Lest I Forget

In an attempt to write more, I am trying this old format to get the creative side to awaken.. Outside my window...I see blue skies for the first time in days. It was beginning to feel like Germany here in South Carolina. Days and days of dreary rain and colorless skies. There are ripples on the lake water and leaves scattered about the yard looking almost like an impressionist painting. I am thinking...about Thanksgiving and family. I am thankful...for so many things, though lately I have been in a negative state of mind. However, writing out your thankfulness usually results in a more positive outlook, so... -for my family -for new friends -for our priests -for a beautiful view outside my window -for quiet mornings -for coffee -for a chance to do things better each day From the lesson plans...it is Friday, in which I do not plan formal lessons, but keep it open for catch up, field trips, and fun. We will take off the entire week for a Thanksgiving/Fall Break. We current...

Anna turned 14 yesterday. We made our second trip to the zoo after getting her ears pierced and lunch at Chick-fil-a. Our first trip, we missed the gorillas. Yesterday we arrived just as the program about the gorillas began. We were able to see a mother and 3 month old baby. After that, we moseyed around, taking our time, and enjoying the non-animal activities. Sadly for Peter, most of these activities require you to weigh more than his 35 pounds. He can ride the carousel, however, and after taking a few whirls around, we crossed over the bridge to the gardens and splash pad. I can tell we are going to love this zoo! You can walk inside the kangaroo exhibit. They were so excited to see us. Mother and baby gorilla Cones in their natural habitat The ropes activity they all had been looking forward to. The misery of not weighing enough to participate Pony rides

Our year in Kingsport has come to a close. We said our tearful goodbyes as we pulled away from my parent's house and set out on our next adventure. We have been in South Carolina for a little over a week, most of that in a hotel room. The computer is up and running and I downloaded the photos from my camera this morning. The unpacking is coming along. Most of the boxes are empty and are in the garage. Now the fun part of making this house our home begins. We love the backyard! We also are returning to homeschooling the first week of September, which means I need to tackle the classroom organizing pronto! Boredom set in at the hotel quickly. Jack and I did a Lego minifigure photoshoot. Anna and Jack woke early to try and catch some fish. No luck yet, but it is only the second day. view from the floating dock. I had to watch out for flying hooks! There are so many dragonflies in our yard! I have not set up my birdfeeders yet, though I have seen a few hummingbirds. ...

The theme here, I believe, is go big! The book is the last selection of the book club I joined this year. "The Well-Read Mom" has been just what I needed. I met a lovely group of women. Each brought her own unique views to the meetings, along with good food, and great fellowship. I went into this book never having seen the play, the movie, nor did I know the general story line. I am slightly less than half-way through, and I am under no illusions that I will have to go to the meeting without having finished the book, though I am enjoying it and will finish up on my own. For quite some time, my knitting projects have been small, mostly stuffed animals. I had seen the Color Affection shawl many times while browsing Ravelry. I finally decided that the time was right for a bigger project that could be easily worked on while listening to long books on Audible ;) The end of the shawl will most likely come before the end of Les Miserables. Here is the link to the Yarn Alon...

We finished up school last week. (well, not Anna and I, but that is not something to dwell upon at the moment, so let's not) Summer time is officially here for these three youngest of mine. They know how to live to the fullest, children do. Belly laughs, squeals of delight. I need to take a lesson from them. Just trying to capture it brought joy and smiles into my heart.

The snooze alarm has already been pressed once, so I roll out of bed and ask the Lord to help me through this new day. As I wait for the coffee to brew, I unload the dishes from last night. Pouring a generous splash of half and half into my cup, I head outside, wrapped in an afghan, to read my morning prayers. This day starts like most. This morning, I am thinking about words I read every day in the Canticle of Zechariah. "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free." I am always baffled at these words. With all the ugly in the world, how can these words possibly ring true? And then, I hear a little voice saying "you can be free if you rest in Me and my way." And that way is love. Choosing to love amid the ugly. Choosing to remain calm in the midst of the chaos. That choosing part is the challenging thing. It is so easy to snap back at the frustrated child. To choose a calm, quiet act of love instead is His way. How m...

Today I am thankful for... -an afternoon walk with my kids yesterday. We played "I Spy", blew on dandelions, and had a good romp through the grass and trees. -another beautiful day today. We may go to the park, I don't know, but whatever we do, it must be out of doors. -Sophie's minor aches and pains after a car accident, in which someone pulled out in front of her. It could have been much, much worse. -the fact that she was driving the car we bought just two weeks ago. It gave up itself to keep her safe. Her old car would not have protected her in the same way. -technology, and the ability to talk to Tony and see his face all the way in Korea. -the shower faucet that is either hot or cold, and rarely just right, for it reminds me that I have running water, and a roof over my head. -the messy clutter of four kids, for I am abundantly blessed. -my camera and the opportunities to capture the sweetness of life.    ...

 The weather was lovely yesterday. For the first time this year, I was able to enjoy my coffee and Magnificat outside on the back porch. The birds were chirping and flitting from the trees to the feeder. The quietness of the morning filled me with a calm, and as I sat there thinking of the things that I could do with the day, I knew I wanted to take the children on a picnic. I called my parents and invited them as well. We headed to Laurel Run Park, as I had been told we could hike from there to Bays Mountain. The hike would have to be another day, but I planned to check out the park and get the trail maps to prepare for the future hike. The kids eagerly packed their new water shoes, because the website said there was a creek. They relish a good creek walk and as soon as we set up our things at a picnic table, they were off. I sat there at the table, setting out the lunch, and just enjoying time with my parents, when Anna called out "I see a snake." Now, I appreciate nature...

It began way back when we were returning from Germany. This little voice in my head said, "Wouldn't it be amazing to buy an RV and travel to all the states while Tony is in Korea?" Reason won out, however, and we found a place to settle for a year. That little adventurous voice still called out every so often. And so, when I began to think about Spring Break, a camping trip seemed perfect. As plans are wont to do, they meandered and changed direction like a mountain stream. What finally emerged was a 5 day, 4 night camping trip to three state parks and one special family whom we hadn't seen in years. Oh, believe me, I had my doubts if I could pull this thing off! I have never driven anything larger than a van. I have never actually built a campfire without assistance. The weather forecast was not pretty. But excitement kept winning out over worry. The key to keeping this trip a success was flexibility and I got to practice that even before we embarked on the jou...