Gustov

Well, to all of my wonderful Lousiana friends, I hope and pray that Gustov runs out of steam and spares all of you. Since we can not get local coverage, the reports we are getting may not be accurate, but it looks like it could be pretty severe for New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Ya'll are more than welcome to come stay with us, but in the meantime, we will be praying for each of you by name and for all of your household.

Not to be mean or anything, but it sure feels great to not worry about hurricane season any more......I used to dread being stuck at home alone with the kids while hubby was at work.

Jazzed

I'm jazzed. I am so excited about John McCain's pick of Sarah Palin for Vice President. From what I know about her, she is awesome. A person of virtue, integrity and determination. She works to fight corruption, even in her own party. Alaska has been turned completely around in the right direction, since she has been governor. She has five children, with her last "late in life" baby having Downs Syndrome, and she seems like such a dynamic lady - I can't wait to get to know her better. Hats off to you, Mrs. Palin, and hats off to Mr. McCain for making such a gutsy, jaw-dropping selection. I think we are in for some great politics this fall.

Harvesting

We have been harvesting plenty of yummy apples the last few weeks. The variety that is ripe at the moment is the best! They are lovely shade of green, pink and red. Hardly any of them have worms! I picked some this morning and Michael and I peeled and chopped a whole crockpot full to make some apple butter. It is so good!!!! There are still plenty of apples left, but I need the hubby to get the ladder out - and the ones up high are really big. I want to make apple pie filling and freeze it for the winter. I have had friends come over and pick as many as they want, and we still have such an abundance.

We have had the best time this summer with lots of goodies growing in our yard. We have had wild blueberries & blackberries, plums, grapes, pears and apples.

If you give me a little notice, I can whip you up a hot apple pie, and we can have some coffee. YUM!

Back to school.....

....or, did we ever stop going to school? Summer is still alive and well in Georgia and when I look back, I don't really see a concrete line drawn between schooling and not schooling. The kids and I are always learning together, and most of it is empirically learning. Isn't that really the best way to learn anyway? How much do we really retain from books? Be honest, I bet you can't remember what you read yesterday.

This year would mark our 10th year of officially homeschooling, but in reality, we have been learning since Chris was born. I had an epiphany a few weeks ago when I was enjoying some grand conversation with M. She is a fellow homeschooler, but has never formally schooled her kids. Hhhmmm. Why can't I do that? I am totally fried of trying to teach the unwilling, so this sounds like a great option to me. No more math books to correct (THANK GOD!) and no more diagramming of sentences!!! Freedom. I can taste it and it is better than any meal I have ever eaten.

I did encourage the kids to select some topics that interest them and get their juices flowing. Chris wants to learn computer programming and also rhetoric, so we are searching for something there. Andrew is uncertain, but is pretty sure that he will come up with something. Michael wants to continue doing math books (go figure) and James want to learn Spanish. I just want harmony to permiate the house. Harmony.
If you call me and I can't stop singing, you will know why.

Counting down.....

Well, it looks like we are counting down until Vlad returns to Belarus on August 1st. It has been a wonderful visit, just living our simple life. We have been swimming, bowling, hiking, berry picking & apple picking in our back yard, jumping, tennis playing, picnicking (SEVERAL), pool shooting, visiting, gaming, and just being together. We've visited the science museum and hope to squeeze in the zoo on Wednesday. Vlad has helped gather eggs & shuck corn. He loves to help me in the kitchen but he claims to not like anything I am fixing, until he tastes it, then he changes his mind. I am exhausted, but in a good way. Actually, in an excellent way. It is my fervent prayer that Vlad has learned many good things and can take home enough hope to share with his mother and brother. I also pray that we reflected the love of God to him without words, but in love and deed.

Vlad, we will miss you very much and hope to see you again some day. Keep studying English and keep trying new foods.

SPLASH!

Doesn't this look refreshing?

Fun swimming hole....

Our new favorite place to swim. Nice clear, cool water, beautiful cliff views and a waterfall. What could be better?