Opera Company of Philadelphia "Hallelujah!"

What a wonderful surprise!! I would have been standing there worshipping...singing w/tears in my eyes & hands raised to the Lord in praise!

BE SURE TO TURN MY MUSIC OFF (AT BOTTOM OF BLOG) BEFORE YOUR CLICK ON THE VIDEO!!!

ENJOY!!!!!!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#97~ 11/9/10

For Today...

Outside my window...bright, blue skies; unseasonably warm temps. A little Indian Summer for SW Ohio.

I am thinking...that I need some God-given clarity on a couple of issues.

I am thankful for...the FREE McD's carmel McCafe' that I was blessed w/this morning! :-P And that I didn't break my toe when I dropped a heavy bottle of liquid vitamins on it at work last night!

From the kitchen...new loaf of flaxseed bread in the making.

I am wearing...my cold weather "uniform": jeans & one of my Lakeside hoodies...the dusty brown one for today. :-) lol

I am remembering...16 yrs of homeschooling...& that I miss it. Children do grow up, don't they?

I am going...to do some housework, some baking, some laundry...and THEN I go to work! '-)

I am reading...Bible: Psalms.

I am hoping...that the holidays will go smoothly w/extended family; that the newly elected Conservatives will do what they promised all of us they would do.

I am creating...a peaceful, Christ-centered home.

I am hearing...the radio.

I am noticing that...I need to punch a couple of new holes in my belt! Woohoo!!!

Around the house...cleaning, baking, enjoying the quiet of mid-day w/the house to myself.

One of my favorite things...the way Maggie, our little dog, greets me when I come home.

Plans for this week...family time, grooming Maggie, work/staff meeting; looking forward to watching "Sarah Palin's Alaska" on TLC this Sunday.

Pondering these words..."God intends His Body to function through spiritual gifts. Human talents are NOT adequate for spiritual ministry. Too often, we look to the secular skills of someone in the world instead of someone in our church body who is gifted in a certain area." ~ From Sunday's Sermon.

Scripture thought...~~I Peter 4:10 ~ "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." [emphasis mine ~KW<><] I have to decide to use the gift(s) that God has given me. He is a gentleman & will not force them upon me.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

A local homeschool grad who just made it through Marine boot camp! His family & our community are SO proud of him. God's richest blessings!!

Enjoy other Daybooks at The Simple Woman's Blog!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Candy Cane Bark

OK, OK...I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet...& I know DD#2 & I complained to each other when we heard CHRISTmas music being played at Hobby Lobby last week. But...I just received my new L.L. Bean catalog w/the 1st of their Christmas stock added to the publication. One of the goodies I spied was an 'opportunity' to pay $16.95 (plus shipping) for a little 14oz box of Candy Cane Bark!

So, even though L.L. Bean is one of my very favorite companies, I just couldn't let the opportunity to save you money & fill your home w/yummy aromas during your CHRISTmas season pass us by!

Enjoy this recipe & don't forget to make plenty...double & triple this recipe to make some for your family AND to give as gifts.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<>< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~12 oz. (2 c) dark chocolate; chopped up or use chips
~12 oz. (2 c) white chocolate; chopped up or use chips
~8-10 candy canes (6" - 8" are good)

~Unwrap candy canes & crunch w/a large mortar/pestle OR place them in a large zip-lock-type plastic bag & use a rolling pin to roll & crunch them up until they are as fine as you like. DO NOT crunch them into a powder!

~Line a cookie sheet w/aluminum foil.

~In a sauce pan, slowly & carefully melt your dark chocolate, stirring almost constantly.

~Pour melted chocolate onto the prepared cookie sheet & spread until about 1/8" thick. Chocolate will not spread to edges of cookie sheet & it doesn't have to be neat & uniform...remember, you'll be breaking this up, anyway.

~Place in frig to harden until your white chocolate is prepared.

~In a clean sauce pan, slowly & carefully melt the white chocolate, stirring almost constantly. Stir in all but about 1/4 of the crushed candy canes.

~Remove the pan of dark chocolate from frig; carefully pour/spread the white chocolate over the dark. Spread as evenly as possible.

~While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the remaining broken candy canes over the top. Press lightly to make sure they stick.

~Place in frig for 30-45 minutes to harden.

~After it is hardened to your satisfaction, break into pieces w/your hands.

~Store in a cool place in an air-tight container or holiday tin lined w/waxed paper.

ENJOY!

God, My Fortress, My Loving God

O my Strength, I watch for You;
You, O God, are my fortress, my
loving God...

But I will sing of Your strength,
in the morning I will sing of Your love;
for You are my fortress,
my refuge in time of trouble.

O my Strength, I sing praise to You;
You, O God, are my fortress, my
loving God.

~~Psalm 59:9, 16-17
[emphasis mine ~KW<><]

How are things going in your household? Are they the same as they were 2 years ago?

Not in our house.

Oh...we still have the precious things that matter ~ our faith in God, secure salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit as a deposit of the promises of what is to come; our family's love & devotion to each other & even our home, transportation & food on our table.

But much has changed.

And although much has changed, our Foundation ~ our Fortress ~ is STILL Almighty God & He STILL loves us & sustains us through all the changes & losses.

God is STILL on His throne! Amen?

He has stayed there & carried us through all the changes, challenges & losses of the last 19 months. If it weren't for Him & His love & sustaining grace I think our family would have disintegrated. How do people hold on without God?!

But, Oh, the joy & the peace that He brings! ONLY Him. He allows me (us) to have JOY in the midst of hard decisions, in letting go. He gives me perspective as to what is of this world & what is eternal...& eternal is awesome!

When I look toward the eternal I can sing of [His] strength, in the morning I [can] sing of [His] love! HE causes me to sing, whether out loud or in my heart, in the midst of trail, in the midst of losses.

I watch for & see evidences of God's love & watch-care over us everyday &, Oh, what joy fills my heart!

"My soul will be satisfied as with the
richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will
praise You."
~~Psalm 63:5

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Faith ~ Of Greater Worth Than Gold

Praise be to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, & into an inheritance that can NEVER perish, spoil or fade...These have come so that your FAITH ~ of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire ~ may be proved genuine & may result in praise, glory & honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; & even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him & are filled with an inexpressible & glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

~~1 Peter 1:3-4, 7-9

Happy Housewife Day!!!!

HAPPY HOUSEWIFE DAY!!!!

"The carpenter works in wood, the mason works in stone, the smith works in iron, the artist works on canvas, but the home-maker works on immortal lives."
- J. R. Miller (Home-Making, c. 1882).

"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts."
- Charles Spurgeon

"She is clothed w/strength &
dignity;
she can laugh at the days to
come.
She speaks w/wisdom,
& faithful instruction is on her
tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her
household
& does not eat the bread of
idleness.
Her children arise & call her
blessed;
her husband also, & he praises
her:
'Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.'
Charm is deceptive, & beauty is
fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is
to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
& let her works bring her praise at
the city gate."
~~Proverbs 31:25-31

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

HSLDA: New FAFSA Rule Does Not Apply to Homeschoolers!!!

Colleges Now Required to Determine “Validity” of High School Diplomas

November 2, 2010

First, the bad news:

The U.S. Department of Education has promulgated a new regulation that requires colleges that receive federal funds to adopt procedures to determine the validity of a student’s high school diploma when the student applies for Federal Student Aid (FSA).

Now, the good news:

This new rule does not apply to homeschoolers. But homeschoolers need to be careful to check “homeschooled” when filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to avoid delays in the processing of their application.

Background

The federal Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, makes federal aid available to participating colleges and participating students. The U.S. Department of Education has the authority to promulgate rules to implement the Act. Title IV and its implementing regulations require participating colleges and students to meet certain requirements to be eligible for federal aid.

A student who wishes to apply for FSA must have a high school diploma, GED, pass an “ability-to-benefit test” or must have “completed a secondary education in a home school setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under State law.”

According to the DOE, “Though homeschooled students are not considered to have a high school diploma or equivalent, they are eligible to receive FSA funds if their secondary school education was in a homeschool that state law treats as a home or a private school.” The reasons for the DOE’s distinction between “high school diploma” and “homeschooled” are complicated and not entirely satisfactory, but this distinction is not new. In part, it is intended to accommodate homeschoolers who wish to receive FSA without requiring the student to obtain a GED or take the ability-to-benefit test.

All students seeking FSA must fill out the FAFSA. Before the new regulation went into effect, students were able to self-certify on the FAFSA that they either had a high school diploma or were homeschooled by simply checking the appropriate box. In 2009, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an audit of student-loan defaults. It discovered several areas of concern, including so-called “diploma mills” that were wrongly issuing high school diplomas to ineligible students who later defaulted on their federally guaranteed student loans at a higher rate than others.

In response to this GAO audit, the new regulation, when fully implemented in 2011, will require participating colleges to have procedures in place to ensure that when a student checks “high school diploma” on the FAFSA that it is a “valid” high school. Additionally, the FAFSA will be changed so that if a student checks high school diploma he will have to give the name and location of the high school.

To assist colleges, the USDOE will be compiling a list of “valid” high schools. If a student checks high school diploma, and the school he names is not on the DOE’s list, the college will red-flag that FAFSA and will investigate whether the issuing high school is legitimate or a so-called diploma mill.

Homeschoolers, however, will be able to continue self-certifying that they completed secondary education in a homeschool setting. That is true whether they operate as a “home” school or private school under state law. But if a homeschooled student checks “high school diploma” and then identifies “Smith’s Home School Academy” as the issuing school the college will most likely audit the FAFSA, causing considerable delay. To be clear, even if your homeschool is considered to be a private school under your state’s laws, you should check “homeschooled” on the FAFSA if you want FSA.

Our Commitment

HSLDA has a Federal Relations Department that monitors Congress and federal agencies to ensure that neither adopts federal law that would adversely affect homeschoolers. Our main office is located in the Washington, D.C. area, which has enabled us to establish long-term relationships and credibility with Congress and with staff in the DOE.

Our purpose has been twofold. First and foremost we work to prevent federal regulation of homeschooling. Most notably, we helped mobilize thousands of homeschoolers to prevent Congress from enacting HR 6 in 1994, which would have required all teachers to hold state-issued teaching credentials.

Second, we have worked to ensure that federal law doesn’t indirectly harm or discriminate against homeschoolers in the provision of federal benefits. Over the years we have helped homeschoolers in the Veterans Administration, Social Security Administration, military enlistments, and where Title IV and college admission and FSA are concerned.

Like many of you, we are dismayed by the sweep of federal involvement in education. Rest assured that we will remain vigilant to protect homeschool freedom and to prevent discrimination against homeschoolers.

Don't Waste Your Right to Vote

I AM NOT a supporter of any of the radical women's groups (like NOW or Planned Parenthood), but I DO believe that we should take part in our political system by ~ at the very least ~ voting. Below is part of an e-mail that I received from my dear, dear sister-friend, Marcy...I could not have said it better, myself.

Below her "introduction" is the body of the e-mail on what happened to women who came before us to win our right to vote. Do you know that we, as women, have only been able to vote for 90 years? Please vote. Please do not waste your right. We live in a fallen...falling...world & we need to use everything we can for the glory of the Lord.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do not support the causes of "NOW - the National Organization of Women". They don't represent me. I don't support "Planned Parenthood of America" started by Margaret Sanger to "weed out" the undesirables. But I am a mom with a child and a woman who loves my country because it allows me the right to worship my Jesus and speak about Him freely, to raise my son and love and honor my wonderful husband. I am a blessed woman. I don't have to dip my finger in ink to cast my vote risking my life as some do.

This November 2nd, you have a privilege to speak out. You may not agree with me on some or all things and I may not agree with all of you on all things but I value your right to speak.

Please don't allow busyness to keep you from voting. For me the vote is for the right to life, the sanctity of marriage and the freedom to worship. It is calling our "servants" in public office to act like servants, acting in integrity. It is about limited government and more rights for families to raise their families. It is about rolling back debt I don't want my son to be saddled with.

Whatever you vote, please vote.

I may not have agreed with the thoughts and lifestyles of all of the women below but they paid quite a price for me to have a voice to agree/disagree. On Tuesday, November 2nd, remember those women in other countries who would give anything to be able to vote to help their children, love their families.

{Marcy}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the story ......

of our Mothers and Grandmothers who lived only 90 years ago.

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

(Lucy Burns)

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

(Dora Lewis)
They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cell mate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

(Alice Paul)
When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

So, refresh MY memory. Some women won't vote this year because - Why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?



Mrs Pauline Adams in the prison garb she wore while serving a 60 day sentence.

Have we forgotten the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say? I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

Miss Edith Ainge, of Jamestown , New York

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.


(Berthe Arnold, CSU graduate)
What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn. The right to vote, someone has said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'


Conferring over ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution at National Woman's Party headquarters, Jackson Place , Washington , D.C.

Left to right: Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, Mrs. Abby Scott Baker, Anita Pollitzer, Alice Paul, Florence Boeckel, Mabel Vernon (standing, right))

In a recent HBO movie, it is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson [a Democratic-Progressive/Socialist] and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.

The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.


Helena Hill Weed, Norwalk , Conn. Serving 3 day sentence in D.C. prison for carrying banner, 'Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.'

IN GOD, I TRUST!

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#96~ 11/2/10

For today...


Outside my window...lovely, bright blue skies. The colorful leaves that still remain are shimmering on the trees, the rest are blowing in the breeze.


I am thinking...about the wonderful time I had this past weekend at our church's women's retreat. I was honored to be among those who led worship & blessed by new friendships.


I am thankful for...living in a nation where I don't have to risk my life to vote.


From the kitchen...a light lunch just for me.


I am wearing...jeans, rust-colored Old Navy thermal shirt. Comfy...cozy.


I am remembering...the fun weekend.


I am going...to tidy-up the house & go to work later this afternoon. DD#2 & I already voted, so I don't have to worry about standing in the long lines later today.


I am reading...Bible: just finished I Peter & will begin II Peter tonight; "Of Plymouth Plantation."


I am hoping...that my employer might be interested in paying for an on-line herbologist course I'd like to take.


On my mind...can't believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner!


I am hoping...that certain extended family members 'behave.'


I am creating...a peaceful, Christ-centered home.


I am hearing...leaves blowing by the window ~ such a lovely, homey sound, radio, typing fingers.


Noticing that...my tomato plants are finally starting to wilt.


Around the house...a little picking up, a little laundry...the usual, household 'stuff' that tells me I am blessed to HAVE a home that I can clean.


One of my favorite things...windy fall days; they are the best days to ride horses. Now...if I only had one!


Plans for this week...family time, work, membership interview w/the elders of our church...looking forward to that 1 extra hour of sleep b/c of Daylight Savings Time!!! lol


Pondering these words...{from one of the sessions at last weekend's women's retreat}..."A cathedral builder was spending so much time carving an intricate bird into a beam that would end up being covered up. Some asked him WHY he was doing that when no one would see it. He said, 'Because GOD sees!'" When you think that nothing you do matters, remember that GOD sees!


Scripture thought...Rev. 2:17(b) ~ "...I [God] will give him a white stone w/a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." When I think of how much thought we put into choosing our DDs names, & then I think that GOD loves me so much that He has His own special name for me...WOW! I can't wait to find out what it is, to hear it said in His own voice, to clasp my hands together & hold them against my heart w/the sheer joy of His loving, Fatherly attention!! PTL!!


Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



Enjoy other Daybooks at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/


Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

REVIEW: Sergeant York & the Great War

Originally edited by Tom Skeyhill, 1930; Edited by Richard "Little Bear" Weaver, 1998

When I was homeschooling, I had a terrible time finding books & videos/DVDs about World War I. Resources about WWII abound, but hardly anything other than a paragraph in a book could be found on "The War to End All Wars." I was really getting discouraged until I had the opportunity to read Sergeant York and the Great War.

Whether you like to teach from Living Books or would like to combine a little WWI history w/some family reading time (even for girls!!), your whole family will enjoy & learn from this book.

This book is a combination of letters, interviews & historical outline. The letters & the wording are written exactly as Alvin York's Tennessee dialect warranted. In his Preface for the book, Richard "Little Bear" Weaver says it perfectly: "For a grammarian, the reading is a nightmare, w/inconsistent spelling & punctuation errors throughout the diary. For the historian like myself, it is wonderful, & draws the reader into the life of Sergeant York." And "drawn in" you surely will be!

Here we find a young Smokey Mountain man who takes his faith in God & his incredible shooting talent all the way across the world to defend his loved ones from evil...& the internal struggle his faced as a Christian going to war, knowing that part of his duty would be to kill the enemy. He tells his story w/the seeming innocence of a sheltered mountain life, but he grew up into a faithful man & a faithful Christian during that time. The unfolding of his adventures will keep your family riveted w/every page & ~ whether you read this for homeschool, for family reading or for your own personal reading ~ you will laugh, you will cry & you will close the book feeling that you have made a dear friend.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

P.S...Top off the reading of the book by watching "Sergeant York" starring Gary Cooper.