Humble Before The King

Back to blogging

2010-10-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided I need a creative outlet as well as a place to keep family and friends updated on our life here at Seminary. I don't know how regular I'll be as our life is pretty spontaneous. :)

Learn to Crochet

2008-10-14T06:01:00.000-07:00

I learned to crochet when I was very young. I've never had the motivation to learn more than the basic stitches, however, until recently when I learned crochet dishcloths rock way beyond a store bought one. There are great sources on the internet, but I must say I just came across an awesome blog of a woman who not only shares her patterns for free, but has video to go with many of them. It's great! So without further ado, go HERE to see what I mean!

Breadsmith Tour

2008-09-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Our homeschool group went to Breadsmith today for a tour. It was a great time and the guys there were great with the kids. When we got there we were greeted with the smell of all this wonderful bread. Several hundred loaves baked daily. They make bread to sell at Sam's and Mama Jeans as well. At Thanksgiving they bake over 2500 loaves in two days!
Here is the big mixer where the dough is mixed with their own flour blend. Unbleached and preservative free, yeah!

Then into these big tubs.

Then onto the huge kneading table. Here our guide is teaching us to knead two loaves at once.

Here is their huge ovens, imported from France (I think). It took a whole crew a whole week to put it together!

The huge peel to get the bread out of the ovens.

Showing us how that works.

The whole good looking group!

Thanks Breadsmith! We had a great time and our free samples were YUMMY! Can't wait to be back for more of your great bread!

Feels Like Fall!

2008-09-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's feeling like fall at The Hunsakers. You know what fall means to us besides the start of a fresh homeschool year? Well, here fall means two things. I'll leave you with some pictures and see if you can figure out what those two things are. :)

Another Giveaway :)

2008-08-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

A wonderful blogging friend, Christine, is having a fall giveaway. She has three lovely packages, something for the homeschool mom, the homemaking mom, and the tea loving mom. :) Check out her giveaway here. After you enter, check out the rest of her blog, you will surely be encouraged!

Our Homeschool

2008-08-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well a couple of weeks ago we started our official second year of homeschooling. Of course we learn every day all year long, but in MO you have to have an official start date to track your year. Here is what we are doing this year:

For math all three kids use Horizons. Math and handwriting are all Ally really does as far as seatwork. Everywhere else she just jumps in wherever it tickles her fancy. :)

For spelling Aaron uses Spectrum Spelling and Mariah's lists come from this site.

We also use Spectrum Phonics and really love it! Ally will start her K phonics book when I feel like she can focus that long. :) She would not start ps K until next fall anyway, so I'm not in a hurry. Probably after Christmas. She just seems to take a big leap during January in what she wants to learn. It's her growth spurt time of year. :)

All three keep writing journals that we do about three times a week with a story starting sentence. The younger two can just write or draw, where Mariah always must write something. She also uses Spectrum writing and she is liking that.

All of the above we do during the morning while we are fresh as I think we should do whatever requires sitting first thing. :) After lunch we do Five In A Row which we are LOVING! So many fun, great books to explore and expand on using science, social studies, history, literature and literary devices, art and math. I love how with this we are not only learning, but creating so many wonderful memories together.

Also this year I joined a homeschool group with a couple of other moms that I knew and they took the reigns and planned some great field trips and a once a month park day that we are going to have to look forward to. We have so much to learn and do in this area, it's great! We also want to make to to Wilder Days to see our friends the Bettendorfs who moved from a few minutes away to a whole hour away so they could make me jealous by living my dream life. ;)

So between that and Aaron playing flag football and doing cub scouts, the girls doing dance, the Discovery Center, the Zoo, and Friday morning swim and gym I think we may have just filled up our days. :) And then some. Like teaching my kids to cook and my girls to sew, crochet and knit. It's a good life. I am abundantly blessed.

The Motherlode

2008-08-22T13:30:00.001-07:00

Oh wow. I love blog giveaways. Whether you win or not, it's just the excitement of waiting. It's like the rush of garage saleing, but without all the gas money. ;) Simple mom is giving away a spectacular basket of prizes. Just any one of them would make me giddy, but she is giving them all away to one person! Would that not just be a dream. Oh wow. If you want to see what I'm talking about go HERE. Well, I better go sign up!

Bloggie Friends

2008-07-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have met so many cool people over the internet. I cannot imagine life without some of the people over in the "blogs I read" sidebar. Some I have had the pleasure of meeting in real life while others I just enjoy keeping up with through the stories they share. One such friend is Bridget who is having a contest to celebrate her bloggy anniversary. Congrats Bridget! Take a look at her crafty talents and enter the contest HERE!

"Staycation"

2008-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

So, this year daddy took off a few days around the 4th and we had a "staycation" as opposed to a "vacation". :) We had so much fun! We ate at Fazolis (which I forgot to take pictures of) and rode go-carts (again, no pictures *smack*). The one thing I did get pictures of my kids first time playing mini golf. Very fun! So, for your viewing enjoyment....

Interruption

2008-07-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

I am interrupting the normal family blogging to share something on my heart.

The other day we were driving somewhere and I noticed this beautiful patch of tiger lillys surrounded by trees, leaving them mostly shaded for much of the day. Instead of accepting their fate the flowers were all bent slightly over, petals, leaves and stems reaching for the sun. It was such a beautiful sight and spurred a deeper longing in my own heart.

I want to be like the lillies. I don't want to just accept life in the shade. I want to turn my face to the Son. I want to lift my face, stretch out my hands, long for Him as though my very survival depends on it. Even when circumstances may try to keep me in the shade, I just need to bend, to go against the grain, to reach for the Son. If someone came along and just cut down the trees, would I realize how much I needed the Son, or would I just take the Son for granted?

Catch Up Continued

2008-07-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

So, here we are, two posts in the same month! Here is some more of the fun we've been having....

Some friends of ours had Silver Dollar Passes and used their free guest passes on us! So the kids and I had a wonderful time at SDC. Here we are taking a drink break...

Playing in the water at Geyser Gulch...

On the train.....

Riding the American Plunge....

The whole crew.....

That very same week, we also go to go strawberry picking! Here is our yummy bounty...

Picking at Brown's Berry Farm in Miller, MO. They are the best farm. We love going there as they are so welcoming and inviting to the kids where many farms are not.

And for the grand finale we went to our friends' house and "jammed". :)

Next came June which brought Father's Day and the birthday of a particularly handsome father.....

And Ally was invited to a fun birthday party at the firehouse where she got to get into the firetruck!

Wonder who is going to work the pedals?

Well, we've been busy! We are so blessed to have so many family and friends who live close. I have some more events, but I either don't have the pictures loaded or didn't remember to take pictures. Now, whatever will I blog about? ;)

Blogging Again

2008-07-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is attempt number 398 of mine to start being a regular blogger. I so many wonderful blogging who friends who actually update their blogs and I am starting to feel like a slacker. So, I'll use this post to catch you up on the last two months.....

May brought much fun:

A horse party for Mariah at Sac River Stables

My 3 darlings

Mariah's bestest friend since age 2 with Mariah and Ally

As a special treat for us our friends the Bettendorfs came too!

Katie made Mariah this DARLING "cowgirl" outfit. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Mariah enjoyed riding "backward" while we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. :)

This is how it feels when you are too young to ride. :( Despite this very sad face, I do indeed recommend Sac River Stables to anyone. They are fabulous to work with and do so great with all ages of children. We loved our time there. And don't worry, I'm sure some cake turned that frown upside down! :)

Next on the list was some Memorial Day activities. We went to the cemetery in Mansfield, MO where Mark's relatives on his dad's side are buried. It also happens to be where Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House books is buried as well. We also went to another, the Newton cemetery I believe it is called.

Mariah in Mansfield

At the Newton cemetery. Yes, we are clowning around in a cemetery. Get over it. When you know your relatives are in heaven with Jesus, you can be happy.

And of course, what Memorial Day would be complete without a cookout to usher in summer in an official capacity. My father-in-law put his culinary genius on the grill while we admired his "upside down" garden he is trying out this year. Pretty cool, eh?

And God was really cool as usual and decided to send us a rainbow....

Okay, we had so much that we did in the last two months, I'm going to have to save more for later. I'll put more up in the next day or two so stay tuned. Because I'm going to become a regular blogger. Really.

Where In The World Are The Hunsakers?

2008-05-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, where have we been since our last updating blog. Hmmm...let's see. March brought a four year old's birthday and a ballerina party!

April brought a trip to Oklahoma and an adventure in science at the Oklahoma City Science Museum. It was great fun!

We also spent time being our usual crazy selves......

We also had a trip to the President's Museum and Butterfly Palace in Branson, MO.....

And finally, Mark and I headed west sans kids.....first we stayed at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ...... (if you've seen the Disney movie Cars you'll recognize some of the vehicles parked by the teepees)

Then onto Zion Canyon in Utah. It was beyond words. Totally breathtaking.....

Then on to Las Vegas for the wedding. And, of course, a visit to M&M World...yum!

The reason for the whole trip.....Congrats Brian and Lynie!

A Prayer Request

2008-04-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Please pray for the family of Ethan Powell. For over a year now, their lives have been Leukemia and St. Jude's Children's hospital. Ethan went home to Jesus today. He overcame so many obstacles, that it is so hard to understand why God would need him back. Please pray for Ethan's parents, Ben and Becky. Their faith has been a testimony to so many, please pray for them to keep their faith in all of this. Please go to his website and click on the Ethan's Friends page as their are more children whose parents so desperately covet your prayers. I still do not understand why God allows some children to be sick and some to be healthy. I do not understand why God lets some children live and others die. My heart cries out to these families. I have no words for them. I cannot tell them "God must have a reason" in letting their child die. I just cannot believe something that is beyond my understanding. I can only rest in the peace of seeing those children again some day.

Ethan's Website

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful....

2008-02-12T08:22:00.000-08:00

Don't think the birds will want to eat in there.....

That's some thick ice!

Pretty, frozen tree buds.....

Now THOSE are some icicles!

It's not every day you have a large tree branch on your front step. :)

I think we'll just stay home today.... :)

Belated Congratulations

2008-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

In the busyness of my life I failed to send out a new child congratulations. So, without further ado, congratulations to Denise and Troy and their family on the addition of Sarah from Ethiopia. Hop on over and tell them congrats on their ADORABLE new addition!

The Snowman That Wasn't

2008-02-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally got enough snow to do something with this winter! However, we just mostly enjoyed making and throwing snowballs. The kids were going to build a snowman, but they decided the task was just to daunting to do by themselves. Okie dokie. So instead of a picture of our snowman, I present you with.....the snowman that wasn't:

It started out fun, it really did.....

It's not even that cold......

Come closer, Ally, I won't throw this snowball at you...really, I promise. :)

Not just snow, ice too!

So much fun, but our poor, poor snowman just toppled over before his little life could even get started.....

His poor little nose....all alone....*sniff*

Happy Snow Day everyone!

Tea with Jodi

2008-01-30T08:17:00.001-08:00

I had a wonderful time yesterday. I had lunch at the Spring Creek Tea Room with Jodi. Oh, and her mom, Katie, came too. :) Miss Jodi was quite warm and snugly in her sling with her mommy, but she was so kind as to let me take her out of her warm, cozy pouch and let me hold her. She is quite the beautiful, perfect child (pretty much like all those Bettendorf children). Yep, we bonded. Until of course she realized I was useless to help her hungry belly. Oh well.

Thanks for a great afternoon girls. And thanks to Jeff for letting me borrow a couple of his girls.

The kids our society forgets

2008-01-22T09:53:00.000-08:00

Something that has been on my heart for a long time now is the fact that foster children are released from the system at age 18 and just abandoned to become adults. I have always been so blessed with friends and family and a support system, I don't know where I would be if I bounced from home to home and then was dumped on the street as soon as I turned 18.

The book for my church book club that I lead this month was Between Sundays by Karen Kingbury. I only knew a small bit about the book before I read it. And, who knew, it deals with foster kids and their hard road. It is a great, great read and I highly recommend that you pick up a copy and read it. It's an extremely touching story of a young man who's single mother dies and the boy believes his father is the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Aaron Hill.

That brings us to the actual quarterback for the 49ers, Alex Smith. Alex Smith has started the Alex Smith Foundation to help foster kids exiting the system to have support in getting jobs, housing and the education they need to succeed. Why is he doing this? This is why (taken from the Alex Smith Foundation website):

Why does our society spend billions of dollars on foster children, only to abandon these kids when they’re on the verge of becoming adults? It seems like we’re dropping the ball at the goal line.

Within two years of leaving the system, why do:
• 50% end up unemployed?
• One-third require public assistance?
• Almost one-third become homeless?
• 25% become incarcerated?
• Less than one in 10 attend college, and only one in 100 actually graduate?
Source: Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles

At the Alex Smith Foundation, we don’t believe in sitting
along the sidelines, watching foster children fail. And, we’re not as interested in “why,” as in “how”—how can we help?

I appreciate so much what this foundation has started. Not just as support for foster kids but they are actually working to change the laws for foster kids. If you have wanted to help, but foster care in your home is not the right road for you, please consider helping Alex and his foundation, or write your legislators to encourage them to help change the laws and hopefully change the statistics of these forgotten children.

How Do I Love You? Let me count the ways.....

2008-01-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, so if you could not tell already I was totally stoked at the discovery and subsequent tour of Askinose Chocolate. So, because of the utter joy and elation of my chocolate experience I came home and blogged about it. And then what comes to my humble e-mail inbox but a request from an Askinosie angel asking for our address so they could send us some FREE CHOCOLATE for sharing our experience with our friends and family on the web. Did you get that? FREE CHOCOLATE!!!! Just when I thought I could love these people no more, they send me free chocolate. Now I have enough to last me until next week when I will have to drive across town to get more. :) For those of you not fortunate enough to live here, let me show what it will look like when you order some chocolate heaven online. I'll use pictures from the arrival of my FREE CHOCOLATE, and in sharing I will let you in on some more why you should get your chocolate fix from Askinosie instead of your every day chocolate maker.....

That's right Mr. Fed Ex Man, be careful with my chocolate there...please. :)

Forget diamonds, THIS is how you say I love you! Or I'm sorry, or you were right.....

Your chocolate will come lovingly packaged in biodegradable materials. That right, no annoying packing peanuts, just unwrap the chocolate and throw the padding on the compost pile. Askinosie not only has a commitment to a great product, but they have a commitment to protecting our environment wherever they can.

And here you go. My beautiful chocolate. From left to right they are a 75% Soconusco bar (please bury me with one of these ;) ), cocoa nibs (which are the insides after the cacao beans after the shells are removed), and a 70 % San Jose Del Tambo "nibble bar" meaning it has the nibs pressed into the back and really gives a unique flavor to the chocolate. Thankfully my kids don't care for the nibble bars so I don't have to share *impish grin*.

The best part, the actual packaging and the bar. Please take the time to go on their website and read about the company. Shawn Askinose is a Christian and left a high profile (and profitable) job as a lawyer and has pursed chocolate making. I believe God is going to bless him in this endeavor. Why do you ask? Because he lives out his faith. He sources his beans directly from the small farmers. See that picture of that farmer on the Soconusco bar? The reason Shawn was not there our tour day is because he was shaking this farmers and others in that regions hands and sharing a portion of his first year's profits with them, giving them a Stake in the Outcome ™. If your chocolate says San Jose Del Tambo then Shawn has met every person who has touched the beans that are in that bar. They do not source cocoa butter or beans from anywhere else. Every bit of that bar from the cocoa to the cocoa butter has came from the same batch of beans. The only thing not coming from those farmers is the sugar. I cannot tell you all the good things about this company. Please visit their website and read about all the reasons they deserve your patronage.

And a big "THANK YOU" for my chocolate!

The Hunsakers and the Chocolate Factory

2008-01-13T11:55:00.001-08:00

On Friday we had the great privilege of visiting the Askinose Chocolate Factory in Springfield. What a great time! They make exquisite chocolate. They are the only small batch chocolate maker in the US that presses their own cocoa butter for their chocolate. They have personal relationships with the farmers who grow their cacao beans in Mexico and Ecuador. They are the only chocolate maker in 100 years outside of Mexico to make chocolate from the beans from the Soconusco region of Mexico. And I'm not sure why else these beans are special, but let me tell you that chocolate made from those beans.....oh, there is no description. They will definitely be serving Askinose chocolate in heaven. If you live in this area, drop by and pay them a visit. You can see the whole factory through big windows. They are wonderful, nice Christian people. And the owner and chief chocolate maker has an amazing story. Go to the website and read about it and then give them a call and order some chocolate!

Here are some pics from our day there:

Mariah and Aaron getting ready to attend "Chocolate University"

Some pictures from owner Shawn Askinosie's travels to the cacao bean farmers.

The room where the debris is removed from the bags of beans, the beans are roasted and cooled and winnowed.

Kyle our tour guide did a great job. He is also the son-in-law of Shawn Askinosie.

Cocoa butter, doesn't that look good for you? ;)

From beans to bar, mmmmmm.

Oompa-Loompas answering Mariah's questions. :)

The regions where their beans come from.

All in all, it was a great day and we came home with some great chocolate!

Congrats to the Bettendorfs!

2008-01-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Baby Jodi has made her arrival today!! Congrats to Katie and Jeff and all the siblings on your new baby sister. Stop by HERE and leave them a congratulations message!

I can already smell that sweet baby smell....ah.

Mmmm Coffee :)

2007-12-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

You Are a Double Espresso

Hey Energizer Bunny Girl! Do you ever slow down?
You're a mix of high energy and ambition, perfectly matched with strong espresso
When you want something you get it - by any means possible
You're driven, determined, and no nonsense. Which is just how you like your java.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Getting ready for Jodi.....

2007-12-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so everyone loves to guess when a baby will be born right. Well, my friend Katie is very nearly ready to introduce a lovely little girl into the world and is holding a contest on her blog to see when Jodi will be born. Check it out!

Prayers for the Skees

2007-12-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

Please pray for the Skees family tonight as they morn the loss of their daughter after her fight with cancer. They are such a special family whom I never met, but was touched so much through their struggle. Such courage and faith they had with each new challenge. I am praising God that she is in heaven and not in pain, but oh, the pain her family must be in right now. I love what her mother said "Run to Jesus, Ellie.....run!". And she did.

Her story: http://ellieskees.blogspot.com/

Media Fast

2007-12-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Just so no one worries about where I have gone, my family is going on a media fast until Christmas. We are going to refocus and re prioritize some areas in our lives. I will still have to hop on and check my e-mail because I have to for work, so if you need me, call me or e-mail me. Otherwise, it's no computer, no tv and no video games, etc until after the 25th. I'll be back to check up on your lives after that. We just really need this time to reconnect as a family as Mark being in school and our first year of homeschooling I think has caused some disconnect. We'll see you at the end of the month!

Advent

2007-12-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Goodness, there are just so many opinions out there about what Christians should do during the month of December. Some say because Christmas is of pagan origins we should just skip the season all together. While I am not too much for the whole commercialism thing, I do love spending time with family, doing special things with my kids and celebrating the season of Advent in anticipation of Christ's birth. Sure I could do these things anytime, however, doing them at this time of year is what makes them extra special than your usual family fun time. Time and time again this month I have heard my children delight in the fact that we have been given the greatest gift of all, our Savior. That makes a mommy's heart warm.

If you want to know what we will be doing during this portion of the church year, this article that my hubby sent me says it well: Observing Advent and Christmas

My Other "Children"

2007-12-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

Here are my other children not often seen on my blog. :) Millie the Wonder Dog (because even though she is short she can leap baby gates in a single bound) and Rocky the Cat who loves people and runs to the door like a dog when company comes. They both are sweet rescued pets. Millie we got when a friend who couldn't keep her after she wandered onto their property, brought her over for us "just to look at". :) She never left. Rocky's mom was found by another homeschool mom who already had 7 cats, so we took him in as a kitten just about 6 or 7 weeks ago. He's been a fun addition and a good buddy for Millie. So, now you know. My other "children".

Fabulous Fall

2007-11-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite time of year? And today was a beautiful day to go out and enjoy all fall has to offer. So, I made the choice to avoid housework and play hookey outside. Fun, fun, fun. Here are some pictures from our day......

Until next time........

Thanksgiving Fun

2007-11-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

If you love the Magic Tree House books like we do, you will love these great activities to go along with Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne. Great vocabulary and activities for each chapter. Enjoy and have fun!

Goodness

2007-11-12T16:45:00.001-08:00

My. life. is. busy. Keeping up with schooling, some data entry side work, normal home stuff, church stuff, it's getting to be quite a bit! We are blessed. We could be bored. ;)

I wish I had more to post about, but I made an entry on my food blog and that's about all I have time for. So, instead I will leave you a great link to my hubby's blog. He has a great video up about speaking with conviction. So many people today will not just say what they mean. Know what I mean? ;) Just watch. It's great.

Maybe some day I will get into the regular blogging thing. We'll see. :)

It's up :)

2007-11-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Food blog link to your left. Enjoy. :)

Still Coming

2007-10-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on getting the food blog up, but things have been busy. So busy, I've enlisted the help of our new kitten Rocky. Between menu planning from sale flyers and previewing new homeschool materials though, he is exhasted!

Coming Soon

2007-10-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Look for yet another blog coming soon. I will keep this blog to update on family and I am also starting a new "food blog". I love to cook and I love to eat, so I thought having a food blog would be a good fit. It will also be a good place to participate in Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Mondays. Plus, well, I just always run our printer out of ink printing recipes to try or keep and end up losing them and printing again, etc. This way it is a good record of what we liked so I can make it again. Having my menu plan out for the bloggy world to see will be a good way to make sure I actually stick to my plan as much as possible.

If you want to really save money on groceries, I highly recommend making and using a menu plan. It is really, really worth your time. I plan breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I try to not buy more at the store that I will use for just that week. I love the challenge of seeing how little I can spend on food and still feed my family nutritious meals. I do occasionally reserve the right to stock up on things where I can combine coupons with sales and get stuff really cheap. However, it usually affects the next week's grocery expenditure as I try to plan around my newly acquired goodies.

Now, I'm not a total health nut either, even though I do love nutrition. I still will feed my children sugar cereal and fruit snacks. Some weeks are better than others. It all about balance and doing your best. I don't throw in the towel because we ate sugar cereal two days in a row. :) It is shocking though, to realize just how much sugar is in those boxes of cereal. It is much better to buy a regular cereal and let your children sprinkle on some sugar (which mine love to do). Check out your box of sugar cereal. If it has, say, 12 grams of sugar, that is equivalent to about 12 teaspoons of sugar! No child would sprinkle on 12 teaspoons of sugar on their cereal!

So, perhaps this will be an endeavor of better nutrition for us too. It is much easier to serve healthier food if you plan ahead with a little prep. So, be on the lookout soon for my new food blog. Name suggestions would be welcomed. :)

Edit: Amy pointed out in my comments that 1 teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams of sugar, in other words they are not equal as I stated above. I was told they were by a nutritionist, but I either misunderstood her or she didn't do her homework that chapter because Amy is right! Thanks Amy! Still gross, but at least I won't feel sooooo bad when my kids eat sugar cereal, just not all the time!

The Lion and The Lamb

2007-10-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

"And a child will lead them...."

Prayers for the Quayle Family

2007-10-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

I know you don't know this family, and I too have never met them, but I have followed the story of their daughter's inoperable tumor. She passed away late last night and I'm sure they are hurting tremendously. Thank you for praying for them.

http://www.smilesforsophie.com/

Suggestions Please

2007-10-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

Every year I compile the book list for my Book Club at church for the following year in October so that people can ask for books for Christmas and also have all year to try to get the books on clearance, etc. 2008 will be our third year for book club! It has been a lot of fun.

So that brings me to a reader request ( because my blog has such a large following, LOL). I need suggestions of Christian Fiction authors. We have read a lot and loved them, but I am sure there are more out there that we have not read that are great. Let me know some books you have liked. Some of the authors we have liked are Francine Rivers, Beverly Lewis, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Terri Blackstock, Angela Hunt, W. Dale Cramer, Colleen Coble, Karen Kingsbury and Shaunti Feldhahn just to name a few. We are only doing Christian fiction. We love a great non-fiction, but after doing them every other month our first year, we felt we just didn't have time in one evening to get to enough of the "meat" to make it worth our while. So this year we just have done fiction and it has been a lot of fun. Those books are still encouraging and make you think, even if the stories are not always true.

Here are our books for the rest of THIS year in case you are interested in reading with us!

October--Sutter's Cross--W. Dale Cramer
November--A Time To Dance--Karen Kingsbury
December--The Lights of 10th Street--Shaunti Feldhahn.

Enjoy and keep those suggestions coming!

Mmmmmm

2007-09-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you want some great recipes that are easy, nutritious and fun, visit Sandra at Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Enjoy!

Greater Than You Can Measure

2007-09-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

"All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask."......Martin Luther

I'm Yellow :)

2007-09-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors.
You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius.
Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way.
While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme.

Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

A Bragging Post

2007-09-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Hubby starts class tonight in the degree completion program at Evangel University. I am so proud of him. One stop closer to Concordia Seminary. After 12 years of marriage we are on our way! I love you sweetie and am so proud and thankful to be your wife and help-meet. I love ya!

Making the Move

2007-09-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

After much peer pressure I am moving my blog to blogger. :) My husband has wanted me to move for a while so I suppose I should submit to my sweet man and make the move. So here ya go sweetie, my new blog. ;) If you want to see where I used to be since I won't be moving any archives here is my old blog www.xanga.com/debhmom3