAL64T2fA4iHi2TjbSMj9BFTDAicPoIXig6SYxZETmLy7WwZBGW6L8wHQU1aszZlcKokZMWoUs-S_OfU/s1600/wedding+10+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJVRaZHgmlBbtB43diIuhkHMBOsIM8HUBNNqRXKsVTM50kdceM9vVKv-10vuhLAL64T2fA4iHi2TjbSMj9BFTDAicPoIXig6SYxZETmLy7WwZBGW6L8wHQU1aszZlcKokZMWoUs-S_OfU/s400/wedding+10+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful bride!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gTUldrlI0t01JSKQ386kXUsziZT2mfh3IJ0Ax2vUYhM-liz3SbAnjgtSFOCDX-Gl6mgtum3YT1C5EWuJmyLvXvjNQDAW3FdYQCafEFN_vB4EH9m0E64HZ9NZ4b_-6Zy0sK8Vwq9YOK0/s1600/wedding+11+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gTUldrlI0t01JSKQ386kXUsziZT2mfh3IJ0Ax2vUYhM-liz3SbAnjgtSFOCDX-Gl6mgtum3YT1C5EWuJmyLvXvjNQDAW3FdYQCafEFN_vB4EH9m0E64HZ9NZ4b_-6Zy0sK8Vwq9YOK0/s400/wedding+11+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all my girls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdBbwIfwB83Ke3QgAzzTknPxZDhsHsML45SDB5o08Mzpm-TZPOPT_gd9W50_uPMItU9oOAzclMTJP3mpGeK_sb4bUbFWqh8B6AHfK3NM-NnekQY33cEfRPFS_g9PbjmTy2Fc4uByyfgQ/s1600/wedding+12+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdBbwIfwB83Ke3QgAzzTknPxZDhsHsML45SDB5o08Mzpm-TZPOPT_gd9W50_uPMItU9oOAzclMTJP3mpGeK_sb4bUbFWqh8B6AHfK3NM-NnekQY33cEfRPFS_g9PbjmTy2Fc4uByyfgQ/s400/wedding+12+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the gals at her side</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIH1qnmuxqOPlgtw4GdG1VL9XD_O85uciC9tdFe9b08lSOys3jCRjauqFZjhgQbq15Ar59nyktJ-NWaacvOPdLGAScrC0qsqyOi3XcNZUrRG96ZJUb_JAk9juY9Eid1IF0rA7_QV6Vic/s1600/wedding+13+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIH1qnmuxqOPlgtw4GdG1VL9XD_O85uciC9tdFe9b08lSOys3jCRjauqFZjhgQbq15Ar59nyktJ-NWaacvOPdLGAScrC0qsqyOi3XcNZUrRG96ZJUb_JAk9juY9Eid1IF0rA7_QV6Vic/s400/wedding+13+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me and my beautiful girls<br />
(wow! they are all growing up so fast!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzR79zfAT3kB5cdHE7PanUdMBmUuSdslA5yzCFWHHr8Xi1CiXUGposkwMEin7vSXI1TQYgGF4MFpdbYAWO1aum9TCXDFmKiX3R4O5jKftYAgM8J0m3f9JggVFvUmupDtQXZz-HmX5lgE/s1600/wedding+14+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzR79zfAT3kB5cdHE7PanUdMBmUuSdslA5yzCFWHHr8Xi1CiXUGposkwMEin7vSXI1TQYgGF4MFpdbYAWO1aum9TCXDFmKiX3R4O5jKftYAgM8J0m3f9JggVFvUmupDtQXZz-HmX5lgE/s400/wedding+14+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">little man all decked out</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Frd0KZmwJ1SQikh5u7CxhYu-6aw9sQr5BPcAQ4bSSDJxaBm-Iy6oIxv0VyghHZHO_xMyWmG5Voz8D_RtQ5Kf_8_PxqR0-gOWkMjYdtRVEaGuqDcd72emBZaPPhhKKNwlWYuhWmnrYg0/s1600/wedding+15+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Frd0KZmwJ1SQikh5u7CxhYu-6aw9sQr5BPcAQ4bSSDJxaBm-Iy6oIxv0VyghHZHO_xMyWmG5Voz8D_RtQ5Kf_8_PxqR0-gOWkMjYdtRVEaGuqDcd72emBZaPPhhKKNwlWYuhWmnrYg0/s400/wedding+15+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh, please don't rain!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jTrpD_xB9jlmn_EUvWblebbrNXB0l-aOEkXpNkHMNqoyxaZGwxY7Agk6dAn5VrSpq5LMUziJTOFWoEo8Wo2NsuWV3yv_qws_LfiIWmIqsyANlYcW8hMP26vQseYEiqrlfyHY3HObNpI/s1600/wedding+16+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-jTrpD_xB9jlmn_EUvWblebbrNXB0l-aOEkXpNkHMNqoyxaZGwxY7Agk6dAn5VrSpq5LMUziJTOFWoEo8Wo2NsuWV3yv_qws_LfiIWmIqsyANlYcW8hMP26vQseYEiqrlfyHY3HObNpI/s400/wedding+16+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know, it wasn't me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQcb34LMD6wPskIy4c0v-rILVF-CQ_Gy29kv1SAix3vLjIpPYqRV4d3_pfOUoTzNdrNvVD1w1VOTTzKUp-z3CTnL23oYzU-eFTf2RdUVEe-eBTPigUZpOt2VgcztxmDk5QP1VZ2QGlwU/s1600/wedding+17+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQcb34LMD6wPskIy4c0v-rILVF-CQ_Gy29kv1SAix3vLjIpPYqRV4d3_pfOUoTzNdrNvVD1w1VOTTzKUp-z3CTnL23oYzU-eFTf2RdUVEe-eBTPigUZpOt2VgcztxmDk5QP1VZ2QGlwU/s400/wedding+17+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">junior maid of honor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNkAlRpbq1di1YUcSqD8b7Eio0FsL7dTDZp95Z2zhL25UoCT6U3Y18FeSKG7nhiJJDjpy0PgIzRghDVwJFWkMrb1Llqb85XUObmigxxtSlwcmhK4jTCGNq1TMGdzV84bX9pirbn2ALF0/s1600/wedding+18+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNkAlRpbq1di1YUcSqD8b7Eio0FsL7dTDZp95Z2zhL25UoCT6U3Y18FeSKG7nhiJJDjpy0PgIzRghDVwJFWkMrb1Llqb85XUObmigxxtSlwcmhK4jTCGNq1TMGdzV84bX9pirbn2ALF0/s400/wedding+18+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">flower girl and ring bearer (my grandson)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7njX3M4rBcwGgf7il9M4HY4PQV4dF7fsk-_xWFwVVFENxDfemNbqisuVbfOUMdarwFGGQutcJxQ3KvPx3NZ_T8uO_AKjKG7uNFgZqeKMDU6iQNCDmhPc_vnyLv1GQXwgvZu2PP-naMM/s1600/wedding+19+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7njX3M4rBcwGgf7il9M4HY4PQV4dF7fsk-_xWFwVVFENxDfemNbqisuVbfOUMdarwFGGQutcJxQ3KvPx3NZ_T8uO_AKjKG7uNFgZqeKMDU6iQNCDmhPc_vnyLv1GQXwgvZu2PP-naMM/s400/wedding+19+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ring bearer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kY2qcrRM6CCqm60JS5S2kQ7SLMey6UThLnZab2moPUPefB-oY70Pk4zw9UVQrp7RYp7aHIlj8i7F5vigVPTHazujFzsX5JoyRnrAoQhLdqNKHJSi-IH1A-ChW_EgjLR24prGgIfklB8/s1600/wedding+20+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kY2qcrRM6CCqm60JS5S2kQ7SLMey6UThLnZab2moPUPefB-oY70Pk4zw9UVQrp7RYp7aHIlj8i7F5vigVPTHazujFzsX5JoyRnrAoQhLdqNKHJSi-IH1A-ChW_EgjLR24prGgIfklB8/s400/wedding+20+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the walk down the aisle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnap_PVCOZ7uoblQ3tEZtnFRzf4c-AtmwO47gJoo5AaaCypS1eMJFesA2daqWwkPXqi2g957S9ITvb5-It8JfCq-dll3P8tKg9l35L4g7r81xbegXvxALbuKd6cdqVsvJeMwXv18uWN4/s1600/wedding+21+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnap_PVCOZ7uoblQ3tEZtnFRzf4c-AtmwO47gJoo5AaaCypS1eMJFesA2daqWwkPXqi2g957S9ITvb5-It8JfCq-dll3P8tKg9l35L4g7r81xbegXvxALbuKd6cdqVsvJeMwXv18uWN4/s400/wedding+21+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">still walking. . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnMSnNpUseUHRJrdcD9C2UHhJkc3VEbiJj-kn7pxkKO3RrXOAxY4pxFjbowKTPRJ3fFj3JoSpC73j1q3X5L-0Lfa5e5rxJ-f22VtAUxSb46iL4qMUEGbjVKuQSh3yaRh377PlRO62Ydo/s1600/wedding+24+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnMSnNpUseUHRJrdcD9C2UHhJkc3VEbiJj-kn7pxkKO3RrXOAxY4pxFjbowKTPRJ3fFj3JoSpC73j1q3X5L-0Lfa5e5rxJ-f22VtAUxSb46iL4qMUEGbjVKuQSh3yaRh377PlRO62Ydo/s400/wedding+24+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pastor and couple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfIjb6aahZ-WB-WJ1Btm17NekF0F6jSEliXgIYfBa05r5Zrcc-owX3dlxJZ1GwsP8Tz_5Wowf4r_wPJwobAo-b6krGnaQvJwThPkvddIobbIMBzIJLIOmgW5X7ouPxCBoIzYvsUSscw0/s1600/wedding+22+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfIjb6aahZ-WB-WJ1Btm17NekF0F6jSEliXgIYfBa05r5Zrcc-owX3dlxJZ1GwsP8Tz_5Wowf4r_wPJwobAo-b6krGnaQvJwThPkvddIobbIMBzIJLIOmgW5X7ouPxCBoIzYvsUSscw0/s400/wedding+22+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">maid of honor (my dd's best friend since they were tots)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">and flower girl</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GA8qSSi8YmNcoPn1dlhGrdcXPboPhuDX4UqGfbN6IX2eVq52dDKCoW8phTbTULHp1-OSMvcihfhthT0LNlTTAtGb2U_JcrxTbPDWF3ZqoWlNU4TSUtvK1JClWjLSqhU3dYi7aEIvolI/s1600/wedding+23+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GA8qSSi8YmNcoPn1dlhGrdcXPboPhuDX4UqGfbN6IX2eVq52dDKCoW8phTbTULHp1-OSMvcihfhthT0LNlTTAtGb2U_JcrxTbPDWF3ZqoWlNU4TSUtvK1JClWjLSqhU3dYi7aEIvolI/s400/wedding+23+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all the girls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftpiVpPLsJAtA29JyQrUuabacklkp4_8hht6PP1a2cqi7kFuAjwQ-0xu7RJAvprDbGCT_-n3Itsl22F3M9k419rky892QIUsCBCKQpSl_vdkUgYsJ4cUWEtOK3wmCWF26NzgH1iZFQow/s1600/wedding+29+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftpiVpPLsJAtA29JyQrUuabacklkp4_8hht6PP1a2cqi7kFuAjwQ-0xu7RJAvprDbGCT_-n3Itsl22F3M9k419rky892QIUsCBCKQpSl_vdkUgYsJ4cUWEtOK3wmCWF26NzgH1iZFQow/s400/wedding+29+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I now pronounce you husband and wife! </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLLJsY64QwL2mf2qaVNxVOrzlhxLQvQqCT_qGd82r786A-ovefzQzcKKSviZUHL-1fSnP-zGfn1tAvicUNd8_VfiindiGB13iuocAdSyKrCn6ZqGGNz_PmWk3QkIkUZoyfuAhbmxo1H4/s1600/wedding+31+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLLJsY64QwL2mf2qaVNxVOrzlhxLQvQqCT_qGd82r786A-ovefzQzcKKSviZUHL-1fSnP-zGfn1tAvicUNd8_VfiindiGB13iuocAdSyKrCn6ZqGGNz_PmWk3QkIkUZoyfuAhbmxo1H4/s400/wedding+31+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goofing off for the camera :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigfktVmPkW6wWA-QagpOzw5xD32CCDJbrAVSXXy4s7Flve9R1risDGly8a5IeNhXZzOzFIYG39mP1hgMunST9FEGTl8EPcJDfLZNtDPGgS_gLtkBv9XIKkRmyicFU37UlFI_CjS3824/s1600/wedding+32+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWigfktVmPkW6wWA-QagpOzw5xD32CCDJbrAVSXXy4s7Flve9R1risDGly8a5IeNhXZzOzFIYG39mP1hgMunST9FEGTl8EPcJDfLZNtDPGgS_gLtkBv9XIKkRmyicFU37UlFI_CjS3824/s400/wedding+32+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bride and groomsmen</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZ7kciO0-ivViLZDFgBankp5v5c9JccUBKuV4yzfnspOvI1m-5wBhNWs0DEOOVD0oU1NHj8tw5bqOrvvXMBqAEDIwxeDt4t6QxlmI5z-WY0BjdzCoFkj4_N2Il3D6XaApIPncrkRcftk/s1600/wedding+34+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZ7kciO0-ivViLZDFgBankp5v5c9JccUBKuV4yzfnspOvI1m-5wBhNWs0DEOOVD0oU1NHj8tw5bqOrvvXMBqAEDIwxeDt4t6QxlmI5z-WY0BjdzCoFkj4_N2Il3D6XaApIPncrkRcftk/s400/wedding+34+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the happy couple and maternal grandmother</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYzFJ0rbRQ_be5PzOMqZ0eVkblCTDCA-T21CLBwosTvnGFec9sqBSVo2-KSsyfE8-HRmqn2DqaPqUDIgeMnMv_izOvpXn-c4mQVUkGbYqlSYR0aoQGtx0ZssdmsaaW-Oaensfz8_vLkA/s1600/wedding+35+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYzFJ0rbRQ_be5PzOMqZ0eVkblCTDCA-T21CLBwosTvnGFec9sqBSVo2-KSsyfE8-HRmqn2DqaPqUDIgeMnMv_izOvpXn-c4mQVUkGbYqlSYR0aoQGtx0ZssdmsaaW-Oaensfz8_vLkA/s400/wedding+35+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ring bear (he was hard to capture for pic's that day!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbh4DCAaTgbUyK_OH6w5feTNADkh6lpnzerRdJyTAEPfsfjVvGq86PYmTXkMg5C-pAbOGs0S1PTuHAbUwJeHI1h11Mp56JDzfpaRtGpe6PJJYN951Sk1GZIQ9LzjwuJw5HMKTITSU0hk/s1600/wedding+37+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbh4DCAaTgbUyK_OH6w5feTNADkh6lpnzerRdJyTAEPfsfjVvGq86PYmTXkMg5C-pAbOGs0S1PTuHAbUwJeHI1h11Mp56JDzfpaRtGpe6PJJYN951Sk1GZIQ9LzjwuJw5HMKTITSU0hk/s400/wedding+37+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">bride and maid of honor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7Kbl1hKHAMbKhiXyEuQhPbjUB_aYgHXY7Se2QFkn2E8S3UadDV9P7BcYMCaF4rddeoJGx2ZsKam-e3eZzKPyVemnoNRNEAM-Tc-UAgQ_Ro31ZzLPVi5yI4Mu32mLADcJ4qxDOIpZhpE/s1600/wedding+38+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN7Kbl1hKHAMbKhiXyEuQhPbjUB_aYgHXY7Se2QFkn2E8S3UadDV9P7BcYMCaF4rddeoJGx2ZsKam-e3eZzKPyVemnoNRNEAM-Tc-UAgQ_Ro31ZzLPVi5yI4Mu32mLADcJ4qxDOIpZhpE/s400/wedding+38+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">bride and junior bridesmaid</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBdNIeg4Sp4Q7lTXWtn4B2DWKwtu0Jvj75QRJdPU0aMvy5qBlv6D7d5l2hgFVN7CqyilOc8jPsxMD6u4RaOzjcnzO95eZGSGTMWneoLaqV-L7OvaJT-QrVh5zea8haqJCQ9HJ0S8SvU0/s1600/wedding+39+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBdNIeg4Sp4Q7lTXWtn4B2DWKwtu0Jvj75QRJdPU0aMvy5qBlv6D7d5l2hgFVN7CqyilOc8jPsxMD6u4RaOzjcnzO95eZGSGTMWneoLaqV-L7OvaJT-QrVh5zea8haqJCQ9HJ0S8SvU0/s400/wedding+39+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bride and flower girl</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtwY5u5okLK1hIczLhf8w23l3GYnwn301QoJSDl7I2VyAsfDgMlz50nFnniBIcOzflJzSSmq5j9Th_yLTY3bDdxs9rrTsQSLKc2XnkCQOJauXxb5VWrut65GjYveSJPmtLWU69XvXFJw/s1600/wedding+40+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtwY5u5okLK1hIczLhf8w23l3GYnwn301QoJSDl7I2VyAsfDgMlz50nFnniBIcOzflJzSSmq5j9Th_yLTY3bDdxs9rrTsQSLKc2XnkCQOJauXxb5VWrut65GjYveSJPmtLWU69XvXFJw/s400/wedding+40+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">the crew (and our very own "wedding singer"!) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtuBYdrLcPTlqFRpk9UfJLwyiRYoFN93G5zzjf_u_7PMV7fPSgW0ZVrxZh-3o1DOqOzSoOQdkdGoK8__zAGDqwjt-01j6IaqLLn9aa-ezVSA4EKbgoyDBqS8QZ7R-gFpgCrIQUyA0chg/s1600/wedding+44+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtuBYdrLcPTlqFRpk9UfJLwyiRYoFN93G5zzjf_u_7PMV7fPSgW0ZVrxZh-3o1DOqOzSoOQdkdGoK8__zAGDqwjt-01j6IaqLLn9aa-ezVSA4EKbgoyDBqS8QZ7R-gFpgCrIQUyA0chg/s400/wedding+44+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hubby, me and the happy couple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtId_lUJi024kTqW5nc49HpmeY-SAO5d03xkutuc0iTGvtrcRsTgaxOCamharXJ835whr7MplisIJoQ-YKIGGlqwTceX9Zhay_aTSqquCZN2pVizikXrVDEOQeeFfGb0jowClgfimcks/s1600/wedding+45+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOtId_lUJi024kTqW5nc49HpmeY-SAO5d03xkutuc0iTGvtrcRsTgaxOCamharXJ835whr7MplisIJoQ-YKIGGlqwTceX9Zhay_aTSqquCZN2pVizikXrVDEOQeeFfGb0jowClgfimcks/s400/wedding+45+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">hubby, me and the beautiful bride</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv5XOmw5nos2MX6ymB2Lafu-cYvA9hC73-OfBTRvdR1O2SWpSUTSqZv9gEX_kgGCbH5hRh45i8zOgP-BIOc1PoRsQ1oHMO9S7caKZngtfURFJgANv9ihHnfABAE2kpkxNibbPReVILzQ/s1600/wedding+50+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv5XOmw5nos2MX6ymB2Lafu-cYvA9hC73-OfBTRvdR1O2SWpSUTSqZv9gEX_kgGCbH5hRh45i8zOgP-BIOc1PoRsQ1oHMO9S7caKZngtfURFJgANv9ihHnfABAE2kpkxNibbPReVILzQ/s400/wedding+50+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the family</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKVxFB3EV0FxMDD9VYP_YFqLqKp9XqPcKBTYfJmQVsLkYHy0kVgfuMvkvlb1GOfKyQvKwBm00BXimDXRj5x3KG5v1GJVFp5pBjoWB8CiOewm2nKOKMig2wPPa_YO32-JPc59RcNCdMfI/s1600/wedding+52+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKVxFB3EV0FxMDD9VYP_YFqLqKp9XqPcKBTYfJmQVsLkYHy0kVgfuMvkvlb1GOfKyQvKwBm00BXimDXRj5x3KG5v1GJVFp5pBjoWB8CiOewm2nKOKMig2wPPa_YO32-JPc59RcNCdMfI/s400/wedding+52+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mamma and the girls</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFynkH9rVuajYM33FNMYz15AMaOp41rl-T1U98654Ja2VBLpi2BXdVWKj-SuXwuRqwaT7lZF9FQC7OSdx-acW_k8EfjphqFkm9c56nDzutdJIq5XNmVKxMz4xsCGlsqyRHTu0-Guf8jD8/s1600/wedding+53%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFynkH9rVuajYM33FNMYz15AMaOp41rl-T1U98654Ja2VBLpi2BXdVWKj-SuXwuRqwaT7lZF9FQC7OSdx-acW_k8EfjphqFkm9c56nDzutdJIq5XNmVKxMz4xsCGlsqyRHTu0-Guf8jD8/s400/wedding+53%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">my precious girls!</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl_c3762bgyi1_Yngi_2Xps0mdseAsgdFHKR4E5TVW0DrBZmiYoAPAJp_y__EuEpuVdIBc8NbdokEtNNcgN6XBB7HOb902Zn4f4FkHnJstKi38Ijx2M4xgqz7P8Od2e8dEMe-ANE_Eq0/s1600/wedding+54+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl_c3762bgyi1_Yngi_2Xps0mdseAsgdFHKR4E5TVW0DrBZmiYoAPAJp_y__EuEpuVdIBc8NbdokEtNNcgN6XBB7HOb902Zn4f4FkHnJstKi38Ijx2M4xgqz7P8Od2e8dEMe-ANE_Eq0/s400/wedding+54+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Mamma and my girls again :) </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcg_pXQwoL8bisBkbQ3qF5tL9l184vpDD4E05z2SVvywv9Dpy35k2uf8WpIwdx6vRk-H5ffphIXEjKz8wJQuG3xcmJA0neB-ZivT_Po1o8gAJlevVi1t-zN4_-f1-vP1pW07K6qBXfwo/s1600/wedding+43+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcg_pXQwoL8bisBkbQ3qF5tL9l184vpDD4E05z2SVvywv9Dpy35k2uf8WpIwdx6vRk-H5ffphIXEjKz8wJQuG3xcmJA0neB-ZivT_Po1o8gAJlevVi1t-zN4_-f1-vP1pW07K6qBXfwo/s400/wedding+43+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">be nice :) </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc4Bpdd3tVgs_sZg1PwqhFV7qUcJWMeQ9Hl-xjytmReF9RiQ9gBWxXWwnq3pYIgiZcUXYRnXkFsFNWTU7QMsXiOVeh34NlGp6siJ_j60Djk8CsfntNGlBEb_iItD-A_MiCoxWXF5_Dp4/s1600/wedding+42+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc4Bpdd3tVgs_sZg1PwqhFV7qUcJWMeQ9Hl-xjytmReF9RiQ9gBWxXWwnq3pYIgiZcUXYRnXkFsFNWTU7QMsXiOVeh34NlGp6siJ_j60Djk8CsfntNGlBEb_iItD-A_MiCoxWXF5_Dp4/s400/wedding+42+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">the cake </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>And just a few of the handmade adornments. . . <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWTMg0zIjPWBelfDidj1ZIPIUv5w95Ozzxu7V-cxP6n3qPauXHOZS4g0gEu0aAZ1k3-3cHixmjiKkKweq9-htkFEuSSmMQ3QCCqlu1JNJZ8QPr3ea3SU8iI3qj0uREuSHp8mva3_vAqc/s1600/wedding+48+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWTMg0zIjPWBelfDidj1ZIPIUv5w95Ozzxu7V-cxP6n3qPauXHOZS4g0gEu0aAZ1k3-3cHixmjiKkKweq9-htkFEuSSmMQ3QCCqlu1JNJZ8QPr3ea3SU8iI3qj0uREuSHp8mva3_vAqc/s400/wedding+48+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">vases for bridal party table</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFf7RC1REvmqRfNExSv0JOQS1LuqN1gL4PRdYsoER5j8i0qGKNTr-xgLlqL2qNLpfi1k-g0F8W0umGq-0ZXYE5l5MqLIwunUmOErHZjRK2Aca0Smxc40iOlxrPNSl-KRMGd1QuCyhXTs/s1600/wedding+3+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFf7RC1REvmqRfNExSv0JOQS1LuqN1gL4PRdYsoER5j8i0qGKNTr-xgLlqL2qNLpfi1k-g0F8W0umGq-0ZXYE5l5MqLIwunUmOErHZjRK2Aca0Smxc40iOlxrPNSl-KRMGd1QuCyhXTs/s400/wedding+3+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">flowers that adorned the aisle</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><span id="goog_1990268492"></span><span id="goog_1990268493"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZsarf-C6gv6CcBykynfSj2SrMyDZFxIvOe44kPSZMsxzDVdRVUscI7zVyMg84sCGzG9_GYrTvC2vY8UguOn5FP1aOJ2y70whW6lJNgoXFSWCVIs2osiod0RQaaTnERwy7BrGWUcLFCI/s1600/wedding+49+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZsarf-C6gv6CcBykynfSj2SrMyDZFxIvOe44kPSZMsxzDVdRVUscI7zVyMg84sCGzG9_GYrTvC2vY8UguOn5FP1aOJ2y70whW6lJNgoXFSWCVIs2osiod0RQaaTnERwy7BrGWUcLFCI/s400/wedding+49+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">flower girl basket, gift boxes, flowers for bridal party</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p3TFOIqm3zfXLNeTpn0LYNm9xSKILKgqQnCFZhY9MiHwhY-6KNmHD3qmkDHM-POck7grGzsBnUUWN4KLOz1ToxX2CLiOEz9_e7IxpN_4cxKvGFmSXHOPv1i3J_eWZgTwlT9mOQ0cx3Q/s1600/wedding+47+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5p3TFOIqm3zfXLNeTpn0LYNm9xSKILKgqQnCFZhY9MiHwhY-6KNmHD3qmkDHM-POck7grGzsBnUUWN4KLOz1ToxX2CLiOEz9_e7IxpN_4cxKvGFmSXHOPv1i3J_eWZgTwlT9mOQ0cx3Q/s320/wedding+47+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">corsage</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JPx8M82QB9ZZDLEtVOfB_v2bjz-MBprJPXyEffVwcl0nQlKsgEzz_S01tgc_CNTz2rSJ0Any2YOdRpPxIsJBgW9jbEn346YNKjXnmI_Is5CyiBSVIPLHbgp7bzMEGqK2GmoQkA4pew/s1600/wedding+46+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5JPx8M82QB9ZZDLEtVOfB_v2bjz-MBprJPXyEffVwcl0nQlKsgEzz_S01tgc_CNTz2rSJ0Any2YOdRpPxIsJBgW9jbEn346YNKjXnmI_Is5CyiBSVIPLHbgp7bzMEGqK2GmoQkA4pew/s400/wedding+46+%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">boutineer</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">May the Good Lord bless them with a lifetime of love and happiness and may they always remember to cherish one another! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARHdPY0FA9ftFHOF9UyttJ-_iMIU2zn0DWqdeFhItgGMi-MiHVzCBQ7Pn2TKhOq5N93V3QzFHpUcp5wj04Pqc2Aj_FnGL_KDvkTaW3dJ-O3YtPwEZd9BdgEza01IEL-EjC1s9eYolRdg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARHdPY0FA9ftFHOF9UyttJ-_iMIU2zn0DWqdeFhItgGMi-MiHVzCBQ7Pn2TKhOq5N93V3QzFHpUcp5wj04Pqc2Aj_FnGL_KDvkTaW3dJ-O3YtPwEZd9BdgEza01IEL-EjC1s9eYolRdg/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-18172261089947227932010-11-03T22:57:00.000-04:002010-11-03T22:57:10.730-04:00Vaccine Awareness Week Nov. 1 - 7<div>The ever growing list of recommended vaccines should raise a red flag of concern for every citizen, particularly when so many of them are directed at our children. No doubt it's a very profitable market and an area that each of us should strive to be educated in. Thus, I thought some of you might be interested in learning more during this designated vaccine awareness week. </div><div> </div><div>National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) site link. . . <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nvic.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #22229c;">http://www.nvic.org/</span></a><br />
<br />
A link on Hep B in infants to get you started. . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/03/hepatitis-b-vaccines-at-birth.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #22229c;">http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-at-birth.aspx</span></a><br />
<br />
And an informational PDF. . .49 doses of 14 vaccines before age 6?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nvic.org/Downloads/49-Doses-PosterB.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="color: #22229c;">http://www.nvic.org/Downloads/49-Doses-PosterB.aspx</span></a><br />
<br />
How to Legally Avoid Unwanted Immunizations of All Kinds pamphlet. . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/Immunization.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: #22229c;">http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/Immunization.pdf</span></a></div><div> </div><div>Ask 8 Questions. . . </div><div> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.nvic.org/Ask-Eight-Questions.aspx">http://www.nvic.org/Ask-Eight-Questions.aspx</a><br />
<br />
Please pass this information or a post link on to your friends and loved ones. </div><!-- / message --><!-- edit note --><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fRKMNshTGvFpdl3ADEYWsbW7qAxIANqruteq6wjGG91rSf4nD07UvWj8DHZIwgnSCjmirSoidm-gMUO7FWdXptrFi90w__Kg22JUTLM4HFFvPjp0-qZenbQpJsibcz0Sf_VkIAEBRhU/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fRKMNshTGvFpdl3ADEYWsbW7qAxIANqruteq6wjGG91rSf4nD07UvWj8DHZIwgnSCjmirSoidm-gMUO7FWdXptrFi90w__Kg22JUTLM4HFFvPjp0-qZenbQpJsibcz0Sf_VkIAEBRhU/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4747604084302788304.post-34659441436886958162010-11-01T17:17:00.000-04:002010-11-01T17:17:57.710-04:00Chapter by Chapter - Educating the Wholehearted Child Ch. 5<div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;">This one chapter could have easily made a small book on it's own accord! Covering just about every subject imaginable - it was chock full of ideas, suggestions, and encouragement for teaching your children and I'm convinced I couldn't do it justice by trying to sum it up with a simple post - so. . .instead, I thought I'd pull some of the key ideas and points that focus on the subject of reading and narration.<br />
<br />
This issue is dear to my heart as my own dd has endured an arduous battle in learning to read and learning in general. Though I feel we are definitely coming up the mountain now and can see the sun shining - the road has been steep and wrought with frustration and tears. As a parent, the anguish of watching your child struggle with something that comes so easy to most, is at times unbearable. The mother in you wants so much to fix it, to make it all better - you know - like the magic we have when kissing boo-boo's and hurts away. Life's just not fair sometimes - is it?<br />
<br />
Anywho, off my soapbox. If you're one of those people who skip around in books - this is the place to start!<br />
<br />
". . .if you find yourself struggling to mold your child to a book, try reversing priorities. It's the child you are teaching, not the book. bend the book, or find another, make the studies fit the child." Ruth Beechick, You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, 1993<br />
<br />
"In concentrating exclusively on teaching the child how to read, we have forgotten to teach him to <em>want to read</em>. . " Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook, 1985<br />
<br />
"The most important role you play as your children's reading teacher is not just teaching them to read - it is making each individual child feel successful as a reader." pg. 93<br />
<br />
Some of their ideas include offering lots of praise and encouragement, focus on what he/she is doing well, don't push - just keep reading aloud to them, practice a little each day, make a variety of books available, audio books, choose readers that will stimulate their appetite for real books and more.<br />
<br />
"But your efforts at giving your children the 'ability' to read will be in vain if you do not also give the 'desire' to read." pg. 100<br />
<br />
~ Notice the theme - child centered learning, instilling a love of reading. ~ <br />
<br />
"If you want your children to have a heart for reading, then they must see that you have a heart for reading. . . .The best way to create a desire to read in your children is by modeling a genuine interest in a wide range of reading materials. . ."pg. 100<br />
<br />
Pg 104 outlines numerous reasons to keep reading aloud to a reader: emphasis, insight, vocabulary, variety, discussion, appetite, comprehension and togetherness. (all defined in greater detail). </span></span></div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span> </div><div><span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: black;">What often happens is that as our children get older or begin reading on their own, too many of us tend to stop reading aloud to them and deprive them and ourselves of the continuing benefit and relationship that can grow from this special "together time". <br />
<br />
Narration is another subject they delve into that supports the reading process.<br />
<br />
"Narration develops language skills in the ability to express whole thoughts and sentences well before the ability to write is developed." pg. 105<br />
<br />
"As knowledge is not assimilated until it is reproduced, children should "tell back" after a single reading or hearing; or should write on some part of what they have heard." Charlotte Mason, A Philosophy of Education, 1925<br />
<br />
Pg 106 goes on to give several ideas for inducing a narration. (I can't tell you all the good points, you have to read it yourself!)<br />
<br />
This just scratches the surface of chapter 5. The scope of information is broad - ranging from academics, to the arts, to field trips, to library excursions and more - you'll find lots of tips and ideas that will guide you toward home-centered learning.</span></span></div><br />
<span style="color: navy; font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7eDDrLSa0iczPrAtVkUol9CvUQ6nvNPSBBfpeLODapQvh54cdsVooNY9qgXzo0ELbBaI4xD4jP5taG2nLZy0kZPGsBxowg5H-d153l_poom2r8KAClvsaFZbFzPiYrbss63GSJCEEOE/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7eDDrLSa0iczPrAtVkUol9CvUQ6nvNPSBBfpeLODapQvh54cdsVooNY9qgXzo0ELbBaI4xD4jP5taG2nLZy0kZPGsBxowg5H-d153l_poom2r8KAClvsaFZbFzPiYrbss63GSJCEEOE/s1600/blog+signature+2.png" /></a></span><br />
<div><br />
</div>*~ Tina ~*http://www.blogger.com/profile/00282475310186210558noreply@blogger.com0