Garden idea

http://blog.oregonlive.com/pethealth/2008/07/gardening.jpg
Now that Spring is here- gardening fun has begun. Here is an idea we found for adding nutrients to your garden soil. Add eggshells to your soil!

Using Egg Shells in the Garden: Crushed Shells Boost Garden Soil’s Calcium Content, Deter Pests

Snow Candles

Sticky snow is good for more than building a snowman or having a snowball fight. Check this out. Who would have thought of making candles in a snowbank?







We discovered a Nature craft book at the local thrift store and decided to try a perfect craft for this time of Winter.
(We all know God created "Mother Nature")







We read about Wilson Bentley, "The Snowflake Man" who was the first to take microphotographs of snowflakes(** our Creator's beautiful handiwork **Psa 148:7-8)




It was about 40 degrees outside the afternoon we did this. (The important thing to remember first is to try not to tackle baking chocolate chip cookies at the same time as learning this new candle making skill. The cookies turn out a little too
dark.)




what you'll need:
-Snow
-pan with about 2 in. water and a couple tin cans of various sizes(creates a double boiler)
-old candles of assorted colors-paraffin wax - from the grocery store -
-wicks- We melted old white candles, also from a thrift store, to get some wicks and extra wax. Walmart did not carry them.
-Assorted color crayons for vibrant color
-a stick or chopstick
-potholders





















When your melted wax is ready to pour, just go outside and poke a hole into the snow about the length of your finger.


Slowly pour the melted wax while holding the wick in the center. It will cool quickly. Let it sit in the snow to harden about an hour(if you can wait that long. We were excited to see ours.)














It was so much fun, we spent all afternoon creating and forgot to make supper!

















This was a lot of fun working with the different colors from the crayons and experimenting with melting wax!

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Being of Swedish descent, Bridget's paternal grandpa's side, we also enjoyed this little idea from a site I found when searching for more snow candling ideas on the web.

"When I grew up in Sweden a common thing to do with the children (that would be me back then) was to build snow lights. As you have a lot of snow, it gets dark at 3pm and you want the children to play outside you would hand them a bunch of candles and send them out to build snow lights all around the house. Later on you would light them up and stand in the kitchen window to look at them.
Well, back then, being a child and everything, it was the coolest thing to see as a well build one that can burn all through the night and still be lit in the morning.

Now I have kids on my own and of course this was something I just had to do with them. But - no one here (I moved to the Netherlands a couple of years ago) ever heard of these and they were all amazed of my innovative little product when I lit it in the evening. So if people here haven’t heard of them then surely there are more people in the world missing out on some winter time fun with the children.You can do this as long as the snow can be compressed into snow balls, so between +1 c / 33 f down to -7 c / 19 f or so." By Chris Järnåker

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Why did God make snakes?

Grace and Mom were driving in the car.
and Grace made a statement:

"Adam and Eve were good and then they were bad."

My response, "Adam and Eve chose to do bad. We need to choose to please God."

Grace: "Why did God make snakes?"

My response, "Let's go home and ask Daddy."

Help the Children Love the Different People :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

Here's a very good message for all of us to hear. It's from John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis.

This is available in either an audio or video and the notes to follow along.

Help the Children Love the Different People :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library

That's What I Call Learning at Home

Check out this Mom's photos.

She has a whole-hearted home school.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/contentedsparrow/sets/72157618978177999/show/with/3846254263/

Inspiring.

Pumpkin Walnut Pancakes

Sometimes you just crave certain foods.

Like in the middle of a cold, winter month on a Sunday afternoon.




























Pumpkin pancakes was it this time. Just had to make them














and "voila!" - found out they tasted even better than I imagined and with some chopped walnuts - simply delicious!



Just like a warm, pumpkin walnut muffin slathered with butter and maple syrup. Yum.






I don't think my family got as excited as I did but I will do it all over again in a couple of weeks because I love them- and my family.

Made for Heaven

Jesus reminds us...
"My kingdom does not belong to this world."
John 18:36

Unhappiness for earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land... When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado


internet photo

I finished watching the 3 hour film "Fiddler on the Roof"(the past 2 days) and I feel I understand a little more clearly what this means- being a stranger in this world. We are God's people and we look forward to being with Him someday in His home forever. Knowing this makes the world and all it's little challenges seem very small and manageable.
"Lord, help me keep things in proper perspective each day here while we wait to go home with You. " Titus 2:11-13

Happy New Year!

Prayer for 2010

Lord, I pray for my ability in Christ to Be more grateful, Love more unselfishly, Live more passionately, Choose more purposefully, Laugh more freely, Care more deeply, Forgive more easily, Speak more boldly, Understand more clearly, Plan more hopefully, Serve more willingly, Give more faithfully, Accept more quickly, Sow more bountifully, Play more wisely, Feast more sparingly, Share more abundantly, Learn more broadly, Teach more humbly, Fumble more gracefully, Wait more patiently, Appreciate more timely, Listen more closely and above all Worship more fully.

Minnesota Christmas Morning

We love being hibernated by a blanket of fresh, white snow.
What better way to enjoy a Christmas morning?





The image of immaculate, untouched snow.












Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Psalm 51:7


We have a visual reminder each time it snows of the work that Christ does in our hearts - if we allow Him too.





When the weather report announces a winter storm on the way - we can remember what His word says and remind ourselves of His analogy of snow in our lives.




Time for reflection on what is going on in our hearts.






The cleansing act of repentance brings the advent of purity in our hearts.










A soft heart that hears the still, small voice of God.





A voice we all long to hear.



But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. John 10:2-5