This is the finished product.

Here is what you need:
Two pop cans
Tin snips
A metal file
Gasket glue
A pair of needle nose pliers
A punch and small hammer 
A sharpie
1 penny
a small handful of attic insulation

Draw a level line around both pop cans, one should be slightly higher than the other, the higher one will be the top of your stove.

Cut about an inch above the line on both cans.
This gets the can out of the way so you can cut on the line.

After cuting, file the sharp points off.

With your penny mark where it will sit in the center of the larger can.
Within the penny's cirle punch 5 small holes.

mark 16 dots around the edge,
then punch holes carefully.

Push the cans together leaving about a 1/4 " showrng on the smaller can.
File off sharp edges.

Glue all the way around the place where the cans meet. This is to make a seal.

Fill with denatured alcohol through the center fill holes.
Light and slide the penny over the fill holes in
the center.

I like my short one better.

Be safe!

                                       
                                                               Clayton

I was so excited when the Potts asked me to make a guest post for their blog! So, this my everyday perspective from a sister that has THREE brothers and NO sisters! Did I mention that two of those three are identical twins!?! OY!

First, the bad news:
1. They find the most creative ways to annoy me. Like during school, the twins (one on each side of me), would make their art erasers climb “Mt. Eden” (that’s me) to “conquer” it. Of course, they’ve never conquered  Mt. Eden, because I always flick them off before they reach the peak (the top of my head!).
2. If I don’t hide when they play army, I become the target of their manhunt. So, no matter what I am doing, I must stop and hide when I hear them playing army. My favorite hiding spot recently (shhhh, don’t tell them!) is under our air hockey table in an old toy box.
3. They find all kinds of ways to distract me from what I’m doing … Elijah just LOVES to show me any and every thing he’s learning in school … even though I’m trying to get school done too! I mean, I don’t show HIM everything I’m learning – he’d go NUTS!
4. I’m always being tricked or scared by someone… Just the other day, I was working on my Bible narration when Jonah sneaked up behind me and I about jumped all the way TO the Holy Land!
5. They seem to do whatever they want no matter what I say … I’ve asked them (okay, yes, I’ve even yelled at them –nicely, of course!) not to mess with my toy sheep (Sheepy), but they just think it’s a big joke – APPARENTLY. On top of that, every time we go to see my grandparents, they bring along my special Lego dinosaur so that they can hide it and make me think it’s going to get lost … EVERY time we go!!! 

Okay, I could keep going, but I think you probably get the point. Besides, I really do think that the good outnumbers the bad… 

Now for the good news:
1. They’re my best friends…and my mom keeps telling me to hang in there when it’s rough sometimes (like the days I think  Sheepy is my only friend) because they’ll always be there for me in the long run.
2. There’s always someone around to be my hero. I can’t count how many times one (or all) of my brothers have come to my rescue or stood up for me.
3. I actually kind of like all the rough-housing, playing outside, racing our bikes and all that stuff … besides, I get stronger when I wrestle them … and I’m still trying to figure out  a way to get faster at running than Jonathon (he’s really fast!).
4. Since they tend to play in pairs, there’s always one of them around for me to play with and that gives me the chance to get to know them personally. I love that time. 
5.  I love that my little brother just LOVES me to read to him. Even though I get kind of tired of reading out loud to him sometimes, I love that he wants me to so badly. It makes me feel pretty special…and I feel really bad when I don’t have the time to read out loud to him.
6. I don’t have to mow the lawn, weed-eat or do other things of that nature. With three brothers and a very hard-working dad, there’s always a “man” around to take care of those sorts of things, which frees up my time to be able to do some of my favorite things, like help my mom in the kitchen, pick strawberries from our strawberry patch and work on my knitting (I’m making a scarf right now & working on a blanket for my brother).
7. There is always someone around doing SOMETHING to make me laugh…always! And they don’t even have to try!

A hope chest is something filled with love. Where your whole family can put
something in. Your brothers can put in an invention, your sisters
something they sewed, your mom and dad could  add billion special  things.
If I get married when I grow up then I hope to use the things in my hope chest.
If not they will be very special memories and still be useful.

Some traditional items found in a hope chest between 1600-1900 A.D might be:

A sewing basket

needles, needlecase or cushion, thread, yarn, kitting needles, crochet hooks,
crochet or knitting patterns, quilt and quilting patterns, clothing patterns, woven
fabrics, scissors, buttons, snaps or other fastenings, pins, needlework hoops,
a sewing bird, emery bag, bod kin, bees wax, measuring tape or yard-stik, etc.

Weaving supplies

 Cards for cleaning and fluffing wool, drop spindle or spining wheel, table loom or barn loom, pattern drafts for the loom, dried flowers for dying yarn or woven fabrics and other weaving items and supplies.

Seeds

Herb, vegetable and flower seeds, plant cuttings, bulbs and seedling trees.

The List Goes On.......................

I have a hope chest, (well it's just a plastic tub but I use it as a hope chest).
I keep things in it that I can use for my house and family when I grow up, or things
that remind me of special memories. Like: Gifts from loved ones, my old journals, a burp cloth Bethany made for me, books, old stuffed animals, a baby outfit, old Bibles from when I was really young, pot holders, cards and letters and ceramic dolls my grandma made.

Things suggested for putting in a hope chest: Quilts, silverware, dish sets, table cloths, baby outfits,
candles, aprons, books, favorite cooking recipes, scrap books, old cards and letters, old pictures, wash cloths,
things to decorate your house, toys, baby blankets, pictures you drew, clothes you've made, special accessories,
letters you receive or you write to yourself, and filled journals.

I started my hope chest when I saw Bethany's, I thought it was so awesome and loved the idea.
Every once in a while Bethany and I get out our "hope chests" and look at them together.
A hope chest is designed to be filled with love, it's not the things you put in it or how expensive they are, it's the
time, effort, love and kindness.

“For wisdom is better than rubies, And all delights are not comparable to her.”
Proverbs 8:11  

Every wise woman buildeth her house; But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.
Proverbs 14:1

Some of the things I used in this post came from the book "The Hope Chest" by Rebekah Wilson.


                                                                                         With much love and care,
                                                                                                          Lydia
                                                                                (here's a song I like, maybe you'll enjoy it too!)

 

Be sure to rinse the lemons before cutting.

Juice lemons with hand juicer until you have 2 cups. 
 

Pour lemon juice through a strainer to make sure you do not get any pulp or seeds

At this point you might be thinking 2 cups!!!! (finally)

Now start some water boiling.

Pour lemon juice into pitcher.

Pour sugar into pitcher.

Pour in the boiling water (enough to dissolve the sugar).

Stir the sugar until it is all dissolved.

Add ice and water to fill it to one gallon.

Time to taste it.

Tastes great!!!!









We had this batch with Gluten Free Pizza.

Sherman

Here's a picture of me with all my siblings.


~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

In the first week of December you can expect:
 
An article from Emily on the importance of spending time with your brothers and some ideas on activities that you can both enjoy. 

Also, Lydia will be posting an article on napkin folding that will consist of; directions for folding, pictures, and resources for more ideas. You can use your newly acquired skills to add beauty to any meal. 

Naomi will be posting in second week of December about volunteering at a local food pantry/thrift store. She will share some of her experiences and encourage you to be a servant in your community. 
 
I (Bethany) will also be posting in the second week of December. My post will be about book choices. Even if you don’t completely agree with the conclusions I draw, I hope you will be challenged to re-think your choices.  

For the second half of December we will be posting on:

Praising YHWH  (Emily)

Hairstyles Part 2 (Lydia)

Pumpkin Challah Reveiw (Bethany)

Contentment (Naomi)

                                                                                   Keep living (everyday) set-apart,
                                                                                                   -Bethany-


Dates and Themes are subject to change without notice.  ;)

Sherman is our 12 year old brother, he loves to play the shofar for our family and he is always ready to learn more about how things work. Sherman enjoys learning about biblical science. His favorite science teachers are Ken Ham,
Kent Hovind, Dr. Jay L. Wile,  and Brad Scott.