one fish,two fish!

This male betta fish joined our household on the weekend.Jess used the proceeds from the lemomade stand, a portion of carefully saved birthday money and some gift money from a friend and his siblings.So we are now a pet owning family,somewhat to my chagrin. It's still better than a dog,or worse yet,a puppy,right?

A couple weeks or so ago, we attended our good friends' somewhat quarterly evening of celebrating the Christian arts of adoration.I hadn't been to one of these for quite a while. It provides a place for Christian songwriters and musicians,poets, storytellers etc. to be able to share their work. Since,I try to be very sensitive to friends privacy on my blog I'll just share some non-people shots!

flowers and light, and to think that God is even beyond this beauty!

singing by mostly candlelight!

white lights near our community center's origami branch....

And here is a stack of finds from a library booksale. We are collecting a lot of" school " related books these days!

We have helped put on a large baby shower, gone to late night tea, sat around eating French toast with family and friends, and tonight I went with my cousin and my daughters to see a homeschool family of 13 children sing. One of the children is now married so it wasn't quite 13,but it was still a blessing to hear and see them together.

And,tomorrow, Lord willing,we welcome October!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

the paper children

It all started with the thank-you note and the reply letter to a cousin. I guess this mother and her children have a hard time doing things in a plain fashion....!
It evolved. It evolved a lot. Now I can hardly bear to place these beautifully colored paper children in an envelope. The design here is great if I do say so myself. Maybe we should go into the fabric buisness......
Well, maybe I shall beg at least one set from my brood.That could work.
Pilgrimama

homeschool glimpses

using watercolors in the sunshine....

lunchbreak music....

measuring clay snakes.

Yes, it's bits and pieces from our homeschool days. Art,music,math all represented here and we do it all quite naturally! Good times.

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

a lovely thrifted find!

"You may have tangible wealth untold;

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be-

I had a mother who read to me.

Strickland Gillilan

This was my best find probably when my gang took me thrifting on my birthday.How I like the imagery-a mother serenely reading with her little one. I want to be like her!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

simple, serene

simple. sweet.

comfrey tea

I've found I am the calmest, the most efficient when I keep my home and space simple and uncluttered. It's ok if there's some "stuff" but it has to be kept contained and mostly out of sight.Preferably,simple, serene in coloring.

This afternoon,after some back to back busyness,I am reclaiming our home. Clearing out.Excess furniture is a big energy drain for me. Open space? Oh yeah! I have been known to stuff extra furnishings in the basement or give it away. Dangerous times for my family!

How do you keep your home clean and serene?

Pilgrimama

investing

Raising children is like making an investment in an orchard or some other business where the payoff happens quite a while later. Folks may think one is foolish for putting precious money and time into a project that will not benefit rapidly.There won't be instant gratification in other words.

It's often like that with the time we invest in our children's lives.

Purposely living in a way that leaves plenty of time to work and play and hang out together.

Saying no to that lovely sounding ladies meeting. Saying no to heading off to yet another Bible study. Saying no to cooking time consuming foods too often or crafts or you fill in the blanks!

There is only one chance to invest in our children's lives. Invest and invest some more.I don't believe you'll be sorry. And, unlike an orchard,you'll likely see some results before too long!

In His Love,

Pilgrimama

the lemonade stand

I really liked our handmade sign~I outlined the lettering and the boys painted most of the inside portions and added some artwork to my lemon picture.

a couple of the young entreprenuers...they made a nice amount considering we didn't get all the advertising we'd planned on done. Jess had an encounter with some splashed hot oil and that was an interesting twist to the long awaited lemonade stand plans. But did we let that get in our way? Oh, no! We came through with flags flying!

We ended the day comfily at the community center,watching Brother Sun,Sister Moon. It was a good homeschool day.

In His Love,
Pilgrimama