"Ladies who feel that breaking away from God's plan is an assertion of their individuality have believed the devil's lie.  The devil has got us to accept his stereotype of an unattractive, unappreciated household drudge, in bondage to diapers and dishes, instead of the Bible view of a lovely, godly homemaker."

~p.62 The Lady the Lord is Looking For by Cathy Corle

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Today we went to Living History Days at Leonard's Mills in Bradley, Maine. We had so much fun watching the potter and the blacksmith, riding on the wagon, looking at the trapper's cabin, eating bean-hole beans and more!  I love being outside in the fall and today was an especially beautiful day, sunny and in the 70's-unusually warm for October in Maine.

Here is a picture of the blacksmith from last year:




~Penni

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

"Sweet and smiling are thy ways,
Beauteous, gold Autumn days."
                    ~Will Carleton

          I love autumn, don’t you? I love the warm, sunny, and breezy days. I love the smell outside. It is so fresh smelling and almost sweet. I love walking through fallen leaves as well. I love that crunch, crunch, crunch sound they make. What do you love most about autumn? What I love most about autumn is the brilliant colors of many of leaves.

          Do you know why the leaves become so beautifully colored this time of year? It is because when the days get shorter and the temperatures get cooler, the leaves produce less chlorophyll which gives the leaves their green color. As the green color disappears, beautiful reds, yellows, and oranges, which were already in the leaf, can be seen. This fall we have had some very warm days and even quite warm nights; this is why we have so many brilliant reds in the leaves this year. The heat in fall makes the red more visible. Don't we have an awesome God to provide all this beauty for us?

          For more information on the changing colors of the leaves in autumn, go to http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Coal Mining Worldwide

        This week we heard how Peter had his "own" coal mine. Although we don't use a lot of coal where we live, coal mining is a big business in the many parts of the world. Approximately 5.3 billion tons of coal is used worldwide each year.  In the U.S. about 1 billion tons of coal is used each year, 90% of that is used to make energy. Also, the United States produces about 20% of the world's coal each year. Coal is mined in 26 states of America with Wyoming producing the most! I had no idea Wyoming had coal mines. Did you? If you and your family would like to learn more about coal, your parents can go the American Coal Foundation's website at

http://www.teachcoal.org/teacherstore/index.html and request a free

Coal Sample Kit.
Grades K-12
Samples of peat, lignite, bituminous coal and anthracite in re-sealable bags, including a brief description of the formation and different types of coal. First coal sample kit free!
(Grades K-12, Order # AC-1009)

We received one of these kits many years ago and it was very interesting!

~Mrs. Hill

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

    In the second half of chapter 2, one of the children states, "Grown up people, even mothers often make remarks that don't seem to mean anything in particular just for the sake of saying something seemingly."  God's Word tells us in Ephesians 6:1-2 that we are to honor our mother and father. Is it honoring to our parents if we don't take every word they say seriously? No, it isn't. God expects us to listen to every word our parents say and obey them. We never know when they may be giving us information that could save our lives.  We will have fuller, more joyful lives because we have obeyed God by obeying our parents. Be sure today and every day that you are REALLY listening when your parents speak to you.

~Mrs. Hill

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

    We are told in chapter two of The Railway Children, that the back kitchen roof has several flowers growing on it. One flower mentioned is the purple flag flower. These same flowers grow right here in Maine, but we call them "Blue Flag" or "Wild Iris". In the spring time many of them grow along my nature path. Do any grow near your house?

          Http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/wildiris.htm has this information on the Blue Flag: 

    Blue flag (Iris versicolor) is a native herb found in eastern and central Canada. This plant has been mentioned as causing poisoning in humans and animals, but case reports have not been found. The plant juice can cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals.  Wild irises are perennials that grow in swamps, wet meadows and moist woods throughout North America. Like their cultivated relatives, they are easily identified by their flat, sword-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers. Each blossom consists of three erect petals and three larger outer petal-like sepals, usually the same color as the petals, which ordinarily curve downward from the base of the flower and are marked with crests of a contrasting color.

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Thatching

          In chapter two of The Railway Children, it is mentioned that the roof of the back kitchen was thatched. This picture shows a close up of a thatched roof. Isn't this quite amazing? It looks very natural, yet pretty. Thatching is covering a roof with a type of vegetation. Most thatching in England is done with wheat straw. A good quality thatching can last more than 50 years. Traditionally the new layer of thatch is placed on top of the old layer. There are some buildings over 600 years old with over 6 feet of thatch on their roofs! Can you imagine if your roof was 6 feet thick?

• Comments (1) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

    The Railway Children

Chapter 2 notes:

    Last week we talked about how the children didn't have a Christ-like attitude towards their aunt. This week we learned how she had thought ahead and sent along food with them for when they arrived. Even though they had a bad opinion of her and thought her a bit grumpy, she obviously cared about them enough to do this small, yet important task.

          God's Word is very clear that we are to be kind to others. Philippians 2:3b says "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves."  We are to do nice things for others, speak respectfully of them, and pray for them, even if they may be a little grumpy at times. It is easy to be nice to nice people isn't it? But God doesn't want us just to be kind to those who are good to us. He wants us to be kind to those who aren't so nice, too. The really wonderful part is that He is with us, working through us, helping us to be kind to others.

          Think of someone this week who YOU many consider to be not so pleasant to have around. Pray for this person and if possible send them a note or take them a plate of cookies or loaf of bread. (As always, be sure to have your parents' permission before you visit anyone.)

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

The Railway Children

by Edith Nesbit

            We read in chapter 1 how the children were used to always having everything they needed and then very suddenly things changed. They had to give up most of their belongings and move to a new home. This would be a scary and unsettling event in anyone's life. What a blessing to know that we can be assured that God will always take care of us!  "He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." Psalm 102:17. We have no reason to worry about changes that may come in our lives because we know that God is always there, that He loves us and cares for us. "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."  1 Peter 5:7

How would you like to try some of the pigeon pie mentioned in chapter 1?

Pigeon Pie

Ingredients

4-5 pigeons, drawn
salt and pepper
8oz stewing beef
8oz shortcrust pastry
beaten egg to glaze
2 tsp cornflour
10fl oz stock

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Joint the birds into two breast joints and two leg joints each and stew the rest of the carcass in a little water to make stock for the gravy.
3. Cut the beef into small pieces and line a deep 8in pie dish with these.
4. Lay the pigeon joints on top, cover with water, add salt and pepper, then cover the pie dish with greased paper or aluminum foil. Place in the oven and simmer for 1½ hours.
5. Remove from the oven and raise oven temperature to 400F.
6. Cover the pie with the shortcrust pastry, brush the top with beaten egg, put back into the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown.
7. Make a gravy by mixing 2tsp cornflour with a little cold water and add to 10fl oz of the warmed stock. Allow to thicken while stirring, season and serve with the pie.

(I found this recipe online and can't remember the link- thank you to who ever wrote it!)

~Doesn't that sound yummy?~

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I'm hoping to keep my blogs updated a little more in the future! For an update on what I'm up to, check out my homeschooling blog (link to left).

More later....
~Penni

• Comments (0) • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link