Wednesday, November 24, 2010
2010 Gratitude Challenge - November 24
For the month of November Our Homeschool Reviews will be participating in a Gratitude Challenge hosted by Brenda at Garden of Learning. For each day, I'll post about something I am thankful for.
Today I am thankful for...Generosity!! Today my daughter and I planted ourselves at a local grocery store for two hours ringing the Salvation Army bell. I wasn't sure how it was going to go at first. It only took her 15 minutes to ask for a chair (lucky I had our folding chairs in the car). She was a trooper and rang that bell, the whole time saying, "Good Morning", "Hi", "Thank You", "Happy Thanksgiving", "Have a Good Day", and "May God Bless You." If you were lucky, you were told all of the above...lol!
Today I am thankful for...Generosity!! Today my daughter and I planted ourselves at a local grocery store for two hours ringing the Salvation Army bell. I wasn't sure how it was going to go at first. It only took her 15 minutes to ask for a chair (lucky I had our folding chairs in the car). She was a trooper and rang that bell, the whole time saying, "Good Morning", "Hi", "Thank You", "Happy Thanksgiving", "Have a Good Day", and "May God Bless You." If you were lucky, you were told all of the above...lol!
I was amazed at the number of people who gave money into that little red bucket! I would say that at least 70% of those who walked into the store gave something. I was not expecting the number to be that high. Maybe it had something to do with that adorable little girl in the over sized apron...maybe not. It was just nice to share that holiday spirit with others and exchange smiles with strangers!
Wordless Wednesday: The Good Year Blimp
This was back in October. That is the peak of our roof. That blimp was way closer than this picture shows (click on the pictures to enlarge them). It was pretty cool!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Recipe Share
As Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted to share a wonderful, quick, and easy recipe I received from someone a few years ago. Since then I have cooked this each year, around this season. It is great any time of day, but especially good first thing in the morning. The smell just says "November!"
Does anyone else have any good recipes? If so, please feel free to share!
Pumpkin Nut Dessert
For Crust:
1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 C)
½ C margarine
1 egg
Reserve 1 cup of the dry cake mix. Using remainder of cake mix, blend together with ½ cup margarine and 1 egg. Pat mixture into bottom and up sides of ungreased 9x13 pan.
For Filling:
1 large can pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 C milk
1 C sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
Mix filling ingredients together and pour over crust in pan.
For Topping:
Reserved cake mix (1 C)
¾ C sugar
¼ C margarine
1 C nuts (walnuts or pecans)
Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of filling. Bake for 50 min at 350 degrees.
2010 Gratitude Challenge - November 23
For the month of November Our Homeschool Reviews will be participating in a Gratitude Challenge hosted by Brenda at Garden of Learning. For each day, I'll post about something I am thankful for.
Today I am thankful for...Friends!! I am very thankful to have several friends who I can talk to, laugh with, and confide in.
Before having our daughter, I pretty much kept to myself. At work I didn't socialize too much, ate lunch in the break room, and certainly didn't go out after work. It was just my husband, myself, and our families.
Then I became a stay at home mom. It wasn't until after the first year when I realized I needed to start getting her out more. I had to...socialize...lol! Since then, through playdates, birthday parties, activities, and mom groups, I have made some wonderful friends...hopefully lifelong friends!!
Today I am thankful for...Friends!! I am very thankful to have several friends who I can talk to, laugh with, and confide in.
Before having our daughter, I pretty much kept to myself. At work I didn't socialize too much, ate lunch in the break room, and certainly didn't go out after work. It was just my husband, myself, and our families.
Then I became a stay at home mom. It wasn't until after the first year when I realized I needed to start getting her out more. I had to...socialize...lol! Since then, through playdates, birthday parties, activities, and mom groups, I have made some wonderful friends...hopefully lifelong friends!!
Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado Book Review
This was an excellent book and it was hard to put it down. It was so good I had to get my yellow highlighter as I read. :o)
Someone asked the question recently, "At your funeral, what do you want those who survive you to say?" What defines you? Are you a good housekeeper? Do you care for your family? Are you an animal lover? Can you save a buck? Do you make a mean potato salad? Some of those are true for me, but this book made me think...I can do more, I have to do more!
Chapter 2 is titled Calling Mr Pot Roast. Max shows us how God uses the common Joe to do extraordinary things!
"We are Joe Pot Roast. Common Folk. We sit in the bleachers, eat at dinners, change diapers, and wear our favorite team's ball cap. Fans don't wave as we pass. Servants don't scurry when we come home. Chauffeurs don't drive our cars; butlers don't open our doors or draw our baths. Doormen don't greet us, and security doesn't protect us. We, like the Jerusalem disciples, are regular folk. Does God use the common Joe?"
Yes!
Chapter 3 talks about the clamshells we all wear to protect us from the outside world. "When news reports describe Afghan refugees, into the shell I go. When a homeless person appears with a cardboard sign, I just close the lid. When missionaries describe multitudes of lost, lonely souls, I climb in."
"Let God unshell you!"
Those are just of a few excerpts of this wonderful book! There is also a discussion and action guide in the back with questions for each chapter.
Find Out More: Out Live Your Life by Max Lucado is available online in hardcover for $13.74 and $9.99 for paperback. 100% of the author's royalties from Outlive Your Life products will benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith based compassion.
Disclosure: This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free by Book Sneeze for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.
Great DVD Deals on Amazon
Here are a few great DVD deals on Amazon...think Christmas presents!
The Blind Side is only $3.99 right now!
Mamma Mia! The Movie (Full Screen) is a Lightening Deal for the next 3 hours at $3.99!
Monday, November 22, 2010
2010 Gratitude Challenge - November 22
For the month of November Our Homeschool Reviews will be participating in a Gratitude Challenge hosted by Brenda at Garden of Learning. For each day, I'll post about something I am thankful for.
When our daughter was younger she was a quick learner...quick like she was able to sound out three letter words before her third birthday! I remember her first reciting the alphabet when she was only 15 months old. Now, I have to say that I thought this was normal. I was never around many children and she was our only one, so I read to her every day and we practiced our letters and numbers really early. It was because of this we decided that homeschooling may be the way to go because she would be bored in Kindergarten. I think since then God has shown me the real reason to homeschool!
When she was three we enrolled in Community Bible Study. I had never been in a formal Bible study before, much less ever really read the Bible. Yes, I had gone to church all my life but never really understood it all. CBS has opened my eyes and has shown me the real reason that homeschooling is so important! But, if we hadn't chosen to do it, regardless of the reason why, we wouldn't be where we are now.
This homeschooling journey has taught me a lot, more than just how to teach reading and math. It's taught me patience and perseverance and I have been able to teach my daughter about God's love for her, and all of us!
Don't get me wrong, it's not always fun and happy, and sometimes I want to pull my hair out, but I remember "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer let your request be made known to God." Philippians 4:6
This Week's Blog Walk
Here are some blogs to check out this week from my fellow Crew members. And if you haven't entered my giveaway yet, check it out HERE!
Our Homeschool Reviews Celebrates the Holidays
"How does your family celebrate the holidays?" Well, let's start with Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving we have my parents and brother and my husband's parents come over to our house. I have always done all the cooking, from the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, to the corn, beans, and bread. My dh does make the gravy from scratch and carves the turkey! All I ask is that each family bring the desserts.
We usually eat sometime between 12pm-1pm. Once we sit down we go around the table and everyone says what they are thankful for. My daughter especially likes this. She enjoys hearing what everyone else has to say. After dinner the moms clean while the boys watch football. After cleaning, if I'm not ready for a nap, I will go though all the after Thanksgiving Day ads and decide where I am going to go the next morning. Then it's time for dessert and time for everyone to go home and for me to collapse...lol!
For Christmas we mix it up a little bit. Christmas Eve we either go to church service with my parents, or at our own church, and then meet my parents for dinner. While out of the house, if our daughter has been good, Santa's elves will deliver "Magic Pajamas" and slippers under her pillow. She gets so excited when she gets home to check!
Throughout the month of December and leading up to Christmas, we always read through the scripture to understand what Christmas is truly about. Christmas Day, we open presents at our house, get dressed, and then go to my parents house (5 min away), to open presents there and eat lunch. My mom does all the cooking on Christmas, so no cooking for me! After a few hours at their house, we leave, head back home, get about 30 minutes rest before my dh's parents come over to open presents. They usually bring some finger foods over for dinner. Then it is time for everyone to go home and I collapse again...lol!
We are very thankful to have our families in town and close by. I know I have great memories of visiting family over the holidays and I am sure our daughter will too.
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