A Titanic Tea Party with Homeschool Lesson Plan Ideas

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that we have all the time in the world to do fun things at the drop of a hat.

We're all history buffs around here so I try and find creative ways to fit a history lesson into whatever other things we're working on.  I love to incorporate historical facts with Bible truths for fun devotionals for my kids.

A few days ago, we had a Titanic Tea Party.  I made them an invitation and had them dress up in their fanciest costumes.  They all came upstairs and sat around the tea table and I handed them each a character card. 

 I put a picture of an actual Titanic passenger on one side and a short biography on the other.

Avalon was the nurse and stewardess, Violet Jessop.  Lynzie got her all fixed up in her nurse's apron and cap.  By the way, Avalon will be 4 this Friday, March 1st!

Selah portrayed Mrs. Sylvia Caldwell, a missionary who claimed to have heard a crew member say, "God himself could not sink this ship", upon boarding the Titanic.

Elisha was American businessman, Benjamin Guggenheim.  We all agreed that Guggenheim acted most heroically by refusing to take a place on the ship that could be given to a woman.  He went down bravely and in his best clothing.

Michael was Captain Smith.  While the Captain made some bad choices that might have led to the Titanic's demise, he ultimately did the right thing by staying with his ship and taking responsibility for the disaster.

Cainan thought it was pretty awesome to be John Jacob Astor, the richest man in the world at the time---until he found out that Astor, like the other men at the table, did not survive the sinking.

Lynzie had studied the Titanic's history previously so she was familiar with her favorite character, the "unsinkable" Molly Brown and her bravery in trying to convince those on her lifeboat to go back and look for survivors.  Isn't her dress perfect for the occasion?  We found it at a yard sale last summer---love it!

They took turns "introducing themselves" and then I gave a lesson linking up the prominent passengers' actions or attitudes with Biblical truths.  It was a lot of fun and I think it got them thinking about issues like pride, duty, and priorities.

We used this set of Abingdon china that my mom gave me.  I believe it was put out in the 1960s.  

We love to use it for Lynzie's birthday tea parties, as well as whenever we have special guests.  I figured the Titanic passengers would enjoy a little "Grape Kool-Aid Tea" and banana bread.

It was a great party and a fun learning experience.  See the pretty doily under the bread plate?  Elisha made that for me last weekend.  I love it!


Thanks to the girls at NextGen Homeschool for featuring this post

This post was also published in The Christian Home magazine, Issue #118.

I hope you'll join me for this week's Homemaking Linkup.  I love to feature some of the neat posts that are linked up so please make sure and put my button or a text link on your blog so you'll be eligible to be featured!




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Here are a couple of my favorites from last week's linkup:

Melody at Countrified Hicks shared her easy recipe for Pumpkin Muffins using a Spice Cake mix.  I can't wait to try it out!

This article on The Benefits of Fresh Air got me craving a brisk walk outside!  Visit Healthy Body Equals Healthy Mind for inspiration. 

Thanks to everyone for the great posts!  

Now for the linkup.  Please remember to return the favor by adding my button or a text link to your post.  Have a great weekend!



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Hope In Every Season is on Facebook!  If you like what you've read here, please follow me and keep up with the latest posts.

  

Teach Us to Number Our Days

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it's own things.  Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble."  ~Matthew 6:34

This morning I woke up, stretched, and did what hundreds of thousands of other Americans also did this morning...

Checked the IRS website for my tax refund.

With sleepy eyes and arthritic fingers I clumsily Googled search terms like:

• Where's my 2013 refund?
• What day does IRS direct deposit refunds?
• What time of day does IRS direct deposit refunds?
• Why do I not have my 2013 direct deposited refund yet?

Let me stop right here and acknowledge my mother who is thinking, "Sarah, you just need to be patient.  God will work it out and everything happens for a reason.  It will come when it's supposed to come."

But I've got things that need taken care of!  Oh, and by the way, I need them taken care of now.

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1  (There's another shout-out to Mom...Beatles' #1 fan!)

Isn't that the way we all think at times?  How quickly we forget that no matter how much money we have in the bank---or supposedly on it's way to the bank---God is still, and always will be, our provider.

Instead of counting the days, I need to make the days count.

It's not just the anticipation of tax refunds that cause me to pace the floor and foam at the mouth.  I am an equal-opportunity worrier.  In addition to my lack of patience in this area, let me point out some other things that I don't like waiting on:

• My husband's job applications to be reviewed and employers to call
• The final days of a pregnancy that seems will never end
• The beginning of a pregnancy that seems will never come
• My kids to go to bed so I can do something alone

Did I just write that last one?  Yep...I'm nothing if not real.

Wow! What time is being wasted!
So much interaction that's not really happening.
So many distracted responses that have no meaning.
So little engaging.
So much missed.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."  ~Psalm 90:12

This article was published in Issue #103 of The Christian Home Magazine.

  Hope In Every Season is on Facebook!  If you like what you've read here, please follow me and keep up with the latest posts.

Linking with:

Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Legacy Leaver Thursday @ Leaving a Legacy
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Desire to Inspire @ A Royal Daughter
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Open House @ Bernideen's
Thoughtful Thursday @ Found the Marbles
Essential Friday @ Essential Things Devotions 
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Or So She Says...
Show and Tell Saturday @ Sassy Little Lady 
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Courtship Connection
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
Domestically Divine @ Far Above Rubies
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
Tending the Home Tuesday
The Bliss Project Linkup @ Grace-Full Intentions
Wisdom Wednesdays @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers

Chocolate Vanilla-Mint Fudge

You might be surprised to know that St. Patrick's Day is my very favorite holiday!  There's no one big reason why, in fact I'm not really sure myself.  I have happy memories of the St. Patrick's Day festivities in my hometown and I love all things Celtic---maybe I just love having another excuse to make treats.  Ha!

I've been writing a series called Great Grandma's Kitchen where I feature recipes that I've found in the big box of cookbooks and recipes that once belonged to my great-grandma and great-great grandma.  They're treasures for sure!

Recently, I was looking through a recipe box, trying to find something chocolatey to show off, and I came across several versions of the same recipe.  Most everyone is familiar with "Magic Fudge"---the kind where you just mix up chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk---melt it, chill it and eat it!  Well, according to grandma's recipe box, this one has been circulating for awhile under a couple of other assumed names!

This Nestle® version from 1957 is called, Safety Fudge, and involves melting the chocolate chips over hot water (double boiler method) to make it "safe" for children to make.  The tag line invites moms to "let junior chefs make it" and suggests adding peanut butter, nuts, raisins, Nescafe®, or gumdrops.  Gumdrops?  Well...maybe.

A little later version is called 12- Minute Magic French Fudge and was put out by Eagle® Brand.  What makes this one "French" is beyond me, but maybe they were playing to a '60s fad.

Here's my version.  Maybe someday my great granddaughter will be sharing it with her friends!

Chocolate Vanilla-Mint Fudge

2 c. chocolate chips
2 c. white chocolate chips
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. peppermint extract
green food coloring

Line the bottom of a square pan with wax paper (I used an 8 inch pan) and set aside.  Place the chocolate chips and half the can of sweetened condensed milk in a bowl and microwave/stir until smooth.  Pour into the pan and spread evenly.  Place the white chocolate chips and the rest of the milk into a bowl and microwave/stir until smooth.  Add peppermint and food coloring, stir well, spread evenly over chocolate fudge.  Use a knife to swirl parts of the two fudges together for a pretty design.  Refrigerate until firm then place on counter until it reaches room temperature.  Run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the fudge out onto a cutting board.  Remove the wax paper and cut into squares.

Linking with:

Happy Homemaker Monday

The Art of Homemaking
No Place Like Home

Inspiration Monday @ Your Homebased Mom

Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday 

Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom 

Living Proverbs 31

Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy 

A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success 

Making Your Home Sing Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
Our Home of Many Blessings

Origami Owl Giveaway

I'm happy to introduce Patricia from A Taste of Something Unimaginable, who is teaming up with Origami Owl, to bring my readers a great giveaway!

Here's what Patricia has to say about her experience with Origami Owl:

A Giveaway Event Brought to you By

A Taste of Something Unimaginable

and Owlcharmyou.origamiowl.com

Welcome to the Owl Charm You giveaway event. For a while now Origami Owl has been making amazing necklaces that are built to tell a story. Completely personalized to describe your life. I had seen pictures of these necklaces floating around on Facebook, but I did not know just how many charms there are to choose from. It took me forever to go through all the charms because I just couldn't decide on one! There were so many cute charms that could have described something about me. Once you actually receive the necklace you open the adorable box and you actually put the necklace together yourself. I was worried about this at first but it is actually really easy and fun.

The independent designer who worked with us for this giveaway event was Leslie Rhoads, and you can purchase your own living locket from her website http://owlcharmyou.origamiowl.com!

Now on to the good stuff. One lucky winner will receive a gift card to make their own Origami Owl necklace! I know you all are as excited as I am about Origami Owl. 

You can win it from the rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kleenex Softness Worth Sharing #SharetheSoft #CBias

According to Kleenex®, hands are "only as clean as the towel used to wash them."  Isn't that the truth?  When Lynzie and I went shopping for Kleenex® Hand Towels at Walmart today, we were on a mission to find a few items to help prevent germs in our home this flu and cold season.  You can read more about our shopping trip in my Google+ album.

Unfortunately, our store did not carry the bundle packs we were looking for, but we did find this pretty box of hand towels very easily.  While we're not going to be able to afford disposable hand towels on a regular basis for this family of 11, it's good to know we have this easy option during a time of year when illnesses spread easily.

Kleenex® Hand Towels are great for the kitchen, utility room, and bathroom, but I think we'll use ours in the bathroom most often.  We don't have anywhere to keep the box in the kitchen or utility room but it looks great on our bathroom counter!

In addition to our hand towels, Lynzie and I picked up a few more things to help fight the battle of the bacteria in our home.

One of the very best things we can do to fight germs is to use a good hand soap regularly.  We chose one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom.

Old shower curtains harbor a lot of bacteria so we bought a new pretty one for Spring.

It's also important that our cleaning tools are in good shape.  I use a new toilet brush every time I clean the toilet.  At less than $1 each, this is an expense I'm willing to deal with for the sake of keeping things less germy.

Kleenex® has been a trusted brand for me as long as I can remember.  I rely on the good quality, affordable price, and large selection of products Kleenex® provides.  I'm glad to know there's a trusted alternative to bacteria-friendly cloth towels when I'm worried about germs being spread in my home.

Connect with Kleenex®:

Kleenex® at Walmart
Kleenex® on Twitter
Kleenex® on Facebook

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Kleenex® Brand Tissues.  All opinions are honest and are my own.  #CBias #SocialFabric



#SharetheSoft

Cinnamon Almond Biscotti

 On Valentine's Day I received this beautiful book, Afternoon Tea Parties, from my BookCrossing birthday buddy.  I'd had it on my wish list for awhile so I was thrilled to receive it!

Today I made a batch of the Almond Biscotti that's featured in the book.  I've made biscotti a few times in the past and every time it has been really easy and has turned out well.  This recipe was no exception!

Next time, however, I think I'll add some cinnamon.  Although that probably wouldn't go well with my favorite Twinnings Peppermint, it would be a good addition to this delicious recipe.  I'll write out my version for you here in a minute.

Jamie bought me this beautiful cup and saucer for Christmas the year we were in Mount Vernon, Washington.  I just love it and it's a special keepsake from our favorite part of the world (so far)!  This was the year that I told him just to walk into an antique shop and buy me whatever caught his eye.  He did SO good that year---ha!  In addition to this pretty set, he also bought me a gorgeous antique plate with ribbon slats for hanging, a set of Lefton candlesticks from the 1950s and a piece of paper money from 1776.  Very awesome.  My mom gave me the spoon a few years ago for my birthday---isn't it pretty?  I love stuff like this---can't get enough!

Anyway, here are the markings from the set.  I've not had time to look it up yet but anything bearing the letters, E.N.G.L.A.N.D., in that order, has my heart!

Here's the recipe I'm planning on using next time I make almond biscotti.  Hope you have a blessed day!

Cinnamon Almond Biscotti

2/3 c. flour
2/3 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. slivered almonds

Heat oven to 325.  Stir flours, cornmeal, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in egg mixture and almonds, and stir together.  Knead a few times to form a sticky dough (add some water if needed).  Shape the dough into a flat log (about 9x4x1) and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 min until golden.  Remove from the oven and cool on counter for just a few minutes.  Move to a cutting board and slice the log into pieces about 1/2 inch thick.  Arrange them on a baking sheet and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden and desired crispness. (I like mine a bit chewy).  Cool and enjoy!



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MyMemories Suite Giveaway

I have had so much fun this afternoon playing around with my MyMemories Suite scrapbooking software!  

A friend of mine has been trying to get me into doing digital scrapbooking layouts but I haven't really taken the time to learn.  I decided to sit down with the MyMemories software today and see what else I could come up with besides a regular scrapbook layout.

The kids and I are having a Titanic tea party here pretty soon so I decided to make them a cute invitation announcement.

I like that I can save portions of the layout.  This will come in handy for making matching scrapbooking templates.

I was able to customize size, colors, patterns, fonts and embellishments to create this cute card.  The software's extensive Help Menu was useful a time or two and I really appreciated the "undo" button.  Knowing I could undo anything I created really allowed me to be free to experiment with my card until I got it just how I wanted it. 

I was also super excited about the vintage-look embellishments I found when browsing through the selections.

Would you like to win your own MyMemories scrapbooking software?  Enter below via Rafflecopter.  One winner will be drawn February 25th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was given a copy of the MyMemories Suite software to review.  All opinions are honest and are my own.

Linking with:
Sundae Scoop @ I heart nap time
The Creative HomeAcre Hop
What's In the Gunny Sack?
Inspire Me Monday @ Create with Joy
A Round Tuit @ Creating My Way to Success

A Return to Loveliness @ A Delightsome Life
Cottage Style Party @ Lavender Garden Cottage 
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home
Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday
Tutorial Tuesdays with Hope Studios
Courtship Connection
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What Is Good 
Domestically Divine @ Far Above Rubies
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife

Wisdom Wednesdays @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays 
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Inspire Me Wednesday @ MamaBuzz
What's Working Wednesday @ NextGen Homeschool 
Watcha Work-Up Wednesday 
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants 

Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Homeacre Hop 
Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits @ Stone Gable  
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six 
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home 
Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 

Thrifty Things Friday @ The Thrifty Groove
Inspiration Friday @ Dear Creatives
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm 
Essential Friday @ Essential Things Devotions 
Friday Free For All @ Young & Crafty
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ TT&J 
Family Fun Friday @ Moms and Munchkins 

Beverly's Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Or So She Says...
Show and Tell Saturday @ Sassy Little Lady 
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors  

Greeting Life with an Unveiled Face

What is glory?  Do you have a good definition?

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." ~2 Corinthians 3:18

What is this "unveiled face" Paul talks about here?  

In previous verses of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about the glory of God shining on Moses' face (take a minute to read the chapter---it's only 18 verses long.  Here, I'll even give you a link).  After the glory that came over Moses when he met the Lord face to face, he had to wear a veil so the children of Israel could look at him.  

However, this veil also covered the fact that the glory was passing away.

Some people think this represents glory.

2 Corinthians 3:14-15 says this about the children of Israel:  "But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart."

A veil was on the hearts of the children of Israel and it's on the heart of everyone who is blinded to the truth of Christ---the fulfillment of the law that was originally given to Moses.

Is this glory?

Those who are in Christ have been unveiled and are able to be changed from "glory to glory".

We read histories of great men like Moses who did mighty things for God and we feel ashamed or disappointed that we're not great like they were.

We are forgetting about passages like the one above which tells us we are able to do even greater things for God than Moses did.  We can become more and more like the same image of Christ as He grows us from one glory to another.

Even Christ said, "he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;  and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." ~John 14:12-14

Have you been lied to by the enemy who wants to steal your confidence?

Or how about this one?

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Whatever the challenge, we can be sure that God will strengthen us to meet it, courageously and confidently, as we allow ourselves to be transformed into the same image of Christ.

What do you think is a proper definition for glory?  Let me know in the comments below.