words

Before I had children I decided

for the benefit of their developing brains

they would not watch tv.

It worked when I had one baby.

What I learned is that intentional tv

in small amounts of time

(along with allowing a toddler to unroll an entire scotch tape)

may just be your best friend when you have a baby and a toddler. ☺

Hermie and friends are this.

Colorful happy animation

with a little lesson.

Episode One: Flo the Lyin' Fly

Flo "cries wolf" and her friends stop trusting her.  In the end, God helps Flo tell the truth...learn that she doesn't have to lie to feel important...and helps her rescue their favorite band, the Water Beetles (Third Day).

Episode Two:  The Flo Show Creates a Buzz

Flo has trouble considering other people's feelings.  This time she learns the valuable lesson of being able to humble herself and say "I'm sorry".

 

I received a copy of this dvd for the purpose of review.

2nd chance?

 

would you give him another chance?

 

...well, maybe if he showed appropriate penance...correct repentance...was appropriately disciplined...and promised to go through an intense 12 step program...

(a lot of people are going to be offering him another chance because they believe it will increase their ratings.) 

 Such controversy.  This guy would have fit perfectly into one of these second chance stories.  I don't know how he would have responded to Jesus, but I know how Jesus would have responded to him.  The same way He does to me. To you.  He took the place of shame...

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.Romans 5:8

 

Second Chances is Lucado's modern twist to the prodigal son, the woman at the well, and other stories of undeserved kindness.  The Bible is FULL of them.  God is all about giving new life.  Many people hate Jesus for this reason.

 

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

LEAD

 "Remember the bigger purpose.

It's not to make sure that the milk never spills.

More important is to model servant leadership

when the milk does spill."

 

That sort of sums it up for me ☺.

Take a moment to think about the person who has impacted your life the most? 
What is it about them that is different?

 

 I remember as a child visiting a church and having an "oldish" man shake his finger in my face and say "make sure you are a good girl.  Your parents are doing the important work of God".  It is hard to erase some things.  Some of those people literally "scared the hell" out of children.  I also never forgot the recently widowed woman who approached my parents (to this day, I don't know if I ever really heard her name) to ask if she could take the four of us (energetic kids) miniature golfing.  We went and it rained.  She bought us ice cream.  When it stopped raining we were able to play not one, but two games.  I always knew that woman loved Jesus because she let us be what we were...
children. ☺
 

It's the little things.  Lead Your Family Like Jesus is a reminder to return to the basics of serving in love and forgiveness.  Being generous with time.  Blessing with words.  Looking to Jesus.

More about Lead Your Family Like Jesus: Powerful Parenting Principles from the Creator of Families. Does your family need a five-star general at the helm? A psychologist? A referee? Ken Blanchard, best-selling co-author of The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus, points to a better role model: the Son of God. Joined by veteran parents and authors Phil Hodges and Tricia Goyer, renowned business mentor Blanchard shows how every family member benefits when parents take the reins as servant-leaders. Moms and dads will see themselves in a whole new light-as life-changers who get their example, strength, and joy from following Jesus at home. This user-friendly book's practical principles and personal stories mark the path to a truly Christ-centered family, where integrity, love, grace, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness make all the difference.

Be sure to listen to the broadcast here and give a donation to Focus on the Family here, and they will send you a copy of the book as their thanks!

 

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review. 

LIFE

color.

finally

bursting

forth

from winter's frozen earth.

All I can think is...

Yes!

Christ is risen from the dead.

 Jesus said to him:

I am the way,

and the truth,

and the life;

no one comes to the Father

but through Me.

John 14:6



sun SHINING

down

blue sky

sort of day.

the birds must still be making their

flight up north...

but the pine cones were

plentiful!

after fishing for sea pond-weed

chasing geese...

 

at the end of the day

we saw four deer

running into the woods.

so cool.

 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6

our TIME

We watched this movie Friday evening.

"It was sad"... was the consensus "and happy too".

If any of you watched October Baby, I would put this in a similar category.

The acting may not be "win an Oscar" amazing, but the story IS great,

inspirational, full of teachable moments on the "will of God" and

very much worth watching.

 

Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, April 16.
Website
Facebook
Trailer

The movie tells the interwoven stories of Luke (T.J. Dalrymple) and Alé (Erin Bethea), who marry right after school and move to India to serve as missionaries for Embrace A Village, a ministry that cares for those afflicted with leprosy and their families; aspiring financier Catherine (Kate Cobb), who joins a prestigious financial institution determined to make an impact on corporate America; Ryder (Matthew Florida), who lands an impressive job in social media and can’t wait to use the powerful medium for a greater good; and Ethan (Shawn-Caulin Young,) seemingly the odd man out, who struggles to find his God-given-purpose and feels sidelined by God.
“What they all come to learn is that it never really was their time,” Arnold said. “It always was, always is, God’s time.”

If you would like to watch This Is Our Time
sign up to win ☺.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"toddler" time :)

 

this hard back book has

a little handle so it can be carried

by those chubby little toddler hands. ☺

Beautifully illustrated and easy to read.

Toddlers seem to always be on the move...

read to them,

they ARE listening!

Written by Fiona Boon.

Illustrated by Lara Ede.

I received a copy of this little book for the purpose of review.

 

For my friends in the baby/toddler time of life. ☺ Whether you work outside or at home, are a mom or a dad...his is a refreshing and helpful read for what is a precious and possibly "exhausting" time of life ♥. 
*Practical advice on toddler tantrums, food and bedtime battles

from a Biblical world view.

*hope filled''time-outs" for mom.

"Treasure" the time.  Stay home a lot if necessary.  Keep a regular schedule with lots of opportunity for them to use their energy in positive ways.  Give choices.

My favorite thing in the whole book...If your little ones are early risers, make this the time of life you snuggle and watch the sun rise. 

(I am not a "morning" girl, but now that I know from experience how quickly this time does go, I would have.  You can do anything if you know it is not forever!)

 

Erin MacPherson lives with her husband and their two adorable children in Austin, Texas. She was an editor and staff writer for a popular parenting and pregnancy Web site for years, where she spent hours each week researching pregnancy, talking to obstetricians and midwives, and giving

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.



listening to...

I got in the car the other day and ( http://www.klove.com/) made me smile.  We have had on again-off snow and this day it was.  So klove played us a Christmas song. ☺
 

 

 Lord, I come, I confess

Bowing here I find rest

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, Oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You


Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are, Lord, I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus, You're my hope and stay

the adventures

of Lily Lapp.

"Mom, the second Lily books is out. We need to get it!"

I have one child who reads because she loves to read, another who reads "as necessary" if you please.  When it comes to this Lily series, I had to assign "turns". ☺

 

I have permission to share part of the book "report" my nine year old wrote for this post.  H says that she liked this book because it was funny, and that she will remember it because it was entertaining.  She says that Lily has to leave her home in New York to go to Pennsylvania.  She can't wait to get their so they can unpack and she can find her doll.  When they get there they people who lived there before had left boxes that were theirs now.  One of the boxes had dolls and her mom said she could pick one. Her grandma was going to help her sew clothes for the doll, but her Grandma believed that dolls shouldn't have faces because they were Amish.  There are a lot of adventures and funny parts.  In the end Lily gets a new baby brother (even though she wanted a sister), and a new attic bedroom.

Yes! I would recommend this book to girls (probably age 9-13)!

 

As a mom I am thankful for these quality books that my girls anticipate reading. ☺

 

In no particular order, Suzanne Woods Fisher is a wife, mother, writer, lifelong student of the Bible, host of Amish Wisdom (a weekly radio show), raiser of puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind, a gardener and a cook...the latter two with sporadic results.
Suzanne has loved to write since she was a young teen. After college, she started to write for magazines and became a contributing editor for Christian Parenting Today magazine. Her family moved to Hong Kong for four years, just as the internet was developing, and she continued to write articles in a 44-story high-rise apartment, sending manuscripts 7,000 miles away with a click of a key.
After returning from Hong Kong, Suzanne decided to give her first novel a try. For four and a half months, she worked on an antediluvian computer in a cramped laundry room. She didn't even tell her husband what she was up to. When the novel was completed, she told her family at dinner one night that she had written a book. "That's why there's no food in this house!" said her slightly insensitive sons.
Undaunted...Suzanne found a small royalty publisher for that book and wrote three more (all earned multiple). With help from an agent, she has five books currently under contract with Revell. On September 1st, Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a non-fiction book of stories and examples about the Old Order Amish, will be released by Revell. The Choice, a novel about the Amish, will follow on January 1st.
Writing, for Suzanne, is a way to express a love of God and His word. With every book or article, she hopes readers get a sense of what faith really looks like in the daily grind. She hopes they realize that life can be hard, but God is good, and never to confuse the two.
Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

 

the mystery of the maple...

what a "sweet" day.

we had the opportunity to visit a maple syrup  tree "farm".

Why and how a maple tree can take starch stored

in its roots for winter and turn it into a sweet sap is truly something that

has scientists in awe.

Maple syrup is one of God's creative masterpieces!

(throughout this post any information in italics I have borrowed from the Wiki link for details I couldn't remember. ☺)

Did you know that maple syrup production is unique to North-Eastern America?

There are maple trees in other parts of the world, but they do not produce

as the weather never reaches the right temperatures.

the walls in the dining/learning area were covered in these beaUtiful quilts.

we spent time learning how to identify a maple tree by it's branches.

(this was NOT a maple.)

Seasons last for four to eight weeks, depending on the weather.

During the day, starch stored in the roots for the winter rises through the trunk as sugary sap, allowing it to be tapped .

the equipment we used

Which one is a maple?

it snowed off and on through out the day

and was

frEEzing.

The average maple tree will produce 35 to 50 litres (9.2 to 13 US gal) of sap per season, up to 12 litres (3.2 US gal) per day.

This is roughly equal to 7% of its total sap.

measuring in inches to make sure it is a 30-40 year old tree.

The ideal sap producing temps are

 20 degrees the night before and up to 40 the day.  The weather cooperated :).

success!

we got 23 drips in one minute.

it looks like water

before it is boiled down.

the sugar shack where the long and careful process

of boiling down the sap begins.

a taste of hot syrup.  

as delicious as it smells!

yum.