Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A New Perspective



We were recently blessed with these beautiful microscopes, thanks to my Dad!  They have been the highlight of kitchen life!  What fun!!!!  The kids have put everything imaginable under these lenses to have a new perspective.  Isn't it funny what peaks our interest? We have been enthralled by the unusual perspective of looking at things in great detail. I cannot help but view this phenomenon from a life perspective.  While we look through these microscopes, we cannot wait to observe the next item or turn the item over to see the other side.  A bee sat under one of these scopes for 3 days, every passerby taking another interested look! Why? Because it was something we cannot normally see, it is not in our daily vision, it is a new look on an old thing, a new perspective. This fresh look brought excitement to each individual every time we walked in the room. A chance to see something differently, a new look at scripture, a different view of my neighbor, a fresh perspective on our Lord's blessing..life in a new lens. I have recently been sent another package from a dear, long distance friend, a new book to read.  This is a book I have heard so much about, but not being an avid reader and with so little time I tend to not pick up any books. But this one......oh what a treasure it has become!  I am just barely half way through as I slowly soak up the words.  I am already planning on a second read when I am finished because I know I have not captured everything the author wants me to receive! I know several have read it or heard of it so I realize this is old news to many, but if you have not and you would like a fresh look on things, I urge you to pick this one up.  The author is an eloquent and imaginative writer who puts into words what I can only feel. The book you ask: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. A book which is transforming my perspective, I feel that every time I walk in the room I need to turn the bee over again to see the next part.  Join me in reading this book and let me know what you think!

Monday, October 17, 2011

A Bushel and a Peck

I still cannot seem to get my feet under me with schedules this year.  Blogging, as much as I want to let you all know what I am doing, has taken a back seat to everything else.  Hopefully I am back in business and trying desperately to keep on top of this and many other things.  What have we been up to?  I cannot even begin to tell you.  Soccer season with 4 kids has taken a toll on us!  I also tried to embrace my favorite  season of the year as it is slipping away with the scramble of time.  I will be doing more posting here in the next few days- so keep checking back for new pics of our life together.  I also ask that you be patient with me on the design of my blog as I try out new things.  I am not so good at all of this, and most of the time I change something and cannot figure out how to change it back.....someone needs to have a class for me on all of this.  Just when I was getting some things down "Blogspot" changed their interface, and needless to say...I have not caught up!  Any of you seasoned bloggers out there, I could really use a phone call to tutor me on blog design.





One of the sweetest things to living in the Northwest is what we call "The Apple Fairy!" We have dear friends who randomly deliver bushels of apples on our doorstep at unsuspecting moments.  We love this.  With the busy schedules I have not been able to keep up with deliveries.  Some of the boxes I purchased this year did not last so well as usual and we found ourselves overrun with apples this weekend, apples going into soft stages.  So we got out our peeler and made all sorts of apple edibles...apple sauce, apple pies, apple rings, just lotsa apples~!

Trying to capture our autumn moments......




Wednesday, September 14, 2011

School is starting and we are back in business

Back to school!
Well- besides the fact that we have had major technical difficulties...I have been absent from blogging lately because I feel like I am spending so much time on the computer that to spend more time blogging overwhelms me!!!  I am on the computer constantly right now trying to get ready for school.  I have an 8th grader, 5th grader, 4th grader, and 1st grader...WOW!  We have a very exciting year ahead. For all those homeschoolers I thought I might share what we are doing for school this year:
MacKenzie (8th grade)-
    Science- Apologia Physical Science
    History- Beautiful feet American History
    Latin- Latin For Children
    Math- Math u See Zeta
    Language Arts- enrolled in The Potter School English 1
Joseph (5th grade) and Annabelle (4th grade)-
    Science- REAL Science Odyssey Earth Science
    History- Beautiful Feet and Queen's "Living History of Our World"
    Latin- Latin for Children
    Math- Math  U See- Epsilon and Delta
    Language Arts- Queen's Language Lessons, Writing Strands
Sammy (1st Grade)-Same as above except he will not do Latin and his Language Arts will be various phonics programs
Art, Music, Nature study will all be occurring at various times also.  I have found that The Handbook of Nature Study Blog spot is VERY helpful, and the Harmony Art Mom will be our source of Art curriculum, along with many various blogs from which I steal ideas! Oh and my new favorite that everyone will do- A Child's Geography (wonderful)

This year it has taken me about 3 weeks to get ready for school and order and organize.  I find it such a challenge to be organized, yet I see the necessity to get more and more organized the bigger they grow. I am starting my day at 5:15 now and this year will be our first year of waking children at a specific time to get going for school. No-- they are not starting their day at 5:15---just me! These are big changes for our year.

Hope you enjoy our pics of squeezing the most out of our summer weather:


my kitchen table...no longer a place to eat

camping with friends

trying out new things

an awesome evening of tubing


the fun never ends

camping moments

the most beautiful campground- Lake Wenatchee
Maybe a Christmas pic??
Playing in a glacial lake....I did not partake!

Do you see small children on that island..they made it across and made many discoveries

construction and engineering futures???

Not many of these pics around

Joseph with his bazooka and fort

craziness

Sweet friends

Buddies
The fairy village got bigger and bigger through the weekend

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Crazy Schedule and Computer Down!

It seems I have to put blogging on hold for a bit.... the computer with all my pictures is down, will not get online so I have got to figure out how to load my pics on our laptop!  Plus- new schedules and we seem to be in ten directions at once! I am sorry about no current posts but I will hopefully have it resolved soon! School is underway and many exciting things that I cannot wait to share. So- until then--pray for all of our technology difficulties...there are lots of them right now!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Holding onto Summer

I think I am going to squeeze every ounce of summer out of this month!  Summer around here is absolutely the best season.  I spend the rest of the year counting down until summer.  I am someone who cherishes seasons, and being from New England and East Coast- all the seasons are celebrated.  Since we have lived here...maybe I am just getting old, but I don't enjoy 2 season of the year at all!!! Winter and spring are dreadfully long, cold, and grey...I think the grey is what gets me.  Summer, though, not a cloud in the sky, everybody is constantly doing something or travelling, coffee on the porch, gathering together, no schedules, all to fit in 2 short months!  So here are a couple of pics from the last week or so.....me trying to fit it all in our last bit of summer.  I decided though, being the dreamer that I am, if I owned a motor home then summer would definitely be extended!  We would do September school travelling  and I would put snow tires on and .....get out of dodge!
Extra-large marshmallow stuffed with chocolate..the bomb!



Apricots from a friends yard...jam!  Blackberries from a spot near our campsite...jam!!

Big deal- Joseph learned how to mow the lawn.

And Annabelle had to be a part too... so they both learned how to mow the lawn.  No we do not have 2 mowers, we borrowed the neighbor's.

The same neighbor came home with a bear!!! Lots of excitement for us.

Just a taste of where we live :)

Found a fun place after a soccer tournament, Birch Bay.  It reminded us of the Boston North Shore!

Everyone decide to swim with all their clothes

One of my beautiful girls!

As I said...full clothes!

The highlight of camping for the soccer tournament....a 3 inch slug we found!

Everyone doing their part

Thursday, August 11, 2011

All Together Again

It is a wonderful thing that we are together as a family again!  I felt like a limb has been missing between all these camps and mission trip, etc.  Rob took a vacation week this week- just so we can be together- it has been wonderful.  MacKenzie has returned safely from New York and her trip was , of course, amazing. She actually has had some very obvious changes in her life which we have been delighted to see.  She has been very patient with her siblings, had a delightful attitude with us, and she is pursuing a daily quiet time....WOW!! How fun is all of that!  She grew up quite a bit on her trip and she has many stories to tell.  From the mouse that lived in her room chewing on her clothes, to the adventures of travelling through several nights, to lifetime relationships built...she has many stories.  We are hoping that she will have a DVD or newsletter sent to all her supporters about her trip...so you can look forward to that.

 As for this week- well we have not done much except be around one another.  We picked MacKenzie up on Saturday, after almost not making it due to a blown out tire.  Since Saturday she has been catching up on sleep and we have been....HOME!  We did go to Chelan yesterday to pick blueberries and swim in the lake, but we even took Halle.  As the summer comes to a close I am not ready to say goodbye.  I am beginning school plans, but holding on to sweet sunny days.
We just couldn't stop!

So happy together....

Halle's first "dog-friendly" restaurant...we think she liked it!

The joy of the find of the "mother-load"

We really didn't have to look that hard!

Fun at the Lake

The best place to swim...EVER! It is a "pool" that is part of the lake, it is wonderful.