Homeschool Giveaway Link

Sally at With Eager Hands posted homeschool planning information (with photos!) and a giveaway she is sharing this week - The Ultimate Homeschool Planner. Thank you, Sally! http://bit.ly/n9p5R9 
Here is an excerpt from her blog:

God has been good to us through homeschooling in so many ways, but the one I'm most thankful for is how close we are as a family. Yes, I think the education is better, particularly in the long run, but it is the relational aspect of homeschooling that has had the most impact on us. 

Mya

I made an adoption book for Mya on Snapfish today. Here's her story that I included....


This is the story of how I was adopted into my family.
Mommy and Daddy wanted another baby, and God showed
them that He had just the right baby in mind. They just
had to wait and pray! So they prayed and they prayed,
and they waited and they waited. They prayed for me
while God was knitting me together in the womb! I was
born on May 28, 2007, and at just the right time they
were told that I was ready to come live with them and
be a part of their family.

On October 2, 2007, I came home! I get lots of
attention! Daddy likes to cuddle me, Mommy likes to rock me
and sing to me, and Brandon and Marissa are enthralled with
my tiny little fingers and my tiny little toes.
We are a family!

Adoption Day: December 14, 2009.
"Born not from our flesh, but born in our hearts, you
were longed for and wanted and loved from the start."

Torn

10 years. We have lived in Africa for almost 10 years. It's hard to believe! And now we're preparing to go on furlough to the US for 4 1/2 months. We have been on furlough 3 times before, but never have I felt so torn. How do I explain?

How do I leave for so long? This has become my Africa. I am intertwined with the people here. Their hurts are my hurts and I rejoice with their rejoicing. I am pouring my life into others, and in turn get so filled!

How, in the midst of discipling 3 young girls that live in not so ideal situations - girls that come stay with us for a few days every now and then just to get away? How, when a friend's marriage is on the line, and you have the chance to encourage each other often in the Word? How, when a young girl in your small group just accepted Christ as Saviour and has so much growing to do? I am not so naive as to think that Christ cannot grow, heal and encourage His children without me. But I love them! They have become family to me. I love being a part of their lives.

Yet I can't imagine not going, when my family in the US is changing so quickly that I do not really even know them! While away these three years, just to name a few changes, my brother died, 2 nephews got married and I haven't met their wives, babies were born, cross country moves.... I miss the laughter. 

(I must admit, this is not a daily struggle that I allow myself to indulge in. It would be crippling. I find I actually miss my family more as I come close to going back each time, as I allow myself to think about it more.)

I want to drink in every moment of the time I will have with them. I want to know them, and I want them to know the me that I am today. And then I want to come back.

It won't be easy returning to Africa, either. I will say goodbye again, leaving the family that I love. And then I will try to jump back into the lives of people that have gone on with their lives for a little while without me. 

Busyness!!!

I am excited about our upcoming furlough to the US! But it's hard for me to look that far ahead when each day holds so much busyness.... I find myself thinking of all there is to do before we go!
You'll see a countdown on the side bar of my blog as to how many days are left. I find myself wanting to share with you some of the thoughts going through my mind, and even as I think about how to word it, my thoughts are interrupted by more things to do! So maybe I'll just make a list....

Go through each room and organize/get rid of things (finished two...)
Make plans with friends in the US to get together
Buy/Make gifts for people that we will see in the US
Teach Aneesah how to quilt, and help her finish it before we leave!
Shop for fabric for the center of Brad's quilt
Finish making Brad's & Marissa's quilts
Keep up with homeschool
Order Brandon's PreAlgebra book
Get an external hard drive for my Mac Mini and back up my computer
Organize some of my homeschool curriculum to take back to the US to sell second hand
Order/Organize from the local libraries in the US books that we will need for school when we get there
Shop for fabric/Sew authentic African dress outfits for Brad and possibly the fam
Possibly sew huge South African flag for WOL's Born Again to A Living Hope musical drama
Teach someone to do the admin for Jr. Youth at Church
Organize/print some Christian service projects for the youth to do while I'm away
Find a flip file that's missing
Pack
Take fam pics for Prayer Cards
Give Mya hair extensions

And all of this is in addition to keeping up with ministry and every day life! I would like to get as much of this done as possible before my niece, Stephanie, and Carly Evelyn arrive on June 17 for a month long mission trip! So, maybe now that I have a list of some of the things going through my mind I can get to work and stop having interrupted thoughts!!!!

Memory Verses

I've gotten behind on my memory verses, so I've been trying to work diligently this week! Here are my new memory verses:

We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Titus 3:3

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

A while ago I posted about a iPod/iPad app for memorizing verses, but I found it didn't work well for me. I decided to do some searching last week and found an app put out by Fighter Verses. I really like it! It has a reminder to help me to remember to work on my memory verse every day, and you can set your verse to pop up on the lock screen every time you turn on the iPod/iPad. You can add your own verse list, and put it in it's own topical list, so I was able to make a list of the verses I'm working on and a list for my children.

I only wish I could add the same verse more than once so that I could have a separate list for each of my children, even though they are working on memorizing the same verses. This way they could mark the verse memorized when one of them was finished studying it.

   

Memory Verse Update!

I'm trying to keep up on my memory verses for Jr. & Sr. Youth so that I can finish with them at the end of the year. This week I learned 2 Jr. Youth verses, but just can't seem to get the one for Sr. Youth. I'll keep trying!!
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

Joshua 23:11
Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God.

Let me know if you're interested in memorizing verses with me! I'd love to have some accountability and support! :)

Baked Oatmeal

The original recipe was for 48, so I scaled it down to one rectangular baking dish. You could probably halve it and do a square one….

Servings: 12
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/bc/incredible/xSF1bakedoatmeal.htm

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Ingredients
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1 c. oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
6 c. oatmeal
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 c. milk

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Instructions
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In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and oil. Stir in milk and
dry ingredients. Pour into 9x13 rectangular baking dish.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 40
minutes.
Serve with hot milk and cinnamon and sugar.