Friday 4 July 2008 - Independence Day

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. . . read the rest

and ponder it

and then read this (hat-tip to KathyJo)

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Thursday 3 July 2008 - Trust

Tibby is out with friends today...seven friends...friends from work...friends i don't know...or barely know...friends she chose without me...100 miles away...at an amusement park...in my car.

I kind of trust them.

I want her to know I trust her.

I am having to trust in Him.

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Monday 30 June 2008 - The Simple Woman's Daybook

 learn more here

FOR TODAY ~ Monday, 30 June, 2008...

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Monday 26 May 2008 - Memorial Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard among the guns below.

We are the dead.  Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

 ~by John McCrae

If you feel so led you may want to go here for a list of U.S. casualities and pray for the families of these brave souls who gave all.

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Friday 16 May 2008 - Some Friday Fun

Six Quirky Things about You
Here are the rules:

* Link the person who tagged you.  

Study in Brown

* Mention the rules in your blog. 

you are reading them now

* Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours. 

hmm...let's see...

1. i absolutely cannot sleep with socks on. as a matter of fact ~ my feet must be sticking out of the covers no mater how cold it is.
2. i am extremely introverted and/but extremely talkative ~ go figure.
3. i have an irrational fear of slugs. (shudder)
4. my favourite snack is salted, unbuttered popcorn and milk.
5. the smell of coconut makes me sick.
6. a cannot stand drinking through plastic straws or lids.

* Tag a new set of six following bloggers by linking them  

be my guest

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Saturday 10 May 2008 - This Week in the Olive Grove

First, a quick catching up since my last T.W.I.T.O.G. post we have:

•  celebrated three birthdays
  • O Special One is 14
  • Frap is 16
  • Toodles is 6
•  acquired two puppies ~ Sebastian and Aylin
•  acquired a new vehicle ~ a 2001 Toyota Sequoia with working air conditioner
•  visited my mother in Seattle (Tibby, Toodles, and myself)
•  Tibby bought her first car and got her driver's license and is making plans to move to Seattle in August to start college!

We are now 6 weeks into our spring quarter of academic studies and things are moving along nicely. 

• Sergeant Elf is in Colorado for a three week visit with Gram, but before she left she worked her way through lesson 200 of Daily Grammar, lesson 28 in Algebra 1/2, and continued on in Ecce Romani 1.  She finished Hawthorne's Wonderbook and Tiner's Exploring Planet Earth and read through chapter 40 in Miller/Guerber's The Story of the Renaissance and Reformation and chapter 20 of Mason's Ourselves. She did copywork and memory work in Ephesians, Spurgeon's Catechism, and Selected Poems of Christina Rossetti and continued working through Italic Handwriting Book G.

• J~man is doing well in all of his studies.  He is almost finished with Rod and Staff Bible Reader 4, his final read-aloud.  He has covered 1060 spelling words (through section O) in the W.I.S.E. Guide.  He continues working through the grade 5 mathematics book.  He finished Janeway's The Vikings and is now reading Miller/Guerber's The Story of the Middle Ages   as well as Collier's Junior Classics Hero Tales, and Random House All About Electricity.

• Lulapalooza's lessons are coming along nicely.  He is almost finished with Rod and Staff Bible Reader 3 Unit 1.  He now has 690 words in his spelling notebook, and he is winding up chapter 2 in the grade 3 mathematics book.  He is reading Stories of the Pilgrims, Nature Reader 3, and Collier's A B C Go!

Both boys do memory and copywork as well as lots of free reading.

• Toodles is reading with more confidence every day.  She will complete her Rod and Staff Bible Reader 1 Unit 2 in a couple of weeks.  She also does phonics drill, math play, spelling, and memory and copywork.

• My two teens, Oh Special One and Frap, continue working independently.  Frap has added Modern Greek to her studies and both girls are about to wrap up their science for the year.

I am still not making the time for read-alouds and art, music, and poetry like I want to.  I have great materials, and it really doesn't take that much time.  I just am not making it happen!  What frustrates me most about this is that these are the things I really want to do and enjoy doing with the kids.  Getting these going again on a regular basis is definitely a priority with me right now.  I did it when my older ones were younger, and I hate that my younger ones are missing out on this richness in their daily lives.

filed under: This Week in the Olive Grove

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Wednesday 7 May 2008 - One Post Every Two Months, or ...

Why do I even have a blog?

I love blogs! ~ at least, reading and looking at other people's blogs ~ So I want to have a blog, too, but the things that I most enjoy about other's blogs don't apply to my blog.  I do not have much talent for either written or artistic expression; I offer neither wit nor wisdom; I possess no great skill for organizing and planning, no expertise in any particular academic subject, no gift of spiritual encouragement.  My blog has no clear purpose or style ~ even to me.  I post infrequently and sporadically.  I waste too much time on here while accomplishing very little.  

But...

I want to have a blog.

So...

I will keep tinkering with my template and posting sporadically and frustrating myself.  I will continue to enjoy being a part of this blogging world where I sit on the fringe and admire those who do have something to offer and be grateful that they share so graciously with me.

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