Make It Dutch

As I mentioned in my WIWW post on Wednesday, I want to introduce you to my beautiful friend, Kamilla, who lives in Texas! She has recently started a business making and selling headbands. These are so cute and stylish, you guys, and I want to help get the word out for her.

And now, here's Kamilla . . .

Hey guys! Thank you so much for checking out Make it Dutch. My name is Kamilla Musser. I am a wife and momma!  I have two incredibly sweet little girls, McKoy and Kambry. They fill my life with lovely little messes along with joy, excitement, and tons of giggles! God is growing and changing us daily and we are so thankful for what He is doing in our lives. 

McKoy and Kambry absolutely love to dance. Now, I come from a family with a long line of athletes.  So when my daughter wanted to dance, I didn't really know what to do. Our desire has always been to embrace what she loved and God showed me shortly after that it was a God-given talent that He alone instilled.  At first, our headbands were born from necessity. Being dancers, we needed something comfortable, sensible, and cute of course; something that fit, that wouldn't pull out hair! I've always loved to create and things really just began to fall into place.  It wasn't long until I was making them for friends and family.  A business?  I have always prayed that God would provide a way for me to help provide for my family while doing something I love and I believe He's done just that!  So here we are with Make it Dutch!  

 I believe Make it Dutch is a long answered prayer that came about all in God's timing. Therefore, Make it Dutch wants to give God all the glory for this little adventure! As a family and business we have a real heart to help provide for others as God has done for us.  Forget Me Not Ministries in Romania and Servants of Hope Costa Rica are two of the ministries God has opened doors for us to support and we are excited about what future doors will be opened!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

The name Make it Dutch is a simple childhood memory that takes me back to being a little girl, when life was simple and silly! There is more to come with Make it Dutch, and I can't wait to share it with you!

Kamilla with her husband, Ty . . .

And their adorable girls . . .

Go to the Make It Dutch Facebook page. Like her page and then take a look at all the great colours and styles she has been hard at work making for us!

Here is our modeling session with some of these fun headbands!

This one that Ava is wearing (and later, that Emma wears) is the Blue and White Stripe Knotted Turban style . . . 

Maya is wearing the Batik Wire and Emma the Dark Gray with Metallic Gray Dot Wire . . .

Maya in the Black Wire (there is also black in the Knotted Turban style) . . .

Black and Red Floral Wire . . .

Gray on gray wire again (the same that Emma was wearing above), this time modeled by Ava . . .

And I guess we like our headbands "flat" on top, but this shows another way to "knot" the top. The wire is so versatile!

Head over to Make It Dutch on Facebook now and place your order! Kamilla is all set up with PayPal. And for those of you not on Facebook, leave a comment below along with your email address if you are interested in placing an order and I will get in touch with you. 

xo

Fasting appeal

Good morning, friends,

Well, our deadline of March 27 came and went yesterday and we are still needing breakthrough. Thank you for those of you who responded! We are very grateful.

Would any of you be willing to join with our family today in fasting for us . . . from whatever you feel led to fast from, whether a meal, all meals, television, computer, etc.?

We need a financial breakthrough.

We also need clarity about our housing situation. Due to the sequestration, our landlords have asked us to consider breaking our lease in order for them to put this house on the market. We need a clear word from the Lord on how to proceed and where to live.

Thank you for your prayers, your love and your support!

We are deeply grateful,

Bob for all the family

Go here to donate (click on Field Staff and Bob Royce)

Bob Royce

Mobilization Coordinator

Intercessors for America

PO Box 915

Purcellville, VA 20134

800-USA-PRAY

540-317-2097 Direct

GetAmericaPraying.com

What I Wore Wednesday (and an introduction!)

I am super excited about today's WIWW! And not just because I have a new shirt to wear! 

First, my WIWW outfit . . .

new orange shirt - TJ Maxx (a Christmas present from Bob but haven't worn it until now because it was too cold!)

jeans - Kohl's

shoes - Target

bangle - H & M

earrings - ?

And now on to the exciting part of this post!  Today I have the honour of introducing you to my friend, Kamilla, and her new business venture, Make It Dutch!!! Check out these unique and fun headbands!

I have never really been a headband person because I apparently have a strangely shaped head or something that causes them to not stay on properly. They slip and I have to re-do them, and then I just end up saying forget it because it's frustrating and time-consuming. No more frustration! Kamilla is ingenious for sewing a wire into the fabric so that slipping is not an issue with her headbands! And her fabrics are SO much fun!

I will be back on Friday with more photos and a longer post dedicated to Make It Dutch, featuring my girls modeling their new headbands! Come back to see more then. Or go to the Make It Dutch Facebook or Twitter pages now to check out how to order yours!

And have a blessed and happy Wednesday! xo

Weekly Menu Plan {25 March}

This is the gorgeous scene I awoke to this morning. A lovely spring snow! 


Here's the plan for this week . . .

Monday - Lasagna (I made this on Friday, but Bob had been in meetings all day at IFA, and they sent their luncheon leftovers home with him. The lasagna promptly went in the freezer, and we had an unplanned feast! So thankful!!!)

Tuesday - Snack-y supper (Emma invited me to go with her to take a friend out for a birthday dinner, so we will make snacks for the rest of the family before we leave.)

Wednesday -  Chicken sliders, potato salad

Thursday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad

Friday - Homemade pizza or calzones

Saturday - Turkey chili

Sunday - Not sure of plans, hope to see some extended family


How can it be the last week in March already? Wow! I pray your final week of the month is super blessed and full of fresh revelation from the Father. xo

Classical Academic Press {Review}

I was recently given the opportunity to review logic curriculum from Classical Academic Press. Who is Classical Academic Press, you may ask? Here is the About Page from their website:

Classical Academic Press is an educational publishing company located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Press is the product of years of brainstorming, conversations, thoughtful critiques and classroom application. Our mission is to produce and supply the finest classical curricula to the market today. 

Our motto “Classical Subjects Creatively Taught”, describes the essence of all that we publish. We seek to produce classical curricula and media with a clear design and structure, incremental and systematic instruction, all with a touch of delight, creativity and flair. 

The logo of Classical Academic Press features the image of an aqueduct, which in Roman civilization provided water to towns, villages and cities throughout the empire. We have chosen the aqueduct to symbolize our company’s goal of bridging the old and the new, by reviving the tried-and-true with fresh imagery, technology, and accessibility, and by bringing the life-giving wisdom of the ancient world to the thirsty soul of our own modern culture.

They offer many products, including Latin, Spanish, Greek, French, Logic, Bible, Poetry and Art. This is the first opportunity we have had to review any of their products, and I am impressed. 
Austin, grade 7, and I reviewed The Discovery of Deduction: An Introduction to Formal Logic and The Discovery of Deduction Teacher's Edition. This curriculum is listed for Grades 8 and up and is $26.95 for the student book and $29.95 for the teacher's edition, which I recommend buying unless you are well-versed in formal logic.

The student book is a thick one, with nine chapters, multiple lessons in each chapter, and a total of 324 pages. This also includes five sections in the Appendices, plus Endnotes, Glossary and Bibliography sections. The chapter titles are, as follows:
Introduction to Formal Logic A Brief History of Logic Formal Logic and the Three Acts of the Mind Translating Propositions into Categorical Form Relationships of Opposition Relationships of Equivalence The Syllogism Introduced Determining the Validity of Syllogisms Definitions and Disagreements
The teacher's manual contains all of the student text, the answer keys, teaching tips, and sample essays, dialogues and arguments.
Here is a sample of one of the pages from the lessons:

You can view more sample pages here.
Each lesson contains points to remember, quotes, vocabulary, explanation of ideas, exercises and graphics. There is a dialogue section in most of the chapters, where Socrates has a conversation with Nate, a university student, in which they "flesh out" the ideas a little more and in more understandable examples, which I think helps bring the vocabulary and material back down to real life.
I have read the lessons with Austin and discussed the answers to the questions he has been given to answer. In addition, he has taken his student book and done some of the lessons on his own, without my assistance. I had originally thought that he would really enjoy going through this book, as he has worked on Logic in past years and has asked for more of the same. This, unfortunately, is a little above his level, but he is pressing through.
The suggested schedule, found here, was moving a bit too quickly for us, so we have slowed things down considerably. I will continue doing the lessons with him until he feels more comfortable on his own. I am enjoying what I am learning, along with him, and believe that it is important to teach our children how to think through and be able to communicate beliefs, issues, philosophies, and ideas, especially in light of God's Word. I have always been a huge proponent of teaching my children to think for themselves. It seems like it is somewhat rare in our day, and becoming more so, therefore, all the more reason to equip them with these tools.
If you are interested in reading more reviews on these and other Classical Academic Press products, click the banner below.

ThredUP

Have you heard of ThredUP yet? 

It's an online consignment shop based in California. Right now they are carrying children's clothing only, but this is about to change, as they are in the process of adding a women's clothing section!!!

I just placed my first order for a whopping $4.97. I had seen on several sites that there was a discount code for first time buyers. And if you collect Swagbucks, I noticed (after it was too late) that you can earn Swagbucks by ordering from ThredUP.

I am getting two children's shirts (one of which still has the tags on it!), plus a bag to fill (normally costs $4.95 alone) and send in to sell my own items. I am already gearing up to clean out closets. In fact, I already have a few things that I have cleaned out in the past couple of months. I'll be interested to see how big the bag is for me to fill. They also include shipping, so sending in my clothing pieces will cost me nothing. Wow.

Check out their About Page to find out how it works!

If you decide to purchase something, please use my CODE! You will get $10 off!  

Let me know if you decide to order and what you get! xx

Springtime Is Here

Happy, happy first day of spring!!! 

We are so excited for this new season, and I am thinking and pondering so much about how the Father never changes, and yet, He is making all things new. Glorious truth and such a comfort.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making away in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

We are enjoying the signs of spring we have seen this past week!

The American Robins are back!

This gorgeous House Finch and his mate have been trying to build a nest on the back deck. I think we're a little too loud in our comings and goings, so we'll see what they decide. We want them to stick around because not only are they lovely to look at but their songs are so pretty, too.

Photo credit: Ava

I shared this verse at the beginning of the year and have been going back to it over and over! I am so thankful that Jesus is our Hope!

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! Romans 15:8

Blessings for your new season! xo

Sugar 'n Spice Vox Box

Do you enjoy checking out new products? What about sharing your opinions and writing reviews? I recently found out from a Facebook friend about influenster, an online community where you can share your trendsetting opinions with fellow trendsetters and brands who want to know. 

There are badges to unlock and even special opportunities to receive a VoxBox filled with products to try out and review! Sound fun to you? It's free to join but you do need an invitation. If you're interested, let me know in the comments and include your email address. I will send you an invitation.

I just received my first "VoxBox" in the mail full of complimentary, new-to-me products to review!

Stay tuned for my reviews coming up in the next few weeks! xx

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

A Great Healthy Breakfast

I came across this recipe on Pinterest last week and just had to try it. I am more of a savoury food fan anyway, but I do not care for sweets especially first thing in the morning. I have been known to eat a slice of pizza or warm up a bowl of Chinese food leftovers for breakfast, instead of eating sugary cereal or even muffins. 

I have been trying to eat healthier, on a very strict budget. I had all these ingredients on hand, so it was perfect timing.

Here is my version . . . 

Just chop up a few slices of zucchini and two or three mushrooms into small cubes.

Sauté in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil for three or four minutes. Add a tiny bit of salt and pepper and about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dried Thyme (or to taste). 

While the veggies are cooking, fry one egg. I like mine sunny side up.

 As soon as the egg is cooked to your preference, spoon the zucchini and mushrooms onto a small plate and top with the egg.

Yum! I've made this twice this week. It is healthy and contains vegetables and protein, which is a pretty perfect breakfast in my book. Emma and I have already been discussing what other veggie/spice combinations we want to experiment with in the next few weeks.

Blessings on your day! xx

Weekly Menu Plan {18 March}

I'm late! I didn't get this post written or any kind of meal plan worked out over the weekend. I was planning to do it right before bedtime last night but was just too brain-tired. 

So, here it is in all it's thrown-together-ness . . .

Monday - We ordered pizza from Papa John's, a rare occurrence for us but a good call for tonight.

Tuesday - Minestrone Soup (didn't make it last week), salad, garlic bread

Wednesday - Leftovers 

Thursday - Lasagna (maybe in the crock pot, depending on how busy things are), salad

Friday - Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce, served over jasmine rice

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Hawaiian Chicken in the crock pot or some version of this in the crock pot, sautéed kale, rice

Hope your last few days of winter are great ones! Blessings! xx

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

I have been meaning to post this for over a week, so I am trying to get a little caught up tonight.

Ava and Maya have been doing Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost for their Five In A Row book. If you are not aware of Five In A Row, please let me know. I will be glad to share more about this fabulous curriculum!


We had fun making snowflakes out of coffee filters . . .

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

We found some great go-along poetry books at our local library . . .

Julie Andrews' Treasury for All Seasons: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year

The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry

A Child's Introduction to Poetry: Listen While You Learn About the Magic Words That Have Moved Mountains, Won Battles, and Made Us Laugh and Cry

 Poems to Learn to Read by: Building Literacy with Love

  Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected For Boys and Girls

These were additional books about our poet and his work . . .

Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost 

Robert Frost: The Life of America's Poet (People to Know Today)

And we attempted this craft: Cardboard Stars (or snowflakes, in our case)

I will say that our project took much longer than I expected. I am not super crafty, so I did not know that spray paint doesn't work in cooler weather. Okay then. So we repainted each and every flake with acrylic paint. That didn't work as well as I thought, either. But we just went with it and then added our glitter.

The girls and I think these would make super cute little flowers for springtime, in bright colours, but I'm wondering if our toilet paper rolls have some kind of coating that repels paint (or, makes the end of the toilet paper roll not stick). Maybe I'll start saving paper towel rolls to see if there is a difference.

They didn't turn out exactly like we expected, but they are very sweet and I am proud to still have them hanging in my dining room.

And now we've moved on to the Middle Ages and our next Five In A Row book, The Duchess Bakes a Cake. 

xo

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