Encouraging Kids' Bible Study Ideas with Buddy Box #growkidsfaith #FamilyFaith #familybuddybox #PMedia #ad

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Lifetree, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #growkidsfaith  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

The Coller Kids had a super great time last weekend playing and learning with their new Buddy Box package. Buddy Box is a monthly subscription for kids that gets them excited about growing their faith and relationship with the best buddy of all—Jesus. Each box features a lesson, games, projects, and more, all centered around a Biblical theme.

Last Friday night, Cainan got the first look at the box and prepared a lesson for his younger siblings. They spent a couple hours learning about overcoming fear in a Biblical way through stories, music, games, and crafts. 

The Buddy Box came with more ideas than he had time to use in one lesson. He's super excited to do more with them this coming week. As a parent who doesn't promote Halloween, I love it that this lesson is geared toward addressing the subject of fear without bringing up the "holiday". It gets harder by the year to find Christian materials that really are promoting a Biblical message and this first introduction to the Buddy Box subscription was encouraging.

Some of the kids' favorite activities featured chattering teeth, a rubber chicken, and this canvas bag decorating project.

The kids wrote out one of their favorite verses, Joshua 1:9, and then decorated this bag with scenes that remind them to have courage and faith.

The slime pot was also a big hit! 

With our busy schedules, it's so important to make lessons on values and faith a priority. The child-led Buddy Box helps parents make memorable connections with their kids and gives them ideas to discuss Jesus and the Bible in ways that make sense and gets them excited about the things of God.

Buddy Box makes sure kids will be inspired to be creative in their play. Avalon was so inspired, she made up a joke: 

Q: "Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?" 

A: "So he could streeeeetch his legs!" 

bwahahahaha!

Visiting with Jane Austen's Family in Chawton, Hampshire

It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by since Lynzie and I got back from England! Now that I'm preparing to go again here in a few weeks, it's occurred to me that I've never shared much from our trip! Today I'll give you a little peek at our visit to Jane Austen's home in Chawton, Hampshire.

Jane Austen's House Museum is full of items that belonged to the family, as well as pieces that are similar to what they would have had in their home. This is Jane's writing desk---probably the most photographed item in the house!

Jeremy Knight, fourth great nephew to Jane Austen, is usually on hand to answer questions and tell stories. He was delighted to see Lynzie dressed as "Aunt Jane" and even had a staff member come in to listen to her play piano in the parlor.

After we'd finished visiting the house, we took a walk up to the Chawton Manor house. On the way, we passed these men replacing the thatch on this house. I'd never seen this process before so we stopped for a couple minutes and my friend, Frances, explained it to me. Look how sweet the trim is along the top!

Here's Lynzie with Chawton Manor in the background. They weren't open for tours that day, but Mr. Knight called ahead to give permission for us to tour the grounds. 

On the way back down, we stopped at the church on the estate and visited the cemetery. Some people are uncomfortable in graveyards but Lynzie and I think they're beautiful and peaceful. Doesn't she just look like she totally belongs there?

Here are the gravestones for Jane Austen's mother and sister. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral. She was moved from Chawton Cottage to Winchester shortly before her death, in hopes that doctors in the city could provide effective treatment.

I won't be going back to Chawton this year, but my husband has agreed to (finally!) come with me next year so I'll be sure to make Hampshire a priority stop on the tour I set up for us!

Hope everyone's having a great week. I'll be back with more England photos, as well as an update on my dress-making progress, tomorrow!

The Homemaking Party

Hello from (finally!!) rainy NW Arkansas! 

On Father's Day, we discovered our cat, Guinevere, was pregnant---and in labor! (Observant bunch, we are...) She had her kitties the next day, but we had no idea where she hid them. Well, early last week Selah discovered one who had come up to eat with mama. A few days later, Michael and Selah discovered there were actually two! The next day---four!! Ha! 

The kids are wanting to keep them all, of course. I'm considering maybe ONE. We'll see...

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party!

In Which Steampunk Alice Hosts a Book-Themed Tea Party #MadTeaParty

As a child, Alice had her fill of adventures in Wonderland. Now that she's all grown up, she's ready for more excitement, traveling through time and space.

For this year's Mad Tea Party, Time-Traveling Steampunk Alice traveled through history to gather her best literary friends and brought them all back to 2016 for a book-themed summer tea party.

The friends all sat down to sweet treats, tasty drinks, and some fun reading. I think Alice had a little too much fun when choosing book selections for her friends. Prissy Charlotte Bronte was absolutely scandalized when she read the details of Jane Austen's Letters!

Jane, never one to worry much about what people think of her, just shrugged it off saying, "Hey, it was the 90s!" 

Miss Austen did get nostalgic when she noticed her tea cup featured the same Blue Willow pattern that her family used in their home in Steventon when she was growing up. "How thoughtful, dear Alice," she remarked.

When Alice asked Miss Jo March of Little Women fame if she was enjoying the party, she said, "Of course! There's books!" Rebel Jo asked for lemonade over tea---and Alice was happy to oblige.

She was especially interested to browse what Ms. Alcott had written about her future in, Jo's Boys, but she was careful not to read too much---spoilers!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz's Dorothy Gale amused herself at this corner of the table with a copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales.

Bookish Belle spent the entire time just like this---with her nose in a book. Belle is somewhat of a time-traveler herself as some researchers believe the Beauty and the Beast story to be over 4,000 years old! No wonder she's such an avid reader---she's had a lot of time to enjoy the best works throughout history!

Sweet Laura Ingalls was the youngest at the party---I'm surprised Pa and Ma let her come along. I guess Time-Traveling Alice can drop her back into history a short time before she left and they'll never know she was gone!

After the party, the girls gathered outside for a group photo before Alice took them all home to their proper places in history. What a lovely idea for a tea party, Alice! Goodbye, friends!

**Would you like to see more from Steampunk Alice? Visit my daughter (and character model) Lynzie's blog for her Mad Tea Party featuring several Steampunk friends!

Be sure to check out my parties from previous years:

Mad Tea Party 2015
Mad Tea Party 2014
Lynzie's Steampunk Alice Party 2016

This is just one of many Mad Tea Parties going on this weekend in Blogland! Check out the whole list at A Fanciful Twist to see what else Alice has been up to!

The Homemaking Party

Are you ready for a Mad Tea Party? It's not long now until Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist opens up her lovely blog to host the 9th Annual Mad Tea Party!

Would you love to be a part of the fun? Visit Vanessa and sign up to join the party. Then put up your post by July 23rd and link back with her to let everyone know you're participating.

I can't wait to go visiting and see what everyone's got to share!

My Mad Tea Party 2015
My Mad Tea Party 2014

Thanks for joining the Homemaking Party. Hope you're having a great week!

Why I Won't Shut My Mouth

One of the most difficult things for me as a growing Christian has been to find the point at which I shut my mouth. Many people have issues with opening their mouths...but for me, I process things the best when I'm discussing them with others. Unfortunately, I've learned that not everyone is interested in being as bold with their points of view and it's made for some discussions that have turned into unhealthy debates.

Oftentimes, I feel like I'm defending myself and my beliefs and I wonder, is this what Peter meant when he said we should be ready to give to every man an answer for the hope that's in us? Is that only referencing spreading the gospel or does that also apply to the ways in which we live out our faith?

We hear, "live and let live"---but then Titus 2 lays out the plan for women to influence one another---so how are we to live that out if we're always minding our own business?

A few days ago, a friend told me on Facebook that she appreciated how I shared thoughts and convictions without pointing the finger or making others feel bad if they don't share my point of view. Another friend said even though she and I have many differences in philosophy, my posts really made her think. That is so so so hard to do, let me tell you, and I get it wrong more often than I get it right.

I'm often tempted to shut my mouth and just worry about myself. People say that talking about something on Facebook or in other social media (or even in person!) is worthless unless you're willing to put action behind the rhetoric. That may be so in some cases, but it's not always so---and "action" doesn't have to mean leaving the ministry you're called to in order to make a difference somewhere else. Sometimes intelligent people need to begin intelligent discussions. Sometimes moms share their strong convictions with their children who go out in the world to be history makers. Sometimes writers give life to ideas that doers can run with.

These are just some things I'm thinking about today. I'd love to hear your point of view!

The Homemaking Party

Welcome to The Homemaking Party! Today we're celebrating my husband, Jamie's, 37th birthday! When he gets off work tonight, we'll have ice cream sundaes and presents. Everyone is super excited! Happy Birthday, Jamie!

Thanks for linking up at The Homemaking Party!

Will Bake for Produce: Zucchini Recipes

Thanks so much to my mom, Christy, for guest posting today!

barter: to exchange things (such as products or services) for other things, instead of money.

Bartering is something that has been done for hundreds of years, though it seems to have faded out in the last couple of generations. I think this practice of bartering would benefit a family, especially a large family. This is an excellent way to save money. Do you have friends or neighbors who would like to barter? I am lucky enough to say I do!

My husband's co-worker has a huge beautiful garden, but limited time, as she works lots of hours at her outside job. I was not able to put in my garden this year, but being a stay at home wife has allowed me plenty of time to bake and cook.

This sweet lady has been sending all kinds of wonderful fruits and vegetables home from work with my husband to gift to me. In return, I have been making delicious baked goodies and snacks for her and her family. With the price of groceries the way they are nowadays, it is a win-win situation for all!

Yesterday this lady sent me a gigantic zucchini, corn which had been shucked, blanched and wrapped to freeze, and two jars of pickles! She must have had some extra time this week. I was pleasantly surprised.

Today, in return for her generosity, I made several loaves of zucchini bread, which I will happily share. This is the zucchini bread recipe I have been using since 1975!

Zucchini Bread 

3 eggs 

1 cup oil 

2 cups sugar 

2 cups grated zucchini 

3 tsp pure vanilla extract 

3 tsp cinnamon 

3 cups flour 

1 tsp soda 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 cups of chopped walnuts 

Beat the eggs, oil, and sugar. Stir in zucchini, vanilla, and cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients and stir in. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350º for 1 hour. Remove from pans, cool and wrap overnight.

Ours usually does not last over night, but I will have my husband deliver to his friend tomorrow.

I also made fried zucchini to have with our lunch today.

Fried Zucchini 

Slice zucchini into 1/4" thick slices and dip in an egg wash. (Egg slightly beaten with milk or water) Roll in flour and fry in olive oil until brown. Salt and pepper both sides while frying.

I still have enough of my giant zucchini to grate and freeze for winter baking! What do you have to barter with this week?

60 Days 'til England!

Look what came in the mail last week! It's the 2016 Jane Austen Festival programme---so excited! This year, our tour begins in Manchester---from which we will go on to York, seeing the former home of Lord Byron; and then Haworth, to visit the Bronte parsonage. After that, we'll be off to Bath---stopping off at Warwick Castle along the way. We'll spend three nights in Bath and attend the Jane Austen Festival. We'll attend the annual costumed promenade and a Regency ball that evening. I'm planning to stay on in Bath a couple days longer to visit some of my favorite places, attend church at Bath Abbey, (I'm making friends there! Ha!) and spend time writing.

I'm so so looking forward to this trip and will be planning and starting on my costumes very soon! I'll be sure to update you all when I begin sewing.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Our New House

Whew! Where have I been? Well...about a month ago, we got notice that our landlord wants to sell the house we were in so we had 30 days to relocate! Not a small feat with 11 people! It's hard to believe that was really four weeks ago, but God came through and we are now settled in a much bigger, roomier, comfortable, and updated home. Isn't God great?! This is our new home, above. Same town, same zip code, even. In fact, we're just directly across Lake Avalon from our last house---so our Avalon Grace didn't even have to leave her special lake!

There are a lot of things that I really love about this house. One, is this set of cabinets in the hallway upstairs. They're just right for storing our games, school materials, and my crafting things.

You may remember that I just set up a reading room in my old house. Well, look how pretty my new reading room is! I love it!

On the other side of that room, we've got our dining table and school area. I'm absolutely loving all this space!

Today I was out in the yard and discovered this rope swing hanging above a brush pile. Hmm...better get that cleaned up soon so the kids can enjoy it.

Something else that's kept us busy these last couple weeks is Michael's mission trip to Ecuador! He returned Saturday night and he's a changed boy, let me tell you! Thank you to all who invested prayers and money to make this a reality for him. He's already talking about next year's mission trip! Here are some things he brought us to decorate our new home.

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party! I've been missing you all and can't wait to see what you've got to share!

How I Created a Little Spot for Conversation in My Home #Folgers #ad

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've always functioned on the mentality that a comfortable home can be made with a little organization and a whole lot of pretty. Recently I made over a corner of our home to give my husband and I a place to sit and visit away from the TV and video games. It's a great place to chat and have tea or a cup of Folgers Instant Coffee.

Jamie is a coffee aficionado and loves to try new roasts and flavors. Still, there are times when he craves a good cup of black. Folgers is a great alternative that can be made in an instant.

I've always wanted my home to be a great place to offer hospitality to guests. However, a few years ago, I started really thinking about making my home a peaceful place for offering hospitality to my family---the ones who actually live here!

It's neat the way this little corner came to be. I told a friend I was looking to replace my couch and a week or so later, she messaged me to let me know her neighbor was upgrading her living room furniture and had a couch for me. She offered to deliver it, since she has a truck, and when she went to pick it up, the friend offered this recliner and rocker, as well! With just a little rearranging, I was able to make a spot in our school room that's just perfect for reading, writing, or having a quiet talk.

Oftentimes, Jamie and I have just a few minutes to sit and chat before it's time to serve dinner or take the kids to an activity, so I like to keep our corner of the house free from the kids' toys and books. That way, we can spend our short time in conversation and catch up on one another's days. Before he gets home from work, I have the kids clean up any messes Daddy might encounter on his path from the front door.

With a comfortable place to relax, Jamie can enjoy his instant coffee---and his family---before we all jump back into the busyness of big family life!

Do you have a comfortable spot in your home for a quiet chat? I encourage you to get creative and see if you can carve out your own peaceful corner. Also, check out these Folgers recipes for some inspiring ways to dress up your coffee.