Day 3 This Happened Today

Actually the photo was taken last week but today I sorted through all the pictures on my camera card and did some deleting and some editing. I have WAY too many photos. While I was doing it I came across this particular photo and it caught my eye. It seems Miriam (on the right) is thinking, "Oh boy. Just cause I'm the older cousin she thinks I need to show her the ropes." Alice seems happy just to grip her playmates hand.

So what happened today was that I sat at my computer and had a good chuckle over these little cuties.

Day 2 Lunchtime.

In all my years of making lunch, the menu has been varied. There were the early years when we had no kiddos and both worked. I made a lot of sandwiches and discovered that I could make subs that were almost as good as store bought. Slowly those lunches transitioned into the kid years and became characterized by snack plates. Mostly they included raw veggies, cheese and apple slices. Peanut butter roll ups were a big hit too where you lay a peeled banana on a peanut buttered slice of bread, rolled it up, and cut it into little circles. Soup became a staple as the kids grew older. If I topped it off with homemade bread we could fill a lot of hungry mouths in a hurry. Some years, especially when I had five hungry boys at the table, it was hard to make enough.

We are a smaller family now. Lunch usually consists of...ugh....dare I say it? Leftovers. Fried potatoes from the night before, cold ham on bread, warmed up pots of things that I don't want to just throw away.

Some days though, leftovers are a good thing. Today we had warmed up lasagna and it was so yummy!

Snap Happy!

I am joining Kaitlin over at Homemaker Design ( http://www.homemakerdesign.ca/2014/09/snap-happy.html ) for an October photo challenge! I am excited. I am also a procrastinator so please don't expect big things from me, but I will try to keep up!

The first challenge is titled 'Where you stood." Today, I stood on the front step of my home and admired a plant I got for my birthday basking in the sun. I am so blessed. I have so many friends and family in my life and turning 55 has been a wonderful thing. Thanks to everyone who made it so special, from the flowers and dinners and gifts and cards, right down to the beautiful art work some of my grandchildren made me.

My Favorite Season, Just Around the Corner!

Indian Summer

Along the line of smoky hills

The crimson forest stands

And all the day the bluejay calls

Throughout the autumn lands.

Now by the brook the maple leans,

With all her glory spread,

And all the sumacs on the hill

Have turned their green to red.

Now by great marshes wrapped in mist

Or past some rivers mouth,

Throughout the long cold autumn days,

Wild birds are flying south.

William Wilfred Campbell

Indian Summer

Along the line of smoky hills
The crimson forest stands,
And all the day the blue-jay calls
Throughout the autumn lands.

Now by the brook the maple leans
With all his glory spread,
And all the sumachs on the hills
Have turned their green to red.

Now by great marshes wrapt in mist,
Or past some river's mouth,
Throughout the long, still autumn day
Wild birds are flying south.

- See more at: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8484509-Indian-Summer-by-William-Wilfred-Campbell#sthash.oOMVAoPv.dpuf

A Review and Fall at the Door

First a review that is long overdue. I have received some amazing books from B & H publishing. One of them is going to be a resource for our home school in the fall. It is called, 'Illustrated Bible Survey' and is authored by Ed Hinson and Elmer L. Towns. It gives an indepth overview of the Bible and is full of maps and illustrations. There are some beautiful photographs too and the book is written in easy to understand format with good detail. I would recommend it for anyone that wants to get a good background on the Bible that is user friendly. It would be an excellent tool for students, families, and pastors.

Fall is arriving quickly. The nights are cool and the top of my maple is beginning to change color. We wear sweaters when we go walking or at least bring them along. My garden is growing tired, the beans are no longer as eager to produce and the pumpkin flowers have faded.

The boys and I went on a mini-holiday yesterday. We drove to Kingston to shop for clothes (even homeschool kids need new clothes) and of course, it included several stops along Lake Ontario, some serious fishing, and food. We also wandered around in the Cataraqui Town Centre for a while. American Eagle jeans were on for $20 which made for a happy 16 year old. Loonie milkshakes were part of the day too, twice. You need to live near a Reid's dairy to understand, but they make amazing, really cheap shakes that are so thick they require a spoon. We capped off the day by visiting the water front in Gananoque on the way home.

We were in awe of the beauty of God's world as we walked along the shores of Lake Ontario. So many wild flowers, bugs, birds, and of course, black rat snakes. Leave it to Patrick to find one right away. We were impressed too with how beautiful the worn rocks along the shore line were. Kind of like how God wears off our rough edges to make us more beautiful. As He molds and shapes us, the true beauty of Him in us shines through.

Here are some pictures to brighten your day.

Along the shoreline

Golden rod

Berries

Robert

Petunias along the St. Lawrence in Gananoque

Lovely color combo!

Patrick's 2 foot pike

Random Thoughts

A bus full of campers passed me today as I biked through our city. Kids were squealing and sticking arms out the windows. I'm not sure where they were headed but the site of the big yellow vehicle brought me back to a childhood memory.

It was the year my big sister was away and I was the only one to get on the bus each morning. I must have been around 11 or so.

There were two buses that went by each school day; a highschool bus and an elementary one. I rode the second one, and it always arrived second too. I had this horrible fear that the driver of the first bus would think I was tall enough for highschool and would try to stop and make me get on the bus, so I would hide in the bushes by the fence while it drove by. Then I would pop out just in time to catch my own bus.

One day I was hiding in the bushes when, horror of horrors, the first bus stopped. I trembled with fear and tried to almost disappear into the undergrowth. Then I heard the voice of my bus driver say, "Anita! Get out of those bushes and get on the bus!"The second bus had come first!

I was pretty humiliated.

But I learned from it. As my own children grew, I often tried to put myself in their shoes. The boy who wouldn't come inside because we had company, the girl who hid by the neighbors step while her sister asked them to come play, the hidden overdue library book. Life is not always easy. We learn and we grow but sometimes the child in us still struggles with the simplest of things.

I still feel slightly apprehensive getting on a bus. 

Another Review!

I have received a beautiful copy of the NKJV Holman Study Bible from B & H publishing. It reminds me somehow of a little Bible my friend used to carry in her purse when we were children. It is wonderful to see photos of actual places that are mentioned in the Bible. There are plenty of maps and great study guides and reference material. But it is much more. Here is a quote from the actual website.

"Holman Bible Publishers is excited to present the Holman Study Bible: NKJV Edition, a new edition modeled after its own 2011 ECPA Christian Book Award-winning HCSB Study Bible, where every well-conceived study help is practically placed on the same page spread as the related biblical text. It also features 15,000 study notes, 141 photos, 62 timelines, 59 maps, 40-page concordance, 20 articles and essays on practical and theological issues, 16 illustrations and reconstructions, and 15 charts.

Other details of the Holman Study Bible: NKJV Edition include a two-column text setting, center-column cross references, the words of Christ in red type, extensive book introductions, one- and three-year Bible reading plans, a notes section, four-color presentation page and family records section, and two-piece die-cut gift box.

All study features throughout the Holman Study Bible: NKJV Edition are designed to put the emphasis where it must be – on making the Scriptures, God’s written Word, clear and understandable."

I look forward to reading from it. It is always nice to begin reading a new Bible that isn't full of my scribbled notes and highlights. But don't worry. I'll mark it up soon enough!

Blessings, Anita