Tweet-Pea

Yes, you read the title correctly...I said 'Tweet-Pea'. Today Sweet-Pea made her own bird feeder out of simple supplies we had around the house. She is having so much fun with the Apologia Zoology books this year (and so am I!!)

She took a clean 2 liter soda bottle, put small 1/4" holes in the sides and then slid a wooden dowel through them to make a perch.



Above those holes we put another small hole for the birds to feed from. She filled it up to the top with wild bird seed and then hung it on our Pear Tree which the birds LOVE!







She's already had several 'customers'...black capped chickadees, blue jays, doves and a few others that were too quick and couldn't be identified. Here are a few...

Historical Homes

I know that I live in a dream world at times when I think of how awesome it would have been to live 'way back when'...especially since there was no cure for most diseases, no indoor plumbing, no microwaves or washing machines and no decent shopping malls...OK, so there weren't ANY shopping malls, but you get the picture. The homes were often so simple and yet so elegant. Life was not all about gangs and violence, not about drugs and certainly not about trying to protect your children's little eyes from the TV screen and all the junk that's on it.

The reality of it all is that people truly doesn't change all that much...things do. There will always be evil in this world, and there will always be people seeking their own agenda, but there are also people who love the Lord and want to do what's right, people who care about others and who enjoy life. I guess my point is that I'd love to live simply like they did back then, yet with some of the modern conveniences we have today - just not all of them! I love having my cell phone, my Palm, my computer and of course my car, but in all honesty, life wouldn't be so busy and stressful if we didn't have them either. For now, I'll just visit the old historical homes of the past and will dream 'til my heart's content!

The kids and I visited 3 historical homes yesterday and had a total blast!! We were able to enjoy a long tour of the homes which made it very personal. They were magnificent, and easily transported us to what life was like in the mid 1700's. Here are the kids in front of each home...







One of the homes we visited was where George Washington slept during the Revolutionary War. While staying here, he planned the Battle of Yorktown - the last major battle of the war! Sweet-Pea made me laugh - she said that her shoes have George Washington on them now that she stepped on the floor of the room where he stayed.

The gardens were also beautiful even though it's autumn and most of the flowers are gone for the year. Here the kids are sitting on a bench dedicated to the men who fought for our freedom during the Revolutionary War.



We had a wonderful morning visiting these homes and ended it with a nice big cheese pizza at one of our favorite restaurants...a touch a modern after a morning of history.

Bird Creations

Since Sweet-Pea has been studying birds in science, I decided to give her a blank bird coloring page and have her sort of design her own bird and give it a field name...so...here is what she came up with. Introducing the "Wood Bird"...



Even though Lionel is a bit old for this project, he saw her bird and decided to design his own as well. So...here is his bird. Introducing the "Blue Breasted Kiwi Bird"...



Looking for a few good bird websites? Here are just a few that we use...

What Bird?
Bird Source
American Birding
Birding Hotspots
Kid Wings

See...I told you I was Elinor!!

"You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see."



Take the Quiz here!

Christopher Columbus

Both of our children are studying Early American History this year with the Beautiful Feet books (which I HIGHLY recommend!!) We just finished the unit about Christopher Columbus when I stumbled upon a funny comic strip about him. It was too cute not to share it, so here it is...

Saturday Photo Hunt #81 - Pink

The Heavens Declare His Glory!

Is our God awesome or what!?!?! The sky was gorgeous the other day when I took this photo...




Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Proud Mama!

Lionel is on the quiz team at our church. This is his first year and he quickly found out how challenging it is to compete and do well. They are currently studying 5 books of the Bible in the New Testament: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. They finished the first book already and he did quite well. The actual quizzing part of it is hard because you have to be one of the first to jump off your chair to get a chance to answer the question. That's the part that Lionel is having a hard time with.

Well, tonight at practice, they gave the team a written quiz to see how much they truly know, and Lionel was one of the top scorers. I was so proud to hear how well he did!!! He has been studying twice a day for it, and obviously its paid off. The best part?? He's learning the Bible!!! If he doesn't get off his chair quick enough to answer lots of questions it's OK...he's still getting so much out of it from studying God's Word, and that means he's a winner in my eyes!!

Here he is at one of the quiz meets getting in some last minute studying.



This is him (on the left) with 3 of his teammates.

Update on Kessy

Well, I'm sad to say that poor little Kessy didn't make it. She died during the night. Apparently she not only had a hole in her chest, but she had major head trauma as well. The kids were totally heart broken, but know that they did the right thing in trying to save her life. At least she is better off now and not in any more pain. Poor Kessy...gone, but certainly not forgotten!

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” –Matthew 10:29-31

“How can I be discouraged when my heavenly Father watches over each little sparrow, and I know He loves and cares for me?”

These words were spoken by an invalid woman to the person (Civilla Martin) who wrote the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow". Here are the words to the song:

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

How true and sweet they are. God loves us all so much. If he takes the time to watch over the birds with such care, don't you think he is concerned about every single detail of our own lives?!? What an awesome thought!!

His Eye is on the Sparrow

OK, so this is not a sparrow, but it doesn't matter...God watches over all the creatures he created.



This poor little Morning Dove was in a major accident today. She (I'm not sure if it's a male or female, but my kids named it Kessy, so for now she's a girl.) was in our front yard when our neighbor's cat attacked her. Personally I am not fond of cats, in fact, I loathe them...so if you're a cat lover, then I'm sorry. They're cute to look at, but come on...what's the point...they claw and scratch...plus they totally mess up my allergies. Anyhow...the cat left a huge hole in the little bird's chest. My son found her while playing outside and noticed she was in pain. Since we're studying birds this year in science, it was time to put our knowledge into action and rescue this poor innocent bird.



We were able to gather her up and place her in a box to transport her to a wildlife animal rescue nearby. We had to fill out paper work, drop her off and then leave, so we don't know her condition as of yet. I'm going to call them tomorrow to find out. They said that she may die, but also they may be able to put her on antibiotics and then stitch up the wound - it all depended on how bad it was. My kids were heart broken and prayed in the van before we headed back home. I told them that even if she didn't make it, they did the right thing. If we had left her, our neighbor's cat probably would have come and finished her off since she was unable to fly. I know it's part of life, but it's still so sad. Hopefully I'll be able to give an update tomorrow as to what her condition is.

Time

Do you ever feel like there's not enough time to do the things you wish you could do? We have been studying the 50 states in school this year, and it seems like we're hardly able to touch the surface on each state due to time constraints! Lionel is using the "Trail Guide to US Geography", and Sweet-Pea is using "Cantering the Country"...both purchased by Geography Matters. What I love about their curriculum, is that we can combine their work each day even though they're in 2 completely different grades! Lionel is doing more detailed and research type of work while Sweet-Pea is doing the basics...mapping, learning about the state flower, bird etc.

We do seat work for only 4 days of the week, so we do 2 states per week - 2 days each. There is so much information about each state, but we feel like we're hardly able to grasp it all due to the time we have to work on them. I'd say our geography lessons last over an hour each time which is great, but it's still never enough. On the 'off' days of school we use the book "Eat Your Way Through the USA". We get to make all sorts of wonderful dishes representing the state we're currently studying. I highly recommend this book - it's a lot of fun!!

Well, I hope we're not the only ones who feel like we don't ever have enough time in the day to learn what we want to learn. (Notice I said "want" to learn, not "need" to learn.) Most likely they are far ahead of most public school kids their age, so I guess I shouldn't worry, but I still wonder if they're getting 'enough'. Reassurance is key, and that is why after this year we're going to have Lionel tested to see where how compares to other kids his age. Lord willing I am doing a good job and they are getting the education and training they need. I do try to keep things in perspective though. I am not just here to educate them in book knowledge...what truly matters to us as parents is our children's character. Anyone can be book smart, but not everyone can be wise and live their life in a Godly way.

A Walk on the Beach

Today after church we went down to the beach to walk around a bit. It was a warm sunny day and we needed to get out and spend some quality family time together. (My Dad moved in with us almost 2 years ago and we don't get much family time anymore due to the fact that we have been taking care of him. He's got Alzheimer's Disease, so life has been a bit stressful and busy for us.)

The tide was low, so we were able to walk out pretty far. The kids each carried a bag with them for shells etc. Lionel was pretty particular about what he collected (mainly shells), but Sweet-Pea filled hers up with all sorts of goodies, including a few rocks and a big chunk of bird poo which I quickly discarded. Eew! We didn't see any dead fish laying around (thanks to the seagulls) but we did find a few crabs that didn't catch the tide when it went out. Here's Edward with one of 'em.



After walking around for an hour or so, we decided to 'leave our mark' on the beach before the tide came in. I'm sure it's all washed away by now, but it was fun making our footprints. If you look closely enough, they almost look like they're raised up out of the sand rather than pushed into the sand. Weird optical illusion, huh?



I am so thankful to God for the memories we made today. He is faithful and always seems to give us what we need each day. He knew we needed this time together as a family!

Our Blessings

One of the best decisions Edward and I made together, was that we would homeschool our children. It was definitely something God pressed on our hearts separately. When we came together to talk about Lionel's education 9 years ago, we originally talked about private school. We thought we'd pray about it for a while and then talk about it again before making our final decision. One night I approached Edward and told him that I felt that God was calling me to homeschool. Well, to my surprise, he was thrilled. It was what he wanted all along, but he wanted it to come from me rather than him since I would be doing most of the teaching and training. God worked it out in each of our hearts separately, so when we had to make our final decision, we were in perfect agreement. We haven't regretted one minute of it and are so thankful that God is allowing us this privilege!

Let me introduce you to our beloved children...'Lionel' is 12 and is in 8th grade. His passion is trains, thus the nick-name Lionel. He is extremely smart and talented, especially on his violin. We are very proud of the young gentleman he's becoming. 'Sweet-Pea' is 6 and is in 1st grade. Her passion is dancing and dolls. She has a very sweet spirit (the reason for her nick-name) and we are truly blessed to be her parents.

Psalm 127:3 "Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him."

A new beginning...

Let me begin by saying how much I have missed blogging! I used to blog elsewhere, but the site got too slow and people were all moving to another site, so I just stopped. I finally decided to start blogging again (thanks to my dear friend), so here I am.

A bit about my blog name and title....As you probably noted from my profile, I love the Jane Austen book 'Sense & Sensibility'. Elinor is the main character who falls deeply in love with Edward Ferrars. Neither of them admit that they love each other throughout the book, so they are both heartbroken and miserable. Elinor was forced to move to Barton Cottage with her mother and 2 sisters after Mr. Dashwood (their husband/father) died. Finally towards the end of the book, Edward came to see her at Barton Cottage where he revealed his love for her and asked her to marry him. It is such an intense and passionate book, I highly recommend it!!

Here is the scene from the 1995 movie where Edward professes his love for Elinor. Ahhhh...such a sweet moment!