Nourishing Heart & Home

My blog has moved!

2010-03-01T09:00:00.003-06:00

I just thought I'd post a quick note here just in case there are still some readers who have not switched over. I was hoping to switch things over on my end so that no one had to update their feeds or anything. But just to make sure...

I have moved my blog over to my website here: http://www.school4jesus.com/sheris-blog

My newly updated website is here: http://www.school4jesus.com

My brand new Book Shop is here: http://www.school4jesus.com/store/

I am excited about these changes. If you are receiving this message, then please update your feed to my new blog address. Thanks!!!

Recipe: Chewy Granola Bars

2010-02-05T07:06:00.000-06:00

I found this recipe in a cookbook I have and adapted it a little. It is different than my other granola bar recipe, but we liked it. Enjoy!

CHEWY GRANOLA BARS

4 ½ cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
½ cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, brown sugar, butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and raisins.

Lightly press into prepared pan. Bake at 325 for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then cut into bars.

1 Chicken = 3 Meals - How I do it!

2010-02-02T09:14:00.001-06:00

I thought I would share how I stretch one whole chicken into three meals. Now keep in mind that we are a family of 7, so I really tried hard to make it stretch as far as I could. I am going to show you how to cook the chicken in the crockpot, as well as make some delicious chicken stock overnight to go with other meals. Are you ready?

I should make a quick note here that the key to making meat stretch is serving large fresh green salads with your meals along with some rolls, biscuits, or cornbread. I usually keep tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, etc. cut up in separate containers in the refrigerator. This makes a quick salad bar to go with our meals. Having a large salad with our meal not only stretches the meat, but it is very good for us.

Ok...now on to our 3 meals with 1 chicken.....

To start with you will need one young chicken (3-5 lbs), thawed.

For your first meal, you will need to prepare the chicken the night before (directions below) and place it in the refrigerator overnight. You will then slow cook it in the crockpot the day of your first meal.

The night before: Wash the chicken and pat dry. Prepare the spice mixture below and rub all over the chicken, inside and out. Place the chicken in a pan and cover with plastic wrap. Put it in the refrigerator over night.

Roast Chicken Spice Mixture:
4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. thyme, ground
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper

Meal #1: Roast Chicken in Crockpot, mashed potatoes, corn, large green salad

In the morning: Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and put it in your large crockpot. You do not need to add any liquid, as the chicken produces its own juices as long as you don't remove the cover while cooking. Cover and cook on low 9 hours.

PREPARING CHICKEN STOCK: After your first meal, take all the chicken off the bones and divide into two containers (for your other two meals). You will hopefully have at least a couple cups of chicken left over from your first meal.

Now you will be getting your broth ready to cook overnight in the crockpot. Put all the chicken bones back in the crockpot with the drippings from the chicken. Fill the crockpot with water up to about an inch from the top. Add in some diced carrots, onions, and celery...garlic too if you like garlic. Now add in a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Stir it all up, put the lid on your crockpot, set it on "low" and let cook all night.

In the morning, put a strainer in a large bowl and pour the broth from the crockpot into the strainer to catch all the veggies and bones. The broth will be left in the bowl. Throw out all the veggies and bones, then allow the broth to cool a bit before putting in quart containers for the freezer. You will be using some chicken broth for the next two day's meals, so if you want to leave a couple quarts in the refrigerator you can.

Meal #2: Chicken and Rice Casserole, large green salad or fruit

CHICKEN & RICE CASSEROLE

2 cups brown rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
cubed, cooked meat (chicken, turkey, etc.)
fresh or frozen vegetables, chopped as needed (onion, carrots, peas, celery, etc.)
5 cups chicken broth (or 5 cups filtered water and 5 t. homemade chicken bouillon)
2-3 t. homemade chicken bouillon (use less bouillon if using chicken broth - more if just using water)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a glass 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the brown rice over the bottom. Sprinkle the basil and parsley over the top of rice. Next add your meat and vegetables over the rice and seasonings. You can use whatever meat you want, and as much or as little as you want. As far as vegetables, these can be frozen mixed vegetables, leftover vegetables, chopped onions and celery, whatever sounds good and whatever your family likes.

Next, heat the chicken broth (or water and bouillon). Add in any extra bouillon as desired. Once the broth is heated to almost boiling, pour over top of rice, meat and vegetables in your pan.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours or until rice is done and liquid is absorbed. Serve with a fruit or lettuce salad for a complete meal. Yummy!

Kitchen Tip for Leftovers: If you have any of rice casserole left over, freeze it! I then used the frozen leftovers for another meal. I thawed the rice casserole, put it in my soup pot, added enough chicken broth (or water and bouillon - using 1 t. bouillon per 1 c. water) to make a soup. I then added in some more peas, carrots, and corn, and let simmer until hot. This made a yummy chicken and rice soup. Serve with some homemade bread or rolls for another delicious meal!

Meal #3: Creamed Chicken and Biscuits, large green salad or fruit

CREAMED CHICKEN
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced OR 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or use 2 bouillon cubes & 1 1/2 cups water)
1 1/2 cups milk
2-3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (if I don't have this much chicken, I just use what I have!)
1-2 cups cooked vegetables (we like peas and corn)
1/2-1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Melt the butter in a 3-quart sized saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are tender and fragrant.
2. Stir in the flour, until it is absorbed by the fat and clinging to the vegetables.
3. Gradually add the chicken broth and milk. Cook and stir until the mixture boils. Boil for a full minute.
4. Stir in the chicken, vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir for a few more minutes to thoroughly heat the chicken and to blend the flavors.
5. Serve over rice or biscuits or toast or noodles.

BISCUITS

3 cups whole wheat flour (or unbleached white flour)
1 1/2 t. sea salt
4 1/2 t. baking powder
2 T. sugar (or sucanat)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 cup milk

In my Bosch mixer, I add the dry ingredients first, then the butter, then the milk. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour until the dough is a nice consistency.

I do not flour my counter, but simply roll out my biscuit dough on a dry counter with my rolling pin to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a round cutter or glass and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

This recipe makes about 12 large biscuits.

Book Review: Raising Real Men

2010-01-26T11:38:00.000-06:00

I have had the privilege of reviewing a copy of Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young. I am just over halfway through it and it is amazing! Having three boys of my own, I am learning so many things that are going to help me in parenting my boys. I have had lots of "uh ha" moments as I have read through the book. It is just excellent and has been endorsed by big names such as Chris Klicka, Ted Tripp, and more! I highly recommend this book!

If you order through their website, you will also receive some wonderful bonuses! Click here to order your copy today!

Prayer Request: For those that may not be aware, Hal Young was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. He is currently taking chemotherapy treatments. Also, the youngest child of the Young's, Katie-11 months old, was born with a rare heart condition. About 25% of children have this condition heal before they turn 1 year old. This morning Katie went in for a very dangerous test to see if she has been healed. Pray for this family who have given so much to us through their book....pray the Lord would sustain them during this trying time of Hal's cancer and Katie's heart condition.

Reminder: HUGE Homeschool Sale!

2010-01-26T07:28:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to send a quick reminder this morning about a wonderful opportunity you have to not only get a HUGE assortment of homeschool resources for a small price, but also help out a homeschool family in their time of need. (This sale ends midnight on Friday, January 29th!)

Some of you may be familiar with the wonderful homeschooling company, Hands and Hearts. The owners, Jeff and Kate Estes, create fabulous hands-on history kits you can use to supplement your history studies.
Not one of us is immune to life’s trials, but the Estes family has experienced more than their share. I cannot tell you how much I admire their deeply rooted faith. If you’ve had a chance to follow Kate’s blog, you know that in the midst of their darkest hours, their faith and peace has been a tremendous inspiration.
These past several years have produced a string of exceptional trials for this family:

Last spring, their Hands and Hearts business was stopped temporarily by unreasonable CPSIA regulations,creating tremendous hardship as the company’s profitability took a nosedive.
Their little 3-year-old Noah suffers with mitochondrial disease. Ultimately, this rare disease will claim his life. He is hospitalized frequently—and often suddenly—leaving Kate to drop everything to rush him to the hospital.
Jeff has been out of work for many months. He has been unable to land another job that gives him the flexibility to care for their other seven children while Kate is at the hospital with Noah many miles away. Their savings has been exhausted and they are close to losing their home.

When their fellow Christian publishers heard what was going on, we all jumped in to try to help. Check out this incredible way you can bless the Estes family and get nearly 10X your donation back in gifts from homeschool publishers you know and trust, including:

Can you help this dear family? If so, by making a small donation of only $39, you’ll receive over $350 worth of fantastic products.

Not only that, if you donate $39 or more, your name also goes into a drawing for several Super Prize Packages. There are two Grand Prizes valued at over $849 each, and three First Prizes, valued at over $100 each.

If you would like to receive a fantastic assortment of homeschool goodies while helping Jeff and Kate, please click here. Even if you’re not a homeschooler and you would just like to make a donation without taking the products, you’re welcome to do that as well. The sale continues through January 29, 2010.

Monday Thoughts

2010-01-11T09:46:00.000-06:00

Today my oldest son turns 11! I can't believe how the years fly by. I love each of my children dearly and cherish each and every day I get to spend with them. As this new year begins, I find myself reflecting on some specific topics....surrender....and allowing the Lord to change me before I expect it in my children. I know I shared this in a previous post, but I recently ran across a couple of blog posts that I wanted to share with you today...

This one speaks of surrender...excellent and very thought provoking.

This one is a poem written by a homeschool mom which really spoke to my heart.

Please take the time to read these...they are both excellent and I pray will challenge you as this new year begins. To lay down our lives...our flesh...and allow Him to change us and to do those things in and through us that we could never do on our own. May He receive all the glory!

Recipe: Apple Oven Pancake

2009-12-24T07:04:00.001-06:00

I have one more quick post this morning that I wanted to share...a recipe that would make a wonderful breakfast during the Christmas break. I made this yesterday morning and we all LOVED it! It kind of has an apple fritter taste to it. It is so easy to make too. Everyone have a wonderful Christmas....and enjoy the recipe!

Apple Oven Pancake

½ cup butter
5-6 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
brown sugar

2 cups milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs

Turn oven to 400 degrees. Put ½ cup butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish and place in heating oven until butter melts.

While butter melts, peel and slice 5-6 apples.

Once butter is melted, remove dish from oven and spread apple slices on bottom of dish. Sprinkle with some brown sugar.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the milk, flour, sugar and eggs with a whisk. Pour mixture over apples in dish.

The oven should be preheated now. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until pancake mixture is set.

Serve "as is"...no syrup needed!

We wrapped our gifts last night...for the "least of these"

2009-12-23T16:21:00.001-06:00

Every December we sit down as a family and choose ministries to give to....a way of giving back to the Lord out of the blessings He has given us...being obedient to His command to give to the "least of these".

Well, this year I decided to give ALL proceeds from the sale of Ann Voskamp's book, The Glorious Coming to Samaritan's Purse. Last night we sat down as a family and chose a long list of projects and I thought I would share with you how YOU have given to the "least of these" through your purchase of this book.

Here are your gifts to the "least of these":

Provide 3 weeks of hot meals for children

Help a child learn to read and write

Introduce Girls and Boys to God's Word through Bible camps and Sunday schools

Provide 30 seedlings for fruit trees for a family

Help stock a fish pond

Help provide livestock for farmers

Provide dairy animals so a family can have fresh milk to drink

Provide honey bees - enough to start a small family business

Help a farm family grow bountiful crops by providing seeds, fertilizer, tools, training, etc.

Provide a week's worth of milk for 10 children

Feed two babies or nursing mothers for a week

Provide four dozen baby chicks to give them eggs to eat and sell

Provide four sports balls (like soccer balls) for children

Provide food for two families for a month

Provide life-saving medical equipment for medical missionaries

Provide vocational training

Provide food parcels to remote villages in Alaska

Provide two water filters so that two families can have clean water to drink

Provide tools for evangelism - audio Bible players, Gospel films, etc.

Provide Bibles and Christian Literature

Provide 200 children with Gospel storybooks

Provide Bible lessons for ten children

Provide New Testament Bibles for ten children

Provide "Jesus Loves Me" lambs for ten children

Provide Christmas treats for children - candy and small toys

Provide postage for 60 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes

Help rescue a child from bondage and abuse

Provide clothing and shoes for children

May each of you have a blessed Christmas!

Free Holiday Crafts Ebooks & Some Reminders!

2009-12-21T06:10:00.002-06:00

I have been able to download some wonderful (free) craft ebooks this year, thanks to some of the blogs and newsletters lists I am on that have posted the links! I thought I'd share these with you too so you can enjoy making some more memories with your kids! I am always looking for ideas for little crafts that my kids can make family for Christmas. I will be pulling these ebooks out next year when we are looking for ideas. Enjoy....

Angel Crafts eBook - http://www.favecrafts.com/Christmas-Crafts/Angel-Crafts-eBook#

Homemade Christmas Gift Guide - http://www.favecrafts.com/Quick-and-Easy-Gifts/Homemade-Christmas-Gift-Guide-eBook

Quick & Easy Christmas Crafts - http://www.favecrafts.com/Christmas-Crafts/A-Quick-and-Easy-Christmas-Crafts-eBook

Quick & Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids - http://www.favecrafts.com/Kids-Holiday-Crafts/Santas-Guide-to-Easy-Christmas-Crafts-for-Kids-eBook

Here are some other free ebooks you might enjoy...

Sewing Crafts for Bloggers - http://www.favecrafts.com/Sewing/25-Sewing-Crafts-from-Bloggers-eBook

Quick & Easy Knitting Patterns - http://www.favecrafts.com/Knitting/24-Quick-and-Easy-Knitting-Patterns-eBook

Knitting & Crochet Patterns from Red Heart - http://www.favecrafts.com/Knitting/Red-Heart-Yarn-eBook

Sewing for Beginners - http://www.favecrafts.com/Sewing/Sewing-for-Beginners-eBook

25 Easy to Make Homemade Jewelry Ebook - http://www.favecrafts.com/Jewelry-Making/25-Easy-to-Make-Homemade-Jewelry-eBook

REMINDERS...

My kids are so excited....snow is forecast for this week...yeah! We were hoping for a white Christmas and it looks like we may get one here.

I just wanted to remind you that at the end of this year, I will be taking down The Glorious Coming (softcover) book from my website. The author, Ann Voskamp, has asked that I pull the book so that she can consider a total re-write of the devotionals. If you would like to have a copy of this softcover book, you will need to purchase a copy before the end of the year. [Note: 100% of all proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to Samaritan's Purse to help the "least of these".]

At the end of the year, I will also be taking down The 12-Week Holiday Planner for the Christian Family ebook for a total makeover! I am excited about this and look forward to making this planner even better and more usable for you. I have had several great ideas emailed to me in the past year and just did not have the time this year to work on a revision. But...this is the year for a total revision...Watch for a brand new edition of this planner next summer! If you want a copy of this ebook now, you will need to purchase it before the end of the year.

I will be taking a blogging break now until after the holidays. May each of you have a wonderful Christmas!

Love, Sheri

Ebook Gift for You!

2009-12-18T07:43:00.000-06:00

A couple years ago I put together a fun little ebook on my Christmas memories. I have offered it in the past, and wanted to offer it again. It is just a compilation of some of my favorite Christmas memories, traditions, and yummy recipes. I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to download My Christmas Memories ebook!

Reflecting on Traditions

2009-12-10T08:05:00.000-06:00

A few years ago someone recommended this book to me and I thought I'd share it with you. This week I downloaded a wonderful audio workshop by Hal and Melanie Young and it made me really stop and reflect on traditions. (You can download this audio here for free for a limited time---so go download it now if you would like to listen to it. It is excellent!)

Anyway, after listening to this workshop, I was reminded of this book by Noel Piper. (I think I will be digging into this one right after I finish reviewing Hal and Melanie Young's book, Raising Real Men!) Click here to go to the Desiring God website where you can purchase a softcover version of this book or download PDF files of the book for free.

Our Christmas Read-Alouds

2009-12-10T07:53:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd share what we have been reading during the month of December. While we are taking a lighter approach to our schoolwork during the month of December, our read-aloud time continues...we enjoy it TOO much! Here is what we have been reading:

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We finished reading Grandpa's Box about a week ago. I can't recommend this one enough! The kids loved it and it will definitely be one we will pull out a reread over and over! While most would not consider this a "Christmas" story, I do. The story of redemption...of Christ's coming...of the war being waged...of the battle that has already been won...yes, this is what Christmas is all about!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We finished One Wintry Night yesterday and we loved it (Thanks Anjie for recommending this one to me!). It was interesting that it was similar to Grandpa's Box in that it told the Christmas story, beginning with Creation, on up through the Resurrection. It was a great follow-up after reading Grandpa's Box.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday we started reading The Best of Christmas in My Heart, Vol. 2. This series was recommended to me and so this year I decided to buy a volume and read it to the kids during December. The first story was a tear-jerker...but full of meaning and awe of the Christ child...excellent! I highly recommend this series of books. Here are some others you can consider: The Best of Christmas in My Heart, The Candle in the Forest: And Other Christmas Stories Children Love and many others found here.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last year we read Jotham's Journey and loved it. We were planning on reading the next book, Bartholomew's Passage, this year, but it was too much for my 6-year-old. So, I set it aside for this year and will consider it next year. These books are excellent, but are very suspenseful and graphic at times (yet very realistic as to what was going on during that time). I highly recommend these books, but if you have a child who is sensitive to scary things, you may want to preview it before reading.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

What about you? What books are you reading to your children during this holiday season? I pray each of you are enjoying making memories, snuggling up close to your children, and enjoying good books! Time goes by WAY too fast...enjoy these moments!

Special Freebies and Sales to Share!

2009-11-27T08:37:00.001-06:00

I have a few neat freebies and things to share with you this morning. I hope you find something you can use and enjoy! Have a wonderful day!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Heart Scripture Songs - FREE Download! - For today only, November 27, they are offering their download version of their CD for FREE! See all the details here.

FREE curriculum, ebooks, audios at Currclick's Black Friday Giveaway! The big giveaway begins at 10:00 AM (CST) today! They are also having HUGE sales for the next couple weeks as well. Go check it out here!

Free audio Bibles by Faith Comes By Hearing! You can freely download quite a few different versions. They even have a KIDZ Bible - a complete audio Bible for kids! If you have children who love to listen to music or audios on their mp3 players....download one of these audio Bibles and load it on their players. Encourage them to saturate themselves in the Word each day! Click here to download the free audio Bibles. (Note: Faith Comes By Hearing also has some wonderful ministry opportunities. You can donate $25 to send a BibleStick to someone in the military. Not only will the servicemen receive the BibleStick with the complete New Testament, but a mp3 CD of the New Testament, and a response card for them to fill out and return to have New Testaments and KIDZ Bibles sent to their families! Consider giving to this ministry this year!)

Download for free the holiday issue of Reader's Digest. Click here to go to the online magazine, then click on "PDF" at the top to download the PDF version of the magazine.

Free Digital Holiday Supplement from The Old Schoolhouse! Click here to download a wonderful ebook full of holiday fun!

Free fillable chore chart for kids!

2009-11-19T08:45:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my friend, Ann, for posting about this neat chore chart! It is a fillable PDF file that you can enter the child's name, his chores for each day down the left side, and the days of the week along the top.

You can download this chore chart here Be sure to save it to your computer, so you can re-use it over and over! I love it! I have not been so diligent with having the kids help recently....I think this is just what we need to get us going again.

Go check it out!

Book Review: Grandpa's Box-Retelling the Biblical Story of Redemption

2009-11-19T07:25:00.000-06:00

I have posted before about our read aloud times we have each day. Over the years we have read books on many different subjects - history, science, literature, character building books, etc. Well, I have had my eye on Grandpa's Box for a few years now and finally broke down and bought it this year.

The kids and I are enjoying it so much! This book takes you through 40 stories from the Bible, telling about the battle going on between God and Satan...and how God's continues to have victory over each and every battle that has taken place.

I don't know about you, but I needed to be reminded that God is in control. In a time when our world seems to be spinning out of control, corruption and sin seems to be everywhere -- I needed to be reminded that we are in a battle....God is our Commander-in-Chief...and we are going to win! Praise Him!

My kids can't wait to sit and read the 4 or so chapters that we read each day. Even my 6 year old is so excited when it is reading time. I can't recommend this book enough. I think this is one that I will pull out every year to re-read with the kids, it is that good.

Consider buying a copy of Grandpa's Box for your family...and be encouraged that God is in control no matter what is going on around us!

Freebie on Monday Only!!!

2009-11-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

I thought I would send a quick note now so you can be prepared for Monday....I am going to be participating again on the Homeschool Freebie of the Day website, offering one of my ebooks free to download for one day only!

On Monday, November 16th, visit the Homeschool Freebie of the Day website and you will be able to download my newest ebook, The Christmas Cookie Plates Project, for FREE! This offer will only last for one day - MONDAY - so be sure to mark your calendar!

SpellQuizzer Winner!

2009-11-13T07:07:00.000-06:00

Announcing the winner of a copy of SpellQuizzer!

Congratulations to Becky H. for being the winner of a copy of SpellQuizzer! Becky, I will be emailing you shortly with details on how you will be receiving your copy of SpellQuizzer.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Have a wonderful weekend!

More pictures...

2009-11-12T09:10:00.000-06:00

We finally had a good day to head to the park for Sarah's yearly picture. We took a lot of neat pictures. Here a few that we liked:

I also snapped this beautiful scene of the small creek that runs through the park. Isn't it just beautiful with the trees reflecting in the water? See the bridge in the background too? God's creation is truly amazing!

Have a wonderful day!

Some neat freebies!

2009-11-11T10:38:00.000-06:00

There are a couple more neat freebies that I wanted to let you know about this morning before the day got totally away from me....

FREE EBOOK: My friend, Marilyn Moll, is offering her A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread ebook for free...today only! Click here to go to Marilyn's site where you can download a copy. Sign up for Marilyn's newsletter while you are there!

50 FREE PHOTO CARDS: Get 50 absolutely free photo cards...yes they are really free! You can select 4x6 or 5x7, upload photos, etc. They even come with envelopes! Click here to go to the Freebies 4 Mom blog where you will find all the details, including the discount code to use. This offer is good until November 30th only!

I pray each of you have a wonderful day!

Some Updates and Reminders

2009-11-09T06:00:00.023-06:00

I had a few items that I wanted to post about this morning:

1 - I have updated my website a bit! I rearranged a few things to hopefully make it easier to navigate. One big addition to my website that I will be working on in the days ahead is transferring all my recipes from my Nourishing Cookbook blog to my website. My "Recipes" section will be under construction for a while, but you can see what I have done so far! Hop on over and take a look.

2 - Just a reminder that the ebook giveaway will end tonight! Be sure to enter. I'll be selecting the winners tomorrow morning. Click here for details on this month's giveaway.

3 - The SpellQuizzer giveaway will end on Thursday night. I'll be selecting the winner on Friday, the 13th. Click here for the details on this giveaway.

4 - The special sale on Amy Puetz's book, Countdown to Christmas, will end Monday, November 16th! Click here to see all the details on this sale.

I pray each of you have a wonderful day in the Lord!

Reminder: Countdown to Christmas Sale!

2009-11-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Just a quick reminder about the special sale that Amy is running for my readers....here is a repost about that sale.....

Special Sale for My Readers
November 1-16
Softcover book: $20 (normally $25)

Last year I purchased Amy Puetz's ebook, Countdown to Christmas, but was not able to use it all because we went out of town for the holidays. Well...this year I plan on working through each day with my kids...counting down the days until Christmas! I can't wait! There are stories to read each day, activities to do, games to play...it all looks like so much fun! I always plan a lighter school schedule during December, so we will have time to do some holiday related activities...this book will fit right in!

Amy now is offering her Countdown to Christmas book in a softcover version...and she is offering a special sale to my readers. This book normally sells for $25, but you can get your copy for only $20 (plus S&H), between November 1-16!

To get this special discount, use this discount code at checkout: C2CSheri

Click here to go to the product page for all the details on this delightful book!

Our Fall Party

2009-11-04T08:10:00.000-06:00

Last Friday morning we had a Fall party with the kids. It was a lot of fun.I thought I'd post what we did to maybe give you some ideas for some fun things you could do with your kids!

The first thing we did was make some pumpkins to decorate our table for our party. These are those pumpkins you make by covering a roll of toilet paper (full) with fabric, then make felt leaves and a lunch sack rolled up for the stem. You can find the directions here. The kids had fun making these.

The next thing we did was read about a couple missionaries: Hudson Taylor and Amy Carmichael. After we read about Amy Carmichael, we played a little game. We rounded up a bunch of babies and Sarah hid them. Then the rest of the kids had to quietly come out and "rescue" these babies and take them back to their house (the playroom closet)...just like Amy Carmichael rescued baby girls from the temples in India.

Next we had a snack - snack mix (pretzels, fish crackers and candy corn), and homemade hot chocolate. Yummy!

Next on the agenda was a game of Thanksgiving Bingo!

After bingo and a few other table games, the kids colored in their Fall Party Coloring Book that I made for them. (I just printed out about 10 fall coloring pages from the internet; created a nice cover with a pumpkin graphic, their name, and "Fall Party Coloring Book" on the front; printed the cover on white cardstock paper; then put a blank white piece of cardstock on the back, the coloring pages in the middle, then stapled three times down the left side to make their own coloring book.) I fixed lunch while they colored.

When lunch was ready, the kids enjoyed a "picnic lunch" on the living room floor (eating lunch on a blanket) and watched a Little House movie. It was a fun morning with the kids!

fter the kids' nap, we went over to the church for their Family Fun Night. They had some huge inflatables for the kids to play on. Jonathan, Rachel, and Wesley enjoyed this slide. They climbed in, then slid down, I don't know how many times!

I have to share something kind of scary that happened though...after they had been playing on it for a while, all of a sudden the thing started losing air and deflating. Rachel and Wesley were inside, along with a couple other kids. I was thinking..I need to get them out before the whole thing comes down on top of them and they can't get out! Sarah was able to reach Wesley and pull him out, and I reached Rachel and pulled her out. The other kids got out as well. It really wasn't that traumatic, but it was for Rachel. She started crying. She calmed down once she was out.

What happened was that a couple guys were getting a popcorn machine going and I guess it flipped the breaker. They quickly got it flipped back and the big slide thing inflated again for the kids to play in. Rachel, however, was done. We couldn't get her to go back inside...I don't blame her!

After playing at the church, we went and picked up some pizza and cheese bread at Papa Murphy's for dinner. We came home, ate dinner, then played a game of "Hide the Pumpkins". Robert hid 60 candy pumpkins in our living room and dining room, and the kids had to come and find them all. They had a lot of fun.

I don't think Wesley wants to share ANY of his candy!

After the "Hide the Pumpkin" game, it was time for Wesley and Rachel to go to bed. It was such a fun day!

Neat Spelling Software: SpellQuizzer

2009-11-04T06:00:00.013-06:00

I wanted to let you know about a really neat and affordable spelling software that can be used with any curriculum: SpellQuizzer!

SpellQuizzer was not designed with any one spelling curriculum in mind. In fact, it should compliment virtually any spelling curriculum since you create your own custom spelling lists.

There is a page on the site specifically directed toward homeschoolers. You can check that out here.

SpellQuizzer's built-in spellchecker recognizes both US and UK English spellings. The spellchecker warns the user when creating a spelling list if they enter a word that appears to be spelled incorrectly. Because of this safeguard it's reasonably safe to let children create their own spelling lists guided by the curriculum they are working on.

There are some spelling lists on their site that you can download and use. You can find those here.

Users can easily export and import SpellQuizzer spelling lists to share with other SpellQuizzer users. This makes it easy for members of homeschool groups to share their lists rather than everyone having to record their lists individually.

Overall, this program is simple and easy to use! I like the fact that you can make your very own lists, depending on what curriculum you are using for your homeschool.

You can also download a free 30-day trial so you can see what it is like. I highly recommend it!

Now for the exciting part....I will be giving away a free license for SpellQuizzer to one winner!

To enter, simply email me at sheri@school4jesus.com by Thursday night, November 12th, and put SpellQuizzer in the subject line. This giveaway is not to be confused with my monthly ebook giveaway. This is another totally different giveaway...so enter both! I will be using Random.org to choose the winner on Friday morning, November 13th.

Free Holiday Idea Book from The Old Schoolhouse!

2009-11-02T06:35:00.008-06:00

The Old Schoolhouse has put together a wonderful holiday idea book...and you can download it for free! It is filled with ideas for menus, gift making, making memories, and much more.

Click here to download your copy today!

Countdown to Christmas - Sale!

2009-11-01T06:00:00.009-06:00

Special Sale for My Readers
November 1-16
Softcover book: $20 (normally $25)

Click here to go to the product page for all the details on this delightful book!

Book Review: How To Begin Your Own Cooking Club

2009-10-30T06:00:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege this past weekend of reviewing a new ebook that one of my fellow readers has published: How To Begin Your Own Cooking Club. Lori McGuire has put together an ebook describing how she organized a cooking club. She and 5 or so other women plan out monthly swaps...each preparing several dishes for each member in the club. You can read all about it at Lori's website. It is an amazing idea and may be just the encouragement you need to get one going! The ebook is only $3.00 too!

You can also visit Lori at her website, At Home For Him, where you can find a bunch of great articles and homemaking helps. Thank you, Lori, for sharing your resources with me!

Book Review: Celebrate our Christian Heroes!

2009-10-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

I was privileged recently to review a brand new ebook by Meredith Curtis called Celebrate our Christian Heroes! (Instead of Halloween).

If you are looking for an alternative to Halloween, then you will absolutely LOVE this ebook! Meredith has included instructions on how to celebrate Reformation Day (Oct. 31) or All Saints Day (Nov. 1) by having a Heroes for Jesus party, complete with information on 15 different "saints". Have someone dress up as one of your favorite church history heroes for the party - this person will read a script about their life, there are games to play, and more! There are even favorite fall recipes to include in your parties.

I am very impressed with the ideas and activities presented in this ebook. What a wonderful way to learn about church history and provide wonderful fun for our children as well.

Right now Meredith is having a special sale at Currclick - you can buy this ebook for only $5.00!

Click here to grab your copy today! Then begin planning your very own Heroes for Jesus party! I know I am!

Uncover Exciting History - Sale!

2009-10-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am reposting this today to remind you to be sure to grab your copy of this wonderful book! This special sale will end October 31st! See all the details below....

I have had the privilege of reviewing a copy of Amy Puetz's brand new book, Uncover Exciting History. Amy has some wonderful materials on her website, but this book is a real gem. Containing 25 short stories revealing America's Christian heritage, this book would make a wonderful read-aloud or reader for your children.

Click here to see a sample chapter!

At the end of each chapter, Amy has included a "Digging Deeper" section with questions and activities for those who want to dig deeper and learn more about the material covered in that chapter. What a wonderful way to learn American history!

I just LOVE it when I find excellent books like this to read to my children. It makes learning easy and fun as we dig into the chapters together. I can't wait to start reading it to the kids!

If you are studying American history this year (or plan on studying it in the future), you will want to grab a copy of this book! Check out below the special sale price Amy is offering to my readers!

Amy has graciously offered a very special deal to my readers:

Buy your copy of Uncover Exciting History between October 19-31, and use discount code: GRAHAM, and receive the book for only $14.50 (plus S&H)
(retail price: $18.95)!

Click here to go to Amy's website.

Add this book to your cart and use the above discount code at checkout to receive the sale price! This offer ends October 31st, so hurry over now and grab your copy while you can!

The Cozi Family Journal - A fun way to keep in touch with family and friends

2009-10-22T07:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a really neat FREE service that I found recently. It is called Cozi. You can sign up for an account for free. Cozi has several different features: a family journal, calendar, to do lists, grocery lists, etc. But the one feature I want to talk about today is the family journal. The calender feature looks neat too, but the journal is really what I am interested in using.

I have a lot of family that live a long ways away and we don't get to see them very often. In the past I have tried to send out a newsletter in the mail with some pictures and updates on how we are all doing. But this past year I did not do a very good of getting that done. Well, now with the Cozi family journal I have an easier way to keep in touch with my family!

In the family journal you can type in entries, including a picture and text, just as you would in a journal. Each journal entry is kept in date order. You can share individual journal entries by email or post to your facebook account. But the one feature that I am going to use is just totally awesome! You can set up your family journal to email out a newsletter to your family and friends at the beginning of each month! Yes! I went in and entered the email addresses of my family that I wanted the journal to go to. The first newsletter will go out November 1, and it will include all the journal entries for the previous month as well as the link to your family journal webpage (yes, Cozi also posts your journal to your very own webpage. You can make it public or private too.) So the people you send the newsletter out to can either view all the pictures and entries in the email, or go to your webpage to view them all.

There is also an option where you can download a Cozi screensaver that does a slideshow of all your pictures in your My Pictures folder. This download also includes the Cozi Express desktop that puts an icon on your desktop that you can double-click and open up your journal in its own window. I open this window up and keep it minimized on my computer. That way when I want to do a quick journal entry it is already ready to go!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this service! I can post entries to the journal each day if I want, jotting down memories and things I don't want to forget...including pictures I want to share with family and friends. I don't have to worry about forgetting something later on when I would have been preparing a newsletter to mail out. I simply enter things each day if I want, knowing that at the beginning of each month an email will automatically be sent out to my family. Isn't that great? I love it!

If this sounds interesting to you, click here to go to Cozi's home page where you can sign up for your own free account.

I want to be...more and more like Jesus!

2009-10-20T07:04:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share something I wrote in my journal a while back. My 3 year old daughter loves watching the Donut Man videos. Well, one day she began to sing this song from one of the Donut Man videos...

"I want to be, more and more like Jesus. I want to be, more and more like Him." She sang it over and over again.

Then do you know what happened? She disobeyed me...and she was disciplined for it.

I didn't say it aloud, but in my mind I said, "If you want to be like Jesus, then obey me!"

Then the Lord stopped me short in that train of thought and told me the very same thing! Do I profess Jesus as Lord, do I proclaim His praises with my mouth....but my heart is far from Him? Do I not do this very same thing - Proclaim that I want to be more like Him, then turn right around and disobey Him?

Oh how the Lord uses our children to reach our very hearts! God used that little song that day to speak to my heart and convict me. Thank you, Lord, for our children and the lessons You have to teach us through them!

Kids & Herbs - A Simple Course for Parents!

2009-10-17T20:31:00.003-05:00

If you have ever wanted to begin learning about herbs and how to incorporate them into your daily life, then this Kids & Herbs course may be just what you need. This course contains video webinars, audio downloads, and ebooks. Learn how to use herbs for first aid, how to treat colds and flu, and much more! They even have some information about H1N1!

LearningHerb.com is currently running a special from Oct. 14-21....purchase this Kids & Herbs course and receive the Wildcraft game free! If you are not familiar with the Wildcraft game, it is a game the whole family can play where you learn about herbs as you play. It looks really neat!

As I mentioned already, they are currently running a sale from Oct. 14-21 - you can purchase this whole set (plus the free board game) for only $37! This is a great time, just heading into the cold and flu season, to start learning about how to treat your family naturally with herbs.

Click here for all the details on this comprehensive course!

Another step toward better health: A Meat Slicer

2009-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

We eat a lot of sandwiches for lunches in our family. Over the past few years we have tried to make our lunches healthier by omitting chips with our sandwiches and having fruit. I also went to making our own bread quite a few years back. So, the last item that I wanted to address what finding a replacement for the store-bought lunch meats.

Well...I found it! After researching different slicers, we settled on this Chef's choice slicer. We figured that we could cook our own meats (beef, chicken, pork, etc.), slice it real thin, and use it on our sandwiches. This week we cooked a pork loin, some chicken breasts, and a slab of beef. We then refrigerated it to get it cold and firm, then sliced it up with our slicer. It worked great! We have nice sized slices for our sandwiches. We are going to get some small re-usable freezer containers to put the meat in, then I'll just pull out a couple different kinds of meat at a time to put in the refrigerator. The kids loved the fresh meat too...and it is SO much better for them!

We also found out that the slicer does an awesome job of slicing my homemade bread! It doesn't tear the bread up at all and makes a nice clean cut. I can get the slices just the right sandwich-bread width too, which means more slices out of one loaf of bread! Slicing the bread doesn't dirty the slicer at all, so I can easily use it and not have to clean it all up like when I slice the meats. So, here is how I plan on using the slicer to slice my bread: I'll get a loaf out of the freezer when we need it, then when it is thawed I'll slice it up so we'll have it for sandwiches, toast, etc. It has worked great this week!

Planning for the holidays

2009-10-11T18:19:00.003-05:00

The weather this past week turned very cold, making it really feel like winter is already here. One day it was even spitting some small flakes of snow! It almost seems like we skipped over autumn and went right into winter....

Anyway, at the beginning of October I began working through my checklists in my Holiday Planner. Since we will be home for Christmas this year (we make a trip out to the west coast every other Christmas to see my family), I am looking forward to using the Holiday Planner to plan and prepare for the holidays.

The assignments for Week 1 and Week 2 included making lists of people you want to make or buy gifts for, lists of gifts you want your kids to make for family and friends, your Christmas card list, lists of baking you want to do....I had so much fun this weekend sitting down and getting some of these things down on paper.

Christmas is always a special time of year as we reflect on our Savior's birth. It is also a wonderful time to express our love to our family, friends, and neighbors. If you are like me, though, if you don't plan ahead then things usually don't get done. This is the very reason why the Holiday Planner is such a blessing to me. It gives me tasks to do each week, beginning October 1, so that I can plan into my schedule to get all the things done that I want to get done...such as making cookie plates for neighbors, going and seeing Christmas lights with the family, reading meaningful nativity stories, etc.

What about you? Are you ready for the holidays? Consider grabbing your own copy of the Holiday Planner and get started today!

Grandma's Birthday Video

2009-10-09T09:33:00.004-05:00

My mom's birthday was yesterday....and since she lives in the Northwest and we live here in the Midwest, well, we decided that she needed a video for her birthday! The kids had fun putting together this video and I thought you might enjoy seeing my kids in action. We set up a special page on my website just for my mom, including a picture of the kids, little notes from each one, and this video. She loved it! Enjoy!

Free eBook from The Old Schoolhouse!

2009-10-09T07:38:00.009-05:00

This morning I received an email from The Old Schoolhouse introducing a brand new ebook series - Download-N-Go (for children age K-Grade 4). They are offering this first one free! Simply add it to your cart at The Old Schoolhouse Store, checkout, then download it.

I took a look it this and it is absolutely amazing...a week's worth of beautiful pages of activities and learning...go grab your copy today! They are also offering a special (see details below from The Old Schoolhouse) if you pre-order a semester or a whole year of these weekly Download-N-Go ebooks. Even if you can't afford to do that, at least go and grab this free one. You will LOVE it! ~ Sheri

Click here to download your free copy!

Where Unit Studies and Lapbooks Come Together
Easy . . . Innovative . . . Effective . . .

An exciting, brand new, E-Book series by Amanda Bennett and The Old Schoolhouse®. Amanda Bennett is well-known for her groundbreaking unit studies that are popular with homeschool families around the world.

Download instantly! The learning process is on GO from that point on--let the fun begin!

Units are theme based and full of exciting discoveries and motivation to develop lifelong learners.

Each study is one week in length, having five daily lessons with lapbook components for each day.

Each student creates a complete lapbook--a finished capsule of learning.

All the research and preparation have been done!

Hyperlinks are embedded right in the study--saving you time!

Integrated studies include history, geography, reading, science, spelling,
vocabulary, writing, art, and more.

Units are reusable year after year--nothing is consumed.

There are no expensive resources required!

Includes a great list of books that you can use to enrich your study, but
they are not required.

Check out some of the fun and unique upcoming themes for 2010:

Seasons
Americans that Made a Difference
Places in the World
Toys and Gadgets
Presidents & Patriots
Sports
Ocean Animals
Literary Giants

Special Introductory Pricing. Limited Time Offer!

Get in on the special introductory pricing and save 20%! Purchase a semester--19 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $114--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $91.20!

Pre-pay for an entire school year--38 weekly studies--Regularly priced at $190--Click here for a Special introductory price of only $152!

What a bargain!

When you take these two, outstanding, homeschooling resources (TOS and Amanda Bennett), along with the best learning components, you have a superior product . . . one that blends the unit study concept and lapbooking fun into one great adventure!

GOOT for mosquito bites!

2009-09-28T08:03:00.003-05:00

A while back I posted a recipe for making GOOT (Garlic Olive Oil Treatment). GOOT can be used for all kinds of things. I have really only used it rubbed on the chest, back or bottom of feet when we have been sick. Well, yesterday I found another use for it...on mosquito bites!

My youngest (2 year old boy) has a terrible time with mosquito bites. The bites get huge and swollen and really bother him. Well Saturday night he got some bites on his face. By Sunday afternoon they were starting to swell and get very red. So, I decided to smear on some GOOT before I put him in bed. This morning the swelling is down and the spots are not as red! Next time I am going to apply GOOT as soon as I see bites and see if he swells at all. Why not give it a try? This stuff is awesome and so easy to make (that is if you don't mind smelling of garlic for a while)! Click here for the directions.

Set Apart Femininity

2009-09-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine introduced me to this book recently. I had never heard of Eric and Leslie Ludy, so I went to their website and did some reading and searching. I have to say that I am very impressed (and convicted) by the message that Leslie shares in her new book, Set Apart Femininity.

I ordered the book and am anxiously waiting for it to come. But in the mean time, I have been listening to Leslie's discipleship series that you can download from their website. Most of the material she shares in this series is from her new book. I am a little over half-way through listening and I have been very challenged and convicted. Oh how much work God has to do yet on me!

If you are interested in listening to Leslie's discipleship series, click here to go their website. But be ready for God to do a work in you...it is very convicting!

Molly's Money-Saving Digests - Special Promo!

2009-09-17T08:06:00.003-05:00

Molly's Money-Saving Digests - Pick-A-Pack Special!

The Old Schoolhouse Store is offering a wonderful deal on their sets of Molly's Money-Saving Digests! Each month Molly publishes a brand new digest full of great articles, recipes, and tips on saving money. I can't say enough how wonderful these digests are! They are worth every penny!

Now you can choose any 5 of the past digests for only $20! These digests are normally $4.95 each, so it is like buying 4 and getting 1 free.

If you are interested, click here for all the details!

Free Health Class at Anne's Health Place

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

My friend, Anne, is offering a free health class online at her website, AnnesHealthPlace.com. I had forgotten about this class until recently. I had downloaded all the audios, handouts, class outlines, etc., and saved it all on my computer. Well, I recently had the chance to listen through all the audios and work through some of the reading material. I am amazed at all I am learning! Our bodies are SO amazing! I plan on spending some time over the weeks ahead to really work through these lessons. They are absolutely amazing.

If you are interested in learning more about your health, then hop on over to Anne's website. If you think of it, pray for Anne. She is in the middle of a pregnancy and is having some health issues. Pray for this dear woman of God that the Lord would keep her and the baby safe until this little one can be in her arms.

Nourishing Foods - A Testimony

2009-09-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

Over the past five years or so, I have really been trying to prepare healthier foods for my family. It has taken baby steps, but slowly we are making progress! I love following the old methods of food preparation explained in the book, Nourishing Traditions. I love making yogurt, buttermilk, kombucha, soaking my grains and legumes, etc. But sometimes I wonder if going back to the old ways really does make a difference.

[Please note, though, that I do not agree with everything in the Nourishing Traditions book. This book is not written from a Christian perspective, but contains many useful recipes and health information. For a wonderful set of books on cooking "Nourishing Traditions style" from a Christian perspective, check out Sue Gregg's set of cookbooks here.]

Well, last week I ran across a neat blog post. This is a MUST read! In fact, I have been motivated to try my hand at lacto-fermented pickles again. (I need to make some yogurt first, so I can get some whey...they I'm going to try making lacto-fermented pickles.) This post talks about how this mom began implementing some of these methods in her food preparation and some of the amazing health results she has observed in her family.

Click here to go to this post right now and read it. You will be amazed!

Free eBook from Knowledge Quest!

2009-09-11T08:01:00.001-05:00

I just received an email this morning letting me know that Knowledge Quest is offering this free ebook to anyone who wants it. I haven't had a chance to read through all of it, but it looks like a very practical book to help you in planning for your school year. Click here or on the book cover above to go to the website where you can download it for free! Enjoy!

Another step toward better health: Grinding our own wheat

2009-09-07T07:15:00.003-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post that we were looking into buying a grain mill...well here it is! We purchased The Kitchen Mill from The Urban Homemaker and I LOVE it! I ordered it last Monday and received it on Friday. I was so excited!

What started it all: I should back up and explain what spurred my desire to starting grinding our own wheat. I requested a free audio workshop by Sue at Breadbeckers a couple weeks ago called "Do Not Eat the Bread of Idleness." It is a very informative audio regarding the health benefits of using fresh ground flour in your baking. If you are interested, you can request a copy of this CD by emailing them at: support@breadbeckers.com and asking for the free audio CD called "Do Not Eat the Bread of Idleness." Include your mailing address in your email as well. After listening to this audio CD and praying about it, I really felt the Lord nudging me to go ahead and buy a mill and some wheat and start grinding our own flour at home.

Which grain mill should I get? After doing a lot of research, we decided on The Kitchen Mill from The Urban Homemaker. It is not the cheapest or the most expensive mill, but I felt it would get the job done. I have used it a few times now and it works wonderful! If you decide to get this mill, it is REALLY hard to release the side tabs to get the top off when you are done grinding wheat. But...I figured out a trick. I use the spoon end of a wooden spoon and put it under the tab and using it as a lever to snap the side tabs loose. It worked great and saved my fingers!

Where would I get wheat? Now I had a grain mill and no wheat! So...I started calling around trying to find a place where I could buy wheat berries in bulk. I found a small Amish/Mennonite store in a town about 40 minutes from where we live that sold 50# bags of wheat berries! I knew I needed to get the Hard Wheat as it has more glutten than the Soft Wheat. Soft Wheat is good for making pastries (pastry flour) but what I really wanted was wheat to make our breads. I never use pastry flour anyway, so I wanted to find some hard wheat I could use for all our baked goods. At this little store we found out that they sold Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat for $30 for a 50# bag and locally grown Hard Red Winter Wheat for $16 for a 50# bag. So my husband took a trip on Saturday and bought a 50# bag of each!

How am I going to store all this wheat? I knew I needed to have some 5-gallon buckets to store this wheat in but we didn't have any. We checked online and we could buy 4 5-gallon buckets with the nice lids for about $75---ouch! So...my husband suggested calling some donut shops to see if they had any that they had used for frosting/fillings, etc. I gave a quick call to a donut shop in a town about 7 miles from us and they had 4 buckets they would sell to use for $2 each! Yeah! So Saturday my husband ran over and picked those up as well. Now I had buckets! I filled an ice-cream bucket of each kind of wheat so I could start using it right away, and the rest of the wheat was placed in our big freezer for a couple days. This will kill any bugs/eggs that may be in the wheat. After a couple days I'll take the bags out and let them come to room temperature before I dump the wheat into the 5-gallon buckets for storage.

How it works. I have used the mill a few times now and it works great. It makes such fine flour. Last night I wanted to try out the Hard Red Winter Wheat (since it is a LOT cheaper) to see how it would work on making biscuits. I made a batch of biscuits with the flour and they were so light and fluffy and delicious! I can't wait to try to make bread with the flour, but I'll have to wait until my bread supply is running low before I do that.

I think I'll make another batch of biscuits today to have with our dinner tonight...yummy!

REMINDER: Tonight is the deadline to enter our monthly ebook giveaway! If you haven't entered, then do so today! I'll be having Random.org select the winners tomorrow morning.

May each of you have a blessed day,
Sheri

Pumpkin Raisin Spice Muffins

2009-09-04T06:00:00.004-05:00

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here! Fall is in the air...cool breezes blowing at night...I just LOVE it! So...when I was out of chocolate chips this morning to make our normal Thursday morning breakfast (Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins), I decided to take the Pumpkin Raisin Spice Cake recipe and adjust it a little and make muffins! My kids loved it! I also made a few substitutions to make it healthier. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Pumpkin Raisin Spice Muffins

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup applesauce (natural, no sugar added)
4 eggs
1 cup honey
15-oz. can pumpkin
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or use 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. nutmeg, 1/8 t. ginger, 1/8 t. ground cloves)
1 cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until mixed well. Fill muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Zucchini Jam

2009-09-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

This recipe came across one of the email groups I am on and it sounded interesting...so I gave it a try! I love it! It doesn't look very appetizing...looking more like a relish...but it tastes delicious! What a great way to use up a bunch of zucchini that you don't know what to do with! Did you know that you can make tomato preserves too? I read about this in the Little House books, so I searched the internet for a recipe. Sure enough, there are recipes to make tomato jam! I haven't been brave enough to try that one yet. I'll let you know if I do! Anyway...here is the recipe for the Zucchini Jam...

Zucchini Jam

4 cups ground zucchini
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups sugar
1 (3 oz.) box orange Jell-O

In a large pot, cook zucchini for 10 minutes on medium-low, stirring constantly. Add in the pineapple, lemon juice, and sugar. Cook for 20 minutes. Add Jell-O and boil for 2-3 minutes to make sure the gelatin is dissolved. Ladle into freezer containers, leaving 1 1/2 inch headspace. Put into freezer when cool.

You can also water bath can these. Ladle into clean jars, put lids and rims on, then process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. Yummy!!!

"Unless you change and become like little children...

2009-08-25T19:11:00.002-05:00

...you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2)

Photo: my littlest one bowing for prayer after our Bible story time at the table.

Back to school resources by Cindy Rushton!

2009-08-20T11:55:00.003-05:00

For those of us that homeschool, it is that time of year to gear up for a new school year. I have been blessed in the past by the ministry of Cindy Rushton. She has some wonderful resources for the homeschool mom! Below I will list a couple of my favorites for getting ready for a new school year. The 2009 Homeschool Expo you have to purchase. The second resource is free for you to enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 2009 Homeschool Expo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gearing Up for Another Big School Year

Audio: Click here to download mp3 file
Mommy Planner: Part One, Part Two

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freezer Cooking Collection on Sale!

2009-08-18T07:02:00.002-05:00

Hillbilly Housewife is putting her Freezer Collection on sale for 75% off....but only until August 21st! You get these five ebooks, plus five free bonuses for only $12.50! Click here to go to her website to see all the details!

Look what our daughter made for us...

2009-08-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Our oldest daughter has really been enjoying photography and "creating" things with photographs. Well a few days last week she was on a mission, working on a "secret project". I had no idea what she was up to...until she got done and presented this to my husband and me....

This picture doesn't really do it justice. She scanned some of our wedding pictures, converted them to black and white, then printed them out, mounted them on some wedding wrapping paper we had, dressed up the pictures with a silver glitter pen (putting dots in some of the flowers, on my diamond ring, etc.), added wording (our names at the top and 20 years at the bottom). This was a gift to us from her for our 20th wedding anniversary that we celebrated in June. It was so very sweet of her. Aren't children such blessings!!! I am so thankful for each of our five blessings....God is SO good!

Some Updates and Reminders

2009-08-08T10:21:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have been quiet this week! We started homeschool on Monday, so I've been busy getting all of us into a schedule. I have a few things I wanted to communicate to you before a new week began....

I just wanted to do a quick post now to remind you that this month's ebook giveaway ends Monday night. Click here for details on this month's giveaway.

I also wanted to remind you of our monthly sale. This month the 12-Week Holiday Planner is on sale (actually it will be on sale during the months of August and September). If you do not win a copy in this month's giveaway, then you might consider grabbing your copy while it is on sale! Click here for the sale details.

I have received quite a response from those of you who have purchased my new and revised Intentional Planner for 2009-2010! Thank you to all of you who have emailed me, telling me how the planner is helping you in organizing your home. Click here to go to the product page to read all the testimonies. I have added some new ones recently. I have intentionally kept this planner at a very reasonable price (only $5.00) because I did not want the price to be an issue. My desire is to come along side of you and help you become all that God wants you to be. So...go check it out and grab your copy today...your husband and children will be glad you did!

Have a wonderful weekend! I will try to get some more posts ready for next week...some yummy recipes and some more great tips for your home! Until then...God bless!

Discipling our children

2009-07-28T07:41:00.002-05:00

I wanted to pass along a wonderful website and book recommendation: Discipling Like Jesus for Parents. I have not read this book yet, but have read the material provided on their website and this book will definitely be on my "to buy" list so I can read it soon!

I have always had a burden to disciple my children...to train them up in the Lord...and love it when I find great resources to encourage the family in this area. This website is amazing!

Click here to go to their website to look around.

Click here to find an ebook you can download for free that gives a summary of this book's contents.

If you want to see how you are doing in the area of discipling your children, then take this assessment to see!

Finally, here is a wonderful list of tools to help parents in discipling their children.

Please do take some time to look around this website...it has greatly blessed me and given me encouragement to move forward in this area with my own children.

Have a blessed day!

Book Review: WeE-book-Homeschool With Young Children & Preschool Beginning Notebook Pages

2009-07-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I told you earlier this week that I would be doing a book review on a new ebook by Diane Hurst...well I will actually be doing two reviews. The first ebook was written for The Old Schoolhouse and was made into a WeE-book. The second ebook is a wonderful beginner set of notebook pages to teach your preschooler.

For those of you with small children in your home, this ebook is a MUST! Many times we are tempted to spend a lot of money on curriculum for our little ones, and it just is not necessary! MUCH can be learned by simply reading and working through some notebook pages together. Diane's concept in this book is very similar to my own idea of creating notebooks for preschoolers and kindergarteners. You will love Diane's ideas and it will give you some guideance to get you started! Click here or on the cover above to go to The Old Schoolhouse Store where you can buy a copy today!

After you have read Diane's above WeE-book on teaching young children, you can follow up with the purchase of this neat notebook set for preschoolers. Diane's used these with her own children and now is putting them into ebooks so others can use them as well. These pages include colorful hand drawings and simple concepts for preschoolers to learn. My 3-year-old daughter LOVES these! Click here or on the cover above for more information about this ebook and how you can purchase your own copy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Diane has been so gracious in forwarding to me samples of more books she is working on...I can't wait until she finished more so I can tell you about them! So...watch for some more great ebooks from Diane Hurst in the weeks ahead! To see all the products that Diane has available for sale, you can go to their website: http://www.gentleshepherd.biz/

Updates from our home...

2009-07-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

We had a GREAT week this past week! Our family went on vacation, traveling over 1000 miles. We had a lot of fun! This picture of the kids was taken at the Buffalo Bill Cody Ranch in North Platte, NE. We had some full days, but lots of precious memories were made! We are tired and taking today to recuperate a bit from our vacation. It is SO good to be home again! I thought I'd do a post to catch you up a bit on a few odds and ends that I want to share about. Here it goes...

1. While we were gone on vacation, I had a chance to listen to the audio book, Crazy Love. You can download this audio book for free during the month of July at Christian Audio. Click here to go to my post about this great book. After listening to it, I highly recommend it! You will be challenged in your walk with the Lord!

2. My daughter and I continue to use the homemade "Oil Cleanser" that I talked about in this post. I am totally amazed how it has helped my daughter's skin. It is so smooth and almost acne free! My skin has improved so much as well! I highly recommend you try this! I had a mom email me who had a teenage son who used it and it really helped him. We use this Oil Cleanser at night, followed with some coconut oil (just a little) if needed to moisturize. It works great!

3. I was so excited to review another new ebook by Diane Hurst! This ebook contains some adorable notebook pages for preschoolers. I will be doing a post on this ebook later this week. You will LOVE it!

4. I have been using the homemade broth powder for a few weeks now and absolutely LOVE it! Click here to go to my post with the recipe. I have only been using 1 tsp. per cup of water to make broth to use in many of my recipes. I use broth in my cream gravies, in beef burritos, in soups...and it tastes so good! It has a chicken smell to it, even though there is no chicken in it. It is always better nutritionally to use real chicken or beef broth that you make yourself. But...if you need to use broth powder, then this recipe is a wonderful healthy alternative! I found the yeast flakes and rice protein powder pretty cheap at www.vitacost.com. Give it a try today!

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back later this week with that book review on Diane Hurst's newest ebook!

Book Review: Classic Prayers for Children

2009-07-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of reviewing a copy of this delightful little book that has been brought back into print by Laurie Latour. If you remember, Laurie was the one who is now offering her Future Christian Homemakers' Handbook online for free now. You can find that here.

But what I really wanted to talk about is this wonderful little book of prayers for children. There are over 100 classic prayers for children that would make great read-aloud material or even copy work assignments! The first half of the book contains all these classic prayers, then the second half is a nice prayer journal where you can record your children's prayers.

Laurie is going to be having a sale on this book July 13-20. You can read all about this sale here! These books would make wonderful Christmas presents for any children you may be shopping for. Go check this book out today!

Free Audio Book at Christian Audio - Crazy Love!

2009-07-01T07:09:00.003-05:00

Each month Christian Audio hosts a free download. I like to pass these on to you when I see ones that look good. This one sounds VERY good!

For the month of July, you can download Crazy Love for FREE!

Simply add this audio book to your cart, then enter JUL2009 in the discount code to receive the full discount.

Click here to see details about this ebook and to grab your copy today!

The Tutor - Wonderful resource for those "extras"

2009-06-25T07:17:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for a resource that would provide some of those "extras" that you would love to include in your child's education, then THIS IS IT - The Tutor! There are three volumes available. Each volume contains topics on nature, music, classical composers, artists, character, copywork, geography, Plutarch, and more! With about 200 pages in each volume, there is enough material to keep you busy for a while!

Click here to see more details and some sample pages. You will LOVE this resource!

The Best Biscuits!

2009-06-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

My family loves to have biscuits...biscuits & grave - sausage, egg, & cheese biscuits - biscuits with homemade blackberry jelly - the list goes on. I finally found a yummy recipe that I modified a bit and it is absolutely delicious! Now it uses unbleached all-purpose flour, so it isn't the most healthy option. Next time I make them I might try to mix in a bit of whole wheat flour, we'll see. These biscuits are so yummy though and easy to mix up. I used my Bosch to mix them up and they turned out great! My family thinks they taste like the biscuits you get at Kentucky Fried Chicken!

Here is the recipe...

The Best Biscuits

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup milk

In your Bosch or heavy-duty mixer with dough hook, mix up the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until it looks like crumbs. Add in the milk and mix until the dough forms a ball.

Remove from mixer and roll out on dry counter top (you can dust the counter lightly with flour if you wish). Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut biscuits with cutter and place on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Note: This recipe can easily be doubled to make a huge batch of biscuits. You can also flash freeze the cut biscuits (not baked) by placing on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet in the freezer until hard. Transfer to freezer bags. To use, set out frozen biscuits on cookie sheets to thaw a bit while the oven preheats. Bake as directed above.

Homeschool Enrichment Magazine - FREE Digital Magazine Subscription!

2009-06-22T08:40:00.003-05:00

I LOVE the Home School Enrichment magazine! For a limited time, you can subscribe to the digital version of their magazine for FREE! Click here for all the details!

Once you subscribe, you will be given a change to subscribe to the print issue at a very discounted price! Go check it out today!

Free Summer Fun eBook from Heart of the Matter!

2009-06-22T06:16:00.000-05:00

Heart of the Matter Online has put together a wonderful 47-page ebook called Our Summer Fun Book 2009. It is jam packed with fun things to do this summer with your family. If you subscribe to their newsletter, you will receive this ebook FREE!

Click here to go to their website and subscribe today!

Journaling & Free Journaling Pages!

2009-06-20T11:28:00.003-05:00

My friend, Ann, is doing a wonderful series of posts on Journaling. The other day she posted this link to a wonderful article on journaling memories with your kids. It is excellent! So, after being inspired to do this myself, I made up some calendar pages to put in my Intentional Planner for this specific purpose. I can't wait to begin!

If you would like to download these weekly journal pages, you can download them by clicking here. They begin with this past week, and go through the end of the year. Use these pages to jot down notes from your days...memories that will soon be forgotten if not written down. Enjoy!

Making yarn from recycled t-shirts

2009-06-12T07:31:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to have found this idea of using old t-shirts to make yarn that you can knit or crochet with. It is called t-yarn. It is a brilliant idea! You just take an old t-shirt and cut rounds of strips, stretch the fabric so that it curls, and you have a nice curled yarn to work with. Sound interesting?

Click here for instructions on how to make this yarn.

Here are a couple patterns to get you started: hotpad and purse

The purse is so cute...might be a great Christmas present for my little girl. The hotpads would be great Christmas presents as well! Hmmm....I think it's time to start going through my clothes. I'm sure I have some old t-shirts I could recycle!

Another yummy popsicle recipe!

2009-06-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry about all the recipes using kefir. I just started making kefir again and am trying to find creative ways to use it on a daily basis :). I posted a popsicle recipe last week that included kefir and orange juice...well this one is a vanilla popsicle. Oh...it is SO good! The kids loved it. It kind of tastes like homemade ice cream!

Here is the recipe...

Vanilla Popsicles

1 cup kefir
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup

Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher until mixed well. You have to work it a bit to get the honey or maple syrup mixed in. Once it is all smooth, then pour into your popsicle molds and freeze. The kids will LOVE these!

Homeschooling Preschool (Age 3)

2009-06-09T15:25:00.005-05:00

I thought I would share what I am planning to do with my 3 year old daughter this fall once we start back to school. Now I do have an ebook that I sell called Learning for the Littles - A Preschool Notebook, that you can use if you don't want to make something up yourself. I am using some things from my Learning for the Littles ebook, as well as some things from the internet.

Now I should clarify that I don't think this age needs a lot of formal schooling. Much is learned in everyday living. However, as the Lord has worked in my heart I have realized that I really have to be intentional (hence the necessity for my Intentional Planner!) in planning things with my kids. The days seem to pass by so quickly and I want to redeem the time God has given me with each one of them! Most of this learning time will take place cuddled on the couch or on the floor on a huge floor pillow!

Also, please don't think you have to copy me. I always enjoy hearing what others are doing with their kids. I get ideas from others and adapt to our family all the time. So take what you want and leave the rest! With that said, here is what homeschooling a 3 year old will look like for us next year....

Homeschooling Preschool (Age 3)

First, I made a Preschool Notebook for my daughter by taking a 3-ring binder and putting her learning pages in sheet protectors. I will explain below how I handle each area of learning.

ABCs: I printed out a page with the ABC song typed out on it. That is the first page in a sheet protector in her notebook. We will start out learning time with that song. This is to teach the order of the ABCs.

Math: I made up a chart and printed it out for the next page in her notebook. The chart has a list of check boxes that we can check off or put a sticker on as she learns to count. The first box says "Rachel can count to 5". We will check that box off when she can do that. The next one says, "Rachel can count to 10" I then did 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100. I don't know how far we will get during the year, but she will have fun seeing her progress on the chart. I plan on using a 100-bead abacus and counting bears to teach the counting.

Colors & Shapes: These are the next pages in her notebook and I used ones from my Learning for the Littles ebook. I made pages with different colored circles for the color pages, then different shapes for the shapes pages. We will just work through these until she can say them all herself.

Pre-Reading Skills: The next pages are the alphabet pages that I printed from this website. We sang these songs almost every day for the past 2 years! I have used these with my son who will start kindergarten this fall and my almost-3-year-old daughter knows most of them! But we will continue to sing the songs that tie into Bible stories as well so she can learn the sounds of all the letters.

I am working on making some letter tile pages as well to go in her notebook. These will just be pages with a graphic and the letters to the word in 1-inch boxes. My daughter can then use plastic letter tiles to put on top of the page. We won't do a lot of these, but I thought she might find them fun. I really plan on using these for my kindergartener next year! I hope to get them together in some sort of ebook that will be available for sale on my website. I'll let you know when I get that project done ;)!

Pre-Writing Skills: The next section will be added to as we do each letter. I am going to print out the worksheets from this website, slip them in sheet protectors in her notebook, and have her trace the letters with her finger. This will help her to begin to understand how the letters are formed. Once we have gone through all the letters by tracing with her finger, then I will start her doing these printing readiness worksheets, then these large letters and numbers worksheets. I printed out all these worksheets and placed them in a couple sheet protectors in her notebook to pull out as we need them.

Bible Story & Story Time: For our Bible story and story time, I will include my three youngest children together. I plan on reading a Bible story or two out of one of our favorite Bible story books: 100 Favorite Stories from the Bible, as well as reading out of Everything a Child Should Know About God. I will have each child that is able narrate back to me the story in their own words. After our Bible story, then we will read out of some other books. We have quite a few of the Little Jewel books that the kids like to read, and I plan on incorporating some science related reading as well. We will then end our story time with a song like "Jesus Loves Me" or another kids song.

**************

That's it! Sound like fun? I will try to post what my plans are for my kindergartener and my soon-to-be 2-year-old as well sometime soon!

Summer Sale at AmyPuetz.com!

2009-06-05T08:45:00.003-05:00

I wanted to let you know about a summer sale that Amy Puetz is having on her website. Amy has some wonderful ebooks for history and also some holiday related ones. I have her Countdown to Christmas ebook and it is wonderful! She has a Countdown to Easter one too!

You can get 40% off of ALL of Amy's ebooks during this summer sale. But the sale ends tomorrow, June 6, so hurry on over to her store and check out all her ebooks today!

Click here to go to the information on Amy's Summer Sale!

Look what our kids did for us...

2009-06-04T07:44:00.006-05:00

In honor of our 20th wedding anniversary, our kids prepared a delightful candlelight dinner for us. We hung a sheet up between the dining room and kitchen so they could work in privacy most of the afternoon yesterday. They set the table for just my husband and me, and set up the card table in the kitchen for the kids. Here are all the details...

We were welcomed to the Graham Kids Restaurant.

Then we were seated at a beautifully set table, including roses from our rose bushes, and painted place mats made by my daughter. They even had quiet instrumental music playing in the background.

We were given a dinner menu as well! The menu for that night was:

Lettuce salad
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Mashed Potatoes
Homemade whole wheat bread and butter
Lemonade & Water

Dessert:
Double Chocolate Mint Cookie Bars
Milk

Here are some pictures of my kids preparing the dinner (and yes they did make the dinner all by themselves - including the dessert - with only some questions for mom along the way!) and the pretty serving dishes they used:

Here is the card table they set up in the kitchen for them to eat at. All five kids ate around this card table while we ate our nice candlelight dinner in the dining room!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a lovely night! Bob and I are so thankful for each of our children and they surely did arise and bless us last night! Thank you kids!

Ultimate Homeschool Expo THIS WEEK!

2009-06-01T07:02:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to send a quick reminder that Cindy Rushton's Ultimate Homeschool Expo is this week, June 1-5! Even if you don't want to buy a ticket to have access to the membership site, you can still join LIVE this week for FREE! See all the details at the link below, or click on the banner above!

If you buy your set now, through my link, then I will give you an extra bonus! I will email you the download link to my ebook, The Intentional Planner - 2009!

Use the Intentional Planner as you begin your planning for next school year! Yes, I know the year is half over, but this "freebie" will give you a taste of what my Intentional Planner is all about. I have been busy fully expanding, updating, and revising this planner for the brand new 2010 version! You will LOVE it! But, for now, enjoy the 2009 version as a special bonus from me for buying your Homeschool Expo through my link!

Click here for all the details!

This and That

2009-05-29T07:22:00.004-05:00

I haven't sat down recently and written out what is going on in our lives...so I thought a "This and That" post would be fun for today. This morning we head out to get groceries, so this will be quick. Here we go...

1. I have been trying to get our big freezer cleaned out, making our menus from our freezer stock as much as possible. Well, I found a couple gallon bags of blackberries from last summer (from our berry vines) that I never got made into blackberry jam yet. So, I pulled them out yesterday to thaw. I have enough berries to make 8 pints of jam! I'll do that later today!

2. I started making kefir again. As I already mentioned, I have been making kombucha and we went through a gallon of it this week. Most of my kids love it flavored with orange juice. I want to experiment with some different flavoring soon. Back to the kefir...I had bought some starter a while back and still had some in the refrigerator. Kefir is like a drinkable yogurt. It is SO good! Last night I made us some berry smoothies using kefir and milk, then adding some vanilla, honey, and berries. They were SO good!

3. Yesterday was also my day to make bread. We are going to be grilling hamburgers and sausages on Saturday night, so I made 3 loaves of bread, a pan of hamburger buns, and a pan of hotdog buns. They are all in the freezer ready to use when we need them. I would love to make a video sometime soon of how I make my bread. It is 100% whole wheat, using the 2-stage process of soaking the whole wheat flour in buttermilk overnight. This bread is so soft and good! I hope to get a video some sometime soon and loaded on my blog here.

4. I mentioned in a previous post that I set up my cleaning schedule using the program at www.keepandshare.com. Over the school year we had gotten out of the habit of doing a little bit of cleaning each day and ended up doing it all on Friday or Saturday (or not at all...ugh!). This was our first week using our cleaning schedule and it went wonderfully! The kids loved being able to go to the refrigerator and cross off items as they got them done. If you want to see my cleaning calendar, you can find it here: http://www.keepandshare.com/calendar4/show.php?i=689752. Maybe that will give you an idea of how I have set things up. I spread out our weekly cleaning over the week, keeping Fridays for deep cleaning projects. I made up a list of the deep "spring cleaning" items that needed to be done for each room, then divided up the rooms over the year (except December). Then I divided up those deep cleaning items over 4 Fridays of the specified month. For example, May is the month to clean the front porch area. If you go to my calendar, you will see items regarding the front porch area divided up over 4 Fridays in May.

5. This past week I spent some time wrapping up our school records for this past school year. I keep a Microsoft Word file for each year. As I plan for the new year, I type out everything I would like to do for the new year. I start with a page of the things we will be doing together. We like to have a daily read-aloud time, so I include a list of books I want to read aloud to the kids. I also include any educational videos or games I want to include. Next comes a page for each child. I list the subjects to be covered, then the curriculum or materials to be used for each subject. I then use this list to figure out what I need to buy for the new year. I place these lists in my Intentional Planner in my homeschool section. At the end of the year (which is what I did this week), I go back to this Word file and edit it to show what was actually completed during the year. I then print this out and keep it in a manilla folder, along with my lesson plan pages, and file them away. This year I am also going to buy tubs, one for each of my children, to put their completed work in from each year. When I do that (I am going to be buying tubs today), I am going to go back and print out the individual pages for each child for each year and include those in their tub as well - probably keeping them all together in a folder. That way each child will have a nice record of what they completed each year. After I completed this for the past school year, I was amazed at how much we actually accomplished!

6. We are going to continue our read-aloud time through the summer. We all enjoy it so much that we don't want to take a break. So I decided we are going to read through the Little House series. We read through them when my oldest was younger, so it is time to read through them again so the rest of the kids can enjoy them. We completed Little House in the Big Woods and are a ways through Little House on the Prairie. I am always amazed when I read these books at how resourceful they were. They used EVERYTHING and didn't waste ANYTHING! So, while we are reading these for entertainment, we are learning lots in the process as well about resourcefulness, thankfulness, and contentment. What are you reading this summer?

Well, I am out of time for now. I pray each of you have a wonderful weekend!

Love, Sheri

The Ultimate Homeschool Expo - 2009!

2009-05-25T06:24:00.006-05:00

It is time once again for Cindy Rushton's Ultimate Homeschool Expo! Expo Week is June 1-5, so you will want to mark your calendars. Cindy has been recording preview chats over the past few weeks and this Expo is going to be amazing.

Not sure what the Homeschool Expo is all about? Let me share what Cindy is doing...

For a long time, Cindy has had a vision of setting up a homeschool convention online. When she began teaching her Talk-a-Latte Online Seminars, she knew that she had everything in place to go for the dream. So, two years ago, she gave it a try. She hosted the very first Ultimate Homeschool Expo. Last year, she did it again. Each year just gets better and better. Last year was fantastic. But, it pails in comparison to this year's event. It is truly the ULTIMATE event. Best of all, the event is totally FREE for us to join workshops live. If we want the set of audios (that come with access to the members only Membership Site), we can grab the set now and enjoy it for years to come. It is the ONLY convention that NEVER ends! You can attend "these" sessions today and enjoy them for years to come at your leisure. You will love it!

Want to grab the set? I love how you can listen on your computer or you can download these workshops to your Mp3 player and carry them along with you wherever you go. Oh! You can even burn them to a CD. I have learned so much through Cindy's Homeschool Expos each year.

If you buy your set now, through my link, then I will give you an extra bonus! I will email you the download link to my ebook, The Intentional Planner - 2009!

Use the Intentional Planner as you begin your planning for next school year! Yes, I know the year is half over, but this "freebie" will give you a taste of what my Intentional Planner is all about. I have been busy fully expanding, updating, and revising this planner for the brand new 2010 version! You will LOVE it! But, for now, enjoy the 2009 version as a special bonus from me for buying your Homeschool Expo through my link!

Back to the Homeschool Expo....It is hard to capture all of the fun in words. You have just GOT to check it out! I give it my highest recommendation Get the details here!

Again....even if you do not wish to purchase the set and have access to the membership site with all the goodies, you can still listen in "live" for FREE!

Click here for all the details!

If you would like to listen now to the preview chats, you can do so below! Enjoy!

A must see video

2009-05-21T07:38:00.004-05:00

I received this link in my email this morning and this is a life-changing video. This dear woman of God is dying of cancer and shares her message of hope. It is so moving!

Click here to go to the website where you can view the video or listen to the audio (55 minutes long). You will be changed!

Mother's Day Gift for YOU!!!

2009-05-09T21:19:00.005-05:00

I pray that each of you have a blessed Mother's Day!

As my gift to you, I would like to offer a copy of my Baby Steps to Better Health ebook - FREE! In this book I share some of the things that I have begun to implement in our home to improve our health. It really doesn't have to be hard...and I take you by the hand and give you baby steps to work on. I do hope you enjoy this ebook!

To receive this ebook free, you simply need to go to my website by clicking here, add this item to your cart, then enter this discount code at checkout: MOTHER

This special gift will only be available until Tuesday night....so download your copy today (and if you know other ladies that you feel would enjoy this ebook, feel free to pass this information along!).

(Note: This download is a zipped file, which includes the Baby Steps ebook, as well as a bonus ebook - The Master's Indwelling. So once you download the zip file, you will need to "unzip" it in order to have access to these two files. Email me at: bgraham@ilovejesus.net if you have any questions!)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

A whole new tool for homeschooling!

2009-05-08T06:00:00.001-05:00

A few days ago I stumbled upon this wonderful "tool" for homeschooling! I am so excited about it and can't wait to start using it with my younger children (and maybe my older ones too...we'll see).

Sue Patrick has developed a wonderful system using what she calls "workboxes" to organize your day. The idea is that you use workboxes to store items you want your child to work on for the day. You can use anywhere from 6-15 workboxes to store items such as your core subjects (math worksheets/manipulatives, handwriting practice pages, science experiments, etc.) as well as extra fun things for learning and review (such as craft projects, games, a snack, bubbles, playdough, audio book, math flashcards, etc.). These boxes are numbered and are to be worked through in order.

I see this as a wonderful tool to filter into our day all those fun educational type things I have purchased over the years and we never seem to get around to using. There is a wonderful thread over on the Five In a Row forum that you can read to see how others are implementing this system. There are lots of variations...you take the idea and make a system to fit your family and the space you have.

My mind is already filled with all kinds of fun things we can incorporate into our day with these workboxes...I can't wait to get started!

You can purchase the ebook here, then go to her website to register your copy and download all the neat forms and charts to go with it! Take a look! It might be just the motivation you need to jumpstart your homeschooling day!

Free eBook for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Subscribers!

2009-05-06T22:27:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd mention for those of you who are subscribers to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, that I am offering one of my ebooks for free in the Spring Issue. Look for my ad on page 82 for details on how to get a free ebook!

If you are not a current subscriber, you can view the Spring issue absolutely free at this link.

So...get a free digital Spring Issue AND a free book from me! Go check it out!

TEACH Magazine & HSE Magazine - Amazing Deal!

2009-04-29T08:39:00.005-05:00

I have subscribed to TEACH magazine for several years now and it is a wonderful magazine. I have read some sample issues of Home School Enrichment magazine, and it is also FULL of great articles to inspire and encourage. They have teamed up to offer this amazing deal...but it is only good until midnight tomorrow (April 30th). It is also only good for new subscribers.

You can subscribe to one full year of BOTH magazines for only $12.97! Yes, you read that right! This is about half of the normal subscription price for EACH magazine!

If you are not currently subscribed to either of these magazines, I would encourage you to take advantage of this awesome deal! Click here to order...and remember this special is only good until midnight tomorrow (April 30th)!

FREE Videos - MiniSite Profits

2009-04-28T15:40:00.002-05:00

Today I received an email about these free videos. I have not had a chance to watch them all yet, but they looked very informative. If you are interested in starting your own website to help bring in a little income for your family, these may give you some help. I don't know how long he will be offering these for free. You have to register with your email address and he does provide an offer selling one of his products. You don't have to buy it though, and can just click past his promo to the free videos. I hope someone finds these helpful! (Note: Since I have not viewed these videos, I don't know if there is anything offensive in them, such as bad language. So...please keep this in mind when you view them.)

Click
Here To Get FREE Private Access to
This
$197 Value, Life Changing Product!

A Trip to the Zoo!

2009-04-23T16:38:00.004-05:00

Yesterday a friend of mine called to let me know about "free admission" day at the zoo today. So...I rounded the kids up this morning, packed a lunch, and headed out for the zoo. We had a lot of fun. The younger ones don't remember going to a zoo before so it was all new to them. We took lots of pictures! The above is a collage my oldest daughter put together of our day. Enjoy!

More beautiful paintings

2009-04-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a couple more of my daughter's painting projects...

My daughter gave me this beautiful painting that she recently did. It sits on an easel on our piano in the dining room. Isn't is beautiful?

This is a picture frame that my daughter painted as a birthday gift for her grandma. We had a picture of all 5 kids that we placed in the photo frame. She loved her gift!

Kombucha & Water Kefir!

2009-04-22T07:19:00.003-05:00

I was privileged to get to know Julie at Cultures for Health. A couple months ago Julie sent me some samples to try and I am so excited to share with you my experience! I have been wanting to try making Kombucha for a LONG time, but haven't been brave enough. So...Julie sent me a Kombucha Scoby and some water kefir grains to try.

I started both of these going and my kids absolutely LOVED the water kefir! I was making a quart a day. It has a "fizz" to it, like soda, and a sweet taste. We liked it mixed with a little orange juice...oh so good! You can also add flavors to this drink to make some flavored soda!

The Kombucha takes longer to make. It has to brew for at least a week. I started making a quart at a time, now I am up to making a half-gallon jar. (See picture to the left.) When the Kombucha is done brewing, it kind of tastes like apple cider vinegar. We like this mixed with orange juice as well. I know that you can flavor Kombucha, but I haven't tried to do this yet. I'm sure adding some flavor to it would make it taste better to drink straight.

I ended up putting my water kefir grains away for a bit (we liked it A LOT, but it was a busy time for me and it was too much at the time to keep making it every day!). So I have the dehydrated grains stored in a glass pint jar in my refrigerator - ready to pull out later and get that going again!

You are probably wondering what the big deal is about these drinks....well, they are VERY good for you! Kombucha, after it is done brewing, is packed with b-vitamins. Water kefir grains allow for the fermentation of sugar water or juice to create a carbonated lacto-fermented beverage. I am so glad I was brave enough to give these a try!

If these two drinks don't spark your interest, you may be interested in making some sourdough or yogurt. Julie at Cultures for Health has some great starters to help get you going. Click here to go to the Cultures for Health website and order yourself some starters today! This is a wonderful step to providing healthy foods for your family.

Spring is here and a yummy recipe!

2009-04-21T22:22:00.004-05:00

I have been busy around here taking care of my family. Sorry I haven't had much time to post. I have mapped out what we need to accomplish before the end of this school year and am already charting out our studies for next year. It has been different this year, as I am really having to buckle down with my high schooler to make sure she gets all her credits in.

As I mentioned in my last post, I found some wonderful ebooks that have been helping me put together classes for my kids. I am finally "getting" it and understanding how I can put together our studies to fit our family using many wonderful resources. I can look at the learning styles and personalities of my kids and tailor their studies just for them. So...I have been very busy (and having lots of fun) planning out our studies for next school year. I am also planning on doing some major spring cleaning very soon! It is amazing how things get so cluttered! I look forward to clearing out some of the clutter in our home.

Along with spring cleaning, there are some habits I really need to work on with the kids...some things in our schedule that we need to improve...so we will take the summer to work on improving in some areas to make our days run smoother.

The weather has been beautiful here this week. Warm and sunny. I got out today and cleaned out one of our flowerbeds. It looks so nice now. My next project is to figure out where I can plant some tomato plants. We LOVE fresh tomatoes and I really want to have some this summer.

I am still praying about my next ebook project. I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head and I am waiting on the Lord to confirm what I am to do right now. I am really trying to "practice what I preach" and keep my family as my first priority. So...unless the Lord gives the green light on something, it will just have to wait :).

I did want to share, before I close, a very yummy recipe that I made up a while back. I had some leftover ham in the freezer and was trying to figure out something to do with it. This is what I came up with. Enjoy!

Cheesy Potatoes & Ham

Start by peeling and cubing up 6-8 potatoes. Steam the potatoes until they are tender. While the potatoes are steaming, you can make the sauce.

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 whole wheat flour
2 cups water
2/3 cup milk
1 heaping tablespoon chicken bouillon (MSG free is best)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cooked ham, chopped

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour until smooth. Add in the water, milk, chicken bouillon, and salt. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.

Once potatoes are done, drain water off, then stir in cheese sauce and the 1 cup ham. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Top with cracker crumbs or bread crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Mango Salsa - My Sister's Recipe

2009-04-13T07:07:00.002-05:00

My sister recently entered a dip recipe contest with her local newspaper. She loves to mess around with recipes and create her own masterpieces...well this salsa recipe is one of them! This is the recipe she entered in the contest. I hope you enjoy it!

Mango Salsa

1 red onion, finely chopped
4 large mangos, chopped
6 jalapenos, finely chopped (remove some seeds)
2 large red bell peppers, finely chopped
1-2 large limes, juiced
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
1 small can crushed pineapple

Mix chopped onions in ice water (1 cup) with 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar. Let soak for 30 minutes.

Chop rest of fruits and vegetables. Mix together. Drain onion and pineapple, and mix all together. Let set for one hour or overnight. Salt to taste. Add 2-4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar to taste.

Memorable Resurrection Sunday Activities

2009-04-09T09:20:00.004-05:00

Here are some neat ideas to consider doing with your family...

Make these fun Resurrection Rolls with your kids as you read the Biblical account of Holy Week.

Make these Resurrection Cookies with your kids the night before Easter. Then wake up to a fun surprise!

Ann at Holy Experience shares how her family makes an Easter Garden.

Do a fun Easter Unit Study together.

Here is another Easter Unit Study.

Ann at Holy Experience shares how to make an Easter Tree (similar to a Jesse Tree for Christmas)!

May each of you have a special Resurrection Sunday!

School Planning for Next Year - FREE Calendar Pages!

2009-04-06T17:31:00.002-05:00

Yes...it is that time of year when I start looking toward next year - buying our curriculum and books to be used, getting all the necessary calendars and charts prepared for my notebook, etc. I know it may seem crazy, but I like to have all my curriculum purchased BEFORE our summer break. That way I can look over all the materials we are to cover the coming year and think and pray about a schedule for our days. This does have its downfalls though :). Each year I order books for all my children to read on their own and books for us to read aloud as a family. When these books come it is all we can do to put them aside and WAIT until next school year! We want to dig into them right away.

As I was preparing some of the forms that I will need for next year, I decided to make a school calendar that I can use to record our read-alouds on and note the number of school days completed. I wanted something that just had Monday through Friday with big boxes to write in. So...this is what I made. These calendar pages are for August 2009 to July 2010. Click here or on the calendar graphic above to download this PDF file.

I will keep these calendars in my Intentional Planner under my school section to record what we read aloud each day. I note the book and the chapters we read. I will also use this calendar to number our school days completed. I will do simply by jotting a "1" on our first day of school, then a "2" on our second day of school and so on...throughout the year. This will be an easy way for me to keep track as we go along how many school days we have completed for the year. I am also using this calendar to indicate holidays and other days we are taking off school. That is ALL this calendar is going to be used for. I have a regular calendar in my Intentional Planner for all my other appointments and things...this one is solely for school.

I hope others will find these pages helpful...I am sitting down now and 3-hole punching them for my notebook. Then I'll start filling in our first day of school, last day of school, and days off for next year. My goal is to have school all mapped out for next year before we take our summer break. That way I can actually have a break too and enjoy some time off!

Happy planning!

Family Bible Readings for Holy Week

2009-04-04T13:48:00.002-05:00

I have been enjoying following the Passionate Homemaking blog and this week she posted a family devotional for Holy Week. These devotional readings were put together by a lady in her church and she is offering it as a free download.

If you are still looking for something to do as a family this coming week to prepare you for Easter, then look no further!

Click here to go to this post where you can download the Family Bible Readings for Holy Week!

More of my daughter's painting

2009-04-04T13:38:00.002-05:00

My daughter watched a couple more Donna Dewberry shows yesterday and this is what she painted! She scanned her paintings and added verses to them. Aren't they beautiful?

This and That

2009-04-03T07:32:00.004-05:00

I haven't had a chance to post much this week, so I thought I'd give you a bit of an update of what is going on here...

1. I am so excited...I received some samples of water kefir grains and a kombucha scoby from a wonderful lady who owns a business online. I have been making water kefir and brewing kombucha the past couple weeks. My kids and I LOVE the water kefir. The kombucha is a bit strong, but I'm going to experiment making it with a different kind of tea and see if that helps. Anyway...I look forward to posting more about these in the coming weeks. I also plan on doing an interview with this wonderful lady (Julie), and introducing you to her wonderful online business. Watch for that coming soon!

2. I have also been praying about what ebook project I should work on next. I have had several ask me about expanding my ebook on how to create ebooks. I have learned so much since I first published that little booklet...I can expand it into a full-fledged ebook now! That is one option...another idea I am pondering is taking a book I found in the public domain (Intermediate Language Lessons by Emma Serl) and making it into a workbook. This looks like a wonderful Charlotte Mason style language arts book for grades 4-6, but I think it would be great if it had room to write in the answers, lines to do the copywork, etc...all within the book. Is anyone interested if I work on this and make it into an ebook? I would probably divide it up and make it into three ebooks...one for each year. What do you think? If there is enough interest, I may work on this one first...we'll see!

3. We have had amazingly cold weather here lately. We got about a foot of snow last weekend! I am ready to get outside and clean up the flowerbeds and figure out if I am going to do some gardening this year. We already have an apricot tree, grape vines, and blackberry vines. But...we would love to have some fresh tomatoes..and maybe some potatoes too. The way our backyard is, it is mostly shaded by our house, so it may be a bit tricky finding a sunny spot. I told my husband the front flowerbed would be a good sunny spot for some tomatoes!

4. I still plan on continuing the Motherhood Lessons Series from Matthew next week. I look forward to sharing what the Lord has been showing me as I read through Matthew.

5. I have been experimenting with something new regarding meal planning. I have started to plan two weeks worth of meals at a time, getting two weeks of groceries at one time too. The off week I only end up buying milk, eggs, and fresh veggies for salads. So far it is going great! Some have asked how I can plan meals in advance like that and still shop sales. Well...here is what we do. When there is something on sale (like meat, cheeses, etc.), we go ahead and stock up even if it is not on our grocery list for that week. Then, when I go to make my menus for the two weeks, I look through our freezer and try to plan meals using what we have. All leftovers are incorporated into another meal. Leftover veggies and meat is saved and used to make a taco soup...leftover chili is saved and served over potatoes with cheese for another meal, etc. It has been working great and has saved me from having to go grocery shopping every week. On the off weeks my husband can stop for me and pick up the few things we need from town on his way home from work. We live in a small town with no Walmart. Our closest Walmart is about 15 minutes away. So...it is nice to save on the gas and time too.

6. I have been busy planning and buying the things we will need for school next year. The kids always look forward to receiving their new books and end up reading some of their readers over the summer!

7. Another project I will be working on soon is totally updating, revising, and expanding my Intentional Planner. As I have used it personally, I have tweaked it and made it more user-friendly...I will be sharing all about that, as well as adding in detailed instructions, ideas, etc., in the new Intentional Planner for 2010! Watch for that updated version coming out late this summer. I am hoping to have it done before school starts in the fall! You are going to LOVE it! I will also be included some brand new pretty covers you can use...and so much more!

Well...now that I've written a book, I better go ;). I look forward to posting more next week...have a wonderful weekend!

Love, Sheri

My Recipe Made It In a New Gooseberry Patch Cookbook!

2009-03-31T06:00:00.001-05:00

I was so excited today to receive a letter from Gooseberry Patch letting me know that they selected my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for a new cookbook they have coming out this summer! Quite a few months ago I went on their website and entered several of my recipes for consideration...boy was I surprised! I guess this must be a good recipe that I came up with...it is our Thursday morning breakfast every week!

This muffin recipe is posted on Nourishing Cookbook blog, but I thought I'd post it here as well. The first recipe uses the 2-stage process of soaking the whole wheat flour. The second recipe does not include this step. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS - USING THE 2-STAGE PROCESS

The Day Before, mix up the following in a plastic bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and let sit out on the counter until the next morning. (I actually start these a whole 24 hours before I want to bake them. Allowing the flour to soak for 24 hours gives you the best nutritional benefit! So…get this soaking the morning before you want them for breakfast.)

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup buttermilk (can use homemade)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted

The Next Morning: Add the following and mix well with a mixer until the batter is smooth and the lumps of flour are gone:

4 eggs
1 15-oz. Can pumpkin

Next, mix in the rest of the dry ingredients with the mixer:

2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt

Then stir in the chocolate chips:

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Put in greased muffin tins (see note below). Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Yield: 24-30 muffins

Note: I like to use the silicone (rubber-like) muffin pans. You don't have to grease the pans at all and the muffins pop right out! The muffins also bake very evenly and nice in these pans.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs
1 cup honey
1 15-oz. Can pumpkin
½ cup butter, melted
1 cup applesauce
2 cups chocolate chips

Mix (sift) flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. In a separate bowl mix eggs, honey (or sugar), pumpkin, melted butter, and applesauce. Combine wet and dry ingredients. When well mixed, add chocolate chips. Put in greased muffin tins (see note below). Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 24 muffins. These muffins freeze well too!

Note: I like to use the silicone (rubber-like) muffin pans. You don't have to grease the pans at all and the muffins pop right out! The muffins also bake very evenly and nice in these pans.

My Math Plan

2009-03-30T07:58:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd share real quick this morning what my "plan" is now for math, beginning in Kindergarten and on up through high school. This plan may not work for everyone, but it may give you some ideas to get you started. Ok...here we go.

We are currently using this ebook for Kindergarten math and are loving it! We do one page a day and it is not overwhelming at all. I like the ebook format, because that means I can use it for all my children that are coming up! I love it!

I plan on using one of these two math programs for Grades 1-3. I really like the Spectrum workbooks...so I may go with that. They are similar to the Advantage Math we are using for Kindergarten. There is a workbook for each grade and are available in ebook format here.

Another option is Miquon Math. There are 6 workbooks for Grades 1-3, and are available in ebook format here. I like this program, but it would take more time to teach. It is manipulative based so would be great for a hands-on learner. I have bought the Annotated Notes (teacher's book) and the orange book (the first book for 1st Grade) to take a look at it.

I may end up trying the Spectrum math workbook first and if I don't feel my 1st grader is "getting it", then switch to Miquon.

After Grade 3, I plan on going with Teaching Textbooks. I just LOVE Teaching Textbooks. We have used the Grade 5, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra I books so far with my kids. I ordered the Grade 6 and Geometry books for next year. My kids love this math program and they can do it fully on their own.

*******************************

I hope this has given you some ideas for math programs. Have fun teaching your kids!

How to Cut Your Grocery Budget in Half - Free Report!

2009-03-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I just downloaded this very helpful report from Susanne at Hillbilly Housewife. I thought some of you may enjoy taking a look at it as well. In these tough times we are all looking for ways to cut costs. I know I plan on sitting down and reading through this report and gleaning any ideas I can!

You can download this free report here.

If you sign up for her newsletter, you can receive a Meal Planning Guide as well...free!

Click here to download this free report today!

My Daughter's Painting Blog

2009-03-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

This past week, my daughter decided she wanted to create a painting blog. She wanted to have a place to post pictures of her paintings. Then she had the idea of creating instructional videos, showing how to paint certain things, and then post them on her painting blog...painting lessons for you to watch!

You can go to her painting blog and watch her first painting lesson here. Be sure to subscribe to her blog to be notified as she posts more lessons. She has two more she is finishing up and will be posting them soon.

Book Review: Countdown to Easter

2009-03-24T06:00:00.004-05:00

I just had to tell you about this wonderful new ebook by Amy Puetz, Countdown to Easter! Last year I had purchased her Countdown to Christmas ebook and was so excited to see one now for Easter!

Amy has put together a collection of stories and activities to do each day as a family, beginning the Monday before Palm Sunday (this year that is March 30th) through Easter Sunday. Each day has a story and activity that will take from 30-45 minutes to complete. What a wonderful way to build some family memories together...and prepare your hearts for Easter.

The stories are all from the 1800's and early 1900's and the activities include things such as games, crafts, cooking, riddles, quizzes, singing carols, etc. Your family will LOVE gathering together each day to enjoy reading the stories and doing the activities.

Amy is offering a special sale on this ebook this week! Normally priced at $16.95....but you can get this ebook this week for only $9.95! Also included is a 25-page bonus ebook filled with some extras (coloring pages, hymns, etc.).

To get this special sale price, just enter the discount code: EGG at checkout. I believe this special discount is only good through this week...so grab your copy today and be ready to begin next Monday!

CLICK HERE to go to Amy's site to read more about this wonderful ebook and to see sample pages. You will LOVE it!

Easter Giveaway from The Old Schoolhouse

2009-03-23T08:19:00.004-05:00

Thanks again to Econobusters.com for letting me know about this wonderful giveaway from The Old Schoolhouse! You can download this Easter set absolutely FREE!

Included in this set:

The Real Easter Story Unit Study
The Real Easter Story Copywork Pages
Easter Place Tags

CLICK HERE to download these today!

Yummy Green Smoothie

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have created a yummy green smoothie recipe that my kids just LOVE. I thought I'd share it with you. These smoothies are great to have with breakfast or as a snack...and they are very nutritious! Yes, I know it has spinach in it...but believe me you don't taste it at all! Why not give it a try? You'll LOVE it!

YUMMY GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 big handful spinach
2 cups orange juice
1 frozen banana
1 large handful frozen strawberries
2 dropper-fuls of Lemon Drop Liquid Stevia (or you can use 1/4 cup honey or sugar-sweeten to taste)
milk

How to make:

Put a big handful of spinach in your blender. Here is a picture so you can see how much spinach I mean when I say a big handful.

Next, add the 2 cups of orange juice and blend on high until the spinach is blended up well. It should look like this:

Next, add in the frozen banana and strawberries, sweetener, and enough milk to fill up the blender. Blend on high until all is well blended. It should look like this:

Now get some nice big glasses and fill them with your nutritious smoothie. My kids love drinking theirs with a straw like this:

These smoothies are great for breakfasts or snacks. Enjoy!

Free eBook - How to Survive the Economic Meltdown

2009-03-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, our economy is the worst it has been in a long time. This has made me even more aware of some things that we should be doing to prepare for hard days that may be ahead. As my husband and I talked about this, we discussed how we must find a balance of being wise but not going overboard. Are there things that we can be doing to survive this economic crisis? Should be be doing some "preparations" - storing up food and water, getting out of debt, etc.?

I personally think so! But....not only do we need to prepare for our physical needs, but we need to prepare spiritually as well. I found a great resource that you won't want to miss....a free ebook called How to Survive the Economic Meltdown by Patrick Morley.

I want to thank Econobusters.com for posting a link to this free ebook this past week. I have only briefly looked over it this morning, but plan to sit down this afternoon and read it through. It looks like a fabulous resource! This ebook is free to download OR you can purchase a hard copy if you wish. Click on the book graphic above or click here to go to the website. You will find the link for the free PDF at the top right of the web page.

Again...I HIGHLY recommend you take the time to read through this ebook! Enjoy!

Values-Driven March Madness Sale!

2009-03-18T07:25:00.004-05:00

Today kicks off the 2-for-1 “March Madness” Sale at ValuesDrivenFamily.com. All of us moms could use some encouragement and fresh inspiration once in a while, and there is definitely something in these two seminar packages for everyone! I have listened to some of Cindy's seminars and they are full of encouragement.

Here’s just one testimonial about the “Muddling through Motherhood” audio seminar package, written by Lisa Guyer, a mom of three (www.riseofthehome.com):

“I was greatly encouraged by your "Muddling Through Motherhood" seminar. It opened my eyes to many different truths about this season of my life. Mainly, it reminded me that my 'muddling' was because of a problem with myself and not necessarily a problem with my children. You not only reminded me of that but gave me practical ways to begin my journey of changing my attitude and seeing progress. The self-examination checklist also took something that could become overwhelming (the thought of changing my basic outlook on being a mother) and broke it down into simple, step by step goals that seem very attainable. Thank you for taking the time to bless us by putting these thoughts together.”

Check out this resource AND “Defeating Depression: Cooperating with God to Experience Victory over Negative Emotions,” available for the next three days only for just $10! And get a BONUS FREE AUDIO while you’re at the site. CLICK HERE to pick up your set today!

Book Reviews: My Alphabet & Number Pictures & Type Write

2009-03-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

I have had the privilege of reviewing a copy of My Alphabet and Number Pictures by Diane Hurst. This workbook is a collection of art activities and penmanship practice and can be used for children grade K-2. There are 82 activity pages. Diane has done a wonderful job of creating a simple way for younger children to practice beginning penmanship. This ebook is available as a softcover book or downloadable ebook. You can view sample pages and/or purchase a copy here. Take a look!

Diane forwarded another ebook that she has completed called Type Write Touch Typing. This is a wonderful program for learning to type. Some typing programs use just syllables to practice letters...this program uses words and sentences which are much more meaning to students. This program takes roughly 90 days or half of a school year to complete. This is available in ebook format only. You can view sample pages and/or purchase a copy here.

***************************

I am really excited about both of these books. Diane Hurst is a homeschool mom who has been homeschooling for 20 years! She has developed these materials over her years of homeschooling and is now beginning to make them available for others to use as well. She has more ebooks in the works too! I'll let you know about those when they are available. Good job Diane!

***************************

I also wanted to pass on an idea that Diane shared with me regarding Bible memorization. Here are Diane's thoughts...

Hello Sheri,

I looked at the memory verse system you are using, and it looks very good. I have an idea for using verse cards that you might want to share with people. It is not as elaborate as the card box system, but it is easy to do and works well for me. I bought a "coupon organizer" (at Target for $1), which is just a miniature expanding file. There were exactly seven spaces between the dividers, and so I labeled them for each day of the week. I chose some verses and put one in each pocket. And I decided on a time that I would look at each day's verse (for me, it is after my afternoon nap). I just go over the same verses each week, and plan to continue doing this until I know them pretty well. This idea was an inspiration I had when I realized that the devotion time I had had during the summer just wasn't happening anymore during the school year. It is easy to implement this, and if I forget, I just keep trying the next day.

Have a good week.

Diane

HUGE Sale at Living on a Dime!

2009-03-17T06:56:00.002-05:00

Living on a Dime is throwing a HUGE sale on a bunch of their ebooks. You can get 17 money-saving ebooks for only $17...from now until March 23rd.

You will not believe all that is included in this ebook package:

Supermarket Savings 101 eCourse (by Crystal Paine-excellent!)
Grocery Shopping on a Budget eCourse
Money Saving Meats ebook
Saving on Cleaning Supplies ebook
Eating Healthy on a Budget ebooklet
Is Eating Out Eating You Up ebook
Grocery Savings ebook
Menus That Make Cents ebook
Plan Ahead Leftovers ebook
Quick Dinners ebook
Menus on a Dime ebook
Kids' Recipes ebook
Simply Centsible Breakfasts
Simply Centsible Suppers
Crockpot Recipes
Menu Planning Made Easy (Yes, this is one of my ebooks that is being offered too!)
224 Meals in a Hurry ebook

This package is valued at $115.40...but you can get yours today for only $17!

Click here to go to their website for more details on these ebooks and how you can purchase!

Freezer Cooking Basics - FREE Article

2009-03-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hillbilly Housewife is offering a free article called Freezer Cooking Basics. This article is very helpful if you would like to begin preparing foods to put in your freezer. I don't know about you, but it is always such a help to have a few meals made up ahead of time in the freezer. We all have days that do not go as planned, and being able to pull a meal out of the freezer at the last minute is such a blessing!

I also find that it is much easier to offer a meal to a family in need when the need arises if I already have meals prepared ahead of time. Check out this helpful article today...also included are several recipes you can try!

CLICK HERE to download your FREE copy today!

Our Five Blessings

2009-03-16T16:01:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken last night on our front porch. Our lives are so FULL of these five blessings! I wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you, Lord, for our precious children!

Homeschooling a Kindergartner

2009-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd do a quick post and share what I am doing with my kindergartner for school. I know there are big fancy curriculums out there that I could use, but based on the time I have I have decided to make things as simple as possible. I have two older children (16 and 10), and then three younger children (5, 2, and 1). Maybe some of you are in the same boat as me...so I thought I'd share a bit how we have chosen to do things.

My two older children mostly work on their own, coming to me with questions as needed. We do all our history and most of our science all together in the afternoons, but the older two do their math, language arts, reading, etc. on their own.

In the morning while my older two are doing their schoolwork, I take some time to work with the younger ones. The following is what I am doing with my 5-year-old son:

LEARNING TO READ: I am currently using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and love it! It only takes about 15-20 minutes to sit down and work through the lesson with my son. I then have him do the writing worksheet that goes with each lesson. Those worksheets can be downloaded for free at this website. We usually do 3 to 4 lessons a week. We are on lesson 21 and so far my son is really enjoying it. This book is fairly inexpensive and is one I highly recommend, especially if you have other children who take your time. You CAN have time to teach your little ones to read and enjoy it too! This book is not consumable, so it can be used over and over with each child coming up!

BASIC MATH SKILLS: I found a neat workbook that I am using for math. It is called Advantage Math: Kindergarten, and can be found in ebook form here. I just have my son do 1 page a day (we only do 3-4 per week however). He is really liking it. It starts out very basic and has been pretty easy so far for him. But I don't want to overwhelm him at first anyway, so it has been great.

One reason I liked this in ebook format is that I can use it for my other two younger children when they are ready. In fact, I might use this series up through 4th grade. After that, I like the Teaching Textbooks for math. Teaching Textbooks currently has curriculum for 5th grade through high school. I see the Grade 4 books will be released soon too. I LOVE this series of math books (my 4th grader and 10th grader are currently using these and love them!) and plan to use them after the beginning years of math instruction.

BIBLE: I have been using this Day by Day Kid's Bible to read to my younger children each day. It is written in an understandable way...so that my 10-year-old on down to my 2-year-old can understand it. I love it and the kids look forward to our reading each day. This would also be a perfect Bible for kids to read on their own. I have just chosen to do our reading all together for now. You can buy this Bible here.

****************************************

Besides these three basic areas, my younger ones enjoy watching science and history DVDs with the older children, playing games together, cuddling and reading books, etc. As you can see, homeschooling a kindergartner does not have to be hard, take a lot of money, or a lot of time. They can learn the basic skills they need through these few "books" and the rest they can learn simply through living life together.

I hope this is an encouragement to those of you who may feel you are not giving the time needed to school your kindergartner. Relax! You CAN do this! Get on your knees, seek the Lord's direction, then get a hold of these few resources to get you started. Have fun...and enjoy those kids!

Oatmeal & Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

2009-03-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Breakfast is such a fun meal to plan for! I love fixing healthy, frugal breakfasts. I thought I'd share one of our favorites...Oatmeal Breakfast Bars made with leftover Oatmeal! I got the original recipes from here, but have changed it a bit. My family doesn't really enjoy Oatmeal by itself, so I make a batch of Oatmeal and use it for these Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. It is enough to make 3 batches of bars. I cook up one batch for breakfast, then divide up the leftover oatmeal into two freezer containers and put them in the freezer for another breakfast later on. My kids love these bars...Enjoy!

OATMEAL

3 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
3 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons milled flax seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. THE NIGHT BEFORE: In a large plastic or glass bowl, mix up the rolled oats, 3 cups water, milled flax seeds, lemon juice, and wheat flour. Mix well and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let sit on your counter over night.

2. THE NEXT MORNING: Dump the mixture into a pot, along with the 2 cups water and sea salt. Bring to a simmer and let cook for a few minutes.

3. Serve the oatmeal with honey or other sweetener, dried fruit and nuts for toppings, along with milk.

Note: If you serve the oatmeal as a meal, then take your leftovers (if you have any) and scoop 2-cup portions into freezer containers.

OATMEAL BREAKFAST BARS

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups leftover oatmeal (from recipe above or your own)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup peanut butter (we like chunky)
1/2 cup extras (raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)

In a large bowl, cream the butter, honey, egg, and vanilla. Add in the oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and peanut butter. Mix well. Stir in any "extras".

Spread into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Notes: These bars are so yummy for breakfast! They would also make a great healthy snack!

We have the sickies

2009-03-12T08:13:00.003-05:00

When I made up my batch of GOOT last week, I never dreamed we would actually be needing it any time soon! Well...I've been sick the past few days with all-over body aches, low fever, very sore throat, and swollen glands in my neck. I have been putting the GOOT on my feet and on the swollen glands on my neck the last couple days and I am feeling much better today. I have also been drinking hot honey and cinnamon tea. I just heat a mug of water, add in some honey and as much cinnamon as I can stand and drink it up. It tastes pretty good and feels so good on my throat!

Anyway....Now this morning my 5-year-old woke up and said his throat hurt. Guess it's time to go get the GOOT out of the refrigerator and put it to good use again!

Winning the Credit Card Game - eBook Sale!

2009-03-10T20:33:00.002-05:00

I love ALL of the ebooks from Living on a Dime...and I thought this one might be of interest to some of you in light of the economy.

Tawra and Mike Kellam were able to pay off $20,000 in credit card debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year income! In addition, they saved over $67,000 in interest that they would have paid if they had done nothing! They even financed a business loan for $40,000 at 0% interest!

After receiving many requests to share how they did this, they have written their newest e-book, "Winning the Credit Card Game."

This ebook is on sale this week only for just $5.00!

CLICK HERE to go to the Living on a Dime website to purchase your copy today.