Homeschool Co-op Day

Last week Megan and I went to our Homeschool Co-op. It is a once a month thing but I have only made it to 2 or 3 this year as I usually work on Thursday mornings. Megan has been able to go with my sister Keren who lives nears us and has kids old enough for co-op this year.

The activity of the day was making fun foods. I was in charge of having the kids make fruit bouquets. They aren't quite professional quality yet but they were fun to do and the kids seem to enjoy eating them as well.

Some of the kids with Sara teaching made these cute little chicks.

Emily and a group of young ones made veggie insects.

Keren led this under the sea sort of dessert.

MollyBea helped some of them make little sweet sheep.

Tara made resurrection rolls with her group. This is a really fun idea. I guess the had a marshmallow that represented Jesus. They rolled it in spices and place it in some dough (the tomb) and placed it in the oven. When it baked the dough tomb popped open on its own. The Marshmallow was supposed to be completely gone but that didn't quite happen. Still it is pretty fun.

Katy led a group in making some cute decorated rice crispy bars. Altogether it was a fun morning.

Megan is always a good helped.

Eden was in our group and was a great flower fruit maker. Tavi came to join him and help out when his group had finished their project.

More helpers that came after they had already worked in their original group.

   This time of going to co-op was pretty bittersweet. It was probably my last time. Oh, I probably will visit again sometime but after 11 years of leading the group and this year of being somewhat involved I am moving on. Aaron graduates this year and Megan will be a Junior in highschool next year and will probably be doing early college (PSEO for Minnesotans) next year and is ready to be done with co-op now anyway and I am working. It is time to move on. But I will admit I have shed some tears. 

   In our homeschool co-op I have had the opportunity to learn a lot, to work with, encourage and be encouraged by some pretty wonderful people. Some great friendships have been formed and I have been very blessed. Thankfully I don't have to be in co-op to be friends and I have other opportunities to teach children. 

  Thinking about homeschool co-op prompted me to look through old pictures. Here are some that brought back some good memories of homeschool co-op...

Aaron as Lief Erickson (Or was it Eric the Red???)

Jonathan as Abraham Lincoln

Megan as Laura Ingalls.

Another year... Mara was a suffragete, Jonathan was Wilbur or Orville Wright and Megan was a nurse in WW1.

Learning about the Scandinavian roots of many Minnesotans was super fun one year.

We quilted together!

We put on a big drama. So many fun things!!!

I wanted to share a bunch more pictures but realized that I have blogged about a lot of the events in the past so if you would like to see more about our homeschool co-op years you can look through this group of posts.

I would love to hear if you have been involved in homeschool co-op and your thoughts on it.

   

 

Showing Hospitality

This past weekend we were super blessed to be able to host some friends at our house when they were up here to go to a Retreat at our church. I was raised in a home where we often had guests over - either for a meal or to stay a night or so. Many of the guests were people we knew and loved but many of them were strangers to us when they first came. I loved that environment of having people come into our home and so I have tried to live that way too as much as possible.

   You may not have been raised that way but if you don't practice hospitality I would encourage you to start. You will find it to be such a blessing.

   Just so you know, your home doesn't have to be finished, it does not have to be beautiful, it doesn't have to be perfectly clean (or even clean at all - I do think that is a nice thing to try for but if that stops you from inviting others over then just invite them when it is dirty). You don't have to be a good cook and you don't have to be a great conversationalist.

   I do always like to clean before company comes and I did try to do it some but this year I was both sick and very busy shortly before our company came. So not everything got done real well and I had to rely on the kids to do a lot of things - like making the beds and cleaning the bedrooms and cooking the company supper. Though I would like to be there to make sure it is good and ready to go I couldn't be this year and it still went fine. 

   As far as entertaining goes - be a good listener and ask questions about what they say and about what they are interested in and I am guessing you can learn a lot and having a interesting conversation. As for yourself - just be real and open.

   As far as food goes - if your family eats what you cook I am sure company can too. Or if you buy pizza every night - share that with company, they will probably love it. If company offers to help you cook or clean-up- let them. It makes being hospitable so much more fun. If you are the company - do offer to help. Better conversations are often had while working anyway.

  Those are just a bunch of my opinions but I do think there is some value in them. I just really want to encourage you to reach out - to people in your church, to neighbors, to co-workers, to friends you haven't seen in a while, College students, etc. When we really get to know people (and hospitality really helps with that) we can understand them better, we can have more compassion for them and we can truly share with them the things that really matter to us. 

I thought it would be fun to get some pictures of our household at Retreat this year but I thought it was so fun to see the number difference between the males and the females at our house. As you might imagine this group can eat quite a bit. But my guests even brought stuff to help out that way so it certainly was no burden on me.

  The Bible does talk about hospitality. Here are a few verses on it....

"and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds." 1 Timothy 5:10

 "Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined." Titus 1:8

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." 1 Peter 4:8 & 9

"Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. " Romans 12:13

I would love to hear your thoughts on hospitality. Is it something you practice or is it hard for you? Do you have any tips or thoughts you would like to share?
 

We Love to Make Things

   It has felt like crafting central around here lately. We have a Retreat coming up at church this next weekend and I am a directing a kid's play for it on next Saturday afternoon. It is the Story of Esther. Megan wrote the script for it and volunteered to be in charge of the costumes and set and so this last month our house has been a center of creativity. We do also like to have other projects going on because that is just life for us. On Tuesday I went around taking pictures of things that we were currently working on or just finished. There are also in here a couple of pictures from a few days earlier.

The Crowns for Xerxes, Vashti and Esther as well as Xerxes scepter.

A backdrop for the Harem. Megan copied a Mosaic that she had found in her research of Persia.

Not associated with the play but a project that I have been working on. I am nearly done knitting a pair of mittens. These stay by my piano and when I am teaching lessons I often have a few minutes here and there to knit a bit.

A decoration for the Palace. Megan paper mached a 2 headed Bull. This came from her extensive research on what decorations would have been like. I am sorry I didn't get a pictures after it was painted as it looks pretty cool. 

This photograph is hard to see but Megan had watched a video on how to make a pattern that fit perfectly and so she went about drawing up a pattern and is working on something for herself. I think she is making a prototype at this point. I am so grateful to God for her desire to learn new things and be willing to step out and try things.

I am working to make pointed toe slippers for the cast. I am hoping I can actually get this done because at the moment I am not sure that I have time to do this and direct the play as well. I get a limited amount of time with the kids and I need to do some more measuring to make this fit so we will see if this actually gets done or not.

I am working on a rag rug for the new bathroom in our basement. My goal is to have it done by the time company comes on Friday. We shall see!

A week ago today this was my project. A birthday present for my nephew. He is into eagles just now.

It was a really fun project and I liked the way it turned out. I used white felt for the base and I had thought I would use brown felt on it but I didn't have enough. So I used other fabric scraps instead and I actually think that it looks cooler that way anyway. Mara helped my some in the cutting out of the feathers.

My nephew was pretty excited about it too. :-)

Megan making goblets for the play.

  I wish I would have taken pictures of some of the cool dresses and robes that she has sewn for the play but I guess I will try to do that later. They are pretty creative.

   I have some thoughts that I would like to share to go along with this post. When some people see the things we make and like to work on they sometimes make comments like: "You are so talented, I wish I had some of that talent" or I hear comments about thinking it would be fun to do more crafting but it is so expensive or they don't have time or whatever.

    Here is the deal..... if you actually want to do creative things don't make excuses - just do it. Obviously having a home that is crafting central is not for everybody. Some people think it kind of looks fun but it isn't truly something that they find fulfilling or a good way to use their time. That is fine, accept that and go ahead an admire what other people do but don't put yourself down in the process - you do what God has created you to do.

But if you truly want to make things and be creative - do it!

The only reason Megan and I (and all the other super creative people I know) can do things like sew a dress, knit a mitten or create a paper mache 2 headed Bull is because we weren't afraid to try. A lot of the things we make are a long way from perfect but as we keep trying we keep getting better at things and projects become much easier as well.

 Concerning the expense - Our projects rarely cost us much of anything. Here is why:

For things like props - they often can be made from Cardboard that we easily can get free. We have painted a lot of them from leftover paint from our home and from paint that we picked up for free from the dump. Check that out if you are needing paint. I think most dumps set aside partially full cans of paint. 

For fabric things we have made a ton of them from old clothes which we easily can get for free just by saving things that we ourselves wear out and then if you ask around people will start donating gladly.

We have also gotten fabric scraps very inexpensively from Anderson Fabrics a place in our area that does a lot of commercial sewing. Check around your area to see what you can find for crafting deals. 

Once you start doing a lot of creating and people find out about it at least in my case I get offered crafting stuff over and over since they know I use it. So our crafting closet is overflowing - not because I go shopping - but because I say "yes" when people offer my things that they no longer want.

  When you go to create things - always first ask yourself "How can I make this from what I already have?" NOT "What do I need to buy at the store?".

   Crafting from things found in nature (pinecones, birch bark, sticks, grasses, etc) is a great way to craft on the cheap.

Also you probably will have to buy a few things but in general our crafting budget is well under $50 a year. We use a hot glue gun and glue sticks a lot in our crafting. I have asked for glue sticks for a birthday presents before but I think I have only received them once. So that is an item that I do have to buy occasionally (in 5 lb boxes off of Amazon). We have also given Megan things like Gold and Silver paint for birthdays. So if you have a crafting child - crafting supplies can make good presents.

  Concerning time - I don't have a lot of it either. I work a part time job, run two businesses, have 3 kids at home - 2 of whom I am homeschooling and am very involved at my church. But creating is important to me. So I have projects that I will pick up here or there when I have a minute or two. And sometimes I will devote a whole evening to it or some time on the weekend. If you get to ride when you drive places that is a great time to crochet or knit. A few minutes here and there can actually get a lot done.
 

   I am so thankful for the many, many ways that God has blessed us in being able to craft and make things. It is a fun bonding activity for Megan and I. I would love to hear about things that you all are making at your houses. How do you find time for crafting? How to you do it economically? 

Some Violin Videos from January

   This year a fun goal for me that I decided to work on was to record a song (or songs) on a different instrument each month. And no, I don't actually play 12 instruments. So this is a challenge for me as well. I think it is good to try to stretch myself so this is one way of working on it this year.

   I did start of rather easy as I have played the violin since I was 12. I was working and stretching myself with playing a classical piece that I never managed to get recorded. My phone didn't have the space for that long of song and I didn't manage to get it done on another camera. I was going to still try to do it but decided that now that it was March I should just not worry about it anymore and work on the other instruments. So the two I did get recorded are a Hymn and a fiddle tune. I hope you enjoy them!

 

Giving My Worries to God

     I have struggled with worry some in the last year or so. I know many others that also struggle with worrying. So that topic has been on my mind quite a bit. What does it really mean to worry? The definition that I found is: Verb: "give way to anxiety or unease; allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles." Noun: "a state of anxiety or uncertainty over actual or potential problems."

 There are many things we can worry about: Relationships, finances, health and so much more. We all have some (possibly many) difficulties and troubles that we are facing. Sometimes they seem so big or there just are so many of them all at once that we start dwelling on them. I have noticed lately that I tend to have triggers that really set me off. For instance a little over a week ago I came home from work on Friday evening to discover my septic alarm going off. That had already happened twice this fall so I was already well aware of the drill of not using showers/ toilets/ sink drains hardly at all until we get this fixed and the expense it was likely to cause as well. There was a little sinking feeling but not overwhelmed. God has helped us through that before and He would again. Then that evening I went to check my e-mail and found out that my e-mail address had been used for spam and I had over 5,000 e-mails coming in (mostly Mail Undeliverable-type e-mails). I worked at finding the humor in it, enjoying e-mails such as this one: 

"Dear Rat Fan,
It's with sadness to let you know that Debbie the Ratlady unexpectedly passed away in March 2018. This email address is being checked, and your email will be answered when possible.

You may very likely find the answers to your questions on the Rat Info page on The Rat Fan Club website at www.ratfanclub.org or on one of the links, especially the website at http://www.RMCA.org  or the FAQ page at  http://wererat.net/rathelp/.  You can also join The Rat Fan Group on Facebook and ask questions there. Click on the Online Forum button on the website.
Please spend some time becoming familiar with these resources!  

Until they are out of stock, Debbie's booklet Rat Health Care and my rat care book, Rats are available.  You'll find ordering information on The Rat Fan Club website at www.ratfanclub.org

Thank you for your understanding"

I called the plumber too and we decided we would be okay until Monday. We skipped our showers, prayed about the issues together and went to bed. 

  Saturday was a new day. My parents had invited a bunch of us over for a sledding party. We had a lot of fun there but I did hit my tail bone hard on a stump (that we had uncovered with much sledding) on one of my last runs down the hill. As Saturday afternoon went on the pain was getting worse and then I went to check my e-mail again and this time there were over 10,000 e-mails coming in to weed through. I wept. I also started to worry.

  The combination of everything and especially one of them being a tech problem (which is something I always went to Ken for help with and is not my expertise) was my trigger to start worrying.  Sometime life just seems completely overwhelming and all the issues whether they are truly big or small or even just potentially a problem start taking over your thinking and all of a sudden that is what you are focusing on. Worry can set in so very easily.

   What does the Bible say about worry?

    Matthew 6:25-34 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying "what will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear for clothing?" For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you nee all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.   So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Wow, that rather hits home! It helps put things in perspective. I wasn't even to the point of worrying about food or clothing (some of the very basic needs of life). I have plenty of both of those things. I was worrying about e-mails and a septic system. Both things that I can live without and that can be fixed.

Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

   So, what practical things can we do to stop from worrying? I have not conquered this problem but I have made progress so I will share what has helped me.

1. Seeking to keep my focus on Jesus - then I can't be focused on my worries. "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endure the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrew 12:1 & 2. Practically how do we do that? Read about Him in the Bible, meditate on those things, pray, praise God for His character and how He can help us through any difficulty that we are facing, sing songs of praise and songs about what God can do, share with others about how you see God working in your life. post verses on your walls, in your vehicle, at work, etc that proclaim the goodness of God and give thanks over and over again for all that God has done for you (write lists of thankfulness).
2. When you go through a time when you are tempted to worry, share your struggles with brothers and sisters in Christ who won't just sympathize and rehash your worries with you but will encourage you to focus on Jesus through them and will pray for you and with you. The time I mentioned about where I wept over the septic/e-mail/tailbone issues I was so blessed that Mara was here at the time. We talked it over, she held me while I cried a little and then she prayed for me mightily. I am so blessed to have many prayer warriors in my life who care about me and pray for me and with me. I highly encourage you to find people like that in your life. If you have no idea where to find them I highly recommend getting very involved in a Biblically based church.
3. If you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit in your life (Acts 2:38 "Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit") I recommend daily asking to be filled yet anew with the fruit of the the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;" Galatians 5:22 & 23. Worry is very obviously not listed in there and is in fact in many ways the opposite of some of those characteristics listed.
4. Remind yourself of how God has worked in the past and how He can yet again. Read stories in the Bible that show how He worked in the lives of those that followed Him (they are all over - just start reading!), read biography's of believers that show how God worked in their lives ( I recently re-read "The Hiding Place" and found that super encouraging), take time to keep a prayer journal and a journal where you write out stories of how God has worked in your life. Read through those things when times feel tough and they will help you to remember that God is much bigger than our problems.
5. Put life into perspective. Read Hebrews 11 and remind yourself that life isn't all about our current physical life. Our focus needs to be on eternity. When we can look at it through that lens and realize that we are preparing for something far greater the problems of this world just don't seem as big.
6. Make it a practice to surrender yourself to Jesus and to His will. Proverbs 3:5 & 6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." We don't see the big picture. As much as I often think I know what is best for me - I don't, but God does. Verbally acknowledge that to God. There is a beautiful peace that comes from letting go and saying "I surrender". In late 2020 I ran across the song called "You already Know" by JJ and David Heller. It was during a time of much uncertainty in my life. Ken and I were still officially married and he was still living in our home but he had told me that he didn't think he wanted to work on our relationship anymore. I was praying hard for his thinking on that to change for God to somehow work in our marriage. Meanwhile I really didn't know what was going to happen in the next couple of weeks/months/years. Everything seemed very uncertain. This song really hit home reminding me that though I didn't know everything that was going to happen - God did and He would be with me no matter what happened. 

I learned the song (the best I could without music) and here is a quick little recording that I did of it. I hope that you find the message a blessing!

Project Update

I have been still been making progress on house projects. The week after Christmas while the kids were gone I worked really hard and got quite a few things done. I was able to get a towel rack made and put up in the bathroom (though I do still want to add a couple more hooks to it).

From wood we had on hand I was able to put together a little "kitchenette" This was the frame I made for the base.

Then I added the top and a shelf which is made to perfectly fit the little fridge that I have. I do still need to sand and varnish parts of it but that may wait until warmer weather when I can do it outside.

I have it somewhat set up but still need to do some figuring and organizing.

The den is now the living room/dining/kitchenette for the basement.

This is the main room of the basement where we can either have the pingpong set up or easily take it down.

In the playroom I was able to get the cupboard that I had mounted on the wall and I put up a counter for the playroom kitchen as well.

  I still need to do something for the floor in here. My idea that I thought would be fun is to basically modge podge some maps on the floor. I am not sure. Do you have any good economical suggestions?

My mother-in-law and I also put up a little shelf for a table and hung this coat rack on the wall.

This is another area of the playroom. They have a piano to play (who would want a house without a piano??) and a stove to "heat" and "cook" on.

Megan had painted a maze on the ceiling in the playroom a while back.

  I do really enjoy working on the building projects and I am incredibly grateful for all the things that have happened in my past to bring me to the point I am today where I can work on things like that with confidence and actually get things done.

I am grateful for:

• My dad and his very advance knowledge of carpentry. Growing up I was able to watch and help him with many, many things. Now today whenever I have a question, need to borrow a tool or need a little help he is a great source for that.
• My Mom and Grandma Cleone. When I was little we were needed some furniture in the house (a bookshelf and a little table) that my dad didn't have time to build. My Grandma was visiting and she was a great one for tackling things and getting them done and so she and Mom made them. At least that is my memory. Anyway, that example was inspiring to me.
• Ken. We did many a project together that boosted my confidence levels in carpentry especially when he would just help us get it started (like putting in wood flooring or shingling the garage) and then leave the kids and I to complete the job. He also had the confidence in me that I could put up faux rock, tile a floor and tile a shower and so that helped me to have confidence in myself and get it figured out. I also have been really appreciating his organization - when I go to look for tools, screws and things like that - they are carefully in their spots. It makes working on projects so much easier.
• My kids, who sometimes eagerly and sometimes reluctantly help me when I need a little extra help.
• God - the Giver of all good things. The One who has all the answers and is always there when I ask for strength and wisdom. Many a prayer goes up when I am working on projects and many a prayer is answered.

Lest you should think I only work on the rougher jobs anymore - I do also work on other sorts of things as well. :-)

A sweater that I recently completed for a new baby girl at church. Crocheting something like this is such a nice project for any of those times that I am just sitting around anyway. We have a lot of yarn that has been given to us/somehow collected through the years and I love being able to turn it into something useful.

It doesn't feel like I cook or bake nearly as much as I used to but on New Year's Day we enjoyed some fresh cake doughnuts. That was a fun treat.

Flower arranging is still a huge part of my life as I work at a florist shop 3 days a week and am still running Abbi's Bridal Design as well.

  That is a bit of what I have been working on lately. What have you been doing at your place?