EKjourney Backup

B in a box! Cozying up by the heater vent  Dumpster diving in the recycling bin for treasures  Holes in the knees, mixed up prints, roller skates, and princess shoes  Happy B  Yummy  She is getting to be such a big girl! My mornings:  I love love love to get up early in the morning (for me, this is around 6:00) before anyone else.  I turn on the radiator heater, make a cup of tea, push the clutter on the table to one side, and do a morning Bible study.  I have been getting so much out of this time!  It is the perfect way to start my day. A month or so back, I decided to switch the way I do my study.  I still read through the Bible book by book   but this time I do a ton of writing - I write scripture, I clarify with dictionary definitions, I write out my thoughts and responses.  I started being very intentional about how I read scripture and how I can apply it to my life.  I read with this perspective in mind: that I am a ...

This morning, the blanket of thick fog actually produced snow accumulation.  It was quite marvelous, for just a moment and now I want the fog to go away! From the porch.  Looking at our hillside. Love my yellow wall! Down the street.  The side of yard Backyard Oh the real life experience!!  As much as I wanted to turn this "extra" day into a day of relaxation with lots of craftsy fun, there were chore necessities.  A day of lists, a day of dividing and conquering, a day of catch up, a day where rest is our own bedtime. Meals to make  Menu planning, homeschooling planning and prep work to do  Laundry to fold Phil went up to his classroom with children in tow this morning to grade papers while I used the quiet for dinner prep and meal planning.  Then, he hauled firewood with the older children while I monitored nap time with the younger and worked on my lesson plans.  Homeschooling was done after dinner (not my favorite time to d...

Fog fog fog!!  We rarely have a thick fog covering but for the last week, we have been enveloped in freezing fog.  While the ice dusting on the trees has been an absolute wonder of nature, the dark, lingering freezing temperatures, and lack of visibility was beginning to make me feel quite crazy and clausterphobic.  Saturday, we decided to get up into the mountains and see if there was any blue sky and sun to be found. While the scenes are picturesque, I will admit that I wasn't all that thrilled with the outing.  After putting on a search for sweatshirts, doubled-layered pants, coats, gloves, and appropriate footwear for 5 children (that took me an hour), we still managed to leave the house without a coat for one, a sweatshirt for another, and almost shoeless (caught at the last minute) for a third. The trail was very icy and after only a short hike in, we turned around because of the sheer slopes not 15 feet off the trail.  Definitely, not child friendly...

Monday morning, ready to tackle the long week ahead.  I try and start every morning with Bible reading and personal devotions.  I love that early morning time before anyone is up when it is quiet and dark, cuddled up in a blanket, next to my little radiator heater, with a hot cup of tea. B loves to help. He is stirring up the eggs and the berry cups are ready for coconut cream. Happy Willigs Morning play before school begins: Pattern blocks  Snap Circuits  Trains  A stacking game, with roller skates on Tea time and devotions before school.  I grabbed a 15 minute snooze and 5 minutes of crochet time by the toasty fire during rest time then worked on reading lessons with the older two while the others napped. Long snoozes and quiet afternoons are delightful.  Homeopathic remedies.  When Sawyer gets earaches (sometimes with a cold), I make him a garlic oil mix to apply to his sore ear.  This has cured every start to an ear infection!  And a...