A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Days of December

Days of December – Decorations

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When I saw this word prompt on the Homeschool Review Crew’s Instagram and it made me think of my tree decorations and how I wanted to share with you some of my favourties.

A new one this year, chosen for my lad, and its already one of my favourites.   It speaks to me of his growing love for being Canadian and wanting to know about this country we live in.  My boy is becoming a fine young man and I just love watching him grow up. 

This Joy ornament I’ve had for a very long time, and it’s still one of my favourites ornaments.  I am always the one to hang it on the tree, and I normally place it fairly high up on the tree.

My son groaned and then laughed when I brought out Mr.Smiles here.   He’s been part of our Christmas for three years now.    I found him hanging in a store one day and just had to bring him home with me.

The following year he was joined by three penguins which ended up turning into a whole troop of penguins…I think I have nine or ten scattered around the tree.    One of our many penguins…you gotta admit.. he is cute.  🙂

We have a variety of glass ornaments, which every year seems to grow a bit smaller as accidents happen, and careful steps need to be made until they are cleaned up.  They are quite old and have been around a long time…. passed down from my mom and hubby’s mom and their trees of old.    Hubby remembers putting some of them up as a youngster.

My son asked that I put these guys up (but I only got one to come up clear).   Every year I get him a Christmas decoration and one year I got him some spider earrings for his Christmas ornament and they remain his absolute favourite ornament to put up.  It’s been five years now and he just loves putting them up.   I always search when we take the tree down to make sure they don’t stay on the tree (as they are clip-ons).    They are a bit odd of an ornament…but they suit our family well.  🙂  And they elicit fun comments from visitors who spot them.

One year my lad and I made these snowmen.   Every year we discuss, will we put them up or not, and every year we see their smiling faces and up they go.  Little ones who visit will often pull them off the tree and the 10 we started with have dwindled down to four as sometimes they make their way home with little ones to put on their own tree.

So tell me, what decorations are on your tree that you treasure?   Do you have a story behind them?   Let me know eh?   🙂

Days of December: White

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The Instagram word prompt for the day is white.   
As I thought about this word this verse popped into my head: 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called
you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  1 Peter 2:9.

I have to admit, this is my favourite verse in the bible.  God calling us out of darkness.

If you are called out of darkness you are called INTO something.

“Into his wonderful light”.

Light… which encompasses all the colours.  

I saw an experiment earlier this week that if you spin a disc quickly enough (a disc with all the colours of the rainbow on it) it will turn white.

Can you imagine that?

All those colours mixed together with speed…and you get white.

God calls us into that.   Out of darkness which hides colour into light which encompasses colour.  See the difference?

I don’t want to be caught in darkness with shadows and fear and uncertainty.  Not really knowing what’s going on.  

But being in the light…which encompasses all that I am and all that I am meant to be… Now that is something I want to be part of.  Don’t you?

Days of December: List

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You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I’m telling you why
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
He’s making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin’ to town
These words are so familiar this time of year aren’t they?
I grew up NOT believing in Santa, my mom did…and when she found out that he wasn’t real, she wondered what else her mom had lied to her about.   Ergo.. .no Santa.  
Therefore as I grew up I didn’t understand the fervour of “needing to be good” at Christmas time.  The wanting to make sure that you only had good things on the list that some Santa figure was writing down.
I remember, as a teen, a little girl crying because she just knew that Santa had caught her being bad and had written it on his list.  She was SO frightened about this.
This list.
So I wonder…. is it really helping children to teach them about Santa.  To teach them about a fat, jolly man who watches them ALL THE TIME so he can decide if they are good enough to get presents.
Wouldn’t it be better to teach them about Christ, and about God’s immense love for them.   That he even sent his son to cover all the naughtiness that we can get into.  How all we have to do is accept that love.   Love rather than fear….  
Just makes me wonder…
 

Days of December: Peace

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When I thought about the word peace this morning, this song immediately popped into my head.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me.

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

This song was written by Vince Gill.
 
As I hummed it, letting the words run through my mind, I started to think about those words “And let it begin with me”.
I started to feel bothered by them.  
Peace doesn’t begin with me.   It doesn’t.  It can play out through my actions and attitude, but it really doesn’t begin with me.  It begins with God, from the very beginning of time.
Adam and Eve sinned, and God promised this, that even though there would forever be conflict between man and Satan, between man and God…that Satan might bruise our heels but we shall bruise his head.  Throughout scripture we can find references to how God will best Satan, and in Revelations we see that truth fully revealed.   So Satan HAS been beaten (it just hasn’t been fully completed yet).   and I fear I am not saying this all correctly….so work more with my thoughts than my words.   If that makes sense.  🙂
Will there truly be peace on earth until that final day?
No.  There can’t be.  God promised in Genesis 2
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
    and you shall bruise his heel
So until one or the other is destroyed, there will be no peace.  Enmity means no peace.
BUT peace is still hoped for and longer for and sought after.
Peace can still be seen in small part in the things we say and do and how we live.
We don’t have to fight and make war and what not.  
 Peace, can be seen and lived in part, and shows as if in a mirror dimly, what will come.
This post is part of my Days of December series, The others so far are:

Days of December: Weather

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It’s a new month, a new set of Word Prompt Challenges!   YEAH!!!!

Today’s word, as you can see, is Weather.

As I sit here on the first of December, outside my window I see a grey sky, it was snowing a bit when I went out to do the rabbits, but now it’s settled into a bit of wind and a touch of cold rain.  Don’t know that we’ll get more snow today or not.

BUT we have had snow. This year, snow is rather exciting.   We have this great 15 year young man from Brazil living with us.  I wanted to show you what he did with our first snow fall of the year.

I LOVE his smile.   This boy is so quiet and so honest about things.  He tries hard to a nice and good lad.   I rarely see his smile of complete delight, and here I have a smile of complete delight.   Does my heart good looking back at this picture.  

My lad, when he saw our visiting lad out busy building, couldn’t stop himself (despite his hard cough and cold) from going out and joining him.

The two boys had enough gumption left after the exertions to have an impromptu snow ball fight.  My lad quickly ran in the house when he learned our student has way better aim than he does and a cold snowball on bare legs wasn’t his idea of fun.  🙂   Made me laugh.

Tell me, dear reader, what weather makes you smile lately?