Breaking Free

I have been praying for awhile now about the upcoming year .... What did the Lord need from me ?!?! What do I need to let go of and how would He have me to do these things ..... The longer I prayed the more I realized I let the past hold me prisoner .... Making it harder to move on and do new things in ministry and life ! This one verse of scripture kept coming to mind:

 Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

I prayed and asked the Lord what was I to learn from this .... I had read this scripture a thousand times its one of my favorites ! What had I missed ! I learned I had missed a lot actually !!! I would like to share them with you ....

The grass and the flowers fading stand for three things in my life ...

1- my past it has happened but it's over ! It can no longer hurt me ! People's words can and the memories .... The act itself no longer holds keys to my life ! Jesus

 took them the day I got saved ..... I don't have to worry about people's opinions anymore .... Theirs doesn't count !!!! I need to break out of the cage my past is holding me in ....

2- in order to realese myself from the cage I have to quit looking back .... I don't mean stop having relationships with those close to me ... I must stop looking back at what God closed the door on ... It's was done or He wouldn't have said GO !!! That He did !!! He told us to Go it was time .... I don't need to worry about how much they stalk social media , talk about me to make sure it gets back,

or worry about their opinion .... God wasn't worried when He closed the door ... Why am I still worried about what they think ! Gods opinion is all that matters ! He loves me for me He created me ! He knew about all these things ! He had a plan ! 

3- In order to stay out of the cage I must close this year knowing God is in control ! You see there was nothing that happened that surprised Him ! Me on the other hand I was blind sighted several times .... I lost a lot this year .... Oh but I gained so much ! I learned so so much about my home ..... Things that needed to change ... Things that need to embrace ! I learned God closes one door to open a new amazing door full of blessings !!! When 2015 arrives I can't continually go back to visit 2014 ! I must embrace 2015 knowing God has it !!!! I must break out of the cage because the grass and flowers there are dieing and I will to if I stay stuck there .... 

Instead I want to stand on the promise of the last part of the verse ! The Word of God will stand forever !!!! 

That's means there is nothing I will face in 2015 that God will not be right there with me !!! So my new year resolution will be to BREAK FREE and enjoy the life God has given me !!! I am blessed beyond word ! I plan to blog daily through the upcoming year ! If I miss a day it's because I was soaring in the blessing Jesus has me for that day !!!! Pray each of you have a year full of love and blessings that fill your lives with joy !!!! I know mine will be because I'm breaking free 💖

Shellie 

Our First Day !

School Day Adventures !

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: Proverbs 1:5

I love this scripture !!! As a Mom my goal has always been to teach my children daily ! In life lessons and school ! My most favorite lesson have came from my heavenly Father !!!

There is has never been a day that passes He doesn't teach me something !!!

Today is our first day of Homeschooling for the year 2014-2015 !

Christian is a freshman this year ! Where has the time gone ? I am so proud the beautiful young woman she has became ! She was so excited to begin !

Our first day went smooth ! Just as I expected the day ,took a little longer to complete than in years past ! I am excited about this adventure and all the things we have chosen to use for our curriculum. 
I think my favorite part of our day today was our Bible lesson ! The reminder of no matter what the circumstance is God is good always ! Also our aprons we made for our future cooking class this week ! I hope you enjoy the pictures below ! Sewing isn't her favorite past time ... Like her Mom , but I think she done a awesome job! We used shirts that I got from my nephew Josh ... It was a nice thought, that he would be apart of school ... Her favorite part about today was English .... She wrote a beautiful poem about butterflies !!! She is a very gifted writer ! 



early morning talks lead to hope

I woke up early this morning after my sweet husband left to do somethings at the church .... I took advantage of the quite around me ! The girls are all still asleep my Grandmaw is still resting ... I headed outside to feed the chickens ! That's when the talk to began !!! 

My sweet Jesus started speaking peace to my spirit ! It was weary from sleeping on the loveseat so my Grandmaw could have my bed .... From the dreams that I had chased away again all night .... My physical and spiritual me is exhausted ...

So when He spoke I listened so eager to commune with Him this morning and He whispered HOPE ! He reminded me that the house was still quite that I should return inside and spend time with Him in His word ! He had Hope for me ! 

So I did just that I brewed some coffee set down with the Word of God and listened to what he had to say to me ...

He spoke to me from Psalm 62:5 

He reminded me HE alone is where MY HOPE comes from !!! Not man or wordly thing, just Him !!! I really needed to hear those words this morning ! 

He has my back ! He will be fighting my battles ! I just have to let Him !!! Hand it over and say have it !!! I have done just that !!!

I look forward to a day of joy !!!

I love when the house is still and I get to have a early morning talk with my savior !!! 

So I have decided that I am going to set a goal to rise before anyone else does in the morning so I can have these early morning talks with my Savior !

Please help me pray I can do this !!!

Many of you may have woken up fighting a battle ! It's never to late for a walk and talk with Jesus !!! He wants to carry your burdens .... Let Him !!! The day is so much better when we let Him lead !!!

Remember that this is the day the hath made I will rejoice and be glad in it !!!

Praying each of you have an amazingly blessed day !

Changes

Changes 

 To every thing there is a season , and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die ; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up which has been planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal ; a time to break down and a time to build up; A time to weep , and a time to laugh; a time to mourn , a time to dance ; a time to cast away stones , and a time to gather stones together ; a time to embrace , and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get ,and a time to loose ; a time to keep , and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; A a time to keep silence , and a time to speak ; A time to love, and a time to hate ; a time of war , and a time of peace ;Ecclesiastes 3:1-9

He hath made everything beautiful in his time : also he hath set in the world in their heart , so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end . 

Ecclesiastes 3;11

This verse has spoken to my heart in volumes the past few days !!! In more than one way !!! the world around us is on the verge of change from the smallest of things we take for granted such as season changes ! It won't be long and the world around us will burst into color to show my heavenly Fathers creativity ! The air will become cooler day light will shorten ... times will change ! I am so ready for this ! Fall is my favorite season !!! 

However it has made me ask some very serious questions to my self ! Are there things you need to change ? and the answer was yes and no ! 

I the light of loosing my nephew more like my little brother has made me stop to think !  Life isn't promised tomorrow ....

I would like to share first about the things I need to change ! First of all forgiveness ! We all are guilty of holding on to things we need to let go ! I have struggled with this my whole life ! loosing Josh made me realize that unforgiveness keeps us from enjoying our loved ones ! Josh and I were OK when he passed but there had been a time when we were not ! we both were guilty of holding on to things we should have let go from the beginning ! I am just glad we were OK before he left this world ! I did however make me think about something God forgave me ! I didn't deserve it but He forgave me ! Grace !!!! I am not saying you should continually place yourself in relationship with someone where your continually hurt ! I am saying though grant forgiveness !!! Cut the ties that bound you to hurt ! Forgive quickly ! life is to short to hold a grudge ! 

The next thing God showed me, was to be myself ! Be who he created me to be ! Not my Mom , sister , friend , movies star, or anything other than me !!! He created me to be fearfully and wonderfully made !!! I am not suppose to look or act like anyone but me !!! After dealing with a loved one who has serious body issues ! I realized that we live in a cruel society ! That thinks we should all look like barbie ! Not that there is anything wrong with barbie ... Yet realistically we are not suppose to look like her ! God didn't make me to be a size 2 .... I don't have perfect hair and I can't do things some people can ..... Yet He did make to look exactly the way I do ! I am am a confident attractive woman who loves her amazing husband , I have two beautiful girls from the inside out !!! I love to homeschool and spend time with them ! I  can sew , create things out of nothing , I love kids ministry its my calling ! I love chickens ! tea parties ! spending countless hours playing with kids ! The list is endless ! God made me to be me !!! I should never look to the world to find beauty in myself and self love !!! I love who I am !!! I want my girls to do the same ! I find it sad that young people are wearing girdles to hold their stomachs in which there isn't a stomach to hold in ! They have eating disorders because someones idea of beauty is pushed on them ! When they are already beautiful they way they are!!! They don't need change to fit in !!! God made ME to STAND OUT !!!! I am thankful for that !!! 

The next thing I want to share will be the last I share about change .... I think its important though .... Never be pretend to be what your not or try to live beyond your means just to fit in with someone else , or to be accepted ! You see if the only reason we want to be around some is because what they have to offer us ... We never truly loved them for who they are .... We shouldn't want to spend time with someone because we think they have money , or not be kind and not friend someone because they have less than you !!! Because you see if they don't love you or you don't love them  for who they are!  No matter what you have to offer they will always make you feel worse about yourself instead of lifting us up.... I have never really struggled with this but I want to make sure I never ever do !!! Because I have seen the devastation it leaves behind !!! It leaves you hopeless with no where to turn !!! Its a downward spiral that become quickly out of control !!! 

When I started  praying about these things God was showing me, I asked him what I needed to keep ! He showed me several things! He showed my never change the love I have for my home ! Never be sorry for putting them first ! He showed my it ok to say NO ! To cut things and people out of my life and my families life that are toxic , hurting us , or destroying us ! He showed to stay true to my style ! Its who I am it shows the creative person He made me !!!! He showed me not to change the never grow up attitude lol !!! i asked why I loved the reply ! I called you to reach kids ! I need you to think young ! Its ok to stand up for what's right ! stand my ground for Him ! Tell my story he brought me from it ! Just because people want to be ignorant I shouldn't be ashamed ! For He brought me through it I am saved by His wonderful Grace !

Change can both be easy and hard ! My life has been in change for months now !!! We are still trying to find a new normal ! To find a homeschool group of friends , To adjust to loss of someone so special ! To get used to dear best friends being far away ! Also being closer to family whether they are blood family or by choice !!! We are changing daily !!! I can say I am honestly thankful for it though !!! Because I have realized that with out change nothing would ever be born !!! I thankful for new adventures !!! I am blessed to set down and blog today ! I am blessed to be on the journey He called me to !!! he promises He will never leave me or forsake me !!! He walks with me ! Are you ready for the changes your facing ? Or the changes that may be coming your way !!!  God will be right there embrace it ! Don't run from it ! Remember somethings are only for a season .... Others are forever .... 

One day someone will have to write my obituary .... I want to make sure that its about the me God created me to be ! Not the me the world wanted me to be !   

So I choose to embrace the change !

our new adventure

It has certainly been awhile... I have missed sharing with everyone ! So I thought I would take a moment to share my heart ....

We have now been in Gold Hill now for 4 months ! It has been a true blessing to know you are in the center of Gods will ! We are in love with our new church and church family ! 

We have already seen God do great and mighty things ! 

I love our new home ! We have have started new adventures in the few short months we have been here ! Amber is officially a high school graduate ! Christian is now a high school student .... My babies are no longer babies .... They are beautiful young ladies I see God preparing for their adventure everyday !
Jody bought me chickens !!!! I never thought I would really get some !!!! I love them !!! Tom, Lily, Buttercup, Ruby, Powder, and Maybelle have became very special to me! I love waking up feeding them and seeing how much they have grown ! I have learned so much in the short time we have had them ! Patience would be at the top of that list lol ! 
I guess you could say we have settled into our new life quite well ! I love being near our families again reuniting with friends and making new ones ! Reconnecting with our God children ! I can remember when our ministry was first starting .... How hard it was just to let go follow God and let my husband lead our family ! When we both realized God was going to move our family from our home town to the NC mnts. How scary it was ! How hard the adjustment was behind closed doors .... Because what the last thing you want a new church to think is that your not happy where God placed you ! When in fact I was happy I just missed my family and friends !!! 
I must say though that was the best thing that ever ever happened to our family !!! We learned to depend on one another to be a true family ! to listen to God and follow His leading in all we do ! So when He said to go this last time we were able to follow His call so easily ! 
My favorite book series is the A Life of Faith Series Millie Keith ! One of my favorite passages from the first book is said by dear aunt Wealthy Stanhope ! Life is not a tea party but an adventure to be lived ..... 
I love my new adventure ! 
I miss my friends in the mountains ! I have many dear ones !!! that I love dearly ! I love that we take time to email , facebook , call, and visit ! I know we will do these things for years to come ! I love hearing about their adventures God is sending them on ! 
Please pray as we continue ours !!!! As we start a new school year , try to find a new homeschool group, grow our new ministry here, and make continue in this new chapter in our life ! I look foreword  to  sharing our days to come with you guys ! Blessing to all of you .....

Plum creek day 8

 Chapters 22 & 23

 

Today we opened with devotion and prayer !Our devotion today was all about not seeking revenge against those who wrong us ! This was a fitting topic for us since our family has been dealing with some bullying issues .... Our Scripture came for many sources so I am going to list our resources so you can look them up for yourself in the Bible !  Proverbs 25:21-22 ; 14:22 ; 20:22 ; 14:22 ; 6:16 ; 10:23 ; 24:17-18 ; 26:18-19 ; Romans 12:19 ; Mathew 18:22 ! I know this allot however the Lord has allot to say about vengeance's being His !!! Laura wanted to seek revenge against Nellie for embarrassing her and being very mean to her at her party ! Even one of the other guest suggested that Laura should have smacked Nellie ... Laura replied that she need not worry she would get her back just wait and see ... Laura was true to her word and did just that ! This led us to discuss what the Lord has to say about the things !!! Its wrong to seek revenge !we should pray for our enemies !We discussed how the Lord would deal with them and in the mean time kindness from us would hurt worse than any action we could retaliate back with !        

 I truly loved our chapters today !!! Nellie hosted a party for the girls at school to attend ! It was a great deal to be invited to such an event !Ma bathed the girls Saturday morning dressed them in fresh clean dresses and ribbons!The girls were in aw of the Olsen's home !!!! The luxuries they have that the Ingalls didn't have captivated Laura !!!The girls were invited to play in Nellie's room ! They were astounded at the little Noh's ark play set , the little toy soldiers , & Nellie's porcelain doll.

 It wasn't till after Nellie brought out a box holding her wax doll that Laura was in total aw at what her eyes were seeing ! When her hand reached out to touch her blue dress ! It was then Nellie screamed at Laura for touching her doll ! Laura was so embarrassed she sat in a chair looking at books till it was time for cake and lemonade ....

 The girls were at their very best ! Using etiquette and manners during their visit !!!!One thing I remember most is that at this point in Laura's life she had never tasted lemonade ! I loved her description !!! The following Saturday Ma let Laura and Mary throw a party at their house ! All the girls came from school including Nellie !!! Ma scrubbed the floors and shined he windows ! The girls enjoyed showing the girls their home ! Everyone loved it ! Everyone was mannerly except for Nellie ! She was very rude to Ma and told her that she didn't wear her best dress to a country party ... This made Laura seek revenge ! I wont spoil what she did !However I had to chuckle ! Ma set the table with her very best white table cloth, placed a blue pitcher full of flowers in the center of the table, and she served vanity cakes and cool cream ! Their party was a great success ...

 We had an awesome school day !!! We had our spelling test ! We are finishing up our Fanny Crosby book ! It has been amazing ! We made our own vanity cakes ! They weren't what I expected !!! They were fun to make though ! We will be planning a tea party of our own in a few weeks to brush up on our etiquette and manners ! We are excited this will be our first tea in our new house !We both feel like Nellie is a bully .... Sissy made a no bullying poster !We had an amazing day !I would like to end on a personal note ! Be aware of whats going on in your child's life !The words of others can lead to life changing things ... Eating disorders and suicidal thoughts are just two of the things that can stem from bullying .... Spread the word to stop this behaviour and encourage your child to open up and let you know if they are o wittiness some one else being bulled! As always thanks for sharing your day with us !

Prairie School Plum Creek Day 3

Chapters 19,20,&21

 Today we opened in prayer and devotion. Our devotion came from several scriptures ! Proverbs 12:1, 13:1, 13:24, 15:5&12, 22:15 & 28:23.We talked about the importance of respect !Especially for our parents and our elders ! This is a big thing in our home it was instilled to our girls from the time they could waddle ... Nellie Olsen however didn't have any respect for her parents, elders , or peers !!! Gods Word says we should love one another .... I feel we should show that in all aspects of life!

 I loved our story today !!! Laura and Mary would be starting school !!! Laura was very unsure of school at first !She thought she would miss the creek to much !

 The girls walked 2 miles to and from school each day by themselves .... They knew they had found the school when they heard the children outside !

 Their welcome was not one of friendliness!The girls were called names because their dresses were shorter than the city girls dresses ! One of the girls quickly came to the rescue ! Both Mary and Laura fell in love with school !Mary was much more advanced than Laura! Laura was the only one in her class that didn't know how to read !Before long she was reading simple words !The girls couldn't wait to tell Pa and Ma about their day !When Pa realized the girls were using the teachers slate Pa said he couldn't have that !So He took a dime out of his fiddle case and Ma wrapped it in a hanky and pinned it to the pocket of Mary's dress ! The very next day on their way to school the girls bought their very own slate to share ! However they didn't have enough money for the chalk !The girls didn't want to ask Pa for more money after he bought the slate for them!So they took Mary's penny she got for Christmas in the Indian territory to buy the chalk they needed !They would share Laura's penny !

 Laura enjoyed recess playing the games with the other girls ! However when Nellie Olsen realized couldn't make the girls to continue to play ring around the Rosy , after Laura suggested they play Uncle John... Nellie Pulled Laura's hair with both hands and stormed off and cried because she didn't get her way !I was glad Laura didn't let Nellie bully her !

 Today we talked a little more about Lichens and Sissy wrote a report about them !We studied the history of paper !the pros's and cons of having it !How slates were better for our environment !Also how paper had made so many other things possible !

 We looked up the definition in the American Dictionary of the English Language for school !It called it a vacation !We weren't to sure Laura thought of it that way!We worked on our other school things as well today !Sissy drew a picture of the inside of the Olsen's store ! We had an awesome day of praire school.... I can see each chapter play out before my eyes !!! I love how the Little house books come to life ! Can't wait to share the next few chapters with you guys !!!

 

Prairie School Day 5 Plum Creek

Chapters 16,17,&18

 Our devotion today came from Proverbs 22:7. 

 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servent to the lender.

 I guess you could say we talked today about living with in our means ! Not borrowing large amounts of money that we may not be able to pay back .... Not that there aren't thing that getting loans are good for ... Such as buying a home....The scripture is very true in what it is speaking of !!!!
 Todays chapters were almost as exciting as Christmas !!!Pa has started planting of the wheat feilds !!! He also planted oats and a garden for Ma !It was hard work ! Since there had not been enough snow the ground was dry .... Pa was often tired even to tired to talk ...However the wheat crop brought new promises to the Ingalls family !!! It ment a real house ! Not the dug out !A house made of mill cut boards, glass windows , a bedroom for Pa, Ma , and Carrie! The attic would be Laura and Marys room ..... It would have a lean to for storage... A family room !!!! The girls were filled with excitement!!!!! Pa was able to make all this happen with the help of a loan with the promise that when he made profit from the feilds he would pay his debt off . Pa even bought Ma a cook stove to cook on!!!! As a suprise to her !!!!The girls each had a box to keep there belongings in !!! Each bedroom had a closet for there clothes hang !!!Ma made cutains to hang !!!!The excitment was so great for this family !!!! After the girls moved Pa told them not to visit the creek close to the dugout no longer . But follow the path just outside the new house and see what they found ! Much to there suprise they found a stream to enjoy ! Both girls waded and teased a crawldad ! Till Laura ventured into some murky water she found that she had picked up some stowaways along the way .... Lichens had attached themselves to her legs and she no longer felt like playing .... When they arrived home Ma told the girls they would soon be attending school !!!!

 We learned about the medical uses of Lichens today ! We both agree that although they can be good we hope to never need their help !

 Sissy also wrote a discriptive paragraph on noises she heard ouside at night !

 She painted a watercolor today as well !!!!I hope next week to really get to do some prairie activities !!!!

Plum Creek Day 4

Chapters 13,14, &15

 Today we opened in prayer and devotion!!! I truly find this such an honor to have the privalge to do this daily with my daughter !!!!Our devotion today came from Psalms 139:13-16. We talked this morning about how God made us different ! There is no two alike !!! That each of us are uniquly made in the image of God and we are His master peice ! Laura and Mary are an awesome example of how God made us different.
 Today's reading was about Christmas preperations on plum creek!!! I look forward to the Ingalls celebrations in each book !!!!Ma encouraged Mary and Laura to ask for Christmas horses ! So the girls did ! Carrie was to young to understand what that ment so Ma asked the girls to make her a button string !!!! The girls were so excited about such an suprise !!
 They spent much time looking through Ma's buttons ! Stringing each one till it was perfect !!! The night of Christmas eve Ma hung Carries stocking, Pa asked Laura and Mary wern't they going to hang theirs ? They didn't quit know what to think because Christmas horses wouldn't fit in a stocking ! The next morning to their suprise they found candy and new horses in the stable !!! Pa let the girls ride them to get water that morning !!!!

 Our Next two chapter were just as exciting for spring was once again upon them and large amounts of rain came to the prairie causing the creek to rise through the night . The next morning the water was still rising causing a flood ..... Even as the rain fell from the heavens Laura couldn't help herself .... She went outside in the cold rain in her night gown and just stood there with it falling on her face ... Mary was suprised at her behaviour because proper young ladies would never do such a thing .....
 The very next day Laura ventured to out once again ! This time to the creek where the little foot bridge stands .... Laura was at first satisified watching the water lick the bridge ... Before she knew it she was on the foot bridge letting the water flow against her feet . Then she sat down and let the water roll over her legs .... Until finally she laid down trying to hold on to the rail and stuck her whole body into the rapids .... Barely holding on and almost to the point of drowning Laura descibed the water as icy shards ... The strong currents held her till she was able to pull herself back up .... Ma didnt punish her because she felt Laura had learned her lesson .... The water was much stronger than she was ....
 In todays reading Ma was reading the MillBank to Pa. 

We discussed the history of the book that it had such an impression on Lauras mind it was worth seeing what it was about !
 Sissy Also wrote an discriptive paragraph of one of her own experinces with water .
 We also spent some time in my button collection and made our own button strings !!!! We hing them from the ceiling fan in our school room !Thanks for sharing our days with us !!!Hope you enjoy the pictures below !!!

Plum Creek Day 3

On the Banks Of Plum Creek 

Chapters 7,8,&9

 Well we have fallen behind again due to illness late last week ! So we are picking up where we left off last week !Today we opened with devotion and prayer ! Our Scripture came from Mathew 18:6

 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

 Laura and Mary ruined a stack of hay Pa had piled up by jumping and sliding down the massive pile ! Pa had told the girls not to slide down the hay stack anymore because he had to stop his work and re stack the hay again !!!! The next day Laura wanted to smell the hay stack and before she new it she was climbing the hay stack again... Encouraging Mary to join her.... Before they new it they had tore the hay stack down again ....That night when Pa returned from the fields He asked the girls had they slid down the stacks again? They replied no Pa we rolled down the stack!!! Pa chuckled at the girls and told them not to roll down the stack of hay any more ... Because if they continued the cattle would not have food for the winter ! So the girls never slid or rolled down the hay stack again !

 Sissy and I discussed the importance not to encourage other to do wrong ... Through peer pressure .... Also we discussed the importance not to give in . We talked about the consequences that could come from both ... we both agreed the girls were lucky ... They didn't get in lots of trouble ....

 Our Chapters today were again very exciting !!!! The girls were given daily chores !Pa started his first wheat crop ! He discussed with the girls the importance of not plying with the farm tools !!!!The girls picked plums from the plum groves ..

 Today's Prairie lessons were busy !!!! We talked allot about animal classifications !!!! Also the life cycle of seeds and plants !!!

 We studied about Wheat the planting and growing process ! How the kernel is used to make flour !Also the other parts of the stalk is used in many other things such as kitchen cabinets .... Sissy drew a wheat plant and labeled each part and it importance ....We discussed the land and hard labor wheat threshing would have been by hand !How we are thankful God allowed new technology to make things easier !

 We discussed how creative God was to give us different types of the same fruits !this makes it easier for the farmer to grow his crops !!!!We have to take short trip to wally world after church we are going to get a plum to eat tomorrow and some apples to dry !!! We are excited to see how that works !!!

 We also discussed foreshadowing in stories. How it hinted at something to come !!!!She completed her scripture memory verse for the week and recited it out loud !!!! She recited Psalms 51:1-2 !!!! I am so proud of her !!!

 She completed a drawing of a tree she started last week as well ! She also added her own poem to the side of it !!! I thought I would share it with everyone!!! I may just have a writer and illustrator on my hands :)

 Her Poem 

 Have you ever noticed we are allot like trees ? God created trees to be strong! Just like He created us to be strong ! Even though trees get week and fall down sometimes.... God helps them to grow again , makes them stronger just like He made us ..

 He made their branches to be lifted up to touch the heaven to praise..... Just as we lift our arms to praise our King in heaven ! He made them to grow each day just like He made us to grow each day ....In faith in Him ! God planted the tree in rich soil just like we are planted in Gods garden in Heaven safe from harm .....By Christian Almond 14 

 Well this has been our adventure for today !!!! Hope you have enjoyed sharing it with us !!! Hope everyone has a blessed evening .....

 

 

 

On The Banks Of Plum Creek Day 1&2

Chapters 1-3

 We were excited to start back Prairie School after such an extended break ! We felt like the Ingalls family during our time of transition ! We are loving our new home and church and excited about our new journey ! Like always we started our day with prayer and devotion... Like all the other new things we started a new book as well !!!! It doesn't take Laura long to get herself in trouble !So yesterday we talked about complaining .... Pa had to remind Laura of all the things she had and not to concentrate on what she wanted ...We read in the Bible Number 11:18-20 we discussed the children of Israel's complaining and what God had to say about it  .... Today we talked about trust and how God uses the Holy Spirit to remind us when we are doing wrong .... Laura disobeyed Pa by visiting the swimming hole after being told not to .... Her conscious wouldn't let her sleep until she told Pa of her behaviour ! We used James 5:16 as our scripture today :

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

 We read Chapters 1-3 yesterday !!! We started the adventures On The Banks of Plum Creek ! We both were amazed at the new home the Ingalls would be living in for the next little while !They have traveled a long ways fron Kansas to Minnesota. Near the town of Walnut Grove ! Town would just be a short 3 mile walk from their home . I understood the excitement after living such a drive to town to have it just a few miles away ...   Pa traded a gentlemen for his land , stable, oxen and dugout. In return Pa gave him Pet , Patty, and Bunny the colt , and the Ingalls wagon .The land was a beautiful prairie land , with a stream near by , a grove of willow trees , and the Ingalls new home . A dug out in the ground much like what I know of a root cellar to be.Ma seemed happy with the new home she found it neat and tidy and would do until winter came .... Pa was excited about the land! He thought it would bring a good wheat crop ! That would mean more money than the family had ever seen !The girls loved the gay flowers and the creek they could play in! There was dangers here as well and Pa warned them never to go to the big pool of water alone ...

 We spent time learning about trees !!!How each and every part of the tree is important !!! We learned how tree are important to odour environment to provide oxygen and rid the air of carbon monoxide ! We discussed water purification ! Why its not safe to drink water straight from a stream ! The effects that could come from doing so ! We discussed how to purify water at home or on a hike if clean water isn't available . We discussed how the Ingalls didn't know the importance of water purification ! Sissy drew morning glories during reading time ! She is quite the artist if I do say so myself !!!

     Chapters 4,5,6

 Today's chapter were just as adventurous as yesterdays !!! Poor Laura jut can not seem to keep herself out of trouble .... Pa took the family to the deep swimming hole to swim in our first chapter !Ma told the girls not to go to deep!Laura couldn't resist though !!!with each step she went deeper and deeper !Till finally  she found herself in trouble ! Little did she know Pa had just dunked her !He told Laura the importance of doing what Ma asked her to do ! When the day was over Pa and Ma took the girls home and reminded them them they were to never ever go to the swimming hole with out him with them !!!! 

 The very next day Laura was enjoying playing in the prairie ! Looking on admiring the pretty butterflies , watching the fish in the stream , admiring the flowers in bloom !She became bored and thought how fun it would be to visit the tableland Pa had showed them the day before ! After all he didn't tell her she couldn't visit there .... So off she went ... She didn't find it as fun or interesting with out Pa or Mary ! Hot , sweaty , and itchy she found herself wanting to visit the swimming hole ! What could it hurt to visit as long as she didn't touch the water .... Or maybe just stick her feet in the water ... No one had to know ! Along the way she came across a strange grey animal ! It was enough to scare her into going home ! Laura told herself over and over that no one ever had to know she had went to the swimming hole ! Besides only her and the badger knew .... That night Laura was unable to sleep her conscious wouldn't let her .... She rose from her bed and told Ma and Pa what she had done .... Pa explained she had broken his trust as punishment the next day she would not be allowed to go anywhere Ma couldn't see her .... Which meant she spent the whole next day inside helping Ma with chores! The next day Pa took her and Mary to watch a cattle heard come in ! Pa surprised the family with the most beautiful Cow they had ever seen !!! This was a great surprise and joy for the family because it meant there would be milk and butter again !!!

  We learned about badgers today also butterflies what makes them so grand !!!! We talked about lichens that grow in the wild !How they are both fungus and algae .... There importance in the Eco system !!!!Sissy is also reading the biography about Fanny Crosby ! We have loved the new book and we re excited to see what adventure will find us tomorrow !!! I am even more excited to be blogging about our school days again !!!!

Transition

I am so sorry it has been awhile since our last update ! Our family had had alot on our plates the past month ! My husbands sweet Grandma graduated into eternity just a few short weeks ago ! Also The Lord has shown our family it was time to step out in faith ! So we resigned the church we have been apart of for the past 6 1/2 yrs ! 

It has been an emotional time for our little family ! Even though this has been a sad time for us, We are excited about the adventure the Lord is leading us on !!! 

So Our family will be packing our home up preparing for our move ! Much like the Ingalls !!! I didn't realize when we started the primer that the Lord was preparing us for our own journey ! I just wanted those who followed our Prairie School Days we haven't quit ! We have just took a break !We should be back to Prairie School around the second week of March ! 

I look forward to sharing our journey in the future ! 

 

Sorry it has been awhile ! I have been very busy making memories over the holidays with my family !!!! We haven't started school back , we plan to next week !!! I spent the day today crafting with my Mom , Sister , and my youngest Daughter . I was reflecting back over 2013 while we were spending time together .... I lost and gained allot in 2013 .... I learned many lessons ... Some easy many hard ! One thing I did realize today that we don't slow down often enough to spend time with one another .... What are we teaching our kids ???? That all things should be spent doing on the run ... never slowing down to enjoy the moment and make true memories with our loved ones ! We just surpassed the one year anniversary of my oldest sisters death ....There were many times we didn't make time to spend with one another making precious memories .... Then there were those times we did , those were the jewels and precious stones that I would never trade ! Just wish there were more ..... So as I was praying last night spending time with Jesus its like He spoke to me even then that we should teach our children to make time for one another .... Teach them the true joy of life isn't in the things we gain from worldly things .... The true joy comes from the simplest things .... Such as a craft day in your Moms kitchen laughing .....