Friday, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas 2020!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours 🎄





And our Christmas Letter...


Our reflections on 2020…  


It’s quite wild that Renita and I would experience such unexpected beauty at this time. It was miraculous in the situations that kept happening…ones that we were powerless to orchestrate ourselves. 


We enjoyed supernatural favor and stayed in a “never-before-available” beautiful lodge-room due to a rare opening at Hume Lake for our wedding that was truly a treasure of treasures, complete with some amazingly dear friends who were miraculously able to come from different parts of the country on VERY short notice. A number of people said it was the prettiest place they’d ever been… What a gift it was to bless others so greatly on our wedding day!


Our wedding spot at Hume and our private “reception area” were nothing short of miraculous with perfect weather and near smokeless-ness in the midst of the worst  wild fires in history across California.



We miraculously experienced the blessing to be “officially" married at Yosemite Chapel (where Don’s dad was married) there in Yosemite Valley where we felt the Lord was saying we would be married months before, but we got it at a fraction of the cost, complete with pictures, lots of sweet fellowship, prayer and laughter… and a very special friendship with the pastor.


On our honeymoon, we were given a beautiful lodge room in Yosemite Lodge (complete with a fan) instead of a dismal cabin. We were given an unasked for gift  - the best place at the breathtakingly beautiful Awanee Hotel in Yosemite to eat our prime rib dinner when the restaurant was closed..probably one of the prettiest places in the world to eat together under the stars.


We escaped a miserable “cabin” in Tahoe with no fee and miraculously stayed at the extraordinary Fireside Inn, complete with wonderful weather, a spectacular sunset Lake Tahoe bike ride, a beyond belief room and an amazingly sweet patio spot to read together.


We "just happened" to be at Tahoe at the exact same time as my brother and his wife, Ken and Jen, and were very blessed by their company and a delicious dinner in a really wonderful place.


And there is sooo incredibly much more.


Through fire, plague and drought, we experienced the lovingkindness of God in ways so powerful that we were–and are - stunned. 


I remember how just weeks before I met Renita (that too is ridiculously miraculous), I gave up the hope of ever experiencing Jacob’s reaction in scripture where the greatest thing he could ever imagine happened–Joseph, his beloved son, was not only alive, but also ruler over the known world– he would not only see him, but also live with him and his family the rest of his life.


The Bible says , “Jacob was stunned.” (Gen.45:26) Though we had both given up hope of experiencing anything wonderful again, God brought the reality of this verse back with goodness so great that it completely stunned both Renita and I – overflowing to the extreme.  


Life is full of wonder and surprises” We saw this phrase carved on a log bench in Idyllwild shortly after Renita got the word “Wonder” from the Lord for our year. To make sure we didn’t miss His message… the Lord placed 20x15 foot billboards to remind us as we drove away with the word WONDER prominently displayed.




No word more characterizes our year than that very word! WONDER. God performed wonder after wonder of extraordinary unexpected beauty as we walked into what He had for us. It was–and is– the most astonishing journey either of us have ever taken. 


It has been deeply given as a gift by the Lord of Wonder.

“Oh Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you, I will give thanks to Your name, for You have worked wonders, PLANS FORMED LONG AGO IN PERFECT FAITHFULNESS.”–Isaiah 25:1


We pray this for you this upcoming year - God of Wonder - move again and again….  

  

 Don & Renita 


Monday, December 14, 2020

Our 1st College Grad!


The UMHB Spring 2020 Graduation was a bit delayed due to COVID, but FINALLY, we got to cheer like crazy for our Summa Cum Laude 4.0, Double Major BA!







They re-enacted their first "Parent's Weekend" pose!  So proud of these roommates that worked so hard and made a friendship for life. 

On to that Master's degree (another graduation coming soon!)
 

Thursday, December 10, 2020

It's beginning to look like Christmas...

 We had a wonderful escape to Big Bear Lake, CA!  Have I mentioned that I love living in 2 states ❤️


The mountains, cooler temps, and Christmas lights made the perfect introduction to the Christmas season... I can't wait to go back!















God is Good!

Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com: A TOS Crew Review Sneak Peek!

Free Product Received


Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com


I'm back for another great year!  Here's a sneak peek to one of my favorite resources - the
Ultimate PreK-12 Annual Membership from SchoolhouseTeachers.com!  



This is a fabulous resource for grades K-12 - with over 450 self-paced courses, it's a "one stop shop" for everything you need to homeschool!


In addition to scope and sequence lists, and well-designed lesson plans, they have a full video library and World Book resource sections.  Drive Thru History (a long time family favorite!) is included in your subscription!



The Lesson plans are well organized by grade and subject.  The Electives section is one of my favorite places to find what my high school students need!


Need help with planning?  The Planning Tools will help get you organized and streamline your record keeping.



Be sure to stay tuned for my upcoming FULL review!


Find SchoolhouseTeachers.com on Social Media:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/SchoolhouseTeachers/ and https://www.facebook.com/SchoolhouseTeachers
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Hashtags: #hsreviews #schoolhouseteachers #homechool #onlineclasses #allinonecurriculum #homeschoolonline #homeschoolcurriculum #onlineteaching #digitallearning

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Beautiful Ballerinas

 

Covid delayed our spring Ballet... but, my beautiful ballerinas were able to do a recorded performance of Cinderella.










And Chloe finally earned those much coveted Pointe Shoes!  I'm so proud of their hard work and dedication ❤️










Thursday, November 26, 2020

Turkey Time 2020

 It's that time again... the Annual Turkey Coloring Contest - 2020!




From Cinderella to Medusa...






Guess who... the bride and the "ball and chain" 😂






Minions and Van Halen Turkeys





Madelorian and Bat Man were represented!




Yes... Turkeys do wear pointe shoes!


And... OUR WINNER - The Nurse Turkey!



Happy Thanksgiving - from our table to yours ❤️




Friday, November 20, 2020

Extreme Home Makeover- CA Edition

We're having fun doing our own version of Extreme Home Makeover!

Our first project - our upstairs room.  It was a dark, chocolate brown with a hunter green bathroom and not-so-new baby blue carpet.  Definitely, a product of a bygone fashion era 😂





It's a HUGE room, with great lighting and a delightful cantilever bay window area... built, by my talented husband!

BUT, it needed a serious update to be Bentz Girl ready (and a future AirBnB space!)

So... I armed my team with paint brushes, rollers and a couple of cans of "Navajo White" paint and off we went!

We also learned a new skill for our transcripts... Luxury Vinyl Tile floor installation!

I am so giddy at our finished product!!




A quick...but transforming, ceiling paint - followed by a bathroom overhaul, and we have an amazing, fresh new look!




Isn't it amazing what a couple of cans of paint and some good old "elbow grease" can do!






Thursday, November 19, 2020

8x10 Plaque Print & AmazingName Print Activity Sheets from CrossTimber: A TOS Crew Review

 Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way


8x10 Plaque Print & AmazingName Print Activity Sheets from CrossTimber



Looking for a great, personalized gift this year?  Well, look no further - the 8x10 Plaque Print & AmazingName Print Activity Sheets from CrossTimber make the perfect, personalized gifts for everyone on your list!

I was super excited to see what CrossTimber  has to offer... I've been delighted with our past products and you can read our previous reviews here and here.

CrossTimber  has been researching names to find the most encouraging meanings for over 15 years.  They offer dozens of fun designs and products like plaques, cards, bookmarks, coffee mugs and even music boxes to feature that very special part of you, your name. My children have loved having these personal treasures!

The ordering process is easy... the hardest part is choosing from the wide variety of designs!  Simply visit the online ordering page, browse through the many options, and pick one that fits your style.



For our 8x10 Plaque Print  I chose the "Couples Sunset"  - this multi-name plaque arrives as a beautiful 8x10 print, ready to frame with multiple names and their meanings printed in full color.  

I chose this special gift to commemorate my recent marriage.  It's easy to order, just follow the prompts and enter the names.  My print arrived carefully packaged with sturdy cardboard to keep it wrinkle free and ready to frame.

This print features a the ocean (my favorite place!)  with your names in the sunlight, and reflected in the water. The meanings of the names are translucent and hovering above the sandy shore.



I love it!


We also got to see the new - AmazingName Print Activity Sheets.  For this one, I knew exactly which one of my kiddos to choose... our princess, Esther.

Once again, ordering is very easy, all you need to do is enter their name and select how many sets you want. 


This set is great for ages 3-12 and comes printed in color with over 25 pages of fun activities.  When you order by mail, they also email you a printable PDF that you can use over and over.

The activities are a variety of fun and educational.  From simple handwriting practice to complex word searches and detailed coloring, there something for all ages.  After Covid leaves, this would make an excellent travel activity to keep them occupied!

When our package arrived, she got right to work. These are a great way to give them something new to keep busy with, and they get to see their name displayed over 80 times throughout the set!



The pages were a great mix of just-for-fun activities like coloring (her favorite!) and some fun ways to practice skills, like math crosswords and handwriting practice (both in print and cursive styles).


Several different levels of word searches - these got most of the family stopping by to search as well as fun mazes and crossword puzzles.


These were a huge hit, with the holidays right around the corner, they would make excellent stocking stuffers and gifts!



Be sure to check out the the bookmarks and name cards that the Crew has been reviewing!




Find CrossTimber  on Social Media:

Facebook: www.fb.com/meaning.name
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/crosstimber

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