Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wings In a September Sky

Jon, our 23 year old decided Sunday was a good day to test his paraglider wing at the beach.

We couldn't have hoped for a nicer day.




He left the motor at home but practiced a lot of control.


As I watched this large wing pull my son across the sand, I wondered how concerned I will be when I actually see him strap on his motor and sail into the sky. Flying has never been something that excites me too much...and the broken props he has dragged home from a couple of botched attempts haven't helped set me at ease. Ahh well. He is young and fearless...and his life is in the hands of One far greater than I.

That said, we had a lovely day at the beach with several of our children and some friends. Picnic lunches, sand and sun are usually a great combination. And so goodbye to summer and hello to Fall and all it's possibilities. Look for fall decoration pics soon!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Of Books and Boys and School Days

Our dining room looks peaceful, flowers on the table, a nice cloth. Not for long. As of Tuesday, it will once again be transformed into a learning area, littered with books and art supplies, microscopes and magnets.

We are a 'book' family. The main school books reside here in the corner behind the dining room door. These are the curriculum books I use. Mostly Abeka.

Instead of fine china, or a fancy bowl, my china cabinet is graced with a globe and a fat dictionary.

Our favorite reading area is just off the dining room which is convenient. We often laze on opposite ends and do spelling words, grammar and flash cards.

The living room holds art books, gardening books, and a large assortment of books for grandkids.

It also holds our videos and DVDs.

Our bedroom has a wide assortment of Christian books from hubby's Bible College days and anything new we've added since.

Even the family room has a bookshelf which is loaded with the old classics and a collection of old school readers.

The boys keep all their favorites on shelves by their beds. For Patrick that means tons of nature books.

For Rob, his old Hardy Boy books, Calvin and Hobbes and lots of sets from various authors.

We also have a 'flotsam' shelf!



When I say we love books, I mean it. I grew up in a reading home where Friday was library night. We would all go to the Athens Library and then go home with our selections and sit and read. With my own kids, Tuesday afternoons became the highlight of the week. We dragged out the banana boxes and went to Mallorytown library or Brockville library. 5 books each was the rule but it usually became 7 or 8 because there was so much to choose from...and we lugged the boxes home and read all afternoon and well into the night.

I have gotten rid of a lot of books over the years so we are down to just the few you see in my pictures. 'Wink wink." They are my old friends, these books...Lost In the Barrens by Farley Mowatt, Little Britches by Ralph Moody, Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter, Pierre Berton's Canada, Christy by Catherine Marshall. The list goes on....and on....and on. Someday perhaps my grandchildren will walk around carrying an entire library in a small electronic device, but I prefer the feel and the smell of old pages, and crisp new pages and a book in my hand.

What a great blessing it is to be allowed to homeschool these children of mine. I am very grateful that at 51, when a lot of women are edging toward retirement, I still have years of homeschooling ahead of me, and the joy of teaching these last two boys how to become the men God wants them to be. Happy homeschooling everyone!