More on the shawl...

I began to knit a shawl for E on Sunday. The shawl is now finished & lying on the floor in our tiny 'book room' being blocked.
Pictures to follow.....

Bean Bag Maths

Each morning, we have a mini 'Circle Time' - toward the end of circle time we focus on counting & number games.
A while ago, I made beanbags with some pretty gingham fabric, lentils & some dried lavender & chamomile harvested from our garden.

we use these beanbags while we count, tossing the bags to each other & saying the required number as we throw.

We count 1-100
Skip count to 100 by 10's
Count 10-1



The girls love this activity. It is great for getting rid of the wiggles & is just plain fun!

Here is a link I found with other ideas for playing with beanbags.

Our Sunday Box

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exodus 20:8

In my previous post I mentioned our 'Sunday Box' & I hope to explain it a little further here.


In Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series Vol 3 pg 144 Charlotte discusses The Habit of Sunday-keeping

The habit of Sunday observances, not rigid, not dull, and yet peculiar to the day, is especially important. Sunday stories, Sunday hymns, Sunday walks, Sunday talks, Sunday painting, Sunday knitting even, Sunday card-games, should all be special to the day,––quiet, glad, serene. The people who clamour for a Sunday that shall be as other days little know how healing to the jaded brain is the change of thought and occupation the seventh day brings with it. There is hardly a more precious inheritance to be handed on than that of the traditional English Sunday, stripped of its austerities, we hope, but keeping its character of quiet gladness and communion with Nature as well as with God. But I cannot pursue the subject further. The field of the habits of the religious life should afford many valuable matters for reflection and teaching; as, for example, the habitual thought of God in a family; the habit of reverence in thought, attitude, act, and speech; the habit of prayer as regards time, place, manner, matter; the habit of praise and thanksgiving; the habits of attention and devotion during a service (or part of a service); aids to devout habits; the habit of devotional reading.

Our Sunday Box is a medium sized plastic tub that comes out only on Sundays. It contains special toys & activities to help the girls to think on The Lords day as they play & have fun.
It contains;
A Noah's Ark (ours is the bottom one)
Our Busy Bible
A couple of Felt Bible Story Books
Our Story Bible
Beeswax for model making
Some sticker books
Various story books about Jesus & Christian Themes.
A special journal that anyone who wishes may draw & write in.

Our Sunday Box really hepls to define Sunday as Our Lord's day, separate from the rest of the week & helps to make our Sunday relaxing & faith filled.
I am planning to start a Prayer Journal to be kept in our Sunday box - each week we can record our prayers & read back over previous weeks.
I found this to be an inspiring post by Tiany

Happy Sundays :)

An 'Off' Day

Today I had an 'Off' Day...
it began last night. I finished knitting a pair of socks for R & cast on a hat for my hubby. I did some reading & stayed up w-a-y too late. As i wearily climbed the stairs to bed, my head was aching, but not enough for me to miss the messy state of my home. Ugh!
I awoke this morning, head still aching, body aching & still feeling icky. My lovely hubby went to get the girls & took them downstairs for breakfast. They watched a movie together & went out to the woods for a long walk, all wrapped up on this bitterly cold morning. I stayed in bed. I did not sleep, but mulled over in my head some stuff that has been bothering me. This is not the place to share, but suffice to say, everyone has concerns & worries, I know.
I prayed, I read my Bible. I read my Knitting book, which contained the wonderful quote:
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)
It made me think..how my Heavenly Father does not expect perfection, just relationship. How He perseus us with unrelenting, endless love.
1 John 4:18:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
I read some more & felt cosy & warm in my snuggly nest, watching throught the window as the dark, menacing skies gave way to bright light blue, with mere wisps of cloud.
This spurred me on & I felt the urge to tidy! I tidied, dusted & vacuumed all the bedrooms, showered & changed into fresh flannel pyjama's. By now, everyone had returned home from the woods. Here is a (not very good!) shot of R helping with the dusting



the girls did some sketching in their nature journals..a branch from a Horse Chestnut that we have on our nature table that has begun to grow new leaves..foiled into thinking it is spring come early due to the warmth of our home. And their hyacinths planted before Christmas, now beginning to flower.

We had lunch; roast chicken pilled high on buns, then the girls & I all got on my bed & snuggled. We listened to Paddington Bear & The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe while the girls played with the contents of their Sunday box



I cast on a shawl for E. she had finally decided what she wanted me to knit for her with this gorgeous yarn. And so was spent a lovely afternoon...knitting, playing, listening to lovely stories & watching snowflakes drift past the bedroom window. Bliss. I even had an afternoon nap :)



I made dinner, an easy, cosy meal of sausages & mash, made with potatoes, turnip, leeks, butter & cream. Followed by some swiftly made Shortbread & a Pineapple Upside-down cake that was baked yesterday.

So, for a day that began as an 'Off' Day, this day turned out pretty well. I must have more of these 'Off' Days :)

Finally, I must share a pic of Miss R in her new socks:

Epiphany

Epiphany Times Three by Kathrin Burleson

Matthew 2:1-12:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.


Some ideas to celebrate Epiphany as a family:

Add the kings to the scene in your nativity.

Sing 'We Three Kings'

Make crowns from sugar paper & glitter

Talk about what gift we could could give to Jesus. Write it down & seal in an envelope. Put it away with the nativity set, to be re-read next year as advent begins..

Ask God to bless your house!

With a piece of chalk, mark the main door of your house with initials of the traditional names of the Magi — Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar — and the numbers of the new year, connected by crosses, so it looks like this:

20 + C + M + B + 09

The initials also stand for the motto: "Christus mansionem benedicat" — or, "May Christ bless this house."

The reason we use chalk is that fristly it is easily removed, but aslo it reminds us of the dust of the earth from which we were made.)

While you're marking your main door, you might say this prayer:

"The wise men followed the star of God's Son Who became man two thousand years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us thoughout the new year. Amen."

Bake 'Kind's Bread'

This recipe makes five cakelike loaves of delicious raisin bread for the feast of Epiphany.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large, heavy pan, scald the milk. Add sugar and salt. Cool. Beat eggs and add with melted butter and dissolved yeast to the cooled milk mixture. Add raisins, including the extra water.

2. Measure 14 cups flour into a large bowl and beat in the above mixture. Add additional flour as needed, but the batter should be a little sticky. Cover and let rise to double in size, then punch down.

3. Form into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Let rise in pans until double in size. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 50 minutes.

Recipe Source: From a Monastery Kitchen: The Classic Natural Foods Cookbook by Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette, Gramercy Books, 1997

4 cups milk, scalded
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
11 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
7 packages yeast (dissolved in 1 1/3 cups warm water)
2 1/2 pounds raisins (soak in 1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water)
16 to 17 cups flour

Enjoy this blessed time

Nature Walk

We had a change from our usual woodland walk today & went to our local park. As we entered the gate, lying on the grass in front of us was a birds nest! A perfect little creation, just sitting there before us. E requested that we could take it to put on our nature table, so we carried it (carefuly!) with us.
As we made our way toward the pond to feed the ducks, we were greeted by a gaggle of Canadian geese, trotting along the footpath. They were the recipients of most of the french loaf we had brought along with us, taking it from our hands.
We had a lovely time this morning. Running with our dog, playing on the swings (yes, *all* of us!) examining buds on a tree we werent familiar with....the girls even had an icecream from the tea shop!
Life is truly blessed by simple pleasures.

New Year's Goals

New year's resolutions....hmmm, to be honest, I always fail. In a couple of months time, they are nothing but words in my journal. So, I will be making 'goals' today. And spending time planning how to achieve those goals - breaking them down into managable chunks.
Here is an outline of my plan:

1. I plan to meditate upon the following three scriptures this year. I have found this article to be an encouragement.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 3:17-19
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?


2. I plan to re-introduce our regular prayer times during the day.
I am looking forward to this book being published. I think it will be an encouragement.
During our day, I have set 'pauses' for prayer. I love them, & my day runs more smoothly when I observe them. So why have I left them behind?????

3. (tied in with point two) I plan to be more dedicated to following our daily routine
again, this is something that has slipped. For the most part it is observed, but the parts that make everything really work have been lost.

4. I will be watching my children more closely AKA 'watching the child, not the curiculum'

5. I will be incorporating regular excercise into my life.

6. Eating more healthily.
I think this is a post all by itself :)

7. Bringing a weekly rhythm to our life:

Monday: Laundry Day
Tuesday: Baking Day
Wednesday: Gardening or Handcrafts day (depending upon weather/season)
Thursday: Letter writing Day
Friday: Nature Study Day
Saturday: Family Fun Day
Sunday: The Lord's Day

I have different resources in mind to help me incorporate these aspects to our week, but specifically for Baking Day, I will be using:Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket& Book of Cakes by Delia Smith

8. Simplify. How , what & when I am not yet sure...i just know that everything within me is crying out to live a more simple life...

9. Last, but certainly not least, I will be learning as much as I can about my new favourite thing to do - sock knitting from my friends at Ravelry