Give Thanks to the Lord~Ps 136

Pastor Jason encouraged us this morning to personalize our story in light of Psalm 136.  Here you go!

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good.

His love endures forever.

Give Thanks to the God of gods

His love endures forever.

Give Thanks to the Lord of lords

His love endures forever.

He brought me forth unplanned yet planned

His love endures forever.

He set me in a family turning to Himself

His love endures forever.

He called me in the living room to follow Him

His love endures forever.

He gave my Father care and foresight for my soul

His love endures forever.

He put me in a youth group with a zealous pastor

His love endures forever.

He fell gently completely wooing my 12 year old soul

His love endures forever

He showed me His incomparable beauty

His love endures forever

Shielded by His love, he covered, protected, and preserved me

His love endures forever

Launched to the nations, he sent me

His love endures forever

Compelled by their suffering, he drew me

His love endures forever

His vision imparted to me

His love endures forever.

Clinging to Him, he united me

His love endures forever

A Christian husband he gave me

His love endures forever

With children he blessed me

His love endures forever

His heart bleeds before me

His love endures forever

His call in me

His love endures forever

Trials swirled around me

His love endures forever

Twice near death, he saved me

His love endures forever

His pressure squeezed me

His love endures forever

Fruit he brought forth through me

His love endures forever.

Unplanned yet Planned

My Creator's everyday Glory & Beauty given to me

Neighbor I love wee Cece, our foster child.   Family is serving her as she recovers from drug induced trama from her birth mom.

 

my shoots Field Trip to Indiana with friends to hike and observe the birds

Neighbors I love

Homeschool highlights February 2018

We have been tunneled in because of the cold and snow, but these changing seasons open up new possibilities and inspirations.  We get crafty, we want to bake and to explore in books.  We have been fascinated with the winter skies this year since our beginning serious nature study.  For want of plant life we looked up and have been amazed.

 

We have been studying Constable's paintings, the marvelous sky painter.  He was the first to study meteorology and paint skies as they actually were, not copies of Italian skies, or simple backdrops for subjects but the sky in its natural awe inspiring state.  We are using it as a unit study to explore painting clouds in perspective, how light affects the color of blue in the sky, storm predicting etc... I teach Nature Study at Chicago Charlotte Mason Scholars, our co op.  I love learning with my kids and have been so into the science and art of the skies.

 

Bethan and I have finally launched a successful microscope study.   It has only taken me 10 years to figure out how to do this with my kids.   But I collected the supplies--thanks to Amazon Prime and Bethan's urge to check Craigslist and finding the perfect scope! We are using Richard Headstrom's "Adventures with a Microscope" which is old but simple and easy to use.  Each exploration is 2-3 pages.  She journals her findings and usually wants to keep going when her time is up!

 Dad rescued this old toy from the attic amid dirt and squirrel poo.  It still works and Z scored 100% on the countries of Europe.  Old toys like this keep kids from accidently clicking on crap when using computers, provides 3D learning--a nice change from pen and paper, and contains buttons--what kid hates buttons?  So thankful.

On Safari

Aziza and I read Water Hole Waiting 



today... a story of an African water hole and all the animals that visited there.  They referenced a live safari webcam where we hope to spot an Elephant!!

FALCON!

"Come mom! Come quick! " Her voice rises above the others in my consciousness.  "What Abi?" I turn.
"Look!"
"OH MY!  GET THE CAMERA!"  I'm frozen as my eyes fix on the biggest bird I've ever seen, sittin on my porch railing.

 

We've been studying birds.  We've watched "The Big Year" and "Fly Away Home."  We've learned about birders and birding and making your Life list and falcons.  And the Peregrine Falcon--our city bird.  We've made suet.

And this HUGE bird is sitting on our railing under the suet.  Now, I'm not sure it was a Peregrine, but it was similar to this video we had watched a few weeks before (above). Maybe it thought it could carry away one of the sparrows who hang out there. 

I felt it was a gift only God could give.  He that feeds the birds.  That's going on my 1,000 gifts list for 2013!

The Burgess Bird Book for Children (audio)

has a wonderful chapter on "the Bully" the sparrow.  We have been watching the sparrows outside our window devour the wild seeds from the feeder.  The children are diagraming birds and noticing bird behavior.  Z said this AM, "Mom I saw a crest on that one!"  I love how the birds wait their turn on the bare branches and roof behind, but scare away any other species or squirrel who comes their way.  They have power in their song sung as one against the bigger animals.

I am thankful for their beauty today and what they tell me about my Creator.  That he delights in the small, gives attention to the littlest detail, and cares for his own.

Garfield Park Conservatory rediscovered

by joanEKimball.com Recently, my friend B helped me rediscover the Conservatory. What a wonderful midwinter escape. The girls love to draw there. This time we took watercolor pencils and big drawing pads. A did her first drawing with "shading" of an orange hanging on an orange tree. Mimi took this photo of B in the flower room. You would never guess it was March 3!