Headed to Honduras!

“True religion is looking after orphans & widows and keeping oneself from being polluted by the world”

James 1:27

This September, I will be traveling to a girl's shelter in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This shelter houses girls and young women from the ages of 8 to 23. Among them are victims of sex trafficking, drug mules, as well as abuse in countless other ways, Some are  orphaned.

I am encouraged to say that you & I can make a difference- as of now, all 120 girls at this shelter SHARE 2 bathrooms!  Can you imagine?  Our mission team will be constructing a wing of bathrooms that will positively impact every girl and future resident that comes to this shelter seeking refuge.  

In addition to providing physical needs, we will also be addressing the hurt & devestation these little survivors have been through with discipleship training for the young women, and a joyful Vacation Bible School for the young girls.

I know your heart breaks just as much as mine does for these girl's souls.  Will you consider finding a way to support this work?  Any monetary donation will go a long way.  Does your company match donations?  If so, what an easy way to make a huge impact!  

I am also seeking fervent prayer partners who feel called to the cause.  Will you please let me know how/when you can pray for me as well as our Honduras team?

Lastly, I will be holding a yard sale June 22nd, 2012.  Would you look around your home and see if there is anything you can donate to raise funds for these girls?  I would be very grateful!  Please share this with at least one other friend- 

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.Theodore Roosevelt

Small, furry, and de-fleaed!

This is Marion.

Marion found us on a night out at the park.  These boys kept walking around the park yelling out, 'free cat!  Cat lovers, come get this cat!'  At first I thought how odd, but then decided to talk to them.  It is not normal to take a tiny kitten to the park and try to peddle it off to anyone who will take it.  Well, come to find out, their older sister is in charge of them (parents? who knows where!) and she told them to 'get rid of it.'  Nice.  They'd already been milling about the park for an hour when I took pity on the kitten.  After all, it was flea ridden, and hardly old enough to leave its mom.  

So, Marion is home with us- fed, de-fleaed, & happy.  Searching for a nice home for this sweet kitty :) 

Homeschool Review- Updated!!

Homeschool Review of Time4Learning!


Hey everyone :)  Isaac has been using Time4Learning for a month now and has LOVED it!  The best part is, he has not only loved it, but it has actually helped him learn a lot of phonics lessons that he was having a hard time with.  I am not a huge fan of most curriculum, because I feel that they can be redundant and overly exhaust the attention span my wonderful ADHDer has!  We were able to break up learning into 'chunks' and go back and forth between activities.  We decided to take a break and really just have a fun summer with reading and some writing/skill building worksheets, but other than that, we are relaxing!  


I plan on using Time4Learning this fall when we offically start 2nd grade :)  It is such a well thought out program and very reasonably priced.  Isaac loves it because he can work independently, but also get help from the hints buttons, or from me :) 


I would recommend at least trying it out for the trial period to see what you think.  We have been very pleased :)


Thanks Time4Learning for the free trial- we will see you next school year!!

Heather & Isaac






I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

Seed Sharing & Knowledge

There are just some things that you have to learn by doing.  For me, this is gardening.  This year I literally cleared out the garden section at our local library and devoured each book.  I oohed and aahhed over the re-purposed containers, thought how clever the garden pea tent was, and then it happened- all my dreams were dashed by my precious, if not precocious dog.  In an hours time, she tore and chewed up all my fresh soil, including the plants & seeds.  To say I was devastated was an understatement.  But it's okay, because I've since recovered and found a whole new way of gardening- with containers.  Hanging high.  Very high!  LOL.  And to this effect, I found how useful it is to not only read the books, but to chat up the terrific gardeners in your area.  You know who they are- the homes that you purposefully slow down and perhaps drive by a bit to much just to sneak a peek and dream~  Thankfully I don't have to go very far, because I have two delightful neighbors who are bursting with garden knowledge.  Throughout early spring they've been watering me with knowledge on when to plant what, the actual names of the plants, and really, the science behind gardening.  There is a lot to know!  I've learned so much this year, and I plan to build on it each successive season.  Since I didn't have a lot of knowledge to give (except reciting back my textbook findings!) I did share what I had- which was a lot of seeds.  Way too many seeds, because I got a little over-excited while at the store late winter :)  So now I have my happy container garden, and my two green-thumbed neighbors have plenty of seeds, which are growing wonderfully.  And to think they are offering up their produce back to me is just too much, really, isn't it? :)  I'm always thankful for nice neighbors and good friendships.  


Here's to sharing~

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

While power shopping at Walmart, Isaac & I came across a super fun coin donation for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  Besides it being super fun to race a million tiny coins all at the same time, everyone's change adds up to a lot of money for a great cause.

About Children's Healthcare of Atlanta:
Enhancing the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education

At Children’s, we strive to enhance the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. Whether treating an injured toddler in an emergency or supporting a teen through a series of chemotherapy treatments, we take our commitment to care for each and every child who comes through our doors very seriously. It’s through teamwork at every level of our organization and with you, the family, that we are able to achieve a high level of excellence in pediatric care.

www.choa.org

So, save your change, and next time you see one of these- have fun & help out at the same time :)  Donations are also accepted at their website: www.choa.org


Have a happy day!

Laundry Day!

Laundry always overfloweth at the Hall household... 

Between our daily clothes, work clothes, exercise clothes, towels, and our lovely, if not dirty, doggie, we have a significant amount pile up.  This is why I invested in a large front loading washer.  It's great!  

Instead of hogging all this washing room to myself, I have offered it's large capacity to one of my dear neighbors & friend that also has lots of pets and King sized comforters.  Instead of her having to haul all her things to the super-expensive laundromat, I offered her my laundry services... She accepted

:)

It was nice and also humbling to be able to offer a service as small as washing someone's laundry.  There have been times where Chris & I early on in our marriage didn't have a washing machine.  Friends of ours, despite being in the laundry situation we are now, would find the time to help us.  Let us all remember today that yes, we all have too much to do.  But so does everyone else.  Let us simplify and take up a task that offers hope and love to someone else.  All those other 'things' will be there tomorrow.  I promise :)


Happy cleaning- stay fresh!
Heather :)

Hosting a traveler~

CouchSurfing´s Vision Statement:

A world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter.


In the past, when travelers came through town, it was common courtesy to have a little sleeping area and provide some provisions for those going through town.  Today, there are expensive hotels that offer little in the way of welcoming.  As a kindness this weekend, we hosted a sweet girl who was in town training for a marathon hike which raises money for cancer awareness.  Isaac decided the right thing to do would be to let her sleep in his room on his nice cozy bed, and for him to take a sleeping bag, which he loves, by the way!  We made her a raw food dinner to support her lifestyle, and also tried our best to facilitate what she needed.  We have had so many generous hosts during our past travels, that it was nice to give back.  If you want to know more about couch surfing, check out their site: www.couchsurfing.org.  

Happy Travels!