It Came!

Netflix finally delivered and we loved it!

AHHHH summer!

Camping in the Adirondacks

Our first camping trip in 10 years. How did we fair?

Setting up camp.

S'mores and Patrick McManus stories in the evenings
(our favorite stories: "The Big Trip" and "The Chicken-Out Narrows")

Dinner in the park. The first night's dinner is always the same- "Mexican Throw-together." (that's what we call it)

Fun music in the park.

Roughing it!

Blue heron nests

A king fisher in the wild.

Canoeing on the Ausable River. BREATHTAKING!

Let's go up there.

Going up Whiteface Mountain.

Even though the weather wasn't perfect, we still enjoyed the view.

That sky began looking quite ominous.

Watching the quick weather change was worth the ride. We learned that when a park ranger tells you to get inside because a storm is coming, you listen and move very quickly. We were stuck up on the mountain, in the tower, for another hour due to the lightning. An experience to remember!

An evening in Lake Placid.

Some falls near our campsite.

Just in case you may be misled into thinking that we had a perfect camping experience, the same storm that hit at Whiteface Mountain also reached our campsite. No pictures of that. I was a little cranky.

Devotional by Elizabeth Elliot

Watching Quietly, Praying Silently
The man whom Abraham sent to find a wife for his son Isaac had been long in Abraham's service. No doubt he had learned much of trust and obedience through watching his master walk with God. He set out on his mission, confident that God would help him.
Beside the Well of Aram of Two Rivers he halted his camels and was praying silently when a beautiful young woman appeared with her water jar on her shoulder. She responded to his request as he had prayed she would, and he watched quietly to see whether the Lord had made his journey successful (Gn 24:21).
Very possibly we often miss what God wants to show us because we don't take time to pray silently and watch quietly. It was by doing those two things, along with the obvious practical things (let us not leave those undone) that the servant was able to say, "I have been guided by the Lord" (Gn 24:27 NEB).

Psalm 46

It has been a sad, contemplative week. Tragedy struck our homeschooling community last Sunday, when a 17-year-old girl drowned in Lake Ontario. Although we do not know the family personally, we have participated in activities together and we have a number of mutual friends who have been deeply effected by this tragedy.

My heart grieves for this life that was taken. Yet, this is a glorious testimony of a believing family who have the confidence that their daughter is resting in the arms of her Saviour. What blessed hope! The family's testimony of grace can be read on their church website. (http://www.syracuserpc.org/.)

Anna Wright would no doubt have graduated next year with my own daughter, Carissa. This fact has caused my husband and me to have several tearful conversations. God can use these sad times to bring our lives back into focus.

I have been working on homeschool reports that must be sent to our school district in the next few weeks. These particular reports always put me into a "mini panic." (Mini, but a panic none-the-less) It shows me what needs to be juggled in the upcoming year- French, biology, a new writing curriculum, 3rd grade math, algebra, geometry...... the list goes on. Then tragedy strikes. A life is taken and in the twinkling of an eye, all that really matters is that our Savior says, "Well done good and faithful servant..... Enter into the joy of your lord." (Matt. 25:21)

Praise God, he has used this week to be one of soul searching and a renewing of the heart. We pray it does the same in the hearts of homeschoolers across our state.

Psalm 46

1God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

2Therefore, we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea:

3Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling

4There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Goin' to the County Fair

The aprons are done! Do we all know how to follow a sewing pattern now? Not necessarily, but we're more willing to give it a try. The aprons are off to the fair.

(If we only had a little pig and a spider who could spell)

The Biggest Shopping Day of the Year

No, it's not the day after Thanksgiving. It's the second Saturday in July- our village-wide garage
sales. Here are some of our finds:

The Big City Comes to the Little Village

The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra came to a nearby village in celebration of the village's bicentennial. It was an evening of Big Band, Brahms, Dixieland Jazz, John Williams (for our Star Wars junkies) and a little Americana. There was even a new composition making its debut. It was imaginative, complex, contemporary and a delight hear.

An orchestra on the village green...... AHHHH summer!

Making Changes

Why is there a piece of carpet on the porch roof? Well, I was only going to cut out a little square of my (our) bedroom carpet to see what was under it. My(our) bedroom is the only room that has not been renovated since we moved into the house ten years ago. It is always going to be worked on next year, after we get another van, after we put braces on someones teeth, after we renovate the attic, after we buy school books, etc....

Here is what I found under the carpet- wood floors that have already been sanded and the nasty, dark varnish, that is under almost everything in the house, is gone! The people who owned the house before us must have changed their minds after working on the floor and put down carpet instead.

So, I just kept pulling up and pulling up and now there is no carpet in the room. I just may get a bedroom makeover this summer.

This was not a summer project we were planning to start, but YEAH anyway! By the way, the carpet is not on the porch roof anymore. I only left it there to surprise my husband when he came home from work. Surprise! It was much easier throwing it out the window than dragging it through the house.

Yet Another "AHHHH Summer" Moment

This is a lovely book I got from our library system, Time for Tea- Conversations with Thirteen English Women. The author interviews 13 women of different ages, economic classes and social classes to see how they "take tea." Some of their favorite recipes are included.

Put on a pot of tea and enjoy!

Another "AHHHHH Summer" Moment

This movie has been recommended on several websites. We finally enjoyed a girl's movie night and watched it. Be sure to set aside 4 hours if you want to watch it all at once. By the way, North and South is not about the American Civil War but the north and south of England.

AHHHH summer!

Mom and Dad Putney's 50th Anniversary

Today is a Day to Celebrate!

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! We love you and hope you enjoy all of you dinners out this week

(Mom- age 7)

Secondly, one of these opened only 5 miles from my house. And, I have a gift card!

Thirdly, I got my first major cleaning project of the summer completed. I took EVERYTHING out of Abby's bedroom to clean. 8 solid hours.

I'm exhausted. This is too much to celebrate in one day.

My Hero

My husband figured out how to add a comments box to my blog. My hero!!! (I know- it's not rocket science, but I could not figure it out!)

A Favorite Quote

"The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."~ Margaret D. Nadauld