Fruitbearers

My kids get so excited every year around this time.  Why?  They get to pack shoe boxes!!!  In our homeschool co-op, I annually collect shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child (a project of Samaritan’s Purse founded by Franklin Graham).  These boxes will be given out to children around the world who are living in extreme poverty, in constant fear because of wars/fighting, or in disaster-struck areas.  These simple gifts will brighten up the children’s life with God’s love, joy, and hope.  These shoe boxes are also evengelistic tools; they give local believers the opportunities to tell children about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, through Gospel literature and evangelism programs.   This is a wonderful project to get your kids involved in.  Kids in America have so much to be thankful for, yet many take their plenty for granted.  This is one of many ways we can share with others in need.  For details (including the collection center near you), please visit  www.sama

Oh boy…oh boy…what a fun-filled day we had!  Today we had a birthday party for our boys (one will turn 8 on the 10th and the other will turn 5 on the 11th).  There were 6 kids, 2 teenagers, and 6 adults altogether.  We played "Dinosaur Hunt," "Candy Toss," "Drop a Marker Cap (instead of a clothespin) in a Vase," "Pin (Stick) a Nose (smiley sticker) on the Clown," "Hot Present," and "Coin Search in a Sand Box."  The kids (and yes, my darling husband, too) had a blast playing the games.  In addition,  my forever-young & active husband  played basketball with the kids.  They had a ball!  After the party, some of us played football, bouncy balls, and then badminton until dark.   Parties wouldn’t be complete without yummy treats, right?  Well, we got chocolate cheesecake, white chocolate raspberry ice cream pie, brownie mudpie ice cream, crackers, chips, and gummy worms.  Everybody’s tummy was happy .  We’re bl