Moments Like These

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for a home that needs to be cleaned and for laundry that needs to be done; these are assurances of being well taken care of.

 

I am thankful for the early morning quiet and the turkey that was prepared during that time, and for all the incredible smells that define the day.  I am thankful for diverse tastes and the various stuffings that were made to satisfy them.

 

I am thankful for the snow that was cleared from the driveway this week and the firewood that was carried in.

 

I am thankful for my family...those here and those far away, especially Jason who is spending the first Thanksgiving in 27 years apart from us.  

 

I am thankful for friends willing to open their home each year and begin this joyful season with a pre-holiday brunch that lasts well into the night...and for all the friends that accompany that event!

 

For my faith, my family, my friends, and for my God and all that He has given to me, I am thankful.

  

After the Leaves Fall

Gather a few that have scattered across your lawn and make some homemade candleholders for your Thanksgiving table using self-hardening pottery clay.

Roll out the clay and press the leaf firmly to make an imprint.  (We used both artificial and natural leaves; both worked well.) 

Trace around the outside of the leaf's edge using a pottery tool...or a knife.

Gently peel the leaf off of the clay. Any rough edges can be smoothed with a small amount of water on your finger.

Roll two strips of equal size.

Seal the edges using water to smooth the clay.

Roll one of the strips around a candle for setting the correct size.

Again, use little dabs of water to attach the handle and the holder.

Allow the clay to dry, in a safe place, at room temperature.

COLORS AND PATTERNS MAY VARY :-)

If not us, who?

Going the Distance for Life

I've tried, without success, to bring this video directly to my blog.  Please click on the link and share it.

Wordless Wednesday (Recess in our Homeschool)

Brilliant? Shrewd? I've never been described that way before...

What Board Game Are You?

H/T MacBeth

You Are Chess

You are brilliant and shrewd. You can often predict what people will do in the future. You thrive in complex situations. You deal with contradictions well. You can have many streams of though going on at your mind at once. You keep track of things well. You are very patient. You have lots of endurance, even when your energy dwindles

Perfect Penmanship

Writing doesn’t come easily for my boys.  It is difficult and has often brought tears to the table.  Gradually, with time and a constant push, after hours of tracing and rewriting, they have developed beautiful penmanship.

 

There is one little letter, though, that always seems to revert to its own shape no matter the hours spent trying to correct it.  That little letter is “s”.  It never has that perfect rounded bottom. Rather, it has an awkward flatness to it that I’m not comfortable just leaving well enough alone.  I am constantly pointing it out and trying to change it.

 

Last evening as I read through a beautifully handwritten letter that Keven had penned to his sponsored child in Jamaica, I again noticed this same awkard letter “s” that I’ve tried so hard to amend.

 

Why?  Is perfection that necessary?  Do my boys have to have perfect penmanship in order for me to feel as though I’ve done my job well? 

While reading that heartwarming letter written to a little boy that Keven has never met, I realized how blessed I am by that crooked little “s”.  My sons are growing up to be just like their dad!

 

I’ve too often pushed for perfection.  Fourteen years into this homeschooling journey, I think I’ve finally got it!    It’s not about perfection…it’s about faithfulness and a heart filled with love.

A New Challenge

With a heavy heart I begin my day.  I can sink into despair or I can soar above the darkness and hope to change the future by first spending time on my knees asking how I might be of use to Him.

 

"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."  

St. Augustine

Baby Duck

These moments are for you, Marie and Jason. We missed you!!!