A Blogging Dilemma

I have such a beautiful blog.  It would look so much better if I had more postings.  But, unfortunately, I've been so busy living out my inspirations, that I have found so little time to write.  It's a pity, too, because I really love writing.  I wonder if anyone else has this problem.

So, what of life's treasures inspire my heart, you ask? Oh my! Well, first and foremost, I LOVE to serve the Lord in every aspect; my thoughts, the things I read, what I listen to, my meditations, serving my family and my friends and strangers.  I love to serve. My Lord Jesus is the very life that flows through my heart that keeps my going every day, every hour, every second! I love Him for all that He has done for me and for all that He has shown me.  I love everything about Him.  He is the reason for my very existence!

My children inspire me! I enjoy looking at them, watching them grow like flowers in a garden.  Their interests become my interests. Teaching them is a joy, a blessing, a privilege and an honor.

Oh the symphony of life! Playing the violin is my way of worship ~

Gardening is rejuvenating ~

I have so many ideas for sewing projects!!!  Oh, I wish there were more hours in a day!

Drawing, painting, cutting, smelling the crayons and pencils and books ~

I love children! I love teaching Sunday School

Nature.... trees, rocks, flowers, herbs, sticks, clouds, mountains, creeks and rivers, valleys, storms, rainbows,  stars, the moon, sunshine...

Organizing my thoughts, my house, my drawers, files, Oh MY!

Although not as compassionate as others, I do enjoy cooking nutritious and yummy meals.

Making my table, my house and my bed look pretty.  Those are things that are important to me

Poetry speaks of my heart and makes me smile ~

I know I'll have to edit this post, as I KNOW I'll think of more, but, for now, I have to go LIVE!

Let us, then, be up and doing

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing, 

Learn to labor and to wait. 

~ excerpt from "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Astronomy Treats

I don't like to use the word "bribe" but sometimes giving my children an incentive really makes a difference.  In science, I use Apologia's Exploring Creation with Astronomy, by Jeanie Fulbright along with the Notebooking Journal (an AWESOME invention). When filling in the answers to the "What Do You Remember" questions for each chapter, I have some expectations.  Being very partial to the Charlotte Mason method, I do not want slip shod work turned in.  I expect each of my children to answer the questions to the very BEST of their ability (which, since we review the chapters quite often AND I allow them to find the answers in the book if they don't remember, I expect them to get the answers right.)  Their work must have neat handwriting, and written in complete sentences. Unfortunately, not all my "students" were doing their best.  So, I came up with a plan that has really helped.  Now, instead of dreading those questions, they can't WAIT to do them.

We go over the answers together and then..... it's treat time! I will only give them treats IF they do their best.  Needless to say, I haven't had to deny anyone of their much earned reward.  I thought I'd share a list of the treats that I came up with.  They are all very sweet treats - something I don't always do, but I guess since it's only every other week, I allow it. I wish I had come up with it BEFORE we got started as we haven't used all of my brilliant ideas.  Do you use incentives for your children?

Lesson 1         What is Astronomy?      

Make a universe cake! w/ chocolate icing background, make planets using colored icing, sprinkle star-shaped sprinkles, colored balls for moons

Lesson 2        The Sun        

**Melt Hershey bar as indicated in the lesson using magnifying glass over graham cracker

Lesson 3          Mercury                      

**Edible Marine 10 (sugar wafers, grahams, pretzels,

Lesson 4          Venus                          

Red Hots

Lesson 5          Earth                           

Crush Oreo cookies into some chocolate pudding, mix, put more on top and add gummy worms (earth worms)

Lesson 6          Moon                          

Moon pies

Lesson 7          Mars                           

Mars Bars

Lesson 8          Space Rocks               

Pop Rocks

Lesson 9          Jupiter                         

Jaw Breaker

Lesson 10        Saturn                         

candy necklaces or gummy peach rings

Lesson 11        Uranus & Neptune      

Green & Blue Cotton Candy

Lesson 12        Pluto & Kuiper Belt     

**Homemade Ice Cream from lesson

Lesson 13        Stars & Galaxies          

Starburst candy

Lesson 14        Space Travel               

Astronaut Food Packs

** Indicates that this treat is already a part of the lesson mentioned either in the book or the notebook Journal

Hold the Fort!

As was true of so many of Philip P. Bliss’s gospel songs, this hymn was inspired by an illustration used by Major Whittle, an officer in the American Civil War, while addressing a YMCA meeting on the text from Revelation 2:25.

Just before [Will­iam Te­cum­seh] Sher­man be­gan his fa­mous march to the sea in 1864, and while his ar­my lay camped in the neigh­bor­hood of Atlanta [Georgia] on the 5th of Oc­to­ber, the ar­my of Hood, in a care­ful­ly pre­pared move­ment, passed the right flank of Sher­man’s ar­my, gained his rear, and com­menced the de­struction of the rail­road lead­ing north, burn­ing block­houses and cap­tur­ing the small gar­ri­sons along the line. Sher­man’s ar­my was put in ra­pid mo­tion pur­su­ing Hood, to save the sup­plies and larg­er posts, the prin­ci­pal one of which was lo­cat­ed at Al­too­na Pass. Gen­er­al Corse, of Il­li­nois, was sta­tioned there with about fif­teen hun­dred men, Col­o­nel Tour­te­lotte be­ing se­cond in com­mand. A mil­lion and a half ra­tions were stored here and it was high­ly im­port­ant that the earth­works com­mand­ing the pass and pro­tect­ing the sup­plies be held. Six thou­sand men un­der com­mand of Gen­e­ral French were de­tailed by Hood to take the po­si­tion. The works were com­plete­ly sur­round­ed and sum­moned to sur­rend­er. Corse re­fused and a sharp fight com­menced. The de­fend­ers were slow­ly driv­en in­to a small fort on the crest of the hill. Ma­ny had fall­en, and the re­sult seemed to ren­der a pro­long­a­tion of the fight hop­eless. At this mo­ment an of­fi­cer caught sight of a white sig­nal flag far away across the val­ley, twen­ty miles dis­tant, up­on the top of Ken­e­saw Mount­ain. The sig­nal was an­swered, and soon the mes­sage was waved across from moun­tain to moun­tain:
“Hold the fort; I am coming. W. T. Sher­man.”
Cheers went up; every man was nerved to a full ap­pre­ci­a­tion of the po­si­tion; and un­der a mur­der­ous fire, which killed or wound­ed more than half the men in the fort—Corse him­self bei­ng shot three times through the head, and Tour­te­lotte tak­ing com­mand, though himself bad­ly wound­ed—they held the fort for three hours un­til the ad­vance guard of Sherman’s ar­my came up. French was obliged to re­treat.

The story so captivated Bliss’s interest that he could not retire that evening until he had completed both the text and the music for this gospel song. It later became a great favorite in the Moody-Sankey campaigns both in Great Britain and in the United States.

HOLD THE FORT

by Philip P. Bliss, 1838–1876

Ho, my comrades! see the signal waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.

“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”

See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!

See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s Name we triumph over ev’ry foe.

Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!