For two weeks, I dropped out of my cyber-circle of friends and read no blogs, wrote no posts and didn’t surf the Net.

It was glorious.

While at first, I missed the contact. I grew to love the time it freed up for me. Not that I am usually on the computer for a great amount of time each day. It really was less than an hour or so total. It was just the brain space it took up processing all of the info flying at me:

“So-and-so is blogging about this. So-and-so is posting about that. Look what the _______ family is doing this week. See what is on sale at my favorite sites this week. Oh, and look at the news points…..divorce, custody, controversy.”

It was enough to clog my brain, grinding it to a screeching halt.

You see, I have learned that my mommy brain was only meant to absorb so much. I need to drink deep of the ways of the Lord. That means saturating myself with the Word of God. I need to take into account my family’s needs. I must keep up with my extended family, work on my writing and speaking. Clean my house; get my groceries; feed my clan.

I need to live my life.

Now, I am NOT totally knocking the Internet. It can be a valuable tool in accomplishing the above tasks. I love Bible Gateway to help me study the Bible. I get spiritual encouragement from several blogs like our President Lysa TerKeurst at Proverbs 31 and Beth Moore’s Living Proof Ministry. I get great ideas for homemaking from my fellow P31 speaker Marybeth Whalen and at The Urban Homemaker  website. And there is nothing wrong with reading these resources.

And by all means, I have a blog!!! My little fasting experiment has taught me to be even more intentional in making my blog point others to God, not to me. And I want it to offer encouragement, ideas and resources to help women live their lives and love God. Oh, and those of you who have been around awhile know I also like to give away freebies.

I also know using Facebook and the like as a resource to stay connected with far away family and friends is a great idea. And using it to know what to add to our prayer list is and even better one. I will continue that practice.

I have discovered that it all comes down to boundaries. Within reason, reading blogs and surfing the next can be helpful.I intend on still doing it at times. Without parameters, however, it can be detrimental to our lives. In a couple ways–

It can suck our time away; time we should be using to live and serve.

And it can make us discontent, as I spoke of in my last blog post.

But worst of all, it can breed deep within us a sort of soap-opera-like-yet-acceptable-in-Christian-circles type of addiction.

You know, your feet hit the ground in the morning and you can’t wait to see what is happening in so-and-so’s life. So you hop on over to her blog and live her exciting life with her. 

Or you can’t get enough of a certain headline news story and its’ happenings. So you click, click, click your day away.

My eleven year old son Spencer made a profound comment the other day when he heard some of us discussing reality shows and blogs. He said, “How boring. Why sit around and watch other people live their lives on tv or read about their lives on the computer? That is stupid. I’d rather go have fun and live my own.”

I think I’ll let him have the final word.

Happy Living-Your-Life-And-Loving-It,

I did it. 

Two weeks ago, after several weeks of nudging from God, I took a break from my laptop. While I still needed to answer emails from family and for my speaking and writing, I stopped reading blogs, writing this blog, surfing the Net and, most of all, checking my Facebook.

Yep..I went on a total Facebook fast.

I will be writing here this week about the lessons I learned. Today, I’ll start with the whole Facebook thing.

Man, can being on Facebook fritter your time away!!! It is the black hole of the Internet. Those of you who use (and abuse) it surely know what I mean. You hop on just to quickly update your status. You know, put down that Susy Smith is….making rice crispie treats….or contemplating world peace…..or something of the sort.

Below, on your news feed, pops up all kinds of info about people you are friends with. So you simply must scroll down to see what exciting things they are up to. One is headed off on an exciting family vacation and promises posted pictures along the way. Another gives her opinion on something happening in the news. Someone you went to high school with quips about her daughter’s prom. A lady from church talks about a get-together with friends happening at a local park. And dozens of other people also list their whereabouts and doings. Most of which are happy, exciting and very surfacey.

Five minutes ago, you were calm and content. Now your line of thinking goes something like this….” Must be nice to travel out west as a family. Wish we had that kind of money. No fair. And gee, I wonder what everyone else thinks about that controversial item in the news. And I’ll have to pop over and see those prom pictures to see if my high school friend’s daughter looks like her. And get-together. What get-together? We didn’t get invited. Left out, again…”

Now, instead of realizing that viewing all of this info has stirred your heart in the wrong direction, what do you do? Right!!! You hop on over to the profiles of some of these people. Which leads you down a long path of frittering and fretting.

Why, there is a picture of that vacationing family at a gorgeous hotel pool. And your friend and her daughter before prom. Her daughter looks just like her mom did in high school and it makes you smile. The fact, however, that the mom still looks like she did in high school does not. It makes you despise those extra 25 pounds you are carrying and emerging crow’s feet even more. You see all of the people commenting about the upcoming park party and you begin to question whatever you did to get yourself uninvited. After all, you are friends with all the people who commented that they are coming. Next, you hop over to read opinions about that news-worthy topic. Why you even leave your opinion too. 

Of course, on the pages of many of these people, you see other “friends” and their statuses. So what do you do? You hop over (or click over) to many of them to see what the world has been up to. It is fun. It is interesting. And, after all, it only takes a few minutes of your time, right?  

When done, and before logging off, you pop back home to your profile page and before shutting down, you glance back up at your own status. Underneath your name, the time is displayed telling everyone when you last updated your status. While you think you have only been “Facebooking” for a couple moments. You cringe when you see that the timestamp announces that your status was last updated 58 minutes ago.

What!!!! “I’ve been on here an hour!!!???” But it only seemed like a few minutes. Oh no….And I forgot to start supper. Now we’ll have to grab pizza again.”

As you get up, you step over the load of laundry that you should have folded and see that you still haven’t wiped the counters from lunch. Then you wander by your child who is watching SpongeBob Squarepants for the third time that day and feel a slight twinge of guilt. Maybe you could have just taken him to the park and had your own private party.

So what are the lessons I’ve learned from my Facebook fast? While Facebook can be a great tool to connect and share info. It can produce two very destructive emotions in me.

Discontentment and guilt.

I just told a lovely group of ladies this past weekend at Fox River Christian Church in Wisconsin a statement I have found to be true.

Comparisons kill contentment.

I just never applied it to my Facebook searches and random profile readings before.

And guilt comes after seeing how much time has been wasted, forever sucked away in the black hole that is Facebook.

I also have been convicted that while compared to a lot of people, I cut my Facebook sessions pretty short-(Some have told me they are on multiple times a day for more than an hour at a time…) What bothered me was my consistency.

I never missed a day.

Can’t always say that when it comes to praying for my family or memorizing scripture or trying to connect with my kids and not just meet their needs for food and clean towels and a ride to their ballgame, but spend unhurried, intentional time getting to know them and what is going on in their lives.

I have had a few people ask me if I missed Facebook while I was AWOL.  And I can honestly answer that I did.

For about one day.

Then, the calm, contentment and focus I felt far outweighed any “left out” feeling I experienced by not chit-chatting with my sweet Facebook friends.

I got more done around the house. I read more. Hung with my kids more. Baked more. And I focused my thoughts on God, not on all of the activities and musings of my 643 friends. As a result, my mind and heart were calmed like they haven’t been in quite a while.

My little fast has taught me that from now on, I will approach Facebook much differently. I will only check it only every other day or so, once a day at most, and only AFTER I have read my Bible, done my Bible study lesson for the day and spent quality time praying.

How about you fellow Facebookers? Are you up for the challenge? I dare you to take a Facebook fast.

You won’t regret it.

Now, tune back in as I tell you the lessons I learned from the other part of my fast—–from blog reading and Internet surfing….

Sweet Blessings,

Lately I have been sensing God telling me to fast.

Now, I am not talking about food necessarily, I am talking about another type of fast. A Facebook fast. A blog-reading fast. Even a blog writing fast.

Now, lest you think I am an addict who scours the Internet for hours each day, let me set the record straight. I’m pretty limited in the time I spend surfing the net. I read only a few select blogs and at that, only once or twice a week. I check my email a time or two a day and usually only go on Facebook once  a day. It isn’t the time that I spend on these things that is the problem. It is the way I am consistent with them.

I never miss a day.

However, when it comes to my spiritual life, I am not as consistent. Yes, I strive to read my Bible each day (and this year, thanks to my friend and fellow Proverbs 31 speaker Wendy Pope, and her challenge to read the Bible through in a year, I have been the most consistent yet.) But my prayer life or scripture memory habits?

Not so much.

And I am ashamed. How is it that I am able to connect online with many people per day, but connect with the Lord through the week often in a rather hit or miss fashion?

As I have been pondering this question, I have sensed that it has to do with my impatience. I hate to wait. And I am not too fond of silence while waiting either. Thus, Facebook and things of the sort can easily hook me. Why, I leave a status update and almost instantly people are piggy-backing on my comment. Or they click that they “like” the comment.

Oh…..this girl loves to be “liked”.

And Facebook is a place where my worlds all collide. I can hop on my page and read comments left by family members, current friends, cyber friends, an old college roommate and someone from my junior high school all in one post.

But when I pray, often God is silent. Or appears slow. He doesn’t answer right away. He doesn’t thunder from heaven “I like that prayer kiddo!” He is much deeper than that.

I need to tap into that deepness.

Thus, I am feeling the need to take a break from my laptop and plug into the Lord more over the next few weeks. Then I can continue to blog and offer more give aways.

I hope you understand. And I hope you’ll be back. I plan to resume once what I say my priorities are once again matches how I spend my time. Prayers appreciated….

Now, time to announce the winners of last week’s give away with Alice Craig:

The winner of the Tiny Tots Bible Story Book is:   Maggi; timestamp June 12, 2009; 12:10 am

And the winner of the matted 11x 14 picture of choice is: Heather; timestamp June 11, 2009; 10:16 pm

Congrats ladies! Please email me your mailing address at karenehman64@aol.com

As for the rest of you dear cyber friends…good-bye for now. I’ll see you when my fast is complete…

Sweet Blessings,

You’ve heard it said that a picture paints a thousand words. Well, the pictures by today’s guest also inspire, commemorate and draw you closer to the loving arms of Jesus. Meet artist Alice Craig!

I first met Alice and her wonderful art when I was wandering by a booth between speaking sessions at Hearts at Home many years ago. I had lost our first child through miscarriage and one of Alice’s pictures was such a comfort to me. It was Jesus holding a baby in heaven. Since then, many of my friends have grown to love her art. Meet her now and at the end of the post, you may win one of her drawings!
Alice Craig began Artistic Memories by Alice drawing portraits of children and homes.  But after the death of her infant daughter Grace in 1996, God has given Alice a twofold desire - a mission: 1) to use her artwork to bring comfort to parents who have experienced the loss of a child and 2) to encourage and challenge and inspire women to become women that love God with all their heart.

Alice is married to David, who is bi-vocational and a pastor of a church in Tremont, IL.  They have four sons and two daughters (through adoption) besides Grace.  

B.C. - before children, Alice worked in the Visual Arts Department at Moody Bible Institute preparing visual tools for the professors there while her husband, David finished his studies at MBI and then later became Youth Pastor at Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, IL. As children entered into their lives, Alice became a stay-at-home mom.  But her drawing time continued out of necessity as it played a significant role in what she calls her ‘sanity therapy’.   She made time for it.  

Through some very difficult periods in her life, God has redirected Alice’s focus from drawing solely for creative pleasure and ‘sanity therapy’ to that of ministry and encouragement.   Over the years, God has opened some interesting doors and unique opportunities for ministry.  Alice is excited that God has also opened up opportunities through public speaking using her art as visuals to further encourage, challenge, motivate, and inspire women to keep their chins up and their eyes on Jesus.

Tell us a little bit about what life is like at your house these days.

As of this week, our life is in transition - once again.  (Life is a series of transitions.)  This is the first full week of summer vacation for us, so we are all adjusting to our new schedule (or lack of a schedule!)…need I say more???  My two college sons are home for the summer (yeah!) and I am trying to keep up with their work and social schedules along with my 3^rd son who is now considered a senior in High School.  Two of the three youngest (ages 12, 13, and 14) are beginning swim team this week with church camp next week.  They are soooo excited to go (and I am too).  The most challenging part of the upcoming summer for me is learning how to balance everything…a continual battle.  After 22 years of being a stay-at-home mother, I have had to take on a part-time job outside of the home.  The Lord has blessed me with a great part-time job that works wonderfully with the kids’ school schedule.  But now that summer’s here, well, let’s just say we are all transitioning.  J 

 When and how did you first begin drawing?

Since you asked, I thought I’d share with you a drawing that my Mother held onto all of these years.  This is my three-year-old interpretation of my uncle and his happy milk cow.  From a child’s low perspective, you can tell what made a huge impact on me!  The milk cow was very well endowed! Ha!

 How did you get the idea to start your ministry?  Well, to be honest with you, the ministry part really wasn’t by my choice.  I originally started Artistic Memories by Alice as an at-home business drawing cute kids because I enjoy drawing eyes and cute children.  These drawings also helped add a little extra to our otherwise one-income family.  Drawing played an important part of what I called my ‘sanity therapy’ in the midst mothering a mix of toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary-aged children.  But after the death of our 5^th child – our nine-hour-old daughter, I really wrestled with God.  In the pit of my grief and brokenness, I can remember totally giving up my desire to draw.  My heart was broken.  How could I ever draw again? And needless to say, how could I ever begin to ‘enjoy’ drawing again?…unless God would give me a reason to draw once again, this time for His glory and honor.  Shortly after that surrendering, the Lord gave me the gift of a drawing idea which I have entitled “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”.  I simply drew Jesus holding my baby, sitting in a rocky chair amongst clouds which represented heaven to me.  Little did I know that God would use this broken time in my life and a drawing to begin a ministry to other grieving moms and then ultimately, artwork and a speaking ministry to bless the entire family.  As I began to share this drawing with other grieving women, the Lord birthed a ministry and also began the healing process of mending my broken heart. He even gave back to me my love of drawing plus He seemed to tweak up my skills a notch.  Since then, Lord has blessed me with many other drawing ideas to encourage women in their God-ordained role as a wife and mother.  Lately, I have sensed the Lord’s direction to use this art to encourage the whole family…including dads.

What do you hope your drawings do for those who purchase or receive them as gifts?

My hope and prayer is that the Lord would use these measly drawings to in some way ‘draw’ the viewer’s heart toward God Himself by helping the viewer realize just how much God values and loves them…no matter what!

 Each of my drawings has a story to tell. When I speak to women’s groups, I enjoy sharing with them something very close to my heart – my art, my drawings.  These reflect and tell the story of God’s hand in my life.   My goal is to encourage, challenge, motivate and inspire women to keep their eyes on Jesus and to grow in their walk with Him.

 What types of products do you offer and how can the readers learn more about them?

 You may give me a call at 309-925-2505 or better yet, visit my website: www.aliceart.net.  I offer a range of products:  from note cards to matted and framed pieces of art – ready to hang on the wall – all reasonably priced.  Several of my favorites (“The Door” and “Hands”) make unique wedding gifts, house-warming, or bon-voyage gifts.  “Daddy Hands” (a new drawing – not yet on my website but still orderable by phone), “The Door”, and “Hands – Is. 49:15, 16” all make inspiring Father’s Day gifts.

 I also have illustrated a child’s first Bible entitled Tiny Tots Bible Story Book.  Coloring pages to go with each of the stories in this book, plus many more stories, are available free of charge from the author Dr. John Walton’s website www.teachthetext.com – a great Biblically sound resource for anyone who works with young children. 

 There are also several items on my website: www.aliceart.net that are very comforting gifts and memorials for those who have lost a child or know someone who has – from a personalized drawing of Safe in the Arms of Jesus to a beautiful pewter ornament which can be engraved and given in memory of someone at Christmas or anytime throughout the year.

 I invite you to visit my website: www.aliceart.net.

Do you have a favorite scripture to share with us? 

 Oh, I LOVE God’s Word.  It is so hard to pick ‘a’ favorite verse.

 Lately, Psalm 42 has been my ‘hope’ chapter, particularly verses 5 & 11 (they are the same, as well as Ps. 43:5 – something I just learned).

 “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again– my Savior and my God!”  Ps. 42:5, 11 NLT

 This past year has been a very difficult journey for me and for my husband as we were called to take a huge step of faith.  It’s been a year of intense spiritual attack and at times I have felt like God has left me alone. It’s been a real battle between my heart which knows God is always with me, but my mind says ‘where is God? I feel so alone!’  I am learning that God wants me to keep my spiritual eyes on Him by hoping and holding onto His promises from His word.  When I become fearful (which is often), hope is the key.  I need to hold onto hope in God.  That is walking by faith, not sight…even when it doesn’t make sense.

 Ps. 42 and particularly verses 5 and 11 have been my HOPE chapter and verses.  Repeatedly David asked the question “why am I discouraged? Why so sad?”  That’s how I have felt too. David was honest about his emotional state.  He remembered the good ‘ole days and was honest about his current position…me too.  He cried out to God for renewal (just like the deer).  He refused to fake it; he wanted to model the truth for others.  He told himself the truth about the future when he says “I will put my hope in God!  I will praise him again – my savior and my God!”  Do not lose hope. 

 I am learning that when I am about ready to give up, that’s when I need most to look up and put my hope in God and praise Him even when I don’t feel like it.  I must choose once again to put my hope in God this day.  He IS MY HOPE!  And He can be and wants to be your hope too!!   

I am ‘in His grip’!

You are ‘in His grip’!!!

Hold on tight!

Thanks so much Alice, for visiting with us today!

Now, for the give away…… (or should I say “for the drawing for the drawing.” ? Alice says:

After a wonderful day last week at the retreat center, we have jumped full force into summertime. (You locals who wanted to know about the center I go to for personal retreats, click here. It is open for personal retreats for people of all denominations. It is a center with gorgeous grounds and dorm-like rooms that you can use for a day or overnight.)

Now…on to summertime. School is out for our kids and all of their public and private schooled friends. So, tonight Mitch is at an end of the year party, Kenz is beginning rehearsals for a local summer musical and Spence has three friends over from his homeschool academy for a sleepover. There will be pizza, snacks, X-box 360 games, movies, soda,….but not much sleep!

Welcome summertime!!!

Just now my hubby called me outside to see the gorgeuos rainbow out off our back deck……..

Gonna take my tea out there now and finish my paperwork and emails. Luckily I have another hour of daylight….

Stay tuned for another give away later this week. Oh, and take time to look for the rainbows…..

Sweet Summer Blessings,

Hi all! I am headed to a quaint little town nearby to a lovey retreat center for the day. Time to get alone with God to refresh and refuel.I am taking my Bible, a journal, the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster and some note cards. No phone. No Internet. No music. This center observes silence, something I have a hard time with but something I desperately need. Today, I thought I’d reprint a devotion about retreating that I wrote a while ago for Proverbs 31. Plan to get away yourself soon sometime!

“…He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31b (NIV)

I have a confession to make. I am an addict. A serious addict. And I know many others who share my awful obsession. No, it is not to alcohol or drugs or nicotine. It isn’t trashy TV or romance novels. I am addicted to busyness.

My addiction habit began forming long ago when I was just a girl in junior high school. To escape a less-than-perfect broken home, and to numb the emotional pain I was feeling from the fallout, I soon discovered busyness. Yep, sign me up for cheerleading, school newspaper, Spanish Club, National Honor Society, softball, the local youth group, volunteer work and a part–time job to boot! By the time I graduated high school I was involved in more activities than a set of triplets should be. Unfortunately, I carried this trend into my adult life.

In my defense, today we dwell in a society that not only encourages the busy lifestyle, it even applauds and rewards it! And what gal in her right mind doesn’t want an “’atta girl” now and then? Why, our society goes as far as to paint those who live life at a slower pace as freeloaders or slackers. “Why can’t so-and-so help a little with this bake sale? She doesn’t do nearly half as much as I do!”

If left unchecked, our busyness can crowd out the most important things in life—God and our families. I have had to learn the hard way that in order to be an effective woman of God, wife and mother, I need to not only slow down, regularly scraping commitments off of my too full plate, but sometimes I need to stop altogether. As I sit writing this, I am outside at a lovely retreat center on a hill overlooking its grape arbor and pear and apple orchards. My take-life-slow husband strongly suggested I come here occasionally to get alone with God; to read; ponder; write and reflect. I walk the pine and perennial-laced grounds in solitude. There are no television sets or computers or ringing phones; only unfamiliar, but blessed, quiet.

I will be honest and say it has taken me YEARS to get used to this ceasing of activity for occasional 24-48 hour periods of time each year. I fret and fuss as I am packing. “What about the kids? Will they be okay without me? Oh, maybe I should just stay home. I could get so caught up around here with that big chunk of time!” But Christ beckons me. “Come with me by yourselves….” Alone. By myself and for myself. It is for my own good. It is necessary. And ultimately, it is better for my family to have a rested, focused and refreshed mom. On retreat I can best hear from God whom I have discovered most often prefers not to scream over the top of our busyness but instead to whisper to us in quiet.

Yes, in the Christian life retreat is required. Running full steam ahead at Energizer bunny speed is not only stupid, it is downright dangerous. Even the Lord Jesus had regular times of rest and withdrawal. We need to follow His lead. I have come to realize the truth of the saying, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” And dear ones, both states render us useless and ineffective for the kingdom. Decide today that very soon you too will cease, retreat and refuel. You won’t regret it.

Dear Lord, Forgive me for ignoring Your command to come away with You for a while. Please arrange my circumstances soon so that I might spend uninterrupted time with you. May I drink deep of Your lavish love and reflect the calm and comfort I receive to others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sorry to be a bit AWOL last week. Mackenzie’s open house required a lot of my time  (feeding nearly 300 people a hot meal in your home/garage/borrowed tents will do that to a girl!)   In my “Bible, Family, Blogging” order of priorities, I just couldn’t squeeze in any time to update. However, I’m glad I was able to leave the interview with Wendy Blight up all week so lots of women could read about her inspiring story.

It really is one of courage.

In fact, as Mackenzie sat last night opening her cards and gifts from her party, she opened a gift from me. 

It was courage.

No, not actual courage, but a book by that title. It is a transcript of a commencement address to the rectory at St. Andrews, Scotland in 1922 given by Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, more commonly known as JM Barrie, the man who wrote Peter Pan. Mackenzie loves the original book Peter Pan; The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Couple that with her love of antique books and, one day last spring while clicking around on Ebay, I knew I’d hit the jackpot when I found this old copy of Courage.

Mackenzie’s real love is the theatre. She has been fortunate enough to portray many characters; Maria Von Trapp, Corrie Ten Boom, Florence Nightingale; Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, The ghost of Christmas Future, etc..Here is the inscription I penned in the front of this frail book:

“Dear Mackenzie, If there is one thing I could give you as you face your future, it would be courage. The courage that Dorothy’s cowardly lion longed for; the courage that Corrie Ten Boom had as she stared into the face of evil; the courage of Florence Nightingale as she served in the shadow of sickness and the courage of Maria as she became the mother of seven and Mrs. Von Trapp. But I cannot give it to you. It comes from God alone. He will never leave you.’Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9′  All my Love, Mom

Some of Kenz’s gang. She is in the front on the right. (Click on picture to enlarge)

Speaking of courage…… courage from God is what gave Wendy Blight the ability to come out of the darkness and live in the light. And two of you now get her book Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner. The winners are:

Donna Williams; timestamp May 28, 2009 at 9:48 am and Jane; May 27, 2009 9:08 pm

Congrats, ladies! Email me your home address at karenehman64@aol.com so Wendy can get you your books.

Everyone else, watch for more interviews and giveaways coming up.

May God grant you courage to face whatever you need to this week.

Sweet Blessings,

Hi all! While I know the real meaning of Memorial Day and have worked hard to teach our children the importance of honoring our fallen heroes, I also know this weekend means doing some mean grillin’! Here are a few of our family’s favorites. Fire up that grill!

Pork Chop Packets

8 boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat

1 onion, 1 green pepper, and 1 red pepper, sliced

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

a bottle of soy sauce

tin foil

Take a large square of foil and spray it generously with cooking spray. Place one pork chop in the middle. Moisten it with two or three shakes of the soy sauce. Spoon on two heaping tablespoons of the soup. Top with a few slices each of the onion and peppers. Bring the four sides of the foil up and seal, making a tent. Cook over medium heat on the grill until no longer pink–about 20-25 minutes. The thinner the chop the quicker it cooks.  If they are real thick, it may take longer. Enjoy!!!

Herbed Potatoes

Red potatoes

Olive oil

Fresh (or dried) basil and oregano

Fresh or powdered garlic

Salt and pepper

tin foil

Take a large piece of the foil and bring up the edges, forming a tray with corners. Spray generously with cooking spray. Cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks and place inside. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender–about 20-25 minutes. Drizzle with additional oil if needed to keep it from drying out.

Grilled Fruit

This is any easy one as goes great with any meat. Simply take either a 1/2 inch slice of fresh pineapple or a canned or fresh peach half. Drizzle it with a little pure maple syrup to cover.  (No, imitation syrup doesn’t work. It tastes NOTHING like the real deal!) Next, sprinkle on some ground cinnamon. Carefully transfer to a grill and cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes, just to warm. Yum!!!

Sweet Grillin’ Blessings,

It is a bittersweet day at our house today.

Our youngest, Spencer, will give his Medieval History oral report this afternoon at his homeschool academy. He’s taken three classes there this year and the rest at home. He’s made new friends, learned new things and had waaaay too much fun in study hall. (Ahem……where you are supposed to STUDY, not play nerf basketball and cards!!)

His report is on knights. He’s going armed with a period costume, real chain mail and some sweet replica weapons. Then, at the end of the day, when I pick him up, he’ll be finished with fifth grade. Our school year will officially come to a close.

It just hit me last night that another thing will come to a close for me: teaching elementary school. Our oldest graduates from the same homeschool academy on Saturday, thus finishing high school. Mitch is ending his eighth grade year this year, wrapping up middle school and Spence is saying good bye to elementary. This means that, after beginning on a sunny fall September day in 1996, I end thirteen years of teaching my kids in elementary school.

I am thrilled!! But, also a bit sad. Next year, I’ll be down to two students, both boys. One starting high school and one starting middle school.

No more elementary art projects with scissors and glue. No more whacky science experiments. No one taking penmanship. And fewer fun field trips.

It is bitter sweet. But I love seeing my kids grow older, spread their wings and fly. In just seven short years….they will all be gone. I’ll cry a little……and then…….

TODD AND I CAN ORDER WHATEVER WE WANT ON OUR PIZZA!!! YIPPEEE!!!!!

Okay….enough of that. I want to let you know the winners of the two books by Susanne Scheppmann. They are:

Divine Prayers for Despairing Parents:    Bobbey    timestamp: May 19, 2009 at 8:18 am

Birds in my Mustard Tree:    Chris  timestamp: May 20, 2009 at 1:37 pm

Congrats ladies! Send me your mailing address at karenehman64@aol.com.

To the rest of you, have a wonderful Thursday.

Gotta go help the knight get his shining armor on!

Schools Out Blessings,