A Little of This & That......

Our start to the school is coming along nicely. No fussing or grumbling so far......I know, I know....only 2 days in, but still.

Basically we've just done some math review work. Alli did some grammar pages I had for her, Michael began reading 'The Story of Inventions' for science & Jon has begun work (actually just reading so far) in the SAT prep book.

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Along with the book learning Alli has been spending countless hours at the piano practicing! She's in there right now even as I type. Like her guitar, she googles/youtubes what she wants to learn & then practices & practices. It's amazing what she can play just doing this on her own. Taylor Swift is a favorite even on the piano. And Michael is doing the same type of thing with his golf. He'll spend forever watching the golf learning channels on TV or looking up stuff online, then I'll find him outside practicing. Just this afternoon Jon spent forever doing this logo image on Gimp. He's using it as his team logo for Fantasy Football. I asked him if Chris had shown him how to do this stuff & he said no, not really.....he'd just learned by piddling with it on his own. I really love watching them take the initiative & learn on their own like this!

Ooops.....I just caught Jon's spelling blooper, did you?

A special 'Back-to-School' card that I made for my LU student. ;-)

A few Art journal pages that I've been working on. Starting to get into the Halloween mood just a tad bit.

The painted page with magazine clippings adhered........

.....some doodles added with my white paint pen.

 

And lastly, a little quiet hooky time out on the front porch after supper this evening.

Top 50 Bible Verses to Memorize

I ran across this on Pinterest just now & thought it was a wonderful idea to incorporate in our homeschool this year. If you want to check it out for yourself, the link can be found HERE.
1. Isaiah 9:6
2. Isaiah 40:28
3. Genesis 1:1
4. John 3:16-17
5. Romans 3:23
6. Romans 6:23
7. Revelation 3:20
8. John 14:6
9. Ephesians 2:8,9
10. 2 Corinthians 5:17
11. Romans 8:28
12. Isaiah 40:30-31
13. Romans 8:38-39
14. Matthew 11:28-30
15. Psalm 27:1
16. Jeremiah 29:11
17. Hebrews 13:8
18. 2 Peter 3:9
19. Lamentations 3:22-23
20. 2 Corinthians 12:9
21. 2 Corinthians 4:18
22. Psalm 37:4,5
23. Proverbs 3:5,7
24. Philippians 4:13
25. Galatians 2:20
26. James 1:22
27. Colossians 3:23
28. 1 Corinthians 15:58
29. James 4:7
30. Luke 16:13
31. 1 John 4:7,8
32. Galatians 5:22-23
33. Hebrews 12:1-2
34. Acts 1:8
35. Romans 12:1-2
36. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
37. Psalm 19:14
38. Philippians 4:6,7
39. 2 Timothy 3:16
40. Psalm 119:105
41. Psalm 119:11
42. Hebrews 4:16
43. 1 John 1:9
44. James 5:16
45. 1 Corinthians 10:13
46. Micah 6:8
47. Matthew 25:40
48. Matthew 28:19-20
49. Matthew 5:16
50. Ephesians 6:12
Happy memorizing!

Welcome Back to School!

 

Today is the big day! Well, technically we started working on stuff yesterday afternoon. But today is the offiical-on-the-calendar First Day of School. In these quiet morning minutes I have been out on my front porch with a hot cup of coffee & Stormie Omartian's book 'The Power of a Praying Parent'. I was reading chapter 14 entitled 'Instilling the Desire to Learn' & thought I'd share part of the prayer here as most of us head BACK TO SCHOOL.

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Lord, I pray that (our kids) will have a deep reverence for You & Your ways. May they hide your word in their heart like treasure, & seek after understanding like silver or gold. Give them a good mind, a teachable spirit, & an ability to learn. Instill in them a desire to attain knowledge & skill & may they have joy in the process. Above all, I pray that they will be taught by You, for Your Word says that when our children are taught by You they are guaranteed peace. 

I pray they will respect the wisdom of their parents & be willing to be taught by them. Handpick each teacher, Lord, & may they be godly people from whom they can easily learn. Take out of their lives any teacher who would be an ungodly influence or create a bad learning experience. Help them to excel in school & do well in any classes they may take. Make the pathways of learning smooth & not something with which they must strain & struggle. Connect everything in their brain the way it is supposed to be so that they have clarity of thought, organization, good memory & strong learning ability.

I say to them according to Your Word, "Apply your heart to instruction, & your ears to words of knowledge". (Prov. 23:12) "May the Lord give you understanding in all things" (2 Tim.2:7) Lord, enable them to experience the joy of learning about You & Your world. Amen!

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All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.

~Isaiah 54:13~

You never Let Go!

Even though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I'm caught in the middle
Of the storms of this life
I won't turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming
For the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We'll live to know You here on the earth

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Yes, I can see a light that is coming
For the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Good Grief!

Ugh, I had high hopes of just enjoying a quiet Saturday with nothing to do but catch up on laundry, but Noooooooo! Don't you know that Michael had to come running into the house earlier wanting to know if  I had any Benadryl for him because he had been stung by a hornet or something. Gave him a Benadryl & put ice on his finger. Then I remembered that post from Sandee's blog about the Plantain, so I ran outside, found some & chewed it up for him. Then after a bit, he came downstairs saying he was itching all over & had a red rash all over his arms, body & back.

  I called Clay at work & he talked to James who used to be an EMT. He told me to give him a second Benadryl & figured that at that point....it had already been about 45-50 mins.....he'd be ok....as long as his breathing didn't get labored. But since his breathing was fine at this point, he really thought we were safe. Poor thing is still laid out on the couch now with ice on his hand just resting. I'm sure the TWO benadryl are making him kind of tired. It's been a good 2 1/2 hours so I guess things will be ok. Jeepers....sure did stress me out though!

Moving Day

Well, yesterday was the big moving day for us. We got Ashley all moved back to school & ready for her sophomore year. Things went very smoothly....so much easier this time around. 

She changed dorms, but is still rooming with Emily, whom she roomed with last year. They have a new room-mate, Allison (how about that.....Ashley & Allison together. I think I should be able to remember that.)....& they seem to think that she's going to be a really good fit with them & that they all will get along really well together. Here's praying that they all have a most-excellent school year!

Bantam Chickens

Check out our newest pets!

A bantam is a small variety of poultry, especially chickens. Etymologically, the name bantam is derived from the city of Bantam ^[1] - currently known as "Banten Province" or previously "Banten Residency" - once a major seaport, in Indonesia. European sailors restocking on live fowl for sea journeys found the small native breeds of chicken in Southeast Asia to be useful, and any such small poultry came to be known as a bantam.

Most large chicken breeds have a bantam counterpart, sometimes referred to as a miniature. Miniatures are usually one-fifth to one-quarter the size of the standard breed, but they are expected to exhibit all of the standard breed's characteristics.

Phillip brought 7 Bantam hens & 1 rooster over here today. They were being mean & pestering their little guinea hens, so he wanted to get rid of them. Michael was tickled to death. That's him you see sticking his head out of the chicken building above. He said he had seen the little Bantam ones when he & Clay bought ours & wanted one SO bad, but Clay had said these little guys were good-for-nothing. Oh well.....how can he say 'No' when they were given to us & his kid is SO thrilled. Seriously.....I wish you could've seen the gleam in his eyes.....he looked like a little kid on Christmas morning!! He already came up here after supper this evening with his first little bitty Bantam egg. It was so cute.

Just a Couple.......

.....of cards I made recently.

I had a couple of special birthdays this week that I needed cards for & so I searched Pinterest (of course) until I found just the right design for each. These were so fun & easy to make.......was thinking that I need to make some more while I had the supplies out.....ya know, just so I'd have a few on hand to choose from whenever I need a card.

The Vow

Excerpt from the book 'The Vow'. This was written by James Dobson.

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'In this day when the culture teaches us to bail out at the first sign of frustration or pain, it is uplifting to see this young couple work to recapture what they had lost & to remain committed to each other even in the face of tragedy. Their example will, I hope, be relevant to many of my readers who have lost the passion in their marriages-- not as a result of brain injury, but from whatever has driven them apart. Perhaps Kim's decision to win Krickett's affection anew will be especially helpful to those who have misplaced the "memory" of love. If you have been considering a divorce, wouldn't it be better to begin courting your spouse again & seeking to rebuild the marriage from the ground up? That is never easy & I'm sure Kim & Krickett have not yet faced  their final challenges. But it is the right thing to do, & ultimately, the most rewarding response for disengaging husbands & wives. And it is definitely in the best interests of children.

Let me conclude by offering a word of advice to young men & women who will be joining hands in holy matrimony.....I urge each of you to enter into marriage with an unshakable commitment to make it last a lifetime. Let nothing short of death separate what is about to be consummated. When the hard times come (& they WILL come), I hope you will remember the story of Kim & Krickett who are weathering the storm together-- hand in hand & soul to soul. That is God's plan for the family--& for your family.'

Fabulous Family Fun

How's that for an alliteration?!

We met for lunch today in down town Lynchburg at the Depot Grille.....especially to celebrate Aunt Vada & Ashley's upcoming birthdays. We had such a fun day together. 

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About the Restaurant

With the Staunton location enjoying great success, Lynchburg's historic riverfront is the perfect location for the second Depot Grille. The large open dining area flooded with natural light is the ideal environment for a casual business lunch. The regular passing of trains just outside provides a wonderful treat for the kids. And the well-rounded menu of superbly cooked dishes is a treat for a family night out or impressing business clients.

The kids were showing off the cool map of Lynchburg they picked up as we left the restaurant.

They say these are the 'Mature' ones.....but I hate to break it to y'all.....they sure were acting silly out there today.

The kids wanted to jump from these concrete blocks while I took their picture. But I told them to just stand there & let me take one before they jumped. Guess Anna didn't hear me on that one.

Just a quick pose.......

....and then they jumped!

 

 

These next few of the girls were taken by Daniel. He said he wanted to get some 'Sassy' pictures of them.

I think he did a pretty good job!

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After lunch we all headed over to the Farm Basket on Langhorne Rd. One of our favorite little shops that we MUST always go visit when Aunt Vada is in town.

 Welcome to a place that embraces the traditional, while exploring the new and unexpected.

From our roots as a roadside fruit stand in 1964, farmbasket has grown to become the premier destination in central Virginia for specialty food items and gift ideas for any occasion. The broad assortment of gourmet selections from our market will nourish and please even the most distinguishing palate. Our handpicked collection of giftable items and seasonal accents make for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. Mingle through our gardening areas and talk to our green thumb experts about what plants are right for you, or grab a classic sandwich at the café, made with fresh, local ingredients. Every nook and cranny reveals a new surprise, an unexpected getaway-for lunch or just the kind of conversation that was once shared with friends at a fruit stand in 1964.

I loved all the pretty stationary. They had one whole wall that was just a cork board with tons of samples displayed. Lots of artsy inspiration!

I NEED this screen door!

I also loved this embroidered VA pillow.....how cool is that?!

Outside on the back decks.....

Awesome owl statue amongst the plants.

Just look at those wooden shingles all covered in moss. Looks like something straight out of a fairy tale!

Ashley LOVED this. She says she wants a house like this one day built with all these different levels where she can grow a garden & have chickens & goats.

It didn't take the kids very long to loose their shoes & wade out into the creek. Shhhhh......don't tell anyone that I took my sandals off too & waded in.....just a little bit.

Taken from the creek looking up to the back decks. If you look closely you can see Maw & Sarah. We ended up having to bribe the kids to get them out of the water. Aunt Vada promised an ice cream treat from McDonald's if they'd hurry up.

McDonald's in Madison Heights.

What a fun way to end our day. I'm so thankful for days like this to enjoy spending time with our family! Such awesome memories made & tucked away!!

Alli's latest artwork

Alli just finished this yesterday. Took a few pics today so I could share.

Hookiness

A little hooky update from today. Just thought I'd share some of the progress I've made on Alli's afghan.

31 small squares & 3 large ones so far.

I will have 18 large squares & 68 small squares when I'm done.

Aren't they pretty?

I think I'm going to join them all with the turquoise color.....Alli's choice. And then I'm going to use more purples for the border.