More Providence Farm Pictures

For some reason, some of the pictures I uploaded on the other post didn't quite make it. So here are a few more...it was such a fun day!

Running in the pumpkin relay...

Ethan's first pumpkin relay race...he really liked it!

Ethan wanted EVERY pumpkin!

He's trying to get the hook out of the fish's mouth so he can throw him back to safety.

Some of the girls made a presentation on pumpkins.

Peek-A-Boo!

Ethan enjoyed playing in this old boat rather than fishing.

Just one of the many funny faces in his repertoire...

Evan was so hoping to catch a fish, but he didn't! He did catch some later when he & his daddy fished at the lake down the road from us.

Ethan adores Kaitlyn!

Evan enjoyed feeding the goats, but Ethan did not! He didn't like them eating out of his hands.

Rachael Ray's What's for Dinner Tonight!

On Thursday, Rachael Ray had a really good recipe on her show for BBQ chicken and mashed sweet potatoes. It looked so good and I just happened to have all of the ingredients except the sweet potatoes. After a quick trip to Brookshire's, I made this scrumptious meal!

You can find the recipes here: http://rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/skinless-bbq-chicken/ and here: http://rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/smashed-sweet-potatoes-honey/

I made a few adjustments like boneless/skinless chicken strips because that is what I had in the freezer. And instead of lemon juice & nutmeg in the sweet potatoes, I used some cinnamon & brown sugar. Yummy! I've never made homemade MASHED sweet potatoes before, but I think I'll be doing that a lot more now. Super easy & super delicious! And the BBQ sauce was SOOO good! I'll be making that again too!

Providence Farm Field Trip

Last Monday, we had the awesome opportunity to go on our first Field Trip with Cottage Garden. We visited the Providence Farm, home to one of my fabulous 1st period Study Skills students. :) I've enjoyed getting to know his mom as well. Angela Greenwell (http://www.trustingdaily.blogspot.com/) is such a sweet lady & her whole family did such a wonderful job entertaining us.

They showed us the cows, horses, goats, and chickens. The kids even got to pick up some of

the eggs that the chickens had laid & they got to feed the goats! One of Ethan's favorite thing

s was playing with a toy farm house! Then, we went on a hayride to their pond & the boys got to fish! Well, Eric & Evan fished...E

than mostly played. Austin & Kaitlyn act

ually caught some fish too! That was cool! After fishing, we had a picnic lunch & then they learned a little about pumpkins & played

a few games.

It was such a relaxing, enjoyable day! And the weather could not have been prettier! Thank you, Greenwell family, for hosting our

first field trip this year! You're the best!

Memory Verse #19

Romans 12:9-11

Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil;
Cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal,
but keep your spiritual fervor,
serving the Lord.

Do Everything Without Complaining or Arguing

This year, as part of my morning devotional time, I’ve been reading a daily devotional called, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. It is written as a conversation between the reader and Jesus. Some days it is so encouraging to me and some days it is really convicting. Today was one of those convicting days! It “hit me upside the head” as some would say in these parts of East Texas. :)

Here's the devotional…

“You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand. I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me. There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following. I understand better than anyone else the stresses and strains that have afflicted you. You can ventilate safely to Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.”

“Complaining to others is another matter altogether. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage. Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out. As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart.”

The reference verses are:

Jeremiah 31:25 – “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

I also thought of Matthew 12:34 that says “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

How often do I just complain because it comes so naturally to me? Is my heart full of complaints and grumblings? According the Matthew 12:34, I guess it is. I need to change that! Instead, I should be thinking of how thankful I am for all of the blessings God has given me. Then, I need to talk about them instead of complaining.

That is my goal today…to “do everything without complaining or arguing.” I’m going to need a lot of prayer, but with God I all things are possible!

Creation Concoction

Ethan has been learning about creation, and I found this neat "Creation Concoction" on Hubbard's Cupboard (www.hubbardscupboard.org/) website. We finally made time to "create" it yesterday. The boys LOVED it!

I told them to smile for the pictures and you see what I got from my silly boys! They are both such hams! I finally got a good picture of them smiling though.

Here's the summary...

Start with an empty bowl.
Day 1 - Day & Night (Cool whip & chocolate chips)
Day 2 - Sky (add marshmallows)
Day 3 - Earth/sea/plants (they suggested colored coconut but the boys don't like it, so we opted for green icing for grass & blue icing for the water)
Day 4 - Sun/Moon/Stars (Sprinkles for stars, open oreo cookie for the moon)
Day 5 - Fish/Birds (gummy fish or birds)
Day 6 - Animals/ Adam & Eve (Animal crackers & 2 gingerbread cookies--couldn't find gingerbread men so we made a toothpick man & woman with marshmallows)
Day 7 - Rest (God rested & said, "It is very good." So we rested & enjoyed eating the concoction)

I don't think we'll soon forget the days of creation...add food as a mnemonic device & it will stick!

THAT Class Scavenger Hunt

Last night, our Life Group/Sunday School class had our quarterly fellowship. We decided to have a scavenger hunt & then eat "breakfast for supper!"

My friend, Penny, and I came up with the idea this summer while we were spending the week as counselors at Kidz Kamp. The children had a scavenger hunt to find God's promises each day. They gave us clues as riddles & we had to search the camp grounds to find them. Most of the sponsors enjoyed the scavenger hunt as much as the kids, so we decided that would have to be our next fellowship!

And we predicted correctly...they were SOOOO competitive! We decided to have 3 of our most competitive couples be team leaders so they could add to that competitive spirit!

The teams received their first clue & they were OFF! At each destination, they had to take a certain picture & email it back to us at the church to "prove" they were there. They also had to write down God's promise that we left at each place. Then, they opened their colored envelope to get their next clue.

It was so much fun to get their pictures & see them actually finding our clues & enjoying themselves!

Their last clue led them back to the church & we enjoyed a breakfast feast! To end the evening, we had box folding session to get ready for Operation Christmas Child.

Thank you, Missy, Nancy, & Grant, for helping us by watching our children!

I was really proud of my husband for creating the clues...he's pretty clever. And Penny came up with the picture ideas...they were great too!

Here are a few of the clues...

1. Go to the place where the teens like to roll. It's under the horizontal slats where parents sit in the shade. Where is it?

2. Drive the route that passes the sod on which the Tigers play. Continue past the sharp curve to the heavenly city. Go to the place where men launch their barques. Where is it?

3. Drive toward the city where stands the dihydrogen monoxide tank with an image of the man of Troy. Pull into the haven of rest between the asphalt ribbons en route. Where is it?

4. Go to the storehouse of food whose name contains a stream. It will be on the aisle with the Jewish bread treats. Where is it?

5. The gold & black letter arose this summer. Go to the seats under the PA. Where is it?

6. Head east on the highway whose number is prime. Turn right at the business who rules the air in this "country." Where is it?

(See the comments section for answers.)