Got Encouragement?

"God knows the feelings of discouragement, inadequacy, and failure which conscientious parents feel. But it was His idea to make them parents and to give them this particular set of children. He knew they would not do a perfect job. He is Father to the parents, and promises every kind of help they need. He stands beside them in every situation, ready to give wisdom as needed and grace to help in time of need if only they will turn to Him and ask for it. He teaches them (see 1 Cor. 13) how to love these children:
Love is patient. Love is kind. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preservers. Love never gives up.
It is a supernatural love. It is beyond our powers to love in this way, but it is not beyond His."

-Elisabeth Elliot



Here is the lovely face to go along with the name, Elisabeth Elliot.

I am thankful to have been introduced to her eleven years ago. She has impacted my life greatly. Keep a Quiet Heart is a very nice book of short essays by Elisabeth. I highly recommend it.

Found on a copper plate, above the door bell button at Elisabeth Elliot's family home:

Christ is the Head of this house,
The unseen Guest at every meal,
The silent Listener to every conversation.

Encourage one another,
Donna

For your crock pot.

Kolbi wondered, in the comments, what on earth to put in those handy dandy crock pots.

I am a simple girl and my family likes simple food.
So here are my simple crock pot recipes.

Some of these are repeats, sorry, I am going to look into category archiving this week.

Chicken Noodle Soup

4 frozen boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
carrots, big ole handful
celery, one or two ribs
onion, 1/2 a medium
2-4 chicken bullion cubes

Put all of the above in the crock pot in the morning. Cook about 8 hrs. Shred the chicken. Toss in some egg noodles. Cook until the noodles are soft.
You may add or omit veggies as you like.

My husband doesn't like to eat soup so I take out one of the chicken breasts for him. He likes his soft, plain chicken.


Chicken with Soup

4 frozen Chicken Breasts
1 can of creamed soup (mushroom, celery, chicken)

You can stop right there if you want.

You can also add;

1/4 a cup of white wine
Swiss cheese
Pepperidge farm herb dressing sprinkled on top

Cook all day.

Shredded Pork

1 thawed pork roast
1/2 a cup water
A little salt and pepper

Cook all day!

One hour before serving shred the meat and pour in one or two bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce.
Serve on buns.

Italian Beef

1 thawed rump roast
1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing mix
1 bottle pepperoncinis
Water...1/2 way to the top of the meat

Cook all day. Shred the meat. Pull out little pepperoncini stems.
Serve on nice crusty French bread.

**********

My sister made the Italian Beef for us at our little family reunion and it was so great. I think hers was better than I have been able to make it. She cooked hers in the oven...and that is the only difference I can think of...although she says that the peppercini's really differ in their spiciness. Anyway Sue's was the closest thing to the very best Italian Beef I have ever eaten...and that would be Carm's Italian Beef in Chicago.

Carm's Beef
1801 S. Wolf Rd - Hillside, IL
(708) 449-0125



Ya know the kind of place...where you need a napkin (or ten) for your fingers and face and a few for you nose....cause it is dripping?

This will be on the menu in heaven.

Hey...what else will be on that heavenly menu?

Donna

Now that's funny!

My boys had a teacher, Mr Tolly, who would go off on rabbit trails. That's what he called straying from the subject.

I prefer the internet rabbit trail.
Often I get lost, never to return. But every once in a while I meet someone out in the blogsphere that I immediately find refreshing or funny or insightful.

Yesterday, I ran into Senior Moments with Sam and Lois I was entirely charmed by a frog tale they told...and accompanying pictures.

I hopped over there from a link at Kyrosity.

Thank you, Valerie, for introducing me to Sam and Lois.

*********

I had a dream I met Elisabeth Elliot last night.
I said something really dumb to her.

"Thank you , Lord, for the work You have assigned me. I take it as Your gift;
I offer it back to You. With Your help I will do it gladly; faithfully."
-Elisabeth Elliot

"Whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men."
-Colossians 3:23

Abiding,
Donna

Keep 'Em Coming!

If you didn't get a chance to post yesterday, you can still join in the fun. Post away :o)

Top Ten Homeschool Schedule and Organizing Tips

10.Use Your Computer

Learn how to cut and paste.
Use Interlibrary loan, order materials, check on due dates.
Use your favorites button.
Keep numbers and passwords on an index card at the computer.

9.Plan meals ahead of time

Make simple meals.
Shop once a week with a list.
Use a crock pot.
Choose easy meals for now...later you can be a gourmet.

8.DeClutter

Start with your bookshelves, make room for this years things.
Throw out stray papers, yucky erasers and pencils.

7.No more hid and seek with your materials

Kids things in a box, desk, or shelf.
Your things in a box, desk, or a shelf.
Put pencils, pens and erasers in cups on tables.
Craft supplies in a special place.
Put rulers, paper and scissors in an accessible spot.
Keep numbers and phone book by the phone.
Saxon helpline 1-580-338-4477

6. Stay off the phone

It can usually wait.
Special ring for dad.
Use an answering machine.

5.Set a start time

Get dressed ( you don't have to put shoes on :o)
Gather at set time for a prayer, song, game, and/or read aloud.
Have dinner in the crock pot.
Some kids are fresher in the morning...start with a harder subject.

4.Put materials away...everyday at closing.

Have a closing as a family
Say a prayer...of thanks.
Each child can put their things in their own box or shelf.

3. Set Goals

Know your long range plans.
Write down daily plans for each child.
Check them off when finished.
Choose your curriculum and order your materials early.
Check reading list often and order next book from the library about two weeks ahead of when you need it.
Put music practice right on your daily/school schedule.
Routine is a good thing for kids and parents.
Plan Dr. and Dentist appointments in the afternoons...Perhaps always on the same day.
Say 'no' to extras during your regular school hours...unless of course it sounds really great :o)
Let people know you are conducting class and can't babysit or socialize during certain hours. They will understand.
Set daily goals, finish the book goals, yearly goals and four year plan goals.

"If you aim at nothing
You are sure to hit it!"

2.Be flexible...write daily plans in pencil

Sometimes there is a play to attend, a great read aloud you can't put down, a day when you are burnt out...or sick...use your eraser.
Just keep doing the next thing. Don't freak out.

1.God is a God of order

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace."
-1 Cor 14:33


I just finished decluttering and putting this years books in their boxes and shelves. I still need to get some nice fresh pencils and my planner...then we should be ready to start our new year!

Isn't it exciting?

"Joe Fox : Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. "
You've Got Mail

Encourage One Another,
Donna

Getting to know you...

Janet (comment queen and little sister) would like to get to know more about the other people who comment on my blog.
I thought it was a great idea. Cause I'm curious too.

So let's call this Friday Five: Five Facts About Me.

Okay, I'll go first...and go for drama.

1. 'Chapter One, I am born'...in Chicago, Illinois.

2. Eleven months after Sister Sue

3. I am the middle child of seven.

4. I had a ruptured appendix and bowel obstruction, 12 months apart.

5. My parents died three days after my sixteenth birthday.

O.k. that sounds depressing...
But it's not really. We have all survived to love and laugh and live and remember.


I look forward to your comments. Hey, and if you've never left a message before...today would be a great day to introduce yourself!




Encourage one another,
Donna

Either/Or

Carmon at Buried Treasure is playing Literary Either/Or. I followed some links and found; Either/Or, The Movie Edition *big smile*

EITHER/OR

Matinee or Late-Night Showing
Full Theater or Empty Theater (Full theater is fun for a comedy)
Popcorn or Candy (with butter)
Row Seating: Nearer the Front or Nearer the Back
Within the Row: On a Side or Near the Middle (Right Side,from Top)
Romance or Historical Biopic
Action or Suspense (I am bored with Action Movies)
Science Fiction or Horror
Alfred Hitchcock or Orson Welles (I love Rear Window)
Quentin Tarantino or Spike Lee
Star Wars or Star Trek
Jimmy Cagney or Jimmy Stewart (It's a Wonderful LIfe)
Bob Hope or Bing Crosby (White Christmas)
Ingrid Bergman or Lauren Bacall (I love her voice)
Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable ( so manly)
Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy (Who's On First is Funny!)
The Three Stooges or The Marx Brothers (Every Saturday Morning)
Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton
Video/DVD: Widescreen or Full Screen
Movie Reviews or Word of Mouth
Comedies: Laugh Out Loud or Just Smile (I love to laugh :o)
Crying at Sad Movies: Okay or Not Okay (I love to cry)
Clapping at the End of a Movie: Okay or Really, Really Stupid
Matt Damon or Ben Affleck
Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks (Almost everything he is in!)
Ben Stiller or Mike Meyers
Owen Wilson or Luke Wilson (Everybody's favorite :o)
Stephen Spielberg or M. Night Shyamalan
Todd Solondz or Wes Anderson (?)
Scarier: Freddy Krueger or Jason (?)
Funnier: Jim Carrey or Will Ferrell (Bruce Almighty and Liar, Liar)
Deep Impact or Armageddon (barely remember these)
Rated G or Rated PG (?)

Borrowed from Thinklings

Emma and I watched two movies this week that neither of us had seen before;
Mansfield Park(1999) and Nicolas Nickelby(2002).

They were both very enjoyable.

(Check Screenit.com before you watch Mansfield Park. It is rated PG 13.)

***I'm still on the bunny hunt. Yesterday a friend of mine told me that Dutch bunnies are very sweet. I may be going to the Grant County Fair tomorrow morning to see some friends and their cows....and hunt for bunnies :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

I can't remember!

But, when can little children understand time?

Katie: Is Emma coming to Calvin's house?

Me: Nope, it is just you and me.

Katie: Are we going now?

Me: No. We will leave in an hour and a half. At 9:30. It is 8:00 now.

Katie: Is that night time?

Me (shaking head): No, that is in the morning...just in a little while.


This happens all the time around here! We usually tell Katie...That will be two Dora's and a George Shrinks.

Yesterday in the car she asked if it was winter yet!
She is waiting for gymnastics to start; soon Katie, soon!

Is there a way to help Katie understand time?

Encourage one another,
Donna

Olympic Judging Goof-Ups

Poor Paul Hamm. Yes, he won a gold medal and a silver medal. But bless his heart!
In case you're not following the Olympic Gymnastics, Paul Hamm won the All-Around Gold medal earlier this week. The Korean team protested this award a day later saying the judges did not give their fella a high enough 'start score'.

Big...Brouhaha follows...controversy...blah, blah, blah...

The judges did make a mistake...but the Koreans did not protest in the allotted time to protest.

Remember the mess the judges made with the Pairs Skating in the Winter Olympics?

It is the Olympics, for heaven sakes...can't these folks get things right?

For Paul Hamm, instead of celebrating a victory for hard work and accomplishment...there is noise, noise, noise...

Which brings me to last night. Individual Events Competitions. Paul Hamm was to do his final routine of the his olympics, the high bar. Just before his turn, a famous Russian fellow (how do you like my fact checking?) does his high bar routine. It is an amazing routine!!! Six releases in a row! Fantastic.

The judges score him quite low...I think a 7.725

The crowd goes wild.

For ten whole minutes.

The judges change the score and give him a bit more.

The crowd, still, is screaming. And honking weird horns that sound like sick lambs.

In the meantime, Paul Hamm is 'on deck'.

Finally the crowd quiets to a low murmur of boos and Paul Hamm steps up and does his routine quite well...with a small step.

He scores higher than the Russian Dude, which brings more boos.

Yikes. What a day!

In the end, a French guy, steps up to the bar, performs beautifully and ties with Paul Hamm.

Because of a tie-break rule. The French fellow wins the gold. The Russian dude does not medal at all

Paul Hamm win a Silver Medal...what a relief, can you imagine the fuss if he had won the gold medal?

One thing is for sure, Paul has nerves of steel and his character is strong.

He, with his high, quiet voice and small stature, has true grit.

Farmboy from Wisconsin...I would expect nothing less :o)

********

Kitty's Big Night Out

Our cat is a house cat. Lately she has been sneaking out for little trips around the house. She has never been out for more than 1/2 hour. She must like it tho as she has scratched a hole in the screen door that she can slip through.

Last night I was awakened by a strange, banging, metallic sound. It was 2:41. With my heart racing I ran down the stairs, figuring it was Maggie out there. As I approached to door, the noise was so loud, I had visions of Big Foot or the Boogey Man...
But it was just Maggie with her wet paws and fluffed up tail.

Sassy Cat!

The good news is, she can find her way home in the dark, she didn't get in a bar brawl and she is spayed :o)

Gabby Gus,
Donna

SOME OTHER CHILD

DEAR Father, I am very glad
I was the little girl you had!
Suppose some other child had come
To live inside my pleasant home,
To run and climb upon your knee--
Some other child who was not me--
Would you have called her by my name
And thought about her just the same?




-Photo borrowed from Fairfax Digital


FATHER

OUT in the morning Father goes,
Whether it pours with rain or snows,
Whether the wild wind beats and blows:--
By the fire sit Mother and I
Doing our lessons quietly.


Back in the twilight Father comes,
When I've finished with books and sums.
Not all the noise of all the drums
Is a jollier noise, I know,
Than Father when he says, "Hallo!"


both from Enchanted Tulips and Other Verses for Children (1914): a machine-readable transcription
Keary, Maud

Poems found here.

Encourage...dads,
Donna

Sou Gan

You know this tune, I'll bet.

Click here to listen to a portion of Sou Gan sung by Charlotte Church.

Here are the words in the original Welch.

Welsh Lullaby

Huna blentyn yn fy mynwes,
Clyd a chynnes ydyw hon;
Breichiau mam sy'n dyn am danat,
Cariad mam sy dan fy mron;
Ni cha dim amharu'th gyntun,
Ni wna undyn â thi gam;
Huna'n dawel, anwyl blentyn,
Huna'n fwyn ar fron dy fam.

I always wondered what language was being sung, and what they were singing.

Translated into English by Frank Petersohn from a literal translation by J. Mark Sugars.

Usually called "Sleep My Baby"

Sleep my baby, at my breast,
'Tis a mother’s arms round you.
Make yourself a snug, warm nest.
Feel my love forever new.
Harm will not meet you in sleep,
Hurt will always pass you by.
Child beloved, always you’ll keep,
In sleep gentle, mother’s breast nigh.


Now, knowing that this song is a lullaby makes the singing of it in Empire of the Sun much more significant and touching. It is the story of a boy being seperated from his parents during WWII in China...and most definitely NOT snug and warm in his mother's arms.

"Jim : I can't remember what my parents look like."
from Empire of the Sun

There is a happy ending to this true story.


Emma and I watched it when she studied WWII. It was her favorite WWII movie. (It beat out A Diary of Anne Frank and Schindler's List.)

You might like to read the book by J.G. Ballard, Empire of the Sun.

My child is calling...
Encourage one another,
Donna

School Supplies

Sidewalk Chalk is perfect for making letters...



and kitty cats.




_________

Farmer Napp suggested a bunny for Katie. He said, bunnies that are pet the most, have the most beautiful fur.

Can bunnies be nice pets for little girls?
Do they always live in a hutch, outside?
What are the best breeds for hugging and petting?
Do they bite?

Just starting to think about this...

Thanks for any advice.

Donna

Five Favorites

Let's do something a little different with the Friday Five.

What are your five favorite movies of all time?


Pride and Prejudice
Parenthood
To Kill a Mockingbird
You've Got Mail
White Christmas

There are so many other favorites...Check out my Jan. 5 archive for a longer list :o)

******

One of my favorite blogs to read is by a gal in France who has a great sense of humor and sense of style. She is a wonderful knitter and is quite handy with her camera too.
Check out Fluffa!

*******

I look forward to seeing your movie lists :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Well Trained Minds...on the Farm




Did you know there were wind farms in Wisconsin? These are massive and impressive to see in person. They are on the way to Jean's farm.




From left to right (behind the cow :o) are Kim in On.'s daughter, Emma and Jean in Wi.'s daughter. For those of you who do not frequent The Well Trained Mind message boards, Kim and Jean and I met after meeting on that website. Jean and I met first, in the safety of a Culver's restaurant. Then last summer Kim and her family came to my town with her family and this year we all met at Fairview Farms.




Here are Jean and Kim...two very dear ladies with well trained minds...and even bigger hearts!





We meandered up and down a country lane.


Katie was again welcomed by kittens!



Do you all remember Jean's suggestion about how to keep little ones entertained while teaching the older children?

Jean told me, "Give Katie a box and four kittens and see if she can get all the kittens in the box at the same time :o)

Wise words and true!

So Thank You for the wonderful hospitality, Jean and family.
And Thank You, Kim and family for taking the time to come and visit us!

Thank you, also, to Farmer Napp and Mr. Shay for their tender interest in the littlest visitor. Katie will have fond memories of clover, kittens, Mr. Shay's gooey fingers (from letting a calf suck on them) and the invitation to come back and ride a cow some day.

Encourage one another,
Donna

Summery Recipe's

Fitchburg Beans

This is the one and only Bean recipe I prepare. I am the only one in the family who will eat it. It lasts for a long time since it makes a big batch. It is very yummy.

8 bacon strips fried, diced
2 small onions quartered
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. gr. mustard
1/2 t. garlic powder
2 cans baked beans (16 oz)
1 can kidney beans (16 oz)
1 can butter beans (16oz)
1 can cut green beans (14 1/2 oz)

Rinse and drain beans. Cook bacon, saute onion in drippings. Stir in brown sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, garlic. Simmer uncovered 15 min. Combine beans in a slow cooker. Add onion mix and bacon. Cook 6-7 hours.

Recipe from Cinde Winquist from Fitchburg.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach
1 pint strawberries
1/2 C. pecans, browned
1 1/2 T. butter

Dressing:
1/3 C. red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1/2 C. oil
1 t. dry mustard
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 T. poppy seeds
1 1/2 t. minced onion

This is fresh and delish!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Pre-School

Kumon





Dy and Kris- I had heard a wee tiny bit about the Kumon products. So I checked out their website. It was and is very impressive. (marketing) So I emailed Joyce and asked if she liked the materials. (I think it was Joyce...I wonder if Kumon has memory workbooks) She liked their materials very much. She told me the estimated cost to use the product...the cost was high. Soooooo....I forgot about it.

Then on Sunday at Barnes and Noble, I spotted the workbooks, looked them over and purchased just a few of the Preschool workbooks. To be honest at this point they look just like any other workbooks. Perhaps a little more colorful. I'm sure the company has done their homework :o) and they know what they are doing, sequence wise and presentation wise...but for Pre-school...come on...there is not a lot of difference in the products out there.

Katie is enjoying them. She holds her pencil very well. She never comments on the cute little cartoons, tho. Which I find quite pleasing. I suppose if it was Dora the Explorer and Boots she would be thrilled!

So that's all the news on the workbook front.

_________

Men's Team Olympic Gymnastics

Matthew and Mom watch the Olympics

Mom: Hey...Men's Gymnastics is on...Why didn't you tell me?

Matthew: It's the finals, America gets a Bronze.

Mom: Really! I thought they were suppose to do better than that?

1/2 an hour later Romania has had two terrible performances and the Americans are up on the high bar.

Mom: Our guys must fall!?

Matthew: Who knows.

Mom: Our first two gymnasts did great...this third guy must fall a bunch of times to score less than the Romanians!

Mom, again: Matthew, are you sure the Americans get the Bronze...I can't stand the suspense.

Matthew: Well maybe they get the Silver...but I thought I heard Bronze.

Mom dashes to the computer quickly searches for the results.

American Men Win Silver!

Mom: Matthew!!!!

Matthew: (chuckle, chuckle)

***

I tell you...the fun never ends!

Oh yeah...one more thing...I kinda like the wreaths the winners must wear.

But once upon a time, when I was Wheaton-Relay Track Queen...I had to wear a wreath on my head...cause the real crown didn't come in on time....and I was so embarrassed to wear the big flowery wreath for the whole day. I mean, come-on...how often do you get the chance to be Queen of anything? 'No Crown for You!'(said like the Soup Nazi)

I kept thinking. "I finally win something and I have to wear this stupid wreath."

Very humbling.

I received the crown later that summer...
It was never worn by me...I imagine my sisters and nieces found it in a box and had a grand time playing with it! he he he

Encourage one another,
Donna

How was your weekend?



Here are the guys, home from their golf outing.




Katie says,

"I'm Mommy"

"You have to eat your dinner, before you get some candy!"

Katie and I had a very quiet Sunday with the guys in Sheboygan and Emma in Marinette visiting her girl friends.

So Katie and I did laundry, played Old Maid, went to Barnes and Noble, (bought lots of stuff for school including Kumon books for Katie), played Uno (Hello Kitty Uno)
watched the end of the golf on television and went to a Home School Library (which they call Resource Center) meeting at Starbucks.

The hours moved slowly...
Katie beat me three times at Hello Kitty Uno.
*Little card shark.*
______________

Kolbi had a horrible weekend. Go on over and give her a cyber hug. (She's in Orlando and suffered a direct hit by Charley.)

"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

-Lamentations 3:22-26



Encourage one another,
Donna

Oops...My husband and sons walked in the door last night looking like they had just spent the week in the Sahara! But it was not the desert at all, they were among the masses climbing the bunkers at Whistling Straits Golf Course.



They are making memories :o)

Do you remember how we gloried in a sunburn?
We thought nothing of it! Baby oil...Coppertone Oil in the dark brown bottle...Hawaiian Tropic Oil that smelled, so tropical! Everyday we suntanned! It's what you did in the summer. There were no skin cancer warnings! It was good for you to be outside in the sunshine.

Not for my boys.

My poor, fair husband and red-headed children have rarely had a burn.
We protect their snowy white skin! They have peeled, maybe...once...


They will be peeling after their day in the sun yesterday!

They have suntan lotion with them today. I can't imagine they will ever forget it again!

Boy, where they red!

Take care of one another :o)
Donna

Saturday Show and Tell

Alaska had a show and tell on her blog yesterday and I liked it so well, that I am gonna copy her!




Kissin' Cousins...Nine months apart...first meeting of Spencer and Katie...look at the shape of their faces, chins and eyes! I could kick myself for not trimming Katie's bangs. *thud* *ouch*



Katie takes a picture of Emma. Isn't that a pretty color on Emma?



Run, Katie, Run



Emma is just about to leave for a birthday party.
Talia, the birthday girl, had a swing dancing party at her home. All of the furniture was cleared out of the living and dining rooms, they played big band music and danced with one another. No dates. Just fun with all of their friends!
Some of the girls wore vintage dresses and a few of the boys wore uniforms from WWII. These kids know how to have good clean fun...and for that I am so grateful :o)

*Update* Janet is still struggling with her recovery from varicose vein surgery.
Please keep her in your prayers throughout the weekend. Thank you!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Friday One

If you were a Summer Olympian, what would be your event?





Did you know that the following sports where once on the list?

Cricket,Power boating
Croquet, Rackets
Golf, Rink-hockey
Jeu de paume, Roque
Lacrosse, Rugby
Pelote basque, Tug of war
Polo, Water skiing

Read more about it at Olympic Sports of the Past



This is the sport I would be participating in...I would be doing the heavy lifting :o) Just like in my cheerleading days. Sturdy base!

I love watching gymnastics...but it is way too scary to imagine being a gymnast.

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." which translates to "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

Go Olympians!
Donna

Just Right

Have you even noticed after buying a healthy food magazine, you find there is not one recipe in the whole magazine that you would ever try? This happens to me all the time. I am drawn in by the pretty pictures and make the impulse buy. Last month I bought Cooking Light. Thick and pretty...not a one.

So two weeks ago I was at Whole Foods, buying the wonder drug, Astragalas, when I saw some pretty pictures of food on the cover of Eating Well and I caved.






Guess What? It is fabulous! The articles are interesting and informative and I will be trying the potato salad tomorrow!

I will also be trying a recipe for Blueberry Bran Muffins that I found on line.

Guess who's trying to up her fiber intake.

Did you know a cup of raspberries has 8 grams of fiber. That is hard to beat for low in calories and high in fiber. Now, where do I find fresh raspberries that don't cost a fortune!

Here is a list of the ingredients I put together that I think would make a delish, low calorie, high fiber fruit salad.

Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Apples
Pears
Banana
Coconut

Do you think this would keep well in a covered container in the fridge? Yes, I know the bananas would get yucky, but other than those?

My Aunt Dorothy always kept containers of strawberries, pineapple and melons in her fridge. She would bring them out at breakfast. She knew how to eat well.

If you have a bran muffin that you love...that does not have raisins in it...won't you send it to me. :o) You can click on 'Me' right under Links on the sidebar.

Eat Well :o) and encourage one another,
Donna

no silliness today

I can not, and do not want to be glib and silly when I hear such sad news. My sister Sue is going through a very rough week. (Read yesterday's comments)
I have looked though a few sources to find words to encourage her.

From Phillip Keller's A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23;

"...only those who have been through such dark valleys can console, comfort or encourage others in similar situations. Often we pray or sing the hymn requesting God to make us an inspiration to someone else. We want, instinctively, to be a channel of blessing to other lives. The simple fact is that just as water can only flow in a ditch or channel or valley-so in the Christian's career, the life of God can only flow in blessing through the valleys that have been carved and cut into our own lives by excruciating experiences.

For example, the one best able to comfort another in bereavement is the person who himself has lost a loved one. The one who can best minister to a broken heart is one who has known a broken heart.

Most of us do not want valleys in our lives. We shrink from them with a sense of fear and foreboding. Yet in spite of our worst misgivings God can bring great benefit and lasting benediction to others through those valleys."

Comfort another in bereavemnt. It is a high calling.

Praying,
Donna

More knitting thoughts

It's too cold for August. We will be below 70 degrees for the whole week here in Wisconsin. Thoughts of the Green Bay Packers are dancing in our heads.
Fall has come early and I am trying ...not to complain.

Instead,I will drool over some very pretty knitting projects I saw last night at the Fibertrends website.







Over the years,I have knit socks, mittens (lots of mittens :o) sweaters, coats and purses. I have never knit a blanket. I have been waiting for just the right pattern. This may be it.

*******

Is anyone watching the Amazing Race? This is one reality show even my family will watch. We all just laugh and think how we would handle all of the trying situations. My husband and I know we would bicker way too much. It would be embarrassing.

Two weeks ago all of the teams had to take a challenge. One of the team members had to eat two pounds of caviar (they were in Russia). This was extremely difficult for most of the ladies who chose to do this challenge. One man just gobbled it up.

Could you do it? Could you eat two pounds of caviar? I would have to be the one to eat it. There is no way Patrick Sr. would even try.

Our boys would be great at this game. Patrick Jr. is great with directions and makes decisions easily. Matthew is a great follower. They could do all of the physical challenges. But we don't think either of them would have eaten the caviar.

I heard a couple speak of their time on the Amazing Race and they said it was harder than they imagined and more fun than they imagined.
It's a fun show. Tuesday nights.

Encourage one another,
Donna

I just read the saddest thing. William Luce writes about, "The Pursuit of Happiness" on his blog,
Apologia

You know how everyone says, "You can't change the other person, just yourself."

Well, Mr. Luce makes an interesting comment about changing one's wife. (Holds true for our husbands and children too, I think.)


"You can change her, of course. Just treat her poorly, neglect her, let slip from memory the miracle you once thought her to be, and watch the bright edge of her personality fold inward like a wilting flower where she can protect what’s left of what once you could not live without. That’s when you’ll go running to the Church pleading some invincible defect of the will, and you’ll be right, but incompletely so. You’ll have forgotten the heart."

I like how he ends his essay.

"The origins of human love are very nearly as mysterious to me as God Himself, as are the reasons why it necessitates such strife and rough sailing, but I’d like to keep it that way. It is in the midst of strife that character is forged, and in the presence of mystery that love is kept alive. Why the two must remain inextricable is a question I’d like the answer to, but I have a feeling it’s already been given. We just have a little trouble keeping Him before our eyes."

Isn't that sad to think we may have changed someone...not for the better...but hurt them...deeply.

Oh, Lord, forgive me for loving myself more than others.
More than You.
Help me forgive, when I am hurt.
Help me love the way that You Love.

Donna

It's been a long, long time




I am the lucky keeper of this vintage photo. That's our mom in the upper left.
Isn't she lovely? From what I remember, Grandma Hansen made Mom's costume and the costume of one of the other girls.

There were no private lessons for this little group. This was a middle school performance.

I imagine they danced a short piece by Tchaikovsky; timidly, gently, gracefully.

I am so thankful for old photographs.

Donna

Very Interesting

Better Off

Why would a girl who loves her television and computer be so intrigued by folks to turn it all off. Hummmm???

Good Morning

I just spoke with Janet and she is a bit dopey :o) but doing well.
She was under the knife for fifty minutes. Although she was surprised by the amount of pain yesterday, she is already feeling better.
She has help with the children today so she will read books and magazines and eat bon bons and get well!

Thank you for praying for her!

*********

"Maybe you haven't been able to discern any specific gift that God has given you, but eternity may show that you yourself have been a gift to somebody."
-Elisabeth Elliot

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
1 Peter 4:10

"For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality."

-Romans 12:10-31

That list of gifts is not preached about very often.

We are all more gifted than we realize.


Encourage one another...thank you for yesterday's comments :o)
Donna

Yummy, Unusual, Yarn



I felt the softest yarn at Sow's Ear the other day. It was shockingly soft.
Guess what it was? You'll never guess.

***Nylon***

Yarnmarket.com says "Gedifra "Serano" is a 52% Tactel and 48% nylon combo. (Tactel is the new soft, lightweight fiber that's redefining knitwear comfort."

I'm fascinated and a bit taken aback at the same time.

I'm pretty much a pure fiber snob...but this is soooo soft. Kinda like some of those really soft stuffed animals they have nowadays.

Oh and by the way...I was just window shopping *wink*

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Friday Five

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. Do you have any nicknames?

3. If you could change something about yourself what would it be?

4. Have you ever bought anything from an infomercial?

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?

I'm looking forward to your replies...it has been a very quiet week for comments.
Make my day :o)

Encourage one another,
Donna

Please Pray

My little sister Janet is having surgery this morning. She has some very painful varicose veins in her legs. Her surgery is at 9:00 am Arizona time.
Please pray that the doctors and nurses would be skillful and gentle and that her recovery would be complete and speedy.

Thank you, for my sister.
Donna

Awhaw

According to Dr. Weil, the French, know how to eat.

"French attitudes toward food are much, much different from those in the U.S.: their portions are smaller, they eat only at mealtimes (snacking is frowned upon), they eat a wider variety of food, and don’t skip meals."

Check it out at Dr. Weil's website.

**********

Last winter Dr. Weil recommended Astragalus to boost the immune system and ward off colds and flu. I urged my husband to take it...and he is now a firm believer in the stuff.

Preventive, alternative medicine comes to the Booshay house. Woohoo!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Joyce Lankester Brisley



Simple, lovely, gentle, old-fashioned...this is how I would describe the Milly-Molly- Mandy books written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley.

A bit from Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Party:

"There was a lady outside who welcomed them in, and there were more ladies inside who helped them to take their things off. And everywhere looked so pretty , with garlands of coloured paper looped from the ceiling, and everybody in their best clothes.

Most of the boys and girls were looking at a row of toys on the mantelpiece, and a lady explained that they were all prizes, to be won by the children who got the most marks in the games they were going to have. There was a lovely fairy doll and a big Teddy Bear and a picture-book and all sorts of things.

And at the end of the row was a funny little white cotton-wool rabbit with a pointed paper hat on his head. And directly Milly-Molly-Mandy saw him she wanted him dreadfully badly, more than any of the other things.

Little-friend-Susan wanted the picture-book, and Miss Muggin's niece, Jilly, wanted the fairy doll. But the black, beady eyes of the little cotton-wool rabbit gazed so wistfully at Milly-Molly-Mandy that she determined to try ever so hard in all the games and see if she could win him."

Do you think she will win the rabbit?

Encourage one another,
Donna

Cute Quiz

You are an Auditory Learner. You would rather be
told what to do, than be forced to read the
directions. You memorize easily by hearing
something over and over. You have (or can
develop) a good sense of rhythm; you are likely
a natural musician. You will retain printed
information best if you read it aloud to
yourself, even quietly.
Visit my Blog:


What Is Your Learning Style? Quiz for Adults
brought to you by Quizilla and guiltfreehomeschooling

Excellent Article

Do you want to be encouraged in raising your boys and girls? Go read Michael Pearl's article at the No Greater Joy website.
The article is titled Training Boys and is from a father's perspective, but it was an encouragement to me, too.

At the end of the article Michael gives suggestions to the wives who lament, "My husband won't do those things..."

Here is what Mr. Pearl says,

" I do have a practical suggestion. First, try to get your husband to read this article without finding fault or accusing him of his shortcomings. Simply ask him what YOU can do to improve the rearing of your boys. Then drop it. Do not pursue your husband beyond his reading of the article.

Second, assume that the responsibility is entirely yours. Take steps to provide what you can, and leave the rest in God’s hands. Maintain a cheerful attitude, and try to provide for all their needs. Do not become overly burdened trying to change things that are out of your control. God has a way of making up for our inadequacies when we obey to our limit and then trust Him for the rest. When you have done all that you can humanly do, lay it down and dance. God will tap you on the shoulder and join you to make this monumental effort of training your boys a joy and a delight."

What great advice!!!

Encourage one another,
Donna

Blue Mound

Our family took a short trip to Blue Mound State Park on Saturday. Blue Mound is the highest point in Southern Wisconsin.
We hiked, climbed two observation towers, and Katie and her daddy took a dip in the swimnming pool.
Here is an illustration by Susan Hunt-Wulkowicz that depicts the view perfectly.



There was the perfect breeze at the top of the tower. It was heavenly.

Tenderly

The evening breeze caressed the trees tenderly.
The trembling trees embraced the breeze tenderly.
-Gross and Lawrence

Encourage one another,
Donna

Poverty

Learn to be pleased with everything; with wealth, so far as it makes us beneficial to others; with poverty, for not having much to care for; and with obscurity, for being unenvied.
Plutarch (46 AD - 120 AD)

Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.
-Mother Teresa

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
Corinthians 2:8

Thus says the LORD, " Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD
-Jeremiah 9:23

Even with our tight budget, we are so very far from true poverty.

I am reminded today to think of those who have far less.

To love is to give,
Donna