Last Day of Fall Co-op

Abby's cake decorating class

I am so glad this class can take place somewhere other than my dining room.

Then I went waaayyy outside of my comfort zone, helping with "Ooey Gooey Fun." Fifteen 3-5 year olds making a mess and having a great time!

An early Christmas gift......

YEAH!!!

On Being a Lady

The ladies in our house will occasionally pick from the bookshelf, How to be a Lady, a Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy. Sometimes it gives us a good laugh and sometimes it pricks our conscience. Here are some entries:

~A lady doesn't talk during a performance, a sermon, or a lecture.

~A lady should never ask if she looks fat in something.

~A lady does not whine.

~A lady does not dump the contents of her purse on the table for all to see.

~A lady doesn't wear white shoes before Easter nor after Labor Day.

(see girls, it's actually in print!)

~A lady donates the clothing she no longer wears to those less fortunate than she.

~A lady lets the gentlemen friends in her life know she appreciates their behavior toward her.

More to come.

Sometimes I'm Reminded.....

....what a joy it is when a gracious heart brings you a sweet surprise. A good lesson for tonight.

Then a daughter bakes Dad his favorite surprise.

Friday Co-op

When you come to Homeschool Co-op you never know what you'll go home with.

There is usually a box or two of clothes, shoes, books, magazines, housewares, etc.... Homeschooling mom's are some of the most sharing and generous people on the planet. We're all in this together.

Sometimes you go home with extra children in your van who will be spending the day and sometimes you go home with less children than you came with.

Yesterday, in a moment of weakness and temporary insanity, I agreed to go home with a new member of the household.

Meet Essie, the "Esther Bunny." No box is able to contain this bunny. Right now she is living in a dog crate big enough for a golden retriever. Time for a crash course on rabbit keeping.

Spoiled already?

Happy Adoption Day Alice....

........and congratulations to the rest of the family. Here is a video of the event covered by the local news: http://www.9wsyr.com/news/national/default.aspx?articleID=248717

This past Sunday evening, Tom and I finished the book, Tying the Knot Tighter, by Martha Peace and John Crotts. We have been reading a chapter a week on Sunday afternoons when we arrive home from church . Some weeks went by without reading, especially when company visited, but for the most part we were able to be consistent. Every chapter concludes with questions for the wife and husband to openly discuss. I can not say that each week was pleasant. With a chapter entitled, "The Wife Sets the Tone in the Home," you know some of the discussion is going to sting. But we made a pack on the first week- we would not use the time as a venting session and we would remember that we both have each others good-will at heart. What wife can be offended when she has a husband like mine who is continually telling her how much he loves and appreciates her?
I have learned many new things about my husband in the past few months. With the constant changes that take place in our lives and family, a natural consequence will be changes in our marriage too. We have grown together through the reading of this book and have resolved to repair the areas that need fixing.

A Bridge Instead of a Wall

They say a wife and husband bit by bit,

Can rear between their lives a mighty wall,

So thick they can not talk with ease through it,

Nor can they see across, it stands so tall!

Its nearness frightens them but each alone

Is powerless to tear its bulk away,

And each, dejected, wishes he had known

For such a wall, some magic thing to say.

So let us build with master art, my dear,

A bridge of faith between you life and mine,

A bridge of tenderness and very near

A bridge of understanding, strong and fine-

Till we have formed so many lovely ties

There never will be room for walls to rise!

Author Unknown