It Only Comes Once a Year

July 23rd -
Hannah, Josiah, and myself took the long ride out to Dallas, Ga.
We were greeted by this . . .

Yes, it was my birthday

and this . . .

Western Red Cedar garden bench

and my smiling mom. A note attached said, "From Dad". Inside the house was this . . .

Glass garden tower

The note said, "From Mom".

What makes these gifts so special is that they were made by the same hands that lovingly cared for me, that worked to feed me, that labored to shelter me, that were clasped in prayer for me, that held me and guided me. The hands that I looked to imitate as I sought my own way on life's road. Such precious gifts of life and creativity.

"And pick one more," my mom said.

So I picked one more glass tower for the garden. ". . . because you need one that has a light in it," she told me. Those hands that didn't let me leave home without first giving me The Light of the World, continue to give and give and give.

Back home in my own little garden, I remember them and feel the glow of love in my heart.

There is nothing like a parent's love especially on your birthday.

Newest Rug

After a fun visit to my parent's house in the country and seeing all of the creativity, I was inspired to get back to my rug-making. This is my first round rug, but the seventh one out of production. Just finished it today. So far I have sold one rug and given away two as gifts. It is so much fun to give and receive gifts that are made by hand. More on that later.

The End Has Finally Come

The end of the school year, that is. After a way too relaxed school year, as evidenced by us finishing so late, we are finally done!
These are some of the things that we did, which I had not posted about yet, until now.

Josiah's castle

Both of the kids made a castle from a kit. Hannah's kit was much harder and still not complete. She made a very valiant effort, though.

Jesus entering Jerusalem by Hannah

This art is in the style of the mosaics. She 'decided' not to color in the whole thing.

page from Josiah's Astronomy Notebook

The earth is a boy? Hmmmm. And he has a hat and a whip and rides a skateboard? Okay, let's move on.

Hannah's notebook

My kids like to mix fact and fiction in there notebooks to make them fun.

The Ascension by Hannah (unfinished)

Hannah says she wants to draw disciples in the picture.

Well that's it for this school year. I'm relieved and excited. I stayed up late organizing, filling out student evaluations, and planning for the next year - Exploratin to 1850. We'll also be studying Biology and Zoology. It's going to be so much fun!

Yummy Science

We just finished our study of all of the planets, including Pluto, the dwarf planet.
Because Pluto is so cold, we did a freezing experiement.
I tried to keep the results a secret, but it leaked out anyway.
I mean, what do you think will happen when you put milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a bag,
put it in another bag with ice and rock salt, and shake it vigorously for 6 - 8 minutes?

Well, for one thing, your hands will probably get cold and you'll have to put on oven mitts, and someone's bag will leak because they decided to speed the process by beating it.

Six minutes is a long time when you are "shaking your bag". You might have to get someone to give you a break. When the timer goes off and you squeeze out the contents of your bag, . . .

you'll agree. Science is good. Mmmmmmm.

What We Did on the 4th

Just in case you were wondering, we went to Six Flags. I bet you're thinking it was crowded. No.
I bet you think we paid alot of money. No. I bet you're thinking it was too hot. Well, uh, it was kind of hot.