Where Oh Where Have I Been?

I had a friend ask me at church a few weeks ago "Are you ever going to blog again?" So to answer your question dear friend - I am - I'm back - and it is good to know that my absence was noticed ;-) So where have I been ? Well you know that thing called Life? It has been consuming my time - can you imagine?!?!?!
We started 2nd grade with a new approach through Ambleside Online and it took a while to get our groove - now I am pleased to say we seem to be grooving ;-)
The other main contributing factor - can I be terribly honest with you all? I have not been too chipper and just haven't had it in me. Refer back to that "Life Thing". So everything is all better and my chipper is back in alignment right? Nope. However, I have found my way far enough out of the pit to realize that the enemy of my soul is delighting in my funk and I cannot allow that to continue a minute longer!! I make no promises other than to say - I'm going to make an effort to make an appearance a little more regularly again ;-)
To those who have checked and found me gone - please keep checking, and should you find me gone - check again - it's good to be accountable ;-)

Learning as I go,

Leisha

SHE Revolution - Seeking His Embrace

Ladies, can I take just a moment to invite you to the women's conference at our church in a few short weeks ? This year we are stepping into new territory and I KNOW that God is going to show up!! I hope you can too!
SHE Revolution is destined to be a life changing event - join us September 12th through 14th as we link arms and Seek His Embrace !!!

Lifting His Name for His Glory,

Leisha

Movie With A Message of Value

Having grown up in a single parent, and in later years a home struck by divorce, it should come as no surprise to you that I have a divorce in my life. I spent a period of time as a single parent and thought that was ok - that I would do what I needed to do to raise Wonder Boy the best I could on my own. It wasn't until after a few years of marriage to The Principal, that I really, I mean really from the depths of my soul really understood the impact and sanctity of marriage and what a truly precious God given gift it is.

In all honesty (and hindsight) I should not have married my first husband - it was for all the wrong reasons - Wonder Boy is the blessing that defies explanation through the pain and trials of that marriage and consequent divorce. I don't think it was a "mistake" as much as it was a training ground - God was growing me up and teaching me things that would later equip me to reach out in love and be able to minister to those women who were in hurting abusive situations and be able to love on them with a heart of understanding and not judgement. I guess what I'm trying to get to here is to say this - Marriage Matters!!! Our society has perverted and cheapened marriage to be something disposable and even ungodly by in some places being recognised between two members of the same gender. Marriages - between a man and a woman as God designed them are worth saving !! Our fast paced society with it's "feel good, me first mentality" has forgotten that. Fireproof brings that reminder home it would seem. I applaud anyone or anything that takes a stand for the family as God designed it in this day and time. Even though we rarely go to the movies (aside from kid's movies and even those are few and far between - I cannot honestly tell you what the last adult movie I saw at the theater was) - I told The Principal tonight that I want to reserve a date night at the end of September when this movie premieres. Get the word out - let people know - there is a movie in the theaters worth supporting!

One of the things that I came across in reading a little about this movie really impressed me - Kirk Cameron (of Growing Pains fame ) who plays the lead role in this film, out of honor and respect for his vows of marriage to his wife Chelsea, has committed not to to kiss any other woman while filming a movie. Cameron brought this commitment to the makers of this film who respected his conviction and had Chelsea put on a wig and stand in during the kissing scene. So when you watch this movie, rest assured Cameron is kissing his real-life wife. I think it's stand up that the makers of this film are "walking the walk" .... if only that were contagious in society today - part with a little hard earned money to support this film - I don't see how you can go wrong!!

Stepping down from soapbox - until next time !

Leisha

Adventures with Paddle-to-the-Sea

We are using 3 different Holling C. Holling books this year as part of our 2nd Grade Geography. Our first adventure begins with Paddle to the Sea - we are loving this one and imagine my delight and Wonder Boy's excitement when I stumbled on this great looking "Paddle" look a like - last one , on clearance at Target a few weeks ago!! I love a great find - but it's hard to beat a great find at a great price!! We promptly made the necessary adjustments to our beloved Paddle as you can see - it worked out pretty dog gone well.

I don't know about the rest of you homeschool Mom's but let me tell you - this was a big coupe for me. We are really enjoying the story, while learning about the Great Lakes and Northern Regions of North America- Wonder Boy gets a little history thrown in by yours truly as the story begins in Canada, and being the son of a Canadian transplanted in the Southern US there are things he ought to know - so I am getting my time and money's worth out of dear sweet Paddle. The next adventure takes us to Holling's book Tree in the Trail - any suggestions would be most welcomed ;-)

Blissfully Homeschooling Today,

Leisha

The "It" Factor - Need to be Encouraged & Inspired ?

I received this opportunity via email and just had to share it with you gals!! Kathy Butryn (who incidentally hails from my hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is hosting a complimentary (yes ma'am free) online seminar this coming Saturday August 16th. Kathy is a Life Coach, Speaker, Writer & Instructor who loves her Heavenly Father and does all she does under His guidance and anointing.

The seminar which will take place in 4 sessions throughout the day is to help you -women- wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and friends to - Discover Your Goals; Stick to Your Priorities; and Build Organization into your life - sheesh who can't use help in those areas!! I have "attended" several of these online events and have come away recharged and refueled every time without fail. SO.....if you have a little free time to pop in and join in on Saturday, and I hope you will, I know you will be glad you did ;-) Everything you need to get involved is located here. Godly women getting together to encourage and edify one and another - personally, I think it makes for a great Saturday!!

In Him,

Leisha

Are You Ready For School to Begin?

Ready for the New School Year?

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If you are anything like me - you welcome all the help you can get when it comes to being organized and on top of things for school !! Cindy has so many wonderful resources that will bless your homeschool and your life - visit her website and look around, you will see many goodies to add to your wish list I'm sure!!

Blessings,

Leisha

Breakfast For Two / Breakfeast Pour Deux

We had a lovely little(petite) breakfast this morning I just had to share with you because it was so much fun and I would not ever want to be a fun hog!! First of all, we started French the other day and what fun we are having - my poor little boy - French with a southern accent is going to be a little bit of a challenge. I took French all through school growing up in Canada that is just what you do ;-) So this is a refresher course for me and I pray I am able to impart some of the pronunciation that I was always good at in my younger days - I am a little rusty and a little southern myself at the moment but have no fear I will parlez vous francais like an old pro in no time!! OK - on to the breakfast. This was our last morning alone - we pick The Principal up in just a few short hours (WOO HOO - I have missed him terribly and have been praying and thinking about all the wonderful things that he contributes to our lives - just by way of a side note - hee hee), so anywho, I wanted to make this morning some special Mommy & Wonder Boy time. I had a DVD that I borrowed from the library yesterday with several of Robert McCloskey's books on it - Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and several other classics and I wanted to make a living room friendly breakfast that we could nibble while we watched the DVD. I saw this somewhere in my travels and really don't remember where, but it was in the memory banks somehow and I was able to retrieve it this morning to make for a lovely and memorable time for Mother (la mere) and son (le fils).


This gastronomical delight included red (rouge) and green (vert) grapes as well as fresh peaches, cheddar cheese chunks, golden delicious apple and raspberry yogurt for dipping. This would also be great for lunch, with veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, nuts, dried fruits - the possibilities are limited to your imagination only. It would be a fun way to put salad toppings on the table so everyone could customize their own salad - kind of like a portable salad bar. This idea would also lend itself well to picnics - all kinds of great little munchies would work great in here! I'm thinking if such a thing as a pretty muffin pan exists and I'm sure it does this would be a fun way to serve appetizers at a casual type gathering - but what I think would be wonderful, really is ice cream toppings for your next ice cream sundae party - not only will you win favor with the party theme but you get extra points for cute presentation!! Just a thought or two - these things swim around in my brain and every once in a while I need to release some pressure - that done I feel better !! Please share any muffin pan plans that you may have - no telling the creative, wonderful ideas that are out there and because of this post I now have some room for more!


Bon Appetite !



Leisha