Creative!

What's a girl to do when she wants a to play Polly Pockets with limited assistance from her baby sister and there is extremely limited space to play? Why, she gets creative, of course! She splits the Polly's up and finds a new "hotel" for those girls. :)

You might recognize this as a medicine cabinet, but if you look closely ...

It's a Polly Pocket Hotel! Complete with beds and a large upstairs closet!

Yep, that's our smart Peyton-girl!

The Blue Pen ...

I'm thinking she is a budding artist! :)

Science Experiment #3

Peyton's science is Zoology: Land Animals and can I tell you she loves it!! Her first experiment was about habitats and how animals are suited to their environments, which allow them to hide and thrive. Amazing how God created us all and the animals, birds and fish to thrive in our specific environments. He rocks!

Building the habitat.

Our "animals."

Ready to experiment ... tossed our "animals" in our habitat. Our scientist was timed to see how many of the "animals" she could find in the habitat in 60 seconds.

Several of our "animals" were able to hide in our environment well.

Did she find them all?

Yes, she did. Recording her results and comparing them with her hypothesis. She was correct, of course!

And, it was so much fun, she did it over again and again with a little assistance from our smallest scientist!

This girl ...

... loves sticks and drawing in the dirt and her very pink, fluffy skirt!

Science Experiment #2

Next experiment involved some boiled cabbage water and baking soda and balloons and an empty coke bottle. Big fun!

Boiling cabbage ...

Adding baking soda to a balloon ... not so much easy. :)

Oh yes, and let's not forget the vinegar that got mixed with the cabbage water.

Putting it altogether.

Once the balloon was in place with the cabbage water and vinegar in the bottom of the bottle, our scientist lifted the balloon and allowed the baking powder to mix with the PINK liquid causing our chemical reaction. Translation: too much excitement! :)

Thrilled at her success. The balloon was filled with air due to the chemical reaction and notice the liquid turned BLUE when it was mixed with the baking soda. Quite awesome!

Science Experiment #1

This year we started doing Apologia Science with both girls. Madison is doing General Science and her first experiment was fun for all of us! We learned about density and the results even surprised me! :)



Filling in the liquid layers.



Anticipation was half the fun!

All the layers in place (syrup, water and oil) and the three never mixed!

Writing down her hypothesis on the results.

The rock sunk to the bottom through all the liquids. No surprise. The grape sunk to the water level, but wouldn't sink into the syrup. Surprise. The ice cube sunk into the oil. No surprise, but fun that it took for.ev.er to melt. And the bottle cap (which was supposed to be a cork, but it worked) floated on top of the oil. No surprise.

Side view because the teacher also thought this was just so cool! :)

Oh the things we are learning! More work than our last science, but definitely worth the effort!

School Days ...

Some days we do school at the table. Some days we do school outside. Some days we don't change out of our pajama's, but every day we are learning. Thank you Lord you made us with BIG brains and BIG hearts to learn more about You and Your world every day!

Pure Joy!

Bible in 90 Days: Week 1.5

We completed Day 11 today (which brings us to Numbers 21:7) and I would like to say this is one of the most awesome things that God has called our family to to date! We sit together EVERY DAY and read the Bible. We share anything that stood out to us individually, discuss it and end our time together in prayer. It is a.ma.zing!!

I would love to share everything God is showing me/us, but I'd be writing a ton. So, I'll just share a few nuggets ...

• Abraham and Jacob (Abraham's grandson) both slept with their wives maids, at their wives requests, when they appeared barren. Isaac (Abraham's son) prayed to God for Rebekah to become pregnant when she was barren and the Lord answered his prayer. It made me wonder if Abraham taught Isaac NOT to take that particular matter into his own hands, having done it unsuccessfully himself, however that lesson wasn't passed on to Jacob?
• Obedience ... "the midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the King of Egypt had told them to do" (Ex. 1:17) ... equals blessing! "God was kind to the midwives ... and because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own ..." (Ex. 1: 20,21).
• And, the best revelation I've had so far is that Leviticus is not about rules at all, but about God's covenant and His great love for us. He has "set you apart from the nations TO BE MY OWN" (Lev. 20: 26). And, even then, "I am the Lord WHO MAKES YOU HOLY" (Lev. 22: 32b) ... it was His job and His plan all along and even then He knew and planned that it would be Jesus' sacrifice for us that would achieve our righteousness before Him. Wow!

Bible in 90 Days!

Yes, folks, we are doing this! And, by we, I mean Brian and the girls and I. Yep! We started last night. Our first day of reading twelve pages a day. Why, you say? I'm glad you asked ...

• Because it is a spiritual discipline we want to foster in our lives and in our children's.
• Because I was in my 40's before I read the Bible cover to cover for the first time and I was IN LOVE with His Word by the end of it!
• Because God's Word is life, breathes life, guides, guards, directs, corrects, talks. You see, that is because it is LIVING and infallible. It is the Book of Life!
• And, lastly, because we are anticipating a change in the season of our life. And, while we don't know all the details, we want to have it all bathed in prayer and the Word ... as a family, hearing His voice and following His direction.
• Oh, and, I'm sure there are plans God has for our accomplishing this together that I don't even know. Can't wait for Him to reveal those!

If you are interested, there is more information at BibleIn90Days.org. We purchased the program they have available and a new Bible for each of us to use on this journey. And, we started yesterday! My goal is to post weekly updates on our progress and what God is saying. So, here we go!

Bible in 90 Days: September 9, 2012 through December 15, 2012

No words ...

"There are days when the gospel hits me like a ton of bricks. Days when my heart has been cold and forgetful and adulterous to the Gift. Days of busyness that have caused my sight to be shifted to myself. I forget. I deserve to be left to wander. But no, He comes. For no reason other than love He comes in the morning and in his ravenous mercy He brushes the filth from my eyes and says "See me". And I see. Suddenly in the trees and the traffic and the taste of my coffee, I see Him. Overwhelmingly, I see. Though my heart, it wanders, He reminds me. Undeserved rescue. Scandalous pursuit. Gospel. I love it."   

                                                                                      -Keri Crowell Duckett

I read this today reposted on Alan Smith's Facebook page. It described exactly how my heart has felt ... alot ... lately. Scandalous pursuit. Amazing grace!

The Army and Smiling

Everyday, I need this army around me ... around us ...

Everyday, I need the breath that is God's Word and I don't always make it a priority like I should. I know it breaks His heart.

It certainly breaks mine.

And, even when I am not faithful, He is. (2 Tim. 2:13) Praise Jesus!

And, when I think He is frowning and shaking His head and ready to toss me back in the pond and so disappointed, somehow, I know ... I remind myself ... that He knows me, He created me. HE has it all under control and, perhaps, He is even smiling at me ... prompting me along. Get back up Debra!

I love this pictue because it is the exact opposite of my old impression of Jesus. But, I'm knowing that He smiles. And, He smiles at me even. And, in fact, He sings over me. (Zeph. 3:17) And, He's not all about drama and grudges and punishing, He is about growing me and growing my character, and loving, and teaching lessons that are sometimes painful and about redemption. Our preacher, Steve Robinson, said it this way at church a couple Sunday's ago:

I think God's looking down when we are messing up and saying,

"Boy, I can't wait for Debra to get home (get her eyes back on Me) because she's really stubbing her toe without me." Yep!

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for reminding me of exactly what I needed to hear and focus on today. You, Lord, are so good!