Like Dandelion Dust

oh. my. goodness.

Every time I read another Karen Kingsbury book I love her as an author even more! Remember how I said I was taking f o r e v e r to read through my book choices?? Well not this book! I have been so enthralled by it that I've been unable to put it down!

It has drama and adventure and kept me on the edge of my seat ... and of course it drew out tons of emotion at the end. {That is lots of tears from me, no surprise!}

I give it a big fat 5 STARS!

Library

September is National Library Card Sign up Month.

Do you have your own library card? If you don't, you should visit your local library as soon as possible to obtain one! Even children as young as five can obtain their very own library card. It is a wonderful experience for kids to have their own card, pick out their own books, and check them out at the desk all by themselves. What a lesson in responsibility!!

When my oldest was five we couldn't wait to rush out and get her a library card of her very own. Somehow when the youngest turned five that milestone seemed to slip through the cracks and we totally forgot! So tomorrow I plan to take both girls to our local library. J will get her first card and we all will enjoy choosing some books to read.

I am seriously giddy with excitement! I love books, I love to read, and I love that my girls love it too! This may sound funny but it always amazes me that the library is FREE!! Such a wonderful resource to enjoy at no cost!

First day of school

Today was our first day of school for the 08-09 school year! Tuesday mornings are our science co-op class ... so it was perfect for a first day of school.

We gave the girls each a back to school bag ... filled with crayons, markers, pencils, clipboards, and such - plus a couple of new reading books. They were thrilled to jump out of bed and check out the new things in the bags!

I really can't believe that my 'baby' is now in Kindergartner! Poor thing, she was bit by a mosquito right next to her eye last night, so her right eye is slightly swollen in her first day photos. Her smile is still beautiful though!
H is now is second grade ... seriously, where does the time go?
J coloring a page at co-op ...
H and some other home school friends working on their pages at co-op ...

Our completed Summer Reading List

I am so proud to share our completed summer reading list with you. I have to say that I was most impressed by my hubby and my daughter H this summer. I admit that I lacked in reading enough books to J (I know, I'm a bad Mom!) ... and also that although I had big intentions for all the books that I wanted to read - I just couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to get through that many!

We were so busy this summer, doing so many fun things, that by evening I was barely getting through one or two pages before I'd fall asleep!

Bob, on the other hand, suddenly became a reader this summer, and since he's a night owl anyway he was able to fly through 7 books since June!

H, my awesome little bookworm, sped through 20 chapter books this summer!!!!! 20!! Isn't she amazing?!

I only completed 3 books, and have 3 that are still ongoing. Oh well, I'm so proud of my family doing so well!

All together we read 48 books this summer. It's not even one per day when you break it down, but I still think that it's pretty good considering how busy we were! I'm going to post our list here and then start a new fall reading list. So keep watching for that!

Here is our complete list (Bob's books have a #, mine have ** and the rest were the girls choices.):

Summer Reading 2008

• # Gumbo Limbo by Tom Corcoran
• Schnitzel is Lost
• Who's Making that Mess?
• Junie B. Jones has a Peep in her Pocket
• Junie B. First Grader Boss of Lunch
• ** Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
• Junie B. First Grader Shipwreck
• Junie B. First Grader Boo and I mean it!
• A new Duck
• It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
• # Swine Not?
• # Sail
• # Step on a Crack
• # 4th of July
• # Beach Road
• # Uncas of the Mohegan-Pequot
• Midnight on the Moon from the M T series
• Sunset of the Sabertooth from the M T series
• Afternoon on the Amazon from the M T series
• Night of the Ninjas from the M T series
• ** The Postcard by Beverly Lewis
• The Moon Jumpers
• Mr. Peabody's Apples
• Junie B. First Grader One Man Band
• Junie B. Jones is a party animal
• Junie B. Jones is (almost) a flower girl
• **50 Veteran Homeschoolers Share ... Things We Wish We'd Known
• **On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury
• Junie B. Jones and that Meanie Jim's Birthday
• Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake
• Pirates Past Noon from the M T series
• Mummies in the Morning from the M T series
• The Knight At Dawn from the M T series
• Dinosaurs Before Dark from the Magic treehouse series
• Amelia Bedelia
• Fidgety Fish
• Junie B. Jones has a Monster Under her Bed
• Ten Little Fish
• Stanley, Flat Again!
• **Coming Home by David Lewis
• Unicorn Wings
• The Crayon Box that Talked
• Frederick
• Moose's Loose Tooth
• One Hungry Cat
• Fancy Nancy at the Museum
• Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren
• **The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd

Joys of summer

We have enjoyed so many gorgeous beach days this summer. The sun, the sand, the surf ... it all makes for a wonderful, fun-filled day.

Last week my brother Matt and niece were visiting and we took them to a great beach in RI where the waves are bigger than we tend to see around here. It was a picture perfect day with not a cloud in the sky. The three little girls had a blast playing in the sand, jumping in the waves and enjoying each other's company.

Here are a few photos ... kind of makes me sad that summer is coming to a close and pretty soon we will have to say goodbye to the beach days for another long, cold winter.







{{I love the look of pure bliss on H's face in this picture!}}

Being a Christian

I am a Christian. Those that know me, know this about me already. But sometimes it's hard to really explain what that means.

It doesn't mean that I'm 'religious'. Or that I'm perfect. Or that I'm better than anyone else or holier or more righteous .... I really like this poem, I think it embraces what I am and what I believe.

I have a relationship with God. He is my Savior and I know that I am a sinner. Every day I sin. Every day I mess up. But every day I seek to follow God more and to live according to His Ways.
So enjoy the poem!

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin'' I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect, My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Get caught reading

You can get caught up in a great book anywhere you go! Just pick up a book and let your mind escape!
Speaking of which ... has anyone else seen Nim's Island yet? It was fabulous! The girls and I loved it. It has adventure and it's creative and fun for kids to watch ... I was just really impressed with it. And that Abigail Breslin that stars in it ... she's amazing! We also saw her in the Kit Kittredge movie this summer, and she's one impressive little 11 year old!

Guests

We have had many guests this summer, some that have just visited for the day and some that have stayed overnight. We have really enjoyed using our home to entertain this summer. Especially since we've added the pool this year and are getting lots and lots of use out of it!

A few weeks ago we had some very special guests. They drove all the way from Wisconsin to Connecticut to see us! We went to college with Stephen, and we had never met his wife Nicki, but we had talked through email and our alumni website many, many times. I knew I would love Nicki before they even arrived and the moment they stepped out of their car we started talking and right away we hit it off!

They have four boys - Sawyer (H's age), Soren (J's age), Rece (20 mos.) and Roen (7 weeks). The girls were not too excited about 4 boys coming to stay, but got along great with the boys once they arrived! They had such a blast together and had so many similarities in their personalities.

I took so many great photos, but I'll just try to share a few that summarize the 3 wonderful days we had together ...

This is their beautiful family ... on the docks, we went there after the Aquarium and lunch at a fabulous seafood place ...
Here is Nicki and I at the Aquarium ... The four older kids on the docks ... {Sawyer, H, J, Soren}
I got to hold sweet baby Roen!! He was such a cutie and such a good baby! This was the day we spent at the beach ...
At the beach ... J, Rece and Soren ... Sawyer had fun catching creatures like crabs!!
The men went out fishing on Bob's Dad's boat ... and they had fun catching lots of fish ... {this is Stephen}
I got some cute photos of the older kids together ...
And we even got a great group shot ...
The kids had fun swimming in the pool ...
And playing baseball in the yard with Stephen ...
Catching bugs and frogs works well for both girls and boys!
And Bob taught the boys some golf ...
What an awesome time we had! I was so sad to see them go. I have no idea when we will see one another again, but we really enjoyed every minute of our visit. Nicki and Stephen, thanks for driving so far to come see us - we miss you!

Olympics Inspired

The girls have turned into regular little fish this summer. They have always loved swimming, and done well in swimming lessons every spring ... but this summer with the addition of our own pool they have gotten really good! They have also loved watching the Olympic events and have talked and dreamed about being Olympians someday. (Hey, you never know, right?)

The other day we were at my Mom's condo pool and Bob was giving them diving lessons. H is doing great and can do an almost perfect dive into the water ... J is getting there, I think she's afraid to go head (hands) first into the water and ends up jumping feet first. She'll get it eventually. Here are some fun pictures ...

Daddy and his girls ...
Ready, set, GO! (J is on the left, H on the right - check out H's dive!!)
Here's H again ...
And J ... she's even laughing on the way in!

Recipe for a perfect morning

A fresh-brewed pot of coffee

A nice cool morning (60 degrees! just how I like it!)

A warm, cozy sweatshirt

A sunny deck with a comfortable chair

My Bible, devotional and prayer journal

Sounds of God's creation all around me

Time spent with my Lord, uninterrupted

A sweet little 5 year old coming out to snuggle with Mama and say good morning