Multitude Monday: 1,000 Gifts 157 - 171

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

157.  This conversation: 

Robert: *sigh*.... "I wish you were younger."

Me: "Lately, I wish I was younger, too. Why? So I'd be more fun and play instead of working?"

Robert: "No. I wish you were younger and Daddy hadn't married you yet."

Me: laughing.... "Well, if Daddy hadn't married me, you wouldn't be here. Why would you say that?!"

Robert: "If you were younger, and Daddy hadn't married you yet......then you would make the perfect wife for me."

158.  Park Days

159.  A high temp. of 69* on park days : )

160.  Valentines

161.  Rocky Road Ice Cream

162.  Fondue Nights at home ~ when I get to use my cute fondue sets....

.....a pretty one for dinner w/ matching plates .....

....and a cute Hershey Kiss one for dessert.....

 ~ maybe tonight ???

163.  This picture ~ because it makes me smile : )

164.  The cuteness of a cat curled around my sewing machine, thinking that a pin cushion is a toy just for her.....

165.  .....and that the joy in playing with the pin cushion makes what has to be discomfort due to the pins stuck in it worthwhile ~ (that could be used for deep analogy, don't ya think?)


166.  A home that smells like cinnamon cranberry biscuits and oatmeal cookies

167.  Deep, deep sleep

168.  Peace

169.  Joy

170.  Love...... ♫ Unfailing Love....

171.  Grace, by Your Blood......
         Let it pour over me,
         Till all I see,
         Is Your Unfailing Love ♫

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Pumpkin Pancakes

Earlier this week, I walked into the kitchen to clean up breakfast and lunch dishes while pondering what I wanted to make for dinner, and found this on the dry erase board......

The ♥Mom♥ in me was taken by the sweetest of this unexpected note, but the teacher in me had a hard time overlooking the spelling mistakes.  I made a deal with the writer: if he could fix the spelling mistakes without my help, he would get what he so sweetly asked for.

I posted this pic on Facebook, and received a couple of requests for the Pumpkin Pancakes my son was requesting.  If you were one of those people, this one's for you......and anyone else who happens to stop by! ; )  They are indeed delish ~ serve with butter maple syrup for a Fall/Winter taste of Heaven (we actually even like them without syrup)!

Sharing the original recipe, with my substitutions of freshly ground wheat in parenthesis for my fellow wheat grinders.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour (or 2 1/2 cups freshly ground soft wheat)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We Interrupt This Normally ♥Sweet♥ Blog.....

.....for a somewhat frivolous and useless post!  Only somewhat frivolous because I'm linking up with The Homeschool Village today for February's Fantastic Finds.  If you're visiting from The Homeschool Village, please feel free to ignore the first part of this post and scroll down to my Fantastic Find (look for the Homeschool Village button), and may I offer my apologies ~ my brain is all over the place today and if you notice my blog header.....I suppose I'm feeling a little more Sassy than Sweet! ; )  I do have a GOOD find.....be patient with me.

First, my rant:

Why, oh why, oh WHY must they discontinue products I have fallen in love with???  Seriously....WHY???  I recently found out that the company who makes my skincare and make-up products has gone out of business.  This is a major ordeal for a girl with problematic skin that stages a rebellion at the mere thought of changing products.  No kidding.  I took me YEARS to find the perfect line.....and I log on to reorder, and literally told my computer screen, "Noooooo!!!  You can't do this......I need you!" 

I love this skin care line.....because my aggravating, oily, sensitive, break-out prone skin loves this skin care line.  I also loved the fact that it was a small, independent company in a world of corporate  monopolies.  I ♥ the little guys.  And I woke up this morning to yet more rebellion at trying new products when I looked in the mirror ~ and I know true beauty is on the inside....but it's really nice when the sight of you doesn't scare people. *Sigh*.

In light of this devastating disclosure, I'm giving a shout-out to a few of my very favorite products (and I am not in cahoots with the product manufacturers ~ I am just a big fan):

I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this, but I am hooked!!  I think I avoided it, thinking it was something along the lines of the sugar-laden energy drinks that are all the rage now.  I'm a label-reader, and once I took the time to read this one, I discovered that it's full of good stuff!  Wow!!  It's amazing!!!  I think I might be able to conquer my to-do lists with this little mighty booster!  I also think I need to find it wholesale.  I need lots of it.  It's awesome. 

Next, we have my absolute most favorite hairspray.  And I've tried lots of hairsprays.  I ♥ this one ~ it only takes me a little dab and I'm done.....and is the only one that will hold my hair (long hair is heavy!).  I know it says Instant Freeze, but I seriously only use a little bit and it leaves my hair less stiff than the others because I don't have to use as much.  It smells good, too.  I like it.  A lot.

And now, because I ♥ CHOCOLATE, and ♥ it VERY much.......my indulgence that leaves me feeling not-so-guilty:  Zone Perfect Double Dark Chocolate Nutrition Bars.  *Sigh*  The let me have my chocolate with a little less guilt.  Without ruining my protein-to-carb ratio that I try to maintain.....and are sometimes a quick meal replacement when I'm too busy or am on-the-run and don't have time for a real meal.  I may be slightly addicted.....but I'm okay with that.

And now, I'll stop.  But I think you should buy these products.  I'm absolutely sure that you should......because I don't want them to ever, ever be discontinued.  I need them.  Every day. ♥

I wonder if I've lost my Homeschool Village linker-uppers yet.  If not, your perseverance of reading through all that nonsense has paid off.  I promise I'm not this flaky all the time, so please come back!  Here's the real find:

 

One of my children is a very reluctant reader, much to my dismay.  His weakest area is also spelling and grammar, regardless of the fact that we drill him and focus on it A LOT.  With his two siblings being good readers and also much better spellers, I 've always thought if I could find a book series that he could "get into" that his weak areas would naturally improve (at least a little).  It worked for my daughter and my other son.....but they also seem to be naturally inclined that way.

Have you noticed that there's not a whole lot of good fiction series out there for boys?  I had been checking out a youth sports series from the public library, but when my other son (they have the same reading level....his is above-average, while his older brother's is average) brought me one wanting to know what !@#$% meant, I was less than impressed.  Seriously, is that necessary?  I realize that I probably should have been born 100 yrs. ago, but I really despise profanity.  I despise how profane, rude and crass our society has become.....and even thought the actual word wasn't printed in the book, it's like saying "this is a bad word and when you're older you can read what it is, because when you're older it's ok.....and that's what grown-ups do".  He was half-heartedly reading the series anyway, so I kept searching.

I wanted a series that would appeal to him, but also reinforce good values and character traits.  We homeschoolers, we're so picky ~ aren't we?  A good friend of mine recommended a series she recently discovered, and I bought him the first 4 books for his birthday.

He was actually excited to receive them.  Frank Peretti is one of my MOST favorite Christian fiction authors and I have many (if not all) of his books in my collection, so he was fully expecting them to be good.  Lo and behold, over the next few weeks, I would find him curled up in his bed, propped up with pillows, happily and contentedly READING.  He would often come to me, telling me how good the books were and giving me a play-by-play of the story line.....and asking when I could buy the remaining books in the series.  This is the child that we would have to threaten with dire consequences to get him to complete his required reading time each day.....and reading ONE WHOLE CHAPTER was an effort (not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to).

I also found several series for kids by Jerry Jenkins, another of my favorites, and have them bookmarked for when he finishes this one.  I knew he had the Left Behind Kids Series, but was unaware of the others.

Also, for some good non-fiction History reading, we've found these by Peter Marshall to be wonderful.  There's a series of three books.....and all three of my children used these as part of their reading time, without complaint!

Now that I've got him hooked, I think perhaps a whole new world has been opened to him.....I hope, I pray.  We shall see if his spelling, grammar and writing efforts improve.  I'm ordering the next 4 very, very soon.  :: )

Lies Women Believe.....About Sin

Lie #13: I Can Sin and Get Away With It, and
Lie #14:  My Sin Isn't Really That Bad

How many of us actually think that?  Few of us would say we do.....but we do still sin.  Maybe our sins aren't "big" sins in our minds, the way we like to weigh them like we weigh the produce we're purchasing at the store.  But to God, sin is sin.  There are no big sins and no little sins ~ there is just SIN.

We tell ourselves our sins aren't really that bad, often because we have desensitized our minds with the entertainment that's available in our culture to the point that we are incapable of judging them with a Holy outlook. We hold grudges against others who have wronged us, ignoring the effects that bitterness can cause ~ emotionally, spiritually and physically.  We lose our tempers, and justify it with our circumstances.  I'll admit that my personality fits well into the "good church girl" image......I've never been drawn to much of what we, in our human minds, see as BIG sins.  But I am wretched with sin nonetheless.  That sin above.....grudges.  I don't hold them with many, but hurt me deeply ~ that grudge can be hard to let go of.  There are others, as there are for you.  Sins of envy, gluttony, pride, gossip, disrespect, laziness, selfishness......I could make an unending list of them, some blatantly obvious.....and some deceptively subtle.  We flirt with sin, thinking that the flirting isn't sin in and of itself.....but it is, and can lead to even deeper sin and deeper consequences.

We must constantly keep telling ourselves that the Enemy is a liar.  The things God calls sin, Satan tells us are fun, safe, innocent, desirable, no big deal, meeting our needs, and unavoidable.  As with most lies, there is some truth within.  Sin will often bring pleasure.....for a short time.  The consequences of sin are not so short-lived, however.

• Sin steals joy (Psalm 51:12)
• Sin removes confidence (1 John 3:19-21)
• Sin brings guilt (Psalm 51:3)
• Sin gives Satan the upper hand (2 Corin. 2:9-11)
• Sin quenches God's Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)
• Sin brings physical damage (Psalms 38:1-11; 31:10)
• Sin causes an ache in the soul (Psalm 32:3-4)
• Sin breaks God's heart (Eph. 4:30)
• Sin opens the door to other sins (Isaiah 30:1)
• Sin breaks fellowship with God (Isaiah 59:1-2)
• Sin produces fear (Proverbs 28:1)
• Sin makes me its slave (John 8:34; Romans 6:16)

Are these prices we really want to pay?  Are these prices we can afford to pay?  Perhaps our sins won't reap consequences right away.  The consequences may wait to show themselves until the next generation.  They may wait until we stand before God Himself.  The consequences will always come eventually.

When we begin to see that every sin is a big deal, an act against God, then our view of sin will change.  When we learn to see our sins ~ each and every one ~ in the light of who God is, we will become "acutely aware of the hideousness of our sin".  And once we see the Truth, then.....we can be set free.

"One leak will sink a ship; and one sin will destroy a sinner." ~ John Bunyon

"No sin is small.  No grain of sand is small  in the mechanism of a watch." ~ Jeremy Taylor

"Unmask to me sin's deformity; that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it....Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed as in the greatness of the person sinned against." ~ Puritan prayer

My verse(s) for Mustard Seed Planting:

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior." Psalm 24:1-5 



Reduce, Reuse & Restyle!

Does anyone else have this problem? My 12 yr.-old is in-between departments & shopping with her is becoming quite the chore! She still fits into the largest size in the Children's dept., but the selection is not always her style.....and she fits into the smallest size in the Juniors dept., but the selection there is definitely not her style, either (and I am actually kind of glad about that)! Shopping for her lately gives me a headache, but upon surveying her closet recently, I was struck with the fact that something had to be done because she's running out of clothes that fit!!

I had her go through all of her clothes and bring me what no longer fit so that we could have a realistic idea of what we were looking at. She brought me a huge pile of things, which I began sorting into Donation piles. Several dresses that she brought me were among her favorites and she was kind of sad to see them go. As I sorted, a light bulb went off in my head and I thought of all the restyling tutorials I have seen ~ she prefers skirts to dresses anyway, so why not use the fabric to make her some skirts for church? Church clothes were at the top of the shopping list of "most needed" items, and although we had been looking she had been unsuccessful at finding much she liked. She doesn't like them too short {yay ; ) }.....and super short is just about all that's out there.

I got out my tape measure and measured exactly the length she wanted in the dresses she picked out for me to restyle.....

Dress # 1, which I had the least amount of fabric to play with.....

 I took the zipper off the dress, then pinned the outer fabric to the inner "slip" and basted them together, following up with a zig-zag stitch because fraying fabric gets on my nerves....



I then folded the fabric down and sewed a straight seam.....

 ....and took the ties from the original dress and attached them to the sides of her new skirt....

Looks really nice with the baggy blue t-shirt, don't ya think? ; )

 She tried it on later with a white cami and cropped sweater.....super cute!  It's a lot cuter in person....I was over taking the pics at this point, and you can tell.... : (

I've learned that I don't like doing tutorials....having to take all those pics ~ sheesh!  I only went to the trouble for the first one.

Dress # 2:

 I cut it off, then made a casing for the side ties which I had sewn together to make a drawstring-waistband-type skirt....

Dress # 3 is one that I made for her and was her favorite dress for 3 years.....it was a little big when I first made it, but because of the ties she was able to wear it anyway.  She literally wore it until she couldn't possibly wear it anymore!

I cut off this one and made a casing for an elastic waistband.....

...and Dress # 4.....

 I made an elastic waistband with this one, too.....and am going to add the blue ribbon across the bottom as soon as I get over to Hobby Lobby and get some more....

When I finished them all and she had tried them on, she proclaimed that I am ♥awesome♥......I think I've started something here.

Now, we just have to find some tops to go with them and she'll have 4 "new" church outfits, which will reduce the amount of $$$ I have to spend, thanks to reusing the fabric from the things she had outgrown and restyling them into something new.....which is very, very good because she also needs new shoes, and her brothers need new things, too!  At times like this, I often find myself torn with wanting them to stay children and looking forward to the day when their wardrobes don't need replacing every season!

I feel so very green. ; )

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And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~ Colossians 3:17

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It's Tuesday, so I'm linking up with: