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Van Gogh Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum ~ field trip

Van Gogh Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum ~ field trip

My kids and I had the opportunity of a lifetime this past week.  We went to the Denver Art Museum to see the Van Gogh Exhibit.   It was absolutely amazing.  Just seeing the masterpieces that this man painted and sketched, was truly an experience.  Vincent Van Gogh didn’t start painting until he was 27 and what he was able to accomplish in those 10 short years with his paintings and drawings, before he took his own life at the age of 37, was truly amazing.

post card of a Van Gogh painting, museum brochure and a book by Sandra Forty called Van Gogh

When we first arrived at the Denver Art Museum, we met up with our homeschool group.  We were then lead to the Van Gogh Exhibit area, where we were all handed a headset so we could listen to the audio tour.  Above certain paintings were numbers that coincided with the history or story of how that painting came about.  The tour talked of how Van Gogh got started in painting and how at different times, different artists inspired him.   They told a little about his life, how close he was to his brother Theo and how Van Gogh felt a connection to the poorer folks and people who worked a lot with their hands.

It is so hard to put into words what I felt, as I listened about his life and the connection he had with certain people and how he portrayed his feelings and thoughts on paper and canvas.  While he did have happy times, Van Gogh also lived a troubled life.  He was in and out of a mental hospital and fought depression often.   I wish I could have taken pictures of some of the paintings, but photography was not allowed.  If you ever get a chance to attend an exhibit like this, I highly recommend it.

After we left the Van Gogh Exhibit, we went to a section with paintings by Charles Partridge Adams.  He was from Colorado and painted landscapes of Colorado during the last 1800’s and early 1900’s.  His paintings were gorgeous.  He really captured the colors of the different seasons.

Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.

My pictures aren’t all that great because I was taking them with my phone.  All I can say is that they are truly amazing and if you are ever in the Denver area, you definitely need to go to the Denver Art Museum to see them.  The Rocky Mountain Majesty exhibit will be on display until September 8th, 2013.  I am definitely planning a trip back, before this exhibit leaves the museum.

Charles Partridge Adams~Denver Art Museum.

The last section we made it to before a couple of the kids got to feeling bad was the American Indian Art Exhibit.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

Again, no words to describe the beautiful artwork, bead work, baskets, pottery, textiles that were on display in this area.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

I loved how it talked about how they lived, what they wore and how they survived.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

What hit me the hardest though, was the two pictures below.  It is two pictures of The Great Smoky Mountains with Indians walking along the bottom of both pictures.  They represent the Indians being led down what was eventually known as the Trail of Tears.  This was when the government forced the Indians to leave, to go live on the reservations in the West.  Because of that exile, so many lives were lost.

American Indian Art Exhibit~Denver Art Museum

We didn’t even get to see half of this collection before we had to leave.

I love history and the stories it tells.  You can learn so much from history, if you will view it with an open heart and mind.  Let’s just face it, some history, you don’t want to repeat itself.

Do you love to read about history?  What is your favorite time period in history?

 

 

 

books I am reading…

books I am reading…

Reading is a passion of mine. You can find all sorts of my books lying around the home and in our vehicle. Lately though, I haven’t made time for myself to read. One of my goals for the new year is to read at least one book a week. I thought I would share with you the books I am reading as I head into 2013.

books I am reading

Love to read all types of books; fiction, non-fiction, study guides, devotionals.  Anything to help me take my mind off things and relax.   The books I am reading in this list just shows a couple of different genres that I love.

Sally Clarkson is a favorite author of mine.  Her love of God, her husband and children shine through when she writes.  I have enjoyed all of her books I have read so far and have added two more of her books to my list.  I love how she encourages others.  While I have never met Sally Clarkson, I do consider her a mentor.  The books that I will be reading from Sally Clarkson is The Mom Walk and Desperate – Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, which was also co-authored by Sarah Mae (Desperate is supposed to go on sale Jan. 8th, however, I was able to buy it from Amazon early).

The Bartered Bride is a collection of nine stories written by 8 different authors.  This is a collection of inspirational historical fiction and I think my most favorite genre of books, ever.

Rugged and Relentless is the first book in the series Husbands for Hire and one that I am excited to read about.   It is written by Kelly Hake, another one of my favorite authors.

Westwards Hearts is written by Melody Carlson and is the first book in the series Homeward on the Oregon Trail.

Are you seeing a pattern here?  Yes, I love inspirational historical romance novels, especially if they are part of a series!

I am still waiting on one more book to come in the mail.   It is a book series that I just found out about today.  The book is The Memory Jar, the first book in the Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors series written by Tricia Goyer.

The Memory Jar by Tricia Goyer

So these are my first several books that I have chosen to read and I am truly looking forward to getting back in the habit of reading something for myself.  Perhaps I will take time to write a short review on them.  We will see!

What do you have on your night stand?  I would love for you to share your books with me.  I am always looking for new books to read!

 

 

 

 

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012

Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  The day we recognize when God gave us his Son.  It is also a time where we spend with family and give to those who we love.  I have always loved Christmas.  I love being with my family and spending time with them.

snowy Christmas morning

snowy Christmas morning

However, it can be hard at times when most of your family is many miles away from you.  In years past, since we have moved away from family, there has only been one Christmas that we have missed with our extended family.  It was the Christmas 2010 when we were snowed in.  This year, we weren’t snowed in.  We were 1700 miles from our extended family. While it has been tough, we definitely made the most of it.

Christmas Tree

oldest daughter opening up a gift

Our day started off with us waking up to snow.  My husband, oldest son and I were up at 6:30 am.  It wasn’t long after we walked into the living room that our two daughters joined us. We were just waiting for our youngest son to wake up. Well, my oldest son got tired of waiting on him (it had only been like 5 minutes!  LOL) and woke him up.

oldest son opening up a gift

all three opening up a gift together

We opened gifts and enjoyed seeing what grandparents has sent to us.  I cooked breakfast, while the kids started opening up games to play together.  After we ate breakfast, the kids continued playing the games.  After a couple of hours, my hubby started cooking our Christmas lunch.  We had rib roast, mashed potatoes and green beans.  It was a delicious meal, but most importantly, we were all gathered together around the table together.

youngest got her first container of Lego’s

a gift from Pa

We have enjoyed having dad off for the week.  He doesn’t have to go back to work until January 2nd.  We have had movie nights, have had fun playing games and putting Lego sets together.  This time is flying by with one another and I am soaking up every minute we have together as a family.

the crown was a gift from oldest sister to younger sister.

a gift from Grandma and Papa

a gift from Grandma and Papa

Enjoy this time with your family.  Blessings to you through the rest of this Christmas season and into the New Year.

Teaching Creation Thursday~ {Demystifying the Mayan Calendar}

Teaching Creation Thursday~ {Demystifying the Mayan Calendar}

TeachingCreationsThursdays

Growing up in a Christian home, going to church my whole life and reading the bible, I believe everything that the bible says.  I know with all my heart that God sent his son to die on a cross for my sins.  I also believe, just like the bible says, that Jesus will come back one day to gather his children.  It also says in the bible that no one knows the day or the time that this will happen, only God does.

Matthew 24:36

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Mark 13:32

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but only the Father.

Yet there are some people who believe differently.  Some actually think that the Mayans have predicted the world will end on December 21, 2012.  That is tomorrow.   There are a lot of people preparing for this, buying extra supplies to help them survive.  A lot of people are afraid and are worrying about what will happen. As a Christian, I am not worried at all.  If you believe in God, believe what the bible says, then you shouldn’t be worried either.  I do my best to live my life to the fullest, praising and giving God all the glory.  By doing this and raising my children to do the same, we are ready for when Jesus does come back.

Dr. Carolyn Reeves has written a couple of articles talking about the Mayans and what they believe.  Please read her one article below and then go visit the other article that she wrote for the American Family Association Journal.

Demystifying the Mayan Calendar

Written by Dr. Carolyn Reeves

It’s time to demystify the Mayan calendar, which ends on December 21, 2012. It is causing quite a stir among many people who are wondering if the Mayans have really identified this date as the time for worldwide catastrophic events.

My husband and I were traveling through a small town recently and stopped at a local café to eat. A young man seated near us was passionately trying to persuade his friends to stock up on food, water, batteries, and other supplies, because December 21, 2012, was going to start a period of worldwide catastrophes.

Later that week, I read a news account of a large number of New Agers who were gathering in France near a mountain where they believe space ships were coming on December 21 to beam them up before calamity struck the earth.

During the following week, I asked several people what they thought about December 21.  Some people said they planned to buy extra food and supplies for that time–just in case.

So, what are Christians to make of an ancient Mayan Indian prediction? First of all, the early Mayans were not a primitive ignorant tribe.

They had an in-depth scientific knowledge of astronomy, made correct observations of heavenly bodies, and developed accurate calendars based on these skills. Amazingly, they were able to recognize that our sun travels in a long pathway through the skies, and it was predicted to intersect another astrological pathway in the skies on the winter solstice (December 21) in 2012. They considered this intersection to be so unusual that they may have started with this date and worked their way backwards as they constructed their calendar.  The Mayans also developed shorter accurate calendars, but the long count calendar is the one getting all the attention this year.

The end of some of the Mayan calendars was believed to mark when the sun moved into a new house. There is evidence that entire Mayan cities moved into new homes on these dates, abandoning or burning their old homes as they left.

The Mayans didn’t progressively acquire their knowledge of astronomy on their own.  It seems as if older civilizations across the Atlantic Ocean, such as Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Chaldeans, were the first to possess accurate science-based knowledge of astronomy and keep up with time and dates. Some of these early civilizations also produced skilled sailors who were able to travel far and wide in well-built ships looking for minerals and other resources.

At some point, a group of Mediterranean navigators are almost certain to have crossed the Atlantic and established cities in the Central America area, from which the Mayans descended. Similarities between the Mayans and the early Mediterranean civilizations are strong evidence of this connection–massive  pyramids, a cuneiform type of written language, a similar mathematical system, similarities in artistic works, and accurate knowledge of astronomy.

The Mayans probably lost much of their scientific and technological knowledge over the centuries as they became immersed in pagan worship of the sun and eventually lost contact with Europeans, but they retained the knowledge used to make their calendars.

As for the last day of the old Mayan calendar, it is just another day in which the sun may cross an astrological pathway in the sky on December 21, 2012. It may well be a rare solar event, but it’s no more a sign of bad luck than someone walking under a ladder on Friday 13th at the same time a black cat ran across the person’s pathway. Christians would do well to reject such superstitious signs as a source of knowledge and reality.

 

so thankful and blessed.. #1101-1110

so thankful and blessed.. #1101-1110

Psalm 34:18

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

God is so good to us.  We are so blessed.  We do not deserve anything that he gives to us.  I look at my children and see the light in their eyes.  So much ahead of them, so much to live for.  Then I think of the tragedy that happened on Friday.  So many children lost their lives along with several adults.  It hurts.  I cried most of the day while I held my children near.  I am mourning with and for those who lost loved ones.  I truly do not know what I would do if something like that happened to our family.  I do know who would be there holding me up, helping me get through every day life.  God.  He will never leave us.  Join me in prayer for those who lost loved ones.  While I will be praying for the people in CT, I am also going to be thanking God for all the many blessings He has given me.

1101. my healthy children.

1102. being able to stay at home with my children.

1103. my husband’s job that is able to support us, while I stay at home with my children.

1104. my children’s laughter and smiles.

1105. being able to teach my children at home.

1106. a roof over our heads to keep us dry.

1107. heat to keep us warm.

1108. God for sending Jesus to us.

1109. Jesus dying on the cross for our sins.

1110. knowing that one day, there won’t be any more deaths, sorrows or tears.  We will be rejoicing and praising God in heaven!

I would love for you to join in counting the many blessings that God gives. Stop by A Holy Experience and visit others who are also sharing their many blessings.