Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

The Bible in 90 Days Week Two

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It’s time for our Week Two Check-in!

How’s everyone doing? I’ll admit it, I’m a little behind. It’s taking me a little time to work out a schedule. I always find the weekends are hard to find time to read, too. I always find myself stopping to read the notes while I’m reading, too. If you find yourself doing the same thing, try keeping a notepad with you while your reading to write down what you want to look up later.

I am enjoying reading the Bible chronologically. It just takes some getting used to, all the turning back and forth. I just might have to invest in a chronological Bible. Are you using a regular Bible or a chronological one?

The Bible in 90 Days Twitter Parties start tonight (Monday).  My name is @LindasLunacy. I’m not sure if I’ll make it yet or not. But I hope some of you will try to attend if your on Twitter. To make keeping up with the party easier, they’ve started a TweetGrid for the parties. Here’s the link:

http://tweetgrid.com/grid?l=2&q1=%23B90days&q2=From%3AMomsToolBox+OR+From%3AJulieDutch&q3=TO%3A_YourUserName&htag=B90Days

You can follow all the posts with the #B90Days tag.

 

Here are some links shared by <a href=” http://www.momstoolbox.com/blog/bible-in-90-days/ Mom’s Toolbox</a> to help you with your reading:

Links for all the bookmarks for the chronological plan:

 

You Are Here in the Bible (Ted Cooper of the Bible in 90 Days Ministry created You are Here in the Bible to help Bible in 90 Days readers get a snapshot of most of the books of the Bible as they were reading. His aim was to keep readers reading and not researching, therefore preserving more time for reading the entire Bible.  This link takes you to page of links to each of his entries.) These You Are Here in the Bible pages are great for yourself, or to do together as a family.

 

 

Ok, it’s time to leave a comment below with your progress.

God bless you in your journey to read The Bible in 90 Days!

Saturday on the Farm

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I only have one picture to share this week. There isn’t anything terribly exciting going on outside right now. No awesome flowers blooming. Well, the two Butterfly Bush’s are blooming, but I can only share so many of those pictures.

So I have a harvest picture for you this week. Here’s some of what we harvested this week. There was more yellow squash and zucchini that isn’t in this picture. Those were eaten or frozen. Also not shown are the red raspberries that I ate. While standing at the vine. lol We have a lot more that will be ready soon. Combined with what I have in the freezer from this spring, I hope to have enough to make a few jars of raspberry jam and chocolate raspberry syrup. I really want to make the syrup! I will probably make that before the jam. 🙂

 

Oh yeah, lol, here’s the picture.

garden harvest green beans squash

That’s 7 quarts of green beans ready for the pressure canner. And two bowls of green beans ready to be canned. I process the 7 quarts already. They all sealed! So the rest will be canned tomorrow. We have lots more green beans in the garden still to come. We love home canned green beans!

Have you done any preserving of your garden harvest?

 

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Our Homeschool Week in Review

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It’s been a busy week here, full of schoolwork and church activities. Monday’s are the only day no one has to be at church. Seriously. Every other day one or all of us has to be at church at least for a couple of hours. Good thing we only live about 5 miles from church!

The kids are still progressing good with their work. I printed out planners for them from Schoolhouse Teachers.com They are awesome planners! They have several to choose from. We’re using the high school planner and the intermediate planner. This is the first year I don’t have some sort of central planner for everyone. All four of my students have their own planner. They help put them together, check to see what they need to do, write down what they did and keep track of their own work. I’m loving this! If I want to lesson plan or check their work, I get their individual planners. Surprisingly, they are all loving it, too. I thought I might have trouble with the 6th grader, but he took right to having his own. You can read my review of Schoolhouse Teachers.com. We still love it!

I really need to post about what we are using for 6th, 8th, 11th (who is almost ready for 12th) and 12th grades. Hopefully, I’ll get that typed up soon. I should just bring all their planners to the computer and start typing! lol

They all have some work on the computer now.  We do have more than one computer, but all the school stuff is on the school laptop. Even though they are using a few websites, like Schoolhouse Teachers, all the links and passwords are stored on that one computer. “gasp* We can’t be expected to remember the passwords, now can we? lol I think it’s time to make out a computer schedule. Definitely a computer schedule. We’ll work on that next week.

In lieu, of pictures, because I have none, I’ll leave you with some quotes from P.E. this week.

 

“I’m sweating!”

“Guys! My heart is beating!”

“I’m about to collapse a lung!”

 

Awesome, right! lol  I’ll try and have some awesome pictures next week!

 

Here are a few links I found interesting and helpful:

How to Teach Your Children Home Ec Skills
Copy Work for Boys
Handwriting Worksheets
Graduation Present – It took this Dad 12 years to make it. It looks so cool! Homeschoolers could do it, too, using Sunday School teachers, Co-op teachers, etc. What a special gift!

7 Reasons to Teach Astronomy to Your Kids
List of adventure books for boys – this link is different, it’s to an Amazon.com page that lists great books for boys.
14 Fun Facts about Fireflies
10 fun Math Exercises from a Bingo Game

 

To see more homeschooling posts, visit Weekly Wrap Up.

This Weeks Favorites

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This Week’s Favorites is a collection of articles I loved to read, recipes and crafts I want to try, or recently tried.

 

Natural Health:
Use Peppermint Oil as an Insect Repellent – it really works!
How to Make Your Own Sunscreen
Adrenal Fatigue & Exhaustion

Super Easy Hard Lotion Bars
Homemade Itch Relief Stick

 

To Read or Do:
Why You Should Shun Cheap Groceries
Produce Weight Yield Chart
9 Things to do with Eggshells

Printable Planner Pages – calendars, church and ministry sections
What is the Definition of a Cult
How to Make a Vacation Binder

To Cook:
GF Blueberry Crumble Crisp
GF Florentines
Pepperoni Cheese Balls – my kids will love these!

How to Make Herbal Popsicles –
Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole with No Cream Soups
Red Clover Lemonade

 

To Craft:
World’s Easiest Sweater
Lace Fabric Sweater
Queen Annes Lace Scarf

Crochet Cable Hat
Soccasins – I want to make a pair for myself!

 

I hope you found lots of new favorites, too!

 

Christian Liberty Press: Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers Book Review

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As a part of The Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received the book Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers, in ebook form, to review.

 

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Christian Liberty Press has been producing quality books for homeschoolers for many, many years. When I started homeschooling in 1991, they were one of the companies I purchased books from for our first year.

I’ve used several Christian Liberty products over our twenty years of homeschooling and been pleased with all of them. Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers has proven to be no exception.

Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers, written for grades 7-10, is the first book in a series written by Douglas Bond. It tells the story of two teens who are on vacation in England. They meet and make friends with an elderly English gentlemen called Mr. Pipes. Mr. Pipes is his nickname, because he plays the big pipe organ in church.  As Mr. Pipes spends time with the teens, he teaches them about famous British hymn writers. Since the teens haven’t spent very much time in church, Mr. Pipes helps them learn about the value of traditional praise and worship.

 

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I used Mr. Pipes and The British Hymn Makers as a read aloud. My 12 and 13 year olds, (6th and 8th grades), listened the most, with the 16 and 17 year olds, (11th and 12th grades), listening some of the time. The book is an awesome family read aloud! In the beginning of the book, sometimes you can see the teens behaving as, well, teens. A few sarcastic remarks, an occasional rolling of the eyes. That is what makes it easy for kids to relate to the characters. As the teens in the book spend time with Mr. Pipes, they stop those behaviors. The author did a good job of portraying how the teens felt about spending time someplace they consider boring and with no value.

The hymn writers included are Thomas Ken, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, William Williams, John Newton, William Cowper, Augustus Toplady, Thomas Kelly, Henry Francis Lyte, James Montgomery, Horatius Bonar, Reginald Heber, William Walsham How, Samuel Stone, Anna Waring, Cecil Francis Alexander, Francis Ridley Havergal, and John Bunyan.

I love that the book includes a hymn with the music for each writer. If you have a musician in the family, you can learn to play and sing all the songs.

If you want to help your children devlop a love for traditional hyms, Mr. Pipes and The British Hymn Makers is the book for you. If your family already loves hymns, this is still a great, wholesome book for the whole family to read.

Mr. Pipes and The British Hymn Makers is available on the Christian Liberty Press website as a PDF download for $8.79. You can also purchase a a Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers print book for $9.89. There are 3 more Mr. Pipes books in the series available on the Christian Liberty website.

 

 

 

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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook  in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The American Bible Challenge Review and Giveaway

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The American Bible Challenge game show premieres tonight on The Gameshow Network. I was able to watch a preview online so I could share it with you.

 

About The American Bible Challenge

Comedian and author, Jeff Foxworthy hosts this studio-based game in which contestants compete based on their knowledge of the Bible.  Utilizing current as well as historical references, questions will be drawn from the rich, dense narrative found in the world’s best-selling book.  The contestants will share their compelling back-stories and each team will be playing for a charitable organization. The American Bible Challenge is produced by RelativityREAL for GSN, with RelativityREAL’s Tom Forman (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”) and Embassy Row’s Michael Davies (“The Newlywed Game,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”) serving as Executive Producers on the project.  Nick Stuart and Maura Dunbar of Odyssey Networks are Consulting Producers.

 

 

About Host: Jeff Foxworthy
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy® Award nominee and the best-selling author of 11 books. Widely known for his redneck jokes, his act goes beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature.

Below is the preview that I watched for this review. I was hoping to see a whole episode, but this “The Making of The American Bible Challenge” was great, too. You really get a feel for how the people working on the show love the show and are trying to make it the best it can be.

 

 

What I really LOVE about this show is that the teams aren’t playing for money for themselves. They are all playing for charities, missions or churches. You’ll see the teams on every show talking about their charities and why they are important. The game itself looks like so much fun! Since there are pastors and others that know the Bible well writing the questions, I believe the questions will be biblically sound. The writers have worded the questions so they are not boring. It’s not a dry, stuffy game show. Families can gather around the tv to watch the game and have fun while answering the questions together.

For more information, visit The American Bible Challenge website, and The American Bible Challenge Facebook Page. You can download an app to play the game yourself, or you can play on Facebook. I played on Facebook, and it’s fun!

It looks like GSN will be showing full episodes online! That’s awesome. I know we’re not the only ones that don’t have cable or regular satellite tv. We’re going to the neighbor’s, (who just so happens to be my mother), house tonight to watch the premiere.

 

Now for the giveaway! Thanks of Propeller, I have a The American Bible Challenge T-Shirt AND a Zondervan Quest Bible to giveaway! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Only entries on the form will count. So if you leave a comment, be sure to click done on the form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I was able to watch the same video above for this review. I DID NOT receive any of the giveaway items as part of this review. I received no other compensation. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Confessions of a Control Freak Book Review

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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

 

 

and the book:

 

Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2012)
***Special thanks to Ginger Chen of Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

Priscilla Knox Morrison
serves in a women’s prison ministry, speaks at conferences and retreats
on women’s issues, and writes on topics related to these ministries.
Priscilla enjoys entertaining, playing with her grandchildren, reading,
crocheting, and walking in the woods on the Blue Ridge Mountains where
she resides with her husband, Larry.
Visit the author’s website.

 

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

 

For every woman who can’t let go of control—and for those who live and work with them—comes
Confessions of a Control Freak,
by Priscilla Knox Morrison. Through her practical advice and humorous
personal illustrations, readers will learn to accept their limitations
and trust God with
the future.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99

Paperback: 144 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0736946209

ISBN-13: 978-0736946209

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:


–> 

 

So…What
Are We 

Talking About Here?

We all know a control freak when we see one. It’s the person
hardly anyone can stand to work with because it’s her way or the highway. The
mother whose children have to file their socks. The father who gets obedience
from his family but scares the living daylights out of them. The guy who can’t
relax because things around him aren’t perfect. Or the woman next to me on a
plane recently who not only demonstrated how to put my tray down, but told me
where to put my cup. These people can be the bane of our existence, or worse,
we might realize that we’re control freaks too.
Am I a control freak?
Perhaps you’re honestly asking
yourself, “How do I know if I’m a control
freak?” Here are some recognizable signs:
·
nagging others
·
trying to orchestrate outcomes
·
butting into others’ affairs
·
worrying about things beyond your
control
·
feeling anxiety about the future
·
never feeling peaceful
·
needing everything to be in perfect
order
It takes some harsh
evaluating to recognize some of these habits in yourself. If you’re a detail
person, it’s tricky to wear the planning hat and not put on the micromanaging hat at the same time. Before admitting to
this aspect of my nature, I was a very frustrated person. I grew up in a big
family, and I was the neatnik. I loved to clean and organize and had plenty to
work with since our house was always Grand Central Station. If I was a control
freak when I was younger, though, I certainly wasn’t aware of it! Then I got
married and had children. If you’re single and think you might
be a bit of a control freak, just get married and have some kids. Your
tendencies will blossom into a garden of full-blown habits.
My husband, Larry, and I have six
children. I wanted all six. I love
all six. But it was in parenting that my control freak dilemma surfaced. I
still marvel at how many details come into play for eight people to get through
one day—you have to plan for rising times, cooking, dishes, carpooling,
surprise throw-ups, chores (yours and training them to do theirs), squabbles,
laundry, missing socks, sports (in different locations simultaneously), music
lessons, music practice, weather (which is always a challenge to control),
grocery shopping, phone calls, junk mail (thankfully e-mail hadn’t been
invented during those busy days), paying bills, running to the Emergency Room,
making reservations, visiting friends, helping each child with homework,
doctors’ visits, church activities, clubs, kind deeds, character building,
listening, encouraging, wife-ing, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Over time, I
morphed from detail-person to Frau Commandant. When did I cross the line? Where
did good mothering, wife-ing, and friending end
and controlling begin?
Where does the term
“control freak” come from?
Curious as to how exactly the term
“control freak” became so popular, I decided to look up the word control in the
dictionary. According to Webster, control means…
·
to regulate financial affairs
·
to verify, as an experiment, by
comparison with a standard
·
to exercise authority over; direct;
command
·
to curb; restrain; hold back
·
authority to direct or regulate
·
a means of restraint; check
·
a standard of comparison for verifying
or checking the findings of an experiment
·
an instrument or apparatus to regulate
a mechanism; as, the controls of an airplane
See anything negative here? When I read
this, a light went on. Not all control is bad. I had become so self-critical
about my controlling nature that I was afraid to tell my kids to take out the
trash. My new goal was to figure out how my personality could flourish without
driving others nuts. There might be a place in the world for someone with my
gifts!
If the term “control” isn’t all bad,
then perhaps being controlling isn’t all
bad either. Yes! I asked friends about conditions in which it was proper or
valid to be controlling, and they mentioned these situations:
·
when taking care of children or the
elderly; when you’re responsible for other people
·
when you’re the chairperson of a
committee
·
when you need to take charge in an
emergency
·
when you’re an employer managing a
business
·
when you’re in an experimental
laboratory and there must be strict control of conditions
·
when it’s a question of duty—military
leaders, police officers
·
when it’s forced upon you by people who
are too passive
·
when you’re in church leadership
So what’s a “control
freak”?
You know them. You avoid them:
·
the mother who watches her child’s
every move
·
the friend who tries to orchestrate a
situation to his or her benefit
·
the husband who wants to monitor his
wife’s comings and goings
·
someone who wants to make all the
decisions at the office with no input from others
·
the one who deliberately joins the
committee in order to run the show
·
the acquaintance who continually gives
unsolicited advice
We get the idea. When people call us
control freaks, they’re not paying us a compliment.
When I started journaling on the
subject, I actually thought that control was a woman’s problem. This probably
grew from my frustrations as a wife and mother and knowing so many other women
who were in the same boat. In time I saw that control is, of course, a human
problem. I think we all have our areas where we’d like to have more
control—some of us just have more areas! The urge to control is a universal
trait found in women and men alike. My paternal grandfather, for instance,
controlled the household finances, and my grandmother had to go to him each day
for the grocery money. The man was into control.
Am
I a hopeless case?
In the midst of many happy years of
raising what I felt was a wonderful family came some agonizing times. As life
spun out of control I was frustrated beyond belief. I had many difficult
lessons to learn if we were all going to survive. Three things helped me make
progress.
1.
Finding that the Bible, God’s holy
Word, was relevant for today. And not only was it relevant, but it was true,
and it worked. Whenever I took the time to search out an answer in Scripture, I
got help. And amidst all the wisdom and help was a relational God who loved me
and graciously revealed purpose to all I was going through.
2.
Reading several books, which I’ll
reference throughout. It’s fun to keep learning and discovering through the
wisdom and experience of those who have been through the same struggles.
3.
Discovering prayer. I was raised in a
Christian home, I married a pastor, and I taught my kids about Jesus, all
without much prayer. Simple, right? Nope—it was the hardest—and most
foolish—thing I ever tried.
What drives us to
control others, or even just our own circumstances?
Some of what drives me—and perhaps you
too—will be covered in the following chapters. Each of us has our own past and
our own unique personality, both of which form our reactions and responses to
life. But control freaks all have some things in common. They might say things
like…
·
I actually have more talents and
abilities than some others I work with.
·
I want to feel better about myself.
·
I’m afraid—afraid of the future, afraid
of losing control, afraid to trust someone else, afraid of failure, and afraid
for those I love.
Are any of these statements true for
you? If so, perhaps you will identify with one or more of the confessions that
follow. If you find yourself in these pages, I hope you will turn to the God
who enlightens, forgives, delivers, and, most of all, loves.
Before we dive in, take a few minutes
to consider the following questions about your own need to take control and
your attitude toward those who seek to control you.
CONTROL FREAK QUESTIONNAIRE
1.
In your own words, describe a control
freak.
2.
Would you consider yourself to be a
control freak? Why or why not? (If not, skip to question 10.)
3.
If yes, does this bother you about
yourself? Why or why not?
4.
Do others accuse you of being a control
freak? If so, why do you think they do?
5.
Does it bother you that others feel
this way toward you? Why?
6.
What might you like to change about
yourself, if anything, as it relates to this issue?
7.
What do you think may cause you to seek
control? Is it just a part of your personality? Does it relate to your
childhood experiences?
8.
How did you first become aware of this
tendency?
9.
Can you think of certain circumstances
that cause you to want control?
10. Think
of someone you would describe as a control freak. What do you think causes them
to act in this way?
11. Do
you have a good relationship with this person? If you do, how have you learned
to get along with them? If not, what changes would need to be made before you
could be close?
12. What
do you find most difficult about your relationship with this person? Have you
been able to talk with them about it? If so, what was the outcome?
13. If
you could communicate one idea to this person, what would it be?
14. Do
you think it is ever proper/valid to be controlling? Explain.
15. If
you are a person who reads the Bible, what have the Scriptures taught you in
regard to the desire to control other people and events?
16. What
have other people and life experiences taught you about control issues?

 

My Confessions of a Control Freak Book Review:

While I don’t think I’m a control freak, although my family might disagree, I found Confessions of a Control Freak helpful. I think I’m more of a perfectionist than a control freak. I have worked on it though, and have set aside my perfectionism for the most part.

Confessions of a Control Freak has practical advice that you can use everyday to ease up the control one feels they have to have over people and situations. This book is also helpful for perfectionists. If we are trying to control everybody and everything thing, we have not given full control everything to God. The author shares numerous real life examples of her own and other’s control issues. Thereby helping the reader see theirs. She doesn’t just point out the problem, she helps offer you Biblical solutions to the control issues we face.

If your not a control freak or perfectionist, but you live with or are related to one, Confessions of a Control Freak will help you, too.
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this books free  in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. My opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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