The Value of Friends

I have another subject that I'm going to post on today, but this topic really came to my attention this weekend and I felt a need to express it.

For the past couple of weeks I've had some medical issues I've been dealing with. I ended up in the emergency room on Saturday. Without going into all the details, which is not what this post is about, I was reminded of what fantastic people I have surrounding me. It brings me to tears to think that God has given these people into my life and that they each have a purpose there. It is still so amazing to me when I have a moment of clarity and see His hand on a situation and all the people He touches and brings together for a specific purpose.

So, to my friends who were there for me these last few days, thank you from the bottom of my heart....

Michelle
Sharon
Amy
Jeanne
Jen

and I don't want to leave out a new special person who has added his prayers along with his mother's, Logan - my daughter's sweet new boyfriend.

I am so blessed beyond measure to have all of you in my life. What a true gift from God! - even you Jeanne! ;)

Fun Friday

Every Friday is going to be.....can you guess...... Yep, Fun Friday! I have to admit this is not only for your benefit but for mine as well. It forces me to find fun things for my kids to do. Not that we don't do fun things...I'm talking things that normally wouldn't come to my mind. (I'm usually so busy that not much comes to mind at all!) I mean, it's not like we sit in our chairs day in and day out and stare at our books but we could use a little extra creativity in our week, y'know?

While doing some searching I came across this great idea!

Time Capsules

We've all heard of them. Here's some ideas on how to put one together.

1. Get a sturdy, fairly large piece of Tupperware or other container with a tight-fitting lid and a bunch of Ziploc bags for the individual items. The container should be about twice the size of a shoebox, or a little larger. If you like, you can get smaller containers for each child, so they can have their own private time capsules inside the big one.

2. What to put in it: Here are some tips:

-Don't put anything in that you're going to need, want or miss in the next ten or twenty years.

-Make it personal. People a hundred years from now will be curious about who you were and how you lived.

-If you're putting in paper, make sure that it's acid-free -- or spray it with paper antacid (you can get it at hobby stores).

-Don't count on being able to use CDs, CD-ROMs, floppies, audio and videotape cassettes and the like when you open the capsule; standards for that kind of thing change quickly.

-If you're going to use recordings, try to get them on as many different media as possible.

Here are some ideas to consider:

• Photographs


• Awards


• Stories and drawings by the kids


• Report cards (most kids will be pretty glad to see them go)


• Buy 10 shares of stock in a corporation and put the certificates in the capsule


• A list of predictions from each child, for the future in general and their future in particular


• A description of and by each kid


• A letter to the people who find it


• A letter describing your lives for the past year or so


• Anything small of sentimental value


• Favorite toys, dolls and stuffed animals (but make sure they won't be too missed)


• Postcards to the future from the past

How do you pack it? Put everything in its own individual Ziploc and squeeze out all the air. Arrange in the capsule snugly, but don't cram it in. Try to fold papers as little as possible. Label all photographs with a pencil, or better yet write captions on a separate sheet of paper and just number the pictures with a pencil.

Be sure to include a list of what's in the box. Include descriptions, the more complete, the better: **Don't forget today's date!**

Restaurant supply stores sell little packs of silica gel to control humidity. Get some and throw a few in (but be careful, because they're very poisonous).

Put the lid on and tie or tape it shut. Using an indelible marker, label the outside with your names, current address, phone numbers, email addresses and any other contact info you can think of. If someone else finds it, you want to make it easy for them to find you.

"src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZrucBjYUkrBjBentU9NN8lQB81QqPGBlLH9d3ccF3v47JgSJR6IZDI09MwsvQxIR_SVIYkZE_PgavN02QhW7t0uwNKaXFexOoQffldGr1HEzeq4TQpI2xWXfOqVKM0udfZh0WMZ-wkc/s320/timecapsulepic1.jpg"
If you bury it, make sure it's deep enough not to be disturbed by floods, dogs and the like, and that it's far from trees and other potentially large vegetation with deep roots. Three or four feet is good enough for the depth of the hole.

DON'T bury it on land that isn't yours. For one thing, the land could be sold or developed over the years. For another, it's illegal.

I have used these ideas from iVillage and changed the wording a bit. To see the original article go here.

Pumpkin Seed Mosaic

I came across this while searching for pumpkin related themes and thought this was a great idea for those pumpkin seeds! Usually, in our family we roast them and eat them but not all of us are partial to this pasttime. So, maybe we'll try this after carving our pumpkins this year.

Make your own mosaic ... Don't throw those pumpkin seeds away! Roast a few and paint the rest for a spectacular work of art.

What You Need:

Pumpkin Seeds (clean)
Tempera paint (dark colors)
Paint brush
Shallow container
Thick paper (poster board)
Glue
Pencils
Wax paper or newspaper

What You Do:

Choose a few paint colors.

Put the seeds into a shallow dish, squirt some paint on the seeds and mix the paint around until all seeds are covered in paint. Do this for as many colors as you need.

Spread the seeds out on wax paper (or newspaper) and let dry.

While you are waiting for the seeds to dry, you can draw a picture onto some poster paper. Some ideas include masks, fish or wild designs.

Try to keep it simple, remember, you will be "coloring in" with seeds.

When the seeds are dry, they can be arranged and glued onto the poster paper in the appropriate areas.

***If you are feeling really adventurous, try using plaster instead of glue to create the mosaics.

Work quickly as plaster has a very quick set time. Also, never pour plaster down the sink. Wait for it to dry and throw it in the garbage.

***You can always use dried beans, lentils, popcorn or other types of seeds for this project ... you don't need to use pumpkin seeds. In fact, if you use dried beans, you can leave them in their natural colorful state (black eyed peas, red kidney beans etc).

How God Carves a Pumpkin, A Family Activity

Written by Lori at Heart of the Matter

With cooler breezes ushering in, autumn hues surrounding us, and shorter days, it’s clear that FALL has arrived! With this incredible season comes the bountiful harvest and fields filled with PUMPKINS!

One of our favorite FALL activities has been carving a pumpkin with a lovely and HAPPY face. Several years ago a friend of mine shared an incredible family activity that we have adapted for our family. It’s proven to be a FABULOUS BIBLE STUDY, even for the tiniest carvers. It’s a great way to share some wonderful passages while engaging in a FUN, family activity! Why not pop some popcorn, throw in some candy corn, invite a few friends from church and make it a tradition!

How God carves a pumpkin

Create a pumpkin. Make it big, little, short, tall fat or skinny. No matter which, it will be a WONDERFUL pumpkin.
“Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being? Isaiah 66:2

Harvest the pumpkin when it’s fully ready.
“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Hold the pumpkin gently as you cleanse the dirt outside, washing all the dirt away.
“Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sin. Acts 22:16

Make an opening at the top, Search into the dark cavity for anything that needs to be removed.
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind to reward according to conduct and deeds. Jeremiah 17:10

Remove all the stringy pulp and slime, and clean out the entire cavity.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God.” Psalm 51:10

Give that pumpkin a big set of eyes so that he may see all the good around him.
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” Luke 10:23

Carve a nice nose so that he can take in the wonderful scents of the world.
“Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart.” Proverbs 27:9

Carve a great big SMILE so that he can bring JOY to anyone who sees him.
“A cheerful look brings joy to the heart of others.” Proverbs 15:30

Make the pumpkin glow all over with a little white light inside.
“God said, “let light shine out of the darkness,” and made His light shine in our hearts.
2Corinthians 4:6

Rejoice in the “NEW” pumpkin that has been created and given new life.
“Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:6

Place the pumpkin in the perfect spot so that the light will guide others.
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise the Father in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16

The Lifecycle of a Pumpkin

We're doing our first lapbook on Cinderella. Here is Ainsley learning about....you guessed it...pumpkins!

We found this unit study on homeschoolshare.com. Enjoy!

New Look!

Hi y'all! Wow! Holy cow! I can't believe it!

Ok, so I'm a little excited about my new look. It's been a long time in coming with a lot of headaches along the way. It's been a while since I've dabbled in computer graphics and I had to figure out how to use GIMP to get my photo into the header. After figuring out how to do that, I had to remember a few HTML lessons I'd learned a few years ago.

If you like my template, please thank Template-Mama! All of her templates are FREE! One day, I will figure out how to do one of my own from scratch. I'm learning... :) If you're looking for a new look, too, please visit her site. Her templates are awesome - and FREE! Who doesn't like free stuff?

And by the way, in case you're wondering...for those who follow my blog....I used to be "Cherry Soup". So, don't panic thinking some crazy person snuck (sneaked?) into your feed reader...it's just me. I look forward to getting back in the swing of things.

Speaking of the "swing of things" - pray for time management for me, if you will. I'm starting my 2nd quarter of college on Wednesday and will be busier than a one-armed paper hanger again (which was why I'd stopped blogging over the summer...that, and surgery). Say, what kind of paper do paper hangers hang, anyway? Is that a million dollar question?

So...thanks for reading! :)

Re-do coming up!

I apologize to those who actually follow my blog. I have been terribly intermittent of late. I've been struggling with my content and the look and feel. I am getting ready to do a complete overhaul of my blog and hopefully discover something that people will actually want to read. :) I'm putting it in God's hands as to what direction He wants me to take with it.

Stay tuned.... ;)