In this post: Crafts, treats, and Purim celebrations.
Hello dear ones! This is how we celebrated Purim this year:
A Queen Esther craft~ I found this template for a Queen Esther puppet but our brown bag got thrown away. So instead we pasted it onto a paper plate and made it a centerpiece.
Decor~ We brought out the Haman and Esther shakers from years ago, the Haman ears cookie crafts, and a lovely vase of flowers with ornaments on it (a peacock, dragonfly, and butterfly).
Peacock drawing~ Michael and I made this Purim sign using a peacock tutorial. Peacocks were special to the Persians. They believed peacocks were guardians of royalty. King Xerxes was the king of Persia.
Hello dear ones! This is our 7th year celebrating Sukkot. Usually we go camping but pregnancy and other circumstances changed our plans. We did however continue our pottery tradition, learn about some neat birds, and enjoy a small town Harvest Hoedown.
I’ve got a couple of links to update you on this holiday and our family traditions.
Last year’s Sukkot celebrations at Enota Campground and the Dahlonega Gold Mines. Also a short trip to Helen, Ga: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/my-family-rocks-sunday-sukkot-at-enota-dahlonega-gold-mines/
Our trip to the pottery store last year and a look at how it all works: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/crafty-monday-part-1-ancient-egypt/
A look at last year’s pottery when it was finished and also a picture of all our Sukkot pottery together (minus this year): https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/crafty-monday-ancient-israel-and-her-neighbors/
Autumn is a very special time for our family. I go to town with the decorating because it’s my favorite season. Sukkot (a Biblical harvest celebration) is one of my favorite holidays. We usually go camping since Sukkot means feast of booths/tents basically. We also take a trip to the pottery store and paint harvest themed pottery. This year I did a bowl with owls on it. Since I’m pregnant I added an egg for “the year of the baby”. Michael painted a small owl. We spend hours at the shop and we have to wait a week to pick up the finished product. Here’s pictures of our pottery in the works.
I was thrilled to be able to celebrate Sukkot this year. Morning sickness ruined any chance I had at celebrating Trumpets, Yom Kippur, and Talk Like a Pirate Day (I like holidays). I knew I wouldn’t be able to tent camp though. So I booked a cabin at Roosevelt State Park. Unfortunately, when we got there we couldn’t stay. A water line had burst and the management booked us a room at Callaway Inn instead. We were a bit disappointed. I had cooked a lot of food and most of it went to waste. We couldn’t play the guitar and the t.v. was a distraction we wouldn’t have had in the cabin. There was no camping about it. But we did however get into Callaway Gardens for free and we still got to see Roosevelt State Park.
Pic: The view from Roosevelt State Park on Pine Mountain.
We did make a leaf chain to decorate our “sukkah”, which was a hotel room. It didn’t have the same feel at all but Michael got to have fun collecting leaves atleast.
We had a big breakfast at the Inn restaurant. We hadn’t budgeted to eat out but it was nice to eat well. We visited Callaway Gardens which was right by the Inn. We’ve been to Callaway many times but we’ve never seen their Birds of Prey program until now. It was great to see an owl, a hawk, and a vulture in person. Okay, the vulture wasn’t that glamorous. I learned about the benefits of vultures but I did not enjoy the thing flying so close over my head. Here’s a pic of my favorite critter: the owl.
We took a walk in the vegetable garden. It’s a great place to take photos. Here are my favorites.
So it wasn’t camping and we did end up watching a lot of HGTV (we don’t have cable at home), but we did do our devotional and learn about the harvest. The day we left we caught a small town harvest hoedown in Warm Springs, Ga. We found our pumpkin for the year (another Sukkot tradition). You’ll see pictures of it in another post when the guys carved it. Warm Springs is such a charming town. The festival was small but quaint. We walked away with home cooked barbeque and some delicious funnel cake. Here are my favorite pictures.
Balloon animals!
Country music while we chomped down on boiled peanuts
Michael decorating a small pumpkin
We didn’t get to have our s’mores and hotdogs until we got home that night. We’ve got a fire pit in the backyard so it worked out.
The best laid plans don’t always work out but you can still have fun if you’re flexible. Our Sukkot celebrations are usually not by the book and this year they weren’t for sure. But it’s important to get to the heart of any holiday. The Israelites lived in tents in the desert. They faced all kinds of hardship and unexpected events. Our plans didn’t work out and we had to stay in a dwelling that wasn’t what we wanted. Our sukkah was a hotel room but it still wasn’t home. It’s a reminder as believers that the Earth is a temporary dwelling. Our true home is in Heaven. For now we are pilgrims and this world is our wilderness. It’s a crazy journey with surprises around each corner. But the Lord Jesus dwells with us and reminds us that home isn’t that far.
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
PS: Enjoy these festive pics of our cat Chester (Winchester).
Hello dear ones! Last year we had a big Purim celebration. This year we were able to use crafts from last year. So we had a very laid back Purim. If you don’t know, Purim is a Biblical feast that celebrates how God used Queen Esther to deliver the Jews from genocide in Persia. It is an amazing story of faith and bravery. If it wasn’t for Purim then Jesus would not have been born on this Earth.
Our favorite tradition is making hamentaschen (Haman ears or hats). Haman is the man who tried to have all the Jews murdered. In the end, Haman was hung on the gallows he had made for Mordecai, Queen Esther’s cousin. Hamentaschen are very good cookies with various fillings. We used raspberry jam. We usually watch “One Night with the King” for fun but this year we watched the Veggie Tale’s version of Esther. We got this great Purim board game at the Holocaust museum last year. We finally got to play it and it was really fun. It’s called : Queen Esther: Dancing Dreidels.
We didn’t use the noise makers this year but usually we read the story of Esther in the Bible and we cheer for Mordecai and boo for Haman. You can see that we have paper haman ears for decor. I also like decorating with peacocks and bright colors to feel like we’re in Persia.
Here’s last years post: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/03/02/my-family-rocks-sunday-purim-princess-bride-date-night/
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
In this post: Pyramids, mummies, and King Tut! Crafts and a yummy treat! A trivia game with our group and a trip to the pottery store for our family Sukkot tradition.
Hello dear ones! Today I’m splitting my post again between Fall crafts and our homeschool studies. As you know, we’ve incorporated The Story of the World with our Draw and Write Through History book. This past week we studied Ancient Egypt. We had so many neat books to read each day. We also watched Egyptian documentaries on Netflix.
Michael began “Who Was King Tut?” and answered journal questions.
The Nile River ~ We began our studies by learning about the geography of Egypt. We found some reeds at a pond and made a reed boat. Then Michael painted the Nile on a box and I added moon sand and moss. We got the Egyptian solder figurines at Hobby Lobby.
I found this Ancient civilizations game online and Michael played the demo for free. There was also a mummy game from Discovery Kids (I think) but it scared Michael. It was an educational game but I guess just seeing a mummy put scary thoughts in his head.
Michael liked the game below though. He was able to build up Egypt, kind of like Sim City.
Rice Krispy Treat Pyramids!
I bought pre-made treats and we formed them into pyramids. It takes three treats to make one pyramid.
Michael drew a picture of a pyramid and sphinx from his drawing book.
It accidentally “rained” in the picture. Michael used water colors again.
Mummies!
So later that week we read the book “You Wouldn’t Want to be an Egyptian Mummy!” and Michael colored Canopic jars.
Then we mummified a doll that I had found at a thrift store. I cut her hair and dressed her to look more Egyptian. You can find the links where we got our ideas on my Pinterest at the end of this post.
*Warning! Doll will be naked!
We gathered all our supplies: oil, salt, spices (cinnamon), linen wrappings (medical tape), Canopic jars (tp rolls with the the pictures pasted on them), tools (paintbrush & box cutter), a sarcophagus (box), and the doll.
Michael “cut” her open to take out her organs.
Then he rubbed her heart with spices and oil. Then it was “salted” and wrapped in “linens”.
Her mummified heart was put back “into” her body and the mourning process began. Michael is a good actor.
I almost forgot. Her brain was removed through her nose and thrown away. It wasn’t that important to them.
The rest of her organs (excluding the heart) were rubbed with spices and oil and then put into Canopic jars. Each jar looked like a specific Egyptian false god.
The doll’s body was then stuffed with wrappings to make it full again. In this case we used cotton balls.
Her whole body was washed with oil and spices. Then she was wrapped. I didn’t want to completely ruin the doll so I put plastic wrap on her hair so the medical tape wouldn’t destroy it.
I did the main wrapping and Michael finished it for me. It was tricky business.
We put “amulets” between the wrappings. They were supposed to bring good luck and help in the afterlife.
Michael put her death mask on and she was put into her sarcophagus.
Lastly, we added her valuables: clothes, furniture, and jewels. We left her a cup of coffee because the Egyptians believed the dead would return to their body and eat and drink before going on to the next world.
Michael and I built a pyramid out of cardboard bricks. We were limited so it is what it is.
Our Egyptian princess was laid to rest in her tomb. I made it where the bricks could be lifted off the top in case there were visitors or thieves. I was fascinated with Egypt as a kid. I would’ve loved to play archaeologist with my barbies. What do they say? Youth is wasted on the young!
Making papyrus
We used a method I found online. We cut strips of paper and weaved them together. We left them in sugar water for a couple of hours.
Then it dried over night. A lot of the strips fell off so our papyrus is smaller. Then Michael rolled over the paper to make it flat.
We practiced writing a Cartouche on paper first. This was Michael’s first time using these calligraphy pens. They have to be dipped in ink. They are very hard to use.
It was too hard so we resorted to putting cuneiform on the “papyrus”. The ink blotted together unfortunately. We tried at least and now Michael knows what his name looks like in cuneiform and hieroglyphics.
Egyptian lapbook
Through out the week we put together this lapbook found online. I copied the Egyptian flag from an Around the World book we have.
Pharaoh for a day!
We made a pharaoh mask. First, I traced Michael’s head onto a poster. Then I drew the mask around it and cut it out.
Michael colored a design on the mask.
Later I punched holes on the sides and added yarn so Michael could wear it.
I had to punch the holes near the eyes so the sides wouldn’t fold against his head.
Pharaoh telling Daddy what to do!
You can find all of our inspiration here on my Pinterest:
Our group met this week for Trivia. It was so much fun!
The kids were divided into three teams made up of different ages. The kids came up with their own team name. Michael’s team was The Lightning Bees! They were team B at first so it worked. Plus the kids were thinking up names like Bunnies and Butterflies. One boy wanted to do lightning. So it all kind of mixed together to form the kewlest name ever! The kids and us moms put our hands together and shouted “Go Lightning Bees!”
Our host made up a “jeopardy” board of sorts. There were 5 categories with various points. Each team picked what they wanted to do and the kids took turns being the speaker.
“Vanna” (her name for this post) 😉 asked the kids the question and then the group had to come up with their answer as a team. The speaker would then give the answer. Our team kept choosing the harder questions so we got more points and actually won.
All of the kids got to pick prizes at the end. Here’s Michael trying to see if he could lick his elbow (which was one of the questions).
One of the little girls had a birthday so her mom brought in yummy pink cupcakes.
After our group, Michael and I went to the pottery store to continue our Sukkot tradition of painting fall themed pottery.
Michael painted a pumpkin with a black cat in it. We don’t like black cats because they are “scary” or related to witch myths. We like them because we have a black cat and I happen to think he looks stunning against my favorite color, orange.
Here is a small plate for Sukkot that I painted. These aren’t the finished product. They still have to be glazed and baked. You’ll get to see them next week, Lord willing :).
The manager was nice enough to give Michael a tour of the pottery process.
Here’s where they dip the pottery into the glaze.
Here’s the kiln, which gets hotter than I thought. Maybe one day when we have time we will take a pottery class.
Lastly, I wanted to show you what books we are using this year…at least the main ones.
These are the new piano work books. There’s also the actual song book that Michael plays from but it’s not shown.
Inside the theory and notespeller books.
Bob Jones devotional and spelling books. There are three spelling books because we started this series late last year. So Michael is at the end of book one and he should be able to finish all of book 2 and most of book 3 by the end of this year. Then he will catch up super quick in 4th grade.
Horizons Math book 2 of second grade (which is actually on 3rd grade level. Horizons is advanced). So we will begin book 1 of Third grade later this year. Lifepac Science for third grade and our cursive book.
Draw and Write through History, States and capitals, and Flash Forward Language Arts for 3rd grade. We are actually only doing parts of the language arts book because I’m trying to do more hands on for that subject. I didn’t take pictures of The Story of the World books but we are also doing those as you know. And we read “Life of Fred” for math every now and then. We use resources from all over and Michael reads a lot. But I wanted to give you an idea of our basics.
God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
Last Week: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/crafty-monday-part-1-ancient-china-and-the-rats-of-nimh/
Next week: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/crafty-monday-ancient-israel-and-her-neighbors/
Hello dear ones, I have a couple awesome videos posted but please check out the message too. I know it will encourage you in your Christian walk! Remember email subscribers to come to my actual blog site to see videos and links.
This is my first time celebrating Ash Wednesday and I’m excited to dig into God’s word about Jesus’ time in the wilderness. I found this neat decoration idea here:
I’m not sure how I feel about the whole ashes on the forehead. Since I’m not sure we may just do it on our arm. Sounds trivial I know but that’s just me. I celebrate many things including Biblical feasts. This year everything is running together. While I’m prepping for Valentine’s I’m also gearing up for Purim & Lent. Then comes St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, and Easter. Wheww!
I love the fun of all the holiday traditions, food, and games but mainly I love learning about the Bible through these holidays. I’m not one to do things just for tradition sake. In fact, for many years I didn’t celebrate certain holidays because I thought they were pagan. Since digging deeper into the true history (not propaganda) I’ve changed my mind and have really began to enjoy the rich Biblical heritage of many holidays. I pray whether this is your first time celebrating Lent or you’re millionth time that the message of God’s word will fall fresh on you. There is nothing wrong with tradition as long as we don’t worship the tradition. Even devotion time and prayer can become rote and meaningless without the power of the Holy Spirit. Holidays whether Biblical or secular can not save you or put you on a different level with God. Only God’s grace through Jesus Christ can do that. May we abide in Jesus today, dear ones.
First…..
Ash Wednesday:
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent (40 days leading up to Easter). Why 40 days? Well, it goes along with Jesus’ time of prayer and fasting in the wilderness when He was also tempted by Satan. In Biblical times, people would heap ashes on their heads as a sign of mourning and repentance before God. Thus, the ash cross on the forehead. Some people choose to give something up for Lent or to take on something new. I have friends who give up chocolate the whole month. It is also a time of focusing on service and giving.
I believe fasting (giving up food) and sabbaticals (giving up things or activities) should be a personal matter between you and God. Our church is having a Valentine’s banquet so I won’t be fasting. I’m anemic anyways. I do like the idea of giving up things because I’m doing this Bible study by Kelly Minter called “No Other Gods”. I’ve realized that I have many functional idols….a day away from my laptop may be as excruciating as not eating lol. Again….traditions will not make you holy before God. Jesus Christ is our righteousness…not our works. I believe just as the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit that these traditions should benefit us.
Verse 2 says afterwards he was hungry. Sorry I just have to stop and say what an understatement lol. Yes, I think I would be hungry too after that long ;).
The devil tempts Jesus three times and each time Jesus uses scripture to take Satan down. The Bible says God’s word is like a sword. I could so see a Star Wars thing happening but way better. Anywho, that’s just my overactive imagination.
I’ve always been taught how to use God’s word to make Satan flee but today while reading I noticed something. I want to talk to you about how Satan tempted Jesus. He used three methods and he still uses these today.
First off, the last time Satan tempts Jesus, the Lord tells Satan to go then uses scripture. I believe it is very possible that had Jesus told Satan to go the first time then he would have. but everything the Lord did was for our benefit. He knew we needed an example. So I want to put forward that the word of God is our greatest weapon in each of these temptations.
3″And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:3-4
Satan tempted Jesus during a time of weakness. Whenever we are hungry, tired, or even mentally drained we are open for attack. Lions attack their prey in times of weakness. A shark is drawn to a bleeding animal/fish. Satan known as the roaring lion, (1 Peter 5:8) is no different. So dear ones, you must be especially on guard during times of weakness. Do not give the enemy the upper hand. Avoid even the appearance of evil.
Example: When my Hubby was deployed to Iraq I was very lonely. I knew that I missed his affection. I knew I was vulnerable. For my own sake, I decided not to hug people of the opposite sex..even pastors etc…unless they were family. I also did not allow myself to be alone with a man if possible. I’m still very careful about avoiding even the appearance of evil. But I was super careful during my time of weakness.
6″And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Matthew 4:6-7
Satan twisted scripture to tempt Jesus. We learn a lot about how to use God’s word to fight Satan but we often forget that Satan also knows God’s word. Sadly, he knows the word better than us because he’s lived through it. Satan is a master at twisting the Bible and bringing confusion. We must not only know scripture, we must also know it’s context.
Here is a great principle for protecting yourself against false teaching. Never build your theology on just one verse. If it is mean’t to be a foundational belief then it will be supported by several verses in both the old and new testaments. A lot of people (and I’ve been one of them) get into spiritual deception because they take one verse out of context. A close study of the culture, the original language, and the context (in the book/ letter and also the Bible as a whole) will often remedy any confusion.
I’ll admit that this is the hardest temptation for me. Too often I am unprepared when a person takes a verse out of context and shoots it my way. Sometimes this happens with believers and sometimes with unbelievers. Verses out of context can be used for all kinds of crazy beliefs. We must be ready and we must know our Bible. Another thing to note is that Jesus didn’t argue with Satan. He simply stated the truth in context.
9″And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:9-10
Satan tempted Jesus with worldly possessions. Now this is different for everyone. That’s why each believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them. In the past, the Holy Spirit chose to dwell with only certain people so the majority had to rely on a prophet to speak God’s words. Now we have the immense privilege of going before the Father ourselves because Jesus is our High Priest. We have this beautiful personal relationship with Father God. The Holy Spirit himself teaches us God’s word and he brings conviction. The Holy Spirit knows us best and He helps us with those grey areas.
Maybe you can’t drink alcohol because you have a prior addiction. Or maybe you feel it’s permissible to drink because you don’t have a prior addiction and you never get drunk. In these last days we are to rely on Jesus for every area in our lives. If we rely on man instead of God, to tell us how to live then we are worshiping idols. We are to surrender to Jesus and to follow His words alone. So please don’t let anyone (even/ especially me) try to be your Holy Spirit. Wise counsel is good but Jesus gets the final say.
We are all tempted by different lusts whether it be candy bar or clothes. You know the area you struggle in. May God’s word bring conviction and remember the Word will give you the strength to overcome. Who is the Word? Jesus himself is the embodiment of God’s word! How awesome!
So dear ones I hope you’ve learned how to counter Satan’s attacks with God’s word.
Valentines…
remember to go to my blog to see vids that don’t show up in email 😉
Loving our spouse
Marriage Promise Video by Onetime Blind
loving others
Help by Onetime Blind vid
sometimes God answers our prayers in ways we don’t expect & with people we may not accept
God’s love for us
Little Things- Onetime Blind vid
seeing God work in the little things
Trash- Onetime Blind
Let God carry your trash. He does it because he loves you. Let it go 🙂
Loving God
Wash my Feet- Onetime Blind vid
ever try to one up people on your service? A humbling reminder about humility 😉
Lord Lord- Onetime Blind vid
Do you call him Lord but not treat Him as Lord?
A great sermon by Francis Chan on recognizing false teaching
Love to you all! God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover
Welcome! My name is Amber Dover. I am a homeschooling mom, happy wife, and a devout follower of Jesus Christ. I am also a writer. I am currently working on "The Truth Seeker's Chronicles" (an inspirational fantasy/allegory). You will find everything from craft ideas to writing tips on my blog. So please pull up a chair and hang out :)
amberdover 