This Week in US History

March 27

1513   Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sights Florida.

1964   The Good Friday Earthquake, the strongest known earthquake in American History, measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale, hits Alaska, killing some 130 people.

Photo Credit

Five-story J.C. Penney Building, 5th Avenue and Downing Street, Anchorage, Alaska, partly collapsed by the March 28, 1964 earthquake. Note undamaged buildings nearby.

March 28

1800   The frigate USS Essex became the first American warship to round Africa's Cape of Good Hope, as it sailed on a mission to escort merchant ships returning from the Dutch East Indies.

1979   America gets a scare when the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania malfunctions; thousands flee, but no one is injured.

Photo Credit

March 29

1848   An ice jam at the source of the Niagara River causes Niagara Falls to stop flowing for the first time in recorded history.

1943   The U.S. government began requiring Americans to ration fat, meat, and cheese as part of a massive national program to help win World War II.

Photo Credit

March 30

1867   Secretary of State William H. Seward signs an agreement to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre.

1981   President Reagan is shot and seriously wounded by John W. Hinckley Jr. outside a Washington, D.C. hotel.

March 31

1933   Congress establishes the Civilian Conservation Corps to help put men to work during the Depression.

1970   Explorer I, the first U.S. Satellite, reenters the atmosphere after twelve years in orbit.

Photo Credit

April 1

1865   Union troops win a victory at the Battle of Five Forks, Virginia, causing Robert E. Lee to tell Jefferson Davis that Petersburg and Richmond must be evacuated.

1996   Fast food chain Taco Bell announces it has bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell, and thousands believe the April Fool's Day prank.

April 2

1917   Woodrow Wilson calls for a declaration of war against Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy."

1953   The journal Nature publishes a paper by British scientist Francis Crick and American scientist James Watson, describing a double helix structure for DNA.

Photo Credit

    

The Homeschool Mother's Journal... March 25, 2011

In my life this week...

We took Monday and Tuesday off from academics and spent some time in Home Ec 101 (which means house cleaning!).  We jumped back into our "real school" on Wednesday.  Can I tell you, the break from regular school was really nice!

In our homeschool this week...
Nothing new and exciting this week - other than Home Ec.  In Physical Science, we are learning about gravitational force and centrifrugal force.  More math problems!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

We stayed homebound this week.  Most likely due to the crazy-high gas prices!  My teens did help me on a job on Tuesday (for money) and their father on Thursday (for money).  Hooray for them!  My older two are going to Prom on April 1st are in need of CASH!

My favorite thing this week was...

I found a recipe to make homemade instant oatmeal and it was great!  Click HERE to grab it yourself.

What's working/not working for us...

Using a weekly schedule.  At the beginning of the school year, I posted a "teaching" schedule up which blocks time for 1:1 student / teacher time.  When I follow this, our days go smoother. 

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

How do you motivate a student to do their true best when (s)he doesn't care?

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

While reading Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!, I came across a wonderful quote:

"... the sacredness of the everyday."

From changing a baby's diaper to cleaning the clothes, God sees our work as sacred!

AND

"Every day unfolded with moments when the eternal seemed to touch the temporal.  Light overcame darkness.  Hope triumphed over despair.  Nothing here in the earthly realm changed.  But God somehow touched people, places, and moments, and the everyday became a glimpse of heaven." 

To read my review on the above book, click HERE.

This post is also linked at Weekly Wrap-up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

    

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!... a book review

SISTERCHICK (R) (n): a friend who laughs with you till you cry

and cries with you until you laugh; a gift from God.

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! is a heartwarming story of fear and faith, hope and love.  How can a friend you have never met become one of your dearest friends?  Will God use her to bring you closer to Him?

Summer and Noelle have been pen pals since the fourth grade.  They have shared their secrets, hopes, dreams, and family's through letters sent between Ohio and the Netherlands.  Now, after receiving an abnormal medical test result, Summer decides to fly off to the Netherlands to meet Noelle, her forever pen pal, face to face.  Summer's husband Wayne stands behind her decision and tells her to "Go make your own adventure.  When you come home, I'll want to hear all about it." 

On her first morning at Noelle's, Summer finds a devotional book on her nightstand.  Slowly she begins to close the gap between her and God.  Throughout the week, the Scriptures she is reading are coming to life around her.  While in a simple cheese shop, she realizes "the sacredness of the everyday."  Everything we do, even if it is doing dishes or cradling a child, is sacred to God. 

"Every day unfolded with moments when the eternal seemed to touch the temporal.  Light overcame darkness.  Hope triumphed over despair.  Nothing here in the earthly realm changed.  But God somehow touched people, places, and moments, and the everyday became a glimpse of heaven." 

During her joyful week with Noelle, the girls are found wading through fields of brightly colored tulips, floating down an Amsterdam canal, visiting Corrie ten Boom's Hiding Place home, and sipping decadent Dutch cocoa in Delft after finding tile souvenirs. 

The girls realize that they did not orchestrate this impromtu meeting; God did.  Both Summer and Noelle find peace during their time spent in the land of tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! is definitely a keeper on my bookshelf to be read over and over.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.


    

BBQ Pork

Ingredients:

3 lb. boneless pork loin

Barbecue Sauce (We use KC Masterpiece)

8-12 Hamburger buns

Directions:

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray.  Place pork loin in pot and cover lightly with BBQ sauce.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.  While still in pot, shred pork with 2 forks.  Add more BBQ sauce to taste. 

Great served with fresh coleslaw.

Enjoy!

 

    

This post is linked to: This Week's Cravings      Manic Monday      Hunk of Meat Monday     Delectable Tuesday      Totally Tasty Tuesday      Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays      Tasty Tuesdays      Tuesdays at the Table      Tasty Tuesday      Tuesday Night Supper Club      Slightly Indulgent Tuesday      Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday      Tuesday Twister      Hearth 'n Soul Blog Hop      What's Cooking Wednesday      What's for Dinner?      Foodie Wednesday      What's On the Menu Wednesday      Full Plate Thursday      Fun with Food Friday

Eat Your Peas for Mom - A Book Review

With Mother's Day just around the corner, why not give your special mom a special card?  Eat Your Peas for Mom by Cheryl Karpen is a gift book filled with "simple truths and happy insights." 
Written from the perspective of a grown child, this "3 minute-forever book" includes scripture, memories,  and thankfulness for all your mom has done for you.  Being a mom, so often, is not a glorified job. This book is a simple way to celebrate all that she has done for you.

With each turn of the page, I found the words to voice my feelings toward my mom.  This book helps put voice to all our unspoken emotions... love, gratitude, thankfulness, family.

How many times have our moms prayed for us, believed in us, supported our dreams?  Eat Your Peas for Mom is a wonderful way to say Thank You for loving me and let's us tell our moms to reach for the stars!


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

     

Scripture Sunday

"Consider it pure joy, by brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of  your faith develops perseverance."

~ James 1.2-3

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!"

~ Philippians 4.4

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18

Blessings,

Ellen

This Week in US History

March 20

1816   The U.S. Supreme Court affirms its right to review the decisions of the state courts.

2003   One day after an air attack, a coalition of troops comprised mainly of U.S. and British forces invades Iraq, quickly overwhelming Saddam Hussein's army.

March 21

1617   Pocahontas, who died just before she was to begin her return voyage to Virginia, is buried in Gravesend, England.



Photo Credit

1788   A fire destroys 856 buildings in New Orleans, ruining most of the city.

1980   President Jimmy Carter announces the United States will boycott the Moscow Olympics in response to the Soviet Union's imvasion of Afghanistan.

March 22

1622   Algonquian Indians attack and kill some 350 English colonists near Jamestown, Virginia.

1946   The first U.S. rocket to leave the earth's atmosphere, launched from White Sands, New Mexico, reaches an altitude of 50 miles.



Photo Credit

March 23

1775   Patrick Henry delivers his "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech in Richmond, Virginia.

1965   America's first two-man space flight begins as Gemini 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral with astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young aboard.



Photo Credit

Young and Grissom (l-r)

March 24

1958   Elvis Presley is inducted into the Army for two year.  Click HERE for pictures and information on his induction day.  (pictures are copyrighted!)

1989   The tanker Exxon Valdez strikes a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, spilling an estimated 11 million gallons of oil.

Photo Credit

March 25

1634   About 200 hundred English settlers climbed off of two small ships named the Ark and the Dove anchored in the Potomac River, rowed ashore to a slice of land they named St. Clement's Island, erected a cross, and held a thanksgiving service.  It was the beginning of the colony of Maryland - a good day for religious freedom.

1911   A fire kills 146 garment workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City, leading the public to call for safety reforms.

March 26

1953   Dr. Jonas Salk announces that he has successfully tested a vaccine against polio.  To show that it was safe, he vaccinated himself and his whole family.  The research was funded by Americans who dug into their pockets and donated change to the March of Dimes.

1982   Ground-breaking ceremonies are held for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.


Photo Credit