This Week at Home

In which health is restored and the camera is back! 

Silly Mr. Squirrel

On the Heart and Mind:

It took two weeks, but we are back to normal.  I am praying we can enjoy this good health for a little while .  I so want to go visit my Grandma.  I've kept away from her to protect her health.  I hope to see her this weekend.  Also, I am  thankful for the warm up that is coming this weekend.  Our driveway is covered with thick ice.  Maybe the warmer temperatures will take care of it.  

The 7th Grade Class Photo

Learning and Life:

We finished Daughter of the Mountains.  We give it a thumbs up.  Momo is a very determined little girl and very much strong in her faith, unfortunately she puts that faith into the wrong god.  I really love reading books about different cultures.  My sympathy is stirred.  I want to pray harder for the lost.  So many people are lost and are going to spend eternity in anguish.  

We continued reading about William Carey. If ever there should be a discouraged man, it would be him.  He has a horrible time getting the mission to India started.  That's a lesson to me.  Things do not necessarily go well, even when you are in God's will.  I think Satan was working double time against Mr. Carey.  But that did not stop him from going forward with a happy heart.  

We (Grace and I) have come to a stopping place in math.  It is time to pause and think about things for awhile.  Selah.  Grace and I are going to go back through her Math U See books and review all the concepts up to this point.  We are also going to order MathTacular from Sonlight.  

I think we need a big dose of Professor Justin's humor.  Math has just gotten too traumatic here lately.  It is to the point of hard feelings and lots of tears.  You have to know when to take a step back and reconsider.  That time is now.

In the Kitchen:

To simplify my life, I've come up with a rotation menu for the winter.  I don't have to think about what is for dinner.  I just look at my plan.  I'll write it here to show you what I mean.  I also am flexible enough, that if my dinner plans for that night are too fussy for what we have going on that day, I can rearrange my menu.

Day One:  Soup & Bread Night
Day Two:  Asian Night
Day Three:  Mexican Night
Day Four:  Italian Night
Day Five:  Breakfast Night
Day Six:  Americana Night (stuff like casseroles, meatloaf, oven fried chicken)
Day Seven:  Sandwich & Salad Night

Fantastic Casserole Recipes

Potato Flake Sourdough Recipe

Mandarin Cake Recipe

Is his face stuck in this pose? 

On the Bookshelf:

I finished A Rose in Bloom by L.M. Alcott.  I can't wait until Grace has time to read it.  It is a true girlie girl book, so full of noble ideas about romance and the world.  Grace is reading The Brethren by H. Rider Haggard.  She just finished A Bride Goes West , a voices from the past audiobook.  I hope to get her more of those.  Excellent stuff!

This week, I have only had a little time to read for my own pleasure, but what I read was a fantastic, mind changing read, When Queens Ride By.  Please take the time to download and read the short story.  The way I think about my work as a wife has been forever changed.  Thanks again to Annie Kate for the heads up. 

Also, if you are the mother of a son near the age of 13, please go read this from Like Mother, Like Daughter.  I think you will be blessed, if you do.  I really needed to read this one! 

Scripture Memory Work:  

I'd love to say that it was a banner week in this category.  After being sick, I wanted to give up, but my sweet friend Katia kept cheering me on and I think I am back on track.  (The verses are on my sidebar.)

Picture of the Week:  

  Too, too much snow! 

Manitoba, Canada

I will not complain about the weather here in Indiana, now. 

Have a wonderful weekend.  

Gracefully Yours, 

Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Zany Boy

Book Review: An Amish Love

I am still kicking myself for choosing this book.  I do not usually read contemporary Christian fiction, most of all love stories.  I fell prey to my love of learning about different cultures.  Big sigh. 

I do not like being negative.  I do not think this is a horrible book.  It is just not my genre.  I love good historical fiction.  I guess I was hoping for a similar experience.  I love learning through literature, good literature.  This book is not literature.  I was hoping to gain insight through good descriptive writing into a culture that I find very interesting, the Amish. 

I am certain there are redeeming qualities of  An Amish Love, Three Amish Novellas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long, if you are into such books.  I was not able to get past the stereotypes, poor descriptions and lack of insight into the Amish culture.

The three novellas are set in the same town.  Three different love stories are presented with similar themes.  Each set of characters has made poor choices and there are consequences to pay.  The one neat thing is that they all seem to meet up at one restaurant in town in the different stories. 

The stories are quick to read.  If someone really likes Amish fiction, I think they would like this book.  There are also recipes at the end and a study guide.  The point of the study guide is if you want to have a group discuss the book. 

NOTE:  I received this book free of charge from the publisher for my honest review. 

Name Change

Dear Friends,

To make my transition from HSB to Blogger complete, I decided to take my old blog's name with me.  I chose that name, Busy At Home, based on these verses.

"Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God" Titus2: 4-5

These verses fit very well the reason that I blog.  I want my words to encourage other women to love their families, to be self-controlled, pure, kind, and subject to their husbands.  All this adds up to being busy at home. And who is more busy at home than a home educating family? 

I can't say that I will keep this blog design for long, however.  Those who know me from the beginning know that I just love to change my blog design often.  It is easier than redecorating a room!

Have a great Saturday,
Jenn

This Week at Home

 In which sickness returns, winter stops the world, and love wins.  


On the Heart and Mind:

Love is triumphant here!  My heart is full.  How could it not be? My husband worked so hard this past week to keep us going.  He went to the store several times.  He went to work.  He did all the laundry and dishes and cooking while I was sick.  He cleaned the family sick room when it really needed it.

Thank you, Jeff.  I really needed you and you were there, so willing to do what it took to get us through this rough week. 

Learning and Life:

This is a good time to discuss what happens in a home educating family when the teacher is sick.  NOTHING!!! For two days we were couch potatoes watching old movies.  Thankfully the ice storm hit or my guilt level would have been very high.  It was a blessing to this teacher's heart that the public schools were also unable to have school.

Despite all the yuckies in the house, a short school week was accomplished.  I was able to do our Sonlight read alouds for two days.  I am so glad my voice is back.  We missed reading.

Here are some spontaneous learning moments:

• Grace wrote a short story about a cat who gets kicked out of its home for meowing at five in the morning.  She also wrote two friendly letters.  Grace cared for Trevor and I on Monday.  She made us lunch trays.  
• Ryan decided to flip around the furniture in his room moving his desk and bed, cleaning everything in the process.  He made his own flow chart using Google Documents.  He read Wikipedia for hours on his laptop.  He also did his science and math programs on his own.  
• Trevor watched so many episodes of Cyberchase that some science must have sunk in.  (lol)  

In the Kitchen:  Come back next week. We will be making cookies for Valentine's Day.   

On the Bookshelf:

I started A Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott. Sweet, sweet!  Miss Alcott may not have considered herself a great writer, but I do.  I love how she weaves in themes of purity and good Christian values.  Oh, and any book that correctly uses the word, twaddle, is superb!  

Scripture Memory Work:

Taking a review week.  

Quote of the Week:

I did not read any great quotes this week, but I did see this really funny picture.  

*~*~*~*~*~*

Have a wonderful weekend.
Gracefully Yours,
Jenn

Wordless Wednesday: Going to the Mailbox

Sickness, Ice Storm & Other Things

Hello friends.  Are you well?  I sure hope so.  I've been feeling pretty rotten myself for the last several days.  I had good company.  Two of my kids were sick with fevers, coughing, congestion and aches, too.  I knew we were doomed when my husband got sick the week before. Anyway, there is not much to do about that now.  He was a dear nurse this past weekend when no one could take care of themselves.  We are all on the mend though.  It just leaves you so weak and the coughing lingers on.

I watched a ton of old movies, which was fun, for awhile.  Then they started to get either too musical or too depressing.  For some reason I can't read when I am sick.  I need to be watching TV to keep my mind off of things.  It does dull your mind afterall! 


No school has happened yet this week and may not.  I don't know.  The kids are enjoying this impromptu break.  Just not the break I had planned.  Another thing I cannot change. 


Presently, my husband is working from home.  We had wave one of a two wave storm hit.  The first wave brought ice.  All schools are closed, even the colleges.  That's big.  They never close.  The next wave is going to bring more ice, sleet, snow and wind.  It is on its way.  Up at "my lake" they have a blizzard warning with up to 20 inches of snow and 60 mph winds.  Think I am wishing I was there today?  Nope.  It is all about perspective. 

As long as we have power we will be just fine.  I hate that dependency on power.  It's not the little inconveniences I worry about, but keeping warm.  That is a deal breaker.  We'd have to find a way to keep warm besides burning our furniture.  I am feeling a little unprepared.  I wish I had prepared a bit better.  We have food, but not enough wood on hand.  Oh well.  They could be wrong.

Well, I need to give the laptop back to my son.  I will leave you with these  pictures I took of myself and my cat with my cellphone camera.  I started to get all sentimental about her since she is always by my side when I am sick.  She is here now, right next to me.  The pictures remind me of those ones you might have taken at the mall with your best friend.  You know the crazy pictures you took in that photo booth?  Do they still have those?    Anyway, Abbey has been my best friend this week. 

Jenn & her BBF