Simple Women's Day Book Last one of 2009

For Today..........until next year's Christmas

Outside my window..........cloudy and cold

I am thinking...........how wonderful it will be to see my sister Christine in March

I am thankful for......the health of my children

I am wearing....comfy pants and a super cute new pink shirt.

I am going..........no where and I love it.

I am reading.......going to steal my hubbys Christmas gift and read Chuck Smith's Memoirs

I am hoping..............to loose 12 pounds by the time my sister gets here

On my mind........how to reach out more to our neighbors

From the Learning Rooms.....not much, prep for post break. Enjoying the time off

Remembering that.....I must decrease and He must increase

From the kitchen.....pork tenderloin, apple sauce, roasted rosemary red potatoes and corn YUM

Around the house......the aftermath of Christmas and company and I LOVE it.

Listening to.....Hannah cooing and laughing and the boys playing the Wii

A few plans for the week......what shall we do this new years eve?

One of my favorite things......challenging myself on the treadmill

From my photo album

Oh how she loved Hannah!

www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Christmas With Friends

I can't ever say enough how blessed we are to have the Goodrich's on this side of the country with us. I love our Maine connection but I am loving even more the new connection we are making. Our children LOVE hanging out together and they have become instant friends. I truly enjoy each of their four children. They come up for a visit this weekend and we had such a blast. We didn't have any special plans just hanging out and enjoying each others company. We ate, laughed and the kids played the Wii...a lot. I am so thankful for our friendship feels more like family each time we visit. Here's a picture of the kids in front of the tree.

Christmas Morning Videos

The boys opening their gift from Grammie.

the wii

Christmas Morning 2009

Christmas morning has come and gone for the Pellerin family in Washington. The kids of course had an amazing morning, full of gifts and giggles. And I must admit although calling home wasn't as good as being there I am overwhelmed with how blessed I am with my little family,my husband, two sons, and my new little daughter. We have kept some traditions the same but also have new ones.

I must confess this year my focus hasn't been mainly on the Savior Jesus Christ but more about me, and my feelings of loneliness. I realized this morning how important it is to keep Him the focus not only at Christmas but all year, everyday for the rest of our lives. He alone will be the comfort I need, He alone will give me Joy unspeakable, and He alone is the Greatest Gift. I am looking forward to refocusing on Him and allowing Him to write this chapter of our lives however He sees. I have grown weary of being homesick. I have grown weary of trying not to be homesick. So I give it to Him and acknowledge how weak I am without Him.

We hope you had a very blessed Christmas but more importantly that you stop and remember the reason for this season. Without the birth, life and death of Jesus, there would be no reason to celebrate ever. May we all find rest in Him and find our eternal life in His sacrifice on the cross.

Enjoy the pictures below and the videos to follow.

Merry Christmas Love, Bethany


Hannah bear in her sparkley red sweater for the Christmas eve dinner at church. We had such a great time, with good food, good friends, and good fellowship. We are blessed to be joined with such a body of believers who love Jesus and love others.

Hannah Bear and Mommy in pink snowman pj's. Mine are from my mom. I opened them early and I love them. I had bought Hannah's a few weeks back, they are pink too with a cute snowman.

My mom always had one gift unwrapped under the tree in the morning for each of us kids growing up. I loved it when I was a kid so I always do it for my kiddos. Here are their glowing (though you can't see it in this picture) light sabers. They loved them. (check out Elijah he cracks me up)

Another tradition that lives on is our "Christmas morning bread" it's so good. I mean so good that between the 4 of us we ate the whole thing this morning. I give it as a gift as well to those fortunate people on my bread list. This year the list was a little shorter, but the story of the bread giving lives on here in Washington.

No gifts are allowed to be opened until the Christmas story is read by Daddy. This morning I was struck by the grace that Joseph, Mary's husband showed her when he learned she was expecting a baby that was not his.He didn't want to make her a public display of disgrace. I thought how easily it would have been for him to expose her, to feel justified in doing so, maybe even being judgemental and prideful. I realized if it were me I probably would not have shown grace. I realized that is an area I need to work on in my own life with those around me.

The boys AWESOME remote controls cars from Grammie. Seriously I think I am having the most fun with them. They light up and go crazy, flipping everywhere.

The boys and their BIG gift...the Wii.

The boys playing the Wii.

And here is MY BIG gift this year...Hannah Bear. So cute with the bow on her head. I keep thinking how different she'll be next year at this time. They grow so fast.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

And they are all nestled in for the night...my work is done. Until tomorrow....

Old Traditions made New

So everyone knows that I am homesick and especially during the Christmas season. I have so many wonderful Christmas memories with friends and family back in Maine it is hard to imagine Christmas without them. But here we are in Washington and we have so many reasons to be thankful and we truly are blessed. It important to remember what Christmas is about...the birth of our Savior Jesus.
One thing I remember when I was a child was a ceramic Christmas tree my parents had. It had holes in it that little lights would go in and then we would plug it in and it was just beautiful. I loved that particular decoration more than any other for some reason.I have always wanted one for myself, but could never find one and when on the rare occasion I did, I couldn't justify spending the money on it.
So today I got a package on my doorstep from my friend Jen (we used to live in Calais together) and what did I find inside? You guessed it a ceramic tree, lights and all. She had mentioned she had made one awhile back and I told her how much I had wanted one. So being the thoughtful and crafty friend that she is, she made me one and shipped it to me in time for Christmas.
Those of you who know me, know I am bit of sap. I cry pretty easily especially over sentimental things. Well I indeed cried. I was struck with two things. One how blessed I am that even though I have moved literally to the other side of the country I have lifelong family and friends who love me and that are loved so very much by me. And two how blessed I am to have my own little family, my husband, and three amazing children Isaiah,Elijah and Hannah to share my memories of Christmas past and to make new ones with. I had so much fun putting the lights on this little tree with the kids.


Thank you Jen so much! Miss you!

Day Book December 21 Grace upon Grace

For today...Grace upon Grace

Outside my window....dark it's always dark

I am thinking...that Christmas came very fast.

I am thankful for...my beautiful children. Isaiah my constant friend, Elijah the one who makes me laugh and Hannah our little princess.

I am wearing...pj's I wish I had a pair for every day of the week.

I am going...finishing the last bits of shopping and Christmas eve dinner at church.

I am reading...starting the book of Mathew

I am hoping...I allowing the true meaning of Christmas to overflow me with JOY

On my mind...How to comfort Isaiah's sad heart. He misses his friends back home.

From the learning rooms...finishing up a few loose ends, Christmas traditions around the world, but we are on vacation. They have worked so hard and deserve it.

Pondering these words...you will deal with Jesus on this side of eternity or on the other side, BUT "every knee will bow"

From the kitchen....made Christmas bread Saturday and it smelled so good. Today we are going to make more cookies and decorate and bring some plates over to some neighbors.

Listening to...Gia Lucid's " I give you Jesus" beautiful

Around the house..I am not going to talk about it, rather I am going to focus on one thing at a time, and be thankful that I have a house to clean.

One of my favorite things...my boys singing at church yesterday and Isaiah singing a duet. Where does he get his outgoing personality?

From my photo journal:

The boys singing at church. Isaiah is in back with the "09" shirt and Elijah is in the front with the red shirt.

And of course I had to post one of Hannah Bear....in her little pink dress. I literally took 45 pictures in this dress.
www.thesimplewomansdaybook.com

Kids Singing

I am kind of disappointed the video didn't come out better...but this is the concert the boys were in and Isaiah say a duet.Keep watching and he sings the second verse of "go tell it on the mountain." Elijah is in the red shirt in the front. It was a lot of fun to see them up there singing. And we were very proud of them.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

The kids love to give gifts at Christmas. I thought that this year we would pick a gift they could make their friends. I found this one in Family Fun. It is a snowball made of soap with a hidden toy inside. You'll need bars of Ivory soap. I don't know why but that's what it said so that's what we used. Then either put it in a food processor or hand grate it (like we did) For every 4 bars use 1/2 cup warm water. Mix it together and form "snowballs" Make a hole in your snowball and insert a little plastic toy (we found some cute ones in the dollar section at Target) Fill in the hole, and really pack the soap to form the snowball. Then let them dry. Super cute, and as far as crafts go it's a little messy but hey it's soap so we were all squeaky clean when we were done.

Ok the soap seriously looks like cheese here. But I assure you it is Ivory soap

They really do look like snowballs.

Found these cute little snowman bags at the dollar store. 30 for a dollar...love it. Then we made tags that read

Here is a snowball that will bring you joy

It's made of soap and hidden inside is a toy

Merry Christmas
The boys made enough to hand out to their friends at church. TOO CUTE

(ps do see my reindeer antlers on the table in the background? FUN for ME)

From the Desk of Isaiah and Elijah

"Science is the best subject ever" said Isaiah this week. This week we covered rocks. Check out these experiments.

Growing our own crystals at room temp and then one in the fridge. We used Alum to form these crystals.

ok so this one we are making our own sandstone...it was a mess. But it was my fault because I added 2 cups of water instead of 1 and then had to double the sand and cornstarch to make it work. It was a mess but of course the kids love it best when it's super messy.

Making sandstone sculptures.

The boys are learning about Christmas traditions from around the world. This week, Denmark, England, and Germany. Read on... Candy filled cones from Denmark were a big hit. In Denmark they are decorated and filled and then hung on the tree. (the little boy is a friend of the family who enjoyed this project too)

From England Christmas Crackers. Ours of course did not have the firecracker powder but they still have treats. The boys decided to give these to the neighbors down the street.

And from Germany the pickle ornament.

And not to be outdown by all the learning the boys are doing, Hannah has learned to do "razzles" and loves making spit bubbles.

Baby Book For Jesus

The boys finished their "Baby Book for Jesus" from the Christmas unit study called "Celebrating the Savior" They had so much fun these. Each day they learned another part of Jesus' birth story.

Washington Weather

One day we get snow.....

The next day a rainbow.

With love from Maine

My Gram sent me this beautiful wreath from MAINE. She said she knew I was homesick and that I "needed some Maine" I love it. Although I will say I wish she was in the box in came in instead of the wreath. It was so thoughtful and made me cry...imagine that. It smells incredible, just like home. I am so blessed to such an amazing Grandmother.

Simple Womans Day Book...Let it snow.

December 14

For Today...let it snow!

Outside my window...There is SNOW! It snowed yesterday it although it was beautiful it was very bad to drive in. They don't salt the roads here in Washington...very bad!

I am thinking...I need to get a real wreath in the house I miss the smell of pine.

I am thankful for...the answered prayer of a baby girl.

I am wearing...the pj's Lisa got me, again =)

I am remembering...Christmas' of the past, great memories.

I am going...to the kids dentist and dinner on Saturday with our friends from England!

I am currently reading...still nothing. I know I know I am a slacker.

I am hoping...for more Christmas cards in mail! I love mail.

On my mind...trying not to think of the distance between us and family this Christmas, but it is on my mind.

From the learning Rooms...lots of fun science experiments, growing crystals, making sedimentary rocks, making fossils (dun dun dun) Exploring how people celebrate Christmas around the world. Making Christmas gifts

Noticing that...I need to get my hair cut by a professional. I miss my bangs that have grown out.

Pondering these words..."I'm forgiven because He was forsaken"

From the kitchen...cookies and Christmas morning bread. I can't wait for the smell of the bread to fill the house. It will feel like Christmas.

Around the house...so messy. Laundry to put away, it's everywhere.

One of my favorite things...watching my boys sing Christmas songs at church.

From my picture journal...

Hannah Bear sporting her Red Sox's outfit. I bought this in Maine before we left and thought she'd wear it for spring training...HA she fits it NOW. I will have to get her a new one in the spring. She's growing too fast.

www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

From the Dest Of Isaiah and Elijah

The boys have been learning a lot this week as we started our new book in the "God's Design" series. This week they learned about the Ice Age, icebergs, glaciers and the parts of the earth. There are two great things about science this year. First it's centered on God's view of creation...He is the Creator so it's been a blessing to look at science in a biblical view. I have learned so much how God's word and science go hand and hand. The second great thing is how much the boys love it. "Oh Yes it's science time" "Is it time for science" "what are we going to learn in science today" are common phrases this year. It's awesome.

Trying to drive a boat aka cap through icebergs.

The ingredients to a earth model. Hard round candies for the core, marshmallows for the mantel and melted chocolate for the crust.

Push the hard candy into the marshmallow.

Cover in chocolate, set out on waxed paper until chocolate is hard...EAT!

The glacier moving over the terrain.

The glacier altered the terrain by dragging parts of the earth with it.

The boys with the glacier.

Cute kids in front of the tree.

Simple Womans daybook...i'll be home for christmas

For Today ...I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams

Outside my window ...it's still dark and they keep saying it's cold outside

I am thinking ...that December is going by too fast

I am thankful for ...my husband and I don't tell him as often as I should

i am wearing ...super comfy gray pants, and a hoodie

i am remembering ...to put my Christmas cards in the mail today

i am going ...to the dentist *sigh* BUT on a happier note two Christmas parties on Friday, one for the kids and one for mommy(and Hannah)

i am currently reading ...nothing. I need some new books for Christmas

From the learning rooms....so much fun stuff this week. Lots of fun experiments, our Christmas devotional, a trip to the library for Isaiah's first research paper

i am hoping ...to get Christmas cards in the mail. I love Christmas cards

on my mind ...my family in Maine. I miss them

noticing that ...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

pondering these words ..."the only blind person at Christmastime is he that has not Christmas in his heart" Helen Keller

from the kitchen ...homemade chicken soup, with leftover chicken YUM

around the house ...pretty Christmas lights

one of my favorite things ...the kids getting excited for Christmas morning.

from my photo journal ...this picture was a finalist for the Christmas card this year. It didn't make it but it is still super cute. I love having 3 kids.

www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Cute Headbands For Hannah Bear

I just ordered Hannah Bear some headbands with the cutest flower bows for Christmas. Check out the link, they make some really cute things.


http://www.thecraftymoms.blogspot.com/

New Bed for the Boys

The boys have had a bunk bed for awhile. It was one that had the twin bunk on the top and a full sized on the bottom. Ever since we got it from Uncle Henry's only the bottom has been used. They both said they were too scared to sleep on the top. So they both slept in the full size bed. Their room here in Washington is not very big and they always seemed to be bumping into the bunk bed. So we decided since it wasn't really being used as a bunk bed, to replace it. We got $20 for it on craigslist (it cost more money to bring it to the dump) We replaced it with an awesome trundle bed. They are still close to eachother and then we slide the lower bed away during the day and they have so much more room in their room. I am thankful that the boys are as close as they are and they enjoy sharing a room (for now). They love their new bed.

Gingerbread is in the house

Do real people ever make their own gingerbread houses from scratch? I say no. We picked this one up for 9.99 at Fred Myer and it was worth every penny of premade goodness. The boys had so much fun. This year I just let them have at it. I directed them but I wanted them to do it and see what would happen. It turns out a big mess and a lot of fun.

The finished product.

" Can we eat the candy we don't use?" Elijah

Rolling out the men

Dressing the men

Eat the men.

The Great Flood

We started a new book in Science this week, "Our planet Earth" We learned how there is much evidence on the Earth to support there was a world wide flood like mentioned in Genesis. The boys did a simple experiment to show how a flood sorts objects. We layered in a jar, sand,dirt,pebbles, rocks, and threw in some leaves and twigs. Then we added water. We shook the jar for about 30 seconds and then let the jar sit so things could settle. We observed that the heavier objects settled first and the lightest items settling later. This formed layers of different materials in the bottom of the jar. This is like the layers we see in sedimentary rock formations. The leaves and twigs that were buried illustrate how some of the plants and animals were buried during the Flood and became fossils.

The jar after we shook it.

The jar after the "flood" to show the different layers.


Pre Flood/ Pre Sin pictures on the Earth by Isaiah and Elijah