It is Well

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Week Favorites

“Thunderstorms are as much our friends as the sunshine.” 
― Criss Jami, Killosophy

He has made everything beautiful in it's time

- Ecclesiastes 3:11a

The little birds have found a new feeder - it's apple pie for all.

Aren't they sweet?

Today the kids and I enjoyed watching The Flight of the Butterflies on Netflix - if you haven't seen it ... you're missing out! In all seriousness, it was the best 45 minutes of my week. 

Also this week we tried overnight salt crystals ... somehow it actually worked.

Aren't they so "snowflake" like? 

We used thisTUTORIAL

All you need is Epsom salts, some liquid watercolor (food dye might work) and a jar ...

We also experimented with homemade play dough - we weren't too successful. Next time I think we will go the kool aid route but I didn't have any artificial colored diabetic drink packets in my cupboards - I guess a trip to the store will be needed!

We also finished our Maya Angelou chapter book - her life was such an inspiration and we enjoyed reading a bit of her poetry and also looking up videos on youtube of her singing - I had no idea that Maya was a singer and a dancer as well a civil rights activist and amazing author. We completed our unit study on Brazil (I chose Brazil without even realizing that the Olympics were going to be there...it was amazing watching the opening ceremony and actually understanding some of the local history.) So... there are new lesson plans to be made and projects to conjure and a field trip in the near future (Pike's Peak anyone?) and I'm pretty excited. Our homeschool journey this year has already needed some flexibility - a totaled vehicle and fevers and bad weather oh my. All in all though, it's gone rather smoothly and I think the kids are enjoying learning and have had some pretty joy filled experiences. I hope that you all have a good weekend.

 You are loved beyond measure,

Beautifully and wonderfully made.

~Alyssa

The School Year

Our school year officially began yesterday. 

I'm excited.

The last two school years we had a lot of hiccups....winding roads...mountains to climb...

chaos...if you will. 

This year I feel like I have a plan, I have the space, and my heart is in it. 

I will try and put up a blog post at least once a week to share what we are up to in the world of homeschool. Without further ado :

SLIME. 

We made it, it was a hit.

Making a gooey concoction like this is a great hands on science experiment....

the conversation can be about formulas, polymers, how to follow a recipe...the list goes on. 

 We used this recipe! Give it a whirl...it only calls for water, glue, and a little borax.

We are going to learn more about Mr. Edgar Degas for our artist unit study this week.

I found a nice book at the library and also some youtube videos. 

Have you heard of the Who Was series of children's books?

My kids LOVE them. This week we are reading aloud Who Was Maya Angelou, 

my two older kids have a chapter book that they read from every night before bed.

We are going to focus most of our attention on South America in geography this year. We usually choose a country (this week is Brazil) and we find a book about the culture, history, economics, that kind of stuff. Then we may do a craft like create a flag for their notebooks, maybe cut out foods from a magazine or pictures of plants and create a collage for the country. I LOVE the Expedia Travel Guides on youtube - they are anywhere from 2 minutes long to 7 minutes and they are colorful and bright and interesting. Yesterday we watched about Rio along with reading about Brazil. It's fun traveling the world right in your living room. 

One of the biggest blessings of homeschool is being able to create a beautiful environment for the kids while they work on workbooks - classical music in the background, a cup of tea...maybe some cinnamon honey toast. I found some black masking tape at the store that I'm going to use to hang their art projects on our library door - I think that will serve MUCH better then our kitchen refrigerator. What are some of your plans for this school year? 

"What we learn with pleasure we never forget."

- Alfred Mercier

The Storm

The thing about life is - it's balanced.

There's a flow, a rhythm. There is gain, there is loss.

There is light and darkness.

Without the loss, we couldn't appreciate the good, the gain...the blessings.

Without the flow, we couldn't sink into the stillness.

Without the darkness, we would never look for the sunrise, or glow in the sunset.

We need it all.

I need it all - to be who I am. 

The cold, to appreciate the warmth. The scorching heat to enjoy the cool down. 

The bland so I can savor the rich,

the bad memories so we can make new ones ...or choose differently.

The storm came - and it tore my new little haven apart.

Golf ball size hail - I found one block of ice the size of a roma tomato.

It took.

In the end, it may be a mixed blessing because now our insurance might help with a new roof and gutters and siding...all things we could use.

Then today, as I was sitting on my deck...the wind wrapping itself around me and my trees still standing - my heart knew - and I wrote :

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Journal Entry : July 31st, 2016

Sitting on the deck, strong wind tangling tree branches, my soft pant fabric ballooning and tickling my ankles - I know YOU are here. You are in the wind. You are the wind. You are the rhythm of life, the flow.
You're stirring my hair, whipping my flesh, grabbing my heart - holding my head and saying "I love you so you can love more."
 That's the answer to my longing, to my often lonely spirit - to my always searching mind. Love More. Love well. 
 I don't have to be a priority to people because I'm You're very heart.I don't have to be wealthy - I'm rich in good character and in blessings that will last.
 You watch me. You hear me. You're love reaches so far - it goes beyond the hazy blue mountains of the Springs - it's higher then the Rockies, it climbs over the sky and fills dark space. Your light touches everything, everyone - it beats down on me. I know, that no matter the pain or pleasure that life brings, You are here with me. Because of that, I can endure with joy. I can love more. I can try again.

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I hope that you all have a blessed Sunday and have beautiful moments with those you love
(also...good weather. :) )

The Creative Mind

There once was a pile of scrap wood, laying in a dark garage. 

It was cold on the cement.

Sometimes a little spider would creep around, running across the back of the pine, tickling his knots.

The wood didn't really like it.

He wanted to be something.

There once was a little girl that had a love for all things miniature.

Little rugs, little thimbles, little tables.

Little flowers.

Little people. 

All things little - she loved them.

There once was a storm.

There was heavy wind and hail.

Several branches were stripped of their dignity and knocked to the ground,

their fate was "mulch."

There was a creative mind...or two.

There were hammers and nails and saws and glue.

There was a whole lot of love for the stacks of pine,

the branches...but mostly...

for that sweet little girl.

It took a little time, a whole lot of patience,

some sanding and some reworking.

In the end, 

the sleepy stack of wood 

the fallen down branch

became something new.

something lovely.

The little girl's heart swelled,

the creative minds were satisfied.

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” 
― Francis of Assisi

Also...a little tree painting for your Saturday. 

Some day I may learn to paint something besides birch trees...

It's just that I haven't found anything I love quite the same 

as these tall , stately, romantic creatures. 

Happy weekend!

Summering

 “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” 

― Henry James

 "Where are you going?" I asked.

She looked up at me, pad of paper under her left arm, a pack on her back, hauling a chair behind her

"out to draw lettuce" she smiled. 

Of course. 

Only in the summer can one sit in the sunshine, 

enjoying the air and the bugs and the pine...

and attempt to capture the beauty of  lettuce. 

The days have been full of hosting family and friends,

 late dinners, warm air, and lately...a bit of crafting.

Trinity and I have started painting peg people, starting with a family of fairies. 

Zac and I are building a little fairy house ... it's been quite a process. Not hard really...just a bit of waiting for wood glue to dry. I can't wait to show it to you.

I've been baking again too ... warm herb breadsticks and vegan enchiladas...this past week blueberry pancakes. I'm not ready for summer to be over, but I'm excited for cinnamon and spice and everything nice about fall. I've been gathering ideas...

The garden seems to be growing "okay." My cucumbers are flowering but the leaves have been turning a bit brown  - I've been researching about Ph this and Ph that and calcium and magnesium and all of the things that our soil needs. Words like "compost tea" and "nitrogen" have become part of my everyday vocabulary. My thumb isn't quite green yet...but it's slowly changing color. I had no idea there was so much science involved in gardening.

There is hope for me yet. 

One other amazingly good thing that has come my way in the last couple of weeks...

I've found a friend.

A sweet, kindred spirit friend that crafts and loves things like acorns and burlap and thrifting.

She made me this lovely "C" for my front door.

I felt like she handed me the moon.

I do love a handmade gift.  

As for me...I've been making a bit of Christmas in July - my love

of "all things felt" has return and I'm on a hoop making mission.

I also discovered Joanne Fabrics.

For some reason, all these years, I thought Joannes only sold material.

 Imagine my surprise when the glass doors parted and my eyes were met with 

colorful yarns and paints and birch rounds.

Twas love at first sight.

I found some lovely navy linen that I have plans for.

It's nice having plans.

There is a cool breeze calling me and a piece of avacado toast just waiting to be enjoyed, 

I leave you now friends.

I hope that your weekend will be full of joy and blessings,

that you will find ways to love others and feel loved by them in return

Happy July weekend.

May the Light find you right where you are.

Happy Friday

“A weed is but an unloved flower.” 
― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“God is the most beautiful, and beauty is the expression of God. If you can't appreciate beauty in the world how can you understand God?” 
― Amit Ray

“The beauty of that June day was almost staggering. After the wet spring, everything that could turn green had outdone itself in greenness and everything that could even dream of blooming or blossoming was in bloom and blossom. The sunlight was a benediction. The breezes were so caressingly soft and intimate on the skin as to be embarrassing.” 
― Dan Simmons, Drood

"Do not blame the thistle that you see no beauty."

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers.” 
― Robert A. Heinlein

"The next time you're faced with something that's unexpected, unwanted and uncertain,

consider that it just might be a gift."

- Stacey Kramer

“Beauty doesn't have to be about anything. What's a vase about? What's a sunset or a flower about? What, for that matter, is Mozart's Twenty-third Piano Concerto about?” 
― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness

faithfulness, gentleness and self - control.

- Galatians 5:22

“Though we cannot see the heart, we can see the life.” 
― David Paul Kirkpatrick, The Address Of Happiness

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you...

1 Peter 5:7

here's a song....

We took a lovely family walk a few days ago and I was blessed to find thistles and butterflies and caterpillars, bumble bees and scads of warm western sun. 

The last couple of days have been quiet here at home with my littles... crafting (can't wait to show you!) and preparing for the upcoming homeschool year. Have a lovely weekend friends, may you be filled with Light and Love.