Is was gorgeous this morning as the sun came up and touched the tops of the snow covered trees...magical.

Winter Begins

Our first snow of the season. The kids were so excited and wanted to go out badly.  We finished our schoolwork. The question was where was all the snow gear. I'm not really sure why winter seems to catch me off guard. It comes pretty much the same time every year. I headed to the garage in search of the plastic boxes. They were not buried too deeply and soon everyone was outfitted with enough warm clothing for some fun in the snow.

Yes, those are shorts that Gabe has on. He is always warm, even in winter. I'm sure once he can go sledding, he will at least don snow pants.

There is something so magical about the first few snow falls of the seasons.  Even those of us that are hot summer lovers, stop to enjoy and smile.

First Snow

Our first snow of the 2011-2012 winter season. It is always so beautiful and exciting. Now, if I can just remember what I did with all the winter gear.

An Autumn Walk

It has taken us several weeks, but we have finally settled into somewhat of a weekday routine that is working. Having all of the younger children back home for schooling has been a big challenge for all of us. We are seeing some very positive results, which reaffirms our decision to bring the kids home from public school.


We have enjoyed being able to again take our frequent walks. We live in a lovely area with lots of country roads and nature to enjoy. I get a nice brisk walk, the dogs get some exercise and the kids like to run in the woods, throw stones in the river or find treasures along the way.

You can see the scoured river bank behind the children, remnants of hurricane Irene. This river overflowed it's banks in several areas.

The trees are hanging onto their leaves this fall and this oak was looking mighty handsome with all the variations in leaf color.

Max, our new puppy, has especially enjoyed these outings as everything is so new to him. He spends so much time sniffing everything he can reach. He is already Gabe's buddy and Gabe accommodates him by allowing him to roam all over. Gabe is very good with animals and all our pets seem to gravitate toward him.

We saw this Monarch flying very timidly. I'm sure he was very close to his last days. It is sad to see them go, but just another part of the yearly cycle of nature. He was definitely a bright spot among the brown leaves.

These fellows were looking for a handout. I love the little donkeys. They are so cute and we can hear them braying from our house. What a funny creature they are.

These little walks refresh and energize us to get back to our schoolwork. Sometimes that means more books, but sometimes it is just to discuss and enjoy the treasures we bring home.

Geocaching

We introduced some friends to the fun activity of Geocaching. It is such fun sharing caching with other people. I think they are hooked.  The first cache of the afternoon.  It was in an area that I'm guessing was flooded by hurricane Irene.  The container was a bit damp, but not too bad.

We found four caches, two of them in cemeteries.  Gabe thought this headstone looked like a Guillotine.

Wonderful afternoon spend with special friends.

Camping in Maine - Day 1

It is amazing to me how difficult it was finding a week that worked for the whole family to go on our summer camping vacation. With Bess in college and working, Brian's job as time consuming as ever, several great church activities and a couple summer weddings, it was a logistical challenge. Here we were pushing the end of August and finally making our way to Bar Harbor, Maine. Brian and I have been to this area a few times in the past, the first time for our Honeymoon twenty-five years ago, but the children have never been. We love taking them to new places.

The drive up was uneventful in a good way...light traffic, no problems, happy children and dry weather. We stopped to fill up the van and ourselves at lunchtime and one more time just to let everyone stretch their legs. We made the trip in nine hours. After the days and days of driving last summer, this seemed like a short outing.

We are staying at the Bar Harbor KOA. Brian didn't have any trouble backing into our site and we were hooked up and ready in no time. It is a lovely campground right on the water. We walked down to the water and knew we were going to have a great time.

The kids quickly collected some shells and rocks. Poor Gracie wanted to go into the water so badly, but we did not want to deal with wet dog right away. Tomorrow will be soon enough.


Rachel's arms raised to the sky pretty much expressed how we are all feeling. It is wonderful and we are all so pleased to be here.

Bess looking lovely as always. We are so glad that she was able to work out her schedule to join us. We realize it will be harder and harder for her to get away from school or work to come on our family vacations.

Let the adventure begin!

Quiet Time Basket

Having a consistent quiet time has always been a challenge for me. I'll go through times where it seems easy to set aside the time and to stick with it and other times it seems like just one more thing to add to my busy day of many things I don't have time for.

Recently I signed up at Good Morning Girls. This is an online accountability techie thing where you get a group of women together and check in with them each day. I always do better when I have to report to someone else. I am very hopeful that this will help me make my quiet time more of a priority.

So, I dusted off my Quiet Time Basket (QTB) and restocked it with things that are important to me. Basically, my QTB is a simple basic with books and other supplies that make it easier for me to just pick it up and have a productive quiet time. The location isn't important, it can be my favorite chair or outside or even with me when we go camping.

Here it is all stocked and ready to go. Now, to clarify, this is not my study stuff. That is a whole different kettle of fish. I need to sit at a table or desk to do my serious Bible study. I have several study Bibles, commentaries, dictionary, concordance, maps, etc. This small basket is for sweet, precious times with my Lord, intimate times, when I quietly read smaller portions of His Word, pray and meditate. The way I think of it is that there are times when Brian and I sit down and seriously discuss finances, the house, the children, our goals, etc. and then there are other times when we are just in sweet fellowship, talking about what is on our hearts and sharing the simple pleasures of being together and conversation. This is the contrast between my Bible study and my quiet time.

Here are all the things in my basket....a small Bible (I like NAS), my prayer journal, a devotional (Utmost for His Highest right now, but I have several I rotate through.), two books I am or will be reading, my reading glasses, assortment of pens and pencils, tissues, hand cream, gum, lip balm, a second little notebook (I use this to jot down things that come to my mind that I don't want to forget, but I don't want to be distracted.), my mp3 player (I have lots of praise and worship songs, hymns and sermons loaded.), a candle and matches and a small assortment of note cards (Often someone comes to my mind and I'll write them a quick note.).

I am sure there are many other items that you could add, perhaps a small silk flower, your favorite cd and player or a sketch book, anything that would make your quiet time more personal and meaningful.

So, I encourage you to put together your own Quiet Time Basket.

My Birthday

My family knows that I enjoy being recognized on my birthday. Other holidays and special occasions can come and go and although I enjoy when we do celebrate, it doesn't bother me much if we don't, but on my birthday, I like a bit of a fuss. It doesn't have to be over the top, but just something special here and there.

Brian took the day off. Those of you that haven't figured it out, I really love my man and like nothing better than spending time with him. This alone would have been special enough. He got the kids up and on the bus while I caught a few extra winks....heavenly.

We went out to lunch (with Gabe) at Subway (my choice). Brian often comments that I am a very low maintenance wife. :-) We ran a few errands and did a bit of shopping.

He had intended to make a cake, but we were out most of the day. We stopped and picked one up. We decided to have dessert first as Bess had a babysitting job. So we did cake and ice cream when the kids got home from school. It was very yummy and the kids thought it quite the treat to have dessert first.


I opened my presents. Brian is always very generous. I got new birding binoculars, three Cricut sets, a portable speaker for my mp3 player, a wireless weather station, a shirt and some jewelry, plus several precious cards from the kiddos. Just perfect.


After dinner, Rachel gave me a very long, wonderful foot rub. She has such a servants heart and knows what her momma loves. She is so sweet about it and loves that it makes me happy.

I received tons of birthday wishes online from friends far and wide and phone calls from family.

It was a very pleasant day spent with the people I love most. Thank you, Brian and children, for making my day so special. I feel so very loved and blessed by you all.

Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week...

Enjoyed the spring like weather...so nice after our long, snowy, cold winter.

In our homeschool this week...

Gabe is working along well, although we never seem to manage to get it all done. He is finally making good progress with his math, which makes me very happy.

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Visited a local maple sugar house this week. We also met up with friends and enjoyed fellowship, the lovely weather and some exercise. Bess and I went to the Asian and Korean markets. That was very interesting. It makes me want to look up some recipes to cook, now that I know I can get all the ingredients locally.

My favorite thing this week was...

Our Secret Sister Reveal Dinner. Always tons of fun fellowship with my sisters in Christ. So much laughter and a sweet time of prayer.

What's working/not working for us...

Still trying to figure out how to stay more focused and get more done. We are getting the basics done well, but some days I have a terrible time adding the extras.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

Feeling I need to "get back to my roots" in our homeschool. I want to revisit my Charlotte Mason material and figure out how we can do what I want to do with a more relaxed natural way of learning. Not loving the school at home type atmosphere so much.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...



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40 Days - Day 7

As I continue to figure out what it means for me to focus on Jesus in a consistent, daily way, I am discovering that so much is attitude; an attitude of worship, an attitude of service in my life.

"so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:10-14

"...bearing fruit in every good work..."

Wow, does that mean even while doing the dishes, the laundry, and housework? Can I really develop an attitude of doing all good work to the glory of God, even the seemingly mundane?

"...you may have great endurance and patience..."

If I work toward bearing fruit in all good works, I'll have more endurance and patience? I sure could use some of that. Attitude!

"For he rescued us from the dominion of darkness..."

I love this!

Today I am going to practice giving thanks in all things and to bear fruit in every good work, to amp up my attitude and view all my work as worthy unto the Lord.