Hen and Chicks

* blogger friend school: #19 *

This assignment entails visiting the Make a Child Smile Website, choosing a child or children with a  life-threatening/chronic disease, and send them a card.  Infomation about this organization below:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Founded in May of 1998, by Alexandra Bakker, the Make A Child Smile Organization, also known as MACS, has been a source of support to children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses and their families. Emotional support is provided by creating the opportunity for people to visit the MACS website and learn about the children and their illnesses.

Each month, new children are featured. A picture and biography describing the child and information about their family is published on the website. Hundreds of 'net surfers, schools, service organizations, girls/boys scouts and church groups use the MACS website as a philanthropic project where they can send cards, letters and small gifts to the featured children and their siblings through postal mail.

In December of 2000, MACS was granted tax-exempt status so that it could expand its mission to include fund-raising efforts in order to provide financial assistance to qualifying families for help with medical, funeral expenses or other costs associated with the child's illness.

Our Mission
To provide emotional and financial support to families whose children suffer from chronic or life-threatening illnesses and also give those who visit the MACS website the opportunity to participate by sending mail to the children.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I visited the Make a Child Smile website and how can you not want to help?  The children and I are choosing some of these Urgent Children to send some mail to this week.

Will you please join us?

Choose a child/children that are close in age to your own.  Or better yet, have your children each choose a child to send a card to.

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.  Mark 10:14

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Matthew 25:40

* blogger friend school: #15 *

This assignment is to tell about our buttons.  I don't have any sad or funny stories about my button collection, just the buttons and the very sweet way that I got them.

I actually have a pretty good size collection of buttons, although I collected none of them myself.  They were all a gift from two older ladies in the church. 

One of them, Miss Bea who had been a widow for many years, was cleaning out her house in order to move into a retirement center.  She was having a yard sale, "Come, come over," she said.  So we went.  As I recall my daughter got a sweet handmade cloth rabbit with an apron, I got some kitchen utensils and a purple Pyrex casserole dish, and the boys got a few games.  We stayed to chat and help, and after a bit Miss Bea asks if I sew.  Of course I do.  So she immediately gets up and heads over to a pile -- reaching out, she brought forth a large parmesan cheese container filled with buttons.  "Then would you like these?"  All shapes and sizes of buttons are in there, and the best part is that she said some of the buttons were her mothers' buttons.  Of course I gladly accepted this gift, given with graciousness and joy and received with honor and thanksgiving.   When I got home and looked through the jar, I marveled at the resourcefulness and thrift of the women who clipped buttons and snaps off of old, worn clothing while thinking ahead to the day when a few pennies would be saved by using them again.  Several of the larger buttons still had cloth attached to them and I sat and imagined the elegant or utilitarian coat that at one time held these buttons.  Did the hand that fastened this button do so getting ready for church one Sunday morning just after reaching out and fixing a stray hair or two from a child's head?   The life and stories that the buttons could tell were endless.

The second set of buttons I received were from Miss Betty, another widow who no longer sewed, in two tins, very old, and full to the brim.

I have all of these in their original containers still, because I think that the containers add so much to their story and their charm.  One day, when I am blessed with inquisitive grandchildren, I may put them all in a large jar to be viewed and sorted and counted and enjoyed.  But I'll remember to tell about Miss Bea and Miss Betty, and their mothers and their families from which all these treasures came.

For more Button Tales at Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

* blogger friend school: #14 *

Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly; While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest stillis high; Hide me, O my Savior hide, till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide, O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, O leave my not alone, still support and comfort me; All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring; Cover my defensless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind; Just and holy is Thy name, I am all unrighteousness; Vile and full of sin I am, Thou are full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound, make and keep me pure within;  Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart, rise to all eternity.

Jesus, Lover of My Soul, written by Charles Wesley

For more Blogger Friend School, click HERE.

* blogger friend school: #13 *

This assignment is about my Bible.  Or more particularly:

1. How old is your Bible?    My current Bible is only about three years old.
2. Why did you chose this Bible?     It is a King James Version which I chose specifically after doing much reading about the different Bible versions.   I will no longer use any other kind of Bible.
3. Do you highlight/mark passages in your Bible?      Yes, I highlight and marks passages in my Bible.  I used to have a friend who said she never wrote in hers, that it was a book and she was taught to never write in books - but for me the Bible  the Word of God, living and active.  Just as the Holy Spirit continually opens my eyes to new understanding in its' pages, that discovery is recorded in those same pages.
4. If so, what is your system for marking passages?       At different times I will do word studies and so will go through and mark similar/applicable passages in the same color.  For example, every verse that mentions wisdom is underlined in blue.  A word study that I did on desire and its synonyms covet, lust, imagination, and delight, are marked with differing symbols in red and orange.
5. Do you have notebooks to record things?     No, I do not use a notebook.
6. If so, how many and what do you record?   See above.   
7. Where is your favorite spot to read your Bible?     I most like to READ it, no matter where that may be.  Probably my most cherished time is in bed at night - I meditate on the scriptures and a hymn from my hymnbook before going to sleep.  Another favorite would be in the early morning snuggled in the corner of the couch while I read and look out my window.
8. Are there any special thoughts about your Bible you want to share?   Special thoughts?  Only that I wish I read it more and listened more to the Holy Spirit's prompting in my heart to obey it.  More, I want more of it.  More of its truth, more of its peace, more of Christ.  And to impart that desire for more into my children so that they seek it as gold and find the treasure within to the saving of their souls.   

For more responses to this assignment from Blogger Friend School, visit HERE.

* blogger friend school: 12 *

Updated 1/26/08

Assignment:  Write out some goals that you would like to accomplish.  These goals should include your personal goals, but also goals as a family.   While setting goals, try to write out small attainable rewards for each goal accomplished!

Goals.  Hmm .  .  .   I have so many but I need to list what is do-able and think in terms of something that can be done on a regular basis, chipping away at it, and not the huge things that hang over me.  I think I have it - 

• Send a card to all family and friends who sent us a card in December, including thank you cards for hospitality that was given to us.  -- the reward for this is that it will be done!! This is halfway finished!
• Keep an eye on the calendar so that I will have birthday cards ready to mail for each special friend on our list!   --the reward is being able to bless a friend!  So Far, So Good!
• Work at least once a week in the garage getting it cleaned out and organized.  --the reward is a clean garage that I don't have to be ashamed of or afraid of!  Sick and Rainy this week - didn't get to it :-(
• NEED to sew, for friend first, then granddaughter and then daughter and son.  NEED to sew!!
• Choose one "Hot Spot" a week and clear it out.
• FLYLady!
• Before next week, gather together everything that I need copied - spanish tests, family cookbook, genealogy docs for cousin, etc. - and put in car so that I can copy them Monday.
• Start cleaning and saving (for Father's Day surprise for DH!  shhh!)
• Be more consistent about our meal planning, INCLUDING breakfasts since it is so important for the start of our school days!  Working on this as part of Supermarket Savings 101!
• Memorize 1 new verse a week and read Proverbs daily as a family.
• Spend real individual school-time with each child, daily or weekly.  We've been playing "Who's got the Bug NOW?"  for the past week, but I have been spending time with the child/children that are well ;-)
• Tell my husband I LOVE him, every time I see him! Check!

What goals do you have?  Click here to see others goals!