As I reflect on this past year, I have seen how God has grown me over the 12 months.  Here are some highlights in the form of posts on my blog...

*God used the house fire of a friend to show me how to deal with adversity. There is so much to be grateful for even in the midst of tragedy.  One big thank you is that their dog (a female mini schnauzer) got out ALIVE...she eventually became Titan's mommy!

*I have learned to trust God more in scary situations like Tim's mishap at the ice park in March.

*That while my sons were the inspiration for the name of my blog...one being an architect and the other an artist. The real Architect and Artist is God.

*God showed me that you can chuck your plans in school and come up with some fun stuff to do...it is ok if you go down a rabbit trail for awhile.  We did a mystery unit and one on Argentina.

*I have learned so much about reviewing products for the TOS Crew...it has been an interesting experience with several months to go.  I have learned about some awesome products and even some to avoid!

*We started our workbox journey this year and have loved the system.

*God has been teaching me how to teach my oldest who we have suspected was gifted.  This past summer we had him tested, and our suspicions were confirmed. This has been my biggest challenge in homeschooling...because of his giftedness there have actually been problems with teaching him.  God has really shown me how to work with him.

*We had a great trip to the Yukon.

*We got to spend time with my dad.

*I learned some great spiritual lessons: Submission from a Schnauzer--Jesus, The One and Only--Me, Myself, and Lies--The Good Samaritan--Smelling Like Jesus--God and the Closet--A Lesson on Brokeness

*I am learning how to have an attitude of gratitude.

*We were blessed with an opportunity to get to know Tim's cousins who are missionaries in Malawi.

*God worked with my on patience...my word of the year.

I have much to look forward to in the new year, but I don't want to forget where God took me and the lessons we learned in 2009!  Praying for God's blessings on all of us in 2010!

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Bible, Faith, Family, Memories, Word of the Year

Mind: Proverbs 9:9-10 "Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Prayer: Father, please make ________ wise. Make his heart open to instruction that he might gain more wisdom. Teach him what it means to fear the Lord, for that is the beginning of wisdom. Grant him knowledge of the Holy One.

Eyes: Proverbs 3:7 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil."

Prayer: God, please guard ________ from being wise in her own eyes. May she fear you and find wisdom, strength, and understanding in you alone, not in her own capabilities. May she understand your holiness and resist evil.

Ears: Proverbs 2:2 "…turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding."

Prayer: Father, please make ________'s ears attentive to wisdom. Deafen her ears to the call of sin; teach her to recognize your still, small voice. Incline her heart to understanding.

Mouth: Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Prayer: I pray that __________ would speak only wholesome words beneficial to others. May his speech be appropriate and respectful. May it encourage those who are disheartened and bring faith to those who have none.

Tongue: Proverbs 10:19-20 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value."

Prayer: I ask that ___________ will learn wisdom and as a result, be able to hold her tongue. Keep her from wicked words. Make her tongue like choice silver.

Neck: Proverbs 3:3-4 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."

Prayer: I pray that love and faithfulness will not leave _______. May she bind them around her neck and write them on the tablet of her heart. Open her eyes to others' needs, making her quick to extend kindness. Bless her with favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and man.

Heart: Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."

Prayer: I pray that _____ will watch over his heart with all diligence. Keep his heart pure. Keep him from being embittered by trials. May his heart be steadfastly set on loving you more than anything or anyone else.

Hands: Psalm 24:3-5 "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior."

Prayer: I pray that ________ would have clean hands and a pure heart. May she love you with all her heart, turning away from all that is false. Keep her speech and motives pure. Thank you for promising a blessing and being faithful to fulfill it.

Knees: Psalm 95:6 "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."

Prayer: I pray that ______ will worship and bow down before you. May he love and fear you, honoring you as the King of his life. May he acknowledge you as his Maker and recognize that your love will never fail.

Feet: Psalm 119:35 "Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight."

Prayer: Father, please help ________ walk in your path. Cause him to delight in your commandments and follow you all his days.

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Bible, Faith, Family, Word of the Year

Posted by Debbie at 5:22 PM 0 comments  

Labels: TOS Homeschool Reviews

These products have been provided to me for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not being paid to do this review. I am sharing my honest opinion of how these products work for my family.

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: TOS Homeschool Reviews

Here is my last list of things to be thankful for in 2009...of course, I will be continuing to do this in 2010!  I never thought I would get this far in listing all these things.  When you really sit down and start to make a list you realize that you have so much to be thankful for!

226. That we made it through 2009!
227. New opportunities for growth await us in 2010.
228. My Word of the Year-prayer- looking forward to what God will be teaching me.
229. Joy in the hard times.
230. Grief that brings us closer to God.
231. The power of prayer
232. The prayer journal that I started...now if I can keep it going.
233. Watching fireworks downtown.
234. The sweetness of God...that He loves us beyond measure.
235. Truffles!
236. A break from the kids' activities
237. Watching the faces of my Jr. High students in Sunday School as the grow in deeper relationship with God.
238. Candlelight Christmas Eve service
239. Time with family.
240. That God is watching over a friend that is grieving.
241. Books on prayer so that I can learn more.
242. Time to sit down and pray.
243. Key Lime pie...Yum!
244. That God gave me such an awesome daddy!
245. The Waltons...good, clean family entertainment.
246. My fight with anxiety and depression...there is a good side to it...I am closer to God because of it.
247. Losing a bit of weight even during the Christmas season.
248. Comfort in knowing that when God says "no" it is for our best.
249. Titan cuddling on my lap.
250. Christmas shows (Charlie Brown, Little Dummer Boy, etc.)

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Multitude Mondays

Titan didn't know what to make of Christmas!  He learned how to open gifts this year (he got a few stuffed animals to play with) and how to pull things out of a stocking!  Yes, Titan had a stocking! Here he is opening his first gift. Of course, we had to direct him all the way...he hasn't gotten the point of ripping up paper to find something fun inside!

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Christmas, Family, Titan

Normally the day after Christmas we go buy wrapping paper, gift tags and bags at 1/2 off.  And that is just what we did today.  But I scored on something else just by chance this year.  I try to think ahead and buy food ahead when it goes on sale. This isn't only to save money, but sometimes we don't get certain foods up here because of shipping problems or because of a bad growing season.  Getting pumpkin was a problem this past fall. My friend actually had to get pumpkin from me this fall because there was NONE on the shelves! 

Well, today when I walked into our local grocery store there was organic pumpkin, pumpkin pie mix, and sweet potatoes!  They were all half off  at $.79/can and less expensive than the non-organic stuff!!!!!  Yipee!  I bought about 40 cans total!

Yes, I am nuts.  But the stuff should last until 2012!  We will go through it by that time!  Normally I wouldn't buy pumpkin pie mix, but there was more of that than the regular canned pumpkin.  I think I may be able to alter recipes so that I can still use it.  This afternoon I successfully made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with a can of the pumpkin pie mix. I just reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup instead of the 2 cups it calls for.  I am hoping that I can subsitute sweet potatoes for pumpkin in some recipes.  If you have any tips on substituting  pumpkin pie mix or sweet potatoes for canned pumpkin let me know.

I am thrilled with my find! It is going to be a long time before I buy pumpkin again! In case you are interested, here is what we do with pumpkin.

Posted by Debbie at 1:28 PM 2 comments  

Labels: Christmas, Homemaking

Last year for the first time I picked a Word of the Year which many of the women on the FIAR boards do each year.  This is a word/concept that you focus on for the year.  My word for 2009 was patience.  This year I have decided to go with the word "prayer".

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Goals, Word of the Year

Posted by Debbie at 7:46 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Christmas

A scientist said, making a plea for exchange scholarships between nations, "The very best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person." That was what happened at Christmas. The idea of divine love was wrapped up in a Person. - Halford E. Luccock

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Christmas

I found out that we had lost a baby. I was almost 14 weeks along. I went in for a doctor's appointment and it was then that they realized that they couldn't find a heartbeat. I was then sent for an ultrasound which confirmed that the baby's heart was no longer beating. An hour later I had a D and C because based on size they determined that they baby had died earlier in December and my body was still holding onto the pregnancy. This event began a very sad time in my life where I fought off a major bout of depression. Christmas was tough that year....I just didn't want to celebrate it.


But God is faithful...a year later I was eight months pregnant with a boy that would be born in January. There were many miracles that came out of the birth of my second son, Noah...like how he survived against every obstacle put in front of us...exposure to German measles, problems related to me being rH negative, severe anemia, and early labor. As I look back now, I realize that God was out to bless me through the loss of one child and the birth of another. But I guess that is what Christmas is all about the God's loss of one Child (Jesus) for the birth (rebirth) of other children (us). I now see how fitting that my loss happened around Christmas.

I do still wonder about the baby that I lost...in particular I want to know whether it was a boy or a girl. But the answer to that will come in another time. Here is what is posted on another website about the loss of our baby who we eventually named Jordan.

NOTE: This is a re-post from last year.

Posted by Debbie at 11:06 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Family, Memories

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: TOS Homeschool Reviews

What is behind our fears and anxieties?  Good question, but what is the answer? I recently received a book from Kregel Publications called Bertie's War. The story surrounds the life of a 7th grade girl named Bertie living during the 1960's during the height of the Cold War. Bertie struggles with a plethora of fears and anxiety.  So much so that I had a hard time reading through a big portion of the book.  She is scared of everything...scared of her parents' discipline, bullies, the Commies, hurricanes, death, etc.  It was almost too much to read...maybe because I, too, have struggled with anxiety my whole life.  I am so glad though that I finished the book!!!! The last three chapters of the book made it well worth the read!! In these chapters, Bertie's dad takes her to the woodshed to discipline her... except the discipline isn't what Bertie is expecting.  There she comes to understand what has been motivating her fears.  I won't give away what epiphany she comes to, but it is an eye opening one for anyone dealing with fear.  Then in the last chapter, she comes to another revelation about God and her fears.

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: TOS Homeschool Reviews

Today is the shortest day of the year...for Alaskans that means something.  In the town we live in we will have only about 3 hours of daylight today...but in the darkness there is plenty to praise Him about.

207. Summer is coming! LOL!  Really, by tomorrow we will start gaining daylight here...on our way to warmer days.
208. Lunch with friends today. I have so needed people's emotional support the past few weeks.  I am so thankful for it!
209. Tuna melts
210. Dirty dishes...means we have food on the table.
211. Christmas is this week...Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
212. Music
213. Titan graduating from clicker class!
214. That Zach's skin condition that we went to the Dr. about last week isn't serious.
215. Tim has time off work.
216. That in the darkness there is light.
217. Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us.
218. Good books to read as I struggle with some issues in relationships: Safe People and Handling Difficult People

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Multitude Mondays

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Titan

There are four volumes that are priced at $24.95 each or you can buy all four for $99.80.

Visit the Worship Guitar site for more information. Jean Welles has lots of music products to offer on her site so check it out! The volume we reviewed is for kids and adults (ages 10 and up), but there is also a younger kids version on her website.


These products have been provided to me for the purpose of reviewing them. I am not being paid to do this review. I am sharing my honest opinion of how these products work for my family.

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: TOS Homeschool Reviews

We have loved the children's book entitled The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey for many years now.  Now there is a movie based on the book...I am not sure when the movie came out, but as soon as I found out about it I put it on our Netflix list.
The movie doesn't disappoint!  We loved it!  The story is about a widower (Jonathan Toomey) who is a wood carver. He is asked by a widow and her son to carve a Nativity set. The outcome is heartwarming and life changing for Jonathan...who comes to admit that Christmas is not "pish-posh".  You will just have to read the book or watch the movie to see what I mean!

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Christmas

The first part of this post is a re-post from last year...

Here are some of our favorites!



White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (Zach's Favorites)
2 cups butter (four sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 pkg. white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add flour and mix well. Stir in chocolate and cranberries. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. Flatten each ball sightly. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheets. Transfer to wire racks to cool.


Candy Cane Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup crushed candy canes
1/2 cup sugar
Heat oven to 375°F. Mix the crushed candy and granulated sugar together and set aside. Mix shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings together. Add flour and salt and mix. Divide the dough in half. Add food coloring to one half and mix well. Make one cookie at a time by rolling a 4" strip (use about 1 tsp. dough) from each color. Place strips side by side, press lightly together and twist like a rope. Place on ungreased baking sheet. cure top down to form the cane. Bake about 9 minutes. Remove from baking sheet. While still warm sprinkle with candy/sugar mixture.


Puppy Chow for People
(Sometimes this is more of a New Year's treat for us)

1 cup chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 cup peanut butter
8 cups Crispix cereal
2 cups powdered sugar
Melt the first three ingredients in a saucepan, and pour over cereal. Put the powdered sugar in a large plastic bag and add the coated cereal. Toss until evenly coated with sugar. Dry on foil and store in airtight container.


Thumbprint Cookies
These are from the Kraft Foods website.

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans
1-1/4 cups raspberry preserves

HEAT oven to 350°F. Beat cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add flour, baking soda and pecans; mix well. Refrigerate 30 min.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Indent centers.

BAKE 10 min. Fill each cookie with about 1 tsp. preserves. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 2 min. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.


White Christmas
No measurements here...I just eyeball it.

Combination of half white chocolate and half white confectioner's coating
candy canes

Smash the candy canes in a bag or chop in a food processor. Melt the white chocolate and coating together. Stir in the candy. Then spread in out on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Let cool. Break into chunks and store tightly covered.


Oreo Truffles
Got this from the Five in a Row boards

45 Oreo cookies, divided, one package
1 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 8 oz. packages semisweet baking chocolate, melted

Crush nine cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; save for later. Crush the remaining cookies into fine crumbs and place in a medium bowl. Add the cream cheese and mix well. Roll mixture into 1" balls. Dip the balls in the melted chocolate and place them on waxed paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with reserved crumbs. Refridgerate one hour until firm. Store in fridge.

Here are some more Christmas goodies that we might try...

Minty Snowmen (We have done these in the past, and the boys enjoyed them.)

Cranberry Swirl Loaf (Not a cookie, but looks yummy! Great way to use the cranberries we picked this past fall.)
Sweet and Salty Snowmen

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 4 comments  

Labels: Christmas

We are currently working on a unit about Argentina through the book Chúcaro.  Here are some pictures of the boys working on a notebooking page about llamas.  They used Draw Write Now Volume 8 in order to draw a picture of a llama for their pages.  We also focused a bit on Paraguay and Brazil, two countries that border Argentina and are a part of the story of Chúcaro.

Here is the llama page from Draw Write Now that we used...

Posted by Debbie at 5:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Argentina Unit, Homeschool Share