This past weekend was my 8th grade girls Bible Study Sleep Over. I love these girls!!! We have the best discussions and their unlimited energy inspires me and reminds me that I'm... getting old!!! LOL!!! I would have loved to stay up past 4am (unfortunately, Michael was awaken by lots of squealing, laughter and noise!) and not feel the repercussions of that choice for the last couple of days...!
I'm thankful we were able to spend some time over the weekend with our friends who were in the area visiting from noCal. The time we have together is always too short. But, it's better to have a little time together than none at all, right?!?
Michael has been learning to sound out his letters and I'm so excited that he's beginning to read and learn some sight words!!! It's amazing to watch him sound out the letters to make the word he's trying to read!!! He has always loved to spell and write, so I'm looking forward to helping him learn to read all by himself. We are using Dr. Mary Mantz Simon's "The Hear-Me-Read Bible" and he LOVES it!!! I highly recommend anything Dr. Mary Mantz Simon!!!
I love the updated version of Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton with Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh. It includes her personal thoughts on the ups and downs of her newfound celebrity status, some journaling from her days on the set while shooting the movie on her life (Soul Surfer is out in theaters everywhere!), more pictures and updates on what she's been up to in the last five years, etc.
I just finished Departures by Robin Jones Gunn (the rediscovered stories of Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen before they meet!) and Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott. It's a new series called The Saddler's Legacy and you'll read my reviews on both books in the May edition of Five Star Books & More by the Reading Mom newsletter. I'm currently about to start Robin's and Tricia Goyer's book, Praying for your Future Husband which is the next book I'm using for our 8th grade girls Bible study. Upstairs, I'm trying to find time to read Meg Moseley's When Sparrow Fall. It's a fascinating story so far! And, I've yet to finish Ted Dekker's The Bride Collector. I can only read it in the daytime (I'm too scared to read it at night!) and lately, I've been more busier than ever with yearbook, an exciting fundraiser dinner show, housing repairs (not that I'm personally involved in fixing anything...that would be way too scary to contemplate! I'm just making the calls and setting up estimate appointments, etc.), church things, etc.
I burned my hand while trying to retrieve a muffin tray of carrot & pineapple cake bites. As I look at my newly acquired burn scar (shaped like the metal bar in my oven!), I'm reminded of the verse in Isaiah 53:5. The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole."
As Easter gets closer, I want to read and re-read this chapter from Isaiah. Isn't it remarkable that we live because He died? Thank God for the Resurrection!!! Glory Hallelujah!!!
