And Abraham Went Out . . .

Just Checking In . . .

The weather outside is . . .
Chilly. It appears the temps are starting to drop. We had some lovely days in the 70's this week but winter is just around the corner. I woke up cold in my bed last night. Looks like we may have to turn the heat on soon. Brr.

One of my favorite things . . .
A simmering pot of apple cider with mulling spice on the stove. Yum. Paired with a book. I'm good to go.

In the kitchen . . .
Oh man, I hit the sweet spot this week. I discovered a copy cat version of Chipotle's Burrito Bowl. Oh happy party in my mouth. Doug said it tasted just like Chipotle. Score!

The boys and I are reading . . .
"The Courage of Sarah Noble."

On my nightstand . . .
"The Handbook of Nature Study" and "Laying Down Rails." I'm thinking about recording my notes/thoughts about "Laying Down Rails" here. Charlotte Mason always amazes me with her wisdom when it comes to children. "The Handbook of Nature Study" was written in 1911 by Anna Botsford Comstock. It was originally a collection of leaflets to educate teachers for the purpose of nature study. This THICK book has been recognized as the bible of natural history for decades. Charlotte Mason advocates highly recommend parent educators to use this amazing resource. So I'm doing my best to educate myself a bit on whatever subject is at hand. Right now we are looking at trees. At night I'm reading a bit about trees in hopes that I'll get a chance to share with kiddos some interesting facts that I've gleaned myself. And actually this handbook is a good reference manual as well. We often use it when we need to identify something. Basil and I used it the other week to learn about the house centipede we found in the sink the other day.

Family Verse . . .
Psalm 23. We see this verse coming from a heart of faith. So we've been memorizing it in hopes of growing faith in our own hearts.
Verses 1-4 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still water. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

God is good. . .
He hears our prayers. This time waiting for our home to sell is so stressful. But God IS good. I know that through this tough time, He cares. He hears my prayers. I know He is right beside me as I seek to be patient. And I know He'll see us through.

On my heart and in my prayers . . .
Our country is in great danger. We are at a crossroads and the path we will take will be soon chosen. I am praying for humility and a heart open to God in my own heart and in the hearts of followers of Jesus throughout the country. I am praying for a humbling and turning back to Jesus. We have a real problem with apathy and busyness in our modern world. I pray that we will all wake up to the fact that "the good life" is not just something that happens. We cannot expect that freedom will be handed to us on a silver platter; it must be fought for on a continual basis. It is shameful that our generation seems to forget that our grandparents and grandparents and great-grandparents were real people who sacrificed much for freedom in our country. The fight is never over. I pray that America will awaken and act. God save us.

Learning, learning all the time . . .
Oh my, where to start? Well, we are certainly digging into the dirty work when it comes to reading and math. Right now it is my challenge to continue to make things light and upbeat when it comes to these two subjects. In math we are at a point where the boys simply need to memorize their addition math facts. So I need to help them continue to work hard but at the same time, not let it become drudgery.

Music appreciation. This quarter we are becoming acquainted with George Frideric Handel. We listen to a CD of his works in the car. We own one short book about him and this week at the library we requested another fictional book bases on his life. Oh, we love that one! It's called "Hallelujah Handel." This week we've been listening to segments of the Messiah on youtube. Wow, nearly two hours long! Incredible. Did you know that Handel had heart for the orphaned children of London? He performed the Messiah to help raise money for a new orphanage and school, the Foundling Hospital. When he died, he left his score of Messiah to the Foundling Hospital. Beautiful.

Plans for the rest of the week . . .
Today we all drive to down to Madison to pray at PP and stop for groceries afterwards. Tomorrow Basil has a soccer game. There is a Cranberry Festival that I'd LOVE to attend but we'll see, that may not happen.