Lisa

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Paper Mama Valentines Photo Challenge

When I took on The Paper Mama's Valentines Photo Challenge, I knew it would be a big challenge for me. I am SO not creative. AT ALL. However, after thinking about it some, and being persuaded by some pretty awesome prizes, I thought I'd try my hand at it. It gave me a great opportunity to play with a program I want to learn better: GIMP. Gimp is a free program that lets you do lots of photoshop-like things (or so I've been told, seeing as how I've never actually used photoshop). Anyway, here's my entry:

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Hiding the Word in Their Hearts: The Bible

I know that this series of lessons will be a work in progress. That is to say that I’d like to have a particular format for the lessons to follow, but I’m not 100% sure what will work best until I actually put it into practice. So, with that said, bear with me as I work out the kinks!

How will I use these lessons? For now, considering Ella’s age (2 years old), I plan to focus on one lesson per week. I want her to be immersed into Bible stories and messages, and to become familiar with these things. However, I don’t want to overwhelm her by throwing too much information at her at once, which is why I intend on only doing one main lesson per week at this time.

I’ve thought a lot about where to start these lessons, but I’ve decided to start with a very basic foundational lesson: The Bible. There is a major attack on God’s Word in today’s world, and I want to train my children to have a strong faith in the Bible, even when others may be tearing it down. This foundation begins with a knowledge of what the Bible is.

Child’s Target Age: 2 years old

Bible Text: This lesson is not taken from one particular passage; however, some passages to draw principles from or to consider could include 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:15-21; 2 Peter 1:2-4; and Psalm 119.

Memory Verse: Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” (NKJV)

Key Lessons

God gave us the Bible.
The Bible is a special book.
The Bible tells us about Jesus.
The Bible tells us how we should live.

Activities

With a Bible, practice proper handling of the Bible such as talking about not coloring in it, not tearing the pages, etc. because it is a special book.
Using a flashlight and/or candle in a dark room, demonstrate how the light shows the way. Explain that the Bible does the same thing for us in this world.
Using individual letters (such as magnetic fridge letters or simply letters on separate pieces of paper), practice letter recognition while singing “The B-I-B-L-E".”

Songs

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me.

I’ll stand upon the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E.

The Bible is God’s book, His words are written there.

I’ll keep it in a special place and handle it with care.

Oh, we love to hear the Bible, the Bible, the Bible.

Oh, we love to hear the Bible for it is God’s word.

It tells us God loves us, it tells that God made us.

Oh, we love to hear the Bible for it is God’s word.

(Repeat with “read” instead of “hear”)

Two little hands to hold my Bible, two little hands to hold my Bible.

God gave me my two little hands to use for Him.

Two little eyes to read my Bible, two little eyes to read my Bible.

God gave me my two little eyes to use for Him.

Monday, January 31, 2011

I Heart Faces: Best Face Photo in January

This is another week of “People’s Choice Voting” at I Heart Faces. The challenge this week is your best face photo in January. I had several I could choose from but ultimately I chose this one because I love how genuinely happy she looks. If you like my entry, you can vote for it starting Tuesday! :)

Menu Planning Monday

Hamburgers with chips and jalapeño ranch dip (In a blender or food processor, mix Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, sour cream, one-two sliced up fresh jalapeños, and two-five tablespoons of pickled jalapeños. Dip will be thinner than a typical ranch dip. It is important to use a mixture of the fresh and pickled jalapeños – all fresh or all pickled doesn’t give the right balance of flavor. The number of jalapeños varies based on how spicy you want the dip. I usually start with a few, and add as I taste, keeping in mind that the dip will get a bit spicier as it sits in the refrigerator.)
Biscuits, gravy, and sausage (we never got around to eating when I planned it last)
Pioneer Woman’s steak bites with maybe her mashed potatoes. Per a family request, I didn’t get to try the mashed over Thanksgiving like I originally planned.
A variation of PW’s chicken spaghetti with a green veggie. I might double this up at the time I make it, and freeze one to use later.
Grilled pork chops with stovetop stuffing and a green veggie.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Birthday

This theme fell at a perfect time: Ella's birthday is Tuesday, and we did a litle celebrating with one set of the grandparents this weekend. I think this shot of Ella eating her cake is just precious. It is amazing how far she's come in a year - last year she couldn't use a fork!