My Husband and I had the pleasure to attend the Up Lift Conference for preachers and their wives this weekend !!!! It was truly amazing ... I learned many things through our short time there ! I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from great men of God !!! 

The one thing I would really like time to share with those who read my blog was a ministry opportunity we all can have a hand in !

There is a preacher and team of men from his church who will be riding bikes for 800 miles in the effort to raise $30,00 dollars to stop human sex trafficking in Tennessee !!! 

He shared the story with us about to little girls the ages 6 and 14 who were kidnapped and placed into sex trafficking .... these girls were offered 50 or more times a day to perform sex acts ... these young ladies were rescued !!! But there are many more guys and they need our help !!!! The average life span for these girls is only 7 years !!!! Ask yourself what if this was one of your girls ??? Wouldn't you want to help them ??? The money raised will be used to help to continue to build safe houses for these girls ! Provide counseling ! Clothes and other personal effects they may need ! 

This cause is near and dear to my heart ... as a young girl I was abused .... I know the emotional damage that comes from that .... So I know first hand the help these girls will need if they will ever have any form of a normal life !!! Please consider helping !!! Go and check out this web site !!! It has all the info you need !!! You can even donate online !!! remember no donation is to small every little bit counts !!!

GVTOURDEHOPE.COM

Blessings

Prairie School Day 11

Chapter 13 

 Today we finished our Little House In the Big Woods Book ... it was bitter sweet to see it end ! We are excited about next adventure though ! 

We opened with prayer and devotion ... Our Bible lesson today was about being content with what we have ! We referred to Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, there with to be content.

We talked about how we should be like Laura that even though Pa had missed many opportunities to kill game the night before He didn't ... That ment the family would be with out meat for awhile ... We talked about how God is good to provide for us and in a world that is never content ... We should be pleased with what we have ! 

We learned today about salt how it was a treasured item during the 1800's also expensive ! We I decided to hold off on some of today's activities to finish preparing for our conference. Also to finish a craft we started yesterday :) we both look forward to spending next week tieing up our final activities that go along with our current book !!! We are beyond blessed !!! here is our mat we started yesterday !!! We have decided that Ma had to have the patients of Job to make straw hats .... It took longer than we thought and it wasn't as easy as it sounded lol ... Here is pictures for you guys to enjoy !!! 

we used raffia

it was more challenging to braid than you would think lol

 

even harder to wind and sew at the same time

here is our final result ! It smaller than we expected

So we decided to turn it into a Christmas Tree Ornament

 I am not sure if I have I have taken the opportunity to thank those who read my blog !!! Or not ... I just want you to know that I appreciate you very much !!! I hope you all have a very blessed week and weekend !!!

Prairie School Day 10

Chapters 11 & 12

 Today we did two days in one ! We read chapters 11&12 ... We loved both very much ! We opened in prayer and had our daily devotion . 

Our Bible lesson today came from the book of Exodus chapter 20:12

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

We talked about the importance of honoring our Father and Mother .... That even when we don't understand ...we should follow their instructions ... The Bible promises that if we do these things we will live a long life ! Laura lived to be Ninety yrs old .

Our first lesson today we read about Pa helping with the reaping of the wheat at his brothers farm ! We learned the  process of cutting it down and why it was so important to get the wheat cut and in the barn before the rains came and stripped the oats .... 

We also learned the importance of doing what is asked of you and not crying wolf as Uncle Henry's boy Charley had done  ... Because of pretending to be hurt many times when he wasn't , When he really was hurt it took a while for Henry and Pa to realize it !!! Charley had stomped upon a yellow Jackets nest !!! This resulted in Charley being stung hundreds of times ... This could have cost his life !

We took some time to learn all about Yellow Jackets today !!! Also first aid care for a sting !!! We also covered anaphylactic shock ... We discussed the signs and symptoms,what causes it , and what course of action should take place !!! This was helpful in more than one way today !!! I have a severe nut allergy !

here is some of the work she did on Yellow Jackets today !!!

Our second chapter today was about a wonderful invention we know today as a thresher !!!

I loved listening to Laura's description of how the machine worked !!! Its amazing how far our machines have came today !!! We read about how harvest time was a busy time for Ma and the girls !!! The spent long hours reaping the things they had planted !!! We also enjoyed learning how Ma weaved the family's hats from the very straw from their own fields !!!  Sissy started working on a straw mat today we didn't finish ... So she asked that I wait till it was all completed before I posted the pictures !!!

We discusses what poison ivy , oak and sumac looks like ! The reaction your body can after touching it and the first aid for it ad well ! she sketched a picture of the sumac for her science journal  ! 

 We had a very busy school day today !!! But we have loved every moment of it ! We will have a short week this week ... We are attending a Pastors Conference this week and it has forced me to cut our school week short !!! I realized today that we are one chapter away from finishing the Little House In The Big Woods !!! It is a bitter sweet moment !  We can't wait to see what is in store for the Ingalls family next !!!

Hope everyone has a blessed evening ... 

 

Prairie School Day 9

Chapter 10

 Today was a fascinating lesson even for me !!! We opened up in Prayer and devotion !!! Our Bible lesson was how a wife should show respect to her husband !!! We discussed how even though the husband is the head of the house this should show the Mom the same respect as well !!! I love how Ma complimented Pa for how he provided for his family !!! Our Scripture text came from the book of Titus

 

                                                                          Titus 2:4-5

⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
We took time today to learn about the moon phases today and  what the moon was made of ! how it affects the things around us .

We discussed cheese how it's made and the nutritional values it holds !!! we compared the different cheeses , We talked about why hard cheeses are much better for you rather than processed ... Who knows we may have to try to make cheese next week !!! I really think it would be awesome to at least try !!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon working on our other school things ! Hope everyone has a blesse evening with their families !!!

Prairie School Day 8

Dillinger Grist Mill  Field Trip 

 Today was a fun day for us ! We stepped back in time and visited the only working Grist Mill of it's kind in the state of North Carolina !!! The mill is still family owned !!! and is now being ran by a 4th Generation Grandson .... Jack Dillinger was an amazing host !!! We visited the site with our home school group !!! and of course my phone dies so we don't have many pictures lol and the camera was MIA as well this morning .... 
We had an awesome time however  ....
So I would like to share the history of the site with you guys !!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did !!! It makes my heart smile that some cares enough about history to keep something so awesome going ....

Dellinger Grist Mill on Cane Creek, located at Hawk, NC  ( 4020 Cane Creek Road ), just four ( 4 ) miles east of Bakersville on State Road   1211  ( Cane Creek Road ) was established by Reuben Dellinger in 1867. It has been in the Dellinger family for over 150 years...operated by Reuben, David, and Marvel Dellinger, my great grandfather, grandfather and father respectively, from 1867-1955. It was restored by Jack Dellinger ( myself ),  after 42 years of benign neglect,  in 1997-2000 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November of 1998.
It has the distinction of being the last water powered/stone ground grist mill of its kind left in the state of North Carolina. I currently grind mountain grown corn into cornmeal, grits, and polenta using the same waterwheel, granite/quartz millstones, and associated pulleys, gears, and line shafts, using the same time honored techniques and methods my ancestors used and taught to me..... This information came from the website !!! You can check it out for yourself if you like !!! Here is the link  http://www.dellingermill.com
here is the only to pics I was able to get ...

 the water wheel is the original to to the site !!! It weighs 4,000 lbs !!! It was brought in with horse and sled 30 miles over the mnt in 8 500 lb pieces !!! I can't wait to return by some of his products !!! We are very blessed to have something so close by !!! 
God is good hope everyone has a blessed weekend !!!

Prairie School Day 7

Chapters 7&8

 Today we covered chapters 7& 8 !  We did two days of school in one because neither one of us wanted to get behind !!! We are going on a field trip tomorrow, and we didn't want to miss what happened next lol ...

Chapter 7 was all about the dance at Grandpas house !!! I think our favorite parts of this chapter was Laura's description of all the dresses and the process of everyone preparing to get ready !!!  .... How they swished across the floor ! also the part about Grandma and Uncle George dancing the jig !!! Grandma out danced Uncle George !!! Sissy was asked to do some descriptive writing about our home today !!! she did an awesome job !

Our Bible lesson today was about not comparing ourselves to others !!! This was found in both of our chapters today !!!! Laura has a bad problem comparing herself to Mary and never feeling like she is good enough ... When in all sense of the matter she is perfect because she is exactly who God made her to be !

So I talked to Sissy about why we shouldn't compare and why we should be happy with who we are ! God made us all different ! it would be a dull world if we all looked and acted exactly alike ! I have realized as a Mom that this had to start with me liking me !!! Our kids watch us and listen to what we have to say about ourselves ... If we never say anything positive they to will have a hard time seeing positive things about themselves .... Our scripture today came form the book 2 Corinthian 10:12

  For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

 Chapter 8 was about going to town !!! 

 The girls had never been to town before !!! So when Pa made the announcement that they would be going soon you can only imagine their excitement !!! The girls played outside in their play houses with their rag dolls in the warmth of spring pretending to be going into town ... Laura said it best when she said they didn't do a very good job because they had never seen or been to town before !!! 

Ma bathed the girls on a Wednesday and rag curled their hair the evening before they took their trip !!!   Ma wanted them to look their best for their adventure !!! The family rose early Laura described the journey and her first thoughts of town !!! She also described her first visit to the store ... How she had never knew the world had so many things in it !!! the shop owner told Pa and Ma what a fine girl they had in Mary and how he loved her hair ... before they left he gave both girls a piece of candy with a saying on it !!! Laura became very comparative with herself when her candy didn't have the same poem as Marys !!! From that point on she viewed Mary as perfect and herself lacking in every way ...

We have rally enjoyed the little house in the big woods :) 

After our Reading time today Sissy learned the function of our skin and what each layer does to protect us ! We also checked on our potatoes from yesterday ! We learned that the Osmosis process was quicker in the potato that we added sugar to ! she finished the rest of her  school work for the week ! After she was done we made hasty pudding just as Grandma did to feed the family for supper before the dance ! We both decided we are not sure why it's called hasty pudding ... It is quite a long process no where near a short and easy meal to prepare ... We did like it though it was a salty sweet treat !!! also we made wax roses ... below are pictures of what we did today we hope you enjoy them !!! Hope everyone has a Blessed evening ....

getting started

This is a truly long process !!! It took about 20 minutes to sprinkle corn meal into the boiling water ! We did add the maple syrup just like the Ingalls family !!!

It ade fo a nice prairie lunch 

Here is a picture of our wax roses ... Sissy wasn't a huge fan of this under taking lol

Prairie School Day 6

Chapters 6 & 7

Today we explored two chapters of the little house in the big woods ! The first thing each morning we open in prayer and devotion ! I will share our Bible lesson for today shortly !!!

Chapter 6 was interesting to say the least ! Pa went to town today !!! Spring is upon the Ingalls family and it was time for Pa to trade his furs ! 

Laura explains how she have never seen a town , never been in a store , or seen two houses together for that matter !!! 

It still amazes me when I think about the things we take for granted ...

Pa left early and was unable to take his gun with him ! Due to the load he had to take with him to town ... It was getting late and had already turned off dark and Pa still had not returned !!! 

Ma asked Laura to help her with milking the cow by carrying the lantern for her ... Ma and Laura headed out to the barn but what they found was a bear !!! Ma had slapped it on the hind quarters before she even knew what it was ... Laura and Ma were able to escape with out harm however ... 

Pa encountered a bear as well so he thought ... It was dark by the time he headed back into the big woods after a long day of trading ... without his gun and no light he took his time even more so ! Pa encountered a bear so he thought standing right in the middle of the road ! fear caused him to stop in his tracks .. after a bit he realized it wasn't going any where and if he intended to get home he was going to have to overcome his fear and scare the bear off !!! so with a large limb he started swinging and shouting and dancing trying to scare off the bear ... when Pa was able to get closer he realized it was an old dead burned tree stump !! not a bear after all .. He was able to make it home safely to Ma and the girls ... Later the next morning he told the girls his encounter and Laura told hers ... Pa shared the gifts he had for each of them brand new calico for each of them a new dress !!! 

This is where I would like to share about our Bible story for the day !!! we discussed how fear is an enemy of ours but some fears are our friends !!! We should fear the Lord but trust always that He will take care of us !!! Our Scripture verse for today was 

 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 

Psalms 64:1

Chapter7 was all bout the sugar snow ! You see the next morning when Laura had woken up there was a fresh spring snow !!! Pa went to help Grandpa harvest maple syrup ! Pa also announced that Grandpa wants the whole family to come Monday to make sugar and there will be a dance to follow !!! Ma told Pa she would wear her delanie dress she brought with her from the east !!! After our story we spent the rest of our time today learning how sap functions !!! We learned all about Osmosis how the roots of the tree draw up sap and water from the ground . We did an experiment to show Osmosis !!! Pics will be below !!! We learned all about how Maple Syrup is made ! We tasted 100%  maple syrup and pancake syrup ... We both decided Maple syrup tasted much better !!! We discussed even though store brand syrup was less calories and less sugar than the 100% Maple syrup . The maple syrup was healthier choice because it was not a processed food . We took time to discuss foods that are better made from scratch than from a box ...  We had a blessed day today !!! we also did our other school subjects God is very good !!! 

Here is our Project Pictures !

 

we peeled a lg potato cut it in half and cut the ends off

she scooped the centers out 

after the centers were cut out she added 1/2 inch of water to each bowl

then she filled the hollows 1/2 full with dyed water

when that was all done she added 1/2 tsp of sugar to one potato

 

we covered them till tomorrow !!! We will uncover them to see which potato absorbed more water ... the one with or without sugar

 

Praire School Day 5

Sundays

Today We Opened in Prayer and devotion ! Its such a joy to have this privilege ! Our devotion today was on Mercy and how later we would learn Pa showed Laura mercy for not listening .... We concentrated most on the mercy Jesus showed us ! By giving His life so we could be forgiven of our sins !!! the verse of scripture came from James 2:13

   For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

We read the 5th chapter of the Little house in the Big Woods today ... It was all about what Sundays was like for their house in the 1800's ! 

My it's amazing how much has changed over the years ! 

Laura's family would bath on Saturday using snow brought in from outside ... heated and poured into a wash tub ! they would have bathed behind a blanket screen  in front of the fire place ! The baths were on Saturday so the family would be clean for church !!! The family would have wore their very best for the Sabbath !!! after church the children were not allowed to run , play , sew ,or listen to or sing any music that wasn't considered church music !!!  ... All activities were done quietly... They could listen to Bible stories or look in the big green book of animals ... Sundays were hard for  5 yr old Laura ... Later that afternoon she got into trouble for playing with Jack ... Pa showed Laura mercy by not spanking her ! Instead he told Laura and Mary a story about Pa's Pa when he was a boy ! what happened when he disobeyed  on the sabbath !!! 

The next morning was Laura's 6th Birthday ! I was surprised at how different from today's celebrations ! 

Laura didn't have a Birthday cake ! she did however receive small gifts from her family !!! Pa whittled her a wood man to play with her doll Charlotte , ma made her 5 little cakes for each yr of life ! Mary made her rag doll a dress !!! Pa finished the evening by playing the fiddle for the girls one of their favorites !!! Pop goes the weasel !

I have laryngitis from a severe allergic reaction so our day wasn't as busy today ... We did talk about cause and effect .. Sissy wrote a Page about her favorite story shared about her family ! She choose the story about when  my sisters and I were little ! We snuck and ate fudge that we wasn't suppose to have ! While our parents were at work !!! The story went on to tell how my older sisters got caught and I didn't ! It was years before I told my Mom I had been eating it !!! I was actually married ! I got to set down with my Dad that same evening and eat even more fudge ! My family always laugh about this memory !

We went over our new spelling words and our math lesson for the day !!!  

For our special activity for this week we made Ma's needle book from last weeks chapter 4 !

we checked out the little house sewing craft book from our local library !!! 

the patterns was easy to follow !!! Sissy sewed as read today ... 

here is the finished result

hope everyone has a blessed week !!!

 

Prairie School Day 4

Today has been my favorite day of Prairie School so far ! Our Little House In the Big Woods chapter today was about Christmas !!!! My most favorite time of the year !!!

We opened with prayer and devotion !!!Our devotion was about jealousy ... Laura received a beautiful rag doll , red mittens , and a peppermint stick !!!while  the other children did not receive a doll ... It was customary during this time period for the smaller children to receive a special toy such as a doll ! the older children were not jealous of Laura's gift !!! They to had received a special gift as this in the past ...

Our Scripture verse came from the book of Proverbs 14:30

A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.  

We learned all about lung function , rabies the cause and effect ,we reviewed similes, worked on some math , had our spelling test , Sissy recited Proverbs 91:1-2 ,then we spent the afternoon trying our hands at the molasses in the snow recipe from the little house cook book !!!! My favorite part of my day was when I heard the excitement in her voice about what she had been learning !!! I knew with out a shadow of a doubt we had choosen the right curriculum for this school year God is good !!!

  

What we needed to get started

she did all the work herself

here is the molasses on the snow

the finished product !!! It was surprisingly good !

Prairie School Day 3

Today we read chapter 3 of the Little House in the Big Woods ! We opened in prayer and devotion ! 

Then we enjoyed our new chapter ! We learned the importance of following instructions of our parents ! Pa had a wonderful story he shared with Laura and Mary about what happened when he didn't obey his Pa ! Our verse for our devotion today was found in Ephesians 1:3

                        Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

² Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

³ That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Today we learned about gun safety ! After reading about how pa cleaned his gun and the great care he took to make sure it was done safely and correctly. We watched a video on the topic ! We looked at illustrations of a muzzle loader and illustrations on how it was cleaned . Also we discussed rust and the causes and effects of rust ! What you can do to prevent ... We spent time doing Math and spelling . She even found sometime to draw Jack the Brindle Bulldog today ...

.

We finished our school day cooking a Prairie Style Lunch ! We used the little house cookbook to make cornbread Just like Ma made ! The corn bread was alot different from what we are used to eating today !!! It only had three ingredients. Stone Ground Yellow Corn Meal , Boiling Water , and salt.

The only other thing called for was pork drippings to grease the pan ! 

We made bacon and fried potatoes for lunch ! We even used some of the butter we made yesterday !!! We had a very blessed day in Prairie School !!! Hope your day was just as blessed !

Prairie School Day 2

Today we read chapter 2 of The Little House In the Big Woods !

We opened with devotion and prayer !!! 

We learned today that work load of the Ingalls time is much different than today's ... 

They wasn't able to jump in the car to go to the grocery store to get everyday staples ... Bread and butter making were apart of weekly work !!! 

We talked about how the Bible teaches us to be safe in all we do according to Proverbs 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

We discussed metaphors and similes how they were different from each other.

Pa used a metaphor to describe Laura's height  ... He compared her to a cup of half drunk cider ... He also refers to Laura as half pint !!! meaning she is short ...

 We also discussed density and we worked on a cool science experiment !!! 

We made Butter !!!This isnt our first time making butter !!! However we have never made it to teach a lesson ! she enjoyed it more doing it for this reason ...

step one 

we used Land of Lakes Heavy Whipping cream at room temperature (since we don't have a dairy cow lol)

poured into a scalded clean churn ... we used a dasher churn today

 

step two 

The fun begins ! you pull the dasher up and down until you see the cream separate the fat into butter

first change 

This was the first change we seen.

the cream thickening and separating the fat into tiny particles on the side of the churn .

second change

after about 35 minutes of churning we started to see the butter in the bottom of the churn . We decided to churn for 15 more minutes for the maximum amount of butter !

third change

after 15 more minutes of churning we stopped ! Her is our final product !!! we used a pint of heavy Whipping cream today ! for more butter use more cream . However I had just made butter the weekend before and still had quite a bit left so we made a small batch today ...

Step 3

We made sure our work area was ready !!! Then we poured the buttermilk that was around the butter in a jar so we could use it later in the week for baking ....then we scooped the butter out of the churn with a wooden spoon and placed onto a piece of cheese cloth . we used a wooden bowl just like ma would have used to catch the cold water to rinse the butter in the cheese cloth with ! we poured the water from a pitcher over the butter until it rinsed clear ... it took about 4-5 min . It is important not to leave milk in the butter it will cause it to spoil ! when it rinsed clean it was time to move to the next step !

This is what the finished result looked like !

 Step4

Using a wooden spoon place your butter in a bowl that has a lid or a butter mold of your choice ! We choose to use a silicone heart shape mold .... we have antique and hand made wooden molds ... Sometimes the butter doesn't slide out easily ...

So we thought we would give the silicone mold a shot !

 

Here is our finished product   !

We had an awesome Second day !!! We learned many other things like how light refracts ... that causes the colors in a fire to change  , the history of Yankee Doodle , also math ... We are blessed beyond measure ... can't wait till tomorrow