Moments Like These

Credo

I enjoyed Denise's Credo post and thought it would be fun to begin a Credo Meme.

What do you believe?  Tagging Ruth, Dawn, Meredith, Maria, Eileen and anyone else that would like to join in :-)

*I, too, believe in the Apostles’ Creed and that the Mass is Heaven on Earth.

 

*I believe that Keven was created especially for me.

 

*I believe that being a mother brings me the greatest joys and deepest sorrows.

 

*I believe that gentle rain soothes the soul.

 

*I believe that fall surpasses all other seasons.

 

*I believe that chickadees are the cutest creatures on earth.

 

*I believe in unconditional love.

 

*I believe that biscotti should always be dipped in morning coffee.

 

*I believe in uniting rather than dividing.

 

*I believe online friendships are as cherished as those in real life.

 

*I believe there is much to be learned from a child.

 

*I believe that no one is too lost to be found.

 

*I believe that the smell of a baby is the grandest smell of all.

 

*I believe that trails were made to be hiked.

 

*I believe that flowers were made to be picked.

 

*I believe that wine should be enjoyed with a friend…often.

 

*I believe that trials develop character.

 

*I believe Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons is the greatest and most passionate of all concertos ever written.

 

*I believe that Phoenix is over a million miles away.

*I believe we must be careful where our feet take us…little ones follow closely behind.

 

*I believe that coffee and chocolate are essential to well-being.

 

*I believe tears are a sign of deep abiding love.

 

*I believe that Shelly is a gift from God and that she will always be my best friend.

 

*I believe that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven.

 

*And…I believe that the best is yet to be!

Saying Goodbye...Again

It was just a month ago that I said goodbye to Marie as she shuffled off to Pittsburgh. That was tough, but driving to that city is doable; it’s actually a trip I enjoy as much as the city itself. 

Phoenix is different. It’s not a quick day trip; it’s not even a weekend trip. But, it’s where my heart will be.

Jason is leaving in just a few short hours to begin his journey west. A new career is waiting for him to arrive…and a new life as well.

I found this beautiful prayer this morning; I'll be praying the words for many days to come...

Dear God,
Ever since you gave me my children I have done my very best to look after them and to treat them as special gifts given to me. There have been so many times that I called on you to help when things where just not going well with my kids, when I thought to myself, 'it's too hard to raise these little people'. And then the good times would hit and I could not imagine my life without them. The time has come when everything I have prepared them for is here and they are leaving home and leaving me behind. Help me to let them go with an attitude of grace and gratitude and continue to guide them on their journey. Help me with this separation. You trusted me to raise them well and I trust you to take care of them when times are hard and they fall. Help them to their feet everyday and breathe light onto their path. Heavenly Father and Blessed Mother, I'm both scared and excited for them as they walk out my door, into a world of unknowns. Help me to release the hands that I cleaned and bandaged and held when they were scared. Take their hands into your own and guide them well. Amen

God bless you, Jason.

Got Deer?

Make tracks!

For Today...

"We must work here on earth as if we had a long life ahead of us.  At the same time we should work as if we were going to die this very afternoon."  Francis Fernandez

What I Love About Sunday

Spending the day with four beautiful college girls whose goal in the next four years is to sample every flavor of cheesecake offered at the Cheesecake Factory!

Oh Be Careful...

...Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow...

Lyrics from Slow Fade by Casting Crowns

Leigha Picks the Winner...

She tells me that Yvonne R. from Vancouver, WA has won Jody's new book...and that she's gonna love it! 

Thanks, Leigha. 

And, thanks to everyone else that sent an e-mail to register to win :-)

What's the Buzz?

FRESH HONEY !!!

Using smoke to subdue the bees

Yesterday we were invited to help friends bottle up a batch of sweet nectar after a bit of bee background. What fascinating things we learned about these busy little creatures from Ed, the beekeeper.
~There is only one queen in a hive and her main purpose in life is to make more bees.
~She is larger than the workers or drones.
~Drones only live about eight weeks and their sole purpose is to mate with a new queen.
~Any drones left at the end of the season are considered unnecessary and are driven out of the   hive to die.
~Worker bees do all the different tasks needed to maintain and operate the hive; they make up the majority of the hive's occupants and are all sterile females. They construct the comb, rear the brood, tend to the queen and drones, clean, and defend the hive.

These honeybees spent a bit of time humming and buzzing while visiting the wildflowers that are beautifully spread across the fields. They’ve collected nectar and pollen and have been busy making honey for themselves...and for us!  Honey, which is actually a food source for the colony, is made when the nectar of flowers is consumed. It is refined and concentrated; then it's stored in the honeycomb by the bees. They make alot of honey so there will be plenty of food when flower nectar is unavailable, such as winter. Honeybees remain active through the winter so they must consume and metabolize the honey in order to keep from freezing to death.

We found this information last evening while reading about the bees: “The honeybees return to the hive and pass the nectar onto other worker bees. These bees suck the nectar from the honeybee's stomach through their mouths. These "house bees" "chew" the nectar for about half an hour. During this time, enzymes are breaking the complex sugars in the nectar into simple sugars so that it is both more digestible for the bees and less likely to be attacked by bacteria while it is stored within the hive. The bees then spread the nectar throughout the honeycombs where water evaporates from it, making it a thicker syrup. The bees make the nectar dry even faster by fanning it with their wings. Once the honey is gooey enough, the bees seal off the cell of the honeycomb with a plug of wax. The honey is stored until it is eaten. In one year, a colony of bees eats between 120 and 200 pounds of honey.”

Our future beekeeper

Using a hot uncapping knife to scrape the honey from the comb

 

Any excess honey that is nor scraped off is then spun from the comb


We had no trouble finding volunteers to help with the spinning


Straining the honey

Aaron feeling "a bit like Winnie the Pooh!"

Sweet Success !!!

Book Review and Giveaway

New From Home Schooling Mom of Ten Children!

Jody Erickson, a dear friend and home schooling mom of ten children with twenty years of experience in education, has developed a website to share her hands-on learning materials. Her new book,  Montessori on a Shoestring-A Make-It-Yourself Guide to 101 Hands-On Learning Activities is now available.

”Did you ever try to sneak education into a child's fun? Or how about putting some fun into his education?” “Montessori on a Shoestring—A Make-It-Yourself Guide to 101 Hands-On Learning Activities is a convenient guide stuffed with fun practical learning activities where your children's capabilities, knowledge, and independence will excel.”

Twenty years of hands-on home schooling experience has given Jody an edge on writing about learning curriculum. She appeals to home school moms everywhere that wish to use the Montessori Method without spending a fortune acquiring the materials. Writing with clarity and originality, Jody gives precise how-to details on activities that will encourage your child to pursue independent learning by observing, investigating and comparing while using common household items. Each page displays beautiful color photos of the described activity that will aid in its completion. Some activities included in Jody’s book are practical life skills, math, language, science, and the arts. There is also a chapter on games and activities to encourage fun while teaching such skills as classification and hand-eye coordination.

Whether you are just beginning a Montessori-style avenue of learning or are quite versed in the method, Montessori on a Shoestring will be an asset to your learning curriculum bookshelf; it will surely enhance your child’s development.

Nice job, Jody!

Be sure to check Jody’s website often as new products will be available soon.

Would you like to own a copy of Jody's new book?  E-mail me with your name and address and we'll draw the name of a winner next Friday !!!

Wordless Wednesday (where'd that week go?)