Try thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving...in Christ Jesus everyday!

There are no turkeys gobbling about my home, no pies baking, and no football on the TV. But we continue celebrating thanksgiving each and every day!

Have we tasted of the precious mercy of God? Do we enjoy sweet fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Do we benefit from the favor of the Lord via His divine provision and protection? These are amazing gifts that the greatest earthquake or storm will never be able to shake or destroy.

We live on an world filled with His glory—from the tiniest, one-celled animal, to the microscopic particles which make up the protons, neutrons and electrons of the atom, leading up to the most magnificent nebulae in the solar system. In all of these—His creative handiwork is undeniably evident.

If you have ever been to a museum and seen first-hand the works of the great masters, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, you are awed. Yet every morning the Master of all creation paints with love upon His heavenly canvas a brand new sunrise.

Father God's heavenly canvas of love

And when the sunrise reveals the manly features of one's husband as the breath swells in his chest—do we recognize the handiwork of a loving Father? There are wonderful benefits to be realized when we begin every day with thankfulness for each member of our family.

It is so easy to be grateful for the sweetness of a small infant, but can we see in the blemished faces of our young sons and daughters the promises of God? Do we look past their growing pains to the people God has intended them to be?

Thanking God for them, even their rough edges, can give us new hope and breathe new life and love into relationships that may be strained.

Rebekkah with her family

Even regarding the older children that have grown and moved away, giving thanks for them, just as they are and where they are, allows us to rest in God's peace and trust that He is working all things for the good in their lives. So that, when their names are brought up, joy and peace will come to our countenance, instead of the darkness that stems from a worried and fretful soul.

In its simplest form, fretting is sin. It can't be "gussied-up" to look any better than it is, no matter how we might try. We might call it "concern" or even "a matter of deep prayer"—but fretting is still fretting.

David with his new wife Julia

My husband's brother, William, runs a street mission in the Pacific Northwest and is the planter of an outdoor church for people society has all but forgotten. One of these folks is a man with legs that are useless to him—they hang limp as he struggles to get anywhere. Instead of using a wheelchair, he has chosen to use two shovel-handles (minus the shovel heads) to aid himself in walking. These are not easy to use, and take tremendous upper-body strength, but he always has a smile on his face wherever he goes.

Anna, Grace and Leah

If anyone could claim to be having a unpleasant life, it would be this man. And yet, he is one of the happiest and cheerful in my brother-in-laws entire group. William considers him to be a great blessing, simply because of his humble and thankful attitude!

Sarah, Tim and Joshua

It may seem at times as though life is rife with troubles and sorrows, and indeed there are times of great heartache, but many refuse to allow the sufferings in this life to steal their joy. They choose, as true overcomers, to be in a constant state of thanksgiving to the God who is so merciful, compassionate and full of love towards us, that He even desires to commune with us, and to forgive us by sending His only begotten Son, to make a place for us in heaven so that we may enjoy Him forever!

Nicole and Patience

When we have done everything that God has asked us to do, then we can cast our cares upon the Lord and rest the results in His capable hands—allowing the vehicle of thankfulness to usher us into His presence and train our emotions to walk in the joy of the Lord which is our strength.

Ryan

Lord, I thank You for the privilege of serving Your people right here in my home. I thank You for my dear husband, that in his manliness he has tried so hard to understand my womanliness. Thank You that he loves to be here with us each day. Thank you for the way we met, and for all of the things we are to each other. Thank You that we are celebrating 29 years together in a few weeks. I never knew someone could love me that much—but He does. 

Sarah

Thank You for each child. Thank You for the morning sickness and restless nights. Thank You for early nursing pain—knowing I was giving them love and life at the same time. Thank You for each cry, each soft bottom, each diaper change. Thank You for each tantrum, each quarrel, each cranky morning. Thank You for the times of watching and care with fevers deep into the night. 

Faith, Olivia and Eliana together!

Thank You for their oft wanderings and curious wonderings. Thank You for their many questions, and for their sweet humble acceptance of the answer. Thank You for the times that I lost sight of the important things, and instead sunk deeply into petty misunderstanding, and even then You spoke to them through this imperfect vessel. 

Lorilee

Now I can also thank You for new sons and daughters that are being added through my children's marriages—I wish they all knew that I love them, too. Thank You for the blessing of grandchildren that give us plenty of material for laughter as they grow. 

In all these things I see Your hand, as You have softened me and grown me up, but there is so much yet to be done!

Little Patience

Thank You that You are not giving up on me, not even for the bazillionth time. Your love is so great, and broad, and deep. 

I could never run out of ways to praise You, not even for an eternity! Amen!

As a watered garden from a Pakistani pastor

"Their soul shall be as a watered garden." 

Their soul shall be as a watered garden. (Jeremiah 31:12)

Oh, to have one's soul under heavenly cultivation; no longer a wilderness but a garden of the Lord! Enclosed from the waste, walled around by grace, planted by instruction, visited by love, weeded by heavenly discipline, and guarded by divine power, one's favored soul is prepared to yield fruit unto the Lord.

But a garden may become parched for want of water, and then all its herbs decline and are ready to die. O my soul, how soon would this be the case were the Lord to leave thee! In the East, a garden without water soon ceases to be a garden at all: nothing can come to perfection, grow, or even live. When irrigation is kept up, the result is charming. Oh, to have one's soul watered by the Holy Spirit uniformly—every part of the garden having its own stream; plentifully—a sufficient refreshment coming to every tree and herb, however thirsty by nature it may be; continually—each hour bringing not only its heat, but its refreshment; wisely—each plant receiving just what it needs. In a garden you can see by the verdure where the water flows, and you can soon perceive when the Spirit of God comes.

O Lord, water me this day and cause me to yield Thee a full reward for Jesus' sake. Amen.

Reducing grocery costs—revisited

Here are some tips on reducing the food budget:

1. Throw out the women's magazines, or e-zines for that matter. These function to create appetites for foods that we don't necessarily need. Did you know that what we consider "everyday" fare would have been considered "gourmet" not too many years ago? The words "chutney" and "caper" were not even in normal kitchen language when I was young.

2. Remember, "healthy"  isn't necessarily synonymous with "expensive". Some of the healthiest diets in the world are the most basic.

 3. Buy the cheapest ingredients and then use your creative juices. Fill your pantry with the basics instead of box mixes that are full of things you don't need and cost a pretty penny.

    Some of the basics:

• Potatoes—better for you with the skins on. If you have a large family, buying the large, baking kind will save you from having to peal as much (and from throwing away a part of the potato). Red potatoes are sometimes better because they don't have to be pealed at all, leaving you with less work and more nutrition. We like to cut the potatoes up, skin and all, and make cottage fries—yummy and cheap!

•  Carrots and celery—These are both some of the cheapest fresh vegetables, but oh so versatile! They flavor almost anything and can be eaten both raw and cooked. They also are bountiful in health benefits—even cancer-fighting.

• Cook soups in the winter!—Soup is some of the most soul-satisfying food around, and it is economical in many ways. You can even add whatever leftovers you have in the fridge. A bowl of soup and homemade quick bread will keep one full and satisfied for quite a while.

• Beans—dried and canned. Another versatile food that is looked down upon, but it is one of the staples of the world. Full of beneficial fiber, protein (although not complete) and vitamins, most of us have yet to explore the possibilities of this wonderful food. For years my children raved about our "beans and rice" dish. I simply cooked up a pan of brown rice, opened up and warmed a few cans of kidney beans, added a little butter, and we had a gastronomical masterpiece! This is daughter no. 7's favorite dish to this day!

•  Popcorn—the cheap snack. I can buy a 50# bag of popcorn kernels at Sam's Club for $17! All you have to have is an air-popper and an imagination to create happy memories. One of our favorites is to add melted butter and nutritional yeast—which we call "special spices". Yeast adds a "cheesy" flavor, as well as numerous vitamin compounds, including the "B's". We also enjoy making caramel corn when we feel especially "munchy". We use our turkey roaster to make larger amounts.

•  Graham crackers—the cheap and healthy "cookie". My eldest son wouldn't be alive without them! You can get the store-brand for about $1.50 a box. You can serve these with peanut butter, homemade icing, or just milk for dunking! Even babies learning to feed themselves can snack on these.

•  Brown sugar—there are two types, the first is packaged with the molasses in tact, the second is processed into white sugar and then sprayed with molasses. The first is of course the healthiest. Brown sugar is better for you than the so-called "raw, organic" expensive types. The molasses contains the ingredients that help your body to process the sugar—making it into more of a food than a "chemical". 

• "I like to eat, apples and bananas!" so the song goes. Apples and bananas are some of the cheapest and best fruit buys. For a simple desert, we dip our apple slices in honey—"Taste and see that the Lord is good".

• Water—the best beverage. Sodas and juices are sometimes a nice treat, but are not needful. They add both calories and sugars—and some argue that, unless freshly squeezed, fruit juice that we buy in the stores has little health benefit. On the other hand, we rarely intake the amount of water we need daily. If your water tastes nasty, try a few drips of lemon juice and ice, or a few slices of lime (try slicing and freezing the limes on trays, then transferring them to Ziplocs to be used later). 

These are just some foundational ideas

to make a "dent" in the grocery budget.

Learning—one thing is needful: choose that good part!

Spending time in the garden

My Daylilies have all lost their blooms, and their long, flowing fronds are looking "old". When we went up higher in elevation on a recent family trip we found that some of the bushes and trees are already showing shades of yellow-gold.

A change of season is upon us—a time to consider the education of our children. Whether we school at home or choose other options—there is always some trepidation. These little ones (even if they are almost six feet tall) are so precious to us—we want the best for them. We wonder if we are able to deliver to them what they truly need. Some of us are wondering about having enough to eat, others are not certain whether or not there will be a roof over their heads in the coming days (even though we know that the Lord won’t leave or forsake us).

Nevertheless, many of us sit quietly and wonder to ourselves if we will be the mothers God desires us to be. Do we allow the struggles of life and our own sinful nature to hinder the flow of God’s love through us to our children? Will we be the stumbling block in their lives, the person they could blame for sending them down a slippery slope?

A new day of discovery

Will we be able to stand before the throne of God without shame or regret when it comes to the decisions we made in raising our children? Will we permit ourselves to become "vexed" like Moses, who was so incensed that he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, and thereby, missed his opportunity to enter into the Promised Land (sometimes obstinate adolescent children can drive us almost to the brink!).

Truthfully, in me lies no good thing. I may be smart and physically capable or I may not be. I might have been blessed with abundant health and glowing beauty, or I may well be dealing with the frump and changes of middle age. There may be a financial abundance in my bank account, or only 25 cents in my pocketbook. Nevertheless, I am nothing if I do not exclusively rely on the mighty power of Christ through His Holy Spirit.

If we want to be a blessing to our children, we must not trust in our own strength. We shouldn’t believe that, because we are smart or "nice" or capable, that our children will be nourished by us. Even the love of a mother has its limits. Only the unquenchable love of God will take us the distance we will ultimately need to go.

When Jesus sat by the well and spoke to the woman of Samaria who was bereft of anything resembling a good reputation, He told her exactly what we all need to understand.

We need to go deep into His well and drink up draft after draft of living water—the life-giving water of His Spirit.

And it has to be fresh. It matters not that we have memorized scriptures in the past—or that we may have attended Bible College, or that we listen to good teaching on the radio, Internet, or even that we are reading some good books. These are all profitable to us, and important, but they are not as beneficial as daily, uninterrupted time with God in the scriptures. Still waters often become foul, and acquiring portions of scripture second and third-hand is never as inspirational as when God Himself imparts His Word into our spirit.

Even through the busy years when our children are all little, there are ample creative ways to find time to spend meditating on God's Word.

Another blessing from God

My dear daughter with two tiny children and one on the way uses the audio CD's of the Word we bought for her when she still lived with us. She and her husband also have the Word loaded onto their iPads, and when they were visiting us for a few weeks this summer they used these devices when we enjoyed our family devotions together. This means that she can access the words of life whenever she has a few minutes to spare—and it is not as encumbering as lugging around a large tome.

I personally prefer the feel of a book—so I keep my compact Bible by my bed, and one also in my purse. In addition, there is one in my office, prominently placed atop my bookshelf—this always takes first priority in our homeschooling. Although I have also benefited from reading devotionals and good books, I often find myself looking up a scripture referred from these sources in order to read it in its full context. Sometimes I am quite surprised to find that these references are not accurate, and at other times, I am blessed to find a whole new portion of the Word that speaks into my life.

And there are so many precious promises associated with reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word!

For one thing, it is the very way we "renew our minds" (Romans 12:2). I don't know about you, but my own mind is subject to the 2nd law of thermodynamics, specifically, "The quality of matter and/or energy deteriorates gradually over time." It is understandable that this would happen, since our minds are a part of our flesh, and as such share in the dying unleashed when Adam and Eve committed that first transgression against God’s commandment. 

God will speak to us through His Word

If we are trying to live a godly life, and our hope is to be transformed into the image of Christ, utilizing our own intellect will not help us much. It is only as we train our minds to “observe to do” as instructed by God's Word that we begin to see true progress. 

I am impressed here with the idea that it is very possible to have the mind of Christ, that is, one that is humbly submitted at all times to the will of God. We simply need to be willing to take the time and energy to allow Him to work that miracle in us, and as we yield some of the most important segments of our day to Him, we allow our faith to bring forth blessings and fruitfulness, even in the minute things of life, such as getting the laundry actually folded and put away! 

And if we want our children to grow, "In the fear and admonition of the Lord," spending time in His Word is the first and most important step in becoming an expression of God’s love to our family as well as becoming the fragrance of Christ to those in need that He may lead our way.

Free flash cards for French, Self-taught

I recently suggested using the Collier's Cyclopedia to learn French (the French, Self-Taught category). Since we have been using this ourselves, I went ahead and created some flash cards to go with the first few vocabulary lists and the first interesting phrase list, along with a notebooking page for the vocabulary words and a French to English matching sheet.

I have uploaded them here (French Flash Cards 1) on Homeschool Launch for anyone to access for free. It is best to print these double-sided, with the French on one side, the English on the other.

Blessings,

Sherry

A link you will love

My sweet daughter and her children

Blogging is such a boon to the stay-at-home, and often homeschooling mother. Our social landscape so often seems barren of true fellowship when we decide to become "cross-cultural".

But just as our trials are often numerous when we choose the narrow path, so are our many comforts!

For instance, I am so blessed to have actually met a fellow blogger I follow and appreciate, Kim from Starry Sky Ranch. She used to live nearby, but has since been living abroad, and enjoying new adventures with her wonderful large family. I am so often blessed by her photography and her insights—as this particular post, He Notices, was a refreshment to me, and I can heartily recommend it to you today, no matter where you are in your ministry of motherhood. As you pass through her blog, leave a sweet comment, as I am sure she could use the encouragement, too!

Blessings to each and everyone of you!

Great homeschooling finds I just had to share!

The joy of motherhood

I’m loving the homeschooling we are doing this year. I have found so many nifty things that I have been holding back to keep myself from bursting and showing them to my children all at once.

I've been trying to introduce neat stuff in little increments—smaller posts with only bits at a time (my dear husband is appreciative).

So here are some more:

Books—I am downloading and printing lots of new-old books for free, but I have also ordered some newer books, and here they are:

"10 Books That Screwed Up the World and 5 That Didn't Help".  I discovered this manuscript at my local library (I forgot what I was searching for when I stumbled upon it). This book has opened all of our eyes. Amazingly, I have discovered the 15 books mentioned here in some lists of recommended reading for homeschoolers, but without any caveats—and all of these books (all of these authors) need to be read, but they need to be perused with one's eyes wide open. The author of this book, Benjamin Wiker, Ph.D. is quite well-read himself, he simply happens to believe that Christianity is the greatest gift to mankind, and he sees the world through that lens—refreshing to say the least.

Among the authors he covers in this book are Machiavelli, Descartes, Hobbes, and Rousseau. He also covers Marx and Engels, Hitler, and even Margaret Sanger, among many others just as infamous. I'm using this book because I don't want my "sheltered" children leave our home without an understanding of just how insidious evil thinking can be, and how much error is inherent in many of the ideas accepted as "normal" nowadays.

For instance, after reading about Machiavelli's "The Prince", nothing in politics is above suspicion, and nothing is shocking—it's all been done before, and the patterns are obvious.

A view of God's awesome creation

Another excellent book that I ordered is "The Joy of Chemistry". This one I also checked out from the library before ordering. I have already mentioned it in another post, but I hadn't had the chance to review it and enjoy many of its chapters. I had been looking for a way to convey the fundamentals of chemistry, and precisely how this science affects us every day, when a recently visited website suggested it as an alternative to other math-intensive chemistry courses available for older students. This book is a terrific way for "the rest of us" to approach this branch of science, at least those of us who are serious about understanding chemistry without becoming so lost in the less interesting technicalities that we dislike, and therefore, end up wasting our time in a vain attempt to learn it at all.

My older children, especially my girls, need to have a basic understanding of how things work, so they can bake a better cake, get the crayon off the walls, choose what sorts of cleaning solutions they will buy at the store, etc. This book is so fascinating; it's very hard to put it down. It even includes experiments that are "doable" and, with a good notebooking system, could actually be considered "labs", which are great to include in a high school transcript.

For the younger set, I ordered the book, "What's Chemistry all about?" by Usborne. This book came about after I went to our local library and checked out every book they had on the subject—this one beat them all, including the "Eye-Witness" ones. The illustrations are engaging, and the content is informative. I like it better than the others because it actually lays a good foundation for further study, and it hits the high points, the things one needs to know in order to understand the more complex issues, such as the ones introduced in "The Joy of Chemistry".

While I was researching all of this science, I came across the most wonderful websites—one that shows just how tiny an atom is (you have to do this one over and over in front of your children—their reactions are priceless). I also found a great site which offers a video for each of the elements included in the periodic table of elements—the one we watched today included a demonstration with hydrogen and an explanation of how an H-bomb works—super stuff!

Treasures from the past

I also found an old book; I don't remember where exactly, this is a real answer to prayer. I have been diligently searching for a good source for copywork for my kids, one that has gathered daily excerpts from prose, poetry, scripture, etc. in one place. I know there are some that are offered commercially, but I needed something for free (I already spent this year's funds on the books mentioned above).

Leaves of Life has been my answer. It is arranged according to date, and lists events such as the births of important people, then a poetry selection, and finally a quote from someone such as Louisa May Alcott. Also included are a scripture for the day, and a prayer. I have enjoyed these selections and found them worthy of thought and reflection. None are too long, and so will fit well into my children's composition books.

There is still so very much more, but I must be disciplined!

Stay tuned for more!

Don't forget your purpose

Mother-daughter together

I can't go into a department store without a list—not the kind I keep in my head, but a physical list, on a piece of paper, written with ink that I can hold in my hand.


If I don't have a list, my creative meanderings take over. All of the displays begin to call my name. Imagination takes a hand, and before you know it, I am back at home with bags full of items that I never intended to purchase, and the very things I planned to buy remain standing and forgotten back on the store shelves!


So it is with homeschooling. There are so many choices. There are numerous and varied home-school philosophies. We make a start with one, and then see another that beckons us. After a while the confusion only adds to our own insecurities and the impediments of outsiders expectations. For a brief moment, surrendering our children to the failed public school system seems like a liberating solution to the dread and confusion that swirls in our minds.


This is when we need to take a few paces backwards and re-examine the underlying reasons why we chose to home-school in the first place.


I began homeschooling because I just loved my children too much to release them to a horde of strangers—to an institution which, by definition, would not have any respect for our religious beliefs and values, and therefore, did not see every child as a unique and precious gift. Every time I thought of letting go of my sweet little girl to someone else's instruction for hours every day, and at the tender age of five (we didn't do preschool in those days), this notion struck me to my very heart!

Children are an heritage of the Lord

I could not imagine having my daughter taught facts as though there was no God who created and cared, no Jesus that died to save her. It didn't seem right to me to have her taught 6-8 hours each day that morality should be determined by the interpretation of some stranger, or to watch her languish daily from the mistreatment (with a potential to become an abuser herself) of the other "inmates" of forced, socialized education.


I fail to understand why the "socialization" of public (or even private) schooling at any age before eight is beneficial to children. My parents were divorcing when I was only seven and my mother put my sister and I into daycare, and I can remember pining away for her for some time. As I learned to become "tough", I was able to handle the situation—but my relationship with my mom never recovered.


What is so wrong with increasing and strengthening the familial bonds between parent and child during the early years? What is so horrible about having a child identify more with family than with friends? Since when did friends begin to trump family relationships anyway?


I may be old-fashioned, but all of this "social" craze is a bit too much for me. A person can make numerous acquaintances, but true friends are far and few between. Our children can have a few "playmates", but why condition a small child to fly with a flock before he/she even forms an understanding of themselves and who God has made them to be? Is there in truth a hidden agenda here? How does one make significant societal transformations? It must begin with the innocent and impressionable—the children!

Olivia, Eliana discovering the world

I fail to see the advantages of socialized education. Moreover, I would wager at least 30% of the day is spent on administrative tasks and shuffling people around. A child rises before the sun in the winter, gets ready for school, gathers his things together, rides on the bus (with other callous, bad-tempered and often frightened children), waits for the bell, home-room, attendance, announcements and walks from one classroom to the next, etc.


In our home, learning begins as they awaken. I put on sweet music while they read to themselves God's Word in their rooms. Then we meet for a time of "connecting" and talking about what we have perused. I then read aloud a devotion, and finally we pray together (by the way, Dad instructs them almost every day in the Bible and in practical Christian living). After an hour or so of getting ready and finishing their chores, we begin our formal studies. No roll call, no hall pass to use the bathroom—this is their home, and they can even snack while they learn their times tables.


The whole of the world is open to them. We live close enough to a small nature preserve that my dear lepidopterist son can venture there and capture all sorts of flying creatures, and the other children are always bringing me all sorts of specimens and relating exciting new stories of the wildlife they have observed. They have time for handcrafts with yarn, wood, cloth, watercolors, computer programs, (even blogging for the older ones), etc. Their interests and personalities are respected here, because we just happen to think of each of them as precious and beyond compare.

The Good Shepard knows His sheep

But most of all, it is important to personally oversee the education of our children because God asks us to do just that—I know there are situations in which there is just no other choice, and His wonderful grace will cover and give us creative ideas in those challenging situations—but where we do have the choice, we are obligated to make the right one. These children are not just numbers on some demographic chart—no, indeed, they are precious souls formed in the heart of a loving Heavenly Father. Dare we give them up to those who do not have this understanding? Should we risk jeopardizing our children's welfare to a system which has only the "machine" in mind?


I forgive the relatives and well-meaning friends who have tried to dissuade me and discourage me through the years—I now realize that they haven't thought through the whole process, and they are victims of a bit of "political correctness" and propaganda conditioning themselves.


But I don't care what anyone thinks—I am bound to do my best for my children—even if those children themselves should rebel for a time and choose to go the way of the world. If they agree, then wonderful. If they don't agree, then I will pray for them and be as kind and patient as possible.


But I will never, ever, compromise.

Home book binding without special equipment

Overcoming the hurdles of life

It's just wonderful the opportunities we have to read old books and other digitized manuscripts for free. But I am not alone in needing to read these nifty tomes on paper—electronic devices just don't seem "right" to me. Besides that, I do not want my children staring into a computer monitor for long periods of time—I am sure there are a profusion of studies relating to just how a child's brain can turn to mush from staring into a box of flashing lights for hours (none of us need any help in that regard).

For a while there I was printing books out on my handy-dandy inkjet and zipping over to the office supply store to have them comb or wire-bound. This was great for the first 20 or so, but I'm passionate, and so are my children; we want a whole collection of superior, educational books. It's just that the cost of all that printing and binding, not to mention all the "zipping", was taking its toll on me.

So I went on an odyssey, surfing the Net for better alternatives. I am so pleased and excited with what I have found that I have to share it with you all!

God hears our prayers!

First of all, I prayed—did you know that God is interested in how we live day-to-day? He says that, through Jesus, He has provided us with "wisdom and prudence"—look it up in Ephesians 1:8. It astounds me how Father God is so magnificent, omnipresent and omniscient that He can take care of the entire universe while keeping track of the little details of every one of the six billion or so persons living on this earth! Don't you just love Him?!

I initially began by researching my equipment. My first stop was the printer. I have an HP Photosmart Plus, all-in-one. The cartridges in this unit, even the super ones (XL) have an official yield of about 550 sheets of total printing. This makes each sheet cost about $0.05 a piece—that is, if I buy my cartridges at Sam's Club, which has the best prices for official HP ink.

Then I read about how many of the folks who use the Robinson Curriculum have purchased a laser printer from Brother—but I soon discovered that there was the added expense of a drum besides the cost of the toner; moreover, these machines are not all that reliable. I appreciated the fact that they could auto-duplex, meaning they could print on both sides of the paper automatically, which could be a real time and money-saver.

HP OfficeJet Pro 8000

My husband is a loyal HP customer when it comes to printers, so he encouraged me to look further on their website. That's when I discovered the HP OfficeJet Pro 8000. This machine is designed for small businesses. It does everything I had hoped for—it auto-duplexes, and the ink is waterproof—that really helps if you are going to be handing out printed material to children. But the niftiest thing of all is the price of the ink. For the same money as my old inkjet—approximately $30 per cartridge—an XL for this model will yield 2,200 pages! That's about four times as many pages per cartridge! And the price was quite reasonable; I was able to buy it while on sale for only $89 (before warranty)! The price has since gone up to $149, and I saw the all-in-one version of this printer at Sam's for about $179 just a couple of weeks ago, but it is still much more economical than the cheaper inkjets.

My next step was to look for ways to bind the books I wanted to print. I found some excellent websites that explained several methods. I recently tried the technique of hole-punching, then sewing, and finally gluing on a binding cover, this process was fantastic! I am using manila folders as covers, since they are long enough to go completely around the girth of the book, and they also have little fold lines in the middle. I have also purchased a “long-reach” stapler from Swingline that I use to secure each of the booklets. To finish, I stack and hot glue to a binding strip (white duct tape).

Seriously, you can bind books that have the look and feel of those mass-produced with just a small supply of these basic materials:

• Hole-punch
• Needle and thread
• Hot glue gun
• Gorilla glue (or some similar glue that is strong and a bit flexible when completely dry)
• Stapler
• Large binder clips
• Card stock
• Manila folders
• Clear contact paper (for longevity of binding)

Here are some links with photos and even video streams that will explain a variety of methods:

DIY Bookbinding

Book binding techniques

Rosegate Harbour* This is a terrific site full of wonderful information—you may want to bookmark this one and save it so you can return there often. I have learned many techniques about printing and binding here, and the author of the site catalogs other helpful websites that have helped me garner even more knowledge about book binding options.

Producing books in this way can give a woman a lot of satisfaction—when we homeschool moms are able to be both creative and frugal and at the same time, are able to bless our families—we have truly realized a win-win scenario—at least this is true for this large family mother!