If I take the Wings of the Dawn

Psalm 139

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.

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Photo taken from my airplane window at dawn, 1/4/2013

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To Be Read List

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Lately I've been swapping a lot of books via PaperbackSwap.Com. It's a wonderful way for me to get books I am interested in without having to break the bank.

The way it works is simple:

• List all the books you have to swap. For me, this often includes books I find at garage sales or library book sales. You earn a credit or two for listing your first books, so do this right away!
• When someone requests a book on your listing, print the wrapper and mail it out with the appropriate postage. All that has been calculated for you! You earn a credit this way.
• Add lots of books to your wish list, so when someone lists them, you can "buy" them with the credits you've earned. Wa-la! Books start showing up in your mailbox!

I've even used this to land hard to find books for Christmas gifts. :) So lately, a lot of books from my wish list have been popping up, and I've been saving up credits... so my to-read list is loaded! Perfect for a COLD winter day like today. It was 12 degrees when I did chores this morning. This afternoon I'm going to curl up with one of these books and a cup of coffee.

Here's a bit of what I'm reading, or waiting to read:

Carrots Love Tomatoes, By Riotte

This book has been on my list for a while. I finally got it from a swap and can't wait to get started. I've been experimenting with companion planting for about two years, and I'm a firm believer now! Here's a link to a few posts I have about my companion planting:
Spring Garden 2011
Spring Garden 2012

Jane Pepper's Garden, by Pepper  

This book was a great read, and I re-read it regularly. I love how she breaks down gardening chores by month, so I can focus just where needed and not get overwhelmed by our acreage. I keep it handy and pull it out month after month.

Other Gardening/Farm Books I have read or am reading:

• Chickens, by Sue Weaver

• The Homesteading Handbook, by Gehring

• The Profitable Hobby Farm, by Aubrey

Scrapbooking Your Faith, by Walsh

This was given to me by my sister, Michelle. Thanks Michelle! I read the entire book on a recent flight and really enjoyed it. I loved the scrapbook layouts, including product lists in the back of the book. But what I loved most was her encouragement to let our Faith permeate our art, so that some day our children will not wonder what we believed. I am so excited to take that challenge... and to get my scrapbooks going again!

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, by Gaskin

This book has been on my list to read for quite some time. It was on my reading list for my Doula training, and although I read enough of the required books to certify through Dona, I didn't get this one. I finally got a copy of my own, and I'm enjoying every page. It re-enforces what I knew about birth from my own growing up experience, that God created our bodies to be able to do birth. That is one major point of the book, that we as a culture don't have experience with normal birth! Great read, I highly recommend... to every woman. Of course The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth is also another must read, if you're expecting. 

7 Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential, by Tyler

This is one I had seen in an advertisement in a magazine, and I added to my wish list right away. I was right to, as I'm almost done with it and finding myself finishing each chapter with a mental list of the friends who will enjoy reading this book next. I plan to pass this one around. I feel like Zan Tyler gets why I homeschool almost as much as Sally Clarkson does (The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity) I love how this book points back to God at every corner. He made our children to have GREAT potential!

The House that Cleans Itself, by Clark

This book has been a fun read, and I really do plan on implementing her tips, which are practical ways of making it so "Cleaning Day" is a day of the past and keeping things tidy is a simple daily routine that you don't even think about. Really good read, and one I plan on sharing with a a friend. I love how she encourages us to pray over our home, and our plans for our home. That God is in the center, really makes this a great book.

Two other books that just came in the mail:

• One Thousand Gifts, by Voskamp (Eeeeek! I'm so excited to read this one!)

• Help! I'm Married to a Homeschooling Mom, by Wilson (I plan on giving this one to... well, someone ;) hehehe!)

(All thumbnail images are the property of Amazon.com, and affiliate links have been included in this post.)

How to make a Fossil Rock

An inexpensive "friend-gift" your kids can make. Share the excitement of breaking open a rock to find a dinosaur, animal, or a jewel ring! Easy to make in large batches, this would be a great option for a party favor as well.

Fossil or Treasure Rocks

This recipe was adapted from one found on Pinterest. Here is the link to her original recipe for Dinosaur Eggs. 

Yield: This quantity makes enough to cover about 2 dozen trinkets.

What you'll need:

• 3 cup coffee grounds (used and dried)
• 3 cup flour (or more)
• 3/4 cup cornstarch (the original recipe called for salt, but I was out. This worked fine)
• 3/4 cup sand
• 1 and 1/2 cup water, or as needed
• Also, a variety of small items to "fossilize." We were making them for a Christmas party where there would be boys and girls, so we used small dinosaurs and small jewel rings. We bought these at the Dollar Store in the party favors bins: 6 to 8  of them in each bag for $1.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, and add the water while kneading until you have a nice stiff dough. Have your kids grab a hand-full of dough and hide a toy in it, adding pinches here and there and packing like a snowball until the toy is covered. After this we rolled them in extra coffee grounds for an extra "dirty" look. Place on parchment lined baking sheets (you really don't want sand where you bake cookies), and place in your oven on warm (150 degrees F) for a few hours, or until you crack open a test rock and it is completely dry.

We put them into cellophane treat bags with shredded paper and tied with a bow. Have fun!

Join us on a "How To" Blog Cruise? Click here: (goes live 1/15/2013)

Dairy Free: Ham and Potato Chowder

Ham and Potato "Chowder" (Dairy Free)

I love winter for all the soups and stews it affords, but chowders are my favorite. Unfortunately, several in my family are intolerant to dairy. They usually suffer through my obsession with milk and cheese, but this was my attempt to make something a bit kinder. I had some leftover ham from Christmas, and I wanted to make my favorite ham and potato chowder, but this time without the dairy...

You'll need:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 quart frozen home-grown sweet corn (or two cans creamed corn)
• 4 cups chicken stock (divided)
• 2 cups diced ham
• 6-7 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
• dried parsley
• dehydrated onion (or one small onion diced)
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large stock pot add the diced potatoes to boiling water and cook until tender and then drain. Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium high heat and then add flour and cook until you have a nutty colored roux. Don't over cook! Have corn and chicken stock ready to add immediately, so when it gets to that peanut butter color you can add them. Add corn and 2 cups chicken stock to the roux, and return to a boil. Add seasonings and onion at this time as well. Once it boils it will thicken, then add the rest of the chicken stock and the ham. You can also add the cooked diced potatoes at this time. Return to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Enjoy!

Today I'm joining a blog hop over at:

I hope you get over to see all the fun recipes!

Field Trips in 2012

Joining a blog hop today!

Click the above link to see all the other posts!

Best Field Trips of 2012, click the links to see more!

Local play of Cinderella, a Daddy Date Local high school productions make some of the best cultural experiences, without breaking the bank. This year we took the kids to see Cinderella, My Fair Lady, and A Christmas Carol. 

4-H and the Fair

Starting our own 4-H club with our homeschool group afforded many opportunities for field trips, such as fishing, cooking classes, and more. 

National Geographic Map of Asia

One of our favorite activities was getting to visit the Giant Asia Map from National Geographic! Our home-school group had nearly 60 students take advantage of this.

Fall Marching Band Competition

A side benefit of our Summer Farmer's Market being downtown. 

The Pumpkin Patch

Van Gogh Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum

And so many more... :)

Joy from Jessica

One of my blessings in December 2012 was the visit I had from my dear sister, Jessica. It was so busy during Christmas that I didn't get to share about it with you all, but it was really very awesome! Jessica arrived on a Tuesday that we didn't have any major plans, so when the kids and I drove to Denver to pick her up, we had a great time running around downtown.

It is easy to park and then get around downtown Denver on foot (or trolley). So we did! We rode the length of the 16th street mall, and had lunch at Noodles & Co. We had a great time exploring the outdoor art around the Denver Art Museum:

We also enjoyed visiting the outdoor German Market that is set up downtown, just during the holidays. I had seen it last year when I took the girls to the Nutcracker for Christmas, but we were late for the show and couldn't check it out. It was much more fun getting to go there and shop, and we even found a lovely Christmas ornament for a souvenir.  

One of the best giggles came from this display at the Russian vendor:

ummm Madonna? I found my self singing this Sesame Street Song as we walked around. :)

Over the next week, we took Jessica with us to the Farmer's Market, our Awana Christmas Party, and to visit a local school I'm trying to interest her in. She also spent a heap of time with my Grandma, and helped her get her Christmas cards done, which was a huge blessing. I miss her already. My favorite part was when everyone told us we look like twins... since I'm a decade older, that was awesome!

Sisters are a true blessing. I just wish mine didn't live so far away!

A Snapshot and a Scripture

Luke 2:13-15 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

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