Snapshot and a Scripture: my wish for you

Ephesians 3:14-19
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

(Photos from my brother, Chris's, visit in January)

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©2012-2014 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

The Holidays, a great time to start a new job with the Post Office

Still trying to get my feet under me at my new job, I realized this week that I've been there for 4 and a half months. I'm starting to get the hang of my little PO. I'm the postmaster relief so in a sink or swim kind of fashion I find myself working extra hard at figuring things out or finding out who can help me get it right. This week I had one of the other postmasters stop over and show me some procedures that helped me out a LOT. Overall I'm really liking working for the Postal Service. It certainly helps that I love stamps. I have been a stamp collector since I was a kid. It's all I can do not to buy everything that comes across my desk!

It was really fun to get going at Christmas, seeing all the great packages coming and going. For Christmas we held an open house and my stamp collection was the "historical display":

In the process of getting everything ready to display I got to reading a bunch of the old postcards in my collection. My grandma had given me them when I began collecting, years ago, but only now do I understand their sweet notes and the name and places mentioned. It was a fun adventure going through them again. I hope we never give up on the written word. Emails are just so much less of a memory, and I doubt we will ever print them up and put them in an album. Because of this realization I've made a list of all the birthdays of all my nieces and nephews and all of my siblings and our missionaries and their families. I plan to send each one a card, and, or course, I've bought lots of COOL stamps to go on each one.

I even gave stamps as Christmas gifts this year. I can tell this may be getting out of hand. My little PO is now just a 2-hour office (it had been 6 hours a day), and yet the stamp sales are higher than last year. I hope that's not all me. ;)

I can see that I'm sort of meandering here so I think I'll wrap things up as quickly as I can. I am thankful for this week:

• my husband being home from a two week trip
• my kids being healthier
• the weather being milder
• the animals all behaving, as I happily watch my free range chickens outside the window right now
• Sunshine coming through my window
• clean curtains
• good smelling laundry
• charts filling up with stickers
• getting caught up with projects at work
• friends that I get to see more frequently
• Good books, more than I could possibly read any given time
• Almost finished reading through my Bible and its complete entirety, a project which took me almost two and a half years even though I had attempted to do it in one.
• Getting all of our taxes done and discovering that the granola business, the doula business, and a little bit of side construction work... actually all was worthwhile this year
• Being invited to lots of 1st birthday parties for some of my doula babies from the busy spring that I had last year
• Nearly finishing my Awana book, which will be the third book that I have endeavoured to do while the kids are in Awana as well
• Discovering how much we love leeks and going through two bundles of them thanks to Bountiful Baskets, recipes forthcoming.

So. Many. Blessings.

And grace, always, grace.

What to do with our bountiful baskets?

We have been loving participating in the Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op! Each week is something new and different, but always a bountiful portion for our $15 contribution. This weekend's basket included apples, cuties, bananas, pineapples, avocado, tomatoes, potatoes, acorn squash, leeks, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and I also bought a case of blackberries! So, what am I making with all that?

Here's what I'm thinking:

Acorn Squash, roasted with Parmesan cheese
Recipe here.

Potatoes: Dairy Free Ham and Potato Chowder

Recipe Here. 

Blackberries: Muffins!

Recipe here.

Now, does anyone have any ideas what to do with leeks?

-L

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Snapshot and a Scripture: Awana Bible Quiz

2 Timothy 3:14-17

But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.

And that from a babe thou hast known the sacred writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.

That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.



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Scrapbook Saturday, first edition...

I have quite a bit of journaling to catch up on from January. Even thought I wasn't blogging, we weren't sitting around! I'm going to try and write up a few memories every Saturday and catch up on that.

First up: New Years! 

We had a quiet New Years Eve at home since Ben had to work. The kids and I did the same thing as last year. We wrote a bunch of our favorite things to do (and our favorite snacks) on little slips of paper and then sealed them randomly into several envelopes, one for each hour until midnight. You never knew which one was next, or which snack would be coupled with it. For example: right after dinner was board games while eating crackers and cheese. Other snacks included:

lil smokies
chips and sodas
cookies
sparkling grape juice

Some of the activities we enjoyed were: flashlight safari, Just Dance marathon, board games, shooting fireworks (at midnight), skype with the east coast family (during their HUGE New Years party!) and watching a movie. It was a great time, and Ben got home just in time for the fireworks!

Happy New Year 2014!

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Happy Valentines Day!

Jeremiah 31:3 "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

Printable Valentines! Just for you. :)

I recently saw a post on Pinterest showing a bulletin board showing the word "Valentine" in John 3:16. But we noticed it was a shortened version of the verse, so we made a new one... whole verse included, for the front of our valentines. Feel free to print these up for your own valentines! Because nothing says "Love" like the gift of eternal life!

Here's the link to the document, so you can print your own!

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, 
that a man lay down his life for his friends. 
 Truly, there is no greater gift we can give than the Gospel.


©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

Ramblings

I thought that maybe taking a month off from blogging would leave me reloaded with so much more to say, but the opposite is true.

I am refreshed, but I don't feel that burning urge to write about every little thing as I had been. Even so, I also realized how much I appreciate my blog. I appreciate being able to find my favorite memories, recipes, photos, all captioned and organized. I recently sat down and read through Mayda's scrapbook, much of which is just printed up blog posts. I know this is worthwhile. I admit this is work. It's work to write out my thoughts. It's work to chronicle my life. And while I appreciate comments and readers... it's work that's worth doing, for myself. For my family, for my memories, for the health of my mind when I get it all processed out. And you? You all get to watch that unfold. Aren't you lucky? If you're still reading, after such a break. I'm the lucky one. Thanks for sticking around. :)

-L

©2012-2013 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com

WW: What does a frozen world look like?

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Snapshot and a Scripture: Ecclesiastes

I'm currently enjoying reading 31 Days to Happiness by David Jeremiah, a 31 day travel through Ecclesiastes. I'll be post my review soon. Of course this morning as I photographed the amazing frost (at -3 degrees) I couldn't help but relive photos I'd taken earlier this year and remember this scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14
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 that which is 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, and 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 lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; 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.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

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

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.



and yes. I'm blogging again. ;)


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©2012-2014 Loving and Learning on the High Plains. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://www.homeschoolhighplains.blogspot.com