My Juicer, My Toy

I have been looking at getting myself to eat more veggies. I am NOT an eater of veggies! The very basics are about all I’ll eat: corn, green beans (cooked beyond nutritional), peas, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms (cooked), onion (beyond the crunch), lettuce (covered in Ranch dressing), squash/zucchini (in bread or fried), and broccoli (smothered in cheese). I realize this isn’t a great start, but it’s somewhere to begin.

There was a movie (Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead) I watched that really got me thinking along another line that may not end so badly as just plain not eating veggies. The man on the documentary did a 60 day fast of juicing his fruits and veggies. He lost 87 pounds and found a new lease on life.

Sixty days is a long time, and I’m not saying that I am going to do that. I don’t have the will power to do so. But I have been reading and learning about the benefits of raw fruits and veggies and I am fairly convinced that this method of juicing is a great way to go.

So, I got on Craig’s List and searched for juicers. I found one that on Amazon runs for $75-$85. I got it brand new for $10!!! I was so excited!

Of course, we had to go to the store and get some yummy fruits and a few veggies. (I will have to work my way into more of those.) Our first venture with the juicer had a bunch of grapes, half a lemon, about a third of a pineapple, and an apple. It was quite lemony, but after getting it nearly icy, it was WONDERFUL!

The only drawback will be for our family of seven is that the amount of food I just mentioned will only make about 16oz. That could be A LOT of food for the whole family. As I play with the recipes and add veggies into the regimen, I hope I can find cheap and fun ways to add it into our lives daily even if it’s making a veggie base for soups.

Daniel and his friends did a fruit and veggie fast and came out on top of the king’s army. I may not be trying to get to the top of the list, but I am trying to get more healthy. I believe this is something I can do and be proud of. I also believe that God will be pleased that I am trying to cleanse His temple for His glory. I look forward to this journey to see what God might do.

Homeschool Ups and Downs

I was with some of my homeschool friends last night and was reminded that we all have good moments and not so good moments of homeschooling. I remembered that we all struggle with various aspects of our journey. We have fun and we wouldn’t change our lifestyles. We get to teach our children the ABC’s and 123′s of school and life. We deal with people who are supportive, those who are tolerant, and those who kindly insult our way of life under the guise of mild curiosity or self disparaging comments. We learn to take things with a grain of salt, lots of grace, and a smidgen of flexibility.  And when everyone else’s homeschool is perfect but ours is falling apart, we find that just being with friends that walk our walk can change our perspective and make a little rainbow of peace come out of the storm clouds.

To show how perfect our homeschool is and perhaps encourage others along the journey, I want to list some of our highs and lows of this past school year. When I first started thinking of this list, I couldn’t come up with the good. Our year ended rocky and I (we) just wanted to be done, but God showed me some things we could be proud of and look forward to for next year.

In no particular order here is my list:

• I had a 5th, third and kindergartner. Not too bad, but adding that third child was a task for me…
• Because my 3rd grader could barely read, she was very dependent on me – taking time from reading with my K-5er.
•  Addie wanted to do school constantly – she’s 4
• There was/is a toddler in the house.
• J was bored with math. On the hunt for something more challenging I found Life of Fred. LOVE IT! He’s challenged and learning (though I think he’s doubtful of this)
• G could barely read in 3rd grade. And we just weren’t getting math. UGH! I’m not sure who was more frustrated – me or her.
• Plugged through reading and reviewed phonics. Within the final month of school, reading FINALLY kicked in. The light switch was turned on. We’re still slow on reading, but things are sounding SO MUCH better!
• Changed math with G to Developmental Mathematics and she really liked that. Again, still struggled, but in the last month of school that reading light bulb also became a math light bulb. “Mommy, look! If I do this and then do this, then I get the right answer!” HUG!!!
• T is still working through the reading book, so we’re a little behind. Some fault of mine, but the demands of 3rd grade overtook demands of K-5.
• History? What’s that?
• Where are all the pencils? I just bought 20 of them!
• Hello? Erasers? I love my Baby O, but I don’t think erasers are good for the digestive tract.
• What a great worksheet I found! Too bad there’s no ink in the printer.
• “Mom, I need you.”
• “Mom, I need you.”
• “Mom, I need you.”
• “Mom, I need you.”
• “Mom, I need you.”
• Why are there pages torn out of this book? This is not a workbook!
• What did you learn from our field trip? “I don’t know.”
• What does s-c-h-e-d-u-l-e spell? I have no idea.
• The library made approximately $60 (give or take a little) from my family this year.
• Books do NOT belong in the toilet! Especially library books!
• We finally have a cleaning system that works for our family! It’s a conglomeration of several ideas. Yep. This is homeschooling, b/c boy, is school messy!
• The CAT test for G and J was acceptable for one and disappointing for the other. Glad it’s only a state requirement and really means nothing.
• We made new friends and became closer friends with old friends.
• J played basketball and G played soccer. God gave them wonderful talents and I loved watching them grow in ability and confidence.
• G wrote songs that made me cry. I know they glorified God.
• J has a wonderful ability to create games. He’s working on them and we’re trying to find a way to make them possible for all to use.
• T  has a speech impediment, but he’s worked hard and as long as he talks slowly, he can be understood so much better.
• T can do perfectly formed push-ups. He’s 6. He loves to do diamond push-ups.
• Addie loves doing school. I look forward to seeing what the new school year will be like with her “doing” K-4.

I look forward to beginning our new school year. (yes, I know summer has just begun). There’s so much potential and I know God will use my kids in some great way – even if it impacts only one person.

Please be encouraged by this crazy list of ups and downs. Listening to my friends, I know I’m not the only person who is crazy from homeschooling. It’s nice to know.

What were some of your ups and downs? Let me know!

Spring Time is FINALLY Here!

It here! It’s finally Spring! I come from the sunny, hot, and humid, Wilmington, North Carolina. In early March the sun is out. People pull out their flip flops and by May, the tank tops – if they actually put them away at all. The sun screen is applied and once again the beaches become a social hub.

Wilmington, NC

I know. We are nearly two months into spring. But I now live in Western Pennsylvania (Ellwood City – 45 Minutes north of Pittsburgh). March was COLD! April was depressing. It rained nearly 20 of 30 days! And it was not yet warm enough to play in the rain.

Pittsburgh, PA

But May, sweet May! She has brought some rain, but I am seeing sunshine! I have worn my shorts and flip flops. I have gone without a hoodie! It has been wonderful! The trees are green and showcasing their pinks, purples, and whites. The lawn mowers are out eating the just too long grass. And the tulips and daffodils are beginning to fade, making way for other flowers in the parade of colors to come.

And just to show you how very nice it was, my Addie Girl posed for me in the neighbor’s yard (and she didn’t even know it).

Yes, I know. By most people’s standards, these are weeds. I agree. The neighbor wasn’t able to finish the yard the day before because of the “R—” word. But weeds or not, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED seeing flowers and my little girl amongst them!

Thank you God, for the beauty You have given! You teach us to number our days, rain or shine. This was Beautiful, not even cloudy, day number three out of way too many not so pretty days. However, I thank you that you love us enough to send us rain.

A Little Girl and Her Vacuum

There once was a little girl named Baby O

And she had plenty of curls to go.

She loved her family and she loved her friends,

But her love of the vacuum should never end.

She listened to its chatter

Didn’t see what was the matter,

It blew its air in her hair

(She just didn’t care.)

I hope one day she’ll see

Just how wonderful this memory will be.

Baby and Vacuum – YouTube Video!

BoneMan’s Daughters Book Review

 I don’t do many book reviews. I think in a small way, that is something I’d like to change. But on this occasion I really wanted to let you know of a good book.

First, Ted Dekker. He is a Christian author with the ability to make Christians see good, evil, and indifference in a whole new light. He is a brilliant story-teller of the thriller and suspense.

These are just a few of his books.  House is even a movie – but read the book and use the imagination. It’s so much better!

I picked up this Boneman’s Daughters from PaperbackSwap and read.

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who’s abducted six young women. He’s the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.

Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.

Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan’s s estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.

But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, ans in the end, only one father will stand. ~From the front flap of the book.

The beginning was mortifying! Ryan was captured by terrorists and made to endure the killing of innocent children. The children sat broken and dead in front of him. He manages to escape and goes home to the States, where he goes through therapy (Is there any wonder?)

Then the BoneMan takes Ryan’s daughter and the question becomes, “How far am I willing to go to get my daughter back?” For a father who has seen the torture of an Iranian “BoneMan”, he knows that he would do anything. And he almost does ANYTHING. (It’s really almost freaky how far he was willing to go)

BUT I am not going to spoil the book.

While this book is a thriller, there is so much of a deeper meaning in it! I have never seen someone put life to Genesis 3:15 the way Ted Dekker did in BoneMan’s Daughters.

“And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

The story of the Father’s love that caused him to be willing to give his own life for his daughter was ironically beautiful in this somewhat allegorical book.

Was this book  a good one beyond the message? The plot was excellent! There were enough twists and turns to fairly keep you guessing. The characters were were believable and decently put together. Not knowing anyone with post traumatic stress disorder, I had to go on his descriptions. I would like to believe that my father or my husband would be willing to do some of what Ryan had to do – though I certainly hope they never have to make that kind of decision. The background of the BoneMan was somewhat sketchy, left more to the imagination. However, when you think about Satan and what we know of him, do we really know what made him crazy jealous and desire to leave the Father? So, to that, I was OK not having all the horrid details of his life. I was not left feeling empathy or sympathy for the killer. And that is fine by me. Reading the last lines of the books brought tears to my eyes (something that doesn’t generally happen in a thriller).

How does the book rank on my “Best Books” list? It may not be the best book I’ve ever read (I’d give it a 7), but the message of it was over-powering and a great reminder of what Christ did for us and WILL do for us. So, if Ted Dekker were to find this post one day, I would like to say “Thank you for a thrilling reminder.”

Check out the  Ted Dekker website and his Library

Italian-Ranch Chicken

I have made this recipe for several years now, and Mark still says it’s his favorite! I’m glad, because it is so SUPER EASY to make. You can even do it in the microwave!

You’ll need:

• boneless skinless chicken breasts/tenders
• Ranch dressing
• Italian dressing
• Casserole dish
• Oven to 350°

Put chicken in dish.

(This part might a little tricky for those who measure everything)

Add about one part ranch

to two parts Italian.

I usually just squirt it on liberally; covering it good. Some days we want a big tangy kick and others more creamy.This is really a recipe to make to your liking.

Put in oven for 30 min. or until the chicken is finished. OR the microwave works really well too. Six chicken breasts took about 25 minutes in the microwave in 10 minute intervals.

Serve with  (the chicken sauce is a yummy tangy gravy) and your choice of veggies – ours is usually  and sometimes a

I was going to take pictures, but it was gone before I could get the camera out. Oh well, you’ll have to make it and see it for yourself!

And I really wish I could take the credit for this recipe, but I got it from a friend of mine in NC. Thanks Daphene!

Little Girl Growing Up

Inspired by a friend who has her own blog, Glo decided that she would like her own as well. I thought about it and I can see no reason to not let her have one – as long as she doesn’t get addicted like me and MANY others I know (and read). She’s very talented in many things – the master of no one thing. She loves to write, and she loves people. The blog will be a good outlet.

She’s just not little any more (but always my little girl). I let her do this with great pride and those bitter-sweet thoughts of never getting back that time of childhood. I want her to enjoy being young. Soaking up the information while she still wants too. This time will be gone too soon.

OK. Her blog is called Glori’s Page. It’s all hers, with a little help from me for posting. I hope that you will enjoy her posts as she learns about computers and learning what makes a good post. (I’ve heard some of her ideas) She has plans of videos, pictures, and everything a blog should be!

 

Painted Bedroom – Part One

My oldest daughter is now a NINE year old!

The Birthday Girl

It’s so hard to believe the time is never to be bought back. I have enjoyed my time with her. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

For her birthday, my friend, Amy and I painted her bedroom.

Before=BLAH!

"Blah" and a shellac door

periwinkle walls and shellac door

Goodbye Shellac!!!

It was fun and Very tiring! We are actually not finished. It is done enough to allow her and her sisters to sleep, but we want to put some finishing touches on there.

 

Mostly finished!

Obviously not completely finished!

The dresser drawers  are in the garage waiting for the rain to subside before making their way inside. They are the dark purple that’s on the door.

The finishing touches?

A painted floor, a Scripture border around the room, some other odds and ends painted on the wall, a finished closet (notice the door is closed), and some shelving on the walls.

But that’s for another weekend!

 

Season of Change

Spring is a great and beautiful time of change, especially if the color white  has been the main color you see when you look out a window. I love to see the flowers come up out of the ground, put some new ones in the ground, baby bunnies, raccoons who eat everything they can get to in your garden (and trash), deer, and other ‘fun’ animals, blessed sunshine, and in general, just enjoy being outside.

Winter is nearly over and Spring is coming. Not only in the seasons of the year, but also in the season of my life. I have been through a DRY spell, cold even. But I have found new purpose in my life. Actually, it’s a renewed purpose. I have an opportunity and God has opened WIDE a door. I find that I am drawn through this door inexplicably, which has really been open to me for some time now, but I have been too afraid to walk through. I told God finally, “I will be afraid NO MORE!”

I cheer for myself and walk forward tentatively, looking to the future. In truth, I am still SCARED to DEATH! But, I can’t run any longer from the destiny God is calling me to.

What is this destiny? God has called me to write a curriculum for character building and perhaps other books as well. (HA! I said it! I haven’t said that out loud to too many people and NOW IT IS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB!!!) I am doing this as much for my children as for myself. The curriculum is written for them, but I know others can benefit from it too. If I am to leave a legacy for my children, shouldn’t I be teaching them about that legacy?

The curriculum is The first book is Kindness. The second one, which is nearly complete is Obedience. Keep watching! You can check out my website at www.legacyleavers.org

A Girl Like This…

OK. So on Facebook I have this friend. She is going to be 16 in February. She is an awesome young lady named Emilee and she has the heart of God. She sees God for who He really is and chases after Him even if no one else is. She would rather talk about God than about the boys she knows or the latest makeup and hairstyles. Her post the other day blew me away.

Are you ready for this?

I was thinking today about getting married someday or dating and I figured out that I don’t care if God brings me a guy who works at Walmart drives an old pick up truck from 1980 and lives in a trailer If that guy can see my beauty on the inside and out and he’s and a strong believer in God then he’s good enough for me… I don’t need a rich guy to make me happy I need a Godly guy♥

WOW! All I could think was that I want my children to be able to say those kind of words when they are in their teens. I don’t want them to pick the characteristics for their mate and leave God out of the equation. I pray for the mate they will one day have, but I want them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has their BEST in mind, even if he/she comes with a rusty old truck and a single wide. God will never let them down.

To be nearly sixteen and saying “I need a Godly guy” might have made my life a lot easier and a whole lot less painful.

Here’s the question I will ask of all of us: Are we diligently teaching our kids about the godly guy/girl they should ultimately desire?

Most days I say, “sure.” But there are those “other” days when…