Quilt Update!!

Just need to add the border (once that is done I will be adding the batting, back and sewing it all together).

Poetry book I love....

I have found another poetry book that is just wonderful. There are many books in this series "Poetry for Young People". Each one is a collection of works from one author (Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Louis Stevenson, and many more) I love how it focuses on just one poet. I am looking forward to adding to this collection!

Quilt Update

I have been able to find a little extra time to work on Elliana's quilt :) This is what I have done so far (10 rows finished, 4 more to go).

This stage of the quilting process is the quickest. Actually "quilting" the front, batting, and back together will take quite some time.

Why I am grateful today..

41. A relaxing weekend at home.

42. Asher's abounding love for his family.

43. Joshua's goofy sense of humor.

44. The little girl that Elliana has become

45. The boys wrestling in the living room. They have an amazing friendship.

46. Watching Asher play doll house with Elliana. He loves her so much.

47. Our homeschool, it is a wonderful way of life

48. The tough moments of parenting that remind me that I can not do this without Him.

49. The husband the Lord brought me

50. The #1 lesson I learned from my childhood- contentment is a state of mind, it has nothing to do with possessions.

51. Days when training is hard, reminds me not to put too much stock in my ability.

52. Elliana watching me quilt. There are so many things I can't wait to teach her!

53. Sitting down every night for a meal as a family.

54. Hearing Elliana pray at dinner, she always adds "I want to watch TV"

55. Encouragement that comes out of nowhere.

56. The stranger that I talked to for 20 minutes at McDonald's. She was a blessing to me.

57. Afternoons of quiet reading, sets a great pace for the day.

58. The times this past week when life was incredibly difficult. What a great reminder from the Lord that He is in charge. He has always taken care of me and He will continue to do so.

59. Making donuts with my family on Saturday night. Great memories!

60. The cross, that makes everything have meaning.

It Has Begun

I have been quilting for several years. Every member of our family has their very own quilt custom made to suit their tastes. Elliana's quilt is crib size and she is no longer crib size :) So I have begun the process of making her next quilt. She really likes the color pink, the brighter the better. So as we perused the fabrics at Hobby Lobby, she picked out every gaudy pink fabric she could find. I think that we ended up getting some really cute fabrics :)

The fabric

Elliana helping me cut (she is cutting the scraps..)

A general idea of what her quilt will look like...

Week in Review

I love it when I leave the room and return to this scene..

It has been a pretty routine week. We are finishing week 20. Joshua is reading the Jungle Book and Caddie Woodlawn (a MUST read!). He has been studying the writing of the constitution, plants, division, and simple & complete sentences. I finished reading Tollivers Secret to him this week (great book!).

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Asher has been learning about invertebrates, subtraction, and addition. I finished reading Dr. DoLittle to Asher (Joshua always asks if he can stop his school work and listen :)

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For three weeks we have been doing experiments with radish seeds. We grew them in varying environments and observed their success or failure. Here are some pictures of our experiments...

Our greenhouse! (the paper towel pulls up water from the jar to keep it moist!)

Mini-planters- we studied over crowding, phototropism, and geotropism.

We also studied toxic environments. We attempted to grow seeds in water, vinegar and salt water.

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This week Elliana enjoyed painting, playdoh and reading books. She is always present in our school endeavors :)

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This morning we made a trip that everyone loves-we went to the library! I returned most of the books we had checked out and picked up about 60 more. I always walk out of the library amazed that I get all these books for free! It is a great way to spend the morning!

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Right now I am enjoying a quiet Friday afternoon. The kids are in the living room playing. I am contemplating my remaining chores. I am also turning my thoughts to the weekend. Two days of rest, laughter, planning school, talking, wrestling, reading, and just enjoying our time without being rushed. I love the weekends :)

Great Astronomy visual!

Check this out, SO cool!!!

The Known Universe

Sally Clarkson has a new book out! She is an awesome speaker and writer. I was blessed when I heard her speak at the Hearts at Home conference. She is a true inspiration!

21. healthy children
22. God teaching me patience
23. reaching my goal of running 15 miles in one day
24. finding happiness in the middle of chaos
25. my daughters prayers at dinner time
26. the joy of homeschooling
27. times of rest
28. caring friends
29. courage to stand up for what is right
30. Asher's eyes and heart
31. that He knows better than I
32. 5 people came to look at our house last week
33. recipes from family
34. wiping tears and strengthening hearts
35. my daughters joy in all things "girly"
36. friendship between my children
37. Sunday School teachers
38. dreams
39. reading poetry to my kids
40. smelling candles with my girl

Saying Goodnight

Elliana and I have a special routine each night. She snuggles up to me on the couch. Most nights she is wearing her pink princess pajamas. Two pillows are beneath her head. A sippy in her hands, along with any animals that are joining us.

Just the two of us enjoying a few moments alone. After we talk a bit I pull out a book of poems and she prepares to drift into slumber. I love this part of the day. I read poem after poem as her eyelids get noticeably heavy. I then tell her "one more poem?" She agrees and I read. I set my book aside and carry my half asleep princess to her room and we pray together.

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I feel that it is important to be intentional about our parenting. Every minute counts. We can't be lazy and expect to get amazing results. Those few moments of reading poetry to my daughter are my last ditch effort to feed her some good literature before the day is done. I love the quiet time with her. But I also love that I am making her more intelligent. It isn't hard, anyone can read to their kids.

This is the book of poems we are using this week. It is a must have for any home library!