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Matthew’s First Fireworks

Valerie Basham

July 5, 2011

We had a very relaxing July 4th holiday. We stayed home, enjoyed some KFC and homemade a strawberry shortcake with my mom. The kids played in the sprinkler and listened to their Nana read books to them. I did a bit of laundry, made some plans for the coming school year (which begins this week for us) and surfed the internet.

Mom went home around 6 PM and we ate a late supper. Around 8:30 we made our way over to the local fireworks display. Last year, we got there a bit late and had to pull over on the side of the road to enjoy the show. This year, we got there in plenty of time to get good “seats”. We also happened to meet up with a family from church! Their kids and our kids got to watch the fireworks together. I loved hearing their “ooos” and “ahhs”. We discovered that fireworks are much more enjoyable when you’re close enough to see it from the ground up. 😉 They were also much louder!

This was Matthew’s first fireworks display. I forgot my camera, but Terry captured his sweet, scared expression with his phone. He clung tightly to me at first, and I gently covered his ears till he got used to the sound. He pooched his lip out once, and I thought he was going to cry, but he didn’t. By the end of the show he was smiling and clapping.

I’m sorry it’s so blurry, but I’m so glad to have even a blurry memory of the evening! As I stood watching the glorious colors and heard the loud booms from the show, I couldn’t help but think about what July 4,1776, was like. There were no fireworks. I’m sure the mood was somber. I’m sure those 55 men who signed the declaration were thinking of their uncertain future. They risked their “lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor” for freedom. They weren’t even sure if they would win their freedom, but they thought it was worth trying. I’m so glad they risked everything for the “experiment” of the United States!

May I risk my all to tell others how they can have real freedom – freedom from Hell. America may not remain free. But through Christ, I’m free forever!

Remembering

Valerie Basham

3 comments

July 2, 2011

Today would have been my Dad’s birthday. I’ve written about him countless times; I’m sure some of you are tired of reading about him. But as I sit here now, listening to the tree frogs and the crickets chirp their songs, as I felt the hot sun glaring down upon the wilting grass earlier today and enjoyed the summer breeze blowing my hair, I can’t help myself. I have to go back. I went back when we were all together on summer days. The late, late breakfasts, the kid-size swimming pools he used to set up for me in the back yard, the car rides with the windows down, the long walks in the evening, and the sparklers on his birthday cake. Such precious memories! I’m so thankful for each and every one of them.

The Lord took my Dad seven years ago this month, but He graciously left behind my memories. Just as the sweet fragrance of perfume lingers after the one who wears it has left the room, so do my thoughts of Dad. They linger on, sweet and pure. The Lord left my memories of Dad so that I can go back, anytime. I can be there, at his side, looking on as he turns a screwdriver, as he laughs at my joke, as shares the story of how he met my mom. I can bring it all back, just like I were still there. I can make it just as real, and just as blessed, as it ever was.

In Memory of the World’s Greatest Christian and Dad, my Hero, my Friend,

Ron E.Courtney

I miss you, Dad. ♥

My Dad enjoying Mitchell, Thanksgiving 2003. Mitch is only 15 months old.

"Learning to Love" Giveaway Winners!

Valerie Basham

no comments

July 1, 2011

Thanks to those of you who entered my giveaway. Here are the winners!! To pick the winners, I used this site. I hope this book is as much of a blessing to your walk with the Lord as it has been to mine!

Congratulations to:

Angela at Hidden Treasures Blog

and

Jennifer P.!

Please e-mail me your mailing address! I’ll be sending out your copies of the book If by Amy Carmichael this coming week.

I’d also like to announce my next giveaway which will take place very soon. I’m cleaning off the bookshelves, and what better way to get rid of books than to make sure they are in a good home? *Here are the titles I’ll be giving away:

More Hours in My Day – Emilie Barnes (I’m giving away an earlier edition of this book)
Making Children Mind without Losing Yours – Kevin Leman
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God – Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
Galloping the Globe Geography Unit Study – Loree` Pettit and Dari Mullins
Saved at Sea (Abeka Reader) – Mrs. O.F. Walton
Greater Health God’s Way – Stormie Omartian
Say Goodbye to Stress – Kevin Leman

Each book will be listed individually in its own contest. Subscribe or follow me to be sure you don’t miss out on this chance for some free books! 🙂

*Please note that all books are gently used and have been very much enjoyed. I just need more space. : )

Ideas for Working from Home

Valerie Basham

2 comments

July 1, 2011

Some of you, no doubt, are expecting this post to be about ways in which we can work from home for money. But, it’s not. Working from home for money is certainly not a bad thing! In fact, my hat is off to the ingenious and exhausted women who do so. I’m not one of them. I do not have a business mind. I don’t even think I could run a successful bake sale, much less a full fledged business!

This post is about ideas for working at home for the Lord. I know that most of you are working hard everyday to be a wise and prudent helpmeet to your husband, raise your children for the Lord, and run that business you created. But, what about working for our Lord? Our first responsibility is to our families – that’s our God-given role and it’s vital. However, we have more than enough hours in our day to find time to knit, scrapbook, write, watch TV, surf the Internet and whatever other hobbies you enjoy. Wouldn’t it be nice if we would carve out some of that time and use it to fulfill the Great Commission? I am always feeling inadequate in this area. I don’t get out much to tell people about the Lord personally, so I got to thinking What could I do from home?

In a recent conversation with my mom, she mentioned that a lady in her church has written a Bible study curriculum for the inmates to use in the church’s jail ministry. This lady writes out the lessons and then the jail ministry workers distribute them each week. The inmates mail the completed lessons back to her. She grades the lessons and writes them back to encourage them in the Lord! What a blessing! Hearing this reminded me of the curriculum I’m using for my daughter’s 7th grade Bible course. It’s a discipleship course that goes alphabetically covering various Bible doctrines. “A” is for “Assurance”, “B” is for the “Bible”, “C” is for the “Church” and so forth. I got the idea to ask my husband to put on our church sign “Free Bible Doctrine Correspondence Class – Learn the Bible from Home” and then put our number. I’ll get the lesson ready for those who call to enroll and I’ll mail it off with a postage paid envelope. If the person completes the course, they will get a little certificate from our church. And better yet, they’ll get to learn more about the Bible! I’m not sure if I’ll get anyone to call, but it’s worth a try, right? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone got saved, got back into church or got right with the Lord from this simple at home ministry? I think so! Here are a few more ideas:

1. Pray for your friends, family and church family. This is a no-brainer to some, but making prayer a priority is something I’m constantly working at. Writing notes to the folks for whom your praying would be a great blessing!
2. Start a blog and share blessings and thoughts from your devotional time.
3. Start an e-mail accountability circle for daily Bible reading. If you know you have to e-mail someone each day and share with them what you read in the Bible and what you got out of it, you’ll be more faithful to your Bible reading. You’ll also be encouraging others at the same time. You could invite folks you know from the bank, the cleaners, or anyone with whom you know even a little, to join you! They might get saved because of this little ministry.
4. Write letters of encouragement to people who are struggling. Let the ones who are absent at church know that you care about them.
5. Prepare a meal for someone, perhaps someone who is new to your church. Or, invite them over for Sunday lunch!
6. Make Christmas baskets, or May baskets, or even “we’re thinking about you” baskets and distribute them around your neighborhood.
7. Write letters witnessing to folks in your town. Get addresses from the phone book. Be up front in your note about what you’re doing and why. Just tell them you want everyone to know about your Savior!
8. Host a ladies Bible study in your home.
9. Offer the correspondence course that I mentioned above. If you’re interested in using the materials we’re using, please contact me. The cost will be $15 (that covers our printing, paper and shipping). You must have your own binder to store them in, and be willing to make copies of the lessons to mail out.

I’m sure there are dozens of other ideas! These are just a few from my own brain. May the Lord enable more of His servants to work for Him!

I’m so excited!!! 🙂

Simple Sloppy Joes

Valerie Basham

3 comments

June 30, 2011

My oldest girl loves Sloppy Joes. I’ve used the Sloppy Joe sauce from a can. I’ve tried the packet of seasoning that you add to a can of tomato paste. I’ve even tried a few different homemade recipes. None of them were great, in our opinion. They were okay, but not particularly fabuloso, if you know what I mean. Perhaps each of us have our own idea of Sloppy Joe sweetness? I don’t know if you are picky about your Sloppy Joes but, for us, this recipe was a real winner. I got it from Taste of Home. I hope you all like it, too!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 can (10 oz.) dieced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained. (I used Mild Ro-Tel)

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 – 8 sandwich buns

Directions:

Brown meat in a large skillet until no longer pink and drain. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and salt.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve on buns.

Yield: 6 – 8 servings, depending on size of buns.

I topped the mixture with some shredded cheese. It made me feel like a I was cooking from scratch, to just spontaneously add something in that wasn’t included in the recipe. I guess I was feelin’ kinda wild and crazy that day.

We enjoyed eating our sloppy Sloppy Joes! We had smiles (and a few spills) all around!

This recipe is “Lauren Approved”!

My little girls are not big Sloppy Joe fans, but they ate these pretty well. 🙂 My boy is away, spending some time with his Nana. We miss you, Mitchell!

E-Books: Reading in the 21st Century

Valerie Basham

4 comments

June 29, 2011

Writing is my first love. I don’t know why, but I have loved to write since I was a wee lass, back on the moors of Scotland. Okay, really it was in the suburbs of Little Rock, but close enough, right? Anyway, I’m sort of interested in E-books. Kindles and other digital readers seem to be the wave of our reading future. I’m not sure if they are just a fad or not, I suppose time will tell. I do know that purchasing e-books is much cheaper than buying a real book. (Sometimes they are free!) And it takes up zero space on your bookshelf. (I hate clutter.) It’s also easier to get an E-book published…at least I think it is. I’d like to learn more about it, hence I’m posting about this giveaway. If you’re interested in E-books, check out this cool giveaway.

What would I write about if I were to write an E book? I have no idea. But it really sounds like an exciting adventure, doesn’t it?

I love adventure.

Review: from the Mouth of Babes

Valerie Basham

no comments

June 29, 2011

How many times my children have said some profound little statement, unbeknownst to them, that has gotten me to think! Children take things so literally, and their point of view can be eye opening. That’s what from the Mouth of Babes: Stories about Life, Children, Faith and This World we Live in is about. The author, Kimberly Williams, shares how daily interactions with our family can lead us to spiritual insight and growth. This book will get you thinking and help you to appreciate, and even take note of, the lessons God is teaching you through your own little ones.

This book will bless you as a supplement to your own Bible study (nothing should ever replace time in God’s Word), as you eat your tuna sandwich at lunch, or in those quiet moments between dusk and dawn.

For ordering information, please visit the link above. For more information about the author or to say hello, please visit her website.

FTC Disclaimer:
I received this book for free from Kimberly Williams for this review.I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Do What I Do

Valerie Basham

2 comments

June 28, 2011

I thought this was so sweet…I just had to share it. It warms my heart to see how much my older son loves his baby brother! It’s sad to me that people have rolled their eyes when I tell them that Mitchell is thrilled to have a brother. “He’s so much older than Matthew!” They say. “He won’t want to play with him.” Well, that’s not true. I know they will develop different interests and be at different stages always, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy being together!

Here at the Basham hacienda, we don’t allow name calling, bickering or fighting for long! Like Barney Fife, we nip it in the bud! We are teaching our children to rejoice when their siblings rejoice, and weep when they weep. They are each very unique, and we want our children to appreciate each other’s differences, not criticize them. (Something I, myself, am working on!) I don’t expect them to be extremely close as adults, though that would be wonderful! I just want them to be friends forever.

This little clip shows brotherly love, at its best. ♥

*If you received this post in an email or RSS feed, please visit my site to view the video clip.

Review: Lies Homeschooling Mom’s Believe

Valerie Basham

2 comments

June 28, 2011

About a year ago, I was purchasing some books for my husband on Christian Book Distributors’ website. Once I had found the ones he had requested, I decided to do a bit of looking for...ahem...myself. 🙂 I found several books in which I had been interested covering various home schooling topics. On the “other customers bought…” section I found the above title mentioned.

“Hmmm. I think I’ll get that.” I said. And, since I agreed with myself, I clicked “add to cart”. It arrived a few days later. I wanted to post this review about it, so that any other homeschooling Mom might read it and be encouraged.

Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. The author, Todd Wilson, is writing from a homeschooling Dad’s point of view. He writes with loving compassion towards his own wife, who has experienced the same feelings of failure and despair that I have. That is one thing that was so encouraging, I found out I wasn’t alone! He also writes with humor! His cartoons about homeschooling are delightful and witty. I also enjoyed the “Let’s Talk” sections throughout the book. They can be used as a homeschool group study or as a personal study. The questions are probing, and really helped me think through the points that Mr. Wilson brought out.

My husband sees me reading a lot. I enjoy fiction, but lately, I’ve been drawn to non-fiction books about homeschooling, child rearing, the mother/daughter relationship, and so forth. Why, you may ask? Well, because I feel like a failure in most of these areas. I read my Bible daily, I pray, and I attend church – where I receive excellent counsel on myriad topics. Yet, as a mother, and as a wife, I often feel like I’m letting everyone down. I get discouraged, and therefore, I decide to quit – but I don’t! I just want to very badly. This, in turn, affects my efforts in these areas. Recently Terry saw me reading another “self help” book and said “Oh no, not again! Those books just give you a longer “to do” list! Do this, this and that to be better!” He’s right, I usually close the final chapter of a “do better” book and feel overwhelmed with all that I should be doing. I couldn’t wait to read him the following paragraph in my latest “self help” book – the one about which I’m writing:

“After finishing this book, I don’t want you to try harder, but I do want you to enjoy your kids more. I won’t ask you to be more diligent, but I hope that you’ll laugh easier. I’m not trying to make you better, but I desire you to feel secure in your shortcomings.”- p.13

I had certainly never read that kind of intro to any “self help” book before! I was immediately interested in what Todd Wilson had to say. He begins by telling us exactly what a lie is, and who is the father of them all – Satan. Then, he begins listing the lies; there are seven. The ones I could relate most to were…wait a minute…I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that the lies he talks about are pretty common. Things like: Everyone else’s kids are better than mine; Everyone else’s homes are cleaner; Everyone else is more capable; and the list goes on. This is followed by a section where he asks you to get real – to be honest to yourself. Then, he discusses the Bible truths to combat those lies.

I finished this book truly feeling refreshed and renewed. Todd is very real himself, that’s why I felt comfortable enough to just call him by his first name, and that in and of itself was a breath of fresh air. I can be “real” in most areas of my life, but it seems when I get around other home schooling moms, I feel this need (out of fear of judgment) to compete – to be something I’m not – and I often find myself lacking compared to other moms. I don’t want to be that way, but, as Todd explains in his book, all of us homeschooling moms are that way sometimes.

I hope you’ll pick this book up somewhere and give it a read for yourself. It certainly encouraged this homeschooling Mom’s heart. You can read more about it at Familyman Ministries.

My Father’s Love

Valerie Basham

2 comments

June 24, 2011

I was looking for some information in my files on the computer and found this poem I wrote in 2005. Is it a coincidence that I found it, just when I needed to be encouraged? No, it certainly wasn’t.

I was going through a very hard time back in 2005. We were not full time in the ministry, even though we were trying very hard to be so. My Dad had died suddenly the previous summer. I was expecting my third child. Our car needed repairs. We lived in a slum neighborhood. We nearly got evicted from said slum neighborhood. Yes, it was a hard time. I’m so happy to report that God was faithful! He did in fact, see us through! Praise the Lord!

Today, our circumstances are better, but we still battle the flesh and the devil like always. I often get weary and worn. What a blessing to be reminded (by myself, isn’t that weird?) that I am forever loved by my Father.

And guess what?! You are, too. 🙂

My Father’s Love

By Valerie Courtney Basham

I said a prayer for Mom today,
For Dixie and Melanie.

I asked for grace in this new day

As I bent upon the knee.

I prayed for Mitchell’s croupy cough;

For Daniel’s broken leg.

I knew that Brian was laid off,

Oh, help them, Father, I beg!

And, my problems are great, too, O Lord,

My family needs your hand