Learning God's Way

Sugar Cookie Success

Posted on August 25, 2012 by learninggodsway

For awhile now, I have been searching for a good sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that compares to the break ‘n bake dough in the grocery store. I know homemade is always best, but until today, I hadn’t found a recipe comparable to the store bought dough.

I found the initial recipe on food.com, but I changed it up a little. The best part about this recipe is that you don’t have to add eggs. This is a plus for us because the kids like to lick the bowl and utensils (me, too) . 🙂

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1/2 cup softened butter

* 2 tablespoons condensed milk (You can use any kind of milk. I only had condensed.)

* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

* 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur.)

* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1 pinch salt

* 3 more tbls or so of flour (add to dough to lessen stickiness and sprinkle mat and pin)

* 1/8 cup sugar (to sprinkle on top before putting in the oven)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine softened butter and sugar in a bowl and mix until it gets lighter and fluffy.

Add vanilla and milk to butter/sugar mixture.

Combine a pinch of salt, flour, and baking powder in a separate bowl.

Combine the dry and wet ingredients. (The dough should be a little bit sticky at this point.)

Add extra flour as needed until dough becomes less sticky.

Roll onto flat surface and cut into shapes. (We used a star cutter.)

Place on greased pan. (We used Pam cooking spray.)

Bake for 8-10 minutes until bottom is lightly golden.

Let cool. Add icing and sprinkles.

The recipe was simple. As ours baked, I was hoping they would turn out okay. I wasn’t holding my breath. But, to our surprise, they were great! The kids, Jamie, and even my grandma approved! What was the secret in this recipe? I think it was the condensed milk (I haven’t ever baked with it before), the vanilla icing, and the yellow sprinkles (made completely from sugar, of course)! We limit sweets in our house, but when we do bake them, we like to go all out! 😉

We decorated ours to look like starfish or sea stars (whichever name you prefer). This week, we read books about the ocean and sea animals, so we had to have a snack to go along with our books. Some of our favorite books were Kittens for Keeps by Mary Olson, Yellow Ball by Molly Bang, Swimmy by Leo Lionni., and Bright Stanley by Matt Buckingham.

These faces have success written all over them!

A little vanilla ice cream made them even better! 😉

What is the secret in your favorite sugar cookie recipe?

James 1:5 — If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | Tagged before five in a row, homeschool, kittens for keeps, sugar cookies, yellow ball | 1 Comment

Flat Stanley: What an Adventure!

Posted on August 19, 2012 by learninggodsway

Recently we teamed up with two sweet boys, Aidan and Noah and did a Flat Stanley project. You can read more about Flat Stanley here: http://www.flatstanley.com/books Aidan and Noah made Flat Stanley and mailed him to us, and my kids made Flat Stanley and mailed him to them. They took our Flat Stanley on adventures, which you can read about here: http://ourappalachiahomeschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/flat-stanley.html And, we took their Flat Stanley on adventures, which you can read about below.

Jacob, Jaden, and James were elated as they pulled Flat Stanley out of the envelope. They grabbed the camera and Flat Stanley’s adventures began. (I don’t think he realized what he was in for!) ;0)

Flat Stanley immediately complained about being famished because the postmaster would not allow him to eat in the post office. He told Jacob that it had been almost two days since he had eaten. Jacob felt completely sorry for him and gave him a chicken nugget. Just look at that smile!

After his belly was full, his energy returned full force! He decided that it would be fun to ride on the three year old’s head. Since James wasn’t having near as much fun as him, he thought it might be a better idea to take a ride on the dog.

Molly wasn’t very excited about him being on her head either, so he moved on to the cat.

Smores sort of liked his company, but Jaden began to wonder if Flat Stanley was from another planet because boys do not take rides on cats. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she went along with his wishes and continued to let him ride on Smores. But, when he asked her to take him to ride the pig, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She feared for his life! Not too long ago she had witnessed that very pig eat one of her books. She tried to explain to Flat Stanley how much the pig loved to eat paper, but Flat Stanley would not take no for an answer! So, what did he do?

He recruited the three year old to take him instead. He did fall off of Dudley a few times and became a little fearful. But, thank goodness James was able to grab him up quickly, or he would have been history! 😦 Flat Stanley knew Aidan and Noah would have been so sad if the pig would have gotten him! Well, you think his adventures would end here. You think the pig ride would have done him in. But, oh no, Flat Stanley loves adventures, and he begged to do more.

So, Jacob promised him that the whole family would take him on an exciting adventure the next day, but first he had to get a good night’s sleep. Flat Stanley agreed. After reading the Bible with the whole family, he was out like a light.

The next morning came quickly, and Flat Stanley was the first to wake up. He was ready for his next adventure. So, the family loaded up in the car, drove for a little over an hour, and ended up at New River Trail State Park.

Flat Stanley, Jacob, Jaden, and James were ready to get this adventure going! Jayla opted to sleep and hang-out with Mommy, but the other four hit the trail running!

They headed straight for the river. When they got to the river, their friend, Cash, was there. Jacob, Jaden, and Cash, decided that tubing would be a blast, but Flat Stanley was not as thrilled. He was leery of the creatures living in the water! He didn’t like snakes, leeches, or paper pinching crawdads. Jaden couldn’t understand why he was scared of water creatures and not a paper eating pig. But, she wanted her guest to feel reassured, so she knew exactly what to do. She taught him Psalm 56:3: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” She explained to him that she is afraid of thunderstorms, but she knows she can trust God to keep her safe.

Flat Stanley said the verse a few times to himself. He felt calm after saying the verse, and he jumped right in a canoe. He wondered if he needed a life jacket, but he figured that since he was flat and made from paper then he probably didn’t need to bother with putting one on.

When they reached the shore again, he told Jaden and Jacob that the ride in the canoe was a blast! He said that the waterfalls were AWESOME! Jaden just giggled at him. She was glad that she was able to convince him to get in the river.

After everyone was dried off, all the kids including Flat Stanley went to ride horses. Jacob got to ride first while the others patiently waited for a turn. Flat Stanley told Jaden that he was a little scared. He explained that horses are so much bigger than the three year old, the dog, the cat, and the pig. He said that he was afraid that he would get thrown off and get stomped on. Jaden looked at him and asked him if he remembered the verse that she had taught him at the river: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” She still couldn’t understand how he could be afraid of a horse and not a paper eating pig, but she didn’t mention this to him because she knows that a friend should love at all times.

Jaden’s turn came, but Flat Stanley couldn’t bring himself to ride the horse with her. Of course, Jaden was a little disappointed when Flat Stanley decided not to ride because she was really starting to like Flat Stanley. But instead of dwelling on him not wanting to ride, she came up with the idea of having him sit on the fence and hang out. He made faces at Jayla while Jaden was riding. Jayla laughed and smiled at him. After everyone had their turn, it was time to head back home. The car ride home was pretty quiet. Everyone was tired from the day’s adventures.

The kids were glad when they made it home! As everyone piled out of the Suburban, Flat Stanley tugged on Jacob’s shirt and asked him if he thought it would be okay if he rode his horse. Jacob wondered why he wanted to ride because he was so scared at the park. But, he didn’t question him. He was glad that he wanted to ride Dutchess, but he wondered what had changed his mind.

Jacob and Flat Stanley rode and rode. They were having a great time together, but before they knew it, it was dark outside. They decided to call it a night. Before they fell asleep, Flat Stanley told Jaden that he had memorized Pslam 56:3. He thanked her for teaching it to him. He said that it helped him know that instead of being scared that he could trust the Lord to take care of him. Jaden smiled at him, and they all fell fast asleep.

The next morning, the whole family went church. Flat Stanley had a lot of fun in his classes with Jacob and Jaden. He gave James a big hug as he went in his class. After church they had dinner and played outside. That afternoon they went back to church. Before they went to bed that night, Flat Stanley told Jacob that he was having a lot of fun with him, but he missed Aidan and Noah. So, Jacob told him that he would send him back home the next day.

Before he left, Jacob, Jaden, and James, all gave Flat Stanley a big hug and sent him on his way. They knew that he wouldn’t be scared on his way home because he had hid Psalm 56:3 in his heart!

Thank you Aidan and Noah for letting Flat Stanley visit us! We had so much fun with him.

~ Jacob, Jaden, James and Jayla 🙂

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | Tagged Flat Stanley, homeschool | 4 Comments

Happy Birthday to a Very Special Lady!

Posted on August 18, 2012 by learninggodsway

My mother-in law, Wilma’s, birthday was yesterday, and I was glad that we got to spend the afternoon with her. She is one of the most caring people I know. She is always so willing to help us with the kids, the laundry, the bills, and the list just keeps going on and on. The Lord knew what He was doing when He placed her in my life. I am very blessed to have a wonderful, Godly biological mother, but the Lord knew I would need two moms to keep me (and all of my children in line.) 🙂 Together the two of them do a great job, and I don’t know what I would do without them! I need them both, my husband needs them both, and so do our kids. We are truly blessed.

My kids adore their Mawmaw Wilma, and I am so happy that they get to spend so much time with her. She takes them swimming, to the playground, to science class, to the park, and so many other neat places. They are making lifetime memories with her that they will never forget, which I am grateful for.

I don’t thank her nearly enough for ALL that see does. So, I want to take a moment and say THANK YOU.

Thank you for caring enough to fold mounds of laundry, scrub icky bathtubs, and mop dirty floors.

Thank you for sharing food when our cabinets are empty, and we have no more.

Thank you for spending quality time with the kids and showing them how much they mean to you.

Thank you for letting Christ shine through.

Thank you for EVERYTHING you do!

We love you so much.

Happy Birthday!! I hope you had a great day.

Proverbs 31:28 —

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | 1 Comment

Unexpected Guests are the Best!!

Posted on August 17, 2012 by learninggodsway

Early this morning, I received a phone call from my Papaw whom I love dearly. His calls are always uplifting and encouraging. But, today he didn’t talk but a few seconds before he told me that someone was at his house, and she wanted to speak to me. There was a short pause, and then I heard the sweetest voice. It was my Aunt Glenna from North Carolina. She quickly explained that she had made an unplanned trip with her two grandbabies to visit my grandparents. She asked if it would be okay to bring them over to play with my kids.

Of course, it was okay! The kids and I had the best day. It was so nice to sit around (chase babies) and catch up. It had been way too long since I had seen her, and I don’t think the kids and I had ever met precious Maria who is already over a year old. Yikes! That’s bad I know. We have to do better! Not too long ago, I was thinking about how my kids don’t spend enough time with their cousins. It is not done intentionally, but everyone’s life seems to be so busy. Well, I am happy to say that my kids had a wonderful day with two of their cousins today! I am so glad they stopped by.

We visited Dudley and fed him cheerios. (He loves them!)

We took a hike down the driveway to see the sheep and Buckwheat. James was checking on Maria after she had a little tumble. She is a tough girl! She never misses a beat.

Buckwheat and Aranea love Cheerios, too!

After a hike back up the driveway, all the kids rode Dutchess. Lucas and Maria did so well. Lucas had never ridden before. He rode like a pro! Jacob enjoyed taking Maria around the ring. He thought it was cute when he got to take her pacifier out for the pictures!

Shortly after the horseback ride, they had to say goodbye. Lucas wasn’t really ready to leave. I wish they could have stayed longer. Jacob wants to go and visit them in North Carolina very soon (me, too)! Thanks for a great day Papaw, Glenna, Lucas, and Maria. 🙂

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | Leave a comment

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Posted on August 12, 2012 by learninggodsway

On Friday, my mom and I took Jacob and Jaden (the two oldest) to see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at the Barter Theater while my mother-in-law watched James and Jayla (the two littlest ones) for me. We love visiting the Barter. We have never watched a bad performance there, and this play was no exception. We all really enjoyed it. Jacob had just finished reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, so I thought this would be a great opportunity for him (he thought so, too)!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is included in the Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S. Lewis. Not too long ago, I saw The Chronicles of Narnia for sale on christianbook.com. I wondered why they were selling this series on a Christian website. I remembered reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a child, but I didn’t remember any Christian concepts in the book. After watching the play as an adult, I now know why they have this series on christianbook.com. I discovered that C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as an allegory. The characters are used to represent different people from the Bible and the story line represents different Biblical events and truths. It was so easy for me to pick out all of the Christian symbols while I was watching the play. Every time I would pick up on the symbolism, it actually gave me chills. While we were on intermission, I asked Jaden who Aslan (the lion) represents and who the White Witch represents. She answered quickly by saying, the lion is Jesus and the White Witch is the devil. After watching the play, she said, “The devil knew Jesus, but Jesus killed him.”

Lucy and her brothers and sister learned a very important truth in the play that we can all benefit from, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God!” Ephesians 2:8 It was so glorifying to see how Jesus died to save us from an eternity in Hell. It was even more amazing to see Him rise again. But, the best part was watching Him return as it is stated in Revelation and defeat evil once and for all. Hallelujah and Amen! What a glorious day that will be.

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | Tagged Barter Theatre | 2 Comments

Forsake — What does it mean?

Posted on August 6, 2012 by learninggodsway

Jacob’s vocabulary word last week was forsake. When I searched for the word forsake at kingjamesbibleonline.org today, I discovered that it is found in 57 different verses. Wow, I thought. That was a pretty good word to instill in Jacob’s mind (and mine). I honestly had never looked up the definition of the word forsake before last week. I am sure I have used context clues to figure out its meaning many times or maybe I just skipped over it and continued reading. But, learning the true definition with Jacob this week has been a true blessing. Below is a little story that explains why.

Yesterday, after church, Jacob, one of his friend’s, and Jaden were running a little lamb around in the barn lot. They were trying their best to catch him, round him up, and tame him down. Jacob got a rope around his neck a few times, but the lamb would proceed to drag him through the field on his bottom. It was a little comical and a little disheartening to watch. They were trying so hard. So, I decided I would try and help them out before lunch was ready. My wonderful husband volunteered to make lunch. 🙂 How lucky am I?

Anyway, we ran and chased, and we chased and ran some more. We tried to work together and block him any way we knew how. James had also joined in by this point. He was a little cuter than the rest of us with his pudgy little hands stretched out trying to block that feisty lamb. We all seemed to be getting more hot and tired than the lamb. So, one by one all the kids except Jacob threw in the white flag and surrendered. Jacob did not want to quit, and in my heart, I didn’t want to abandon the task at hand either. But, tummy growls got the best of both of us. We had to give up and call it quits. I told Jacob to tell the lamb that we weren’t giving up on him, but we had to take a break. He looked right at the lamb and said, “I will not forsake you.” My heart glowed a little brighter when I heard him say those words. He had remembered the meaning of his vocabulary word and actually used it!

As I walked back to the house, Jacob’s words rang in my ears. Then, I looked back at the lamb. As I glanced at him and realized how much he had grown in 4 short months, it suddenly hit me that maybe the lamb does feel forsaken, and Jacob should have started training him when he was much younger. That’s when Proverbs 22:6 flooded my mind: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Wow! God had used that little lamb to teach me an important lesson. Just as Jacob should have taken the time to teach that lamb when it was much smaller, God opened my eyes and helped me see that maybe I am not doing all that needs to be done to train up my children in a way that pleases Him while they are young. Are my harsh words or quick temper helping them see Him through me? Am I truly enjoying the time that the Lord has given me with them, or am I always bringing up the little things that annoy me on a hectic day? Is being able to train my children in a way that pleases God a blessing to me? Yes! It should be!

(Happily resting and hiding out!)

So, this week, I will be more cautious with my words, take time to give more hugs and kisses, and actually enjoy what God has blessed me with. Through Jacob uttering the word forsake to his little untrained lamb while it was being disobedient and free spirited, the Lord has taught me this: “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5

With His help, I am slowly learning to be content with what He has chosen me to do. I am slowly learning the proper way to train up my children while they are still small with a quiet spirit that is pleasing to Him. I don’t want them to be half grown and then realize how my heart needed to change in order to train them properly in His love. Jacob’s lamb has taught me that if I wait too long to train through love, my chance will have passed me by. Yes, with a lot of hard work and compassion, his lamb’s free spirit can still be tamed, but I am afraid our journey will be much harder now that he is older. I want my children to learn by example. I hope that I can teach them to obey God’s commandments because I have been willing to not only teach His commandments, but I have not forsaken them myself.

(Jaden’s mood ring on my finger after chasing the lamb. The mood I will achieve this week with the Lord’s help! Blue = calm, relaxed, loveable)

My prayer: Dear Lord, please show me how to have a meek spirit in order to train my children to love you. Please help them to understand that you will never forsake them; therefore, they should never forsake you!! Amen!

**I linked this post to http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com/.

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | 4 Comments

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Posted on August 3, 2012 by learninggodsway

My kids love the book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen.

They love it so much that they have it memorized and sing it all the time. It is so cute to listen to them sing it at random times throughout the day. Since today was a Funtastic Friday and the kids had two friends over, we decided to recreate the book right in our backyard. After downloading the pictures, scanning through them, and smiling at how much fun we had together, I just had to share them with you all. Come along with us!

We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We’re not scared. Uh-Oh! Grass! Long, wavy grass. We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh, no! We’ve got to go through it!

Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy! Swishy swashy!

Uh-Oh! A river! A deep, cold river. (Or in this case a cold stream from the water hose).

Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!

Uh-Oh! Mud! Thick oozy mud.

Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch! Squelch squerch!

Uh-Oh! A forest! A big, dark forest!

Stumble, trip! Stumble, trip! Stumble, trip!

Uh-Oh! A snowstorm! A swirling, whirling snowstorm! (Also known as white rice in the summertime!)

Hoooo woooo! Hoooo woooo! Hoooo woooo!

Uh-Oh! A cave! A narrow, gloomy cave.

Tiptoe! Tiptoe! Tiptoe! What’s that? One shiny wet nose! Two big furry ears!

Two big goggly eyes! IT’S A BEAR!!!!!!

Shew! We’re not going on a bear hunt again.

After our bear hunt, we read about polar bears and made polar bears from felt.

We drew pictures of our family and painted with mud (chocolate pudding).

Then we ate the leftover mud!

They also enjoyed a bear hunt board game. Bear hunts will make any day a great one!

We have been reading this book since the middle of July. I gave you a glimpse of the words from the book above and below our bear hunt pictures. I encourage everyone with children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews to read this book to them. They will love it, and special memories will be made. This book is suggested in the Before Five In A Row curriculum that we have been working on this summer. The kids LOVE it, and so do I!

Two great memory verses that we have learned while reading this book are:

Psalm 56:3 – What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

AND

Psalm 27:1 — The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

A few more resources that I have used for activities are:

homeschoolcreations.com, homeschoolshare.com, and pinterest.com

We hope all of you enjoyed our bear hunt!

(Singing the words from the book together before our bear hunt). 😉

Posted in Let's Reminisce and Reflect! | Tagged before five in a row, we're going on a bear hunt | 4 Comments

Jesus Saves

Posted on July 29, 2012 by learninggodsway

**This is a special post written by Jaden (5 years old). She asked me if she could write this letter on the blog. I said absolutely! 🙂

Dear Everybody,

I got saved tonight. Daddy read verses from the Bible to me. They were highlighted. He read from Romans. I prayed. Jesus saved me. I was outside at our church. Before I was saved, I was sad. But, now I am happy. Jesus ate with 12 men. The bread is for Jesus’ body, and the drink is for his blood. I won’t go to Hell. I will go to Heaven because I am saved. Are you saved? How did you get saved?

Love,

Jaden

(Age 5)

7-29-12