King Family

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ #7 ~ 11/3/08

For Today...

Outside my Window...Lovely sun-shiny day.  A little too warm because of a blast of Indiana Summer, but cool and crisp is on the way.

I am thinking...What a good time I had w/my brother and his girlfriend.  We made the rounds to my favorite German Baptist and Old Order German Baptist grocery store, bulk food store and farm for brown eggs and whole milk.

From the learning rooms...Jenna is getting back into the swing of a full school load after being in Erie, PA w/her wonderful Daddy for her last volleyball tournament.  She came back w/a cold, so things are going a little slow.

I am thankful for...the FACT that God is STILL on the Throne!!

From the kitchen...This afternoon was chicken and rice soup.  Tonight will be salisbury steak w/noodles.

I am wearing...jeans and one of my favorite Lakeside hoodies (I have a bunch of them...can you tell? lol I get one every year).

I am reading...My Bible; "Pride & Prejudice"...AGAIN! 

I am hoping...that our young friend who had a baby on Saturday will be blessed of the Lord because of the repentance of her heart b/c of the mistake she made.  That she will continue on in her walk w/the Lord and raise this sweet baby in His ways.  I really think she will.

I am creating...Herb mixes and some more glycerin soap.  I didn't get to make as much as I wanted a couple of weeks ago.

I am hearing...the radio and the jingle-jangle of Maggie's dog tags as she prances through the house.

Around the house...Hoping that Jenna's cold doesn't get any worse.

One of my favorite things...Seeing a red-tailed hawk perched upon a fence-post or a telephone pole and thanking the Lord for putting it there just for me to see.

A Wonderful Tribute to a Husband

A friend of mine (who I "met" on Homesteadblogger.com and then discovered that we only live a few miles from each other!) wrote the most beautiful tribute to her husband.  I see my wonderful husband in so much of what she said, I'm sure you will recognize yours, too.  Enjoy.

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/hunnicutts/114306 

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

A VERY Brave Man ~ Worth Seeing...

Even though I am a very political person, I have tried to keep my blogs UNpolitical.  But sometimes someone comes to your attention that you just HAVE to share w/others.  PLEASE click on the link below and listen to what this incredibly brave man has to say.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Homestead Kitchen Questions

Saw this on Redneckatheart's blog and thought I'd give it a try...

1. Do you have magnets on your fridge? You mean, is there a fridge under my magnets?!

2. Do you have a calendar in your kitchen, if so, what's the theme of it? I have a calendar that my FIL gives all of his extended family every Christmas.  He orders it from somewhere and it has HUGE daily squares to write in.  We all love it.

 3. What is your favorite kitchen gadget or tool? My wooden spatula.

4. Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind? No.

5.What is your favorite appliance? My electric skillet and my bread maker (I let it knead the dough and rise there and then I bake it in my oven).

6. Do you have an eat in kitchen (table in it)? Yes.

7.Do you have a bread box? No.

8. Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge? Yes.

9. Do you ever cook breakfast in your PJs? Is there any other way?

10. Do you have a favorite cookbook that you use? Yes, an old Betty Crocker book and my own that I've added to since we got married 24 years ago.

11. Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom or grandma? Yes, and they are in the cookbook that I've made for myself.

12. Whats your favorite food? Mexican, Italian and Briar (that's Ohio-speak for Kentucky country cooking)!

13. Whats your favorite thing to cook? Taco soup.

14. Is your coffee pot electric or stove top? Electric

15. Do you ever make your own bread?  Yes, it's the only kind of bread we eat.  At least at home.

16. Name one thing that you have hanging on your wall in your kitchen.  The last Christmas my daddy was alive he made me a 6 ft. long shelf for my antique and reproduction tins.  I love it!

17. Is there a clock in your kitchen? Yes, on the stove and microwave.

18. Do you have a bowl of fruit sitting on your table or counter? Yes, on my counter - oranges, bananas and white grapes, at the moment.

19. What type of canisters do you have? Country-type canisters w/gasket lids and a collection of antique canning jars.

20. Does your kitchen have a theme? Country w/antique and reproduction canning jars and tins - all serving a function, not just to look at - and a lot of blue sponge-ware.

21. What's for supper tonight? We had boneless/skinless chicken breasts fried in olive oil w/Spike seasoning and my own herb seasoning mix sprinkled on w/noodles and salad.

22. Do you have enough cabinet space? I will once I clean them out - AGAIN.

23. Does your family use paper plates?   On occasion - usually in the Summer.

24. Do you have a good set of china? Yes.  It is what I have from our wedding.  Actually, it's NOT the pattern I picked out - my mom went behind my back and changed my registry to what SHE liked and I didn't find out until we started opening our wedding gifts.  I was blessed w/many sets so I kept them.  Anyway...I have in mind that I would like to put them on e-bay and then get the one I REALLY wanted (English Rose)...it's been 24 years, think she'll notice?

25. Do you wear an apron to work in your kitchen? Not as much as I should.  I wear my grandma's "all over" apron when I fry or bake.  I'd like to get another one so that I can keep hers nice.

26. Name one thing, if anything, that you would like to change about your kitchen. Can I make it 3?  Ok...a Farmer's sink and a reproduction woodburning stove, like a Hearthstone or something; and a new floor.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ #6 ~ 10/27/08

For Today...

Outside my Window...dreary fall day, rainy, cold - only around 40 degrees; but once again, the Lord has used the rain to bring out magnificent rich reds, burgandies and golds.  LOVE fall color!

I am thinking...That I will miss Ty and Jenna while they are at a volleyball tournament in Erie, PA most of the week.  That this may be the last week I talk about volleyball to you!  lol

From the learning rooms...I'm giving Jenna grace in her schoolwork this week.  Since she and Ty will be leaving on Wednesday all I am stressing is Bible and American Government.

I am thankful for...That when I fell in a huge puddle INSIDE the middle of a Meijers store on Friday, that all I did was fall on my knee and twist my leg.  It could have been much worse and I could be in a cast or something.  But it's almost back to normal and I am grateful.  I'm also thankful that Jenna's v-ball team WON a saturday tournament they were in and Jenna was awarded as one of the three best players of the tourney!  Woohoo!!!


From the kitchen...homemade mac and cheese for lunch.  I'm going to run out to my favorite Old Order German Baptist farm stores to stock up and then I'll go to a larger grocery store to get the rest.

I am wearing...Burgandy thermal leggings and burgandy over-sized sweat shirt.

I am reading...Bible; the new Fall issue of TOS and deciding which Jane Austin book I want to read while the family is away.

I am hoping...that my family and the rest of the Golden Angels homeschool volleyball team will be kept safe on their trip to Erie and back, that they will have a BLAST and that Jenna will make wonderful, lasting memories of her last v-ball tourney with her teammates and her daddy.  And that Jasper and I can have some fun mother/daughter time while we're here by ourselves.

I am creating...a plan to get my house better organized this week. 

I am hearing...the radio.

Around the house...baking cookies, maybe a yellow cake w/chocolate icing and fall colored sprinkles.

One of my favorite things...hearing my husband's heart-felt laugh.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, praparations for the trip; doing something special w/Jasper while the others are gone. 

  Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

My favorite cartoon when I was a little girl.  Beany and Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpant.

You can enjoy other Daybooks by clicking on the icon at the top of this post.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Please Join Me in a Time Warp!

Did you ever wonder what you would have looked like if you lived in the past?  Not pioneers days, but in the last 50 years...what would your yearbook picture would have looked like?  I just found out about a hilarious website - http://yearbookyourself.com - where you can find out that very thing!  Just down-load a picture of yourself, or someone else in your family, and take a look!

1952 ~ Love the pearls!

1958 ~ I look like my aunt.

1960 ~ As my friend says, "Oh, help me Rhonda!"

1966 ~ My brother's 1st wife had this style in her yearbook! 

1968 ~ I hear Dick Van Dyke music!

1974 ~ Actually, this is pretty close to the mark!  I would have been 15 at the time and my hair was so long I could sit on it.  If my face were thinner it would nearly look authentic.

1978 ~ 'Nough said!

1996 ~ This looks like one of my best friends' hair.  I don't think I'll do the blonde thing, though.

2000 ~ This looks like a sad case of the head cheerleader who didn't realize her day had past at the 30th reunion!  Yikes!

Try it out for yourself.  It was great fun!  We did it with our whole family.  Maybe I'll put of those up later.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

One More Reason I'm Glad We Homeschool...

This past Friday (the 17th), the high school I attended had an all-class reunion at their Homecoming footbal game - it was to celebrate that this year's Senior class will be their 50th graduating class.  I was looking forward to my dh and I going b/c I knew that I would see upper and lower-classmen that you just don't see at your own class reunions...plus...as a former band member I knew that Homecoming would always offer one the year's best marching band performances! 

A couple of years ago the district tore down EVERY school building and rebuilt them, including my old high school.  The only original parts left of the school I attended are the gym and auditorium, so it would be exciting to see the new school.  My girlfriends from school (who I still see a couple times a year) and I took "our own" tour of parts of the new building (I even got to use the teacher's potty!  lol  Our class president is now the Principal and he unlocked it for me!  Mystery solved...it's nothing special!) and, indeed, it is a beautiful place.  (Eh-hmmm....the SCHOOL, NOT the potty! )  Computers in nearly every room, a STORE (WOW!), a college-type library, cool lunchroom, large band and choir rooms, etc.  We saw people that we hadn't seen in years and secretly wondered if we looked as old to them as do to us  and tried not to forget that our wonderful dh's were dutifully wandering behind us as we giggled like school girls and remembered when.  Fortunately, our dh's are friends so they could commiserate w/each other.  lol

Then, we went out to "watch the game."  There were so many people there that we had to crunch down in the wheelchair section of the grandstand.  We watched the game whenever people started cheering b/c we were taking to other class members as they walked by.  But what we were really there for was to see the band.  My little group of classmates that I was chumming with that night were all former band members and drillies...we had our priorities for the evening.  As 1/2-time approached, we watched as the band took their positions at the end of the field - my their uniforms were so cool! - not the military-style we had.  They were also a VERY SMALL band now, MAYBE 60 kids - enrollment has gone down so much that, according to our old principal who was there, they barely had 200 per class now; OUR class alone was 444 and our marching band had over 200 PLUS about 30 drillies!  Now they only had their little band and 4 or 5 flag corp (ick - I'm NOT a flag corp fan).

So, our anticipation was building...Homecoming would always be one of the best shows!  The band came out, the girl drummajor dutifully marched out and climbed her director's perch, qued up the instruments and ... what's this crud?  NEWS BLERBS?!?!  "The war in Iraq took on high casualties today/the Dow ended with a down-turn/President Bush says he doesn't know how long our troops will be in Iraq/unemployment has reached a new high..."  Then, the commentator started speaking in a modlin tone and saying things like "If we stick together we CAN over-come...we mustn't let life get us down...whatever is going on in the world you must get through it..."  THEN the band started their routine - first, they hardly marched and then what they did had no creativity to it at all; and the music - it was slow, almost concert-type music!!  OH MY!  IT WAS SO SAD!!!  All of my friends and I just looked at each other WAITING for the "fun part" to start - it didn't.  3 songs that were simply played to be playing something, it seemed to us.

I ask you, and I'm going to e-mail my old high school and ask them - WHY -WHY use a football game halftime show - and a band routine - to put such depressing thoughts into the minds of young, impressionable teens?!?!  Halftime shows are meant to entertain not spew p.c. doctine!  What we saw was NOT entertainig in the least.  It was utterly depressing.  When our band would perform we would do Chicago and Beatles music and we would have people on their feet cheering and dancing!!  WE WERE FUN!!  I saw nothing fun or entertaining about anything those kids did on Friday night.

My friends and I left after half-time and had our own little reunion at a local favorite pizza place that we all enjoyed  "back when."  Believe me, NONE of us were up-lifted or entertained by the half-time "show." 

It was sad and, once again, my dh and I were convinced that the last 16 years of homeschooling is one of the very best choices we're ever made in our lives!  That our children aren't missing ANYTHING and, in fact, are being rescued from the depressing p.c. environment!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ #5 ~ 10/20/08

For Today...

Outside my Window...Beautiful fall morning.  Lots of sunshine, clear blue skies and blissfully cool fall weather.

I am thinking...That I need to visit my mom.

From the learning rooms...Jenna has gotten so much out of a Bible study that she's doing (we always include Bible study in our homeschool).  It's "Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves."  It's a great study on body image and fighting all the falsity that t.v. and culture forces on teens and young women and counters it beautifully w/what the Bible calls us to be as women.

I am thankful for...That the memorial service our church had for my friend's son who was murdered in Atlanta went so well.  I hope it was such a blessing for her and for her family and friends who couldn't make it to Atlanta for the first one.


From the kitchen...We'll have lazagna for lunch; but for right now I'm smelling coffee brewing and my FAVORITE Apple Jack candle burning.

I am wearing...a long demin skirt, black turtle neck and my oldest dd's Golden Angels hoodie.

I am reading...Bible; History/Government books for my TOS column.

I am hoping...to really get into an exercise routine, especially w/cooler weather approaching.

I am creating...fall colored knitted dish cloths w/cotton yarn.  If I HAVE to wash dishes, I like to make it a little more enjoyable by using something that I've made.  I'm tweaking my TOS column and getting ready to send it in for the Winter 08/09 issue. 

I am hearing...the washer, the dog slinging her leash to tell me she needs out - so I'd better hurry! 

Around the house...sweeping and dusting, probably a light mop of the kitchen and downstairs bathroom, laundry.

One of my favorite things...being outside on a cool, crisp fall day (or night) and smelling fireplace or bonfire smoke.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Cleaning out my kitchen cabinets.  Thursday is Senior Night at Jenna's volleyball game, Friday is Banquet.  Then the next 2 weeks will be filled w/tournaments and THEN I will be able talk about something else to YOU! 

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Topo Giggio ~ one of my favorite childhood memories.  "Oh, Eddie, keess me good-night!"

You can enjoy Daybooks from all over the country by clicking on the icon at the top of this post.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

The Biblical Basis for Homeschooling Christian Children ~ Pt. 7 ~ CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

            “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  (Proverbs 22:6)

            As Christian homeschool parents, the above Scripture is a basic guideline.  It points us to God’s attitude, methods, and principles. 

            “The words train up are not framed as a mere suggestion.  They are a command…In the original Hebrew, train up means ‘to touch the palate.’…Hebrew mothers would feed their children by first chewing their own food very carefully and, then, touching a little of it to their child’s palate.  With that intimate sharing, the mother would instill in her child a taste for the very same foods she enjoyed…To translate the metaphor educationally:  parents are to instill in their children a taste for their own delights by enjoying things together with their children.  By working together, studying together, playing together, and simply living the Christian life together, our children develop…a deep inner yearning, an appetite…These tastes will form the basis for their lifetime of joyful obedience to the Lord.”[1]

            Gregg Harris goes on to explain that “in the way he should go” describes that the kind of training our children are to get is training in righteousness.  No public, government-funded school will allow that.  It doesn’t fit the “I’m OK, you’re OK” lie.  Unfortunately, when someone lies someone has to be wrong – whether it hurts the feelings of another or not.  Hell is far more to worry about than hurt feelings.  By understanding that there is a right and a wrong – again, which public schools are loath to teach – it may be the difference between eternal hell and separation from God forever or salvation through a saving knowledge regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.

            And it seems that this train of thought brings us back to the favorite verse among homeschoolers, Deut. 6:4-7, in reminding us to teach God’s truths as we talk to our children in the home, and as we are walking along the way, and as we lay down at night telling stories, saying prayers and having wonderful bed-time conversation…only to rise up the next morning to start the whole cycle of teaching and demonstrating God’s truths as life is lived. 

            Homeschooling is a calling of God, for the training up of our children.  It is a commandment of God, as we are with our children nearly every hour of the day.  It is a revival of God, in that a remnant has been called to breathe fresh wind on a spark and watch it fan into flame across the land.  It is the truth of God, in an educational system dying from lies and deceit.  It is the tie that binds, when so many in the educational system are trying to divide children from parents.  It is a battleground, in the fight for our families and the minds and souls of our children and teens.  It is touching the palate, to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Favorite Lyrics

The ladies on an e-mail list that I'm on were sharing some of our favorite hymn/praise and worship lyrics and I thought I would share mine with you.  If you have the time, PLEASE watch the YouTube video that I included the link to.  When our praise team does this at our church I play Irish penny whistle.

In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcpLZgCwcEE&feature=related

In Christ alone my hope is found.

He is my Light, my strength, my song.

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love!  What depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strifings cease.

My Comforter, my all in all,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless Babe.

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

‘til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied,

For ev’ry sin on Him was laid.

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain.

THEN BURSTING FORTH IN GLORIOUS DAY,

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE ROSE AGAIN!

And as He stands in victory,

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.

For I am His, and He is mine,

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death:

This is the pow’r of Christ in me.

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

‘til He returns, nor cause me harm;

Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><