Across the water

Thinking of far away friends today.

We have lived abroad several times.  I can remember what it is like to be off on an adventure.

Monday Meditations - Resting

Do you ever just get tired?

Sometimes I think I live this secondary life. 

The sweep of easy wind and downy flake

One of my favorite winter poems:

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost (illustrations Susan Jeffers)

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

A World So Full

Dear CM friend, 

Here is a lovely description of how Nature Study can work in your everyday world of living.  Tammy wrote this article for the Childlight USA webpost: Adopting a Trail. It is doable, and these are common results from only a fall season, a semester.  And really, it's just a walk!  I need to get outside more - my consistency is, well, inconsistent!  I talked about this with my MOPS girls in November.  I think it is time to do something about it.  I'll tell you what happens!

Grace for the day,
Kelli

"A Battle of Ideas"

A Review: Your Mind Matters by John Stott  - a lecture delivered as a Presidential address in 1972 at the Inter-Varsity Fellowship Annual Conference.

We have used this in our home school curriculum for YR12. 

Monday Meditations - Drama Queen

Drama is a genetic trait in some families. 

or who they won't know

Dear friend,

Here is the second part of Who you know...

I often emphasize the idea of speaking truth into our children's lives (really into any person's life).  The truth of Scripture is the only liberty we have in giving direction toward what to think as a formative tool in a child's education - "An Atmosphere, A Discipline, and A Life" are delineated in Charlotte Mason's volumes on educational philosophy.  I'll explain more on that in another post.  For now, let's think a little more about that idea of speaking truth...

The truth of Scripture is not something we know automatically.  That is why the Bible is considered special revelation vs. general revelation that points us toward God.  Only Scripture tells us clearly the Gospel - God's plan - THE plan - from the beginning of time, to bring us into a right relationship with him through Jesus Christ.  If we don't read the Bible and know what it says, we are without that truth.  If we don't read it consistently, our relationship is shallow and, like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, we will forget.

who you know truly matters

Dear friend,

We had a lovely and energetic speaker today at our MOPS brunch.  Leigh Gray with Speaking Thru Me Ministries spoke on ministering to others during difficult times.  Interestingly, I had already begun this blog post and had planned to finish it this afternoon.  It speaks to the underlying support of the truth of Scripture and knowledge of God. 

Beauty Grace and the Scent of a Flower

A Review: “The Weight of Glory”, C.S. Lewis (June 8, 1942) ~ published in Theology, Nov. 1941
Read: "The Weight of Glory"

Application: Living the Christian life in our modern culture – hope abounds…

This is quintessential Lewis. He begins with a casual thought then conversationally brings an idea to clarity and significance. Lewis brings the huge and insightful points right before you then neatly ties the beginning to the end showing how the seemingly insignificant matters after all. I also find it amazing how much Charlotte Mason philosophy parallels are seen here…

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) Encouragement note

sus·te·nance noun \ˈsəs-tə-nən(t)s\

1 a : means of support, maintenance, or subsistence : living

   b : food, provisions; also : nourishment

2 a : the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained

   b : a supplying or being supplied with the necessaries of life

3: something that gives support, endurance, or strength

Good nutrition is in-style. In our quest for health, we use natural foods.  Fresh Market© grocery chains abound and organic ingredients are displayed in local stores and on restaurant menus. I ponder the meaning of this trend for life in general...  What about a healthy marriage? a healthy family? a healthy church? or even a healthy mind and soul?  I looked up ‘nutritious’ in Webster’s; it lists ‘sustenance’ as a synonym, so I followed the trail…

Dear Charlotte Mason Friend,

Let's talk about how to begin implementing narration.  It is a foundational principle in a CM education.  I would love to show you what narration is and the “how to” of this gentle style of teaching composition.  Yes, composition - that's what narration is - natural composition. It starts as only oral telling and eventually flows into written narrations.  More on that in another post... for now, begin by recognizing that narration is less about the teacher and more about the student and the process of the mind.  It is not a comprehension test. 

Some Kind of Wonderful

Paris is always a good idea

My best friend and I, we were married twenty-two years ago this month.  Seems like forever really now doesn't it, RC?  We've been saying that from the beginning :-)
So many of us often look back and would like to change something - this isn't one of them.  
This is some kind of wonderful...

Personalities and Creativity on Display

So dear daughter and lovely friend spent a couple of hours showing me their Pintrest Accounts and decided I needed one too.  I now have another venue to wile away my moments looking at other people's creativity.  I did find, after way too much time yesterday, that my amazement of others capacity for life and just plain fun was renewed... a backyard Twister games spray painted on the lawn is a definite part of our next youth event here!  I also found it interesting to see how much our personalities can be reflected in our "likes", "pins" and "pin comment labels".  I added a link in the sidebar with my other blog link (still trying to work on how best to use that old one ).  I will leave it to you to discover a little more about me if you like; I know I could do with a little better insight and perspective on someone besides plain ole me :-)!

Memorial Day Garden Survey

I haven't kept a garden journal before.  Intended to... sounds like such a lovely idea. I do have a very sparse Nature Journal that I plan to begin filling with flower sketches and observations - art lessons start tomorrow with Lauren!

It is amazing how much changes with growing things in such a short time.