jlsgrant

Homeschool Mother’s Journal – Week of July 15th, 2012

Posted in Homeschool: Blogs & Memes on July 23, 2012

In my life this week…

Sunday: Enjoyed church service with Grandma & Grandpa….kids got a sneak peak of one of the “pipe rooms” for the church’s pipe organ. I’m thinking some how, that counts as school, right? Music Appreciation….that organ has over 3,300 pipes!!

Monday: Summer Youth Olympic Archery….two hours of shooting arrows for the kids…two hours of chatting with friend for me. 🙂

Tuesday: Found a cupcake cookbook at the craft store over the weekend…tried out some Mojito Cupcakes today. Not too bad, need a little tweaking on the icing!

Wednesday: Playing with new trail cam in the yard…Check out this early morning capture:

And later, dinner with friends to wish them a “Bon Voyage”…good food and good friends (No, we did not have venison!)

Thursday: A little crafting today, thanks to Pinterest (See picture below.)….Suprise! Meet Grandma & Grandpa for dinner…

Friday: A short shopping trip into town with my niece…smoothies…a special viewing of “A Knights Tale” with my sweet daughter….a favorite quote from the character Chaucer in the movie, “I’m a writer. I give the truth scope!” Ha ha…

Saturday: Took girls to one of the largest Street Art fairs in the country, hoping for some artistic inspiration more than for a great purchasing opportunity. As usual, it was HOT and extremely crowded. There was some incredible art. But we the end, we were HOT and tired more than we were inspired! Crowds do that to me I think. Back home to work on some ideas from Pinterest! So happy to find my nephew over for a visit when we returned. 🙂

In our homeschool this week…kids working independently to finish anything they fell behind in. I’m loving watching them take responsibility without a lot of prodding by me. Trying to get my head around the next school year!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…So much of the time, we find ourselves stressing over the things that don’t come easy for our students. Make sure to spend as much time allowing them to develop their talents.

I am inspired by…creativity in action and nature

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… looking forward to a family vacation next month. I think we’re over-due!

My favorite thing this week was… time with friends and family

Questions/thoughts I have… What if we all used most of our free time developing our God-given gifts and abilities??

Things I’m working on…

Jewelry: Getting workbench/studio set back up and looking for inspiration.

Decorating: Getting paint for foyer, so we can finish what we started!

Fiber: Must get back to a little stick weaving….need to make a frame to hold more sticks. Need to find a spinning class to try, would love to learn to make art yarn to use for my stick weaving.

I’m reading… Heiress, by Susan May Warren, Bruchko, by Bruce Olson and Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young…oh, and honestly just started a book called Teddy’s Button, by Amy LeFeuvre written in 1896. Do you think that’s too many to keep track of? And to think I never used to spend any time reading!

I’m cooking…we’ve been eating out WAY too much…growing tired of restaurant food…must find some new recipes to try

I’m grateful for… God’s faithfulness….His Word, always there to guide, direct, encourage

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Idea from Pinterest:

With a twist by me:

Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…” Just a reminder to give up the worry and relax!

Homeschool Mother's Journal

Billy Graham in Quotes, by Franklin Graham

Posted in Book & Product Reviews on September 26, 2011

If you’re like me, you grew up watching the Billy Graham Crusades on television, where he preached the pure, un-altered gospel of Jesus Christ….no fluff needed, just the straight truth from God’s Word. As we watched the crusades, hundreds of attendees would go forward to commit their lives to Christ. Time after time, we witnessed the true and amazing “power of the gospel” to turn hearts to Christ.

When I saw this new book, Billy Graham in Quotes, compiled by his son, Franklin Graham, I was drawn by the promise of wisdom that it may hold. The book is a collection of quotes that spans the life of the man for over seven decades. They are taken directly from the man who spoke to the hearts of all who heard, from simple ordinary folk to Presidents and world leaders.

With over 387 pages of quotes, broken neatly into alphabetized categories, there is sure to be something for everyone within its pages. The book is arranged topically, and covers everything from Addiction and Anger to and Thankfulness and Worship. Each section begins with a scripture reference which beautifully supports the quotes contained within.

While this book is not a “page turner” like a best-selling novel, it could easily be used as reference book for daily devotions, during times of personal crisis, or when just a little word of encouragement is needed. The Introduction, written by Billy Graham, aptly begins with Psalm 19:14, ”Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.” He encourages the reader to “refer often to the anchor verse of each subject and let God’s Word challenge you, convict you, encourage you, and help you discover His abiding love to all who faithfully follow Him.” That’s really what this book is all about.

This is definitely a book that will grace our library shelves as a family reference book for the years ahead.