A Few Drawing Assignments

We do artwork for homeschooling and one of the activities is drawing. This year, I have been making up some specific assignments for them and here are a few of them.

This first assignment was:
Draw a tree with at least 2 other items in the picture, for interest.

These are the drawings. 

The kids have different drawing levels and interests and I am so pleased to see them improve their skills. I do not want to have them all do the same thing.

 This tree drawing was done very nicely... I love the various methods of shading he used... and the details... even the type of bark he put on the tree. I think it is important to keep challenging their skill... they know I love their work... but I want to keep teaching them more and leading them to discover more also. :)

This is a culmination of teaching various techniques and I love how it all comes together. Their work has changed much over the years and it was very simple in the beginning. If you haven't taught drawing, please don't be intimidated by it. There are books at the library or homeschool fair... and online. Start simple... praise their work... make suggestions... enjoy their learning... draw with them(they love that!).... and more.

I like the rocks... the way the water flows down over rocks. There are so many details here that lead the eye to keep looking. Obviously, he is very good at noticing details and being able to put them down on paper. By the way, this son rarely looks at something to draw it... most ideas are stored in his head from things he has seen before.

The other pictures are in no way less important because of this emphasis.

This son enjoys designing houses on computer... and would love to have architectural training. Will learning drawing just be a waste? No. By they way, a few of the techniques he uses so nicely... are things I didn't teach him to use....  opening the door to learning allows them to keep learning on their own. :)

 This assignment was simple: Draw a door.  I love how they did these... the stairs and railing on one, the door panels, the windows, welcome mat,  shadowing, doorknobs, and more. 

I have been asked why I would push my children to draw better than they do since they already do well. I think it is important to continue to learn and to use the skills God has given to us. I do not want to build a spirit of pride into my children, and I do want them to develop their skills more and more.... and it is happening.

This assignment was to draw a close-up picture. Sometimes they are frustrated by such an assignment and would rather I say to draw a specific thing. One chose a book, one dominoes and one part of a car.

By the way, these are currently hanging on our pantry doors... it has been such a blessing to use these doors to display such work as it allows my husband and their older siblings to see what they have been doing. :)

This assignment was to draw a country scene.... and again, I love the details... a bird on a fence post, a wagon wheel, doors, barbed wire on the fence, and more. 

As we come to the end of our school year, I have given them their last drawing assignment for the year. The assignment is to draw a garden path. Sounds simple, doesn't it? I wonder if they will have stepping stones... or plants... or an arbor... or bushes.... maybe a fruit tree.... so many possibilities.   I look forward to seeing what they come up with.

I think drawing is very beneficial to our children, whether they ever get a job using it someday or not. I took art classes in high school and have loved being creative and using art. I was offered a scholarship through art, but  chose not to use it because when we toured the college, the only realistic art I saw, was a statue of a naked woman. This was a time when abstract art was so popular and I really didn't care for it(and I still don't). My art teacher was very disappointed in me and said I was throwing my life away, but I felt that God had a different plan for me and I am so glad I followed it.  I have used art so much in teaching, in homemaking, in letter writing, in decorating, in rag painting, in mixing paints, in repurposing items, in gardening, in cooking...  and more. The art I have learned and the creativity God built into my brain... haven't been wasted... they were just used differently than my teacher thought they should be. 

The fun thing is to hand our children ways to develop their skills.... then sit back and see what God will do with them. :)  He does have a wonderful plan for their lives.  Thank you for visiting my blog today.  :) 

UPDATE:

 I am so excited that Son #3 is now working with me to illustrate my book! We are working on the cover and his drawings will be on the cover of the book when we publish. I am working hard to get everything done to get it in print. Exciting and overwhelming too! :)   





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Saving Money-Part 2-Grocery Shopping

In this series on saving money, I will be addressing a variety of subjects. Today, we are going to address grocery shopping. This is just a collection of ideas that have worked for me... I am not saying this is the way everyone should do things. :)

The price of groceries has been increasing and yet, we all need to buy groceries. I have a large family and we use a lot of groceries each week... what should we do?

Over the years, I have adjusted my systems to work with what is available to me, and I think that is something we all have to be aware of. Years ago, I kept a big coupon file... in a plastic shoebox... and it went to the store with me. I saved lots of money that way because a store in my area had buy-one-get-one free sales AND double coupons on coupons up to 99c. Wow! When that store chain pulled out of our area, coupons weren't that much help to me, so now I rarely use coupons.

I also used to do lots of rebates and I kept good records on it... I saved a lot, especially when coupling rebates with coupons and buy-one-get-one-free deals. That worked great and my husband was really impressed, which is always fun! :)  Now, I rarely use rebates anymore... and that is okay.

 I live in the city and within about a 7 mile radius, there are 5 grocery stores and I get their ads each week. There is also a Walmart, but I think their prices are too high, so I rarely go there.

I peruse the 5 ads and make a grocery list... that list consists of what is ON SALE and what I might be interested in buying.  I will not actually buy all that is on the list... this is just to give me an idea of what is on sale that week.


 You will notice that I list ground beef on the list under more than one store.... I really wanted to buy some ground beef this week, if on sale, so I was watching for it. It has been so high in price and we haven't bought much lately, so I was hoping to get some. It was on sale at a few stores, but which one is cheapest? That's where the list really helps.


 I also do not just reproduce each grocery ad on my list...  I am only watching for things I might be interested in buying. Most things on the list will not actually be purchased by me. What does the list mean? On the list, I write the sale item, the size, the price and the limit, if there is one. I also write down if it takes a store coupon.. and what page of the ad has that store coupon.

So, how do I decide what to buy and what store to visit? It depends on several things: 

-Will I be near a certain store?

-Are there several items I could use at that store?

-Is there something I really need at one of the stores?

-Will there be a special sale that makes it worth going... and I can buy other things there also?

I do not go to 5 stores in a week... in fact, I usually only go to one store a week, and some weeks, I don't go to the store at all.

This week's list showed cheese on sale.. we have been wanting cheese... for homemade pizza. The prices were similar and knowing we were having unexpected company and homemade pizza was what I planned for supper, I had my husband and son do a run to store #3 to get cheese. I also had them buy bananas, which were not on sale, but we use them in kefir smoothies. 

On that same trip, they also went to store #1, which wasn't far from the other store... and I had them get hamburger. The price is not as good as some of the other stores, but those stores would be having sales on it only on the weekend. We were having company the next day and while my cupboards weren't bare, I was out of many things needed for various meals, so I just needed enough for this time with unexpected company and I had my husband just get the little one pound package. One nice thing about going to store #1 was that they had strawberries on sale and I was able to create a dessert for our company, with what I had on hand, because they bought the strawberries for me.  Luscious Strawberry Layered Dessert
 

 By the way, that trip was a rarity for us... we do not usually "run to the store" for something... that can wreck a budget very quickly. In an upcoming post, I will share where I got the money for that impromptu grocery trip... it is funny... and a blessing from the Lord. :)  

On this list for Aldis, you can see that the Roma Tomatoes and Peppers have a note (Mexico?). What that means is that we need to check to see if it is a product from Mexico. I do not buy products from Mexico because of pesticides and more. The sad thing is that MUCH of Aldis produce, at our store, is now from Mexico. I do a bulk of my shopping at Aldis, usually, but may have to re-think that at some point. I realize items from Mexico may be cheaper, but it is not worth it to me, to ingest more toxins in doing so and sabotage my family's health.

I tend to plan my meals based on what is on sale... instead of buying what I need to make a meal. It actually saves quite a bit of money to do this.

We've all heard the tips on grocery shopping: don't go when you are hungry as you buy too much, take a list, and more. 

I would add:
-Watch the expiration dates... 

-Take a calculator and figure the  price. Don't trust the pre-figured unit pricing listed on the sign at the store... I have found some of them to be wrong. It helps to do your own figuring.

-Bulk buying is NOT always cheaper... use the calculator. I have found this to be true at Cosco and Sam's Club also. I do not have a membership at either and I would not spend the money for such. I did get a free pass a couple of times and so I checked it out, but I was quite disappointed. What I found was that if I watch the sales in the regular grocery stores, I could beat the price on about everything I checked. I concluded that buying a membership and buying foods there would actually COST me money, not save it. 

-Check the clearance meats, if they have them. Those $1 and $2 off stickers on a package can help much... If it isn't that great of a cut of meat, maybe cooking it in the crockpot will make it better... and you save money.

-After holiday sales are a good place to stock up on candy, if you use that. I have bought such and used it to make cookies... or to save for later in the year. This will NOT work if you are tempted by it. I have a big old popcorn tin where we keep such items...  they last for a long time. What a blessing to pull out a fun treat for the family a few months later... a treat that was bought for a very small amount. 

-Avoiding the packaged items will help save money. Packaged dinners and mixes usually cost more. 

-Building a pantry is a good idea... when canned goods are on sale, buy a few and tuck them away. The same is true for other things that will last. I also do this with butter... butter is so expensive again... when on sale, I stock up. It helps to get to the point that the pantry has a supply of foods... just remember to regularly add to it as you use them. 

-Watch the prices as the cashier rings things up... be sure you are charged the sale price and not the regular price. Also be sure the prices you are charged are accurate. I have seen stores who do not have the shelf price and the cash register price coordinated.

-If you buy clearance items that are marked down, be sure they are charged that way. Especially when the item will have to be scanned twice to do the discount... 

-Buy things your family will eat... something that will go to waste, won't be a good deal.

-Maybe try to introduce some new food or recipe that saves money, once in a while. If it is accepted, keep using it... if not, don't use it anymore. You may find some winners, though. 

-When something is on sale at a good price, I stock up. I will budget money to do this so that I can spend extra on the weeks where there is an especially good sale... other weeks, I underspend, so that I can save that money for when I need it.

-When there is a limit on a sale item... like a limit of 2 per customer... I know of many people who give their kids money and put them in a line... or go through a different line to get lots of items that way. I choose not to do that... because to me it seems dishonest, so I abide by the limits and trust the Lord to provide for us. I don't say that to heap a guilt trip...that is just what I feel convicted of the Lord to do... you will have to decide for yourself. The reason I bring this up, is that I have heard people push others to bypass the limits... and say that is the way to save money. Please don't allow yourself to feel pushed into doing something that goes against your conscience. God is our provider... and He will provide...

-Group trips together to save on gas... I try to go to the library and grocery store or do other errands, all on the same trip. It saves gas money...and it also saves time. 

-Taking a snack and a bottle of water can keep the blood sugar stable and allow you to have energy to shop for a longer period of time. If I don't do this, it is easy to feel I just HAVE TO BUY A SNACK NOW...... my energy fails and I can tell I NEED a boost. Even if I do buy something, it doesn't help a lot and my productivity is done for that trip. Plus, I have just wasted money on a short term snack that I would not have chosen to buy if I wasn't desperate for some nutrition. Thinking ahead really helps this problem. I like to carry some raw almonds and raisins in a baggie as that can help stave off the fatigue.

So... grocery shopping is something we all have to do... It is important to figure out what works for you. Most of you probably don't have access to 5 stores, like I do... and that is okay. I rarely shop at 2 of these stores, but include them because once in a while they have some good  deals.

If you only have one store to choose from, you can still watch for sales or clearance items... and maybe it would be helpful to buy some items on line and have them shipped to your home.  Maybe a once or twice a year trip to a larger area to buy staples would be helpful. We tend to do this for trips to the Amish store which is 100 miles away from us... when I go, I buy 50 pound bags of flour and oats, I stock up on spices and bulk items. I combine such trips with a trip to see family... or a day trip.

I have been learning to save money for several years.. and I didn't learn it all at once... and not everything I learned still works. Being flexible is a good idea....  and if you can implement one idea to save money, that is great... use what works for you and don't compare yourself to others. I like to remember that God is the One who meets our needs.. He gives us all we need and I am thankful. I hope you are too.  Thank you for visiting and if you have additional ways of saving money on groceries, I would love to hear about it in the comments.


Saving Money Series:

The Number One Way I Save Money!

Saving Money-Part 2-Grocery Shopping

Saving Money-Part 3-Buying Used


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Beware of the Lovely Wisteria!

I have LOVED the looks of Wisteria... what lovely flowers and how romantic it looks with the cascades of beautiful blooms.

I have never been very close to a plant, but decided it would be so nice climbing up the side entrance to my back garden, so when Aldis had them last year for a great price, I was excited and bought one.

 It was only a small plant that didn't look anything like these pictures... in fact, it wasn't even growing yet, so it was just a stick in some growing medium.

I had visions of these lovely purple blooms.. and my mind moved ahead to all of the wonderful pictures I would take with this in my yard! Oh, the backdrop for pictures of my girls.... or family pictures.. or a tea party. :)

The masses of flowers appeal so much and I was so glad that I would have my own.... right here. :)  

Well, that little stick sat in its box for a while and after growing a bit, it started to languish. I so wanted it to grow and thrive, so I took it out and planted it.

About that time, I decided to look up some information about the plant.. I needed to know more of how to take care of those beautiful flowers. I do lots of research, and I realized I hadn't done any yet on this plant, but had just read the label on the box from Aldis.

The more I read, the more concerned I became... and finally realized this may not be a plant I want to have after all.

It is toxic... I hadn't known that... and the label didn't say anything about it.  I also found that once it starts, it twines its way over fences and frames... and trees and bushes and yards and up the house... and it can be very hard to control. I really didn't want a plant that would need constant pruning or be poisonous.

 I read that they can grow to be 250 years old in China and that Marco Polo brought seeds from China all those years ago, which was interesting. 

Those beautiful flowers still appeal to me, but I was SO GLAD to check on my little plant... and find it dead! 
Whew.... I am so thankful it didn't take off and take over my garden... or poison children who visit... or my son's dog. I never thought I would be so glad to lose a plant... but I am.

It reminds me of how sin can be.. tempting and beautiful... but it will soon take over our joy, our walk with the Lord, our peace and contentment. That's why it is important to root out any bit of sin... even the "little" stuff. I want to honor my Lord... and I want NOTHING to do with sin... of any kind.  I also want to have good fruit in my life... and I want to walk as God intends me to walk... in the little and the big things. I am so thankful to know the Lord... and to walk with Him. 

So, is Wisteria a "bad" plant? No... but it won't find a home in my garden... because I have enough to do and don't need something that needs so much care and attention... or has the danger attached to it.

If I had done my research before I bought the plant, I wouldn't have spent the money on it and I will be more careful to do that in the future. 

I will still enjoy Wisteria... like this one that was in someone's yard.. it is so beautiful, but I am very thankful that my plant died and I won't be spending the next few years trying to keep it under control and feeling overwhelmed by the invasive nature of the plant.

Thank you for visiting my blog today... and if you have a Wisteria plant, I hope you are enjoying it and taking many photos. :)  If you are thinking of getting one, you may want to do some research on it first.  I hope you have a wonderful week.  :)  

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The NUMBER ONE Way I Save Money!

We live quite frugally... and we have a large family... a family that eats A LOT. :)  We also have 2 girls and 4 boys... and the boys tend to use up their clothes SO much faster than the girls do, which results in more expense to replace jeans with the knees worn out and other worn out clothing. 

We do a lot of laundry here... we have traveled much for surgery for Son #2 several years ago... and he needed lots of medical supplies that the insurance didn't cover, and there have been many other financial drains.  All that to let you know that I am being real when I say that we have made a tight budget work. 

I have had many people ask me "HOW can you make it?" "What is your secret?".  There are lots of little things I can, and do, tell them... things that have helped me save money, but those things ARE little things... they add up, but they aren't big. I have thought it through to try to figure out how we are able to save or not spend money and that is what I want to share in this series.

I have been asked, many times, to share how we do this, so I am starting a series on Saving Money and this is Part 1.  I think sometimes when people ask me this question, they are wanting a quick 2-minute magical answer that will solve all of their money problems and allow them to buy whatever they want.

Saving money is important... my husband works hard and I do not want to squander what he makes and what God provides.

 

There are so many ways to save money... to make the money stretch further.... so many things that contribute to staying within our budget. Some of them are bigger than others... and some of them are very little by themselves, but all together... it works.

It's really not a magic thing... there are some methods to it, but nothing really big... and probably almost anyone can save some money with a few changes, unless they already live very frugally.


So.... the Number One way I save money is: I have decided....
 To be content with what I have.

  You may be thinking, "What?? I wanted practical tips...  I don't want to change anything."  Okay... I do understand...  and I will be giving practical tips also.... but seriously... being content with what we have, really has saved us more money than ANYTHING else!


 I told my husband I was writing this Saving Money Series and that this first post was to be about the #1 way I save money. I asked him what he thought number one was. He immediately said, "Going to garage sales."  That certainly does save a lot... but when I told him my thought was that being content with what I have is the biggest help, he quickly agreed and was totally in favor of that as number one. I appreciated running it by him and having his approval on it in case I had missed something.

 You probably wonder how just being content could be that big of a deal. 

We usually have a garage sale about twice a year... and we get so many of the same people every year that we enjoy catching up a bit with them. :) They have watched our children grow up during those twice a year visits. We have tried to show Jesus to them... and God has ministered to us and to those who come. Some of our "regulars" have died, some new people have become "regulars".... but there is a sense of meeting our friends at our garage sale. :)

 

We had one lady who came to every garage sale... and she always bought a LOT... not such a huge dollar amount, but she bought lots of stuff. We LOVED seeing her come... and she was so friendly too... we enjoyed it. We always helped to load her car and we wondered why she bought so much... she never told us. The last time I saw her a few years ago, she also bought a lot of stuff, but she had my husband and sons help her to pack it into the trunk so her husband wouldn't find it. I encouraged her to not buy the stuff if he would disapprove, that we shouldn't try to deceive our husbands, but she laughed and said it would be fine.. he wouldn't see it right away. I felt so sad... and grieved over that. I know that many people find their happiness in things... and I suspect she is one of them. There is no real happiness in that and I suspect her marriage is in big trouble... if she is still even married... and I am sad for her and her family.
I have seen people pay WAY too much for a hoodie while with friends... because friends were putting on pressure... or the person wants to measure up to those friends I have seen people go into debt to be admired.  I have seen people lose their homes and their families because of a love for things or something more than they have. 

We are given many messages of looking out for ourselves.....  getting what we want....  not being satisfied.
I have seen people who feel they will never be good enough because they can't afford the things other people have or go out to eat or do other entertainments. I have seen people who are perpetually disgruntled and think no one likes or respects them because they can't buy all of the latest things. What terrible lies we sometimes choose to believe!


There is something very freeing about not trying to "keep up with the Jones' "   When we decide to accept what God gives us and be thankful, we can stop comparing... stop looking to see if my stuff is as good as "theirs".... we can  relax and  enjoy those blessings without always wanting more or better. We can stop feeling deprived.

Years ago, I started to pray about the things we needed ... and I kept a Garage Sale Prayer List .  You can read it here if you like:  My Garage Sale Prayer List   I learned to wait...  and God provided... or helped me to do without the item. :)  I saw Him provide so many things that were just what I wanted or needed.... He still does that.  I have also determined to wait for Him to provide... whether for free or cheap or after He allowed us to save enough money..... and I learned to be open to the idea that He might say "No" and would give me the grace to do without it. 

We live in a middle class house and neighborhood...  we drive vehicles that are 12-15 years old... we get much most of our furniture used... also clothes, books, household items and more. We have nice things... and we have things we would like to replace... when God allows. :)  I don't want to live my life feeling grumpy for having to do without a new refrigerator or stove or whatever... I will not stay grumpy until I get it... NO, that is just plain sin...  I am choosing to be content. and I recognize that we are greatly blessed. We have so much to be thankful for.

That means that if money is too tight, I won't get my hair cut... or I will do it myself. It means that if money is tight, I won't buy cheese or peanut butter or whatever isn't a necessity... but I will be thankful for what I do have. 

 Lest this sound frivolous, we have had times years ago, where there was no money for groceries... and a bag of groceries given kept us from going hungry. Even then, the mac and cheese in the bag was made with only water... no milk or butter since we didn't have those at the time and no money either. We were thankful, although I would never choose to eat mac and cheese that way!!!  

It means that I can make do with what I have...  like the people who lived through the Depression, say....
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. 
I would add that we can be thankful while doing it.

So, anyway... are there areas where you could learn to be content with what you have? Maybe you already are and reading this makes you feel guilty for wanting a new stove or something you really need. By the way, my stove recently started having trouble... it has 4 burners, but the 2 large ones and 1 small one no longer work or they don't work correctly. With a large family, we are down to only 1 little burner!!!  I would REALLY like to get a new stove and that is okay, especially since we also figured out that the oven isn't heating right either.  Guess what is on my prayer list?  :)  We have used it this way for 2-3 weeks, but my husband has now said we can get a new one... we just need to find the time to shop for one.  There are things that SHOULD be replaced.  If you are interested, you can read about that on this post:  Frugal? or Cheap?  

We live in a land of plenty... and compared to most of the world, we are very rich in material things....  so why do we feel we need so much more? How many more new things would it take for us to be... happy? Those things will never make us happy.... since it always takes... a little more... and there is no real satisfaction in things. Things can be nice... and enjoyed... but they do need to be kept in perspective... we are to USE things, not LOVE them.  
 
Food for thought... Are we thankful for what we have? Are we content? 

Thank you for visiting my post today... and I will be sharing practical money saving tips in future posts. I hope you will visit again and I look forward to reading your comments.  :)






Saving Money Series:
The Number One Way I Save Money!

Saving Money-Part 2-Grocery Shopping

Saving Money-Part 3-Buying Used


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God Feeds the Birds... a Bread Stick? :)

We know that God feeds the birds of the air....  

This time, He used a Little Caeser's bread stick to feed them. :)

 We stopped at Little Caeser's Pizza and while some in the family went in to buy the pizza, I watched the birds. These sparrows were eating... and fighting over... a breadstick on the pavement.

Now, that bread stick is pretty large compared to those little birds... and it seemed that they could share, but they fought over it.

When I first saw the scene, there was only one bird at the bread stick... but others came quickly, so I can understand the one sparrow defending his "find".

 There was much movement as they pecked at the bread and tried to pick it up.

 This went on for a while... back and forth. They were able to eat a little, but wanted the whole thing. 

All of a sudden, one of the birds picked up the whole bread stick... and flew with it. I wish I had gotten that photo, but it happened so quickly. It sure looked funny to see that little tiny sparrow flying with that long bread stick.

 After carrying it over, the bird stayed in that spot to eat the bread... all alone.... with no competition.  

Actually, just before we left the area, I saw the sparrow on the right in the picture above, turn and start to walk toward the bread stick again,  so I assume to battle continued.

It was entertaining to watch and I'm glad we saw the little drama that played out in the parking lot that day. I am reminded of what God says in Scripture....

"Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."  Matthew 10:31

I hope you have a great week... and if your heart is heavy with burdens, I hope you will remember that God values us more than those sparrows He continues to feed. May we walk faithfully with Him this week... and learn to trust Him more.  Thank you for visiting my blog today. :)

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Polycarp-Movie Review (Trailer included)

Recently, I was at a screening of the new 2015 movie, Polycarp, by Henline Productions. Before I went, I knew that Polycarp had been a real person killed for his faith in the early A.D. years, but I didn't know much more than that. I wasn't sure what to expect, but figured it wouldn't be entertaining, and rather would be educational... and probably difficult to watch.

I am SO GLAD I watched this movie.... what a blessing it was and my life will not be the same since watching it. The amazing faith and bravery displayed... the trust in the same God I serve...  the changes God can make in a person's life..... all impacted me greatly.

Though it isn't specifically an "entertainment" movie, it gripped my attention from the very beginning. I felt involved in the story from the start... and my heart was touched. There was adventure, intrigue, family, love, betrayal and more.

We were concerned about having our youngest daughter there... the movie is rated PG.... but though it was not an easy story to watch, we were not sorry she was there.


Polycarp Movie - Official Trailer     (Click to watch the trailer or watch below)

The movie is not available in theaters or on DVD yet... but it is being offered for screenings in churches right now.  This is how I saw it...  our church hosted a screening and invited the community to come. Our church did such a nice job of it... they had a large screen for showing it... the windows were covered and they had little battery candles on the floor to light the aisles. If I had thought of doing this post at that time, I would have taken some pictures that night... but I didn't and all of the pictures I am using have come from the Polycarp movie website. 





If you are interested in having a screen showing at your church, you can go to the website
 Polycarp Movie  .  On the website there is a page for churches and you can fill out an application. I think the pastor of the church can watch the film online to see if this is something he would like shown in his church.  From what I understand, there is not a set fee for showing the movie in your church... they just ask that you take an offering and send it to them. (You can find out more by going to the website.)Our church asked the members of our church (ahead of time) to give an offering, but the night of the movie, there was no offering taken since this was being done as a community outreach.


The money is being raised to get this movie into the theaters... it is a  worthwhile effort and I hope they are successful, which is why I decided to write this post. I also find that if I do see a movie, which isn't very often, sometimes I like parts of it and am disappointed in other parts. I feel that I can wholeheartedly endorse this movie-it truly is a blessing. 

By the way, that night at our church, after the movie, there were free snacks provided down in the fellowship hall... popcorn, Skittles, juice and cookies. It was simple, but wonderful also... and people stayed and visited for quite a while. We had the snacks afterwards because drinks and foods are not allowed in our sanctuary. The only reason I am telling what our church did is to give an idea of how this could be done in your church if you wish to do this, but don't have any idea of how to proceed or plan; however, it doesn't have to be done like this at all.  It turned out to be a wonderful event and I am so thankful to have been there. If you know of people who may be interested in this, please tell them about the movie... or send a link to this post. It is good to encourage those who put out good movies like this..... there are so many bad movies out there...and what a blessing when the good ones are produced.

So, if you get a chance to see this movie, I encourage you to do so... and I hope you will be as blessed by it as I have been. I look forward to reading your comments about this.  I would also love to hear if you have already seen it.  Thank you for visiting my blog today.  :)

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