I just have to share this new recipe I tried tonight.  It's from Karey Swan's book, Hearth & Home, again.  I'll just type it up the way I made it.  Instead of curry powder she encourages you to grind up all the individual spices that go into that.  She used cheese in the topping, I don't because I can't eat it but also most of my family is repulsed by the thought of cheese with chicken.  Here goes:

 

Chicken Divan

 

1 1/2 lbs frozen chopped broccoli(slightly cooked)

2 generous cups of cooked chicken, cubed

2 cups chicken broth

3 TB olive oil

4 TB flour

1 egg

1 Tb lemon juice

1/2 tsp curry powder

3 slices of buttered(both sides) bread cubed

 

Arrange broccoli in 9 x 13 pan. Place chicken on top of broccoli. Make white sauce(oil, flour, broth) in saucepan until thickened, stirring often.  Remove from heat.  Mix a bit of the warm sauce into egg to prevent cooking the egg.  Add egg mixture to the rest of the white sauce.  Add the lemon juice and curry powder.  Pour over chicken.  Top with bread cubes.  Bake at 350 for 20 - 30 minutes, until bread is toasty.

 

Yummy. Easy.

 

 

I love booksales. I was going to suggest that this is booksale season, but given a second thought I realized that all seasons have their booksales at various libraries in our area. Ah, life is good. Our most recent book-sale-library find is running it's sale ongoing each Sturday morning through September- and the prices are fantastic! 50 cents for hardcovers and 25 for paperbacks! The first week we went we came home with a haul. Too many to list, although I will mention many Miss Read books, some Elizabeth Goudge, a couple of Madeleine L'Engle's, 2 Kiplings, Jack found a hard cover of the Hobbit with cool illustrations and maps, also some fun children's books and much more.

 

This past Saturday we went again, to see if we had missed anything we might be interested in. It was a much smaller trove. But here they are:

-Old Warsaw Cook Book

-Polish Cooking  - these should be fun as I haven't had any good Polish food in a long time and don't know how to make any myself

-The Homecoming

- Dicey's Song- both by Cynthia Voigt. I have them in paperback but couldn't resist the nice hardcover editions

- Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli

- The Great Brain Does it Again- this is sort of a gag gift for Bertie, who I think I'll be having lunch with tomorrow

- The Fairacre Festival - by Miss Read

- Gold Laced Coat(A Story of Old Niagra) by Helen Fuller Orton

because Lily is studying NYS history this year and I'm on the watch for living books- I hope this is one. Let me know if you can suggest some.

- Alice-all-by-Herself  by Elizabeth Coatsworth because it looks charming

- A Girl From Yamhill- Beverly Cleary memoir

- Babies Need Books- by Dorothy Butler. I am always attracted to books like this, hope it will be a good read.

 

 

"In the Christian Way, the one vital thing is not speed nor distance attained, but direction. For this reason the Scriptures exhort the runner to patience and say nothing about speed. The Lord would seem to be more concerned with where we are going rather than how fast. A steady pace in the right direction will lead to the right goal at last, but if the life is aimed at the wrong goal, speed will only take us further astray in a shorter time.

 

"Lack of direction is the cause of many tragic failures in religious activities. The churches are over-run with persons of both sexes who have never known a clear call of God to do anything in particular. Such people are often victims of whim and chance, the easy prey of ambitious leaders who seek to gain prominence by using others for their own ends. The directionless Christian is the one who supports the new and spectacular, regardless of whether or not it is in accord with the Scriptures and the revealed will of God.

 

"A great economizing of time and effort can be effected by learning what we should do and then sticking to it, quietly refusing to be turned aside from our task. Paul said, "But one thing I do," and by paring his activities down to an important minimum he multiplied his efficiency many times over. We must avoid the error of assuming that because we are busy we are therefore getting a lot done. ...

 

"The further we get from our beginnings, the stronger the temptation to surrender to the confused ways of modern Fundamentalism and play ring-around-the-rosy with whatever partners happen to be popular at the moment. This temptation we must resist with everything in us. ...

 

"If we should seem at times to be a bit slow, let it be remembered that we do know the direction we are called to go, and as long as we have followed that original urge we have been blessed with success beyond our best expectation. That we maintain our God-revealed direction is vitally important. Let us not fail here."

 

A. W. Tozer- from *This World : Playground or Battleground*

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED
 My all time favorite is *For the Children's Sake* by Susan Schaeffer MacCauley

Then the Charlotte Mason series

 

 2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT
    my copier 

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT
 Gee, just one? I have wasted sooo much money over the years. I mostly try to excuse it as  *my education* .  I'm sure many of these resources are great for someone.

For me- anything unit study and Ray's Arithmetic- I know that's 2 +

 

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR.
  Notebooking most subjects for grade 5. Resources used besides notebooks would be *Hold That Thought* Bible sheets, *History Through the Ages* timeline stuff, Apologia Astronomy

For grade 11-  *Mapping the World By Heart*  and *Truthquest* history

I know, again that is more than one, but we liked most of what we did last year.

 

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR 

Together- *The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus* Bible study

grade 6- Exploring Creation with Botany- Apologia

grade 12- Exploring Creation with Marine Biology- hope it was worth the money
 
6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY
  Rosetta Stone Language(probably German & French) - great resource, out of my price range

 

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED
   A companion audio CD with each & every book. So I could keep up with what the kids are doing by listening while cooking, cleaning, sewing, driving etc.

Also an unlimited paypal card would be great!

 8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING
I don't read them so much anymore. Used to love Elijah Company & Timberdoodle, now maybe Veritas Press 
 
9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY
     Ambleside Online of course www.amblesideonline.org

And here's the plan for :::sniff, sniff::: Jack's last year in homeschool....

 

Jack..….Grade 12……2006 – 2007

 

 

BIBLE:  The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus  2x per week

1^st The Genesis Record   by Henry Morris

 

2^nd The Genesis Record   by Henry Morris

 

3^rd  I Call It Heresy  by A.W. Tozer   / read Revelation

 

4^th  Tozer Speaks to Students

 

HISTORY:

1^{st –} World History: Charlemagne – Thirty Years War

 

2^nd  - World History:  English Civil War – World War II

 

3^rd  - American History:  Pilgrims – Mexican War

 

4^th  - American History:  Civil War - War on Terror

 

BIOGRAPHIES:

1^st     - The Life of Thomas More

 

2^nd   - Vermeer: A Voice of Delft by Anthony Bailey

 

3^rd    - Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life: Selected Letters   by Robert Spaethling

 

4^th   - Nixon   by Stephen Ambrose

 

GEOGRAPHY:

1^st   South America: Argentina / Brazil / Chile

 

2^nd   Africa:  Madagascar/ Egypt/ Morocco

 

3^rd   Europe: Italy / Poland / Belgium

 

4^th   Asia: India / Japan / Korea (North & South)

 

CITIZENSHIP:
1^st   Plutarch: Brutus

 

2^nd   Plutarch:  Brutus / Crassus

 

3^rd   Plutarch:  Crassus / Fabius

 

4^th   Plutarch:  Fabius

 

GOV’T & ECONOMICS:

The Tragedy of American Compassion by Marvin Olasky

 

CURRENT EVENTS:

World magazine (weekly)

Ann Coulter political articles

Blog pages

Weekly news notebook

 

WORLDVIEW STUDIES:
1^st   The Marketing of Evil   by David Kupelian

 

2^nd   Amusing Ourselves to Death   by Neil Postman

 

3^rd   The Kingdom of the Cults   by Walter Martin – selected chapters

 

4^th   The Kingdom if the Cults   by Walter Martin  - selected chapters

 

LITERATURE: British Literature   by James Stobaugh 1 lesson per week

1^st   Shakespeare: Henry V with Brightest Heaven of Invention

 

2^nd

 

3^rd   Shakespeare:  Julius Caesar   with Brightest Heaven of Invention

 

4^th

 

 

POETRY:  The Harp & The Laurel Wreath   by Laura M. Berquist

                                    1x per week or two

 

COMPOSITION & GRAMMAR:

1^st

 

2^nd   Eats, Shoots & Leaves    by Lynne Truss   chpts 1 - 3

 

3^rd

 

4^th   Eats, Shoots & Leaves   by Lynne Truss   chpts 4 - 7

 

RECITATION & PUBLIC SPEAKING:

Bible memory work.  Poetry memorization (1 per quarter)

Shakespeare passages 1 from each play

 

COPYWORK & TRANSCRIPTION:

Daily entries

 

MATH:  Consumer Mathematics   A Beka Book; 1998

                 Money Matters for Teens

 

 

 

SCIENCE:  Exploring Creation with Chemistry

                        Exploring Creation with Marine Biology   w/ labs

 

 

NATURE STUDY: weekly with photo notebook

 

 

ART & DRAWING:  photography & videography – 2 videos

1^st  art appreciation: Peter Paul Rubens/ Diego Velasquez

 

2^nd  art appreciation: Jan Vermeer

 

3^rd art appreciation: Pieter Bruegel the Elder

 

 4^th   art appreciation: John William Waterhouse

 

MUSIC: Composer Study

1^st  Johann Sabastian Bach

 

2^nd  Robert Schumann

 

3^rd  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

 

4^th  Richard Wagner

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: continue German study

 

 

HEALTH:  True Sexual Morality  by Daniel R. Heimbach

                        Every Young Man’s Battle  by Stephen Arterburn

 

 

WORK & LIFE SKILLS:  yard work, home repair, computer,

   cooking, driving,

 

 

PHYS. ED.; bike riding, swimming, weight lifting, yard work,

                          outside play, other seasonal activities

 

 

FREE READING:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week I scrambled to get these ready. These are not the school reports but our worksheets. In NYS we have to report quarterly, hence I break things down by 4 quarters rather than 3 terms

 

 

Lily…grade 6…….2006 – 2007

 

 

BIBLE: The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus   together 2x week
1^st   Matthew- 1 chpt per day

 

2^nd  A Young Person’s Guide to Knowing God by P. St. John

 

3^rd  Prayer is an Adventure  by P. St. John

 

4^th  Proverbs

 

HISTORY:  
1^st   American: Civil War (Abraham Lincoln’s World)

 

2^nd   American: Civil War (Abraham Lincoln’s World)

 

3^rd   American: Westward Expansion (The West  & People of the West)

 

4^th   NYS History & Government

 

HISTORY TALES/BIOGRAPHIES:
1^st   A Chance to Die – Amy Carmichael   by Elisabeth Elliot

 

2^nd   Passion For the Impossible- Lilias  Trotter  by Miriam Huffman Rockness

 

3^rd   The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot

 

4^th  Patricia St. John autobiography

 

GEOGRAPHY:  Complete Book of Marvels   by Richard Halliburton w/ notebook entries
1^st   Paddle-To-The-Sea   w/map work-----Jack

 

2^nd   Minn Of the Mississippi   w/map work-----Jack

 

3^rd   Tree in the Trail   w/map work------Jack

 

4^th   Seabird     w/map work -------Jack

 

NATURE STUDY:  weekly nature walk & notebook entry
Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation by Dennis R. Petersen *   **

Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Seton Thompson ***   ****

 

SCIENCE:  Exploring Creation with Botany, Apologia Educational Ministries; 2004  w/ notebook

A Piece of the Mountain – Blaise Pascal  by Joyce McPherson **

The Ocean of Truth – Isaac Newton  by Joyce McPherson  ***

 Always Inventing- Alexander Graham Bell  by Tom L. Matthews  ****

 

 

HEALTH: Life Before Birth by Gary E. Parker M.S., Ed.D.

                    God’s Will for My Body   by John Coblentz

 

MATH:  Saxon 65

                 Money Matters for Teens (11-14)

 

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:

 

POETRY: 1x week
1^st   Rudyard Kipling

 

2^nd   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

3^rd   John Greenleaf Whittier

 

4^th   Paul Laurence Dunbar

 

LITERATURE:
1^st    Lamb's Shakespeare- King Lear, Cymbeline; Tom Sawyer  by Mark Twain

 

2^nd  Shakespeare- The Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet; Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

 

3^rd   Shakespeare-   Othello, Taming of the Shrew; Puck of Pook’s Hill   by Rudyard Kipling

 

4^th   Shakespeare-   Hamlet, Comedy of Errors; A Lantern in Her Hand  by Bess Streeter Aldrich

 

 

DAILY LESSONS:

Penmanship/Copywork

 

Math 

 

Latin/foreign language

 

Musical instrument practice

 

WEEKLY LESSONS:

Art appreciation- Rubens/Velasquez*  Vermeer**  Pieter Bruegel the Elder***   Waterhouse****

 

Art-

 

Grammar-  Easy Grammar by Wanda C. Phillips

                   English From the Roots Up  by Joegil Lundquist

 

Timeline/century book-

 

Handicrafts-

 

Music appreciation, folk songs & hymns- Bach*, Schumann**, Mozart***,  Wagner****

 

Nature study- weekly

 

Shakespeare- 2 per quarter

 

Plutarch-  n/c

 

Phys. Ed- regularly

 

Library Skills- regularly

 

What a beautiful day it is here today. Sunny, with a few clouds, 70's, low humidity. Perfect.  My family has been hungry for some real food, so today I have a plan.

 

For supper tonight, Chicken Spaghetti, Zucchini Bake, and Peach Pie.

Recipes follow.

 

Chicken Spaghetti (adapted form Karey Swan's *Hearth & Home*)

 

4 TB olive oil

4 TB whole wheat flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 tsp garlic powder

4 - 5 chopped mushrooms

2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped

3/4 lb whole wheat spaghetti, cooked & drained

 

Make up a white sauce with oil, flour, garlic powder and broth. Cook spaghetti and drain. Place in 9x13 dish. Top with chicken and mushrooms, pour  thickened bubbly sauce over the entire dish. Sprinkle with cheese(or wheat germ) Bake at 350* for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool about 10 minutes to make serving easier.

 

 

Zesty Zucchini Bake(adapted form Marilyn Moll's *Homemakers Forum*)

 

1. Mix together in mixing bowl and place in lightly greased casserole dish(I think about a 9 x 9)

- 4 eggs, beaten

-6 cups shredded zucchini

-1 onion , chopped

-1/4 cup flour

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp baking powder

 

2. Bake 40 minutes uncovered at 350*, topping with cheese(optional) the last 15 minutes of baking

 

 

Peach Pie  by me

 

Mix about 6 cups sliced freah peaches with 3/4 cup of sugar, 3 Tb arrowroot, 1 tsp nutmeg.

 

Crust:

-2 cups flour

-dash of salt

-1/2 cup canola oil with 5 TB cold water

 

Mix together with a fork. Roll out in 2 crusts(1 top, 1 bottom- naturally)

 

Fill, bake at about 400* for about 45 minutes or an hour. Test for peaches to be done with a toothpick or cake tester.

Cool, Enjoy!

• Sensitive and family-focused, the INFJ mother looks for and encourages the unique potential of each child. Self-knowledge may be her byword. Her aim is to help each child develop a sense of identity and cultivate personal growth. In fact, she may value the mothering experience as a catalyst to her own personal growth and self-knowledge.
• The INFJ mother spends time observing and understanding each child. She is drawn to intimate conversations and seeks a free exchange of feelings and thoughts.
• Sympathetic and accommodating, the INFJ mother strives to meet the important yet sometimes conflicting needs of each family member in harmonious and creative ways
• She is conscientious and intense as well. Probably no one takes life and child-raising more seriously than the INFJ. She approaches mothering as a profession requiring her best self.
  

check out your style at: www.motherstyles.com

It has been HOT, HOT, HOT! here.  So, I think the HOT has determined what we've all been doing this week, which, actually is an excuse to say 'not much'.

 

Each morning I've tried to get some things done so I can feel good about the day before I gravitate to a loveseat with a ceiling fan, iced tea and a good book.

 

One of the things I've been trying to work on this week is IHIP's(Indivudualized Home Instruction Plan) for the next school year for Jack & Lily. I've made some progress- all these ideas have to perk around a bit in my brain before I can make a decision. The real difficulty here is not finding something for each NYS required subject- it's narrowing it down! There are too many great books to use, many of them right on my own shelves. Today while narrowing down some choices for Jack, I thought to myself, "Henry V & Julius Ceasar and then next year we can always do..... no we can't! This is Jack's last year!"

 

Well, that just stunned me!  No, this wasn't a revelation- I did already *know* this,

it just jolted me a bit this morning. Which means this is the last IHIP I'll be doing for him- this is our last year together in school. boohoo. I was thanking the Lord that He sent Lily or I'd be having an empty nest next year(wow! that seems so old)! I'd be lonely.

 

Lily will probably be lonely. I used to envy(just a teeny bit) a friend who only homeschooled one daughter because I felt that mom could really give that girl her undivided attention and Do A Good Job. So next year I will be in the same boat with Lily. I hope I Do A Good Job. When I brought this fact up to her she began right away talking adoption(she had some specific friends in mind, but I told her I thought their parents were rather attached to them and wouldn't go for it)! I laughed , it reminded me of  the time she was about 4 or 5 and was really eager for us to have another baby(we were too but God had other plans)- and she told me the reason she wanted a baby was, then I would be busy and have Someone Else to watch besides her!

 

Some books I've finished recently are:

*A Girl Named Zippy* Haven Kimmel- disappointing.

*School Education* vol. 3 Charlotte Mason- re-read always excellent.

*The Color of Water* James McBride- well told, inspiring story! beware of some strong language.

 

We've resumed our evening reading times. When the kids were little we used to read aloud with them quite a bit. But when Bertie was in his teen years he would grumble so about EVERYTHING that it eventually went by the wayside. We were wanting to start it up again but everyone wanted to be the reader, so what we do now is each of us(mom, dad, Jack, & Lily)has a book we're reading aloud and each evening-if we have time, usually takes about an hour- we EACH read 1 chapter from our book. The others listen and occupy them selves with some type of project. It's fun. What we're reading now:

mrbeaver- *Carry On, Mr. Bowditch*

mrsbeaver- *Our Only May Amelia*

Jack- *The Hobbit*

Lily- *The Horse & His Boy*

 

Sewing projects: Cut out pieces for baby quilt and set of placemats. Unsewed(love that term!) the quilting I'd done on Jack's quilt because it wasn't coming out nice. Have some new ideas on how to do it and will do it....soon. Also plan to practice some free motion quilting as someone was good enough to show me how- I can usually figure these things out with a book and some fooling around, but I wasn't getting it. Now, I think I can, I think I can....

 

Cooking: umm, next week

The question is: about what?  I have been busy with cleaning, laundry, cooking, reading, planning for the next school year, hanging out in air conditioned stores, sewing, quilting, family gatherings, teaching....all kinds of things.

 

For those who are wondering if we are ok here. Yes, we are ok. There have been some very difficult, hurtful, shocking things. But we are ok. The Lord is near.(Philippians 4:4 - 7)

 

A while back I posted summer reading lists for Jack & Lily, and mentioned the desire to make one for myself. Well, I did. On it I had some deeper books I wanted to pre-read for AO year 7, for when Lily gets there. I had some education books I wanted to get into to sharpen my focus, and some classics I hadn't read yet. But, life happened and as I was too distracted to focus and concentrate on all this new stuff- I found my mind wandering all on it's own to previously read favorites(like old friends I wanted to be with again).

 

Actually, I have also been wondering about the way the brain works under stress. I noticed that at times when things were overwhelming me, my mind would turn from what I was fretting(er, thinking) about and flash to some really pleasant memory all on its own. This I found delightful and refreshing, I didn't have to try to think on something different it just came to me. See what I mean? The Lord is near. Anyway, interesting as this is it's not what this entry is about. Well, maybe it is.

 

One of the books I chose to re-read is *The Keeper of the Bees*  by Gene Stratton Porter. Several summers ago, I started reading her books and fell in love with them. The Keeper of the Bees is one of my favorites. Here's why:

 

"Then there are the books like Fabre and Maeterlinck that the Bee Master says are three things at one time.  First they are the truth, and next they are poetry, and third they are the evidence of a Master Mind that plans every least little tiny thing.  He says the only name for that Master Mind is God.  He doesn't see any use in trying to dodge God and side-step Him and call Him 'the Spirit of the Hive' and Instink and Nature and things like that.  He says a great scientist, one of the best, almost went crazy trying to do that very thing.  His name was Charles Darwin, and the Bee Master says C. D. would have been a heap bigger Injun if he'd been willing to put God in where He belongs.  He says when God does anything 'with such care, and puts so much thought in it, and deals out such splendid justice' as there is in a beehive, that a wise man will just take off his hat and lift his eyes to the sky and very politely he will say, 'Just God.'"

 

Elizabeth Goudge's *Pilgrim's Inn* and *The Rosemary Tree* [don't you love the smell of rosemary??], Bess Streeter Aldrich's *A Lantern in Her Hand*, and Elisabeth Elliot's *The Shaping of a Christian Family* are some old favorites that have been calling my name this week. I hope to get time to re-read them this summer. How delightful to be able to go back and live in them again. Escapism at it's best!

 

Next time I'll share some of the new books(new to me) I've been reading- or trying to- this summer.

but our eyes are upon you.   2 Chronicles 20:12c

 

Yesterday I was thinking of this verse and trying to remember where it was in the Bible- I think I was looking through Kings, I couldn't find it, but it was on my heart.

 

This morning was a glorious morning, cool temperatures, clear sky, summer sunshine. I went outside with my tea and the devotional "Streams in the Desert" (because I was too distracted to go upstairs for my usual Bible study stuff). I found the entry for today- July 7th, and then noticed the entry from yesterday and the Scripture was this verse!

 

I have obviously been blessed by this entry before because the verse was starred and these lines were underlined:

 

"Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone.

If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and he will guard it for us better than we can help Him."

 

"Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there as nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will."  A. B. Simpson

 

Isn't that cool?! I experienced that in a small way yesterday- I was anxious, but I was praying that Scripture to God(and others were praying)- He moved in His own way and a large disturbing issue was resolved. Glory to God!

 

Today though, part of the fun of rediscovering this devotional entry was that part masterly as inactivity- that is one of Charlotte Mason's principles of education: masterly inactvity. I think I blogged about it once before. It made me smile to read it there. 

 

A.B.Simpson is a favorite theologian of mine and I checked his biography to be sure and he and Charlotte Mason were contemporaries.

 

A younger contemporary of theirs, Amy Carmichael wrote this:

 

IF I cannot bear to be like the father

who did not soften the rigors of

the far country;

if, in this sense I refuse to allow the

law of God(the way of transgressors

is hard) to take effect,

because of the distress it causes me

to see that law in operation,

then I know nothing of Calvary love.

I miss my dad. Today is his birthday, he would be 75. Everytime I hear this song I think of him. We still laugh at his jokes. They may not be the height of humor but they are dear to us. I loved his stories- I wish I knew more of them. And he would listen to mine, mostly about being a mother -and he would laugh. His grandkids gave him no end of chuckles. I had already matured to the point that I gave him much more credit(than I had as a kid)- but I would like more of his time. He left too soon, he left a big hole on our family.

 

 

LOVE YOU OUT LOUD

 

If I had only known that you were leaving here so soon

I would not have been so flippant when I offered you the moon

I'd have pulled my chair up closer to the railing of your bed

And chosen much more carefully the words I said

 

I would ask you for your stories

And I would tell you mine

I would give you much more credit

I would take more of your time

There's so much I've left unspoken

If you were here right now

I would love you - out loud

 

If I had said the words "I love you" every time they crossed my mind

Then you would have heard me tell you at least a thousand times

I know you knew it anyway, I guess you understood

But I would like to go back if I only could

 

I would touch you much more often

I would laugh at all your jokes

I would worry through your worries

I would dream through all your hopes

I would pray with you to heaven

Are you watching from there now

Do you know what I would give for the chance somehow-

 

To ask you for your stories

I would tell you mine

I would give you much more credit

I would take more of your time

There's so much I've left unspoken

If you were here right now

I would love you- out loud

 

song by Carolyn Arends

 

It's hard to get a good picture of this quilt. The old fashioned kid pictures are too adorable. I hope the colors are ok. If not it can always be a quilt for the floor. And I hope she isn't in a bigger bed yet. This will be in the mail soon- I hope it's her favorite!

A - Accent: Me? I don't have an accent!
B - Breakfast Item: leftover pie or fruit crisp 

C - Chore you hate: cleaning the tub/shower
D - Dad's Name: Arthur

E - Essential everyday item: glasses- they are essential, I know, because I broke them 

F - Flavor ice cream: Vanilla.
G - Gold or Silver?: Gold

H - Happy Place: at home- in my sewing room, or garden, or little book room

I - Insomnia: nearly never
J - Job - Love or want to leave:  I *love* my job!

K - Kids: absolutely!

L - Living arrangements: with mr. beaver and kids in our old farmhouse

M - Mom's birthplace: ?

N - Number of houses you've lived in (there, I changed it from the original):  11

O - Overnight hospital stays: not since 1989
P - Phobia: snakes

Q - Question: did you wash your hands? 

R - Religious Affiliation: Christian

S - Siblings: 2
T - Time you wake up: when I need to- usually between 6 & 7:30

U - Unnatural hair colors you've had: none 

V - Vegetable you refuse to eat:  I like vegetables 

W - Worst habit: worrying about tomorrow
X - X-rays you've had: dental, one while in labor with 1st son, he was breech
Y - Yummy:  I've just discovered I really like orange marmalade 

Z - Zodiac sign: who cares?

Hey everybody, the Pendragons were visiting here last night and we got the news that Guinevere is expecting a new little Pendragon on Valentines Day!! Rejoice with us!

 

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord,

children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hand's of a warrior

are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man

whose quiver is full of them."

I've mentioned to a few folks about the summer reading lists I make the kids. The idea is to encourage them to read some of the books we're not getting to through the school year or introduce them to a new author, and to give them a worthy way the wile away their summer days.

 

They get a prize for finishing- they've all always finished in time although a few times it's been a squeeker for one or two. The *prize* is normally a beautiful book or a gift certificate to a book place. Last year Jack got $25 at Amazon.com and Lily got a copy of The Mary Francis Housekeeper by Jane Eayre Fryer. (I should've put that on her reading list this year!)

 

 If you're wondering 'why that book?' or 'why not this?' it may be because of what has already been covered[or maybe we don't know about it- so please share ideas]- so these aren't generic *what every 5th or 11th grader should read during summer vacation* lists- they are specific to the person. But because I've been asked here they are:

 

Jack's Summer Reading List - 2006

 

Persecution  David Limbaugh

Undaunted Courage  Stephen Ambrose

Crusade in Europe  Dwight D. Eisenhower

Intellectuals  Paul Johnson

Creators Paul Johnson

Blue at the Mizzen Patrick O'Brien

Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift

Campaigning With Grant Horace Porter

Bleak House Charles Dickens

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury

 

Lily's Summer Reading  List - 2006

 

The Wouldbegoods  E. Nesbitt

Black Beauty  Anna Sewall

Amos Fortune, Free Man  Elizabeth Yates

Complete Peterkin Papers Lucretis Hale

Children of the New Forest Captain Marryat

Brighty of the Grand Canyon Marguerite Henry

Sea Star Marguerite Henry

Poor Richard James Daugherty

Indian Captive Lois Lenski

Star of Light Patricia St. John

 

I have plans for a reading list of my own- just haven't fleshed it out completely. My prize will be as Karen at http://ukrakovianki.blogspot.com says because 'I want to know'

 

 

I think my mind(or maybe it's my heart) is trying to grapple with some new(for me) doctrinal thoughts here. I am a staunch Arminian and have been for many years. I strongly believe in Free Will. I''ve also understood that no one can come to Christ unless they are called by the Father(see John 6:37 & 44). These are very compatible thoughts in my mind. No struggle, no contradiction. What I seem to be asking is: are some people never 'called by the Father'?

I can't really express all that implies to me. But, I wonder. I see some people who aren't really hostile to the gospel, but it doesn't change them. Why? I would've answered myself that was because of the hardness of their hearts, their choice. I still think that's true(sort of)- but I know it wasn't just believing the gospel that happened to me, something was quickened, a new hunger, new interests, new passions & values (I mean why in the world was I even checking it out?)

 'One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!'

 And I know I would never have sought out God if He hadn't been seeking me.....But now I wonder, does He seek everybody?

I just remembered 2 Peter 3:9 'He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.'

Is that what that verse means? I'm not just speaking of my own experience- I see it in others. I see people who the Lord changes, makes a difference. And then there are others who aren't hostile and rejecting but it's like their hearts are never fanned into flame(I'm referring to both unbelievers and those who might think of themselves as Christians because they hang around church people).

Any thoughts?

feeds my soul.

 

It has been a busy couple of weeks here. We spent a week away on vacation. Went to the beach a lot and visited one day in D.C.

 

Mr. Beaver and Jack are tearing out one large unused bedroom that needs new walls, ceiling and electricity. I have plans for that room when it's finished ;-) Actually, everyone in the family has some sort of *plans* for that room- but I'm the queen so I'm hoping that will carry me a bit farther.

 

My gardens have all got away from me in the weeds growing department, and I had 3 flats of flowers setting on the back porch waiting for me to get moving. This morning I got moving. I planted several container gardens with geraniums, marigolds, zinnias, double impatiens, begonias and 'orange symphony' (osteospermum hybrid). I started a new garden next to the garage, previously all there was there was one large hosta, now there is a Marguerite daisy, 8 of those red spikey flowers(the name escapes me and I can't find the stake), some more zinnias and marigolds(gifts from our neighbor's daughter- all the way from NJ!) and lots of white alyssum. It's not real artistic I'll grant that but it does add color and there was a need for color there. I also added some dianthus caryophylus (cinnamon red hots) to another bed. I put them in front of the poppies so they could sort of hide the dying foiliage after they bloom(still waiting , lots of buds though). These cinnamon red hot things really smell like red hots! I love them. After my little break here under the fan, I will plant 2 new butterfly bushes. I have had 2 before- actually mother's day gifts from the children and they died last year. I think I pruned them too zealously too early last spring

:-(  I will try again. They are beautiful and attract a lot of butterflys, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths. I still have a few more plants waiting for homes and some perennials I'm wanting to move around but I think that will wait for a cooler day. Although today is only 80* and humid, yesterday was 96* and humid!!

 

And on the note of gardens, on vacation we stopped at the Salisbury Zoo and they had an awesome herb garden. I've convinced Jack to try to help me make something similar(we're still scouting out a good location in the yard). I want a sun dial in the center. They had a kitchen herb section , healing herbs, biblical herbs and another category. I have an herb garden of sorts already. Mine has sage, tansy, comfrey, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chocolate mint(I keep trying to get rid of the oregano and choc. mint as they are both very invasive but I like to keep small clumps each year) and chives- which I also think are invasive. I am trying lavender again but in a the stone garden with the bird bath. This year I bought hyssop. My herb book says hyssop was used as a "strewing" herb to freshen the air with a pleasing fragrance. Mine doesn't seem to have much odor. Anyone know why? Is it just the flowers that smell? Does it grow to be like a shrub? Should it have a bigger space?

 

Arthur Pendragon graduated from college today! We are so proud of him. We always are. After the ceremony we went back to the Pendragon's for a bbq. Guinevere's parents and a friend of the family were there and all our kids and Mr.Beaver's parents. A good time was had by all.

 

Tomorrow is Jack's birthday. Cheesecake is on the menu. And for mom(me- who can't have cheese cake) strawberry rhubarb pie made by Bertie.