Reading...

I just finished reading Rose Galbraith. Once again, Grace Livingston Hill doesn't disappoint. It took a little while to get to the good part, but she just had to set the stage...

Currently I'm reading Afternoons with Emily - seems totally different than anything I've read before....

The Telling

I just finished the last book in the Seasons of Grace trio - The Telling. Beverly is as good as ever!!!

Paula Deen's Savannah Style

I got a new book at the library this week. Paula Deen's Savannah Style. I love it.

I'm ready to move to Savannah. I think I fit there!!!!

I wanna spend the night on a sleeping porch with a fan blowing over me, drinking some ice cold lemonade and reading Grace Livingston Hill books ~~~

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Cute book I read...

Summer Reading Contest

We are getting ready for our summer reading contest!!! Stephen has won two years in a row and the competition is growing already...

Here's a great link to the Accelerated Reader list by grade level. I use this to keep track of each grade level to keep the contest fair.

We will make a trek to the library soon and stock up on all our reading books. I am wanting to get some books about camping and field guides too before we go camping this weekend.

Astra by Grace Livingston Hill

She might be desolate and alone in the world, but He was her Saviour. She was glad she believed!

Well, the children loved An Old-Fashioned Christmas by Louisa May Alcott. The movie didn't make it in time for the weekend holiday so maybe they will be able to watch it next weekend.

Tonight we started One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham. We read this story two years ago and they loved it. We will read it slow - just one chapter a night - and linger over it through December. Tonight we started by reading Luke 2 - the intro of the book. If you haven't read this story to your children - it is a beautiful read. It briefly tells the history of the Bible and shows our need for a Savior and God's gift of Jesus. The pictures are fabulous, especially the angel at the gate of Eden and the lion. I'm hoping Bobbie will draw the lion when we get to it. I'll try and post it if he does.

I have begun reading a new book called Frugal Luxuries. It has me thinking all about gardening right here at the end of November!!! The book flap says it's a combination of Simple Abundance and The Tightwad Gazette. Sounds good....




I am also trying to finish up The Missing by Beverly Lewis from the new series - Seasons of Grace. Last Christmas I got a couple of Grace Livingston Hill Christmas books and only had time to read one of them. I saved them and packed them away in my Christmas boxes, so I have a new GLH Christmas book sitting in there just waiting for me.... I SO LOVE BOOKS!!!!! :-)





Yeah!!! All the Christmas decorations came in this weekend after a long night of Black Friday shopping!! Hopefully tomorrow we can get started!!! I love Christmas!!!!

Thanksgiving Week at the Quinn Home

It's always a fun time here when the holidays role around. I am working on taking it slowly this year and doing what we can do (while not stressing over the rest).


The children only have 2 days of school and Artie has 3 days of work. It's always better when everyone is here. I am not that mama who hates to see her kids on school holidays. I miss them when they are not here!!!


We will be celebrating Thanksgiving twice this year as usual - once with the Clary family and then again with the Quinn family. I'm still working on my menus to bring and share...



During Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and Easter are the times I miss homeschooling the most. I am trying to figure out the best way to keep teaching the children even thought they are in school a lot of the time. We had such a fun Advent study two years ago when the girls were homeschooled. I am hoping to add in what we can this year. We will be reading an Advent book the children got at church last Sunday. BTW, I love our church. After having a couple years without a church, I sure am thankful. Ours is a giving church, always into something. Last week we participated in the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. This weeks begins the first week in Advent. The churches I grew up in didn't study or prepare the way through Advent, it is something I learned about over the Internet. I am glad my church teaches these teaching preparing the way. I can't wait to get to church Sunday and sing of His coming!!!


We are currently reading An Old Fashion Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott. I'm hoping the movie will get shipped by Blockbuster in time to watch Wednesday or Thursday night. I have never seen this movie, but hope it will be good. They are enjoying the book so far.



I'm also trying to get ready for Black Friday!!! :-) This has got to rank up there as one of my favorite days of the year!!! My mama would have loved this day too!!!! I am trying to get all the sale papers so I can make my plan. I know they are all listed online, but I am a touchy feely ad shopper. I have to hold them in my hand and circle things I like and then work from there. Always part of our Thanksgiving day ritual is to find a gas station open who still has a newspapers so I can get all the ads!!! I wish there was a week between Thanksgiving and Black Friday (and a paycheck!!).

I love the library!!!

Terry and I went and got more reading books - grade level for each contestant today.

Here's today's rundown...

Emily - 3rd grade reading list

1. Jubal's Wish

2. Owl Moon

3. Jimmy's Boa and the Big Splash Birthday Bash

4. Junie B., First Grader: One Man Band - 2nd Junie B. book this summer

5. Little House in the Big Woods - this will be the biggest book Emily has read so far!! :-)

Emily also got a box set of Addy - An American Girl - books and cassettes to listen to and read along with.

Stephen and Bobby - 2nd grade reading list

1. The Cat in the Hat

2. Arthur's Honey Bear

3. Amanda Pig and Her Big Brother Oliver

4. Amelia Bedelia

5. Roller Skates

Terry - Kindergarten reading list

1. The Baby Bunny

2. Help for Dear Dragon

3. It's Circus Time, Dear Dragon

4. Cinderella at the Ball

5. The Little Runaway

All Margaret Hillert books

Currently Stephen is in the lead...

My favorite gardening books

by Mel Bartholomew

by Reader's Digest

Summer Plans

I'm so happy it is summer!!! This is the way I want to spend my days!!! :-)

I have begun my summer plans today, little bits at a time. No more rushing, no hurrying. (and yes Artie I do hurry some times) Okay, maybe I don't hurry; but I'm stressed just from the fact that I should be hurrying!! No more stress!! Says the mama with seven children!!! :-)

Looking ahead to the summer plans.

My favorite summer activity is SUMMER READING!!! The little children are having a reading contest. We will be using the AR reading list and everyone reading on their grade level. I know there are lots of wrong things about being rewarded to read, but there are a lot of good things about reading, so I will handle the fact that they are reading for a contest and believe when they grow up they will still love to read. Just as my older children have. In fact, my older children are wanting in on the contest too. Maybe one just for them?

Tomorrow we will go to the library and get the first round of books. I still need a good summer book for myself. Any ideas? I will probably begin a new Grace Livingston Hill soon. I'm finishing up a book called A Place Called Sweet Apple about a woman who fell in love with an old abandoned house and took it and restored it with love.

We will also be updating chores. The little boys will be taught by Troy to take over the trash duties. Troy is going to have a big house project each day - lots of scrubbing and washing and some outside yard work. Emily is going to have something to cook each day. I want to have a "foods available to cook" list for Emily. Then she can cook when she wants to instead of being tied to a meal - desserts, breads, muffins, breakfast to cook ahead for the frig, casseroles. We will also be moving over to our summer meals - lots of salads and tomatoes!! Then there are always lots of new recipes waiting to be tried and tested!! Brenda will be working - some with Basketcase and some babysitting, so she will probably keep her usual chore schedule.

The calendar is quickly filling up more than I realized with weekly church activities for the little children, Bible school, beach camp, boy scout day camp, Jerusalem Project, parties

Then to fill in the blank days there is camping, swimming, cookouts, sprinklers, bowling, ice cream, Popsicles, watermelon, lemonade, strawberry slushies from Sonic and birthdays.

There will still be a little school for extra practice - mostly handwriting and multiplication tables. Maybe a couple of unit studies just to keep boredom at bay. Troy is thinking of summer school. ??

I'm hoping to get some good yard sale-ing in!! Saturday mornings usually seems so busy, but now that I'm not hurrying.... :-)

Lord, Please Meet Me in the Laundry Room

Okay, so the title totally hooked me on this book. My favorite place to pray is at the clothesline. It seems it's one of the quietest places in my life.

This is a great and quick read.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes...

"God sometimes gives us more than we can handle so we can learn to be totally dependent on Him."

"Thinking of Jesus and those He gravitated toward - imperfect people all, His favorites. He had time to eat with the despised tax collectors and prostitutes. He had time for men He knew we would let Him down...So it's OK not to be perfect. Jesus said so. But is it okay to rest there? Is it OK to think that because God accepts us in our imperfection it's OK to stay that way forever? ... we need to lovingly accept ourselves as God accepts us, and we need to lovingly do our best to do better."

"When Satan hounds you about your weaknesses, you feel tired, depressed and full of despair. When God confronts you, you feel remorse, quickly followed by the desire to change and hope for the future."

"It's not that I believe in miracles, I depend on them." Anne Lamott

"Being an older mother has its rewards - the wisdom that comes from the things I've done right and the things I've done wrong, the mellowness, the patience - or is that just another name for exhaustion?" :-)

There is a great chapter on having Down Syndrome children and adopting. Making me think about my friend Kathy and what a great mother she is and my niece Jessica as she and her husband embark on the adoption process.

Little Visits with God

I found the most precious book the other day while shopping in town. It's titled Little Visits with God by Allan Hart Jahsmann. It is beautifully written and has my little children begging each night to read a story. My older children have even sat in a time or two and listened with littles. Very highly recommended!!

Here is a review from Amazon:

"This is a wonderful tool for parents who are trying to find a way to reach their children during family devotions. Each story begins with a theme Bible verse, and then presents a story involving children and their parents related to the Bible passage. Afterward, there is a series of questions so that you can discuss the story with your children. For older children there is an extended Bible reading listed. Finally there is a concluding prayer.Not only will this help involve your children in family devotions, but the questions also help to develop listening skills. These benefits flow into church on Sunday morning. I highly recommend this book for anyone trying to involve their children in family devotions. "

Grace Livingston Hill

Monica at the Homespun Heart has found Grace Livingston Hill!! Monica is a wonderfully creative mama from South Carolina too. I have enjoyed her blog. I so love GLH and am happy with other women find her writings. Have you read any of her books?

Homing

"Well, of course that was all nonsense! She wasn't going back on the principles her mother had taught her. She was going to go steadily on trying to do as nearly right as possible. And perhaps some day God would give her a break!"

Jane in Homing by Grace Livingston Hill

Re-Creations

"Oh, but my dear! No one can take a daughter's place in a home when there is trouble, not such a daughter's place as you occupy, I'm sure. And as for the other thing, if you have it in you it will come out, you may be sure. You'll begin by decorating the home interior, and you won't lose anything in the end. Such things are never lost nor time wasted. God sees to that, if you are doing your best right where He put you. I can just see what an exquisite spot you'll make of that home, and how it will rest your mother to know you are taking her place."

Mrs. Maxwell to Cornelia in Re-Creations by Grace Livingston Hill

The Honor Girl

"When the table was set, Elsie ran out into the yard, and picked a handful of yellow roses from the straggling old bush in the yard, and put them into a vase in the centre of the table. The always had flowers of some kind on the dinner-table at Aunt Ester's. It gave the one little festive touch now that showed a woman had been at work trying to make things beautiful."



The Honor Girl by Grace Livingston Hill

I really do love blogging!!! You just can't tell it from my lack of posts lately. Wow, things have been crazy around here!!!

If you would, please keep Troy in your prayers. He is working hard and trying to grow up. It's such a tough age and time in life. He has consumed most of my thoughts and energy lately. Which is a little hard considering I do have 6 other children!! Anyway, the others seem to be clicking along pretty well.

Brian is talking still of joining the service. If he does, he'll be leaving a couple of weeks before Christmas!! Again, hard for a mother's heart to think of!! More prayer!!!!!!!

I guess I am still adjusting to the children all going to school. I thought I would have all this time and get so much done. I feel like I am farther behind than when school started!!

Our washer died this past week. Our washer is a needed servant around here, it is used all day - every day; so the lifetime expectancy of a washer in this house isn't too long!!

Artie is so good at fixing things that we were hoping that he could fix this too (he has fixed it several times in the past). We ordered the part needed - a floater something - and waited over a week for it to arrive. So, everyday I've been lugging dirty clothes to the laundromat to wash. Now, for an average size family, this isn't quiet as big a deal as it is here!! We go through lots of clothes - one day has - 8 jeans, 8 shirts, 8 undies, 3 bras, 16 socks, 4 towels (we usually share when it works out), and then trying to wash one set of sheets a day to get through everyone's. Add in gym clothes, coats, wash clothes, dish clothes, dish towels, blankets, stuffed animals who need a bath, the list just seems to go on and on!!!! :-)

Okay, it's not quiet this bad, but.....

The part came in. So much for the washer's life - the part didn't fix it. Water is still pouring over the top of the washer. Now, I have to wait until Artie can go and get me a new one. It's not like a washer is something I can just run out and pick up during my grocery trip to Wal-Mart!! He's got to remove the old one and then find and bring home a new one. Hopefully, by this weekend, we'll be up and running again. Until then, I'm spending my days at the laundromat (trying to keep my clothes on my body!!). It is taking the place of my exercising right now. I don't have the time or the energy to do both!!

The one good thing of spending time at the laundromat, I was able to finish up my new Beverly Lewis book - The Forbidden. Ohhh, it's good. It's the second in the series of The Courtship of Nellie Fisher. The third one comes out this October I believe. I can't wait. I have now officially read off of Beverly's adult books and looking forward to the new one's arrival. Brenda is reading her series for teenagers - Summerhill Secrets and loving her as much as I do. I might just have to actually buy the new one at full price. Most I got at the library, off e-bay or through Paperback Swap. I never pay full price!!! :-)

So, I do plan of blogging more, it life allows!!! :-) See you all soon!!

Celia

"It was not in Celia's nature st stay in a room and not make those little changes of picking up a shoe and straightening a quilt and hanging clothing out of sight. She did it as a matter of course."

"I have never tried to be "pretty" as you call it. I only tried to be clean and neat, and have things look as nice as I could without spending much money."


A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill

Dress Parade

"Celia had not spent her afternoon at the parade. Instead, she had been in her small, cold, back bedroom on the third story, attending to various worn garments which needed mending. They had been spread out on the bed in a row, and she had gone steadily down the line putting a few stitches here, a button there and setting in a patch in another, counting every minute of daylight hoping to finish her work before it faded, for the gas in her room was dim, the burner being old and worn out. She tried to be cheerful over the work. She called it her 'dress parade.' She knew it was the best way in which to accomplish as much as she wished to do."

A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill