Homeschool Encouragement

I just got a subscription to Teach Magazine, for homeschooling encouragement, as well as encouragement for daily living. The woman who founded the magazine has 8 children. And is happy. And has time to write. I certainly have much to learn from her!

Here is a quote from their website that I need to paste everywhere:

Come before the mercy seat each day and plead with Him for wisdom and discernment over what the true needs of your household are. Plead with Him to bless each thing that you do that they might honor Him. Be willing to lay down any schedule or list to love, train, nurture, and admonish the children He has entrusted to your care.

We work for and are children of a King. Not a mere earthly king, but one who sits in Heaven above using the earth as His footstool. Our King has given us the responsibility of caring for our homes and families. Royal households need professional homemaking. Royal children require a different curriculum. Royal husbands deserve content and peaceful ladies as their wives.

How we carry out our work here on earth speaks more loudly than anything we might say. We show Him our love with our obedience. Let’s glorify and worship Him with fine home management skills, modest dress, home grown and obedient children, and by honoring our husbands in word and action.

One day our King will require an accounting for all we have done (or not done!). On that day we want to hear the beautiful words of praise,

“Well done, good and faithful servant, you have proven faithful and performed your duties well,” Matthew 25:21.

Flashback to Valentine's Day

We made Valentine's for church friends. Counts as sewing because we sewed the vinyl pocket onto the fabric covered cardstock with the sewing machine while using ribbon we found in the sewing room. The girls gave pink ones out and the boys gave out the red ones. They were delightfully given and received.

Easter Sewing

It is so nice to actually plan, begin, and COMPLETE a project. Really. And everyone in my house survived the process! The only Easter sewing I wanted to do was outfits for my girls. Matching if possible. Fabric was bought last year, aging nicely in the stash. So I get extra points for not buying new fabric. Both girl's jackets are #10 from Ottobre edition 3/2005, which was designed to be used with fleece. Skirt was #11 from 4/2004, for wool. Size 110 for Maggie and size 80 for Abby Both girls were going to have pink jackets with blue skirts, but the pink I bought at the same time (not the pink you see here) was kind of "off" in my lighting at home. And of course there was not enough of the blue to do both whole outfits. About the blue - it's a baby fine corduroy with pink butterflies embroidered on it. I had to fussy cut the pattern pieces to get the butterflies to show up nicely. The pink is linen with a really cool couched trim that swirls and wiggles all around. Maggie picked this fabric out of the stash herself when we realized there wouldn't be enough to do both outfits. Lesson learned here - let Maggie pick out her own fabric (within reasonable parameters) for the pattern I've already decided to use. She actually wanted to wear it, since she was instrumental in it's design. Both jackets were finished with separating sport zippers, which were easy peasy to put in. Sunday morning the girls actually got dressed without asking for different clothes or refusing to wear what was already picked out. YAY!

Boys? Their outfits came from Old Navy. Sew for all the kids for one day's event? Ha! I may be able to figure that out in about 10 years. Or I should start on next year's outfits for Easter NOW.

And the baby? She wore a Feltman Brother's dress in pink for the day, although it got a little smushed in my sling. Didn't get a picture of her on Easter, though. I was doing good to endure "cheese pie, booger pie" for the few shots of the 4 I did get.

By the way, the kids are standing in my favorite picture taking spot, by the irises that grow on the driveway side of our house.