Oct. 25, 2007
Another week in our home where
there is still much to learn ...
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It's a great day ... in Yeshua! He is my Life!
Jeremiah 33: 3
John 15: 4-5, 7-12, 14-17
I Corinthians 13
Ephesians 1: 15-21 and 2: 1-10 and 3: 14, 16-21
Colossians 1: 9-14
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Had hoped to share with you all some helpful websites
about modest clothing soon
... but interruptions do come and keep me from doing that now ...
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Hi, dear friends! We are all on this home education journey together! Hope your week is going well.
You know? We can sometimes recognize God in disasters that others go through, though often only in hindsight. In our
family, God continues to show us new lessons He wants us to learn.
Now, saying that: here is how our week is going. We have a plumbing pipe in the house we are renting, that has not been draining out. The water backs up and spills onto the floor. We are workin' on a "new plan" to pipe the drain water to the outside (though the laundry area is along an inside wall), so that we can again use our washing machine.
On another "front," we have already learned that hand washing clothing and linens can be done, using only a bathtub ... and lots of willpower ... plus several "hands" who all pitch in and work together, to squeeze out all the rinse water. Some of us are gaining some good ideas about how the pioneers and our own ancestors used to work at laundry work, at least one day a week.
And now I know "why" those wise ladies of days gone by chose to do laundry only one day each week. It is "hard work." However, I am also surprised at how little effort it does take. Just time, more than anything. I believe we are using less water this way. And I will be the one who hopes we can actually continue doing things this way, when all is said and done.
That is how it always is. I often find out that those "old fashioned ways" are really not as bad as some have led us to think they are. And with all the historical sites we have been to, such as Historic Williamsburg, VA, and Pleasant Hill (called Shakertown, by many Kentuckians), near Harrodsburg, KY, and also Fort Harrod, KY, and Fort Boonesborough, KY, have shown us that
we really "can" make our own butter from real cream, ...
and we really "can" make our own soap, with real ingredients (essential oils, olive oil and other oils, and some time), ...
and we really "can" make our own yogurt, from real milk ...
and we really "can" make our own biscuits, pancakes, and even birthday cakes, from "scratch" using real ingredients, ...
and we really "can" make our own clothing and quilts and gifts for family and friends using the minds God gave us, plus some thread, some fabric (some of it is given to us by friends who like us!) and some sharp scissors, plus our hands or a good machine from the 1960s that the children's grandma (Mamaw) gave us gladly.
There is much more to share, but these blog entries do tend to get long quickly!
Sometimes I think I must have something akin to Amish blood or pioneer blood in my veins more than I realize! One side of my family did venture over the Alleghenies, and lived west of the Mississippi River, several generations back ... before 1850. I love doing things the "old way," using our hands and minds, creatively, rather than the "modern way" using machines. I love the out of doors! I love working with muscle power, rather than electrical power, to accomplish a task around the yard, or in the house. It may wear me out, but I feel so glad afterward, knowing a "good day's work" has been accomplished.
It is such a blessing that our family gets to make memories doing things together, rather than paying someone else to teach my children how to make or use something "new" to our children. God has enabled my husband and I to teach them from the gifts and skills He has taught us, that were not taught to us by our teachers or parents. God gave us the ability to do those things! He is the best Teacher! God enables us all, as parents, to learn along with our children. ... if we are willing to learn.
And He shows us how to do things He wants us to use to help someone else along the way, or to solve a problem they find themselves having, or to serve someone else in their turn after they helped us in our time of need, long ago. God likes to enable His children to use the talents and giftings He has put within them to pass on to our (His!) children the blessed heritage God has given to us! Music. Art. Cooking. Singing! British tea! Italian / Sicilian food! Calligraphy. Southern cooking! Painting. Drawing with pencils and charcoal. Photography! Handmade birthday cards. Making coloring books to go with Elsie Dinsmore novels!
Writing a book about the "character" of Elsie Dinsmore, which the original author took from the lives of those she knew and loved! (and she added just a bit, to create the characters in her books, The Elsie Dinsmore series, by Martha Finley) Did you know that Michael Dante Aprile has written _The Character of Elsie Dinsmore_ to share with young ladies the kind of Godly character that is virtuous and admirable, honorable and pure in heart. It is an inspiring book you might to find out about, at: http://www.utmost-way.com Look for "Elsie Stuff" on the main contents page of The Utmost Way (online) Magazine!
Producing professional-looking, tri-fold, color brochures to help families who have bed and breakfast places, or for small businesses who design new products for industry or for individuals, using graphic design skills and much creativity. Someone in our household does this. God was the Teacher!
Writing books on the character qualities that Martha Finley's character, Elsie Dinsmore, learned! Making journals for young ladies to use as they learn, day to day. Writing articles to inspire young ladies to clothes themselves with humility, modest clothing, and a Joy that shines from within! Sewing with Love included in every stitch! Giving sacrificially to others! And God taught all that to the ones who demonstrate these things.
Learning more and more about herbs and essential oils, and sharing about those on our site at: http://www.utmost-way.com/biblicalapproachtohealth We get to share with those who visit us there more about "a more excellent way" to better health, from Dr. Henry W. Wright's materials. We get to share about Carey Reams' Biological Theory of Ionization, and about Dr. Jordan Rubin's ideas about _The Maker's Diet_, and how it can change your health and life for ever. ! We have been learning so much, that it is hard for me to keep up with all that I should share there! You can learn about it at: http://www.utmost-way.com/biblicalapproachtohealth
Bill Sardi shares many helpful, educational articles about "health" and "finding answers for what *ails* us," on his site, at: http://www.knowledgeofhealth.com I have learned so much by reading his articles there!!
God keeps showing me we can do things using the creativity He has put within each one in our family, to do greater things than we figured we could. He is awesome! { And we love to look, in wonder, at the lovely sunsets He paints in the western sky! }
Or shall I say ... "reckon we can do it!" ... like some of my relatives who I've recently learned, geneologically-speaking, were born in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. The other side of my family comes from southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. Guess my roots as a "true Southerner" are showing. Well, that's only *my side* of this family we now have. My husband's family come from England, and from Ohio, and two generations back, from Sicily and maybe Italy, too. What a heritage! -- we use this to learn geography and family history, which leads to many good *learning lessons* during our school time at home.
Folks used to do things without getting into debt. We are living that way, for the past 6 years now! Praise God! He did it!
Folks used to make their own food, growing it from plants their neighbors shared with them, or by buying seeds and planting them. We have done that! We hope soon the Lord will provide a few acres for our family to live on, and begin again to grow our own food on Land Owned by God. (LOG)
Folks used to build their own houses, make their own cloth and their own clothing, make their own shoes and hats, belts, and guns. They used to clear their own land, and make dirt or rock-covered "driveways" to get from the road all the way up the winding hill to their houses. They used to cut, "plane" and sand their own wood, to build things with it. My own grandparents did that, since they both grew up on farms, in the 1870s and 1880s, and lived on farms themselves, while raising my parents. Some used to gather creek stones to build fireplaces or house walls.
We home educating parents, along with our children who are willing [ ;o) ], are finding out that we live lives demonstrating that life can appear to move in a backward direction, while making tremendous progress in wisdom, grace, peace and hard work, a good work ethic, and a sense of duty to God and to those around us whom we love. Even our neighbors will be positively affected by the choices we make while we travel on this home education journey in America.
Let's try to keep taking one step forward, *in* God's Light -- His Son, Yeshua (Jesus)! He will light our way. He is leading us, if we are willing to follow Him! He is The Way!
And He will be there, when we reach "the goal" (Heaven) to welcome us and smile, and laugh with us, about all the struggles, trials and problems that came up, while we were on this journey toward our "new" Home (in Heaven). But those will very quickly vanish and be forgotten, with all those Joys of Heaven we will get to enjoy, with Him, arm in Arm!
I'll be praying for you that God will lift up your heart today! And will pray that you are encouraged that someone else is also going through a struggle similar to the one you are going through, this week.
Each of us gets to learn the character many of us are studying, in our homeschooling curriculums we have chosen to learn through. This week, we are studying our last of 4 weeks of lessons about *Sincerity.* Imagine it! We get to learn how to become more "pure in heart" before God. You all know what "that" means!
... more next time. ;oD Laughing with Jesus! -- Kathy
If you wish to respond, just email me at: kasarhema@gmail.com please. God is with you all the time! He is YHWH Shammah! And He thinks more thoughts about you, today, than you can count! And all His plans for your life are aimed at leading you to His "expected end." (goal) -- Jeremiah 29: 11-14 a
He has us in His Hands, and has us in His Mind. And He lets us choose what to do today! wow! How does He do all that?
Have been reading some helpful advice on Marilyn Rockett's blog, which is linked to her site at www.marilynrockett.com Her blog link is ... www.homeschoolblogger.com/MarilynRockett1 I hope that works. Please let me know if it does not. I liked her article on "Stressless Organization." You may like it, also.
Stay tuned. Hope to share more helpful sites, soon. ;o)
