Author: amandasexton

I am a wife, mother, writer, and reader. I also homeschool my five kiddos in a very eclectic style, 13 years deep. I am a Texas girl, Orthodox Christian, and l love to cook! I write about nurturing the heart, mind, and body.
cleaning · cooking · family · fun · homeschooling · kids · motherhood · organizing

Christmas Gifts for a Homeschool Mom

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The average “gifts for mom” list is not necessarily a good fit for a homeschool mom.  Don’t get me wrong…I love perfume and scarves and expensive handbags just like the average girl, but if you really want the wow factor for this homeschool mom of five I have a better list.  Maybe you can forward this post to your hubby or whoever is asking you that pressing question, “What do you want for Christmas?”  I hope this list will inspire you to answer with every bit of the quirkiness that defines a homeschool mom.  

Just a bit fun…happy shopping everyone.


My large crock pot has a hairline crack in the removable porcelain crock.  I am afraid to do too much in it, and I am for sure not transporting it anywhere.  Crock pots are a homeschool mom’s best friend in the kitchen.  We can start dinner at breakfast and as the house is permeated with the smell of lemony chicken it is so reassuring to know supper is on. 

My coffee pot is trying to peter out on me…and that just cannot happen.  I currently have to jiggle the cord to get the green power light to appear.  I wait every morning in suspense…it’s just too stressful.

This is such a great gift for a homeschool mom.  This tote can be used for picnics, as a library tote, camping, day trips, etc.  One use I would like it for is to stock my car with a mommy survival kit.

I already have this gift, but I had to include it.  Free Shipping for books!  Are you kidding…this is a homeschool mom’s dream!    

This gift is over the top.  The one I want is a little pricey, but oh so cool.  I would love it to make dry erase activities for my littles, flashcards specific to the things we are learning, saving works of art…the possibilities are endless.  

What a tongue twister…but never mind that.  This little beauty makes the homeschool day to day much easier.  The copier is a godsend. 

This is so dreamy…now I can spend my summer making the kind of workbooks we love…suited just for us.  I would trill with delight if I opened this gift.

And for the stocking… 

I love the feel, the smell, and the size of the Moleskine notebooks.  It is very inspirational to write in something of this quality.  Keeping a daily journal is a great way that homeschool moms can unwind and reflect.  

 Free Time Coupons 
This could come in the form of a coupon booklet if you would like something to unwrap.  It’s easy to make them on the computer or just make them with colored pencils and crayons.  12 would be perfect…12 Free Time coupons that I can spend…like say once a month.  It is nice to have time alone sometimes.  

Yes…I said Sharpies.  I love to have those around, but I am always too cheap to buy them for myself.  I want a big set…just love office supplies.




  
faith · Orthodoxy

Thoughts Before Confession

amandasexton2 Comments

Simple people have simple ways, and for this reason I have often thought that they are the real gurus in this world.  It is strange how complicated I can make things when in reality most things are simple.  But simple things are often the hardest things to do.  Like how I used to stress and strain about ways to clean the house…I searched and searched for organizing ideas, schedules, and tips when in fact cleaning my house was and remains real simple…all it takes is for me to get up and clean it. Just do it.  These kind of distractions and complications often go undetected by people like me…always inquiring and learning and researching, creating intellectual drama and wasting energy.

When a simple person wants to cook dinner not a thought is given to Pinterest or Paleo…no just the cupboard, maybe an old favorite, a simple meal without stress.

When a simple person wants to read the Bible they just pick up the Scriptures and read…no need for commentary or getting lost in translations and interpretations…the Psalms suit them just fine.

Tasks are not regulated, generated, formulated, or calculated…just doing the next thing…hands so familiar with the vocation that little or no thought is given to “am I doing this right?” or “could I do this better?”

An ordinary ease…that thought sounds heavenly.

And ordinary does not imply Utopia.  Ordinary means that the shock has gone out of life and the muscles needed to bear the load are well exercised…life is easy not because it is free of burdens or sin, but because the burden is well supported, almost absorbed by simple ways.

Drama is the birth child of complication.  Simplicity will restore a sense of purity and peace.

Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

Too many words, too much knowledge seeking, too much psychological delving.

Let the day unfold with the tasks it requires to live…seek out the hidden places of the heart, not the mind.  Bring forth repentance in the simplest of ways…like looking in a mirror.  Darkness is simple…no need to know why.

Confession is not complicated, it is as simple as saying the truth with exact speech.  Humility never speaks in riddles.  I am a sinner.  Very simple.

The complicated world will convince harried souls that there is no way out…we have descended the downward spiral staircase and we can never come up again…we are all too grownup now.  But if I am still and if I am quiet and if I stop listening to the Dramatic Fantasy…I know that to follow Christ is real simple.  It’s not easy, but it is real simple.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8  

Christmas · cooking · family · food · fun · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · kids · Nativity · parenting

A Country Christmas

amandasexton3 Comments

We celebrated the Butler Christmas at a ranch in Abilene. My sister-in-law’s family invited us for a weekend in the country, and it was perfect.  I cannot remember when I have had a better time.  It was relaxing and hearty…good for the soul and senses.  Country folk really do have the most fun…especially if those country folk are from Texas!

Simple gifts…nothing extravagant.

Rustic ambiance. 
A warm and cozy bunkhouse.  My oldest brother Josh said, “This feels like church camp.”

We gather in the kitchen.  Lots of great conversation.
Tamales and our parents!  Two of my favorite things.
Lots of cooking.

More cooking.

A porch swing.

Cheese and wine.
The best food.  Featuring a prime rib with horseradish sauce and au jus. 

Outdoor fun!  We also took a Christmas carol hayride underneath the Abilene starlit sky.

Four wheelin’ on trails.  Throwing rocks in the pond.  Looking for wildlife.  Kickin’up dirt! 

A large covered porch for outdoor fun.

A spirited game of spoons!

Cousins are the best!

Amma brought a bag of Christmas books to read to the grands!

 Christmas dishes with red solo cups…what’s more country than that?  

 The girls made blankets together!

The smiles come easy.
The dogs are in heaven.
family · fun · kids · play · seasons

Birthday Season

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August- Samuel- Age 1
Blue icing cupcakes and a simple evening with just us.  Birthdays at this age are always spent at home with good food and cake!

November- Sophia- Age 9
Strawberry cake and a sleepover.  Sophia got a a real bow, and she loved it.
December- Caroline- Age 13
Chocolate cake and a dance party.  30+ of her friends and family cut a rug in our shop.  Bonfire and Nacho bar.  It was a big one for the new teenager in the house.  See was gifted a harp from her Amma and Pa Glen.  
Birthday season at the Sexton House.
books · faith · family · kids · learning · Nativity · Orthodoxy · parenting · seasons · winter

A Few Nativity Pictures

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A collection of Christmas books.

Wrapped up to be a sweet surprise for the evenings of December as we prepare for Jesus to be born.

Our Jesse tree.  We have since abandoned the hanging of the ornaments.  Brother Bear seems to have decided that all paper products should be torn to shreds.  We are reading, praying, and lighting a candle.  However, I often find myself praying this prayer, “Lord please accept this very imperfect prayer.”  Evening prayers are interesting with a toddler and baby.  The interruptions and noise make me feel like we are just scraping by sometimes.  But, we keep practicing.  Glory to God for all things.

family · fun · kids · play

A Birthday Bow

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Sophia always gets two birthday parties.  One at home and one at Amma and Pa Glen’s house the day after Thanksgiving.  She had a great time learning to shoot her new bow from Pa Glen.  Her ninth birthday was special…growing up way too fast! We are impressed with Sophia’s ability to hit the bullseye.    
faith · family · Orthodoxy

Give Thanks in the Struggle

amandasexton3 Comments

I think it is impossible to give thanks without struggle.  And we cannot fully know one another’s struggles…the best we can do is just try to bear burdens by listening.  It is amazing how very little we can know of another…really know…and yet it is awesome how connected we can be at the same time.  Family is just that paradox…so connected yet not fully knowing.  In a family, it is those moments that bind us together that matter most.  Those moments that make up for the “not knowing”…those acts that connect us on an unseen level.

This summer my family was made complete in the Orthodox church.  My father and sister-in-law were chrismated together, the last of our clan to enter the Church.  It is really amazing when I think about it.  My entire immediate family are Orthodox, and my maternal grandmother as well.  We have not worshiped together as a family in over twenty years.  And it was a struggle.  Because faith connects families on unseen levels.  My father let me pick out his church name, Titus. My sister-in-law took Nonna.  It was a beautiful day.

I know it is a great struggle to possess the wonder, beauty, and truth of Orthodoxy and not be able to connect with those you love the most…at least not on the unseen level. What is one to do in a family of non-Orthodox?  I learned this the hard way…be gentle.  Let go of control.  Preach the gospel and when necessary use words.  And know that even if it never happens…God is Love…He is good…and His mercy endures forever.

I am so thankful for the Church…that my family worships together…that we are once again connected spiritually.  That thankfulness is sweet because of the struggle…the pain of being disconnected for so many years.  The journey was long and continues as we are converted everyday…every moment.  I am so very thankful.  

cooking · family · food · motherhood · nutrition · parenting

Our Family Cookbook

amandasexton2 Comments

The best recipes are the ones your mother made….the ones found on the family tree.  The other day I was perusing a cookbook that my Granny authored, and I was struck by it’s prose and meditations.  It tells a story, as do all good cookbooks.  No fat grams, or calories, or nutrition facts…no, just good food made by hands and seasoned with the heart.

I love a good cookbook, but what I love more is knowing how to cook…I have a long line of matriarchs to thank for that…I think my husband and children join me in thanksgiving.

A good home cook can transform whatever is in the pantry into a feast, even if the ingredients are not the best money can buy. And resourcefulness and creativity are a home cook’s pleasure…what makes cooking fun.  It is amazing what my mom could do with a whole chicken back when she did not have a whole lot of money to spend at the grocery store.  We used to tease her and say that she could make four meals for five with one bird. Funny story, but when I really think about the wonderful meals my mother cooked when we were poor as church mice…well, I just stand in awe.

 I made a pumpkin and buttermilk pie today.  As I cooked these family recipes, I reflected on my Granny…now in a nursing home.  She is a great cook…the best kind.  Below is the cookbook’s dedication in her words,

…to Mama (Bertie Jayroe) for keeping the tradition of family meals and foods alive.  Mother’s farsightedness and commitment created this multigenerational history of family eats.  It contains a personal family tree from which nurturing and incredible resourcefulness is found in the skill of the kitchen and pantry…few women of today manage to create lunches and dinners from scratch every day, including desserts. 

She (Mama) made the best chicken and dumplings.  Her famous (from scratch) blackberry cobbler was the best there ever was.  Daddy liked her cobbler the best of all.  The berries were hand picked by Daddy from his blackberry patch in the orchard.  Mama and Daddy raised there own chickens then.  One was caught, killed, and plucked for the chicken and dumplings.  All this required time, so my parents always rose early.  As her children, we are very fortunate to have smelled, tasted, and eaten so well.  But more so to have the values of a good home so deeply engraved.  Again, thanks Mama.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone…may we offer true thanks for what the earth has given and human hands have made.   
books · faith · family · Nativity · saints · winter

A Journey to Nativity

amandasexton4 Comments

I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a Journey to Nativity calendar.  Well, I finished it! Can you believe it is only 6 weeks until Christmas?  Approximately.

Every year I try to get ahead of the busyness of the season by making a loose plan for the holidays.  The Nativity fast begins on the 15th of this month, and it would be nice to be a bit more organized and intentional this year.  When I say loose, I mean that my plan is just a spine.  I am sure that I will add to it, and not get to some of the activities on my calendar.

I divided my days into four categories:

Cleaning/Organizing
Cooking
Caring
Sharing

I do not have activities planned for each category for every day. That would be impossible.  I tried to schedule things with peace and good will in mind.  I love Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We have so many cultural and spiritual traditions that make this season the highlight of the year. I love to ready my home, cook, and enjoy all the music and treats.  The calendar I made does not include spiritual readings.  However, I am using a little book entitled Daily Meditations and Prayers for the Christmas, Advent Fast and Epiphany.  

If you would like to see my calendar just click on the link:

Below I have included just a few things we are planing to include on our Journey to Nativity.
I plan on doing this with the books I have on hand.  I am going to wrap them up, put them under the tree, and let the littles open them once a week for a new Christmas story treat!
I wrote this little story for my kids last year.  I read it aloud while they made leaf rubbed vellum lanterns.  Feel free to print and share.  This is also a great time to clean out the coat closet and replenish coats, hats. gloves, and scarves.  Donate gently used items to a shelter.

On this day the kids and I are going to go to church and then drop off all of our baby items as a donation to a local pregnancy outreach center.  The troparion of the feast can be sung at meals and prayer times. 
Troparion:
Today is the preview of the good will of God,

Of the preaching of the salvation of mankind.
The Virgin appears in the temple of God,
In anticipation proclaiming Christ to all.
Let us rejoice and sing to her: Rejoice,
0 Divine Fulfillment of the Creator’s dispensation.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689846819/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Shoes left by the front door filled with chocolate coins and a small gift.  We love reading the stories of Saint Nicholas.  Click the image for the link.
  Click on the image for the link.  
  
After Saint Barbara was martyred by her own father he was struck by lightening.  It is tradition to celebrate this day with fire…maybe some fireworks/sparklers.  Serve some spiced cider and read the story of this great saint. Don’t forget s’mores!

   A few things to think about as the Nativity Fast approaches and we prepare for Christ’s birth:

  • A lenten menu.
  • When will you confess?
  • Gifts for priests and their families.
  • Making room in the budget for charitable giving.
  • Readings, inspirational books, and prayers!
Well, I hope this little post is as helpful to you as it is me.  Happy planning!  
O Come, O Come Emmanuel