Grains of Sand

Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters. These are a few works by one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis. I was first introduced to his work when I received The Chronicles of Narnia as a christmas gift many years ago. I have been reading his books ever since. Imagine my delight when I heard Focus on the Family Radio Theater present The Screwtape Letters . What a wonderful rendition of C.S. Lewis' masterpiece. I highly recommend this, especially to those who find reading some of C.S. Lewis' books challenging. It will entertain you and make you think all at the same time.

For today October 26, 2009 Outside my window.... It's still dark, however I do see raindrops on the window. I am thinking..... about children who need sponsors through Compassion . I am thankful for..... God's grace. I am wearing..... gray sweatshirt and striped pajama bottoms. I am hearing..... the quiet of a sleeping house. I am going..... to be an oompa loompa for halloween. (I am succumbing to peer pressure!) I am reading..... The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I am hoping..... to get outdoor school pictures of the kids before they have to wear their winter coats! I am creating..... various art projects for my students. On my mind..... friends and family who are struggling with some tough issues. From the learning rooms..... Russia: The Land of Endurance, discussing our fire safety plan, and the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Noticing that..... the maple tree just outside the window is not nearly as beautiful in color as it

For today October 19, 2009 Outside my window.... The sun is shining and the trees are showing red, orange and yellow. I am thinking..... that I have some outdoor chores to attend to today. I am thankful for..... peace in difficult seasons. I am wearing..... black sweater and bluejeans. I am hearing..... the washing machine (so thankful for the washing machine!) and the kids chasing each other around the house. I am going..... to the fire station today. I am reading..... Fearless by Max Lucado. I am hoping..... for nice weather all week. I am creating..... hmmmm?  A decorating theme for my daughters bedroom. On my mind..... the act of being humble. From the learning rooms..... continuing through our study on Russia, fire safety, and the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Noticing that..... I seem to be a little tense lately. Pondering these words.... "Life is like a box of chocolates.... you never know what you're going to get.&q

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Kailani at An Island Life is embracing this custom with her weekly Aloha Friday posts, so I thought that today I would too. Fall is upon us and this means going through the childrens clothing to see what fits and what doesn't, and changing out from summer clothing to items intended for a cooler climate.  I have three children, two boys and a girl and that means that I have a lot of gently used clothes waiting for the next child to grow into them.  Right now I use brown paper bags with the size marked on the side to organize them all.  I'm finding that this isn't the most ideal way to store them and I'd like to know, How do you organize clothing that is waiting for another child to grow into? To participate, go to An Island Life and ask your question. Aloha!

It's autumn in our neck of the woods.  The leaves are turning yellow, red, brown and orange.  The frost covers the ground in the early morning.  The birds brilliant summer plummage is being replaced by less vibrant winter feathers.  And, the apples are ready for picking!  We headed over to one of our local orchards to pick a few different varieties.  It's always a fun family excursion that everyone enjoys. We then set to work peeling our delicious treats to ready them for apple pie.  Even a power ranger stopped by to lend a helping hand. Voila!  The fruit of our labor!

We are big fans of The Laurie Berkner Band  and one of our favorite songs is Doodlebugs from the album Whaddaya Think of That?   This song always makes us feel like dancing and has given us a pleasant picture of doodlebugs.  So imagine our surprise when we came across an educational program on PBS that talked about doodlebugs.  How this critter is also called an Antlion and preys on ants.  I wasn't sure exactly what I thought a doodlebug looked like but all of us were surprised by the image that we saw on tv.  Here is a picture of a real doodlebug. http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/44834322/ I am always amazed by our world and all the interesting critters that live here.  We are now going to do a study of doodlebugs at the kids request.  This is the part of homeschooling that I absolutely love! I hope you will be inspired by a doodlebug today.

For today October 12, 2009 Outside my window.... A cloudy gray day with rain in the forecast. I am thinking..... about how my morning routine has been gradually changing. I am thankful for..... God's provision and my growing compassion for others in need. I am wearing..... my Redken "Inspire Change" t-shirt, gray fleece pullover and black athletic pants (no stiped pajama bottoms today!) I am hearing..... my daughters little footsteps, way too early this morning. I am going..... to take pictures of my daughters crib to list for sale.  It's time for a big girl bed. I am continuing to read..... The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian and the Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd. I am hoping..... to be sure of the things I do not see. I am creating..... a colorful calendar for school. On my mind..... forgiveness and how to accomplish it. From the learning rooms..... continuing through our study on Russia, some computer based le

Just when I think I have one of the children all figured out..... Take, for example, M. Here she is about 6 months ago.  She loved to put on clothes.  The less they matched the more she wanted them together.  Layering was big.  And this one.... notice the gloves. This type of layering isn't an issue, unless you want to take the kids out of the house.  Say, to the grocery store, library, a play date or even church.  Then, M's semi-fashion conscious mom, tends to be a bit uneasy.  I mean, don't we moms want our children to reflect our sense of style?  What might this say about me?  Well, it's not all about me, is it?  And, I have found that it's easier to put shoes on the girl and get in the car, than it is to argue why such outfits might not be suitable for a summer climate. So you can imagine my bewilderment when last week I started to notice a change in the amount of layers being worn by M.  At the most inopportune moments (entertaining friends comes to m

On any Wednesday night, after the children are in bed, you can find me and my husband relaxing in front of the television watching the Bravo tv show Top Chef .  The series features sixteen aspiring chefs who compete in two cooking challenges during each episode.  Their food is then judged according to the challenge issued and there is usually a winner for the challenge and a loser. My husband and I are always amazed at the skill of these chefs.  One of our favorite parts is to see how each chef chooses to "plate" their food.  This is basically the overall look and presentation of the food when served.  Today I decided to try my hand at plating my childrens lunch to look artistic.  The responses were humorous.  L gave me a "Do I have to eat that" look, while E said, "This looks weird."  While I didn't win any points for creativity in plating from my children, I certainly amused myself with the challenge. Here is a picture of my "deconstructed eg

For today October 5, 2009 Outside my window.... blue sky, a light breeze and a chill in the air. I am thinking..... of the backyard and where I'll put my new garden next year (if we're still in this house). I am thankful for..... God's strength in times of need. I am wearing..... my Redken "Inspire Change" t-shirt, gray fleece pullover and my stiped pajama bottoms (looks like those pants are turning into a Monday morning routine). I am hearing..... my husband pouring coffee and the dog yawning every now and then. I am going.....  to sit on the patio wrapped in a blanket and read my book before the children wake up. I am continuing to read..... The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian and the Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd. I am hoping..... to climb to the top of this mountainous trial my life has been lately so that I might rappel down the other side and rest in green pastures for awhile. I am creating..... another budget