Yellow

Filtered Sun

Tiny bit of Color on a Grey Day

Fixing Stuff

A drum-pad he got for Christmas. One of the drums wasn't working. He opened it up, did some soldering...and it worked again. Cool.

Corn :(

Last year, we grew popcorn for the first time. It did very well and although we had to constantly fight the raccoons, we got a decent harvest.



I documented it here.




I went out yesterday to take down what I was sure was going to be a pretty pathetic harvest. This year we had a drought and we stopped watering the garden in fear of our well going dry at some point.

Sad looking, hmm?

We had a hailstorm Friday night, too.

Most all of it had these holes in it, something was getting fed.

My helper

That's it, I count 25ish ears, I think I'll save it for seed next time.

Family Movie Night Reviews- Journey to the Center of the Earth

We try to set aside Saturday evenings with no guests, no computer, no video games and all sit down as a family to watch a movie together. We don't have cable or wish to subscribe to any kind of movie service, so we buy a DVD once in a while to add to our library. Some are keepers and some are not. Finding it very difficult to find info online about specific movies that fit our criteria, I thought I would start reviewing ours here, usually on Monday. Hopefully this will be of use to anyone looking to build their own family movie library.

This is not our first time viewing this, but my first time reviewing it:)



A scientist/professor is trying to find out what happened to his brother who has been missing for ten years.   When his nephew (the missing brother's son) comes to stay with him for a few days,  they discover some clues as to where he may have gone and find that he was a "Vernian" who truly believed that the book A Journey to the Center of the Earth  was factual.


I've never read the book (The Jules Verne novel), but after watching this movie, I may have to put it on my reading list.  This was a good movie. Maybe a bit slow starting, but it gets pretty action packed and was fun to watch. No real warnings here. There are some scary moments that may be a little intense for little ones, but a good family film.  It is rated PG for the action and scariness, but there are no language or "romantic" (there are a couple of kisses, but very tastefully done) issues.


This will probably be one we watch again.

Summer's Stormy End

Late Summer Morning

One Sunday Evening

Duck, Duck, Goose

Wedding Reception

What is It?

 




In reading  through Exodus I've recently gotten to the manna part.  So many thoughts, but so jumbled and such, but the main thing I got out of the story this time, seems to be echoing in various places.



The youth pastor at our church spoke this Sunday about counting on Him presently, NOW, not in a well, I've got plans and you'd better get on board with them God (please), or please let me know somehow you got this God, but in an everything, everything way....next bill, next meal, next breath.



The children of Israel were told to only gather enough manna for one day and to eat and not save any until morning. Some didn't do that, tried to get ahead and what they stockpiled went bad. This really hit me this time.

*Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.  So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.  And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.”  Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

God seems to want us to lean on Him day by day, minute by minute, perhaps even second by second- total utter dependence.

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’  So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ from Luke 12

Another friend tells me to trust in all things, sit at His feet and learn and THEN, everything else. He said so Himself.

“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you-Luke 12

Manna, daily bread, the bread from Heaven, let us wait upon Him.

*added to clarify. The Israelites were not able to gather too much, but it was when they tried to save some back that it went bad.

Family Movie Night Reviews- A Series of Unfortunate Events

We try to set aside Saturday evenings with no guests, no computer, no video games and all sit down as a family to watch a movie together. We don't have cable or wish to subscribe to any kind of movie service, so we buy a DVD once in a while to add to our library. Some are keepers and some are not. Finding it very difficult to find info online about specific movies that fit our criteria, I thought I would start reviewing ours here, usually on Monday. Hopefully this will be of use to anyone looking to build their own family movie library.

I was going to pick up this movie several weeks ago, but I was afraid it would be too depressing, so I got this one instead......that didn't work out.


Thankfully, it was still available at the used disc store when I went back this weekend to look for it.




We've seen this before without the kids and remembered it being pretty good.  Three children who have recently been orphaned (depressing part) are introduced to their new guardian Count Olaf who is after their parent's fortune and nothing else. After he tries to get rid of them by placing them in the way of an oncoming train, they are moved from guardian to guardian, each one meeting their demise as the Count follows them around.  It is a very entertaining, although admittedly dark movie. There are lots of funny (dark funny) scenes, and some that are downright scary for little ones. My five year old had to sit in my lap for a bit.


It is rated PG for scariness, and "brief" language. There was some "brief" language, but not a big deal.  I have no problem with this movie being appropriate for all ages, but do keep in mind the dark humor and be ready to give lots of snuggles.

Gratitude

Possibilities

From the Abandoned Garden

Chocolate Milk Slurry

Sounds yummy, no?



I've been trying to perfect my chocolate milk recipe. I know they sell this stuff at the store, but chemicals and all that blah blah blah. Anyway, I was using milk, sugar and cocoa and putting it all in the blender which seemed to suspend the dry ingredients enough to make it drinkable.


BUT



my blender broke.

(I can and probably will get another blender, but that's not the point:))



I looked around for alternatives such as chocolate syrup recipes....messy.


I wanted a powder, but how to dissolve it into cold milk?



I read on a blog somewhere that they take their homemade "quick" and dissolve it in a little warm water before adding the milk. For the last several days, I've just been doing this on a bigger scale.

Sugar and Cocoa

Slurrified

I make it up in the morning, put it in the fridge to cool, and by chocolate milk time (before bed), it is perfect: dissolved, not hot, and readily available to flavor the milk. The little bit of water involved doesn't matter since we buy whole milk. They don't even notice. I never touch the stuff, but I did do a taste test.


This works great and I don't even have to clean the blender.


Hooray!

September

Brilliant Evening

Family Movie Night Reviews- Shrek: Forever After- The Final Chapter

We try to set aside Saturday evenings with no guests, no computer, no video games and all sit down as a family to watch a movie together. We don't have cable or wish to subscribe to any kind of movie service, so we buy a DVD once in a while to add to our library. Some are keepers and some are not. Finding it very difficult to find info online about specific movies that fit our criteria, I thought I would start reviewing ours here, usually on Monday. Hopefully this will be of use to anyone looking to build their own family movie library.

This is our actual copy. Doesn't it look well loved?:)

We've seen all four of the Shrek movies about a bizillion times (okay, maybe not that many). The Final Chapter (or Forever After) is an if Shrek had never been born-it's a wonderful life-you don't know what you have till it's gone movie.






In the previous three films, Shrek and Princess Fiona meet, fall in love, start a family and live happily ever after. In The Final Chapter, Shrek starts to become dissatisfied with the ho hum of daily married life, and longs for the glory days when he was a "real ogre".  Along comes Rumpelstiltskin with an Ogre for a Day contract and time warping adventure ensues.





We really do like all the Shrek series. They all have some rude humor, but for the most part, I would say they are pretty much appropriate for all ages.

Happy Building

Tea Journal- Fresh Motherwort & Spearmint

The Chamomile has got to Go

It's yucky.




And a pain in the neck to harvest.





And kind of ugly.

Well, it is now...I've not been good to it:(

Honestly, I haven't messed with it at all for several weeks and it is quite overrun with other friends.







So the Mr. thinks it best for me to try to pull as much out by the roots as possible before we plant my new thing in the space.




I was pulling away yesterday morning and realized that my backside was toward the street the whole time, so the passers by probably saw this:

Source-Google images

In other news, look at my mint go! I've been snipping some most every day to make tea, too, so yay!

See the little sprouts?

There they are in the middle.

Have a great weekend:)

Sun on a Power Line

House on a Hill

Gluing is his Favorite

Pre-wind Sky

Family Movie Night Reviews- Atlantis:The Lost Empire

We try to set aside Saturday evenings with no guests, no computer, no video games and all sit down as a family to watch a movie together. We don't have cable or wish to subscribe to any kind of movie service, so we buy a DVD once in a while to add to our library. Some are keepers and some are not. Finding it very difficult to find info online about specific movies that fit our criteria, I thought I would start reviewing ours here, usually on Monday. Hopefully this will be of use to anyone looking to build their own family movie library.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire- a geeky museum worker/ linguist /cartographer figures out where Atlantis is and with the help of his grandfather's journal and a wealthy benefactor, sets off with a team of people to discover what is there. The leader of the expedition is out to find the city's source of power and when he does, he plans to steal it at the expense of the lives of the natives who have been there all these thousands of years. The main character, Milo, helps the young Atlantian princess discover the reason that the city was put under water so many years ago. The bad guys lose, Milo stays in Atlantis and the rest of the expedition goes back to the surface with riches given to them by the grateful Atlanitans.


As far as appropriateness, I didn't see any problems. The princess could have had some more clothes on, but maybe I'm just a prude.  It was pretty sci fi for little ones and kind of scary in parts. I think the litter ones just enjoyed seeing a cartoon, while the older ones were able to follow the story better.  In my opinion, it was a bit short on plot, but big on action and effects.



This was okay for our family to watch.

Wildflowers