Gratefulness...

Continuing on in the journey of thankfulness ~ Grateful to God for His bountiful gifts. Joining in once again with the "Gratitude Community" in numbering the mercies He bestows. All is Grace!

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."
Psalm 100:4-5

141. Summer's gold ~ this past September

142. Pink and blue of the sunset...moments later they vanished into night
~ photo taken last week

143. The opportunity to "catch" this sunset!

144. Mummy and Emma moments
~ taken in Banff spring 2009

145. Picnics

146. A picnic spot at the Banff Springs Hotel
~ No we did not stay there! :)

147. Adventurous spirit!

148. Safety during said adventurous moment! :)

149. Amazing photo by firstborn
~ It took a few shots to get this one!

150. Mountaintop experiences ~ literally!

151. Children who have caught the "bug" and are doing a thankfulness journal!
152. Quiet shoreline ~ waves gently lapping
153. Horizon on the sea
154. Flash of pink running at the edge of the shore
155. Three young men jogging together ~ Austin, Calvin and Fraser
156. Happy faces greeting us along the promenade
157. Blogging friends
158. Great post-Christmas deals
159. Gifts stashed away for Christmas 2010!
160. Betsy's quick fix ~ free of charge! (Our van)
161. Oxford Hill
162. Empty Chocolate Boxes (no more temptation!)
163. Orthodontic Appliance for Emma
164. Braces for Austin's teeth
165. Funds to pay for Ortho treatment (see above)
166. Mild winters
167. Calm days
168. Dreams
169. Empty laundry hampers
170. Full laundry hampers ~ indication that there are precious people inhabiting this home
171. Working appliances
172. Hum of the washing machine
173. Doors loudly closing ~ little men live here
174. Velcro un-zipping...children who can do for themselves
175. Emails from Austin
176. Task lighting to illuminate my kitchen sink
177. Mountain view from kitchen windows
178. Snow capped mountains pink in the morning light
179. Furnace that faithfully circulates warm air through our home
180. Order restored
181. New schedules created
182. Time to spend with my children ~ they soon will be grown!
183. Little girl that lovingly cares for her dolls
184. Reading aloud to Emma on her bed at night...right now it's "Mary Poppins"
185. Memories

Many Blessings,
Camille

At Calvary

**Photo taken between Tsawassen and Victoria ~ on the Ferry Trip**

This hymn has been playing through my head lately and it is so beautiful.
There is so much Truth here...
May it be a blessing to your heart today!

At Calvary

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.

Refrain:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary.

By God's Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.

~ Refrain ~

Now I've given to Jesus everything;
Now I gladly own Him as my King;
Now my ransomed soul can only sing
Of Calvary.

~ Refrain ~

Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary.

~ Refrain ~

William R. Newell (1868-1956)

Organizing Life!

Want to know what's been going on in our school this week?

An overhaul!

Here are the new schedules ready to be put to use!

Oh dear me...how much more we get accomplished in our home when we have a list and a plan. I suppose we are all similar in that respect. After all, God is a God of ORDER. I have found that I am simply unable to function efficiently WITHOUT a set schedule.

Having said all the above, I DO appreciate that there are as many variations on homeschool as there are homeschooling families...PLEASE DO NOT feel as though you have to do it this way! God has us all in different SEASONS of life as well ~ keep in mind that I do not have a nursing baby anymore...'nuff said! Some days I wish I was more of a "relaxed" kind of girl, but I was not created that way...I find that STRESSFUL!! ;-)

During the fall semester the boys were following a daily routine and list of duties, but that system was in need of tweaking ~ THESE new schedules are the result. I do realize that even those of us who do best in a set routine must be flexible to allow LIFE to happen ~ After nearly four years of doing this, I am at least grasping the wisdom of that! Ultimately, God is in control of ALL things...and that includes THE SCHEDULE! :)

Are you a "schedule" Mum ~ or do you like to take life as it comes?

The Piano

I grew up playing the piano and took lessons most of my school years. When we got married I did not have a piano ~ it was a luxury we could not afford! It was ten years before a piano came into our home...a thirty year old gift from the Lord. I was expecting Emma at the time. The evenings were the only times I had to devote to playing. I was rusty ~ still am ~ but determined to learn some new music. Pachelbel's "Canon in D" was the piece I chose to devote time to learning. I loboured over it evening after evening and learned most of it during the last six months of my pregnancy with Emma.

One day when she was still a newborn we were home together ~ just the two of us.

She was fussy.

I rolled her bassinette over to the piano. "Canon in D" was the piece I chose to play. It brought tears to my eyes to watch her visibly relax and calm down. It was soothing to her! If you ask her today she will tell you her favourite music is "Canon in D" ~ how precious is that?

Real Foods Diet ~ Healthy Eating!

Lindsay over at Passionate Homemaking has done a fabulous job of breaking down the steps toward more healthy ways of eating and preparing food. If you click on the link provided you will find her article...please go and see if there is even one thing you might change to encourage better health for you and your family!

As with anything...do it in baby steps and NEVER try to accomplish it all in one fell swoop. Even one small change per month would make a HUGE difference at the end of only one year!

**UPDATE ~ I have written a more in-depth article on this subject in response to J's request in the comment section of this post. Healthy Changes is the name of the post ~ click on the title to get yourself over there.

Happy Eating! :)

Thank You Notes ~ A Lost Art?

Little things mean alot ~ Everyone loves to receive a "thank you" note!

Our children are old enough to write a little note to each one
who kindly gave them a gift this past Christmas.
When they were little they would colour a picture and I would write the note for them.
We have found that through this exercise the children learn
something of the art of appreciation.

I am sure many of you do the same thing.
 Whatever form it takes I can guarantee it will be well received!

Everything is so fast paced in the world these days ~
wouldn't we all benefit from slowing down and taking notice of the little
(and not so little) things that make life so special?
Every one involved benefits from building relationships and sharing love along the way.

By God's Grace (and it IS His Grace ~ the Source of anything good)
we are seeking to teach our children to value those things that really matter.

The REAL things.

Challenge No. 2

So here we are with our second challenge.  Last month's challenge was a great hit and the entries we had and comments were very encouraging.  This month's theme is 'New' which can be interpreted as 'New Year', 'New Job', 'New Home', 'New Baby' to name a few.

The prize this month is Crafters Companion CD Rom - Male Occupations which is brand new and full of lots of great designs.

So here we have our Design Team examples to give you some inspiration.  I'm sure you'll agree that they are wonderful and hope that you'll take the time to have a look at their blogs were you'll find more details of how they made them.

Lisa

Patricia

Donna

Shirley

Viv

Good Luck everyone.  The challenge will run until January 14th 2010 and here are a few rules:

1. The card must be for a man/boy.
2. You need to follow the theme/sketch that is set.
3. It must be a new card.

That's all, I don't mind if you combine challenges with other blogs or anything like that.  I haven't been able to sort out a 'Mr Linky' so please just leave a comment on this post with a direct link to your entry.