Just in General

It's been a week since our fire.  Oh, I never told you about the fire did I?  I suppose I should before I move on.

Last week, I believe it was Friday morning at almost 1 am, I woke up to my sister-in-law yelling for my husband.  She lives right next door to us.  I wondered why she was yelling.  When I looked out the window, it was really foggy.  I thought to myself, that's not right.

I opened the door and she told me that our garage was on fire. I saw the fire then, just starting to lick through the walls of the garage, just feet from where the kids and I were sleeping on the couch in my Living Room.  I ran in and woke up Greg and then called 911.  I had the kids grab some clothes and get out on the porch away from the garage.  Greg started up our lawn hose and sprayed the flames that were crawling up the rafters by then.

Amazingly, he got the flames extinguished before the firemen had to turn on their hoses.  It was quite a fire to get it out with our garden hose!  I was surprised!  I think some of the firemen were too.  They jokingly offered Greg a job.

But all jokes aside, it was a horrifying experience.  It was all so surreal.

Thankfully, the Lord Jesus was looking out for us.  None of us were harmed and the fire was out before too much damage could be done.  I have thanked God so many times for helping us and keeping us safe so many times, I can't even tell you how many!

So, moving on....

We all spent some time after that re-imagining the fire and being a little scared of another one.  I think that is normal and a process that we would have to go through to react to and healthily get through an event like that.  The kids were very scared, but they dealt with it better than the fear of the wind that brought the tree down on our house last Autumn.

Which, by the way, we had some gusts here last week and I was a little nervous.....

Our homeschooling has gone great this week!  We have been enjoying everything that we are learning with the exception of English.  Stinky doesn't like that subject too well.  But we plod through!

We've spent this last week learning more about Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.  We are reading the book Cleopatra VII Daughter of the Nile Egypt, 57 B.C. by Kristiana Gregory.  This is part of the Scholastic The Royal Diaries Series.  These are good books to use as a fun supplement to lessons I think.  They are fiction, but based on the real stuff.  This is the first book that we've been able to use with History because we are learning History in chronological order and this is the earliest book in the series.

I just love learning about this time period and the Romans.  Also the Egyptians.  Actually, I just love History!

We just finished yesterday our 5 Senses study in Science.  Monday we start Light for Day One of Creation!  We are learning the first half of our Science through Creation.  This is very exciting to me!  We will be doing this study, hopefully, for 3 of our Science years.  There are projects for 3 different age groups.  The book that I am using is called Science in the Creation Week for grades 2-5.

I just love homeschooling!  It is so much fun and so rewarding.  I love having my kids here all of the time!  I am thankful for this opportunity.

Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan

I think it's something that all Christians wonder about.  What would it be like to be under the influence and power of Satan.  How dark and dreary that world must be.

Michael Leehan has written a book about his life and Satan worship.  He is now a saved man, going to church in the very one that Satan had told him to attack and kill the pastor.  Michael writes about his choice to follow Satan and the automatic distance he felt from the God that he didn't believe in when he opened those doors.

This book is written with powerful emotion and stark honesty.  Even though the subject and some of the things that I read about are scary, some horrifying, it was a good book to read.  It fills that natural curiosity enough that you don't really wonder anymore. 

The story of Ascent From Darkness talks about the power and unending love of our Lord Jesus.  Jesus has power over Satan and his devils.  He always loves us and will gladly forgive us, beckoning us back to Him with open arms. 

The appendix included in this book is very interesting material because it is testimonies written by Michael's friends or people that knew of his lifestyle and changes.  I think it's interesting to have someone else's outlook on his situation included in the book.

This review is all of my own thoughts and ideas.  I received this book to review with my honest opinions from Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson books. 

Fall Into Reading 2011 Reading List

I really love this reading challenge and I have done it for the past 3 years I think.  It's a challenge to me to make a list for this short time and try to actually follow it, while following my reading plans for the year.

My list this year is as follows:

Sept 23 - 20

• Life in Spite of my by Tricia Goyer
• Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business by Barbara Park
• A book that starts with K that I haven't found yet.

 

October 

• Ascent From Darkness by Michael Leehan
• The Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel
• A book for my book reviews
• Just a Minute (from Edelweiss reader, not sure about the author right now)
• Listen (on my Kindle PC)

 

November

• Glorious Appearing by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
• Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel
• A book review
• A book review
• 5 Conversations You Must Have w/Your Daughter (Edelweiss reader)

 

December

• After the Leaves Fall (Kindle PC)
• Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
• The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg
• A book Review
• Book that starts with X
• Book that starts with Z

Go Big by Cory Cotton Book Review

Before I started reading the book I felt good things about it.  For one thing, I liked the design and the lay out of the book.  The colors are vibrant on the cover and the inside pages even have a little bit of color to them, even if it is just orange and gray.  Six pages into the book and I have to go and check out some of these Dude Perfect videos on YouTube.

And lucky me, I was fortunate enough to find the very first video that they created, which I actually read about in those first 6 pages.  And if I do this video embedding thing right, it's here:
<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PD6eQY7yCfw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And I watched and liked this one too:
<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0n4tqhBd0h4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

As you read this book you will enjoy hearing about their amazing story of how they started Dude Perfect and the awesome shots they do.  I appreciate the fact that Corey is honest about how hard some of these moments were.  You can almost imagine yourself there, at each shot that he describes.

If you want to read a book that will inspire you and teach you, this is the book to read!  I am glad that I chose this book to review!!  I would recommend this book to anyone, not just those looking to start their own business.  I think the tips and tricks learned in this book can help a person on any path in life.

I was given this book from Tyndale Books and all I had to do was read it and write this post with my own thoughts and opinions.  They are all MY opinions!

Crazy Cat Lady Meets The Sarge and Major

Yea, I know, I've heard the comments before.  I'm going to grow old and become the Crazy Cat Lady.

Our cat family has changed recently.  On July 22, I put my cat Solomon outside early in the morning because he wanted out.  That was the last I saw of him.  It broke my heart.  He was my baby kitten!  We only had him for a little over a year.  He was so special to all of us.  He was OUR baby.  The whole family spoiled him.  I have avoided writing about this so far because I was so sad.  I still am.  I miss him.

So to appease my wants and desires, my fabulous hubby said that we could get another kitten.  He wanted a male kitten for him to name himself.  So I told him that was fine, I'd share.  But then I found a brother and sister pair and decided, why not take 2?  One for each of us!  So we did that!

Now we have two cute little gray tabbies.  They are adorable!  Hubs named his Seargent Gunnery Hathcock.  He is pictured here ------------>      I decided to be witty and keep the theme going so I actually decided on a name before I got her.

I never do that!  I like to meet them and observe them before I choose a name.  But I knew what I was choosing this time.  It had to go with hubby's theme.

So what is the magical name?

Major Margaret Hot Lips Hoolihan!

And here is the beautiful Mags, Maggie or Mag Pie as I affectionately call her:

I just love kittens!  And these two are so cute!  We are nursing Gunny back to good health now.  I don't know what happened to him, but he had stopped eating and drinking after he was here a day or two.  I got him some soft food and Pedialyte and he is doing much better now.  He's coming to life!  He has been just sleeping and laying around.  Poor little guy.  I don't know what the problem was.  But I am so thankful that Jesus gave me brains and I was able to make him feel better than he felt yesterday.

And just to show them off even more, I have another picture of both of them to post in this post.

Maggie

Gunny

With Book Review by Skye Jethani

Skye Jethani has broken down our relationships with God.  According to him, most people are in one of these categories:Life Under God, Life Over God, Life From God and Life For God.

He explains each of these different ways that we commune with God throughout his book.  Jethani also includes illustrations that he has come up with to help those who learn visually and they are added to help you learn yourself or explain to someone else.

One of my favorite quotes that are on the book is by Margaret Feinberg, the author of Spiritual Rhythm.  She says:

You can't read this book and not see yourself and others differently!

There are some points in this book that I am not sure that I agree with.  And I will admit that there were some times when I was confused on the point that was being made.

The book includes Appendix A and B with some very useful information in those sections!  Appendix A is written on communing with God.  Appendix B is a discussion section that includes questions for you to discuss with others in a group setting or with a friend.  You could also discuss those questions with yourself for further growth if you don't have another person to read it with!

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my own opinions.