August 30, 2007
· Filed under Uncategorized
August 29, 2007
· Filed under Amish, Book Reviews
I am a avid fan of Amish fiction and have been since reading my first Beverly Lewis book. My cousin shares the same passion for for this genre and it leads me to believe it comes from growing up in Amish country. I lived in central Ohio until the age of seven when we moved to Georgia. While I don’t agree with much of the Amish doctrine the simplicity of their lifestyle has always fascinated me. I enjoy visiting Amish country and browsing through the beautiful quilts , woodwork, and all the other homemade goodies they have to offer. I also stand by the fact that a person hasn’t lived until they’ve had a bite of Amish made trail bologna…LOL. Unfortunately, this product can’t be bought or sold outside of Ohio so not everyone has the pleasure of sampling this tasty treat. A few years ago a Old Order Mennonite community moved into our area. It is very small but they have a wonderful farmer’s market that we frequent during the summer months. While this is wonderful I do miss living amongst the Plain people so I fill this void by occasionally getting lost in a Amish fiction book. I thought I would share my thoughts on two that I have recently read.
When the Heart Cries is book one in a new series , Sisters of the Quilt, by Cindy Woodsmall. Here is the synopsis of the book excerpted from Christianbook.com:
Raised in an Old Order Amish family, 17-year-old Hannah Lapp wants nothing more than to break with custom and experience the outside world—so when her longtime Mennonite boyfriend proposes, she joyfully accepts! But will her choice damage her family forever? And when tragedy jeopardizes her upcoming marriage, can she cope without her community?
This is Cindy Woodsmall’s first Amish genre book and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The characters draw you in and make you identify with the trials that they face. It was very hard to put this book down and I think it took a “whopping” two days for me to finish it. I cannot wait to read book two in this series due out September 30th.
The second book I read is “Going Home” by Wanda Brunstetter. This is the first book in a new series by Mrs. Brunstetter called The Brides of Webster County. Again I’m going to share the overview excerpted from Christianbook.com :
Faith Stutzman Andrews left her Missouri Amish community ten years ago to pursue her career as a comedian. Now widowed, Faith shows up on her parents’ doorstep with her six year old daughter in tow. Will the lure of the English world prove too strong for Faith, or will she discover that home is where her heart is?
I loved this book. The plot is terrific and I simply couldn’t put it down until I knew what Faith’s choice would be. There is a beautiful love story weaved throughout the book as well as a tale of enduring faith. Don’t miss this book or the second in the series due out October 15th.
Beverly Lewis also has a new book “The Parting” (Courtship of Nellie Fisher #1) due out on September 14th.
In The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Beverly Lewis returns to Lancaster County for a powerful new series based on actual historical events; a heated debate over salvation,and tractors that causes a group of Amish families to break away from the Old Order. And two young people who are caught in the heartbreaking divide.Passionate and stubborn Nellie Fisher knows that if her family breaks away from their church district, she stands to lose her beloved Caleb, staunch in his Old Order beliefs. But if she follows Caleb, she will lose her dear family. And what of the gentle stirrings she feels when her bishop-uncle speaks of an assurance of salvation her soul longs for?
I look forward to some really good reads as all of these Amish fiction books make their debut in the coming months. I’m always on the lookout for new books and authors in this genre. Does anyone have any they’d like to share?
Blessings,
August 29, 2007
· Filed under Homeschooling Hump Day
I came across a few useful links this week while planning for our BFIAR , Before Five In A Row, lesson on “Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear”. Billy Bear 4 Kids has quite a few educational games (for download and online), storybooks, holiday activities, worksheets, certificates, and so much more. I’ve barely scratched the surface of all this site has to offer but my personal favorite so far is the “traceable letters” font. Marilee’s Paperdolls has many paper dolls that would make a fun addition to a unit study or storybook. Last but not least, the BFIAR Yahoo Group has a wealth of activities, lessons, crafts, recipes, etc. to enhance each lesson in BFIAR.
Buying curriculum can get terribly expensive but there are many wonderful sites that offer free or low cost curriculum online. Old Fashioned Education offers a full K-12 curriculum utilizing online public domain works. Ambleside Online also uses many public domain works as well as books that can be found at your local library. For more great tips on how to cut homeschooling costs be sure to visit Homeschooling on a Shoestring.
To share your own homeschooling tips or links or read others click the graphic at the top of the page.
Have a wonderful day.
Blessings,
August 25, 2007
· Filed under Sat. Scrap 'n Share
Here is my go at this week’s Scrap ‘N Share. As you can see I’m still trying to get all our school pictures scrapped.
Click the graphic at left to share your own layout and/or to view more lovely scrap pages.
Scrap kit is courtesy of Gwyneth Creations
*Click to view at a larger size*
Blessings,
August 20, 2007
· Filed under Everyday Life
Cole went to stay with my IL’s last night and my DH is going to pick him up on his way home from work this evening. Its been so long since I’ve had a day to myself and at first I was excited to be able to get a little uninterrupted cleaning and lesson planning time. Its almost three o’clock and I have finished my to do list. Now I am sitting here wishing he was home already. Its just to quiet here (never thought I would complain about that). I was expecting a package from CBD today with a few books I’ve anxiously awaited reading but it is running a day late. Oh well, I guess I will have to be content with reading some other books on my to be read pile. It will be nice to have some time to read without being interrupted.
Have a wonderful day!!
Blessings,
August 19, 2007
· Filed under Sat. Scrap 'n Share
Since we started school this week it wasn’t hard to pick a subject for today’s Scrap ‘n Share. However, it was a bit difficult to narrow it down to just two pictures to put in the layout. I guess I’ll need to get to work on scrappin’ the rest of our school pictures *grin*.
Scrap Kit and Elements by Melissa at Scrappy Expressions
August 16, 2007
· Filed under In The Schoolroom
We finally started “weaving” today. I had planned to start school on Monday but my cousin, who is like a sister to me, had her baby late Sunday evening. Of course, we had to make a trip to the hospital to see the new baby and I also helped out with her older three dc Mon. and Tues. So with all that we decided to begin today after she was home and settled in. School went pretty well. I admit I was worried that my very active 3, nearly 4, year old ds wouldn’t be able to sit still long enough to finish our lessons but he did very good. Interlock is very hands on and I don’t even think he realized we were “having school”. We didn’t finish the whole lesson but that is because I added more projects to put in a lapbook we’ll finish up Friday. Tomorrow we’ll just have to do a double portion of Math. When my dh arrived home Cole proudly showed off all he did today. Even though it didn’t seem like we were doing school it amazes me how much he learned. I don’t think either of us can wait to begin again tomorrow. Here are a few pics of his first day.
Cole in the front yard.
He was a bit camera shy.
He finally let me get a picture in front of the bulletin board.
Coloring his letter person.
“Reading” Mommy his Thomas the Train book.
“I found the yellow triangle!”
Our curriculum for they year
We are starting with Interlock (Mon-Weds.) and BFIAR (Thurs.-Fri.) for the first term. He will also be working through “In The Beginning” (handwriting) everyday. I am introducing one letter/sound a week and just using everyday experiences for math. Since Cole will be so young when we finish Interlock I will use “Little Hands to Heaven” and FIAR before moving on to Weaver Volume One. We may begin using a “formal” math and phonics curriculum when he finishes Interlock but the timing of that really depends on how he progresses. I believe we’ll use a combination of 1-2-3 read and Explode the Code for phonics but I still haven’t settled on a Math curriculum yet. I have heard good things about Math-U-See but I’m still researching other options. Any suggestions on a good “hands on” math curriculum for a 4/5 yr. old?
I should take this quiet time to get some planning done so I suppose its time to sign off this computer. Thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope you come back.
Blessings,
August 11, 2007
· Filed under Giveaways/Contests
Tamara, over at Training Hearts, is hosting a contest for a wealth of homemaking,homeschooling, and Christian ebooks and products. There are far to many to list here so click the “Pass The Button” graphic to view the details on the contest and all the wonderful products. While you’re there browse around the site for a bit. She is truly a inspiration and I thank her for taking time to make such a wonderful site.
Blessings,
2 CDs The Homeschooling Family: Building a Vision (for families)
