Financial Peace...

Years ago I began listening to a man on the radio, Dave Ramsey. He's funny. He loves the Lord. His thoughts made SENSE to Mike and I. We've never attended one of his seminars. We have checked out "Total Money Makeover" from the library, and we've listened to the radio program. We've followed the baby steps.

Our children have grown up hearing the debt-free principles and watching us save before buying etc. The boys have a goal, which of course we wholeheartedly agree with and planted, that they be financially stable, have a good savings account, be debt-free, etc BEFORE they begin dating/courting. We would also love it if they are able to provide in a way that their wives could be blessed to stay home as I have.

Bre and Krista went through FPU at Master's Commission and loved it. They said that most of the day-to-day things they'd learned at home, but there was much to learn about investments etc. Since they went through the program, we've planned to purchase the DVD set and have our children work through it. At this point just, Jared, Jamin and Josiah and maybe Arielle could absorb some of it?

In checking, I've discovered that there is a FPU - Next Generation that is written FOR students. There are workbooks, DVD's etc. Now I'm wondering if I should order FPU or FPU Next Generation.

I'm sure the content is a bit different in the student's version, but it covers savings, investments, college, retirement, cash flow, insurance, buying power, careers etc. The price of the homeschool version that I've been quoted is about 1/3 of the price of FPU (which is why I didn't buy it LAST fall). I've checked out the samples of the workbook etc and I like what I see.

Has anyone seen or attended either program? Would you recommend one over the other? Whichever we buy, we'll be using it for many years with the rest of our children. If we get the homeschool version, I'm thinking that even Arielle and Nolan could understand some of it.

What do you think? Also - if you've used the homeschool version - would it work well in a group setting? Would it work for both Jr. High and Sr. High School? They also have little back packs for young kids, but um, I'm not wanting to SPEND money - I want to SAVE it. ::snort:: OK, Mike and I have talked and Mike says this sounds like a good investment. If I buy the homeschool package, it is for private classroom use or homeschool co-op use only, BUT this means I could buy the program, and others could do it with us for the price of the workbook. I can buy the workbook as a PDF file and never have to buy another workbook for the rest of our family. All for less than 1/3 of the course we planned on buying last year.

Living Last Supper

This is the 4th year that this chapel has put on "The Living Last Supper." I'd never seen this before moving to here, but it is meaningful.

This evening is based on Leonardo Da Vinci's painting. The narrator sets the scene. Jesus starts by saying "One of you will betray me," and then each disciple gives a monologue about how he came to know Jesus and pondering if he could be the one who will betray Jesus. I searched the internet for a link to the script and can't find one that is just like ours - this one is much longer and involved but the disciple's monologues are close.

Mike had asked me to make some "authentic" unleavened bread. Well....that would be passover bread. It would be flatbread - pita like or matzah. We talked and he wanted it fluffier. Huh? He wanted AUTHENTIC....I hotly argued (and it wasn't a proud moment for me) that flat bread WAS authentic. Then we realized I was thinking authentic to 1st century Jerusalem and HE was thinking authentic to the painting.

OK - flat hoagie rolls you can throw around. I can do this. He also wanted a "fluffy but flat" round loaf for communion.

The round loaf rose HIGH - and so Mike cut it in half.

There are no women parts in this production. One of our airmen got hung up and didn't make it before the performance started. As they scrambled to find a man to fill the role of the missing disciple, Debbie and I helpfully suggested that some believe Mary Magdalene was the disciple on the end. Mike gave us a look that said, "that's bunk/"

The show went on. I was satisfied to be the OFFICIAL photographer. Mike said that I can post these photos as all parents of minors have approved.

I went into the "locker room".

Checking the painting one last time for "stances"

The scene begins....

*Notes - next year remove the wall clock and posters, hang a shower rod with curtain over the door....and maybe consider wigs as all our disciples have military cuts. LOL Also, saw horses would make nice rough looking legs for the table...and a few dried fish would add to the atmosphere. Candlelight versus industrial light would be good too.

I can own two of the disciples...
Nathanael

Peter

Both did a great job. All did a wonderful job. I love this evening every year....though being a military chapel our cast continues to rotate.

Judas - disciple in the back seems skeptical of Judas' monologue (new camera and I wasn't use to the focus - focused on the money bag - but it seems appropriate).

Table shots

Mike ended the night by serving communion to the cast and then the crowd. The gentleman on the left is a retired Navy chaplain and the gentleman on the right is Rev. C whose vision guides our Gospel Service. We broke bread from the halves and dipped them in the chalice.

Random photo of a child's plate of food (and it WASN'T one of my mine) - cracked me up. Nothing says chapel like lots of SWEETS (though there is fruit too - actually 1/2 and 1/2).

Jared rushed to CAP after he was done. Mike went to pick him up, and they aren't back yet, but soon. On the way home (Mike brought us home and then went back as we forgot to take two vehicles) Mike mentioned maybe next year we should do a Seder with the audience all in era costumes. LOL Maybe we'll do our Seder this year in era costumes....I'm so glad we aren't pressured to do it tonight....it will be better for us to do it according to the Jewish calendar this year.

Did I Mention We Had *Weather*?

It began Monday night just as we were unloading the van. It rained. It poured. It thundered - rolling thunder. Lightning that was "out of this world." I always tell the young ones it's "God's light show or God's fireworks" when they are nervous. Once I made the mistake of telling an older child, when they were young, that the sputtering rain was "angels spitting" - I'll not do THAT again. ::snort:: But the snow has been known to be the "angels having a pillow fight." Just a bit of family trivia free of charge.
It stormed all night Monday. It stormed all day Tuesday. These are some photos that my friend Debbie took at her house north of town. She lives on 3 ACRES....that's important. I have another friend who is her neighbor and HER play structure blew over.....
The fence blew down - Deb's house is the brick one in the background.
The trampoline blew across the acres ....

And landed in a surprised neighbor's tree.

Debbie gave permission for these photos to be posted.

Whew - Wednesday!

Another busy day. School glides on. I went to the gym. Jamin is at work. Mike is at work (and so I have time to update). Josiah and Jared are out with friends - all afternoon and evening. We ran across town to pick up some Real Salt (Mom this stuff would be salty enough for YOU LOL), and some Braggs Amino something or other that I'd accidently left at the restaurant where we meet the United semi. We had dinner, baths, all are in bed, I paid bills, still waiting for the older 4 men to arrive home.

Tuesday and Everyone is Home

The big event of our day! ALL were home for dinner. I even cooked. We had Country Chicken Pot Pie AND a banana cake with strawberry shortcake topping (I guess I've never posted that recipe before - which I can do if anyone would like it). What fun to have all who live at home - HOME.

We ended the night by watching "Full Range of Motion". I think it was funnier the second time watched. Good, clean, HUMOR! We are trying to find a clip of the "I work at Subway" song for Cy's myspace. LOL

THE TRIALS OF STACIA

Ah, being the baby in a family like this is a cross to bear. The poor thing.

You can't really tell, but Arielle had given her a "fake" chocolate bar. It looked REAL - but it was an eraser.

Monday night, after all had gone home from the United co-op, we found Stacia on our bed...surrounded by candy wrappers, chocolate on our pillows and on her face.

I'll just throw this in...this is the back of the van when we opened it at home, and the front was full too. Next month I will remove another seat before meeting the truck. LOL

Jamin's Joy

Jamin came home from Writing for the Soul with the determination to "get published" this year. Most big publishing houses want you to have built "name recognition" before they publish your works. Jamin is an intense, one-job-at-a-time type of person and so had spent all his time writing novels. NOW, he is learning to write anything and everything in order to be published online, in magazines, win contests, and he writes novels at night.
Since February, he has found out that he'll have an article published in a magazine. I think it was in May, maybe? It's an interview he did with Mike about his ministry in the Middle East. I'll post a link when it is published.
Today, he found out that Around the Bloc, a Christian Yahoo writer's group, will publish an article he wrote in April. The article is called, "Publication Potholes." (We're learning a lot about this topic, and I think it takes a great writer to turn their "failures" into an article that wins success. ::snort::)
He's busy writing stories and such for contests.
He's received his first rejection letter for his novel, from Bethany House (let's mount a boycott ::snort::). In an ironic twist Mike received his first rejection notice this week too - but it was very polite and encouraging. I think he should submit it to a few magazines - it's an article about Stacia's near-drowning last summer.
I continue to simply publish every day - inarticulate, ungrammatical, misspelled but written - every day. ::snort::
All of a sudden, places want a PHOTO of Jamin - and his last name will be published...so much for security! ::sigh:: Mike and Jamin spent time taking a "photo" of just Jamin last night. I took great glee in this as Jamin is the one in family pictures who was barefoot, hair awry, pulling away and insisting he would NOT be in the photo. We just held him down and told the photographer to snap away. I was determined I would have pictures of him. AND....now....14 years later.....Mike and he spent the night taking photos, and Josiah only had to hold him down the first 5 minutes. ::snort::