I love Thanksgiving. Not only for the great food we prepare but the fellowship with family we have! This year my Grandma Starr will be having Thanksgiving with us - the first time in over 10yrs, I think - and that is definitely something to be thankful for! Amanda, Rachel, and I had a wonderful time making up the menu list for everything we’ll be preparing tomorrow. I always get up and want to make all the food in a hurry so we can “get on” with the day, but preparing the food with your family is part of the tradition, isn’t it?

THEME

This week, you guessed it, is going to be about having a thankful heart! Yes, of course, we should always be thankful for everything we’re blessed with, but it’s not too often we actually sit and ponder what. This week please join me in writing 27 things you’re thankful (There’s got to be at least 27things!). I picked 27 because this year Thanksgiving is on the 27th of November.

Also, share a Scripture verse for this week!

Sign your [direct] HM theme link:

MY THEME:

1. Amanda and Rachel, the two other older sisters in the house. I’m thankful for them because not only do they put up with me but are willing to give of themselves in many areas for the family and for me.
2. A computer. I’m often complaining of what a horrible computer I have, but I must say it works far better than not having one at all.
3. My Dad’s job that allows him to come home everyday, though it’s late
4. My afghan from Auntie Christina to keep warm with at night
5. Hot water-hose so we can give the animals a warm drink in the freezing-cold.
6. Peas - we have peas every night because Dad’s really likes them. I’m thankful that we have peas instead of say, artichokes.
7. Freedom from real persecution as they have in China and overseas
8. The opportunity to witness to young ladies around the world
9. Sisterlisa and her family
10. My robe. I love my robe. I wear it everyday
11. Forgiveness when I don’t deserve it
12. Ecards on a gloomy day
13. The ability to stand and move - even if it means I can also clean the house.
14. [fake] Curly hair
15. Dinner every night
16. Being homeschooled
17. LucyLillie’s smiles and giggles
18. Caleb sleeping at 3am
19. Artistic abilities
20. The comfort of family and Jesus when I feel betrayed, over and over
21. twitter, an excellent way to keep up with bloggy-friends
22. That I can bless people, instead of just receiving
23. Two eyes to see, a nose to smell, fingers to type, toes to find furniture, ears to hear, etc
24. Promises of God
25. A heating-system, though I’d love a wood-stove!
26. Lessons God gives me
27. Thanksgiving dinner

Scripture Share

Hebrews 13: 5
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”

I hope you have an absolutely fantastic Thanksgiving! Be sure to take a photo of your table and then check at Growing In Grace Magazine on Thanksgiving Day for a fun linky!

Homeschool News

If you haven’t heard, Dana Hanley of Principled Discovery now has her own weekly online homeschool broadcast-show.

Ann Zeise joins Home School Talk

Join Dana today, for Home School Talk (Monday September at 1PM CST for the week’s homeschool news and an interview with Ann Zeise of A to Z Home’s Cool!  We’ll be talking a little about how she got started homeschooling, her website and some of what went on behind the scenes in California dealing with the recent court decision.
If you can’t make the show live, it will be available at that same link shortly after the broadcast finishes.

GREAT BOOK GIVEAWAY!!

Click the icon to enter to win the latest in the Kingdom Series by Chuck Black!! Also check the Contest page for more contests to win.

Can I homeschool?
Have you heard the concerns from anti-homeschoolers that a parent is not smart enough to teach their own child?  Or maybe that outside of the school setting, there is no way you can provide for the quality education your child deserves? (those of you who know me are probably laughing now…)

Have you wondered if maybe you even *could* homeschool your children? Do the naysayers have you questioning the ability you thought you had to homeschool? Here is an article written by education advocate, Joe Turtel.

Parents Homeschooling Can Take A Lot Less Time Than You Think

[article excerpt] “The numbers are straightforward and irrefutable. The child who attends public school typically spends approximately 1100 hours a year there, but only twenty percent of these—220—are spent, as the educators say, ‘on task.’ Nearly 900 hours, or eighty percent, are squandered on what are essentially organizational matters.”

“In contrast, the homeschooled child who spends only two hours per day, seven days a week, year-round, on basics alone, logs over three times as many hours ‘on task’ in a given year than does his public school counterpart. Moreover, unlike the public school child, whose day is largely taken up by non-task activities, the homeschooled child has ample time left each day to take part in other activities — athletics, art, history, etc…”

Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst, and author of “Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children.” Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel.  Joel Turtel’s site is http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com

*What About the Costs?*
And, homeschooling used to be rather expensive for the Dixon family when I thought I needed every workbook, every answer key and all the supplements, but, hey, I was new and had no one to give me any guidance, so I learned by doing. Wendy at Home Is has some great information for you to find resources for Homeschooling for Free.

I Love to Meet Other Homeschoolers!
She points out that one of the best resources you will find are OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS! I can’t agree more with her. I got to meet ANOTHER HOMESCHOOLER this weekend that some of you may know. Though I only spent a few hours with her chit-chatting at her daughter’s volleyball game, I know she is someone who is very knowledgeable about homeschooling. She was a homeschooling coordinator for years, and was lead to the Lord and to homeschooling by Gregg and Sono Harris! Though I have known Kim Wolf for a couple of years now through blogging, writing together on Home Where They Belong and through our own personal blogs, I was so happy to meet her on Saturday alive and in person! *waves* Hi Kim!!

Gleaning From Friends Online
One way that Jocelyn has created to meet other homeschoolers and glean from their experiences and knowledge is to participate in and read the entries for the new HSBA Homeschool Memoirs Meme! We start a new theme every Wednesday. If you have not gotten a chance to read over the other moms’ posts about Homeschool Memoirs: Agendas and Homeschool Memoirs: #3 Routines, be sure to out-click on the Mr. Linky names and read theirs!

Prayer Requests

Please pray for these families and friends:
Three precious children have gone home to the Lord in the past year that I know of. Please pray for:

Sweet Christian, David and Marsha Drews Family
Raising Arrows
Rachael Kligmann’s Family

These friends are battling cancer and need our prayers:

Tristan Irwin and Family
Adelaine Powell and Family
Sean
Chrissy Mamasmurf

Other Prayer Needs and Lists:
I Am Praying For:
Keep in Prayer

Other Homeschool Interests:

Since this is my post, hehe, I am going to give a plug here for the Homeschool Stuff For Sale I have on my blog. Email me if you need any of it and make me an offer. I mean, even a dollar or two. Or just cover the shipping! I gotta get rid of it! Leave me a comment, send me an email. Info is on the pages.

Also remember to check out the Contests and Carnivals page for the most-recent carnivals and contests that you are sure to want to enter!!

Blessings!!