Haven at Home Happenings...

Sharing snapshots...

I must confess that much of our week was
either spent running errands or spent out-of-doors.
We have been blessed, this week, with such
beautiful weather that I just couldn't resist
letting the children spend much of their days out.

But we did get some seatwork done... ;o)



Carolynne coloring in her phonics workbook



Beth working in her phonics workbook


Will added two more clay figures to his ocean box...


A sea turtle and a, ahem, sea snake (!)


We even did some of our seatwork in our pjs...



Ally enjoyed catching up on some reading...



She, also, spent much time crocheting...



Out-of-doors...

The girls made a 'house' with our empty pool...




Acorn soup...


(a variety of acorns, leaves, water, and carrots. lol)


Started a fire... (well, not really, just an imaginary one)




Thought they found a snake...


Praise the Lord it was just an earthworm! lol


Watched a cement truck...

and the men repairing the sidewalk


And worked together in the yard
after Ally blew the leaves...




Suzie enjoyed being out-of-doors, too... ;o)




"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah."
Psalm 68:19

Green Plaid Scrap Dress...

Created from scraps and an old dress.
Finished this afternoon for Carolynne...







"She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13

Blue Plaid Scrap Dress...

Created with scraps from the closet.
Finished over the weekend for Beth...





"She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13

Happy November!

The Wind and the Leaves

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day,
"Come over the meadows with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold, -
For summer is gone, and the days grow cold."

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,
Down they came fluttering one and all.
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.

Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went;
Winter had called them, and they were content;
Soon fast asleep in their earthly beds,
The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.

~ author unknown





God is Like This

I cannot see the wind at all
Or hold it in my hand;
And yet I know there is a wind
Because it swirls the sand.
I know there is a wondrous wind,
Because I glimpse its power
Whenever it bends low a tree
Or sways the smallest flower.

And God is very much like this,
Invisible as air;
I cannot touch or see Him, yet
I know that He is there
Because I glimpse His wondrous works
And goodness everywhere.

~ Rowena Bennet





November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

- Clyde Watson

Simple Woman's Daybook... November 2, 2009

For today... November 2, 2009


Outside my window...
the sky is gray and cloudy


I am thinking...
of the plans for this week


I am thankful for...
the Holy Spirit that teaches me, guides me,
convicts me, helps me, comforts me


I am wearing...
a peach, floral square neck dress


I am remembering...
the Truths from yesterday's sermons


I am going...
to stay home and enjoy the pleasures therein


I am reading...
my KJ Bible through in a year,
currently in 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, 1 Corinthians;
the book of Job with my husband;
A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George;
A Woman's Walk With God by Elizabeth George;
When Women Walk Alone by Cindi McMenamin;
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn;
Order in the Court by Sherry Hutson Camperson;
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey;
A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola;
Keeping Our Children's Hearts by Steve and Teri Maxwell
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss


I am hoping (praying)...
for the Holy Spirit's continued work
in the hearts of the ones I love


On my mind...
the things I need to do today


From the learning rooms...
being students of God's Word in John and Judges;
finishing our memorization of Joshua 22:5;
learning of Ancient Greece; composer study Mozart;
and continuing studies in our other subjects, as well


Noticing that...
God is Good


Pondering these words...
"This is my commandment,
That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
~ John 15:12


From the kitchen...
a little blessing {cleaning} is needed from the weekend

On the Menu...
M ~ Tacos
T ~ Chicken Pot Pie (homemade)
W ~ Green Bean Casserole Deluxe
Th ~ Chicken Noodle Soup (homemade)
F ~ Sourdough Pizza
S ~ Daddy grills
Sun ~ Roast/Ranch mashed pototoes


Around the house...
the children are gathered in the living room;
one sleepyhead is still attempting to rise;
Suzie stares out the window; all is quiet


I am creating...
finishing a 'scrap' dress for Carolynne


I am hearing...
quietness


One of my favorite things...
that I am forgiven!


A few plans for the rest of the week...
focus on lessons at home;
take Ally to the chiropractor;
attend our midweek prayer service;
go to Beth's violin lessons;
go to our homeschool group's park day;
enjoy the blessings of home


Here is picture thought I am sharing...



"Thus saith the LORD, stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."
~ Jeremiah 6:16

Haven at Home Happenings... Sharing Snapshots...

We've arrived at the end of another week!
The days sometimes seem to go by so quickly.
This week was a busy week for us
and we spent much of our time vanschooling
due to the many errands we encountered.
But we enjoy our vanschooling moments, too. ;o)

Monday we took a trip to some nearby woods
as I worked on a custom order for my etsy shop.
It was a cool, crisp, autumn day
and it was such a delight to be out in it!















Following the foam we saw at the bottom of a hill



The foam was from the river
and the children enjoyed examining it.



Though it was a beautiful view, we thought it best
not to stay too long due to the sign that warned
about the American Alligators that like to dwell there.
Then we were content to go back up the hill...
In fact, we were content to get back in the van
and drive to look at the wonderful sights. ;o)

Here are a few we enjoyed...


{click to view larger}


Later we enjoyed the pleasures of home...










On Tuesday, we traveled to
the endocrinologist's office for Ally's appointment.
We always enjoy the documentary videos of
the different places that they show in the waiting room.
What a beautiful place Hawaii is!
We are rejoicing that Ally's thyroid and vitamin D levels
came back normal and she no longer needs to take
medication for those two things! Praise the Lord!


Wednesday was spent at home.
We worked together doing some deeper cleaning,
enjoyed learning together, and Ally and I made
a few plans for upcoming activities, and, in the evening,
we went to churchfor our prayer and service.
It was a wonderful sermon, too.
The Lord knew just what I needed!
I just love how He does that!

Also on Wednesday, Ally's first item sold at her etsy shop.
It was a doily she made last week...

Hmmm.... I kinda like the way it looks on my table.
Maybe I'll need to get one of those, too. ;o)


On Thursday, Will and I went grocery shopping
and enjoyed a little treat together afterwards.
Then in the afternoon we went to Beth's violin lesson.
While at violin, Ally began showing me how to crochet.
I can see how it can be addicting once you catch on!

Later in the day, we once again enjoyed
the comforts of being at home...


Coloring together



Playing outside and being silly



Will helped me by peeling two large bags of carrots!
He enjoys peeling them.
I cut one bag into sticks for eating
and the other I left whole for juicing.
It's so much easier to use them when
they are already cut up!



This was later in the evening,
after the younger ones had gone to bed,
and Ally was making us a cup of tea!
What a joy it is to enjoy tea time together in the evening!


That is all for photos this week, aside from sharing
a couple of illustrations the children did...

For our Bible reading, we are in the book of John {KJB}.
One of the chapters we read was about when Jesus
spit on the ground to make clay and used it
to heal a man that had been blind from birth.




In History, we are in Judges and one of the stories we read
was about how God called Gideon to help the Israelites
and how Gideon asked God to show him a sign
using a fleece that Gideon had.
What a longsuffering and powerful God we serve!



Today is sourdough pizza night at our home.
We look forward to spending it together as a family.
This weekend will be a busy one as we have a fellowship
tomorrow evening at church and then on Sunday
our church will be celebrating it's 10th Anniversary.
We will be having a shrimp feast and fish fry afterwards.
We look forward to all of it.
What a blessing sweet fellowship is!


Hope you enjoy your weekend, too!

Recent Projects... Of Ducks and Quilts...

Last week our eldest and I were preparing
for a baby shower for our assistant pastor's wife
(and dear friend and sister-in-Christ of ours)
and we enjoyed working on some new projects.


Ally had a lot of fun making the cake for the shower...


The ducks are candles we found.

Among the food we brought along were
these baby foot sandwiches...




To go along with the duck theme,
I made my first diaper cake...


Diaper cake beginnings: rolling and securing the diapers



I made two receiving blankets by finishing the edges
of some flannel-like duck print fabric
and wrapped (frosted) the diaper cake with them,
securing them with straight pins and a rubber band.


Then I added a little fluff to the top of the "cake",
some curled ribbon, tied it with a bow,
and asked Ally to crochet this little
duck toy for a topper, and viola'...


A diaper duck cake (part gift, part decor)


As a gift to the mama-to-be, I sewed my first quilt.
Her mother-in-law (the baby's gramma & our pastor's wife)
gave me a box of fabric that belonged to her
mother-in-law (the baby's great-grandma, now with the LORD)
and in that box were some squares that had
already been cut out and looked as if they were
intended to use for a quilt.
So I finished where the baby's great-grandma started
and put the squares together as a quilt...




And in one corner, I embroidered my initials...




And in the other corner,
the baby's great-grandma's initials...







It was a lot of fun working on these projects
and I discovered that I love the idea of quilting
and look forward to, one day, being able to quilt more!


"She... worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13b