Tornado!

My cousin sent this shot of a tornado, taken from her back yard. Yikes!

Music Appreciation

One of the many things I'm grateful for growing up was that my parents saw to it that I had music lessons, despite the fact that neither of them were musically trained. To this day, I enjoy being able to play for the pure pleasure of it. It is therapeutic, it is encouraging to others, and it is good for your brain!

I wanted my children to know the joy of music also---to be able to play an instrument or two,

to read music, to learn of the classical composers and develop an appreciation of God's wonderful gift of music.



Now that they are older, I am so pleased that they are using their gifts/knowledge to serve others. We encourage them to play when service opportunities present themselves, such as...

participating in worship service at church

devoting time at a nursing home





glorifying God within the community (at local library)



I hope they always remember that their gifts are God-given and are to be used for His glory, not their own glory.

Valentine Creations

Each year, our local homeschool organization has a Valentine Bowling Party where the kids all get together for bowling, lunch and a valentine exchange. Prizes are awarded to the most creative valentine boxes. My daughter was delighted when her box won 3rd place in the girls' division. Here's a pic.

Dalmation valentine box

My son also worked hard on his box, but was good natured about not winning. There were so many good creations, it would have been a tough choice for the judges this year. Here's his box.

Monster valentine box

What's for Lunch, Mom?

Yes, it's been too long since I posted. Sorry, but "stuff" gets in the way! I stumbled across a terrific website called Laptop Lunches. It has 365 days of menu ideas for kids' lunches; perfect for us homeschooling moms! Who doesn't run out of ideas for lunch? You can even view menus and recipes by season. Check it out.

Nature's Classroom

It's nice to take a break now and then and get outdoors for some one-on-one with nature. This fall, we drove to a nearby state park for some "outdoor" education. We had time to...

do some fishing,

climb a tree,

see wildlife in their natural habitat,

see wildlife outside their natural habitat...

appreciate nature's beauty all around us,

observe seasonal changes, and

remember Him who created it all.

Glass-Blowing

We had a field trip opportunity to visit a traveling glass-blowing show by Corning at a local museum. It was very interesting. The kids were captivated, as I was. Looks a lot easier than it actually is!

New School Year

We started our new school year off with a new and improved school room. It is amazing what fresh paint, new shelving, a roomy desk and a wall-mounted TV have done to transform our basement space from crowded to spacious. We love it. Here's a peek.