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Whole Wheat Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits recipe - delish!

9/30/2011

     I've been using whole wheat pastry flour in our biscuits here at home for several years now, trying to incorporate more fiber and whole wheat goodness into our meals.

     The problem is, while not as dense as using regular whole wheat flour, they are still dense, crumbly, and they don't rise very high. And, Elmer and the girls really prefer the "olden days" when I made our baked goods with regular white flour.

     Until tonight!

     I tried a new-to-me recipe using a combination of whole wheat flour AND whole wheat pastry flour, and these new biscuits were light and fluffy - and delicious!

     Elmer even complimented me on them and asked if it was a new recipe. He and the girls were surprised to hear that there was no white flour in the biscuits. They loved 'em and came back for seconds! That's a nice change of pace. :)

     This is how our biscuits have usually turned out over the last few years:

dense
difficult to slice open
short and squatty
crumbly
not all that tasty

So, are you getting hungry yet?

You'll need to probably buy an extra ingredient (cream cheese) before you plan to make these, unless you normally have it on hand. Also, plan to start making these a bit ahead of time for dinner. They cook longer than other biscuit recipes, and then they need to cool a bit before serving. I think you're gonna love these as much as we did!

Oh, and I think the next time I make these, I'll substitute solidified coconut oil for the cream cheese, just to see how the taste differs.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
(makes 14 biscuits)

6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces (I used salted, and it was fine, too)
1.5 oz. light or regular cream cheese (about 3 Tbsp.), cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour/white whole wheat flour)
1 cup (5.5 oz.) whole-wheat flour
4 tsp. sugar (or evaporated cane juice sugar)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/4 cups buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar mixed with almost 1-1/4 cups milk)

     Place the cubed butter and cream cheese on a plate and freeze until the cream cheese is solid, about 1 hour or less (do not overfreeze). Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

      Pulse the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a food processor to combine (about 3 pulses). Scatter the frozen butter and cream cheese cubes over the top and continue to pulse/mix until the mixture looks like coarse meal, about 15 pulses or so.

     Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk with a spatula until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy, 8-10 times. Pat the dough into a 9-inch circle, about 3/4" thick. (Or, the quicker way is to pat dough into a rectangle or square, keeping the dough 3/4" thick. Then, cut into squares with a knife so there are no leftover pieces of dough that need to be squished together to form that last funny-looking biscuit!) Otherwise, cut dough with round biscuit cutter or clean tin can or glass.

     Place biscuits upside-down onto the prepared baking sheet, spaced 1.5" apart. Bake 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue to bake until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Do not underbake these biscuits or they will taste slightly gummy. Check for doneness by checking the bottom of a biscuit; it should be golden brown.

     Transfer baked biscuits to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Does this sound like something your family would eat? If you bake these in your home, let me know what you think, okay?

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The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study ~ Bible study by Starr Meade

9/29/2011

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The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
Bible Study for children/teens/families!

     I'm back again with a newer Bible study program we've been using during our family Bible devotional times. Here's what we've been using over the last month, and what we thought about it!

     Starr Meade has written numerous Bible devotionals and studies for families, and this is probably her biggest project to date. We've used two of her other family devotional books that she's written, so we were curious about this set that came in the mail which included four paperback volumes to study plus a separate answer key book. Each book contains around 200 pages, give or take a few.

     The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study is about, of course, the Bible! I wholeheartedly believe that the best book I've ever studied is the Bible. It has had the most impact in my life. This set of books is actually a survey of the entire Bible.

      There are two volumes of studies on the Old Testament, and two volumes of studies on the New Testament.

     In the 4-6 weeks we've had these books, it obviously would be impossible to use the entire series, reading almost the entire Bible, in that length of time. Oh, I could have read the entire set on my own, but then we wouldn't be able to benefit from using these books, bit by bit, as a family.

     First, I flipped through the books to get the general feel of how the materials are to be used. Then, I read through the "Quick Start" and "Getting Started" sections, which were easy to understand. There are two ways suggested to use these Bible materials:

1. Read the Bible passages listed on each page and answer the accompanying questions.

2. Read through the entire Bible, using the workbooks as guides, and answer the accompanying questions.

How did we choose to use this in our own family?

We chose to read through the Scriptures, day by day, page by page, and follow the book guide and answer the questions that go with each section. We spent about 30 minutes each day reading out of the Bible, answering the questions together, and having discussions about what we were reading.

What did we think about it?

     The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study is an excellent overview of the Holy Scriptures. Starting at Genesis, and working through until Revelation, is a great way for our children and teens to get a bird's eye view of the Scriptures. I like the thought of a Bible study program that takes families through the entire Bible, from beginning to end. I don't know that there's much out there on the market that will do that.

     Because The Most Important Thing... is an overview, it doesn't go into depth about most topics. Our family loves to dive into topics and really examine them. Maybe it takes us six months to use a family Bible devotional book that only has 60 lessons in it? So what! We don't care!    :)    We really enjoy talking long and hard about what we read, when we have the time and opportunity to do that. Sometimes, we'll even go grab one of our "word study" books to examine the Greek or Hebrew words used in a Bible verse.

     The format of these study materials is to read a portion of Scripture, and then answer a series of questions. What I was disappointed to learn is that most of the questions are simple "who", "what", "when", "where" types of questions. For children who haven't had much exposure to the Bible, this may be appropriate. For families who have studied the Bible together and are very interested in how these Scriptures apply to our lives, this series of books may not meet your needs.

     While I love seeing a Bible study written for the purpose of taking students and families through the entire Bible, and I applaud that effort, my girls were disappointed in this study. They were expecting more application, more depth, more...I don't know. They could just rattle off the answers with almost no thought to it, and our #1 goal is a family is to get to the heart.

     So, here's what we did to make accommodations to fit my girls (ages 11 and 13). We would read the passage together, answer the quick questions, and then talk about something interesting that has been debated over the centuries, or that people often get confused about, or the ways that different churches and/or cults have misused that passage of Scripture or have twisted it to mean something entirely different.

     See - we don't just get stuck in a rut with simple W-W-W-W-W-H questions (Who-What-When-Where-Why-How), although the "why" and the "how" are much more our family's style of things.

     But in Starr Meade's defense, I'd say that some of the paragraphs she's written to explain passages are also very good - and will inspire more discussion, so families can take this material and use it in the manner that will work well for their own family!

     Interestingly, we did find an Either/Or fallacy on one of the lessons, where neither option she provided was a true statement, even though one was supposed to be correct, according to the author. My husband was impressed that one of the girls noticed this and mentioned it to us. And, there was another phrase where Mead talked about Jesus striking Satan's heel, when she really meant to say that Jesus would crush Satan's head.

     But that's okay. My writing has errors in it from time to time, as you lovely readers have probably noticed! I want my girls to be sharp and on the alert, so if something isn't correct or someone is trying to deceive them (which Starr Meade was not attempting to do), they will sense the red flags going up and will realize that something isn't correct.

     Would I recommend this Bible study to families? Yes. However, if you aren't comfortable with having Bible discussions in your family, and you prefer something that goes into depth and asks the harder questions, this may not be the best fit for your family.

     If, however, you enjoy having family discussions about Bible topics and passages, and that's your style of family worship time, then you can easily take this program and run with it! My girls like some of the other studies we've used, but this would meet our needs if we continue to adapt it for our own family's use.

                       Click HERE to view a sample of
          The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study.

You can also learn more about Crossway Publishers and their books HERE.

Do your children and teens enjoy discussing Bible topics and passages together with you, or is this something that makes them uncomfortable?

Disclaimer: I received one complete set of The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study in exchange for my use and honest review of it here for you. No other compensation was provided.

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Transitioning to the High School Years...and Beyond!

9/27/2011

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A year of Transitions

     Since we began homeschooling 9 nears ago (gasp!), I've spent some part of summer break each year doing extra planning for our upcoming school year. Some years, I've spent a huge amount of summer break working on our schooling plans and writing goals for the new school year.

     For several summers, I really focused on our history studies. My goal was to make sure that my girls weren't bored while learning history...or at least, do my best in this department! After all, it was my LEAST favorite subject in school when I was growing up. I wanted them to have a much better experience than I did! So, I uber-planned to the "nth" degree, but it was worth it, because we all enjoyed learning with our studies of ancient history, the middle ages, and now, the renaissance and the reformation.

     So...how did I spend my time this last summer?

     I have to admit it - it wasn't like the summers in the past. I didn't spend countless hours working with our history curriculum and materials, although I probably should have.

     I didn't spend much time writing down goals, setting up our recordkeeping, and writing lesson plans, although I probably should have.

     What I did do this summer was spend quite a bit of time thinking about transitioning my girls from one level of their education to the next.

Transitioning into middle school

     Brittany (age 11) is officially a middle-schooler, or junior-higher, depending on which school district you live in. While she's very capable of doing academic work as a 6th grader, and even beyond that grade level, she's still enjoying being a "kid." At this stage in her life, she'd rather never grow up, because she knows that the amount of free time she has in her life right now is more than she'll probably ever have again. Free time and socializing are very important to her.

     I've spent time praying for her to transition to a more mature way of thinking about growing up and entering adulthood. We've spent more time together reading the Bible and talking about "life". I began her history and literature studies on a more in-depth level than what she has done in years past, and my expectations are higher.

     We've also lengthened her school day. She's figuring out that it's taking her longer to do her math assignments and some of her other coursework simply because they're more complicated or have higher expectations of her. While she hasn't loved the challenge I've set before her, she's risen to it. For that, I'm thankful.

Transitioning into high school

     Kelsi (age 13) has entered her last year of middle school/junior high school. Eleven months from now, I'll begin "coaching" high school. WOW!

     My goals for her are different than for her sister. Kelsi, from a very tiny age, has wanted to be an adult. She longs for the day to be "all grown up!" I'm very blessed to share that her maturity and desire to be an adult hasn't taken an evil, negative form. She is very disciplined in her school work, playing the violin, and at every volunteer project she does.

     Kelsi has wanted to do most of her schoolwork independently for a couple of years now. While I have no problem with her working on her own, one of the blessings of educating children at home is that I can be involved in her curricula studies, and we can develop conversations about what she is learning. Maintaining a strong parent/child relationship is one of the best reasons I know of to homeschool my children, that will pay off for many years to come.

     What does this mean for me, as her parent/teacher?

     Well, it means that I select curricula that she can easily do on her own, but I can also easily read through or watch on DVD or online and I can understand it as well.

     It means I need to be more organized in developing weekly lesson plans for her, so she can have the freedom to work independently, yet ensure that we still have time to work together and discuss...discuss...discuss!

     Another goal I've had for Kelsi is to help her develop a wider group of friends. She loves being around people - as long as she can head back home soon and have quiet time to herself. She's a homebody, just like her parents.   :)

     How has it been going for us so far?

We continue to use Tapestry of Grace curriculum for our history/literature/church history/writing studies. This curriculum encourages literature studies in the junior high and high school years that eventually lead to much independence; most of the work can be done without the help of a parent. And yet, at the end of the weekly unit, the parent and student sit down for 1-3 hours and work through discussion questions in order to hold a Socratic discussion together.

I also started a new social group for area homeschooled junior highers and high schoolers. For the last 10 years, there has been almost nothing going on for homeschooled students in that age group in our community. We've already had a parent planning meeting and one activity, with plans in the works for future events. We're excited! And I think Kelsi is, too.

Enhancing weaknesses and building on strengths

     I think the core part of being a parent, whether or not I choose to homeschool my children, is being able to take an honest look at each of my children and ask myself:

1. What are the underutilized strengths of this child? How can I continue to develop her strengths so that she is working at her potential and is enjoying it?

2. What are my child's weaknesses? Is this just how God created my child to be, or are there some options available to help out my child?

3. Am I too involved in my child's life? (As in, "smothering" my child...)

4. Am I not involved enough in my child's life?

5. And most importantly, how do I see God developing my child for the future? I need to start dreaming with my child about the possibilities in my child using her strengths for God's glory.

     Questions like this help me determine each summer the direction our new school year will take. I contemplate, make lists, pray, and contemplate again before making definite plans for our new year. I believe God has blessed the prayer and contemplation times to show me how to best educate my daughters and encourage them to live honorable lives.

     Those are my goals for them - for this year. I see this as a year of transition for both of my girls, and I'm excited!

     What are the goals you've made for your own children for this school year, whether or not you educate them at home?

Read homeschool-related goal-setting from other families on the TOS Homeschool Crew as we participate in a blog hop about setting goals for our homeschooled families!

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Tackling Big Projects Around the House

9/25/2011

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     I've been avoiding a couple of big organization projects around the house.

     Oh, maybe for about six months.

     And one of them got worse and worse. Sure, I had plenty of time during the summer to reorganize the back storage room.

     But I didn't wanna.

     I finally decided last week that since I have my children do cleaning and organization that they don't wanna do, it was time for me to tackle at least one of these two projects.

     Actually, the girls helped me tackle the "easy" one: sorting all of the bills and statements from the last six months. They've been stacked inside the roll-top desk, which makes it easy to forget that they're there.

     The girls went online and listened to an "Adventures in Odyssey" audio story while they took the stacks of bills/statements and sorted them by company.

     Now you might ask yourself, "Why do these bills and statements get stacked up in a big pile?"

     Well, I'm not the "bill payer" in our family, although I'm comfortable paying the bills. But this is something that Elmer enjoys being in charge of, and I happily comply. After he pays the bills, he places the statements into the roll-top desk where we keep our budget book.

     Maybe this is where things break down. After he pays the bills and places the statements and receipts in the roll-top desk, he closes the top, and I never see the statements sitting there, so I don't think of filing them right away. Or ever. Until one day, I open up the desk to get some tape or envelopes out, and it's stacked VERY high. Yikes!

     Out of sight, out of mind - that's my motto in life. Or at least, that's how my brain works these days.

     Well, at least for the next 24 hours, the desk should look like this:

...until it's time to pay bills again.      :)

     I think we have two options that would help us out every two weeks:

1. Switch to BillPay with our credit union, and avoid most paper bills. I know, I know - you've been probably paying your bills online or with automatic withdrawals for years now. We've held off because of a direct deposit from my hubby's payroll that went bad a long time ago. The bank we used back then was bought out by another bank, and they assured us that the direct deposit from my husband's paycheck would smoothly be deposited into the new account they had arranged for us. Well, when I started receiving phone calls 3 days later that our checks were not clearing the bank, we realized there was a problem. Even though this has nothing to do with electronic billpay, this has made us wary of paying bills online. Some day, we'll succumb. :)

2. After Elmer pays the bills, he hands me the stack of paperwork that needs to be filed, and I file it immediately. That would be an easier option, right? Well, maybe.

     Maybe a combination of both would work best.

And now for Project #2: The back storage room.

     When we first looked at our house, before purchasing it, our realtor opened up a heavy door which led to a small room containing shelving and the hot water heater. There were no windows, and he laughed and commented, "Well, here's the mother-in-law suite!"

     Ha! We'd never place our moms in that little, strange room!

     That room is really our only inside storage in the house, besides the kitchen and bathroom cabinets (one bathroom has no storage whatsoever), and the closets in the bedrooms and the schoolroom. We don't have a garage, although there are two small rooms on the outside of our house that are the "outside storage." Yes, it's a little bit different, but it works.

     Our "mother-in-law suite" has concrete block walls, like the rest of our home, and it isn't insulated at all (like 1/3 of our home). It houses our hot water heater and our big freezer.

     Because our attic is on the smallish side, everything else we would normally store in an attic, garage, or pantry that can handle the heat and cold of the seasons goes in this "back storage room" as we now call it.

     Anything stored in there has to be able to handle the occasional mouse which wanders in during the cold of winter, so no food in cardboard boxes. We mainly store canned goods, luggage, vases, "junk" towels, and sleeping bags in that room. But we also store our vacuum, cat litter, and other odds and ends including rolls of paper towels and t.p., plus cleaning products.

     Every few months, it becomes cluttered on the floor and is actually unsafe (for me) to walk around in that room. It's needed reorganized for a few months now, and yesterday was the day. I think my main reason for putting it off was because I'm a slow organizer, and I knew I'd need about a 4-5 hour block of time, which is rare in our household.

     Anyway, here is the fabulously newly reorganized back room:

     I didn't get a shot of the floor. It's pretty ugly - half of it smooth cement, and the other half some very old carpet that needs to be replaced.

     On the left, beyond this photo, is the big freezer we bought with our wedding gift money, and to the right is our natural gas water heater.

     We don't eat a ton of canned goods, because they have very little nutritional value, but on some of those busy nights, we use these. I try to buy organic whenever I can find a great deal.

     Well, for now, the back room is organized. I promise myself that I'm going to keep it clean and neat, but then the stack of luggage falls over, or the stack of clean "junk"/old towels falls over, and then the mess begins, because I've found that when it's harder to access where I'm needing to be, the lazier I tend to get. Pretty soon, it all becomes a mess. Sigh. Would be nice if I was as organized as people think I am!

     My next project is to finish reorganizing our master bedroom, which is also more like a storage area than a bedroom. That's going to take more than 4-5 hours, though, because I have several areas to redo. I also need to wash windows again, which I enjoy doing since we use a spray cleaner that really gets our 1952 floor-to-ceiling windows much cleaner. It would be more fun to do if they actually came out looking completely clean, like newer windows would, but I'm not complaining. SprayAway does a pretty decent job, the best job of any windows product or method of cleaning windows that I've ever used.

     The hardest thing in tackling a project, at least for me, is just diving in and getting started. Once I start, it takes time, but it isn't hard.

     What project area do you find yourself needing to tackle this next month? Do you find that you put off tackling big projects, too?

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Sarah's Promise: Book Reflections by Julieanne

9/25/2011

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     Jim Baumgardner, the author of the Sarah books, was very generous last year to allow my daughters and I the opportunity to read and review the first three Sarah books he had written. I wrote about Sarah's Wish back then, and how I had enjoyed reading this series. I enjoy historical fiction because reading historical fiction is what eventually got me excited about learning history, a subject I despised in my K-12 and college years.

     It's so nice to no longer despise history!

     If your children enjoy reading historical fiction in the Civil War era, this trilogy (plus the new fourth book!) would be an excellent choice for them as a gift or to accompany studying this historical era. My girls enjoyed reading the series, but they weren't sure about the nightmares that Sarah had, at night and during the day while awake. This was a great opportunity for our family to discuss how everyone processes fears and trauma in a different way. That helped them understand a few of the things that Sarah said and did in these books.

Here's an excerpt from Chapter One of Sarah's Promise, Book 2 in the Sarah book series:

Kidnappers

   Before the sun peeked over the horizon, while the morning star still shimmered in the western sky, they attacked. The earth shook under the pounding hooves as two riders whipped their horses furiously, pushing them to the limit. Out of the dim eastern horizon they raced across the field, swiftly closing in on Sam and Eliza.

     Slowly, the Negroes turned to the sound and squinted into the first gray light of dawn. Graybeard jammed his boot into Eliza’s side, the blunt force slamming her to ground. She groaned pitifully. Then, holding her side, she curled into a ball. Finally, after catching her breath, she screamed for her husband. Sam started for his fallen wife, but never made it. Tall Man pistol-whipped him, opening a bloody gash on the black man’s forehead. Crumpling into a heap, Sam lay dazed, eyes half closed. The brutal, hardhearted bounty hunters had the devil in their eyes. While gazing down at their terrible work those ice-cold eyes turned mean—real mean. Unhurried, they swung down from their snorting horses.

   “Joel, hold that boy!” Graybeard yelled. “I’ll grab his woman.”

   Sam groaned under Tall Man’s knee. The slave hunter had pinned him against the ground, shoving his gun against the Negro’s head just below the spot where blood trickled from the open wound. The dripping red disappeared into the earth.

   Eliza screamed in a choked terrible voice as Graybeard yanked her to her feet. Then, dragging her without mercy to where Sam lay gasping for air, the big, ugly-faced man with the pointy gray beard shoved her down. Instinctively she rolled next to her husband. Reaching over she pressed her hand to his wound; the bleeding stopped.

   Giving out a nasty laugh, Tall Man glared from greed-filled eyes and bragged with a hate-filled voice. “We’ve made our wages today. Can’t wait to git my hands on all that bounty money.”

   “Sir,” Sam gasped, struggling to raise his head. “You have the wrong folks.”

   “Shut up, boy!” Graybeard sneered. “We have you and that means money for us.”

   “But, we’re free Negroes, not slaves. My name is Sam Smith and this is Eliza Smith.”

   The slave hunter’s big frame blocked out the first rays of the morning sun and he stared back with dark eyes, cold as steel. “Don’t give me that, boy! Slaves don’t have last names,” the man lied. “Now, you shut your face or I’ll whip you good.”

   Holding up her work-hardened hands, the humble black woman clasped them together, pleading, “My name is Eliza! That’s Sam!”

   “Look here, you ol’ slave mammy,” the tall man growled through his ugly, brown, tobacco stained teeth. “I as soon whip you as look at you. Sure ain’t gonna listen to yer lies.”

   Shaken by a terrible fear, Sam felt his throat tighten. Swallowing hard he gasped out, “I’m a free man! I’ve papers in my pocket to prove it. Sir, let me show you. Please! You have the wrong folks. We aren’t runaways. We’re free!”

   In a wave of hot anger Graybeard yelled hatefully, “Not now, you’re not!”

    If you are interested in buying the Sarah books for your own family or church library, they are available HERE.

   An audio set of Sarah's Promise is also available! The set contains 5 CDs with approximately 5 hours of audio listening.

     The Sarah books are imaginative and true-to-life in many ways. They are wholesome and a great choice for Christian families. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I have!

Disclosure: I received one copy of Sarah's Promise in exchange for an honest review of this book. No other compensation was provided.

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Aletheia Writing Magazine Review ~ for Christian Teens

9/23/2011

2 Comments

     When I was a little tyke (or, should I say, "tykette"), it was wonderfully exciting to receive a new magazine in the mail that was at our age and interest levels. I remember receiving National Geographic for Kids for several years, and we all really enjoyed waiting for that to come in the mail each month.

     Back then, however, there wasn't this overwhelming inundation of print material and advertising quite like there is today in our day and age. Now, with so much easily accessible via the internet and in print, a person can learn and enjoy almost anything they want in no time at all.

     I still had a hunch that my girls would be thrilled about our family using and reviewing Aletheia Writing Magazine. My girls enjoy writing - which actually surprises me, because no less than five years ago, writing was a much-dreaded subject. One of the girls would get writer's block almost immediately, and the other girl would melt into a puddle of tears.

     After I taught them how to type, and they became proficient at typing quickly, things changed. Over time, they began to love to write! Well, maybe one of them doesn't care for writing that is "forced" or required for some of her school subjects, but she does love to write and create with words.

     I don't think I told the girls that we were going to be reviewing Aletheia Writing Magazine. I decided to surprise them.

     I brought it in from the mailbox and left it conveniently on the kitchen counter.

     Hmm...I wonder how long it would take the girls to discover the new magazine?

     About an hour. Tops. One of the girls began browsing through it, viewing short stories, poetry, and artwork. I heard "oohs" and "aahs" from the kitchen. But I didn't say a word.

     Later that evening, I asked the girls if they had an opportunity to read through Aletheia that day. "Yes!" said one of the girls (Brittany).

     "What did you think of it?"

     "It was great, Mom! It had the kinds of stories and writing that I'm really interested in reading. I liked it a lot!"

     I asked Kelsi if she had flipped through the magazine at all.

     "Of course, Mom! I read the whole thing while Brittany was at her piano lesson."

     I think this would be a very good indication that they really enjoyed reading stories, poetry, and more written by Christian teens their ages!

     Aletheia is the Greek word for "truth" or "unveiling", and it is pronounced, "Ah-LAY-thei-uh." Aletheia Writing Magazine contains stories and poems that can "uniquely unveil or glimpse Christian truths in mysterious, beautiful, or wondrous ways, including but not limited to: allegory, fantasy, fable, nature, or inspiration." (quote from Aletheia Writing Magazine). Aletheia is filled with original literary and artistic work from teens across the country and also includes several unique features.

     I have a feeling that Aletheia Writing Magazine is going to need to be on the Christmas or birthday girl wish lists. It was a hit at our home! I'd also love to see my girls submit a story or other literary work at some point in the future for publication in Aletheia. That would be so exciting!

     If you'd like to preview Aletheia Writing Magazine for yourself, you may take a peek at it HERE.

     Aletheia Writing Magazine also has its own blog site containing additional writing by Christian teens.

     Subscribers to Aletheia Writing Magazine receive four issues per year. The magazine contains 40 pages, in color, on high quality paper. An annual subscription costs $26 in the United States and $29 in Canada, and it includes shipping and handling.

     Read what other TOS Crew members have to say about Aletheia magazine!

Disclosure: I was provided with one hard copy issue and one digital issue of Aletheia Writing Magazine in exchange for my honest review of this product. No other compensation was provided.

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Latina Christiana Level 2 student pages are up!

9/21/2011

2 Comments

     After working for quite a few hours, off and on during this summer, I've finally been able to finish uploading all of the student notetaking pages for Latina Christiana Levels 1 and 2!

     Some of you may remember that I lost a hard drive this last winter, and even though I'd done some backups, some documents and files were lost, including my homeschooling folders. Boo-hoo. Well, with the help of someone online who did some work for me, I was able to get the files back! Now they are uploaded and ready for you to print off for both levels.

     When we were doing the reviews for Latina Christiana Level 2, we decided to do some review games instead of filling out a review form. Because of that, you won't find review pages for each of the review weeks.

     In addition, I'm going through and adding flashcards onto each lesson, although that may take a little while longer to do.

     If you know someone who has been using Latina Christiana Levels 1 or 2, please forward this link to them if they would be interested in using some student notetaking pages while viewing the lesson DVDs, and some practice games and flashcards to work on throughout the week. Thanks!

     If you find that some of the links or pages are incomplete or have errors, please let me know which page it is, and I'll do my best to correct it.

Here are the links:

Level 1

Level 2

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The Shunning ~ DVD review and GIVEAWAY!

9/21/2011

56 Comments

     As a five-year-old, traveling briefly through Amish country with my parents, I began to be fascinated with the Amish.

     At first, I was merely curious about the way they lived without electricity, and the type of transportation they choose to use (horse and buggy).

     As an adult, though, I've become more fascinated by their staunch devotion to their religious beliefs and how they raise their children. I've also learned that some Amish groups use electricity - that some groups are more strict than other groups.

     While I don't know any Amish people personally, I do know some families who live in some ways similarly to the Amish: headcoverings for the women, dark or muted colored clothing, young women who stay home until they are married, very close family bonds.

    The Shunning is a Hallmark film that has now been released onto DVD, and I was honored to be able to receive a copy to watch with my family.

     I'm probably supposed to give you the basic story line, but I feel like that would ruin the movie for you. What I will tell you, though, is that there are secrets in the Amish world, just like in our world. And a long-kept secret begins to be unraveled in a way that is very hurtful and confusing to one Amish family.

    The Shunning is based on the celebrated first novel of the best-selling "The Heritage of Lancaster County" book series from author Beverly Lewis, which has already sold over one million copies.

     In real life, author Beverly Lewis's grandmother was shunned, and Beverly heard bits and pieces of the story as she grew and matured into adulthood. Some of the story may be a part of this amazing film!

     We enjoyed watching The Shunning so much that we took it on vacation with us and viewed it a second time with my parents. They enjoyed it as well! The acting is impeccable, and the story line drew us in like a fish on a hook. Wow!

     This is a wonderful movie to use with your children in explaining how wrong choices and secrets will always be discovered - and have negative consequences.

The Shunning stars Danielle Panabaker, Bill Oberst Jr., Sherry Stringfield and Burgess Jenkins, and it was directed by Michael Landon Jr., who has also directed the "Love Comes Softly" series of movies.

You can learn more about The Shunning at the Hallmark Channel, and on their Facebook page. You can also watch an additional movie trailer HERE.

I've been provided with an additional copy of
"The Shunning" to give away to one of my readers!

To enter this giveaway, you will need to be 18 years old or older. You don't have to reside in the U.S. to enter this giveaway. Isn't that nice? !!!

I'll be using www.Random.org to select a winner on Friday, September 30, 2011 at midnight (Pacific time zone).

1. MANDATORY: Leave me a comment, below, sharing with us something you'd be interested in learning about the Amish people. (This earns you one entry.)

OPTIONAL ENTRIES:

2. Make certain you left me a comment about something you'd like to learn about the Amish (see above, #1). Then, if you'd like extra entries to this giveaway, you may subscribe to my blog via email/Feedburner subscriptions (2 extra entries if you do this! See the upper right hand side of this blog page.) Please leave two comments stating that you are a new Feedburner/email subscriber or that you are already a Feedburner/email subscriber.

3. Follow me using Google Friend Connect for an extra entry. See the right hand column of this blog page to join GFC. Please remember to leave me a comment that you've joined with GFC.

4. Earn an extra entry by "liking" my page on Facebook! (Remember to leave me a separate comment letting me know that you've done this.)

5. And last, but not least, follow me on Twitter for an additional entry to my giveaway. (Remember to leave me a comment with your Twitter name so I can find you later if you are the winner.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for 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. 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.

56 Comments

Review and Giveaway of Jeremy Riddle's new album: FURIOUS

9/21/2011

29 Comments

This summer, I was able to review a couple of Christian music CDs here at Joy In Our Journey. I've also turned down a couple of music CD reviews, because after listening to a sampling of the musician's album, I didn't feel like it was something I could recommend. We all have different preferences, though, right?

Jeremy Riddle's new album,

~ FURIOUS ~

is one that I have enjoyed listening to, off and on - when I remember to put a CD into the CD player, and when I'm ready for music instead of peace and quiet. :)

     Jeremy Riddle is both a musician and a pastor. His #1 goal in releasing this album was to provide a deeper connection between God and Christian believers. I found the music here on this CD to be perfect for personal worship as well as group worship in a church setting. Some of it is upbeat, some of it is low key, and some of it is in-between. I enjoyed the variety of tempos in the songs, as well as the heartfelt, encouraging messages in the lyrics.

     You can learn more about Jeremy Riddle's new album at Vineyard Music's Facebook page, and at Vineyard Music's Twitter page.

     Here's a brief interview and selection of some of Jeremy Riddle's music from his new "FURIOUS" album:

It's time for a giveaway!!!

I have been provided one additional CD album of Jeremy Riddle's FURIOUS to give away here on Joy In Our Journey!

To enter this giveaway, you will need to be 18 years old or older. You don't have to reside in the U.S. to enter this giveaway. Isn't that nice? !!!

I'll be using www.Random.org to select a winner on Monday, September 30, 2011 at midnight (Pacific time zone).

1. MANDATORY: Leave me a comment, below, sharing with us the musician or album title that you enjoy playing when you want to relax or worship. (This earns you one entry.)

2. Make certain you left me a comment about the type of music you like to play to relax or worship (see above, #1). Then, if you'd like extra entries to this giveaway, you may subscribe to my blog via email/Feedburner subscriptions (2 extra entries if you do this! See the upper right hand side of this blog page.) Please leave two comments stating that you are a new Feedburner/email subscriber or that you are already a Feedburner/email subscriber.

3. Follow me using Google Friend Connect for an extra entry. See the right hand column of this blog page to join GFC. Please remember to leave me a comment that you've joined with GFC.

4. Earn an extra entry by "liking" my page on Facebook! (Remember to leave me a separate comment letting me know that you've done this.)

5. And last, but not least, follow me on Twitter for an additional entry to my giveaway. (Remember to leave me a comment with your Twitter name so I can find you later if you are the winner.)

29 Comments

Theo: Cartoon Animation Used for the Glory of God!

9/13/2011

13 Comments

     What if you had an early knack for artistry, design, and cartooning as a child?

     What if you became a follower of Christ in the 1970s, and by 1978 had a dream of a cartoon character named "Theo", who would teach Bible doctrine and God's Word to children?

     What if you worked for Hanna Barbara, Filmation, Warner Brothers, and Marvel Productions, all the while trying to find investors to support your dream of teaching biblical principles to children?

     That's Michael Joens.

     It's taken almost 35 years for his vision of mission to children to come true, but Theo DVDs are now available for families to use to encourage their children (and their neighborhood children) to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

     It is Michaelʼs hope that God will use Theo to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children and adults in every country of the world!

     So? What are we waiting for? Here's a sample of the videos:

The girls and I thought that the Theo video clips were really cute, professionally made, and appropriate for children ages 4-10. The one full episode we were able to watch, "Saving Faith", explained faith in a beautiful way, easy to understand, and in a way that I haven't seen until now in a video for children. While "Saving Faith" was fun and energetic, it wasn't manic like some of the children's Christian DVDs I've viewed lately. "Saving Faith" was so much better! And it is something that I'd love to show other children instead of being embarrassed at its quality or content. We loved it!

The bonus episode, "Good News", has a good purpose, but it's the shortest presentation of the Gospel that I've ever seen. It would be very difficult for a child, or even an adult, to make the proper connections necessary to understand the Gospel in its full form. Even my daughters both immediately commented how they felt like it was a very rushed, poor presentation of the Gospel. Maybe what we saw was just a preview? I don't know. The artistic presentation was beautiful, but there were too many pieces missing from what needed to be shared.

The new Theo DVD, Volume 1, called "God's Love,"
includes Episodes 1, 2, and 3:

Meet Theo, a kind English gentleman who knows a lot about the truths of God's word. Theo is a theologian, and in this episode, he teaches us what it means to have faith. There are many things people can believe in, but not all things are faith-worthy. To illustrate a life dedicated to believing in the right thing, Theo shares the example of Abraham. The Lord had favor with Abraham, and because of his faith he was greatly blessed.
FREE Printable Parent Guide

Luther and Belfry are two field mice that have befriended Theo, and they really want to please him. They usually get mixed up in all sorts of mischief wherever they go. In this episode, Theo tries to instruct the young lads in obedience, and uses the story of Jonah to illustrate the consequences of disobedience, but also to show the many blessings that come when we obey.
FREE Printable Parent Guide

Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do, especially for Luther and Belfry. Theo tries to help his little furry friends understand what it means to forgive and why it’s so important. Theo shares the parable of the “Unforgiving Servant”, and how that story is such a great example of why forgiveness is a special act of love that Christians should show one another.

FREE Printable Parent Guide

Church Curriculum using Theo is available now at LifeWay Christian Stores.

Here's an app using Theo on the iPad and iPod! Visit the iTunes app store and search for "Theo". Inside our free app, you'll find games, activity pages, coloring pages, notes on our episodes, and a chance to watch our upcoming episodes.

You may download free THEO coloring pages HERE.

You can also check out Theo on Facebook!

If you are interested, you can read the Statement of Faith by the creators of Theo.

If my girls were still in the target age range for the Theo DVDs, I'd be buying every single one of 'em! That's saying a lot, because we bought very few movies for our girls when they were younger. The Theo DVDs are artistically professional, entertaining, energetic, meaningful, and deep. The Theo DVDs are also a great introduction to systematic theology for children. I highly recommend these DVDs for your kids!

It's GIVEAWAY TIME!

     I've been given 2 Theo DVDs to share here with you, my readers, on Joy In Our Journey!

     To enter this giveaway, you will need to be 18 years old or older. I'll be using www.Random.org to select a winner on Monday, September 26, 2011 at midnight (Pacific time zone).

     If you'd like to enter to win a copy of the new Theo DVD, here's all you need to do by midnight on September 26, 2011:

1. MANDATORY: Leave me a comment, below, that includes the ages of the child or children to whom you'd like to show the new DVD, "Theo." (This earns you one entry.)

2. Make certain you left me a comment about the ages of the children who will be viewing this if you're one of the 2 winners (see above, #1). Then, if you'd like extra entries to this giveaway, you may subscribe to my blog via email/Feedburner subscriptions (2 extra entries if you do this! See the upper right hand side of this blog page.) Please leave two comments stating that you are a new Feedburner/email subscriber or that you are already a Feedburner/email subscriber.

3. Follow me using Google Friend Connect for an extra entry. See the right hand column of this blog page to join GFC. Please remember to leave me a comment that you've joined with GFC.

4. Earn an extra entry by "liking" my page on Facebook! (Remember to leave me a separate comment letting me know that you've done this.)

5. And last, but not least, follow me on Twitter for an additional entry to my giveaway. (Remember to leave me a comment with your Twitter name so I can find you later if you are the winner.)

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for 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. 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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Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

Find
Joy In Our Journey on:

I'd love to share your product with my readers. If you would like me to do a review and giveaway, just contact me via email and let me know how I can help.

Disclosure: Some content includes links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale without costing you anything extra. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so, it helps to support this site, so thank you!

So, are you getting hungry yet?

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits(makes 14 biscuits)

Does this sound like something your family would eat? If you bake these in your home, let me know what you think, okay?

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever StudyBible Study for children/teens/families!

How did we choose to use this in our own family?

What did we think about it?

Do your children and teens enjoy discussing Bible topics and passages together with you, or is this something that makes them uncomfortable?

A year of Transitions

Transitioning into middle school

Transitioning into high school

Enhancing weaknesses and building on strengths

And now for Project #2: The back storage room.

I've been provided with an additional copy of "The Shunning" to give away to one of my readers!

It's time for a giveaway!!!

​​Hi! I'm Julieanne!You'll find me in the kitchen​trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters. ​

FindJoy In Our Journey on:

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Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
(makes 14 biscuits)

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study
Bible Study for children/teens/families!

I've been provided with an additional copy of
"The Shunning" to give away to one of my readers!

Hi! I'm Julieanne!
You'll find me in the kitchen
trying new Trim Healthy Mama recipes, loving God, and carrying out that love as I bless my husband and teen daughters.

Find
Joy In Our Journey on:

Search
Joy In Our Journey